An assured comics debut inspired by the myths and legends of ancient Japan.

Comics

A visit to the family shop selling old kimonos doesn’t promise any great adventures, but the life of young Suzu will probably never be the same again. Her grandmother falls ill and has to be taken to hospital, leaving our protagonist on her own in an empty shop with all of her fears, worries, and insecurities. When she hears a strange sound, Suzu goes to look for its source and discovers it is coming from a strange fox mask. She brings it closer to her face to get a better look and enters a fantasy world inspired by Japanese legends, filled with mythical foxes and temple ceremonies. The medicine which could cure her grandmother doesn’t exist in our world, but might it be found in the ghostly realm behind the mask? And who knows, perhaps alongside the urgent help for her grandmother, Suzu might even learn something important about herself.

In her first book, the illustrator and comics writer Kata Rina has created a poetic story filled with the atmosphere of the legends and stories from the land of the rising sun. Traditional kimonos encounter modern inspiration from the world of popular culture, all of which plays out in loose fullpage compositions that are pleasing to the eye and abound in subdued yet opulent shades of magenta and golden brown. A minimalist style of narration alternates with a wordless comics trip to the borders of the imagination. The original shorter version of the comics won the Japanese International Manga Award in 2022.