MANGA REVIEW | "Hirayasumi" - Volume Seven
“I’m sure everything will work out just fine.” These words from a Hirayasumi flashback in Volume Seven sum up the main lesson in Keigo Shinzo’s tale. There are moments when cemented friendships seem to crack, and dreams and passions become lost in a sea of jealousy. However, as Hirayasumi often teaches its readers, it’s best to hash things out in order to clear the mind and set one’s sights towards the right path.
It starts with Natsumi, who loses a lot of her focus on creating manga. Taking up painting, she looks to knock down the writer’s block that’s affecting her creativity. But when her best friend Akari wins a huge art prize, Natsumi suddenly feels like the world’s turning on her. As a result, she finds herself in a downward spiral.
If that wasn’t enough, Hiroto and Hideki are butting heads over their zombie movie. What scenes should be cut, which angles fit best, and what could be re-filmed are what heat up their arguments. In fact, their verbal spats get so heated that it appears that Hideki storms out and ends his longtime friendship with Hiroto. Fortunately, not only is that not the case, but it turns out there’s a solution to their fight: a game of catch.
Yes, just as Tommy Wiseau’s The Room has taught us, there’s nothing that can’t be spoken about when you’re throwing a ball around. In fact, the harder you throw, the more you want to get things off your chest. Hirayasumi demonstrates this well, as Hiroto and Hideki toss that baseball with gusto and work out their filmmaking spats that benefit both their movie and their friendship. Heck, even Natsumi gets in on the game, although she does make a bonsai tree-sized fatal error.
All of this leads to the film’s premiere at a local summer matsuri. While we all wish the whole world would come to see Hiroto and Hideki’s film, the best Hirayasumi can do is a tiny gathering of half-interested associates. Thankfully, one of those half-interested folks is Yomogi, who fights her busybody self to go and watch it. And it’s a good thing she did, as she gives Hiroto the best advice possible.
These moments lead back to Natsumi, who fears her friendship with Akari is coming to an end. But just as Hiroto and Hideki did for their film, the two ladies play a game of catch and let everything out in the open. It’s a moment that shows just how much Akari and Natsumi care for one another, and why these two friends push each other to do their very best. In the end, not only is their friendship mended, but they find a way back towards their goal to make the best summer possible.
Alas, not everything ends on a high note in this volume of Hirayasumi. Although their friendship was also fixed, Hiroto and Hideki look to be parting ways. It’s that situation that makes Hiroto flash back to when he and Granny were enjoying a hot summer day, in a time when something was really bothering him. Granny gives her quick advice — the quote this review began with — and it makes Hiroto in both the past and present feel a whole lot better. Still, it stings knowing a best friend is moving away from you.
Much of Volume Seven of Hirayasumi is about dealing with changes. Sometimes it’s a change that sucks the motivation out of you. Other times, it’s a change that helps make you a better person. But change can never be avoided, and when it happens, one must be ready to take it head-on with the knowledge in your head and the emotion in your heart. Even if the change hurts, and it cuts a big hole in your life, you must always remember the words of Granny: “I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
