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Makeshift Miracle

Makeshift MiracleTitle: Makeshift Miracle
Author: Jim Zub, Shun Hong Chan
Series: Makeshift Miracle #1
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
First Published: June 5, 2012
Pages: 120
Genres: Coming of Age, Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating: ★★

Synopsis:

A young boy named Colby Reynolds searches for meaning in the world around him and discovers a place where dreams can come true ― if he's willing to pay the price! Along the way he'll see sights he's never fathomed and encounter hidden truths about himself he'll wish he never knew.

The hit online comic is now a beautiful, high-quality hardcover graphic novel, perfect for teen readers and manga fans with a durable, library-quality binding.

Rating Breakdown:
Volume 1: ★★☆☆☆
Volume 2: ★★☆☆☆

My Review:

This comic was a little bit difficult for me to decide what I thought about it. I was really digging the first few chapters and the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I loved how the main characters were the only colored parts of the panel, it made for really striking visuals. As the first volume wore on, however, I started to wonder where the plot was going. There were characters introduced and a few events, but nothing of substance was really happening.

There was a convenient amnesia plot which is a trope that I really dislike because the entire plot is withheld intentionally. I hoped for more answers from the second plot and it quickly became a bore waiting for some answers to finally be given to the reader. There are chases and a little bit of action but everything felt rushed. Characters are taken out just as quickly as they are introduced, somehow an important piece of the plot but readers are never given any real time to care about them or their fates. There is little to no development of the plot or its characters at all.

Things pick up at the end when the antagonist basically tells the main characters the big secret around the amnesia plot, which again, goes back to why I don’t like these sorts of stories to begin with. Nothing makes sense until the big reveal which means that the plot will be weak without it. While I liked the revelations at the end, it was so out of left field it didn’t have a strong impact. I just wish that the plot could have been fleshed out better and more attention could have been paid to the characters to make me care about them more. There’s a romance but it makes no sense and I couldn’t really feel it.

The quality and detail in the art also went down in the second volume as compared to the first which just added to the feeling that this series was a little rushed. I did like the central message about dreams, desires, and aspirations, even if it wasn’t developed well. It’s a very good message about how dreams can be both good and bad and how easy it is to hold yourself back with fear. I just wish this story could have been executed better because it had a lot of potential.

“I won’t say I’m not nervous… Because I am. Nervous about growing up and taking hold of the things I want out of life.”

Trigger Warning: Nudity

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The Way of the Househusband

My Thoughts

I didn’t know I needed this manga until I chanced upon it. The Way of the Househusband is a laugh out loud funny manga about a former Yakuza legend adjusting to his new life as a dedicated house husband. The manga follows Tatsu as he tackles every day tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and shopping. He faces judgment from other gang members that run into him but doesn’t let things phase him.

The relationship between Tatsu and his wife Miku is also adorable. He is completely devoted to her and they make such a silly and sweet pair. There is no swoon worthy romance, just the every day antics of a married couple. Right at the start I was giggling and had to send this manga to my husband, we read the manga together and had a great time. Tatsu and Miku reminded me a lot of my husband and I in terms of our personalities, so it made me extra happy.

“You think bargain hunting’s some kiddy shit? This is a war-zone for a house husband.”

This manga was just great and I’m honestly waiting for more, I read all the available chapters that I could and it is still being serialized. I would love to see an anime adaptation of this manga, I think that it would translate well and be an enjoyable series for many. This is a great manga with commentary not just on the role of women as homemakers, but also how a former delinquent can reintegrate into regular society.

five-stars
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The Girl from Class

My Thoughts

I didn’t expect to get dragged so deep into this story. The Girl from Class caught my eye with its simple line art and minimal use of color. It’s a slice of life drama manhwa about a guy that gets a crush on a girl from his class. I wasn’t sure what kind of love story this would be when I started, but it was one that explores themes about the relationships that happen so naturally with life, we don’t even notice.

“Don’t do this… to someone that you aren’t serious about.”

