Have you ever read a book where one half is engaging and the other half is, well, the opposite? While the first volume of Strawberry Fields Once Again had me giggling and swooning throughout, the second volume only held my interest during its latter chapters. This came as a surprise because the beginning of the manga concentrated on the main characters’ relationship, and, as a die-hard yuri fan, I can’t help but ship them pretty hard. So, why the boredom?
It’s mostly because of the direction the plot took. Let’s recap real quick: Akira is a shy, standoffish girl who has sworn off all 3D romance. One day, an outgoing girl named Pure appears out of nowhere and claims she’s Akira’s fiancé from the future. Unsurprisingly, Akira is incredulous, but the two of them become friends anyway.
Now on to Volume 2. After an *incident* on the Ferris wheel, Akira questions if she really has feelings for Pure after all. She’s hesitant, fighting every fluttery emotion she experiences. On the other hand, Pure – who’s very open about her feelings for Akira – continues to dote on Akira without going overboard. The two of them slowly become closer, Akira opening up little by little. Seeing their bond develop is obviously a good thing because it’s important to the story. And it’s cute! Yet… I found these first few chapters to be tedious.
Perhaps it’s because the events that pass aren’t exactly original. For example, one character trips over the other, their faces getting uncomfortably close. I also detected some recycled elements from other yuri series. Think Bloom Into You or Netsuzou Trap (the PG version) where they’re friends that show affection and get intimate, but there are “apparently” no feelings involved.
On top of this, the progression of Akira’s feelings didn’t feel natural at times. It’s a bit rushed. The manga is short after all, so it’s expected. What strikes me as odd, however, is how these chapters feel too fast and too slow at the same time; the pacing doesn’t have balance. In my opinion, the mangaka is great at comedy but struggles at portraying more serious scenes and interactions, at least when it comes to romance.
That being said, the second half of the book had serious scenes that didn’t involve romance – and they were much better in terms of development, pacing, and just about everything. For the first time, Akira’s father comes into the picture, revealing more about her family life. The father’s backstory helps explain why Akira is so withdrawn and hates romance in real life. We also see more of her reclusive brother who turns out to be kind of a jerk. He knows more about Pure than he previously let on. All of this leads up to (finally) more time travel elements!
This is when the second volume really started to catch my attention. Pure starts to question whether her future with Akira was real or something she dreamed up. So, while Akira is gradually – albeit cautiously – becoming more comfortable with the idea of love, Pure is becoming filled with doubt. I welcomed the suspense and tension after the manga’s sluggish first half. But right when the story begins to accelerate… the volume ends. Another cliffhanger brings the momentum to a halt. Ugh, why?! It’s torturous.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt so many mixed emotions during a single manga before. It’s possible that I wasn’t in the right mindset when reading it but… I think something was off. Needless to say, I have conflicting feelings about this volume. Consequently, I’m both excited and concerned for the next volume of Strawberry Fields, which is the final one. I need to know what happens after the cliffhanger, but I’m worried there won’t be enough time to properly tell the story. The cover gives the ending away (as they often do), and it seems like there will be a good conclusion. I just hope getting to that conclusion isn’t a bumpy ride.