Hanami tells the (true-ish) story of Julia and Marc, a young couple who moves to Japan.
I found it interesting to read about the culture shock they experience at their new place and how they dealt with it.
The art style - especially the colour scheme - of the novel was lovely.
Overall I really enjoyed this book.

This autobiographic novel talks about Julia's travel to Japan. The artstyle is a bit sketchy, the colors are nice. It was a very ok comic.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this eBook.

Hanami is a graphic novel about a couple who move to Japan temporarily and all the various cultural and linguistic barriers that they deal with. While the art style was refreshing, there were a few places where the story ended a little too early for my liking.

This was a series of comics, each addressing a topic from daily life while the author lived in Japan.

The art was pretty sometimes and I didn't like it sometimes. But one thing that sets it apart from other mangas/ comics is that the characters have distinct features, so you'll have no problem recognising and differentiating them.

I loved that the book tells us so much about life in Japan! I'm learning Japanese as it is one of the requirements to be able to take part in the 'work in Japan' program at college, but my college's language classes doesn't focus much on the cultural aspects - so this was a fun and informative read.

The stories are personal, but very relatable - especially the one where you don't know if you are saying the right thing in a foreign language - so you're sweating buckets while speaking and the bajillion rules of politeness Japan has lol.

This graphic novel is about a Spanish couple in their mid-30s living in Japan for a little while when they were at a crossroad in their lives.

This is not the first time that I have read a graphic novel where westerners recount their experiences travelling or living in Japan. So, unfortunately, there were a lot of things that I found to be pretty similar to other graphic novels in the same vein.

Like other similar books, this one is not one continuous story but a collection of snippets of interesting things that they experienced while in Japan. This could sometimes make my reading journey feel a little jagged.
The illustration is not bad but can sometimes make me feel a little lost as to what was happening due to the lack of words and expressions. I’m not sure if this is a style I’m just not familiar with because I think this is the first time I read anything by a Spaniard illustrator.

What I did love about the novel however, was the little precious moments between her and her husband, especially when they were talking about their worries regarding work. Those were so relatable and vulnerable that I wish I could have more. There were also some happenings that were somewhat funny because she actually put to paper what we might all feel but don’t normally talk about. For example, how fleeting Sakura was thus gone be the Hanami memories almost as soon as the last petal fall to the ground.

I’d still recommend this book, but for people who people who either have not read a similar book, those who like to read something similar or people who are struggling to find their ways in their 30s.

Sure to be a hit with those who've lived in Japan or are considering it but anybody can read Hanami and have a good time. It was a fantastic slice of life jam packed with humourous anecdotes, who knew that taking out bins could be so complex? The art style really complemented the subject and was a delight to view.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this advanced copy

This ended up not being the book for me, while it is very pretty and an easy read to follow. I have trouble following graphic novels that are set up in a slice of life storytelling way. With little pieces of a life here and there but not a connected way through or plain message to follow. I loved seeing Julia and Marc talk throughout the story but it just felt jumbled to me.

I have known various people in my life where, let’s just say their enthusiasm for an idea exceeds their preparation for the reality of it. I’ve suffered the consequences of this (when it’s a parent), tried to mitigate the damage (when it’s a sibling), or offered consolation in the aftermath (when it’s a friend). This triggered some very stressful memories that I don’t care to ever revisit. In lovely comic form, but still. (Very lovely comic form!)

I really enjoyed getting another glimpse into life in Japan. Some of the stories were so accurate I was laughing to myself.
I think that the only thing I found a bit troubling is that the illustrations sometimes confused me.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this free ARC!

this was a lovely read, an extremely sweet venture into japanese culture, and whilst being an enjoyable story in itself, i also feel like i've learnt a lot from it.

going into hanami, i was practically clueless on most of japan, and getting to know more about the country and it's culture was so interesting, a long with such beautiful art and a nice storyline between the two main characters, they had their own unique experiences whilst also respecting and learning about the country they were moving two, with a drastic change from living in spain.

