"Menji and the Sea Dragon" by Fabien Grolleau with art by Mathieu Demore is a graphic novel adventure about a powerful Sea Dragon and those hoping to control it.

Menji the cat works for Master Fox, and Master Fox really wants to find the legendary Sea Dragon. The Sea Dragon hasn’t been seen in a long time and there are others also searching the sea for it. Menji finds herself in dangerous places and has to face her fear.

Overall, this wasn’t all that great in writing or art. I assume their target audience is children, but there are much better offerings out there.

This is a super fun graphic novel adventure. I wish the illustrations popped off the page a bit more but still think kids will be engaged with this one.

The illustrations are nice and eye pleasing. The journey was fun to follow and of course but it could be more exciting. Looking forward for the next installment for sure

This book is reminiscent of Usagi Yojimbo, though for a younger audience and less serious. I like the combination of light magic and misadventure. Solidly entertaining.

Hmmm... Clumsily-told series opener, with what plot there is to interrupt all the exposition hinging on no end of humongous coincidences. Ninja Fox character orders his servant to get some rare fish, which might help him in his studies of the Sea Dragon. An Oriental version of Baron Greenback also wants to know more about the Sea Dragon, specifically where it will surface, for in conjunction with a second planet and the moon and all sorts of malarkey, it will imprint on the first person it sees and be enslaved for 1001 years, or something. Meanwhile Ninja Fox gets bored and goes in search of the Dragon, fish or no fish – except his (now ex-) servant is still angling for it... and you should be able to work out what happens next. If not, you might be in the target audience for this juvenile fantasy, which manages to be devoid of anything cute, interesting or lively enough to redeem this. All it has going for it – for now – is we have no way of knowing what the sequels will be like, but from this there won't be that many people urging the creatives on to let us find out.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel, especially the art style. The story was also enjoyable, I would definitely read the next installment!

I was intrigued by this graphic novel because it seemed like an adorable and fun adventure that I'd compare to things like Moomins, Tin Tin and other classic comics of that ilk.

It delivered on everything I thought it would and was just generally a really solid, cute, fun story, I'll be anticipating the next installment

Menji and the sea dragon is about menji and her master in search of a prophesied sea dragon. During menjis journey she encounters companions that will join her and her master fox will face of against enemies who want the same thing.

Menji and the sea dragon was a entertaining read and will be perfect for middle-grade readers and above, the character designs are adorable and the world is beautifully designed with a vast variety of characters which all stood out from each other as unique.

I loved this book and will be keeping my eye out for the sequels, being the first book in the series the ending had a large and significant end that I will be eager to see be expanded upon.

P.s The map is adorable and made the story much more engaging to cross reference where the plot was taking place!
4.5/5

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGally & Europe Comics.

Ghibli meets The Amazing Gumball meets Kung Fu Panda, with a dash of Pokemon and a hint Amphibia. This tale features Menji, the underdog main character on an inadvertent adventure with his adorable co-pilot Xitli. The storyline of this book is good and keeps readers going until the end. The graphics are top rate and creatively detailed. I spent additional time exploring each section and all of the individual pages. The colors and attributes are outstanding!

The copy and word usage at times was rough, choppy and at times abrasive. I would not recommend this for kids under 8. But overall readers over 8 would thoroughly enjoy the images and the story and would likely really enjoy the characters and Part 1 of this journey. (My 8 year old got a hold of my phone and read this graphic novel and agreed with my 5 star rating!!)

(review posted to Goodreads under Menji - Tome 1)

Menji and the Sea Dragon (1) by Fabian Grolleau & Mathieu Demore

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed reading this!! Love the art style, similar to that of ‘Gumball’. Such a cool story line, with such cute characters!! Xitli was definitely my favourite, she’s so adorable! I also loved that there were maps in there too!!

TW/CWs - Violence; Misogyny; Blood; War; Weapons - swords, arrows; Fire

Not a lot I can say about Menji. This book suffers from First Book Syndrome - it spends a lot of time setting the stage, introducing the characters. The book doesn't really present a finished arc, and part of succesfull storytelling is whether the creators can stick the landing.

So, it's devestatingly, heartbreakingly okay.

Menji and the Sea Dragon is a cute graphic novel inspired by Fantasy and Medieval Japanese and Chinese cultures. Ninjas, samourais and an evil Emperor are part of the first book of the adventures of Menji.

