“Nio Nakatani, known for her delicate and heartwarming portrayal of girls' love, presents a marvelous collection of short stories that span her whole career. With works including her striking debut title Farewell to My Alter, enthralling tales from the Éclair anthologies, and a hauntingly captivating piece penned exclusively for this volume, Nakatani explores the deeper nuances of loss, identity, and matters of the heart.” (Yen Press)
Buy This Title
Best known for her work in the ‘girls love' genre, Nio Nakatani is likely a familiar name for those who are fans of the genre. This collection of short stories, pulled from other volumes and doujinshi publications, casts a broader look at struggling with themes of identity while still presenting contemplative work within GL that the mangaka is known for.
Opening with “Farewell to My Alter”, the collection starts on a somber note with a tale of death among twins. Having spent their life changing places in order to expand their knowledge, the life of one comes to an abrupt turning point with the death of her sister – a tragedy that will leave readers pondering the future of the lone twin. From there, the book takes a slightly playful tone, touching on comedy to fantasy while still utilizing the theme of struggling with identity as a binding factor. For fans of romance, the collection includes some strong entries including ‘always in profile', an endearing short which showcases Nakatani's ability to capture love in a single glance.
However, the story that leaves the greatest impact has to come from the closing chapter ‘I want to be kind'. Faced with the passing of a classmate, one student becomes aware of their indifference while others mourn. Confining in another student who has the same emptiness regarding the news, the two come to realize they have different interpretations of loss, leading to an expressed desire that they both want to work on being kind. This wonderful introspective piece comes from the creators own self reflections as she reminisces “I am a cold hearted person, so I too would like to be kind”. Ultimately, Nakata is able to express throughout the collection a deep understanding of emotions even those that she struggles with herself – a necessary attribute of any great artist.
Nakatani's art seems honed into the genre of romance, with even moments of tragedy containing a sense of beauty in characters and flow. The expressive work of faces that always seem on the verge of emotional outburst mixed with sleek figures gives the work a striking aesthetic. Overall, Nakatani proves to be a well rounded talent that has honed her skill to best explore the themes that inspire her work.
A wonderful collection of a mangaka at the top of her game, the release explores many facets of humanity with intelligence and wit. Previous fans of Nakatani will want to pick this up just for the bonus story which perfectly punctuates the release and new fans will find a great entry point into her work. An Idyllic collection that won't disappoint.
