ON THEIR FRONTLINES

In this manga by Tokyo-based author and artist Komiya, two Japanese women in post-WWII Japan yearn for each other.

Several years after evacuating, Yori returns to Tokyo hoping to reunite with Haru, the woman she’s in love with. The family living where Haru used to live holds a clue—a letter from Haru explaining that, although she regrets never reuniting with Yori, she married an American soldier and moved to the United States. Devastated, and with no family or prospects, Yori accepts a job as a sex worker. The year before this, Haru waits for Yori’s return. Her abusive father arranges an unwanted marriage, so she runs away and decides to take her own life. She’s saved by a Japanese American soldier, whose mother arranges a job for her while she hides from her family. Flashbacks are easily distinguishable by all-black backgrounds, and scenes of Yori and Haru’s burgeoning romance are enhanced by floating cherry blossom petals. Yori is drawn with a patch of freckles on her nose, and Haru with distinctly lighter-colored eyes, making both girls easy to discern. As the characters experience multiple traumas, the artist gives them full-page spreads, neutral faces, and tear tracks that linger on their cheeks, enhancing the emotional weight and pain. Text written with all capital letters indicates that the characters are writing or thinking in Japanese, whereas lowercase font indicates thoughts and speech in English, a smooth and unobtrusive choice. There are chapters told from the perspectives of Yori, Haru, and each of their American husbands; the lyrics of a song inspired by the true account of a sex worker prominently features over the artwork in one of Yori’s segments, beautifully blending both women’s stories together.

A poignant debut that affirms the everyday women who survived Japan’s postwar years.