i liked the exploration of grief, the character and the art style. i loved the emotional writing and such,.

The copy I read was generously provided by #NetGalley and #Kodansha.

What is grief? How soon can the bereived move on with their lives? This seinen/shoujo manga tackles these difficult topics with finesse. Natsumi suddenly loses her younger sister Haru. As she struggles with her pain, she also grapples with her budding feelings for Togo, who was her sister’s fiance. Haru’s death feels like a curse and a burden. Will she and Togo find happiness with each other? Will their families allow it?

This isn’t a typical shoujo manga, where the heroine can oftentimes be too one-dimensional. Depression, family conflicts, and falling in love all contribute to Natsumi’s growth throughout the volume. She’s relatable instead of being too perfect or sickly sweet.

The art style was refreshing too. It’s serious to convey the heavy topics that were tackled in the book. No random feathers or sparkly backgrounds here.

Overall, I loved it. One of my favorite mangas this year.

#HarusCurse #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Haru's Curse. This was a quick read, occasionally funny and very bittersweet. Manga is a beautifully expressive media form, and Haru's Curse really captured the depth of a sister relationship and the guilt of moving on. The art is gorgeous and the dialogue fun and engaging. The story did seem rushed however; I didn't feel like I really knew or connected to the characters and everything seemed to happen so quickly. Also, there wasn't really any mystery and only mild thriller elements. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable and fast read without requiring too much of the reader.

Natsumi's younger sister, Haru, passes away at the age of 19. She begins a relationship with her dead sister's fiancé, Togo. Natsumi grapples with her feelings with Togo while mourning the loss of her sister. This manga delves into feelings of guilt, loss, and depression, which made it at times difficult to get through. This is not a happy love story, but it will get you thinking about cheating and how someone begins to love their sister's ex-fiancé.

I will note that Togo did seem like another variant of the male lead in Raise wa Tanin ga ii, Konishi's other manga where the male lead also comes across as emotionless and a bit robotic.

Haru's Curse is a neat one-volume manga containing a complete story arc about two people dealing with grief and trying to live their lives on their terms. The word "curse" itself feels like a misdirect; it's a direct translation from the original title but if you are put off by the title/summary thinking that there might be some supernatural forces in play, this is not one of those books. This entire book is truly about what the living (Natsu and Togo) are left with when their loved one (Haru) dies, be it memories, photos, or diaries. The arranged marriage thing that Togo and Haru are set up with might seem odd to those not used to arranged marriages with the added motive of preserving bloodlines, but it's not that big a deal in the overall story. Natsu is especially saddled with honoring the memory of her sister, and as the story progresses so does Natsu's grief, and we move on to showing personal growth with Natsu and Togo. It's refreshing to read about adults dealing with their major life events in a single volume instead of stretching it out over several books. (I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.)

I’ve heard a lot of negative talk about this manga unfortunately, but I’m so happy I had the opportunity to read it!

I personally love stories about hardships and loss, and seeing how the characters overcome them. I really loved how all of that was portrayed, and how we got to see the different characters lives.

This was a beautiful read, thank you for allowing me to review this!

This manga is centered around Natsumi the older sister of Haru and Haru’s fiancée Togo and how their relationship develops after the passing of Natusumi’s younger sister Haru,when they had decided to start dating. But Haru’s memory lingers over the two. I don’t want to give away anything but this manga makes you feel for the characters and how they are feeling about Haru’s death and their lingering feelings of guilt.

For a debut manga, it is quite good and I enjoy reading it so far and cannot wait for the other volumes.

I’m a bit of a sucker for stories involving siblings, and this is one of the most emotional stories I’ve read involving sisters. After her younger sister Haru dies, Natsume isn’t sure how to continue her life. After all, Haru was the one people looked to as the ‘perfect bride’, the one who had a shining future ahead of her. So different to Natsume, who struggles to accept that her nineteen year old sister is gone and she isn’t.

