Media Roundup: Library Mini Challenge
Jun. 27th, 2026 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forestofgloryI was feeling very stressed out by my library pile last week so I set myself a goal of reading 4 books form it this week (stretch goal seven). I in fact read 8 library books! Go me! (Of course I got excited and put in to many holds and now I have 8 things to pick up on Monday so it doesn't exactly feel like progress -- maybe I can finish one or two more things before then)
The Truth season 4 has been airing for a bit but I have only manged to watch half of the first episode -- maybe if I get my library pile more under control I set myself a goal of getting caught up -- or at least actually watching some of it.
Anyways here are some thoughts on my recent reading
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 by Hitoshi Ashinano, trans Daniel Komen—Post apocalyptic slice of life manga about a robot who runs a coffee shop in a small town. It’s not explained what happened but there are lots of panels of falling apart roads and other ruins. I know several people who love this, but I merely liked it, which feels a little disappointing. It’s sweet and chill, but honestly I found the lack of explanations a bit distracting.
Nezha 2—I watched this with my group watch Discord (we’ve been trying to do movie night again for a while and it finally worked out) This movie is so pretty! I see why people were raving about the animation. Also lots of cool fights! And I really enjoy the way this movie cares about family relationships and includes a lot of touching parent+child moments.
A Comics Studies Reader ed. Jeet Heer and Kent Worcester—A collection of non-fiction writing about comics. I think this is the first work of prose written for adults that I’ve read this year. I kinda skiped around and skimmed a lot. I’m interested in learning more about comics theory but alot of this was too theoretical or I didn’t really have enough context to understand it. Still there were some interesting tidbits and now I know a little bit more. I’m struggling to find non-fiction about comics that’s what I want to read– probably doesn’t help that I’m not sure exactly what I want to read
Purgatory Funeral Cakes Volume 1 by Sanho—Slice of life manhwa about a bakery that makes funeral cakes. The bakery is kind of a frame for people to come and tell stories about dead loved ones. The art is lovely but the whole thing is very melancholy. I did like the edition of red ink in a format that’s usually black and white
Hirayasumi vol 1+2 by Keigo Shinzō—Slice of life Manga about two cousins living together in a small house (a hiraya) in Tokyo. The younger cousin is an 18 year old woman who just moved to Tokyo for art school and the older cousin is a 29 year old man who works a kinda deadend job at fishpond. It's a pond stocked with fish that people can come fish at in the middle of the city which seems like a cool thing to exist. Anyways he inherited the house from an old woman he befriended who didn't have any relatives. It’s very charming, I find both of the cousins relatable in different ways.
Raging Clouds by Yudori—Another Eisner Award nominee, I didn't know what to expect from this at all. It’s historical fiction set in the Netherlands in the 16th-century. I was surprised by how big it was in print, but it turned out to be a fairly fast read because there aren’t many panels on a page. The art is gorgeous! The story is angry and intense and hopeful all at once. I ended up really liking it!
Content Notes: martial rape, explicit sexual content, slavery, animal cruelty, period typically sexism and racism
The Truth season 4 has been airing for a bit but I have only manged to watch half of the first episode -- maybe if I get my library pile more under control I set myself a goal of getting caught up -- or at least actually watching some of it.
Anyways here are some thoughts on my recent reading
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 by Hitoshi Ashinano, trans Daniel Komen—Post apocalyptic slice of life manga about a robot who runs a coffee shop in a small town. It’s not explained what happened but there are lots of panels of falling apart roads and other ruins. I know several people who love this, but I merely liked it, which feels a little disappointing. It’s sweet and chill, but honestly I found the lack of explanations a bit distracting.
Nezha 2—I watched this with my group watch Discord (we’ve been trying to do movie night again for a while and it finally worked out) This movie is so pretty! I see why people were raving about the animation. Also lots of cool fights! And I really enjoy the way this movie cares about family relationships and includes a lot of touching parent+child moments.
Content notes are spoilerish
Child death, mass murder, material deathA Comics Studies Reader ed. Jeet Heer and Kent Worcester—A collection of non-fiction writing about comics. I think this is the first work of prose written for adults that I’ve read this year. I kinda skiped around and skimmed a lot. I’m interested in learning more about comics theory but alot of this was too theoretical or I didn’t really have enough context to understand it. Still there were some interesting tidbits and now I know a little bit more. I’m struggling to find non-fiction about comics that’s what I want to read– probably doesn’t help that I’m not sure exactly what I want to read
Purgatory Funeral Cakes Volume 1 by Sanho—Slice of life manhwa about a bakery that makes funeral cakes. The bakery is kind of a frame for people to come and tell stories about dead loved ones. The art is lovely but the whole thing is very melancholy. I did like the edition of red ink in a format that’s usually black and white
Hirayasumi vol 1+2 by Keigo Shinzō—Slice of life Manga about two cousins living together in a small house (a hiraya) in Tokyo. The younger cousin is an 18 year old woman who just moved to Tokyo for art school and the older cousin is a 29 year old man who works a kinda deadend job at fishpond. It's a pond stocked with fish that people can come fish at in the middle of the city which seems like a cool thing to exist. Anyways he inherited the house from an old woman he befriended who didn't have any relatives. It’s very charming, I find both of the cousins relatable in different ways.
Raging Clouds by Yudori—Another Eisner Award nominee, I didn't know what to expect from this at all. It’s historical fiction set in the Netherlands in the 16th-century. I was surprised by how big it was in print, but it turned out to be a fairly fast read because there aren’t many panels on a page. The art is gorgeous! The story is angry and intense and hopeful all at once. I ended up really liking it!
Content Notes: martial rape, explicit sexual content, slavery, animal cruelty, period typically sexism and racism
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