AxelNeuman88's manga / #Slice of Life(11)

A small city by the sea, a passing tourist, a lonely girl wishing desperately to be whisked away. It is a brief and touching story of human ordinary life as if it is a page of someone's biography or diary entry. The feeling of melancholy and hope that Toume Kei breathes in his stories make them absolutely breathtaking.

In a dangerous and dirty city full of sin, an old and seemingly senile man cuts everyone bearing ill will with his trusted katana. Who is he? What is his goal?

A pretty simple and kind story about jealousy, gifts, and forgiveness. The art is beautiful, the plot is heartwarming and the characters even in this short story have a background, personality, and possible future development. Highly pleasant story.

was searching for this story for many years and finally, here it is, as bizarre and lonely as I remember it. The story is strange, cryptic, poetic and so so full of undertones. It's like when you wake up from a long and realistic dream, confused and disoriented, trying to grasp the reality of what happened. The story is a puzzle the solution to which was long lost, every word is deliberate, but what was the overall meaning? As the author - Mizumaru Anzai - had died in 2014 and did not give any glimpses on what was his thought process for this one, we can only guess. Instruments were often made from the bones of animals, a whale's teeth often were used for piano keys. Is that related to the story? Who knows. Is the story connected to the feeling of dread and anxiety that often comes at the end of the summer as the sunny days leave for the rainy seasons to take their places? Possibly. We will never know the exact answers, but the beauty of the vibrant red (is it blood or higan flowers?) and the "kokin, kokin" will be imprinted in the minds of many.

A bit pretentious, but with interesting artwork to back it up. The story feels a bit like it should be thought-provoking, but as there is no clear message at the end, it seems a bit rushed. The girl noticing the hungry stares of men that devour her mother's chest should lead to something. Maybe we see a grown-up girl with her daughter and the situation is the same, meaning that nothing changes no matter how many years pass. Or the girl wearing baggy clothes and still being catcalled showing that it was not the clothes that attract the attention, but just the sex. Or the grown-up girl checking another girls' breast and understanding that she is acting the same as the men she disliked in her childhood. Something to end the story. But alas, though the story has a lot of potential.

As always, the stories by Kiriko Nananan are incredible to read. The sheer tragedy of the situation, the character of Yuko 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 8 pages are flawless in their execution, both in artwork and storyline. The situation seems so real, you are an unwilling witness to the situation, feeling almost uncomfortable when the main character provides her thoughts. But the real sadness is in Yuko, this strong and kind individual, who until the end stands strong despite losing the two closest people to her to a terrible betrayal. And at the end, you know that the main character is right in thinking that it was their last meeting because their shared chapter of life is ended.

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.

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. 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.

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. They are a bit on the bland side and the characters are often unlikable due to their actions, the artwork at times is messy. The first story tells 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, where is an ounce of realism. 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. 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 probably 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.