What would happen if you slowly began to disappear? What if you couldn’t see your boy/girlfriend’s face? Enter Shizuka Shiroyama, who is afflicted with a rare, incurable disease that is slowly making her body invisible. She is an introverted high schooler who keeps to herself. Her friend, Mamoru Tadami, is fascinated with her, not just because of her condition but for who she is. His endearing qualities include an immaturity that makes people smile and always seeming to be able to do the right thing at the right time. As the story progresses, Shizuka must deal with the stresses of her condition along with everyday high school life. Unbeknownst to her though, she seems to affects the people around her.
The drawing style is simple and keeps the characters within realistic proportions. The Omake at the end of each chapter, however, seem a bit flat. Omake are comedy skits generally used as filler pages. Unfortunately, these Omake, featuring Tadami, fall short on the humor aspect. The main plotline is stable though, and really lets the reader feel the emotion and heartache that Shiroyama faces each day. Tadami’s goofy antics and sincere affection lends hope to Shiroyama to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
This manga, a Japanese graphic novel, is written and drawn by Okamoto Kazuhiro. and has been licensed by Dark Horse Comics for U.S. distribution. Dark Horse may be known for their graphic novels such as Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, and Conan but are now expanding their manga collection, which currently includes Ah! My Goddess, Gunsmith Cats, and Berserk.
In the end, this book is an enjoyable, light read. The humor of the main story lends a helping hand to the serious moments, balancing the plot, so the reader is not overwhelmed. The plot is steady, not fast but not lagging either. If you prefer a more action-based story or one where the plotline focuses on an oddity this will probably not interest you.
This manga relies on the emotion of the characters and moral decisions. So the questions with which you are left are: Will a cure be found for Shiroyama before she completely disappears? and will Shiroyama and Tadami be able to find happiness together?
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