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wednesday_10_00) wrote2011-07-19 03:55 pm
wednesday_10_00) wrote2011-07-19 03:55 pm
Entry tags:
review backlog, part 4
This is super long already, so just two today:
Castle Mango 1 - Konohara Narise/Ogura Muku (sweh!!)
Shirosaki Yorozu lives with his mother and younger brother above a love hotel ("Castle Mango") that was left to them by his father. He often helps out at the hotel after school, and one day meets Togame Shunsuke, a porno director who's renting one of the hotel's rooms for a shoot. Not realizing Yorozu is still in high school, Togame tries to get him to help out on the set by donating his sperm (I...did not know this was a thing--is there an English equivalent to this? Never mind, I don't really want to know.), which doesn't make the best impression with Yorozu. Togame and his crew come back to Castle Mango several times, and at some point Togame makes friends with Yorozu's younger brother Satoru (who's in junior high). Togame likes Satoru because he reminds him of his younger brother (who I assume is dead), but Yorozu doesn't know this; he only knows Togame is gay, and is worried Togame has indecent plans for Satoru. So one day when Togame turns up drunk at the hotel (his coworkers leave him there because he's totally passed out), Yorozu decides to trick Togame into thinking they slept together, so Togame will date Yorozu and leave Satoru alone.
OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS I NEED MORE hnnnnnnggggh--wait, sorry. I like to get the bad stuff out of the way first, so let's just say it: Yorozu is a total jerk to Togame in the beginning. OK, Togame made a bad first impression, but dude, just because he's gay doesn't mean he's hitting on your little brother. (And so Togame tells him, not that it seems to help.) And tricking Togame into going out with him is pretty awful. BUT, the second half of the story, when the two are getting to know each other, is soooooo adorable. (OK, some of the situations the author throws them in are pretty contrived. But it's what they do in those contrived situations that we care about right? And that is totally sweet.) Togame is so...sincere in making a go of it with Yorozu (who he was not interested in AT ALL), considering that Yorozu puts almost no effort in and it would have been easy for Togame to just pretend it never happened. And I think it's so cute of Togame to want to wait until Yorozu is older to have sex, considering he thinks they already had sex.
As for Yorozu--so shy and awkward! ♥ ♥ ♥ And the flashbacks to his childhood are THE CUTEST EVER:
Ogura Muku, I think I love you, please marry me
Yorozu was so serious (especially compared to his adorable brother) that nobody liked him, awwww. :( Also, his dream is to run the best love hotel ever, but of course all the adults around him (other than his mom--she's cool) have done their damnedest to stomp that out of him, so when Togame tells him he approves (and is even jealous, because it's awesome to live in a castle [RIGHT?]), Yorozu's reaction is just heartbreaking--it's like he's been waiting his whole life for someone to tell him this. Also:
When you look at a bunch of goldfish and think one of them looks like your boyfriend, it must be love.
I'm so anxious about the next volume--I want to see more adorableness, but at some point Togame has to find out about Yorozu's trick, which... :/ But so far I really love this.
Voice or Noise 4 - Enjin Yamimaru (meh)
[Note: full summary, as per request. Skip to the end (my review) to avoid spoilers.]
Isadore is still staying at Narusawa's house, and is now following Shinichirou around to the point that Shinichirou is really frustrated and annoyed. Narusawa is at the vet's office, putting up a flyer searching for the mystery rabbit's owner (Acht has named the rabbit "Hanako"), when he notices a dog there crying about how some "huge dog" is going to come and get him. When Narusawa questions the dog (and other animals) more closely, it seems this dog is a ghost. (The best: the vet asks Narusawa if he's worried about Isadore getting too close to Shinichirou, since they're close in age, but Narusawa says that when chased, Shinichirou will run away. That night, Shinichirou stays over at his parents' place, lol.) Shinichirou is sad because his mother is talking about getting a new dog, and he starts thinking about how Flappy died without Shinichirou learning how to talk to him. (er, was Flappy a him? Or her? I don't remember...) He doesn't regret this, exactly, but it still seems to bother him somehow.
Back at Narusawa's place, Shinichirou notices that Hanako is playing with Flappy's old ball, in just the same way Flappy used to. But just then Isadore runs in, worried that a dog is going to eat Shinichirou. It seems Isadore can see ghosts, and is shocked that Shinichirou believes him when he says this. Shinichirou shows Isadore a picture of Flappy, and asks if that was the dog he saw, but Isadore isn't sure. Meanwhile, Acht is feeling sick, and suddenly coughs up a (huge, round) hairball. Isadore claims it's the ghost dog that caused it, which makes Shinichirou mad because he thinks the dog is Flappy. And then Isadore is mad because he thinks Shinichirou doesn't really believe him that he can see ghosts. Shinichirou then peels off the outside of the hairball (EW) to find that Flappy's ball is inside.
