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Mangaka Makihirochi is likely to be familiar to those who follow the digital English market. She is the mangaka behind the six-volume series “Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live?”, which was only published digitally by Kodansha. With “Sketchy”, another work by the mangaka is now appearing on the US market - this time in a physical format.
In Japan, Sketchy started in Kodansha's Young Magazine the 3rd in 2019. In April 2021, the series moved to Monthly Young Magazine. In the same year, publication also began in Young Magazine Web. The series will comprise a total of six volumes.
How was it?
"Sketchy" strikes me as a manga that is significantly flawed from the outset. The covers of the series are not very appealing and leave readers unclear about what lies within. Each of the six covers of the series will be in a different color and feature a portrait of one of the three main characters. These factors could lead to "Sketchy" not receiving the attention it deserves, in my opinion.
The core question of "Sketchy" revolves around what happens when someone is over 30, luck has left them, and they feel stuck in a dead end in their life, with no way out.
Throughout the book, Makihirochi slowly unfolds her three main characters. At the beginning, we meet Ako Kawasumi, who serves as a link for the women introduced later. These women are trapped in their current life stage, at an intersection between career and personal life, with no prospect of a better future. Kawasumi is approaching her thirtieth birthday, works in a video rental store, and is in a loveless relationship while her peers are passing her by. However, a chance encounter with a skateboarder ignites a spark in her. The dreams and ambitions she had given up on, as well as visions of the future, slowly resurface, and Ako decides to make a change now and learn to skateboard.
Her counterpart is Takehana, who has had a brilliant career and is now switching departments in a publishing house due to an affair with an author’s husband. After the end of this relationship, she eventually finds a rented DVD of "Lords of Dogtown" under her sofa – which came from Ako's store, and Ako has been wondering for some time when it will be available again. Before returning it, Takehana decides to watch it, which eventually piques her interest in the sport.
The third woman we meet in the opening volume is Shii Kohinata, a 26-year-old who works in the same video rental store as Kawasumi. She originally dreamed of becoming a stylist, but after working in the field and having bad experiences, she decided against this path. It is Shii who suggests that Ako take skateboard lessons, although she initially refuses to join her. Ultimately, it is stylish skateboarders on Instagram that finally inspire the young woman to get excited about the sport.
In the first volume of "Sketchy," we are introduced to the lives of three women, with skateboarding serving as an outlet in a manga about freedom and the courage to explore new things, told from the perspective of adult women. Skateboarding becomes a way for them to develop genuine passion and gain new energy. Through the different women, the mangaka shows us that skateboarding has many facets. Kawasumi is fascinated by the cool tricks, Takehana is captivated by the relationships and history in a famous skateboarding film, and Kohinata cannot take her eyes off the styles. For all of them, skateboarding opens a new door in their lives.
The manga also conveys the message that it’s never too late to start something new. It's never too late, and nothing is unattainable. Ako Kawasumi attends her first skateboarding lesson alone among young children. The only other adult is a father supervising his son. Initially, she feels somewhat out of place, but as the lesson progresses, this feeling diminishes, especially since the instructors treat her the same as the other students.
Makihirochi's drawing style supports the story excellently. The women she depicts do not have perfect body proportions. They are as diverse as people in the real world. Her character design style is characterized by fine, curved lines, while the backgrounds are rather clean and sterile. The depiction of skateboarding tricks is well done, even if it isn’t as thrilling and fluid as is typical in sports manga.
Embedded in the chapters are profiles of real female skateboarders who talk about their passion for the sport and their favorite tricks.
Kodansha publishes the manga in a larger format, but without color pages.
Is 'Sketchy' worth reading?
I was hoping that “Sketchy” would suit my reading tastes and I wasn't disappointed. The series could offer exactly what I like to read and I think it is definitely something special and can give you a lot after reading it.
If you're looking for manga that's about breaking out of your usual surroundings, you'll definitely find it here.
Sketchy 1
€12,59
€13,99
As her twenties slip by, Ako feels like she's falling behind. But a group of skateboarding girls will bring a newfound passion into her life in this reflective, relatable josei manga from the creator of Is Kichijoji the Only Place… read more
