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紙の舟で眠る [Kami no Fune de Nemuru] #1
Durmiendo en barcos de papel, vol. 1
Kitahara Kei, ein talentierter Geschichtenerzähler, der mit seinen Werken die Welt begeistert, erlebt eine Reihe von tragischen Todesfällen bei den Menschen, die er als Vorbilder für seine Protagonisten nimmt. Entsetzt ob all der Unglücke gibt er seine Arbeit auf und ertränkt seine Düsternis im Alkohol.
Doch alles ändert sich, als Kei eines Nachts auf der Straße zusammenbricht und von einem jungen Amateurfotografen namens Yoichi angesprochen wird. Fasziniert von Yoichis wechselhaften Gesichtsausdrücken, seinem strahlenden Lächeln und lasziven Blick fühlt sich Kei unwiderstehlich von ihm angezogen.
Yoichis Gegenwart weckt die Kreativität in Kei und wie besessen bringt er seine Ideen zu Papier. Doch ist ihm bewusst, dass der Tod dabei immer mit ihm Spiel ist...
Doch alles ändert sich, als Kei eines Nachts auf der Straße zusammenbricht und von einem jungen Amateurfotografen namens Yoichi angesprochen wird. Fasziniert von Yoichis wechselhaften Gesichtsausdrücken, seinem strahlenden Lächeln und lasziven Blick fühlt sich Kei unwiderstehlich von ihm angezogen.
Yoichis Gegenwart weckt die Kreativität in Kei und wie besessen bringt er seine Ideen zu Papier. Doch ist ihm bewusst, dass der Tod dabei immer mit ihm Spiel ist...
242 pages, Paperback
First published December 27, 2023
14 people are currently reading
378 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
September 30, 2025
I love me some tragic, troublesome bl. I’m interested if this will reach a deadly conclusion or if there’s hope for joy. Right now I’m thinking the former.
January 23, 2025
The emotional damage is real :)
September 16, 2025
Yeah, I’m going to be thinking about this for a long time.
This in a way felt like it was written specifically for me because it had every element and themes I love in a book.
Cursed screenwriter Kei ends up leading all the people he bases his protagonists off of to death. Defeated, he decides to take a break from writing until he befriends an aspiring photographer, Yoichi. He reinspires Kei to pick up the pen again and together they form a connection becoming each other's muses. However, the curse continues to loom over Kei’s head.
It was so angsty with a doomed undertone. The emotions in this really jumped right off the page. I was constantly blown away by the character’s facial expressions. The second half of this felt like gut punch after gut punch.
The dialogue and writing was also just SO GOOD! My book journal spread for this is about to have a long list of quotes. Let’s just say the codependency really jumped out so of course I was like HELLO!
I can’t wait to see their fate in volume 2!
Thank you so much to SuBLime and VIZ Media for providing me with the eARC.
This in a way felt like it was written specifically for me because it had every element and themes I love in a book.
Cursed screenwriter Kei ends up leading all the people he bases his protagonists off of to death. Defeated, he decides to take a break from writing until he befriends an aspiring photographer, Yoichi. He reinspires Kei to pick up the pen again and together they form a connection becoming each other's muses. However, the curse continues to loom over Kei’s head.
It was so angsty with a doomed undertone. The emotions in this really jumped right off the page. I was constantly blown away by the character’s facial expressions. The second half of this felt like gut punch after gut punch.
The dialogue and writing was also just SO GOOD! My book journal spread for this is about to have a long list of quotes. Let’s just say the codependency really jumped out so of course I was like HELLO!
I can’t wait to see their fate in volume 2!
Thank you so much to SuBLime and VIZ Media for providing me with the eARC.
May 8, 2024
A complicated BL manga set in post-WW2 Japan, Sleeping on Paper Boats explores the complex relationship between Kei, a messy homme fatale and screenwriter, and his muse/savior/puppy Youichi, who Kei sees as the harbinger of death. The men share a fate that transcends the boundaries of ordinary human connection. This review is written after reading Act 3, and to my knowledge the story is still ongoing (follow along on Pixiv or your site of choice!)
After a mass-death incident in which Kei and Youichi are the only survivors, their perception of humanity is altered as they split and grow into adulthood. Kei, as if possessed by an otherworldly force, finds a talent for screenwriting. However, the models for his protagonists become cursed and die without fail.
Youichi, an amateur photographer living in a brothel, finds both artistic inspiration through Kei's films and an intrinsic purpose through being in his orbit. The two men forge an unbreakable yet unequal bond, and the reader is left with questions: are they merely human, or is there something more to their existence? What is Youichi hiding, and how much of Kei’s suspicion is a product of his own delusion?
Kei unwillingly embarks on his comeback film, a project that may either free him from the shinigami's curse and allow him to write as a “human” or consign him to oblivion, alongside his friend.
At parts, I feel like the beginning of the story was rushed. I’ve also found some parts confusing, but I am not a native Japanese reader. However, overall Yatsuda Teki nicely weaves elements of tragedy, romance, and the supernatural, keeping me incredibly engaged so far. At parts their dynamic reminds of Marukido Maki’s PORNOGRAPHER, which is one of my all-time favorite BL manga.
The cherry on top is the incredible character artwork. The perfect amount of detail is given to characters in panels (such as shinigami Youichi in Kei’s nightmares) to enhance the emotional depth and complexity of the characters and of Kei’s personal hell. It brings everything to life in a beautiful way.
If you like a good historical setting, supernatural elements, and complex character development/relationships, give this a shot. I’ll probably update this review as I keep reading.
EDIT: Got my hands on the completed physical volume! WOW, it gets even more intense :] final rating: 4.5/5
After a mass-death incident in which Kei and Youichi are the only survivors, their perception of humanity is altered as they split and grow into adulthood. Kei, as if possessed by an otherworldly force, finds a talent for screenwriting. However, the models for his protagonists become cursed and die without fail.
