Be with You

Rating T+ Genre manga Publisher VIZ Media External Links Official Be With You Website

For all those who aren’t willing to invest the time into several volumes of shoujo goodness, Be With You is a great way to get a quick fix. It’s got love, as expected, and a little bit of the supernatural. The manga is based of the novel, so perhaps the novel answers more questions than the manga does. At any rate, it’s definitely a sweet story.

The story is about Takumi, his son, and his deceased wife Mio. Before Mio dies, she writes a storybook for her son, Yuji, about a place called Archive, and promises her son that she will return during the rainy season. Of course, Takumi does not believe that he will see her again, but lo and behold, when the rainy season comes, Mio reappears. Unfortunately, she has lost her memories. During the time that she remains, she becomes a mother and a wife again, as she learns about her own past. Additional supernatural elements come in towards the end, in the form of time travel. It seems a little incomplete, and, though it wraps up the story, it seems like the novel might have expanded on this idea. As it is, it just seems like a convenient plot twist. Even so, the manga is still touching. There’s no Disney happy ending, and yet you’re left feeling good about what happened. After all, what more do people want than just another moment with the one they love? Yeah, it’s sappy, but it’’s great for those who are hopeless romantics at heart.

The interactions between the three main characters are natural. The dialogue flows very well, and they act as though they are a family. Many times there are problems with making the child sound too child-like or too adult. This book is able to walk that fine line and illustrate the naivety and wisdom of children. The story itself switches points of view, from Takumi to Yuji to Mio. These changes transition smoothly because, even though they are told from different people‘s perspectives, the tone remains the same.

The drawing style is typical of shoujo manga: the big eyes, flowing hair, and occasional chibification. There’s nothing that stands out about the character designs; it’s fairly simple. It’s almost advantageous, as too much detail would take away from the storyline. There also doesn’’t need to be a lot of detail because there are only a couple characters throughout the story. Most shoujo manga tend to have a lot of supporting cast, and Be With You is a nice departure from the love triangles that most shoujo tend to have. It may be due to the fact that this manga is based on a novel, or that it’s only one volume long, but it’s refreshing to see the relationship between two people develop.

Overall, this is a great story for all you romantics. And if you get a chance, maybe pick up the novel as well.