Wednesday 31 October 2012

Sad Love Story

Yes, more updates, I clearly have too much time which would be put to better use by studying. On a side note, Happy Halloween for those of you who celebrate, I did by answering the door, and when asked 'Trick or Treat' I screamed 'Trick! Here's a cat!'

So, I've delayed it enough, Sad Love Story is a Korean manhwa by Shin Ji-Sang, Geo (that is what mangafox says) and is completely scanlated with 5 volumes. It also as a Korean television drama based on it. The first few pages of the story are set in New York, January 2004, Hae-In awakes in a hospital after she tried to commit suicide believing that her love was dead.


The story then goes back to the mid 80s and is about Jun-Young, a boy whose mother works at a bar and serves Americans (basically a brothel). One day he meets Hae-In a blind girl who is the daughter of a new employee at the bar. The two get along as they both suffer the teasing about their mothers, which quickly turns into romantic love. Hwah Jung is another childhood friend of Jun-Young, and she also has romantic feelings for Jun-Young, but these are unrequited. The story focuses on the development of the relationship between Jun-Young and Hae-In, who are constantly told to seperate by their mothers because of their hatred for each other. They usually go off together to a nearby shrine to run away from their world (this is important). After many years together, Jun-Young and Hae-In are seperated because of an arguement between their mothers.

After they are seperated, Jun-Young is sent to live with his father and his family after a fight with his mother. He adopts his father's surname as well. At school Jun Kyo (I think that is his new name, something like that) meets and becomes friends with Kon Woo, who share a passion for music and decide to form a band. In the meanwhile, it is revealed that Jun-Young's mother is sick and is dying, hence why she sent him to his father. Jun-Kyo returns to visit his mother before she dies. Meanwhile, Hae-In is living with her mother, who is set to marry an American and the three of them are preparing to move to America. Hae-In had not met Jun-Young since, and a few years have passed. By chance Hae-In and Jun-Young meet, and Jun-Young spends the night at Hae-In's place (platonically, nothing happened because Hae-In was sick). The two wish to rekindle their romance and decide to meet at Hae-In's apartment everyday, however the next day, she moves out due to debt collectors threatening her mother. Hae-in and Jun-Young exchange addresses before Hae-In leaves for America. Jun-Young hasn't told Hae-In about the name change. The two regularly mail each other, however the messages stop once Jun-Young joins the army. This is because Hwah Jung changes the address for Jun-Kyo's mail so he never receives it. She does this out of jealousy.

There is another flash-foward to 2004, this time in April, it has been 3 months since Hae-In's accident. At this point she is confronted by a man who is Korean but does not know who she is, although she has met him three times before. This was because since the last time, he has grown up more, and his voice is unrecognizable. The man is Kon Woo, Jun Kyo's best friend. Kon Woo, who is wealthy, pays for Hae-In's eye surgery so she can see again.

The rest of the story is set in the present, and Jun-Kyo finishes his stint in the army, still not hearing anything about Hae-In. He receives a call from Kon Woo who says he will be returning to Korea soon, and that he has found a singer for their band. Since her eye surgery, Hae-In has regained her vision and sings at night for a New York club. Over time, with the help of Kon Woo, she accepts that it is ok for her to move on, as she can always remember Jun-Young. Of course, the singer Kon Woo mentioned is Hae-In. The two return to Korea, and Kon-Woo introduces everyone to Hae-In including Jun-Kyo, who Hae-In does not realize is Jun-Young (she still thinks Jun-Young is dead). Hae-In notes that he has the same voice as Jun-Young and looks like how she invisioned Jun-Young to look like.

Jun-kyo struggles seeing Kon-Woo and Hae-In together and decides to leave the band, only to return shortly after. The group struggle producing an album, with Kon-Woo asking for his father's support with his brother in law also interferring. It is revealed that the brother in law intends to 'throw Kon-woo and his father under the bus' so to speak in order to gain the company. Hae-In's mother also returns, asking Jun-Young to leave. Of course he says he shouldn't because he is now 'Jun kyo, and Jun-young died many years ago'. After many struggles, the group successfully debut. At this point Kon-Woo wishes to marry Hae-In, although hesitant she agrees, as she is still confused about Jun Kyo and Jun-Young. For Kon-Woo's family to agree, he agrees to be the successor to the family business, even though he doesn't really want to.

