Fuuka

Fuuka is a very good story and personally this manga has a special spot in my heart regardless of the flaws it has.

In a superficial way Fuuka could be summarized as the story of some young people that seek to succeed in the world of music, however this is just a support for the true story and the set of issues that touches.

The theme of this story is the phases of grief, and in my opinion it has been written in a quite realistic way. I have been touched by the way used to develop it.

The story begins with a prologue of 4 volumes (~ 40 chapters) that introduce all the characters and create some bonds between them. Once that done, the story truly begins with a huge environment change.

I think that this hasn't been a bad decision at all even if apparently some readers have been disappointed. By my point of view this have been something original making the readers able to really understand the feelings of the characters. In some way you will be more engaged making all the grief process more understandable.

Then, the story is gonna continue, being developed, and ending with all the answers you need to understand what the author is saying about this topic.

On the other hand, speaking about weaknesses, at least for me there is some of them. At first I really think that some of the ecchi situations that happens doesn't match at all with the theme. The mangaka has probably done that because he is used to a public that enjoy this kind of stuffs, but by my point of view with the case of Fuuka it isn't working. I just don't see people that could be interested with grief phases asking for some bra situtations in the middle. And also I would like to highlight that there is maybe some situations that are way too unrealistic, but to be honest this part isn't really damaging the story.

So, if you are wondering if you should read Fuuka I would say that this depends on the things you are looking for right now. The story is quite sad and it isn't as simple to read. But if you are interested in the theme and you don't care about ecchi go ahead. I don't think that you are gonna be disappointed. And hopefully you will end up liking this manga as much as me.

How can I write a review without spoilering what made this manga so good to me? Anyone who has just started this and isn't around chapter 15 should go back to it and get there before reading this.

Now, I'm a huge music fan and an amateur musician. And I play bass guitar. I don't really like sports manga, besides the ones with sports I'm familiar with. What made me fall in love with this, then? Simple. It's about a bass player.

I grew up watching Beck: MCS, and this manga looks like a lighter, newer version of the masterpiece I loved. The amount of details the mangaka put into his (her?) work is amazing, ranging from the instruments' art to the way drummers usually get involved with a song, to the strange behavior of most guitar players. As a fellow musician, I can say that every little thing the characters do is exactly as it is in reality.

Speaking about the characters, they are really well put together, and their differentiation can make way to a lot of funny situations.

I strongly recommend this manga to everyone who is a musician, well, a "rock" musician, as you will find yourself as if you were actually playing with their band. I can't wait for it to continue and, even better, for it to get an anime, and I hope some badass musicians will be able to make an interesting soundtrack.

This is above and away the one of manga I have ever read. It starts with what I would consider a very stereotypical premise for a generic-looking romance anime: really dense main character bumps into random hot tsundere, gets beat up by said tsundere, and(obviously) falls in love with her later. Now, this premise has probably turned some people off, but one of the interesting things about Fuuka is that you have to stick with the manga to really enjoy it.

Story: 9
I have been to many forums on the internet, and seen countless reviews for this manga, and the one thing that makes me want to smash my laptop and burn my manga library is that a large portion of these bad reviews stem from one plot twist about 40 chapters in. This plot twist was so unexpected given the previous chapters and the genre that many readers dropped Fuuka immediately. Being the kind of person who doesn't give up on a manga unless it is abyssmal, and intrigued by the sudden plot twist, I kept reading. What I would read in the coming weeks would make me smile, laugh, and cry-sometimes all at once. Fuuka is not a generic high school romance manga. It is a story about falling in love, moving on, and growing up. There is also quite a bit of symbolism in Fuuka, which adds to the story. On a side note, I am not huge on fanservice, and while this show does have a decent amount of this(especially in the early chapters), I do not think this detracts from the story.

Art: 6
This is probably the only problem I have with Fuuka, and it is not a very big one. The art is good, better than other art I've seen, but it is nothing amazing. That being said, I am not a great art critic, so my opinion on this topic is questionable.

Characters: 8
This opinion might get a lot of flack, because many people don't look past the stereotypes given to the characters. At first glance, Fuuka has an introverted, incredibly dense main character, a very athletic tsundere, a gay guy, a childhood friend/secondary love interest for the main character, the introverted female badass/Tertiary love interest for the main character... you get the point. However, you have to look past these stereotypes to see these characters as they really are: real people, with hopes, dreams, and real problems.

Enjoyment: 10
I love this manga.
That is all I can really say. This story will tug at your heartstrings like not many manga can, and boy, is it one wild ride. It has dips, dives, uphills and downhills, and its not over yet.

I am sticking with this manga to the end, and am interested to see how it turns out.

----------------------------------------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.

Even thought i have this account from 2010 this is my first review, so i hope it will help you.

The story is verry original, complex, funny but you will also cry at this manga is if you read it with heart.

I don't like beeing a spoiler but if you like genres like Music, Sports, Funny and also Drama you have to watch it.

Also even though the title is the name of a girl the main character is a boy who by the entire story becomes a real man. With good times and funny jokes and also with sorrowfull times when you might cry, this manga is a MASTERPIECE!

Read it an i'm sure you will like it!

(This review contains major spoilers for chapter 36 of Fuuka)

Fuuka was... certainly something, I suppose.

Though, I suppose did it to myself.

For any fan, there will undoubtedly be an anime/manga that will leave a mark on them; leave them with a lasting impression that they won’t quite be able to shake. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ranma ½, Cowboy Bebop, and Akira are just a few such anime for me, if you were wondering. That isn’t to say the impression is always a pleasant one. Fuuka is also an anime I just can’t shake, no matter how much I want to. It’s one of the few anime I’ve completed that just left a bitter taste in my mouth that no amount of mouthwash can erase.

This review isn’t for the anime, so I’ll give you the quick and dirty - Fuuka initially started as a slice-of-life about a shy, awkward boy and his outgoing classmate. The anime’s focus shifts onto music, but what will stick out more is a frustrating love triangle and the annoying two main characters. Infuriatingly, the lesser of the two love interests wins out.

Most notably, towards the end of the anime, Fuuka is seconds away from being hit by a truck. This would be the most dramatic, the most interesting moment for the show.

She inexplicably survives and the mediocre anime concludes predictably a few episodes later. Anyone who follows this anime knows that in the manga, Fuuka does indeed perish due to the vehicle, named Truck-kun by viewers.

I’ll make no bones about it. I picked up the manga so I could see Fuuka die.

And I was satisfied. She was, in fact, quite dead. The question becomes, what comes after? Is it worth reading until the end? Is it even worth reading up to the arrival of Truck-kun?

Fuuka starts off interesting enough. Sure, Fuuka may be annoying initially, but the premise of a socially awkward boy who’s obsessed with Twitter opening up to people is interesting enough. It’s surprisingly not too hamfisted either. Compared to the anime at least, the love-triangle is handled fine, and I care about the band members. The character dynamic is good and it actually doesn’t take forever for relationships to progress. The band aspect is interesting, there’s genuine conflict, and the characters are likable enough. I was actually surprised that I ended up liking Fuuka as much as I did. I hate to admit it, but I was actually kind of sad (in addition to gleeful) when her day of reckoning came. So over all, yeah, I’d say the manga starts off pretty solid. Its funny, its interesting, its fast-paced.

And the truck-kun incident is handled pretty well, too. It comes out of nowhere, yes, but I enjoyed seeing the grief that the characters dealt with as a result of Fuuka’s death. All-in-all, pretty good stuff.

What comes after is when things start to fall apart.
The main character, Yuu, soon decides he wants to carry out Fuuka’s dream of having their band perform at a famous concert venue where The Hedgehogs (their favorite musical group) played. After getting the band back together, they decide to start chasing the dream they shared in order to make it a reality.

Soon, Yuu runs into a singer who’s coincidentally also named Fuuka and bears an uncanny resemblance to the Fuuka we know. The two soon grow closer, and any reader who’s even a bit savvy can guess what happens next. This alone will make many roll their eyes, but there are even weirder plot points to come. I actually think plot points such as these are some of Fuuka’s greatest strengths. As insane and/or contrived as they are, they keep the story interesting and keep readers on their toes.

Unfortunately, these are few and far between and we’re left with more mundane nonsense plot points, which are *great* at irritating readers. Not to mention, Fuuka’s greatest weak point - poor plot progression. They say the journey is more important than the destination, but Fuuka wants to cross a country in a broken-down jalopy. We get nowhere fast and even as the band plays more and more concerts and gains notoriety, it always seems like they’re in dire straits, with no clout to speak of. This is my biggest problem with Fuuka: the plot seems to slow to a crawl and become cyclical in nature. Band is struggling and practically unheard of, band overcomes struggle and become more famous, band is struggling and practically unheard of. The manga can’t really seem to shake this until close to the end of its 195-chapter run. I don’t doubt this is how it is for many bands in the real world, but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable to read, in my opinion.

It just really gets tiring after a while. With Fuuka, however, you’ll come to enjoy boredom, because when Fuuka isn’t boring, it’s infuriating, with idiotic plot points and characters acting dumb. You have no idea how many times a character frustrated me due to a stupid misunderstanding. In particular, one character acts nothing but horrible to the main characters, but they learn to love them and brush the behavior aside as “tough love” or something.

