Scenes from Awajima, Vol. 1

by Takako Shimura, Andria McKnight (Translator)

Awajima Opera School—where countless girls from across the country flock in hopes of one day standing on the big stage. As they work toward achieving their dreams of stardom, their time at Awajima is filled with as much friendship and admiration as competition and jealousy. The precious feelings of girls who are at once both classmates and rivals, tenderly captured in the portraits of an ensemble cast!

Genres: Manga

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Takako Shimura (native name: 志村貴子) is a manga artist primarily known for her manga works published in Japan which feature LGBT (especially about lesbian and transgender) topics. Originally from Kanagawa, she now resides in Tokyo.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Even Though We’re Adults, I will happily read anything that Takako Shimura puts out. This is, interestingly, not a straight (uh…) yuri title, but more a fascinating cross-section of the lives of people attending or connected with a revue school very similar to the Takarazuka Troupe.

What we end up with is something that blends together Kageki Shojo with the multiple viewpoints of Kiss & White Lily For My Dearest Girl (and some yuri, just not all yuri). I would put this as not quite as good as the former, but certainly better than the latter.

It’s absolutely not down to the stories themselves, which intertwine and connect in some wonderfully surprising ways. A lot of these tales have to do with growing up and finding yourself and how that can play out, which works well in the hands of such a skilled mangaka.

I will say that I had trouble following who was part of what, and was frequently flipping back and forth, which is not an optimal reading experience in a digital format. That is probably my biggest complaint and it definitely made things harder to absorb.

Which I wouldn’t care as much about except the stories here are so good. There’s such a range of excellent threads to tug at, from bullying and its effects on everybody including the bully (probably the best part) to a very sweet one about being honest about the things that you love.

That second one really threads a needle on a difficult topic that could easily have devolved into stranger danger and instead presents somebody who gets along better with people not his own age and finding aspiration in that.

This is a very good series start; I think some of these chapters are exquisitely done and the others are really strong. However, this also proved a little frustrating at times and that happens so rarely that I feel compelled to point it out.

True, this may not be an issue if you are reading it physically, but I was not and that definitely compounded the issue (if not created it entirely). Which is a shame because I wanted to love this without issue and the flies in the ointment were a bit too much.

4.5 stars - difficulties like this have to be taken into account when they’re so pronounced, but with the note that they may not exist for you as a reader. Divorced from that, this is a very strong start that I hope is improved upon next volume.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly, no one writes gentle explorations of humanity like Takako Shimura. This is soft and sweet, and although it's set at a theatre school modeled on the Takarazuka Revue, it's main theme is that the most important role you can play in life is yourself.