Sennen no Yuki Millennium Snow By Hatori Bisco Publisher Hakusensha Imprint Hana to Yume Comics Magazine LaLa Vintage / Length 2001-2002 / 2 volumes

Story
Chiyuki was born with a weak heart and has spent her whole life in and out of hospitals. Her condition is so delicate that now, in only her seventeenth year, she is being told that she probably won’t live to see next year’s snow. Nevertheless, she remains energetic, curious, and truly loves life. Her curiosity leads her out of the hospital one night when she sees a boy jump off a nearby roof. When Chiyuki finds him, she discovers that she has actually stumbled upon a young vampire! Touya is no ordinary vampire, though. Terrified of being alone, Touya refuses to drink the blood of a human partner – and in turn share his long life of a thousand years with that person – less that partner should leave him. Touya may be able to save Chiyuki from her fragile state, and Chiyuki could be the steadfast partner of Touya’s long and lonely life. Will Touya ever admit his feelings for Chiyuki and take her into the future with him?

Review
Sennen no Yuki is an old Hatori Bisco serialization that has been on hiatus for a rather long time. No worries, I would normally say, except that in this case it isn't clear that the series will ever be finished (see vague hopes jotted down in atogaki of second volume). And unfortunately, as the series stands, it doesn't hold up very well on its own. The concept is decent, the cast likable, and the humor good fun, but for the most part the characters are flat and the pacing is rushed. It's hard to say how Hatori will work things out if she ever does pick up the series again. At the very least the story needs a conclusion.

Sennen no Yuki is essentially about Chiyuki and Touya's relationship. There are no secondary characters. Yamimaru, Touya's bat familiar, and Satsuki, a werewolf friend they pick in the first volume, are the other two leads, but they exist primarily as excuses for humor and as tests of their friends' faith (Satsuki thinks he's in love with Chiyuki). Chiyuki knows that deep inside (maybe not that deep) Touya is afraid of being left alone, and tries to show him that she will never recant on her promise to stay with him for a thousand years. For his part, Touya, in order to protect himself, tries to convince himself that Chiyuki will never stay with him. But the more Chiyuki expresses her dedication to him, the harder it is for Touya not to act on his feelings. Every situation is a test of Chiyuki's promise to stay with Touya and of Touya's faith in Chiyuki. It isn't as complex as it sounds, and the story moves in a rather predictable direction. But it is a recipe for high drama, and you can bet that at the climax of each little story arc there will be a few pages of tears, speeches, and inner monologue. There's good humor to found as well, sometimes unexpectedly diffusing tense moments. While the series is essentially a loaded melodrama, it doesn't take itself too seriously either.

Nevertheless, Sennen no Yuki feels only partially developed. For starters, Chiyuki and Touya, as characters, may be likable but feel flat. The fact that the formula discussed above is more or less the only way in which their relationship is explored, and that there are no supporting characters - or some other means of fleshing out their lives a bit - makes them come off as one-dimensional. At the same time, it feels as if these two volumes move too fast for their own good. Chiyuki and Touya's growing bond feels like it is being forced forward somewhat inorganically. It's insinuated, but not convincingly played out, that Chiyuki and Touya have been through enough together for Touya to admit, by the end of the second volume, that he does have feelings for her. They simply aren't in enough situations together; the first volume is devoted to introducing the cast, and the second volume covers only two experiences Chiyuki and Touya share. Even if the reader is meant to draw assumptions from the jam-packed first chapter, the story still teeters because the relationship *is* the story, and thus should be developed during the progression of the series. Thus, when Touya finally admits at the end of the second volume that he really does have feelings for Chiyuki, you get the sense that the time isn't quite ripe enough for this self-realization. The overall feeling is that Sennen no Yuki gets ahead of itself. The plot pulls ahead of characterization and pacing and reaches the end of the second volume too soon. Unfortunately, it leaves this fairly decent concept feeling a bit flat and a tad rushed.

Hatori Bisco has a workable, utilitarian style that is unique and gets the job done. She tends to keep her panels light unless the moment in the story calls for shading or darkness, while her style is overall straightforward and simple. There are points when her pages are a little overloaded with text - particularly hand-written text - but generally you can read them quickly and easily. She has a knack for drawing humorous facial expressions, which is part of what makes her comedy fun. But her style doesn't call for much comment, which doesn't seem to be much of a concern for her.

What may do Sennen no Yuki some good is a solid conclusion. I don't want to sound too pessimistic about the series. At points it is genuinely humorous, and one-sided though the characters may be they have fun personalities. Picking up the series again and bringing it to a close would be an opportunity for Hatori to work out the kinks in the development of the characters and the progression of the plot. She can write a good story and churn up good characters, as evidenced by her hit Ouran Koukou Host Club. (For a series about stupid rich kids spending lots of money, it's incredibly funny.) Included at the end of the first volume is her debut one-shot, "Isshunkan no Romance" (A Romance of One Moment), that despite being so old is actually rather intriguing. And, obviously, we need an ending to go with the beginning. It Hatori does take up Sennen no Yuki in the future, I for one will be very curious to see how her re-serialization plays out.

"Sennen no Yuki" is available in English from Viz under the title "Millennium Snow".

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