wednesday (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wednesday_10_00) wrote2011-07-27 02:02 pm
wednesday_10_00) wrote2011-07-27 02:02 pm
random + review backlog, part 5
Will LJ behave long enough for me to post?? It's like playing the lottery! a lottery where everyone loses
Thing 1. I WANT TO LIVE HERE
Thing 2.
Really, Abe Miyuki? It would take you, what, five seconds with google to look up the correct spellings of "Yukon" and "Whitehorse," but you can't do that, not even, maybe, during your research of the Yukon Quest? I can look past Ren and Haruko's terrible e-mails (yeah, they are SUPER fluent in English, uh-huh), but this is just plain lazy.
Moving on:
Finder no Jounetsu - Yamane Ayano (meh)
Plot, there's a plot? Takaba is following an idol and a stalker who stole some guns or something? Whatever.
Honestly, my feelings about this volume are the same as the rest of the series: plot is boring, Asami's a jerk, hate the relationship, love the funny parts. (The 4-koma gags with Asami's secretary are the BEST.) The main part of the story makes me go, "Why am I still buying this?" but the gag chapters make me go, "Oh yeah, for this." But....I was expecting the extra booklet to be that sort of gag chapter, and...I guess it was? But it also confused the crap out of me. Takaba in a three-way with Asami and Fei Long? Really? Was...was that supposed to be canon? :/
Me wo Tojite 3-byou - Aniya Yuuji (sweh)
Chibana Manabu ("Chiba") has a trick of closing his eyes and counting to three to control his emotions, but it doesn't work to suppress the love he feels for his best friend, Kaji Hiroto. When Chiba's father announces that they're moving, Chiba plans on confessing his feelings to Hiroto, but things don't go as planned.
So, I've been trying to figure out why I like this so much when![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
spacealien_vamp didn't really care for it, and I think it has to do with pining, which I love, and (as I recall from discussion during the 30 days meme) she doesn't really like. Specifically for this book, she said that she hated the parts that were from Hiroto's view, whereas I was totally eating up the tragedy of both of them being in love but unable to say so. (Hiroto was going to confess at the same time! Oh! ;_;) I also love the details in Hiroto's POV, like when he thinks that whenever Chiba does his trick of closing his eyes, he knows whatever Chiba says is most likely the opposite of what he's really thinking. So Chiba thinks he's "controlling" his emotions, but really he's just telling Hiroto "I'm about to tell you a polite lie."
I do have to say that I hated that the characters were separated for four years (There was...some yelling when I got to that part), but I do like that it gives the characters some chance to grow up. (Well, Hiroto grows up, anyway. Not really sure if Chiba changes at all? Though I do like the scene where he's talking to his stepdad. PS I heart Chiba's two dads.) And when you see how much they still love each other after being apart, it's just...;_;
Junjou Mistake - Nakamura Shungiku (heh)
[Note: full summary, as per request. Skip to my review at the end to avoid spoilers.]
Act 1
Isaka Ryuuichirou is 22 and working as an editor at Marukawa, his father's company. He wants to be a writer, but (as Asahina points out), hasn't actually bothered writing anything. Asahina Kaoru has worked for the Isaka family since he was a kid, and is currently Ryuuichirou's...manservant? caretaker? (not sure what the best translation for 世話係 is) When Asahina was a kid, his father's company went bankrupt and (this is reasonable...) he packed them up in the car and tried to run the whole family off a cliff. Fortunately, no one actually died, and Isaka's dad happened along the accident scene, and, when he heard the story, offered to let them come home with him to be live-in servants. So Asahina and Isaka grew up together and Isaka has been in love with Asahina for as long as he can remember...but he feels his love is hopeless, since Asahina is in love with Isaka's father.
At work, Isaka is really good at his job, but everyone thinks he's just riding his father's coattails. (In fact, there's a scene just like the one Ritsu faced in Sekaiichi, where the book he edited is first in sales rankings, but the other editors all say he only got that author by being the company president's son. Isaka handles things a little differently, though--he tells the people off directly, saying the author was a total nobody before he started working with Isaka.)
