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恋は雨上がりのように [Koi wa Ameagari no Yō ni] #9 & 10
After the Rain, Vol 5
17-year-old high school student Akira Tachibana is a girl who barely expresses herself. She harbors a secret crush on Masami Kondō, a 45-year-old manager of the restaurant she works at part-time.
Akira Tachibana is a soft-spoken high school student who used to be a part of the track and field club but, due to an injury, she is no longer able to run as fast as she once could. Working part-time at a family restaurant as a recourse, she finds herself inexplicably falling in love with her manager, a divorced 45-year-old man with a young son.
Despite the age gap, Akira wholeheartedly embraces his mannerisms and kind nature, which is seen as spinelessness by the other employees, and little by little, the two begin to understand each other. Although unable to explain why exactly she is attracted to him, Akira believes that a concrete reason is not needed to truly love someone. On a rainy day, she decides to finally tell her manager about how she feels... but just how will he react?
Akira Tachibana is a soft-spoken high school student who used to be a part of the track and field club but, due to an injury, she is no longer able to run as fast as she once could. Working part-time at a family restaurant as a recourse, she finds herself inexplicably falling in love with her manager, a divorced 45-year-old man with a young son.
Despite the age gap, Akira wholeheartedly embraces his mannerisms and kind nature, which is seen as spinelessness by the other employees, and little by little, the two begin to understand each other. Although unable to explain why exactly she is attracted to him, Akira believes that a concrete reason is not needed to truly love someone. On a rainy day, she decides to finally tell her manager about how she feels... but just how will he react?
380 pages, Paperback
Published September 17, 2019
5 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 28, 2022
A rare occurrence where the ending we got, was not the ending we hoped for but was also the one that was needed.
December 30, 2020
A bittersweet, yet poignant ending. Such a wonderful story.
It wasn't the ending many of us hoped for, but it's the RIGHT ending. Tachibana finally realized her crush on Kondo and her working with him at the restaurant was holding her back from not only moving forward, and moving on; she had used as an excuse, a refuge, if you will, to avoid trying to run again. And run she finally did, like the wind. She faced her fears, and broke a record on the track at the same time. I have to hand it to Kondo. He showed the utmost decency, chivalry, and self-restraint in regards to Tachibana. She came to him, alone in his apartment, expecting to give him her love, and her body. She desperately wanted his love. It gave her a reason to avoid her fears, and avoid returning to the track. I honestly can say that if a gorgeous teenage girl pursued me, made it clear she was in love with me, and came to my home repeatedly, I don't know if I could muster the courage to do the right thing, and say no, as Kondo did. We all fell in love with these characters. We saw them at their best, and their worst. Just when it seemed Kondo would finally give in to Tachibana, he steeled himself and helped her realize that she was chasing after him because it gave her a reason, an excuse, to continue to stay still, to stay put. To remain motionless. In mind, body, spirit, and desire. Kondo finally helped Tachibana realize it was ok to move on, to let him go, move forward, and return to that which she mostly deeply desired - TO RUN FREE. Yes, I truly do commend Kondo. I know full well how hard it is to say no to a pretty young thing with a youthful crush. Kondo always kept the boundaries intact. Yes, by agreeing to spend time with Tachibana, he was courting disaster. At times she felt she was finally getting him to soften his defenses and let her in. But, in the end, he made her realize their love could never be, and her holding love for him was holding her back in life. It was nice to see Tachibana return to the track, and it was nice to see Kondo accept that he had done Tachibana right, even though part of him had always been taken aback by her alluring affections. Years from now, Tachibana will look back at this period in her life with fondness, and a little regret for the love she never got, but she will smile and feel warm when she remembers the happiness she felt when she was with Kondo... her first love.
