Member Reviews
Excerpt from a conversation about the book's topics:
Fangirl excels in digging into the stresses around adjusting to college life, sibling rivalry and distinction, dealing with anxiety and mental health (especially in relation to the twins’ dad), and balancing wanting to reach out to people while hanging on to what makes you... you.
I loved the original book and was a bit skeptical about it being turned into a manga. Overall, I liked the book and thought it was well done. The choice to end this vol as a cliffhanger was really smart because even though I had already the full story, I now want to read the second volume. I appreciated that they decided to make it black and white like a traditional manga but did switch the way you reader. It allows for new manga readers to have a slow introduction to the manga genre. My only issue with manga was that some of the expressions seems to intense...I am not sure if this is just due to the unique drawing style of manga or a choice by the artist.
This was SUCH a cute graphic novel version of a story that I connected with so hard when I read it for the first time years ago. This one has adorable art, and I love the way the SnowBaz content is integrated into it all. This is a quick, easy read, but just as relatable as it is in novel form. I can’t wait for volume 2!
I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Rainbow Rowell's writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!
Such a great adaptation of the novel. Takes everything that's so charming about the original and expands on that. Even more swoony than the prose version!
Cath's story is told in another awesome way--this time in manga form!
I loved this story as a prose novel, and as a manga it's even better. I adore this book, and can't wait to read more of the series should they finish it.
I'd love to see a meaty omnibus with some special art as well.... This is SUCH a great story, happy to see it getting a new treatment.
Just like the orginal Fangirl, the character's come off so 2 dimensional that it's too hard to read.
I will always love this book, no matter the format, for its ability to speak to me in ways I didn’t know I needed to be spoken to. I cried, I laughed, I loved every minute of it and relate to the main character more than I probably should admit—but that is all part of what makes this such a great story.
Gorgeous! I have previously listened to the audiobook of Fangirl, and I definitely think I’m over the target audience age so I was not a huge fan(girl!) but still think it is definitely worth a read. However this manga adaptation really adds an edge that is unexpected and charming.
I think this graphic novel version could be enjoyed by established fans of the Fangirl series, as well as newcomers to the character.
Great YA/manga crossover.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.
I honestly had such a fun time reading this fangirl Manga. I had never read fangirl before, so thought it would be a good idea to read both the original books, and the manga at the same time, and I think this furthered my enjoy of this experience. The manga covers the topics of the book very closely, and in some aspects, actually added slight further details that weren't included in the original book. The artwork was beautiful, and the over style impeccable. I truly felt like the artwork brought the characters to life, even more so than simply reading about them!My only issue with this manga was that it is split up into different volumes, because I didn't want the story to end!
Having read and loved the novel Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, I was excited to read the graphic novel.
I don't read a lot of graphic novels, but I enjoyed how the novel translated into the graphic form. I actually think the graphic novel helped with the characterisations of the characters and gave a visual representation of their thoughts, feelings and struggles.
Looking forward to reading the next volumes.
Thanks to NetGalley and Viz Media for the chance to read and review this graphic novel.
If I’m being honest, Fangirl is one of the few Rainbow Rowell books I haven’t read, so when I saw this new version on Netgalley, I had to try to get it. I am also not a Manga reader, so this book piqued my interest. Fangirl follows the story of twins Cath and Wren as they navigate their first year of college. Mostly inseparable, Wren has taken on a new life of parties and socializing that takes her away from her fan fiction writing, introverted sister Cath. Cath struggles to adjust to her new solo life and finds comfort in Simon Snow, a character from her favorite book series. Simon is her escape, but he also makes her seem strange to others who find out about her writing choices. Not having read the original book, I have little to compare this adaptation to. However, I believe this version will bring a whole new set of fans to this beloved book and its companion series. Anyone who loves and/or reads manga-styled books is sure to enjoy this book. Sam Maggs and Gabi Nam have stayed true to the typical manga style while integrating some American graphic novel elements. As is tradition, this book is drawn in black and white with illustrations that heavily focus on facial expression and body language. Unlike established manga, this book is read in the traditional American format of left to right, opposed to right to left. The marrying of these two styles allows this book to appeal to both Manga readers and Graphic Novel readers. This book is also recommended for fans of the original novel. Though the story is now taken on a different form, the essence of the story remains the same.
Absolutely fantastic!
Loves reading this amazing graphic novel based off such an epic book.
