Based on a Japanese folktale, Issunboshi is a 6 inch man given to an elderly couple who prayed for a son. His small size allowed him to trick friends, but his strength was beyond imagine. His parents one day told him it was time for him to find his own path away from home. Issunboshi discovers he has a lot larger role to play in his life.

The illustrations of this novel are phenomenal. The story seems like it jumps ahead and you don’t notice it until some mentions time has passed. Maybe some transitional frames or action sequences showing improvement over time. Either way, it was a good story with good values. I think the artist tamed down the demon so he wasn’t too scary, which makes this story a little more appropriate for my middle grade kiddos.

Thanks Netgalley and Oni Press for the ARC. I think my students will really enjoy this one.

"You don't need to be a hero to stand against evil, Issunboshi, to fight for the good in this world...
That's how you become one"

This story is so cool and so beautifully illustrated it makes me want to see it animated in the big screen!!
As an artist i have to fangirl about how much I loved the art style and I'm in awe of the simple style and the lightning tricks.
I love the story and how it incorporated many of the classic japanese folklore elements and yokais, it's very interesting.
Highly recommended :)

I received an Advance Review Copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited about Issunboshi, being a fan of Japanese mythology, but unfortunately I found it to be a pretty underwhelming read. If you’re even slightly familiar with Japanese mythology, all the creatures featured will be familiar to you– but I couldn’t help wondering if it would be the best introduction for someone who wasn’t. The narrative moves so fast, we don’t really get to spend time with any of them, and they seem to be included just for the sake of it, which undermines their effectiveness.

It’s tricky to get readers invested in characters and a huge, world-ending threat in such a short space of time, and as far as I was concerned Lang didn’t achieve that goal here. The pacing felt extremely uneven and often rushed. The characters are ciphers- the women in the narrative suffer particularly from this, but it's a universal problem- with predictable, spouting overfamilliar dialogue, and mostly seemed to exist for exposition, which is copious. Issunboshi’s quips are just stock-phrases, and he himself feels pretty devoid of personality, which is always unfortunate when seeing a character from legend who has already been reimagined again- it’s difficult to put out of mind reinterpretations you’ve preferred when coming across a flavourless one.

Returning to the plot, Lang didn’t really sell me on this particular version of the story. Issunboshi being borne of the soul of a legendary spear is an extremely cool concept, but the magic in this story all feels very hand-wavey and the resolution was ultimately a bit of a Deus Ex Machina. Additionally, I know that Issunboshi usually ends his tale at a typical height, but it didn’t feel thematically appropriate in this instance. I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to represent, in the wake of the cliche of “even the smallest person can make a difference.” It’s a retelling, already straying pretty far from most versions of the folktale I’m familiar with, so I was pretty baffled by this choice. Apart from some bog-standard self-dobut, Issunboshi doesn’t really have an arc to be resolved, and the one he does have doesn’t parallel the plot: he’s pure of heart from the start, so the resolution isn’t really satisfying.

I’m not a huge fan of the art style either, unfortunately- it feels pretty generic and Disney-ish, unmemorable and inconsistent. Certain panels were impressive- for instance, many of the action panels, particularly those that got creative with perspective, but I couldn’t help but notice a few unintentionally goofy facial expressions that felt rushed in others. Whilst the Kappa was a stand-out, the rest of the character designs, including that of the main villain, were underwhelming. As other reviewers have observed, this graphic novel felt less like it was intended to be a graphic novel and more like a storyboard for an animated film, which follows, considering Lang’s background. I adore animation- it’s one of my favourite mediums- but this is an unhappy compromise. This story feels like it wants music, wants quick, funny cuts for comedic timing, wants dynamic movement that Lang just isn’t conveying in stills.

I come away from this read unsure who I’d recommend Issunboshi to– those interested in Japanese mythology retellings have countless stronger reimaginings to turn to, and there are countless stories that explore these very classic themes with more originality, eloquence, or entertainment.

