Sweet 16-year-old Ann returns to rural Shimane from Tokyo for the summer, eager to reconnect with her boyfriend Daigo. But will the allure of their close friends--wealthy brother and sister Fuji and Shika--sunder the romantic ties that have bound Ann and Daigo since they were 12?(courtesy of Goodreads)
Review
*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.
Wow, this volume is all about drama. Each of the four main characters have major issues. The characters' difficulties are ironic considering that this is set mostly in summer - which should be idyllic, simple, and happy. It is anything but.
The volume starts with Ann and Fuji heading back to Shimane from Tokyo for summer break. At the end of volume 2, Fuji surprised Ann by kissing her and declaring his love for her. Ann is loyal to Daigo, upset, and doesn't know what to do. She confronts Fuji about it in Shimane, and guess who happens to overhear? Poor Daigo.
Meanwhile Fuji is tormenting himself over his belief that he is the product of an affair his mother had with a common laborer. He asks his grandmother for more information. She confesses the truth to Fuji. His mother did have an affair, but the product of that affair was Shika, not Fuji! Unfortunately, Shika was the one who heard grandma say this, not Fuji - mistaken identity. So Shika knows the nasty truth and Fuji still believes the nasty truth is about him. See the drama?
As summer fades into fall, Shika and Fuji are relying on Daigo and Ann more and more for friendship. They're both desperate - one knowing the awful truth and the other believing a horrible lie. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures...
The drama in this volume is a tad overdone. Veering away from realistic fiction toward soap opera. I can't say I mind though. Like any good soap opera, the outrageous story lines keep me glued to the page to find out what's going to happen next.
Wow, this one does sound full of angst and drama! There's a reason soap operas are still on TV, no matter how overdone they are, they still suck you in when you start watching no matter how much you roll your eyes in the process:) They're addicting.
ReplyDeleteWell you did say that it's more of a summary but at least I can tell if I would love it or not. I'm more into adventure/fantasy when it comes to manga. However, I sometimes veer away from this once in a while to try other things.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds pretty intriguing, despite my distaste of anime (hey, don't look at me like that!). I'll have to look into this one, thanks for the review, Alison!
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I'm really liking the sound of this series. I don't mind a bit of "soap" in my manga as long as it makes sense, you know? Don't we all have days that are filled with drama and angst? :P
ReplyDeleteI love that you love the drama! That always adds a bit of fun to a story, right? Great review, Alison :)
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