貓與海的彼端

by Monday Recover, 星期一回收日, Chen Qiao Rong

　　國小三年級新教室，
　　性格內向、班上邊緣人的吳筱榕，
　　在她的座位前，是個有著秀麗秀髮的馬尾女孩，
　　筱榕不自禁輕輕拉了下可蔚的髮尾，
　　性格截然不同的兩人，就此關係開始密切，
　　一起提筆畫漫畫，並用貓貓語將無法言述的話說出。

　　校外教學後，彼此遠離，
　　可蔚的個人創作《海之聲》漫畫真正內容，再也無人可以知曉，
　　遍尋不著線索的筱榕，從何找到沒有答案的解答？
　　《海之聲》記憶的吉光片羽、無言的夢境，
　　追尋故事的渴望與青春情感交織，少女們最終的結局是？

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Grief, Lesbian

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2022

About the author

Native: 星期一回收日

Reviews

[lysareading]

Bought the translated Malay at Kino. Sedih juga :,)

[Mark]

Hsiao-Jung is an awkward and lonely student in Taiwan, who happens to make friends with Ko-Wei, one of the popular girls in her class. So begins a tale of growing up, grief, loss, and regret.

This is a rather good story that reminded me quite a bit of another melancholic tale, I Had That Same Dream Again. I think that one is superior, but this one is certainly worth a read.

Hsiao-Jung simply isn’t like the other girls her age. She definitely sees the world a bit differently and she allegedly has a lower IQ, not that there’s much stock to be put in that. Either way, she doesn’t fit in.

How Ko-Wei comes to like her so much is a bit of a mystery and we learn in the first chapter that, for reasons, it is a mystery that will never be solved. Again, this is a story about grief.

But it’s also a story about creativity and the idea that some stories are simply not yours to tell. When Ko-Wei leaves Hsiao-Jung’s life forever, she leaves behind a story that will never be finished.

Try as she might, Hsiao-Jung can’t figure out how the story would go. The manga makes the argument that without the original creator, the true story is completely lost. There’s something to that and it makes a compelling case for its viewpoint either way.

Amidst all that we also see how grief stays with us, but changes over time. There’s a lot of reality to this story, including the way that the friendships of young girls can change on a dime. That lends itself to no small amount of extra guilt on Hsiao-Jung’s part.

There are a couple of minor issues that keep this from true greatness. One is the ending proper, which throws out the series’ previous balance of narrative and statement, opting instead to basically be all statement. It is inelegant at best.

We are also given vague hints that this friendship might be something a little more than that, or could be in future since these two are so young. I don’t know that this angle really needs to exist.

Ko-Wei means a lot to Hsiao-Jung and I think that this is really enough for the story being told here. There’s a prominent shot of lilies at one point and a bonus chapter that’s pretty pointed, but it doesn’t add anything (and I say that as a person who is always here for yuri).

Still, this tells a pretty good story in a single volume and that alone is worth celebrating. It doesn’t nail everything it’s going for, but it does achieve a lot and that’s worth celebrating.

4 stars - heck, I would almost give it an extra half because it nearly made me tear up at one point. A unique story that’s worth experiencing.

[Ebique]

the only reason it’s not 5 stars is that it’s not long enough,,, I NEED MORE OF THEM PLEASE. But it’s a really good volume for all the 6 chapters !! the art style makes the manga really easy to read and the story was really up my lane, and their friendship being built on trust and just seeing two polar opposite characters have the same interests really warmed my heart. The ending was gut wrenching though omg 😭😭😭

[Mehsi]

Sorry, all I can do is cry. What a magnificent emotional read. HIGHLY recommended. Also FUCK YOU TRUCK-KUN!

[新新 Xin-Xin]

走進書店至少要買一本書，回老家逛金玉堂時買的。

如果想先試閱，目前全六話都可以在 CCC 上觀看，我好像不會直接把這套歸類為百合，但很愛透過格子堆疊出青春成長與遺憾的故事。

[Ravi]

beautiful and tragic

[Cynthia]

Loved the art, and the story is both wholesome and sad.

[Gilamangamonster &]

very sad

[Emma]

Terrible

[Marisa]

Anyone who liked Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto would also enjoy this.

[lanmreading manga]

Kiểu cảm động nhưng không cảm nhận được, thấy bình thường

[Khairunnisaq]

Baca versi bahasa Melayu yang diterjemahkan oleh Kadokawa Gempak Stars. Cerita dia sangat menarik dan menyentuh. The art is veeeerrryyy pretty. Setiap panel itu menggambarkan emosi yang dibawa oleh bahagian-bahagian tertentu. Ending dia tak klise. Sesuai untuk bacaan ringan lepas balik kerja. Budak-budak pun boleh baca.

[Ｂｅｅｌａｈ]

Lukisan lawa sangat, cerita pun menarik, tapi saya tak dapat nak zahir dan lahirkan rasa sedih. Rasa macam biasa je. Mungkin tak kena situasi atau posisi masa pembacaan kot. Miau miauu, miau miauuuu...

