First of all, I love Yamamoto Kotetsuko's works. And I'm thankful that this one gets scanlated.
But I always have this particular opinion that her works are best served light and sweet (Honto Yajuu, Chuchun ga Chun) or with someone else handling the plot (Ano Hi, Sugiru Juunana no Haru)
....This particular work is one solid proof of that.
I appreciate her trying to do some heavy tragedy, but it's very..lacking. Other than her art, which is gorgeous as usual (although they are starting to have sameface-itis)
The pacing is too fast, and indeed the implied tragedy comes like a bad one-two punch.
As a result, there are no character development in the beginning, no emotional weight laying on the tragedy. I don't see any particular reason why I should feel sad or attached, and all I could think was "meh, plot device." Has she watched Korean dramas lately?
Then it essentially whipped back to her usual fare; fluffy lighthearted cheerfulness. There are some hint of wistfulness, but mostly it's 90% Yamamoto Kotetsuko. It....cheapens the entire premise. Of course, I'm waiting for the storyline to fully blossom here (atm it's only like, 4 chapters in)
The fluffiness is paired with equally lighthearted (or, if I were to be cruel, vapid) characters. The relationship feels empty and superficial, its build up very faint.
And..the characters. They are either too cliche (it's certainly no Lucky Number 13 or Honto Yajuu), or in one case, total wacko. One of the hinted romantic stories involves a sixth grader. SIXTH GRADER. Has Yamamoto Kotetsuko embraced shotacon, running out of character ideas, or are there some social development in Japan I don't know about?
It feels very rushed, empty and....unfulfilling.
I would prefer a much slower pace, for one. More character depth; more dimension.
That's...it.