3.5 stars. As someone with dysgraphia, I was excited to read a manga about dyslexia. Unfortunately this book was just plain dull. The first part of the book was mainly dealt with the struggles of an adult who has never diagnosed with dyslexia. That part was great and very educational for people who might not know about it. I thought the information given was accurate. The problem was that there was no actual story to go along with the facts, and none of the characters had personality. The second part was about the main character joining an acting group and trying to write a script. That could have been interesting, but the plot stopped randomly in the middle with no conclusion to this storyline. Overall, the ideas had potential, and I would have loved to see a character with dyslexia as the focus, but this manga did not know where to take a plot after just talking about the disorder.

This was a hopeful story about Shinobu, a young man with dyslexia, but he doesn't know that he is dyslexic. The first chapters were really eye-opening in some of the challenges someone with dyslexia faces, especially when it comes to work. Shinobu's world opens up when he meets another man with dyslexia, and he learns that he most likely also has this learning disability. The last chapter focuses on Shinobu trying out his hand at scriptwriting for a theater troupe. This was a fast, heart-wrenching read!

With the innovative storyline, more diversity is needed so this is good! Even though I know little about dyslexia, I think there are some misconceptions about this one. The storyline seems to not go anywhere and sometimes is all over the place. It was entertaining, though.

This book opens my eye about dyselexic people. I love how real the plot is in the beginning of manga, but somehow, I don't enjoy the part after Chou joining caffee. They're too harsh to them and why doesn't he say he is dyselexic people. People Will understand. I think the last parts of this manga doesn't sit well in me

I love that this main character has a disability, for starters. I can't say whether or not its accurate because I don't have dyslexia, but he has struggled for all of his life without knowing what was wrong with him.

The first volume of My Wonderful World has solid characters and important discussion of dyslexia and learning disabilities. There is unfortunately some misinformation mixed in with the good information, as well as ableism that is excused and prejudice played for jokes which really dampens an otherwise potentially promising start to a series.

There is some irony to a manga about dyslexia, but for those who don't know, this is a good start. My Wonderful World provides a cautionary tale about the lack of awareness of or lack of diagnostics for learning disabilities. I'm not entirely sure how accurate the experience is, but then again this is fiction and at the very least this is a good depiction of what it would be like to try to get your life together after finding out you're not an idiot, you just have a learning disability. The art is neat and non-fussy, allowing the reader to take in more of what the dyslexic experience is like. (I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinions.)

This was a very intreastng manga to read and I am happy that the publisher and netgalley allowed me to review this.
I loved that this book it was a great representation that the author was trying to do I see some bad reviews about misrepresentation but conditions like these can vary so I think if this is how the character experiences his condition then that's his to deal with. Although, I think it was a little rushed in the manga. I would read more from this series and author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha, and Mizuho Aimoto for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

Here's to acknowledging and accepting one's differences!

Shinobu can't read or write. He thinks he is stupid. He can't keep a job and when he does something like ask for help, make excuses, or use his phone for assistance, people think he is slacking off or lazy. New to the term, a café manager tells him about dyslexia, as he is dyslexic too! Shinobu works through the new knowledge and understanding he has of this disorder and thinks he can never have a normal life. While it may be challenging, the café manager shows him that he can do what everyone else can do, but he just needs to go about things in a different way.

This manga highlights many of the challenges one with dyslexia may face. It is different for everyone, and each person experiences reading and writing in a different way with different means to navigate the world. At first I found the struggles being shown through Shinobu to be a bit overdone, but it really sheds light on how much the disorder can affect a person's life while other people are blissfully ignorant.

This is an excellent manga and I really want to follow this story. We need more books with diverse topics like this one!

Quick review for a quick read. Mizuho Aimoto is a new to me author, so "My Wonderful World, Vol. 1" is not only my first read from any of her work, but it is also the start to a new series. What drew me to this particular manga when I picked it up was that it prominently features a character who has dyslexia and showcasing his efforts to not only navigate it (once he discovers he has it) but also try to navigate the newfound relationships and day to day situations he must contend with. I don't think I've ever picked up a manga that featured a main character with this particular disability before, so I was curious to see where it would go.

