Imagine discovering a special skill you never thought you had, and realizing how good you are with that certain skill. Now imagine using that skill and turning it into an ideal career. For our main character, her special skill is killing people. I know that last statement definitely raised some eyebrows, but hear me out. This is exactly what happens to our main character in Happy Kanako's Killer Life. After quitting her job due to a toxic boss, Nishino Kanako decides to apply to the first agency she sees and accept whatever job they offer her. She gets the job, only to realize after the fact that the agency she now works for hires contract killers. And her first target to take out is none other than her former boss. Reluctant at first as she doesn't really want to be a killer, Kanako succeeds in her task, and realizes she's quite good at her new job. In addition to that, she actually likes it! Because of her experience with her former (and now deceased) boss, Kanako doesn't have much confidence. With her new job, she begins to feel more happy with herself, but must also keep her new line of work a secret. I mean, who goes out and says, "I have a new job. I'm an assassin!" *throws confetti* Oh where do I begin with this... Well, I found myself actually enjoying this story. It's like the movie Horrible Bosses, but funnier. This full-color manga is hilarious, relatable, and full of animal puns that keeps the story from becoming too dark. The flow of the story was easy to follow, and just to address the elephant in the room, who doesn't want to kill their boss when they act like a toxic jerk, amirite? (For the record: I love my boss and my job. Please don't fire me.) Along with the story, we see Hanako adjusting to her new coworkers, who are obviously the embodiment of the dark, brooding, contract killer trope. They are an extremely stark contrast to our bubbly, nerve-racked killer. The interactions they have are so left field, it's just leaves you wanting more of this very, very eclectic team, especially when one of them might be harboring a crush on our girl. I give Happy Kanako's Killer Life a 4.5/5. I'm really surprised that this series hasn't received much attention, and it's absolutely criminal. This is a sleeper hit that you definitely don't want to miss. *Bad puns, I know*
0 Comments
Happy 2022, everybody!
I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. I apologize for not having a review for the beginning of the year. I had an eventful January, which included catching the omicron variant, and dealing with a wonderful bout of food poisoning. Fun times. But it's not all bad. While I'll be continuing to write reviews on this blog, I will also be contributing reviews for School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids! I'm so excited and honored to join this amazing team. You can find my first review here. It's posted as a guest, but you'll be seeing more reviews from your friendly neighborhood Library Lady. I will have a new review for this month on this blog, which will be Happy Kanako's Killer Life by Toshiya Wakabayashi. Until then, stay safe, healthy, and sane. For those familiar with the original series (which also became an anime released in January 2021), So I’m a Spider. So What? is the story of a high school girl who finds herself resurrected as a spider in a RPG-like dungeon world where larger, powerful monsters want to eat her. Known as “Kumoko” by fans of the series, our protagonist endures trials and hardships in order to stay alive, as well as build up her strength to become a powerful force to be reckoned with. During one of her adventures, Kumoko develops the ability to separate her mind into four different entities: Information Brain, Body Brain, Magic Brain #1, and Magic Brain #2. This spin-off showcases the adventures and relationships each brain or “sister” has while inhabiting our hero. Sounds confusing and chaotic. That’s because this manga is confusing and chaotic. If you're a fan of the original, including the light novels, you’ll understand it more than a first-time reader of the series. There’s really no plot to this manga, other than how each brain co-exists with the others. A collection of stories involving each sister in this isekai, which quite honestly, makes absolutely no sense. However, that’s what makes this manga very appealing. To see how the sisters interact is pretty relatable. As with anyone who has siblings, there’s almost always going to be conflict and rivalry. However, there are light hearted tones to show how much the sisters rely and dote on each other. Whether it’s protecting the other’s feelings or defending each other from enemies threatening them (which is very confusing as they are in the protagonist’s body so how is that even possible?!), the sisters stick together and find ways to work it out, compared to the protagonist, who in a previous life was a lonely outsider. It’s funny and easy to follow, but be advised that this is not a continuation of the original story. I give The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters a 3.5/5. If you’re looking for more of the original story, it’s best to continue reading the light novel and manga series. With this new collection, it’s best to take it with a grain of salt, to not take it seriously, and just go along with the insanity. Hi everyone!
