Volumes: 3/3 (Complete), In Print
Shoujo (reads like), Seinen
Genre: Friendship, Dreams
Summary: When Tsugu left her hometown, she was just a kid and part of a group of four best friends, with two boys Yuushin, Sora and a girl, Asari. They all cried when she moved away and swore to be friends forever. Now her parents have divorced, she moves back again as a high schooler, only to find out that things have changed while she was gone- her friends are no longer friends. She stops a very depressed Sora from committing suicide and suggests they run away to Tokyo to start new lives. Can they all ever go back to those nostalgic days of being friends again?
Review: There were many things I felt like this story did well, with the majority of it being around Tsugu. It’s a good coming of age story where she has to accept that as they have been growing up, her relationships have changed with her former friends and also her parents’ divorce has changed her family as well. But even though things change, perhaps the most important things stay the same.
That being said, it was hard to watch former friends be cruel to each other, but it does fit with the story, where they are basically lashing out at each other.
Overall it’s a good story, and I liked the intensity of it. But it also felt a bit lacking somehow. Towards the end especially, I felt that the mangaka was trying to say something about childhood dreams not necessarily being the meaning of life or that they don't need to be the focus of adulthood. But it doesn’t quite come out clearly and I was left wondering what she intended. There were also some hints at romance that are left unresolved.
Technically this is Seinen but it reads more like some sort of Seinen/Shoujo hybrid, bit closer to Shoujo than Seinen though.
Recommended: Overall, it’s a good story about friendship and growing up. Only so-so about dreams.
Rating: PG13: warning for attempted suicide, bullying and some mildly sexual situations
This mangaka’s other works in English: The Gods Lie and Immortal Rain are much more popular.
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