Forum Settings
Forums
New
What did you think of this chapter?
DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this chapter. If you want to discuss future events, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to read/download this chapter or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Manga Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
Pages (4) « 1 2 [3] 4 »
Nov 23, 2012 7:47 PM

Offline
Mar 2012
3
Honestly a great story. I don't care about all the in-depth details that critics go into, I just care whether something is able to move me emotionally. Sundome did just that, it skyrocketed itself to the top of my manga list, and if it was an anime as well, it would be at the top of that also.

I can proudfully say, as a guy, that this story has been the first to make me cry. Not tear up. Not have a few trickles run down my cheek. Fully, right out cry.

These types of manga are few and far in between. A great tragedy, with a complete and fulfilling end. 10/10 doesn't not suffice to how great this truly was.
Dec 18, 2012 6:07 PM
Offline
Dec 2012
1
Okay, so great manga made me cry like no manga had before, I think it's pretty clear that hideo's wife is a different person, to me it's pretty clear when he talks about the wave flowers, he's talking about her, and how she just passed away, i think he was rubbing off on her when she passed away. I think the reason she said she wouldn't have sex with him is because she liked him a lot from the start, and she knew that if he had sex he would lose all funding, and when you think about the series everything she did from the begining was to make him stronger, to make him better, like when he realizes that before he met her he always said I can't do it, and after he started hanging out with her, he would try to do anything for her.
A great manga, it will take me a while to recuperate, but definetively one of my favorites!
Dec 24, 2012 3:41 AM
Offline
Aug 2012
542
This fucking ending... All of my jimmies.
Jan 4, 2013 6:19 PM

Offline
May 2007
886
Kurumi is dead.

If you read some of the comments in the link I provided below, you will understand.

http://flabslapper.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/sundome-the-greatest-manga-with-the-greatest-disappointing-ending-the-really-unexpected-part-three/

The ending is truly bittersweet.....I sort of hate these "rough" endings, I'm generally not good with them, they just make me depressed.....gladly, I read and finished this manga about 2 or so years ago, so I've gotten over the depression that this series brought fourth.
Jan 16, 2013 9:18 PM
Offline
Jan 2013
1
Foreword:

After doing several additions over at another thread, I decided to start my own thread. This is just my own plot analysis of the story and should not be confused with the author's true intentions. However, what it does is serve as a food for thought, as well as link some plot holes together in the hope of understanding the meaning behind the story.

I do not claim ownership over this. I hope that anyone who comes across this thread is able to continue from where I left off, providing your own POV.
Also, my greatest wish is that in the pursuit of unravelling the story's meaning, someone may be inspired to write/draw/film their own story that is similar in style to this. Feel free to use this material however you want it :)

Spread the love for the manga, as I had.

A devoted reader and Kurumi worshipper
Keirave

-----------
Plot Analysis
-----------

As to Kurumi being sick, moley-guy being the doctor, Old geezer and moley guy being ex-Roman club members, meaning behind the plankton, the flash forward after kurumi's death, I suppose everyone knows the meaning behind them. So I will just add on from there.

The Roman club is symbolic to a "training club" of sorts. Either you look at it being

1) A place where "otakus" (in the story's meaning) become mature, or

2) It is MEANT to produce people who eventually hold key positions in helping humankind (such as lawyer or doctors).

Either ways, the club's alumni (meaning successful graduands) has two main missions:

1) To help humankind using "knowledge" as fruits and growth from their "training"

2) Foster the club members by putting them through "tests" (noticeably Kattsun and Hideo, who eventually becomes a lawyer and a doctor as well).

Sounds too far fetched? consider this, The ex-Pres did say that Alumni of the clubs are holding positions such as lawyers and doctors. (if someone could find that page for me i would be appreciative)

Leather masked guy at the swimming pool is an alum, and clearly, he would and he DOES knows who kurumi is:

1) A test for Hideo

2) The subject of one of the alumni's humanistic projects (aka alleviate Kurumi's eventual death).

This double intention was also what it meant for moley guy to say to old geezer "The outcome of all these will give you trouble"

(In case no one knew, Kurumi was NEVER meant to leave the hospital. She was suffering from a terminal blood-coughing-illness that requires permanent hospitalization. But old geezer felt that the Roman club was able to help Kurumi, and thus "released" her from her "shackles" illegally against hospital rules.)

I realize some are also confused over Kurumi's saying "You are the same as me". As for that, there are two possibilities:

1) Kurumi knew who her test subject was before she embarked on her "mission". This was evident since leather face made contact with the club early on in the manga and knew who she was. Also, when she spoke to <spooked Hideo> after <her majesty> died, she mentioned "You are getting stronger". This indicates the high possibility that everything was planned from the start.

(Also bear in mind that she voluntarily joined the Roman club with no questions asked. And she also didn't scout out any other clubs)

2) she did not know who she would encounter (ie met Hideo by chance). But if this was true, den it wouldn't make sense for the alumni to send her out of hospital to make contact with the Roman club. Overall it just doesn't make sense with all the other pieces.

As for what that statement meant, there are two meanings to it:

1) the two are more or less dead. Hideo was living a dead existence in school. He is isolated and outcasted as a freaky Otaku. Kurumi was a person on death's bed. In that sense, Kurumi becomes more dead as Hideo becomes more "alive". Eventually, she dies as a dead butterfly while Hideo emerges from the cocoon as a butterfly.

2) she's an orphan (duh). Thus she lacked parental love for her entire life. Parental love in this sense is people whom will give everything to their child without reservations (total submission). In this example, Hideo is able to be the one who gives himself totally to Kurumi, filling the gap as Kurumi's parents.

That's also the answer to Hideo's question "why me?". And also the explanation behind the fact it HAD to be Hideo and not other club members (Hideo is a total submissive sucker). This further reaffirms the fact that Hideo was chosen before the commencement of Kurumi's mission.

In a nutshell, they were able to provide that love to each other, but just in a different way for each person. (One chapter did had her say something like that, and Hideo's future narration saying "I did not know what she meant when she said that at that time")

if anything, sex was totally irrelevant to the moral of the story. The ability for the author to weave sex together with a plot such as this is something that demands my highest respect for. In short, the author should have, imo, been inspired by one statement: "I will never have sex with you." Thus the story weaves itself around this single statement, grips us all through the steamy scenes, brings us through Hideo's growth and Kurumi's weakening, and crashes it all with subtle meaning and wrenched hearts in the final chapter. (you all do realize that only the final final chapter that everything makes sense?)

So finally, in the final chapter, he reveals the meaning behind Kurumi's statement. :sad: (tearing as i write this part)

Formula: "I will never have sex with you" + "Let's have sex when I wake up" + <Kurumi never waking up> = Kurumi will have sex with Hideo after death.

