Although I wasn't fully invested in the storyline, the artwork of this graphic novel was excellently done. This book was comforting and enjoyable enough. Would recommend it to someone who loves to have some insights about Japanese countryside.

3.5 stars

The Young Woman and the Sea is a lovely story which lets readers think deeply about nature and our connection to it. This book explores the creative process as well as the struggle artists face when they are disconnected from the world around them. Although this book tackles very serious topics, there is also a comedic element sprinkled into it which is a nice touch.

The illustration in the book feels nostalgic and comforting, and sometimes has a Ronald Dahl-esque style. The scenery and colours in this book is truly beautiful and further deepens the element of appreciating and connecting to nature.

An artist visits Japan and wants to paint nature. She gets to know some peculiar people and hears some unusual stories. In her search for inspiration, she explores nature.

Illustrations are good, but not quite my preferred style. They are like caricatures, exaggerated and funny. They often feel like sketches and unfinished. But they go well with the story, which is often amusing and pretty unusual.

Thanks to Europe Comics for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review, and all opinions are my own.

A gorgeously illustrated book, The Young Woman and the Sea moves between fantasy and reality with the stroke of a brush or the turn of a page. The landscapes in here are breathtaking and the characters are lively. The two strike the balance sought after by the author in this quirky and fun story of exploration, art, life, nature, modernity, history, and culture.
Besides the artwork, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book was the inclusion of Japanese mythology and its relationship to culture and history - in particular, the fantastical Tanuki and his support of the protagonist. While the sparse dialog seems purposeful and overall useful to pushing the story along, there are places where it left me hoping for just a smidge more. Other than that, I highly recommend this title to anyone who loves art, Japan, culture, or is looking to find their own balance in life.

Beautiful colors tell this story. The style of drawings really makes you understand why the character is drawn to continue to explore this strange place she is in. Combining fantasy elements and real elements, sure to please fans of fantasy and graphic novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of The Young Woman and the Sea by Catherine Meurisse.

The Young Woman and the Sea is a gorgeously presented graphic novel about a girl who travels to Japan to try and gain some creativity for her art.

The art of this was unique and not something I had come across before, there was humour in the book I definitely was not expecting but I appreciated the references to some classic Japanese films/studios.

Overall it was a good story albeit a bit confusing to follow at times with beautiful drawings, however I found it a bit difficult to read some of the text, especially on a mobile phone, I’m sure it would have been easier on a larger tablet screen or in physical format.

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

An enjoyable and thoughtful little tale, instilled with humour and history, drawn from memories and experiences of the author from what I can tell. There's clearly a sense of understanding and education around the culture, but there's also an acute sense of Japan and its customs being 'strange' and 'other.' This was a shame as it's high time those sorts of cliches are left behind - perhaps the translation from the original French was a little shaky and accidentally exaggerated this as I did feel in general that Meurisse did have great respect for the culture. The illustrations were at times stunning, and others a bit cartoonish for my particular tastes, however they captured the intended serenity of the countryside our heroine finds herself in well.

Devoured this graphic novel. The art is amazing and the story makes the illustrations even more picturesque then they already are. A beautiful story about folklore, poetry and art set against the fantastical backdrop of Japan with some magical elements thrown in. It was exactly the palate cleanser I needed right now and I think anyone who appreciates the art in graphic novels will be hard pressed not to salute Meurisse for her stunning and unique abilities.

The Young Woman and the Sea is an autobiographic tale about the artist's adventure traveling in Japan and her own art journey. I first have to save that the cover of this graphic novel is absolutely beautiful so I was slightly disappointed after I started reading it as the character art is sketchy and overly cartoonish. One could argue that it suits the tone of the story, but I am personally not a fan. The background art and scenery on the other hand are very appealing to look at and this is clearly where this artist really thrives. The juxtaposition of the simple character designs and the detailed scenic art just doesn’t work for me although I do genuinely enjoy reading about artists and the act of creative pursuits.

The books potraits the journey of a French illustrator who has come to Japan. The illustrations are gorgeous and the book amazingly touches all the basic things about Japan but in a pretty unique manner.
As the book's protagonist is a painter, we get to know about different paintings throu the conversation of our protagonist and other characters in it.
Nami was one of the most attractive character in the book as she held in a mysterious nature yet she took the lead in the end.
It's was a well paced plot with beautiful illustrations going throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of The Young Woman and the Sea by Catherine Meurisse.

Reading about a girl who travels to Japan for creativity for her paintings was great, the art work was different then what i normally few however there were some pictures of art i loved. I was also very surprised and shocked to come across the thing in the one temple area.... i was not expecting that at all which made me laugh and smile.

Some of the writing was a bit difficult to read and trying to follow the story was not as simple as i thought it would be.

