Our Colors

A mesmerizing coming-of-age and coming-out graphic novel by the genius writer-artist of the Eisner Award-winning breakout hit My Brother's Husband

Set in contemporary suburban Japan, Our Colors is the story of Sora Itoda, a sixteen-year-old aspiring painter who experiences his world in synesthetic hues of blues and reds and is governed by the emotional turbulence of being a teenager. He wants to live honestly as a young gay man in high school, but that is still not acceptable in Japanese society. His best friend and childhood confidante is Nao, a young woman whom everyone thinks is (or should be) his girlfriend, and it would be the easiest thing to play along — she knows he's gay but knows, too, how difficult it is to live one's truth in his situation.

Sora's world changes forever when he meets Mr. Amamiya, a middle-aged gentleman who is the owner and proprietor of a local coffee shop and is completely, unapologetically out as a gay man. A mentorship and platonic friendship ensues as Sora comes out to him and agrees to paint a mural in the shop, and Mr. Amamiya counsels Sora about how to deal with who he is. But it won't be easy. Mr. Amamiya paid a high price for his freedom of identity, and when a figure from his past suddenly appears, the situation becomes a vivid example of just how complicated life can be.

"Only Tagame could create this deeply moving and original story that at first seems to be about an older gay man mentoring a younger one — and instead, becomes about how they help each other heal." Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

"Our Colors is a beautiful coming-of-age story describing the complicated inner feelings of characters whose coming out narratives are at least as nuanced as their day-to-day relationships with each other. This is a world full of grace and tenderness for people at all stages of coming into their own." Bowen Yang, writer and actor, Saturday Night Live

"Tagame returns with an affecting coming-of-age/coming-out saga, presented in 21 episodic chapters... Tagame's intimate narrative mixes pathos with a healthy dose of melodrama, and his supremely confident artwork, replete with genial character designs and dynamic panel compositions, lend it gravitas. It's a poignant story that should delight devotees of queer comics, with nice crossover appeal for YA readers." Publishers Weekly

GENGOROH TAGAME was born in 1964. In 1994, he cofounded the epochal G-Men magazine, and by 1996 he was working full-time as an openly gay artist. He is the author of dozens of graphic novels and stories that have been translated into English, French, Italian, and Korean. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries across Europe and America. My Brother's Husband earned him the Japan Media Arts Award for Outstanding Work of Manga from Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. In 2018, the book received the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition on International Material-Asia. Tagame lives in Tokyo.