Ich lese auf deutsch und englisch, und bin für alle möglichen Genres offen. Meine liebste Stimmung: liebevoll (besonders naturverbunden oder tierlieb), unhinged (lässig verrückt/gestört mutig), queer, melancholisch, komisch/merkwürdig, sensibel, langsam. (Nicht alles auf einmal, aber wäre interessant, hihi.) Ich lese hauptsächlich Mangas/Comics/GNs, aber gerne auch text-basierte Bücher ab und zu.
I read in english and german, and am open for all kinds of genres. My favorite vibes: lovely (especially nature-loving or animal-kind), unhinged, queer, melancholy, weird, soft, slow. (Not all at once, but would be interesting hehe.) I mostly read mangas/comics/GNs, but occasionally also love to dive into text-only books.
I didn’t really know what I was getting into or where the story is gonna lead. Especially after reading many fantasy books lately, after the sci-fi novel became part of Azar’s story, I was sure there was gonna be a twist in there somewhere, like she’s in a coma and then she’ll swim through the world of the novel, which will help her later on in real life...
None of that, haha.
A very non-fantasy slice of life story about Azar, a Malaysian-American lesbian in the closet from her parents, and Tristan, they/them pronouns, has an author as a dad and shouldered with other non-queer-related problems of themselves.
These two basically live in the same house, after Azar and her mom moved to Vermont from New York, where her dad still is stuck, rearranging some things with the apartment. And she has a crush on Jodi, a butch. School …
I didn’t really know what I was getting into or where the story is gonna lead. Especially after reading many fantasy books lately, after the sci-fi novel became part of Azar’s story, I was sure there was gonna be a twist in there somewhere, like she’s in a coma and then she’ll swim through the world of the novel, which will help her later on in real life...
None of that, haha.
A very non-fantasy slice of life story about Azar, a Malaysian-American lesbian in the closet from her parents, and Tristan, they/them pronouns, has an author as a dad and shouldered with other non-queer-related problems of themselves.
These two basically live in the same house, after Azar and her mom moved to Vermont from New York, where her dad still is stuck, rearranging some things with the apartment. And she has a crush on Jodi, a butch. School is actually okay for her, there’s not really much going on in her life, just basic human stuff.
On a random day like any other, she finds a book under her bed, a sci-fi novel set on another planet tackling racism, written by Tristan’s dad. She finds herself immersed by the story pretty quickly, and let’s days pass while she reads and escapes reality for a bit.
The book may have not turned out to be anything paranormal, but it sure made things roll in her life. In a realistic way.
I found myself immersed into the story similar to how Azar was into the sci-fi novel, just more delicate. The pace, the writing style and the art is tender, never high in contrast, and quite relaxing to read.
It might’ve been confusing and unclear at the start, but that portrays life pretty well – heck, if I were to make a novel about my life, everyone would have a similar reading experience. And that’s not a bad thing. I’m a slice of life fan after all, especially when it’s rather slow-paced and focused on the most normal, ‘boring’ plot-points. I especially loved the panels with an excerpt of the sci-fi novel, where environments were shown, perfectly encompassing the passing of time, as if Azar has placed a camera outside the house, to not miss anything of the outside world, while she’s in another world.
I was surprised by a lot of characters, their developments and the relationship to each other. Tristan was that cool best friend at first, that helps their gay bff to get a gal, but carries actually a lot of weight on their back. Shannon is that cool uncle who feels more of a roommate, open to Queerness and, as an author, fluent in subtext. You can talk to anything about him. (Which was really cool, I loved the uncle-like relationship Azar had to him!) But he too has his baggage. Azar’s mom seemed at first pretty toxic with her subtle gaslighting, but got more development in the end than I expected. Her dad too had some unexpected secrets.
Just like the character designs. Kazimir Lee is not afraid to show hard edges and fat and different/unusual proportions. While some background characters may have gotten the “simplistic” design treatment, making them look picture-perfect sometimes, most look very realistic, in a beautifully ugly way. (Human.)
For example, I may have not had a picture of Jodi first, but I expected her to rather look like the usual lesbian crush. But nah, she’s fat, butch and piercings. And so is our protagonist, except she’s rather neutral in gender-expression, but mostly comfortable fashion style, with wiggly socks and pretty small, sometimes looking squished. No fat-phobia, which is also a plus.
And disability rep with a wheelchair user.
Definitely recommended.