it felt personal which benefit the story a lot, with the added plus of a cosy, informal feeling too. had a very nice time reading x

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review) undife
Hanami is not only a deeply emotional journey into living in Japan as a foreigner, but also a diary of what needs to be done to achieve one’s dream.
I really enjoyed Julia Cejas’ journey, the way in which everything is described and the reader themselves can feel part of what she and her partner and feeling. The art is wonderful as well, very delicate. I specially enjoyed the panels showing what she sees from her window, something that can at first feel very superficial, but that anyone who has lived abroad understands: once the outside changes, something inside stirs as well.
To sum up, an amazing reading for an otherworldly journey.
And what is going on with the garbage system in Japan? It feels so well thought, but a true nightmare for newbies!

Hanami is a set of mostly autobiographical stories (translated from Spanish!) from a woman who moved to Japan with her husband after both of them are jobless, ad their experiences during the duration of their visas in language school and general life living as normal people.

I enjoyed the linework, the simple colors, and the loving art of their daily live and their small adventures, whether it's a day trip to Nikko or just life in the neighborhood! But I 1000% cannot relate to just, 'well, I have savings before I lost my job so let's just move to Japan and I'll try writing video game music for the first time and you'll be an artist and we'll just get by on an education visa as long as we take four hours of language class and--". Like I know some people do this but it's completely unfathomable to me! Also that they just chose Japan (I'm assuming because they like video games and anime/manga considering the artist-writer lists a bunch of manga inspirations in the back) for fandom reasons (valid) but without doing like any research into what life is like there-- as one is Celiac and the other started off vegan.

I did also really like the story about the garbage separation as honestly the garbage separation is one of my favorite things about Japan (but maybe that's just because I've only been a tourist who's stayed for no longer than about two weeks at a time). and how many just, real life, basic life stories there were!

Thank you to NetGalley and Humanoid for the eARC in exchange for review!

It's a series of comics, though they're a bit longer than the standard slice of life ones I've seen that are just 4 or 5 panels. These are full pages of color and images, complex background, expressions, details, and so on. Each one addresses a specific topic (like sorting garbage) or memorable moment (like struggling to ask for directions).

I really liked the art, as it had plenty of detail without being overwhelming. The limited colors were enough to differentiate what was going on in each scene, but also allowed me to focus on what was happening without getting overwhelmed in color and movement on the page. I got familiar with it quickly and had no issues identifying people and locations that reoccurred.
The stories themselves were a mix of entertaining and informative. It feels intimate, as though these were comics she made for herself while there as a sort of memory journal. For the most part, they are not super emotional and focus primarily on the things occurring over how she feels about things. There is emotion included though, as with the stress of communicating, the fear of running out of money, the triumph of getting something correct, and so on. Still, I think they were not the primary focus of it all.

As a slice of life and cultural memoir, this was a sweet addition to the collection. I did learn a few things about Japan -- pretty sure the flu-season one would prevent me from ever living there -- and enjoyed seeing their reactions to it. This was especially true since they are originally from Spain, so their perceptions and opinions were not always coming from a base "normal" that would match my own. I had multiple directions of learning as I saw what they were used to as well as what they found in Japan!

Overall I was happy to read this one and felt a loose goodwill towards them. The art felt gentle and effective, and carried the stories and sentiments nicely.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this graphic novel

Reading this toke me a while to get into but the story behind it is one to relate to in a way, matters came up when they travelled to Japan about dietary requirements, culture , way of people and places and also hobbies and relationship stuff and it was interesting to see going though the motions of all these from their propesctive.

I really enjoyed this cute graphic novel! I love all things Japan, and it was so fun to see a foreigner's perspective, as I'll be one myself when I visit Japan. It shows the troubles of transitionining from one way of life to another, its so fun and it reminds me that I must brush up on my Japanese. Definitely prepare myself for my visit. I really enjoyed their real life struggles, making the story more easy to resonate with.

hanami is a graphic novel about a couple that moves from spain to japan and their numerous adventures and struggles, shown through a series of short stories. we follow them as they navigate japanese culture while also seeing them grow as people and as a couple.

this novel was very cute and interesting. the art style really suited the comics and i loved the color palette used. however, i feel like you have to be in the mood for this type of short stories, otherwise you might get a bit bored.

thank you to Netgalley and Humanoids Inc | Life Drawn for the ARC!