It wasn't the ending many of us hoped for, but it's the RIGHT ending. Tachibana finally realized her crush on Kondo and her working with him at the restaurant was holding her back from not only moving forward, and moving on; she had used as an excuse, a refuge, if you will, to avoid trying to run again. And run she finally did, like the wind. She faced her fears, and broke a record on the track at the same time. I have to hand it to Kondo. He showed the utmost decency, chivalry, and self-restraint in regards to Tachibana. She came to him, alone in his apartment, expecting to give him her love, and her body. She desperately wanted his love. It gave her a reason to avoid her fears, and avoid returning to the track. I honestly can say that if a gorgeous teenage girl pursued me, made it clear she was in love with me, and came to my home repeatedly, I don't know if I could muster the courage to do the right thing, and say no, as Kondo did. We all fell in love with these characters. We saw them at their best, and their worst. Just when it seemed Kondo would finally give in to Tachibana, he steeled himself and helped her realize that she was chasing after him because it gave her a reason, an excuse, to continue to stay still, to stay put. To remain motionless. In mind, body, spirit, and desire. Kondo finally helped Tachibana realize it was ok to move on, to let him go, move forward, and return to that which she mostly deeply desired - TO RUN FREE. Yes, I truly do commend Kondo. I know full well how hard it is to say no to a pretty young thing with a youthful crush. Kondo always kept the boundaries intact. Yes, by agreeing to spend time with Tachibana, he was courting disaster. At times she felt she was finally getting him to soften his defenses and let her in. But, in the end, he made her realize their love could never be, and her holding love for him was holding her back in life. It was nice to see Tachibana return to the track, and it was nice to see Kondo accept that he had done Tachibana right, even though part of him had always been taken aback by her alluring affections. Years from now, Tachibana will look back at this period in her life with fondness, and a little regret for the love she never got, but she will smile and feel warm when she remembers the happiness she felt when she was with Kondo... her first love.
July 30, 2021
A bit of mixed feelings on the ending but overall a interesting look at life/choices/mistakes/and moving forward.
What might have started as a romance title really turns into a deeper look into a slice of life and trying to move on from the past and being stuck in place. With Akira finally trying to move past her injury and get back to work while Kondo is working on himself to become the writer he should have been years ago we have two very different people in different stages of their life trying to finally get to the next stage.
I overall enjoyed a lot of this but it is a bit disjointed in pacing. I like both characters but the growth for them seems to take it's time and we hit some of the same beats which can get a bit boring for me. We also don't get much closure on a lot of characters. But I believe that was the author's intension, things change, and people change, but it takes time.
Overall it was a solid series. Not the best of the genre, but I enjoyed it for what it was and the message was good. 3.5 out of 5. I'll bump it to a 4.
What might have started as a romance title really turns into a deeper look into a slice of life and trying to move on from the past and being stuck in place. With Akira finally trying to move past her injury and get back to work while Kondo is working on himself to become the writer he should have been years ago we have two very different people in different stages of their life trying to finally get to the next stage.
I overall enjoyed a lot of this but it is a bit disjointed in pacing. I like both characters but the growth for them seems to take it's time and we hit some of the same beats which can get a bit boring for me. We also don't get much closure on a lot of characters. But I believe that was the author's intension, things change, and people change, but it takes time.
Overall it was a solid series. Not the best of the genre, but I enjoyed it for what it was and the message was good. 3.5 out of 5. I'll bump it to a 4.
April 25, 2021
This manga series ruined me and had me sobbing. It is beautiful and bittersweet and I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to read about characters that are written to be real people. Wonderful series, I will re-visit it in the future for sure!
May 10, 2021
KA VERTET SPOILER KTU
Po i jap 5 yje per faktin e vetem qe NUK perfunduan bashk.
Eshte hera e pare qe lexoj nje manga romanc dhe mendoj "mos guxoni te beni gje".
Ne fillim mendoja se ai burri do arrinte nje pike qe do thoshte "vl moshes" duke pasur parasysh qe dhe ai e donte, por me pelqeu shume fakti qe e la te ikte, dhe e ndihmoi te shkonte ne rrugen e duhur.
Prap smorem vesh nqs ai u be shkrimtar per vete apo jo, do ishte nice qe te mos rrinte tere jeten tek lokali.
E kam shume qef ate shkrimtarin me floke te gjata, e dua shume.
Po i jap 5 yje per faktin e vetem qe NUK perfunduan bashk.
Eshte hera e pare qe lexoj nje manga romanc dhe mendoj "mos guxoni te beni gje".