Youichi, an amateur photographer living in a brothel, finds both artistic inspiration through Kei's films and an intrinsic purpose through being in his orbit. The two men forge an unbreakable yet unequal bond, and the reader is left with questions: are they merely human, or is there something more to their existence? What is Youichi hiding, and how much of Kei’s suspicion is a product of his own delusion?
Kei unwillingly embarks on his comeback film, a project that may either free him from the shinigami's curse and allow him to write as a “human” or consign him to oblivion, alongside his friend.
At parts, I feel like the beginning of the story was rushed. I’ve also found some parts confusing, but I am not a native Japanese reader. However, overall Yatsuda Teki nicely weaves elements of tragedy, romance, and the supernatural, keeping me incredibly engaged so far. At parts their dynamic reminds of Marukido Maki’s PORNOGRAPHER, which is one of my all-time favorite BL manga.
The cherry on top is the incredible character artwork. The perfect amount of detail is given to characters in panels (such as shinigami Youichi in Kei’s nightmares) to enhance the emotional depth and complexity of the characters and of Kei’s personal hell. It brings everything to life in a beautiful way.
If you like a good historical setting, supernatural elements, and complex character development/relationships, give this a shot. I’ll probably update this review as I keep reading.
EDIT: Got my hands on the completed physical volume! WOW, it gets even more intense :] final rating: 4.5/5
June 28, 2025
ชอบชื่อเรื่องภาษาไทย "นิทราบนนาวากระดาษ" แต่พล๊อตหม่นมาก เรื่องราวของตัวเอกนักเขียนบทภาพยนตร์ กับช่างภาพ ปมเยอะ อ่านแล้วหม่นไปกับตัวละครแต่งานภาพและลายเส้นสวยค่ะ
March 16, 2025
4,5/5
Ho preso questo volume (e il seguente della duologia) solo al sentire il nome dell'autrice, la stessa di home far away, e non ho avuto nessun dubbio sul fatto che sarebbe riuscita a tirare fuori qualcosa di fenomenale.
Premessa: penso che il suo esordio sia un filino migliore di questa opera per via di un solo e specifico punto narrativo che mi ha fatto storcere il naso, per il resto chef's kiss.
Mi piace un sacco come lei scelga un tema principale e utilizzi la storia attorno per sviscerarlo: che sia il trauma religioso (home far away, che essendo nata in una famiglia italiana colpisce particolarmente vicino) o l'ossessione fino al punto di morte (quest'opera) lei riesce a dargli una svolta più che interessante attraverso le voci dei protagonisti, entrambi posseduti da demoni diversi che li portano non solo a distruggersi a vicenda, ma anche a produrre le loro opere, rinchiudendoli in questo circolo vizioso senza fine. Arrivi a pensare che forse quello che stai leggendo sia solo nella testa del protagonista perché così calato nella sua ossessione/possessione sembra non capire più cosa sia la realtà e cosa la fantasia.
Questo volume descrive quella parte della storia egregiamente. (non voglio fare spoiler)
Poi arriva il secondo volume, dove per me c'è il nodo principale del problema nel quale la scrittrice stessa si è ingarbugliata- (scrivo nel prossimo volume)
Ho preso questo volume (e il seguente della duologia) solo al sentire il nome dell'autrice, la stessa di home far away, e non ho avuto nessun dubbio sul fatto che sarebbe riuscita a tirare fuori qualcosa di fenomenale.
Premessa: penso che il suo esordio sia un filino migliore di questa opera per via di un solo e specifico punto narrativo che mi ha fatto storcere il naso, per il resto chef's kiss.
Mi piace un sacco come lei scelga un tema principale e utilizzi la storia attorno per sviscerarlo: che sia il trauma religioso (home far away, che essendo nata in una famiglia italiana colpisce particolarmente vicino) o l'ossessione fino al punto di morte (quest'opera) lei riesce a dargli una svolta più che interessante attraverso le voci dei protagonisti, entrambi posseduti da demoni diversi che li portano non solo a distruggersi a vicenda, ma anche a produrre le loro opere, rinchiudendoli in questo circolo vizioso senza fine. Arrivi a pensare che forse quello che stai leggendo sia solo nella testa del protagonista perché così calato nella sua ossessione/possessione sembra non capire più cosa sia la realtà e cosa la fantasia.
Questo volume descrive quella parte della storia egregiamente. (non voglio fare spoiler)
Poi arriva il secondo volume, dove per me c'è il nodo principale del problema nel quale la scrittrice stessa si è ingarbugliata- (scrivo nel prossimo volume)
July 23, 2025
WHEN THE MLM IT’S NOT MAN LEAVING MAN😍😍😍
October 18, 2025
I disliked
A Home Far Away
so much that I seriously debated whether to preorder this series. I like Sublime as a publisher, but I've been pretty disappointed lately by their small number of new licenses, and the titles they choose...
The only reason I kept my preorder was because I looked it up and confirmed that this has a happy ending. So that had better be true; I have some pretty strong trust issues after the absolute mess of their other angstfest, where the endless misery was entirely the point.
I get the sense that's just how this author operates - to them, wallowing in despair makes the story more...literary, maybe, or at least that's the attempt. While this one pulls off the navel-gazing a little bit better - possibly due to Sublime's superior translations - the overall story is kind of muddy and doesn't really make sense.
It's incredibly unclear whether the two main characters are simply massively depressed, edging heavily into constant suicidal territory, or if there really is some sort of supernatural element to it.
They're the sole survivors of a tram wreck from their childhood, when an army truck crashed into the tram and killed everyone else on board, including a number of kids who were on their way home from school, and Yoichi's mother, who'd shielded him with her own body.
Kei honestly seems to have had a pretty decent life after that. His family isn't mentioned, but he'd been on the tram by himself, so he seems to have been raised by his family in a pretty normal way once he recovered from his injuries, and by age 19 he was selling screenplays and becoming an overnight sensation. But he was constantly miserable, with "Death" haunting his steps.
