サクラ、サク。 2 [Sakura, Saku. 2]

サクラ、サク。 [Sakura, Saku.] #2

by Io Sakisaka, 咲坂伊緒

COME FAI A CAPIRE SE SEI INNAMORATA? Possibile che Saku fino al giorno prima fosse persa per Ryosuke e ora, di colpo, i suoi sentimenti abbiano cambiato direzione? Tutti i misteri dell’amore secondo Io Sakisaka in un numero che parla di segreti, proposte imbarazzanti e tradimenti.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Young Adult, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Manga, Contemporary

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2021

About the author

Io Sakisaka (咲坂伊緒) is a Japanese manga artist. She also designed the characters for the anime movie HAL. Her works are:

-Call My Name (2001)
-Watashi no Koibito (2002)
-Bye-Bye, Little (2002)
-Blue (2006)
-Mascara Blues (2007)
-Strobe Edge (2007)
-Ao Haru Ride (2011)
-Sono Omokage o Shitteru (2013) (oneshot)
-Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (2015)
-Otome no Itari (2020) (oneshot)
-Sakura, Saku (2021)

Reviews

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there a more beautiful drawing style than that of Io Sakisaka? Eh, I don't think so.

[Margaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comment je suis passée d’un "c’est sympa mais pas fou" à être complètement accro en une tome????

Honnêtement l’histoire est assez "simple", mais les personnages sont si bienveillants, et le trait de crayon si doux, qu’à la lecture de ce tome on se sent comme enveloppé dans une bulle de douceur.

C’est épuré, simple, mais efficace.
Je suis déjà hyper attachée aux personnages. Saku est la protagoniste la plus mignonne vraaaiment!

Si vous cherchez une lecture réconfortante, vous savez quoi lire!
Ce tome est un coup de cœur pour moi! Et j’ai vraiment trop hâte d’avoir la suite

[Ris Sasaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so close to perfection up until the point when sensei once again did the problematic friendship trope once again 😭

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the wake of Ryosuke letting her down, Saku finds herself more interested in his brother, Haruki. As she navigates these new emotions, that other relationship is about to hit stormy waters and some people might be going a bit overboard.

This is a rarity for an Io Sakisaka manga - I find the secondary female character way more interesting than the primary. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Saku’s really great and she’s got some actual agency that’s very welcome. Heck, her story is quite good, but, oh, that second plotline…

Poor Kotono clearly has a worthless lump for a boyfriend, that was dead obvious in the first volume, but I was surprised at how fast that started to boil over. There’s a momentum here that’s probably fleeting, looking at you, Ao Haru Ride, but no less welcome in the moment.

Not only does Kotono end up having to defend her choices, she is “rewarded” for them by being utterly let down. Now, the way this happens is a little too coincidental, but you can’t say it doesn’t get the job done. Even if it sure looks to me like a rival is being snuck in at the same time.

And Mitoshi makes for a believably useless try-hard, desperate to impress Kotono to the point of defending honour she never asked to be defended. He also has very little notion of letting things settle before trying to interject himself - he has a crush and he’s just so bad at handling it that it makes him interesting.

So those two are great. I’d pivot to reading about them if I had the chance, honestly, but Saku processes her emotions somewhat rapidly and realizes that she’s more than a little taken with Haruki, if this is, indeed, love. Again, this will probably take a bit, but in the moment that’s a heck of a realization.

Saku remains a lot of fun - she and Haruki have a strong chemistry that isn’t quite there yet, but I love how it’s developing. It definitely feels like Haruki has existed in a long shadow for some time and is more exasperated that people only see him as nice than anything else, even if he can’t change his innate nature.

The whole volume is peppered with lots of fun moments between the two of them (and Saku embarrassing herself, at least in her own mind), plus the drama is certainly more direct than some shojo, yet not as… intense… as some of Sakisaka’s other works. It makes for a solid read and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

So you get big drama and lots of romantic sprinkles. It’s pretty much par for the course for Io Sakisaka, but a reminder that she is consistently strong and literally every single thing of hers I’ve read has been at least good and totally worth my time. And yours, if you enjoy what will likely turn to a slow-burn romance soon enough.

4 stars - it’s hovering between 3.5 and 4, there are some contrivances here, but it’s really good. It’s definitely off to a better start than Love Me, Love Me Not, I certainly prefer these characters, and that also ended up being a really satisfying story from this mangaka. Recommended.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this manga so far. The storyline, while it has drama, isn't OTT and is based in reality. (You catch the BF of your friend on what seems to be a date with another girl. Do you confront him, tell your friend or both? Discuss!)

