Scan barcode
halfcactus's reviews
73 reviews
Minnow Soup! by Felipe Ortiz
lighthearted
4.0
Short and warm—the character-to-environment ratio makes this extra cute and alluring.
It All Ends With Me by Vivian Nguyen (laweyd)
dark
sad
3.25
Gorgeous art and storyboarding! Very atmospheric with interesting shapes and character designs. Could have used some proofreading and editing though.
SOMEONE DIED HERE by Azam Raharjo
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
The plot isn't anything new, although the bones of it probably contain elements that are invisible to me, a non-Indonesian reader. But the art and storytelling are insanely good. This comic really puts you into the perspective of the POV character and gives you a full cinematic experience. The type choices, colors (a lot of shadows, with the background color not being too bright), and the use of dense lines and texture made the reading experience really easy in the eyes. You can tell that the artist really designed it for reading on a screen!
But respectfully, I am never going to read anything by this artist again, unless they pivot away from horror and use their powers for less traumatic purposes LMAO. If you're good with body horror as well as every other flavor of horror (the artist has given all the relevant content warnings), this is worth picking up even if it's just for the art. The paneling, composition, and sense of movements are 10/10, and it's packed with so much thought and intentionality that it makes me sad I'm not strong enough for the genre.
But respectfully, I am never going to read anything by this artist again, unless they pivot away from horror and use their powers for less traumatic purposes LMAO. If you're good with body horror as well as every other flavor of horror (the artist has given all the relevant content warnings), this is worth picking up even if it's just for the art. The paneling, composition, and sense of movements are 10/10, and it's packed with so much thought and intentionality that it makes me sad I'm not strong enough for the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Parasocial Activity by Pearl Law
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Indulgent and warm: three fandom friends watch an idol concert and meet a troubled fan. As a non-parasocial fan, I am not the target audience for this haha but it's still a very cute, short, and feel-good read, and I could feel the artist's love of boy groups AND tennis through the pages! It's especially cute because the three friends are older than the rest of the fans and have their own lives and routines.
Fence, Vol. 5: Rise by C.S. Pacat
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
2.5
The first volume was promising, but subsequent volumes felt weirdly slow and uneventful with little character development to make up for it. Even when each volume has some sort of central plot or goal and the days are passing quickly, it feels like nothing really happens, which is... unsatisfying.
This series has the tropes of sports manga and YA romance, but the characters aren't filling them out. To be honest I feel that both the writer and the artist have to read more sports manga in general, lol. The sports aspects feel stuck to the pages, unable to lift off, because the characters aren't bringing the feelings to life and the art isn't dynamic enough to bring out the energy. And you would think that there should have been some sort of payoff by now, some sense of catharsis, from some of the storylines, but there's not much. There aren't really any "arcs" to build any momentum off of, just these slow episodes that are sedately and incrementally rolling up a low incline to some distant peak. So even though volume 5 ends in the middle of an inter-school training camp and it seems like volume 6 should have some things going on, it's hard to look forward to it. :(
This series has the tropes of sports manga and YA romance, but the characters aren't filling them out. To be honest I feel that both the writer and the artist have to read more sports manga in general, lol. The sports aspects feel stuck to the pages, unable to lift off, because the characters aren't bringing the feelings to life and the art isn't dynamic enough to bring out the energy. And you would think that there should have been some sort of payoff by now, some sense of catharsis, from some of the storylines, but there's not much. There aren't really any "arcs" to build any momentum off of, just these slow episodes that are sedately and incrementally rolling up a low incline to some distant peak. So even though volume 5 ends in the middle of an inter-school training camp and it seems like volume 6 should have some things going on, it's hard to look forward to it. :(
Fence Vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
3.5
I feel it starts out strong, but after the fateful first meeting, it deflates; the stakes feel so fake and nothing about this universe or the school really make sense to me... Nicholas' sports scholarship and ability to stay in the school are dependent on whether or not he can pass the fencing team tryouts, but tryouts start a week after the term has already started, and last for a period of days. Which means he's already attending classes and assemblies in this school, but if he fails to make the team, he has to pack up… Idk, this just feels so impractical and nonsensical. But it's very much a pageturner, so 3.5!
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
slow-paced
3.5
I wasn’t as invested as i was in Story of Your Life (still my favorite piece by him), but this was still a solid & v. thought-provoking collection. His commitment to fully explore a concept is admirable but made the reading experience exhausting and un-bingeable.
My favorite stories were my favs were the first two stories (The Alchemist's Gate + Exhalations) and The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling. For the latter, the main story isn't very interesting, but I loved the conversations about language and memory.
My favorite stories were my favs were the first two stories (The Alchemist's Gate + Exhalations) and The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling. For the latter, the main story isn't very interesting, but I loved the conversations about language and memory.
Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 1 by Kamome Shirahama
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed this! The art is gorgeous + the sigils are a lot of fun to look at + I love all these tropes about a rogue, unpolished gem who gets initiated into the sophisticated world of magic, dragged into its dark secrets, and becoming friends and frenemies with her co-apprentices.