But...I don’t know, the series certainly has its moments. The last arc in particular was terrific and adrenaline pumping. The long journey finally seemed to pay off, with the main characters growing, their skills being shown, and all the friends they made along the way having meaningful roles in the end. It’s a little too late, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bring a smile to my face, make me exclaim in shock, and think the journey was pretty good in hindsight.

Do I think Fuuka is a good manga? No. The last paragraph might just be stockholm syndrome speaking. Fuuka, as the sum of its parts, is average at best. It has some genuine great chapters, but they’re grossly outnumbered by chapters that are “meh” at best.

It isn’t terrible, but if there’s merit to it, then who do I recommend it to, and HOW do I do it? As a general reader, the evolution of a band is a cool concept, but I’m sure there are other manga that do it better. The romance grows more and more lackluster as the series grows on. Really, the only person that might get something out of this are fellow viewers of the anime adaptation. If you saw the anime and for some reason want to see how things could have turned up, you could pick up Fuuka. Even if it’s not that great on its own, it still blows the anime out the water and perhaps you’ll feel that your time wasn’t wasted, after all (Koyuki’s still largely a joke, though).

But I try my best not to rate fiction in relation to other works. With this in mind, Fuuka simply isn’t worth the time investment. On concept, it’s great, in execution, it’s painfully average seven times out of ten.

5.9/10

spoiler free woo hoo(the others aren't)
the most important thing about the manga is this
this is NOT i repeat NOT your goey little romance
and 2 if you are so much as considering this manga jump straight in don't look back just DO IT although this review is technicaly spoiler free if you haven't read any other reviews then don't read past the dotted line, if you have read any other review feel free to read past it it will still be SPOILER FREE just not PURE SPOILER FREE
well it is kinda. its kinda like a creme egg in a marshmellow it starts off as the goeyist thing you'll ever read, then there is the hard exterior but once you break past that it makes that goey center so god damn delicious and so worth it,
this manga is all about getting up when you are kicked down
alright if you wanna enjoy this, go in blind trust me, the more ignorant and naive the better,
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coz there is a twist and it is the most marmite twist in all of manga so even if you are just considering this manga, read the thing without researching anymore than you have done or you won't really enjoy it. now for those who haven't opened there chrunchyroll manga page/ book walker here is a pretty good summery of what your gonna get, depressed dude meets girl of his life, form a kick as band and try to rock the rock scene. fuuka is a marmite manga in the sense you love it or hate it, when the marmite twist comes, many will want to stop reading the manga, thats what i did, i actually cried but i came back because i wanted to find out what happened NEXT and thats the beauty of the twist, it turns the manga from the romantic suzuka manga to the i'm gonna be the pirate king manga.
so if you aren't ready to test your self stop researching and don't even consider this manga any more
but if you want to read of my favourite manga's, 2nd only to Pandora hearts
then take the dive, you won't regret it

Let me preface this review by first saying something: I have never done this before. I am not the type to take to the internet ranting and raving over a manga, or anything else for that matter, that I found enjoyable. That said, I did not simply enjoy this manga, I fell in love with it. At the time at which I began reading this series, it had just reached its eighty-seventh chapter. I was not expecting to stay up until five in the morning, reading it all the way through the night, but that's exactly what I did. I think it's fair to say that the only reason that I stopped reading is that there was nothing left to read. If there was, I may very well have not slept at all.

Now, this manga is not for the weak of heart. In fact, it was almost too much to bear, even for me. As a grown man, I am not ashamed to say that there are some points at which this series had me in literal tars (and I never misuse the word "literal"). One particular story arc is so painfully tragic that I have no doubt of the fact that many readers will drop the series then and there, and never look back. It was this very arc though which solidified the series hold on me. It was this adversity that dug its claws into me more deeply than any other work of fiction that I have ever read, any I have ever heard, any I have ever seen.

I will grant that at first, the main character seems clunky and unrealistic. He starts out so entranced by social media that he is completely out of touch with the world around him. It is this very hyperbolic disassociation from the world though which allows the heroine to make such a profound impact on his life. From there, it is a story of love, passion, growth, pain, and struggle. It is a story so lifelike and fluid that it feels real. Each setback feels heavy in your heart, and triumph causes you to secretly do a silent little fist pump in your head.

