Indie Spotlight: Things to Remember by Jess Santiago and Jez Nabong

Things to Remember by Jess Santiago and Jez Nabong

Title: Things To Remember
Acquired on: Komiket 2015 (Elements at the Centris, October 3, 2015)
Selling price: Php 80.00
Written by: Jess Santiago
Illustrated by: Jez Nabong
Language: English
Cover: Colored, printed on bond paper
Illustrations: Black and white
Type: One-shot comic
Published under: Self-published (Komiket University Graduates)


Storyline (From the synopsis):
They love her. She doesn't remember.

Banchi must help Hon remember their daughter before she and her family come for breakfast. It has been months since they last saw Hon; and with her memory fading, the chances of her recalling them are slim. Banchi has tried everything to rekindle the past, but nothing has been working.

After all their years together, what is the one thing Hon will never forget?



Nekomimi's Pawspective:

Art (4 paws) - First thing that I love about this komiks is the art. The cover alone was eye catching at the same time tells a lot of what the story is about. The unique art style also complements the story well, giving it a warm feel.

On the other hand, I did have a bit of a problem with the flashback scene. Maybe because I was exposed to manga too much that a small text box indicating the time didn't work well for me. There were hardly any clues in the background to indicate that it was in the early 60's. Aside from the scenes in the bedrooms, the house looked a bit empty and unused. The memorabilias and photos placed inside boxes gave me this idea that Bianchi and Hon just moved in and/or is moving out of that house, which I think might not be the creators' intention.

Story (4 paws) - I really love how they portrayed the love shared in the family, especially between Banchi and Hon. The flashback reminded me strongly about the love story of Ellie and Carl in the movie Up. The ballpen and notepad, which were the significant elements in the story also symbolized the love between the family members. I also like how Jen explained the situation to their kids and how her family made the Things To Remember list as some sort of a family tradition passed on from her parents.

Timeline wise, I think it would work better if the meal was set during lunchtime instead of breakfast. Seeing that the Jen's family needed to use a car to get to Banchi and Hon's house indicates that it is located somewhere far, and can take about an hour or so to reach the destination (that without considering Philippine traffic).

Price (5 paws) - The art and story for this 60-page komiks proved to be worth the price. However, I would be willing to pay an additionial Php 10-20 pesos for a version with glossy print and thicker/board cover as these improvements would definitely help bring out the beauty of the cover and illustrations.

OVERALL RATING: 4 PAWS

Things to Remember helps remind you of what is most important: love and family.

There is a good marriage of the art and story in this komiks. The komiks also appeals to the younger audiences as both the art and story are toned just right for them. This is one of the komiks I'd gladly let my future kids and grandkids read should I need to explain to them about alzheimers or amnesia.

Truly a great komiks debut for Jess and Jez! They really did good job creating a komiks of this genre. I look forward to reading more of their works in future komiks events! I would not be surprised if at some point in the future they'd get a career in creating children's books as well.

Jess and Jez are just two of the 20+ graduates of the recently concluded Komiket University. Read my review on the Komiket University at my next post.