Breaking Point

This week I have seriously considered dropping out of university. This is because the university I attend announced that it will be closing down the campus which I am currently attending. This basically ruins my plans for the next year, as I don't even know where I will be going to uni next year, hence I can't move out like I planned to later this year. The extra time that I will also need to travel to my new campus also limits my ability to work and make money to fund me moving out of home. The most frustrating part is that my university claims that the closure of the campus was needed for the growth of the university. Last time I checked, growth meant growing larger, not downsizing. Essentially, I pay thousands of dollars a year for my higher education to be flushed down the proverbial toilet. It gets worse though, those affected are offered counseling to deal with the transition. No offense, but counseling is going to do f*** all in this situation. Anyway, click >>HERE<< to read the entire article of false promises my uni offers. It's like finding out Santa isn't real all over again.

Moving on, I have read Youth Gone Wild by Lee Nicky. For anyone who doesn't know, this is actually a Taiwanese series, and by the same author as the currently popular series 'The One' so something a bit different. I found this quite enjoyable, it is about music, somehow I find that series about music are fairly enjoyable to read. Anyway, the story is about Ya-Ting, a girl who dreams of becoming a top entertainment manager and her quest to create and manage a band to international success. It chronicles the formation and development of 'The Death' and the barriers that they need to overcome not only to succeed in the local music market, but also on the international market, something that is still very difficult for Asian based musicians to achieve (with the exception of fan and niche audiences). I like how the series is somewhat realistic. It emphasizes the role the media plays in the promotion and demise of artists in the entertainment industry and the backstabbing nature of corporations in order to make more money and generate a greater status amongst society. I also like the references to iconic bands such as Guns 'n' Roses, U2 etc. One criticism I do have is the open ending. The story ends with the beginning of the new year, which is being celebrated by the main characters. I found out that at the time of publication, there was a possibility that a sequel to this series may have been commissioned, however, turns out there isn't, so that's it, slightly disappointed.

I have also read Orange Marmalade by Seok-Woo, which is a Korean webtoon series updated weekly and currently ongoing. It is about a female vampire, Ma Ri, who must hide her identity in order to live discreetly amongst human society. She chooses that it is best to shut herself from interacting with others in order to protect herself after a horrible experience in the past. Thus far she has successfully concealed her identity after transferring to a new school, until her cover is nearly blown when she is enticed by the scent of Jae Min and his sweet blood and she attempts to bite his neck (sounds kind of wrong, but apparently his blood lures vampires lol). This is the start of a series of events which lead to Ma Ri to interact with others, eventually befriending a few of her classmates with whom she shares her secret with, while also developing feelings for Jae Min. The series deals with segregation in society, as known vampires are vanished from particular regions upon discovery. In terms of vampires, I find this a realistic scenario if this were an alternate reality, given the scenario that the vampires were suppressed by the humans, that they would slowly adapt to a point that they are indistinguishable from other humans as is the case in this series. Also, this is a webcomic, so the the entire thing is in colour, which i absolutely love!!

Currently, I have started reading Handsome Girlfriend by Yoshizumi Wataru. It is complete at 9 volumes in both English and Japanese. I have thus far just finished the first volume, so we'll see how that goes over the next few days.

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

Bludging at it's finest

Oh hey! I am happy to say that the past few days I have done some hardcore budging and man am I enjoying doing absolutely nothing. Well, not completely true, being a sports fan, I am currently up all hours at night channel surfing between Wimbledon and Tour de France, and soon, the Olympics. In some good news, I passed Semester One of Uni, including the nightmare that is accounting! I am so so so happy that I was able to pass accounting, given my 4am cram session the night before the exam :). Finally, my suffering has ended and I can look forward to the awesome subjects I have selected for my second semester.

Anyhow, I have read Kakan no Madonna by Saito Chiho. I must say, I quite like this mangaka's work, the plots are shoujo, however there is always unexpected plot turns which always ensures an interesting read. I remember reading Mou Hitori no Marionette, which deals with multiple personality disorders such as schizophrenia, which is something that not even the best novelists write about. Anyway, as for Kakan no Madonna, it is set in 16th century Italy in the era of Da Vinci and co, and focuses on Leonora, a girl who bears a striking resemblance to a painting Da Vinci painted ten years prior to the commencement of the story. Da Vinci is actually a character in the manga, so I found that rather interesting. Anyhow, the painting is a clue to a legend that involves a hidden sword and if found, the holder of the sword would become King of Italy. So Leonora goes on a journey to find the sword despite the fact that she is sought after many who wish to become the king, and meets and falls in love with the prince of Naples, Falco, despite the fact that originally, he had the same the purpose as others of becoming king. There is some factual accuracy to this story, as there is to some of Saito Chiho's other series. For example, one of the men after her in order to become king is Cesare Borgia. The series coincides with the demise of the Borgia family, which actually happened, look it up on Wikipedia. As I said, there are unexpected plot turns, some of which have quite adult themes (rape, murder etc) but overall it is a quite entertaining read. I am just waiting for the final few chapters to be scanlated so I can read the ending :)

I will also say I attempted to read Kirarin Revolution. I could only read the first six chapters because from that point onwards, the scans become of such poor quality that I can't stand it. I know I don't have any right to complain, but the English was so bad that I couldn't make sense of what was happening so I just gave up. The art is cute though, so it is easy on the eye!

In the meantime, I have read Taming the Cat Master by Han Yu Rang. The story is about an orphan girl Hye Sung, and how she is forced out of the orphanage to live with a stranger of the name of Kang Jae Young due to the will left by Kang Jae Young's deceased grandfather. At first, the two fight continuously as both are stubborn to admit defeat, although this animosity between the two also harbors a deeper, subconscious level of attraction, as Hye Sung unknowingly becomes jealous of the women around Kang Jae Young. Throughout the story, it is revealed what the contents of the will were, which was for Kang Jae Young and Hye Sung to marry in order for them to receive an inheritance. At first, Hye Sung rejects, but after a few humiliating encounters with Kang Jae Young's mother, Hye Sung agrees to the marriage out of spite for his mother. After a previous lover of Kang Jae Young hears the news, she becomes jealous that she has lost him to someone she deems unworthy, and plots a revenge that makes Hye Sung appear to be frivolous and unfaithful to Kang Jae Young that spirals way out of control to the point where Hye Sung is expelled from school. This plot by the former lover completely backfires as it acts as a catalyst for Hye Sung and Kang Jae Young as the attraction is brought to the surface. When there seems to be no way to solve the current crisis, Kang Jae Young's mother offers Hye Sung a lifeline to stop the crisis, on the condition she obeys the mother's wishes. Hye Sung agrees and the crisis dies down, then as expected, Kang Jae Young's mother asks Hye Sung to leave and to never contact them again. This is where the story kind of ends for now as scanlations are still going, the last volume was released by Blue Moon scans a few hours ago and I haven't had a chance to read it yet, so Ill do that when I have some time.

Anyways, next on the list is Youth Gone Wild, which I am really looking forward to, so watch this space!

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