Dear all,
As the title of this post notes, "uninspired," I'm referring to the last few months of my nonposting history. I feel as though I do not have anything worthwhile to speak of for I am lacking in the inspiration to do so. One may say it is "writer's block". Truthfully, I am lacking in inspiration to write about mangas due to the fact that the free time I've had during my last few months have not been as invested in mangas but more in dramas and novels (as well as worry for my future). I look over previous drafts and do not deem them worthy of publishing so I will leave this blog as is for now. I am considering writing about dramas, tv shows, and novels more along with the content in this blog. For these reasons I have been avoiding coming back to this blog and have waited 'til now to write this post. So for now....I shall attend to other things besides religiously following the few manga I deem worthy (Bokura no Kiseki, Shokugeki no Soma, Moon, and Kuroshitsuji).
~tohukyo
Monday, August 11, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The Tortured Artist--Manga
This is a manga review/response. The manga is Hakuji by Morie Satoshi and no doubt, this is Morie Satoshi's best work yet that has been scanlated in my opinion.
Here is my take on the whole story- a short introductory synopsis. The paragraphs succeeding are spoilers for the manga so you have been warned. Hakuji is about an up and coming mildly successful artist named Manabe Akiharu who meets the beautiful snow white-like high school beauty Ichigo Seika. Much like love at first sight but with more artful curiosity, he is "lovestruck" by her pristine being and asks her to be his model for which she accepts. Akiharu appears in the form of an adult, however his mind has remained stagnant to that of a middle schooler due to circumstances surrounding his talent. This stagnation drives his inner battle with his perception of self impurity throughout the manga in contrast with Seika's mesmerizing innocence and warm light. But through all of this, Seika is forever his "Madonna."
The raw emotions builds up with each chapter. It's not easy to convey a unique perspective of a tortured artist without cliches but this manga was just so amazing. Akiharu's guilt and perceptual sin and dirtiness was so deep. The darkness in his heart that came to realization only by the light of Seika. Then the arc with Seika's blindness and prospective fall into darkness with Akiharu. I was reading another manga and the female lead is quite annoying and the tortured artist in that manga felt so blasé. I disliked the concept of misery loves company in that manga but I love how Morie-sensei was able to allow these characters to overcome it. Despite both of them succumbing to darkness, they were still able to help each other step back into the light (of course Seika did more for Akiharu but he helped her despite his darkness and in turn, it helped him grow) I can't express how much raw emotion and power this story had. I'm happy that Mori-sensei decided to make the two mains happy hence a 2 volume story.
I must say that there is a lot about Akiharu that I wish I knew more about though or more like I wish his development was more expansive I guess. I can't explain this very well because at the same time, what Morie-sensei did felt right (the development of Akiharu). Maybe it's because it was just two volumes when in the story itself the time was probably days and months worth. Just thinking about how long Akiharu was tortured by his belief of impurity is very harsh and do not wish him to suffer any longer after 5 years of stagnation (I may be wrong about the 5 years thing, maybe it was somewhere like 8 years actually? Hmmm...)
Anyways, amazing story. I applaud it. It's definitely something people should read. Not many mangas use such themes and plot devices with such a precision and conveyance of emotions to the readers (excuse me for generalizing). Well done Morie-sensei!!
Oh and one last thing. I read a person's short comment saying s/he is an artist and s/he thinks that Morie-sensei dramatized the whole tortured artist thing. For one, I don't understand how the simple and basic generalization of being an artist allows the person to assume any sort of emotional commonality. In fact I find that somewhat pretentious. As for the dramatization...mmm this is quite ironic considering how the person establishes commonality but then suddenly set him/herself apart. This is just another example of "If I Were In That Position." Hmm....
I read this all in one straight go with a little bit of speed reading so not everyone will have the same response as I have. It's not a pretty paper cut out manga either. The scenes aren't a beautiful shoujo style. It successfully uses the black and white to convey the drama that the main character is going through so don't expect "breath taking scenes" just because it's a shoujo manga. I don't understand why anyone would assume that.
Well that is all.
