It’s my fortieth birthday today, and as I was pondering what I’d like to post, I decided that there is nothing closer to my heart on a day like this than my distant past, which brings me to a series that feels more authentic to my teenage heart than anything I’ve read in a long time.
We Were There, Vol. 2
By Yuki Obata
Published by Viz Media
“Beloved. For the first time I understood what that word truly meant in the winter of my 15th year.”
There are two particularly striking things about this volume, and I’ll begin with the one that is most enjoyable. Yuki Obata’s skill at transposing first love to the printed page is truly remarkable. The scene in which Nana and Yano kiss for the first time is so perfectly written, it’s almost impossible to express my delight. This is one of those moments that has been described and over-described by virtually every storyteller on earth at some point or another, yet I can’t say I’ve ever seen it written more effectively than it is in We Were There. Obata’s use of panel layouts and closeups are spot on, leaving the reader just as breathless inside that inexplicable vacuum of the first kiss as Nana is–the fragility of that moment, the quiet electricity as it finally happens–every second of it is exactly right. Even the fireworks in the background feel completely authentic and not at all contrived. This extends into the next chapter, where Nana reflects on her feelings about the night and the excitement and terror of the next day. The boy she likes has kissed her, “… and the color of the world around me has suddenly changed,” she says as she watches his figure retreat into the distance.
The second thing that struck me especially in this volume is a lot less fun, but not for lack of good writing–in fact it’s quite the opposite. Because Obata has made me care for these two characters so much, it is honestly painful to watch them setting themselves up for failure from the get-go. Not that they can help it, of course. It is understandable, considering Yano’s previous experience, that he would feel the need to extract impossible promises from Nana. “Promise you’ll never leave me,” he says, throwing the weight of all his hurt and loneliness on poor Nana’s shoulders–a weight she can’t possibly bear at this young age, or perhaps ever. After all, abandonment can be perceived in so many places and in so many ways. I can’t help but believe that she’s doomed from the start. As painful as this is, it is also brilliantly in-character, and I have to appreciate that kind of honest writing.
There is a wonderful, faint foreboding in the air–a thin fog barely visible against the bright blush of first love, and it’s all so delicately put into place in this volume, the result is simply stunning. As in the story’s first volume, there is nothing melodramatic or overdone and the characters are written with such truth and subtlety, they really stand out as special in the genre. This is the kind of comic that is easy to recommend both to long-time fans of shojo manga and to those encountering it for the first time. I’d like to think that if We Were There had been sitting on the YA shelf of my library when I was a young teen, it wouldn’t have taken me until my late thirties to discover comics. It’s that good.
Read my review of volume one here.
sparklyfanta says
May 6, 2009 at 1:39 amHappy birthday! (I’ve never read the manga, so I have nothing to offer on that front; just wanted to give you some b-day wishes.)
Melinda Beasi says
May 6, 2009 at 10:58 amAw, thank you so much! :)
Deanna Gauthier says
May 6, 2009 at 2:12 amoh, this is so getting added to my wish list!
and Happy Birthday!
Melinda Beasi says
May 6, 2009 at 10:59 amDeanna, you would *so* love this. And thank you!
Deanna Gauthier says
May 6, 2009 at 9:34 pmIf you have not read Sand Chronicles yet, your reviews of We Were There remind me strongly of how taken I’ve been with the first three volumes of that series.
Estara says
May 6, 2009 at 6:12 amZum Geburtstag viel Glück!! I wish you the best of health now that you have joined us over 40s ^^. I find that everything else can be dealt with, but poor health extends to all aspects of life. So be healthy!
Melinda Beasi says
May 6, 2009 at 10:59 amThank you! I’m glad to know I’m in such good company! :D
Estara says
May 6, 2009 at 4:46 pmhah! XD
jansong@livejournal says
May 6, 2009 at 6:31 amBeautiful review! Beautiful beginning to the next 40 years! Life continues to amaze. I’m most proud of my number one daughter. xoxo Happy Birthday.
Melinda Beasi says
May 6, 2009 at 10:59 amThanks, mom! :) *love*
sistermagpie says
May 6, 2009 at 9:51 amHappy birthday, you spring chicken, you!
Melinda Beasi says
May 6, 2009 at 11:00 amHee, thank you! :D
badzphoto says
May 6, 2009 at 1:08 pmHappy Birthday. May there be a lots of manga :)
The new layout looks really good.
Melinda Beasi says
May 6, 2009 at 2:54 pmThank you so much, for both the birthday wishes and the compliment on the layout! :) There has indeed been lots of manga! :D
Grant says
May 6, 2009 at 3:56 pm“Obata’s use of panel layouts and closeups are spot on, leaving the reader just as breathless inside that inexplicable vacuum of the first kiss as Nana is–the fragility of that moment, the quiet electricity as it finally happens–every second of it is exactly right”
This is a COMPLETE English major geek-out moment, but I absolutely love this sentence. It’s beautiful.
Melinda Beasi says
May 6, 2009 at 4:00 pmThank you so much. Comments like that really mean a lot to me, since I was not anything close to an English major and am constantly worried about my abilities in that area. Thank you!
Michelle Smith says
May 6, 2009 at 6:40 pmA lovely review, indeed. I’m glad to see you mention the foreboding because I sensed that too, especially in the reaction of Yano’s friends to his new relationship.
Melinda Beasi says
May 7, 2009 at 8:00 amThank you, my friend! What a lovely series this is.
Danielle Leigh says
May 6, 2009 at 7:53 pmI know I twittered but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday in the blog as well! :-)
I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know you better over the past few months, I love having my own circle of manga peeps and I’m really glad you are one of them.
Hope you are having a lovely day!
Michelle Smith says
May 6, 2009 at 11:12 pmYeah, at least we know that if no one else comments on our reviews, the other two probably will! :)
Melinda Beasi says
May 7, 2009 at 8:01 amI had a wonderful day! And I am so glad to be in your circle too! You are many kinds of awesome. :)
Thank you!
jansong@livejournal.com says
May 7, 2009 at 12:50 pmThanks, Michelle, for accidently throwing Melinda off yesterday on the birthday plans – even though you didn’t know you were doing that. It would have been nice if we could have flown you up for the real surprise. :)