Hey all! Sakaki here with a new segment for our little blog! As you know, the world of manga is vast, and while Shogakukan is awesome, they don't publish everything. That's where I can't believe it's not Shoggy! Comes in! We'll sprinkle in some non Shogakukan reviews, so one can come here and get a well-balanced manga diet. Our first entry today is Koumori's Our Aimless Nights or Yoru no Manimani as provided by our friends over at Azuki Manga!
The Author
Koumori
Koumori's works can be summed up as one thing --romantic. They don't have an extensive background as far as manga goes --they got their start on the user submitted art site Pixiv before hitting the big leagues with a proper three volume serial published by Shueisha entitled Kogare Ai in their josei magazine Kokohana. Before that, they illustrated stories on pixiv, as well as a oneshot for the publisher Flex Comics entitled Tonari no Koitsu.
Cover for Volume #3 of Kogare Ai
Kougare Ai which means something like "Yearning Love" is about a pair of childhood friends who aren't dating but are special to one another, Kana and Kaoru. Kaoru moves to Tokyo and the two don't hear from each other until Kana follows Kaoru to the busy city and finds that at least for a little while they were cohabitating with a girlfriend. Kana is crushed, but as fate would have it she ends up befriending Kaoru's ex, leading into a story about unrequited love and unceasing feelings.
Koumori's artwork is straightforward and aesthetically pleasing. There aren't any tricks with paneling that stand out, but the backgrounds and character art are engaging. It's easy to see they're inspired by Shojo/josei manga through and through, in that the art can go from soft and shiny to blobby and cute all on the same page. I don't mean to typecast the demographic, rather, I think that's a part of the appeal. Even in this story about yearning and unrequited feelings, there's a sense of enthusiasm that keeps the story a fun read. Assuredly, it is because this work came only slightly before Our Aimless Nights that Koumori's aesthetic hasn't changed much.
The Serial
Our Aimless Nights.
This series runs on Futabasha's webcomic platform Web Comic Action. Be it Futabasha or Shogakukan, web comic services tend to run the gambit as far as genres and demographics, not limiting themselves the same way that a print magazine might. So classifying the demographic of a series that runs online can be difficult (and, in this reviewer's opinion, pointless.) The first upload for Our Aimless Nights is July 29th 2022. The blurb on Azuki's website is as follows:
Cheerful, energetic high school girl Chika and shy, reserved boy Waya couldn’t be more different. But they have a secret: every Wednesday after 9PM, they meet outside the convenience store where Waya works. Bit by bit, under the light of the moon, a unique connection begins to blossom in this enchanting coming-of-age love story!
The Review
The term "Opposites attract" has become a cliché part of our lexicon and for good reason --it's because it's true. Chika and Waya are as different as can be, to the point that they're almost living in different worlds. Yet, despite this, they find themselves drawing closer to one another. Our Aimless Nights doesn't do anything radically different with the "stoic-boy meets chipper girl" trope, rather, it's the execution that stands apart from others in this genre. This is a slow burn manga, right down to how and when Chika and Waya realize they like each other --is what I'd like to say. Azuki graciously gave us 11 chapters to review, and within that time the two do come to the realization that their yearning to be around each other isn't coincidental, but due to their feelings. There are tons of manga where it takes the entire story for the leads to get that far, so Koumori is merciful in that way. Though there's still expressing those feelings to each other to conquer, which judging how the story begins a year later, and it seems they're not any closer to actually taking the plunge into a committed relationship, though they are closer than they were at the start.
What love begins with is curiosity. Koumori captures this feeling well throughout, as Waya and Chika go from being acquaintances to becoming genuinely curious about each other, which is what draws them to seek the other out. What sticks out immediately is how attentive they are despite not speaking to one another immediately. Chika ends up at Waya's convenience store job by coincidence, but is able to immediately remember something she said during class --about her parent's divorce being the reason she's transferred. Waya is perceptive enough to know that she doesn't want anyone to worry about her because he's been in the same boat as his parents are divorced too. Being perceptive is one thing, but that doesn't make for a good love story --it's his reassurance that how she feels isn't weird. It's this reassurance that in turn leads her to thank him, and thus their relationship develops. It's all as simple as finding common ground and yearning for a conversational equal.
I mentioned being perceptive, and Koumori captures the other side of that as well --being too sensitive. Though this too is a part of yearning that makes love feel like more of a pain than a pleasure, at least at first. Be it Waya being annoyed with the idea of people thinking that he's talking with a girl and thus getting in his business, to Chika picking up vibes that Waya doesn't want to talk to her based on his expression and that he doesn't respond to her the way she expects. Puppy love or a cat's weight in curiosity begins with breaking down the idealized image one has of someone they're interested in, which is difficult when trying to figure out one's feelings for themselves. Y'mean I have to figure out this other person's thoughts when I'm struggling with my own??
When it comes to any story a big part of it is the secondary cast --which we're introduced to Chika's friend Shirata, and her classmate Takeru Shiba or Shiba ken (like the dog which he takes after) a pairing that's vying for secondary couple in this work. In a small way I'm more interested in their relationship because it seems more clearly defined, in that Shiba ken is much more straightforward in his feelings, and Shirata has less difficulty communicating with him --perhaps because they've known each other since middle school. That's not to say Waya and Chika are less interesting by comparison but I'm a sucker for relationships that start off with a strong sense of self, rather than the slow burn.
Also a quick note on the adaption, I love Jan Mitsuko Cash's translation. The way that teenagers speak is captured wonderfully. The lettering by Barri Shrager also is unobtrusive and almost feels like it was a part of the manga to begin with.
Our Aimless Nights is an endearing look into the eyes of a blossoming relationship. Even if you're not feeling the center relationship, I think Komori captures the intricacies of communication and how it shapes the distance between people. If a journey begins with a single step, then history is woven from a single word. Though, if that's too meta for you, then Chika and Waya working their way through their feelings and coming to a common understanding is a wonderful reason to give this manga a try. Even if one is still figuring out what it is to love, being curious about another enough to want to know more about them is a universal sentiment, even if conveying that is a challenge.
Translation by Jan Mitsuko Cash
Lettering by Barring Shrager
Read on Azuki
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