Download Kanamemo Chapter 15 By: Shouko Iwami

Download Kanamemo Chapter 14 By: Shouko Iwami

It’s the story of Deie Hiyori and Kadowaki Shiho. Two high school girls who befriend each other. Hiyori seems unpopular, glum and very shy. Shiho seems out-going, attractive and popular. The two are total opposites. (As usual, right?) Shiho also has a friend, Namiko, whom we later find out is jealous that Shiho is spending so much time with Hiyori. I assume there are the makings of a love triangle there, but we never get that deep. You’ll have to use your imagination for that one! Back on topic, Shiho and Namiko are the only two people from their middle school and have become close because of it. I’m guessing they’re probably freshmen in high school. Shiho seems to have noticed Hiyori and appears to feel bad for her because of how people talk about her. One day Shiho and Namiko happen to walk up on two girls picking on Hiyori. Shiho stops it immediately and drags Hiyori away (to help her fix a button she lost from having her jacket pulled on by the two girls picking on her, remember this because it‘s important). Shiho pulls one of her buttons off and pulls a small sewing kit from her purse. She then begins sewing it onto Hiyori’s jacket. There’s a quick exchange between the two and Shiho tells Hiyori that she’s weak and it‘s her fault she gets picked on. Which in turn causes Hiyori to cry. Shiho, feeling bad again, apologizes and ask Hiyori to be her friend. Probably the only friend Hiyori has from the looks of it. Namiko stands idle and watches all this happen. It seems a conscious effort was made to include her in frames, watching but staying out of it. Perhaps to make her appear jealous later on?

From then on Hiyori and Shiho become best friends. Shiho helped her change her appearance and mannerism. She begins to realize how much she loves watching Hiyori grow and change, little by little she‘s becoming a new person. After time she realizes that it’s not only that, but she’s in love with Hiyori. In her room Shiho confesses her feelings to Hiyori and kisses her. Hiyori returns the feelings and thing begin to get physical between the two. Right in the middle, Shiho’s mother burst through the door and catches them. Uh-oh! That’s never fun! (We’ll save that story for another day~)

Back at school things are tough for the girls as the rumor begins spreading around school. Perhaps Shiho’s mother spoke with someone else’s mother and so on and so on…no word exactly how it leaked out they were caught, but somehow it did. Shiho, who puts on a strong front, is crushed and cannot take the ridicule. It seems everyone is making fun of her. If you think about it, it’s not something she’s used to. Hiyori on the other hand is, that’s why it probably isn’t bothering her nearly as much. Shiho is so broken up over the teasing and name calling that she decides a double suicide is the only way out. Hiyori, who probably can’t imagine living without Shiho, agrees. I don’t think she’s really up for it but she’s so in love with Shiho that she goes along with it.

In the beginning of the story you see Shiho chasing a black cat into a antique shop. In terms of the timeline this is after they agreed to kill themselves. The two of them have magically become separated. She then begins telling the story I just went over to a hostess, who oddly reminds me of Ai Enma from Hell Girl. The Ai clone seems to have a collection of antique buttons from the 19th century. As she’s showing them to Shiho, one falls and suddenly she’s transported back to Hiyori. The two are now magically joined back up and relived to have found one another again. Hiyori begins telling Shiho about the black cat, the antique shop and the buttons. Shiho realizes it’s the exact same thing that happened to her.

Hiyori says that she found a button that reminded her of their first meeting (when Shiho replaced the button she lost, see I told you to remember that) and she had a change of heart. She decided that no matter what happens she’ll always have Shiho, no matter how bad things get. She tells Shiho that she would rather live with her than die with her. Shiho and Hiyori share a touching moment that any happy ending kind of person (like me) will enjoy. Before heading off they turn back to find the button that Hiyori found…but it seems to have vanished. As the two walk off in the distance, holding hands, the black cat watches them go.

So, one question from me. What exactly was the Cat’s Eye Hall (antique shop) and who was the Ai clone? Right now it’s kind of open ended, you can make the shop what you want it to be. There seemed to be a few time lapse holes in the story with the whole black cat and teleporting (it worked for Marimite s4 opening, right!). Unless I just missed something. I got confused a couple times with that. I’m still really not sure what to make of it. I’d love to hear some other input once you get a chance to read it. It seems this is only the first chapter as well. It’s part of much longer series. I’m curious if we’ll see any of the same characters or if each one will involve a different set of girls with a different obstacle to overcome with help from Cat’s Eye Hall. Looking forward to seeing this progress and hopefully unveil the mystery of the Ai clone, the cat, the antique shop and the teleportation!

The summer is easily my busiest time of the year. You would think school time would be, but it isn’t. I haven’t given up on the blog. It’s just that I use the little spare time I have left to continue editing yuri. It’s either blog or edit and I feel as though my contributions to the editing side are far more beneficial to everyone than my contributions on the reviewing/blogging side.

