So, Six Half is currently one of my favorite shoujos right now and seeing as I'd rather not have to resort to posting on mangafox (and support that site), I figure I'd take a shot here and see if anyone wanted to discuss Six Half

I guess the easiest topic to start with is Shiori's amnesia. I think Iketani's method of using amnesia is much more interesting than the countless ways it's been used in other shoujos/romances/dramas when its clear that writers are running out of ideas.

EDIT: Ugh, I accidentally posted my topic before finishing my thoughts. Anyway, back to what I was saying.

Anyway, with the amnesia route, we get to discover who Shiori is just as she's trying to find out who she is. It makes for a very relatable heroine and a sympathetic character. Shiori with amnesia seems to be rather low-key and thoughtful. She's almost the complete opposite from the person she's portrayed as before the accident. I don't see these as "new" traits though. I don't think her being considerate and kind is something she got because her personality "reset" due to the amnesia. These are traits that she's had all along, but have been buried because of the emotional baggage and experiences she's picked up since she was a child.

In short, I'm theorizing that Shiori became a trouble child because she experienced some type of emotional trauma when she was younger. She may have been incapable of coping with that situation, and it manifested itself in her rebellious behavior as she got older. The Shiori now doesn't have any of those memories, which may be why she's so pliable now.

Will she get her memories back? If she regains her memories, will she fall back to old behavior? Or will this time that she's spent without her memories make her a wiser person because she can see now that the person she was isn't the type of person she wants to be? (confusing?) As gung-ho as I am about the romance, I'm also curious as to how her amnesia will be dealt with later on.

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts if anyone is around **hopes to generate discussion**

Last edited by PansyWansyLinsy at 3:33 pm, Apr 28 2012

I believe she would regain her memories but not all at once though. From the latest chapter it seems that she is showing signs of jealousy and perhaps that will be the trigger to her regaining her memories... I doubt she will revert back to her original personality since the current her now despises her past self. I agree with you regarding how she became a trouble child but since she older and probably more mature now, she would not revert back to that trouble child shiori.

Wooo, a reply! Thank you for your thoughts marshy

I don't know why, but I've always figured Shiori to regain all her memories back at once. It never occurred to me that maybe she would get them back progressively, which makes sense. If it does work out that way, it should be interesting to see what Shiori does remember. What if what she remembers creates bias or mistrust between her and her family? What if she partially recallas what happened during that time of her father's death, and it's something quite important. Will she mistrust A-chan because he kept this from her? Is A-chan doing what's best for Shiori or what's best for himself?

I like A-chan, so I hope that his actions haven't been totally self-serving. As of right now, I'm still giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he has sincere and genuine affection for Shiori.

From the latest chapter 10, it seems like

I guess that A-chan is doing what is best for shiori-that includes not revealing about the incident of her father's death from her & i think shiori should understand it as well. however it may be possible that she may feel that A-chan is biased & he rather hides it from her in order to be with miyori(? i forgot her name). A-chan doesn't seem to be a selfish guy given that he prioritise his siblings over his friends(can be seen from him not going to the beer-parties which he loves) and love-life(him going out with miyori only from recent chapters though he liked her a long time ago).

i hope he truly cares for shiori too! or i'l seriously bash him up.

Methinks that she loved A-chan before, which is why she turned rebellious in the first place. It's not too out of the ordinary for a love to repeat itself, especially when she's always been close to him. Is A-chan not blood related? I hope so, but it's not guaranteed. I can see the manga go both ways. Maybe before the amnesia she thought A-chan was blood related so it was a lost love? Anyways, the way the author uses amnesia was very likable for me too. It was very refreshing for it to be portrayed this way rather than the 1-2 chapter amnesiac for convenience.

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May the curse of Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children chase you so far over the hills of Damnation that the Lord himself can't find you with a telescope. - Irish Curse

I'm not your type. I'm not inflatable.

Cry me a river, build me a bridge and get over it.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid but you're abusing the privilege.

Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.

Me too, me too! Though he's still really in big brother mode, I wonder if he'll ever realize what he might feel for her *crosses fingers* lol. The latest chapter may have us sloooooowly inching there. But I'm not complaining, I love how she's unraveling the story for us. There's not a lot of obvious filler (thanks heavens!).


That's an interesting theory too. I'm curious if that was the case because all the flashbacks we've seen, she seems to equally act out against both siblings. However, we're not getting the full story from anyone in regards to the past, so it's hard to tell. I used to think that Shiori was the adopted one (hence the rebellious behavior), but it's very likely that A-chan might be the adopted sibling too.

Akio seems to have an exaggerated sense of protectiveness for the girls, which might stem from his own sense of not belonging, so he makes it up by lavishing all his care on his sisters. I'm not saying he's not naturally a sweet brother figure anyway, but I think the missing mother has a lot to do with how Akio is today. There's no happiness at all when he remembers her.

Ugh, I'm eager to see where this goes. The latest summary doesn't reveal much in the way of their past yet. It's driving me bonkers. In between wanting some progression in their relationship and wanting to know what happened in their past, I'm now itching to self-teach myself some Japanese!

I think she'll slowly get her memories back but as Shiori #2. So basically she'll remember things but she won't revert back to mean-girl Shiori. But I don't think she was in love with A-chan before her accident; I think that is just another issue that Shiori has to work out because she can't remember him as a brother (plus I'm all for the Kai and don't like the pseudo-incest thing). Also based on the other works of this manga-ka, I don't feel like that's going to be the route (although I don't like Mizuki or w/e her name is so it wouldn't be all that bad) taken.

Either way, I think the author could keep me hooked.

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@flowinmyboat, I think that's a plausible possibility. I just finished reading another series that had an amnesia subplot and the manga-ka resolved the problem by having the person remain the same but with their full memories now intact. I guess I wouldn't mind if she took that track, but I'm really curious as to how she'll reconcile the two personalities. There must have been a good reason for her past behavior and I can only imagine she acted out the way she did because of certain events that happened to her. When she has those memories back, why wouldn't she react in the same way? Maybe being a blank slate now gives her new perspective of the type of person she was and she'll be able to cope in a more adult manner. Still, it's gotta be disconcerting when it does happen.

Bleh, I wish I could read Japanese so that I'm not so behind on everything. Knowing that the manga is so far ahead in Japan drives me insane.

I think (it's nearly a given I suppose) that she regains her memories and because she somehow finds out about the Miyuki incident during the time her dad was hospitalized.
I'm guessing she'll be quite angry and still as unforgiving as before for at least Miyuki but in a way that's fair to her.
I mean, probably most of the "bad" things Shiori did was just a fair amount of release for what has happened, so she has a right to be angry and a bitter almost. At the same time, she won't do irresponsible things this time round.

Is what I think...

Somehow, I think the key for Shiori to recover her lost memories involves that memory of
.

That memory also implies that there's something more to the relationship between Shiori and A-chan than what we've seen in the manga so far. Also, I'm not sure but my theory is that maybe A-chan was an illegitimate child of the dad's, and the mom couldn't handle it. That's why A-chan is afraid that when Shiori models, the mom will recognize her and come back for Shiori and the little sister (and ignore A-chan, who's not her kid).