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defunctfridge's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cute! but nothing special
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, and Misogyny
linearev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I speed through this graphic novel in one sitting because it’s genuinely a pretty good book. Without spoiling anything, it’s about a girl discovering a multiplayer worldwide online game and meeting all different kinds of people in there.
It’s a pretty good story and the ending makes sense for me. I like some of the characters and the rest didn’t annoy me too much. Though I did find that the story progressed too fast and mindlessly on some subjects, while also breaking the mold of the characters, they’ve already established. The art is really amazing and detailed, though not in an overdone way, reminding me of a video game in 2-D form.
With spoilers!
The plotline about the 16 year-old Chinese guy should’ve been way more expanded in my opinion. It was way too heavy to be covered this lightly and the easy result they come up with disappointed me. It’s great that they try to cover something as heavy as underaged online working, but they also have to do it justice and cover it properly. I felt the parents went from being overprotective to Carefree way too quickly, also never seeming to have a proper effect on the main characters screen time. I did really like the fact that you never know who’s behind the screen of friends you find in the game, which I feel is very realistic.
All in all a pretty great graphic novel with beautiful art and a captivating storyline.
It’s a pretty good story and the ending makes sense for me. I like some of the characters and the rest didn’t annoy me too much. Though I did find that the story progressed too fast and mindlessly on some subjects, while also breaking the mold of the characters, they’ve already established. The art is really amazing and detailed, though not in an overdone way, reminding me of a video game in 2-D form.
With spoilers!
The plotline about the 16 year-old Chinese guy should’ve been way more expanded in my opinion. It was way too heavy to be covered this lightly and the easy result they come up with disappointed me. It’s great that they try to cover something as heavy as underaged online working, but they also have to do it justice and cover it properly. I felt the parents went from being overprotective to Carefree way too quickly, also never seeming to have a proper effect on the main characters screen time. I did really like the fact that you never know who’s behind the screen of friends you find in the game, which I feel is very realistic.
All in all a pretty great graphic novel with beautiful art and a captivating storyline.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship
libraryfrog's review against another edition
3.0
The art was amazing..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Fatphobia
katialena's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Excellent one-sitting read following a young girl’s journey to self confidence. She is learning about inequality in the world and how to be in solidarity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Body shaming and Bullying
good_names_dont_exist's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
vagorsol's review against another edition
3.0
The premise is a bit unrealistic, but other than that I think it’s just ok.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia and Racism
bookishsapphicshay's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Classism
madisonraelutz's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.75
The art style was fun, it was paced well, and there were elements I enjoyed but overall I just felt unsettled by this book—and it wasn’t because it was challenging in a good way. More it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
As someone who is Chinese, the role the Chinese characters play in this book doesn’t sit right. As others have mentioned, there is a strong feeling of the white savior complex and western egocentrism. It also has elements of the non-white characters merely servicing as tools to teach the white main character about the world, etc. Which is a trope/stereotype I am so done seeing.
While I think the intentions were earnest with this book—it was perhaps too much to take on in a 175 page graphic novel. It had to be simplified and condensed in ways that I don’t think served the intent the creators were going for.
As someone who is Chinese, the role the Chinese characters play in this book doesn’t sit right. As others have mentioned, there is a strong feeling of the white savior complex and western egocentrism. It also has elements of the non-white characters merely servicing as tools to teach the white main character about the world, etc. Which is a trope/stereotype I am so done seeing.
While I think the intentions were earnest with this book—it was perhaps too much to take on in a 175 page graphic novel. It had to be simplified and condensed in ways that I don’t think served the intent the creators were going for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
bookishlybecca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Second Read-through: February 2021
A re-read of this lovely graphic novel has been long overdue for a while now, particularly as I (finally) bought my own copy of it last year.
Jen Wang's art style and colour usage really are top-notch. I love the slight watercolour effect her illustrations have. I really enjoyed Anda and Raymond's relationship and Anda's overall character development during this read-through as well.
I don't remember reading the formal introduction by Cory before, so I'm not sure if it wasn't included in the copy of the graphic novel I read last time (which I borrowed from the library) or if I really just have zero recollection of it... Either way, it was a nice, little surprise and a very thought-provoking and eloquent read.
First Read-through: April 2015
This was SO good, and right up my alley! I really love the art style. It's super fun and nice to look at. The story is quite lovely too, and I can sorta relate to it - in the sense that gaming is something I love to do and MMOs, in particular, hold a special place in my heart. I like how this graphic novel goes deeper than that though and sheds light on something that many teens/young adults may not know about. It's a real-world problem set in a made-up world. I definitely like and approve of the message behind the interesting and fun story. Two thumbs up! ;) Like some reviewers, I wish this graphic novel was a little longer, but it's still definitely reaffirmed my love of graphic novels. :)
A re-read of this lovely graphic novel has been long overdue for a while now, particularly as I (finally) bought my own copy of it last year.
Jen Wang's art style and colour usage really are top-notch. I love the slight watercolour effect her illustrations have. I really enjoyed Anda and Raymond's relationship and Anda's overall character development during this read-through as well.
I don't remember reading the formal introduction by Cory before, so I'm not sure if it wasn't included in the copy of the graphic novel I read last time (which I borrowed from the library) or if I really just have zero recollection of it... Either way, it was a nice, little surprise and a very thought-provoking and eloquent read.
First Read-through: April 2015
This was SO good, and right up my alley! I really love the art style. It's super fun and nice to look at. The story is quite lovely too, and I can sorta relate to it - in the sense that gaming is something I love to do and MMOs, in particular, hold a special place in my heart. I like how this graphic novel goes deeper than that though and sheds light on something that many teens/young adults may not know about. It's a real-world problem set in a made-up world. I definitely like and approve of the message behind the interesting and fun story. Two thumbs up! ;) Like some reviewers, I wish this graphic novel was a little longer, but it's still definitely reaffirmed my love of graphic novels. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Racism
lovely_lisa's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide and Racism