The ending turned a bit melancholic, in a tender, the-future-is-unknown way, which is also a plus, cause I’m a sucker for melancholy. Overall a cozy and happy read, humorous in-between and all in all light-hearted.
~
Thanks a lot to IDW publishing for an e-ARC.
-09.03.25
“This place could use a little magic, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
And magic she shall get.
Cool idea with cute art, mesmerizing fantasy world and nice, diverse character designs. Plus the funny ‘denglish’ (or so they sound like) words in the genie language!
I would’ve liked to have a bit more of the “magic card tricks” described in the blurb, as there are cards in the beginning, but not many card tricks. Still, her loneliness, living in the middle of nowhere, was shown quite well.
Characters: I loved the loving & caring dad, the pet-to-be Gribblet, the relatively relatable Vulgarin, the mysteriously majestic Arbiters, and, of course, magic-loving Avery. Her mom, Caressa, only fell a little flat and was a cliche damsel-in-distress character.
But overall it was fun, and I’m sure lots of kids in the target group will love this!
Looking forward to volume …
“This place could use a little magic, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
And magic she shall get.
Cool idea with cute art, mesmerizing fantasy world and nice, diverse character designs. Plus the funny ‘denglish’ (or so they sound like) words in the genie language!
I would’ve liked to have a bit more of the “magic card tricks” described in the blurb, as there are cards in the beginning, but not many card tricks. Still, her loneliness, living in the middle of nowhere, was shown quite well.
Characters: I loved the loving & caring dad, the pet-to-be Gribblet, the relatively relatable Vulgarin, the mysteriously majestic Arbiters, and, of course, magic-loving Avery. Her mom, Caressa, only fell a little flat and was a cliche damsel-in-distress character.
But overall it was fun, and I’m sure lots of kids in the target group will love this!
Looking forward to volume 2, I want to know more about Gribblet. I have my theories ...
~
Thank you to IDW Publishing on Netgalley for a digital review copy.
-09.03.25
Review of 'Junkyard Joe, Volume 1' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Das war mein erstes Buch vom Autor sowie Künstler, und ich wusste auch nicht, dass es Teil einer größeren Serie ist. Bis auf ein paar kleinen Verwirrungen, wie technisch fortgeschritten die Welt ist (obwohl es nach 2022 spielt, denk ich? Der cliffhanger/teaser am Ende schreit jedoch high-sci-fi), konnte ich es dennoch gut verfolgen und die Story hat mich neugierig auf mehr gestimmt.
Die Idee ist wirklich gut: Ein Killer-Roboter, der helfen soll, einen Krieg zu gewinnen, dort dann aber die Horrorszenarien des Krieges live erlebt und sich selbst abschaltet, weil das zu viel für ihn ist.
Durch diesen Switch wirkt er damit natürlich viel menschlicher als maschinell, aber dadurch, dass er nicht sprechen kann und blechstark ist, bleibt dennoch eine gewisse Distanz zwischen ihm und den Menschen um ihn herum. Besonders dass er stumm ist und nur mit einfachen Bewegungen kommuniziert, fand ich gut umgesetzt. Er ist mir …
Das war mein erstes Buch vom Autor sowie Künstler, und ich wusste auch nicht, dass es Teil einer größeren Serie ist. Bis auf ein paar kleinen Verwirrungen, wie technisch fortgeschritten die Welt ist (obwohl es nach 2022 spielt, denk ich? Der cliffhanger/teaser am Ende schreit jedoch high-sci-fi), konnte ich es dennoch gut verfolgen und die Story hat mich neugierig auf mehr gestimmt.
Die Idee ist wirklich gut: Ein Killer-Roboter, der helfen soll, einen Krieg zu gewinnen, dort dann aber die Horrorszenarien des Krieges live erlebt und sich selbst abschaltet, weil das zu viel für ihn ist.
Durch diesen Switch wirkt er damit natürlich viel menschlicher als maschinell, aber dadurch, dass er nicht sprechen kann und blechstark ist, bleibt dennoch eine gewisse Distanz zwischen ihm und den Menschen um ihn herum. Besonders dass er stumm ist und nur mit einfachen Bewegungen kommuniziert, fand ich gut umgesetzt. Er ist mir ziemlich schnell ans Herz gewachsen, genau wie’s Muddy und den Kindern wohl ging.
Die erste Hälfte war relativ langsam erzählt, vor allem die Zeit in 1972, ich mochte den slice of life Aspekt. Gegen Ende nimmt es aber echt in Fahrt auf, was ich, besonders während dem Finale, doch etwas zu schnell fand. Obwohl es rührend war.
Abgesehen von den Zeitungscomics aus meiner Kindheit, war das glaub ich mein erster amerikanischer "Superhelden"-Comic in dem typischen Tintenstil aus den USA. Jetzt verstehe ich auch, warum die so beliebt sind – fast realistisch gezeichnet, hat aber dennoch einen fiktiven Flair. Detailgetreu und vor allem anatomisch genau mit einigen großartigen “Stunt”-Posen.
~
Danke an den Cross Cult Verlag auf Netgalley für ein digitales Reziexemplar.
-08.03.25
An autobiographical comic about one person's experience living with bipolar I disorder. From mania to …
Review of 'Sunflowers' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Bipolar/borderline disorder has really interested me for a while, and thus I’m glad I found this graphic novel, especially that’s it’s free to read on the publisher’s website.
It’s short, but relatively informative. Wonderful art, which gives a good insight in how Keezy feels and lives with her disorder. Not that much new info for me, but was still a perspective worth reading.
-08.03.25
Bipolar/borderline disorder has really interested me for a while, and thus I’m glad I found this graphic novel, especially that’s it’s free to read on the publisher’s website.
It’s short, but relatively informative. Wonderful art, which gives a good insight in how Keezy feels and lives with her disorder. Not that much new info for me, but was still a perspective worth reading.
-08.03.25
Thanks to my cousin, Amélie, who has the habit of looking for namesake characters in books and sending them to me for me to read. Might’ve not found the book without them.
~
Doesn’t feel that brand new, possibly has lots of similarities to other works (someone mentioned Harry Potter, can’t confirm though), but it was a fun ride. (And I’m way older than the target group!)
Diverse, adventurous, creative, and focused on friendship, which always is a plus.
• Story:
Quite fast-paced, there’s always something happening with barely any time to rest. Sure, it makes sense for it to be a constant adventure, but even the plot points came right after the other, not giving the reader any time to process.
And quite cliche at times as well. The academy is said to be really safe and high-tech, and yet, Amelia, an earthling with …
Thanks to my cousin, Amélie, who has the habit of looking for namesake characters in books and sending them to me for me to read. Might’ve not found the book without them.
~
Doesn’t feel that brand new, possibly has lots of similarities to other works (someone mentioned Harry Potter, can’t confirm though), but it was a fun ride. (And I’m way older than the target group!)
Diverse, adventurous, creative, and focused on friendship, which always is a plus.
• Story:
Quite fast-paced, there’s always something happening with barely any time to rest. Sure, it makes sense for it to be a constant adventure, but even the plot points came right after the other, not giving the reader any time to process.
And quite cliche at times as well. The academy is said to be really safe and high-tech, and yet, Amelia, an earthling with no knowledge of space, was the one who always had to rescue everyone. A bit contradicting and the opposite of "show, don't tell". At least, I’d find it sus if I were a tourist there. (And adds a reason to join the villains.)
It’s diverse, I loved that, but honestly could’ve been a little more so, especially with the pronouns – even with the universal translator, I can’t imagine everyone’s pronouns is translating to he/him and she/her, as well as boy and girl.
Also the skin colors. The appearance of many different creatures have been described, often vaguely, and the skin colors were rarely mentioned. But when it was added, it was always a light one – milky, ebony, pale, etc. A bit odd.
At least their hair, dresses/clothes and even objects (like jets) were quite colorful!
Personal highlights:
- the library
- the talking book
- space whales
- Voice(s) of each building/place
- the jets
- Psymersion
- aliens don’t like humans - Disability Rep: limping character + character who loses limps, often his ears, which makes him temporarily deaf
Personal confusions:
It’s cool that most are and shops sell only vegetarian, at least on the main planet, but they still have leather, milk products, etc. From what creature do they take these then? A bit contradictory.
• Characters:
It being fast-paced leaves barely any time to flesh out the characters. Amelia and Jingles, and a few side characters (like Honey (can’t believe that’s her name) or Glux), had a relatively deep personality (albeit cliche at times), and I’m especially fond of Jingles.
The male-leaning* characters, however, apart from Toulay, fell a little flat and useless sometimes. But it’s also kinda nice to have more female-leaning* characters in the spotlight and the opposite of Bechdel’s Test to be the case.
