COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Things to Remember

At the recent Komiket 2015 we got a hold of one of the komiks available during the event called Things to Remember by Jess Santiago and Jez Nabong, featuring a touching story about family. It’s refreshing to come upon a slice of life themed komik among a sea of action/superhero focused komiks.

With the theme being about family, the main story is very simple and more character driven which is a plus for people looking for something easy and light to read. Banchi must help Hon, which I’m assuming is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, remember their daughter and her family before they arrive for breakfast.

A character driven story will rely not only on the relationships between its different characters, but also on how they interact with each other. And one way to showcase the characters’ different personalities, especially in a medium like comics, is through the way they talk. In this case, Things to Remember struggles a bit with its dialogue, making everybody sound the same at times. Elderly characters talking the same way as the younger ones can take away the immersion of the reader in the story. However, the children’s dialogue are perfect in portraying how energetic and enthusiastic kids can be.

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What Things to Remember does exceptionally well is developing the two main characters (Banchi and Hon) in a flashback. Perfectly placed in the middle of the story, it’s a much needed scene that establishes the relationship of the two and also sets up the third act that follows immediately after. It’s a painstakingly simple scene, albeit an effective one.

The art choice used greatly complements the story. The cartoonish style of the art is very easy on the eyes while at the same time no important details are lost. Tiny details like the things written on the notepads are legible. A nice touch given that they’re a valuable aspect to the theme.

Things to Remember is not without flaws, however the positives definitely outshine every one of them. A touching and heartfelt story, everyone can relate in some aspect of the themes present. This komik is good for people looking for something light and easy.