Special Parfait of the Week: Mademoiselle Butterfly

Mademoiselle Butterfly
Our heroine is a girl who lives as a geisha in Japan. She has a male childhood friend who’s always been kind to her and is her favorite. He’s a painter, only he paints on human body parts, and she loves it when he paints beautiful butterflies on her arms. She goes to visit him one day and finds a naked woman lying in his room. Immediately after, she gets a customer who’s rich and very interested in her. The thought of being away from her friend pains her, but is everything really too late? (Aerandria Scans)

I've been reading this manga before I started on Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen, which is the author's current ongoing series. Aside from the pretty art . . . what made me read this manga? Those who know me pretty well can probably guess it. Yes, it's mainly because of the word "butterfly" on the title! Hahahaha! And well, the plot had been interesting for me, and I like historical shoujo, so why not give it a try?

And I ended up loving it~ I had been anticipating like crazy on when the next chapter would be released. Haha!

The leading girl is called "Butterfly". . . and the leading guy drew a butterfly on her . . . uuumm . . . yeah, little things like that is already fanservice to me. Haha!

The leading guy is my freakin' favorite~ I'm a sucker for goodlooking artists . . . and he's also very kindhearted and loving~ I like his brother too~ His brother's relationship with a certain pair of twin girls is full of cute~ (It will be spoilery if I say what the twins exactly are to him). And oh I like the leading girl! She's cute, and in a way a martyr . . . but I really like it that she had still loved her family even if they did that to her. I can't hate these types of selfless people.

As for the love story, it's very cute and romantic~ They may be a little cheesy, but at least not disgustingly mushy . . . at least to me.

I find the story very very very nice. It's not perfect but I'm satisfied with the events and how things happened. I'm happy with the ending too.

This is one of those very few shoujo manga that I don't consider crap, so of course I highly recommend this very sweet manga series~

+C: Sword and Cornett - Chapter 10

Only one chapter to go and the second volume is fully scanlated~ Hooray! It had been a good chapter, as usual. Our main character had behaved, and I can't believe I didn't hate my hatest character in this chapter. . .

I'll start with my favorite portion:

When I see Belca around the Captain, he's Mariebelle to my eyes. Damnit . . .
Belca was being such a worry freak~ and . . . the Captain saying it's his honor to risk his life for Mariebelle his highness. . . and Belca saying that he's not worthy of it . . . and both of them are blushing. Oh my OTP . . . oh my OTP . . . why so adorable . . . freakin' crack adorable . . . oh you two *glee*

About Musca, so her stubborness to see her brother and meeting Belca's buddy actually saved her. When she said she was sick, it made me think that she actually had some sort of illness even though she looked very healthy. But it turns out that the people working for her made her sick, and she was tricked on the medicine she's taking . . . because instead of making her feel better, the "medicine" is what's slowly killing her. I find the twist really awesome~
Poor royal family for not having truthfully loyal subordinates in the palace . . . it's so sad that those royal families who are decent get betrayed while those royal families who are cruel get devotion. It's not always like that of course, but it's really sad to see such.
Back to Musca . . . I was honestly wishing that that guy didn't find it out. I want her dead . . . *evil fan*

Now to the events in the chapter:

Alright! Belca didn't behave like a close-minded idiot this time. He had realized his actions . . . he's aware that he's being a fool for doing that. Oh thank goodness for the personality development on Belca. He's not a 100% emo idiot and he's a prince who has brains and knows self control. His improvement wasn't instant of course. He did it little by little. And he had been successful. I love him~

He's able to talk calmly in front of an Amontel now. no more calling of them as monsters. He even thought of asking a favor! Of course the Amontel didn't take that easily, after all that he had called them. But well, he's desperate . . . he no longer cares if he's doing something shameful.

