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Koizora: Setsunai Koimonogatari
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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Koizora: Kinai Koimonogatari, Sky of Love, Love Sky: Sad Love Story

Japanese: 恋空～切ナイ恋物語～

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 10

Chapters: 30

Status: Finished

Published: 2007 to 2009

Genres: Drama, Romance

Theme: School

Demographic: Shoujo

Serialization: Comic Mahou no iLand

Authors: Haneda, Ibuki (Art), Mika (Story)

Statistics

Score: 7.86¹ (scored by 5,033 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1116²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1433

Members: 13,582

Favorites: 349

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 16 / 19

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Oct 22, 2014

Bluesander

Mixed Feelings

I am writing this review to try to persuade you NOT to give this series a chance.

After reading MoonLight's review, I was convinced to give Koizora a try. As much as I hate to admit it, I often judge manga by their cover - I'm more likely to read something if the art looks appealing to me. In the case of Koizora, the characters and detailing are spot on and art is more or less to my taste.

I've read numerous comments on the manga that touch on how sad it was, how touching, and how they would read it over and over. This bothers me ...

Feb 4, 2011

Moon_Light

Recommended

Preliminary (19/30 chp)

“Were you happy?”
“I was so happy”

Some relationships are toxic, they tear at your soul a piece at a time. By the time you realize this, it is too late.

Mika is ecstatic about high school, three months in and she loves every minute of it. Her “friend” calls her drunk one day during their school break and before she knows it on the other line is the smoothest voice she ever heard, his name is Hiro. They enjoy each others conversations and before they know it they talk every day of their time away from school. When school starts again Mika is shocked to find ... that Hiro is the notorious delinquent she has heard about. Only problem is she’s already in love with him. Through Mika’s eye we see the twists and turns of love, sex, drugs, rape, pregnancy and heartbreaks.

From the beginning you know that she’s already speaking in past tense and has a Sand Chronicles feel to it. Now, it’s going to sound like I wasn’t happy with the story, mind you that is not the case at all. Even though I enjoyed the flow of the manga very much, some of the topic weren’t that realistically displayed. Starting with the main one which was rape. Despite the fact that Mika’s thoughts were genuine her actions weren’t. She was upset about it but she was still acting normal and in no time she was normal. And none of her actions fit with her “safe” personality but I am sure that‘s because love makes us act like we are on crack.

I loved, the pairing of Hiro and Mika but their relationship was doomed from the beginning and makes me believe in foreshadowing that much more. Every time something good happened, something bad followed and stalked them and beat the good moments to death.

It does a great job in portraying a one person perspective, as it is, you will feel for Mika and dislike the people that wrong her even without knowing their reasons, though you’ll feel like a jerk afterward. It is because of that reason that I felt that line above (toxic…) was fitting. I thought that until a little more than half way and then changed my mind, a little. While I still believe it’s true (where the first half is concerned), I also think that their love was actually quite beautiful.

The twist the turns and the falling off a cliff:
Every manga needs it twist and this one is no different. Though the climax of the story was there I felt that the actions taken by the subject in question (Hiro) were less than favorable. Word to the wise out there fellas, it is not OK to choose what you think is best for someone and make them hate you because you think it’s for their greater good. We all sympathize with martyrs but give the girl the benefit of the doubt. Confused yet? Sorry, that is all I am willing to give without any spoilers.

I won’t lie, I did watch the live action movie for it. Did the manga make me depressed for hours at end? Yes Did I HATE some parts of it and want to burn it? Heck Yes. Did it finally give light to my masochistic personality thereby making it come out of the closet? Unfortunately yes!

Mika was your average do gooder, she did well in school, somewhat shy, and was known for being nice. She is a perfect example of someone who’s life got thrown into the wind like a deck of cards in a hurricane. Her attitude is not always the best, or should I say her script? But she isn’t annoying and you want to see how it all plays out for her.

Hiro was a nice enough guy but he was, tainted. He wanted to be good deep inside but in the end he always went back to what was easier. After all, losing yourself to any drug is better than facing a cruel reality. His character brought this story to life but it was also him that tore down the girl he loved. The perfect example of love and hate, his character is.

The art was average. Though at times was really beautiful. It is safe to say that this story is not about the art, it’s about the characters, it’s about life.

There are more characters that emphasize the better and sometimes worse part of human emotions. Aya is Mika’s best friend but you get a glimpse of how she really thinks and feels and it doesn‘t make her a bad person, it just makes her easier to understand and she gets character.
The ending although predictable it still was sincerely heartbreaking. It’s bitter sweet, that means it’s sad people, and my eyes got watery which is as emotional as I get anyway. Don’t expect a happy ending *coughs* me *coughs*, I mean the title says it’s a “Sad Love Story.”

