Akiko is continuing to work at the call center and in Hidaka-sensei’s classroom while drawing and submitting manga to Bouquet magazine. Some of it sticks (such as a Thelma and Louise styled story), some doesn’t. When Bouquet ceases publication and a new magazine called Cookie starts up in its’ place. Challenged to write a youthful, more fashion-forward story, she writes “Dress Up Summer” which gets serialized. She’s finally bringing in money regularly from writing and drawing manga! After being invited to a publishing party in Tokyo, she meets Ishida Takumi and other manga creators for Cookie who live and work in Osaka. Akiko’s saved up enough by this point to move there… but what about Sensei and his students who are studying for their own exams?
I feel as if the pace slowed down a little bit in this volume, but in a good way. Akiko shows more details and events of her life during this time period. For example, she helps Sensei with a home project to make his garden look and feel more like Monet’s fabled gardens. We also see a visit from her boyfriend at the time, and all the sights they saw and the foods they ate in Miyazaki: including a meal from Sensei himself. All these events and details are meticulously rendered – so much so that I was craving the sushi that was shown!
A chapter that will be enjoyable for all readers (not just artists like myself) is the chapter where she explains the process of making manga. It’s so much more involved than even I thought! And so fascinating! It’s even more impressive that she did so much by herself, only in the evenings, for so long. It’s at this point that she recruits friends as assistants, for good reason!
More and more, this story becomes less about Akiko’s artists journey and more about the folly of youth and the illusion that comes with it: that we all have all the time in the world. From the beginning, she’s been foreshadowing that something has happened to Sensei since the events of this story, and that something is finally revealed in this volume. All her hints and “what if” sighs do nothing to make this gut punch any less heart wrenching and painful. At the end of this volume, she’s left with a choice: to go back to Miyazaki and help Sensei and his students, or to continue her upward rise in Osaka. I for one am very much looking forward to seeing her choice in the next volume.
Everyone’s asking Akiko what she’s doing after graduation – but she doesn’t have a clue. She’s working part-time at a used bookstore while finishing school. It’s a pretty sweet gig – she gets to take home unsellable manga for free to read and study. While she still wants to become a manga artist, she still hasn’t drawn any manga, nor has she told anyone that’s what she wants to do. She ends up returning home to Miyazaki after graduating because Hidaka says he got her a teaching job. It ends up falling through, so he offers her a part-time job as his assistant instead. Her parents, eager for her to get on her feet, get her a job at her father’s company’s call center. Deeply unhappy and desperate, Akiko finally starts to draw manga and sends it to Bouquet magazine for a contest entry. She’s finally pursuing her dream, but how long until it gets out of the bag?
This volume was honestly pretty depressing. It reminded me of my days working two jobs, thinking I could also make art in my spare time. Though it does highlight the thing I appreciate the most about this manga: being an artist is hard. Finding the time to be an artist is hard. Akiko thankfully made it work for her, but not without her own unique struggles.
Something else to appreciate about this manga: she showed examples of other famous manga artists’ work by drawing a character in a few of their styles! Most I didn’t recognize, but it was a nice touch, especially considering her mention that she studied different manga and their styles during this period of her life.
Akiko Higashimura continues her manga memoir immediately after Volume 1 ends. She is in her last exam to try and get into one last art school. Afterwards, she is so sure she failed since she was so distracted by Sensei’s last phone call. However, she gets an acceptance letter from the last school: she got into Kanazawa! Once she’s all moved and settled in, she goofs off like a typical college student would. She feels like she can’t create like she could in Sensei’s classroom. On her trip home for summer break, he sets her straight, and she manages to create all three paintings for her joint review. It’s a very important presentation and critique of your work by your professors in front of your peers. Can she pass the joint review and continue art school? If she does, can she get her act together for the next year?
Not gonna lie, I spent most of this book wanting to smack some sense into Akiko. It felt like we went through the first volume, but in reverse. We see how hard she worked to get into art school, only to see her revert back to her old ways and goof off again in college. We get more insight into her and Sensei’s relationship, and while it’s clear that at the time of writing she regrets her actions… it was just cringey to read. I really hope some situations and feelings were exaggerated for dramatic effect.
At the same time, I was having hardcore flashbacks of my undergrad college days in the art program, and of my senior thesis in particular. The meticulously detailed environments of the art school and studios made me smell the clay, the paint, the turpentine, the gesso, fresh dust off the sandpaper. It’s very nostalgic and incredibly sad for me. Those halcyon days are long gone for me.