Ne fillim mendoja se ai burri do arrinte nje pike qe do thoshte "vl moshes" duke pasur parasysh qe dhe ai e donte, por me pelqeu shume fakti qe e la te ikte, dhe e ndihmoi te shkonte ne rrugen e duhur.
Prap smorem vesh nqs ai u be shkrimtar per vete apo jo, do ishte nice qe te mos rrinte tere jeten tek lokali.
E kam shume qef ate shkrimtarin me floke te gjata, e dua shume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2025
Genuinamente me encantó el final. Ya sabía que no se quedaban juntos y esa fue la razón por la que decidí darle un oportunidad. Pero la /forma/ en que llegaron a ese final, no solo akira y kondo, sino todos, hizo que valiera cada segundo.
March 17, 2022
The ending was as I’d hoped and what was needed. Really enjoyed this series overall.
July 19, 2020
Is it so odd to have discerned the theme of a manga only after the series has reached its conclusion? Surely one would regret not identifying and selecting any smattering of motifs to track over the course of After the Rain and its 10 volumes, and yet, for all the back-and-forth of Akira and boss Kondo's pseudo-relationship, it seems only after reading AFTER THE RAIN #5 that a definitive theme truly emerges.
Life is full of hiccups, roadblocks, setbacks, and indiscernible and often accidental acts of bedlam that throw one off-track. This is the manga's theme, or subtheme. Stepping further back, one might add it is also important to take a deep breath, assess one's will to succeed in spite of the rough road ahead, to get back up, and to charge forward all over again. AFTER THE RAIN #5 frames its characters with this in mind. As such, while the title's conclusion leaves many threads left untethered and several what-ifs left unanswered, the manga's end marks a modestly appropriate end-of-the-beginning for these characters.
Kondo has taken up novel writing in earnest. He's always been a reader, writer and poet, but he's again taken pen to paper to carve a place for himself in the pantheon of world literature. It's hard to guess at his motivation for doing so, but it bears mentioning that returning after a previous failure, and trying harder, is at the heart of this manga. The same can be said of Kondo's buddy, the famous author Chihiro Kujo, whose success comes amid concerns of inadequacy when a younger author gains remarkable popularity in Kujo's immediate wake.
Akira, after having patched up her relationship with her track-and-field pal, Haruka, keeps butting heads with her intuition. Does she want to return to track? Does she want to put her energy into something new? The girl's emotional displacement, at its height in the previous volume, has finally started to coalesce. And while her affection for her middle-aged boss remains an interesting cross-section of that displacement, one gets the feeling it no longer dominates her every waking curiosity.
AFTER THE RAIN #5 retains much of the casual pacing of the series at large, but does collapse and conclude its primary narrative with surprisingly little or effective resolution. By the book's end, readers don't know what happens to Kase and his quiet tenderheartedness toward his sister, readers receive zero feedback concerning the fallout from Yoshizawa and Nishida's date, and so on. There's a conscious effort on the part of the author to shut down the prospect of a physical relationship between Akira and her boss, but it feels halfhearted and contrived: she visits his apartment, the two leave for New Year celebrations, but Kondo realizes that bringing her back to his place may result in his depending on her for his personal happiness.
This was an entertaining manga series. The art was consistently and effectively simplistic and the characters were regularly teased into confronting their imperfections. The author's approach to carving a slice out of the lives of these characters engenders the sense that readers have lived far more than the mere 12 months of the narrative timeline. Oh well. It's a classic case of wishing there was more, where none shall surely exist.
Life is full of hiccups, roadblocks, setbacks, and indiscernible and often accidental acts of bedlam that throw one off-track. This is the manga's theme, or subtheme. Stepping further back, one might add it is also important to take a deep breath, assess one's will to succeed in spite of the rough road ahead, to get back up, and to charge forward all over again. AFTER THE RAIN #5 frames its characters with this in mind. As such, while the title's conclusion leaves many threads left untethered and several what-ifs left unanswered, the manga's end marks a modestly appropriate end-of-the-beginning for these characters.
