Manga Review - 'I Married My Female Friend Vol. 1' by Shio Usui

From the creator of 'Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon' comes another sweet little slice-of-life yuri manga, 'I Married My Female Friend'.

It is like 'I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up', only a more appropriate title would be, 'I Married My Best Friend Upon Losing a Five-Year-Long Singles Bet and As Part of My Lifestyle Column'.

Kurumi is a writer of magazine articles who lives a fairly carefree life, thinking she's too preoccupied and selfish to be married to anyone - that she's unsuited for that life - and Ruriko is her best friend since school, a chef and a caterer (I think? I'm not exactly sure what she does) who is clearly in love with her, and who immediately gets Kurumi to marry her as the result of a promise they made five years earlier - that if they are both still single after that time, they will marry each other.

It wasn't a silly whim made by two girlfriends, as Kurumi had thought. She decides to write a series column about it for an online mag, titled 'I Married My Female Friend', which grows popular.

Speaking of growth, let the feelings of love - of different kinds, gradually deepening - between "friends" who are already married and living together, begin! See their relationship change and develop in ways they could not expect or anticipate!

'I Married My Female Friend Vol. 1' is very simple slice-of-life, but it's engaging, endearing and sweet enough to never be boring. The cover, with the two women holding each side of a grocery bag as they walk together? It bookends the volume. And the end of the third chapter has them both on a train towards home after a picnic, and because there are schoolgirls on the train as well, in the same uniform the women once wore a long time ago, the sleepy Kurumi thinks they are still schoolgirls, and have to get off at different stops as they live in separate homes. Then she falls asleep proper, her head resting on Ruriko's shoulder. Ruriko finds this adorable.

I know I keep using this word, but it's so sweet! And modern and realistic.

Kurumi and Ruriko mean so much to each other.

'I Married My Female Friend Vol. 1' is a recommended yuri title, that's just wholesome and nice.

It also reminds me of 'She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat'.



'We might have gotten married...on a bit of a whim... [...] But I wouldn't have done this with just anyone. [...] You're special to me, Ruriko. [...] You could never put me out.'


'I know that all of this... [...] Could disappear someday. [...] But... [...] But I pray this married life of ours... [...] Won't end any time soon.'



Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Elfie's Spellbook, Volumes 1 & 2: Elfie's Spellbook and The Song of the Cicadas' by Christophe Arleston (Writer), Audrey Alwett (Writer), Mini Ludvin (Artist), Hélène Lenoble (Colourist), Anam Zafar (Translator)

'Elfie's Spellbook, Volumes 1 & 2: Elfie's Spellbook and The Song of the Cicadas' is a charming French fantasy graphic novel series for all ages. Sweet, funny, dynamic, creative, clever, educational, and all kinds of magical, it reminds me of the fantasy books I used to read as a schoolgirl, and of the Saturday morning and weekday evening cartoons I used to watch faithfully, routinely and repeatedly.

The premise alone - a young girl goes travelling from place to place in a book bus with her two older sisters (all the while escaping their comedically overbearing aunt), and is gifted her late author mother's notebook, a beautiful red tome with gems and "Feed Me" ("nourris moi") on the cover, and it turns out to be a spellbook, and whenever she writes her own stories in it, a gem on the cover glows, and when she makes origami animals out of the pages, they come to life, and help her out in trying to solve the problems of the places she's visiting - is ripe with promise and potential, and the execution fulfils this wonderfully. It makes for multiple serial and episodic adventures, which, along with the art, the characters, and the situations, is part of the reason 'Elfie's Spellbook' reminds me of a cartoon.

Elfie Roncelune herself is a likeable and believable young heroine (I think she's supposed to be ten or eleven?). She's moody, temperamental, impatient, stubborn, and selfish, like any kid her age and circumstance would be, and she's also curious, inquisitive, altruistic, and compassionate when she needs to be. She's a writer, and she's a witch, like her beloved and tragic maman before her. As well as making magical origami animals out of her inherited spellbook, she rides an origami broomstick come to life! She's like 'Kiki's Delivery Service'!

Elfie lives in a travelling red book bus from London, with sisters. She writes stories and she stargazes on the roof at night (the gems on her spellbook form the Pleiades constellation - it's all connected). I want her life! She also has a Totoro stuffie (another Studio Ghibli reference, and there is a Ghibli and general anime vibe here, to go with the universal and myriad cartoon vibe), and a pet myna bird, Gravier; it's not only animals that come from origami that are her friends (at the moment it's an origami frog, and mice. So cute and funny!). She loves puffins, too.