It may seem like a "duh" moment, but please ladies and gentlemen, take time to ponder the above formula.

Done? ok. it was how Kurumi intentionally planned it. In this case, she denied Hideo until the last moment when she drew her last breath and said "lets have sex when i wake", knowing she would nv wake ever. This is for Hideo's sake, so she could "live" forever in Hideo. How it works is this.

Way of looking 1) If Kurumi had sex with Hideo, then any sex encounters Hideo would have after Kurumi's passing would no longer be significant (as sex is something easily "granted" by Kurumi to Hideo as well).

Way of looking 2) if Kurumi will only have sex with Hideo after death, it means that Every sex that Hideo has with (after her death) will be with Kurumi!!! Pretty lay-man way of me putting it but yea. this is how Kurumi "lives on" forever in Hideo.

Think hard, and think harder again. If you shuttle-read points (1) and (2) together back and forth + the formula given above, you would roughly understand my meaning. Doing so, you would also understand Kurumi's benevolence and sacrifice towards what (and how) she has done for Hideo. Of course in similar mangas/plots, having the female protagonist playing the role of a saint and killing her off eventually (thus adding even more meaning to her saint-ity) is pretty much everywhere.

:sad: cry your hearts away ladies and gentlemen. For THIS, is an outstanding manga!

:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(
Jan 16, 2013 9:37 PM

Offline
Mar 2012
3
Couldn't have put it better myself.
Jan 28, 2013 12:20 AM

Offline
Dec 2012
929
The scenes before the time skip into the future was open up to our interpretation from the author. So here's mine :

Page 15-16 - Kurumi undresses and tells him to come over to her. The two panels at the bottom of page 16 was Aiba having sex with Kurumi. Pages 16-19 (the topmost panel) showed him with an extremely painful expression as he was having sex with her, the most painful being after he asked himself why did she choose him out of everyone. The sounds made were pretty much all from him. Page 17 shows her hands go limp.. The 2nd - 5th panel of page 19 was a continuation from top panels of page 16 as you can see that Kurumi was still sitting up, and she whispered something to him. Page 20 further shows Aiba's pained expression. He finally finishes on page 21-22. The 'When I wake up, let's have sex' was what Kurumi whispered to him back in page 19. Chronological order : Page 15 -> Top panel of page 16 -> 2nd to 5th panel of page 19 -> Bottom two panels of page 16 -> page 17 -> page 18 -> 1st panel of page 19 -> page 20 -> page 21 -> page 22.

Therefore, I believed that Kurumi felt tired and that her time has come, so she lied down after the conversation on page 19. However, she woke up for the last time some time after and this led to Aiba having sex with her. However, her body was too weak and halfway during the process - possibly just before Aiba came - she died. Aiba's pained expression could be from the fact that he realised that she was dying. Eventually, the final time they showed her hand on page 20 was where she died - therefore they showed Aiba's expression again. Hence, the title Sundome - Kurumi died right before Aiba came in the midst of their first ever love-making.

Although there is another possibility that Kurumi never woke up and Aiba was having sex with her dead body (Aiba's hands were straight so it is definite that he has sex with her), I choose not to take this possibility because Aiba would never defy Kurumi's words. Kurumi possibly thought that she would have died and thus never waking up, but in the event that she does - she probably wants to take it as a sign to have sex with Aiba.

As for the ending, I decide to take it for what I see. He regularly has sex with a woman who has a wedding ring - it might be a colleague at work, for all I care. He is always reminded of Kurumi and says that she still exists in his heart. At the very last panel at the end, I believe that it was him talking to the woman.


For thoughts about the series itself, I felt that it has quite a number of flaws - Some of the kinky sex particularly about pissing did not appeal to me at all, and a lot of the story was dragged out. A lot of really serious moments were also ruined because the author decided to turn it into something sexual. A strong point would be the fact that the main character undergoes good character development, as portrayed in the two goldfish. Also, when the sexual scenes were done at the right time, it created a whole lot of sexual tension making it extremely romantic. Although I dislike tragedies, I personally couldn't get Kurumi-chan out of my head for the few hours after reading the manga.

Final Score : 9/10. Could have been 10 if it didn't drag it out with pointless scenes.
ClawViperJan 28, 2013 12:28 AM
Jan 31, 2013 10:23 PM

Offline
Dec 2012
363
This ending... just perfect. The second manga that me cry like a baby. 9/10.
MastaJJan 31, 2013 10:32 PM
"When life gives you lemons, make orange juice, then sit back and watch the world wonder how you did it."
Feb 9, 2013 11:09 PM

Offline
Aug 2010
196
I don't think she had AIDS, it could have been any number of things like TB or Cystic Fibrosis (I don't think it matters as most sick people in manga/anime have an "unknown" disease.)

The part about her unwilling to have sex was mostly about her not wanting to form deep a connection with him and was part of their S&M play (IMO).

I still say she died "during" as it fits in with the title and concept of the manga in multiple ways.
Feb 15, 2013 12:02 AM
Offline
Feb 2013
1
Hey guys I decided to Reread Sundome and, out of curiosity, stumbled here. Originally I thought Kurumi was alive at the end and now I know she is not. I've been gripping with this ending all day as it had been really bittersweet. However, I now can say Sundome (in my opinion) did have a good ending if one looks past death.

1. One of the main themes between Hideo and Kurumi's relationship is that Kurumi would always be there and watch over him. Remember "her existence is your existence". Now while she did die Hideo complained of a neck pain similar to when Kurumi was on his shoulders. She is still there and is spiritually and partly physically bonded to him.

2. In truth Kurumi's death was the greatest gift Hideo could receive. Consider this, now Hideo knows there is an afterlife, Kurumi is still in existence, and she is still with him. So when he dies Hideo will meet Kurumi in his teenage form much like the manga "My Lovely Ghost Kana." Also, if Hideo were to try and commit suicide Kurumi would probably stop him in some fashion in order for him to live first. Hence the title "Sundome".

3. The Roman Club has a heavy influence on the manga. Despite the whole "make a man our of you" motto it also deals with spirits. Therefore it is not a stretch to believe Kurumi is still spiritually attached to Hideo and waiting for his corporeal death, only to realize their eternal love. Besides, Kurumi would be cured of her terminal illness and would rome the earth with Hideo having fun adventures....and sex lol.

