I thought for sure this was gonna be another Sports manga

Honestly same yo

So is the nun like the grim reaper then?

From all the names to choose, why Finè? Hmmm.... Yeah, fiiine...

Edit: I've read the comments just now. I will take the liberty to give my version. The gymnasium is an educational place where you are:

1. making a wreath. It is a symbol for reflections/ponderings. The full circle means realization.
2. to keep the wreath from withering. It is a symbol for your detachment from the world. Since, the withering means you don't belong to the gymnasium.
3. children preparing themselves for higher learning or the next phase of the journey.

Also:

• The mention of Monica that her wreath withers many times means she is in coma or brain dead as the story never suggests she had a memory of her past. You have to remember that they forgot their memories but Finè had vague ones. The withering means you have to go back.That means you are not ready. The flower symbolizes your acceptance of your physical death. Monica maybe too young to grasp the meaning of death that is why she had a hard time making the wreath and if she did make one, it withers. It may also suggests that her family is keeping her physically alive through medical machines.

• Out of their ignorance, Finè, with the consent of Monica, burned the wreath without knowing that by doing so, they killed the "physical Monica".

• When they are outside the gymnasium, Finè can hear somebody calling her. That was her mother whose devotion keeps Finè from graduating from the gymnasium. For Monica, she was dying for no one keeps her alive except for the machines. There was no strong attachment.

• Monica was well again inside the gymnasium. As Finè returned to the world, Monica remained but she could not make the wreath for she is waiting for Finè. It was long, and I agree to some post here, that Finè lived her life.

• Finè was in here usual form when Monica and her met to signify that the promise was fulfilled as evident by the ring on her finger.

Insights:

1. Gymnasium is not a purgatory since in a Catholic faith, souls of the dead who can't go either to heaven and hell stay there.
2. We, the living, are, most of the times, hindrance to the continuation of the journey of our loved ones. We cling to them. We have to let go.
3. Euthanasia, for me, should be allowed after a sincere meditation and utmost empathy/communication to the concerned.

last edited at Dec 10, 2017 10:02PM

It's an obvious, but still a touching little story.

Zuneko posted:

So is the nun like the grim reaper then?

She doesn't really look like a nun to me. The black veil she's wearing would be one of mourning. And her outfit itself doesn't look particularly nun-ish either.

I think that Monica's bouquet/wreath had become several metres long is to imply that Fine did live a fairly long life, while Monica kept working on her wreath, playing in the Gymnasium and waiting for her to come back.

this.
It can't be said that Fine committed suicide since the bouquet was running long.
Although, I only wonder why does Fine looked like a teenager when she came back to the Gymnasium if she did lived a long life.

I feel like the tags need some adjustment. I thought it was gonna be cute and fluffy but now I am questioning my own reality.

• The mention of Monica that her wreath withers many times means she is in coma or brain dead as the story never suggests she had a memory of her past. You have to remember that they forgot their memories but Finè had vague ones. The withering means you have to go back.That means you are not ready. The flower symbolizes your acceptance of your physical death. Monica maybe too young to grasp the meaning of death that is why she had a hard time making the wreath and if she did make one, it withers. It may also suggests that her family is keeping her physically alive through medical machines.

Monica might have been lying to make Fine feel better, though. She did fake-cry to win Fine's sympathy (not in a mean way, of course), and unlike Fine, leaving the school destroyed Monica. Plus, Monica seemed in the dark about the significance of wilted wreaths.

last edited at Dec 11, 2017 12:07AM

They should really add a psychological tag to this.

But it's not yuri. At most subtext.

Really?

Uh...they kinda kiss on pg 41...

Monica might have been lying to make Fine feel better, though. She did fake-cry to win Fine's sympathy (not in a mean way, of course), and unlike Fine, leaving the school destroyed Monica.

I read again the two chapters. Since, I wrote the comment after reading chap. 2 and edited it after reading the comments here. I didn't comment after reading chap. 1 because of the afterword that the essence of this story is in chap. 2. True to what the author said it metaphored the Catholic faith about heaven, hell, purgatory and wandering souls. As much as possible, I don't touch about religion.

