Irodori Comics has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Isaki Uta: The Lost Collection, a box set featuring four classic stories by the beloved LGBTQ+ manga master. Their graphic novel Is Love the Answer?, which follows the character Chika as she goes to college and discovers she is both aromantic and asexual, was Uta’s first solo work to appear in English, to be followed by this seminal collection.
“Isaki Uta’s works are gems in the world of Japanese LGBTQ＋ comics,” said Irodori Comics translator ITSUKI in a statement. “The relationships between characters aren’t cookie cutter and show the rawness and intensity of discovering one’s sexuality and gender identity. It makes queer individuals like myself feel seen and that these kinds of stories are worth telling.”
“I put my heart and soul into drawing these stories, so I hope you enjoy them!” Uta said.
Isaki Uta: The Lost & Found Collection will print four of their most acclaimed stories for the first time, including “Silkscreen,” previewed below.
“Silkscreen” focuses on the relationship between a lesbian and a genderqueer person, who later comes out as a transgender man. Although the girl believes she is in love with this person, the reality of them is very different from her expectations—partially because she looks at them through a blurry curtain. This particular story examines identity, acceptance, and rejection.
The other stories included in Isaki Uta: The Lost & Found Collection are “Mine-kun is Asexual,” which tackles the relationship between Murai, a person who enjoys sex and physical intimacy, and Mine, who’s asexual; “Leaper,” which takes a fantastical spin on people born on February 29th; and “Mermaid in the Bottle,” which tackles the complex relationship between a brother and sister with a shared, difficult past who must figure out what to do when they find a mermaid in a lotion bottle.
Isaki Uta: The Lost & Found Collection is currently live on Kickstarter.
(featured image: Irodori Comics)
