The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

Sakura, Saku

What's It About? 

A mysterious boy comes to Saku Fujigaya's rescue when she falls ill on a train, but he leaves before she can thank him. After this experience, Saku never ignores strangers in need of help to emulate the boy who helped her.

Saku Fujigaya would like to thank the boy who helped her, but all she has is a note signed “Ryosuke Sakura.” She discovers that a boy at her high school, Haruki Sakura, has an older brother named Ryosuke. She asks Haruki to deliver her thank-you letter to Ryosuke, but why does he refuse?

Sakura, Saku! has a story and art by Io Sakisaka. The English translation is by Max Greenway with lettering and touch-up by Inori Fukuda Trant. Published by Viz Media (November 14, 2023).


Content Warning: Emotional abuse.

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

Io Sakisaka fans – and I can't be the only one – rejoice: her new series is officially in English. Sakura, Saku! is mildly spun off from her previous work Love Me, Love Me Not; one character appears in both to tie them together. But you don't need to have read that one (though you should; it's good) to get into this, which unfolds with the same good-natured charm and gentle optimism that pervades all of the creator's works.

This particular story opens with a prologue to help us get to know the heroine, Saku. Saku has always felt like one of life's background characters, a perpetual “tree” in the school play. She consciously decides to change when someone helps her on a train. She doesn't know who that person is (all she has is a name and a defunct phone number), but they inspire her to stop being a bystander. As she tells one of the other characters, even being called a Goody Two-Shoes isn't a problem for her because it means that she at least merits a name. There's something truly sad about that statement, a suggestion that even though she's trying to change, she still thinks that if she stops being everyone's good Samaritan, she'll fade right back into the background again. She believes that she only deserves her name (code for recognition) when she's doing something specifically to merit it, not just by being a person worthy of love and friendship.

Having been a fifteen-year-old girl myself and one with crippling anxiety, that's a familiar way of thinking. Saku is so used to not counting that she barely even matters to herself, and that's a high bar to climb over. Fortunately, Sakisaka is the right manga creator for the job, and we're already seeing signs of progress in this introductory volume. When Saku starts at her new high school, she meets a boy named Haruki Sakura, and it turns out that his brother has the same name as Saku's erstwhile savior. Assuming they're the same person, she approaches Haruki, who is less than thrilled. As it turns out, girls are always trying to use him to get to his brother, so he's got some self-esteem issues of his own. Whether this will turn out to be a love triangle between Saku and the Sakura brothers is hard to say. Still, the real joy here is seeing both Saku and Haruki realize that they are enough, even without hot older brothers or a need to do good works. It's not a flavor of coming-of-age romance we often get, or at least not necessarily in the manga.

It's also worth mentioning that a subplot is set up with Saku's new friend, Kotono, and her emotionally abusive boyfriend. He's controlling, and while Haruki and another boy in class note that that's not okay, Kotono and Saku seem to think it's just a sign of how much he loves her. How this develops will merit paying attention to, and I trust Sakisaka will do it right. Just be aware that it's there.

MrAJCosplay

Rating:

Sometimes, a random act of kindness can profoundly impact another person's life. Everyone goes through life struggling or having a hard time at some point, and we can't fix all the problems that another person is going through. However, something as simple as carrying a bag or holding a door open can be enough to make a person's day. When you're someone like our protagonist Saku, who spent most of her life feeling like she didn't have an identity, it's nice that a random act of kindness would be the catalyst for her to adopt an identity where she naturally wants to be there for people.

I like this story because, while there's more past this volume, the writing was tight and relatable enough to convey a whole emotional journey from beginning to end. It's straightforward in its execution and art style. Still, without even relying too heavily on the romantic aspect until the very end, this is ultimately a story about coming to terms with being kind and desperately searching for a way to repay that kindness to other people. It's refreshing in an incredibly cynical world to find something this endearing with its heart on its sleeve. I appreciate the fuzzy feelings I walked away with and look forward to seeing what else this story has in store for our incredibly kind leads.