SUMMARY This tale of forbidden fruit is ripe with angst and taboo. Nineteen year
old college girl Kasumi is traveling in Italy after a painful breakup.
In Rome, she meets a handsome Japanese man and, knowing nothing about
him, not even his name, she has a one-night stand with him. There should
have been no chance of them meeting again, but when Kasumi gets back to
Japan, she learns that fate has played a cruel trick! The man she slept
with was Yoshiki...her younger brother!! And that's only the start of
it...
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| Kasumi x Yoshiki |
MY THOUGHTS : I found this title on accident surfing around looking at random Manga to read. I stumbled upon a damn emotional gold mine. For the record I'm not into incest but I am open minded enough to see how it can be an issue in life as a hardship and something a lust of the uncontrolled. I've got family that are first cousins and are loved, respected and down right hated. In real life your family, your blood is nothing attractive unless there is something deficient in that person/yours mind, psyke whatever you want to call it. Its justified only by the two who attract meaning they were defiecient in some other area. That's my take and what I've had to deal with. Love is an unstoppable force that moves us more than anyother emotion or feeling.
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| Yoshiki X Kasumi |
Love cannot truly be defined. It's whats comes from the action or the result that is the most interesting thing to me.
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| Sibling Passion |
I am not interested in incest but the idea has come up in anime and manga and has driven me to read and collect such things over time.
Koi Kaze was one of my anime titles that has to do with incest. Though its more of a age difference incest. It deals with the same problems. What will the people around you think, say or do. Your family is the one who this inflicts on the most. The shame felt. The loss of future. It must be the same as when you tell your parents that you are attracted to the same sex. Though I wouldn't buch it up together now a days. Our societies are much more open to a gay and lesbian cultures than they were in say 1999. Incest has a whole other element to it being that there is a slight chance that you could live a normal life. Get married and have normal children.The other percentage being true hell when everything thing you do is wrong or shunned or denied because you are siblings. Most of it was frowned upon after what we learned from royalty. Trying to keep blood in the family. Their results were very unforgiving.
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| Yuka still can't believe her kids are in love |
Inbreeding has been going on since the beginning of time. Depending on your beliefs or theories of how humanity has came to be, Incest has been apart of that at some point in time. So this is all more of a social taboo rather than me lumping gay and lesbian ideas in there. The anime
Red Garden also has a sad incest twist at the end.
Old boy was also tale of incest. Anyway......
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| Kasumi is such a troublemaker. |
THE MANGA: It starts out about a girl who has gone to Rome after breaking up with a guy. She wanders town and into a excavation site. Accidentally steping and breakeking what sound like a vase cracking She is yelled at by a Japanese man in Italian. Kasumi calls him rude sees what she has done, then leaves. The next day she encounters the man again. He is washing windows. They spot eachother through the window. Turns out he lost his part time job and the excataion site because it He instists that she buys him lunch. The two have food. While eating the stranger says the wrong thing which upsets Kasumi. She then runs off. The stranger notices that she ran down a bad area and gives chase. Calling out "Wait!" He catches Kasumi and tells her that she is in a dangerous area, that there are thieves that prey on tourist here. At that moment two robbers comes barreling their way. Kasumi and the stranger are cornered. he jumps in front of her and tells the theives that he has no money. The robbers want the girl. The stranger does not back down. The stranger gets beat until people who hear the scuffle show up and scare away the robbers. Kasumi thanks the stranger.
The stranger then holds Kasumi in his arms and says "you are so troublesome I can't let you go. They then passionalty make love.
It flashes forward to Kasumi with her mother at what looks to be Japan. Her mother is a business woman who is very busy overseas. She has been divorced for 15 years. She tells Kasumi that she is back because of Kasumi's father. Kasumi's father has died and that they must attend the funeral.. She also tells her that Kasumi has a sibling that has been living with the father. Shocked at the news that she has a sibling the two look through some photo albums for the sibling finding only one. a little girl who called Kasumi "big sister". At the funeral Kasumi sees the old house that she grew up in and the trees she used to play neear. She then starts to remember the sibling she would play with. She looks near the tree and sees the stranger from Rome.
He calls out "Kasumi!" Kasumi's mother then walks up and says I'm glad you've been introduced this is Yoshiki. Yoshiki is your sibling Kasumi. Kasumi is shocked.
