Fujimi Lovers
a review by saulgoodman
a review by saulgoodman
Takagi Yuna's whimsical sadism is made apparent from the very start. Baiting in the audience with a puppy love romance scene between two kindergarten students, Kouno Jun and Hasebe Rino, nothing indicated the torturous fate that'd befall Kouno. As the timid boy confesses his love, confident in rejection, it's to his bewilderment that the class idol Hasebe happily accepts him. Only to his larger bewilderment, however, Hasebe simply vanishes in thin air as if she never existed. Rather, she indeed had never existed, as she only remains in Kouno's memory and disappears from everyone else's. To his even larger bewilderment, he once again encounters Hasebe in middle-school. However, only her appearance and name remain the same. Without any memory of Kouno, the latter could only make her fall in love with him again. Perhaps third time is the charm, since Hasebe again vanishes when she reciprocates Kouno's love. Thus, sets the stage for an arduous and tortuous play of reincarnation.
Fujimi Lovers is tantamount to a collection of short stories loosely tied together by the supernatural central plot and Kouno's love. The reincarnation sets in a harem dating sim-esque story, with Kouno encountering and attempting to woo a plethora of different girls. Though, the story is much less cliché thanks to its unique premise. That is, these different girls are all the same girl; Hasebe Rino. Without any recollection of her past existences, nearly every chapter depicts a refreshing romance with the same characters in different scenarios. As if she had a multi-personality disorder, Hasebe has a different personality and conflict each time, thus Kouno must approach her differently.
As the story progresses, Hasebe unintentionally tests Kouno's unfaltering and blazing love. Though the first few Hasebe incarnations are relatively normal, Fate forces Kouno under morally constraining circumstances that he can't simply improvise upon, such as an elementary schooler Hasebe and a matured widow Hasebe. Though wooing each Hasebe is a tedious task, Kouno's headstrong words and actions always manage to break through each and every glass enclosing her heart. Though, the consequential costs are taxing and send Kouno on a downward spiral of insanity.
The large and speedy developments may prove abnormal and constraining, but it complements Kouno's brash character and the chaotic narrative. However, in the midst of this, Kouno's fixation on Hasebe forgoes the central supernatural plot. Fujimi Lovers is blinded by its tragic love and makes little advancements or conclusiveness to its central plot that had set up the story in the first place. This wouldn't be an issue, had it not been for its abrupt ending and elusive sequel. The most tragic thing about Fujimi Lovers is not its tragic tale of love, but its blue-balling.
To speak more on tragedy, there's its thematic portrayal of love. Kouno's character depicts love as the penultimate force, able to withstand the most bewildering of circumstances and the most painful of experiences. Being able to love every incarnation of the one he loves, is that not the very nucleus of love? Though through a technical lens, these Hasebe incarnations are separate entities that breaks the illusion of unconditional, singular love. As each Hasebe comes and goes, it seems as if Kouno loves not the person known as Hasebe Rino, but rather the illusive existence known as Hasebe Rino. Interpersonal love seems to be compromised for a contingency of love, as Kouno becomes progressively obsessed with a permanently existing Hasebe. Just any Hasebe would do, so long as she never disappears.
However, I believe that Fujimi Lovers isn't intent in preaching an idealistic love through its insane depiction of so. Rather, perhaps it's fixated on nudging us to contemplate what our own love is. The hypocrisy and irony Kouno shows throughout the story may present how fickle these matters of the heart are.
In hindsight, however, this also stunts Kouno's character. As amusing and admirable he may be for his unwavering and hotblooded love, Kouno shows zilch potential and execution for development. Rather, the only thing about him that develops is his ideology of love. And that may very well obviously be Fujimi Lovers' intent, to present the blinded insanity that ensues during a severe fixation of love. However, this still gives way to a sense of numbing repetition in the story. Beyond its tragic novelty, the story echoes when you knock on it. Thematic and catharsis aside, Fujimi Lovers doesn't offer much else with its story. This cycle of pain offers dust bunnies in regards to character and story development. All one can do is witness cycling build-ups to a tragic end without any proper resolution.
Though Takagi Yuna may have fumbled a bit with Fujimi Lovers' story and characters, her illustrative art is one saving grace.
For such an intense and torturous tale of love, the facial expressions are superbly animated and emotional. Every emotion of the spectrum, from ignorant bliss to dull despair, is conveyed in addition to much more subtle expressions in somber scenes.
Takagi Yuna additionally supplements emotional representation with occasionally gruesome, softcore gore. Though minimal, these scenes depicting Kouno's guts and blood being metaphorically yet explicitly torn out are quite jarring. They tend to arrive shortly after Hasebe's disappearance, when the joyous mood had been permeating just moments before during a confession scene, which is abruptly compromised by a horrific depiction of Kouno's despaired state of mind.
From a visual story-telling perspective, however, the art feels like a fumble. The paneling feels cramped with dialogue at times and sometimes can be quite ambitious with unnatural placement of verbal and visual.
Tragic love stories are often the most unfulfilling and Fujimi Lovers is no outlier to the statistic. Without a proper conclusion and an indefinite sequel, the story leaves off on a disappointing and hollow note. Its value lies in its mawkish attitude, repeatedly throwing sucker punches of love stories forever stuck at the climax. The lack of character and central plot development leaves Fujimi Lovers a cumbersome tale of woe and wear. However, seeing a hopeless man professing his love at the top of his lungs over and over in spite of cruel fate, is still perhaps the most romantic tale of them all.
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