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Single-volume releases from Tokyopop’s US parent company regularly catch my attention. Most recently, I read “In the Twilight of Our Adolescence” from their lineup. The standalone volume, which contains a main story as well as several additional short stories, comes from mangaka Waka Hayashi and marks their debut on the US market.
The manga was published in Japan under the original title “Hensei.” The individual chapters appeared in the seinen manga magazine “Flat Hero’s” by Comiplex.
How was it?
“In the Twilight of Our Adolescence” is a manga about growing up, about uncertainty, first love, and the painful yet beautiful feeling of being stuck somewhere between childhood and the adult world. Although the work is often categorized as a Boys’ Love manga, that label does not quite do it justice. At its core, it is a coming-of-age story with queer themes that focuses less on romance than on self-discovery.
The main part of the volume follows Tanahashi Yusei and Nakagawa Tatsumi, two boys in their final year of middle school. Tanahashi is popular, athletic, high-achieving, and seemingly integrated effortlessly into every social group. Nakagawa, on the other hand, moves on the margins of the class community—quiet, idiosyncratic, with interests that do not match what one would expect from someone his age. It is precisely this nonconformity that fascinates Tanahashi, even though for a long time he cannot name why Nakagawa occupies his thoughts so strongly.
The two approach each other carefully and in a believable way. It is particularly effective that Nakagawa becomes aware of his feelings much earlier than Tanahashi. His inner certainty proves contagious and forces Tanahashi to confront his own insecurities. This is not only about romantic feelings, but also about belonging to a group, expectations from others, and the fear of hurting people.
An important part of the story is Tanahashi’s relationship with Manami, a girl from his circle of friends who is in love with him. His well-intentioned but ultimately cowardly decision to ignore her feelings is not romanticized but examined critically. In a short but effective side story, Manami herself is given space, which adds additional emotional depth to the volume.
Despite these strengths, there remains the sense that the story would have benefited from more room. The development of Tanahashi and Nakagawa is coherent, but at times feels too compressed. What it lacks most is time—time to truly see their relationship grow. Many interesting ideas are introduced but not fully developed.
The two shorter additional stories partly address this deficit. One shows the two boys in the future and conveys a sense of continuity and stability. The other, a standalone story with a supernatural element, tells of a young woman and a ghost that inhabits a coat. Thematically, it fits surprisingly well into the volume, as it also deals with self-acceptance, transience, and the search for one’s own place. This final story in particular feels the most narratively complete and clearly demonstrates the potential in Waka Hayashi’s quiet storytelling style.
Artistically, the manga remains deliberately simple. The reduced visual language supports the introspective mood without getting lost in detail. Emotions are conveyed through facial expressions, body language, and small gestures, which works well even if the style never feels spectacular.
Tokyopop publishes the volume in its standard paperback format. There are no color pages.
Is In the Twilight of Our Adolescence worth reading?
Overall, “In the Twilight of Our Adolescence” is a sensitive and honest work that explores the transition from youth to adulthood with great care. At the same time, it falls slightly short of its own ambitions because it does not always explore its characters and themes deeply enough.
Nevertheless, the overall impression remains positive. Anyone who appreciates quiet coming-of-age stories with emotional honesty and is not expecting a classic BL drama will find a very beautiful—if somewhat too short—read here.
In The Twilight Of Our Adolescence
€11,89
€13,99
Two boys grow close together in this slice-of-life BL manga that reminiscences over youth, life, and love.A story about boys who grow from boys to adults during adolescence, and who worry, make mistakes, and gradually come to terms with the… read more
