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leonalikesliterature's reviews
350 reviews
Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1 by Mokumokuren
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Boy Meets Maria by PEYO, Kōsei Eguchi
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
A heart-wrenching and beautiful manga that explores how one’s gender identity intersects with their personhood.
I felt conflicted about Yuu’s character. I sort of wish Yuu’s story hadn’t been just based on their r@pe and that their gender confusion wasn’t rooted in multiple layers of trauma, because the story does perpetuate the idea that people are trans or nonbinary because they are traumatized. There are also a lot of questionable scenes or words said between the two leads that I think crossed multiple lines, which is a shame because Taiga and Arima were so cute together when they were sweet.
Overall, this story was tragic, and at times also funny and up-lifting, however, it was definitely imperfect.
I felt conflicted about Yuu’s character. I sort of wish Yuu’s story hadn’t been just based on their r@pe and that their gender confusion wasn’t rooted in multiple layers of trauma, because the story does perpetuate the idea that people are trans or nonbinary because they are traumatized. There are also a lot of questionable scenes or words said between the two leads that I think crossed multiple lines, which is a shame because Taiga and Arima were so cute together when they were sweet.
Overall, this story was tragic, and at times also funny and up-lifting, however, it was definitely imperfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
slow-paced
2.0
What I like most about memoirs is that they are introspective, reflective, and personal, and although Maid perfectly depicted how poverty entraps individuals into endless cycles of suffering, I found the rest of the memoir lacking.
The writing wasn’t very good. The timeline was very confusing and often jumped from place to place without smooth transitions, and I often felt that things were always either over or under explained, and after finishing it, I still didn’t feel connected to the author. There were a lot of questions I had while reading that never got answered, like what was Stephanie Land doing during her early and mid twenties? Why did she continue working as a maid despite the poor pay and high transportation costs? Had she considered working at a restaurant or a grocery store or even the daycares her daughter went to? Why did she wait until her late twenties and early thirties to go to college? Did she consider her financial situation before deciding to have Mia? I’m not asking these questions because I want to criticize and judge her, but there were huge gaps in my understanding of her life and it was hard to grasp the whole picture.
Honestly, I think this book focused more on being poverty inspiration than anything else, which is why it lacked both self-reflection and systemic critique. Although Land explains well how the government fails impoverished people, she doesn’t critique the system itself. I feel like this book is popular because it’s a “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” story, but lots of people live in poverty and never get book deals. I expected this book to be a mix of nonfiction and memoir, but it disappointed on both fronts.
The writing wasn’t very good. The timeline was very confusing and often jumped from place to place without smooth transitions, and I often felt that things were always either over or under explained, and after finishing it, I still didn’t feel connected to the author. There were a lot of questions I had while reading that never got answered, like what was Stephanie Land doing during her early and mid twenties? Why did she continue working as a maid despite the poor pay and high transportation costs? Had she considered working at a restaurant or a grocery store or even the daycares her daughter went to? Why did she wait until her late twenties and early thirties to go to college? Did she consider her financial situation before deciding to have Mia? I’m not asking these questions because I want to criticize and judge her, but there were huge gaps in my understanding of her life and it was hard to grasp the whole picture.
Honestly, I think this book focused more on being poverty inspiration than anything else, which is why it lacked both self-reflection and systemic critique. Although Land explains well how the government fails impoverished people, she doesn’t critique the system itself. I feel like this book is popular because it’s a “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” story, but lots of people live in poverty and never get book deals. I expected this book to be a mix of nonfiction and memoir, but it disappointed on both fronts.