The cover art really undersells Sketchy by Makihirochi, but that's not a bad thing. Most of the time "for mature readers" means it has smut but in this case it's grown women who are neither students, wives, nor mothers trying to live their lives. Skateboarding is set up as the common thing that might get our characters to connect more in the future. I'm looking forward to the second volume.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend and I can’t wait to read volume two 🙂

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved the art in this! It feels like it's going to be a slower-paced series, which I'm excited for! Looking forward to reading upcoming volumes in the future :)

Ako is stuck in a repetitive cycle, drifting through her twenties working at a video rental store and spending time with her boyfriend. Her days blend into one another in a monotonous haze. However, everything changes when she encounters a girl skateboarder practicing a daring trick. Intrigued, Ako feels a magnetic attraction to the sport. As she delves into skateboarding, dormant dreams and aspirations resurface, reigniting her passion and resolve. Ako decides to transform herself, determined to embrace change before it's too late. But can anyone truly be too late to uncover a new passion? It is never too late in life to explore one's interests whether it be recreational, spiritual or educational.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the author MAKIHIROCHI for a digital copy of the manga #Sketchy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the story and the theme of women supporting each other and not being afraid to try a new hobby when people think you're "too old" just because you're in your thirties. I found a slight formatting issue where some of the picture pages were the wrong way round and it made me wonder if this had happened more that I hadn't noticed. I also got a bit confused when we had a completely new character in the last part without any introduction but this linked to the other characters by the end. I really liked the profiles of real-life female skateboarders.

This has promise, but so far I am not particularly attached to the characters, because frankly, they're a bit sad. I look forward to future volumes where they really grow and blossom.

Also, I was a bit confused about 2/3 of the way through when suddenly there seemed to be a completely different main character with no transition. But it tied back in at the end.

I got this on a kind of whim from Netgalley and I'm so glad I did!

As an older person whose still enjoying getting into new things, it's so refreshing to read a story where people aren't telling you 'you're too old to be doing that' and people supporting you in what you want to do with your life and hobbies.

The strength of these characters and the way this book through pictures makes you completely invested in them is incredible (I've read hundred page novels that can't do that!) and I just really loved reading it - there's little dialogue, but what there is really makes you root for everyone and makes you wanna be on their team.

I really loved it - girls supporting girls, skateboarding and learning new things? Loved it, totally my thing. Definitely need that second volume asap!

(Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!)

Love the art style! So clean and fresh. The story is great too, women coming into their own and discovering themselves... love it! Can't wait for more.

I picked up Sketchy because it gave me Betty (which is a show unfortunately cancelled by HBO that I really enjoyed) vibes.

Sketchy is a manga that follows a few girls in their late 20s/early 30s. Each girl is not completely happy with their lives, their jobs, their families, their friends, their boyfriends...and eventually turn to skating as their new outlet. Each girl's journey to skateboarding is told in this first volume. I will say that my Betty comparison only goes so far as girls skateboarding. This manga can really be read by most age groups, even though I really like that it depicts women of an age that I don't always see represented in books.

Despite a few panels where the translation seemed a little strange, I really enjoyed Sketchy and would like to continue the series. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is intrigued by a story about women who skateboard, or anyone just looking for a new manga series!

This story is a love letter to women in skateboarding. It talks about many different women in different stages in their lives getting introduced to these amazing skateboarding women who inspire them to try and learn a new skill. I love that the women in this book are all adults. Often times new hobbies are shown as only being able to be tried out by children or teens, but here this is about adults with jobs, boyfriends, and regular adult struggles finding something that can be a fun new outlet for them.

One of my favorite parts of this manga is the showcase of real life women who skateboard:
(Image shown in my posted review on my blog)

It’s really beautifully done and while I personally am not someone that feels comfortable skateboarding I hope that anyone reading this who is interested does try out the sport for themselves. To me anyone at any point in their lives should be able to go for what they are inspired to do in whatever way they are inspired to do it. I loved that this manga showcased women with different styles some who skateboard in flowing skirts and others in just a t-shirt and jeans. It’s really awesome that it showcases so much variety of different women sharing a passion for the same sport.

I recommend this sporty inspiring manga and I hope that everyone knows in their hearts they can go for whatever they dream of.

I quite liked Makihirochi's other work, Is Kichijoji The Only Place To Live? so when I saw Sketchy pop up on NetGalley I went and requested it quickly! Hirochi has a great understanding and ease of communicating just, humans, humans living and working in the city and the little longings we all have.

