Sanpaku

Growing up can be hard enough, but when you believe in a wild and crazy theory, and go to a strict religious school, that makes things even harder. Marcine goes to a strict Catholic school in the mid-1990s when she learns the theory of Sanpaku from her grandmother. The theory states that seeing the whites around one’s eyes is a bad omen and that a bad thing will happen to them and that the only way to get rid of it is a strict macrobiotic diet. Marcine attempts to follow this strict diet in a way to not get sanpaku, but the more she follows, the more she stands out from the crowd of her school and from her friends. Eventually, she grows where she learns that sanpaku was a fad that had a cult-like following and that she does not need it.

The art is interesting as there are no panels, and each page is like its own panel. The backgrounds are highly detailed and change from page to page. It does tell of life growing up in a different culture and how coming of age is difficult no matter what you believe in.