Ok, so I have been meaning to do an update about my thoughts on various series that I have read recently, seeing as I have been pretty lazy and not bothered to actually give my thoughts on them. I believe series that I have mentioned include Wait!Wolf, Amakusa 1637 and Sakamichi no Apollon.
So firstly, I will start with Wait Wolf! by Hwang Mi Ri. I did talk about this a while ago briefly but I thought I would talk about it more. Obviously it is a manhwa series, it's completed at 18 volumes in Korean and currently 14 volumes are scanlated into English. The female lead Hwi Kwang (varies throughout the series depending on which chapter you read) is a bit dense, but is very unfeminine and has no clue about love. She ends up on the bad side of Suh Rin, taking his watch as collateral for her glasses, then loses the watch. As punishment, Suh Rin makes Hwi Kwang his fake girlfriend to stop the stalker girls from following him. Suh Rin eventually begins to actually like Hwi Kwang and she agrees to go out with him. Hwi Kwang has three best friends, Te Ri, Hwan Sung and another guy (I forgot his name) who are all in love with Hwi Kwang aswell, but have a deal stating none of them will confess. Anyways, some stuff happens and Hwi Kwang realises the love she has for Suh Rin is like that of a friend or brother, and she actually likes Hwan Sung and they end up together at the end. As I previously mentioned, this is quite unconvential for Hwang Mi Ri work, as the friend who is in love with the main chick always gets permanently friend-zoned. However in saying that, there is a lot of gangs and fighting at the same time too, so it's the best of both worlds as far as Hwang Mi Ri is concerned.
Next is Amakusa 1637 by Akaishi Michiyo. The series is complete with 12 volumes in Japanese, and scanlations are up to the middle of volume 6. The story is about a group of high school students who break slip through a time slip in the space time continuum. The group end up in 1636, a year before the Shimabara Rebellion and end up on a journey to try and save the lives of the people who would die in the impending revolt. The characters appear in the past at different points and places in time, for example Yatsuka is the first to arrive, sometime around 1628, where as Natsuki only arrives in 1636. So like previous series I have read, it is inspired on a historical event and the fictional story is written about it. From what I read, the group of friends are at this point succeeding in changing the past. From what I have read on the forums, they succeed in changing history, with Eri the only one of the group to choose to go back to where she came from, the rest choosing to stay in the past for their own reasons. It is classed as a tragedy, and I think it is because Eri has to go back by herself. Anyways, thats about it.
Onto Sakamichi no Apollon which is by Kodama Yuki. Depending on your methedology it can be considered both complete and incomplete. The main story, which is 9 volumes long is completely scanlated, but there is a 10th volume, which is a series of spinoffs and oneshots related to the main story, which is yet to be scanlated (kind of like Usagi Drop). Anyway, the story is set in 1966 and follows Kaoru, a high school student who transfers schools due to his father's job. At his new school, he befriends the delinquint Sen and his childhood friend Ricchan. The first 8 volumes follow the three of them throughout their highschool journey as they all learn about love and the importance of friendship. Kaoru falls for Ricchan, but is rejected at first before the feelings become mutual, Sen falls for a senpai who ends up eloping with neighbour and spiritual brother Junichi along with struggling to accept his biological heratige, and Ricchan struggles with her feelings as at first she likes Sen then changes to liking Kaoru. By the end of the 8th volume, Sen runs away as he feels he no longer belongs in his town. The 9th volume focuses on life after high school. kaoru goes to university in Tokyo to become a doctor, during a time when student revolt was at a high and Ricchan stays near her hometown and studies to be a teacher. The two continue to communicate until Kaoru calls and another man answers. In the meanwhile, Kaoru still searches for Sen. Kaoru doesn't find Sen until after he finishes university (so that's about 7 years that Sen has had no contact with them). Sen ran off and is a priest in training, taking care of orphans like he was. Ricchan and Kaoru clear up their misunderstanding. The story ends with Kaoru returning to the town to become a local doctor, rather than inheriting the hospital his family owns. The relationship between Kaoru and Ricchan is left open to the reader, but there may be a side story in the spin off volume.
Anyways, that's about it for now, until next time :)
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