#and things by yuhki kamatani

[cairoscene]

after two years of reading superhero comics and enjoying them at steadily decreasing levels over time i’m happy to say that reading dungeon meshi healed me. comics can be good. art, paneling, storytelling can all be good. faith in humanity restored. anyway what’s everyone’s favorite manga

[houkagokappa]

[kalmeria]

was tagged by @podcastingpineapple for a “9 people I'd like to know better” thing! hi hello!👋 i don’t think im one of the cool people but i like doing these sooooo (runs away and hides and comes back hours later) (ive decided i have nothing to lose so im just gonna give honest answers)

last song: super star spectacle (karen and hikari’s song from the revue starlight movie)(was listening in honor of yuri day)

currently watching: ummm seasonal anime mostly: skip to loafer, gundam witch, oshi no ko. also star wars rebels for amca podcast (but i accidentally got carried away and am a season ahead already)

currently reading: i’m rereading shimanami tasogare/ our dreams at dusk by kamatani yuhki. ive started to do this every summer, it always hits home around this time of the year. i am also reading a number of enstars stories at once (i guess sudden death would be the most noteworthy here). i know neither of these is like reading reading but this is where i’m at!

(i’m adding a secret bonus category of currently listening to just to say that i’ve been enjoying my archive 81 relisten~)

current obsession: uuuuuuu. well it’s enstars. theres just so many characters and so many things to know about them my brain feels like it’s jumping up and down on a trampoline (positive), plus theres the rhythm game aspect. it is so much fun. im having so much fun right now

plus the new palisade episode dropping is my favorite time of the week! and amca every two weeks.

okayyy tagging people… no pressure though!!

@umilily @cryptidm0ths @perfectpinkprincess @shionkaida @starswallowingsea @no-myers-briggs @shlnji @alicesalias @asbestieos

[dyemelikeasunset]

I feel chatty today but I'm also trying to draw the next comic so I'm gonna do some quick-fire manga recs of 3 series that have directly inspired me:

Collectors by Nishi Uko: a wlw series about an avid book collector who is dating an avid fashionista, the two fight all the time because they keep spending money on different things. It's a 4-panel style slice-of-life that uses subtle humor and pacing. It has serious moments, but most of the story revolves around a slightly dysfunctional but cute couple

Our Dreams At Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani (orig. Shimanami Tasogare): a 4-volume drama series about a closeted high school boy who meets a group that runs a volunteer demolition service. He slowly finds out that all of them are in the LGBTQ+ community and learns about their stories. Uses a lot of gorgeous visual metaphors throughout, but also touches on some really serious topics. You will cry

Ikoku Nikki by Yamashita Tomoko (rough tr. Journal With a Witch): a slice-of-life about a writer who takes in her niece after the parents die in a car crash. To make matters more complicated, said author never got along with her sister, who was the mother to the girl now living with her. This series deals with death and loss in one of the most realistic ways I have ever seen in illustrated media, but also has humorous and touching moments. It explores the ups and downs and medians of life in a very real way. (The main characters are straight, but there are queer side characters)

[yuripoll]

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Shimanami Tasogare (2015 - 18)

NOTE: This was a submission rejected on the grounds that you can't really call it yuri in any real way; there is an important lesbian couple in the central cast, however.

Shimanami Tasogare is a three volume drama series by Yuhki Kamatani about a closeted gay boy learning to accept himself through the power of queer solidarity.

After recently moving to Onomichi, Hiroshima, high school student Tasuku Kaname is thrown into despair at the possibility that he may have been outed for being gay. Convinced his life is over, his despair turns into shock when he sees a woman jump out of a window of a nearby house. Tasuku races to the house in a panic only to discover that it's a public meeting lounge owned by the woman he saw before. Tasuku comes face to face with the woman as she walks past him unharmed, but not before she implies that she had been watching him from afar. Confused, Tasuku follows her up to the top of a steep hill where she offers to briefly listen to what's on his mind. Although Tasuku doesn't go into too much detail, he later accepts her invitation to come to the lounge to meet others with similar troubles. - AniList

Original JP available on Book Walker; ENG published by Seven Seas.

CWs under the cut. General severity rating: significant.

some references to sex but no sexual content

suicide <- protagonist considers suicide in response to almost being outed, and the option of dying is referenced quite a lot in the first few chapters. non-literal imagery of someone jumping from a height is used somewhat frequently.

harassment <- adult women offhandly mention being harassed in the workplace every so often.

groping <- in ch9 a sixth grader is groped in public while presenting femininely*. their friend says the Wrong thing trying to comfort them about it (that it happened because they look cute).

dysphoria <- a young amab character* is shown to be very uncomfortable going through puberty.

homophobia <- major theme, though no violence takes place (aside from another queer kid* freaking out in ch9). includes use of the f slur, queer as a slur and the word homo.

transphobia <- not as frequent as the homophobia. casual transphobia & deadnaming directed towards a trans man (not outright hateful; from a minor character who means well but isnt good at being an ally). happens in ch11 - 14.

terminal illness & death <- a minor character has cancer, and dies in the last arc of the manga

*one of the characters (misora) crossdresses regularly, but them not being ready to put a label on their gender is a whole plot point. i do want to be clear that thats why im using they/them, not to misgender them.

[caramelmochacrow]

happy birthday yuka! (hope she and esora enjoy the view!)

(rambling under the cut because the tags cannot contain my love for them--)

the flowers are there for a reason not just bc roses mean romance and yuka is compared to a sunflower. those roses are rosebuds and they mean pure and lovely (w red ones) while the sunflowers are dwarf sunflowers and they mean adoration and love. i chose those because the roses are like how their love is pure and lovely yk? how pure this moment is of esora just. looking at yuka. the sunflowers are bc of esora comparing yuka to them and how esora is looking at yuka w so much love and adoration it's cute ok?

the outfits are from the esora birthday drawing and this is a follow up to it! i was supposed to make a comic but i dont have time so i'll tell u how it was supposed to go: they finished the ferris wheel ride and esora wanted to show yuka something on top of the rooftop of a nice tall building. when they arrived it coincidentally (esora asked the staff) fired off fireworks at the exact moment yuka went close to the railing to see the view. yuka was surprised and turned to look at esora to ask her abt the display only to see her abt to take a picture of her.

also yeah esora hasnt taken the photo in the drawing, this is at the moment she is about to do it but still looking at yuka, taking in the beautiful she had so perfectly set up. the firework behind yuka is supposed to make her look like the sun is right behind her or she is the sun herself, it makes it look like she is the center of attention and that she deserves all of the adoration and love esora is giving her. (also because the sunflowers are looking right at her)

something about how yuka always captures the greatest moments around her of landscapes and the things around her but not herself, so esora choosing and trying to capture hers is like she's saying "you deserve your best moments to be seen as well". or something.... i DONT KNOW!!!

the flowers being around and the whole composition is inspired by yuhki kamatani's work on shounen note and our dreams at dusk! i recommended checking our their work! it's so good especially if you love visuals! (their work is so beautiful...)

