Our Dreams at Dusk

Our Dreams at Dusk (Japanese: しまなみ誰そ彼, Hepburn: Shimanami Tasogare) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuhki Kamatani. The story follows Tasuku Kaname, a gay teenager who meets other LGBT people at a discussion lounge after being involuntarily outed. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's Hibana magazine from 2015 to 2017 and on the Manga One app from 2017 to 2018. Shogakukan collected the untitled chapters into four bound volumes under the Big Comics Special imprint. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series for an English-language release in North America.

Our Dreams at Dusk
Cover of the first volume, featuring the main character Tasuku Kaname
しまなみ誰そ彼
(Shimanami Tasogare)
GenreComing-of-age, drama, magical realism[1]
Manga
Written byYuhki Kamatani
Published byShogakukan
English publisher
ImprintBig Comics Special
Magazine
  • Hibana
  • Manga One
DemographicSeinen
Original runMarch 6, 2015 – May 23, 2018
Volumes4

Plot

Set in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, high school student Tasuku Kaname prepares to commit suicide after his classmates discover gay pornography on his phone. Before he is able to do so, he witnesses a person jump from a window, only to discover they were unharmed in the building where they jumped from. Tasuku discovers that the building is an open "drop-in center", where he meets other people with various troubles and learns to accept his sexuality.

Characters
Tasuku Kaname (要 介, Kaname Tasuku)
Protagonist of the story. A closeted student at Shimanami High School and a member of the table tennis club. He has a crush on Toma Tsubaki, a member of the school volleyball team.
Someone (誰かさん, Dareka-san)
A mysterious and secretive woman who owns the drop-in center. She is later revealed to be asexual.
Tachibana (橘)
Tasuku's friend from the table tennis club.
Haruko Daichi (大地 春子, Daichi Haruko)
A member of the drop-in center who works for a non-profit organization that restores vacant houses in Onomichi. She is in a lesbian relationship with Saki.
Saki (早輝)
A member of the drop-in center. She is in a lesbian relationship with Haruko.
Utsumi (内海)
A member of the drop-in center who belongs to the same organization as Haruko. He is later revealed to be a trans man.
Tchaiko (チャイコ)
An elderly member of the drop-in center. He presents Tchaikovsky musical pieces (such as Symphony No. 1, Winter Daydreams) to Tasuku.
Shuji Misora (美空 秋治, Misora Shūji)
A sixth-grader student, who prefers to dress as a girl whenever they are at the drop-in center. They are unsure about their gender identity. Lives with their mother, grandmother, and two older sisters.

Publication

Our Dreams at Dusk was first serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Hibana, premiering in the inaugural April 2015 issue (released on March 6).[2] When the magazine ceased publication on August 7, 2017, the series transferred to Shogakukan's Manga One app; there, it ran until its conclusion on May 23, 2018.[3][4] Shogakukan collected the 23 untitled chapters into four tankōbon (bound volumes) under the Big Comics Special imprint; the first volume was published on December 11, 2015, and the fourth volume was published on July 19, 2018.[5][6]

Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga for an English-language release in North America; the first volume was published on May 7, 2019, and the fourth volume was published on December 17, 2019.[7][8][9] Seven Seas' marketing manager Lianne Sentar said of the series: "It manages to represent so many different ways that people shape their identities and find their unique spaces, which is something anyone can relate to. It's no wonder this compelling drama has resonated with so many people."[10]

The manga is also licensed by Ediciones Tomodomo in Spain and by J-Pop Manga in Italy.[11][12]

No. Original release date Original ISBN North American release date North American ISBN
1 December 11, 2015[5]978-4-09-187419-1May 7, 2019[8]978-1-642750-60-7
  • Chapters 1–5
2 October 12, 2016[13]978-4-09-189276-8July 23, 2019[14]978-1-642750-61-4
  • Chapters 6–10
3 November 15, 2017[15]978-4-09-189740-4September 24, 2019[16]978-1-642750-62-1
  • Chapters 11–15
4 July 19, 2018[6]978-4-09-860040-3December 17, 2019[9]978-1-642750-63-8
  • Chapters 16–23

Reception

In her review of the manga, Erica Friedman, the founder of Yuricon, described the series' coming out narrative as "crucial for gay Japanese youth."[17] Rachel Thorn, an associate professor in the Faculty of Manga at Kyoto Seika University, described the work as "a much more realistic portrayal of the reality for a lot of LGBT et cetera folks in Japan right now."[18] Beatrice Viri of CBR praised the comic for exploring LGBTQ themes and called it a "beautiful, metaphorical art and a heartfelt story leaving a lasting impact."[19]

On August 14, 2019, the series was nominated for Best Manga at the 2019 Harvey Awards.[20]

The Japan Media Arts Festival selected Shimanami Tasogare for their 2020 online exhibit "Manga, diversity and inclusion", a selection of "[f]ive outstanding works that tackle diversity and inclusion issues."[21]

References
  1. Silverman, Rebecca; Hopper, Faye (June 6, 2019). "The Spring 2019 Manga Guide: Our Dreams At Dusk". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  2. 新青年マンガ誌・ヒバナ、本日発刊！東村アキコらの特典や複製原画展も. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). March 6, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  3. ヒバナの刊行終了が決定、連載作品の今後は次号発表. Comic Natalie. July 7, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  4. Ressler, Karen (August 6, 2017). "Hibana Magazine's Individual Series' Plans Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  5. しまなみ誰そ彼　１ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. しまなみ誰そ彼　４ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  7. Ressler, Karen (June 29, 2018). "Seven Seas Licenses Yuhki Kamatani's Shimanami Tasogare Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  8. "Book: Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare Vol. 1". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  9. "Book: Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare Vol. 4". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  10. "Seven Seas Celebrates Pride Month with Powerful LGBT+ Manga SHIMANAMI TASOGARE". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  11. "Sombras sobre Shimanami de Yuhki Kamatani". Ediciones Tomodomo (in Spanish). Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  12. "Oltre le Onde - Shimanami Tasogare". J-Pop Manga (in Italian). Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  13. しまなみ誰そ彼　２ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  14. "Book: Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare Vol. 2". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  15. しまなみ誰そ彼　３ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  16. "Book: Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare Vol. 3". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  17. Friedman, Erica (August 8, 2017). "LGBTQ Manga: Shimanami Tasogare, Volume 1 (しまなみ誰そ彼 1)". Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  18. Kaiser, Vrai (September 3, 2017). "Chatty AF 21: Wandering Son Retrospective". Anime Feminist (Podcast). Event occurs at 1:04:40. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  19. Viri, Beatrice (December 14, 2020). "The 6 Best LGBTQ Manga (That AREN'T Yaoi or Yuri)". CBR. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  20. "Announcing The 2019 Harvey Awards Nominees – The Harvey Awards". harveyawards.com. August 27, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  21. "Manga, diversity and inclusion". jmaf-promote.jp. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
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