Its rare that a manga inspires me to write a review and its even rarer that I actually do but Hana ni Arashi is one of these few thats manga worth it spoilers in the latter half of the review Intro Among the sea of generic slice of life esque romances that plague the manga sphere specially the yuri category its easy to forget what the appeal of the whole high school setting and slice of life aspects/elements of a story are. Is it to create a mundane comfort dish without much meaning? To allow the reader to reminisce on times passed? To cause the reader to relate to the story? Frankly I myself have lost sight of this and care but Hana ni Arashi stands atop as a floatie in this sea of shit as a stark reminder of the power and reason of existing of this genre and as a genuinely good story that I found myself immersed in far more than I shouldve. Context Hana ni Arashi English name Rainbows After Storms also referred to occasionally as Nanoha to Chidori is a yuri manga by author Ruka Kobachi that ran from the years 2017 to 2023 compiling in a total of 13 volumes. And its as original as it gets a high school yuri wooooow sarcasm but dont let this fool you into believing that like many of its peers Its mid it aint cause frankly theres a lot more to this story. Whats this shit even about dawg The story centers around the already dating Nanoha and Chidori two girls in their second year of high school with the twist being that their relationship is the secret from the rest of the girls. While the original premise doesnt evoke much feeling nor seem all that unique its the execution that brings life to this premise. Through its mostly episodic yet continuous and interconnected chapters it develops this premise the relationship and the manga as a whole into an almost oneofakind personal experience. With each passing chapter smaller aspects of the characters are explored and you get to see how they handle themselves and each other in various different situations. While this mundanity leads to a frankly slow start the dynamic and small plot threads and mysteries in those first few volumes keep you coming back for more. You wish to know whats the mystery with those valentines chocolates or how they started dating you wish to know when they will go public with their relationship and most importantly you also wish to see this relationship grow. Being that this series starts with the two mcs already in a relationship it also allows it to explore aspects that most romance manga dont get to do while never abusing its gimmick. On top of that its a pretty addictive and sweet read with it having the perfect mixture between light hearted goofy fun with easily digestible chapters and a genuine story progression and time passage. This alongside the mostly believable relationship of Nanoha and Chidori and the fun dynamic with the friends creates a very solid start but this mangas shine only comes through later. spoiler warning from now onward Somehow I ended up with a summary Whilst you entertained yourself with the mundane fun chapters with big surprise genuine development in Nanohas and Chidoris relationship not sarcasm something starts to brew. With each passing moment each slight touch and eventually their first kiss this originally not fully believable relationship gains weight. The slight touches small facial changes and the way in which the characters continuously think about each other along with the continued exploration of them and their relationship through the episodic chapters makes you slowly care. Slowly and surely. Those middle chapters of the manga those from like 50ish to 100 do wonders for the story as they take that slight care you might hold of the characters from those beginning chapters and add another layer. More aspects of the characters start to get explored slight drama things from the past and most importantly things from the future with their development never stopping. It doesnt rely on bullshit misunderstandings to keep you intrigued but on the ever growing and glowing relationship that makes up the core of this manga Nanoha and Chidori. It starts to become believable and not only that but you also start to care. Unlike most manga the passage of time in Hana ni Arashi is ever present and ever looming. While at the start youre just excited to see them do their cultural festival or enjoy their first Christmas with friends and some surprises it reaches a point when the characters face the same dilemma you and me faced or will face shit high school is almost over. This is a presence that even from around chapter 80 can be felt but after their first Christmas and soon venture into their third year becomes ever more present. And this absolutely elevates the series. While it maintains its light hearted demeanour and goofy attitude there are plenty times where things get a little more serious putting their relationship through the proper tests needed to fully explore it and believe it and it does so in wonderfully. Ruka Kobachi sensei the author in case you forgot is intelligent enough to handle these matters with a realism and genuine intent that many people in this stage of their life would have. It battles with differing universities differing locations and even the possibility of a longdistance relationship this compiled with Nanohas complete lack of idea on what shell do compiles. The story never really takes a break but thats good. While it has plenty more mellow chapters that occasionally allow it to take a step back it never allows time to stop or flow at the storys convenience and this allows for these very powerful situations to feel weighted. By this point in the story youve probably grown to care for these characters and believe Nanohas and Chidoris relationship so to see it be at times put to the test can feel genuinely tense. Ultimately youre rooting for them. These characters have started to feel alive for you with small things like how their slight touches and kisses increase naturally as more time goes by in a very natural and real feeling development or their attitudes change from lust to a more profound care you feel these characters start to mean something both to you and each other so when Nanoha finally finds her career which is done in a very natural and well executed manner you cheer for her but when the advent of long distance becomes an ever more likely possibility you yourself feel the tension and worry. And it doesnt sugarcoat it or gloss over it the characters deal with it both in good and bad. You continue to see the characters develop and change mindsets not from bullshit but from maturing and making each other a better person in what after being tested stands as a genuinely healthy