Ranked #1988

Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa (Manga)

Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa is an unfortunate manga that never reached its true potential, in my opinion. The pilot chapter showed much potential for this piece, with me thinking that it could be carried on for a good 70 chapters or so. However, Kano Yasuhiro decided to go a different route, and the result was not as pretty as I expected it to be.

Kagami no Kuni starts out with our typical adolescent lead, Harisugawa Tetsu. He has a crush on Satomi Mao and even saved her from a tragic accident when they were younger. Now, in present time, the same incident happens yet again, with him not in a hospital bed but inside a mirror. The only way to escape this despairing world inside the mirror is to share a mutual love with the one you admire.

The backbone set up from the first chapter is phenomenal. I was sold by the premise of this imprisonment and what the characters were able to do with it. This had me thinking of all the possibilities this could lead to or what the mangaka had to work with. The only problem was that Kano-san was looking for a romantic comedy alone (which I have no qualms about), but that meant his scope was drastically narrowed into a short lived manga. With the main character trapped inside a mirror, this could only lead to a stalemate and no progress would be made with the story past a certain point. Kano-san decided to cut his losses and make this manga a quicky.

There are several problems and factors that I would like to address that contributed to the downfall of this manga. Not enough support from the readers was shown in its middle stages of production. If they turned in the polls with just a few more votes encouraging Kagami no Kuni's serialization, the mangaka would have had more time to develop his story and make it less plot-holed. Kano-san threw in a few "surprises" that seemed desperate and a little bit annoying to try and grab attention and votes so his work could stay afloat. Maybe Kano-san should consider moving to another magazine where his manga would be more likely to succeed.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like the story was terrible. It was actually quite engaging at some points. With the little room he had to work with, the mangaka put in a few elements that made this story different from the typical romantic comedy. The two female leads were unique enough to the extent where they both have character and life in them. Unlike most harem/triangle manga, you get a little farther than the "kawaii" factor that others rely too much on. In this way I am grateful for reading it.

While on the topic of characters, characterization was decent. You understood each character's train of thought as Kano-san is very good at that kind of step by step formula. You also feel for the characters. You are happy when they are happy, depressed when they are depressed, and angry when they are angry. However, misunderstandings between them could get very frustrating. This can be a good thing at times, but most of the time it's just a ploy to draw attention and can be annoying when the author smoothly tries to cover it up. The three main leads are dynamic, though, but are the only ones you become attached to. Supporting characters are thrown to the side and are completely static. They are mostly used for ecchi and comedy, nothing more and nothing less.

Aside from all my ranting, the art is beautiful. Lines are clean, backgrounds are detailed, and panels are refreshing. Also, in important events or turning points, the mangaka has a perfect sense for how each character should be positioned or drawn. He has a terrific sense of perspective in these cases as well. He draws with life oozing onto the manuscripts and you can tell that he put in much effort. This would be the selling point for the manga.

The artwork contributed heavily to my entertainment. The way he draws seemed so fantastic that I was encouraged to see what his characters would be doing next. He has a good sense of humor and I laughed out loud a few times. Also, by the end of the story, tension is high and you can't stop reading. The final chapter is somewhat confusing to some though. There is an epilogue that explains what happens afterwards supposedly somewhere in the next issue, but I can't find it anywhere. It also can seem aggravating. However, remember what the author had to deal with. This was probably the cut off date so he didn't have enough room.

Despite its shortcomings, Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa brings a good deal to the table. This manga deserved to be in serialization for long enough so that Kano Yasuhiro could have improved it. His artwork is amazing and breaths life into his manga. It is heartwarming, frustrating, and comedic. Kagami no Kuni shows us how serialization is do or die, and sadly it did not reach what it could have been. Regardless, this manga should not be overlooked and should be enjoyed to its full potential. read more

Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa, or Harisugawa in Mirror World, is about a young boy named Harisugawa Tetsu, who has a crush on Satomi Mao his childhood friend who is basically the school idol. He is stuck in the dreaded friend zone and cannot find a way to get out of it. Then one day Satomi buys a strange mirror that traps Harisugawa in it. Is this a misfortune that has befallen him? Or is it an opportunity for him to get closer to Satomi?

Story 8/10:
Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa a fresh new romantic comedy, where the hero, Harisugawa, is trapped inside a mirror and is trying to find a way out, but at the same time has to worry about protecting his crush, Satomi, from the swarm of guys chasing her. Each chapter is almost like a cliffhanger, leaving the reader wanting to read the next chapter and is filled with many jokes and laughter. Even though it is filled with laughter, there are still many touching moments that makes it fall under the romantic comedy genre. Technically the series was supposed to be longer, but the magazine decides to cancel it. Making the last few chapters somewhat of a rush, since the author had to quickly end it. However, the author does a remarkable of job of ending it. So those "rush" chapters doesn't feel like a rush and still maintain the flow of the manga.

Art 9/10:
The artwork of Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa is really nice. The characters look great and the background is fairly detailed. The author does a spectacular of displaying the characters emotions through the art style.

Character 8/10:
Unlike most romantic comedies, Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa has a really small cast consisting mainly of Harisugawa Tetsu, Satomi Mao, and Matsukawa Saki. Harisugawa has always been Satomi's guardian since childhood, protecting her from harassment from classmates to even saving her life, but because of that he was trapped inside the friend zone. Satomi on the other hand is totally oblivious to Harisugawa's feelings of course and is a total klutz to top it off. Matsukawa is Satomi's tomboyish best friend and knows that Harisugawa is heads over heels for Satomi, but doesn't tell her friends out of fear that the two's friendship will be compromised.

Enjoyment 10/10:
This series was really amazing. Its a fresh new story that had so much potential but was sadly cut short. Even though the announcement of the series being cancelled came in the middle of the whole story, the author did an amazing job of closing it without the reader feeling rushed and doesn't leave any sort of confusion. Overall Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa is a great new romantic comedy that is filled with both laughter and touching moment. It is a great short manga that you should read if you are looking for a good laugh and a fresh new plot. read more