There is some diversity present, in graphic novel volumes set in modern rural France. One notable example of inclusivity is Elfie's adolescent sister Magda, and her prosthetic leg, an aftermath from the housefire that killed their mother. This disability rep could have been handled better, and Elfie doesn't always get along with Magda specifically because she accuses her of being able to get away with everything and do whatever she wants due to her prosthetic. But it does come into play for Magda's character more than once, and it is never forgotten about, and, thank goodness, Elfie becomes more sympathetic and thoughtful towards her later on.

Despite being a social media influencer, Magda isn't as shallow as she first appears, nor is she a "dumb blonde" stereotype. She is clearly a traumatised girl with many complex feelings needing to be expressed in healthy ways. She occasionally helps Elfie with her investigations, even though she doesn't know about the true nature of the spellbook, or any magical goings on; Elfie is happy to let Magda get involved, to an extent, to boost her sister's confidence and self-esteem, which is a nice, lovely touch.

I like Elfie's other sister, as well - eighteen-year-old Louette - bookseller, driver, mechanic, teacher, and shorthaired and possibly queer-coded badass. Louette somehow finagled her way into becoming Elfie and Magda's legal guardian, and owner of a red bus from London, that's filled with books in French?! And apparently she's got permits for everything. Yeah, it's best not to think too hard about it - let's enjoy the fun and magic of it all!

'Elfie's Spellbook, Volumes 1 & 2: Elfie's Spellbook and The Song of the Cicadas' - one of the stories, and graphic novels, that make me love the fantasy genre all over again. The passion, care and magic are there!

The first two volumes are pretty slice-of-life/cosy fantasy, but that could change down the line - down the road. I might read the next volumes when they come out in English, or maybe not. Who knows? I do want to see more origami animals! And a deeper exploration of the theme of the magic in stories and storytelling, passed down through generations of powerful and misunderstood women.

But for now, I'll keep and enjoy this unique, nostalgic, imaginative, cute, colourful, clever, hilarious, heartfelt, inspired and inspirational artistic gem.

Magic is real - on paper, sweethearts!

Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Mamo' by Sas Milledge

Three times.

Three times I read 'Mamo', in the span of three years.

I guess three times is the charm, because finally, finally, I fully understand, appreciate, and like and enjoy this queer witchy graphic novel for all ages. I will finally be keeping my own copy (my second read was of a library copy).

I won't say much (mulch) what loads and loads of other readers haven't already said and praised to high heaven, and much (mulch) better than I ever could, but 'Mamo' is an instant classic for good reasons. As well as its vital representation and diversity, it is just a great, dramatic, stakes-filled, clever, well developed and well-thought-out witch story. It contains themes of nature, environmentalism, buried pasts, trauma, memory, choice, community, and belonging, and family - both loving and toxic, and blood related and founded.

Even with the dramatic, tense and scary moments, there is also a pervasive kindness and gentleness to 'Mamo'. There is kindness as well as cleverness, courage and determination throughout; the graphic novel teaches us that love is, in fact, everywhere, and cynicism, division, narcissism, manipulation, and toxic possessiveness will not win.

It is a lovely and human story, within a grounded, serious narrative and setting (small fishermen's seaside, farm, woods and hedge town), filled with believable and logically-structured witch magic and supernatural elements.

It is well written, and surprisingly realistic. And dark. Realistically dark, yet hopeful and compassionate.

There are curses, moths, currawongs, bones, fairy rings, ghosts, little rock trolls, fish, sheep, nettle bracelets, and a black cat (of course!). The art is fantastic, too, as is the gorgeous cover art contained in the gallery at the end (some by Trung Le Nguyen!). Though I am a little disappointed that the final, chosen cover has the two female leads climbing trees together up towards the sky, when we never see anything of the sort in the actual graphic novel.

'Mamo' - all I have left to say is, I wish Joanna "Jo" Manalo and Orla O'Reilly well. They deserve all the happiness on earth. Together.

All witches, and all queers, deserve happiness, and a family that loves them. A community, society and world that loves them, for who they are.

They are always here, and no matter what, there is always a chance they will be okay.

