I Had That Same Dream Again: The Complete Manga Collect… (2024)

These delicate subjects are expertly represented by the author. This manga is a work of beauty, telling a really lovely and motivational tale. It's brilliantly written, and I could identify to it on so many levels.

The nine-year-old protagonist is incredibly intelligent. I have never been happier reading about a 9-year-old's experience. The other supporting cast members were excellently written as well. All in all, reading this work was enjoyable.

4.25/5stars

This was VERY good - not as amazing as "I want To Eat Your Pancreas" but it still had me a bit misty eyed and it's a very cute, very important story. Big fan!

Middle schooler Nanoka Koyanagi is given a simple task as her final school project of the year: a presentation on what she believes happiness to be. In secret, she's dealing with family drama, unrequited feelings and loneliness from being ostracized. The only people she has to help her find an answer to happiness are a suicidal high schooler, a depressed prostitute and a lonesome old woman. The subject of her school presentation soon reveals itself to be much harder than she originally expected. Upon embarking on a personal journey of self-discovery, Nanoka slowly unravels what the meaning of happiness is with the help of her three unlikely companions who are all dealing with their own inner turmoil.

A beautiful little story that deals with some really dark themes in a surprisingly hopeful and optimistic way. This could've easily been a psychological thriller if written in a different style, but it's delivered with the unique tone of a slice of life tale that chooses to shed light on bleak situations. There's a unique twist regarding Nanoka and her companions, a twist that's fairly easy to see coming but is tackled in a satisfying way.

4.75 stars

you know sometimes you read one of those books that are so good because they are so personal to you. I feel like this book resonates deep inside of me, I could have very well written something like this in an alternate universe (but alas! I am not that talented in this one). It is also very well drawn as a plus point.

wholesome, sad, and such a beautiful book.

I have mixed feelings about this.

The big twist is pretty easy to see coming. The main character here, Nanoka, visits her "friends" throughout our time with the character. And while Nanoka visits these people you begin to link that maybe this girl who self harms, this woman who's a escort, or this old lady might be a little closer to Nanoka than we could ever imagine.

The ending here isn't really a big surprised. Guessed the twist in the first 30-40 pages. But the idea is sweet, and the ending is actually some really powerful stuff. This whole story is basically going through our emotions, our actions, how we do wrong and right, and if we want to move on or be stuck blaming or hurting ourselves. I love stories like these usually but here I just didn't connect to everyone. i think Nanoka is adorable, and art is solid, and I like the message but for some reason could not get invested into the characters.

But still an enjoyable read at a 3 out of 5.

It isn't often that I figure the twist out early on and still love the book to distraction. This was that case, and I can't even begin to formulate my thoughts. Hopefully I will before I have to write a formal review tomorrow.

This is beautiful. Just read it.

Another emotional story with dynamic plot twists from Yoru Sumino!

I knew nothing about this book when I started reading page one, and for the first 100 pages I found it slow going as we follow an elementary school latch-key kid. Nanoka doesn't have any real friends at school, so she wanders around her neighborhood and talks with the friends she has made there: an older woman, a cat with a cropped tail, and younger woman who lets ignorant, innocent Nanoka call her skan*-san from the graffiti on her apartment door . The biggest topic of conversation is Nanoka's school assignment to write about happiness and what it means to her, that is until the slice of life tone takes a darker turn when Nanoka comes across a teenager in a deserted building who is lightly cutting her forearms.

At this point, I had to stop and ask myself what was the point of this and do I really want to continue. I thought about where the book could possibly be going and suddenly made connections between the Triple Goddess and magical realism that laid out the rest of the book before me. I was eager to keep reading just to see if I was right.

And somewhere along the line as I conceitedly patted myself on the back for being right, I got caught up in the failures, successes and regrets of Nanoka's friends and her resistance to bullying and development of interpersonal skills. It's predictable and manipulative, but darn if it doesn't work.

It wasn't until I had finished the manga that I found out it that it was actually an adaptation of a novel and that it was by the same creators whose I Want to Eat Your Pancreas manga adaptation I adored a couple years back. I need to more actively seek out their other projects.

I recommend this book to EVERYBODY. I've already read this book in Japanese, but I decided to read it in English as well. This is a heartwarming story that gives you a life message that will 100% change your perspective. This girl meets three ladies who differ in age and personality which turns out to be her future self. I was shocked when all the hints that the author has been giving to the readers from the very beginning connected and revealed the truth. I recommend every book this author has written.

Beautiful and heartfelt story about finding out what happiness is. It’s written with raw emotion and shows really emotional scenes and the ending is truly beautiful.

Great storyboard and it also talked about mentall-illness.

Re-read in 2021, and the message and meaning still hold true. I can't express how much I love Nanoka's story and how she changes over the course of the manga. It's the kind of story one really needs to read in one sitting, so I'm glad Seven Seas published it in a single volume.

~~~

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Seven Seas for the advanced copy of I Had That Same Dream Again by Yoru Sumino and Izumi Kirihara.

This was a lovely story about a little girl seeking the answer for what happiness is with help from her friends. Nanoka is working on a project for her elementary class, and she's quite an interesting and thoughtful little girl. Thoughtful in the sense that she thinks her thoughts rather deeply for a youngster. I see some of my younger self in her, especially with having difficulty making friends, but like her, I had some unconventional friends.

One could say that while Nanoka is working on an assignment, she is also on a journey of self-discovery and examining herself and her way of thinking. I believe other readers will enjoy watching Nanoka's journey and learning all that lies under the rose. And I hope they end the book with a smile as I did.

Highly recommended.

Omg ahh I could scream!! This was soo good! I haven’t read a manga in a while and this was just utterly perfect. I bought it after I had read one of Yoru Sumino’s other mangas, which is “I want to eat your pancreas” this as well is so good. I just love her art style and omg the story of “I had that same dream again” is SOO lovely. I fell in love with the characters and could relate to them so much. I could feel their pain and happiness in my bones!! If I could, I would’ve read it in one sitting.

Also I am NOT a person to cry while reading, but at the end I literally cried my soul out. And not even because it was sad. I was just so moved by it and speechless as everything became clear.

This is a quick 5 star read. And even if you do not like mangas this is just perfect.

This was a very cute and heart-warming story. I highly enjoyed the sweet life lessons and the way the story was put forth.

4/5 Stars: ‘I Had That Same Dream Dream Again’ by Yoru Sumino.
→ Age Range: Young Adult.
→ Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism.
→ Book Type: Manga.

Favourite Quote: ‘Happiness doesn’t come to you. You have to choose it and reach for it yourself.’

In-depth Rating:
→ Plot: ★★★★
→ Character Development: ★★★★
→ Setting: ★★★★
→ Entertainment Level: ★★★★★
→ Writing: ★★★★

General Comments: Translated by Beni Axia Conrad. A light-hearted tribute to second chances; it gently nudges the reader to consider what happiness is, while unravelling the bigger issues at stake. The artwork depicts a vibrant, energetic protagonist; navigating a surprisingly fraught social world. Clean lines and intuitive structure reflects its voraciousness. With an intriguing cast of characters and a surprising connection between them, the book is a compelling read from start to finish.

Time Read: One Day.
→ Audiobook: No.
→ Audiobook Narrator: -

Re-Read: No.
→ -:
→ -:

Trigger Warnings:
→ Self-Harm.
→ Bullying.
→ Substance Abuse.

Warnings: depiction of self-harm (cutting), bullying, mentions of substance abuse

The manga adaptation of the light novel of the same name, it is faithful adaptation to the original. I pretty much read this one after another, so practically what I thought of the novel pretty much applies to this manga. Additionally, I gotta talk about how much I loved the artwork and the depiction of the events of the novel - the character design, Kiryuu's artworks and the emotional scenes were all done so well! It balances the slightly humorous tones of its narrator with the dark subject matter. And now, the review for the story:

After reading At Night, I Become a Monster by the same author, I was quite excited for this book - and it definitely didn't disappoint. The story is told from the point of view of an elementary school kid, Nanoka, who is a precocious little thing; part of her story is about her trying to help a classmate who is getting bullied, but the overall theme of the story is about her growing to learn what the meaning of happiness is.

Nanoka doesn't really have friends among her classmates, but she is not exactly a loner - she speaks to others on a friendly basis, shares book recommendations with one, and is sorta chatty with her seat neighbor, Kiryuu. Her actual friends are a cat, a high school girl she meets on a deserted building's rooftop, Minami, a young woman whose house she frequents, who she calls 'skan*-san' after she mistakes the slur on her door for her name, and an old woman whose house she visits. Being the only kid of working parents, she has the freedom to walk around the neighborhood, and she daily goes out with the cat.

The story starts when Nanoka's class gets an assignment in language class to discuss 'the meaning of happiness' and while any kid would answer something simple like 'eating sweets' or 'playing with friends', Nanoka wants to seriously consider and she asks her friends for help. As a kid she doesn't fully realize it, but two of her friends are dealing with some stuff and aren't happy with their lives, and their interactions with her prompt them to reevaluate the meaning of happiness for them. Nanoka herself resents her parents a bit for not putting her above their hectic life, and talking with Minami helps her fix her relationship with her parents.

The other meaningful relationship in the story is Nanoka's and Kiryuu's. When Kiryuu's dad is caught shoplifting, it affects Kiryuu's life at school - he becomes an outcast, a target of bullying (he was already bullied for being quiet and interested in drawing) and he stops coming to school. Nanoka fights on his behalf, but she is also frustrated that he won't fight back. She tries to get him to come back, but her initial approach makes matters worse. When she talks to the young woman and the old lady, she figures out a better way to help him out, and learns what it means to truly be an ally to someone, and what she herself didn't realize about her own wants. About who those three women are to her, that is a big spoiler, but it was a nice touch - I still feel Minami's name wasn't explained. The message that happiness is something you choose by your actions, and something you work towards than have was laid out beautifully in Nanoka's story, as well as the importance of meaningful connections with those around you. And obviously, like her other novel, this one made me cry a bit, too.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Seven Seas, via Edelweiss.

What is happiness?

If you often feel sad and think that nothing can make you happy anymore, this might be the manga that you can relate to. The story is about a girl named Nanoka who is in search for the meaning of happiness. Her sensei asked the class to prepare a presentation for the answers and Nanoka still doesn't know what really makes her happy. She went to meet her friends and there are lots of new things she learnt after spending time with them.

Nanoka is a character that I can relate a lot and that's what makes this manga more beautiful than it already is. She is an outcast, she loves reading story and doesn't spend time with others around her age because they can't relate to her. That's why she finds comfort in other things (like cats awww), and with older people who can give advices to her. These days I've been thinking about the same question that was asked in the story, "What is happiness?". I had thought about it for a long time, but I can't answer anything confidently. Just like in the story, there are small things that make me smile and glad, but does that really mean happiness? I can't say for sure.

Regret.The story also talks about regret because it's undeniable that humans regret many things in their life, even if it's sth simple. As we grow up, we have to make many choices nearly every seconds and some are not easy to be decided. And when we take the choice that leads to sth bad, we regret choosing it. Sometimes, there's no way to make it right, and we lose hope. It's good if you have someone close to you, but what if you don't?

"People cannot forget a sad memory. But we can make a lot more happy memories and live happily."

Bravery. I like how there's one character who shows that not everyone can be brave even if they wanted to. We kept a lot of things from people especially when they see our weaknesses. And sometimes, just shoving or pressuring people to be brave can actually hurt them. Some of us takes a lot of time to make progress, and that's fine! Just support them in the best way and try to understand their feelings.

"After all it's no good to be all alone. When you meet others, life is filled with these wonderful encounters. If that's how it is, it might be a bit too late, but maybe I can carry on once more, without giving up on myself or others."

There are many things that I love about the story, and the dialogue is one of the reasons. The dialogues are so heartwarming. They can be advice that punches deep inside your heart and makes you cry rivers of tears, but they can also be the sweet things that make you smile when you feel happy.

The part that makes me cry really hard is when Nanoka finally say her definition of happiness. It is a bit similar to what I had thought last week and I can't explain how much it means to me. When she cries while saying it, I understand what she must have felt. She can't seem to fit in, but she has friends outside of school. It's like, she can have this but she can't have that. And that's why her answer is definitely the one that she was searching for.

"However, my life is different from theirs. I can choose my own happiness from anyone else. Happiness doesn't come from far away. It's something you, yourself have to obtain."

I'd love to read the light novel one day, and hold it tight close to my heart.

I was going to give this four stars, but this book IS something special and it had me tearing up at the end which means it really got me in the feels in a way a story has not done for a very, very long time.

I don’t think I can do this book justice without spoiling what becomes obvious about 150 pages or so in, that all the three female friends Nanoka is interacting with are, in fact, versions of her at different stages of her life - old and wise, a twenty-something with no direction, and an embittered teenager.

I like how this then upends the initial notion of the story. What initially seems like a sweet little girl coming to the rescue of a bunch of strangers instead becomes a take on the old notion of what you would say if you could go back and talk to yourself when you were younger.

Characterization in this is so very good and I suspect that’s because of it being a manga version of a novel. Each of the three friends is at a very different place in life (which is a big clue to what’s afoot) and has specific regrets that, through their interactions with Nanako, they help to correct.

Or perhaps, it’s all just a dream... normally that sort of nebulousness would drive me nuts, but there’s sufficient ambiguity in the story’s events, just not in how it ended. It’s actually very satisfying to just ruminate on what may or may not have happened, the kind of questions a good tale should leave you with.

It’s not perfect - Nanako can be very hard to take at first (it’s easy to see as things progress that she’s the one who needs the most help, not the others, hence the narrative pivot), though her growth is what makes this come together so wonderfully at the end.

Her repeated line about life being like something is overused - at some points the pronouncements are coming practically every other page. The tie-in to Peanuts of all things is interesting but they don’t do too much with it.

Still, small nitpicks in a heart-warming tale about second chances and the opportunity to get right the things in your life that may have made a real difference in how you moved through the world. There’s a lot to unpack here and I look forward to reading it again in the future.

Similarly to other people, I figured out the twist of the story very early on. Although I do believe this might have been intended by the author, but a bit more of an awareness from the main character towards her own "others" would have been thanked. I'm also glad the author decided to eliminate any sort of magic by using the "it was all a dream" cliche, although it's also... well, the "it was all a dream cliche". Not the most inventive story in the world that's for sure.

But I don't mind it as I greatly enjoyed its focus on happiness. A lot of tragedy and sadness is implied in the lifes of the "others", as is the bittersweet ending, where some sort of trauma is still present in the life of the Main Character, however: it never went beyond that. It remained focused on happiness and was a heartfelt story of self-discovery as seen through the lenses of a child. It was also really satisfying to read about the MC, as her "wholesome" outlook in life is bright and charming in equal measures. It's a surprisingly stoic work though, accepting of death and about the acceptance of circ*mstances beyond our control, while at the same time encouraging us to work with what we have. Again, not the most original story. But sometimes it's fine with stating the obvious, and it is a message that's always reassuring to hear.

Yazarın Pankreasını Yemek İstiyorum kitabını çok beğenmiş olduğum için bundan da epey ümitliydim. Zaman zaman benzer bir tat alsam da bu sefer daha farklı bir hikaye ortaya koymuş. Biraz çocuk romanı gibi olsa da daha ileri bir yaşta okunması durumunda iyi kavranabilecek bir hikaye. Kişinin hayatı boyunca sarf ettiği keşkeler üzerine bir olay dizisi desem sanırım yanlış olmaz. Bunu aktarırken okuyucunun içini daraltmıyor, negatif ögelere hikayenin ihtiyacı olduğu yere kadar başvuruyor. Hikayeyi sonlandırdığımda benzer bir deneyimi yaşayabilmiş olmayı isterdim dedim. Bu tarz cümleleri pek kurmayan ben için özel bir yer edindi.

What is happiness for you? 🤔

This is the touching story of a bookworm girl who has a hard time making friends but ends up befriending unique friends who helped her discover more about her life and relationships.

I loved the art, how Sumino delivered the story, and how it made me cry, smile, and then reflect.

This is a masterpiece; it did make me feel good. 💙

Пет пълни звезди от небосвода!
Тази манга история беше просто очарователна, чиста и невинна, така омагьосваща. Простичкият въпрос "Какво е щастие?" и сложният житейски отговор, за който и до ден-днешен учените по света не могат да постигнат единодушно съгласие. Затова пък едно малко момиченце ще се противопостави на всички норми и закони в стремежа си да разплете загадката. А както знаем съдбата обича смелите - току виж Нанока вземе, че открие какво е щастието. Поне лично за нея :)

Beautiful and loved the exploration of happiness.

While this one didn’t make me SOB like “I want to eat your pancreas” this one seemed to hit me harder. I really enjoyed “I want to eat your pancreas” but this one just really got to me with the messages about being yourself and happiness.

“Listen. Life is a story you write yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Revise and Rewrite.”

This scene really just got to me. It’s so true that we are the ones who write our lives. If we don’t like it, we can change it and we can make it better. It’s not dependent on someone else writing our own stories. It’s our lives.

This one just hit me hard. I really recommend people read this one because it was so good!!!

That was absolutely adorable. Though I didn't care for some of the major plot decisions, I finished the book with a smile on my face, and sometimes that's all that matters.

Ganz okay

Loved it

I Had That Same Dream Again was an absolutely incredible read. The story is beautiful and so much more intricate than you realize until you’re at the very end. I will definitely be rereading this manga sometime in the future, I enjoyed it that much. This story may take a bit of patience to truly understand, but once the pieces start falling into place, it will take your breath away.

A little girl doesn't have any school friends, but after school's out she spends time with a variety of people: a cat, a lonely but beautiful young woman, a depressed high schooler, and an old woman who lives alone and bakes snacks. When the girl's teacher assigns a project, "What is Happiness?", the girl's attempts to answer this question-- with the help of her companions-- will lead her to a surprising conclusion.

I had no idea what I was getting into with this manga, but it pulled me in right away. Though, as others have said, the twist is fairly predictable, that doesn't detract from the intrigue or loveliness of the tale. The only thing that bothered me is that I wish the teacher had done more to quell the bullying happening in her classroom. The artwork is very pretty, with good character design. Some of the speech bubbles are mixed up, but I read an advanced copy so this may be fixed in the final version. Altogether, a beautiful little manga!

TW: bullying, self-harm (cutting), references to substance abuse and prostitution

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review!