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hobbitfreddie's review
3.0
Idk how to rate this one tbh. It’s an anthology so all together I think the comic is alright but not for everyone. It has some CWs and is a bit gritty and unsavory at times so proceed with caution. Most of the stories are good. With two being just alright and one being absolutely awful. So I’d say just pick out which ones sound good if you don’t wanna read the whole thing. It’s short though, I was able to knock it out in one go with breaks.
The arts pretty good. It’s got that 2000’s manga style I can’t remember the name of. Nothing too mind blowing but didn’t feel too cheap or lazy.
Princess White Snow- 5/5 Nice little short story that uses its length well to make a pretty emotional story, it’s probably cliche but dang it that was a nice starter.
Worlds End- 2.5/5
I liked the apocalyptic setting with two flawed characters that dislike each other. Idk I did not like the male lead. He was very unlikable even though they were supposed to be flawed I just couldn’t with him. Especially after he tried to assault the girl lead. That brought the chapter down, I just don’t think it needed to be in there. Up until then I really enjoyed it, shame it fell apart towards the end. The conclusion was luck luster. Apparently the leads were queer (representation is nice) but I don’t like where they went with it ig.
Electric Angel- 2.5/5 Not offensive but it just didn’t really affect me. Ending felt kinda unearned and somehow not satisfying. Wasn’t really interested in the story. Skippable.
Lady Stalker- 0/5 Skip this one. Title explains it all. Very gross, that was the point ig not saying you can’t tell stories like this but this wasn’t it. And the ending??? Huh?
Beautiful people- 4/5 Setting always gets me. I liked the atmosphere of a girl returning to her hometown. I liked the theme and supernatural elements as well. Got a little gross in one panel but thankfully it was just one panel and only talked about not shown.
Blue Sky- 3.5/5 Another supernatural one that felt very short (it might have been shorter than the others idk). It’s pretty simple but affective in being an emotional short story. Not like too crazy I’ve probably seen something like this before but still a good story to close.
The arts pretty good. It’s got that 2000’s manga style I can’t remember the name of. Nothing too mind blowing but didn’t feel too cheap or lazy.
Princess White Snow- 5/5 Nice little short story that uses its length well to make a pretty emotional story, it’s probably cliche but dang it that was a nice starter.
Worlds End- 2.5/5
I liked the apocalyptic setting with two flawed characters that dislike each other. Idk I did not like the male lead. He was very unlikable even though they were supposed to be flawed I just couldn’t with him. Especially after he tried to assault the girl lead. That brought the chapter down, I just don’t think it needed to be in there. Up until then I really enjoyed it, shame it fell apart towards the end. The conclusion was luck luster. Apparently the leads were queer (representation is nice) but I don’t like where they went with it ig.
Electric Angel- 2.5/5 Not offensive but it just didn’t really affect me. Ending felt kinda unearned and somehow not satisfying. Wasn’t really interested in the story. Skippable.
Lady Stalker- 0/5 Skip this one. Title explains it all. Very gross, that was the point ig not saying you can’t tell stories like this but this wasn’t it. And the ending??? Huh?
Beautiful people- 4/5 Setting always gets me. I liked the atmosphere of a girl returning to her hometown. I liked the theme and supernatural elements as well. Got a little gross in one panel but thankfully it was just one panel and only talked about not shown.
Blue Sky- 3.5/5 Another supernatural one that felt very short (it might have been shorter than the others idk). It’s pretty simple but affective in being an emotional short story. Not like too crazy I’ve probably seen something like this before but still a good story to close.
madelineivy's review
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
pixxyhex's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thedoozyreader's review
4.0
First manga ever. An anthology of six short stories.
'Princess White Snow' ends with hope buried in it waiting to sprout.
'World's End' has a twist of the Adam and Eve tale - a gay man and woman in a post-apocalyptic world.
My favourite is the 'Blue Sky'. Dark, enigmatic, sweet, heart-wrenching. Just like life.
'Princess White Snow' ends with hope buried in it waiting to sprout.
'World's End' has a twist of the Adam and Eve tale - a gay man and woman in a post-apocalyptic world.
My favourite is the 'Blue Sky'. Dark, enigmatic, sweet, heart-wrenching. Just like life.
familiar_diversions's review
3.0
Like many anthologies, this had a mixture of so-so, not so great, and good stories. Overall, I'd say the collection was so-so. "Blue Sky" was very good, "Princess White Snow" was decent but a bit off-putting, and "The Lady Stalker" was creepy. The rest of the stories weren't necessarily terrible but didn't really work for me.
Something about Mihara's artwork occasionally reminded me of Paradise Kiss - probably the elaborate clothes. I wasn't really a fan, but again, it wasn't necessarily terrible.
Like I do for most short anthologies, I'll go over the stories one by one.
"Princess White Snow"
Yasu moved to the city in the hope of making it big as a musician, but things haven't gone all that well and he's now behind on his bills. After another failed attempt at finding a job, he stumbles across a girl passed out among some garbage. He initially thinks she's just overheated, but she tells him some weird story about being a Snow Girl whose mother melted after being in the heat too much.
This was strange and tragic. The best moments were probably the scene in the bathtub, which was visually a little more horrific than I expected, and Yasu's actions at the very end.
"World's End"
The story of what appears to be the last two people still alive in the world after some kind of bio-weapon was unleashed. Tabasa's a spoiled rich lesbian, and Tokage is a gay guy who can barely stand to be around her.
