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numinousspirit's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alexisparade's review
4.0
Dramacon is the perfect time travel capsule of western anime girl culture in the early 2000’s. I remember reading this in high school, and even as I was over-criticizing the extremely of its era Tokyopop How To Draw Manga art style, I was DREAMING of the day I’d finally get to go to an anime convention. I will always be very fond of Dramacon, and I hope Svetlana Chmakova is happy and doing well wherever she is.
kittyskittles181's review
5.0
Cute and very, very resonant to anyone who's ever been at a convention, Dramacon is a wonderful story by a fabulous author.
prose_mortem's review
5.0
This is officially one of the cutest mangas I have ever read... and one of the most emotional for me! I usually look up ratings for books on goodreads and amazon before I buy them, but this one called to me so loudly, I grabbed it and brought it home without researching it. I read the whole thing just now in one sitting, and wow... I couldn't put it down!
Sign me up for pretty much any story that takes place at a con, but Christie's story pulled me in because it was so realistic. There are themes of sexual misconduct (TW), jealousy, gaslighting, positive female friendships, a redemptive mother-daughter arc, a diverse cast of characters, and a sweet (and realistic) romance to top it off!
I do not want to share any spoilers, but I loved the character growth and development over the entire story. Keep in mind that I actually ready the 15th anniversary edition-- I did not see that here on goodreads. It had the same page count for the story as this ultimate edition, but there were added interviews and sketches from the author that I greatly enjoyed! I loved the fact that the plot didn't meander (like a lot of mangas do... no offense) and that it had a feel-good/satisfying ending. The art was absolutely adorable and had me internally *squeeing* half the time! Awesome read, memorable romance. Giving it 5/5 stars and recommend it to everyone 13+.
Sign me up for pretty much any story that takes place at a con, but Christie's story pulled me in because it was so realistic. There are themes of sexual misconduct (TW), jealousy, gaslighting, positive female friendships, a redemptive mother-daughter arc, a diverse cast of characters, and a sweet (and realistic) romance to top it off!
I do not want to share any spoilers, but I loved the character growth and development over the entire story. Keep in mind that I actually ready the 15th anniversary edition-- I did not see that here on goodreads. It had the same page count for the story as this ultimate edition, but there were added interviews and sketches from the author that I greatly enjoyed! I loved the fact that the plot didn't meander (like a lot of mangas do... no offense) and that it had a feel-good/satisfying ending. The art was absolutely adorable and had me internally *squeeing* half the time! Awesome read, memorable romance. Giving it 5/5 stars and recommend it to everyone 13+.
farihaimami's review
5.0
It should be illegal for a book to be this much fun. I became a fan of Chmakova after reading Berrybrook series and instantly order this and Night School. I have to say it was the best decision. Loved how she won over my heart with wholesome characters and super funny art. And yes, this story is a bit cheesy. But guess what I am a cheese connoisseur!
corncobwebs's review
4.0
This book could have very easily been annoying, but for some reason it wasn't. It has the dorkiest premise on the face of the planet: it follows the interpersonal relationships of a group of young adults at an anime convention. And, while I think I would spontaneously combust if I actually went to one of those things, it didn't bother me to read about it. A lot of it is just very light and charming (of course, there's a fair amount of over-the-top teenage drama), and that made it a joy to read. Not for everybody, but I would definitely recommend it to fans of manga.
familiar_diversions's review
3.0
This omnibus contains the entire 3-volume series.
Christie is an amateur manga author with vague dreams of making it big one day. In the meantime, she just wants to have fun at Yatta Con, her first big manga/anime convention. Unfortunately, her boyfriend and artist (they're co-creating original English-language/OEL manga) is being a jerk, practically drooling over every pretty cosplayer who comes to their table. Matt, the good-looking cosplayer manning the table next to them, annoys her with his snarky comments, but she finds herself turning to him more and more as things deteriorate between her and her boyfriend. Matt's attitude may be a bit abrasive, but he and Christie just sort of click in a way that Christie and her boyfriend don't.
Each of the next two volumes take place a year apart, at the next Yatta Cons, following the ups and downs of Christie and Matt's relationship, Christie's con-going experience, and Christie and her friends' prospective manga careers.
