In Haru to Midori, Volume 2 (春とみどり) having committed to being a foster parent for her late childhood friend’s daughter, Midori struggles daily to separate her feelings for Tsugumi from the child who looks so much like her. Haru is trying to create a life with this woman who clearly loved her mother, but who seems to have little life of her own.

Tsugumi’s belongings arrive at Midori’s place, and her child’s first thought is to throw it all away, starting fresh. Midori, though, goes through it, knowing the value of items that have no value but are irreplaceable. Haru watches Midori interact with her own mother, able to see the bonds between them, and reflecting on her own bonds, now permanently severed.

In turn Haru and Midori become ill. Haru finds herself comforted by this woman who is not her mother, but finds it in herself to care for her. When it is Haru’s turn, shes not surprised, but still befuddled to be mistaken for her mother, by a feverish Midori.

The gyre turns and turns, spinning Haru and Midori in a circle around their memories of Tsugumi, but every spin, brings some small change in them. Haru’s new life begins to take form and almost amazingly, so does Midori’s. Midori who now wears new clothes to work, and is teased by Haru and her mother and has, at last, started to realize how little she has moved forward since Tsugumi left.

This series is neither melancholic nor nostalgic, although we spend a lot of time looking backward. If it were literary, I’d read it as if it was a memoir told by an adult Haru about this moment in her life. “That time my mother’s friend (who was in love with her) took me in after her death.” It’s a sad series, because death is sad, but there’s bits of humor and comfort that keep it from becoming maudlin.

This is only Yuri in retrospective, as they individually unpack Midori’s feelings for Tsugumi. I hope that they can be allowed to come to care for one another without it becoming romantic, as that would reek of lazy writing.

I have no idea what will become of Haru and Midori, but wherever they end up, I think this has been good for both of them. I can easily imagine that they will come to rely on their relationship through Tsugumi less and on each other more.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9 A lot of time is spent in interior monologue
Yuri – 3 Only in retrospective, as they individually unpack Midori’s feelings for Tsugumi and
Service – 0

Overall – 8

Still awkward, yet sincerely and appealingly so, much like Midori herself. Still ongoing online at Comic Meteor, I’m looking forward to a third volume.