The comic draws comparisons to the Greek tragedy of Orpheus, a brilliant musician that was loved by many who falls from grace after being heartbroken with the loss of his love. The comparisons aren’t immediately clear until further along, and the beauty of the story and its real-world repercussions becomes clear. Despite the simple art style, there is a lot of emotion that can be felt even with such a minimalist style. The characters are nameless and faceless, intentional as they are all true to life stand-in’s and many people can probably find themselves in the place of one of the characters.

This story was also a cautionary tale not only to be more sensitive to other people’s feelings, to not take love advice from other people, and for goodness sake treat the person that you’re interested in kindly. Your feelings will be obscured to the object of your affection if you’re rude. I really enjoyed this little comic, it surprised me how much depth and consideration was put into the development of the story, and despite it all, I felt satisfied when it was finished.

four-half-stars
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Peephole

My Thoughts

Ah, what a convoluted nightmare this manga is, but engaging at the same time. Nozoki Ana, which literally translates to peephole, is an erotic romance manga about an unwitting college student that finds himself blackmailed into playing a perverse game around a peephole with his neighbor. Kido, who is a pretty average guy, finds himself with an absurd amount of good luck with women. Like most guys, he just wants a happy relationship but ends up trapped in a psychological nightmare with the mysterious Emiru.

“In reality, relationships where you can’t show your true self – make you feel like even trivial matters might cause them to suddenly break. It’s scary…”

Nozoki Ana follows the duo through their friend group, their relationships with other people, and ultimately their strange friendship that is forged by their peeping on each other’s lives. It is a strange and questionable manga, drawing readers in with a wild premise that ends up developing into something more as the reader finds out more about the standoffish Emiru. Kido goes from various relationships, hookups, and other dangerous scenarios under the watchful eye of Emiru, as she orchestrates scenarios that force him into troublesome sexual encounters.

You want to root for Kido to get his act together and build a genuine relationship, or at least give in and get together with Emiru. The amount of cheating that happens in this manga is a serious turnoff and many readers end up understandably frustrated with the main character. Kido is a pushover for a majority of the series and seems to have a serious inability to say no when a girl comes onto him. The few times he does try to resist, he ends up attacked and placed into a situation where he can’t fight back in a few instances of attempted rape. Don’t worry though, Kido isn’t the only character that betrays others; betrayal is everywhere in this manga.

In a way, this manga was like an overly dramatized version of what dating life is like for college students, particularly in the current hookup culture that we live in. There were some surprisingly good takeaways about relationships and the horrible way that people treat each other that speak to true experiences. The story also took a bold turn with commentary about trauma and the ways in which a victim can own their trauma and learn to heal through the very thing that caused so much tragedy in their lives. I had very mixed feelings about this last part in particular; on one hand, it feels like a cheap and easy way to explain the peephole. On the other hand, it also gave me something to think about the ways in which victims of trauma interact with and come to terms with their issues.

I ended up enjoying this manga, despite the abundance of issues and frustrations with its plot and characters. Most of the characters had distinct personalities that I enjoyed, good and bad, and there are times where I found myself laughing and feeling heartbroken while reading. This manga won’t be for everyone, but it’s definitely an experience and I can see why this manga was so popular while it was still being serialized. I have to add also that I absolutely adore Emiru, she is one of my favorite characters from any manga series, so there’s that!

Warnings: explicit sex, violence, sexual assault

four-stars
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Golf With Your Friends

There is no game that is more wholesome and fun quite like mini golf. It is fun to pick a ball in your favorite color and just go at it with friends, it was an activity that I really enjoyed doing in my younger years. This game has consumed my little gaming clan, with regular golf nights where we all just get together and laugh over discord. Even with a competitive group, no one really gets all that angry and nobody really cares if they lose. I’ve found it to be a nice and relaxing way to hang out with friends, without the stress of dealing with difficult game mechanics.

The game is very straight forward and plays exactly the way you would expect it. You aim your shot, hold down your left mouse button to move the power slider, and shoot! The classic maps that come as a base for the game are all extremely colorful and cleverly designed that play smoothly and have some unique mechanics that can reward creative plays in ways that probably wouldn’t be possible in real life putt-putt. There is a nice (timed) free camera that you can use at each hole to get a view of the hole and plan your shots. It is very easy to pick up and learn for all players.

