2022 EDIT: Well.
This is certainly different to how I remember it the first time reading.
The writing and atmosphere are powerful, though perhaps too overly detailed, repetitive, and exhausting. Said writing also contains a lot of plot holes (like, Val should know when the Collector monster has taken the form of someone she knows when he's out and about - they're connected! In every way!) and inconsistencies. Examples (laid out without spoiling) include:
A very minor character is named Jane Fitzgerald, but then later she is named Jane Fitzsimmons. A traumatised character (which applies to all of them) being 'clear-eyed', and then on the next page her eyes are 'still swollen from crying' (page 347). There is an instance when two of the main girl characters teleport to the home kitchen of one of the girls, and in the next chapter another character says that the girls had suddenly appeared in the living room; said character had been in the kitchen already until they heard a crash in the living room and found the girls there (page 307). Then there's one of the girls dropping her signature baseball bat during the climax - next chapter, boom, she suddenly has it in her hands again, no explanation, no mention of her picking it up or carrying it beforehand. One girl says to the third girl that the second girl (I'm using that word a lot, aren't I?) had been trying to get her into 'Lord of the Rings'...when there was no hint of this whatsoever before, and there was no way the two would have been this chummy and leisurely in the brief, dire and deadly time they'd known each other. And what are the limits to each of the trio's superpowers? Why don't they use them more often, when they seriously need to?
There are so many continuity errors, obvious details overlooked, and I'm left wondering, "How in the demonic, cold, bleached beaches of hell did these get past an editor?"
There's also the inconsistency of Marion, one of the three power girls. The other two, Zoey and Val, are good and interesting, but Marion is all over the place. It doesn't matter how much her thoughts and feelings are overly, densely, wearily written; her words and actions make her come across as cold, selfish, thoughtless and sociopathic. Not a bit like a teenage girl suffering new, raw and immense grief for more than one dead close family member. She makes jokes and laughs in the most inappropriate moments, and it seems like everyone, even the adults, look to her as an authority figure, with all the answers, for absolutely no reason. Inexplicably, she does hold some of the right answers and ideas. This grieving, new girl on the island of Sawkill Rock. Who is described as "like a mountain" - maybe smart yet awkward - but that's no excuse. To me, it reads like bad writing.
And oh, her poor mother.
I've also caught a few times in which Zoey, a Black girl, is described to 'obey' - that's the exact word used - an instruction from a white person.
'Sawkill Girls' - what as mess. An atmospheric, unsettling mess, with clear feminist leanings and goals, but a mess nonetheless. It needed a thoroughly good edit. Still, I liked most of the characters.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
'Sawkill Girls' is an awesome book. It's so good I don't know how to start.
It's like 'The Nowhere Girls', Stephen King, 'The Wicker Man' (the original), 'Charmed', 'Buffy', 'Practical Magic' (referenced even in the book), a bit of 'X-Men', strangely enough (also referenced), and every horror movie you can think of - all coming together as an intense, brutal, spellbinding and spine-tingling YA fantasy.
Three teenage girls:
Marion, the new girl on the island of Sawkill, possessing a sisterhood starfish necklace. Smart, plain, overly-responsible and overburdened by family tragedy, she is now seemingly under a different kind of painful curse since setting foot on the island. Grief is not the only thing that might kill her.
Zoey, a black girl who is not taking anyone's shit. She wants to know what the hell is going on and why so many teenage girls, including her best friend Thora, go missing on Sawkill. And so she's the Sawkill pariah. She's also dealing with issues with her ex, and currently only living friend, Grayson. She counts as the more action-orientated of the sisterhood.
And Val, the rich girl, the queen bee, the impossible beauty, the smiling face made out of breakable porcelain, the snake full of venomous lies, and literally filled with a monstrous vessel; embodying a dark secret that goes back over a hundred years. Her family life is anything but rich and privileged.
These girls will grow and develop into stronger people, who are able to be themselves and come into their own, and they grow closer together as well, in many, complex ways. They discover powers and abilities they never thought themselves capable of, and they must use them to stop a monster that's been devouring girls on Sawkill for too long. Once their powers peak and they learn to come together as friends, sisters, saviours - no girl will go missing on the creepy island again, to be mourned and then forgotten about just as quickly as the next.
Every ache, every loss, every sickness, every disturbance, every dread, every noise, every crevice, every pain felt and every ugly and depressing thought by Marion, Zoey and Val - all is written in such harrowing detail, it would be overwhelming if it also wasn't so entertaining, and I didn't care about the characters, which I did, deeply. No loss is forgotten about; no one is taken for granted and glossed over. The pain, the guilt, the hollowness, the loneliness, the raw, bloody gaps; it is real.
I was very excited to read what would happen to the three girls next, while fearing for them, and wondering what I would do in their situations. How they deal with them is extraordinary.
'Sawkill Girls' really is like a Stephen King novel, from a female perspective.
While reading, I didn't even feel the overt feminist angle and tone that other reviewers either commented on or complained about, at least until near the end. Maybe it had been subtle until then. Regardless, it is warranted social commentary for this day and age:
How often do we take for granted that girls all over the world, compared to the boys, just go missing and are never found, and we shrug and move on, from one sad news to another, failing to see a pattern, and how our own apathy and compliance only contributes to the tragedy on a wider scale. It's as simple as we are afraid to admit: generally, we don't care about women and girls as much as we should. Under the patriarchal rule, this is true: for females are rendered unimportant second-class citizens who some people would prefer not to care for individually because that would mean recognizing them as human beings. Or we think them so fragile and unable to look after themselves in the big world without men that their disappearances, their possible deaths, are kind of inevitable.
