Himawari House

Nao, a Japanese American, moves to Tokyo to study for a year to try to learn about her Japanese heritage. She moves into Himawari House with housemates Hyechan from Korea, Tina from Singapore, and Shinichi and Masaki both from Japan. Will living in Japan help Nao find herself and her family’s heritage?

This graphic novel reads like manga. It’s in black and white and the illustrations are very manga-like. While I like the artwork and found many parts hilarious, I wish the art was in color. I think color would have brought the illustrations to life more. While the story dives into the past and current lives of Nao, Hychean, and Tina, I sometimes found it confusing with the flashbacks and dreams and the mixing of the different stories. I had to reread certain scenes/chapters to fully understand what was happening.

Despite that, I found the graphic novel to be heartwarming and funny. I love the use of all the different accents. I found it to be true and authentic. I absolutely love all the food and culture in the book. YA manga and graphic novel readers will enjoy this coming-of-age story about finding oneself.