(*male/female-leaning: I’m guessing the men/women in the alien species are not called ‘men’/‘women’, possibly have different genders altogether. They are described as such, though.)
The villain(s) were surely interesting; I kinda rooted for them, and yet at the same time I was on the heroes side. Well, could be because the villains aren't evil, just grey-leaning and acting out of fear, rather than wanting to actively harm. That was cool. I do agree with their goal, just not really their ways of doing so…
• Overall:
Recommended. Some nice quotes and messages that aren’t the usual “humans are the best”, but also call out human’s negative sides and show it to the reader well, without forcing it.
A few illustrations would’ve made the reading experience more colorful, like the bus ride was at the beginning. (Wouldn’t have to be anything fancy; simple chapter headings/patterns would’ve worked too. It just feels a little empty.)
If there’s gonna be a sequel, I’m definitely interested.
~
Thank you to The Book Guild on Netgalley for a digital review copy.
-07.03.25
A brand-new supernatural nightmare that’s Junji Ito meets Hayao Miyazaki from the Eisner-nominated creators of …
Review of 'Hairball' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
(English below.)
Mit Hayao Miyazaki würde ich dieses Werk nicht in Verbindung setzen; auch wenn der japanische Regisseur einige „brennende Werke” hat, waren es definitiv andere Arten von Flammen.
Insgesamt fühlt es sich wie eine Kurzgeschichte an – direkter Einstieg, Außergewöhnliches im Alltag, kurz gehalten und selbsterklärendes Ende. Der Twist in der Mitte mit dem Zeitsprung fand ich sehr interessant umgesetzt.
Die Flashbacks mit dem Wechsel zu Anna, die im Therapiestuhl sitzt und die Geschichte den Lesenden direkt erzählt, als wärst du derdie Therapeutin, fand ich ebenfalls sehr gut, hat sich ausbalanciert und ich hab mich schnell an das Hin und Her gewöhnt.
Den Horroraspekt fand ich kaum gruselig, nur ein bisschen blutrünstig und haarig, wie der Titel besagt. Durch den skizzenhaften Zeichenstil wird es jedoch nicht zu graphisch, bleibt im paranormalen Bereich. Ob das gut oder schlecht ist, kannst du selbst entscheiden, ich fand …
(English below.)
Mit Hayao Miyazaki würde ich dieses Werk nicht in Verbindung setzen; auch wenn der japanische Regisseur einige „brennende Werke” hat, waren es definitiv andere Arten von Flammen.
Insgesamt fühlt es sich wie eine Kurzgeschichte an – direkter Einstieg, Außergewöhnliches im Alltag, kurz gehalten und selbsterklärendes Ende. Der Twist in der Mitte mit dem Zeitsprung fand ich sehr interessant umgesetzt.
Die Flashbacks mit dem Wechsel zu Anna, die im Therapiestuhl sitzt und die Geschichte den Lesenden direkt erzählt, als wärst du der*die Therapeut*in, fand ich ebenfalls sehr gut, hat sich ausbalanciert und ich hab mich schnell an das Hin und Her gewöhnt.
Den Horroraspekt fand ich kaum gruselig, nur ein bisschen blutrünstig und haarig, wie der Titel besagt. Durch den skizzenhaften Zeichenstil wird es jedoch nicht zu graphisch, bleibt im paranormalen Bereich. Ob das gut oder schlecht ist, kannst du selbst entscheiden, ich fand es stimmig.
Die Story ist nichts Weltbewegendes, eventuell verwirrend für manche und sinnfrei für andere. Es hat mich nicht unbedingt tief berührt, aber ich find diesen „sinnlosen” („und was soll ich jetzt mit dieser Geschichte anfangen?”), offenen Vibe toll. Es hat keine richtige Mitteilung oder Lehre, eher Leere, aber ich mag gerade sowas.
Meine Theorien:
Die Katze könnte eine Metapher für Schizophrenie sein – oder einfach die Psyche, den Kern des Menschen darstellen. Welche erst richtig aufblüht, wenn sie den perfekten Körper/Begleitenden gefunden hat. Warum wir Menschen uns nie ändern. Besonders wegen Gott (oder Göttin).
~
Danke an den Cross Cult Verlag für ein Reziexemplar.
-03.03.25
~~~
I wouldn’t associate this work with Hayao Miyazaki; even though the Japanese director has some “burning works”, this piece has different kinds of flames.
