Tonari no Atashi
[Spoilers warning for Tonari no Atashi and Ao Haru Ride]
It seems it has been a while.. my writing has been reduced to shreds so I have to apologize for this post.
Where should I start..? I honestly wonder, myself. It's a queer feeling knowing I re-read my blogs recently, and now it feels like I'm faced with someone I haven't seen for a long time and thus not knowing where to start. I guess they were right to say when you think of something after experiencing anything out of the ordinary, you should put them down to words, right away. It's just that I got used to writing here about things that weren't necessarily connected to me... or things that weren't on a personal level, but more of an intellectual one. One about behaviors, one about some emotions... I'll hold off on that point. I seem to be purposely veering away from the topic at hand.
Allow me to start off again to say, I have been quite interested in the shoujo manga genre since a long time ago. And with the flow of all of them, I have grown quite accustomed to the fact that the first guy to come along, or the one with the most past experiences, would happen to have the girl in the end. The point is that after updating chapters of Ao Haru Ride, I felt irritated for some reason. I understand the fact that people's feelings change and they can always go back and forth between people. I understand, and yet I cannot accept some of it. As some people have become annoyed by how Touma acts, I understand his situation as well. Love comes in all forms and shapes and they won't ever come out the way anyone would expect. Not even your own love will ever become predictable. Like no matter how Touma feels he is doing the right thing by making Futaba go out with him to forget about Kou, it may come off as deceiving for some people. I mean, can you imagine... you already know she isn't in love with you, but you confuse her and ask her out. So when I read some comparison posts in mangafox, I came across the title of Tonari no Atashi (and also Strobe Edge, but I don't think I updated Strobe Edge lately).
I usually look to reading things on the side whenever I feel a great pressure around me. And I have to say, I felt that A LOT lately. So when I started this manga a few hours ago, I wasn't expecting for me to be writing out (or should I say ranting/reacting out) after reading it. It starts off with the story of two childhood friends where the girl obviously has a crush on the guy. She keeps wanting to go near him and she keeps thinking about a future with him. From what I have understood in what I read, she honestly loves him. Nina honestly loves Kyousuke, as much as a middle school girl would. Fate isn't so nice to their love, though, as we find out in the end, Kyousuke felt the same way. From Nina missing her chance to confess, to her witnessing Yuiko kiss Kyousuke, the story went on a rollercoaster ride of misunderstandings. There's one thing I don't understand though... and it might be because it's in the point of view of a guy... but why did Kyousuke go out with Yuiko? Sympathy...? That would be totally lame. Pride...? Was it because he felt challenged? Did he fall in love? But the manga did give the message of how much he cared for her. Yuiko may seem like a true slut to some (as was said in some forum comments) but there is part of her that I understand. I would never defend her actions, though, but look at it as a girl helplessly trying to gain the love of someone who loves in a different way or maybe has different priorities, and then you see a gentleman who knows how to treat girls the way you would want to be treated. She was wrong and yet she was also just a human being with a confused heart.
What surprised me in the middle was that it was perfectly set up. The author developed the characters in a way that might come across as confusing, but it was deliberate how Nina and Kyousuke seemed to have less and less sincere interactions. Then I started to cheer for a guy that became interested in Nina. Miyake was greatly cool about his confession and how he approaches Nina. I'm sure it made people compare Kyousuke and Miyake, but they are completely different people. Kyousuke has his good and bad points and unfortunately for him, the bad points came at the exact timing that broke off their chances at a romantic relationship. Most shoujo manga would have some reason they have come up with to show how childhood friendships outlast some mishaps, or how if they're mutually in love, even if they went through different relationships, they'd end up together. The reality of it is... timing is everything. There are only a few chances to the things we want and need in life, and if we fail to notice the timing, we'd end up with regret. And I'm sure that's one feeling nobody wants in their life. We might be scared of failure, but regret is rooted too far down to even be forgotten. So when Miyake came along and became an important person for Nina, I became attached to this pairing. I actually cried (as I always do) when Miyake broke it off with Nina and then I found myself hoping for a miracle for them to get back together. Until I read the ending and it was beautiful.
I don't get to read that much shoujo manga that didn't patch it up for Kyousuke or for Yuiko to be happy together when the main girl chooses someone else. But I saw the reality of life and love, that I also thought I saw in Bokura ga Ita. Relationships... they may be a work of fate or destiny, but you'd have to understand that true love is one that you will have to strive for... one you will have to put a lot of effort into it... and the fact that you're putting so much into it means... it's something you know you don't want to live without.
I know I should've switched genres a long time ago but I still can't seem to let go of shoujo. Or maybe I can't let go of finding pieces such as this one that would put itself in the shoujo category but impart the misery of life and love within it.
