Our Colors

僕らの色彩 / Bokura no shikisai #1-3

by Gengoroh Tagame, Anne Ishii (Translator)

A mesmerizing coming-of-age and coming-out graphic novel by the genius writer-artist of the Eisner Award–winning breakout hit My Brother’s Husband

Set in contemporary suburban Japan, Our Colors is the story of Sora Itoda, a sixteen-year-old aspiring painter who experiences his world in synesthetic hues of blues and reds and is governed by the emotional turbulence of being a teenager. He wants to live honestly as a young gay man in high school, but that is still not acceptable in Japanese society. His best friend and childhood confidante is Nao, a young woman whom everyone thinks is (or should be) his girlfriend, and it would be the easiest thing to play along—she knows he’s gay but knows, too, how difficult it is to live one’s truth in his situation.

Sora’s world changes forever when he meets Mr. Amamiya, a middle-aged gentleman who is the owner and proprietor of a local coffee shop and is completely, unapologetically out as a gay man. A mentorship and platonic friendship ensues as Sora comes out to him and agrees to paint a mural in the shop, and Mr. Amamiya counsels Sora about how to deal with who he is. But it won’t be easy. Mr. Amamiya paid a high price for his freedom of identity, and when a figure from his past suddenly appears, the situation becomes a vivid example of just how complicated life can be.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, LGBT, Queer, Comics, Fiction, Japan

528 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2022

About the author

Gengoroh Tagame is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in gay BDSM erotic manga, many of which depict graphic violence. The men he depicts are hypermasculine, and tend to be on the bearish side.

Born into a family descended from samurai, Tagame began his career as a manga artist in 1982, while he was studying graphic design at Tama Art University (多摩美術大学). His works have been published in several Japanese gay magazines, including Sabu, G-men and SM-Z. Since 1986, he has used the pen-name Gengoroh Tagame, and since 1994 Tagame has lived off the profits of his art and writings. In recent years, Tagame has edited a two volume artbook series about the history of gay erotic art in Japan from the 1950s to the present, 日本のゲイ・エロティック・アート (Nihon no gei, erotikku āto, Gay Erotic Art in Japan) volumes 1 and 2.

All his works contain "virile males, or youths, and their apprenticeship of physical and mental submission". Works of his include: Jujitsu Kyoshi at B Product; Emono, Shirogane no Hana (3 vol.) and Pride (3 vol.) at G-Project.

His manga Gunji (軍次) was translated into French in 2005, followed by Arena in 2006 and Goku in 2009. An artbook of his works has also been published in France by H&O Editions. An exhibition of his works was held in France in May 2009. Tagame is openly gay.

Tagame has been called the most influential creator of gay manga in Japan to date, and "the most talented and most famous author of sado-masochistic gay manga". Most of his work first appeared in gay magazines and usually feature sexual abuse. Tagame's depiction of men as muscular and hairy has been cited as a catalyst for a shift in fashion amongst gay men in 1995, away from the clean-shaven and slender bishōnen stereotypes and towards a tendency for masculinity and chubbiness. Tagame's work has been criticised by notable gay manga writer Susumu Hirosegawa as "SM gekijō" (S&M theater) for its violence and lack of complex storylines.

A small amount of Tagame's work has been licensed in English; a short story, "Standing Ovations", was included in the third issue of the erotic comics anthology Thickness, and in July 2012, Picturebox announced a short story collection, The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame, for 2013 release, which will be the first completely bara work published in English in a print format. The book will collect short works spanning 15 years of Tagame's career, including a new story commissioned especially for the book by book designer Chip Kidd.

(notes : everything else can be read on wikipedia)

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sora is a closeted high schooler whose secret sexuality is giving him panic attacks - until he meets the kindly older cafe owner, Amamiya, who’s also gay, but out. And so begins their friendship as Sora plucks up the courage to tell his nearest and dearest who he really is - but will he also tell his crush?

Gengoroh Tagame’s My Brother’s Husband was such an excellent limited series that I was really looking forward to his follow-up, Our Colors. So it’s disappointing to say that it’s an underwhelming book.

It’s over 500 pages and painfully little happens to justify its length. Sora stresses about people finding out his sexuality over and over in an increasingly uninteresting repetition, while the feeble drama comes from misunderstandings of the sort you’d see in any uninspired daytime soap.

