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mikey_reads_zero_books's review
4.0
I had written a really long review but it got deleted when U accidentally closed the app before I could post it
_mjmp_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
blewballoon's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.0
Hmm this was working for me until it wasn't. It ends on a real bummer note.
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
ohyouread's review
4.0
Well… I sure wasn’t expecting that. That’s for sure.
In a small California town, a group of friends realizes they can make money off of bootlegging saucy anime to hormonal boys. Now this is 2005, so this is before it’s easily accessible on the internet. We all burned CD’s of our favorite movies so that we didn’t have to buy them. Oh! Cut it out! We all did it. I was just smart and got rid of mine.
In a small California town, a group of friends realizes they can make money off of bootlegging saucy anime to hormonal boys. Now this is 2005, so this is before it’s easily accessible on the internet. We all burned CD’s of our favorite movies so that we didn’t have to buy them. Oh! Cut it out! We all did it. I was just smart and got rid of mine.
dcheers's review
adventurous
emotional
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
3.75
I liked the characters and loved how the book was organized and the premise but felt like it didn't really go anywhere from there. Torn because I liked how they authors didn't do a typical happily ever after ending, and on purpose left us hanging but for such a short story I don't know that it worked for me.
augustbadke's review
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
spenkevich's review
4.0
The struggles to become yourself is a battle beset by the society around you, and Forest Hills Bootleg Society is a refreshing yet emotionally heavy graphic novel that pulls no punches. Written by Dave Baker and gorgeously illustrated by Nicole Goux, this YA graphic novel is a well-crafted investigation into how kids are often set up to fail and internalize their bitterness while still trying to rise to the challenge. Set in 2005 and truly embodying the era—having been the age of the characters in 2005 added to the enjoyment, personally, but it is not necessary—this has an emotional resonance like a lower-stakes Requiem for a Dream substituting drugs for pirated anime, told in a really unique text-heavy style that is all aimed towards a well-executed and inevitable conclusion. I see how the ending would not work for others, and it does leave you feeling rather empty inside, but I sort of loved it for that. Smart, funny and artistically stunning, you’ll be feeling all the feelings in Forest Hills Bootleg Society.
Forest Hills Bootleg Society
When a shady bootleg anime deal turns up with an erotic anime instead of the expected Hayao Miyazaki films, teenage friends Brooke, Kelly, Melissa and Maggie plan a path to financial success selling pirated anime dvds to their classmates at a private religious school. It is easy to root for this inclusive cast of characters—complete with a heart-wrenching queer love triangle—and their illicit acts feel like authentic rebellion and desperation when set against the backdrop of their small, conservative town. Their success brings them new attention from the popular kids, and the whole thing feels like a rickety bike picking up speed on a downhill, rattling itself apart towards impending disaster. The blunt and bleak realism here casts a heavy tone over the narrative, which manages to perform best under this emotional weight rather than be bogged down by it. Through smart writing that delivers humorous dialog and authentic interpersonal dynamics that strike out straight into your heart, as well as a dynamic plot, it somehow manages to avoid wilting in its own melodrama and be all the more beautiful from it, like moonflowers that only bloom at night.
What this book does best is navigate the story within the larger context of Forest Hills itself, using a lot of interruptive text that succinctly peers into the biographical context of both major and background characters to present the local society as a mosaic of those in it. We get detailed histories of the major characters, told through lists of anecdotes that make for nuanced and lively emotional and psychological portraits of them. But through the collective weight of all the personal insights, we see a society riddled with trauma (both fresh and generational), racism, poverty, broken dreams and bad decisions in an economically depressed city that is crumbling as it tumbles towards the Great Recession. I found this to be a really unique and charming technique, all the more so invested in it juxtaposed with my recent readings of [a:Annie Ernaux|56176|Annie Ernaux|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1648072234p2/56176.jpg] who has perfected the investigation of how the norms and judgements of a society interact with an individual’s psyche. This is a story of the four girls, but it is also the story of Forest Hills itself.
Example of how biographical interjections help shape a narrative style that is larger than the plot.
There is a deep irony that the most oppressive forces of customs and standards are enforced on the teens through religion by some of the most broken adults. We see the religion in this society used less as a space for personal growth and spirituality and more as a weapon to restrict, repress and control. But, like Leia warns in Star Wars: A New Hope, the more they tighten their grip the more people slip through their fingers, lashing out at the emotional bruising done to them. We see these characters, major and minor, as so bogged down by their fractured lives and the shortcomings of the adults that they seem doomed to fail. If this book feels hopeless, it is only because it is asking you what hope do people in these situations have? This is especially relevant as three of the four protagonists are queer women of color in a very white, conservative and patriarchal society. While their narrative works really well, and takes you through some teenage nostalgia complete with selfish and cruel popular kids and local hangouts, I have to say the side-plot with the bully, Hank, being a bully do to his repressed queerness and general lack of self-worth (that seems to be part of a larger struggle going on off the page), seems a bit tacked on and either too present or not present enough to be effective. Small one-two scene hits such as another boy dealing with anger problems and family issues work much better due to the dynamic simplicity of their presentation.
But what really won me over here was the ending. While I see why this will likely not work with others, to me it was perfect. I really like when people attempt this style. The whole book is leading to it, showing you how everyone has everything working against them, showing how dreams are shattered in this town, and it is done abruptly and with gut-wrenching finality. It’s 2005, this is how it was. Life is coasting along and suddenly someone’s dad is laid off, your parents found your bag of weed, your upper-classmen friend that you sort of idolize because he was always nice to you at practice is suddenly reported dead in Afghanistan, or a suicide rocks the town. It’s swift and sad and perfectly encapsulates the message of the book. I’m not going to lie, its really heavy and really weighs you down, but its also very real and the quick snapshots of the future paints a sad reality that we all have failures at times, not everyone is a success or gets a happily-ever-after, but most importantly that this is okay because that is how life works. You just have to make the best of it. Not every book needs to be escapist and while this one certainly is not feel-good and I do tend to dislike tidy endings, I think this one really worked and was a bold and beautiful choice.
