#leehama

[leehama]

🍎 ☕️ Gourmet Hound, Vol. 1 will be coming to print as a graphic novel this fall! ☕️ 🍎

I'm so excited to finally be able to share the graphic novel version of Gourmet Hound! Volume 1 will be on sale October 27, 2026! Pre-order Gourmet Hound, Vol. 1 here!

[lewlibrary]

And Another Lovely Day

Leehama - Webtoon canvas

Ongoing - 36 Episodes - Scrolling

A "(non) rom-com" following Nora and Elliot, two aromantic/asexual teachers at the same school. The two have a fateful and romantic meeting off the clock, which causes them both to worry the other has fallen in love with them.

I first started reading Leehama's work with Flowerpot on Tapas (then tapastic!) back in 2017, and I've been following her work ever since. All of her comics are incredibly thoughtful and heartfelt, and And Another Lovely Day is a shining example of all the care and consideration put into Leehama's work.

(Speaking of Leehama's comics, Gourmet Hound is on my list of comics to talk about here, too—stay tuned for that later!)

There are a lot of small details I enjoy about this comic, such as the name scheme of the cast. Every single character draws their first or last name from a color, either being named directly after a color itself (ie Nora Chestnut, whose surname is a shade of warm brown) or their name drawing on something related to that color (ie Isaac Heather, named for a purple flower). I adore the fact every single character's name, no matter how big or small the character's role, both fits a certain theme and tells us a little about them, as it makes the whole work feel a little more cohesive.

Related—unsurprisingly by the attention paid to colors in the name scheme, And Another Lovely Day's color work is phenomenal. Every single panel is easy on the eyes, with a nice balance of bright and cheerful colors. Of course, the art style of the comic is also incredibly pleasing, with a super charming and distinct style for people and expressions. The comic especially prefers oranges and blues, the colors of the aromantic-asexual flag.

My favorite small detail is the way the comic uses stars. Many romance comics use things like hearts around a character in a panel to denote romantic feelings, and this comic has a similar symbol: stars, for platonic or familial affection and feelings. A specific symbol to highlight these moments in a comic specifically about how platonic connections instead of romantic ones is incredibly useful, as well as really fun to pay attention to once you know to look for it!

And Another Lovely Day is a very heartfelt comic, portraying asexuality and especially aromanticism in an honest and sympathetic light, something that can be very rare in media! The "tragedy," if you can use so heavy a word here, of Nora and Elliot's lives isn't their aromanticism, as both of them are relatively content with their own interests and their platonic or familial connections. Instead, the comic deals more with things such as the isolation of navigating in this world built around romantic partnerships as a person removed from romance entirely.

While the comic handles these feelings respectfully and with the care and weight they deserve, it never stops being a light-hearted and comedic story. And Another Lovely Day has a very clever and silly sense of humor, and I've shown many of the jokes from this comic to friends as they land every single time. I walk away from most episodes of this series with a genuine smile on my face. A personal favorite style of joke that this comic does is footnotes which comment on or contradict the content of the panel or the misconceptions of the characters, a gag that makes me laugh every single time.

(Just rereading this comic for panels to sample was cracking me up all over again)

These are two of many of the comic's strong points as a written work, but the comic is also strong in character writing and in handling relationships, both platonic and romantic. Elliot and Nora are both incredibly interesting characters, and between the two, I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite (and that's not even getting into all the rest of the cast!)

Every episode of And Another Lovely Day comes with small bonus panels of trivia, and there have been several bonus episodes with more extra information and content or context about characters or writing choices. These are absolutely fascinating, and many of them—such as one which pointed out the author's use of stars—have changed the way I read and appreciate the comic.

As a last note, the author posts here on tumblr @/leehama! I would recommend checking out her tumblr for trivia about the comic, as well as her entire body of work as a comic artist. I've never read something from Leehama I didn't absolutely adore with every fiber of my being, and I plan to follow her work wherever she takes it.

[butteredtoads]

I saw a post about how its weird that webtoon fandoms are so small when the platform is so big and i totally agree. I really wish I could write or draw stuff for my favorite webtoons so I could add to the fandoms lol. That being said i also find it very interesting how webtoon has changed over time. To me its a lot like how the internet and pop culture itself has changed over time, in that there aren't many shared pieces of media that everyone is into. Instead, webtoon has kind of devolved into more and more subsets, much like the rest of the internet, until two people on webtoon are reading completely different things with no commonalities.