Overall, it feels like a short story — direct introduction, extraordinary happenings in everyday life, kept short, and self-explanatory ending. I found the twist in the middle with the time-jump to be quite interesting.
I also found the flashbacks and change back to Anna, who sits in a therapy chair and tells the story directly to the readers, as if you were the therapist, very good, it was balanced and I quickly got used to the back and forth.
I didn't really find the horror aspect scary, only a bit gory and hairy, as the title suggests. However, because of the sketchy drawing style, it doesn't become too graphic, stays within the paranormal setting. Whether that's good or bad, is up to you to decide, I found it fitting.
The story is nothing earth-shattering, perhaps confusing to some and meaningless to others. It didn't really touch me deeply, but I love the “meaningless” (“and what am I supposed to do with this story now?”), open vibe. It doesn’t have much of a message or lesson, more of an emptiness, but I like that kind of thing.
My theories:
The cat could be a metaphor for schizophrenia — or simply represent the psyche, the core of humans. Which only really blossoms when it has found the perfect body/companion. Why we humans never change. Especially because of God (or Goddess).
~
Thanks to Cross Cult Publishing for a review copy.
-03.03.25
The blurb made it sound like that it was Nagi's first time bringing Yu home, and that they aren't very close. But chapter 1 starts in the middle of the semester, where they’ve known each other for a while and it’s become a habit for Nagi to bring a drunk Yu home.
However, we do get flashbacks soon to their firsts (first meeting, first time out partying, first time bringing him home, first time falling asleep next to a drunk Yu, etc).
The pace is quite fast, not bothering to make it realistic, throwing in some cliche Tropes in (like losing the keys and catching a cold) to make sure they get closer asap. It was cute, but that felt a little too rushed sometimes – there wasn’t much from their friendship shown where I was like, “ah, yeah, I get it why you’re crushing on him”. And once …
The blurb made it sound like that it was Nagi's first time bringing Yu home, and that they aren't very close. But chapter 1 starts in the middle of the semester, where they’ve known each other for a while and it’s become a habit for Nagi to bring a drunk Yu home.
However, we do get flashbacks soon to their firsts (first meeting, first time out partying, first time bringing him home, first time falling asleep next to a drunk Yu, etc).
The pace is quite fast, not bothering to make it realistic, throwing in some cliche Tropes in (like losing the keys and catching a cold) to make sure they get closer asap. It was cute, but that felt a little too rushed sometimes – there wasn’t much from their friendship shown where I was like, “ah, yeah, I get it why you’re crushing on him”. And once I did feel their romantic chemistry, they were already a level further.
I’m not quite sure where this series is gonna go, though. As the whole story was pretty cliche and nothing new at all, I feel like it could take any direction. Anyhow it could as well be a stand-alone.
Based on the bonus chapter, I have a feeling this might toggle bad habits in relationships and perhaps gonna take a toxic/unhealthy route. But really, I have no idea what the author is planning.
Their romance was sweet though, occasionally funny as well. Consent was (almost) always present, and even though I did feel the sex scene rushed, it did feel natural.
I love how the mangaka worked with symbols, like showing the clothes on the floor to indicate them having slept together, or Yu grabbing tissues after becoming flustered, without actually showing the act. I love these artistic symbols/choices.
I also love the artstyle in general. The more rounded faces, than it’s usual for Mangas, also add to the lighthearted, soft feel.
~
Thank you for Kodansha and Netgalley for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
-02.03.25
Iku stumbles upon a ghost, Mimori, who only he can see. As he has nowhere else to go and doesn't remember anything prior his death, Iku lets him stay at his place. While they spend day and night together, trying to find out what happened to him, feelings blossom between them …
~
The story is quite fast-paced, a bit too quick sometimes, and yet, at the same time, felt like a slow read. In a good way, though? I'm not sure how to explain.
It's overall a nice concept with loveable characters. Although the romance was almost insta-love, which isn't my favorite trope, I did feel the chemistry between them.
It has a tender writing style, with some nice quotes that make the death theme more poetic rather than dark. I loved that vibe while reading.
It did lack a bit of depth, which I, on one hand, find …
Iku stumbles upon a ghost, Mimori, who only he can see. As he has nowhere else to go and doesn't remember anything prior his death, Iku lets him stay at his place. While they spend day and night together, trying to find out what happened to him, feelings blossom between them …
~
The story is quite fast-paced, a bit too quick sometimes, and yet, at the same time, felt like a slow read. In a good way, though? I'm not sure how to explain.
