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whitecat5000's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of this went over my head. And for a minute I thought I was missing part of the story with the way the story ended.
aliceinbooklandd's review against another edition
2.0
Wtf was the racism against Middle Eastern people in the beginning. Just so unnecessary and cringe. The plotline was like nothing really gets resolved. There wasn't much if a plotline period. The only really good thing about this book was the grandpa and reading about Japanese myths and traditions. Also nobody in japan makes fun of foreigners like wtf?
jackelz's review against another edition
3.0
Ichiro lives in New York City with his Japanese mother. His father, an American soldier, was killed in Iraq. Now, Ichi’s mom has taken a job in Japan, so they move to Japan and Ichi goes to live with his maternal grandfather.
Grandfather becomes Ichi’s tour guide, taking him to temples as well as the Hiroshima Peace Park, where Ichi starts to question the nature of war. This was quite the contrast to the time Ichi spent with his paternal grandfather, who was, quite frankly, a racist asshole.
After a supernatural encounter with the gods and creatures of Japanese mythology, Ichi must face his fears and find his way back home.
I really liked where the story was going before we got to the supernatural element, and I was really looking forward to Ichi bonding with his grandfather. I wanted Ichi to question the inherent racism he learned from his other grandfather, but it was kind of just left on the page. The story took a completely different direction, and I honestly wasn’t a huge fan. There was a lot of mythology, and it didn’t ease you into it at all. I think I was just overwhelmed, honestly, so maybe I missed the moral of the story.
Grandfather becomes Ichi’s tour guide, taking him to temples as well as the Hiroshima Peace Park, where Ichi starts to question the nature of war. This was quite the contrast to the time Ichi spent with his paternal grandfather, who was, quite frankly, a racist asshole.
After a supernatural encounter with the gods and creatures of Japanese mythology, Ichi must face his fears and find his way back home.
I really liked where the story was going before we got to the supernatural element, and I was really looking forward to Ichi bonding with his grandfather. I wanted Ichi to question the inherent racism he learned from his other grandfather, but it was kind of just left on the page. The story took a completely different direction, and I honestly wasn’t a huge fan. There was a lot of mythology, and it didn’t ease you into it at all. I think I was just overwhelmed, honestly, so maybe I missed the moral of the story.
samreads12's review against another edition
2.0
Summary: Ichiro is a boy adrift in this world. Raised by his Japanese mother in New York City, his American father taken by war before Ichiro ever knew him, Ichiro finds it difficult to figure out where he fits in. A trip to Japan leaves Ichiro with his grandfather, a stranger to him in a country he does not know. And then one night Ichi gets dragged down a hole by a monster. When he wakes up, he isn’t in Japan anymore. In fact, he isn’t in the mortal world. Ichi has entered the domain of the gods. (goodreads).
Review: What immediately caught my eye was the artwork. When it comes to graphic novels and manga, the artwork has to be pleasing to eye or else I don’t read it.
I thought the premise was interesting. A Japanese-American teenager returns to Japan with his mother. He is left in the care of his grandfather who shows him around Hiroshima City. While staying with his grandfather he’s dragged down a hole by a magical raccoon.
However, at the end of this story I was left with a feeling of unfinished business. I didn’t feel a sense of closing or ending so I’m not sure if Ichiro’s story is going to continue.
In his journey through the other world he encounters gods and beings I’m not sure had any real purpose. There was a juxtaposition between the story Ichiro’s grandfather tells him and the story the God of War tells him. In the end, I believe the reader can take away the lessons the grandfather and the God were trying to relay.
This book is obviously a coming-of-age story although a little stretched thin. I did like the relationship between Ichiro and his grandfather and the stories/advice the grandfather tells Ichiro.
When it came to the artwork I thought it was spot on and incredibly clever. There are characters who speak English and Japanese. Inzana used color to distinguish which language was being spoken (Japanese - yellow, English - white). Now, I don’t know if the colors were chosen for stereotypical reasons. I thought it was interesting that red was the main color used through out the text. Yellow, white/black, and green were also used frequently (if you disregard the opening story).
