Tamaki, Mariko, and Jillian Tamaki - Skim

[oyceter]

Kimberly Keiko Cameron, also known as "Skim," is currently trying to negotiate her place at school. She and her best friend are starting to drift apart, she has a crush on her English teacher Ms. Archer, and the suicide of one of the popular girls' boyfriends is affecting everyone.

The story here isn't new, although the specifics of it are—the teacher crush, the student suicide. What makes Skim feel different is the execution of the plot, from the fallout of Skim's crush to how she has to negotiate friendships and alliances in high school. I especially liked the portrayal of Katie, the popular girl whose boyfriend committed suicide right after he dumped her; she was much more real than I had expected, and I appreciated that.

The art is also beautiful. Jillian Tamaki's style is somewhat like other indie comics, except certain panels, which look like Japanese paintings. I can't tell if it's me stereotyping the art based on ethnicity, as it's only occasionally, and usually only when she paints Skim. Here's a sample, although you can't really see the effect I'm talking about until page 19 or so. It's the small fuzzy high eyebrows and the roundness of the lower face, along with the curve of the nose, that work together to remind me of paintings of Heian court ladies.

I liked this much better than Mariko Tamaki's Emiko Superstar and hope she does another project with her cousin.

Links:
- minnow1212's review

Comments

[minnaway]

Oh, good, I'm glad someone else found and liked this.

[laceblade]

I loved this!

[oyceter]

Yay! I didn't love it, but I did like it a lot.

[wintersweet]

I don't think you're stereotyping; in that sample there are panels where the mouths (particularly of the main [?] character), eyebrows, and face shapes appear to be deliberately imitating ukiyo-e. :)

[oyceter]

Yeah, that's what I thought as well, but I am not so great with art, so wasn't sure.

[bravecows]

Hah, I just read this book! Really liked it -- I felt it captured both the complexity and fleetingness of that time of life very well.

Also the Japanese paintings thing didn't occur to me until I saw this cover image, but it'd seem to confirm your impression.

[oyceter]

Yay, am glad people like it! Although I wish Tamaki's follow-up were more in this vein (Emiko Superstar is very... what I would expect from Minx).

[bravecows]

Yeah, I skimmed Emiko Superstar in the shop and felt no impulse to read more.

Is Mariko Tamaki the writer or the artist? I can't recall.

[oyceter]

She's the writer... Jillian Tamaki is her cousin, and I have to remember to see what else Jillian Tamaki has illustrated!