Back to Jellyf's Profile Jellyf's Profile

There is not much inside of this manga other than the main character's love for each other... and I think that's why it works. There is no grand attempt of dispelling between 'right' and 'wrong', they love each other, and that's the simplest way to put it. One boy is scared of corrupting the one he loves (how much should he be able to take, how much should he be able to love?), and the other is fueled by desire bursting at the seams.

I think Fuyushirazu no Koi wraps what we call 'adolescence' up into a little bow and gifts it to us. Thoughts ... overflowing, you can't stop yourself from acting on them. Maybe your own mother sees you as disgusting, but you can't help it; it's something that's a part of you. It's been brought on by someone who's been with you the entire way, every single twist and turn, and you love them more than anything, so much so that you'll give yourself up entirely for them. It's scary, but you love them. That means it's going to be okay. Words that mean everything once you've heard them, "I love you."

At the window during the early morning, a taboo love, purer than anything, waits for me. Fuyushirazu no Koi is a portrayal of unconditional love.

"In the biology prep room of the old school building, which no longer serves its original purpose, one rarely hears human breathing."

There is a level of absurdity, yet extremely human in nature (after slight pause), that Ishiko-sensei's manga creates. I know you want to die, so I will make waking up alive tomorrow worth it. I know you are not okay, and it is festering. I know that I love you, but I don't deserve it. I know that you are dead, but I can't accept it.

It's overwhelming, how much is stuffed inside of this short work, but it made me think enough to ... write this review. To be left in contemplation is a wonderful feeling, do you know? I am not entirely sure I am picking apart this manga in the right way, but it meant something to me. I suppose it can, or will, mean something entirely different to you. You may read it and not even like it, and that's alright.

Ishiko-sensei's art is unreputably beautiful and unique. There is nothing incredibly sprawling or languid, and is simple at first glance, but it certainly envokes. I hope you can understand what I am trying to mean.

A beautiful boy, a dumb lump of muscle, an attentive boyfriend, a death-obsessed lover, a talking dog, a mysterious senpai, and a petting zoo. A conglomerate of characters and emotions, led by that philosophical talking dog.

Shall we keep living, because our time is short? Show me your true self and make it just.

(Indirect spoilers)

A story that barely peeks over ten minutes in total length, in which you don't even learn the characters' last names. Yet somehow it is striking, overbearing, and not enough... all at once.

Of which the entirety of it takes place in a dream-like state. Proposing the question: was the whole thing even real? Was the other person (the other character of either one of our unnamed protagonists speaks to), a figment of his imagination? A desperate fervor of last-minute conciliation, created in a means of comfort, quite possibly. Or, on the other hand, a final goodbye, when you have the knowledge that these ... will be your final thoughts.

And the most welcome interperation of all: that there is a happy ending. Reunitement and warm tears of joy.

The beauty of Unbelievable Space Love is entirely up to the viewer.

Do you guys remember when people used to eat spoonfuls of cinnamon? When they thought at first, "Hey, you know what, it can't be that bad," and then they are utterly proven wrong and start choking? Yeah, that's how Okaeri Alice makes me feel. Every single time I try and swallow it, I start gagging. I cannot properly portray just how angry this manga makes me.

No, I am not angry because there is sexual assault and transphobia in this manga, or that the mangaka is portraying a transgender person as a horrible person. It's the fact that the mangaka has no clue what he ... is doing. Okaeri Alice doesn't understand itself.

Okaeri Alice is a mess of obnoxious pretention that doesn't have a single idea what it's trying to tell the audience. It is not a psychological deep-dive into the mind, it is a bowl with a bottom that stops your fork prematurely. The characters are built off of about three traits, like a family of Sims. They have no depth. A weirdo is a weirdo and a pervert is a pervert. They are nothing more than objects to move along the story... but they don't even feel like part of the story in the first place.

The manga is so terrible and off the mark that there isn't even a hilarity to it. It's painstaking. With a disrespect to how people actually act in the real world, it's disturbing. Once again, I am not saying that transgender people in the real world can't be dangerous and terrible, but Okaeri Alice takes it as the fact that Muroda is the kind of person she is, BECAUSE she is transgender. Simply put, that is not how it works.

The only strong point of this manga is the art: good on that, Sensei. Other than that, please, for God's sake, put down the pen. Okaeri Alice is embarassing.

