By Always a Catch is one of those shojo manga and anime series that always pushes back a bit against typical tropes due to Maria Annovazzi being such a strong and forthright woman and Prince Renato di Rubini so completely and utterly devoted to her. (It’s not unlike series like The 31st Consort and The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince in that regard.) But what I really appreciate is how tidily Mayo Momoyo, Itsuki Mito, and Kaki Nagato introduce and wrap up what’s basically a double romantic rivals storyline in the eighth volume while also maintaining the series’ unique feel.
Editor’s Note: There will be minimal spoilers for the first half of the eighth volume of the Always a Catch manga below.
As a bit of catch up, the seventh volume of Always a Catch introduced the new potential antagonists Prince Antonius and Princess Ancelline of the Sandelz Empire. They showed up with her intending to try and catch Renato’s eye and win him over, even though he’s engaged to Mimi. Meanwhile, Prince Antonius, her older brother, wants to become emperor. Except at the party, when Antonius attempts to try and push his agenda of Ancelline marrying Renato and control the situation, he and Mimi “dance.”
Which is to say, he tries to use the opportunity to dominate and cow her so she’ll fall and falter.
Except Mimi, being the badass she is, uses her Annovazzi skills to completely turn the tables and put him in his place. Which leads to him becoming fixated on her, basically begging her to become his second consort and fourth wife.
She turns him down, naturally. With not only words, but a very authoritative headbutt that brings him to his knees.
But it’s a prime example of exactly why the Always a Catch manga and series in general is so strong. While we would see other shojo manga series approach it in similar ways that result in the heroine turning down the possible rival, it might be drawn out for drama, lead to misconceptions, or even result in some out of character moments. But here? No! There’s none of that. Mimi acts completely in accordance with her character. So much so that after the events of the seventh volume, she’s sympathizing with Ancelline and we see her wondering how she can help her. With Antonius, we see her immediately standing up and taking none of his nonsense.
Likewise, Renato is behaving as expected as well. Ancelline is put before him? Nope. He only is interested in Mimi. Antonius tries to pull things? He’s completely opposed the second he’s made aware. Mimi? He loves her so much and knows her so well that he already anticipates how she’s going to react to situations and ensures her outfit/equipment is prepared.
It makes the resulting situation and resolution for this volume of Always a Catch feel even more solid. The pacing is perfect, with no delays. We don’t see a single party turn into a multi-volume affair. Both Prince Antonius and Princess Ancelline are given the proper establishment as possible antagonists, but we see their character arcs resolve in a satisfying way. Also, Mimi and Renato get to be cute together as usual. All we, as readers, do is win with this volume.
Volumes 1-8 of the Always a Catch manga are available now, and Square Enix will release volume 9 on December 1, 2026. The anime adaptation is streaming on Crunchyroll.
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