another thing that inspired this drawing was the last scene of my summer with you (a manga by nagisa furuya!) where one of the main characters takes a picture of the other without him or with him knowing (idk it's been a while) behind this pretty view. the manga actually inspired me a lot when i read it to draw yukaeso related stuff (mostly because of the summer focus nothing else) so i felt it was right to put a reference to it in this drawing!

the flowers were taken from pictures and ripped out to be used for the drawing yes. was it worth it? yes. would i do it again? yes very much.

i chose fireworks NOT because of the fact esora has this weird thing of being gay when there are fireworks but it just makes sense to watch a firework display after a ferris wheel ride, you know? (i wanted this to originally be the trope where one of them will say "look at the beautiful view!" and the other, looking at them, will say "yeah it is" but EUGHGHGHHHG I GOT EMBARRASSED AND I DIDNT WANT TO DRAW A COMIC WHERE EVERYTHING IS HIGH QUALITY--)

also another reason is because in ao to natsu (original not yuka's cover) there's a firework sound effect in one part of the song and since yuka covered it it made sense to make a reference to it as well!

i learned a lot on how to choose colors and stuff with this drawing, im proud of it! (i have yet again evolved my drawing abilities w yukaeso lol--)

if i wasnt so busy with school, i couldve made the comic but this drawing says everything and what i wanted to capture, you know?

[kimium]

What are some manga you wish got more love and attention?

Thank you for the ask! I have so many manga to talk about. I'm also probably going to date myself with a few of my picks, but that's fine.

Manga that I wish got more love and attention

Phantom Tales of the Night by Matsuri

Without a doubt the first manga on this list is Phantom Tales of the Night. To sum up the story: we follow the Owner of an inn located in the spirit world. Spirits and humans who stumble into the realm of the spirits can stay. The only thing the Owner wants as payment are secrets. However, unlike Yuuko from XXXHolic who is benevolent, the Owner is not. While they aren't outright malicious, the owner is presented as a supernatural being that folktales would tell cautionary stories about. I highly recommend this story if you enjoyed XXXHolic's premise and Japanese foltakes/myths.

Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

This manga is a lovely LGBTQA+ slice of life series where as main protagonist Tasuku Kaname frets over being outed as gay, he meets a mysterious owner of a shop. There, he meets other people of the LGBTQA+ community going through similar dilemmas/problems. Through experiencing and learning more about the others and his identity, Tasuku learns to grows more comfortable with himself.

While the manga can tackle a few heavy topics/experiences from the LGBTQA+ community, the overall warm, slice of life element makes this manga a delightful experience. It's also a short series with four volumes!

Grand Guignol Orchestra by Kaori Yuki

While I could sit here and name every single Kaori Yuki manga I've ever read, I'm picking this one because I think the world building is unique.

In this world, there is this mysterious illness that causes people's skin to slowly harden like porcelain. They then lose their minds and become zombie-like. The only way to counter this and protect yourself is with music. Enter the Lucille and the Grand Orchestra who travels from town to town saving people.

If you haven't read any Kaori Yuki manga, know that she usually tackles dark, almost gothic topics in her manga. While I think this series is tamer than some of her other ones (see: Angel Sanctuary, The Cain Saga/Godchild), you can double check any warnings if you're curious.

Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden By Yuu Watase

If you've watched or were into late 90s early 2000s shoujo anime, then you may be familiar with Fushigi Yugi, a reverse harem isekai series. While the original series had more wide spread success, this manga is the prequel. In it, you meet Takiko, the priestess of Genbu and the first one to ever appear.

The first series is near and dear to my heart, but I enjoy Genbu more simply because I feel there is less soap-opera like drama (romantic). There certainly is romance, it is Fushigi Yugi after all, but I felt it took backstage to the challenge of Takihiko finding her seven warriors so she could summon Genbu.

As a last note, you do not need to know anything about the original series to enjoy this one, though there are many fun Easter Eggs and continuity nods present within. I want this series to have more attention so badly because I physically NEED an anime adaptation of it.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle by CLAMP

Now, you may be saying "But CLAMP is super popular!" and you're right. However, their most mainstream successes were Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits (I think). Yes, Tsubasa (and its sister series XXXHolic) had anime adaptations, they didn't follow the manga/adapt long enough to get to the meat of the series. Even the OVAs only adapted some later parts of the anime and are fragmented.

I hope someday we will have a full reboot... but in the mean time I beg people to read the manga. There is nothing quite like the beautiful, fluid art of CLAMP. I adore their character designs, outfits, and the worlds present within this series. I love all the twists, turns, and characters. I still am not over the Acid Tokyo Arc and the shift in Kurogane and Fai's relationship. I want everyone to experience the full story of Tsubasa so badly it hurts me.

(I suppose in the same vein as this one, I want people to also experience XXXHolic. They are sister series and some story elements near the end assume you've read XXXHolic too.)

Dr. Stone by Riichiro Inagaki and art by Boichi

I love the anime adaptation. It's bizarrely a "comfort" anime for me and has been rewatched multiple times. I think the anime has done an amazing job adapting this series. I also think that the manga's art is stunning. I am in love with Boichi's line work: the weight, the thick/thin tapering, the panelling... it is amazing. I want more people to experience it badly.

The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai and art by Posuka Demizu

In my mind the first season adaptation of this manga is nothing short of a masterpiece. The pacing, the camera angles, the lighting/colour, the sound design are all perfect. It is a shame that the second season (that actually doesn't exist in my heart) completely botched what should have been an anime masterpiece.

If you haven't experienced the manga I cannot encourage you more to read it. The artwork is breathtaking. The pacing and the tension developed in the story left me on the edge of my seat. Some of the best story beats and arcs are locked behind the pages of the manga, waiting for you to explore it. I cannot encourage enough people to go read this manga. Maybe, we can get a reboot and give this series the justice it deserves. Until then, I highly recommend this manga.

And there you have it, friend! I hope you like my list! Let me know what you think!!!

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases Feb. 21, 2023

Assorted Entanglements vol. 1 by Mikanuji

Discover a variety of stories about women's love, starting with Iori: twenty-eight-year-old office worker who sets out to drown her love and job sorrows in booze. When she wakes up next to someone, she can’t believe her partner was Minami, a worker at the bar who doesn’t want to forget what they have!

Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, So I'll Max Out My Defense vol. 8 (novel) by Yuumikan, Koin

Maple's made it to the seventh stratum. Finally, monster taming's available on a grand scale, and the other Maple Tree members have begun the search for their own pets! As usual, Maple's gone off on her own to find a new skill. She’s eaten another monster…and this time she's got tentacles?!

Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk vol. 3 by Tooru

The punk, Shuumei, and the otaku, Yuuma, fell for each other while crossdressed as cool beauty Mei and bubbly maid Hana, respectively. Things continue to spiral as Yuuma and his bestie Shimazaki try to help cure their normie friend Nakamura, who’s afraid of girls… because they keep falling in love with him! Though the otaku aren’t exactly sympathetic, Shimazaki offers to help him… by accidentally taking him to Roman, the cafe where Yuuma works as Hana! Will his bestie figure him out? What if Nakamura falls in love? Most importantly… where’s Mei?!