Back at the apartment Kasumi's mother insists that the two should stay in this apartment. That She has to go back overseas. Kasumi freaks out about it saying that Yoshiki would never......"I'm fine with it" Yoshiki says and there begins the first chapter of
Tsumi Ni Nureta Futoshi.
I started on the second chapter because I figured the first chapter was already wrapped up from the summary. I sat down around 8pm and read for about 12 solid hours getting to chapter 38. I had assumed that that was the end and It was going to be a quick love story. I was wrong. I searched around and found that chapter 39-50 had been translated as well. I spent even more time reading until it was nearly noon. I get to chapter 50 and do i find? It ends. The translation stops right as Kasumi gets taken away. My heart breaks. It's unfair. I didn't know what I was getting into.
The manga started in 1999 and ended in 2005 according to the books. the internet says different. Strangly I can't find much on this story. Not many English speakers have read this or even heard of the series. the translation i was following was very good as in the emotional rollercoaster it put me through was easy enough to follow but when it stopped it was like my heart just sank. Stricken with grief I finished out the remainder of the manga in raw format. I know enough to to what was happening so that i could finish the manga.
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| Finally |
The Ending is as they have put bittersweet. What else could it have been. This is much different than some of the shoujo stuff I have read. A lot of it lovy dovey a lot sad a lot funny but Tsumi Ni Nureta Futoshi showed me or rather
Kitagawa Miyuki has shown me that shoujo manga can be more than just girly romance fluff, it can be more powerful than any other medium or what the mainstream is so mindlessly hooked on every season. She has made me a fan. Hopefully now that I've been woken up to this I can find more to see and feel like I never thought possible. If you get into this series and want to talk, I'll be here. Don't hesitate to contact me.
THE CHARACTERS :
Kasumi : Main Sister
Yoshiki :Main Brother
Kazuki: Kasumi's childhood friend 15 years
Kyoko: Yoshiki's friend 15 years
Yuka: Kasumi's and Yoshiki's Mother
Andou-Ren: Yuka's assistant
In Japan as of Vol 16 she has sold over 450 million copies of the manga
(all volumes). It is now 2014 and I get to go back and read all her
great stuff. Chapter 51 of the online manga translation should be out in
a couple days. It is being translated as of April 11 2014. I can't wait
to fully take in the rest in English.
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| This is the big one. |
Kasumi says earlier on that She could have left and never seen him again
but she chose to face it. She chose to face HELL for the love she had
found in Yoshiki. Which is very powerful stuff.
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| Kasumi X Yoshiki Happiness |
I don't want to give away the end but it ends with the two looking back at this picture.I sat and read all 3500 pages in one sitting. It wasn't easy and emotionally damaging but I loved every minute of it. I'll revisit it again and again until I get my fill. I'm waiting for the scan translations to continue with ch 51. It is currently on route.
There is a ton of explicit situations that can give a knee jerking reaction. I came into this series desensitized to it all. I've seen some bad shit. It did get into my head about Kasumi sleeping around so much. Yoshiki hears of it but ignores it until he witnesses Kasumi and Ren in the tub and hears from her mouth that she wants more. He then exclaim's what he heard "You do fly to any Man...." Wow. What the hell. Kasumi's eyes had never opened so wide. This is taken from context though. You'd have to know what was going on. It's fucked. These two siblings are put through Hell.
I'll liken the sibling situation to the end of
BERSERK, the end of
MONSTER and the rush felt from
Death Note. They go though so much that my heart ached at one point in time. Not sobbing or a good cry, actual heartbreak anguish. It still lingers as I went and made this blog post. I'm lovin it though.
THE HIGHLIGHTS : + Chapters [WIP]
Kasumi meeting Yoshiki (Ch .1)
Kazuki confesses to Kasumi
Kyoko and Yoshiki break up
Yoshiki and Kasumi sleep together
Kasumi sleeps with Kazuki
Yoshiki sleeps with Kyoko
Kyoko finds out about the siblings
Kazumi finds out about the siblings
Kasumi realizes it can never work and separates
Yoshiki says I'm coming your place to make love to you. Leave and I'll forget you (Ch 11)
Yoshiki finds Kasumi at home
Yoshiki and Kasumi reunite
The sibling now have to tell Yuka
Yoshiki tells mom that he moved out.
The siblings sleep around on each other
Yoshiki and Kasumi reunite
The two siblings split up Kasumi says going to see mother.
