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 the Far East meet.
In the manner of Lewis Carroll, the young artist lets characters out of legend lead her through pictorial landscapes. Imagination and dialogue are key to penetrating the secrets of this strange territory and discovering why the young explorer finds it so fascinating. This Alice daydreams and wonders, returning every now and then to reality and nature, that dynamic dictator of events and situations.
After The Great Outdoors, Catherine Meurisse continues her pursuit of beauty in an unknown land, between mountain and sea, illustrating landscapes that reflect the seasons and the artist’s progress. Truly splendid!
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. It makes the art look very unique and it may take some time to get used to because of its uniqueness. However, it is still beautiful nonetheless.
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! This is because not only are their conversations poetic, their deep conversations also serve to tease your mind along with the philosophical message that the comic imparts which reminds us of our relationship with nature.
So if you’re into Japanese culture with a passion for beautifully crafted words, I would recommend you give this comic a shot!
The synopsis is from goodreads.com
Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Note: As I end this review, I would like to apologize for not being able to post anything for the past two weeks. I was incredibly busy at work because it was the end of the year for us (Our sales year ends in January) and I couldn’t squeeze in any time to read. However, now that Jan is over, I can now get back to reading and posting reviews more consistently :). Sorry again everyone!
Audaysciously 
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