wolfiegrrrl's reviews
236 reviews

The Dino Holidays series is a fun addition to the Dino Sports universe. These books don't really do much to explain the reason for the holidays featured, instead focusing on some traditions that will be easily recognizable to children who celebrate them. The rhymes are simple and delightful but might go over the heads of some younger readers who are more interested in seeing what seasonal shenanigans the dinosaurs get up to.

This time, the sport of the season is a colorful egg hunt. Whose eggs are they eating and why did this become an annual tradition? They can't be dinosaur eggs, so perhaps this implies the existence of animal husbandry in their dinosaur society.

I didn't really think the detour into the fucked up lives of the creepy adults was strictly necessary, but I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else from this series.

Overall, I'm not a fan of the "jealous of youth" theme, which seems to be used as an excuse for pedophilia. Because oooooobviously these creepy adults are gonna be into high school boys because that's the height of youth and naturally will find them soooooooooo attractive because they too wish they could be young again. WRONG. BAD AND WRONG. STOP THIS. Ugh, I hate it.

At least this volume did kind of highlight some of the concerns people have about marriage and coming out when you're queer. I just can't praise it for that because of the disgusting stereotyping about gay men being pedophiles as though that's a "natural" thing; to go so far as to claim that it's because they're "troubled" is just... disgusting.

"I have a policy of never touching students."
LIES! YOU DO NOT HAVE A POLICY OF NEVER TOUCHING STUDENTS BECAUSE YOU'VE DONE SO MULTIPLE TIMES, YOU CREEP!

Sora is too good and deserves better than this pedo. I'm so upset.

I am so weak for the domestic moments Kusakabe and Sajou share. It was great getting to see how they came to terms with their relationship changing as they prepared to walk their own paths in life and figure out a place for each other in their plans for the future.

That being said, I'm not exactly a fan of boys negatively saying they're "acting like girls" or "turning into girls" just because they're dating boys and having emotions and caring about each other, as though boys can't also feel or act that way. It's really weird and unsettling the way I've seen it handled in manga like this, but... the story between these two kids is still very wholesome, so I can let it slide because it's not so bad that it comes across as sexist or fetish-y like in some other series I can think of.

I love Kusakabe's wholehearted dedication to bold gestures of affection. It contrasts so beautifully with Sajou's more shy and reserved manner. I have such a soft spot for the fluffy moments where they casually learn more about each other and, since I read this series to see them explore their relationship and steadily let each other deeper into their lives, I was disappointed to see that there was a heavier focus on the creepy teacher in this volume.

It doesn't sit well with me at all that most of the teachers in this series are apparently pedophiles, especially since it's treated as okay and normal by the story, and I'm really not a fan of the implications made about homosexuality there either. The incorrect stereotype pushed by bigots that pedophilia and homosexuality go hand in hand is gross, but it's particularly unsettling here when it gets used as a plot device to make the kids feel insecure in their relationship... and then they're told that that insecurity is stupid to feel because the pedophile "wasn't a threat" all along. That's so backwards and manipulative, and it's just played off as a funny little part of young love to feel jealous or worry that someone with clear power over you and your partner will use that power against you.

The only silver lining here is that the story still mostly focuses on Kusakabe and Sajou outside of all that, so I tried my best to ignore it and focus on the wholesome moments of their relationship instead.

This is a cute story about a budding first love... as long as you focus solely on Kusakabe and Sajou. I love how awkward they are as they figure out what they feel for each other and how to approach this relationship. They aren't perfect, but they're trying and it's extremely sweet. I just really wish they didn't have to deal with a child predator butting into their relationship. Being a teenager is already rough enough without being taken advantage of by an authority figure you are forced to spend time with every day, especially when that behavior is excused by practically everyone around you.

I didn't stop reading because of any serious flaw in the book. It just wasn't catching my interest. As this is the third (and so far final) book in the Happiness Key series and I haven't read the first two, I know I'm missing a lot of context regarding the characters' relationships and that may be why I wasn't feeling super invested in what was happening. Going in blind, the writing comes across as dull to me.

One thing that did make me feel wary was the way "the Indian wife" was written in the story. She is the only character who speaks differently than the others. The white characters don't even have inflection or turns of phrase that are unique to them, yet this Indian character comes out speaking like she doesn't know English very well. And yes, I am aware that there are people who speak like that! But when all of the white people speak like the author writes (as though they are carbon copies) when that just isn't true to reality, it seems like a deliberate choice by the author to make this character different in such a... stereotypical way? It's mainly giving me "shallow surface level inclusion for the sake of ~diversity~ uwu" vibes and I am primed to be suspicious of this. This may be a too-quick judgment on my part, so take it with a grain of salt as always.

This is a fun short story that teaches kids about what going to the dentist is like by using the Big Bad Wolf as a stand-in for readers who might be nervous and offering them support in the form of Elmo's friendship. What I like about this is the impression it gives off that, if someone as tough as the Big Bad Wolf can be brave enough to go to the dentist, so can a child.

The Branches Book reprint of the Pixie Tricks series seems to have made an effort to diversify the cast, at least in character design, but I have yet to see those changes expressed in the text. What is clear in the text is a personality rewrite for Violet and Leon.

Violet has been rewritten to be a "nicer" character from the start and that becomes more obvious when she is immediately honest with Leon and doesn't drag her feet through the adventure as much as she did in the original Little Apple series. Plus, she and Leon aren't as sassy to each other in this Branches Book, though they do still butt heads. They feel less like real children with real flaws and more like they've been scrubbed clean in order to be "good behavior models" for their audience. They may be less relatable as people, but the kids I'm reading these books with still really enjoy the way they're written, so that's what counts.

It is really interesting to see the modern updates to the pop culture references, though! It's wild how much has changed in just two decades! Video game outlets are a thing of the past, and Treasure Island and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz don't seem as culturally relevant as they were when I was growing up with the series.

I really like the introduction of family in this book. As cousins who live together, Violet and Leon have a "reluctant sibling" relationship dynamic that feels very believable. It's clear that they have a lot they still need to learn about each other and this adventure seems to be a fantastic gateway to further development.

Jolt is a fun character and I love the cameos from other escaped pixies in Thea Kliros' interior illustrations! They're always such a joy to see.