a sad character backstory …

My Hero Academia – Story and Art by Kohei Horikoshi

Superheroes, villains, schools, manga, teen, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Tomura Shigaraki was Tenko Shimura, that was before he got his quirk that ultimately changed his life. His quirk makes people deteriorate into pieces. That is his origin story of how he became Tomura Shigaraki and feared by most. The Meta Liberation Army decided to pick a fight with Tomura, that was their worst mistake because Shigaraki’s quirk should never be under estimated. The Meta Liberation Army is defeated, and the Commander pledges the entire Army to and under Shigaraki. Deku and his fellow classmates learn how to do interviews on television. Eri celebrates her first Christmas with class 1A and the season is full of joy. While Shoto asks Deku and Bakugo if they want to work at his father’s agency, the Meta Human Liberation Army continues their plotting with a new leader.

This manga gave me overwhelming amount of emotions from the first page until the very last page. One of them was Tomura Shigaraki’s origin story that had me crying. This quirk was so traumatizing and so horrible to the point I understand why he became who he currently is. Another scene that had me balling my eyes out was Eri celebrating Christmas, but she was wearing a cute Santa Outfit and was so cute and adorable about it. That tugged hard at my heart strings the most. The poor kid suffered and deserves the whole world. I loved this book especially for that scene. I do suggest reading this entire manga series as well as watch the anime series too. Both are good, and the anime remains true to the manga. However, season 5 is in the works from the last I heard about and I hope they continue to remain true for anime series. Otherwise, I might have some issues in regards of the directing and production of the next season. To catch up, I think Hulu does offer all four seasons dubbed and subbed, for sure Funimation has them up to date with the dubs and subs.

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Never Gamble On This

Con Academy – Joe Schreiber

Swindlers, swindling, conduct of life, preparatory schools, schools, gambling, fiction.

Rating 5/10

Will Shea arrived at this private prestigious school with the most sad and depressing backstory. However, one individual doesn’t believe in that story, Andrea Dufresne. She caught the lie and he omit the con story. After hearing a bit more about Andrea, he confronts her about her con story, and she comes clean. Both mutually agree that the two of them can’t stay there. They make a gamble of who can make a mark on this rich dude and whoever wins stays at the school and the looser must leave. Through gambling and intense situations, his life and her life are endangered. It what happens when gambling and scamming goes over the extreme.

This novel was mediocre and predictable to the point I didn’t even have to finish reading the novel. However, it was interesting to see how the plot thickened anyways. I wouldn’t recommend this book to read at all. Unless you’re into gambling, this might be just for you.

A Dangerous Tournament

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Year Four – J.K. Rowling

Fantasy, witches, wizards, schools, England.

Rating 12/10

Harry Potter is invited to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys as well as stay there for the rest of the summer and go to school from there. After attending the event, trouble comes Harry’s way, death eaters come to terrorize and left them all traumatized slightly. Time to return to Hogwarts for Year Four and this year is different than the last. It is the Triwizard Tournament. Three schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, three students: One from each school, three tasks, one victor.  However, the Triwizard Cup chose two champions from Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. Now Harry Potter will have to try to survive each task, but the question remains. Who put his name into the Triwizard cup? Who ever had done it wanted Harry dead? In the first task, its against a dragon and the goal is to retrieve the golden egg that contains a hint as to what the next task is. An unexpected task happens, and it is the Yule Ball. It ends in heart break and friends not speaking with each other. In the second task, the victors must retrieve what or whom was taken from. Harry nearly survives the murderous mermaids and other water creatures. It’s the third task now that involves a maze. A very dangerous maze. After Harry and Cedric grab the cup, they are transported to a graveyard. Cedric is killed and Harry comes face to face with a resurrected Lord Voldemort. He also nearly escapes from him and wins the Triwizard Tournament. No one believes him that Lord Voldemort is back.

I really love this novel a lot because it has so much excitement. There are dragons and mermaids and mazes plus some other events like a Yule Ball that made me feel so bad for Hermione. She secretly hoped that Ron had asked her, and he didn’t at all. I had always thought that Ron and Hermione had a crush on each other from day one. There are other plot twists that weren’t expected as well as some comedic scenes by the Weasley twins. I highly recommend giving this book a read for sure because its detailed and fun to read.

Aunts Blown Up, Death of a Creature, and A Man Wrongfully Committed.. What a MESS!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Year Three – J.K. Rowling

Fantasy, witches, wizards, schools, England.