Forest Hills Bootleg Society is a real win. I can’t wrap this up without just mentioning how much I REALLY love the art here. The simple color scheme, a dulled neon sort of greenish-yellow and a blue-grey combo, also helps build the tone. The character design is great too. This a really heavy book with a lot of triggering content, so readers beware, but if this is something you enjoy or are interested in, I would really recommend this. Thanks to hope for quite literally slamming this down on my desk and saying I would love this, you were correct (bring back recommended by shoutouts, please, goodreads?). This is a book where not everything works out, but also a book that reminds you everyone is hurting inside in some ways and that, perhaps, we should all give each other a bit more grace. A bleak but beautiful graphic novel.
4.5/5
Forest Hills Bootleg Society
When a shady bootleg anime deal turns up with an erotic anime instead of the expected Hayao Miyazaki films, teenage friends Brooke, Kelly, Melissa and Maggie plan a path to financial success selling pirated anime dvds to their classmates at a private religious school. It is easy to root for this inclusive cast of characters—complete with a heart-wrenching queer love triangle—and their illicit acts feel like authentic rebellion and desperation when set against the backdrop of their small, conservative town. Their success brings them new attention from the popular kids, and the whole thing feels like a rickety bike picking up speed on a downhill, rattling itself apart towards impending disaster. The blunt and bleak realism here casts a heavy tone over the narrative, which manages to perform best under this emotional weight rather than be bogged down by it. Through smart writing that delivers humorous dialog and authentic interpersonal dynamics that strike out straight into your heart, as well as a dynamic plot, it somehow manages to avoid wilting in its own melodrama and be all the more beautiful from it, like moonflowers that only bloom at night.
What this book does best is navigate the story within the larger context of Forest Hills itself, using a lot of interruptive text that succinctly peers into the biographical context of both major and background characters to present the local society as a mosaic of those in it. We get detailed histories of the major characters, told through lists of anecdotes that make for nuanced and lively emotional and psychological portraits of them. But through the collective weight of all the personal insights, we see a society riddled with trauma (both fresh and generational), racism, poverty, broken dreams and bad decisions in an economically depressed city that is crumbling as it tumbles towards the Great Recession. I found this to be a really unique and charming technique, all the more so invested in it juxtaposed with my recent readings of [a:Annie Ernaux|56176|Annie Ernaux|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1648072234p2/56176.jpg] who has perfected the investigation of how the norms and judgements of a society interact with an individual’s psyche. This is a story of the four girls, but it is also the story of Forest Hills itself.
Example of how biographical interjections help shape a narrative style that is larger than the plot.
There is a deep irony that the most oppressive forces of customs and standards are enforced on the teens through religion by some of the most broken adults. We see the religion in this society used less as a space for personal growth and spirituality and more as a weapon to restrict, repress and control. But, like Leia warns in Star Wars: A New Hope, the more they tighten their grip the more people slip through their fingers, lashing out at the emotional bruising done to them. We see these characters, major and minor, as so bogged down by their fractured lives and the shortcomings of the adults that they seem doomed to fail. If this book feels hopeless, it is only because it is asking you what hope do people in these situations have? This is especially relevant as three of the four protagonists are queer women of color in a very white, conservative and patriarchal society. While their narrative works really well, and takes you through some teenage nostalgia complete with selfish and cruel popular kids and local hangouts, I have to say the side-plot with the bully, Hank, being a bully do to his repressed queerness and general lack of self-worth (that seems to be part of a larger struggle going on off the page), seems a bit tacked on and either too present or not present enough to be effective. Small one-two scene hits such as another boy dealing with anger problems and family issues work much better due to the dynamic simplicity of their presentation.
But what really won me over here was the ending. While I see why this will likely not work with others, to me it was perfect. I really like when people attempt this style. The whole book is leading to it, showing you how everyone has everything working against them, showing how dreams are shattered in this town, and it is done abruptly and with gut-wrenching finality. It’s 2005, this is how it was. Life is coasting along and suddenly someone’s dad is laid off, your parents found your bag of weed, your upper-classmen friend that you sort of idolize because he was always nice to you at practice is suddenly reported dead in Afghanistan, or a suicide rocks the town. It’s swift and sad and perfectly encapsulates the message of the book. I’m not going to lie, its really heavy and really weighs you down, but its also very real and the quick snapshots of the future paints a sad reality that we all have failures at times, not everyone is a success or gets a happily-ever-after, but most importantly that this is okay because that is how life works. You just have to make the best of it. Not every book needs to be escapist and while this one certainly is not feel-good and I do tend to dislike tidy endings, I think this one really worked and was a bold and beautiful choice.
Forest Hills Bootleg Society is a real win. I can’t wrap this up without just mentioning how much I REALLY love the art here. The simple color scheme, a dulled neon sort of greenish-yellow and a blue-grey combo, also helps build the tone. The character design is great too. This a really heavy book with a lot of triggering content, so readers beware, but if this is something you enjoy or are interested in, I would really recommend this. Thanks to hope for quite literally slamming this down on my desk and saying I would love this, you were correct (bring back recommended by shoutouts, please, goodreads?). This is a book where not everything works out, but also a book that reminds you everyone is hurting inside in some ways and that, perhaps, we should all give each other a bit more grace. A bleak but beautiful graphic novel.
4.5/5
rebeccasfantasyworld's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5