My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness: A Review

Memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies in general all have a special place in my heart, especially when they deal with mental health. Nagata Kabi’s “My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness” is a manga built on looking in at oneself. It is also a relatively short piece but one that I personally could not put down. Something about the mixture of humor and personal struggle not only resonated with me but also kept me entertained and hooked into this manga. Let’s dive into this a bit deeper.

“My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness is an honest and heartfelt look at one young woman’s exploration of her sexuality, mental well-being, and growing up in our modern age. Told using expressive artwork that invokes both laughter and tears, this moving and highly entertaining single volume depicts not only the artist’s burgeoning sexuality, but many other personal aspects of her life that will resonate with readers.” (Quote from Google Books)

For me I love the vulnerability of this graphic novel, in part because it is painted in a pink and white aesthetic, which gives this sort of innocent feminine charm. But also because it strikes me as deeply self-reflective and self-focused. Nagata Kabi, the author, shines a light on the inner-workings of her own mind. All the while she addresses a wide range of important topics, including her sexuality, depression, eating disorders, family strife, and her inability to connect with those around her. The combination of words and images draws you into the moment with her and gives her story an extra touch of authenticity and realism. I deeply appreciate how Kabi discusses the difficulty of her struggles as well as how she is continuing to recover from them, walking us through how she navigated her sexuality and still works to reclaim her self-worth. At the same time the manga is not glorifying or romanticizing any of these struggles, Kabi is not painting her problems as something sex will solve, and the images mirror this. 

Somethings to Expect:

• An autobiography made into art
• Struggles with depression
• Feelings of hope
• The struggles of growing up
• Unexpected humour
• Coming to terms with one’s sexuality
• Discussion of an eating disorder
• Lesbian action (not graphic TBH)

While it is a quick read it definitely is one I would recommend. Especially to anyone interested in LGBTQ experiences, portrayals of mental illness, and high-quality graphic novels. If you’ve read this manga already, tell me what you thought of it. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Were there parts that you could relate to? Let me know in the comments, through social media, or email me!