I was genuinely delighted that Viz picked up this lovely short series about two women who meet each other by chance at a live show. Now that the series is completed, I want to reiterate that I really enjoyed the heck out of it. I state that plainly, because there is a rant I need indulge in. But we’ll get there. Be patient.^_^
But first, let us recall where we left off in Volume 2. The rave created by Kei, Emi and their crew is on. In After Hours Volume 3….that rave is fantastic. Despite setbacks, including Kei’s record collection being stolen and broken, their rave is wonderful. Their crew, After Hours, comes together and the event is a success.
And then everything falls apart. Emi goes home to spend some time with her folks and comes back to find Kei gone, with nary a word. Kei’s not responding to texts or calls. Emi gets the team together once more to talk this over and they decide to track Kei down.
Kei, it turns out, has gone home, as well. Home as in a small fishing village in the middle of nowhere, where she is cleaning up some family business. Emi decides she has to follow Kei and find out what the hell just happened…so she does.
Emi takes an overnight bus to Kei’s location, where she learns Kei’s reasons for not coming home. Kei’s explanation for her disappearance is pretty banal, honestly. Emi tells Kei she has a year to clean up her family mess, then she has to come back. They agree on a year and part. The end.
This is where my rant kicks in. This entire end makes no fucking sense.
Emi took an overnight bus to where Kei is, and the train back. Kei is not that far away. All they had to do was agree to get together every once in a while. It’s not like Kei is across the globe…she’s a bus ride away. An inconvenient bus ride, but still.
This is compounded in its utter ridiculousness by the ending in which neither just says, “we can text or call any time.” I mean, really. WHAT? It’s just total nonsense that lovers would part in the 2010s, with phones that can communicate just about anywhere in the world (and be used to track one another down, mind you) and act like they’d be on different planets. If a woman wrote this, at least one of them would have been sobbing over their phone, “I’ll call you every day…!” But..no.^_^
In any case, this was a great little story about two women who were not office workers or school girls, who lived lived on the fringes of society. I really liked it…
Ratings:
Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 2
Yuri – 9
Overall – 8
…but kids, we have to acknowledge that “can’t speak to you for a year” does not work anymore. Phones, y’see, taken all the finality out of separation. Let’s come up with a new plot, please.^_^;
Great review! I’m suddenly reminded of friend who recently complained about the ending of an anime, where the couple were being super upset one was moving away… 60 km (37 miles). Which didn’t make sense since it’s SOO easy to get around in Japan via trains. Sure it’s pricey but come on lol.
Hah! That’s exactly it. I mean, 37 miles here in NJ is an acceptable daily work commute. Unless the anime is set in 1918, this makes no sense!
I largely agree – I quite enjoyed this series, and I even enjoyed the melancholy feelings of being adrift that the ending inspired in me, as well as seeing the gang come together in Kei’s absence, but…
Often, an audience is asked to overlook a plot point for the sake of the story. “Why didn’t Gandalf just have the eagles fly everyone into Mordor?” “Because book.”
I believe Kei spending a year cleaning up her family’s mess counts as such a plot point – this is exactly the situation that countless people find themselves in, and then *resolve,* by simply *hiring a lawyer and an accountant.*
That said, it is still a delightful story. The art is simple, yet expressive and unique; the sense of ‘potential’ we’re left with by the end of the book is palpable, also. Kei’s absence gives our little community of weirdos room to share more of the spotlight, and it’s fun thinking about what comes next for everyone. I feel like Kei leaving is good for the story, and gives it some gravitas, even if the reason for her leaving is “because book.”
But: when you focus a great deal on having one of your characters be savvy enough with computers to track down another human by just using apps, it merely highlights how strange it is that Kei and Emi won’t just use Skype to hang out.
I think this book really needed a two-page bonus comic at the end with the author talking, complete with sweat drops, about the plot points. I can overlook a lot when I`m asked to by the Afterword :)
Absolutely, sometimes the handwave needs to be there. But this *particular* handwave reminds us that manga is stuck in 1920. And it needs to grow up already.
It didn’t say they wouldn’t stay in touch. In fact it shows a message from Kei with a link to a mix and Emi’s narration says she’s being sent them monthly. How was the bit where Emi taps play on her smartphone translated?
I don’t think bereavement and Kei’s response to it is banal. Emi understood and changed her bearing once she realized what had happened.
But it also didn’t make the obvious point – that there was no reason at all to consider this much of a separation. It was ridiculous to not just say, “Hey, it’s okay, I’ll come out here, you visit when you can and we both have phones!” which is the only reasonable thing to say these days.
I spent a week in Japan without my wife – we Skyped every day. It’s just not a thing anymore.
The characters know full well that they can get in contact or make the journey when they want to. The point of the ending is not that Kei staying in her hometown would be a big separation for Emi and Kei’s romantic relationship. It’s nightclubbing that’s the core of the manga and the important thing is Kei being able to eventually return to After Hours. The writing isn’t wrong to have emphasized that situation.
Or, so you interpret it to be. ^_^ I clearly have a different opinion. That happens.