Ryouko no Shinrei Jikenbo

I honestly can't be bothered to put much effort into updating this blog anymore, it's just to hard to find the time, especially if I'm working more shifts a week than there are days. Anyways, here is one of the series that I have hoaded. It is Ryouko no Shinrei Jikenbo by Chie Shinohara, a short series by her standards, only 4 volumes long, but enjoy.

The story starts off with the protagonist Ryouko finding her beloved pet cat has drowned in the bath tub. Initially shocked, Ryouko ponders at how unusual it was for her cat, Pow, to die by drowning when it was afraid of water. Ryouko and her family bury the cats' remains in the back yard. That night, Ryouko starts hearing strange noises, only to find her dead cat floating in mid-air, although he is no longer dead. Pow has now been possessed by a spirit who was seperated from his body (the body is still alive) and needs help finding his body. He believes that Ryouko has a strong spiritual power, as she is able to communicate with the possessed pow when no one else can. 

The man reveals that he also can not remember who he was before he was seperated from his body. At first, Ryouko doesn't believe him, but after a few encounters with some less-than-friendly spirits that attempt to harm both herself and Pow, Ryouko has no choice but to trust Pow and search for his body. After a while, Ryouko and her family move back into the house where Ryouko and her brother were born  (they left after the death of their father) and begin to encounter a hostile spirit that nearly kills Ryouko.In the meantime, Pow remembers that his name is Taku and that he was living alone in an appartment when he got seperated from his body. It soon appears that there is a second spirit lingering in the house. 

One night, Ryouko is able to see one of the two spirits, and it is revealed that the second spirit was Ryouko's father trying to protect her. Ryouko's father warns he saying that these spirits are after both her and Pow/Taku as they have the potential to seal the evil spirits. The spirit continues saying that if it's Taku, everything should be fine, then disappears. The evil spirit in the house attacks again, but it is finally beaten in the end. Afterwards, Ryouko has a strange encounter with a person whom she was involved in an accident with. The two quickly become friends, and for a while it is believed this friend was a boy, making Pow jealous. It is revealed that the friend is indeed a girl, and is in fact, Taku's younger sister. 

Pow suspects that this can't be a coincidence, and he is right when it is revealed that Taku's sister has been possessed and attempts to kill them. Taku manages to exocise the spirit from his sister, and she continues her friendship with Ryouko. This friendship allows Taku and Ryouko to search his home for clues, but are unable to find any. Ryouko then leaves to attend a school field trip. Once at the hotel, she notices some strange things, and then her room-mates/friends are possessed by the spirits of school girls who died in an accident at the hotel 5 years prior. As the girls attempt to kill Ryouko and the teleported Pow (yes, the cat can teleport), the 'boss' spirit appears and it is revealed that it is the same spirit responsible for Taku's disappearence. 

Somehow, Taku and Ryouko manage to escape once again. After returning home, a stray cat appears on Ryoukos doorstep and Ryouko and her family decide to adopt it. Pow is suspicious of the cat, but Ryouko believes it is an ordinary cat as she can't sense any spiritual powers from it. Pow says that strong spirits can disguise themselves and he feels a strange sense of deja vu. After some time, it is revealed that the cat is in fact the 'boss' spirit, the one who seperated Taku's body and spirit. While chasing Nero (boss), Taku kisses Ryouko, and immediately after this, Ryouko sees a bright shining light, believing it to be where Taku's body and Nero may be. She follows that light and arrives at an amusement park. 

Taku has possessed Ryouko's brother in the meanwhile. Once at the amusement park, Ryouko loses control of her body and is forcibly led into to the grounds. Taku then arrives and the two search for Taku's body. Eventually, they find the body, but after a fight with Nero and his minions, they, along with Taku's body retreat. Afterwards, Ryouko has a dream of a mountain and believes that this is the new location of Taku's body. she convinces her mother to let her go to the mountain in search for the body with her brother and Taku's sister. 

Once at the campsite, Ryouko and gang go searching for the body. It isn't long before they run into trouble with Ryouko and Pow falling into a crevasse. It is there that they once again find Taku's body frozen in the mountain. After another fight with the spirits, the body becomes dislodged and unfrozen, with Pow, Ryouko and the body falling to the bottom of the monutain. When she comes to, Ryouko notices that Taku's spirit isn't within Pow or Taku. It is believed that Taku is dead by his family and they plan to have his body cremated. Ryouko then uses her spiritual power to be sucked into the spiritual world in an attempt to save Taku. In the spiritual world, Ryouko finds Taku, but she is unable to save him, until she too seperated her soul from her body and the two kiss (this seems to unleash some sort of power). 

Afterwards, Taku returns to his body and Ryouko to hers. It is believed that all is over, until the spirits once again attempt to kill Taku and Ryouko. This time, the spirit possesses Taku's body, forcing Taku's soul back to Pow's body. The two are about the drowned at sea when a spirit saves them.The spirit that saves them is none other than Ryouko's father. Then there is some strange explanation as to why the spirits want Ryouko and Taku dead (something to do with the numbers 12 and 13). Ryouko and Taku defeat the spirits once and for all, and can go back to leading a normal life (for now).

To be honest, it wasn't a great series, but it's Chie Shinohara, so it has merits on that alone. Anyway, that's about it for now. Until next time :)

Majo no Koi wa Kindan to Haitoku de Tsukurareru

Wah! So busy, even though I am all prepared for Christmas, it seems that others aren't as I am flat out with work. Being December everyone is coming to have their functions at my work. First time I have ever run out of wine glasses, jugs and car parks (and our car park is HUGE!!). Here's hoping I don't have to deal with New Years.

Moving on, I am going to talk about a one shot that I got lucky and got to typeset it and has yet to be released (although hopefully it will be soon), so I thought I might share it with you (Or at least tell what it is about). The one shot is called Majo no Koi wa Kindan to Haitoku de Tsukurareru (yes, quite the mouthful) and it is by Kawamaru Shin. Quite a long one shot, about 90 pages long.

The oneshot starts with a cat roaming the streets when it comes across a young boy called Ryou who asks why she (the cat) is pretending to be a cat. It is revealed that the cat is actually the witch Marika and that this is the first time she has encountered someone who could tell that she was not in fact a cat. Marika's younger sister, who is also a witch reminds her that it is taboo for a witch to interfere with the human cycle of life and death. Aware of this, Marika follows Ryou home one day, where she witnesses a dispute between the young Ryou and his mother over why Ryou. Ryou comments saying that he can't purchase alcohol for his mother without money (not to mention it is illegal). Ryou's mother then blames Ryou for all her misfourtune, stating that 'than man' (Ryou's father) would not have left if he wasn't born and was better off without him. Ryou's mother then attempts to kill Ryou by strangling him. Trying to call for help, Marika, still observing, breaks the taboo and helps Ryou by causes a pile of boxes to fall onto his mother, killing her.

