Published on October 10 in our French bookstores by Pika Graphic, Solitude of another genre is definitely one of the titles to remember this year 2018. In this poignant autobiographical work, mangaka Kabi NAGATA traces her few years of loneliness and depression between the end of high school and the discovery of her homosexuality, at the age of 28.
Loneliness of a different kind
Author : Kabi NAGATA French publisher: Pika Graphic Format : 170 x 240 cm, 152 pages Price: 18€ Translation : Manon Debienne Afterword : Karyn Nishimura-Doll Release date : 10/10/2018 Synopsis
Now, at 28 years old, without sexual or couple experience, in the middle of the day in June, I find myself with a prostitute. For ten years, I went through loneliness, suffering, eating disorders, and step by step I searched for who I was and how I could be myself. ©Pika
In 2015, Kabi NAGATA, a young mangaka of 28 years, is unveiled on the Japanese site Pixiv. She then published Solitude d'un autre genre, an autobiographical manga in six chapters. Here, "unveiled" is probably the perfect word! In her work, the young woman retraces her early years as a young adult, without varnish or pretext. Social pressure, depression, introspection, discovery of her homosexuality and herself, Kabi gives herself without sparing, and this is what touches.
Online, the manga exceeded five million views and saw, in the summer of 2016, its paper version released in Japanese bookstores. The following year, it was published in the United States under the title My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness. After several hundred thousand volumes sold in both countries, Solitude of another kind has finally found its place in France, at Pika Graphic! As a reminder, this collection brings together Asian works approaching the format of the graphic novel. Kabi NAGATA's work is therefore distinguished, on the shelf, by its larger size than that of a classic manga, and its more neat and rigid finish. Aimed at a wider audience than manga lovers, the volume is to be read, likewise, in the French reading sense!
A work that we have been waiting for in France with great impatience, and in which it is high time to immerse yourself!
An autobiography in two tones
Pink and white. In Solitude of another kind, Kabi expresses himself in two colors. And the cover did not escape this surprising, if charming, choice. A young woman, who is none other than the author, faces a female figure streaked with pink, just like the bed on which they are. The silhouette is that of the prostitute that the protagonist met to have her very first sexual relationship, at 28 years old.
Solitude of another kind balances, moreover, between its pretty colors, its adorable drawings, the often humorous tone of its author, and the particularly serious subjects it addresses.
His starting point? Kabi, fresh out of high school and enrolled in art at university, dropped out after six months. Deprived of her bearings, her motivation and not finding her way, the young woman begins to suffer from depression and eating disorders.
She then enters a terrible routine, working odd jobs and desperately seeking her parents' approval. Putting aside her dream of becoming a mangaka and her desires for a long time, she develops self-shame and suicidal thoughts.
However, if Solitude of another kind conveys a message, it is profoundly positive.
Loneliness of another kind and homosexuality
Kabi's work does not revolve around his discovery of his homosexuality. This is the author's long journey out of her depression, and find herself. However, to do so, the young woman must achieve two goals: to get out of her loneliness, and to discover her own desires.
Living until then trying to meet the expectations of her parents and society, Kabi finally wonders, at 28 years old, what she really wants. Little by little, she becomes aware of what she really misses… Taking care of herself, being hugged and exploring her sexuality, three things she had forbidden herself without realizing it! In Solitude of Another Kind, homosexuality is not, ultimately, only repressed for fear of homophobic reactions. It is because it involves sexuality, which itself involves… to grow!
By finally wondering about her desires, the young woman realizes that she is attracted to female bodies, and that her fantasies (starting from the simple hug!) involve only women. Never mind! At 28, the budding mangaka is determined to understand her feelings and listen to them. Still not very confident in herself, marked by her years of depression (hair loss, scarification, thinness …), the young woman decides to spare herself the "seduction" stage, and to resort to a prostitute. An appointment made further… Kabi is about to take a decisive step in his life.
We have come full circle!
Finally, the discovery of the young woman of her homosexuality is the most positive point of the manga. The one where Kabi accepts both to become an adult, and his desires!
It is also the starting point of the great turning point in his professional life. Although dreaming of being a mangaka and having recently embarked on the adventure, Kabi only works on commissioned boards and does not succeed, again, to flourish. For her, the reason is simple: she can only draw what she knows. To be able to deal well with a subject, you must have experienced it…
As you will have understood, it is here that Solitude of another kind is born. After experiencing depression, the visceral fear of failure, a long introspection and the discovery of his homosexuality… Kabi finally has a great experience to share through his drawings. The circle is, wonderfully, closed.
A manga that feels good
Solitude of another kind is, without a doubt, a work full of nuance. Neither sad nor joyful, finally like many stages of life. The themes addressed, although intimate, are absolutely universal. Touching, guilt-free and overwhelming, this work is definitely aimed at all young – and not so young – adults, who, pressed by social conventions, forget to look for themselves. By giving us his testimony, through fine lines and pastel pink, Kabi NAGATA reminds us that it is never too late to take an interest in oneself. By following his example, you may even find that "sweet nectar" that the author was looking for so much…
Released on October 10, Solitude of another kind is waiting for you in bookstores!
