Well I’ve posted two drafts of the initial chapters, read the entire story and figured, why not review the manga as a whole? Keep in mind the series’ main title is Cross Heart but I’d rather call it the Haru and Kotomi Trilogy.
Once again special thanks goes to AnaKris for uploading the manga and offering its remake for sale, which I heard isn’t that different from the original, but if you’re interested after reading this review, you might want to pick it up.
A word of warning before proceeding. If you don’t like angst-filled love stories, you can skip this one. If not, let’s continue.
Genres: yuri, drama, romance, angst.
Number of chapters: 3 parts, Cross Heart, Someday and Breakdown (Which is also split in 3-parts and some extras)
Kotomi’s a sad, reserved girl who lives enclosed inside herself due to a horrific past event and she just can’t leave it behind. Haru’s an active and cheerful girl who develops a certain interest in Kotomi. Their paths will cross, and she’ll be the only one that can free Kotomi from her pain.
The plot in and of itself is quite simple and straightforward. The source of Kotomi’s pain feels like a throwback to classic reasons why girls stereotypically turn gay. However, I like the classics so it doesn’t hurt to use the one here once in a while, just don’t overdo it.
That’s pretty much how the story begins with Haru freeing Kotomi from the darkness. The rest of the story revolves around Haru and Kotomi keeping their love alive. Two main themes I notice, besides light and dark, trust and fate, are old wounds running deep and true love being both a blessing and curse.
I mentioned above this manga’s heavy on angst and there’s plenty of it. Both the monologue and mental thoughts spoken throughout the story are worthy of being used in screen plays or ballads. However, considering the mindset of both participants, it isn’t too surprising.
Haru’s definitely an active and cheerful girl but when it comes to Kotomi, she’ll become lost to the rest of the world as she’ll focus on nothing else but her. You know, now that I think about it, Haru’s kinda similar to Tachibana and Sakura from Itoshi wo Tome, except not as emotionally distraught.
Kotomi…’s pretty much what you’d expect from a girl who went through what she did. If anyone’s had a lover with a past like hers, then you know it takes time to put a real smile on her face again. I have no qualms with the little one.
Yoko-chan’s the kind of buddy anyone would like to have, cheerful, understanding, supportive, always wants to hang out with you. A pet peeve of mine with this manga is not enough Yoko, but what we do get from her is most righteous. I demand a spin0ff starring Yoko-chan!
In conclusion, this is a pretty straightforward, yet effective yuri drama. I don’t know how others who have read it felt but I was emotionally invested in Haru and Kotomi’s relationship and did want to see them live happily ever after. If you haven’t read it yet and are still interested, you’ll have to visit AnaKris’ DA gallery and find out for yourself whether they do end up happy together.
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