やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について 3

やがて君になる 佐伯沙弥香について [Yagate Kimi ni Naru: Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite] #3

by Hitoma Iruma, 入間人間, Nio Nakatani (Illustrator)

『やがて君になる』外伝ノベライズ、完結。大学生となった沙弥香の恋は――
『だってわたし、今、あなたのことが好きだもの』
　それは何年ぶりの『出会い』だっただろうか。大学二年生となった沙弥香を慕う、一つ年下の後輩・枝元陽。
　今まで沙弥香が好きになってきた人の誰からも遠いその雰囲気。眩しいくらい積極的に好意を伝えてくる陽に初めは警戒しながらも、やがて彼女からの気持ちに応えるように、沙弥香は恋の形を模索する。
――誰かに恋をする度、星に手を伸ばすようだった。とても綺麗で、ただ届かない。それでも。その星に触れてみたいと、今度こそ。
　沙弥香の恋の物語、完結編。

Genres: Light Novel, Yuri, Manga, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Queer

244 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Name (in native language): 入間 人間

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sayaka Saeki has had three very formative, if not entirely pleasant, encounters on her way to becoming a young woman. Now, in college, a fourth encounter has happened entirely by accident. Then again, there are worse things in the world than fate...

My relationship with Bloom Into You is not complicated - it is one of a couple books that renewed my long dormant interest in manga and also sent me down a yuri rabbit hole. It remains, full stop, my favourite manga series ever (although challengers lurk in the shadows).

My opinion of these light novels and Sayaka herself is more difficult to parse. Having more story in this universe is no bad thing and while I am not the fan of Sayaka that I gather many others are (I understand what caused her to stumble and, while it’s not her fault, per se, she still has to take responsibility for what she did or did not do), I certainly didn’t begrudge seeing her story come to a happier conclusion than where the manga left her.

It doesn’t start out so great though. There are a couple problems I have with it - one has been the Achilles heel of this entire novel trilogy while another is unique to this book in particular.

First, for such a short book it really feels like a slog during the first half. Sayaka gets way too wound up in herself, as befits her character, but waiting for her to untangle her thoughts can be excruciating at times. It offers a contrast to what comes later, sure, but possibly drags things out longer than they should. Sayaka’s never been one to be rushed, but waiting for her to overcome that isn’t particularly stirring.

It’s also a lot of retread of the problems she’s had from the very beginning. That said, I do like the way they integrated Touko into this as an almost invisible antagonist that Sayaka has to overcome. That aspect of her working through her trauma does work well (even if they kind of club you over the head with the symbolism of word choice during the text messages between them).

The second problem is the fan service. I noted this in the second volume especially where that book spent too much time broadly hinting at future events. Yes, we see Touko and Yuu, which is admittedly pretty great. I knew we weren’t going to get away without the coffee shop showing up. However, once it’s down to cameo appearances by the planetarium projector that Touko bought Yuu, it feels a little gratuitous.

What really saves this book is Edamoto Haru, the underclassman who Sayaka met at the end of the last book. She is the complete opposite of Sayaka - she’s like a hyper bunny who follows her heart without letting her head get in the way and doesn’t let the past hold her back. She’s utterly unlike any of the characters in the manga and their burgeoning ‘opposites attract’ romance is fun. She’s a large part of why any of this works as well as it does.

Once it really kicks off in the back half of the book, well, this truly comes alive. Sayaka is forced by virtue of Edamoto’s sheer forward facing attitude to work through her past, lest this opportunity slip away like so many others.

It’s here that the book’s use of its predecessors is at its best. There’s an unnecessary but wonderfully romantic callback to the very first novel, plus some very cute scenes featuring Yuu (there are two unexpected friendships here that I truly enjoyed).

And then it ends on yet another especially sweet note. It’s hopeful, yet realistic, and rather moving, all things considered. It took its time, but the journey ended up being worth getting to, though it was close at points.