So I feel as though Sundome may have a good ending with a bittersweet conclusion. The ideal ending would be Hideo eventually trying to commit suicide and being stopped by ghost Kurumi. They both talk and she makes one of those promises such as "if you die before your time we're through". Hideo lives to be an old man and while on his deathbed sees Kurumi. She lends out her hand, he takes it, and then he dies. Hideo's spirit is that of his teenage self and Hideo initiates sex with Kurumi. Afterwords time passes, we get a glimpse of the new Roman Club, and Hideo (along with the old Roman Club) watching over them. Thoughts?
SplendidsafeFeb 15, 2013 12:08 AM
Mar 14, 2013 5:33 AM
Offline
Mar 2013
1
Hmmm, well said. I think that type of ending with some closure would have been ideal in terms of satisfying the audience. However, the title Sundome meaning to stop just before tends to explain the mangaka's decision in leaving everything up in the air. We all should have known what we were in for once we realized that she was dying.
Mar 30, 2013 3:19 AM
Offline
Mar 2012
1
This is my interpretation of the ending of Sundome and what I view as evidence to back my interpretation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I stand on the side of those who have said that they didn't have sex. I believe she was giving him a hand job or perhaps not touching him at all. My reasoning for this was the fact that we never see Kurumi's left hand, only her right. Others have said that they are clearly having sex because both of Hideo's hands are being used to support himself so there is no way he could have been masturbating. Hideo has been known to come at the slightest of stimulation, so even if Kurumi wasn't doing anything to him, he still could have come in that situation.

Some have said that Hideo started having sex with her and then she died, and he kept on going until climax. Others have said that he started having sex with her once she had already been dead. I don't think either of those theories fit the story, or who Hideo was as a person. That just isn't something he would do. Besides, what kind of person has sex with someone who just died and then thinks, "Oh, I'm about to come! Better pull out!" It just doesn't make sense.

Hideo also successfully graduates as a member of the Roman club and is seen working as a resident at the hospital. He wouldn't have been able to do so if he didn't finish high school as a virgin. He never would have been able to work at that hospital if he had quit (lost his virginity) the Roman club because the Director of the hospital, and at least one of the doctors, are Alumni of the club. They wouldn't have let him work at their hospital if he had broken the rule of their club.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe that Kurumi was alive at least until page 23. She is being held close by Hideo as they watch the nami no hana together. The sleeping bag has been zipped up a bit and they both seem to be at peace with slight smiles on their faces. If Kurumi had died at any point before page 23, we would expect to at least see tears on Hideo's face, if not anguish and suffering. Kurumi meant the world to Hideo. I refuse to believe that he would simply lie there calmly if she had just dead. Some may say that he must have been in shock at that point, but his expression on page 23 isn't one of shock.

Kurumi then says, "When I wake up, let's have sex". Those are her final words; we know that she doesn't wake up. She chooses those to be her final words in order to let Hideo know that she loved him and would have given herself completely to him had her situation been different. Her illness prevented her from being able/wanting to have sex, be it physically or emotionally, and she made that clear in the beginning of the story. True to her words, they never have sex.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bit on page 26 about Hideo "tightening" under his neck is clearly a reference to the "collar" that Kurumi put on Hideo. I don't know anything about a shutter reference, but I'm pretty sure he means a collar and he is tugging on a leash. The chapters of Sundome are even called Collars and Hideo himself talks about how he feels his "leash" was let go in chapter 72.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the last page, there are three consecutive panels of Hideo lying down on the bed.
In the first, we seem him thinking with his eyes closed as he smiles.
In the second panel, we see him open his eyes and glance over to his left hand [which is the hand he used to hold hands with Kurumi as she died]. His smile grows a bit larger.
In the final panel, we see him close his eyes again, put his head down, and rest into his hand and arm. He thinks: "You still exist".

Kurumi is still very much alive inside Hideo, and he realizes this. She completely shaped him as a person and made him grow into the man we see in this epilogue. He went from someone who was invisible, to someone who took action. He started training his body, got his first job, was able to stand up to his classmates, broke someone out of a hospital, and is even on the road to becoming a doctor. All because of Kurumi's influence. He is reminded of this and is able to be honest with himself.

"On second thought... about that golden shower..."
Cancel51Feb 3, 2014 11:00 PM
Apr 18, 2013 6:18 AM
Offline
Oct 2009
7
Cried...
May 31, 2013 10:03 PM

Offline
Jan 2013
11047
Well that was such a great manga.
Don't have much to say.
9/10
Jun 7, 2013 4:43 PM
Offline
Apr 2013
1
singleturbo said:
my thoughts


The ending is a bit confusing, but here is what I think happened.



If you notice between the panels of him in action there are flashbacks/his memories. When Kurumi whispered in his ear she said "Tomorrow when I wake up..." this is actually a memory. The reason I say that is because that statement is finished at the end of the scene when he's holding her, which is "Lets have sex". Yet he was having sex with her at night. He did this because she probably fell really ill and obviously wasn't going to make it to the morning. So I assume she was near death while he was doing her (he can be interpreted as crying here) and she died before he could finish (hence the title of the manga "Sundome"). It also fits in with her promise to him about sex (she knew she wasn't going to make it to the morning, so she was kind of telling him it was okay to do it and still not "letting" him do it.)

One could also assume she died before he started, but I choose to take the hand movements as an indicator of life...



I wasn't crying about the ending until I read that
Now I can't get my crap together
Jul 3, 2013 6:25 AM

Offline
Jul 2012
1299
Wow, I want to cry now.
Jul 5, 2013 4:05 AM
Offline
Jul 2013
3
i was really expecting for something more shocking, or at least more explanation on what just happened. I never knew that she's already dead even though i've already finished reading it, lol.
Anyways, great manga, played with my emotions for a few hours..
Jul 8, 2013 4:46 AM
The Shrike

Offline
Nov 2009
11297
This manga started great but then after a while it started to stall. Things felt a bit repetitive at one point (Roman Club trip, Hideo and Kurumi manage to be alone= new perversion) and I really had to push myself the last 15 chapters or so. What made it worse was that then they crammed 3 episodes worth of storyline in the final chapter which then feels too rushed IMHO. It's a shame really, because it had a good premise and some interesting characters.
"Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii

There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov

Jul 23, 2013 7:32 PM
Offline
Oct 2012
1
Imo

I think he was masturbating on top of her. By this time she had already passed away. She knew she wouldn't live until morning and she was making these sexual promises throughout the entire manga that she would avoided. The part at the end when they are talking about the plankton are likely her last words. Them talking about the plankton carcasses is similar to her situation. She wanted to die in a "beautiful" fashion. I'm she didn't originally plan on dying there ,but time waits for no one. The "her existence is your existence" quote is what Hideo refers to at the end. Similar to the other members crying in the hospital it was like him being thankful to her for the love they were able to share. "I'm glad you existed ." Now because of the memories they shared she will continue to exist through him.