Arc Copy...This is actually the first time I have read an adaptation of Issun's tale but I'm familiar with the story well enough to know this is retelling however still a good read. The art style feels like an animated epic fable.

This graphic novel is based on the Japanese folktale about a one-inch samurai. I don’t think I had ever heard of this tale before, or maybe it was just quite different.
First of all, I’ll start with the drawings. They were quite pretty and poetic. I can definitely imagine an animated version of this book. Now, about the story. We follow this young samurai who, one day, is kidnapped by a demon. Thankfully, he escapes but has to learn how to fight in order to finish the big boss. I enjoyed the characters, especially Issunboshi and his parents. The plot in itself is quite classic but it works and it was enjoyable.
I recommend to people looking for a full-of-action graphic novel
3.5/5

I really enjoyed the story and artwork of this graphic novel! Also the fact that the faces were all very 'Disney' in style meant they felt very familiar. I wish the story had given itself a bit more time to develop. It could have been longer to give all the plot ideas room to develop and breathe, and to actually introduce the characters. However, I would recommend this book to others and thoroughly enjoyed reading it

The drawing are spectacular and the story is really engaging!

This is one of that graphic novel that I probably wouldn't have read if I hadn't found it on Netgalley, but it was worth it!

This is an excellent graphic novel adaptation of the Japanese folktale about Issunboshi, the one-inch Samurai. In feudal Japan, where mythical and folkloric creatures exist, a devil seeks to reassemble an ancient weapon to rule the entire planet. Our one-inch Samurai Issunboshi happens to be the last and most important part of the weapon, also the only one who can stop the devil.

In this graphic novel, there is excellent and detailed artwork that makes the general composition richer, and superb storytelling that takes its inspiration from folktales. Generally, I don't like retellings of myths and old tales, but here the artist successfully captures the heart of the story. There is even a cultural consultant mentioned in the list of contributors. Lettering, with which I always struggle, was bold and neat enough to read.

Considering the last couple of pages that contain sketches, we are expected to wait for the second volume. I am looking forward to it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing an ARC of this book for reviewers.

I really wanted to like this one, but to be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by it. The art is absolutely gorgeous, but that's almost part of the issue—it doesn't match up with the rest of the piece, for me. For one, the entire book is in greyscale, which came as a bit of a shock after admiring the lush cover. As I read, I just kept thinking "surely this was supposed to be in color." I have no doubt it would have been more costly and labor-intensive, but that was a bit of a letdown all the same.

Overall, the story reads less like a graphic novel and more like intricate storyboards for an animated film. (This tracks, since creator Ryan Lang's profession lies mainly in animation/visual development.) Unfortunately, that ends up offering the lesser aspects of each—the narrative sparseness of storyboards and the limited sensory experience of a graphic novel. I think this has real potential for something non-graphic-novel in format, and the story undeniably has a kind of unpolished charm, with its underdog narrative and strong mythological roots. But in the end, this title just didn't deliver for me, and I would have much rather experienced its content onscreen.

Thank you to Netgalley for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll admit, I couldn't not request this one when I saw the absolutely gorgeous cover. This one also gave me Thumbelina vibes mixed with Japanese mythology. Thumbelina was one of my favourite movies when I was a child.

The story was beautiful and the artwork was absolutely stunning. I only wish it had been in colour or at least been in colour after the prologue. I also wish the story had been longer, as it did feel a bit rushed.

Overall a beautiful book, but for a graphic novel, did a lot of telling, not showing. The prose didn't match the level of artwork and was jarring at times. I found myself skimming through the text and just looking at the awesome artwork, and still feel like I got the entire story.

I have always loved tales of Little One-Inch (Issun-bōshi) so when I came across this graphic novel, I really wanted to read it.

This tale tells the story of how Issunboshi came to be and of his destiny to fight a great oni (demon).

I really enjoyed Lang's version of the tale and I especially enjoyed all the supporting characters. Even the characters we only meet briefly feel really well-developed.

