Issho ni Neyou yo by Takao Shigeru

Art and story (c) Takao Shigeru

Issho ni Neyou yo by Takao Shigeru

            Genre: Shojo

            Length: 6 Volumes - 35 Chapters

            The art of Issho ni Neyou yo is cutesy with detailed eyes and simple hair. Clothes are relatively simple but they grow cuter and more detailed as the manga continues. Backgrounds aren't particular to note, half drawn and half tones. There’s not much to say for or against the art, what you see is what you get. Not to spoil anything, but the main male in this story constantly wears children's cartoon masks so the way that emotion is played through them is very well done, as well as conveyed through just the lower part of the face, too.

            Ichiko Usami has run away from home and has no where to go, tired, cold, and alone she has almost given up hope finding someone to stay with but will do anything to stop from returning. When a person in a mask startles her, she falls and loses consciousness but no before tentatively accepting the masked man's offer of help. Ichiko awakes in a strange house full of people who seem to having nothing in common with one another but act as a family. She wants to accept their kind offer to stay but when she finds out a child is also staying in the house she suddenly wants nothing more than to run away.

            Don't let the cute art fool you, this manga has a lot of tragic elements to it. I'd say this is a love story between broken people. So its not a feel good shojo, but it has its light moments. The characters all have their own eccentricities and the story follows through their strangeness, and gives you a good long look at the main two. There were some skips between chapters where you started a little confused at how it connects to the chapter before it. It also moves fairly slowly, but I didn't mind that until the very end, all the same the ending is satisfying; you even get a love story you weren't expecting in the background. Its not a story to be read over and over again, but I would look at it again in a few years time. I enjoyed it on a rainy afternoon and that’s just about all you can ask for on such days. The story is compelling and the characters are easy to go along with.

           4/5 Recommended possible crying material if you happen to be in the mood.