Books 8-9
Ral & Grad #2 by Tsuneo Takano (art by Takeshi Obata)
Obata is considered a master (he did Deathnote for those trying to place this artist’s name) and can probably ask to do just about anything. I’m not saying he’s wasting his time with this. Rather I’m saying this has the potential to be a really good fantasy series if Tsuneo would knock off the gratuitous nudity and boob obsession. Yes I know this is meant for older boys but this is getting to be a bit much. I could excuse it in book one since Ral had been raised since birth in total darkness knowing only his teacher’s voice. He was curious but we’ve moved past that into full blown obsession. Ral’s quite clear about that, he loves women, loves saving them and expects to be paid in boob squeezing. Cue eye roll. If that were toned down, this would be so much more enjoyable.
Because otherwise it’s an interesting story. Think middle ages/renn tech level and everyone is afraid of shadows which takes over and eat humans (though others can bond to them). They’re ruled by a queen (more chances for nudity). Ral is different. He and his bon with Grad, the blue dragon is different and it led to a life locked away with only Mio to give him lessons thru a wall (Ral is now terrified of the dark and dependent on her).
He and his team are going to stop the queen. Ral gets Kafka, who has a rose-thorn-vine sort of shadow to come with him since Kafka is a master at the defensive arts. Ral is completely naïve and horny but he is a very good tactician. Battle comes naturally. Which is good because the town they stop in has women disappearing under some sort mind control. Kafka, Aia and Ral have to stop them especially once Mio falls under the thrall (naked naturally).
Once this problem is solved, they pick up a new member, a young boy who lost his sister to the shadows and they head across the sea, a risky proposition at best. They’re moving in the wake of another team of ‘heroes’ who kill shadows, the White Tiger, but Ral doesn’t understand how this so-called hero could have left the previous town in the state it was in. A brief jump to the Tiger’s pov tells us he’s not what people think they are. Narrowly dodging getting to be monster shark bait, Ral and company make landfall and Ral’s horniness finally have dire consequences (leaving the reader hoping this will be the end of the boob squeeze that’s sucking the life out of an otherwise good story)
Creature Discomforts by Susan Conant
Got this from a library book sale for a quarter. I paid too much. Now I’ve read Conant’s dog themed books before and enjoyed them but this thing seemed like amateur hour. It was a blessedly short waste of time.
Holly Winter comes to her senses at the base of a cliff in a Maine Nat’l park minus one important thing, her memory. She is helped off the moment by two big malamutes that she doesn’t recognize as hers. She begins to try and jog her memory as she heads back to the lodge. This is where I begin to lose respect for her. Who in their right mind (which arguably she isn’t) falls badly hiking, loses her memory and gets back to the guest house to find out that one of the conservationists she’s been staying with has died and she thinks she heard someone push him to his death but can’t be sure, doesn’t go to the hospital and then the police?
Not our Holly. She doesn’t bother with sensible things like that. No she sets about to restore her memory on her own (because that’s normal). We get to meet all the conservationists and see the rift between them and oh meet someone who I guess Holly was in love with but you can’t tell from this. In all honesty we get way more gushing about dogs than we do anything resembling a mystery. Finally Holly’s dad arrives and things break loose to an ending so unbelievable I’m shocked Conant has gone on to write more in this series…
Obata is considered a master (he did Deathnote for those trying to place this artist’s name) and can probably ask to do just about anything. I’m not saying he’s wasting his time with this. Rather I’m saying this has the potential to be a really good fantasy series if Tsuneo would knock off the gratuitous nudity and boob obsession. Yes I know this is meant for older boys but this is getting to be a bit much. I could excuse it in book one since Ral had been raised since birth in total darkness knowing only his teacher’s voice. He was curious but we’ve moved past that into full blown obsession. Ral’s quite clear about that, he loves women, loves saving them and expects to be paid in boob squeezing. Cue eye roll. If that were toned down, this would be so much more enjoyable.
Because otherwise it’s an interesting story. Think middle ages/renn tech level and everyone is afraid of shadows which takes over and eat humans (though others can bond to them). They’re ruled by a queen (more chances for nudity). Ral is different. He and his bon with Grad, the blue dragon is different and it led to a life locked away with only Mio to give him lessons thru a wall (Ral is now terrified of the dark and dependent on her).
He and his team are going to stop the queen. Ral gets Kafka, who has a rose-thorn-vine sort of shadow to come with him since Kafka is a master at the defensive arts. Ral is completely naïve and horny but he is a very good tactician. Battle comes naturally. Which is good because the town they stop in has women disappearing under some sort mind control. Kafka, Aia and Ral have to stop them especially once Mio falls under the thrall (naked naturally).
Once this problem is solved, they pick up a new member, a young boy who lost his sister to the shadows and they head across the sea, a risky proposition at best. They’re moving in the wake of another team of ‘heroes’ who kill shadows, the White Tiger, but Ral doesn’t understand how this so-called hero could have left the previous town in the state it was in. A brief jump to the Tiger’s pov tells us he’s not what people think they are. Narrowly dodging getting to be monster shark bait, Ral and company make landfall and Ral’s horniness finally have dire consequences (leaving the reader hoping this will be the end of the boob squeeze that’s sucking the life out of an otherwise good story)
Creature Discomforts by Susan Conant
Got this from a library book sale for a quarter. I paid too much. Now I’ve read Conant’s dog themed books before and enjoyed them but this thing seemed like amateur hour. It was a blessedly short waste of time.
Holly Winter comes to her senses at the base of a cliff in a Maine Nat’l park minus one important thing, her memory. She is helped off the moment by two big malamutes that she doesn’t recognize as hers. She begins to try and jog her memory as she heads back to the lodge. This is where I begin to lose respect for her. Who in their right mind (which arguably she isn’t) falls badly hiking, loses her memory and gets back to the guest house to find out that one of the conservationists she’s been staying with has died and she thinks she heard someone push him to his death but can’t be sure, doesn’t go to the hospital and then the police?
Not our Holly. She doesn’t bother with sensible things like that. No she sets about to restore her memory on her own (because that’s normal). We get to meet all the conservationists and see the rift between them and oh meet someone who I guess Holly was in love with but you can’t tell from this. In all honesty we get way more gushing about dogs than we do anything resembling a mystery. Finally Holly’s dad arrives and things break loose to an ending so unbelievable I’m shocked Conant has gone on to write more in this series…