The evil brother in law in the meanwhile sabotages Kon-Woo and as a result, loses his job. He then frames Kon-Woo's father for embezzlement. Kon-Woo confronts Jun-Kyo about why hasn't he taken Hae-In back, because if she knew, she would go to him. Jun-kyo replies 'because it's Kon Woo, so I'll leave'. In the meanwhile, Hae-In decides she can't marry Kon-Woo. She goes to the place where her and Jun-Young went as children, where she meets Jun-Kyo, then she finally realizes that they are one and the same. The soon after rekindle their romance. However, at this point, Jun-Young realizes something is wrong and leaves.

After searching for a while, they find Jun-Young. Hae-In discovers that Jun-Young is very sick, requiring weekly kidney dialysis to stay alive. Jun-Young says he won't get treatment, because he would feel like a trapped bird in a cage, and would rather live one day of freedom than live several more years in trapped in suffering. For some reason the two are having a conversation on train tracks where an oncoming train is approaching (to emphasize the situation, I guess).

Meanwhile, Kon-Woo has realized what his brother in law is doing, and plans to punish him (kill him), however his sister convinces him not to. However the brother in law realizes that Kon-Woo knows, and plans to have him killed. Kon-Woo travels to the shrine where his mother's remains are, which is his own world so to speak. This place happens to be the same shrine as the one that Hae-In and Jun-Young share as their runaway world. The three meet, and Kon-Woo says that there is no hard feelings. As Jun-Young and Hae-In leave, Jun-Young notices a suspicious man following Kon-Woo, and chases after them, He shouts out to Kon-Woo and there is a loud bang.

In this part of the manhwa, it is revealed that the reason why Jun-Kyo couldn't take Hae-In from Kon-Woo is because he loved and cared for Kon-Woo just as much, if not more (not romantically, but in almost like soulmates, they shared the same kind of struggles such as a broken family and dead mothers). It is then revealed that the bang (gunshot) hit and killed Jun-Young. We are shown a funeral scene and a grieving Hae-In. The very last page is a few years after Jun-Young's death and is a conversation between mother and son, with the son asking the mother where they are going. the mother replies they are going to see daddy because daddy has been sleeping for a very long time, and will continue sleeping but that they still love him. The mother and son are seen walking into the shrine that Jun-Young and Hae-In used as a hideout, the last frame revealing that the mother was Hae-In.

I've already had a bit of a rant about this one on a few forums...I mean I absolutely loved the story, but filthy about the ending, and it's not because Jun-Young dies. I'm reading the last chapter and I begin thinking 'Oh I thought this was a tragedy' but then I thought perhaps the tragedy is like Boku no Hatsukoi where the story is sad but the ending is happy. And then three pages from the end Jun-Young dies. As a reader, I feel that it was rushed and was almost like the author thought 'Oh shit, this is meant to end in 3 pages'. I feel for this to be a great tragedy, more emphasis needed to be put on Jun-Young's death and the aftermath, such as the emotion of losing a loved one, that way, I feel that the last page with Hae-In and her son would have been a great manga/manhwa moment. Also, none of the other major plot points were concluded. I mean, what happened to Kon-Woo, did he take over his father's company, and what happens to his brother in law for his crimes. Also what happened to Hwah Jung, she loved Jun-Young to the point where she re-adressed his mail to herself to stop him contacting Hae-In, and she kind of just went MIA. Okay, I think that is enough about my thoughts.

Next time will be New Sexy Simpleton on the agenda, but that's about it for now, until next time :)

Monday 29 October 2012

Hoshi no Furu Machi and stuff

Oh shit! I totally f****** my alarms this morning, for some reason I had set them all to 'PM' hence they  didn't go off. I woke up at 11.10am, which is 20 minutes before I was meant to start work, but of course, it takes at least 28 minutes to drive to work, so, i had to call and let them know that I would be late (yes, i time my drives to work, the quickest was 28 minutes). Horrible start to the week.

On the plus side, I did successfully re-enrol in university today too (busy day it seems) with me changing one of my degrees from a tourist management major to advertising major, which I am really excited about.

