Come to think of it, am I the only one who noticed that this manga does not have a tragedy tag (though this should have psychology tag by now)? Then we could rule out the possibility that Aya died in the past. And that’s where Tanabata ang Tanzaku plays their role.
Tanabata was a belief most commonly on lovers, where if they both write Tanzaku, their bond will never be broken no matter the distance is. What everyone overlook in this manga was the color of their Tanzaku. Just like candles, Tanzaku have different colors which corresponds to different types of wishes.
In volume 1 cover, Aya was holding a bamboo branch with a white Tanzaku. White signifies living up to obligations and responsibilities which shown in the latest chapter of this manga. The cover also has the Fuki-nagashi which represent a talisman that wards evil. And evil by Shinto definition was the reduction of the ability of humans to resist temptations. If we think about aya’s wish, it might not be to “disappear somewhere” but “to be somewhere”. In addition, Fukinagashi symbolized Orihime which represent by Aya.
Also, this Aya is not drawn from both Koto and Erikas memory. I think this Aya is the real AYA herself. The proof for this was seen in Chapter 2 page 25, Erikas POV about the current Aya in front of her.
In volume 2’s cover was Erika holding a yellow Tanzaku which represents friendship and a wish to improve relationship. Yes, Erika might be an ok friend but not a good friend. She herself said it at the end of volume 2, Chapter 8 page 35. She has an ulterior motive from helping Aya and Koto. She’s whitewashing both of them. However, this manga doesn’t offer clear-cut heroes or villains. So, Erika doesn’t deserve all those hateful things on the comment. Afterall, where mistaken about Aya’s grandfather being abusive.
It’s a fact with proof since vol. 1 to current vol. (Just in case you forgot, Lucifer has 2 faces, so do humans.) We might see that she’s being a good friend in the surface but deep inside she knows what she’s doing and it’s not good. Thou this is pretty realistic. Erika might be the representation of milky way in the story behind Tanabata.
Last, the 3rd volume featuring Koto. What I find interesting about this was the 3 sunflowers on it. First, what does sunflower represent? - Loyalty and Devotion, the sunflower can track the sun all day gives the sunflower its meaning. What Koto and the sunflowers’ have in common was their unparallel loyalty and devotion. Koto portraits Hikoboshi. Next let’s discuss the meaning behind the number of sunflowers. Koto’s holding 3 sunflowers which means “I want to create or build a family with you”. BUT….. here’s the thing, one flower was facing Aya – signifies that she’s the first and only love in Koto’s heart. The remaining 2 sunflowers means “we are soulmates”.
This manga actually has the same setting as the Story of Two Star-crossed Lovers (Tanabata). Well, I think it’s pretty much obvious from the start soo.
As per the title “How to Break a Triangle” I think I already discuss my point of view about it on my prev comment here. But I want to further clarify my thoughts. I think there’s 3 possible types of triangles that might describe the title and it will be discussed below:
1) The triangle could refer to the love triangle, but it approaches this well-worn trope with more psychological depth. Instead of treating the love triangle as a mere romantic complication, it examines how fragile human connections can be when desire, jealousy, and insecurity come into play.
2) It could represent the past, present and the future. This manga currently operates in the future on Aya’s perspective. I think the past and present are not clearly shown yet. Also, Aya was both time travelling and got spirited away. I realized this while rereading the manga, she got spirited away during/before the Tanabata. And if I remember correctly, the older Aya was seen from Koto’s memories about that day. But, here’s the thing, what if the consequence of Aya being in the future was her disappearance 7 years ago (Linear Time Theory). Though I’m not sure whether she step on a portal or someone or herself wish this to happen.
3) Ever heard the “Principle of Sanmi-Sangen”? It’s the three elements that constitute the basis of all forms of existence. This guides the destiny of the human life. Consisting of three geometric shapes: The triangle, circle, and square.
The triangle symbolizes energy and progress encouraging individual to move forward with determination, focus and creativity.
The circle that represents the harmony, balance and unity. It stands for completeness and perfection and the cynical nature of life, urging one to seek balance in relationship, emotion and thoughts.
Square that represents the stability, structure and order. It conveys the necessity of having a strong foundation and an organized approach to both life and work.
Overall, there’s more to this manga than what meets the eye.
About the ending for this, I have five or six possible ending that I could think off.
- Open ending
- Bittersweet Ending
- One might step away or sacrifice their or happiness
- All of them healed their wounds and trauma/s
- Tragic ending (as long as no one dies I can accept this ending)
- A poly could be?
I've been wanting to post this long ass analysis earlier today but I forgot. I want to hear you guys opinion about this analysis and can you give me advice on how to improve my analysis. I'm open for any criticism.
