[#CreativeAwardReview] Seeking Light Within the Crimson

I have been a fan of Hikari Ogawa's writing since last year's "Bambi Girl." I am happy to say that I am featured alongside her in the e-book "Nan no Hanashi desu ka (Doushite iru to shika hen)." I am truly impressed by the witty and sophisticated nature of the essay she contributed. The exquisite humor is just—I take my hat off to her. I feel an irresistible charm in writing that makes me smile and relax (?) involuntarily.

By the way, I participated with the "Nan no Hanashi desu ka" version of "Honekawa Sujiemon." I re-read it, and

"I wonder why I came up with such a story."

I felt a sense of wonder. If you are curious about the "Honekawa Sujiemon" that can only be read here, please click the link! There is also a "Nan no Hanashi desu ka" version of Nezumi-sama and Bakemono-chan, you know♪

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Hikari Ogawa, who made me wish I had discovered her work sooner after reading "Bambi Girl" last year, is challenging the Creative Awards again this year with four works.

On Tales, she has "Jijidoru☆Babadoru" (completed) and "Backyard!!" (serialized).

On note, she has "Kagurazaka, the Skirt is Crimson" (completed) and "Most Muscular!" (serialized).

The work I will be writing a review for this time is "Kagurazaka, the Skirt is Crimson."

It seems Hikari Ogawa's writing style really resonates with me, as I have enjoyed reading all of her works, but this Kagurazaka story moved my soul so deeply that I directly reached out early on, saying, "Please let me write a review!"

The introduction has become long, but I will now begin the review.

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I idly wondered while reading Kagurazaka when the last time was that I wore a red skirt. I suppose one can only innocently wear a red skirt until about elementary school age, while still under parental protection. I think I used to wear them casually, thinking of them as just "pretty" or "cute" when I saw them.

Then what about "crimson"? Can "crimson" be worn as casually? A red slightly darker than red—or perhaps I should call it crimson. In my second or third year of working, I bought a dark red, crimson summer two-piece set. I remember buying it to encourage myself a little. It was a color I needed to choose, as I was no longer called a newcomer. I think the days I wore this two-piece were days when I needed courage at work. I gained energy from that "crimson" two-piece that I couldn't get from monotone clothes. It was like a ritual of finding my own light within the "crimson."

Mayu, the protagonist of Kagurazaka, eventually becomes able to wear a crimson skirt, thanks in part to the encouragement of Kodai, who hints at being her future partner.

When she first arrived in Kagurazaka, Mayu did not have the strength to choose "crimson," so this is a remarkable growth. Her sad and painful past is gradually healed in the Kagurazaka she arrived at, and she recovers until she can finally hold a "crimson" skirt. From the people she met, from the animals, and from the atmosphere of the town. If coincidences, miracles, and fate had not overlapped, Mayu would not have been able to find her own light within the "crimson."

In the course of living, people experience a wide variety of joys and sorrows. No one can avoid them. Those experiences can become a power to live, or a power that takes things away. The impact is different for every single person; we don't know how it will affect us, and the weight cannot be compared with anyone else's. To overcome hardship, one must become strong oneself, but that strength cannot be gained alone. Only when there is someone to reach out a hand can one gain "one's own strength."

That hand reaching out exists quietly within everyday life.

There is someone who becomes your strength in the casual scenery of daily life, so do not give up. Do not give up on living. Do not give up on loving... I felt that this novel teaches us exactly that.

This work, which began with an atmosphere of gently healing wounds, has a shocking incident at the very end. I screamed, "Gyaaaa (ﾟдﾟ)!" I also muttered to myself, "Hey, wait, I was just getting emotional over the crimson skirt, and now an incident?" In the end, it returns to the peaceful Kagurazaka I love, though. The way the incident was inserted was so skillful that I groaned at the mastery of the composition.

Wow, my soul is shaken and I am truly amazed.

Hikari Ogawa, you are the best.