Usarin's Story

Inspired by Japanese manga, Usarin's Story is a short comic interspersed throughout Usarin's Guide to Japan.

It stars the titular Usarin in his journey to Japan and gives context for his various appearances in the travel guidebook.

The first chapter uses a 4-koma manga format while the middle and end chapters feature a more traditional panel format.

Usarin went through many design changes but I wanted maintain the cute and silly aspect of his character intact to make for a charming "guide" for the travel guidebook.

As I thought about why Usarin would go to Japan, I drew inspiration from my own relationship with my grandpa and gave that to Usarin.

The theme of "the value of spending time with one's grandparents" was one that resonated heavily with me so I chose to end his story on that emotional note.