Koi wa Ameagari no You ni
After the Rain

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"Youth... At times it can be wild, at times vicious. And yet, all those emotions from that age become an irreplaceable treasure. Although you may not see that right now..." - Masami Kondou

An injury, the fear of writing again... What do these two things have in common? Yes, they prevent you from pursuing what you want to do, and leaves you stranded alone while everyone else is moving on, as if time itself has stopped.

Story: 9
Revolving around the conflicting themes of moving on to pursue what you love or staying still for love, this is a beautiful allegory of life and regret.

I'm pretty sure that ... this manga is not mainly about romance. Although the theme of love is there, it is not as important compared to the main characters' interests and their decisions for the future.

Akira Tachibana is the best runner in her track club who has to take a break due to her ankle injury, and Masami Kondou is a family restaurant manager who has given up on literature due to various personal reasons.

With an age gap of 28 years (Akira is 17 and Kondou is 45), this manga tries to show the audience a different kind of relationship compared to what some people may think as a "normal" relationship. It is one where both help each other to reaffirm their thoughts for them to live the lives they want.

For me, any misconceptions about their age gap has successfully been removed through Kondou's personality. In the first few chapters they show how he gets scolded by his workers and the way he can't really handle his job. He is a very kind person and cares for his workers despite their criticism. Tachibana is rather blunt with her words, and seems more mature than others, except of course in "love", which she has experienced for the first time. Although they are somewhat similar I felt like they were a really good match allowing them to learn something from each other.

The symbolism of rain was very interesting in this manga. In fact, the reason I started reading this was because of the rain/umbrella on the cover. Obviously there's the melancholic but also refreshing feel, but in this case I think there was more. For me, it represented the length of Tachibana's injury or recovery, because when they first met: Kondou tells her: "I'm sure that it'll stop raining soon.". Now at this point he doesn't know that Tachibana is injured, but you can still say that he wanted her to go back and continue to live her life.

The use of metaphors was really impressive as well, for example the polished sea glass, the Rashomon story and the bookmark with the swallow. They helped a lot to emphasise this theme of making a decision, whether changing something or not. From unlikely things the author managed to connect them with the feelings of the characters. Fitting them into the plot itself mustn't have been an easy task either. Maybe it's just me who's bad at making metaphors but honestly, there were really good.

The reason I gave this a 9 and not a 10 is mainly because of the ending. It felt abrupt, and basically you could predict it from the start. However I do think it was appropriate and I guess you could say it was a beautiful ending.

Art: 9
I love the rain. I tend to try to find any manga with covers showing rain, despite the famous saying "Don't judge a book by its cover". And this manga perfectly nailed it in showing raining scenes. I don't ask for much, but there's this feeling that you get from looking at raining scenes and you really think you're there, you can hear the monotonous susurration or the heavy pattering sound. This was a perfect example of it.

Of course, rain wasn't the only good part of the art. I mostly felt like the art (overall) was cute, creating a relaxed atmosphere (except a certain point in the manga where I got really angry at a certain character. Manga readers/Anime watchers should know exactly what I'm talking about here). I also have to mention the eyes... Wow. especially Tachibana's eyes. They are simply mesmerising.
Only thing that prevented me from giving it a 10 is the sometimes very long and thin limbs and necks of certain characters... I know nothing can be perfect but just saying...

Character: 9
I completely fell in love with Kondou's inspiring lines throughout the manga... The one I showed at the start was just one of numerous examples. He is often cheerful (although he does lament himself for all the bad things his workers say behind his back) and a good father. Thanks to Tachibana, he experiences the youth he thought would never see again and this leads to building his courage again to write once more.

Tachibana is someone who still doesn't seem to know the real meaning of love, I think it's more of an admiration, and that's why I always thought that her relationship with Kondou as "friends" was interesting. Although she could be misunderstood to be a cold-hearted person, she is innocent and caring. Her interactions with Kondou shapes her choice to start running again as the manga progresses.

Haruka Kyan:
Lovely character who truly cares for Tachibana, as her long-time friend. She wants Tachibana to get back to running and does a lot to convince her. A lot of development between her and Tachibana, including flashbacks.

Yui Nishida:
Co-worker at the family restaurant, same age as Tachibana. She quickly becomes friends and talks a lot about her love interests and gets advice from her. I think she was an essential character to affect Tachibana's thoughts on getting back to running.
Would've been great if they showed how she was at the last chapter, but I guess that's asking for too much.

