STEEPED BY SAMIA #28 | 02.20.24
Lovesick Alley, the joy of escapism, & falling in love (with life).
During Christmas weekend, I spent many hours at the Stanford infusion center while my dad was getting a medicinal IV infusion. The lobby was usually filled with people but because of the holidays, it was pretty empty.
Sitting in a comfy chair overlooking a large window, I needed something mind-numbing to do. So, I decided to read Shoujo manga on my laptop. I had bookmarked some manga titles on Twitter/X, so I started with one called Unmei No Hito Deau Hanashi (How I Met My Soulmate).
The team that worked on the fan-translation, type-setting, uploading etc. of this manga is called Lovesick Alley, and I found this to be so poignant, so dreamy (Lovesick Alley is amazing btw; they work on a lot of new titles and keep us well fed.).
That’s how my re-acquaintance with my old friend, Shoujo manga, started.
Shōjo Manga (def.): Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women.
Shoujo manga was my childhood.
At the library, I would browse the manga section with my siblings and check out stacks of manga. Cardcaptor Sakura, Yotsuba, Gakuen Alice, Mermaid Melody, Ojamajo Doremi, Ouran High School Host Club, Fruits Basket and so many more.
Comforting, sparkly, heart-wrenching / -warming, a crash course on love, pretty girls + charismatic boys falling in love, the spring of our youth, crying yourself to sleep, clumsy girl super heroes and their elaborate transformation sequences, school life and female friendships, the whimsy of far-off kingdoms, the magical creature friends we meet along the way.
For hours after school, I’d browse sketchy manga websites that put viruses on my family’s desktop computer. I was viewing manga subject matter that was wayyy more adult than a ten-year-old should — I know many sheltered girlies around the world can relate to this, lol.
My sister Ferheen once brought home the full set of Kare Kano, all 21 volumes. Flopped on my flower-printed bed, I read them over & over again — starting the first volume again, right after finishing the last. It’s a classic Shoujo manga plot, but something about the emotion and intensity swept me away.
My renaissance with manga has been: 🥰💕💌💫💘☁️.
I’m not entirely sure why I stopped reading manga for many years. A part of me knew that if I got sucked into it, I would spend hours scrolling blurry eyed passed midnight (this is very much happening rn, no regrets lol 😌). I’ve been watching anime for years, so that’s also a thing.
With Shoujo manga, you can escape into these little worlds and offshoots of life, revisiting things like “first love” and “coming of age.”
It’s so pure, for instance, when the teen protagonist of a manga is handed a career questionnaire by their homeroom teacher, and they have to list their top career paths. Over the course of the manga, you’ll see them mull over the possibilities, the distance they feel toward their futures, and their decision to become a nurse, let’s say, because of an impactful moment.
Indulging in Shoujo manga has been a source of comfort and joy for me, in such a hard and bleak time for the world.
It’s February, the season of all things love & mushy.
One of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories, I have to mention, was when Ferheen was living at home before medical school. We got a variety of cannoli from Downtown San Jose — pistachio, choco chip, raspberry & more — and we feasted on cannoli while we watched To All the Boys 3 that had just come out. It was a vibe :’)
This year, I’m reflecting on how Romantic Love isn’t a topic I write about on Steeped by Samia. It can be a sensitive subject matter for anyone, of course. We all have things we’d filed under “things I can’t / won’t write about or discuss in a TikTok story-time.” So, I’m passing Romantic Love to a future Samia to encounter in her writing — a Samia who has lived & loved more and can connect the dots with more clarity.
What I do want to share, for now, is that I feel so loved and cherished by the people around me. 😌
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My friend Farial hosted Plant Your Seeds in January to dream & scheme about 2024.
As part of the workshop, Farial guided us through some prompts to think through our major goals and themes for each quarter of the year (read about PYS on their Substack here!).
For my Q4 theme, I scrawled in my journal:
I want to fall in love ~ with life, people, the world, my career. To keep nurturing the newness and possibilities.
Shoujo manga was on my mind. I wondered: What is it like examining new and familiar things with the dizzying, kaleidoscopic lens of Love?
I’m still learning what this means to me and what this looks like (And why Q4, specifically?? Lol).
To fall in Love is a brave act. To be aware of Love, to move & act with Love, to profess Love. It’s bursting with strong, sometimes contrasting emotions. Messy, humbling, and endearing. It animates our bodies with sensations. The quickening of the breath, the bottomless plummet of the stomach.
Shoujo manga and in real life.
Pls give your pets and loved ones a lil kiss! —S.A.
🔗 Steep On This:
- A book: The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy
- A song: Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 by PinkPantheress
- An anime: Yubisaki to Renren (2024)
- A podcast: This is Uncomfortable by Reema Khrais
- A newsletter: Since No One Asked by Cat Scarsfield
- A tea: Celestial Seasonings’ Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride
- An obsession: Strawberry sparkling water
💫 Catch Up:
01.17.24 | Steep On This: Creative media that inspire me
STEEPED BY SAMIA #27: Zines, creative hubs, substacks, youtube series, & more.
💌 About This Blog:
Steeped by Samia is a space where I can simmer on thoughts & curiosities about life, liminal spaces, digital culture, & more. Far too often, my writing ideas fizzle out in energy; I never get to see them to their full potential. While building my rhythm with writing, I want to share these stories with you.
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