After Hours, Vol. 1

After Hours #1

by Yuhta Nishio, Abby Lehrke (Translator)

There’s always something going on at night. Sooner or later, you’ll find your scene.

Emi Ashiana is 24, unemployed, and not really sure what she wants do with her life. When a friend invites her to a dance club, Emi doesn’t expect much. But what she finds will change her world!

The club is hopping and Emi isn’t…so she ends up hiding in a corner after her friend ditches her to flirt with a guy! Emi figures the night is a bust, but then someone amazing comes to her rescue. Kei is a DJ, and her effortless self-confidence captivates Emi. Is this just a wonderful night out or the start of the rest of her life?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Yuri, LGBT, Graphic Novels, Lesbian, Queer

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2015

About the author

NISHIO Yuhta
Name (in native language): 西尾雄太

Tumblr: snobby-snob

Pixiv: 西尾雄太

Reviews

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

''I got out of school and failed, just like everybody else.''

It's not cheesy and it's actually realistic. I'm honestly shocked. It was nice and sweet.
It's about two ADULT women falling in love. Cute.

[Jhosy · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS MANGA WAS INCREDIBLE! Finally a licensed lesbian manga in English that is about two adult women!
Emi is around 24 years old and went to a club to meet a friend, but she ends up being abandoned by this friend who finds a boy to flirt. Alone, a man tries to flirt with her then Kei appears and "saves" her.
Kei is 30 years old, is a Dj and dresses wonderfully well (seriously, I'm in love with her style). They talk at the nightclub and decide to stay at Kei's house. There the two end up having a night stand. The most interesting is that unlike other mangas where at this point one of the girls would be freaking out and disappearing in the morning or discovering herself lesbian, Emi takes it all normally. She wakes up, remembers what happened, and gets a bit shy (super cute), but doesn't regret or question her sexuality, which makes me think she may have already known about her own sexuality before. Anyway, the two continue the day normally, but in friendly terms. Neither cold nor loving (romantically speaking).
When the two meet again is with a friendly mood (As if they were meeting as friends before starting something more serious). Emi ends up being influenced by Kei to VJing in an event that Kei will work and she ends up meeting her friends.
At the end of the chapter Emi thinks that she needs to settle things right with Kei and a tense atmosphere is in the air, later we discover that Emi has a boyfriend whom she probably betrayed with Kei. Emi explains to her friend that she broke up with him, but in the conversation it turns out that even after finishing it, Emi still lives with him. I believe the drama might happen when Kei finds out, because Emi hasn't been able to find the courage to tell her yet.
In short, the story is very good. Funny, with a more mature mood than what is usually found in yuris manga and with a pinch of cuteness.
I believe this is the first time I read a Yuri-licensed manga in English in which one of the characters is a bisexual woman and an adult.
Oh yeah, it's interesting to also focus on the age gap between the characters, because once Emi discovers the age difference and comments on it, Kei throughout the manga begins to drop jokes about her "old age" and the difference of age between them, this is fun and cute.
I can't wait to read all the adventures that Kei and Emi will experience in Volume 2, as well as the growing relationship between these characters.
A total of 5 stars, but if I could I would give it 10.
PS: The music referenced in the manga is wonderful! Kei really has good taste.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super cute and super refreshing! I feel like most wlw romances are high school set so it's really great to read one from an adult perspective. I really need to buy the other 2 volumes asap!

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A feckless twenty-four-year-old NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) thinks about becoming a club DJ because that's what the hot girl whose bed she just fell into does.

I'm not sure if this is a romance or a how-to guide. Everything is just so low-key as we wallow along with the main character.

I'm going to try one more volume thanks to a late in the game reveal, but i'm not optimistic at this point.

[Jaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike the rest of the yuri I've read recently, After Hours is not about high school students. It's such a refreshing change to read about adult women (in this case, one is in her twenties, the other her thirties). A lot of common manga tropes are left out of this story – shame about sex, excessive bashfulness, internalized homophobia ("but we're both girls!!"). There's not even any fan service, and the kissing is vocally consented to.

