While not the best volume of Hana-Kimi, I still enjoyed it because of Sano, Shin, and Kagurazaka. They're all pretty good together, and I especially like Shin's and Mizuki's friendship.

As always, Mizuki is adorable. She and Sano almost made more progress, but not really. ( )

Although not a lot of action happens in this volume, I enjoyed it greatly, because the character interactions were incredible. The story begins with Ashiya's excitement over Sano sucking her hand for blood (Why is this a form of intimacy in manga, and why do I find it strangely romantic?) but soon moves into the next story arc - the track meet and greet. Various high schools from the same region are bringing their running and high jumping athletes together to socialize and participate in friendly competitions. Of course, Sano and Kagurazaka are there, but so is Shin, Sano's little brother. Ashiya and Nakatsu sneak in, and then Kagurazaka just invites them in anyway. With that line up, you know that the dialogue will be fun and engrossing, and it is. Kagurazaka is giving Sano a hard time, as usual, and shares the arrogant hostility with Shin, who responds in the same stubborn way as his brother, but with more temper. Shin doesn't know, as the others do, that beneath his cocky attitude, Kagurazaka is a great athlete who admires and even cares for those he harrases. Sano and Shin are still having serious communication problems, and Ashiya remains her adoringly naive and bumbling self. Meanwhile, Nakatsu interferes and overreacts to everything. Watching these characters together was wonderful and had me racing through the pages. We also get to see Kagurazaka and Shin jump for the first time, with beautiful fan-service art and drama. Just when Sano and Shin are making tentative steps to friendly ground, Sano finds out that Shin's coach is their father, and they have another argument. Sano knows he was out of line, and Ashiya convinces him to go talk to his brother. When he arrives to apologize, though, he meets the last person he wants to see. His father. This collection developed a lot of the characters I love, brought Shin back which is always a good thing, did a nice job of increasing the emotional tension, and ended on a suspenseful note. A solid entry in the series that left me wanting more. ( )