Hibari no Asa

I just started this manga expecting nothing but to have an entertaining moment and a break from long series, but what I got is something I cannot put into words; and here I am writing my first review because I couldn't hold this feeling to myself. This story is about a girl and all the suffer she has to deal with during her days as a high school girl because of the fast grown on her body. A story that doesn´t try to show the way to overcome her problems or bring the reader a pleasant and rewarding development; this is a story that just tries toput you in her shoes and let you understand that not everything that you see and think is the way things are being truly lived by the others. I really want to talk about the ending that this manga has, but ruining this experience to someone new to Hibari no Asa is not worth it at all. This is not a manga for everyone, but I think is a story that everyone should read in order to understand a little fragment of how breathtaking and heart-rending can be the suffering of someone just for their looking and gender.

Hibari no Asa is was a touching manga, and I thought the way it approached Hibari's situation was unique. The story is very somber and demoralizing because of how realistic it is in the way it unfolds. I guess you could call it anticlimactic, but in real life, problems often don't conclude satisfyingly. As I read this, my chest was constantly somewhat tight while I held my breath, and it felt like my conscience was being pricked. You essentially get to see the perspectives and inner thoughts of the people around Hibari (and eventually Hibari herself). Each person has their own opinion of her, andtheir reasons for thinking that way. It shows how people on an individual level mistreat young girls, as well as the unjustified stigmas imposed onto them by society as a whole. This manga also sheds light onto how most people are apathetic/turn a blind eye to the suffering of young girls in a situation like Hibari (especially when it comes to exploitation and perverted intent). All these emotions and judgements directed onto her by others, such as envy, resentment, lust, ego, condescension, contempt, idolization, pity - they all compound into nothing. Because of one shared desire: the desire to maintain that imperfect peace. (The same state of peace that keeps her quiet and unable to seek nor receive help). "It'll sort itself out", "It doesn't affect me directly", "She doesn't seem to be affected", or even "She brought it upon herself". These sentiments enable the willful ignorance of her suffering. Whenever I found myself empathizing with a character, I felt sort of disgusted with myself like a mirror had been put in my hands. I'm rambling.. but it was just depressing. I honestly felt like straight ass after this cause of how accurately it reflected the real world and how real girls are misjudged for their appearances. Plus the art was pretty! 8/10 just cause I feel like the end was slightly lacking. Still liked it a lot though!

14 chapters of hope and heartbreak. The way that this manga deconstructs the sexualization of the schoolgirl trope through the lens of a multitude of characters in relation to Hibari and her abusive father is fantastic in many ways. In many ways, Kan's friend hits the nail on the head when he questions why no one is there to help her. The naivety displayed by Kan and optimistic view of everyone around him, the uncaring nature of her classmates, the disregard of the teacher and borderline jealousy from both the mother and girlfriend show how deadly sexualization can be both for children and for the adultswho have to live in a world where sex appeal is valued above many other characteristics. It's not crazy to see the ending as it is being led up to but it is still just as devastating.

First of all, this manga adress grim themes : oversexualisation, psychological and societal violence, incest. Hibari is a middle-schooler which, due to her early puberty, has the well developped body of a young woman. The manga presents us her daily life, at school and at home. At first, you can think that what’s happening can only take place in fiction, that the characters are shallow and their acts and thoughts are unconvincing. But here is the thing : it happens in our world. Some people really think and act like this. Young girls are harassed every day, sometimes by their own family. Hibari is still a kid andshe should be protected, but she is surrounded by adults who are cowards, exhausted by life, unsure and lost in society. Some of them already have a hard time taking care of themselves. What this manga depicts is men and women who fail as adults. It made me angry and sad. You may think it is hard to find a time when you’re « in the mood » to read it, but for works like this one you’ll never be « in the mood ». It’s a harsh, necessary reminder that you should always seek to become a better person.