Sketchy Vol. 2

by Makihirochi

Ako's love of skateboarding continues to grow as she goes to another lesson with her coworker, Shiho. The two of them buy their own boards and officially become skater girls! But as Ako struggles to learn her second trick, she begins to wonder if she'll ever truly be able to skateboard…

Genres: Manga, Comics, Sports, Graphic Novels, Josei, Fiction, Slice Of Life

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2024

Reviews

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than you ever needed to know about the culture of skateboarding from a womans/girls perspective.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The internalized misogyny in this book is amazing and all too real. Also, why did they label what was clearly a picture of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka "Mary Poppins?"

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sketchy 2 is on par with the first volume of the series. I don't have much to add in a review that I did not already say there. This is just an all around great read that continues at the same level of excellence as its predecessor. I am very excited that the next volume is releasing this week.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ako and Shiho are now skating buddies and their adventure continues. But they both have a long way to go, and differing skill levels and differing life circumstances mean that they might not be quite as together for much longer.

The fact that I irrationally want to pummel all of Ako’s crappy older friends from middle school and their narrow-minded ways suggests that the writing of this story is working pretty much as intended because they are annoying as heck. And then they turn out to be even more annoying as drunks.

Everybody thinks Ako is weird, but she’s just finding the things in life that matter to her and that’s really kind of important. It might just be my own fondness for leaving the beaten path, but her character arc speaks to me and it’s a no-brainer wanting to see her succeed.

And her age is working against her - Shiho starts to quickly pick up basic moves that Ako struggles with the whole volume and that makes Ako feel like she’s falling even further behind. In a great, great move, she gets some solid reinforcement from her somewhat hopeless boyfriend, indicating that maybe initial impressions of him were off as well.

Otherwise it’s lots of focus on female skaters and a bunch of the characters we already knew, plus the series’ title gets drawn in to the mix in a way that was actually kind of surprising and left me wanting to know more.

The female empowerment angle of this is pretty great. I love the little bios of real life Japanese female skateboarders and how the story shows these characters trying to make their mark. That they do it without a ton of misogyny (though definitely some chauvinism) is a bit of a welcome novelty.

The story’s main problem is that it wants to make darn sure you know all the ins and outs of skate culture, which occasionally translates to feeling like you’re attending a lecture on skateboarding rather than watching somebody learning it more organically.

The art remains good enough to pull off what it’s trying to do, faces can sometimes blend a bit, with occasional moments of delightful ambition. The opening shots of this volume are front loading all the best illustrations here.

That wow moment aside, most of this is pretty straightforward, but in a good way. Nothing to make one run and shove it in the hands of everybody telling them how amazing it is, but it’s a worthwhile story that is incredibly passionate about its subject matter.

3.5 stars - a little bland now and then, but mostly it’s a good sports story that eschews big drama (although the last chapter has a potentially huge moment of reckoning for the awful friends) for a welcome focus on its characters.

[marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★★★☆

In this volume, character development takes a backseat to skating. At times, the mangaka is so obsessed with technical terms that it feels like I'm reading an explainer manga. The art style isn't my cup of tea either. That said, I appreciate the sheer variety of female characters and still want to see where the mangaka will take the story next.

[Larakaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know EXACTLY how Ako feels.

[Claudia]

The adult women on skateboards manga continues to be cute. Ako and her coworker, who she has roped into skating with her, have hit their first hurdle as they practice tic-tacs. They commit to the sport by buying their own boards! We also see a bit of the backstory of a young woman who became Japan's first "filmer", a skateboarder who films others doing tricks while on a board. A businesswoman-turned-skateboarder learns about skate videos.

The research the author has put into skateboarding for this manga is super evident. I don't know much about skateboarding, but I think the author does a great job of conveying the feeling of learning a new sport or hobby for the first time. I've been feeling that myself as I get into cycling–suddenly I know dozens of new, weird words and find myself justifying expensive purchases (yes, twenty-eight dollars is a fine price for LED lights!) and finding whatever time I can to practice.

One little thing that surprised me reading this manga is how often these characters–female characters–express surprise or doubt that women/girls can do certain tricks. "I didn't know a girl could do that trick" is said several times in this volume. It's not said with malice. Just with legitimate surprise, as if it's never occurred to them that a woman can pull off those physical tasks.

I look forward to the next volume, which is supposed to come out in august!

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sketchy Vol. 2 continues a lot of the initial setup from the first volume where people struggling with individual expression find a new outlet in the form of skateboarding culture. Expressed from the perspectives of our main characters Ako, Shiho and Takehana, the three find skateboarding to be an avenue for escaping the suffocating societal norms. Somewhat subtly done in the first volume and continued here is the impact of gender norms on women who are expected to behave a specific way but use skater culture to break free of said expectations. And in the more wholesome light is the way that relative outsiders can find a new home within a cultural niche and use that as a means to reinvent themselves. Sketchy continues to be a light but captivating read, with fantastic artwork from Makihirochi who captures the dynamism of skateboarding with an extraordinarily clean line.

[silly_finney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely eating this series up.. I don’t wanna wait till August for volume 3😭😭😭 The book is sooo relatable in so many ways, we need more content like this

[Katt Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

healing my Dated A Skater wound by hanging out with these rad girls. Jokes were cranked up in this volume, loved it 😎

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read a ton of manga and the speech bubbles without an indicator of who was speaking became hard to follow in parts. I still adore the soul of this series though.

[HaileyAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series. Women finding empowerment and community through skateboarding?

[Siobhan Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this second book in the series. I loved seeing how the characters' plots are starting to interact, and the same fun energy from the first book. Really looking forward to reading the series.

[Valuxiea · Rating 4 out of 5]

God it is so refreshing to read a manga like this.