It’s taken eight dang volumes, but Keiichiro Katsuragi has finally grown a spine in Let’s Do It Already! After the events of his birthday, Keiichiro finds himself about to be separated from his love, Yuri Hasegawa. But she knows that it’s the same old song and dance as before. Keiichiro will be punished, do all of the heavy lifting, and after too many days gone by, he’ll return with a few new punishments added to his already long list of things the Katsuragi Family has forbidden.

Not this time, as Volume Eight of Let’s Do It Already! shows. Yuri wants a piece of that punishment, which she gets after blurting out that the two of them shared a kiss. As if this manga wasn’t ridiculous enough, Yuri is forced into Katsuragi prison, and Keiichiro must stand trial in front of his bossy grandpa and a bunch of prudish old men. Thankfully, Yuri’s not the type to let some jail bars hold her back, as she breaks free and heads toward the meeting via a secret pathway.

Keiichiro goes to great lengths to protect Yuri from any punishment, and even shoulders all of the blame for the night’s “scandalous” kiss. But Yuri’s not the type to let her man get the full punishment, as she crashes the trial and commits the same crime in front of a bunch of whiny old coots. Yes, it gets the two sent back to the family prison, but it also makes Keiichiro realize something: Yuri’s love is far more important than any family rule. Thus, Keiichiro does something that goes against everything he’s learned: he impulsively breaks out, and takes Yuri with him!

Okay, he did plan a secret exit in case something like this happened. Nevertheless, he wants to run away with Yuri, and be far away from the family as possible. It’s the moment of freedom many readers have been waiting for, as Keiichiro and Yuri set off to live the life they want to live. Even if it means living in a cramped apartment. With no bath. And barely a job to scrap by. But hey, at least the rent’s cheap!

Even with all of this happiness, Yuri isn’t sure if Keiichiro feels the same way. It leads to a major confrontation between her and Grandpa Katsuragi, the latter of whom has never blinked in any sort of battle. The sight of Keiichiro coming up to bat for Yuri is a beautiful thing to behold, as it goes to show how much this woman means to him. Thus begins a proper debate between a man stuck in the past and a boy wanting to control his future, with his best gal taking the meeting minutes.

Volume Eight ends with an ultimatum. The question is, will Keiichiro go with his heart, or will he find himself having to choose family? We all know what the right answer is, and Yuri hopes that Keiichiro chooses wisely. But this is Let’s Do It Already!, a manga where the end result has no way of being fully predicted. Be that as it may, us readers can only cheer on this couple, in hopes that love will conquer even the most ass-backwards-thinking old man who’s ever graced a manga panel!

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media. Click here to read past reviews of Let’s Do It Already!