I really want the friend to end up happy. Moreso than the MC h for some reason. I guess I connected with the friend better? The MC h kind of leaves me cold in the volume tbh. She's not BAD, but is just kind of...there.

3, I want to see how this story progresses, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.

[Violet ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so cute! I want a friendship like theirs. 💙

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

AAAA ES QUE TODO BONITO TODO BIEN AMO LOS PERSONAJES DE IO SAKISAKAAAAA LA ODIO POR HACER TODO TAN BIEEEENNN

[Agapibooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

Vraiment jusqu’ici mini coup de cœur pour ce manga 🥹

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Soon you'll be able to let go of love that isn't fun without caring one bit. Because I'll treat you way better than your boyfriend!"

I feel so conflicted on this volume and I'm pretty sure it's because I absolutely ADORED volume one. I found a protagonist that I deeply deeply related to and felt I was seeing glimpses of myself on page. I was EAGERLY looking forward to that continuing in volume two, but I felt the story shifted more to Saku questioning her feelings and what love is?

Don't get me wrong! I think that is great and love that about Io Sakisaka's stories! She writes very compelling heroines as each one is searching and learning what love is in their own way. The message in this volume of whether or not something is love is up to the person to decide is wonderful. I love this newfound confidence that Saku has in knowing and believing that because of the confidence of what her friend said earlier about her boyfriend.

And speaking of her friend, WOW! I was very impressed how a situation was addressed and handled later on! I have not read many shoujo that deal with the said situation and was especially touched by Saku's struggle of what she should do and if she made the right decision or not. Very well done!

But even saying all that, I don't find myself running off to see when the next volume releases and I'm very crushed by that since I have deeply loved Io Sakisaka's previous works (though I still need to read Love Me, Love Me Not). Not loving this one nearly as much as volume one or her other works feels like a low blow honestly because it wasn't like this volume was "bad," but I just couldn't seem to get swept away in the story as I have others.

So all in all, I just don't know. Is this mood reader problems and just need to come back to it or am I simply just not head over heels for the story even though it had many things I liked about it?

[Artemissia G · Rating 4 out of 5]

La suite avec le volume 2 est dans la même veine, Saku et Haruki continuent de se tourner autour avec beaucoup de non-dits et de regards intenses. À côté de cela, on suit également les déboires amoureux d’une jeune fille qui se lie d’amitié avec Saku. Là encore, Saku va devoir faire preuve de courage et de bienveillance pour aider sa camarade lorsque cette dernière sera dans la tourmente.

Très sincèrement, je trouve que ce shôjo manga nous sert là une très jolie histoire sur les premiers amours adolescents, leurs doutes, leurs complexes, etc. De plus, il faut dire que le dessin est vraiment soigné et je le trouve bien plaisant.

Dans l’ensemble, ce début de série a tout pour me ravir avec des personnages expressifs et attachants avec leurs histoires. Quant au graphisme, il est vraiment sympa et va bien avec ce genre. C’est doux, pétillant et sucré.

[Stella ⭐️🎀💌 · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’AI LES PIEDS QUI BATTAIENT DANS L’AIR TELLEMENT J’AI AIMÉ OMG C’ÉTAIT TROP MIGNON K’AI RESSENTI DANS MES ENTRAILLES LES SENTIMENTS DE SAKU ENCORE UNE FOIS 💖💖🌟🌟

je vous en supplie par contre : que kotono soit pas amoureuse de haruki et inversement sinon je me tue

[Lesaffairesdelouise · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai beaucoup aimé découvrir davantage le personnage de Kotono ! J’adore le fait qu’elle dise clairement les choses. Bon je ne sais pas comment interprété la fin du tome, mais fort heureusement j’ai le tome 3 😂✌️

[Eri 🌸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars ⭐️

Love love the art style! So pretty

Still super cute and wholesome and we got more moments between Saku and Sakura (the jacket and meat feeding scene soooo cute. Also when he asked her why she was ignoring him and pretended to be hurt. Cute cute cute). I’m glad she realized her feelings for him relatively quickly and the brother plot line didn’t drag on for too long.

