Ame Nochi Hare

One does not often associate mature character dramas with Gender Bender series. Often known for their fanservice or comedy, well written characters are the last thing one would expect from this genre. Clear up after rain or Ame nochi hare is such a series.

Clear up after rain is a story set in high school about a group of boys who turn into girls due to unexplained reasons. Shocked at this predicament, the boys must learn to deal with accepting the fact that they have transformed and carry on with their day to day lives, without arousing suspicion from their peers and teachers. From the get go, I had a feeling that the story would be very character interaction heavy and I was glad to find it to be the case.

The characters being teenagers, come with their own baggage, as often is the case with that age group. They are here to live their perfect high school lives, only to be thrown into this unexplained situation. The characters are fleshed out well enough to prove believable and is all the more impressive, given the short length of the manga. The highlight of the series though, is the web of interactions, which is at the same time layered and yet straightforward, showcasing the different dimensions of personalities in these interactions. Hazuki is at the centre of this web, in both forms and is a fun protagonist to follow. Kudos to the mangaka handling the dynamics with aplomb.

The art is great, with both the male and female characters looking great. The backgrounds, considering the seasons over which this series takes places is a pleasant on the eyes and is great to watch. Also, both genders are given their time to shine and are treated with dignity. As mentioned before, this isn’t your usual gender bender series with the usual fanservice tropes, only serving to highlight the strength of the series. It was also a good thing that the series did not opt for solving the reason behind why they transformed in the first place. Doing so would have introduced an unnecessary element into the story, taking away from the character dynamics, the series strongest point.

With all these positives, we do need to look at potential weaknesses of the series. Given the short duration, some of the character resolutions feel a bit rushed or written to finish the series (Touma's arc kind of gave that vibes to me). And while this doesn’t take away from the work, it might disappoint the reader, given the sense of attachment they might have developed with the characters, over the course of the series. Furthermore, the fact that the series is set is in a high school environment, most of the plot events are readily available to further the story. That being said, the series does a great job in using aforementioned events to add a new dimension to the relationship, introducing depth to the series, which one might not expect.

To sum up, I was really glad to be recommended this series by my friend and recommend it to anyone who wishes to enjoy a good character drama in a genre not known for that. Enjoyment: 9 and Final Score: 7