Farewell to My Alter: Nakatani Nio Short Story Collection

by Nakatani Nio, Eleanor Summers (Translator)

Overview

Nio Nakatani, known for her delicate and heartwarming portrayal of girls’ love, presents a marvelous collection of short stories that span her whole career. With works including her striking debut title Farewell to My Alter, enthralling tales from the Éclair anthologies, and a hauntingly captivating piece penned exclusively for this volume, Nakatani explores the deeper nuances of loss, identity, and matters of the heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781975321253
Publisher:	Yen Press
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Series:	Farewell to My Alter Series
Pages:	146
Sales rank:	634,727
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	16 - 18 Years

Editorial Reviews

10/22/2021

This collection of manga by Nakatani ("Bloom into You" series) investigates the different avenues by which grief, identity, and love can be expressed and experienced. Nakatani has gathered stories from different points in her life to create a collection that's both eclectic and cohesive. Each short story exists in its own world, complete with its own people and culture. In the title story, Nakatani explores self-identity through a set of identical twins who think of themselves as one person rather than two separate individuals; this is one of Nakatani's earliest works and gives a glimpse into the evolution of her drawing style. The rest of the stories have a cohesive style with slight differences to complement the tone of each narrative, whether a teen romance or a fantasy in which a monster fights a knight. Nakatani's volume also offers a new and exciting insight into the mind of the mangaka, thanks to a series of afterwords that reveal her creative process and demonstrate the evolution of her work. Readers looking for manga series with a similar drawing style might appreciate Hisaya Nakajo's "Hana-kimi," Nobuhiro Watsuki's "Rurouni Kenshin," and Natsuki Takaya's "Fruits Basket." VERDICT Nakatani's beautiful and easily recognizable signature manga art style makes it easy to get caught up in her collection. A good read, but not a must-buy.

Library Journal