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束の間の一花 [Tsukanoma no Ichika] #2
A Brief Moment of Ichika 2
333
176 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 9, 2024
Ichika has ended up in hospital, but Yurugi is nowhere to be seen. Probably because Ichika’s brother, Daiki, warned him off. But, just as things start to look up for Ichika, a role reversal is about to put her on the other side of the equation.
Means well, doesn’t quite get there. That’s basically how this series has gone and, unless that last volume pulls some incredible magic out of its butt, it’s almost certainly how it will end. It’s not bad and has a good heart, just not the writing to back it up.
Despite Daiki’s insistence that he’s acting in his sister’s best interests, there’s a lot of gray area there. He’s got a very misguided notion that Ichika living her life full tilt will somehow shorten the time they have left, but the real result is that she’s living quietly, yet joylessly.
There’s a clear difference between how much effort she’s exerting when it comes to the guy she’s fallen in love with, although I also appreciated that she does question how much of it is the misery they both share. It’s probably beyond the scope of the series to dig deeper into that, but at least it’s given consideration.
Daiki’s immaturity in pushing his idealized outcome on Ichika is nicely contrasted with their mother, who not only plays peacemaker but also overhears a very candid conversation between Ichika and Yurugi later and, in a welcome change, doesn’t meddle in things. That was a great touch.
The whole Daiki situation kind of resolves itself under Daiki’s decision to finally read the room, which isn’t bad, but it really reinforces how little Yurugi does in this volume. This is mostly Ichika’s story - my money is on her passing and Yurugi learning to live - but it could stand to do a bit more with him.
The way the story portrays the differing attitudes of our leads is nicely done, that being said. Yurugi gets anxious taking books from the library because he might not be able to return them, while Ichika just keeps moving forward and doing what she wants.
You’d think with all this positive talk that this is really great, but it’s not. All of this is quite welcome and good fodder for a story, but there are two major issues here that kind of kill the vibe.
The first is that this story has apparently no idea what it wants to be and seems to be skipping around several plot points at any given moment that don’t really add up to the whole you’d want. The curry date, the Yurugi going back to college plan, the family drama, they’re there, but feel detached somehow.
Second, there is basically zero chemistry between these two. Whether it’s reluctance on Yurugi’s part or even how the art portrays them, there’s nothing here that makes me think these two have any connection beyond their short lifespans.
There’s exactly one moment towards the end, when Yurugi has ended up in hospital and unintentionally thwarted all their plans, that comes at all close to showing a level of affection that should have been more prevalent by the end of a second volume of a three volume series.
Speaking of art, I will say there’s a really nice two-page spread of Ichika running towards the end where she literally curses life itself and it’s the best the art ever gets. Otherwise it is nothing special, but that scene imparts a rawness that I wish the story had more often.
I also really enjoyed a brief flashback (!?) that showed how absorbed in his studies Yurugi has always been and the quiet panels of his family memorial slowly filling up show how incredibly alone he’s always been.
The ending puts us into one last volume where I assume somebody’s going to pass away. One other thing that’s obnoxious as all get out is how this refuses to name what the deuce is going on. We’re told in one moment that Yurugi might recover, but what the heck from?
It’s a real mixed bag. There’s a lot of interesting ideas and a lot of good things that need saying being said, but it isn’t able to bring it all together in a satisfying fashion. It should work, but doesn’t, and I think that’s down to the mangaka’s skill, unfortunately.
3 stars - trending to 3.5 now and then, but never as good at making its points as it wants to be.
Means well, doesn’t quite get there. That’s basically how this series has gone and, unless that last volume pulls some incredible magic out of its butt, it’s almost certainly how it will end. It’s not bad and has a good heart, just not the writing to back it up.
Despite Daiki’s insistence that he’s acting in his sister’s best interests, there’s a lot of gray area there. He’s got a very misguided notion that Ichika living her life full tilt will somehow shorten the time they have left, but the real result is that she’s living quietly, yet joylessly.
There’s a clear difference between how much effort she’s exerting when it comes to the guy she’s fallen in love with, although I also appreciated that she does question how much of it is the misery they both share. It’s probably beyond the scope of the series to dig deeper into that, but at least it’s given consideration.
Daiki’s immaturity in pushing his idealized outcome on Ichika is nicely contrasted with their mother, who not only plays peacemaker but also overhears a very candid conversation between Ichika and Yurugi later and, in a welcome change, doesn’t meddle in things. That was a great touch.
The whole Daiki situation kind of resolves itself under Daiki’s decision to finally read the room, which isn’t bad, but it really reinforces how little Yurugi does in this volume. This is mostly Ichika’s story - my money is on her passing and Yurugi learning to live - but it could stand to do a bit more with him.
The way the story portrays the differing attitudes of our leads is nicely done, that being said. Yurugi gets anxious taking books from the library because he might not be able to return them, while Ichika just keeps moving forward and doing what she wants.
You’d think with all this positive talk that this is really great, but it’s not. All of this is quite welcome and good fodder for a story, but there are two major issues here that kind of kill the vibe.
The first is that this story has apparently no idea what it wants to be and seems to be skipping around several plot points at any given moment that don’t really add up to the whole you’d want. The curry date, the Yurugi going back to college plan, the family drama, they’re there, but feel detached somehow.
Second, there is basically zero chemistry between these two. Whether it’s reluctance on Yurugi’s part or even how the art portrays them, there’s nothing here that makes me think these two have any connection beyond their short lifespans.
There’s exactly one moment towards the end, when Yurugi has ended up in hospital and unintentionally thwarted all their plans, that comes at all close to showing a level of affection that should have been more prevalent by the end of a second volume of a three volume series.
Speaking of art, I will say there’s a really nice two-page spread of Ichika running towards the end where she literally curses life itself and it’s the best the art ever gets. Otherwise it is nothing special, but that scene imparts a rawness that I wish the story had more often.
I also really enjoyed a brief flashback (!?) that showed how absorbed in his studies Yurugi has always been and the quiet panels of his family memorial slowly filling up show how incredibly alone he’s always been.
The ending puts us into one last volume where I assume somebody’s going to pass away. One other thing that’s obnoxious as all get out is how this refuses to name what the deuce is going on. We’re told in one moment that Yurugi might recover, but what the heck from?
It’s a real mixed bag. There’s a lot of interesting ideas and a lot of good things that need saying being said, but it isn’t able to bring it all together in a satisfying fashion. It should work, but doesn’t, and I think that’s down to the mangaka’s skill, unfortunately.
3 stars - trending to 3.5 now and then, but never as good at making its points as it wants to be.
April 26, 2024
Oh goddamnit, it is nice to watch these two dying people find some last moments of happiness but it hurts so much too :-(
January 12, 2025
Mutual destruction in death.
March 21, 2026
Uwielbiam, ale zarazem tak bardzo boli...😭💗
May 27, 2026
Pursuing your love- what an endeavour ❤️❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews