Kabocha to Mayonnaise

A simple story told with subtlety. Every panel is an image unto itself, every detail holds meaning. Nananan is a meticulous artist with a minimal style, a perfectionist who deeply considers the placement of every line. But her awareness of the power of narrative structure is also evident both in the framing of this story, and in the idle banter of the characters who are living it.

While the story is "about" Miho and Sei, and involves Miho's unburied feelings toward an ex named Hagio, what we really see are multiple iterations of a similar relationship, one where a man is able to live comfortably thanks to the tremendous, selfless sacrifices of the woman who loves him. We see Miho + Sei, Miho + Hagio, and we hear about Miho's past relationship with Hagio, as well as another of Hagio's past relationships (with, as it turns out, Rika, who is, crucially, a good friend of Miho's throughout the story and supportive of her from beginning to end).

Working through the apparently minor differences in these relationships is what proves to be important in helping Miho figure out what she needs to be happy. The characters allude to this narrative technique while pointing out how we tend to oversimplify things in our own lives when they are talking about blood types (in Japan, it is thought that your blood type says something about your personality, sort of like astrology. I think many anime fans are aware of this but if this is your first exposure to this notion, now you know). Miho says to Rika something along the lines of "there are 4 blood types but billions of people in the world, are there really only 4 kinds of people?"

It's when it hits her that Rika was Hagio's recent ex girlfriend that she is able to see the big differences between Hagio and Sei. She can't believe that Hagio could take advantage of such a kind person, finally recognizing the abusive pattern in his behavior because she is able to feel toward Rika the compassion she could not feel toward herself. While Sei lacks self awareness and lets Miho do too much for him, Miho actually admires Sei's idealism, which is why she is able to do so much for him in the first place. When Sei realizes how much Miho is willing to do for him, it fills him with pain and anger toward himself. It is between Miho and Sei that mutual love and admiration truly exist, whereas the relationships with Hagio are all predicated solely on desire and a toxic power dynamic.

Miho is confused and struggling, but she is a strong person and determined to figure things out. If you aren't put off by this type of story and are able to accept these characters despite their faults and despite their lack of concern with expectations to live up to a typical idea of success, there is a great deal to learn and enjoy from observing these characters. Perhaps we can offer them the compassion we cannot offer ourselves.