This volume gives considerable more development for Eiji Nizuma, changing him from a villainous looney toon to a character who is more likeable, though his "request" makes for an odd plot thread. Additionally, this volume provides more background on the life and role of an Assistant then I knew about in the past.

In short, assistants in Anime & Manga are comparable to inkers, letterers, and (to a certain degree) colorists in western comics. Their importance to the end result is significant enough that I kind of wish assistants got credit in the tankoubons. ( )

Another solid volume of the series. In this volume, there are three main themes: the difference between what you want to write and what can get published in a specific magazine; the importance of willingness to learn; and work-life balance. The artists run into their first major hurdle when, eager to get into publication with unbecoming haste, they try a radical shift in style to something more populist. I was pleased to see that this was presented as a genuine obstacle, and not something to be shrugged off.

Meanwhile, Shuujin's budding relationship causes tension with Saiko, who, having a singularly bizarre relationship himself, struggles to grasp the idea that manga might not be Shuujin's exclusive focus. The interplay between the characters always pleases me; here it brings out the way priorities change rapidly during adolesence, and the struggle to come to terms with those changes. It's always difficult to understand how other people's lives work, and seeing a friend's interests change can feel like a real betrayal. I feel like this romance has a lot of subtlety to it; there's a lot of unspoken negotiation. Kaya in particular knows what she wants better than just about anyone else in this book, and doesn't mind pushing for it, but at the same time she's surprisingly sensitive to Shuujin's feelings. Shuujin is frankly rather arrogant, but he is clearly fond of Kaya, and it's the same kind of unthinking selfishness that I recognise from my schooldays. ( )