“Hotaru Dies Tomorrow” by Fuyu Saikawa

“Saneatsu, about Hotaru, she doesn’t exist.”

Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, it’s not so foreign of an idea (I would hope). Hotaru Dies Tomorrow tells the story of a high school student, Saneatsu Asada, whose parents give him a novel he becomes engrossed with; it’s a dreamlike Murakami-esque book about a girl, Hotaru, who could be straight out of a Sylvia Plath novel.

“I’ve jerked off to that line from Hotaru more times than I can count. So, when Nao asked me the same thing…”

She’s beautiful: with dusty pink hair, red piercings, and a beauty mark in the corner of her mouth. Saneatsu falls madly in love with this fictional character, more than any of his girlfriends, leading him to get dumped once they find out about his strange obsession. One day at the library, who should appear into Saneatsu’s life but Hotaru herself. Except, Hotaru is actually his fellow classmate Nao Nimiya, with the same trademark dusty red hair, piercings, and beauty mark. The catch is, of course, that Nao is a guy. And Saneatsu’s straight.

“I’m not into men. I’m into Saneatsu.”

In the same way Saneatsu is completely consumed with Hotaru, Nao is obsessed with Saneatsu. In line with the fictional Hotaru, Nao comes on to Saneatsu hard and fast. Saneatsu is taken aback by how sexually forward “Hotaru” is, but as one would expect, he’s so in love with his favorite character that he is compelled to go along with it. I don’t want to spoil much more of the story for you as that’s one of the strongest points of this tankobon.

“He’s just like Hotaru. That’s why I fell in love with him. And now, wishing that he wasn’t is pretty ridiculous of me.”

The illustrations are beautiful, and you can definitely tell Fuyu Saikawa put a lot of themselves into this work. Hotaru Dies Tomorrow is good for any fans of psychological literature, coming to terms with your own conflicting feelings, obsession, jealousy, and, of course, the complicated nature between lust and love. Also, if you’re a fan of Hotaru Dies Tomorrow, there’s a follow-up one shot called Enough coming soon that you should check out! Hotaru is a bit dark and heavy, but Enough is a nice little fluffy heart warmer. No spoilers though, so you’ll just have to check it out on Renta! when it’s available!

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This guest review is by Takochan, one of our check staff. He occasionally writes reviews for series he particularly enjoys working on, so expect to see him around sometimes. He’s a bit of a normie, but he’s a fan of art and good stories, so he knows a great BL manga when he sees one.