My Proof: He holds her hand at the end and she doesn't grip back. People who are near death and fall asleep in the cold don't wake up. She kept her promise on not having sex with him. He throughout the entire manga has problems becoming aroused to anyone besides Kurumi. He wife whom he eventually meets because he is now a pretty good catch, due to his "training" with Kurumi and him being a doctor, now can't fill the void that Kurumi left. He may eventually overcome these sexually problems. My good ending is that he does, and it feels Fucking Fantastic.

Sundome literally means "stopping the moment before"

That moment before he looks into her eyes and it's like the silent agreement that you are the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Her's ends.

Fuck dude D*:
aaaa551155Jul 25, 2013 12:07 AM
Jul 31, 2013 2:12 AM

Offline
Dec 2009
255
meh..
Aug 11, 2013 11:07 PM
Offline
Apr 2013
1
The ending is pretty clear cut, in my opinion. Consider the following: Kurumi wouldn't have been opposed to pissing on him, as they'd done it multiple times before; she would never say, "Ew, what made you think of that". Secondly, in the beginning of the story, Kurumi made it clear that they would never have sex. Her saying that they would have sex when they wake up was simply affirmation of her prior statement, as well as a roundabout way of telling Hideo that she was about to die. Hideo's future spouse also stated that she didn't understand the Roman club, which shows that she had never taken part in their activities. So yeah, that's what I think.

Apologies if I was redundant about anything. I didn't read most of this thread beforehand, save for a couple posts.
Aug 26, 2013 12:50 AM
Offline
Jul 2013
2
i honestly think that the ending has a lot more symbolism than meets the eye around when he said when he says his neck is hanging low it feels like something tight is wrapped around his neck holding him up its speaking of the past memories held with kurumi that keep telling hideo to stride forward it is obvious that kurumi has passed away but yet the surreal feel of her death makes everyone wish or want her to keep living as she made hideo a better person as she said lets have sex when i wake up it was her way of letting hideo know that she was going to die in his arms because she insinuated that they were never going to have sex its one of the saddest also my most memorable manga and in my collection my favorite. i wish i could rip my soul away to live in a love strived environment such as this but not even in my dreams will i be able to reach something as pure as this story no matter how ecchi people might think this story is.
Aug 26, 2013 12:53 AM
Offline
Jul 2013
2
Cancel51 said:
This is my interpretation of the ending of Sundome and what I view as evidence to back my interpretation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I stand on the side of those who have said that they didn't have sex. I believe she was giving him a hand job or perhaps not touching him at all. My reasoning for this was the fact that we never see Kurumi's left hand, only her right. Others have said that they are clearly having sex because both of Hideo's hands are being used to support himself so there is no way he could have been masturbating. Hideo has been known to come at the slightest of stimulation, so even if Kurumi wasn't doing anything to him, he still could have come in that situation.

Some have said that Hideo started having sex with her and then she died, and he kept on going until climax. Others have said that he started having sex with her once she had already been dead. I don't think either of those theories fit the story, or who Hideo was as a person. That just isn't something he would do. Besides, what kind of person has sex with someone who just died and then thinks, "Oh, I'm about to come! Better pull out!" It just doesn't make sense.

Hideo also successfully graduates as a member of the Roman club and is seen working as a resident at the hospital. He wouldn't have been able to do so if he didn't finish high school as a virgin. He never would have been able to work at that hospital if he had quit (lost his virginity) the Roman club because the Director of the hospital, and at least one of the doctors, are Alumni of the club. They wouldn't have let him work at their hospital if he had broken the rule of their club.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe that Kurumi was alive at least until page 23. She is being held close by Hideo as they watch the nami no hana together. The sleeping bag has been zipped up a bit and they both seem to be at peace with slight smiles on their faces. If Kurumi had died at any point before page 23, we would expect to at least see tears on Hideo's face, if not anguish and suffering. Kurumi meant the world to Hideo. I refuse to believe that he would simply lie there calmly if she had just dead. Some may say that he must have been in shock at that point, but his expression on page 23 isn't one of shock.

Kurumi then says, "When I wake up, let's have sex". Those are her final words; we know that she doesn't wake up. She chooses those to be her final words in order to let Hideo know that she loved him and would have given herself completely to him had her situation been different. Her illness prevented her from being able/wanting to have sex, be it physically or emotionally, and she made that clear in the beginning of the story. True to her words, they never have sex.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bit on page 26 about Hideo "tightening" under his neck is clearly a reference to the "collar" that Kurumi put on Hideo. I don't know anything about a shutter reference, but I'm pretty sure he means a collar and he is tugging on a leash. The chapters of Sundome are even called Collars and Hideo himself talks about how he feels his "leash" was let go in chapter 72.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the last page, there are three consecutive panels of Hideo lying down on the bed.
In the first, we seem him thinking with his eyes closed as he smiles.
In the second panel, we see him open his eyes and glance over to his left hand [which is the hand he used to hold hands with Kurumi as she died]. His smiles grows a bit larger.
In the final panel, we see him close his eyes again, put his head down, and rest into his hand and arm. He thinks: "You still exist".

Kurumi is still very much alive inside Hideo, and he realizes this. She completely shaped him as a person and made him grow into the man we see in this epilogue. He went from someone who was invisible, to someone who took action. He started training his body, got his first job, was able to stand up to his classmates, broke someone out of a hospital, and is even on the road to becoming a doctor. All because of Kurumi's influence. He is reminded of this and is able to be honest with himself.

"On second thought... about that golden shower..."


i couldnt have said it any better
Sep 12, 2013 11:59 AM

Offline
Aug 2012
738
My god this manga T_T

*cries*
Sep 19, 2013 6:59 AM
Offline
Sep 2013
1
Just finished reading the entire series after discovering it was available in print. When I finished, I was curious about the ending and this forum helped me to understand/form my own comfortable conclusion (feel free to agree or ignore).

First of all, "When I wake up...Let's have sex." is what Kurumi whispers to Hideo in the sleeping bag. However, my thoughts are as follows:
a. Hideo would never disobey a promise he makes to Kurumi so when she never wakes up, he would NOT have sex with her.
b. He ejaculates from some of the tiniest stimulation from her so if he DID stick it inside of her, he would not last several panels.
Conclusion, he's simply grinding against her in the boat and finishes outside. No sex = backing from the Roman Club and him becoming a Resident.

Secondly, I don't think Hideo is married to the "other woman" (she is obviously not Kurumi). Reasoning behind this is the fact Kyouko and Kattsun are getting married soon so I doubt Hideo would meet someone and tie the knot before them.

