This year’s Eisner Award-winning work and the final view of the month for many creators, one of the most acclaimed books of the year, earning a total of three wins by Jenelle Luen Yang and Louisen Pham, a New Year’s Love Story of the Month. Yang grabs the best writers while earning the best graphic album. Pham was also nominated for Best Penciller/Inker. It tells the story of a girl who set herself in the job of finding true love during the year so that she gives up on love and doesn’t lock her heart away.
Our review editor, Zack Quaintance, also gave him his thoughts on this incredible piece earlier this year.
“True love is not for you.”
One of the things that impressed me the book the most is how it seamlessly blends elements of different cultures. It even lies in the title that blends Eastern and Western holidays. Valentina, a perspective personality, is a descent in Vietnam, but she is drifting from many cultures as her father essentially protects her in her heart. He built a wall around her, keeping her insulation superficially. When she shatters the concept of many things and is then taken away by a well-meaning grandmother, we can look at her experiences, investigate the parts of that culture and investigate them so that they are not willing to explain them. Notify the audience as well as the reader. And this is widely practiced through Vietnam, Chinese and Korean traditions. This is beautifully portrayed in Louisen Pham’s art explicitly in the difference between the Chinese and Korean lions.
These permutations of cultural traditions are also evident in the appearance of St. Valentine. Whether it’s real or imagined f(r), just as Valentina’s understanding of icons changes, so does his appearance. From the cute little cherub in Cupid’s incarnation to the elder Christian saint, and another ghost who was probably an evil spirit and could have been a real Valentine.
Both the cultural and religious elements gather in Valentina’s quest for love. It’s like it’s influenced by myths. Not about the Pantheon meaning, but about the confluence of stories and lies, lore, and the family that color her outlook. With the idea that her family is doomed to a broken heart and a failed relationship. A year later, if she can’t find true love, it leads to the decision to feed her heart to St. Valentine.
“Only the pain is certain.”
Of course, love is not something that cannot be forced. I think there is a meaning between the representations of several different characters, but that is not something that is explicitly stated in the story. As someone far older than the book’s main character, I think rushing to love is one of the pitfalls that many older families experience here. The problem isn’t love or relationships, but perhaps unhealthy intercultural expectations. A high school lover may be the ideal of ROM-COM, but that doesn’t suit everyone. But despite the similarities between those who like Brownie Edge and those who like Gooey’s Center, I still feel like the heart of the story wants to push it in one direction.
Still, the love story of Lunar New Year is a stunning production of Yang and Pham. It is heartfelt complicated and guides us through Valentina’s journey to discover the truth about her family, new cultural traditions and experiences, and attempts to find love. I think it’s a good message in the end. Opening yourself and trying to find love to be hurt or vulnerable is a valuable pursuit. And personally, it doesn’t have to be on the timetables imposed on your own or society.
Classic comics big summary: New Year’s love story of the moon
New Year’s Love Story of the Moon
Author: Jean Lung Yang
Artist: Leuyen Pham
Publisher: First Second
Release date: January 9, 2024
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