If you've been following the Love Hina series to watch the relationship between Keitaro and Naru grow, change, and go up and down more times than a Six Flags roller coaster, you'll be thrilled with the events of volume six, as there is little in the way of individual character stories, instead choosing to focus on the couple and the mystery of the girl Keitaro made his promise to so long ago. Also, who would've thought everything would hinge on the butt of a squirrel?

It's been a trying time for Keitaro, as he has feelings for Naru, but he's never been able to come right out and tell her how he feels and that she is the one he wants to be with. Chances always come up, but then someone like Su has to jump in with a flying kick to break things up. You almost wish that was the case in this volume, but the potential hurdle keeping the two apart this time are a woman and fate…and it's hard to overcome such things.

Love Hina #6

The sixth volume is almost split in half in regards to the stories, as the first half is mostly concerned with Keitaro asking Naru out on a date, while the second half centers on the arrival of Mutsumi and how she mixes into Keitaro's promise to the girl when he was young. The first portion of the book is cute and light-hearted, where you'll get a kick out of Keitaro's "thank you" date with Naru and the misadventures that happen to them during the course of the day.

The second portion of the book was the real draw for me, as I was engrossed in the mystery and eagerly waiting to see what turn came next down the line. Naru's already told Keitaro that she isn't his girl from the past, but could it just be she doesn't remember? Could it be that Mutsumi – who is so much like Keitaro – is the girl he promised to go to Tokyo U for? The book ends at a perfect place, making you want to go and read the next volume right away to see how it continues. Without spoiling anything, the last few pages really feels like a new beginning and could be just the change Love Hina needed to keep readers enthralled and constantly reading towards the end of the series.

The series has added several characters into the mix since the book first began – Tama-chan, Sarah, and Seta – but none of them has struck me as particularly memorable or even all that interesting. When Mutsumi first appeared, however, I enjoyed the lovely accident-prone girl, and hoped that she would indeed grace the pages of Love Hina again. It turns out that I didn't have to wait long, as she makes her return appearance here, is as fun to read about as ever, and hopefully this is just the beginning for her as I'd hate to see her thrown away after only a volume or two.

Love Hina's sixth volume is everything I enjoy about the series and with little in the way of filler. If you mainly read the series in order to see what happens to Keitaro and Naru next, be sure to pick this volume up, and prepare to not be disappointed.

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