Also, not only is Hideo not wearing a ring, but the woman has her ring on her right hand.
SpookedHideoSep 19, 2013 7:03 AM
Sep 29, 2013 5:56 PM

Offline
Feb 2013
489
What a great manga. That ending was pretty emotionally jarring. If Hideo was a little less horny throughout the series I would've loved it but that's not a major concern. I also wish there was a little more back-story to Kurumi. Nevertheless I enjoyed this manga.
~ El Psy Congroo~

Oct 8, 2013 7:41 PM

Offline
Jan 2012
142
This story was incredibly depressing, especially during the second segment. Ahh man, I don't even know what to think of the score I'm going to give this anymore. Perhaps a 8/10 would give it justice. Everything about the end pretty much justified the entire series. AKA. Finding out that the man in the mercedes was actually the Dr. taking care of Kurumi the entire time. Gonna miss this series.
Live, Laugh, Love.

Nov 4, 2013 7:37 PM

Offline
Jan 2010
201
incredibly depressing, but also touching. I don't care for bittersweet endings, but it's better than a tragic end.

I really wish that the mangaka had revealed her illness, but perhaps he didn't want to risk contradicting himself. (he says she has disease X, but she didn't have symptom Y, and X causes Y)

It definitely was NOT HIV/AIDS. The only real evidence for AIDS is her saying she won't have sex with him, and possibly the fact her parents are dead and had passed it on to her. However, the symptoms weren't right for immunodeficiency, they weren't drawn out long enough, and her time of death is pretty pessimistic for the time the story was written. (HIV is nearly considered a "treatable" condition, rather than a terminal one these days.) Also, if she refused sex to avoid infecting him, then she had to be really dumb. They did several things that were more dangerous transmission-wise than sex with a condom. I think she refused because she knew the roman club alum doctor, knew she was going to die, and wanted Hideo to make it through as a virgin.

I'm glad they revealed her relationship with the doctor. Obviously he was her doctor, but it was great that the mangaka showed the doctor finding her as a child. Meaning they had a long term relationship, and a reason for him to become her personal doctor, and care so much about her. (The sudden death of her parents simultaneously also kinda rules out HIV, by the way.) I wonder if the doctor OB who was caring for her is the one who suggested she join the roman club in the first place?

The scene with her and the doctor, midway though, with the hope hurts line... is pretty sad. I'm guessing that's when she found out that it was going to be terminal after all. She got her hopes up because of wanting to be with Hideo, which is sweet, but so sad.

The ending was strange. I re-read the chapter a dozen times. I don't think they had sex. The flashbacks confuse things, as well as the art, so it's hard to say definitively. He said he'll masturbate for her. he was trying to give her some enjoyment, she was very tired. She whispered "let's have sex when I wake up" I'm certain she knew that she wasn't going to wake up, and Hideo likely realised it as well.

his expressions, and the talk about plankton dying in a beautiful way, rather than staying in the sea, indicate he was doing his best to please her at the end. likely he was rubbing against her, she might've started out touching him, but I think she drifted away during the event. Maybe when she saw the sea foam floating above Hideo. (reminiscent of seeing the fireworks in the bathtub.)

I think she passed out, and he finished anyway for her. The way their relationship developed, she turned his pleasure/orgasms into an act for her, not him. It's strange, like a lot of this story, but in that context, it makes sense. His happiness came from pleasing her, and he pleased her by giving her control over his body and orgasms. Right from the beginning, that aspect of their relationship was there, but he grew more and more into it as their relationship progressed. He did a lot of the crazier things to make her happy, rather than for his own direct pleasure. (he was pleased making her happy)

I think him offering to jerk off was to make her feel better, because he could tell she wasn't doing well. I think they knew what was going to happen, her dying, and that it was soon. I think she whispered "lets have sex when I wake up" to help get him aroused so he could do it for her. I don't think he was just being pervy on her deathbed, and was likely very sad, so she encouraged him.

He likely held her afterwards knowing she wouldn't wake up, but maybe a bit happy that she drifted off from a happy place.

I am disappointed though, that the author didn't cover his grief period, or school life, or anything like that at all. it seemed to jarring for him to go from something so traumatic, to about 10 years later. (2 more years of high school, 4 years undergrad college, 3 years med school, and however much time into his residency)

It's nice that she lived on in him. She changed him, and even though she's dead, she lives on in his memories. I think that's what the ending was about. Not that she is literally a spirit following him. He was in the roman club, and learned to hold onto that belief, and hold onto her in his life. The chin being pulled up, is a way to motivate himself, to remember that he's also living on for her. If he feels like life or challenges are tough, remember the strength she gave him to accomplish things, and his reason for continuing. Very touching.

She did leave him with some impotence issues I think, because his sexuality was so strongly tied to her. He was impotent with the wife-type person. (she was wearing a ring, so they are likely married.) He was thinking of Kurumi that day, and it made it difficult for him. His sex is about pleasing her, after all. But then, after mentioning the golden fountain stuff, he thought about her, and thought that she always enjoyed watching him do those things, and thought that it would make her happy. So it wasn't betraying her after all, and so he went after his wife into the shower.

Typing all this out, and thinking through the ending, makes me feel better... sorry for the long post.
Nov 18, 2013 8:50 AM
Offline
Nov 2013
1
She always said "we will never have sex" and then she said "when I wake up let's have sex" so isn't it obvious that she died? I kinda expected her to die ever since she got the bloody noses.
Nov 30, 2013 4:33 PM

Offline
Jun 2013
1056
Such a sad ending... Makes you think about life and how fortunate most of us are for having healthy bodies and a chance to enjoy life to its fullest. Unfortunately most of us take it for granted though...

Huge respect for Hideo. Because of him Kurumi was able to enjoy her last year or so as much as she could. Although it looks like the poor guy is now mentally and sexually scarred for the rest of his life...

On the bright side Katsu and Kyouko are getting married!
Dec 28, 2013 2:16 PM
Offline
Dec 2013
1
for people that are confused with the identity of the girl hideo was with at the end of the chapter...it's not kurumi who definitely died, and it's not her "sister" - the purpose of the children's home scene was to cement the idea that kurumi was an orphan, meaning that she didn't have parents to help pay for the hospital fees + apartment bills. therefore, she was hired by the OB network as an assassin to try to break hideo in exchange for taking care of the treatments and apartment.
viraticDec 29, 2013 12:15 AM
Jan 2, 2014 4:23 AM

Offline
Aug 2012
1406
that was a great manga despite that I already know what happen to kurumi (because I read some spoiler) it is still

Rawrol said:
That ending, Saw it coming but was still hard to take it or accept it.