I apologize for not having a review up for November. I've been so busy lately, and I want to thank everyone who attended the Teen Talk Through Manga panels at New York Comic Con and Anime NYC. To have a dream like that come true was so surreal. I hope you all enjoyed our talk and took something from it. I also want to share another thing that I'm very proud of. This year, along with presenting at NYCC and Anime NYC, I had the honor of serving on New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens and BIPOC committees. This past week, NYPL released the list of Best Books of 2021, and for the teen list, you may notice some titles that I have reviewed earlier this year. It's been a busy, crazy year for this Library Lady, and I am so grateful for the opportunities I was blessed with. I hope to do more in the new year. I will have a new review soon, but until then, I hope you enjoy our picks of the Best Books of 2021. The BIPOC list will be released soon. 'Til next time ^_^ She sees dead people, and doesn't want them to know that she can see them. It's pretty much the manga version of the movie, The Sixth Sense, and for those old enough to remember this movie (OMG I feel ancient, feel old with me everybody!), the premise of Mieruko-chan is similar to the movie. High schooler Miko finds herself surrounded by horrific-looking ghosts desperate for her attention. She has no idea why they need her (or does she?), and does her best to ignore them while trying to figure out why they are contacting her. It's a new story that is obviously influenced by the movie I mentioned above, which includes a shocking twist that I didn't see coming and has me invested. No spoilers, but the only hint I can give is that it involves someone very close to Miko. Now, is this story good? In a way, it is. It does have flaws that I can get over, but the major flaw I just can't ignore and is a trope I despise the most, is the fan service involving minors. Like I mentioned before, this story centers on a high schooler. There are a couple scenes involving Miko and her very busty friend, Hana, that made me very uncomfortable. There's a shot directly at Miko's crotch where you can clearly see her underwear though her pajamas. Another sequence that almost made me throw this book was where Hana is being groped by a perverted ghost with multiple limbs as she is playfully using a stethoscope on Miko under her shirt. Was that really necessary?! I actually had a guy try to "explain" to me how harmless this scene was. Really. "It's not like she knows they're there." "She's a teenager." "They're not hurting he-" "SHE'S A F****** MINOR!" This was an actual conversation. Some of you of the male persuasion disappoint me sometimes. Despite my gripe, the cliffhanger at the end does have me hooked and need to know more about Miko's connection with these spirits. I guess I'll have wait until I read volume 2, or watch the anime that is currently streaming on Funimation. In addition, the art work in Mieruko-chan is amazing, especially with the ghosts. Some of them were Junji Ito level, so much that I couldn't read this book at night. I give Mieruko-chan a 3/5. The story is engaging and makes you want more. What I don't want more of is the underage fan service. Just... no. If I ever needed a good rom-com in my life, this book delivered it. This story was unlike anything I've ever read in my life. So many romantic hijinks and chaos, and it's all caused by an eraser. Yes, an eraser. My Love Mix-Up centers on Aoki, who has a crush on his female classmate, Hashimoto. However, she has a crush on someone else, as Hashimoto has her crush's name etched in her eraser. When Aoki sees the name "IDA" etched on the eraser, he becomes disheartened that he accidentally drops the eraser, and who happens to pick it up but Ida, the boy whose name is on the damn eraser. And the kicker, Ida thinks the eraser belongs to Aoki, and that Aoki has a crush on him! And here's where the chaos begins. As Aoki tries to correct the miscommunication by trying to set up Ida with Hashimoto, he finds himself in chaotic, and very humorous, situations while struggling with his growing feelings for Ida. For example, poor Aoki being forced to portray Juliet in the school play opposite Ida's Romeo. Oh my lord, where do I begin? The characters are so great that the reader will want to root for all of them. Aoki is so noble to attempt to set up the two people he has feelings for despite his own growing attraction to Ida. Hashimoto wants Aoki to pursue his crush, whoever it may be. Ida wants to clarify the miscommunication between himself and Aoki, but Aoki just seems to misunderstand whatever Ida is telling him. There's no ill will between them or any shady behaviors. These teens are being honorable and honest towards each other. It's so refreshing that there's no overuse of the tropes we usually see in these stories. The storytelling is not offensive towards the LGBTQ community, and the ending was so damn good that I'm still invested and looking forward to volume two. My Love Mix-Up comes out in October, and I cannot recommend this manga enough. It deserves a 5/5 because of its relatable characters, storytelling, and an ending that will make you laugh and go "are you kidding me?!" Seriously, that was my actual reaction to the cliffhanger. Absolutely worth it. It's true what people are saying right now. It's a great time to be a wrestling fan again. And we have All Elite Wrestling (AEW) to thank for that. The last time I went to a wrestling show was over twenty years ago. It was WWE Monday Night Raw during the Attitude Era (When it was WWF, yes I'm showing my age *shut up*). These were the days of DX, Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. However my interest in WWE began to wane due to my interest in WCW (Crow Sting Era YAAAAASSSS!!!) and Ring of Honor, where years later I would be introduced to The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega AKA The Elite. When AEW came onto the scene, I was immediately invested because they gave us fans something that other wrestling promotions didn't: inclusiveness. We now have LGBTQIA talent not being used as comedy in a stereotypical sense, and women main-eventing the programs that didn't include having their clothes ripped off. That was fun to watch >_> Yes, WWE did have women main-eventing too, but AEW really did it first and with gusto. I mean, that match between Dr. Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa?! Damn that was a MATCH! Hell, it could've been a death battle! So when my friend/colleague got us tickets to the September 22nd Grand Slam event at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, we were super excited. And finding out that one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, Sting, was going to have a match, I wore my Sting t-shirt and was ready to go! Now, we knew it was going to be a long night for us as they were not only doing Dynamite live, but taping Dark Elevation and Rampage. But, from beginning to end, the excitement was so lit and I really have to give credit to announcer Justin Roberts for keeping all us attendees engaged. First was the AEW Dark Elevation taping, and the highlight for me was definitely seeing Thunder Rosa in-person. Another plus was seeing Paul Wight (formerly The Big Show), squash three jobbers with the Gunn Club watching. Then came The Dark Order. Love these guys to death! They're just the best. John Silver is just adorbs. Then we went live for AEW Dynamite, with the first match being the one EVERYBODY was hyped for: Kenny Omega vs. Byran Danielson. Holy s***, this match had me on my feet from beginning to end. The bumps they were taking made my jaw job and literally scared for Danielson, who has a history of neck problems. These guys, who are also my all-time favorites, were beating the holy hell out of each other to the match ending in a draw due to the time limit. I can't wait to see how their story plays out. One of the many things I like about Kenny Omega is his ability to sell a storyline (and that he's a big gaming, anime-loving nerd. I would love to hang with him in real life and defeat him in games, but I digress). I will say as much as I like the Rocky reference on his twitter, there definitely has to be a rematch. Quit playin' with us, bruh. Heh. Next, CM Punk on the mic. My friend is a HUGE CM Punk fan, and he was over the moon to see him, and that he was wrestling later on Rampage. More on that later. The heat towards MJF was real, even his own parents didn't like him (kayfabe, y'all.). His win toward Brian Pillman Jr. did suck, but again, a great match. On thing I did not expect at all was the crowd turning on Cody Rhodes during his match with Malakai Black, even though I was rooting for Black. Queens definitely belonged to the House of Black, and celebrated his win over Rhodes. But it was great seeing Brandi back after the birth of her and Cody's daughter. I love Brandi and admire her greatly for all the work she does. Now, FTR vs. Sting and Darby Allin. I was near tears that I finally the legendary icon and Darby Allin wrestle and win. Sting, who is 62-years-old, still has the moves and energy after all these years. Such a great match, I'm still speechless. The main event for Dynamite was Dr. Britt Baker, DMD vs the newly arrived Ruby Soho. I love both of these ladies, and the match was so close with the Dr. winning (with some help, not that she needed it.). But overall, another great match that only AEW can deliver. Now to Rampage and the TV wrestling debut of CM Punk vs Powerhouse Hobbs from Team TAZ. I divided my time watching this match and side-eyeing my friend who was just awestruck seeing his hero in action. That bump Hobbs took on his head, oh my god. I seriously hope he's alright, but CM Punk still got it and I'm grateful to see it. No more grateful than my friend, but still grateful. The Young Bucks and Adam Cole *BAY BAY!* vs. Jurassic Express and Christian Cage. It was so hard to choose sides with this one, but an amazing match with the Superkliq winning the match. But we know this feud is far from over, now with Bryan Danielson on the scene. Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. The Men of the Year. First off, I love Ethan Page's vlogs (I love everybody's honestly, but when he's with Danhausen and doing his cheat days, it's just gold), and he is such a great heel. Seeing Jericho and Hager lose like that hurt. Wonder how they're going to top that loss moving forward. But I got to sing "Judas" *horribly*, so yay! Epic match between Santana & Ortiz and the Lucha Bros vs. HFO (Private Party and The Butcher & The Blade), with hometown boys Santana & Oritz repping NYC with their Warriors homage was on point!!! If they lost, NYC would've rioted. Damn awesome match. and Orange Cassidy making an appearance to even the odds against HFO. Too cool. Next up, Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford. Can I just say that AEW's women's roster is just the best?! Great match with Penelope ford cheating to win, Tay Conti trying to make to save to no avail, until the Dark Order and Orange Cassidy *again* with Kris Statlander making the save. Such an awesome set-up with was slightly marred by my friend swooning over Anna Jay (Ok, I did swoon over Sting, Darby Allin, and Kenny Omega, so I guess we're even). Final epic match of the night: Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston vs the legendary Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer. Thus was a Lights Out match, where there are no rules and anything can happen. And boy did everything happen. The guys brutalized each other and it was an all-out brawl. What I didn't expect was LAX's Homicide to appear. We literally jumped out of our seats when his music hit. AEW keeps breaking down that Forbidden Door and keeps us fans riveted and thirsty for more! I don't know what else to say. AEW keeps giving us such amazing stories and action, it's not hard to see why they are surpassing WWE right now. They know what fans want and deliver it with the same love and passion we give to them. AEW's Grand Slam was a solid 5/5 and I'm so glad that my first wrestling show in over 20 years was this one. A great time to be a fan indeed. Sibling Rivalry. Most of us have been there. It sucks. There's no question about that.
