Haru's Curse is extraordinary in the way that the author breaks down what grief looks like. The visuals of what it means to be a grieving person who has lost someone, who has lost part of themselves and who has lost part of the future that they have been planning. I was unprepared with how nuanced the relationships in this manga become and how deeply I felt bonding with the characters. Natsumi has lost the only person in the world that she loved most: her little sister, Haru. 

She was her entire world and now that she's gone she's locked into this cycle of guilt and grief--she's also apparently dating her late sister's fiance'--Togo.Sounds like a hot mess, believe me, I know. But the journey is one, I do not regret taking. Haru's Curse almost has a coming of age type feel--this is what I realized after reading it to finish for the first time. It is every bit an incredible manga about the lives we lead and who we love. Yet it is also about first loves, the people who roll into our lives and impact us. It is a book about growing up, maturing and figuring out what your life means to you. This one took me by surprise. So much. I can not stress just how it blew me away again and again after my second and third reread.

 Asuka Konishi’s English-language debut is a superb effort that presents a narrative where love, family and expectations can linger like a curse, like burdens on us all and how some of us are lucky enough to see the writing on the wall and make the choices that are not always offered to many.