After the Rain, Vol 2 by Jun Mayuzuki

After the Rain, Vol 2 Reviews

• 
  connie

  I'm so conflicted. On the one hand, I love the characters, and I think so many conflicts and discussions in this volume struck home, especially concerning friendships and how they change as you grow older. I especially liked the scene with Chihiro and Kondou because it adds a layer to Kondou's characters, and one of my favourite things to read about is writers coming back to love their passion.
  
  If the friendship had arisen from just wanting to be friends, I'd be okay, but with the other layer of romantic interest so many interactions leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'll be picking up the next volume, but I just really wish more barriers had been put up and it was made explicit the direction the mangaka intends to take the story, as I have no idea. If it goes in a romantic direction I'll probably drop my rating of the series as a whole and make it known in every review how this series ends, for other people who hate this massive an age gap romance, especially when the power balance is so messed up.
• 
  Gretel

  Nope.
  
  Like, sure, she's 17 and teenagers have dumb crushes but him *accidentally* going on a date with her is creepy. It's setting up a happy ending and just...nope. Nope.
  
  And then there's the disgusting, creepy co-worker who fantasised about making a 17-year-old girl drunk and then "fuck" (rape) her. The date itself and his behaviour was awful.
  Noping the fuck out of this one.
• 
  Aaron

  The ever stoic Akira Tachibana is opening up . . . sort of. The young woman's furtive affection for her much older restaurant manager and her strained relationship with a friend from the track team are the focus of AFTER THE RAIN #2: one friendship Akira is willing to do anything for; one friendship Akira is convinced shall never bear the same amicableness again.
  
  Akira's attempts to get close to "Boss" are stymied by problems as uniquely diverse as a hamster requiring urgent care to deciphering what in the world qualifies as "literature" to a middle-aged man. Regardless, Akira seems determined to grow close to Kondo. She's more open and deliberate with how she feels about him . . . and yet, time and again, Kondo's pragmatism stops her short. When told she's full of hope and shines brightly in her youth, Akira is dismayed and fires back, "Why does it feel like my heart's being torn to pieces?"
  
  Ouch.
  
  Indeed, the crux of AFTER THE RAIN #2 is a view of how raw youthful emotion tends to be, and how volatile one becomes when those emotions fervently lack context. The best example of this rests in the dynamic between Akira and Haruka Kiyan, the lean track star. The two young women used to be close. But once Akira got injured (and left the team), they grew farther and farther apart.
  
  Haruka longs for friendship; she values relationships no matter their origin and eagerly desires to return to some semblance of "normal," no matter the disruption. Akira is not so optimistic; she values relationships that are functional, rather than those that are needlessly progressive. Akira doesn't mind being friends with individuals from other hobbies or walks of life; however, her brash emotional compartmentalizing leads to hurt feelings more often than not. Haruka wants to pick up where things left off. Akira wants to start anew -- to start over. This conflict simmers for much of the manga and fits marvelously into the series' larger theme of fragmented bonds and emotional volatility.
  
  Mayuzuki's art opens up a bit more in this omnibus than in the previous. The pacing is more genial. And readers are treated to those moments of intimate sentimentality that one can only find in top-notch Japanese comics: a bead of sweat on the nape of a woman's neck, the knitted brow of a man suddenly angry for his own honesty (Kondo: "It would be frivolous to give this feeling a name."), the downcast glare of a young woman refusing to meet her future head-on. After the Rain has evolved into a curiously pensive comic book.
  
  "And so the summer of Akira's 17th year passes by. . ."
• 
  Katey Flowers

  The story is still heading in the direction I was hoping and expecting in volume one… but the art is occasionally over sexualised for literally no reason. Like, because this isn’t a romance the mangaka felt the need to add sexual interest and tension through some random panels that don’t service the plot at all.
  
  I’m still intrigued and I already own the series, so I’m going to continue, but a lot of this felt cheap and unnecessary.
• 
  Susana

  Disfruté mucho la lectura sin embargo debo ser honesta y no pasó absolutamente nada interesante en este tomo , casi fue de relleno aún así Quiero leer el siguiente
• 
  James DeSantis

  This puts the romance on more of the backburner here as we get to see the life of the two main characters and how they got to where they're at.
  
  With Akira we go back to see what happened to her old friends. While some things change, others don't, and the result is kind of bittersweet. It's about growing up and growing apart and most people can relate. While Oizumi is dealing with a similar situation his feels more about resentment and remorse, which older people like myself can feel 100%.
  
  I think the little chapters with romance mixed in with more slice of life stuff works really well. Gives more reasoning to care for these characters but also gives us a reason to understand how both can eventually, possibly, get together. I think having two characters with such a different view in life yet similar can work really well.
  
  It is a slow burn book for sure but romance/slice of life fans will find a lot to enjoy in volume 2.
• 
  estrawberry

  Idk how to feel about it.. I’d give it a 3 and a half if I could but I can’t so 4 will do. I felt like I was rushing a lot to finish this. There were very few comfy parts and even funny parts but it really didn’t give me much. If they were both adults then it would definitely be a comfy and enjoyable read but knowing she’s 17 and he’s 45 is like.. idk what to think. Plus there were so many parts of Akira that felt like fan service, they were so random.. Definitely felt uncomfortable in those parts…
  ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌ still.. art was great. :>
• 
  cam

  Still adoring this but the romance angle is getting a little uncomfortable. I know that’s not where it’s headed and I’m enjoying the tension but this is definitely the volume of “letting it cook” btw jun mayuzuki is an absolutely incredible cartoonist
• 
  Sarah 🥀⛓️

  Honestly not sure how much more of this series I can take lol ALTHOUGH, I will admit that this one was a lot better than the 1st volume! I liked how they started to build on the boss’s backstory. In my opinion that was 10x more interesting than everything else going on. This series so far is really just not doing it for me.
  