The Flower That Seems to Truly Dance by Saki Tsukahara

In 1941, Soutarou Kuramoto returns to Japan after years abroad with something on his mind. His closest childhood friend was a boy named Haroumi Asuma, who was famous for his traditional dances in women's clothing. Soutarou loved watching Haroumi dance, but after a fight one day, Soutarou told Haroumi: "I hate the way you dance." The two of them grew apart, and it has haunted him ever since. Soutarou is determined to finally apologize to Haroumi. With the threat of war looming over Japan, will their reunion finally bring Soutarou peace, or will it force him to confront his long-repressed feelings?

Futari Escape vol. 2 by Shouichi Taguchi

Kouhai is a mangaka living under the thumb of constant deadlines. All she wants is a little joy in her everyday life! Thankfully, Senpai has all the time in the world to help her embark on daily escapes from reality. Whether they’re going to extreme measures to make summer feel like winter, heading out on a late-night food run, or leaving all their decisions to fate, the two never fail to find creative ways to slack off. Kick back and disconnect from life with this adorable yuri comedy!

HIRAETH -The End of the Journey- vol. 3 by Yuhki Kamatani (digital only)

Mika, Hibino, and Hani are set to resume their journey, but time is not on their side, as Hani's corporeal form won't hold out much longer. But the god doesn't wish to pass into Yomi without remembering something long forgotten–something that only Hibino seems to remember. As the truth of their bond finally comes to light, Mika steels herself for the descent into Yomi and her long-awaited reunion with her departed friend, Mitsuha… Will the three travelers find what they each seek, here at the end of the journey?

Hirano and Kagiura (novel) by Shou Harusono and Kotoko Hachijo

Basketball players. Bad boys who aren’t really bad boys. Roommates. Senpai-kouhai BL romance. It all started when Kagiura moved into the school dorms with what seemed to be a bad boy upperclassman. But after he’s left in the tender care of his mother-hen of a roommate, Hirano, it’s too much to ask for Kagiura not to fall in love...right?!

From the author of Sasaki and Miyano comes the Hirano and Kagiura novel and its manga sequel, filled with answers to the questions Mya-chan never knew. Do they like-like each other? Are they dating? What juicy things do they get up to behind closed doors?!

I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl Manga vol. 2 by Azusa Banjo

When Hiura agreed to let his childhood friend, Kenshiro, practice applying makeup on him, both of their lives were turned upside-down. Kenshiro comes to terms with the fact that his longtime friend is the same person as ever, despite a dramatically different look. Meanwhile, the introverted Hiura deals with a sudden surge in popularity. Both are learning that beauty—and makeup—can be more than just skin deep.

Last Gender vol. 2 by Rei Taki

Ever felt as if there's no place for you in this world? BAR California. A secluded establishment where people of various genders, propensities, and sexual orientations gather in search of love, sex, and fulfillment. In this installment, Rei Taki tells the story of a young man who loses his same-sex partner to the harshness of society, a lithromantic woman who's scared of getting her feelings reciprocated, and a cross-dresser who has a secret she'll never share...

Run Away With Me, Girl vol. 2 by Battan

Momo has been reunited with her lost love Midori, but they're still nowhere near a fairy-tale ending. With Midori tangled in a rocky engagement and Momo still pining for Midori, are the two women destined to be apart, or will fate find a way to bring them back to each other? While Midori tries to convince herself she's happy in her relationship with Tazune, Maki tries to convince herself she's happy not being in a relationship at all. But when Maki's friend Komari invites them to her seaside home, the three women find themselves questioning how to be true to what's in their own hearts, and encourage each other to reach out for their own versions of happiness. As Komari sees the shine that comes from Midori and Maki when they're together, it seems to light a path she might follow herself. Will Komari be able to show them what she sees? And if Midori and Maki see it, too, will it change how they look at the world--and each other?

Sasaki and Miyano Manga vol. 7 by Shou Harusono

Sasaki and Miyano. Bad boy and BL nerd. Miyano finally took the plunge and told Sasaki exactly how he feels! But that’s only step one of any relationship. After all, now they have to actually make dating work. And with Sasaki’s graduation just around the corner, the challenges they face are only increasing! Can they make their own happily ever after?

SCRAMBLUES by mame march

Haru Kurosaki once heard a stranger's song in high school that made him decide to finally follow his passions. Now, he's a graphic designer who's recently been put in charge of designing a CD jacket for the prodigy musical artist Eddie Astley. On the outside, Eddie is intimidating and aloof — but when Haru spots him at a rock concert, he realizes how wrong that assumption is. As he sees beyond Eddie's surly exterior and catches a glimpse of the man beneath the affectation, Haru begins to think about the message and emotions that Eddie tries to convey through his music. And in trying to get to know more about Eddie for his design project, he discovers that music always has a way of transporting you to a vital moment from the past.

The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow by Nna Natsuo 

 Komazu is a sparrow, and as a sparrow, there’s one thing he knows about snakes: they eat small birds. When he encounters Shiratō, the white snake, of course he expects the worst — but instead of trying to eat him, Shiratō saves him from a boar stampede and flees, teary-eyed, when Komazu lashes out in fear. When the sparrow realizes he's perhaps misjudged snakes and decides to learn more about Shiratō, the two grow closer, first as friends and then as something more. They are predator and natural prey, coming from different species and social castes; can love overcome the laws of nature, despite the differences in their way? This book contains sexual content including nonhuman physiology, and is intended for an audience aged 18 years and up.

SOTUS vol. 1 by BitterSweet and Kei

SOTUS is an educational system in which upperclassmen impose “trials” upon underclassmen. Arthit, leader of the engineering seniors, plans to put his new juniors through a harsh training regimen to earn the symbol of their major—the gear. However, a first-year named Kongpob causes new headaches for Arthit when he declares he’ll snatch the gear from him: “I’ll make you my wife!”

[monaorekoz]

LGBTQIA+ recommendations

Hello everyone!! it’s been a while. I DID plan to write some lgbtqia+ recommendations for each day then i got swamped with exam stuff, coursework and then by my actual job so i apologise for that. I thought instead I would just do afew at a time as it’s easier on me.

I won’t be spoiling anything and warnings will be given for any sensitive topics.

Our dreams at dusk

Trigger warnings for suicide attempt, homophobia,

I feel like this one is gonna be a long one, as this is one of my favourite manga ever. The creator (who is asexual and identifies as x-gender) is Yuhki Kamatani and their art is so beautiful, I adore the character designs, as well as the environments. The panels do so much more than convey a physical image, it’s as if you can almost FEEL the emotions of the characters. That’s just one of the many things i can commend them for. It’s a mature, honest and very much REAL story about how members of the community live within society, as well as how a lot of them feel but also the power behind having support from each other. It’s a fairly short manga (only four volumes) and is therefore easy to read and won’t take too long. i literally beg of you all to read it. I can’t stress enough how emotional it is.