Japan is a lovely country, in terms of tourism, sights, and its rich culture and history. It’s great to learn more about Japan from a non-local’s perspective. The content isn’t exactly new but it is presented in a very refreshing way. I love the raw honesty, nothing held back vibes of this book. Trigger warning to those sensitive to anxiety/depression content. While Julia has depicted their emotional journey really well, I sometimes find that the emotional energy can be a little intense. She talks about general life struggles and identity crisis, which is easily relatable. My favourite part of the book is the story where Julia studied some of the kanji words by visualising them as illustrated doggie characters/roles - please read the book to find out more; I’m explaining this rather badly. Overall, I’m happy to recommend this book.

Interesting art style and a unique story that resonated more than I thought it would. Slight warning for some depression/anxiety-havers like me, because the main couple have a bit of a mental spiral at one point, but it doesn't last too long. Just making a note of it so you don't go in thinking it's a perfectly idyllic depiction of foreigners living in Japan with no troubles whatsoever.

Review to come in September on my blog/other places.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I just LOVE books about people going to Japan, learning the language, travelling through the country/staying there for a while, so this graphic novel? I needed it in my life!

In this one we first meet Julia who during a fun party meets Marc and they start dating and then slowly the idea of going to Japan starts. We see them prepare, learn the language (or at least get a basic understanding of it), we see them get hyped and figure things out, and then it actually starts. They are going, and I was just so excited. We see them get to their apartment (which isn't big and boy I would definitely go crazy if I had another person with me at that point), discover foods and find out that no gluten/vegan isn't the easiest options, see them go to Japanese school to learn the language (which I adored to see, that they were really sticking in the effort to learn the language even if they weren't going to stay a long time), and then slowly they are getting used to what Japan is. Well, OK, not always, haha. We see that some things are just strange/weird, for instance one time Julia is entranced by the TV and the weird things that pass by, she is all sparkly eyed, haha.

I love seeing various cultural differences pop by + also about that whole trash/garbage plan that Japan has which has always confused me, haha. So many things that need to be sorted and put in the right spots, LORD I would go crazy.

But we also see the two grow. As a couple. As people. We see how Marc is really going and making a demo to send to Kojima (yes, that Kojima). His worries and his energy. We see that Julia has more problems with things in the country, especially in the way of communicating. She just doesn't dare to speak up. Worried she may say the wrong thing. Or that she won't find the words. I did agree with Marc, just try it. It is scary yes, but how else do you want to practice your skills? I loved that they were so good together, Marc and Julia, again, if I was cramped in that small space with barely any room to breathe or have silent moment, I would go crazy. And not just me, my hubby would as well. We both just need our spaces.

I loved seeing Japan through Marc and Julia's eyes. From hanami to manga/anime to safety drills to learning Japanese to food and gorgeous sites. It was a lot of fun and I am so happy I was able to read this book.

We also see that Julia has arthritis and how she tries to handle the pain + figure out a way to just go on without doing treatments (as they don't have a lot of money) until they are back in Spain. My heart broke for her that she had to make these decisions. Food or treatment. Treatment or food.

The art was also so fun. I love the limited colour palette of red/pink/blue.

All in all, I would highly recommend this one! This was just so good and I flew right through it.

I have always found autobiographical comics to be so refreshing. Reading Hanami was an enlightening and relatable experience - reminding me of how it felt to grow up artsy with a love of japan from early adulthood.

It touched on struggles from money to mental health to relationships without feeling preachy in any way. Cautionary, perhaps? I loved the way Hanami portrays culture shock and getting through it, what it's like to work for something even when it's hard.

As for the art - I really loved it. The perspective, the use of limited pallets to excentuate details... lovely. And the "view from my window" scenes were great.

Thanks for the ride!