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Dictatorial Grimoire #3

Dictatorial Grimoire: Red Riding Hood

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Otogi Grimm may have recovered the Grimoire, the book that allows him to bind and control the Märchen, or fairy tale demons, but his troubles are far from over. Otogi, the descendent of the original Brothers Grimm, still has to deal with the slippery Puss in Boots and his fairy tale allies, Team Jäger. And while Grimm's servant, the masochistic Cinderella, has returned to his side, what dark secrets is he still hiding from his master? In the thrilling conclusion to this twisted modern fairy tale, Grimm must confront Team Jäger, coax secrets out into the open, and keep all of his friends from killing each other. And if that isn't enough for one antisocial teenager, he also must find a way to contront his own past, and break the agreement made by his ancestors--once and for all!

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2012

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Ayumi Kanou

20 books21 followers

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5 stars
60 (25%)
4 stars
76 (31%)
3 stars
84 (35%)
2 stars
13 (5%)
1 star
5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Andre.
1,420 reviews105 followers
December 14, 2014
This volume did not start out so well but it got its pathos back in the second half, with "Cinderella's" and the Grimm's backstory. Plus the gender-swapping is damn funny, here … nope I will not spoil it.
Now a few things where pretty predictable, e.g. Red Riding Hood's secret. It just came with the territory so to say so it was not difficult. Also in that case the artwork suddenly deteriorated. It was usually pretty good but Hood's "hands" looked weird and considered the usual style this was just odd.
Now the extra-Manga was nice but the ending was pretty rushed to be honest. With all the extra backstory and characters I really wondered whether the end was seemingly so rushed because the author had to. I think an additional volume would have been better.
Profile Image for Mladoria.
1,167 reviews18 followers
July 25, 2018
Un tome final où l'on rencontre de nouveaux personnages de contes, notamment deux petites pestes, où l'équipe de Grimm s'agrandit, où le mystère sur le pacte scellé par ses ancêtres prend tout son sens. Un soupçon d'éternité mêlé à une bonne dose d'amitié et de loyauté et des penchants bizarres. Une fin carrément abrupte mais dans les contes n'est-ce pas un peu toujours le cas.
Le personnage phare de cette série restera pour moi Cendrillon sans conteste, le personnage le plus travaillé dans ces trois tomes. J'ai apprécié les planches sur les souvenirs et le passé des personnages qu'ils soient Märchen ou humains. La plupart des personnages sont assez ambivalents, bien loin du manichéisme des contes de fées traditionnels et finalement j'ai préféré les démons Märchen aux humains dans cette histoire. Le rythme de cette série et de ce dernier tome en particulier est particulièrement soutenu mais l'histoire se suite aisément. Je recommande cette série aux amateurs de manga pour une aventure détente et une réécriture de contes à la fois comique et douce-amère sans prise de tête. Une lecture très agréable.
Profile Image for Kailey (Luminous Libro).
3,580 reviews546 followers
July 4, 2016
A good ending to an entertaining trilogy! I was surprised by the plot twists and secret identities. There's some really good action, and funny lines. I love all the mystical magic, and the fairytale characters that join together as a team to defeat the villains.

Otogi is really good at inspiring loyalty in others, because he's always ready to give people a second chance. He's very forgiving and understanding, and he draws people to him despite his loner tendencies and his sarcasm.

The flashbacks into Cinderella's past were certainly illuminating, and I loved the way that fairy tale was rewritten. The only one who doesn't seem to have much of a backstory is Rapunzel. Even Red Riding Hood has a secret or two. But I suppose there's not enough room in three volumes to develop each character in any depth. The main characters have lots of depth though.