Also glad the plot line with the cheating boyfriend of Ogiwara wrapped up relatively fast. The characters in this story are so wholesome and kind I love it. So cute that they support each other through hard times and value each others’ friendships so much.

Interested in finding out who the blonde boy who works at the cafe is 👀? Potential love triangle time?

[Miss Akacia . · Rating 4 out of 5]

ESE FINAL NO SERÁ LO QUE YO CREO NO?! 😭

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, the plot started to pick up in vol 2. I love friendship between saku and kotono in this volume 😍

Read this on viz

[Loue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so invested in this !!

[dora♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

kotono girlie you're just like me fr🧍🏼‍♀️

[Emma]

Giggling, kicking my feet part 2
Un shojo qui shojote
Encore un truc que je vais m’enchaîner mdr

[Rebecca Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Katherine Sisak · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a nutshell: A quick, fluffy read to enjoy when you’re looking for something lighthearted.

This manga was off to a slow start in the first volume, but the plot picked up in volume 2! I enjoyed reading about the friendship between Saku and Kotono in this volume, and the web of conflict that spiraled from Saku and Ryosuke seeing Kotono’s boyfriend at a café with another girl reminded me of why I enjoy shojo manga: the debate over whether to get involved in other peoples’ relationship issues is always an interesting one to explore. Saku and Ryousuke’s interactions are adorable and incredibly wholesome. They’re both low-key, shy people so watching them gradually peeking out of their shells to tentatively flirt makes for a fun reading experience. The story is quick, pleasant and sugary-sweet.

Additionally, the art in this volume (at least in the ARC I received) was much better than the previous volume. There was a greater diversity of screentones and the lines were more clearly articulated in this digital copy than in volume 1.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC!

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t tell me Ogiwara is crushing on Haruki now too???

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is okay. I am finding it to be a bit boring.
I do like how well the toxic relationship was handled in this volume, though. Very mature for a shojo manga.

Thank you Netgalley and Viz media for the ARC in exchange for my review!

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. The scenes this mangaka creates just have my heart beating so fast. She is so great.

[‘S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un peu déçue de ce second tome, je dois bien m'avouer que les nouvelles romances de Sakisaka ne me font plus autant d'effet qu'avant. Le principal problème c'est qu'elle n'innove pas; elle essaie, mais elle ne le fait pas concrètement. J'avais déjà remarqué ça avec Omofuri qui était censé être la version shojo romance de Nana, avec deux protagonistes et deux visions de l'amour complètement aux antipodes, et finalement... mais bref, c'est pas le sujet!
Alors, qu'est-ce que j'en ai pensé de ce tome en détails.
Déjà, les dessins sont très jolis, même si on ressent un léger changement de style qui moi personnellement m'a un peu perturbée mais ça reste du Sakisaka pur et dur et bien dessiné.
L'histoire reste assez mims, voire très mims, on est quand même sur Saku qui rougit parce que Haruki lui a touché l'épaule ou prêté son sweat. Et parlons des personnages tant qu'on y est: je suis vraiment très déçue à ce niveau là. J'ai toujours plus ou moins aimé les protagonistes d'Io Sakisaka mais là c'est la chute libre... Saku est si plate, Haruki est un Kô 'gentil' et plus extraverti, il n'est pas unique vous voyez? Kotono pourrait être intéressante mais bof, elle me tape plus les nerfs qu'autre chose... Quant à leur 4ème pote (j'ai oublié son prénom c'est pour vous dire) est juste u Aya aux cheveux lisses. Je suis vraiment dépitée parce que forcément ces archétypes de personnage là, je les ai déjà vus, chez Sakisaka elle-même, donc je finis par ne même plus ressentir le besoin de continuer l'histoire et apprendre à les connaître...
Et puis y a un truc qui m'a énervée, c'est la réaction de Saku par rapport à l'histoire de tromperie de Kotono par son copain. Donc oui, on est dans un shojo, il faut du drama du coup nous on sait bien qu'il l'a trompée et que c'est pas quelqu'un de bien, mais les autres? Attendez je reproduis le dialogue:
Copain de Kotono: oui je viens avec des filles au cafés, mais ce ne sont que des amies.
Saku: Tu ne penses pas que tu devrrais limiter ces amitiés vu que tu es en couple?
Euuuuh... non?? Je ne suis pas et je n'ai jamais été d'accord avec le fait de faire passer ses amitiés en second plan pour son partenaire au lieu d'en discuter et de régler les différends/malentendus, et je suis sidérée que cette idée de 'limites' ait été passée en toute simplicité?
M'enfin bref, entre deux lectures 'lourdes', Sakura Saku se lit vraiment bien et facilement, et je vais continuer la saga mais je suis un peu déçue car j'attendais sa sortie avec beaucoup de hâte pour pas grand-chose au final..

[Enairolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Après avoir découvert le premier tome, je me suis aussitôt jetée sur le second tome. Autant profiter de l’avoir sous la main sans attendre. Il me tardait de découvrir la suite de cette histoire. Je l’ai trouvé si belle, si touchante mais aussi si adorable. J’ai trouvé ce second tome aussi bon que le premier. On est clairement dans la même continuité. Maintenant, je meurs déjà d’impatience de découvrir ce que la suite va donner pour vous dire!

Dans ce second tome, Saku rencontre enfin Ryôsuke, le garçon dont elle rêvait. Mais elle découvre avec stupéfaction qu’il n’est pas celui qui lui est venu en aide et qu’elle était amoureuse de lui sur un malentendu ! Même si Saku commence à être attirée par Haruki, qui ne cesse de la soutenir, elle ne comprend plus le sentiment amoureux et n’ose pas se lancer… Le printemps arrive avec le pressentiment d’un nouvel amour !

J’aime tellement le personnage de Saku. Outre le fait qu’elle passe du temps à aider les autres dès qu’elle le peut, c’est une jeune fille pétillante et tellement adorable. On s’attache très vite à elle. Elle est un peu fleur bleu sur les bords aussi. Elle est quand même tombée amoureuse de celui qui l’a aidé sans même l’avoir déjà vu.. Mais ici elle a enfin l’occasion de pouvoir le rencontrer sauf que malheureusement, il ne s’agit pas de la bonne personne. Elle est extrêmement déçue. Mais heureusement Haruki est là pour lui remonter le moral. Ces deux là commencent à se rapprocher et j’adore la relation qu’ils sont en train de créer. J’adore la relation entre les deux d’ailleurs, je les trouve tellement adorable. Surtout quand ils rougissent tous les deux, c’est drôle et si mignon en même temps. Haruki est un personnage vraiment intéressant à suivre, j’ai vraiment adoré le découvrir un peu plus pour le coup.

Un second tome dans la lignée du premier. C’est toujours une histoire aussi douce à lire. Les personnages évoluent tout doucement et c’est un vrai plaisir de les découvrir de plus en plus. Je suis déjà impatiente de retrouver cette histoire avec le prochain tome. Être plongée dans cette histoire, ça fait vraiment du bien. C’est typiquement le genre d’histoire que j’aime lire et qui me fait du bien. Rien que pour ça je sens que je vais lire bien plus de shojo maintenant!

[Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

COMMENTO PERSONALE: Ammetto di essermi avvicinata a quest’opera perché risultava essere piuttosto controversa in quanto amata da tutti all’inizio e in seguito decisamente odiata, soprattutto da quello che ho letto e sentito negli ultimi volumi. La grafica ha davvero un tratto morbido e si ritorna ai tempi delle medie e delle superiori nei quali praticamente un’adolescente comincia a vivere la propria vita al meglio delle sue capacità. La protagonista è infatuata dall’idea di ritrovare la misteriosa persona che anni a dietro le salvò la vita e crede di averla trovata nel fratello di un amico. Ma conoscendo meglio Haruki, si accorge che sicuramente lui quando si tratta di aiutare gli altri e soprattutto di essere gentile non lo fa sicuramente per un tornaconto personale ma è proprio puro d’animo. In questo volume viene analizzato meglio l’avvicinamento tra i due che si imbarazzano per ogni singolo gesto di vicinanza e quello che ho apprezzato maggiormente è stato al luna park quando Saku vede una bambina piangere e nonostante avesse impiegato un sacco di tempo e di soldi per vincere un pupazzo glielo affida. Haruki, percependo la sua tristezza ne vince un altro a sua insaputa e lei rimane scioccata. Ma un altro filo conduttore di questo numero riguarda la migliore amica di lei che sfortunatamente viene tradita e Saku non sa che cosa fare effettivamente.  Ma alla fin fine come si sa, qualsiasi bugia ha le sue conseguenze e tutto viene fuori. Lei non se la prende per il comportamento del proprio ragazzo quanto piuttosto per il fatto di aver calpestato i sentimenti della sua amica. Davvero dolce e leggero lo consiglio davvero a tutti.