As Shinichirou and Isadore are fighting, Narusawa comes in, wondering what the commotion is about. Shinichirou immediately runs over to him, which makes Isadore angry/jealous. He drags Shinichirou upstairs so they can talk about the ghost--except what he really wants to talk about is Shinichirou's relationship to Narusawa. Isadore tries to get Shinichirou to go out with him instead, but of course Shinichirou isn't interested. So Isadore (sighhhhh) tries to force himself on Shinichirou. (Meanwhile, downstairs, Acht: "If you're worried, why don't you go check up on them?" Narusawa: "He's fine." Acht: "Then why are you looking so serious reading the supermarket flyer, dummy?")
Anyway, Narusawa is right: Shinichirou kicks Isadore's ass (actually, smacks him, elbows him in the face, and pulls his hair) and tells him off for what he tried to do. Isadore unwittingly makes things worse by saying that Shinichirou is better off with him because Narusawa is an old man. (This does NOT make Shinichirou happy, lol.) Shinichirou stomps down the stairs (telling Narusawa that just talking with Isadore pisses him off) and runs to Acht for comfort (awww) while Narusawa and Isadore have words--basically, Narusawa tells Isadore he doesn't have a chance with Shinichirou.
The next day, Narusawa, Shinichirou, and Acht are looking for Hana-chan, who has mysteriously disappeared. They start talking about all the strange things about Hanako, and think maybe she (he? I have no idea?) is a ghost, or being possessed by a ghost. (Is Hana-chan the "huge dog"?) Then they head back to the house to fix the leaky roof (which may or may not have something to do with Hana-chan), but somehow in the storage shed, Shinichirou and Narusawa get distracted (lol) and start making out instead.
Isadore spots Hana-chan hanging (by her mouth) from the gutter of the house and decides to climb up and save her (so Shinichrou will like him--right, that'll work). Acht finds Shinichirou and Narusawa in the shed and tells them they need to come and help. When they get to the house, they find Isadore hanging onto the roof with one hand and holding Hana-chan in the other. (Apparently he climbed up bare-handed--smart!) Shinichirou runs off to get the mat, but before he can get back, Isadore falls, landing on Narusawa with a sickening crunch...
[I guess this is NOT the last volume.]
***
OK, so...I don't know how I feel about this. Let's sum up:
A) Acht is super cute
B) Narusawa and Shinichirou are super cute (when they can find two seconds alone)
C) I don't get the ghost dog plot, but whatever
D) GTFO, ISADORE
Does D outweigh A and B? Maybe not totally, but it is REALLY freaking annoying. And, honestly, in general, I find it dumb when an author uses some super-contrived reason to keep the characters from having sex. Like, if they don't want to, whatever, that's cool, but obviously in this case they both want to and are prevented from it because Isadore is there. ANNOYING. Jeez, you guys, go find a love hotel or something. I hear Castle Mango is really great! you can do it on carousel horses, it'll be awesome
Castle Mango 1 - Konohara Narise/Ogura Muku (sweh!!)
Shirosaki Yorozu lives with his mother and younger brother above a love hotel ("Castle Mango") that was left to them by his father. He often helps out at the hotel after school, and one day meets Togame Shunsuke, a porno director who's renting one of the hotel's rooms for a shoot. Not realizing Yorozu is still in high school, Togame tries to get him to help out on the set by donating his sperm (I...did not know this was a thing--is there an English equivalent to this? Never mind, I don't really want to know.), which doesn't make the best impression with Yorozu. Togame and his crew come back to Castle Mango several times, and at some point Togame makes friends with Yorozu's younger brother Satoru (who's in junior high). Togame likes Satoru because he reminds him of his younger brother (who I assume is dead), but Yorozu doesn't know this; he only knows Togame is gay, and is worried Togame has indecent plans for Satoru. So one day when Togame turns up drunk at the hotel (his coworkers leave him there because he's totally passed out), Yorozu decides to trick Togame into thinking they slept together, so Togame will date Yorozu and leave Satoru alone.
OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS I NEED MORE hnnnnnnggggh--wait, sorry. I like to get the bad stuff out of the way first, so let's just say it: Yorozu is a total jerk to Togame in the beginning. OK, Togame made a bad first impression, but dude, just because he's gay doesn't mean he's hitting on your little brother. (And so Togame tells him, not that it seems to help.) And tricking Togame into going out with him is pretty awful. BUT, the second half of the story, when the two are getting to know each other, is soooooo adorable. (OK, some of the situations the author throws them in are pretty contrived. But it's what they do in those contrived situations that we care about right? And that is totally sweet.) Togame is so...sincere in making a go of it with Yorozu (who he was not interested in AT ALL), considering that Yorozu puts almost no effort in and it would have been easy for Togame to just pretend it never happened. And I think it's so cute of Togame to want to wait until Yorozu is older to have sex, considering he thinks they already had sex.
As for Yorozu--so shy and awkward! ♥ ♥ ♥ And the flashbacks to his childhood are THE CUTEST EVER:
Yorozu was so serious (especially compared to his adorable brother) that nobody liked him, awwww. :( Also, his dream is to run the best love hotel ever, but of course all the adults around him (other than his mom--she's cool) have done their damnedest to stomp that out of him, so when Togame tells him he approves (and is even jealous, because it's awesome to live in a castle [RIGHT?]), Yorozu's reaction is just heartbreaking--it's like he's been waiting his whole life for someone to tell him this. Also:
When you look at a bunch of goldfish and think one of them looks like your boyfriend, it must be love.
I'm so anxious about the next volume--I want to see more adorableness, but at some point Togame has to find out about Yorozu's trick, which... :/ But so far I really love this.
Voice or Noise 4 - Enjin Yamimaru (meh)
[Note: full summary, as per request. Skip to the end (my review) to avoid spoilers.]
Isadore is still staying at Narusawa's house, and is now following Shinichirou around to the point that Shinichirou is really frustrated and annoyed. Narusawa is at the vet's office, putting up a flyer searching for the mystery rabbit's owner (Acht has named the rabbit "Hanako"), when he notices a dog there crying about how some "huge dog" is going to come and get him. When Narusawa questions the dog (and other animals) more closely, it seems this dog is a ghost. (The best: the vet asks Narusawa if he's worried about Isadore getting too close to Shinichirou, since they're close in age, but Narusawa says that when chased, Shinichirou will run away. That night, Shinichirou stays over at his parents' place, lol.) Shinichirou is sad because his mother is talking about getting a new dog, and he starts thinking about how Flappy died without Shinichirou learning how to talk to him. (er, was Flappy a him? Or her? I don't remember...) He doesn't regret this, exactly, but it still seems to bother him somehow.
Back at Narusawa's place, Shinichirou notices that Hanako is playing with Flappy's old ball, in just the same way Flappy used to. But just then Isadore runs in, worried that a dog is going to eat Shinichirou. It seems Isadore can see ghosts, and is shocked that Shinichirou believes him when he says this. Shinichirou shows Isadore a picture of Flappy, and asks if that was the dog he saw, but Isadore isn't sure. Meanwhile, Acht is feeling sick, and suddenly coughs up a (huge, round) hairball. Isadore claims it's the ghost dog that caused it, which makes Shinichirou mad because he thinks the dog is Flappy. And then Isadore is mad because he thinks Shinichirou doesn't really believe him that he can see ghosts. Shinichirou then peels off the outside of the hairball (EW) to find that Flappy's ball is inside.
As Shinichirou and Isadore are fighting, Narusawa comes in, wondering what the commotion is about. Shinichirou immediately runs over to him, which makes Isadore angry/jealous. He drags Shinichirou upstairs so they can talk about the ghost--except what he really wants to talk about is Shinichirou's relationship to Narusawa. Isadore tries to get Shinichirou to go out with him instead, but of course Shinichirou isn't interested. So Isadore (sighhhhh) tries to force himself on Shinichirou. (Meanwhile, downstairs, Acht: "If you're worried, why don't you go check up on them?" Narusawa: "He's fine." Acht: "Then why are you looking so serious reading the supermarket flyer, dummy?")
Anyway, Narusawa is right: Shinichirou kicks Isadore's ass (actually, smacks him, elbows him in the face, and pulls his hair) and tells him off for what he tried to do. Isadore unwittingly makes things worse by saying that Shinichirou is better off with him because Narusawa is an old man. (This does NOT make Shinichirou happy, lol.) Shinichirou stomps down the stairs (telling Narusawa that just talking with Isadore pisses him off) and runs to Acht for comfort (awww) while Narusawa and Isadore have words--basically, Narusawa tells Isadore he doesn't have a chance with Shinichirou.