It still weirds me out that Cinderella is all masochistic and creepy. Still... despite the weirdness, it's an enjoyable manga.
Profile Image for Charlotte.
373 reviews14 followers
July 28, 2015
A good read with interesting characters and a few surprises along the way, but the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying. I admit I wish the series was longer, both because I enjoy the premise and I like the quirky, original characters, but if Ayumi was going to cut it short at three, I think she could have planned the arcs in each volume accordingly. It felt like a substantial amount of the plot was left to the final chapter, which was disappointing, since Bluebeard and Hansel and Gretel were fascinating additions to the story and I would have liked to learn more about them. Overall, this series is worth a read, but be prepared for an abrupt ending which leaves the reader slightly adrift.
Profile Image for Britteny.
9 reviews10 followers
May 2, 2014
I really liked this series, but I wish that this series was longer. It had a good ending, but it was an ending for an arch, not a series. There are also many new questions that I wished were answered. Overall though, I loved Dictatorial Grimoire!
Profile Image for Kelly.
472 reviews
December 22, 2019
This wasn't a bad conclusion to the series but it was a bit rushed. It felt like the stuff at the beach should been it's own volume then the final battle be in a separate volume. That way the finale had its own book to spread out all the conflict. All in all, I'm a sucker for retellings.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
3,634 reviews7 followers
February 24, 2022
Incoherent to the end, but the character designs are cute.
Profile Image for Abby.
518 reviews
January 3, 2019
Well, in all honesty this was pretty disappointing. I thought the first two books were good and really enjoyed the twisted fairy tale aspects. However, with this one, it just felt like a mess, especially the villains. I have no clue what their motivation was in doing all of this. Not to mention it was never explained how they were even there in the first place! I'm trying really hard not to go off on a rant and give away a bunch of spoilers, but this seriously was a mess. I don't know if the author was just trying to squeeze everything into this so that it could end at book three, but I think it could have benefited from expanding into another book. Then it wouldn't feel so rushed and things could actually have been explained.
96 reviews5 followers
October 5, 2017
This was not at all what I was expecting. To be fair, I was rushed in the bookstore the day I bought it so I didn't take a whole lot of time examining it before purchase. And I'm glad I didn't. When Cinderella first showed up and was a dude I thought "umm...what?". This sort of genderswap stuff is not usually my cup of tea. But I kept going and this honestly turned out to be hilarious. The character's play into the stereotypes of their "originals" just enough while also being different enough to be new and exciting. While several characters end up with a crush on our 14-year-old hero, this is really a story about friendship, family and choosing your own destiny.
Profile Image for Amina D'Anima.
499 reviews25 followers
January 29, 2019
Univers complétement barré! Loufoque et qui part dans tous les sens ^^ y avait beaucoup de choses pour me plaire (réécriture de contes, magie, etc...). malheureusement du fait d'un format trop court (seulement 3 tomes), l'intrigue, les péripéties et les résolutions sont survolées. ce que je trouve dommage les personnages et l'histoire gagnaient à être étoffées. ce fut malgré tout une assez bonne lecture.
Profile Image for Annie.
724 reviews21 followers
July 7, 2018
A great finish to a manga trilogy.. I enjoyed the action, badass fairytale characters and for this one in particular, some backstory that unravels secrets we have never seen before - for someone who isn’t that into manga, I really enjoyed this trilogy and recommend it to the fans of Brothers Grimm fairytales..
Profile Image for Liz Weasleyhead.
880 reviews88 followers
June 13, 2019
Ein kleines Stück besser als die zwei vorherigen Bände aber alles in allem bin ich von der Reihe enttäuscht. Abgesehen von dem kleinen süßen Esel Bremen fand ich kein Charakter wirklich sympathisch oder liebenswert. Der Plot war mir zu sprunghaft, unübersichtlich und zu wirr. Die Witze und Dialoge empfand ich oftmals als viel zu inszeniert und gekünstelt.
Profile Image for Jasmine Gorton.
Author 5 books27 followers
May 15, 2021
I was extremely thrilled with the conclusion of this book. I really wish the author would continue this and show us more characters that are different. Amazing book!
6 reviews
March 10, 2023
i feel like this needed more pages for setup and and giving repunzel and red riding hood more personality
Profile Image for Di.
583 reviews32 followers
October 5, 2019
Overall the series is more like a 3.5

While I enjoyed this series, I do wish the story was a bit longer. There was so much potential and I definitely feel like there was more story to tell. Also, some of the story lines either left me with questions or weren't completely fleshed out in my opinion.

The whole Team Jäger story was one of those things. I was expecting a big standoff with them, but it didn't come to fruition besides introducing us to Red Riding Hood. The bit about the ancestors was something I was more interested in as well, but that storyline was cut off abruptly for me too.

I did enjoy the bits about each character's back story though and the art style is gorgeous. Also the feeling of found family was nice, with everything that happened throughout. I am definitely interested at looking into more of the mangaka's work.
Profile Image for 小さな N    (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡.
790 reviews30 followers
September 3, 2016
Die Euphorie nach Band 1 hat mit Band 2 und 3 etwas nachgelassen. Ich finde den Manga immer noch gut, weil ich die Idee und die Umsetzung im Großen und Ganzen toll finde. Ich werde aber das Gefühl nicht los, dass die Übersetzung im Deutschen irgendwie komisch ist. Ich kenne das Original nicht, aber wenn ich dann sehe, dass Schneewittchen im zweiten Band auf einmal "Ich sagte doch, ich bin Rotkäppchen", sagt, dann denke ich, da wird noch mehr faul sein, zumal ich hier und da wirklich den Eindruck hatte, etwas verpasst zu haben. Das kann natürlich auch an der Originalvorlage liegen... aber wie gesagt, die deutsche Übersetzung lässt auch etwas anderes vermuten. Sowas ärgert mich, gerade bei so offensichtlichen Fehlern.

