This is actually wavering between 4 and 5 stars - maybe I'll see how much I like the later volumes, as I'm definitely putting them on my wishlist!
This...moreThis is actually wavering between 4 and 5 stars - maybe I'll see how much I like the later volumes, as I'm definitely putting them on my wishlist!
This is a darkly funny comic about a cop who can get a psychic sense of the history behind whatever he eats...so he ends up having to chow-down on some pretty disgusting stuff to solve cases.
Its a lot more than just a cool-sounding premise though. The production team backs that up with some fantastically unique art: I love the character designs and poses the artist uses to convey emotion, and the book also has great pacing and gets nice and experimental with its page layouts too.
Inextricably entwined with the art is some really fun world-building by the writer (this is a world post-chicken-prohibition). He's also unafraid to have his characters face major changes and upheavals and the plot bowls along, so nothing is stagnant.
All-in-all (for me at least), about as strong an opening volume as you can get. Very excited to read more :)(less)
Cute idea! Barbarian rides giant pug into battle :D
The art is great and it definitely has the feel of a Conan-esque low fantasy romp, with random funn...moreCute idea! Barbarian rides giant pug into battle :D
The art is great and it definitely has the feel of a Conan-esque low fantasy romp, with random funny surreal stuff thrown in.
What brings it down for me though is the writing. It reads like trope-tastic barbarian adventure, and doesn't wittily/lovingly subvert those tropes enough to become its own gripping or chuckle-worthy story (apart from the presence of giant animals, which is cool, but not enough on its own). Also, I'm not against the idea of sexy naked narrator lady, but at least give her a reason to be there (maybe give some hints about how she ties in with the main story or something). After one volume she kind of just comes across like they needed a sexy girl character for the cover :S
I'd still recommend getting a volume for the Conan-obsessive in your life as a quirky present (or of course, for yourself) - even better if the recipient is also a dog fan - but ultimately I don't plan on buying any more of this.(less)
Really enjoyed this book - I'd recommend it to anyone who even has a passing interest in learning a bit more about the text/fonts that are all around...moreReally enjoyed this book - I'd recommend it to anyone who even has a passing interest in learning a bit more about the text/fonts that are all around us every day. Its very readable - not dry at all. Lots of stories about the slightly off-kilter lives of type designers, and the origins of some of our favourite (and most reviled) fonts :)
This is an absolute gem of a comic! Its kind of historical drama meets Bill & Ted, with a whole load of random info about bathing thrown in for go...moreThis is an absolute gem of a comic! Its kind of historical drama meets Bill & Ted, with a whole load of random info about bathing thrown in for good measure. The world is undoubtedly a better place because this comic exists :) (less)
I enjoyed reading vols. 1-4 of this sort of adult-subversion-of-Pokemon story (also known as Nartaru). Its a shame only volumes 1-7 were ever translat...moreI enjoyed reading vols. 1-4 of this sort of adult-subversion-of-Pokemon story (also known as Nartaru). Its a shame only volumes 1-7 were ever translated and released in English, as I'm never going to be able to complete the series and get deeper into it.
I highly recommend Bokurano by the same author though - fantastic series and ~fingers crossed~ it looks like its all going to be released.(less)
I got volume 1 of this purely out of curiosity having already enjoyed reading food manga such as Oishinbo, and I also enjoy drinking wine (although I'...moreI got volume 1 of this purely out of curiosity having already enjoyed reading food manga such as Oishinbo, and I also enjoy drinking wine (although I'm no expert on it). I was expecting to read volume 1, like it but probably not be particularly into the rest of the series. This is mainly because Drops of God is a very long-running series, and I felt like it would be practically impossible to follow it in its entirety.
Anyway, I was surprised by how much I liked this! Its a mixture of wine talk and high drama, and to be honest the wine talk is pretty melodramatic, so even if you have no idea what the wines they're talking about actually are, its pretty entertaining to read their descriptions of them.
I think at the end of the day you'd probably enjoy this series with another level of depth if you were a full-on wine fanatic, and could remember tasting the wines that are mentioned here, but that knowledge is in no way essential to enjoy the series.
The comic is also well-drawn and paced - easy to read, and the dramatic moments are conveyed with impeccable timing. The crispy, clean, black-and-white feel to the linework reflects the bow-tie-and-starched-shirt luxurious world of the subject matter well.
It seems that Vertical are planning on releasing the first arc of Drops of God (6 vols in Japan) as 3 large volumes in English, see where that takes them, and consider publishing more depending on how it performs. In that case I'm looking forward to buying and reading the next 2 volumes! :) Its nice to see that the publisher has put thought into what would make a good first chunk of this long-running series for prospective buyers to try out.
I love Jiro Taniguchi's quiet nostalgic books, and this delivers that feeling to a tee.
