Title 1: Our dreams at Dusk (Shimanami Tasogare)
Author: Yuhki Kamatani
Literacy level: Intermediate
Rating: 4.5/5
Title 2: I think our son is Gay
Author: Okura
Literacy level: Beginner to Intermediate
Rating: 4.5/5
This is a two-for-one, gasp. Well, let’s start with the toughest one in terms of content material. Our dreams at dusk should have a trigger warning for suicide. Other than that it’s smooth sailing. The story begins with Tasuku Kaname, a high-school student that was caught by his classroom peers with “evidence” on his phone that he’s gay on the last two days before summer vacation. Tasuku vehemently denied it saying it must have been his brother playing a prank. He was so distraught with this that he chose to take his life near a cliff. Before jumping off he sees someone else appear to jump off. He runs up to the location, a Drop-in center. Everyone in it seemed to act as if nothing happened, in fact, not even acknowledging it. It was a common occurrence to see this person appear to drop off when in reality she just looked over the balcony. Her name is Someone-san. Owner of the Drop-in center, Someone-san merely says “Tell me anything, but I won’t listen” and without even skipping a beat invites him to the Drop-in center where gay people often visit.
Review: I can’t simply reduce this story in a few short sentences, there’s so much depth to it in just the first chapter, the feeling of being shunned by his classmates, the denial of one’s true self, the notion that other people will hear you out regardless of your situation. It is a deep and introspective story with only 23 chapters. It discusses topics such as the spectrum of love, aromanticism/asexuality, the boundaries of transgender and crossdressing, what it means to like someone of the same gender while figuring out who you are in the process, grieving, and acceptance. A lovely story full of love and how to care for those that are not loved enough. And then there's Ilya Tchaiko, named as such for his love of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the Russian composer (commonly known for his piece of The Swan Lake and The Nutcracker), truly a man filled with love and understanding.
The second manga was originally serialized on twitter in 2018, collected by Gangan Pixiv, then later published by Square Enix in 2019 as volumes. It is a total tonal shift from the depth of emotions and introspection to the lightheartedness of the love of a mother. “I think our son is gay” stars Hiroki Aoyama, starting his first year of high-school, who wears his heart on his sleeves, and it is terribly obvious when he wants to hide that he might be gay. The twist here is that the manga is mostly from the perspective of his mother, Tomoko Aoyama. A stay at home mother with a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant, she has an inkling that her son might be gay due to his tells, the way he blushes when topics such as love, crushes, or queer centered conversations are brought up. His brother, Yuri, can also see the dead giveaways his brother shows from time to time, like accidentally saying “boyfriend” instead of “girlfriend” when talking about future partners. This manga is about how a young man navigates his emotions, a crush that is also his best friend, and the harshness of a bigoted society.
I love this manga. It is so cute, the messages the mom has to gather to express her views and how she is actively trying to learn more about queerness and homosexuality, it brings so much joy. She is a loving mother that wants her children to live the life they are most happy in. She will protect them and does her best to understand that he might be gay and he is happy with it. Yuri, although quiet and introverted, loves and respects his brother, there’s care. There is also a small section for Yuri discussing his aversion to romance and him coming to realize he could be asexual/aromantic. The true grip this manga has on the reader is the conflict that arises with a father that constantly travels for work and is slightly homophobic. He doesn’t have any intention of hurting because he assumes there’s no gays near him, but everyone sees how it affects Hiroki. The mother and Yuri do their best to stop him and change his outlook on the topic at hand, like make-up, queerness, homosexuality, etc. Sure, it doesn’t encompass the entirety of queer culture and how everyone should act around gay people, but it is a refreshing look into how normal gay people are, with normal problems and wants, just existing to love just like everyone else.