Y.S. Stephen - Reader | Casual Observer

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Plagued by a maddening anxiety, the terrible disconnect between his own concept of happiness and the joy of the rest of the world, Yozo Oba plays the clown in his dissolute life, holding up a mask for those around him as he spirals ever downward, locked arm-in-arm with death. Though it doesn't position itself as such, I would still love to describe No Longer Human as a moral tale of some sorts. The work here lays bare some of the less-trodden (at least in fiction) paths on the nature of human interaction - with the world and within ourselves. Not many fictional works espoused the demerits of self-subjugation and false humility. No Longer Human , through its protagonist, lays bare the downfall of raising other people's opinions above yours, not following your own intuition, and the societal hypocrisy that surrounds politics and culture. The art, drawn by the famous mangaka, Junji Ito, is suited to the themes. It is easy to see why he is regarded worldwide as o

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With the same limitless scope as Star Wars, and the social-political explorations of A Handmaid's Tale, LITTLE BIRD tells the story of a young resistance fighter battling against an oppressive American Empire while searching for her own identity in a world on fire. A gorgeously illustrated epic where one girl risks everything to save her people, their land, and the freedom they so desperately deserve. I think one of the strengths of fiction is in that it can use symbolism to makes its point to a great effect. The medium does not have to entrap itself with the rigidity of reality in terms of rules, language, and cliches. Because of that, fiction is able to make good points about the real world that non-fiction finds very hard to make. For example, Goerge Orwell's Animal Farm taught a good lesson about the politics of that time without pretzelling itself with terminologies that would give too much away about what it was talking about. In short, you could enjoy

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"Cool, talented and transgressive, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life is just as fascinating as the work he produced. Delve into 1980s New York as this vivid graphic novel takes you on Basquiat’s journey from street-art legend SAMO to international art-scene darling, up until his sudden death. Told through cinematic scenes, this is Basquiat as seen through the eyes of those who knew him, including his father, Suzanne Mallouk, Larry Gagosian and, most importantly, the man himself. Basquiat is a moving depiction of a troubled artist’s life for those interested in both the art and the man who made it." Those who love Basquiat's art style will want to read this one. For those looking for inspiration or philosophy behind his work... those might come up disappointed. For while there was a desire to be counterculture and question societal values via his art during his early days, the book seems to indicate that Basquiat in his latter career stage was obsessed with fa

“Lours is an aging leader of a passionate rebel clan who seeks to defend their traditions and territory from those who would take it from them, including the Chamberlain of the nearby kingdom and the giant Ogre Gods who rule above them. When he comes across a fleeing giant barely taller than a bear, he brings the wounded curiosity into their camp and nurses him back to health with plans that could help them define a new order. But this tiny giant has an agenda of his own -- young Petit has the wellbeing of his human love at the forefront of his priorities, and she has become an unwitting pawn in the Chamberlain's wicked plans…” The Great Man: The Ogre Gods (Book Three) by Hubert and Gatignol is that kind of book makes you feel smart by just reading it. If you love a book with Game of Thrones-like strategy, both on the battlefield and in politics, then you will love this series. Also, The Great Man: The Ogre Gods has an unusual attribute for a graphic novel. While t