いま、インドによばれて

INDIA CALLING ME NOW

Slice of Life

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
1
RELEASE
February 29, 2024
CHAPTERS
6

DESCRIPTION

After years of struggling to get her work published, 28-year-old manga artist Natsume is on the brink of giving up. When her boyfriend gets transferred to India and asks her to come, she takes it as a sign to finally let go of the dreams she'd pursued her whole life. But when she arrives and realizes that he sees her as little more than a dutiful future housewife, she dumps him on the spot and finds herself all alone in an unfamiliar land. Through her encounters with the resilient and radiant women she meets there, Natsume slowly finds the strength to follow her dreams once again.

(Source: Kodansha USA)

CAST

Natsume Kanazawa
Ruby

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

nxneil13
80/100
Representation can help all people learn to grow regardless if you aren't the same nationality or ethnicity
For people who are not people of color, I wanna emphasize the importance of representation in media. For this video, I don’t want to repeat the same sayings how representations helps marginalized communities feel seen and how diversity can promote evolution. But rather I want to focus on how representation in media should be just as important to you, someone who is not the same nationality and ethnicity as me for how representation can teach all people the different teaches and ways of life that every community goes through. The reason being so that it helps you become a more rounded person and grow throughout your life. We cannot truly understand the life we are growing unless we take a second to see the lives around us and how they traverse. I say that to relation, India Calling me now.

If it aint obvious, this review am south asian american, so there is some bias for why I want to talk about this story. but the reason I want to talk about this manga is for how it does a great job communicating how we can all relate to each other even though we could be totally different people across the world, but our experiences and struggles in life can bring us together and help us grow as people. The narrative, while short, does a through job talking about the experiences of women and how they inspire each other, as well as being a love letter to India as a whole.

The first chapter does feel like this is a story about a Japanese woman learning about Indian society in her visit, giving an air of falling into traps of sensationalist Orientalism, but as you read, it clearly proves to be that it is a empathetic/solidarity solute to the struggles of women in Asia and the strengths they have in combating it.

When it comes to representation of Indian society, what I very much enjoy of it is that showcases the beauty of the Indian culture and the lovingness in how Indian people communicates with each other, but it also does a great job exploring the nuances of surviving and living day to day in India, that never feels disrespectful or racially insensitive. It explores the difficulties and systematic struggles that the people of India, especially women go through, but it is never treated as that the problems represent all of India, but rather like all countries, every system has flaws that needs to be addressed, especially for developing countries.

Its example being of the way it tackled the story of Mumtaz Mahal, and the conversation on how she was perceived versus what she’s was known for, by her story. As well as just the general conversations about the societal expectations of women in India, and how it is slowly changing as time goes on. (This manga was made in 2024 iirc)

This manga also excels in exploring how even those who have grown up and become part of the next generation of this system, women are not defined by their inability to fulfill all their dreams as helpless victims of the system. Instead, they are portrayed as equally strong individuals, loving mothers, and hardworking. It’s not just a story about “strong and independent” women who make a name for themselves, even though it leans towards idealism. However, it never diminishes the women who make up society and do their absolute best at it. In this regard, it is brimming with hope and seeks to empower all women, regardless of their circumstances.

The reason why I wanted to put such an emphasis on the importance of representation is because at the end of the day, representation helps everyone, its there to shine a light on those who’ve never felt seen before, as well as be a source of inspiration for those who feel lost in life. While I’ve certainly enjoy the love and care in how much Terako Shima put in when drawing the different cities and architecture of India, I certainly believe that this manga can be recommended to everyone for how it focuses on going after one's personal happiness in spite of societal norms and the world around them, A lot of women, or really all people can relate to that message.

This manga is very short, it’s only 6 chapters, you could finish this in an hour. So if you want to read something about learning both the beauty and struggles women go through in a country far different from yours in your from the west, as well as learn about the beauty of India and what it has to offer (CUS BHAGAWN KNOWS THAT AMOUNT OF RACISM TOWARDS SOUTH ASIANS IN THE LAST 2-3 YEARS HAS BEEN INSANE), I highly recommend checking out “India calling me now”

India Calling Me Now is a 8/10 for me
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