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kaiyakaiyo's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
he dragons daughter tale was extremely sweet, and the other tales were interesting too! I wish the dragons daughter tale had been more fleshed out, but I understand that that wasn’t the point of this collection.
nerdpastornate's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
booklover160's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
This is a collection of short stories inspired by Chinese mythology/folktales. I really liked the first one, but since it was so long, the others fell flat as they didn't get very much page time. I also didn't understand the context of these stories other than they're being told by a frog to a small girl to keep her occupied. I will see if I can get my hands on book two to see if there's more to that story.
shark6123's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
darkdiamond8989's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
I read this book based on the cover and as part of the Asian Readathon. I’m glad I read this manga graphic novel. It was really good.
It was interesting to learn about Chinese folktales, since I’m not familiar with most countries fairytales and folklore. Reading this, it was fun to learn about some of China’s folklore and their versions of how dragons and elephants came about, compared to other countries folktale and fairytales versions.
After reading A Chinese Fantasy, Volume 1, I want to read volume 2 and inspired to read more folklore, fairytales, and fables from around the world.
It was interesting to learn about Chinese folktales, since I’m not familiar with most countries fairytales and folklore. Reading this, it was fun to learn about some of China’s folklore and their versions of how dragons and elephants came about, compared to other countries folktale and fairytales versions.
After reading A Chinese Fantasy, Volume 1, I want to read volume 2 and inspired to read more folklore, fairytales, and fables from around the world.
moniquemarild's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
xangemthelibrarian's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
In some vague fantasy setting, a mysterious creature and an unnamed small child are bored. So the creature takes the child to the library and begins to read stories to them. While these two are technically the "main characters," right now they simply feel like a vehicle for the telling of the Chinese mythology featured in this manga. The myths are the focus. Those two are the stage. I wonder if they will become more fleshed out as the story goes on?
Okay! Now the myths! I absolutely LOVE fables, myths, and lore. I haven't read much Chinese mythology. I admittedly know more Korean and Japanese mythology, but I've never taken the time to look into Chinese myths. So, I can't judge how true to the original this author's adaptation is, but I suspect it is a retelling with the author's own flavor added into it. (I get this feeling from the character profiles at the end of the volume.)
I really enjoyed the main story from this volume, The Dragon King's Daughter. I love how Liu Yi respected Lingzhu's autonomy and refused to accept her as a prize in marriage unless that was what she wanted herself. Again, I don't know the original story, but far too often, the women that were saved in old myths were typically offered to their male saviors as brides without much say about what they wanted themselves. I love that Lingzhu was given a voice. I love that Liu Yi operated simply out of kindness, rather than for a prize or reward. Each of the protagonists were loveable, from the violent uncle to the princess to the human.
The other stories were very very short and I don't really know if they added anything to the manga or not? Like, just in this first volume, the overarching plot is just "Hey! Listen to these cool myths!" They just weren't as arresting or as fleshed out as The Dragon King's Daughter. The characters were a little flatter, like these were just added in to meet a page count requirement. I did still enjoy them, just not as much, which ended up giving the overall feeling of the manga starting strong with the main story, then just kind of petering out after that.
Nevertheless, I am 100% picking up volume 2 in February.
Okay! Now the myths! I absolutely LOVE fables, myths, and lore. I haven't read much Chinese mythology. I admittedly know more Korean and Japanese mythology, but I've never taken the time to look into Chinese myths. So, I can't judge how true to the original this author's adaptation is, but I suspect it is a retelling with the author's own flavor added into it. (I get this feeling from the character profiles at the end of the volume.)
I really enjoyed the main story from this volume, The Dragon King's Daughter. I love how Liu Yi respected Lingzhu's autonomy and refused to accept her as a prize in marriage unless that was what she wanted herself. Again, I don't know the original story, but far too often, the women that were saved in old myths were typically offered to their male saviors as brides without much say about what they wanted themselves. I love that Lingzhu was given a voice. I love that Liu Yi operated simply out of kindness, rather than for a prize or reward. Each of the protagonists were loveable, from the violent uncle to the princess to the human.
The other stories were very very short and I don't really know if they added anything to the manga or not? Like, just in this first volume, the overarching plot is just "Hey! Listen to these cool myths!" They just weren't as arresting or as fleshed out as The Dragon King's Daughter. The characters were a little flatter, like these were just added in to meet a page count requirement. I did still enjoy them, just not as much, which ended up giving the overall feeling of the manga starting strong with the main story, then just kind of petering out after that.
Nevertheless, I am 100% picking up volume 2 in February.
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