Title: 愛人 (Ai Ren) Vol. 2
Artist/Author: 田中ユカタ
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 242pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 2/4
Original Serialization: Young Animal Vol 3, '00 - Vol 12, '00
First Printing: 9/5/00
Rating: 4/4

This series is becoming more and more complicated with the plot starting to encompass more and more situations. It makes for a little tougher reading as I like a simple clear-cut storyline, but on the other hand, it keeps things interesting. The themes of love and death are still very strong in this second book.

Bonus is a letter from the author explaining the themes in this second volume and other musings.

9. この星の還る (Return to this World): The chapter follows a group of people as they make first contact with the "HITO," a seemly alien race and ultimately die in a large explosion after the encounter [seems to be giving some hints as to Ikuru's past, as the title states]. Chapter ends with Ikuru and Ai enjoying the night sky.

10. スティル・ライフ〜静かな生活〜 (Still Life): Ai and Ikuru enjoy life cooking, playing, and exploring. They also grow a garden. One day, Ikuru sees a tomato plant dead under the heavy rain. He rips it out and throws it aside to get it out of his sight. Several days later, he and Ai notices that it has started growing again. The next heavy rain comes and Ai is out there with an umbrella protecting the plant.

11. ホーム・スウィート・ホーム〜子供たち〜 (Home Sweet Home, Children): More flashbacks to the moment of death in the previous life (?). Ai and Ikuru go to visit Haruka at her place of residence, which is an alien ship. Inside, a lot of children run around, who Ikuru explains are genetic rejects. Ikuru explains his fear of dying before Ai, but Haruka, who's recovering from arm surgery, tells him that he has to keep on living for Ai. Meanwhile, Ai gets in a little scuffle with the kids and walks outside where he sees rows of pods on the ground.

12. ホーム・スウィート・ホームII〜青空と夕やけ〜 (Home Sweet Home, Blue Skies and Sunset): Outside, a caretaker tells Ai that the beings inside the pods are people not yet born. Before they leave, Haruka tells Ikuru that Ai is just an illusion, but all love is an illusion. He has the power to make it real though, into passion. Ikuru and Ai leave and Ai writes in her picture diary about her trip.

13. 思春 (Adolescent): Ai suddenly feels like her body is changing. For some reason now, she feels like her heart aches and yearns for something.

14. 遺言 (Last Words): Ikuru has a seizure where he passes out in the hallway. The next day, Ai finds some tapes of Ikuru's parents and so they watch the home video that his parents made him when he was still in his mother's womb. His dad explains to him what he was going to be named and tell him about the life he's going to start living. Naturally Ikuru ends up with tears rolling down his cheek.

15. 泣く女 (Crying Woman): After Haruka has a visit with Ikuru, she goes back to her base where she's met with two men in suits. After some formalities, she brings them to visit her mom, a supposed "Mother of Humanity." She foils their assassination attempt and after telling them to leave, she breaks down crying in front of her mother's living capsule.

16. ないしょのこと (A Secret): Ikuru notices that Ai seems to be bothered by something as he noticed it in her looks. Outside the bath, Ai explains that one day, she won't be herself anymore. Ikuru brings her in making her pinky-swear to not die and vice-versa.

17. 君と見る青空 (The Blue Sky I Gaze With You): Ikuru has the dream with the goddess of death again, and then another dream where he meets an older Ai who tells him that they're both ghosts now. He wakes up from this nightmare to a teary-eyed Ai who's been trying to wake him up.

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