~Tohukyo
Here is my take on the whole story- a short introductory synopsis. The paragraphs succeeding are spoilers for the manga so you have been warned. Hakuji is about an up and coming mildly successful artist named Manabe Akiharu who meets the beautiful snow white-like high school beauty Ichigo Seika. Much like love at first sight but with more artful curiosity, he is "lovestruck" by her pristine being and asks her to be his model for which she accepts. Akiharu appears in the form of an adult, however his mind has remained stagnant to that of a middle schooler due to circumstances surrounding his talent. This stagnation drives his inner battle with his perception of self impurity throughout the manga in contrast with Seika's mesmerizing innocence and warm light. But through all of this, Seika is forever his "Madonna."
The raw emotions builds up with each chapter. It's not easy to convey a unique perspective of a tortured artist without cliches but this manga was just so amazing. Akiharu's guilt and perceptual sin and dirtiness was so deep. The darkness in his heart that came to realization only by the light of Seika. Then the arc with Seika's blindness and prospective fall into darkness with Akiharu. I was reading another manga and the female lead is quite annoying and the tortured artist in that manga felt so blasé. I disliked the concept of misery loves company in that manga but I love how Morie-sensei was able to allow these characters to overcome it. Despite both of them succumbing to darkness, they were still able to help each other step back into the light (of course Seika did more for Akiharu but he helped her despite his darkness and in turn, it helped him grow) I can't express how much raw emotion and power this story had. I'm happy that Mori-sensei decided to make the two mains happy hence a 2 volume story.
I must say that there is a lot about Akiharu that I wish I knew more about though or more like I wish his development was more expansive I guess. I can't explain this very well because at the same time, what Morie-sensei did felt right (the development of Akiharu). Maybe it's because it was just two volumes when in the story itself the time was probably days and months worth. Just thinking about how long Akiharu was tortured by his belief of impurity is very harsh and do not wish him to suffer any longer after 5 years of stagnation (I may be wrong about the 5 years thing, maybe it was somewhere like 8 years actually? Hmmm...)
Anyways, amazing story. I applaud it. It's definitely something people should read. Not many mangas use such themes and plot devices with such a precision and conveyance of emotions to the readers (excuse me for generalizing). Well done Morie-sensei!!
Oh and one last thing. I read a person's short comment saying s/he is an artist and s/he thinks that Morie-sensei dramatized the whole tortured artist thing. For one, I don't understand how the simple and basic generalization of being an artist allows the person to assume any sort of emotional commonality. In fact I find that somewhat pretentious. As for the dramatization...mmm this is quite ironic considering how the person establishes commonality but then suddenly set him/herself apart. This is just another example of "If I Were In That Position." Hmm....
I read this all in one straight go with a little bit of speed reading so not everyone will have the same response as I have. It's not a pretty paper cut out manga either. The scenes aren't a beautiful shoujo style. It successfully uses the black and white to convey the drama that the main character is going through so don't expect "breath taking scenes" just because it's a shoujo manga. I don't understand why anyone would assume that.
Well that is all.
~Tohukyo
Saturday, April 12, 2014
2014 K-Drama "Bride of the Century"
Hello everyone,
I was kind of bored and decided to pick up a new drama known as Bride of the Century (2014) last week on a whim (without even checking the status of whether or not it's completed). I have to say that this drama is one that curries to my favor for a Korean drama. I'm not a huge fan of romantic comedies but for me, this drama had enough melodrama to keep my eyes glued to the screen. (I'm a huge sap for the tearful heartwrenching scenes as well as the sweet ones). Before I dive in deeper, I'll just say where I go to stream dramas which is dramafever. It's relatively high quality and is hosted by Hulu so yes there are ads but usually about 30-60 seconds for each ad "segment" so it's not that bad.
I was kind of bored and decided to pick up a new drama known as Bride of the Century (2014) last week on a whim (without even checking the status of whether or not it's completed). I have to say that this drama is one that curries to my favor for a Korean drama. I'm not a huge fan of romantic comedies but for me, this drama had enough melodrama to keep my eyes glued to the screen. (I'm a huge sap for the tearful heartwrenching scenes as well as the sweet ones). Before I dive in deeper, I'll just say where I go to stream dramas which is dramafever. It's relatively high quality and is hosted by Hulu so yes there are ads but usually about 30-60 seconds for each ad "segment" so it's not that bad.
