Akata editions will undoubtedly make many happy with the return of mangaka Ichigo Takano in their catalog. After Orange which conquered the hearts of many readers and won several awards, here she is back with Be Yourself. The first 60-page chapter will be available digitally on April 16. Be Yourself once again addresses the theme of tormented adolescence. Here, everyone seeks in their own way to escape their fears and sufferings.
Summary: "Taiyô" is in the last year of high school. His dream is to become a musician and, for that, he created a music club. But as exams approach, his partners leave him to devote themselves to their studies. Blasé, he will however try to find other students to form a group and give a concert during the high school festival. Alas, no one seems to want to help him. It must be said that as a guitarist, Taiyô is not really talented. However, he will eventually set his sights on "Hikari", one of his particularly taciturn comrades. In contact with the latter, Taiyô could well reveal this "secret" that he hides deep inside him, even to "Sakura", his precious childhood friend…
In Be Yourself, Ichigo Takano, in collaboration with the music group Kobukuro, talks about the importance of finding your voice and your way, of finding who you are despite the trials that life imposes on you. The story is currently built around three characters. Volume 1 is essentially devoted to Taiyô and his regrets. The contents of this volume also tell us that it is subtitled in his name. This story is touching, human and generous. The first chapter can be pre-ordered now here. Due to the current situation and the already postponed releases, the paper volume could only see the light of day in 2022. Akata will communicate more about this release soon. In the meantime, you can (re)discover the different volumes of Orange in e-publication. And the first volume of the novel Orange will be available in digital format from April 20.