It's overall a nice concept with loveable characters. Although the romance was almost insta-love, which isn't my favorite trope, I did feel the chemistry between them.
It has a tender writing style, with some nice quotes that make the death theme more poetic rather than dark. I loved that vibe while reading.
It did lack a bit of depth, which I, on one hand, find unfortunate, cause instead of having a side-story with Iku's mom, that time could've been used to give more moments between Iku and Mimori. On the other hand, it makes it quite realistic, showing that we all have side-stories in our lives, and there's never enough time to spend 100% time on one plot. Even if we wanted.
Maybe it was never intended to be a deep love. This manga's love story certainly isn't anything new, but the "fleeting moment" vibe did touch me in a soft way.
~
Thank you for Kodansha and Netgalley for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of 'This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Vol. 2' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
As I said in my previous review: Poor Miko.
I don't like Shiori's character type. She's annoying. Fighting about who 'owns' her, really? Fighting who can protect/eat her? As if Hinako has nothing to say in that matter!
And please, kitsune vs mermaid? Definitely choosing the kitsune here.
-27.02.25
As I said in my previous review: Poor Miko.
I don't like Shiori's character type. She's annoying. Fighting about who 'owns' her, really? Fighting who can protect/eat her? As if Hinako has nothing to say in that matter!
And please, kitsune vs mermaid? Definitely choosing the kitsune here.
“This is why bad monsters try to take advantage of you.” Hinako is shocked to …
Review of 'This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Vol. 3' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
I wanted to rate this 4 stars, because: - Miko lives! - the cover! - It's getting more into the mystery, which always puts me into detective-mode and I LOVE making theories!
However, I don't like Hinako spending more alone time with Shiori, going yet on another date, and Miko can't join. I really don't ship these two (yes, I know they'll be endgame), and I hate Shiori. She's nothing but selfish.
-27.02.25
I wanted to rate this 4 stars, because: - Miko lives! - the cover! - It's getting more into the mystery, which always puts me into detective-mode and I LOVE making theories!
However, I don't like Hinako spending more alone time with Shiori, going yet on another date, and Miko can't join. I really don't ship these two (yes, I know they'll be endgame), and I hate Shiori. She's nothing but selfish.
I didn't know anything about this, found it on a yuri fanpage and therefore thought I'd be getting into another GL. But no – this is the other side of yuri, the CGDCT, kinda bait type. Which I don't mind for this story though, cause it plays in middle school and the characters are fairly young (around 12 I'm guessing).
It's very heavy on the slice of life, which I don't mind either, cause I'm a slice of life fan. Volume 1 spanned through around 3 days only, focusing on the slow life, enjoying every second basically.
The artstyle is quite unique with distinctive features – quite detailed, without being too detailed, still giving the characters a typical CGDCT flair. Although the characters appear quite elegant due to the style sometimes, that I was honestly a bit surprised to find this to be CGDCT. It's not like K-On or YuruCamp. …
I didn't know anything about this, found it on a yuri fanpage and therefore thought I'd be getting into another GL. But no – this is the other side of yuri, the CGDCT, kinda bait type. Which I don't mind for this story though, cause it plays in middle school and the characters are fairly young (around 12 I'm guessing).
It's very heavy on the slice of life, which I don't mind either, cause I'm a slice of life fan. Volume 1 spanned through around 3 days only, focusing on the slow life, enjoying every second basically.
The artstyle is quite unique with distinctive features – quite detailed, without being too detailed, still giving the characters a typical CGDCT flair. Although the characters appear quite elegant due to the style sometimes, that I was honestly a bit surprised to find this to be CGDCT. It's not like K-On or YuruCamp. I especially love the colored pages with the watercolor technique – fits the sailor 'theme'. (The cover is a bit of an odd choice though, also might be why I didn't think this was CGDCT at first.)
Due to it being so slow life, you can focus a lot on the characters. I like most of them so far, and want to know more about them. Akebi's lovely relationship with her younger sister is really cute, they've got each other's backs, while still teasing one another on a regular basis. One of her classmates and her first friend in class, Kizaki Erica, might have developed a crush on Akebi, as she's often getting jealous. Perhaps it's a platonic crush, or it'll go into the GL direction after all? I'm not fond of her father though. He's the typical, old-fashioned father who's not really aware of having kids, works far from home and only visits for short amount of times, and because kids grow so fast, he doesn't know how to act around them, is awkward about it and spends more time smoking outside, while the mother takes care of the household and also has a job. Too old-fashioned for my style, but as long as he doesn't appear much (proper yuri stories don't have male characters after all), I won't mind it.