The primary complaint that I have seen about this series is the pacing. Having read at least one of the author's previous series, I understand where these readers are coming from. They are used to seeing a slow, methodical buildup from the author's work. Life though, is not always slow and methodical, and I think that that's the point. The author is saying here that things don't always sneak up on you. Sometimes they ambush you. Sometimes, you have to make a choice right where you stand, and sometimes you are not given a decision at all. Where as much of Kouji Seo's work focuses on slow, steady progression, here he focuses on immediacy. In doing that though, he also makes sure not to lose track of the aspects of his writing which have caused readers to fall in love with his stories over the years. The end result, at least in my opinion, is beautiful. It is heartbreaking. It is uplifting. That's what life is, and Seo has brought these characters to life. I wouldn't change a single thing.

Yuu Haruna is the typical shonen protagonist, a plain looking guy with no particular abilities. He meets an interesting girl, Fuuka and shares her interest in music. They met a few more friends and make a music band. That's the beginning of this manga, Fuuka.

I really love Beck, so I saw that Fuuka was recommended, what I also saw was that it had lots of downvotes, ie. many people have rated it 1/10 , and that's unreasonable. Maybe it is because when they started reading, they were expecting a sequel to Suzuka,(by Seo Kouji, same author), or maybe they were expecting a definite plot, sadly the manga takes a big turn within the first 40 chapters, I too was turned off by it, but then after that it just kept improving. Fuuka is a very engaging story with lovable characters. You should really give it a try, especially if you loved Beck.
PS. No manga can ever surpass Beck. MCP forever!!

Story:
The story is very simple, there is group of friends,
make a music band,
things get out of hand,
Now they're playing again.
( That's my rapping style)

Art:
The art is good, no compromise. Also there is LOTS of Fanservice. Lots of hot scenes. This ecchi part turned me off earlier, but later got used to it.

Characters:
Initially they all seem like stock characters but slowly but surely they improve. You'll find yourself rooting for them, that's when you know you are a fan of this band.

Enjoyment:
I would say this is the biggest strength of this manga, it is enjoyable throughout, and well paced. I read 200 chapters in just 4 days, it was unputdownable.

I started reading expecting an average manga, but now that I'm done I feel like I'll never forget this story, these guys, and their music.

I hope some people agree with me on this.. Fuuka is absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful.. it grabs your heart and pierces it but it makes you want to keep reading along. Fuuka the character was amazing well blended and gone too soon but the story surrounding her dream that was passed down to her fellow bandmates has been intriguing and always keeps you wanting more. If only I could share the joy and sadness I've felt from reading this manga, it reminds me of Nana but in a more casual way. Fuuka could become one of the best manga ever written one day and I hope anyone planning to read this is willing to open their eyes to a new kind of story.

This really could have been a great manga.

One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was Fuuka herself.

Don't get me wrong, I liked all the characters and enjoyed their relationships and how they bonded together. I also enjoyed the romance, to an extent. Some of it was typical, outlandish and immature but it was bearable.

What really pissed me off was ***SPOILER ALERT!!!!*** when the writer decided it would be more interesting if Fuuka died from a ridiculous and most unbelievable accident.

I'm all for drama and heartbreak in a story. However, there comes a time when you're trying too damn hard to make an impact on the reader. It should happen naturally, not be forced upon you to the point where it just frustrates you.

Anyway, aside from that rather egregious setback, the manga is still quite good.

It gets a lot better as you read, and the pacing really does even out and become more tolerable.

I admit, the shock value loses its touch after every chapter being some major climactic event. It's a little exhausting, but nothing I couldn't handle.

If you're running low on manga to read, give this one a try. I keep up with it on Crunchyroll and it's a good read when you have nothing else to capture your interest.

*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

I honestly have no idea what this manga is getting such high reviews, its abysmal. I honestly thought he couldn't do much worse than Suzuka. Well, I was completely wrong.

Fuuka, down to its core, is a music tragedy that tried so hard to be different but failed so hard. In the end, it became nothing to a cookie cutout of all the other musical tragedies out there and for that, is nothing but boring and stale and lacks anything that would make it continue to be worth reading.

The whole manga feels rushed and it never ever feels like its well paced. All the events happen so fast that you are left wondering about the in between. This manga lacks buildup and only has execution. The only reason I read Fuuka is I enjoyed the character named Fuuka and she made the manga interesting to read. On top of being the character that moved the story progression the most, you can really see it after she is killed in a copout way.

Fuuka is kiilled by a truck while stopping at a crosswalk and picking up a keychain. There are a lot of huge flaws in this. The crosswalk was green and somehow she was like the only person crossing it in a huge Japanese city in the middle of the day? I don't buy that. Also when they were crossing the street, traffic was stopped, as in the truck wasn't even moving, and when the crosswalk light turned red, somehow the truck was moving at 30 mph? You can't tell me that the trucker didn't see her and try to stop. You can't tell me that the trucker as soon as the light turns green decides to step on the gas seeing someone still in the crosswalk. He killed the only reason I read Fuuka and killed the one person who made the story interesting.