Here's where it seems like it's a supernatural story, because there's this whole poison pen element, where every time he writes a screenplay, the real life counterpart of the main character dies in some abrupt and seemingly unnatural way. Kei also has constant hallucinations of a child who looks like him, whom he'd first seen in the wreckage of the crash, whom he's determined is Death, giving him his words and taking lives as punishment.
So Kei decides to stop writing and puts his pen down for three years, trying to use alcohol and other terrible choices to drown out the voice in his head that still wants to create words.
This could all be very interesting, but it mostly comes across as just some sort of torture kink. He doesn't seem to be doing anything to fix the problem...like, say, therapy. Or maybe writing stories that aren't ripoffs of other people's lives? If you don't thinly veil a real person in your narrative, then there's no real life person who would die?
When he meets Yoichi, he basically replaces Death as his muse, and Kei clings to him as someone who can free him to write again. So he writes another screenplay, which of course is hugely successful, like everything he does (this all seems unrealistic too), but then the producer mentor who'd jumpstarted his career insists that he write a screenplay about himself next - the screenwriter whose pen kills people. He basically threatens Yoichi and his dreams of a photography career to get Kei to do it.
So Kei breaks up with Yoichi without explaining why, and they both sink back into angry misery again.
Mixed in here is a lot of weirdness with Yoichi starting to violently choke Kei every time they have sex, with Kei's neck constantly covered in visible dark bruises as a result. And some more of the "supernatural" oddness with them having the same dreams at the same time, and Yoichi saying dialogue or living through scenes that Kei has only just thought of in his head, or started to put down on paper.
I kind of don't get the sense that there's going to be a real answer about whether any of this is actually happening, or if Kei's kind of going crazy or something? He does close out this volume by finally telling Yoichi he's in love with him, and that he doesn't want to die and leave him, which is a start.
But Yoichi is possibly even more messed up than Kei is...after his mother's death, whom I think was a post-war prostitute, he gets taken in by the other women at the brothel, and spends his entire life living there and working for them as a handyman, etc. He also gets his virginity taken by one of the women when he's still pretty young - and she tells him in the process that the only way he'll ever get anyone to love him is to remain an empty shell so people can project whatever they want onto him.
He has a pretty major breakdown after he loses Kei, because even being an empty shell for him didn't work. I guess it's meant to be progress that he shows some true emotion and some of the anger that's actually being boiling underneath all this time.
But to me, the overall story just...feels kind of equally empty. I liked it okay after I finished reading it last night, but as I'm thinking through it more in the light of day, it really does feel like that same "misery is beautiful and life is pointless and terrible" message from that one-shot I hated. I just have to decide if I'm interested enough to read the conclusion in the second volume...and right now, I'm kind of not? I don't even like either of the characters that much.
There is a whole deeper meaning to this story, with the post-war disillusionment and economic/creative devastation that took a long time to rebuild. But if you're looking for something that explores those kinds of topics, I'd recommend I Can't Get Through the Night Alone instead.
The only reason I kept my preorder was because I looked it up and confirmed that this has a happy ending. So that had better be true; I have some pretty strong trust issues after the absolute mess of their other angstfest, where the endless misery was entirely the point.
I get the sense that's just how this author operates - to them, wallowing in despair makes the story more...literary, maybe, or at least that's the attempt. While this one pulls off the navel-gazing a little bit better - possibly due to Sublime's superior translations - the overall story is kind of muddy and doesn't really make sense.
It's incredibly unclear whether the two main characters are simply massively depressed, edging heavily into constant suicidal territory, or if there really is some sort of supernatural element to it.
They're the sole survivors of a tram wreck from their childhood, when an army truck crashed into the tram and killed everyone else on board, including a number of kids who were on their way home from school, and Yoichi's mother, who'd shielded him with her own body.
Kei honestly seems to have had a pretty decent life after that. His family isn't mentioned, but he'd been on the tram by himself, so he seems to have been raised by his family in a pretty normal way once he recovered from his injuries, and by age 19 he was selling screenplays and becoming an overnight sensation. But he was constantly miserable, with "Death" haunting his steps.
Here's where it seems like it's a supernatural story, because there's this whole poison pen element, where every time he writes a screenplay, the real life counterpart of the main character dies in some abrupt and seemingly unnatural way. Kei also has constant hallucinations of a child who looks like him, whom he'd first seen in the wreckage of the crash, whom he's determined is Death, giving him his words and taking lives as punishment.
So Kei decides to stop writing and puts his pen down for three years, trying to use alcohol and other terrible choices to drown out the voice in his head that still wants to create words.
This could all be very interesting, but it mostly comes across as just some sort of torture kink. He doesn't seem to be doing anything to fix the problem...like, say, therapy. Or maybe writing stories that aren't ripoffs of other people's lives? If you don't thinly veil a real person in your narrative, then there's no real life person who would die?
When he meets Yoichi, he basically replaces Death as his muse, and Kei clings to him as someone who can free him to write again. So he writes another screenplay, which of course is hugely successful, like everything he does (this all seems unrealistic too), but then the producer mentor who'd jumpstarted his career insists that he write a screenplay about himself next - the screenwriter whose pen kills people. He basically threatens Yoichi and his dreams of a photography career to get Kei to do it.
So Kei breaks up with Yoichi without explaining why, and they both sink back into angry misery again.
Mixed in here is a lot of weirdness with Yoichi starting to violently choke Kei every time they have sex, with Kei's neck constantly covered in visible dark bruises as a result. And some more of the "supernatural" oddness with them having the same dreams at the same time, and Yoichi saying dialogue or living through scenes that Kei has only just thought of in his head, or started to put down on paper.
I kind of don't get the sense that there's going to be a real answer about whether any of this is actually happening, or if Kei's kind of going crazy or something? He does close out this volume by finally telling Yoichi he's in love with him, and that he doesn't want to die and leave him, which is a start.
But Yoichi is possibly even more messed up than Kei is...after his mother's death, whom I think was a post-war prostitute, he gets taken in by the other women at the brothel, and spends his entire life living there and working for them as a handyman, etc. He also gets his virginity taken by one of the women when he's still pretty young - and she tells him in the process that the only way he'll ever get anyone to love him is to remain an empty shell so people can project whatever they want onto him.