Ryou notices it is the same cat as before and Marika reveals that she is a witch. As a result for breaking the taboo of interfering with the human life and death cycle. As a result, Marika is exiled from the Witches world and is stranded in the human world. Marika's younger sister tells her to always follow three rules: 1. Don't let anyone realize your a witch, 2. Do not mingle (have sex with) humans and 3. Do not use magic, then the door to the witches world may one day open for her again. After the death of Ryou's mother, Ryou takes Marika in as his sister and the two begin to live in an orphanage.

10 Years pass, and Ryou is now a highschool student. He has since been adopted by a company executive who sees the potential in Ryou to become his heir. Ryou accepts on the condition that the man also adopts Marika and provides her with an education (as she is a witch, she is not registered, thus ineligable to attend school in the human world). The two live in a luxurious mansion and have since begun playing "make-believe" (because they can't have sex, they 'play' with each other). Their adopted father dislikes the closeness of the relationship between Ryou and Marika, constantly telling Marika to seperate herself from her brother.

At school, it is revealed that Ryou is at the top of his class and target of the girls affections. Meanwhile, Marika is being tutored at home. Ryou returns home and walks in on Marika's tutor touching her shoulder. Ryou immediately fires the tutor because he believes that it isn't necessary for the tutor to physically touch a student in any way, sexual or not. Ryou then takes Marika and throws her on the bed and starts to "make-believe"again, although he gets aggressive and hurts Marika.

Marika states that since that day, Ryou has changed. The scene changes to a love hotel, where Ryou is with a girl (presumedly from school), having sex. During the process, Ryou says Marika's name instead of the name of the girl he is with. When Ryou returns home late, His adoptive father wishes to discuss something with Ryou/ Meanwhile, Marika sneaks into Ryou's room as Ryou has not allowed her to do so recently. Ryou tells Marika to leave, and informs her that he was asked to get a fiance, which he initially turned down. Marika states that she understands that Ryou will one day have a fiance/wife and that they should stop playing make-believe.

Meanwhile, A relative of Ryou's adoptive father inquires if things with Ryou are going well, in which he replies that he may have to leave the company to him (the relative he is talking to) as he may not get a favourable answer. Back at the house, Marika answers the door and it is Ryou's classmate (the one he had sex with) returning his phone. A maid is heard calling Marika, and the girl at the door freaks out over that Ryou called out his sister's name during sex. Marika is happy about this, and ultimately decides that it's okay for her to have sex with Ryou as being with him is what she really wants, even if she has to receive further punishment as a result. Ryou declines, saying if she is punished with death, then it is better for them not to progress than for her to potentially disappear.

Ryou decides to follow his adoptive father's request to take a fiance. Meanwhile, Marika's little sister is able to visit Marika for the first time since her exile. Little sister informs Marika that the door to the witches world will open on the next full moon. Ryou's adoptive father tells his nephew of his decision to keep Ryou as his heir since he has accepted the engagement. The nephew is angry over the decision and pushes the director into oncoming traffic. He gets hit by a car. Ryou and Marika are informed of the accident as just as Ryou is about to head to the hospital, an intruder can be heard in the house.

The intruder is the nephew who injured the director, and he is now attempting to burn down the house, killing Ryou as a hopeful result. The nephew attempts to stab Ryou, but Ryou defends himself by kneeing his opponent in the stomach. The nephew then attempts to harm Marika, as it would make Ryou miserable. Ryou covers Marika, and as a result, Marika uses her magic to avoid Ryou getting killed. The nephew is now dead as a result.

Marika then restates her desire to be embraces by Ryou, saying she will gladly take any punishment. It is revealed that because Marika used her magic, the door, along with the full moon never came, meaning that Marika never returned to the witches world. She states that she would never be forgiven for committing another taboo while in exile, but that she isn't scared. While Ryou embraces Marika for the first time for reals, he tells her that he will always be with her forever. While this is happening, the mansion is being engulfed in flames.

The scene changes to three children who ask what happened next, and the story teller replies 'I don't know'. The story teller is Marika's younger sister, who says that since the first time Marika was embraced by Ryou, she (the little sister) was no longer able to sense her (Marika's) presence. The children ask questions such as 'did she disappear' and 'is she living in the human world'. The little sister replies that this is a story from hundreds of years ago. One of the children thinks that the story is quite romantic and wanders off to the human world. Transformed as a cat, a human asks 'Why are you pretending to be a cat?' with the final narration 'One day, the door will open. Until that day...END

I actually have quite a few thoughts about this, firstly, is the adoptive father alive or did he die in is accident!! On a more serious note, with the ending, I think it implies one of two scenarios. The first being that Ryou and Marika died as they embraced each other in the burning mansion, with the unknown person asking 'why are you pretending to be a cat' and the young child-witch being their respective reincarnations. This would make sense as the last words would imply that Marika was able to be reborn into the witches world, meaning that the door to that world had finally opened for her again. The second scenario being that Ryou and Marika escaped from the mansion. The little sister says that she was no longer able to sense Marika once she was embraced by Ryou, so maybe having sex with a human, the punishment for a witch that has an infinate lifespan is life as a human? With this scenario the person who asks 'why are you pretending to be a cat' could be a decendant of Ryou and Marika, as they too said the exact same thing that Ryou said to Marika in the beginning. The last narration saying that Marika will wait for the door to open again could also mean that if she gets to be with Ryou, she is happy to wait for the door to open for however long it takes, even if she can't ever go back. I think either of these scenarios are possible, but preferably, I'd pick the second, mainly because I am a 'glass half full' kind of person.

Anyways, that's about it for now (kind of long) but until next time :)

Akagami no Shirayukihime part 2

 Firstly, I have to say, I don't believe in this superstition stuff, I think that you have unlucky and lucky days, but the dates of these days is absolute BS! So instead of 12/12/12, Happy 346th day of the year!! In all seriousness though, I am very happy Christmas is coming, mainly because my shopping is done for the year and I get to watch everyone else suffer the last minute rush...moving on back to Akagami no Shirayukihime

When the test takes place, the Lord interferes by locking Shirayuki in a room and throwing the bird whistle into the lake. Shirayuki jumps from the room and as a result is injured in the lake. Despite all this, the Lord is captured for his attempted sabotage, and the bird used passes the test, meaning that the birds will no longer be hunted. After this incident, Zen kisses and confesses his romantic feelings for Shirayuki. At first, Shirayuki is startled but soon after she confesses her feeling in return. 

