OMG you guys. Ohana Holoholo, Volume 5. (オハナホロホロ)
So, we left Michiru and Maya split up at the end of Volume 4. It sucked, but it kind of made sense, as Michiru was very focused on growing the fuck up already.
Maya is doing her best to live alone; she’s not doing a good job of it, though. She’s grieving for two relationships – the possibilities of a life with Hidesuke and the realities of life with Michiru and Yuuta. Niko-kun comes home one day to find her unconscious on the floor.
But there’s a character in all this who forces the climax and it’s not Michiru, nor is it Maya. It’s Yuuta. Yuuta, who does not understand grownups, but knows he loves Maya and wants to see her. He asks Michiru if they’ll ever go home and he really does not understand the answer…so he decides to go see Maya on his own.
Unbeknownst to any of the adults, he ends up taking a train to the only name he can remember. He wanders the seaside, gets distracted by a million things and pulls himself back on track. After a long day, he finds himself at Shinjuku station (which is complicated enough if you’re a grownup, mind you) surrounded by strangers.
What happens next is, yes, a handwave, yes it is a deus ex machina, but a very welcome one. ^_^ With a series of hints as to where he might be, eventually our intrepid 3 year old is safe in the arms of a panicking Maya and Niko-kun. He’s fast asleep when Michiru makes it to Maya’s place. With Yuuta being watched over by Niko-kun, Michiru and Maya are able to have it out between them.
Maya asks for another chance at being a family.
Michiru says they already are a family.
They kiss.
“To Be Continued”
Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 1
Overall – 9
I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see “To Be Continued” in my life. ^_^
Ok, first that sounds so damn dramatic I can’t wait for the volume to arrive now.
One other thing though: how do all these children manage to get around on public transport in manga with barely any mention? Not just this manga but in a few others you have really young children out on their own and they seem to not attract any attention. However talk too loud, wear the wrong thing or dare to look the manga equivalent of suspicious and it is like a character has Inspector Gadget’s siren on their head.
While I don’t mind how ‘realistic’ the manga I am reading is it is a bit problematic when it accidentally makes people seem really callous.
It’s not at all uncommon to see unattended children on Tokyo subways. 3 is a tad young, but 5 or 6 is not.
That sounds like a whole lot of d’aww packed onto paper. I must pick up this series next time when I’m in Tokyo.
It was pretty great. I like how Yuuta’s dialogue started off as baby talk, but is now just childish dialogue. A nice visual/verbal effect.
We will have a review of the final volume?
Nope. Volume 6 goes off on what I considered an unpleasant – and out of character – tangent. The main story ends here, so do my reviews.
so … The manga ends not yuri, is it?
No, the main story ends in Volume 5. Volume 6 focuses on Niko and was not, IMHO, in character.
oh thanks!
I am considering buying the manga
You should. It was a good story. ^_^
where can you read this manga? i´ve been considering buying it but i can´t find volume 5 online or the phisical manga. please, help me.
Click the link on the title, it goes to the Amazon Japan page for the manga.