brookeisbusyreading's reviews
340 reviews

TADASHI AND BOKUTO WERE THE MVPS OF THIS VOLUME!!!

So Tadashi is one of my favorite characters of Haikyu!! with his cute freckles and timid demeanor. And omg to see him getting so riled up, and toward Tsukishima, was so awesome! Bokuto’s another character I love because of his boisterous personality…and that crazy hair!

Tsukishima’s growth in the series though is really cool. I can’t wait for his moment in the Karasuno vs [Spoiler] match! (IYKYK)

This is such a cool idea! I love the little stories about each character! Origami Cyclone, Kotetsu, and Barnaby are my favorite characters but it was just really cool to see different parts of each characters' lives. The fact that fans were able to contribute their own stories is awesome. I wish more series would do things like this! I think one of my other favorite series, Saiyuki, is the only one I've come across that has extras outside of the main story (and fillers in the anime/manga).

There were some really wild scenes - I'm looking at you, "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" by Renji Kuriyama! Of course, with Barnaby there was also plenty of fanservice (only the SFW kind though), which I didn't dislike at all.

I have a lot of respect for the creator of Tiger & Bunny, the illustrators, the publisher, and of course the contributors for putting together a book like this for fans by fans. AND I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE SECOND ANTHOLOGY!

There is so much that this book does right, I don’t think I can list them all here without this review being a mile long.

First, the complexity of the story has left me speechless. I have absolute respect for Schrefer right now because there was clearly so much effort and passion but into this book. Science Fiction isn’t really my kind of genre, but The Darkness Outside Us just had an interesting plot…and stunning cover! (Seriously, it’s one of my favorites!)

Ambrose and Kodiak - I mean, what NAMES! - were well developed, which is impressive given what continues to happen as the story progresses. There is, however, a bit of a disconnect for me since there are time skips and I’m used to linear storylines. Again, I’m used to the linear storytelling so I’m not knocking off a star for that. Four stars just feels right to me.

Schrefer also captures the imagery of space and the Endeavor really nicely! I love it when books let me cozy up with my own mind-movie as I read, turning all the words into moving scenes.

I’m not a fan of space. It scares me…which is another thing Schrefer conveys while making it strangely beautiful and peaceful. Add in the already/present hesitation with AIs thanks to movies like I, Robot and The Darkness Outside Us has this cool blend of feelings it stirs up in me. Overall, it must’ve been a captivating read because I finished it in two days lol

I love it when the vibes of books surprises me. With a title like “I Wish You All the Best”, I tried to brace myself for a tragedy, a ‘falling out of love’ situation, or something like that. But it was how the book made me feel the whole time that let me let go of that and just enjoy the experience.

The fact that the romance between Ben and Nathan wasn’t front and center was a nice change. It focused on Ben’s coming out, the aftermath, and their struggle to make a life they want to be a part of. But I’ll be damned if that romance wasn’t so fucking SMOOTH! The hand holding really got me! Such a small gesture yet it worked.

I’m also conflicted on how I should be feeling with regard to how much I relate to Ben, specifically their relationship with their parents. I actually don’t speak to either of biological parents (and now my stepdad too), though it’s for very different reasons. Maybe I’m still a newbie to the world of queer romances despite everything I’ve read so far, but I haven’t read a book that focused on a coming out of such destruction before. And I think I would’ve ABSOLUTELY reacted the same way Ben did after they came out. I feel their introvertness on a deep level.

Lastly, reading books with nonbinary characters does throw me off sometimes. Most queer books I feel have MCs that are gay, lesbian, bi, and/or transgender. Personally I haven’t read many books with any other kind of MC. One example that comes to mind is Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin. And I’m SO GLAD I read this because the movie’s coming out SO SOON!

This is a cute story! I have to say, I wasn’t expecting Minota’s slicked-back hairstyle and unusual outfits - I can only imagine what they’d look like in color lol. Kazushi is smooth, sexy, and cute while Haru is soft and the epitomy of a bottom!

Kissing is cute love story with more of the love and less of the spice. (That does make sense since it was published in 2003.) I think it’s sweet. Nowadays, it seems like spicy yaoi manga is super popular. Honestly, I prefer the relationships.

The colored dust jacket cover on the copy I have is beautiful too! I also like the cover underneath - one of those ‘do I take the dust jacket off or keep it on’ situations. And the art style is do nice to look at!

OH MY GOSH I LOVE HOW THIS ENDED! The fact that it’s based on the anime, which I’ve of course seen several times, is cool. BUT the fact that it still deviates yet still comes full circle is awesome!

There’s one thing I loved that the anime did that the manga didn’t and one thing the manga did that the anime didn’t. The backstory for Jake is a nice addition because I felt like the anime did a good job of making him sadistic but it was still missing his motivations.

I don’t have a character because I bounce between them, but I would LOVE to get Tiger & Bunny 2 manga! (I should probably check to see if that’s a thing.) Once again, I love this series so much!

Woah, we are on a very different path than the anime! Oohh but I like it! A very action-packed, tension building volume!

The tense emotions between Tiger and Barnaby are there too, but they’re definitely not as focused on than the anime. Mixed feelings about that. Still, I’m loving the differences between the adaptations!

Goku is the MVP of this volume! And there many gorgeous panels! I will never be able to express how much I love this series and these characters! The complexity of the characters and their motivations are definitely a highlight of the series.

On a side note, between the anime and manga, I prefer the storytelling from the manga than the anime. It feels smoother and easier to understand chronologically. And I’m SO ready for the Sanzo vs Ukoku showdown because it’s coming!

Never Been Kissed is an absolute delight! Books and movies are such a HUGE part of my life with music rounding out the trio. Okay sure, I’m not a classic movie lover and I’ve unfortunately never been to a drive-in theater before (but I’d love to!) yet movies make me feel things just like books do.

My experience with this book especially I can describe in many ways:
- a happy, content sigh
- cozy mug of coffee/tea on a cold morning
- that AMAZING feeling when you take your socks off right before you slip under the covers (just me?)

I can also use lyrics from the song “Heaven Don’t Have A Name” by my favorite artist, Jeremy Renner, to describe it too - “Feels like rock’n roll but got that new groove”.

Mr. Janovsky does an excellent job blending the retro feelings with modern technology and settings. Alice and her story felt made it feel like I got a story within a story. Alice herself is an entertaining character! None of the characters felt overly whiny (Mateo’s just gloriously extra). The sexuality was a nice undertone too. Ugh, I’m floating in a sea of pleasant contentment and it’s wonderful!

I think the best word I can use to summarize and end this review is just…content or maybe nostalgic somehow. This was a lovely book I needed to read. I’m glad I read it!

Yachi is literally me when I think about how passion people playing sports can be. It’s exhilerating and very contagious! Makes me want to devote myself to something I love that hard!

I also secretly love Ennoshita and can’t wait for his time to shine! Glad I got to see Shimizu be more expressive! She really is so pretty! And that poster gives me CHILLS!