This series can swing from laugh out loud funny to heartbreaking very quickly. In mostly episodic chapters we rotate through all the major cast members. Their hijinks include a school play, a day at the racetrack, a yakuza succession battle, and a surprising surprise party. But in the final chapter the drama kicks into high gear as Hina is told it is time to say goodbye to Nitta and return to the secret organization that once controlled her. "This is harsh," says one character near the end, and the final pages truly are. ( )