Fangirl Manga Volume 1 Review

-Written by: Chris T.

Going to college can be a big impetus for change in a young person’s life. Finally free of the oversight of your parents, you are free to explore many different experiences you may have never considered before. Numerous new activities, viewpoints and decisions open up, and each one is likely to change you, whether for better or worse. But what if you’re happy the way you are? Life seems to be good, so why should it be different somewhere else? Rainbow Rowell studied this question in her 2015 novel Fangirl, and now Sam Maggs and Gabi Nam have teamed up to present this new manga adaptation.

Fangirl revolves around Cath Avery, a girl who is setting off for her first year of college. She’s obsessed with the Simon Snow series of books, which revolves around a boy becoming a master magician and saving the world from evil. Cath is such a big fan that she and her twin sister Wren started writing extremely popular fanfic based on the Simon Snow universe. But as college approaches, Wren starts to redefine herself. She’s switched to a much shorter haircut, moved on from Simon Snow, and even decided to not share a room with Cath. But rather than embrace college life, Cath attempts to hunker down and finish her magnum opus, wrapping up the tale of Simon’s One True Pairing before the final official Simon Snow novel releases.

At first, Cath keeps her head down and plugs ahead, but eventually, she starts to see the world around her isn’t bad. Her roommate Reagan may be blunt, but she means well. Plus Reagan’s friend Levi is really nice and kinda cute. Meanwhile, her creative writing class introduces her to Nick, whose literary style dovetails with hers quite well. Slowly but surely, Cath begins to take part in college life. But when issues with both family and school pop up, Cath’s confronted with challenges that may send her reeling back to her safe space.

Both Rainbow Rowell and Sam Maggs are proven writers. Rowell has continued to write novels alongside her regular gig as writer for Marvel's cult classic comic series Runaways. Meanwhile, Maggs has had a varied career, from writing for The Mary Sue and comic adaptations of Rick & Morty and Transformers to video games such as Sony’s Spider-Man and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. They come together nicely in this adaptation, with Rowell returning to help add new scenes to her novel for this series. They bring warmth and realism to Cath’s college life, with a cast of likeable characters and a lived-in world for them to inhabit. The conversations feel real and honest, and Cath’s inner monologue seems extremely relatable, if not always reasonable. On top of that, anyone who has ever indulged in fanfic will feel right at home as Cath attempts to please her thousands of online fans.

South Korean artist Gabi Nam makes her English debut with Fangirl, but comes across as a natural pro in the shojo style. Each character has their own unique features and fashion sense that make them stand out. From Cath’s comfortable basics and Reagan’s zeal for style to Nick’s dapper but sensible look, each character is well-defined for taste, yet not relegated to the same outfit in each panel. And Nam’s background design gave me flashbacks to my own time at a Midwestern college, making me nostalgic for my own days of redefining myself.

With Fangirl, Nam’s art and Maggs’s words mesh to create a spot-on impression of that awkward but exciting first semester away from home. It’s got me in a tough spot now, because I want to read Rowell’s original novel, but I also am excited to see how this adaptation continues to expand on her original work. I can’t help but want to fanboy out for Fangirl, and if you’re like me, you’ll do the same.

Fangirl Manga Volume 1

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can't let go. Now that they’re in college, Cath must decide if she’s ready to start living her own life. But does she even want to if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

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