Happy New Year! Maybe you thought Tanuki would be new and different this year. Guess not! I wish you all the best year ever! If you're in Japan, I hope you're enjoying a few days off and laying around doing nothing. Many of you expats are probably traveling to another country and having crazy adventures. Live it up! Thanks for reading FC&S in 2012 and stay tuned for all the big things that will happen in the comic this year!
The truth always comes out when you talk to Karl. Usually, it comes out in a loud and awkward way. Most of you know that. I have a feeling you all knew what he was going to say in the last panel before you even read it. You know Karl well. Let's hope there will be a woman who will want to get to know him.
Merry Christmas to all of you out there that celebrate it! Even if you don't, go out on a date with your girl and eat some Christmas cake. That's what most Japanese people do! I think J's Christmas present is getting noticed for doing great work on his job. Way to go, J! It's still tough to balance it all because Beverly is getting left behind. Maybe J should focus on her during meditation!
It truly upset me every time I hit my head on that toilet room door! Why are the doors for the toilet rooms so short in Japan?! Of course, I was living in a pretty old apartment so maybe mine was just small. The other doors were taller in my place, still not quite tall enough for me, so it was difficult to remember to really duck down low to get in to use the toilet when half asleep. It's a good thing Tanuki ended the comic when he did, Karl was pretty "vocally" angry.
I hate to admit that this happened to me several times! When I do something out of habit, I don't always pay full attention to everything going on around me. It can be easy to miss things like a rainy morning. Of course, there were those times when I knew it was raining but I needed clean underwear so I had to wash clothes and hang them up inside. It would be easier to live like Tanuki and run around naked but I don't think the people at work would appreciate that. If you're living in Japan, remember to look out of the window before washing your clothes!
I had to give up humor for story but there's plenty of action in this comic page. Everyone's been upset with J and his stressed out behaviour so it's nice to see him get back to meditating. Let's hope this will help turn things around for him. This page was really fun to draw because working in Manga Studio, long pages like this are much easier to create. The colors were done in Photoshop. I really wanted it to feel like a Pokemon episode so I gave some of the people in the crowd crazy hair colors like green and orange. It was difficult to decide what Ninjoggle should be screaming at the end. At first, I wanted him to just yell "Ninnnnjoooggle!" when Kissup hit him with that powerful blow. I changed it to "AAAAAH!" so that it would transition well to J waking up and yelling "AH!" I think it worked out pretty well. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading.
I had to share this piece of fan art created by my friend, Christopher Jones! It's the first piece of fully colored fan art I've ever received and I couldn't be happier. He did a great job drawing the characters! I love that Karl is holding a bucket of fried chicken and lifting up sushi into the sky. Give some love back to Chris and click on the image above or THIS LINK to check out his Deviant Art Page. Thanks Chris!
I think that video games can be a great way to get your frustrations out. Especially, if you're playing one where you get to bash people in the head or shoot something! Games can get pretty real at times so if you're caught in it, things can get stressful. Looks like J loves the escape video games provide but they aren't doing much to lower his stress level or increase his focus at work. Let's hope he thinks deeper about getting back into meditation.
How does Karl know that Japanese women love tall handsome bad boys? Maybe they look for different things in Japanese men? Hmmmmm...probably not. I think certain things are just a part of nature. There's no need for Hachiro to lie to his match maker friend about Karl though. He should just tell her that Karl is a tall, goofy, cartoonist that doesn't really speak Japanese well. Ugh! Good luck Karl.
I guess Hachiro isn't just "hot" right now. ;) It's great that he gets a chance to date regularly though. He should be more open about how he gets them. Hachiro isn't any good at lying. Personally, I think it's better to be introduced to someone through a friend or co-worker. That way, you have some confidence in knowing they're not insanely crazy. Do you agree?
I guess Hachiro is doing pretty well socially lately! Hopefully, this will show Karl the benefits of putting yourself out there despite fears of being different. Or, it could just make him feel worse. We'll see! Follow me on TWITTER for more fun! You can click here or on the button above the comic. Thanks!
You all know that Tanuki is right. In fact, even though he's a loud mouth, Tanuki is right about a lot of things. Maybe talking with Marvin will give Karl the courage to get out and really try dating more. I'm sure many of you can argue about how much easier it can be for white men to date Japanese women in Japan compared to people of color. Even though that may be true...Karl still needs to realize that he's not in America anymore and most Japanese women will just see him as a foreigner. If he makes a connection with a nice girl, his positive aspects will shine through his differences.
You guys remember meeting Marvin when Karl first arrived in Japan don't you? If not you can CLICK HERE for a reminder. I think Marvin is having a very different experience than Karl. That's one truth about moving to Japan, everyone's experience is different. Of course, I've tried to point out some of the things that make it the same in this comic. If you live/lived in Japan, was your experience more like Karl's or Marvin's?
J finally comes out with his true feelings instead of walking all around them. It wasn't fair of him to get upset with Beverly for dating another man, especially when he's not ready to get serious with her. The fact that he was a white man made J feel even more upset and insecure. She went out with someone so different than J. He was pretty afraid that Beverly wouldn't be interested in a black guy. I know that sounds silly but these kinds of concerns run through your head when you're interested in someone and not sure if they're really into you. Thanks for all of your comments on the previous comic. I'm hoping that as fans of FC&S, you're reading my comics for more than just funny observations on Japan. This comic is and always has been about perception. How we see and perceive others from different races, cultures and of course, countries. Every now and then, I have to challenge YOUR perceptions and beliefs. It can get a little edgy at times but I don't know too many webcartoonists that are doing that. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy where these characters are going!
Looks like J is trying to get Beverly to admit that she went on a date with a white guy. I have a feeling he doesn't want to make it a big deal. Clearly, it's a big deal to him. Any bets on how long it will take for him to ask her directly?
Oh, that Ryan! Always butting into everyone's business! I have a feeling J really wanted to know this info though. I bet you wanted to know too. What to do now, J? What to do?
Ah-hah! So, J is really scared to get into a relationship with Beverly because it would be difficult to leave her if he moves to Japan! I guess J didn't really say it but he definitely agrees with Karl's assessment. It would be difficult to be dating someone you really care about and then have to leave the country without them. We'll have to see if this really will keep J and Beverly apart.
I think men wearing pink is a lot more common recently but when I was living in Japan, it was shocking to me how comfortable it was for men to do there. It took some time for me to get used to the fact that colors have different meanings and associations in Japan. As Americans, we assume everyone feels the same way when they see a color. Living in Japan taught me that the color pink is for everybody. Even so, I'm still not manly enough to wear it. What do you think?
I can't believe it took me this long to draw a comic about buying clothes in Japan. That's one of my biggest frustrations! I actually like some of the clothing styles for men there but they just don't fit! Just like Karl, I would end up buying a t-shirt and maybe pants that have an elastic waiste band. Do you have any clothing stories from your time in Japan? You can share them in the comments or even in the FORUMS.
I remember feeling like this my first Halloween in Japan. My dream that someone would bring back American sweets, that were actually sweet, never came true on Halloween. This was a fun strip to draw because I used Chibi Karl. Not sure why, but it worked well for the subject matter. Hope you enjoyed reading it and Happy Halloween where ever you are!
Fried Chicken and Sushi is a Blog and humorous comic strip about living in Japan and Japanese pop-culture.
© copyright 2010 - Khalid Birdsong All Rights Reserved.
