Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare Vol. 1 (Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, 1)

I'd heard a lot about this manga and was so pleased when it was announced that it was actually going to be localised. Having read the first volume, I'm so glad that it's lived up to the tremendous praise that has been showered upon it.Shimanami Tesogari does a fantastic job of telling the stories of various LGBT people who are trying to live their lives to the fullest despite discrimination and marginalisation. Tasuku Kaname, the main character, is a gay teenager trying his best to not only come to terms with his sexuality but also dealing with being forcibly outed to his classmates. Through his struggles he is introduced to a host of other characters who have been through similar challenges and we hear their stories. It is a solid premise and we as the reader get to see how Tasuku empathises with these stories and uses his newfound knowledge of their experiences to gain a greater understanding of who he really is.The artwork in this manga is also beautiful. The characters are expressive and the backgrounds are incredibly detailed. Yuhki Kamatani does a fantastic job of creating emotive compositions; my favourites were the snowy dreamscape page spread, and the pages where he goes back to his classroom where fish-eye lens effects, extreme close-ups and Dutch angles are used to great effect to illustrate Tasuku's growing stress and unease.The print version of the manga is of a good quality. The title on the cover is embossed and slightly shiny against the matte artwork which makes it pop nicely, and there are a couple of glossy full colour art pages in the front. There were no typos that I could find and the dialogue feels natural, which is good because there are some manga where the translations are too literal and they feel clunky as a result.The series is only four volumes in total, so it's not a huge commitment. I know I will definitely be collecting the whole set and would urge anybody who's reading this to do the same!

I read the description of this manga and it hit me hard, as being apart of the LGBTQ+ community myself as a pansexual I thought it might help me understand myself more. The art style is a little different than what I'm used too but the story, damn, it's just so good. I'm looking to buy volume 2 soon to continue the story on but there are so many other manga to buy... Give it a shot if you want to understand the LGBTQ+ community a little more.

Honestly one of the best (and most honest) works covering LGBT topics I've ever come across. Our Dreams at Dusk is the work of a queer author and it really shows; it is moving, poetic and brutally, brutally honest. It is also visually stunning; this work boasts some of the most incredible use of visual metaphors you are ever likely to come across in graphic novels. Please do yourself a favour and check it out.

A gorgeous story with amazing art that really conveys the emotional state of LGBTA+ youth.

This manga is really relatable and it described the experience of finding a community in such a magical way. The physical copy is 100% worth getting!Kamatani-sensei, thank you so much for this experience!