The illustrations are fantastic
I love Rainbow Rowell. I love Fangirl and this adaptation. It was wonderfully done. It captured all the parts of the story. And the art was awesome. Cant wait for more volumes.
Absolutely loved this! It totally made me want to re-read the novel. I will definitely be recommending this to others and think it works PERFECTLY as a graphic novel. I was a tag thrown off since it calls itself a manga, but doesn't read from right to left.
It's been a little bit since I read the Fangirl-the book, like a couple years at least, and while reading the manga it's begun to come back to me. I identify a lot with Cath- for better or worse- being a writer, having been steeped into a fandom that deeply before, not to mention anxiety about everything.
This seems like almost a play by play work of the book-just with pictures. I'm not against a straight comic of the book since if you prefer one medium over the other you have the choice but, I'm probably not going to invest in a several volume manga of a story I've already read. The story is fun, it's great for anyone who has been that deep into a story and lore that you read or write fanfiction, look at or draw fanart. It's a growing up kind of story, coming of age but college-aged, getting out of your comfort zone and learning about yourself but still a feel-good and hopeful story.
Thank you to VIZ Media and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am so happy I got accepted for this one! I'm on a bit of a graphic novel thing at the moment and after loving Pumpkinheads I really wanted to give this one a go.
So this is part 1 of the manga adaptation of RR's Fangirl book. I haven't actually read the book so I can't compare them but I did really enjoy this! My only negative is that I do think bits hopped around a little bit and I was left wondering if my copy had some missing sections, but I guess these transitions would be a bit more fluid and clear in a prose format.
Other than that, I really liked the characters, especially Levi, and the dialogue feels really natural and genuine.
I hope I get accepted when it's time for Vol 2!
Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the arc of Fangirl Vol. 1 by Rainbow Rowell and Sam Maggs.
I think the only reason I didn't give this five stars is because I am such a huge fan of the book. I like the majority of the way that this has been adapted. I appreciate the darkness and shading used when Cath's anxiety becomes too much and the way that we get to see so much more of Simon and Baz than we do in the novel. What I am not a fan of is how traditionally handsome Levi is portrayed as since, as much as I love Levi, he was not written as that traditionally handsome leading male role. I also think that sometimes the way the Regan is portrayed is too sexualized. she was always the antithesis to Cath in that she was so grown up and curvy and not afraid to show it off in the novel but sometimes just the clothing choices that were made put me off.
Overall I really did enjoy the manga and I am very much looking forward to the next ones and seeing how they get adapted as well.
Hello Bookish friends! Today I read part 1 of the Fangirl Manga. Fangirl is a YA novel about a girl struggling to find her place in college. Cather really likes to write fanfiction, it's all she's ever known. But when faced with the reality of college, will her fictional worlds be enough? Or will she be lured into the real world? Through emergency dance parties, pumpkin mocha breve, and Simon and Baz; Cather just might find that college can be life-changing. As someone who reads a lot of YA, I really enjoyed this version of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the manga art style. It really captured the essence of the story. It was a clear way to visualize the characters and their lives in Omaha. While I hadn't read Fangirl in a while, I enjoyed the pacing of the manga. I knew it was going to be split up into a four-book installment, so the amount of time spent developing the story would be better than a normal graphic novel. While the story and the pacing were fantastic, I found that some of the plot points were rather oversaturated with content. I am not sure if this is done to stay true to the story, but it seemed like the manga was repetitive. The idea of a manga/ graphic novel is to take the essence of the story and condense it. However, I felt like this story was not shortened in any way. It didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the manga, but it is worth noting. I would also like to point out that if you don't like the art style of the traditional manga you might be put off by this. It has no color pictures and the movements and actions of the characters follow traditional manga actions. Overall I found this manga to be a nice reminder of the book, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
#FangirlVol1 #NetGalley
I enjoyed Fangirl, however, it is only the first volume and as a school librarian I would like to know how many volumes are likely to be produced before committing to the first volume. It is a matter of budget constraints. Having said that I feel that those that read this version might be persuaded to read the original version to find out what happens in the book rather than wait for the next graphic volume.
The themes for the book are interesting. Friendships, relationships, alcoholism, the morality of using other people's characters in stories. It is a coming of age story for an anxious girl.
The drawings and text are good. The story has developed quickly and I am impatient to know how it finishes or develops, which after all is what a series needs to develop its following. I suspect that those that have read the older full text version will not read this but it will attract readers to Rainbow Rowell's other books.