FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Story of Lee

"The fear of cultural imperialism, the dread of loss, the collapse of family, the still-prevalent and widespread sexism in both Eastern and Western society - big themes, but present in every intercultural love story. Chie Kutsuwada's delicate art and Sean Michael Wilson's frank script sum up the tensions in 'The Story of Lee'. This isn't just a book for teens, but something parents should read, both to remember their own years of surging hormones and thunderous emotions, and to understand the strange land their children inhabit."
- Helen McCarthy, author of 'The Art of Osamu Tezuka'.

 

Within this unpretentious little shojo (romance) manga by two ex-pats at either end of the earth, lies a deeper fascinating story: the clash of East and West, the pressures that can be brought to bear on a cross-cultural relationship. The allure of the exotic that both Lee and Matt experience upon meeting each other must face the reality of some members of her family not feeling comfortable about them together. It pits Lee especially against her father who expects much of her and acts quite intransigent.

 

The authors should know something about these pressures. Sean is himself a Scott (with a proud brogue, we might add) living quite happily somewhere in Japan, Chie is a Japanese leaving in London. They have both collaborated before on an adaptation of a famous Japanese tale Hagakure (Kodansha Int’l., 2010). Sean is also quite well noted these past few months for editing Ax: Alternative Manga (Top Shelf, 2010) which has made various top ten lists, including Publishers Weekly’s. Chie has also adapted Shakespeare’s As You Like It for Self-Made Hero (2008).

While the conflict may come to some resolution at the end of this volume, the two fly off to the UK where it just might be Sean’s turn to face the music with his family… stay tuned.