My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness

I have so many good thoughts for this manga.. I read a lot of books, comics, and graphic novels with LGBT+ characters and added this one to the list finding the title funny and relatable. I wasn't ready for the real and honest life story this artist put into the story. The first couple chapters the mc talks about depression and loneliness(who would've guessed!) but I wasn't expecting to relate so heavily. It feels so raw and real when you read "I told myself I want good enough and I believed it" and explained her thought process through her healing and becoming a more well rounded human. The first chapters for me personally were rough knowing exactly the kind of feelings the mc was going through. She spoke and addressed her mental illness and her vulnerability as she discovered herself. I found as a reader that even if I couldn't relatable to certain parts I absolutely knew where she was coming from. I was happy for the mc when they would heal. I was cheering for her when she was about to do something big. I fell in love with this book and think about it constantly. I re read and appreciated the white grey and pink panels again and am excited to read the sequels to this story. There is talk of depression but it doesn't go heavily into detail. If you are sensitive to that sort of material I would perhaps recommend not reading. How ever this is an amazing story about self healing and dealing eith depression, loneliness, and self doubt.

I’ve never felt the need to write a book review before, but I’ve genuinely never felt so seen in something I’ve read. Initially I picked it up because well, I’m a lesbian, and I am indeed lonely (and bits of previews really resonated with me) but I ended up finding far more of myself in her experiences than I thought I would. It certainly doesn’t pull any punches in just how real and often uncomfortable to talk about it gets, but the transparency of it all made me feel much better about parts of myself that I, like her, feel guilty about. It really made me feel less alone in my own struggles. I was especially comforted reading about the constant push and pull of her relationship with her parents—or, more accurately, with her true self and the self that wants to please them. I’m still very caught in the middle of that conflict myself, so it was nice reading proof that I wasn’t alone. While the title implies that it’s intended just for queer readers, I think plenty of other people can benefit from reading it. Sure, you might not understand everything from a personal standpoint, but maybe it can help you understand someone else in your life and have a bit more empathy for those people. Overall, very worth the read, and I can definitely see myself picking up more of Nagata Kabi’s work.

This is not a romance series. It's not a happy series. This series is bittersweet. I've seen people reading this expecting a happy ending when in reality the ending isn't happy, nor is it, sad, it's...real. While many english readers are turned off by the title or feel mislead, this series does deal with a woman who does for the most part identify as a lesbian and is a lonely person. She is a person who has suffered many issues in regards to her mental and physical health as well as a somewhat abusive live not only internally and externally. some of it brought on by Japan's lack of an understanding in mental health or a refusal to admit that people need it, but also from a lack of love. Nagato Kabi is a person who in some ways has never felt love and this, and it's sequels, all deal with her slowly trying to mature and grow and learn to love herself even when others dont' show it to her, and cannot find it in others as she doesn't know who or what it is she wants. She suffers from many mental health issues and you watch her struggle as she slowly tries to overcome them and in a way she does, but it also shows the failures as well. How she gets jobs and thinks she's doing better only to spiral out once again and try to pick up the pieces and you can't help but root for her, and for many like myself, identify with her as well. Identify with all she's going through and root for her as she goes on these journeys to figure out who she is and what she wants. It's not an easy series to get through and at times it's sad but it's a very human story, at times too human, but that's not a bad thing and I applaud this book and enjoy it.

It's not often I find cute biographies where depression and anxiety aren't framed in a short term, "then I got over it" way. The naked honesty of Kabi Nagata's thoughts and experiences are really refreshing (and more than one time made me tear up with recognition) -- it's a story of bravery and healing as well, but it's so encouraging to to read her aknowledgements that no, even when you try to change your life around there are obstacles, and the struggles might always be there. But that doesn't mean it's useless to try. A cute straightforward art style, and a matter-of-factly attitiude to being lesbian also makes this a great read.

When people are saying this comic is too 'raw' and 'real' they're not kidding. Kabi talks very openly about her life, her depression, anxiety and everything in-between. She doesn't pull any punches or worry about making herself look good. When it comes to auto-bio comics I feel like a good portion of people tend to try and always make themselves look better or always 'right'. Kabi doesn't bother with that pretense and bluntly talks about how her life fell apart and how she managed to claw herself slightly out of the pit of depression. She sure as hell isn't free of it, but she's above where she used to be. For anyone with depression that much is a big accomplishment. She addresses how she screws up as a person in a very open way. Kabi gets directly to the heart of various issues and pulls them apart in a very unique way. The two tone color style is really lovely look at and gives the story an extra push forward. Like we're being invited to read a journal by Kabi herself. The cover having a nipple/nudity could be a turn off for some people, but don't let that stop you from reading this comic. It is definitely worth a look.

