Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5
Publisher: Seven Seas
Release Date: January 2016
Volumes: 5 Singles/2 Omnibus
Spoilers?: Some
Everyone has regrets in
life. So who wouldn't take the chance to change the past if given the
opportunity? When sixteen-year-old Takamiya Naho receives a mysterious
letter, claiming to be from her twenty-seven-year-old self, her life is
suddenly thrown into flux. The letter informs her that a new transfer
student by the name of Naruse Kakeru will be joining her class, and to
keep her eye on him. What is Naho to make of the letter's contents and
its cryptic warning?
Review:
As the new school
year begins, Naho receives an odd letter from her future self. She doesn’t know
if she should believe it at first, but as what it says starts to come true, she
decides to listen to its advice, to right some of her future regrets. It’s all
leading up to save her new friends death, but Naho doesn’t know if it’ll work,
and how much she can change how quickly.
I can’t believe how
good this book was. Following her own advice, Naho begins changing, taking
chances she normally wouldn’t have, and mostly for the better. It’s forcing her
to have more fun, more experiences, and have more courage with her crush. Her
tight group of friends are all growing up, and trying to be there for Kakeru, a
new boy in class who’s being eaten up by his own regrets.
I love how much
Naho changes. How she grows as she pushes herself, and so how much changes as
she takes the courage to go after Kakeru, even a little bit. Their relationship
is sweet and still getting stronger, but there’s also all the friendships. Naho
has two girl friends and two other guy friends, and they’ve all known each
other a long time. Their friendship is strong, and they’re there for each other
when they need to be. There is a big romance here, but the friendships take
just as much attention, which I appreciate.
This volume was
surprisingly well-done, sweet and slow and important. I like that we get to see
how their future selves are doing, what they’re finding out, and how they’ve
turned out with all the regrets. I like that as the present changes so much,
the younger kids future is clearly changing in the present, but that it doesn’t
necessarily mean that it’s for the better or the worse. The original future
wasn’t terrible, even if they did want to change things, and they did miss
their friend. It’s just different now, not necessarily worse or better.
I was really impressed with this book, and I can’t wait for
the next one, to see how the series wraps up.
