Cara Sacchan – Review

Do you think that love can only be like in fairy tales? Where Prince Charming is righteous and pure and the princess has blind and complete trust in him? It would be nice, but it doesn’t always go that way. You will find out by reading Dear Sacchanthe first work of Iori Asagapublished in four volumes with a box set in the classic format of J-POP. Will you give in to the charm of this turbulent love story or not? Find out as always by reading our review.

The dilemma of long-distance love

The plot of this mini-series focuses on one unconventional story: Katagari Kasuga And Sachi (called by him Sacchan) have been a historic couple since the second year of middle school and things between them seem to be going more than well, so much so that they tried to have a sexual relationship before a temporary separation dictated by the end of high school life. In fact, the boy decides to enroll at the University of Tokyo, abandoning the village of Hokkaido to move to live alone in an apartment in the city; here he meets immediately Kunikidahis attractive neighbor who begins to provoke him with ardor, so much so that the two they end up in bed that same evening

However, the student does not know that his neighbor is married and that she has bewitched him precisely to spite her husband! Furthermore, all of this is merely the prologue of this story, set exclusively in the first chapter. He then leaves from this affair a series of complicated relationships, peppered with lies, hypocrisies, betrayals, feelings of guilt, emotional turmoil and misunderstandingswhich will not only involve Kasuga, but the whole world that revolves around him, including that of the two girls: Kunikida, who will have to deal with her marriage, and Sacchan, who, unaware of everything, continues to exchange letters with the boy, convinced that his long-distance love can work.

Many actors, few protagonists

The best part of the manga is probably the ability to quickly and engagingly narrate this flow of sentimental and love events, involving the reader right away. Surely knows how to apply and remove labels easily applied to the various characters at different times in the story: the protagonist, Katagari, shown in an annoyingly impassive way and capable of betraying almost without remorse, is contrasted with a more thoughtful boy who is aware of his faults, matured through a profound introspective process. Sacchan, her cheerful and carefree counterpart, always optimistic, honest and who tries never to be a burden to others, slips into moods unknown to her, from hatred to forgiveness, certainly dividing the minds of readers. Kunikida also moves between conflicting feelings, dictated by a relationship with her husband that is unnecessarily complicated, but almost realistic for the situation created by a few unspoken words.

The secondary characters, however, are only extras on this burlesque theater where multiple love stories are staged: Misuzu, Asashi, Kaname and all the others carry out marginal actions, to limit the story, but despite this they are perfectly capable of expanding the cross-section of emotions introduced by the mangaka; shyness, love at first sight, pure instincts, suspicions, revenge, and many other emotions that enrich and delimit the love triangle. Thanks to this (although with some characters like Kasuga it will be more difficult) you will end up in one way or another feeling a small bond with each characterhoping and rooting for a happy ending to most of their stories.

Feelings are a complicated business

The topic addressed by this mini-series is relational, of course, but the main focus is on toxicity of some relationships. The inexperience of managing feelings and a stable relationship, contrasted with some scenes of enormous ease, dominates: the tragic protagonist through his own fault, who slowly, having never truly loved someone, begins to rehabilitate himself, it smells a little like those stories Violet Evergarden (forgive me for the blasphemy of comparison), dictated by lack of “practice” and a suffered past. If for the first a whole series of new experiences external to those had with Sacchan intervene, for the second it takes time, and this is shown to us with the terrible examples given by Kasuga’s father and by the bonds with his companions.

As a corollary to this world there is also the whole part linked to the effort of maintaining a long-distance relationship: the use of letters as a means of communication it smacks of ancient and nostalgic, of a relationship that in the common ideal can continue peacefully, as opposed to the modernity of cell phones and computers, where everything is immediate. An era in which distance does not matter in order to be controlled, as the author herself shows us, however, bringing out everything that is petty and instinctive about the human race; sure, there are some positive messages, but it is more the bittersweet conclusions or selfish examples that dominate these volumes. The daily damage that “sick”, unrequited love can create, as well as the questionability of certain approaches, are clearly visible among these tables.

Shades of gray

Don’t be fooled from the start of the first volume, with a few plates that seem to be the prelude to ecchi or more explicit scenes. Despite the “adult” themes, the drawings remain in the decency of any shojo for teenagers: the style is typical of the love genre, with thin eyes and angular faces tending towards real anatomy, almost ancient, even if the author winks at more modern works regarding the predominant use of grays and shades, particularly in scenes of embarrassment. A style that has its own best points in the stretchalmost always clean, and in some expressions, as well as for the distribution of the various scenes on the table: However, it suffers in the settings and in the management of the characters: Some are quite similar to each other, and others even seem to change expression and anatomy throughout the story, a combination that makes faster scenes difficult to distinguish. The extras who come and go, the few scenes available for the latter and the little importance given to certain backgrounds further complicate everything, as do the parts drawn in passing or omitted, for reasons of decency or timing. In any case, the line is comfortably average, and improves volume after volume.

Who do we recommend Casa Sacchan to?

Cara Sacchan is one of those series intended for a a slightly more mature audiencefor the topics covered and the speeches included, remaining However, it is accessible to everyone on the drawings side, which do not contain vulgarity or nudity, left to the imagination. We therefore recommend the volume to shojo lovers who are looking for a more “selfish” title compared to the main themes commonly covered, closer to those of modern TV series made up of intrigues and confusing relationships, but we also recommend it to those looking for a fairly engaging short title: as a “non-fan” of the genre, I still read it in one night and discreetly appreciated.