The main reason I picked up this drama though is because it parallels one of my favorite manhwas, Can't Lose You by Wann. If you know the story of Can't Lose You, I previously published a post that runs over the story but I'll give a relatively "short" recap. To generalize it, it's about two girls who are identical/doppelgangers (with a reason that is later revealed in the story). One of the girls is this rich cold hearted (bitchy) queen of high society Korea and wants to gain the favor of an equally cold hearted bastard bachelor of high society Korea. However the other girl is a warm and feisty girl "commoner" struggling to live on her own while still attending high school. Fate brings the two girls together and when the queen finds out that her life is at risk, she hires the commoner as her body double. The cold bastard happens to fall in love (hard) with the commoner and as usual, the cold bastard has a heart but fate has plans for all the players in the world of Can't Lose You. That is the gist of Wann's Can't Lose You and the drama seriously reminded me of it. It has the whole supernatural thing in play as well. There are differences in which I thought made the drama not as great as this manhwa by Wann BUT I am a huge sap for melodrama and tearful heartwrenching scenes. With a foundation similar to Can't Lose You, one can just tell that there will be a good amount of that but the good thing is that it wasn't so much that it would ruin the drama. Plus, there is plenty of sweetness.
Next I wanted to generally sweep over the acting. I don't know if I am considered ignorant in evaluating "acting" but the acting in this drama is just spot on brilliant. First off, the lead actress Yang Jin-Sung portrays two characters Jung Yi Kyung and Na Doo Rim (since they're identical), which is quite impressive. I can't say much about her acting though since I haven't seen her in other roles but being able to play two roles in the drama who are completely different people is no small simple feat. The female lead Na Doo Rim is the sweetest and feisty girl-the devotion of this character wins over the hearts of all viewers. Second, the cold hearted "bachelor" Choi Kung Ju is portrayed by Lee Hong-Ki. He's kind of typical pretentious guy but I thought Lee Hong-Ki was great in this role. When I started this drama, I recognized him from somewhere but I couldn't hit the nail on the head until I looked him up and realized he was from Your Beautiful. This role in Bride of the Century is such a sharp contrast to the role in Your Beautiful and it certain has more depth and dimension that his lack of dimension yet sweet loving character in Your Beautiful did not have. He's certainly stepped into this role quite well and the character development of Choi Kung Ju is quite lovely. I'm really riding on these two as a couple Na Doo Rim and Choi Kang-Ju. They're development as a couple is great too-clearly demonstrated by the initial awkward to loving and heartfelt kisses.
Alright, that's all I'm saying about this drama. I hope I didn't butcher it but I just wanted to share it. It's not that melodramatic or anything (I feel as though I've exaggerated that too much) but if you're a little hesitant, please check out Wann's Can't Lose You. It's a manhwa that should not be missed. In some ways the manhwa is better but the drama shines in other aspects more than the manhwa too. Don't miss out and check out both! Oh and currently there are only 14 episodes with english subs for the Bride of the Century. It's supposed to be only 16 episodes-the remaining two will be released within the next few weeks on dramafever.
Best,
tohukyo
PS sorry for the lack of food for thought posts. I went though my old drafts and dug up one that I started working on again. I don't know when it will be published since this quarter is so busy.
Best,
tohukyo
PS sorry for the lack of food for thought posts. I went though my old drafts and dug up one that I started working on again. I don't know when it will be published since this quarter is so busy.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Quick Post-One of the worst love cliches
This is a quick post because I don't want to chew on this too much right now. I may adapt this into a relevant post topic.
One of the worst cliches of any love story or romance in any sort of way, to me, is when one person in a relationship asks, "me or work." This cliche is really annoying and immediate degrades not only the person asking but also the story in general for me. It's very "old fashion" in the way that it's often the female lead who says "me or work" in these stories.
