Holiday Review: A SIGN OF AFFECTION

Nonetheless, of the few shojo series to get any hype, this was by far the one with the most acclaim (and it's easy to see why). 

A SIGN OF AFFECTION (Yubisaki no Renren), by suu Morishita.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

Yuki is a college girl who is enjoying herself, despite the challenge of navigating the world while deaf. She's introduced to fellow college student Itsuomi on the train and she's just as fascinated by his handsome looks as she is by his knowledge of other languages and world travels.  As their friendship grows and Itsuomi poses some interest in learning sign language, Yuki starts to wonder if her stronger feelings are something real and substantial or merely as transient as the falling snow.

STORY:

A Sign of Affection manages to thread a very delicate needle.  It manages to cultivate a very sincere, sweet atmosphere without feeling dopey or cloying.  Technically it does so twice, as it manages to make Yuki's deafness part of the story without making it all about her deafness.

Yuki is as gentle as any shojo heroine, and for once she's got more cause for her cautiousness and naivite than others.  Part of it is that she spent all of her grade-school years at a small school for the deaf, so this is the first time (as far as we know) that she's been exposed to big city living.  Part of it is that while she's able to navigate the world fairly well, her deafness will always shelter her from it to some degree.  She's got a group of friends that she can communicate with through a combination of text, lip-reading and sign language, but there's a part of her that always feels a little adrift.  That's part of what draws her to Itsuomi in the first place - he's a connection to a world far larger than her own, and that's exciting and novel onto itself.

If there's an overarching theme to A Sign of Affection, it would have to be "communication."  There's the obvious, literal version of it as Itsuomi learns to communicate with Yuki.  There's also the emotional version of communication, as much of this first volume is Yuki learning to articulate how she feels about him and how to act upon that feeling.  Luckily she's got a good group of friends to help her out, including the vivacious Rei and the requisite Childhood Best Friend Oshi.  He's a particularly notable character, as he's the only other person around Yuki who is fluent in sign language but is overprotective about her in a way that suggests he may be a romantic complication later down the road.  For now, though, this series is just a warm and fuzzy slice of romance, like the sweetest cut of hot cocoa.

ART:

Morishita's art is suitable down-to-earth.  There's a decent variety of character designs - I was particularly struck by Yuki's friend Rin with her cute pixie cut and many stylish earrings.  The most fantastical thing is Itsuomi's white hair, which if anything makes him look like a shojo version of Ginko from Mushishi.  

This series also has a very uncluttered look.  There's not a lot of screentones, a fairly graceful approach to panel layout, and large panels to keep the emphasis on the sincere looks between Yuki and Itsuomi and all the little gestures between them (be they sign language or otherwise).  The most notable environmental details is all the focus on falling snow.  Aside from the obvious connection to Yuki's name, it somehow adds to the softness and coziness of the series and often serves as a nice visual metaphor for Yuki's emotional journey.

PRESENTATION:

The translation is perfectly fine, but kudos really need to be given to letterer Carl Vanstiphout.  He varies up the font and hue of the dialogue, which helps to make it clear when Yuki is thinking to herself or talking with others through phone texts, written text, or lip-reading.  The styles are all easy to parse and do not distract from what is actually being said.  

There's also a nice interview with suu Morishita, who are in fact a writer-artist duo.  They talk about everything from working with their deaf consultant to some of the linguistic curiosities of their titles.  It's good stuff.

RATING:

A Sign of Affection is a lovely intersection between shojo manga and the increasingly large number of manga titles dealing with physical disability, tackling both with sensitivity and quiet kindness.  It's an easy recommendation for anyone who can appreciate some good shojo manga.

This series is published by Kodansha Comics.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 5 volumes available.  3 volumes have been published and are currently in print.

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