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veewren's review against another edition
2.0
I feel torn on this.
On the one hand, Brianna is likable and her shortcomings are relateable. There is a feel-good story in here about believing in yourself and doing things because they make you happy, not to impress someone else (even if that someone else is your celebrity chef father.)
On the other hand, there's kind of a weird undercurrent of racism and gentrification in here that left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The monsters were persecuted and basically forced into this ghetto called Monster City, where they make their own society apart from humans. The top chef there (Madame Cron) is a monster who remembers the days of persecution, being driven from their homes, etc. (She's also the brownest character in the book.) Now this rich, blonde human comes in and starts a restaurant that ignores their laws, takes business away from monster businesses, etc. And Madame Cron doesn't like it. And I get why she doesn't like it! There's a little bit of lip service paid to her background explaining why she hates humans so much, but she doesn't manage to escape her role as the bad guy, trying to take Brianna (and her restaurant,) down.
I'm not saying that the author is a racist, or that Brianna is an unlikable character, or that she's doing something bad on purpose, but the story IS problematic IMO. Maybe Sam Sykes meant to flesh out Madame Cron more and make her more sympathetic and less of a villain, but just didn't end up doing that. I don't know. But I found myself agreeing with her throughout the book, and feeling like all the people (and monsters) telling her to get over the subjugation of their people (because it was so long ago) were being total jerks. And Brianna should have had to realize that she was at least somewhat in the wrong here.
THAT ALL BEING SAID. It was otherwise fun. And cute. The art is colorful and eye-catching. But it could be better. 2 1/2 stars.
On the one hand, Brianna is likable and her shortcomings are relateable. There is a feel-good story in here about believing in yourself and doing things because they make you happy, not to impress someone else (even if that someone else is your celebrity chef father.)
On the other hand, there's kind of a weird undercurrent of racism and gentrification in here that left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. The monsters were persecuted and basically forced into this ghetto called Monster City, where they make their own society apart from humans. The top chef there (Madame Cron) is a monster who remembers the days of persecution, being driven from their homes, etc. (She's also the brownest character in the book.) Now this rich, blonde human comes in and starts a restaurant that ignores their laws, takes business away from monster businesses, etc. And Madame Cron doesn't like it. And I get why she doesn't like it! There's a little bit of lip service paid to her background explaining why she hates humans so much, but she doesn't manage to escape her role as the bad guy, trying to take Brianna (and her restaurant,) down.
I'm not saying that the author is a racist, or that Brianna is an unlikable character, or that she's doing something bad on purpose, but the story IS problematic IMO. Maybe Sam Sykes meant to flesh out Madame Cron more and make her more sympathetic and less of a villain, but just didn't end up doing that. I don't know. But I found myself agreeing with her throughout the book, and feeling like all the people (and monsters) telling her to get over the subjugation of their people (because it was so long ago) were being total jerks. And Brianna should have had to realize that she was at least somewhat in the wrong here.
THAT ALL BEING SAID. It was otherwise fun. And cute. The art is colorful and eye-catching. But it could be better. 2 1/2 stars.
kukushka's review against another edition
2.0
I really don't know how to feel about this one. I absolutely love the artwork, first of all. It's colourful and expressive, and all the characters felt recognisably unique (granted, this is a little easier when so many of the characters are monsters...).
I also liked the representation of anxiety. It's shown graphically as a little black cloud that appears when Brianna is feeling overwhelmed. As her anxiety attack ramps up, the little cloud grows until it eventually obscures everything around Brianna.
Lastly, I just liked the representation of food service work and restaurant ownership. As hopping as the restaurant is, it still ends up at a slight loss (which is celebrated as a victory). The specificity of that environment added a nice touch to the story.
Unfortunately, a lot of the story just didn't sit well for me. For one thing, a central plot point is that Brianna is adding illegal ingredients to her food and then serving it to customers without letting them know. She does this knowing that it is against monster tradition to eat flour or sugar. This is on par with serving pork to Muslims while letting them assume that it's chicken. Not cool.
The other issue is that the big baddie of the story, Madame Cron, is coded as a WoC. She serves traditional, functional monster food, which loses out to Brianna's imported human food. I'm not reading this SJW stuff into it, by the way - Cron is explicitly shown as having had a history of being oppressed by humans, and having been an activist in her past. And now, the message of the story is that she needs to let go of all that resentment because monster racism is over, and she needs to just let her neighbourhood get gentrified by the nice blonde woman with her non-ethnic cooking that everyone loves.
It would have been one thing if Brianna learned a valuable lesson about respecting Monster traditions, but the lesson is all Madame Cron's (who is seen taking down a "no humans allowed" sign from her restaurant in her last panel). I just don't know what to make of all that, but it doesn't sit well with me.
I also liked the representation of anxiety. It's shown graphically as a little black cloud that appears when Brianna is feeling overwhelmed. As her anxiety attack ramps up, the little cloud grows until it eventually obscures everything around Brianna.