It gives closure to the manga, which isn’t that really what we all want?

Feb 18, 2010

zuziako

Not Recommended

Preliminary (8/30 chp)

If I ever write a review here, it must be because the manga or the anime have been so bad it's simply inhuman not to warn others about it. "Koizora" is of course, the case of that. It tells a story of incredibly stupid teenagers, who should be rather be called robots, since they act NOTHING LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE. The main character - Mika, gets in all sorts of very unpleasant situations, and her reactions are always far from understandable. Her boyfriend is the same.

Generally speaking, the author wanted to throw some big problems into the story, but could not draw decent psychological portraits ...

Jan 16, 2010

Nia9001

Recommended

Preliminary (18/30 chp)

Can't believe no one has made a review about this manga yet. Let me give this a shot.

Koizora - Setsunai Koimonogatari may be one of your common sad love stories you can read at your nearest bookstore. The fact that there are heartbreaks and cheesy parts you see in some typical shoujo manga aren't surprising to find in this manga. For those who prefer heavy drama, this may suit you.

The art style is very absorbing and the quotes are giving me the chills. There were pages I wanted to miss just to get to the drama scenes fast. It has a touch of light ...

Oct 4, 2014

sweetie426

Mixed Feelings

So previsible and pretty much boring. There are other mangas that are alike and yet so much better than this one (like boku no hatsukoi o kimi ni sasagu). And what's worse is that the characters all seem so weak or despicable. Beside the art, there's nothing much worth to this work in my opinion...

Jan 6, 2014

Demi_V

Mixed Feelings

Koizora: Love Sky – Sad Love Story is a heavy drama manga for mature audiences. Despite the multiple sad events that occur in this manga, Koizora aims to make the reader appreciate life a lot more. It teaches you that there’s no such thing as regret but that you should treasure every moment of your past. Your past helps you become stronger and become a greater person towards the people you meet in the future. The message is indeed inspirational, but the mangaka could’ve done a better job at appealing to her readers.

Story (6)

Koizora is rumored to be based on a true sad love story ... by the author Mika herself. Personally, it’s hard for me to believe one person could go through multiple tragedies (gang rape, pregnancy, heartbreak, etc.) in such a short time span (~2 months). The pacing was too rushed, and it seems that the author is trying too hard to tug at the readers’ heartstrings by introducing one unfortunate event after another. To be clear, the tragedies are not a horrible thing to include in a manga, but it carries on for at least 3 volumes. It would’ve been more enjoyable if they were only spaced out and not crowded together. The reader cannot help but expect bad luck for Mika at every turn.

Clichéd stories are entertaining in some shoujo manga, but it was greatly overused in Koizora. The timeline takes place from high school to college. The manga revolves around Mika’s struggle with life itself, and her bad luck does not occur until she becomes romantic with a delinquent named Hiroki during her 2nd year of high school. Her love for Hiroki overcomes all of the bad events she experiences during their relationship. As long as she has him, she’s happy. The first few chapters are depressing with the mangaka throwing balls of sadness at the reader. The characters do not handle situations realistically most of the time. E.g. Tragedies happen, but the character acts normal as if nothing happened. Therefore, the inspirational message behind this shoujo manga may not immediately occur to the reader. The story lightens and becomes promising in the middle, but the reader could be disappointed with some of the characters’ choices, especially Mika. The manga has a hopeful ending, and it succeeds in fulfilling its objective of being a sad love story.

Characters (6)

The manga is one-sided, focusing strictly on Mika. Mika is the emotionally weak female lead who is willing to do anything for love. It will become easy to develop a love-hate relationship towards her, because the majority of her actions may seem naïve. It can be understandable for a girl who is in her first relationship, but the way she handles some crises is impractical. Her behavior was too laid-back at times. However, the reader watches her slowly learn how to embrace the joys of life by refusing to have regrets about her past. This is done with the introduction of new characters in the middle who make a huge impact on her life.

There are a decent amount of characters, and they all play a part in Mika’s life. Characters include the usual people you would expect in a drama manga: jealous girlfriend/boyfriend, backstabbing friends, best friend who’s in love with best friend’s lover, new trustworthy friends, etc. Some of the characters may seem intolerable at times with their denseness, but they become more understandable near the end. It would’ve been more enjoyable if the author emphasized on some of the other important characters as well. Some scenes shown several emotions from different characters, and no dialogue revealed what was going on in that characters’ head. Some important characters had sudden changes in their personality, and the reasoning was not explained fully. Feelings were not revealed from some characters until the last few chapters of the manga.

Animation (7)

Illustrator Ibuki Haneda did an excellent job in bringing out the characters’ emotions in dramatic scenes. The artwork itself succeeds in drawing out emotions from the reader and even give sympathy towards the characters. The backgrounds were concise and distinct from each other, as they each hold significance in the story. The heroine has a baby face that expresses her innocence.

