I have never even visited a foreign country, but I still find a lot to relate to in Love As A Foreign Language, a new graphic novel series about the difficulties of life and romance of a Canadian teacher in Korea. I lived in New Jersey and worked in New York for about six months, and I spent a lot of that time wishing I was back in Austin, Texas. There are a lot more differences than similarities between my experience and that of Joel, the lead character - I loved my job, he hates his, I was married and had a good friend to help me through it, he's got only his co-workers - but the homesickness and the feeling of being an alien in a strange place (not to mention the nights drinking Soju) are all there. Torres hits on the homesickness that comes from living far away from what you know, the frustration of a job that you don't have passion for anymore and the difficulties of living somewhere that you don't quite get or just plain don't like in this first volume.
This may be the least wordy script I've ever seen from Torres, and he's not a guy who tends to be overly verbose anyway. But a lot of this book is silent storytelling, with extended sequences that use panel repetition or slow build to great effect. It's clear that Torres put a lot of faith in his artistic collaborator, Eric Kim, and that faith definitely pays off. Kim's artwork is a revelation, definitely in the manga style but with a unique sensibility that sets it apart from the many imitators of that general style these days. Kim's expressive characters are very real and believable, and yet cartoonishly exaggerated at the same time, and his detail on the settings, from Joel's spare apartment and workplace to the exterior shots we get of Korea, is exceptional as well. Kim's ability to convey the outrageous reactions of his character compares to Oni's Chynna Clugston, and there's some terrific physical comedy in these pages.
The tone of Love As A Foreign Language isn't easy to nail down. It is to some extent hilariously funny, and one line in particular ("Why does it seem like all Korean food originates from some kind of crazy dare?") both made me laugh out loud and perfectly encapsulated the frustration and xenophobia that Joel is experiencing. Because while the book is fun and funny, it is also a heartfelt look at alienation, about finding your place in the world and about knowing when to cut your losses if you haven't found it yet. Joel walks a fine line, at times almost crossing over into what could be considered racism, but it's a frustration with the culture rather than a hatred or malice that drives him, and that frustration is certainly understandable. Torres and Kim spend most of this volume showing that Joel is miserable. He can't speak the language well, his job and his life's routine is monotonous and repetitive and the culture is not one that he can really enjoy. I believe that Joel hates this place, I believe his reasons why and I certainly don't blame him for wanting to take a walk.
Where Love As A Foreign Language really succeeds, though, is making me believe in a reason that Joel might stay. So much effort is put into exploring Joel and his place in the world that there's not room to delve much into the romance that is theoretically at the heart of this series, but what space they have, Torres and Kim use to the fullest. The first time we see Hana Song, we are introduced to a gentle and rare beauty who seems to have a kind soul. Not bad for what amounts to only a full-page shot of art and an exchange of about two sentences, but these creators really sell that there's a connection made in that moment. When we leave these two at the end of the first volume, they're still essentially strangers, but there's enough of a spark in their brief connection that you can see why Joel might be willing to endure a little more misery to hope for more.
With the manga boom currently driving a lot of the sales in the comics market, many companies are diving in and trying to emulate the success that Tokyopop and Viz have found. Marvel is shrinking its trades and emulating the art style, DC went whole hog and is actually translating and releasing its own line of manga, but for my money, Oni Press are the ones poised to take advantage of this new market. Love As A Foreign Language sits comfortably alongside the rest of their offerings, being a romantic comedy, but it's paced and produced and looks like a manga, albeit without some of the more odd culture shock elements that have put me off a lot of the true manga out there. If you're one of those new manga fans (and you somehow wound up on this site, which I know is a stretch) and you're looking for something that can give you the same jolt as Maison Ikkoku or Peach Girl or what have you, Love As A Foreign Language is definitely worth a look. 10/10
