Title: Koi Kaze
Author: Motoi Yoshida
Volumes: 5
Released: September 2001
Genre: Romance, Drama
The Plot
Koshiro Saeki’s girlfriend has just broken up with him; accusing him of being a cold man and his calm attitude towards the news makes it all the more apparent.
The next day Koshiro sees a girl on the train crying while looking at a button. As she leaves he notices the girl has dropped her wallet and runs after her to return it, finding her smiling at the falling cherry blossoms. Later that day when leaving work with a co-worker Koshiro yet again sees the same girl, and having two free tickets to a local amusement park he offers her both of them, but is surprised when she asks him to come along with her.
While riding the Ferris wheel the girl confesses that she was rejected after confessing to someone she had a crush on and Koshiro follows suit by talking about his own break up, shocked to discover himself crying while the girl comforts him.
As they leave the amusement park they both greet Koshiro’s father and are soon shocked to learn that they’re siblings; thanks to his habit of staying out all night Koshiro was unaware that his sister Nanoka would be coming to live with their father because it would be closer to her school, and thanks to their living apart they were both unaware of what the other looked like.
Although he now knows they are siblings Koshiro soon finds that the initial attraction he felt when he was unaware Nanoka was his sister continues to grow, despite his own horror and revulsion at these feelings and his attempts to repress them. Meanwhile Nanoka is developing feelings of her own.
What's Good
The idea of incest is one that usually sparks disgust in the majority of people and although the subject matter is a bit uncomfortable it is interesting to see how well the characters’ reactions are portrayed. Koshiro’s struggle to deny his feelings for his sister and his hatred for them are admirable and (at least to this reviewer) allows for a sympathetic feeling for his awkward situation. The way his attempts to act like a normal brother are conflicting with his hidden attraction result in some seemingly realistic responses, becoming flustered and angry at some times, amused and doting at others. Nanoka’s own conflicted feelings are also quite realistic and due to her young age her confusion over matters of romance are typical of a teenager.
What's bad
The obvious thing here is if you’re not willing to abide the subject of incest then this is definitely not a story for you since it is the central focus of the series, essentially portraying it in a more sympathetic light than modern society might consider proper.
The series also ends on somewhat of an unresolved note. In the sense of keeping with the story this is more realistic, since in real-life situations (especially those so controversial and awkward) are rarely resolved to such a complete degree as shown in fiction. However it can still be frustrating for someone who seeks ultimate closure recipe “a la ‘happily ever after’”.
Conclusion
While the subject matter can be viewed as taboo I would recommend this series if you feel you can handle the controversial nature and although incest is not normally seen in a positive light you can still feel somewhat sympathetic towards the two main characters, who have been thrust into a situation neither planned nor wanted in the beginning, but are now stuck dealing with the consequences the best way they can. In my humble opinion it is a sweet and touching story, although ultimately that is up to you to decide.
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