The setting of Umibe no Étranger has always held me in a vice-grip. An island surrounded by the blue ocean, the residents are dressed in billowy clothing. The flowers are bright and blooming. It is the essence of summer. It's the place which you read in a book and then proceed to ache for. Or rather, in this case, the place which you see in a manga and then proceed to ache for. This overwhelming feeling of being in the moment presents itself perfectly (thank you, Kanna Kii), so much so, that you want to be living through it instead. I believe the best media ... shows itself in whether or not the viewers wish they could be a part of the story.

Mio and Shun contrast each other. Shun is a quiet novelist who, despite having known his sexuality before Mio, still hasn't come to terms with it. Mio on the other hand is young, carefree, and is comfortable with openly confessing his love to Shun. They balance each other out. Mio learns from Shun's family situation, while Shun learns from Mio that he shouldn't be embarrassed about their love. There is nothing wrong with expressing feelings for someone of the same gender or sex. And Shun, having lived his life with this affecting him, comes to terms for the first time, that, this is how he is, and that's perfectly okay.

I will admit that the pacing of Umibe no Étranger is rather fast. The pacing is the weakest part of both the anime adaptation and the original manga. Before you know it, it's over. This may have faired better pacing-wise if it had been split up into a four-part OVA.

The art. I'll just say it. It's great. They did Kanna Kii's style justice. The animation is smooth, the backgrounds and coloring are beautiful. There is nothing to nitpick. It's above average, probably even ABOVE above average. Studio Hibari did a wonderful job.

Now, for what I am head over heels for - the sound (by Eiko Morikawa) and original music (composed by Mina Kubota). None of the sound effects felt out of place - the blowing wind and stretching sea made the setting even more immersive. And what takes the cake is the music. Beautiful piano pieces, that, whenever they started playing during a scene I would focus on them instead because I didn't expect them to be so... good. Mina Kubota did an amazing job with the music. The ending song is equally addicting; it is all I imagined a song representing Mio and Shun to be. This attitude also goes towards the voice actors, who did a great job with bringing these two to life (along with Sakurako, Eri, Suzu, and most particularly a young version of Mio, who actually had a child voice acting him).

Umibe no Étranger is a story that bases itself around coming to terms with who you are and your situation. It is a story about growing up and basking in pure first love. The animation, sound, music, and setting all bring this movie together. And albeit it may be a little fast-paced, it surely is a diamond in the rough.

Also, it has cats.

A surprisingly sweet experience.

Maeda frets over his appearance constantly, believing he's plain and ugly - and he only has one thing going for him.. his fashion sense! When he falls in love with his co-worker, Yagii, who, in Maeda's eyes, is way out of his league, he sees no hope in having a chance with someone as beautiful and cool as him. So when Yagii kisses him after Maeda asks, what is he supposed to think?!

Okay, by now, you're surely thinking: "MAL user, this sounds like almost every other BL ever." And you would be right. The story is nothing special. But that doesn't mean ... it's not good. Ame to Kiss does a great job with making the most of basic. In a genre that's filled with morally ambiguous decisions, overbearing characters, and scenarios that sound like one of those "that definitely happened" Tumblr posts, THIS manga is a breath of fresh air.

While Maeda and Yagii are rather simple characters in their own sense, they're done right. Maeda is someone who's unconfident in his appearance. That's realistic, right? But somehow, in this genre, characters like these always end up obnoxious. And so do their counterparts, who end up only thinking of themselves. But Yagii doesn't do this. Instead of that, when Maeda's anxieties cause an issue between the two of them, Yagii takes into account how both Maeda feels and the negative effects it has on him, their trust, and their relationship. While this doesn't entirely fix Maeda and the nervousness he has surrounding his appearance, it surely boosts his confidence and leads in a positive direction, which is charmingly realistic.

Now for the art. While some people may not agree with me, I thought the art was rather pleasant and nice on the eye. The characters were lanky and free - the style made me feel at ease.

Also, even though this manga is tagged as shounen-ai, there is sex in it. But it isn't explicit. It's nothing more than tangled limbs, loving eyes, and toes digging into the sheets. I'm always overjoyed when the author can find a way to allude to something erotic, rather than showing it directly. Not only is it something that can be done artistically, but it shows that the story is more than just sex. (Plus, it's all consensual! Isn't consent amazing?)

All in all, if you're looking for a quick read of some wholesome gays with pretty art, give Ame to Kiss a go. Because I'm sure as hell glad that I did.