Takashi Yoshizawa:
He loves Tachibana, but it is unrequited. Annoying is probably the best word to describe this guy. I don't think he was particularly needed in the story (ok maybe at one point).

Ryosuke Kase:
Worker in family restaurant, in his 20s. I think his interaction with his sister was very interesting but the author didn't go deep enough.

Enjoyment: 10
I don't know what else to say.

Overall: 9
Give it a try unless you absolutely hate big age gaps no matter what.

"The way I see it. If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain" - Dolly Parton

Koi wa Ameagari is all about pushing yourself towards the finish-line of happiness no matter what hurdles stand in your way. Yes the premise of an adult-teen romance is uncomfortable, but it's actual portrayal of the controversial subject is handled with care and deep introspection. Not once does Koi wa Ameagari make light of the fact that it's main characters are 30 years apart. It wants you to understand that the two are facing a monumental hill in order to ever be together and have ... it's characters make commentary on the issue as it relates to society - especially the adult.

The 45 year old manager Kondou is as kind a soul can be. Even to the degree of ridicule as fellow employees consider him to be a pushover, with the exception of a young waitress who is infatuated with his sincere nature. He struggles immensely with handling her affection and is at an utter loss as to how to answer it, in addition to dealing with skeletons in his past that have led his life to become what he deems a disappointment. Despite a heavy weight being placed on his shoulders, the manager is a delightful personality who often makes jokes at his own expense and treats everyone with care. It is easy to understand why Akira fell for him.

Lead character Akira is a stunning character - both in appearance and spirit. Her blunt, matter of fact attitude is a refreshing contrast from the usual lead characters of romance works and is quite frankly admirable. It takes a special person to go for what they want in this world without worrying about the consequences.

In great contrast from the manager, Akira has zero awareness of the societal concerns of a relationship between people in different age brackets. The only thing she cares about is pursuing the one that she loves, the person that helped to save her in a period of great depression, and nothing more than that.

If there were a manga Top Model competition, Akira would be a strong candidate to win first place. Her design is nothing short of flawless - given a slim athletic build, piercing eyes and a slender face. The fact that she looks like a young woman rather than a child does help the reader become more comfortable with the romance, which is not at all fetishized.

Jun Mayuzuki's debut manga is a strong one - crafting a beautiful seinen romance that shows all the promise of finishing as a classic of the genre. Try not to let the premise be an obstacle, give this story a serious try and you're likely to enjoy whats inside.

It had been a long time since I hadn't felt this way.
I was brought to the manga by the anime and I really have no regrets about it.

So first thing that shocked many people: there is an age gap. I think it'd be better seen as a forbidden love STORY than trying to imagine it in real life..

The art is wonderful, and the story has a good pace (though some people might find it too slow). The mangaka takes the time to deepen other characters too.
Things happen naturally and not too fast, it makes you crave for what's next and suddenly you realize it's over.
It ... was a beautiful love story.

What do you think of me?

The question which you can answer... Is it alright to accept her love with someone like her on that current age?

Youth at times like this.. can be wild and times that can be vicious
And Yet, All those Emotions From every age become an irreplaceable treasure
Although you may not see that every second since the day you met her..

It would be kinda nonsense to know what are those genuine feelings are..
Even so, Right now He want to unburden her of her suffering. He wanted to secure the fact.. that she deepenly hurt.. Even he's not worth enough..
...
Possible That Mutual Affection wouldn't call "Love"

Hopefully.. That this romance could mesmerize your inner interactions once... you'll be able to know the strong affections... or whether you pull out the strings you kept inside of it..

I have never seen a work of fiction capture what it is like to have a crush on someone so deeply and accurately as this one does. It's really special, in that way.

I love how this story pans out in the end. Really, the whole story is only meant to be a small chapter in the lives of our characters and they come out of it making each other better for the time spent with each other. A lesser mangaka would force the story to go in the way you might expect and would be an actually much less satisfying, not to mention awkward ... in all the wrong ways.

Instead, this manga is awkward in all the right ways. It takes care to address the premise honestly and with the care you would hope would actually exist in real life. Our main characters are so, so loveable and earnest. It feels really good to watch them grow and overcome their obstacles.

A special kind of romance. Nostalgic instantly.

This manga is less of a love story, than it is simply an uplifting one. The characters are very well crafted, the art is good, and the way themes are explored is well done.

