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La jeune femme et la mer
Catherine Meurisse a résidé plusieurs mois à la Villa Kujoyama, une résidence d'artistes située à Kyoto. Cherchant à renouveler son inspiration, elle s'est immergée dans les paysages japonais. Un an plus tard, elle séjournait de nouveau au Japon, quand le typhon Hagibis dévastait une partie du pays. De ces deux voyages, placés sous le signe de la nature, tour à tour muse et dévastatrice, est né l'album La Jeune femme et la mer.
« Je voudrais peindre la nature », affirme la dessinatrice française à peine atterrie sur le sol japonais. Mais la nature ne sait pas prendre la pose. Elle se transforme, nous entoure, nous subjugue. Sur son chemin, comme un miroir, un peintre japonais, qui, lui, voudrait « peindre une femme. » Quelle femme ? Nami, la jeune femme de l'auberge thermale où les deux artistes vont séjourner ? Nami, mystérieuse, n'est pas un modèle facile. Elle semble liée aux éléments naturels : elle sait lire l'arrivée d'un typhon dans les plis de la mer. Pour décrypter les signes dans ce décor rural du sud de l'archipel, un tanuki effronté, animal mythologique incontournable de la culture nippone, surgit au gré des déambulations de nos deux amis artistes.
Dans une nature magnifiquement retranscrite par un trait de plume précis, où plane l'ombre d'Hokusaï et des maîtres de l'estampe, Catherine Meurisse propose avec La jeune femme et la mer un récit initiatique qui questionne la place de l'Homme dans la nature et le recours à l'art pour saisir les paysages qui disparaissent.
« Je voudrais peindre la nature », affirme la dessinatrice française à peine atterrie sur le sol japonais. Mais la nature ne sait pas prendre la pose. Elle se transforme, nous entoure, nous subjugue. Sur son chemin, comme un miroir, un peintre japonais, qui, lui, voudrait « peindre une femme. » Quelle femme ? Nami, la jeune femme de l'auberge thermale où les deux artistes vont séjourner ? Nami, mystérieuse, n'est pas un modèle facile. Elle semble liée aux éléments naturels : elle sait lire l'arrivée d'un typhon dans les plis de la mer. Pour décrypter les signes dans ce décor rural du sud de l'archipel, un tanuki effronté, animal mythologique incontournable de la culture nippone, surgit au gré des déambulations de nos deux amis artistes.
Dans une nature magnifiquement retranscrite par un trait de plume précis, où plane l'ombre d'Hokusaï et des maîtres de l'estampe, Catherine Meurisse propose avec La jeune femme et la mer un récit initiatique qui questionne la place de l'Homme dans la nature et le recours à l'art pour saisir les paysages qui disparaissent.
114 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2021
19 people are currently reading
1048 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Meurisse
52 books102 followersCatherine Meurisse is a Paris-based illustrator, cartoonist, and comic-book artist. A survivor of the Charlie Hebdo attack, she has illustrated over 20 adult and children's books. This is her first book in English.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
January 5, 2022
Gorgeous illustrations make you long to be in rural Japan
We prefer the temporary which, when renewed, points to the eternal.
The Young Woman and the Sea contains a story of an illustrator travelling through rural Japan to paint nature. Along the way she is visited by a tanuki (talking and mischievous racoon) and meets another painter who prefers to work with haiku until the perfect picture comes along. We learn of folktales involving love triangles and natural disasters also loom from over the sea. It is a serene read Catherine Meurisse offers to us, beautifully illustrated and full of love and wonder for the disappearing Japanese countryside (occasionally marred by large concrete walls to guard people from tsunamis). If I can’t understand anything, I can at least feel something, right? the narrator mentions, and feeling is certainly something successfully evoked by this book. Recommended for anyone interested in Japan!
We prefer the temporary which, when renewed, points to the eternal.
