Run Away With Me, Girl Volume 3: As Far Away As Possible
A satisfying but emotional ending can be a hard thing to pull off sometimes. Can you get the right balance of drama and satisfaction? Finding the right stopping point that doesn't leave readers with too many questions? Does it fit within the goal/meaning of the story? It's no small feat to bring something to a beautiful close, but this last volume of Run Away With Me, Girl manages to do just that and then some.
Before we get there though, I want to talk about Tazune. For all intents and purposes, he's a terrible person. But they do a good job of explaining that in a way that isn't venomous or particularly hateful towards him.
Allow me to explain. Tazune is shown to be controlling, misogynistic, unstable, violent, and manipulative. We know this from throughout the manga, and plenty of pieces within this volume alone. Like him interrupting and talking over Maki chan, or the difference in how he approaches his significant other versus how Midori does. It's a lot of microaggressions and subversive behavior, as opposed to violent or explicitly aggressive behavior.
And I think it's a really important difference. Yeah, he still hit Midori, but alongside that he degraded her, controlled her, manipulated her, and forced distance between her and her friends. Even the slightest things like how he phrases things, or how he constantly touches or grabs Midori to steer her around. His whole character is centered around that "nice guy" front that hides his almost effortlessly nasty side.
Run Away With Me, Girl doesn't just say that lots of women are in abusive relationships. Rather, through Tazune it shows readers what a great deal of abusive and toxic relationships are like, all the little details and pieces that can break a person down, all the ways that they're degraded and relegated to property.
Anyways, moving forward. The next piece I really loved was the whole "living the dream" bit. It changes shape and form rather frequently, but addresses the idea of a "perfect life" and how people want to escape that sorrow and sadness. Hesitating about having your child, or breaking off your engagement, or trying to marry the girl that you love. There's lots of ways that it's expressed, and I love how they slowly bring Midori and Maki out of it. By showing that even if a relationship looks cold from the outside, there's still a bright and warm light to it. Or how there's still beauty to the darker parts of life.
To that end, the biggest moments in this vein are Midori's chat with the inn keeper, and her realization from the plum tree blossoms. Specifically the latter, I love how they invert the colors to show the difference between the two scenes. Such a simple change, but brings so much more to the table.
The first is a really great piece that shows the struggles of parenting hand in hand with the best aspects. How you can still engage and find happiness and see those sparkles in it even when there's parts of it that you don't want to remember.
The whole sequence is really beautiful, with how Midoriwants to run away from her problems and issues. It really brings her story full circle with how she ran away from Maki in high school, and how now she's able to stand strong and stay with her.
Also, I love seeing Maki grow as a character too! She's come so far out of her indifferent shell that she'll stand up to Tazune for Midori's sake, and I think it's a really beautiful way of showing her growth as a character, and her commitment to Midori.
Similarly, she expresses a lot of confidence and emotion in the face of her mother now that she's with Midori. I think it's a great moment for quite a few things, but the piece that surprised me was the mother's angle on Maki and Midori (centered around Midori being married and pregnant). Was a unique way to voice concern that didn't take a less savory route.
On the tangent of other characters, and harkening back to that inverted color scheme though, this sequence from Tazune which I alluded to earlier is really chilling. Using that black to show him sinking into himself and finding something to dig up is a really great idea, and gets that point across incredibly well.
Anyways, back to positive and cute stuff. I don't really have much to say about Midori and Maki getting married, but they deserve the world after the trouble they've been through. Just a really fun sequence that lets them let loose, and make their own sort of cute vows to each other in the process.
And then, the cutest thing of all? There's a chapter about their child, Kon-chan, afterwards! I love it when series give a glimpse into life past the main story, and show how things have gone.
Within that frame though, Run Away With Me, Girl goes above and beyond. They address the challenges kids face with same sex couples and non-biological parents, while showing that even if Maki isn't Kon-chan's real mother, that they've still inherited so much of her through their parenting. And, that even though Maki and Midori are doing their best, there's still situations where things get out of control. Where lines are crossed and feelings are hurt. It's a really wonderful reminder that they inhabit reality, no matter how picturesque a beach is, and no matter how much they might dream of someplace else.
Run Away With Me, Girl is a very powerful but short manga that dances across the fears of marriage and pregnancy, and couples it with the unique challenges that face same sex romance, before bundling it all together with pretty art, an emotional and strong story, and memorable and (largely) loveable characters. At three volumes long, there's not really a reason to not have this outstanding story on your shelf
“Maki's first love was her high school classmate, a girl named Midori. But Midori broke up with Maki at graduation, saying they were now "too old to be fooling around dating girls." Ten years later, Maki still can’t get Midori off her mind, and when the two women reconnect after a chance encounter, Maki realizes that, while her feelings haven’t changed, Midori has long moved on—in fact, she's engaged. Yet the more Maki hears Midori talk about her soon-to-be-husband, the more red flags she notices. And Midori has another secret, one she hasn’t yet shared with Maki. Will it be the last blow to Maki's hopes that their romance might be rekindled? Or will it be the push that sets them on a new path—one they'll travel together?”
