Have you ever considered getting love advice from an egg yolk? You can find out in Gudetama: Love for the Lazy by Wook-Jin Clark. Gudetama is a character from Sanrio company, a popular shop that can be found in malls. The character is known for being lazy and having a sidekick called Nisetama-san. He’s a young man who likes to dress in an egg yolk costume. Gudetama likes to spend most of his time sleeping, but his friend prompts him to offer advice to the lovelorn.
Gudetama’s first advice seeker is named Carmelo, and he sends girls running for their lives. He has no idea why. Gudetama observes him in action at a supermarket. Carmelo yells at girls and they can’t take the sound of his voice. Gudetama tells him to soften his voice and then shows Carmelo his online dating profile. In his profile, he says he likes “sleeping, chilling, eating, and dislikes being told to do stuff.” Carmelo marvels at how many ladies are interested in getting to know this little egg.
The graphic novel is full of little vignettes of people attempting to find love with Gudetama’s help. They are only a few pages and usually end with things going awry and not according to plan. The stories are all told in bright colors, yellows, oranges, pinks, and bright blues. They make every panel pop and are really eye-pleasing. The potential suitors come across like caricatures and are very over the top and cartoonish in their behavior. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief that someone would go to an egg yolk for advice and one that is so nonchalant about life. I also didn’t care too much for the goofy sidekick and found myself annoyed by his presence.
I recommend Gudetama: Love for the Lazy for those that like to collect all things Sanrio. I would not recommend it for libraries to purchase for a couple of reasons. One, I don’t think it’s the type of graphic novel that people would want to read more than once. It’s mostly a one and done read. You giggle a little and then forget about it. Second, I felt the little mini-stories were too short to really understand the punchline or care about the characters. I also had an issue with the age rating. It is rated for 13+. I had mistakenly thought this would be fitting for a younger audience. After reading it, I concur with the rating, but feel it would be better for older teens. I think a lot of the jokes would be lost on younger teens.
Gudetama: Love for the Lazy
By Wook-Jin Clark
ISBN: 9781620107287
Oni Press, 2020
Publisher Age Rating: T for Teens
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NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16)
