Never heard of them before?
I really can't blame you. Getting news about them is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. But if you ever had the luck to come across one of their songs it won't be easy to stop searching for more. At least that's what happened to me when I listened to She's the sunshine for the very first time. I was sitting there in front of my PC and as I let the music flow to my ears there was very little I could do. it hit me straight to the heart. Then I discovered World on Fire and Shattered. It was then that I was done for ever. I don't know how it happened but I knew it just happened. The trading Yesterday won me over with their music. Really. I mean it. Now, I can't stop listening to their songs.
But like I said there isn't much about them on the net. All I could find was a page on Myspace, a paragraph on Wikipedia and a YouTube channel ( thank goodness for that).
Of course the fact that the band doesn't exist anymore doesn't help either :( . (Or better, they renamed themselves The Age of Information in 2007.) That said, I think that the band and more specifically their CD More than This does deserve a lot more credit and recognition. David Hodges who is the lead singer was also in Evanescence and co-wrote songs like My Immortal and Bring me to life.. enough said.

Yay. New BGI wallpaper downloadable from the Betsucomi website. Available in 800x600 and 1024x768. Click on the pic to get yours :)

Oh I am so trilled. I have been looking for months and months hoping to find a scanlation of this manga and no matter how hard I searched I couldn't find a group working on this. Well the search is over. *yay* and finally chapter 1 has been released -obviously the chapter came out when I was offline, but who cares- and is availabe to read now!

So what's the story is all about? Here's a short synopsis from Rebellious Love the scanlation group ( my new heroes!!)

During her summer break before entering high school, Mimori Ichigo goes to her grandmother's house near the ocean. There, she helps out at her grandmother's shop. One day while walking her grandmother's dog in the evening, she meets a boy named Kouki. They meet again, but this time she also meets Kouki's cousin named Taika. For some odd reason Kouki has no memory of when they met and Taika begs her to not tell him either. Later, she and Kouki sneak out to watch the fireworks, but they separate dramatically. When Ichigo goes to high school, coincidentally, Kouki and Taiga are also there, but they have no memory of her. Is it true or are they just faking it? If so, why lie?

just can't wait to read more!!!
In Japan the manga is serialised in Betsucomi, yes guys the same magazine that publishes Bokura ga ita

for chapter 1 this way

Guys I'm sure you know already what a big fan of Bokura ga ita I am and how deeply I love the story and its characters. And just for this very reason I, together with you all BGI lovers, have endured the poignancy, the controversy and complexity of such an entangling and delicate plot. We've learnt to appreciate every single character for their strenghts as well as their weaknesses. To some, we've also forgiven a lot ( oh how merciful we are) because We've become attached to them. We also managed to digest incredible twists and tragedies and bear (im)patiently a long wait hanging onto a dreadful cliffhanger for over a year. In a nutshell we've been through it all and we made it through. Yes, we made it to chapter 52!!!!. So now, the least we could get as a reward is an explanation.We deserve it. And if we don't deserve it I demand it anyway. Seriously.

Very well then, Let's start with Yano. *points finger* Yes you, Yano. I can accept the fact that you had a hard life. You needed a break from it all and off you went someplace else to put your past behind. I can accept that. I can also get past the fact that in doing so you completely abandoned your loved ones. You cut them out your life without a word or an apology . It's a very cruel thing to do but I can live with that. I can also get over the fact that you keep lying to yourself and the people around you neglecting your own feelings and hurting everyone as a result.
What i don't get is what the heck did you do with the furry jacket you were wearing at the airport in chapter 51? Seriously, when did you get changed??

the issue is very strange indeed but let's give the guy the benefit of the doubt. In that chapter we only see the back of someone who Nanami assumes is Yano. We don't know if it's really him or not. Nana might have picked the wrong guy after all.




But wait what about Nana herself?? We sure know what girl was wearing in chapter 51 and -look!- she did it too!!! The dress looks the same but the pattern's gone... Even the boots seem somewhat different..but *hey* the big change is the scarf. Not only is tied differently but is of another model and colour as well.. Oh and what about the hair. Side pony tail on one chapter and big bun on the next.. yay

Well, sure the guys had enough time to update their style during the hiatus LOL. And I'm far too happy to have the manga back to be take this lack of continuity seriosly. Besides I love Yano and Nana' new outfits and I think that overall they look much better ( although i loved Nana side pony tail!!!).
Anyway please forgive me for this total waste of time. Just felt to write something not depressing about chapter 52....

