Akarui Kioku Soushitsu
Cheerful Amnesia

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Akarui Kioku Soushitsu is pretty much exactly what it proclaims to be. The main character has amnesia and proceeds to fall in love with her partner all over again at first sight. She's goofy, cheerful, playful, and just wants to see what happens next. This story really emphasizes how important it is to have someone positive around, because she is continually inspiring other characters with her positive attitude and awkward straightforwardness.

It has its heartfelt moments too. There were plenty of things that I, as a lesbian, could identify with, but it's not like. Tear-jerking. It's more sweet than anything.

Anyway, really the whole thing is about ... Arisa wanting to learn how to be intimate with her partner again, but it's really cute. And all of Arisa's faces were so well drawn to match the situations. It's just a happy, feel good manga.

I think my review might be a little biased because I identified with the protagonist so much, but she's a cute lesbian living her cute lesbian life, what's not to like?

Not really sure why there's not been any reviews since this manga finished (especially as the later chapters are the best parts) but I felt this series deserved some appreciation...

Cheerful amnesia is simply put, a fun romcom journey with lovable characters doing cute things.

You have the two main girls who are obviously the focus of the story but there are a number of characters who affect the story and have their moments - from a sweet elderly neighbour to a hairdresser to Mari's mum.

I won't go into any details to avoid spoilers but this is filled with a lot of cute stories essentially following this ... couple in their day-to-day life as Arisa re-learns many things such as what foods she likes, her relationships with different people and most importantly everything from the moment she met Mari until now.

While the story is generally over-the-top to emphasize the humour; the romance element is still there and is enjoyable. Don't expect anything tearful and heart moving but you'll still care for these characters throughout their journey, from their awkward beginnings to their exciting future ahead.

Normally when I see the comedy tag on a show or manga it's hit or miss. On this occasion I think the author honestly nailed it with the light hearted humour and fantastic art to go along with it. Arisa's facial expressions just fit really well with the situations that the character gets into, from the awkward moments to the more sweet and heartfelt scenes. I think this is where it really shines, I had a smile on my face throughout each chapter.

For the most part it's a wholesome heart-warming story with some well placed comedy throughout and some...not-so-wholesome scenes. I recommend this to anybody that wants an injection of pure happiness. This was a fun read and as the title says, a cheerful amnesia.

I really, really wanted to like Bright and Cheery Amnesia, but I just don't.

As a fan of gay things, this one's not for me. I just... do not understand the Japanese sense of humor, and it overshadows the gay by a landslide in this one. At least... I assume it's meant to be funny? If not, why does this exist? There's nothing actively offensive about the premise to me, but it's yet another bland, hack-comedy 4-koma piece, featuring a level of humor about equal to that of a Garfield comic.

But this one's different, I hear you say. This one has lesbians. Alright, we can ... go there. Stuff like this is why I pine after that perpetually rare beast, the Josei Yuri. Stuff like this is the filler manga of every season that you suffer through in search of something close to real gay relationships. The best I can say is that this piece features two women living together as long-term partners, and presents both of them as behaving in relatively safe, sane and consensual ways. Unfortunately, the amnesia plot is utterly wasted on wacky 4-koma highjinks, and the relationship feels stagnant, the format of the manga strangling any semblance of life from these characters. It's not romantic, it's not sexy, it's not particularly tender or loving, and it's certainly not funny.

If it took anything about the premise at all seriously, I might have loved this, is the frustrating thing. Amnesia in a serious, long-running relationship could have been a great catalyst for romantic tension/drama, but the format and writing of the manga just... kills that idea and spits on its remains.

If you want some funnies to chortle over while you drink your morning coffee, you might be fine with this, but might I also suggest the far superior Calvin and Hobbes? It's not gay, but at least it will make you think.