Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare Vol. 1

by Yuhki Kamatani

Overview

The Harvey-nominated manga about a broad LGBT+ community. Not only is high schooler Tasuku Kaname the new kid in town, he is also terrified that he has been outed as gay. Just as he’s contemplating doing the unthinkable, Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with problems not so different from his own. In this realistic, heartfelt depiction of LGBT+ characters from different backgrounds finding their place in the world, a search for inner peace proves to be the most universal experience of all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642750607
Publisher:	Seven Seas Entertainment
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Series:	Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare , #1
Pages:	180
Sales rank:	26,102
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Yuhki Kamatani is a Japanese manga writer and artist best known for Nabari no Ou and Shimanami Tasogare.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/13/2019

This impressive first volume portrays a raw slice-of-life story (with some fantastical elements) centered around the queer experience in Japanese society. High schooler Tasuku Kaname is outed by classmates as gay (one spots porn on his phone) just two days before summer break. Terrified of the consequences, Tasuku contemplates suicide; but before he leaps from the stairs climbing the cliffs of his hilltop town, he leans over the railing to see a woman jumping out of a window from a nearby building. Tasuku rushes down to the base of it, where he meets a small demolition and construction crew, made up of volunteers, called Cat Clutter, along with the woman he saw—who is fine and alive—who goes by the name Someone. When he discovers they are also an LGBTQ community, Tasuku is encouraged to return and spend his summer helping them renovate abandoned houses. The script by Kamatani (the Nabari No Ou series) works harmonically with the intricate illustrations and their symbolism (such as a frame that portrays Tasuku breaking into pieces of fragmented glass, with reflections of a classmate and Someone). While manga frequently portrays the characters in yaoi/yuri (“boys’ love”/“girls’ love” genres) in a fetishized light, this series takes a refreshing turn, and the high-quality art makes it a potential breakout for broader audiences. (May)Correction: An earlier version of this review used an incorrect pronoun in reference to Yuhki Kamatani.

Publishers Weekly

Nominated for Best Manga in the 2019 Harvey Awards.

“While manga frequently portrays the characters in yaoi/yuri (“boys’ love”/“girls’ love” genres) in a fetishized light, this series takes a refreshing turn, and the high-quality art makes it a potential breakout for broader audiences.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This is an incredibly thoughtful series, one which drives home the idea that gender identity and sexuality — and how they are expressed — are different for everyone. Creator Yuhki Kamatani’s artwork toes the line between reality and surrealism, conveying the conflicting feelings about self-realization and self-actualization through an incredible use of themed imagery." —The Beat, Best Comics of 2019

"...Our Dreams at Dusk understands deeply the subtle, precise and terrible ways queerphobia is ingrained into society, and how even these asides that seem so small and benign to those saying them can drive us even deeper into the closet. But in spite of this terror, in spite of this awful, quiet hostility, Our Dreams at Dusk understands the beauty and power of showing the world who you truly are." – Faye Hopper, Anime News Network

"Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare is a masterpiece of LGBTQ life in Japan and a masterwork of a manga." – Erica Friedman, Okazu

From the Publisher