Everything from the start of Show-ha Shoten! has led to this very moment. From the farewell to a dear friend and the formation of One-Way Ticket to the Top to all of the practice sessions and competitions, all of what Shijima and Higashikata have done has brought them to the finals of the Wara-1 Koshien tournament. But in order to win over the crowd, the duo needs a big wave of comedy to crash into the venue. And in Volume Eleven, Show-ha Shoten! shows exactly how they’ll do that!

One thing that spawns their routine is an argument between Shijima and his sister. After uttering that truth is stranger than fiction, Shijima is bombarded with facts over just how bonkers fiction truly can be. (Case in point: Randy Feltface’s bookshelf story.) It’s her words that spark inspiration for what will be One-Way Ticket to the Top’s routine, one that they hope will get them a big score.

It combines everything that makes Shijima and Higashikata a strong team. Higashikata uses his body to showcase contemporary dance moves, whilst Shijima attempts to overcome his stage fright and speak from the heart. But where the real comedy comes from is the heart of the story: Shijima wanting to go back and tell Mizuha how much she’s meant to him. Unbeknownst to him, that very person just so happens to be sitting in the audience, with a letter that shares what she’s wanted to say to Shijima.

Naturally, the balance of heart, humor, and energy is exactly the combination One-Way Ticket to the Top needs to sit in the winner’s circle. This is a moment that all readers knew was coming, but it’s both entertaining and powerful to see how it all goes down. The combination of Akinari Asakura’s strong storytelling and Takeshi Obata’s terrific art help demonstrate why Shijima and Higashikata are the heroic duo of this story. (Seeing the literal waves of laughter that Obata draws is truly a thing of beauty.)

So if One-Way Ticket to the Top are the heroes, then who are the villains in Show-ha Shoten!? That’s obvious: Passionate Sandbag. Arrogant enough to not even watch One-Way Ticket to the Top’s performance, they have no idea what sort of mountain they have to climb to reach the top. Asakura attempts to tell a story about Passionate Sandbag’s origins, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t find anything sweet about someone encouraging another to become an internet troll and punch down in real life.

Which leads to what happens when Passionate Sandbag hits the stage. They dive right into their first joke, and it gets a reaction that nobody sees coming. Well, no one except Shijima, who plotted out a strategy on how to truly take out the reigning champs. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with punching low; it’s about bringing comedy that lifts the spirits!

There’s only one final volume of Show-ha Shoten! left, and the writing seems to be on the wall for the final results. However, anything can happen in the comedy world, as one good joke can snowball into a phenomenal routine. There’s bound to be one last twist to throw in to the narrative of Show-ha Shoten! before the curtain drops, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if it results in a too-close-to-call situation. Perhaps Shijima was right all along: truth is stranger than fiction.

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.