By Shimesaba and Ui Shigure. Released in Japan as “Kimi wa Boku no Regret” by Dash X Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andria McKnight.
Generally speaking I don’t really pay much attention to the color pages of a book when I’m writing my review, as they rarely affect it one way or another. I glanced back at the color pages for this third volume of You Are My Regret, though, and I almost laughed out loud – definitely the only time I did that while reading this overwrought, dramatic book. The cover is absolutely an advertisement for the content within, showing Risa, with her box cutter, in front of a garage door covered in graffiti. Then you get to the color inserts… And they’re Ai and Kaoru in “cute romcom girls” poses, all three pictures, with none of the other characters, as if this is a standard “who will he choose” series. And, I mean, I *guess* that’s what it is in a shallow way, but really, this is a “he fixes them” series. The romance is secondary and irrelevant. Why we’re here is to see Yuzuru try to communicate with people until they give in.
It’s summer vacation, and everyone’s going to the beach, giving us the opportunity to get in at least a little bit of the love triangle in this book. But Sousuke, who’s in love with Ai but has already accepted that she’s over the moon for Yuzuru, has a bigger issue. Risa, who we met in the second volume, used to play the bass, and she was fantastic, until one day she quit and refused to ever play music again… and this is also when she started to cut herself. The culture festival is coming up after summer break, and Sousuke wants to have everyone form a band and get Risa to play with them… but she rejects him, and the rejections get harsher as the book goes on. Can Yuzuru figure out what’s really going on here and manage to heal Risa’s traumatized heart?
First of all, much to my relief, Risa does not fall in love with Yuzuru as well in this book, so the love triangle remains a love triangle. Secondly, there is a rather annoying mystery. The premise of the mystery relies on everyone BUT Yuzuru, who it’s repeatedly says doesn’t watch TV or pay any attention to things besides books, to know Risa’s tragic backstory… and NOT tell him, because the point of the book is that it’s a mystery for he and the reader to work out. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for at least Kaoru or Misuzu (a mutual friend of Sousuke and Risa) to explain what actually happened. I suppose the incident is so horrific that they’re remaining quiet so as not to shame her, but come on, this girl is cutting herself to escape her own pain. Tell Yuzuru, who’s good at getting to the heart of the matter, why that is.
This book ends with a nasty cliffhanger that promises the next book will remain a drama-filled potboiler… except the last book was out in Japan in May 2022. So, well, that’s it, maybe? Read it if you love TEEN ANGST to the nth degree.