And some men in power, who fancy themselves as old-timey knights and heroes, do get off on girl-on-girl hate, and women - powerful women especially - being sacrificed for "the greater good".
Well, as the climactic battle commences, 'Sawkill Girls' will have none of that. Marion, Zoey and Val are anti-girl-on-girl-hate, while acknowledging that everyone is flawed, and forgiveness cannot and should not easily be sold. It must be earned. Through a series of horrifying events (white-eyed doppelgangers, and pulling horsehair right out of one's throat, come to mind), they will earn each other's trust, and need one another to survive. It's well-crafted and developed teamwork and friendship.
'Sawkill Girls' is not anti-men. I don't know where that accusation came from. It is anti-shitty men, yes, but there are genuine good guys in the book as well, like Grayson, and Zoey's police officer dad. Val's family, the Mortimers, are a matriarchy, but they are evil only because they have been forced to serve a monster who has been using their bodies for his own sick, twisted purposes, ever since Val's ancestor made a deal with him in order to save herself from her abusive husband.
Predators come in more than one form, and the awful truth is that the patriarchy has carelessly deemed them to be the "dominating" male, targeting the "weak" female.
One quote out of a myriad which sticks to me is:
'Zoey's laugh was bitter. "Oh, and we poor delicate girls are vulnerable and desperate, is that what you're saying?"
"What I'm saying," Marion said, now looking right at Zoey, her gray eyes bright, "is that girls hunger. And we're taught, from the moment out brains can take it, that there isn't enough food for us all."' (page 261)
The diversity: Marion is hinted to be bisexual, and moves into a sexual relationship with a girl (I won't say who it is due to spoilers). Zoey is black and asexual, but is still very close to Grayson, who remains in love with her, and it is acknowledged that they don't have to be sexual with each other in order to be friends, or more. It's complicated, like a lot of relationships in this novel (shout-out to Zoey and her secretive father, too). In fact, Zoey is super close to everyone she spends time with - she loved her best friend Thora and she misses her terribly (they wrote books and fanfiction together; this is too adorable and sad), and she becomes protective of Marion, even comfortable with sharing a bed with her. She could merely be lonely, and that's understandable, but maybe she's biromantic, as well? Val may date guys, but that's only because it's required of her; for picking out a mate for procreation. She likes girls, and not in the predatory sense that the monster that controls her life and family wants her to.
Each girl plays against her type, her expected role, and it is smashing.
That ending: What frightening, star-studded epicness. It might make you cry either ugly tears or happy tears.
Also included are moths - surprisingly friendly ones, not like the ones in 'Doctor Who' - and scared horses who run off of cliffs. Even Sawkill itself, a rock, is given a character - its own POV chapters. It might be Mother Nature herself, trying what she can to help her girls living on her island, in order to fight the invader; a murderous plague, widely mistaken for an urban legend, that only the rock and a few others - good and bad - notice.
The book might be a bigger metaphor for the patriarchal world than I initially thought.
'Sawkill Girls' - Excellent writing, grisly, bloody and creepy horror for YA, nuanced female empowerment (that don't just involve superpowers), and exciting plot and character developments. Thrilling and disturbing, it gets better and better as I read on. It is breathtaking.
There are little things that could have been better, like the one page (179) where Marion says to Zoey that maybe a few girls going missing on the island every year isn't too bad, or it could have been worse. And this is AFTER another tragedy strikes in her life, on Sawkill. Zoey, of all people, lets this slide. What the hell?
But I wholeheartedly recommend this. Feminism in the supernatural hasn't looked so honest, and legitimate, and raw. Get ready to feel fear, sadness, grief, anger, and hope. For a better world, run by brave girls such as these.
Final Score: 4/5
Saturday 26 January 2019
Thursday 24 January 2019
Manga Review - 'Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition 1' by Naoko Takeuchi
I must have talked about 'Sailor Moon' a hundred times now.
Really, I've already read this, time and time again. I could number any 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' manga issue without blinking. Remember every detail, each trivia, by heart. But every edition of 'Sailor Moon' is special. I'd probably buy anything new that's about her, just because it makes me feel good.
What can I say, I'm a fanatic. Of the moon; of the stars; of fantasy; of Magical Girls; of superheroines; of interesting and three-dimensional female heroes; of nostalgia.
'Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition 1' collects the first seven issues/acts of the classic manga, slightly translated differently from the previous renewal editions. More direct, faithful and flowing, I suppose. It's easy to tell that the translators were truly passionate about all things 'Sailor Moon', possibly from childhood, like myself and others.
Magic, drama, action, humour, romance, cuteness, cleverness, cheese, fear, tension, mythology, love and friendship and empowerment - this series has it in queen's spades. Let's not forget the beautiful, transcendent artwork! Witness the coming-of-age growth of Usagi Tsukino - from clumsy, underachieving schoolgirl, to the literal queen of the world, and the most powerful soldier of love and justice in the universe.
The 'Eternal Edition' is recommended for any 'Sailor Moon' fan. I love this in my shelves; in my rows upon rows of memorabilia. I might have a problem. But surely it is a healthy obsession. Do I care?
In the name of the moon: No.
Final Score: 5/5
Really, I've already read this, time and time again. I could number any 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' manga issue without blinking. Remember every detail, each trivia, by heart. But every edition of 'Sailor Moon' is special. I'd probably buy anything new that's about her, just because it makes me feel good.
What can I say, I'm a fanatic. Of the moon; of the stars; of fantasy; of Magical Girls; of superheroines; of interesting and three-dimensional female heroes; of nostalgia.
'Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition 1' collects the first seven issues/acts of the classic manga, slightly translated differently from the previous renewal editions. More direct, faithful and flowing, I suppose. It's easy to tell that the translators were truly passionate about all things 'Sailor Moon', possibly from childhood, like myself and others.
