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ZOC
Zoc est une jeune fille d'apparence normale. Elle ne sait pas quoi faire de sa vie, elle n'a pas de réelle passion, mais possède un drôle de pouvoir : capter et puiser l'eau avec ses cheveux ! Un pouvoir inutile et embêtant, dont elle va tout de même essayer de tirer parti.
Quand un village près de chez elle subit une vaste inondation, elle décide rendre service en évacuant l'eau...
Ce voyage lui permettra de faire une rencontre étonnante, et Zoc s'apercevra qu'en voulant aider des gens, elle peut créer d'autres problèmes.
Quand un village près de chez elle subit une vaste inondation, elle décide rendre service en évacuant l'eau...
Ce voyage lui permettra de faire une rencontre étonnante, et Zoc s'apercevra qu'en voulant aider des gens, elle peut créer d'autres problèmes.
154 pages, Hardcover
Published March 18, 2022
2 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
June 13, 2022
An unusual story of an unusual friendship.
Zoc is a young girl with an unusual ability – her hair attracts and drags water. She has no clue what to do with this “talent” and is quite fed up of being the centre of attraction as well as teasing. While wondering about her purpose in life, she receives a call for help from a nearby flooded town. As she drags the water away in a long journey, she meets interesting minstrels and a young boy named Kael, who also has an equally unusual gift, something that is in perfect complement to Zoc’s abilities.
The story is in a way pretty straightforward – a young girl and a young boy struggling to find friendship and their exact role in the world. At the same time, their abilities make them such unusual leads that the story is elevated to a different level altogether.
The illustrations in this bande desinée are coloured quite subtly. Unlike what I had assumed, the colour palette is not dominated by blue to indicate Zoc’s magical talent with water. On the contrary, green is the highlight colour on most of the panels. And this creates a nice contrast with Zoc’s water and Kael’s skill.
All in all, this is a story that is equal parts strange and scintillating. It feels like a Studio Ghibli movie in a French comic form. A nice and quick read for anyone interested in a different kind of graphic novel.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Europe Comics and NetGalley for the DRC of “Zoc”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Zoc is a young girl with an unusual ability – her hair attracts and drags water. She has no clue what to do with this “talent” and is quite fed up of being the centre of attraction as well as teasing. While wondering about her purpose in life, she receives a call for help from a nearby flooded town. As she drags the water away in a long journey, she meets interesting minstrels and a young boy named Kael, who also has an equally unusual gift, something that is in perfect complement to Zoc’s abilities.
The story is in a way pretty straightforward – a young girl and a young boy struggling to find friendship and their exact role in the world. At the same time, their abilities make them such unusual leads that the story is elevated to a different level altogether.
The illustrations in this bande desinée are coloured quite subtly. Unlike what I had assumed, the colour palette is not dominated by blue to indicate Zoc’s magical talent with water. On the contrary, green is the highlight colour on most of the panels. And this creates a nice contrast with Zoc’s water and Kael’s skill.
All in all, this is a story that is equal parts strange and scintillating. It feels like a Studio Ghibli movie in a French comic form. A nice and quick read for anyone interested in a different kind of graphic novel.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Europe Comics and NetGalley for the DRC of “Zoc”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
September 25, 2022
Zoc est une petit perle 🥰
On y suit une jeune fille - Zoc - qui a la capacité de retenir l’eau dans ses cheveux, faisant fi de la gravité.
Fière de son don, malgré un entourage peu bienveillant, elle va le mettre à profit en sauvant un village d’une inondation en tirant toute l’eau grâce à ses cheveux.
Mais que faire de tout cette eau ?
Zoc va alors s’engager dans un long voyage, au cours duquel elle rencontrera une autre personne possédant elle aussi un étrange don. Et qui sait, peut être trouvera t elle un nouveau sens à sa vie ?
J’ai vraiment adoré ce petit graphique magnifique aussi bien sur le fond que la forme. Le dessin de Jade Khoo, tout en fluidité et en mouvement, m’a beaucoup touché (tout comme ses personnages et son univers que j’ai trouvé très attachants !)
(Mention spéciale aux Châtelets que j’ai adoréééé 💖)
On y suit une jeune fille - Zoc - qui a la capacité de retenir l’eau dans ses cheveux, faisant fi de la gravité.
Fière de son don, malgré un entourage peu bienveillant, elle va le mettre à profit en sauvant un village d’une inondation en tirant toute l’eau grâce à ses cheveux.
