Manga is more international than ever before. Not only are more and more series available in foreign languages, artists from outside of Japan have even begun to directly participate in the industry, such as the Indian-born masterlynx with Kung Fu Kung Fool earlier this year. Even so, are Japanese readers actually interested in the experience of foreigners living in their country?

FUJOSHING OUT!! seems to imply so. Penned by Tamar, this new series in Good! Afternoon follows a young girl known as Brigette who lives in a remote part of Scotland, estranged from her peers because of an obsession with anime and manga. She suddenly gets the opportunity to move to Japan with her father one day and realize her otaku dreams, but very quickly discovers that life in a different country is not all that it seems.

Reading this series was almost an exercise in reading my own mail as someone who also experienced significant culture shock when first moving to Japan almost ten years ago. Aside from overcoming the language barrier, one of the most difficult challenges was understanding that normal Japanese people aren’t necessarily into anime and manga as much as you are, even though media has formed the very basis of your connection with the country. This is exactly the kind of problem that Brigette runs up against when talking about her favorite series with her classmates.

It’s also great to see some recognition of just how big and varied Tokyo truly is. Even though Brigette’s father technically got transferred to the capital city, they end up living in Okutama all the way out on the border with Yamanashi, very far away from any Pokémon Centers or Animate stores. This only further adds to Brigette’s isolation and growing belief that she’ll be an outcast no matter where she goes, until another foreign teacher forces her to join the Manga Research Club.

Here is where dark reality ends and sweet fantasy begins. Not only does Brigette manage to find a place to belong, she ends up making friends with the daughter of an English teacher who just so happens to like exactly the same series as her. They’re even fans of the same pairing, holding the same headcanons and strong desire to participate in the upcoming Comiket.

If FUJOSHING OUT!! had been nothing but a depressing portrait of the life of an ex-pat in Japan, then it probably wouldn’t have resonated so much with Japanese audiences. The announcement post from Good! Afternoon currently boasts an impressive 23 likes and 20 retweets, with Tamar’s own repost surpassing that many times over thanks to their existing network as an Umamusume: Pretty Derby fan artist. Another manga-focused account also called it “the best” in a post that has over 123 likes.

When taken alongside Ange the Good Spy from a couple of weeks ago, it’s clear that the current domestic audience loves stories that put Japanese popular culture on a pedestal. That might be a very cynical statement, but at least there are no political faux pas and some truths to the experience illustrated this time around. Anything that elicits some sympathy for foreign residents in this current political climate is also a win in my book.

Chapter One Club is a weekly column that aims to spotlight the latest in new series and one-shots from across a wide variety of different demographics and publications.