T_T

[wednesday_10_00]

I guess I've been expecting this for a while, but according to Matsuoka's latest blog post, there's officially going to be a new illustrator for Flesh & Blood, starting with a short story scheduled to come out in the next Shousetsu Chara. I guess I am a little torn, because on the one hand, maybe now we won't have to put up with the constant delays (and kissy scenes with no pictures!), but on the other hand, AAAAAAAGH NO DO NOT WANT, YUKIFUNA KAORU 4EVA.

The new illustrator's name is Aya (彩); it's a bit difficult to search for a single character, but I managed to track down two books she's illustrated (here and here). I wish I could see some of her black and white work...I guess I'll have to wait for Shousetsu Chara.

On the bright side, Matsuoka also writes that F&B 12 is scheduled to come out after the next drama CD (which will be released 12/26), so maybe January? Yay or something, I don't know, I feel a little numb right now.

Comments

[collarnojutsu.livejournal.com]

(argh what happened to my comment?! stupid browser)

Ahem, anyway. You'll understand, I'm sure, that it's hard for me to feel sympathetic here? :9 I'd settle for just being able to READ the damned book! *sobbly wobbly* Why did TP even BOTHER?! Argh.

That said, it's hard to tell by the one amazon link, but I'm not sure how much I like the new artist's work. The second link didn't work for me. But who knows, maybe the B&W stuff will be better/different/maybe even like the old stuff? At least you'll be able to tell sooner rather than later. :)

i should be working on my own 50-megaton update.... erg.

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

That whole thing with Tokyopop still pisses me off, honestly. Ugh.

The second link didn't work for me.

Weird, I just tried it again and it worked okay. FWIW, I like the first illustration better than the second. I actually kind of like her art, I'm just not sure about the transition. But the two volumes that didn't have any pictures at all (ESPECIALLY the last one) were pretty painful, so I'm glad that we're going to have someone doing the illustrations and that (so far) I don't think that someone sucks. It's just...disappointing, I guess. I really loved Yukifuna's art. :/

[enelte.livejournal.com]

What happened to Yukifuna? o_O did she stop doing illustrations at all or just on this one?
Somehow the new illustrator's style resemble her, the use of the colors s totally different though. I can't wait to see the B&W art too.
Arghh this is the second time I feel so dissapointed about FB T_T Why it is so hard to get good stuffs these days (and i'm not only refering to manga -_-)
Let me go back reread the fragment you translated, it should make me better *sulk*

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, nobody knows what's been going on with Yukifuna. She's obviously been having problems for a while, since we had two books with no pictures (IIRC 9 and 11), and lots of delays with others (which I assume were at least mostly not related to the writing since Matsuoka writes other books that seem to be on time, plus F&B doujinshi), but I have no idea if it's a problem with time or money or health or what. I remember reading some rumors about her leaving F&B a couple years ago even, so I'm actually a little surprised it's taken this long for them to get someone else. I guess either A)Yukifuna didn't want to leave the series but time was becoming too much of a problem (the constant delays have gotten really annoying), or B) Yukifuna wanted to leave but was pressured to stay because Chara knows she's popular with the fans. Take your pick.

[enelte.livejournal.com]

that always remains a mistery to me, for an illustrator not able to follow a novel to the end when she is sain et sauve AND likes what she is doing, that makes your point A) irritating to pick. How many pages does she has to do per novel? 2? 3? 5? I wouldnt complain if she gives us 2, compare to nothing! I know if the illustrator is ambitious she would read the novel before drawing, and that takes time, but she can always ask her editor or the novelist for remarkable scenes ect. *sigh* whew I really spent lots of my time on ranting already (if you count flipping the Aya's novel to see the B&W illustrations). I'll wait impatiently for the next book to come out. Who knows it might come out when I'm still sunbathing in Australia and so can get my hand on it.

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

Actually, what I meant in both my A and B scenarios was that Yukifuna has, for some time now, had some extenuating circumstances that prevent her from illustrating in a timely manner (or at all), but either she didn't want to quit entirely or Chara didn't want her to quit. If it was an easy decision on either party's part, I'm sure it wouldn't have been dragged out this long. I guess it's possible that she was just lazy and didn't finish by her deadlines, and Chara was reluctant to let her go sooner because she's so popular, but I seriously doubt that.

