Okinawa

Okinawa #1-2

by Susumu Higa, Jocelyne Allen (Translator)

Okinawa brings together two collections of intertwined stories by the island’s pre-eminent mangaka, Susumu Higa, which reflect on this difficult history and pull together traditional Okinawan spirituality, the modern-day realities of the continuing US military occupation, and the senselessness of the War. The first collection, Sword of Sand , is a ground level, unflinching look at the horrors of the Battle of Okinawa. Higa then turns an observant eye to the present-day in Mabui (Okinawan for “spirit"), where he explores how the American occupation has irreversibly changed the island prefecture, through the lens of the archipelago’s indigenous spirituality and the central character of the yuta priestess.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Comics, History, Japan, Nonfiction, War

544 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2023

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating historical fiction look at life on the islands of Okinawa at the tail end of World War II and in the 1990s.

The first half is devastating as the civilians of Okinawa find themselves caught between the shock and awe of overwhelming and cataclysmic American firepower from air, sea, and land and the bullying and executions perpetrated by Japanese soldiers too caught up duty and nation to consider surrender in the face of an inevitable defeat. Some U.S. soldiers show mercy and understanding, but those bits of kindness become hard to swallow as the book jumps ahead fifty years to show Okinawans still struggling with identity and colonialism as a large portion of their island chain remains occupied by American military bases.

Descendants of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the people of Okinawa also harbor resentment from their long-ago annexation by Japan. In other manga I read, Okinawa is often the destination for vacation trips for people living in mainland Japan, which made my mind draw some parallels in American history with our own state of Hawai'i.

As the book advances, it keeps adding more and more supernatural elements as the Okinawans turn to their traditional spirituality to cope with the many challenges they face.

I was happy to learn more about an area I have been ignorant of for too long.


FOR REFERENCE:

Omnibus edition. The short stories contained in this book were created by Susumu Higa between 1990 and 2000. They were originally published in Japanese as Suna no Tsuguri (砂の剣) (1995) by Shogakukan Inc., Suna no Suguri (砂の剣) 2nd Edition (2010), and Mabui (マブイ) (2010) both by Serinkogeisha.

Contents:

• Original Color Artwork
• Author Bio

Book One: Sword of Sand
• Chapter One: Sword of Sand
• Chapter Two: Sands of the Setting Sun
• Chapter Three: About My Mother
• Chapter Four: Call of Sand
• Chapter Five: Soldiers of Sand
• Chapter Six: School
• Chapter Seven: Dirt Thieves

Book Two: Mabui
• Chapter One: Military Landlord
• Chapter Two: Tolerated Cultivation
• Chapter Three: Island Duty
• Chapter Four: Homecoming
• Chapter Five: Military Employee
• Chapter Six: The Journey of Jim Thomas
• Chapter Seven: Mabui
• Afterword to Mabui

• Glossary
• From Yamato to the United States: Okinawa in Flux / Shinako Oyakawa
• Interview with Susumu Higa / Christopher Woodrow-Butcher and Andrew Woodrow-Butcher for Mangasplaining Extra

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains two books both set in Okinawa.

Sword of Sand - set during WW2
This might be the best war manga I've read so far. I had just read some Joe Sacco comics but while I was reading this I was thinking Sacco would love this. Clear line illustrations and a very powerful emotional read. Learning about the history of Okinawa was very eye opening for me. I had no idea about what they went through during WW2. A 5-star read for me.

Mabui - set during the present day in the 90s.
After WW2 the US military set up bases on Okinawa taking up a significant chunk of the landmass. These stories deal with the realities of living in Okinawa at the time. One of my favourite stories dealt with the desire for the US to leave while also working on the bases and making a decent living doing that.

Okinawa must be super proud of Susumu Higa. Besides for being a great read, this is an important historical document of the islands.

[Owen Hatherley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadpan and melancholic tales of the Ryukus, which I enjoyed the further they got from WWII, and more about the uneasy moral compromises of a place where economic development derives almost entirely from US air force bases and tourism.

[Amanda K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okinawa is a fascinating look at how Okinawans view the continuing presence of American military bases and personnel post - WW2. Susumu Higa brings us the personal stories that show how the bases impact the communities they continue to disrupt and, sometimes, assist in an approachable and touching manga. Recommended for anyone looking for something different in manga, military history, or an interest in Okinawa in general.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Fantagraphics for the DRC, all opinions are my own.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Uchinanchu heritage has always meant a lot to me, but this book made me realize there’s so much I didn’t know. My Grandma survived WWII on Okinawa, and I hadn’t realized until now how truly horrific and traumatizing that must have been for her.

