We Were There Volume 13 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Nanami Takahashi was adjusting to her new school when she met Motoharu Yano, a sly boy with carefree ways.  Yano was the most popular boy in class (if not the entire school), and although she tried not to, Nanami fell in love with Yano.  Then, she discovered that Yano was grieving the death of another girl with the same first name, Nanami Yamamoto, and suddenly Takahashi found herself competing with the memory of a first love.

As We Were There, Vol. 13 begins, Nanami is still reeling from the news delivered by former high school classmate Akiko Sengenji that she found Yano living under the name Motoharu Nagakura.  It’s been five years since Yano disappeared, and Nanami thought she’d moved on.  In fact, Masafumi Takeuchi is about to propose to her.  What will she do about his proposal and about Yano?

THE LOWDOWN:  I enjoy reading We Were There, although I initially found the story uneven and awkward.  In a way, it is like reading a scary story because you never know what’s coming around the corner.  This is a seriously adult drama because it deals with subject matter like suicide, depression, (extreme) family dysfunction, promiscuity, teen sex, etc., but it is teen appropriate.  Besides, teenagers experience those things, but not many comic book creators could turn such subject matter into a powerful drama as We Were There creator, Yuuki Obata, does.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Shojo readers looking for romance and life drama will find it in We Were There.

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