It seems like I've been giving a lot of negative or iffy reviews... I hope to fix that today!
Dramacon wasn't the first manga I read... that was Hellsing Vol. 1. Flash review: The story and characters were great and I would've loved it if it hadn't been a manga. The manga-ness was really annoying and got in the way of the characters for me.
Dramacon is way better. If it wasn't a manga, I wouldn't like it.
The story is in three volumes, each one a different year for Christie at a manga convention. It was hilarious--one of those books I couldn't read in a public place because of the stares--and sweet, using the melodramatic spazziness manga has to hit all the right emotional notes for the characters and make it realistic and over the top at the same time.
The art is great, switching styles just a little bit to suit the tone of each scene. It's subtle, funny, and it works. It's also easy to follow, which is important for me because without clear art I can't figure out what's going on or who's speaking, no matter what country the comic book's from.
Although I've never been to a real con, I think it captured the atmosphere really well. The first volume is the funniest and simplest, with the only big plotline being Christie meeting Matt, that handsome black-coated guy on the cover. The second volume is more serious, adds more characters and has more real-life-like drama. The third volume doesn't have as much stuff about the con itself because it's keeping track of all the characters, but it's an excellent conclusion. (There may be a fourth volume in the works, but a google search and Svetlana Chmakova's website didn't give me that impression.)
I'm in the middle of Death Note right now and loving it, but these three (or five if you count each volume of Dramacon) are the only manga specimens I've even made it to the end of, and Dramacon is the only shojo. I either don't GET what's going on or I just don't LIKE it. So, got a good recommendation? Leave it in the comments!
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I like the sound of just 3 volumes. I've put them on my list - sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI just read the first one and thought it was a lot of fun! Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteGreat, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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