Mar 19, 2016
If you have been overwhelmed by first love and became swallowed by it headfirst, then you will understand what Koizora tries to convey to the reader. Unlike a typical shoujo manga, the conflicts can't be resolved after a few tears are shed--problems take effort to overcome and recur even when you don't want them to. In contrast to the flowery romances that shoujo is known for, Koizora aims to showcase a realistic love while still demonstrating the passion within it.
That being said, its differences from other shoujo in its range and variety of conflicts can be a little bit of a shocker for people who
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aren't used to such elements being used in shoujo. There is a single sentence of warning at the end of the synopsis on MAL that refers to mature situations occurring within the story, such as rape, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, etc. It was a surprise to me for many of these bad things to occur almost one after the other, but maybe it's because where I grew up, these types of things didn't happen.
That kind of stuff made it good enough for the manga to be adapted into a live action drama, though. It might be overdone in that case, but to be honest, the inclusion of all these unfortunate circumstances really brings to light what kind of dangers falling love entails. Yes, most people would be inclined to say that love is a good thing, but they should also be prepared to face its downsides.
The main character Miki is an innocent young high school girl caught in the snares of first love, and it seems that she is tangled quite well. What stands out most is her endearing love for the boy Hiroki, who appears to be somewhat of a class delinquent. Go figure. When they grow closer, though, it seems as if their love can cross all bounds.
When it does have complications, though, some that are too hard to ignore, her tenacity to be with him seems almost stupid. Then again, I've never been in her shoes. If someone hurt you as badly as he hurt her, would you want to get back with him anyway? This is when I think of a friend who is sort of in the same situation, and has been for quite a while. She said this to me: "Sometimes I think he's the only one who can make me happy."
The thing is, she knows in her head that there are other people. But when she remembers the relationship they used to have, how satisfied she was when she was with him back then, it makes her afraid that she'll never find another person who can make her feel that way again. She wants to get back with him to reclaim that happiness. It happened once, didn't it? It can happen again... can't it?
Love, love, love. And all of the characters in the manga are tied up in it. While they don't have outstanding characteristics, I must applaud the mangaka for giving them all their own flaws. There's the girl that's insecure from having a boyfriend who cheated on her in the past, a boy who's in a relationship but crushing on his best friend's girlfriend, a girl who will do anything to get her ex-boyfriend back, etc.
What I disliked most about this series was the art. I understand this series is a little dated, so that makes sense, but I really couldn't get over the flat hair, big eyes, strangely-shaped faces, and so forth. I think the quality of the art might have helped keep the seriousness of the manga. If it were too cutesy I probably wouldn't have thought about the content as much as I did.
Along the lines of enjoyment, at the beginning of the plot I was frustrated with all the problems coming up so quickly that they were almost smothered together, but once that was over and the mangaka focused on one very important one based on previous complications, I was more appreciative of how the story went along. I'm not sure I could say I was happy with how the story ended, as there was one particular problem that I knew was coming and I did not like it. However, Koizora seemed to even out not too poorly in the last pages, and well, love is life.
If you want something different from regular shoujo, this might be it. It does get a little heavy with negative themes, though, so if you're not okay with that you should steer clear of this. Definitely do not recommend this to people under the age of 13.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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