In Volume 1, we met Nanoha and Chidori, two high school students who are keeping a secret from their friends – they are going out with each other.
In Hana ni Arashi, Volume 2 (はなにあらし) they keep that secret while their friends talk about their futures, about boys, about what they want for themselves. They share umbrellas in the rain and Chidori comforts Nanoha when thunder upsets her. And they tell each other how they feel.
There is little to no conflict. Shogakukan’s Shonen Sunday magazine isn’t ready for nuance in their Yuri, yet, apparently. Kobachi Ruka’s school life story is relaxing and gentle. Little to no conflict arises and most of the emotions are rooted in sentimentality for a simpler time of life. But, through all this Chidori and Nanoha are, and remain, a couple.
I have no idea yet if this story will evolve, but I can tell you that it continues. It’s already up to volume 6 in Japan!
Ratings:
Art – 6
Story – 6
Characters – 6
Yuri – 3
Service – 1, mostly on principle
Overall – 6
Volume 3 is in my cart and I’ll give it at least one more chance to do something. I have no objection to nice kids being nice, but this relationship not developing is not super riveting.
I like this series because the protagonists’ personalities are developed a bit better than your standard Story A leads. They seem like real people and not tropes. And points for beginning the story with the couple, not ending it there, or when they share their first kiss. But the story is painfully slow. Frustratingly slow. Way, way, too slow. You will have to stick around at least to volume 4 for anything resembling glacial forward movement.
It feels like the author is really in love with the “dating… but omg iz secret to evryone” gimmick that opens each chapter (and that got old in vol. 1). This could be a Kase-san successor if they’d drop that, have the girls come out, and have them navigate dating and life instead of keeping secrets.
Agreed. It’s cute, and very sweet to see a first love and one handled so gently, but also yes, it is moving slowly. Without something to drive the story, we’re just watching nothing – which is just fine with me this week, but will get tired next week. ^_^