The Young Woman and the Sea contains a story of an illustrator travelling through rural Japan to paint nature. Along the way she is visited by a tanuki (talking and mischievous racoon) and meets another painter who prefers to work with haiku until the perfect picture comes along. We learn of folktales involving love triangles and natural disasters also loom from over the sea. It is a serene read Catherine Meurisse offers to us, beautifully illustrated and full of love and wonder for the disappearing Japanese countryside (occasionally marred by large concrete walls to guard people from tsunamis). If I can’t understand anything, I can at least feel something, right? the narrator mentions, and feeling is certainly something successfully evoked by this book. Recommended for anyone interested in Japan!
March 17, 2022
A graphic memoir, picturing Meurisse's stay in Japan in 2018. It has interesting parts, but it falls back a bit too much on the 'stupid westerner' stereotype, which means we also get the 'wise easterner' stereotype.
The art is beautiful, especially the depictions of Japan's nature, and I kind of like Meurisse herself looking like a Claire Bretecher character inside of that painterly landscape.
(Picked up a review copy on NetGalley)
The art is beautiful, especially the depictions of Japan's nature, and I kind of like Meurisse herself looking like a Claire Bretecher character inside of that painterly landscape.
(Picked up a review copy on NetGalley)
January 6, 2023
Hay mucha belleza en esta autoficción surrealista durante la cual una dibujante francesa pasa sus primeros días en una residencia para creadores en el Japón rural. Hay secuencias hermosas de sus paseos por los paisajes de los alrededores, sus visitas a templos, sus encuentros con otros artistas y varios personajes fantásticos mientras trata de acercarse a lo esencial del acto de crear. Un contraste entre su bagaje y el de una cultura idealizada, pasada por un tamiz muy determinado, que invita a quitarse el cinismo y dejarse llevar.
January 11, 2023
‘La joven y el mar’ es una novela gráfica que surge de la estancia de su autora, Catherine Meurisse, en una residencia de artistas en Kioto durante la cual buscaba redescubrirse a sí misma y buscar nuevos caminos para su producción artística, sumergiéndose de lleno en la naturaleza japonesa.
La historia que recoge es casi una fábula, donde hay animales que hablan, una naturaleza protagonista y alguien buscando respuestas (sin saber muy bien incluso, cuáles son sus preguntas).
En una ambientación puramente japonesa en cuando a localizaciones, costumbres y personajes, la artista protagonista llega al lugar como un elefante en una cacharrería para ir poco a poco, dejando del país entre en ella. Una historia de gran sensibilidad, que combina la imaginación de la autora con hechos históricos, mención a obras de arte y mitología real. Bajo una apariencia sencilla, la autora consigue crear una trama con varias interpretaciones y, además, cuenta con detalles geniales que otorgan diferentes capas a la historia, y aunque esta puede seguirse sin problemas por cualquiera, si sabes japonés o si conoces la cultura nipona, podrás encontrar estos “easter eggs”.
El arte de Meurisse es una fantasía, a lo largo de esta obra, a todo color, encontramos mil y una ilustraciones que te invitan a detenerte en ellas e imaginar que, por un momento, también estás allí. Además, siento que el propio estilo de dibujo va cambiando sutilmente con el avance de las páginas, bebiendo cada vez más del estilo de los grabados japoneses (pero siempre con el toque original de la autora).
En cualquier caso, por mucho que he disfrutado visualmente de esta obra, lamentablemente no logré conectar con la historia. A pesar de que se trata de un bonito cuento de camino del artista y búsqueda del lugar de uno en el mundo donde se ponen ante nuestros ojos maneras de pensar completamente distintas a las de occidente sobre temas como el amor, la soledad, el arte y la creación artística, el pragmatismo, la pérdida, la relación con la naturaleza… mi sensación al finalizarlo fue de indiferencia (y algo de decepción porque me hice con este libro muy ilusionada pensando que me encantaría). Para mi explota de más los choques culturales, y… el que los toques de humor no me hicieran gracia, pues no ayudó.
No me gustaría que esta reseña desanime a no leerla porque esta es tan solo mi opinión personal. Os invito a leer las opiniones de @unaformiga.reads y @eldesvandellector (en IG) ya que ambos disfrutaron muchísimo esta lectura para que podáis haceros una idea más completa y ver si os llama o no según vuestras inquietudes.
