Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Deserted Island Diary, Vol. 1

Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Deserted Island Diary #1

by Kokonasu Rumba

Read the gag-filled adventures of four goofy residents living among the Animal Crossing: New Horizons characters.

Includes a bonus Animal Guide with game tips!

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Comics, Animals, Middle Grade, Slice Of Life, Video Games

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2020

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I adore the Animal Crossing franchise, so I was excited to read this and expected something cosy and wholesome, just like the game. Instead, all this book does is try to be funny and it fails immensely at it. Absolute rubbish.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing people need to understand is that this series is a gag manga aimed at kids. The humor is based in slapstick and puns, so if you're looking for a cute and cozy romp through the world, this probably isn't going to be your jam. For those who loved the Splatoon or Super Mario manga, you'll find yourself right at home in Animal Crossing

Personally I found the art to be super cute, and the jokes delivered well. I'm not the target demographic, but still found plenty of moments where I laughed out loud!

The book also doubles as a quick guide to the game, which I thought was a lovely touch. I'll be keeping my eye out for future volumes!

[Beth Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was just discussing this manga with my boyfriend and he said ‘there’s good weird and there’s bad weird’, and let me tell you, this is not good weird. I’ve been playing Animal Crossing for around 15 years, and when I saw there was going to be manga released, of course I wanted to read this. But the thing is about new releases in relation to things you love is that they can go either way, and this one wasn’t the best.

What I wanted from this manga was for it to be similar to Dobutsu no Mori, the 2006 film following the story inspired by Animal Crossing Wild World. Although a little odd in places, the film is charming and feels genuinely inspired by the characters from the game. I can see how this manga attempts to do the same, but it really fell flat for me.

This book is split into 4 (I think?) mini-comics and the second half of the book is character cards and tips and tricks starting the game. However, I’m confused whether this is targeted at people who already love the series or are getting into the game for the first time. The whole manga seems confused about what it’s trying to be.

The four characters in this one travel to a deserted island and comically miss the point of setting up life on the island. But instead of being charming and funny, this one just seemed to missed the point and fell completely flat for me.

★★★
2.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

[Readingwithnori · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s not funny and it’s not written well. Don’t waste your time or money on this.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally my library had this volume in stock! I could finally see how it all started for this crazy group of friends. In this one introductions to various characters, fun sketches, how to start your island and warning watch out for ghosts and stray birds landing on your beach, silly antics, and so much more. I laughed a lot and I really am so tempted to pick up my Switch again and play the game again. I really miss making an island, though it wasn't easy at times. Haha.

[Hadewych · Rating 4 out of 5]

No this wasn’t the best manga I’ve ever read and yes it was sometimes too much and a bit weird, but I enjoyed it.

The idea of an Animal Crossing manga is so original and if you are new to the game it’s definitely a fun way to get to know the characters and the activities.

This also gave me some inspiration and I really want to play again after a long slump.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty funny, but needs more Isabelle.

[leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
i love love LOVE animal crossing and when i saw this in my local bookstore i grabbed it immediately.
there isn't much too the book and its quite short but i love the illustrations and some of the jokes are quite funny
i feel like a younger audience would like this more but nonetheless i am glad i bought it due to my love of animal crossing <3

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Sterne
Ich kann verstehen, wieso viele Leser von diesem Manga enttäuscht sind. Es hat außer den vielen, vertrauten Gesichtern nicht viel mit der ruhigen Atmosphäre des Spiels zu tun (wobei ich persönlich nichts dagegen einzuwenden habe). Die ersten zwei Drittel haben mich gut unterhalten, wobei ich den Rest überflüssig fand. Für Leser, die das Spiel nicht kennen, könnten die angehängten Guides wiederum interessant sein.

[Just · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a cute little manga addition to the ACNH game we all love and play. I gave it 3 stars as while it was cute and fun, not a lot happened. Not that I was expecting action and adventure, but a solid 3 stars is what I feel like it deserved.

[Kylar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ganz ehrlich ich liebe Animal Crossing und seine ruhige Atmosphäre. Aber der Manga war einfach pures Chaos, man steigt durch nichts durch und es gibt auch keine richtige Story hinter dem Ganzen. Am Besten war noch der „extra Teil“ (Rumbas Animal Crossing Tagebuch) meiner Meinung nach. Der Manga geht auch nur 78 Seiten, der Rest beschränkt sich auf Tipps fürs Inseleben und eine Vorstellung der Charaktere von denen über die Hälfte nicht mal drin aufgetaucht sind.

Ich habe definitiv mehr ehrwartet

[Melody Soundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and read it in one sitting. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the gaming guides as much. I wish the manga was inclusive of all animal crossing audiences. That's why I think they're not getting good feedback because although it's good the series is progressing in a similar way to how you progress in the games it can feel underwhelming if you've finished the game.
However despite that I still really enjoyed all the short stories in this manga. They were humorous and put a smile on my face. The comedy wasn't childish it was instead relatable as ive had some of the characters struggles playing the game. Whilst the human characters are absolutely marvelous I'd say that the way Rumba has breathed personality into the villagers and npcs is pure genius. I also love the author showing her passion for animal crossing by showing her own island.
People might not vibe with it but trust me this series has great potential and is great to read with other fans and family who are fans of animal crossing.

