Buy it here

Title:  Tail of the Moon #5

Author:  Rinko Ueda

Publisher:  Viz

ISBN:  9781421508177

May Contain Spoilers

Usagi’s back!  And she’s fat!  Or so Hanzo thinks.  Why is everybody always picking on Usa?  When Hanzo’s sister drops in for an unexpected visit, the ninja stars fly with alarming frequency.  How can Usagi convince Suzune that she’s the girl for Hanzo?

I felt a bit sorry for Usagi in this volume.  Normally, she’s so lazy and unmotivated that I don’t have a lot of sympathy for her, but she really gets bullied a lot!  Suzune, who raised Hanzo, believes in tough love.  Tough like hurling razor sharp weapons at people when they displease her.  Woah! When she discovers that Usagi hasn’t even passed her ninja training yet, she’s vehemently opposed to their union.  How can the clan remain strong if their leader weds such a weak woman?

To protect his bride-to-be from the ire of his sister, Hanzo insists that Usagi sleep in his room.  She’s so excited at the prospect! Finally, some tender, intimate time alone with hunky Hanzo.  Oh, the dismay when she learns that she’ll be covered from head to toe in armor!  This was so funny, as the extremely uncomfortable girl noisily attempts to make herself comfortable enough to sleep, disturbing her handsome roommate.

When Usagi quickly proves just how inept she is at household tasks, like cooking and cleaning, Suzune takes charge of her training.  Usagi is utterly hopeless, but she’s determined to show that she’s a worthy partner for Hanzo.  She welcomes Suzune’s guidance, because she’ll know just what makes her brother happy.  Usagi throws herself into her studies, though her lessons don’t go quite smoothly.

While Usagi struggles under the weight of her new chores, Mamezo has troubles of his own.  Not getting along with Suzune’s children, he is soon the victim of one of Kasanosuke’s pranks.  Lighting Mamezo’s tail on fire, the trick becomes deadly, and the boy is badly hurt.  Racing to his rescue, Usagi proves that she’s able to handle a dangerous, stressful situation.  Working quickly to reduce Mamezo’s discomfort, she’s enraged when she overhears Kasanosuke make Hatsune promise to keep his part in incident a secret.  Standing up to Hanzo’s sister, Usagi demonstrates just how fiercely she loves her charge.  I have a new respect for Usagi now. 

One thing that did really bother me about this book is that nobody is ever happy with Usagi the way she is.  She’s too clumsy, or lazy, or fat.  No wonder the girl has so many confidence issues!  I am finding the whole tangent about her weight rather irksome; nobody gives Hanzo a hard time because he’s not the brightest guy in the clan.  A pet bunny?  How manly is that?  Maybe I’m  overly sensitive to the whole body image concept, but it seems unfair that Usagi’s physical appearance is held against her.  And look at what his constant harping has done!  He’s practically driven her from the village in search of a miracle diet!  Didn’t Usagi learn a couple of volumes back that there’s no such thing as a miracle cure?

Grade:  B

Rated for Older Teen