Por acabar en positivo, ¿qué es lo que más me gustó?
-Las ilustraciones
-Los personajes secundarios
-La amplia visión de la naturaleza (bella, musa, salvaje, peligrosa, indomable, salvaje…)
La historia que recoge es casi una fábula, donde hay animales que hablan, una naturaleza protagonista y alguien buscando respuestas (sin saber muy bien incluso, cuáles son sus preguntas).
En una ambientación puramente japonesa en cuando a localizaciones, costumbres y personajes, la artista protagonista llega al lugar como un elefante en una cacharrería para ir poco a poco, dejando del país entre en ella. Una historia de gran sensibilidad, que combina la imaginación de la autora con hechos históricos, mención a obras de arte y mitología real. Bajo una apariencia sencilla, la autora consigue crear una trama con varias interpretaciones y, además, cuenta con detalles geniales que otorgan diferentes capas a la historia, y aunque esta puede seguirse sin problemas por cualquiera, si sabes japonés o si conoces la cultura nipona, podrás encontrar estos “easter eggs”.
El arte de Meurisse es una fantasía, a lo largo de esta obra, a todo color, encontramos mil y una ilustraciones que te invitan a detenerte en ellas e imaginar que, por un momento, también estás allí. Además, siento que el propio estilo de dibujo va cambiando sutilmente con el avance de las páginas, bebiendo cada vez más del estilo de los grabados japoneses (pero siempre con el toque original de la autora).
En cualquier caso, por mucho que he disfrutado visualmente de esta obra, lamentablemente no logré conectar con la historia. A pesar de que se trata de un bonito cuento de camino del artista y búsqueda del lugar de uno en el mundo donde se ponen ante nuestros ojos maneras de pensar completamente distintas a las de occidente sobre temas como el amor, la soledad, el arte y la creación artística, el pragmatismo, la pérdida, la relación con la naturaleza… mi sensación al finalizarlo fue de indiferencia (y algo de decepción porque me hice con este libro muy ilusionada pensando que me encantaría). Para mi explota de más los choques culturales, y… el que los toques de humor no me hicieran gracia, pues no ayudó.
No me gustaría que esta reseña desanime a no leerla porque esta es tan solo mi opinión personal. Os invito a leer las opiniones de @unaformiga.reads y @eldesvandellector (en IG) ya que ambos disfrutaron muchísimo esta lectura para que podáis haceros una idea más completa y ver si os llama o no según vuestras inquietudes.
Por acabar en positivo, ¿qué es lo que más me gustó?
-Las ilustraciones
-Los personajes secundarios
-La amplia visión de la naturaleza (bella, musa, salvaje, peligrosa, indomable, salvaje…)
December 30, 2021
Un gros gros gros big up aux illustrations qui sont absolument magnifiques, avec des couleurs sublimes et un graphisme somptueux. L'histoire est également très belle, une ôde à la nature et à l'art. Des personnages drôles et attachants, en somme une excellente bande dessinée !
January 9, 2022
The Young Woman and the Sea art and script by Catherine Meurisse, published by Europe Comics (2021)
Catherine Meurisse once again draws upon her memories. Her stay in a far-off, strange-yet-familiar land, at the Japanese villa Kujoyama in 2018, provides the artist another opportunity to pursue her creative quest, this time where the West and Far East meet. In the manner of Lewis Carroll, the young artist lets characters out of legend lead her through pictorial landscapes.
The story is about Japan, folklore, poetry, nature and art going together. A lot of water. Natural disasters. If you’re not into that you can still enjoy Catherine’s beautiful artwork. Luckily I love both :-)
Themes: Japan, The beauty of Nagara, Miss Nami and her many husbands, follow the Tanuki with the giant balls, natural disasters, Hokusai’s Wave.
4 Stars
Catherine Meurisse once again draws upon her memories. Her stay in a far-off, strange-yet-familiar land, at the Japanese villa Kujoyama in 2018, provides the artist another opportunity to pursue her creative quest, this time where the West and Far East meet. In the manner of Lewis Carroll, the young artist lets characters out of legend lead her through pictorial landscapes.
