| Areyo Hoshikuzu | |
 The first volume ofAreyo Hoshikuzu featuring Tokutarō Kawashima and Kadomatsu Kuroda | |
| あれよ星屑 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical,war,slice of life |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Sansuke Yamada |
| Published by | Enterbrain |
| Imprint | Beam Comix |
| Magazine | Comic Beam |
| Original run | September 2013 –February 2018 |
| Volumes | 7(List of volumes) |
Areyo Hoshikuzu (Japanese:あれよ星屑;transl. "Alas, Stardust") is a Japanesemanga series written and illustrated bySansuke Yamada. Serialized in themanga magazineComic Beam from September 2013 to February 2018, the series follows two veterans of theImperial Japanese Army in the aftermath ofWorld War II.Areyo Hoshikuzu received widespread critical acclaim, winning aTezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and the Grand Prize at theJapan Cartoonists Association Awards.
Described by publisherKadokawa Shoten as a "bromance in the ruins of Tokyo",[1]Areyo Hoshikuzu is set in 1946, a year after Japan's defeat in the Second World War. Tokutarō Kawashima, a demobilized Japanesesergeant and veteran of theSecond Sino-Japanese War, reunites with Kadomatsu Kuroda, aprivate first class who served in his squad. The series follows the two men as they navigate life inoccupied Tokyo, including their encounters with theblack market, "pan pan girls", and theRecreation and Amusement Association.[2]
As a student, series creator Sansuke Yamada fostered an interest in the post-war period and the history of occupied Japan through the works ofMiyoko Matsutani,Akiyuki Nosaka, andKomimasa Tanaka.[2] He was motivated to createAreyo Hoshikuzu after noting that while there are multiple popular manga series set in the later stages of theJapanese economic miracle, such asChibi Maruko-chan andSunset on Third Street, comparably fewer series have been set in the immediate aftermath of the war.[3] In developingAreyo Hoshikuzu, Yamada sought to maintain a high level of historical accuracy, and researched period-specific military uniforms and equipment, drew landscapes based on historical news photography, and interviewed officers of theJapan Self-Defense Forces to confirm troop numbers and locations during the war.[2]
Areyo Hoshikuzu is Yamada's first longform manga series for a general audience, following a career in which he was best known as a creator ofgay manga.[3] While the series is not a gay orboys' love (BL) manga, Yamada has stated that audiences "can read it as BL" given its narrative focus on close bonds between men.[3] Certain stylistic hallmarks of Yamada's gay manga artwork appear inAreyo Hoshikuzu, notably the hirsute andbear-like appearance of its lead characters.[4]
Areyo Hoshikuzu was serialized in themanga magazineComic Beam from September 2013 to February 2018.[5] The series has been collected into seventankōbon (bound volumes) published byKadokawa Shoten:
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 25, 2014[6] | 978-4047295919 |
| 2 | October 25, 2014[7] | 978-4047299696 |
| 3 | June 25, 2015[8] | 978-4047305366 |
| 4 | December 25, 2015[9] | 978-4047308367 |
| 5 | August 25, 2016[10] | 978-4047342514 |
| 6 | March 25, 2017[11] | 978-4047345362 |
| 7 | February 10, 2018[12] | 978-4047350465 |
Internationally, the series is published in French by Belgium-based publisherCasterman under the titleSengo.[13]
Areyo Hoshikuzu has received widespread critical acclaim. The series was praised byHuffPost for its balancing of comedic and serious subject material, and commended its non-negationist treatment ofwar crimes committed by the Empire of Japan.[14] In 2015,Takarajimasha'sKono Manga ga Sugoi! ranked the series as the fifth best manga for male readers based on its survey of manga and publishing professionals,[15] and Freestyle'sThe Best Manga 2015 ranked it as the third best manga of the year.[16]
In 2019,Areyo Hoshikuzu won theTezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in the New Creator category,[1][17] and the Grand Prize at theJapan Cartoonists Association Awards.[18]