Lastly, I just liked the representation of food service work and restaurant ownership. As hopping as the restaurant is, it still ends up at a slight loss (which is celebrated as a victory). The specificity of that environment added a nice touch to the story.
Unfortunately, a lot of the story just didn't sit well for me. For one thing, a central plot point is that Brianna is adding illegal ingredients to her food and then serving it to customers without letting them know. She does this knowing that it is against monster tradition to eat flour or sugar. This is on par with serving pork to Muslims while letting them assume that it's chicken. Not cool.
The other issue is that the big baddie of the story, Madame Cron, is coded as a WoC. She serves traditional, functional monster food, which loses out to Brianna's imported human food. I'm not reading this SJW stuff into it, by the way - Cron is explicitly shown as having had a history of being oppressed by humans, and having been an activist in her past. And now, the message of the story is that she needs to let go of all that resentment because monster racism is over, and she needs to just let her neighbourhood get gentrified by the nice blonde woman with her non-ethnic cooking that everyone loves.
It would have been one thing if Brianna learned a valuable lesson about respecting Monster traditions, but the lesson is all Madame Cron's (who is seen taking down a "no humans allowed" sign from her restaurant in her last panel). I just don't know what to make of all that, but it doesn't sit well with me.
therainbowshelf's review
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I really wanted to love this comic but it wound up being highly problematic.
It seems to be an empowering comic about a young woman with low self-esteem fighting internal and external battles to start her own restaurant in a monster city. The main character and her new friends are delightful, and the world is great. There are excellent nods to pop culture throughout, starting with a Kiki's Delivery Service nod right on the cover (that little carton of milk with Jiji written in hiragana and a little black cat!).
The problematic part is that the takeaway message seems to be a dismissal of the history of racism. In their world, monsters have been historically discriminated against, oppressed, and killed by humans. There seems to still be discriminatory stories about monsters that circulate in the human world regularly. Monsters now live in the only sanctuary left to them, a monster city. That's where the human chef decides to go to get started. That's cool and all, but then she has trouble when a monster chef tries to push her out. The monster chef is portrayed as having experienced racial discrimination in the past, having participated in pro-monster protests, and faced down riot police. She doesn't want the human here because it's a monster city and she feels that humans are dominant everywhere else, they shouldn't try to move in on monster territory. In the end, this is never properly addressed and we're left with a sense of "why are you being so mean to this poor well-off human with low self-esteem? That's not fair. You should just let go of the history of racism and opression already. All the other monsters have."
It seems to be an empowering comic about a young woman with low self-esteem fighting internal and external battles to start her own restaurant in a monster city. The main character and her new friends are delightful, and the world is great. There are excellent nods to pop culture throughout, starting with a Kiki's Delivery Service nod right on the cover (that little carton of milk with Jiji written in hiragana and a little black cat!).
The problematic part is that the takeaway message seems to be a dismissal of the history of racism. In their world, monsters have been historically discriminated against, oppressed, and killed by humans. There seems to still be discriminatory stories about monsters that circulate in the human world regularly. Monsters now live in the only sanctuary left to them, a monster city. That's where the human chef decides to go to get started. That's cool and all, but then she has trouble when a monster chef tries to push her out. The monster chef is portrayed as having experienced racial discrimination in the past, having participated in pro-monster protests, and faced down riot police. She doesn't want the human here because it's a monster city and she feels that humans are dominant everywhere else, they shouldn't try to move in on monster territory. In the end, this is never properly addressed and we're left with a sense of "why are you being so mean to this poor well-off human with low self-esteem? That's not fair. You should just let go of the history of racism and opression already. All the other monsters have."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Police brutality
iridescentizzy's review
4.0
I really liked this one. It promotes hard work and believing in yourself. Definitely what I needed to hear today.
Got it from a Humble Bundle.
Got it from a Humble Bundle.
librarianelizabeth's review
5.0
Cooking and running a restaurant and forming friendships: with monsters!!! This is terrific fun.
I was eating lunch while I read this, and I was not eating a burger. Even though my lunch that was not a burger was quite tasty, it was not a burger. This comic will make you want a burger.
And some of the monster customers cracked me up.
I was eating lunch while I read this, and I was not eating a burger. Even though my lunch that was not a burger was quite tasty, it was not a burger. This comic will make you want a burger.
And some of the monster customers cracked me up.
jupiter2ff65's review
4.0
3.5 stars. This was a cute story about learning to be confident, rely on others, and finding a place for oneself. I liked the monster city characters (Suzanne being my favorite) but the four chapters felt a bit short for the story.
stephanieisreading's review
4.0
This all ages comic is delightful and full of humor, friendship, and bravery! the main character Brianna is my favorite kind of character, relentlessly cheerful and hardworking, yet even she is plagued by those all too familiar demons of anxiety.
The plot and pacing is clever and fast, and once you've started this comic, the only option you have is finishing it, to see what becomes of Brianna's adventures! the art is a perfect compliment to the story, and inhabitants of monster city, no matter whether they're regular restaurant goers or one page background characters, would likely have some interesting stories of their own. And a prequel with Madame Cron as the lead character would make the world a better place is all I'm saying.....
