Saraba, Yoki Hi

Saraba, Yoki Hi deals with the taboo topic that has been played for laughs in most harem romcoms, incest. It deals with the subject for what it is and doesn't try to downplay the seriousness of it in the end coming up with punchlines such as "oh but they're not blood-related."

It's not a fluffy romance by any means but it's not downright heart-wrenching but there are times you'd wish the characters laid their feelings bare. You'll cry and you'll be happy with the characters though you have known this all could come down crashing because the foundation of everything lies in a pretend play. The pretentious act of a brother and sibling relationship they kept playing for 15 years yet that's how their relationship began. It's difficult to try and rationalize feelings. It becomes more difficult when you realize how wrong it is to feel that way.

"Is incest so bad? If they don't have any children and if no one knows of their past, would their relationship be acceptable?" I despise the notion of incest, more so when it is played for laughs like you'd see in many writings. Despite that, reading this, all I wanted was for Akira and Kei to find their happiness. A relationship of tears and smiles, of caring and being cared for, was theirs' any different from other people, except the unchangeable fact that they were born under the same roof. As I read further I found myself enjoying it much much more than I had expected.
A story that makes you feel the emotions the characters do and all the more anxious to know what happens after, is what I'd call a good story and this is exactly that.

There is often beauty ensconced in the mundane, and while I wouldn't call the premise of「Saraba, Yokihi」"mundane" by any means, it does a wonderful job of weaving everyday moments, little slices of life, into a greater patchwork in equal parts shocking and sentimental.

The main story revolves around a young couple, Akira and Keiichi, drifting in and out of time to construct a narrative of the course of their relationship from childhood to present. Early on hints are dropped that cumulate into an important - and somewhat disturbing - revelation, but the author does a good job of gently easing you into uncomfortable truths and fleshing out each character's mental space. I find the gender reversal in Aki and Kei's relationship dynamics oddly satisfying - Aki being the stoic, independent one and Kei leaning more towards the emotion-prone, damsel-in-distress end of the spectrum, although he does experience quite a bit of character growth as the story progresses.

Secondary narratives told through the perspectives of supporting cast Tamaki and Kou see a sprinkling of the usual tropes pertaining to unrequited love, but somehow manages not to feel exploitive or overdone. For one thing, the characters are sensible, albeit flawed to varying extents, the imprints of circumstances on their actions lucid and striking. Character interactions are the strong suit of this manga - I particularly enjoyed the exchanges between Aki and "Kei-chan", a spoiled child at her daycare center who acts as both a foil and an unflinching representation of Keiichi's inner desires.

The art is somewhat less detail-oriented compared to some of the other manga I have read, but still clean, crisp, and lovely nonetheless. (In fact I had picked it up the first volume on a whim based on the cover, without any idea of what it's about.) Pacing is slow and physical intimacy is scant, which, given the nature of the story, seems rather appropriate. All in all, this is a richly-built up account of young people grappling and growing through the pains of misdirected love. Recommended for mature josei readers looking for a non-traditional romance.

[Reviewed 2017.03.12 based on Vols. 1-3.]