He has a pretty major breakdown after he loses Kei, because even being an empty shell for him didn't work. I guess it's meant to be progress that he shows some true emotion and some of the anger that's actually being boiling underneath all this time.
But to me, the overall story just...feels kind of equally empty. I liked it okay after I finished reading it last night, but as I'm thinking through it more in the light of day, it really does feel like that same "misery is beautiful and life is pointless and terrible" message from that one-shot I hated. I just have to decide if I'm interested enough to read the conclusion in the second volume...and right now, I'm kind of not? I don't even like either of the characters that much.
There is a whole deeper meaning to this story, with the post-war disillusionment and economic/creative devastation that took a long time to rebuild. But if you're looking for something that explores those kinds of topics, I'd recommend I Can't Get Through the Night Alone instead.
November 24, 2025
MY FRAGILE AND DELICATE HEART 😭🫶🏽
July 25, 2025
absolute art!
the kind of psychological thriller that grips you and makes you want more. the ending is literally keeping on a chokehold waiting for book 2 and ending impatiently.
TAIFU PLEASE RELEASE IT !
the kind of psychological thriller that grips you and makes you want more. the ending is literally keeping on a chokehold waiting for book 2 and ending impatiently.
TAIFU PLEASE RELEASE IT !
August 2, 2025
I fear I'm eating this one up. full review to come after I finished reading the second volume
October 30, 2025
3⭐️
Good, but went a bit too fast
Good, but went a bit too fast
November 3, 2025
Teki Yatsuda no decepciona
February 5, 2025
خیلی خیلی دوست داشتنی و زیبا بود.
March 24, 2025
a mani basse il mio manga preferito, fine
September 3, 2025
En la Yokohama de los años cincuenta, Kei Kitahara ha pasado de ser un guionista de fama y éxito a un hombre derrotado por el infortunio. Y es que hace dos años que dejó la escenografía para refugiarse en el alcohol y las drogas y así evitar que el dios de la muerte lo posea y le haga escribir una nueva obra, una obra maldita que matará por su puño y letra a la persona de la cual se haya inspirado para el papel protagonista.
Y es que Kei, cuando era niño, tuvo un accidente de tranvía en el cual solamente él y otro chiquillo sobrevivieron. Al despertar del coma días después del trágico suceso, una extraña fuerza lo envolvió, haciendo que las palabras fluyeran por todos los poros de su piel, desean sostener una pluma con la cual escribir todos aquellos vocablos que resonaban por todas partes dentro de sí mismo. Era como si un ser de otro mundo le susurrase al oído todo aquello que él debía plasmar en papel, inmortalizarlos para la posteridad en tinta.
Convirtiéndose en un jovencísimo guionista brillante, ganando premios y siendo una gran promesa del cine japonés, Kei entendió que estaba maldito al morir uno tras otro aquellas personas que había tomado como referencia para sus guiones. Sin poder soportar la última de aquellas fatales muertes, Kei desapareció de la escena cinematográfica para no volver, encerrando bajo siente llaves los cuadernos y las plumas, yendo a emborracharse y a tomar pastillas para evitar que el Dios de la Muerte, en forma de niño, extienda sus manos huesudas para obligarlo a redactar la sentencia de muerte de otra persona.
Pero esto cambia con la llegada de una luz en su vida de tinieblas y oscuridad.
Una noche en la que estaba borracho y siendo objeto de una pelea, aparece un hermoso joven en gabardina llamado Yohichi Mikami, un aprendiz de fotografía que vive en un prostíbulo, el lugar donde se ha criado. Al reconocer a Kei, ya que es un fan suyo, Yoichi no duda en llevarlo a su casa para curarle las heridas. Allí Kei verá un mundo nuevo, lleno de color a través de las risas de las cortesanas y sus clientes y de las fotos que Yoichi tiene colgadas en su pequeña habitación. Pero, sobre todo, será la sonrisa de ese joven lo que hará que el guionista sienta la vida y no la muerte que hace años que lo persigue.
Para saldar su deuda con el fotógrafo, Kei accede a quedar con Yoichi, haciendo esos encuentros que Kei siga sintiendo la vida y el color al lado de ese chico con el que comparte más de lo que creía posible cuando se encontraron en el callejón una noche fatídica. Aunque lo peor no son todos los sentimientos que está descubriendo al lado de Yoichi, sino el deseo irrefrenable de escribir, de coger una pluma y de llenar de palabras hojas y hojas en blanco, y eso es algo que no puede hacer. Pero sus deseos no le importan a nadie, y mucho menos a la empresa que lo encumbró, la cual le exige que regrese con una obra que vuelva a demostrar quién es Kei Kitahara.
Obligado de nuevo a escribir, Kei se hace una promesa tanto a sí mismo como a Yoichi: escribirá y protegerá la vida de su amado pase lo que pase. Ambos vivirán y no dejará que el Dios de la Muerte siga ejecutando a personas usándolo como catalizador, mucho menos que mate a la persona que lo es todo para él, quien le ha hecho descubrir una belleza y unos deseos desconocidos hasta ese momento.
Mas la sombra de la muerte sigue allí, porque las maldiciones no pueden desaparecer tan fácilmente. ¿Qué hace el Dios de la Muerte tras Yoichi si había desaparecido?
Mostrando un retrato muy fiel del Japón de la postguerra de los años cincuenta, Teki Yatsuda nos presenta Kami no Fune de Nemuru, una obra psicológica protagonizada por dos seres heridos y ligados por la fatalidad que serán la luz y la esperanza del otro en un mundo colmado de apariencias y falsas ilusiones.
Podéis leer el análisis completo en mi blog:
https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...
