masukomi (📚) reviewed The Summer You Were There by Yuama (The Summer You Were There, #1)
Heart Wrenching, & Worth Every Tear.
5.0 stars
This review is discussing the series as a whole, rather than this specific volume.
This is the best Manga I've ever read. It is one of the best stories I've ever read. It is a stunningly good tale of love, trauma, healing, loss, and forgiveness.
Shizuku is withdrawn, and alone; filled with regret over her past actions, she has given up on life. While suicide is only explicitly mentioned once far into the series, the dark imagery of her inner thoughts early on makes it clear that this is a very real possibility for her.
Kaori stumbles into her path at a critical moment, and forcibly wrenches Shizuku's life down another path. Along the way we learn the source of Shizuku's regret. We see her pulled slowly through her trauma, and see her falling in love with Kaori. Ultimately, we learn the motivation behind Kaori's actions, and …
This review is discussing the series as a whole, rather than this specific volume.
This is the best Manga I've ever read. It is one of the best stories I've ever read. It is a stunningly good tale of love, trauma, healing, loss, and forgiveness.
Shizuku is withdrawn, and alone; filled with regret over her past actions, she has given up on life. While suicide is only explicitly mentioned once far into the series, the dark imagery of her inner thoughts early on makes it clear that this is a very real possibility for her.
Kaori stumbles into her path at a critical moment, and forcibly wrenches Shizuku's life down another path. Along the way we learn the source of Shizuku's regret. We see her pulled slowly through her trauma, and see her falling in love with Kaori. Ultimately, we learn the motivation behind Kaori's actions, and why our hearts are about to break.
It's been nine days since I finished this series, and I feel a tightness in my chest thinking about it.
About half-way through the series they let you see how this is going to end. You know it's going to be hard. You know it's going to be sad. You just don't know the fine details. Each new detail cuts into your heart, and yet you just keep reading.
You will be bawling your eyes out when you get to the end, and you will be thankful for having experienced it.
It should be noted that while the series involves two high-school girls, it is not in anyway a typical high-school manga romance story. It isn't about high-school drama, and the story would barely change if the characters were all working adults.
Warning: at the time of writing (Oct 2024) the final volume is not available for purchase in English, you'll have to read a community translated version on a site like Mangadex.