The teen drama here was IMMACULATE, and Mary Jane’s spontaneous personality changes were relatable. Highschoolers are just trying to find themselves in the midst of so much schoolwork and dating and whatnot. The girl went from popular to goth to flirty in a matter of days. The rebrand is strong with this one! 

The dialogue was very dated and corny at times (hey, missy! Like, totes, girl), but this is from the early 2000s. It definitely shows in the clothing too. Dresses over jeans, anyone? The animesque artwork was cute.

This was charming and magical. I was very surprised that everyone Prunella met was so kind-hearted and friendly. A real subversion for monster stories.

I haven’t had a chance to really digest everything since I only have this as a library hold. But I think this is a really good resource for artists. This isn’t a how-to-draw book, but it explains anatomical reasoning like how an ear is leveled to a jawbone or how long an arm should be from the kneecap. It also provides some interesting poses outside of the usual sitting and standing. The artist shows some bigger body types toward the end, which is a pleasant surprise from most art books.

Shapes and simplifying the body are heavily emphasized. The book shows multiple times how to take a shape of a person’s pose, make a skeletal figure, and then add the meat and muscles. It doesn't teach you how to add muscle, but you understand where fat accumulates in the body and how curvatures and certain parts should look. You can fill in the gaps of knowledge easily, I think.

This is a great companion to a life drawing class or when drawing from reference pictures.

 

It’s very hard to rate memoirs because this is someone’s life, y’know. The most you can do is rate by execution. Some of the passages come off preachy as in a waxing poetic way. It really feels like a Sunday school message. I think the book's content may have been spread a little thin, so things that seem very small get whole chapters dedicated to them. But things that are small to us are big to God.
 
 Carlos and Alexa have seen God work in their life concerning
real estate and home ownership a lot. Be prepared to see constant mentions of
that. Water pipes burst, oh my!
 
 They didn’t delve too much into their actual backgrounds
instead, focusing on their spiritual journeys. I'm glad they've reached
contentment with the very real struggles they faced (substance abuse, body
image/body dysphoria, eating disorders, fertility issues, unhealthy coping
mechanisms, instability of Hollywood, etc).
 
 This will really only appeal to those who are fans of Carlos
and Alexa, those who wonder if you can be Christian in the entertainment industry,
and people who like lighthearted spiritual content, otherwise, you will find it
boring. 

The Simon & Chester series maintains its charm and heart for the third book. Chester’s feeling insecure about not being a part of a nuclear family; all he has is a grandmother and Simon. While Simon feels insecure at the scare conference (think of ghost college), he doesn’t haunt any places as nice as the other ghosts. The story’s light but touches on these feelings with care and without the “this is a very special episode - PBS special” tone.

The artwork is cute and so expressive. If select any panel, there’s potential for a meme. Simon makes some seriously fun faces. 

Overall, another fun entry! The two learn what's "normal" for you is just fine.

Sorry to dude who has to live a façade to be likable, but nah. I saw this on display at the library, but it was a waste of time. Oba's supposed to be a mirror to society of how easily someone can fall into the outcast role despite money, good looks, and connections. But the way Oba is portrayed it's hard to feel sympathy for him. The grittiness and Oba could have been handled better.

This is one of those “I eat edge for breakfast, too dEeP for me, and there’s no hope in humanity” stories. They generally don’t appeal to me because they’re often flat emotionally, lack nuance, and rely on too much shock value. I don’t need to see no high schooler banging high school prostitutes/sex workers. 

I understand that the only joy he experiences is a carnal release, but it’s uncomfortable. Also, not trying to infuse morality or whatever because I understand these grim stories have a place and can be cathartic and even relatable. But I just got no enjoyment from reading this.

Okay, actually concerning the story a manga artist is looking for inspiration for his next story and he comes across a diary that gives creepypasta energy. The author of the diary, Oba, feels like he has to play a role, be goofy and always polite, to interact with his peers. Eventually, he and his friend get caught up in a terrorist organization (0 to 100 real quick). After that goes left he falls in love with one of the women at the hostess club, and then the story takes an even more depressing turn. At every point he’s a hobosexual, women are always financing him, and he can’t find the will to live or kill himself. Oba spirals in a circle. One step forward, two hundred back.

I couldn’t roll my eyes enough at how Oba gets punished:

his wife being raped in front of him. women do not play for the crimes of men. It’s supposedly karma for him using women for their bodies and a place to stay. A temp worker does it as Oba had once slept with the terrorist/cult leader’s gf who he was condescending toward. it just really feels like a stereotypical man wrote this.

 

Overall, bleak! Oba hates other people, especially his wife, but not more than he hates himself. The book feels like fleas and roaches are crawling over you while reading the pages. Dirty and grimy.

The characters sill look uncanny valley and the transformations can be gross, but the angst is IMMACULATE. 

Tobias (who cannot morph back to human) is tortured by the same depressive voice some humans deal with; a constantly nagging voice that discredits his humanity. Get this he has a bird brain *badum tsk* He even seems to have what seems to be diet-suicide ideation. I've seen few books really tackle or mention this at all for young readers. But this struggle is done effectively as well as it's conclusion.

I know everyone bags on Marco, but I get why he has to be the voice of reason. Also, Rachel and Tobias' friendship is the highlight here. Very charming. I never had interest in this series before, but I think the graphic novel adaption are dong a great job introducing this to a new audience.