The main draw continues to be Akiko and Sensei’s relationship, as well as (for me at least) the reminder of living as an artist. Looking forward to the next volume.
One of the few good parts of 2020: all the exemplary graphic novels we read! Once again, dear readers, we present the best graphic novels we have read this year, in no particular order.
Nancy: Pride of Baghdadwas an absolutely riveting graphic novel that took the real-life story of how a pride of lions escaped the Baghdad Zoo in April of 2003 during an American raid of Iraq when it was under Saddam Hussian’s rule. This anthropomorphic tale by Brian K. Vaughn and Niko Henrichon centers around four lions in the Baghdad Zoo- male leader Zill, older female Safa, younger Noor and her cub Ali. These four lions go on to characterize how different Iraqi citizens have coped with the cruel reign of Hussian, although truly the tale is universal in scope. The conclusion, while expected, will tear you to pieces. Its illuminating clarity will make you think for a long time about the perils of war.
Kathleen: I had to redo my list once I read The Dragon Prince (Vol. 1): Through the Moon. Set between the events of Season 3 and the upcoming Season 4 of the Netflix series, our main characters embark on a journey to the land of death both for closure and confirmation. The main draw of this graphic novel, and the series as a whole, is the charming and loving interactions between all the characters. What’s more, it’s incredibly diverse in cast. This graphic novel is easily a worthy addition to the universe, and one of the best adaptations of another IP I’ve seen. You will fall in love as I have done.
Nancy: I fell in love with ElfQuest when I was in high school and my boyfriend who was collecting them introduced me to the World of Two Moons. Sometimes our dates would consist of us sitting side by side reading for hours and debating the finer points of elf lore. That my high school boyfriend eventually became my husband makes this series dear to my heart. The series began in 1978 ( I began reading it in the 1990s) and ended exactly forty years later with a four-volume conclusion called The Final Quest. I had bought the books and read them as they came out, and although I obviously blog about graphic novels I read, I did not write up any reviews, as the stories meant so much to me and I felt it hard to do it justice. But re-reading them during this spring’s Covid quarantine was enjoyable. Authors Wendy and Richard Pini fold decades worth of storyline and family connections of the elf tribes into a mostly satisfying conclusion to this truly epic fantasy series.
Kathleen: Things aren’t always what they seem. For example, Estranged may look like a middle-grade graphic novel at first glance. This is a tale about a human and fae who were swapped at birth and forced to meet when a usurper tries to take the fae throne. They must work together to save what each of them holds dear. Author Ethan Aldridge takes a deep dive into issues such as identity, family, and finding where one belongs, written without compunction, yet in a way that his target audience will understand. The art was delightfully cluttered without feeling overwhelming. Trust me – you’ll be as surprised as I was.
Nancy: I was sold on In the Pines: Five Murder Ballads as soon as I read murder ballads in the title! I’ve long been a fan of narrative songs that tell a story, with Appalachian inspired murder ballads being particularly appealing to me. Author and illustrator Erik Kriek is actually Danish, but took an American type of ballad, and turned it into a new type of art. He didn’t just adapt the song straight into comic form, instead he interpreted the lyrics to tell a fresh story, sometimes to my liking and sometimes not. The art was in duotone, with a different color for each tale. Reminiscent of scratch art or wood reliefs, Kriek’s black inks were evocative of Appalachian landscapes and times gone by.
Kathleen: Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom, adopted by Swedish parents at birth, shares her quest for finding the identity of her Korean birth parents in Palimpsest. This read was extraordinarily hard, but it’s well worth it. Though strong emotions come up throughout, there is never a point where it feels melodramatic. The information that Lisa and her husband Richey find is laid out, matter-of-factly, and in a sense the overall book is presented that way, too. Warm sepia tones, evoking rice paper and old documents, make up the whole color scheme. The presentation of this deeply personal, yet eye-opening, account shot it to this year’s best reads list immediately upon closing.
Nancy: What can I add to the dialogue about the excellent nine-volume series Saga? An epic sci-fi adventure with liberal doses of violence and sex, this series is a favorite of many but also criticized for the illustrated depictions of said violence and sex. Author Brian K. Vaughan jokingly described the series as “Star Wars for perverts.” Fiona Staples’s art is perfect for the story. She immediately establishes the looks of a large cast of unique characters and creates believable alien worlds, with some awesome two-page spreads. Vaughan and Staple have indicated that the story is only half over, but their 2018 hiatus continues, with fans dying to know what will happen next to the little space-faring family of Alana, Marko and Hazel.
