Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! When I saw the thumbnail for Colleen’s latest video I literally said “yes!” out loud because I knew this would get more people to read one of my favorite mangaka, the genius (天才) Yumi Tamura (田村由美). So, of course, I must also use this opportunity to promote her work! I’ve tried to express why I think Tamura is special in the past (writing about Basara and Don’t Call it Mystery), but I knew Colleen would do a much better job that I could. And I was right! This video does an incredible job of describing Tamura’s unique point of view, showing why more people outside of Japan should be reading her work, along with providing an argument for why more of her series should be officially licensed and available in English. So please, if you have some time, give this video a watch and then start reading Yumi Tamura. Because she truly is an incredible mangaka.
And, as always…
What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?
Happy Wednesday! 👹