This is the sequel to Cross Heart. The site isn't really built for 92 page stories or sequels like this, so I decided to put in arbitrary chapter breaks. Many thanks to AnaKris for allowing us to upload it (and many apologies for taking so long to do that!).

last edited at Feb 12, 2018 3:54AM

That was sweet. I felt like it had some slight pacing issues in a couple spots near the beginning, but nothing too immersion-breaking.

damn the art improved hella

Holy fuck, the art is so damn gorgeous now

damn the art improved hella

I would've never thought it was them if I hadn't read the 'sequel' tag! That's some quality character development right there

AM I THE ONLY ONE GETTING EMOTIONAL FROM HOW THE STORY IS SO WELL THOUGHT OUT AND HOW THE AUTHOR'S ART HAD PROGRESSED SO WELL?! READING THE ENTIRE SERIES AT ONE GO HAD DONE SO MUCH TO MY EMOTIONS AND MY FEELINGS AS AN ASPIRING TO BE ARTIST. THIS SERIES GIVES ME SO MANY HOPE IN ALL KINDS OF SENSE - AS AN AMATEUR ARTIST AND AS A PERSON

I love this. This is one of my most favorite. And I really followed anakris for this..like stalking her account everytime for update before. It's really worth it.

last edited at Feb 12, 2018 9:27AM

Impressed by the art, but not so much story. It's fine, but it hinges entirely on an absurd coincidence. Also, it left me questioning lots of parts while reading, like "How can she play piano so well she attracts and impresses a bunch of music school students even though she hasn't played since she was 8?"

But it was nice to see these characters again, and the art really is beautiful, so it's okay if it has a mediocre story.

Oh, yes! My favorite artist Anakris! Cross Heart has always been my favorite story here in Dynasty Scans and now this marvelous piece of art has been finally uploaded here.

I can't quite Put my finger in It, but there's something about Anakris' storytelling that makes her different from others romantic mangakás... Maybe it's because she's not japanese and that influences her works? Or maybe it's that she always puts so much effort in the introspectives of her characters and dialogues that it's almost poetic?

The way How she portrayed the sheer desperation, the utter need Kotomi and Haru had for each other's presence is something I still am to see again in a yuri mangá. It's so powerful and natural. Their reactions and thoughts of the happenings through the story are so unique.

Even when she uses some clichés (like Kotomi having to move away) the way How she tells the story it's never forced drama and it's always a welcome cornucopia of emotions. Seriously, this artist needs so much more recognition.

last edited at Feb 12, 2018 9:48AM

Wait, that's all we get of Haru's past that was so terrible that she blocked out everything before the age of 10? One panel of her parents arguing, and a couple references to how they fight all the time and say bad stuff? Hell, 8-year old Haru doesn't even seem all that concerned when talking about it, just a bit frustrated. The whole lead-up suggested that she suffered something really terrible, and that was important to the story that was being told, but in the end it was just sort of blown off in favour of a pretty mild story about them meeting as kids, and acting pretty normal toward each other.

The modern-day part of the story was pretty good though, although the reaction of the other students was a bit overblown.

last edited at Feb 12, 2018 10:08AM

I wish it focused on them as a adults, instead of going into past. Also the whole drama felt so shoehorned and unrealistic. The whole, "we met as a children, spend nice time together, but I totally forgot because of x", is rarely done well. I can understand her forgetting about her family life, but if meeting her was the only good thing that happened in her childhood, that is even more the reason she would remember it and realize it is her when they meet again later. Overall it started promising but ended up being pretty boring.

Wait, that's all we get of Haru's past that was so terrible that she blocked out everything before the age of 10? One panel of her parents arguing, and a couple references to how they fight all the time and say bad stuff?

There was probably more but for the sake of the story it focused on the relevant bit.

The whole lead-up suggested that she suffered something really terrible, and that was important to the story that was being told, but in the end it was just sort of blown off in favour of a pretty mild story about them meeting as kids, and acting pretty normal toward each other.

It seems like an attempt to raise the stakes, before ending anticlimacticly when it turns out there's no substance behind the dramatic foreshadowing. There was something similar in the last part of Cross Heart, where it starts out with Haru so depressed and on the verge of giving in to despair, but then it's revealed that Kotomi just hadn't spoken to her for a few weeks as some kind of petty revenge.

Wait, that's all we get of Haru's past that was so terrible that she blocked out everything before the age of 10? One panel of her parents arguing, and a couple references to how they fight all the time and say bad stuff?

There was probably more but for the sake of the story it focused on the relevant bit.

That's the problem, the story suggested that was the relevant bit, what with Kotomi being afraid that Haru remembering their meeting would also bring back the terrible trauma that must have happened to make her lock away a huge chunk of her childhood.

But then we got bait & switched, the terrible trauma was never revealed and the whole issue was blown off in the end.