So, going back, I've read the two chapters again for I might have missed something. I'm sorry I can't see the fake cry. What I saw is a child who was happy to finally have a room mate/playmate and was suddenly saddened when Finè signify she won't sing during graduation. The singing symbolizes your joy and happiness for the graduate. But when Finè explained, Monica suddenly smiled and was happy again.

To me, Monica's heart is a heart of a child. A heart that genuinely showed their feelings, doesn't hold grudges, easily forgives, easily trusts, doesn't judge, always sees the possibility because they live in the moment. When you make a promise to a child, make it happen for they will always remember. Monica was not destroyed by Finè leaving. She finally understood when they were running and her flesh was withering that she was "physically dying" and it was too late for her unlike Finè. So, the bidding of goodbyes was not to destroy but to reaffirm a promise - a hope was build to look forward to.

I'm fine with vauge storytelling, but this was too on the nose for the first half to be surprising, and the second half leaves way too much out and makes the implications it leaves behind uncomfortable. Which would be fine if that was the intent, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Or maybe it was, who knows? We weren't given much to work off of.

It's really close to being something wonderful, but, personally, it just falls flat.

Edit: Also, where the hell is this Gymnasium that's being promised? I see a garden, and I see a church, but I aint seein' no gosh dang gym!

A gymnasium is another name for a school for secondary education, though the levels taught range depending on the country I think. And in their case the church is also the school they graduate from.

Yeah same to previous comments in the discussion though lol, I was curious to see if this was anything like the similarly titled (and really good) Silver Gymnasium. I'm not really picky with how the ending turned out but I felt the first chapter could be much more succinct and drive home the second chapter's twist better. Though I still do admire the author's dedication to completing it all.

I also prayed very hard that it wouldn't go the...... Murcielago route. (´ｰ｀) Thank goodness.

i was watching jacksepticeye playing doki doki...
and in the same time im reading this thing here..
when i saw the name "MONICA" I died....

There was another story with gymnasium in the title... It wasn't very happy.

You're talking about Silver Gymnasium? That one was Aaaaaaangst as fuck.

last edited at Dec 11, 2017 3:00PM

There was another story with gymnasium in the title... It wasn't very happy.

You're talking about Silver Gymnasium? That one was Aaaaaaangst as fuck.

Yeah but it was really good.

But it's not yuri. At most subtext.

Really?

Uh...they kinda kiss on pg 41...

They were talking about another story.

I enjoyed this story but I can't call it cute though.

But it's not yuri. At most subtext.

Really?

Uh...they kinda kiss on pg 41...

We were talking about Tomodachi Gokko which is, at the moment, not yuri but smells like it.

As for this Gymnasium, whatever people are attempting to explain, the ending is very ambiguous.

That was terrific!
(If I put too many spoilers here, I hope someone can black-out them for me)
The ending: Monica stayed back but wasn't making her wreath any more, just a long chain. She could wait there endlessly because time really didn't exist there. It was many years later that Fine comes back, and she was able to do so because she never forgot her friend :-) And off they go to the afterlife together!

Nice! Needs more tags though, like Aaaangst and Supernatural?

One point though: Monica says her wreath withers all the time... that's a frightening concept given their situation, eh?

Although, I only wonder why does Fine looked like a teenager when she came back to the Gymnasium if she did lived a long life.

Being a teenager's a bit extreme, but people becoming youthful after entering the afterlife isn't uncommon.

One point though: Monica says her wreath withers all the time... that's a frightening concept given their situation, eh?

Since Finé woke up out of a minicoma after her wreath wilted, I'd say it means that Monica wasn't fully dead yet; each wilting was her being at the brink of coming back.

i wish the chapter could be longer... it would be enjoyable IMO

Literally Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

I think the bouqets represent the peoples life force and when finè one withers it means that she is alive now since she was drowning she might have been in a coma or womething