After We Gazed at the Starry Sky Volume 1 is Yaoi delight and keeps readers smiling until they begin yelling at the page. It’s a quick read yet a joy to revisit for highlights. Yaoi keeps getting better and better. This story is about love between two men, one of whom must use a wheelchair to get around. I love stories that do not feel like they’re ticking off a diversity checklist. It’s a delightful beginning, and I hope to see more about their relationship as their confidence builds.
Created by Bisco Kida, translated by Kei Coffman, and lettered by Nicole Roderick, it begins with Subaru gushing over night sky images of his favorite photographer, Tougo Amase. The Yen Press manga discloses that Subaru is in a wheelchair by moving the drawing back from showing his face and upper body to a side profile of him seated in his wheelchair. After his friend calls him for work-related help to make a pamphlet for Amase’s work, he soon meets the man himself, and sparks fly.
After We Gazed at the Starry Sky Volume 1 Shows Diverse Love
I love diversity, even moreso when a story does not force it in. These tales of love, hardship, and loss are just as natural and essential. While it’s tiresome having their disability be their whole identity, After We Gazed at the Starry Sky Volume 1 gives Subaru a bit more: new experiences, love, and growth. Plus, the relationship between him and Tougo showcases how relationships should be.
Even the conflict concerns people’s common dilemma in long-distance relationships: to sustain or break up. Like the transformative effect Tougo has on Subaru’s life, the story changes the reader, instilling beauty that transcends identities. They face relatable challenges, desires, and fears. Writing about relationships from various backgrounds and identities helps normalize them and allows others outside the “default” to feel seen.
Some Tougo Backstory But Not Enough For Subaru
After We Gazed at the Starry Sky Volume 1 gives a glimpse of Tougo’s past. Readers learn about his preference to photograph landscapes rather than people. But Subaru’s past is unknown. All that’s known about his past is he did next to no traveling and mostly remained indoors. There must be more about Subaru because his whole identity is not his disability. So, future volumes need to flesh out Subaru’s character more.
A Gorgeous Start to A Unique Story
Despite not being in school, Subaru and Tougo are a sweet combination with kohai/senpai vibes. Their conversations and interactions highlight how relationships should feel. Fictional stories allow us to paint the world as it is and as we want it to be. After We Gazed at the Starry Sky Volume 1 highlights a delightful Yaoi tale, including different experiences, and shows love is for everyone. While there needs to be more to Subaru than that he is in a wheelchair, After We Gazed at the Starry Sky Volume 1 is a promising start to an LGBTQ+ tale of love, acceptance, and support—all essential for a relationship.