The protagonist is named Tasuku Kaname and he is a high school student who has had rumours spread about him being gay. He is seen on a bridge contemplating ending his life until he meets a mysterious person who is simply named Someone. Like the author, they are asexual however their gender identity is indeterminate. Kamatani stated he uses any pronouns. Someone is the owner of a drop-in centre type thing which is for people who identify as LGBTQIA+. Through the course of the story Tasuku and the reader learn the stories of it’s other members: Haruko and Saki, a sapphic couple who dream of getting married but one of them struggles with fears of burning their relationships with her parents, Shuufi who is a younger child that is questioning their gender identity, Utsumi who is a transgender man, Tchaiko who is an elderly member of the group who’s partner is passing away. His partner, Agawa, has a son who does not know Tchaiko is in a relationship with his father.

Butterfly Soup

Content warnings: homophobia, racism against members of the asian and black community, islamophobia, abusive parents, mentions of sex (none is actually shown), self-hating thoughts, mentions of conflict between China and Taiwan

Butterfly Soup is a small visual novel game on PC which was created by Brianna Lei. There are playthroughs on youtube if you can’t access them. There are two games so far so this is about both of them. It’s another very authentic telling of both being queer and also a teenager, it’s messy, it’s beautiful, it’s clumsy, it’s weird, it’s funny . It’s all these things and I think that’s a very universal thing, especially for LGBTQIA+ people. That’s where the analogy “butterfly soup” comes from. My favourite quote in the entire story is “did you know during metamorphosis, inside the chrysalis the caterpillar turns into soup? If you want to be a butterfly, you have to be the soup first.” The game deals with some pretty difficult topics, yet it is still rather wholesome and definitely hilarious. The artstyle, while rather simple, is ADORABLE.

(as a lesbian myself this is the most relatable panel ever…)

The characters are in that stage of life where they are trying to figure themselves out. It’s also about queer romance, difficult relationships with parents, and simply baseball as well. It’s important to note that the characters are all from Asian backgrounds, which ties into both their characterisation and their struggles. I, myself, am not asian and therefore won’t really speak on this topic as I don’t really feel as though I can properly determine how well they are portrayed in that respect. There isn’t much of a story though the premise is the romance between characters Diya, a quiet, socially anxious jock and Min-Seo, a delinquent. There are also Noelle, an uptight star-student, and Akarsha, who is an agent of chaos. Their relationship becomes a bigger focus in the second game.

[datastate]

onto chapter 8!

GIRL THIS IS NO WAY YOU JUST "LEAVING THAT ASIDE!" REFERENCING YOUR PARENTS' DEATHS. she is going to kill me i'm being so serious

he's too silly oh my god. i hate to say it but i do this exact same shit whenever my siblings are going on trips alone...

also i thought for a moment that miharu was just putting his arms on his waist like this (IT WAS HIS DUMB HOODIE <3)

^ i like them.

you know what that means tobari. if you die there better be some fucked up resurrection shit, okay? don't lose all of banten's stuff... (though he'll probably. give info to miharu i expect...

so hopeful... it is interesting seeing the regenerative properties though :'3 god i hope miharu doesn't end up overly relying on it...

raimei's reaction to it too... god i need to. shake them around in a glass jar like bugs, okay? for their health.

oho... i haven't got much to say here either, but i am very curious if there's a personal connection here, which would make. well. the destruction of some of the banten info devastating, huh...

OH...?

:'] it really is unfortunate that she's right - his reaction would probably just be to. accept that and move forward regardless </333 gwahhh... raimei it's okay. you can still be friends even if you intend to get something out of it all... it's not like you'll betray him right? right! it's fine..... (i really do like characters whose attachments crop up unexpectedly though <3)

HELP. ASKING HIM STRAIGHT UP? & he still manages to slip away with no more than a few dots...

RAIMEI. LOOKS AT YOU SO SWEETLY... so little is left but that little still pushes you forward huh...

be niceys to him he is literally the bearer of good news and infodumps

i initially misread this to be "kumohira-sensei will be in trouble" and i was going to gasp for good reasons but then i reread when i saw him lock the door just to make sure (to see if he was doing it for tobari to force him to be uninvolved) and i was like Oh. oh no.

god this sequence is so. just sad to see. but also, buddy you don't have to explain that things went wrong in your life like this; that's pretty clear from you attacking a 14 year old for his. blood.

THE PERSPECTIVE'S SO GOOD 🔥

trembles. is this a case of shared daisho but instead of a tanto it's two full swords... each grown into their own..... (she might've actually mentioned the make of her sword before but shhh shhh let me stare at blades)

RAIMEI... ;_; augh the rest of the scene being obscured with smoke & fire is just. so good. the composition for these scenes always makes me insane... i need to hug her. this is so good; her only real opportunity to take the information &, i'd assume, do what she couldn't manage before (in the sense of, turning her blade against her brother)

also. raises my hand. yuhki kamatani why are there so many older brothers who kill their parents in your story. would you like to talk 🎤

please let me hug her.

i love them so much. nothing more to add really, i'm just glad this was cleared up sooner rather than later, you know...? it's nice to lay the groundwork... it's also cute seeing raimei as the embarrassed one by that, but poor koichi though aegaha <3

just. in general, this was a really good chapter for fleshing out raimei's character further :'] she has such a strong presence in the story so far and i'm having a joyous time & genuinely can't wait to read further into her as it carries on... i think, so far, she's probably my favorite character!!! i'm always weak for characters who are pushing themselves forward solely because there's nowhere else that'll take them, but the fact that she's bound herself to miharu's journey for this, it really does get to me... it's sort of like. finally finding a home that isn't stationary, which is probably something difficult for her at this point too. it's a waypoint amidst all else where she really had to drive herself & come up with others who were allies, but not friends as miharu, presumably, would be fine with or even want to be...

i'm very excited to see how her conflict w her brother comes to a head... and what she'll have to do with herself after her burden's finally released :'] aghhh... my poorest beast.

ALSO YOITE. YOITE. YOITE :-) I'M SO SCARED BUT I'M EXCITED TO SEE HIM AGAINNN

[mcalhenwrites]

Close enough to 2024 to ramble about this year and the coming one. I have goals.

