I hardly know how to describe this graphic novel. I suppose it’s about two Asian-Americans who are dating each other, Ben and Miko. Ben is cynical and pessimistic. He’s also obsessed with non-Asian culture (ie he likes to fantasize about white women and that sort of thing). Miko is the exact opposite, enthusiastic about everything, especially about her heritage and roots. The two have been together for several years, but don’t have a very good relationship.

They decide to take a break from each other, and Miko travels from California to NYC. While she’s gone, Ben decides to date and/or sleep with some white girls. His best friend, a promiscuous Korean lesbian named Alice, both praises him and picks on him for this. Ben is unsatisfied (what else is new?) and eventually wants to reconnect with Miko, who has made her own new connections in New York.

Originally when I saw Aarti’s review of this book, I wasn’t sure if this would be a book I’d like. I put it on hold from the library in order to preview it. However, when I got it home to flip through, I ended up reading the entire thing. It was very captivating and I flew through it in less than an hour. Ben was awful in every way, denying his heritage and at the same time playing off white stereotypes, which really grated on me. I kept waiting for him to grow up. I was also exposed to a lot of Asian stereotypes that I’d actually never heard before.

Anyway, the end of this book really didn’t work for me. Nothing happens. Ben doesn’t change. Miko doesn’t change. No one learns how to appreciate other people better. No one realizes that people are the same no matter their background, culture, race, or heritage. Ironically, it felt like the book was trying to show exactly what its title says: Shortcomings. None of these people lived up to my expectations for them, and at the end, I guess I don’t know what the point was. Which is sad, because up until the end, I really, really liked the book.

Shortcomings made me very uncomfortable with how many stereotypes it upheld. Ben continued to shun Asian women in preference for the “far superior” white women, while simultaneously holding himself “unworthy” of them because he was Asian. Miko was the complete opposite, shunning everything not-Asian in order to assert herself, which is an attitude I can’t stand no matter which culture a person is from. I believe in integrated social atmosphere, where we all interact and realize we’re all the same despite physical differences. I don’t like stereotypes upheld or one culture held higher than another – be it Ben’s idea of “white is better” or Miko’s of “Asian is better.” In fact, the only character I really connected to was Alice, who was wonderfully indiscriminate and perfectly at ease with herself and her heritage.

I don’t know. I think I missed the point of this novel. I really want to understand, but it just frustrated me, especially because it was so well-written. The art is beautiful and I really enjoyed 95% of the book. I just wish the characters had learned something and grown as people. Since they didn’t, I almost felt like I wasted my time.