Magic, drama, action, humour, romance, cuteness, cleverness, cheese, fear, tension, mythology, love and friendship and empowerment - this series has it in queen's spades. Let's not forget the beautiful, transcendent artwork! Witness the coming-of-age growth of Usagi Tsukino - from clumsy, underachieving schoolgirl, to the literal queen of the world, and the most powerful soldier of love and justice in the universe.
The 'Eternal Edition' is recommended for any 'Sailor Moon' fan. I love this in my shelves; in my rows upon rows of memorabilia. I might have a problem. But surely it is a healthy obsession. Do I care?
In the name of the moon: No.
Final Score: 5/5
Look what I got today for my collection, totally unplanned
Girl Power - represent it proudly!
Recommended: see this Crash Bandicoot rap, and others on YouTube:
Sunday 20 January 2019
Manga Review - 'Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Vol. 1' by Natsuki Takaya
2023 EDIT: Part of my (latest) 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
And here I was thinking that I would only like one manga by Natsuki Takaya, her most popular, 'Fruits Basket'.
'Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Vol. 1' is surprisingly nice, gentle, wholesome and simple, but not un-challenging. The characters are interesting and the mystery surrounding the setting and slow-burning plot is intriguing.
Liselotte is a young woman living in exile near a forest with two child servants, twins Alto and Anna. There are rumours of dangerous witches and familiars lurking in the forest. They turn out to be true, naturally. A mysterious man called Engetsu (or Enrich, whoever) shows up to protect Liselotte. She thinks she knows him from her past. The serious Alto is not happy about this; he wants to protect his master just as badly. Oh, also Liselotte is of noble birth and had apparently tried to overthrow her brother for the throne, hence the exile.
And that's about it. 'Liselotte & Witch's Forest' is a mix of fantasy and slice-of-life, starring deep, three-dimensional characters in their everyday situations. You want to keep reading to find out how they came to be in their circumstances. There are only five at the moment - Liselotte, Alto, Anna, Engetsu, and Yomi, a cheeky witch familiar.
Liselotte is a lovely woman (it's not clear how young she is). Optimistic, ambitious, caring; she's like Tohru but smarter, more determined, and able to counteract and talk back to people, for all she is clueless about living the farm life. Not so annoyingly ditzy like many shoujo heroines, she always tries, and is hardworking, and in light of her background this is admirable. There are sundry facets to her character.
However, I am irritated that Liselotte is almost never given a chance to do anything useful to the plot, as either Engetsu or Yomi keep taking her place and doing her jobs for her. She was royalty, but come on! She's not that reckless, thus needing to be saved. She could be great! I'm dying for female characters in manga and anime to actually do something! Not just exist for emotional support. Stop having men come to their rescue! Think Yuki Cross from 'Vampire Knight' and you'll get the idea of what sort of female character trope I'm talking about - the useless damsel who is presented as tough and practical, but it is all telling and not showing. She's a pawn, a tool, a victim, a helpless love interest in her own story.
(I would call 'Vampire Knight' Japanese 'Twilight', and no one is going to stop me.)
Liselotte is good at disobeying the overprotective Alto, anyway. She is sweet on both twins - they are like a family to her, and vice versa. She doesn't like to treat them as servants, who came with her in her exile willingly.
The artwork is nice, too, showing different angles and expressions on the characters, capturing what they are thinking and feeling without words. This is most potent in beautiful Liselotte. The secluded farm and forest are drawn guilelessly yet enigmatically.
Overall, I enjoyed this little manga, from beginning to end, when I didn't expect to at all. And that's despite its familiar shoujo tropes. A guilty pleasure, but a calming, lulling one. Like a trickle in a glade. A quiet gem.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
And here I was thinking that I would only like one manga by Natsuki Takaya, her most popular, 'Fruits Basket'.
'Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Vol. 1' is surprisingly nice, gentle, wholesome and simple, but not un-challenging. The characters are interesting and the mystery surrounding the setting and slow-burning plot is intriguing.
Liselotte is a young woman living in exile near a forest with two child servants, twins Alto and Anna. There are rumours of dangerous witches and familiars lurking in the forest. They turn out to be true, naturally. A mysterious man called Engetsu (or Enrich, whoever) shows up to protect Liselotte. She thinks she knows him from her past. The serious Alto is not happy about this; he wants to protect his master just as badly. Oh, also Liselotte is of noble birth and had apparently tried to overthrow her brother for the throne, hence the exile.
And that's about it. 'Liselotte & Witch's Forest' is a mix of fantasy and slice-of-life, starring deep, three-dimensional characters in their everyday situations. You want to keep reading to find out how they came to be in their circumstances. There are only five at the moment - Liselotte, Alto, Anna, Engetsu, and Yomi, a cheeky witch familiar.
Liselotte is a lovely woman (it's not clear how young she is). Optimistic, ambitious, caring; she's like Tohru but smarter, more determined, and able to counteract and talk back to people, for all she is clueless about living the farm life. Not so annoyingly ditzy like many shoujo heroines, she always tries, and is hardworking, and in light of her background this is admirable. There are sundry facets to her character.
However, I am irritated that Liselotte is almost never given a chance to do anything useful to the plot, as either Engetsu or Yomi keep taking her place and doing her jobs for her. She was royalty, but come on! She's not that reckless, thus needing to be saved. She could be great! I'm dying for female characters in manga and anime to actually do something! Not just exist for emotional support. Stop having men come to their rescue! Think Yuki Cross from 'Vampire Knight' and you'll get the idea of what sort of female character trope I'm talking about - the useless damsel who is presented as tough and practical, but it is all telling and not showing. She's a pawn, a tool, a victim, a helpless love interest in her own story.