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Quotable Quotes: “…The United States thought the atomic bomb would end war. The destructive force of the bomb is an almost god-like power. Now many countries have nuclear weapons, strong enough to destroy the earth many times over. No weapon can end war…just as no weapon has ever started one — they are tools of men, and a tool such as the atomic bomb should have never been used. In the end, we are all just ants…staring at the sun.” - grandfather sato
Recommended For: anyone interested in japanese folklore/mythology, graphic novels or artwork, coming of age stories
Review: What immediately caught my eye was the artwork. When it comes to graphic novels and manga, the artwork has to be pleasing to eye or else I don’t read it.
I thought the premise was interesting. A Japanese-American teenager returns to Japan with his mother. He is left in the care of his grandfather who shows him around Hiroshima City. While staying with his grandfather he’s dragged down a hole by a magical raccoon.
However, at the end of this story I was left with a feeling of unfinished business. I didn’t feel a sense of closing or ending so I’m not sure if Ichiro’s story is going to continue.
In his journey through the other world he encounters gods and beings I’m not sure had any real purpose. There was a juxtaposition between the story Ichiro’s grandfather tells him and the story the God of War tells him. In the end, I believe the reader can take away the lessons the grandfather and the God were trying to relay.
This book is obviously a coming-of-age story although a little stretched thin. I did like the relationship between Ichiro and his grandfather and the stories/advice the grandfather tells Ichiro.
When it came to the artwork I thought it was spot on and incredibly clever. There are characters who speak English and Japanese. Inzana used color to distinguish which language was being spoken (Japanese - yellow, English - white). Now, I don’t know if the colors were chosen for stereotypical reasons. I thought it was interesting that red was the main color used through out the text. Yellow, white/black, and green were also used frequently (if you disregard the opening story).
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Quotable Quotes: “…The United States thought the atomic bomb would end war. The destructive force of the bomb is an almost god-like power. Now many countries have nuclear weapons, strong enough to destroy the earth many times over. No weapon can end war…just as no weapon has ever started one — they are tools of men, and a tool such as the atomic bomb should have never been used. In the end, we are all just ants…staring at the sun.” - grandfather sato
Recommended For: anyone interested in japanese folklore/mythology, graphic novels or artwork, coming of age stories
esquetee's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful blend of mythology with touches of history. All of it was written in English, but anything that was "spoken: in Japanese was colored with a yellow background to distinguish the languages used by the characters. I don't know anything about Japanese mythology but the main pieces were introduced gently as a grandfather telling his grandson. Highly recommended.
chachacenteno's review against another edition
5.0
Illustrated in full page color, “Ichiro”, tells the story of an American-born, city kid visiting his grandfather in Japan. What starts as an emotional tangle of loyalty and war weaves into the story of Izanagi and Izanami, two of Japan’s greatest gods. As Ichiro straddles the world of folklore, loyalties and morality, he learns that behind all acts of wrong lies human weakness. Ichiro’s great-grandfather was a general in Japan during WWII, his father, a deceased American soldier. This book culturally resonates with Gene Yang’s “American Born Chinese.”
merer's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the art in this, but the story wasn't very satisfying. Maybe I would have liked it better if I'd sat down and read the entire thing at once, rather than in pieces. I just didn't feel terribly involved with what was going on.
ashawp's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning of this book was interesting to read in conjunction with A Tale for the Time Being because they both discuss the history of sky soldiers, or kamikaze pilots during WWII. I also appreciated the portrayal of the transition experiences of the main character as he is displaced from his home. And I also liked his relationship building with his grandfather. At times this relationship felt like mostly lecture and occasionally good humor, and unfortunately the heavy exposition continued as the story took a strange and sudden turn. I didn't really expect/understand/like the ending.
an_average_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-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
3.0
This book really dives deep into Japanese culture and mythology. With stunning art work and an interesting plot it’s a nice quick read.
mreadsbooksnfics's review against another edition
4.0
What a great book! I loved the art and the story. It’s much more emotional than I expected, and I can see why it won an award! This was one of the best graphic novels I’ve read in a long time!