Milk & Mocha: Our Little Moments - Melani Sie - ★★★.¼

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Melani Sie

GENRE: Graphic Novel Comic

SERIES: Milk & Mocha, #2

RATING: 3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A comics collection featuring the adorable duo Milk and Mocha. Cute and light, but also repetitive and somewhat bland. The second book featuring Milk and Mocha. While this isn't bad, it also isn't memorable. I liked the first one better.

Milk and Mocha are the creations of Indonesian comic artist Melani Sie. This duo is quite popular on social media and are recognisable faces in several memes. However, reading a single comic is one thing and reading an entire comic collection is another.

The first book of the Milk & Mocha collection had the tagline “Our Little Happiness”. As such, it had a happier vibe, highlighting how little joys enhance our life. This book focusses on “Our Little Moments”. While the introductory note about the significance of little moments is amazing, the change in focus also means that the comics in this book are a little understated. They aim to be awww-inducing, but more often than not, they just felt like cyclical renditions of the same concept. The repetition is what mainly stops the book from being more memorable.

Most of the comics in this book are true to the theme of ‘little moments’. But there are two small story tracks as well: a small one showing how Mocha finds a new “pet”, and a longer one about the two bears going on a vacation to Bali. The former isn't utilised enough. The latter comes at the end of the book, and somewhat redeems the overall experience as we finally see novelty in the content.

Milk and Mocha are of course as sweet as ever. But as this collection contains no backstory about the duo, those unfamiliar with them might not understand certain things, such as why Mocha never speaks or why he always appears grumpy or why the pair sleeps with a little carrot plushie.

Yet again, the contrast between the two bears comes out strongly. Mocha is always serious and his love is more subtle and deep. Milk is the exact opposite, more open about verbalization of feelings. They present an interesting difference between strong silent love vs. exuberant demonstrative love, and highlight how both are equally powerful. I identify more with Mocha as I too am more about showing love through deeds than words.

The exact relationship between the pair is still not clarified, but it is clear that their bond is romantic. As their genders aren’t specified in any way, one can interpret their love story anyway one wants.

The illustrations are really sweet, which isn't a surprise as Milk and Mocha are the cutest characters. If you are familiar with their webcomics, then you already know what art is in store for you.

The physical book comes with a set of cute stickers featuring our little lovebirds. (lovebears?)

While this collection is sweet enough, I enjoyed the first comic collection “Milk and Mocha: Our Little Happiness” better as the comics in it were a bit more varied in tone. But if you like these bears, you might like this sequel too.

Recommended to fans of the duo. This book can make a nice romantic gift for special days such as anniversaries or Valentine’s day.

My thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing the DRC of “Milk & Mocha Comics Collection: Our Little Moments”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.