I think this book is semi-autobiographical, but either way it's...moreI love Jiro Taniguchi's quiet nostalgic books, and this delivers that feeling to a tee.
I think this book is semi-autobiographical, but either way it's about a young man and how he begins his career as a manga artist in Tokyo.
This book has a very different feel to a lot of other manga published in English. Its a bit more sedate and covers experiences that many adults have had (e.g. the strangeness of moving to a new city and changing your lifestyle for a job). However, if that sounds a bit boring, I still found it to be an engrossing page-turner of a book.
I think that Taniguchi's previous 2-volume series, A Distant Neighbourhood, is slightly more successful in the storytelling though, as I found this one ended rather abruptly and I really could have done with 1 or 2 more volumes about what happened next!
Anyone wanting something similar but longer, maybe try out Yoshihiro Tatsumi's 'A Drifting Life' - its an autobiographical piece about Tatsumi's career as a manga artist, and the gekiga movement (when manga began to move from only being for children, to including darker comics for adults)(less)
A girl who wants to be a boy and a boy who wants to be a girl.
This is a thoughtful take on gender identity and growing up.
I don't think its necessari...moreA girl who wants to be a boy and a boy who wants to be a girl.
This is a thoughtful take on gender identity and growing up.
I don't think its necessarily insightful or deep enough to change the world, but its a well-told slice-of-life story that is much more sensitive than your usual shojo/shonen fluff.
(also, extra bonus points for their school play being The Rose of Versailles <3 )
This is only volume 1 (even tho it comes as a hardback, which you usually only see on one-off special volumes), and I'm eagerly awaiting volume 2 :)(less)
I came to know and love Sam & Max via playing the adventure game 'Hit the Road' back in the '90s. If you liked that game, then you're almost certa...moreI came to know and love Sam & Max via playing the adventure game 'Hit the Road' back in the '90s. If you liked that game, then you're almost certain to like this. The humour is very similar and if you've played the game you can appreciate all the references they drew from the comic to make it by reading this.
If you're not already acquainted with the dynamic duo, then this is a good place to start (mainly because 90s PC games don't exactly hold up graphics-wise nowadays, but if you're dead set on a game rather than a comic check out the current Telltale series of Sam & Max adventure games).
Anyway, Sam and Max are lovably dark and quirky crime fighting duo of 'Freelance Police' - their adventures are often pretty random with some deliciously surreal humour and truckloads of non sequiturs. Sam is a straight-talking crime hound, and Max is his one-sandwich-short-of-a-picnic bunny sidekick.
Another 'if you liked this then you'd like that' style recommendation is: if you liked Axe Cop, you'd probably like this :)(less)
Its a series about a band of gentleman thieves! It has a fantasy setting, but not really high fantasy (basically, use of alchemy is the most fantastic...moreIts a series about a band of gentleman thieves! It has a fantasy setting, but not really high fantasy (basically, use of alchemy is the most fantastical thing that happens in people's daily lives...there are mages, but they're not common). One thing I like about the setting is that there is an elder race that has left lots of ruins around, which are cool and enigmatic (gotta love worlds with enigmatic elder races :) Also, the book(s) have some tight, page-turning, plotting - no random tangents that don't really go anywhere. There are also some fun witty/snappy moments of writing which really made me smile :)
The first book takes a little bit of getting into (I think its the author's first published novel, so he's takes a little while to hit his stride), but seriously its not a slow read and its very worth it later on.
I found the second book (Red Seas Under Red Skies) to be just as good as the first, so looking forward to the release of book 3.(less)
I was interested in this book as I'd heard that Moto Hagio was one of the pioneers of sci-fi comics for girls as part of the 'Magnificent 49ers' group...moreI was interested in this book as I'd heard that Moto Hagio was one of the pioneers of sci-fi comics for girls as part of the 'Magnificent 49ers' group in the 1970s. This group included Keiko Takemiya, and I'd already read and enjoyed Takemiya's 'To Terra', as well as Hagio's own short sci-fi series 'They were Eleven', so thought I'd give this one a go.
When I first received the book, I have to say I was a bit put off by the print format. This is a big hardback volume with some colour pages, and very much reminds of those old 'A Treasury of 100 Stories for Children' doorstop-type hardback books I remember from my childhood. I was expecting more of a Viz Signature style slightly-posh tankoubon, so this threw me a bit. In the end though I enjoyed the feeling of reading Hagio's work at a larger size, and will be keeping this book in part as a 70s shojo art reference book, as much as a story book :)
This book is a collection of several short stories. They do not seem to be grouped around any strong central theme or genre in particular (bar the obvious shojo connection), but they can all be characterised by a degree of sentimentality, a focus on emotion, and leaving the reader with something a little bit philosophical to ponder after finishing each story.