Kathleen: Akiko Higashimura starts the story of how she became a manga artist in Blank Canvas (Vol. 1): My So-Called Artist’s Journey. As a high school student, she thinks she can get by on pure talent, until she starts taking classes with Hidaka Kenzou. He is a gifted artist but a demanding teacher. Though it is a manga, the art is more realistic and has less “manga-style” tropes than I think is usual. The physical and mental demands of an artist are portrayed accurately. What intrigued me most was Akiko and Hidaka’s relationship: though it’s clear how unalike they are, Akiko clearly remembers him fondly. This is one character study I am looking forward to more of.
Nancy: Do you think you know King Arthur’s story? Think again! In this alternative fantasy world by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora set in Britain, Duncan McGuire is a handsome but bumbling academic out on a disastrous date when he gets a call that his grandma is missing from her assisted living home. But his doobie smoking gran Bridgette turns out to be a monster hunter who has been keeping a lot of secrets from Duncan whom she raised. Soon he is in the middle of a crusade to block a woman Elaine from reanimating King Arthur who is not the kindly king of lore. In a Brexit-inspired plot, a group of Nationalists wishes for him to keep Britain pure so they bring his remains back to life. Then it a race to prevent a dark prophecy from taking hold, with several twists and turns and improbable family connections. The first volume of Once & Future sucked me in, and I already have volume two at home for a January review.
Kathleen: Last, but not least, for me, is the middle-grade DC hero debut of Primer. Ashley Rayburn’s new foster home is with scientist Yuka and artist Kitch Nolan. Though she likes them, she knows her penchant for getting into trouble won’t let her stay last long. After doing just that by discovering a suitcase full of paints that give her special powers, she must make a choice: save herself, or save her newfound family. The draw is in the art here: cartoony, loud, bombastic, and bursting with color. Each character is diverse and bends a traditional gender role, which only adds to the quirky sitcom tone – in a tasteful way. Readers of all ages will love this.
Friends, while 2020 was not what any of us expected, we were still fortunate enough to read these stand-out graphic novels, and more. It’s our hope that 2021 is a better one. Thank you all for another year of blogging, good reads, and solidarity. Wishing you a warm, safe, and happy holiday season,
Akiko Higashimura, manga artist best known for her work on Princess Jellyfish, shares the beginnings of her artist’s journey in the first volume of this manga memoir. She starts her story during high school, where we see her big dreams and ambitions of being a shojo (young adult romance) manga artist! … But her not-so-good grades. Still, Akiko loves to draw, thinks herself pretty good at it, and is sure she can get into art school on talent alone. That is, until her friend Futami reminds her that it’ll take more work than that, as Japan’s college applications are very competitive and demanding. She invites Akiko to come to an art class with her, taught by an independent teacher named Hidaka Kenzou. Akiko quickly learns that Hidaka-sensei is VERY demanding, even harsh. Can she put up with him long enough to take her college exams and get into art school?
I found this memoir very refreshing for a couple of reasons. First, it seems I am becoming a bit more open-minded to manga after all =) It’s always touching to see creators publish personal memoirs in the format they are most familiar with; it makes the story feel more immediate and intimate. Though the art is a little more realistic and less in the stylized manga style, visual tropes of manga (angry veins, sweat drops, sparkling backgrounds) are still found.
Second, and maybe most important to me, this manga shows how HARD it is to be an artist! It’s hard work! Akiko shows us this through her schedule with Hidaka, his insistence that they keep a log of the time they spend on each drawing, as well as her own character development. As a teenager, she thought she could coast by on talent, but it takes significant time and effort to hone her craft, which is 100% the case, against many assumptions people have of art and artists. As an artist myself, reading this gave me vivid flashbacks of undergrad: long hours sitting or standing in the same spot in the studio, hauling art supplies and projects up 3-4 flights of stairs, nursing various aches and pains in my dorm afterwards. The result? I’m a much better artist than I was before.
I got the impression that this manga is just as much an ode to Hidaka as it is documenting Akiko’s journey. They have an interesting relationship. Though Hidaka is harsh, he is honest and a realist, which tempers Akiko’s teenage idealism and arrogance. She obviously looks back on him with admiration and fondness. I’m fascinated to see how their journey together unfolds.
Graphic Novelty² 
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