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wenwanzhao's review
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
- 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? No
5.0
What a beautiful story. I love the way the fairy tales and the life of the Tíên were interwoven. I got really emotional and found it to be quite personally relatable at times. It doesn't hurt that the art is gorgeous. Great graphic novel all around
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
tinytrashqueen's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Blood, and Cannibalism
emily_mh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This graphic novel was so incredibly clever. The way the fairytales Tiến and Helen tell each other are tied into the narrative not only to reflect particular events but, as the author points out, more overarching themes of immigration. The way the fairytales are used to communicate ideas between the characters - this really highlighted the power of stories. And the fairytales were fantastic in and of themselves! The author also explains so many layers of meaning that I missed my first time reading, so I think this is one of those books where you’ve got to reread to pick up on all the nuances. For example, he discusses how imagery of the fairytale being told changes based on who is narrating, which blew my mind when I flicked back through the book. I could just tell that so much thought and detail went into expressing the story.
At its core this book is about a mother-son relationship which it displays impeccably. The love and the care Tiến and Helen had for one another! Their desire to understand and be understood! I especially loved that Helen was included as a character in her own right, as it is rare for a mother-figure to have this. This inclusion brought the theme of a two-sided relationship to life as both sides of the story were shown.
The art was gorgeous. There was super effective use of colour in that only three were used (in different tones) so as to demarcate parts of the book: red for the present, blue for fairytales, and yellow for the past. The detail of the clothing and hair of the characters was wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Child abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Cannibalism, Death, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Physical abuse, Medical content, War, Torture, Gore, and Hate crime
Moderate: the refugee experience, sick loved one, loss of a loved one, forced separation from family, death of pet Minor: child bride, drowninganna_m_k's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moving and sweet, this is a tale of a boy connecting with his family, especially his mother, through fairy tales. The story shows how stories can bridge the gap between people when language cannot express the thoughts you hold. As is the underlying commentary of the archetypes used in fairy tales and the archetypes in immigrant stories. Also, the art is beautiful and graceful with a living quality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cannibalism
ezwolf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think it's important that while I excitedly read every queer book I can get my hands on now that they're a bit more commonplace, it's important to also read books that are not only from the white queer perspective.
The way that the stories Tiến and his mother read parallel the stories of his life and his mother's was done fabulously and I love the way that similar stories are told all over the world but with each culture's influence.
The ending of the last story Tiến's mother tells to him and the way it does a very good job of show not tell was great and I was tearing up at the end.
The way that the stories Tiến and his mother read parallel the stories of his life and his mother's was done fabulously and I love the way that similar stories are told all over the world but with each culture's influence.
The ending of the last story Tiến's mother tells to him and the way it does a very good job of show not tell was great and I was tearing up at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: War and Death of parent
Minor: Cannibalism
nannahnannah's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Where I’ve been struggling finding a book I’ve liked lately, I’ve been stumbling upon the most amazing graphic novels. And this is my favorite by far.
Representation:
- the protagonist is a Vietnamese-American gay boy
- his friends are a black girl and a latino boy (I assume?)
This graphic novel is essentially about Tiến, a Vietnamese-American boy, and his mother, an immigrant to the United States. It’s about their relationship as people who almost speak different languages, who sometimes feel like they have two separate cultures, and who want to bridge these gaps but don’t know how. It’s even more difficult for Tiến, who’s gay but doesn’t know the words for it in Vietnamese and so doesn’t know how to begin to come out to his family. But by using fairy tales, The Magic Fish shows us how we’re all connected.
First off I’m going to say the obvious: the art style in this is beyond stunning. I can’t stop looking at it. Every page feels both like something out of an old storybook and like something you could frame. There’s so much movement and detail and character in every single line. It also helps to show what story is being told at the moment. There are sometimes several stories going on at one time: Tiến’s reading a fairytale, his mom is thinking back to how it relates to a memory, and then the next page we're back into Tiến’s current life during school. One could be drawn only in tones of purple, the other orange, and the last in red, for example.
