bramblewild
Member
- Dec 13, 2024
- 85
- 51
My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Evil
This is a Japanese comic, a manga.
The story is a twist on the Cinderella fairy tale. The setting looks to be roughly 1900, maybe a bit later. When Miya's mother died, her step-family decides to take her in. Since she was an illegitimate child, she fully expects her stepmother and stepsister to look down on her. But what happens instead is very much not what she expects: they welcome her, they care for her, they fuss over her, they accept her awkwardness and failures and then help her do better.
The first part of the story mostly involves Miya's interactions with her family and the household, including the fluffy little guard dog. As the story goes on, the stories involve the family interacting with the local society.
In a way, this is a lite and fun series. What makes the story fascinating, though, is how the common Cinderella story elements are turned on their heads; for example, the stepmother looks like a proud and haughty woman, but very often the reader sees her acting in ways that are not haughty at all. On the other hand, she isn't reduced to an informal clutzy moron, she's very much the dignified matriarch of a family of high social standing, but she's also kind and considerate to her new stepdaughter, as well as to the servants in her household and to other people she meets.
If I were to try to say what this story is about, I summarize it as showing the reader how people should treat each other. The strong should consider how to lift up the weak and not to trample on them while trying to make themselves seem great. They should be glad when the weak person grows and get stronger. Instead of ridiculing the awkward and ignorant, they should be patient and kind to them, teaching them and trying to help them understand better.
I don't know if the author of this story is a Christian or not, but in many ways this story does a very good job of displaying Christian virtues such as kindness, gentleness, compassion, and patience.
This story or it comic-like format may not be to everyone's taste, but if you want a bit of a feel-good read that also has some substance to it, then give it a shot.
This is a Japanese comic, a manga.
The story is a twist on the Cinderella fairy tale. The setting looks to be roughly 1900, maybe a bit later. When Miya's mother died, her step-family decides to take her in. Since she was an illegitimate child, she fully expects her stepmother and stepsister to look down on her. But what happens instead is very much not what she expects: they welcome her, they care for her, they fuss over her, they accept her awkwardness and failures and then help her do better.
The first part of the story mostly involves Miya's interactions with her family and the household, including the fluffy little guard dog. As the story goes on, the stories involve the family interacting with the local society.
In a way, this is a lite and fun series. What makes the story fascinating, though, is how the common Cinderella story elements are turned on their heads; for example, the stepmother looks like a proud and haughty woman, but very often the reader sees her acting in ways that are not haughty at all. On the other hand, she isn't reduced to an informal clutzy moron, she's very much the dignified matriarch of a family of high social standing, but she's also kind and considerate to her new stepdaughter, as well as to the servants in her household and to other people she meets.
If I were to try to say what this story is about, I summarize it as showing the reader how people should treat each other. The strong should consider how to lift up the weak and not to trample on them while trying to make themselves seem great. They should be glad when the weak person grows and get stronger. Instead of ridiculing the awkward and ignorant, they should be patient and kind to them, teaching them and trying to help them understand better.
I don't know if the author of this story is a Christian or not, but in many ways this story does a very good job of displaying Christian virtues such as kindness, gentleness, compassion, and patience.
This story or it comic-like format may not be to everyone's taste, but if you want a bit of a feel-good read that also has some substance to it, then give it a shot.
