Genjitsu Touhi shitetara Boroboro ni Natta Hanashi
My Alcoholic Escape from Reality

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In every way, this feels like an improvement over My Solo Exchange Diary as a reading experience. I phrase it that way, rather than calling it a better book, because the fragmented, violently chaotic, and circular structure of those two volumes was probably an accurate reflection of the author's mental state at the time, so it was appropriate.

This latest memoir is more focused and structured, detailing Nagata's diagnosis with acute pancreatitis and the impact that had on her life. We gain a lot of insight into both the condition and her time in hospital, certainly enough to make the reader want to do everything ... they can to reduce their own chances of developing pancreatitis. The artwork is also a significant improvement over the last couple of volumes. While Nagata's style has always been simple and sketchy, by the end of My Solo Exchange Diary volume 2 it had disintegrated into childish scribble, though that was no doubt a reflection of the state she was in, having been drawn while she was either in rehab for alcoholism or shortly after.

Elsewhere, Nagata has long been vocal about how much she regretted berating her parents in previous volumes, and she has eliminated that aspect almost entirely this time. The tone retains her constant state of fear and anxiety, but there's less of the vitriol. Interestingly, while the details of her time in hospital make this the most horrifying volume, it's also the funniest due to the way she anthropomorphises her symptoms. I kind of want a plushie of Nagata's pancreas now...

Whereas Kabi-sensei’s first two works shared some of her internal and mental issues, My Alcoholic Escape From Reality is more of a physical experience for both her and the readers. And while the newest entry doesn’t reach the peaks of introspective reflection as its predecessors do, it doesn’t take away from the quality and is still a great read for fans of the series.

Kabi-sensei’s struggle to draw and write manga about herself is no secret to anyone reading, and the hesitance is as clear as day after she reveals that she and her mother talked about how much of their private relationships they’re comfortable ... with sharing to the public. Quite ironic, isn’t it? A writer who’s most successful when writing about her struggles now struggles with sharing her more personal struggles and ends up encountering newfound struggles overcoming her creative block. But the recurring theme of one problem leading to another isn’t a huge surprise at this point.

The third installment doesn’t pick up right where the second left off, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the second leads up to the third. After trying to deal with moving out, living alone, and periodically moving back in with her parents, our tragic hero picks up a habit of alcoholism, which is lightly touched upon in the second and is now the main focus of the third. Through this she hits not exactly a new low, but a different low, where her unhealthy physical body has finally caught up with her deteriorating mind and now she must find a new way to well… live. Whether it be intermittent stomach pains, a demotivating hospital diet, or an irritating IV drip, Kabi-sensei carefully illustrates how ordinarily negligible pains become considerably more painful when stacked upon an already anxious and draining lifestyle. She’s no model citizen (and she acknowledges this), and while it’s easy to just take her mistakes as decisions NOT to make, I think there’s more value to be found in learning how her mistakes made her a stronger, slightly more capable person.

The main internal struggle of this entry deals with Kabi-sensei deciding whether or not to continue writing memoirs or to switch to writing fiction. This struggle is outlined by the unfolding of events in her hospital but is also apparent in how she approaches this book itself. Like I mentioned before, there is a clear hesitance for her to share her relationships with her friends and family compared to her previous books, whether it be because she thinks it’s wrong or that her writing’s getting stale. It leads her to digress into writing about her more surface-level, obvious struggle in a sickbed and stretch a month-long hospitalization into something readable. That’s why to me, this doesn’t directly feel like a 3rd entry but a 2.5th. But as she finds a new level of solace in her writing style following this condensed experience, I am left feeling confident that Kabi-sensei will deliver a new, compelling sequel to come.

My Alcoholic Escape From Reality.

Nagata Kabi, seeing the author draw out a manga of their real experiences, is comforting seeing how they got there and where they're going. Although, it goes to say Kabi previous experiences felt more personal and emotional tied together. Often dealing with loneliness and depression. This is moving forward after having a hit wonder with their previous manga series, 'My Solo Exchange Diary' & 'My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness.'

At this stage in their life, Kabi-San is still dealing with anxiety and fears that she chooses to resolve by drinking their problems away. Only to develop an acute pancreatitis and having ... to deal with it for the rest of their life. Oddly enough, I find that all the more enjoyable being that I have a fatty liver, however it wasn't' caused by excessive alcoholic consumption. So this really stuck home with me because my doctor would constantly ask if I was a drinker or smoker, which I'm neither of. Anyhow, the artwork continues to improve and is why I love reading Kabi-San work, there's warm feeling about her art-style that I'm fond of. A welcoming sequel that readers of Kabi should read and see her rehabilitation through this part of her life.