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oyceterOh, series, I had forgotten how much I loved you. While this definitely follows the shoujo template more closely than Yazawa's later series, particularly in the extent to which Midori bends over for Akira's angst, it does some very interesting things with shoujo tropes as well.
Now I know why I had categorized this manga under the "elided incestuous crush on your older brother's girlfriend" group! I had completely forgotten that Masashi first wasn't Akira's brother, and then that he actually was!
Even though I eat up the Midori-Akira angst with a spoon whenever I read this, I still dislike that Midori in the end is asked by pretty much everyone to take care of Akira because her influence on him makes him kinder. And I dislike that Akira's pain is chalked up to his mother leaving him. Because he actually reads to me as being fairly unangsty, and I think Midori was right to emotionally withdraw from someone who was always going to put another person over her.
The thing I noticed this time around was how Midori's romantic situations are paralleled, first with Shino and Shuuichi (she should let someone who doesn't like her go), then with Akira and Hiroko (she can see why the unrequitedness) and also with ... darn. I forgot the relationship parallel for her and Ken. I feel so bad for Ken! I feel he should get a spin-off series of his own, but I suppose becoming a multi-millionaire superstar makes up for that somewhat. I am a total sucker for guys who stick around and do not push their feelings and just try to be there.
I always dislike Shino in the beginning and forget why I like her so much in the end. She begins as a bit of a brat who really only cares about herself. And while I understand why she tries to cling to Shuuichi, it's rather antithetical to my gut reaction of "reject him before he rejects you!" But she really grows up in the end, and I love that she has the strength to give his ring back with a thank you note, even though she can't bring herself to talk to him afterward. And I especially love that her growing into her own isn't in the scope of another romantic relationship, but as the student council president.
I also forgot just how much I love Mamirin (Mamiya Yuuko) and her storyline. I love her grumpiness and that she is still kind to wee!Shino, albeit in a very brusque, Mamirin-esque way. I love her searching endlessly for Midori's necklace and telling Midori that she just happened on it. I love her face at Midori's surprise party -- in my head, she's the one who got the idea and planned it, because you know Akira doesn't do that kind of stuff. I know a lot of her conversations with Midori focus on guys, but their friendship feels very real and very solid and very true, like they would have a lot to talk about even without the guys. I love Ken telling Mamirin, "Oh, you're Mamirin! You should hear Midori talk about you. It's 'Mamirin this and Mamirin that and Mamirin thinks...'" I love that one of Mamirin's big fears about going to England isn't just losing Shuuichi, it's losing friends like Midori.
I love love love the Mamirin's career storyline so much. And I love that Yazawa basically wraps up most of the romance storylines in vol. 7. I think in the hands of a less skilled mangaka, vol. 8 would read like Rowling's epilogue to HP 7, but instead, it makes the series for me. Because it gives this sense that the romances are a huge thing, but they aren't the only thing, that these characters have lives outside of the romances, because the concluding plots for Mamirin and Midori and Shino aren't what happens to them romantically, it's what they decide to make of themselves.
One of my favorite things about this series is the focus on the school and the experience of high school. It's a lot closer to my own experience than most of the YA books on cliques, but I know that's partly because I got lucky. The other part that resonates with me is how tight the school is -- I went to a school that had about 300+ students, 1-12. My graduating class had 17 people in it. And that feeling of creating school tradition from scratch, of the sum being greater than the parts, of everyone knowing everyone else, that was so right and nearly made me cry on the plane out of nostalgia and joy and natsukashii (natsukashimi?).
I think that's why I tolerate the school plays and the festivals much better in this series than in most high-school shoujo; they're actually very central to the emotional themes of the series, not just plot devices to get people in drag. I particularly love the revisiting of the important moments -- the ring to match the necklace, the second student council's play, dancing to "Stand by Me" in the classroom. It reminds me a lot of Minekura and Takaya and how they layer moments, so each repetition gains more, not less, emotional significance.
I particularly love the revelation that the second student council had planned a school fair just for the seniors and how Shuuichi takes that moment to tell Shino she did good, that Shino took being hurt and being dumped and used it to make something to give back. Um, ok, sniffling again.
And I love that the end of the series isn't Midori and Akira getting married and having kids, but that it's her coming back to the school as a teacher. Presumably she's married and has kids in the background, given all the conversations in the end, but we don't know. The focus is on the school and on her, and you have no idea how happy that makes me. And it feels like the right ending, everything coming full circle, Midori giving back some of what she got from the school (not that she hasn't given back tons already, but I can see her thinking that).
Anyway, I am SO GLAD this lives up to my memories of it; I was a little afraid that it wouldn't, since I'd tried rereading before and the first volume didn't grab me as much. But it's really the latter volumes where the series finds its strengths, and I love all of the characters so much. They feel like people I wish I were; they are so human and try to be so kind even as they all stumble and make mistakes and hurt people. And the focus on the school reminds me a lot of Honey and Clover -- just that eventual reminder that graduation is always there, that you have to make those big life decisions in the end, that your school friends will eventually scatter and leave, but that that makes the time spent there more precious.