Interested in where the story is gonna go, probably focusing on Akebi becoming the popular girl in school.
Review of 'This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Vol. 1' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
Could be a little more depressing, I feel like the author didn't give their all when it comes to melancholy.
But overall cool concept: A mermaid who wants to eat a human and doesn’t let anyone else harm her because she’ll taste better if you wait a little, and a human who wants to die. Perfect relationship 👏
Does she mean “eat” as in actually eating or pussy eating as in sex? Just wondering, lol~
Love the “feeling underwater” as a metaphor for depression but also being part of the supernatural plot.
Great art.
I feel bad for Miko tho.
-27.02.25
Could be a little more depressing, I feel like the author didn't give their all when it comes to melancholy.
But overall cool concept: A mermaid who wants to eat a human and doesn’t let anyone else harm her because she’ll taste better if you wait a little, and a human who wants to die. Perfect relationship 👏
Does she mean “eat” as in actually eating or pussy eating as in sex? Just wondering, lol~
Love the “feeling underwater” as a metaphor for depression but also being part of the supernatural plot.
How many dates will Minami need to take Yuzu on before …
Review of 'How Do I Turn My Best Friend into My Girlfriend?, Vol. 3' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
I knew it! <spoiler> Yuzu has been in love with her all the time. What I did not know is that she's completely dense about Minami's approach. Though I can't blame her, cause Minami's awkwardness really ain't very clear from Yuzu's perspective. Especially cause Minami was the one to friend-zone them … the irony. </spoiler>
Apart from that, they were making some great progress, with Minami blushing less and being more brave.
I also liked the new character, Kamiya. Her role was pretty obvious, a very old trope, but it worked. And I did like the date, cause it seemed almost like they're a throuple. ^^
- 25.02.24
I knew it! <spoiler> Yuzu has been in love with her all the time. What I did not know is that she's completely dense about Minami's approach. Though I can't blame her, cause Minami's awkwardness really ain't very clear from Yuzu's perspective. Especially cause Minami was the one to friend-zone them … the irony. </spoiler>
Apart from that, they were making some great progress, with Minami blushing less and being more brave.
I also liked the new character, Kamiya. Her role was pretty obvious, a very old trope, but it worked. And I did like the date, cause it seemed almost like they're a throuple. ^^
Even though Minami’s efforts to evolve her relationship with Yuzu from …
Review of 'How Do I Turn My Best Friend into My Girlfriend?, Vol. 2' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
What a wild rollercoaster of emotions from Minami …
The first half was her on the bink of death, thinking Yuzu fell in love with someone else.
But then Tsubasa unintentionally helps her out – which was REALLY needed – and cured her a bit from the extreme blushing! At least, in the 2nd half, she was finally able to talk to Yuzu normally again, without stuttering and blushing too much.
Although the amount of misunderstanding were quite annoying! Literally just wanted to throw her into a therapy session with Elliot from Pandora Hearts …!
Ended on a fun note though, so I'm rating it 4 stars.
But the whole 'angst' does make me wonder how they've been prior to her catching romantic feelings, and how she imagines to actually navigate a romance with her, if she can't really be near her, without dying …
Meanwhile Yuzu continues to seem …
What a wild rollercoaster of emotions from Minami …
The first half was her on the bink of death, thinking Yuzu fell in love with someone else.
But then Tsubasa unintentionally helps her out – which was REALLY needed – and cured her a bit from the extreme blushing! At least, in the 2nd half, she was finally able to talk to Yuzu normally again, without stuttering and blushing too much.
Although the amount of misunderstanding were quite annoying! Literally just wanted to throw her into a therapy session with Elliot from Pandora Hearts …!
Ended on a fun note though, so I'm rating it 4 stars.
But the whole 'angst' does make me wonder how they've been prior to her catching romantic feelings, and how she imagines to actually navigate a romance with her, if she can't really be near her, without dying …
Meanwhile Yuzu continues to seem dense when it comes to the romantic feelings, but as said last volume, I do think she knows more than she shows.
