We Never Learn Volume 2 Review
With the anime adaptation of We Never Learn beginning next month, now seems like a good time to revisit Nariyuki Yuiga and his fellow students. Has he managed to turn their grades around or is he fighting an impossible battle? Let’s find out!
As we reunite with our cast, midterms are just around the corner. Yuiga has been ordered to make sure that Rizu and Fumino score above average in their chosen subjects. With a third student, Uruka Takemoto, now on his hands as well (introduced at the end of the first volume), the odds are stacked against our poor protagonist as he takes on even more work.
Given how late Uruka was introduced in the previous volume, I never got to talk about her so let’s bring you up to speed. Uruka is a swimming prodigy, but her goal of obtaining an athletic scholarship is in danger because of her terrible grades in every subject except athletics. She’s also known Yuiga since junior high and has a crush on him.
Although Uruka doesn’t have any goals to meet in the midterms, she’s still a staple part of this volume, which explores her feelings for Yuiga a little bit. Being a sporty girl, she worries that Yuiga doesn’t see her as a woman – yet with some encouragement from her friends, she ends up going on an outing with Yuiga, dolled up in a new (and cute) dress. It’s safe to say that this chapter in particular is adorable and keeps the ‘romantic’ in this romantic comedy.
Broadly speaking, this volume of We Never Learn is quite episodic once the midterm story is finished. From there it rotates between the girls, focusing on different aspects of their lives. There’s a story about Rizu becoming aware of her potential feelings for Yuiga, as well as a chapter surrounding Fumino worrying about putting on weight. It’s also hard to ignore the tale of Uruka forgetting her bra at home and having to play sports…
The episodic nature of this volume works well because not only do we get to spend time with everyone, we also manage to avoid focusing too much on Yuiga teaching the girls (which is liable to get old fast if overused). It’s a staple part of their routine, sure, but beyond the exams the studying just isn’t important. We Never Learn is at its best when the cast are going about their daily lives and dealing with the silly melodrama that comes from it.
Where artwork is concerned, mangaka Taishi Tsutsui has continued to do a great job. Offering a broad selection of expressions and overreactions, this volume’s once again a joy to flip through just to see all of the silly faces the cast make. Panels are well detailed but not crowded, and those of you looking for a little bit of fan service won’t be disappointed either – especially not in the aforementioned bra chapter…
This volume comes to the UK thanks to publisher VIZ Media and has been translated by Camella Nieh. The translation reads well and continues to give each of the characters distinct voices. We Never Learn is still on-going in Japan and is released simultaneously in English via the Weekly Shonen Jump app and website, so if you’re keen to read ahead of the published volumes you can!
Overall, We Never Learn continues to be an entertaining romantic comedy. While this second volume is more episodic in nature compared to the previous one, this works in the series’ favour and offers a nice chance to spend time with all of the cast one-on-one. If you enjoyed the first volume then there’s certainly nothing to dislike here.
A free preview of the volume can be found on Viz Media’s website here.
