The end of an era!

I hadn’t realized this was the final volume of the series until I had finished reading and I’m so sad it’s over! This whole series was heavy and emotional, but a compelling read.

In our final volume, we reach a culmination point as the group meets up with a man named Joe who has been running his own brand for around 20 years. He is a fan of their work as it reminds him of himself at their age, full of passion and drive. Because of this, he invites Boys Run the Riot to debut a collection during Joe’s exhibition show in a small corner. They work hard trying to figure out what their motif or theme is and how to combine their passion for design and social change with fashion. They finally stumble into an idea and build up enough confidence to debut it during the exhibition. Though their day starts off slow, their love of their product comes across and more and more people start to take an interest in their work.

There is also a side story going through this volume regarding their interactions with their families and how the guys navigate them. Ryo finally tells his family he’s ready to dress as a man all the time and they can accept him or not, either way, he’s not going to change. In the same vein, the relationship between Jin and his father is clearly strained, and Jin struggles to figure out how to balance what his father expects of him with his passion for design and selling clothing. It feels very realistic, and although Jin is kinder to his father than I would be, I love his character the most.

Overall, this series is a joy. I will admit the ending is a little disappointing for me, only because it felt a bit rushed, but overall, I’m a huge fan of this series and what it managed to express.

Title:  Boys Run the Riot Vol. 4
Author:  Keito Gaku
Format: Paperback
Pages:  262
ISBN:  9781646511211

Three Descriptors: Intriguing, Hopeful, Rebellious