A Smart and Courageous Child Manga Review (Spoiler‑Free)

Though the journey to parenthood is filled with wonder and anticipation, it’s also haunted by the creeping dread of a world that feels increasingly unforgiving, each day of the nine-month wait pressing heavier on the heart. Miki Yamamoto attempts to capture these moments in her book A Smart and Courageous Child.

Synopsis:

Sara and Kouta Takano are soon-to-be parents, filled with wonder and hope as they imagine the bright future that awaits their child. But dDays before she’s set to give birth, Sara hears of the attempted assassination of Malala Yousafzai, a symbol of youth, courage, and promise. If someone as incredible as Malala could suddenly be struck down, what hope does Sara have of keeping her own baby safe? Fears form a fierce storm around her heart, creating a cacophony of emotional distance that begins to break Sara and Kouta apart. Love and trust is pitted against the weight of a cruel world as these prospective parents are forced to face their fears head on and find a path forward.

The Good:

As a parent, I’m not sure I’ve encountered another piece of media that so perfectly encapsulates the experience of waiting for a baby to arrive. Even more impressive is just how rapidly it can manage to do so. The excitement of telling relatives, the absolute elation of seeing the first ultrasound picture, and the brutal difficulties of morning sickness—which I also got to “enjoy” thanks to a strangely strong sympathetic pregnancy— were all captured in a single page. While nine months seems like a long time, those who have experienced it will know just how much of a whirlwind of events zoom by seemingly in seconds.

Yamamoto is equally as good at capturing one of the biggest parts of the pregnancy waiting experience — the imagining. I can still remember vividly the nine months waiting for my own daughter’s arrival. My daughter was quite the squirmy one and would only truly calm down if she was pressed against my back in some capacity. So often, even if I wasn’t quite tired, cuddle sessions would be needed to give the mother-to-be a bit of a break. Oftentimes, this led to long discussions on all of our hopes and dreams for our daughter to pass the time.

I saw so many of those conversations reflected in those had by Sara and Kouta throughout the book. What kinds of hobbies, sports, and classes to get the kid into, wondering what their personality will be like, and in general making plans far too ambitious to ever be fully followed through on. The daydreams of your child doing incredible things someday that might make them famous throughout the world. I felt transported back nearly a decade, pulled through the history of my life by lovingly crafted art and the deep sympathy and understanding of expectant parents on display.

This included when Sara finally confronts the most terrifying part of potential parenthood — the fear itself. What if I make terrible mistakes while parenting? What if I somehow hurt my child? How will I protect my child from the dangers of the world? While Sara faces this after learning about the attempted assassination of Malala Yousafzai, I could vividly remember my own fears inspired by the major events of the world leading up to her birth.

The Bad:

I struggle to find anything in this book from its narrative to its themes and how it presents them that deeply warrants a mention in this section. I truly enjoyed it that much. Which makes it all the more disappointing that the book’s afterword, an addition to the original text, contains some extremely off-putting content.

After reading a book crafted lovingly by an author that has historically focused on stories from a woman’s perspective, I didn’t want to read descriptions about Yamamoto’s “generously ample breasts” and her being “so inadvertently seductive” written by a man. While Paulo La Marca, Assistant Professor at the University of Catania, goes on to say it was the strength of her writing that got him to purchase one of her books, it still feels extremely creepy. The rest of the afterword also fantastically covers the history and breadth of Yamamoto’s work making me wonder why in the world they didn’t just cut that part out.

I would also note that people who are vehemently child-free and want nothing to do with raising children, or even being around them, probably won’t enjoy this book, though it doesn’t make it any less of a quality read.

Lastly, if someone is looking for something with that distinctive “manga style” in its art, A Smart and Courageous Child might not be perfect for them.

The Verdict:

The world we live in faces horrors on a scale unimaginable. Families are being torn apart under orders of world leaders aroused by cruelty and repulsed by compassion. A pandemic rips through the world as bird flu builds up a threat to humble hospitals worldwide. Genocides rage on as futures are stolen from children through bombs and legislation alike. Global warming looms over us all. I do not want to think of what future developments could make being a parent any more terrifying.

Yet, mothers keep giving birth, families dream of having children, and we all keep fighting to survive. A Smart and Courageous Child is the perfect book for such times. It doesn’t ignore how crushing reality can be just to feed readers a happy floaty narrative that everything will be alright. As Caitlin Seida so eloquently put it in her famous poem, “Hope is an ugly thing with teeth and claws and patchy fur that’s seen some shit.” It shows parents that while the world is scary, the collective power of love for our family and a dogged determination to raise children to be clever and fearless, we can help create the light that will shine on their future lives. I cannot recommend more that people, parents or not, give it a read.

If you liked A Smart and Courageous Child, you might also like…

• I Don’t Know How To Give Birth! by Ayami Kazama
• Stardust Family by Aki Poroyama
• Menopause: A Comic Treatment edited by MK Czerwiec (Recommended by the Author!)

Credits:

Writer and Artist: Miki Yamamoto
Editor: Becca Grace
Editor: Lena Atanassova
Translator: Katie Kimura
Copy Editor: Becca Grace
Retouching and Lettering: Vibraant Publishing Studio
Cover Designer: Sol DeLeo
Publisher: Tokyopop

Thank you to Tokyopop for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy did not affect the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.

Article edited by: Kelly Stewart

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