Vilandra &
Skim by Mariko Tamaki

3.5 stars

Skim: 08/17/09 Set in the early 1990s, Skim by Mariko Tamaki is about Kimberly 'Skim' Keiko Cameron and her time at an all girls academy in Toronto. She's a Goth and a Wiccan and half Japanese. She wants to fit in somewhere but she's not sure how or where. Skim deals with many of the same themes as Emiko Superstar, also by Mariko Tamaki: self acceptance, lesbianism, and growing up in a biracial family. This book though delves deeper and includes discussion of suicide, a more frank discussion of teenage sex and the ways in which teens can be taken advantage of both by other teens and by adults. Of the two books, I prefer Emiko Superstar for the balance between the teenage and adult problems. By having Skim experience first had all the issues the book becomes one long angst filled slog-fest. Like Emiko Superstar, Skim was nominated earlier this year for a Sybils in the graphic novels category. It lost to Emiko.

I'll admit, a little of the reason I love the book is that I was a girl going to a Catholic high school in 1993. Skim is a girl going to an all-girls, private, religious (presumably Catholic) school in 1993. I identify with her sweet goth soul. But that's only part of it. The artwork in this book tells about 3/4 of the story. You read the panels like fine art and literature combined. Portions of the text read like poetry. It's just all so lovely and sad and true. It might seem sensationalist to have a comic book encompassing goth girls, private school, Wicca, forbidden love, suicide, divorce, teen girl drama, the loss of friendships, and more. But life is like that sometimes, especially when you're a teenager girl with a lot of feelings and not a lot of guidance. I ❤ Skim.

read before bed tonight, art was stunning, story felt a little inconsistent but had beautiful moments

"Dear diary: today I had a dream: i put my hands inside my chest and grabbed my heart to try to put it at rest." mariko tamaki did a great job exploring the nuances of being a teenager who's struggling with their mental health and sexuality. skim was a great protagonist who had so much to say and show to the world and i hope she gets to be the person she wants to :) also, the illustration in this was just stunning, I couldn't look away from it 🌿

Finished the book in one sitting. So poignant and beautiful. Loved the idea of people leaving marks on us with everything they say or do to us. Brilliant.

3.5*!

I had a dream I put my hands inside my chest and held my heart to try to keep it still.

I thought it would be the sapphic version of heartstopper but no I was disappointed. I wanted a fluffy romance :/ Heavy topics are important but I read because its escapism so I don't enjoy reading about depression.

This wasn't great, but it also wasn't bad. I wish we got more in depth characterization but I really enjoyed the art style throughout. The story was relatively well put together but I felt like stronger characters would have added some consistency to the plot. Overall, not a bad read but not one of my favorites either.

Skim is an honest portrayal of highschool life. It's dark and unnerving in many ways but its also an must read. I've read it a number of times.