So it was obvious this would be right up my alley, me being an Asian born in a western country. Tomine uses this story starring Asian Americans (from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China) to really explore the race issue. And it’s not simply about racism, nobody is a racist in the story. It’s much more complicated than that, and I have to admit I never gave it too much thought in my life, but I could immediately understand these characters.

There’s the issue of Asian identity: some Asian Americans are more Asian, other are more American. That’s reflected in their “ideal type” of partner. There’s a scene that deals with Korean parents discriminating against a Japanese boyfriend for their daughter.

In one scene they discuss about the difference between a white boy with an Asian girl (“it’s disgusting”) and an Asian boy with a white girl (“good for him!”). But sometimes we can’t analyze what attracts us too much, it’s just what it is. Sometimes it’s not about race at all.

I think that’s a message that Tomine is trying to get through. It’s not all about race. One character is a Korean lesbian, but she is more defined by her own personality than being Asian or gay.

At the heart of this story it’s the relationship between Ben and Miko. Most of their problems are about race issues, but in the end, when it comes down to it, it’s just about the two of them as people, their own personality problems that have nothing to do with race.

This is definitely my favorite volume of Optic Nerve, which is right up there among my favorite comics. I am sure I’ll be reading this comic many more times in my life.

The stories still feel like a quick peek into somebody’s life instead of a complete story with a definitive ending. There are a lot of failed relationships and disturbed people, but they all make for interesting characters.

The story I liked most was Hawaiian Getaway, because I can probably relate to Hillary a little more. There’s just something off about her, and even though I’ve never felt that bad, I can sort if understand her. Especially regarding her social life and making small talk. Why is it so easy for everybody else?!

Bomb Scare is a classic high school story but with darker tones. That ending was probably the most frustrating one.

This series continues to entertain me, delivering some unforgettable stories and characters. Tomine’s artwork keeps getting cleaner, though it doesn’t change as much as I would’ve thought, considering he originally published one issue a year.

Due to their length, these stories are snippets of a character’s life, instead of a story with beginning middle and end. Despite these limitations, Tomone often manages to convey a person’s feelings and state of mind very easily.

These stories are mostly about negative feelings, something we all go through in our own lives. Feelings of depression, sadness, nostalgia, lost love etc… They’re not downers, at least not for me, but they certainly don’t make you laugh.

Some of my favorites are Sleepwalk, about a failed relationship. The Connecting Thread is about a girl who reads newspaper ads about herself, probably written by a stalker. Layover is an interesting story about a guy who is leaving town and already said hisbsad goodbyes, but misses his plane and now can’t go back to friends or his girlfriend.

Dylan & Donovan is a great character piece that totally immerses us in the minds of two twin teenage girls. One sister’s apathy worries the othe sister and as a result the whole family is a mess.

There are so many great stories here that made connect with them in a small way. Little moments that I can totally identify with. Tomine’s art style is very clean and east to follow, perfect for the realistic stories he’s telling.

I can’t recommend this series enough, I can’t believe it took me so long to discover it.