Socrates in Love

    (Viz, 2005)
™ and ©2001 Kyoichi Katayama

Sakutaro, an ordinary high-school boy, meets Aki, an average high-school girl. At first, they’re just classmates, then friends, and inevitably they fall in love—and then Aki gets sick. And that’s pretty much all there is to this manga adaptation of a best-selling Japanese novel.

Viz is also publishing the English translation of the novel but wisely has chosen to release the adaptation first to generate interest for it among manga readers—the first chapter is even included here. It’s certainly a clever marketing tool, but this version more than stands on its own as manga. The storytelling may be simple but is utterly effective when it comes to making the characters sympathetic and their situation convincing.

Someone pretty dying young has been a staple of tragic love stories, and while nobody likes being manipulated by a cynical tearjerker, there’s nothing artificial about this one. You’ve seen it all before but you’ll stay to the bittersweet end, because it relies on genuine human emotions instead of cheap sentimentality.

— S. A. Bennett

From the Publisher:

Affectionately known as “Sekachu” in Japan, Socrates in Love became a national sensation bringing innocent love and romance to the forefront of Japan's ultra-hip mass market. A sweet high school romance between an average guy and a beautiful girl has just gotten underway. But tragedy ensues when the girl falls ill with leukemia. A bittersweet tale of young love, enduring devotion, and heartbreaking loss, Socrates in Love is a story to cherish and nurture.
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