Meanwhile, Izana gets a letter from Tanburn, inviting Shirayuki to Raji's castle for a ball. Zen is not happy about the invitation, but allows Shirayuki to go on the condition that he may choose her escort.In the meantime, the man who kidnappted Shirayuki way back in the beginning goes to the main castle in Clarines and informs Zen that there is a pretty boy, around 13/14 years old, who is looking for Shirayuki. This alarms Zen and co, as the intentinos of this mysterious person are unknown. Everyone tries to gather information before Shirayuki leaves but are unable to do so. 

Shirayuki leaves for Tanburn and arrives with little issues. While there, Shirayuki tells Raji that she hopes to become better friends with him during her stay. This is misinterpreted by Raji's younger brother and sister, who attempt to turn the two into a romantic couple during her stay in Tanburn. Meanwhile, back in Clarines, Zen states his intentions of marrying Shirayuki to Izana. Information on the mysterious boy is soon found, and it is revealed that he is following Shirayuki to Tanburn. It is the day of the ball, and Shirayki is getting ready when the mysterious boy breaks into the Tanburn castle and kidnaps Shirayuki. During this process, Shirayuki is knocked out, and when she comes to, she is told that her kidnapper was kidnapped himself, meaning Shirayuki has been kidnapped twice. 

It is revealed that the two are on a boat owned by 'The Talon' a group of bandits who roam the sea/docks. It is revealed that the mysterious boy used to be a part of the Talon, before leaving and joining the 'Mountain Lions', the group that originally tried to kidnap Shirayuki. Meanwhile, Zen and company have arrived in Tanburn to assist in the search of Shirayuki. On their journey, they team up with the mountain lions, as they too have the common goal of eleminating the Talon. 

As part of their plan, Kiki is captured by the Talon to aid Shirayuki when they escape. This proves uneccesary as Raji uses the navy to block the Talon from sailing to their allies. Raji also gives Shirayuki the title of 'Friend of the Royal Palace'. As a result, the Talon flee to the hidden cave-dock, where they are again ambushed by Raji, Zen and company. After fighting Raji, Zen and the mountain lions succeed in their fight. The mountain lions invite the others back to their village where it is revealed that the chief/head is actually Shirayuki's father. After a night spent in the village, Raji, Zen, Shirayuki and the rest head back. Before Shirayuki, Zen and company leave to head back to Clarines, Raji makes a remark saying that next time, he may take Shirayuki for himself (again, but seriously instead of out of curiosity). 

Once everyone is back in Clarines, Izana is still frustrated with the situation between Zen and Shirayuki, mainly because Shirayuki does not have status. He then receives a letter from Raji with Shirayuki's official title of 'Friend of the Royal Palace' (yes, it was legit). This somewhat raises Shirayuki's status, but not to the level needed for Izana to accept her. Izana makes a point of this by telling Shirayuki that she has not stated her intentions to him as Zen has. But before Shirayuki can worry about that, she is informed that she will be leaving for pharmacist travels with Ryuu in the coming days. Shirayuki and Zen are seperated once again, and Shirayuki head norths with Ryuu. 

At their destination, Ryuu and Shirayuki begin to study various pharmacist and medicinal research available to them. Shortly after, a child displaying strange symptons is bought to Shirayuki and Ryuu and it is revealed that the number of people infected is rising. Izana also arrives where Ryuu and Shirayuki are, and informs them that he is going undercover as an assistant in order to observe the situation. Zen, Mitsuhide and Kiki also are headed north, but to deal with other issues which Izana could no longer tend to. Zen and Shirayuki meet again once the pharmicist research village goes into lockdown.

That's about it for now, don't know what's happening next (besides a lot of work for me) but until next time :)

Akagami no Shirayukihime Part 1

Ok, so I lied, but my free time was suddenly taken up. I also seem to be having one of those meh days...I blame the hay fever. Anyways moving on.

So, I read some time ago Akagami no Shirayukihime by Akizuki Sorata. It is currently ongoing with about 8 volumes, most of which have been scanlated into English, so it is pretty up to date, which I figured was the best seeing as it was such a good series.

Shirayuki is a girl living in the mountains of Tanburn (varies somewhat depending on various translations) who is noticed by her country's prince, Prince Raji for her unusually coloured apple red hair. Unwilling to become a consort for the selfish Prince, Shirayuki escapes to a forrest in the neighbouring country of Clarines. In the forrest, she bumps into Zen, Mistsuhide and Kiki. After their enounter, Raji sends a poisoned apple to Shirayuki which is eaten by Zen. As a result, Shirayuki decides to permanently leave Tanburn and live in Clarines. It is only then revealed that Zen is actually the second Prince of Clarines. 

Once in Clarines, Shirayuki frequently visits the castle to meet with Zen and co, and one day goes out to find herbs. As a result of going out on her own she is kidnapped and held prisoner by a man who wishes to sell her for a high price. Zen eventually comes to the rescue, with the kidnapper escaping. After some time, Shirayuki decides she wishes to become a pharmacist due to her knowledge of herbs and basic medicine she learned in Tanburn. She studies and undertakes the test that would allow her to become a pharmacists' apprentice should she pass. During the test, it seems that Shirayuki is sabotaged by an unknown person because it is known that she has a strong friendship with Zen. This attempted sabotage results in Zen and Shirayuki being locked overnight in the herb house. It is because of the sabotage that Shirayuki realizes she mis-identified the plants. With the help of Zen, Shirayuki ammends her error and as a result passes her test. 

She becomes and apprentice phamracist for Ryuu, who is considered a genius as a pharmacist at the age of 12. As Shirayki begins her apprenticeship in the castle, Zen's older brother and First Prince of Clarines, Izana returns to the castle. Immediately he is informed of Shirayuki and becomes aware that in the futre, it could become an issue as she is of no status (meaning she is not a noble). Once Izana finds out that Shirayuki was once pursued by Raji of Tanburn, he invites the Prince to Clarines. Izana intends to get Raji to take Shirayuki back to Tanburn, but he declines, as he says he has no interest in her anymore. As he is about to leave, Raji and Shirayuki bump into each other. They settle their differences and can be seen as friends. 

After Raji has returned home, A Lord of an island and a resident come to the castle to settle a dispute about hunting the native birds. Although Zen and the rest know that the hunting of the local birds is wrong, they cannot stop it, as the Lord has jurisdiction over the area. Kiharu, the resident of the island, claims that the birds are trained in order for them to assist in the residents making their livlihood. Zen uses this information as a means to trial whether or not birds can be used as a form of communication. 

