Hekikai no AiON

[MangaDex]

 

[mycarryfuckingsucks]

I could barely remember the ending but I remember this having been a good read in my childhood.

 

[TwilightFaze]

The ending was a bit rushed, but tied everything up nicely. It was a happy ending, but a bittersweet one.

 

[donutholer]

Chapter 4 seems to be absent

 

[pizzapicante27]

I love everything by Kagesaki!

 

[Arantir]

the ending was a bit depressing for me. bitter but sweet but also depressing.

 

[keoxkeox]

This series must have been axed quite suddenly, as the ending and the final chapter feel significantly different than the rest of the series

 

[darknesspker]

I loved this entire series. It has a very unique concept for a story - reminded me of Spirit Circle a lot. That ending though, I wish there was an epilogue showcasing the two MC's lives a little more - very bittersweet and wholesome though.

9/10.

 

[exxp]

one of the nostalgic one's early reads

 

[ESCrowe]

Fuck me, that was messed up, sad and yet happy
Reading more of this author's work

 

[Phuocphuc46]

The shift was definitely felt, but for all it is, it’s still a manga with good plot, story building and development. Definitely one of the classics

 

[MadamTaylor]

Damn this hurt my feels

 

[Danegraphics]

What a beautiful story.

Now I need to sit and wallow in this feeling for a while.

What a strange feeling.

 

[CrusaderJerome]

Kagesaki Yuna's best work, I'd say. There's a clear improvement in story structure and art presentation over Sakura no Ichiban and Karin, which really lets Kagesaki's trademark emotional depth shine. Sure, it's melodramatic and bittersweet and ends right on the dramatic resolution with no time to wind down, but it's memorable and made me feel things, and that's what counts.

 

[Noivernaero]

Im glad i found this. Really really enjoyed reading it

 

[ExarchOfAfrica]

Damn. This felt different. A story of Tatsuya, a first year high schooler dealing with the loss of his parents meeting up with a witch whose life goal is killing mermaids. For the mangaka to kill off the Tatsuya and Seine was bold. To make both die in satisfying ways, Tatsuya from the ephemeral nature of being human, Seine from finally achiving an inner peace, was beautiful. I didn't cry, but I really wanted too. In general, every character the manga built up got satisfying endings. Naigsa, after being rejected, moved on as hinted in chapter 40 or 41 by calling her other friend first instead of Totsuba. Of mutliple dozen manga's I've read, I've only seen two or three do this well, this included. Shino got face Simon one last time. Meii the mermaid doesn't get Tatsuya, but she gets her voice back. Having Meii be the original owner of Aion, seeing that black dragon pet smiling in her embrace was special.

The manga did lack direction at times, but not to the same degree as other's I've read. It dealt well with heavy concepts like death. Tatsuya felt weak at times, like a generic shounen romcom MC, but this can be attributed to the traumatic loss of losing both parents and his father's last wish to be a high-caliber man. By the end of the manga, he definitely becomes that, a character I cared about and grew throughout the story. The art style is similarly gloomy, fitting for the life and death themes throughout the manga. Even the romance, if sometimes weak, is actually done better than most shounen romcom. This is a fantastic and underappreciated manga that deserves a read.

9/10.