I think this ended up being better than the middle book, which was a companion piece that I don’t know the manga really needed. As a minor epilogue I felt this worked better once it started to be a bit less navel-gazey. I was sad to see it end, I can say that much, and that’s definitely worth something in my estimation, even if I would certainly not call it perfect.

[Kayla Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS: I liked this book but the romance with Haru fell a little flat for me. Sayaka is clearly hung up on Touko throughout the majority of this book. She basically says that one of the reasons she sees Yuu is to discuss Touko and her life. She even states at one point while she is involved with Haru that maybe if she would have made different decisions she could have been with Touko. I would have been fine with her mentioning Touko every now and then, but I got the impression that she has a lot of regret for the way things went down in Bloom Into You and was constantly wishing that she would have done things differently.

This just takes away from the relationship she is starting with Haru. It left me with the impression that if Touko were to break up with Yuu and show interest in Sayaka that Sayaka would dump Haru in a heartbeat for a chance with Touko. It seemed like Sayaka was happy with Haru, but that she still regrets that she could not have been with Touko in the end. Not exactly what I was hoping for considering this novel is supposed to be about how Sayaka finally finds love with someone that loves her back.

Overall, this LN was a good read but I think it could have been executed differently. I never got the feeling that Sayaka was completely over Touko and head over heels in love with Haru. The moments between Sayaka and Haru are cute but I just wish they would have amounted to more. Still a decent conclusion to the Sayaka light novels.

[Victor Hdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mejor final no le pudieron dar a la hidtoria de Sayaka. Personalmente, en el manga una parte de mi quería que se quedara con Touko.

Me gustó cómo la autora trajo recuerdos del primer volumen.

Es una volumen muy bueno. Solo hay un tema triste a mi parecer y es cuando se da cuenta que al tener el valor de verse con Touko que eso las iba a alejar mas que volver a ser las mejores amigas :'(

Tienen que leerlo si son fans de Bloom Into You. Sino lo son vayan a leer los mangas de Bloom Into You, haganse fans y lean estos 3 volumenes del spin-off de Saeki Sayaka.

[Ronaldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful conclusion to Sayaka's story. Her interactions with Haru are fun, and reveal how much Sayaka has matured and learned from her time in the the student council. Haru leaves a strong impression despite only appearing in the 3rd volume. Her straightforward personality is refreshing and helps contrast Sayaka's reserved and cautious nature. I wish there was more.

[Eressea · Rating 4 out of 5]

從漫畫虐到外傳
總算在外傳第三集給佐伯幸福了
入間人間一貫的囉嗦文風在終將原作加持下比較討喜
頗適合佐伯千迴萬轉的鑽牛角尖性格
只不過總覺得意猶未竟就寫完了
排隊買晚餐的過程中就幾乎翻完整本書哩
我是太久沒看輕小說了吧

本書高潮在佐伯二十歲生日，一路往甜膩的終點衝去
想起前陣子看日劇秘密內幕
二十歲的川合小女警本尊永野出演時二十一歲
在螢幕上看起來跟十六七歲也差不多
突然間覺得JK和JD也沒什麼差別了
這就是老了嗎@@

書裡寫到佐伯不敢相信陽的告白~
有點Too good to be true的況味
不禁想到最近對我來說
真的是Too good to be true
又是一個充滿攻殼風的美夢啊Orz

BTW
超久沒看直排的電子書了
還有點不習慣
台角真是一股清流啊

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

ohhh myyy god im so glad sayaka finally got a happy ending cuz this girl has only been taking L’s since middle school 😭

absolutely adored all three of these books and how they were so introspective - i really feel i have a better understanding of sayaka’s personality and intentions and the way she reacts to things

ig in some ways shes like me, so i cant help but rooting for her;;; anyways - shes the real main character of bloom into you 💖💖💖

[Ansgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ojalá hubiera 3 más. Literalmente el spin off perfecto que podía tener bloom into you. Como diría GRRM: Mood: Happy

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good end to the series… I love sayaka and harus dynamic sm oh my god they’re so cute i couldn’t take it. but seriously i loved this, very happy with the way it turned out. (4.0)

[Isapropanol · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5
And just like that, the story ended.
I really enjoyed this series, both the manga and this spin-off, so I will certainly miss it. Guess I'll have to find a new series to obsess over.