So I am going to leave it for there for now, this turned into a rather long-winded plot summary, so the rest will be put up later as to not make it too long and boring...Anyways until next time :)

Sekai de Ichiban Utsukushii Namae

Ok, so I can safely say that I am definitely in the wrong industry in terms of employment. I can confidently say that I don't like people. It's not a personality issue, like I don't suffer from social anxiety or anything, but I feel that some people are just so dumb and do such stupid things that I wonder if some of us are even of the same species. 

Been rather busy lately, with work and social life and what not. Me and a friend spent the night drinking Tsing Tao and  watching dvd's which was a lot of fun, more money efficeint than going to a niteclub. Also, if we did choose to go clubbing which was the original plan, we would not have got there until 2am, so it almost wouldn't be worth it.

(Hibari and the Spirit above)

Other than that there really isn't a lot to talk about. I read  a cute one shot by Toyota Yuu, Sekai de Ichiban Utsukushii Namae which translates to 'The most beautiful name in the world'. I usually don't like to read one shots because they are only one chapter long, so I find that there is no character development, just a very short story, but I really enjoyed it. It's about Hibari, a daughter of a family who finds her a disgrace for repeatedly being rejected for marriage with eligable bachelors. Hibari is subsequently locked in the family warehouse as punishment, where she stumbles upon a Japanese-English dictionary where the spirit of a young man lives. Opening the dictionary releases the spirit who decides to teach Hibari English as a means to kill time and to help her family. The spirit develops feelings for Hibari despite knowing that he can never make her happy. One day, Hibari meets William, a man from England who is trading goods with Japanese merchants. As a result of now being able to speak both languages, Hibari grows close and develops feelings for William while acting as his interpreter. Her father discovers this, and locks her in the warehouse again for being a disgrace. A letter is delivered to the warehouse from William, and Hibari asks the spirit to read it. At first he does not read out the letter but makes it up, but when he realizes that he can never have Hibari, he leads her to the dock where William's ship is departing. The spirit then returns to his original paper/dictionary form except for one page, which Hibari frames as a part of a shrine when she starts her new life with William in England

So, as i said I thought it was rather cute. I felt a lot happened in the space of 40 pages. Anyways, that's about it for now, until next time :) 

Sensei! and stuffs

Oh god, I don't know what to do now that I have so much time on my hands. I have more time than I feel I need. Ah. I seriously don't know what to do. Especially this week seeing as I only have work on  the weekend. 

Anyways, Moving on, I have read Sensei by Kawahara Kazune, it is complete in Japan with 20 volumes and 13 and a half volumes have currently been scanlated into English on a fairly regular basis recently. It is quite an old series, starting in 1996, so it has been around for quite a while.

So the story is about Hibiki Shimada, a second year high school student who has never really liked anyone before. She admires her teacher, Itou-sensei, and soon realizes that she has developed feelings for him. She confesses her love for him, but he dismisses her confession because she is a student and he is a teacher. Shimada continues to take interest Itou. Meanwhile her friends, Kousuke and Chi-chan have their own love interest, Kousuke with Nakajima-sensei and Chi-Chan with Sekiya-sensei. Chi-chan shortly after loses interest in her love interest and moves on when she realizes that he likes Nakajima. Nakajima in the meanwhile, likes Itou (It's like a love hexagon).

Soon after, Shimada finally gets Itou to return her feelings and they start a secret relationship. Kousuke in the meanwhile 'attacks' Nakajima and as a result gets suspended from school. Shimada begins to doubt Itou when his ex girlfriend comes to their school as a student teacher. The ex, Misaki, tries to take back Itou, claiming that she still loves him. She goes to his apartment, and he lets her stay the night while he sleeps in his car. When Shimada finds out that Misaki spent the night in his apartment, she breaks up with Itou without hearing the whole story.

After this, Shimada decides that she wants to start following the trends of regular teenage girls, such as wearing make up and going on group dates. After a brief relationship with some random guy, Shimada realizes that she only will ever love Itou and the two begin to date again at the beginning of the new school year.

At the start of the school year, Kousuke is the captain of the archery club, with Shimada as vice captain. A new first year student, Nagisa joins the archery club and Chi-chan develops feelings for him. Nagisa takes interest in Shimada and threatens to expose her relationship with Itou if she doesn't go out with him. The incident sorts itself out when Chi-chan takes charge and literally beats sense into Nagisa. This results in the two of them later dating.

The story then kind of drifts along, until Kousuke's ex meets him again through cram school. She still has feelings for him, but he is not interested in pursuing a relationship with her. This leads to a massive misunderstanding between Kousuke and Nakajima, which results in Nakajima revealing that she is willing to wait for Kousuke until he graduates and grows up a little more and if he still feels the same, then something might happen.

Anyway, that's pretty much all there is at the moment. A lot of the story deals with teenagers coming-of-age, what makes and 'adult' and a 'child', and the issues surrounding a student-teacher relationship. Next time, I will talk about Love SOS, which is a manhwa series. Until next time :)

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo and Stuffs

Ok, so just briefly starting off with some world news, Apparently Obama as been re-elected as the President of the United States, so congrats America. Just to clarify I have as much fun about politics as I do watching grass grow, so I really am indifferent to this, but according to my newsfeed it was kind of important, and I live in Australia. Also, congrats to all the people who won the ozlotto the other night, 4 people won $27million plus, I would not mind that.

Anyways, moving on as usual, I have read Shinrei Tantei Yakumo. This one is a bit confusing to explain, it started as a novel series by Manabu Kaminaga, but the version I read is the second manga adaptation (I really want to read the books, but they aren't available in English). This version of the manga is currently ongoing with about 35 chapters, with scanlations being quite regular, so far up to chapter 26.

So the story is about Yakumo, I college student who was born with the ability to see the 'souls of the dead' (ghosts). He helps his police acquaintance Gotou solve cases which involve the paranormal. One day, Haruka, a student from the same college as Yakumo requires his help when her friend is possessed in the first arc. These three characters, along with others along the way, help solve these mysteries.