He wants to rescue Eco and have the Captain freed. He would do anything for them, just for the sake of those two.
Yeah, yeah, he's one of those self sacrificial main characters. Those types could be annoying actually. . . Eliot from Pandora Hearts had detailed on how pathetic they actually are. But I still admire such selfless characters, especially if they are of a high social status. In this series, we have a prince who is willing to do anything for a friend and a subordinate. Royal families are meant to serve the people after all. How could they be considered honorable nobles if they're not willing to risk everything for others? I really love it when the princes and other royal members are those who are doing the protection of ordinary people.
But back to the manga, of course the Amontel didn't believe him easily. And yes, especially after what he had been yelling at them.

Shingetsu had a suggestion though. She went as far as taking a life. That's too much (the other Amontel think so as well) but . . .Belca did say that he'll do anything after all.

So he agrees, and even gives Shingetsu his gratitude. But well, he's the main character, and there's no way this series is ending yet . . . so . . . .as if he'll be killed~ We already know what happens next but . . .

It was so funny on when Shingetsu keeps on saying how stupid Belca had been. Haha! Even Belca lost count. Wahehehehe!
It's obvious that Shingetsu was just testing him, to see if he's really true to his word. She already had an idea that he's really a selfless guy back when they first met. She had noticed that Belca really let himself be captured for the captain's sake. Oh my OTP
And since Shingetsu released him from being tied up, then I believe it's safe to assume that she doesn't think of him as an enemy or a threat anymore. Belca got their trust.
It's possible that Hector had also gained their trust in a similar way. Shingetsu says she hasn't seen a human that stupid, and it also looks like she gets to chat with Hector. Shingetsu had mentioned that Hector had called Belca the worrisome brother (Oh he was soooooo right~ Belca's bad boy image in the first chapter was such a lie! He's a worry freak that's incredibly moe~ Wahahaha!).
I won't be surprised if Belca becomes close to Amontel like Hector had been. It's making me think that Belca might also fall in love with an Amontel. I would like Belca x Shingetsu~ . . . Shingetsu's the manlier one though . . . . bwahahahahahha!!!!!

But I'm for my crack pairing forever! Heheheheehe~

Ah, other stuff. I fidn it weird that Belca's friend didn't have a name. . . Musca even needed to give him one. Shamrock . . . not a bad name. But hhhmm . . . it seems like subordinates/soldiers/knights/mercenaries/etc. in the palace don't get to have names. That explains why the captain's name is still not yet revealed to us . . .
Fufu~ What if it's Mariebelle Belca who's going to give him a name? Oh my OTP fantasies again. Bwahahahaha!

And about Dietrich . . . uuuggghh . . . so evil for him to use an Amontel to track its own kind. He's so evil . . . I don't think he deserves to be Roderich's (of Hetalia) look alike. Ggggrrr . . . .

Okay . . . now I'm really excited for the next chapter because . . . Eco's back and I see Mariebelle!!! Ohohohohohoh!!!!

Manga Discovery: Clear Qualia

Clear Qualia
( Kuria Kuoria | Clear Kuoria )
by ENDOU Minari
In a distant Island, people suffer from a strange disease called "Pinocchio". This disease causes patient's limbs to rot, and before long, leads to death. But disease can be cured by using artificial limbs or "exchanging" limbs of people with special antibodies. These people with the antibodies, who only exist one in ten-thousand, are called "Doner", and their bodies considered national treasures. One day, Dorothy, a Doner, exchanges her precious right eye for a male Plastica(robot servents) who was about to get thrown away. Their meeting sparks the beginning of a story of a strange master and her strange Plastica. (ruggia via MangaHelpers)

Three main reasons why I checked out this manga: 1) the one translating has similar tastes as I do; 2) I see fairy tale references, specifically "Pinocchio". . . I cannot ignore; 3) though it's by the mangaka by Hatenkou Yugi, which I disliked; it's also by the mangaka of Maria+Holic, which I liked.

Now that I've read it . . . well, it didn't get me addicted but I do like it. I don't like it enough to look forward to every chapter . . . but I like it enough to finish it. I guess the story and characters didn't grab much . . . but they honestly weren't bad at all.

