ARC Review: Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up!

Title: Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up!

Author: Various 

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Expected Date of Publication: August 18th, 2015

Number of Pages: 99

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

After their victory in the Super Secret Crisis War, the Powerpuff Girls take it easy with a rave VIP tour of Dexter's Laboratory! But when tag-along Dee Dee accidentally activates Dexter's newest invention, the fate of the entire multiverse is suddenly at stake! A dimensions-spanning epic into the worlds of Courage the Cowardly Dog, Cow and Chicken, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Dexter's Laboratory! 

Review

Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! is a graphic novel that is sure to transfer you back in time. I was so happy to find out that it includes so many characters from many of the most beloved Cartoon Network series, like Dexter, Courage, and Cow and Chicken. Between the main story there were a few short stories with Courage the Cowardly Dog, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, a well as a very special Mojo Jojo story and one with Dexter and Dee Dee. Finally, there is also a small cameo from The Justice Friends. The result is this crazy and totally hilarious graphic novel!

The story isn't the most original one, but it's never dull. The Powerpuff Girls visit Dexter's laboratory, in order to get a tour in exchange for a sample of the famous Chemical X. But Dexter's sister as usual creates a small accident and the Chemical X falls on her. As a result, she turns into a monster and runs into another universe. So, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup follow Dee Dee, in order to save the multiverse from the upcoming chaos. The fact that all those characters don't exist on the same universe, and that Dexter is trying to create a multiverse transporter in order for them to communicate, really was something that fascinated me. It was exciting to try to guess in which universe they were heading next.

Dexter and Powerpuff Girls is a great combination. Adorable superhero girls, along with a boy genius. What could possibly go wrong? Along with Professor Utonium, Dee Dee and Mojo Jojo as the villain the result could never be boring. But why do all the evil ones have the self-destruction button placed in such an obvious place? 

       

To summarise, Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up! is a hilarious graphic novel, with a lot of popular characters. The designs are nice and colourful and it's a book filled with action. I had a great time reading it and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you are familiar with all those characters.

So, my advice is...

Join Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup! 

ARC Review: Let's Eat Ramen and Other Doujinshi Short Stories by Nagumo and Aji-Ichi

Title: Let's Eat Ramen and Other Doujinshi Short Stories

Mangaka: Nagumo and Aji-Ichi 

Publisher: Gen Manga Entertainment

Expected Date of Publication: August 18th, 2015

Number of Pages: 120

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Doujinshi, otherwise known as independent manga in Japan, is rarely published in English. In fact, it's considered underground and  quite exclusive in its home country of Japan as well. Let's Eat Ramen and Other Doujinshi Short Stories finally gives western readers an exclusive look at the elusive world of contemporary Japanese doujinshi manga. Let's Eat Ramen is a three-part tale of Saeki, a girl who loves ramen noodles. At last, she thinks that she has finally found the perfect ramen shop, but the problem is the shop is completely full of old regulars and she can't get in. Will the timid Saeki ever summon the willpower to reach out and get the ramen that she desperately wants?

Review

Let's Eat Ramen and Other Doujinshi Short Stories is a rather simple, but enjoyable manga. It includes four stories, the first one Let's Eat Ramen created by Nagumo and the rest Plastic Blue, Urameshiya and You Make Me Dizzy created by Aji-Ichi. All of those stories are slice-of-life, focusing more on the everyday lives of contemporary Japanese teenagers, rather than having a strong story. I find that this kind of narrative works perfectly in short stories, so this edition was a pleasant read for me.

The first story, the one that has lent its name and cover to the whole volume, is really unique. Saeki is obsessed with ramen and really wants to try some from a ramen shop, but she's too shy to go there alone. Besides the place is always full with its usual customers. One day after school, while trying to find the courage to walk into the store, she runs into Hozuki, one of her classmates and persuades him to go together. So they begin to regularly go to various ramen places together and it sort of feels like they are dating. The story doesn't go further from this point, but it was sweet and it really made me hungry. I mean, since I've read it, I really want to try ramen, but not the instant one.

