Women Living in Solitude: A Case Study of <i>The Base of an Old Girl and Hitorigurashi Mo 5 Nen Me</i>

Abstract

Autobiographical graphic novels have become a salient cultural production and a popular art form for feminists to express themselves nowadays. The graphic life stories privileged by feminist comic scholarship are often related to sexuality, trauma and unspeakable taboos while other themes are less explored. This article is a case study focusing on the visual and narrative analysis of two alternative feminist comic diaries: The Base of an Old Girl (2009), created by the Hong Kong artist Stella So; and Hitorigurashi Mo 5 Nen Me (2003) (literally translated as living alone for the fifth year), created by the Japanese artist Naoko Takagi. These works are composed of episodic everyday stories and the overarching narratives embody a sense of joy of living in solitude. Drawing on the manga aesthetic of ‘kawaii’ (cuteness), So and Takagi depict infantilised visual imagery and discursive practices in their comic diaries. This suggests a transcultural configuration of femininity that departs from the conventional emphasis on the female body and sexuality in feminist studies.

Keywords

• Feminist comics
• comic diaries
• singleness
• kawaii
• solitary living