|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane The opening pages of We Were There vol. 6 beautifully illustrate the particular blend of endearing/frustrating that make me like Yano while being just a bit annoyed that I find him charming. (That's "charming" in the sense of small, adorable animals, not in the sense of roses and champagne. But roses and champagne are overrated, anyway.) Nanami and Yano's relationship is still on the rocks as this volume opens, and Yano's friend Takeuchi's continued interest in Nanami isn't helping matters--or is it? The two boys have been friends long enough that Takeuchi has a pretty good grasp on Yano's behavior, and he shows a lot of insight with Nanami, too. As for Nanami, she may not be truly tempted to try finding love with a new guy, but she still feels so badly burned by her experience with Yano that all of his efforts at winning her back meet a lot of resistance. It's still obvious to everyone around them that they're not over each other, but We Were There isn't the kind of story that makes readers assume that people having strong feelings for each other will lead to a "happily ever after" ending. There are plenty of issues for the characters to work through, and it turns out that Nana-san, Yano's dead ex-girlfriend, isn't the only ghost hanging over him. One thing this volume handles particularly well is its introduction of other elements from Yano's past: they're not presented in a heavy-handed way, but it's not hard to put some pieces together and see how they contribute to Yano being who he is today. I expect Obata will develop that storyline further as the series continues to unfold, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that part turns out. Meanwhile, although I do get the feeling that Nanami and Yano's relationship will continue to be patched up, I can only assume that there'll be a few more rough patches along the way. Volume 6 of We Were There includes a bonus story set a few years before the series' main story. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. Think you could have written a better review of We Were There v6? Write us and we'll probably let you give it a shot! --EiC PC |
17 March 2010
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
