Usually I'm part of the silent majority, but this ending left me feeling...weird and confused. Maybe I'm grieving after all. Hopefully getting these words out can at least help me with that.
"An open ending like this is more truthful to real life", some have said. Well, you know what's even more truthful to real life? The bittersweet ending. Painful, but very good. What happened to that?! I'm still convinced it would've been a solid ending. That's not to say I oppose a happy ending, but the buildup from the previous chapters was just...perfect. Now, it feels like the expectations were subverted just for the sake of it. Because it barely commits to a happy ending. That’s my main issue with it, I guess - commitment. It doesn’t commit to a sad ending or to a happy one. It's just in between but it lacks the impact that those kinds of endings could provide.
Like someone already observed here before, they reunite after years without seeing each other, and there isn’t a single kiss, hug, not even HAND-HOLDING? Maybe you could say those things are a natural implication of them getting together, so there’s no need to actually show it on screen, but isn’t that kind of physical intimacy an expression of their progress as characters and as a couple? If anything, the consummation of them getting together. I know this manga is more than just romance, but romance is still a part of it, a significant one. Look, I'm not asking for stuff like explanations for the rules of vampirism or more insight into Nazuna's mom, or even an understanding of Kou's power, unlike many people who were upset by the lack of such things. I'm completely fine without all that. Exposition is hard to balance and most of the time, less is more. I'm not even asking for more chapters with Akira (perfectly valid request), but if there's something that just feels so basic is to have the main couple share a meaningful moment together. Besides, it’s not like they haven’t done all those things multiple times before, so why shy away from that now that it matters most? Would it really hurt for them to celebrate their reunion, even if just holding hands? Really? Would it somehow make the story worse, or be a waste of time? I just fail to see how any of that could be the case.
Another problem is that this is barely a happy ending, with the way they worded it and how vague it feels. It irks me that the author would make no effort whatsoever in making it clear and concrete the state of their relationship at the end of the story. Did Kotoyama really have to be that much vague with those final words? As it stands, there's no telling what is the state of their relationship. Is he constantly chasing her around the world only to be separated again? Are they together for good? I don't think you can say it's 100% one or the other because of how ambiguous "play tag till death do us part" was. "Play tag" and "till death do us part" could mean two different things that directly oppose each other. Hopefully the final volume extra can clarify this.
Open endings are not necessarily bad but it’s difficult to pull it off in romance, especially when the last chapters were leading to a pretty decisive ending (a pessimistic one, but still). But let’s say the ending is not that open and it is clear (wish it was more) that they get together and I’m just being stupid. Still, it doesn’t really feel quite right. I think one of the best possible happy endings would be both of them losing all vampirism and becoming fully human, especially with how Nazuna's perspective on this matter was shown and how it would feel more of a complete arc for her character. It would be a nice flavor of impermanence for them without having to go with the separation route. And like I said, I wouldn’t have minded that route either.
But if you’re not going with the human ending and neither with the bittersweet one, at least give them time to be an actual couple on screen. I understand that when it comes to writing romance, the main conflict is solved once the couple gets together, so the buildup to that is kind of what keeps the story going, but it's not impossible to come up with new types of conflicts once they start dating. There are plenty of other manga where the story still continues for a while after the main couple gets together, and, you know, it's not like all the issues disappear after people start dating. If anything, it would also be an opportunity for new dynamics between the characters to be explored once they're into this new stage of their relationship. But no, the story ends the very second after they "become official". Come on.
Also, I usually avoid nitpicking and can easily turn a blind eye as long as the story can satisfy me, but there was a small detail in this chapter that I couldn't bring myself to ignore: the blood bag. Kou hands Nazuna a blood bag for her to drink and even confirms it's his blood. But wait, is that ok? And if it is, why wasn't it done before? Didn't this whole arc happen just because she couldn't take his blood anymore? Maybe I'm forgetting something important, but this seems too much like a big plot hole to ignore. Makes it all feel like less of a genuine conflict. At the end of the day everything in a story has a purpose and is supposed to lead somewhere, but with this it's like i can see the inner workings of the story and the cogs moving under the surface, and i don't like that.
