We Were There 2
Posted: January 29, 2009 Filed under: We Were There 4 Comments »I’m surprised by how easy it is to jump into series at the second volume. While I’d still rather start with the first, the brief recaps at the beginnings of these always seem sufficient. Even with a nice little story like this.
I’m always slightly taken aback by series like this… totally serious shoujo without a hint of comedy or melodrama. Sand Chronicles is kind of similar in tone, though that is a smidge over-the-top drama wise sometimes. This one is just very serious, from what I’ve read.
It’s also a very simple story. A girl gets a crush on a boy, and the boy isn’t reciprocating since he’s still trying to get over the death of his former girlfriend. The story of he and the girlfriend is told in this volume, and it’s most heartbreaking. It’s made even more so by the steps he takes towards the end of the volume with the girl he likes. I’m definitely going back for the first volume of this, because while I’m missing absolutely zero story that couldn’t be inferred from this volume, I’m very fond of the interaction between these two characters, and I’m curious to see how it started.
It’s a surprisingly touching series. I really wasn’t expecting something like this, so I was kind of taken aback while I was reading it. This is definitely a good thing. It stands out from… well, pretty much everything else in the Shoujo Beat imprint, I think. The thing it most resembles is Socrates in Love, but I almost hesitate to make that comparison since it’s been so many years since I’ve read that one. I’m hoping for a short series, but I like what I’ve read so far, and now I’m curious to see where the relationship goes and how the boy acts.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Did you see my review on this for Manga Recon? I get kind of an… ominous vibe from the end. After you read volume 1, and see a certain comment made by Yano, I’d be interested to see whether you have questions about his ex’s death.
Ah, I missed that, thanks. But now you’ve got me worried, I was all ready to read about Yano’s healing experience. Wow, 11 volumes?! I guess there’s still some issues to sort through, then.
I saw this title advertised in Shojobeat so decided to wiki it and realised I’d actually done so before and declined reading it. Just reading the wiki gave me a very sinking and heavy heart – too much of a sucker for happy endings!!
It’s true, I don’t think this series is going to go anyplace pleasant. I haven’t yet read the first volume, but there’s a bunch of bad history for the characters in this one, and I can’t help but wonder if further misfortune will occur.