The story is about Japan, folklore, poetry, nature and art going together. A lot of water. Natural disasters. If you’re not into that you can still enjoy Catherine’s beautiful artwork. Luckily I love both :-)
Themes: Japan, The beauty of Nagara, Miss Nami and her many husbands, follow the Tanuki with the giant balls, natural disasters, Hokusai’s Wave.
4 Stars
September 3, 2022
Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade C+ Lot's of Pwetty pictures.
I've always admired the nation of Japan. For its beautiful culture, rich & storied history, mythology, cuisine, for anime & nerd culture, and it's unique natural landscapes. The sight of Mount Fuji rising from the horizon as if rising to the sky, or Hokusai's violent and thought inducing depiction of Kanagawa off the wave, or was it the mist filled fantasy-esque opening to Tom Cruise's 'The Last Samurai', it's a land which has captured my imagination.
And someday I hope to get acquainted with her intimately.
So, it was with intrigue that I delved into The Young Woman & the Sea by Catherine Meurisse. It was a mixed bag. On one hand I don't feel that the author, while rambling on about a lot of things, wasn't really able to connect to that vein of the culture. Nor was she able to make any observations that could be considered poignant.
It is as the description says, a graphical memoir of the brief time she spend in the rural parts of the nation. There is no larger narrative, going with a 'day in the life of foreigner' sort of approach. That's Ok, the story is not I came here for.
The visuals, which are the crux of the comic, they deliver. Several breathtaking, vast, expansive and soothing inkings of the beautiful landscape of rural Japan, with some elements of fantasy & folklore mixed in to keep things interesting.
A lot of these pictures could be framed and hung on your wall to be gazed upon and admired. While perusing through the vast assortment of them, a sense of calm emanated in me. And I wanted to just take my notebook, and take a waltz through some quiet rural landscape soaking up the world around. It was quite a meditative experience.
So if you want to enjoy some visual nature porn, clean palettes and calming nature, I suggest you give this book a try. It's pretty to look at, and meditative. That's it.
I've always admired the nation of Japan. For its beautiful culture, rich & storied history, mythology, cuisine, for anime & nerd culture, and it's unique natural landscapes. The sight of Mount Fuji rising from the horizon as if rising to the sky, or Hokusai's violent and thought inducing depiction of Kanagawa off the wave, or was it the mist filled fantasy-esque opening to Tom Cruise's 'The Last Samurai', it's a land which has captured my imagination.
And someday I hope to get acquainted with her intimately.
So, it was with intrigue that I delved into The Young Woman & the Sea by Catherine Meurisse. It was a mixed bag. On one hand I don't feel that the author, while rambling on about a lot of things, wasn't really able to connect to that vein of the culture. Nor was she able to make any observations that could be considered poignant.
It is as the description says, a graphical memoir of the brief time she spend in the rural parts of the nation. There is no larger narrative, going with a 'day in the life of foreigner' sort of approach. That's Ok, the story is not I came here for.
The visuals, which are the crux of the comic, they deliver. Several breathtaking, vast, expansive and soothing inkings of the beautiful landscape of rural Japan, with some elements of fantasy & folklore mixed in to keep things interesting.
A lot of these pictures could be framed and hung on your wall to be gazed upon and admired. While perusing through the vast assortment of them, a sense of calm emanated in me. And I wanted to just take my notebook, and take a waltz through some quiet rural landscape soaking up the world around. It was quite a meditative experience.
So if you want to enjoy some visual nature porn, clean palettes and calming nature, I suggest you give this book a try. It's pretty to look at, and meditative. That's it.
November 27, 2022
Quina meravella de novel•la gràfica. M'ha sorprès moltíssim i m'ha deixat el cor ben tovet.
June 7, 2022
I was quite enticed by the illustrations which I found gorgeous and wondrous, but alas the text was a great disappointment. The narrative felt rushed and at times muddled. I also felt great reservations when it came to the unavoidable western gaze which made this a very tedious read. To sum it up, this did not make for a pleasant read.
