A problematic switch.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Sakurai Maki
What They Say:
An awkward exchange of swelling emotions…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Originally serialized in Comic Bavel from the May 2020 installment, I Wish I Could See You Again is a twenty-page story from creator Sakurai Maki, who has about a dozen other works on the service. They’re another creator that I tried one story out on previously and have swung around back for another installment to see if I really need to favorite them or not. Similar to my last experience, the artwork continues to be good with some really great moments but the storytelling still comes across as weak without enough of a hook and not enough material for it to really follow through on in a way that feels engaging or even slightly plausible.
The premise for this introduces us to Toudou, a young man who regularly visits the Kunieda restaurant where he has the biggest crush on the waitress there, Hana. He’s definitely interested in her in a big way but hasn’t been able to progress on that yet. Unfortunately, he discovers that the restaurant has closed due to Hana’s father, the chef and owner, has passed. And then he learns that Hana has gotten married, leaving just her younger brother Ai in town. It’s something that slips from his mind for three years or so when he discovers that the restaurant is opening up again and it looks like Hana is running it. There’s a lot of excitement on his part over it and seeing her, and the two really do rush into each other’s arms once in private.
Which just doesn’t connect at all. You see them just talking lightly and then just the slightest hint of interest on her part ends up having them throw down right then and there. It’s something that leads right into the more intense material quickly but all of that comes with a twist halfway through as well. It’s not exactly a bad twist but it’s one that when combined with how quickly they got into things just leaves the whole thing feeling kind of weird. There’s a lack of real connection here to make it work and the story pages aren’t given enough meat in order to really connect Toudou to Hana so that it feels honest when they do get together.
In Summary
While there are some nice scenes within it and the illustration style is great as both characters have a distinctive look to it, the human element is missing. There’s a hint of it at the start but there needed to be more pages devoted to it for it to actually work well. I like Maki’s characters and they did a solid job with background and design but the lack of heart is what ends up keeping it from working better.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 18+
Released By: FAKKU
Release Date: May 2020
MSRP: FAKKU Subscription
