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nicrose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
moranguinhos's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
glitterenby's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Did I miss something with this graphic novel?
It didn't seem to have anything unique to say about life or death, nor did it seem to say the common things in any uniquely impactful way. I feel like I've read this book before and watched it in movie form and listened to it in album form.
Only Bras, his father, and Jorge felt fleshed out to me. And very few of the chapters felt like they were telling a story that was personal and unique to these characters. I did enjoy seeing things from Miguel's point of very, and I enjoyed learning about Bras' childhood. However, I'm still reeling a bit from Bras' first kiss, as well as the way that many of the female characters are treated more like bodies than people in the first half.
Much of the art was stunning, and I found myself pausing to stare at the full-page images between chapters. However, I'm still trying to figure out why occasionally a character will have a really tiny head. I just can't make sense of it.
It didn't seem to have anything unique to say about life or death, nor did it seem to say the common things in any uniquely impactful way. I feel like I've read this book before and watched it in movie form and listened to it in album form.
Only Bras, his father, and Jorge felt fleshed out to me. And very few of the chapters felt like they were telling a story that was personal and unique to these characters. I did enjoy seeing things from Miguel's point of very, and I enjoyed learning about Bras' childhood. However, I'm still reeling a bit from Bras' first kiss, as well as the way that many of the female characters are treated more like bodies than people in the first half.
Much of the art was stunning, and I found myself pausing to stare at the full-page images between chapters. However, I'm still trying to figure out why occasionally a character will have a really tiny head. I just can't make sense of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
koreanlinda's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Among many unique values of this book, one of them is a new look at the meaning of life and death. By repeating life and death in many different ways, we get to reflect on why we live and how to live. It is also fun to trace the underlying commonality between chapters (AKA different universes). I love how Bras's dog stayed with him from the cover til the end, another beauty of the story. Although I felt saddened by some of the stories, I did not cry. However, it will be a great cleansing tearjerker for someone experiencing bulging grief and sorrow.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
cambam999's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Murder
joscelynhe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
bt_wannabe's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Using gorgeous graphics this story will cause you to reflect on what gives your life meaning, what it means to wait for your life to begin, and the reality that death is both unpredictable and inevitable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
jonknightknighthunterbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's a rare graphic novel that makes me cry, which this did.
While the art is gorgeous, the narrative structure is probqboy the most innovative thing about this work - though perhaps with 2023 being the year of multiverse films that is less true than it once was.
Brás, our protagonist, probably thinks of themselves as an everyman, despite being from a well off family, and getting a job almost certainly based on his connections. He is honestly generally pretty pathetic - but in a fairly normal way; unsure what he wants to do with his life, chasing after women he thinks will make him complete (and when he gets one, leaving all the childcare to her).
A recurring theme, is the chasing of dreams, and contrasting that with living a safe life. A willingness to explore his dreams generally works out well for Bràs, which makes it a little jarring that in one story strand, a black character who has the temerity to chase their dreams becomes a penniless killer. And as others have noted (here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ead0e25b-856f-45be-ab9d-a9884f2f7c94) the only other Black Brazilian is portrayed as wildly emotional and volatile.
Art and structure make this worth a read - but it's worth bearing in mind going in that Black Brazilian characters are treated poorly, both by the writers and the world they've created.
While the art is gorgeous, the narrative structure is probqboy the most innovative thing about this work - though perhaps with 2023 being the year of multiverse films that is less true than it once was.
Brás, our protagonist, probably thinks of themselves as an everyman, despite being from a well off family, and getting a job almost certainly based on his connections. He is honestly generally pretty pathetic - but in a fairly normal way; unsure what he wants to do with his life, chasing after women he thinks will make him complete (and when he gets one, leaving all the childcare to her).
A recurring theme, is the chasing of dreams, and contrasting that with living a safe life. A willingness to explore his dreams generally works out well for Bràs, which makes it a little jarring that in one story strand, a black character who has the temerity to chase their dreams becomes a penniless killer. And as others have noted (here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ead0e25b-856f-45be-ab9d-a9884f2f7c94) the only other Black Brazilian is portrayed as wildly emotional and volatile.
Art and structure make this worth a read - but it's worth bearing in mind going in that Black Brazilian characters are treated poorly, both by the writers and the world they've created.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Suicide, and Death of parent
chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
3.75
Feeling like I will be thinking about this for a while, but can't figure out how much I liked it. I'm definitely feeling existential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy
chandlerkl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury