“Twenty-three-year-old art school reject Miyuu Seno has a blueprint for the future, but it's not her own. Instead, she's stuck on the “secure” path her mom has laid out for her—from her office job, to her clothes, to the guys she meets—and it's making Miyuu more miserable by the day. When things come to a head between them, Miyuu leaves home with a blank canvas in tow, holding on to the hope that painting can somehow undo the phony she's become…” (Yen Press)

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The slightly deceptive title, “The Essence of Being a Muse” is less about being a ‘muse' and more about drawing inner inspiration to compel oneself to change. Aya Fumino uses protagonist Miyuu Seno to explore insecurity and social pressures on younger generations, with the woman's repressed dream of becoming an artist hindering her personal...