Shinobu has had a difficult life to say the least. Unable to finish his schooling beyond middle school and moving from part time job to the next, he reveals that he's unable to read or write and has to cope where he can to make ends meet for his grandmother and himself. It isn't until he happens to come to a cafe where he meets a barista named Haruka that his life begins to shift. Haruka is able to identify - from a job application he sees Shinobu fill out - that Shinobu is dyslexic. Haruka is also dyslexic and has known for most of his life, whereas Shinobu had no idea about the facets of dyslexia and what it would entail. The manga does a good job of summarizing the basic points of what dyslexia is, and I appreciated that being folded into the story. I felt for Shinobu's sense of helplessness and frustration at trying to do his best to navigate his disability, but also his determination to try to see what he could do to learn more about it. Though, I would argue that some of the ways he tries to hide his disability from others' as portrayed in this manga is a bit problematic. And one of the "tests" that is given by Haruka seems so overwhelming that poor Shinobu really doesn't have a fair shot to measure given his newfound discovery of having dyslexia.

There's definitely a nice sense of Shinobu feeling his life begin to shift and changing his prespective into more thinking of the future versus living in the moment or simply getting through the day. However, there is a bit of mixed messaging because I feel like since Shinobu didn't have the privilege to grow up and learn the facets of his disability and how its unique to his situation, the other characters don't realize how frustrating it can be nor do they treat him with as much accommodation as he deserves. The manga does at least touch base with Shinobu's frustration with this, but I think future volumes could do this in a way that showcases Shinobu being supported more.

I liked the overarching story in and of itself, and feel that it could go into interesting directions for future volumes. I liked the characters and the overarching slice-of-life progression of "My Wonderful World." I'm curious to see what dyslexic readers of this manga - particularly those who navigate the experience of dyslexia in Japan - would have to say about it. Since I don't have this disability, there are things that they can pick up on that I have not in this review, and it's important to make sure that the experience of dyslexia is not only represented accurately, but in a way that's supportive to the community.

I will be following to see where this series goes. I will give it 3 stars overall for the story and characters, with an extra half-star for the nice artwork.

Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.

This was interesting and I enjoyed reading it but it was a little slow in parts.

It is quite innovative to see a character with possible dyslexia being portrayed in a manga and I like the way the characters in the story explore this and also educate the reader at the same time.

I also thought the artwork was good with clear illustrations which moved the story along. Overall it was a very good story but it didn’t really grab me.

[Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.]

Shinobu can’t seem to hold down a job and has a lot of trouble reading the printed word. He thinks it’s all down to his intelligence, but when somebody mentions dyslexia, it helps him realize it might be more than that. Then the story strikes a blow for equal rites, by showing that dyslexics can be real jerks too.

When it comes to presenting information on dyslexia, this is a very good book. The author clearly wanted to put the work in and it shows, giving a mostly clear picture of the condition and how Shinobu struggles with it.

The impact of undiagnosed conditions like this is presented well - Shinobu has exactly zero support from anybody except his family and even they have no idea what’s going on with him. He’s struggling and hates himself and watching him figure out his life is a great story hook.

Too bad it isn’t told very well. All of his information and the idea he might be dyslexic comes from a café owner who is the big secondary character in the book, but is so boring that I can’t remember his name. And it doesn’t help that the story presents him as what I can only describe as a manic pixie dreamhole.

His smug condescension towards Shinobu and his tough love attitude are no different than what people were doing to him beforehand, arguably worse since he <b>does</b> know what’s keeping Shinobu from excelling.

The nadir comes when he hires Shinobu, who is desperate because his only family is in hospital and he has no job, and the owner decides to have a bunch of his acting buddies show up while the owner is out and throw Shinobu into a crazy (and FAKE) difficult situation of waiting tables that is basically triggering to the point of employee abuse and some of the cruellest stuff I’ve seen recently. Shinobu should have punched him and quit, except he can’t. The way Shinobu solves this problem has a real whiff of casual racism to it as well.

