I was a few pages into Zawa + The Belly of the Beast by Michael Dialynas when I said, “I think this might be a rating of four.” I was not sure why, but the humor and story up to this point made me think I was going to really really like it. Well, I did enjoy it, but not really really liked it. As the story went along, there were some missing pieces, and I was not liking some of the characters (the ones you were supposed to like), and yet, I was not letting that take away from the fun.
We have an edgy and humorous story that is mixed to talk about the pitfalls of consumerism, issues with environmentalism and compliance with the status quo. Wild illustrations show the beauty and ugly of the action. I would have liked to have known a little more about the background of the characters as well as who some characters are at the end, but overall a good story that might be familiar, but that makes it all the better.
The main factor I liked was the colors. Things were colorful to the point of almost being sickeningly sweet and psychedelic. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could turn some people off. I was wondering why Thatcher’s hair was pink and blue, but that just could be keeping with a more odd pastel theme for the “good guys” of things. The other part I like is that the details are Kawaii on crack. They are cute, but that’s only at first look, take a second and you’ll be WHAT THE FLAMING MONKEY?
Just let yourself go for a ride. It is one that is familiar but has new elements, too. You can liken it to other pop culture things and I was getting a typical dystopian world, and way too close to home vibes (hello, odd looking orange tyrant leader who likes junk food anyone?). One of the pop culture references that popped into my head right away is Muana and Te Fiti, as our Zawa is an avatar/spirit (or not, depending on how it works out … .but spoiler, she is!) While maybe things are a bit more 3.5 or even 3.7, I feel comfortable with giving it a four as it has good moments, I actually was enjoying Zawa as a character and the illustrations (though sometimes are really icky as “bad things are happening”) were clever. For at least ages 13 and up (but strong 10-13 could do, but know your reader).