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wednesday_10_00) wrote2011-01-09 10:25 pm
wednesday_10_00) wrote2011-01-09 10:25 pm
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January reviews, part 1
(Is "part 1" too optimistic?)
In researching possible titles to buy from KBLY 2011, I looked up Stalemate, which you might notice has no review or plot summary or anything at Amazon. So I did a little searching and came across this page, where the first reviewer spends her first paragraph discussing the importance of cardigan styles for older characters.
I love fangirls so much, you guys.
Yume Musubi Koi Musubi 3 - Sakuragi Yaya (heh...)
So...I really want to like this series. And, well, I don't dislike it, so I guess it succeeds on some level for me. In particular, I really like Ryoumei, and watching him fall for Ao (and/or coming to the realization of his feelings) is really fun. But for some reason (sadly, I think it's largely because I find his character design so unappealing) I just don't like Ao that much, and I would way rather see stories about the side characters instead. Like Shunpei, or the dude who’s raising his daughter all alone (what's his story?). So for this volume in particular, I 1/3 really like it (Ryoumei, especially when single father dude makes fun of him), 1/3 don't really care (story about Ao possibly moving back in with his Mom when he obviously won't -- PS who splits up twins like that in the first place??), and 1/3 am annoyed (Shunpei is still in love with Tokumaru WHERE IS HIS STORY).
Seitou Kaichou ni Chuukoku 5 - Monchi Kaori (sweh)
Oh man, Chiga and Kokusai realizing that their feelings are mutual makes this series about a thousand times more adorable. (The part where Chiga's mom is like Oh god, my son's become an idiot = THE BEST.) Also, I'm really enjoying the Hinamori/Kondou storyline--how did the author manage to make Hinamori so adorable when he was such a creeper in the beginning? We finally see the identity of Creepy Stalker Dude...but honestly, does anyone even CARE? I know I don't. At least the stuff about the college guys seems to have gone away, because that confused the crap out of me.
Tsubaki da yori - Ishino Aya (sweh!!) [sequel to Tsubaki-biyori]
OK, so, still no smooches. But if that doesn't bother you (it shouldn't!) this is the most adorable thing EVER. I don't know if the author is planning on writing any more (probably not *sniffle*), but I wish she would, because I would read it forever and ever. I really wanted to scan something to show freaking adorable this manga is, but it's seriously SO hard to choose. Let's go with Hiraiwa, disappointed that Tsubaki didn't take any good pictures of Fumio's first sports day (Hiraiwa had to work, so he missed it) :
Because it is so like Tsubaki to have not taken a single good picture, and I love Fumio trying to comfort her dad, and I love love LOVE how absolutely broken-hearted Hiraiwa is about not getting any pictures. He's such an adorable dad. ♥
Chu Chun ga Chun 1, 2 - Yamamoto Kotetsuko (sweh)
(I guess the title is supposed to be bird noises or something? But it makes me think of this song.)
Ohtaka Daisuke ("Taka") has always played baseball for his grandfather. He even enrolls in his grandfather's alma mater, Torioka (a tiny rural college), to make him happy. However, his grandfather dies a few days before the start of school, so Taka ends up late and wondering why he's bothering, as his reason for playing is gone. Enter Morino Suzume ("Chun"), the tiny captain of Torioka's baseball team. He is, uh, very taken with Taka and tries to convince him to stay, even going so far as to blackmail him (by kissing Taka and taking a picture with his cell phone).
I really love the characters (the juxtaposition of hyper, outgoing Chun and stoic, serious Taka makes for some great humor), and a lot of the twists and turns of the first volume make for a super fun story. I wish that the challenge between Taka and Rei (Chun's childhood friend) hadn't taken up so much of the second volume (mostly because nobody seems to consider it important that Chun doesn't WANT to go out with Rei), but it was still a lot of fun. The fact that the main characters all have bird names amuses me, because it makes for some hilarious visual gags:
Fig 1: The Goshawk*, caught in the sparrow's trap.