September 9, 2023
Ligero, nostálgico, bucólico y breve. Con ilustraciones de una belleza que invita a volver sobre ellas una y otra vez.
February 2, 2022
Je l’attendais depuis longtemps. Fidèle de l’œuvre de Catherine Meurisse. Un enchantement 😊
January 21, 2022
Beautifully illustrated throughout.
I am grateful to Europe Comics and NetGalley for allowing an early copy of this comic translated into English. A young French woman goes to Japan to expand her horizons. An illustrator who likes to paint landscapes. The land of the rising sun affords he many new experiences; the familiar in new and transformed settings as well as opening up to her the country’s myths and mysteries.
She meets different characters in her travels and struggles to grasp the hold natural events have over landscape and nature.
I really enjoyed this light and funny approach to life and struggling to understand language, tradition and way of life. The respect for the environment and power of Water, Earth and Fire show why we need to be harmony with our surroundings and mindful of past events. It presents a challenge to the artist regarding what they see and translate onto canvas.
Showing the value of creative art both in its form and inspiration. I love the sense of exploration and context.
This is a journey the writer takes us on and allows us to glimpse a fresh reality and find peace in a new place.
I am grateful to Europe Comics and NetGalley for allowing an early copy of this comic translated into English. A young French woman goes to Japan to expand her horizons. An illustrator who likes to paint landscapes. The land of the rising sun affords he many new experiences; the familiar in new and transformed settings as well as opening up to her the country’s myths and mysteries.
She meets different characters in her travels and struggles to grasp the hold natural events have over landscape and nature.
I really enjoyed this light and funny approach to life and struggling to understand language, tradition and way of life. The respect for the environment and power of Water, Earth and Fire show why we need to be harmony with our surroundings and mindful of past events. It presents a challenge to the artist regarding what they see and translate onto canvas.
Showing the value of creative art both in its form and inspiration. I love the sense of exploration and context.
This is a journey the writer takes us on and allows us to glimpse a fresh reality and find peace in a new place.
July 28, 2024
Este cómic es muy corto y sencillito. No me ha parecido nada revelador, pero te enseña algunos detalles de la cultura japonesa desde una perspectiva muy tierna. Las ilustraciones son preciosas. Me ha dado ganas de visitar este país!!
November 11, 2021
L'histoire n'est pas exceptionnelle (d'où le 4/5⭐) mais les illustrations sont incroyables, on dirait toutes des estampes japonaises. Le travail est incroyablement beau. J'adore aussi la place donnée/laissée à la nature.
Read
June 27, 2022Très beau, travail doux, avec cette petite touche décalée.
C’est ma deuxième bédé de Catherine Meurisse et j’aime toujours autant ce qu’elle fait.
C’est ma deuxième bédé de Catherine Meurisse et j’aime toujours autant ce qu’elle fait.
January 26, 2022
“If I can’t understand anything, I can at least feel something, right?”
I enjoyed the big picture story that this graphic novel told as the main character learns more about Japanese language, culture, and relationship with nature. She experiences the inherent cycles of life and nature in a humorous and light way.
The illustrations of Japanese landscapes and nature were stunning and vibrant, and I appreciated the tributes to famous Japanese stories and works of art throughout.
Some of the character’s social blunders and loud pronouncements about not understanding things made me cringe, though. As a westerner living in Japan, I’m well aware of the cultural and social differences, and I’ll admit it annoys me a bit when westerners are so incredibly ignorant of other cultures and practices when visiting or moving to new places. Yes, social faux pas will happen, but they don’t have to be as overly absurd and bumbling as they often are.
Overall I enjoyed the graphic novel, and I loved the artwork!
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the digital version of the graphic novel!
I enjoyed the big picture story that this graphic novel told as the main character learns more about Japanese language, culture, and relationship with nature. She experiences the inherent cycles of life and nature in a humorous and light way.
The illustrations of Japanese landscapes and nature were stunning and vibrant, and I appreciated the tributes to famous Japanese stories and works of art throughout.
