Book Review: Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Book: Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Genre: Fantasy/fairytale retelling

Length: 300+ pages

General Setup: Aza is a girl with a beautiful voice, but a not so beautiful face in a kingdom where both are highly valued. She grows up as an innkeeper's daughter, but life soon changes when, through a chance happening she attends the King's wedding and is blackmailed into becoming the new queen's lady in waiting.

Characters: The book is told through Aza's limited perspective. The characters are well fleshed out, but some intrigue is kept - sometimes I wonder what other characters are thinking. I liked (and also hated) the main antagonist. The author does a good job of making you hate them, but also feel sorry for them because they have to live with themselves.

Plot: The book is based loosely on the tale of Snow White, although the world and culture are entirely the author's. I say based loosely, because while all the main characters of the story are present (a girl with raven hair and red lips, a queen, a magic mirror, a prince, a huntsman, and dwarves, or in our case gnomes) the story of the book less follows the plot of Snow White and more incorporates it's elements while adding other devices and structures to tell a unique story. One of the elements the book relies on to set itself apart are the songs written in the book (no music, just lyrics). These add to the world building and help the reader to imagine the setting the author is working to create. One of the main themes of Fairest is how it touches upon body image and beauty standards. 

Ending: The ending of Fairest ties the book up pretty well. I appreciated the small, but adequate glimpse into the future the epilogue gives the reader. Not everything is divulged, be we get enough to get a picture of what will happen. The falling action of the book itself had a few sudden events that I was not expecting, but I have nothing to complain about.

Other Media: Gail Carson Levine has written many other fairytale-esque books (even a book on how to write books!). All of them are worth checking out, especially "Ella Enchanted," a companion book to "Fairest." 

Similar Books: If you are interested in fairytale retellings where the heroine defies society's standards, check out "Golden" by Cameron Dokey. It is a retelling of Rapunzel, expect Rapunzel has alopecia and no hair!

7 Reasons to Watch "March Comes in Like a Lion"

1. The show doesn't shy away from tough subjects.

2. The character growth!!

3.The quirky style.

4. Focus on character relationships vs. 'sports'

5. The characters don't win every time.

6. Great use of metaphors.

7. Stellar OP's and ED's

Go watch "March Comes in Like a Lion!"

Let us know in the comments if you do watch it, and what other anime recommendations you might have.

 

Anime Review: March Comes in Like a Lion

 

Mel's Library Tour (Part 2)

$10 Book Haul // Rose Squad Reviews

Mel's Library Tour (Part 1)

Disney Movie Tierlist (ft. That Quirky Redhead)

Anime that Need Another Season

Kay and Melanie practice social distancing and discuss 8 anime that NEED another season. Let us know in the comments if there are any shows we missed!

First Impression: My Next Life as a Villainess

     So I recently watched the first few episodes of an anime called, "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom." Like a lot of anime the main character has died and is reborn in a fantasy-like setting. Our heroine (?) Catarina Claes is no different. The catch is that she has been reborn as the evil rival in a world very similar to a love simulation game she played in her original life. Knowing how her fate will end if the story fulfills any natural conclusions programmed into the game (ie. tragedy, exile, and or death) Catarina attempts to change her destiny for the better. Her main strategy seems to be befriending all the other characters (the original Catarina was a notorious bully). We love conquering through the power of friendship!

     I have only watched the first two episodes and Catarina has successfully befriended 3/4 of the love interests and 1/3 of the other rivals. I'm assuming she will continue the same tactics for the rest, but we will have to see. Currently Catarina & the crew are all about 10 years old. I'm hoping they have a time skip sooner rather than later - maybe after she has met all the other characters. Already Catarina seems to be making a difference in her world, but I am curious to see what obstacles pop up along the way. I am also interested to know if Catarina manages to divert catastrophe, will she also end up with one of the love interests in the end? 

     So far there is only one season of this anime. I don't know how long it will go, but I hope there is an acceptable conclusion of some kind by the last episode. If you are interested in watching this anime, it is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

First Impression: Ascendance of a Bookworm

     When I first started watching this show I thought it was going to be your average isekai - the main character dies and is reborn in a fantasy world, however that is not what I discovered. This show keeps surprising me. It does start out with the basic premise of an isekai, but there is a twist. In "Ascendance of a Bookworm" the main character is reborn as a child - someone who is weak and at the bottom of the social system. It almost seems like the person previously inhabiting her new body dies and then she is inserted in their place. I hope that the anime plays with this concept in future episodes.

