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booksmellers's review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of the best feelings in the world is picking up a book on a whim, not knowing anything about it, and accidentally discovering a new favorite.
This book contains
- deadpan adolescent humor, akin to Daria
- the classic Funnies feel
- a focus on individuals, their relationships, and themes of everyday life rather than an overarching plot
- artwork that perfectly captures the tone and humor of the SuperMutant Magic Academy
- magic/superpowers à la X-Men, often used as a vehicle to engage with a concept, a joke, or just simply a "wouldn't that be messed up?" situation.
- interesting, complex characters whose relationships with one another encapsulte the high school experience
- Charlie Brownesque philosophical musings about the meaning of life and the fears & struggles of adolescence
What's maybe most impressive about all of this is that Tamaki accomplishes all of this with brevity, each piece of the story in its own 1-2 page comic strip. I felt more emotion reading just a few of the individual comic strips than some of the full-length novels I've read. Several of the pages were laugh-out-loud funny to me. This probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly was mine, and (it may be too early to tell) this could end up being my favorite graphic novel of 2023.
This book contains
- deadpan adolescent humor, akin to Daria
- the classic Funnies feel
- a focus on individuals, their relationships, and themes of everyday life rather than an overarching plot
- artwork that perfectly captures the tone and humor of the SuperMutant Magic Academy
- magic/superpowers à la X-Men, often used as a vehicle to engage with a concept, a joke, or just simply a "wouldn't that be messed up?" situation.
- interesting, complex characters whose relationships with one another encapsulte the high school experience
- Charlie Brownesque philosophical musings about the meaning of life and the fears & struggles of adolescence
What's maybe most impressive about all of this is that Tamaki accomplishes all of this with brevity, each piece of the story in its own 1-2 page comic strip. I felt more emotion reading just a few of the individual comic strips than some of the full-length novels I've read. Several of the pages were laugh-out-loud funny to me. This probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly was mine, and (it may be too early to tell) this could end up being my favorite graphic novel of 2023.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Drug use, Misogyny, Alcohol, Cursing, and Bullying
chris_reads's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use and Dysphoria
Minor: Alcohol, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts
spooderman's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Alcohol, Animal death, Gore, Blood, and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Sexism, Body shaming, and Drug use
Minor: Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Violence
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
If you're looking for something that's super weird and just kind of out there, I would recommend this 100%. For me, it wasn't necessarily what I was expecting? There's sort of a cohesive storyline that ties all of these comics together, but it really reads as a bunch of mini comics put together in one book. And I can't emphasize the weird enough. Honestly, if you're looking for something that's different than pretty much anything else you've ever read, definitely pick this one up.
There is a sort of subtle world building that happens in this book as well. You get it in bits and pieces as you read these mini storylines about each of the main characters. There's some additional stuff thrown in there, too, and it just makes for a really interesting reading experience overall.
While this was not what I was expecting and not necessarily what I was in the mood for, it's still an entertaining, engaging book that will probably make you think "Wait, what?"
There is a sort of subtle world building that happens in this book as well. You get it in bits and pieces as you read these mini storylines about each of the main characters. There's some additional stuff thrown in there, too, and it just makes for a really interesting reading experience overall.
While this was not what I was expecting and not necessarily what I was in the mood for, it's still an entertaining, engaging book that will probably make you think "Wait, what?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Gore and Animal death
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Death
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
2.5
This book was a peek into this high school for magical kids. This is set up more like a comic strip collection than one cohesive story. I didn't really vibe with how sporadic the different comics were. Some of it did clearly move through time, while others were one-shots. There were pieces that were really good and pieces that I really didn't get or I found the main joke off-putting (some of the jokes were unclear, but others had aged poorly). There is one set of "main characters" to a certain extent -- Wendy and Marsha. Parts of the book, particularly towards the end gave them longer scenes and more of a story. I enjoyed the parts with more plot and there were a couple of characters that grabbed my attention, but there was so much going on that it was hard to really get into the characters (which is not great for me since I prefer more character-driven stories). It was a neat idea, but the beginning needed more direction and there were parts that could have been left out or changed to give it a clearer focus
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Drug use
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