I just finished reading Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O’Malley. First of all, I love O’Malley’s art style. I could look at his work for days and never get tired of it. This book is much different than the authors more famous Scott Pilgrim series. It has a touch of the quirky humor, but it is lacking the video game references and comedic narrative. This book is on the other end of the spectrum from Scott Pilgrim, and that’s perfectly fine. This is a serious story about an 18 year old girl named Raleigh and her journey home. She has serendipitously ended up in a car with three of her classmates that she barely knows all on their way from California back to Canada. Raleigh is going through some serious life changes right now, not the least of which is the mystery of her soul. She knows that hers is missing and is probably residing in a cat on the route home.
It’s silly, yes, but O’Malley effortlessly weaves this idea into his somber tale of self discovery. This book sees Raleigh through the darkest moments of her young life. It perfectly captures feeling lost as an adolescent and anyone can identify with her turmoil. This book feels important not only to the author but to the readers. I’ve seen a lot of people trashing it for being emo bullshit, but that’s not what I saw. I saw a reflection of the confusion I felt growing up. I could relate to the disjointed way Raleigh told her story. It’s a story that will definitely stick with me for awhile.
Aside from that, I finally watched the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal. It’s a pretty fun ride. Sailor Moon at one point has to fight a zombie hoard and she defeats them with her tears. It might have been partly (mostly) nostalgia but when she said “In the name of the moon, I will punish you” I felt an urge to pump my fists in victory. If you’ve been missing Sailor Moon, give it a watch sometime.
Anyways, if you want to tell me that you hate joy and thus Sailor Moon or wanna talk about Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work (and how excited you are for Seconds next week) feel free to message me or tweet me @left4turtle.
Agustin Guerrero 