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Manga Talk: Les Miserables Omnibus 1 · Dad Needs To Talk

0:03
What's up y'all? And welcome back to Danny's to
0:06
talk. I'm your host.
0:07
Robert. And today we're taking a look at
0:10
a classic called last misery blessed.
0:15
Now this is a story That is probably a definition of great
0:27
stories. Can withstand the test of time
0:30
because this story was originally written by Victor
0:37
Hugo back in 1862. And it has had a bevy of
0:43
adaptations across film TV series animated series and of
0:48
course, is this manga Omnibus version that I am reading now
0:53
161 years later and I am honestly at a loss for words
1:03
with how much I enjoy this. Now, this was a, this version is
1:09
published by Seven Seas. And like I said, it's an
1:13
Omnibus. So it's two volumes in one and
1:16
this Edition and to kind of start off with foot, before I
1:20
continue my rambling, this starts off with a quote from
1:26
Victor Hugo that says so long as ignorance and misery remain on
1:31
Earth books like this cannot be useless.
1:35
So this is a tale that I feel like even just based off of this
1:43
first Omnibus, it's something that is just very true and very
1:49
relatable to anybody out there. Anybody that has lived a life
1:56
because this story Really highlights how close a lot of us
2:05
are to reaching the highest of Heights, or the lowest of lows.
2:15
Because that's kind of where this story kicks off.
2:20
With one of our main characters, John this gentleman on the front
2:26
cover. Um, he has basic kind of helping
2:30
to raise his, I believe your sister still alive from a
2:36
remembering correctly because I believe his brother died and so
2:42
he's helping the sister-in-law raised the kids.
2:46
I think she had like seven kids and so you know, he's working,
2:50
he basically his main job is he's a pruner of tree, so you
2:54
know, kind of cutting down trees and making money that way.
2:57
But if Of course as the seasons change, you know, because one
3:00
turnstile stand, you know, the trees are weathering.
3:04
So so that job isn't needed as much whatever.
3:07
But you got a family, they need to eat.
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And so he kind of ends up in a unfortunate situation that I
3:18
definitely feel because as a parent myself and family man
3:22
even been an uncle and stuff years before I was a dad.
3:28
I have been in situations myself to where, you know, it's been a
3:33
little bit of a rough patch financially, or just whatever.
3:36
And it's like, man, what can I do to try to earn some extra
3:39
money or to try to maybe sell something I have, you know, here
3:43
at the house or whatever to make a few bucks to, you know, get us
3:47
something to eat or to get, you know, something that my kids
3:51
might need for school or just, whatever the case might be.
3:56
And so, So that part was just so relatable that it hooked me and
4:02
throughout this book, this very meaty book, this was a thing.
4:10
They continue to show up like said both sides from people
4:13
reaching the highest of highs people reaching the lowest of
4:18
lows and kind of saying both the Did the horrific and the
4:28
Beautiful side of humanity. And what I mean by that is that
4:32
sometimes, you know, we don't know what situations people are
4:37
going through and they, you just talking down on the person or
4:41
not even giving them a chance to try to explain what happened
4:45
with the situation is. Can just push a person further
4:48
down, but sometimes There are people in the world that will
4:54
lend a helping hand. Not for any malicious intent or
4:57
any ulterior motives just because of the kindness of their
5:00
heart and that is something that was beautiful to see throughout
5:05
me reading this and so I'm a kind of go through just a few
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highlights of some key moments that kind of happened throughout
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this story because it's been several years, which I kind of
5:16
like a story like that. They kind of follows a follow
5:20
some characters over the course of some you Years.
5:22
So the first event that kind of happens that kind of sets John
5:28
all his spiral of of a downfall was, like I said the seasons
5:36
changed, it got cold, his family was starving.
5:40
And so he's going to tell her, hey, begging for money for
5:43
anything, whatever to help. Nobody would give him the time
5:45
of day. And so he's passing by this
5:48
Baker's shop and he sees some bread in the window.
5:51
He's like man that Off of bread would last us know, at least
5:56
will help us get by owner for a while and so he did what he felt
6:03
he needed to do, he tried to steal the bread but immediately
6:06
got caught and then got sentenced to five years in
6:10
prison for stealing bread. And so of course, he trying to
6:15
play with the police who were the judges like hey, you know,
6:18
my my family, there's kids, you know that it is done.