[Colt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I've played several hundred hours on the game (thanks pandemic)
I wanted to love this manga. I really did. It's a very tongue-in-cheek humorous story about 4 friends moving to the deserted island... but the entire gag of the comic is they all suck at it. All the introduced villagers are given weird personalities that will probably clash with fans' perception of them from the game. There's quite a few cultural references to Japan, so some readers may not understand all the gags.
Then half of it is short two-sentence bios about characters and villagers. It's not even a good guide in that sense.

Sorry, I wanted to love it but it's not that great. I was hoping for something that took itself a little more seriously, or at least a half-decent intro comic. It's better for people who have already played than new players.

[Eldrid Lokson · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like ACNH, then this may be for you. I read a few chapters but tbh they were completely wacko I just skimmed the rest of the book. There's a lot going on, and hijinks abound, but for younger readers it may be fantastic.

Not my cup of tea, as I didn't really care for writing style. Shrug. I expected it to be a cozy wholesome read, as that's the whole point of the game. It's far too chaotic and bad weird and it just didn't work for me

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of the complaints about this book stem from how "weird" the humor is so I was expecting something completely different, but I actually really enjoyed it! Granted, my sense of humor is the kind of shows you'd find on Adult Swim, Mr. Osomatsu, Pop Team Epic, and YouTube Poops, so this was probably right up my alley.

[zozo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I too wish I could move to a deserted island with my friends where I meet an anthropomorphic raccoon and his nephews who scam me into taking loans to develop the island.

I also don't know why people are hating so much this is clearly targeted to kids?? Of course it's going to have cheesy jokes. I do think though that people who read this before playing the game will have a lot more fun.

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a huge Animal Crossing fan, I hated it. It might appeal to much MUCH younger fans but it wasn’t funny, the gags were overdone, and it wasn’t very faithful to AC in my opinion. Don’t waste your time on it.

[frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought the art style was very cute and it was super whimsical! not sure why everyone has been saying it's weird, it's obviously targeted towards the younger fans of Animal Crossing while still being funny for more adult readers. I enjoyed it, but won't be getting the other volumes lol.

[Ducky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga is pure chaos, lol. But it's well drawn and adorable. The story is fun and informative about what you can do in game. I enjoyed it. :)

[Julay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trop mims, j'ai trouvé ça rigolo (en gardant en tête que le public visé est plus jeune)

[Sappie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 rounded up I think?

My first ever Manga! Closest I've come has to be my dad's old Spider-Man comics from the 70's. So be mindful I have not yet read anything comparable. Don't come at me purists...

Fairly obviously aimed at kids, with most of the humour coming from slapstick, but seeing all my favorite AC characters come to life by Kokonasu Rumba has been an amazing first experience. I'm very glad to have this laying around, for some cute vibes whenever I feel like it.

Next up: Pokémon Adventures!

[Scythe Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leider nicht so interessant, wie ich es mir erhofft habe. Eine kapitelübergreifende Handlung fehlt und ein Großteil der Witze ist nicht lustig, sondern erzwungen. Fragwürdig fand ich auch, dass nur knapp die Hälften der Seiten für die eigentlichen Geschichten verwendet werden, auf den restlichen gibt es eine Vorstellung der verschiedensten Spielmechaniken und Charaktere, von denen ein Großteil nicht mal im Manga auftaucht!

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely geared towards young readers, but it was a fun and light-hearted read nonetheless! The animal guide at the end was super cute, but I wish it had been shorter and more story was included. Overall, this was definitely cute and made me smile!

[Aruba · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5

L’histoire est sympa, mais sans plus, c’est surtout très enfantin mais je pense que c’est chouette pour des enfants et pour découvrir l’univers de la licence et se lancer dans le jeu !

Le Tom Nook que je connais, n'est pas aussi sympa

[lils&#x1f60b; · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay, so I was mindlessly looking at books at Barnes and Noble today, when i saw an animal crossing manga? I read the whole thing the day i got it. I hope there will be a second book!

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light hearted, comedic short stories based off the game. I love the art style humour of them!

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this is gonna be cute but it was just weird. The jokes are probably funny for children aged between 3 and 6.

[Ami E · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most relaxing and easy going fast read. Highly recommend for a destresser and a laugh !!

[Genres and Journals *Tia* · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some cute characters in here and I think young kids might like this if they are into animal crossing. But for me it was pretty dull and pointless. Just basically an outline of what all you can do in animal crossing and what characters you might encounter there. Meh.

[Saamantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ADORE !!!