After work, Isaka stops at the bookstore and spots a book that Akihiko had wanted to read, and decides to take it to him. (Isaka is a friend of Haruhiko, if you recall.) While waiting for (tiny!) Akihiko to come home from school, Isaka stumbles on a book Akihiko is writing. Akihiko is upset when he comes home and finds Isaka reading it, but Isaka tells him he definitely needs to have it published (preferably at Marukawa). On the way home, Isaka is really depressed because Akihiko's writing has made him realize that he has no talent himself. He thinks about how he likes to see Asahina when he's depressed, and sure enough, Asahina realizes right away that something is wrong with Isaka (though he thinks it's a cold, of course, because that's the only thing ever wrong with anybody in Japan). Isaka thinks about how what he really wants is Asahina, so grabs and kisses him. Asahina pushes him away, and then his phone happens to ring; it's Isaka's father. Seeing Asahina smile while talking to Isaka-papa, Isaka gets furious. He grabs Asahina's phone, throws it on the ground, and tells Asahina "If you hate working with me so much, you should just quit!" They argue for a bit more, and then Asahina really does leave.
Some time passes, and Isaka continues to regret his words. Asahina not only left taking care of Isaka, but also left Marukawa's editing department to work as a secretary. Isaka wants to apologize and have things the way they were, but doesn't know what to say, or even if Asahina would want to come back to work for a guy who kissed him. As he's worrying about this, Asahina shows up, saying he's moving into his own apartment (he had been living with his parents on the Isaka family grounds). He gives Isaka a plant, saying that he's "returning" it, not that Isaka has any idea what he's talking about.
Isaka takes the plant into the living room, where his mom and a maid (is this Asahina's mom?) are. Isaka-mama says how much she likes naruko-yuri, but the maid corrects her and says that it's amadokoro. She reminds Isaka-mama of the time she bought an amadokoro, thinking it was a naruko-yuri and got mad, saying it was like a knock-off brand. This triggers Isaka remembering that he took the unwanted plant and "lent" it to Asahina, because the hanakotoba for amadokoro is "cheer up." He says that he can't be around Asahina all the time, so when he's feeling down, this plant can take his place and cheer up Asahina. Isaka realizes that this must be the same plant. Asahina has been taking care of it since they were little kids.
Just then, Isaka gets a text from someone at work asking him if it's true that Asahina is quitting Marukawa? Isaka runs off (in the rain) to Asahina's new apartment to confront him. It's true...but Asahina says that it's because he's in love with Isaka (SHOCK) and feels like he can't be around him anymore. (He was never in love with Isaka-papa; he just admires him and is grateful that he saved the Asahina family.) When Isaka asks why Asahina pushed him away when he kissed him, he says he assumed Isaka knew about his feelings and was teasing him. But Isaka says that he feels the same, and they have sex in the shower (to keep Isaka from catching cold, of course).
Asahina does not go back to the editing department, however; he's realized he's better suited to being a secretary. At work, the chief editor gets on the elevator with Asahina and Isaka, excited about the amaaaaaaazing manuscript they got from Akihiko. (He doesn't say so, but I think hearing this, Asahina realizes why Isaka gave up wanting to write.) Asahina tells Isaka to hurry up and move up in the company so Asahina can be his secretary before Isaka-papa claims him. Isaka suggests he hang a sign around his neck that says "on loan." Isaka settles down at his desk to read the amaaaaaaazing manuscript, but he's not sad anymore, because he got what he really wanted.
Act 2
[Back in the "present"]
Isaka thinks that Asahina is acting strange. One night when Isaka is hanging out at Asahina's apartment, Asahina kicks him out, saying they already spend all day at work together. Isaka, bummed, goes to visit Akhiko and Misaki, but isn't really comforted because Akihiko suggests Asahina has a girlfriend. Isaka thinks there's no way Asahina would cheat on him, but he can't get the idea out of his mind. So when Asahina leaves after work, Isaka follows him. But his suspicions are confirmed when Asahina goes to a flower shop to buy a bouquet, oh noes! When they get to Asahina's apartment, Isaka bursts in, expecting to confront the girl, but of course nobody is there. Asahina explains that the flowers are for Isaka, because it's the 10th anniversary of Isaka confessing his feelings. He also explains that he has to kick Isaka out of his apartment sometimes because he already thinks about Isaka 24 hours a day, and doesn't want to think about him any more than that.
Later that night, Isaka looks up the hanakotoba for pink roses and they can be for someone who's pregnant, and totally freaks out. (But of course Asahina just bought them on suggestion from the shop clerk.)
***
The first story I like OK, although I think it's completely unbelievable that Isaka forgets about giving Asahina the plant. The second story is just dumb. Really? You think your boyfriend is cheating on you because he wants to spent five minutes alone? Oh, whatever. TBH, my favorite part is the shot of Isaka's phone, which looks like an iPhone but has a bear on the back instead of an apple. I would totally buy a sticker for my phone that made it look like that.
Thing 1. I WANT TO LIVE HERE
Thing 2.