Fair enough, I guess it’s more of a character portrait rather than a plot-driven narrative, maybe? Except it’s such an unremarkable portrait, if that’s what it is - Sora’s character arc is obvious and predictable, nor is he a particularly standout personality.

I also feel like it’s crucially flawed in its premise. Sora is a teenager who is frustrated from not having anyone to talk to about his feelings or know what he should do - except he has a smartphone. I’m pretty sure the very first place kids today (god listen to this old fogey) go to when they have a question that they can’t ask anyone is the internet. Why doesn’t he do that? Because then there’d be no bonding with Amamiya.

Similarly, Amamiya says his experience of the online world is only of sex via apps but I’m pretty sure there are sites out there for gay men looking for friendship and/or long term relationships. It’s all so very conveniently presented in this shrunken and contrived way to make the story work - it’s not great writing by Tagame. And I don’t think kids these days give each other magazine pin-ups when there’s streaming internet porn! It reads very much like an older man plotted this book, rather than someone who’s trying to put himself in the actual mindset of a 21st century kid.

Still, it’s skilfully told so it’s easy to read - despite the length, like most mangas, you’ll fly through it in no time. The art is appealing (even though Sora’s crush Yoshioka has weirdly permanently closed eyes), and, as a gay man himself, I believe Tagame’s portrayal of what it’s like to be closeted is an accurate and illuminating one. The book has a sweet message and shows you the consequences of remaining closeted vs being yourself, with some decent advice for younger readers about dating.

It’s just much too light and simplistic for my taste and I wanted more substance than what I got. Our Colors is too straightforward and forgettable because of that. A much too safe narrative to be all that compelling - colour me unimpressed.

[Charles]

Hmm, I’m not sure how to rate this – and won’t.

[jenny✨]

But how someone else feels is up to them. You don't have any choice in the matter. But how you want to be? That is something you can choose. In fact, it's something that you must choose.

in 2020, i read "my brother's husband" by gengoroh tagame and absolutely enjoyed the gay japanese representation and tagame's charming storytelling. when i saw that he was releasing a translated version of "our colors", i immediately jumped at the chance to request this manga.

and i'm glad to have read this slice-of-life story. at many moments, i felt affirmed and hopeful and seen. the quote i included above is one that i found quite poignant and meaningful, as were the scenes where sora champions the importance of seeing yourself represented in the people around you, and having supportive friends and allies. the manga's depiction of being "closeted" underscores how individual and nuanced this experience is for each queer person, which i really appreciated. and there are other gems too, including when sora realizes that his anger against injustice is important for him to hold onto, and mr. amamiya opens up about his internalized homophobia when he was younger.

i did feel a little weird about the ending scene between sora and mr. amamiya, and the beginning of the book was a little slow and simplistic (emotionally and plot-wise).

overall, i think "our colors" is a quiet yet meaningful portrayal of a gay high school boy's coming to terms with his own identity through friendship, self-acceptance, and embracing anger and other emotions.


many thanks to netgalley and knopf doubleday publishing group for this e-ARC.

[Ian Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. I’m not quite sure what to say here. I really, really enjoyed the story; I thought it was wholesome, endearing, and warm. Nao accepting and loving Sora for who he was is the type of dynamic I feel so uplifted by within gay media, as well as in life. But, as another reviewer here said, I’m the final pages of the book I am finding myself very… bothered. While I do think the scene in question was meant to show a portion of Sora’s journey of self discovery it was portrayed in a way that seemed disturbingly normalizing of a fully grown adult kissing a high schooler. I was ready to rate this book five stars until the I reached the very end, and although my initial reaction is to drop down to a one, I am going to meet in the middle due to the fact that prior to the not-okayness I did vastly enjoy the story and it’s initially sweet nature. But wow… considering how much I was valuing the story as well as how much I loved My Brother’s Husband (a previous work by the author), I am very disappointed.

[Cozy Reading Times · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

CW: homophobia, depression, cheating

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for and honest review.

I'd read the German translation of Tagame's first work "My Brother's Husband" about a year ago and really enjoyed that one. Definitely worth the read as well.

With this one, my favourite thing was how realistic it felt. Many manga centering high school students seem over the top and romanticized, very far from what read teen life feels like.
This one's different.

It's very down to earth and yes, in some ways very sad (though not overly so) - but it's also how it is for many queer teenagers living in Japan. Additionally, I would categorize this as slize of life as there's isn't much happening aside from the personal journeys our protagonists go on.

