Jillian and Mariko Tamaki's 'Skim'

I read Skim this week, since it was at the top of the list and I actually managed to find it. It's a story that follows the main character's diary, who's name is actually Kimberly but she goes by her nickname 'Skim' throughout the book. She's thinks of herself as a freak, and she's into Wicca, tarot cards, and astrology. She tries to live and understand the lifestyle throughout the story even though her friend Lisa seems to be losing interest. At her school, there are of course the typical cliches and such. Katie, one of the popular girls at the start of the story who ended up getting dumped by her boyfriend and taking it pretty hard. Well, her boyfriend ends up committing suicide and this starts making the school's environment change. Skim starts developing a crush on Ms. Archer, her drama teacher, and they kiss at one point. From then on Skim kind of just ends up stalking her as she's troubled by a slew of things.

I thought the story was alright. It read pretty fast and I never got left in confusion or anything. The characters were not the most likable though. Or at least, they weren't very memorable. I wasn't sure what it was that I should have been laughing at verses what would have been inappropriate to laugh at. Luckily, it's a book I'm reading on my own and not a movie in a theater, so I don't really feel ashamed by that. Anyways, in terms of plot, it was okay. It's another one of those stories that plot-wise felt it was lacking. It read a lot to me like an autobiography, and I've never really been fond of those unless the lives of the authors'/artists' were extremely interesting. It just wasn't my kind of book, but it wasn't a bad one. That much I could tell. It was well written and the art is pretty fantastic. It almost looks like old Japanese painting in its style, but with a modern/realism twist to it. But the brushstrokes are pleasant and I could only wish that there had been some color to it. It looked like the the inking that's done right before the color is added.

Still, it wasn't killed by that. I liked the art style as it was even if I felt it was missing something. The transitions were good and the dialogue wasn't choppy or anything. Like I said before, it was a quick and comprehensible read with a lot of that atmosphere you also see more of in Japanese culture. They even have panels that breathe in this story, which is one of my favorite aspects of Japanese comics and manga, that only picture maybe a tree with leaves blowing or the moon against the sky right before or after something intense.