Characters
I felt Souryo's characters to be "of their own" meaning I could read separate personalities and attitudes coming from the dialogue, body language, style of dress, and so on. I love when a writer (and illustrator) creates strong characters that are individualistic. (Here the use of the word [i]strong[/i] is meant not as a means of saying a character is physically or mentally strong, rather that the character itself has been well thought-out and constructed.)
Iillustration
As the plot isn't exactly that of a happy one I really enjoyed the harmony between the plot theme and the style of illustration. I grew attached to the central characters, empathising with their range of experience and emotions. I wouldn't define the illustrations as "pretty", however the illustrations for me at least are aesthetically appealing. A first glance at the front cover illustrations before ever reading a volume and I already became compelled to know about the characters and their story.
Plot
As I mentioned earlier the plot combines quite a few elements together: science-fiction, drama, love, death, psychology and philosophy. I'm sure there are other underlying themes that can be picked up too without having to name them here - the ones above are what I feel to be most prominent. Overall I feel the series fits under the genre heading of drama, however I feel it to be a science-fictional, and psychological drama with a highlight of love between two central characters (it's subtle and beautiful how love is represented in this serious, personally).
If you're after action, this series may be a little light in that regard; for me it was no issue at all. And if you're after romance this again is lacking. When I talk about love I don't mean romance because I feel there's a difference. I would define the likes of Fruits Basket, or La Corda de Oro, for example, as having romance - this series is far from the sort.
The eight-volume length is not too long and not too short. The author has allowed me enough time and space to get to know the characters and their experiences, feel with the characters, and then finish off the story quite memorably. When I'm not reading the series I feel as a sense of nostalgia as I really did become quite attached to the characters and their relationships.
I'd recommend this to any manga reader although I know it won't be to everyone's taste.
It was certainly one of mine. I hope my review has allowed you some clarity to the series if you haven't read it already.
