Suisou Ginka no Istoria

The “City of Water”, Amemadoi, was built on a man-made island and boasts a beautiful and gorgeous cityscape. The lone wolf Eishi and his bizarre imouto Yuura and polite and kind childhood friend Sayo each have their own problems, as is the case with the hero-admiring kouhai Yurugi and cool Kukuri, who he found stuffed in a trash can in an alleyway. Various events and expectations were waiting ahead for these individuals with wounded hearts, such as playing concentration with the club room on the line, playing old maid with a girl who had been cast off, making up for what has been lost while watching the fireworks with fascination.

Despite his disposition, Eishi vowed to bring a happy end for everyone. One where everyone would be able to smile. He would do it in his own way, working hard to attain an uncertain goal. This is the beginning of a story about growing up in a city where tears have been lost.

I had high expectations for this second title from Uguisu Kagura after their impressive debut title Kamimaho and the trial didn’t disappoint. There was plenty of content through the three chapters and a constant air of mystery, enhanced by the music choice (and sometimes lack thereof). There are three major themes: 

1) overcoming the hardships from the past and growing up; 
2) changing the future via intense card battles; and,
3) family relationships, both real and fake. Nothing is what it seems and the variety of card games (memory game, old maid, texas hold ’em poker) were incorporated neatly into the story. Even a game of concentration is captivating when the stakes have been raised considerably high.