The first of two bonus volumes, Volume 9 presents two stories. The first shows Ann, Daigo, Fuji and Shika's mothers when they were young. Miwako (Ann's mother) is frightfully beautiful. She is also as nice as can be. She gives and gives but never takes. Naturally, her kindness and beauty invokes nothing but suspicion and jealousy amongst her peers. Hiroko (Daigo's mother) is one of the few who recognizes Miwa's goodness as well as her fragility. Hiroko cares for Miwa and also fears for her. Miwa wants nothing more than to escape the small town gossips. She thinks that a big city like Tokyo will solve her problems. Miwa leaves Shimane for Tokyo while Hiroko remains. Hiroko is plain both in looks and aspirations. She's happy to remain in Shimane, get married, and have babies. Soon after Miwa leaves, Shizuyo (Fuji's mother appears). She's a whirlwind. Beautiful, bold, arrogant, opinionated. Nothing misses her eye. Yet Hiroko likes her, admires her. It seems like Shizuyo knows exactly the trap she's walking into and is happy to do it anyway.

I enjoyed reading about the characters' mothers. I can see where Ann and Daigo get many parts of their personalities from. Fuji and Shika are less like their mother, but her hardness and boldness had a great impact on their childhoods.

The final story features Chi, Ann's little sister. When she's about 9, she goes to New York City by herself to visit Shika (who moved there from Canada). Chi is left alone in Shika's apartment while Shika goes to work, with strict instructions not to leave. Hardly an hour later, Chi takes off from the apartment (a misunderstanding more than pure disobedience). She gets lost and the only place in English she can remember is the company where Sakura, Ann's ex-fiance works. A taxi cab driver drops her off. Our old friend Sakura is finally getting what's coming to him. He was just placed on leave so he can learn to play well with others. He also has a horrible cold. Chi is the last person he wants to see. Blissfully unaware of Sakura's annoyance, Chi convinces him to take her to his apartment until Shika can pick her up. Then Chi and Shika drag him along sightseeing the next few days. Sakura never changes. Still sullen and hating everybody, but Chi and Shika's exuberance opened up a tiny window in his mind that might make him willing to let his guard down.

It was fun to see more of Chi. She's such a happy little girl. So different from Ann. I wonder if Ann was like that before her mother died. I also loved seeing Shika. She is confident and self-sufficient away from Japan. She blossomed.

This was a fun volume. The stories certainly aren't necessary to the main plot, but it's a joy revisiting favorite characters.

~3.5-4/5
(Contains light spoilers.)

I read this series back when it was being released in the magazines. And so I recently re-read the chapters, and got the chance to pick up the volumes. Thankfully, since the tenth and final volume is super hard to find, volume eight officially ends the main storyline, and the last two are mostly side-stories and extras.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this series. I didn’t know if it would get a nice, happy ending, if it would be realistic, or depressing. It could have gone any way at one point, honestly. But I’m happy with how it turned out. I like the ending that she finally reached, and I liked that she had a lot of time to grow and mature before it happened.

This volume had a lot of side-stories. There were interesting looks at what the main characters parents were like as teenagers, a realistic and odd take on them. Shika takes Chi to New York, where they run into Sakura, and I rather enjoyed that story. There’s an extra from when Fuji and Shika were little about presents.

I do hope to pick up the final volume when I can, but I’m satisfied with how this series ended, and I’m glad I finished it.

[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]

I wonder if Sakura the douchecanoe is ever gonna change

volume 1->10 (no spoilers)
FR
Pour commencer l'année 2023; j'avais envie de me relire quelque chose que j'aime, une lecture doudou.
Alors, clairement, ce manga ne peut techniquement pas entrer dans cette catégorie réellement, parce que on parle notamment de suicide. Mais c'est une lecture très nostalgique pour moi.
Je l'avais découvert à un moment assez compliqué pour moi, et bizarrement, j'étais tombée totalement amoureuse de l'histoire, malgré la difficulté, malgré les personnages dont je ne supporte pas forcément ce qu'ils.elles disent/font.
Et malgré les défauts, malgré ce que moi, je n'aime pas...
C'est toujours un coup de coeur. Je suis toujours amoureuse.
Mon avis n'a pas changé. Je n'aime toujours pas les mêmes choses. Et j'adore toujours les mêmes choses.
Je ne peux pas le recommander à tout le monde, au vu des sujets. Mais si vous pouvez gérer les cw, n'hésitez pas !

ENG
To start the year 2023; I wanted to re-read something I like, a cuddly reading.
So, clearly, this manga cannot technically fit into this category really, because we are talking about suicide in particular. But it's a very nostalgic read for me.
I had discovered it at a time that was quite complicated for me, and oddly, I had fallen totally in love with the story, despite the difficulty, despite the characters of whom I don't necessarily support what they say/do.
And despite the flaws, despite what I don't like...
It's always a crush. I'm still in love.
My opinion has not changed. I still don't like the same things. And I still love the same things.
I cannot recommend it to everyone, given the subjects. But if you can handle the cws, don't hesitate !

"wherever miwa went, she built a cage around herself. that’s the kind of person she was."

when i was reading the main series, it struck me that the relationship ann had with her mother was similar to the relationship i have with mine—i felt that my mum is also “weak”, and because of that, sometimes i’m also scared. but seeing the brief glimpses of miwa’s character in this volume, it turns out that i’m a lot more like her than i thought.

this series is, more than anything, thought-provoking. i can see myself going through the same struggles these characters did. we were introduced to ann’s mother at the low point in her life, and i forgot that once, she was also a teenager. it makes me question if one day my life would turn out that way too—whether the vibrant days of my youth will fade away into dull, monotone ones.

Side stories.