Afutā Awāzu

Backflap Summary

Asahina Emi, an ordinary girl dragged along to a club by a friend, has a chance encounter with Kei, a savvy, fashionable, vinyl-collecting lesbian and what unfolds a heart-throbbing, shimmering tale of girl meets girl against the backdrop of Tokyo’s vibrant nightlife scene.

Volume 1 Review

Have you ever had a terrible night at a club? Where your friends don’t show up and a disgusting man tries to pick you up? What if a dreamy, confident woman stepped in to save you, took you by the hand and asked you to join her as you run amok in the city? Set in the nightlife of a city, After Hours follows the main character Emi as love interest Kei pushes her further and further out of her comfort zone. With each new experience, introverted Emi builds her aspirations and confidence, growing closer to Kei.

With some pacing and character consistency issues, the stories core fantasy is strong and the romance is light.

Full Series Review

To me, Yuri shines when you selfishly indulge in the yearning or love for another. You peer into veil of romance and feel every heartbeat with the character, fluttering or frustrating. Or, yuri has to take a more typical story-line and show why women loving women is different and deeper. After Hours was always the latter, but it didn’t stand out until volume 3.In V1 and V2. The greatest flaw of this series is that when the story peaks, the writing never rises to meet the occasion. It falls flat at best and feels canned at worst. Emi slowly gets more complex and begins to grow. Even the group becomes steadily more fleshed out, and by the end I was wistful that I would have to leave them behind. The romance was never the strength, so these other facets had to the heavy lifting to keep you engaged. Kei is a fun character. But, she wasn’t unique or strong enough to live one-dimensional for so long. And then? Volume 3.

V3 finally delivered character growth. Kei is allowed space to become a full character which simultaneously brings Emi’s journey to a milestone. The group feels like they have their own identity. The stakes are raised and everyone has a lot to lose. I wanted her to risk it all. I wanted to be angry at Kei. I wanted to see the group struggle and overcome. I wanted-

All a tragedy considering this is where the story ends. Ironically, it’s what would make me recommend the series.

Series Information

Writer/Artist/Character Design: Yuhta Nishio (he/him)
Publisher: Ichijinsha, Seven Seas Entertainment
Release Year: 2015-2018
Volumes: 3
Setting: Mid 20s-30s
Ick Factor: None