Our Colors is the story about Sora, a closeted gay teenager who's struggling because for him being queer equals future unhappiness. At the beginning of the story, he doesn't see himself ever coming out, finding a partner, having his own faminly or being accepted.
When he meets Mr. Amamiya, an elderly gay man who runs a café near Sora's highschool.
Together with Mr. Amamiya and his olderst friend Nao, he slowly learns to see hope and grow more confident about his sexuality.
We also learn a few things about Amamiya who's own story hasn't ended yet and explore through Nao's eyes what it means to be a supportive friend and ally.

While being on the quieter side, I read this whole omnibus in one sitting and it still stays with me. I couldn't help rooting for these characters and wanting the best for them.

Its ending is quite not entirely resolved and for example, doesn't resolve the crush/romance Sora has with one of his school mates but it still felt cathartic and hopeful, so that I ended this read with a big, peaceful smile on my face.

The only thing I would have liked is for this story to be a little longer - maybe two volumes more - to give it even more depth.
But overall, I really loved this one.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writer/artist of the excellent My Brother's Husband series tells a more standard coming of age and coming out story for a gay teen boy. It's well done, but rests deep in the shadow of the other work.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teenage artist Sora Itoda is in love with his classmate, a big ol' crude doofus, and can't say a thing because "that's gay" and he's pretty sure doofus classmate is probably not gay at all. Sora's best friend from childhood, Nao Nakamura, has the idea planted in her head that maybe Sora likes her and when she goes to find out, she finds him coming out, instead, to an older gay man who runs an eclectic café. Growth, art, and friendships ensue.

I don't think there are enough stories like this one, stories that showcase the importance of creating relationships with people who can and want to help you get through the ups and downs of life, especially teen life. More importantly, it highlights both opposite-sex friendships and intergenerational friendships.
While it always makes me sad that platonic opposite-sex friendships are typically only portrayed between people amongst whom at least one has a solid reason not to have the hots for the other (as opposed to just not feeling that kind of feeling), I'll take it because it's important to see people who are expected to feel some sort of physical attraction toward one another have a meaningful, loving friendship without there being any romance involved.
On a personal note, I was a little creeped out by an older man making declarations at a sleeping high schooler because of "you reminded me of someone I loved so long ago..." but, like with My Brother's Husband, Volumes 1 & 2, I think some of my distaste is cultural and some temporal. Had I read this 30 years ago, it probably wouldn't have bothered me because that had always been a relatively acceptable portrayal of older men and I hadn't become jaded by old-man lecherousness yet.
Regardless, the point of Mr. Amamiya is to show that it's important to have friends who are outside your age range and that people with more life experience can mentor those who are just beginning but that younger people have a lot to teach older generations, too.

Mostly, though, this is a sweet, thoughtful coming out and coming of age + finding your people story.
I'm sure it will be stunning if it's ever released in full-color.

[*Tau* · Rating 3 out of 5]

"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 for the reasons you can read in Sam Quixote's review. 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 https://www.du9.org/en/entretien/tagame-gengoroh-2/.

If you wish to read more about Our Colors and see some panels, you can head over to following interview: https://paulsemel.com/exclusive-interview-our-colors-writer-artist-gengoroh-tagame/.


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

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bit conflicted on this one, but likely not for the end of Act III occurrence that has caused most reviewers to lower their ratings. Instead, my conflict is with two main things: (1) the choice to make the protagonist so woefully unable to use the internet to see any kind of gay representation and (2) making so many parts of this book explicitly about color and refusing, in this very nice hardbound version, to include color in, at the very least, those specific cells.

Tagame's style and storytelling are still present in this newest addition to his mainstream works. I truly enjoy the story of the slow thawing of Sora as he comes into his own identity, and of how he coalition builds to get his way there. The story gets a little long-winded at points, and left certain more interesting aspects (like Sora's crush) a little less resolved as a result. I enjoy the found family and biofamily mixtures that Tagame brings to life as Sora tries to figure out who he is.

Well worth the read. Four stars.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read much manga but this is probably one of the best I've ever read.

Gengoroh is a master at what he does. He manages to convey emotions and intense moments incredibly well. The way he shades, inverts colors, and lays out the panels is so incredible. I felt like I was watching an anime rather than reading a manga at times. As a result, he gets away with using so little dialogue to convey big ideas and emotions. It allows for this to be a real page turner because the story really hooks you but also because there's not much text to read.