Mais que faire de tout cette eau ?
Zoc va alors s’engager dans un long voyage, au cours duquel elle rencontrera une autre personne possédant elle aussi un étrange don. Et qui sait, peut être trouvera t elle un nouveau sens à sa vie ?
J’ai vraiment adoré ce petit graphique magnifique aussi bien sur le fond que la forme. Le dessin de Jade Khoo, tout en fluidité et en mouvement, m’a beaucoup touché (tout comme ses personnages et son univers que j’ai trouvé très attachants !)
(Mention spéciale aux Châtelets que j’ai adoréééé 💖)
June 28, 2022
A lovely weird tale, told in beautiful, colourful art. A girl, Zoc, who can tug along large bodies of water hanging from her ponytail. A boy who tends to explode in fire, without wanting it. Troubadours with bird heads that travel from town to town - Zoc is a big fan, collects pictures of these bird bards. It's a bit like a children's book for adults.
If you read that, I think you can quickly decide whether that appeals to you. It certainly appealed to me.
(Picked up a review copy through NetGalley)
August 9, 2022
A raw and heart-warming story of friendship and self-discovery. Zoc retells the lonely, uneventful life of a girl with a magic hair, until she decided to pursue her heart's desires and found companionship along the way with unique and heartfelt storytelling. I'm in love with this!
My gratitude to Dargaud France and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
My gratitude to Dargaud France and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2023
Zoc, saçıyla bir nehirdeki bütün suyu kendine çekebilmek gibi sıra dışı bir özelliğe sahiptir. Bir şehir sular altında kaldığında Zoc'u ararlar ve o, saçıyla şehirdeki suyu alıp tahliye eder. Bu durum Zoc'un "ötekileştirilmesine/yabancılaşmasına" yol açar. Aradığı dostluğu yine sıra dışı bir özelliğe sahip olan Kael'de bulacaktır.
Zoc, iyi bir fikirden ortaya çıkan fakat geliştirilmeye ihtiyaç duyan bir metin.
Zoc, iyi bir fikirden ortaya çıkan fakat geliştirilmeye ihtiyaç duyan bir metin.
September 16, 2022
A beautiful Ghibli-style fantasy tale.
September 1, 2022
I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
The premise sounded really interesting, a girl whose hair attracts water and she can apparently drag water along without any difficulty. Not to mention flooded towns, friendship, and more! I was in!
Well, the plan was good/eh, but in the end it was sadly mostly eh. I just was confused throughout the story.
😀 The friendship between the spiky boy and our MC. I loved how they bonded and how he stuck with her throughout her journey. How they talked. How she wasn’t lonely and how he wasn’t lonely either.
😀 Despite some issues, I did like that she was brave to accept that job and help those people out.
😀 It is an interesting idea that one can hold water with their hair and it doesn’t matter how much water it is.
😀 I loved that the dad supported her ideas. OK, still a bit odd that you let your underage kid just do all these things, but hey I will take it.
😀 Loved the ending, now that is teamwork! No more damage and the problem gets solved.
😑 I just didn’t get what her plan was with the flood? I mean, as the spiky kid says, isn’t she doing WAY more damage than the flood that was there first? She just kept walking, and walking, and walking, and the first part was kind of OK, but then it just kept on being that, and I wondered where she was going, and I would have liked to know from the start, so I could root for her more. Plus, why is no one missing her? Are phones magical there as well in that they never run out? I am so confused.
😑 I would have kinda liked an introduction on how the girl was able to carry water around, and if that meant she was able to make it rain? Or something. I mean, people at times got angry at her, other times they did not. Sometimes it seemed she made rain, other times she didn’t.
😑 So the world is magical? I mean, along the way she meets all sorts of odd mysterious people. A kid with spiky hair and grey skin (who also got some sort of backstory which I did enjoy though still confused me, haha). A minstrel who looks like a bird? It just was so confused. I really want GNs to just EXPLAIN things and not just throw you into the story and tell you good luck and have fun. Because I am not having fun if random stuff happens without at least some form of explanation.
😑 SO cutting off her hair allows her to just walk around? It is based on how long it is? Help?? And then it just grows back? WHUTTTTT??
😑 I get that a flooded town would want her help, but it seems odd that she is allowed, as a kid, to just go out and do that job without any adults or anyone to assist her or be there for her.
