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Released as Confidential Confessions Volume 5 by Tokyopop
This volume contains :
The Secret
Wish
This volume contains :
The Secret
Wish
215 pages, Comic
First published May 13, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 3, 2018
As far as I know, this is the only volume in the series that has a Parental Advisory warning on the cover. Yes, the series that has covered suicide, depression, drug addiction, prostitution, bullying, and incest didn't need any warning-- up until now. It's time to talk about rape.
Even today, nearly a decade after first reading it, the short story "Secret" is just as heartbreaking and visceral to read as it was the first time. The first short of this volume is about Mika, who is brutally raped while walking home from a date. The experience is made worse that no one around her seems to understand her pain-- her boyfriend and friends blame her for not fighting back, she can't bring herself to tell the police out of shame, and perpetual guilt and PTSD over the event keeps her from ever being comfortable in her own skin. On top of it all, she suffers nasty flashbacks from things like being touched and cigarette smoke, greatly impacting her day-to-day life.
Unlike previous volumes, which tend to rely on contrivances or melodrama for convenience, everything that happens to Mika feels very real, as much as most people would wish that it wasn't the case. Of the 110 page story, only a couple pages are devoted to the act itself, and it's barely depicted at all outside of one flashback-- the focus isn't on the act of rape, which many similar stories make the mistake of concentrating on, but the victim behind the crime. Mika's relationship with her boyfriend composes most of the story, and it showcases how difficult the rebuilding process can be. Even so, the story never once feels preachy about the point it's trying to make, which works immensely in the story's favor.
The second story, "Wish" also marks a first in the series: it's one of the few times that the second story of the volume is just as good as the first. Considering that Mika's story was one of the best in the whole series, that's no small feat.
"Wish" tells the story of a teenage girl who discovers that her best friend, Nana, is diagnosed with AIDS due to a bad blood infusion she had as child. Both her and her friends have to adjust to these new changes in life, emphasized by the alienation that Nana feels as a result of her diagnosis. A reoccurring theme is knowing that certain contact with Nana is perfectly safe, but everyone is still being afraid of it anyway. Unlike previous "friend of the victim" stories, the ulterior motives of purposefully being nice or sympathetic is frequently called into question. Even the main character has to admit there's a sort of ego trip that comes out of being perceived as a savior of sorts, even when that's the exact opposite thing her friend wants from her. It's a powerful narrative that many "Very Special Episodes" about AIDS usually fail to capture.
That being said, the story was clearly written in that small blip of time after the 80s where people figured out that homosexuals weren't the only group affected by HIV/AIDS but before anything more than that was common knowledge, especially among teenagers. The fear that Nana causes might also seem over the top to younger readers, as institutions today are more equipped to deal with HIV/AIDS carriers, and it's is no longer the death sentence that it was over a decade ago. Even so, the questions it raises about the strength of friendship in hard times is timeless and encapsulates legitimate struggles that anyone with a serious illness can understand.
Volume five is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best that CONFIDENTIAL CONFESSIONS has to offer. Highly recommended to both fans of the series and anyone that wants to read one of the rawest depictions of dark issues put to light.
Even today, nearly a decade after first reading it, the short story "Secret" is just as heartbreaking and visceral to read as it was the first time. The first short of this volume is about Mika, who is brutally raped while walking home from a date. The experience is made worse that no one around her seems to understand her pain-- her boyfriend and friends blame her for not fighting back, she can't bring herself to tell the police out of shame, and perpetual guilt and PTSD over the event keeps her from ever being comfortable in her own skin. On top of it all, she suffers nasty flashbacks from things like being touched and cigarette smoke, greatly impacting her day-to-day life.
Unlike previous volumes, which tend to rely on contrivances or melodrama for convenience, everything that happens to Mika feels very real, as much as most people would wish that it wasn't the case. Of the 110 page story, only a couple pages are devoted to the act itself, and it's barely depicted at all outside of one flashback-- the focus isn't on the act of rape, which many similar stories make the mistake of concentrating on, but the victim behind the crime. Mika's relationship with her boyfriend composes most of the story, and it showcases how difficult the rebuilding process can be. Even so, the story never once feels preachy about the point it's trying to make, which works immensely in the story's favor.
The second story, "Wish" also marks a first in the series: it's one of the few times that the second story of the volume is just as good as the first. Considering that Mika's story was one of the best in the whole series, that's no small feat.
