For today’s review, I’ll point you to Manga Recon’s On The Shojo Beat column, where I reviewed volume eight of Yuki Obata’s We Were There. When I go into a new volume of We Were There, it’s always with a bit of trepidation. I know that the writing is likely to be extraordinary–thoughtful and unusually nuanced for high school-based shojo–beautifully enhanced by the author’s wispy, sparse artwork (re-reading my review of volume one, I can’t believe I thought then that the art was weak). What I’m also expecting, however, is that I’ll be an emotional wreck by the end of the volume and, true to form, that was certainly the case yesterday evening. It was almost a relief to be constrained by the column’s style and word limit, which restricted me from spewing my emotional responses all over the page as I have occasionally done in the past.

That said, this is an exceptionally moving series that provokes strong responses, not through the use of practiced formula or calculated emotional manipulation, but by the power of good writing and genuine insight. This is a series that constantly compels me into introspection and confession, even in a review. Part of that is due, I think, to my own life choices, which have resulted in a state of perpetual vulnerability more typically associated with a teen than an adult. While other readers my age may view this series as something that hearkens back to the trials of their youth, I’m frequently identifying with it in a more immediate way. On the other hand, the realities that Obata’s characters face–the ambiguity of concepts like “truth” and “love,” and the contradictory nature of the human heart–are not confined to youth by any means. They loom over us throughout our lives, no matter how earnestly we strive to construct secure walls around us. If there is a truth in this world, it can be found in the wavering heart of a lonely teen, something that Obata has captured with stunning accuracy.

If my rambling personal monologue has still left you in doubt about the emotional impact of We Were There, I urge you read it for yourself. Meanwhile, you can check out my review.

We Were There, Vol. 5
By Yuki Obata
Published by Viz Media

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It’s been a week since Nana broke up with Yano and though Nana’s trying very hard to move on, Yano is really not doing well at all. A friend’s attempt to bring him on a group date is a complete failure, resulting in a drunken, late-night visit to best friend Takeuchi’s and a close brush with drunk dialing (or at least drunk texting). Things for Yano really don’t improve over the course of the volume either, as Nana is visibly irritated with his (admittedly weak) attempts to win her back, and Takeuchi takes advantage of Yano’s uncertainty over his feelings for his deceased ex in order to pursue Nana himself. Meanwhile, Nana is simply trying to get over her own heartbreak against all odds. The volume ends with a cruel cliffhanger, softened somewhat by an enlightening side story featuring a younger Yano and Takeuchi and the perils of unrequited love.

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So, I picked up volume four of Pluto earlier this evening, anxious to dig in to the latest volume of my favorite manga series this year. My plans were dashed less than a chapter in, however, when I became so emotional that I actually had to put it down. Since this volume is new, I’ll avoid any details. Suffice it to say this was a fairly small incident (relative to the scope of the work as a whole) that just happened to hit me unusually hard. This isn’t a fatal issue, of course. I’ll pick it up again once I feel I’ve recovered, perhaps in a less vulnerable moment. Nor is it a criticism of Pluto, by any means. I want to be moved deeply by fiction. That’s why I read it. It’s a powerful testament to the craft of both Tezuka and Urasawa that the series is able to affect me so strongly.

What this experience brings to mind now as I remain here uselessly in my chair, not quite ready to pick up anything else, is other moments in manga that have brought me to tears.
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We Were There, Vol. 4
By Yuki Obata
Published by Viz Media

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“Why do people make promises they can’t keep?”

After hastily announcing that she was ready to have sex with Yano at the end of volume three, this volume opens with Nana in a state of abject terror as she’s faced with actually doing the deed. Reassured by Yano’s unexpected sweetness, she shakily plunges in only to be interrupted by the return of Yano’s mom before anything can really happen. Though this is somewhat of a relief for Nana, Yano immediately begins trying to raise money for a love hotel which Nana manages to stall by suggesting they save up for something nicer. The volume’s charmingly awkward beginning becomes more troubled in later chapters when Nana finally persuades Yano to tell her the truth about his association with his ex-girlfriend’s sister, Yamamoto. Yano’s past with Yamamoto, however, is not nearly as difficult for Nana as the discovery of his lingering feelings for his deceased ex, revealed in a stunningly poignant scene at the end of the volume.

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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

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“Beloved. For the first time I understood what that word truly meant in the winter of my 15th year.”

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Here’s another quick review for you all. Apparently I’m on a roll!

We Were There, Vol. 1
By Yuki Obata
Published by Viz Media

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