So the first arc is about Haruka's friend who is possessed by a ghost when she attempts to go into a haunted house. Enlisting the help of Yakumo and Gotou, the three of them try to unlock the mystery. Yakumo informs them that Miki (Haruka's friend) is possessed by a female ghost. Out and about, there are delays at the train station because there has been an accident. It is then known that Miki's boyfriend has been hit by a train and died. The police don't know if it was an accident, suicide or murder, but an encounter with her teacher informs Haruka that it was suicide. Meanwhile, Haruka and Yakumo go to the haunted house, only to find that the 'unlockable room' in the haunted house is unlocked. Haruka and Yakumo are attacked, but manage to escape. Yakumo goes back again as while searching, he found a hidden floor trap which turned out to be the real unlockable room. Yakumo notes the walls have scratch marks. Haruka and a classmate begin to suspect their teacher as being to culprit, but once left alone, the friend admits that it is his doing, he got in an argument with the person who is now possessing Miki, and 'killed her'. In his frustration he attempts to kill Haruka, but Yakumo and Gatou arrive just in time. It is revealed that the man didn't kill the girl at first, but knocked her out. Once she regained conciousness, she tried to escape the room, but eventually died. In an attempt to move the body, the man is photographed by Miki's boyfriend, which is why the man killed the boyfriend by pushing him in front of the train. He incidently saw his teacher at the station, and said it was suicide. In the end, the culprit turns himself in. This arc ends with Haruka commente clinic, Yakumo and Gatou visit the same clinic, as the doctor's daughter was the first of the murdered giing that she thinks Yakumo's red eye is pretty.

The second act starts with the murder of two girls and the disappearance of a third. Again Yakumo is informed in order to attempt to unsolve this mystery. Along the way, Haruka gets involved along with Gatou and Ishi. Haruka comes across a phone charm with the name Ayaka on it (the same name as her dead sister) and goes down to the river where it was found. Haruka is pulled into the river by Ayaka, the first girl who was murdered. Their main suspect was killed in a car accident a few days prior, and are now trying too find the third girl. Meanwhile, Haruka is saved by a levy worker and doctor. While Haruka recovers at th

rls. A key is found on the body of the dead suspect, but no-one knows what it could be for. After some searching and some clues being answered, it is discovered that the key is for a storehouse on the river bank. After entering the store house, the third missing girl is found alive. They believe that the case is solved with the main suspect dead. However a forth girl shows up dead, in a similar fashion to the second one. After some research, Yakumo makes the link that the man who kidnapped the first and third girls (the dead man) is different from the method used to kill the second and forth girls, meaning that there are two killers. Yakumo gets a tip that 'that man' has been telling the doctor/ayaka's father that there is a way to bring he back from the dead. It is discovered that the doctor is in fact murdering girls in order to try and revive his daughter. His next daughter is Haruka, who is pushed into the river with a stone chained to weigh her down, but Yakumo saves her. It is then discovered that the man who told the doctor is Yakumo's father. With the mystery solved that is the end of the second arc.

The third arc is about a girl who's soul repeatedly jumps of a building in order to end her life. At the same time, a group of friends are catching up in a bar for the first time since graduation. One of the girls sees a reflection of a ghost in the mirror. Yakumo and Haruka visit the appartment complex in question and encounter another man who claims to be able to see ghosts, kagisama. The girl from the bar calls her friend and alarms Yakumo that something is about to happen. Yakumo and Gotou run into Kagisama at the hotel, and all three rush to the appartment to save the girl. By the time they get there, she is gone without a trace. Gotou discovers that the ghost of the girl is that a victem of a rape case from 5 years ago who killed herself, however, he was removed and the case given to others. after disappearence of the girl, one of the boys from the reunion is attacked. It is later discovered that the man attacked was convicted of assaulting the first girl who committed suicide, only with a different name and look (plastic surgery). Kagisama says that the ghost will keep attacking. It is later found out that a video of the incident from 5 years ago is on the internet, and that the cops involved in the case also 'coerced' (forced with brutality) the girl withdraw her claim. This leads Yakumo to believe that the man who was attacked by the ghost is actually innocent, which is later found to be correct. After some more clues are found, Yakumo reveals that the girls disappearence from the apartment was a set up, and she is actually found at Kagisama's place. It is revealed that Kagisama was the boyfriend of the girl who committed suicide 5 years earlier, and felt guilty since. The group discover that the bartender of the bar was the culprit of the rape incident 5 years ago, but he sets the bar on fire. He, along with Kagisama, who chooses to die in the fire, die, Kagisama and his girlfriend re-uniting in the afterlife.

Well, that's pretty much all for Shinrei Tantei Yakumo as only 1 chapter of the forth arc is released. I really like how this series focuses more on the mystery of the actual cases rather than the development of character relationships, it's quite refreshing. Although, I don't talk about it much, there does seem to be hints of a romantic relationship between Yakumo and Haruka, but even in the novels it is so far pretty ambiguous.

Anyways, next time I will talk about Kuragehime, I thought it was quite interesting, so look forward to that one, as well as Persopolis, a french animated film which was rather amazing. That's about it for now, until next time :) 

For the Sake of Dulcinea etc.

Sigh, such a  horrible day, I think I seriously pissed someone off in my former life. Other than the fact that I had to work, not only was it rediculously busy, but on the way there, there was some major cycling event (like a fundraising ride or something) which route was my exact route to work, and it's like 30kms to work, so for 30kms I had to drive at a leisurely pace as there was not much opportunity to take over these cyclists...I mean really though, what unbelievable bad luck that it went from my house to past my work.

So, moving on, I have read For the Sake of Dulcinea, by Hwang Mi-Ri, it is completely scanlated with 6 volumes, so rather short for the kkotnim company. The story is about Soon-Ae, who is a girl who has been with her boyfriend for just a little under 3 years, but she feels that she is no longer in love with him. Enter Wook-Hwan, a handsome guy who boards at Soon-Ae's house. Soon-Ae soons develops feelings for Wook-Hwan and as a result breaks up with Dong-Hwa. Wook-Hwan and Soon-Ae soon start dating, Wook-Hwan says he is from the future but Soon-Ae doesn't believe him. it is revealed that Wook-Hwan travelled to the past to find the composer of a song that has gone missing from a museum of the future found with with some fossils of two people. It is revealed that the composer is Dong-Hwa and he had composed that song for Soon-Ae. After Soon-Ae realizes that she does love Dong-Hwa and Wook-Hwan realises that Soon-Ae and Dong-hwa need to be together for the song to be written, Soon-Ae and Wook-Hwan try to get Soon-Ae and Dong-hwa back together. Eventually, they are successful and Wook-Hwan gets his song. After this Wook-Hwan decides it is best to kill Dong-Hwa so he can have Soon-Ae again. He does this by sending Dong-hwa to a building he knows will collapse under the pretense of meeting Soon-Ae there. Dong-hwa dies, and Soon-Ae soon finds out that Wook-Hwan was the cause of it. Wook Hwan says that even though he murdered Dong-hwa, he as well Soon-Ae would have died 8 days later (or it says "today" in the story) due to the meteor shower that would kill them. Wook-Hwan gives Soon-Ae his time watch so she can travel to an alternate universe where the meteor shower wouldn't happen and her and Song-hwa could continue their relationship. She takes the watch and goes to an alternative world, but also 3 years in the past to when she first met Dong-hwa. Meanwhile Wook-Hwan stays in the present and sacrifices himself to make sure the song made it to the future. So, I thought Wook-Hwan was a bit extreme, killing someone so he could get the girl, when she only rejected him anyway, so I can't really feel too sad that he sacrificed himself in the end.

