I figured I'd get this off my reading list at some point, and after doing so in one sitting I'm not really sure how I feel about this story in the end. I agree with some of the points made here that the pacing and framing of it are a bit messy and get rather annoying, but the story itself still was interesting and I only wished there was more time for it to develop. Maybe if a few more chapters were put in place to lengthen the events we see Ian go through it would help, but as it stands I'm still left mixed.

This is pure Oscar bait. Boring and pointless dialogue, boring framing and the art stinks. You could replace them for stick figures and nothing would change.

An excellent story where I can find no fault. The incidents of are dealt with in a mature manner, which completely blew me away. The family dynamics are shown with such detail and maturity, and so is the earnest-foolish of an unrequited love. This degree love and care, is simply world shattering for me. Media representations do matter. They do. And, this is an excellent way of having conversation around such fraught and delicate topics.

Totally unbelievable. I don't really care much about the artwork, since I read a lot of mangas that possess a slight or totally different art, but the storyline is just terrible, it looks like a badly done soap opera script into a manga.

I only give 10s to mangas that provide such a cathartic experience that all other mangas completely pale in comparison afterwards.

The art isn't everyone's cup of tea. I love raw art styles, because they capture emotion so beautifully, but they're not pretty to look at. So if you want your bishounens and pretty females, look elsewhere. Half the people look sort of like lemurs, but honestly speaking, for this the art is secondary. It supplements the story, but it's the characters and the emotions that are the most important things.

The story as everyone has mentioned is beyond beautiful. It's so simple and realistic, and yet so tragic and heartrending. The way it's written makes it feel like this was truly someone's life story (for all we know it could have been O_O). This one is a tough story, and it's hard to stomach at times. If you don't think you can handle, don't read it. Definitely, don't come into the story hoping for happily ever afters and a beautiful sparkly view of life, b/c you're going to be sorely disappointed.

Overall, an amazing read that reminded me just how talented Ono Natsume is.

I gobbled up this volume in one sitting. The way the story is narrated is like watching a critically acclaimed indie movie that deserves an Oscar-nod -- I kid you not. You want to cheer for Ian and wonder what is going on in Jim's mind. Though tragic, like Reppu said, it is strangely satisfying (I think it is because of ONO Natsume's genius way of telling the story in a nonlinear fashion). Definitely not a happy read, but a very interesting, believable and endearing slice-of-life.

I hesitated to buy this volume at first, seeing as how I didn't like some of the oneshots I had read by this author before. But there was something about the cover art and the summary that compelled me to buy it. I'm glad I did. This story...it's so fascinating. The story behind Ian's life and the personalities of the people involved in it---it's just amazing. Amazing and tragic, but nonetheless, it captures something incredibly real. As Reppu said, it's justly labeled 'slice-of-life'.

This book has certainly opened my eyes to the beauty that Ono Natsume can weave into stories. The story seems to be fragmented, filled with many different parts, but by the end, they have all come together in ways that one would never predict. The title character Ian remains faithful and lovable until the end, as does his friend Jim; for most of the story, it is nearly impossible to tell who depends upon whom in their friendship. While the story will definitely pull at your heartstrings, the ending is well-crafted and strangely satisfying. It is not light BL, not a fluffy shoujo, or even an action-packed shounen story, though it does have elements from each of these forms. The genre "slice-of-life" really does fit it best.

A gorgeously crafted story, but so heartrending that I hesitate to recommend this to my friends (T__T).
Prepare a hanky or tissues to cry into - and never, ever read when depressed.
Even so, once read, I believe this story will stay in your heart and mind forever.

... Last updated on March 29th, 2010, 12:19am