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sloppytoppy's review
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia
booksmellers's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of the best feelings in the world is picking up a book on a whim, not knowing anything about it, and accidentally discovering a new favorite.
This book contains
- deadpan adolescent humor, akin to Daria
- the classic Funnies feel
- a focus on individuals, their relationships, and themes of everyday life rather than an overarching plot
- artwork that perfectly captures the tone and humor of the SuperMutant Magic Academy
- magic/superpowers à la X-Men, often used as a vehicle to engage with a concept, a joke, or just simply a "wouldn't that be messed up?" situation.
- interesting, complex characters whose relationships with one another encapsulte the high school experience
- Charlie Brownesque philosophical musings about the meaning of life and the fears & struggles of adolescence
What's maybe most impressive about all of this is that Tamaki accomplishes all of this with brevity, each piece of the story in its own 1-2 page comic strip. I felt more emotion reading just a few of the individual comic strips than some of the full-length novels I've read. Several of the pages were laugh-out-loud funny to me. This probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly was mine, and (it may be too early to tell) this could end up being my favorite graphic novel of 2023.
This book contains
- deadpan adolescent humor, akin to Daria
- the classic Funnies feel
- a focus on individuals, their relationships, and themes of everyday life rather than an overarching plot
- artwork that perfectly captures the tone and humor of the SuperMutant Magic Academy
- magic/superpowers à la X-Men, often used as a vehicle to engage with a concept, a joke, or just simply a "wouldn't that be messed up?" situation.
- interesting, complex characters whose relationships with one another encapsulte the high school experience
- Charlie Brownesque philosophical musings about the meaning of life and the fears & struggles of adolescence
What's maybe most impressive about all of this is that Tamaki accomplishes all of this with brevity, each piece of the story in its own 1-2 page comic strip. I felt more emotion reading just a few of the individual comic strips than some of the full-length novels I've read. Several of the pages were laugh-out-loud funny to me. This probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly was mine, and (it may be too early to tell) this could end up being my favorite graphic novel of 2023.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Alcohol
jessereadsthings's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.0
Unfortunately, I found this rather boring and had a hard time getting through it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicide