Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan

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One reason why I like seinen and josei manga is that the themes, characters, and messages presented are sophisticated. Not to say that shoujo and shounen manga aren't, but the percentage of the latter manga that actually contain such attributes is minimal. Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan (Our Happy Time) was a surprisingly astounding read I came across around one in the morning, hoping to find something short, sweet, and rid of filler material. Upon reading the first few pages of the manga, I realized that what I discovered was much, much more than just that, and consequently provided a MEANINGFUL literary experience -- ... something that tends to be rare when it comes to manga, which particularly specializes in fan-service.

STORY: 10
The reader is quickly introduced to protagonist Juri and her wish to commit suicide, though reasons are not completely revealed until the latter half of Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan. She's then taken by her nun of an aunt to accompany her visits to jail, where the aunt attempts to emotionally aid convicts. There, Juri meets serial killer Yuu, who has a death sentence hanging over his head. The rest of the manga unravels the tragic pasts of both Juri and Yuu, and we begin to discover why they act as they do (or did). Though it was initually Juri who was supposed to provide help for Yuu, he also returns that same favour by gently letting her realize the beauty of the world, and of life itself. It's a heartwarming tale that not only delves into both characters' pasts, but also brings the characteristic contribution from the past to the present in order to resolve each other's current conflicts, providing a wonderfully woven tale that ties in a clean knot at the very end.

ART: 8
The first few pages of the manga gives the reader a concrete idea of what the artist is capable of. Characters are drawn extremely cleanly and with incredibly accurate proportions (and you'd be surprised how many mangakas can't draw properly, despite the nature of their occupation). Expressions are also well-conveyed. Backgrounds are present enough such that the reader has a general idea of where the characters are, though some more use of far shots would have helped establish a sense of relative position between characters and create greater atmosphere. Nonetheless, the mangaka made great use of toning to compensate and was able to generate a solemn mood throughout the story -- fitting for its nature.

CHARACTER: 10
Juri and Yuu are very convincing characters in that they actually have dimension. They're believable. It's not often you find (in manga) suicidal women that have understandable reasons for their actions, and convicts that actually seem to be human, including wishes, likes, and quirks. Definitely one of the strongest points of Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan. Juri and Yuu may not stand out, or even be likable for many, but they're relatable. The characters' pasts AND present states are so well fleshed-out that you can't help but empathize. You can't help but realize the dire states that both Yuu and Juri are in, and I believe it's empathy that's lacking in a very large portion of today's manga. Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan is able to bring that back to us by providing such attention to detail; the mangaka explores every nook and cranny of both characters' personalities to ensure that with each action, there's justification for it through characterization.

ENJOYMENT: 9
Quite a mellow story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it because of that. The morals and messages given pertaining to gratefulness are absolutely heartwrenching. As a reader, I wanted to know more and more about the tales of Yuu and Juri, and eight chapters more than sufficed, given the well-paced plot and character development.

OVERALL: 10
A must-read for those who know how to appreciate an actually well-written manga that's not out in the market to simply vaccuum our wallets like virtually every other manga out there. And even if you don't like it (and admittedly the dark nature of it is not everyone's cup of tea), the beauty of it is that it's only eight chapters long.

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan or Our Happy Time is a tale of how a death row inmate and a former pianist, who both lost the will to live. Form a bond that helps them move on from their past pain and struggles. It is a story that I find very overrated, which is not a bad thing. I just think that people have a very biased opinion on this work, and will not respond to criticism well. This will be my unbiased, subjective opinion on each aspect of this manga.


Story: 6 - The story for this manga was executed well in 8 chapters, which ... is very impressive in itself. However, there are some inherent flaws with the story, with the pacing being the first issue. I get it, it was only 8 chapters, but a longer stretched series might of had more of the developmental and progressive details of the story be fleshed out more. Also, as a fan of the romance genre, I found this story to be a bit underwhelming. The dialogue between the two main characters set up their relationship to be more of a close friendship. Does sharing personal past tragedies make a man and woman fall in love together. Well, I can't really answer that, but the execution of this story makes the reader question this, so this fails in that sense.


Art: 7 - The art was fairly done well in this series, it wasn't spectacular. But very pleasing to look at, so it looks fine.


Character: 5 - This was where I was truly disappointed. The characters could have been so much more, but the author really didn't go deep enough. We got two past tragic stories with the main characters, and they were a bit generic but enough to get you attached in this short story. This manga basically outlines a huge detail with a backstory of a character, and slowly peels off the details behind what they shown through the progression of the series. It was executed fine, but they could have delved into their characters backstories a little more. Also, does sharing past tragedies make you fall in love. This relationship to me seemed more of a close friendship with strange circumstances. But the ending, it was probably not what readers wanted. I found it really realistic however, as this bond formed by these two helped them move on with life, sort of, (readers know what I'm talking about)


Overall: 6 - This is a short read, so maybe 30 minutes at most. You may reread this manga, or just be able to hold a discussion about it. It's a sweet story about two people with strange circumstances who help move on from their pain through their strong bond. It's sad, but sweet at the same time. It's a great read for people who are okay with bitter-sweet endings.

Some may consider this review to contain spoilers, but please read on.

Our Happy Time is not just a mediocre manga, it's plenty pretentious too. This pure cheese story starts off with some grim subject matter and continues to vomit more grim subject matter at you until you are beaten and bored. It's a cliche narrative about an inmate on death row who finds a reason to live again through love. With no exceptional visuals and no original characters, this manga reads like the pulpiest young adult fiction imaginable. There's no nuance, there's no subtlety, and the self-righteousness of the main character is suffocating.

If this ... manga was an attempt to argue against the death penalty it does so weakly. It presents an incredibly one-sided perspective about death row and it's cruelty and actually goes as far as to pardon murder. It paints the lead male out as a stoic hero, sadly brazen by life's overwhelming cruelty. Everyone feels bad for the handsome prisoner in this manga. No one understands him truly though, except our suicidal mary-sue whose mother used to beat her.

There's just so much extraneous schlock in this disgustingly cheap story of "redemption" and revitalization. Why was it packed with so much teen angst for a story about adults? This story deals with real issues dubiously and over saturates their significance. With rape, murder, suicide, crime and self-loathing all snowballed into one goofy mess I can't bear to give this lazily drawn shoujo drivel anything more than a poor to dreadful score.

Check back on this page often to see when it's getting it's LifeTime movie adaptation.