Title:  A Sign of Affection

Volume:  1

Mangaka: suu Morishita

Translator: Christine Dashiell

US Publisher: Kodansha

Age Relevance: High School & Up (Based on later volumes and age of protagonists)

How Essential Is It?: Essential

Curricular Connections?: SEL, Language Learning, Cultural Connections

Reader’s Advisory Tags: Deaf Identity, Language Learning, Romance

Anime: Crunchyroll

Content Warnings: Drinking, Ableism (as experienced by Yuki)

Publisher Synopsis: Yuki, who’s always been deaf, is used to communicating with sign language and her phone. But she’s not used to English, so when a tourist from overseas asks for directions, she nearly panics…until a handsome stranger steps in to help. His name is Itsuomi, and it turns out he’s a friend of a friend. A charismatic globetrotter, Itsuomi speaks three languages, but he’s never had a deaf friend. The two feel drawn to each other and plan a date on a romantic winter’s night…but Yuki’s friend is afraid that she might be setting herself up to get hurt. Could this be something real? Or will these feelings melt away with the snow?

Review:

The first volume of A Sign of Affection is a sweet and delicate exploration of love blossoming between two young people. When Yuki is helped by fellow college student Itsuomi during an awkward exchange with a foreigner, their worlds collide. Itsuomi, who is drawn to world travel and languages, has never met anyone like Yuki.

What mangaka duo suu Morishita (suu Morishita are actually a collaborative pair) does so well in this series is their representation of Japanese Sign Language and Signed Japanese. As explained in additional notes and interviews in the first volume, they work in collaboration with the Deaf community in Japan to accurately depict the language. It’s astonishing how well they are able to convey the quiet of Yuki’s world- sound effects are small and fading or nonexistent, and there’s an abundant use of white space. The art itself is floaty and dreamy, and the colored illustrations are soft and drawn with browns instead of blacks. Character expressions are quite evocative.

The first volume of the manga is fairly sweet, but does lay the ground for drama to come. Yuki’s childhood friend, Oushi, is obviously attached to her, but is aggressive in his attachment. While he speaks in Sign Language, it is condescending. Oushi seems to have a sense that Yuki doesn’t belong in the world of college, even though she is obviously flourishing and enjoying making connections. There are hints about a connection between Itsuomi and a friend from high school, Emma. This manga is generally wholesome, though. Yuki and Itsuomi’s first date is at a laundromat, where they talk about wanting to communicate and grow closer.

Generally, the theme of this manga is communication, and it is a sweet, comforting manga about how worlds become bigger as we allow others into our world.

Note: I would generally say this volume is perfectly fine for middle school, but in more recent chapters, Itsuomi and Yuki’s relationship has progressed to cohabitation. In general, I think this manga is about young adult relationships and navigating the enmeshment of worlds that happens when you find the person you wish to find a person to spend your life with. It’s sweet and handled with delicate care, and I don’t think it will garner issues in a middle school collection. Still, it’s certainly something to consider and why I don’t outright recommend it for a middle school collection.

Additional Note: I have switched to volume by volume reviews! Additional volumes to follow.