[Februaryuri 2024 rerun] A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow

30 Nov, 2024

(base post on Februaryuri here!)

(note that all that follows was written in February 2024)

A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow (Nettaigyo wa yuki ni kogaeru), by Makoto Hagino

Publication

Ended (9 volumes)
Published in English (VIZ Media), 9 volumes
Published in French (Taifu Comics) under the same title, 9 volumes

Summary

Konatsu is a student moving from Tokyo to a seaside town for high school. In spite of her cheerfulness, she feels isolated in her new environment; but then she meets the introverted Koyuki, the sea creature-loving sole member of the Aquarium Club of the school. The two quickly bond over their need for friends and loneliness, and some sort of mutual comprehension. As they grow very close in a very short period of time, they start panicking and overthinking everything - aren't the feelings they may be developping for each other at risk of damaging their friendship? Will they be able to communicate about this without hurting each other?

Comment

I really liked this one, but I've seen it be divisive, and some people will probably be rightfully frustrated that it stays subtext all the way through. I guess the best way to avoid that is not to get your hopes up about any romantic confession... which can be hard at times, because some parts SCREAM gay in a subtextual way that feels more textual than many other works.

Also, this manga has some sort of bait and switch in tone. Around ten chapters in, a misunderstanding occurs, and a long third of the series ends up being dedicated to the two depressed protagonists rebuilding themselves. It’s very well done, but I think it's better if you know that, if you're bracing for that impact after the heart-fluttering first few chapters. But embracing that change in tone, I think, is worth it: with that, Tropical Fish expertly tackles the fear of opening up to others, the vulnerability that comes with it, the missed opportunities, and the mild jalousy and fear of seeing someone you're close to confiding in others and drifting away. I think that this is as much the thematic core of the story as the (adorable) initial gay panic.

Overall, the manga is strongly focused on the interiority of the two protagonists - all their doubts, all their hesitations when reading into each other's actions. A lot happens in the characters' heads, and that is what drives everything forward.
And I must add: gosh are the two protagonists neurodivergent. Ok, this isn't as canon as it can be compared to other works I'll review later this month, and maybe I'm projecting a little - but still, wow. There's infodumping about sea creatures, social anxiety, mild depression, and at least one full-blown panic attack in here. If you're looking for a queerplatonic relationship about two fish-loving neurodivergent girls, I think this is a manga for you¹.

And so in the end, depending on how you approach it, the initial romantic label can almost feel... unnecessary here? Or at least, less important than the healing and mending of the leads' dynamics.
I guess how queerbait-y it is to you will depend on your sensibility and expectations about this². On my end, I felt slightly frustrated at first; yet at the same time giddy about it? I remember very fondly the way the protagonists communicate their love for each other in their very own language - there's something very sweet in this. It intentionally gives a larger reading perspective for their relationship, and also embodies their own fear of labelling whatever is happening between them.
Basically, as I said before, there's a queerplatonic reading of this. Of course, I get the push for actual romantic (or aroace QPR) confirmation - because, as they say, we live in a society - yet I think it's nice that this nonlabeled feeling exists in some works, when others are doing the heavy lifting of explicit representation. The two leads clearly are, on some level, kindred spirits; and in this precise case, I feel like this is what matters.

#cohost #februaryuri 2024 #yuri