Some characters looked too much alike, and dramatic scenes appeared deceiving because of the lack of distinct. If it was not for the dialogue, it would be difficult for the reader to understand what’s going on. During sex scenes, the characters were drawn with blank bodies, so no genitalia is shown. It wouldn’t be a problem if the manga itself was not fallen under the “Mature” category. The only mature scenes that were drawn to fit the category were the tragedies (e.g. self-harm scenes).

Enjoyment (7)

This manga was a major tearjerker for me, and I had the same reactions as I had with other Shoujo manga. I grew frustrated with the characters at times and was disappointed, but I later understood their reasoning. I wanted to learn more about the other main characters and their thoughts within the manga instead of solely Mika. Some of the reasoning behind the other characters’ actions became unclear to me because of that. Because of the overused cliché in the beginning, I had a hint of how the manga would end. I became emotional and sympathizing with Mika near the end, and I thank the animation for that. Instead of re-reading the manga, I may try out the adaptations. The majority of the people who have either read the novel or watched the Korean drama said that the adaptations are much more tolerable than the manga.

Overall (6)

Koizora is typically the manga that most readers drop after reading the first few chapters, because it begins on a depressing note. Even though it gives readers a bad impression of the manga, it results in something memorable and inspirational. Unless you’re someone who does not mind such a heavy drama manga, I recommend that you at least give it a chance. I see this manga as a source to help one appreciate life and teach them what and what not to do. This manga is unique in its own way by not showing any hesitation in fulfilling its objective as a sad love story. Prepare to shed tears and love or hate characters upon turning the pages of Koizora.

Mar 2, 2015

Fellika

Recommended

Story:
I'm writing this review because I literally just finished reading the whole manga and it's one of the most tear jerking manga you will find. The story is so different and so surreal and it's so hard to comprehend the shoes that the main character is trying to withhold. She's suffering daily and daily with the love of her life and simply the life that she has while holding her lover's hand. It's amazing how this one author can make so many tragedies while making it beautiful at the same time.
Art:
Reminded me of Bokura ga ita's art. Didn't really bother me.. I ...

Jul 12, 2010

sailorcess

Recommended

this is one of the most powerful mangas i've ever read for those who are not writters or have never been in a powerful stage of emotion in your life you may not quite understand the story.but for those who do you will most definately love this manga it's all about a tragic love story following 2 teenagers who are complete opposites but who are love with one another.the main heroine Mika is who the story is centered around.as you read along about her and her relationship with Hiro you can start to wonder about why these two are together but then it hits certain ...

Jun 2, 2010

zombiesonacid

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/30 chp)

It was depressing, especially the end

Story:
at first i thought it was some pathetic shoujo manga
but boy, was i wrong

first of all, i love it when shoujo mangas' main heroine's boyfriend is all feisty at the beginning and goes all soft when they meet the girl so i like Hiro :D
anyways, the story is about some girl who gets pregnant yadda yadda yadda
and all that, so the guy, wants to raise the child, but then
....nuff' said,
...

Jun 8, 2016

Nortorn

Not Recommended

This is a story that's written by a psychopath and a rape apologist. If you want a story about weak and terrible people doing idiotic and terrible things, a manga that thinks that an apology is a good enough punishment for rape then go ahead.

But if you are a sane person don't read this.(Bitter Virgin is a similar but much better story written by someone who has seen what rape can actually do.)

If the author would have done some research they would have found out just how scarring rape can be. People can't just Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps. The character in the manga ...

Feb 14, 2014

Chuniru

Recommended

I have never written a review before but this story really moved me to the point of tears at several points. I honestly thought that I would hate this story. But I couldn't stop reading it. I was pulled into a world of excitement, sorrow, friendship, and love.

The main character tells it at the beginning like she's telling a tale. It starts off kinda slow but it picks up a bit. I hated the main character a bit because it seemed like she was like most of the girls in romance manga's who just fall in love with any old person. But that wasn't really ...

Oct 5, 2012

Sky-Guitar

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/30 chp)

This story have made cry and laugh and just from the beginning I already knew that it won't be like any other Shoujo Manga.

Story: 10

The story really got me into it. I am a real sucker for romance and it was really a something I could not get my eyes of. After I read this story I noticed something and that was where the player girls come from. Yet the story was sad and there were really times that I hated some characters, but even the end was perfect. When every little piece of the story came together I really felt like this is ...

Sep 27, 2016

kay-love

Recommended

Preliminary (3/30 chp)

This manga had such an unexpected emotional response from me. To put it simply, I cried like a bitch.