     At first I didn't really like Main (pronounced 'mine') the main character. Her central personality trait is that she likes books. At the beginning of the show she is rather self-absorbed in her books (or lack thereof being born into a low class family) and tries to manipulate others to get her way. She is also a bit of a prodigy and tends to succeed quickly/easily often due to her previous life experiences. However, the show does have the advantage of character growth, both in Main and other central characters, steady plot development, and obstacles to be overcome.

     Although Main has the advantage with knowledge of today's technologies, she has a fatal flaw in her physical weakness. If her illness is not addressed she really will die - and no amount of knowledge about modern medicine will help her here. This produces a great foil for potential plot and character development. Also, it is through this weakness that her character is really able to shine. 

     At the time of this 'impression' I have watched about a season and a half of "Ascendance of a Bookworm," It has been cool to see how Main has grown as a character. She has really come to love the world that she is in. While she still goes crazy over books she loves her new family and wants to do right by the rules of this world. I am interested to see how she will continue to grow.

"Ascendance of a Bookworm" is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Anime Review: Mob Psycho 100

Title: Mob Psycho 100 and Mob Psycho 100 II
Genres: Comedy, Action, Supernatural, Coming of Age
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

General Set-up: Mob Psycho 100 takes place in a fictional city called Seasoning City, following, at first, two main characters: Shigeo Kageyama and Arataka Reigan. Shigeo, otherwise known as Mob, is a middle school student at Salt Middle School who works part time at "Spirits and Such Consultation Office" run by Reigan. Mob, however is not a normal middle schooler--he has psychic powers. And what happens when he gets to 100%? No one knows.

Characters: Shigeo Kageyama/Mob is a second-year student at Salt Middle School (aka a 7th grader) who was born with amazing psychic powers. He is quiet and shy, but also desperately wants to become popular--something psychic powers can't help with. Also, Mob reasons, if he is popular, he will have more courage to ask out the girl he likes. While his powers are explored in the show, a greater focus is given to his internal growth. After all this is a coming of age story.
                    Arataka Reigan is the owner (and only full-time employee) of "Spirits and Such Consultation Office." He is confident and charismatic--but has a small problem--he doesn't actually have any psychic powers. He uses Mob to help with any job involving actual spirits, while he handles the jobs that don't actually involve spirits (the clients just think that it involves spirits). He is also known for exorcising spirits from photographs using Photoshop!

Plot: I, like many people, was under the impression that Mob Psycho 100 would be a tournament anime like Yu Yu Hakusho or Hunter X Hunter. Or maybe you assumed that this show would be similar to ONE's (the author) other work: One Punch Man. Mob Psycho 100 is  a touching coming of age story. While it most certainly is a story about crazy psychic powers, it is just as much driven by its characters. The content of the episodes changes and it may be about psychic battles, but could just as well be about personal growth--or even both. It is also surprisingly funny with an expanding cast of characters, and you just can't help but root for Mob and Reigan.

Ending (NO SPOILERS): While it has been rumored that there will be a Season 3, nothing has yet to be confirmed (as of 6/3/20). Currently Mob Psycho 100 has 2 seasons (the second being called Mob Psycho 100 II) and 2 OVA's. While the current ending is satisfying, there is still room for plot that can be resolved in another season. Plus, the show is so enjoyable that I could love to see more.

Sound Design: Like many anime, the soundtrack has a very limited number of songs: a battle theme, more emotional music, and background music. However the songs really do fit the mood of the scenes even if they are a little bit repetitive. And when the "battle theme" plays, oh man, am I excited for what will come next.
                        And the dub is seriously excellent and available to everyone on Crunchyroll. The voice actors for Reigan and Mob are especially good, able to capture the emotion, charisma, chaos, and conflict in the characters. While the translator does run into a few problems related to puns in English/Japanese, the dub does fit the overall production and tone of the show.

