When the Chameleon Flowers Bloom(Japanese: どくだみの花咲くころ, Hepburn: Dokudami no Hanasaku Koro; lit.'When the Dokudami Flowers Bloom') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shiho Kido. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since November 2023.

Plot

Publication

Written and illustrated by Shiho Kido, When the Chameleon Flowers Bloom was first posted on Twitter on October 25, 2022, where it was well received by readers and won the grand prize of the Afternoon Four Seasons Award Autumn 2022. It started serialization in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon on November 25, 2023. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes, with the first one released on May 22, 2024. As of December 23, 2025, four volumes have been released.

In February 2025, Kodansha began publishing the series in English on its K Manga digital service.

Volumes

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBN
1May 22, 2024978-4-06-535497-1
1. "Those Days"(あのころ, Ano Koro) 2. "Rumors"(うわさ, Uwasa) 3. "Secrets"(秘密, Himitsu) 4. "Change"(変化, Henka) 5. "Wound"(傷, Kizu)
1. "Those Days"(あのころ, Ano Koro) 2. "Rumors"(うわさ, Uwasa) 3. "Secrets"(秘密, Himitsu)4. "Change"(変化, Henka) 5. "Wound"(傷, Kizu)
2December 23, 2024978-4-06-537721-5
6. "Unexpected"(予想外, Yosō-gai) 7. "Liar"(うそつき, Uso-tsuki) Extra Story: "Report Cards"(通知表, Tsūchihyō) 8. "Words"(ことば, Kotoba) 9. "The Ocean"(海, Umi) 10. "Meetup"(待ち合わせ, Machiawase)
6. "Unexpected"(予想外, Yosō-gai) 7. "Liar"(うそつき, Uso-tsuki) Extra Story: "Report Cards"(通知表, Tsūchihyō)8. "Words"(ことば, Kotoba) 9. "The Ocean"(海, Umi) 10. "Meetup"(待ち合わせ, Machiawase)
3June 23, 2025978-4-06-539728-2
11. "False Rumors"(汚名, Omei) 12. "Clearing Shigaraki's Name"(汚名返上, Omei Henjō) Extra Story: "Dagashi"(駄菓子) 13. "Typhoon"(台風, Taifū) 14. "Chain Reaction"(連鎖, Rensa) 15. "Hiking"(山登り, Yamanobori)
11. "False Rumors"(汚名, Omei) 12. "Clearing Shigaraki's Name"(汚名返上, Omei Henjō) Extra Story: "Dagashi"(駄菓子)13. "Typhoon"(台風, Taifū) 14. "Chain Reaction"(連鎖, Rensa) 15. "Hiking"(山登り, Yamanobori)
4December 23, 2025978-4-06-541730-0
16. "Outdoor Cooking"(野外炊事, Yagai Suiji) 17. "Beautiful"(きれい, Kirei) 18. "The Exchange"(代償, Daishō) 19. "Shapes"(かたち, Katachi) 20. "House"(家, Ie)
16. "Outdoor Cooking"(野外炊事, Yagai Suiji) 17. "Beautiful"(きれい, Kirei) 18. "The Exchange"(代償, Daishō)19. "Shapes"(かたち, Katachi) 20. "House"(家, Ie)

Reception

The manga ranked second at the 3rd Late Night Manga Awards in 2024 hosted by Bungeishunjū's Crea magazine. The manga ranked third on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2025 for male readers. It was nominated for the 18th Manga Taishō in 2025 and ranked fifth with 51 points. It received the 29th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize's New Creator Prize in 2025.

Further reading

  • Nobunaga, Minami (July 12, 2024). . Good Life with Books (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun. from the original on July 12, 2024.
  • Ishida, Kanta (August 17, 2024). . The Japan News. Yomiuri Shimbun. from the original on August 23, 2024.
  • Chanmei (September 27, 2024). . Da Vinci News (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. from the original on September 27, 2024.
  • Fukushima, Natsuko (November 16, 2024). . Tokyo Art Beat (in Japanese). from the original on December 12, 2024.

External links