Towa Kamo Shirenai
Towa Kamo Shirenai ("Maybe Forever") is an 8-tomes shoujo manga by Michiyo Akaishi, published by Shogakukan. It has both romantic and supernatural themes in its plot, which goes like this...
Kosumo Koganehara is a young girl with the bad luck of being both extremely ill and having a very rare bloodtype. Because of that, the poor kid has lived her life going from hospital to hospital, and lately she's had to go to the USA for treatment. While writing a letter, Kosumo has an horrifying seizure and must be operated, but no one can find a donor.
Few blocks away from the clinic, a Japanese girl named Himiko tries to save a child from being hit by a truck and ends up being run over. She's rushed to the same clinic, but her injuries are so serious that she just won't make it. The doctors try to save her but fail, and then they realize that they can save Kosumo by donating Himiko's blood and heart to her. They ask her guardian and companion, Hitsuji, if he would allow them to do so, and he accepts.
While Himiko dies, Kosumo is saved, and everything seems to be all right. Not only that, but soon Kosumo now more or less healthy and can come back home. However, she starts noticing that things aren't the same anymore... Demons! There are many devils targetting her and others! Why is this, though...?
The explanation is simple. Himiko wasn't a normal young woman, but a Miko and Magical Girl Warrior coming from a powerful clan. When her organs and blood were given to Kosumo, then, she inherited her powers and mission. And now Kosumo has to come to terms with it, with Hitsuji's own opinions about he deal, and the terrible dangers coming from being a heiress of the 99-th Miko, destined to save Japan from destruction by demons.
- Badass Long Hair: Hitsuji has long dark hair
- Bodyguard Crush: Hitsuji, on Himiko. And Mizuki mixes this with Unlucky Childhood Friend.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Hitsuji, via Susano-oh... his Super-Powered Evil Side of sorts.
- Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: Butterflies! Everywhere! So pretty! Wha...? Aieeeeeee!
- Came Back Wrong: Mizuki's sister, Azumi.
- Dark Action Girl: Azumi, also a Necromancer
- Driven to Suicide: Hitsuji intended to kill himself so he and Himiko could be Together in Death. He doesn't go through, once the Ikutama starts glowing...
- Earn Your Happy Ending.
- Famous Last Words: Himiko's last spoken words are "Darn, this isn't powerful enough!" after she fails to use her powers for self-protection, and her last thoughts are: "Hitsuji... we won't see each other anymore...!"
- Also, Azumi's "Older brother... I'm sorry!"
- Heart Trauma: The source of Kosumo's troubles.
 |
I have the feeling that my poor heart is a defective product, which menaces to stop... |
 |
- He Knows Too Much: Himiko's clanswomen try to kill Kosumo because of this.
- Heroic Sacrifice: By double: Himiko was fatally injured to save a little girl, and then her blood and organs were what saved Kosumo. Lampshaded by an American doctor, who refers to Himiko as "an heroine" while speaking to Hitsuji.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Kosumo really wants to live and pull through. Pity she's an Ill Girl.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Kosumo and Mizuki, to Hitsuji. Doesn't really work. Kosumo tries again later via a True Love's Kiss and succeeds.
- Later, Mizuki tries it towards Azumi, alongside a Cooldown Hug. doesn't work either, but ultimately she's exorcised by Kosumo.
- Ill Girl: Kosumo was this, to the extreme. The action starts when she gets better.
- Improvised Weapon User: Kosumo tries to protect herself and Hitsuji with a toy laser sword. It then glows and lets her channelize Himiko's powers within her.
- Invisible to Normals: The Inugami
- Jerkass Woobie: Azumi
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Hitsuji, when Brainwashed and Crazy via Susano-oh.
- Light Is Good: The light released by the Magic Mirror of Amaterasu, when Kosumo uses it against the Big Bad Tokoyo-no-Kami.
- MacGuffin: Himiko's pendant, which contains a mystical item known as the ikutama.
- Magical Girl Warrior: Himiko, and eventually Kosumo.
- Meaningful Name: Himiko's name comes from the legendary queen of Yamataikoku.
- Also, Himiko is associated often to Amaterasu, goddess of the sun. Likewise, Hitsuji's name means "sucessor of the Sun", alluding to him being in service of Himiko.
- The Messiah: Himiko, then Kosumo
- Miko
- Parental Favoritism: Kosumo feels bad for, in her own words, "monopolizing" her parents's attention. She was putting said feelings in her letter to Mirai when she had the almost fatal seizure.
- Plucky Girl: Kosumo
- Replacement Goldfish: An issue regarding Kosumo and Hitsuji.
- Say My Name: "HIMIKOOOOOOOOO!"
- Narm: ... It could've certainly been drawn less weirdly. Way to ruin the genuinely dramatic scene, Akaishi.
- Sempai-Kohai: Kosumo and Mizuki
- Shock and Awe: Himiko's thunder and lightning powers.
- Shoujo
- Tall, Dark and Handsome: Hitsuji
- Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Himiko, Hiyoshi, Azumi
- True Love's Kiss: Kosumo uses this in the end, to try debrainwashing Hitsuji. It causes his two personalities to start struggling... and when Azumi attacks Kosumo afterwards, he breaks free and protects Kosumo. Sort of a Justified Trope in this case: Kosumo deduces that she can use her Miko powers to directly debrainwash Hitsuji, but to do so she needs to have close skin contact with him. What would be better than a kiss on the mouth, huh?
- Tsundere: Kosumo starts as this. In her first meeting with Hitsuji, she scolds him for killing a butterfly in front of her (to be fair, back then she has no idea about what these butterflies are). Then she protects him without hesitation from Himiko's other subordinates... and they start bickering right there.
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: Poor, poor Mizuki.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Three in the same scene! Kosumo calls ut Hisuji first, then he gets called out by Himiko's clanswomen led by Hiyoshi, and then Kosumo calls the ladies out for their treatment of Hitsuji.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Himiko, before her death. Fitting, as she is the descendant of a clan that is very traditional in addition to its mission.
- You Have Failed Me...: Hitsuji gets told this by Hiyoshi and Himiko's other relatives.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: Well, Kosumo didn't exactly kill Himiko, but she got her heart and blood. Now she's stuck with Himiko's powers and life duty.
- Yandere: The revived Azumi, to a degree. Her desperate desire to live overrid anything else in her life, so she clings to the Brainwashed and Crazy Hitsuji like crazy.