Kondo has taken up novel writing in earnest. He's always been a reader, writer and poet, but he's again taken pen to paper to carve a place for himself in the pantheon of world literature. It's hard to guess at his motivation for doing so, but it bears mentioning that returning after a previous failure, and trying harder, is at the heart of this manga. The same can be said of Kondo's buddy, the famous author Chihiro Kujo, whose success comes amid concerns of inadequacy when a younger author gains remarkable popularity in Kujo's immediate wake.
Akira, after having patched up her relationship with her track-and-field pal, Haruka, keeps butting heads with her intuition. Does she want to return to track? Does she want to put her energy into something new? The girl's emotional displacement, at its height in the previous volume, has finally started to coalesce. And while her affection for her middle-aged boss remains an interesting cross-section of that displacement, one gets the feeling it no longer dominates her every waking curiosity.
AFTER THE RAIN #5 retains much of the casual pacing of the series at large, but does collapse and conclude its primary narrative with surprisingly little or effective resolution. By the book's end, readers don't know what happens to Kase and his quiet tenderheartedness toward his sister, readers receive zero feedback concerning the fallout from Yoshizawa and Nishida's date, and so on. There's a conscious effort on the part of the author to shut down the prospect of a physical relationship between Akira and her boss, but it feels halfhearted and contrived: she visits his apartment, the two leave for New Year celebrations, but Kondo realizes that bringing her back to his place may result in his depending on her for his personal happiness.
This was an entertaining manga series. The art was consistently and effectively simplistic and the characters were regularly teased into confronting their imperfections. The author's approach to carving a slice out of the lives of these characters engenders the sense that readers have lived far more than the mere 12 months of the narrative timeline. Oh well. It's a classic case of wishing there was more, where none shall surely exist.
August 15, 2021
One month since I finished and decided to leave something quick behind. As a farewell. I loved this story, it’s way better than I thought it’d be. Especially because the anime is kinda pointless. Despite all, Tachibana and the manager were interesting characters to follow due to their sort of love/seem them on each other relationship. Anyway, don’t have much to say of the finale per se, but this for sure is one of the best stories that I’ve read this year.
June 29, 2023
Man, I loved this series.
That's the "too long, didn't read" of this review. It may be a little too short, but really that's what it boils down to.
After the Rain follows two main characters, Akira Tachibana and Masami Kondo. Akira started working at a family restaurant after recovering from a heel injury that forced her off her track team. She's a quiet, beautiful girl that gets mistaken for having stand-offish air around her. But really she has a deep crush on Kando--her manager. That's not the only thing: she's 17, he's 45.
As I have mentioned before in my prior review, Sundome, I am not above reading questionable series or premises once I'm curious enough about it. And After the Rain has been on my reading/watch list for quite some time since hearing the positive word-of-mouth of the Anime. All that would linger in the back of my head was, "Huh. I wonder if or how the mangaka maneuvers around that minefield?"
The answer: beautifully.
Let's make something absolutely clear: this is a series that follows one-sided relationships. Already fairly unique for a romance, but once that theme is made clear, the situations and dynamics between the characters are explored in a way that doesn't tend to happen in other romances. We as readers tend to take it for granted that--a lot more than likely--once the main duo is introduced, there we go, that's it, they're going to end up together. EVEN IF, it's revealed not too long after that they're dealing with their own one-sided crushes. The main two will eventually figure out their feelings throughout the course of the series, confess, and bada-bing-bada-boom together forever!
We as readers rarely see the other side of the reality of when you tell someone that you have feelings for them...you don't always get that yes. Or even a straight answer. Worse yet, you may not know where the heck you two even stand anymore. After the Rain explores that part of reality we try to erase away with escapist fiction.
Akira and Masami are two excellent characters and the perfectly-flawed characters to find themselves in the situation that they're in. Akira became a loner due to her injury taking away a passion she revolved around. Her relationships with her parents and her classmates were strained and distant. She lived in a depressive fog until the manager of a family restaurant, Masami, broke through with an expression of compassion, care, and kindness. With that simple act, she fell for him. Began working at the restaurant and focused her passion on him.