It seems it has been a while.. my writing has been reduced to shreds so I have to apologize for this post.
Where should I start..? I honestly wonder, myself. It's a queer feeling knowing I re-read my blogs recently, and now it feels like I'm faced with someone I haven't seen for a long time and thus not knowing where to start. I guess they were right to say when you think of something after experiencing anything out of the ordinary, you should put them down to words, right away. It's just that I got used to writing here about things that weren't necessarily connected to me... or things that weren't on a personal level, but more of an intellectual one. One about behaviors, one about some emotions... I'll hold off on that point. I seem to be purposely veering away from the topic at hand.
Allow me to start off again to say, I have been quite interested in the shoujo manga genre since a long time ago. And with the flow of all of them, I have grown quite accustomed to the fact that the first guy to come along, or the one with the most past experiences, would happen to have the girl in the end. The point is that after updating chapters of Ao Haru Ride, I felt irritated for some reason. I understand the fact that people's feelings change and they can always go back and forth between people. I understand, and yet I cannot accept some of it. As some people have become annoyed by how Touma acts, I understand his situation as well. Love comes in all forms and shapes and they won't ever come out the way anyone would expect. Not even your own love will ever become predictable. Like no matter how Touma feels he is doing the right thing by making Futaba go out with him to forget about Kou, it may come off as deceiving for some people. I mean, can you imagine... you already know she isn't in love with you, but you confuse her and ask her out. So when I read some comparison posts in mangafox, I came across the title of Tonari no Atashi (and also Strobe Edge, but I don't think I updated Strobe Edge lately).
I usually look to reading things on the side whenever I feel a great pressure around me. And I have to say, I felt that A LOT lately. So when I started this manga a few hours ago, I wasn't expecting for me to be writing out (or should I say ranting/reacting out) after reading it. It starts off with the story of two childhood friends where the girl obviously has a crush on the guy. She keeps wanting to go near him and she keeps thinking about a future with him. From what I have understood in what I read, she honestly loves him. Nina honestly loves Kyousuke, as much as a middle school girl would. Fate isn't so nice to their love, though, as we find out in the end, Kyousuke felt the same way. From Nina missing her chance to confess, to her witnessing Yuiko kiss Kyousuke, the story went on a rollercoaster ride of misunderstandings. There's one thing I don't understand though... and it might be because it's in the point of view of a guy... but why did Kyousuke go out with Yuiko? Sympathy...? That would be totally lame. Pride...? Was it because he felt challenged? Did he fall in love? But the manga did give the message of how much he cared for her. Yuiko may seem like a true slut to some (as was said in some forum comments) but there is part of her that I understand. I would never defend her actions, though, but look at it as a girl helplessly trying to gain the love of someone who loves in a different way or maybe has different priorities, and then you see a gentleman who knows how to treat girls the way you would want to be treated. She was wrong and yet she was also just a human being with a confused heart.
What surprised me in the middle was that it was perfectly set up. The author developed the characters in a way that might come across as confusing, but it was deliberate how Nina and Kyousuke seemed to have less and less sincere interactions. Then I started to cheer for a guy that became interested in Nina. Miyake was greatly cool about his confession and how he approaches Nina. I'm sure it made people compare Kyousuke and Miyake, but they are completely different people. Kyousuke has his good and bad points and unfortunately for him, the bad points came at the exact timing that broke off their chances at a romantic relationship. Most shoujo manga would have some reason they have come up with to show how childhood friendships outlast some mishaps, or how if they're mutually in love, even if they went through different relationships, they'd end up together. The reality of it is... timing is everything. There are only a few chances to the things we want and need in life, and if we fail to notice the timing, we'd end up with regret. And I'm sure that's one feeling nobody wants in their life. We might be scared of failure, but regret is rooted too far down to even be forgotten. So when Miyake came along and became an important person for Nina, I became attached to this pairing. I actually cried (as I always do) when Miyake broke it off with Nina and then I found myself hoping for a miracle for them to get back together. Until I read the ending and it was beautiful.
I don't get to read that much shoujo manga that didn't patch it up for Kyousuke or for Yuiko to be happy together when the main girl chooses someone else. But I saw the reality of life and love, that I also thought I saw in Bokura ga Ita. Relationships... they may be a work of fate or destiny, but you'd have to understand that true love is one that you will have to strive for... one you will have to put a lot of effort into it... and the fact that you're putting so much into it means... it's something you know you don't want to live without.
I know I should've switched genres a long time ago but I still can't seem to let go of shoujo. Or maybe I can't let go of finding pieces such as this one that would put itself in the shoujo category but impart the misery of life and love within it.
posted by angel_up3 at 1:17 AM
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