Before Dawn and the End of the World is one of the first published works of Inio Asano. Much like his other early works (City of Light, What a Wonderful World), this story is told through a series of connected vignettes, some consisting of a single chapter and others a few, all with a common theme. The theme should come as no surprise to anyone who's ever read Asano. Put simply, it's nostalgia. That, however, does not do it justice. This is an intimate study of the overactive dreams we all have as children, our naive worldviews, our hope and optimism, our vibrant spirit oflife... and how we lose sight of those things in adulthood. It's a story about remembering what it is that each of us lives for, reclaiming that old spark, and reconciling it with the harsh present of adulthood.