This all ties into a theatre troupe of amateur thespians, and if that thought sends you running for the hills, start pacing yourself now because this group naturally ropes Shinobu into their antics and they’re all just living the dream and gosh dreams are important and other very useless platitudes. I was waiting for them to break into <i>La Vie Boheme</I> and start dancing on the tables.

Really, only the thought that somebody might get any possible hint that they were dyslexic or it could help someone understand somebody else better saves this. The more I think about it the angrier I get.

And I will, at least, praise the translation work - it does a stellar job getting across the nuances of the Japanese language and also using basic English. There’s some heavy lifting to be done translating a work so focused on this topic and they put the work in.

Shame it wasn’t for something better. Mediocre art, few good characters, a story that isn’t any good. Representation of anything deserves better than this and we’ve seen other manga do it much better - <i>Our Dreams At Dusk</i> shows a café that also seemingly exists to inform and does it about ten times better.

2 stars - The information is presented well, but as an engaging work of fiction it’s pretty awful. This needed to be doing a lot better if I was going to recommend it over just reading a textbook.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

I found this manga to be a little slow at parts but its touching on a really important topic. I dont think current day manga has enough representation for disabilities or difficulties that can really limit a persons life and cause daily problems. Seeing Shinobu grow through this volume and work hard to grab hold of his dreams and aspirations while learning to work alongside his dyslexia was really nice. I did feel a little slow moving and lacking in plot in some parts but I think with future volumes it could really pick up in to something people will enjoy a lot.

I didn’t know what to expect from this but this simple slice of life story about a young man who discovers he has dyslexia after a difficult life. As he learns about the disability he pushes himself to change and adapt to his new reality.

I really liked how informative this was. It gave me a lot of additional knowledge about the condition that I wasn’t aware of. And the representation is so important. The only other books I’ve run into that cover this disability are titles by Rick Riordan.

I like Shinobu’s relationship with his grandmother. But that’s pretty much about it. This was a very bland read. The representation is important but there’s very little story here. I wanted more from the characters, especially in the cafe. Overall, not great,

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shinobu has always had difficulty with reading and writing. When a cafe worker notices him struggling with some paperwork, Shinobu learns that he may have dyslexia. The cafe worker (who also has dyslexia) begins to teach him how he has adapted and what he has learned about the difficulties of dyslexia.

My Wonderful Life (volume 1) presents a somewhat realistic view of the concerns and difficulties one can have surrounding dyslexia. The MC is shown struggling in all areas of his life due to his undiagnosed dyslexia.

The storyline flows nicely but it does end in a bit of a cliffhanger. I’m interested in reading the next volume in the series later.

I like the style of the illustrations. They aren’t overly cutesy and fit well with the theme of the manga.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha!

I was sent the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will start out by saying I would not recommend this book to anybody. While there’s the basis of a good idea, the execution of this book was incredibly ableist and does more harm than good in regards to representation.

I’ll start with the positives. The author sets the scene quickly and effectively, without the need for overly long exposition. In regards to disability, the author makes a good start of displaying ableism in everyday society as well as how disabled people often need strategies and adjustments to help them with daily activities. Furthermore, this book begins to explore some of the grief process about wishing you had known about a disability sooner as well as family guilt and misunderstanding.

This unfortunately is where the positives stop.

This book doesn’t state anywhere that it is read right to left, given that this book talks heavily about reading difficulties, this felt pretty thoughtless to me. At many points in this book the pacing felt off and scenes felt unnatural and stilted, particularly the main conversation that was had around explaining dyslexia. There was a huge exposition dump without it really fitting into the story. Additionally, the secondary character had no personality of his own, he existed entirely to move the main characters story forward.

Now moving onto the abundance of blatant ableism in this book.