In this work in particular, we meet several characters with chapters based around them and the inspiration of a surprisingly (to them) girls view on a new hobby, skateboarding: Kawasumi, a thirty-something who works in a dead-end job in a video rental store and dates her dead-end, no commitment boyfriend while everyone around her is getting married and hitting those life goalposts, her younger coworker Shiho who's not so satisfied in her own life after leaving behind a former career, and Takehana, a woman starting in a new department after a scandal. These three look as if they're going to be brought together at these skateboarding lessons, and between each chapter we get some deets on real life girl skateboarders!

It's a neat work that definitely makes me feel some human emotions adjacent to loneliness and the desire to do something, anything, to feel inspired.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review! I already have volume 2 on my watchlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I was excited when I saw this title pop up on NetGalley since it was one of my most anticipated reads for the year. I have read the author's other series which is also good. Sketchy is about Ako as she is experiencing a quarter-life crisis and discovers an interest in skateboarding. As I was reading this, I was relating to Ako's struggles as it can be tough when you feel stagnant in your life. I thought the author did a good job of showcasing the world of skateboarding. Overall, this was a great read and I can't wait to continue with this series. If you are a fan of this author already or other authors like Akiko Higashimura than this series may be worth checking out.

I live for more sports or games centered animanga aimed at older audiences, josei or seinen, and Sketchy is a good exhibit to show why! There is a mixture of youthful excitement about a sport that makes this genre so feel-good, but instead of being at the backdrop of high school romances and exams, this puts grown women smack in the center of the story. They are imperfect, lost, doubting and angry - they are real women - and it's a joy to watch them to pick up something completely new and find thrills in it. I read vol 1 in one sitting, and it did a lovely job of introducing the main characters, but hasn't yet shown much in the way of how they will interact as they grow closer and bond over their newfound love for skating. I'm so on board for more of this, hope vol.2 comes out soon.

A story about following your passions at any age, no matter what other people may think.

Such a deep manga! This one follows adults, and their problems are clearly presented, without any added drama, but that sobriety makes it hit even harder.
A must-read for anyone interested in skateboarding, too. There are pages about real-life women who skateboard in Japan, and that touch highlights the message of the manga perfectly - you can skateboard, no matter your age or gender.

This manga gave me the no plot just vibes impression. I liked it, but I could not describe it as anything else than girls discovering skateboard in their 20’s and 30’s. This is easily readable in under an hour and the drawings are great. I gave it 3 stars because even though I enjoyed it, the character did not have much dept and the story was too short. I felt like it could have been developped better in a longer book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and MAKIHIROCHI for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

Artwork: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Message: 4.5/5

Ako works at a video rental store. When a girl with a skateboard comes in, looking for a movie about skateboarding (that hasn't been returned in months), Ako finds interest in the fact that it is a female skater. Ako later encounters the skater and her friends doing tricks on city structures, and she finds the skater awe-inspiring. Ako signs up for skating lessons, ready to roll!

This manga also follows some other characters, deviating from Ako's story, but showing how they will all come together at some point. I have a feeling...maybe they'll make skating skits, a movie, or become a female skate influencing team! The only way to find out is to keep reading on!

I love the message being delivered with this manga. It emphasizes that women can be just as sporty as men (in this case, skateboarding), and it doesn't stop there. It also highlights that age doesn't matter. Anyone can find a new passion, even if they are in their 30's (or older). I also appreciate the real women skater articles offered as interludes. It gives a larger sense of purpose to the writing in its text-to-world connection.

Overall a really great first volume for readers who love skating and older readers looking for something with a fresh, inspiring feel.

This was such a good first volume! I'm not entirely sure how deep the storyline intends to go (are they hobbyists or will they compete) but seeing three different storylines of women finding their way to skateboarding was heartwarming. I can't wait to see what's in the next issue. As someone who always wanted to learn but was told only boys could do it, it felt badass to see living examples of female skateboarders who started at various ages. I guess it's never too late to learn!

A skateboarding manga about young women who are having a hard time meeting societal expectations to be ‘normal’.

Being a middle-aged woman, I can relate to the different to the different characters, even though we don’t share anything similar, other than being female.

First up a big thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this one, sadly I didn't click with this one. The art was pretty, but the MC was dull (plus, I found it weird how she just went in her hoodie to a friends party, hello, whut?) and the story was boring. I got to around 60 pages and while the skateboarding that we got some glimpses of was fun it just wasn't enough for me to keep my attention.

I loved the pace and feel of this story laid out in word and picture. Ako is in her twenties, life is on repeat, she seems a little awkward and almost hidden. By chance her life starts to change when she glimpses a female skate-board artist being filmed tricking on a street. The girl intrigues her. And she finds herself trying to learn a new skill, amongst youngsters, as she starts taking skateboard lessons. Will girl and skateboarding bring new vitality to her life. I want to read the next volume to find out! Thank you to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.