Thank you NetGalley for this free copy!

This story is about an artist from France who visits Japan in search of inspiration. The comic walks you through the emotional experience of seeing things for the first time in a new country by emphasizing the beauty of nature and how we all have a connection to the earth. It also shares the message of respecting nature and how modern advancements have marred the beauty of nature.

The illustration of the scenery is beautiful and the characters are drawn to somewhat resemble the figures that you can find in traditional Japanese art. The landscapes have a delicate beauty about them and I think that the way the characters are drawn has a very minimalist feel to them.

Also, if you are a lover of haiku or words in general, you will enjoy reading this comic because one of the main characters is a haiku poet and his dialogues are so beautifully written that they are a joy to read!

So if you're into Japanese culture with a passion for beautifully crafted words, give this comic a shot!

Beautiful illustrations!

I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

This story is about an illustrator that travels to Japan to paint nature. Along the way she gets a visit by a tanuko (kinda like a raccoon) and another painter.

This story has beautiful illustrations and the author shows love for Japanese countryside.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Young Woman and the Sea is a semi-autobiographical, fully fantastic graphic novel set in Japan. The story revolves around a female artist who moves to Japan and is inspired by the nature and the characters there. According to the synopsis, the story is told "in the manner of Lewis Carroll,' and the artist "lets characters out of legend lead her through pictorial landscapes." The characters that the artist meets include a tanuki, a raccoon-like creature that is native to Japan. Along the way, she learns about Japanese culture and mythology.

Overall, The Young Woman and the Sea is a graphic novel about Japan that will appeal to fans of Hayao Miyazaki, who the artist references in the story. One highlight of this book are the multiple pages dedicated to Japanese nature, which are truly beautiful to look at. That is where the art excels. I had a problem with how the characters are drawn though. This is probably unintentional, since the artist seems to respect Japanese culture, but the Japanese characters are drawn like caricatures in racist political cartoons. To be fair, this may just be the artist's style of drawing people. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're a fan of graphic novels about Japan, you can check out this book, which is available now.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of The Young Woman and the Sea by Catherine Meurisse.

The Young Woman and the Sea follows an artist as she travels across Japanese landscapes guided by characters from Japanese legend.

Catherine Meurisse uses her own memories and experiences to create this lovely graphic novel.

My only critique would be that whilst I had no problem reading it, the script in the speech bubbles could be difficult for some.

I absolutely loved the landscape scenes in this graphic novel! The detail is super impressive and the colors are beautiful. I thought the characters were good but ultimately the story wasn’t for me. On a technical level, the actual writing was hard to read, I think it would’ve been beneficial to type it instead of having it being hand-written but maybe that wouldn’t have worked in a cohesive way with the art style. Thank you for the review copy!

Erratic to the point of being bonkers, this unattractive look at the beauty and value and import of Japanese nature as seen by a young woman on an artist's residency comes from someone whose work I've found disagreeably below par three times before now. I really must pay more attention to whom I download... One and a half stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

We all know the ol' adage, "Don't judge a book by it's cover," but that's exactly what I did here. When I saw that beautiful cover, I barely even glanced at the synopsis before hitting the "Read Now" button. Unfortunately, this just wasn't what I was expecting, both when it came to the art and the story. I also had a pretty difficult time understanding what I was reading. I wish this one had worked for me, but I had to DNF it at 50 pages in.

Well, this book was not what I was expecting...

I was expecting some gorgeous, heartfelt story from the way the cover was drawn. What I got instead was a comical story about an artist trying to revive their artform while staying in Japan. At least you're not dragged along before finding out this book might not be what you thought. In the opening pages you meant a talking tanuki (raccoon) who gifts the artist a paintbrush. The artistry in this book was gorgeous! Particularly, the background was drawn beautifully with the characters being less detailed so as to not take away from the beautiful landscapes being drawn. I don't know many who will find this comic book funny as it is a very certain type of humor relying on misunderstandings and misadventures but as long as you go in with any open mind you are certain to find some enjoyment.

I got this book for free from Netgalley in exchange of a honest review.

This was… fine, really.

The somewhat humorous, slightly fantastical experiences of a French artist on a residency/retreat in Japan. The use of cultural misunderstandings slid between relatable and condescending, and I was…bemused to find the use of a talking animal in what I feel like I had been led to believe was a memoir.

I’m unfamiliar with this artist’s work, so my expectations were set from the dominant image on the cover, which I still think is very beautiful, and the landscapes and nature drawings lived up to that in the interior illustrations. Everything else very much did not and while there’s nothing wrong with the quirky, sketchy, more emotionally expressive rather than accurate or aesthetic style, it was just kind of a tonal shock for me.

Ultimately I just think I was very much not the intended audience for this piece.