The plot and pacing is clever and fast, and once you've started this comic, the only option you have is finishing it, to see what becomes of Brianna's adventures! the art is a perfect compliment to the story, and inhabitants of monster city, no matter whether they're regular restaurant goers or one page background characters, would likely have some interesting stories of their own. And a prequel with Madame Cron as the lead character would make the world a better place is all I'm saying.....
chexala's review
5.0
So charming, and so short! The only thing wrong with it is that it's over, buy I need, like, at least 7 more volumes.
simonlorden's review
4.0
This was an adorable graphic novel about a girl with fifteen brothers who has to open her own restaurant and have it be more successful than the other fifteen in order to win the family legacy. Only, Brianna ends up opening her restaurant in Monster City, where she's almost the only human.
I liked the art style and I loved the characters, but I felt like the plot was lacking, a lot. I mean, part of the conflict in the story is that monsters can't legally eat sugar, flour or cooked meat, but like.... there are plenty of human foods without those? There are humans who are vegetarian, or can't eat sugar and flour? There are other options! Brianna could just... use those, instead of having the illegal substances in her restaurant?? This was something that I just really couldn't get over. My suspension of disbelief covered the monsters, but not this part.
Suzan is awesome, though.
(Also: If you want to read this, be aware that the main character is very insecure and anxious, which was nice to see because she kept on fighting despite that, but there is A LOT of self-hate, including internalised fatphobia that could be triggering.)
I liked the art style and I loved the characters, but I felt like the plot was lacking, a lot. I mean, part of the conflict in the story is that monsters can't legally eat sugar, flour or cooked meat, but like.... there are plenty of human foods without those? There are humans who are vegetarian, or can't eat sugar and flour? There are other options! Brianna could just... use those, instead of having the illegal substances in her restaurant?? This was something that I just really couldn't get over. My suspension of disbelief covered the monsters, but not this part.
Suzan is awesome, though.
(Also: If you want to read this, be aware that the main character is very insecure and anxious, which was nice to see because she kept on fighting despite that, but there is A LOT of self-hate, including internalised fatphobia that could be triggering.)
kselwyn's review
1.0
Honestly? I don't know what to think about this one, folks! On the one hand, it was cute and bright and had an (implicitly) mentally ill protag dealing with chronic self-doubt, anxiety, and negative self-esteem, learning her own strength and finding her own path. But on the other hand it was a really wild portrayal of gentrification, through the uncritical eyes of the gentrifyer?
In the book, monsters are a historically oppressed and marginalized group who have essentially been ghettoized into an entirely separate city (Monster City) where the rent is just OH so cheap. The protag -- a reasonably wealthy white woman -- moves in and starts a restaurant that, from day one, flaunts the city's laws and traditions. She is met by opposition from Madame Cron, a top chef and monster activist/freedom fighter, who fought against their historic oppression, who (rightfully! understandably!!) holds a grudge against humans (who violently oppressed her people within living memory) and is upset about this upstart human coming in and defying city law by feeding monsters flour, sugar, and cooked meats. (This law defiance takes on an extra nasty sheen because Brianna... Does not tell her customers that she is using the forbidden ingredients? Within the world of the book, this seems like feeding pork to devout Muslims without telling them about it, which is wildly unethical.) Madame Cron is in the right here, but she is painted as the uncomplicated, unsympathetic villain, which is a level of dissonance that I simply cannot understand? Some buckwild messages about allegorical racism happening here, it's bad. Also Madame Cron is the least white character in the book and seems like a pretty clear stand-in for a Black woman, so like!!!! IT'S WILD.
Design- and art-wise, this is pretty cute, but the implications are so troubling that the cuteness is basically irrelevant! I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone, really.
In the book, monsters are a historically oppressed and marginalized group who have essentially been ghettoized into an entirely separate city (Monster City) where the rent is just OH so cheap. The protag -- a reasonably wealthy white woman -- moves in and starts a restaurant that, from day one, flaunts the city's laws and traditions. She is met by opposition from Madame Cron, a top chef and monster activist/freedom fighter, who fought against their historic oppression, who (rightfully! understandably!!) holds a grudge against humans (who violently oppressed her people within living memory) and is upset about this upstart human coming in and defying city law by feeding monsters flour, sugar, and cooked meats. (This law defiance takes on an extra nasty sheen because Brianna... Does not tell her customers that she is using the forbidden ingredients? Within the world of the book, this seems like feeding pork to devout Muslims without telling them about it, which is wildly unethical.) Madame Cron is in the right here, but she is painted as the uncomplicated, unsympathetic villain, which is a level of dissonance that I simply cannot understand? Some buckwild messages about allegorical racism happening here, it's bad. Also Madame Cron is the least white character in the book and seems like a pretty clear stand-in for a Black woman, so like!!!! IT'S WILD.
Design- and art-wise, this is pretty cute, but the implications are so troubling that the cuteness is basically irrelevant! I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone, really.