Final Score: 4/5

P.S. Oh, and I can definitely see 'Mamo' as a Studio Ghibli film.

Graphic Novel Review - 'Lovely Recipe' by Myra Rose Nino

'Lovely Recipe' is the kind of graphic novel that grows on you the more you read. At least, that was my experience.

I really thought I wouldn't like it at first. I mean, after a three-page touching dream/memory sequence, it properly starts with the MC, Sofia Carini, throwing her late grandmother's handwritten family recipe book at her cat for, well, being a cat, and she has the nerve to blame the cat for it getting damaged and falling apart. She then threatens and verbally abuses her poor kitty.

For someone who loved her grandmother and wants to use the recipe book to keep traditions alive and bring her family back together, Sofia treats it appallingly. She stuffs it in her bag unprotected with her other things, and she constantly forgets it and leaves it behind everywhere she goes, for other people to find it and bring it back to her.

Sofia is so scatterbrained, messy, childish and incompetent, it's more annoying than charming or endearing.

It is around the middle of the graphic novel that I slowly, surely, began to like her, and genuinely find her endearing. I think this is due to her personality mellowing and balancing out well against her character foil and opposite - the cool, mature, responsible and no-nonsense Anna Marie Riccio, as the two girls cook more and more together; Anna Marie teaching Sofia, so the latter can finally put her grandma's cookbook to use (Anna Marie's family owns an Italian restaurant). It is very sweet, and they are nice to each other, if awkward, uneasy and frustrated initially.

Sofia and Anna Marie have great, wonderfully developed chemistry, in and out of the kitchen. And while I think the story would have worked fine if they had been just friends, as an opposites-attract romance, of course it is even better.

Even better than that is this is treated as normal by everybody in the graphic novel. There is no homophobia whatsoever. Brilliant, and important representation.

'Lovely Recipe' has a lot going on, with a lot of characters. But it is mainly about the developing/dough-ing, kneading, high-rising romance between the two leads, Sofia and Anna Marie, and the separation anxiety that comes with it. They are both high school seniors, and graduation, and college options and opportunities, they are drawing nearer and nearer...

You can never stop the future. It is always coming, for all of us. But with family and friends there for you, to care for you and love you, it doesn't have to be so scary. Treasure the moments with - the memories of - those you love.

I like Sofia's mum, as supportive-if-overworked-and-flawed-in-dealing-with-grief as she is, and Sofia's friends Kim and Paige, and Anna Marie's adoring grandpa. Loving, supportive, happy and communicative families are the best, and 'Lovely Recipe' showcases this in an understated, natural and organic way.

Sofia's cat Peach is hilarious in a way only selfish and no-effs-given cats are. An example: she'll leap onto a person's back whenever they bend over in her proximity. She reminds me of my own cats in how she just does whatever she feels like.

I still dislike how Sofia abuses Peach at the beginning - seriously, that is totally uncalled for and unnecessary, and not a good introduction to our main character. In fact, it is out of character for her, compared to how she is for the rest of the book. She is never so cruel and moody again.

The artwork is nice, colourful and sweet (I like the tiny detail of Sofia's black nail polish). Although, the high school characters look so young! If I was told before reading that they are actually meant to be ten-years-old, I would believe it!

On that note, despite appearances, 'Lovely Recipe' is not a middle grade graphic novel. Due to the occasional use of somewhat light swearwords, it is YA. But remove the swearing and it would easily have been all-ages, and therefore it'd have reached a wider audience. I don't understand why the mild language was necessary. It's 'Pizza Witch' all over again (another LBGTQ+ foody graphic novel, heh).

One final note: Almost nobody is white. Perfect.

'Lovely Recipe' - as it turns out, it really is lovely. And as sweet as Easter bread. It's a lovely, sweet LBGTQ+ coming-of-age and coming-to-cook graphic novel. And it's funny. It's like 'Navigating With You' (Sofia even looks and acts like Gabby, though she is far less tragic), 'Mismatched', 'Carousel Summer', and 'Crumble'.

What a lovely treat. One that will grow on you and warm you from the inside. From your heart as well as your stomach.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Non-Fiction Book Review - 'The Art of Amphibia' by Drew Taylor (Writer), Matt Braly (Writer, Creator), Brenda Song (Foreword), Various Artists, Designers and Editors, Tokyopop (Publisher)

A passionate, fun and lively artbook, that also gives insight into the animation process.