The story might be one of my favorite LGBTQ+ works of fiction ever. So often LGBTQ+ can be about the tragedies or too realistic. This ends up being a very optimistic and happy story. Even when the story suddenly becomes very serious, it's always followed by something positive or a moment of wisdom. We need more of this.

With all that said, I was prepared to give it 5 out of 5 stars. There is ONE moment at the very end that caught me super off guard. I'm not sure if it's combination of not only a cultural difference between myself and the author but also the queer community in that culture as well? I did not like it. I do not think anything was intended as it was meant to be sweet and simple but boy...I just don't know. It certainly didn't mean anything deeper but it just bothers me. I'm really curious what other reviews have to say about this.

[atlas ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

ain't no way I read like 500 pages of this just for this grown man to kiss the teenager I am so done. i can sort of recognize why and it's meaning but was it really necessary?

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quiet, well-drawn story of a young gay man realizing himself and how he fits into the world, and an older gay man who serves as his role model but has more than a few secrets of his own. There's a few cultural differences here, and a couple uncomfortable scenes that don't translate well. Nice use of metaphor. Would have been great to have a color version, especially after so much discussion of colors!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I don't need understanding. Just acceptance. That's all I want."

Sora is a gay high school student, afraid to come out for reasons he doesn't fully understand. He's perfected his mask of heteronormativity, which he pictures as an iron mask that slams into place every time conversations move over to his assumed straightness. But then one day he meets Mr. Amamiya, an openly gay man who runs a small cafe, and his world changes; Amamiya is the first other gay person he's ever met, and through the older man's friendship and understanding, Sora is able to come to terms with the fact that gay is just as normal as straight and to come out to his childhood best friend Nao, and, most importantly, to fully accept himself.

This book is a lot to take, but it's a lot of good. Unsurprisingly (this is the creator of the excellent My Brother's Husband, after all), Tagame is able to cut right to the heart of the matter without getting preachy; as quoted above, Sora doesn't want people to "understand" him or be sympathetic or anything like that; he just wants them to accept who he is and move on. That rings very, very true as someone on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum - I just want people to accept what I tell them and keep on keeping on. But, as Tagame brilliantly illustrates with an image of Sora standing in front of a series of doors, you never come out just once, and Sora's barely on the first step of living true to himself. But the important thing is that he's taken it.

Unlike many other LGBTQIA+ works, this one focuses not just on Sora's coming out, but also on the found family aspect of being queer, the fact that not all blood families react poorly, and the process of learning how to be a good ally. It's very full, and it tops that off by not having a conclusive ending, but rather one that allows for Sora, Nao, and the others to keep moving forward as they navigate their lives. It's warm, loving, and quietly tender and reassuring, and, hands-down, one of the best books I've read recently.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was unbelievably excited to hear that Gengoroh Tagame has a new graphic novel debuting this year! This coming out story starts slow and builds up speed. The illustrations are expertly crafted. The author succinctly captures many of the psychological challenges involved in deciding whether or not to be your authentic self, while strongly emphasizing the importance of genuine allies and friends. This particular story reminded me of the "Our Dreams at Dusk" series in its heartfelt nature.

Big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC!

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conflicted about one of the ending scenes (if you’ve read it, you know) but overall, this is a really beautiful story with gorgeous art and writing. Loved it.

[Leilani Mroczkowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m tired of queer stories where fully grown adults are being intimate with young people. I understand why it happens in this story, and it’s not the worst. But im just over it.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This deeply emotional story explores the complexities of disclosing who you truly are to the world and the ripple effects of doing so. The main character is Sora Itoda a 16 year old young gay man who is struggling with coming out. He wants to live authentically, but he is not sure how to do so. His close friend Nao is a young woman to whom he discloses his turmoil and they journey through the coming out experience together.

This is a simple way of explaining the story because what initiates the coming out is Sora’s encounters with an older gay man who is journeying through the process of coming out himself. Mr Amamiya has lived as a heterosexual but now in his fifties he has come out. This has involved the breakdown of his family life and arranged marriage but he is starting his life again by investing in a new business endeavour, a cafe. When Sora and Mr Amamiya meet they become friends and support each other through their respective journeys, as they do so we journey along with them and encounter the joys, pains and frustrations of coming out for ourselves.

