Yuhki Kamatani

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

Personal life
In 2012, Kamatani came out on Twitter as asexual and X-gender. In their Twitter profile, Kamatani noted 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. 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.

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

Nabari no Ou
Kamatani's debut work, Nabari no Ou, was a "modern ninja manga" about a seemingly ordinary teenage boy whose body contains an omnipotent ninja power that hidden ninja clans battle to claim. 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. The first volume of an English translation of the manga was released in May 2009 by Yen Press. The 14th and final volume was published in Japan in 2011 and in the United States in 2013. 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. The story follows a boy soprano with an angelic voice and his life as a member of his middle school choir. Kodansha published eight volumes in Japan from 2011 to 2014. In 2013, the manga was a Jury Selection for the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival.

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. The first volume was published in Japan in 2014.

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.

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."

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.

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

Manga short stories by Kamatani have appeared in several official Touken Ranbu anthologies published by Shogakukan and Square Enix.

Links

 * Website
 * Twitter