😑 The art. I am sorry, I was not a fan. There were odd bits here and there that just seemed weird. Sometimes people had yellow faces??? Or they were all white with blue clothes??
😑 The font. Can we just make the font in digital editions/review copies READABLE. I mean it shouldn’t be so hard to make those just a tad more clearer and less blurry. Now at times, even with my new glasses, I just had to get very close to my screen, which partially ruined my reading experience.
😑 So someone was stalking her? And her journey? At least that is what I get from the later part when she is going home and someone tells her they followed her journey on the radio??
1.5 stars is what I can give. I just wanted more explanation. More what is going on. Better art. Better fonts. There were elements that I liked, but sadly those couldn’t make me love this story/this book. Still, happy I got the chance to read it, it was unique.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
The premise sounded really interesting, a girl whose hair attracts water and she can apparently drag water along without any difficulty. Not to mention flooded towns, friendship, and more! I was in!
Well, the plan was good/eh, but in the end it was sadly mostly eh. I just was confused throughout the story.
😀 The friendship between the spiky boy and our MC. I loved how they bonded and how he stuck with her throughout her journey. How they talked. How she wasn’t lonely and how he wasn’t lonely either.
😀 Despite some issues, I did like that she was brave to accept that job and help those people out.
😀 It is an interesting idea that one can hold water with their hair and it doesn’t matter how much water it is.
😀 I loved that the dad supported her ideas. OK, still a bit odd that you let your underage kid just do all these things, but hey I will take it.
😀 Loved the ending, now that is teamwork! No more damage and the problem gets solved.
😑 I just didn’t get what her plan was with the flood? I mean, as the spiky kid says, isn’t she doing WAY more damage than the flood that was there first? She just kept walking, and walking, and walking, and the first part was kind of OK, but then it just kept on being that, and I wondered where she was going, and I would have liked to know from the start, so I could root for her more. Plus, why is no one missing her? Are phones magical there as well in that they never run out? I am so confused.
😑 I would have kinda liked an introduction on how the girl was able to carry water around, and if that meant she was able to make it rain? Or something. I mean, people at times got angry at her, other times they did not. Sometimes it seemed she made rain, other times she didn’t.
😑 So the world is magical? I mean, along the way she meets all sorts of odd mysterious people. A kid with spiky hair and grey skin (who also got some sort of backstory which I did enjoy though still confused me, haha). A minstrel who looks like a bird? It just was so confused. I really want GNs to just EXPLAIN things and not just throw you into the story and tell you good luck and have fun. Because I am not having fun if random stuff happens without at least some form of explanation.
😑 SO cutting off her hair allows her to just walk around? It is based on how long it is? Help?? And then it just grows back? WHUTTTTT??
😑 I get that a flooded town would want her help, but it seems odd that she is allowed, as a kid, to just go out and do that job without any adults or anyone to assist her or be there for her.
😑 The art. I am sorry, I was not a fan. There were odd bits here and there that just seemed weird. Sometimes people had yellow faces??? Or they were all white with blue clothes??
😑 The font. Can we just make the font in digital editions/review copies READABLE. I mean it shouldn’t be so hard to make those just a tad more clearer and less blurry. Now at times, even with my new glasses, I just had to get very close to my screen, which partially ruined my reading experience.
😑 So someone was stalking her? And her journey? At least that is what I get from the later part when she is going home and someone tells her they followed her journey on the radio??
1.5 stars is what I can give. I just wanted more explanation. More what is going on. Better art. Better fonts. There were elements that I liked, but sadly those couldn’t make me love this story/this book. Still, happy I got the chance to read it, it was unique.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
August 10, 2022
What a bizarre story this was.
A young girl named Zoc has a unique ability. She can drag water with her hair. Even a river could hang off her hair. While trying to figure out what to do with her life, she gets a job offer from the people of a flooded town to take away excess water far away. Thus begins her quest. Along this journey, she meets minstrels and a young boy who has a talent (?) as unique as Zoc's.
The artwork is OK. It did not impress me much. There were gaps in the story. It was quite original, but I think it needs to be improved. I always complain about hard-to-read fonts, so nothing changed in this case. Please make the writings bolder.
Thanks a lot to Europe Comics and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book for reviewers.