Y es que Kei, cuando era niño, tuvo un accidente de tranvía en el cual solamente él y otro chiquillo sobrevivieron. Al despertar del coma días después del trágico suceso, una extraña fuerza lo envolvió, haciendo que las palabras fluyeran por todos los poros de su piel, desean sostener una pluma con la cual escribir todos aquellos vocablos que resonaban por todas partes dentro de sí mismo. Era como si un ser de otro mundo le susurrase al oído todo aquello que él debía plasmar en papel, inmortalizarlos para la posteridad en tinta.
Convirtiéndose en un jovencísimo guionista brillante, ganando premios y siendo una gran promesa del cine japonés, Kei entendió que estaba maldito al morir uno tras otro aquellas personas que había tomado como referencia para sus guiones. Sin poder soportar la última de aquellas fatales muertes, Kei desapareció de la escena cinematográfica para no volver, encerrando bajo siente llaves los cuadernos y las plumas, yendo a emborracharse y a tomar pastillas para evitar que el Dios de la Muerte, en forma de niño, extienda sus manos huesudas para obligarlo a redactar la sentencia de muerte de otra persona.
Pero esto cambia con la llegada de una luz en su vida de tinieblas y oscuridad.
Una noche en la que estaba borracho y siendo objeto de una pelea, aparece un hermoso joven en gabardina llamado Yohichi Mikami, un aprendiz de fotografía que vive en un prostíbulo, el lugar donde se ha criado. Al reconocer a Kei, ya que es un fan suyo, Yoichi no duda en llevarlo a su casa para curarle las heridas. Allí Kei verá un mundo nuevo, lleno de color a través de las risas de las cortesanas y sus clientes y de las fotos que Yoichi tiene colgadas en su pequeña habitación. Pero, sobre todo, será la sonrisa de ese joven lo que hará que el guionista sienta la vida y no la muerte que hace años que lo persigue.
Para saldar su deuda con el fotógrafo, Kei accede a quedar con Yoichi, haciendo esos encuentros que Kei siga sintiendo la vida y el color al lado de ese chico con el que comparte más de lo que creía posible cuando se encontraron en el callejón una noche fatídica. Aunque lo peor no son todos los sentimientos que está descubriendo al lado de Yoichi, sino el deseo irrefrenable de escribir, de coger una pluma y de llenar de palabras hojas y hojas en blanco, y eso es algo que no puede hacer. Pero sus deseos no le importan a nadie, y mucho menos a la empresa que lo encumbró, la cual le exige que regrese con una obra que vuelva a demostrar quién es Kei Kitahara.
Obligado de nuevo a escribir, Kei se hace una promesa tanto a sí mismo como a Yoichi: escribirá y protegerá la vida de su amado pase lo que pase. Ambos vivirán y no dejará que el Dios de la Muerte siga ejecutando a personas usándolo como catalizador, mucho menos que mate a la persona que lo es todo para él, quien le ha hecho descubrir una belleza y unos deseos desconocidos hasta ese momento.
Mas la sombra de la muerte sigue allí, porque las maldiciones no pueden desaparecer tan fácilmente. ¿Qué hace el Dios de la Muerte tras Yoichi si había desaparecido?
Mostrando un retrato muy fiel del Japón de la postguerra de los años cincuenta, Teki Yatsuda nos presenta Kami no Fune de Nemuru, una obra psicológica protagonizada por dos seres heridos y ligados por la fatalidad que serán la luz y la esperanza del otro en un mundo colmado de apariencias y falsas ilusiones.
Podéis leer el análisis completo en mi blog:
https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...
March 28, 2025
Zuallererst möchte ich mich für das Rezensionsexemplar bedanken, welches mir von Carlsen Manga bereitgestellt wurde. Dieser Fakt beeinflusst aber in keiner Weise meine persönliche Meinung zu diesem Buch. Der Post enthält Werbung und die Rechte liegen bei Carlsen Manga.
Natürlich ist dies nur meine persönliche Meinung und nur weil ich diesem Buch diese Bewertung zukommen lassen, heißt es nicht, dass es auf jeden anderen zutrifft.
Dies ist eine der Rezensionen, die ein bisschen schwer zu schreiben ist. Ich finde es schwierig nur Band 1 zu bewerten, da ich direkt auch Band 2 gelesen habe und ich kann es wirklich nur jedem empfehlen das Duet am Stück zu lesen.
Die Cover der beiden Volumes harmonieren wirklich wunderbar und spiegel die Geschichte in meinen Augen sehr gut wieder.
Der Zeichenstil gefällt mir und ich konnte der Geschichte gut folgen. Wie schon oben erwähnt ist es etwas schwierig, die Geschichte zu bewerten ohne auf Band 2 einzugehen.
Die Geschichte ist roh und bitte erwartet keinen süßen Boys Love Manga. Panikattacken, Traumata und Gewalt sind präsente Themen in diesem Manga und es geht auch darum, wie die Charaktere mit diesen umgehen. Apropos Charaktere! Wir haben hier vielschichtige Charaktere, wo sich teilweise erst ein Verständnis für ihr Handeln nach und nach mit der Geschichte entwickelt. Dieser Band ist wirklich nicht ohne.
Fazit
Ein gefühlsintensiver und vor allem trauriger Boys Love Manga.
Natürlich ist dies nur meine persönliche Meinung und nur weil ich diesem Buch diese Bewertung zukommen lassen, heißt es nicht, dass es auf jeden anderen zutrifft.
Dies ist eine der Rezensionen, die ein bisschen schwer zu schreiben ist. Ich finde es schwierig nur Band 1 zu bewerten, da ich direkt auch Band 2 gelesen habe und ich kann es wirklich nur jedem empfehlen das Duet am Stück zu lesen.
Die Cover der beiden Volumes harmonieren wirklich wunderbar und spiegel die Geschichte in meinen Augen sehr gut wieder.
Der Zeichenstil gefällt mir und ich konnte der Geschichte gut folgen. Wie schon oben erwähnt ist es etwas schwierig, die Geschichte zu bewerten ohne auf Band 2 einzugehen.
