Pietà

This manga is the very embodiment of "mediocre". Nothing about it stands out, nothing about it influences any further thought after reading, nothing about it ever imprints any kind of memory or fondness in you. This will be a manga you read, and within a week or two completely forget. It isn't brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, though neither is it offensively bad. If this manga were a food it would be soy sauce and rice, something which doesn't inspire any emotion while eating and is generally a meal you might struggle to remember eating the very next morning. Story The story in thismanga revolves around the main character, who is a girl who has serious childhood trauma and is abhorred by her stepmother. She lives with her stepmom, her father, who is lukewarm towards her because of his wife, and her stepbrother. This character's emotional progression is the sole focus of the narrative. She starts out as a cutter and a generally cynical and aloof character, and because she is supposed to be breathtakingly gorgeous in the manga, she is seen as alluring and mysterious by her peers. Her romantic interest in this manga is another girl who has a loving family and great friends. The main character falls in love with this girl for almost no reason whatsoever and later attracts her by being exceedingly needy and pushing herself into her lover's private space. The romance in this manga sucks. I understand that the manga is short and so the romance wasn't properly fleshed out, but even then it feels like the progression isn't natural or organic. Nothing about the story ever feels like something that I could see existing in this manga's universe rather than forced placements by the author. Arguably the best part of the story is the last half of the final chapter where two characters discuss fate and destiny, but even then it's heavy handed and overly whimsical. Characters The characters are mostly terrible. The main character is supposed to the focus of the story and her triumph over her demons is supposed to be the big, uplifting moment in the manga, however the character, with regard to how she is written and presented, could never even hope to evoke such emotions in anybody. There are quite a few reasons (mostly relating to the structure of the story) but the main one is that she simply isn't well written enough. Most of her character building is done through flashbacks and exposition which means that we never get a sense that she is really a character. I would have got just as much emotion out of reading a medical report about a patient who has overcome some disease, as I did with this manga. The main character's lover is a character who suffers from some vague and poorly defined psychological problems that are never explained nor properly understood. Most of the other characters are forgettable or annoying as well. Art The art is stylised and pretty, typical of shoujo manga. It is never outright bad, though just milquetoast most of the time. It manages to be pleasant and never distract from the story. I dont think the characters are expressive enough, however, and most of the designs are virtually indistinguishable. Overall, if I had to sum it up, meh. Enjoyment To this manga's credit, I liked that it was never overly melodramatic or weepy. The main characters are rational and thoughtful and aren't totally pathetic. So I enjoyed that. That being said, I had an abysmally boring time sitting through this manga. Most of it is very emotionally manipulative and it becomes very obnoxious very quickly. Overall Don't read it. In the time it takes to read this you can read 6 one-shots. In the time it takes to read this, go do that.