Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan

Steinberger, Aimee Major. Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventure in Japan. Go! Comi, 2007. ISBN-10:1-933617-83-1


Plot Summary
Aimee is an animator and fan of asian ball joint dolls. She decides to finally visit Japan, so she and two friends make the journey. They visit Kyoto, see a play, go shopping, dress up as Geisha and finally visit a VOLKS store. Aimee is six feet tall and definitely stands out in Japan, especially since she and her friends like to dress in costume. Japan Ai is Aimee's travelogue, full of drawings, all of which are captioned often with lots of arrows and explanatory notes. There are also pages of historical and cultural notes where needed, for example to explain Geishas.

Critical evaluation
Japan Ai is a text full of love for all things Japan. In Japanese, Ai means love. Fans of manga, cosplay, fashion or travel will enjoy Aimee's travel journal. The drawings are cute and Aimee's excitement for all things pink and fluffy is contagious. Although this is an animated story about Japan, it is not manga. There is very little storyline and some chapters are nothing more than descriptions of stores and merchandise with no commentary other than 'cool'. Japan Ai seems to be written for other fans of Japanese culture who share Aimee's love but does nothing to entice readers who aren't familrar with Japan to learn more.

Readers Annotations
Join Aimee and her friends as they take the trip of a lifetime to Japan. See shrines, ride the trains, see the fashions and visit the famous VOLKS doll store.

Information About the Author
Aimee Major Steinberger is a professional animator. She also is a staff writer for Haute Doll Magazine and is an administrator for denofangels.com, a website devoted to Japanese ball joint dolls. She is married and lives in California.

Genre
Travelogue

Curriculum Ties
Japanese culture

Booktalking Ideas
Travel vicariously through travelogues

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 7-10

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
None


Why Book Included
Recommended by comicsworthreading.com