feedingbrett's reviews
187 reviews

Princess Jellyfish, Volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

With its fuzzy core being a dissection of identity and insecurity, Princess Jellyfish doesn't completely make light of the situations and attributes that shape its various characters, instead it is sympathetic of their desires and misfortunes. While its comical personality keeps the reading experience breezy and light, a counter to such is ensured through the genuine aches that convey the human vulnerability. The waters are by no means deep, but enough to get one's feet soaked, keeping us tight with its principal characters. 
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

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mysterious sad fast-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? No

4.0

A story divided into two parts, the former assembling the professional dedication through an assignment of our protagonist, while the latter reveals the inner aftermath of said assignment. My cinematic relationship with the now legend, 007, has formed an expectation of narratives through sensationalist plotting, with suspense and action as the touchstones of my held attention. Finding myself now with the source material of my initial influences has opened an introspective insight into a character that, for so long, had always felt like a mechanical device for its intention for plotting. Casino Royale, whilst keeping a good measure of entertainment value, conveys the essence of James Bond's loyalty and conviction (and of those that weaken it); the foundation of what is now a legacy.
Gyo by Junji Ito

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

My third voyage into Junji Ito's work has defied expectations, mostly. While I had anticipated the dark aesthetic that has permeated my experiences of his work, this was my first encounter with its mood tilting towards the darkly comic side of the spectrum. The depths of Gyo's waters uncover the horrors of its past, a country's tally of mortalities manifesting in a senseless madness that spreads and consumes the unsuspecting living. Though many cases would have left me detested for the campiness that its storytelling inhabits, it finds itself comfortable running through the established motions, with much of its key characters merely as signifiers of its inherent themes, perhaps even a deliberate diversion of our focus to the event than the characters themselves. As far-fetched as the premise may be, Ito has brought forth something fairly accessible, imaginative, and strange.
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

4.0

In the assurance of Michael Morpurgo's storytelling, despite the migration of perspective to a species removed from our own, the endured journey remains a relatable one. Indeed, War Horse does not intend to shed an innovative light on this historical moment but to reinforce familiar themes through an alternative position. In the eyes of its titular horse, Joey, we witness the war's ability to disconnect relationships, corrupt prejudices, and minimise the value of existence. Yet, through this unorthodox perspective, the readers are provided with a window into the human condition on both sides, with its viewpoint tenderly and empathetically weaved and tethered through the innocent means of a horse searching for a purpose and care.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I was immediately left with a weight of sadness and affected by a deep-seated ache as time around me quietly lingered after reading its final moments. Not only did I feel connected to the promising ambitions and sympathetic to their endured struggles, but through its ability to humbly paint a scene and thematically populate the reading experience, I was entertained, engaged, and in thought all throughout.
Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 4 by Kazuo Umezz

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mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

With its final pages providing a glimpse, although a rather muted one, of a concluding statement, Volume 4 managed to continue briefly the strong quality of its preceding volume, but only to find itself stumbling back to its melodramatic formulas of the series' initial tales. That being said, Umezz seemed to have found further confidence throughout the series, with Orochi's purpose as a storytelling device and her distinction from those observed greater defined. While the author-artist finds himself returning to an over-involved presence in his final story, it remains restrained in comparison, saving itself from potentially being another loathsome readthrough. 
Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 3 by Kazuo Umezz

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

It was sympathy that became the key differentiator between this and its predecessors, with characters and their respective stories having earned their worth for investment, a depth and a cause for reflection that had caught me off-guard. The titular character remains a distant observer, but this time her curiosity-stemmed questions are far more careful in their execution, as a striking balance is now found in the lives that are followed and her place within the narrative. Undoubtedly, that dramatic energy remains here, it is a pace away from the melodramatic coarseness that I had previously felt. Though it is now firmly evident that the intention for Orochi was to be simply a conduit for its anthropological and voyeuristic form, I had hoped that a greater depth of her would at some point be evident. At least, we are finally seeing a sense of heart, and arguably positivity, that was barely previously offered.
Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 2 by Kazuo Umezz

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sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

With its titular character clearly a distant curious observer, there is a perfect opportunity to reveal alternative insights and musings of her human subjects, but rather than providing that opportunity, Kazuo Umezz seems more determined to sink its perspective deep into the actual lives that are being observed. It is almost as if we are entrenched in life's melodramatic swirls that don't reveal more than its surface handouts. I will not deny the entertainment value that some of these stories bring (Key and Prodigy), but like my thoughts on the previous volume, it all still felt rather hollow.
Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 by Kazuo Umezz

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Drifting Classroom was my introductory meal to Kazuo Umezz's brand of storytelling, granted it was a story that I appreciated at the time of reading, but rather mixed or uncertain of my feelings in retrospect. There was concern that the same would be for Orochi. While this time its stories are anthological rather than linear, it managed to bring some intrigue through the curious relationship of its titular character shares with the various figures that she finds herself stumbling (or imposing, really) upon. Due to the observant nature of these stories, emotional investment felt unrequired, but encouraging for analysis. Seeing events unfold in their horrifying and baffling fashion established a sense of shock towards life's melodramatic unfolding. Suffering is at the centre of its two stories, often internally generated and outwardly manifested. While deliberate in its perspective, it was an appreciated experience, despite being left hollow.
A Brief History of Vietnam by Bill Hayton

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Bill Hayton has managed to fabricate the thread of a nation's journey, the developments and pitfalls within its borders that have been influenced by those living within and those outside with determined interests. While its title states its <i>brief</i> history, there is wealth in the depths that Hayton recounts, and it does so without abandoning the interlinks between the past and the present — a great starting point for diving into the history of Vietnam.