Rating 8/10

After surviving his second year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter dreaded summers now. Only because he can’t work on his magic and studies due to his muggle family, the Dursleys. It wasn’t as dreadful as last summer though because he was able to get letters from his friends as well as manage to sneak doing magic and studies. His uncle, Vernon, shares news of his sister, Marge, is coming to visit and Harry is not happy about it. When Marge shows up, she talks trash talk about Harry’s parents and Harry blew her up, into a balloon! Harry packs his stuff right away and takes the Knight Bus away. He stays at a hotel where he is greeted by the Weasleys and Hermione. He learns of a wizard named Sirius Black is on the loose and hears that Black is his god parent as well as possibly Black being responsible for betraying his parents. Tables had turned and it was the new professor, Lupin, to tell Harry the truth of who betrayed his parents. It was Peter Pettigrew who betrayed Lily and James Potter as well as work for Lord Voldemort. Peter manages to escape as a rat and Black is meant to be taken back to Hogwarts. Harry learns that Lupin is a werewolf and had barely escaped him. However, using Hermione’s time turner, they save Black and the hippogriff Buckbeak. 

This book wasn’t exactly my favorite in the series, but I did enjoy this novel, nonetheless. I have to say that there were some good qualities of this book and I prefer the movie, just this once. It was a nice change not having to hear about Lord Voldemort. My new favorite characters had to be Sirius and Lupin. Both misunderstood in their own ways. Lupin being a werewolf and Sirius being framed for a crime he did not commit at all.

Snakes and Spiders OH MY!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Year Two – J.K. Rowling

Fantasy, witches, wizards, schools, England.

Rating 9/10

Harry Potter had returned to the Dursleys after his first year of school at Hogwarts. It had been very eventful for Harry. He gained actual friends. Made it into the Quidditch team. Survived his near-death encounter with Lord Voldemort. However, when it came to his birthday, he hadn’t gotten any letters from anyone. When a house elf, Dobby, turns up on his bed, Dobby confessed what he had done to Harry for a good reason. Harry was to not return to Hogwarts due to impending doom that was to be unleashed at the school. Harry disagrees and continues to want to go to school so Dobby got him into trouble with the Dursleys. Vernon locks Harry into his bedroom and puts bars on his window. Unknowingly that later Ron and his brothers would come rescue Harry. Only barely starting year two, something sinister has been happening in Hogwarts. A petrified cat and some students turn up as well as a disturbing message that the heir of Slytherin returned to Hogwarts to open the Chamber of Secrets and the evil inside unleashed on mud-bloods. Ginny, Ron’s little sister disappeared and its up to Harry to find her and bring her back safely. Harry encounters Tom Riddle who had been using a diary to speak to Ginny to do terrible deeds. Tom plans to use her body to become his true self, Lord Voldemort. Harry must stop the basilisk. With the help of a phoenix, a sorting hat, and the Sword of Grodrick Gryffindor, he kills the basilisk and the diary. He saves Ginny and Hogwarts as well, becoming a hero again.

Well this book had scared the shit out of me in my younger years, but I did enjoy this book as much as I had with the first. After this book I was wanting to continue to follow Harry’s journey to survival at Hogwarts and all his adventures. My heart ached for Harry and I deeply had wished he had a normal wizard life without ever encountering Lord Voldemort ever but that is the whole basis of the entire book series. I got a bit too far with myself there. Anyways I feel like this shouldn’t be just a children’s book. It is a genre that seems mutual enough for all ages to read.

The Boy Who Lived

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Year One– J.K. Rowling

Fantasy, witches, wizards, schools, England.

Rating 9/10

Harry Potter, who survived a killing curse that was performed by Lord Voldemort, was orphaned and given to his neglectful magic hating family, the Dursleys. One day Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts and meets Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts. Harry befriends Ron and slowly Hermione as well. Harry became the Gryffindor’s Seeker due to an unexpected incident that proved his greatness on the broom as well as catching a ball while on the broom. Together, on Halloween, defeat a Troll that was loose in the dungeons. Someone took control of Harry’s broomstick nearly accosting him his life. Later the trio hears that there is a giant dog hiding something, so they go investigate it. Some research later about Nicholas Flamel, they realize what it is that the school is protecting. The trio got caught sneaking after dark and had to serve detention. Wanting to see what the three headed dog was hiding the trio go. After some trials, Harry meets Professor Quirrell at the end of the maze that was set up to protect the Sorcerer’s Stone. Except it isn’t just Quirrell, Lord Voldemort is a nasty leech off the bald head of the professor. They duel and Voldemort loses. At the end, when the school year is all done and over with, Harry had gained new friends and a drive to go back to Hogwarts to be away from the terrible Dursleys.

I had recently found the entire hard copy set of all the Harry Potter books that were in excellent condition. I wanted to relive the whole journey as well as go down memory lane by rereading from Year One to Year Seven. This was the book series that got me started to wanting to read in the first place. The wonderful adventure of the trio first forming in this book does hint that in the rest of the books that they would be best friends until the end. That is ultimate friendship goals! As an adult reflecting about twelve years since I have read the entire series, I found myself finding little lines and such that I hadn’t noticed before. I relived that spark of passion to read and I was so emotional when I finished the first time, I read this book and wanted to read the rest. I highly recommend to read all the Harry Potter books because the movies don’t do the books justice. This book is for all ages.