As we grow up in a (western) post modern era where the nuclear modern family is no longer the ideal model, this cliche just gets to me. Women can have their own lives, their own careers, their own accomplishments, etc. I don't know if it's just a cultural thing (East vs West?) but I rarely encounter this kind of cliche in western media now-most media is multi-genre so characters have more in their lives than the pursuit of love (I realize I'm essentializing and this in no way means such media no longer exists in the western world). I find a majority of shoujo and quite a number of josei mangas still portraying a uselessness of a female whose only aspiration appears to be just having a boyfriend and hence their schedules are completely devoted to the man who has a busy life. Ok, so these genres it's expected but I don't think it's much of a good excuse to be so one dimensional. Now, I don't actually read those mangas anymore but I was bored and felt like reading a random anthology manga. I suppose that is the reason why there is such a thing as light reading but it's one of the worst cliches ever.
The story in the anthology I was reading involved a girl who doesn't appear to have anything else worthwhile besides her boyfriend. The boyfriend suddenly keeps cancelling their dates because of work and I get that that's annoying when it happen a number of times without any warning from the person cancelling. However, she then meets him while he is busy working and closing up his shop and then says "me or work." I get that she wants commitment and the guy is at fault for this as well but when a story just presses the button on the cliche "me or work," it's just.....no....
I find that when this question is asked, it's often in context of the questioner not even thinking the question through before asking. If you devote yourself to the relationship so much and dared asked that question, (1) would you be happy if s/he gave up his/her dream for you? Knowing that s/he may live in regret and eventually hurting your relationship to the point of being irreparable? or (2) s/he might just dump your ass. (3) other consequences that can very well lead to sadness. In the end it isn't about choosing sides, These stories ultimately relay the message that it's important to compromise and to communicate. Also having a life of your own would help too.
Well that's all I'm going to say. This got a little long but I don't think it's a very coherent post since (1) I'm pretty tired (should take a nap) and (2) I didn't bother rereading it to edit.
One of the worst cliches of any love story or romance in any sort of way, to me, is when one person in a relationship asks, "me or work." This cliche is really annoying and immediate degrades not only the person asking but also the story in general for me. It's very "old fashion" in the way that it's often the female lead who says "me or work" in these stories.
As we grow up in a (western) post modern era where the nuclear modern family is no longer the ideal model, this cliche just gets to me. Women can have their own lives, their own careers, their own accomplishments, etc. I don't know if it's just a cultural thing (East vs West?) but I rarely encounter this kind of cliche in western media now-most media is multi-genre so characters have more in their lives than the pursuit of love (I realize I'm essentializing and this in no way means such media no longer exists in the western world). I find a majority of shoujo and quite a number of josei mangas still portraying a uselessness of a female whose only aspiration appears to be just having a boyfriend and hence their schedules are completely devoted to the man who has a busy life. Ok, so these genres it's expected but I don't think it's much of a good excuse to be so one dimensional. Now, I don't actually read those mangas anymore but I was bored and felt like reading a random anthology manga. I suppose that is the reason why there is such a thing as light reading but it's one of the worst cliches ever.
The story in the anthology I was reading involved a girl who doesn't appear to have anything else worthwhile besides her boyfriend. The boyfriend suddenly keeps cancelling their dates because of work and I get that that's annoying when it happen a number of times without any warning from the person cancelling. However, she then meets him while he is busy working and closing up his shop and then says "me or work." I get that she wants commitment and the guy is at fault for this as well but when a story just presses the button on the cliche "me or work," it's just.....no....
I find that when this question is asked, it's often in context of the questioner not even thinking the question through before asking. If you devote yourself to the relationship so much and dared asked that question, (1) would you be happy if s/he gave up his/her dream for you? Knowing that s/he may live in regret and eventually hurting your relationship to the point of being irreparable? or (2) s/he might just dump your ass. (3) other consequences that can very well lead to sadness. In the end it isn't about choosing sides, These stories ultimately relay the message that it's important to compromise and to communicate. Also having a life of your own would help too.
Well that's all I'm going to say. This got a little long but I don't think it's a very coherent post since (1) I'm pretty tired (should take a nap) and (2) I didn't bother rereading it to edit.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
HIMYM in it's end, so much like KNIM
Somewhat an irrelevant post and it's like a follow up to my recent post about KNIM.
