Ikuemi Ryou is my favorite manga author, hands-down, because of her characters and story-telling. Her stories are filled with a sort of melancholy, but there are always bright moments, moments you laugh, moments you smile along with struggle, moments you feel like it's all incredibly relatable. I've read everything I can get my hands on from her back catalog and it's all amazing. This one is one of my favorites, full disclosure.

I have read this multiple times and I always enjoy it. Everyone feels real -- yeah, they all have annoying traits but that's what makes you makes a good story. You want them to grow, you feel happy when you see them see their flaws or at least, see them begin to change. The plot is very slice of life but it moves nicely.

My only sadness here is that I would have liked a more satisfying end. It didn't need to end any particular way but it felt somewhat abrupt to me. I would have liked something a little neater and definitive.

... Last updated on November 13th, 2021, 2:11pm

I read this a few years ago and I ended up coming back to it again now that I’m almost 20. When I first read it I don’t think I had lived enough to appreciate it. Now that I’m where Shouko was in life in the manga, I love it. I might be biased though because I relate to her and the story a lot, but there wasn’t a moment of this manga that I didn’t enjoy. Even the ending made me a bit emotional. For me, I read this story just at the right moment.

Don't come into this expecting a romance shoujo. The story revolves around love, yes, but more the idea of it and the desire to be loved. It's not a love story. It's a true slice of life in which we see multiple characters grow, or not grow, alongside each other and the important relationships that they build together, or let go. The bonds that the four of them build are all somewhere close to love, but maybe not getting quite there. But then again, I guess that all depends on our own perceptions of what love actually is.
As for the characters themselves, they all are VERY flawed, but certainly not without merit. And it was a very rewarding read to see them grow and acknowledge their flaws and try their best to work with them.

Beware getting into this that the main character's parents are terrible human beings and there are themes of neglect and emotional abuse, and how the effects of that has carried into her adult life.

Overall, I could never predict where the story was going to go, it was a very true-to-life story. The emotions were all real and compelling and nothing felt forced. Which is refreshing.

There's basically no romance whatsoever. I didn't like any of the characters. The plot dragged. Such a ridiculously unsatisfying story. I don't know why I wasted so much time on it.

Everything in this story was so good! But what's with the ending? I was going to give this series a 8 but then I had to change into a 7.5 because of the ending. It disappointed me so much, I really felt like there was a cliffhanger. Ugh. I really hate it when mangakas do that. However, I enjoys reading this series. A part of me wanted Shouko and Hakime would be together in the end though.

This was good. There were scenes that made me laugh, felt sad, and think that I even wondered if the ending should be just like that? Part of me, it is, yes. But, part of me also wanted Shouko and Hajime to end up together (as being a fan of guy here) but I guess that will make Shouko, indeed, a bitch if it will end like that so I now think it's good that nothing happened between them. The realism here made me thought this should be categorized into josei instead.

I wonder about what happened to Takuya. I wish his character was explored, maybe in a side story. Hehehe, he seems hot so I got intrigued. I wonder if he went back to his girlfriend. In addition, I wish that the sibling relationship between him and Shouko was tackled later and in better way.

TBH, the ending left me hanging. I wanted some climax or impactful closure than what was presented here but I guess, it holds on true or relates much to its title Whether I'm Here or Not (With or Without Me).

... Last updated on April 26th, 2013, 7:22am

I was really into this manga but it ended abruptly and (in my opinion) sans any sort of closure. I admit I am a sucker for stories that end happily, this story felt like it was abandoned

It might be expected of the author of Cousin to keep dishing out great slice-of-life stories, and this one is done particularly well (so far). The story is about a young woman trying to get by in the world with common misfortunes to the audience, and is therefore grasps our empathy. It's not an overly unique plot, but when characters are done well the author proves that it can still be a great story. Worth reading if you'd like a josei-ish shoujo.

The story feels very down to earth, and the things the protagonist goes through is something a lot of young adults go through. Not knowing what to do with your life, feeling unwanted and useless, feeling jealous over the success of others. But at the same time, the protagonist is slowly figuring out her life. The other characters are also well-developed, they have their flaws but they're still fundamentally good and well-meaning people.

The plot itself is pretty simple, but it works. A young woman is fired from her job and runs into an old friend, who offers her a job. She meets new people, discovers some new things about herself, and so on.

I've only read up to chapter 5, but the story shows promise and I've always liked Ikuemi Ryou's stuff. Despite being classified as Shoujo, I would say it has a Josei feel and deals with more adult issues. I would recommend this for people looking for a nice, slice-of-life, growing-up type manga.