:( the bond between them is really something, anyway great manga I'll never forget it
Jan 8, 2014 10:16 PM
Offline
Feb 2012
21
Very intriguing manga, funny, disturbing and darkly brilliant. The subject matter of sexual perversion (aka golden showers and submission) isn't my cup of tea, so as ecchi fap material it is a fail for me, but the symbolism and psychological depth is top notch.

The most chilling omen is the panel where she had been bleeding and she's lying down with a handkerchief on her face. The Japanese usually put a cloth over a dead person's face so it was bad juju just like the flowers being "accidentally" put on her desk. The students in their class were real assholes, btw.

I agree with those that conclude he never had sex with her (in terms of penetration). Rubbing is definitely one way to masturbate without hands. The guy ejaculates several times just in his own pants, fer crissakes!

This also means she died as a virgin.
Feb 4, 2014 5:21 PM

Offline
Aug 2013
760
This manga hurts.

Anyways. I read it start to finish in a two day period because I knew if I stopped it would be hard to pick up a dark gritty story. Even though I knew she was terminally ill and the end was a given, it hit those feelings pretty hard. So I wanted to finish it as soon as possible.

The development of the relationship was probably the highlight of the manga for me. I did not enjoy their "outings" with the club as much so I found myself skimming those parts.

Overall it was amazingly deep with plot and relationships, but a bit drawn out. I will probably not forget this manga since it is the first to actually rustle my jimmies..
TazuFeb 4, 2014 5:25 PM
Feb 12, 2014 8:49 PM
Offline
Feb 2014
1
hey guys th most probaly didin't notice but the woman in the final pages

has a mole under his lip

kurumi has not so after she died he merried another person

SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH

AM FROM BRAZIL I LEARN FROM GOOGLE TRASNLATORAND ENGLISH MANGA -.-
Feb 16, 2014 5:14 PM

Offline
Feb 2012
313
Wow. That's all I can say; what a brilliant manga.

At first about exploiting fetishistic intimacies between humans to perverse humor about licentious things, the last volume really picks up the previous expectations and tosses them right out the window (just as Hideo did with the pot of flowers, ostensibly).

The ending, especially the last chapter, is a bit ambiguous but I'm more leaning towards this interpretation: they had sex (as indicated by her whispering "let's have sex when I wake up" and the chapter before - "I had a dream that we had sex"), but it might be, uh, necrophilia, since she might or might not have died before, during, or after the intercourse. The last substantial indication of her living was before the scene, so it's really up to one's interpretation. And given how perverse the entire manga is, the former wouldn't really be that surprising. The woman we see later is quite possibly a demonstration of what Kurumi, and by extension Sundome as a whole, was attempting to teach the protagonist (us, the audience): to slowly take initiative. Essentially, an entanglement of traditional coming of age themes mingled with strong sexual explications.

I really liked this manga; thought the characters were spot-on developed, especially the main pair, though some side characters were lacking it could be forgiven. The sexual imagery felt a bit gratuitous most of the time even in spite of the direction of the latter chapters. Perhaps if emphasized less (though that would defeat the purpose) the stimulation aspects, and more the psychological effects this aspect would've been handled a bit better. Overall though this manga isn't something I'd forget anytime soon while considering its unique display of erotic fetishistic ways that may very well serve to prove Freudian notions.

Still. Japan, you are so weird.
Feb 18, 2014 8:28 AM

Offline
May 2013
7106
That was an interesting ending. I thought that girl that Hideo was sleeping with was Kurumi, but with longer hair, so I assumed that she was alive. Reading it a second, I can definite see that it wasn't her and that Kurumi, in fact, died (I guess she died when her and Hideo were having sex). Not a lot of people mentioned this, but Katsu and Kyouko are getting married!? I guess that was bound to happen, so congrats to them. Wish we could've seen them after that time skip.

This was an interesting manga to read. The relationship between Hideo and Kurumi was really interesting. There were many times that I thought that Hideo was just being used by her, but I guess that just happens when you really love that person and you would do anything for her. And with Kurumi, I can agree with some of the people that she was trying to change this guy into someone that can be relied upon in the future. But it was sad that Kurumi had to have an illness. Overall, I actually enjoyed reading this manga, just really seeing where their relationship would go from start to finish. This is definitely a manga that I'm not going to forget.
Mar 6, 2014 3:05 PM

Offline
Jan 2014
1442
never mind the jerking-off part, but i feel bad for him that he lost kurumi...he's a great guy though...I would prefer this MC over Shinji from N.G.E, that guy was such a wuss. . .

it's a bit sad though that she died, but he still kept her in his memories,
a place where she'll exist as long as he live :)
Got something to live for, I know that I won't surrender,
A warrior of youth,
I'm taking over, a shot to the new world order
I Am Bulletproof. . .

Mar 22, 2014 7:59 PM

Offline
Jan 2014
97
So i just finished this manga. One of the saddest things ive ever read. I have no words to describe it.

Do you know anything else from the author which has a happy ending?
Apr 6, 2014 4:02 PM

Offline
Oct 2012
190
Well, it was a very good read overall, but the ending was really rushed, which is why it wasn't perfect in the end for me..
I read all volumes in 1 day, so I may have noticed a few things I will share which could slip if you read it chapter by chapter over a period of time.

Well, first of all we realy did see Kurumi's state of health worsening(aside of Hideo mentioning one time she is losing weight, we actually saw her becoming more 'bony', as in thin..)

If you remember - she told she had no parents, while we often saw her with Roman Club's alumni.
In the last chapter we also saw Kurumi's childrens home, where she suppostedly lived before...
Yet during the period we see her in - she lives alone. This leads us a conclusion of her being materially supported by alumni.. but for what reason? Usually goal of alumni is to seduct club members with girl 'assassins' to make them lose virginity. While Kurumi's actions were exactly the opposite. Or was it that the real goal of roman club was to make mature people out of the club members? It's really hard for those 'close off' types of people to develop themselves, so the club is an opportunity to open yourself, while old members support those with their fun activities. This theory is supported good by chapter when we had a muscular alumni appear and Hideo challenged him into diving.. Well, while it may be true the man was afraid of heights, but I personally think he simply allowed Hideo to grow inside Kurumi's eyes.. Also pretty much any alumni related activities were having a real impact on both pairs in the manga.