I love looking into the behind-the-scenes of any media, and for there to be a guidebook/artbook of one of my favourite animated shows, 'Amphibia', I knew I had to get my (froggy) hands on it, warts/fungi and all.

It contains great art, sketches, paintings, photographs, anecdotes, quotes, and other details - about the hard work, devotion and love that went into creating the great animated epic fantasy/comedy/drama/

action/magical girl/female empowerment series, 'Amphibia'. [Disney should be redacted] [And release a 'The Owl House' artbook already, you pathetic cowards]

It definitely could have been longer and more comprehensive - and not so beholden to Disney and their standards and censorship - but oh well.

'The Art of Amphibia' - a beautiful and loving celebration of art and creativity.

Read my review of the other companion book to 'Amphibia', 'Marcy's Journal'.

Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Supergirl: The World' by Various

'Supergirl: The World'

As in, what in the world did I just read?!

It is a weird and bizarre 'Supergirl' comic, even more so as an anthology.

But darn is it entertaining, and kind of charming.

Each story sees Supergirl in different parts of the world, and exploring different cultures, histories and legends (as well as art styles).

Is this a metaphor for how she is trying to find her place in her new home of earth? Ehh, maybe?

Here are my assortment of thoughts on each of the fourteen comic short stories, starring the Woman of Tomorrow, Supergirl:



'The Chicken' - Written by Mariko Tamaki. It's okay. Supergirl helps a little girl who is being bullied by her cousins, who call her a chicken. Typical small town America shlock, and Supergirl is not as helpful as she thinks she is. But the art is nice. 3/5

'Supergirl Y La Maliciosa' - Set in the mountains of Madrid, it is about how Supergirl ends up helping the spirit of a once isolated, greedy and power-hungry witch. I don't like how an ostracised woman is portrayed as not really ostracised, but as a too-powerful being who did it to herself, who just hated other people because she thought they were beneath her. She burned everything because she didn't want to share her power and wisdom. She is in fact not the victim of a society that didn't want to accept her - it's the other way round. The line, "When you are removed from reality and underestimate those around you, your anger and your arrogance can become your ruin.", is meant to apply to her, when it could easily apply to literally every male fascist dictator ever. At least the witch's spirit is peaceful, and is happy and redeemed at the end, even if Supergirl remains as confused about what is going on as the reader. The dialogue is also strange and clunky. 2.5/5

'Dark Reflections' - Another confusing one, storywise. But it is clearly about Supergirl/Kara's self-reflection (there is a literal mirror prop here) and identity crisis. I think it is set in a villa in Italy - why is Kara there? Is she really studying, under the hot sun? Is she hiding? From what? From who? We never see who she is apparently living with. I like the expressive, detailed, symbolic, surrealist, brutal artwork, reminiscent of Renaissance paintings. But honestly, couldn't anyone have come up with a better title than 'Dark Reflections'? It's so generic. 3/5

'Foreign Skies' Sun' - Set in Siberia. It is both the most confusing and perhaps the most empowering comic of the anthology. Lex Luthor is drilling in mines for white kryptonite, and is up against female protesters, as well as Supergirl. The structure is a fast-paced mess, and the art is muddy and looks unfinished in most panels. I could hardly tell what was going on in the last couple pages, even with the overwritten dialogue balloons. But the environmental message is a good and important one, and Supergirl bonds with ordinary yet strong and determined women of different generations, so I can't completely write it off. 3/5

'Touch Ground' - Supergirl looks like a manga-esque thirteen-year-old with short, 'Dragon Ball Z' hair, and she is always drawn and written like she is ready to kill someone. But this one is funny and entertaining. It's Supergirl vs. Toyman in Argentina, Plaza Del Congreso, and it's a female empowerment story. Weirdly gorgeous, in a madcap, mad dash superhero comic kind of way. 3/5

'Children of Ngonnso' - Supergirl is in Cameroon for some reason and gets possessed by the spirit of a Nso queen. I would elaborate, but I barely know what is going on as is. Still, there are good messages about colonialism, foreign invasion, and escalated, militarised violence and conflict, and the action is decent. And I like the line, "'Tis foolhardiness, not courage... [...] ...That animates you. [...] A foul tongue only condemns you further.' But why have the white, blonde, blue-eyed Supergirl be the saviour of the Nso people? And who is she talking to on the comm - Batman or Superman? The ending is also very abrupt. 2/5