(I would call 'Vampire Knight' Japanese 'Twilight', and no one is going to stop me.)
Liselotte is good at disobeying the overprotective Alto, anyway. She is sweet on both twins - they are like a family to her, and vice versa. She doesn't like to treat them as servants, who came with her in her exile willingly.
The artwork is nice, too, showing different angles and expressions on the characters, capturing what they are thinking and feeling without words. This is most potent in beautiful Liselotte. The secluded farm and forest are drawn guilelessly yet enigmatically.
Overall, I enjoyed this little manga, from beginning to end, when I didn't expect to at all. And that's despite its familiar shoujo tropes. A guilty pleasure, but a calming, lulling one. Like a trickle in a glade. A quiet gem.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Saturday 19 January 2019
Manga Review - 'Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 1' by Natsuki Takaya
2022 EDIT: From my 'Fruits Basket, Vol. 1' review:
Changing my rating to fit my mood and views nowadays. I'm not as passionate or excited about, or as fond of, this series as I used to be. Perceptions and feelings change upon reflection overtime, regardless of nostalgia, which can be fleeting, and that's fine. Growing up, revaluating and reprioritising things are fine. I need to declutter, anyway. The manga remains a classic, nonetheless.
Original Review (of 'Fruits Basket Another'):
My favourite manga series of all time didn't really need a sequel. The Zodiac curse does get broken, and everyone's stories are wrapped up. It's over, done. I believe in letting stories just end. In furthering a popular series - usually because of money and not because of creativity and a need to tell a new, brilliant story - there is always the danger of diminishing it; cheapening and/or exploiting what made it so good and popular to begin with. Love it and understand it as it is, and let it go. Let it be and move on. Be happy with what you got. Do something new. Otherwise all we're currently left with is published fanfiction, more often than not.
With that said, I think that 'Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 1' is okay. At best it's serviceable.
It starts out exactly like a typical high school drama manga, and yes, the characters - the new Sohma kids - are carbon copies of their parents from the previous series. Callbacks or laziness, you decide. Nothing much happens, I didn't find it funny, just awkward, and since there is no curse there is no more intrigue, neither is there much of an inciting incident; it's just the characters who go through nearly the same motions as their predecessors. So why did this need to exist? I was worried I might end up hating 'Another'.
But surprisingly, by the end I found myself being rather touched by it. The emotions and character development of Sawa Mitoma, the protagonist who is a shier and more insecure Tohru Honda, are very well done, I thought. She's a wallflower, a shrinking violet, who hates to be a burden to others. So she keeps to herself, always worrying that helping people - talking to them, even noticing them - will make things worse, and everyone will hate her for it. In being involved with the Sohmas and the student council (not by her choice, mind you), she gradually grows in confidence, little by little; even making nice female friends on the side, who do genuinely like her.
I found I related to Sawa a lot. Her inner turmoils and low self-esteem, and the causes for them, are realistic, and may resonate with some readers.
For all I may criticise Natsuki Takaya for drawing her characters way too similarly throughout her career, and this is especially true here, I give her credit for not making Sawa a clone of Tohru. Though they are both clumsy.
It might not do any harm to check out 'Fruits Basket Another' after all, if you're a Furuba fan. Even with the fantasy element gone (for now), there are still themes of family, friendship, and attempting kindness and understanding. Near the end of its run, 'Fruits Basket' barely included the Zodiac animals, and the drama was much more human, and it worked out brilliantly. The same could be said for its continuation.
There is nevertheless very little reason for this sequel to exist, and it is nowhere near as powerful and original as the--well, the original. It is an awkward manga, following along the heels of a massively successful series that ended ten years previously. But nothing is damaged, at least. No character derailed. No legacy bastardised. No scroll torn.
Curiously, I wonder how Tohru and Kyo are doing now...
Final Score: 3/5
Changing my rating to fit my mood and views nowadays. I'm not as passionate or excited about, or as fond of, this series as I used to be. Perceptions and feelings change upon reflection overtime, regardless of nostalgia, which can be fleeting, and that's fine. Growing up, revaluating and reprioritising things are fine. I need to declutter, anyway. The manga remains a classic, nonetheless.
Original Review (of 'Fruits Basket Another'):
My favourite manga series of all time didn't really need a sequel. The Zodiac curse does get broken, and everyone's stories are wrapped up. It's over, done. I believe in letting stories just end. In furthering a popular series - usually because of money and not because of creativity and a need to tell a new, brilliant story - there is always the danger of diminishing it; cheapening and/or exploiting what made it so good and popular to begin with. Love it and understand it as it is, and let it go. Let it be and move on. Be happy with what you got. Do something new. Otherwise all we're currently left with is published fanfiction, more often than not.
With that said, I think that 'Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 1' is okay. At best it's serviceable.
It starts out exactly like a typical high school drama manga, and yes, the characters - the new Sohma kids - are carbon copies of their parents from the previous series. Callbacks or laziness, you decide. Nothing much happens, I didn't find it funny, just awkward, and since there is no curse there is no more intrigue, neither is there much of an inciting incident; it's just the characters who go through nearly the same motions as their predecessors. So why did this need to exist? I was worried I might end up hating 'Another'.
But surprisingly, by the end I found myself being rather touched by it. The emotions and character development of Sawa Mitoma, the protagonist who is a shier and more insecure Tohru Honda, are very well done, I thought. She's a wallflower, a shrinking violet, who hates to be a burden to others. So she keeps to herself, always worrying that helping people - talking to them, even noticing them - will make things worse, and everyone will hate her for it. In being involved with the Sohmas and the student council (not by her choice, mind you), she gradually grows in confidence, little by little; even making nice female friends on the side, who do genuinely like her.