Favorited in a blink.
This was a treat, I'm glad we got to see more of this couple at an older age.
Also AnaKris' improvement in her art is evident, this continuation manga is truly beautifully drawn.

Like a fluffy blanket full of nostalgia. Glad to see this here. I've been reading it on AnaKris' DeviantArt page, but reading it here is a lot easier. Also rather happy to see the credit page with a link to her store, even if my credit card is giving me an anthropomorphised glare after the visit...

I think having your parents say all the time that they hate each other, hate you, and wish you were never born is pretty traumatic. Also, now we know why Haru fell so obsessively in love "at first sight" it was her memories coming back without her knowledge.

I think having your parents say all the time that they hate each other, hate you, and wish you were never born is pretty traumatic.

Except the 8-year-old Haru we see is well-adjusted and friendly, and her reaction to her parents is basically getting out of the situation and giving a grumpy "parents suck" rather than being afraid of them. In fact she describes that summer as "boring". Hardly an indication of the high stress or trauma that's typical of repressed memories, or at least what readers would expect to be the cause of.

From what we're shown, something pretty extreme must have happened over the next two years to make her block everything out.

I think having your parents say all the time that they hate each other, hate you, and wish you were never born is pretty traumatic.

Except the 8-year-old Haru we see is well-adjusted and friendly, and her reaction to her parents is basically getting out of the situation and giving a grumpy "parents suck" rather than being afraid of them. In fact she describes that summer as "boring". Hardly an indication of the high stress or trauma that's typical of repressed memories, or at least what readers would expect to be the cause of.

From what we're shown, something pretty extreme must have happened over the next two years to make her block everything out.

Except that IRL when a child is part of that kind of home life, they often internalize and/or put up a front. I speak from very unfortunate personal experience.

The whole lead-up suggested that she suffered something really terrible, and that was important to the story that was being told, but in the end it was just sort of blown off in favour of a pretty mild story about them meeting as kids, and acting pretty normal toward each other.

It seems like an attempt to raise the stakes, before ending anticlimacticly when it turns out there's no substance behind the dramatic foreshadowing. There was something similar in the last part of Cross Heart, where it starts out with Haru so depressed and on the verge of giving in to despair, but then it's revealed that Kotomi just hadn't spoken to her for a few weeks as some kind of petty revenge.

Wait, that's all we get of Haru's past that was so terrible that she blocked out everything before the age of 10? One panel of her parents arguing, and a couple references to how they fight all the time and say bad stuff?

There was probably more but for the sake of the story it focused on the relevant bit.

That's the problem, the story suggested that was the relevant bit, what with Kotomi being afraid that Haru remembering their meeting would also bring back the terrible trauma that must have happened to make her lock away a huge chunk of her childhood.

But then we got bait & switched, the terrible trauma was never revealed and the whole issue was blown off in the end.

It was said that her parents abandoned her. The scenes where her parents fight and the overall way they don't care for her are to show how it came to that. We aren't really shown how it happened, but that's where the magic of imagination saves the day. She could have been left at a relatives house or she could have been literally left alone somewhere... That seems pretty traumatic to me.

Also, I think the purpose of the whole "memories of the past" buit up was for the sake of the moment Haru cares more about the good memories than the bad ones. Even Kotomi was afraid Haru would "break," but she didn't. what's more, she cried her heart out and that's a good symphtom when it comes to healing emotions.

All in all, starting from Cross Heart, this story is more about showing how much they love each other than bringing a compeling mystery story or something... This is supposed to bring the fluffs~ (/°´°)/ ~ <3

(I have my own issues with their not so healthy dependancy to one another... I'd rather have more of a supporting couple that can stand as equals... I'm more of a "I want to be stronger for this persons's sake" than "I'm stronger because of this person" follower, but all in all I really enjoy AnaKriss work -v-)

So, now we know. Sort of.

last edited at Feb 12, 2018 8:25PM

The progress in art is a bomb well so as the story. LOL

That was an unrealistic portrayal of 8 year olds

Well that was...okay, yeah. I mean it was all well told and maybe a little overblown. That's not a bad thing, that's just how it is, and that's not what I have a problem with.

My problem is that it just kind of... ends. Like, here's ths big mystery of my past and your past, and hers me trying to get you to remember, and oh geeze I hope you remember this thing I told you about literally 10 minutes ago, and... Oh you remember now. Okay, done. The end.

In most stories the falling action would be a gradual slope that gives everyone a chance to absorb the events of tbe climax. Here it's just a steep cliff to the bottom.

It also feels like there's so much more to the story, but I guess remembering is enough shrug

Ana Cristina, again, if you ever read this I just wanna say...
¡Me mega encanta tu trabajo! Es genial haber visto todo el proceso de esta historia, cómo los personajes fueron creciendo y cómo la historia fue evolucionando poco a poco, así como también el progreso de tu arte, realmente satisfactorio. Muchas gracias por esta historia y estos personajes <3