Comics / Manga

We Were There: Volume 14

By Leroy Douresseaux
May 2, 2012 - 12:38

We Were There Volume 14 cover image

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Still adjusting to a new school, Nanami “Nana” Takahashi met Motoharu Yano, a sly boy with carefree ways.  Although she tried not to, Nana fell in love with Yano.  Then, she discovered that Yano was grieving the death of another girl with the same first name, Nanami Yamamoto.  Yano disappeared, but Nana found him in Tokyo, living with his dead girlfriend’s sister, Yuri.

As We Were There, Vol. 14 begins, Nana has already rejected the proposal for marriage from Masafumi Takeuchi, Yano’s (former) best friend.  As much as she pretends to, Nana can’t forget about Yano.  Meanwhile, Yano’s relationship with Yuri frays as her mother’s health worsens.

THE LOWDOWN:  I usually forget about it.  Then, I get a review copy of the We Were There manga in the mail from VIZ Media.  Suddenly, I remember how much I enjoy reading this heart-rending drama.  I cannot quite call it a high school romance, as the characters are no longer in high school.  This is a 20-something adult love story that high school-age readers might like.

However, with subject matter like suicide, depression, (extreme) family dysfunction, promiscuity, teen sex, etc., We Were There is strong stuff.  It is full of surprises, both sweet and pungent, in a way not too dissimilar from the bittersweet reality of… well, reality.  But it is still teen appropriate.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Shojo readers looking for romance and life drama will find it in We Were There.

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Rating: 7.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12