In Volume 1, we met Tasuku, a high school student who was being bullied for being gay, finally admitting to himself he is gay. In Volume 2, Tasuku reaches out to a young trans kid and ends up hurting and being hurt, depite good intentions.
In Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, Volume 3 Tasuku must deal with real-world consequences of “being gay” in public. As Tasuku starts to to parse his feelings about a classmate whose erratic behavior leaves him constantly unsure of the intent, he also watches as association with the Cat Clutter group gives him a reputation for being one of the queers. Every time things get ugly, Tasuku has to figure out how to respond in a way that causes himself the least pain without betraying himself and others. In the end, it’s Utsumi-kun who provides him with a role model who understands what he’s supposed to be, and knows that sometimes, as a human, he’s not that.
When things come to a crisis in his own life, Tasuku takes an important step forward, carving his own space out of his world. He takes a stand with Tsubaki-kun, demanding respect for himself and the other members of the group. Once again, accompanied by magnificent art that blows the borders of the page wide open, Tasuku takes a forceful step out of the closet.
In the final pages, Tasuku finally decides on a direction for himself, and the others of the group. When Volume 4 hit shelves in December, we’re getting a wedding! ^_^
I’ve praised this series so much, but haven’t really managed to convey just how profound and intentional it has been. There’s a lot of emotion uncovered in this series:; from the isolation of queer kids, to confusion at an unfair society and anger at and pity for homophobic assholes. The art is epic in ways that are usually occupied by music in visual media, forcing us to sing songs inside our heads of discovery, of epiphany…and, ultimately, of joy.
Ratings:
Art – 8
Story – 9
Characters- 8
LGBTQ – 10
Service – 2 Things that might be considered service exist
Overall – 10
This was and remains one of the most compelling series I have ever read. I keep trying to put it down and failing to do so.
As a tangent on my review of Sexiled last week, one of the things I like in this volume particularly is how it addresses the anger of queer folks at the aggressive cluelessness of people who just will not listen to them. The anger of queer people and the anger of women and people of color and religious minorities in every nation and the anger of any marginalized group in any environment is real. We’re being given a chance to hear that anger expressed. Next up is to change the systems that are responsible for that anger. Onward, friends. Let us dismantle the master’s house with our own tools of art and words and music and protest and turn that into law and policy that creates a more welcoming world.
I understand what you mean by “anger”, but would isn’t be better to at least try to clarify your position to show “ignorant” people why they are mistaken? Of course, Russia, as an Eastern European country, is far from American diversity in any sense, but as a gender-uncomfortable child with Jewish roots, I was convinced on personal experience, that anger leads only to the erection of even greater barriers and intolerance.
Shimanami Tasogare is a good example of this approach. Instead of turning their work into an attack on straight people or turning it into a political statement, Kamatani-sensei achieves more effect with the help of an objective image of the queer experience and related public misunderstanding or discrimination.
If you’re asking this, you don’t understand what I mean by anger at all.
I am LIVID. I am fucking EXHAUSTED. Marginalized people are not responsible for the bias of biased people. It is not our job to patiently explain it 3.75 billion times to every single man/white person/straight person/abled person. People could just stop being raging assholes, you know. That would be okay. This book does not patiently explain anything. It shows what life is actually like for queer youth. The loneliness and isolation and ANGER at straight people wwell meaning or not.
You don’t need to explain this to each individual person at all and no one says that this should be your responsibility.
Shimanami Tasogare really isn’t trying to “explain” anything. At the same time, it sympathetically shows the real life of the queer community, without any political commitment showing the homophobia, isolation, misunderstanding you mentioned, etc. This is enough for a sincerely mistaken person to be able to draw their own conclusions and change their mind, or at least become more tolerant.
Similarly, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn didn’t try to explain anything, nor to make any statements. However, this book was one of the best accusations against racism I have ever seen. It is in this value of art – you can always share your experience with other people and if you have something to say and you are sincere, then you can always get to other people’s hearts.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ABSOLUTELY was written to make very pointed points.
Because you as a reader missed that the points are pointed, doesn’t mean they aren’t very pointed indeed.
The explanations have been made. Over and over and over and over and every single not-black or not-queer person somehow just cannot figure out how to understand it.
Please. Do not waste any more of my time telling me how queer people *should* do things.
This conversation is over.