I found I related to Sawa a lot. Her inner turmoils and low self-esteem, and the causes for them, are realistic, and may resonate with some readers.
For all I may criticise Natsuki Takaya for drawing her characters way too similarly throughout her career, and this is especially true here, I give her credit for not making Sawa a clone of Tohru. Though they are both clumsy.
It might not do any harm to check out 'Fruits Basket Another' after all, if you're a Furuba fan. Even with the fantasy element gone (for now), there are still themes of family, friendship, and attempting kindness and understanding. Near the end of its run, 'Fruits Basket' barely included the Zodiac animals, and the drama was much more human, and it worked out brilliantly. The same could be said for its continuation.
There is nevertheless very little reason for this sequel to exist, and it is nowhere near as powerful and original as the--well, the original. It is an awkward manga, following along the heels of a massively successful series that ended ten years previously. But nothing is damaged, at least. No character derailed. No legacy bastardised. No scroll torn.
Curiously, I wonder how Tohru and Kyo are doing now...
Final Score: 3/5
Manga Review - 'Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1' by Natsuki Takaya
2022 EDIT: From my 'Fruits Basket, Vol. 1' review:
Changing my rating to fit my mood and views nowadays. I'm not as passionate or excited about, or as fond of, this series as I used to be. Perceptions and feelings change upon reflection overtime, regardless of nostalgia, which can be fleeting, and that's fine. Growing up, revaluating and reprioritising things are fine. I need to declutter, anyway. The manga remains a classic, nonetheless.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
So many years. I almost forgot how happy this series made me. It's not just nostalgia: it makes me experience happiness and warmth all over again. Changing my rating to fit my mood and views nowadays. I'm not as passionate or excited about, or as fond of, this series as I used to be. Perceptions and feelings change upon reflection overtime, regardless of nostalgia, which can be fleeting, and that's fine. Growing up, revaluating and reprioritising things are fine. I need to declutter, anyway. The manga remains a classic, nonetheless.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
Friendship, family, love, drama, comedy, heartbreak, courage, the importance of kindness, fantastic character development, wonderful and expressive artwork; it's all here. All you may ever need.
'Fruits Basket' - Positive and cute, and dark and sharp. Depicting the best and worst of humans in a story about the Chinese Zodiac animals.
See my other review of the manga series here: Fruits Basket overall
Snow melts and fades in time. Memories become cloudy and foggy. Beautiful feelings and support from others last forever.
Remember, the sun will always rise for another day.
And a rice ball can be a part of a fruits basket, nestled in cosily.
Final Score: 5/5
Friday 18 January 2019
Thursday 17 January 2019
Scribble #84
Are happiness and self-indulgence the same thing? One is fulfilling and pure while the other isn't? One gleaned from selflessness and charity, the other not? Both are temporary, however; needing to be refilled.
Wednesday 16 January 2019
Today I popped into my town's new comic book shop, the first of its kind, creatively called 'The Comic Shop'. It's a cafe, mostly, with one wall of shelves containing comic issues, merchandise, figurines and tidbits. I'd call it geek lite, cautiously so. But it's got its charm. It's colourful, the staff seem like lovely people, and there's a giant Hulk statue inside. I'm glad places like it exist where I live. The tea is good and so are the comfy sofas. Very British!
Sunday 13 January 2019
Saturday 12 January 2019
Book Review - 'Stack the Cats' by Susie Ghahremani
'Stack the Cats' is the cutest maths book ever. It's a counting and division game with little kitties! I might have been better at mathematics at school if I'd read something like this.
Short, but adorable as well as educational for toddlers. The variety of colourful and fluffy cats and kittens are drawn to make you go "Aww!" at every page. You'd want to count them all and stack them right.
'Stack the Cats' - because life is good. How therapeutic, meow.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Short, but adorable as well as educational for toddlers. The variety of colourful and fluffy cats and kittens are drawn to make you go "Aww!" at every page. You'd want to count them all and stack them right.
'Stack the Cats' - because life is good. How therapeutic, meow.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Book Review - 'Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories' by Dr. Seuss
2022 EDIT: Good, funny and thought-provoking stories still.
See my original review for more.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
Such relevant and vital messages here:
'Yertle the Turtle', about the abuse of power; the rise and inevitable fall of tyrants and their never-satisfied egos, built on hubris and the suffering and silence of those they look down on. To be a leader means helping others; it does not mean to be a dictator, ruling wherever takes your fancy, and wanting others to make you feel important. To be on top does not make you better than everyone else, nor does it grant you leeway to treat them as lesser. To go higher and higher for the sake of it at the expense of others is not only cruel and selfish, but pointless.
'Gertrude McFuzz', about vanity, jealousy, and also dissatisfaction and the heavy (literally) ego. Be happy with who you are, what you have, and what you can do, basically. Addiction (drugs?) is bad, too. Extra point for the female protagonist, a rarity in a Dr. Seuss story, as well.
And 'The Big Brag', about the pointlessness of ego and thinking that anyone is better than anyone else, and how any arrogant, simple, boisterous animal of a fool can be outwitted by the smallest and unlikeliest of people.
'Yertle the Turtle' is close to perfection, and the further implications of the other two stories are rather mixed, but overall they are entertaining, fitfully clever, and unforgettable. The rhymes, as is expected by Dr. Seuss, are a joy. More children need to absorb these life lessons. But especially those of 'Yertle the Turtle'. It very much holds up (pun unintended), sadly.
“And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free,
as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”
Pride be before the fall.
