Customer Reviews

The Bad Book

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hi! I have been reading some positive and negative reviews and wanted to clarify things for people. I feel like some people have misunderstood this book and would hate to see people not pick up these books.

The Cute Book is geared toward craft, lots of patterns and it was their first book published here. The Bad Book and the Machine Gun series were more for the people who just loved the characters, while there is an extra pattern in the back, these books were released in Japan in response to the growing adoration of The Cute Book. I think when they were published here and people bought them online they thought they were craft books like The Cute Book, however they were geared more for the characters fans who wanted more.

The humor in them may seem off to some, but it is a Japanese book and is Japanese humor, having lived in Japan I can definitely say that it is different from American humor and so maybe for some it was off, but to each their own, others thought it was so funny.

Having said that, The Cute Dolls and Fun Dolls are again like The Cute book, with tons of patterns and some new adorable characters. If you want books geared at craft these two will fit in perfectly. If after making all these adorable characters you feel that you want to know more about Mr. Tad and Mr. Pole, the Machine Gun series has a lot of character stories and Sprite goes on some great trips in Japan.

I hope this helps people, I would hate for anyone to be disappointed with these books, they are really great.
Thanks!

I ordered The Cute Book & this book at the same time as both seemed to be craft oriented. The Cute book has patterns on how to make the adorable little animals. The Bad Book has supposedly funny photographs of the the liar & the bad guy (found in The Cute Book)doing bad things. Well, I didn't find it cute or funny. I have a somewhat twisted & dark sense of humor & I just did not enjoy the book. I highly suggest finding the book in a store & looking at it before buying it. It was very disappointing to me. I guess I was hoping for darker craft ideas, but it doesn't contain any craft ideas-just photographs. It might be worth it if you want ideas on how to pose the characters & take pictures for your own narratives.

Like some of the other reviewers, I bought this with "The Cute Book" because I kind of assumed that they would both be craft books. I mean, they're marketed together, the tags seem the same, the format of the covers looks about equal, they're even on the shelf together at physical bookstores -- it's a relatively reasonable assumption, I think.

It's not the same. The Cute Book is full of directions on making your own felt creatures from Aronzi Aronzo patterns. The Bad Book is another animal altogether, full of vignettes starring the creatures from the other book. To be honest, I felt just a little ripped off by it all. I really would have only purchased the Cute Book if I'd seen the inside of them both first. I may have changed my mind if I'd had more time, but really, The Cute Book would have been the only initial purchase.

Now, that said, I will say that the vignettes and cartoons are very cute, and very japanese cute, at that. The simplicity with which the themes and characters interact and speak to one another is, ironically, very cute. And since the book was already mine, I will say that I do kind of like it, but grudgingly. Like the way you'd like a strawberry ice cream cone, if you'd asked for chocolate and it was too late to take it back. Still good, but not what you wanted.

When the next Aronzi Aronzo book comes out, I'll probably be waiting until the reviews come in, rather than preordering. I've learned my lesson with this set.

First off, a warning to future customers: it's not a craft book.

I don't think most people know that Aranzi Aronzo is known for their craft books AND for their picture books (both illustrated and photographed). Their craft books are pretty cute, kind of sickly sweet, but if you haven't realized, Aranzi Aronzo has a mildly twisted sense of humor (after all, take a look at the Cute Book... what other craft book will let you make little stuffed Liars and Kidnappers?). Their picture books show that side better, and they're really amusing in a simple way. The Bad Book is mostly about the adventures of the Bad Guy, Liar, and the Meanie, and it's super cute. It's also rather expensive for a very short picture book, but the binding, page quality, and size is virtually identical to their Japanese counterparts (I'm comparing it with my Doko e iku Kappa-chan book). It's a nice start, here's to waiting for Machine Gun!

I can understand why some reviewers expecting a craft book would be disappointed. But they need to realize that Aranzi Aronzo is a whole creative universe. The plush characters they make come alive in the comics and photo comics in The Bad Book. My daughter, niece and I love this book; it completely cracks us up. If you like this, and want more of Aranzi Aronzo's humor, you should check out Aranzi Aronzo Machine Gun. There's some cool craft stuff mixed in.

The humor here is for adults and/or perceptive children. There is wordplay and irony aplenty. The "Bad" character is remorseful, and the Liar says he/she always lies: Is that statement a lie? The book plays with concepts and shakes them up in amusing ways. Not for everyone, but fun and provocative for those who can appreciate something different.

Hi!
Also the Bad Book is arrived!
Very cute, despite bad!
Only I moan about the fact that it doesn't contain instructions about how to create the felt mascotts!

Bye Bye
Erika

this book was very...um...interesting. i really liked it because it was more, to me, on the adult side of humor! i dont think i would let a 10 year old read it though.

As a librarian, I purchased this book for our library's collection based on the popularity of the craft book "The Cute Book." THIS book is the dumbest, least funny, waste of paper I have ever seen. Have you ever heard a four year-old make up a joke and it really doesn't have a punchline or make sense? That is what every photo and cartoon in this book is like. Terrible. Just awful.