Yuhki Kamatani

Yuhki Kamatani (鎌谷 悠希, Kamatani Yūki, born June 22, 1983) is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator, best known for their series Nabari no Ou (隠の王, Nabari no Ō, lit. Ruler of Nabari), published by Square Enix.[1]

Yuhki Kamatani
鎌谷 悠希
Born (1983-06-22) June 22, 1983
Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Area(s)Manga artist
Notable works

Personal life

In 2012, Kamatani came out on Twitter as asexual and X-gender.[2] In their Twitter profile,[3] Kamatani notes their gender as "toX"—following the tradition of transgender individuals identifying as FTM or MTF—which conceals the gender they were assigned at birth.

In a 2018 interview, Kamatani described the pain they faced in their teenage years due to their own identity struggles.[4] These experiences are somewhat reflected in Kamatani's Shimanami Tasogare, which according to Rachel Matt Thorn marks "probably the first time that I can think of where an actual trans person is talking about [trans experiences] or portraying [them]" outside of the essay manga format.[5]

Works

Kamatani's manga frequently features characters in transitional life stages and issues regarding identity and marginalization.[6] They cite Moto Hagio as a major inspiration; like Hagio, their manga often explores gender and visual metaphor.[6]

Nabari no Ou

Kamatani's debut work, Nabari no Ou (隠の王), was a "modern ninja manga"[7] about a seemingly ordinary teenage boy whose body contains an omnipotent ninja power that hidden ninja clans battle to claim.[7] It was a finalist under the Story Manga division in the ninth Japan Media Arts Festival in 2005 and was ultimately recommended by the committee.[8] The first volume of an English translation of the manga was released in May 2009 by Yen Press.[9] The 14th and final volume was published in Japan in 2011[10] and in the United States in 2013.[11] Kamatani worked with J.C.Staff to create a 26-episode anime adaptation of Nabari no Ou. Directed by Kunihisa Sugishima, the series aired in Japan on TV Tokyo in 2008.

Shounen Note

Shounen Note: Days of Evanescence (少年ノート) was published by Kodansha, serialized in their seinen Monthly Morning Two magazine.[12] The story follows a boy soprano with an angelic voice and his life as a member of his middle school choir.[13] Kodansha published eight volumes in Japan from 2011 to 2014.[14] In 2013, the manga was a Jury Selection for the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival.[15][16]

Busshi no Busshin

Busshi no Busshin: Kamakura Hanbun Busshiroku (ぶっしのぶっしん 鎌倉半分仏師録) is a historical fantasy manga published by Square Enix and serialized in its digital magazine Gangan Online.[17] The first volume was published in Japan in 2014.[18]

Shimanami Tasogare

In Shimanami Tasogare (しまなみ誰そ彼), set in Onomichi, Hiroshima, Kamatani depicts queer characters coming to terms with their identity. Shogakukan published four tankōbon volumes from December 11, 2015 to July 19, 2018.[19][20]

Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga for North American release under the title Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, beginning on May 7, 2019, stating "[Shimanami Tasogare] manages to represent so many different ways that people shape their identities and find their unique spaces, which is something anyone can relate to. It’s no wonder this compelling drama has resonated with so many people."[21]

Hiraeth wa Tabiji no Hate

Kamatani returned to Kodansha's Monthly Morning Two with Hiraeth wa Tabiji no Hate: The End of the Journey (ヒラエスは旅路の果て), starting October 22, 2020. The story follows a god, an immortal man, and a girl who wants to die so she can reunite with a friend.[22]

Other works

Liberamente (リベラメンテ, Riberamente), a collection of fantasy manga short stories, was published in 2005 by Square Enix.[23]

Manga short stories by Kamatani have appeared in several official Touken Ranbu anthologies published by Shogakukan and Square Enix.[24][25][26]

References
  1. リベラメンテ―鎌谷悠希短編集 (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  2. @yuhkikamatani (May 7, 2012). "隠すことでもわざわざ言うことでもカテゴライズするようなことでもないと分かっているけど、無難に生きようと、へらへら誤魔化している自分に対して無性に腹立たしく思う時があります。誤魔化したくない。私はXジェンダーでアセクシャルなセクシュアルマイノリティです。そんな程度の人間です。" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. "鎌谷悠希 (@yuhkikamatani) | Twitter". March 8, 2016. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  4. Yamaguchi, Ryo (9 February 2018). 「お前、ホモなの？」疑われた高校生、失った居場所。描いた漫画家の過去とは. BuzzFeed News (in Japanese). Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  5. Kaiser, Vrai (September 3, 2017). "Chatty AF 21: Wandering Son Retrospective". Anime Feminist (Podcast). Anime Feminist. Event occurs at 1:03:45. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  6. "[Creator Spotlight] Art as Discovery, Art as Hope: Yuhki Kamatani, x-gender and asexual mangaka". Anime Feminist. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  7. Loo, Egan (July 8, 2010). "Nabari no Ou Manga to End in 14th Volume in Japan". Anime News Network.
  8. "2005 9th Japan Media Arts Festival". Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  9. "Nabari no Ou". Yen Press. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  10. "隠の王(14)". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  11. "Nabari No Ou, Vol. 14". Hachette Book Group. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  12. "少年ノート". Kodansha. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  13. "Shonen Note (The Boy's Note)". Japan Media Arts Festival. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  14. "少年ノート(1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  15. "17th Japan Media Arts Festival | Manga Division". Japan Media Arts Festival. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  16. "少年ノート(8)<完>". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  17. "ぶっしのぶっしん 鎌倉半分仏師録". Gangan Online. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  18. "ぶっしのぶっしん 鎌倉半分仏師録(1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  19. しまなみ誰そ彼　1 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  20. しまなみ誰そ彼　4 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  21. "Seven Seas Celebrates Pride Month with Powerful LGBT+ Manga SHIMANAMI TASOGARE". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  22. "Our Dreams At Dusk's Yuhki Kamatani Launches New Manga in October". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  23. "リベラメンテ―鎌谷悠希短編集". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  24. "刀剣乱舞－ＯＮＬＩＮＥ－　アンソロジー～ヒバナ散らせ、刀剣男士～". Shogakukan. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  25. "刀剣乱舞－ＯＮＬＩＮＥ－　アンソロジー　～ヒバナ舞え、刀剣男士～". Shogakukan. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  26. "刀剣乱舞-ONLINE-アンソロジーコミック～刀剣男士幕間劇～". Square-Enix.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
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