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恋は雨上がりのように
82
10
Finished
Jun 27, 2014 to Mar 19, 2018
7.9/10
Average Review Score
82%
Recommend It
17
Reviews Worldwide
"Youth... At times it can be wild, at times vicious. And yet, all those emotions from that age become an irreplaceable treasure. Although you may not see that right now..." - Masami Kondou An injury, the fear of writing again... What do these two things have in common? Yes, they prevent you from pursuing what you want to do, and leaves you stranded alone while everyone else is moving on, as if time itself has stopped. Story: 9 Revolving around the conflicting themes of moving on to pursue what you love or staying still for love, this is a beautiful allegory of life and regret. I'm pretty sure thatthis manga is not mainly about romance. Although the theme of love is there, it is not as important compared to the main characters' interests and their decisions for the future. Akira Tachibana is the best runner in her track club who has to take a break due to her ankle injury, and Masami Kondou is a family restaurant manager who has given up on literature due to various personal reasons. With an age gap of 28 years (Akira is 17 and Kondou is 45), this manga tries to show the audience a different kind of relationship compared to what some people may think as a "normal" relationship. It is one where both help each other to reaffirm their thoughts for them to live the lives they want. For me, any misconceptions about their age gap has successfully been removed through Kondou's personality. In the first few chapters they show how he gets scolded by his workers and the way he can't really handle his job. He is a very kind person and cares for his workers despite their criticism. Tachibana is rather blunt with her words, and seems more mature than others, except of course in "love", which she has experienced for the first time. Although they are somewhat similar I felt like they were a really good match allowing them to learn something from each other. The symbolism of rain was very interesting in this manga. In fact, the reason I started reading this was because of the rain/umbrella on the cover. Obviously there's the melancholic but also refreshing feel, but in this case I think there was more. For me, it represented the length of Tachibana's injury or recovery, because when they first met: Kondou tells her: "I'm sure that it'll stop raining soon.". Now at this point he doesn't know that Tachibana is injured, but you can still say that he wanted her to go back and continue to live her life. The use of metaphors was really impressive as well, for example the polished sea glass, the Rashomon story and the bookmark with the swallow. They helped a lot to emphasise this theme of making a decision, whether changing something or not. From unlikely things the author managed to connect them with the feelings of the characters. Fitting them into the plot itself mustn't have been an easy task either. Maybe it's just me who's bad at making metaphors but honestly, there were really good. The reason I gave this a 9 and not a 10 is mainly because of the ending. It felt abrupt, and basically you could predict it from the start. However I do think it was appropriate and I guess you could say it was a beautiful ending. Art: 9 I love the rain. I tend to try to find any manga with covers showing rain, despite the famous saying "Don't judge a book by its cover". And this manga perfectly nailed it in showing raining scenes. I don't ask for much, but there's this feeling that you get from looking at raining scenes and you really think you're there, you can hear the monotonous susurration or the heavy pattering sound. This was a perfect example of it. Of course, rain wasn't the only good part of the art. I mostly felt like the art (overall) was cute, creating a relaxed atmosphere (except a certain point in the manga where I got really angry at a certain character. Manga readers/Anime watchers should know exactly what I'm talking about here). I also have to mention the eyes... Wow. especially Tachibana's eyes. They are simply mesmerising. Only thing that prevented me from giving it a 10 is the sometimes very long and thin limbs and necks of certain characters... I know nothing can be perfect but just saying... Character: 9 I completely fell in love with Kondou's inspiring lines throughout the manga... The one I showed at the start was just one of numerous examples. He is often cheerful (although he does lament himself for all the bad things his workers say behind his back) and a good father. Thanks to Tachibana, he experiences the youth he thought would never see again and this leads to building his courage again to write once more. Tachibana is someone who still doesn't seem to know the real meaning of love, I think it's more of an admiration, and that's why I always thought that her relationship with Kondou as "friends" was interesting. Although she could be misunderstood to be a cold-hearted person, she is innocent and caring. Her interactions with Kondou shapes her choice to start running again as the manga progresses. Haruka Kyan: Lovely character who truly cares for Tachibana, as her long-time friend. She wants Tachibana to get back to running and does a lot to convince her. A lot of development between her and Tachibana, including flashbacks. Yui Nishida: Co-worker at the family restaurant, same age as Tachibana. She quickly becomes friends and talks a lot about her love interests and gets advice from her. I think she was an essential character to affect Tachibana's thoughts on getting back to running. Would've been great if they showed how she was at the last chapter, but I guess that's asking for too much. Takashi Yoshizawa: He loves Tachibana, but it is unrequited. Annoying is probably the best word to describe this guy. I don't think he was particularly needed in the story (ok maybe at one point). Ryosuke Kase: Worker in family restaurant, in his 20s. I think his interaction with his sister was very interesting but the author didn't go deep enough. Enjoyment: 10 I don't know what else to say. Overall: 9 Give it a try unless you absolutely hate big age gaps no matter what.