I often times have manga recommendations online, advertisements that I mostly ignore because usually they end up uninteresting to me or are eventually disappointing. But something about this one called out to me. After looking in to it I decided to give it a shot, and man was I not disappointed! I had assumed this was a straight-foward comedy, mainly from its title, but it had turned out to be a very heartfelt, very moving memoir from a relatable person who deals with depression, anxiety, and the general awkwardness of being alive today. The way Kabi Nagata draws her life and her anecdotes about her feelings are truly awe-inspiring. There's still comedy, but it blends masterfully with the slices of the author's life. My favorite quote from this manga is easily: "When other people couldn't see that I was trying... it felt like no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't really be trying at all." Quotes like that, among other things, make this manga an absolute must-read. I, more than once, found myself in this story. Feelings of depression, the desire to give up, of living every day as if walking on needles. I have felt these feelings before, as I'm sure many others have. Reading this was cathartic, as it helped to see someone describe it so well. Anyone who has ever felt this way will find themselves in this story, and I recommend highly that you go looking!

I bought this book as a gift for a friend because it is excellent. I received my own copy as a birthday present before, and I loved its message so much that I wanted to gift it to someone special. The book quality is impeccable, and it arrived very well packaged. A meaningful and beautifully made book.

This is the first Japanese manga I’ve read, and I’m happy to say it was such an enjoyable experience that it makes me want to read more of it. On to my thoughts: Summary: An autographical manga about Nagata’s own experiences and struggles with sexuality, depression, an eating disorder, anxiety, and family expectations. Page Length: 152 pages Published: June 2017 Pros: Lack of filter about real human issues like mental health, sexuality, and differing of opinions when it comes to family relationships. I love books like that/this. The artwork was cute, minimal, though I think was perfect for the story. It showed the personality of the author well. Kinda similar to point one, but I really enjoyed the “realness” of this story. Anyone who’s actually written an autobiography has run into the moment where they’re sitting with their publisher and they can decide what to leave in, take out, tweak, whatever. MLEWL didn’t feel like a story that was trying to hard to be relatable. It just was, and I deeply appreciate that. Cons: No negative things or constructive points. I wish it was longer but that’s not really a true con, ya know? All I know is that anything else Nagata publishes (or has published and I just don’t know about), I will read. Final Rating: 5/5 🙂

El manga el excelente, el formato, la calidad de las páginas y el como respetaron las páginas a color del manga japonés, se nota la calidad y cariño que siempre le ponen a sus mangas Seven Seas. La historia es densa y te muestra una historia de depresión y superación de una persona que no por eso tiene que ser mala, a parte va acompañado de un estilo de dibujo curioso en el que va muy bien con la historia.

Ce manga aborde des sujets importants et intéressant, on rentre dans la vie de l'autrice, qui se livre entièrement. J'ai vraiment aimé le lire, c'est une très bonne lecture, on y aborde la santé mentale, la sexualité...

Una pasada de lectura. La historia, a pesar de su crudeza, es ante todo sincera y despierta mucha empatía en sus lectoras y lectores. El dibujo es muy sencillo y amigable con una paleta de colores muy acertada. Su perspectiva sobre el tratamiento social de la depresión y la ansiedad es la más sincera y sencilla de hacer entender que he visto nunca.

Very much worth a read, and great to see some honest representation. Heavier themes than I was expecting (such as self harm, suicide and eating disorders, I didn't do loads of research before buying so that's on me), but still humerous. Well written, beautifully illustrated, and funny and sad at the same time. An interesting story, and a relatable depiction of loneliness and dysfunction in day to day life. I have started the second book in the series, which is also very good so far and a bit lighter while remaining funny. A good comic that I was slightly unprepared for but thoroughly enjoyed, I look forward to reading the other volumes

As the title of the book suggests, this is an autobiographical manga, and Kabi Nagata doesn't pull any punches when it comes to who she is. This is a story about her life, how she became who she is, and how she's seen herself throughout her life. It's a really honest, intimate look at a human being's thoughts and views, and incredibly relatable. Even if you don't have much in common with a Japanese lesbian who struggles with mental illness, the way she draws visual metaphors and writes out clear explanations of her internal feelings makes it very easy to empathise with her and understand her. It takes a lot of effort to write about difficult personal topics in a way that feels so effortless to read and understand. This is a single standalone volume that is half as long as your average manga, but it must be noted that this was originally a digital comic on pixiv rather than a traditional magazine-published manga, and so every page is drawn in black, white and pink. The artstyle is cute and charmingly messy, but composed very intelligently. Kabi Nagata has published traditional manga before (none that have been translated into English besides this, as of this review), and her genuine skill as a mangaka is clear on every page. This additional colour and the very high quality paper makes the price worthwhile: at the time of writing this, it's not much more expensive than any other manga volume. I have to recommend this wholeheartedly. I think anybody can get something out of reading it.