 

Ed eccoci giunti anche oggi al termine di una nuova avventura. Per una volta questa rispecchia davvero la prima lettura del mese e spero a fine settembre di mostrarvi quello che ho letto in questi due mesi. Alla prossima

 

 

Kicca

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new delightful series from Io Sakisaka

Art: ★★★★½
Story: ★★★★☆

For years (YEARS), I’ve only had the first volume to read, so this new volume was a joy to see the story moving forward.

Aside from Sakisaka’s gorgeous shoujo artwork, I love her characters. I also enjoy how she can balance side characters so that they don’t take over the story.

Saku is coming to terms with the fact that, though she hasn’t met her mystery subway savior yet, it may not matter. Ryosuke has proven to be an aloof and wary upperclassman. The person who represents kindness to her is Ryosuke’s brother, Haruki. But isn’t it tacky to instantly fall in love with the brother now? That’s what she struggles with. Meanwhile, Haruki is in a bit of denial because he sees himself as forever in the shadow of his older brother.— a convenient tool for people to get closer to his older brother. And all honesty, Saku fit the stereotype.

I am impressed with Sakisaka’s narrative ability to use the main character as the vehicle to develop the side character. It’s a subtle difference that a lot of other authors don’t quite grasp. Their side characters become main characters. In comparison, Sakisaka’s side characters enrich the world that the MC moves through. They enhance the plot.

I’m looking forward to volume 3.

[Moriah Venable · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont know if I will write a review for each volume as they release or not.

I really enjoyed this volume. Saku struggles with her idea on love, and possibly having feelings for Haruki.

While at the café to look at Haruki's brother, the two spot Kotono's boyfriend with another girl. Saku thinks he is cheating, but Haruki calms her down to not assume. Saku wonders if she should tell Kotono or not, but doesnt want to worry her if it is nothing.

The group go on an outing, where Kotono breaks up with her boyfriend, once he is confronted with being with another girl.

The volume ends with Saku looking at the photo that was taken of her feeding Haruki and Kotono returns to school. Saku decides to wait to tell her friend who she has a crush on.

From the look on Kotono face when she sees the picture on Saku's phone, I wonder if she already knows about her crush or if she maybe has feelings for him too.

In this series, the characters always jump to love so quick. Maybe I am cynical, but for me love takes time to happen, it is not something that happens from one glance. Can it happen? Yes. Anything is possible. I just think like and crush are better words. That is just me.

I am enjoying the art and the storyline so far. Wonder what else will happen.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saku contemplates love and whether she's interested in Haruki romantically. She is also debating whether to tell a friend she saw her boyfriend at a restaurant with another girl. Was it an innocent meeting, or was he cheating on her? And how can Saku be a good friend if it is the case?

A very low-key, contemporary romance manga. Most of this volume takes place over just 2 days, and much of it happens in internal dialogue. It is a slower-paced story meant for the introspective romantic.

Notes on content:
Language: Just a couple minor swears.
Sexual content: Nothing more than some hand-holding.
Violence: It is implied some boys beat up another boy. He is shown with a black eye and the others get in trouble.
Ethnic diversity: The characters are all Japanese, though from different areas.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: One character cheats on his girlfriend by going out with other girls.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es ist natürlich so gekommen, wie es kommen musste, aber trotzdem hat der Band wirklich Freude gemacht. Haruki ist wirklich nett (pun intended) und er und Saku führen wirklich eine schöne Freundschaft. Auch wenn Saku das mittlerweile anders empfindet und ich meine, dass es auch bei Haruki Anzeichen gibt. Ich bin froh, dass die mit Ryosuke abschließen konnte und auch, dass Kotono einen Schlussstrich gezogen hat. Weil der Kerl war ja unausstehlich. Das Ende lässt etwas vermuten, was ich wirklich unschön fände, wenn es eintreten sollte. Zum einen wegen Mitoshi, zum anderen wegen ihrer Freundschaft. Auch wenn ich nicht glaube, dass Haruki es erwidern würde. Auch der neue Charakter, der eingeführt wurde, wird wahrscheinlich noch eine größere Rolle in Zukunft spielen. Io Sakisaka kann klassischen Shojo mit einer guten Storyline halt einfach gut, wenn auch es sehr Trope-lastig ist. Freue mich schon auf den nächsten Band!