I find this manga to be perfect. Not because it is highly complicated or has a very intricate plot. No, actually it is a very simple manga, with a very simple art, and a very simple plot. What is perfect is how much it tells in its simplicity and how, in its simplicity it shows the simplicity of life, death, peace, and war.

Sure, war is complicated on so many levels. But killing of innocents, a common aspect of especially modern warfare, is not really that complicated morally; on the contrary it is very simple: it is wrong.

This manga tells the story of how individuals and families are affected by war and political decisions that they had literally no part in. It tells the simple stories of simple people hit by a very complicated disaster. Art is simple yet neat and decent. Storytelling is simple yet very fitting to the storyline. Plot is simple yet this is very satisfactory as it does highlight the simplicity of its moral message.

It might not be very enjoyable to a regular seinen audience and adults in general, but I think especially for young adults, it is a must-read.

Holy Smoke is this good! One of the best, yet most depressing, things I've ever read! The 'simple' art and storyline hide a deep understanding of... stuff! You feel this manga in your bones! Worthy of every award it's received, no doubt!
And it's short! Go read it! Have a handkerchief ready though: it's heartbreaking.

This is like a reality check, about the atomic bomb, about the war and its effects.

Only done very quietly and sweetly. It's not a manga full of angst and drama; in fact, it's both that were missing in this manga. In a good way.

tells the tale of a split family and the effects of the atom bomb in hiroshima,
its a very beautifull litlle story, highly recommend it

It has different art style, also nice plot, I wish it was more lenght.

The art was a refreshing change: it was simplified realism, expressive and powerfully subtle. (It reminded me a bit of Scott McCloud's work.)

The first chapter was breath-taking, the story itself spell-binding, haunting. The mangaka used several unique graphical techniques, such as bars of music running through the entire speech bubble instead of the typical lone music note to indicate singing and sudden white space to indicate sudden blindness.

The second half of the manga time skipped a couple of decades, and it took me several backward glances to understand who was who and what was going on--that made the overall story lose points for me. The new protagonist wasn't as compelling as the initial woman largely because the pages felt more cluttered and the story felt crammed with too much truncated information.

I wouldn't reread this story; it's too horrific to dwell on for long, but the inspiring hope at the end and the important awareness, the vital POV, allowed me to give it a higher rating.

... Last updated on June 27th, 2013, 2:34pm

It’s so sad, true, and touching

Excellent and moving.

Don't feel like writing up some deep thoughtful remark... but it's good.

beautiful.