Comic Book Wednesday - Disney Faeries: Vidia and the Fairy Crown

On every Wednesday of the month the Library focuses on comic books, graphic novels or manga books. These books can be enjoyed and are just as important as much longer reads. While often considered to be childish or something "bad" if you want to be a true reader, We are the Library feel that any reading is good! Cassie grew up with comic books in her house. She remembers reading "West Coast Avengers" and various issues of "Wonder Woman" growing up. This feature is grown out of that respect and admiration for this field in the reading community. On to today's review...

Disney Faeries: Vidia and the Fairy Crown (Manga)

I received this book for free from NetGalley to review. All the opinions shared are my own and are my honest feelings regarding this book. If you know me I am not one to mix my words simply because something was free. This is my feelings on the book, both the good and the bad. So lets begin!!!

A Tokyopop book 

By Haruhi Kato 

Diamond Book Distributors 

To Be Published on July 25, 2017 

ISBN 9781427856982 

SRP: $10.99 (USD)

Central Theme:

The most central theme of this manga is understand that an individual is accountable for the words that they say, so watch your words that are chosen. They may come back later to bite you in the rear. It also seems to be about fighting for yourself when you know that you are in the right. These themes are very important, in my opinion, for children to learn. 

My Feelings:

I received this book for free again from NetGalley. I love that I can get some graphic novels this way to review, but soon I will have to revert to my own collection that I have on my shelves. I have numerous and think it might be time to give some of them some love as well. 

This being said, this is my second Disney manga book that I have read. The first being "Disney Magical Dance" that I reviewed a few weeks ago. I enjoyed that Disney manga book immensely, so I thought when this was put up for "request now" on the NetGalley site I would give it a go. When I usually get a book from the same series or the same company based on nothing else but that I am often left feeling sad at the end because I am disappointed. This was not the case here. This did have bad points (i.e. artwork that I will discuss), but overall the story was one that I enjoyed. I felt transported to Pixie Hollow yet again (yeah I read a few of the main Disney Faeries books back in the day when I was younger and more beautiful hehe). 

The story revolves around Vidia (the black haired fairy on the cover) and having told Tinker Bell and Raini that she would snatch the queen's crown at a party if she had the opportunity. Well, when the crown goes missing all fingers are pointed towards Vidia having done the deed. She knows that she did not take it and the only other fairy on her side is Prilla. The two of them join forces and investigate what really really happened to the queen's crown. This is such a simplistic story and all the hilarity that ensues after they start their investigation is worth the price of reading this manga. Mistakes were made by so many people in this story that normally would have felt like "oh they were just looking for anything to write a story" but here it actually feels like it is just coincidental happenstance that occurs in these faeries lives from time to time. I think this was largely because I have read and watch some of the other Disney Faeries merchandise though. Having that lens could have potentially made me more willing to swallow the different things that had to occur to get the crown where it ends up being. 

One elements that I personally enjoyed about this is that you are not following the most instantly likeable of the faeries. You discover that she had done at least one heinous act for her own profit, so you instantly recognize you are not reading a book that the main character is someone you are necessarily rooting for. There is a moment where you are like "hmm maybe she is getting what she deserve", but I banished that thought immediately when Prilla entered the picture. She breathed humanity into Vidia very quickly by discussing how a person/faerie can feel alone in the world. Vidia may not be likable, but she is still a faerie in this world of other faeries. She still shouldn't be judged harshly and unfairly. To have this type of emotional reaction and connection made me recognize that I was very much enjoying this particular fast read. If I feel any connection to a character I know that I need to say I enjoyed the darn book or I am lying through my teeth. 

While I enjoyed the story of this book, I have to say that the artwork in spots made me roll my eyes. It clings a little too tightly to some of the stereotypical looks of the manga genre. You can tell a little of this by the picture that is posted above. The faces seem a little too "plastic" for my particular taste. The artwork seems a bit "rushed" or "forced" to get a Disney product out. Some thought into the artwork would be appreciated in subsequent volumes, in particular to the faces of the characters. I know that many mangas rely on very concise streamlined lines, but here it seems rather bland and detracts in some moments from the overall story. It isn't enough not to enjoy the overall manga though. 

When you reach the end of this story you will feel for Vidia. There is a defining character moment near the end that we do not fully see, but when you see how it is handled you will not feel like you lost out by not seeing it. There are moments that are so deep and profound in a media source that you know you didn't need to see the actual moment to fully understand the gravity that it entailed. There is a moment, in my opinion, at the end that is this for Vidia. I felt like I was getting a true character instead of a one dimensional cardboard cutout.  

Who I Would Recommend To & Who I Would Not Recommend To:

If you are looking for Tinker Bell to be a main player because the title is "Disney Faeries" you will be a bit disappointed in this. She appears a handful of times, but truly (like the title suggests) this is a story about Vidia. Thus I wouldn't recommend this to you if you are only picking it up because you love Tink. You may be a bit disappointed with the results. If you are a purist on artwork you may feel a bit taken aback with this book, so move forward and pick something else up from the shelf. 

I would recommend this to someone that appreciates the world of Tinker Bell and grasps that there was a world created by Disney that involved some of her friends in Pixie Hollow. If you bought some of the other licensed merchandise you will not be disappointed with this particular manga. You may have even read the book that this is built upon, if you have looked at other merchandise. If you enjoy a mindless and simplistic read this will be right up your alley. Understand that there is nothing wrong with these elements either. We all need some time to relax in life and this is enjoyable, so if you are a reader looking to not have to think much, this will not disappoint. You can just follow along with the story and smile at the end of it. 

Other Things To Consider:

This appears to be only the first book in a new proposed "Disney Faeries Manga Series", so before getting this book you should be aware that if you are a "have to buy the series" type and want to avoid buying another series you best be backing up slowly from this one. The back of the ebook showed at least three proposed books in the series. I personally want to read them all!

To Be Published on July 25, 2017

You may Pre-Order it here:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Half Price Books

Book Depository- Currently Unavailable For Purchase Here