(resume from Kodansha USA)
Story: 7/10
Second GL I read about some sort of infidelity where one of them is already married (or will soon be married in this case). Is this a common trope is GL Josei? Maybe... I don’t really know. I don't really appreciate NTR or anything that tries to excuse cheating (like Even Though We’re Adults) but for this story, it does seem different. I’m not saying that the man deserved to get cheated on, but he kinda does, taking into account that he is misogynistic (and probably in agreement with andrew t*te ideals). He’s just such a big asshole. The drama is really interesting in this manga and everything moves smoothly. It doesn’t feel rushed, even if the story is short. The topics discussed are interesting and well written. The three main characters being cowards and saying so on each page seemed somewhat repetitive and annoying (yes we get it, you feel lonely and you’re a pussy, me too but please stop…). What I didn't appreciate was how Tama justified his actions and toxic behaviour toward Midori, because he had some "childhood trauma". This made me very uncomfortable like… Side eye…
Cast: 7/10
A very good cast. There are characters that you may like and characters that you may hate (Tama). Midori’s coworker was such a bitch. I wish she had a bad ending, but unfortunately she didn't. She was just a nuisance. Except for that, I didn't understand the character of Midori until chapter 11. At the beginning I really felt like she was really just fooling around, taking advantages of Momo and her affection, but I guess I was wrong. It might have been better if her character had developed sooner.
Art: 6/10
Again, not my favorite type of art but it is still very pretty and easy to understand.
Enjoyment: 6/10
Really enjoyed this story. A very well written and strong intrigue. It is a very good GL which explores a lot of triggering topics but important and modern in our society at this time.
Do you have any genderweird manga recs? Bonus points if it's genderweird And yuri
Stuff I read relatively recently:
Magitora まじとら / Otoko Tomodachi Girl 男友達ガール
Shishunki Bitter Change 思春期ビターチェンジ
Ore ga Watashi ni Naru Made オレが私になるまで
The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All 気になってる人が男じゃなかった (this one's mostly just yuri)
While Cross-Dressing I Was Hit on by a Handsome Guy イケメン女子と女装男子
We are Former Girls 私たちは元女の子です
Unparalleled Mememori-Kun 目々盛くんには敵わない (I actually had to look up the english name for this one. For some reason I thought it was called The Amazing Mememori-kun)
Sakura-chan and Amane-kun さくらちゃんとあなめくん / Zenbu Kimi no Sei ぜんぶきみの性
Genshiken げんしけん / Genshiken Nidaime げんしけん二代目
Bokura no Hentai ぼくらのへんたい
Danshikou ni Dokusareta Otokonoko 男子校に毒された男の娘
Honourable mention:
Fire Punch (just go read it. seriously.)
Not-so-honourable mentions:
I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend into a Girl 恋する(おとめ)の作り方
Senpai wa Otokonoko 先輩はおとこのこ
(not an exhaustive list by any means. you can help by expanding it)
Igusa Matsuyama Interview #2 Original Japanese correspondence
Below is our original e-mail correspondence with Igusa Matsuyama in Japanese. This is provided for the benefit of Japanese readers and fans wishing to translate Igusa Matsuyama’s words on their own. The text is presented mostly as-is, though Tumblr ate some elements like emoji. Sorry about that.
If you missed our English translation yesterday, you can find it here:
Ranch Story の皆様へお待たせいたしました。まずは質問の答えを順番にお返事しますね。
Anonymous asks: 牧場物語幸せの詩の女神様とリオンはどのような関係ですか?
リオンは確か妖精という扱いだったと思います。
女神さまと接点があるかどうかは、私もちょっとわかりません。ごめんなさい。
Tomato asks: 牧場物語ワンダフルライフforガールの主人公の衣装なんですが、I love Kumaのコーデを見ると、Mezzo Pianoというレディースアパレルブランドを思い出しますが、どこからインスピレーションを受けましたか?
"Injection Girl" by Ikigusare, the horror-themed virtual idol group recently making the sweeps. Original lyrics, romaji transcription and my own translation.
Where to find the song:
NicoNicoDouga
YouTube
Bandcamp
!! Warnings !!
Medical violence, needles, poisoning, abusive love, general horror themes, suicide.
Usage:
Please don't repost or use my translation without permission and credit. I'm happy for this to be used for subs and videos, as long as I'm notified and credited.