On to Hoshi no Furu Machi by Hara Hidenori, it is a bit different to what I am usually on about, firstly being a Seinen series. It is completely scanlated at 7 volumes (apparently there is a film too, but I know nothing about it). Anyway, the story is about Koutarou, a Tokyo student who is sent to the country by his parents for embarrassing them with his grades, despite going to one of the most prestigious schools in Tokyo. He moves in with some relatives who he considers 'strangers' and starts going to school there. At his new home, Koutarou meets Nagisa, fellow classmate and neighbour and after some initial disputes between them due to Koutarou's cowardly nature (not trying to succeed or admit to needing help) the two quickly become friends. In the small town, Koutarou notices he can clearly see the stars, which is something he is not used to in the city. Over time, Koutarou starts liking Nagisa romantically, but it is revealed that she has a long unrequited love for jerkface (i forgot his name, but he is the son of the people Koutarou is staying with), who is currently in Tokyo. When Koutarou returns to Tokyo to visit his parents, he takes Nagisa with him to meet jerkface. Upon arrival it is revealed that jerkface has a girlfriend and has no intention of ever returning to his home. Nagisa returns home while Koutarou spends golden week in Tokyo. Upon his return Nagisa is rejected but gets on with it. In the meanwhile some other chicky (forgot her name too, i'm not inclined to remember non-main characters) tries to make a move on Koutarou as she wants to one day go to tokyo, ideally with him.Things get a bit messy here, Koutarou confesses to Nagisa but is rejected then he accepts the other chicky because he feels things with Nagisa are hopeless. Anyway, things kind of waddle on for a while, Nagisa's mother gets sick and Nagisa decides to give up being a nurse because of this, until jerkface returns. Jerkface is pissed off with something but won't admit what happened. After seeing how Koutarou and Nagisa are now getting along again, jerkface says he will take Nagisa because he can even though he doesn't like her romantically. Nagisa confesses that she 'liked' him (she used past tense here, at this point she has developed feelings for Koutarou). jerkface then tries to force himself on Nagisa before Koutarou saves the day by being beaten to a pulp by jerkface. Koutarou is left in hospital and jerkface at the police station. It is reveaed that jerkface got dumped and was unsuccessful at getting a job in Tokyo, so he was venting his frustrations elsewhere. Meanwhile, chicky goes missing, it is later discovered she only went to Tokyo for a few days to see what it is like. Koutarou realizes then that he wishes to be an astronomy teacher because of his love for the stars, although his parents at first disagree, they finally consent. Nagisa and Koutarou finally sort out their feelings for each other and make a promise about being together when Koutarou finishes studying in Tokyo, however on the day before his entrance exams, Koutarou's father is critically injured and is comatose for more than a week, he later makes a full recover. Koutarou believes that he has broken his promise to Nagisa and that they can no longer be together. Six yes pass, and Nagisa has successfully become a nurse . She has not heard from Koutarou since he left to go to Tokyo to live with his parents again. It is later revealed that Koutarou has returned to the small town to do his study for his teachers licence. They meet again when Koutarou is sent to get fixed after a school related accident. Koutarou asks if it is still possible to continue their relationship after he finishes his studies in a year. Nagisa replies "You already made me wait so many, one more couldn't hurt' The End. Well, I think this is very similar to Usagi drop where this could classify as both Seinen and Josei, but the art is very Seinen style. Although in saying that, I did find this series quite enjoyable and charming in it's own way, maybe it's because it is something different from what I am used to. There, 7 volumes summarized right there, BOOM! enjoy!

Anyways, next time, I will deffinately be talking about Sad Love Story and in the next few days also the New Sexy Simpleton. That's about it for now, until next time :)

Sunday 28 October 2012

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 :)


Wednesday 24 October 2012

Bride of the Water God

Okay, so other than studying and working and the usual, I have been reading Bride of the Water God by Yoon Mi-Kyung. It is a manhwa series, and it is 18 volumes ongoing, with 16th volume currently being scanlated, so it is rather up to date.

So, the story is about Soah, who is sacrificed to the Water God in the hopes that her village would end the drought that it slowly killing them. After being told by everyone that the Water God is a monster, she is surprised to learn that the Water God is a small child name Habaek. It turns out Habaek is cursed and can only appear in his true form during the night as Mui. 

The first part of the story is just about Soah meeting the people of the Water Country such as Hoo-ye, Mura, Yo-hee etc. and revelations such as how Soah was not meant to be the sacrifice and Habaek only ever loved his first wife, Nakbin. Soah is led to believe that Habaek and Mui are two different people, and the story begins to deal with how Soah feels for Mui romantically and yet feels like she is betraying Habaek as she does not know they are one and the same. 

As others start to realize what is going on, Habaek sends Soah back to her village, where she is shunned, before being sold off again by her father. Mui takes her back to the water country the day before she was to get married. Back in Water Country, Soah and Hoo-ye seem to be getting rather close, but it turns out to be more than unrequited love on Hoo-ye's side. Mui also formally proposes to Soah (she still doesn't know that him and Habaek are the same). Before Soah can respond, a second sacrifice is sent to Water Country, with Soah requesting that Mui saves the sacrifice. 