[Dr. K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel gave an unflinching vision of what the occupation of Okinawa by the American troops looked like for the habitants of the island. While I learned a lot of history from the setting of the graphic novel and the accompanying photos, the storytelling didn't land for me. I felt neither connected to nor invested in the fates of the characters. 1.75 stars rounded up.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Actually read this yesterday, when Goodreads was down.)

This is emotionally affective, the true stories of civillian survivors of horrible treachery on the islands of Okinawa. It is amazing that anyone survived.

[Marshall Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up here, so it was awesome seeing the history and the impact that the bases that I called home were cause of a lot of issues in Okinawa. Also seeing the impact of military occupation being primarily put on Okinawa, as opposed to main island. It was really interesting and game a lot of perspective that has changed my viewpoint on military occupation (which to be fair, I had never thought critically about in the first place besides “I lived there as a kid and it was fun”)

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

HARDBACK EDITION!

“Of the approximately 22,000 men in the “home guard”, 13,000 – 60 % - were killed in the War.”

This appears to be a collection of fiction and non-fiction, illustrating various aspects of the Okinawa theatre of conflict, mostly during WWII all portrayed in clean lines and dirty details. We get an insight into how poorly the Okinawans have been treated by the Japanese since they colonised them back in the 1870s and of course the devastation which took place on the islands during WWII with around a quarter of the people getting killed.

Of course since the war, the American military presence has loomed all too large and the negative impact they have had rarely gets a global audience. The American approach to the issue, largely consists of their tried and tested model of historical record in reducing it to a series of crass Hollywood movies.

This deluxe edition also comes with an interview with the author at the end, which sheds additional light on his thoughts and aims with these stories.

[Armando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated stories of war, survival, and the struggles to preserve Okinawan life through generations of occupation and change. Haunting and hopeful, personal and political, unforgettable.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The complete collection of stories from manga legend Susumu Higa, telling both the horrific accounts of the islanders during the Battle of Okinawa, and the long shadow of US occupation in the decades afterwards.

Essential reading, only docked a star for the puzzling publishing decision to put all this beautifully detailed artwork in a tiny, awkward hardcover version.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly touching, beautifully illustrated, and highly educational. I loved reading all the stories of and inspired by the wartime and post-war eras of Okinawa and learned so much new information about Okinawan history and culture that I didn’t know before. Getting on Wikipedia after this.

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book offers something that no other works in english do, so i find it very, very special. it is split in two sections: the first delves into the brutal and violent histories of the battle of okinawa, and the second explores the lasting legacies of the second world war in okinawa today and the complicated dynamics that occupation has on okinawan life and okinawan cultural and spiritual traditions. the art is a bit underwhelming for me personally, even though there are some really memorable sequences, so i did think about removing one star for that...but i think the stories they tell are nevertheless very impactful and important so this is a five star read for me.

the first half offers accounts of the war that do not shy away from how violent and unjust the war was to okinawan civilians, but they strike a hard and important balance of not flattening or completely reducing representations of civilian experiences to complete despair, nor complete triumphant resistance. i think the same is true of the second half. it presents the complexity of life in okinawa in a way that elucidates the contradictions that people are forced to navigate. like how do an uncle and niece have dinner with one another when the uncle protests the existence of the US military base that the niece works at? how does a generation of okinawan people relate to US military servicemen and veterans in a way that is filled with both tenderness and resentment? how do okinawans keep alive their spiritual traditions when they are unable to access their sacred spaces that are now occupied? how do diasporic communities return home?

this book resides in the sometimes uncomfortable space of this tension, applying pressure to the binaries that have thus far structured our understandings of US and okinawa relations in the english language. in this book, US military servicemen are portrayed sometimes in a positive fashion, other times not. okinawans, too, are sometimes victims of colonial aggression, but other times, they are the very ones who are betraying their own neighbors. it is reminding me of a quote from christina sharpe, "stories in and of themselves aren't right or wrong." meaning, for her, it is not about if there are "wrong" stories or "wrong" ways to tell a story, but what matters is the political conditions under which storytelling is possible in the first place. and the conditions of its circulation matters too. i'm going off on a tangent but my point is that i don't think contradictory or difficult stories to tell are wrong and we need them too.

i need to revisit the book because i read this all in a single sitting basically. i will say again that it's not that i think this is a perfect book because it's not. but overall i'm glad this was translated into english because we need more nuanced narratives of okinawa by okinawan writers, and while all english speaking/reading people will presumably benefit, it is especially important for an english-language dominant okinawan diaspora to have access to these kinds of stories.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look into the island's history and culture. The book really does well with its detailed research and engaging writing, making Okinawa's past and present come alive. Higa does a great job of blending historical facts with cultural insights, giving readers a rich picture of the island.That said, the book can get a bit heavy on details, which might make it feel a little slow at times.