The TV series How I Met Your Mother has finally ended with a full 9 seasons. I must say that it was quite a wonderful show with the last season not doing as great as its other seasons (one has mentioned that the whole of the last season is like a huge filler). It saddens me that Barney didn't end up with Robin because they're so amazing together but I guess, like their first break up's "excuse" too much awesome and they cancel each other out LOL! I was really ready for the two of them to be together and the destiny of the mother with Ted throughout the whole series, it just seemed so "match made in heaven"! Sigh...that aside, I'll miss Marshmellow and Lilypad- a clean and wonderful couple with their fair share of ups and downs but forever persevering like no other. But in all seriousness, let's get to the ending...I did not see the ending coming at all. I did not see the whole KNIM Haruto and Eba ending because of how hard they were pushing on the little clues of destiny!! In fact, I was a total fan of the mother. However it makes a lot of sense. Though, I can't describe how extremely bittersweet this last episode's last few minutes were. Although it was a long drawn out unbelievable love story that is quite amazing when I think about it (just think about it), at heart I wanted to see the mother grow old like an old couple with Ted. In general, this feels so much like KNIM (see last post). It's like Haruto and Eba in a way. Damn, it's so much like them but of course age is different and the time frame is many times more than KNIM but with added "bonus" of clues of destiny to the mother!! To tell the truth, this whole series really is about how Ted in freaking in love with Robin. It makes sense. It makes a lot of sense especially since the mother has been out of the picture for 6 years....I need to mull over this ending because honestly, it's gone from bittersweet to (at heart) great disappointment. I don't want to hate it because in my mind, I know it's great but yep....my heart won't let me. Let's see what time to mull over this ending will fruit. Well anyways, Marshmellow and Lilypad FTW!
The TV series How I Met Your Mother has finally ended with a full 9 seasons. I must say that it was quite a wonderful show with the last season not doing as great as its other seasons (one has mentioned that the whole of the last season is like a huge filler). It saddens me that Barney didn't end up with Robin because they're so amazing together but I guess, like their first break up's "excuse" too much awesome and they cancel each other out LOL! I was really ready for the two of them to be together and the destiny of the mother with Ted throughout the whole series, it just seemed so "match made in heaven"! Sigh...that aside, I'll miss Marshmellow and Lilypad- a clean and wonderful couple with their fair share of ups and downs but forever persevering like no other. But in all seriousness, let's get to the ending...I did not see the ending coming at all. I did not see the whole KNIM Haruto and Eba ending because of how hard they were pushing on the little clues of destiny!! In fact, I was a total fan of the mother. However it makes a lot of sense. Though, I can't describe how extremely bittersweet this last episode's last few minutes were. Although it was a long drawn out unbelievable love story that is quite amazing when I think about it (just think about it), at heart I wanted to see the mother grow old like an old couple with Ted. In general, this feels so much like KNIM (see last post). It's like Haruto and Eba in a way. Damn, it's so much like them but of course age is different and the time frame is many times more than KNIM but with added "bonus" of clues of destiny to the mother!! To tell the truth, this whole series really is about how Ted in freaking in love with Robin. It makes sense. It makes a lot of sense especially since the mother has been out of the picture for 6 years....I need to mull over this ending because honestly, it's gone from bittersweet to (at heart) great disappointment. I don't want to hate it because in my mind, I know it's great but yep....my heart won't let me. Let's see what time to mull over this ending will fruit. Well anyways, Marshmellow and Lilypad FTW!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Quick Post--Kimi no Iru Machi COMPLETED!
This is just a quick post so it'll be short.