'Strong Girls Can Make History' - Now this is a hilarious mess. It is written exactly like a DC comic from the Silver Age, overwritten dialogue and thought balloons and all. Is it meant to be an homage? Supergirl is blasted back in time by a kryptonite-infused meteor, and is in Finland one hundred years in the past, when women had just won the right to vote, and the country is fighting for independence from Russia. Things aren't looking very good, but 'Strong Girls Can Make History' is clearly meant to be a story about feminism and equal rights. It's like if a Jane Austen novel got really gritty and actually cared about social change (no offense to Jane Austen or her works, I'm being a little hyperbolic). Supergirl is both bizarrely out of place and fitting in fine for the story being told. That image of her flying and lifting an automobile - an homage to the classic image of Superman lifting a green car on the cover of 'Action Comics #1' - is great. It's a fun, funny, stupid comic, with too much dialogue and thought balloons (hopefully intentionally?). 3/5

'Home Sick Home' - Like if 'Woman of Tomorrow' by Tom King was set in Turkey. Supergirl fights a nature monster Joker (yes, really), who has basically been turned into the Turkic jinn/demon Arçura. He shoots random toys and dolls of DC superheroes at her, and she has a psychological, existential crisis (yes, those two things happening really do go together). This is Krypto the Superdog's first appearance in the comic, and he helps save Supergirl, along with various ordinary animals. Batman and John Constantine show up at the end. Supergirl learns she has a home on earth after all. What a fun little comic, with dark, beautiful, well detailed artwork. 3.5/5

'Breathless' - Supergirl in Paris! And it's about her flying around, eating a lot, and getting into fights. I won't spoil the end, that reveals why Supergirl is messing around. It's kiddie, comedic silliness. 3.5/5

'Down in the Mine' - About the miners in Katowice, Poland, and Supergirl as the saviour to some of them in a cave-in. I think this might be my favourite story of the collection. It is nicely told and hopeful, and the art is gorgeous. The presence of a legendary ghost who guides Supergirl in the mines weakens the heroic impact of the story somewhat, but it isn't a dealbreaker. It's beautiful. 4/5

'The Sentinels of Chichén Itzá' - A running theme of most of these stories is Kara trying to catch a break or a holiday, away from superhero-ing, but as luck would have it, danger finds her, and she has to fight crime and save lives once more. In 'The Sentinels of Chichén Itzá', she is in Mexico, near the Pyramid of Kukulcan, trying to enjoy the Spring Equinox along with the other tourists. But of course, since all myths and legends are true and the universe hates Supergirl, spirits of giant serpents, dragons, and other animals and creatures (alebrijes) appear and start terrorising everyone, so it's up to our girl to save the day. This is another fun one, with bright, cartoony artwork. Krypto appears again, and as usual Lex Luthor is behind the chaos...somehow. Supergirl is right: Mexico is a magical country, and "Not only because of the mystical phenomena, but also because of the greatness of its people." 3.5/5

'The Extraction' - Kara is on a secret mission to find and extract an alien in Berlin, Germany. There is espionage, info pipelining, going from point A to point B, immigration and displacement themes, a portal, a cute little alien, and Krypto. It's not terribly interesting, but the art is cute and cartoony. It kind of reminds me of the 'Carmen Sandiego' reboot. 3/5

'Song of the Humpbacks' - Supergirl is just trying to relax in the sun and the sea of Colombia. But she ends up saving the whales instead. Strong environmental messages in this comic collection. It's more funny than disheartening and disillusioning that Supergirl really doesn't care much about the endangered singing whales at first, even after a couple locals beg her to help them. She's the most careless and thoughtless here, for a superhero. It's implied she's depressed about her home planet Krypton being destroyed, and not finding her place to call home on earth. She's not as overtly pessimistic as she is in a few of the other stories, however. I'm not a fan of the artwork. It looks wonky and inconsistent. Supergirl almost looks like a different character in every panel she's in, and the facial expressions she pulls are...flummoxing, fluctuating. But the rather lacklustre and mid comic ends on this line of hers: "Krypton is gone. But here, at least, I could keep another home safe.... [...] For today in any case." 2/5

'Superman & Supergirl vs. Chateraese's Cheap & Tasty Sweets' - Written by Satoshi Miyagawa. Oh boy. It's a literal manga at the end of the collection, starring high school girl Kara/Supergirl and Superman, and they eat sweets in Japan. That's pretty much it. There is so much product placement for sweets! It's so cringe! What even is this? What is happening? It's clearly a comedy one-shot, not to be taken seriously, and there are some genuinely funny lines from both Supergirl and Superman, as they are in a sibling rivalry-type relationship. The manga doesn't forget the backstories and powers of either Kryptonian. It ends on: "It usually goes like this with my cousin, Kal-El. [...] He can be an annoying nag...but we end up having fun." AND THAT'S THE END OF 'SUPERGIRL: THE WORLD', FOLKS!



