eeves's reviews
281 reviews

Beautiful art from Junji Ito as always. 

I don’t know how to explain it, but the dialogue in a lot of manga, including this one, feels stilted and campy. Not a big deal in most cases, but tree are times it doesn’t fit with the tone of this particular story. I chalk it up to something getting lost in translation. 

Considering it’s supposedly autobiographical, simply said this is a sad tale. I’d never heard of the author until now and it has me curious to seek out Osamu Dazai/Shūji Tsushima’s works

I kept putting this book on the back burner, thinking I’d get back to it since I’ve already put so much time into it. After realizing it’s been over a month since I last read it, I’ve finally decided to just DNF. 

This is kind of a weird one. I do like the relationship between the main protag, Charlie and his dog Radar. There are genuinely moments that make you go awwww, especially if you’re an animal lover. However, this book really should’ve been edited down. You just… kind of forget you’re even reading a fantasy story. By the time you get to any fantastical elements, you’re already nearly 200 pages in (according to my Kindle) and the first few characters Charlie meets in the other world are so dull I found my attention slipping. 

Honestly, I eventually read a synopsis and the next several hundred pages sounds like uninteresting fantasy tropes, including Charlie’s hair and eyes changing color to show he’s the Chosen One. 

Hate to admit it’s an absolute slog of a book.

Some interesting bits of info, though it can be a little full of itself sometimes as well as repetitive. Love the art

On one hand, while I like the conversational tone, I do wish someone sat down with Dante to help him better express himself at certain points. More editing could’ve tighten things up some, as he could be a bit repetitive and scattered ….but in his defense he does point this out at the start! I think it helps to view this as a stream of consciousness letter he’s sent you, him signing it at the end gives it that vibe. 

Maybe it’s because I’ve read other neurodivergent books and/or picked up info/exp elsewhere, but I felt as though I personally didn’t pick up much new info here. That being said, if you know nothing at all about autism, then this is a helpful intro. However, it can get repetitive and probably could’ve been edited down some.