[Jud · Rating 5 out of 5]

And, finally, we get to the end of Sayaka's story. When I finished Regarding Saeki Sayaka , I felt like I was finishing Bloom Into You all over again... it made me sad and happy at the same time. In this final volume, the story focuses on how Sayaka meets Edamoto Haru in university and ends up falling in love with her. The great thing about it is that, this time, it works –third time's the charm.

They are a lovely couple. Haru is very distinctive because no other character in this series is as energetic as she is. She's very cute and I liked her A LOT. The moment I met her I knew she was perfect for Sayaka. Both have very little in common when it comes to their particular tastes but... they complete each other so well. Where Sayaka is insecure, Haru is determined; where Sayaka is serenity and calmness, Haru is a breath of fresh air; where Sayaka has trouble to move on, Haru is always on the move. They respect, take care and love each other. Moreover, they help the other grow and heal (especially, Haru helps Sayaka, since our protagonist is the one who's been troubled by her past toxic/unrequited love experiences her whole life). They truly match so well!
Also, I love her dynamics. It's like character A is serious but stops being serious for character B, while character B is a hyper who can only be restrained by character A. They are exceptionally cute and funny: Sayaka roasting Haru in their text messages? Hilarious; Haru dying to see Sayaka in a swimsuit? A mood; Both sharing meals and spending their time together in Haru's apartment? So domestic I could cry.

To put it simply: to see Sayaka finally get the happy ending she deserves was the most satisfying thing I could have ever read. This novel is, basically, a comfort book. I enjoyed this last installment very much and I can't recommend the series enough :)

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The changes that Sayaka Saeki has undergone over these three light novels is gradual but once the final volume ends, you can see such a great change - finally, she is confident in herself, her relationships with not only her girlfriend but also her friends, and she is able to accept who she is without reservation.

Hitoma Iruma has wonderfully captured the spirit and tone of the original manga and has extended the story here in a way that is true to the story written by Nakatani Nio and her characters. It was so rewarding to finally see Saeki move on from her one-sided obsession with Touko that dominated her character in the manga and in the second volume of this series and embrace a new start with Haru. Haru is a welcome addition to a delightful cast of characters and she compliments Saeki well.

Throughout the first successes of Sayaka and Haru, the reader is cheering them on and sharing with them their first joyful steps. The only downside to this final volume is that it ends. The resolution is well-earned and the characters have reached a good place but I just want more stories set in this world.

[Hollis Rhodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a book, it is four stars. As a conclusion to the Bloom into You saga, it really is gorgeous. I never wanted this series to end.

[Isabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A base de ir eliminando poco a poco el dolor y los fracasos del pasado, y de volver a recomponerme, había llegado a ser quien era ahora."

Tenía muchas ganas de leer este Spinoff ya que Bloom Into You es un manga maravilloso y el personaje de Sayaka fue uno de mis favoritos desde el principio. En esta reseña, hablaré en general de mis pensamientos de la obra completa.

Mi problema principal es que siento que el personaje de Sayaka está muy poco desarrollado. 2/3 libros son "centrados" en Sayaka y nadie lo diría porque parece más un slice of life de su vida que una obra centrada en ELLA como protagonista. Estamos hablando de un personaje que tuvo una relación en la que ella no estaba segura de estar enamorada para que cuando finalmente se diera cuenta de que sí lo estaba, su Senpai la abandonara. Ese mismo personaje que años más tarde se enamoraría de Touko y se negaría a confesarse para que su "relación" no cambiara. Y en el tercer libro, se sintió apresurado, haciendo al personaje irreal. En un único tomo, conoce a un nuevo personaje, se enamora, decide superar todos sus traumas pasados y entablar una relación en menos de 100 páginas todo.