I know I keep using the word bizarre to describe 'Supergirl: The World', but it's accurate. These comics, collected together, are absolutely BIZARRE. And funny. And cute. And even suitable and accessible to children.

It's a guilty pleasure DC comic, to be sure. Besides, Supergirl herself is awesome in many of the tales.

A heroine with a heart of gold, even when she has trouble expressing it, and when she desperately wants a break, as a teenager with godlike powers, and the responsibility that comes with them.

For more of my thoughts on this superheroine, read my review of 'Supergirl's Family Vacation', which also contains links to my other positive reviews of 'Supergirl' comics.

2026 - the year of Supergirl! The Woman of Tomorrow! The Maiden of Might!

Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'A Smile Like Yours' by Emily Thomas

Rhys Moore is a gay Welsh boy with prosopagnosia who is just starting university in London. 'A Smile Like Yours' is his coming-of-age journey, where the shy, anxious boy navigates the difficulties in his social life and in his academic studies (medical microbiology, in honour of his world-explorer scientist mum) in his first year at uni.

Mostly it is about his relationship with Malcolm Green, one of his flatmates, who is studying the fine arts (embroidery - how absolutely lovely!), and who has a long-distance girlfriend, Lottie. Slight spoiler, but Malcolm is a biromantic asexual.

Things definitely get complicated between Rhys and Malcolm (Rhys's face blindness is the least of it), as feelings stir and blossom, out of control.

Both lovely boys are at different stages of dealing with anxiety, as well.

Other players in Rhys's uni-story are: Oli Patton, who is his fellow biology and medical student, and new best friend (they are also nonbinary); his other flatmates Aanya, Holly and Fabian; and the seniors Fen (student rep) and Orla, who are girlfriends. Rhys's teasy but loving and supportive older sister Cari is also a laugh.

I knew basically nothing about prosopagnosia before I read 'A Smile Like Yours'. I had heard of face blindness, but not the scientific term for it. So it was great to read any piece of media, let alone a graphic novel, with a protagonist who has prosopagnosia - 'A Smile Like Yours' is told from Rhys's point of view, and we follow him and explore the world and life as he sees it; as he interacts with the people around him.

Which brings me to the artwork. It's cute and charming and I really like it. It's mostly white, with different shades of purple and lilac, but whenever Rhys searches for a person's unique indicators or "identifiers" that don't have anything specifically to do with their face, in order to recognise them, that person is in colour. They literally light up for him. This is a fantastic and accessible way for the reader to understand Rhys's perspective, through his prosopagnosia, and how he navigates life with it. How he processes people, even his family who he has known since birth, and how he makes new friends at university, by relying on identifiers, and context clues (the scene where he explains all this to Malcolm is bloody brilliant). He even has trouble registering his own face in mirrors and in photos, and what he looks like.

Colours are huge indicators in art, in establishing character and feeling.

And 'A Smile Like Yours' is certainly a feelings-type book.

The art also reminds me of the works of Nick Sharratt. How nostalgic!

Onto the negative critiques now:

The issue of how Rhys and Malcolm get together (not a spoiler, I'd say it's obvious) while Malcolm is in a monogamous relationship is, thankfully and appreciatively, handled better than I expected. It's still slightly iffy. It turns out I have as low a tolerance for cheating as apparently everybody else does, but this cheating storyline at least treats Malcolm's girlfriend, Lottie, as a character deserving of respect...except when she is once referred to by Oli as "The Girlfriend" with a capital T and G. Ugh! But Lottie is as lovely and likeable as nearly everyone else...then she conveniently disappears near the end of the book, after an off-panel official breakup. What a shame.

