Tonoharu: Part Three

I think I first stumbled across Lars Martinson's graphic novels, Tonoharu, inspired by his two stints in Japan as a Assistant English Teacher (AET), about eight years ago. An experience that I too had and my initial reason for coming to Japan. But it was his exquisite illustrations that compelled me to see the project to completion's end. The first volume was published in 2008 and was followed by volume two in 2010. But the final volume, Tonoharu: Part Three was just published this year (2016), so all in all it took him 13 years to complete his three part graphic novel. It is a satisfying collection, if not a bit dark in it's storyline, however, there is a sort of last minute plot change that dilutes some of the bleakness. Martinson keeps a blog and I found this YouTube video he made that explains why it took hims so long to complete the project and the things he learned while doing it. I look forward to seeing what other projects he creates-he is certainly a talented artist.