Auch wenn Grimm der Hauptcharakter ist, muss ich sagen, dass er für mich eher im Hintergrund steht, weil ich ihn weniger spannend fand. Dafür fand ich Cinderellas Hintergrundgeschichte sehr interessant. Ich hatte zwischendurch schon die Befürchtung, es wird nicht auf den Grund für seinen Hass auf die Märchendämonen eingegangen, das war glücklicherweise nicht so. Ich hätte auch gern mehr über Rotkäppchen gewusst, aber dafür war die Zeit wohl einfach nicht. (Aber, jeder Märchendämon hat eine Schwachstelle, über die er gebannt werden kann. Rotkäppchens fand ich sehr gut!)

Das Ende bzw. das Rätsel um Grimms Vater hatte ich mit etwas anders vorgestellt. Im Nachhinein ist es ok, denke ich, auch wenn es mir etwas gehetzt erschien.

Alles in Allem hätte man die Geschichte eventuell noch etwas tiefgründiger gestaltet können, ich bin aber dennoch zufrieden und bereue den Kauf höchstens wegen der offensichtlichen Fehler im Deutschen (ich habe immerhin die Perfect Edition für je 14,- gekauft).
Profile Image for Linda Jaejoong.
577 reviews6 followers
January 6, 2017
Ich war richtig traurig als ich heraus gefunden habe das Band 3 der Abschlussband der Reihe ist, ich hatte mich schon so auf die kommenden Bände gefreut. Aber ich musste im leider einen Stern abziehen, da ich finde die Autorin hat zu viel Details in den Abschlussband gesteckt!!

Sie hätte besser zwei daraus gemacht, da ich finde das ab der Hälfte des Manga die Handlung nur so gerannt ist und dabei für mich wichtig Informationen verloren gegangen sind. Man weiß als Leser jetzt zum Beispiel nicht ob die Märchenfiguren nun befreit sind oder nicht, oder was mit Hänsel und Gretel und dem gestiefelten Kater und Blaubart passiert ist!!

Auch hatte ich mich auf einen richtig harten Kampf mit Rotkäppchen gefreut, aber nein er war in knapp 15 Seiten geschlagen und das war nicht wirklich schwer. Ich hatte das Gefühl das die Autorin sich selbst unter Druck gesetzt hat und wirklich versucht hat alles in den letzten Manga rein zu bekommen, was ich persönlich schade finde, aufgeteilt auf zwei Manga wäre wirklich das Beste gewesen!!

Aber wenigstens hatten Rapunzel und Schnee dafür mehr Rampenlicht bekommen, Rapunzel is so toll und sie hat grüne Haare, das sieht so crazy aus. Die Sache mit Otogi´s Vater fand ich so traurig und auch Cinderella´s wahre Geschichte ist so traurig, aber zum Glück hat er ja Otogi!!

Fazit: Der Abschluss Manga war spannend, leider mit zu viel Details beladen, aber es wurden endlich alle Geheimnisse gelöst!! Das Cover ist einfach toll und ein kleiner Spoiler, das neben Rotkäppchen ist nicht Otogi!! Den Manga hat man super schnell durchgelesen und man hat dann das Verlangen nach mehr!! Ich hoffe bald wieder was von dieser Autorin lesen zu können!!
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
479 reviews38 followers
February 27, 2018
This a short but interesting twisted fairytale-retelling of the famous Grimm Brothers' collection of stories. Gender-bending is everywhere and loads of action, humor, and heartwarming moments as well. My only real complaint was that the ending was WAY TOO RUSHED. I think one other solid volume would have sufficed, but no.... All in all, the artwork is pretty, the characters are memorable (for the short time we know them, that is), and the story grows starker and darker to keep the reader intrigued.
Profile Image for Nick Sweet.
189 reviews7 followers
April 26, 2015
A great manga take on the fairy tales of old. Many of the characters we know and love from fairy tales are reimagined as super hero bishonen type men, who have interesting takes and looks. For example, Cinderella is a clean freak with an S&M streak who controls and manipulates glass, and Snow White is a sadistic poisoner. That being said, it is still an enjoyable read, and would recommend it to those fans of manga who are interested in fairy tales.
624 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2015
whoa.twist after twist after twist in this one. lots of stuff came to light. I really enjoyed this series. I loved how likable all the characters were. (and I was very glad to finally have backstory on why cinderellas such a masochist.) I will be reading the I am Alice series by this author...I hope it's as good!
Profile Image for Jenn.
36 reviews
July 7, 2016
The ending of this was really disappointing. I felt through most of the series everything was rushed and not enough was explained. Then when it ended I'm fairly certain my reaction was "What?" (flipping back through) "That's it???". While I enjoyed the over all stories and some of the characters, I feel very dissatisfied now that I'm done reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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