Kazuki tried to follow but Kasumi actually went to Rome again
Yoshiki is back in Rome for a Job and the Two meet again
Yoshiki and Kasumi sleep together
Kazuki that was looking for Kasumi has missed her. But sees Yuka
Kazuki tells Yuka about Siblings, Yuka laughs it off.
Kazuki is back in Japan, Tells Kasumi that he told Yuka everything
Yuka sneaks up on Yoshiki and Kasumi about have sex, say they are rehearsing for a play.
Kasumi can't wait to see Yoshiki after work.
Kyoko sneaks into bed with drunk Yoshiki
Kyoko claims Yoshiki is the father of her baby
Kyoko trips in front of Kasumi down a flight of stairs
Kyoko admits Kasumi did not push.
Kyoko miscarries.
Kyoko had baby with another but used it to make Kasumi jealous
Kasumi didn't wish it but wished it.
Yuka tries to introduce new men to Kasumi
Yoshiki and Kasumi get serious
Yuka takes Kasumi to New York
Yoshiki interviens and swoops Kasumi
Yoshiki tells Yuka to go back alone, Kasumi will live with him.
Yoshiki gives Kasumi an engagement ring.
Kazuki Dies in car accident Kasumi lives
Kasumi sees visions of Kazuki, claims to be her guardian angel.
Yoshiki freaks out that he almost lost Kasumi
After Kazuki's funeral Yoshiki makes love to Kasumi under sakura blossoms.
Kasumi dissappears.
Kasumi goes back to New York to live with Yuka
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Kasumi meets Yuka's assistant Ren
Kasumi wants new surroundings sleeps with Ren
Kasumi likes no emotional baggage/ urns for Yoshiki
Yuka want Ren and Kasumi to marry
Kasumi goes back to Japan to settle everything, Quit job, kazuki's grave
Ren is sent by Yuka to bring back Kasumi
Yuka says do not let Yoshiki see Kasumi
Yoshiki talks to Kasumi (Kasumi is in the phone booth outside)
Yoshiki looks for Kasumi
Kasumi returns to apt/ Yoshiki is waiting
Kasumi says it's over and drops what sounds like a ring onto the floor
Ren goes to apt and finds Kasumi/ they head back to New York
Yoshiki knows Kasumi has the ring on and goes after Kasumi
Kasumi sees Yoshiki
Yoshiki gets one last goodbye/convinces her to runaway
Ren loses Kasumi
Ren has Kasumi's passport from train
Yoshiki and Kasumi are going to run off together (Suicide)
Ren calls about passport/ meets Kasumi and Kiddnapps her
Kasumi goes back to New York
Yoshiki knows Kasumi doesn't have passport comes to New York
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Kasumi comes to and can't find passport
Yuka wants Kasumi and Ren to marry quickly
Ren screws Kasumi
Ren says he's in love with Yuka, will marry Kasumi just to make Yuka happy.
Kasumi gets call from Yoshiki
Yoshiki says he's Fed up../ Kasumi drops phone doesn't hear everything.
Kasumi feels alone cuts wrist
Yoshiki finds Kasumi near car says "fed up" and she runs again.
Kasumi and Ren with Yuka and Kyoko at wedding
Yoshiki busts in tells Kasumi the whole message
Cops hauls Yoshiki away as planned by Ren
Yuka postpones wedding to get Yoshiki out
Yoshiki needs family to release him from jail
Kasumi admits she is elder sister.
The siblings make out in front of Yuka and then jump out 14 floor window
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The hospital area becomes like how Death Note was presented, as a thrill. There is a rush of activity, of anxiety. Yoshiki can no longer move at this point
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Kasumi wakes up in hospital, Yoshiki is in coma
Kasumi unharmed doesn't want to be separated from Yoshiki. (ch 44)
Kyoko sneaks in , unplugs Yoshiki, watches him die
Kasumi intervenes/exclaims proudly that Yoshiki is hers and hers alone
Yoshiki now awake
Yoshiki and Kasumi sleep together /doctors and nurses are creeped out. (NYC)
Yuka says she has amnesia she never had two children
Tricks Kasumi into leaving the room.
Yuka brings food trys to seperate the siblings
Kyoko, Ren and Yuka all plan on seperating the siblings
Ren says that Yuka is doing great at faking amnesia
Kasumi gets convinced that she must seperate from Yoshiki
Yoshiki shocks Kasumi as he is out of bed and walking around w crutches.