Anyway, I will leave it there for now, next time I'll talk about Hoshi no Furu Machi and Sad Love Story. Until next time :)

Shanimuni GO

So, as previously mentioned I have read Shanimuni GO by Ragawa Marimo, well what's released of it. I found out that it was 32 volumes long and completed but only 7 volumes have been scanlated and released in English. So Shanimuni GO is about Ide Nobuhisa (who will now be just Ide) and Takita Ruui, both 1st year high school students who joined their school's tennis team. 

Ide was a track star in middle school, but after an encounter with high schooler Hinako, he attends her school in the hopes of learning tennis from her. Ruui is a junior ranked tennis player who had previously given up on tennis, only to start again in high school. So Ide starts high school, but can't find Hinako, mainly because he read her name wrong (kanji), but anyway he joins the tennis club. Ide, who has never played tennis before quickly develops his skills on certain aspects (such as the ground strokes) but struggling in others (serve and netplay). Anyway, Ide and Ruui are paired together in the first tournament of the school year with success (I think they won the first tournament they were in). Ruui also takes out the singles tournament quite easily. 

The boys continued to practice and at the next tournament they are knocked out in the second round by the national champions, but only lose in a tiebreak. Ruui again has individual success, I think he gets to the quarter finals before losing (?) To be honest I can't really remember because there was quite  a few tournaments and I can't remember what happened when. 

Anyway, at the next tournament, Ruui was knocked out in the first round, shocking Ide, but the two decide to continue to work hard in order to do better next year in singles and doubles. In the meanwhile Ide receives tips from Hinako, who is now is in his class as Hinako was held back a year due to a car accident which has left her with a paralyzed leg. The team also gets a new coach, but I can't remember what his name was, and wikipedia does not have a page on this. So I will say that I am I am quite enjoying this series and it will be a while until I reach the end.  

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

Thoughts on Snow Drop etc...

So as previously mentioned, I have read Snow Drop, which is a manhwa series done by Choi Kyung-ah. It is kind of old, from the late 90's onwards, but it is a great read. Firstly, although it says 'shoujo' I would definately say that it is more suited to an older audiences, it can be at times pretty brutal. One thing I will say, for those of you who are picky about the qaulity of scans, don't be put of (like i was at first), but if you cant accept it, your loss. So it is about So Na and Hae Gi, two teenagers from "different sides of the tracks", So Na is the rich politicians daughter, Hae-Gi is required to work as his mother is in a coma and father MIA (cant remember if the father is dead of just not there). The two meet and fall in love through their simularities, for instance, they have both lost someone important (SoNa her mother, HaeGi his brother) and their own personal issues (SoNa being kidnapped at age 12, Hae-Gi mother is in a coma) and both their names are from the book SoNa's mother wrote. Anyway, after a failed attempted arranged marriage for SoNa because of her relationship with Hae Gi,  it is later revealed that SoNa is kidnapped by Hae-Gi's older brother, and that the brother was in turn murdered by a mob affiliated with SoNa's father (who is Ha Da's family business, Ha Da is So Na's best friend and by the end of the series has a relationship with Ko Mo, Hae-Gi's younger brother, so there is some shounen ai in there too). As a result they are told to seperate. On the run from her father's security team, SoNa and HaeGi get in a motorcycle accident, with SoNa choosing to save him in exchange for never seeing him again. Hae Gi and his family is sent to America as a result. Two years pass, and So Na decides she wants to see Hae Gi from afar one last time to make sure he is ok. Her former fiance (forgot his name) takes her to the US, where Hae Gi and So Na reunite and recommence their relationship. Basically, all the same stuff happens again, until So Na's father shoots So Na in his attempt to kill KoMo while Hae Gi gets stabbed. Due to this, everyone decides to let go of the past and move on and Everyone lives happily ever after. There is also an epilogue to this in regards to what happens to side characters with some reference to the main ones, but its not worth going into too much detail about.

Also, I have finished watching the main Fushigi Yuugi anime. I say main because there is OVA collection which is like 13 episodes split into 3 different arcs which I am yet to watch. I am really glad that it stuck to the manga for the most part, one thing I have noticed about 90s anime is that it tends to go off the main tangent for some reason (i.e.Sailor Moon). I particularly liked the last few episodes, I liked the last scene during the end credits, where is showed the best bits from all the characters involved before showing the scene where Miaka and the reincarnated Tamahome reunite. I thought it was well done. okies

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

Finally I have caught up!

Ok, so I have been meaning to do an update about my thoughts on various series that I have read recently, seeing as I have been pretty lazy and not bothered to actually give my thoughts on them. I believe series that I have mentioned include Wait!Wolf, Amakusa 1637 and Sakamichi no Apollon.

So firstly, I will start with Wait Wolf! by Hwang Mi Ri. I did talk about this a while ago briefly but I thought I would talk about it more.  Obviously it is a manhwa series, it's completed at 18 volumes in Korean and currently 14 volumes are scanlated into English. The female lead  Hwi Kwang (varies throughout the series depending on which chapter you read) is a bit dense, but is very unfeminine and has no clue about love. She ends up on the bad side of Suh Rin, taking his watch as collateral for her glasses, then loses the watch. As punishment, Suh Rin makes Hwi Kwang his fake girlfriend to stop the stalker girls from following him. Suh Rin eventually begins to actually like Hwi Kwang and she agrees to go out with him. Hwi Kwang has three best friends, Te Ri, Hwan Sung and another guy (I forgot his name) who are all in love with Hwi Kwang aswell, but have a deal stating none of them will confess. Anyways, some stuff happens and Hwi Kwang realises the love she has for Suh Rin is like that of a friend or brother, and she actually likes Hwan Sung and they end up together at the end. As I previously mentioned, this is quite unconvential for Hwang Mi Ri work, as the friend who is in love with the main chick always gets permanently friend-zoned. However in saying that, there is a lot of gangs and fighting at the same time too, so it's the best of both worlds as far as Hwang Mi Ri is concerned.

Next is Amakusa 1637 by Akaishi Michiyo. The series is complete with 12 volumes in Japanese, and scanlations are up to the middle of volume 6. The story is about a group of high school students who break slip through a time slip in the space time continuum. The group end up in 1636, a year before the Shimabara Rebellion and end up on a journey to try and save the lives of the people who would die in the impending revolt. The characters appear in the past at different points and places in time, for example Yatsuka is the first to arrive, sometime around 1628, where as Natsuki only arrives in 1636. So like previous series I have read, it is inspired on a historical event and the fictional story is written about it. From what I read, the group of friends are at this point succeeding in changing the past. From what I have read on the forums, they succeed in changing history, with Eri the only one of the group to choose to go back to where she came from, the rest choosing to stay in the past for their own reasons. It is classed as a tragedy, and I think it is because Eri has to go back by herself. Anyways, thats about it.

