Love Letter

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Beware, for the following review may contain /spoilers/.

Love Letter is a one volume manga by Seo Kouji, and is somewhat a deviation from his other works. While a lot of Seo-sensei’s manga are high school romances with ecchi on the side, Love Letter is a tragedy based on real historical events. Mochida Chieko and Anazawa Toshio, two teenagers, fall in love during the events of World War II. Fate, however, does not allow them to be together, for Toshio enlists into the aeronautical army and joins the air force. Later on, he is assigned to the special force – otherwise known as the Kamikaze, ... those who go on a trip from which they will never return.

Love Letter is predictable. But that does not make it bad. That is precisely, perhaps, why it is so beautiful. You know what /should/ happen, and the manga does not deviate from that. It does not give Toshio some miraculous way to escape from his fate. Love Letter is, first and foremost, a realistic and poignant romance that manages to wrap itself around your soul. You /will/ be crying by the final chapter, and that is a guarantee. Seo Kouji knows exactly how to manipulate your emotions with words and drawings, and he does it well.

The art itself screams Seo Kouji’s style. It’s very typical of him. Clean, pretty, and well-drawn. Chieko looks somewhat like a cross of Suzuka from “Suzuka” and Yuzuki from “Kimi no Iru Machi”. Thankfully, though, he is capable of varying his character designs enough to avoid having his characters look like clones of each other.

All in all, there is precious little to say about Love Letter, other than it is a heart-tugging, lovely romance that is sure to bring tears to your eyes. It's short and sweet. If you have a little time, read it. You won’t be disappointed.

As a Kouji Seo fan you will read many forms of romance. From something down to earth realistic to something supernatural and ecchi. With this story love letter he is saying I can write a tear-jerker too.

The story is very nicely told. The way it used letters to tell parts of the story is very nice. It sets the mood, gives it intensity as well as emotion and it's placed so well in the story it never felt out of place or forced. One thing about this is the plot doesn't feel very original. I can see this story line easily being used in a ... movie or novel before. However the story it self is still very story and nicely done so even if its not original its still very enjoyable.

The artwork is very light and suits the story well. However even with light drawings it also has some very fine detail to appreciate. The shading makes it look like a photo that era so it fits with the theme.

I recommended this story to a friend the other day his comment on it was its way too predictable. Its true its very predictable. What happens in the end can easily be seen so if your someone that think a likes surprises and complexity or uniqueness maybe this story is not the best. As for me I also find it predictable but didn't mind it much because of the flow of it is very nice. Even when it is a tragic tear-jerker story. The taste was bitter sweet because of the light atmosphere and even though the ending has sadness it also felt satisfying.

Best tragedy manga, in my opinion. A genuine tear-jerker.

The story is somewhat well-known. A girl in WWII Japan falls in love with a college student who enlists in the air force.

You can pretty much guess what happens, but it doesn't matter.
That's the beauty of this work. You know the story--easy to predict, if you didn't already know it, but it still moves you emotionally.

The characters and the pacing are brilliant. The length, as well. Long enough to derive empathy for the characters, and short enough so that you don't get sick of them or bogged down with sappiness.

Back in those days, where parents dictated one's ... social life, where dating was only permitted if marriage was agreed upon previously...those kids sought love, like any generation of graduating high school students.

This manga is the story of two late teenagers who fell in love when life threw them the mother of all curveballs. Instead of folding and looking passively at strike three, they took a chance and aimed for the fences. This manga is based on a true story, and believe me when I say that this is a worthy adaptation.