A young girl named Zoc has a unique ability. She can drag water with her hair. Even a river could hang off her hair. While trying to figure out what to do with her life, she gets a job offer from the people of a flooded town to take away excess water far away. Thus begins her quest. Along this journey, she meets minstrels and a young boy who has a talent (?) as unique as Zoc's.
The artwork is OK. It did not impress me much. There were gaps in the story. It was quite original, but I think it needs to be improved. I always complain about hard-to-read fonts, so nothing changed in this case. Please make the writings bolder.
Thanks a lot to Europe Comics and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book for reviewers.
July 10, 2022
Stunningly beautiful and incredibly moving.
June 13, 2022
Absolutely delightful read from start to finish. Truly unlike anything I've ever read before and I sincerely hope the author shares more tales and artwork with us as soon as possible!
July 13, 2025
21×28 ¦ A.I. 02/2022 ¦ D.L. 03/2022 ¦ prix DA08 = eo(noté)
Narrative: *
Here I am stuck at about page forty from frustration about how ignorant people like the protagonist can be to how their desires sound to anyone else and from the lack of proper exposition to the variances from reality. If you're dragging such a hairbrained idea through a story, as if it doesn't need any explanation, then at least give a paragraph on the back! Do others have silly powers? Why is our preteen, my assumption from her body size and her shockingly narrow over self-assured mind, seeking career employment?
Yes, another does so far, but get this- a boy who sets on fire completely somehow has a full head of hair! I can buy our bodies, with how hot they are, making it- but not making the hair sacrifice to her aesthetics tells me that girl's rigidity was written from the author's own. I'm going to finish this now otherwise I never will because it's just so stupid. I am most curious to see what will happen that justified a publisher accepting this script.
Ok, I guess I did, in the making adjustments to allow one's dream to happen but it's still too waterlogged with absolute ridiculousness for such a plot to have it made well-enough to get to them.
Visual: ****
YET, I find the art and coloring excellent- especially from someone so young on their first tome✔+
Narrative: *
Here I am stuck at about page forty from frustration about how ignorant people like the protagonist can be to how their desires sound to anyone else and from the lack of proper exposition to the variances from reality. If you're dragging such a hairbrained idea through a story, as if it doesn't need any explanation, then at least give a paragraph on the back! Do others have silly powers? Why is our preteen, my assumption from her body size and her shockingly narrow over self-assured mind, seeking career employment?
Yes, another does so far, but get this- a boy who sets on fire completely somehow has a full head of hair! I can buy our bodies, with how hot they are, making it- but not making the hair sacrifice to her aesthetics tells me that girl's rigidity was written from the author's own. I'm going to finish this now otherwise I never will because it's just so stupid. I am most curious to see what will happen that justified a publisher accepting this script.
Ok, I guess I did, in the making adjustments to allow one's dream to happen but it's still too waterlogged with absolute ridiculousness for such a plot to have it made well-enough to get to them.
Visual: ****
YET, I find the art and coloring excellent- especially from someone so young on their first tome✔+
January 6, 2023
*3.75 🌟
Really liked the moral of this beautifully illustrated story. At the start, I kinda felt detached from the main character and the story itself. But it slowly started to grow on me and the way it ended was exactly how I was hoping.
Really liked the moral of this beautifully illustrated story. At the start, I kinda felt detached from the main character and the story itself. But it slowly started to grow on me and the way it ended was exactly how I was hoping.
July 5, 2022
This French graphic novel is the closest thing you will get to a Hayao Miyazaki film in print. The landscapes are stunning, the characters charming, and the story is heartbreaking and beautiful.
This whimsical coming-of-age story is set in a world where the supernatural seems to be both misunderstood and taken for granted. We meet Zoc when she is trying to find a way to use an ability people tell her is more nuisance than asset. On her journey, she finds a kindred spirit name Kael. Their story is one of finding a way to reach your potential and do what you can to better your world.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This whimsical coming-of-age story is set in a world where the supernatural seems to be both misunderstood and taken for granted. We meet Zoc when she is trying to find a way to use an ability people tell her is more nuisance than asset. On her journey, she finds a kindred spirit name Kael. Their story is one of finding a way to reach your potential and do what you can to better your world.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 14, 2022
Zoc is the story of a young girl whose hair can hold onto water. Tired of being the weird water-hair girl and unsure about what to do with her life, Zoc attempts to find a job in hopes of figuring out what she wants to do. A small flooded village pays her to drag the flood away to save their homes, and thus starts Zoc's trek through the countryside, where she meets a young boy named Kael with a power of his own.
