I love this. I can't even begin to put into words how stunned it made me. True, I was drawn in for the false shonen-ai (mostly because goddammit, nobody's making even hardly realistic anything anymore), but what drew me in deeper was the chemistry. The beginning was iffy, but the way the story carried out in terms of pacing was great. I'm not happy that in the beginning, our main character Keidai was super overexaggerative and awkward, and the constant Serena-ing was exasperating to watch, because the story then seemed to become a Win-Reincarnated-Serena's-Heart, and everything had to do with Yuuma. We had the classic love triangle set-up, what with the included childhood friend who likes Keidai (and this really isn't a spoiler). However, I was blown away by the depths of the characters as the chapters continued because the focus started EXPANDING, and it wasn't just two people living in one world of romance. Their motivations--it really went past the superficial.
Keidai was given depth, and as not many main characters can be sympathetic and yet way cool and yet ridiculous at the same time, I guess that's why he's my favourite character out of this entire thing. I really did enjoy the side story between Sirix and Loleus was great.
There's a reason that reincarnation in itself always makes me feel a little iffy. Whether or not it's because it's got such cliched lines, the fact that the people reincarnated always find each other or eventually get all their memories; this manga draws several characters who are aware of their past lives along with others who had lived those past lives as well but may or may not remember. It's a decent-sized cast with beautiful interactions, and you really can't hate any one of them.
The pace started picking up (and improving, in my opinion) after we got over the glorification of Yuuma as Serena
(as in post-'Serena's reincarnated sister now a dude and still hates men' aka Smyrna "arc". Everything before that was kind of cliched and really ehhh for me. But things picked up especially when Reina returned, and we got introduced along with Mikage and Shuna, and goddammit, if unrequited love isn't enough to make me cry for her--because in essence, all of these characters are good kids, really. I'm appreciative of it, and I especially enjoy the interaction of the "Twins".)
, and our cast turned from three main characters and expanded. The beginning's a little iffy, but Keidai as a character is very great--there are definitely great moments to lol and do spittakes at for yourself. My favourite chapter was the side story in which showed how Keidai and Serizawa met and became friends, but on the whole, I was impressed by the amount of character interaction and development, exploration and depth this manga had. Also, the past isn't just mentioned once and never seen again--the past in itself serves as basis for a lot of regrets, and its importance.
This manga ends up addressing the concern (through a reasonable amount of chapters) about the issue I've always personally had with reincarnation-genres. Do you, if you are reincarnated (and also have those memories), have an obligation to fulfill what you once had? Are you still trapped back to that life, or can you still have your own life separate to the obligations and regrets you had in the past? I love the focus on the characters, and damn this was one impressive manga.
"Why do we alone retain our memories? The answer is simple. Because we love that place more than anyone else. And we hate it...more than anyone else."--chapter 45.
Just--even as a child, Keidai could recognize his mom and dad as his reincarnated sister and rival, but then he was ultimately all alone because there was no one he could confess to about it. AND ALSO IT WAS HEARTBREAKING WHEN HE STARTED TO LOSE HIS MEMORIES OF THE PAST LIFE--or they were unstable-ish, BUT STILL. Because later on in the chapters (maybe near the end?) it flashes back to his childhood where he thinks that if he had to lose the past to live in the present, he didn't need the present at all. AND JUST. That if he allows himself to go with Serizawa--he'll forfeit Serena and what his feelings for her meant and he'll just FORGET HIS MEMORIES in order to live his own life and just--we even got a flashback back to their PAST LIVES and just--what Loleus and Serena meant to Sirix and vice versa in both other accounts--MY HEART'S BREAKING.
Seriously, it is. Because the reason Keidai is unable to let go of his past life is because of how much Sirix wanted to keep it--but with Yuuma telling him to forget and Keidai having to struggle--I love this, not sadistically, but because it emotionally tears at me, because this is really well-written. We get further insight onto his reasons and purposes, why even in the present he remembers about Serena--we know exactly what his regrets are for him to have been living in the present with memories of his past life. And then near the end, Keidai comes into terms with himself: Sirix may have been him in a past life, but all the regrets, all the hopeless and the sorrow that Sirix had at being unable to save the people he cared about and failing them--Keidai has his own life, his own friends too, and so as much as Sirix's voice reaches him, Keidai's should too--and WOW Keidai going back in time as Sirix (ish?)--he dealt with his fears and he dealt with those regrets with one action.
"They won't "vanish". Everyone's soul remembers all the reincarnations that have come and gone. They just don't realize it because it simply isn't necessary. so when you think...that you truly don't need them...they'll sleep softly within your heart."--chapter 50
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