My Solo Exchange Diary Vol. 1: The Sequel to My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness Kindle & comiXology

If you want a emotional punch in the gut, Nagata Kabi's work is for you. She rarely pulls punches or hesitates to catalogue her life in all its nitty gritty detail. It is honest, raw and far more real than most autobio comics get. If you've ever dealt with depression, struggled to prove your worth to your peers or parents, or feel whole this comic is very much something you should read. It doesn't have a 'narratively' satisfying ending (given its auto-bio comic, thats not surprising) but it makes you think about your own life. Seeing Nagata Kabi struggle makes you think about your own struggles and getting that ball rolling is usually more than enough to change aspects of your life.Her artwork has improved by leaps and bounds since her first book, you can see and feel the confidence in her linework without it losing that loose almost sketchy artwork that drew me in originally. She has a strong grasp on details without it ever dragging down her sense of movement or the mood she wants to convey. She experiments with depicting her emotional state more with images/visual short hand than plainly telling us this time, which works fantastically. I still find myself going back to the pages where her parents find out about her first book and linger on how she handled it.I'd highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to make a life for themselves and wanting to find solace with someone else who understands.

My Solo Exchange Diary continues to follow the life of Nagata Kabi after the success of her first manga. In this addition, she struggles with discovering her self-esteem outside of seeking her parents approval, ventures out to live on her own and finally gain her independence. Although, it seems that she can never truly escape the judgements of her parents.Likes:- As someone who recently moved out of her parents' house to gain her own independent, my heart went out to the author as she struggled to find her strength to distance herself from her parents.- Nagata equates developing one's own measuring stick of self with a developed self -esteem. Those that tend to measure themselves against the accomplishment of others tend to be the ones still building their own self esteem .- The novel hits on many common issues that many individuals are experiencing daily: depression, loneliness and how to cope with the harsh, judgmental views of others. I love that the novel is completely relatable, offering an alternate point of view to many issues that I myself have dealt with as I grow up.Dislikes:- I don't understand the motivation of Nagata's parents to judge and ridicule their daughter. How can a parent not see how that contributes to poor self-esteem and self - doubt? It's no wonder that Nagata was so worried about her parents coming across the material as it seems like they've never had anything positive to say.- I don't feel like Nagata had to internalize her dismissal of the woman interested in her. Not being interested in someone that likes or wants you isn't a sign of some deeper issue. It's just a note that you two aren't meant to become anything more than friends. Hang in there Nagata! You will find someone to hold you.

If you like her previous work, My lesbian experience with loniness, you will love this. As it tackle her depression while also showing progress in her life. With moving out, learning to be happy and even dating. It is a book that personally connected with me and I cannot reccomend enough. Is a great slife of life of someone dealing with depression and her reflecting her life and how to improve it as she ask the question of what makes someone independent, happy and being in a healthy relationship.

I have never read a manga that I’d related to so much. When it comes to mental health, sexuality, self love and taking care of yourself Nagita kabi has become a comfort to me. I can’t express how much this book made me feel. I’m in tears from how REAL this can be for anybody. Having a couple mic as a diary can be good therapy

I wasn't sure what to expect when a sequel was announced, but I was certain that I wanted more. This book delves deeper into Kabi's mental health than I ever thought possible, making for a difficult (but incredibly satisfying) read. She dishes out brutal honesty as well as mindful tips for coping with one's mental/physical anguish. I'm always awestruck by Kabi's soft rounded and playful artstyle. It really complements, the grave tone of the book and always has me gawking at the page.

It's a single girl in Japan pouring her heart out in words and drawings. If that doesn't intrique you than don't read it. Otherwise I found no fault with this book. I've read web comic diaries before but, nothing like this one. The culture, the family, the crushing loneliness, her questionable mental state; all are fascinating to see and, after you realize this is not fiction, you hope that it will all end for the better for her.

No matter how you feel about the author, there's no denying that this is a story of complete brutal honesty and emotion that hooks you in from beginning to end. As someone who suffers with anxiety and who has suffered from depression in the past, I completely relate to everything she feels -- even things I would probably never admit outloud or even to myself.The story is in a diary format, covering day to day experiences and changes going on in her life. There are some times where it's a little hard to follow given the lack of concrete dates for when things are happening, but that also helps in that you aren't thinking too hard about how much time has passed.The art is also consistently great, with the sketchy style and occasional switch from color to black and white really helping you to get a feel for the mood the artist is going for.I can't wait for volume 2!

The art is brilliant and I love the story that she tells, it sounds like someone taking my life and slightly adjusting it.The only real differences are some more complex gender issues and a different age but it reads like my backstory.The end of this book (spoilers ahead) sounds almost precisely like a time I experienced in my life where I made the exact same mistakes that the author did which is why I have a strong suspicion that she does in fact love this person but she is overthinking the situation and is essentially not allowing herself to love them.I seriously want to reach through the book and slap her because I know she is going to wake up in a few years and realise what a horrible mistake it will be if she ends this relationship.To be fair part of the reason I am writing this review is in a hope the author will read it and listen to me when I say that I have been in the exact same situation and I wish with all my hear that I could go back to that time and not do exactly what you are doing.

Not as good as the first one.

Like her former book, this "Solo Exchange Diary" is well written and drawn. The focus is on the solitude feeling of the main character and her representation of herself and the others (mainly her parents). These feelings and the relationships between the character's representations and reality are narrated, but not analysed, even though several times a caus-effect relationship between them is asserted. All this is ok, and it is, as I said, well written.The problem is that the autor goes on telling the same suite of things in a repetitive way. This gives the impression that the book is a collection of strips more than an organic novel. But is very agreeable to read.

Eu tenho a idéia de que talvez não seja necessário ler o prequel para ler este manga. No entanto, como seu antecessor (que eu também recomendo), o que mais gostei neste autor é que ela lida com questões muito pessoais que nem todas as pessoas estão dispostas a discutir (depressão, ansiedade, relações interpessoais, identidade, sexualidade, entre outras). Uma das coisas que eu mais gosto é a honestidade do autor em contatar sua história, que mesmo que você não se sinta 100% identificado com ela, pode chegar ainda a sentir empatia pelas coisas que ela vive e desejar-lhe o melhor.

Manga is such a great media, so when it's used as a support for auto-bography it's very immersing. I love the character and her courage - yes, courage to try to understand and express what she goes through. She's true to herself and others because as many such people, she can't escape who she is neither what she feels. I value this kind of people greatly so I feel blessed to be invited in the sharing of her personal experience.