Die Geschichte ist roh und bitte erwartet keinen süßen Boys Love Manga. Panikattacken, Traumata und Gewalt sind präsente Themen in diesem Manga und es geht auch darum, wie die Charaktere mit diesen umgehen. Apropos Charaktere! Wir haben hier vielschichtige Charaktere, wo sich teilweise erst ein Verständnis für ihr Handeln nach und nach mit der Geschichte entwickelt. Dieser Band ist wirklich nicht ohne.
Fazit
Ein gefühlsintensiver und vor allem trauriger Boys Love Manga.
March 17, 2025
Come direbbe Kamil: «You got filtered!»
L'ho comprato perché l'autrice è Teki Yatsuda. Far from home non mi era piaciuto particolarmente, ma i disegni erano bellissimi. E visto che questa serie ha solo due volumi, ho deciso di comprarla a scatola chiusa.
Però non mi è piaciuta.
Da un lato i disegni sono ancora più sporchi rispetto all'opera precedente. Le campiture sono molto scure e tutti quei puntini mi hanno disturbato più del previsto.
E la storia?
Un delirio. Appartiene a quel genere di opere in cui non è ben chiaro il confine tra realtà e fantasia. Dei due personaggi non mi è importato granché e molti dei loro discorsi erano troppo evanescenti. Tante parole ma sostanza poca.
Ma magari è tutto perché è un mondo con cui non ho familiarità. E quindi è probabile che alcune cose mi siano sfuggite.
L'ho comprato perché l'autrice è Teki Yatsuda. Far from home non mi era piaciuto particolarmente, ma i disegni erano bellissimi. E visto che questa serie ha solo due volumi, ho deciso di comprarla a scatola chiusa.
Però non mi è piaciuta.
Da un lato i disegni sono ancora più sporchi rispetto all'opera precedente. Le campiture sono molto scure e tutti quei puntini mi hanno disturbato più del previsto.
E la storia?
Un delirio. Appartiene a quel genere di opere in cui non è ben chiaro il confine tra realtà e fantasia. Dei due personaggi non mi è importato granché e molti dei loro discorsi erano troppo evanescenti. Tante parole ma sostanza poca.
Ma magari è tutto perché è un mondo con cui non ho familiarità. E quindi è probabile che alcune cose mi siano sfuggite.
October 14, 2025
*Original Review 2/14/2025*
Honestly a little confused by what the hell is going on, but I really enjoy this author's writing and art style. They do emotional tragic bl so well. I have no clue what to expect from the ending, but I am expecting it to hurt.
*Reread 10/14/2025*
Still pretty confused, but I feel like this whole thing is meant to be a metaphor for ptsd and trauma. Maybe once I read the second volume it'll all come together for me. I'm not really expecting a happy ending considering the other bl I've read by this author, but I'm looking forward to the conclusion.
Honestly a little confused by what the hell is going on, but I really enjoy this author's writing and art style. They do emotional tragic bl so well. I have no clue what to expect from the ending, but I am expecting it to hurt.
*Reread 10/14/2025*
Still pretty confused, but I feel like this whole thing is meant to be a metaphor for ptsd and trauma. Maybe once I read the second volume it'll all come together for me. I'm not really expecting a happy ending considering the other bl I've read by this author, but I'm looking forward to the conclusion.
December 19, 2025
⭐ Manga | Psychological Romance | Yaoi (Adult Content)
Thank you to SuBLime for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Sleeping on Paper Boats, Vol. 1 opens with a haunting tragedy experienced by the main character as a child. The story then time-skips to his adulthood, where he’s plagued by nightmares and lingering trauma. Now a famous screenwriter, he’s burdened by an eerie pattern: anyone involved with his writing begins to die, as if his words carry a curse, despite his lack of intent. Terrified of death and guilt-ridden, he ultimately gives up writing altogether.
Everything begins to shift when he meets a photographer who genuinely enjoys his company and slowly brings joy back into his life. Their connection rekindles his desire to write, not out of fear or obligation, but from inspiration and emotional safety. The story unfolds through a mix of present-day moments and flashbacks, deepening the psychological weight of the narrative.
One of my favorite lines in the manga perfectly captures this emotional contrast:
“As long as I’m reading, their poison quiets my heart like a breeze over a placid sea. But when I’m with you, the words refuse to stay within me. You make me want to write.”
Shortly after, the story turns steamy, making it clear this is adult yaoi content.
This manga leans dark and introspective, with a strong fixation on death, guilt, and creative pain. Readers who are especially sensitive to themes surrounding death may want to approach with caution.
That said, the emotional bond between the two leads is compelling, and their suffering when separated gives the ending real weight, even if it resolves on an “okay” rather than fully comforting note.
Overall, Sleeping on Paper Boats, Vol. 1 is a somber, poetic, and emotionally charged yaoi manga that blends romance with psychological tension. It’s best suited for adult readers who enjoy darker stories about creativity, trauma, and the fragile hope found in human connection.
Thank you to SuBLime for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Sleeping on Paper Boats, Vol. 1 opens with a haunting tragedy experienced by the main character as a child. The story then time-skips to his adulthood, where he’s plagued by nightmares and lingering trauma. Now a famous screenwriter, he’s burdened by an eerie pattern: anyone involved with his writing begins to die, as if his words carry a curse, despite his lack of intent. Terrified of death and guilt-ridden, he ultimately gives up writing altogether.
Everything begins to shift when he meets a photographer who genuinely enjoys his company and slowly brings joy back into his life. Their connection rekindles his desire to write, not out of fear or obligation, but from inspiration and emotional safety. The story unfolds through a mix of present-day moments and flashbacks, deepening the psychological weight of the narrative.
One of my favorite lines in the manga perfectly captures this emotional contrast:
“As long as I’m reading, their poison quiets my heart like a breeze over a placid sea. But when I’m with you, the words refuse to stay within me. You make me want to write.”
Shortly after, the story turns steamy, making it clear this is adult yaoi content.
This manga leans dark and introspective, with a strong fixation on death, guilt, and creative pain. Readers who are especially sensitive to themes surrounding death may want to approach with caution.
