Wow, this was probably the shortest One Shot I've read up till now. But, even this small amount of content (16 pages) was very intriguing. I definitely like the use of the element "rain" in this manga, because it symbolizes Mai's hardships, sadness and loneliness. Also, for those who don't completely understand the plot. It's basically just another symbolization of the development of Mai's feelings. When Mai decides not to cry anymore, Rain disappears. That's how I see it.
The last sentence: "Even if I shed my tears... the rain already disappeared, without waiting for me to call it." It tells us that Rain won't come back, ever... even if Mai will cry again (which she indeed does at the end). Probably because Rain wants Mai to be strong and to stay strong. I have a feeling that she is actually Mai's other self, the her that is tough and which doesn't cry. I think this is somewhat proven when Rain says "I... I don't want to see you crying."
This One Shot is wonderful. If you realise just how much this manga covers in its limited run, I'm sure you'll definitely enjoy it. Hashiba Hayase (羽柴 速瀬) did a great job capturing the emotions of this manga's storyline. To separate Mai's development stages, she used a part in color and one in plain black and white. The colored part symbolizes Mai's sadness, when she keeps crying. The black and white part symbolizes Mai's strenght, when she overcomes that sadness and decides to stop crying.
Definitely a 9/10 for me! Not a perfect score, because I feel like the sex scene was a bit unnecessary...
Anyway, these are some of my thoughts about this One Shot (though, they're almost longer than the manga itself :p) and I hope they'll clear up any confusion this manga will have caused you. If you want to talk to me about it further or about something I haven't yet covered in here, well, just drop me a message and I'll reply as soon as I possibly can.
And then last of all, for those that are going to read this jewel, enjoy it to the fullest.
# My ratings
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Story: 9 (Great)
Art: 8 (Very Good)
Character: 9 (Great)
Enjoyment: 10 (Outstanding)
Overall: 9 (Great)
