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melonfizz's review against another edition
3.0
pretty underdeveloped characters and predictable plot, but for such a short graphic novel i thought it was done well despite its simplicity. i liked the quiet snippets of Corinna’s daily life sprinkled into the narrative and it’s always cool to see east asian representation in media.
naomithomson's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
the colors, the illustrations, this boon was so beautiful to look at. i want a nice shuffle of pictures as my home screen. the cityscapes are seriously epic and the pink is awesome
excellent pace too. there was a resolution and i liked it. still left some up for interpretation.
yeah this is up there in my fave graphic novels. wow love
excellent pace too. there was a resolution and i liked it. still left some up for interpretation.
yeah this is up there in my fave graphic novels. wow love
dembury's review against another edition
2.0
The two stars I've given here are solely for Cho's liltingly lovely artwork. "Shoplifter" is crafted in just white, black, and a hot bubblegum pink shade. Although I'm not sure the colors match the story, it's really wonderful art and I loved looking at it. The cityscapes and street views were especially well done (the one where Corinna is hailing a cab at night is my favorite).
That being said: this. Story. Sucked. I'm sorry, but that's really the most concise way I can put it. At first, I was really trying to relate to this, because I too am a Literature major and often worry about where I'm going to end up career-wise. But Corinna's worries were so very common that I found myself yawning over them instead of sympathizing with her. There's nearly no character development, and readers barely get to know Corinna other than what she worries about. Her whole "shoplifting" quirk adds, truly, nothing to the story. Lastly, I found that the ending was much too predictable and was very cliche. It was just a feel good, bow-tied-up-on-tip ending that was unsurprising.
So again: lovely lovely artwork I want to see more of!! The artwork is enough to make me seek out more of Cho's work! But "Shoplifter" just has a flat story and unappealing characters, and the writing is very basic.
That being said: this. Story. Sucked. I'm sorry, but that's really the most concise way I can put it. At first, I was really trying to relate to this, because I too am a Literature major and often worry about where I'm going to end up career-wise. But Corinna's worries were so very common that I found myself yawning over them instead of sympathizing with her. There's nearly no character development, and readers barely get to know Corinna other than what she worries about. Her whole "shoplifting" quirk adds, truly, nothing to the story. Lastly, I found that the ending was much too predictable and was very cliche. It was just a feel good, bow-tied-up-on-tip ending that was unsurprising.
So again: lovely lovely artwork I want to see more of!! The artwork is enough to make me seek out more of Cho's work! But "Shoplifter" just has a flat story and unappealing characters, and the writing is very basic.
verytwilly's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
Quick read, the simplicity leaves room for more development but that’s not necessarily essential. Art was fun to look at and consider, definitely added to the story without taking too much thought or analysis. It’s a quick bit of relatability and inspiration and that’s all this story needs to be.
The way the shoplifting element was resolved was a bit strange to me because it really felt like the guy made a big deal over just a magazine… but another reviewer mentioned the idea of Corinna feeling invisible and that helped me appreciate it more. Still, I wonder if there was a way for that element to be more obvious so the point was delivered more. When there’s not much analysis needed throughout the book, you’re not really primed to look for deeper themes.
trevoryan's review against another edition
4.0
The best slice-of-life graphic novel I've read in a while.
albertico66's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful art by Michael Cho --- reminds me of Darwyn Cooke.
muddymind's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
serru's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the art in this one-- the way the artist handled the 3 colours (white, pink, black) worked really well for me in terms of communicating the scenes visually-- but the story itself was incredibly simplistic.