4YON

The plot can be summarized as follows: What if One Punch Man existed in the world of Harry Potter?

After completing the first season on Netflix (and actually having a good time) , I decided to delve into the manga version of the series to catch up on the rest of the story. In general, it proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. While the storyline occasionally leans towards simplicity (even brain-dead at times...) , offering moments of lightheartedness, Mashle is undeniably a captivating and entertaining read for those seeking a fun escape.

“God damn it, there are nice things in the world – and I mean nice things. We're all such morons to get so sidetracked.”

I said it before on my old Goodreads account but I'll say it again,

WHY IS ZOOEY SO FUNNY BRUHHH😭😭 This bastard could just get away with anything with his annoyingly witty takes. Forever in love with the bathroom conversation between him and Bessie. The humour was gold.

Gendo Ikari xứng đáng mọi sự thống khổ vô tận, xin cảm ơn.
Đọc mấy chương cuối trong câm nín luôn, kinh khủng.

"They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you.But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another's throats.Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf.Get out as early as you can, And don't have any kids yourself."
—This Be The Verse, Philip Larkin

"It is in the most surreal situations that a person feels the most present, the closest to reality."

3.5✩/5★

This was my first dive into Ling Ma's work, and while I found her ideas and stories intriguing, her writing style left me with mixed feelings.

Don't get me wrong, I personally think Ma has a unique narrative style, jumping between timelines and fragmented moments, which reminds me of Christopher Nolan's experimentation with time in films. This could be captivating in a novel, but in short stories, it often felt disorienting. Stories like "Yeti Lovemaking," have this the constant jumps of thoughts resulted in a scattered, unfinished feel that I don't really like. At the end of every story, I kept finding myself asking "What did I just read?". However, there were still also some well-written pieces like "Orange," "G," and "Returning," that Ma played around with her ideas pretty neatly.

Despite the inconsistency, I think I had a great time reading this collection. Still, I personally feel like her narrative style might be better suited for longer formats like novels, where the non-linear structure has more space to breathe. Overall, while not every story in "Bliss Montage" landed, the collection's intriguing ideas make me curious to see what Ma does next.