Natsume is now dating her sister's fiance Togo, who it turns out was secretly more interested in Natsume to begin with, until his family forced him to choose Haru. So now, he is trying to build a new relationship while dealing with the guilt of knowing he never truly loved Haru, while Natsume has the guilt of dating the fiance her sister was deeply in love with.

When I started this, I immediately loved the art style. It’s quite simplistic, yet the tones and shading matched the darker theme of the book. It almost reflects the grief, and the feeling of loss Natsumi and guilt Togo are both feeling. As the pair navigate their way through their emotions, the pages themselves become lighter, like the dark clouds of a thunderstorm are now clearing for a brighter sky. It matched the book perfectly.

The only downside to this whole story was the feeling of it being vague. Despite having a lot in there, it all felt like we were just seeing touches of the story rather than a bit more time to really see these things develop. That being said, I did love how they showed a lot of Harus's story and time in hospital as well as Natsume finding her online diary which showed how much her younger sister adored her. These were really well developed and definitely made me feel emotional. I just wish there was a little more in depth development between Togo and Natsume themselves. I also felt the ending was a little rushed and again would have liked a few more pages showing the progression from their decisions to maybe then do a time jump so we could see how their lives were after.

This is a beautiful story about living after a devastating loss, discovering a love in amongst the pain, and moving on to find a new life. It had a well thought out plot and characters I genuinely enjoyed getting to know. As someone who has lost loved ones, I felt the grief, even though their situations were different to my own. This is definitely one I think many will enjoy.

TW: Death, Suicide

3.75 ⭐

I honestly don't know what to feel regarding this story, I enjoyed it, yes however there's a coflicting emotions that I'm feeling and can't figure out.

The story is pretty much filled with a heavy angst and drama that might thrown some of readers off (that was just what I thought). I was pleased to see that we just don't get Natsumi's pov but Toga and Haru's as well that just made the storyline a lot more better and added more depth.

I pretty much predicted in how it would go on the story but still was pleased that it did. Overall, I enjoyed it.

So I had no idea what was awaiting before I picked up this manga on a whim, after asking for it on netgalley and man can I say I was blown away.
Firstly lets talk about the art, oh wow ! I loved it. The elongated models of the characters and the strong facial features gave made this such a memorable piece.
I loved Natsumi and Togo, and I was drawn into their story. I find it strangely hard to write about, this one volume manga has totally blown me away, I've immediately went a preordered a physical copy while also looking at what else the mangaka has been involved in (if anything).
I'd say go into this with knowing as little as possible and just enjoy the ride, it certainly took me on a journey that helped keep my mind off things. This could be a favourite read of the year for me.

* I was given the english translation off NetGalley for an honest review*

I am very sad that my first ARC is a dnf :( The synopsis and reviews had me incredibly excited for this as it seemed like exactly the kind of story I would love. I just could not get behind the relationship that was blossoming between Togo and Natsumi. Togo came off very robotic, toxic, and just generally unlikable. I liked Natsumi's character a lot more, however I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that she agreed to date her dead sister's ex boyfriend (a proposition which he presented to her at her sister's funeral no less). I think the story could have benefitted from placing larger emphasis on dealing with personal grief (the death of a sister and fiancee) before introducing a coupling between these two characters. I will admit that the art style was absolutely breathtaking! Had I found the story slightly more captivating, i would have stuck with it.

Love is what we cling to, but holding on too tightly can stifle personal growth or smother the other person. For Natsumi, she clung to her little sister Haru. It's easy to understand why when looking at their family dynamic. Their parents were the product of an arranged marriage that never clicked and due to some old-fashioned family values, their boisterous mother was constantly at odds with their more traditional father. Natsumi sees herself as a reflection of her mother; she's goofy, the way to her heart is through her stomach, and her goals for her life are modest. As a growing teen she aches for her father's approval until his affair and remarriage brings a new woman into the household. A woman who has more in common with her diminutive, feminine sister. Her mother leaves her and Natsumi quits vying for her father's approval, instead finding comfort in an intense closeness with Haru.

