Like a Goodbye is a three-volume manga series written by Takako Shimura. A regular in the Akata publishing catalogue, known for her commitment and LGBT romances, the mangaka offers us with this triptych a complex and divisive story. The Yaoi Minute invites you to discover it here! History
Yuhki is a bus driver. Kanade dreams of writing famous plays. The two young men have been in a relationship for some time, and are slowly settling into a rather quiet daily life. Nothing exceptional, then… until the day Kanade wakes up in a child's body! Why and how did it transform? Will he return to his normal appearance? Even as Yuhki's secret about his sexual orientation falters, Kanade's transformation could well be the prelude to great upheaval! Like a farewell: a journey through the ages
With her delicate stroke, similar to watercolor, Takako Shimura takes us with Comme un adieu in a bittersweet romantic fable. If she leaves us, once the last page turned, with as many questions as answers, and sometimes flirts with the nebulous, the mangaka nevertheless succeeds in her bet.
Although, graphically, Yuhki and Kanade are sometimes difficult to differentiate, their personalities are poles apart from each other. So much so that one wonders what could have brought them together… Thus, Yuhki is rather discreet and passive, while Kanade sometimes asserts himself in contempt of others, at least in appearance. But rest assured, here, no consensual dynamics of the uke-seme ultra cliché type. Takako Shimura uses precisely this archetype to overthrow him blithely. Using flashbacks intertwined with the present, the narration of Comme un adieu presents characters on the skin, which the mangaka does not hesitate to abuse. It is thus quickly understood that everyone carries heavy luggage.
The irruption of the fantastic in their lives, by the transformation of Kanade, will then be an opportunity for them to face their rawest emotions while confronting reality, as painful as it is. The art of the truncated mirror 
The metaphor of theatre, used by Takako Shimura to plunge characters and readers into unreality, is interesting from a narrative point of view. But by wanting too much to mix illusions and reality, past and present, we sometimes find ourselves lost. Many avenues are explored, but sometimes insufficiently worked (for example the "inner voice"). Key characters, such as Yuhki's brother, are strangely brought in and little exploited on the substance.
Moreover, Comme un adieu plays with very sensitive taboos still (or especially) today, even if it means making the reader uncomfortable. Far from being a flaw, this can lead to some reflection. Reflection or question that nevertheless do not seem to share the characters, the transformation of Kanade being very (too much?) quickly accepted by those concerned as almost self-evident.
As a farewell leaves a strange final taste, a kind of indefinite, a feeling of non-completion. This may be due to the short format that the manga enjoys, or to a narrative ambition too great for only three volumes. Too short to really get attached to the characters and the world they live in, but enough to arouse interest.
Takako Shimura, and Akata Publishing with her, offer a troubled and disturbing tale. Bringing the reader to the border between dream and fiction, simple forbidden and total taboo, Comme un adieu plays at the same time metaphorical tale, psychoanalytic analysis and social review. A great ambition, therefore, which nevertheless seems cut off in its momentum by a lack of space (and volumes). Takako Shimura nevertheless confirms his place as a grande dame of current manga. And if ever As a farewell, has titillated your interest, we recommend the mystical Cuckoo Dream: brainstorming assured!
