Sketchy Volume 1
Sketchy Volume 1Writer and Artist: MAKIHIROCHI
Publisher: Kodansha (print & digital)
Translation: Alethea & Athena Nibley
Lettering: Evan Hayden
Editor: Tiff Joshua TJ Ferentini
Cover Design: Pekka Luhtala
Publication Date: Apr 09, 2024
Rating: Older Teen
Genre: Manga (JPN), Comedy, Sports
MAKIHIROCHI‘s Sketchy is the second work Kodansha has licensed from the artist, the first being Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live?. I remember feeling a certain pull towards Sketchy when my hand immediately reached for the first volume among other series on the shelf in my local comic book store. The art style didn’t strike me as familiar, even though I had partially read their previous series, which I figured out later that night. Sketchy was highlighted among The Beat’s Best Manga of 2024, and here are my thoughts in detail after reading the series’ first volume.
It would be far from the truth to say Ako Kawasumi feels left behind in this unforgiving, relentless race called life. However, she isn’t completely oblivious to the stark difference between the ways she and her long-time friends experience adulthood either. Ako works full-time at a movie rental store, her fashion sense is one step away from an unbothered teenage boy, and she is dating a man who still lives with his family while aiming to become a scriptwriter. Not exactly like her friends who girlboss their way into their 30s and dress “like in Sex and the City”, as the part-timer points out.
Despite her mother bringing up marriage at any given chance and her successful friends, she seems comfortable in her skin and the way her life is right now. The night after her high school reunion, she’s walking through a park with a beer in her hand. She’s unexpectedly visited by a memory unearthed by the gently falling cherry blossom petals. She is about to let herself be carried away by it when someone soars through the sky above her on a skateboard. Ako is fascinated by this young skateboarding woman who resembles an old friend and she tries to talk to her group. The security cuts into their conversation, resulting in the skater crew scurrying away. But the night becomes a momentous one for Ako, who takes her first glance into the world of skating.
The double entendre of the title Sketchy has fascinating implications. Outside looking in through the adulting glass, Ako’s life and choices appear to be sketchy—what 30-something would hold on to an unsuccessful career or an unaccomplished partner like hers? Ako’s life seems sketchy to her as well, but in a way that is only roughly outlined, full of possibilities. It provides a vast room to be experimented on, to paint into her personal colors instead of some expensive brand’s seasonal popular tone of lipstick.
There are moments where Ako falls briefly for the allure of “proper adulthood” her friends are the embodiment of and we see her suggesting she live together with her boyfriend out of the blue. Or she’s suddenly conscious of the way she dresses, her lack of physical fitness. Even she herself questions people’s motives behind renting movies when they can easily stream them online. Then she snaps back to the reality of this is how she puts food on the table.
These interactions never lead to her crumbling under peer pressure. Instead, with the suggestion of her coworker Shiho and the euphoria she felt upon seeing Momo Kinoshita, the skater, she decides to try skateboarding.
This isn’t to say she has no reservations. She isn’t exactly young and understandably fears getting hurt. When she’s at the skate park for her first lesson, Ako abashedly notices how the only adult apart from her is a kid’s parent. There are all sorts of thoughts going through her head while she, and through her we, learn about the basics of skating. However, at the end of the lesson, there’s a panel where she simply sits and revels in the exhilaration of taking that first step into something that brings Ako immense joy, even though she isn’t remotely better at it.
This panel, in conjunction with the opening pages, accentuates a critical point. Upon turning the first page, we find ourselves in a picturesque, orderly neighborhood that shows no sign of life, maybe save for the rustling leaves in the wind. And then, a young girl enters into our field of vision, swift and smooth. She almost cuts through the dull scenery frozen in time with her vitality and lights up the streets with nimble movements on her skateboard. Being greeted with that openness, the feeling of being unrestrained is so invigorating!
In a time where being even remotely passionate about or supportive of something is met with a scornful look or an eye roll, you’re labeled as “too much”, “uncool” or “childish”, Sketchy embraces childlike energy and curiosity. The drive to pursue whatever interests you stripped from the monetary gain, success, productivity, or achievement of any kind—to stop utilizing the language of neoliberal economics and approach that interest simply for what it is and for personal joy, is transformational!
It’s not only Ako who gets into skateboarding in this volume: two other women join the class she’s taking. These women all have their respective reasons for getting into the sport and the appealing sides of the skating culture are unique to each character. One likes a particular fashion style that skaters sport while the other suddenly has a lot of free time on her hands and takes inspiration from a movie. The first group Ako meets at the park has a skater interested in filming other skaters. MAKIHIROCHI delicately emphasizes that there’s no single way to get into a new hobby, and without putting their motives in a hierarchical relationship, the artist brings three women from different walks of life together.
At the end of the chapters, there are pages named “She Meets Skate!!” that are dedicated to real-life skaters such as Wakaba Nakana or Ayako Takeuchi. There are tidbits about their favorite clothing brand or their skating stance, photographs while they are skating and a short paragraph on their background with their comments. There’s even an Instagram account dedicated to Sketchy, where these skaters are highlighted along with the manga! I cannot recommend checking out the account enough. I looked through the photos of these talented and cool people whose exuberance and tenacity are infectious! I couldn’t help but smile back at them.
MAKIHIROCHI’s lines are clean and decisive. Backgrounds in the panels, especially the streets and parks, don’t lack character. Although it may not be to everyone’s tastes, I appreciated the character designs. Not all of the women here are drawn in ways for them to be desirable to the reader, which not only fits the tone of the series but also feels fresh.
Sketchy seems like less of a sports manga in the traditional sense and more of a hobby and slice-of-life/drama manga from what I’ve read up to now. While I think the series would appeal to older readers, I hope it’s picked up and enjoyed by people in their late teens or 20s as well. It’s an uplifting, intriguing title. Although the spotlight is on skateboarding and the culture that surrounds the sport, Sketchy provides a very positive and affirming approach to trying new things that interest you, and it’s okay to fail or feel embarrassed when taking the first step.
Currently, the first 4 volumes are available in English from Kodansha and the next volume is set to release on February 15th. The series will be complete with 6 volumes, so if you’re interested in any of the aspects I tried to highlight above, now is the best time to catch up with MAKIHIROCHI’s Sketchy!
Sketchy Volume 1 is available digitally and in print on Kodansha’s website and other retailers.