The main thing I enjoyed about this was how great the color work was at producing a truly "meh" feeling, as Zoc often says. The greens and yellows and blues are muted, a palette that is lovely to look at. The art itself wasn't my cup of tea; the landscapes and backgrounds were beautiful but I wasn't the biggest fan of how humans were drawn. Zoc and Kael were just fine, but everyone else felt off.
Then there's the storytelling overall. This is a sort of coming-of-age tale, dealing with a girl who doesn't know what she wants out of life; of course the story isn't going to be all high beats and tension. It's cozy, in a way, and kind of hypnotic and lulling - but it makes no sense at all. I was fine suspending my disbelief enough to buy into the idea of Zoc's power and how the story is all about her dragging a whole flood across the countryside with her hair, but nothing was really explained. We don't get enough in the story to support the suspension of disbelief. I needed just a little bit more info: exactly how old is Zoc? She seems so young for her family to just say OK about her walking off alone like this. What sort of world is this, that there are traveling minstrels that are humanoid animals? Why put such a big emphasis of the minstrels being the only thing that an apathetic Zoc enjoys, then only have her see 2 of them, for a total of maybe 3 pages of panel time? A lot of the storytelling falls apart for me.
What I did enjoy out of this, and I suppose is the meatiest part of the story, is the friendship that grows between Zoc and Kael. They're rather sweet to each other, and stick together because of their powers. I liked seeing these two lonely souls connect and become fast friends.
Overall, this hit some good beats, but the storytelling and crafting of the world around Zoc didn't quite meet the mark for me.
(I received a copy of this for review from NetGalley.)
The main thing I enjoyed about this was how great the color work was at producing a truly "meh" feeling, as Zoc often says. The greens and yellows and blues are muted, a palette that is lovely to look at. The art itself wasn't my cup of tea; the landscapes and backgrounds were beautiful but I wasn't the biggest fan of how humans were drawn. Zoc and Kael were just fine, but everyone else felt off.
Then there's the storytelling overall. This is a sort of coming-of-age tale, dealing with a girl who doesn't know what she wants out of life; of course the story isn't going to be all high beats and tension. It's cozy, in a way, and kind of hypnotic and lulling - but it makes no sense at all. I was fine suspending my disbelief enough to buy into the idea of Zoc's power and how the story is all about her dragging a whole flood across the countryside with her hair, but nothing was really explained. We don't get enough in the story to support the suspension of disbelief. I needed just a little bit more info: exactly how old is Zoc? She seems so young for her family to just say OK about her walking off alone like this. What sort of world is this, that there are traveling minstrels that are humanoid animals? Why put such a big emphasis of the minstrels being the only thing that an apathetic Zoc enjoys, then only have her see 2 of them, for a total of maybe 3 pages of panel time? A lot of the storytelling falls apart for me.
What I did enjoy out of this, and I suppose is the meatiest part of the story, is the friendship that grows between Zoc and Kael. They're rather sweet to each other, and stick together because of their powers. I liked seeing these two lonely souls connect and become fast friends.
Overall, this hit some good beats, but the storytelling and crafting of the world around Zoc didn't quite meet the mark for me.
(I received a copy of this for review from NetGalley.)
July 4, 2022
Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!
Zoc by Script and Jade Khoo is a magnificently beautiful story of a girl finding out her purpose in life. Her hair attracts water, allowing her to pull water behind her, and people do not take kindly to this.
Along her journey, she meets a boy who has also been cast away from society due to his quirk. An unlikely friendship blossoms, and it just shows that opposites can attract.
The artwork for this novel is stunning, and I love the subtle colors of green and blue. It gives such a calming effect to the story, which pairs well with the tranquility of water.
In the first few pages, I didn’t really understand what was happening, and I had to piece together the plot myself; however, it was not too vague where I was left wondering in the end. I enjoyed that it was not spoon-fed to me.
The main characters are lovable, but there is also the contrast to the village residents that are the villains of this story.
Zoc is such a wonderful story, and I recommend it for anyone in search of a light, fast-paced read.
3.75 stars.
Zoc by Script and Jade Khoo is a magnificently beautiful story of a girl finding out her purpose in life. Her hair attracts water, allowing her to pull water behind her, and people do not take kindly to this.
