Fuuka

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One of the best mangas I've ever read. The only reason this manga did not land on a 10/10 is because of a few key points that I believe the author could have avoided. The base story is boy meets girl, boy and girl get together for a band and romance follows. But the author makes this typical romance saga into a drama full of tragedy and hope, the likes of which is rarely seen in this medium.

Let's begin with the breakdown.
What makes this manga good is the storytelling, the drama, the tragedies and the feelings of hope. It's a story that brings tears ... of sadness and tears of joy and a mix in between. To break down what makes this storytelling so good is to describe it as follows: It's real. The story in a lot of ways feels real and that's important to understand for how excellent it is. The characters' relationships, their emotions, their reactions. Some feel exaggerated, of course, this is a manga after all, but a lot of it is real. It's not just the storytelling either, but the art depicting each emotion in a perfect way.

But what makes this weaker is the comedy and lewd aspects of it. In this tragic drama that's also filled with so much hope and promise, the comedy attempts fall flat. There's not a single unique joke in this entire story and considering the surrounding story it doesn't feel natural. The lewd art could have been avoided as well without removing from the story. It doesn't add and it feels pointless. The ending doesn't feel rushed, it's perfect but there are two relations that occur in the ending that also feel unnatural, although that won't be covered further in this review.

Fuuka is not a fantastic story as Suzuka. It has good and bad points. The hard question: Is it Suzuka’s sequel? For me, it is not. Some characters from the previous series appear here, at some point in the story, you will notice a disjuncture separating Fuuka from Suzuka, however. On the other hand, we can appreciate Seo’s style in the story. Furthermore, the story has some interesting twists that could get you happier and angry at the same time. It is hard to describe my feelings towards Fuuka but it is not Suzuka and never will.

If you are a fan of Suzuka, you ... will read the story but will find that Fuuka prolonged too much to the point that some parts of the plot are irrelevant and useless. Furthermore, Seo sometimes used a loop in the story that is very tedious. I don’t know, maybe it is Seo, but he enjoys reaching a climax and maintaining a never-ending loop until we get tired of it. In the end, you will be grateful for the story, but it won’t fulfill all your expectations. No matter the despiteful parts, the story is entertaining and combines an excellent visual with adequate flow from panel to panel. Also, if you haven’t read Suzuka don’t panic, you don’t need to read the previous series to understand Fuuka. Both stories separate after some chapters.

Sadly, some plot events will divide the readers. The half of the readers will call the manga abysmal, and another half-titled Fuuka as “unusual.” I call it, a tale of unexpected events with fascinating art and boring chapters. Also, I understand it is hard to express music with drawings and onomatopoeias, but give some credit to Seo; he did a good job. Sometimes, I felt the music rhythm and the lyrics, but the broken plot in some chapters end up lowering the momentum.

Lastly, maybe you are wondering, should I read Fuuka? My answer: Yes and no. I will say yes, if you are a fan of Seo’s works, you will know what to expect. No, if you cannot handle the plot twist and the disjuncture events that could kill the narrative. Also, a big NO if you don’t have patience in a story that overuses some events and exhausted the plot after several chapters. I loved Suzuka, and I follow Seo’s works. However, Fuuka is not Suzuka and isn’t near to the emotional level from the latter.

----------------------------------------WARNING------------------------------------
---------------------------This is more of a Rant than a Review-------------------

Three times I have read Seo Kouji's work, and three times I have been disappointed. I originally read Kimi no Iru Machi upon a recommendation by a friend. I was cringing halfway through at the sheer stupidity of the story and how unrealistic the main characters were. So I dropped it. I later stumbled across Fuuka, not even realizing it was written by the same author until I had long dropped it. I will be discussing Fuuka in a moment. Finally, I decided I should give Fuuka another chance. So to prep myself, I read Suzuka for ... the first time: and HOOO BOY that was a shitshow. An unrealistic and unlikable main heroine, and comedy that is only funny after my 10th Budweiser. But this review is not about Suzuka or KnIM, it's about the monstrosity that is Fuuka, so here goes.

Fuuka is a plain, run-of-the-mill love story that takes place in a modern time, with no supernatural elements. It actually starts off pretty enjoyable with quite good art and decently done comedy. The romance doesn't feel forced liked of Kouji's other work, and I felt like I might enjoy this series. And then I was wrong. There is a major event that completely shifts the tone of the story, and I do not believe it was for the better. (Anyone who has read it will know what it is.) The story turns from a fun, coming-of-age romance to a brooding, melodramatic mess. So with the plot and characters becoming useless, what is left? Well, the art is pretty good, especially in the music performances. One major issue I had with the visual experience, however, is the almost random and completely ridiculously timed fanservice. There will be a panty shot in a dramatic scene; or a down-the-shirt shot of someone who is crying and depressed. It's almost tasteless.

I could go on and on about how bad Fuuka is, but to be honest, out of the three Kouji manga I've read, it's the best (though that's not saying much). However, I cannot recommend Fuuka to anyone except diehard Suzuka/Kimi no Iru Machi fans. Go read something else instead.

Alright, that's it from me, have a good one guys, and I got nothing against anyone who likes Fuuka, so don't be a flamer. See ya.