Really, Abe Miyuki? It would take you, what, five seconds with google to look up the correct spellings of "Yukon" and "Whitehorse," but you can't do that, not even, maybe, during your research of the Yukon Quest? I can look past Ren and Haruko's terrible e-mails (yeah, they are SUPER fluent in English, uh-huh), but this is just plain lazy.
Moving on:
Finder no Jounetsu - Yamane Ayano (meh)
Plot, there's a plot? Takaba is following an idol and a stalker who stole some guns or something? Whatever.
Honestly, my feelings about this volume are the same as the rest of the series: plot is boring, Asami's a jerk, hate the relationship, love the funny parts. (The 4-koma gags with Asami's secretary are the BEST.) The main part of the story makes me go, "Why am I still buying this?" but the gag chapters make me go, "Oh yeah, for this." But....I was expecting the extra booklet to be that sort of gag chapter, and...I guess it was? But it also confused the crap out of me. Takaba in a three-way with Asami and Fei Long? Really? Was...was that supposed to be canon? :/
Me wo Tojite 3-byou - Aniya Yuuji (sweh)
Chibana Manabu ("Chiba") has a trick of closing his eyes and counting to three to control his emotions, but it doesn't work to suppress the love he feels for his best friend, Kaji Hiroto. When Chiba's father announces that they're moving, Chiba plans on confessing his feelings to Hiroto, but things don't go as planned.
So, I've been trying to figure out why I like this so much when
spacealien_vamp didn't really care for it, and I think it has to do with pining, which I love, and (as I recall from discussion during the 30 days meme) she doesn't really like. Specifically for this book, she said that she hated the parts that were from Hiroto's view, whereas I was totally eating up the tragedy of both of them being in love but unable to say so. (Hiroto was going to confess at the same time! Oh! ;_;) I also love the details in Hiroto's POV, like when he thinks that whenever Chiba does his trick of closing his eyes, he knows whatever Chiba says is most likely the opposite of what he's really thinking. So Chiba thinks he's "controlling" his emotions, but really he's just telling Hiroto "I'm about to tell you a polite lie."I do have to say that I hated that the characters were separated for four years (There was...some yelling when I got to that part), but I do like that it gives the characters some chance to grow up. (Well, Hiroto grows up, anyway. Not really sure if Chiba changes at all? Though I do like the scene where he's talking to his stepdad. PS I heart Chiba's two dads.) And when you see how much they still love each other after being apart, it's just...;_;
Junjou Mistake - Nakamura Shungiku (heh)
[Note: full summary, as per request. Skip to my review at the end to avoid spoilers.]
Act 1
Isaka Ryuuichirou is 22 and working as an editor at Marukawa, his father's company. He wants to be a writer, but (as Asahina points out), hasn't actually bothered writing anything. Asahina Kaoru has worked for the Isaka family since he was a kid, and is currently Ryuuichirou's...manservant? caretaker? (not sure what the best translation for 世話係 is) When Asahina was a kid, his father's company went bankrupt and (this is reasonable...) he packed them up in the car and tried to run the whole family off a cliff. Fortunately, no one actually died, and Isaka's dad happened along the accident scene, and, when he heard the story, offered to let them come home with him to be live-in servants. So Asahina and Isaka grew up together and Isaka has been in love with Asahina for as long as he can remember...but he feels his love is hopeless, since Asahina is in love with Isaka's father.
At work, Isaka is really good at his job, but everyone thinks he's just riding his father's coattails. (In fact, there's a scene just like the one Ritsu faced in Sekaiichi, where the book he edited is first in sales rankings, but the other editors all say he only got that author by being the company president's son. Isaka handles things a little differently, though--he tells the people off directly, saying the author was a total nobody before he started working with Isaka.)
After work, Isaka stops at the bookstore and spots a book that Akihiko had wanted to read, and decides to take it to him. (Isaka is a friend of Haruhiko, if you recall.) While waiting for (tiny!) Akihiko to come home from school, Isaka stumbles on a book Akihiko is writing. Akihiko is upset when he comes home and finds Isaka reading it, but Isaka tells him he definitely needs to have it published (preferably at Marukawa). On the way home, Isaka is really depressed because Akihiko's writing has made him realize that he has no talent himself. He thinks about how he likes to see Asahina when he's depressed, and sure enough, Asahina realizes right away that something is wrong with Isaka (though he thinks it's a cold, of course, because that's the only thing ever wrong with anybody in Japan). Isaka thinks about how what he really wants is Asahina, so grabs and kisses him. Asahina pushes him away, and then his phone happens to ring; it's Isaka's father. Seeing Asahina smile while talking to Isaka-papa, Isaka gets furious. He grabs Asahina's phone, throws it on the ground, and tells Asahina "If you hate working with me so much, you should just quit!" They argue for a bit more, and then Asahina really does leave.