Akira's "Knight in shining armor" is pretty much anything but that. In fact, in another shift away from escapist romantic fiction, Masami Kondo isn't some dashing, wealthy/well-off, amazing guy. He's working a mediocre job, divorced with a son, his apartment and upkeep are a mess, and his resolve is as low as one can get at his age without wanting to jump off a bridge. He's a loser, he feels it, he knows it. In fact in the beginning he was mildly terrified of Akira because he would get the notion that she was "glaring at trash." His greatest strength and weakness is the fact that Kondo is a genuinely good and nice person. He's too nice, and it's because of his fear of hurting anyone and minimizing his own thoughts that it's not long before a much more passionate and headstrong Akira thrusts herself into his life, adamant to win his love.
And bless this man. This series would be a completely different story if Akira focused her attention on the wrong man. Don't get me wrong, Kondo isn't perfect. He allows or excuses Akira to bulldoze over many of his boundaries and treats the situation passively hoping that Akira would realize that he's nothing special and move on. Thinking to himself that "Hopefully if I say: just friends! It'll be enough to solve the problem." Thinking that he would have the capability to maintain emotional distance with will alone.
I could also write an essay on how fantastic of a character Akira Tachibana was or a good chunk of the rest of the cast. Or how masterful it was how the mangaka didn’t tie every little thread, because in life we don’t always get that closure. Sometimes those points in your life or those relationships just end with little fanfare.
The art is gorgeous, the character designs are fantastic. I loved every moment of this series that after finishing it, I did the insane and went back and immediately reread it. And am jumping into the Anime now (10 out of 12 episodes currently). If you want a quick review/recommendation of the Anime:
It’s beautifully done, the animation and art are amazing. The music is fantastic. Unfortunately, because it’s so short it doesn’t go as deep as the manga. So I would recommend the manga over the anime, but it’s a pleasant watch and will satisfy your hunger for a little more time with this series.
Update: Just finished the Anime. The last few episodes really won me over. And I can't deny, that ending was too cute for my cold-dead heart. Sure, it still stands that it doesn't go as deep or have the time to flesh out the rest of the cast as the manga. What they did end up adapting and considering that the manga was still ongoing at the time of broadcasting, I'm happy with how it handled the ending.
I’ll likely look into the live-action adaptation as well and give an update if it’s worth checking out or not.
I’ll definitely be revisiting this series again and again.
That's the "too long, didn't read" of this review. It may be a little too short, but really that's what it boils down to.
After the Rain follows two main characters, Akira Tachibana and Masami Kondo. Akira started working at a family restaurant after recovering from a heel injury that forced her off her track team. She's a quiet, beautiful girl that gets mistaken for having stand-offish air around her. But really she has a deep crush on Kando--her manager. That's not the only thing: she's 17, he's 45.
As I have mentioned before in my prior review, Sundome, I am not above reading questionable series or premises once I'm curious enough about it. And After the Rain has been on my reading/watch list for quite some time since hearing the positive word-of-mouth of the Anime. All that would linger in the back of my head was, "Huh. I wonder if or how the mangaka maneuvers around that minefield?"
The answer: beautifully.
Let's make something absolutely clear: this is a series that follows one-sided relationships. Already fairly unique for a romance, but once that theme is made clear, the situations and dynamics between the characters are explored in a way that doesn't tend to happen in other romances. We as readers tend to take it for granted that--a lot more than likely--once the main duo is introduced, there we go, that's it, they're going to end up together. EVEN IF, it's revealed not too long after that they're dealing with their own one-sided crushes. The main two will eventually figure out their feelings throughout the course of the series, confess, and bada-bing-bada-boom together forever!
We as readers rarely see the other side of the reality of when you tell someone that you have feelings for them...you don't always get that yes. Or even a straight answer. Worse yet, you may not know where the heck you two even stand anymore. After the Rain explores that part of reality we try to erase away with escapist fiction.
Akira and Masami are two excellent characters and the perfectly-flawed characters to find themselves in the situation that they're in. Akira became a loner due to her injury taking away a passion she revolved around. Her relationships with her parents and her classmates were strained and distant. She lived in a depressive fog until the manager of a family restaurant, Masami, broke through with an expression of compassion, care, and kindness. With that simple act, she fell for him. Began working at the restaurant and focused her passion on him.