That said, the emotional bond between the two leads is compelling, and their suffering when separated gives the ending real weight, even if it resolves on an “okay” rather than fully comforting note.
Overall, Sleeping on Paper Boats, Vol. 1 is a somber, poetic, and emotionally charged yaoi manga that blends romance with psychological tension. It’s best suited for adult readers who enjoy darker stories about creativity, trauma, and the fragile hope found in human connection.
October 14, 2025
What a wonderful, beautiful, and sad story. Kei has written with death as his muse ever since he survived a horrible accent as a child. It has made him a star screenwriter, the stories based on the world he observes. But with every new script, the person it’s based on dies.
Kei has stopped writing, but death won’t leave him alone, no matter how much he drinks. One night a young man, Yoichi, picks him up from rain and takes care of him. A friendship and then a romance forms between the men. And for the first time in years, Kei is able to write without death over his shoulder. Then death takes a new form: Yoichi.
Dreams and reality blend until Kei doesn’t know what’s real. But then he’s given a new assignment: a script based on his life. It’ll mean his own death, but the reward is a good life for Yoichi. The first volume ends before the script finds its conclusion.
This was really good. The story is set in post-war Japan, and although it doesn’t feature much, it creates a unique atmosphere. Both characters were tragic in their own way, and connected by the same accident. I really hope there’ll be a happy ending for them, but I’m not holding my breath. Art was gorgeous.
I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Kei has stopped writing, but death won’t leave him alone, no matter how much he drinks. One night a young man, Yoichi, picks him up from rain and takes care of him. A friendship and then a romance forms between the men. And for the first time in years, Kei is able to write without death over his shoulder. Then death takes a new form: Yoichi.
Dreams and reality blend until Kei doesn’t know what’s real. But then he’s given a new assignment: a script based on his life. It’ll mean his own death, but the reward is a good life for Yoichi. The first volume ends before the script finds its conclusion.
This was really good. The story is set in post-war Japan, and although it doesn’t feature much, it creates a unique atmosphere. Both characters were tragic in their own way, and connected by the same accident. I really hope there’ll be a happy ending for them, but I’m not holding my breath. Art was gorgeous.
I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
February 3, 2025
”What I am to capture is the color of life that flows from within us, despite the wounds that we carry.”
”Promise me that you write our story and that you will tell it faithfully to the end. We both carry the scars of this age, but we still live our lives with love and compassion for one another. We’re living proof that it can be done.”
”i love you with all of my heart.”
The emotional damage is so real.
*contains spoiler
This is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming stories with a really good amount of angst that Ive ever read. I feel like theres no word to describe how beautifully-written this manga is. I got teary-eyed reading this. Both the main characters, devastating beautiful and complex and seem broken beyond repair, found salvation in each other. Their love is what saves them and holds them together.
I love the art style, it’s so gorgeous it makes me weep. So many highly quotable words I wanna savor each of them as if they are the finest course being served in a high-quality fine dining restaurant.
Most importantly, I wanna cheer in happiness because they finally reunited and it is a happy ending.
”Promise me that you write our story and that you will tell it faithfully to the end. We both carry the scars of this age, but we still live our lives with love and compassion for one another. We’re living proof that it can be done.”
”i love you with all of my heart.”
The emotional damage is so real.
*contains spoiler
This is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming stories with a really good amount of angst that Ive ever read. I feel like theres no word to describe how beautifully-written this manga is. I got teary-eyed reading this. Both the main characters, devastating beautiful and complex and seem broken beyond repair, found salvation in each other. Their love is what saves them and holds them together.
I love the art style, it’s so gorgeous it makes me weep. So many highly quotable words I wanna savor each of them as if they are the finest course being served in a high-quality fine dining restaurant.
Most importantly, I wanna cheer in happiness because they finally reunited and it is a happy ending.
October 15, 2025
depending on how volume two plays out, this could be an all time bl boys. beautiful is the all encompassing word for this first volume. the writing is beautifully flowery and romantic. dorothea überall ate up that translation, i hope she was paid double her running rate because damn. the art is gorgeous with it hyper detail and near gothic style. but my favorite aspect is the concept of the plot; two boys are the sole survivors of a car accident and our main character, in surviving that crash, becomes a sort of mouth piece for death. feeling compelled to write as a stream of words constantly fill his mind is such an interesting way to show this compulsion to write and make it much more a need to release the words of death rather than a want to write his muses. i also love that yoichi starts to become death for kitahara as he refuses to write about yoichi
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2025
i'll be honest, the art is beautiful, and i love the cover.
but i am a little confused - because is kei imagining death following him because he has trauma from the trolley accident where only him and yoichi survived?
or is there actually some fantasy element? like the manager for the film company who kei writes his screenplays for some how actually has something to do with what has happened in kei's life?
the premise of this was interesting enough, and there was some tough scenes because kei deals with a lot and thinks it is his fault that character he bases off people in his screenplays keep dying. so he's overly worried and thinks about death a lot.
the relationship between kei and yoichi is nice, and i like how they meet again after so many years like they were brought together by fate.
BUT i am still confused. - let's see if this gets resolved by reading vol 2
but i am a little confused - because is kei imagining death following him because he has trauma from the trolley accident where only him and yoichi survived?
or is there actually some fantasy element? like the manager for the film company who kei writes his screenplays for some how actually has something to do with what has happened in kei's life?
the premise of this was interesting enough, and there was some tough scenes because kei deals with a lot and thinks it is his fault that character he bases off people in his screenplays keep dying. so he's overly worried and thinks about death a lot.
the relationship between kei and yoichi is nice, and i like how they meet again after so many years like they were brought together by fate.
BUT i am still confused. - let's see if this gets resolved by reading vol 2
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2025
I read Teki Yatsuda's other bl - A Home Faraway, and I have the same thoughts. I feel like this author tries to veil the lack of development and plot in their works with senseless tragedy and angst. The story follows a prodigious and well-accomplished screenwriter, Kitahara Kei, and his melancholic fate of every one of his models for his plays ending up dead. Along the way he meets Yoichi, an eccentric young photographer who gives his life color and meaning.