Seo Kouji clearly has lost his touch when he resorts to huge amounts of drama to get anything done. Not to mention the rushed narrative and the lack of buildup and backstory for his characters, or doing things in a meaningful way that would not make certain events shake your head. This is my last manga I will ever read from Seo Kouji as he is now a washed up writer. Save your time and go read Beck or Nana.

** To explain properly i might need to go into a little bit of spoilers. Although, for this manga you might just want to deal with the spoilers in this review so that you won't have to waste time reading it.

My context -
First of all, i started the series with anime. I instantly loved anime and i jumped right over to read manga. It was painful to read after some chapters.

Review according to aspects -
Story - 2
I have to say the story started off great. It gave off the vibe of all the great music anime that aired recently. It was blatant about where it was headed with the fuuka and koyuki angle, which I was okay with. In fact, it was like other manga with "childhood friend who is popular" angle and it was well executed as well. The story was well paced and it felt like it progressed well. Then why i gave it a low score? Because things turned sour pretty quickly. It started around episode 33 ish where readers will know what happened. At the time it felt so wrong and forced but i thought that it was probably a necessary predicament for the protagonist to aim higher. But the story gets so boring and so bland. After that chapter i found myself cringing and trying to step away but the first few chapters had me hoping something like that would come up. And it actually did for a few chapters when the manga stopped trying to focus on the ill scripted love triangle and instead just focused on the music aspect. The fact that they introduced the "really similar but not same" missing character was so frustrating to watch. And this happened twice!! (trying to avoid spoilers)

Art - 9
The only thing that i enjoyed throughout was the art. It was a 10/10 but sometimes it was hard for me to tell characters apart so i gave it a 9.

Character - 5
This one is tricky. There are times when the characters all feel genuine and there are times when they are just dreadful. This is best reflected by the character development of koyuki. She was a "childhood friend who is a love interest" at the beginning and in the manga/anime world that is the worst position to find yourself in. I was rooting for her from the beginning but i had accepted that she'd never get yuu. However, her character was strong and she used to inspire yuu to get better and vice versa. How she got to "i will make you fall for me" to "i don't care if you don't love me, just go out with me" is beyond me. Same thing happened with almost all characters. These music loving, passionate and strong female characters all became a fanservice bait which is just sad to watch.

Enjoyment - 2
To be honest, i did enjoy the first part of the series leading up to the event. But not much unlike how deathnote transitioned after the death of L, fuuka went from great to hard-to-watch as the events felt forced and underdeveloped. They played the 'coincidence' game way too much.

Overall the manga is a good music manga with loads of bad drama, underdeveloped romance and out of context fan service (i guess being ecchi justifies it though). I don't know if anyone could enjoy this except for the artwork which clearly took a lot of effort. If the story aspects were worked on as much we'd probably have a masterpiece.

Seo Kouji did pretty good at his previous series Suzuka. Fuuka can be considered the consequence. After reading Fuuka, this is my review:

Story: 2/10.
Honestly, compare to Suzuka, this one boring. The plot seems off and doesnt lead the reader to anywhere. Somehow, i feel like Seo Kouji make this manga in half-ass way. Plus, the death of Fuuka seems too bland.

Art: 7/10
Talking about his art, i support there is nothing much to say.

Character:5/10
The only thing that keeps me interest is the old Fuuka not the new one. The dead Fuuka have interesting personality and that what keep me until she dead. The new one doesnt show much of personality or i should say her personality doesnt have any things to be mentioned.

Enjoyment:2/10
The series did well at the start but after the death of Fuuka, it starting to become boring and boring. If Seo Kouji intend to make a good romance manga then focus on it instead of just making it too long and bland.

Overall:2/10
I would recommend you to read this one until the death of Fuuka. After that, you will see the manga lacks of its own spirit. The plot become bland, character doesn have much strong point in their personalities. Seo Kouji doesnt focus much on how to make plot twisted in best way.

That was one hell of a ride! It's been a long time since I've read a manga that made a roller coaster ride of emotions. After reading it I just stared blankly for minutes just thinking on everything that happened in the series! Those last 10 chapters of it was just too much to handle that I couldn't stop my tears from flowing out of happiness. Everything in it is just perfect! all of the characters have an important role till the end that made this manga my top 1. Thank you TWGOK... you've been my top 1 manga for a long time but Fuuka will be taking your place now... 10/10!!!!! WINGS OF LIGHT!!!!!! <3........... now time to check other works of seo koujin...

