Kylooe, Tome 1 by Little Thunder

Kylooe, Tome 1 Reviews

• 
  Alyssa

  Following up on
  my review of
  Fleurs en suspens, here's another manhua I've read this past week.
  
  This is a series of 3 volumes, but each one can be read independently as they follow different characters not related to one another and only loosely tie up together via the white plushie thingy that you can see on the cover. Hence why I'm reviewing them (or trying to at least) here.
  
  Kylooe means 'dream', and this is exactly what these books are. Visually at least. I mean, these colours! 😍 (Sorry, one day I'm gonna shut up about the beauty of colours. Not today though.) I got a chat about this with my booksellers, and we basically all had kind of a crush on this. So, really, I'm not kidding about how gorgeous the colours are. (Also, sorry, I can't really describe it because it's something you've got to see with your own eyes.)
  
  That being said, when it comes to the story, this was actually a surprise. Not necessarily in a good or bad way. Just that it wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be.
  
  Besides the great artwork, I got baited into the book by the description that was roughly along the lines of "who never dreamed of escaping difficult times, of going back to childhood innocence and the comfort of a cuddly toy?" and well... some people may know that I live in an empire of plushies, so yeah, I got drawn to the book.
  
  Yeah, okay, actually, the first book was pretty much this. You have this girl who never really figured out how to fit in, can't seem to make friends, is the lesser achiever in the family... and well, she wants to escape all this. That's when she meets the plushie thing, who will become her support and comfort. And this is actually a sweet story...
  
  ...until I reached the end and was like WTF. What kind of ending is that? This is not a fairytale, it doesn't have a happy ending. But more than that, I was confused because I could see the other two volumes on the shelf and so I definitely did not see that coming (the death(s?) I mean) and was then wondering how that would go on from there. (And I gave you the answer to that up there: the books are independent.)
  
  Anyway. Even if it was quite different (in atmosphere and resolution) from what I was expecting, I really enjoyed it, and I'd most definitely recommend it. If not necessarily for the story, at least for the colourgasm. I mean, did I mention how beautiful it is? 🤓
  
  Hit up
  Kylooe #2 (
  my review) and
  Kylooe #3 (
  my review) for the rest of the series.
• 
  Marine

  Des graphiques magnifiques aux couleurs vives et chatoyantes, une mise en scène poétique et surréaliste et une histoire touchante. J'attend de pouvoir lire la suite avec impatience
• 
  Eric

  Adore the art, color, and emotion of this one.
• 
  Jeanne

  Magnifique <3
• 
  Mel

  The Chinese subtitle is Depressed Dragon Fly: Farewell Rainbow (憂鬱的蜻蜓：告別彩虹), which relates well into the story.
  
  Before we talk about the story, let's worship the art. Whee, I don't know how to explain it, but it is mighty good. I love the way
  Little Thunder draws music and happiness not only through facial expression, but through the usage of bright colors. In the mean time, the reality world contrasts the dream world by colors of naturals and browns. Oh, and I am obviously bias because the setting resembles(is?) Hong Kong, which one of my home cities :)
  
  The story is about friends, peers (and their hostility), and perhaps bullies. Peers and family just weren't very inclusive and sensitive to the new girl. Feeling lonely and neglected, the girl had found comfort and freedom in a white fluffy creature called Kylooe, who allows her to open up her dreams and laughter. Just as she was settling down to the comfort of Kylooe's existence, she was forced to depart from him and returned to the harsh reality, which she slowly learns to cope with while missing her friend. I think I recall this book had no official "resolution" for the girl, but you get a feeling that she understands she needs to preserve the memory and let go.
  
  I must confess I am not a huge fan of the main girl character because of her personality, but her story is told so realistically and raw that I resonance with her. As I read this book it felt like I was traveling back in time to my teenager years, and the story was realistically painful! She resembled so many memories of my teenager self (ie, growing up in an unfamiliar place, learning to fit in, coping loneliness while needing to catch up, figuring out my pleasures and dislikes, etc). Thus, despite I didn't like her, I understood her. For this reason, I would think young adults would appreciate this graphic novel as well.
  
  Anyway, it's a interesting graphic novel. Go read it.
• 
  Patricia

  Pages and pages of wonder, this is such a beautiful book. I love the detail Little Thunder put into each drawing. It makes the whole experience realistic and dreamy at the same time. I grew up in Hong Kong and seeing the drawings of the apartments, dining table, dishes, interior designs, everything reminds me of the old times. It's truly amazing!
  
  Starting book 2 now :)
• 
  Nora

  Delicious in every way! Completely beyond gorgeous and inventive artwork. A very crisp and clean story of a young girl. Sort of Casper & Wendy meets My Neighbor Totoro.