Something about this manga just feels so empty and uninspired. Like it's trying to communicate something really profound, deep, and meaningful, but falls flat in all its pretentious meanderings. I do think some of the symbolic imagery is beautiful though.
Something about this manga just feels so empty and uninspired. Like it's trying to communicate something really profound, deep, and meaningful, but falls flat in all its pretentious meanderings. I do think some of the symbolic imagery is beautiful though.
October 27, 2025
I was really looking forward to reading this one as so many in the BL community have nothing but praise for it however I ended this book feeling very unsure. Was it horrible? Not at all and I was never bored which for me is a good thing. The artwork is absolutely beautiful. The story however is a bit of a mess and I’m kind of confused as to if supernatural events are occurring or if the MC is just deeply mentally disturbed. The ML is clearly and very obviously mentally disturbed. I am hoping that the next and final volume answer my questions. If I were to list BL recommendations this would not be one of them if I’m being honest.
August 15, 2024
I've never been disappointed by Yatsuda-sensei's work. But, just like with the rest of their stories, I have this love-hate relationship that I can't avoid, in a good way.
I love their work because of the great storyline and plot, not to mention the beautiful and somewhat realistic art.
On the other hand, I hate it because every time I read their stories, I’m constantly worried, which is tough for me since I’m always afraid something bad will happen to the characters.
Yatsuda-sensei always delivers a paradoxical happy ending.
I love their work because of the great storyline and plot, not to mention the beautiful and somewhat realistic art.
On the other hand, I hate it because every time I read their stories, I’m constantly worried, which is tough for me since I’m always afraid something bad will happen to the characters.
Yatsuda-sensei always delivers a paradoxical happy ending.
September 13, 2025
On est emporté dans une histoire très intrigante, se passant après la 2de guerre mondiale, avec des héros torturés par un vécu douloureux. Kei est hanté, depuis un accident, par une entité qui contrôle son esprit et ses écrits. Jusqu’à ce qu’il rencontre Youichi qui semble réussir à apaiser ses démons.
Les héros ont une alchimie folle avec, en plus, un dessin exceptionnel qui renforce l’effet émotionnel qu’ils transmettent à travers leurs échanges et les sentiments qui font leurs arrivées petit à petit. J’étais souvent touché par la détresse de ce qu'ils vivent et la romance déchirante qui en découle.
L'auteure joue tout du long avec nous à travers ses mots et ses dessins pour nous embrouiller, comme l'esprit du protagoniste en emprise avec la 'Mort'. J’ai été passionnée par l’histoire et l’intrigue malicieusement racontées. J’ai eu beau me faire mes propres suppositions et à deviner le rôle de chacun des protagonistes, mais l’auteure arrive toujours à instiller le doute dans nos certitudes.
C’est un incroyable manga que je ne regrette pas d'avoir lu. Il a une narration totalement maitrisée. J’ai été dégouté que ce tome 1 se soit fini si vite, tellement je n’ai pas vu le temps passer. Trop hâte de lire le dénouement de cette histoire avec la sortie prochaine du tome 2.
À découvrir si vous voulez un Yaoi qui sort de l’ordinaire, bouleversant son lecteur par cette ambiance sombre, ses sujets psychologique et sombre. Ainsi qu’une écriture intelligente, ne laissant rien au hasard dans ses mots.
Les héros ont une alchimie folle avec, en plus, un dessin exceptionnel qui renforce l’effet émotionnel qu’ils transmettent à travers leurs échanges et les sentiments qui font leurs arrivées petit à petit. J’étais souvent touché par la détresse de ce qu'ils vivent et la romance déchirante qui en découle.
L'auteure joue tout du long avec nous à travers ses mots et ses dessins pour nous embrouiller, comme l'esprit du protagoniste en emprise avec la 'Mort'. J’ai été passionnée par l’histoire et l’intrigue malicieusement racontées. J’ai eu beau me faire mes propres suppositions et à deviner le rôle de chacun des protagonistes, mais l’auteure arrive toujours à instiller le doute dans nos certitudes.
C’est un incroyable manga que je ne regrette pas d'avoir lu. Il a une narration totalement maitrisée. J’ai été dégouté que ce tome 1 se soit fini si vite, tellement je n’ai pas vu le temps passer. Trop hâte de lire le dénouement de cette histoire avec la sortie prochaine du tome 2.
À découvrir si vous voulez un Yaoi qui sort de l’ordinaire, bouleversant son lecteur par cette ambiance sombre, ses sujets psychologique et sombre. Ainsi qu’une écriture intelligente, ne laissant rien au hasard dans ses mots.
Read
September 9, 2025Not sure what to make of this one. More than anything, I guess, I have to shout out that this isn't SuBLime's usual fare--even when SuBLime gets serious, it doesn't get this serious, much less dip into psychological horror. Gorgeous art (though could have used with less reliance on 3D assets/better draw-overs on those 3D assets), intriguing postwar Japan setting, and suuuper creepy bloody elements. Oof. "Tortured writer" is a pet peeve of mine and the melodrama felt unearned, but idk. I'll try vol 2 and see if it can stick the landing.
November 8, 2025
This put me through the gauntlet of emotions. And then it ended in a cliff hanger!
The premise is so interesting and the shadows and dark lines in the manga really hone home the dark undertones. The up close shots of their faces throughout was breathtaking. Teki Yatsuda really nailed expressing their anguish without words. I highly recommend if you want a story that'll torment your mind but also lull you in with beautiful words.
Thanks so much to the publisher and Edelweiss for the DRC. Volume 2, where are you???
The premise is so interesting and the shadows and dark lines in the manga really hone home the dark undertones. The up close shots of their faces throughout was breathtaking. Teki Yatsuda really nailed expressing their anguish without words. I highly recommend if you want a story that'll torment your mind but also lull you in with beautiful words.
Thanks so much to the publisher and Edelweiss for the DRC. Volume 2, where are you???
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