Manga Review: Once Again

Well I can tell you that half way through this I was not expecting to cry. Compared to some people who were prepared for the sadness, and then still cried. Jeez, it’s manga like this that make me want to fall in love and then never fall in love, giving me feels like Ookami Kodomo and Anohana.

This manga, actually manhua, because it’s Chinese, is super amazing. It hits close to home in a lot of real life relationships between people and might even make you go to your wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend and just sit next to them and say, “Hey, you know I love you, right?”. 

Cover Art for Volume 2

So let’s begin the ride on the feels train! WOO-WOO!! Waaaaaaahhhheeeehhheeeeehhh!!!!

It’s starts off with a straight faced workaholic businessman who currently, only sees people statuses and names instead of their personalities and faces. He has a wife, she just died, and he gives her a decent burial and funeral, but in truth, they rarely saw each other at all, despite having lived together. He’s given time off to grieve, but to everyone’s surprise, he turns it down because he’s not grieving. He’s ready to get the promotion. Even month’s afterwards, women hit on him left and right, but he doesn’t see anything. Until on the train one day, he sees a face, not a profile, but a face. It’s a highschool girl, even though he’s somewhere in his 30’s or above.

Colored page from Volume 1

It goes from there. It’s fairly short, consisting of only 7 chapters, but it’s a powerful read. It has a message that’s relevant to people nowadays and the art is really great and stands out. Written by Feng Xi Shen Lei and drawn by Buddy consisting of only two volumes.

There aren’t really to many numerous characters due to the fact that one, it’s focusing on the main protagonists, and two, it’s only seven chapters long. And just a side note, that’s what seems to be really wrong with manga (manhwa, and manhua) that try to make a short series. They insert to many characters at once, leaving little to no character development or importance to them. They sometimes try to make it up with a side story, but in general, I never really appreciate those since it branches off almost completely from the original storylines. (ahem, I’m talking to YOU, shoujo mangas!) But in that sense, that’s something that this manga does well, never introducing a main character that you don’t see. And in this case, there’s only two main characters. They both get development, one waaaay more than the other, and it reaches a conclusion.

Volume 1 Cover

Plot side, there isn’t much I can say about it without giving it away, and also, it’s so short the plot can only be simple. It’s a good one, that I believe is extremely original and well thought out, but simple none the less. Going on to the ending, depending on the person, it may leave some unsatisfied, but it left me in a pit of self turmoil as I tried to figure out what in the hell I needed to be doing at that moment to stop my waterfall of. Weeeeellll....Everything. In a way, it was… satisfying? I really don’t know how to describe it.

Overall, I completely recommend this. It has a powerful, relevant and not cheesy message, but also a grand realization overall that leaves you just, well, leaves you there with what you are. Almost something that you have to accept. A thought provoking manga falling into the romance, psychological, and josei genre. Highly recommend to anyone and everyone, ESPECIALLY those in a relationship. It's only seven chapters so get off your bum and go read it!!