Now I know why I had categorized this manga under the "elided incestuous crush on your older brother's girlfriend" group! I had completely forgotten that Masashi first wasn't Akira's brother, and then that he actually was!
Even though I eat up the Midori-Akira angst with a spoon whenever I read this, I still dislike that Midori in the end is asked by pretty much everyone to take care of Akira because her influence on him makes him kinder. And I dislike that Akira's pain is chalked up to his mother leaving him. Because he actually reads to me as being fairly unangsty, and I think Midori was right to emotionally withdraw from someone who was always going to put another person over her.
The thing I noticed this time around was how Midori's romantic situations are paralleled, first with Shino and Shuuichi (she should let someone who doesn't like her go), then with Akira and Hiroko (she can see why the unrequitedness) and also with ... darn. I forgot the relationship parallel for her and Ken. I feel so bad for Ken! I feel he should get a spin-off series of his own, but I suppose becoming a multi-millionaire superstar makes up for that somewhat. I am a total sucker for guys who stick around and do not push their feelings and just try to be there.
I always dislike Shino in the beginning and forget why I like her so much in the end. She begins as a bit of a brat who really only cares about herself. And while I understand why she tries to cling to Shuuichi, it's rather antithetical to my gut reaction of "reject him before he rejects you!" But she really grows up in the end, and I love that she has the strength to give his ring back with a thank you note, even though she can't bring herself to talk to him afterward. And I especially love that her growing into her own isn't in the scope of another romantic relationship, but as the student council president.
I also forgot just how much I love Mamirin (Mamiya Yuuko) and her storyline. I love her grumpiness and that she is still kind to wee!Shino, albeit in a very brusque, Mamirin-esque way. I love her searching endlessly for Midori's necklace and telling Midori that she just happened on it. I love her face at Midori's surprise party -- in my head, she's the one who got the idea and planned it, because you know Akira doesn't do that kind of stuff. I know a lot of her conversations with Midori focus on guys, but their friendship feels very real and very solid and very true, like they would have a lot to talk about even without the guys. I love Ken telling Mamirin, "Oh, you're Mamirin! You should hear Midori talk about you. It's 'Mamirin this and Mamirin that and Mamirin thinks...'" I love that one of Mamirin's big fears about going to England isn't just losing Shuuichi, it's losing friends like Midori.
I love love love the Mamirin's career storyline so much. And I love that Yazawa basically wraps up most of the romance storylines in vol. 7. I think in the hands of a less skilled mangaka, vol. 8 would read like Rowling's epilogue to HP 7, but instead, it makes the series for me. Because it gives this sense that the romances are a huge thing, but they aren't the only thing, that these characters have lives outside of the romances, because the concluding plots for Mamirin and Midori and Shino aren't what happens to them romantically, it's what they decide to make of themselves.
One of my favorite things about this series is the focus on the school and the experience of high school. It's a lot closer to my own experience than most of the YA books on cliques, but I know that's partly because I got lucky. The other part that resonates with me is how tight the school is -- I went to a school that had about 300+ students, 1-12. My graduating class had 17 people in it. And that feeling of creating school tradition from scratch, of the sum being greater than the parts, of everyone knowing everyone else, that was so right and nearly made me cry on the plane out of nostalgia and joy and natsukashii (natsukashimi?).
I think that's why I tolerate the school plays and the festivals much better in this series than in most high-school shoujo; they're actually very central to the emotional themes of the series, not just plot devices to get people in drag. I particularly love the revisiting of the important moments -- the ring to match the necklace, the second student council's play, dancing to "Stand by Me" in the classroom. It reminds me a lot of Minekura and Takaya and how they layer moments, so each repetition gains more, not less, emotional significance.
I particularly love the revelation that the second student council had planned a school fair just for the seniors and how Shuuichi takes that moment to tell Shino she did good, that Shino took being hurt and being dumped and used it to make something to give back. Um, ok, sniffling again.
And I love that the end of the series isn't Midori and Akira getting married and having kids, but that it's her coming back to the school as a teacher. Presumably she's married and has kids in the background, given all the conversations in the end, but we don't know. The focus is on the school and on her, and you have no idea how happy that makes me. And it feels like the right ending, everything coming full circle, Midori giving back some of what she got from the school (not that she hasn't given back tons already, but I can see her thinking that).
Anyway, I am SO GLAD this lives up to my memories of it; I was a little afraid that it wouldn't, since I'd tried rereading before and the first volume didn't grab me as much. But it's really the latter volumes where the series finds its strengths, and I love all of the characters so much. They feel like people I wish I were; they are so human and try to be so kind even as they all stumble and make mistakes and hurt people. And the focus on the school reminds me a lot of Honey and Clover -- just that eventual reminder that graduation is always there, that you have to make those big life decisions in the end, that your school friends will eventually scatter and leave, but that that makes the time spent there more precious.
(no subject)
Wed, Nov. 28th, 2007 07:03 am (UTC)I went to a small high school, too. About 100 kids in 7-12 and my class of ~25 was the biggest in the history of the school, so I can't really relate to the "typical" US high school experience of cliques and homecoming and football, either.
Oh, and it's natsukashisa.
(no subject)
Thu, Nov. 29th, 2007 07:01 pm (UTC)