That said, you could see a random blog post about something. Maybe not. Expect things to be slow here while summer is in full swing. Once school begins things should be back to normal as far as I know. Thanks for reading and don’t forget about me while I’m not blogging! ;) ♥

On a happier note, I’ll be heading out of town Tuesday morning. I don’t expect to be online much, if at all. I will have my laptop with me though so if I manage to pickup a signal somewhere I’ll try to check in. I plan to be home Friday evening at the latest and If all goes well I’ll be extremely happy when I return. :)

The chapter begins with Ebisu seducing Hotei…as she leans in to kiss her…BAM! It was all a dream. :D How expected. It was a funny way to start the chapter none the less. Now that Hotei is well aware of how she feels it seems like she much less vindictive towards Ebisu and I like that a lot.

Hotei has been noting that Ebisu hasn’t been speaking with her much and it’s really bothering her. She thinks as a friend she can clearly tell something is wrong, and she’s right. We jump right into another Hotei and Ebisu’s sister scene. Get the boxing gloves! (Not really.) It looks like after their little shouting match and the slap things have gotten a whole lot better between the two of them. They have a heart to heart about Ebisu and how she’s been extra stressed lately. The sister tells Hotei that the reason Ebisu doesn’t have a boyfriend is because she slept with them all…because she loves Ebisu? lol How nice of her! She explains it by saying that if the guy was unfaithful enough to cheat on Ebisu then they weren’t good enough for her sister… I guess I can see it. I don’t know if that’s the type of love I would be seeking from my sister though. :D Hotei also explains to her that even if she doesn’t realize it, Ebisu does love her just as much. It doesn’t seem like the sister ever realized it until that very moment.

At work Ebisu returns to her normal office desk, next to Hotei, after asking the bosses if it was alright to stop doing overtime. Why? So she can get off in time to take care of Hana. But Hotei is taking care of Hana, right? Not anymore. Ebisu ask Hotei to stop coming to her house for good. :( Hotei goes into a rant about her missing out on another opportunity because she has to cover for her sister. A common theme continues to appear. “What does Ebisu want to do?” Hotei, in the middle of her rant, suddenly ask Ebisu to move in with her. O_o…WHAT?

As Ebisu stares at her in disbelief, Hotei explains how meeting Mayo has changed her life. It has made her want to do something more with herself and to become a person that someone else can rely on. She wants Ebisu to move to Tokyo with her, Hana and her sister and take the job at the main office. Ebisu then explains why she asked Hotei to stop helping her. She only said it because she thought it was becoming a burden on Hotei. Awww… :)

After some narration we jump to a park. Ebisu and Hotei are sitting on a bench while Hana and her mother go off to play. Ebisu is noticeably happier than she’s been through the entire series. Ebisu mentions that her sister has calmed down since they moved to Tokyo and gives the credit to Hotei. She humbly directs the thanks back to Ebisu for allowing her to live in such a nice place with her for such low rent. Hotei says that she has everything she needs now. I’ll assume that also includes Ebisu, Hana and maybe to a point the sister as well. She never says it, though.

Ebisu inquires about her sister and if she’s been bothering Hotei. It seems like she hasn’t. Hotei says that she knows how to deal with her now. She also goes on to say that Ebisu’s sister plays with her and Hana and helps cook while Ebisu is at work. :) Then Ebisu starts talking about her sister stealing everyone she ever loved. Ebisu looks at Hotei and subtly mentions that if she makes any passes to ignore them. Shrimp Mayo gets up and gives us a first and a last coy smirk as she walks away to go find Hana and her sister. It doesn’t quite strike Hotei right away what Ebisu just said. In not so many words she just admitted her love for her. As she realizes, she jumps up to chase after Ebisu and she ponders their relationship and where it’s going and the hard road ahead of them both…END :)

I like the way it was left open-ended. It’s kind of a different ending from your typical “Oh, I love you so much! *kiss/hug*” I thought it was neat to see Ebisu’s true colors in the last few pages. I guess the theme of “What does Ebisu want to do?” really played a part in that. She was doing what she had to do, which obviously doesn’t make many people content. Now that she’s able to do what she wants, to move up in the business world, it seems a great weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Plus the fact that she now has someone who she can trust with Hana at all times and her sister seems to be maturing. Having Hotei around for her probably doesn’t hurt matters either. :) This is a MUST READ for any fan of the genre.

Now that Hotei has been kissed by Ebisu’s sister and Ebisu it seems things have gotten very odd at work. Hotei keeps thinking over the “meaningless” kiss, struggling with the idea of it being meaningless. To her it wasn’t. The new system Ebisu implemented at the office has everyone in an uproar. They all think it’s going to make their life harder when in fact it has only made Ebisu’s life harder and theirs easier. Once again, she’s being selfless.

