4YON
Update Dec 28, 2022: Brief reread for guidance.
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“If you anticipate, instigate. Doing something before change happens is the best way to be ready when change happens.”
What a volume! Kaito has continued to amaze me not only with their amazing, versatile art skills but also the depth of their knowledge regarding queer topics!! The fact that this series is not just about shame and the courage to be true to oneself but also discussing about gender envy in such a subtle way, like- hello???
"Ayanami này, từ giờ, mỗi khi chào nhau, đừng nói mấy lời đau buồn như 'Vĩnh biệt'. Có thể hiện giờ bọn mình không thể làm gì khác ngoài việc lái Eva... Nhưng mình tin chỉ cần tiếp tục sống sẽ có ngày ta cảm thấy mừng vì vẫn còn tồn tại trên đời."
Gendo Ikari xứng đáng mọi sự thống khổ vô tận, xin cảm ơn.
Đọc mấy chương cuối trong câm nín luôn, kinh khủng.
“Tôi tự hỏi, có phải tôi đã làm chuyện thừa thãi. Nếu cậu đã biến đổi đến mức này thì cần gì để ý đến cái nhìn của người khác. Không phải so sánh với bất kì ai, không cần ganh đua, ghen tị hay thể hiện mình nữa. Hạnh phúc quá còn gì? Nhưng cậu đừng nản chí. Chúng ta hãy hỏi thêm vài người nữa. Tôi tin chắc rằng sẽ có người cần cậu.”
Btw, lần này đọc lại, thân cũng đã biết diễn biến truyện sẽ rẽ theo hướng như thế nào, lòng chỉ thấy thương Phos rất nhiều. Nhìn quá trình trưởng thành của Phos đôi lúc cảm thấy bóng dáng của chính mình trong đấy, từ những giây phút ngây ngô nhất đến những giây phút xấu xí nhất. Cuối cùng, vẫn là tự mình vực dậy bước tiếp, dù gì thì bản thân cũng chỉ là một con người nhỏ bé giữa vũ trụ bao la, cố gắng sống trọn những phút giây của "loài người" chứ không phải "thánh thần" gì cho cam.
Honestly, I wanted to like it.
I got to know why it is what it is and managed to have some insights here and there, but man... does it annoy me how his writing is so condescending at times.
it's been awhile since i got a chance to binge something like this. my brain was on “no thought head empti” mode the entire noon reading this series. i would say it was an okay ride. everything was predictable. boring character development. mary sue, etc, you name it.
however, the art is pretty tho. would not recommend if you're looking for something deep and complex.
"You guys... Did you know...? Life is beautiful, bright, and pure. To anyone considering suicide! Don't throw your life away! We all die one day. You should give life a try until your number comes up. Wishing you all well. This is Yuta, signing off. Thanks. Goodbye."
This shit is so meta. Tatsuki Fujimoto the madman that you are...
"It is in the most surreal situations that a person feels the most present, the closest to reality."
3.5✩/5★
This was my first dive into Ling Ma's work, and while I found her ideas and stories intriguing, her writing style left me with mixed feelings.
Don't get me wrong, I personally think Ma has a unique narrative style, jumping between timelines and fragmented moments, which reminds me of Christopher Nolan's experimentation with time in films. This could be captivating in a novel, but in short stories, it often felt disorienting. Stories like "Yeti Lovemaking," have this the constant jumps of thoughts resulted in a scattered, unfinished feel that I don't really like. At the end of every story, I kept finding myself asking "What did I just read?". However, there were still also some well-written pieces like "Orange," "G," and "Returning," that Ma played around with her ideas pretty neatly.
Despite the inconsistency, I think I had a great time reading this collection. Still, I personally feel like her narrative style might be better suited for longer formats like novels, where the non-linear structure has more space to breathe. Overall, while not every story in "Bliss Montage" landed, the collection's intriguing ideas make me curious to see what Ma does next.
"...it's useful to begin this last stage of our journey with a blunt but unexpectedly liberating truth: what you do with your life doesn't matter all that much—and when it comes to how you're using your finite time, the universe absolutely could not care less."
spoiler alert: this book isnt about time management hacks. the fact that oliver burkeman included “time management” in the title is such a click-bait move. but i still think its a good read though. 4.5/5.
its supposed to be just 2 stars but i gave it three stars because it reminded me how much i hate my corporate job lmao
at this point, i really dont give a f about whether or not the ending makes sense
my kids got their HE, no super mega hell for the gay, so i see this as an absolute win.
4 stars because KAITO WHY DID YOU NOT FULLY REVEAL TOUMA'S APPEARANCE AT THE END U COWARD
NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN NANAMIN
“God damn it, there are nice things in the world – and I mean nice things. We're all such morons to get so sidetracked.”
I said it before on my old Goodreads account but I'll say it again,
WHY IS ZOOEY SO FUNNY BRUHHH😭😭 This bastard could just get away with anything with his annoyingly witty takes. Forever in love with the bathroom conversation between him and Bessie. The humour was gold.
It would be a lie if I said that I didn't find myself on the verge of crying as I reached the very last pages of the book. But yeah, I didn't cry. I don't know why I didn't. But maybe it just didn't matter much if I cried.
4.5/5
"They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you.But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another's throats.Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf.Get out as early as you can, And don't have any kids yourself."
—This Be The Verse, Philip Larkin
