The Fall 2023 Manga Guide - Lucia and the Loom: Weaving Her Way to Happiness

What's It About? 

Green hair and blue eyes, as subdued and boring as can be... That's what Lucia always thought of herself, until a chance encounter in her childhood gave her the confidence to wear the pretty dresses and accessories she so admires, no matter what anyone else may say about her.

Now that she's grown and working for her family's factory, Lucia dreams of running her own atelier. Little does she know her ambition is about to get a jump start when her friend Dahlia comes by looking for someone to produce a specialized clothing item. Next thing she knows, Lucia is suddenly the head manager of the newly established Magical Garment Factory! Her unexpected appointment to this large role lands her in the crosshairs of others' jealousy, but the target on her back is but a bump in the road to realizing her dream! In addition to her duties, Lucia, in her own fashion, tackles the conundrums posed by the clients of the Tailors' Guild.

Here begins Lucia's lancinating journey to clothe everyone in style as she weaves her way to happiness!

Lucia and the Loom: Weaving Her Way to Happiness includes a story by Hisaya Amagishi and illustrations by Esora Amaichi. The English translation is by Osman Wong. Published by J-Novel Heart; PublishDrive edition (September 11, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

Although I wish this book were better, I do have to say that it's good enough. A non-isekai fantasy, Lucia and the Loom is not, as the title implies, about weaving, but about being a couturier in what appears to be a fantasy version of mid-century Italy. The author's commitment to the setting is one of the highlights here – all of the names are Italian or Italian-ish, and the fashion scene feels very much like a variation on what I've read about Italy at the time. The main concessions to fantasy are the use of monster materials for making clothes and the fact that people naturally have green or blue (or other unusual shades) hair. Heroine Lucia Fano despairs her own looks, and at first, thinks they disqualify her from wearing or making cute clothes. A chance encounter with a young man who I presume will eventually become her love interest convinces her otherwise, and with the loving support of her father, Lucia embarks on a career in high fashion.

While I admit to some disappointment that weaving isn't a major factor in the story – I enjoy weaving myself – the story will probably be thrilling to readers who enjoy the art of making and designing clothes rather than clothes. Lucia's process is detailed each time she learns something new or gets a new commission, and there's a very nice commitment to the idea that everyone should wear what makes them feel attractive. One entire chapter is dedicated to a straight man who wants to wear pretty embroidered clothes but is afraid that the whole “straight male” thing means that he's not allowed. Lucia helps him get over that toxic notion and creates something that makes him feel handsome without standing out too much. (Naturally, we're told, this later creates a major trend in menswear.) The story throws in lots of solid little details that try to combat this sort of thinking while also mentioning that queer people exist and are accepted by society on the whole. There is, unfortunately, one chapter where diet culture rears its ugly head and is touted as a positive thing, but for the most part, the book eschews that sort of storyline.

If reading about designing clothes or the myriad ways they're created isn't exciting for you, this probably isn't going to be your book. It dragged for me in places (I like historical costume as anthropology, not clothes in general), and the timeline, in the beginning, is awkward and a bit difficult to follow; I was shocked when it seemed like Lucia was suddenly twenty-two. But I'd recommend this over last year's release of Maiden of the Needle, which deals with a similar topic, and it's certainly good enough to pick up.