Final Score: 4/5
See my original review for more.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
Such relevant and vital messages here:
'Yertle the Turtle', about the abuse of power; the rise and inevitable fall of tyrants and their never-satisfied egos, built on hubris and the suffering and silence of those they look down on. To be a leader means helping others; it does not mean to be a dictator, ruling wherever takes your fancy, and wanting others to make you feel important. To be on top does not make you better than everyone else, nor does it grant you leeway to treat them as lesser. To go higher and higher for the sake of it at the expense of others is not only cruel and selfish, but pointless.
'Gertrude McFuzz', about vanity, jealousy, and also dissatisfaction and the heavy (literally) ego. Be happy with who you are, what you have, and what you can do, basically. Addiction (drugs?) is bad, too. Extra point for the female protagonist, a rarity in a Dr. Seuss story, as well.
And 'The Big Brag', about the pointlessness of ego and thinking that anyone is better than anyone else, and how any arrogant, simple, boisterous animal of a fool can be outwitted by the smallest and unlikeliest of people.
'Yertle the Turtle' is close to perfection, and the further implications of the other two stories are rather mixed, but overall they are entertaining, fitfully clever, and unforgettable. The rhymes, as is expected by Dr. Seuss, are a joy. More children need to absorb these life lessons. But especially those of 'Yertle the Turtle'. It very much holds up (pun unintended), sadly.
“And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free,
as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”
Pride be before the fall.
Final Score: 4/5
Book Review - 'Horton Hears A Who!' by Dr. Seuss
2022 EDIT: Good message, just not much else about it that interests me now. I also fully realise just how sexist Dr. Seuss's books are, or at least male was always seen as the default way back when. For a book about different kinds of voices needing to be heard, where are the female Whos?! But one can still enjoy dated kids' books, I suppose. It's entirely up to you.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
Another fun Dr. Seuss classic with an important message ("Listen to those who may be smaller than you", "Anyone can be friends", "No one is invisible", "Don't dismiss anyone as mad or nonexistent from your own narrow-minded perspective", "Protect those who can't protect themselves", and "Every voice matters"). I was surprised by how dramatic 'Horton Hears A Who!' is. Creative, dynamic, and funny, a worthy children's fable.
Final Score: 4/5
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
Another fun Dr. Seuss classic with an important message ("Listen to those who may be smaller than you", "Anyone can be friends", "No one is invisible", "Don't dismiss anyone as mad or nonexistent from your own narrow-minded perspective", "Protect those who can't protect themselves", and "Every voice matters"). I was surprised by how dramatic 'Horton Hears A Who!' is. Creative, dynamic, and funny, a worthy children's fable.
Final Score: 4/5
Book Review - 'Oh, The Places You'll Go' by Dr. Seuss
2022 EDIT: Yep, male is definitely the default gender here. Or Dr. Seuss just assumed that only males can have rich, exciting, adventurous, meaningful lives. But regardless, 'Oh, The Places You'll Go' is a great read to children, because of its colourful illustrations, rhyming, and timeless coming-of-age - coming-of-life, really - message.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
How did I overlook these Dr. Seuss tales? A lot of them are pretty great.
'Oh, The Places You'll Go' is a metaphor for life, for youngsters. It address you, the reader, the listener, who will graduate from one place to another, over and over, externally, internally, physically, emotionally, and mentally. It is positive, but it let's you know of the hard times that you will face in adulthood. The difficulties, the disappointments, the grievances, the competitiveness, the unfairness. Everything comes with an obstacle to conquer.
But you keep going, keep exploring, keep finding new places and experiences. You keep living.
Brilliant, clever and colourful. The rhyming is a fantastic treat. A pity that the reader of the story is referred to as a "guy", like girls can't have exciting, opportunistic lives. But that is really the only negative I can think of.
Definitely read to kids at any chance.
Final Score: 4/5
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
How did I overlook these Dr. Seuss tales? A lot of them are pretty great.
'Oh, The Places You'll Go' is a metaphor for life, for youngsters. It address you, the reader, the listener, who will graduate from one place to another, over and over, externally, internally, physically, emotionally, and mentally. It is positive, but it let's you know of the hard times that you will face in adulthood. The difficulties, the disappointments, the grievances, the competitiveness, the unfairness. Everything comes with an obstacle to conquer.
But you keep going, keep exploring, keep finding new places and experiences. You keep living.
Brilliant, clever and colourful. The rhyming is a fantastic treat. A pity that the reader of the story is referred to as a "guy", like girls can't have exciting, opportunistic lives. But that is really the only negative I can think of.
Definitely read to kids at any chance.
Final Score: 4/5
Book Review - 'Clover Moon' by Jacqueline Wilson
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
This is it. My 500th book review.
To think that I started doing this about six years ago now, after I had graduated from uni, and had little idea of what I was doing and where I was going in my life. My crisis still holds up somewhat, but writing things, including book reviews, and reading books for those reviews, has been a constant, an oasis, a comfort, a certainty. Because I love reading, and will never stop, no matter where life and the scary state of the world take me. I will encourage others, most importantly children and the next generation, to read as much as they can. To enrich minds; to expand knowledge, learning, and the horizons of every aspect of our earth, and the imagination. To be aware of our past, present, and future.
The promise for a better world, always.
'Clover Moon' is my 500th review, as it turns out. It is for all ages, but does not downplay or brush aside any serious themes; it is by Jacqueline Wilson, an author from my past, and it is historical fiction; it reflects my present tastes - a young strong, caring female protagonist with an unusual and lovely name struggling through an unfair life and environment, and winning out fairly happy in the end; and it contains... a few themes which are important to think about in the future.
So... full circle? No, but it's close.
Before I sing its praises, I will disclose that 'Clover Moon' does contain problematic elements. The author's hatred of fat women and girls is very prominent here, from Clover's physically abusive stepmother Mildred, haughty cook figures, to little "round" and "lumpy" girls who are subjected to mockery, bullying and humiliation, with nothing more to it. Without exception they are either vilified, or ridiculed and shamed in some way. They are always "plain", unattractive, and varying degrees of lazy and stupid. Of course Clover's late birth mother was thin and angelic.
