Happy April 💮 I read a decent amount of stories this month that I'm really excited to share my thoughts on! I seemed to be on some entertainment industry kick, given that 4 out of the 6 books I read have something to do with the entertainment industry. Some of these books I enjoyed more than others, but overall I thought it was a solid reading month for me. It's been a while since I've been consistent with reading, so 2 books and 4 mangas is a win in my books.
Books Mentioned
- This Time It's Real by Ann Liang
- Oshi no Ko by Akasaka Aka & Yokoyari Mengo
- If This Gets Out by Sophia Gonzales & Gale Dietrich
- Seventeen Syrups by Arata Licca
- Tonari no Stella by Ammitsu
- My Happy Marriage by Agitogi Akumi & Tsukioka Tsukiho
This Time It's Real by Ann Liang
I am officially an Ann Liang fan! I loved her debut novel If You Could See the Sun and I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well! I thought the two main characters had a very cute relationship. Eliza was a character with a lot of depth, and I enjoyed learning about her home life and her relationship with her family. The family dynamics were very heartwarming to read, and I felt that Liang captured the portrait of a diasporic family in a very accurate manner.
I do wish Caz stood out on his own as well. Throughout the novel I felt like I didn't know Caz too well as a person, and sometimes he came off as a little too perfect. Even his flaws were somehow perfect. This didn't deter me too much from the story, though, since the very concept of this book is so idealistic so Caz's perfection wasn't too out of place. I also felt like the ending of the story was a bit of a cop-out, and I was a bit disappointed in the very last few chapters of the story.
Overall, This Time It's Real is a coming of age romance centered around the experience of the Asian diaspora. It is Eliza's journey of figuring out who she is though she never feels like there is a place for her to call home. I highly recommend this series for fans of YA romance, and also to those who enjoy reading about the diasporic experience.
Oshi no Ko by Akasaka Aka & Yokoyari Mengo
I gave into the hype and decided to give Oshi no Ko a try! It recently got an anime adaptation sometime in mid-April, and became well-known for its vibrant art style, unpredictable plotline, and the fact that it has a prologue episode that is a whopping 90 minutes long. I had the ending of the prologue spoiled for me since clips of it were making rounds on Tiktok, but the journey to the end (of the prologue) was so intriguing, I ended up not minding the spoilers for the shocking end.
When I started this series, I was unaware of the genre of this manga. It is categorized under seinen, and that classification settles a lot of the questions I had of some of the odd content and plot points that are woven throughout the story. However, that doesn't mean I particularly enjoy them. I enjoy the story a lot; I love stories about the entertainment industry (ex: Idolish7, Ensemble Stars, UniteUp!) so I was not surprised to find myself swept away by this story of Aqua, the main protagonist, taking a deep-dive into the entertainment industry to uncover the corruption burrowed beneath the superficial sparkle and glam. I enjoyed it so much I started reading the manga immediately after watching the prologue. But there were some really odd things in the story that really threw me off, and as much as I tried to ignore them, I really couldn't.
Before I delve into the things that bothered me, I do understand that maybe the things I talk negatively about could appeal to some people; that person just isn't me. Frankly, I don't think that I fit within the intended audience of this manga. Something I really couldn't ignore was the brief mentions and allusions to some frankly inappropriate relationships. The age differences threw me off, as well as the power imbalances. And then it gets a little worse when the supernatural elements kick in and the relationships and age relations are completely scrambled. The one thing that gets me through the story sometimes is the fact that I find myself conveniently forgetting the supernatural element and I will oftentimes see Aqua as his own character and base his age on his appearance. I hate to be reminded otherwise. I would have rated this story a lot higher if not for these really odd things that I personally could not get behind.
All in all, Oshi no Ko is a story that strips back the entertainment industry to its barest, most authentic bones, and aims to expose the rotten side of idol culture. In a way, Oshi no Ko thematically resembles Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue in the way they both show the inhumane practice of objectification of idols by the fans who supposedly love and support them. It has a truly unique storyline that quickly reels you in and very effectively traps you so you can't stop yourself from reading further. I highly recommend Oshi no Ko to fans of psychological dramas like Perfect Blue, and also those who enjoy stories that revolve around public figures and the entertainment industry.
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Gale Dietrich
It truly is a coincidence that I decided to read If This Gets Out and Oshi no Ko at around the same time, but this truly highlights how much I love stories about the entertainment industry. This was such a fun read; I love boy idol groups and reading about their struggles with fame and fandom, and there's the additional plus of this one tackling LGBTQ+ experiences in relation to the entertainment industry.
I thought each of the boys in the group were able to stand their own even though Ruben and Zach are our two narrators. I especially loved Angel, who was so tortured by having to play a persona he couldn't relate to. I enjoyed reading about the friendship within the group, and I honestly wish we got a lot more of that. The relationship between Ruben and Zach progressed at a good pace, and I liked them together. But I didn't feel very strongly about them.
Though I liked this book, my overall impression is that it was fine. I think where it fell short was how much of an imbalance there was between showing and telling. A lot of the story was telling, which isn't a bad thing, but it got to the point where it was overwhelmingly obvious how much the authors fell back on telling rather than showing. A lot of the story lacked the subtlety that they seemed to be trying for. Which is fine, but it personally wasn't my cup of tea.