Some of the character’s social blunders and loud pronouncements about not understanding things made me cringe, though. As a westerner living in Japan, I’m well aware of the cultural and social differences, and I’ll admit it annoys me a bit when westerners are so incredibly ignorant of other cultures and practices when visiting or moving to new places. Yes, social faux pas will happen, but they don’t have to be as overly absurd and bumbling as they often are.
Overall I enjoyed the graphic novel, and I loved the artwork!
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the digital version of the graphic novel!
December 8, 2022
Encontrar nuestro lugar en el mundo puede ser una de las tareas más complejas de nuestra vida. Hay ciertas personas que parecen estar predestinadas a hacer según que cosas y encuentran de manera rápida un propósito con el que sentirse realizados. Sin embargo, otras muchas personas parecen no conseguir encontrar su sitio en el mundo, llegar a ese propósito en el que coges aire, lo expulsas y dices “he nacido para esto”.
Pues de eso exactamente es lo que trata “La joven y el mar”, de la búsqueda de ese lugar (que no tiene por que ser un sitio físico, también puede ser una meta) y de como gestionamos nuestro tiempo e intentos por llegar allí. A través de dos personajes peculiares, un pintor con bloqueo artístico que desea pintar una mujer y una joven extranjera que decide viajar a Japón en búsqueda de inspiración para pintar la naturaleza, la autora consigue crear un cuento sencillo, que parece simple pero que esconde mucho más si leemos entre líneas o si miramos en nuestro interior.
Además de los dos personajes principales, encontraremos algunos personajes secundarios la mar de interesantes. Como una señora mayor sorda como una tapia o un tanuki (mapache japonés) que aparece en los momentos más oportunos. Pero sin duda, el personaje secundario de mayor importancia en el relato es la señorita Nami, la enigmática regente de la posada de aguas termales, que tiene el don de saber cuando se acercan desastres naturales y que esconde una trágica historia relacionada con dicho don.
La naturaleza es el hilo conductor en el que se desarrolla la trama, e incluso podría decirse que es un personaje más que se nos muestra en constante contraposición: ¿Qué naturaleza quiere pintar la protagonista: la que calma y es tranquila, o la que es feroz y destructiva? Solo la búsqueda de su lugar en el mundo podrá darle la respuesta.
Un cuento precioso y divertido, que esconde un significado mayor del que podemos ver a simple vista y que además está acompañado de unas ilustraciones que son todo un deleite visual y que compaginan a la perfección con la historia.
Pues de eso exactamente es lo que trata “La joven y el mar”, de la búsqueda de ese lugar (que no tiene por que ser un sitio físico, también puede ser una meta) y de como gestionamos nuestro tiempo e intentos por llegar allí. A través de dos personajes peculiares, un pintor con bloqueo artístico que desea pintar una mujer y una joven extranjera que decide viajar a Japón en búsqueda de inspiración para pintar la naturaleza, la autora consigue crear un cuento sencillo, que parece simple pero que esconde mucho más si leemos entre líneas o si miramos en nuestro interior.
Además de los dos personajes principales, encontraremos algunos personajes secundarios la mar de interesantes. Como una señora mayor sorda como una tapia o un tanuki (mapache japonés) que aparece en los momentos más oportunos. Pero sin duda, el personaje secundario de mayor importancia en el relato es la señorita Nami, la enigmática regente de la posada de aguas termales, que tiene el don de saber cuando se acercan desastres naturales y que esconde una trágica historia relacionada con dicho don.
La naturaleza es el hilo conductor en el que se desarrolla la trama, e incluso podría decirse que es un personaje más que se nos muestra en constante contraposición: ¿Qué naturaleza quiere pintar la protagonista: la que calma y es tranquila, o la que es feroz y destructiva? Solo la búsqueda de su lugar en el mundo podrá darle la respuesta.
Un cuento precioso y divertido, que esconde un significado mayor del que podemos ver a simple vista y que además está acompañado de unas ilustraciones que son todo un deleite visual y que compaginan a la perfección con la historia.
January 27, 2022
Let me start by saying that I found the art absolutely illusory and beautiful. The scenes were really grand-- the perspective of the illustrator will give you the feels of a movie filmed at wide angles from various directions.
