30 Day Manga Challenge day 09 – a manga you’d like to see more of
Kaze to ki no uta by Takemiya Keiko
Takemiya Keiko has repeatedly spoken about how the manga of Kaze to ki no uta only covers about half of the story she planned, but also repeatedly spoken about how she thinks it’s for the best that the manga ends where it does, because the story of Serge’s life as he grows into adulthood probably wouldn’t be of any interest to the fans.
And I know that she’s probably right. Some people seem to think that KazeKi is Gilbert’s story (at the very least he is, without much doubt, fandom’s favorite character), and a lot of people think it’s a love story between Gilbert and Serge, so the majority of the fan base probably truly would not care about Serge’s life after Gilbert (Serge AG?).
But the thing is, I totally disagree! I don’t think KazeKi is the story of Gilbert’s life, and I don’t even think it’s the story about Gilbert and Serge coming together, although I do think that’s a fair and pretty obvious assessment given what’s actually on the page. Personally, I’ve always thought that KazeKi is Serge’s story. As the opening narration tells us, it’s the story that Serge tells about meeting a boy named Gilbert, and how this meeting changed his life irrevocably.
When I interpret the larger theme and structure of the story this way, I just don’t think KazeKi accomplished what it set out to do, or became what it was supposed to be. We never truly got to see what Gilbert did to Serge – how Gilbert influenced everything about him, from his personality and his outlook on life to his art. And I want that story. I don’t want to settle for the tiny secondhand accounts we got in The Dove of Happiness, or the tidbits we supposedly got in the sequel novel which was set decades after his death.
I want to know what kind of person Serge became after Gilbert, and I want to know what kind of life he led. I want to see him get married (and fail)! I want to see him reconcile with people like Pascal, Carl, or Mr. Watts! I want to see his rise to fame as an artist! I want to see him struggle! Maybe find some semblance of happiness! And most of all, I want to see him deal with Gilbert’s passing, not to “get over” it, but as something he must learn to carry with him forever.
The fact that we could never have it makes me so, so sad. :(
This is also one of my very favorite KazeKi color pictures. Oh, Serge.
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