Nemu Nemu: Smiles to Go!

nemu*nemu #1

by Audra Ann Furuichi, Scott Yoshinaga

Anise and Kana have shared a lot of adventures together, but nothing quite like this. Hilarity ensues when Anpan and Nemu, two walking, talking plushy pups, drop in on their new owners and turn their world upside down. The collected 12 chapters include never before seen sketches and commentary.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Manga, Comics

124 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2007

About the author

Audra Furuichi is a comic creator and illustrator hailing from sunny Honolulu, Hawaii.

Although Audra has drawn for most of her life, she officially began her career in 1998 as a college cartoonist for the Ka Leo o Hawaii, the University of Hawaii student paper, with Culture SHOCK! After graduating and spending a year in Japan as an English teacher in Kyushu, she returned to work as a colorist for Antarctic Press and Udon Entertainment and a translation editor for the company that eventually became Yen Press.

In 2006, she collaborated with Scott Yoshinaga to launch her first webcomic, nemu*nemu, and a companion monthly series for the the East Oahu Sun from 2008-2011, and a second official spin-off Blue Hawaii for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on rotating Sundays from 2012 to 2023.

Additionally, Audra has worked on the following projects:
- Date Nighto - Hustle Cat - character designer
- Namco Entertainment - Namco High - character designer
- Tapiki - Sushi Star - character designer
- Mana Comics - Mana Double Feature #2 - contributing comic artist & colorist Book info
- Amulet: Supernova (Amulet #8) - coloring assistant Book info
- Amulet: Waverider (Amulet #9) - coloring assistant Book info
- Rema Chronicles: Realm of the Blue Mist - color assistant Book info
- ATARASHII GAKKO! × NIKE - Illustration work via Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo for a TikTok filter featuring ATARASHII GAKKO! and Nike’s #NikeJuku campaign
- KOMODO “Maui Strong Sale” on Steam to Support the Recovery of Maui!

Reviews

[Christine Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was recommended this series by a co-worker because the authors were from our island. I really liked it!
The whole vibe of it takes me back to my childhood and the mid- to late 2000s. It's nostalgic and innocent. It's like a breath of fresh air. I enjoy how you can see the effort put into it, the love, the appreciation, and the community behind it all. The commentary is fun and adds to the experience of reading.
I hope current and future generations will continue to be able to read these books and books similar to these from local authors in our library system.
Thank you, Audra and Scott for your work.
PS-I'm glad to see your author and regular profiles got connected, Audra! I'm glad I could be of help:)

[Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute! I had the privilege of hearing the creators of this webcomic-turned-book speak at my local public library, since they are actually local and live here on Oahu. This comic anthology of the first year of online strips of nemu*nemu is a delight, and I highly recommend it. As the authors write in the introduction, "Just like you favorite DVD movie, nemu*nemu volume 1 features commentary by the team that created it." Read it!

[Bianca Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very derivative of Azumanga Daioh, but delightfully enjoyable once it found it's own voice part of the way through this volume.

I'll definitely be picking up more volumes as soon as I can.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!