Plus it cracks me up that Rei is a swan, because swans are ASSHOLES. (No doubt the author was just going for pretty and vain, but...dude, if you have ever met a swan, you know what I mean.)
*Yes, I looked up the species. Because I care, you guys.
Hatsukoi Cantata - Ohtsuki Kurumi (heh)
Takumi, a high school student, fondly remembers his first love, Wakana, a girl who used to take organ lessons with him. Only then he runs into Wakana, and finds out he's not so much a girl. Then he finds out that he was Wakana's first love, and realizes he doesn't really mind that Wakana's a boy, and they are rabu rabu ever after.
My shopping companions might recognize this as being by the author of Soshite, Ashita mo Kimi ni Koi suru, the adorable collection of one-shots that was almost stolen from me in K-Books. As far as Hatsukoi Cantata goes, the first couple chapters are just as sickeningly adorable. However, the last two chapters were a little disappointing. The one about Wakana's ex-boyfriend seemed unnecessarily angsty, and the last chapter annoyed me because it was about Wakana going on study abroad, and I dislike it when a romantic story ends with the characters being separated. (In this case, only for three months, but still.) And then the extra chapter at the end was about a side character. Huh? Anyway, I still love this one for the beginning, but it wasn't quite as good as it could've been.
In researching possible titles to buy from KBLY 2011, I looked up Stalemate, which you might notice has no review or plot summary or anything at Amazon. So I did a little searching and came across this page, where the first reviewer spends her first paragraph discussing the importance of cardigan styles for older characters.
I love fangirls so much, you guys.
Yume Musubi Koi Musubi 3 - Sakuragi Yaya (heh...)
So...I really want to like this series. And, well, I don't dislike it, so I guess it succeeds on some level for me. In particular, I really like Ryoumei, and watching him fall for Ao (and/or coming to the realization of his feelings) is really fun. But for some reason (sadly, I think it's largely because I find his character design so unappealing) I just don't like Ao that much, and I would way rather see stories about the side characters instead. Like Shunpei, or the dude who’s raising his daughter all alone (what's his story?). So for this volume in particular, I 1/3 really like it (Ryoumei, especially when single father dude makes fun of him), 1/3 don't really care (story about Ao possibly moving back in with his Mom when he obviously won't -- PS who splits up twins like that in the first place??), and 1/3 am annoyed (Shunpei is still in love with Tokumaru WHERE IS HIS STORY).
Seitou Kaichou ni Chuukoku 5 - Monchi Kaori (sweh)
Oh man, Chiga and Kokusai realizing that their feelings are mutual makes this series about a thousand times more adorable. (The part where Chiga's mom is like Oh god, my son's become an idiot = THE BEST.) Also, I'm really enjoying the Hinamori/Kondou storyline--how did the author manage to make Hinamori so adorable when he was such a creeper in the beginning? We finally see the identity of Creepy Stalker Dude...but honestly, does anyone even CARE? I know I don't. At least the stuff about the college guys seems to have gone away, because that confused the crap out of me.
Tsubaki da yori - Ishino Aya (sweh!!) [sequel to Tsubaki-biyori]
OK, so, still no smooches. But if that doesn't bother you (it shouldn't!) this is the most adorable thing EVER. I don't know if the author is planning on writing any more (probably not *sniffle*), but I wish she would, because I would read it forever and ever. I really wanted to scan something to show freaking adorable this manga is, but it's seriously SO hard to choose. Let's go with Hiraiwa, disappointed that Tsubaki didn't take any good pictures of Fumio's first sports day (Hiraiwa had to work, so he missed it) :
Because it is so like Tsubaki to have not taken a single good picture, and I love Fumio trying to comfort her dad, and I love love LOVE how absolutely broken-hearted Hiraiwa is about not getting any pictures. He's such an adorable dad. ♥
Chu Chun ga Chun 1, 2 - Yamamoto Kotetsuko (sweh)
(I guess the title is supposed to be bird noises or something? But it makes me think of this song.)