Overall, If This Gets Out is a very entertaining read with a very endearing cast and a very sweet romance. I highly recommend this for those who love reading about the entertainment industry, especially fans of idol groups!
Seventeen Syrups by Arata Licca
I've been meaning to get through Shikinagi Akira of VOLTACTION's BL recommendation list, so here I am starting from the top with Seventeen Syrups! There are a few on the list that I have read or am currently in the process of reading such as Doukyuusei and Given. I especially adore Given, so I am very excited to read the many other recommendations on the list that I've never heard of.
There's not much that I have to say about Seventeen Syrups. I don't think I'm too used to reading such short works, so it was good enough to entertain me but not so great that it is a story that will stick around in my mind for too long. It was a fine read, and the art was gorgeous throughout. And not to be someone who judges based off tropes, but I'm always a fan of the "popular male lead who seeks the love of those around them because they secretly feel like they are lacking something" trope, and it was done very well here.
Overall, this was a very sweet read and I recommend it if you're looking to read something short and simple to pass the time. And I'll definitely continue checking out Nagi-san's other recommendations!
Tonari no Stella by Ammitsu
I adored Tonari no Stella from the very first excerpt I saw of it on Tiktok. I am back again with the entertainment industry recommendations, I somehow can't seem to escape them. I haven't read a shoujo romance in quite a long time, and I feel like this story has really filled a hole in my heart that I didn't even know existed.
Chiaki and Subaru are so, so cute. Chiaki's insecurities felt very real and her internal conflicts panned out well throughout the story so far. I adore Subaru so much, and their interactions together are honestly so sweet and so adorable. I love the way they care for each other and I love the way they protect each other. I also really like the relationship between their families, and one of my favorite interactions in the story so far (aside from Chiaki & Subaru) happens to be a conversation between Chiaki and Subaru's mother. The story is ongoing right now, but so far the story has been very well-paced and the conflicts have just the right amount of tension. I'm very impressed by Ammitsu's storytelling and their ability to write such interesting characters and character interactions.
Overall, Tonari no Stella is one of my favorite mangas I've read this year so far! It has a very interesting premise and a couple whose chemistry is just so perfect. I may have to take back my earlier statement about not being a fan of the childhood friends-to-lovers trope, all because of this manga. I highly recommend this manga to shoujo romance lovers, especially those who love the childhood friends-to-lovers trope.
My Happy Marriage by Agitogi Akumi & Tsukioka Tsukiho
This manga has been getting a lot of attention lately due to the upcoming anime adaptation this July, and the beautiful art on the cover drew me in immediately. The animation of the PV was very eye-catching, and I most definitely have a weakness for beautifully designed characters like Kudou Kyouka.
So I didn't give this the highest rating, but I didn't give it the lowest rating either. I'm a bit conflicted on how I feel about it. On one hand, I love the setting and the premise. The artwork is gorgeous and the story started off extremely strong. I think it's hard to dislike a Cinderella story. But I do think that Cinderella stories are difficult to pull off, mostly because there are so many variations out there in the world. I also believe that in many Cinderella story spinoffs, there is often a lack of romantic development, similar to the well-loved Disney Cinderella story itself. I unfortunately felt this with My Happy Marriage as well.
The premise started off very strong—Miyo was born into a family who abused and neglected her because she was the product of an arranged marriage, while Kudou was born into a very influential family and has earned the reputation of being cold and callous to his romantic partners. I was excited to see the ice melt between them and to witness their relationship grow and flourish, but I was extremely let down by how abrupt the entire affair seemed. It felt as if he was mean to her at first, then suddenly switched up on her because, surprise, he was actually a nice person who cares for people. I expected the "he isn't as cold as he seems" development, but his sudden attitude switch-up was just too abrupt for me. The author tries to justify it by saying that his other potential fiancées were money-grabbing, social-status-climbing, shallow women, but there is no way that they were all that horrible. Speaking of the heinousness of Kudou's past potential lovers, I also felt like most of the characters in this manga had little to no nuance; they were either all wide-eyed innocence or absolutely unredeemable. Unfortunately, such black-and-white characters do not appeal to me.
Overall, My Happy Marriage has a decent premise and a plot that is enjoyable to read, but I personally could not look past the lack of development and character nuance. However, I am very well-aware of the fact that I am an extremely harsh critic when it comes to romance stories, so I am pretty sure that I'm a tiny minority here in the sea of My Happy Marriage enjoyers. Though this story might not be for me, I do know there are many out there who highly recommend this manga to any shoujo manga readers who like more antiquated settings and the arranged marriage trope.
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I hope everyone had a very fun reading month! There were lots of heavily anticipated book releases this month, and I've heard glowing reviews on so many of them. I'd mentioned before how excited I was to read Emily Henry's new book Happy Place, and I'm very ecstatic to say that I'm currently working on it! I don't think I've ever purchased a book on release day before this, so I'm really crossing my fingers here and hoping that it is as amazing as I have built it up to be in my head. Unfortunately I couldn't finish it in time for the changing of months, but I will definitely have a review up for it in May!Wishing everyone a very fun reading month ahead!
—璇
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