Onto Sakamichi no Apollon which is by Kodama Yuki. Depending on your methedology it can be considered both complete and incomplete. The main story, which is 9 volumes long is completely scanlated, but there is a 10th volume, which is a series of spinoffs and oneshots related to the main story, which is yet to be scanlated (kind of like Usagi Drop). Anyway, the story is set in 1966 and follows Kaoru, a high school student who transfers schools due to his father's job. At his new school, he befriends the delinquint Sen and his childhood friend Ricchan. The first 8 volumes follow the three of them throughout their highschool journey as they all learn about love and the importance of friendship. Kaoru falls for Ricchan, but is rejected at first before the feelings become mutual, Sen falls for a senpai who ends up eloping with neighbour and spiritual brother Junichi along with struggling to accept his biological heratige, and Ricchan struggles with her feelings as at first she likes Sen then changes to liking Kaoru. By the end of the 8th volume, Sen runs away as he feels he no longer belongs in his town. The 9th volume focuses on life after high school. kaoru goes to university in Tokyo to become a doctor, during a time when student revolt was at a high and Ricchan stays near her hometown and studies to be a teacher. The two continue to communicate until Kaoru calls and another man answers. In the meanwhile, Kaoru still searches for Sen. Kaoru doesn't find Sen until after he finishes university (so that's about 7 years that Sen has had no contact with them). Sen ran off and is a priest in training, taking care of orphans like he was. Ricchan and Kaoru clear up their misunderstanding. The story ends with Kaoru returning to the town to become a local doctor, rather than inheriting the hospital his family owns. The relationship between Kaoru and Ricchan is left open to the reader, but there may be a side story in the spin off volume.

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

Lockdown is Over!

So, after one busy week, my assessments are done...for now! Which is great, because it's time for the Grand Final on Saturday, and I am so glad I get to watch it, instead of working like every other year.

So what's doing? Nothing much. I actually don't have an awful lot to talk about at the moment...well this is awkward...

Due to recent scanlating releases, I have now finished Ruri no Kaze ni Hana wa Nagareru, it was one of the series I started reading long ago, before I started this blog. Anyway, I don't know what to think. Overall, I feel the story had so much potential, and the fact that it has finished is just disappointing. I was reading the end notes by the mangaka, and they said that there were many characters and stories that weren't introduced because of length restrictions (ending at 3 volumes). Alas, the reader is left thinking what may have been. Also, the one thing that annoyed me more than anything, was that the main story finished mid-sentence! At least finish the sentence...although, that may have been a translation issue rather than the actual story. Oh well.

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

Mid-Semester Break

Ok, so even if it only a week, I am glad to be getting a break...on the plus side, I don't have to go to uni, on the downside, all my assessments are due straight after I get back...wow this is bad...looks like my week off just went bye bye...

Unfortunately, my life has just been pretty standard lately, in terms of reading, nothing new, I am alternating between Komatta Toki nu wa Hoshi ni Kike and Ouke no Monshou (Crest of the Royal Family), which are both extremely long series, Ouke no Monshou is listed at 57 volumes on hiatus, which means it might not even be finished yet...luckily no where near all of it is scanlated just yet, so no worries for me at the moment...

Anyways, watch this space, something interesting might come up, especially after the weekend, or next Tuesday, when me and my friends do shenanigans in amigos, the Mexican restaurant.

Until next time :)

Finally, a Full Update!

Oh hey! So as promised, I am updating this blog before the end of the weekend (just barely). Turned out to be a rather busy weekend, but not because it was father's day, but work... I know it always seems like I am at either work or uni, and that's probably because I am...being a broke uni student doesn't allow all that much time for a social life.

Well, unlike previous attempts, I have actually continued reading Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike, just a few chapters a day (although the chapters are long as hell). Just briefly, the story pretty much follows Takara and Kiyomine, two completely opposite, yet hot headed boys and the shenanigans (love that word) that them and their fellow students endure, all while adjusting to life in the dormitory. I am enjoying it very much, much more than I thought ( I was very apprehensive about the Shounen Ai tag) but i am quite enjoying the banter between the characters. The personality the mangaka has given the characters work well with each other which makes it quite a pleasant read. It is a very laid back pace. One thing I don't like about it is the lack of plot and drama. I WAS PROMISED DRAMA!! Oh well....

Also, I have finished watching Chihayafuru and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am so psyched about the second season that is being made...It actually stuck very closely to the manga. Watching the anime also made me understand what the hell Karuta is, as I previously did not understand how it worked. I am now in suspense, like anyone who has read/seen it in how this massive love triangle will end. On a side note, two characters that I love and wish to see more of are Sudo (lol he is such a sadist) "Empress" Miyauchi.

So, as I have finished Chihayafuru, I have now started to watch Marmalade Boy...Oh my god, I absolutely love it. I love the story, obviously, having read the manga, but I love the generation gap between the time it was made in 1994 and now. Looking at their clothes and the culture back then, I can't help but have a laugh to myself...Anyways, I am glad that there is 76 episodes for me to enjoy.

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

I Don't Even Remember

Hey, Oh hey! I'll tell you now, in about two weeks time, my bank account will be very happy! Thanks to all this extra work that I have been getting...no complaints here, never know when I might need it for a 'rainy day'.

Anyway, I am glad that I have a day tomorrow in which I don't have anything to do as such. I mean, I will be spending a few hours doing University work from home and such, but I actually don't have to do anything tomorrow, except to be mauled by my cats. I actually can't remember the last time I had a day like this, ever since uni went back, and with work and other commitments, this thing called a weekend has disappeared from my calender.

I must say, I am a bit bummed, was yet another bad round in the AFL footy tipping. The last few weeks I have gotten 4, 4 and 5. To be honest it is not my fault, all the teams are just like 'Oh hey there! You picked us to win? Ok, then we will do our absolute best to lose for you' story of my life!

I also went on one of my rare adventures to the kitchen and ACTUALLY COOKED without burning down the house. Which actually would have been sad if I had, considering I was making Sushi, which only involved me cooking the rice. I have since eaten said sushi, and I am alive and well, so I haven't given myself food poisoning.

Since last time, I have finished reading Fushigi Yugi, and I must say, as I usually am with Yuu Watase's works, I was deeply satisfied. I always find that the endings are never rushed and everything is thought out and explained, closing all remaining plot holes, but also leaving open the possibility of a spin-off which is the case with Genbu Kaiden, which I will be reading some point in the future.

