Feb 27, 2022
I love that the whole story is full of Mano's personality, loud and clear, without being overwhelmed. It is a story of her way of living, of her spirit full of passion. Her way of thinking, her experience, her way of looking at life and things. Minato and Junya are witnesses to her; those different looks that marvel at her. I really liked this sentence, "Mano Okunada was a girl whose tastes changed like the nuances of the sky and the weather forecast." I feel it very apt for her.
Minato struck me as incredibly sweet, really, throughout. All his musings in regards to Mano, about the mystery she represents that he wants to know more about; I like that the music is something he doesn't understand but isn't limited by it but, for Mano, he retraces his steps to want to understand her. And he went to confront Junya. That scene was very nice, where he simply stands before Junya and asks him why he made her cry.
Right, the challenge. The whole challenge, the one that Mano thoughtlessly proposed and Minato ended up helping to bring to fruition, that was born from rapture but materialized. I love that music became a passion without intending it for Mano, that it went so deep and that she said goodbye in a big way too. The whole description of the music was beautiful. I loved the idea of Mano and Junya, of what could have been. I love the idea of Minato and Mano as a promise.
Some phrases that stood out for me:
"Mano is mystery and revelation."
"Junya didn't understand what she was referring to. From what he remembered, Mano had just entered fearlessly, declared war on him, resigned and left".
Junya not understanding what was going on but realizing things... how they were going to change and finding out how he felt really got to me, I don't know, left me with a bittersweet feeling. Something that was so close turned out to be unattainable.
"She felt trapped in a prison that Juya had built for her by means of invisible musical notes". This sentence is magnificent. I like that Mano picks up the theme when she starts her song and talks about her prison and how she will be able to move on.
I really like that you can really feel the atmosphere, it's palpable. Not only do you feel the atmosphere of Japan but you also feel the characters a lot.
I think I forgot things, I kept writing down some phrases and details, but the narration is so involving that I really just kept reading and letting the story carry me along. Thank you for writing this.