Though the manga had fairy tale reference and had a fairy tale feel to it . . . the fairy tale stuff in it are just used for comparisons or simply mentioned casually . . . not that the events or characters have been representing their counterparts in those fairy tales. I didn't expect that . . . but I like it when things are different from what I've expected . . . as long as they're not negative of course . . . it's nice to be surprised~

About the story . . . I don't know what to say about it because nothing has happened much . . . from the scanlated chapters so far. We just get to know that our main character bought a plastica and people who know she's a donor are after her. And then? I . . . I don't know why I feel that nothing happened much even though there are really things going on in those chapters. Perhaps I got too used to fast paced series? But this isn't exactly slow paced either . . . so weird. Anyway, there are things happening in the later chapters. I couldn't understand what's going on unfortunately because of my mediocre Japanaese . . . so I can't say if they're interesting or not.

Speaking of what's interesting . . . the most interesting for me in this manga so far is Ponkotsu, the leading guy. He's definitely no ordinary Plastica . . because he can act, think, and even have feelings like a human. And there's this flashback of him killing a certain human. I would really like to know more of his background.

Dorothy is one of the leading ladies that I don't dislike. She's not a favorite though. I like her crack moments with the other guys . . . . but at times I also find her boring for some reason. She's just okay and pretty interesting . . . but not enough to make me admire her a lot . . . . but I salute to her for not being despicable. Hehe.

Only the leading pair had been interesting because only they had a little background, development, and had big roles in the series. Dorothy's guardian was entertaining, but unfortunately we don't get to know much about him, aside from being the dude who is strict and pretty protective of Dorothy and one who dislikes Ponkotsu. Did he even get a name? All I remember was him being called an evil stepmother! Hahaha!

It had crack . . . and it was entertaining~ It also had a few dark and twisted stuff (just when the hell is "eye-taking" in fantasy not something twisted?). There was a little action . . . they looked cool but . . . not awesome enough for me. Maybe I've been reading too many action series that action in shoujo no longer appeals to me much. Ehehehe.

Anyway, this series is about some deadly disease, right? Like other series with epidemics, it had been shown here on what heights one could do if they're very desperate. Desperate humans could be really dangerous. Also, it had the robots stuff too. Since robots are created to serve humans, they were treated as tools. They're not really appreciated, and since they're imitations . . . they're considered second-rate. It's the opposite of the concept at the manga Ilegenes though, wherein the clones or non-humans are more appreciated because they had become more beautiful and perfect compare to original ones. That manga makes you think that what's natural and original is still the best . . . . but in this one, it makes you realize that imitations and other man-made beings are also to be admired and appreciated. They both have a point.

I like it when a shoujo manga isn't just a simple boy-meets-girl-then-fall-in-love story. It's really nice if there's more to it, whether in the story, the character, elsewhere, or all. I like this manga for not being a typical shoujo~

READ: 1 volume with 2 scanlated chapters of a 2 volume complete manga
VERDICT: Finishing When it's Fully Scanlated . . . OR Might Read From Time to Time
Fairy tale manga . . . I can't ignore~ It's also by the mangaka of Maria+Holic, a series I liked, so I gave it a try~
I wasn't hooked but it was a pretty good shoujo manga~ I like it~ I hope it gets finished in scanlations soon~

07-Ghost - Episode 21

Oh episodes from this series recently have been really really awesome~ I only didn't hurry in watching it out of character bias . . .ehehe . . . but I love the series just the same~
Entrance exams in the anime and manga universe are pretty common, on whatever genre. . . usually on action/adventure though. In 07-Ghost is one of those exams that I don't find . . .typical. I hope more series are like this~

Exam started with the leading character not being qualified for an exam because he doesn't have power of all times. The leading character doesn't always need miracles to be able to go through the exam. He got help from someone . . . it's a character that we have no idea how he met though (at least, I don't remember) . . . but I really like it that there had been a character who hadn't been selfish . . . and the position that they want to take is for people who aren't selfish. Those people who help deserve winning~

