Summer is upon us wherever you are in the northern hemisphere. We know there are a lot of great summer traditions to fill our days like barbeques and beach trips We think that probably one of the best has to be a fireworks festival. We mean where else can you walk around stuffing yourself with junk food, play cheap games, and catch a spectacular show. Oh, this event is also one of a special occasion where you can have a group date that turns into date-date since fireworks can be romantic.
As mentioned from the title above, we’re going to focus on the firework scene, but it isn’t just about the display, but rather the entire experience for the characters and readers based on the context behind the development and the result of the event. It can be romantic, funny, or something serious. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Honorable Mention
Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu (Komi Can't Communicate)
- Mangaka: Oda, Tomohito
- Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Shounen, Slice of Life
- Volumes: 17
- Published: May 2016 - Ongoing
Komi-san is a beautiful and admirable girl. The entire school wouldn’t dare to approach her as she is out of their league. However, Tadano Hitohito knows the real reason behind her actions: she is bad at communicating with others. This is a story of how Komi-san improves herself with Tadano’s help.
The chapter begins with Tadano, Rumiko and Komi were asked to help out in a yakisoba stall during the firework festival. Of course, with the power of Komi’s beauty, the queue for yakisoba becomes longer and the owner goes crazy and experiences burnout. If you think about it, working in a place where you will get to meet all kinds of customers will help you get out of your comfort zone and shyness, while practicing communication. Most importantly, seeing their smiles.
As for the firework scene, you can’t help but think that it is lacking, along with the expressions of supporting characters on the same page. But, before the fireworks kick in, there was something wrong with Komi-san… in terms of feelings, man that Komi-sain can be a mystery.
5. Tsukushite Agemasu (When the Fireworks End, My Hysterical Girl)
- Mangaka: Touma, Rei
- Genres: Romance, School, Shoujo, Gender Bender
- Volumes: 1
- Published: November 2007
Yuzuko is a positive, charming girl with a case of verbal incontinence. She has a habit of putting her foot in her mouth and one time when her insensitivity begins to show she is saved by a gorgeous maid from a maid café. She soon finds out that the maid goes to her high school and is none-other than Itsuki. He is dressed as a maid and is trying to become the most popular maid at his father’s Maid & Butler café. This is a love story showered with maid costumes. This series includes “When the Fireworks End” and “My Hysterical Girl” one-shots.
The chapter that we will be focusing on in this manga would be “When the Fireworks End”. Yukino is a shy girl with strict parents when it comes to her education. She was invited by her classmates for fireworks. So she had to skip cram school in order to go. We often see stories lead the characters to spend playing with fireworks with their friends somewhere at the beach or lodging in a mountain. In this case, this often depicted event took place on a beach but with only two characters. Maybe it is because of the lack of distractions from what is going on around them, we get to read the thoughts and views from Yukino had toward Natsuno. The deep meaning of this one-shot about how the fireworks impacted this occasion.
4. Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! (Tomo-chan is a Girl!)
- Mangaka: Yanagida, Fumita
- Genres: Comedy, Romance, School
- Volumes: 8
- Published: April 2015 – July 2019
Tomo Aizawa and Junichirou Kubota are like brothers to each other, not related by blood. They always got each other’s back. However, Aizawa is in love with Kubota. In Kubota’s eyes, Tomo is a tomboy. Because he is dense, he didn’t notice the hints, including her confessions. To make things matter worst, he didn’t notice that she is a girl. Who would win brozone or love?
Just in case you readers have a crush toward someone in a good way, always have a friend or two to make sure no one interrupts your attempt to confess. You may never know who would disrupt your plans. When Aizawa began her attempt, we were on the edge of the seat, looking for the confession, but of course, it had to be plot get in the way. Damn you plot! Fear overtook her mind, leading her to overthink things and result in suspending her second confession on the same day! We know we know, confession is difficult to execute in real life due to several things, but you have to consider the fact that there may be other people who had the same interests as you.
3. Kimi ga Kirai na Koi no Hanashi (A Story of an Unlikely Love)
- Mangaka: Mizuki, Sora
- Genres: Romance, School, Shoujo
- Volumes: 2
- Published: August 2017 – March 2018
Chihiro Hiyoshi is an exact definition of a female anime girl of “Yes Man”. She always accepts tasks given by her friends and teachers. During one of the tasks, she stumbles and falls on top of a sleeping boy. His name is Risa Kisaragi. He has poor attendance rates and lazy—the polar opposite of Chihiro.
Okay, we’re just going to take a step back and appreciate the full-on display both characters with Yukatas. Compared to other titles here on the list, this chapter focuses more on the experience of the fireworks festival as a couple instead of friends. Although, the interesting part is that the couple is a combination of sun and moon. Even if they missed watching the large scale fireworks, they still have a special moment together.
2. Nidome no Natsu Nidoto Aenai Kimi
- Mangaka: Akagi, Hirotaka (Story) and Minamoto, Motomi (Art)
- Genres: Drama, Romance, Shounen
- Volumes: 2
- Published: December 2016 – September 2017
Moriyama Rin was born with an incurable disease. Shimehara Satoshi is in love with the girl who spent the entire high school life hiding that fact. They spent the last moments of their school festival together until her very last breath. Filling with regrets, Satoshi experiences a time leap and meets Rin for the second chance. What kind of decisions will Satoshi make for this second chance?
This manga is a bit hard to swallow: knowing that the person you love is reaching the end of life is scary. You may not even know how to approach them even though you are in love with each other. Rin doesn’t know that Satoshi is aware of her condition and her approach in this scene is surprisingly different from the past, which got us a bit mad but we have to understand the circumstances. Would they spend a memorable time with someone special even if one of them is at death’s door? The manga shows what it feels like to see fireworks from a different distance, angle and positions as we take in everything about a fleeting moment.
1. Amano Megumi wa Sukidarake!
- Mangaka: Nekoguchi
- Genres: Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, School Life, Shounen
- Volumes: 20
- Published: August 2015 – Ongoing
Shindo Manabu is a high school student in the Elite school and his goal to enroll into Tokyo University. He is a hardworking student and focuses on his goal. That is until his childhood friend, neighbor, and schoolmate from a Sports Course, Amano Megumi starts to distract him. To him, Amano is more like a tomboy and he notices how developed she has become and how she shows her body in an unladylike manner. Can Shindo ever hope to reach his goal while avoiding distractions from Manabu? Will her feelings get into his heart?
Do you ever feel or wonder what happens when a male character, who is super introvert, who prioritizes studying instead of spending fun and quality time with an attractive schoolgirl? At that, we just… sigh. But luckily Shindo’s family prompted him to go with Amano. We feel bad for Amano as she tries hard in a subtle way to experience this event with Manabu as if they are couples.
Despite that situation, Amano receives appreciation from Shindo and she is satisfied with that for now. Different types of fireworks are launched and displayed full-on, about 80% of a page. If someone on the internet managed to make a color version of that page, you’re a legend. Also, please wear something underneath that one piece of cloth. You will know what we meant when you read it.
Final Thoughts
To us, the firework is a special occasion where we can get to relax and enjoy the night along with families, friends, or significant other. Some might not have a chance to purchase fireworks depending on circumstances, but it is a good chance of pace for you. It was difficult for us to search for fireworks scenes in the manga as of now, but we hoped that these selections would suffice to help you immerse into their world and experience watching fireworks along with the development between characters.
When you have a chance to join a fireworks festival, go for it. You might get to see and experience something new and eye-opening when it comes to culture. If you know any manga titles that firework scenes, feel free to leave a comment below.
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