It is a fact that manga is popular and loved by many people around the world.

These Japanese comic books have many genres and subgenres, so I am sure there is one for everyone in the sea of varieties available in stores or online.

From cute Shoujo manga full of romance mainly targeting teenage girls to Shonen manga with their mix of action, fantasy, and sometimes comedy, you will surely find one to your liking.

How many mangas do you know, however, that specifically focus on international marriage?

For many, My Darling is a Foreigner (ダーリンは外国人 / Darling wa Gaikokujin) is probably the first manga that comes to mind, especially since its popularity increased after the live-action film adaptation featuring Inoue Mao as the mangaka heroine.

In this article, I will introduce you to another manga focusing on the same theme of international marriage. It, too, has been growing in popularity and it's so hilarious and fun that I thought it deserved to be shared and known by even more people.

The manga is called ヲタクが国際結婚しました / Otaku ga kokusai kekkon shimashita, a rough translation of which is: "When a Japanese otaku marries a foreigner." The manga artist is Ozaki Keishi.

Just by reading the title, I bet you thought: "It does sound fun and rather promising, indeed!"

The autobiographical manga can be included in the comic essay genre. It has plenty of funny situations and depicts the shared lives of the Japanese manga artist and actor, Ozaki Keishi, and his Romanian wife, Sorina.

All the perks, occasional conflicts, and struggles are portrayed in a humorous way and from a Japanese perspective.

 

Get to know Ozaki Keishi and Sorina

Who Is Keishi?

Keishi is a manga artist born in Miyazaki Prefecture. He studied Cultural Heritage at Nara University while he was running a theater company.

That is when he met Sorina, his wife, who came to Japan as a student.

At first, he was a teacher, but he quit his job and moved to Tokyo to pursue a career as an actor. Because of the pandemic, he started writing manga after things got difficult with his job.

One more thing: Keishi loves Kamen Rider.

He was kind enough to share with us a funny story from when he visited overseas:

Keishi got the opportunity to enjoy many different cultures after dating Sorina. One fun memory was when he went to visit his wife’s grandmother’s house.

The food served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was mainly meat dishes. Another thing that was always on the dining table was wine. Keishi was surprised to find out that the wine was homemade. Now, whenever he goes to Romania, he ends up getting drunk every day.

Translation:

• Keishi: "This wine matches the meat dishes and is so delicious."
• Sarina: "Right! This, too, was made by grandma."
• K: "Eh!? Really? Wow! Then, can I have more, please?"
• Granny: Makes OK gesture, then brings out two Balthazars (12-liter bottles) of wine.
• K: "Th-this might be a little too much..."
• (That’s usually the amount of wine kept in stock in the house)

Get to know Sorina, the heroine of the manga

His wife, Sorina won a scholarship to go to Japan and study at a Japanese university.

 

There, she decided to join Keishi’s theater club. At first, their relationship was purely that of a kōhai (後輩 / junior) and senpai (先輩 / senior), but they eventually started going out.

 

Sorina had to go back to Romania to graduate, and during this time, they had a long-distance relationship.

In the manga, there is even an episode where Keishi buys two pocket watches and sets the time for Romania on one (for him), and the time for Japan on the other one that he gives to Sorina.

Sorina says that it was a bittersweet moment and that she was very impressed by what Keishi did back then.

During the long-distance relationship, they went through many struggles, but eventually, Sorina came back to Japan, they reunited, and now they are happily married together.

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As a Romanian girl and a foreigner in Japan who came here as a student, then on a working visa, and has now married a Japanese citizen, this manga clicks with both me and my husband, and we always find ourselves laughing at the similar situations.

For those looking for a fun read, some Japanese practice, or are interested in the cross-cultural insights of a married couple with two people born and raised in two different countries, I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try.

Otaku ga Kokusai Kekkon Shimashita not only gives you a better perspective of how it is to be in an international and intercultural marriage but also offers a good dose of humor while telling the story of the daily lives of the main protagonists: Keishi and Sorina.

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You can support the manga artist and check out more information at the following links:

• Ozaki Keishi on Twitter
• Ozaki Keishi on Instagram
• Ozaki Keishi's Pixiv Fanbox page