There’s also an incredible amount of attention to detail that makes the story and reading experience all the more satisfying. The author himself talks about this in his notes at the end, but he changes the visuals of the fairytales depending on who’s telling them. Tiến’s storytelling tends to have a more Eurocentric look because of where he was brought up, while his mother’s interpretations usually take place in Vietnam. I’d strongly advise you to read (and look at) these notes and concept illustrations at the back. They’re so insightful and beautiful and really add to what you just read.
The Magic Fish is definitely not a graphic novel to zoom through, and it’s definitely not a super light-hearted read either (the homophobia during Tiến’s faith counseling was Very Painful), but it does have an incredibly touching and hopeful ending too. I really don’t have much to say here other than it’s probably one of my new favorite graphic novels. Visually stunning with a beautiful storyline.
Representation:
- the protagonist is a Vietnamese-American gay boy
- his friends are a black girl and a latino boy (I assume?)
This graphic novel is essentially about Tiến, a Vietnamese-American boy, and his mother, an immigrant to the United States. It’s about their relationship as people who almost speak different languages, who sometimes feel like they have two separate cultures, and who want to bridge these gaps but don’t know how. It’s even more difficult for Tiến, who’s gay but doesn’t know the words for it in Vietnamese and so doesn’t know how to begin to come out to his family. But by using fairy tales, The Magic Fish shows us how we’re all connected.
First off I’m going to say the obvious: the art style in this is beyond stunning. I can’t stop looking at it. Every page feels both like something out of an old storybook and like something you could frame. There’s so much movement and detail and character in every single line. It also helps to show what story is being told at the moment. There are sometimes several stories going on at one time: Tiến’s reading a fairytale, his mom is thinking back to how it relates to a memory, and then the next page we're back into Tiến’s current life during school. One could be drawn only in tones of purple, the other orange, and the last in red, for example.
There’s also an incredible amount of attention to detail that makes the story and reading experience all the more satisfying. The author himself talks about this in his notes at the end, but he changes the visuals of the fairytales depending on who’s telling them. Tiến’s storytelling tends to have a more Eurocentric look because of where he was brought up, while his mother’s interpretations usually take place in Vietnam. I’d strongly advise you to read (and look at) these notes and concept illustrations at the back. They’re so insightful and beautiful and really add to what you just read.
The Magic Fish is definitely not a graphic novel to zoom through, and it’s definitely not a super light-hearted read either (the homophobia during Tiến’s faith counseling was Very Painful), but it does have an incredibly touching and hopeful ending too. I really don’t have much to say here other than it’s probably one of my new favorite graphic novels. Visually stunning with a beautiful storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Cannibalism and Gore
re: homophobia - it includes faith counselingrosie_valadez's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Death, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Cannibalism, Animal death, and Blood
orchidd's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Homophobia
Minor: Hate crime, Cannibalism, Blood, War, Religious bigotry, and Outing
phantastic's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The artwork is absolutely stunning and innovative; I appreciated the creative decision to make some artwork depicting important scenes be unrestricted by the panel boxes. Sometimes the art and/or speech bubbles don’t follow a linear path, which I thought added a nice touch to the way the story was told.
The writing can feel clunky at times, but that’s not to the detriment of the overall story or message. I recommend it to anyone looking to read a deeply personal, heartfelt story; This is a beautiful graphic novel about the struggle of immigration—being stuck between your old life versus your new life—and coming to terms with your identity.
The writing can feel clunky at times, but that’s not to the detriment of the overall story or message. I recommend it to anyone looking to read a deeply personal, heartfelt story; This is a beautiful graphic novel about the struggle of immigration—being stuck between your old life versus your new life—and coming to terms with your identity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Outing, Cannibalism, Blood, and Murder
lunarxcross's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Blood, Cannibalism, and Death of parent