Writing goals are first and foremost. Those will be the main focus of the year. It's my life and my career after all. If I couldn't find time for writing, I really wouldn't care about the rest. I love writing too much to want to do anything else more than that. XD - Publish Geckos, Automata. If it sells, that'd be great. I'm beginning to think it won't. Publishing it anyway, never shutting up about it, gonna keep spamming it until my followers either interact or just leave. - Tweaking the ending of That's... Not a Cat. Polishing cover. Putting it out there as an ebook. - Rewriting Stargazers' Hill. The thing I said I wouldn't do, but I have ideas on how to fix it, and I badly want to stay with those stupid characters even longer. (I get way too attached. My worst traits as an author, maybe? Don't care, I do what I want. :P ) I can't predict the rest because I don't trust my muses, but I suppose I'm going to work on a bunch of other things, from dragon universe stories to other things I've started. New stories are springing up, and I need to water them~ Really excited about developing Hervey/Algernon, but I think that one needs to steep a bit. :) I'm going to also at least finish one crocheted dragon. Probably Willow. Or Tessa's human form. Will post with writing so you can't have crochet without my writing content attached, bc honestly fuck all the pain crochet brings me. :) (Though I do want to finish my KHUX stained glass blanket, which I probably won't post when I'm done, bc I don't post my non-writing-related crochet 99% of the time. I just tell people I don't crochet so they stop asking for free patterns/gifts/tutorials/etc. So yeah. Don't crochet around here, fuck that shit.) Anyway. :) Money isn't great, so I probably won't play too many games, but I will be playing MISSING LINK when it comes out since it's F2P mobage (which is... ugh, but my favorite part of KH lore has been on the mobile games of all things). And Fantasy Life i, I saved already for that. ;A; This year, I did play some great games! Mostly on my switch. To no one's surprise, RF4 Special is here. Favorite game of all time. Harvestella is a rare treat, highly recommend. :D

And onto reading goals... thinking 90 books for my 2024 goal! My books this year are at 130 currently, and probably won't get much higher if at all unless I finish my re-read of Chobits, but here's that list:

Some of these are re-reads, many are not. Quite a few indie books, quite a bit of manga/comics in there... I re-read Loveless after deleting that I read it on Goodreads due to the controversy, but I have thoughts about how it explores abuse and think it's a really intriguing series for that matter alone. (It also has beautiful art and is taboo as hell, but you can find the block button if you need it, can't you? <3 ) Many amazing reads this year, hoping to read more from several of these authors! And some I realllllly love and clearly will continue to read (Yuhki Kamatani, Rin Chupeco, Nghi Vo, etc.) This isn't including all I read on AO3. Which is quite a bit.

[brainbuffering]

12 Days of Manga 2022

Day 8: Top 3 Seinen 

1) Hiraeth - The End of the Journey by Yuhki Kamatani from Kodansha (T: Leah Surgent L: Salud Campos Blasco E: Jesika Brooks)

[ID: English Volume 1 of Hiraeth - The End of The Journey by Yuhki Kamatani. A girl with short brown hair smiles brightly at the viewer. She has a flower crown of morning glories and wisteria (?) in her hair. The montage is also made up of japanese mountains, a 1930s Motorbike with a sidecar, a Shrine Gate, cranes and two other smaller figures: a man in black leather and sunglasses back to back with a person in long white godly robes and long white hair]

“After the death of her best friend, Mika is determined to follow her into the grave. But her suicide attempt introduces her to a world unlike any she's ever seen...full of gods and spirits and entities of which she could never have dreamed. But even with this world of wonder, can she find a way out of her sorrow?”

Yuhki Kamatani has got to be one of the most talented mangaka working in the industry. Their artwork is absolutley stunning, each panel a work of art in its own right, each line necessary to the telling of the story. I was waiting for Kodansha to release the series from Digital Jail before buying it, because I wanted to physically own it as a piece of arwork but alas... digital it remains.

But that does at least mean I can have pages and pages of screenshots saved to my tablet!

The series is a wonderful combination of dark, heartfelt, and hopeful. It’s a journey of three people facing the notion of mortality and what a death wish really is; from the perspective of a god who has accepted that their long time on earth is finally done and is happy for one final jaunt around Japan, an immortal who sees the curse of living forever as painful as the curse of inevitable death, and a suicidal teenager who longs to see her deceased friend once again.

I’m really eager to see how the series ends, and i’m rooting for Mika to finally choose life at the end of all this. It’s difficult as a teenager to be so suddenly faced with the concept of mortality, and seeing Mika tackle that from a suicidal perspective is incredibly moving. Seeing the philosophical elements laid out so beautifully and casually makes for a really fascinating read too, that makes you yourself think of how to aproach the notion of life and death.

Two volumes in, and Kamatani’s perspective is about as clear as you’d expect: Life is complicated, and death even more so. A long life is a good thing that should be saught after, but not at the cost of everything else in it. Kamatani looks at the importance of the connections we make with others, and how people cannot truly be gone as long as we remember them. Perhaps that’s a little cliche, but given how we’re still all in a stage of global grief in the middle of an ongoing pandemic, it’s an important thing to remember.

And as a final reminder, hey, Kodansha! If you ever want to release these books as physical editions I am more than willing to double dip for them!!!

2) Yakuza Fiance: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii by Asuka Konishi from SevenSeas  (T: M. Fulcrum A: Sopha Tyrant L: Arbash Mughal E: Abb Lehrke)

[ID: A Japanese high school girl with purple hair and red striking eyes looks over the shoulder of a boy hugging her. She is tugging his shirt down to reveal a large tiger back tattoo. There are red flowers (possibly camillas?) floating around them on a white background.]

“Too Much Love Will Kill You

Yoshino grew up the sheltered yakuza princess of the largest crime family in Osaka, the Somei. Due to her resting bitch face and dangerous family, no man has ever approached her. When her grandfather signs a truce with the Tokyo-based Miyama crime family, he offers her up as a truce bride to the Miyama leader's grandson! Kirishima Miyama is popular, charming, and seems totally normal. But behind his smile is a violent sadomasochist who thirsts for her dominance even more when she impresses him with her moxie! Even though she knows how bad yakuza can be, she's stunned by Miyama's viciousness. She can't turn him down with the East-West peace treaty on the line...so instead she steels herself to play ball!”                                    

Move out of the way Nisekoi, let’s see some yakuza teens in an aranged marriage get absolutely wrecked by the criminal underworld they grew up in!

High Schoolers they might be, but this is no sweetheart romance and I’m really digging it! The art work is really strong, especially the coloured inserts. It’s a very promising first volume and I definetly want to see what fucked up mess this all leads to! There’s far too much happy Yakuza romance going around, let’s see what happens if we actually explore the notion of organised crime. 

Now, how does that meme go? “He is definitely a red flag but red’s my favourite colour so what it do baby?” Kirishima’s is definetly not someone I would ever want to be in a relationship with, but boy howdy does he look good covered in someone else’s blood! And Yoshino looks even more beautiful when holding a knife to his throat and threatening to ruin his life if he steps out of line. There are a lot of unhealthy boxes being ticked by this series, so it’s definetly not one for those seeking out wholesome happiness. But not everything has to be “A Sign of Affection” you know!

I’m also facinated by the localisation choices being made in the official translation. Yoshino’s family speaks with an Osakan Dialect, which is usually translated into English media as a Southern American Dialect. However in Yakuza’s Fiance they have opted for a Northern British/Irish Dialect which feels quite refreshing! Why does english localisation always have to be so American? English Localisations are read all over the world, and whilst back in the 00s Australia and New Zealand would sometimes have seperate translations to North America (e.g. Fruits Baskets), that is no longer the case! At times the characterisation can feel a little disjointed with a lack of consitency between phrasing, and I wonder if this is the result of having a seperate translator and adaptor on the series?

If anybody happens to know if Fulcrum and/or Tyrant are on twitter please let me know, I would love to ask them my (polite and engaged) questions!

3) Delicious In Dungeon by Ryoko Kui from Yen Press (T: Taylor Engel L: Abigail Blackman)

[ID: English Cover for Delicious in Dungeon Vol 1. A human man in a full suit of metal armour holds a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. Behind him, a dwarf with a big black beard, a halfling, and an elf in blue robes cook a giant mushroom on a spit roast. They are in a castle dungeon corridor, a red dragon looks in from the doorway behind them.]

“When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions...and a member! They're eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: ""Let's eat the monsters!"" Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons...none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!”       

The most disapointing thing about this manga is that I cannot eat the food they prepare. Seriously, I know that the recipies for living armour are based upon regular crustacians, but that doesn’t mean they ARE crustacians! What does bug jewlery taste like? Does slime taste like bubblegum flavouring? Because it looks like it should...

As a DnD player, I really enjoyed all the references to role playing, especially the chapter with the mimics. Fucking mimics. I’m still angry about the door mimic my DM put me up against and I kept rolling like shit against.

Whilst the focus of the manga is obviously the humour, I’m really enjoying the developing relationships between the characters, and so far all the emotional beats have hit perfectly.

I’ve only read two volumes so far, and I’m not in any desperate rush to read the rest of th series, but I’m definetly going to be keeping my eye out for more in whatever inevitable coin boosts/sales happen so as they happen!

[horistans]

what are some other good bisexual het romance series?

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure how to answer this! You likely didn't mean anything by it, but "bisexual het" really threw me for a loop 😭 😭 I would refrain from using that phrase in the future!

Anyway, I'm assuming you are looking for something like GSNK ❤️ Since I'm not sure what it is you like about GSNK, or who you are and what you usually read, I'll just recommend a bunch of stuff :p

I worked at a bookshop last year, so I'll start with my usual recommendations on LGBT+ manga/graphic novels (that are officially licensed in English). They're mostly coming-of-age stories. Linked is the instagram post with more recommendations, explanations, & summaries!

Also in this rec are: Manga with characters like Kashima (and relationships like HoriKashi)

I was gonna include a lot more, but this list is already pretty excessive 😅 This is scheduled to post tomorrow evening, but know I finished this at midnight!!!!!!!!!!!! (Happy Valentine's Day!!!)

Main Recommendations

My usual rotation of recommendations from back when I worked at a bookstore

Blue Flag by KAITO

8 volumes. My favourite series!! I have so many thoughts about it. Simplest way to summarize the theme of the series is in the first sentence, "Your best friend... or your lover. You can only save one." (implied: who would you choose?). Love triangle between the main character, Taichi, a shy female classmate, Futaba, and the main character's popular, childhood friend, Toma.

A lot of western fans complain about the ending, but I thought it was very fitting for the series. I might be biased because it's my favourite, and I can't necessarily justify myself without spoiling it >.<;; CW for homophobia & outing as a major conflict in a later volume.

Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

4 volumes. Beautiful visual metaphors. Main character comes to terms with being gay & overcoming his internalized-homophobia. CW for attempted suicide & homophobia.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

1 volume. Focuses on gender identity and presentation!

Skip & Loafer by Misaki Tamamatsu

8 volumes (7 English localizations), ongoing. Has an anime coming out soon! I reread it recently and joined their fan server, but I'm just lurking ^^; I feel like people who enjoy GSNK would also enjoy this series.

Although it isn't explicitly queer unlike the other two recommendations. It's still very charming! I really like the main character and her aunt. Even though her aunt is a supporting character, the chapter that focused on her made me cry a lot. My favourite characters are actually the aunt and the drama club president (a side character... but given his role, it tracks LOL /hj) I remember when I first read it and didn't understand why people would call it WLW representation (I still enjoyed it though!) After my recent reread, I get it now >u< Even if it's not canon, I ship two of the main character's friends together. I'm very curious to other people's interpretations~ My wife doesn't really read the same things I do, so I have to wait to watch the anime with her when it comes out before we can discuss it together.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

1 volume. Focuses on gender identity and presentation! I picked it up because I liked the cover and I wanted to read more things by Asian American authors. I remember telling my sister it reminded me of Miraculous Ladybug (likely because the main character is a dressmaker)

Manga with Ikemen Girls (like Kashima)

Most, if not all, can be found on mangadex. Not all of them are HoriKashi-esque, but half of them are

The Story of How I Went to a Mixer and There Were No Women There

Only scanlated up to ch. 8 unfortunately 😢 I've started buying the Japanese volumes but my grasp of the language has gone downhill since I graduated lol Pretty much as the title says! Some guy gets invited to goukon by a female classmate, but he and his friends find 3 ikemen when they arrive. Turns out his classmate and her friends work at a crossdressing bar! And they just didn't feel like changing back after work!

Story About How My xx Girlfriend Dotes on Me

Also known as The Androgynous Girlfriend is Doting on the President. A cute short series (with short chapters) about the class president (unnamed until the 2nd "vol") and his super handsome, cool girlfriend, Natsuki. Under her stoic exterior, she's a little spoiled and very forward about her love for the president! I thought this series was really cute! I want more chapters of them!!

Cigarette Kiss / Refrain Kiss by Yorumo (part of the Resonant Blue—Girl's Best Time collection)

2 chapters of a cute GL collection by the artist Yorumo! Kobayashi knows she's cute, and she flaunts it with the intention of hooking up with handsome guys! And to her luck, she was just assigned to work with the cool Akira. But it turns out Akira's a girl! The only GL in this recommendation list...

Ikemen Dansou Reiya ni Koishiteru!! by Yunoki

AKA I'm in Love with a Handsome Cosplayer Dressed as a Man!! Another title summary lol... Only 1 chapter has been scanlated so far. Is a remake of another series by the author with a (slightly) different title, but I recommend this version (restarted in 2022). The main characters have a lot of similarities to HoriKashi! Assistant cameraman Kippei is invited to attend a cosplay event for the first time to get practice photographing people. He is immediately captivated by cosplayer Makoto. Makoto is equally interested in Kippei (he has muscle from lifting heavy shooting equipment after all!), but, not wanting to disappoint him, she continues to pretend to be a man in an attempt to get closer to him.

Tonari no Kinniku Joshi by Ano Amesuke

A short series about a muscular girl and a tsundere boy Ruby (the muscular girl) isn't technically an ikemen, but I love their dynamic (maybe I just like tsunderes?) I also have no recollection on how I found this series but it was saved on my mangadex. Some parts of the scanlation read weirdly, and since it's a short series, the writing isn't the best, but I still enjoyed it!!!!!!