"Wish" tells the story of a teenage girl who discovers that her best friend, Nana, is diagnosed with AIDS due to a bad blood infusion she had as child. Both her and her friends have to adjust to these new changes in life, emphasized by the alienation that Nana feels as a result of her diagnosis. A reoccurring theme is knowing that certain contact with Nana is perfectly safe, but everyone is still being afraid of it anyway. Unlike previous "friend of the victim" stories, the ulterior motives of purposefully being nice or sympathetic is frequently called into question. Even the main character has to admit there's a sort of ego trip that comes out of being perceived as a savior of sorts, even when that's the exact opposite thing her friend wants from her. It's a powerful narrative that many "Very Special Episodes" about AIDS usually fail to capture.
That being said, the story was clearly written in that small blip of time after the 80s where people figured out that homosexuals weren't the only group affected by HIV/AIDS but before anything more than that was common knowledge, especially among teenagers. The fear that Nana causes might also seem over the top to younger readers, as institutions today are more equipped to deal with HIV/AIDS carriers, and it's is no longer the death sentence that it was over a decade ago. Even so, the questions it raises about the strength of friendship in hard times is timeless and encapsulates legitimate struggles that anyone with a serious illness can understand.
Volume five is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best that CONFIDENTIAL CONFESSIONS has to offer. Highly recommended to both fans of the series and anyone that wants to read one of the rawest depictions of dark issues put to light.
April 17, 2016
I'm just going to leave one big review for the whole series rather than writing them individually. It's been years since I read them. But I remember them quite well. This is one of my favorite series I've ever read. And warning a head of time, its a pretty dark one. So if you can't handle stories about drugs, prostitution, rape, suicide, etc.. then stay away. This series brings to light some of the struggles teens today face, and some adults. Not all the stories have a happy ending. But they do shed a little light on some of the problems today. They make you think and that's what I like about them. The books all contain two stories each. One longer story taking up 75% of the book and them a smaller quicker story.
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January 23, 2024I read these books in middle school, and after being so popular with the students, they were banned in school for their subject matter. Even after all of these years, these stories still stick out in my memory and have a lasting impact on what I read and how I approach difficult topics.
October 10, 2017
This volume deals with some really intense subject rape and hiv. With one more volume left I wondering what other dark subject they will touch up on.
March 20, 2023
Probably the best volume in the series!
February 7, 2009
Reiko Momochi, Confidential Confessions, vol. 5 (Tokyopop, 1998)
My library informed me—after delivering volumes 5 and 6, of course—that they have no copies left of vol. 4 at present to send me. So I took the chance that the next three volumes worked the same way the first three did (self-contained, and thus, not needing to be read in order) and went straight on to book five. Two more stories here. The series continues on with its usual blend of the hard-hitting (in one of the stories, a girl has contracted HIV, with the tale narrated by her best friend; in the other, a different girl conceals the fact that she was raped, with the inevitable mental and emotional fallout) and the predictably optimistic (everything always turns out okay in the end). Just once, I'd like to see Momochi break with tradition, since obviously things don't end up okay all the time (and the HIV story would have been, of all the things she's covered, the best place to do that so far), but, well, you know the drill. It's not bad, but I hope she branches off a bit in later volumes. *** ½
My library informed me—after delivering volumes 5 and 6, of course—that they have no copies left of vol. 4 at present to send me. So I took the chance that the next three volumes worked the same way the first three did (self-contained, and thus, not needing to be read in order) and went straight on to book five. Two more stories here. The series continues on with its usual blend of the hard-hitting (in one of the stories, a girl has contracted HIV, with the tale narrated by her best friend; in the other, a different girl conceals the fact that she was raped, with the inevitable mental and emotional fallout) and the predictably optimistic (everything always turns out okay in the end). Just once, I'd like to see Momochi break with tradition, since obviously things don't end up okay all the time (and the HIV story would have been, of all the things she's covered, the best place to do that so far), but, well, you know the drill. It's not bad, but I hope she branches off a bit in later volumes. *** ½
September 15, 2013
this is the best volume yet; both of the stories here really touched me. i think having two longer stories rather then squishing four to a volume works much better for momochi, it gives her the time to properly develop the characters and relationships. 4 stars
July 31, 2010
This series deals with various controversial subjects that young women are dealing with in today's society. For the most part they are tackled well.
June 12, 2012
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11199108
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11199108
September 5, 2013
The rating given for the manga as a whole is determined by the stories in the manga.
Secret ****
Wish *****
Secret ****
Wish *****
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews