Some manga are like American blockbusters: conforming themselves to the genre standards, they quietly unfold following a well-travelled road, already trodden a thousand times, where a few detours might bring some surprises, until the arrival to the unavoidable as well as foreseeable conclusion — incidentally, this is the very principle on which Wes Craven has built his Scream franchise.

Obviously Hara Hidenori never heard of such rules. On several occasions, the reader will believe having “nailed down” the story and guessed the developments to come — only to realize a few pages later that he was wrong. Because here, the story is not about exceptionally gifted heroes or magnificent losers — but real human beings, who are not always successful, or not as much as they would like to be.
If Hara’s slightly dated art (though extremely lively and dynamic) may not inspire everyone, it is in the page layout that his talent really shines through. Innovative and fully controlled at the same time, his compositions often show dazzling expressivity.

Following the first steps of a hopeful teenager in the world of manga-kas, Itsudemo yume wo enables the reader to discover the other side of the coin, with great simplicity. Once again, the author leaves aside the easy tricks of the spectacular trade, to favor instead the lives of rather ordinary people. Subtle and moving, Hara delivers here a truly human story.