NEWS

Internationally renowned publisher Humanoids announced today HANAMI a debut graphic autobiography from award-winning comic artist Julia Cejas where she lovingly documents her and her partner, video game composer Marc’s experience living a year in Japan in a series of short adventures, both heartfelt and hilarious. Available in April 2024.

Julia and Marc are your average creative millennial couple, full of the anxieties and optimism of their generation. When the economy takes a downturn and Marc loses his engineering job, the pair realize that their relative lack of ties means they can pool their savings to embark on a new adventure: moving to Japan! Until the money runs out, anyway…

The pair move into a tiny apartment and enroll in a local Japanese school as they begin to acclimate to the local culture. Whether learning about the local fire patrol or the beautiful terror of Japanese toilets, the pair embrace their new surroundings with equal parts confusion and wonder!

Fans of anime and manga will notice the cheeky influence of noted creators such as Akira Toriyama  of Dragon Ball, Rumiko Takahashi of Ranma 1/2, and many more throughout the book, alongside thoughtful and heartfelt cultural observations.

Julia Cejas is an award-winning artist based out of Valencia, Spain. She is known for her fluid and expressive style, as well as her varied influences. She has won the National Prize in the Valencia Crea 2009, as well as first prize in Creajoven 2007, and first prize and Honorable Mention in ”Viñetas de un futuro verosímil,” Office of the Vice Provost for Culture, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia 2007. Hanami is her English language comics debut. 

HANAMI will be available in bookstores everywhere (bookshop.org)  and in comic shops (comicshoplocator.com) in April 2024. Digital copies can be purchased from comiXology and other digital platforms.