“They done Fucked Around and pissed me all the way off. We in the Find Out phase now.”
You know, as much as I adored Sistah Samurai, I wasn’t totally sure if it needed a sequel… until I read Return of the Sistah Samurai. I mean, if you thought the first novella was good, just wait until you see what Obey has in store in this full-length sequel. This was SO much fun! It’s got all the charm and heart and funkiness and geekiness and badassery that made the first instalment so amazing, except just crank it all up to eleven.
The moment I was reunited with my girl Sistah Monique, my heart just exploded with joy and I was immediately vibing so hard again. But tell you what, we don’t just get the satisfying continuation of her journey of growth in Return of the Sistah Samurai, but we are treated to 3 whole new POV characters who each absolutely stole the show. My queer lady Sistah Simone, my anxious babe Imani and my hyper-active Kayla all just captured my heart the moment I met them, and I loved the (semi-reluctant) found family vibes that quickly started to develop.
The entire vibe of Return of the Sistah Samurai can basically be summed up as: “fuck the patriarchy & let’s fight misogyny”, and I was SO here for it. These Black power ladies have some real nasty demons to slay, both on the ground and in their own minds, and I loved how the themes of mental health, queerness, forgiveness (of others and oneself) and healing added both so much heart and hurt to this story. Obey is just so skilled at writing flawed, complicated and painfully relatable characters (or should I say people? because damn these babes feel REAL to me) who you can’t help but root for in all their messy glory.
Now, I am not an anime girlie and my white ass sure doesn’t know a whole lot about Black culture, but that doesn’t stop me from loving the The Champloo Mixes series to pieces. Sure, sometimes the relentless action, the over-the-top anime quirks or the unapologetically loud voices of the characters can get a bit intense for me, but I think it’s a true testament to Obey’s skill as an author that I am still so utterly immersed anyway. I mean, between the quirky, engrossing storytelling and all the fun character cards before each chapter (and the on-brand ad breaks, can’t forget about those), this book is just a whole ass *experience* from beginning to end, and I love that.
Return of the Sistah Samurai is the sequel I didn’t know I wanted, but which my heart and soul absolutely needed. Even though this book has more than double the pages of its predecessor, I devoured it just as quickly, and I already can’t wait for the next instalment! I swear, Obey is simply incapable of writing a bad or boring book, so just do yourself a favour and read her works already!
