Sora Itoda doesn't know if there is anyone out there like him...a guy who likes guys. After a chance meeting with an older gentleman, Sora forms a friendship with the man who is openly gay and owns a coffee shop near the beach. The unlikely friendship allows Sora to imagine a future of fully being himself. Our Colors is a journey of the many decisions and discussions associated around being open with your identity. As Sora learns, "coming out" isn't a one time thing - it's a lifelong set of doors that you can choose to open. Friendships new and old will be tested in this story of self-acceptance and identity.

I really enjoyed this manga. It perfectly captures the mix of emotions that comes from coming-out. I feel like it was realistic and wasn't overtly dramatic and doom and gloom for the sake of it, like a lot of coming out stories can tend to be.

I do wish it was a bit longer. I wanted a more of the mural, and for the some parts to be expanded on.

All in all a well told story with great artwork from the author of my favourite manga of all time My Brother's Husband, Volume 1(+vol 2).

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame follows Sora Itoda, a gay guy in high school as he struggles with keeping his sexuality a secret. His best friend Nao, who everyone assumes he's dating because she's a girl. And Mr. Amamiya, an owner of a local cafe who lives openly as a gay man.

Sora's anxiety about coming out is very relatable. Tagame did a great job with how real he made the story feel. Our main character's gradual coming out; first to Mr. Amamiya, who he admires and views as brave. And then to his best friend as his confidance grows. I really appreaciate that his parents were accepting, but it was nuanced and didn't feel idealized.

This book was phenomenal and I was so excited to recommend it. Unfortunately, the author made a decision I found pretty disturbing toward the end of the book and it really knocked down my rating of the book. This one moment means that I now can't actively suggest this book because it plays into harmful ideas about queer people.

This is a masterpiece. Tagame is truly at his best here, and this story is incredible in its empathy and depth. An instant acquisition.

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.

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame was not the book for me. The story was a little slow and not particularly engaging to me, and the art, while well drawn, was a little busy to read for a long period of time, at least for my eyes.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I do not read manga often and the first few pages threw me off.

Then I started again as there is a certain way to read it.

Anyway, the story touched me on many levels. The stress of needing to come out, unrequited love (well Sora never tried so... not sure there), then deciding to set himself free and be honest, albeit to a limited few... So realistic.

I have been on the receiving end of some close friends coming out. It does make me feel sad that there is a need for the LGBTQIA+ community to come out.

I feel it is not my business who anyone wants to love, gay or straight. The only time it is might be if I was in love with them or vice versa. Straight people don't need to go arounf proclaiming they are straight so why the two-faced approach. I know it sounds naive but that is honestly how I feel.

The illustrations are fantastic and the story sucks you in. Good one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Our Colors is a delightful story, literary in its quality and focused on character development. I would gladly recommend this book for young adult/adult readers.

There’s nothing “normal” about Our Colors, Gengoroh Tagame’s coming-of-age story about Sora Itoda, a closeted gay Japanese teenager who struggles to reconcile who he is with who everyone else thinks he is. The kids at school and even his parents think his childhood friend Nao is his girlfriend; even she starts to wonder if there’s something between them that’s more than just a close friendship. His friends at school, including Sora’s crush Yoshioka, think he’s just another one of the guys, laughing that one of the other boy’s sisters has a collection of gay romance and erotic manga. “Homos” they laugh. “Disgusting.” “Sick,” they judge the idea of homosexuality as much as, if not more than, they do the girl’s collection. And they expect Sora to join them in their mocking of it. Even his parents expect him to be the good son who will meet a nice girl and give them grandchildren someday. Sora puts up masks when he needs to, to protect himself and his secret. He doesn’t play along to get along with anyone- he doesn’t laugh at the jokes or join in on the banter- but he can’t be honest with them about who he is. It’s a lot for a teenage boy to have to deal with when there’s no one to support him or help guide him. Everyone around Sora is heterosexual, assuming he has to be too.

