Yoru Yoru Soba ni (In the Night Comes a Girl) is a story about two wandering soul in the night that are trying to panse their wound for each other.
Satoru, a young photographer, suffer from chronic insomnia since an accident that is a nasty fall that almost kill him. Walking in the dark city illuminated by the moonlight, which resembles the meanderings of his confused mind, he is led to meet a young girl named Mikoto. Since the death of her dear mother, Mikoto suffer from vision trouble at day and can only see at night as a psychosomatic consequence.
One of the only memories she kept about her mother is her reading her a picture book named "Searching for the night", which is a story about a lighthouse keeper. Every night the boy's job is to light the beacon to guide the sailor and the dawn. Unfortunaly, one day the boy comes home exhausted and forgets to do it. It is then that a false dawn arrives.
The story told in this illustrated book represents the main thread of the psychology of our two protagonists. Indeed, both find themselves trapped in their own false dawn and can't make the day come. They are thus doomed to wander eternally in the night, in a world that continues to turn without them. This is how the two characters will form a strong bond and help each other to go find back a normal life.
One of the strong points of the work is the representation of this night atmosphere so singular. And when it comes to depicting this nocturnal atmosphere, the graphic choice made by the author to use Chinese ink is quite relevant. This manga contains gorgeous panels whose symbolism is strong and touching.
This manga is therefore, through its touching and hopeful subject, its intelligent staging served by a sublime drawing, an experience not to be missed.
