Catching Feelings at the Final Showdown (Adult Content)

Looking at the premise for Catching Feelings at the Final Showdown, I felt both amused and a little concerned. It's certainly a funny gimmick but can it hold up throughout an entire story or will it grow quickly tiresome, a cheap attempt to attract attention.

The premise is that a hero, who is simply referred to as Hero, is facing off against an archfiend, who again is simply referred to as Archfiend, alongside her companions. For their final battle, they decide to finally reveal their faces to each other. Lo and behold however, things take a turn as they are instantly smitten by each other, declaring internally that the other is "Totally my type!" Now that they find themselves attracted to their mortal foe, how will this final battle play out?

It's definitely an amusing take on the typical RPG climax. Thankfully, Catching Feelings at the Final Showdown has more to offer than just this idea as it proves to be unexpectedly hilarious. The banter between the two leads is delightfully entertaining as they attempt to battle each other while eventually giving in to their lust. There's even a moment where the story breaks the fourth wall by representing what is supposed to be an abstract RPG concept as something that the main characters are aware of and can see. That moment had me chuckling with glee! The pacing is also great with high-energy throughout the majority of the story. Admittedly, it isn't perfect as I thought the transition from battle to lust could've been better as I was taken aback in a "Wait, did I miss a page" fashion and I thought the ending lost some of the energy that had been present throughout the story but it proved to be a delightful experience nonetheless.

Our two leads, Hero and Archfiend, play very well off of each other as they struggle to keep up their appearance, their internal dialogue revealing their true reactions to what they see. We even get a little backstory for both of them which reveals some of their inclinations and struggles. It's this dynamic that I will continue to remember when I think back to Catching Feelings at the Final Showdown. Well, that and one other aspect.

The artwork is superb! Beyond the great contrasting character designs of the two leads, as seen in the image above, the expressions, the effects etc., the paneling is what truly stands out to me. I mentioned that this story has energetic pacing and the panels do an enormous amount of the heavy-lifting in this regard. Diagonal panels, cutaway shots of expressions, body parts stretching across panels, panel borders being absent during the height of action, it's just fantastic!

As if this wasn't enough, there's actually some great extras included in this release! An afterword in which Namboku explains the origin of their idea, that being a dream, and how their initial idea was received which was already very enlightening but this release goes above and beyond by including the original sketch they did after they woke up! I'm really overjoyed to see this included and, while the art and story aren't terribly different to the finished product, it's great to see how the idea was conceptualised.

I wasn't sure what to make of this title when I first heard about it but I'm so glad to have read it! It provided me with plenty of laughs while I stared in awe at the superb craftsmanship of the art and panels. As far as I'm concerned, this is a must-buy for fans of yuri and comedic hentai!

If you are interested in this work, you can support the artist, Irodori Comics and myself (that being the reviewer, not UK Anime Network) by using my personal affiliate link which will provide me with a commission while showing your appreciation for these cultured works. Additionally, use the code "CULTURED" for a nice discount!