I doubt youd be surprised if someone told you something like all people have their own stories or everyone is a unique individual. Duh. Weve all heard it so many times before. However Piece executes this idea so perfectly that it feels weirdly novel. Not only does the manga show us how complex humans actually are but it also explores why we sometimes refuse to see that complexity and instead choose to reduce people around us to cliches we can understand. Because the resonance that comes from understanding the complexity of another human being can make us feel all sorts of unpleasant things. Piece follows Suga Mizuho a cold heartless person who doesnt get too close to people and doesnt let anyone in. She doesnt let herself be affected by people or life events she keeps her distance and does her own thing. Yet when the mother of her dead former classmate Origuchi Haruka asks her to find her daughters high school boyfriend who got her pregnant Mizuho somehow decides to get involved. Because everyone vaguely remembers Origuchi as a quiet girl with no friends Mizuho finds it hard to believe that she had a boyfriend at all. So maybe thats why she feels almost compelled to follow the trail of small pieces of memory that Origuchi left behind. The story would have been good enough if it was just about Origuchi a dead girl people barely remember. But its a lot more than that. It begins with morbid curiosity about the private life of a dead girl but that only serves as bait to lure us along with Mizuho into a complex web of characters that were connected to Origuchi. Led by her desire to know what her classmate was really like Mizuho is forced to collide with other people and get close to them to the point of being uncomfortable. I think that Piece is ultimately a story about resonance. The shock of resonance that is created when we choose to really get to know another human being instead of looking away and keeping our distance. People are empathic beings which is why when we satisfy our craving to get closer to another person it always hits us back. When we learn something deep and personal about someone we dont gain impartial objective knowledge instead we find a point of connection of resonance that cant leave us unaffected. And yet before Mizuho was trying to go through life strong calm and unaffected without feeling anything unpleasant or making others feel that way. But she eventually gives in to the temptation to peek at things that are too close and personal because she also craves that connection that resonance. Even though it will definitely make everyone involved feel something unpleasant because it just feels too close for comfort. Because Mizuho knows that true familiarity is bound to shake her up she keeps her distance by reducing people to cliches she can understand. She thinks things like that girl is always smiling or he doesnt feel any sort of emotion or she is ordinary there is nothing special about her. Of course it is much easier for Mizuho to maintain composure when people around her are neatly sorted into categories. At least that way they definitely wont get into her head. And because we see the other characters through the eyes of Mizuho who is looking away from them we are masterfully manipulated into giving all of them a couple of labels of our own all based on our reading expectations. Its not like Mizuhos fears are unwarranted though. True resonance is actually unpleasant. No I mean it. I feel like we have this idealistic idea about opening up and getting close to people like its difficult but youll feel better about it sort of thing. Like were supposed to just open up to each other then hold hands and become friends or lovers for life. But Piece reflects how in reality that doesnt always happen. Opening up brings some people closer and drives others apart. It makes sense because seeing other peoples ugliness and vulnerability and showing them your own fair share of ugliness and vulnerability is very embarrassing in the first place and afterwards being in the company of those who know your darkest secrets can be very awkward and uncomfortable. And of course there are some dark secrets and ugliness that you cant accept no matter how hard you try. But it is still worth the risk. Its better than knowing that something is wrong but deciding not to ask unnecessary questions better than seeing that someone is in trouble but looking away because its none of your business. All because you dont want to feel uncomfortable or make anyone feel that way. Too afraid to take the wrong step and step on a landmine to make other people hate you for asking questions for trying to help for doing unnecessary things. Thinking that at least if no one is uncomfortable you can keep your fake relationship and fake calm at least you wont drive anyone away. Its always better to be a cringy idiot ready to die of embarrassment than to let other people suffer only to protect your perfect facade of calm. But the sad thing is you can ask all the uncomfortable questions be brave and embarrassed get close uncomfortably close get wrecked by the resonance and still not know what that person is really like. Because in the end all you have is your own perception of them and no one will get hurt even if you mould your image of them into one that feels comfortable enough. So the story is cruel in a way encouraging us all to go looking for something we can never really attain the soul of another human being. Anyways I feel like this review is becoming more and more abstract the longer I write it because Im trying to keep it spoilerfree. I didnt even mention the characters that made the most impact on me all because I want you to just go into Piece blind without any preconceived notions about which characters are important and which are not. Just go read it and be surprised. But imagine one manga making you think all these unnecessary thoughts haha.