She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai

She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai - 180 pages

Miyu finds a cat one day and adopts him.  The cat -- Chobi -- tells the story of their next year of them living together.

I found this manga to be a little depressing.  Miyu lives alone and doesn't seem to connect to anyone -- not her family, her co-workers, or even her old friends.  She only really seems to care for her cat.  It was also confusing especially at the beginning to figure out who was narrating the story.

5 Centimeters Per Second by Makoto Shinkai

5 Centimeters per Second by Makoto Shinkai - 468 pages

Tohno and Araki become friends in middle school.  They are inseparable until Araki has to move away just before high school.  Both harbor feelings for each other and promise they will stay in touch.  Then Tohno moves to a small island where fellow classmate Sumida falls in love with him.  But Tohno is unable to move on from his feelings from Araki even though they have long lost touch.  Will any of them ever find their place in the world?

I've been wanting to read this manga for a while. Unfortunately, I did not care for it much.  It was pretty depressing with very most of the characters stuck in the past and unable to face their futures.

The Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai

The Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai - 196 pages

Akizuki plays hooky every first period of a rainy school day.  He goes to the park and draws possible designs for shoes.  That is how he meets the mysterious woman who also plays hooky from work on rainy days to drink beer and chocolate in the park.  A connection is made between the two when she quotes a poem to him as she leaves the first day.  Will Akuzuki figure out the meaning before it's too late?

I picked this up as I was looking for something to read on my lunch break.  I didn't realize I would actually finish it on break.  It's a very quick read with sparse text and conversation between the characters.  It was an interesting story. I kind of wish there was a sequel to see how their meetings changed their lives in the future rather than just ending once they figure out who each other is.