From the cover, you can tell it’s going to be a Kota vs Okami face-off. What you can’t tell from the cover is that it also features the conflict between Kako and Yui.
Well, perhaps “features” is the wrong word — My Boy in Blue volume 10 is actually more about the girls than the guys.
The last volume had Kako feeling unnerved that the blunt, cold Yui knows she’s in a relationship with a police officer. Much of volume 10 has Kako torn between angrily confronting Yui or leaving her alone — perhaps even letting Kota be the one to deal with her and/or whoever is leaking their secret. Kota does find himself being relied on, but by Okami, not Kako. He’s concerned about Yui, and readers get to see the two of them being very casual around each other despite Yui rejecting Okami’s advice to go to the police.
Go to the police for what? Well, we still don’t know. That’s still a mystery. The other puzzle regarding why Okami is worried about Yui and why she dislikes Kako is revealed, although most readers will likely figure out their relationship before Kako does. Some questions still linger since the truth is only revealed at the very end of this volume’s last chapter, so My Boy in Blue is setting up to make volume 11 very important.
This one? Not so much. But it is successful in showing the foundations for and strengthening of some non-romantic relationships. Case in point: Okami. Not too long ago, he reluctantly stepped aside in the battle for Kako’s heart but swore one day he’d steal her from the “old man”. But now, he’s actively requesting for help from Kota. But from Kota the person, not Kota the police officer, and that’s outside his comfort zone.
In another example, in one of her better moments in the series, Kako says she’s going to try to get a certain person (Yui) to understand her. She ends up kind of yelling her frustrations with Yui out, and the other uses her sharp tongue and insight to return fire. However, it’s not as malicious and cruel you might think, and while I don’t think Yui will end up as Kako’s BFF (Mikado has that spot locked up, and I don’t think she’s interested in sharing), I can actually see them becoming more than just people who reach a tepid understanding. A lot of times, the shift to making an antagonist a friend feels forced, but in My Boy in Blue, I think I’m going to like it.
There’s also a fun family dynamic to be found involving Kako’s family. There is some romance that piggybacks off of this, but it’s rather minimal. The Yui and Okami situation takes precedence throughout volume 10. I’d probably be upset at the lack of fluff normally, but that’s because a lack of romance often involves wavering hearts or love polygons. Here, there’s no indication that Kota’s place in Kako’s heart is in jeopardy. That’s good news for a series that has been concentrating so heavily on side characters recently.
My Boy in Blue volume 10 makes good use of Okami, Yui, and other characters, and in ways that make the leads more likable. That’s a win in my book even though this wasn’t the dramatic fireworks show I expected it to be.