Nagata Kabi has explored her struggles with her physical and mental health in her previous memoirs, and now turns her attention to one of her biggest lifelong hurdles - love. Okazu founder and yuri scholar extraordinaire Erica Friedman joins us once again to discuss the latest chapter in Kabi’s ongoing and evolving memoir narrative, My Wandering Warrior Existence.

Kabi uses the evocative image and anecdote of holding a wedding dress photo shoot as a springboard for exploring her desire to love and be loved, and her frustrations figuring out how to do that, including her experiences with online dating apps. We come to understand why she’s afraid to meet and form relationships with people, a response that stems from lingering issues about her own negative self-image, and a mistrust of other people in part caused by, CONTENT WARNING, a horrifically traumatic sexual assault she experienced as a child. Which, because of the particular descriptiveness and upsetting nature of the story, we encourage you to use your discretion and the timestamps in the podcast breakdown below as to whether you rather skip that part of the discussion.

But lest you fear Wandering Warrior finds Kabi drowning in her sorrows and traumas, we discuss how the book instead reflects the emotional growth and self-awareness that Kabi has come to understand over her previous books. This book finds Kabi taking in her memoirs in a new, confident direction with a clear thesis and structured storytelling designed with a message to the reader in mind, and we explore how it represents a positive direction for her as an artist and storyteller as we appreciate the messages she imparts in the book and her experiences and thoughts resonate with our own. Kabi may still be a wanderer in the landscape of love, but like a warrior, she’s held firm in her resolve to find happiness, and we’re more than happy to travel with her on her journey into whatever unknown territory the future may bring.

For a complete list of links and community shout-outs included in this episode, please visit this podcast's webpage at: http://all-comic.com/2022/manga-mavericks-ep-195-my-wandering-warrior-existence/

PODCAST BREAKDOWN:

00:22 - Intro, Podcast Context, & Content Warnings

08:15 - My Wandering Warrior Existence w/Erica Friedman
09:15 - The Storytelling, Pacing, and Construction of Wandering Warrior
16:00 - Kabi’s Growth as a Person and Storyteller
22:58 - Dating Apps and the Stress of Emotionally Taxing Tasks
26:33 - Having a Negative Self-Image and Being Afraid of Emotionally Investing Oneself in Another Person
28:11 - The Significance of Seeing More of Kabi’s Friends and Relationships with Other People in Her Life
32:35 - CONTENT WARNING: Kabi’s Sexual Assault Story
38:08 - Taking Down the Mental Hurdles in the Way of Forming Love and Relationships
43:25 - The Importance of Self-Love and Self-Care
45:30 - Importance of Seeing Positive Examples of Healthy Relationships Growing Up
47:33 - The Broader Relatability of Wandering Warrior’s Themes of Navigating Love and Relationships
54:03 - Realizing What Makes You Happy May Not Be What We Think Will
58:09 - Understanding Your Own Gender and Sexuality: “I Am” vs “What”
1:02:45 - Appreciating the Small Pleasures of Life
1:04:50 - Final Thoughts and Takeaways
1:09:27 - What We Would Like to See Next from Kabi
1:11:04 - Brief Thoughts on Meisou Senshi Nagata Kabi: Gourmet de Go!
1:14:04 - Erica’s Plugs

1:19:00 - Community Shout-Outs:

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