The art style is clean, crisp, and polished. It's actually quite stunning!

I sincerely hope that Lang plans to do a series of graphic novels based on Issunboshi's adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Ryan Lang for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

The art in this book was the most stunning art in any graphic novel I have ever read. It felt like I was watching a movie. It was a great story, but I felt like the writing didn’t reach the same level as the art. I loved the humor that was thrown in, but the character development was lacking and I didn’t feel like I was really able to fully immerse myself into the book like I wanted to.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. This would be a great recommendation for younger teens, or those new to graphic novels. I will definitely be purchasing a copy.

This book was very different than any modern comic I have read. It’s fun to imagine what life would look like from such a tiny angle. This book was a lot of fun, check it out ASAP.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book.

This was such a wonderful short story about a boy destined for more. The story starts with an interesting legend in Japan about a magical sword and the creation of the world. After you get a great story of growth, family, demons and wars.

I really enjoyed the story. The action was very interesting. The main character is someone you get to care about very early in the story. I really wished we got more about the other characters as well. The world felt a little familiar for me, as someone who likes reading fantasy books and manga based on Japanese mythology, but I feel that it could get a little confusing if one doesn't have a bit of knowledge about this.

Highly recommend this :)

The art style was awesome and the plot was nice too. This story is action packed and attention grabbing. I had a lot of fun reading this!

Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review

This book had an almost epic quality, and felt cinematic. The art is wonderful and I found the story enjoyable.

This was such a fun read! It is fast paced, brimming with action, and the art is so good. The character designs, both humans and monsters, were so cool! The sceneries and the feudal Japan setting were so intricately drawn, I took my time appreciating the full-length panels. In terms of the plot, it is fairly simple and follows the generic pattern of any classic, hero story. It's about doing your best despite your fears, and how no matter how small we feel, there is something we can always do. Overall, Issunboshi was an entertaining read that can be consumed in one sitting.

Questa graphic novel è meravigliosa, un vero capolavoro!
Si vede immediatamente che l'autore ha lavorato per film d'animazione, perchè quello che ho desiderato dopo aver letto le prime pagine è che quelle pagine fossero a colori o che venisse immediatamente trasposto in un film. Ogni scena del fumetto sembra quasi uno screenshot in bianco e nero da un film.
Il particolare che poi mi ha lasciato più a bocca aperta è lo studio delle luci sia sui personaggi che negli sfondi.
C'è inoltre uno studio approfondito della profondità di campo e il design dei personaggi ti cattura subito.
La storia poi è ben costruita e sebbene breve ha tutto il necessario per farti appassionare e apprezzare i personaggi. Forse gli stacchi tra una scena e l'altra dovrebbero essere più evidenti, con delle piccole scene di transizione. E' l'unico difetto che gli ho trovato.

Spero davvero di poter leggere altro di questo autore.
Grazie Netgalley per avermi permesso di leggerlo!

-------------------

This graphic novel is wonderful, a true masterpiece!
You can see immediately that the author has worked for animated movies, because what I wanted after reading just the first few pages is that those pages were in color or that it was immediately transposed into a movie. Each scene in the graphic novel almost looks like a black and white screenshot from a movie.
The detail that then left me most speechless is the study of the lights both on the characters and in the backgrounds.
There is also an in-depth study of depth of field and the character design catches you right away.
The story is well constructed and although short it has everything you need to get you hooked and appreciated the characters. Perhaps the gaps between one scene and another should be more noticeable, with small transitional scenes. It's the only flaw I've found in it.

I really hope to be able to read more of this author.
Thanks Netgalley for letting me read it!

Thank you NetGalley and OniPress for providing me with an early copy of this book.

Issunboshi is the Japanese folklore tale of a tiny man with a giant future. This fable has been told many times before; however, Rayan Lang’s art style is, without a doubt, an incredible match. The very dynamic scenes often felt as though they belonged to the big screen, which left me wishing for a short film adaptation of the comic.

I hope to see more of this artist!