Ranked #559

Taiyou no Uta (Manga)

Sixteen-year old Kaoru, who cannot be exposed to sunlight, can only experience life at night, when she's in front of the train station, singing. There begins a love that has blossomed for the first time in her life.

Story: 10/10
I'm not really one for tragedy stories, but I watched the live action movie years ago, way before I knew about the manga. The movie became one of my favorites and I just rewatched it last night.

The story, for me, is quite original. I mean, a girl with Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), an illness which also might be described as the allergy to the sun? I don't think I've even HEARD of other stories like that. The story is VERY fast paced, however. It never really says how many days pass or how long Kaoru and Kouji actually know each other. Even with the fast paced story line, it moves smoothly and breaks your heart as the ending nears.

And in the live action movie, you don't "hear" any of Kaoru's thoughts, but in the manga, you can see them. I liked that a lot. It brought out the emotions she was feeling a lot more.

Life seems so much worthwhile as Kaoru's story is told and how she cant experience life like we can. This story will pull your hearts and before you know it, you'll be asking for the tissue box.

Art: 10/10
I liked the art. A lot. The expressions made my heart jump, especially Kouji's. In the live action, it was very hard for me to tell what Kouji was feeling, but with the expressions he makes in the manga, it was easy, making it even more sad. Minatsuki's art is simple yet elegant, and the character designs were cute.

Character: 10/10
I loved Kaoru's character. she was beyond adorable. Despite being ill, and only able to come out at night, she was highly energetic and did things on a whim, like confessing randomly to Kouji. As the story progresses, however, she changes quite a bit. Which, I love character development, and the story being so short, you get a whole lot at once. Kaoru is a very love-able girl and her story is as depressing as depressing gets.
Kouji is quite like-able too. He's seen at the idiot and dunce of his class, he cant even surf great, but his spirits are never knocked down. He changes quite a lot as the story moves, and I think its more noticeable than Kaoru's. But like I said before, with such a short series, all the character development is sort of thrown at you at once.

Overall/Enjoyment: 10/10
As I said earlier, I watched the live action movie years ago, never even knowing about the manga. I loved the movie a whole lot, its one of the best tragedies Ive seen, and I could watch it over and over. After reading the manga, I realized how WELL the movie followed it, and was really surprised. Usually movies change things around, or adds their own little plot lines in, but not this one. It is like a perfect rendition of the manga. Which is amazing. I enjoyed reading the manga, even if it was only a few chapters long, it still moved me the exact same way the movie did.

I recommend this to everyone who likes a quick read. It may cause a bit of tear shed, but that's only because its what its meant to do. After you read the manga, go watch the movie. Yui brings Kaoru to life perfectly in every way.

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"He's someone who lives under the sun..."

There's something different about sixteen-year-old Kaoru. her father calls it individuality. Kaoru thinks of it as a curse. she has a disease. but not just any disease. a disease that cannot allow her to be under the sun...or she'll die. Because of this, she spends her nights singing outside with her guitar, and her days in her room, watching a boy at the bus stop. before long, she finds herself falling in love, and yearning to talk to him at least once. but she knows this will never happen.
but what happens when she coincidentally runs into him while on her nightly street performance?
this tragic story shows that no matter how big the obstacle, or no matter how you are, true love awaits for everyone.

the character's in this story are very heart warming. Fujishiro Kouji is the boy whom Kaoru has been watching. he is an aloof surfer who likes having fun. he can't surf great, and he isn't the smartest guy around, yet he manages to bring smiles and hope to Kaoru, who only knew how to live in darkness. who would've thought that you could meet someone for the first time, and in one night know she was the one? his loyalty to her throughout the story is captivating, and his strong love for her brings tears to your eyes. you see how much he sacrifices to bring her happiness, because you can tell that her happiness is his happiness. he truly is a wonderful character and one to learn from.
Kaoru, despite her situation, tries to see the beauty of the life she has, and is surprisingly strong-willed. but she's very protective of her position, for she knows that one slip and she could lose all the happiness she's built up till then. because of this, she has never told anyone outside family about her disease. not that there was much people to tell. but in desperation to live and gain Kouji's trust, she spills her secret to him. her gutsy personality is heart-warming, and it's no surprise that Kouji fell in love in just one night.

the art is simple, but very eye catching. it is similar to other arts, but has it's own subtle differences that match the story line perfectly. their facial expressions are so full of life and beautifully drawn. you can really see the love and sorrow in each character's face. despite there being a few mistakes, the art is simply beautiful.

Taiyou no Uta: A Song to the Sun, is one of the most heart-clenching stories i've ever read. it teaches you that life is too short to wait around. it is bound to make you smile, cry, and think about the small beauties in life.

"when the sun sets, i'll come see you because i love you..." read more