I Hear the Sunspot (manga/film)
I Hear the Sunspot (Japanese: ひだまりが聴こえる, Hepburn: Hidamari ga Kikoeru) is a Japanese manga series by Yuki Fumino. I Hear the Sunspot is serialized in the semi-monthly boys’ love manga anthology Canna since December 22, 2013. A live-action film adaptation of the first volume was released on June 24, 2017.
Plot
College student Taichi Sagawa learns that his lonely classmate, Kohei Sugihara, is deaf, and he enrolls in a part-time job to take notes for him in exchange for food. As the two become more acquainted with each other, they develop a strong friendship that eventually turns into love.
Characters
- Kohei Sugihara (杉原 航平, Sugihara Kōhei)
- Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa (audio drama); Portrayed by: Hideya Tawada (film)
- Kohei is a college student who had a sudden hearing loss in high school, and because of his disability, he struggles to fit in and is usually seen alone.
- Taichi Sagawa (佐川 太一, Sagawa Taichi)
- Voiced by: Junya Enoki (audio drama); Portrayed by: Akira Onodera (film)
- Taichi is an optimstic and outgoing college student who takes on the job of taking notes for Kohei part-time in exchange for food.
- Yoko (ヨコ)
- Voiced by: Yoshiki Nakajima (audio drama); Portrayed by: Ryo Mitsuya (film)
Manga
I Hear the Sunspot is written and illustrated by Yuki Fumino as her debut work. Fumino came up with the idea of writing about the hearing impaired from being around friends and acquaintances who had a hearing disability. She wrote I Hear the Sunspot based on what she learned from them as well as visiting a sign language school.
I Hear the Sunspot was serialized in the semi-monthly yaoi manga anthology Canna from December 22, 2013 to August 2014. Originally released as a single-volume story, it was followed up with I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness from April 22, 2015 to February 2016. After the story’s end, Fumino continued with a third series, titled I Hear the Sunspot: Limit, from October 2016 to December 2019. A fourth series titled I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons began publication in December 2020 and is still ongoing. The chapters have been released in 7 bound volumes by France Shoin under the Canna Comics imprint as of April 2023.
One Peace Books publishes I Hear the Sunspot in English for North American distribution.
| No. | Title | Original release date | English release date | |
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| 1 | I Hear the Sunspot Hidamari ga Kikoeru (ひだまりが聴こえる) |
October 27, 2014 978-4-8296-8561-7 |
August 15, 2017 978-1-9449-3730-0 |
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| 2 | I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness Hidamari ga Kikoeru: Kōfukuron (ひだまりが聴こえる-幸福論-) |
May 27, 2016 978-4-8296-8580-8 |
February 13, 2018 978-1-9449-3741-6 |
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| 3 | I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 1 Hidamari ga Kikoeru: Rimitto 1 (ひだまりが聴こえる－リミット－１) |
October 27, 2017 978-4-8296-8599-0 |
November 20, 2018 978-1-6427-3004-3 |
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| 4 | I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 2 Hidamari ga Kikoeru: Rimitto 2 (ひだまりが聴こえる－リミット－２) |
December 27, 2018 978-4-8296-8615-7 |
September 17, 2019 978-1-6427-3028-9 |
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| 5 | I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3 Hidamari ga Kikoeru: Rimitto 3 (ひだまりが聴こえる－リミット－３) |
May 28, 2020 978-4-8296-8633-1 |
April 13, 2021 978-1-6427-3103-3 |
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| 6 | I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons Volume 1 Hidamari ga Kikoeru: Shunkashūtō 1 (ひだまりが聴こえる－春夏秋冬－１) |
December 28, 2021 978-4-8296-8659-1 |
April 18, 2023 978-1-6427-3233-7 |
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| 7 | Hidamari ga Kikoeru: Shunkashūtō 2 (ひだまりが聴こえる－春夏秋冬－2) | April 28, 2023 978-4-8296-8674-4 |
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Film
A live-action film adaptation of I Hear the Sunspot was announced through the physical release of the first volume on the wrap-around band. The film starred Hideya Tawada as Kohei and Akira Onodera as Taichi. Ryo Mitsuya was later cast as Yoko. Additional cast members included Ami Yamazaki, Miyū Ōsaka, Hiroe Igeta, Rima Matsuda, Yūki Fukumoto, Tsubasa Shimada, Hideyuki Araki, Anna Kijima, Suzuno Nomura, Norihisa Hiranuma, Shinshō Nakamura, and Reiko Takashima. The film was directed by Daisuke Kamijō. It was released on June 24, 2017.
Reception
Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network reviewed I Hear the Sunspot favorably, praising its exploration of school stereotypes and Kohei and Taichi’s relationship. Regarding Theory of Happiness, she described it as being “sweet and thoughtful” and praised the art, but she also stated that it had “excessive” angst. For Limit, Silverman praised the story’s exploration of “different lived experiences of being ‘normal'”. Corinne Barrett Percy described Kohei as an example of how people with disabilities and queer identities are seen as outsiders in Japanese society.
At Comic-Con International 2018, I Hear the Sunspot was selected as an “under-appreciated gem” at a panel composed of manga critics and industry insiders. I Hear the Sunspot was selected by visitors of the website Nijimen as one of the best boys’ love manga for newcomers to the genre. It was included in 2018 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens produced by American Library Association‘s Young Adult Library Services Association.
In Japan, volume 1 of Limit ranked at no. 45 on Oricon and sold 16,833 physical copies in its first week of sales. Volume 2 of Limit ranked at no. 31 on Oricon and sold 20,128 physical copies in its first week of sales.
| I Hear the Sunspot | |
First collected volume cover
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| ひだまりが聴こえる (Hidamari ga Kikoeru) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Boys’ love |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Yuki Fumino |
| Published by | France Shoin |
| English publisher |
One Peace Books
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| Imprint | Canna Comics |
| Magazine | Canna |
| Demographic | Josei |
| Original run | December 22, 2013 – present |
| Volumes | 6 |
| Live-action film | |
| Directed by | Daisuke Kamijō |
| Released | June 24, 2017 |
A simple moment can change the entire life…
A pure friendship is being born…