Not a manga but will include it anyway: the Taiwanese drama Bromance would also fall under this category! I remember when older HoriKashi fans and I would talk about how well it would suit them as an AU ^^

--

There's so many more I wanted to recommend for one reason or another (like My Crossdressing Senpai... I wanted to make a whole section about exploring gender identity or featuring trans characters... And then there's some that barely have any relation and I just think people should pick up like Ruri Dragon) but I've been working on this for the past 4 hours LOL

Anyway if you took the time to read all this, thank you ❤️ If you've read any of these, feel free to reply ur thoughts or which ur most interested in!

[kinosternon]

20 Questions

Got tagged by @marezelle (like a month ago, whoops) and this looks fun, so I'm gonna try it!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Officially 37, unofficially 57-ish (I have a lot on anon right now, plus some semi-ancient FFN stuff posted under a pseud)

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?

Apparently, 644,538.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Kind of a lot? One "it's complicated" fandom which I tend to stay on anon for, especially lately; a fair bit for a very specific corner of Free!, also for Natsume's Book of Friends. Voltron's an ex-fandom but I had fun with it right when it started; there's a handful of other anime I've cycled through. I've got an Undertale longfic I'd really like to get back to one of these days. Lately, a whole bunch of stuff for the 9 Worlds series by Victoria Goddard, which is both amazing in itself and also has my favorite fan community to date.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Names Gone Before—my one and only Adventure Zone fic, and a oneshot, but apparently it was a hit lol

Chasing Silver, Chasing Gold—my beautiful monstrosity of a love letter to the characters introduced in the third season of Free!, and which came out too late for most of the English-speaking fandom to notice it very much (this goes for the show itself and also the timing of my publishing🥲). I am so grateful that so many people have managed to find it regardless!

Equivalence—aforementioned Undertale longfic. I really want to finish it one of these days, but I know what's coming in the last arc and it intimidates me. XP

Omimai—of all my Natsume fics, I'll admit I wouldn't have figured this to be the top one. But I guess Natori is a fan favorite, and I do appreciate that it's very solidly a gen fic that gets a lot of love regardless.

Like trust falls from towers—aforementioned s1-era Voltron fic. It was an experiment to get me posting more, I had fun with it while it lasted, and I got some truly wonderful comments and support from folks reading along while I was working on it. I still go back and reread it sometimes, and I think it was pretty good.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to! I want to show appreciation and make sure people know that going to the effort it takes to write a comment means a great deal to me.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That's a tough one. Probably Pistachio Christmas Tree, as it's a snapshot of a really rough time in the POV character's life and doesn't really show any signs of things getting better for him anytime soon. (All my angsty endings come from canon compliance, lol)

OH. Or Chasing Fingerprints, which is a Nabari no Ou AU oneshot that I wrote back in high school. I wrote it under some weird constraints and don't really like it all that much, but the ending is ambiguous and deeply angsty.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

That is also weirdly difficult to say! Snapshots for Natsume, Slow your breath down (just take it slow) for Victoria Goddard's novel Plum Duff, and turning in your hand for At the Feet of the Sun (also by Goddard). Two of those three are wintertime fluff; I enjoy that subgenre a whole lot.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No. I've occasionally had some slightly weird interactions, but overall I'd say even those were well and enthusiastically meant.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Occasionally, and I'm not sure what kind it'd count as. Insecure, possibly? (me or the characters, either-or XP)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Only two so far! The weirder one was my first-ever fic, where I technically crossed over Twilight with both old!Who and new!Who. Then there's Clowder, which crossed over two of Yuhki Kamatani's manga from pretty different eras and genres and which I'm pretty darned proud of.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had someone ask once, a while back, but at the moment I don't remember which fic it was, or if I ended up hearing how it went.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

...If adding to a bredlik compilation counts, then yes? And I've also done a fair bit of writing to requested prompts for gift exchanges and the like, which isn't the same thing as cowriting but which feels at least a little bit similar.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Oh man, how can I choose? 😭 At the top this has to be a tie between Miharu & Yoite (Nabari no Ou, QPR extraordinaire) and Yukito/Touya (Cardcaptor Sakura, TRC, etc). But also Merthur was my first ship-ship. HiyoIku (Free!) for writeability and general fucked-up-ness, but I'm not always 100% sure I ship it, tragically. Natsume and Tanuma for the same uncertainty minus about 90% of the toxicity, whee.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I'm not going to say "doubt," but uh. A couple of "it's complicated" fandom pieces (especially the ones I originally meant to be series) and also the Undertale longfic. Also some 9 Worlds WIPs, but I haven't started publishing those ones yet, either.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Characterization is a big one—it matters a lot to me and also I've been complimented on it. Fic is my love letter to canon and so I tend to focus on what I love about canon the most, which is almost always the characters' interiority and/or relationship dynamics. I also think I'm usually fairly good at matching the tone of the original, though admittedly the translation aspect of anime stuff gives me a bit of leeway there.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Logistics. I will forget who I put in a room over a certain number of characters, and explaining how people get to and from things (or even appear in a scene) is a terrible chore. (And that's just people—my track record for items, especially furniture, is even worse.) I suspect that my overall pacing also suffers from this because coming up for practical reasons for scenes to start can be difficult.

Also scene transitions, because I write things out of order. :B

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I probably won't, for several reasons. For one, I feel like without a dedicated beta, my errors would be immersion-breaking for anyone with high enough Japanese proficiency. Also, on the other side of things, presumably most of my readers wouldn't be able to make the jump from English into Japanese (which is the only other language I'm remotely able to write in), so accessibility would be an issue. That said, I've occasionally tried to factor in what I know about Japanese and "translate" (at least a bit) to adjust how I write dialogue, when writing fics based on anime.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who/Twilight, lol. (I cared a lot about them both, okay? Also I thought trying to mash up their canonical vampire mythologies would be funny! And I was definitely right about at least one of those things.)

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Oh this is also mean. It's gotta be Chasing Silver, Chasing Gold though. It kicked my ass but I also put my heart and soul into it, and its length, completion, and the responses I've gotten to it have all combined to profoundly affect how I see myself as a writer. (Which may sound a little suspect, but the thing is, I spent years massively looking up to people who could write longfic, most of all to people that could do so and finish. It meant so so much to be able to join those ranks myself, whether or not I manage to do it again someday.) It genuinely feels like one of the most significant things I've done with my life, and it's something I think I'll always be proud of myself for managing to write through to the end.

Annnd done! I'm gonna tag @octopus--writer just for fun ;)

[dropintomanga]

HIRAETH - The Middle and The End of It All

Continuing where I left off months ago, it’s time to explore the last two volumes of Yuhki Kamatani’s HIRAETH - The End of the Journey. The ending does end with a sense of loss, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t move forward despite of it.

Talk about suicide and suicidal ideation after the jump, so just a warning.