So here we are. after a whole year spent waiting for BGI to come off the hiatus here I am posting about the (in)famous chapter 52 a month (or so) after its release...oh dear. Why did it take me so long ? Well being unable to access the blog for several days sure didn't help. Yes, but also I needed some time to digest the story myself obviously after i got it translated ( thanks again to Suifantasy for her precious help with this). Now I can officially declare, this is the saddest, the most heartbreaking BGI chapter I've come accross so far.
In fairness, I knew the meeting between Nanami and Yano wasn't going to be an easy one- Obata sensei said it herself - but I never expected Yano to be so blunt about it !
All this time...all this time my defense to Yano's behaviour was based on the very fact that he avoided any contact with Nana because he was still in love with her.

It is a very twisted logic but try to follow me ^_^.

1. Yano has been through what he has been through and covinces himself he needs to put his past behind him.
   
2. So he pushes Nanami into his bestfriend' arms because he thinks that's the best thing he could do for her and vanishes but -and for me that was a big *gigantic* but-
   
3. He never actually managed to face Nanami and break up with her for good. Why not? because the boy knows deep inside he still has feelings for her ( late night birthday cake shopping ~anyone?).

The the lack of contact made completely sense to me up until now. I was sure that there was a limit to Yano's ability to lie about his own feelings, that being telling to Nanami's face he didn't love her anymore.
Chapter 52 shattered this certainty into tiny tiny pieces. *sigh*

I am pretty sure that the interenet is full of websites hosting the chapter in question. I got mine from skyfire (in chinese) some time ago. However in the comments to my previous post, Conqueror very kindly added a link to mangahelpers. so I am going to link this instead because you can download the raws more easily. *Thanks*

So the chapter opens continuing the same scene from chapter 51 ( no it's not the airport scene yet). Take went to Yano's place and *surprise surprise* found Yuri Yamamoto instead.
Take asks her if she's living together with Yano. He remembers when he met her at the train station, shortly after Yano's mother died. He asked her if he knew Yano's whereabouts but she completely ignored the question . Take couldn't help but saying she had to decieve Yano somehow to get to live with him.
Yuri seems quite puzzled by this remark and asks why is so hard to believe she is here now.
She said she is been living here for sometime. Then a dog enters the room wagging its tail and Yamamoto reaches for a box of food to feed the pet. Take recognises the dog "That's Lalami" Yamamoto looks quite impressed. In fact, She was never told that Yano got Lalami by Take himself. Takeuchi looked at Yuri quite surprised. Then, after a brief pause he asks " So, what kind of relationships do you guys have?"
Yamamoto, howver, doesnt seem too keen to give any explanation and doesnt like such an inquisitive tone. Truth is that Take finds hard to believe the whole situtation
“That day, that summer, that guy told me he was going to abandon the past. I believed him, bacause he disppeared in front of me after that. “He abandoned, not only me, but also Takahashi, but why…?!”

* flips the coffee table and the cup on top of it*

“… is it you two now?”

At the airport ( gosh I cannot believe I am writing about this!)

Nanami stands still watching Yano *a few steps away from her* walking towards the check in point.
I had a dream… that scene kept repeating countless times in my mind…
Was I laughing? Was I crying? Was I angry?
And him… with what expression in his eyes was he looking at me?
Nanami, with watery eyes, calls out his name. "YANO"
Yano stops and looks back ( those panels showing Yano turning back in slow motion style here are just a killer !!)
They look at eachother for a handful of seconds. There is a close up showing Yano expression is well shocked. Then he says " Takahashi? Is that you?"
Nanami thinks to herself, It really is Yano.. his smile hasn't changed.
Yano continues: "Wow, this is a surprise. What are you doing here, travelling?"
Nanami is so overwhelmed she can't hold back the tears and starts crying.
Yano smiling : Are you alright?
Nanami (still sobbing):Yes, I'm ok, I'm fine
Everything was just like the dream excpet for these words
"Well it's about boarding time, I'll better get going. Take care " concluded Yano with a smile and walked away.
( personal note here. I totally expected this kind of reaction from Yano. he's obviously shocked and he's trying to make a quick exit before the situation gets to difficult to handle....)

However, Nanami could not believe he was already gone. She tries to run after him but gets knocked on the ground by a passenger and her small kid..... (lol)

Back at Yano's house.
Takeuchi and Yuri are kneeled to the floor tidying up the mess caused by his outburst. Take looks profoundly embarassed but Yuri tells him to not worry about it. She knows that Take hasn't changed and at heart he's a good and caring person. Takeuchi hasn't changed at all. Yano did. However she tells him not to get mad at Yano because it's only a good lie. The conversation is interrupted by Take's phone ringing. After a moment of hesitation Take scratches his head and tells Yuri that Nana is at the airport to meet Yano. Yamamoto seems totally unfazed to hear that. Takeuchi can't refrain from asking her " Doesn't it bother you at all?"

