School of Love Vol. 1 Review

 

 

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Middle-school best friends Linon and Garance decide to conduct a little research around their school to see how different students perceive the concept of love.

 

My Thoughts: Plot and Themes (3.5/5) – What’s love you ask me? Well, I’d say it’s an uncontrollable sensation so universal and subjective that people just can’t shut up about their love for understanding love. All sardonic remarks aside, I found it interesting how the book explored the idea from a young adolescent/preteen perspective since the characters are at the beginning stages of that point where one forms musings about these types of complex feelings.

Considering how adults can hardly muster a full grasp of it, it comes as no surprise that the responses of these cohorts of kids with limited world experience would be a messy enigma. This in turn leads to a sundry of results ranging from humorous to sweet and even poignant at times.

 

Characters and Dialogue (4/5) – The main duo is a strong one that works well together with Limon idealism and excitement complementing Garance's subdued emotions and general skepticism. The latter’s demeanor is later revealed to be a byproduct of her rough family situation. Some of the other subjects interviewed have well fleshed-out characterizations beyond their superficial archetypes such as the blond popular girl Enjoy Parasol (don’t ask me who invented that oddball name) and goth Adèle. Meanwhile, other students including the inseparable twins Cloé and Cléo, know-all of school romances Charlie, and overdramatic couple Lou and Morgan.

 

I found the dialogue realistic enough with the exchanges feeling like something I would hear out of a middle-schooler, albeit sanitized for the target audience and without the in-your-face references to modern technology which was refreshing.

 

Art (5/5) – It had a pleasant, fuzzy vibe to it because of the smooth choice of colors and brightly light backgrounds. Furthermore, the character designs were appealing in their soft edges and loosely anime-esque aesthetic despite being distinctly Western. Another commendable quality would also be the characters’ diverse and colorful sense of fashion which makes the setting more believable.

 

Final Thoughts: Overall, I had quite a bit of fun with this title and would happily read the coming installments when I’m in the mood for something light. I’d mostly recommend it to middle-grade readers though older ones might get a smile at some of the goofier episodes at the school and more audacious themes.

 

Thanks to Europe Comics and NetGalley for providing me with my first advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.