11-gatsu no Gymnasium

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I could read and find only 5 of these short stories, so I will review those. In general the theme seems to be about loss and mourning.

1. 11-gatsu no Gymnasium
A sort of spin off/alternative Heart of Thomas. It follows Eric and Thoma, both students at a male college and how Thoma is beloved by all but Eric, who resembles Thoma, truly dislikes him. The story was a bit over dramatic, and you can tell it is quite old in the author's work.
5/10

6. Bianca
I was not a big fan of this story, it seemed to me like it was missing something, but the art is ... beautiful. The story itself is about a painter named Clara who starts remembering of her old friend Bianca, narrating then what happened to her. It follows the line of a child who does not really partecipate to the world of adults and free in a completely different way than anyone else.
What I found interesting is that the page of Bianca dancing in the forest is the same page Keiko Takemiya talks about in her biography, where she mentions how Moto Hagio's art, and in particular her horizontal lines to create a background forest, changed the way other artists were depicting the same backgrounds.
6/10

7. Sayo no Nuu Yukata (Yukata Sewn by Sayo)
A classic emotional punch and a surprisingly sweet and private story about mourning for a mother who passed away.
9/10

8. Aki no Tabi (Autumn Journey)
Following the tone of the previous story, this is also partially about mourning and rediscovering your family. I am still wondering if I fully got the ending and the general theme, but it felt to me like this one shot wanted to express just a desire for closure.
7/10

9. Kawaisou na Mama (Poor Mama)
Wild, wild one shot! The story starts with a man attending the funeral of his wife, alongside their kid and then develops the kid's relationship with the woman and how she was suffering for one lost love. But this is also the only story that had quite a surprising ending.
7/10

And these are the ones missing:
2. Yuki no Ko (Snow child)
3. Tou no Aru Ie (House with a tower)
4. Shiroi Tori ni Natta Shoujo (The Girl Who Became a White Bird)
5. Shiroki Mori Shiroki Shounen no Fue (White Forest White Boy Flute)