Love is the medium through which our characters find themselves and overcome their fears. Many of the characters start off confused, unsure of what to do next. Or they are wounded in some way and afraid to move forward. Through love, our characters come to understand what they must do in order to realize their future.

Many stories usually focus on 2-3 main characters with a bunch of underdeveloped or one-dimensional side ... characters that the main set bounce off of. Apart from one bitchy lady, most of the other supporting cast have a good amount of depth to them.

After the Rain or "Koi wa Amaegari no You ni"

This anime spans on Redemption theme.
You can find many animes out there with the same premise but this manga somehow resonates deeply in me, I felt that the main character has already moved on from her past completely without anything withholding her back.

This manga (anime is incomplete) touches on a successful person with a deep love for something until one day she loses it abruptly. To be honest, the shock is real and shouldn't be seen lightly. The manga builds on how the main character musters her courage to pick back on something ... she 'hates' and fears now with the help of Samaritans she met in her life. I like the story because I see myself in the main character. Everyone in his or her life will face setbacks and resilience can be torn apart sometimes. You can end up not eating or sleeping well because you lost your own identity by losing what defines you, especially when you're younger at age, facing your first major setback and thinking it's over.

This manga has the perfect ending: the mangaka gave us the most logical reason why she chooses to brave up again, coincidentally that's how I got back on my feet too; therefore, I like this manga.

If you enjoyed this, I would recommend: Cat Street.

This is one that will really hit you in the feels.

It also seems targeted towards an older audience. Some of us are a bit older now than we use to be, and by a bit I mean many tens of years. Reading the high-school drama romance stories are great and all, but it hard for us to connect.

Enter our 40 something year old dead end job manager that's pretty much given up on everything. A character that many of us older readers can relate to. And imagine getting a second chance to feel the torrent of emotions that come with youth even when you ... have aged. At a certain age we mellow out and we are no longer able to feel the fire that we felt in our younger days. And, maybe this happens because we force ourselves to change in this way.

That is what I felt when reading this story and I became emotional thinking about those emotions again. The emotions in this story are very powerful and are conveyed extremely well to the reader. In fact they are conveyed so well that this series brought out emotions from me that I thought were gone. And, for a moment I was young again.

I highly recommend this series for older readers, and younger readers may not enjoy this as much but I still hope that you will give "Koi wa Ameagari no You ni" a try.

It has become one of my favorite mangas. It´s a story that leaves your heart soft, it deals with wounds that are difficult to heal, dreams, overcoming barriers and prejudices, leaving aside all the clichés of the genre.

I love works that make me think, and it has come into my life at the exact moment.

Many of us long for the feeling of when the heart speeds up and slows down, and it shows that this is not a matter of age, that when we talk about love, everything flows in a different way. Love doesn´t bind or suffocate, love must let you fly like a ... swallow.

What stands out in this work is not only the romance, but the overcoming and evolution of the protagonists and the rest of the characters. It´s a beautiful work, with a captivating plot, with touches of humor, very good and real.

The manga tells us about first love, the struggle to get what we want, the fear of moving forward without knowing where to go, the problems we find ourselves at different moments in our lives, fear, maturity, friendship or heartbreak.

The story goes at its own pace, slowly but surely, with an adult romance, well spun, and above all realistic. As you progress, the plot improves, having great depth and complexity.

Akira got injured so she had to stop running and that's where it started to rain, but someone would help him understand that rain as well as stop it. An independent, strong girl. I think she is a fantastic character with a very good development, one of my favorite female characters.

I love Kondo, he seems to me a wonderful man, and a spectacular character; It represents maturity, the feeling of emptiness, but it will rethink your life.

A pure, sincere bond is formed between them and it will go on in crescendo. They complement each other and help each other.
I also liked the rest of the characters a lot. All with their development and contribution to history.

The drawing is magnificent, in each vignette the feelings are perfectly transmitted.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain) was such a relaxing and enjoyable read for me. The characters were all very real and parts of their stories were relatable. Tachibana and Kondou both are stuck and struggling with their own issues and it was really nice seeing them going through how to overcome those problems. It starts off as a problematic age gap romance but opens up to be so much more than that. Mayuzuki’s art was just breath taking throughout the chapters and all her characters were just so uniquely designed and expressive. The read is easy with a lot of pages ... consisting of very few panels and sometimes little to no dialogue. If you need a good change of pace in your manga reading, this is a story for you. I hope more series from Mayuzuki make it to English printing in the future, I’ll be giving them a try for sure.