Next on the list is Komatta Toki ni wa Hoshi ni Kike (There is an exclamation point is actually part of the title, but apparently they are 'not allowed' on this blog). I will say, that is this the first Shounen Ai series that I will attempt to read, and the reason why this was on the list was I figured that if I want to explore different genres, may as well start with the best, and at 26 volumes, you figure that the story should be somewhat decent. I will state now that by no means will this trend continue, and that I will probably never become a BL obsessive fan. Um...so, I actually don't know what to think of it so far...I have only read three chapters, but from what I gather, it is about an effeminate looking guy who is pretty much everyone's punching bag and his tsundere roomate...I can totally see where this is headed. Anyway, because it is so long, I may just sort of drift in and out of the series, reading it when I get the time while reading other series in the meanwhile, so watch this space. 

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

Hime

Hey!!  I had a dream. The dream was that someone threw a brick at me, and it really hurt. I actually woke up in pain to find that my cat had jumped from the top of my wardrobe to my bed, landing smack bang on the middle of my back. Needless to say said cat has since been banned from my room.

All I can say is that I am happy that I have completed my first Assessment piece for this semester. It makes me feel slightly accomplished that I just have a little less work to do at the end of the semester. But lets be honest, I will leave everything to the last minute, because that's how I roll.

So I am about 14 volumes into Fushigi Yugi, and there is a lot I like about it and a bit I don't get. I like how the story is broken into two different arcs. The first 13 volumes is the first arc, where as the remaining 5 volumes complete the second arc. I quite like series that have this kind of set up. I mean all long going series have arcs, but I quite like how this is done. I guess similar examples would be Angel Sanctuary and Basara and even Sailor Moon where the story is broken into many smaller arcs, but the one thing that all these series have in common is that they are all from the 90's. So I don't know, maybe it's a 90's thing. I also like this series purely because it is Yuu Watase. I like how there is also an anime, but disappointed that it only covers the first arc of the story, up until the end of the 13th volume. Another thing that I don't get is why the prequal was written after Fushigi Yugi, Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden. I mean, I already know how it's going to end...but then again, I get to read more to do with this amazing series...I think you can guess that I quite like the historical fantasy series...

Also, I have a few new series that I am in the midst of watching. I have acquired Season 1 of Chihayafuru (Looking forward to Season 2 when it is released). I have only watched the first 6 episodes thus far, but at the moment, i quite like how it is similar to the manga. I like this because I find that sometimes, the manga and anime break off into different tangents. I also have the entire series of Marmalade Boy, another classic series from the 90's, excellent slice of life series, slightly different from all the supernatural and fantasy crap I talk about...I imagine at 74 episodes that it will take me quite a while to get through.

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

Sickness Go Away

So yay! I am sick again...I seem to have good and bad years with sickness I can go 2-3 years with nothing then have one year that is just really bad getting sick on and off...seems that this is one of those years. So I missed uni today so I could sleep it off under the influence of some very strong medicine that knocks one out in 20 minutes...so I am feeling moderately better.

I went to the footy yesterday, one of the rare instances when the Swans play in Melbourne, and seeing as I was not working, I was able to go, for once. I ended up going home with about 10 minutes left to play because it just got too boring. It was great that my team won (by 82 points in the end) but when it is that much of a thrashing, it kind of takes the enjoyment out of spectating. Still talking about footy, I had a shocker in my tipping, only getting 4, but a lot of other people would have been in the same boat, because two of the top four teams lost, when many people thought they should have won.

I finished reading Basara the other day. I quite like how it was set out. The main story only went on 25 volumes, then the remaining 2.5-3 volumes were side stories, that either took place either before of after the events of the main story, giving much more insight into some of the characters psychological matters, such as the white king (who was actually a woman) and why she was so obsessed with seeing the downfall of the monarchy. I was kind of pissed at the end though, because one of my favourite characters died, and I don't like that when it happens kind of unexpectedly, I like my happy endings, especially when the story it 27 volumes long!! Just saying!

Anyway, now I am reading Fushigi Yugi by Yuu Watase. One thing I picked up on straight away was this Suzaku, Byakko, Genbu and Seiryu thing. I just read 27 volumes where this was incorporated into the story, and now I get to read another 18 volumes about a different interpretation...not that I mind, because both stories are quite interesting...more to come so watch this space!!

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

Hey Again

I feel like I have been totally neglecting this blog. Well I guess that is true. I have just been so busy, not only do I have university and work, but I have also dedicated some of my free time into typesetting some manga chapters for all to read...I am typesetting for Midnight scans, which focuses on Shoujo and smut manga, which is right in my ballpark!! 

As part of my cinema studies class, I got to watch 'Singing in the Rain' which I was hesitant about because my friend said it was crap. But after watching it I want to say it was anything but crap, it is a rather enjoyable classic!! I have a soft spot for the classics, one of my favourites is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Anyways, still on Basara, nearly finished the main story, from what I can see there is like 3 volumes of extras so I think I only have 5 chapters of actual story left to go, so I hopefully can finish very very soon!!

Unfortunately, I don't really much more to say, so I will leave it there for now!! Anyway, that's about it for now, until next time :)

Just another 4 years to go

So, it is the last day of the Olympics, so I only need to wait another four years until Brazil...Seems so long away, but I said the same thing after Beijing and the time just flew by. Congratulations to all who have participated and even did well enough to medal in their chosen events, I know for a fact that I am not capable of doing some of the things they do (especially the gymnasts and divers doing their flips and shit).

Been a busy week, getting back into the swing of things at uni, especially working, something that I wasn't doing last semester, so I have found it very ovverwhelming working as much as I have. Speaking of working, I got a bit upset about a shift I did recently. Someone used the bistro as a location to hold a birthday party. The party was for about 80 people, but what really got me going was the fact it was for a one year old, but the fact that they spent more than $3000 for a birthday party for a one year old. I understand that it is a big deal, but why would you spend that much money, I feel that that money could be better invested in that child, going towards their education or something worthwhile. Also, they made me make them like 50 coffees. I am a bartender, I specialize in alcohol, not coffee, if you want your decaf skinny caramel latte I suggest you go to a cafe, mainly because we have neither decaf or caramel.

I am currently reading Basara, up to volume 15 of 27, and it is rather intriguing, it is full of dramatic irony, so I am sitting here waiting for the plot to unfold. I like how I know things the characters dont, and the reactions they have when they discover the truth. More to come so watch this space. The author of Basara is starting a new series this month, so I will be looking at that one when I get the chance.

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

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 :)