Somewhere in My Past

**Somewhere in My Past** (Bisaya: ***Bisan Asa sa'kong Kagahapon***; Filipino: ***Saan Man sa Aking Nakaraan***) is a Filipino web-comic written and illustrated by Gigi Chan. The story centers on Gian Celis who falls in love with a transfer student named Joaquin Cojuangco. The comic also explores Gian's experiences of firsts through Joaquin.

The web-comic is serialized on Webtoon, Penlab, and Tapas.

## History

The story of Gian and Joaquin first appeared on Gigi Chan's Wattpad novel entitled *G & J* in 2014. It ran from 2014 to 2018 until Chan unpublished the novel for revisions. However, the novel was not revised. In 2021, Chan read Syundei's *Go for it, Nakamura* which inspired him to create a manga with a retro art style. He re-conceptualized the characters and storyline from his now unpublished novel into the *Somewhere in My Past* comic. It was titled after Julie Vega's song of the same name which Chan heard of when he's thinking for the comic's title. Previously, the comic was initially titled *The Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me* but Chan felt it was too long to remember.

The first chapter was published on Webtoon Canvas in May 24, 2021. Four months later, the series also began serializing in Penlab as one of their Penlab Day 2021 offerings. In Early 2022, the comic began serializing in Tapas.

In December 14, 2022, Gigi Chan announced the comic's final season, beginning in January 2023. The comic is expected to end on April or May of that year. In April 24, 2023, Gigi Chan announced the comic will conclude on May 2, 2023.

During the comic's 2nd anniversary, Gigi Chan announced a five-chapter special that will serve as the sequel to the series. The special chapters is set to explore the later lives of the characters. Release dates are yet to be announced.

In July 28, 2023, Gigi Chan announced the publication of Somewhere in My Past as a physical book under Komiket. The first volume was released on August of that year  while Volume 2 and 3 are set to be published on 2024.

## Characters

### Main

* **Gian Celis**, a shy feminine gay student who knows nothing about love until a transfer student came into his class.
* **Joaquin Cojuangco**, a transfer student in Gian's class. He is the center of Gian's attraction.

### Supporting

* **Alliah Montevano**, one of Gian's close friends.
* **Verhonica Cobero**, one of Gian's close friends. Verhonica is attracted to Rhey, the class president.
* **Rhey Marasigan**, the class president of Gian's class.
* **Kyle Ejercito**, a transfer student during Gian and Joaquin's third year. He is secretly attracted to Gian.
* **Guiller Celis**, Gian's father.
* **Linda Celis**, Gian's mother.
* **Dra. Cecilia Cojuangco**, Joaquin's father.

### Others

* **Nida,** a resident of Gian and Joaquin's neighborhood who owns a Sari-Sari store.
* **Happy,** a Japanese spitz mongrel dog that Gian and Joaquin adopted.
* **Mr. Estrada**, Gian and Joaquin's adviser in second year.
* **Mrs. Delia Dimalanta,** Gian and Joaquin's adviser in third year and their Pilipino teacher.
* **Anna**, Gian and Joaquin's homophobic classmate.
* **Debbie**, Anna's friend.
* **Serena**, Joaquin's admirer.
* **Mr. Cojuangco**, Joaquin's estranged father. Gigi Chan confirmed he was already deceased.

## Plot

### Season 1

Set in Davao City in 1987, Gian Celis is a high school student who hasn't fallen in love until he met a transfer student named Joaquin Cojuangco, which eventually became his first crush. Going home after school, Gian meets Joaquin, realizing the two lived in the same neighborhood. Joaquin tells Gian he just recently moved into their neighborhood.

As days passed, Gian's feelings for Joaquin grew as he began to experience a lot of firsts through him. He also discovered a lot more in Joaquin such as his talent and his situation. Joaquin revealed his parents are annulled hence he and his mother moved into a new house where they currently lived.

In 1988, Joaquin informs Gian he might not be able to see the total solar eclipse with him since he is set to transfer to a private school. This made Gian worried but on the day of the eclipse, Joaquin arrives at Gian's house. He brings him to the PTA ground to see the total eclipse in a better view. During the eclipse, Gian begs for Joaquin not to transfer for he may not find another friend like him. Joaquin assures Gian that he won't be transferring anymore.

### Season 2

As a new school year begins, a transfer student named Kyle Ejercito arrives. Kyle didn't have a good impression to Gian as he stole his sketchbook, curious of his sketches and his talent. He almost had a fight with Joaquin but it was cleared when Kyle made a deal with Gian to pay him 50 pesos for a portrait sketch. While sketching, Kyle observes Gian and he suddenly had a crush on him.

### Season 3

Senior year begins and it is revealed that Joaquin Cojuangco has feelings for Gian. However, he was pressured when he receives a love letter from his admirer named Serena. Also, Kyle is making efforts to pursue Gian.

## Reception

*Somewhere in My Past* received mixed-to-positive reviews from the readers. The comic was praised for its 1980s aesthetic, nostalgia, the storyline, and the characters. Other readers often compared *Somewhere in My Past* to Lizmi's *Life in Orange* because of similar storylines. As a result, Gigi Chan and Lizmi made a collaborative crossover artwork featuring their characters of their own works.

As of April 2023, Somewhere in My Past is now ranked first on the most-read comics in Penlab. The comic also went viral on Tiktok after the video posted by Gigi Chan.

## Trivia

* The comic is loosely inspired on Gigi Chan's experiences in high school as well as his mother's maiden years.
* In the earlier draft, the comic is supposed to open in 1986 but changed to 1987 to make the characters a little mature.
* Gigi Chan cited *Reply 1988*, *Our Times*, and *Crazy Little Thing Called Love* influenced the creation of Somewhere in My Past.
* Some time after the comic's completion, Gigi Chan wrote a 172-page screenplay of Somewhere in My Past as his pastime.

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/gigidrawer/status/1602894832321454082?s=20
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/gigidrawer/status/1684884221809340417
3. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdw5VvCl4xz/