Photo by Nicole. Yazawa, Volumes 1 and 2 Cover Art, Last Quarter, Viz Media.
Last Quarter – Information
Author of Story: Ai Yazawa
Chapter Count: 2 Volumes, 15 Chapters
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below, only the literary work itself.
- Death, dying
- Illness, hospitalization
- Substance abuse
- Physical abuse
- Religious topics and references
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Last Quarter – Plot Summary
This manga follows the story of Mizuki Mochizuki, a 17-year old girl who has fallen in love with an English musician named Adam. She desperately goes to visit him—leaving her family, school, and work responsibilities behind.
Adam is her only source of happiness, but he tells her he has to leave in two weeks! When he invites her to join him, Mizuki ends up being hit by a car on her way there.
At the same time, a 5th grade student named Hotaru Shiraishi is hospitalized. She and Mizuki meet in a strange dream state of sorts, which soon leads to new relationships and a supernatural mystery at their fingertips.
Why You Should Read Last Quarter
Plot:
I’d personally say it must be difficult to write a very compelling and heartfelt story in only a few volumes, but Ai Yazawa truly pulls it off in Last Quarter.
Like any other shoujo fan, I’ve enjoyed Yazawa’s other works like Nana and Neighborhood Story, but I had actually never checked out Last Quarter until recently since Viz Media published the short series in English. Boy had I missed out!
This story grabs you by the heart and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout every single chapter. It’s suspenseful, meaningful, mysterious, and just an absolutely amazing read overall.
Last Quarter portrays romance in a pretty unique way—it isn’t your typical love story that explores the perspectives of each character and their direct interactions. Instead, Yazawa often shows the strong bond of her characters indirectly.
Even without really knowing much about the characters or their history, you can still feel the strength of their emotions through their expressions and actions throughout the plot; particularly in the case of Mizuki.
I’d say if you’re looking for a traditional love story, this manga isn’t really that. Instead, while not necessarily at the forefront of the action, the romance plays a significant role in the mystery that unravels throughout each chapter. It becomes more apparent with each revelation, and in the end feels incredibly meaningful—and, spoiler warning here, a bit tragic too, which I adore.
Outside of the romance, I feel like this series captured the beauty of all sorts of relationships, especially those that are unusual. Yazawa shows some meaningful connections between a variety of characters that would typically be unexpected… but, human emotion and empathy truly shine through in this lovely story.
I will note that Last Quarter does have a bit of a sorrowful feel throughout much of its plot, but these tones are balanced with lighthearted comedy and positivity from many of the characters.
Personally, I feel that the downcast tone throughout the series helps deliver that dramatic and youthful life-or-death feeling—that nothing else matters other than this exact moment and the feelings being experienced right then.
I don’t often get that sort of melodramatic feel from manga, but this series pulled it off very well. It reminded me of how I felt when I read MARS, although Last Quarter surprisingly achieved this emotion with a much shorter story.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this manga due to its very engaging plot and melodramatic romance!
Characters:
With only 15 chapters, there’s only so much I can say about the characters individually, especially without spoiling the story. However, I will say that for such a short story, Yazawa has managed to give depth to a large number of the characters. None of them feel really feel like supporting casts—they all play their part in the mystery and overall plot.
You’ll feel a connection with these characters in such a short time, which really just goes to show how well this series appeals to our own emotions and life experiences. They all feel so human.
Many of the characters make mistakes, struggle emotionally, and don’t always know what the “right” thing to do is—but they also deeply care for others and feel love. That’s what makes these characters have such depth, as they feel incredibly realistic, flawed, and full of emotion.
Due to their personal and shared struggles, I found these characters to be even more lovable. In fact, when the manga finished, I felt a bit left behind! Although I would have liked to see a bit more of these characters, I’m also not opposed to a sort of bittersweet ending, either.
Art:
As you may know, I adore manga styles of the 90s and 2K era. So of course I can genuinely say that I absolutely love the art in the Last Quarter manga series.
Ai Yazawa also has a pretty recognizable style, even though this manga doesn’t integrate the same level of notable fashion as her other works do (not to say the characters in this series aren’t fashionable).
The character designs are lovely, and the emotions these characters portray are always drawn so beautifully. These emotions come across so clearly in the art and fit in perfectly with the overall feel of the story. I think Yazawa has a unique talent when it comes to portraying a variety of character emotions, and it shines well through in this work, too.
The environment can at times feel a bit empty, but I think the main focus was really meant to be on the characters, anyway—so I don’t think it detracts anything from the plot or overall tone of the series.
Yazawa. Volume 1 Cover Art, Last Quarter, Viz Media.
Any Cons?
This manga is a really great read, but I fear the latter half of the story may begin to feel a little complicated for some readers. There’s a lot of names to keep track of, so pay attention when you read, haha!
Additionally, the story sort of ends without a complete or definite resolution. Although this more confusing and almost open-ended conclusion may be a con for some, I sort of like when stories leave us with a bit of mystery or uncertainty.
I like to simply wonder if Mizuki will find her happiness with her ex-boyfriend or elsewhere, if she and the kids will truly never reunite, and whether the bond the kids formed during the events of the story will last.
Other than that, I can’t really think of anything else to consider a negative for this lovely short series. Perhaps it would have been nice to learn more about Adam’s history, but I don’t think the story necessarily feels worse without that sort of addition to it. It’s very good exactly how it is!
Final Thoughts
Ai Yazawa has created a lot of iconic masterpieces that deserve their hype and recognition, but I don’t think this shorter story should go unnoticed!
The Last Quarter manga series has such a thoughtful and compelling story. It captures you with a star-crossed lovers scenario, a unique mystery, and many heartwarming connections formed between characters. I think any shoujo fan who may enjoy a more somber, dramatic romance with a very meaningful message should definitely read this!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Yazawa, Ai. Last Quarter, Viz Media, 2024.
