wylanslcve's reviews
354 reviews

Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 3 (Light Novel): The Untold Origins of the Detective Agency by Kafka Asagiri, Sango Harukawa

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

although the writing style was a bit iffy to me (but that could just be an issue of translation), this was so much fun! I've already watched the bsd anime (which I have a significant amount of issues with having completed the manga), so I already knew what to expect going into this light novel, but there were so many little things about this novel that weren't adapted into the anime (for instance, there isn't anywhere near as much emphasis placed on ranpo's parents in the anime as there is in the light novel) that only elevated the story for me. and I didn't expect this to also include a short story following the night prior to atsushi's entrance exam! that was also such an unanticipated delight.
Blue Graffiti by Calahan Skogman

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"I thought about Johnston, about everything and everyone. I thought about our lives, and the graffiti of our town. We each left our mark. We are cracks in sidewalks, bent street signs, rusted gutters, and train tracks. We are nails in wooden boards, handprints in cement. We are creaks in the doors of diners, stains from cigarettes. We are streaks of graffiti, blue as the sky."

I had been introduced to skogman through his role as matthias in netflix's shadow & bone, and while the show itself had many shortcomings, skogman's performance was phenomenal, so naturally I was excited to read his debut. to put it simply, blue graffiti is an ode to small town living; a poignant and poetic tale of nostalgia and faith; of love in all of its forms and its potential to hurt, to heal, to break us apart and stitch us back together; of grief and forgiveness and everything in between. skogman has clearly scattered parts of his own soul into the very fabric of this work, and even if you're going into this book not very familiar with him as a person, you can certainly feel that through his prose and through cash's character specifically.

while nothing really happened in terms of plot progression, I actually didn't mind that at all. this is a piece of literary fiction, which is more character-oriented, so if that style of storytelling isn't for you, then maybe don't pick this book up. anyway, everything about this book felt so raw and authentic, down to even the dialogue exchanged between the characters and the way skogman chose to structure it. while the omission of "he/she says"/"I say" and its variations made keeping up with who was saying what quite difficult, it simultaneously made each conversation feel so natural and realistic. I also switched between the physical and audiobook copies of this book, and the audiobook truly elevated the experience of reading this. if reading the physical copy already made this book feel so authentic, somehow the audiobook amplified that authenticity tenfold. skogman makes a fantastic narrator!

apart from a few issues I had with this book (such as the omission of "he/she says"/"I say" that made the conversations difficult to follow; the immense focus on rose that made it seem like she was going to be more involved in the story than she actually was; and a few other things I can't get into because of spoilers), I did still enjoy it for the most part.

(p.s. there were so many gorgeous quotes in this book, but I can't possibly include all of them otherwise I'd just end up including the entire novel asdfghjkl)

"We are stars in the sky, like far away lamps, in a blues dipped, infinite world."

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 25 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I BEG YOUR FINEST PARDON?!?!?!?!?!
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 24 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I’m about to just *screams into the void*
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 23 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

the old man yaoi is going to be the death of me.
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 22 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

all I ask is to give sigma a break and to stop stabbing kenji. 
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 21 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

WHY ARE ALL OF MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS DEAD, DYING OR MISSING?!?!?!?!?! ASAGIRI I AM IN YOUR WALLS
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 20 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this series has me going grey prematurely (/j) also sskk you will ALWAYS be famous.
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 19 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

AKUTAGAWAAAAAAA
Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 18 by Kafka Asagiri

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

tachihara the man you are.