Con todo esto no quiero que me malinterpretéis, la novela no está mal. Pero siento que podría haber sido una maravillosa obra si se le hubiera dado otro enfoque a la obra. Haru y Sayaka hacen un dúo de opuestos que es muy divertido peeeero, no me he quedado tan satisfecha como me habría gustado.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regarding Saeki Sayaka Series

I think the series Bloom Into You is one of the most wonderful I've ever read. The art is beautiful, the characters sympathetic, and the story as a whole is very well written. I greatly enjoyed reading the story of Yuu and Touko, and was sad when the series ended.

Now we have the tale of Saeki Sayaka, who was a key character in the first series, but she is secondary to the main story. I confess, I started this series because I just could not get enough of the characters from the first book. As it turned out, this series focuses on Sayaka, who is portrayed an incredibly sympathetic manner. In the manga, she seemed rather remote, or distant. In this series, we know her thoughts and we find that to a large extent, she is distant because experiences that made her wary of romantic relationships. It's sad to see this happen to anyone, but it makes me appreciate this rendering of Saeki's personality so much. We must give credit to Haru, but it is also true that Saeki would not have taken the steps that she did, but that she wanted to change her life. She takes a big chance, but succeeds. This was another wonderful series and I hope the author continues to entertain us with her tales of people who are compelling and flesh and blood, too.

[Bentgaidin · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Regarding Saeki Sayaka, vol 3' is the last light novel spun off from the Bloom Into You manga, and it's great to see Sayaka getting to meet someone who can draw her out of her introspection and be a good partner for her - one of the things I've really enjoyed over the course of the light novels is that we get to know so many of the key relationships in her life, of different sorts, that it really makes this one with Haru feel not just like something she fell into (or was pulled; Haru's energy really does a lot of the lifting here) but a good fit for who she's grown into as a person, and something that will continue to grow with her as they're together. It's also adorable seeing Sayaka overthinking other parts of her adulthood, such as her first time being drunk, and how she wants to relate to people she's not as close with anymore. This is very much a book that benefits from having read the manga first, but also it's just a very warm feeling to have such a good wrap-up to the series. They might not be together forever, but they're happy now, and that's what I really want for everyone.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this last year but I've only made an acc now and I just wanna put out some thoughts.

Sayaka was a character I was rooting for when I first read Bloom Into You all those years ago, and for her to have her story be told and continued made me so happy.

The first work I've read of Iruma was Adachi and Shimamura, and I absolutely adore and love that series-- it's a series that is very close to my heart, and for them to be the one to work on Sayaka's story, I knew she'd be in good hands. And oh boy did Iruma deliver.

Sayaka's experiences as a lesbian myself was just all too relatable, one of Iruma's strong points is their way of writing characters. Sayaka genuinely felt so real, from her thoughts to her actions, Iruma did such a good job writing about a young girl struggling with her identity and relationship with others. A part of me wishes it could have gone longer because I want just see more of Sayaka living her best life.

I really don't want to spoil anything because I want people to go through this journey with Sayaka on their own. So all I want to say is please read it, if you liked Bloom Into You I think you would love this one a whole lot.

[willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to get to this bc I loved sayaka and her story throughout the anime and manga but I honestly didn't love the romance and the story here? sayaka's romance with haru felt awkward and the whole time sayaka was reminiscing about high school and touko... which I get! because 1) it's realistic to be reminiscent, and 2) touko is a familiar character from the original story, so it makes sense to bring her back for the reader's sake. but, it felt awkward in regards to sayaka's story because she's supposed to be in new love? so idk.

I also probably would have preferred if haru was the same year as sayaka; it's really not a big deal that they're a year apart, but sayaka has to make it SUCH a big focus throughout the novel...

the story itself was pretty basic--it's sweet, it's pleasant, there's a happy ending for sayaka, but it was just like. meh. still, sayaka was one of my faves and while this wasn't the best, it was great to read her story and see it wrapped up conclusively :)

[Kin · Rating 5 out of 5]

＊ネタバレあり＊

「やがて君になる」を観てたときや読んでたとき、「フィクションってまさにこれだ」っていう感じばっかだった。そしてこのスピンオフ小説も同じだった。人として色々経験して、恋や好きの意味を探していて、まるで手探りしているようで、ついにその幸せを見つける沙弥香の話を読んでとても楽しかった。