While this isn't necessarily bad, I think its really interesting, and its also why i think me and a lot of other older readers have lost interest over time. Webtoon used to be a big community where you could mention a big name like Siren's Lament, Hooky, LUFF, or Andy Bass, and people would get your references. Now, the site has grown and changed so much that no one has anything in common, and its become less of a social media platform and more of a library, where it used to be more 50/50.

Also, webtoon has become much more coin dependent over time, and with the recent updates things like the daily have been pushed to the side so people discover stories in different ways. The pay-to-play style of the site has increased so much that if you want to read older, completed webtoons, you have to pay thousand of coins or watch an ad every 2 minutes. This also means that fandoms for webtoons can't really grow, because the site is structured in such a way to get you to read all the new things and pay as much as possible. It really makes me sad, because it means that I can't introduce people to the stories i love, and the site has changed so much from when I started reading that I sometimes question whether or not its worth it to continue reading things. That being said: here's my favorite webtoons that make me want to keep using the site!

- The Remarried Empress

- ODD GIRL OUT!!! <3<3<3

- Acception

- And Another Lovely Day (Gourmet Hound is my favorite webtoon of all time, Leehama's writing is so good, I really suggest you check this one out)

- Cinderelle

- Jackson's Diary

- Re: Trailer Trash

- I just started reading High Spirits Neoma and its been great so far

- Also, the only completed webtoon you can reread for free that I have noticed, Metaphorical Her, one of the first webtoons I fell in love with

If anyone wants to yap at me about webtoons, feel free!

[purpletintedwhitepeony]

Someone asked me today, "What's the most niche fandom you're part of?" It got me thinking about Gourmet Hound by Leehama. 

I haven't read webtoons in a while, and I hadn’t even thought about Gourmet Hound for months. Yet, it remains one of my all-time favourites, sitting quietly in a corner of my heart like a most cherished memory. The premise is so mundane that you'd wonder what a story about food and chefs could possibly offer. But trust me, if you think that, you're missing out. 

For those who don't know what 'niche fandom' means, it's basically a group of fans who are passionate about something that is not widely known or mainstream. And let me tell you, Gourmet Hound is the epitome of niche. 

The story revolves around Lucy, our main character, who has an incredible sense of taste and smell. She loves eating good food, and her favourite go-to spot is a restaurant called Dimanche. Her life takes a bittersweet turn when she discovers that her favourite restaurant has changed its kitchen staff, and she does not know the identity of the chef whose cooking she'd loved for years. When a lucky accident leads her to two former chefs at Dimanche, she decides to track down each of their old colleagues in order to rediscover the 'perfect taste' she couldn’t let go of.

I cannot talk about Gourmet Hound without mentioning Leehama, the creator and brain behind this masterpiece. The amount of detail and care she put into this story is mind-blowing. "I've always thought the dinner table should be a happy place. Whether you're at the most expensive restaurant in the world or at home with one other person, I hope you live a life full of wonderful meals." Like girl, are you trying to make me cry??

Leehama's brilliance as an artist and author shines through, but it's not just that. She also interacts with the fanbase, however small that may be. She has this little blog where she shares notes and thoughts about each chapter after it gets released, and it's the most thoughtful thing ever written.

Normally, when I fall in love with something, I'm very vocal about it. I can't stop talking about it. I'm loud and animated. It's just who I am. But with Gourmet Hound, it's different. It doesn't need to be shouted about. It makes me pause, take a breath, and sit quietly with my feelings. It’s a good kind of different, one that balances my hyper fangirling with quiet appreciation.

I stumbled upon Gourmet Hound while I was going through a particularly tough time a few years back. It was a fresh take from my usual genres, so I was a bit hesitant to pick it up. But something drew me in, and I'm so glad I did what I did back then. I can't stress enough how much this webtoon saved me. Every chapter felt like eating a warm bowl of your comfort food, and for the first time in a long time, I felt okay. I felt like I could do life again. 

To this day, Gourmet Hound is my comfort read. It's one of the stories I turn to when everything feels too much, like a friend who knows just what to say. 

I'm very emotionally attached to this one and would recommend it to anyone who loves comics without any hesitation. It deserves all the love and appreciation it could get. (It's on webtoon for free.)

[boowoomuu]

WHERE IS THE AALD FANDOM???? I NEED TO YAP ABOUT IT MORE!!!!!

[capmangacap]

[probablyaspeccharacters]

Elliot Lam is AroAce

[theaspecyear]

And Another Lovely Day

A (non) rom-com about two aromantic-asexual coworkers who, after an accidental meet-cute outside of work, mistakenly believe the other is in