Some time passes, and Isaka continues to regret his words. Asahina not only left taking care of Isaka, but also left Marukawa's editing department to work as a secretary. Isaka wants to apologize and have things the way they were, but doesn't know what to say, or even if Asahina would want to come back to work for a guy who kissed him. As he's worrying about this, Asahina shows up, saying he's moving into his own apartment (he had been living with his parents on the Isaka family grounds). He gives Isaka a plant, saying that he's "returning" it, not that Isaka has any idea what he's talking about.
Isaka takes the plant into the living room, where his mom and a maid (is this Asahina's mom?) are. Isaka-mama says how much she likes naruko-yuri, but the maid corrects her and says that it's amadokoro. She reminds Isaka-mama of the time she bought an amadokoro, thinking it was a naruko-yuri and got mad, saying it was like a knock-off brand. This triggers Isaka remembering that he took the unwanted plant and "lent" it to Asahina, because the hanakotoba for amadokoro is "cheer up." He says that he can't be around Asahina all the time, so when he's feeling down, this plant can take his place and cheer up Asahina. Isaka realizes that this must be the same plant. Asahina has been taking care of it since they were little kids.
Just then, Isaka gets a text from someone at work asking him if it's true that Asahina is quitting Marukawa? Isaka runs off (in the rain) to Asahina's new apartment to confront him. It's true...but Asahina says that it's because he's in love with Isaka (SHOCK) and feels like he can't be around him anymore. (He was never in love with Isaka-papa; he just admires him and is grateful that he saved the Asahina family.) When Isaka asks why Asahina pushed him away when he kissed him, he says he assumed Isaka knew about his feelings and was teasing him. But Isaka says that he feels the same, and they have sex in the shower (to keep Isaka from catching cold, of course).
Asahina does not go back to the editing department, however; he's realized he's better suited to being a secretary. At work, the chief editor gets on the elevator with Asahina and Isaka, excited about the amaaaaaaazing manuscript they got from Akihiko. (He doesn't say so, but I think hearing this, Asahina realizes why Isaka gave up wanting to write.) Asahina tells Isaka to hurry up and move up in the company so Asahina can be his secretary before Isaka-papa claims him. Isaka suggests he hang a sign around his neck that says "on loan." Isaka settles down at his desk to read the amaaaaaaazing manuscript, but he's not sad anymore, because he got what he really wanted.
Act 2
[Back in the "present"]
Isaka thinks that Asahina is acting strange. One night when Isaka is hanging out at Asahina's apartment, Asahina kicks him out, saying they already spend all day at work together. Isaka, bummed, goes to visit Akhiko and Misaki, but isn't really comforted because Akihiko suggests Asahina has a girlfriend. Isaka thinks there's no way Asahina would cheat on him, but he can't get the idea out of his mind. So when Asahina leaves after work, Isaka follows him. But his suspicions are confirmed when Asahina goes to a flower shop to buy a bouquet, oh noes! When they get to Asahina's apartment, Isaka bursts in, expecting to confront the girl, but of course nobody is there. Asahina explains that the flowers are for Isaka, because it's the 10th anniversary of Isaka confessing his feelings. He also explains that he has to kick Isaka out of his apartment sometimes because he already thinks about Isaka 24 hours a day, and doesn't want to think about him any more than that.
Later that night, Isaka looks up the hanakotoba for pink roses and they can be for someone who's pregnant, and totally freaks out. (But of course Asahina just bought them on suggestion from the shop clerk.)
***
The first story I like OK, although I think it's completely unbelievable that Isaka forgets about giving Asahina the plant. The second story is just dumb. Really? You think your boyfriend is cheating on you because he wants to spent five minutes alone? Oh, whatever. TBH, my favorite part is the shot of Isaka's phone, which looks like an iPhone but has a bear on the back instead of an apple. I would totally buy a sticker for my phone that made it look like that.
la la la comment necromancy
Don't feel unbrainy; I tried to reply to this entry a bunch of times before simply to say the bookshelves look dreamy in that person's house, but would really just beget spiders and render all my wall art useless so I didn't want them. :P I also (!) like long uninterrupted planks the most, but I hate saggy shelves too, so... evil evils, must decide. ;)
But I think the more books the more aesthetically pleasing. ;) (I want to live in a castle like Belle and have THAT library!)