Now to break hopes of people, who may think it was an open ending or something and kurumi could be alive.. No, it's pretty clear that the woman after time skip is not Kurumi, simply because of mole on her face, if you pay attention. And everything else is pointing into that(mostly her manner of speech and how she acted to club related activities and especially relation to golden shower, heh..)
At first I thought that author wanted to make it open end at first too, so people could think what they want, but then had to reread a bit and noticed it's a 100% his wife is not Kurumi.
Oh, and don't forget how they bought 2 fishes.. and author tried to play it out with them as fishes, so Kurumi would praise hideo's fish, when Hideo was getting more confident and eventually throwing away her own fish counterpart, meaning she thought that Hideo can live on without her, by his own strength.. and she was right according to ending we get, she 'raised' Hideo into becoming a successful person despite such grieve loss..

As for if they had or didn't have sex before the end of manga.. well, this actually is open end part now, since author did hide that aspect, which could mean 2 things:
1) They did have sex, but due to it not being an H manga, the scene simply wasn't made.
2) They didn't.
If we check the manga title - sundome, which means stopping right before finishing, then it makes us mostly take 2nd choice as a given.. At first I thought title was such because of Kurumi always teasing Hideo, so she makes him 'hard', while not letting him ejaculate(and if he does, she punishes him), as in stopping right before he does it.. But later on this proved false, when Hideo started ejaculating left and right without Kurumi getting bossy over it.

In the end, if we go by pure logic - he doesn't have sex with her. Reason for that is him becoming doctor... Remember the Club rule - stay virgin and be what you want to be and he told to Kurumi before that Doctor is what he wants to become.. and I doubt he would reach that without club's help.
Also the 'let's have sex when I wake up' phrase realy supports the no.2 choice, since Hideo always obeyed her and never broke promises..

Yet, there is a reason, why the sex actually could have happened. And that is - character development. Remember what was Kurumi trying to achieve with Hideo? That is for him to become independant, so he could actually act without having to rely on her..
And pairing that with picture, where she got ejaculated all over in her last moments.. There is a chance that he showed her the progress of work she made on him and actually disobeyed her and did it before she 'allowed' it.. with that, we get a relatively happy ending, where Kurumi passes away happily, after she actually made him broke the promise for the first time..
After all she told before, that she loves him and that probably was the truth.. She just wasn't the type to force herself onto him, since she probably thought it would be a burden to him for whole life, unless he makes such choice himself.
And since Hideo made that choise by his own will, that helped him get over the loss and continue to live with memories of Kurumi in his heart..


This manga realy had the potential, which was not unlocked even in the end. I think author shouldn't have put all that development onto last few chapters but instead made it more spread out at the very least... It just seemed how the progress was realy rushed TOO much..
I rated it 9 because of how well thought out the manga was and how it touched my heart, but if we judge real quality, then it's 8- probably.. I found the jerking/golden showers of Kurumi and Hideo most of the time being just fan service and not actually any development at all. It was fun for first few times, but after seeing almost exact same thing for 10th time with no sign of improvement on characters relations.. that seemed weird..
Also characters realy seemed WAY too different when they were just together with their pervy acts and when they were in company of someone else.. Of course they are supposed to keep it secret and such, but still sometimes it felt like you saw 2 different personalities.

It was a good read for sure, yet, after seeing the potential it had I was cheering for something more, so it left a slight disappointment... I am still happy I found a good read anyway though, so I guess it's all cool :)




cowboy_bebop63 said:
So i just finished this manga. One of the saddest things ive ever read. I have no words to describe it.

Do you know anything else from the author which has a happy ending?


Read Nozoki Ana, not by similiar author, but it's very similiar to this(and I must sadly say it's even better than sundome because of sundome's rushing ending and lack of development until ending) and it has happy ending(actually the happy ending is what made me disappointed about it the most, and if happy end is what you seek, you will find it a true masterpiece :D)
Apr 22, 2014 12:17 AM

Offline
Dec 2012
89
I guess I'll be the wird one here to say about how outright stupid I think this ending was. I believe the first third or so of this manga was very well done and had a lot of potential, but eventually it just became weird and illogical. THe manga should have focused more on their relationship and the characters, and not SO much on the fetishes. All that space wasted on Hideo getting jerked off ONCE again and Kattsun joking with the other girl could have been spent explaining wtf was wrong with Kurumi, and with the characters speaking about what they meant to each other.

When you get past all the "bittersweetness" and all the other BS, think about how this manga ended: a guy picks up his (girlfriend?) form th hospital, half dead, they go on a train ride, have sex on a dock (where she is possibly dead or dying), compares her to dead sea plankton, and ejaculates on her possibly dead body.

Does this not seem incredibly shocking to you all? How does anything other than arrest and murder trial not result from such a thing? How does Hideo just turn in a dead Kurumi after being half raped and life goes on as normal? The manga just makes no sense at all. And the whole Roman club cult/alien thing eventually played a real part in the story? It just feels to me like the author didn't take this story seriously, like it was more a tongue in cheek joke about two perverted kids than a serious romance novel.

There was potential for a lot of interesting dicussion and conflict in this manga, but in the end it just turned out to be yet another pseudo-edgy manga about psycho Japanese kids who somehow suffer no logical consequences for their actions.

Good beginning, outright stupid ending.
Apr 26, 2014 2:34 PM
Offline
Jul 2018
564612
Aw, geez...

What a manga. Nearly cried when he saw flowers on Sahana's desk.

I, like many others here it seems, didn't understand the ending at first. I fisrt thought it was Kurumi with Hideo, but that wouldn't be right... there was too much foreshadowing of her death to have it end so conveniently.


Anyway, this was great. Sahana helped Aiba mature and grow into a man, but she couldn't make it...

Really sad shit, but I can't cry after seeing him happy with his new partner. But yeah, her influence on him and his fetishes still live on, seeing as he asks his new partner for a golden shower.

Great manga. Best blind purchase I've ever made. These 8 volumes will always have a special place on my shelf.
I hope Yen Press decides to publish Okada's new 'Ibitsu' over here, as it looks somewhat similar.
May 7, 2014 11:56 AM
Offline
Nov 2010
65
I've read all the posts in this thread, as well as the link to Akemi's website. There is a few arguments I'd like to add to the discussion:
jindo90May 7, 2014 1:15 PM
May 8, 2014 2:35 AM

Offline
Nov 2012
94
So i just finished this at about 5 in the morning, and i knew from all the foreshadowing that Kurumi was going to die at the end, but god damn that didn't stop me from tearing up a little at the endd. I'm glad to see that Kurumi building up Hideo to be a better person showed results at the end. At the end, even though it's pretty ambiguous, i'm pretty sure that Kurumi and Hideo had sex at the end. In chapter 72, Hideo says he feels like his 'collar' has been lifted, and in 73 when the doctor stops by in his car he tells Hideo that "She was always waiting on you to act on your own." And in chapter 75, when Hideo wakes Kurumi up at the hospital, she tells him that she "had a dream they had sex." So in the final chapter, I think Hideo had sex with her when she was sleeping. (I'm hoping he didn't do it after she died, because during the flashbacks, every time it showed her hand in the same position, unmoving, and even when he 'finishes' on her she still hasn't moved) It's still very ambiguous about whether or not they had sex. I just want to believe they did 'it' while she was asleep before she died, dreaming like she did in chapter 75.
May 24, 2014 7:15 AM

Offline
Oct 2012
190
Nakuke said:
I guess I'll be the wird one here to say about how outright stupid I think this ending was.

