Review: Okinawa by Susumu Higa, author and artist; Jocelyne Allen, translator; Andrew Woodrow-Butcher & Christopher Woodrow-Butcher, editors.
Fantagraphics, July 2023. 544 p. ill. ISBN 9781683961185 (h/c), $24.99.
Reviewed July 2024
by Isamar Abreu Gómez, Librarian, Colección de las Artes y Música, Sistema de Bibliotecas, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, isamar.abreu@upr.edu
Originally published in Japanese as Suna no Tsurugi (1995; 2010, 2nd edition) and Mabui (2010), Okinawa comprises a collection of fourteen short stories by author and artist Susumu Higa written between 1990 and 2000. These stories are compiled into one volume divided into two sections with distinctive tones: Sword of Sand and Mabui.
In Sword of Sand, most chapters focus on WWII, while Mabui is set in present times. The manga narrates tales and anecdotes of Okinawans’ clashes with Japanese and US soldiers during the war, the Battle of Okinawa, and the ongoing US military occupation of the prefecture. Although the island of Okinawa is now known as a top tourist destination, the culture depicted in these historical fiction and non-fiction stories encourages further exploration of this political mangaka’s work, expanding the conversation beyond its pages to address colonization, modern history, and, above all, survival.
Ink drawings that range from simple to highly intricate black-and-white scenes create a rich visual language for the reader. Higa masterfully creates vignettes that capture and move through past and contemporary tensions, inspired by news articles, the experiences of characters, and sometimes even family members. War and everyday onomatopoeia intertwine the narration with the author’s epilogues and archival photos, conveying themes that range from respect for Ryukyu traditions and ancestry to protest against military bases.
A glossary, a short essay by activist and scholar Shinako Oyakawa, and a candid interview with Susumu Higa are included at the end. This superb manga is recommended for adult and young adult comic collections in high school, public, and academic libraries; it could support history, political science, and art curricula.
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