Animation: The 2019 Crunchyroll best animation award speaks for itself, but because it is go good I am going to talk about it anyway. This show has some of the most stunning animation I have ever seen, easily surpassing One Punch Man in the fight scenes (but that is just my opinion, so please don't come for me in the comments). The coloring specifically is something I wanted to mention as I don't know many shows that play around (well) with color. At first glance the coloring is nothing special, normal tones and colors, but once psychic powers begin to play, the colors change and the animations changes fluidly and unexpectedly.
                  On the surface level the animation is...unusual. Unlike Once Punch Man, Mob Psycho's animation is a lot closer to the author's (ONE's) style. Overall the style is quite simplistic. However the animation really shines with the fluidity of animation allowed by the simplistic style. It is very eye catching in the fight scenes, surprisingly colorful, and I, for one, love it.

Things to Watch our For: There are a couple of bare butts shots and torture is mentioned. Oh, and also a lot of psychic (and non-psychic) battles.

Other Media: Mob Psycho 100 is a manga written by ONE. ONE has also written the manga One Punch Man which is also now an anime. Additionally, Netflix has a live action adaption. I haven't watched it so I can't comment on the quality.

Where to Watch: Currently available for streaming in sub and dub on Crunchyroll. (Free with adds.)

A Link Between Worlds

Just a little update on how I've been occupying myself during this time of craziness and isolation (see COVID-19). 

How have you been keeping yourself busy? Let us know in the comments!

I am very proud to have FINALLY defeated a Legend of Zelda game. As I mention in this video, I am a fan of the franchise and have started playing multiple games. However, this is the first time I have made it all the way to the end! 

Mini Manga Review: Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess (vol. 3)

I was super happy that vol. 5 & vol. 6 came out in the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess manga series! Unfortunately I feel like I did a bad job of expressing that in this video and kind of drew things out longer than they needed to be. However, I knew that if I tried to redo the video it would never get done. And anyway, any content is good content, right?

Anime Review: Kaichou wa Maid-sama

This review is a bit of a re-review! I'm looking at a review I did all the way back in 2016! Wow! That's a long time ago! Listen in and see if my opinion has changed since then.

Read the original review: Kaichou wa Maid-sama

Mini Manga Review: Fruits Basket Another Vol. 3

     For the first time this semester I finished my homework before the weekend was over! :D (Does doing a rush job on one of my projects and calling it 'good' really count as finishing though? Hopefully it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt.) But, this means that I had time to actually edit a video for you all! Go team! 

     So, volume 3 may have come out back in October. And I definitely read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. But I'm only just now getting around to doing a video on it. Go figure! 10/10 would recommend though. 

     Also, for some strange reason my hair looks like I have the ends dyed, like I did last year. But it's just the lighting this time! And my eyeshadow game is on point for once. But enough about me, I hope you enjoy this video!

A Conversation: Sub vs. Dub Anime

Think it's possible for a subber and a dubber to agree?

Book to Movie Review: Holes by Louis Sachar

All the Books I Read in 2019

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini

Dragon Knight by Donita K. Paul
Dragon Light by Donita K. Paul

Ranger's Apprentice: The Red Fox Clan by John Flannagan

Making Books by Hand by Mary McCarthy
Cover to Cover by Shereen LaPlantz

True Valor by Dee Henderson

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

Ghosts by Raina Telegemier

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

Constance by Patricia Clapp

Brown Like Coffee by Steve Shadrach

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

Beauty by Robin McKinley
Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

Holes by Louis Sachar

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Fruits Basket Another (vol. 1 -3)

Duel at Araluen by John Flanagan

The Khalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Space Boy by Stephen McCranie

Hope for Tomorrow by Michelle de Brun

Firebird Anthology (vol. 1)

World's Greatest Showman by J. Bryan III

Hawksong by Amelia Atwater Rhodes

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

The View from Saturday by E. L. Konisburg

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Smile by Raina Telegemier

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck

The Negotiator by Dee Henderson

Good News of Great Joy by John Piper

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (vol. 4 &5)

Anime Review: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (2003)

This review details the characters, plot, ending (with no spoilers), sound design, voice acting, and animation for Fullmetal Alchemist (2003).

I filmed this about two years ago, but finally got around to posting it (I am not so good at this Youtube thing). 

Currently (December 2019) Fullmetal Alchemist can be streamed on Netflix, Hulu, and Cruchyroll. If possible, watch this anime legally to support the many amazing people who worked hard on this amazing anime.

Book Review Comparison: "Beauty" and "Rose Daughter" by Robin McKinley

I've talked about Robin McKinley before on the channel. In this video I unpack two of her books - both retellings of the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" and assess which retelling is more successful.