Plastic Blue is the second story and it's in a completely different tone from the first one. But it's only natural since they are created by a different mangaka. Here, the protagonists are two high school girls, who are attracted to one another. I like the fact that this lesbian romance hasn't the erotic element that is often seen in other manga and is also enough naive, as would be any romance during high school. 

In the third story, Urameshiya, I'm not sure if the attraction between those two high school girls is just friendly or something more. Anyway, it was a sweet story, but not very original. Hanako is an anti-social girl, who likes to tend the flowers and meets Shibata-san from the swimming club. Every time they meet, they slowly get closer to one another. Meanwhile, there is a rumor in the school that the ghost of a girl that was drowned in the swimming pool has started appearing. In the end though, everything is resolved and the two girls can finally begin their friendship.

The last story, You Make Me Dizzy, along with the first one, were my favourites from this volume. A yet another high school girl is drawn to another girl, who is hanging out at the school library and reads many difficult books. This dizziness she feels around her, we don't get to understand what it means, but most probably it's not just a friendly feeling. This story too wasn't very original, but both of the characters were really likeable. They way they tried to approach one another even though they were so different, was something that got my attention.

Let's Eat Ramen and Other Doujinshi Short Stories is a welcome read to all those who want something light, pleasant and quick. I don't know if someone who hasn't read a manga before will find it enjoyable since a lot of things might seem a little bit weird. If you are familiar with manga and want to explore something more independent than the well-known titles, this is one volume you should pick up. 

So, my advice is...

     Enjoy a plate of ramen!

The Reading Book Post, May 12th

I'm finally done with the Japanese themed read and I'm very happy about it. I really enjoyed all of the books I had chosen. My favourites were probably Battle Royale and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Kitchen was also an emotional read, Hotel Iris was unique, Kafka on the Shore and The Woman in the Dunes both disturbing, with eerie and dark atmosphere. The next themed read will be quite different, but I'll announce it later this month, as other reviews are on the top of my list. Anyway, let's see what happened in the literary world the last week.

• The Arthur C.Clarke Award was given to Emily St. John Mandel for her novel Station Eleven, in a ceremony that took place in the Foyles bookshop flagship store on Charing Cross Road, London. In a completely different tone, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave an amazing speech at the PEN World Voices festival, in which she critiqued the "codes of silence" that rule American life.

• The Bazaar of Bad Dreams the upcoming short story collection by Stephen King finally has a cover. Earlier last week the cover was revealed on his official page. I found it quite simple, but really nice. What do you think? Do you like it?

• Archivists from the University of California discovered and authenticated a 150-years-old stash of Samuel Clemens's stories, known as Mark Twain. The stories are written with Twain's usual humorous style, although they were written in a tough period of his life. I really hope that an edition with these stories will be published!

• In the beginning of the month a rare first edition and signed copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude had disappeared from its guarded display case at Bogota's book fair, which this year was honouring the late author. Luckily the police have announced that the copy was found, but further details will follow the next days.

• Romance novels are really popular, and why not? I would lie to you if I didn't admit that I often read romance novels and I enjoy them immensely. But who in the romance novel reader? Myths and realities, about a lot of misconceptions concerning this particular genre.

• William Shakspeare invented many words that are commonly used nowadays. But can you guess which one? Take this quiz to find out. How much did you score? I only got 7/10 right!

Listening to The Magic Whip by Blur

This is the second week that I take part in One Week, One Album, the music meme hosted by Killian @ Leaf On the Breeze. This was an album of my choice and as you can see it's The Magic Whip, the new album by Blur. 

Do you need an introduction to Blur? They were one of the most popular and recognisable Britpop groups of the '90s. I myself am a great fan and this album came when I was sure that I would never hear anything new by Blur again. Indeed, Blur released their last album Think Tank in 2003. After that, each of them followed a solo career, with Damon Albarn later forming the animated group Gorillaz. So, The Magic Whip for me was a big deal.

