michi speaks: Sakura Gari

Alternative Title: The Hunt for Cherry Blossoms
Mangaka: Yuu Watase
Status: Complete 3 Volumes
Genre: Drama, Historical, Mature, Mystery, Psychological, Shoujo, Tragedy, Yaoi


Synopsis:

Sakura Gari is a Taishou Era romantic story, ten years in the making. It centers around the 16 year old Tagami Masataka as he is aiming to find his place in life. While attempting to start prep school as a rounin he encounters Saiki Souma, the son of a distinguished noble of the Saiki Koushyaku family and becomes part of the Saiki household.

It seems as though this will be the story of Tagami's life, taking us through both him growing up physically and emotionally.

- mangaupdates.com



My Take:

I'm not really a fan of deep psychological storylines but I gave Sakura Gari a consideration, knowing this is the only yaoi manga that Watase-sensei ever made. So, without prior expectations compared to other mangas she had made, the things going on in this story were so intense that I want to skip some pages and get through with a point. And I could not agree this is a romantic story, as I thought it was supposed to be. I'm quite dissappointed of how the story finishes. Really, a tragedy til the end.

As per main characters, Saiki Souma is a beauty to boot. Though he is recognized as the master of the household, there were some dares to touch this guy. He is both the victim and the villain. He has experienced both extremes, and the rest of the servants just turn a blind eye and keep quiet about his sanity. But there is one thing that is not really true about him and it's one of the twist in the story. In the end, I really pity him.

Tagami Masataka, the one who captures the heart of our Souma-sama, shares a similar angst of life as a teenager. He wanted to pursue school as a rounin so he can determine his purpose in life. Grew up from a foster family, he decided to settle on his own and finance his education as he ventures off to the main city. Until then, he encountered an old lady whose about to cross the street when suddenly a car approaches along her way. Inside the car was Saiki Souma, low in spirit but apologetic to what almost happened.

As the story goes, it became weird after weird. A countless times I have to ask questions. I think this is the beauty about Watase-sensei's work. There's no need to illustrate everything that needs to point out but have your own means of understanding the story. The How's and Why's of it, is really up to you. It took me concerted efforts to stick to this manga and as my conclusion, don't read this if you are seeking for a lovey-dovey couple. This one will just leave you hanging.