I still felt sad, shed some tears but I couldn’t take this manga too seriously and it was not just because of the tragic ending. Just that the original felt so complete. It didn’t feel lacking in any sense.
Therefore it feels a little bizarre, it’s almost like reading a novel and you have reached THE END. And then the author is like…oops no no I am going to write an epilogue. And in the 10 page epilogue for her 300 pages well-written masterpiece she suddenly kills off one of the main characters.
I have nothing against tragic endings. In fact the mangaka has handled it well here as well. At the same time I disliked how it did not feel organic, as a writer it is important to not force plot devices to create intentional emotions of shock and sadness. It’s always easy to kill off characters and leave a deeper impact on the audience. But it also has to be believable and not so intentional. Also, I feel sadness can be invoked in so many other more subtle ways that can be deeply impacting. In fact Nitta Youka has that ability in plenty. I have read the og manga 10+ years back yet I still recall the scenes from the earthquake, the panic, the relief, their insecurity, Iwaki San’s deep seated fears, Kouta trying to match up with Iwaki San to become a more serious actor. Subtle, not in your face drama but so deeply impactful.
I remember starting the sequel when it initially released. I did not feeling like reading it at that time as well after skimming through the then released chapters. Because regardless of the ending, the sequel doesn’t hold a candle to the original in terms of how it impacted me as a reader!
I still felt sad, shed some tears but I couldn’t take this manga too seriously and it was not just because of the tragic ending. Just that the original felt so complete. It didn’t feel lacking in any sense.
Therefore it feels a little bizarre, it’s almost like reading a novel and you have reached THE END. And then the author is like…oops no no I am going to write an epilogue. And in the 10 page epilogue for her 300 pages well-written masterpiece she suddenly kills off one of the main characters.
I have nothing against tragic endings. In fact the mangaka has handled it well here as well. At the same time I disliked how it did not feel organic, as a writer it is important to not force plot devices to create intentional emotions of shock and sadness. It’s always easy to kill off characters and leave a deeper impact on the audience. But it also has to be believable and not so intentional. Also, I feel sadness can be invoked in so many other more subtle ways that can be deeply impacting. In fact Nitta Youka has that ability in plenty. I have read the og manga 10+ years back yet I still recall the scenes from the earthquake, the panic, the relief, their insecurity, Iwaki San’s deep seated fears, Kouta trying to match up with Iwaki San to become a more serious actor. Subtle, not in your face drama but so deeply impactful.
I remember starting the sequel when it initially released. I did not feeling like reading it at that time as well after skimming through the then released chapters. Because regardless of the ending, the sequel doesn’t hold a candle to the original in terms of how it impacted me as a reader!