Love. The three RAs banding together to save the school was so epic. But I'm a little disappointed by Kitahama's dramatic turnaround. He just felt so evil somehow, that I would've liked him to kinda...stay evil, I guess.

I'm liking Akiha's plotline, though. I'm looking forward to the continuation of it. ( )

The ninth volume of this fun cross-dressing series concludes the mean teacher arc before returning to Akiha the photographer and his models. The story begins with Nakatusu being blamed for cheating, in an incident that was an accident, as the others students attest. Nonetheless, Kitahama, the temporary headmaster, refuses to listen or believe. According to Nanba, he needs a sacrificial lamb to show the other students that his unofficial rules must be obeyed, and Nakatsu is his choice. The three dorm leaders decide this reign of tyranny has gone far enough, and take a drastic step: the formation of the Cherry Blossom Alliance. On the one hand, this story is definitely ridiculous. The drama is over the top, and the resolution too easy and silly. On the other hand, I had fun reading it. I loved watching Nakatsu bravely endure, and the highly dramatic moment when the three RAs emerge in their official uniforms was thrilling. Kitahama was a good villain, and I think after they resolved Nakatsu's problem, he should have continued to antagonize the students further into the series. Still, this is a light-hearted read, and none of the threats last for very long, so such a move would not have fit the feel of the manga. The other half of the book picked up the modeling thread again, as Ashiya and her friends agree to check out Akiha's photo exhibit and are talked into doing a sample photo shoot. I'm torn about this arc. I actually really like Akiha's character. Any person who can give Dr. Umeda chills is fascinating, and Akiha's adorable personality is set off by his icy anger. I also like the relationship between him and his ex-wife, and the art work at his demo actually looked amazing, for a representation in a manga series. Plot wise, though, the model story still bores me, even if it does provide more opportunities for Akiha to dress like a girl and Sano to look super hot. Overall, this volume was a definite improvement on the last one, but not as good as initial stories. ( )