Turtles are a creature that is super slow and live harsh lives, especially when they’re just born. The shell is the only thing that’s protecting them. Some humans feel the same way and want to hide in a protective shell. “Turtle Bread: by Kim-Joy and artist Alti Firmansyah takes this idea and runs with it.
Yan has low self-esteem and has just been turned down by yet another job. She finds a flyer that advertises a baking club and decides to join. This small decision turns out to have a huge impact on her life.
“Turtle Bread” is one of those feel-good stories with a message that resonates with some people. It uses a turtle as a symbol that people should feel comfortable in their shells and “overcome obstacles through slow perseverance.” This is true with every member of the baking club but more so with Yan. We see her go from a person with low self-esteem who thinks people view her in a negative light to feeling confident.
Of course, things take a drastic turn in the second half of the comic when things are looking up. Some people may view this as convenient but if you know anything about real life things do take a turn for the worse when things are going your way.
Firmansyah’s art can be described as “Western Manga.” It looks like a manga but is drawn by a Westerner. It has all the familiar hallmarks of manga: big eyes, small mouth, black and white, that weird pursed mouth thing, single sweat drop on a person’s head, you name it. It’s not quality art, neither is it terrible. Firmansyah has talent and the comic shows that Firmansyah is close to creating a unique manga style.
One thing this comic has is a bunch of recipes with step-by-step instructions. One of them is, as the title says, turtle bread. As in, it’s bread that looks like a turtle.
“Turtle Bread” has an uplifting story that some people may cringe at but once you think about it this is how a lot of people are. The artwork may turn away some anti-manga readers but it shouldn’t because the comic is worth checking out.
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