Akira's "Knight in shining armor" is pretty much anything but that. In fact, in another shift away from escapist romantic fiction, Masami Kondo isn't some dashing, wealthy/well-off, amazing guy. He's working a mediocre job, divorced with a son, his apartment and upkeep are a mess, and his resolve is as low as one can get at his age without wanting to jump off a bridge. He's a loser, he feels it, he knows it. In fact in the beginning he was mildly terrified of Akira because he would get the notion that she was "glaring at trash." His greatest strength and weakness is the fact that Kondo is a genuinely good and nice person. He's too nice, and it's because of his fear of hurting anyone and minimizing his own thoughts that it's not long before a much more passionate and headstrong Akira thrusts herself into his life, adamant to win his love.
And bless this man. This series would be a completely different story if Akira focused her attention on the wrong man. Don't get me wrong, Kondo isn't perfect. He allows or excuses Akira to bulldoze over many of his boundaries and treats the situation passively hoping that Akira would realize that he's nothing special and move on. Thinking to himself that "Hopefully if I say: just friends! It'll be enough to solve the problem." Thinking that he would have the capability to maintain emotional distance with will alone.
I could also write an essay on how fantastic of a character Akira Tachibana was or a good chunk of the rest of the cast. Or how masterful it was how the mangaka didn’t tie every little thread, because in life we don’t always get that closure. Sometimes those points in your life or those relationships just end with little fanfare.
The art is gorgeous, the character designs are fantastic. I loved every moment of this series that after finishing it, I did the insane and went back and immediately reread it. And am jumping into the Anime now (10 out of 12 episodes currently). If you want a quick review/recommendation of the Anime:
It’s beautifully done, the animation and art are amazing. The music is fantastic. Unfortunately, because it’s so short it doesn’t go as deep as the manga. So I would recommend the manga over the anime, but it’s a pleasant watch and will satisfy your hunger for a little more time with this series.
Update: Just finished the Anime. The last few episodes really won me over. And I can't deny, that ending was too cute for my cold-dead heart. Sure, it still stands that it doesn't go as deep or have the time to flesh out the rest of the cast as the manga. What they did end up adapting and considering that the manga was still ongoing at the time of broadcasting, I'm happy with how it handled the ending.
I’ll likely look into the live-action adaptation as well and give an update if it’s worth checking out or not.
I’ll definitely be revisiting this series again and again.
September 17, 2023
In this final volume we see Tachibana mature greatly. A lot of reflection & efforts are made as she begins to ascend out of her doubts & rebuild what she had neglected for the sake of her feelings for her (much older than her) boss.
Meanwhile, her boss, Kondo, also begins to take back more of his own life, inspired by the relentless youth of Tachibana & others.
This has an extremely satisfying conclusion.
I so wish this series hadn’t contained random sexualized scenes, or implied nudity. I do appreciate the very real look at the struggles of people in general, (which are messy, questionable, difficult, etc) and how they deal & overcome these varied issues.
Content Notes: implied nudity, physical trauma (sports injury)
Meanwhile, her boss, Kondo, also begins to take back more of his own life, inspired by the relentless youth of Tachibana & others.
This has an extremely satisfying conclusion.
I so wish this series hadn’t contained random sexualized scenes, or implied nudity. I do appreciate the very real look at the struggles of people in general, (which are messy, questionable, difficult, etc) and how they deal & overcome these varied issues.
Content Notes: implied nudity, physical trauma (sports injury)
December 13, 2019
A fantastic final volume. It could have only ended this way. Getting closer to the final pages I was expecting to be a blubbering idiot, but I give Kondo credit for how he handled Akira. No, the chapters earlier had me feeling melancholy. Kondo and Akita’s imagining if they had met as students in High School had me wishful-thinking. As much as I loved the writing I’d have to give Mayuzuki huge props for the artwork; wistful and delicately drawn, it drew me in like no other manga has done for quite a long time. I will treasure this series for its quality in all aspects. A classic!
September 21, 2019
So unbelievably bittersweet. I really appreciated so many of the scenes in this concluding volume, and I grew to have a greater respect for Kondo-san who so easily could have taken advantage of Akira and her youthful naïveté. I hope the characters all found happiness.