6:22
No, I hate. We don't care.
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You broke the law. You stole from an honest, man.
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This Baker, you know, five years of Labor and of course during
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these years of him being in prison, whatever you know he's
6:35
doing pretty good but then he gets word of something happening
6:41
with one of the kids or that or that somebody saw the
6:44
sister-in-law with one of the kids and then he's like, yo but
6:49
there's like seven kids and got all this.
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One. Oh, no, I no longer saw her one
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kid and so, of course, that makes him start to panic and
6:59
then he tries to break out and he tries to break out multiple
7:02
times. So now him stealing this piece
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of bread to feed his family went from five year, prison sentence
7:10
to him, doing 19 years altogether because, of course,
7:14
when he got caught again, all the times, you try to escape the
7:17
adding more years to his sentence and then 19 years
7:20
later, he comes out. He's Like hey do you know what
7:23
happened with the family? Whatever.
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And all he? What he hears.
7:27
Of course we don't have any firm confirmation of this but people
7:30
are just in like man 19 years. Do you know how long that has
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been that is enough time for, for a, for a single woman for a
7:39
single mother and her seven children to disappearance of the
7:44
darkness into the void, basically.
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And so, he gets handed a stack of money for his time that he
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did in prison and just sent out into the world.
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It some papers that say that he's a convicted felon.
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So the any time he goes to a new town you know as you're entering
8:00
the time that I ate was your papers whatever.
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And when they see this I think it's something that says that
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yellow paper. He's a melee known to be a
8:08
convict and then, of course, that just continues the, the
8:14
downward spiral and just a tough time that he has now,
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transitioning from there, we end up meeting this As Bishop of a
8:22
town who is the true definition of selfless, his is high-ranking
8:32
religious figure but unlike a lot of the other priests and
8:35
Bishops and stuff, whatever he does not live an extravagant
8:38
life. He lives like it was very small,
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very moderate, and a nice little house with his sister and I
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think they had like a Mater help or whatever and he gives away
8:49
all his wealth to the To the, to the, to the town, to the people.
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All this, that he's a man of the people.
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And so, John eventually ends up wandering his way to this, man.
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And End up finding shelter. There he ends up getting fed and
9:09
everything, but jean ends up stealing from the man just
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because he is so paranoid from the nineteen years of hardship
9:17
that he dealt with. He can't believe that somebody
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would help him just out of pure kindness.
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And so he ends up stealing from the matter whatever gets
9:27
captured brought back to the to the bishop button and keep in
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mind, Jean didn't know that this guy was a bishop During this
9:35
time, whatever. Because like I said, the guy
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lived a very simple life. He wasn't dressed in extravagant
9:40
clothes or whatever. And so when there's Revere like
9:42
that, this guy was a bishop whatever the guy for game Jean
9:45
and just tell the police, I don't know.
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No, I gave him this silver because it was some literal
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silver. Several were dishes and stuff,
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whatever that he stole. And so this bishop man learn oh
10:00
take it or whatever and gave him even like his prize like these
10:04
like Like a really beautiful like candlesticks or candlestick
10:08
holders or whatever and so yeah. And then the bishop basically
10:15
just tell Jean they're like, hey, the only thing I asked for
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you from you is that you live an honest life and that is kind of
10:23
what John says out to try to do. I start transitioning from John
10:28
story. We get a little bit of
10:33
introduction to our next character, which is a fantastic
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time with this beautiful image of her.
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And the rain has a young lady because she was kind of stranded
10:43
alone. Didn't know, anything didn't
10:45
know her name and this stranger. The past five just was like I
10:48
was like okay your name is going to be Fantine and so This was
10:56
another case of, you know, we had this young lady, she should
11:00
grow up to be a beautiful young lady was living the High Life.
11:08
With these Nobles and stuff and ended up kind of falling in love
11:14
and was promised the World by things from from this guy.
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And she ended up having his child and all this stuff and
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probably one of like the dirtiest things I have seen in a
11:27
while is so, so it's all these young women and stuff with these
11:34
guys, these older men, they know it.
11:38
Jonathan Ward for the last couple of years and stuff,
11:40
whatever and then they wine and dine them.
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And then literally and the middle of the night the like hey
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we have a big surprise for y'all whatever and they're all drunk
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and having a good time and they're like, hey just stay stay
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here at this place and wait for your surprise hours passed by
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deep into the middle of the night.
