Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
In this excellent graphic novel, Becker captures both the joys and challenges of being a young person in strange settings. Nao, a student who was born in Japan but has spent most of her life in the United States, travels to her home country in hopes of reconnecting with her past, while brushing up on her Japanese. At the shared house, she meets other men and women who also are trying to find their places in the world through studying languages and learning Asian cooking. You'll quickly become engrossed in this great snapshot of life in Japan and learn about the family ties and missed connections all the young people face. -- Louisa A.
Made me laugh, cry, and inspired me to want to write comics again. I read They Called Us Enemy last year and thought it was incredible, and once again Harmony Becker has outdone herself— not only as an artist this time, but as a writer. This book has touched me deeply and is definitely one of my favourite reads of the year so far.
This one now belongs in that rare category of books I loved even MORE on the second read. It captivated me the first time with the stunning artwork—not just on a level of technical prowess and distinctive voice, but also the author’s sheer genius at mixing up different genres/styles of art (realism, manhua, CK drama), often in a single panel, to evoke mood in brilliant ways. I loved the story and characters and the authentic nostalgia and melancholy that slowly build. There’s also a palpable sense of place; I can feel winter, summer, and spring in Japan waft up through these pages. But the real magic happened for me when I recently reread it a few days ago. The book hadn’t changed, but in the time since my first reading I had, through three months of living in Taiwan last year in a shared flat very similar to Nao’s. I was not prepared for how this book would unlock all these doors of memory and nostalgia and emotion within me from that time in my life. Every page felt like an emotional time machine, and that’s a testament to how true the author’s portrayal is of being caught between languages, straddling identities, acquainting yourself in a land that is not yours, finding friendship in unexpected places, and not realizing just how much you’ve experienced and grown until you are far removed from that chapter in your life. I’m looking forward to pulling this one off my shelf in the years ahead, not just so I can once again find myself in Nao’s story, but so I can revisit my own and the person I was in that time.
Such a beautiful story about friendship, family, and culture. Well worth the read.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I love the artwork and the mix of Manga emotion throughout. So much enjoyed the mix of Asian cultures that we saw and learned about.
4☆
Я редко читаю аннотации и, если честно, по обложке думала, что это будет семейная история. В каком-то смысле так и есть — главные персонажки находят друг в друге семью, которую оставили за много километров, уехав в Японию. Мне нравится, что каждая из них — особенная, со своими проблемами и недостатками, и в то же время их типажи очень знакомы читателю, а может даже совпадают с кем-то из знакомых.
Здесь нет как таковой центральной персонажки, это истории трех девушек, Нао, Хеджон и Тины, которых объединяет желание сменить привычную среду на жизнь в Японии. Хеджон и Тина — иностранки, Нао — наполовину японка, выросшая в США, поэтому каждая глава рассказывает о том, как они привыкают к японской обыденности и находят самих себя.
В этой книге есть история с началом и концом, но больше всего тут небольших заметок и очерков о влюбленности, чувстве принадлежности к определенному месту, вопросах и ответах о том, кто я на самом деле, дружбе, взрослой жизни и сложных решениях.
Мне были близки не все темы, но все равно эта книга ужасно трогает. Если бы не стиль рисовки, поставила бы пять звездочек, но хуже он эту историю не сделал.
Я редко читаю аннотации и, если честно, по обложке думала, что это будет семейная история. В каком-то смысле так и есть — главные персонажки находят друг в друге семью, которую оставили за много километров, уехав в Японию. Мне нравится, что каждая из них — особенная, со своими проблемами и недостатками, и в то же время их типажи очень знакомы читателю, а может даже совпадают с кем-то из знакомых.
Здесь нет как таковой центральной персонажки, это истории трех девушек, Нао, Хеджон и Тины, которых объединяет желание сменить привычную среду на жизнь в Японии. Хеджон и Тина — иностранки, Нао — наполовину японка, выросшая в США, поэтому каждая глава рассказывает о том, как они привыкают к японской обыденности и находят самих себя.
В этой книге есть история с началом и концом, но больше всего тут небольших заметок и очерков о влюбленности, чувстве принадлежности к определенному месту, вопросах и ответах о том, кто я на самом деле, дружбе, взрослой жизни и сложных решениях.
Мне были близки не все темы, но все равно эта книга ужасно трогает. Если бы не стиль рисовки, поставила бы пять звездочек, но хуже он эту историю не сделал.
Most graphic novels you pick and sail through and are done in an hour. This is one I read over many days and wanted to reread. This is the story of a Japanese girl who loses her sense of identity when she moves to the US and assimilates to fit in. This is about her taking a gap year in Japan and regaining her cultural and linguistic identity, and coming to terms with what her bicultural identity means. She lives in a home with other students, notably a Korean girl and a girl from Singapore. Told in a series of vignettes that alternate viewpoints and go back and forth in time, there is a lot to keep track of here, especially with the text that is written deliberately to show each accent as each character struggles or doesn’t to speak in a variety of languages to communicate. Ultimately, this book is about seeking connection: to your family, your heritage, to friends, and to lovers.
This will appeal to people seeking character driven books, who like alternating points of view, and who really appreciate a deep look at intercultural connection and the feelings of deep loneliness and not fitting in paired with finding a support network that is by design short term. It will appeal to people interested in language and cultural exchange, and to anyone who has ever felt lost in a mixed identity.
This will appeal to people seeking character driven books, who like alternating points of view, and who really appreciate a deep look at intercultural connection and the feelings of deep loneliness and not fitting in paired with finding a support network that is by design short term. It will appeal to people interested in language and cultural exchange, and to anyone who has ever felt lost in a mixed identity.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
ALL THE STARS FOR THIS BOOK!! Lovely art to go with a moving story about identity, community, family, language, and belonging.
a warmhearted and funny novel about friends, cultures, and finding ur own decision for ur life. three cultures collide and roll into one exciting adventure of love and learning.
this graphic novel really feels like home. simple stories but very much relatable to normal people like us the reader. every characters’ backstory was conveyed in a page-turning manner.
i felt so comfortable reading this book. thank u for this one.