[O~]

4.5

[EyrisReadsTheWorld]

Merci mangas.io de me permettre de découvrir des pepites car vraiment, Sea you there and us en est une que je n'aurais peut etre pas lu sinon.
On suit Xiarong, une jeune adulte qui doit faire face à son passé. Enfant, elle était marginalisé à cause de son apparence jusqu'au jour ou elle s'est retrouvé dans la même classe que Kewei. Grâce à leur passion pour l'art du manga, les deux jeunes filles se sont liés d'amitié. Malheureusement, Kewei n'a jamais eu la chance de grandir.
Ce fut une très belle lecture qui m'a fait versé ma petite larme. Cette amitié entre les deux jeunes filles étaient très belle et voir Xiarong faire son deuil, meme des années après fut très touchant. De plus, les dessins son très beaux. C'est un manga Taiwanais donc le style est un peu different mais j'adore. Je recommande ce manga, en un tome, ca vaut absolument le coup. J'espère qu'il sortira en papier un jour.

[Dolores]

Hsiao-Jung enters third grade as an outcast frequently bullied because she is illegitimate. But popular girl Ko-Wei takes her under her wing and the two girls become best friends and inseparable. Ko-Wei loves to draw and she is a wonderful artist. She invites Hsiao-Jung to make comics with her and Hsiao discovers that she has a talent for creating stories. Throughout third grade the two work on comics together. When fourth grade comes, they are in separate classes, but they maintain their friendship. Ko-Wei shows Hsiao-Jung a new comic she is working on, called Voice of the Ocean. It is very different in style than anything they have ever done before and Ko-Wei won't let Hsiao see it until it is finished. But, shortly after that, Ko-Wei is killed in an accident. Grief overwhelms Hsiao-Jung and she doesn't know how to honor her friend. Should she try to recreate and finish the book? This is a beautiful and sad tribute to friendship and to the loose ends that never get tied off.

[Daria Mulyar]

🐚 "Кішка і світ за морем" 🐚

Ця манґа нагадує за настроєм кінець літа: коли тепло та кольори все ще витають навколо тебе, але ти вже відчуваєш, як усе потроху згасає. Саме так авторки дуже яскраво та чуттєво передали зародження дружби двох дівчаток, адже дружба в дитинстві — одна з найщиріших та пам'ятних у нашому житті.

Але разом із тим із перших сторінок нам дають зрозуміти, що ця історія матиме свою гіркоту та жаль. Ця історія передусім про дорослішання та про те, яку неймовірну силу може мати одна людина над іншою. Як пошук відповідей може загнати нас у глухий кут, а може дати силу пробивати собі шлях далі. І як пам'ять про одну людину здатна допомогти втратити себе та віднайти знову.

Це сумна історія, але вона наповнена світлом та надією 🩵

[Chlo :)]

C'était trop mimi, court mais suffisant et j'ai pleuré pitié trop kawai 😞😞😞😞😞

[Éléonore]

A beautifully poignant story, told with deceptive silplicity. A real understated masterpiece.

[Ana']

Ça a déchiré mon petit cœur 💔

[Zaz]

Une histoire touchante sur l'amitié, le dessin et le deuil.

[kuro]

Broke me in the best way possible. Please spare a few hours of your time to read this masterpiece if you’re interested in reading something that’ll torn you into pieces.

[Ayn]

「如果是妳來想故事，她來畫漫畫，那不就完美了嗎？」

非常喜歡第一回貓貓語，初識於三年級，故事也在第三回遊樂園急轉直下。

貓貓語的海之聲彩頁，
和一千隻紙鶴一同飛在天際的可蔚，
被憤努海洋淹沒的筱榕，
彩色、白底黑字與黑底白字三幅畫面讓人印象深刻。

[Kathleen]

Super sweet and sad, a tale of childhood friends cut short! I liked the setting; it's a departure from my usual Japan- and Korea-based reads.

[dee ⋆˚࿔]

heart physically hurts... but would i recommend it? meow, meow, meow !!

[Qaireena Helena]

its sooo goodd. Theyre having a happy relationship as a bestfriend 🥺🥺

[Sesana]

Beautiful and sad, about a grief that lingers. To me, this felt like a realistic look at how a loss in childhood can continue to affect you throughout your life.

[Shambhavi]

Don't mind me, just crying about this short story of love, grief, and two girls in Taichung 😭

[Zaghol]

Tangkap leleh. Itu antara ayat yang boleh aku sebut setelah membaca manhua taiwan ini. Kisah persahabatan yang menyedihkan. Aku suka gila lukisan dia, memang lawa, cantik dan kemas. Rasa macam tengok filem, macam bergerak2 lukisan dia, ada emosi. Terbaik!

[Kathleen Bradley]

One of the most beautiful pieces of media I have ever read. It moved me in so many ways. I didn’t want it to ever end. In just a few pages I fell so deeply in love with these characters. I am going to recommend this to every person who has eyes.