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Fantagraphics is getting ready to release On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides Vol. 1 next month as part of its Takumigraphics imprint, which is focused on East Asian comics.
The book is the manga debut of Marina Lisa Komiya, translated by Diana Taylor. And it follows the lives of two Japanese war brides in the aftermath of WWII, tackling the sensitive and moving tensions around a long list of topics, including identity, sexuality, and cultural change — all as the main characters’ country works to rebuild from devastation.
You can find a full plot synopsis with marketing text from Fanta below, followed by an exclusive 6-page excerpt from the book, which is due to arrive in shops on September 1.
After Japan lost the War, the country was thrown into devastation. No one felt this devastation as much as Japanese women, who, left with few paths to choose from, took low-wage jobs, fell into sex work, and wed American G.I.s. In their affecting graphic novel debut, Marina Lisa Komiya follows the lives of two Japanese women and the American soldiers they marry in this tumultuous time period.
Best friends (and possibly more) before the War, Haru and Yoriko are separated in the evacuation of their town during the air raids. As they search for each other afterward, Haru gets by as a waitress, while Yoriko sells her body at a brothel. Their fortunes change when they each meet respectful American soldiers, who take their hand. Arthur, a Japanese American, grapples with the inner conflict of his dual identity, while Scott is at once fascinated by Japanese culture and wracked with guilt over the destruction American forces have wrought.
Amidst the postwar desolation, love finds a way, in this powerful work of manga that explores sexuality, identity, and unlikely cross-cultural connection.
ON THEIR FRONTLINES Excerpt
On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides Vol. 1 is due out from Fantagraphics on September 1.