At any rate, I doubt we'll never know, so I suppose it's pointless to speculate.

BTW, volume 10 DID only have three pictures. Which normally would have annoyed me, but since it was right after a volume with no pictures...yeah.

[collarnojutsu.livejournal.com]

Weird, I just tried it again and it worked okay. FWIW, I like the first illustration better than the second.
The second link works now for me, strange. But I like it more than the first one ... haaa.

Uh.. yeah I dunno why I replied just to say that... I'm bored and tired though, yeah that's a good excuse! :P

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

I may be biased because I don't really like the subject matter in the second one (>.>), but I kind of like the...border (? probably not really the word I want...background? the plantlife, anyway) on the first one. ("Hi! Don't mind us, we're having clandestine jungle sex!")

[collarnojutsu.livejournal.com]

I may be biased because I don't really like the subject matter in the second one
Haha... I am the opposite. Mmm, chains.... <3

S'okay, we compliment each other well. Less in-fighting. XD

[don-amoeba.livejournal.com]

You can check out Aya's b/w art here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UXY6PKQ1 (not my link)
If I'm not wrong, she's also the artist of Houseki-hime (http://houseki-hime.jp/) who does a lot of fma and d-gray man doujinshi. You can find LOADS of scanlations of the circle. :)

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks for the link! I'm at work right now, but I'll be sure to check it out when I get home. :3

[enelte.livejournal.com]

take it too, if you don't mind, thank you.

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

Hmm. The novel illustrations were so stylized they kind of weirded me out. I mean, they were pretty, just...it would be SUCH a jarring change to see F&B like that. The doujinshi I saw were more reassuring, but I guess it just depends on how the F&B characters are drawn and what kind of style she uses. :/

[don-amoeba.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, and as pretty as Aya's art is, I think replacing Yukifuna will be NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE. I haven't read this series before (heard a lot about it but I'm not a big fan of the genre), but I sure hope it doesn't turn out that badly! <3

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I totally agree; Yukifuna's art is so beautiful, pretty much nobody's going to be happy with a replacement. I feel bad for Chara because I think they were really in a lose/lose situation here; fans don't want the books to be delayed, or have no pictures, but fans also don't want a new artist. And I also feel a little bad for Aya, stepping in to a potentially ugly situation. Ganbare, Aya!

[enelte.livejournal.com]

maybe it's because of the story but the art in this novel kinda crept me out. That's not to say the art isn't solid. I hope Aya will get the soft and tender feeling Yukifuna gave us, although I know each illustrator has his/her own style I wish the new illustrator would portrate the same ambiance as the former illustrator did. I just hate the change, I can't bear again the horror I felt with Sanzen novel, that should have been the worst case in the novel illustrators changing or whatever ^^;;;

[enelte.livejournal.com]

there should be "history" between "changing" and "or" in my last sentence above.
where's the edit command ?_?

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

Editing comments is a privilege! Or so says Live Journal, and thus you can only edit comments if you have a paid account. :(

I can't bear again the horror I felt with Sanzen novel

Oh man, you should hear spacealien_vamp talk about this. She HATES the new illustrations.

[enelte.livejournal.com]

really.. isn't "correcting" a human right? *sigh*

urg I've read somewhere (on her LJ maybe?) that Space_vamp isn't happy with them. Me, I ABSOLUTLY HATE them, added to my hate is a complet confusion as how the publisher would have decided on such a drastic (the least to say) change.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Wow...This really sucks. I hate illustrator changes in general and am really hating that Yukifuna will not be the illustrator anymore. But at the same time...illustrations in the books would be nice. *sighs*

[wednesday-10-00.livejournal.com]

Yep, that pretty much sums up how I feel. I didn't care so much about 9 (I think 9 was the first one that didn't have pictures?), but I'm still feeling a little bitter about 11. After we waited how many years for that reunion?? Argh. (Also, a picture of Kaito's bitch fight at the end would have been hilarious. XD I guess they probably wouldn't have drawn that.) If they were going to change illustrators anyway, they couldn't have made the decision before that book came out?