Comics Roundup #67: A Love of Books and Food

Although I don’t want to jinx myself, I’m celebrating a little because it seems that my blogging slump is lifting. Here I am again with another batch of reviews! This time, I have two mangas and a graphic novel that are all light, humorous, sometimes silly reads.

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Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San, Vol. 2 by Honda (illus.), transl. from the Japanese by Amanda Haley

Genre

Contemporary; Humor

Series

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San

Pubbed

2016

From Goodreads

Whether it’s foreigners asking for “JAPANESE EROTIC MANGA,” navigating the tricky government definition of “morally harmful material,” or helping a customer who’s awfully “criminally organized,” there’s rarely a dull moment for Honda-san. The true stories of a Japanese bookstore employee can be stranger than fiction! (Goodreads)

My thoughts

I’ve decided to continue with the second volume of this humorous manga series. The series seems to be semi-autobiographical and is about the experiences of an employee at a Japanese bookstore. The bookstore’s name isn’t mentioned, and all the employees are drawn wearing a mask. The protagonist (the author, Honda) wears a skull-face mask. In addition to focusing on Honda’s experiences working in the bookstore and interacting with a variety of customers and professionals in the Japanese book publishing industry, this volume also touches a bit more on Honda’s job as a manga artist.

I enjoy reading this series because I find it relatable. I used to work in a bookstore, so the situations and customers mentioned are sometimes familiar. I also enjoy reading this series because I learn from it too. I’m new to manga, but this series not only mentions MANY mangas and manga artists (especially when recommendations are being given to customers), but also explains what the different types of mangas are when they come up in conversation (the translation notes at the back of the book is my best friend). 

I also learned in this one how bookstores in Japan handle books that the local governments label as “harmful publications” that should be kept away from minors. Such books aren’t banned (and aren’t limited to only erotica), they just can’t be out on the sales floor, easily accessible. However, some familiar situations I could relate to include trying to find a book that’s not on the sales floor, although the computer says it’s part of the store’s inventory, and realizing that it’s probably in one of the MANY, MANY unopened boxes in the back, and also having a bunch of books “disappear” since the computer says a ton of them came in but they can’t be found ANYWHERE, or having a ton of an author’s books come in (because something major happened to them — usually it’s because the author died) and nowhere to put them.

Okay, those examples might not sound interesting or humorous, but Honda dramatizes and exaggerates the situations so even if you’ve never worked in a bookstore, you’ll still get a kick out of the story. But if you’ve worked in a bookstore, or any store, you’ll enjoy it a lot more, I think, especially the customer-interaction parts.

Art style

I had an easier time following the panels and dialogue this time, although the art style and layout hasn’t changed. Just shows that I needed more practice reading mangas. This art style is still not my preferred style because there’s a lot going on in each panel, but it’s good.

Overall: ★★★☆☆

I find it entertaining and relatable, so I’ll continue with the series.

Buy | Borrow | Bypass

I recommend it if you want something light and funny, or if you want manga recommendations or want to read a book about books and bookish things.

If you like this, you might like…

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell, illus. by the Brothers McLeod

Both are (not mangas) by booksellers about bookselling.

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Book Love by Debbie Tung (illus.)

Genre

Contemporary; Humor

Series

n/a

Pubbed

2019

From Goodreads

Bookworms rejoice! These charming comics capture exactly what it feels like to be head-over-heels for hardcovers. And paperbacks! And ebooks! And bookstores! And libraries!

Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for tea-sipping, spine-sniffing, book-hoarding bibliophiles. Debbie Tung’s comics are humorous and instantly recognizable—making readers laugh while precisely conveying the thoughts and habits of book nerds. Book Love is the ideal gift to let a book lover know they’re understood and appreciated. (Goodreads)

My thoughts

I think I learned about this book from Millie at Milliebot Reads, but I can’t remember if it was from her blog or IG. Either way, I’m glad I gave in, bought it, and read it. It’s, of course, one of the best books I read this year.

Book Love is a graphic novel about being a reader and lover of books. It presents a character, a young woman I presume to be the author, in a series of situations book nerds can identify with. So we get vignettes rather than a seamless story.

If you’re hooked on books too — and most likely you are if you’re on this blog — then you’ll love this book. It’s fun, sweet, and relatable. It touches on everything from bibliophiles’ obsession with acquiring more books, often more than we can read, to our constant reading and inability sometimes to choose a new book to start reading. Parts that were HIGHLY relatable for me are when the character takes a long time and is clearly indecisive about which book to pack before leaving the house — because no way is she going out without a book! Also relatable is when she goes to the bookstore intending to get just one book and leaves with a bunch, or when she tries to sneakily peep at the titles of books that people around her are reading or when she tells a friend to sign a contract before borrowing one of her books… It’s as if Tung peered into my bookish life and created these humorous comic strips about it.

Art style

They are cartoony, not too embellished, and done in what looks like an ink wash (the book doesn’t say what the medium is), so the illustrations are all in shades of grey. They are easy to follow and understand, even when dialogue bubbles aren’t used.

Overall: ★★★★★

I had a wonderful time reading it and know I will return to it again and again.

Buy | Borrow | Bypass

It’s sweet, it’s silly, it’s relatable and worth owning.

If you like this, you might like…

Adulthood Is a Myth by Sarah Andersen (illus.)

It’s a graphic novel with a similar light, silly, funny tone.

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Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui (illus.), transl. from the Japanese by Taylor Engel

Genre

Fantasy; Humor

Series

Delicious in Dungeon

Pubbed

2015

From Goodreads

When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions…and a member! They’re eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they’re sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: “Let’s eat the monsters!” Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons…none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands! (Goodreads)

My thoughts

The title and font used for the title reminded me so much of D&D that I bought it without looking up what it’s about.

It turned out to be a funny fantasy manga about a band of adventurers in a dungeon, killing the monsters they defeat and… cooking them into gourmet dishes to eat. The dungeon is actually a large place. People began going there on adventures after an ancient dude crawled out saying that he’s the king of a “golden country” that’s sealed beneath the earth by a crazy magician, and whoever manages to defeat the magician will get his kingdom.

Laios and his band are among the adventurers exploring the dungeon. But when their encounter with a dragon goes awry — his sister gets eaten — and half his band leaves because they are broke, he turns to extreme measures — eating the monsters they defeat to sustain their energy. Luckily, they manage to meet an odd dwarf who happens to know how to cook the monsters into tasty meals, like “Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot” and “Man-Eating Plant Tart” and “Roast Basilisk” and “Living Armor Dwarf-Style Stir-Fry.”

The story is light and fun and quite entertaining since some in the group don’t mind eating monsters (Laios is eager about it) and others find it disgusting. The situations they end up in and their fights with the monsters are entertaining as well. However, this didn’t appeal to me as much as I thought it would. I thought it was too silly sometimes, but I liked the concept and think other readers will get a kick out of it.

Art style

I loved it. It’s easy to follow and understand, I like how the characters and action scenes are drawn, and love the feature panels for the monster recipes, which also lists ingredients for them. I thought that was funny.

Overall: ★★☆☆☆ ½

It’s an interesting concept and I like the art, but the story just isn’t my jam. However, I would recommend it.

Buy | Borrow | Bypass

It might work out better for you.

If you like this, you might like…

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins, Vol. 1 by Matthew Mercer & Matthew Colville, illus. by Olivia Samson

It’s a D&D-inspired comic book series.