It is a masterpiece. Having read loads of other work, i would say, this manga is definitely up there in my list in terms of how it brings you on an emotional roller-coaster never felt before. It follows our main lead "Kirishima Haruto" on his journey throughout life in highschool in his hometown, all the way till his life as an working adult.
For a manga, it is a certain charm of realism, akin in life, not found in alot of other works that allows us to relate with the cast surprisingly well whilst going through their problems/life.
PLOT (SPOILERS AHEAD):
It started off with a very
...
heart-warming, mellow-ish, nostalgic atmosphere as we follow our main lead, female lead "Yuzuki Eba" and their clique of friends along their daily lives in high-school in Hiroshima filled with standard romance cliches. At this point, we get to see the interaction and chemistry between Haruto and Yuzuki and how their relationship started. i was really expecting it to be a happy series through-and-through.
However, as we approach the 2nd major arc in Tokyo where Haruto decided to chase Eba to Tokyo from Hiroshima, things took a devastating turn. The once nostalgic and mellow atmosphere is nowhere to be found as it is replaced with the realism and a heart-crushing turn of events one after another. It played with my heart till the point where i've regretted reading this deep (Don't get me wrong, i'm regretting not because the plot is terrible, but because it's truly heart-breaking. This arc is definitely one of the main focal point of this series which delivers a strong blow to the readers and their feels.
Thankfully, got through that whole drama in arc, things start to turn for the better as we follow Haruto and watch him coped and recover from the depressing experience/memory caused by the 2nd major (Tokyo) arc. Here, we lose touch of our main female lead (Yuzuki) and follow another female character. Things get slightly better UNTIL more drama pops up.
This led to the 3rd arc, where we see the triumphant/home-wrecking return of our female lead (Yuzuki) and where we follow the main lead's second relationship. In this arc, things gets better and happier as we follow through their college life and watch them get through their difficulties together. Though the dramas here is less impactful than the previous 2 arcs, it was a nice breath of fresh air as we get to see them interacting like how they were back in Hiroshima (which really brings back the nostalgia after god knows how many chapters). Though the popular opinion is that from this arc onward, the series starts to become boring, with almost no meaningful plot, and is just filled with fillers. However, I beg to differ and it is one of the arcs that i TRULY ENJOYED, despite having less drama, due to it's slice of life aspect.
The last arc was rushed and mostly showed the transition of the Haruto's and Yuzuki's college life to a their working life/adult life. The ending is good and it's a good read all and all.
SUGGESTION:
If you don't really like going through the depressing stuffs/or if you're light-hearted, I suggest you stop after the Hiroshima arc and straight to the last chapter for closure. However, i feel that it is WORTHWHILE reading everything from start to end. I personally, re-read it 7 times (as of now).
THE GOOD:
I loved the 1st arc. I also loved how the story is able to pin a very strong sentimental and symbolic meaning places, areas, things (i.e. the backseat of Haruto's bicycle, etc) that brings out the nostalgia in you when they're re-visited/shown again in the manga.
I also loved the character development (while not as obvious as day and night), they indeed did mature and learn from the arcs they've been through. Honestly, it made me felt like a parent watching their kid grow up/mature into a fine adult.
THE BADS:
whilst i felt really good about this series, it did went on alot too long and had some fillers that could've been better replace to tackle other issues that are still unresolved even till this date. The last arc could've been dealt better but, all in all, was still fine.
Also, not everyone might be fond of the main leads (both male and female) as they at times make really bad decisions even if their intents were right. I've seen many hate on them and it can go either way. Personally, i take it as them being the imperfect beings we humans are and just enjoyed the ride with them. (TRY TO NOT TAKE IT TOO HARD and hate them for their mistakes.)
OVERALL:
It would've be 10/10 for me if certain aspects were not as ambiguous and if the i solely consider the Hiroshima arc. However, because of the latter part of the series which consist SOME meaningless fillers, and the fact that the 2nd arc totally destroyed the image of the main leads (won't say if it's the female/male lead xd) beyond the point of recovery without giving them a PROPER and CONVINCING redemption arc/moment, i'd give it a 9/10 overall.
Nov 20, 2019
Kimi no Iru Machi
(Manga)
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It is a masterpiece. Having read loads of other work, i would say, this manga is definitely up there in my list in terms of how it brings you on an emotional roller-coaster never felt before. It follows our main lead "Kirishima Haruto" on his journey throughout life in highschool in his hometown, all the way till his life as an working adult.
For a manga, it is a certain charm of realism, akin in life, not found in alot of other works that allows us to relate with the cast surprisingly well whilst going through their problems/life. PLOT (SPOILERS AHEAD): It started off with a very ... |
