Last Game (manga)

Last Game (ラストゲーム) is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Shinobu Amano. It ran in LaLa from 2011 to 2016. The series follows Naoto Yanagi and Mikoto Kujo from the time they meet in elementary school until their second year in college, where most of the series takes place.

Plot

Naoto Yanagi was always the top of his class, until Mikoto Kujo transfers in. The two of them are complete opposites, Mikoto is poor and very practical, while Yanagi is rich and spoiled. Not only do they battle for grades, but also in other areas like sports. Yanagi follows Mikoto through middle school and high school because he refuses to let her beat him at anything. By the time they graduate high school, Yanagi tells Mikoto that they'll have one "last game" to decide which of them is better. The game is to make Mikoto fall in love with him and then break her heart, that way Yanagi would get his ultimate revenge. However, once they reach college, Yanagi finds himself falling in love with her!

Characters

Naoto Yanagi (柳 尚人 Yanagi Naoto)

Yanagi comes from a rich business family. Because of this, he is used to getting what he wants and excels in every subject. He meets Mikoto in elementary school when she transfers and hates her at first because she is his competition for top of the class. He can be arrogant, calling himself the "prince" of his class. Although he originally hates Mikoto, he begins to care about her and eventually falls in love with her. In college he joins the Astronomy Club with Mikoto. At the end of manga , he marries Mikoto after the time skip. Mikoto Kujou (九条 美琴 Kujou Mikoto)

Mikoto comes from a poor family, mainly due to the fact that her father died when she was young and they have to depend solely on her mother. She likes to study and is relatively quiet and keeps to herself. She has a hard time understanding her own feelings, and is therefore initially confused when she begins to realize she likes Yanagi. In college she is a member of the Astronomy Club. At the end of manga, she marries Naoto and change her last name to Yanagi which became 'Yanagi Mikoto '. Though both of them stated they are not used saying their given names.

Kei Souma (相馬 蛍 Souma Kei)

Kei is a member of the Astronomy Club with Yanagi and Mikoto. He is often jealous of Yanagi and wishes to be more popular than him. He tries to claim Mikoto to make Yanagi jealous, but then honestly falls in love with her. He is from the country and tries to hide it. He decided to go to college in Tokyo to escape a broken heart. At the end of manga, he works at an elite company but is still having trouble getting a girlfriend.

Shiori Fujimoto

Mikoto's closest friend. She is cheerful and outgoing and often teases Mikoto. Shiori is the one who convinces Mikoto to join the Astronomy Club after they meet in a lecture. She is dating the president of the Astronomy club.

Momoka Tachibana

A student at the same college as Mikoto and Yanagi. She has a crush on Yanagi. She was fat in elementary school and was bullied because of it, so she eventually decided to completely change her looks. At the end of the manga, she became a popular announcer.

Reception

It was ranked #6 on the Top Manga Ranked by Kono Manga ga Sugoi in 2013 by female readers.^[1]

References