The only character I don't like is Fabian, or Fab, as he's called. He's the stereotypical laddish frat boy of Rhys's friend group: meaning, he's a sexist, horny douchebag, who goes through girls in his bed as quickly as he does his boxers. Or tissues. One of Fab's moments of bare-minimum decency is when he backs off flirting with a girl he just met when he realises she's a lesbian and already spoken for - no means no no matter what, you one-dimensional, one-track-minded, one-organ-functioning sleaze! What's worse is the obnoxious git is never called out for his comments and behaviour; at best his friends treat him like he's an idiot, which he is, but I wouldn't call him a harmless idiot.

It's 2026 - 2000s unchecked perverted frat boy Neanderthal-ism and so-called "locker-room talk" should not be tolerated anymore. Why are we still writing male characters like this? We know by now that, in both real life and fiction, they are not funny or charming; they are scum, misogynistic scum, even when they are not, higher powers forbid, rapey.

At least Fab isn't in this graphic novel much. Though it seems like the author had planned to do something more with his character at some point in development. For example, he is the first to discover Rhys and Malcolm's affair when Malcolm is still with Lottie, and he deals with the infidelity in an immature way and seems to have a bitter chip on his shoulder about it. But this is abandoned later on. Fab never says or does anything that furthers any progression in the story. He is inconsequential.

In one of the more touching interactions between Rhys and Malcolm, Rhys confesses that his biggest fear is not recognising his mum, as her STEM job takes her abroad most of the time. Whenever she does see him, she might have changed enough that the physical attributes that Rhys uses to identify her won't be there anymore, and he won't be able to recognise his own mother. It is a startling, heartbreaking and beautiful moment. And yet, at the end where his mother is home and he sees her, it is treated as nothing. There is no buildup, no anticipation, no special moment, no scene, period; Rhys's mum is suddenly just present and that's that, as if she'd always been there, along with his dad and sister. Did the author forget about the abovementioned scene? About that aspect of Rhys's character? About the mum being away for the rest of the year?

Rhys's love affair with Malcolm, and his studies, really take precedence over everything else in his life, don't they?

Rhys could have talked more about his prosopagnosia; as in, mention it at all to his friends, other than Malcolm, and Oli, Fen and Orla. From the beginning it seems as if he will eventually open up about it more to people, especially during the scene where he is talking about his day to his mum on the phone, about how he is struggling and becoming depressed and lonely. But then it is never brought up again. It's never made clear if the rest of his flatmates know about his face blindness. In fact, Aanya, Holly and Fab are kind of gradually phased out of the story near the end, sadly minus Fab. Like Lottie, they barely get a chance to develop as fully-fledged and fleshed-out characters in their own right.

In the scene where Rhys attends a tabletop gaming club/society with Oli for the first time, he says he has face blindness (this is after he told Malcolm), which Orla thoughtlessly dismisses, not believing it to be a real thing. Their conversation is interrupted before he can fully explain his condition - and hopefully educate her - and then it is never followed up on. It's gone from the book just like that.

Another character issue left unresolved.

And as nice as the artwork is, there are a few inconsistencies to it. For example, the Dean's Talk at the Fresher's Fair: the Dean's glasses disappear and then reappear in each panel she is in, as she talks on stage in the lecture hall.

There are other little moments that bother me, but only marginally.

'A Smile Like Yours' - Malcolm's smile is one of his identifiers, and it's the only facial feature that Rhys registers - its niggling, bumpy, wobbly flaws can't ruin its cakey whole, and it is a strongly recommended YA graphic novel from me. It's so sweet and charming minus Fab! A lovely, starry, Christmassy comfort blanket of a comic.

It is like 'Heartstopper', and Becky Albertalli's novels. It is one of the better LBGTQA+ YA graphic novels out there. Its diversity and inclusivity points are off the charts. Wide spectrum queer rep, race rep, disability rep, mental health rep, body positivity rep, it is all here again minus Fab.

I haven't even talked about how much it reminds me of my own time at university in the UK - over ten years ago!

How things change and yet stay the same.

I am old. But 'A Smile Like Yours' made me feel young again.

It is guaranteed to warm your heart, and make you smile.



"It's often easier to let others recognize me first and go from there."

"It's surprisingly easy to blame yourself for the way you were born."

"It actually feels really good to say this out loud."

"I'm sure people would want to help make things easier if they could."

"I've never met a smile like yours before."



Final Score: 3.5/5