Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Grief(3)

This was a story of two neighbours who slowly fall for each other. “Old Man” (Aoi-San) owns a house with an overgrown garden and a menagerie of pets. He gets melancholy in the rain. “Techno” is the much younger neighbour who has moved to attend University. A child of high rise apartments, he has never seen vegetables grow or tended the soil. The pair of MCs are an unlikely duo, especially when we realise that Old Man is grieving for his lover who passed on. But Techno has a knack of saying the right things and supporting Old Man in ways that make you know he will be a wonderful lifelong partner. I loved how upfront he was, and his mix of pure innocence and pervert was sweet. This is a slow burn story with some heartache moments.

A beautiful story about the last Japanese wolves (half beasts) and the human who loved them both. The sadness of dealing with the grief that accompanied the loss of parents and the sweetness of finding family and someone to stay by your side as you grow old. These moments give this story the heartache and happiness that makes for something bittersweet and heartwarming l

Be warned, this story will dredge up the tears. When Aoyagi Niina is 10 she recalls all the memories of her past life; a life that ended when she was just 15. A life where she (as Amamiya Chitose) loved her friend Atsurou and had a loving family. Chitose’s death left wounds on those she loved and a fair part of this story was devoted to trying to fulfil the unkept promises and healing some of the sadness. The rest focused on her new life, the love she still felt for Atsurou, and keeping her new promise to stay by his side. The balance of heartache and grief was balanced by the sweetness of the MCs and the depth of feelings shared between them. It’s a truly beautiful story, well worth taking the time to enjoy.