Overall, it is a compelling and informative read that’s worth checking out if you’re interested in the island’s history. It’s well-researched and engaging, even if it sometimes leans a bit too much into the details.

[Helena]

Kirja jäi minulta kesken "teknisistä" syistä. Pidän Susumu Higan tavasta piirtää ja kertoa ja olen kiinnostunut Okinawan historiasta. Mutta kirja on liian pieni ja paksu, sitä on hankala käsitellä muuten kuin että pitää sitä kaksin käsin auki. Lisäksi käyetty muste on minun silmilleni liian haaleaa, ja kun teksti on sekä pientä että haaleaa ja kirjaa on hankala käsitellä, en pystynyt lukemaan tarpeeksi pitkiä jaksoja kerrallaan ja silloin tarinan yhtenäisyys kärsi. Harmi.

[jhayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on true news stories and events, this graphic novel shows the US occupation of Okinawa during ww2 and the impacts on the island still present years later. Seeing the complexity of the situation from a Japanese perspective was fascinating. War is the primary focus but other aspects of Japanese culture and religion are shown too. The art was fantastic and the detailed black and white thin line ink drawings reminded me a bit of junji ito. The pictures and author interview are nice touches to flesh out the book.

[Imogen Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The design and execution of this book is so memeorbale- Higa draws light to a topic that feels forgotten and disregarded in a real and human way. I think the drawings were consistent to create a theme that has stuck with me and the generational sorties which have been bought to life in this book are impactful and inspiring.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a manga (or graphic novel) collections of stories about the occupation of Okinawa - first by the Japanese military; then, by the USA military.

It’s a poignant telling of the hardships endured by the islanders - their livelihood, their sufferings and their resilience.

[marcia]

DNF'ed @ page 239.

I'm just not that invested. On top of that, I'm annoyed by how the book was designed. It's bulky and unpleasant to hold for long periods of time. I also have trouble with how small the text is. I wish this was printed in two volumes in a bigger format instead.

[Noah_Wasa Mata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really taught me more about this subject that I didn’t know much about, I love how it tells the story through snippets of different characters lives, seeing how people were surviving the war but also the after and the colonization. A great read

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of stories covering the war until the 1990s. They are a combination of fiction and non-fiction on the topic of America and Okinawa. This is still a serious issue.

An interesting read.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly important history lesson in a beautiful format.

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any American politician with the ability to declare war should be forced to read at least one war memoir per quarter, and if they do declare war, one war memoir per month until things are resolved.

[ShamNoop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think any comic or manga has ever made me as angry as the first half of this collection. Sword of Sand is an anthology of stories about Okinawa during World War 2. It’s genuinely harrowing, and seeing the way the Japanese treated their own civilians made my gut churn and heart burn in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Just thinking about it upsets me.
The second half, Mabui, isn’t as good as the first but is still excellent, and is almost wholesome after the first half (which I think might be intentional) as it’s focused entirely on spirituality and healing, of a sort. It’s a good wind down and ensures the reader doesn’t close the book polarised and pissed off.
I’m probably never going to reread this and I don’t know how to recommend it, but it’s very good and worth a read.

[Cathi Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought provoking book. Using the graphic novel format to capture the experience of Okinawa during WWII to the present, it is hard to imagine a place where 1 out of 4 civilians died during the Iron Storm that was the invasion of this island.

[Kayt O'Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of stories about both Okinawa during World War II, when it was commanded by the ruling Japanese mainlanders preparing for (and then taking action against) a US attack, which ended up being one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the entire Pacific war theater, themselves often seen as invaders. As an American, I didn't know anything about this history of Okinawa, knowing only that it's the southernmost of Japan's main islands, very tropical and humid, and that there's a lot of US military presence there due to bases.

So in this book, you get a nice crash course in Okinawan history: part of the Ryukyu Islands, which became a tributary to China and Japan in the 1600s, it was annexed by Japan in 1879, which then when on to try eliminating traditional Ryukyuan culture, language and religion. So to put that in perspective, during WWII, the older inhabitants--people you'd associate with being grandparent-aged--were often born before Japan officially claimed it. So this is not the story of how "Japan" dealt with part of WWII, it's the story of how a people faced threats from both outside (USA) and inside, or their neighbors (Japan).

It does not sugarcoat the war, which ended up killing around a quarter of the civilian population, but it's not gory. And to my surprise, it doesn't paint the Americans (particularly in the first half, during WWII) as one-dimensional evil invaders; soldiers on both sides feature, and if the book has a point I can sum up incredibly simplistically in this section, it would be "war is hell for everyone, particularly civilians."

The second half of the book is set closer to modern day--although these stories were originally published, individually, around the 1990s, which is needed to understand the setting. Something I learned was that after Japan's defeat in WWII, America didn't just build military bases in Okinawa (I knew that), but actually controlled Okinawa from 1945 until 1971, when the island (minus the bases, which amount to a substantial amount of land) was returned to Japanese administration.

