Yunagi no Machi Sakura no Kuni
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms

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This manga is an historical piece about the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing. Obviously, it's not completely uplifting, but it has its moments. Overall, however, I found a lot of it fairly predictable and not all that eye-opening, in terms of giving me some additional historical competence. I was hoping to feel like I'd been to post-war Hiroshima after reading this, but I just felt like I'd read a comic book. Bummer.

Nevertheless, it's not a complete waste of time. It's cute in parts, touching in parts, and if you're into historical drama, it's worth picking up.

Town of Evening Calm is a glimpse of how the survivors of the atomic bomb cope up with its aftermath, a period when Japan is still slowly recovering from the damage it received during wartime. The manga is beautifully drawn, forming a lighthearted atmosphere that fits well with the melancholic narrative. It reminds me a lot of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.

The manga is split into two stories that are connected. The cast of the first story is the Hirano family, and how they dealt with the loss of family members and rebuilding their lives again. One observation by the main character Hirano Minami is that ... people carry on their lives normally like everyone forgot about the tragedy of the bombing already. Can one pursue a happy life despite having the guilt of not saving someone close to you? The rest of the story details Minami’s struggle of trying to accept the past and move forward

The second story focuses on Asahi’s side of the story, who is Minami’s brother. The story takes place years later after the first one yet it frequently transitions back and forth from past to present. The rest of the story details the revisiting of the past, similar to the first story but in a more positive manner.

What makes this manga great is that it doesn’t focus on the ugly and tragic side of post-war events too much. We always see post-war stories that are depressing in nature but this particular manga emulates an atmosphere of melancholy and hope in it. It portrays a person’s nature to still have a glimmer of positivity despite being haunted by the past. Overall, it’s a fleeting yet insightful reading experience.