  .. * Hesitantly proceeds to read next book * ..
• 
  riley ♡

  Sorry, this is so creepy. I'm not gonna continue this series.
• 
  Aritra Dasgupta

  I do like how the manager is taking on the role of a guide more here. I liked the nods to literature and the calm serene feel this book gave off, melancholic and like slightly warm water bubbling. But the constant sexualisation of the 17 year old is not something I can stomach. And it's hammered here repeatedly even though the plot never once calls for it.
• 
  Augusta Whittemore

  This one is a slow burner, but I don't mind so much. What I do mind is that...I still can't see what she sees in her manager, to like him so much? I just don't know how to feel about this one, but I still enjoyed it overall. I am happy that I can't see what's coming all the time, at least.
• 
  Shae

  This second volume improved on the second. For me, it took the good parts of the first, and enhanced them! I hope this trend continues.
• 
  Rachael

  3.5 stars
• 
  Taun

  Seventeen year old Tachibana has suffered a minor injury, taking her away from her school track team & effectively alienating her from her friend group. Meanwhile, she works as a waitress at a local restaurant, where she has developed an infatuation with her forty-five year old boss.
  
  Tachibana has convinced her boss to take her on a date, (vol 1), which ended awkwardly. This doesn’t deter her, as she seeks him out with even more determination. She winds up at his apartment, (with his son) & things get a little more heated. (Props to her boss for trying to keep boundaries between them)
  
  My issue with this is not the mundane slice of life, the slow pace, or even the age gap premise (tho it is on the extreme side). I even like the characters. Tachibana is naive, compulsive, introverted. A typical teenager in most regards. Her Boss is middle aged, hard working, book loving, seeking a quiet life. My issue is the semi explicit material added at random.
  
  This would be so wholesome & entertaining if the story lacked a romantic bend & these two had come together as unlikely friends. (I understand that’s not the point of this manga)
  
  I picked up vol 1 & 2 as a review request. I would not recommend to younger readers especially.
  
  Content Notes: nudity, age gap, strong sexual innuendo
• 
  David Doel

  I'm starting to think this may be one of the best manga I've read. The characters are very well developed and I continue to learn more about them as the story progresses. New character introductions are manageable and handled well. As I get to know the characters, I grow to like them, even those that I did not like at first.
  
  As far as the art goes, I like it too. There's a song by Cake that explains why.
• 
  Kaoru Takarai

  El primer tomo me pareció muy interesante por el tono introspectivo que tiene, pero éste ya no me ha aportado mucho. La historia no tiene mucha chicha y los personajes no me gustan demasiado. Ya ni entro en la cita "accidental" hombre de 45-chica de 17 en la que él es consciente de que es pederastia, porque en fin... Eso sí, me encantan el estilo de dibujo y la protagonista.
• 
  Izybella Granado Finley

  I read the first volume in 2020 and I really loved it. I still can't believe it took me so long to get this second book, but not gonna lie these mangas are long and really exspensive but so worth it! I really like how it's about a younger girl having feelings for an older man and the man debating what he should do! I can't wait to get the 3rd volume!
• 
  Valleri

  The romance is strong with this one! Sometimes, unbearably so. But I cannot tear my eyes away from the unfolding love story between 17-year-old Akira and 45-year-old Kondo...Yikes! I waffle between enjoying and critiquing this series but I am committed to seeing through to the end how this plays out.
• 
  Maria Castillo

  I enjoy this book very much, even better than the first one as I continue reading it and see where we left off from the first book. The way I enjoy the characters plot and how much it builds up from the first book. I'm really going to continue reading the third book. But overall I give this a five out of five stars.
• 
  Megan

  Even if they have labelled it as a friendship for now and it's the 17 year old who's doggedly pursuing a romantic relationship, this still doesn't sit well with me. Kondo needs to firmly set boundaries and draw a line instead of being wishy-washy and entertaining the idea.
• 
  Zcythe Rey

  I read a few chapters in the same night, and to be honest those chapters just felt like filler. It didn’t go anywhere and you could easily just do a quick scan with your eyes of each page and get a good gist of what was happening. I’m gonna be putting this series down now.
• 
  Sara

  It's very cute, weird, but cute.
• 
  feux d'artifice

  it's probably my fault for watching the movie first but i just want all the events to happen faster
• 
  Kristin

  Not for me. Very slow slice of life. What’s the point of the series if she doesn’t get together with the old man?
• 
  Adrian Bloxham

  I really like the way the story is gently opening out, who knows where it's going but it doesn't matter
• 
  Ivie

  I love it but I wish she would just be gay with her track team friend.
• 
  Iqra M.

  Slow but a heartwarming & bittersweet volume. In my opinion, it ended beautifully. Definitely an improvement from the 1st. I will definitely continue with the third volume. :)
  
• 
  RF

  It was weird and I actually started hating the girl... Not sure if I'll get the other volumes