Ohtaka Daisuke ("Taka") has always played baseball for his grandfather. He even enrolls in his grandfather's alma mater, Torioka (a tiny rural college), to make him happy. However, his grandfather dies a few days before the start of school, so Taka ends up late and wondering why he's bothering, as his reason for playing is gone. Enter Morino Suzume ("Chun"), the tiny captain of Torioka's baseball team. He is, uh, very taken with Taka and tries to convince him to stay, even going so far as to blackmail him (by kissing Taka and taking a picture with his cell phone).
I really love the characters (the juxtaposition of hyper, outgoing Chun and stoic, serious Taka makes for some great humor), and a lot of the twists and turns of the first volume make for a super fun story. I wish that the challenge between Taka and Rei (Chun's childhood friend) hadn't taken up so much of the second volume (mostly because nobody seems to consider it important that Chun doesn't WANT to go out with Rei), but it was still a lot of fun. The fact that the main characters all have bird names amuses me, because it makes for some hilarious visual gags:
Fig 1: The Goshawk*, caught in the sparrow's trap.
Plus it cracks me up that Rei is a swan, because swans are ASSHOLES. (No doubt the author was just going for pretty and vain, but...dude, if you have ever met a swan, you know what I mean.)
*Yes, I looked up the species. Because I care, you guys.
Hatsukoi Cantata - Ohtsuki Kurumi (heh)
Takumi, a high school student, fondly remembers his first love, Wakana, a girl who used to take organ lessons with him. Only then he runs into Wakana, and finds out he's not so much a girl. Then he finds out that he was Wakana's first love, and realizes he doesn't really mind that Wakana's a boy, and they are rabu rabu ever after.
My shopping companions might recognize this as being by the author of Soshite, Ashita mo Kimi ni Koi suru, the adorable collection of one-shots that was almost stolen from me in K-Books. As far as Hatsukoi Cantata goes, the first couple chapters are just as sickeningly adorable. However, the last two chapters were a little disappointing. The one about Wakana's ex-boyfriend seemed unnecessarily angsty, and the last chapter annoyed me because it was about Wakana going on study abroad, and I dislike it when a romantic story ends with the characters being separated. (In this case, only for three months, but still.) And then the extra chapter at the end was about a side character. Huh? Anyway, I still love this one for the beginning, but it wasn't quite as good as it could've been.
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I want to know about THIS, actually. That would be so amusing. Where's the recap for those of us non-JP readers?!
Good luck with part 2. ;)
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This volume gave me a revelation about cardigans on middle-age guys*. Cardigans and long cardigans are both very important. The casual, open feel is the perfect item to transform him into an adorable hetare middle-age guy. Forget naked except for a dress shirt, I think naked except for a cardigan would be the best.
*I hesitate to translate "ossan" as "old man" when she's talking about them so affectionately. Interpret as you will.
(In my head, this paragraph is full of exclamation points, even though she didn't use a single one. Funny.)
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i speek gud english
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re: dress shirts - depends! If we are talking an adult guy, it mostly gets a "meh" from me. But if we are talking younger guy wearing nothing but his boyfriend's oversized shirt, that is a definite moe. Cardigans, who knows? Maybe I need this volume for the revelation, too.
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I am pretty sure I am going to find someway to work this into a conversation every day for the next week.
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THANK YOU for reviews! I have been feeling swamped wondering what to order/read first (these are both intertwined problems since I started ordering a lot more titles before seeing recommendations). I owe s_vamp a bunch of comments too.
I look forward to part 2!
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Oh man, talk about swamped...I have so many books I want to put in my next order. Maybe KBLY is a bad thing for me. :( Anyway, hope the reviews are helpful to you.
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I think it's largely because I find his character design so unappealing
THIS! (And imagine how much more awful it is for a picture-reader.) Sakuragi Yaya betrayed me! And then I feel bad for not wanting to let my favorite artists do "different" things. But Ao's so...Minami Haruka.
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Haha, ouch! it's true, though
The thing is, it's not like I hate every skinny, young-looking character drawn by other artists. (Look at Yamato Nase, for instance. I feel like something's wrong when her ukes look older than 15.) But apparently when Sakuragi Yaya draws them I just...yuck. :/
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