Disabled children (plus a male neighbour with a peg leg) are represented, in Clover's poverty-stricken street, and while Jimmy Wheels (yes, that's his nickname, made affectionate) is a real character who has a loving family and is Clover's good friend, another boy, Daft Mo (urgh), is barely in the book and is nearly always made fun of whenever he is mentioned. Even serving as a cautionary tale for what happens when babies and children are hit on the head. When keeping in mind the time period and attitudes towards the mentally ill in the Victorian era, the author nevertheless could have put more effort into giving these kids effective roles in the story. Why couldn't Clover, the main character, be disabled herself, now that I think about it?
At least the doll maker, a hunchback, whom Clover calls Mr. Dolly, is represented very positively. He is one of Clover's best friends and mentors; a lovely, lonely old man who doesn't need to be religious to be a good soul in this society. However, while Mr. Dolly's intentions towards Clover are thankfully depicted as wholly innocent and good-natured, how the bad people, like Mildred, see him as creepy is kind of glossed over. It comes down to their prejudices because he is deformed, but it is also hinted that it is due to him liking to spend time with Clover, and helping her with everything, too much. Mr. Dolly even says at one point that he likes little girls because they are nicer than little boys, who bullied him when he was little, too. I suppose this children's book couldn't delve into this serious issue any deeper than that. Hopefully Mr. Dolly, already ostracized, really is a good person, like a grandfather, and Clover isn't too ignorant.
There is also the problematic "rags to riches" story, which seems to teach you that the only way to be happy is to be rich, or live among the rich, in your backwards society.
But despite all that, I love 'Clover Moon'. The heroine is great: she loves children and looks after them well - herself still a child - she has flaws, she feels guilty about certain moments, she thinks of others through no effort, she's generous, she has a steely self-preservation, and is a tough but vulnerable victim of domestic abuse. As the eldest of nearly eight siblings, and a leader of the poverty street kids at playtime, she has a lot of responsibilities. Clover is described as plain, skinny, malnourished, with wounds on her head, and messy hair, but she has green eyes (ooh, special). She has ambitions of either being a doll maker like Mr. Dolly, a dancer like Miss Thelma (who is viewed as no better than a prostitute by everyone except Clover, and credit to Wilson, she is a positive role model), or an artist. Or a teacher. No marriage and kids in her future, as tradition and convention would have it.
Clover Moon's story is like a mix of 'Cinderella' - with a horrible, irredeemable stepmother, plus Clover secretly plans for clothes to be fashioned for her, but it's for a funeral instead of a ball - and Charles Dickens' works, but with a female perspective. I think that Jacqueline Wilson might have written her historical fiction books for children to be like Dickens but starring girl protagonists, and this is greatly appreciated. I mean, life was extremely hard for the lower classes in Victorian times, but dear god, it must have been nearly impossible for women. And 'Clover Moon' and the 'Hetty Feather' books don't sugarcoat this.
'Clover Moon' even one-ups the 'Hetty Feather' series by mentioning periods! Well, a stomach ache that's "a girls' thing", which results in the need to clean sheets, but they exist here!
Anyway, Clover is almost as fantastic, determined, and proactive a character as Hetty (who makes a cameo in one chapter, thus showing how the two high-spirited girls become friends). There is a major death in the book and it is truly devastating: tragic, senseless, and never overlooked; Clover never forgets it. She is clearly grieving throughout her ordeals. Her wooden doll of her own making, Anne Boleyn (signifying other motifs in the book), is a sweet, heartfelt touch, too.
Side note 1: A stereotypical pretty mean girl character (another of Wilson's reoccurring tropes) is slightly redeemed towards the end, and she has seizures and was treated appallingly by her family because of it. She is safe and soundly looked after now. Further positive if very small rep.
Side note 2: Is there an intentional 'Annie' reference here, with the poor girl in the streets befriending a lovable dog? She even goes on to live in a house full of other orphan and/or destitute girls. Except the dog bonding in 'Clover Moon' only lasts a few pages, due to the dog's nasty sellers. Clover can't afford that much luck.
'Clover Moon' - an enjoyable and dark read for children and adults, containing various unforgettable characters. There is light at the end of the murky, dank tunnel. Clover might not be as lucky as a four-leafed green plant she was named after, but there is a twinkle of hope. Hope for everyone in the darkest of years, in the inevitable age of human progress, not to be pushed back.
An industrial revolution is a human revolution.
Diversity is humanity.
Human perfection is subjective; it is nonexistent.
Kindness is a virtue.
Cruelty and abuse to children, by anyone, anywhere, must stop. Giving children freedom, happiness and love is moving forward.
Happy 500th review.
And now I'm off to read Jacqueline Wilson's next historical novel, 'Rose Rivers', as this Rose character, a rich girl among poor girls (uhhh), appears to be a shining spark in these books. Let's see how she fares in her own story.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
This is it. My 500th book review.
To think that I started doing this about six years ago now, after I had graduated from uni, and had little idea of what I was doing and where I was going in my life. My crisis still holds up somewhat, but writing things, including book reviews, and reading books for those reviews, has been a constant, an oasis, a comfort, a certainty. Because I love reading, and will never stop, no matter where life and the scary state of the world take me. I will encourage others, most importantly children and the next generation, to read as much as they can. To enrich minds; to expand knowledge, learning, and the horizons of every aspect of our earth, and the imagination. To be aware of our past, present, and future.
The promise for a better world, always.