Like many exams, we have an elimination round . . . awesome that this round is like a horror scene, with ghostly hands pulling you down~ Elimination rounds are meant to surprise you on the difficulty though in actuality they are very easy to get through. It's really good that your will to fight is tested first . . . without it there's no point to go through the whole process~

Just when the hell have been an exam for a religious position involved math??!!! Haha! Looks like our bishop exam isn't just about memorizing scriptures and fighting, but even on computation and analysis. Different brain skills being tested, awesome~

They answer questions not through pen and paper . . . but they use their powers . . . and they don't only answer on something that stands still . . . but even on their opponents. We see the teamwork on question-and-answer portions, because not only Hakuren knows everything, but there are some things that only Teito has remembered.

The exam also puts you through life-and-death situations . . . because you don't only have to use your brain cells . . .you also have to rush or else you'll drown. Fortunately, Teito has a reliable partner who lets him save his energy. Not all the students who had made on that round were able to hold their breath long . . . and Teito, being such a nice boy as usual, help the guy even if he didn't need to. The proctors have been acting indifferent, and that got Teito pissed off. I like it that it's shown that some examination proctors could be assholes.

Not only your skills and knowledge were tested, but even your balancing and reflexes. Teito was nice enough as usual to carry other "examinees". They didn't want to hold each other down, and say that they could be depended upon if anything goes wrong. Oh what partnership~ They had been safe in this round thanks to Hakuren~

Final round is a battle! Oh if this was typical shounen they would have fought already to see who's the victor. But in this one, they really really insist on letting the other become victorious instead. Since they really don't want to fight, they both chose the path of the defeated. They even ignored the offer of letting them going to the path of victory. They had been that humble and generous. Necessary traits of the position they're aiming for~

I was giggling on this part because it seemed like a final round and Teito called Lance the last boss. What's this, a video game? Hahaha! Well, the final test is to answer why they chose that door.

Since they answered correctly, they passed~ They possessed the traits that have been necessary to become a bishop. This is a test wherein the "losers path" is what will make you pass, first time I've encountered that. Of course the main characters have passed it, but at least it didn't take them so many chapters and episodes to end an exam (I'm looking at you Naruto!!! Uuuuggghh . . . . those exams took so long . . . .)

Oh I wish more exam stuff in fantasy/action/adventure anime are like this. Creative, not freakin' long, and not typical either. So awesome . . .so awesome . . . .I love 07-Ghost.

Though I have to admit that their lines of "I want to protect my friends" had been sooooo OVERUSED. Even if it's something noble and nice, it's really irritating if characters keep on saying it. You don't need to repeat your reason for fighting, jeez.

Here's my favorite part in the exam:

Teito saying that he'll watch Hakuren's back . . .and Hakuren saying that he won't hold Teito down . . . then later Teito sneezes, making Hakuren surprised and almost fell. Bwahahahahahha~

More about bishop examinees, we get to learn that Frau and Castor used to be partners:

and they used to fail for 2 years all because of Frau. Hahahahhahaa!!!! Isn't it awesome that the powerful and prodigy bishops had actually failed in their exams??? Hahahhaha!!!!!

Ah, other stuff about the episode:

Aya-tan is just so hott as usual The empire had found out about Mikhail . . . . and it looks like they want to get rid of Teito, so that Raggs won't be revived again. Aya-tan is already a big problem, but now facing the whole empire??!!! What destiny Teito has . . . .for a Raggs prince and a holder of the Eye.

I know my beloved had scenes in this episode but . . . they were just the same as with the previous ones, And the one with the eye open had his back faced on the audience, so we can't tell if it's Mikhail or Teito with just the eye open.

