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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
Some good, some bad. I know that Gengoroh Tagame is capable of making a compelling story and drawing in amazing and endearing simplicity, his eye to attention is in the characters.
I'm a little disappointed in the emphasis on the title, the protagonist's emphasis on color particularly in the descriptions of surroundings, of characters, of clothing...... and the lack of color present. Granted, I know that'll cost both the publisher and the consumer extra and even though I rented it from the library, I've seen manga engage in portraying some pages with color, it would add such beauty to the story. (HUGE SPOILER TO THE ENDING) I understand stories have engaged in age gap exploration and I can see its merit but not when it's an underage kid in high school and an older person post-50s, I felt that it might venture there and I was hoping it wasn't but it did and the concerns of the ex-wife character and the mom came true, that the adult engaged in a poor decision. I've seen Gengoroh Tagame's work be better and do better, and unfortunately I'm simply a human who compares this work to My Brother's Husband and it's a tall ask.
The good: it's a simple story and a quick-ish read, while I see some reviewers have noted the lack of internet on behalf of the protagonist, there's something about him that is just kind of naive which makes sense, he's young and dumb figuring things out. I enjoyed watching the value of community form and I'm glad there wasn't some melodramatic back and forth about outing that you see in other teenage-misunderstanding stories. The characters felt realistic and grounded and quite simple. They apologized to each other for such mishaps and they promised to grow, I quite enjoyed that. I loved the support once the protagonist comes out. Was the plot the best? Not really, I think the author is so much more talented but just wasn't the most fulfilling plot for me, but part of me thinks, was the author writing to his current self or his past self with the ending in mind, it's a little rough to be fully okay with things. Wish the protag was a little older.
I'm a little disappointed in the emphasis on the title, the protagonist's emphasis on color particularly in the descriptions of surroundings, of characters, of clothing...... and the lack of color present. Granted, I know that'll cost both the publisher and the consumer extra and even though I rented it from the library, I've seen manga engage in portraying some pages with color, it would add such beauty to the story. (HUGE SPOILER TO THE ENDING) I understand stories have engaged in age gap exploration and I can see its merit but not when it's an underage kid in high school and an older person post-50s, I felt that it might venture there and I was hoping it wasn't but it did and the concerns of the ex-wife character and the mom came true, that the adult engaged in a poor decision. I've seen Gengoroh Tagame's work be better and do better, and unfortunately I'm simply a human who compares this work to My Brother's Husband and it's a tall ask.
The good: it's a simple story and a quick-ish read, while I see some reviewers have noted the lack of internet on behalf of the protagonist, there's something about him that is just kind of naive which makes sense, he's young and dumb figuring things out. I enjoyed watching the value of community form and I'm glad there wasn't some melodramatic back and forth about outing that you see in other teenage-misunderstanding stories. The characters felt realistic and grounded and quite simple. They apologized to each other for such mishaps and they promised to grow, I quite enjoyed that. I loved the support once the protagonist comes out. Was the plot the best? Not really, I think the author is so much more talented but just wasn't the most fulfilling plot for me, but part of me thinks, was the author writing to his current self or his past self with the ending in mind, it's a little rough to be fully okay with things. Wish the protag was a little older.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Largely a very sweet queer coming of age, slice of life.
Normally coming of age stories are off-putting to me now. As a man in my thirties, it's harder to relate to them now. I appreciate their place, but unless they're stories I enjoyed at the time it was relevant, I mostly try to avoid them. I picked up this because I really enjoyed My Brother's Husband, and there's not a lot of Gengoroh Tagame's work that isn't erotica.
I think the afterwards contextualized a lot of what I liked about the book. This was an older gay man reflecting on the story he would tell his younger self. I think that's why I found a lot of Sora's story quite nostalgic in a weird way. It reminded me of what it was like to be that teenager, and to feel those emotions.
Now, the very end leaves me very conflicted, as a lot of reviews seem to be.
Sora asking for a kiss from Mr Amamiya. I can understand Sora, he's young, he's gone through a roller coaster of emotions. But Mr Amamiya agreeing and kissing him. OH BOY. I mean, the book has raised it from multiple characters the inter-generational friendship between an older man, and two high school students is weird. Throughout the story we see it from the view of Sora and Nao: He's a supportive older guardian figure to them both. The kiss left a bad taste that ended a sweet story ona sour note.
From the author's afterword, I think I understand what this was supposed to be about. Some connection between his own older perspective as author, and the person he was growing up. BUT, it's still a very yikes presentation.
Normally coming of age stories are off-putting to me now. As a man in my thirties, it's harder to relate to them now. I appreciate their place, but unless they're stories I enjoyed at the time it was relevant, I mostly try to avoid them. I picked up this because I really enjoyed My Brother's Husband, and there's not a lot of Gengoroh Tagame's work that isn't erotica.
I think the afterwards contextualized a lot of what I liked about the book. This was an older gay man reflecting on the story he would tell his younger self. I think that's why I found a lot of Sora's story quite nostalgic in a weird way. It reminded me of what it was like to be that teenager, and to feel those emotions.
Now, the very end leaves me very conflicted, as a lot of reviews seem to be.
From the author's afterword, I think I understand what this was supposed to be about. Some connection between his own older perspective as author, and the person he was growing up. BUT, it's still a very yikes presentation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Homophobia
4.5 stars
A lovely manga about a gay teen boy in Japan who upon meeting a gay man starts to come to terms with this sexuality. I wished it had been in color, since he experiences memories in strong hues of blue and red. The ending is what knocked off half a star. It went to a place that unsettled me.
A lovely manga about a gay teen boy in Japan who upon meeting a gay man starts to come to terms with this sexuality. I wished it had been in color, since he experiences memories in strong hues of blue and red. The ending is what knocked off half a star. It went to a place that unsettled me.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved this. It hit the same tone as My Brother’s Husband, with a hopeful outlook that didn’t ignore the realities of being gay in Japan. Nao and Sora had such a great friendship that developed throughout, and it was nice they both got other friendships. I love how the mentor-mentee relationship with Amamiya eventually went both ways, influenced by the generational differences.
The art was beautiful, and some panels took my breath away, like the reader looking through the mural at Sora and his mask finally coming off when he comes out to his parents.
I couldn’t quite bump this to 5* because I felt like the art/color theme wasn’t tied in perfectly throughout.
The art was beautiful, and some panels took my breath away, like the reader looking through the mural at Sora and his mask finally coming off when he comes out to his parents.
I couldn’t quite bump this to 5* because I felt like the art/color theme wasn’t tied in perfectly throughout.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes