Jan 19, 2022
Qualia under the snow is truly an underappreciated masterpiece. As much as I love Stranger By The Shore, I wish Qualia was given a sequel and anime instead. This will be an analysis as much as a review and please forgive any typos I missesd. My laptop is currently broken and I had to write this on my phone.
As usual, the art is beautiful. The characters are expressessive and the story is full of symbolism and subtleties. There is really not much more to say on the subject, just take your time to really appreciate the art in the panels. A lot is expressed through
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glances, blushes, other facial expressions and the scenery.
This is the story of a bond forming between two deeply different young men, who experienced a great deal of pain in their early lives that has shaped who they are in the present. As these two grow closer, they begin to tear down the walls the other has and help build each other up.
In order to truly appreciate the story and their romance you will need to think about what is actually being said, even by characters outside the couple. A recuring motif is comments on the weather. As the seasons change, Aki changes with it. Going from cold, to warm. This is often expressed by his mentor, but also by him himself, as he changes due to his relationship with Umi.
Another valuable component is the two cats the boys find. One black haired and one white, like the boys. When Umi is leaving he gently kisses the white haired cat on the forehead, telling him to be good. Both Umi and the cat have a surprised and embarrassed expression afterwords.
I'd like to draw attention to one other element before I move on. Through the last few chapters, a pair of young boys with the same hair colors as our male leads can be seen. They are depicted as having a close relationship and appear to represent a younger and purer version of Aki and Umi. They appear and express what is happening to their elders via their actions and dialogue.
Now lets dive into the characters themselves. For Umi, he tries to project his feelings onto Aki. It's both a way for him to understand Aki and express his inner feelings without directly stating them. This happens several times throughout the story before Aki realizes what's going on underneath Umi's external behavior.
While Umi's feelings are apparent from early on, Aki's are more subtle as he grows to care for and appreciate Umi. He never directly says what he's feeling for Umi, but it can easily be infered through his actions during the second half of the series. Even without a direct declaration and definition of their relationship, it is clear in the finale chapter. Aki invites Umi to share his bed and later expresses his desire to take their relationship to the
next level by off-handedly sharing he was researching gay videos online, stealing a kiss and discussing the weather. He gows on to state how Umi makes him kinder, as well as by referencing how Umi said He didnt HAVE to love him back.
Both boys live their lives trying to relive the past. While Aki is caught between his hatred and love for his absentee parents, specifically his father, umi is caught between his desire to run from repeating the mistakes of his first relationship and repeating them.
Aki's pain is demonstrated through his habit of smoking the same cigarettes his father once used and avoiding relationships altogether. While the cigarettes serve as a symbol for his dad, the damage his mother caused can also be seen through his apparent dislike for women. He abhors superficial relationships, leading to his resistance towards people.
Umi on the other hand, engages in repeated one night stands with the goal of avoiding the pain of rejection. He tries to numb the pain his first relationship inflicted through this as well. Early on, we hear Umi state he's not interested in straight men and then we learn his first love rejected him after they had sex and then proceeded to marry a woman. While Umi claims he has no interest in falling for a straight man, he proceeds to express interest in Aki repeatedly, who he believes to be straight. This is infact his subconscious desire to relive his first relationship and change the ending.
Throughout the story Aki needs to learn to be loyal to a person and open up to a relationship with someone, while Umi needs to learn he deserves love. As a result of these problems, both of the boys engage in subtle, emotional acts of self harm. The reminder of the cigarettes brings Aki pain as he mirrors his father's habit. For Umi, casual sex, the pursuit of unrequited love and the decision to repeatedly stand out in the cold while waiting for Aki, demonstrate his own self loathing. This is a story of overcoming these obstacles and moving in as much as a romance.
The series ends with Aki telling Umi the name of a flower Umi found, while remembering how his dad told him to share it with someone he deeply cared for. While the scans online don't reveal the name, the final vollume release had two additional pages, that can be found on the scanlator's tumblr with an explanation. Apparently, the flower can mean "I'll never let you go". This is as close to an outright declaration of love the series provides and it is profoundly moving in its own right.
All this unfolds whilst the young versions of them observe in awe and question their relationship. Through the pure eyes of a child, their relationship is defined for the audience. While we never see them officially become a couple, Aki's behavior through the last chapters are the actions of someone in relationship. Umi said Aki didn't HAVE to love him back but Aki fell for him willingly.
Please give Qualia Under The Snow a read. It's a beautiful story with a lot of depth and subtleties to reflect on. The characters are complex and their relationship is as refreshing as it is deep. Kanna Sensei has truly turned me into a boys love fan and I hope she can do the same for some of you out there regardless of your sexual orientation or exposure to LGBT subjects. Her stories are highly relatable and deeply meaningful. Thank you for reading.
P.S. if you enjoy this series please consider recommending it to seven seas on their monthly licensing survey. It definitely deserves more exposure! And hopefully one day a sequel like Stranger received.
P.P.S there is also possible a cameo from Shun and Mio at a bar. If you're a fan of Stranger by the shore and it's sequel then Qualia is worth checking out for that alone.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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