Member Reviews

Sometimes a dream is just a dream—but sometimes we get to live it. When Spain's economy took a downturn and Cejas's partner lost his job, the couple took a leap of faith—they moved to Japan to learn Japanese and explore their creative options for a while. It wasn't permanent (and was never meant to be permanent), but that meant that they could really lean into exploring and enjoying the nuances and quirks of their temporary home.

"Hanami" is structured more as short vignettes than as a fully linear story. For that reason it's a more of a 3.5-star read for me (personal preference for longer stories rather than smaller things stitched together), but the vignettes do work really well both on their own and as part of a longer story. (There's one about sleeping on separate sleeping mats and Cejas insisting that her partner still suffer her cold feet—and, well, for apartment reasons *my* partner and I temporarily have two twin beds shoved together, and he still suffers my cold feet. So I showed that page to him, and it made us both laugh a lot.)

I've never been to Japan and have no immediate plans to change that, but I love reading about this sort of long travel—the sort where you have enough time to feel the rhythms of a place rather than just blasting through the top tourist spots. It's not all sunshine and cherry blossoms: finances are tight, doldrums loom, language barriers persist, and at some point they'll have to think about what comes next. But for the duration...this was well worth the read.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Humanoids Inc for providing a copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Hanami is a graphic novel memoir reflecting on the author's experience living in Japan for a year with her partner Marc. She's an artist and he is an aspiring video game composer, hoping to get the attention of a Japanese video game company.

The memoir is told through a series of short stories and snippets into their lives in Japan and how they navigated cultural differences and struggled through a language barrier. We get to watch them take Japanese lessons, experience a simulated earthquake, buy groceries and even try and fail to ask someone for the time in Japanese. I especially enjoyed the parts with their lessons in the school learning Japanese as well as the "view from my window" highlights.

I really enjoyed the art style the author uses and think it works really well and the colour palette is pleasant to look at.

Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in Japan and Japanese culture!

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Thanks to net galley for providing me with a copy!

After Marc loses his job as an engineer, Marc and Julia decide to move to Japan with their savings. The comic follows their life in Japan from cherry blossoms, to the meticulous Japanese way of garbage disposal. It is very a peaceful read, depicting Julia’s experience as a foreigner in Japan. Her struggle to speak with natives and fumbling, and her realisation that her art is just as much a form of communication as any language, was real and wholesome. I loved how the author depicted the Hiragana. I also loved the hanami chapter and the pages titled— “view out of my window”

The art style and colour was unique and at first it threw me off, but it grew on me. I ended up loving it!

Highly recommend if you’re searching for a peaceful, calming read.

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"Hanami: You, Me, & 200 Sq Ft in Japan" by Julia Cejas is a charming twist on a memoir that captures the beauty and challenges of living in a tiny Japanese apartment. Cejas's vivid storytelling and thoughtful reflections on minimalism, culture, and the intimacy of shared space make this book both heartwarming and insightful. The author's wit and personal anecdotes create an immersive experience, though at times, the pacing can feel slow. Still, it's delightful for anyone interested in Japanese culture, travel, or minimalist living. A solid 4-star journey into the small but meaningful moments of life abroad.

***Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for gifting me an eARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion

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The format is quite interesting compared to other graphic novels with Japan as the based location. Instead of the traditional storyline, the book is filled with small moments of what the Spanish couple experienced during their time living in Japan. Most of the moments were of practical things that you will see happen in Japan, such as how to sort the trash or entering raffle contests to win a watermelon during the summer. The order of the story seems to be of chronological order from the time the couple arrived to Japan to the time they decided to go back to their home country.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy for review.

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Ohh I loved this!! So atmospheric and cozy and funny and relatable.

It's a biographic slice-of-life story about a Spanish couple going to live in Japan for a few months. All their little happenings are split into separate a few pages long stories that are beautifully illustrated in a simple but atmospheric and unique art style with a limited color palette. I could really immerse myself in the situations, feel the vibe, laugh with the characters and root for them as they experienced this new culture and tried to find and reach their personal goals.

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I loved this book!