Co-dependency is an underlying theme in Haru's Curse, at least as much as guilt, individuality, and grief. The skillful emotional drama unfolds with each chapter named after a particular month, but it'd be closer to say that the story travels through the seasons of three people's lives. This metaphor is not subtle: Natsumi and Haru's names are homonyms for Summer and Spring, respectfully, and when Natsumi discovers Haru's blog she finds her sister writing about her experience with cancer treatment under the alias "Aki" for Autumn. The sisters' personalities are reflective of their namesake, with Haru being "flower-like" in her demeanor, invoking the idea of a shrinking violet, whereas Natsumi is brash, forward, and athletic. While those character types are far from unique, it's the honesty of the women's relationship dynamic that contributes to the story's realism. Natsumi appears to be a "what you see is what you get" type, but it's her own insecurity that feeds her altruistic actions. She learned early that she was not good enough for the adults in her life and is initially hostile to Togo when he begins courting Haru. When Haru gets sick, she reroutes her entire life in order to become her potential caretaker, going as far as majoring in nutrition. This is in part because she loves her sister of course, but it's also because she still believes they'll live together despite Togo being lined up as her future brother-in-law.

The futility of her actions barely occurs to her, but Natsumi knows the extent of her devotion to Haru is unhealthy. She's distraught by what she thinks are romantic feelings for her sister. However, Haru's Curse is chaste in its depictions of romance. While Natsumi's feelings for Haru are no doubt intense, they strike me as co-dependent much more than something truly romantic. However, the space between her feelings for Haru and her feelings for Togo is small, likely intentionally. Her initial agreement to date Togo has nothing to do with protentional feelings for him. It's an agreement made out of grief and Natsumi's futile attempt to "compromise" Haru's death. She hopes that by dating him under specific circumstances, only going to places he had previously taken Haru, she'll recapture a closeness with her sister. Of course, that's not what Togo had in mind at all, but he accepts her stipulations.

What Haru's Curse does exceptionally well is impart the reader to the internal lives of its cast. The initial chapters are told from Natsumi's perspective but later shift to Togo and eventually Haru to give a better understanding of their feelings and internal motivations. Togo is far from the aloof business heir that he is initially presented as and instead more akin to a bird in a gilded cage. He's lived a life where everything was provided for him easily so long as he jumped when he was told. Natsumi's vivacity strikes a chord in Togo that causes him to question his own satisfaction in the way that he's lives. Meanwhile, both parties seem to have overestimated Haru's naivete and gentleness. Her death looms over the entire story as Natsumi and Togo try to discover which decisions they can live with and what pain is tolerable.

For readers sensitive to such content, there is a two-chapter discussion of suicide within the book and the handling of the topic is dicey. The series falls back on the threat of "if you die, then I'll die" to navigate the crisis so that one character abstains out of concern or potential guilt for the other. However, it's not central to the story thematically and the feelings at the time seem appropriate. I would say that all the characters' actions feel purposeful. Haru's Curse isn't playing up feelings for cheap drama here.

By the volume's end (Vertical has combined the two tankobon into a single volume release) it felt like both characters had truly grown into more mature and confident versions of themselves. There's an overarching message that grief is eternal. It's a feeling that always sits within you. But you cannot disappoint or make the deceased sad; you have to make your choices for yourself.

My rating: 4.5 / 5 ★

At the start of this manga, Natsumi was attending the funeral of her younger sister, Haru. She was seen discreetly slipping a picture of Haru with her fiancé, Togo, into the casket with Haru's body before the funeral ended. Natsumi later started dating Togo after he asked her out after the funeral ended, and she accepted with the condition that they visit the places he visted with Haru during their dates. Sounds horrible, right? I wholeheartedly agree, but Haru's Curse is more than just a story about a sister "stealing" her dead sister's fiancé.

Haru's Curse is a story about Natsumi and Togo, the closest people to Haru and how they dealt with grief and guilt after Haru's death. Haru and Togo were engaged for an arranged marriage, and while Haru helplessly fell in love with Togo, it seemed that it was not the same case for him. He ends up asking Natsumi out after the funeral, using his parents as an excuse. Shockingly, Natsumi agreed right away, giving him a condition for agreeing to it. Their relationship stayed as a secret between them, and while their feelings start to bloom towards each other, the guilt of betraying Haru continued gnawing at their hearts.

