Reviews and Comments

isa

epistolaris

Joined 11 months, 2 weeks ago

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'94 ~ she/her or they/them

i like to read stuff that makes me cry or literary fiction.

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reviewed aki 2 by 大崎充 (aki, #2)

大崎充, 二階堂亜樹: aki 2 (GraphicNovel, Japanese language, 2012, 竹書房)

Review of aki (Vol 2)

I didn't realize this was the end of the series. It certainly didn't feel like the end. It just felt like the beginning. The series did prompt me to look up Aki Nikaido (she has a YouTube channel!) but I was surprised how she is not quite relevant as the series alludes to her being (or maybe there just aren't as many articles about her in English).

reviewed aki 1 by 大崎充 (aki, #1)

大崎充, 二階堂亜樹: aki 1 (GraphicNovel, Japanese language, 竹書房)

Review of aki (vol 1)

I don't know anything about mahjong, but I still ended up reading this "sports" manga. This manga is based on mahjong master, Aki Nikaido's life. I wonder just how much of it is exaggerated, but it's definitely an interesting story, if true. The art is a little dated but quite cute (although too sexualized at points in my opinion). A turn your brain off kind of series.

reviewed Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction by Edward Craig (Very Short Introductions)

Edward Craig: Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback, 2020, Oxford University Press)

Very short introduction indeed

Note, I know next to nothing about philosophy, so I am quite literally going into this blind. In this little book, Craig goes through a few philosophers. To name most of them: mainly Plato, Descartes, Hobbes, Marx, Darwin, Mill, and Epicurus. He also goes through some concepts, such as the big "isms" (like consequentialism, dualism, materialism, idealism), free will, the importance of philosophy, and epistemology. It's a nice (opinionated) introduction, but it really makes you realize just how philosophy is out there. There's a lot to think about.

reviewed 彼女のイデア 1 by 冬芽沙也 (彼女のイデア, #1)

冬芽沙也: 彼女のイデア 1 (GraphicNovel, Japanese language, 2019, 株式会社)

Review of 彼女のイデア 1

I've seen this cliche before: MC meeting their celebrity crush who they revere to an unhealthy degree but realize they are not at all what they expected them to be. Obviously, she'll eventually fall in love with the "real" Sumika but I am curious to see how. The cute art is enough for me to keep reading.

reviewed Nodame Cantabile 1 by Tomoko Ninomiya (Nodame Cantabile, #1)

Tomoko Ninomiya: Nodame Cantabile 1 (GraphicNovel, 2005, Del Rey Manga)

Finally reading this series

I've always wanted to read this series. I tried once, years ago, but I found it to be quite vapid. I still think it's pretty vapid, but I can take it this time around. It's rather silly, very happy-go-lucky, and so far, lacking any ounce of seriousness. But it's a fun read, if you want to turn off your brain for a bit.

reviewed 花はニセモノ by 仙石寛子

仙石寛子: 花はニセモノ (GraphicNovel, Japanese language, 2015, 白泉社)

An interesting concept

Content warning Spoilers for 花はニセモノ

藤原薫: 夜の魚 (GraphicNovel, Japanese language, 2018, 幻冬舎コミックス)

Review of 夜の魚

Compared to their previous works, the author's art really upgraded in this volume. I can sense their is a consistent theme that they like to explore and that's the sense of a "fated" partner. Unfortunately, their concepts are often a little ambiguous and I wish more things were revealed and revealed more clearly.

reviewed おまえが世界をこわしたいなら 2 by 藤原薫 (おまえが世界をこわしたいなら, #2)

藤原薫: おまえが世界をこわしたいなら 2 (GraphicNovel, Japanese language, 2003, 祥伝社)

Confused

Content warning Spoilers for おまえが世界をこわしたいなら 2

reviewed おまえが世界をこわしたいなら 1 by 藤原薫 (おまえが世界をこわしたいなら, #1)

藤原薫: おまえが世界をこわしたいなら 1 (GraphicNovel, Japanese language, 2003, 祥伝社)

Your typical vampire romance

Content warning Spoilers

Wyatt Kennedy, Luana Vecchio: Bolero (2022, Image Comics)

First book of 2025

I took out this book from my library on a whim. The cover art was quite interesting, and, despite not really liking science-fiction, my curiousity was piqued. I was relieved that the graphic novel wasn't entirely rooted in sci-fi.

The mechanism that the book hinges on is really unique. As things progressed, I got a bit a concerned for the protagonist. Things would start to improve but then suddenly go a different way entirely. This happened a few times. A lot of these detours were purely due to the protagonist's actions. The protagonist is one that I could see being controversial, but I saw a lot of myself in her, so I let it slide. By the end, I wasn't fully convinced of her growth arc, but it was better than nothing.

I will say, a lot of what kept me reading was the art. The art is …