Storywise, the plotline was simple, with more of the focus being on the landscape art and the cultural interactions of Japan. You wouldn't be able to find a concrete 'plot' as much, the book is more like an exploration.
Thanks Netgalley for the copy.
Storywise, the plotline was simple, with more of the focus being on the landscape art and the cultural interactions of Japan. You wouldn't be able to find a concrete 'plot' as much, the book is more like an exploration.
Thanks Netgalley for the copy.
January 18, 2022
NetGalley ARC.
This was a very sweet little graphic novel/comic. A French woman goes to Japan to train in art and sees so many things she has in common with Japan and the Japanese people and also the differences. "Are we call connected by our relationship to the earth?" Yes! I loved that line. The landscape artwork was breathtaking while the people leave a lot to be desired. I liked the back and forth with the coloring, using it where it counted, to show those rich landscapes. Though fair warning, there is a penis statue and some testicles? A little bizarre. lol.
This was a very sweet little graphic novel/comic. A French woman goes to Japan to train in art and sees so many things she has in common with Japan and the Japanese people and also the differences. "Are we call connected by our relationship to the earth?" Yes! I loved that line. The landscape artwork was breathtaking while the people leave a lot to be desired. I liked the back and forth with the coloring, using it where it counted, to show those rich landscapes. Though fair warning, there is a penis statue and some testicles? A little bizarre. lol.
September 25, 2022
Roman graphique contemplatif, avec de très belles planches illustrant la nature au Japon avec un petit côté onirique. Tout à fait ce qui me plait.
December 20, 2023
Quel talent, Catherine Meurisse! Avec cet ouvrage, elle a réussi en même temps à me faire voyager, réfléchir, apprendre des choses, être émue, et hurler de rire.
October 21, 2025
Catherine Meurisse a écrit, mais surtout dessiné et peint, ce livre lorsqu’elle a séjourné au Japon dans le cadre d’une résidence d’auteur. Je commence par là car c’est ce qui a présidé à l’écriture de ce livre, on sent qu’elle a ramé pour l’écrire, à peu près autant que le peintre en manque d’inspiration qu’elle a choisi comme personnage principal.
Tout ceci est donc tiré par les cheveux et pas très intéressant, tout semble forcé et peu inspiré. On se contente donc de profiter des très beaux paysages – qu’elle peint à merveille – et du décalage comique, entre ce raffinement et la façon caricaturale qu’elle a de se représenter. Catherine Meurisse a énormément de talent, mais il lui faut un sujet.
Également publié sur mon blog.
Tout ceci est donc tiré par les cheveux et pas très intéressant, tout semble forcé et peu inspiré. On se contente donc de profiter des très beaux paysages – qu’elle peint à merveille – et du décalage comique, entre ce raffinement et la façon caricaturale qu’elle a de se représenter. Catherine Meurisse a énormément de talent, mais il lui faut un sujet.
Également publié sur mon blog.
April 9, 2023
Me ha encantado. El texto con esos toques de surealismo, las conversaciones sobre la dificultad del acto de crear... Pero sobre todo me han encantado las ilustraciones. Los paisajes son preciosos.
Lo he leído de tirón.
Lo he leído de tirón.
February 9, 2022
i desperately wanted to love this. but i couldn't move past the -- what i personally found unsettling -- exoticization of japanese art and culture. it felt a little reductive. i personally didn't vibe with a lot of the humour as well.
but the art style is beautiful! i didn't really like the sketch-like style for the human characters, but the backgrounds are breathtaking and i could not stop looking at them!
i know the book was meant to be very philosophical, but it really only came close to that at the very end. i wish the magical realist elements had been brought forward earlier, and i wish there was more focus on miss nami because she was a very compelling character.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
but the art style is beautiful! i didn't really like the sketch-like style for the human characters, but the backgrounds are breathtaking and i could not stop looking at them!
i know the book was meant to be very philosophical, but it really only came close to that at the very end. i wish the magical realist elements had been brought forward earlier, and i wish there was more focus on miss nami because she was a very compelling character.
thank you to netgalley for the arc!
