Refreshing and delightful, Mayuzuki June’s “After the Rain” is a humorous, fun manga series which I definitely recommend!
Image courtesy of © 2015 Jun Mayuzuki. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: After the Rain vol. 1
STORY AND ART BY: Mayuzuki Jun
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: Vertical Comics
RATED: 14+
Available on September 25, 2018
Akira Tachibana is a reserved high school student who was the star of the track and field team but had to quit when she got injured. Sidelined and depressed, Akira stops in at a family restaurant one rainy day, and after the manager—a 45-year-old man with a young son—serves her free coffee, she is smitten, and soon takes a part-time job at the restaurant.
Despite the age gap, Akira is drawn to his kind nature, and little by little, the two begin to understand each other. One day, she decides to finally tell her manager how she feels… but how will he react?
Vertical Comics is currently releasing mangaka Mayuzuki Jun’s hit manga series “Koi wa Ameagari no Youni” (After the Rain) in North America.
Serialized in Shogakukan’s “Gekkan Big Comic Spirits” back in 2014 and then finding its final home in “Shukan Big Comic Spirits” in 2016, the series would receive an anime adaptation and also a live action film adaptation in 2018.
The series revolves around its two protagonists, Tachibana Akira, a high-school student who was a promising track star until a significant ankle injury forces her to abandon running.
Depressed about not being able to train and run anymore, while walking in the rain, she was offered free coffee by Kondo Masami, the manager of a family restaurant.
Taking shelter in the rain, Tachibana would eventually work at the same family restaurant.
As for Kondo, he is 45-years-old and is a divorced father and has a young son named Yuto who comes to visit once in awhile. When he sees Tachibana, she often has an angry look on her face and wonders if she hates him, but in truth, Tachibana is falling in love with her manager.
While Tachibana tries to understand this feeling she has towards Kondo, what will happen if she gets the nerve to tell him that she likes him?
Meanwhile, Tachibana’s friend Kyan Haruka hopes that Tachibana will someday heal and return, while Tachibana’s co-worker, a playboy chef named Kase Ryosuke, likes Tachibana (because she’s not like other girls who falls for him) and sees her as one of his targets. Also, working at the restaurant is Yoshizawa Takashi, Tachibana’s classmate who started working at the restaurant because he likes her.
Vertical is really releasing interesting manga that explores unique relationships. We have “The Delinquent Housewife” about a teenage boy who is in love with his sister-in-law, but finds out that she is a former gangster girl. “Arakawa Under the Bridge” about a businessman who starts living under the bridge with odd characters and falls for a girl who thinks she is from Venus and “My Boy” about a 30-year-old woman and a young 12-year-old boy which started out as a fill-in mom that wanted to teach the young boy soccer but instead starts bonding with the boy, and he with this woman.
With Mayuzuki Jun’s “After the Rain”, the story revolves around two people who have non-interesting lives. For Tachibana Akira, her life was about running and with that passion taken away due to a significant injury/surgery, she has given it up to work at a family restaurant.
At the family restaurant is a 45-year-old man who just works as a manager and never thought anyone would be interested in him because he’s 45 and has a kid. But it turns out that the athlete, Akira, has fallen for her manager. And she intends to let him know.
But will he reciprocate the same feelings? Or will he feel inconveniences because he know that a 45-year-old man with a young woman would be perceived as very wrong?
For the most part, the manga is refreshing, humorous and delightful. I love the build up of the characters and Mayuzuki does put a lot of time into developing them and making sure their interactions are worth it or have some impact.
For manga fans, I feel that many can easily get into “After the Rain” because it’s not difficult to follow and there are only 10 volumes released in Japan (Note: Vertical releases two volumes per graphic novel, so there will be total of five).
Also, I found Mayuzuki’s artwork to be appealing and well-done, not confusing, chaotic but straightforward and easy to enjoy and appreciate.
So far, this is the first volume and from what I read so far, I am looking forward to volume 2!
Definitely recommended!
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