Yano, the main male character, is a typical popular guy – cold, teasing, mysterious, and troubled. If they stayed within the box, they did it well, fleshing out their personalities and motivations to the brim. The characters are not original, but they are well-written. It manages to achieve a delicate yet unfaltering balance that is difficult to find in manga, and for which I applaud the author. However, with Bokura Ga Ita, the characters and the story are just so inextricably linked that it cannot be defined in terms of either. With most manga, I will classify it as either character-based, or plot-based. Overall, though, I would say the execution was well-handled and better than many works out there. The end, on the other hand, can feel a bit repetitive from the overuse of flashbacks, and since we are given much more knowledge than the individual characters in the story, the solution appears fairly obvious to us. However, the beginning can be a bit confusing with large and rather awkward jumps in the progression of their relationship that lead to it feeling a bit rushed. In general, the pacing is excellent, with few drag or gaps, and foreshadowing is done in a skillful manner. It is one of those manga that could have ended at any time, and though the feeling might have been different, it would have been just as good. Typical shoujo cliches (such as hot springs and a mother’s suicide) are seamlessly woven into a solemn tale spanning 10 years. The overarching storyline is straightforward, but the flow is incredibly complex and completely natural. It presents the intricacies of real life through subtle layers, without being overwhelming, and examines darker topics while still staying true to its shoujo core. However, the execution is uncannily realistic.
At its simplest, it is a story of a girl and boy falling in love, and struggling to keep that love through all that life throws at them. This quote represents everything this manga is: unexpectedly somber, tinged with melancholy, and surprisingly thoughtful. “If it was me… I would save the one who cannot swim.” “Suppose you were on a boat with two guys and it capsized… Who would you save? The guy who’s closer to you? The guy who looks better? The guy that’s kind? Or the guy you like?”
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