Just found out that Kimi no Iru Machi has officially been declared completed as a scanlated project at "volume 27" for about 2 months (it's not an actual volume but it'll come out as volume 27 as the end). Damn this ridiculously long and drawn out manga that I stopped after the "Tokyo reunion after the male lead craps on everyone to get back with the girl" Arc. (chapter 100-something) I think I'll attempt to try and reread the manga from the beginning and continue to the end now that I know it has officially ended. If memory serves me right, this manga is kind of like Ted from How I Met Your Mother where the male lead is kind of a man-slut except KNIM is more emotional based than physical despite Ted's emotional neediness (a difference in which I think age ie life experience is responsible for). It's actually not such a bad manga (despite me comparing him to a man-slut). This manga is like an harem manga but not as cliche as the general baseline for harem stories like...(don't punch me for this) Love Hina. In a way it is stomach-able but at the same time it makes you want to smack the crap out of a number of characters in it. I don't know if it got any worse after I stopped reading it (already felt like it was dragging on but I persevered until I could not) so maybe by the end it'll actually be more smacking of characters. Hmm....anyway, I can't believe it's finally laid to rest. Something I might get my hands into during the summer =)
Side note:
Seo Kouji not too long ago returned to Half & Half. I initially thought it was kind of like crap but for the most part, the plot is tweaked and the tone of the story seems different in the serialized version. Hm...
Just found out that Kimi no Iru Machi has officially been declared completed as a scanlated project at "volume 27" for about 2 months (it's not an actual volume but it'll come out as volume 27 as the end). Damn this ridiculously long and drawn out manga that I stopped after the "Tokyo reunion after the male lead craps on everyone to get back with the girl" Arc. (chapter 100-something) I think I'll attempt to try and reread the manga from the beginning and continue to the end now that I know it has officially ended. If memory serves me right, this manga is kind of like Ted from How I Met Your Mother where the male lead is kind of a man-slut except KNIM is more emotional based than physical despite Ted's emotional neediness (a difference in which I think age ie life experience is responsible for). It's actually not such a bad manga (despite me comparing him to a man-slut). This manga is like an harem manga but not as cliche as the general baseline for harem stories like...(don't punch me for this) Love Hina. In a way it is stomach-able but at the same time it makes you want to smack the crap out of a number of characters in it. I don't know if it got any worse after I stopped reading it (already felt like it was dragging on but I persevered until I could not) so maybe by the end it'll actually be more smacking of characters. Hmm....anyway, I can't believe it's finally laid to rest. Something I might get my hands into during the summer =)
Side note:
Seo Kouji not too long ago returned to Half & Half. I initially thought it was kind of like crap but for the most part, the plot is tweaked and the tone of the story seems different in the serialized version. Hm...
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Bitter Virgin Manga-A Review
(I don't feel like thinking up a more creative title so I'm titling it as is for now.)
The manga I'll be discussing in this post is Bitter Virgin by Kusunoki Kei. I've only read this manga one other time. I'm not sure why I never read it again after that. I knew that the story was quite serious, complex and quite worth reading but for some reason I avoided reading it again. Recently I happened upon this manga again and because I was bored with all the new manga coming out while waiting for updates for much anticipated ongoing mangas, I decided to finally reread this manga. Note, the content of this manga is mature and not a topic to be taken lightly. There is, in my opinion, pettiness involved but ultimately the tone is serious drama.
I finished my second read over this manga in about a day or so. It was really intense in the way that the male lead Suwa was constantly walking on egg shells and stressed over Aikawa (the female lead). I can't say much about the story other than how strong it was because I can't actually connect to the experiences of Aikawa but the raw emotion and amount of responsibility that Suwa took upon himself to look after this girl whom he inevitably fell for touched me.
The rest of this post from here on out is a spoiler in relation to the end which prompted me to write this post. You have been warned thus if you read from here on out, you are solely responsible for allowing yourself be spoiled.
The ending of the story is very bittersweet. It walks in the end with reality in mind, that even though they are together now and it is a happy ending, it will not change the realistic future that they will someday split upon finding someone else who they will fall in love with probably. It shocks me how mature both parties are and they realize this realistic side of a relationship going into the story. I like how the mangaka doesn't cover all the bases with this controversial relationship like when Suwa's mother finds out or like when the child of Aikawa possibly comes to seek her out-which would probably contribute to the reality of the future (not happily forever after). It really saddens me in a way though (bittersweet) because of all the mental stress and turmoil that Suwa suffered from this knowledge about this girl he came to love throughout this manga really makes me want to believe that in the end, he will definitely see to it that Aikawa will be happy. I guess the idea is that for Suwa, in the end if they don't end up together, he will still treat her with the up-most care in order to see to it that Aikawa will never have to suffer under those circumstances again (or at least I hope it would be like that). In addition to what Suwa had to go through in this story is obviously Aikawa's physical and mental trauma that she suffered through. It's amazing how much she's been able to step out of the darkness and with Suwa, I hope she'll eventually be able to somehow come to terms with her experience (whatever that means). I hope someday she grows up to be a strong woman like Suwa's sister.
