A pianist who attempted suicide 3 times, Juri, is taken to help her aunt at a prison where murderers who killed indiscriminately are sentenced to death. There, she meets a man named Yuu who took the lives of 3 people. A mother’s antagonism—a brother’s death… Together they embrace the violent rebellion in their hearts caused by the large, deep scars they carry. However, before long, they both embrace an earnest hope in their hearts.
Avelys Rating: 8/10
Avelys Notes: My first manga ever. It’s short and had a very interesting story. The main characters had more to them that met the eye. Two people were thrown together, both bitter and hating life. As they got to know each other, they started to feel something quite different than they were used to. Motivation and purpose, they both opened up and developed throughout the story. The themes were pretty dark: suicide, rape, being homeless, etc. The art complimented the story, with a sort of whimsical style. The attention to detail is also noted. Like the cracks on the wall in the picture I included below. I think my favorite detail is with the hair, the mangaka makes the hair for both characters so beautiful. You know this is a good manga when it leaves you wanting more. Not because there wasn’t a conclusion but because I couldn’t help but want more of those two. I wanted to see more of their interactions, hear more of their stories. The end left me feeling a little empty. Kind of how life can be so cruel and short, which tied in to the theme of the story nicely. I highly recommend if you love good art, dark themes and want something short.
Candy’s Rating: 9.5/10
Candy’s Notes: This was also the first manga I ever read (thanks to MAL and it constantly having the number 1 spot). Since I usually really like dark themes, tragic romances, or things of the sort, I was expecting to enjoy this manga. I went in knowing the story would be sad but I didn’t expect to like actually feel anything from it (emotionally numb due to anime ftw!!!). I ended up finding the story touching and actually cute, which made me want to stop reading. Watching the two get closer and knowing there is literally no way for a happy ending already makes your heart sink, but you keep reading on to find out how it’ll end. I said it was cute, but basically I just really enjoyed how the two mains interacted with each other. Both of them needing something, they both brought out certain feelings within each other and I really enjoyed that budding cute and romance in the gritty setting and amidst the dark themes. The themes made the characters likable and humanistic but kept a shrouding dark atmosphere. However, it also created an atmosphere that just makes you want to hope. They’re both helping each other out and it’s uplifting. The beautiful art emphasizes and adds on, allowing us to dive into that world and feel along with the characters. It’s a short story and read creatively quickly so I recommend everyone check it out, even if you can’t stomach its dark themes and atmosphere.
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Thanks for this recommendation – I had stumbled upon this title many times already but never got around to read it due to laziness (and I also just don’t like tragedies that much …). I’ve finally read it today and I must say that it is much better than I expected and quite beautiful to simply watch those two characters interact. Thanks again.