The artwork is simple but powerfully conveys the emotions of all the characters. The story is told from Sora’s perspective so the reader gets to experience all the frustrations and impatience of a sixteen year old. At the same time the story is joyful because Sora is able to grapple with the choices before him and he has real insight into the different aspects of his life.

For me this graphic novel is like a version of ‘Heartstopper’ but told for a more mature audience. The internal reflections and stages that Sora goes through are powerfully illustrated, and at the same time we are able to see that he is both mature and immature in the way he handles life. It is all very human and complex and real, and the storytelling flows across the page in a way that holds the readers attention. It isn’t idealistic either. It is a glimpse into a very real story about two gay men, one older, one younger and their place in the world.

A very thought provoking graphic novel which was also very good to read.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phew. How emotionally intense this was… Some of the panels were close to bursting. I loved the art and the characters, and how Gengoroh Tagame handled them with subtlety, delicacy and humanism, while leaving the reader reeling.

This manga is a story of growing up, finding yourself, coming out in a homophobic society and helping each other heal. “Our Colors” is full of courage and grace.

P.S. Find and read “My Brother’s Husband” by the same author, if you haven’t yet. Highly recommended as well :)

[Zahra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I genuinely don’t know how to rate this because I loved this story and the art but it was all ruined when Sora kisses Mr. Amamiya. Like Sora’s mom said if it was a high schooler that’s fine but Mr. Amamiya is an older man making it a pedo situation. I wished they ended it with them just going their separate ways and Mr. Amamiya could have just given him something maybe from the cafe if anything could have been saved instead of kissing a high schooler… I wanted something to happen between Sora and the boy he likes but we got this instead which pisses me off so much.

[Shar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the healthy communication and the healthy relationships in the book until the very end and they had this grown man agree to kiss a high schooler. They tried to play it off as some platonic thing, but there’s no situation where this would be an appropriate way for an adult to interact with a child

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was very excited to give this a definite 5 star rating and then that choice near the end. Such a misstep. Absolute fuel for the book banners who love to say that queer people are 'groomers' and it just personally icked me.

[sam ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

That one scene in the final chapter really killed it for me.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Translated from the Japanese by Anne Ishii.

This adult manga reads as YA in my opinion.

Set in Japan, the story explores the coming of age / coming out of a young gay teen. This would be a powerful read for younger readers but for this adult one it doesn't shed any additional light on the challenges of being a queer teen.

I liked the themes explored, especially the power of friendships across generations. The art is really good though might have worked better in color given the artistic themes.

Rating for Gengoroh Tagame books:
My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 [5]
My Brother's Husband, Volume 3 [4]
Our Colors [3]

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the My Brother's Husband books. This book may be more personal to the author, as it's about a high school boy who is hiding that fact that he's gay - understandably, as there are bound to be repercussions. His best friend is a girl he's known since they were very young. He has a crush on a jock who is very friendly with him, and he agonizes about whether to tell him he's gay and crushing. Then he meets an older gay guy who can maybe be a role model or give him some guidance. That's the whole plot. The art, the characters, their conversations, and the plot are good, but it's not enough to fill up a book as long as this one.

[Jen13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enlightening story about the difficulty of keeping the secret of who you truly are, and the importance of a community of people with whom you can share your real self. I may have liked this even more than “My Brother’s Husband “. I’m so glad this got an English translation and was published in a beautiful hard cover edition .

[Isaiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not expect this. I was not prepared for this. This might be the most emotionally intense manga I have ever read.

[A Serious Firefighter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author having gay thoughts/panic as multiple text boxes of just “BOOM” was amazing 😆 3.5

[Jenny-Ann Svenningsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like books like Heartstopper, then you gonna love this too! 🏳️‍🌈

[Dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. The ending was weird. Nothing really happened.

[Kathryn Hemmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Colors, the newest work in translation from Eisner Award winning artist Gengoroh Tagame, is about a 16-year-old aspiring artist who comes to terms with his sexuality after meeting an openly gay café owner. It's powerfully honest but sweet and full of heart. I really appreciate how Our Colors rehearses many of the conversations someone might have while coming out. As the artist says in the Afterword, "I was not a pretty boy the likes of whom you might see in manga. And yet I knew I was gay. This is for that 15-year-old 42 years ago."