Name: Turning Japanese
ISBN: 9781937541163

Mari Naomi

MariNaomi s newest graphic novel tours the mid-90 s US and Japanese illegal hostess bar scene and her own personal cultural awakening."

Turning Japanese

Minh Ngo

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher of Simon & Schuster, and the author MariNaomi for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I didn't know the differences between the original and expanded version, besides the author saying there was an additional epilogue. There could be some other technical differences such as the inking and coloring being updated or some scenes re-drawn. Besides those details, the graphic novel was a fun and compressed travelogue journey as the author travels throughout Japan and works as a hostess. Their struggles to relearn their native/mother tongue are quite relatable. While, I didn't particularly enjoy the presence of their boyfriend, Giussipe, I understand why he was included. I'm surprised there wasn't much interaction between their parents as they traveled in Japan. Including those elements would have been interesting or brought some insights about the author's life and their themes.

This was a cool story of a young person searching for a foothold in their cultural identity. Part travelogue, part personal reflection, I appreciated this look into the authors experience in Japan and in 90s/00s Bay Area as they navigated another language, family, and relationships. Funny and honest. 

Sabrina D. 

Maggie Gordon

Turning Japanese is another graphic memoir from MariNaomi's youth, this time focusing on her time working for a hostess club to learn Japanese, and her subsequent stay in Japan to visit family. It's not a memoir with a lot of depth. MariNaomi was a very self-focused young adult and she doesn't spend much time dwelling on past behaviour or unpacking her experiences as a child of mixed heritage. It is still an interesting read, well worth the library hold, and she never falls into the trap of romanticing Japanese culture that so many other texts do.

Turning Japanese

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