This volume got a fair bit more light-hearted than the previous. The darker themes in volumes five and six were at the center of the best things about them. The lighter overt themes in this volume were handled well, though, without the annoying levels of goofiness that creep all too easily into other manga, and there was real depth in some of the aftermath and resolution of volume six. Even the most unserious antics contributed to interesting character development.

Watching the development of story arcs in the anime just slightly behind the rate at which I'm reading the manga has gotten a bit less confusing than it was, but I still feel a bit of urgency to keep the reading ahead of the anime. It's a worthy challenge. ( )