Kasumi looks for passport, Kasumi and Yoshiki unite Yoshiki found passport.
Yuka and Ren enter the room. Admits that amnesia was a ruse.
Kasumi calls it unforgivable
Yuka fed up stabs at Yoshiki hits Kyoko
Kyoko now in hospital wants to keep scar anything to anger Kasumi
Yuka gets wedding approved in Japan without Kasumi's consent.
Yuka and Ren grab Kasumi and go back to Japan.
Leaving Yoshiki in New york with Kyoko.
Yoshiki tries to board flight almost does but is denied from Americans (Ch. 50)
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This is where the translations stopped and is in progress
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Kyoko burns Yoshiki's passport.
Yoshiki Calls Kasumi to no avail
Ren rapes Kasumi
Yoshiki gets Kasumi on phone/Ren rapes Kasumi while on phone with Yoshiki
Yoshiki endures the call
Yoshiki makes deal with Kyoko to go back to Japan
Kasumi gets call from lobby
Yoshiki and Kasumi reunite, but with Kyoko's promise
Kasumi and Yoshiki get heavy
Ren interviens and rapes Kasumi, Kasumi starts to throw up, thinks she is pregnant
Kyoko brings the kit/Kasumi is pregnant
The siblings stay in Yoshiki's room
Yoshiki must announce that Kyoko and Yoshiki are as one.
Yoshiki says he loves Kasumi
Ren Intervenes gets punched
The sibling disappear
Kasumi looks at maturnity clothesKasumi goes to a clinic gets an abortion
The siblings meet at playground sees the siblings, say they are happy
Kasumi sees wedding let out.
Yoshiki and Kasumi have a mock wedding.
Yoshiki gets hauled away, forced to let go of Kasumi
Kasumi goes to police
Police says Yoshiki has died
Kasumi freaks out
Kasumi retuns to see proof of body in morgue
The burnt passport that kyoko burned is all that is shown.
Kasumi smiles when she see the corpse
Kasumi breaks down wishing for Yoshiki, Has hallucinations of Yoshiki
Yoshiki then walks up and hugs and kisses her through bars.
Yoshiki and Kasumi can now love each other
Everyone moves on with their lives.
Ends with The two looking at their wedding picture.
END
That last half is what i got out of the raw. Only by the translation will we have the actual end.
It looks to me like Yoshiki died but he held her in his arms and they kissed at the end. But the Burnt passport and the fact the don't show the body in the morgue is proof enough to think he is alive. Then again he is on the grave side of the bars. Whatever. It's def an odd way to end such a great series of novels. If I were to fully learn japanmese this is the kind of work I would be doing. This series is only 9 years old now. Hopfully some one takes interest in the future. Stranger things have happened.
I seen on Amazon.com that It was licensed in French. Amazon has 15 volumes of the Manga. I was thinking the best I could do would be to get the French version and backwards translate to them all to English. That is rough though and would only get us a bit further in the story. If the french publisher Akiko had not gone bankrupt I would have had the means to translate them all. I dream of the day I get to understand the story better. I will read through the whole series a few more times to fill in the highlights.
I read this on Manga updates
"From volume 9 to the ending the main focus of the series is shifted to
their mother's (Yuka) efforts to separate them, the siblings eventually
become so feed up with their predicaments that they reveal their
relationship to the guests of their omais right in front of the church,
trying to break their marriages with Ren & Kyoka, but their mother
still won't allow them freedom; the kids secretly agree to meet in Rome
to escape from it all. When Kasumi arrives there she can't find Yoshiki,
and gets contacted by the police with the message "we need you to
verify the identity of a corpse". Kasumi suffers greatly while gathering
strength to even see the corpse, sulking in denial... Funerals for
Yoshiki are held in Rome and Kasumi breaks up all ties with her mother
& every body else, wanting to stay in Rome permanetly.
As
some of you my already have guessed, in the aftermath of the service
& when everybody is gone, Kasumi was still suffering about this in
the place where she first meet with Yoshiki, at which point he shows
kissing her, revealing how he used some aquitances to fake his deadly
accident, with that said they finally embrace each other enjoying the
knowledge that now no one is standing between them, Yoshiki doesn't miss
the chance to kindly whisper "I love you". The next scene is a portrait
of their marriage, being exhibited as propaganda in a store that sells
bridal items. "
Thats what I figured That they got away from everyone so that they could love each other forever. Fantastic.
