A weaker entry in an otherwise strong series. The big idea in this volume is to have all the city characters come to visit the rural island, causing Handa some stress as he watches his two worlds collide (and even mesh a little) and a ton of emotional turmoil as he directly compares his calligraphy skills to his father's. The book is full of nice moments, but the sheer size of the cast - each with their own problems, issues and quirks - was just overwhelming. And nothing of importance really seemed to occur until the final page. That cliffhanger, though, has me looking forward to the next volume. ( )