August 10, 2023
this was an interesting manga series, not a favorite of mine but i didn’t enjoy it. i enjoyed what Tachibana, the mc, went through and learned by the end, it was a different kind of story.
January 3, 2021
I got a bit misty over the end of this one. Some people come into your life and touch you in unexpected ways before leaving again 🥲
May 10, 2025
Barf why was everyone so so boring
December 15, 2019
Review of omnibuses 4-5 (Japanese volumes 7-10)
3.5 stars, but I'm rounding down for Goodreads' system, which is also exactly how I felt about the first part of this series, except I rounded up for Goodreads' system, so at least it's consistent. (My review of American volumes 1-3/Japanese volumes 1-6 here)
On one hand, the series handles a tricky topic with care, while showing why both the 17-year-old and the 45-year-old might get something out of--not even a romantic relationship, but the potential for one that the series focuses on, like I mentioned in my first review. And--maybe a spoiler, but hardly--it ends on a happy, non-creepy note, which makes me feel better after being so leery and unable to tell where the series was headed.
On the other hand, because this latter part of the series lets 17-year-old Akira and 45-year-old Kondo dwell more on their motivations and what they want out of life, I actually found it...pretty boring. If you like the characters, it's fine because they're both getting out of the ruts they've been stuck in. But if you think the characters are just okay, a story that focuses on them (and their thoughts and feelings, rather than actions) leans toward the dull side.
Part of the problem, particularly in the last volume, are scenes that aren't currently happening: flashbacks, or a chapter in which Kondo (and Akira? it's unclear whether she's participating) imagines what might happen if they were the same age and in high school together. But it's pretty easy to miss the introductions to these scenes, so several times I was left wondering why there was a student who looked like a young Kondo, or why Akira was suddenly training with the track team again.
The story maintains its slightly melancholy, bittersweet tone. And it's genuinely nice, at the end, to see Akira Akira spends so much time in the series basically trapped in her head, it's a nice note to end on, seeing her happy.
3.5 stars, but I'm rounding down for Goodreads' system, which is also exactly how I felt about the first part of this series, except I rounded up for Goodreads' system, so at least it's consistent. (My review of American volumes 1-3/Japanese volumes 1-6 here)
On one hand, the series handles a tricky topic with care, while showing why both the 17-year-old and the 45-year-old might get something out of--not even a romantic relationship, but the potential for one that the series focuses on, like I mentioned in my first review. And--maybe a spoiler, but hardly--it ends on a happy, non-creepy note, which makes me feel better after being so leery and unable to tell where the series was headed.
On the other hand, because this latter part of the series lets 17-year-old Akira and 45-year-old Kondo dwell more on their motivations and what they want out of life, I actually found it...pretty boring. If you like the characters, it's fine because they're both getting out of the ruts they've been stuck in. But if you think the characters are just okay, a story that focuses on them (and their thoughts and feelings, rather than actions) leans toward the dull side.
Part of the problem, particularly in the last volume, are scenes that aren't currently happening: flashbacks, or a chapter in which Kondo (and Akira? it's unclear whether she's participating) imagines what might happen if they were the same age and in high school together. But it's pretty easy to miss the introductions to these scenes, so several times I was left wondering why there was a student who looked like a young Kondo, or why Akira was suddenly training with the track team again.
The story maintains its slightly melancholy, bittersweet tone. And it's genuinely nice, at the end, to see Akira Akira spends so much time in the series basically trapped in her head, it's a nice note to end on, seeing her happy.
January 26, 2024
Reading this manga, I thought was going to put me in a hiatus because the library didn't have the next volume in the series. However, reading it in its entirety, I became aware that this Manga actually end in this Volume. To me, it felt quite shocking. I was just starting to understand more about why the main character likes her love interest. Her slowly returning to the sport she used to do. The dissonance she felt and the restructuring of her identity. Her friends in the cafe and how they would resolve themselves(why did the guy reject that other girl? I feel there was more to it than liking just the main character). I though at this time perhaps that her injuring and rain was somehow magically linked, but instead it became a metaphor of grief of loss and getting the parasol is making it through the hardship and seeing the light on the other side. But how they ended up in separate jounces, well hit hard about the what ifs in life. I don't know, but I am both happy to reach the end but sad this is the end. I certainly could have enjoyed the characters building out more, and see how they are in a couple of years. The whole friends wanting her back in track also felt like there was more character build opportunities...All in all, I am happy I read it. I was pulled in, loved the art, and got to the end. Its a four because I might revisit this series again if I feel nostalgic for something simple yet complex, but having a conclusion enough to move on to new things at the end of it.
