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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
A touching graphic novel that follow five young people living in a sharehouse together as the cope with their culture, homesickness, and their own identities.
"Himawari House" is a graphic novel that showcases love of culture as the reader follows three foreign exchange students. Nao returns to the land of her birth, Japan, for one year before going to college in the Midwest. Tina is from Singapore and is looking to find herself in a new country. Hyejung is a Korean women trying to flee her past mistakes and tread her own path free from her parent's overbearing willpower. The three girls end up in a sharehouse with two guys, Masaki and Shinsan. The group comes to realize that many difficulties must be overcome when they speak four different languages, are far from home, and aren't quite sure where they belong in the world.
I love all the characters in this novel. They are all so unique with extensive familial and cultural histories that I found fascinating. Nao and Masaki were my two favorites to read about, but everyone else was super interesting too. Nao is heavily affected with "living on the border." She feels super Japanese in America and super American in Japan. This makes her feel a bit like a fish out of water no matter where she is. I thought it was cool to see Nao struggle with the guilt of hashing her culture in the past and now having to play catch-up while in Japan. Masaki is super quiet and seems kind of moody, but in reality he's such a sweet boy. I thought that the relationship that Nao and Masaki have going throughout this book is very wholesome and I enjoyed the scenes with them in it immensely.
I love how many cultures we dived into with this one. The residents of the sharehouse celebrate traditions from all their cultures. It was fun to see them all support each other's cultures and be so engaged in each other's lives. I feel this graphic novel perfectly shows how fast one can develop strong relations and how sometimes change can be for the better.
It would be amiss if I didn't take some time to chat about the illustrations. This is the second novel I've read that has been illustrated by Becker, and I fell in love with her art style even more this time around. This graphic novel is another with unhinged character expressions that remind me of anime, which is made to feel even more prominent because the story takes place in Japan. Becker made all the characters look very different, which made it easy to tell them apart and to keep their stories straight in my noggin.
Overall, I really enjoyed "Himawari House." It may not be the most action filled book ever, but it really touched my heart. These five humans have all been through a bunch in their lives, and meeting each other was a great experience for everyone involved. I hope that they all keep in contact with each other in the future! Each of their stories is full of heart and they all spend time trying to find their true selves throughout this novel. If you are a culture buff like me, have an interest in Japan, or just wants to read about some wholesome platonic relationships (with a little bit of romance thrown in), please check out this beautiful graphic novel!
"Himawari House" is a graphic novel that showcases love of culture as the reader follows three foreign exchange students. Nao returns to the land of her birth, Japan, for one year before going to college in the Midwest. Tina is from Singapore and is looking to find herself in a new country. Hyejung is a Korean women trying to flee her past mistakes and tread her own path free from her parent's overbearing willpower. The three girls end up in a sharehouse with two guys, Masaki and Shinsan. The group comes to realize that many difficulties must be overcome when they speak four different languages, are far from home, and aren't quite sure where they belong in the world.
I love all the characters in this novel. They are all so unique with extensive familial and cultural histories that I found fascinating. Nao and Masaki were my two favorites to read about, but everyone else was super interesting too. Nao is heavily affected with "living on the border." She feels super Japanese in America and super American in Japan. This makes her feel a bit like a fish out of water no matter where she is. I thought it was cool to see Nao struggle with the guilt of hashing her culture in the past and now having to play catch-up while in Japan. Masaki is super quiet and seems kind of moody, but in reality he's such a sweet boy. I thought that the relationship that Nao and Masaki have going throughout this book is very wholesome and I enjoyed the scenes with them in it immensely.
I love how many cultures we dived into with this one. The residents of the sharehouse celebrate traditions from all their cultures. It was fun to see them all support each other's cultures and be so engaged in each other's lives. I feel this graphic novel perfectly shows how fast one can develop strong relations and how sometimes change can be for the better.
It would be amiss if I didn't take some time to chat about the illustrations. This is the second novel I've read that has been illustrated by Becker, and I fell in love with her art style even more this time around. This graphic novel is another with unhinged character expressions that remind me of anime, which is made to feel even more prominent because the story takes place in Japan. Becker made all the characters look very different, which made it easy to tell them apart and to keep their stories straight in my noggin.
Overall, I really enjoyed "Himawari House." It may not be the most action filled book ever, but it really touched my heart. These five humans have all been through a bunch in their lives, and meeting each other was a great experience for everyone involved. I hope that they all keep in contact with each other in the future! Each of their stories is full of heart and they all spend time trying to find their true selves throughout this novel. If you are a culture buff like me, have an interest in Japan, or just wants to read about some wholesome platonic relationships (with a little bit of romance thrown in), please check out this beautiful graphic novel!
This graphic novel was a pleasant surprise! Welcome to a slice of life that speaks to identity, finding one's way in life, and even love in all the types (romantic, platonic, agape).
While I'm not an immigrant, I am the child of one. The story beautifully illustrates the emotions of what it feels like to be torn between two worlds culturally.
I also really appreciated the coupling of Japanese and English in the text! I know very basic and rudimentary Japanese and so to see it all these years later and recognize the hiragana. Great to recommend to teens +12 up and people interested in Japanese language and culture.
While I'm not an immigrant, I am the child of one. The story beautifully illustrates the emotions of what it feels like to be torn between two worlds culturally.
I also really appreciated the coupling of Japanese and English in the text! I know very basic and rudimentary Japanese and so to see it all these years later and recognize the hiragana. Great to recommend to teens +12 up and people interested in Japanese language and culture.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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:
No
Thoughtful exploration of multicultural identity, as well as the identity struggles young people in they late teens/early twenties are going through, through well-realized characters. How Becker rendered the multilingual text (layering the Japanese with English in the speak bubbles) and her stance on handling account as explained in her afterward, was fresh and really weaved the themes as language as an element of communication and as identity through this graphic novel as a whole. Beautiful and nuisanced.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Bawling - I loved this book I want to sob because it’s over it felt like such a long warm hug from the person you needed it from the most
This has to be one of my favorite graphic novels that I’ve read in a long time. It captures a lot of my feelings about being a part of the Asian diaspora. It feels hits home on how language and identity are intertwined for some people. For me, I’ve struggled with feeling Chinese enough because I don’t speak any of the Chinese languages or dialects. I saw a lot of these struggles in Nao’s character. There were moments when I literally laughed out loud and moments when I teared up. This graphic novel contains so much depth and introspection. I love it!
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A very heartwarming, bittersweet book about a group of friends living and studying in Japan. The way the author used various languages and accents in this book and meshed them together was so interesting and clever! It felt respectful to all the cultures represented.
This book handles themes such as feelings of otherness, biracial identity, growing up, and finding your place in the world.
The art was also beautiful, funny, and cute at times! Loved this book!
This book handles themes such as feelings of otherness, biracial identity, growing up, and finding your place in the world.
The art was also beautiful, funny, and cute at times! Loved this book!
Absolutely devoured this in the car on the way to get my wisdom teeth removed
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a great graphic novel, full of emotional and poignant moments throughout! I took my time reading this one and was nice to take it slow. This is such a relatable story for anyone who has ever felt out of place or like they didn't belong. Trapped between two different cultures and dealing with the diaspora of not knowing your homeland. I desperately want a sequel where we get to see how Nao lives her life back home, and if she ever goes back to Japan, back to the Himawari house, back to her friends.