I got these volumes as a belated birthday gift and they were much appreciated as I do really love this series! Hirayasumi is a slice of life manga that follows Hiroto, a relaxed man who works at a fishing pond in Tokyo. He inherited a house from an old woman whom he befriended (Hiroto is that kind of person) and his niece Natsumi moves in with him while she’s going to art school. The manga does a great job of following their two narratives, one of Natsumi’s coming of age as she encounters the big city and discovers what she loves, and one of Hiroto’s own inner growth and self-discovery. The cast also widens to include their friends and potential romantic partners, each of whom have interesting arcs and things that they have to develop. This series shines in terms of characters, they all feel true to life and fully realized, none of them are a stereotype and Shinzo makes you care about all of them, even with all their foibles and flaws — that’s what really makes them human, in the end.
By this point in the series, the main issues are that Hiroto is in something of a love triangle and Natsumi continues to struggle around creating her manga and trying to find love. The pace moves along gently but both story threads have some forward momentum here. However, it’s the quiet, beautiful moments of emotion — such as Natsumi sitting on a roof, in the moment, experiencing being at peace despite all her worrying, or Hiroto standing in his home, having just said goodbye to his friend, a smile on his face — that stick with me. Shinzo’s ability to capture emotion in a panel and to show these brief times of private, ineffable feeling, is what makes him such a stand-out artist to me. He has an almost European line to his work that gives it a lot of delicacy and depth at the same time. And I respect the way that he clearly respects the dignity of everyday life and everyday people, without feeling the need to artificially heighten the drama. There are dramatic moments and he has a real sense of humor, but it never feels forced or fake.
I will keep happily following along with this series and enjoying my time with the characters as long as he keeps putting these out!