'Clover Moon' is my 500th review, as it turns out. It is for all ages, but does not downplay or brush aside any serious themes; it is by Jacqueline Wilson, an author from my past, and it is historical fiction; it reflects my present tastes - a young strong, caring female protagonist with an unusual and lovely name struggling through an unfair life and environment, and winning out fairly happy in the end; and it contains... a few themes which are important to think about in the future.
So... full circle? No, but it's close.
Before I sing its praises, I will disclose that 'Clover Moon' does contain problematic elements. The author's hatred of fat women and girls is very prominent here, from Clover's physically abusive stepmother Mildred, haughty cook figures, to little "round" and "lumpy" girls who are subjected to mockery, bullying and humiliation, with nothing more to it. Without exception they are either vilified, or ridiculed and shamed in some way. They are always "plain", unattractive, and varying degrees of lazy and stupid. Of course Clover's late birth mother was thin and angelic.
Disabled children (plus a male neighbour with a peg leg) are represented, in Clover's poverty-stricken street, and while Jimmy Wheels (yes, that's his nickname, made affectionate) is a real character who has a loving family and is Clover's good friend, another boy, Daft Mo (urgh), is barely in the book and is nearly always made fun of whenever he is mentioned. Even serving as a cautionary tale for what happens when babies and children are hit on the head. When keeping in mind the time period and attitudes towards the mentally ill in the Victorian era, the author nevertheless could have put more effort into giving these kids effective roles in the story. Why couldn't Clover, the main character, be disabled herself, now that I think about it?
At least the doll maker, a hunchback, whom Clover calls Mr. Dolly, is represented very positively. He is one of Clover's best friends and mentors; a lovely, lonely old man who doesn't need to be religious to be a good soul in this society. However, while Mr. Dolly's intentions towards Clover are thankfully depicted as wholly innocent and good-natured, how the bad people, like Mildred, see him as creepy is kind of glossed over. It comes down to their prejudices because he is deformed, but it is also hinted that it is due to him liking to spend time with Clover, and helping her with everything, too much. Mr. Dolly even says at one point that he likes little girls because they are nicer than little boys, who bullied him when he was little, too. I suppose this children's book couldn't delve into this serious issue any deeper than that. Hopefully Mr. Dolly, already ostracized, really is a good person, like a grandfather, and Clover isn't too ignorant.
There is also the problematic "rags to riches" story, which seems to teach you that the only way to be happy is to be rich, or live among the rich, in your backwards society.
But despite all that, I love 'Clover Moon'. The heroine is great: she loves children and looks after them well - herself still a child - she has flaws, she feels guilty about certain moments, she thinks of others through no effort, she's generous, she has a steely self-preservation, and is a tough but vulnerable victim of domestic abuse. As the eldest of nearly eight siblings, and a leader of the poverty street kids at playtime, she has a lot of responsibilities. Clover is described as plain, skinny, malnourished, with wounds on her head, and messy hair, but she has green eyes (ooh, special). She has ambitions of either being a doll maker like Mr. Dolly, a dancer like Miss Thelma (who is viewed as no better than a prostitute by everyone except Clover, and credit to Wilson, she is a positive role model), or an artist. Or a teacher. No marriage and kids in her future, as tradition and convention would have it.
Clover Moon's story is like a mix of 'Cinderella' - with a horrible, irredeemable stepmother, plus Clover secretly plans for clothes to be fashioned for her, but it's for a funeral instead of a ball - and Charles Dickens' works, but with a female perspective. I think that Jacqueline Wilson might have written her historical fiction books for children to be like Dickens but starring girl protagonists, and this is greatly appreciated. I mean, life was extremely hard for the lower classes in Victorian times, but dear god, it must have been nearly impossible for women. And 'Clover Moon' and the 'Hetty Feather' books don't sugarcoat this.
'Clover Moon' even one-ups the 'Hetty Feather' series by mentioning periods! Well, a stomach ache that's "a girls' thing", which results in the need to clean sheets, but they exist here!
Anyway, Clover is almost as fantastic, determined, and proactive a character as Hetty (who makes a cameo in one chapter, thus showing how the two high-spirited girls become friends). There is a major death in the book and it is truly devastating: tragic, senseless, and never overlooked; Clover never forgets it. She is clearly grieving throughout her ordeals. Her wooden doll of her own making, Anne Boleyn (signifying other motifs in the book), is a sweet, heartfelt touch, too.
Side note 1: A stereotypical pretty mean girl character (another of Wilson's reoccurring tropes) is slightly redeemed towards the end, and she has seizures and was treated appallingly by her family because of it. She is safe and soundly looked after now. Further positive if very small rep.
Side note 2: Is there an intentional 'Annie' reference here, with the poor girl in the streets befriending a lovable dog? She even goes on to live in a house full of other orphan and/or destitute girls. Except the dog bonding in 'Clover Moon' only lasts a few pages, due to the dog's nasty sellers. Clover can't afford that much luck.
'Clover Moon' - an enjoyable and dark read for children and adults, containing various unforgettable characters. There is light at the end of the murky, dank tunnel. Clover might not be as lucky as a four-leafed green plant she was named after, but there is a twinkle of hope. Hope for everyone in the darkest of years, in the inevitable age of human progress, not to be pushed back.
An industrial revolution is a human revolution.
Diversity is humanity.
Human perfection is subjective; it is nonexistent.
Kindness is a virtue.
Cruelty and abuse to children, by anyone, anywhere, must stop. Giving children freedom, happiness and love is moving forward.
Happy 500th review.
And now I'm off to read Jacqueline Wilson's next historical novel, 'Rose Rivers', as this Rose character, a rich girl among poor girls (uhhh), appears to be a shining spark in these books. Let's see how she fares in her own story.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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