Sakana is a webcomic from hiveworks comics, written and illustrated by Mad Rupert, that has been ongoing since 2010. And after a four-year hiatus, with Rupert finishing up other projects, it’s finally back with regular updates! 

I found Sakana completely by chance, through a reverse image search on a single panel from the comic. That search introduced me to one of the best works that indie comics had to offer (at least to me). 

I’ve always loved comics, and finding new works to read, so this comic has always been a treat to me. From its charming art style to its airtight character writing to its seamless comedy and world-building, it’s an experience that I’ve very rarely found with other comics of a similar vein. Something about this story, in particular, strikes me, be it the setting, a Japanese fish market, or the characters, all unique and charming and layered with depth, which has made me all the happier to see it return. 

When I first started reading Sakana almost 4 years ago, the hiatus had just begun, with it forecast to return in 2023. Knowing the track record that often follows small indie works, I was very worried about the fate of this comic that I love so much, so the fact that it’s back has single-handedly motivated me to reread it. And after rereading it, I must say, it’s just as good as I remember.

I am Japanese, so this story had a pull on me from the very beginning. The story follows Jiro Sakana, his brother Taro Sakana, and their daily lives as employees of their uncle’s stall in the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. It’s a slice of life/romantic comedy, that to me is the perfect blend of what I love about both genres. Mad Rupert has a knack for cohesive storytelling and compelling character writing that keeps this story fresh even after a four-year wait, character writing that has created some of my favorite and most memorable characters of any webcomic that I’ve read.

A personal highlight for me, aside from the setting, is the exploration of interpersonal relationships. Sakana is a romcom, but it’s also a story about friendship, family, and the complicated ties of the people in and around your life. This comic is about Jiro Sakana, but it’s also about his family, his friends, his enemies, and all of the people around him in his life. For a seemingly simple and straightforward story, it introduces so many small nuances about all of the characters and then brings those nuances back to further build upon those characters and the world.

Now it would be remiss of me not to mention one of the other main aspects that drew me to this story, which is its queer characters. Without spoiling too much of the story and to save this slow-burn reveal, Sakana has a secondary storyline later on that runs parallel to the main one, and develops one of my favorite characters in the entire series. It near perfectly ties together so many random moments from throughout the story and ties it all together into this “AHA!” moment about this character. It takes this character that I already love so much, and paints a thousand new pictures about who this person is. His past, his present, his life, his very complicated feelings, everything. 

It reveals an incredibly heartfelt and deeply emotional character, who’s really just a hurt person trying his best. Who’s trying to move on from things that have happened to him, even if it means that those same things might come back to bite him. It revealed a character that was so painfully relatable to me, a character who portrays so well the conflicts that arise from how you feel about yourself, and the ways that that self-esteem, or lack thereof, has reaching effects on different parts of your life. 

And maybe best of all, you get to see him change. You get to see other characters come to his aid. You get to see all of the care and kindness that exists in people, even in the most unexpected areas. And all of this is highlighted wonderfully by the new relationships that this character is able to form. It’s such a reward, to see how this character is able to heal. To cut ties and make new ones, to finally put into words how he feels to other people, to people who genuinely care about those feelings. It’s such a reward to experience the trials and the tribulations and to watch him make it out to the other side. To see him put in the effort and to do things for himself and for others, no matter how uncomfortable it makes him because, despite it all, he cares. He wants better for other people. He wants better for himself.

It might be one of my favorite pieces of character work ever put to paper, period. 

Now, this comic is still ongoing. There are still stories and developments being made, and YOU (pointing emoji) have the chance to experience it now! I personally enjoy going back and rereading chapters while I’m waiting for new updates, and when it does update; it feels like a special treat just for me. I always get antsy and excited thinking about where this story will go, and how these characters will grow and change. As someone who wants to make comics in the future, analyzing the art and writing has proven to be a very helpful template in not just the meat of the comic, but also the ways in which you can produce and showcase your work to other people.

To anyone new to webcomics on formats that aren’t webtoons or tapas, this comic is meant to be read on a monitor but can be read on mobile if needed, though Its formatting makes it a little hard to read if it’s on a smaller screen. You can go to the archive page, choose which chapter to read and flip through the pages using the little toggles at the bottom of the screen. Being a webcomic, reading Sakana is completely free, but I would very highly recommend supporting the author if you can, whether it be donating to a Kofi/Patreon, or buying merchandise. I would also suggest looking into their social media because you can sometimes see important updates, as well as see their other works. 

All in all, Sakana has been a very special work for me, that has held an important place in my heart, and I’m overjoyed to see it return. It makes my days at school just a little more fun, and I always look forward to seeing and reading its updates. Art and literature that I can so strongly connect with are extremely valuable to me. I hope that you, and anyone else who reads this, can find something as important and influential to them as this webcomic has been to me. I also hope everyone who reads this reads Sakana and comes to talk to me about how much they love it.