A review by sarayuu
Okinawa by Susumu Higa

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I didn't have a slightest idea about Okinawa and their history. This graphic novel covered some important aspects that people of Okinawa has faced throughout the battle and the after effects of the colonization that took place. The art style was simple yet effective I enjoyed it! My favorite stories were About my Mother, School, Dirt Theives, Tolerated cultivation, Island duty and Military Employee. A lot of the world's problems are connected from Okinawa, Ukraine, Taiwan, Gaza and other countries that are going through colonization, this is addressed in the interview with Susumu Higa. Okinawa shows strong cultural themes where they consider nature sacred and pray in those places. Its great to see how they consider nature as their god as we sustain due to it! The conflicting themes of standing with their people or earning a good living by working in a military base that's operated under the US and protesting against the said bases all of these thoughts and discussions is something people with privilege are not familiar with and this is something they have been living with. The stories where young people are forced to face the political situations and take a stand stood out to me. I will think about Okinawa and look into more works of Susumu Higa.