I have been waiting for this day for more than a year and I’m so very excited that at last I will have people with whom I can discuss Our Dreams at Dusk Shimanami Tasogare, Volume 4!
Tasuku has come to some kind of understanding of himself but who or what Tsubaki is, eludes him. As the folks of Cat Clutter plan Saki and Haruko’s wedding, they all struggle with the endless variations of homophobia the encounter: from the well-meaning, to angry rejection, to the bumbling interference of people whose lives won’t be touched no matter what havoc they wreak, to anonymous vandalism, to self-imposed limits.
And despite all that, Tasuku and his friends embrace the joy of a marriage ceremony. It might not mean anything to the government, but for Saki and Haruko, it still requires the same exact effort of coming out, of being seen and recognized by their families as a partnership. So many of us did that in the years before marriage equality in our countries, so many of us are still doing that in countries without. It wasn’t a problem for my parents that I was gay, or that I was celebrating my life with my wife, but it took the same amount of effort to tell them that it might have otherwise. Maybe more, because if I knew they’d reject me I might not have bothered at all.
Saki, who has lived in fear of her father’s reaction, learns that her agency in the matter has been taken from her. Haruko steps in to help her take it back. That scene turns out maybe not how we expected it. Certainly not how Saki has painted her expectations of it. Tasuku absorbs these lessons: You can’t know what you don’t know. You have to try anyway. And he listens as Tchaiko and Someone-san tell him their stories. It gives him a little insight to them, but opens his eyes wide to who he needs to be. Armed by his new knowledge he reaches out to Misora and, eventually, Tsubaki. They also don’t know what or who they are yet, but they know he’ll be there for them if he can.
And that’s all we can do. Shimanami Tasogare tells a decidedly 21st century version of the same story we all learned in the 80s when I was coming out and again every time, as we fought for rights over the last 30 years to live openly, to adopt children, and be recognized as partnerships in marriage and now, to be protected from workplace harassment and bias: Family is who you love and who loves you.
When I read Volume 4 in Japanese, I cried for Tchaiko, whose relationship was unable to be acknowledged until his partner’s death. This time I cried for Tsubaki who, protected by Tasuku, is moved to become someone worthy of protection one day.
I turned out to be wrong that the translation would go with”Dareka-san.” That’s okay. “Someone-san” is just fine. ^_^
I’m so very glad for all of you that you’ve had a chance to share in this story. My sincerest thanks to everyone at Seven Seas for bringing it to us with such loving care. You’ve heard what I think, now it’s your turn. Let’s have all your feels in the comments!
Ratings:
Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
LGBTQ – 10
Service – 3 A Lesbian wedding serves this fan well enough, but nothing salacious
Overall – 9
Years ago I commented in a post here that manga companies had gaps in the publishing process that were part of why we never knew what we’d get in terms of quality. And even so there were many layers that most people who see only one credit, for translator, had no idea even existed. Well here we are, the best part of a decade later, and most of the manga companies explaining this to you with every volume.
So, my thanks to Jocelyne Allen for her masterful translation, to Ysabet Macfarlane, an experienced and talented adapter, to Kaitlyn Wiley for the critical job of lettering and retouch, to KC Fabellon for the cover design that seamlessly integrates the English title. I love that Seven Seas also credits the original designer, so thanks to Hiroshi Nigami (NARTI: S). Thanks to proofreaders Kurestin Armada and Danielle King, to editor Jenn Grunigen, to Production Manager Lissa Patillo, to Editor-in-Chief Adam Arnold and Publisher Jason DeAngelis and to uncredited but beloved Public Relations Manager, Lianne Sentar for keeping us all up to date on what is coming out, when and why to be excited about it. Thanks to all of you for the review copy, as well, although I had already bought this for my collection. I knew I was going to want to keep it. ^_^
And thank you very much to Kamatani Yuhki-sensei for this beautiful story. We’ll look forward to whatever you have planned for the future.
I think that such works are especially important if you recall that in the anime and manga you can still hear comments about the “perversity” of the queer characters. Even when Mari Okada used gay marriage as a plot device in 2016, some Japanese viewers called it “inappropriate propaganda”.
I’m so happy that this series has been translated into English (and so many other languages). It’s both an important work and a masterfully drawn manga. Furthermore, it’s very timely but I also feel it will hold up well years later.
As someone who is both asexual and nonbinary like Yuhki Kamatani, it means a lot to see their work be so well accepted by both LGBTQ and ally manga fans. The messages about community building and respecting others even if you don’t understand their identity and desires is important for everyone to internalize.
I hope that we will see more of Kamatani’s work translated into English soon. Until then, I encourage people to check out Kamatani’s debut series Nabari no Ou, available from Yen Press. It’s not as polished as Our Dreams at Dusk, but it has a lot of heart to it, not to mention it’s interesting to see where Kamatani’s creative journey began.
I’m with you, midge. It’s a great series and so important on both sides of the ocean.