When one is 45 years old, or 55, or 65, where does one find inspiration and motivation to keep going? The answer in After the Rain is found in youth, whether your own past or in the youth of today.

After the Rain is an Iyashikei slice of life story. You can call it a romance, and there are two romantic plots in the manga, but it is a very unconventional romance, with the kind of endings not found in typical romance manga or anime. But this is first a story of healing, resilience, and overcoming the kinds of setbacks we all experience in life. ... The author even ends the manga with a note of dedication to the reader pledging her support and the support of all her characters in our own journeys.

As literature, it is not a perfect 10. But this manga is so unusual in its goals and its plot, it is deserving of a rating of 10. The art is wonderful. The story is full of memorable lines of dialogue and quotes from literature. Flow from scene to scene may be a little uncertain, especially in the latter volumes, but the individual scenes stand on their own as vignettes to be appreciated outside of the larger work. Ultimately, the author accomplishes her objectives to provide a story about healing and a story to inspire and comfort the reader.

After the Rain is a special story by an exceptional mangaka, and a work that will have me coming back when I need a little inspiration to overcome the troubles that are a part of life, whether you are 17 or 45.

Soaked by the dropping rain,
Without any shelter to go under,
I'll let myself get wet by this passing storm,
Until someone shares an umbrella,
And move slowly but steadily,
Even with clothes dripping wet,
As we wait for the rain to stop.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni is a manga that portrays what is considered taboo in today's generation, but instead delivers it beautifully and inserts metaphors that when understood, can really connect to the reader.

A tale of a 17-year old high school girl that lost her passion and a 45-year old geezer that stopped dreaming, it's a unique read that is filled with relatable struggles and delivers an impactful ... end as their connection towards each other is drawn by rain.

After the Rain is definitely something I'd recommend, like Oregairu and many more. The unique age gap relationship as foundation to explore each of their own struggles, and turn it into a genuine connection of healing that is not disgusting to read for that gap of age, was something that reached out to me as a person.

Romance was never the main theme of this manga. It's about something else. It's the heart wrenching and gratifying feeling of what comes After the Rain.

This is my first ever review on MAL and I don't usually write reviews so, I'm no expert lol~

All I can say is, this manga gives off little sparks of joy in a melancholic way right from the start to the very end. The serene Akira, the theme of rain, athletic, somehow it just works.

Age gap! I didn't expect I'd love this because of the rather controversial tag. I found out about this manga from the movie starred by Komatsu Nana rather than the manga/anime itselves. And to be honest though? If I found out about this manga before I watch the movie, and I ... see the age gap tags about a 17yo girl with a middle-aged man? I don't think I'd read it lol~ But this manga (or rather, the movie first) really taught me that this is not some "disgusting" forbidden relationship story. Instead, it gives off such soothing vibe. So, if you're hesitating to read this, scared if it's gonna turn out creepy, rest assured, it's not!

Though, I must say some aspects of the story could've got a much more insight.

In conclusion, if you wanna have a smile here and there, some giggles, soothing vibe, heartwarming read, and a good read during rain, read this!

Story is good. Not outstanding, not bad at all. It is a relaxing setting that makes you want to read it on one go.
The love part can be disturbing for some because of the age difference between the main characters. However, I do not care about this, since is a very pure and sincere love.
Art is very good. It has what it takes.
Character are okay. They maybe need a little more development because they feel a little too flat, but this is just my opinion and maybe I am being too critic.
Enjoyment is quite good. Thanks to the story and the art, as I said ... before, it makes you read it on one go. It catches your attention because of the strange setting and then keeps you in because of the development of the story.
Overall it is a good manga and I would recommend.

I really love how the story flows! The more I read the more I'm getting excited I mean this is the kind of story I want less romance more on slice of life and comedy and these two character the manager and tachibana-san they're cute I mean the boss personality is extrovert while tachibana san is kinda serious and shy. She was once a promising athlete in her school but an injury has prevented her from taking part in track and field The manager is 45 years old and with a child and tachibana falls in love with him. These two character want to achieve ... their goal tachibana wanted to continue her career as an athlete in track and field after an injury and the manager wants to finish his writing or a novel. so what will happem to them? I hope y'll read this and watch the anime!

Just to give some context, I only just recently came back at around chapter 50 to finish up the rest of the story.

This isn't meant to be a serious review, but more just me venting the gripes I had with certain subplots found in this manga.

In general, I thought that the author tackled the whole age gap thing quite well, but that's not what I'm here for.

I was absolutely thrown into disbelief when I read how the author slaughtered a certain side character's confession.

Rejection.

... An absolute tragedy.

The salting of Carthage doesn't even come close to represent the same level of devastation that occurred in that chapter.

How could they butcher this character's heart felt feelings?

I was hooked.

I wanted to see how this played out.

Turns out it was just a segue into the "man this sucks, time to move on" theme they had going on in the few chapters after.

I'm not criticizing the message here as I thought the execution was well done, but I found it underwhelming with the amount of development that was given to the closure to this subplot and how the author never shared the insights of the rejector after the confession.

Oh and there was another subplot about a guy and his sister, maybe he wanted to bang or something.

I guess that got tied up with the guy getting upset with being blue-balled and getting punched in the face by being a cheeky cunt for making a comment about the confession above.

If you're somehow still reading this, Koi wa Ameagari no You ni is a lovely read, but suffers a bit from the lack of development into its side characters and subplots.

I added this manga a couple years ago to PTR after watching the anime but finally began reading it a few days ago. The anime was just fine, it didn't leave much of an impression but I still wanted to check out the manga because I felt like it probably had much more to offer. After reading it, the show falls short in comparison.

First off, the characters are likeable (especially Akira, I sympathised with her and understood her POV while in the show I wasn't that much of a fan of her character) and not only are the main characters complex, the side ones get ... some nice depth as well.

Its art is the typical shoujo style, very eyecandy and pretty with the characters having quite a variety of facial expressions that are fun to look at, very rarely looking bland. Speaking of fun, the humor is also worth mentioning, I'd say easily one of its strongest points.

It's pretty well written but it does have some cheesy dialogue here and there that did make me roll my eyes, but all shojos have that to an amount so it didn't bother me that much.

(Getting into spoiler territory now):

What did bother me a bit though was the ending: it felt rushed to me. I was enjoying the direction it was taking but I just felt like it could've been more developed before the timeskip. But still I'm glad it reached that conclusion because the show, while leaving it more open to viewers' imagination, still gives the idea of a fairytale ending. Akira moving on with her life was the best case scenario since she was using her crush on Kondou as a form of escapism.

It's a nicely slow paced story, we get to see how Kondou slowly falls for her (something we didn't get to see in the show) while Akira slowly gets over her fear of running again. Also, just because two people love eachother doesn't always mean they should end up together... and def not with that age gap. At the end of the day, they did what was best for them as individuals.
I think the opportunity on not making Akira and Kurata become friends was wasted but that's just a nitpicky preference and not that relevant to the plot anyway.

All in all, enjoyable read that I'd recommend whether you're a shoujo fan or not. Will be writing more reviews because I had fun writing this. 7.5/10.

The manga's premise is "gross" as my sister puts it and the author wonderfully writes around it. The writing treats the relationship between thought and perspectives. The theme of longing for the past underlines the story. From the manager's longing of love, the main character's longing of running, to her friend's longing of their past relationship. Manga gracefully returns to the message that you can't hold on to the past.

The art is whole another thing to rave about. It's beautiful and poetic when it needs to be. Scenes in the rain cover the entire page and characters occupying a fraction of it. It conveys the ... loneliness that these characters feel. There is a sense of space and size that the author controls to significant effect. For example, when a character is staring hard, their eye takes up the entire panel. There isn't any narrative to tell you how she longs for the manager. It is shown.

Are there flaws and crap characters that don't move the plot? It's a shoujo manga so of course. Personally, the high points stood out a lot more than the low points. Overall, I enjoyed this manga and how it explores love at different ages.

Some time ago I started watching the anime adaptation of this, but somehow it didn't land. I don't know whether I just wasn't in the mood or what, but I wrote it off as uninteresting. Years passed, and I thought to give it another go; well, it totally won my heart. I like age-gap stories quite a bit, and this is a lovely, mature, and perhaps slightly bittersweet take on it.

The main characters are all very well fleshed out, with their own struggles and motivations. Their interactions and building relationships never feel unnatural, and most of all, they're likeable which isn't necessarily a given.

I ... would recommend this to anyone who enjoys age-gape romance but wants to read about a more down-to-earth approach. I would also recommend reading the manga rather than watching the anime, not because the anime is bad, but because the adaptation is incomplete and it has an anime og ending, which while it isn't necessarily bad, takes something away from the way the mangaka wrote the story.