He doesn’t do anything to make anyone think he’s anything other than their idea of normal. He doesn’t go along with his friends’ jokes or his parents' expectations but doesn’t share himself with them. He smiles and that’s all that they or anyone get of him. Tagame, himself a gay manga creator, approaches Sora with a protective touch, showing the young man at a crucial time in his life learning how to be comfortable in his skin or even just aware that he can be. The pressure of maintaining his secret weighs him down at the beginning of the book. Sora holds everyone at a distance, using that manufactured gulf as a buffer for his feelings. Even Nao, his closest friend growing up, sees the distance that has grown between them as Sora makes her call him the more formal “Itoda”. But Sora thinks he knows who he is and he’s scared of others finding out because he doesn’t know how people will react. Will they reject him? Or will their reaction be worse than that? Why should he let them in when all he expects is pain and rejection?

Our Colors is almost the inverse of Tagame’s earlier book My Brother’s Husband. In that book, a straight Japanese man has to figure out what it meant that his late brother was gay when that brother’s Canadian husband unexpectantly shows up in Japan, wanting to get to know his extended family. A large portion of the emotional weight was on the surviving brother attempting to understand who his brother was and who his brother-in-law is. In Tagame’s work (well, his non-gay exotic work at least,) he wrestles with all of these swirling emotions that we all experience in the face of the truth, making us confront these issues along with these characters. In My Brother’s Husband and Our Colors, Tagame shows us the pressure of the secrets and the truths. These books are shaped around empathy, something that is essential for Tagame and something that Sora doesn’t think he will find once people start finding out about him.

Sora needs someone to be himself with, someone who will accept this young man as who he is. But in this repressed world, it’s a lot for a young man to come out as gay. His parents seem nothing other than loving and wanting the best for their son. Same with Nao and her friend but they also have no idea what’s going on with Sora. Throughout Our Colors, it’s not that the people around Sora are against the idea of him being gay; they just don’t know any better. Yes, there are the friends at school who laugh over gay manga, including Sora’s crush, but they don’t know what they’re doing to Sora because he hasn’t let them. That’s not to let them off for their hurtful language but it does illustrate Sora’s need to find a way to express his honest self.

Sora encounters empathy for the first time in a stranger, a man who appears out of nowhere during a particularly low point for Sora. The old man stands over Sora, confessing “I’ve always wanted to tell you that I love you,” before disappearing without a trace.” Convinced that it was just a dream, it was still the first time Sora heard a man say “I love you.” It’s a massive moment for Sora that completely disrupts his world, including the masks that he’s built around himself for protection. It’s almost even more confusing for Sora because he’s developed these different defensive postures to shield himself that those seemingly simple words completely shatter.

That man, My Amamiya, eventually crosses paths with Sora again after Sora spots him, following him to a small, hidden cafe that Amamiya owns. That cafe becomes a refuge for Sora where he views Amamiya as a role model. And when Nao learns and accepts Sora’s queerness, the cafe becomes where Sora can himself without his defensive masks. An older gay man, Amamiya seems to have it all figured out. Here is a gay man who’s not hiding who he is. At least that’s how it appears to a teenager who only sees today and can’t even imagine that Amamiya may have a past that’s more similar to Sora’s than Sora realizes. Tagame finds ways not to make anything easy for the characters as Nao learns about her friend’s sexual orientation or when Amamiya’s past catches up to him. For Sora, there are all of these external forces that push at him, forcing him to step outside of his comfort zone until he can be comfortable with who he is and start living his life in a healthy & honest way.

For all of the complex emotions and situations that Tagame explores, he expresses them through simple and expressive drawings. His pages are full of big, bold drawings of these people and their lives. The artwork opens up the story as the acting of these characters lets us into their hopes and fears. Tagame lays out the drama in the artwork on every page. The artwork expresses the need for and the results of empathy in Sora’s life. When we talk about the masks that Sora puts up to face his peers, Tagame steps outside of reality and draws Sora’s inner vision of himself, with an expressionless mask facing outward to his friends and family, not letting anything in but more importantly not revealing anything of Sora out to the world. And when he’s not in a defensive mode, his uncertainty and confusion are shown on his face. He may be hiding from the people around him but Tagame doesn’t let Sora hide from the reader.