I think you are weird one only for the reason that my comment directly before yours was actually totally the same in a bit different wording... lol..

Now that I read my previous post, I realy found quite a few better manga series of similiar genre, so maybe I should even lower my rating on this one, hmm..
It was still a good read on average and it was a long story too, so I guess it was harder on author part to keep up with quality so I will stick with what I have for now, but that may change if I find even more good titles ^^
May 25, 2014 8:03 AM
Offline
Dec 2013
75
This manga kinda reminds me of Angel beats.. This also what happened from his little sister? I'm Confused in this kind of ending.. Is she kurumi? or did she died? and who did hideo married?


May 25, 2014 8:06 AM
Offline
Dec 2013
75
MCA5EY said:
So i just finished this at about 5 in the morning, and i knew from all the foreshadowing that Kurumi was going to die at the end, but god damn that didn't stop me from tearing up a little at the endd. I'm glad to see that Kurumi building up Hideo to be a better person showed results at the end. At the end, even though it's pretty ambiguous, i'm pretty sure that Kurumi and Hideo had sex at the end. In chapter 72, Hideo says he feels like his 'collar' has been lifted, and in 73 when the doctor stops by in his car he tells Hideo that "She was always waiting on you to act on your own." And in chapter 75, when Hideo wakes Kurumi up at the hospital, she tells him that she "had a dream they had sex." So in the final chapter, I think Hideo had sex with her when she was sleeping. (I'm hoping he didn't do it after she died, because during the flashbacks, every time it showed her hand in the same position, unmoving, and even when he 'finishes' on her she still hasn't moved) It's still very ambiguous about whether or not they had sex. I just want to believe they did 'it' while she was asleep before she died, dreaming like she did in chapter 75.

Oh God !! O.O


May 31, 2014 1:17 PM

Offline
Sep 2013
5
What an awesome manga. I am glad I did read it.
Jun 30, 2014 11:34 PM

Offline
Jul 2013
411
ClawViper7 said:
The scenes before the time skip into the future was open up to our interpretation from the author. So here's mine :

Page 15-16 - Kurumi undresses and tells him to come over to her. The two panels at the bottom of page 16 was Aiba having sex with Kurumi. Pages 16-19 (the topmost panel) showed him with an extremely painful expression as he was having sex with her, the most painful being after he asked himself why did she choose him out of everyone. The sounds made were pretty much all from him. Page 17 shows her hands go limp.. The 2nd - 5th panel of page 19 was a continuation from top panels of page 16 as you can see that Kurumi was still sitting up, and she whispered something to him. Page 20 further shows Aiba's pained expression. He finally finishes on page 21-22. The 'When I wake up, let's have sex' was what Kurumi whispered to him back in page 19. Chronological order : Page 15 -> Top panel of page 16 -> 2nd to 5th panel of page 19 -> Bottom two panels of page 16 -> page 17 -> page 18 -> 1st panel of page 19 -> page 20 -> page 21 -> page 22.

Therefore, I believed that Kurumi felt tired and that her time has come, so she lied down after the conversation on page 19. However, she woke up for the last time some time after and this led to Aiba having sex with her. However, her body was too weak and halfway during the process - possibly just before Aiba came - she died. Aiba's pained expression could be from the fact that he realised that she was dying. Eventually, the final time they showed her hand on page 20 was where she died - therefore they showed Aiba's expression again. Hence, the title Sundome - Kurumi died right before Aiba came in the midst of their first ever love-making.

Although there is another possibility that Kurumi never woke up and Aiba was having sex with her dead body (Aiba's hands were straight so it is definite that he has sex with her), I choose not to take this possibility because Aiba would never defy Kurumi's words. Kurumi possibly thought that she would have died and thus never waking up, but in the event that she does - she probably wants to take it as a sign to have sex with Aiba.

As for the ending, I decide to take it for what I see. He regularly has sex with a woman who has a wedding ring - it might be a colleague at work, for all I care. He is always reminded of Kurumi and says that she still exists in his heart. At the very last panel at the end, I believe that it was him talking to the woman.


For thoughts about the series itself, I felt that it has quite a number of flaws - Some of the kinky sex particularly about pissing did not appeal to me at all, and a lot of the story was dragged out. A lot of really serious moments were also ruined because the author decided to turn it into something sexual. A strong point would be the fact that the main character undergoes good character development, as portrayed in the two goldfish. Also, when the sexual scenes were done at the right time, it created a whole lot of sexual tension making it extremely romantic. Although I dislike tragedies, I personally couldn't get Kurumi-chan out of my head for the few hours after reading the manga.

Final Score : 9/10. Could have been 10 if it didn't drag it out with pointless scenes.
"Komugi, are you there?"



Aug 23, 2014 12:20 AM

Offline
Jan 2013
11680
Blatantly sexual, at times disgusting, some chapters merely repetitive, and with a MC weird to a tee, Sundome is anything unlike I've ever read so far. Boasting terrific character development and one of the best final chapters in any manga, Sundome is a gem, albeit flawed, that one should cherish.

A 7.5/10 from me.
TrequartistaAug 23, 2014 12:25 AM
Kagami_Hiiragi said:
Idc if you think its weird, I have a life and friends and an income of money.

Pages (4) « 1 2 [3] 4 »

More topics from this board

» What to read that is similar to Sundome?

Elpato891 - Mar 16, 2018

8 by Toranagii »»
Jun 7, 2023 5:57 PM

Poll: » Sundome Chapter 72 Discussion

AlexSadist-sama - Jul 8, 2012

4 by DZento »»
Jan 10, 2023 11:30 PM

Poll: » Sundome Chapter 71 Discussion

AlexSadist-sama - Jul 8, 2012

3 by DZento »»
Jan 10, 2023 11:26 PM

Poll: » Sundome Chapter 68 Discussion

Explicitz - May 27, 2011

9 by DZento »»
Jan 10, 2023 11:10 PM

Poll: » Sundome Chapter 67 Discussion

AlexSadist-sama - Jul 8, 2012

5 by DZento »»
Jan 10, 2023 11:00 PM
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login