Along her journey, she meets a boy who has also been cast away from society due to his quirk. An unlikely friendship blossoms, and it just shows that opposites can attract.
The artwork for this novel is stunning, and I love the subtle colors of green and blue. It gives such a calming effect to the story, which pairs well with the tranquility of water.
In the first few pages, I didn’t really understand what was happening, and I had to piece together the plot myself; however, it was not too vague where I was left wondering in the end. I enjoyed that it was not spoon-fed to me.
The main characters are lovable, but there is also the contrast to the village residents that are the villains of this story.
Zoc is such a wonderful story, and I recommend it for anyone in search of a light, fast-paced read.
3.75 stars.
July 4, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book! The following is my honest review.
Zoc is the titular character in this graphic novel. She is a girl who can drag large amounts of water with her hair. Along her journey, she meets a boy who also has his own special ability and they form a friendship. The world isn't explained much, but I don't feel like it took anything away once I realized it was magical realism and to just go with it. I feel like the story could have been expanded to explore some of the potential conflicts.
Even though Zoc's abilities are odd, I could empathise with her not knowing what she wanted to do with her life while people around her insist that she do something "useful" and figure it out.
The art is strongest in its backgrounds and scenery. The colours are beautiful. The characters look much more simplistic, especially in the eyes, than what I would have expected given the backgrounds.
3.75 stars rounded up.
Overall, this was an easy, slightly quirky read with some good themes.
Zoc is the titular character in this graphic novel. She is a girl who can drag large amounts of water with her hair. Along her journey, she meets a boy who also has his own special ability and they form a friendship. The world isn't explained much, but I don't feel like it took anything away once I realized it was magical realism and to just go with it. I feel like the story could have been expanded to explore some of the potential conflicts.
Even though Zoc's abilities are odd, I could empathise with her not knowing what she wanted to do with her life while people around her insist that she do something "useful" and figure it out.
The art is strongest in its backgrounds and scenery. The colours are beautiful. The characters look much more simplistic, especially in the eyes, than what I would have expected given the backgrounds.
3.75 stars rounded up.
Overall, this was an easy, slightly quirky read with some good themes.
July 15, 2022
A delightful and imaginative story about a young girl who has a gift which she doesn’t really know how to use.
Zoc is able to drag huge amounts of water using her hair. It seems as if this is a gift that has no purpose and she really wants a job. Her life changes when a village asks her to remove the flood water from their town to a different town where water levels have fallen. And so Zoc begins to journey dragging the flood waters behind her.
Along the way she meets a young boy who also has a peculiar gift. He is able to set things on fire if he feels the pain of others. Together the two of them set out to find their purpose in life and ways in which they can use their gifts to help others.
This is a beautiful story with artwork which is at times dream like and whimsical. A very pleasant and gentle read.
Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Zoc is able to drag huge amounts of water using her hair. It seems as if this is a gift that has no purpose and she really wants a job. Her life changes when a village asks her to remove the flood water from their town to a different town where water levels have fallen. And so Zoc begins to journey dragging the flood waters behind her.
Along the way she meets a young boy who also has a peculiar gift. He is able to set things on fire if he feels the pain of others. Together the two of them set out to find their purpose in life and ways in which they can use their gifts to help others.
This is a beautiful story with artwork which is at times dream like and whimsical. A very pleasant and gentle read.
Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
January 29, 2024
A genuinely strange tale of Zoc, a young woman whose hair inexplicably gathers water. Seeking a career that speaks to her, she posts a classified ad and is engaged to help a flooded town, which she does by dragging millions of litres of water across the countryside. Along the way she meets a young man who spontaneously combusts when exposed to negative emotions, along with several avian musicians... Overall a very strange mess of a plot that seems like if has emerged from another universe altogether. The artwork is at times striking and it its most affecting in the depictions of colorful landscapes and the lush natural world, Jade Khoo's faces and characters are rather stiff and strange, and their emotions and motivations remain opaque throughout. Recommended for anime fans who are ready to follow Zoc's journey wherever it goes, but won't be upset if it doesn't come to much in the end.
June 19, 2022
A short and sweet graphic novel, but there were some really poignant moments that made you feel for the main characters. This is a story of isolation, loneliness and coming to terms with the fact that some people are different from the rest of the crowd, and that it can hurt more to try and hide those differences.
I enjoyed the overall themes of this story, although I felt at points the dialogue was a little forced. I did really like the colour palette that was used, and the art style was beautiful. I especially loved the panels set in the evening where there was more colour contrast.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this e-arc in return for an honest review).
