This one is so true for me! My first month living in Japan I had to just get accustomed to feeling hungry constantly. Then, my stomach got smaller and I was ok. Now, whenever I visit Japan, I can't eat enough! Did you have a similar experience?
Sometimes you just gotta let it all go! It was nice of the boss to show his support of J by dressing in uncomfortably tight Japanese clothing though! Wish I had a boss like that! If you've ever put on a kimono before, you know how tight it can be around the middle. Letting your gut out of it sure feels good!
Talking dust bunnies. My brain works in strange ways. I must admit, I did feel like the dust bunnies in my Japanese apartment were a bit too much. Maybe I'm just dirty. Any of you out there can relate to this? You know those black dust balls in Miyazaki movies? Now I know what inspired them. ;)
Karl should have at least asked Mai when she would like to go out. Tomorrow, next week, in a month? Let's hope he hasn't lost her before this relationship even begins. Can't get too mad him though. I know what he's going through. ;)
With that, we take a little break from the Black Samurai. I hope you've enjoyed this story arc with the spirits. I love drawing these pages but they do take up quite a bit of time. Thanks for checking them out!
All I have to say is, it's about time! I hope you're happy for Karl.
Don't you just hate it when you're out with friends and you're trying to talk to one person you're interested in but you just can't! I don't know why Hachiro and Yumi didn't get the picture. Anyway, looks like Karl finally got his chance. Will he have the courage to go through with asking Mai out? Stay tuned. ;)
Do you remember when Karl went through this? If not, you should go back to the first few FC&S strips. It will be fun to see how similar and different J's experiences in Japan will be compared to Karl's. It's clear that J is good at looking confident on the outside but it's still a huge opportunity that would make anyone a little scared on the inside.
So Karl gets a manga about an English teacher working in Japan and it turns out to be about making fun of the English teacher working in Japan. It's a good thing Tanuki could translate to make everything clear! Right? Or, maybe it would have been better for Karl to think it was a comic similar to his situation. Oh, well!
Tanuki just needs to realize that a manga about him just wouldn't work! Actually, it would probably become a huge hit. I'll give it a thought. I love the variety of manga out there. It would be so wonderful if we had that kind of variety in American comics. Things are getting better now that big publishers like Scholastic are putting out creative comics for kids. As far as Japanese manga, I just started reading BAKUMAN and I love it! It's so fun to read about how the manga industry works in Japan and how passionate manga creators are about their art and careers.
Did you notice that J was wearing a tie? If so, nice job! It does stand out on him! I agree that he should keep his dreads and stop worrying about what the office workers in Japan will think. It can be difficult to believe in yourself when you really want something badly but others judge you by your looks. Good thing he has Beverly to help him out.
Are you thinking Sato sensei has a crush on Karl? You may be right.
Sato sensei could just be concerned about Karl dating because she works closely with him. She may just want to see him with a nice girl that treats him well. You know, kind of like a motherly protective thing. Or, it could be something else. We'll see...
It can be so difficult for a warrior to ask for help. Especially, a shy one who's incredibly afraid of rejection! Will the Black Samurai let go and ask for help? Let's hope that Karl will have the strength to ask Mai out on a one on one date the next time they meet!
I couldn't help myself. Had to do this one! Forgive me. ;)
Don't mess with J's hair. That is all.
I bet you all are imagining Karl screaming in your head right now! Good news like that can turn a manly man into a giddy school girl. Not that Karl is that manly of a man but he deserves to get excited about something good after a blind date.
American hugs only last a long time if they really mean something. Let's hope that Mai understands what Karl is trying to say with his hug. Awkward, as it might be. ;)
I hope it's clear in this comic that the group is still together but the boys and girls have split up to talk in private. Karl thinks everything is going well but it looks like Mai isn't sure. Let's hope Karl makes a move so his intentions are clear!
Not very smooth, Karl. Oh, well. Let's hope that Mai is interested in him. Kobe is a beautiful city. It was a little difficult to draw the harbor area but I think it came out looking decent. If you haven't bought my graphic novel Tales of Tritoria: YOUNGBLOODS yet, you can buy the entire 200 page digital version on GUMROAD for $3. If you buy it here, I get more of the money than with Amazon. You can even pay more for it if you want to help support this comic! Thank you! CLICK HERE TO BUY THE DIGITAL COPY OF YOUNGBLOODS
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.