I saw a few other readers saying that Togo is toxic for asking Natsumi out, and not reciprocating Haru's feelings at all despite dating her for more than two years. While I agree to a certain level that that behaviour is toxic (I mean, how could you even ask your dead fiancée's sister to date you right after your fiancée's funeral?), I would not say that Togo is a bad person. For a start, he got engaged to Haru because of his parents, and he was kind towards Haru during their two years of relationship. Despite catching feelings for Natsumi, Togo did not acknowledge it and was ready to marry Haru. He only approached Natsumi when Haru was gone. Not exactly something applaudable, but Togo should not be blamed for wanting someone that he truly loves. And if Togo is toxic for asking Natsumi out after the funeral, who's to say that Natsumi is not toxic as well, for accepting to be in a relationship with him?

The original manga in Japanese consisted of two books, but the English version is combined into a single book, in two parts. In the first part, the story is told from the perspective of Natsumi and Togo. From just a few pages, it was obvious how much they both wanted to care and love each other, yet the guilt held them back. In the second part, readers are exposed to Haru's perspective, which I really appreciate. I love Asuka Konoshi's artwork; not only are they beautiful, but the expressions for each character are so vivid and clear that you can easily understand their emotions.

Natsumi's character is easily likeable. She is attentive towards those around her, and she tries her best to be cheerful and happy around her family, despite knowing that her father doted more on Haru. She loves Haru a lot; she even confessed to Togo that she was probably in love with her sister, because Haru was the only real family to her. This caring part of her was what drew Togo towards her, without both of them realising it. While Togo may seem rather emotionless most of the time, I rather believe that he is just not good at expressing himself. Growing up following whatever his mother wanted, he never had any dreams of his own—and this changed when Natsumi entered his life.

I like that Haru's character is present too, although she was no longer alive. Her character is portrayed realistically, which is proven in one of the online journals she left behind: she mentioned that she would not willingly witness Natsumi and Togo marrying each other. Perhaps she noticed earlier, the small accidental interactions between Natsumi and Togo, and she knew that she would never experience the same thing. My heart broke for her, but feelings are something that is very complicated.

I do not think that either Natsumi or Togo are at fault for accepting their feelings for each other. They respected Haru and only acknowledged their feelings after Haru's death, although the timing is still not great. It may be considered as a betrayal to Haru for some people, but Natsumi and Togo deserve their happiness as well. It's a very complicated matter, and both of them will carry the guilt for a long time. Despite Haru saying that she could never accept Natsumi and Togo to be with each other, if Haru lived, I am rather sure that eventually she would learn to accept it. Sure, she will resent Natsumi for it, but their sisterly bond is stronger than that and it would not easily be broken just because of a man.

The story has a rather open-ended ending; though readers will know that Natsumi and Togo are trying their best to make things work, there's no saying that another hurdle would be coming right at them soon. It is also clear that they still carry the guilt, or as they called it: Haru's curse. The story focuses a lot on their grief and guilt, and the romance are not strongly shown. I ended up liking this story more than I expected, because the topic of "stealing your dead sister's fiancé" is actually something I am uncomfortable with. But the way Asuka Konishi presented the story made me able to easily empathise with both of the main characters.

Really dark, but soooooo romantic and super funny! The art is fantastic and the story is super cool.

I am completely in love with the main couple, I think Natsumi and Togo belong together.

I think Haru was very selfish with her sister because she realized from the beginning that Togo was really interested in Natsumi, and she didn't step aside.

The story caught me from the beginning with its tragic, funny and romantic touches. The only thing I didn't love was the drawing, but I think the story is very original and the character development was great.

Natsumi was my favorite character, she has a heart of gold and knows what she wants.

I honestly didn't think I would like that but I was still curious because I kept seeing this title advertised on manga websites. Now I'm glad I gave it a chance because it is well thought and executed. I'm not entirely sure if I liked it or not, because I would've loved to see more character development and details. Also, I feel like this book is meant to make the reader think and question their own views on grief, family relationships and the path that one chooses in life, so maybe "liking" or "disliking" it is something that wouldn't apply here.

