A Brief Moment of Ichika Volume 2 Review

Back in Volume 1 of A Brief Moment of Ichika, we met college student Ichika and her beloved professor, Yurugi. Both of these characters are living on borrowed time due to their terminal illnesses, and for Ichika the love she holds for her professor is the one thing keeping her going. How will things change in Volume 2? Let’s find out.

At the end of Volume 1, Ichika’s illness got the better of her and she collapsed. In a fit of anger, her brother Daiki told Yurugi not to meet with her anymore and all about her illness, which Ichika had been keeping secret.

The ups and downs of Ichika and Yurugi’s relationship so far (not yet dating, but still romance is in the air) have taken a toll on Ichika’s health. Standing on the sidelines watching, Daiki has grown increasingly worried for his sister’s wellbeing and sees this as an opportunity to return to the status quo where Ichika simply admired the idea of Yurugi rather than obsessively spending time with him.

Unfortunately, Daiki’s warning doesn’t stop Yurugi from messaging Ichika as he’s worried about her when she doesn’t contact him. When Ichika finds out her brother told her crush all about her illness, she understandably yells at him and then refuses to speak to him. And now she can’t bear to face Yurugi whom she fears will take pity on her and treat her like her family does.

My biggest criticism of Volume 1 of A Brief Moment of Ichika, was the fact Ichika was hiding her illness from Yurugi despite the fact the two were in the perfect position to support one another. So although it may have been revealed due to a third party, I am pleased that Ichika is forced to deal with Yurugi learning of her situation and face up to his feelings.

Being in the same position, Yurugi doesn’t pity Ichika, he understands why she hid her illness and how she goes about her days in such a carefree manner. He may not have dealt with his illness in the same way, but he understands her feelings and that’s what’s most important. Ichika for her part knows she’s been selfish in keeping it to herself and taking advantage of Yurugi’s kindness and I was pleased to see her convey that to him since now it feels like they’re on equal footing and can start over afresh with all the necessary information.

Perhaps what I like most about Volume 2 is that we spend more time with Daiki and the rest of Ichika’s family. Throughout the first instalment, we saw glimpses of how Daiki felt about his sister’s illness, as well as the lengths he’d go to to support her. Like any siblings, Daiki and Ichika bicker and have falling-outs, but there’s a strong bond there and Daiki has been relieved to see Ichika’s health remain stable during college.

Most importantly, Daiki understands that he shouldn’t have revealed Ichika’s condition to Yurugi and tries desperately to make amends. “I think I might have robbed her of her happiness,” Daiki weeps, as he explains to Yurugi the reasoning behind his actions and how he only wishes for her to live a long time but has come to realise that might not be what makes her happy.

These heartfelt emotional outbursts are what mangaka Natsu Tadano excels at conveying through the art. This volume is again filled with quite small panels, but there’s a lot of detail within each that contributes to the overall atmosphere of the scene. There are ten chapters included as well as four interludes and three bonus chapters; these jump around in time and take place from the perspective of different characters but they all contribute to the overarching story and I think Tadano has done a good job of interweaving them.

The series comes to its end with the next volume and with another major development at the end of this release, I suspect it’s going to be just as dramatic and emotional. I hope it sticks the landing as this is the sort of story that lives and dies by how it ends.

A Brief Moment of Ichika Volume 2 comes to the West thanks to Kodansha via their Vertical Imprint. This release has been translated by Gwen Clayton who once again offers a fine translation with no problems. Nothing really in the way of extras here; there are still no colour pages or translation notes. And I’m still none the wiser as to why this one is being sold shrink-wrapped despite the 13+ age rating.

The third and final volume is currently scheduled for release in early October, so not too far away, all things considered.

Overall, A Brief Moment of Ichika Volume 2 proves another interesting read as Ichika’s secret is finally revealed to her crush. With the spotlight placed on her brother, we also get to appreciate how her attitude toward her remaining time affects those close to her, which only makes the story all the more emotionally charged. Here’s hoping Volume 3 will be a strong conclusion!

Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).