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emily_mh's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This graphic novel was so incredibly clever. The way the fairytales Tiến and Helen tell each other are tied into the narrative not only to reflect particular events but, as the author points out, more overarching themes of immigration. The way the fairytales are used to communicate ideas between the characters - this really highlighted the power of stories. And the fairytales were fantastic in and of themselves! The author also explains so many layers of meaning that I missed my first time reading, so I think this is one of those books where you’ve got to reread to pick up on all the nuances. For example, he discusses how imagery of the fairytale being told changes based on who is narrating, which blew my mind when I flicked back through the book. I could just tell that so much thought and detail went into expressing the story.
At its core this book is about a mother-son relationship which it displays impeccably. The love and the care Tiến and Helen had for one another! Their desire to understand and be understood! I especially loved that Helen was included as a character in her own right, as it is rare for a mother-figure to have this. This inclusion brought the theme of a two-sided relationship to life as both sides of the story were shown.
The art was gorgeous. There was super effective use of colour in that only three were used (in different tones) so as to demarcate parts of the book: red for the present, blue for fairytales, and yellow for the past. The detail of the clothing and hair of the characters was wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Medical content, and War
Moderate: the refugee experience, sick loved one, loss of a loved one, forced separation from family, death of pet Minor: child bride, drowningnannahnannah's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Where I’ve been struggling finding a book I’ve liked lately, I’ve been stumbling upon the most amazing graphic novels. And this is my favorite by far.
Representation:
- the protagonist is a Vietnamese-American gay boy
- his friends are a black girl and a latino boy (I assume?)
This graphic novel is essentially about Tiến, a Vietnamese-American boy, and his mother, an immigrant to the United States. It’s about their relationship as people who almost speak different languages, who sometimes feel like they have two separate cultures, and who want to bridge these gaps but don’t know how. It’s even more difficult for Tiến, who’s gay but doesn’t know the words for it in Vietnamese and so doesn’t know how to begin to come out to his family. But by using fairy tales, The Magic Fish shows us how we’re all connected.
First off I’m going to say the obvious: the art style in this is beyond stunning. I can’t stop looking at it. Every page feels both like something out of an old storybook and like something you could frame. There’s so much movement and detail and character in every single line. It also helps to show what story is being told at the moment. There are sometimes several stories going on at one time: Tiến’s reading a fairytale, his mom is thinking back to how it relates to a memory, and then the next page we're back into Tiến’s current life during school. One could be drawn only in tones of purple, the other orange, and the last in red, for example.
There’s also an incredible amount of attention to detail that makes the story and reading experience all the more satisfying. The author himself talks about this in his notes at the end, but he changes the visuals of the fairytales depending on who’s telling them. Tiến’s storytelling tends to have a more Eurocentric look because of where he was brought up, while his mother’s interpretations usually take place in Vietnam. I’d strongly advise you to read (and look at) these notes and concept illustrations at the back. They’re so insightful and beautiful and really add to what you just read.
The Magic Fish is definitely not a graphic novel to zoom through, and it’s definitely not a super light-hearted read either (the homophobia during Tiến’s faith counseling was Very Painful), but it does have an incredibly touching and hopeful ending too. I really don’t have much to say here other than it’s probably one of my new favorite graphic novels. Visually stunning with a beautiful storyline.
Representation:
- the protagonist is a Vietnamese-American gay boy
- his friends are a black girl and a latino boy (I assume?)
This graphic novel is essentially about Tiến, a Vietnamese-American boy, and his mother, an immigrant to the United States. It’s about their relationship as people who almost speak different languages, who sometimes feel like they have two separate cultures, and who want to bridge these gaps but don’t know how. It’s even more difficult for Tiến, who’s gay but doesn’t know the words for it in Vietnamese and so doesn’t know how to begin to come out to his family. But by using fairy tales, The Magic Fish shows us how we’re all connected.
First off I’m going to say the obvious: the art style in this is beyond stunning. I can’t stop looking at it. Every page feels both like something out of an old storybook and like something you could frame. There’s so much movement and detail and character in every single line. It also helps to show what story is being told at the moment. There are sometimes several stories going on at one time: Tiến’s reading a fairytale, his mom is thinking back to how it relates to a memory, and then the next page we're back into Tiến’s current life during school. One could be drawn only in tones of purple, the other orange, and the last in red, for example.
There’s also an incredible amount of attention to detail that makes the story and reading experience all the more satisfying. The author himself talks about this in his notes at the end, but he changes the visuals of the fairytales depending on who’s telling them. Tiến’s storytelling tends to have a more Eurocentric look because of where he was brought up, while his mother’s interpretations usually take place in Vietnam. I’d strongly advise you to read (and look at) these notes and concept illustrations at the back. They’re so insightful and beautiful and really add to what you just read.
The Magic Fish is definitely not a graphic novel to zoom through, and it’s definitely not a super light-hearted read either (the homophobia during Tiến’s faith counseling was Very Painful), but it does have an incredibly touching and hopeful ending too. I really don’t have much to say here other than it’s probably one of my new favorite graphic novels. Visually stunning with a beautiful storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Gore and Cannibalism
re: homophobia - it includes faith counselingmaisy's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore
lifeonasofa's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Magic Fish 🐟 Review
Real life isn’t a fairy tale. In fairy tales, the prince falls in love with the princess. But Tien had a different story to tell. His parents are refugees struggling to learn English, and he doesn’t know how to come out to them in Vietnamese. If he doesn’t even have the right words, how can he ever known if his parents will accept him? 💕
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5 Stars
STUNNING STORY! I was mesmerised by the way fairy tales were used in this book to move the story forward. The illustrations were SO beautiful and colours used, so simple and clever! With language being a barrier for Tien, this graphic novel captured the story perfectly. 🎨
The relationships were everything in this story. Tien and his mother, his parents, his friendships and his family across the pond. They were so heartwarmingly powerful and necessary when both Tien and his mother felt lost in this world. 🥰
Heads up, this is a really emotional read, check triggers. Some of the illustrations during fairy tale retellings are a little gory. But the representation in this book *chefs kiss* I can hear all the queer hearts singing around the world. 🌈
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Outing
lozinja's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Homophobia
starstruk99's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Blood, and Death of parent
avisreadsandreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Police brutality, and War
oliverreeds's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I LOVED this graphic novel. it was a little slow getting started, but it really picked up after that. i loved the way this book intertwined the story of a family with the fairy tales and showed how important they were to the family. i honestly think that the stories were balanced incredibly well and that the author masterfully interweaved them. the characters were all so distinct and lovely. the conflict was built so well. i would recommend this to anyone. i also loved how the text was used in this story in conjuction with the art.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
ryraeriv's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This graphic novel was a beautiful exploration of one family's interactions told through both their lives and fairytales that parallel their experiences. It talks about sexuality, immigration, loss, love, and the intersection of different identities that can occur within one family and within one person. The Magic Fish is hopeful, sorrowful, and emotional as it dances and weaves its way to its ultimate conclusion.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Homophobia, Cannibalism, and Murder
laneport's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Death of parent