No Longer Heroine Volume 3 amps up the messy teen drama between Hatori, her best friend Rita, and his girlfriend, Adachi. Hatori’s behavior and thoughts create challenges because she’s at once annoying and devious. But she’s also a teenager with a crush. No Longer Heroine Volume 3 allows you to see two extremes in the relationships between Hatori and Adachi. They are extremes on the same spectrum, keeping it exciting and frustrating.
Created by Momoko Koda, the story now has Hatori doing everything she can to be a heroine like Adachi. Translated by Ko Ransom and lettered by Phil Christie, the Yen Press manga Hatori’s hilarious announcement that she will be a “proper heroine.” No Longer Heroine Volume 3 consists of four chapters and a bonus story. Through Hatori’s attempts, she meets someone similar to her, and some other surprises occur in this volume.
No Longer Heroine Volume 3 Has Hatori Failing to Change
It’s tragic as much as comical because Hatori wants to change to get Rita to fall in love with her. But her attempts are not authentic. Try as Hatori might, the real her creeps out. This is clear as day when they’re on a class trip outside. First, Hatori jumps in to rescue a girl, Moe, from a pack of girls calling out her behavior toward someone’s boyfriend. After all, it’s the “heroine” thing to do. Soon, she realizes those girls’ accusations were not unfounded. So, when Moe sets her sights on Rita, the old Hatori jumps out, even lecturing Adachi for not getting in the way.
Hatori, Adachi, and Moe Complement Each Other
The third volume of No Longer Heroine shows how Hatori and Adachi are on opposite sides of the same spectrum regarding relationships. Hatori has no issue scheming or getting in the way of any girl who tries to get near Rita. On the other hand, Adachi moves aside entirely. Some might consider it mature. But her actions stem more from her insecurities than any enlightened outlook. It borders on selfishness. Adachi doesn’t want to risk a confrontation, so much that she leaves Rita with Moe, never once considering he might be uncomfortable.
Moe also schemes to get what she wants, similar to Hatori. She’s bolder than Hatori, but her feelings also dictate her actions. Arguably, each girl forces their feelings onto others. But these are also high school girls in love or with a crush. No Longer Heroine Volume 3 captures the selfishness of youth, including Rita’s wishy-washy attitude.
No Longer Heroine Volume 3 has comedic moments, thanks to Hatori’s reactions to everything, but it also takes time to build similarities between the girls. Rather than a love triangle, a love quadrangle could be on the horizon. Still, it’s hard to like Hatori as a heroine due to her selfishness, but that may be more because of how familiar her attitude is to our youths. With the surprise toward the end, seeing what happens in the next volume will be interesting. No Longer Heroine Volume 3 shows a realistic, comedic look at teen love with a lead that you root for as much as she annoys you.
