A Brief Moment of Ichika

Nothing in this life is perpetual, and not considering that and taking it into consideration is something we often don't do in our busy and hectic lives. The streets of the places we live in, the people walking on them, the buildings surrounding us, our families and relatives and the everyday interactions we have with them - in a sense, most of our days feels the same, and in this monotonous pace and routine, we often do lose the value of time, and it's implications. But everything changes once you get a timer, and the deadline of your existence is something thatyou do know. In this story, we do follow the daily lives of two people, and the small but oh so relatable reasons for them to be happy, mad, anxious, or giddy about their everyday experience, all while trying to shove off and stave the constantly looming thought that they are terminally ill, and their lives are close to their end, despite their young age. While the topic of this work is in theory, a tragedy from the get-go, along it's way the author managed to imbue it with much more than the melodramatic gloom one would expect, but rather, it shows the beauty of their characters, who try to do their best, to cling to their hopeless and fruitless dreams, and to eventually become a full-bloomed human beings, even just for a bit. Instead of the saddening and somber husks of a beings, their encounter and the time they spent gave them something to long for, something special and sincere - appreciation for who they are, despite the factors that plagued their lives, and a simple, but genuine desire to spend more time together. This manga can bring everyone to the simple realization that the time in this life is our most priceless commodity, even thought it has no price or value by itself. While the art is decent, there are not too much details in this work in this sense. Instead, as expected, a major focus is being put on the expressions and emotions that transitions from the characters, which are vividly portrayed, with all of their somber and sweetening splendor. While in a sense this work is not one that breaks the standards or opens new grounds for the medium, I do believe it is a manga that everyone should give a shot at. Everyone could find different ways to appreciate it, their own values to find within it, but in general, I do believe this is a story that's worth experiencing - for it's tasteful and graceful portrayal of people, who are on the verge of losing themselves in their own sorrows, but who manages to go forward, despite the pain that follows them, for the fact that it shows the human soul in it's essence, as something frail that we're scared to get exposed towards everyone, but to constantly seek the special someone to whom we'd feel comfortable exposing our vulnerabilities and anxieties, and as well as a story, which is about the very relatable feeling of seeking for happiness amidst the despair, as well as to evaluate one's own existence despite any solid basis on which to compare it to.