February 2, 2024
Wonderful. The colors, the markings, the composition of the pages, the homage to Hokusai, the cartooning, the humor, the reflections on art, natural cataclysms and humanity. A contender for my favorite book of 2024.
October 30, 2022
Дуже веселий мальопис про художницю-француженку, що приїхала за натхненням в маленьке японське село, де знайомиться не тільки із загадковими місцевими жителями, але й з танукі з гігантськими яйцями, який стає її (без)культурним провідником. Сподобався контраст між детально й романтично намальованими пейзажами та комічними головними героями. Відпочити душею та очима.
January 4, 2022
pas été sensible au dessin (je trouve l'héroïne flippante) et au côté très contemplatif du livre (tte ma curiosité vient de la couverture, bravo Catherine pr ça !!!!).
trop babos à mon goût, il faudrait le relire pour tout saisir !
cependant j'ai appris bcp de choses sur la culture artistique japonaise, et le raton laveur jtm
trop babos à mon goût, il faudrait le relire pour tout saisir !
cependant j'ai appris bcp de choses sur la culture artistique japonaise, et le raton laveur jtm
February 10, 2022
Everything is cool and smooth.
Catherie we love you.
A haiku.
Catherie we love you.
A haiku.
February 1, 2022
I loved this book. Usually this comedy comic artstyle for characters isn't for me but this story was so relatable. I went to Japan 4 years ago knowing about as much Japanese as the french illustrator that's our main character. And also the connection to Japanese nature I can totally understand and that's also mostly what's pulling me back there. I loved the landscape illustrations as and the way they explained small folk tales of the Japanese like the earthquake fish. I had them in Japanese history class (I am a Japanese studies student). Also the way the illustrations seemed to have something of the actual Ukiyo-e. I am a bit lost on how old Nami isconsidering they were talking about pictures drawn before 1900 where she was ten and then she mentioned sending her husband to Fukushima in 2011. But also that's charming. We often see Magical Realism in Japanese literature and this book combined it with it's own style. Also I think the Haiku part is interesting because Haiku in Japanese and Haiku in western languages are not exactly the same. It's hard because in japan we have sounds that can be a syllable but don't need to while in western speaking countires we only know syllables. Also I am not used to reading Japanese words in romanian letters anymore and the long syllables weren't translated in the way I am used to but in this case it just underlined the communication problems. As I am learning this language myself and I had the experience of going to Japan before I properly did so at university this book is extremely relatable to me and that's probably why I loved it so much.
January 10, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for this free copy!
This story is about an artist from France who visits Japan in search of inspiration. The comic walks you through the emotional experience of seeing things for the first time in a new country by emphasizing the beauty of nature and how we all have a connection to the earth. It also shares the message of respecting nature and how modern advancements have marred the beauty of nature.
The illustration of the scenery is beautiful and the characters are drawn to somewhat resemble the figures that you can find in traditional Japanese art. The landscapes have a delicate beauty about them and I think that the way the characters are drawn has a very minimalist feel to them.
Also, if you are a lover of haiku or words in general, you will enjoy reading this comic because one of the main characters is a haiku poet and his dialogues are so beautifully written that they are a joy to read!
So if you're into Japanese culture with a passion for beautifully crafted words, give this comic a shot!
This story is about an artist from France who visits Japan in search of inspiration. The comic walks you through the emotional experience of seeing things for the first time in a new country by emphasizing the beauty of nature and how we all have a connection to the earth. It also shares the message of respecting nature and how modern advancements have marred the beauty of nature.
The illustration of the scenery is beautiful and the characters are drawn to somewhat resemble the figures that you can find in traditional Japanese art. The landscapes have a delicate beauty about them and I think that the way the characters are drawn has a very minimalist feel to them.
Also, if you are a lover of haiku or words in general, you will enjoy reading this comic because one of the main characters is a haiku poet and his dialogues are so beautifully written that they are a joy to read!
So if you're into Japanese culture with a passion for beautifully crafted words, give this comic a shot!
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