Kano Yuri is tired of her stifling, directionless life. After a bitter fight with her mother, she runs away—searching for solace, or maybe just a way out. When she takes shelter in an abandoned air-raid bunker overnight, she never expects to wake up...in wartime Japan.

Stranded in a past she doesn't understand, Yuri meets a young Kamikaze pilot preparing for his final mission. He's kind, courageous, and heartbreakingly doomed. As their connection grows, Yuri finds herself torn between the world she came from—and the boy who makes her want to stay.

I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms has a story by Natsue Shiomi. English translation is done by Evan Ward with an adaptation by RFD. Published by Seven Seas Entertainment (March 10, 2026).

Erica Friedman
Rating:

From the very beginning, the trajectory of this story is apparent. CWs for war, death, destruction, and governments sending children to die for no reason.

Yuri is a problem child. Bored, annoyed, and angry. She finds everything about her life objectionable. After an argument with her mother, Yuri runs away to a World War Two shelter and finds herself in 1945, in the waning months of the war. She is met with kindness and love, but she cannot—and will not— understand the people of that time.

With her knowledge of the future, Yuri encounters a serious cultural gap. She can't agree with or even understand the motivation of a government willing to throw away an entire generation for what she knows is no reason at all. Yuri will live through these horrible few months of Allied bombings and the escalation of the kamikaze attacks. According to Wikipedia, in 1945, “the IJN had sacrificed 2,525 kamikaze pilots and the IJAAF 1,387 – without successfully sinking any fleet carriers, cruisers, or battleships.”

This book is a blatantly anti-war story. Its timing, as my own government has initiated a meaningless war in the Middle East, is impeccable. So, even though this book was incredibly predictable, it delivers a powerful, timely message. Yuri is an emotional girl, so her rage and grief at the fates of the people around her are very raw and real. The writing is skilled enough that it was impossible to remain objective as I read. While I would not characterize this as an entertaining book, it is important, and I highly recommend it. Have tissues handy; you're going to need them, and perhaps a punching bag afterward.