saramdeuri's Reviews (310)

ok so as a preface to this review: I've never read (or experienced an adaptation of) emma, so this will just be a review based on the merits of this graphic novel as itself and not as a retelling.

i... did not really like this at all. i do not like any of the characters, and not in a "they're complicated and i appreciate that"-way, they're just all flat and boring. the main character is just mean, and at times borderline malicious with some of the choices he makes. i understand that he's got his own self-confidence issues but it barely even makes an appearance in the story and has no bearing on the plot or romance - so like, what was the point? why place emphasis on it if not to use it? or at least have a tender moment with the main couple? did i just skip pages accidentally or something?

also, the chemistry between the endgame romances is meant to be assumed - the authors seem to think that you'll simply see their romance without them doing very much to prove it. yes, davi and evan (? i forgot his name. wow) are childhood friends, but

they don't really get much time alone together to talk and learn about EACH OTHER instead of speculating on other people's issues and arguing about whether or not someone else was gay. you are not given very much as a reader to feel like they actually love each other, just that they have a connection of some kind as childhood friends.

overall a pretty boring and emotionally uninspiring romance. 

the lesbian couple literally doesn't get ANY time at all - they just happen off the page at the very end while the main character worries about whether his bi friend is gonna be sad that he bagged "her crush". there's not even another lesbian in the book to balance it out. just het girls and their jock boyfriends. and they don't get very much time at all either! they barely get time to explain to the main character how it felt when he was super mean to them.  they're just there to be haha funny "token" gay has "token" het girlfriends. who do nothing. don't even get to show that friendship, actually. 

what struck me was that the main character really doesn't get time to understand where he went wrong, he just... apologises. no scene to show how he makes it up, or that he's really learned. just a load of scenes of him saying sorry. the bare minimum will do, i suppose. the social media aspect is also weird and never really gets to be part of the plot - i thought it'd be more of an element but i guess not ?? like ?? why wouldn't he use it for matchmaking or whatever ??

so. overall this novels greatest problem is pacing. everything is fast fast fast, and doesn't leave for moments of contemplation. it would benefit from a few more pages but frankly i'd prefer if they overhauled the whole thing. would've benefited from another round of editing in the storyboard phase. or whatever that is when it comes to graphic novels. i've forgotten 75% of this novel and i finished it just this morning. oh dear

it was cute but nothing much past it. very typical cold girl x sunshine type ship, didn't feel like it had much to it past that - I know it's just the first volume, but I've been much more invested in stories that had less. I don't think I'll be continuing this one.

wow i just cannot be bothered with this one. something about the writing. a pity, because i have this gorgeous riddell-illustrated edition, but it'll be a nice donation for my local library <3

i just cannot get into these characters ..... there's something a little tiring about the way this is written, too, to me. getting past the footnotes is bothersome to me as well - I know, I know, I don't need to read them, but they might just have something relevant to the story... anyways, I've got more interesting things to read right now. 

my one slightly nitpicky thing is the way Ruth the character "translates" — no, babe, writing mobile phone out in romaji isn't necessary. in fact, most of the words she keeps in romaji and then adds a footnote to explain what it means simply don't need to be kept in romaji—theyre universal concepts and a japanese mobile phone really isn't that different from an american one. it just gave "thing in Japan" vibes, although I understand that Ruth is meant to be all about the heritage thing (wanting to reclaim anti-japanese American history, joking about WW2 alliances with her German husband, wanting to translate as a way to connect to her heritage) all of that just felt stupid to read. if the footnotes were meant to read like her personal translation notes, the tone and contents should've been different. the way it's done sounds like she's "um actually"-ing me about what the etymology of otaku is when I just mentioned I went to shibuya once and met someone else who liked the same anime I did. annoying as hell actually 

where could I possibly begin with this. tore me apart. phenomenal. I will read this again, the ache is too sweet. 

reading this and then hearing it got banned because racist fuckers had the audacity to claim the word "jazz" was sexual is heartbreaking. this is a lovely poem, really vivid. the structure of it pulls the whole thing together, i think.

so so much fun but my god. I was getting really bad sexist vibes this whole book. some of the ways he described the women, needlessly commenting on their appearances from their own pov.... Ew. I understand why Roddy, for example, would say Shit Like That, but not Catherine or Diana.

everything else here was pretty good though, just that this brought down the whole experience. the show really one upped this actually! I feel like giving the slow horses "the win" at the end closes it off nicely - I understand that the point in the book here is to give Hassan his moment and point to that the slow horses really ARE useless but I prefer the narrative that no one is, actually, and with enough good heart and dubious hacking skills you can get there. also the scene with Min, Louisa, and the helicopter was super cool, so it was kinda disappointing not to have it.

they're SO cute I wish theyd have communicated a little more ,,, , the ending felt a little fast compared to the rest of the plot which strolled along nicely. just very very cute

아니 근데 왜???????? 왜??? 굳이?????
왜

이도해가 갑자기 사라졌어???? 소설 끝까지 찾을 수도 없는데 왜?????

너무 답답해서 진짜 !!!!! 
그래도 넘넘 좋은 소설 추천한데 그 엔딩이...... 

when is it my turn to have a beautiful buff girlfriend to make meals for. how long do i have to wait