“Laughing desperately, struggling to live, knowing the beauty of life. That is youth.” — Machida Sonoko (author, winner of the Booksellers Award)

“This was a reading experience in which emotions poured out. Without exaggeration, this is the author‘s best work to date.” — Takii Asayo (book critic)

“Please, I want all humanity to read it.” / “I doubt I’ll ever encounter another work that pierces the soul like this.” / “I‘ve never read a novel that stung me so deeply!!” — Booksellers (Junkudo Bookstore Uehonmachi, Junkudo Bookstore Shiga Kusatsu, Kinokuniya Bookstore Kyobashi)

“The sketch-like dialogue made me laugh out loud, but the story turned in an unexpected direction. The high energy of the first half flew beyond the stratosphere; the second half is a breath-taking, serious development.” — Reader

Da Vinci Web published a feature review analyzing the line “Don’t get too close to people who are destined to leave” and Kamui‘s setting of “existing to be useful.” The article notes: “Helping people in trouble is important. But Kamui believes from the bottom of his heart that it’s fine if he is shaved away for that.”

★ A youth bromance novel into which the author poured everything! Orders from bookstores far exceeded expectations, so the first printing was increased to more than double the original plan, and a reprint was decided just 10 days after release!
★ Author Takemiya Yuyuko wrote “Toradora!” The series has surpassed 5 million copies in circulation, ranked No. 1 in the 2007 “Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!” rankings, and was adapted into anime.
★ A youth bromance novel depicting the deep friendship between two high school boys. The story centers on a mysterious beautiful young man calling himself “Astral Kamui,” who harbors a terrifying secret. Kotaro’s younger sister suffers from a serious heart condition—this gives the title “Heart” a double meaning.
★ The first half is a hilarious school comedy; the second half turns to serious organ transplantation and bioethics. Japanese readers: “The sketch-like dialogue made me laugh out loud, but the story turned in an unexpected direction. The high energy of the first half flew beyond the stratosphere; the second half is a breath-taking, serious development.”
★ In interviews, the author repeatedly asks: “Is self-sacrifice truly beautiful?” The book deals with organ transplantation, giving and taking, and the boundaries of self-sacrifice. Readers: “After reading, I asked myself—for the sake of a beautiful story, who did we sacrifice?”

A youth bromance novel into which the author poured everything!!

Summer at seventeen. On a bridge, Kijima Kotaro meets a beautiful young man in something like a white dress, “Astral Kamui.” Though they meet for the first time, Kamui loudly declares he wants to have youth and be friends with Kotaro. His actions are completely unpredictable, so Kotaro keeps his distance. But days later, Kamui transfers into Kotaro‘s high school. Kotaro is dragged into various troubles by Kamui, who wants to celebrate youth—but Kamui seems to hold a certain “secret”...

Takemiya Yuyuko
Born in 1978 in Tochigi Prefecture, currently lives in Tokyo. Japanese female novelist and manga author. Debuted in 2004 with the short story “Rabbit Homesickness”; in the same year, she also wrote the scenario for the bishoujo game “Noel.” Her representative work “Toradora!” has surpassed 5 million copies in circulation; in the “Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!” rankings, it placed 6th in 2007, 4th in 2008, and 2nd in 2009, and won the 2007 Light Novel Award in the romantic comedy category. The series was adapted into a TV anime and selected as a recommended work in the animation division of the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2009. Another representative work, “Golden Time,” has surpassed 1.07 million copies in circulation and was also adapted into anime.
Major works: “Tamura-chan of Our Two,” “Toradora!,” “Golden Time,” “I‘ll Show You How It Crumbles and Falls,” “Listening to the Soundtrack of an Unknown Movie,” “Are You Here, Can You Breathe?” etc.