The next day, Narusawa, Shinichirou, and Acht are looking for Hana-chan, who has mysteriously disappeared. They start talking about all the strange things about Hanako, and think maybe she (he? I have no idea?) is a ghost, or being possessed by a ghost. (Is Hana-chan the "huge dog"?) Then they head back to the house to fix the leaky roof (which may or may not have something to do with Hana-chan), but somehow in the storage shed, Shinichirou and Narusawa get distracted (lol) and start making out instead.
Isadore spots Hana-chan hanging (by her mouth) from the gutter of the house and decides to climb up and save her (so Shinichrou will like him--right, that'll work). Acht finds Shinichirou and Narusawa in the shed and tells them they need to come and help. When they get to the house, they find Isadore hanging onto the roof with one hand and holding Hana-chan in the other. (Apparently he climbed up bare-handed--smart!) Shinichirou runs off to get the mat, but before he can get back, Isadore falls, landing on Narusawa with a sickening crunch...
[I guess this is NOT the last volume.]
***
OK, so...I don't know how I feel about this. Let's sum up:
A) Acht is super cute
B) Narusawa and Shinichirou are super cute (when they can find two seconds alone)
C) I don't get the ghost dog plot, but whatever
D) GTFO, ISADORE
Does D outweigh A and B? Maybe not totally, but it is REALLY freaking annoying. And, honestly, in general, I find it dumb when an author uses some super-contrived reason to keep the characters from having sex. Like, if they don't want to, whatever, that's cool, but obviously in this case they both want to and are prevented from it because Isadore is there. ANNOYING. Jeez, you guys, go find a love hotel or something. I hear Castle Mango is really great! you can do it on carousel horses, it'll be awesome
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Voice or Noise: gah, just reading that summary confused me. I think I'll wait around however many years it takes for the next volume to show up. (I think I bought vols 1 and 2, found them confusing, and never got past that point...?)
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Yeah, Enjin Yamimaru definitely has a talent for confusing stories. I just read around the weirdness and enjoy the cute character interactions and pretty art, it's easier that way.
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Google seems to indicate 十亀 should be "Togame."
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I totally agree with your summary of Voice or Noise 4. Especially item 4.
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Isadore is so annoying, ugh.
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Isadore is so annoying, ugh.
Oh god yes, though Acht's reaction to him is hilarious.
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Haha, true, but when is Acht not hilarious? XD
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I <3 your Twilight Sparkle icon^^
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But yeah, it's a fun show^^
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I assumed there was another book out there with Togame's backstory because ... I dunno, it seems like I'm supposed to KNOW why Togame is the way he is (super-serious, but apparently just working to get along rather than pursuing a dream like Yorozu), as well as understanding his interest in Satoru.
OMG! Volume one is so awesome. There's so much that makes me angst (like Togame's earnestness in the face of Yorozu's lie) and so much that makes me happy (like Togame's earnestness in the face of Yorozu's lie). If I had read this before I posted my best kisses, I think some of their make-out sessions would have been a candidate. A little like Freefall Romance, they're erotic because they're not supposed to lead to sex, and because Yorozu didn't expect to be attracted in the first place.
Argh! I hate where volume one leaves off. I would ask when v.2 is due, but what's the point? There's no way I could picture-read this story. Which should be licensed.
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YES! to basically everything in your second paragraph. (Love love love the scene in the park where Yorozu is looking at a cicada and Togame just GRABS him from behind.) I also hate where volume one leaves off, and I'm sorry to say that the two chapters I read after that aren't any happier. The next chapter is in my November BK1 order, I hope things turn around some this time. (The anthology it runs in, incidentally, comes out every other month, and Castle Mango is published in every other issue. So it's a very, very slooooww run.)
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Also, I have to gently disagree with the parenthetical in this statement: Togame is so...sincere in making a go of it with Yorozu (who he was not interested in AT ALL). When drunken Togame wakes up and doesn't initially recognize un-bespectacled Yorozu, he thinks this guy he's in bed with is exactly his type, right? It seems to me the barrier is/was that he wasn't willing to think that way about a high school student.
I really do love the effort Togame was putting into the relationship at the early stage when Yorozu was expressing minimal interest. It was just the right kind of painful.
I want more now so much. So much I want more now.
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When drunken Togame wakes up and doesn't initially recognize un-bespectacled Yorozu, he thinks this guy he's in bed with is exactly his type, right?
Good point! I'd forgotten about that. You're right, I think it was all about Yorozu being a high school student. It's too bad Yorozu couldn't see that, because he might have worried about his brother a little less. But then we would have no plot, so...oh well.
I want more now so much. So much I want more now.
Yes. :(