Review: Fangirl the Manga Adaption Volume 1 by Rainbow Rowell, Sam Maggs & Gabi Nam

Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl gets the Manga treatment in this perfectly adapted and beautifully illustrated volume. The first in a series, this concentrates on the early part of the original--Cath's arrival at college, and her well, obsession with Simon Snow that has developed into a very successful fan fiction. Life at college is tough--first Cather is more or less abandoned by her livelier and more outgoing twin sister Wren, who seems determined to spend her time at college acting like a silly, self absorbed twit. Cath's roommate Reagan is a little bit older and just a little bit scary ... plus Cath is developing a crush on Reagan's friend Levi. And then she has her Dad to worry about--Arthur is bipolar. At least she can find solace in two things--an upper level writing class, and her Simon Snow fan fiction. However, when the two collide, the result isn't pleasant and Cath is left with some serious doubts ...

This was surprisingly expensive for a manga published entirely in black and white on regular paper, however, the beautifully illustrations and the superb storytelling more than make up for the cost. I loved the short chapters featuring Cath's Simon Snow fan fiction, and I just loved seeing each of the characters illustrated on the page--Cath, Reagan and Nick looked very close to how I had pictured them, while other characters like Wren and Arthur looked different, but in a good way.

Short enough to be read in one sitting, this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not certain how many volumes of this one there is going to be, possibly four, but I am certainly looking forward to the next instalment.

Highly recommended. 

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