This review is spoiler-free, however, I recommend you read the series completely blind. If you hate it, you hate it; if you love it, you love it; but you'll do yourself no benefit trying to understand why others have such strong feelings around it. Figure it out for yourself and come back to compare.

Fuuka is a story with a lot of problems. If someone asked me to go through commentating each chapter, we'd probably end up with another CinemaSins clone. Overused tropes here, bizarre characterisation there, lewd filler throughout, and a plotline with so many random elements thrown in that it's no surprise that people find themselves overwhelmed. However, as rough and ridiculous as the core is, there's an unexpected believability and charm brought out by its honesty.

I think it's impossible to talk about this series without mentioning the twist. While I won't spoil it, the before and after might as well be two completely different series. For those of you that read up until that point weekly, keep in mind that this was close to a year in the making. Fuuka sets itself up for future arcs, characters, themes, and solid expectations; before immediately taking the story in the opposite direction. For many readers - especially fans of the mangaka - this was a dividing experience. The first section, while well-written, is fairly stock-standard. It's a light-hearted 'follow your dreams' romance series, with the sort of convenient coincidences that you won't find outside of anime and manga. An average shounen protagonist crosses every chance encounter possible - from celebrities, to online friends, to solutions to obscure problems. Despite this, it's self-aware enough to not constantly push it in the reader's face. Rather, the ridiculous nature of the series is worn on its sleeve, rarely overstaying its welcome. What we're left with is a collection of likeable characters on the road to fulfilling their dreams.

And then the series changes direction entirely.

I've never enjoyed narrative arcs where hopes are dashed for compromises. You see them coming from a mile away; sign-posted from the beginning and rarely given enough time to build a relationship with the reader. Fuuka portrays no indication. It's abrupt, unexpected, and against most narrative rules I've been taught in writing classes. It's no surprise that people hated it. When a story 180s, yelling "where the HELL did that come from?" is something that I'm certainly not innocent of. Some of my favourite story orientations have been destroyed by illogical, last-second attempts at shock factor or pandering. The reason Fuuka isn't one of those instances is that the following narrative was built around the sudden change. The shock was the point; not the excuse. The overarching plot then follows the same notes, but from a different perspective. If the first 40 chapters are about finding hope, the next hundred are about understanding it. We found hope, but what do we do with it? If it's true that life comes at you fast, what are you going to do about it?

I've noticed that a point of contention relates to the series' pacing. It moves abnormally quickly, but that generally only adds to the experience. One of the reasons I was never a fan of Kouji Seo (or drama manga in general) is that, at some point, it gets tedious; tiring. While some people may enjoy dramatic arcs that attempt to split the characters apart, only for them to overcome that challenge; I was never one of them. I always feel that characters do themselves no favours by jumping to conclusions and refusing to communicate. I have little interest in rooting for a protagonist that continues to make the same mistakes, only to forget the lesson they previously learnt in solving them. The pace of Fuuka allows for these situations to resolve in a lifelike way. While there are overarching concerns throughout, the smaller-scale issues work as a stepping stone towards fixing them. It's not all at once, or never at all; it's step by step. This builds a sense of trust that makes the relationships on the romance side feel believable and healthy. Often times, while I may enjoy the end-point, I can't help but think that the effort the characters went through just emphasised why they weren't right for each other. Why love someone that you don't trust?

If I'm to complain about anything, it's the final resolutions. Because there are so many characters and mini-lines throughout, often their brief conclusions lack concrete depth. Shelly's arc, for instance, while complete, misses its chance at pay-off. She makes claims about her independence, her final song, and her challenge to those around her; but that plotline contradicts her other backstory: her guiding inspiration. In effect, one of the two narratives has to give in to the other. This is also a frequent occurrence with side-character romance. In an attempt to provide every character with a resolution, many are forced into unnecessary love stories. Makoto's - avoiding spoilers - is perhaps the worst case. His main character arc is genuinely heartwarming, but it's let down by attaching unnecessary additions.

Despite this, I rarely found myself caring about these issues. I was always swept away by the hopeful themes, the likeable cast, the interconnected narratives, and the unexpected twists along the way. Would I enjoy it as much on the second read, knowing everything? Probably not, but I feel like I'd still be entirely invested in the emotional believability. I enjoyed it as much reading its entirety today, as I did reading it by release up until chapter 50. Fuuka is rough, ridiculous, and rambunctious; but it's those aspects - collected in a poor attempt at alliteration - that add to the lifelike charm of the series. While it's not for everyone, it'll probably be a read that'll stick with me for a long time.