While the two characters have a sexual relationship, the story focuses on everything else going on in their lives. Emi just got out of college but has no idea what she's doing in life or what she wants. Kei is finding a way to pursue her passions as hard as she can, and inviting Emi to join in.
The art is cinematic and the story is well-done, with funny moments and characters you can get behind. This is a unique addition to the current yuri offerings in English, and it deserves a lot more attention than I've seen it given.

Content warning: Depictions of alcohol and drunkenness in club scenes, as well as a friendship that could be read as emotionally abusive.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really wasn't for me. It was probably the best example of a romance that went from 0 - 100 in no time at all.

I think, if I was maybe 15 years younger, I would've liked this but, at my current age, it's impossible for me to ignore how quickly Emi found herself enamored with Kei. Like, it took maybe half a sentence? And I don't mean that she had a crush, Kei gives her a key after knowing her for less than like 12 hours. It's very strange.

In addition, I felt like neither of them were really characters. I couldn't really get a read on either of their personalities. Emi's primary trait was indecisiveness where Kei's was being decisive. That's really the only thing that differentiated them, aside from their haircuts.

I like the art, but that's about all I have to compliment this book on. Not a recommend from me.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An edgy, more realistic yuri manga with older protagonists. First volume had enough that I want to continue reading to find out more.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had no idea going into this that it was a yuri series (or at least had a yuri relationship in it), but that ended up being one of the highlights - not strictly because it has a lesbian couple at its center, but rather because their relationship starts with a one-night stand, and that's something we don't see much of in yuri manga. It grounds the series in a more realistic world, and with Emi's initial reaction to being overwhelmed by a noisy club and her unfocused post-college life, this feels like a much more adult series than we've seen in the genre.

EDIT: Same impression reading it the second time.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the characters, but the plot is lacking big time. This is basically two women falling in love. It's actually really cute when it starts and I like they deal with it in a mature way. Then we get the plot, their goals in life, and honestly it's boring. Do you know what a VJ is? No? That's okay. It's very boring. Basically that's our heroes dream is to become a VJ which is like a DJ but with videos and ugh...boring.

Overall, I enjoy the characters but not the plot. A 2.5.

[Kay ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

No plot and they took the u haul term to new meaning. While this was cute, I am not sure where its going. I won't be continuing.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I wish it was less a focus on nightclub culture and more about these girls trying to figure out their futures.

[lauraღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and music. In so many ways, they would take me from dusk to every new dawn.

3.5 stars. This was cute! It didn't really ring any emotional bells for me, and the DJing/music plot isn't the most arresting thing, but it was unique, and I was still entertained and charmed. It follows a young woman who goes to a club with her friend, gets abandoned, and then the pretty DJ takes her under her wing, shows her a few things. Emi unexpectedly really loves and connects with the experience, and she ends up spending the night with Kei, the DJ. It's always interesting to read about new experiences and hobbies, so even though DJing and VJing isn't a huge passion of mine or anything, it was still really sweet, to see them connecting through it. The extra .5 stars is for the art style, which was simple but really cute. I really liked the bath section, because I tend to really enjoy when artists portray casual, non-sexual nudity. (Though the no-nips was a little uncanny.) Kei is so suave and charming, and they have the beginning of a romance I think I could really enjoy, after getting more of each of their backstories. 

So yeah, while it didn't blow me away, and I'm not hugely invested, I did like this! I borrowed it on a whim, and if the library gets more volumes, I'll definitely continue with it. I've been really in the mood for more yuri manga these days.

[ᗩᑎᗪᖇᗴᗯ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet

Great Art. Sweet story. Nice to see a yuri manga focussed on an older-than-teen aged couple (24 and 30 in this case), and the clubbing/DJ scene always appeals to me. Recommended.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emi is a lot messier than I was expecting and I want to know more about her. This got into the story pretty quickly. You just find things out as you go. There hasn't been any explanations and barely any introductions, but it's not a bad thing. Just different.

[Eyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars?
This one is just a cute yuri, it's only three volumes so I'll probably continue whenever I can! Cute characters and story but not much to it I don't think.

