Introducing Radiant Memories — A Collection of Radiant Stories

In the early 2010s, an aspiring comic book artist had finally reached the point of no return. After nearly a decade in the French comics industry and a third original series that released to underwhelming results, a weathered Tony Valente took matters into his own hands, intent on leaving it all behind. But driven by a spark of passion, a love of shonen manga, and the relationships and experience he cultivated over the years, he poured those memories into one last dream. On July 4th, 2013, that dream became Radiant.

Following its release, Radiant became his most notable work, garnering praise for its contemporary take on the shonen genre and breaking into international markets through its intricate narrative and fantasy elements, diverse portrayal of characters and inspired takes on themes like hope and humanity. As we approach the 10th year anniversary, I’m introducing a brand-new miniseries that I’ll be running here on AniTAY.

Radiant Memories is a comprehensive anthology celebrating all things Radiant. Over the next few months, I’ll be looking back at the series though multiple perspectives, revisiting old stories and telling a few new ones. From the manga and the anime to the characters, story, lore, and real-world influences, this will be a mixed combination of my usual essays, as well as a few hidden surprises in between. It will run for “about a year,” though in true Radiant fashion, creation takes imagination and time.

This project has been a long time coming, and while I don’t normally announce what I’m working on this far in advance, I’m excited to finally share this with our humble community and hope you’re looking forward to what I have in store beginning in April. As always, feel free to leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts, follow my cabinet of curiosities down in my socials below, and for even more Radiant Memories, check out my previous writings below. Until next time:

Dark Aether is a writer/contributor for TAY and AniTAY. You can check his main writings on Medium, archives at TAY2, or follow him on Twitter @TheGrimAether. Not Dead Yet.