Aramiya Satoshi is a friendly hermit, he lives a simple life, enjoying each and every day with a broad smile on his face. But his peace is always disrupted by armies that are trying to capture him due to his supernatural abilities of unknown origins and seemingly without any limits. Who is he and why a child genius named Grimm is so invested in him?
The story is simple, enjoyable, and uncomplicated. There is no real deep meaning behind the story so it reads easily and quickly. The main characters - Aramiya Satoshi and Grimm are both fairly engaging in their different approaches to life. Aramiya Satoshi had a turbulent past, but despite it, he is friendly, a bit naive, and he still finds joy in a simple, carefree life. Grimm is a young genius, at 10 years he published a scientific thesis that changed the world, he is arrogant, cocky and full of nervous energy. The dynamic between them is interesting and the story would only gain more if we saw more of it e.g. how their approaches to life and their life, in general, changed thanks to each other.
Nevertheless, I digress, the story is nice, the characters are cute and the manga panels are animated and bright.
Na-chan's father is an odd man, collecting things that many throw away, seeing beauty in what people find repulsive, refusing society as society refuses him. He lives under his own rules, speaks strange languages, and talks about things that are far from mundane or understandable to us, the common folk. When he dies, Na-chan is left alone, with people around her telling "good riddance" and "finally". And then, she seems to get it. But what exactly?
There is a certain tragedy in this story that is hard to define in simple, human words. Maybe the unknown language that the man has spoken would be able to do so. Was Na-chan's father a schizophrenic and if yes, was the trauma of his death and her forced relocation the push for Na-chan's schizophrenia to develop? Was it the "small stone" that forces "the world to collapse"? Or was he the holder of some truth that after his death was transferred to his daughter? Was it neglect the way of their living or a form of protection from the cruel, unbalanced world full of suffering? Why the death of this man, essentially a hermit in a city, was accepted with such happiness and relief? There are a lot of questions that cannot be answered, but the story made me reflect on how I treat this kind of people, people that I cannot understand or find repulsive or strange or bizarre due to their style of living. Do they maybe hold some secret of the universe that I will never get? Well, or maybe they are just simple lunatics trying to live day by day until the world is destroyed as "its collapse is only a question of time". Just like me.
A bit predictable, to be honest. The biggest twist would be if the blonde girl was the killer and she framed the dark-haired girl, but the latter, feeling still guilty over the accident, would take the blame for the killings, something like that. Not interesting.
ooh, and like the blonde would ask her to do it. ‘You promised to protect me, right?’
I was sure that this would be your typical "big tits, wow, ecchi, sexy" story, but actually, it was sweet. Nothing to mull over, no deep thoughts needed, just a story on how physical attributes change depending on your insecurities and how sometimes overthinking is the worst.
Btw, the latest pages reminded me of "Akira" so... not nice.
As always, the stories by Kiriko Nananan are incredible to read.
The 8 pages are flawless in their execution, both in artwork and storyline. The sheer tragedy of the situation, the character of Yoko who knew from the start what this meeting was about, the loss of friendship, and the desperation that comes when you know that you destroyed something that will never be fixed. The situation seems so real, you are an unwilling witness, feeling almost uncomfortable and annoyed when the narrator shares her thoughts. But the real sadness lies in Yoko, this strong and kind individual, who until the end stands strong despite losing the two closest people to her to a terrible betrayal. She leaves, proud and beautiful, of course, hurt, but kindness is sometimes worse than anger.
And at the end, you know that the main character is right in thinking that it was their last meeting. And with that, their shared chapter of life is ended. Yoko left this all behind her, she will never again meet the narrator or her ex, moving forward with her life. The narrator though will always face the guilt and the thought of Yoko will consume her until she will, eventually, break up with her lover.
Simply beautiful, bravo, Kiriko Nananan.
For the person that just downvoted all the comments below... are you OK? Hope that you are happy and that your life is full of joy. I cannot understand your negative approach to things, but I still wish you all the best in life!
interesting viewpoint; i think i disagree. (respectfully!)
Rather than being tragic, i think this was rather bittersweet and as you said, so incredibly real because of how relatable it is to the general reader. This author is so fucking good at expressing the simplicity yet fragility of human relationships!!!!! The simple, sweet, and delicate narrating and setting of the playground at night makes the setting so nostalgic despite the reader not even having been there. Rather than being consumed by guilt, I think that the author was trying to show how as the years go by, the friendship of the two girls will remain as a bittersweet memory of their youth. Rather being an uncomfortable witness, I was overcome with a melancholy that was only possible by the amazing mood-capturing Kiriko Nananan was able to express. GRR shes so good at writing about the value of the daily life
.... such a meaningless story.
Firstly, so after completely changing herself (cutting her hair, changing her clothes, wearing make-up) she finally gets her happy ending? Wouldn't it have been better, if she did not change herself, but just got self-respect?
