Friday 20 July 2012

New Look and the Usual

Hey, so I have recently changed the look of my blog, although very minimally. I am so happy now that my blog is purple, I wanted it purple stripes from the start, but didn't know how to change the colour until recently! I also changed the header photo along the top to Hitsune Miku, not so much because I am a fan, but the picture is 100% my style so I just had to have it!

Because I have had a lot of work lately, I really haven't had much off time. But in the meantime, I have read the first 9 chapters of Bitou Lollipop by Iketani Rikako, the mangaka of the currently popular series six half. The manga is complete at 7 volumes in Japanese, but only the 9 chapters are so far in English. It follows the story of Madoka. After her parents win the 100 million yen lottery, they decide to quit their jobs and try to become doctors. This forces Madoka, who refuses to go with them to board with the Asagi family. Made welcomed at first to keep up appearances, Madoka quickly learns that she is not welcomed by 'Asagi mama' who tries to minimize all contact between herself and Madoka. Madoka quickly meets and befriends Tomoe, Asagi mama's son, who often comes to visit because the room Madoka currently lives in is where Tomoe hides his manga and dvds from his mum. Soon after, they decide to go out, but have difficulty with the dynamics of the relationship due to their ages (Tomoe is 2-3 years younger). In the meanwhile, Madoka's parents are struggling to stay together, living seperately because her mother can't stand her husband's slow learning pace. By the end of chapter 9 the father has gone missing, but it is suspected that he has run away with another woman. There is another male character who is a love rival, but he is into the mum, and I know in the end, thanks to spoilers ;) she ends up with Tomoe anyway, so I didn't pay much attention to him. I love the art, I have always been a fan of Iketani's style because it is so different. I'm looking forward to more in the future :)

I have also read Heaven by Aya Oda. It's a cute little two volume story, and it is complete in both English and Japanese. I really shouldn't call it cute though because the story does deal with going to 'heaven' through taking one's life. The story begins with Rion, grief stricken after the sudden death of her parents and how she has found herself at the edge of a cliff contemplating to join them (suicide). Before she acts on her thoughts, Tenri convinces her that going to heaven won't solve anything. Tenri is the heir (i guess) to the nearby hot-spring inn. Rion follows Tenri back to the inn where she meets both Kakeru and Jiang. Rion quickly learns that the inn is the 'gateway to heaven, and that both Kakeru and Jiang don't feel the will to live. Rion quickly develops feelings for Tenri, who opens who options as to what she can live for and shortly after, they get married so Tenri can become her legal guardian as her aunt declares her burdensome. It is quickly revealed that Tenri was abandoned at the cliff where he met Rion and that Tenri also loves his sister, who has been missing for more than 6 months. Despite this, Rion is adamant that she can make Tenri happy and that she will stay by his side. Towards the end of the story, Kakeru and Jiang have once again found their desire to live, allowing them to start to pursue their dreams. Kaori, Tenri's sister also returns causing uncertainty within Rion, who believes Tenri will return to his sister's side. Tenri then confesses that he in fact does love Rion, but if she doesn't believe him then they might as well just meet again in heaven. At this point, Tenri jumps from the cliff (it wasn't so much a suicide attempt as it was a test of fate, to see if they were meant to together). Tenri survives and when he recovers, he asks Rion again to marry him (this time for the right reasons) and they live together with the others at the inn. I found a massive plothole and I just can't ignore it. If Tenri was abandoned, then he would have no blood relation to his 'sister', Kaori, so therefore there is absolutely no reason why he couldn't have tried to pursue a relationship with her. I'm just saying!

Also, I am very proud to say that my Disney renaissance collection is nearing completion. Now all I need is The Little Mermaid and Tarzan and my collection is complete!

Anyway, that's about it for now, until next time :)

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