The most thought provoking tales are 'Hanshin: Half God" and "Iguana Girl". Hanshin centres around a set of conjoined twins: a beautiful one who gets all of the attention but does not have the mental faculties to look after herself, and the more intelligent twin who constantly looks like she's at death's door, because she has to prop up her sister. It is very much about the relationship between love and hate, and the fact that it could be possible to both love and hate someone else, or even parts of yourself.
"Iguana Girl" is a story about the relationship between mothers and daughters. In this story the author is directly addressing issues she has faced in her life with her mother completely dismissing her desire to become a professional comics creator (and perhaps in turn, completely dismissing the parts of her daughter's personality or life choices that she didn't agree with) - the author talks about this a bit in the interview at the back of the book. I get the feeling that any girl or woman could find something to relate to in this story (and perhaps anyone who has become a mum and wondered why they weren't automatically the 'perfect' mother).
Stories like 'Bianca' and 'Girl on Porch with Puppy' are rather more sentimental and dated-feeling. However if you are a lover of 70s shojo manga artwork, these are lovely to look at, with some of the most striking illustrations in the book.
I also can't finish this mini-review without mentioning the title story 'A Drunken Dream' as its the only sci-fi one in the book! I found the plot a little dated and formulaic (it reminded me a bit of Tezuka's 'Apollo's Song'), but the story nails that pulp entertainment feeling perfectly: science fiction mixed with mythology and a dash of surrealism.
All in all I would definitely recommend this book to those who like older-style shojo artwork. The format means that it can definitely work as an art reference book as much as a collection of stories, though I am a bit dissappointed by the lack of sci-fi here. The slightly surreal and thought-provoking tales remind me of Haruki Murakami's short stories (though with much more of a female perspective, and a little more dated). But even so, I would recommend this also to people who have enjoyed Murakami's short stories, or anything involving real life with a twist of the strange.
A book about a girl who lost half her body weight to go from approx 25 stone to 12.5. This is an adaptation of a blog she kept throughout those years...moreA book about a girl who lost half her body weight to go from approx 25 stone to 12.5. This is an adaptation of a blog she kept throughout those years so it charts her progress, successes, and challenges she faced, from a first-person perspective (and the blog is still going now, which is an added bonus).
Having battled with my weight for most of my life I found this book very relatable. The author conveys well her changing attitudes towards food and exercise over time, and often stops to think about what factors made her end up at her top weight, and how they are linked (like clinical depression, or the attitude of her mother, who was a Weight Watchers leader and in a bad relationship as she was growing up).
This book might come across to some as a kind of trashy chick-lit holiday read, and although I guess it could be a good book to read on holiday, its certainly not as throwaway as the title, cover design or subject matter suggest :S(less)
A fun collection of little chapters each covering an idea of what might happen after we die. Obviously with a subject matter like this it inspires som...moreA fun collection of little chapters each covering an idea of what might happen after we die. Obviously with a subject matter like this it inspires some philosophical/introspective thought, but it's not at all 'heavy' with the philosophy. Also, for a book centering around the subject of death, it manages to be uplifting and fun, rather than depressing or morose.
I'm giving it 4 stars rather than 5 because I thought a couple of the chapters were a little same-y and I would have liked the author to take the idea even further with more variety.
Overall though I would recommend this book to anyone, including younger readers, as its a pretty unique topic and well worth reading.(less)
Shojo sci-fi manga about a schoolgirl who wants to go to Tokyo Space School and learn to fly spacecraft. I've read to th...moreAfter reading vol. 1:
(3 stars)
Shojo sci-fi manga about a schoolgirl who wants to go to Tokyo Space School and learn to fly spacecraft. I've read to the end of volume 1 and so far its engaging enough to make me want to get hold of more. Its a bit on the sentimental side rather than straight up quirky and fun, but the art style suits the themes involved, and the characters are so far easy to understand and get on with. I would also recommend this for younger readers.
After reading up to vol. 6:
(4 stars)
I'm really enjoying this series now! I would say if you liked volume 1 at all then its well worth giving the next few volumes a chance to pull you in further.
This series is basically about the yearning some people have to travel into space, and astronaught training, mixed with a high school slice-of-life shojo manga, mixed in with some deaths and ghosts.
A big plus of this series is that, alongside the everyday lives and loves of our main characters, its not afraid to tackle some pretty serious questions about whether we should put humans into space. It starts off by detailing a massive shuttle crash and the impact that the subesquent deaths and injuries have on some of the main characters of the story. Plus, the students at the Space School have to deal with people protesting their training as a waste of money and too much of a risk to life.
Not that the everyday lives and loves of the characters aren't important though. Although the overriding theme of space travel is an interesting and compelling one for me, its the drama amongst the characters that keeps me hooked. The group of friends are believeably flawed, but you can't help but root for all of them in their own way.
The fantasical, ghostly, aspects of the series are perhaps the part that I could do most without, however they're not as overwhelming as volume 1 led me to believe. Although overall I find that the more fantastical elements don't mesh as well as everything else in the series, I do quite like the connection that some of the living characters still have to the dead throughout. The series seems to inextricably link space travel with hardship and death, which only makes the striving of the students for their goal of outer space more compelling: they know full well the hardships involved, and yet they still want to achive their dreams anyway.
This series has 16 volumes in all, so I guess there will be at least one more update to this review once I've finished it - here's hoping I can bump it all the way up to 5 stars next time :)(less)
Really enjoyed this book - its a somewhat more thoughtful departure from the tongue-in-cheek style of the Discworld series but still presented with Te...moreReally enjoyed this book - its a somewhat more thoughtful departure from the tongue-in-cheek style of the Discworld series but still presented with Terry Pratchett's unique storytelling voice (and he does still manage a decent number of puns and silly moments anyway :)
Nation is a story of an island-dwelling boy whose entire village gets wiped out due to a tidal wave, and the girl he meets when her ship is wrecked in the same wave. They cannot communicate successfully at first as they are both from different cultures with different languages, but soon, as other survivors wash up, a small new nation is formed.
This book invites the reader to think about how people communicate and get along with each other, from just two people, to a large group, and from people who know the same language, to those who are very alien to each other. It also invites you to think about religion/spirituality: are gods real, are they not? And if they're not, are they still important anyway?
It might sound like the book is pretty dry from my description but its really not, its a fun and engaging story about characters in an alternate universe, nearly but not quite like our own. I would definitely recommend it for younger readers too.(less)
This book fundamentally lacked direction. I think what it should have been was a tongue-in-cheek (but also a little bit thoughtful) look at the place...moreThis book fundamentally lacked direction. I think what it should have been was a tongue-in-cheek (but also a little bit thoughtful) look at the place of overweight people in society today and some of the crazy things we do, as individuals and as a society, to tackle our nation's ever growing girth.
What it actually was was not-very-funny, but not serious enough to come across as having 'a message'.
There are 3 main characters (one chapter on each character and repeat) who don't meet or cross paths until the last quarter of the book, and even then, not much. I was wondering by about half way if there was any point in changing character for each chapter, as it could have just been written as 3 separate short stories.
On top of this, none of the characters were particularly likeable (as in, you know there are some 'bad' characters you can still get behind? like tragic villains etc.? well these weren't like that).
One guy has anger management issues (in part brought on by being really overweight), but he comes off as a grumpy bastard rather than a darkly amusing character. The next guy is a status-obsessed womaniser who is in charge of PR for a 'Fat Farm' campaign. His life isn't overly affected by weight even though its his job to make the fat farms look good, but that's not really gone into all that much. The third character is an anorexic teen girl, who my opinion on kept seesawing from pity/sadness to 'oh my god why are you being such a selfish bitch, can't you see everyone is just trying to help you?'.
In three words: not exactly funny.
Mr Grant, please go back to writing quirky sci-fi novels instead. (less)
Super cute manga about a Japenese family and their new kitten, Chi. It's mainly told from the point of view of the kitten and the author has obviously...moreSuper cute manga about a Japenese family and their new kitten, Chi. It's mainly told from the point of view of the kitten and the author has obviously lived with cats and noticed their behaviours for years because Chi is portrayed as a real little cat, rather than a saccharine cartoon (so although its cute, I don't find the series too cloying).
The one thing I'm not so hot on is that Chi's internal monologue is given a sort of lispy, baby-talk voice, which I find rather annoying, but all in all this is a comic I can pick up over and over again if I need cheering up :)
If you liked Oishinbo you'll probably get a kick out of this. Mangaka Fumi Yoshinaga gives a glimpse into a version of her everyday life via a lead ch...moreIf you liked Oishinbo you'll probably get a kick out of this. Mangaka Fumi Yoshinaga gives a glimpse into a version of her everyday life via a lead character called 'Y-naga', and a group of friends with similarly badly hidden fake names. I get the feeling the book is written loosely based on herself and her friends, with some details tweaked or embellished to make a better story (tho I have no idea if that is really the case).
Anyway, the meat of the book is based around visiting their favourite restaurants in Tokyo and enjoying/decribing many of the dishes at each one. The restaurants are real and factual information about each restaurant is given at the end of each chapter - perhaps not super-useful if you're not living in Tokyo, but it makes for a unique foody manga volume (of which there aren't an awfut lot to choose from with English translations).(less)
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