In Volume 2, the trio of Mika, Hibino, and Hani continue their trip towards the underworld, Yomotsu Hirasaka (also known as Yomi), to die. Along the way, they run into a researcher named Chihiro Awashima, who knows about Hibino’s immortality. While she wants to hopefully use the knowledge of immortality to improve the medical world, Chihiro’s also desperate to find a way to save a friend who’s dying of a terminal illness. Chihiro challenges Mika’s way of thinking (her desire to die after losing her best friend) by saying death is absolutely scary. Hibino tries to ignore Chihiro with vague answers about his immortality and once the trio makes an attempt to escape her grasp, Chihiro appears and collapses in front of them. She the admits that she lied about her friend and that she’s the one who is dying - from cancer. Chihiro then cries out in desperation how much she wants to accomplish something meaningful before dying. 

Hibino and Hani do convince Chihiro to accept her impending death and that her life still has meaning even if she doesn’t feel like it. There’s something Hani to Chihiro says that made me think.

“You believe the meaning of human life is to accomplish something before you die. How fascinating. While I thought of nothing but I was letting go...”

I listened to a podcast about this whole chase to find meaning in life. Sure, meaning means more than happiness. But I now wonder if we’re all being gamified to find meaning/purpose or else we’ll never be successful. It feels no different than trying to be a “personal brand” and sacrificing your mental health for it. It’s okay to accept that things can be meaningless; it doesn’t change the fact that there’s still things worth living for in life. Chihiro’s search for immortality felt like she wanted to feel pragmatically useful to someone who may need her because society told her to.

Near the end of Volume 2, Hani mysterious vanishes in front of Mika and Hibino. The think about how their life turned out as a god. They wondered why they decided to hang around Mika and humor her wish to die. Hani then realizes that there’s a cherished memory they long forgot. A flashback of when Hani and Hibino first met happens. It turns out that Hani was the soulmate Hibino was searching for. Hani returns and while the reunion is a happy one, everyone will go their separate ways the closer they get to Yomi.

At the start of Volume 3, Hibino encounters an old man he met a long time ago, which causes him to unlock traumatic memories of the people who died before him. Hibino keeps a notebook of said people’s words for his memory’s sake and now wants to get rid of it as he feels trapped by them. Mika refuses to let Hibino throw everything away. Hani jumps into the conversation via violent fashion as they felt insulted by Hibino’s actions because they strongly feel memories should be treasured.

The focus on memory becomes important as Hibino reveals that he knew about Hani for a long time and the two already met a long time ago in ancient Japan. After being around each other for a few years, Hani ends up having to disappear. Hibino and Hani would make a promise that they would meet again if somehow Hibino ends up losing his immortality. Yet that memory was long forgotten until Hani displayed insecurity over how they will be remembered, which triggered Hibino’s remembrance.

The subject of holding onto painful memories can be a tricky one to navigate. In modern society, there’s often a bunch of victim blaming towards people who can’t seem to move on from losing loved ones. We’re always told to move forward and ignore the grief that comes with such memories. But as HIRAETH shows, if an immortal and a god struggle with grief and despair, why would anyone think humans can do better?

The ending is a bittersweet one. Hani eventually disappears, but is glad Hibino treasured him. Hibino dies right after Hani disappears. Mika is about to join the afterlife with no hesitation to see her best friend who died, but decides to go back to the world of the living after hearing a bird sing. She credits the new memories she made with Hani and Hibino that made her re-think her desire to die. 

The most touching part of the end is when Chihiro re-appears in the final chapter. She tells Mika that Hibino reached out to her to take care of his personal affairs (which were trivial) before his eventual passing. Both Mika and Chihiro laugh over Hibino’s actions. And Mika says one of the most powerful lines regarding loss with a huge smile on her face.

“I'm so weird. I can’t shake how sad I feel, but here I am, laughing.” 

I’m gonna get into something I haven’t really talked about here. 4 years ago, a pet bird of mine died after having him for 12 years. The morning he died, I saw him looking very ill. I left for work and came home to find him dead. I was in a state of disbelief and sadness. I did tell some of my friends about my pet bird’s death and one of them told me to celebrate their life. Although I’m not going to pretend that my pet bird thought like a human, he looked like he had fun while he was alive because he sung quite a lot in loud and happy fashion. I laugh now when I think about the times my bird made me smile with his behaviors.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been reading up on grief and ways to talk about it without dismissing the subject entirely. One thing that stood out to me was when someone talks about a loved one who passed away, the first thing asked is “What happened to them?” I think people do this because they want to be certain that whatever befell the person who died won’t happen to them. A better thing to say is “Tell me more about them. Tell me how they lived. Tell me what were they liked. Tell me your favorite memories of them.”

There’s a huge collective silence that subtly makes its mark when talking about emotional memories. There’s cases where people might be deemed “too emotional” and put on a “someone to avoid” list. However, if you really want to feel connected to someone, being a bit more emotional than usual is what makes relationships stronger, not weaker.

People going through grief often don’t get a proper chance to talk about the ones they lost with love. There needs to be a better collective response in giving opportunities to them to speak out. Accepting death and all it brings is what really moves us to treasure and move forward in life. At least, that’s what Kamatani is trying to say with HIRAETH and their approach in talking about death.

HIREATH is an amazing manga that talks about a subject rarely talked about in Western culture. It’s uncomfortable to read at times due to so much focus on facing one’s mortality, but the characters make you feel alive and ensure that it’s okay to face it when you have the people you love at your side. And more importantly, accepting the pain of the past can lead to a present and future that you want to fight for and cherish.

To quote a BBC article on the subject of hiraeth (which is a concept in the country of Wales and the source of inspiration for the manga),

"It (Hiraeth) can be quite revealing, in a way. It can give you an idea of how you want to live, so you can try to embody that happiness and bring it with you into everyday life."

[mobloomspell]

I am making it my mission in life to get everyone to read Hiraeth - The end of the journey by Yuhki Kamatani. It's complete at 3 volumes and I love everything about it, it's perfect.

After the death of her friend, Mika feels there is nothing else for her but to follow after. Her attempt to die, however, brings her into the path of a forgotten god and immortal man, and the three set off to Shimane prefecture, where they may enter the land of the dead.

While this is a story willing to delve into the intensity of grief or death anxiety, it also has points of relishing in how life can be absurd and it can be the smallest things that matter the most to us. It's poignant without ever feeling artificially saccharine or melodramatic. And it's Yuhki Kamatani so the art is gorgeous, their use of abstract spreads and visual metaphor makes for one of the best reading experiences I've had in a while. It helps that Mika is ironically one of the most vibrant protagonists I've encountered in my limited manga catalogue, but most of the characters are enjoyable in surprisingly grounded ways.

More than anything, even when it finally moved me to tears, the story always felt comforting, and I want to share that with other people.

The English edition is digital only right now (my example pics are from a fan translation because I couldn't get them otherwise) but if it sells well, it's possible Kodansha will release print copies in the future. I need this manga in print, I need it to have the most beautifully produced adaptation ever made, I need everyone in the world to read this manga!