A review by fawnsbooks
Issunboshi by Ryan Lang
4.0
Read the digital ARC on June 20th. Special thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
Issunboshi is a retelling of a classic Japanese folktale about a tiny samurai who needs to defeat a demon that set out to take over the world. Issunboshi shows us that heroism takes more than simply "being born a hero".
Writing/drawing - 9/10 ⭐️
The novel was stunning and the text was generally pretty easy to understand. I did have to look up some words, as I am not familiar with mythical creatures from Japan and really wanted to know what they supposedly looked like.
Pace - 8/10 ⭐️
The novel is slightly over 200 pages, so of course, it will be pretty fast-paced. Despite this, the novel did not feel rushed and I felt I could really take my time to enjoy the art.
Plot - 8/10⭐️
It's always tough for me to say something about the plot of a retelling when I am not familiar with the original story. I'm not sure which parts are from the original and which are new. However, I must say that I rather like the story Issunboshi tells and the values it tries to teach.
Characters - 7/10 ⭐️
With short novels, it's tough to create complete characters, which is a shame. Still, the characters were likable and held enough personality to make me care about them and their lives.
Enjoyability - 9/10⭐️
Yes, absolutely. And I am considering putting in a pre-order for the new hardcover edition, which comes out later this year.
Issunboshi is a retelling of a classic Japanese folktale about a tiny samurai who needs to defeat a demon that set out to take over the world. Issunboshi shows us that heroism takes more than simply "being born a hero".
Writing/drawing - 9/10 ⭐️
The novel was stunning and the text was generally pretty easy to understand. I did have to look up some words, as I am not familiar with mythical creatures from Japan and really wanted to know what they supposedly looked like.
Pace - 8/10 ⭐️
The novel is slightly over 200 pages, so of course, it will be pretty fast-paced. Despite this, the novel did not feel rushed and I felt I could really take my time to enjoy the art.
Plot - 8/10⭐️
It's always tough for me to say something about the plot of a retelling when I am not familiar with the original story. I'm not sure which parts are from the original and which are new. However, I must say that I rather like the story Issunboshi tells and the values it tries to teach.
Characters - 7/10 ⭐️
With short novels, it's tough to create complete characters, which is a shame. Still, the characters were likable and held enough personality to make me care about them and their lives.
Enjoyability - 9/10⭐️
Yes, absolutely. And I am considering putting in a pre-order for the new hardcover edition, which comes out later this year.