Wave, Listen to Me! is a series currently being serialized in Monthly Afternoon, and is a new work by the author of Blade of the Immortal. Its style is completely different from Blade of the Immortal, but there are some similarities. In fact, the strongest swordsman in the series who appeared in Blade of the Immortal also appears in this work! ...Well, that's a lie, but there is a character who appears in a star system-like manner. That character is Jouka Makie, who is the spitting image of Ototachibana Makie. What kind of character is the strongest swordsman in the series in this work? I would like to introduce him with that in mind.
Ittou-ryu, the strongest swordsman in the series? "Makie Jouka"
Amatsu Kagehisa, the current head of the Itto-ryu school, is the man who massacred the heroine Asano Rin's father and all of his students. He regards her as his "cradle teacher" and is also his cousin. She is the strongest swordsman in the series, possessing incredible physical abilities, and wields the flexible sword, Shun'o, stored in a shamisen-shaped case. A beautiful, unfortunate woman.
If only she'd been born in another time...
Although she possesses the strongest abilities in the series, being born with such talent did not bring her any benefits. Born with a talent for the sword, she was not only unable to achieve happiness as a woman, but was also disowned by her family and forced to resign herself to the tragic fate of becoming a prostitute. There are characters in Blade of the Immortal who make you think, "If only I'd been born in another time, maybe something would have happened..." However, she is a character who seems to have been born under a star that makes life difficult no matter what, and perhaps a life full of troubles is inevitable.
"Makie Jouka" has no priorities like being the strongest in the series or using the Ittou-ryu style.
As mentioned many times in the character introductions at the beginning of the volume, she has nothing to do with the Ittou-ryu style or a bending sword, and she wasn't even born in the Edo period. However, her circumstances were also quite complicated and troublesome, and while her life in the Edo period was hopeless no matter how she tried, it's still unknown how her current life will turn out.
How did she come to be? "Makie Jouka" at her first appearance
The owner of the curry shop "Voyager" where protagonist Minare Tsumura works is hospitalized after a traffic accident. As the sister of the perpetrator, Makie becomes a temporary staff member at Voyager to take responsibility. However, she is actually living in semi-confinement with her pathologically overprotective brother, and when her brother gets into a traffic accident, she sees it as a golden opportunity to escape from home.
The Troublesome Older Brother
Her older brother, Jouka Toru, became abnormally overprotective of his younger sister after the death of their parents. He forced her to drop out of university and practically imprisoned her in the house with dozens of locks. However, her brother himself is not a bad person; he is simply a very opinionated guy who loses his memory and goes into a rampage whenever his sister is involved. Incidentally, she also had an older brother in the Edo period, but various events led to each of them significantly disrupting the other's lives.
Makie Jouka, Voyager's Charismatic Employee
She takes responsibility for her brother's death and starts working at Voyager. Her beauty and talent quickly make her a fixture at the store, threatening Minare's position as Voyager's charismatic employee. However, it seems that Minare is the only one who actually sees this. Having lived a life of drifting without making decisions, she has a reserved and quiet personality, but she also has the inner strength to act when the time comes and a sharp eye.
A huge hit both on and off the floor
Her work ethic is so impressive that even Nakahara, who took over the restaurant after the manager was hospitalized, acknowledges her. She's a valuable ally to Minare, who is often treated badly, offering advice on finding material for her radio show. However, she has feelings for her coworker Nakahara, and sometimes shows a competitive spirit toward Minare, who Nakahara has feelings for.
Will her reward ever come? A Girl in Love "Jouka Makie"
She starts working at Voyager, but due to complicated family circumstances, she is unable to return home. Her colleague Nakahara-kun comes to her rescue and she ends up living with him. Nakahara-kun's older sister, a tough-guy who ran away from home in anger at her husband's frequenting of adult entertainment establishments, lives with her. Because of this, Nakahara-kun has absolutely no ill will towards her and is 100% kind. In fact, Nakahara-kun himself is the most sensible and kind person in the story.
What will Makie do?
After being saved by the honest, reliable, and kind Nakahara-kun, Makie develops feelings for him. However, Nakahara himself is in love with Minare, who is unconventional and impulsive, but has a straightforward personality and drive, and is completely unaware of Makie's feelings. And perhaps because Minare is the type of person who carves out her own path, she has a tendency to be attracted to unattractive men. Although she knows Nakahara's feelings for her, she thinks, "He's a serious guy, and he'll probably open a reliable shop in the future, so if I lose my job, I'll hire him."
What will happen to Makie?
Nakahara-kun doesn't seem to notice Makie's feelings at all, but because he's so genuine, he still treats her kindly. He sometimes flirts, and occasionally shows his emotions. Still, Nakahara-kun is so insensitive that he doesn't even suspect that Makie has romantic feelings for him. He's always willing to interpret things however he likes when it comes to Minare, and even though Minare herself has told him, he still doesn't even consider it. Given the nature of the series, I don't think it will have a similar ending to Blade of the Immortal, but it's unclear whether Makie will ever get her comeuppance. This is a comedy manga with Minare as the main character, not a romance manga with Makie as the main character.
[Listen to the Waves!] Johana Makie Summary
What would happen if Johana Makie, a character inspired by Ototachibana Makie from Blade of the Immortal, appeared in a modern-day comedy manga? It's an interesting question, but it's impossible to know how it will play out. Waves! Listen to the Waves! has a rather unexpected plot, so it's hard to imagine a straightforward retribution! The Waves! anime will begin airing in April 2020, but Blade of the Immortal was recently remade into an anime, so if you're interested, check that out too.
