Saki is best friends with Kanon, a deaf girl in her class, and is secretly in love with her. As the two become closer, Saki runs into Kanon’s friend from school, Ayano. Ayano confesses why he no longer speaks to Kanon, and he warns Saki not to push him away because of Kanon. Meanwhile, Kanon hears about the essay contest, and while searching for inspiration, he realizes that it is closer to home.
Admittedly, when I first opened this book, I was a little disappointed. At the end of Volume 3, there was a lot of build-up in terms of tension and romance on Saki’s part, to the point where she avoided canon a bit. Their relationship, and by extension her emotions, has grown a lot over the past two volumes. Going to the movies together, Kanon revealing more about his past and difficulties with his disability, and of course having a sleepover with Saki felt like a confession of his own. She almost jumped out of her. But in Volume 4, other than a small (presumably) spark from the canon side and Saki pushing aside her own feelings for now while dealing with her year-end choir performance, , there is little romance development between the pair. Considering the tension of the last few volumes, it was a shame that we haven’t gotten to the point of confessing yet. But that doesn’t mean it won’t come, and it doesn’t mean Volume 4 has nothing to offer. Instead, this volume advances the protagonists in terms of developing them as separate people rather than together.
As revealed in the previous volume, Kanon was a piano prodigy, but her hearing loss also cost her her passion and future career prospects in the music industry (at least the one she had hoped for). There was no possibility). But as any creator knows, creativity never dies, it just changes to suit the circumstances, and that’s what happens to canon as well. While she was writing a manuscript for her school’s newspaper, she learns about the literary club’s essay contest and begins seeking inspiration to write. It’s great to witness her creative brilliance and process on the page. It’s healthy for her to have her creativity expressed in new ways. Rather than clinging to what is no longer available to her, she is finding new ways to express herself that are less dependent on her hearing. As for her choir, she also has great moments for her and her mother. Kanon tries to sing this song completely by himself. Although her mother was a harsh critic, she too was overwhelmed by Kanon’s challenge. It’s a truly beautiful moment between the two of them, rebuilding their strained relationship while also showing that despite her obstacles, her passion for Kanon’s music still shines through.
The beginning of the book picks up where Volume 3 left off, with Saki encountering Ayano and learning the backstory of her and Kanon’s friendship. The first part of building Ayano’s home life, how her parents relied heavily on her and abandoned her teenage years to raise her younger siblings, was at the end of Volume 3 . Volume 4 contains the second half of the flashbacks. , focuses on when friendships break down. Ayano says some very harsh words, but I completely understand where she’s coming from. Ayano’s struggles and traumas are much more “accepted” in society, especially in situations where family must come first and mothers and fathers must be respected (and so on), and her friends at school say she is “mother’s”. Sometimes it’s easy to brush them off and say, “I have to help you with work.” Chores” etc. As a result, parent-child relationships are more likely to be hidden behind closed doors and go unnoticed. As a result, the burden on Ayano, who also has to take care of Kanon due to her hearing loss, becomes even greater. But her canon issues are much more visible to her and can be addressed with support and understanding from others (from Ayano’s perspective), so it’s no wonder she breaks down. She loses so much weight that something breaks, and she lashes out at her canon. But when she goes on her rant, she’s really lashing out at the life she’s been lumped into with. Because she cannot confide her concerns to her family. So she does this to the only person who will listen to her and lighten her burden, even if it means sacrificing herself. friend. Living with a disability can be very difficult, but we often underestimate the impact that disability has on others, especially those who care for people with disabilities. Although their lives are not as demanding as those of people with disabilities, caregivers can have unique stresses that those outside of their lives may never understand. It’s a push and pull of guilt and anger that anyone can understand and empathize with, especially those who care for people with disabilities.
Ayano tells Saki all this to keep Saki from putting aside her own desires for Kanon. Will Saki listen to your advice? Perhaps, but for now, not much, since her feelings still remain unspoken. She also worries about Kanon in her upcoming choral competition and pushes forward to play the piano herself, but collaborates with another classmate which reveals her negative feelings towards Kanon. I was also forced to do that. We’ve seen this push and pull with Saki many times in the manga so far, but it’s different with Ayano. Saki does this out of her feelings for Kanon and wants to be closer to her, but unfortunately she is used to being second fiddled in her own home, and her mother put her needs aside when she was young. We don’t get a glimpse of her past, which often took precedence over other people. This may cause a large explosion later on. Just like Ayano, Saki will reach a breaking point, but when will it be? Was it before or after his feelings for Kanon spilled out? We’ll have to wait and see.
Later in the book, Saki chooses a song for the choir, which ends up being a song by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. ebony and ivory, a track that fits very well with this series and its themes. However, then there was a scene where a male teacher actually gave Kanon information about the song and the artist, and it felt more like he was reading a Wikipedia article than someone enthusiastically talking about it. (Translation problem? Not sure).
The latest volume is moon on a rainy night ” (translated by Kevin Steinbach, Kodansha) is still worth reading. The world and characters are very likable and deep, and these chapters are a lot of fun to read and discuss. Romance takes a backseat this time around, but there’s still plenty of development to absorb.
Review copy from Kodansha was provided by Diamond Book Distributors UK.
