A Galaxy Next Door Volume 6 Review

With its sixth volume, A Galaxy Next Door reaches its conclusion, but there are still some storylines to wrap up, so will it prove a satisfying end? Let’s dive in and take a look at what the future holds for Shiori and Ichiro!

Volume 5 had the cast take a trip to Shiori’s homeland after news of her father being involved in a (it turned out to be minor) accident reached them. While on the trip Shiori made her feelings clear about not wanting to return here, even now the year she was granted is up. She’s met the requirements set to continue living off-island, despite how much her parents might want her to return. The trip even ended with her and Ichiro getting engaged!

As you may have summarised from looking at the cover, Volume 6 opens with our pair preparing to tie the knot. However, where a wedding would usually be the final chapter in a lot of romance manga, A Galaxy Next Door has plenty more to offer before bidding us farewell.

We’re treated to chapters showing us how Ichiro’s siblings feel about his marriage to Shiori, and what happens when his cousin decides to move out of the share-house and move back home in preparation for starting college. There’s even a chapter talking about Ichiro’s mother, which I wasn’t expecting after all this time but serves as a nice way to round off the story beats related to the younger siblings who have had no other parental figure in their life but Ichiro since the death of their father.

Halfway through the book we even time-skip a few years into the future, where we’re treated to a glimpse of how Ichiro and Shiori’s careers have changed as well as their relationship. However, since this is now going into the final stretch of the book, I will leave it up to you to discover for yourself how things have changed!

As far as final volumes go I think mangaka Gido Amagakure has gotten it perfect. We get the happily-ever-after we’ve all been waiting for, as well as spending a significant amount of time with the rest of the characters. Nothing feels like it’s sidelined or rushed because it ends up jumbled into an epilogue. It’s the best send-off we could have hoped for and a solid conclusion for the series.

The series may not have had a flawless run as I felt it dipped a bit in the middle, but it’s hard to deny that this has turned out to be a compelling romance with a hint of fantasy overall. Both Ichiro and Shiori have proved to be relatable and likeable characters, even outside of the romance side of things. We’ve seen them struggle with their careers, their loved ones and themselves in order to move forward and find this happiness.

With only six volumes, it’s not going to break the bank or prove a problem for shelf space either, which is always refreshing when so many manga run for ten or more volumes. Amagakure has done well to pack so much in and make sure it’s a rewarding experience for readers, juggling not only all the complexities of having so many characters but also keeping up the quality of the artwork which has been fabulous throughout. There are some great emotional scenes in this volume that Amagakure draws in a full page or two-page spread to ensure it conveys the right feelings to the reader.

A Galaxy Next Door Volume 6 comes to the West thanks to Kodansha and continues to be translated by Max Greenway with lettering by Lys Blakeslee. As we’re used to, the release reads well and comes with some insightful translation notes at the end. Also included at the beginning of the book are some beautiful colour pages which I was pleased to see as we’ve not had any in the past few volumes.

Overall, A Galaxy Next Door Volume 6 proves a perfect send-off for the series. While I am of course sad to see it conclude, I’ve enjoyed all the time spent with it. This has been a rewarding journey that showed me how capable Amagakure is as a mangaka, while leaving behind a work that I’m sure many fans are going to discover and enjoy for years to come. I look forward to whatever’s next, while encouraging everyone to give this a shot; you’ll be surprised by what you find.

Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.