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After finishing Gods of Jade and Shadow, I dipped into the manga I've been buying and whoa! This one almost made me cry in the Starbucks. I do get my digital manga through Amazon, and it looks like this manga has been put just on Amazon by the author. You can get print or digital versions, but you can find information here.
This is a slice-of-life manga. Volume one seems to be roughly the size/length of a single-issue comic and focuses on Miyuki, a single, 60-year-old lesbian. In fact, it is her birthday. The issue follows her through her day as she muses about the path her life has taken. Even though she is single and worries about being alone as she gets older and older, she is actually happy with her life. And friends, that is what made me (almost) cry. Page one simply has the text, "We are here, we exist." How few stories are there about older queer people who are a) single and b) happy with their lives? I've mentioned before how much I love the manga What Did You Eat Yesterday? for its portrayal of middle-aged queer life and love. And while it's a beautiful story, it still makes me feel a bit wistful and sad because I don't think I will ever have a partner. So to see someone who is in a very similar situation to me being happy? Amazing. Even though she still has some regrets and some loneliness, she is happy.
At the end of this volume, the author notes that, "You see, as someone who is gay herself, I kept thinking of how I'd really like to draw the lives of the members of sexual minorities who are single. As I grow older, I also feel I'd really like to draw realistic lives of those who are middle to senior aged! This work came about from me following my heart. I think I'll keep the series going for a while. I'd love it if we could meet again in my next book."
I will definitely be following this series closely.
This is a slice-of-life manga. Volume one seems to be roughly the size/length of a single-issue comic and focuses on Miyuki, a single, 60-year-old lesbian. In fact, it is her birthday. The issue follows her through her day as she muses about the path her life has taken. Even though she is single and worries about being alone as she gets older and older, she is actually happy with her life. And friends, that is what made me (almost) cry. Page one simply has the text, "We are here, we exist." How few stories are there about older queer people who are a) single and b) happy with their lives? I've mentioned before how much I love the manga What Did You Eat Yesterday? for its portrayal of middle-aged queer life and love. And while it's a beautiful story, it still makes me feel a bit wistful and sad because I don't think I will ever have a partner. So to see someone who is in a very similar situation to me being happy? Amazing. Even though she still has some regrets and some loneliness, she is happy.
At the end of this volume, the author notes that, "You see, as someone who is gay herself, I kept thinking of how I'd really like to draw the lives of the members of sexual minorities who are single. As I grow older, I also feel I'd really like to draw realistic lives of those who are middle to senior aged! This work came about from me following my heart. I think I'll keep the series going for a while. I'd love it if we could meet again in my next book."
I will definitely be following this series closely.