When I put on the album, from the first chords I was screaming "It's Blur, it's the new Blur". The opening song Lonesome Street reminded me a lot of the group's previous songs and raised my expectations. As the songs progressed I heard that this wasn't just Blur doing the same thing they did 15 years ago. It's Blur in the present and I loved this fact because after such a long absence I was afraid that they wouldn't find a common ground to create something new. There are both upbeat songs, as well as slower tracks, like the eerie Pyongyang. Lyrically also The Magic Whip didn't disappoint me, the track that stayed with me the most was My Terracotta Heart. The only thing I would say about this album is the monotonous vocals by Damon Albarn, especially for those who will listen to Blur now for the very first time. All in all, The Magic Whip is a very enjoyable album, it was a strong comeback by Blur and made me a fan all over again.

Favourite Tracks in the Album: Lonesome street, New World Towers, Thought I was a Spaceman


Literary References: Unfortunately none.


Is it a good reading companion? Yes, it is an excellent reading companion. The monotonous vocals really help. 

Review: Puella Magi Madoka Magica by Magica Quarter and Hanokage

It's not a secret that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a deconstruction of the magical girl genre. Indeed, it's nothing like you would expect it to be. Contrarily this is a manga that not only isn't targeted to a young female audience, but also feels very mature, almost heavy at times. ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

Madoka Kaname and her friend Sayaka Miki are approached by a magical creature, Kyubey, who urges them to become magical girls. In exchange, they will have one wish, whatever that is, granted. But the mysterious transfer student Homura Akemi tries to stop them from making a contract with Kyubey. So, in order to help them a veteran magical girl, Mami Tomoe, takes Madoka and Sayaka with her to watch what their responsibilities will be. When things start to go wrong another magical girl appears, Kyouko Sakura and things get really complicated while the truth is slowly revealed. ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

The story starts off really nicely, but the pace picks constantly up. In that way, things go forward quickly but luckily never rushed. In the beginning, there isn't any indication as to what this story is all about, just some girls that thinking about becoming magical girls.  But, it becomes quickly obvious that this is a perilous job and sadness is part of the deal. For what wish would anyone be willing to risk losing everything they have and everyone they love? By the time the final chapter is finished, so much has happened that it's sure that no-one will remain unaffected. ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

The characters in Puella Magi Madoka Magica are all well developed. Each of the five magical girls has its own personality and the way she sees the world. Madoka is a sweet girl, the perfect child, as her mother declares, Sayaka tries to fight for justice, Mami is similar but feels terribly alone, Homura is distant and tries to protect Madoka no matter what and Kyouko seems to care for nothing else than herself. There is also a significant difference on what each of them wished, and each wish has brought an equal amount of pain to all of them. Kyubey at the beginning is a cute creature that the girls are consulting, but by the end the hatred towards it is just too much. Indeed, from the second volume and onward I just couldn't stand it! If I could, I would be violent against it, so much hatred! ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

The illustration is absolutely amazing! These two pages are just a small part of the manga, but you can see how unique it is. All the characters are slightly different from their anime version, but what I really liked is the change in Kyubey's design after we begin to hate him. The witches, the creatures that magical girls have to kill, are very stylish, some of them are even cute. The only thing that I missed from the anime version is the change of atmosphere in the mazes, the places where witches live, they are some of the best visual scenes I've ever come across. Oh, and the music! ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

Now, the time has come to talk about wishes. What kind of wish would make anyone fight for it while putting his life in danger? Eternal youth, happiness, money, all things are included, but there are also wishes that help someone you love. The thing is when you do help someone else, what do you expect of him? The motives may be pure, but we all seek something in return, even if we can't admit it to ourselves. When all these girls wished for something, they put a curse on themselves at the same time. It's sad, but the world needs to balance. ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ 

Puella Magi Madoka Magica didn't disappoint me at all! To be completely honest, I made a significant effort not to sound like a fangirl in the review. But I can't help it, it's amazing! During the third volume, I didn't stop crying and in the end I was saying only one thing "It's such a good story". I would recommend it to everyone without any exception. It's only three volumes and if you need a specific reason to read it chapter 10 is one of them. ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼

So, my advice is...

Will you make a contract with me and become a magical girl?

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