In the beginning, the story develops pretty nicely. The relationship that developed between the main characters was organic and it was not forced or unrealistic. From there you get the typical drama that comes with romance manga. Love triangles, false betrayals, misunderstandings, crazy exes blah blah blah.

All of a sudden though, it becomes super dark and unexpected. SPOILER----> the rape scene was so frustrating on so many levels. The story makes it super light, as if its no big deal and all is forgiven just ...

Sep 18, 2011

glazehoney12

Recommended

Preliminary (21/30 chp)

You see......this is the second manga I'm reading about sexual harasment and about a taste of life. No matter how much you desperately want that thing you can't always get it. You have to understand and move on with life which is unbearably painful.
The story is basically about Mika.....her love life, her friends and the way she felt about herself. Then about Hiro who loves Mika to the extent of hurting her.
Both stay way from each other...........even though they love each other irrevocably!
Right now we just know about Mika's perspective in the story.............What's going on with Hiro still has to come.
I really enjoyed reading this ...

Mar 19, 2016

Chinomi-san

Recommended

If you have been overwhelmed by first love and became swallowed by it headfirst, then you will understand what Koizora tries to convey to the reader. Unlike a typical shoujo manga, the conflicts can't be resolved after a few tears are shed--problems take effort to overcome and recur even when you don't want them to. In contrast to the flowery romances that shoujo is known for, Koizora aims to showcase a realistic love while still demonstrating the passion within it.

That being said, its differences from other shoujo in its range and variety of conflicts can be a little bit of a shocker for people who ... aren't used to such elements being used in shoujo. There is a single sentence of warning at the end of the synopsis on MAL that refers to mature situations occurring within the story, such as rape, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, etc. It was a surprise to me for many of these bad things to occur almost one after the other, but maybe it's because where I grew up, these types of things didn't happen.

That kind of stuff made it good enough for the manga to be adapted into a live action drama, though. It might be overdone in that case, but to be honest, the inclusion of all these unfortunate circumstances really brings to light what kind of dangers falling love entails. Yes, most people would be inclined to say that love is a good thing, but they should also be prepared to face its downsides.

The main character Miki is an innocent young high school girl caught in the snares of first love, and it seems that she is tangled quite well. What stands out most is her endearing love for the boy Hiroki, who appears to be somewhat of a class delinquent. Go figure. When they grow closer, though, it seems as if their love can cross all bounds.

When it does have complications, though, some that are too hard to ignore, her tenacity to be with him seems almost stupid. Then again, I've never been in her shoes. If someone hurt you as badly as he hurt her, would you want to get back with him anyway? This is when I think of a friend who is sort of in the same situation, and has been for quite a while. She said this to me: "Sometimes I think he's the only one who can make me happy."

The thing is, she knows in her head that there are other people. But when she remembers the relationship they used to have, how satisfied she was when she was with him back then, it makes her afraid that she'll never find another person who can make her feel that way again. She wants to get back with him to reclaim that happiness. It happened once, didn't it? It can happen again... can't it?

Love, love, love. And all of the characters in the manga are tied up in it. While they don't have outstanding characteristics, I must applaud the mangaka for giving them all their own flaws. There's the girl that's insecure from having a boyfriend who cheated on her in the past, a boy who's in a relationship but crushing on his best friend's girlfriend, a girl who will do anything to get her ex-boyfriend back, etc.

What I disliked most about this series was the art. I understand this series is a little dated, so that makes sense, but I really couldn't get over the flat hair, big eyes, strangely-shaped faces, and so forth. I think the quality of the art might have helped keep the seriousness of the manga. If it were too cutesy I probably wouldn't have thought about the content as much as I did.

Along the lines of enjoyment, at the beginning of the plot I was frustrated with all the problems coming up so quickly that they were almost smothered together, but once that was over and the mangaka focused on one very important one based on previous complications, I was more appreciative of how the story went along. I'm not sure I could say I was happy with how the story ended, as there was one particular problem that I knew was coming and I did not like it. However, Koizora seemed to even out not too poorly in the last pages, and well, love is life.

If you want something different from regular shoujo, this might be it. It does get a little heavy with negative themes, though, so if you're not okay with that you should steer clear of this. Definitely do not recommend this to people under the age of 13.

Dec 28, 2017

saki88

Mixed Feelings

There are quite a few Manga that I really really like.

The art is one thing that hooks me to continue or even start reading it.
However, I finish it for the story. I continue on how it affects me entirely.
This Manga is one that I forced myself to finish with my eyebrows raised at each chapter. Honestly, it'll make you cringe.

This may be a bit of a spoiler but honestly this Manga gave a bit of a 'Bokura ga Ita' vibe. You know love is supposed to be easy but life makes it look hard. But I like Yano and Nanami's love story. ...