I enjoyed the overall themes of this story, although I felt at points the dialogue was a little forced. I did really like the colour palette that was used, and the art style was beautiful. I especially loved the panels set in the evening where there was more colour contrast.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this e-arc in return for an honest review).
June 29, 2022
Personal rating: 3.5🌟, rounded to 4🌟
Favourite quote: “It always sucks being alone... but better to /choose/ being alone, right?”
Or at least that's how I read it 😂 the emphasis is definitely my own interpretation of how the character's speech sounded like lol
So. The premise is actually pretty intriguing. I mean, come on. A story about a girl who naturally collects water with her hair and the water follows her trails behind her until she cuts off a little portion of her hair that's attached to the said body of water? That sounds cool. I also am a big fan of the mainly bright colour palette used throughout the novel. Feels very summer-y 💛☀️
The downside for me is the speech bubbles. They're placed pretty far from the characters and there's no way to distinguish which speech bubbles belong to who. This makes it a little confusing and impacted my enjoyment of the overall story. Still, a pretty enjoyable quick read for me, so I can't complaint too much.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
Favourite quote: “It always sucks being alone... but better to /choose/ being alone, right?”
Or at least that's how I read it 😂 the emphasis is definitely my own interpretation of how the character's speech sounded like lol
So. The premise is actually pretty intriguing. I mean, come on. A story about a girl who naturally collects water with her hair and the water follows her trails behind her until she cuts off a little portion of her hair that's attached to the said body of water? That sounds cool. I also am a big fan of the mainly bright colour palette used throughout the novel. Feels very summer-y 💛☀️
The downside for me is the speech bubbles. They're placed pretty far from the characters and there's no way to distinguish which speech bubbles belong to who. This makes it a little confusing and impacted my enjoyment of the overall story. Still, a pretty enjoyable quick read for me, so I can't complaint too much.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2022
The story is pretty straightforward, and it was cute. I liked the illustrations and color palette.
Zoc is a young girl with the ability of her hair to attract and drag water. She is trying to find her purpose in life and meets a young boy who has an unusual gift as well which complements Zoc's ability. I read it quickly.
I read this through NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Zoc is a young girl with the ability of her hair to attract and drag water. She is trying to find her purpose in life and meets a young boy who has an unusual gift as well which complements Zoc's ability. I read it quickly.
I read this through NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 16, 2022
An adorable short read,safe to recommend to everyone! The art style and colours used really created a sense of comfort,and although the characters were quite blunt with each other,I'm surprised to say that it was enjoyable. The ending was extremely satisfying and so was reading about the friendship between Zoc and Kael.
June 27, 2022
Loved the story and the illustrations. Zoc and Kael are interesting characters.
October 31, 2022
Not sure if I love the story much but the artwork is a treat for eyes. This is something very much inspired from Ghibli I feel.
October 20, 2023
Très jolie tite histoire
April 24, 2022
Un récit très touchant
June 19, 2022
So wonderful. Weird and slow and gentle.
The art is pretty and clear. You can't help but feel for the two main characters.
It deals with feelings of loneliness and isolation, as well as friendship and family. A main theme is being unable to fit in - or rather, that making yourself fit in would drown an intergral part of your soul. There are no easy solutions and, ultimately, any path you choose requires a degree of sacrifice.
Another theme of the graphic novel is finding purpose in your life and choosing what you're going to be doing for the rest of your life (or at least the near future). The only thing we can hope for is finding a path in life which offers us peace of mind and a sense of security.
Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc.
The art is pretty and clear. You can't help but feel for the two main characters.
It deals with feelings of loneliness and isolation, as well as friendship and family. A main theme is being unable to fit in - or rather, that making yourself fit in would drown an intergral part of your soul. There are no easy solutions and, ultimately, any path you choose requires a degree of sacrifice.
Another theme of the graphic novel is finding purpose in your life and choosing what you're going to be doing for the rest of your life (or at least the near future). The only thing we can hope for is finding a path in life which offers us peace of mind and a sense of security.
Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc.
June 30, 2022
2.5 stars (eARC provided on net galley)
a cute story that deals with having an unknown future and not knowing what to do with your life in a reassuring, sweet way
a cute story that deals with having an unknown future and not knowing what to do with your life in a reassuring, sweet way
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