The Rows of Cherry Trees

[MangaDex]

 

[Cornonthekopp]

This is a fascinating glimpse into the history of manga, and yuri as well, funny to see how although some things have changed quite a bit, others aren’t so different at all.

 

[Ace15]

Probably the oldest manga I've read, but i enjoyed it and will look for more stuff around this era.

 

[LukiSnape]

I gave it a 9/10.
I really enjoyed this short story, and like this bit of Girl’s Love history. Although it doesn’t state undeniably that they are in love with each other it is very apparent that they are. (The MCs classmates make fun of her because they said that Yukiko lost the ping-pong match on purpose because she loves Chikage)
The 3rd chapter is my favourite as you can see the connection between Yukiko and Chikage.
The art style is very simple but good, and I believe that the artist was very important in Shoujo history. There is also interesting composition in many of the panels, using ping pong balls as talking bubbles. You can tell it is a pretty old manga, by the lack of borderless panels, but it still makes it interesting to look at.
It also seems to have 2 differvent narrators, one being a 3rd person one and the other being the inner monologue of the main character, made it a bit confusing to follow who was the one narrating, but not too much of an issue.
There is a bit of misscomunication trope which I dont dislike at all. I also like seeing the main character growth through the story. Its done well, based on the limited 4 chapters that it has.
Love the story and the colored art in the first few pages is stunning. Thanks Takahashi Makoto.

 

[zbrown2396]

This manga is so cute. And it predates the other girls' love classics by over a decade.