Alright, next episode:

I do not have any memory of this because I can't remember the manga . . . I'm also lazy to reread . . . except on the chapter which Mikhail had appeared. I will recheck the manga if he appears in the episode. Heeheeehee~ But well, I know next episode will be awesome anyway~ Hehe. Looking forward to it~

Pandora Hearts - Episode 18, 19, & 20

I have been so behind on Pandora Hearts (much more on Shangri-La. . . eep) and look how much awesomeness and epic LOLz I've missed . . . *sad*

Ah, well, better late than never. Jack says hi:

Only around five episodes left and Pandora Hearts is going to end but . . . . it keeps on getting better and better . . . Yay~

[ Pandora Hearts - Episode 18 ]

In this episode, Oz finally meets the new characters Eliot Nightray and his servant Leo. Their master-servant relationship is very different from Oz and Gilbert though. But both have been cute~
Eliot seems to be the type who discriminates people based on their race/family and personality . . . but Leo and Ada keep on saying that he's actually a nice person. And he really is. Eliot had been awesome for bravely saving Oz and Ada when the Baskervilles got them. Leo + gun = awesome.
And about the Baskervilles, looks like Gil, Vincent, Alice, and Break aren't the only ones from a hundred years ago~

This had been a really good episode, and my favorite part is:



OZ AND ELIOT ARE HARDCORE NOVEL READERS!!!!! YAHOOOOO!!!!
And the series is entitled Holy Knight??? Oh wow . . . my type already . . . .
THEY ARE ALSO GREAT EXAMPLES OF A HUGE FAN AND A CHARACTER BASHER!!!!!!!!
With Oz being the fan . . . more like a FANGURL actually. I can't imagine a guy say "I LOVE EDGAR". Bwahahahahhaahahha!!!!!
And then with Eliot being The Basher, who will be able to say in many details on what makes the character so despicable.
FANDOM TRAITS IN MY FANDOM!!!!!! THIS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, also, it made me giggle so much when Leo said that one of the unforgivable sins is SPOLING!!! Wahahahahahah!!!! Poor Oz for beign spoiled~ I don't mind being spoiled though~ Ohohoho!

[ Pandora Hearts - Episode 19 ]

By the way, the Baskervilles want Jack from Oz, to ask him where the hell their boss Glen is. Jack showed up alright, through possessing Oz again (this posession thing makes me think of 07-Ghost. The oen possessing is also more powerful than the main character . . . . I like Mikhail more than Teito though . . . but between Oz and Jack . . .damnit, don't make me choose. They're the same person to me. . . . ) But Jack only took over to drive them away; then leaves after his job is done.
In this episode we get a flashback. Glen and Jack were friends, and the pocketwatch that Oz has is their masterpiece; Glen did the music while Jack used it for the musical watch. It seemed that Glen was a guy who's often alone . . .which is a surprise that Jack, his complete opposite, got along with him. It also looked that Glen was happy having Jack around, especially that beign proud of their work is what made him smile, which is something considered rare to people working for Glen.
However, for some reason, Glen wanted to do massacre, and ordered his men to do it without mercy. Jack doesn't want to kill him, but he had to point a blade at him. And the legend goes that Jack killed Glen . . . and that's what made him the Hero of that tragedy. Not all heroes are exactly 100% happy of what happened during their accomplishement.
Now back to Oz . . . he had some character development here. We all know that Oz was the type who doesn't care about himself . . . . and that's why he likes the character Edgar so much because it reminds the character of himself (Most fans are like that . . . fans of characters who are like them.) Anyway, I love selfless dudes, but at times their "selfless" acts are also out of selfishness. Eliot had been so detailed in explaining that. But Oz had a reason behind it, and explained it all to Eliot. Eliot finally understood why Oz was behaving that way so he stopped insulting the guy. Oz was surprised for doing that because he hasn't even told such things to Gil (he didn't need to though since Gil already knows and understands~) . . . but saying it made him feel better. Oh the importance of sharing your problems to others . . . . even if it didn't exactly solve the problem . . . just telling about it lightens the burden.
Well, Oz notices the stupid things he had done and went depressed. He's back to his usual lonely self, being in despair. Fortunately, Eliot was there to make him realize that he had actually taken a step forward in solving his self problem by actually realizing it. Oz is such an idiot that he needs people to mention to him if there's somethign wrong with him or if he had finally done someimprovement. This shows the importance of having people supporting us . . . guiding us . . . cheering us on!
I really really love the emotional/behavioral/psychological/sociological aspects in this series~ We have characters with different problems, and different causes . . . but we also see how they step forward and improve themselves.
Ah~ beautiful life lessons learned in anime~ Really wonderful~

Alright, this had been a very very good episode, but my favorite part is:



I feel like a sadist for loving to see my favorite bishies tortured Wahahaha!