It is made out in the beginning that it is very obvious when someone is dyslexic, this is not the case. Additionally the secondary character states that ADHD is obvious and easily diagnosed. Neither of these statements are true, the majority of people (including teachers and Drs) don’t know very much about either neurotype except a couple of main traits. Both are still regularly misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed. (I could go into this further but I’ll leave it at this)

Repeatedly the main character is belittled and blamed for his difficulties, even by the other dyslexic character. He’s told that it’s his own fault, he’s not trying hard enough and that if he needs accommodations he has to work out what he needs and put them in place himself. Also, the secondary character (who is dyslexic) sets up a cruel prank to test the main character to see whether he’s “worthless” or not. Repeatedly his worth as a human is attributed to his ability to be ‘normal’ or to work. This is ableist and has routes in historic cases of institutional ableism.

An ambulatory wheelchair user was used as a punchline because they stood up. Ambulatory wheelchair users are regularly accused of faking and harassed both in person and online. Joke like these are adding fuel to the fire and are harming people.

Next, let’s venture in the other prejudices displayed in this book.

The main character does a stereotyped accent of a person of a different race/nationality. The main character also thinks it would be funny during an improv play scene to force another cast member (who is male) to propose to a man in the audience for the ending of the play. The only joke to be had here is homophobia.

It was abundantly clear this this book was not written by an own voice author and maybe they should leave writing about disability to someone who knows what they’re talking about instead of making prejudice jokes and spreading misinformation.

Rating: 1 stars
Genre: Contemporary Manga
Format: eBook
Pages: 153
Representation: Disability (poorly done)
Content warnings: ableism, homophobia, racism

"Sometimes I think that the world is a stage, and I'm just playing the part of someone who can't read." SAY LESS, I AM SOLD.

Shinobu Asakura can't read or write—he's severely dyslexic, and as dyslexic person myself, I appreciate his character. The story is about Shinobu's growth and struggle to achieve his dreams of a normal life. I'm looking forward to Volume 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC copy of this book!
I really liked seeing a book that has a character with dyslexia, especially one that showed the struggles that people go through as well as the steps he took to try and achieve his dreams. It definitely shows how important diagnosing can be to understanding and treating different issues.

My Wonderful World Vol 1 by Mizuho Aimoto is a story about a man that discovers he has dyslexia – it broadens his world and changes how he sees himself.

Opening people's awareness of dyslexia is important, and this read might be harsh at times, but it's a kind message to the reader that has trouble reading, a reminder that you can dream and make plans, and there are people around you to support you.

This story gives the reader a realistic view of the problems and prejudices you meet when you can't read or write and how people with reading difficulties adapt to their surroundings. It's hard work! Even if you know someone with dyslexia, you might even learn new things from this read.

Shinobu, our MC, is having trouble keeping a job because he meets challenges that prevent him from doing a good job. It makes his colleagues and boss think that he has a low IQ, is lazy, and not trying hard enough. Shinobu is wandering aimlessly around, trying to make ends meet while not understanding why reading and writing continue to be a problem when he has seen his classmates overcome this as they grew up.
Shinobu is doing his best in adapting to his surroundings, using voice memos to remember and zoom in on pictures to make reading easier for him. It's hard work and his view of himself is low.
He has stopped dreaming and knows that there are things that he will never be able to do for a job – like being a waiter because it requires writing down an order. But he ends up at a cafe where the cafe owner understands him, keeps challenging him, and always has his back, and it's the beginning of a different life for Shinobu.

I think one of my favorite things about this story was the rejection of the “happy ending” (it happens in a story within the story, but it’s a metaphor for the manga as a whole). When Shinobu learns the word dyslexia for the first time, and realizes that it applies to him, it doesn’t move him in any particular way. It isn’t until Haruka starts showing him different tricks to getting through everyday situations that it really hits him how important simply knowing is.

But more than that, it’s the scene where Shinobu gets angry at people dismissing his dream of a “normal” life, which to him is a lofty, impossible goal. That moment was so raw and really hammered in the “why” of the story. I was kind of disappointed that volume 1 ended so soon after. Oh well, time to wait for volume 2!