An artist, Sora interprets his view of the world in terms of color. Sora’s observations of the colors around him express his connection to his own emotions. He may be repressed but he’s not blind to what he’s going through. Sora’s view of the world reveals his connection and perceptions of his environment that he’s not comfortable sharing with the people in his life. It’s part of his discomfort with who he is that Amamiya and Nao help him adjust to. He’s never ashamed of being gay; he doesn’t apologize for who he is. It’s just that he sees a normality around him that doesn’t reflect who he is.

Once Sora’s mask begins to fall away and the people in his life learn who he truly is, the boy begins to take the steps needed to accept himself and he finds acceptance from others. Mr. Amamyia and his story show Sora that it’s never easy to be a gay man, whether you’re a teenager or even older than that. While Mr. Amamiya seems to have it all figured out now (hint: even he doesn’t,) his past shows Sora the cost of holding back on telling anyone even longer than he already has. So Nao is the first and while it takes her a bit to adjust, her and Sora’s friendship grows even stronger. As his best friend accepts who he is, that gives him the strength to say “I’m gay” to even more people. He doesn’t get to be open with everyone; his secret crush remains secret even at the end, but by the end of the book, Tagame shows a young man who is ready to be honest with himself and with the world.

This brings us back to the idea of what is normal anyway. All Sora wants to ask the person he’s interested in out on a date or something. And it’s normal to be scared of that, to be scared of what the person might say or do. But when you say a boy wants to ask another boy out on a date, is that normal? Shouldn’t it be? In Sora and Mr. Amamiya, Tagame unveils how the pressure of not being what some would judge as “normal” weigh on these characters’ souls and how it beats at them. That pressure ends up being both external and internal as these men have been raised to think one way, the “normal” way, but discover that they’re something else, still normal but ultimately just different. That’s where Tagame is searching and finding his empathy as Sora and Amamiya learn that they are normal. It’s not them who have to adjust to the world; it’s the world that has to accept them just as it accepts everyone else.

I loved it. I had read Gengoroh Tagame previous works so I knew this was gonna be an excellent reading. I really liked Sora, Nao and mr. Amamiya friendship and also that Nao and Sora's parents were so supportive of him. As coming out is difficult whether you have support or not, the introspection made by Sora is so interesting as he feels in colors. The mask he wore gor everyday situations was so on point, such a great portrayal.

DNFed but my own fault. No matter how much I try I'm just not a manga girl. Always here to support queer content though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this earc to review.

This is definitely more character driven than plot driven which can usually drag for me but to say this was 500+ pages, I read it all in one sitting very quickly. The art was great which is to be expected of Gengoroh Tagame and I liked the main character as well as Nao and Mr. Amamiya.

The book features a little bit of internalised homophobia, fears of what people would say/feel if Sora came out and some generalised homophobia but in my opinion, it isn't too harsh (such as saying slurs/violence) because a lot of it is ignorance.

I now want to read more of Gengoroh Tagame's work!

SPOILER BELOW:
Fair warning, there is a kiss at the very end between a high schooler and an older character but it is requested by the high schooler and it is a peck/not romantic. I didn't like this panel within the managa but everything else was great.

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

This is such an amazing high school coming of age/ coming to terms with your sexuality story. Sofa and Noa are childhood friends who start hanging out again, and everybody seems to assume they are or will start dating. Sora is struggling with his feeling for his male friend/teammate and realizing that he is gay. He gets approached by an older gentlemen who says something to him that surprises him, he then follows him to a small cafe, which the man owns. Mr. Amamiya is the first out and proud gay man Sora has met and is able to talk to about his problems with him. Noa also discovers the cafe and she and Sora love hanging out there with Mr. Amamiya. But then some problems arise in both of the males lives that complicates the dynamic. But I thought the ending was super sweet and lovely, one of my favourite mangas/graphic novels that I have read this year.