If you use the romaji (for covers, reference, etc.), I would also appreciate credit, but it's optional.
ara me ga sameta no mada bon'yari suru desho
anata no ocha ni sukoshi kusuri deta no
neteiru aida ni isu ni shibari tsuketa yo
nande konna koto suru nda tte iitai no?
watashi ga nani mo shiranai to omotteta no honto baka ne
kono chuushaki ni wa doku ga haiteimasu
sokushi suru doku nante nyuushu dekinai kara
kekkou nagai jikan kurushimu to omou kedo
kekkyoku shinu ndakara dou demo ii desho
sukoshi dake chikutto suru yo ugoku to yokei itai yo
nanchatte zenbu uso da yo anata wa shinanai yo
ittoki de mo aishita hito wo korosu wake nai janai
daijoubu zenbu uso da yo kore wa doku janai yo
demo kore de sukoshi wa watashi no ikari ga wakatta?
kore de anata e no fukushuu wa owari
demo mada roopu wa toite agenai
ato wa watashi no kojinteki na koto dakedo
mou chotto dake tsukiatte kudasai
anata ni damasarechatta jibun ga mou yurusenai
kono chuushaki ni wa hontou ni doku ga haiteru
ima kara kore wo jibun ni uchimasu
notauchi mawatte mogaki kurushinde
ugokanaku naru made douka mitete ne
anata ga uragitta onna no saigo todokete
hora mite yo chihedo haita yo teashi keiren suru yo
nodo wo kakimushitte mou sokorajuu chimamire
hora mite yo sugoi kao desho marude jigoku mitai desho
demo nanka ima no watashi chotto dake sekushii
(x2)
Translation
Ah, you've woken up! Seems you're still out of it
I spiked your tea with a bit of poison
While you slept, I tied you to a chair
You want to ask why I'd do such a thing?
You thought I didn't know anything, just a real fool, huh?
I've filled this syringe here with poison
I couldn't get hold of poison that kills quickly, so
I think you'll suffer for a splendidly long time
But you'll die in the end anyways, so it doesn't matter.
Nothing but a quick prick - move and it'll hurt more!
🎜🎜🎜🎜🎜
Just kidding! That was all a lie, you're not gonna die!
There's no reason to kill someone even if I only loved them for a time.
It's okay, that was all a lie, this isn't poison!
Still, just now, did you understand at least some of my anger?
With this, my revenge on you is over
But I won't untie the ropes just yet.
The rest is just a personal matter, but
Please keep me company a little while longer.
You managed to trick me; I can't let you do it ever again.
I've filled this syringe here with poison for real
This time, I'll inject myself with it.
Rolling around in pain, writhing in agony,
Until I stop moving. Please watch, okay?
The final moments of the woman you betrayed - watch till the end.
🎜🎜🎜🎜🎜🎜🎜🎜
Hey, look here! I've thrown up blood! My limbs are convulsing!
Scratching at my throat, there's already blood everywhere.
Hey, look here! Such a terrible, amazing face, almost just like hell.
But even now, when I'm like this, I'm just a bit sexy~
(x2)
I didn't buy all of them at once but I did buy them pretty recently
Love Mix-Up is almost over in France, only 2 volumes left! And I started buying Boys Run the Riot because I realised I could spend my money now, especially on stuff I really loved reading digitally
Once again, Akata is THE manga publisher to me, they're always coming out with amazing titles, a lot of them with queer themes and storylines. They're even going to publish She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat (my review here) in France, which is amazing. Even when their titles aren't queer, they're amazing: Night view on the Factory was just zjfjzuej (look up the TW though). They're a small but passionate team and it really shows that they love what they're doing
Anyways, if you're curious what these are about:
My post about Boys Run the Riot
My post about Love Mix-Up
Entre Nos Mains
English title: Run Away With Me, Girl
Original title: Kakeochi Girl / かけおちガール
Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
Themes: Adultery, Homosexuality
Japanese volumes: 16 (Finished)
Maki’s first love was her high school classmate, a girl named Midori. But Midori broke up with Maki at graduation, saying they were now “too old to be fooling around dating girls.” Ten years later, Maki still can’t get Midori off her mind, and when the two women reconnect after a chance encounter, Maki realizes that, while her feelings haven’t changed, Midori has long moved on—in fact, she’s engaged. Yet the more Maki hears Midori talk about her soon-to-be-husband, the more red flags she notices...
Absolutely fell in love with the art and then the story punched me in the guts in the best way. The characters are complex and while they may not be entirely lovable, they are wholly human. And I really loved that
Some trigger warnings apply though, so I'll list the ones that come to mind*: cheating, domestic violence, gaslighting, misogyny, internalised homophobia
*Note that those are the ones I remember from what little I've read of this story and other TW may apply. Please try to look up a more complete list if you have any doubts. Take care of yourself ✨