Jul 24, 2017
Across the internet, I see a lot of LGBTQ+ anime fans desperately crying out for well-written representation. I'm here to point the big blinking neon sign to this beautiful gem of a manga.
To start, Shimanami Tasogare is a very real, raw telling of what it's like to be queer in Japan. It's authored by Yuhki Kamatani, a *nonbinary* mangaka-- which is incredible in of itself-- who is well-known for some of their previous work, particularly Nabari no Ou (which even itself had just a tad of nice representation). This beautiful piece is by and for the LGBTQ+ community, but I also highly recommend those outside
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of the community give it a read for a lot of reasons, especially if you have LGBTQ+ friends, family, or loved ones, or even just someone you know, OR if you consider yourself a fan of the yaoi and/or yuri genres, not because of content, but to give you a bit of insight as to how to act respectfully to real life LGBTQ+ people and to put into perspective the way they *really* treat the community in Japan.
For those of us in the community, it gives a no-holds-barred, viscerally relatable experience. No matter where you stand in the big rainbow, you'll feel a sense of closeness with the people of Anonymous' Lounge. Fair warning, some of the content will probably make you uncomfortable-- they don't hold anything back when it comes to the realism of the homophobia and transphobia some of the characters experience. Nonetheless, you'll find this manga to be the emotional rollercoaster of feelings that you've always wanted, and I guarantee you'll be waiting (im)patiently for the next of the (unfortunately rather slow) updates.
If you're not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I would still wholeheartedly recommend that you read this, just to do a little bit of learning on how to be more respectful to anyone you may know in the community. I know that especially younger anime fans have an unsettling fetishistic view towards LGBTQ+ people, likely because of yaoi and yuri manga (which, most of the time, are actually harmful to Japanese LGBTQ+ people because it portrays them in a played-up sexual, fetish-y manner). Read this to see the realities of what happens. It also makes a point to showcase how the little things people say and do that don't seem like transgressions can genuinely upset people. I'd particularly like to point to the ramen shop scene and Shouko's interactions with Utsumi for this one. I'm not trying to imply anything mean, but I do think it's good for anyone who would consider themselves an ally to check out for a very realistic walk in the shoes of someone who experiences this on a daily basis.
Kamatani's art is gorgeous, inspiring, and intricately detailed with symbolism and deep meaning. There's so many beautiful pages in this manga that I've lost track. You'll be completely entranced by the beautiful, frame-for-frame recreation of the city of Onomichi, a port city right at the start of the famous Shimanami Kaido, as well as the effort put in by them to discuss the city's issues with vacant, run-down houses making up a very large portion of their buildings. After reading through once or twice-- and yes, I can guarantee you that you'll read it more than once-- you'll probably wanna join Cat Clowder's restoration team too, no matter how adverse you are to physical work.
Overall, this is probably my #1 highest recommended manga of all time. I have very few complaints about it, but because of how utterly beautiful it is I can't even complain about the pretty much once-a-year releases of 3-5 new chapters. It's well worth the wait, even if I'm old and gray by the time it's concluded. Whoever you are out there, I definitely would like to see you reading this manga. Trust me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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