There’s beauty everywhere, even in darkness. Sometimes we just forget how to see it.

When I saw that one of the main characters is on death row, I was expecting your run-of-the-mill redemption story. More than redemption, though, it’s a story about healing.

Both of the main characters are isolated, he on death row and she in the prison of her own mind. As the sincerity of their connection grows, the wounds of their pasts begin to heal. Through Yuu and Juri, we see not only how clinging to one’s pain in isolation can build a prison as much as the law can, but also how people construct meaning through interpersonal connection.

The pacing is perfect and the writing is tightly organized, so I was quickly drawn into the story and emotionally invested in the characters. The mangaka clearly knew exactly where she was going with the story and the precise route she would use to take the reader there. It’s great storytelling that left me excited to read more of her work.