Spoilers ahead:

I loved the relationship between the sisters, and I thought it could be an original and provocative perspective. However, in the end, I felt it wasn't fully explored. I appreciate the effort to talk about different types of love, but I felt that the reader was left to fill in with their own views on love and relationships. I also would've loved it if Natsumi and Togo would've talked more about Haru. The overall arc seemed a bit rushed to me, like it would've needed at least 20 or 50 more pages to be fully fleshed out.

I did think Togo and Natsumi's feelings were plausible, which is a huge success (because I usually don't buy into anything that vaguely resembles cheating - although in this case, I do not consider it cheating).

I feel like I'm still processing the book and I'm not that sure of my feelings towards it. It tackled a complex topic in a respectful and realistic way, in my opinion. The story felt mature.

Wow, this manga is such a strong and beautiful looking into grief and the handling of grief. I found the story telling style to have a nice softness to it that helps to walk the reader through the minds of the two people we follow through their understanding of the grief and depression they are currently feeling, the understanding of past griefs, and the conclusions of where they want to go from here.

I loved the art style, it is stunning and really suits the feelings that the story conveys. I thought the plotting of the story was laid out so brilliantly with how we walk through the various series of events from both the hero and heroine's perspective while playing around with the timeline. I thought the pacing worked so well and really engrained the feelings the story is hoping to convey.

I would so highly recommend this manga. It has a stunning story and I thought is was told in such an accessible way. The soft glimpse into what grief can feel like, how people can act while dealing with that grief, and the realization of what needs to change in their lives to make themselves healthier beings, was just so excellently done.

I actually think the blurb undersells this story. Yes Natsumi’s goes out with her dead sister’s fiancé after Haru dies but it’s so much more complicated than that. Togo and Haru’s engagement was an arranged marriage, a business transaction for Togo’s family.

At Haru’s funeral they agree to start dating. Natsumi stipulates that she will only do this if he takes her to all the places Haru and Togo went.

The story deals with grief, betrayal, family expectations and obligations. Natsumi and Togo each had their reasons for the dating agreement, but this doesn’t read like a cheating story. Both struggle with guilt, especially Natsumi, but once you read the full story and know the characters you do want this to work out for them.

Haru's Curse is well executed and doesn’t sell the characters or story short by having that happy love story, instead this is messy. There are still some recognisable tropes but I was pleased I gave this is go, it was so much more than the blurb leads you to believe.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Haru's Curse by Asuka Konishi is an amazing romance manga that is perfect for fans of True Beauty. Konishi's artwork is sleek and modern, and I couldn't help thinking of the most popular Webtoons while I was reading it. The storyline is both funny and dark, and it alternates nicely between comedic and dramatic moments. The story revolves around Natsumi and her sister's fiance Togo. Before Natsumi's sister Haru and Togo can get married, Haru becomes sick and dies. Afterward, Togo unexpectedly asks Natsumi to date him, and Natsumi agrees as long as he can take her to places that he took Haru. Natsumi seems to see Togo as her connection to the sister that she loved. Although this manga is a romance manga, it also deals with dark themes like grief, depression, and death. One of the story's core questions is how Natsumi can deal with her feelings toward Togo while knowing that Haru is no longer around. Would Haru give Natsumi her blessing or would she curse her instead? Other people might say that dating your sister's ex-boyfriend is trashy, and Natsumi confronts all of these objections throughout the course of this story. Overall, Haru's Curse is an interesting blend of romance and dark themes, and I recommend it for all readers of romance Webtoons and manga If you're a fan of stories like True Beauty, then you won't regret checking this manga!

Dating your dead sisters fiancé? This covers a pretty heavy topic and it covers it wonderfully. This isn't my favorite manga, but it definitely left me thinking.

For Libraries: Nothing in this is inappropriate or excessive for a teen collection, but it is definitely part of the new adult genre in terms of themes.