But what happens when you are referred to as the "cursed child" by your own family? It stings more than anything. It's also horrifically cruel. Moon and Star are twin sisters who couldn't be more different if they tried. Star is a beautiful, "pure," social influencer whose focus is on purity and religion. Moon is more spiritual, "less beautiful" (ugh), and is not a virgin, which angers their religious mother. It is very clear that their mother favors Star over Moon, and it's not because Moon has had sex. It goes much deeper than that, which I don't want to spoil. She even goes as far as to abuse Moon over the smallest slight. When Star is invited to join an influencer tour, Moon unwillingly joins as Star photographer and as a "merch girl." During this tour, the reader will meet a variety of characters, including Santiago who has a love-hate relationship with Moon while working with her at the merch table, and discover deeply hidden secrets within the Fuentez family that shows that all things are not what they seem. I must warn that this book is not for the faint of heart. It covers a wide range of topics such as racism, sexism, fatphobia, abuse (religious, mental, physical, etc.), slut-shaming, self-harm, you name it. What Moon endures is absolutely heart-breaking. She is unloved by her mother, who makes sure she knows how much she loathes Moon (for absolutely no logical reason, as the reader will see). The only people who truly love her are her tía (aunt), and Moon and Star's father, who has left the family before the story begins. Star does care for her sister, but does get blinded by her fame, and treats Moon in a distasteful way when she feels overshadowed. We see how Moon seeks validation in unhealthy ways which are very relatable, and you can only sympathize knowing her abusive upbringing. Now the love-hate, will they or won't they relationship between Moon and Santiago. Santiago, whose brother is the organizer of the influencer tour, treats Moon with such contempt when they first meet. It does get annoying at times that I wanted to wring his neck if he was real. But when we learn more about him and his disability caused by an accident, we get a pairing of two people who are "broken" in a way and trying to find their own place outside of their sibling's shadow, as well as overcome their own traumatic past. My feelings were so strong with this book, that when I was away from it, I was feeling withdrawal symptoms. Yeah, this book was really that good. The storytelling was amazing, with the addition of magical realism and shock to keep the reader engaged. How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe is definitely on of my top 5 favorite books of 2021, and I just can't recommend it enough. 5/5 all the way. Oh, to be an social media influencer. I know I shouldn't judge since I do use social media for work and play, but to have my life revolve around social media seems so invasive to me. Like when and how do you separate your normal life from your digital life? This is what our main character, Sunny, will have to learn in Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park. When Sunny hosts a livestream that goes embarrassing awry (#Browniegate), her parents sent her to a farm in Iowa that serves as a digital detox center for those addicted to the internet. Those also seeking treatment include influencers like Sunny, E-gamers, and other internet addicts. While in this unique treatment for a month, Sunny learns how to develop real genuine friendships (and develop a crush on a local farm boy), live a life outside of social media, while battling her need to be on social media with a contest tempting her during this time. This story was very engaging, funny, and very relevant to our current times. So often, we find ourselves living for online likes and validation, we forget to love the person we are and value the people in our real day-to-day lives. While Sunny was introduced to social media early through her mother, as she posted videos of Sunny as a child, we see that social media does play a major role in her life that she neglects parts of her life that are important to her. As a society, we see people create fake lives to impress others, do dangerous stunts that have resulted in serious injury or worse, or just forget to log off. While social media has created stars and provided positive influences, it is important to not ignore reality, and this story expresses this wonderfully as Sunny begins to realize that there is so much more to experience in the real word, instead of using social media to express it. I give Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous a 4.5/5. I highly recommend this book for those who like slice-of-life stories that are relatable with a side of comedy and drama. Hi everyone!
If you haven't done so now, please go check out the Google Doodle today (July 23). There is an anime-style feature which includes Olympic style games. It is some much fun, and what a way to get hyped for the Olympics. Here's more about this feature: Today's Google doodle is an anime-infused sports game. Enjoy the games on Google and the Olympics! |
Who am I?The Library Lady is a Young Adult Librarian and reviewer. She's also a music, anime, and film nerd. Archives
January 2024
Categories |