Well, the end was quite unexpected. I understand, or at least, it seems to me that I understand what the author intended to say, but this is still written rather surrealistically.
Man, I have to say, this manga doesn't make sense until you've read it till the end. But whatever... I'm very moved by it. And I don't just mean the powerful emotions it evokes, using the themes of loss and regret; I am entranced by the narrative structure -- this feels like a masterfully-crafted novel in visual form, full of the subtleties you would expect from a work of such calibre.
It has constantly shifting POV. There's a large serving of
the unreliable narrator, provided by the titular character.
And, the manga medium is put to full use: in chapter five,
Chie states, "Was there a physical relationship? Of course not." Which is followed by an image of her, nude, that belies her words.
I'll probably have to re-read it again in the future.
Shoujo ai is the English term for girls love. Yes, you have read it right: the English term is in Japanese words[2] and the Japanese term is in English words[3]. Paradoxical, isn’t it?
少女愛 shoujo ai is the Japanese term for a subgenre of lolicon porn: shoujo ai is porn depicting straight sex between an adult male and an underage female. ridiculous
This was good. Sad, but good. 1st few chapters are VERY confusing, but later everything falls into place. Well, almost everything.
Note that It's barely yuri, there are much more heterosexual stuff there. Anyway this manga isn't about romance.