この本は最終巻で沙弥香のハッピーエンドを描く役目を素敵に果たせたと思う。傷つけられ、傷つき、何度迷っても、今どうすればいいかよくわからなくても、その影響や経験で自分という人を理解でき、沙弥香は自分の道を作れるようになる。そんな沙弥香を見ていたら、心の底から応援せざるを得なくなる。どことなく自分にも似てるようにも思えて、沙弥香の経験を自分の経験や人生と重ね合わせて比べてみることも少なくなかった。偏見的な評価かもしれないけど、しかたないねｗ 前巻で描いたシーンもちゃんとまとめられて、読んだらすごい満足感を与えた。例えば、１巻のプールでのシーンで沙弥香の「心にヒビが入った」と言ったシーンと対照的に（舞台上の役が逆になった状況で）それが再現されて沙弥香が「そのときに割れたヒビが埋まっていった」という。自分が向き合っていた不安や、自己肯定のできなさなどが薄くなって、とうとう自分の見つけた新しい幸せと一緒にいられて、それでも変わり続いていて、変わり続けるという事実を受け入れて、生きていく。

色々書きたいけど、感極まっちゃって、どう書いていいか全くわからないｗ この作品に初めて触れたときから、今までも止まらず感心と感動しか感じなかった。本を読む前には少しどうかなって感じだったけど、杞憂だった。３冊も、本当に本当に楽しくて時々切なくて、それでもちゃんと沙弥香のハッピーエンドを見送りたいって気分を抱いていた。思い出せば、３巻の表紙にハルが載っていることを見て、原作で名前しか出てないことを意識していたから、「ここにこのキャラ描かれている？」と思って、見た瞬間惹かれちゃった。そしてすぐにでもこれを読まなきゃ、と全巻通信しちゃった。それは、よかった。

「やがて君になる」を読めて、よかった。

[Mathxxl]

J'aurais enchaîné cette petite trilogie sur le personnage de Sayaka dans Bloom Into You.

Ben c'était pas mal du tout ? Le style m'a un peu décontenancé parce que c'est une œuvre qui peut pas exister sans le manga et donc ça laisse ça et là des trous dans le récit, en particulier dans le second tome qui est le moins intéressant du lot.

Tout le récit fait très pièce de théâtre, avec quelques lieux clés qui reviennent régulièrement.

C'est avant tout une pure histoire character-driven avec beaucoup d'introspections de la part de Sayaka sur sa vie et surtout sur ses relations à différents moments de sa vie.

Le troisième tome est particulièrement satisfaisant puisqu'il se permet le plus de libertés et de développement, en proposant aussi une chouette fin (même si j'aurais aimé en voir plus !).

Pas forcément un récit à "grands" moments (je n'ai pas forcément une scène qui me reste en tête), mais une chouette histoire tout le long.

[Mari LD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simplemente WOW amo como poco a poco sayaka se conoce más deja atras los dolores del amor humano,una cosa que también me encanta es que no le da vergüenza y confusión amar a una mujer siendo ella una misma cosa que se vio en el primer volumen claramente sayaka creció y los otra personajes también,es simplemente hermoso.Otro punto a dar tambié es como ella también comienza a aceptar a haru con su imprudencia y su gran energía cosas que para la sayakas anteriores sería cansado y molesto ,también como está cambio un poco como correr por el simple hecho de que haru es extremadamente rápida ,pero estás siguen teniendo sus diferencias como con lo de gatos y perros es bonito tener cosas en común con tu pareja,hasta cambiar un poco por ella no es malo es normal pero estar de acuerdo en todo ,weird(bueno amigues eso fue todo sorry por decir tanto "y" ).Quiero ser novia de sayaka 😭😭😭

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Book one in this series is still my favorite but this was a good ending. I really liked the character of Haru, Sayaka’s new love interest. Haru is quirky and outgoing and so likable. I thought she and Sayaka were wonderful together and shared quite a few cute moments. My main gripe with this story was how hung up Sayaki still is on Nanami all the way through. That was extremely annoying and a bit unfortunate. It made it seem like she was settling with Haru and was just waiting on her chance to be with Nanami one day. I didn’t like that aspect at all. She and Haru were cute together but her still harboring this dumbass school crush tainted it a bit for me. Overall, I really enjoyed getting to know Sayaka’s character more and this was a really good series even if this final book was a bit bittersweet for me.

