Wow, I don't know what I expected going into this manga, but it certainly wasn't this. I didn't expect the characters to be so well-defined! It was very impressive and made me tear up at times. I couldn't believe it was from Yuu Watase. THIS is the author who wrote Absolute Boyfriend? No way.

I thought this story basically played out like a gothic novel of sorts. It also reminded me a lot of Beauty and the Beast, except a lot more mature than the Disney version. This story gave me chills, scared me, made me tear up, and creeped the crapola out of me. But it was good. It was definitely good, better than most yaoi I've attempted to read. In fact, I'd say it's better than most shoujo I've ever read. The manga-ka's definitely show-cased her talents here.

If this author ever does another yaoi manga, I'm in. Totally in. Between this and Setona Mizushiro's The Carp on The Chopping Block, I think shoujo manga-kas are definitely on the rise of becoming some of the most thought-provoking yaoi artists on the manga scene.

I won't write much as I totally agree with what 2old4yaoi said.
Sakura-gari is a touching yaoi with a moving plot, that has an ability to change something within you ^-^b. The most captivating thing for me in this manga is it's eroticism *^^* . Main pair was perfect ^^.

Obviously, manga made me cry, especially the ending,


... Last updated on April 26th, 2011, 10:26am

Sakura Gari definitely made my list of "must license" in English. Seriously, in the western world, the French, the Spanish & the German had shown discriminating good tastes by licensing the series for their countries' audiences, so why is the English speaking world so far behind? Should we be cowed by the challenges of VizMedia's preferred genre which is currently short sighted? Anyway, enough on my complaints & on with the actual review :-)

This series is so beautiful that it will break your heart - the art, the story & the Taisho era setting. Watase Yuu did an amazing job of building the contrast in characters between the pure, innocent Tagami & the worldly, broken Souma through a series of horrifying events & a strong cast of supporting characters both sympathetic and hostile to their developing relationship. I think each reader will find different interpretation of the whole story & this is what make a manga so unforgettable. I would not narrate the story here at all, it has been done by enough previous reviewers or you can just read the story yourself but the gist of the story to me is about love & redemption. Humans are amazingly resilient creatures. Souma had been subjected to some of the most terrifying abuses in his life that he believed he was so broken and not worth saving. He could no longer discern what is morally right or wrong & believed that everyone was just after his body. Then he met Kagami, a university student from the country side who shined with his simplicity & innocent. Kagami couldn't believe his luck when Souma took an interest in him - that is until he found out about Souma's dark past. In the beginning he tried to run away but his efforts were blocked by Souma through various means. Yet, humans had the ability to rationalize their loves and the lucky ones usually learned how to love what they had. While the ending is very controversial, I think it is almost as realistically happy as sensei can make it. I definitely recommend that you read it to get a good flavor of what an amazing, well written & crafted yaoi manga can be.

... Last updated on April 19th, 2013, 9:55pm

I usually detest stories that end up differently from what I expect, but it was a great experience. Very meaningful. Just stays with you till the very end.
Thanks, Sensei.

actually, the name yaoi doesn´t fit. "No climax, no point, no meaning" is the opposite of Sakura Gari.
art:
the art is very good and detailed. The main are beautiful yet there are no typical bishies. The mangaka also worked hard on the side characters, they were just as well drawn as the main. The backgrounds are very detailed and the fact that it wasn´t drawn at the computer gives it an authentic atmosphere.
characters:
The characters are deep and nonstereotypical. The mangaka tried to make them as realistic as possible, the same goes for their problems, which weren´t that rare in the Taisho Era. The main characters aren´t design as typical seme and uke, but as complex, lonley persons who interact with other humans and develop through the plot. The side characters are also believeable, none of them was unnecessary to the plot.
Plot:
The plot was very well structured. A bit confusing at first, but after a while you will understand it all. Every action has it´s reasons and there are no annoying parts in it. The climaxes are very moving as well as good timed. There are almost none predictable parts. Pay attention to the word doll. The yaoi part isn´t the main focus of the story. The author herself mentioned in the last volume that she wanted to show that most of the sexual interactions wheren´t romantic but just to please the lust of one person while the other is used as an objects. It is a human drama, not some gay porn. Highly recommended.

I was bored from the first to the last chapter. I really do not understand why so many people liked it! I only went till the end because there are so many good comments about it... but it sucks until the last page. Srsly, I consider this one a total waste of time.

To tell you the truth: i didn't find it THAT great at all. Probably because of all of those positive comments I had expected something much better. It wasn't bad either. Just a little bit disappointing.
Characters were rather interesting, but I somehow I couldn't get myself to like them. Moreover, ending seemed a bit... pointless? The art was really good, with correct anatomy and all, there's nothing bad I could say about it, except for the fact that it was somewhat "plain" and forgettable.
Aaaand~ I know it was yaoi manga, and I was prepared for that, but. It was a little bit too much. Really. I ended up skipping most of them.
All in all, it was a good read but I don't expect myself to remember I have ever read that. 6/10

... Last updated on December 31st, 2010, 4:24am

I've read quite a few yaoi manga myself, and I've got to admit that this wasn't one that I would normally read, might be mainly because of the style of drawing....the face looks kinda childlike (if you know what I mean).
Anyway I saw that the rank of this manga was pretty high so I gave it a go. At the end I found myself reading the whole 3 volume nonstop!!! It's really captivating and the characters and really interesting and unique in their own way.
I totally recommend this yaoi manga to those who like yaoi, it's so enthralling and you won't be disappointed =D

Just one word for this manga: masterpiece

I have never liked Watase Yuu's shoujo manga, I hate Fushigi Yuugi and I can't even bring myself to read Ayashi no Ceres...simply because I hate her whiny female characters and the cheesy romantic stories. But then I found this manga and firstly I was attracted to it because it's her first yaoi work and because the art looks a bit different from her usual shojo manga style...and I never looked back since then...
The artwork is simply gorgeous with Taisho era as the setting, the story is dark, deep, complicated with lots of twists and the main characters are loveable and realistic with their own good and bad sides. Yes, there are lots of rapes and sexual violences, but those are important parts of the story that makes it more emotional for the readers. Watase-sensei has done a marvelous job in connecting the feelings and emotions of the characters to the readers and despite the dark theme of the story, every scene in the manga is drawn very beautifully that even murder and rape scenes don't look gross.
I can't recommend this manga enough and I'm very glad that I found this, it will definitely be one of the very few best manga I've ever read.

... Let me just say that I am generally not a fan of Yuu Watase's works because her characters are a tad annoying, imo. This piqued my interest, however, because it was yaoi.. written by Watase Yuu.

I'm glad I read this. The plotline was absolutely stunning. I seriously felt for Masataka and all he had to go through. All the emotions were wonderfully depicted.



It's a great read.

... Last updated on September 26th, 2010, 1:38am