Wallflower has settled into a comfortable, nay fossilized, routine of outstanding chapters separated by formidable wastelands of enjoyable but utterly forgettable filler. Volume fourteen is one such wasteland.

Not that it isn't an amusing wasteland. After a dozen or so volumes, the boys have endeared themselves enough that they can almost carry a short chapter or two without Sunako's help, and even when doing painfully obvious message stories with Yuki ("be yourself," now there's a message that hasn't been beaten to death and then flogged back to life) there's enough off-the-cuff humor on hand to save them from drowning in their own earnestness. Kyohei and Takenaga's lessons on how to become a "super-macho English speaker" are a kick, and a little goofy squabbling between the guys goes a long way. Nevertheless, Sunako is still the star, and the most memorable moments, even in a wasteland of filler, belong to her. Her overreaction to the discovery that her new dress makes her stand out is priceless, and who else could transform harmless cosplay into a hostage drama or a night alone with a cute boy into a desperate fight for survival (and chocolate)? However, even Sunako can't compare to the hilarity of the American stereotypes on display in that first chapter. When asked why so many Japanese girls fall for foreign guys (they do?), the Wallflower guys reply: "Because they're blonde and macho." "Because they speak English." and "Because they're well endowed." Why, thank you.

Sunako withdrawal always makes the limitations of Tomoko Hayakawa's art more obvious. The volume has only enough Sunako impact shots, rendered with detail and panache, to highlight how oft-lazy the rest of her manga can be. Her skinny, creepily effeminate bishounen with their bobbing Adam's apples get all the attention that her hormonal skills can muster, but neither they nor cool non-SD Sunako are present enough in this volume to overwhelm her usual flaws—her sudden transitions with their confusing dearth of setting-establishing detail, her near-constant use of simple SD, and her sequences overcrowded with itsy-bitsy panels and text. Her omnipresent character simplifications can, along with facilitating some breezy humor, help to emphasize those Sunako impact moments, but this volume simply hasn't many (or any) of those moments. The closest it gets is a few brief fights during the "survival" episode, and a shadow-shrouded Sunako roaring in the shopping district dressed in full, black-veiled Victorian funeral garb. Which was admittedly pretty neat. But not neat enough.

If you've read any of the previous volumes, you've seen what Del Rey has to offer for this manga. The "special extras" after the story are translator's notes on the volume's few cultural references, an un-translated preview of the next volume, and Tomoko Hayakawa going off for several pages on how completely adorable her cat is. Sound effects are in Japanese with unobtrusive English translations nearby.

Toss any expectations beyond those for a passing diversion and some good chuckles out the window. Wallflower is back to treading water. However, diversions and chuckles it has to spare, and darned if those four super-hot guys don't finally start growing on you (so long as you can stomach their physiques). Just don't go in expecting any of the series' rare meat. You'll starve.