I got this book through Netgalley, so I read it in English. I am half Spanish, so I would have loved to read it in the original language. I enjoyed this one so much that I might end up looking for it when I next go to Spain to get a physical copy.

I enjoyed the art, the colors, and the vibe! My partner and I want to go to Japan. But always in a touristy perspective. Seeing all that may entail being able to go to Japan and live there for months is a fascinating and curious perspective. The Japanese culture intrigues me, as it does most of our generation. The way the author shows us the bureaucracy, the tough processes, and the struggles of getting to live this short experience is awesome.

I would recommend picking this one up. It's such a quick and enjoyable read!

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Thank you for the advanced readers copy of this graphic novel! I really enjoyed reading about this couples journey into a whole new country! They certainly had their ups and downs along the way, but in the end it all worked out for them. A very wholesome, this could happen with anybody sort of novel.

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This graphic novel follows a couple as they adjust to life in Japan as foreigners. I enjoyed the pacing of this novel, and the art was very unique and nice to look at. I liked that instead of being one continuous story line, the story was made up of little mini arcs.

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This was an interesting look into a period of Julia and Marc's life. We see Julia and Marc uproot their life to start fresh, get familiar with the culture, experience bidets, learn in school, and figure out the trash system. I enjoyed being able to explore Japan through Cejas's illustrations and experiences. I definitely relate to the uncertainties of adulthood and the urge to try something new with a partner. Overall, this was an insightful read and I liked seeing Julia's documentation of their time in Japan.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. I love the choice of art style and colour; it is a different art style than what I normally see. I really enjoyed the style of the story overall too, though I wished that some passages were longer. The novel felt like mini episodes, rather than one continuous tale. I found this a very charming read.

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I really appreciated this graphic novel memoir about a Spanish couple that moves to Japan. Julia is a struggling comic book artist and her husband, Marc, is an engineer turned video game creator. The two creatives leave behind all that they know to set out on a new adventure in Japan. "Hanami" is the series of short comics and/or vignettes that depict Julia and Marcs lives in Japan. Their struggles were very slice of life, a bit humorous, and relatable. The art style was also very approachable. Though this style is not inherently my favorite, I didn't mind it in this story. I particularly liked the dynamic established between Marc and Julia, this made it very enjoyable to read.

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I really enjoyed this graphic novel, which illustrates the experience of a couple when they moved to Japan. A cartoonist for her, an aspiring video game music composer for him, their Japanese adventure immediately reveals itself to be full of cultural differences, linguistic difficulties and adaptation to a society different from that of their native Valencia.
Many of the short chapters are full of funny or absurd moments, others decidedly heavier on an emotional level, with a continuous swing of emotions that involve the reader in a tender and at times poignant ‘slice-of-life’.

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A graphic novel memoir about two Spanish creatives moving to Japan for a few months. The art is pretty and accessible and the story is interesting, told in vignettes rather than in a linear fashion. Cejas has the ability to portray the stress of adulthood in quite a visceral way. The element of Hanami that I enjoyed the most were those somewhat random tidbits about a country that you can only really discover if you live there.
This was very well made and felt extremely satisfying, but I found myself not really connecting with the characters and the story as much as I wanted to.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

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★★★★ // Struggling comic artist Julia and her civil-engineer-turned-video-game-composer husband Marc leave their familiar life in Spain behind for a change of scenery in Japan. 'Hanami' is a series of short comics that depict moments of their new lives in Japan, from learning Japanese and about the garbage system, to discovering the country's high-tech toilets (this segment had me CACKLING!)

I thought that this memoir of sorts was a great introductory guide to Japanese culture, as it truly showed the pair navigating the culture shock that they experienced and showed what it was like to really live in the country, not just travelling there. As an animanga and Japan lover myself, I sometimes catch myself romanticizing the country more than I should, so I appreciate how Cejas stripped the rose-coloured lenses and shared about the difficult reality that she and Marc experienced during their year there.

Some parts that really stood out to me (other than the toilet bit):

- Taking artistic inspiration from famous mangakas, including one of my favourites, Candy Candy (Yumiko Igarashi) from the Czech-Japanese Soap Opera chapter. Cejas includes a list of all her inspiration at the end of the novel.

