Kirepapa

Kirepapa (2008)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Chisato is a bit of an overbearing father in some respects, which leads to him being a major hypocrite in the second OVA. He's happy Rijun accepts his relationship with Shunsuke and wishes his father would as well, but then turns around and throws the exact same fit his own father is over his relationship over Rijun's relationship with Kakeru. There's never any real explanation of how Rijun finds his relationship, though I suppose that isn't as surprising since the show mainly focuses on Chisato. More than a few parallels however, though it seems everyone in Chisato's family is about as protective of Rijun as he is... poor kid.

Junjou Romantica: Pure Romance

Junjou Romantica: Pure Romance (2012)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The art style is nice and the characters are interesting. The relationships, which ending up being consensual, do not always start out that way and always have some element of being abnormal to society, which adds a layer of secrets and tension that is aggravating. In the end, I like the characters and their different dynamics, but I really dislike the way many of them seem to think it's okay to try and force a relationship, especially when some of those people obviously know there's a strong relationship already in place that they're trying to break for their own benefit. Most of these characters seem to disappear for the most part once they've finally been rejected enough. The last season leaves one of these unresolved however, which assumes the potential for yet another season despite the entire original premise of the show from the beginning moot as one of the original pair is no longer in school (the reason they started living together in the first place). In fact, both main characters now work for the same company in different capacities. Yeah, that could add another layer of confusion, though it also gives Misaki an obvious in when they need him to get Usagi to actually keep a deadline.

Barbie: Little Lost Dolphin

Barbie: Little Lost Dolphin by Kristen L. Depken

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


My daughter managed to find this one in the school library. Barbie finds a baby dolphin, but fails to help it find its family. By the end of the book, the other dolphins find them instead. The dolphin itself is cute, and the art is well done, especially for a Barbie book. As a simple learning to read book, it serves its purpose.

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Paw Patrol: Break the Ice / Everest Saves the Day

Paw Patrol: Break the Ice / Everest Saves the Day by Courtney Carbone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This 2-in-1 book was a school book club pick for January. The first story we read was Break the Ice. I suspect it follows a TV episode as most of the books do, though we've yet to see this one, making it a pleasant surprise overall. The second story, Everest Saves the Day is a very summarized version of the episode when Jake and Everest meet for the very first time. Overall, both are cute and overly simplified for learning readers. With the shows popularity, it makes and easy pick for a child's favorite.

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Pete the Cat: Out of This World

Pete the Cat: Out of This World by James Dean

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is a simple story, but still more of a story than some of the learning to read series books. Against all reasoning, Pete gets to go on an actual space mission to the moon, even bringing his guitar along, despite only being in a summer camp for all intents and purposes. Rather unrealistic, but we're talking about a "groovy" fictional cat here. I guess it's cute, especially if you have a little one that enjoys space travel.

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Groovy Joe: We're Going to Build a Rainbow!

Groovy Joe: We're Going to Build a Rainbow! by Eric Litwin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Even on the official Groovy Joe website, this book does not appear to exist, though it does have it's own song recording. This book came with my daughter's Scholastic book club order for the month. It's a cute story following a tune that's all about building a rainbow, each page or spread focusing on 1-2 colors being added. Likewise, each color also adds a new instrument in a corresponding color. The song builds on itself until all the colors are added. I can see the practical application especially for young students who are still learning. Not overly exciting for the adults though.

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Pete the Cat: The Lost Tooth

Pete the Cat: The Lost Tooth by James Dean

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pete the Cat is a very popular character at my daughter's school, so between that and her loosing her first tooth, it was no surprise that she picked this book out of the book club catalog. Pete doesn't just get a visit from the Tooth Fairy for loosing his tooth, but he also gets to help her with her work. Surprisingly though, his last visit does not have a tooth, resulting in an interesting turn of events with some random animal facts and a little bit of kindness. Cute story with a cute lesson for young children.

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Paw Patrol: Sea Patrol to the Rescue!

Paw Patrol: Sea Patrol to the Rescue! by Nickelodeon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


As with most Paw Patrol books, this follows one of the TV episodes very closely. Unlike the usual Learning to Read books, this one is much more wordy and more like an actual children's story. Kids will still be familiar with events if they watch the show. Overall it has a better flow as an actual story from many of the other books.

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