Hotei thinks hasn’t had much time to speak with Ebisu lately. It seems she has been piled with so much work that she’s even taking it home so she can still leave on time to pick up Hana. Hotei approaches Ebisu to speak with her in the office and she’s brushed off. It seems Ebisu has tried to push their friendship back to a co-worker level. Hotei leans in close and whisper to Ebisu that she’ll start picking up Hana for her until the current project she’s working on is over. Ebisu tries to speak with Hotei, but she rushes out of the room, ignoring Ebisu’s plea.

Hotei arrives at Ebisu’s apartment and finds the sister lounging, as usual. The place is an absolute mess! The sister begins blaming Ebisu for the mess, the fact that she’s been eating instant foods. She keeps going on about Ebisu until Hotei blows a gasket. She goes off on the sister about doing things herself because she’s a grown woman. She then proceeds to tell her that she causes Ebisu nothing but trouble. The nasty side of Hotei shines through again as she lets loose and slaps the sister in the face! :O

Ebisu’s sister, angered, jumps to her feet and tells Hotei to mind her own business. She wants to know just who Hotei thinks she is to Ebisu and why she feels obligated to say such things. She basically told her to mind her own business.

Ebisu arrives home later that night, completely trashed drunk. She falls down in the foyer trying to take her shoes off and says she’s going to sleep. Ebisu wants to check on Hana but Hotei refuses, probably for the best. Hotei goes to retrieve a glass of water for her. When she returns, she finds Ebisu on the couch with all her clothes and makeup on.

The two then begin a serious conversation. Ebisu wants to know why Hotei is so nice to her. She tells her that she’s only a co-worker, and wants to know why she’s going out of her way. Hotei can’t believe Ebisu think she’s nice (neither can I!). Hotei begins confessing some of the stuff she has done to Ebisu. The hiding of the shoes, the tampering with her work, all the jealous envy she had for Ebisu. Ebisu brushes it off as nothing and then has a confession of her own… The first time she met Hotei, she didn’t like her! There sure is a lot of caring going around for two people who don’t like each other.

Hotei mistakes what she said as meaning when Ebisu transferred into the local office. Ebisu clarifies; she means the time Hotei came to the main branch to file a report! That’s the very same encounter that put a bad taste in Hotei mouth. She then goes on to say that she thought Hotei was only trying to get by on looks and that she didn’t care about her job. She basically suggest that she was jealous of Hotei because she was cute and purposely embarrassed her in front of everyone for it. Ebisu apologizes and then blacks out for good this time… What a lush.

Hotei seems unconcerned with anything Ebisu just said to her. She’s more worried about the fact that Ebisu remembered their first meeting and cared even more that she called her cute. (SHALLOW) With Ebisu out cold Hotei decides to take her jacket off so it doesn’t get wrinkled. In the middle of that, she suddenly goes down Ebisu’s shirt with her hand and appears to be rubbing her breast…or feeling her heartbeat. >.> Whatever works for you. She then leans in slowly to kiss Ebisu on the lips. As she gets closer and closer her heart begins to race. Right a she gets to Ebisu’s lips Hotei backs away and decides that she can’t do it!

The thought of Ebisu’s sister taking advantage of her in the previous chapter crossed her mind. She decided she would be no better than her if she took advantage of Ebisu while she was passed out drunk. Ebisu upset by what she just did/almost did has another fit and begins crying after tearing herself up on the inside…thankfully as the chapter ends, she comes to the realization that she is in fact in love with Ebisu.

I enjoyed this chapter! The fight with the sister was unexpected. The nerve of someone to slap another human like that, over something that simple. See, I’ve been saying all along Hotei isn’t a nice person! (She’s actually a bitch! lol) I’ll side with the sister on this one, it was really none of her business. I guess she owed her a bit for the kiss though. She should have done it right away, if it upset her that much. I don’t like Ebisu coming home wasted like that either. If I had a small child at home that would never happen, trustworthy sitter or not. I guess it says something about how much she actually trusts Hotei though? It was probably written in to give Hotei a good chance to take advantage of her though. I don’t expect it to be habitual or anything.

I found it really interesting to learn that the whole reason Hotei disliked Ebisu is because Ebisu had the same feelings for her, jealousy and envy. Two wrongs make a right I guess? Last thing I want to touch on. Groping Ebisu while in a drunken state AND blacked out? Could her character problems be any worse? I understand she’s struggling with new feelings and they seem to be very intense, but that’s no excuse for such an act. I’m still hoping she can get her character issues together in this series so she doesn’t end up hurting Ebisu. She seems like she could become toxic with the situations a serious relationship would present to her.