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And then the waiter brings them a letter.
12:08
And it's addressed from the guys, as I a basically saying,
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hey, it's been fun but we're all from noble families and our
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friend, our parents are expecting us to return home.
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And, you know, we can't have that they can't know about.
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We have all these women and stuff everywhere.
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So goodbye to y'all. Hey we pay for dinner but you
12:32
never see us again because by the time you're saying this
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letter, we're all going to be miles away from here, so.
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So goodbye. And so that kind of begins fan
12:44
times journey through her hardship because now she is this
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single mother and this world where, you know, she no longer
12:54
has that support with this child as so she's, so she ends up
13:01
Leaving the town, trying to head her way, trying to head back
13:05
home. But she also knows that the
13:07
struggle of being a single mom with a child.
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As I know, I'm not, many places are going to hire you and your
13:15
options for working or going to be limited.
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And so, something kind of scary happens in here.
13:22
In this moment it's like she is just passing by and she sees
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this to these two young girls about the same age as her
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daughter. Just playing and having a good
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time and she has a meeting their mom and so they're talking and
13:36
stuff forever and so fan time. So the lady cop makes like an
13:39
offhand comment Bellow like because the girl all three girls
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start playing together with everything in the late mr.
13:43
Coming like man they're already had they're already getting
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along like they're sisters and so fan time comes up with the
13:50
idea. She's a hey Can I leave my
13:53
daughter with y'all while I go away and work?
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I can send money for her to help her, whatever until I can kind
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of get on my feet and then once I saved up some money, I'll come
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back for my daughter. And so the husband of this of
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this lady is like, okay does she have closed your daughter's
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weren't some fancy clothes is articles.
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Like that fans I was like, oh yeah you know, I don't care so
14:18
much about know how I look whatever but hey, I want my
14:21
daughter to have You know be nice dress, nice and all the
14:24
stuff whatever. And so the guys okay well here's
14:27
the deal will raise her, but make sure you get forgive us,
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you know, a few sets of clothes and this is how much you will
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have to send each month for for supposedly, for food and stuff
14:37
forever. But it all ends up being a ploy,
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a racket because, of course, fan times like, okay, cool, I'll
14:48
agree to that or whatever, thank you so much that she leaves her
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daughter. In the middle of the night with
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these complete strangers that she just happened to me in
14:57
passing on her journey and that is like, so scary to think about
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especially like, you know, like back in these times before we
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have all the all the wonders of technology and communication
15:08
that we have nowadays, it is like you know, I can leave my
15:12
kids, you know, at my in-laws houses or whatever but I know.
15:18
Okay. Hey, if I need to check on my
15:20
kids I can Next, I can call them.
15:24
Heck I can even know video call them to actually see them and
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stuff, whatever. And it's like, now, back in this
15:29
time, it's like you leave your kids somewhere and it's like,
15:33
yeah, you might be getting letters in the mail or whatever.
15:35
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Rob your son of a she's
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doing fine, doing awesome, and then it's like, Boyden been
15:43
kidnapped or, you know, it's sickly or whatever.
15:47
But that's pretty much what happened.
15:49
So she ends up moving to this town or going back to the her
15:52
home. In town or whatever and is
15:54
working and stuff. But where the downward spiral
15:59
begins is that this the family is steadily asking for more
16:03
money because of, oh, you know, this happened or that happened,
16:06
whatever all your daughter, got sick and stuff, whatever.
16:11
And so back to the horrors, and the downside of people in this
16:16
town, in the world, is that somebody found out Being nosy,
16:23
as people are that. She has a daughter that nobody
16:27
knows about or whatever. Because hey, it's none of y'all
16:29
is big business but she had a daughter people at their job
16:34
found out. They reported it to the higher
16:37
up. She ended up getting fired from
16:39
her job because she was being dishonest and stuff and does she
16:47
know? It's now kind of now she doesn't
16:49
have Able to work like she West make the money to support her
16:54
daughter and to save up and start for an hour.
16:57
And so she is basically living on the streets and just, you
17:01
know, more or less turn to prostitution and stuff like
17:05
that. To just try to like, she's,
17:08
like, cut off her hair to sell to this wig shop, whatever?