I've also seen some comments about how the story was better in the beginning, before the major story arcs. I don't think any of the arcs were bad, but yeah, my favorite parts were both the beginning and the ending, the slice of life parts. But we wouldn't have the ending without the Hokkaido arc to take us there, and to bring that kind of mood. Many people criticize the second half of the manga, but the last 30 chapters have some of my favorite moments in the series. There's just so much great stuff. We get to see the very moment Kou realizes he's in love, seeing Nazuna in the maid's concert; Nazuna going out drinking with Kabura and Haruka, getting bored of them and later running into Kou in the street; Detective and Nazuna spying on Kou; Kou gifting Nazuna with a camera on Christmas when she was certain he hadn't bought anything for her, and later their winter break together; i mean, i could go on. In a way, this part is the reverse of the beginning. While the beginning has a positive, optimistic vibe, just pure unending fun and it feels like anything is possible and the story could go anywhere, by the time the story returns to that rhythm, to that slice of life, things feel a little more somber, as the characters carry the weight of everything that happened to that point, and also the weight of the things that are (supposedly) about to happen. Even the last 10 chapters, when they are getting ready to say goodbye, I enjoyed every single one of them. It can get across very well that feeling that something precious is about to end, with little to be done about it.
I don't think the ending is awful, at least. It doesn't ruin the whole story. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. And despite the criticisms, i truly loved Yofukashi no Uta. This manga resonates with me in ways that very few others do, it's absolutely one of my favorites. The atmosphere is fantastic, the space itself is enough to set up the mood. Very few other works have the space as such an important element. There are many panels (devoid of dialogue) of just the urban landscape, and they really help set the atmosphere. And after many nights, we even get a whole chapter in daylight, and the day has a charm of its own, and it’s magical. That’s masterful technique.
I think one of the reasons I like this manga so much is because of how much I relate. And how could I not, it’s not every day that I stumble into something with the theme of night-walking. It feels very personal and intimate. The call of the night is very alluring after all. The silence, tranquility, emptiness, the feeling that the whole world belongs to you and time is no longer running. It’s not something I can easily get enough of.
Another quality of this manga is youthfulness. Now, many manga have young characters, but that doesn't mean they possess a youthful quality. That’s because youthfulness is not in age, but in the heart. I would say it’s about being carefree, willing to enjoy yourself, the here and now, and allowing yourself to. The characters here are this, and it’s very refreshing. When the characters carelessly dive from buildings, leaping into the vast night - that’s an expression of youthfulness.
The story also has so much subtlety. It feels like there’s always much more to characters and scenes below the surface, many implications. There are moments that come and go in the blink of an eye, but they mean so much. Like the picture Nazuna takes of Kou on the beach. Visually, there are also many virtues here. Character designs and fashion are all great, and the facial expressions are just...amazing. The eyes are very good, they are quite the trademark. There are so many great panels. Kotoyama also has a technique where some panels look like they were shot with a fish-eye lens, it gives a unique and distinctive feel.
Besides all these qualities, the manga also manages to just never be boring. Sure, it may not always be upbeat, light and cheerful, but it's still always entertaining. And it can flow so smoothly from one mood to another.
Yeah, this is a precious work. I'm glad I got to know this, and I'm glad I got to read this. It was nice reading it every week. I'll remember this fondly. It's hard to say goodbye to these characters, but that's the way it is. The night marches on. I'll definitely revisit it, though. I mean, I have to. This manga made a big impact on me. I can't remember the last time I was this sad to see something end. It was brief, but it was fun.
Since I'm here, I might as well recommend a song "related" to the manga. There are many songs that came to my mind while reading this manga, but i ended up picking this one, as i feel it fits the manga in multiple ways:
"Even in a town like this, there are all sorts of vampires. Living freely, having fun and carrying the same hopes and fears as the humans they mingle with. But they're not human. I got involved with them. I learned about the night. I fell in love. I don't want to lose this connection. I want to learn more. Bit by bit, not all at once, but bit by bit, higher and higher".
Thank you Kotoyama and thanks to everyone involved in the translation.