Princess Sakura, Showered with Blossoms is a really cute story (I already said that once, right?). It has a really neat old-school movie feel to it for me. It’s about a Cherry Blossom tree who wishes to God that it can take on a human form to have a chance at a girl who the tree has fallen in love with. God grants the wish under one condition…She must take the form of a female and still make the girl fall in love with her or her human form will wither away and crumble.

First let’s introduce Fubuki, the Princesses personal attendant. Much like a personal knight it would seem. She arrives at a gathering only to find out that the Princess who she guards with her life is set to be wed off to someone of a neighboring province! Their province is having a hard time and without the help of this rich husband may not make it! Fubuki seems less than pleased about this, and unable to believe the Princess will agree.

Enter Princess Sakura, our second character. It seems like Fubuki knows her quite well. The Princess tells her father to refuse the wedding offer. She won’t be wed off for money like some cheap harlot! She stomps off with Fubuki at her hip. It would seem she doesn’t leave the Princess side very often. They’ve been friends since they were children and grew up together. They’ve become extremely close because of this, to the point where it’s probably a little more than friendship.

Fubuki keeps having a flashback of the Princess coming out of a cherry tree. She can’t seem to get the image out of her mind and begins researching the Princess birth in the library. After a bit she’s satisfied with the birth records and decides there’s no way that a tree could come to life and then implant fake memories in everyone’s mind to become a Princess.

Later on the Princess questions Fubuki about spending so much time in the library. This goes on while Fubuki is helping her change. Sakura then proceeds to ask Fubuki why she was born a woman. She wishes she had been born a man so she could have married Fubuki. The whole time of course Fubuki is blushing and obviously not disagreeing with anything. There’s definitely more than friendship there from the start. Suddenly, in the middle of their cuddle-fest, Sakura ask Fubuki to run away from the castle with her!

Of course they left. What kind of story would this be if they didn’t? The two approach a old town. It looks run down and nearly abandoned. Sakura ask what it is and Fubuki explains that they had a harsh winter and the people were unable to make it. Sakura thinks back to the offer she had to help her people, by accepting the marriage proposal of a wealthy man.

The two are approached by a woman and her daughter, offering lodging for the night. Things turn bad when Fubuki gets a bad feeling about the woman and a fight begins. The woman mentions Fubuki not being able to hurt her with a human blade, then in one single swoop Fubuki defeats the demon. “You’re not human, are you?!”, shouts the demon after she’s been defeated. This gets Fubuki thinking…not human?

As the cherry blossom trees begin to bloom suddenly (in the middle of winter), the Princess comes clean with Fubuki…It turns out Fubuki is the cherry tree, not the Princess! Cool plot twist. :) She explains to her how the spring before Fubuki came from a tree in the garden. See my plot hole below. The demon woman and her little daughter turn out to be fox demons (I totally learned that from watching Inuyasha, SHUT UP, and DON’T EVEN SAY IT). *cough* Back on topic! The fox demon, beaten and battered explains to Sakura and Fubuki that because of the terrible winter and famine, the only way she can feed her daughter is by stealing.

This now has both Fubuki and Sakura thinking…if famine and death has happened here, then it can happen in her home province too. Fubuki tells the Princess to return home and do what’s right. As the two embrace, Fubuki withers away in Sakura’s arms…The deal was that both the girls must sacrifice everything for one another. Fubuki gave the ultimate for Sakura, her life. Sakura didn’t give her province, thus only one side of the deal was fulfilled. It seems as if Fubuki didn’t lose her spirit though. She has returned to the tree and is able to rain down blossoms on Sakura every spring. ^_^

Plot hole? If Fubuki appeared the spring before all this, then what’s up with everyone else’s memory? It seems Princess Sakura’s memory is intact shouldn’t the king’s memory and everyone else’s be as well? Wouldn’t she be on the top of the list for god/heaven/whatever to alter the memory of? No one else specifically talked about the two growing up together, only Princess Sakura…,but wouldn’t it be a little odd for a random stranger to become a Princesses personal guard that fast and not cause a commotion? Maybe I’m over-thinking this! (lol)

Fubuki mentions near the end that the heavens have spared her, to allow her to rain down cherry blossoms on Sakura every spring as she sits below Fubuki. I wonder had she not fulfilled at least her half of the deal if Fubuki would have completely disappeared? By sacrificing her human body to save the Princesses people, she gave the ultimate. I guess seeing this; the heavens took pity on her.

I hadn’t planned on making this long of an entry. @_@ Great story though, the length of this is proof of how much I liked it. ;) Coming soon to a Lililicious near you! Keep an eye out for it! (or in…a bulging eye would be kind of creepy!).

Anyone with a related blog please feel free to pass the info along to your readers! I would greatly appreciate it!