April 2023 Wrap-Up & Favorites

Source: personal collection

Hello fellow readers! I'm posting on time this month! Most of April was Ramadhan month, which means I fasted most of the time. I didn't read because I'd rather sleep when I have some spare time. In April I braved myself to read another Junji Ito's compilation. This time, the compilation's theme is Tomie. Just like the other Junji Ito's works which I read, Tomie traumatizes me (lol). Anyway, here's the list of books I read in April.

Books read in April

	Ito Junji Compilation 1: Tomie Part 1 - Junji Ito (★★★)
	I always see Junji Ito's horror as absurd and out of this world. I've actually watched one of Tomie's movies a while back and it was traumatizing. I believe there are several Tomie movies already released which I won't watch ever again. The manga though, I can tolerate it. This manga compiles several manga titles revolved around Tomie, an entity (because what the heck is she) which takes form as a beautiful girl. She could make men obsess with her to the point that it drives them crazy and want to murder her. Here's the catch, she can't die and she could replicate herself like amoeba. The manga is full of body horror so if you're okay with it, you can try reading this manga.
	Ito Junji Compilation 2: Tomie Part 2 - Junji Ito (★★★)
	I guess Junji Ito was so inspired by Tomie he wrote so many stories revolved around her that it needs to be divided into two parts. This compilation still gives me the creeps like the first one. Tomie is a force that you can't mess around with. If I ever met someone like her, the first thing I'd do is run as far as I could. Though the last story in this compilation seems like a 'conclusion' to Tomie's story, considering her weird nature, I'm not so sure. Perhaps there will be more stories about Tomie in the future.
	Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (★★★★)
	I picked this book up solely because of the story titled Stories of Your Life. If you don't know, Stories of Your Life is the source material of the sci-fi film Arrival starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. I watched the film first and I love it so much that I decided to read the short story it's based on. The other stories in this collection don't disappoint either. If you like sci-fi stories, you might want to try checking this one out.

Review Posts in April
The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley jackson
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love - Raymond Carver

April Favorites

Anime

Romantic Killer

I was in the mood for something silly. I watched the trailer of this anime back then when it's first released and it interests me much. The premise is hilarious and I can definitely relate to the main protagonist. This anime pokes fun at shoujo manga tropes (especially the reverse harem type) and it's fun. I hope there'll be a second season for this. Despite the silliness, this anime also touches on some serious issues such as the society's obsession on looks. All in all, if you're in need of some good laugh, I recommend watching this show. As per April 2023, this anime is available to watch on Netflix.

There you have it! I don't usually make a TBR list. However, there's a book that I want to read in May because its series adaptation will be released this year on Netflix. The book itself has been on my TBR for years so I guess it's time to finally read it. The title of the book is All the Light We Cannot See. If you've read the book already, feel free to tell me what you think about it. So that's that. I hope you have a good month ahead!