and believable relationship. Due to the sheer relatability of this situation of having to find colleges of being near the end of high school you feel the characters. Their worries become yours their happiness yours their tension yours and so does their sadness and effort which is why you cant help but share the moments with the characters with their emotions swaying yours. When they truly had to surrender themselves to the idea of a longdistance relationship I felt their same bittersweet hope. Naturally a myriad more things happen after that and in between that but this aint a fucking story summary. Ultimately things work out Chidoris efforts to get into university are handled with realism and maturity from Nanoha with it never pretending that its all rainbows Nanoha finds a campus of the same uni she wanted in Tokyo same city where Chidori will also study and a myriad more things and by the end you cant help but be constantly swayed by these characters emotions feeling genuinely attached to them and almost feel like youre there. And it also perfectly knows how to cut the bullshit cut the fat and only leave in whats needed. That last year of high school is like 50 chapters cause more werent needed. Why place priority in filler when theres no need to? And this leads me perfectly to what I like about the story. What I like Its rare for me to encounter a series that takes a grip on my empathy in such a way. Sure I recognize that Im not a tough audience to make emotional like Tarantino said make good shit and Ill get invested easily in it but this stood out as different than many of the other stories Ive read throughout my life. Most stories that make me emotional probably come from an admiration of beauty care for the characters empathy and a few other things but this could very well be one of the only series that captures me off relatability alone. Now lets be clear I aint a lesbian not even a girl shiiit I aint even had partner during my whole high school career but thats not why its relatable this goes far beyond that. As Ive repeated throughout this mostly improvised review you start to feel for these characters and this not only comes as a result of spending so many chapters with them but also from the situations they find themselves in specially those during that last year. I myself had to worry about exams and which uni to go to. I myself saw friends go to other cities for uni. And I myself had go a certain period of time without seeing some of the bros as they were studying they ass off. Sure it wasnt the six month long studying grind Chidori went through but I certainly did see many of my friends specially those going to medicine spend almost the same amount of time preparing for the medicine exam. Its these experiences that truly allowed me to visualize the characters as real as I was reminded of how I and those close to me went through these similar experiences facing the same reactions uncomfortable situations and dilemmas that these characters faced occasionally even in similar ways. I asked myself some of the same questions these characters did with the same attitude as they did and so did many of my friends and peers. So when I saw that Chidori passed the Waseda entrance exam or whatever her university was called I felt that much in the way I felt the triumph of Nanoha finally finding out her vocation and going for it. Even in the dumbass moments I found myself getting emotional like when Chidori realized that the once so dead literature club was now brimming with life her friends with her saddening at the thought that the club will come to an end when she graduates. When this moment happened her tears and worries became mine cause same fucking thing done happened to me during my last year of high school with my club. So when she found out that Mai was gonna continue the club I felt it to the core as Ive been in similar situations. This might as well answer the question I posed at the start of the review as it perfectly shows the appeal of this kind of story. While calm nothing burger slice of lifes certainly have their place and I enjoy them this answers to a whole other category of slice of life and high schoolbased stories with it being a stark real and stand out reminder of why and how these types of stories can evoke great feeling through the exploration of this time period and smoothly develop their characters through its slice of life mundane elements. Thanks to the fact that the story keeps it real I was able to and found myself quickly and deeply relating to these characters alongside the care I already had for them thanks to those earlier chapters. Its in general just masterfully constructed. Its also imperative that I state that the story itself is quite good. Its very intelligently handled with patience and knowledge of its strengths needs and weaknesses. The characters and their dynamics are fun and while I wouldve loved to see a few standalone chapters of the friends sometimes you cant get everything you want. The story is also properly mature not dealing with unrealistic misunderstanding and bullshit. It also holds a near perfect degree of nuance and depth required for this type of story with it never lacking yet not delving into the things that a story like this really doesnt need to. And thats not a critique. It does an incredible job in cutting down the fat too saying a whole fuck you to filler and capitalizing of what it needs taking perfect advantage of every chapter with it never dragging or rushing. It knows what it wants and needs to be and it perfectly accomplishes plenty of these things. Conclusion To say the least its just a very fun and enticing read with a great balance between depth and goofy and episodic and continuous. Its light hearted yet knows when it doesnt need to be. It knows the core audience without it never abusing of its gimmick or the fact that its a yuri. Its sweet fun and an ultimately completely compelling read that perhaps struck me far more than it shouldve. Do I recommend it? Hell yeah why not. Among the see of generic yuri it stands atop as an incredibly solid and successful at what it does series with it being wholly comparable to the romance genre as a whole without having to limit itself to yuri. Its fun its goofy and most surprising of all its damn real. It shakes up the formula and delivers a captivating story and characters that will serve as a nice and welcome surprise to both seasoned and new anime/manga fans be them yuri fans or not. Wholeheartedly endorse really. This is for sure one I wont forget. the title is an exageration relax I had orginally given it an 8.4 but bumped it down to an 8.2. Tho it really is most likely an 8.3 8.28 idk