All in all, this story is a definite read. If you get passed the petty and quite hysterical "girlfriend" Kazuki, this manga is really amazing and kind of opens up your mind. For me, I've read more than a few mangas where there is this sort of traumatized character and this other character come together and find some sort of happiness as a couple and usually they end with a happily ever after as though it's saying, "finally, I can be happy and at peace" but this manga strikes through that. This manga brings us all down to reality that no matter if we find happiness, happiness is and can be fleeting and can potentially come to an end. However, I sincerely hope that these two characters will come out strong through thick and thin because if anything, I feel as though they are a much more deserving couple than idiotic happy go lucky love birds.
The manga I'll be discussing in this post is Bitter Virgin by Kusunoki Kei. I've only read this manga one other time. I'm not sure why I never read it again after that. I knew that the story was quite serious, complex and quite worth reading but for some reason I avoided reading it again. Recently I happened upon this manga again and because I was bored with all the new manga coming out while waiting for updates for much anticipated ongoing mangas, I decided to finally reread this manga. Note, the content of this manga is mature and not a topic to be taken lightly. There is, in my opinion, pettiness involved but ultimately the tone is serious drama.
I finished my second read over this manga in about a day or so. It was really intense in the way that the male lead Suwa was constantly walking on egg shells and stressed over Aikawa (the female lead). I can't say much about the story other than how strong it was because I can't actually connect to the experiences of Aikawa but the raw emotion and amount of responsibility that Suwa took upon himself to look after this girl whom he inevitably fell for touched me.
The rest of this post from here on out is a spoiler in relation to the end which prompted me to write this post. You have been warned thus if you read from here on out, you are solely responsible for allowing yourself be spoiled.
The ending of the story is very bittersweet. It walks in the end with reality in mind, that even though they are together now and it is a happy ending, it will not change the realistic future that they will someday split upon finding someone else who they will fall in love with probably. It shocks me how mature both parties are and they realize this realistic side of a relationship going into the story. I like how the mangaka doesn't cover all the bases with this controversial relationship like when Suwa's mother finds out or like when the child of Aikawa possibly comes to seek her out-which would probably contribute to the reality of the future (not happily forever after). It really saddens me in a way though (bittersweet) because of all the mental stress and turmoil that Suwa suffered from this knowledge about this girl he came to love throughout this manga really makes me want to believe that in the end, he will definitely see to it that Aikawa will be happy. I guess the idea is that for Suwa, in the end if they don't end up together, he will still treat her with the up-most care in order to see to it that Aikawa will never have to suffer under those circumstances again (or at least I hope it would be like that). In addition to what Suwa had to go through in this story is obviously Aikawa's physical and mental trauma that she suffered through. It's amazing how much she's been able to step out of the darkness and with Suwa, I hope she'll eventually be able to somehow come to terms with her experience (whatever that means). I hope someday she grows up to be a strong woman like Suwa's sister.
All in all, this story is a definite read. If you get passed the petty and quite hysterical "girlfriend" Kazuki, this manga is really amazing and kind of opens up your mind. For me, I've read more than a few mangas where there is this sort of traumatized character and this other character come together and find some sort of happiness as a couple and usually they end with a happily ever after as though it's saying, "finally, I can be happy and at peace" but this manga strikes through that. This manga brings us all down to reality that no matter if we find happiness, happiness is and can be fleeting and can potentially come to an end. However, I sincerely hope that these two characters will come out strong through thick and thin because if anything, I feel as though they are a much more deserving couple than idiotic happy go lucky love birds.
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