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pokoko on 29 May 2016
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Cloudman said:
pokoko said:

I'm glad you like it.  It's an amazing manga and very unique.  I can't think of anything quite like it.  It doesn't whitewash anything at all, which is why it can be so emotional.  It makes you think that being a good person is a struggle, it's something that requires effort, especially in the face of adversity or pressure.  It's also real about the fact that anyone can be messed up and hurting inside, even if they're nice, even if they're bullies.

I remember when I first read it, I was totally unprepared and the scene where he realized that the desk she was cleaning was actually his, that legitimately made me tear up.  I didn't see it coming and it was like an arrow through my heart.

Also, that sad little smile of hers, it just kills me.  Jeez, I'm getting sad thinking about.

Well, I just finished it today. I got to the point where I couldn't stop until I finished it, and yeah, it really was excellent. I loved reading about Ishida working towards correcting the pain he caused not only to Shoko, but to many of his friends as well, and it was quite a roller coaster. Such great moments of joy, but also very heart breaking moments. When Ishida's mom found out about his planning to commit suicide, that was such a hurtful moment to read through. There's another painful moment towards the later half, but I don't want to mention it, even in spoilers. It just had me screaming "Noo!" at the screen. There are a lot of great moments though, with some silly moments like Ishida complimenting Shoko, or Yuzuru's dumb pose when showing off her clothes. The characters are great in positive and negative ways, and you really see how two face some of them can be, though I dunno how to feel about Ueno. I get why she acts like she does, but she's just an overall terrible person.

Another great thing I gotta point out is how people Ishida doesn't trust appear with an 'X' over their face until they earn it. I haven't seen that in any manga, and i found it to be a cool unique thing for the manga.

If there was one thing that kinda disappointed me it was the ending. It wasn't bad, but it just left me wanting more. I really wanted to see more develop between Ishida and Shoko. I really enjoyed those sorta romancy moments between the two and wished there was just a little bit more of it. Either way, I really enjoyed this manga, and I could keep talking about little moments, like Ishida's cute, silly brazillian niece or Ishida's and Shoko's moms suddenly being really cool with each other, but I better stop. Great stuff, and now one of my most highly ranked manga, haha.

 

AAA material from me.

Ueno was a rotten person but at least she was honest about it.  I think she knew she was a rotten person and kind of hated herself for it.  I didn't like her but some of the things she told Shoko--she was kind of right about.  Shoko needed a good tongue lashing, to be honest.  Of course, Ueno went way, way too far and was completely selfish about it.  I was on the edge of my seat when Soko's mom went Bruce Lee on her ass.  That was awesome.

Kawai, on the other hand, I absolutely loathed.  She never seemed to understand herself the way Ueno did.  I could probably be around Ueno a little bit but I can't imagine talking to Kawai at all.  

Personally, I liked the ending.  The symbolism of it was perfect.  Ishida took Shoko's hand and they went head first up against the past, together.  Taking her hand like that, to me, meant a lot, considering they were always careful to avoid contact before, like when she held his shirt sleeve.  I think it showed that they were together.  I think we can imagine the rest, given their professions.

The only thing that really bothered me, that I can think of, is that Shoko never got to talk like she wanted to.  She was so brave to try.  It wasn't Ishida's fault that it didn't work but I wanted her to get rewarded for her effort and courage.