Welcome to 2021! If you’ve stuck around this blog long enough, you’ll know that I have a habit of disappearing for long periods of time and breaking every single one of my reading goals. While 2020 was an exceptional year, it was not exceptional when it comes to these steadfast Hot Pepper Latte traditions.
I did have a fantastic summer of reading and you can find a lot of those miniature reviews on my Instagram or Goodreads if you’re looking for some recommendations. However, to pretend that I have been unaffected by the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption to society we are living through would just be… untrue. My reading spree very quickly trickled off in the later half of the year as the heartbreaking news took more of my attention.
I also blame Milkman by Anna Burns, which while a fantastic Man Booker Prize winning book and recommended by a dear friend, perhaps hit a bit too close to home as I raged at the lack of proper agency the young female protagonist faced in the midst of the Troubles in Ireland. It’s a frustrating book on purpose, and I hope to pick it up again some day. Just not any time too soon.
I do believe that there is a time and place for all books. My love of storytelling far outweighs any scruples I have about prize winners, recommendation lists, or simply “what one should read”. Which is why during a recent move I struggled whether or not to give up the remaining sets of shojo manga I had retained from high school. On the one hand, I had not cracked the spine of a manga in many years. On the other, the unique narrative the collection added to my library was worth something wasn’t it?
If you’re not familiar with the term, shojo manga refers to a specific genre of Japanese-style graphic novels. Manga refers to a broad range of Japanese comics or graphic novels with many distinct styles and genres within in. Shojo manga is a genre focused around love stories and romantic relationships typically targeted at young women.
Otomen is once such a series, although it bends the tropes of typical shojo manga. The story focuses around a teenage boy named Asuka who on the surface level passes for a very masculine Japanese teenager who is captain of the kendo team, does not eat sweets, and maintains a serious and courteous reputation. However, it is all a smokescreen for his hidden love of “girly” things despite being a “boy”, including: knitting, baking, cute knickknacks, flowers, and, of course, reading shojo manga. Also known as being an “otomen”. Maintaining his secret has not been easy but something he deemed necessary to protect his mother’s feelings due to a past trauma. Yet, he just can’t help himself when he falls in love with Ryo, the new transfer student, who is cute and cool. With Ryo around he just can’t help his hobbies! But how will Asuka choose between what makes him personally happy and hurting his family’s feeling?
The story is sweet and exciting, with some pretty forward-thinking ways of handling gender for the early 2000s (although some things did not age as well). Not to mention the drawings of cakes and home-made lunches are fantastic. I felt inspired and excited. Otomen is exciting in the way all rom coms are—it’s a simple kind of joy cheering for two people in love—but it also has an overarching lesson about stereotypes and learning to accept ourselves. Maybe it was simply a nice escape into the fantasy lives of Japanese high school students, who have a culture and lifestyle so different from my own which made it so appealing. But Otomen proved to be a boon to my world-weary heart during a very quiet holiday season largely spent alone. For the first time in a while I was earnestly excited to read and to recommend a book to all of my friends! Following Asuka’s adventures reminded me of the little joys you can find in trying your best every day. And isn’t that what we all need right now? Whether it’s baking or working or making time to call a friend, often trying your best is all you can do. I was also reminded how it felt to be celebrated for being your whole unique self and how important it is create that type of space for others.
I started 2021 with a humble goal (for once!) of reading 12 great books. As I try to be gentler with myself and make goals that mean something to me rather than proving some kind of point, I decided that 12 great books in 2021 would do. If you count the 14 volumes of Otomen I blew through in the first couple weeks of the year then I’m all done! Given the rejuvenating power shojo manga has had for me, I’ve decided to reset my goal to ‘read’ 12 great stories this year. Rather than get hung up on page counts and formats, I’ll pursue 12 stories that give me some kind of inspiration, joy, or lesson and share them here with you.
Looking forward to sharing a year of more stories! If you’ve read a story that’s impacted you recently, I’d love to hear it.