This earlyish manga from Nananan Kiriko is concise and staid, but there is so much emotion buried just beneath the surface that flashes into the forefront at key moments, through the gestures, tears and words the characters can no longer hide. There is a bit less going on compared to a story like Pumpkin and Mayonnaise, but it's notable for focusing on two young queer girls and the circumstances which ultimately keep them from each other. It is a painful, sad, realistic story, but not, I think, without hope for the main characters. As for the art, the clean linework and lack of much variation in tonal value give the story the feel of a washed out memory, to me.

Endo revealing that she asked Kayako to cut her hair so that she would remember her when she's forced to confront her feelings toward the married man is a striking moment. A beautiful demonstration of her commitment and love, and a moment that reveals her maturity and understanding despite being so young. Endo is a girl who has already made and learned from some terrible mistakes in her short life, and wants to make good going forward. Really it's so sad and beautiful, and her actions and characterization make her unique and make this manga stand out, though it may seem to just be a rather straight forward story about average teenage girls on the surface. In a way, it is, but I suppose it shows how extraordinary average people can be at times. Maybe you think I'm exaggerating, it's not like she's a lowkey super hero or something. I don't think a person needs to be. To me, there's not that much separating the ordinary from the extraordinary, but it's extremely challenging to push forward those few extra centimeters to get there.

The characters:

Endo Masami: has bangs. later gets a haircut, leaving her hair pretty short, but you can still tell it's her because her hair is not neatly cut (compared to Nakano's). likes Kayako, previously had an affair with a married man.

Kayako Kirishima: hair parted in the middle. Likes Endo, sleeps with random guy from another school to test her sexuality/understand Endo better.

Nakano: Hair very short. Endo's best friend.

Watanabe: Jealous of Kayako because she likes Endo AND she likes the guy Kayako slept with.

There's also a class role call at the start of the manga where they show who is who. If you forget, check back there (I did a couple times, then never had a problem again). It's really not that confusing. Is this how pathetic people are on this website? You hold the fact that you can't figure out who's who against the manga?..