REVIEW: Shino Can't Say Her Name (manga) by Shuzo Oshimi, translated by Molly Rabbitt

Shino Can't Say Her Name is a one-shot manga. I bought my copy new.

Review:

Shino Oshima has just started high school. She has a bad stutter, especially in anxiety-inducing situations or with words that begin with vowels (like, for example, her surname, Oshima). Unfortunately, starting high school means introducing herself in class, and she gets made fun of when she turns into an anxious, stuttering mess. 

Shino eventually befriends a girl named Kayo. Kayo plays guitar, but when she tries to sing and sounds terrible, Shino accidentally laughs...and learns that her new friend has previously been made fun of for being tone deaf. The two of them form a band, with Shino realizing that she is able to sing without stuttering, and try to practice getting out of their comfort zone by performing on the street. This, however, leads to another shake-up in their budding friendship.

Shino's stuttering moments were almost physically painful to read. In the author's afterword, Oshimi mentioned that the manga was based on some of his own experiences growing up with a stutter, and you could feel it in every horrible panel in which Shino, flushed and sweating with anxiety, tried desperately to force words out. 

The finale, at the cultural festival, was kind of predictable, but I loved what Kayo did for Shino (and snort-laughed at Kikuchi's mask with a big X on it - the guy did his best to show his support while keeping his mouth shut for once).