This was a constant swing between unbelievably wholesome to Cringe levels rivaling My Immortal.
While the cringe is infinite, there is a good story about growing into your most authentic self.

3.5 stars!

This was really cute! I loved how they aren't ashamed to do cosplay, and to just be themselves. Teens will surely find solace in 'Weeaboo.' However, my only complaint is that the art is somewhat hard on the eyes. It wasn't my cup of tea, but that's okay. Overall, 'Weeaboo' is a unique and fun coming of age story that I recommend to all the cosplay and anime fans out there!

**Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating**

I'm just going to be upfront: This book was garbage. It is quite possibly the most problematic graphic novel I have ever laid eyes on. I am just speechless after finishing this.

To begin with, I thought maybe the artwork was a stylized choice, but after seeing the difference in quality between the "anime" sequences versus the "real life" sequences, this maybe should have been given more time to go to publishing or been a webcomic. The artwork in the "real life" sequences is inconsistent, often very ugly. A great example of this is Danielle/Danny's hairline, which often is cut outward, which makes it look like she has a pointy forehead in many panels. Additionally, James is supposed to be biracial Japanese, but is white presenting in almost all panels. The idea that a white, blonde woman and a Japanese man would produce a white child with freckles and brown hair (which neither parent has) is biologically improbable and more could have been done to make the character present as biracial Japanese.

Artwork aside, the storyline needed a LOT of work. Sallah brings up a lot of issues within the anime fandom community and gives almost no commentary on ANY of it. She brings up the racism Black cosplayers get from non-Black cosplayers and...the character deletes the comment, the end. The biracial JAPANESE character is essentially being "taught" about this aspect of HIS culture by two non-Japanese people, which is a whole mess. The one character dresses Lolita style on a daily basis and drops random Japanese words in her language and the most she's called out for this co-opting of another culture is being called a "weeaboo" ONCE, a word which she "reclaims" as a good thing by the end of the book. She talks about "expectations" of how POC people should behave and it's never resolved. She has a homophobic grandmother. Never resolved or even discussed. The Black character consumes media that includes Blackface minstrelsy with ZERO pushback or commentary on it. The Black character has a crisis about her natural hair that isn't worked out on the page and she goes back to straightening her hair by the end of the book. Two side characters, one Japanese and one white, are, no joke, described as "short-tempered" and "[the] token white guy...Does everything Jun does, but with a tolerable attitude." The white side character is called out repeatedly for his "blaccent" and he tells the character calling him out to lighten up and that he takes things too seriously. This goes unresolved. This isn't even ALL of the problems, just the ones I can recall off the top of my head. I sat here stunned for most of the volume.

All in all, this needed to be workshopped more. I think the issues brought up are important and could have (and should have) been explored in a more comprehensive way. It's a clear case of trying to do too much and not really doing anything. I can't recommend this with a good conscience. It tried to address too many things and had little to say to address any of them.