[Bingus Boingus · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 just kinda there

[sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet and refreshing! i love that they hook up immediately lol

[Donatella Principi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primo volume di tre carino, forse mi aspettavo da subito qualcosa in più. Il modo in cui si avvicinano le protagoniste è stato per me troppo affrettato e superficiale, mi aspetto maggiore approfondimento nei prossimi volumi. Non sono una gran fan del contesto musicale del manga ma per semplici gusti personali. Nonostante questo ho trovato interessante e stimolante questa passione come punto di incontro di due persone dai caratteri differenti. Nel complesso si tratta di un volume abbastanza introduttivo dove non succede granché

[Alexis Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts really strong and really feels like a breath of fresh air from so many yuri mangas I have read. It's central characters aren't in high school, they hook up in the first chapter, it's very strongly given to you. However, it then starts to drag as it goes on losing focus as it wants to create drama that doesn't feel needed and has perhaps to many ideas for what could be a much more tightly focused narrative. Still I really enjoyed it overall so I am looking forward to volume 2 and hoping that won't let me down.

[Tatiana Alejandra de Castro Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primer tomo de tres de una serie bastante atípica para ser yuri. Ya en el primer capítulo se lían, lo cual es raro, pero además nos presenta los clubes nocturnos de Shibuya y cómo es currar en ese mundillo.

A ver qué tal el siguiente, que promete con el pequeño misterio que han dicho en este tomo.

Puedes ver una reseña más completa en: https://ashoggothontheroof.blogspot.c...

[Zian B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the characters and how the two women met and their connection was nice. But then things slowed down and it got boring. I didn’t like it too much but I wish that I did.

[Victors · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad... but also not good.

[Ayxan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how chill it is, even though it's about figuring out their future. Usually it's like "omg I've graduated now I need to find a job asap or I'll end up being homeless". Fair enough, it isn't set right after their graduation and they did have a job. Nevertheless, it isn't stressful.
As someone who's also still figuring out what I want to do for a living, it's cool to have a story that is more chill.

I also really love how chill they are with their relationship. Not sure whether or not the protagonist already knew before that they are gay, but it's nice to have characters that don't freak out after having kissed the same gender. And especially how normal it's kept.
I'm a bit thrown off at how chill they are – one night-stand only and they're kinda living together already? Dunno, maybe that's a normal thing, but I've never read about that (usually there's a whole drama whether the characters are ready to move in together).

Yea, it's a chill read, with a chill story and chill characters.

[Irene ➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I honestly wanted to love this one but despite finding an interesting intro to this mini series, I couldn't put my full attention to it.

I loved the setting and it's definitely something new and different that it's not very common to find in mangas.
I liked this discovery of the night life and how two people can live it in a completely different way.
The story felt very natural even if a little rushed especially at the very beginning.
All of a sudden our two protagonists (that just met in a club) find themselves at home together in the same bed. From here they immediately start this relationship and Emi moves to Kei's.
All this in like 10 pages?

I hope in the next volume we can go deeper in their relationship and not just focus on their dj club life.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a cute story that feels realistic enough. Two women falling for each other and getting to know each other while set in an event style kind of world. It starts with a one night stand kind of hookup that turns into more. Emi is an uncertain 24 year old who doesn't know what she wants from life but does want some new experiences. Kei is a 30 year old who's a DJ and quite outgoing and decisive.
It was cute and I appreciated the ages of our MCs and that there wasnt any of the homophobia or prudishness that can be found in some of these stories. I didn't love it though, I may or may not pick up the second volume.

[Kelsey (Bookishly Nerdy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a FF romance, which I think I’ve only read one volume of before and didn’t love it. This one was really cute though! It’s not the most amazing plot line for me, but I loved seeing the friendship and chemistry of our main couples. This story is about finding yourself and the people who help you along the way. And I think that’s really beautiful.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but nothing mind blowing to be honest. Style of the manga was a little darker and busier than I like but it was still an interesting start to the series. Don't know if I will be picking up the next volume

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breath of fresh air in a lot of ways. Different, and quite good.

4.5 rounded up.

Review: https://derailmentsofthought.com/2018...

[Alex (Iseultslibrary) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god definitely a new favorite

[Maialen Uzumaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edición preciosa de fandogamia, la traducción también me encanta.