I feel like this story was mostly an excuse for Tabasa to strut around in various uselessly fabulous outfits while whining like a toddler. I really don't understand what the point was supposed to be, or why it almost devolved to the point of I get that being completely alone would be terrible, but these two were the most awful post-apocalyptic companions ever, and not because they weren't sexually attracted to each other.
"Electric Angel"
Tenshi has to deal with an alcoholic father at home and bullies at school. His only comfort is a girl he met online who goes by the name "Angel Cat." Angel Cat is a character from Tenshi's favorite picture book, The Angel Cat and the Electric Cat, which his mother used to read to him before she passed away. As things at home and at school get worse, Tenshi finds himself wanting to run away with Angel Cat, but that may not be the escape he's hoping for.
This was really contrived, and I wish the author had devoted just a page or two more to showing how things turned out for Tenshi. As it was, wasn't really believable.
"The Lady Stalker"
Hiromi knows that she's viewed as a workplace spinster by her colleagues, and it irks her when young and cute Michiru keeps asking for advice about how to deal with a stalker. As Michiru describes the things the stalker's been doing, Hiromi starts to suspect that she, too, has a stalker.
This was a dark psychological thriller. I wish it had played out a bit differently - I disliked the way Hiromi was depicted. The final revelation was nicely creepy, though.
"beautiful people"
Mimi goes back to her home town after spending a while living in Tokyo. After a few plastic surgeries, she looks nothing like her old self. She'd hoped that becoming beautiful would make life easier, but it seems like things have just gotten hard in different ways. Then she meets a girl who seems to have a bunch of scars and injuries and starts reconsidering her way of looking at life.
This one was a bit much. It was visually intriguing but didn't really work for me. Especially the bit at the end - I sort of understood the point it was trying to make, but didn't seem like the best solution.
"Blue Sky"
A vampire comes across a young girl who, I guess, was abandoned because she was a mixed-blood Japanese girl with red hair and blue eyes. As the years pass, he comes to care for her.
Of all of the stories, this one was my favorite. The artwork fit the story well, and the last few scenes were lovely.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Something about Mihara's artwork occasionally reminded me of Paradise Kiss - probably the elaborate clothes. I wasn't really a fan, but again, it wasn't necessarily terrible.
Like I do for most short anthologies, I'll go over the stories one by one.
"Princess White Snow"
Yasu moved to the city in the hope of making it big as a musician, but things haven't gone all that well and he's now behind on his bills. After another failed attempt at finding a job, he stumbles across a girl passed out among some garbage. He initially thinks she's just overheated, but she tells him some weird story about being a Snow Girl whose mother melted after being in the heat too much.
This was strange and tragic. The best moments were probably the scene in the bathtub, which was visually a little more horrific than I expected, and Yasu's actions at the very end.
"World's End"
The story of what appears to be the last two people still alive in the world after some kind of bio-weapon was unleashed. Tabasa's a spoiled rich lesbian, and Tokage is a gay guy who can barely stand to be around her.
I feel like this story was mostly an excuse for Tabasa to strut around in various uselessly fabulous outfits while whining like a toddler. I really don't understand what the point was supposed to be, or why it almost devolved to the point of
Spoiler
Tokage raping Tabasa."Electric Angel"
Tenshi has to deal with an alcoholic father at home and bullies at school. His only comfort is a girl he met online who goes by the name "Angel Cat." Angel Cat is a character from Tenshi's favorite picture book, The Angel Cat and the Electric Cat, which his mother used to read to him before she passed away. As things at home and at school get worse, Tenshi finds himself wanting to run away with Angel Cat, but that may not be the escape he's hoping for.
This was really contrived, and I wish the author had devoted just a page or two more to showing how things turned out for Tenshi. As it was,
Spoiler
the happy ending"The Lady Stalker"
Hiromi knows that she's viewed as a workplace spinster by her colleagues, and it irks her when young and cute Michiru keeps asking for advice about how to deal with a stalker. As Michiru describes the things the stalker's been doing, Hiromi starts to suspect that she, too, has a stalker.
This was a dark psychological thriller. I wish it had played out a bit differently - I disliked the way Hiromi was depicted. The final revelation was nicely creepy, though.
"beautiful people"
Mimi goes back to her home town after spending a while living in Tokyo. After a few plastic surgeries, she looks nothing like her old self. She'd hoped that becoming beautiful would make life easier, but it seems like things have just gotten hard in different ways. Then she meets a girl who seems to have a bunch of scars and injuries and starts reconsidering her way of looking at life.
This one was a bit much. It was visually intriguing but didn't really work for me. Especially the bit at the end - I sort of understood the point it was trying to make, but
Spoiler
"more surgeries""Blue Sky"
A vampire comes across a young girl who, I guess, was abandoned because she was a mixed-blood Japanese girl with red hair and blue eyes. As the years pass, he comes to care for her.
Of all of the stories, this one was my favorite. The artwork fit the story well, and the last few scenes were lovely.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
staciesbooks's review
3.0
3.75 stars
Short story collections are always a mixed bag, but this one was actually pretty good. There were a couple stories that were just okay, as to be expected with projects like this, though the majority of them were solid. I'm glad that there were a greater amount of thought provoking stories. Some were almost haunting in their story telling. I'd say that this one is worth a read if you enjoy short story collections.
(Picked up at AX 2019 Manga Lounge)
Short story collections are always a mixed bag, but this one was actually pretty good. There were a couple stories that were just okay, as to be expected with projects like this, though the majority of them were solid. I'm glad that there were a greater amount of thought provoking stories. Some were almost haunting in their story telling. I'd say that this one is worth a read if you enjoy short story collections.
(Picked up at AX 2019 Manga Lounge)
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