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jacksprat67's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
3.5
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the Game Boy cover art, video games are not the main focus of this comic. Instead, they're a clear influence in the artwork and the structure of the story, but the main theme is more about the struggle to figure out what path in life will make you happy and reconcile that with what your parents and family desire for you.
This explores the question of what it means to live up to someone's expectations - in this case, Dennis' father has always expected that Dennis will go to medical school, despite Dennis' interest in and talent for playing video games. After his father dies, Dennis finds himself haunted by four cherubic angels that he remembers from a greeting card his father gave him in middle school. The angels want to keep him on the path to medical school and a career as a doctor in a specialized field of medicine. Will Dennis be able to do what they want?
This explores the question of what it means to live up to someone's expectations - in this case, Dennis' father has always expected that Dennis will go to medical school, despite Dennis' interest in and talent for playing video games. After his father dies, Dennis finds himself haunted by four cherubic angels that he remembers from a greeting card his father gave him in middle school. The angels want to keep him on the path to medical school and a career as a doctor in a specialized field of medicine. Will Dennis be able to do what they want?
mazer_nickham's review against another edition
4.0
Much like American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang combines earnest characters and life lessons with expertly drawn and timed humor. This book reads like a combination of Scott Pilgrim and Vera Brosgol's work. It should be noted that this graphic novel does not feature the clean and cartoony look of American Born Chinese and instead opts for more pastels and relaxed line work.
babenclaw's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read. I enjoyed the art style and I always love graphic novel style memoir. However, themes were a little on the nose.
quietdomino's review against another edition
3.0
This is pretty slight, especially in comparison to American Born Chinese, but Gene Yang never can entirely disappoint.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t like this book. It was strange. I wasn’t a fan of the angels at all and I understood that the main character had a hard time finding his path in life, but I didn’t like the way the story was told.
sqeeker's review against another edition
3.0
My Synopsis:
- Dennis Ouyang is intrigued by video games. When the NES comes out, he freaks!
- Sadly, Dennis's father thinks that video games are waste of time and money.
- Dennis is weighed down by his father's rules and expectations, but when his father passes away, FREEDOM!
- Dennis becomes an all out gamer! However, his gaming gets in the way of his studies, and Dennis is floundering in school.
- Some "messengers" come to help Dennis fulfill his destiny (aka the life his father wanted him to have), and Dennis decides to give up his gaming ways.
- Dennis doesn't hate his new life, but he doesn't love it either. He must choose his own way of life instead of doing what his father would want him to do.
My Thoughts:
- I LOVE the cover of this book. I often held it like a real Gameboy and pretended to hit the buttons.
- The story made me reminisce about the good ole' days of playing Mario and other games. The NES was a good console.
- For me, the story wasn't really finished. I wanted a little more at the end.
- The "angels" were creepy! I would hate to be haunted by those things, but I would appreciate all the help with chores.
- I like that Dennis makes new friends in med school, and I like that school isn't totally miserable in his new life.
- The illustrations were fun and really simple. I think it would have been cool if the illustrations had been done to look like 8-bit.
- Not my favorite graphic novel, but it was fun. A definite must-read for gamers!
- Dennis Ouyang is intrigued by video games. When the NES comes out, he freaks!
- Sadly, Dennis's father thinks that video games are waste of time and money.
- Dennis is weighed down by his father's rules and expectations, but when his father passes away, FREEDOM!
- Dennis becomes an all out gamer! However, his gaming gets in the way of his studies, and Dennis is floundering in school.
- Some "messengers" come to help Dennis fulfill his destiny (aka the life his father wanted him to have), and Dennis decides to give up his gaming ways.
- Dennis doesn't hate his new life, but he doesn't love it either. He must choose his own way of life instead of doing what his father would want him to do.
My Thoughts:
- I LOVE the cover of this book. I often held it like a real Gameboy and pretended to hit the buttons.
- The story made me reminisce about the good ole' days of playing Mario and other games. The NES was a good console.
- For me, the story wasn't really finished. I wanted a little more at the end.
- The "angels" were creepy! I would hate to be haunted by those things, but I would appreciate all the help with chores.
- I like that Dennis makes new friends in med school, and I like that school isn't totally miserable in his new life.
- The illustrations were fun and really simple. I think it would have been cool if the illustrations had been done to look like 8-bit.
- Not my favorite graphic novel, but it was fun. A definite must-read for gamers!
pixelgeist's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first graphic novel ever to have read. I really liked the story, and the illustration was cute. I hope to see more from the pair that put this together!
nssutton's review against another edition
I loved the way in which these huge themes – loss, father/son relationships, pre-determined destiny, college friendships, and video games – were paired with four bossy greeting card angels.