17:11
She likes old, some of her teeth everything she could for what
17:16
she thought was going towards helping her daughter, man, while
17:19
these people are just the Family that took her daughter in
17:22
whatever, treating her like the ugly stepchild and you know,
17:26
like Cinderella or whatever. And so, all this stuff is kind
17:31
of started to slowly tie back in because we find out they also in
17:37
this town. And this would look at before
17:39
summer stuff, I mentioned with anteye or whatever, but our boy
17:42
Jean Is by the end of this volume.
17:47
He is a mayor of this town, but it, but before then he became a
17:51
very wealthy businessman because he ended up just passing by.
17:58
There was a burning building to kiss stuck.
18:01
Everybody's freaking out as John went into the Flames, poor these
18:05
kids, I was like hey here's your kids whatever and so the person
18:09
whose kids he said to her was like I think it's like a
18:11
high-ranking person. Somebody if somebody important
18:14
Tao and then but when John went to the fire, his like, papers,
18:20
from the prison, whatever, his identity papers, whatever, he
18:23
got burnt up in the Flames, because when the guy was like,
18:26
hey, who are you, whatever words or papers were there?
18:28
Let me see him. So I can properly, thank you,
18:30
whatever. And then he pulls out the
18:32
papers, and they just turned to Ash and jobs like and the guys,
18:36
I hate, I don't care who you are.
18:41
You know, thank you for saving my children or whatever.
18:44
And so, basically Jean is ended up using some of the money, from
18:48
the prison, whatever to start a small business and the business
18:53
ended up booming and becoming a economics table for this town
19:00
because of all the businesses that were brought in.
19:02
But he also liked the bishop that helped him all that all
19:07
that time back. He also lived a very simple
19:11
simple and modest life. He gave away a majority of his
19:13
wealth to help build hospitals, build schools for children with
19:19
which building schools for small for younger children was I heard
19:23
of and this time and stuff whatever.
19:27
And so yeah and So eventually you know, the people in the
19:31
town, eventually talked him into taking the role of Mayor because
19:35
like I think of, you know, think of all the good you're already
19:38
doing, think about what if you could actually become Mayor of,
19:42
you know, how much more good you'll be able to do and stuff.
19:45
Whatever. And so, yeah, and so that's kind
19:49
of how, like some of the crossing paths or start to
19:53
intertwine with some of the stuff is Jean taking the The
20:02
disciplines and the morals, and just the kindness that he
20:05
learned from the bishop that that open his door for him when
20:11
nobody else in the world would. And so he is trying to do the
20:14
same. But meanwhile, you know, lurking
20:18
in the background of this story, is also a police officer that he
20:22
dealt with back when he was in the prison is now working in the
20:26
town that he's now the mayor of. And then you also had this guy
20:31
Who was also working to try to bring down John because of
20:35
course, people being nosey wanted to know too much or
20:37
whatever. And this guy literally trying to
20:40
sabotage on and everything because they're like, man, this
20:42
guy just blew into town one day and all of a sudden, you know,
20:46
started a business and it blew up and now he's the mayor and
20:49
stuff. Whatever mean, while I try to, I
20:52
try to start a business and it failed.
20:55
And now I'm living on the streets and I'm barely making by
20:57
people won't even look at me or whatever.
20:59
And then, this guy ended up in a situation In where he ended up
21:04
getting trapped under his car, it's or whatever.
21:07
And all these people in town can lift it up whatever.
21:11
And so the police officer guy ended up being there.
21:15
And he's kind of ought to because he's been kind of like
21:18
following Jean for a while or whatever.
21:20
And so, long story short is I ended up saving this guy and
21:23
then put him up in the hospital that he helped build, and fun,
21:28
and they ended up offering the guy job or he left a message.
21:31
Like, hey, The mayor said, you know, once you are healed or
21:35
whatever, he has a job waiting for you, yada yada yada.
21:39
And that made this guy feel horrible because he's like, man,
21:42
I spent all this time trying to tear down this person.
21:46
Meanwhile, this guy was selfless and you know, showing kindness
21:53
and stuff to me. But well yeah but all in all,
21:57
you know, like I said this was been a Such a fantastic and such
22:02
a special read. And like I said, it is just So
22:06
awesome, adjust showing both, you know, the darkness and the
22:11
potential light that that exists in all of us within humanity and
22:17
stuff. And the Art of this manga is
22:19
just so fantastic. Are you can just see so much of
22:22
the emotion These characters are stuff just packed so deeply to
22:30
the into these and to these images and stuff.