The modern/then-modern bases cause their own problems: military jets crash or fly so low they disrupt everything; traditional land and religious practices is sectioned off or accessible only with advance American permission; the military pressures people into selling or long-term leasing their land to the US; there's little oversight or repercussions if Americans cause trouble off the bases, and the Japanese and Okinawans have no recourse for anything that happens on base.

This all sounds depressing, but this information is there in-between stories of traditional farmers who love their land too much to sell; locals who grave-rob to sell elsewhere in the country; modern people working as civilians on base contemplating their role in both cultures.

It is, overall, fascinating and informative.

[Holly Cruise]

Graphic Novel Group book for November 2024.

The Okinawa Islands dangle off the south coast of Japan, a chain of small islands, culturally related but also distinct from Japan. They were the site of some of the worst land fighting in the Pacific arena of WWII and to the day have American military bases covering a large chunk of their land.

Okinawa, the graphic novel, is an English-language translation of two collections from Okinawan native Susumu Higa. Sword Of Sand covers stories from the war and its immediate aftermath, and Mabui is more recent (90s and 00s) stories from the islands.

The first half is a bit stronger, probably by dint of what happened in Okinawa being dramatic, terrifying and brutal. These stories look at local Okinawans trying to negotiate their own survival between US attacks and the Japanese Army refusing to surrender and refusing to let the civilians surrender. Later chapters cover prisoners of war and post-war survival. One chapter each is given over to Higa's parents and their experiences. It's kind of Higa that his artwork doesn't linger on the horrors, as I don't think some chapters would be readable if the art was more realistic, such is the brutality of the circumstances.

The second half is more sedate and a little repetitive, but intentionally so, with the yuta (a priestess (?) in the local religion) Mrs Asato recurring in most chapters, usually solving problems with some prayers and reflection on events. It foregrounds the local culture, and the strongest stories in the second half continue this, from grave robbery to baseball. It doesn't grip quite like the WWII era stuff, but it builds on it in a relevant way.

The art is, as mentioned, cartoony but great. The level of detail Higa can cram into a panel is impressive, and it's evocative and beautiful. I really loved the emphasis on using onomatopoeia in panels, big thanks to the translator Jocelyne Allen for translating those too, every boom, plip and fween.

[Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always fascinated and moved by stories about Okinawa.

I think Higa does a really amazing (and important) job of conveying the complexities of the relationship between the Okinawan and American peoples. There are stories where Japan's military are the Okinawans' greatest enemy, and the American military are their part-time saviors. There are stories where the American military are utterly villainous toward the Okinawans. There are stories where Okinawans and Americans get along well and like one another, while the undercurrent of their power imbalance is still palpable. All of these facets of Okinawan identity and life are present and it's like, deeply upsetting to see, but also somehow profoundly hopeful. I love the character of Ms. Asato, the yuta as a throughline of almost all of the otherwise disconnected stories. I love the emphasis put on Okinawan religion and its power and its ability to affect anybody, regardless of nationality or origin. I love how even in military bases, it gets treated with reverence. IDK how real that is, but it always made me happy to see people respecting Ms. Asato, even if they didn't always believe in mabui or the ugan.

I also adore the way that many of these stories are somehow rooted in reality. Whether that's the author telling the stories of his own parents (and not revealing that that's who the story is about until the end), or when he sees a story in the news and then extrapolates out from there. It adds a level of realism and believability to every part of the anthology.

Yeah. Good!

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okinawa is a unique part of the Japanese archipelago, having been one of the last territories to become part of Japan. It retains its own distinct culture, language, customs, and beliefs. The graphic novel Okinawa by Susumu Higa is divided into two parts, each containing multiple interwoven stories.

The first part explores the impact of World War II on the Okinawan people, land, and history. Through the experiences of civilians and soldiers, the book paints a picture of the war’s devastating consequences, using several interlinked protagonists to bring these stories to life. The second part shifts to the present, where the war is a distant memory, yet its echoes remain. People continue to encounter its remnants—whether through family histories, buried artifacts, or their uneasy interactions with the American military base on the island.

Higa’s artwork effectively conveys the weight of these stories, though the translation—especially of comic sound effects—can sometimes feel distracting. The recurring characters provide a strong narrative thread that ties together Okinawa’s culture from pre-WWII to the modern era. A particularly interesting touch is the inclusion of black-and-white photographs after each story, which enhances the realism and, at times, the elements of magic realism (using ghosts, souls and dreams) found in the second half of the book.

Overall, Okinawa offers a deeply personal glimpse into the island’s history, resilience, and evolving identity from the 1930s to the present.