Areyo Hoshikuzu

Areyo Hoshikuzu (Japanese: あれよ星屑, transl. "Alas, Stardust") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sansuke Yamada. Serialized in the manga magazine Comic Beam from September 2013 to February 2018, the series follows two veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army in the aftermath of World War II. Areyo Hoshikuzu received widespread critical acclaim, winning a Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and the Grand Prize at the Japan Cartoonists Association Awards.

Areyo Hoshikuzu
The first volume of Areyo Hoshikuzu featuring Tokutarō Kawashima and Kadomatsu Kuroda
あれよ星屑
GenreHistorical, war, slice of life
Manga
Written bySansuke Yamada
Published byEnterbrain
ImprintBeam Comix
MagazineComic Beam
DemographicSeinen
Original runSeptember 2013 – February 2018
Volumes7

Synopsis

Described by publisher Kadokawa Shoten as a "bromance in the ruins of Tokyo",[1] Areyo Hoshikuzu is set in 1946, a year after Japan's defeat in the Second World War. Tokutarō Kawashima, a demobilized Japanese sergeant and veteran of the Second Sino-Japanese War, reunites with Kadomatsu Kuroda, a private first class who served in his squad. The series follows the two men as they navigate life in occupied Tokyo, including their encounters with the black market, "pan pan girls", and the Recreation and Amusement Association.[2]

Production

As a student, series creator Sansuke Yamada fostered an interest in the post-war period and the history of occupied Japan through the works of Miyoko Matsutani, Akiyuki Nosaka, and Komimasa Tanaka.[2] He was motivated to create Areyo Hoshikuzu after noting that while there are multiple popular manga series set in the later stages of the Japanese economic miracle, such as Chibi Maruko-chan and Sunset on Third Street, comparably fewer series have been set in the immediate aftermath of the war.[3] In developing Areyo Hoshikuzu, Yamada sought to maintain a high level of historical accuracy, and researched period-specific military uniforms and equipment, drew landscapes based on historical news photography, and interviewed officers of the Japan Self-Defense Forces to confirm troop numbers and locations during the war.[2]

Areyo Hoshikuzu is Yamada's first longform manga series for a general audience, following a career in which he was best known as a creator of gay manga.[3] While the series is not a gay or boys' love (BL) manga, Yamada has stated that audiences "can read it as BL" given its narrative focus on close bonds between men.[3] Certain stylistic hallmarks of Yamada's gay manga artwork appear in Areyo Hoshikuzu, notably the hirsute and bear-like appearance of its lead characters.[4]

Media

Areyo Hoshikuzu was serialized in the manga magazine Comic Beam from September 2013 to February 2018.[5] The series has been collected into seven tankōbon (bound volumes) published by Kadokawa Shoten:

No. Release date ISBN
1 April 25, 2014[6]978-4047295919
2 October 25, 2014[7]978-4047299696
3 June 25, 2015[8]978-4047305366
4 December 25, 2015[9]978-4047308367
5 August 25, 2016[10]978-4047342514
6 March 25, 2017[11]978-4047345362
7 February 10, 2018[12]978-4047350465

Internationally, the series is published in French by Belgium-based publisher Casterman under the title Sengo.[13]

Reception

Areyo Hoshikuzu has received widespread critical acclaim. The series was praised by HuffPost for its balancing of comedic and serious subject material, and commended its non-negationist treatment of war crimes committed by the Empire of Japan.[14] In 2015, Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! ranked the series as the fifth best manga for male readers based on its survey of manga and publishing professionals,[15] and Freestyle's The Best Manga 2015 ranked it as the third best manga of the year.[16]

In 2019, Areyo Hoshikuzu won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in the New Creator category,[1][17] and the Grand Prize at the Japan Cartoonists Association Awards.[18]

References
  1. Loo, Egan (April 21, 2019). "Jitterbug The Forties, Golgo 13's Takao Saito Win Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  2. "Prize-winning manga depicts life in postwar transitional time". Asahi Shimbun. June 1, 2019. Archived from the original on September 7, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  3. Ito, Gabin (August 10, 2018). "『あれよ星屑』完結記念 山田参助さんインタビュー（前編）". Manba (in Japanese). Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  4. Fujitsu, Ryota (July 19, 2018). "新作・旧作、注目作に話題作。いろいろ気になるあの作品を、ちょっとだけ試し読み。そんな調子でマンガの世界を放浪していきます。". Comic Walker (in Japanese). Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  5. "ビームで「あれよ星屑」など3作が完結、やまじえびねは新連載をスタート". Comic Natalie (in Japanese). 12 January 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  6. "あれよ星屑 1 (in Japanese)". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  7. "あれよ星屑 2 (in Japanese)". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  8. "あれよ星屑 3 (in Japanese)". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  9. "あれよ星屑 4 (in Japanese)". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  10. "あれよ星屑 5 (in Japanese)". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  11. "あれよ星屑 6 (in Japanese)". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  12. "あれよ星屑 7 (in Japanese)". Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  13. "Sengo". Casterman (in French). Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  14. Shinchosha Foresight (16 August 2018). "山田参助『あれよ星屑』は含羞を帯びた痛切な鎮魂歌だ". HuffPost. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  15. Loveridge, Lynzee (December 8, 2014). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2015's Series Ranking for Male Readers". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  16. "「このマンガを読め！」1位は高野文子「ドミトリーともきんす」". Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  17. Loo, Egan; Sherman, Jennifer (February 25, 2019). "23rd Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Nominees Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  18. Sherman, Jennifer (April 26, 2019). "Sansuke Yamada's Areyo Hoshikuzu Manga Wins Japan Cartoonists Association Award". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
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