This was a reread, but my last time reading this series was so long ago that I'd forgotten a lot of specifics. I vaguely remembered thinking that the romance didn't quite work for me. My feelings about it haven't changed - Christie and Matt are cute together and all, but it bugged me that, by the end of the series, they'd spent a grand total of maybe 8-9 days in the same physical space. If they'd spent the time between Yatta Cons talking over the phone or online, it wouldn't have been quite as big of a deal, but they hadn't even done much of that. Christie tried calling Matt once between volume 1 and volume 2 but chickened out when someone else answered. Matt and Christie talked a little just prior to volume 3's Yatta Con, and Matt read Christie's blog (which mortified Christie when he finally commented for the first time), but there were still a lot of things they didn't know about each other and hadn't talked about when they met up again at the convention.
So, I didn't think the series' format worked well for its primary romance, but I at least felt other aspects of the series were much stronger. Chmakova's depictions of Yatta Con and Christie's experience of it, particularly her first time going, were great. Volume 2 was more dramatic, touching on folks who don't consider OEL manga to be "real" manga, racism, and fans who don't respect cosplayers' boundaries and hug or take pictures without asking - not inaccurate, but maybe a bit much in a single volume. There was also a nice ongoing storyline involving Christie's new artist, Bethany, who yearned for a career as a manga artist but whose mother wanted her to have a career that was more likely to produce a stable income.
Dramacon wasn't bad, but it didn't give its primary romance enough room to breathe and really feel like something that could last. As with Nightschool, one of her later series, it had a lot of promise but didn't quite hit the mark.
Extras:
This edition of the series contains a lot of previously unpublished material. I'm not sure which bits were new and which weren't, but I didn't recognize the multi-page comic featuring Matt and Christie's first real date (all in Matt's POV, which was kind of nice). There were also a few author's notes, comics featuring a little behind-the-scenes info, fan art, some four-panel comics, and an interview with Svetlana Chmakova with early concept art for the series. Even if you own the original three volumes, the extras in this omnibus are worth checking out if you're a big fan of the series. I only wish the fan art could have been in color.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Christie is an amateur manga author with vague dreams of making it big one day. In the meantime, she just wants to have fun at Yatta Con, her first big manga/anime convention. Unfortunately, her boyfriend and artist (they're co-creating original English-language/OEL manga) is being a jerk, practically drooling over every pretty cosplayer who comes to their table. Matt, the good-looking cosplayer manning the table next to them, annoys her with his snarky comments, but she finds herself turning to him more and more as things deteriorate between her and her boyfriend. Matt's attitude may be a bit abrasive, but he and Christie just sort of click in a way that Christie and her boyfriend don't.
Each of the next two volumes take place a year apart, at the next Yatta Cons, following the ups and downs of Christie and Matt's relationship, Christie's con-going experience, and Christie and her friends' prospective manga careers.
This was a reread, but my last time reading this series was so long ago that I'd forgotten a lot of specifics. I vaguely remembered thinking that the romance didn't quite work for me. My feelings about it haven't changed - Christie and Matt are cute together and all, but it bugged me that, by the end of the series, they'd spent a grand total of maybe 8-9 days in the same physical space. If they'd spent the time between Yatta Cons talking over the phone or online, it wouldn't have been quite as big of a deal, but they hadn't even done much of that. Christie tried calling Matt once between volume 1 and volume 2 but chickened out when someone else answered. Matt and Christie talked a little just prior to volume 3's Yatta Con, and Matt read Christie's blog (which mortified Christie when he finally commented for the first time), but there were still a lot of things they didn't know about each other and hadn't talked about when they met up again at the convention.
So, I didn't think the series' format worked well for its primary romance, but I at least felt other aspects of the series were much stronger. Chmakova's depictions of Yatta Con and Christie's experience of it, particularly her first time going, were great. Volume 2 was more dramatic, touching on folks who don't consider OEL manga to be "real" manga, racism, and fans who don't respect cosplayers' boundaries and hug or take pictures without asking - not inaccurate, but maybe a bit much in a single volume. There was also a nice ongoing storyline involving Christie's new artist, Bethany, who yearned for a career as a manga artist but whose mother wanted her to have a career that was more likely to produce a stable income.
Dramacon wasn't bad, but it didn't give its primary romance enough room to breathe and really feel like something that could last. As with Nightschool, one of her later series, it had a lot of promise but didn't quite hit the mark.
Extras:
This edition of the series contains a lot of previously unpublished material. I'm not sure which bits were new and which weren't, but I didn't recognize the multi-page comic featuring Matt and Christie's first real date (all in Matt's POV, which was kind of nice). There were also a few author's notes, comics featuring a little behind-the-scenes info, fan art, some four-panel comics, and an interview with Svetlana Chmakova with early concept art for the series. Even if you own the original three volumes, the extras in this omnibus are worth checking out if you're a big fan of the series. I only wish the fan art could have been in color.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)