Coming-out graphic novel

"In Japan, very few people are open about their homosexuality. And even well-known authors and artists, whose homosexuality is a known fact, never publicly reveal their homosexuality and don’t get involved in the community.

As we use to say in Japan, “if it stinks, put a lid on it”. When there are social issues such as racism or discrimination, we try to address them not by bringing them to light, but by stepping around them and confining them to places where it’s easy to overlook even their existence.
It is the same with gays and lesbians. And this is not the result of a pressure coming from the society, it is a conscious choice that people make themselves."

Source: interview with Gengoroh Tagame

Our Colors breathes this secretive Japanese atmosphere and shows the reader all the torment it can cause to a teenager who's becoming fully aware that he's attracted to men.

Set in contemporary suburban Japan, this manga tells the story of Sora Itoda, a sixteen-year-old aspiring painter who experiences his world in synesthetic hues of blues and reds and who's struggling with the fact that he's gay. He thinks he will never be able to live an honest life. But then he meets Mr. Amamiya, a middle-aged man who owns a local coffee shop and who's openly and unapologetically gay. Soon Mr. Amamiya becomes some sort of mentor to Sora, especially when the latter accepts to paint a mural in the coffee shop. There's also a third protagonist in this story: Nao, a sixteen-year-old girl who's Sora's best friend and childhood confidante. Lots of people assume they're a couple or at least think they should be.
What choices will Sora make and will he finally accept himself for who he is?

"It’s something I’d wanted to read as a middle and high schooler myself, so decided to write for my own self.
As I’m now in my 50s, I think of it as a gift to myself 40 years ago."

Source: interview with Gengoroh Tagame

Although I've never read a book by Gengoroh Tagame before, this one seems completely different from his usual work, which is apparently often openly pornographic and BDSM.

However, in this coming-of-age and coming-out graphic novel Gengoroh Tagame draws a tender and realistic picture of the questions and problems associated with coming out of the closet, both publicly and in the family environment.

The story felt true to life, except for the blue/red thing. I wondered if this kind of colour blindness exists and yes, it's called tritanopia. But that part of the story is never fully explored and doesn't come into its own, as the drawings were not colored, but simply black and white as in most manga stories. Thus the disparate mentions of it felt more like a gimmick, without having an added value.

The blurb mentions that this story is set in contemporary Japan, but it doesn't really feel that way. To me, it has more a seventies or eighties kind of vibe.
Probably that can be traced back to the fact that this story is a gift from Gengoroh Tagame to his younger self.
Anyway, it will surely lend a helping hand to today's gay teenagers too who struggle with their sexuality.
Furthermore this book could also be a shot in the arm for older generations who might not have had the courage to come out when they were young.

It's surprising that this manga originally appeared in 3 volumes in Japan, because there's almost no action and the reactions of the characters are quite repetitive.
It certainly would've benefited from a smaller page count to emphasize the message, especially bearing in mind that not everyone will be able to appreciate the slower pace. Actually, you could compare the cadence to the one of the movie An (aka Sweet Bean).

Gengoroh Tagame (° 1964) is a professional gay manga artist who currently lives in Tokyo.

In 1994 he cofounded the epochal G-Men magazine and by 1996 he was working full-time as an openly gay artist.
Contrary to androgynous ephebes that occur frequently in Yaoi manga (usually created by female authors and aimed at a female audience, more info here), he often draws hypermasculine men which is typical for Bara manga (created primarily by gay men for a gay male audience, more info here) and bear culture in general (more info here).
He's the author of dozens of graphic novels and stories that have been translated into English, French, Italian an Korean. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries across Europe and America.
His most famous manga My Brother's Husband earned him the Japan Media Arts Award for Outstanding Work of Manga from Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. In 2018, the book received the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition on International Material-Asia.

A very interesting interview with Gengoroh Tagame (May 9 of 2013, Toronto Comic Arts Festival) about gay culture in Japan can be read at .

If you wish to read more about Our Colors and see some panels, you can head over to following interview: .

*Thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.