Loved the series as a whole, but last several chapters feel lacking substance, like the author got tired and was dragging it to 40 chapters total on close to zero fuel left. I don’t mind the visual vastness of the ‘escape’ chapters (though one chapter would be enough), I think it works as both a hack to rest a bit from drawing regular density pages, and as a fitting artistic choice. The ending, however, is just lazy.
Seems like the author didn’t know what to do for the last chapter as he was finishing the previous one, because this succession doesn’t make sense. We got a timeskip to all of them looking a bit different, Kei with shorter hair and seemingly together with Yo… Then another timeskip with them looking different again?.. And separate? And no sight of Ren and Mitani?
I see no reason for this separation other than slacking from making a regular chapter where you have to give some closure to the characters, write their dialogues, and draw lots of stuff beyond half-page landscapes as a background to “oh you’re no with me”s and “once you’ll be with me”s that add nothing to the story. And not to measure gender(lessness) by the hair length, but since it’s the visual media, and it kinda works that way here… Why is Kei’s hair long again? Wasn’t him transcending his haircut the biggest plot resolution just a chapter ago?
Ok, I’m being mean and I don’t like it. I enjoyed the story, imperfect as it was, and I appreciate how personal and raw it was in exploring its themes. I am nonbinary, and I love to see other people’s accounts (especially artistic ones) on their own journey with gender, when told with the honesty of a diary entry, not checking if you’ve felt everything in a perfectly right way and don’t offend anyone who comes to measure you with a ruler. It sucks the life out of art, and I’m glad the damage is not yet as prominent in Japan.
Thank you for translation!