“A Long and Short Love Story” is a rather different manga, since it began when Kei Ichikawa was commissioned to create short stories with color covers. He decided to connect them by having the same two guys as the protagonists in this Boys’ Love story, and the result is definitely artistic.
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The boys in question are Ibuki and Kippei, who have been close forever. They started as next-door neighbors and childhood friends, before going to the same school, discussing their favorite music, and watching the summer fireworks together every year. The feelings the two have for each other are evident, but nothing moves forward until Ibuki kisses Kippei one day, showing that what they have is not only friendship.
The narrative then progresses through connected vignettes, dealing with the past and present in ways that are not always clear. However, the story progresses nicely until the rather clear finale.
As mentioned, the approach here is quite artistic, something also mirrored in the edition itself, which features glossy paper, as opposed to the plain one usually used in manga. Furthermore, the dialogue is scarce, there are a number of colored full pages at the beginning of each chapter, and, in general, the majority of panels are larger than usual.
This approach allows Ichikawa’s art to truly shine, with his flowing lines and the almost Modigliani-esque characters being truly impressive to watch. There are many moments where the approach is more grounded, and the “silly faces” trope does appear on occasion. In general, though, the style points more towards painting than designing. The splashes of color here and there add even more to this approach.
Regarding the context, it is definitely thin, but the comments about how difficult it is to express one’s feelings, particularly within an already established, non-romantic relationship, echo quite realistically. The same applies to when the two graduate and have to split for the first time in their lives, while a subtle comment about how people perceive same-sex relationships also comes to the fore through the women around the two.
“A Long and Short Love Story” is mostly a visual work, and in that regard, it is quite pleasant to the eye. At the same time, the story is appealing in its simplicity, in a manga that is rather easy to read overall.
