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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
NEO Magazine - July, 2005, 13 Jul 2005
Anyone who was interested in buying from Sweatdrop would probably do well to start from here, and get a better idea as to where their likes and dislikes run, although some of the artists' work here doesn't necessarily reflect their 'norm'.As for as visual quality goes, it's a fairly mixed bag, as you would probably expect. Some of the stories border on professional - for example, Selina Dean and Niki Hunter's, which are gorgeously slick. Some of the artists have also excelled story-wise. In particular, 'Detached' by Dock, 'Pinkaa Fairy' by Laura Watton, 'Pretty Boy' by Keds and 'Murder On The Dancefloor' by Fyredrake Magick (aka. Sonia Leong, one of the NEO manga competition winners). 'Detached' tells the story of a young girl, Mia, who seems to be held together solely by ribbons. Feeling shunned by society, she is drawn to Enzo, a gothic and similarly shunned young man. However, she soon realises that Enzo's seclusion may not be entirely healthy. Watton's 'Pinkaa Fairy' describes the angst of a young artist who has been criticised by a teacher for her art style - something that perhaps might be close to the hearts of at least a few of Sweatdrop's members. Whilst some of the stories talk about events not grounded in the anime and manga culture, others celebrate and satirise it. Ked's 'Pretty Boy' is an entertaining and well-executed look at the bishonens, whilst 'Murder On The Dancefloor' takes a look at some time-honoured manga stereotypes, and pits them in a head-to-head battle. All in all, the anthology was pleasing to read. Physically, the volume is of fairly high quality, printed on good paper stock and the front cover is pretty darn attractive. Some readers may find some of the stories either too short or a little devoid of any focussed message, but there are some real gems to be unearthed here.
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