Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (2720)

Content

Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Fruits Basket Another Vol. 1 in Books

Jan 30, 2019

Fruits Basket Another Vol. 1

Natsuki Takaya | 2018 | Comics & Graphic Novels

9.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Fruits Basket was my first Manga I read and I decided to try it because of Hannah over at The Rainy Reader. The Fruits Basket story is super fun and cute. I read the first volume of the Collectors Edition and although it took me a bit to get used to the way you read a manga. Read right to left and you flip the pages from back to front.
The story was what initially intrigued me to try reading it. The story is based around a young girl name Tohru Honda. Her mother has recently died and as a result she ends up living in a tent on the private land of the Sohma clan. The owners of the land discover her and Tohru quickly realizes the most popular guy in her school, Yuki Sohma, lives in a house on this land. The family decides to take Tohru in and she discovers their secret… Anytime a member of the Sohma clan is hugged by someone of the opposite gender they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
I love all the characters Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are my favorites so far. Toward the end of this volume you start to meet other members of the clan, and I’m super excited for that! The characters are easy to relate to and I find myself so engrossed in the story that I’m often turning pages without enjoying the art work so I often must go back and check it out. The art work in this story is stunning, the way the emotions jump off the page is brilliant.
My goal this year was to start reading different types of books and break out of my comfort zone a bit. Fruits Basket allowed me to do that! I hope you’ll give it a try.

Kudos

Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Colette (2018) in Movies

Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)

Colette (2018)

2018 | Drama, History

7.6

(8 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Colette has left me bemused. The performances are amazing, the costumes and sets are beautiful, the story is interesting and well told, and yet at 1 hour 51 minutes in length if felt too long. I wasn't bored at any point, I was just really surprised that I was still sitting there watching.

There was an amazing cast. Up until this point I've never particularly enjoyed Keira Knightley roles, after The Nutcracker And The Four Realms I was very close to giving up hope. As Colette she shone. It's absolutely the best piece of acting I've seen from her. Dominic West playing Willy her fame seeking husband was a great bit of casting too. The pair had such chemistry in everything from love to rage. It was also lovely to see Fiona Shaw pop up as Sido, a small role but by no means forgettable.

It's certainly an interesting story of gender norms in history and the literary world of Paris. But beyond the acting, costumes and sets it's not... Exciting? Moving? It's a very good film but just lacks that little something extra to push it to the top. It's difficult to say much more about the film really, I hardly took any notes during the screening. In fact, the only note I made that wasn't related to things I've already mentioned was this: "Four films this year, 50% lesbians."

What you should do

It's a well made film and certainly enjoyable to watch. If you fancy watching a period drama then it's well worth a trip to the cinema for.

Movie thing you wish you could take home

A beautiful second home in the country would be lovely.

Kudos

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Meg and Jo in Books

Mar 19, 2020

Meg and Jo

Virginia Kantra | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A modern retelling of Little Women, MEG AND JO looks at the four March sisters in present day. We have Meg, a mom of twins, married to a man who works at a car dealership. Jo, an aspiring writer, who works in New York City at a restaurant and writes a food blog. Their sisters, Beth and Amy, flit in the background--Beth is pursuing her musical dreams and Amy is chasing fashion in Paris. But when the girls' stalwart mom gets sick, they must come home for the holidays to help at the family farm. There they will learn lessons about family, sisterhood, and following their dreams.

This one grew on me. It's not as jarring as I expected to see the girls in real time--I actually enjoyed that aspect. What's odd is that while the modern setting exists, there are a lot of outdated gender norms. Meg has to be the perfect mom who refuses help from everyone; the girls' father is basically worthless, etc. It's hard to overcome at first.

But I eventually took to Meg and Jo. I liked Jo's feisty nature, even if some of the problem/distance with her chef/boyfriend seemed a bit contrived. And I could identify with Meg, who felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders (twin moms unite).

Overall, this is a sweet and funny story. It's silly at times, but also heartwarming. I enjoyed seeing where Kantra tweaked the plot (there's a piece with the March patriarch that I particularly enjoyed). It's no Eligible--perhaps my favorite modern retelling of all--but it's a fun read. I've heard there may be a second book featuring Beth and Amy, and I would certainly read it. 3.5 stars.