ceraphimfalls's Reviews (319)

Maybe this is just the come down after the stellar story that is Volume 5. Maybe it's the fact that this is clearly setting up something bigger for our human characters. Maybe it's because our sweet little Fukumaru is not in this as much as other volumes. But here is our first four star volume. I'm excited to see what comes next. Also, happy to finally meet the drum teacher at Mr. Kanda's music school- he's a big ol' weirdo and I love them.

Mr. Kanda's backstory is all sorts of tragic and it hurt so damn much. Fukumaru is a powerful force for good chaos and adore that little fluffmuffin all the more.

We also have the introduction of Fukumaru's mom (heartwrenching), Mr. Hibano (what's your damage, my dude), and Marin (whose storyline reminds me so much of my mom and her pets, it took about ten minutes of actively talking myself out of driving to my mom's house to steal her cat after reading this).

Oh man. That ending got me worse than Volume 9. Like, sit in a state of shock for 5 minutes bad. And Bombazine! I want to know all of your secrets, Koala Man!

These books are so dang cute! It's very clear where these two are headed, but I love the slow comfort and quiet companionship that they have. It's like taking a train ride instead of a flight- it might take a little longer, but it's going to be well worth it.

Serious question though- cookbook when please!? So hungry.

This may be the most emotional and insightful volume thus far. There's the usual silliness- Tatsu turning a children's story hour into a reimagining of a Yakuza revenge hit, for example- but the themes of brotherhood and lost childhood are so strong throughout. Tatsu and Miku's visit to the theme park reminded me so much of my own life, I'll admit to needing to take a moment to digest it.

My favorite vignette: Chapter 30

I get that short stories don't have the luxury of time like even novellas do. But the beautiful character and setting development at the beginning gets curtailed in the last 5 pages by a hasty, deus ex machina ending. I'd like to see even 2 more pages of explanation at the end to round things out. But overall, pretty good, pretty cute

Maybe it's because I grew up with these stories, our found family a cavalcade of Oceanian culture, but I adored this volume of Cautionary Fables enough to declare it my favorite of the series. The Story of Benito and Nanuae the Sharkboy were beautifully told and drawn, as all these stories are, but these two especially. Tabi Po invaded my dreams and reminded me of how rude I've been lately, forgetting my manners when it comes to spirits. Even The Turtle and the Lizard, accompanied by the primer in the Baybayin language, offered its reader a celebration of story. But the eponymous The Night Marchers touched my heart and had silent tears crawling down my face. This is a fabulous collection.

The comedy in this volume just soars to new heights. And there's a recipe, which is always a plus for me! But despite its tongue-in-cheek promise of this being "without humanity" on the back cover, the humanity that surrounds our Immortal Dragon is what makes this story shine- because he IS our humanity, trying our best despite our mistakes and loving others in spite of theirs.

My favorite vignette: Chapter 26

New characters by the dozen! Or... half dozen. But still! One of my favorite things to see is a big, serious, scary looking guy with a small, adorable animal. But multiply that by five and I'm absolutely smitten. Volume 7 has heart that goes for miles. And the very last character we meet... I hope she doesn't destroy our beautiful little family. I've got a bad feeling about this one.

As a critique for a general audience, I think cliche rules the day here. The Charmed List is cute and bubbly like a taro boba, not effervescent like a Ramune. It is clear that the author has come from the world of middle grade books, which you can see in the repetitive and tell, don't show nature of the plot points. That is not to say that it made the book unenjoyable, simply something that proves to be a bit distracting. Characters could be fleshed out more, arguments and grudges could be given more weight- it is all a little surface level, but I have no doubt the author will grow to meet the needs of the readers who have grown up with her books.

As an aside just for me, it felt so good to see myself in a main character, to recognize the food and the shops of home in the San Jose area. It made me incredibly nostalgic and desperate for cherry blossom mochi. Someday again soon hopefully...