22:35
Because even fantana her daughter Cosette and stuff.
22:41
For you just see, just like so much So much care and attention
22:45
that I forgot to mention of the story or of this adaptation is
22:48
done by takahiro awry. You can see just how much care
22:52
and attention that this manga Arthur did or had and there's
22:58
some adaptation of this, this legendary story.
23:03
And another thing I forgot to mention earlier, to whatever is
23:05
that and of course, you know, just learning through the
23:08
history of all the stuff, whatever.
23:11
The Victory and good. The Victor Hugo person that did
23:14
a story whatever one of his other most well-known works is
23:17
the Hunchback of Notre Dame which he wrote 30 years before
23:21
he wrote this. So that and that's kind of crazy
23:25
because we know how many annotations that that has had
23:28
over the years including the, the Disney movie animated movie
23:32
that we all probably saw back in the 90s or whatever.
23:34
I know I did Growing Up but but yeah Les Miserable Ace like say
23:39
it is just such A fantastic read.
23:43
The next volume is right around the corner.
23:45
So I would definitely be picking that up, but I highly encourage
23:50
anybody that might have maybe heard of this story or whatever,
23:53
but maybe have him read the novel of it.
23:55
If you're into manga like, I am and into great powerful stories
24:00
that I think this might be one that y'all might want to put on
24:03
your radar and to add to your collection because I will
24:06
definitely be having this sit next to a going to clear out
24:11
some stuff on the top shelf. Because a prong approach is
24:13
right next to my 20th century, boys and Venice Agha up here on
24:18
top. But yeah, fantastic read highly
24:22
recommended and just know that try to be kind to each other out
24:29
there in the world. Because like I said, we all do
24:32
not know what the person next to us is going through and just
24:38
because somebody is happy and smiling.
24:41
Might not mean that they have the best life in the world or
24:44
hey, just because somebody is looking like, no might be
24:48
well-dressed whatever they might be the wealthiest and happiest
24:51
person in the world but we just don't know.
24:55
So just try to be kind to each other out there because me
24:59
reading this was just like I said it just kind of reminded me
25:03
of some of some life situations that I've gone through.
25:05
Even just recently, we were some stuff but and just some kindness
25:10
and stuff that Some people have shown towards me to can help me
25:15
get out of my hole that I was there to kind of help me and my
25:18
family move on to the next step or whatever and starts.
25:22
Like I definitely try to do my best to try to pay that kind as
25:25
forward where I can and I hope that those are out there
25:28
listening or watching will do the same as well, you know, like
25:32
so even even just the small stuff, you know, you know.
25:37
Hey Sam, I need to cut my box a If you gotta give it to him,
25:41
whatever somebody needs help with something to my knees
25:45
advice. Dude.
25:48
Your best, you know, to try to help wonder that or one another,
25:53
even if it's just listening because sometimes that might be
25:56
all a person needs somebody that might, I need money or food or
26:01
whatever, sometimes they might just need an ear, just somebody
26:04
to just take the time to listen to them and stuff.
26:07
So, because that might be the thing that Kind of helps to
26:11
bring that person out of the darkness, right out of the rough
26:13
spot that they are in order to kind of just help them vent.
26:16
Because sometimes I'll, the person I need is just to vent to
26:19
get whatever burdens are on their mind, heart or shoulders
26:24
is to just talk with somebody. And yeah, like, I'm starting to
26:30
ramble, but this was just just such a, such a awesome Reed
26:37
likes. I cannot wait to get.
26:39
Get to read more of this story and to see where more things go
26:43
with these characters. And just, no, I did not tell
26:46
every little detail of the store, just some of the, some of
26:48
the kind of high-level highlights and stuff, but it's
26:52
still something I still recommend you read and check out
26:55
for yourself. But with that being said, I'm a
26:58
wrap this up as always. Thank you so much for watching
27:01
and listening. You can find me everywhere and
27:03
Danny's a talk and make sure you're subscribed to the video
27:07
version of everything I do on YouTube.
27:09
YouTube or following the audio version or all podcast services.
27:13
And as I always say, treat yourself to some nice recent
27:17
manga, watch some anime and TV play some video games and live
27:21
your best life. And with that, I'm out, you
27:23
know, have an awesome day peace.