To be honest, I thought this manga would be a little more like Your Lie In April with the story. I was so very wrong. This manga was terrible. I gave it more time than I would like to admit to become interesting (an entire 42 chapters), but ended up wasting more of my time trying to find a plot or reason for its existence than I did actually engaging in reading this horrid manga. It's not that the characters were not drawn well, they were. It was that they wasted more time focusing on Twitter and a damned phone (or lack thereof) than they did building up character or plot. The dialogue was always forced, and the overall enjoyment of the story is a 3/10 out of pity. I never liked giving bad reviews, but this is an exception. I tried so hard to like this manga. I just could not get over the blatant disregard of character development over obsession with Twitter and phones.

TL;DR: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME READING. IT DOES NOT GET BETTER.

*As I usually prefer action/martial arts and comedy themed manga, I haven't had much of experience in romance/drama manga. So me writing a review on one says much already.

The story is quite simple, but with some emotional hooks and reminds me of a movie I once saw.

Main character is much like any other shounen manga protagonist - weak, wimpy kid - and as the story goes on his character grows more confident and evolves. (But that's what pulls us into this sort of manga - a character we can relate to.)

The story evolves around young Yuu who, for once- thanks to an accident, pulls his eyes away from smartphone and starts to see the world in new colors. Yuu finds friends who help him understand his purpose in this new-found world.

Happiness twists with sadness in this story and turns into a hurricane of emotions that makes one cry and lough, and hope.

The art makes it seem to be less like drama and more like a shounen/harem piece, but it really helps the story.

I'm a 25 y/o guy with the best girlfriend ever, last time I cried was some 6 years ago. - This story made me cry twice! Twice!

*This review is based on the 88 chapters I've read so far (I read them all today - couldn't take my eyes away) and I hope my opinion will not change as the manga goes on.

Fuuka… What a fucking journey… I didn’t know anything about this manga, before I started reading it. I saw some clip from the anime, and Fuuka Akitsuki immediately caught my eye. I heard the anime adaptation kind of butchered the manga, so I thought I’d read the story first. What a good call. I never imagined a romance manga could be this epic, even though the romance genre isn’t the main story line, it was still really strong. No other show, manga, or any other medium was able to make me tear up from happiness, while having chills go down my spine.

Art
At first, I didn’t really like it. I thought the main protagonist Yuu Haruna looked more like a girl, and it wasn’t really that special compared to some other works that were out at the time. However, I quickly got used to it, and even though it’s a simple looking art style, it gets the job done well. Some concert scenes might feel a bit repetitive after a while, it uses the same premise of a wide shot of the band, and then either disgusted or completely blown away facial expressions of the audience. But when a show is somehow special, the manga delivers big time. In the most important concert of the manga, you feel like you’re there, the hype and excitement completely takes you over, and it makes you forget that you’re not at a concert, you’re just sitting in a chair, staring at a book.

Story
It’s a complete journey of an upcoming band portraying the excitement and hardships you have to get over, if you want your dreams come true. It’s a story about strong will, patience, resilience, tragedy and love (love for music or your significant other). It brings up a really nice philosophical message. Even though a lot of things aren’t going your way, it’s important to not dwell on the past and look forward. If you really love something, you can’t just give up once something doesn’t go your way. And even if it doesn’t work out at the end, you have to focus on the good you’ve experienced on your way. It was also pretty progressive, putting in a homosexual character and a few really powerful women. Although I’m personally not a huge fan of these tropes if I feel like they’re forced, but this manga was a huge exception. All of these characters felt natural, and fit perfectly in the story. The story had a few “asspulls”, which I will review later in the *spoilers* section, just letting you know. And one thing I hated about this manga, were some of the ecchi scenes. It felt really fucking forced sometimes. You know those types were the protagonist trips on nothing and somehow falls face first into some girl’s boobs. These moments just pulled me out of the experience and were completely unnecessary. Luckily, they weren’t as frequent as in other shows I’ve watched or read, so I’ll let it slide. The romance aspect had a nice progressive flow, and felt really satisfying.

Characters
At first, Yuu Haruna felt like another useless and annoying character. However, the character development he went through was so fucking beautiful to witness. And even though I said he felt annoying at the start, it was extremely refreshing to finally see a guy who isn’t an asshole when it comes to picking a girl. He is loyal, and considerate, and just because of that, the romance aspect was so fun to read through. And don’t worry, even though I said he’s loyal, it won’t spoil anything to you, because even if you think you know who’s he gonna pick, it still makes you tense and hopeful. I also really liked Mikasa for no reason (: Fuuka was just overall loveable character, no need to say more. The other supporting characters all had their personality, and it never felt like they acted against it just for the sake of the plot.