- The following quotes:

"Your version of common sense, it's maybe not the same as hers. Or his. If we only followed rules that played to our own common sense, then we'd probably not respect a lot of rules..."

"I can always communicate by drawing."

I really liked the first quote, because respect and being community-focused is such a huge part of Japanese culture that highly differs from the more individualistic Western view. As for the second one, I was thinking this exact same thing as I came across parts of the graphic novel that had no text, yet conveyed the situation and sentiments perfectly.

The (very) few dislikes:
- Wasn't a huge fan of the art style, but that's a highly personal preference
- Wish some of the comics were longer - sometimes they felt cut short and because of this, were slightly confusing (especially closer to the beginning of the novel)

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel, and would love to read more of something similar but for a different country!

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I unfortunately DNF'd this book. The premise seemed right up my alley, but I just didn't vibe with the art-style. This might have been my fault for not paying attention to the cover art, but I also think the cover art is slightly different from the actual art-style in the book. It also seemed like a lot of dialogue crammed in the dialogue bubbles or just not paced out. I would say of what I did read, I would give it 3 stars. Maybe I'll try again in the future.

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4.5 Stars

Following an economic crisis, Julia and Mark decide to use their savings to move to Japan on a visa. They find a small apartment and enroll in a Japanese school to learn the language and become acclimated to Japanese culture. This graphic memoir focuses on their experience in Japan, their relationship, and their growth as individuals.

I initially picked up this book, since I hadn't read a graphic novel in months and wanted to read something different. I was so glad I picked up this book, I enjoyed it! The art style in this book is amazing and the simple color palette made it more appealing to my eyes.

Each mini-story was enjoyable and opened my eyes to Japanese culture, and their practices in a simplified and entertaining way. I enjoyed "The Garbage Drama", since it educated the readers about garbage practices in Japan and included a mini background of how they changed or why they do it a certain way.

Although we got lessons and explanations about Japanese culture, I also enjoyed the elements in each story about the author and her partner, and their journey before, during, and after staying in Japan. The portrayal of their relationship was transparent and didn't just include the good memories they experienced. Ultimately, I enjoyed how the story came together to the present time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Humanoids Inc. for the eArc!

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I appreciate the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this work via NetGalley and Humanoids Inc. Hanami is a memoir about an interval in Cejas’ life when she and her partner, between jobs, move to Japan from Spain. The narrative follows the couple as they experience the culture shock of trash sorting, the intricacies of learning Japanese, and the troubles of a drastic change in diet. Cejas’ art style really is exacerbated by the color palette she limited herself to. This color palette coupled with the vignettes of learning and trying something new, seemed as precious as the practice of “Hanami” itself. A majority of this narrative felt like an allegory for the relationship that is planted and sustained by two people as well as one a person grows within themself. Despite this, there were many moments I felt would have benefitted from being more introspective. For example, when Marc tells Julia to not rely on him as much for communication in Japan, Julia wasn’t as affected by that comment internally. Then, the next scene is her trying to communicate on her own.

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Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC and amazing book!

Hanami is a charming and relatable slice-of-life comic that beautifully captures the highs and lows of Julia and Marc’s adventure in Japan. The artwork is delightful, similar art to anime and manga drawing cherry blooms, and the use of panels for humor and timing is outstanding. Julia’s honest, humorous storytelling makes their experiences, from culture affecting their daily lives. I agree and recommend this book to anyone who enjoys autobiographical comics, travel adventures, or manga-inspired art. It’s a heartwarming exploration of life, love, and discovery in a foreign land not to mention, the struggles they might face

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This graphic novel is about a Spanish couple in their mid-30s living in Japan for a year or so. It is not one continuous full story but a collection of snippets of interesting things that they experienced while in the country. The art style is very unique and i enjoyed it a lot however as the chapters are random situations i felt a little lost as to what was happening .

The way the author portraits the relationship with her partner is really cute. Their moments felt funny, silly and lovely.

I'm not 30 but could relate with the struggles they faced. Also it was interesting seeing how foreigners have to adapt in cities like Tokyo.

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