The scene cuts to moments later when Take is at the door about to leave. Yamamoto asks Take if he will still drop by again, he says yes, because he wants to see Yano, maybe after he’s back from his trip. Take then confesses that he doesn't hate her. What she did wasn’t enough yet for him to hate her, that if he said anything that hurts her today, he’s sorry for it and he didn’t mean it.
Before he walks away, Yamamoto wants to tell him a “secret”
“That person, he always says he hates me. he says he doesnt like me but then he won't leave me ."
So even when he says he hates me more and more, I know that, somehow, he loves me” (personal note here : this girl has a logic more twisted than mine!!!!)
Then She also gives him an advice. "If you really love Nana, you should stop her before she gets hurt". He will lie to her too." concluded Yuri smiling.

At the airport lobby,
Yano is sitting all by himself, looking quite moody and pensive. His mind is lost in his memories of Nana from the highschool years. He takes a deep breath and is about to stand from his seat. and as soon as his raises his head he sees Nanami standing in front of him.
Yano: “What are u doing here?”
Nana: “I bought a ticket… there are some things I have to ask you”
“Why you didnt want to see me anymore? Or… you don’t like me anymore? You could have at least contacted me.”
Nana’s feet was trembling while saying this.“Is it true...?”
Yano: “Takahashi, I don't have feelings for you anymore, I'm sorry. Are u satisfied if I put it like this?” ( *heart shatters in pieces* personal note: Yano, that is so cruel!!! *runs away in tears*)
Nanami is surprised to notice that although he still looked the same he had changed somehow . “You are like a different person…”
Yano: “I am a different person. Its been five years… anyone will change. Takahashi must have changed too.”
Nana: “So that’s how it is… Did I… change? …”
Yano: "I don't know."
Nanami's eyes are filled with tears. Yano looks at her. Then he adds: It's better if we don't see eachother again, don't you think? I prefer a beautiful ending.

Nana talks to herself: “So that’s how it is… this is the way he wants keep his promise, then… the only thing I can do is…”
Yano: “Then... I’ll better leave…
Nana: “Wait…”
“Give me… the last words of goodbye … let’s end this beautifully…”
Yano: “Alright…”So he kneels to the ground
“Be safe, be happy…”
Nana: “Yano too… I am sorry I wasn’t able to be there… at Yano’s most painful times. This is my only regret...” . once again her eyes are full of tears and Yano gently wipes them with his hand . (this scene GETS ME everytime! *on the verge of tears*)
“ Takahashi please don't apologise, it’s not ur fault… You have done nothing wrong, … I love the high school times the most, there are so many beautiful memories. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have such a happy high school life.
Memories are also alive, Takahashi. They will also grow up… so whenever you feel lonely, just close your eyes… this way… whenever you want, we will meet…”
"Well" concludes Yano "I have to go now". So he leaves

Meanwhile
Take watches a dog playing with some kids and remembers about him and Yano playing with Lalami back in highschool. That time, Yano said Nana dumped him. . Take told him he was sorry to hear that but Yano asked why he was sorry about this, because it was obvious it wasn’t over yet… he said: “I like Takahashi and so does she . We told each other that so many times. Is there any reason to break up?”
Take now thinks to himself : “Is it because back then, we were still young?”. He then looks at his mobile.

Were it starts… is where it ends… memories are also alive
Nana receives a message from Take: “Let's talk…”
She stands in the middle of the road...and covers her eyes with her hands
Whenever you feel lonely… close your eyes...

Yano dressed in his happi coat: “Nana, u don’t believe me right I told there is forever.”
Nana: “I believe in man who believes in forver… really.”
Yano: “Whatever it is… fate… tarot cards… destiny… miracle… fortune teller… I believe in all of them. 3 seconds superstition, food that fell on the floor, if u eat them within 3 secs then its alright! ”
Nana: “Whats that… so weird. After the whole talk, u’re just teasing me!”

One day, they will all become memories

Chapter 53 out on the 13 of August ( the day before my birthday, yay!!)

PS Apologies for any unspotted spelling mistakes. The spellchecker has decided to disert me!

Yesss. shortly after chapter 47 Jshojo upped chapter 48 plus the final bonus chapter ! I think I could never thank the guys of the Jshojo team enough for this treat. I wasn't expecting the scanlations to be released so fast and I am even more thrilled because I was dying to read the red riding hood bonus chapter. Quite a bitter ending if you ask me particularly for Yano, the not-so-bad-wolf. Since this short story simply reflects what the main plot has been showing us so far ( well at least up to chapter 48) I guess it could not have been otherwise. Anyway let's hold our breath as little riding hood's wishful thought my come true, this is a fairy tale after all ^_^