December 20, 2025
What a bittersweet, beautiful ending. Akira realized she had to give Kondou up to move forward with her life. I was devastated when they imagined what it would be like between them if they were in the same place in life, all while knowing it's impossible. And Kondou remained incredibly respectful of Akira the entire time, as I knew he would. I hope he stays involved in literature and fulfills his potential as a writer. His character felt the most real, as if he were an actual person that I'm rooting for to succeed.
July 18, 2021
Schöner Zeichenstil, eine wunderschöne tiefgreifende Geschichte, die zwar romantisch beginnt, aber ich vermute, das dies eher eine Geschichte über eine ungewöhnliche Freundschaft wird. Einziges Manko ist, dass der Manga im Vergleich zu anderen doch relativ wenig Seiten beinhalten, so dass er in in 20 Min. auch schon durchgelesen werden kann. Aber die Cover sind in jedem Einzelband ein Hingucker und der Zeichenstil ist neben der Story sehr beeindruckend und ungewöhnlich.
November 13, 2021
I knew the gap was too large for Akira and boss to get together but I wish we had a parting kiss. (Even just on the cheek.) Despite that, I feel whole after reading this. I will say that this is a seinen and I see why. I think you get more out of it if you are older and can see from the perspective of Akira and boss. (How it’s not a josei idk but oh well.)
May 5, 2023
4.5
Ended up really loving this and it had such a beautiful ending. While some may think it’s a romance it’s actually more of a coming of age story about a girl with a crush. In many ways it reminded me of being 17. My only complaint is that the Kondo’s personal subplots weren’t all that fleshed out but he still got a nice neat ending so I won’t complain too much.
Ended up really loving this and it had such a beautiful ending. While some may think it’s a romance it’s actually more of a coming of age story about a girl with a crush. In many ways it reminded me of being 17. My only complaint is that the Kondo’s personal subplots weren’t all that fleshed out but he still got a nice neat ending so I won’t complain too much.
February 4, 2024
It's an amazing story about fulfilling your dreams and never giving up on that spark that forever is inside us. Truly doing what makes us happy regardless of the obstacles that life may throw at us. Wanted to read first before watching the anime adaption. From what I've seen, the anime definitely matches the beauty and art taken from the manga. Highly recommend
August 12, 2025
4/5
I read the whole series in a weekend and waited until I finished it to write a review.
I loved this. It made me tear up. It’s a very powerful story about rediscovered passion and an inspiration for the future. Poignant, bittersweet, and beautiful. I’d suggest this series to anyone who is feeling uninspired or like they’ve lost motivation for something that they used to love.
I read the whole series in a weekend and waited until I finished it to write a review.
I loved this. It made me tear up. It’s a very powerful story about rediscovered passion and an inspiration for the future. Poignant, bittersweet, and beautiful. I’d suggest this series to anyone who is feeling uninspired or like they’ve lost motivation for something that they used to love.
February 7, 2022
This series is among the best manga I've read. I can't say much without spoilers so I'll just say the art is excellent and the story is even better. The genre is hard to nail down: romance? coming of age?; neither does the story justice.
All I can say is give it a try -- you won't be sorry!
All I can say is give it a try -- you won't be sorry!
November 2, 2022
This was a kind of lackluster letdown for the ending of the book...but I suppose that's to be expected with the entire series revolving around a would-be relationship between a seventeen-year-old and a forty-five-year-old. It's better this way.
November 29, 2019
There is so much left unfinished though!!!!!!!!!!!
November 20, 2020
Mesmerising and unputdownable, five volumes in a day
February 13, 2021
so poignant.
February 28, 2022
En este volumen el jefe se me hizo super tierno y me lleno el corazón ver como le brillaron los ojos al ver que a Akira no le molestaba que el fuera un ante apasionado de los libros...♡
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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