The sacrifice bears a striking resemblence to Nakbin. Yeo-wa (the sacrifice who looks like Nakbin) plots to becomes Habaek's true wife. It is later revealed that she is in fact a pawn of the Emporor of the Imperial Country in his schemes against Habaek, and is only made to look like Nakbin, to the point she actually believes she is Nakbin. Yeo-wo then drugs Habaek with a love potion which makes him fall for Yeo-wo but forget Soah, although it was only meant to be a love potion. This allows Hoo-ye to take Soah to the Emperor at the Imperial Court while Habaek takes Yeo wa as his 'wife'.  

It is also revealed that Hoo-ye and Nakbin were siblings, with their father being the Emporor. In a brief flashback arc, we are shown how Nakbin and Mui met, although it is still unclear how Nakbin died. At the Imperial court, it turns out Mui was playing everyone, and actually didn't forget anything, but pretended to do so to protect Soah. This is conveniantly revealed when Mura (who is the witch of Chung Yo mountains) pushes Soah into a lake which will trap her forever (Mura as an unrequited love for Habaek and does this out of jealousy). 

At the Gathering at the Imperial country, it is revealed that Nakbin is somehow alive! And Soah is finally told the truth about Habaek/Mui being the one and the same. Ju-dong and Bu Ryeom in their rebel attack try to kill the emperor but are unsuccessful. They 'kidnap' Soah and take her to the Lunar Palace. There, Soah meets a man who looks like Mui, who is later revealed to be his father. In the Meanwhile, Mura, who is obsessively in love with Habaek/Mui, burns the rare tree which bears a fruit that blooms once every 3000 years and allows a human who eats its fruits to live for 18000 years. 

Back on the Moon, Mui requests to see Shin Nong, but he would only be allowed to do so if he formally marries Soah (vow to the marriage god, and I am disappointed that this was done so hastily!!). Mui and Soah leave to go to Chung Wo mountains where Mura is with the bando (apparently thats what the fruit is called). Mura requests that Mui kills him in order to obtain the fruit. He refuses and Bi Ryeom kills Mura then himself. Then Soah refuses to eat the fruit and tells Mui to become human for her. 

Through Mura's friend, Mui is able to become human, however he can only be in his adult form if he is away Soah. Back in the human world, Dong Young (the man Soah was sold of to the second time) reveals that he knows that Mui is Habaek. In the meanwhile Woo Hui, Dong Young's younger sister tries to make Mui fall in love with her. Mui's mother hears of her son's troubles and intends to kill Soah, instead injuring Mui, and basically that is where it ends in the English, with Mui on the brink of life and death in his mortal form.

So thoughts? Well, I thought Mui felt something from the first time he met Soah. Whether he actually loved her straight away or just thought she was interesting. He revealed the fact that they were the same person, I think that was perhaps because he was embarassed of his childish daytime form. But also, Mui tells Soah his given name (Gods have 3 names, Mui is the one given by his parents), which only a few people may call him. Everyone else calls him Habaek. 

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

Tuesday 23 October 2012

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 :)

Sunday 21 October 2012

Sigh!

Sigh, I thought I should post a quick update seeing as if I don't do one now, it is unlikely I will be able to do another before Tuesday...Yes, I have been busy, unfortunately, it is that time of the year where I must endure the pain and suffering that comes with being a uni student and actually study.

What's there to talk about? Well, Shanimuni GO! (I'm not bothered enough right now to see if that is spelt right) and my thoughts on that, just the usual general ramblings...

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


Thursday 18 October 2012

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 :)

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Armageddon 2012 Part Two

Ok, so more Armageddon!! Well, so first off, I should just say that yes I did cosplay, but there are no photos, which isn't a bad thing. All I will say is that I got to put my nekomimi to good use...

So, obviously it was a lot of fun, I got to look at heaps of different displays to do with anime and manga and to lesser extent, sci-fi. So, i managed to get my hands on some manga for a decent price. I got the first two volumes of Sakura-hime, which I haven't had the chance to read yet, and the 1st volume of Sailor Moon (for old time sakes), Some miniature pokemon figurines, a Vampire Knight post (photo to be uploaded soon) and some other stuff. It sure makes a difference when I have money, usually I don't have money to spare to really get anything from these conventions, so it was nice.

There were a lot of fellow cosplayers, the best of which was a Jesus with a light saber, I will say that it was possibly the highlight of the day! Overall it was was a good day.

