Sakurazawa Erica - Angel Nest (Eng. trans.)

This is a collection of short stories. The main one is about Natsu, a working woman who walks in on her husband having an affair. That day, an angel moves in (which Natsu is not cognizant of), and soon after, Emi, the Other Woman, does too (which Natsu is most definitely cognizant of). Natsu's a career woman, and Emi doesn't quite know who she is or who she wants to be. To both of their surprises, they end up comforting each other and getting along. I like the focus on the everyday, and I very much like that it has two women talking to each other and getting to know each other outside of their romantic rivalry, something that is sadly missing from much of the josei I've read. I do like josei for having career women heroines and having heroines who deal with things like choices between romance and work, sexism in the workplace, and people thinking you're a spinster for not being married by 30. But instead of going off into feminists rants on why the system should change, a lot of what I've read simply shows how the heroines cope or fail to cope without ever quite going so far to critique the entire system. Alas, neither does Angel Nest, but I'll take what I can get!

The other three short stories are less memorable—one is about a gay man and a straight man as friends, one on yet another woman whose salaryman husband is cheating on her, and the last on a car theft turned fantasy.

I'm not sure if I was in ithe right mood to read these pieces. I appreciated them, but didn't fall in love, and though I wouldn't buy Sakurazawa's books, if I see them in the library, I'll definitely try her again.

Kim, Derek Kirk - Same Difference and Other Stories

This is a collection of shorts that Kim previously published online; although I think some have recurring characters, others feel very random. Also, I read it over a week ago and already returned it to the library, so my memory of this is very sketchy. (Oh hey, it's available online! Check out the right column in Lowbright to find links to the other shorts in the book.)

I felt like this volume has much of the American indie comic sensibility—crowded art, neurotic characters, big focus on failed love lives—which is sad, as there's a reason why I don't read many American indie comics (I know, I stereotype). I didn't feel for either of the characters in the main story, particularly with the way one talks about a blind character ("Her eyes were so giant and sparkling and gorgeous, like she could see things we couldn't!"). I do like that the blind girl shows up later and acts like a normal person, but when the other two characters were talking to each other, all I could think was that I so didn't feel for them feeling awkward about saying things like "As you can see" or whatnot.

I also hated the plotline revolving around Nancy sending a letter back to someone who seemed to be stalking his girlfriend. There's acknowledgement that what Nancy does is mean-spirited, but not enough for me, and the ending portraying the letter-sending guy as sad also annoyed me, given that he was the one sending creepy, stalker-y letters.

I don't know. Much of the humor (much of it scatalogical) didn't amuse me, and the general neuroticness annoyed me. It was good to see bits of Korean-American-ness in there as background, but not the center, but all the same, it wasn't enough to get me over my dislike of the characters. I'd personally skip this and go for Kim's Good as Lily instead.

Shayne, Maggie, Marjorie M. Liu, Alyssa Day, and Meljean Brook - Wild Thing

Sorry for spamming! And yes, guess who has a paper due tomorrow?

( Maggie Shayne, "Animal Magnetism" )

( Marjorie M. Liu, "Hunter's Kiss" )

( Alyssa Day, "Wild Hearts in Atlantis" )

( Meljean Brook, "Paradise" )