Akira Tachibana is a soft-spoken high school student who used to be a part of the track and field club but, due to an injury, she is no longer able to run as fast as she once could. Working part-time at a family restaurant as a recourse, she finds herself inexplicably falling in love with her manager, a divorced 45-year-old man with a young son. Despite the age gap, Akira wholeheartedly embraces his mannerisms and kind nature, which is seen as spinelessness by the other employees, and little by little, the two begin to understand each other. Although unable to explain why exactly she is attracted to him, Akira believes that a concrete reason is not needed to truly love someone. On a rainy day, she decides to finally tell her manager about how she feels. But just how will he react? [Written by MAL Rewrite]
It had been a long time since I hadn't felt this way. I was brought to the manga by the anime and I really have no regrets about it. So first thing that shocked many people: there is an age gap. I think it'd be better seen as a forbidden love STORY than trying to imagine it in real life.. The art is wonderful, and the story has a good pace (though some people might find it too slow). The mangaka takes the time to deepen other characters too. Things happen naturally and not too fast, it makes you crave for what's next and suddenly you realize it's over. Itwas a beautiful love story.
After the Rain or "Koi wa Amaegari no You ni" This anime spans on Redemption theme. You can find many animes out there with the same premise but this manga somehow resonates deeply in me, I felt that the main character has already moved on from her past completely without anything withholding her back. This manga (anime is incomplete) touches on a successful person with a deep love for something until one day she loses it abruptly. To be honest, the shock is real and shouldn't be seen lightly. The manga builds on how the main character musters her courage to pick back on somethingshe 'hates' and fears now with the help of Samaritans she met in her life. I like the story because I see myself in the main character. Everyone in his or her life will face setbacks and resilience can be torn apart sometimes. You can end up not eating or sleeping well because you lost your own identity by losing what defines you, especially when you're younger at age, facing your first major setback and thinking it's over. This manga has the perfect ending: the mangaka gave us the most logical reason why she chooses to brave up again, coincidentally that's how I got back on my feet too; therefore, I like this manga. If you enjoyed this, I would recommend: Cat Street.
I have never seen a work of fiction capture what it is like to have a crush on someone so deeply and accurately as this one does. It's really special, in that way. I love how this story pans out in the end. Really, the whole story is only meant to be a small chapter in the lives of our characters and they come out of it making each other better for the time spent with each other. A lesser mangaka would force the story to go in the way you might expect and would be an actually much less satisfying, not to mention awkwardin all the wrong ways. Instead, this manga is awkward in all the right ways. It takes care to address the premise honestly and with the care you would hope would actually exist in real life. Our main characters are so, so loveable and earnest. It feels really good to watch them grow and overcome their obstacles. A special kind of romance. Nostalgic instantly.
This manga is less of a love story, than it is simply an uplifting one. The characters are very well crafted, the art is good, and the way themes are explored is well done. Love is the medium through which our characters find themselves and overcome their fears. Many of the characters start off confused, unsure of what to do next. Or they are wounded in some way and afraid to move forward. Through love, our characters come to understand what they must do in order to realize their future. Many stories usually focus on 2-3 main characters with a bunch of underdeveloped or one-dimensional sidecharacters that the main set bounce off of. Apart from one bitchy lady, most of the other supporting cast have a good amount of depth to them.