Secondly, the older sister never stands up for her younger sister, like, your friends call your family "ugly" and you just shrug it off? Then again, you are asked not to visit the place that she works, there should be a reason for that, and you should have respected her wish, like, please.
Thirdly, all the story about the make-up and everything else... I would have preferred if there was a supernatural explanation rather than "it was make-up", like was it a set for the Lord of the Rings? What is your budget, sis?
Fourthly, why so many girls in shoujo manga wish everyone around them to be as unhappy as they are? Why they are so egocentric?
Overall, the story is really illogical to me at least and I did not see the message that the author was trying to translate in the story.
Usually, I approach stories like that with a grain of salt, finding them pretentious and often banal. But this one, with its morbidness and gloomy art, the uniqueness of the story told in 8 pages.. it resonated with me.
In the afterworld, there is a bar. Nothing special, just a small and dingy bar at the crossroad between Heaven and Hell. A haven for those stuck in the in-between, waiting for their turn. A man comes in, so sure that he is destined for hell, but is that right? And why does he get the exclusive angel's share?
The story provides a lot of food for thought. Is the bartender in reality God or a higher angel who sees the remorse in the man? Is being the 10000th customer enough to get in Heaven? Does really a lucky number cleanse your sins and allows you to bypass Hell and a long wait in the Afterworld? Is really luck what gets in you Heaven? Why him and not the 10000th customers before him, was the number just made up as it is quite small? And will the next 10000th customer get its angel's share?
For those who do not know, "angel's share" is just a term referring to the whiskey that evaporates When the liquid is slowly maturing in its cask.
Despite me not being a fan of stories depicting relationships between older people in power and their students, this one is alright in my book.
The MC is a girl who finds everything boring, she is closed off and everything around her is mundane and tiresome. She has a liking for her professor (a liking that is akin to crossing an item in the to-do list). One day, she finds the prof's phone that contains a dirty secret... And the main protagonist is far from being an innocent and blushing maiden to not take advantage of the situation.
I am simply in awe of the characterization of the female lead. She is dimensional, has many sides of her, and is interesting to observe at any moment. Thanks to the amazing Yamashita Tomoko the face of the MC is animated, alive, you can read her emotions and thoughts on each and every panel. The male character is not discussed in detail as the focus is mainly on her. The power dynamic is, of course, twisted and off-balance and I am sure that the BDSM community has some valuable insights on the portrayal of their relationship, but still the story is... original and unexpected, which is rare to find. The story takes bold turns that you do not expect, surprising at each panel in order to deliver a peculiar ending.
I did enjoy this story, strangely enough. The story is not stale, the female character is a breath of fresh air, what with this cunning side of hers. There is a bit of silliness (like the male character's name, like, common) or female pheromones? The twist is unexpected and gives the readers a nice moment of "you got me". The artwork is pleasant and I greatly appreciate that the story is a one-shot rather than a long series as it gives the opportunity to fantasize about what happens next.
There are three stories in this volume that are all... not connected at all, like, there is nothing that I can think of, at least. A bit on the bland side and most of the characters are unlikeable and frustrating to watch. The artwork at times is quite messy.
The first story is about two friends, both aspiring models, but one of them gets everything - from her model height to the interest of agencies, while the second is left behind. In her anger at the unfairness of the world, she starts disliking her once best friend. The main topic of the story is jealousy. The story is not bad per se, but a bit too... unrealistic? So many models in the same high school? Even the previously unnoticed girl gets an interview, like, why she cannot suddenly understand that her interest lies in designing clothes seeing that she is good at that? WARNING the story contains attempted sexual abuse.
The second story is, in my humble opinion, the shining one in this manga. A family is left devastated after the mother dies. The father succumbs to alcohol and violent tempers, the youngest son is a victim of apathy and the oldest daughter tries her best to be the peace-maker while juggling house chores, school work, and a stressful environment. Their life changes when the son brings home a school friend. The story has a plot revolving around domestic violence which is rare to find in mangas and one of the secondary characters is seemingly a person with autism, which is also quite rare. The story is left on a melancholic, but hopeful note. There is also no romantic relationship to which I am thankful as it would take away from the story.
The third story... gosh.. where I should start. The MC is a loving girlfriend to an asshole. After the boyfriend treats the MC like garbage, she still loves him. End of the story. But in all honesty, girl, dump his sorry ass. You are dating him for only a year and you are already getting wrinkles thanks to him. Not worth it.
To summarize, the story is progressive in many ways, depicting attempted sexual abuse (first story and third story), characters with an unspecified, but probable autism (second story), domestic violence (second story), etc. But often this is done in a bit of a childish, clumsy manner. Overall, not bad, but nothing to write home about.