A short and nice read, that's for sure, but there were still some small hiccups here and there and the ending did seem to fall a bit short.
Suwa did change a bit too fast in my opinion, going from a ladykiller in chapter 1 to the Suwa we all know and love in chapter 4. Of course, there is the high probability that he just faked his ladykiller persona and Aikawa let him be himself (or that a 32 chapter long manga doesn't have the capacity for a slow change).
The whole thing with Kazuki was infuriating, but well, lacking empathy is human too, sadly. Still, a little less from her wouldn't have hurt, probably.
Suwa's sister is a special can of worms. I liked how she paralleled Aikawa in many ways, showing a "what if" to her case. Losing her child involuntary, while Aikawa gave it "voluntary" away was in many ways beautifully shown (though the child surviving could have also let to interesting scenarios; e.g. both were alone as mothers and while one couldn't shoulder the burden of motherhood, the other could,.....). Their discussion afterwards and the sisters opinion was however like jumping in cold water. Maybe it's just because I don't share her opinion, but not being able the see, hear and touch the baby that you carried for 9 months (the fetus being very active in later months, so feel him very well) is a trauma that can take a lifetime to process. Even after knowing he was dead, the sister still wanted to hold him. How much more if the child would be alive. (If I am wrong about this heavy topic, please don't shy away to correct me)
I would have wished the church being a more than just a scary haunted place no one goes to (which is extremely unrealistic, seeing as it wasn't dilapidated and rather grande; no big church is made if there aren't many people that would go there to begin with). A lot of Aikawa's and Suwa's growth could have happened in there, for example by meeting various different people and worldviews or perhaps talking with a priest in the confessional. I don't want this to sound preachy or injecting religion in a manga. It's just a missed opportunity in my opinion; the story starts and ends (if you close an eye) in the church, with the confessional and Mother Mary in the focus and a lot of the story's themes parallel with biblical ones (especially those from the NT, someone shunned from society finds redemption and salvation).
The way it was done raises the question of why a church was used at all. Could have been a bench at the park or the local Shinto shrine (would have perhaps been better for the japanese readers, I don't know).
Sorry for the rant.
The ending was like most of the contemporary mangas at the time, played safe. Would have wished for something clearer, but was still sweet and good.
While my critique may give the impression that I didn't enjoy this manga, nothing would be farer away from the truth than that. I enjoyed it very much and would gladly recommend it anyone who might be interested. The journey of Suwa and Aikawa, the tragic love of Kazuki and Yuzu, Yuzu's friendship with Aikawa and much, much more made me so immersed that I read the whole manga in one go. I thank the mangaka for writing this story and the translators for bringing this experience to us non-japanese readers.
May we meet again.