I really devoured Nozoki Ana in a single afternoon and ended up being totally mesmerized by the impressively strong plot. Giving the best possible mark only seemed legit in my head.

Usually I do not read nor watch erotical romance / drama / ecchi type. But this time, after I discovered the OVA, which acts as an introduction, an appetizer or something created to catch your attention, I decided to break the frontier and started reading Nozoki Ana. In case you are wondering : no I won't answer where I watched the OVA (easy to guess in fact, but hell, not gonna admit that easily).

Talking about comparison : yeah the animated version was clearly designed to show the sexual parts. However it managed to deliver what could be considered as a more elaborated plot (which is completely right). So if you come here after watching the OVA, know that the director won the game : he entertained you and opened your curiosity ; that part I will try to satisfy.

Nozoki Ana must not be listed as a hentai, because it does not show enough to enter this category : so do not expect to see more than boobs & naked bodies. Nevertheless everything remains extremely explicit and the frontier between imagination and actual scenes tends to be smaller than expected. Yes the manga shows a sexual story but it turns out to be more like a romantic / friendly / dramatic story than something else.

Indeed, it starts between the meeting of 1 young man (Kido Tatshuhiko) & 1 young woman (Emiru Ikuno), both studying art at the same school. They are in fact neighbours and one day, Kido will discover the surprising habit her future friend has. Even though, the story isn't just about 2 teenagers / young adults having a kind of sex friends relationship, not at all. It is more complicated than it appears, also really dramatic on some points.

The ending might be heartbreaking - I was really astonished by how it ended up - and so does the whole show. Behind the naive appearance of every character, hides a complicated and traumatic past, including either a dramatic event or just something special. As I remember, there is really no character who gets forbidden : although as long as the story advances, many characters will disappear (should be understood as 'we won't see them again but they still exist and might re-appear'). Obviously the main events happen between Emiru & Kido. Their relationship will grow up, turning from a strange one to a really heartbreaking / loving one. I don't think it is possible to not "get inside" the characters, to not be able to feel how they should feel.

No one in the manga has special power, skills or anything special in fact. Every character could be a regular & normal person picked in the street. But however, they all have a will, feelings and a different behaviour. No manga has ever left me feel that close with any character : you feel every tear they drop, you smile everytime they do, you laugh whenever they laugh, etc. It was really impressive to have something like that, where you feel the emergency to learn more about anyone & anything.

The sexual part remains omnipresent - the core of everything - but relationships and characters development become more & more important as long as you move forward the chapters. However would I really want an adventure similar to Kido's one ? Probably not, considering how heartbreaking it was... even if it had its heartwarming moments. Life cannot be a slice of cake : it comes with complications, dramas, traumas... but in the end, you discover that the most important things, necessary for your mental health remain in their simplest form.

Indeed, whenever you feel in a bad mood, another human being exists and helps you healing your wounds, getting back on your feet. That was a beautiful message : you learn that some characters completely shut himself / herself after a traumatic event, developped a very different behaviour to protect his / her mind. But in the end, what he / she needed was just someone to rely on, someone who counts on you more than he counts in himself. Somewhere indeed, this person exists and is waiting for you.

Nozoki Ana was a masterpiece containing massive feelings : empathy, pity, disgust, comprehension, surprise, etc. You cannot read it without entering totally inside its universe (or if you manage to stay outside, you won't be able to appreciate it as its truest value), it absorbs you completely until you finished the last page. Took me an entire day to read it but I do not regret anything.

Nevertheless, there are a few negative points that I have to clear. Many characters will appear around the 117 chapters, but they all have a strong role BUT also a very temporary time. You can't forget these characters but it's a bit frustrating to notice you did not see them for a while and you won't get to meet them again, except for the last chapter which shows a kind of epilogue. I can't say this is such a negative point but I grew disappointed on losing some characters by sight, some who had a very important role for a few chapters...

I highly recommend this manga, for those who are looking for a "slice of life" genre (aka something realistic), with a really strong relationship growing up constantly and of course, sexual parts (yeah even if love & friendship are the core parts, don't forget it remains very sexually oriented).