The Doorway to Summer

If you're reading this review, that means you're interested in Natsu e no Tobira. If you're interested in Natsu e no Tobira, you are, presumably, interested in the history of shoujo manga. It's an otherwise obscure publication for a reason. Because of that, I cannot tell you not to read it, as it is short, written by one of the most influential shoujo authors of the 70s (the period that MADE shoujo manga), and an encapsulation of many of the tropes that defined shoujo manga both at the time and into the future. But is it a good story? Ehhhhh... What the story does well is keeping youengaged. It's a drama, which means the events are, well...dramatic—extremely so. And if there's one fact about humanity will always be true, it's that we live for the drama. Even better, it is unlike the author's most famous work (Kaze to Ki no Uta) in that the pacing doesn't drag severely, meaning this time around, the drastic events are good at keeping you invested. With all of the crazy things happening, you just have to know what happens next! ...Even if you don't particularly think they make for a good story. Ultimately, everything is very melodramatic. The story is a drama, so I won't fault it for being dramatic, but I will fault it for being sappy, overblown and hedonistic. Emotions run at their highest, sex and violence abound, and of course, death. Every problem is the worst it could possibly be. And listen, I understand that when you're fifteen everything feels like the end of the world, but that doesn't mean you have to MAKE it the end of the world. In fact, I think most fifteen year olds don't actually have it in them to do so. Humans love to hear about tragedy when it's in a safe, isolated space that doesn't affect them because, well, tragedy is interesting. However, this is the literary equivalent to empty calories. Fun, but not particularly productive or intellectually stimulating. Once the endorphins that come from reading it the first time wear off you'll find it's rather shallow, and as consequence, boring. The most puzzling aspect of this story, however, is that arguably most of its short runtime is dedicated to a fifteen year old boy's sexual relationship with a woman double his age. It's the common "sex as coming-of-age" trope, as he overcomes his boyish fears surrounding natures of the flesh and becomes a "man," so to speak. In this instance, his ascent to adulthood is emphasized by the fact it was an older woman who brought him there. Legally we call this statutory rape. There's some debate over the framing of Marion's relationship with this older woman, though personally I was not under the impression this relationship was meant to have a negative effect on Marion, though your mileage may vary. Not much else to say there—just kind of a bizarre writing choice. However, it IS reflective of classic shoujo tropes, which is why this manga is worth reading at all. If you consider yourself an amateur historian, like myself, it's worth a once over. Though boring to think about after the fact, it's not boring to read in the moment. And that is all.