I first encountered this series in 2020 when I found it at Gamers in Akihabara, with bonus clearfile by artist Fly. I reviewed volume 1 and 2 in English and Japanese here on Okazu…then I kind of forgot about it. Volume two had a “Waiting for Godot” feel and even though it was obvious that we were going to learn what happened to Sahoko and Aoi back in high school, I found it hard to care.

As soon as I began reading Chasing After Aoi Koshiba, Volume 4, I remembered why. The high school drama felt very high school, with like and dislikes and confessions and whatnot. It’s not compelling. The entire time I was reading this series, I was really hoping we’d spend more time with the characters ten years later at the reunion.

But this volume did two things that turned everything around and let me tell you how impressed I was!

Firstly, the high school portion of the story ended in a way I did not expect at all. It was the right ending, but I had been steeling myself against the inevitable wrong ending. I was so surprised and pleased. Then the reunion arc also ended in a way that I would not have expected. I don’t know if it was the right way or not – it was a powerful ending that ended the story, for sure. There was no moving forward after that. I wouldn’t call it brave,  but it took some small risk and I appreciate that. More series need to really think about whether relationships ought to work. Takeoka Hazuki put some thought into that. I appreciate it.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Service – 1
Yuri – 6

Overall – 7

The team at Kodansha did good work with this volume, although I felt that $10.99 price point for a digital was a little much, given that they print price was $12.99.  The ending was better than I expected, but whether it makes the whole series worth a read will be up to you. For me, it was always about the art, which is slick as hell.

Decades ago, I was doing a number of community-centered activities, and I noticed that people who came into community spaces often had no idea how to act. In some cases, they were ND, but in many cases, it was people who came to that community with a focus that was important to them and no real interest in other people. For instance, we had a number of events where people with food limitations would walk into the space and before saying “Hello,” they would look around, ready to be angry and say, “Is there anything I can eat here?” I really sympathized with that, having grown up with food (and other) allergies that other people ignored. So, I took it upon myself to greet people at events and point out amenities, facilities, food options and restinq/quiet places. Which everyone who knew me, found hilarious, as there are few people who care less about other people than myself. ^_^

All this is to say that there are a lot of people who are faking their way through social interactions – including me. ^_^ I ask myself what the extroverts around me might do, if I want to social, or I huddle in a corner, if I don’t.

Takebe and Soramori have both hit a wall on how to social. As young people, their interactions were competitive and physically violent. Now that they like one another…they have no idea how to act.

In Catch These Hands, Volume 4, they have hit the limit of faking it, and have to overcome the final hurdle between them – actually having a conversation. It’s fraught. Even between pointless interruptions and  Rube Goldberg complications, they manage to learn a little bit about each other and finally have that last battle between them where they are honest with one another. It’s awkward and lovely and I wanted to grab them both and give them hugs for doing it.

The lesson of this volume is – what you are thinking people think about you is probably completely untrue. Stop assuming. When Soramori and Takebe stop assuming, the world suddenly becomes a brighter place for them.

Amanda Haley’s translation and Bianca Pistillo’s lettering, were fantastic. It’s clean, easy to read and gets the gruffness and awkwardness across beautifully. I can also thank Jacquelyn Li and Carl Li for their editorial work, and Wendy Chan for the design. Gimme those credits, Yen! Everyone deserves a credit. Nice job by the Yen team. So glad we got this fun little manga series.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 7

Overall – 8

Murata-sensei really sticks the landing here.

This series was goofy and relatable (despite the fact that I was never a gang girl. Well…once, for a day, but that’s a silly story) and I recommend it for being something you can just relax and enjoy.