The great thing about this being a computer game is that your ball is customizable! You can use RGB sliders to change the color of your ball to your favorite color (mine is a lovely pastel pink). After playing a number of games you can also get cute little hats for your ball that won’t punish you for using them. A unicorn horn, an apple pie, and an army cap are some of the hats that I’ve seen in this game and they are all extremely cute.

There is also a course builder that players can use to create some truly outstanding and unique maps. There are a plethora that you can choose from that have been submitted by the game’s community, though I advise some caution when using these maps with new players, as some of them can be poorly built and end up glitchy, unreasonably punishing, or simply an illogical eye sore. Additionally, there are other modifications that players can make including changing the shape of your ball, or adding effects like low gravity.

It doesn’t matter what type of gamer you have in your group either! We have brought in friends that are big into shooters, MMOs, console players, and folks that really just aren’t that into video games and everyone was able to have a good time. You have the option to play the game solo as well, though the online support to play with others is where it’s really at. Priced under $10, honestly this game is really reasonably priced for a genuinely fun and competitive gaming experience with a group of friends.

Let’s Discuss!

  • Do you enjoy mini golf?
  • Can a game version of mini golf match up to real mini golf?
  • Even if you aren’t a gamer, is this something that you can see yourself playing?

Game Information

Golf With Your Friends
Publisher: Team17 Digital
Developer: Blacklight Interactive
Release Date: Aug 16, 2019
Genres: Mini Golf
Players: Single player, Multiplayer
Platforms: Steam
Steam

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Coloring Game: Little City

This was a bit of a random pick up, but Coloring Game: Little City was a surprisingly relaxing game that I didn’t know I’d love. The title says it all, it is a simple color by number game themed around an adorable little pixel city. I’ve always been into art, though I was never that good at it. Even so, I used to draw constantly growing up and in my teens eventually got into creating pixel art and web design, so the pixel style in this game was really appealing to me.

I was surprised that there were actually a few controls to this game, including the ability to hold down shift to keep your lines straight while coloring, and an undo button. The colors are locked, but that is understandable. The base setting has numbered boxes and the boxes will be highlighted when you click on the corresponding number from your palette. There are options to remove the numbers or the box highlights. You can also use your mouse wheel to zoom in and arrow keys to smoothly scroll across large images which was a really nice feature.

For the sake of experimenting with the margin of error, on an uncolored block you can swipe all you want with other colors, it will only fill in the numbered boxes that match the color you currently have selected. Once a square has been colored however, going over it with the incorrect color resets it to blank. Completing an image awards the player with a cute little animation with the image after and a matching steam achievement. The animations are simple, and a few are funny and a bit of a surprise. There is a few relaxing dance songs that play in the background while you play that can easily be turned off so you can listen to your own music on your music player.

Overall it was a good experience for me, it is a very simple game with a small selection of intuitive settings for the player to adjust to their preferences. It made me really happy to see an area of the picture that I was working on pop with color as I worked on it. I actually felt pretty satisfied when I finished an image, especially the larger and more difficult ones.

The base game is completely free and it comes with 15 different images of varying difficulty and detail levels. Additional DLC can be purchased for just $1.99 for a single expansion, or $7.99 for the season pass, which will give eventual access to 5 packs. All in all a pretty reasonable price considering you get an additional 15 images per pack, and it supports an indie developer. I think that it is well worth it to give the base game a try, whether you’re a gamer or not, if you’re just looking for a silly way to unwind or pass the time.

Let’s Discuss!

  • Have you ever done a color by number?
  • Do you find simple games like this fun or relaxing?
  • What are your thoughts on the DLC?

Game Information

strong>Coloring Game: Little City
Publisher: L. Stotch
Developer: L. Stotch
Release Date: Aug 16, 2019
Genres: Color by Number
Platforms: Steam
Steam