Overall
Having chapters just 18-20 pages long was probably the best decision the author could have made. Every chapter was either ending on a cliffhanger, or it was a nicely wrapped satisfying ending to an arc, which made you really want to read more. “Come on, I can do another one, the next chapter is short, it won’t take a lot of time.” You think to yourself, but then you realize it’s 2AM and you have to work tomorrow. The flow this manga has is just phenomenal. This, the story, philosophical message, tears, epic journey, and likeable characters wrapped up together gives you the manga Fuuka. A manga which will most probably stick with me for a long time. And for that reason, it gets a 10/10 from me. It’s not perfect ofc, but the enjoyment from reading it, is just way too great, and it overshines all the little mistakes. Now I’m gonna watch the adaptation, and I feel like I’m gonna be really disappointed, but who knows. After that, I’m definitely reading the other side stories, and I hope to feel the same enjoyment.

*SPOILER SEGMENT*

*SERIOUSLY, DON’T READ THIS UNLESS YOU’VE READ THE WHOLE STORY*

The reason I love Mikasa’s character is because he’s not a wimpy girlish homosexual character. He’s really cool, and If I was gay and read this manga, I’d feel like I have to be proud of who I’m. However, the plot twist where he gets together with his female teacher, revealing he’s actually bi, felt like a huge asspull. We didn’t get a lot of information on Mikasa’s thoughts during the series, so I feel like it could happen IRL, but pull something like this without any foreshadowing just felt unnecessary. Especially when it had literally no impact on the story. Another asspull was the last arc. It felt a little too extreme that a business female would go that far to destroy a minor band, just because they caused a little trouble at their concert. It feels even more extreme when you realize that Funbook actually didn’t suffer from it at all, if they still won the competition. Also, the Fuuka’s double wasn’t really my cup of tea. It made me feel nostalgic and sad, yes, but the explanation of why she did it felt once again, a bit extreme to me. Another one was Fuuka Aoi blaming herself for Akitsuki’s death. And the last asspull, “The legends”. Somehow, every single person that works with Fallen Moon or Blue Wells is a legendary something. First the Hedgehogs, the president of the company, then the music engineer, then her best pupil, and last but not least, out of nowhere appears the legendary Pa team, which was under their noses the whole time. But as I’ve said in the review, these are just mistakes, that are overshadowed by the enjoyment I’ve head reading this. At the end I’d like to express my thoughts on Fuuka’s death. The aspect of having to get over a loss of your partner, that was present surprisingly throughout most of the manga just gave it an extra depth. The grieving process Yuu had to go through felt really natural, and him realizing it doesn’t feel right to ever love someone else than his dead girlfriend was truly saddening, because I knew he deserved to be happy. Finally, after a while he realizes that he does deserve to be happy, and that he can’t live a full life if he stays hooked up on the past. As I’ve said, this whole storyline gave the story a lot of depth, and I can’t express how much I loved it (even though I was sad as fuck when she died, it really feels weird to say that I’m happy she did).

*END OF SPOILERS*

Yep, I’d definitely recommend this manga to anyone who loves romance or music. I’ll probably remember this manga for the rest of my life.

CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

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A great sequel to Suzuka? Pretty interesting. I'll definitely recommend this to all Suzuka and KNIM fans/non-fans out there. Don't let this one slip on your 'to-read' list. I know that you'll enjoy it. :)

STORY (9) - I get goosebumps when I read those romantic and drama parts. I even had to read it over and over again tbh. But I feel like the plot's moving a little bit faster. Probably just me, I guess.

ART (9) - Nothing has changed, or hasn't it? (need to clarify this one) I felt that Suzuka and KNIM art on this one, but I still like it though. Mild fanservice. Brilliant.

CHARACTER (9) - Original characters + few from Suzuka + few from KNIM jam-packed into one. Impressive Seo-sensei, you really outdid it this time. Our Hero, Haruna Yuu, is an introvert guy who likes twitter very much while our Heroine, Akitsuki Fuuka, has many talents but couldn't decide what she wants to do. Both the Hero and Heroine have in common; love in music which had brought them together. Some random appearances from the previous series makes the manga more livelier.

ENJOYMENT (8) - To be honest, pardon my language, my excitement reading for Fuuka diminished from 10 to 8 by the time sumshit happened. I would have known, rather, I should have anticipated this. I know Seo Kouji-sensei's plot-writing style since Suzuka and KNIM. I am unable to comprehend why he put the most valuable character into collateral list. With this, I have to swallow my frustrations and tears just to proceed to the next chapter. Seriously! *sob*

OVERALL (8) - All negatives aside, I got hooked-up the second I saw Fuuka manga then read it whole for like... 2 hours or something. So in the end, I've enjoyed it. Let's see what's going to happen next (not hoping for that crap of course).