AxelNeuman88's manga / #Tragedy(6)

I think this is an exceptionally beautiful story. The artwork is a masterpiece, oh, how lovely the red of her hair is contrasted with the paleness of her skin. The story itself is tragic. As I see it, the MC waited for her lover to come back from a long war, but her strength left her and Hypnos took her for an endless sleep. Roses, in accordance with Greek mythology, were made out of a lifeless body of a nymph. But the story is open to interpretation and someone can say that she simply fell asleep, knowing that he is safe and close.

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.

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.