Menji, the main character, is a young cat. He is requested by his Master, Fox, to bring a Kendak, a strange fish. But apparently, that fish is very rare and difficult to find, so the young hero goes on an extraordinary adventure to find it. It is said according to legend, that the Kendak will help to find the Sea Dragon, a magical creature supposed to obey the first person seen. And of course Master Fox plans to be that person.

I really enjoyed the story and the art. Both are really fun. The story is interesting and original. The characters are appealing and I really enjoyed following Menji’s incredible adventures.

Just finished reading Menji and the Sea Dragon. Menji is a servant of Master Fox who is seeking to learn about the Sea Dragon before his rivals do. Menji and his friends aren’t necessarily helping even though they are trying. All the characters are different type of animals drawn with eye catching vivid colors.

I totally thought it was a graphic novel and would end at the end. But it’s definitely not over 😂 but I will read any future editions that come out. It’s a lot of fun and the illustrations are cute.

I read an ecopy from NetGalley and Europe Comics for review purposes.

Menji and the Sea Dragon, follows a huge cast of anthropomorphic characters, who you’re helpfully introduced to in the opening pages alongside a map. As an aside, more comics need maps! In this, we follow Menji, the servant of Master Fox who is determined to take hold of the power of the Sea Dragon. The plot is a little convoluted, but that’s often a given with introductory volumes, and I’m sure that over the course of the series, everything will click into place. Regardless, it’s a fun introduction to what should be a rollicking adventure.

There is yet to exist a comic published by Europe Comics that I don't love.
This is hilarious and their expressions just make me laugh. I love the large cast and that the story is an awesome quest for a prophecy to come true at the right time, with the right elements, with only one chance to make it work when all signs align. A great introduction to the world. The artwork is amazing, I love the humor and extra detail. of each illustrated panel. Looking forward to reading the next volumes.

Master Fox and his cat Menji are hoping to control the powers of a sea dragon which only reappears every 100 years, but unfortunately they are not the only ones with this great idea. This graphic novel/comic style story will keep young readers interested in the interesting pictures and thought/speech bubbles. This style of book is very popular right now as it is accessible for children at a range of reading levels, whether creating their own story from the pictures, reading parts or all of the story, graphic novels like this one are ones that are picked up again and again, and I can see this graphic novel being the perfect addition to a graphic novel collection. I would recommend this book for teachers, librarians and families of children in the 6-11 age range. The story also ends on a cliffhanger - something that middle grade readers love, and which means there are likely more stories to come, making this potentially a new series to get kids started on. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this fun book!

This graphic novel follows a cat named Menji, who is the servant of a ninja named Master Fox, I got about halfway through this and de iced to dnf - it wasn’t really catching my interest, and I found the small size of the text hard to read, I think this text size would be especially hard for children to read, and that’s the main audience for this story. The plot was also a bit confusing to follow, but others might get more swept up in this world than I did.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I guess I didn't read the description because I thought this was a picture book but it's a graphic novel. I really enjoyed it! The illustrations are great and the story moves. I would have loved to read this as a kid. It is best for established readers who understand how to read comics or graphic novel format.

Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Menji and the Sea Dragon by Fabien Grolleau & Mathieu Demore is a delightful Asian-inspired graphic novel that will appeal to fans of The Amazing Adventures of Gumball or Adventure Time. The story revolves around Menji, a servant to Master Fox. Master Fox wants to be the first to see the Sea Dragon this millennium, which would grant him powers of extraordinary measure. Will Menji be able to help his master see the Sea Dragon first?

Overall, Menji and the Sea Dragon is a lovely graphic novel that would make the perfect gift for the child in your life. One highlight of this book is the artwork. The artwork reminded me of a video game or perhaps a Cartoon Network show. I found the book to be fun and easy to read because of the art. Another highlight of this book are the Asian influences in the graphic novel, including Chinese-inspired characters, traditional Asian dresses, etc. I thought that that made the story even more interesting. If you're intrigued by the description, I recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

A fun and colorful comic with a distinctive manga feel with the Japanese like illustrations.. It follows Menji, a lowly servant for Master Fox, a ninja obsessed with the lore of the famous Sea Dragon who’s rumored to return after 1000 years.

Loved the concept of this and it was super easy to follow. Looking forward to what Menji will be up too in part 2!!