Our Colors is the story of Sora - a high school student who struggled with being gay and closeted. One day he met Mr. Amamiya - a kindly café owner and an out gay man. The two develop a friendship and Sora slowly but surely gained the courage to finally be true to himself and tell those dear to him on who he really is.

This was such a wonderful, slice-of-life, coming-of-age story that focused on the questions and problems associated in coming out of the closet both in public and towards ones family as well as finding oneself and acceptance. It also focused on the found family aspect of being queer and in showing that not all blood families react negatively to someone revealing themselves as queer.

This was a quiet, slow-paced and poignant read. The reader gets to experience all the frustrations, sadness, anxiety of Sora. The author was able to succinctly cut right to the heart of the matter without getting preachy while the artwork was able to convey the emotions and stages the characters go through. The plot in itself is simple but the portrayal for each of the characters especially Sora and Mr. Amamiya was very human, complex and real. The storytelling flowed nicely across the pages but the slower pace might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Overall, I enjoyed Our Colors. If you like manga/graphic novels with a sweet, thoughtful coming-of-age story then I do recommend giving this a try. This would be 4.25 stars out of 5 stars.

A minor trigger warning on one scene near the end which might not be for everyone - Sora and Mr Amamiya share a small kiss at Sora's request who is at that time underage and in high school. I don't mind it based on the context of the story but I'm just putting it here to give people a heads up.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.

This comic traces the internal journey of a boy coming out in Japan.
Japan is very traditional and I am sure many LGBTQ+ people suffer a lot emotionally. The inner dialogue felt so very real and relatable, digging deep into the reasons of each feeling, the anger, the fear and frustration... The journey from fumbling loss to understanding was amazing. I identified so much, as an Ace person, not knowing why I didn't feel like everyone else as I grew up. That mask the hero wears rings so deeply in me, and the fear of probably always being alone.
It is a large manga, but it reads very quickly. I didn't like the ending, I thought it wasn't necessary, but the journey was great, even if nothing really happens when you think about it.
I highly recommend this manga to people who feel like others cannot understand them. There is hope in this book, a lot of positives, a reminder that you are never truly alone, and that friendship is beautiful.

Thank you so much for allowing me to preview this book! I really enjoyed reading this story as well as the beautiful illustrations. Sora's journey starts with him being a afraid , feeling depressed and alone as a gay teen to one who begins to find his place in t he world. His growth and journey throughout the story is admirable and very relatable to today's teens and young adults.

Our Colors is a lovely story of self-realization and mentorship from gay elders. It centers on Sora Itoda, a teenage artist who has grown up wearing a proverbial mask around others to keep his sexuality under wraps. One day, a chance encounter with the owner of a local cafe, Mr. Amamiya, leads Sora to come out to someone else for the first time. Soon, he confides in his childhood friend, Nao, and the cafe is established a gathering place for the three of them. What follows is a understated human drama that considers the lives of gay men in different generations and what it means to live openly as who you are.

"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.

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 granting my wish for this ARC!

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.

After reading My Brother's Husband, I thought I would try this new series by Gengoroh Tagame. It was a nice manga. At first, I thought the coffee place was some kind of mirage that only Sora could see. But finally not, so good. I found the characters quite endearing. Sora has a lot of questions but he's not the only one and seeing them learn together is very interesting.
Overall, it was a nice series, where we follow Sora as he gets to know himself and his sexual identity. Through his best friend, we try to understand what would be the best way to act in different situations. And finally, the boss offers us some wisdom reached because of many regrets. The characters were rather well developed for a short series and the story was not too fast.
I recommend it to those who are looking for a short series to understand homosexuality or just a rather moving series
3.5/5