I have finished reading the 'Snow Drop' manhwa, so I will probably talk about that later. Anyways, that's about it for now, until next time :)

Sunday 14 October 2012

Armageddon 2012 Part 1

Ohmigod! I was lucky enough to be able to go to Armageddon today, which is a convention for anime and sci-fi plus other popular culture, and can I just say it was AMAZING!! Although I don't have much time right now, so unfortunately this is all I will say now, but I will try to talk about it in more detail in the next day (hopefully) but at the latest, Tuesday! So Watch this space

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

Thursday 11 October 2012

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 :)

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Stupid Everything

Seriously! With uni and work and getting ready for Armageddon this weekend, I have had like no down time! I just want to sleep. In fact I have been rather naughty and have started skipping uni so I can catch up on sleep, but don't worry, I only need 9% on my exam to actually pass the exam, which is open book, so I think I am safe!

Anyway, yes! Armageddon is this weekend in Melbourne, and my outfit is almost ready, wig and all, I just need some vampire teeth, which I thought would be easy to acquire seeing as every twelve year old wants to be a vampire like Edward. But never fear, my vampire fangs have been inspired by anime rather than that!

Anyways, on to manga, and I have started reading Sakamichi no Apollon, although I haven't read much of it yet, I am sure it will absolutely be awesome, mainly because it is Josei, so something for the more mature of us. I quite like it because as sad as it is to admit, the only josei I have read is mainly smut. More about that, and Amakusa 1637 in the next update (maybe, if I'm not too lazy).

Also, I have been watching Fushigi Yugi anime recently. I don't know if i have mentioned this before so I just thought I might say so...Anyways I am about halfway through the main series, but in saying that, I do plan to read the OVA's (eikoden, i don't know if that is right, I am too lazy to check) afterwards. Thoughts on that later.

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

Friday 5 October 2012

Sigh...

Unfortunately, it is that time of the semester again when all of my major university assignments are due, but unlike in times past, I am actually moderately organized for once. For example, I actually completed a full essay a week before it was due. 2012 must be real. Although that is fantastic as it means that I won't have any 4am last minute cram session to get everything done, I still find it troublesome to actually do all this work when I have meaning other things I would much rather do.

Oh, so I totally forgot to mention this the other day, but I have finally finished watching Marmalade Boy, although I was always expecting it to take some time because there are 70-something episodes after all. I really loved it, but then again, 90s anime is the best. Ah, there is so much to talk about. Although it is very anti-climatic by todays standards, I guess 20 years ago, this kind of storyline would almost be unheard of (i.e. false incest thing). I have a love/hate thing for their parents, I feel they are irresponsible, just up and doing whatever they want, like going on an International holiday without telling their kids, but at the same time, it wouldn't have worked without them because...well, it's the whole plot line to start with, but also the parents made light of some pretty serious issues, which I thought was quite clever (not to give too much away, but especially in the last few episodes). One thing I thought was hilarious was the fact that in America they spoke Japanese, but as soon as Miki would call, no-one understood a word. I understand that they had to speak Japanese so the audience could understand, but I just thought that was funny. Overall, I quite liked this series, well worth it and I am very glad that both the manga and anime went down the happy path rather than the tragedy path that it was originally meant to.

I have been reading some manga and manwha too recently. In terms of manga, I am reading Amakusa 1637, but more about that when actually finish it. In manwha, I have been reading Wait Wolf, by the psuedonym Hwang Mi Ri. i quite like this one, because it takes a different path than the standard story from that publishing company. For instance, after reading spoilers, the main girl ends up with the childhood friend. I thought this was quite funny, because everyone seems to be going on about 'the friendzone' at the moment. It's also different because it's usually the new guy that gets the girl. But it's still the same that there are gangs and violence, not that I am complaining, I like that kind of stuff.

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

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Spring Time of the Year

Hey Hey! Spring has finally hit Melbourne, such lovely weather, unfortunately we receed back into winter by Friday with it going back to 15 degrees, so I am going to enjoy the weather while it lasts, seeing as 90% of my wardrobe is ideal for spring.

So, I have recently read Ocha Nigosu, which is a shounen series, which is different from my usual demographic, I thought I would broaden my horizons. It's quite funny, it's about Funabashi, a delinquent known as devil-ma, who wants to quits the delinquent to live a more LOHAS life by joining the Tea Ceremony club. For those who don't know LOHAS means "Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability", so I thought it was kind of funny. Basically, the rest of the series is how Funabashi tries to change his ways in order to be 'a Lohas type of guy' but still manages to find himself in trouble in the delinquent circle. I thought it's quite comedic, especially the exchanges between Funabashi and Kaho (another member of the tea ceremony club), whom Funabashi refers to as a 'stray dog'. Anyway, 7 volumes are currently scanlated into English, but is complete in Japanese with 11 volumes...so watch this space

Not much else to talk about really, so until next time :)