Take a photo of a barcode or cover
eudaemonics's reviews
50 reviews
Umineko no Naku Koro ni Shi - Forgery of the Purple Logic Vol. 1 by Ryukishi07
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A fun little forgery to read after reading all of the Umineko VNs
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I actually started reading this book after finishing Umineko no Naku Koro ni. I knew from a playthrough that this was one of the key inspirations, especially as a shin honkaku defining piece, but boy did I not expect it to smack me in the face with familiar plot devices right in the prologue that Ryukishi07 paid homage to.
The prose and character writing is nothing to write home about. It's very formulaic. I found the true genius of the work to be the structuring of the murders, puzzles, and how fair play it was while still subverting a seasoned reader's expectations by bending but playing within certain mystery novel rules (Van Dine's in particular).
While I agree that the characters were robotic in nature and there was no time to get to know them, Ayatsuji successfully makes the culprit's confession stick the landing by carrying the momentum all the way to the implied divine retribution they eventually receive. I also personally just did not expect emotionally gripping character writing from this, I wanted a puzzle, and I got a puzzle.
Many of the strong scenes happen at the end of the novel, in my opinion. I can see why this is a genre-defining piece, but it also wears it's flaws proudly on it's sleeve.
SPOILERS BEGIN BELOW
I praise Ayatsuji for using a lot of meta elements that would not have worked if this was not a written work. The ultimate reveal of Van Dine as the culprit is simply perfect since we don't know much about what Morisu and Van look like besides a few descriptors.
The foreshadowing of Morisu = Van Dine was also genius, even if I never wrote it down, I took a mental note of Morisu's club name being kept from the reader even though he was actually a current member unlike Kawaminami/Conan.
My favorite part about this is the culprit having so much of an upper hand that both detectives, Conan and Ellery, actually failed to stop anything from happening and actually assisted in making the tragedy happen more cleanly and scapegoated Nakamura Seiji effectly. Of course, Shimada seemed to have been one step ahead, even if we'll never know what happened after the fact.
It's not a perfect novel, but I gave it 5/5 stars just because it was such a gripping read that I couldn't put it down, and I was impressed by the emotional scenes at the end, particularly Ellery and Van in the basement of the Decagon House and Morisu and Shimada discussing the truth of the serial murders. It's a great introduction to honkaku/shin honkaku and I hope more of Ayatsuji's house murders are translated into English in the future.
The prose and character writing is nothing to write home about. It's very formulaic. I found the true genius of the work to be the structuring of the murders, puzzles, and how fair play it was while still subverting a seasoned reader's expectations by bending but playing within certain mystery novel rules (Van Dine's in particular).
While I agree that the characters were robotic in nature and there was no time to get to know them, Ayatsuji successfully makes the culprit's confession stick the landing by carrying the momentum all the way to the implied divine retribution they eventually receive. I also personally just did not expect emotionally gripping character writing from this, I wanted a puzzle, and I got a puzzle.
Many of the strong scenes happen at the end of the novel, in my opinion. I can see why this is a genre-defining piece, but it also wears it's flaws proudly on it's sleeve.
SPOILERS BEGIN BELOW
The foreshadowing of Morisu = Van Dine was also genius, even if I never wrote it down, I took a mental note of Morisu's club name being kept from the reader even though he was actually a current member unlike Kawaminami/Conan.
My favorite part about this is the culprit having so much of an upper hand that both detectives, Conan and Ellery, actually failed to stop anything from happening and actually assisted in making the tragedy happen more cleanly and scapegoated Nakamura Seiji effectly. Of course, Shimada seemed to have been one step ahead, even if we'll never know what happened after the fact.
It's not a perfect novel, but I gave it 5/5 stars just because it was such a gripping read that I couldn't put it down, and I was impressed by the emotional scenes at the end, particularly Ellery and Van in the basement of the Decagon House and Morisu and Shimada discussing the truth of the serial murders. It's a great introduction to honkaku/shin honkaku and I hope more of Ayatsuji's house murders are translated into English in the future.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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? N/A
4.0
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Girls' Last Tour, Vol. 1 by Tsukumizu
dark
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Two Hearts by Peter S. Beagle
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1 by Kanehito Yamada
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Haru's Curse by Asuka Konishi
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I read this at the recommendation of my friend, and I was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere and vibe of this manga... Natsumi is one of the more realistic "fucked up adults" I've seen in a manga specifcally and I kind of relate to her. Especially regarding her relationship with her sister. I haven't really seen a female lead have this kind of issue just presented straight without it being framed as comedic or villainous in some way.
I would rate this higher if it was longer, but maybe I should commend Konishi-sensei for not dragging out this story longer than it needed to have gone. I'll definitely be reading her other romance manga since my interest is piqued by her character writing. Her art is nothing to write home about, but it's serviceable and accomplishes what she sets out to do.
I would rate this higher if it was longer, but maybe I should commend Konishi-sensei for not dragging out this story longer than it needed to have gone. I'll definitely be reading her other romance manga since my interest is piqued by her character writing. Her art is nothing to write home about, but it's serviceable and accomplishes what she sets out to do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness
Minor: Incest, Injury/Injury detail
Amitie and the Girl of Love?! by Utako Yoshino
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
As far as Puyo light novels go, this was pretty standard fare. It utilizes most of the Puyo game tropes in their typical fashion, though I commend it for fleshing characters out that were in desperate need of extra dimension in the games, especially Ally, who is the primary focus of the novel, while Amitie may be the protagonist in name.
I rate it pretty highly just because it tackles a lot of things regarding Amitie's character well, but this is probably the highest I'd rate any of the Puyo light novels which are mostly aimed at children and any Puyo fanatics that actually care about the characters and the setting. This novel does a good job at actually creating a structured conflict as opposed to previous novels which seem to have less of an aim and lean more comedic, at least in my view.
I rate it pretty highly just because it tackles a lot of things regarding Amitie's character well, but this is probably the highest I'd rate any of the Puyo light novels which are mostly aimed at children and any Puyo fanatics that actually care about the characters and the setting. This novel does a good job at actually creating a structured conflict as opposed to previous novels which seem to have less of an aim and lean more comedic, at least in my view.
My Alcoholic Escape from Reality by Nagata Kabi
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I found this book during a time where I really needed it, which is probably why I rate it so highly. I think it's much snappier than Kabi-sensei's previous memoirs. Even if she didn't record as many things from her hospitalization because she didn't want to write memoirs anymore, I feel like relying on her memories and others made the pacing feel more...natural and reflective rather than almost documentary-like. Not that I disliked her previous memoirs, but maybe this one just stuck out to me in a way that I can't describe since I've been struggling with allowing myself to create and giving myself that room to do what I really want to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts