I am an avid reader, but sometimes I find myself dreading reading longer books. Whenever I find myself in a book slump, I always make my way back to the manga section at the library. This time I picked up volume 1 of Akiko Higashimura’s Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey. I had heard nothing of the book but the pretty cover drew me in, and I could also infer the book was about art from the title.
SUMMARY
Blank Canvas is a unique manga autobiography where Higashimura tells her own journey on becoming an artist in a comedic yet informative way. It begins with Higashimura in high school. The readers find out her main interest is art and how she wishes to be a manga artist. While growing up, she was always praised for her art skills. She focuses on art to the point where she would put off all of her assignments, making it difficult for her to apply to most colleges with her grades. One day, her classmate Futami recommends her to go to an art class that Futami often goes to. There, she is met with a strict teacher and harsh criticism of her work. Through this, Higashimura works on developing her technical skills on art and realizes her dream of becoming an artist may not be as easy as previously thought.
OPINIONS
The book itself was both a quick and enjoyable read for me. As someone who is also interested in art, I found it interesting how different everyone’s art journey can be and shows how talent does not grow overnight. Through Higashimura’s journey, the readers see her get rejected from multiple schools, including her dream school. It goes to show how much work is put into learning art, and even then you could face rejection. I also like the uniqueness of it being a manga autobiography showing her life. Not only is it more enjoyable to read with pictures, the readers get clear examples of her thoughts throughout this process. I only read volume 1 but there are 4 other books in this series that I plan on reading soon. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read and enjoys manga!
This was a great review of this book! I have never actually read a manga before but hearing your review and explanation of this book really intrigues me. I also enjoy art and drawing and hearing about this story and autobiography of someone who enjoys those things makes me want to read this manga and maybe try some others out. What other manga's are out there that you would recommend?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the book recommendation! I also haven’t read much manga before, but this looks like it would be a good place to start. I think it’s really interesting that you discussed the character’s struggles with receiving criticism and how much goes into works of art before anyone even sees them. Both those themes aren’t commonly written about, so this book probably provides a perspective I’ve never heard before. I hope I get the chance to read it!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good book review! Similar to Claire, I have never read a manga before, but this recommendation is making me reconsider. I really like how you related yourself to the character with your art, it added your own personal touch to this review. I have also never read a book about art and the connection of hard work and criticism, but this intrigues me. I will definitely be putting this on my book list!
ReplyDeleteGreat job Khuyen! I liked how you connected a bit with the character and showed how struggle is important to achieve our biggest goals. I have read manga before, but only the adventure/fantasy stories. I was surprised to find someone had actually made an autobiography in manga. Great find and thanks Khuyen!
ReplyDeleteAmazing Job Khuyen! This was a great review of the book. Like some of the other comments I have never read a manga as well, but reading this blog made me very interested in mangas. When I thought about mangas I always though that they would be fictional stories, but turns out they have autobiographies. Nice job Khuyen, and I think I added another book to my reading list!
ReplyDeleteThe manga sounds easygoing and relaxing! It is really cool to see all the obstacles artists face. This will definitely be on my list, considering that I need a break from all the death-filled mangas I am reading. Hopefully, this manga will also inspire me to draw again. Great review, Khuyen!
ReplyDeleteThis was a good book review. I like the way you related the story to yourself. I have never read a manga, but it sounds like it could be a very interesting read. Good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I, too, sometimes have a hard time reading super long books. I normally don't read manga (I've read maybe one or two in total?) but I might just pick this one up!
ReplyDeleteWow!! Awesome review! I loved your detailed description of the plot and main character. I've never read a manga before, but your positive review encourages me to check this one out!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an awesome read! I am not an artist myself, but I love art and hearing about other people's experiences with it. I am also glad that you mentioned it can sometimes be hard to read longer books. Many people (including myself) also have this problem. Awesome review!
ReplyDeleteAwesome review. As someone who isn't an artist, I can't really relate to this manga at a personal level. I've always loved drawing, yet I never became good at it. This is why I think I connect to Akiko Higashimura's story in a way, as I used to have the same goals as her. Higashimura goes through many means to achieve her goal of being an amazing artist, which is what makes this manga so interesting. Putting aside all reality for your goal of becoming an artist, really makes this an interesting piece. And, I really like the way you formatted this post. Separating your introduction, summary, and thoughts really made this an enjoyable and easy read. Good work.
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