[eun · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was cute! i'm happy to have this as my final book of the year

overall this is sayaka's series & it's great to have seen her character development over the course of the series. i wish haru was a bit more developed as a character, it kind of seems like she's just there so she can be sayaka's new gf, but like i said this is sayaka's series. in the end sayaka chooses her own happiness, chooses to move on, chooses to pursue + trust new feelings w/ someone else & it's just nice to see how she's matured. still the book would have been much better if they had given haru that same level of complexity.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely my favorite of all 3 books and how about Sayaka meeting Haru in a similar way that Miyako met Hakozaki-sensei (love it!). Anyhow, I loved the book but WHY does almost every yuri story ever seem to end or totally avoid addressing dealing with society, coming out to family members, etc? It's like, it's great but "don't ask, don't tell"...
For example, Yuu is staying with Touko like all the time now but its not even clear if their parents are now, if are they ok, etc. I think this kind of like leaves the story hanging.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like the character Haru and how they started dating. But the bit near the end of chapter 3, i.e. when she reassured Haru she couldnt cheated on her and her thoughts when meeting with Touko, makes it seem like Sayaka is still very hung up on Touko. It made me feel like if Touko has broken up with Yuu and gave Sayaka a chance, she would have taken that chance. I don't think is the writer's intention, but it unfortunately does come across like that.. So 4 stars instead of 5.

[Rayan · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the light novel regarding sayaka and it was a pleasure reading the works and writing of Iruma Hitoma. I sort of wished they would pair sayaka with the girl she met from elementary at swimming classes, but nontheless was still satisfied she got her happy ending with haru. i was able to finish the series in 3 days and it was fun to read, i kind of wished they would write about haru meeting touko and all of sayaka's other friends and elders. i still like the writing style and how simple and fast-read it was and the ending was wholsome so that's cool.

[Czarina S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like the source material, these light novels brought up the question of if you love something or someone as they are now, would you still continue to do so when they begin to change? We certainly saw some big changes in Sayaka since the first time we met her, so I can confidently say that the answer to that question is "yes". Reading this put the biggest smile on my face. I feel like I really went through an entire journey with this beautiful, complicated character.

[dracuvale · Rating 4 out of 5]

i don’t care about a person’s dark side or what they’re really thinking anymore. i don’t understand all that, and i probably never will, but…what’s important is that you’re smiling right now and that you’re happy… that’s what matters to me. sorry i can’t really find the right words for it. but i think that your thoughts always show up on your face. that’s why i love everything i can see of you right now, and that’s all i need to know.

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you fall in love with someone, it's as though you are reaching towards a star. I pretended I hadn't noticed that I never seemed to reach it, no matter how much I reached my hand towards it.

...

And if you did reach one, the star would lose its light and simply settle into the commonplace within your hands.

[SC · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first volume was so sad/frustrating (reminded me of my own questioning childhood) and the second was a bit slow (though worth reading) but this third volume filled me with such joy. I'm incredibly happy that they gave Sayaka a happy outcome. It's so sweet and so gay and fills my heart with such joy.

The author and illustrator did a fantastic job.

[Charly Iglesias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tenía muchas ganas de poder leer el final de la historia de Saeki y por fin lo he hecho. Quizá no era el mejor momento para hacerlo o quizá era el más adecuado, pero diré que me ha encantado. De verdad.

Me fascina Haru y toda su personalidad. Saeki era uno de mis personajes favoritos del manga y estoy muy feliz de que le hayan dado un final así 🥹.