So, in preparation for Seo Kouji's relatively new manga, Fuuka, I decided to read the two other manga that, to my knowledge, existed within the universe that Fuuka takes place in -- that is to say, Suzuka, its prequel, and, of course, Kimi no Iru Machi. Now, before I start this review I would like to quote Cludensyo's introduction for his review of this manga as I believe it sums up all my feelings and impressions for it:

This MANGA.

Confused? Well, let me just say that I hated reading this as much as I loved it. Let me explain myself.

First off, the initial premise is nothing that you can't read in the MAL synopsis, so I'm not going to try to re-write it. Let me tell you that it doesn't last too long however. There are setting changes, character cast changes, time skips, and, as always, love interest changes. If you're an attentive or seasoned manga reader, you might have figured that out anyways since this IS a romance/slice-of-life manga that goes on for 270 chapters. You and your best buddy Drama are in for a emotional roller-coaster to say the least.

The worst part of this all is that manga gets too good too fast. What do I exactly mean? Well, notice that I have only read 141 chapters. That's about where I started to hate reading it. Up until around ch. 141 there is quite a bit of drama (obviously), and I was actually enjoying it for all that it was worth. However, after that point onwards, I didn't even bother reading the rest of the 120 or so chapters since it seemed like a lot of fillers, more pointless drama, and because the outcome was going to be the same either way ( i.e. he was going to get with "the" girl in the end). If you think that I'm being a little too judgmental and that the journey is worth more than the designation, let me ask you this: Do you hate it when the protagonist falls in love with the heroine JUST because she's the heroine and for no other explicit reason that the author can give even when there are LITERALLY half a dozen other girls that share equally good qualities, all of whom have fallen for the protagonist at some point in time or another? Yeah, me too. Let's end it there.

So what exactly is good about this manga aside from the first 141 chapters or so (probably around 135 in my opinion)? Well, the art is one.If you've read Suzuka (which you should before starting this manga if you haven't) or any of Seo Kouji's other works then you'll know what I mean. He really does know how to draws faces, expressions, and scenery. I've always hated it when authors empty the background to focus more on the characters' expressions and reactions. Seo Kouji doesn't need to simplify his art that much. We know precisely where the characters are in the story, what their reactions are, and that they aren't living with white/grey/black shading behind them half the time.

For me, however, the greatest pleasure was seeing the little bits of Suzuka in here (Kimi no Iru Machi starts about a year after Suzuka ends by the way). For instance, Haruto moves into the bathing house/apartment complex that Yamato/Suzuaka/Fuuka live in, and eventually attends the university that Yamato and Suzuka WOULD have attended. We even get to see little bits of Fuuka not to mention that the last chapter of this manga is EXACTLY where the first chapter of "Fuuka" begins. It's just cool to me when authors use the same universe for different stories.

So, can I say that I recommend this manga? Well, I certainly can't say no. It really was pleasurable for what I read of it, but it's unfortunate that the author seemed to care more about his serialization then actually creating a quality story. If you're seriously wondering if I'm going to finish this review with having read barely half of the manga, don't worry. I plan on finishing it, but I probably won't update this as I'm confident that my impressions will stay the same. And who knows, you, the reader of this review, may disagree on my feelings of what happens after ch. 141. Only one way to find out, right?


-- If there's any questions or concerns that you may have of Kimi no Iru Machi, feel free to pm me.