And oh, about Lottie, I like her~ She's the evil bitch type who has a huge crush on her master~ Not to mention she's pretty~ And I love it that she bullies Jack~ And her dress had butterfly designs~ Heeeheehee~

[ Pandora Hearts - Episode 20 ]

This episode is mostly a filler . . . but oh boy what an entertaining filler it is~ I don't think it's an anime filler though because the events are familiar . . .. I really think it's also in the manga. So it's a filler just story-wise. . . . but for a filler, it did show some important events. Like with Oz telling Gil that he won't trouble him anymore by not caring about himself. And we also get to learn about Eliot . . . aside from the song that he had played being similar to what Glen played . . . and even had the same name . . . and both claim these to be their original compositions . . . he had been having nightmares of the Tragedy of Sabrie . . . with him killing those people. If Oz has an obvious connection to Jack, then Eliot . . .with these hints . . .has an obvious connection to Glen, yes? Hehe. Makes me think that Glen wasn't himself during that tragedy . . .

Anyway, favorite parts in this episode? It was loads of crack . . .I enjoyed a lot of scenes:


I thought Sharon was boring in the first few chapters . . . but after learning more about her and how evil she could be . . .especially when drunk . . . oh . . .new goddess found~

we want Oz~

OMG OZ WHAT DID YOU SEE?!

OH MOE GILBERT~

LOLz to Gilbert abuse~

Gilbert is so fun to torture~

really really fun~ even younger ones torture him~

crack roar is always entertainment~

Oh I love crack~

Eliot is the star of the recent episodes for me~

Oh you darling~

Upcoming episode seems serious though~ I still highly look forward to them~ Yaaaay!!!

Credits:
~ beppin14 for the animations~

Manga Discovery: Dante's Divine Comedy

Dante's Divine Comedy
( Dante Shinkyoku )
by Nagai Go
Manga adaptation of Dante Alighieri's classic work "The Divine Comedy". (Baka-Updates)

Any work of fiction (I consider The Divine Comedy as fiction) that has religious or mythological references will always grab my interest. I was really pleased when I found out that there's a manga version of Dante's work! I know the overview of that classic, but I hadn't really read the original text; and I won't ever, because poetry hates me (I suck in deciphering poems). Seeing illustrated versions of the events in the poem had been easier for me to understand what's going on even if the lines have been pretty poetic. I can somehow understand poetic lines if there are illustrated versions of those.

Though I'm happy to see the poem in a comic format, the art is cool in some parts but I don't find it amazing overall. It was able to express the horror in hell . . . but those character designs and art style on the character faces . . . they seem too . . . simple. Or maybe the illustrations based on Dante's poem by Gustave Doré, Salvador Dali, and Sandro Botticelli are just much much much better. See the comparison:

(Known Illustrations VS Manga version )

As for how the adaptation went, the important parts had been mentioned, and some of the mangaka's interpretation were nicely presented and made sense. There had been some changes or additional parts, but overall it was still loyal to the original work. Among the changes, what I liked is the part wherein Dante somehow doubts if the sinners truly deserve what they're suffering from. The character Dante had not been extremely close-minded to the point that he thinks all those people in hell deserve what they went through.

Though I find all this hell stuff and the characters involved in it very interesting, I don't completely agree with what the original author is trying to imply in the original work. It will take me so long to list all my complains on Dante's beliefs, but to sum it up: I see Dante as a biased and judgmental religious extremist. I also find it funny that though he's anti-pagan, he included mythological characters in a supposedly Christian-only work . . . but aren't the mythological creatures/characters supposedly pagan creatures and gods? Pfft! This is why I abhor religious zealots.

