Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Watashi-tachi no Shiawase na Jikan, Our Happy Hours, Our Happy Time

Japanese: 私たちの幸せな時間

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 1

Chapters: 8

Status: Finished

Published: Mar 28, 2008 to Aug 22, 2008

Genres: Drama, Romance

Themes: Music, Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Comic Bunch

Authors: Yumeka, Sumomo (Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.51¹ (scored by 54,714 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #149²

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

Popularity: #110

Members: 115,746

Favorites: 4,830

8.51

Ranked #149Popularity #110Members 115,746

MangaComic BunchYumeka, Sumomo (Art)

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Volumes: /1

Chapters: /8

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Synopsis

They wanted to die for their own reasons.

Juri Mutou is the daughter of a once-famous pianist whose career came to an end after giving birth to her. After a traumatic event she experienced as a teenager, Juri has attempted suicide three times and has come to hate her mother. With her life clouded due to a dark past, her aunt Monica, a member of the clergy, invites her to visit a convict sentenced to death.

Yuu is a death row inmate charged with murdering three people, leading to many attempts at ending his own life within his jail cell. He frequently receives letters from Monica, who hopes to help him, but sees this as an act of pity. But when Yuu decides to meet Monica to say that he wants her to stop sending letters, he encounters Juri, a meeting that would change both of their lives.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan is an adaptation of a Korean novel by Gong Ji-Young.

More characters
Characters

Yuu

Main

Mutou, Juri

Main

Inoue, Jirou

Supporting

Monica

Supporting

Mutou, Mother

Supporting

Reviews

Dec 18, 2009

sentiarii

Recommended

One reason why I like seinen and josei manga is that the themes, characters, and messages presented are sophisticated. Not to say that shoujo and shounen manga aren't, but the percentage of the latter manga that actually contain such attributes is minimal. Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan (Our Happy Time) was a surprisingly astounding read I came across around one in the morning, hoping to find something short, sweet, and rid of filler material. Upon reading the first few pages of the manga, I realized that what I discovered was much, much more than just that, and consequently provided a MEANINGFUL literary experience -- ... something that tends to be rare when it comes to manga, which particularly specializes in fan-service.

STORY: 10
The reader is quickly introduced to protagonist Juri and her wish to commit suicide, though reasons are not completely revealed until the latter half of Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan. She's then taken by her nun of an aunt to accompany her visits to jail, where the aunt attempts to emotionally aid convicts. There, Juri meets serial killer Yuu, who has a death sentence hanging over his head. The rest of the manga unravels the tragic pasts of both Juri and Yuu, and we begin to discover why they act as they do (or did). Though it was initually Juri who was supposed to provide help for Yuu, he also returns that same favour by gently letting her realize the beauty of the world, and of life itself. It's a heartwarming tale that not only delves into both characters' pasts, but also brings the characteristic contribution from the past to the present in order to resolve each other's current conflicts, providing a wonderfully woven tale that ties in a clean knot at the very end.

ART: 8
The first few pages of the manga gives the reader a concrete idea of what the artist is capable of. Characters are drawn extremely cleanly and with incredibly accurate proportions (and you'd be surprised how many mangakas can't draw properly, despite the nature of their occupation). Expressions are also well-conveyed. Backgrounds are present enough such that the reader has a general idea of where the characters are, though some more use of far shots would have helped establish a sense of relative position between characters and create greater atmosphere. Nonetheless, the mangaka made great use of toning to compensate and was able to generate a solemn mood throughout the story -- fitting for its nature.

CHARACTER: 10
Juri and Yuu are very convincing characters in that they actually have dimension. They're believable. It's not often you find (in manga) suicidal women that have understandable reasons for their actions, and convicts that actually seem to be human, including wishes, likes, and quirks. Definitely one of the strongest points of Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan. Juri and Yuu may not stand out, or even be likable for many, but they're relatable. The characters' pasts AND present states are so well fleshed-out that you can't help but empathize. You can't help but realize the dire states that both Yuu and Juri are in, and I believe it's empathy that's lacking in a very large portion of today's manga. Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan is able to bring that back to us by providing such attention to detail; the mangaka explores every nook and cranny of both characters' personalities to ensure that with each action, there's justification for it through characterization.

ENJOYMENT: 9
Quite a mellow story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it because of that. The morals and messages given pertaining to gratefulness are absolutely heartwrenching. As a reader, I wanted to know more and more about the tales of Yuu and Juri, and eight chapters more than sufficed, given the well-paced plot and character development.

OVERALL: 10
A must-read for those who know how to appreciate an actually well-written manga that's not out in the market to simply vaccuum our wallets like virtually every other manga out there. And even if you don't like it (and admittedly the dark nature of it is not everyone's cup of tea), the beauty of it is that it's only eight chapters long.

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Jan 26, 2019

dimlion7

Mixed Feelings

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan or Our Happy Time is a tale of how a death row inmate and a former pianist, who both lost the will to live. Form a bond that helps them move on from their past pain and struggles. It is a story that I find very overrated, which is not a bad thing. I just think that people have a very biased opinion on this work, and will not respond to criticism well. This will be my unbiased, subjective opinion on each aspect of this manga.

Story: 6 - The story for this manga was executed well in 8 chapters, which ... is very impressive in itself. However, there are some inherent flaws with the story, with the pacing being the first issue. I get it, it was only 8 chapters, but a longer stretched series might of had more of the developmental and progressive details of the story be fleshed out more. Also, as a fan of the romance genre, I found this story to be a bit underwhelming. The dialogue between the two main characters set up their relationship to be more of a close friendship. Does sharing personal past tragedies make a man and woman fall in love together. Well, I can't really answer that, but the execution of this story makes the reader question this, so this fails in that sense.

Art: 7 - The art was fairly done well in this series, it wasn't spectacular. But very pleasing to look at, so it looks fine.

Character: 5 - This was where I was truly disappointed. The characters could have been so much more, but the author really didn't go deep enough. We got two past tragic stories with the main characters, and they were a bit generic but enough to get you attached in this short story. This manga basically outlines a huge detail with a backstory of a character, and slowly peels off the details behind what they shown through the progression of the series. It was executed fine, but they could have delved into their characters backstories a little more. Also, does sharing past tragedies make you fall in love. This relationship to me seemed more of a close friendship with strange circumstances. But the ending, it was probably not what readers wanted. I found it really realistic however, as this bond formed by these two helped them move on with life, sort of, (readers know what I'm talking about)

Overall: 6 - This is a short read, so maybe 30 minutes at most. You may reread this manga, or just be able to hold a discussion about it. It's a sweet story about two people with strange circumstances who help move on from their pain through their strong bond. It's sad, but sweet at the same time. It's a great read for people who are okay with bitter-sweet endings.

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Nov 1, 2014

Detective

Not Recommended

Some may consider this review to contain spoilers, but please read on.

Our Happy Time is not just a mediocre manga, it's plenty pretentious too. This pure cheese story starts off with some grim subject matter and continues to vomit more grim subject matter at you until you are beaten and bored. It's a cliche narrative about an inmate on death row who finds a reason to live again through love. With no exceptional visuals and no original characters, this manga reads like the pulpiest young adult fiction imaginable. There's no nuance, there's no subtlety, and the self-righteousness of the main character is suffocating.

If this ...

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