That's my opinion. I don't want a Dante fan to criticize me for that.

Back to the manga, to sum it up, though the art didn't appeal to me much, how the story had been adapted . . and how they are presented . . . had been done really well. This is not a substitute of the original classic, like what the scanlators have been emphasizing; but it's a good alternative reading for those who are lazy or don't want to bother to look at the original work, like me. Ehehehe. Actually, I would really have read the original work . . . if only it wasn't in poem form!!! Gaaaaahhh . . . .

So anyway, I liked the manga, but it's not the type for me to want to read at once on every release (since I already know, or have an idea, of what will happen next anyway. Besides, it's more fun to read it continuously). So I'll just finish it when it's completely scanlated~

READ: 1 volume of a 3 volume complete manga that is still being scanlated
VERDICT: Finishing When it's Fully Scanlated
I'm a sucker for Dante's hell stuff . . . . I just had to check it out~
The art didn't appeal to me much (the famous illustrated versions are just so much better~) but it's a pretty good comic adaptation of Dante's Divine Comedy!

Manga Discovery: Million Girl

Million Girl
by MOMOYUKI Kotori
Sachi has always been known for her gorgeous amber-colored hair that she inherited from her mother. She has a happy enough life, except for the fact that her mother is dead, which she keeps a secret.
One day, she is approached by a classmate who seems to know all her family’s secrets, and is forced into his “Money Game”. (Nagareboshi Manga)

I see so many shoujo fans being excited about this . . . and I wanted to find out what's so great about this *Anything loved by many will always capture my curiosity*. I read the plot, and it had something to do with money. And I saw an eye-patched bishie. Alright, that's enough to make me check it out even before scanlations are out (since the raw and translations are already available anyway).

Well . . . I didn't have high expectations . . . I kept it really low . . . and fortunately it wasn't as bad as I feared it might be. Not that it's bad. It's pretty interesting actually. But there are still things that bothered me . . .

You see, the leading girl here has very beautiful hair that's so shiny and beautiful like a gem. It's like some rare item that it can be used to be exchanged for money.

That was just so . . . .DUUUUH.

Oh come on. . . . hair that is so dazzling that everyone will praise for its gorgeousness and it even has financial value? I'm alright with that if this is a fairy tale manga. It will just make me think of it as something like Rapunzel. But this is no fantasy manga. . . . so an unbelievably pretty hair that's worth paying for in a setting that's close to real life is just . . .dumb, in my opinion.

Some more relation to the hair thing . . . .everyone compliments or at least acknowledges her beautiful hair . . . but . . . even her close friends are still so surprised after seeing it in the first chapter. I don't care if it's too exagerrate the beauty of her hair . . . it's just not consistent. If she's friends with those girls, they should be at least used to seeing her pretty hair . . . not get surprised everytime they see it like it's their first time. It's just not natural.

Anyway, what I liked about this chapter is that though the leading girl is one of those heroines with tragic pasts and got involved in really unfortunate situations, she had at least tried to escape and do something about it; not just cry helplessly and endure the pain and go emo and wait for someone to rescue her. I guess there's a chance for me not to hate the leading girl . . . at least not yet. *usually dislikes leading ladies*

I find it interesting that she hates people who love money too much because her life was ruined because of it. Even if she didn't have such a background, I like characters that despise such people. Ironically though, the leading guy (who will most likely be her love interest. . . .this is shoujo after all. . . ) is such a person . . . and she even needs to beg money from him.

About the leading guy . . . I don't like eyepatches (they cover the cuteness!!!) but this eye-patched bishie is . . . well, a bishie. In other words, cute~ But he's such a jerk who will give no mercy and only cares about money. He's not the usual tsundere leading guy type. He's really a bastard. Reminds me of Watashi ni xx Shinasai's leading guy, but they are jerks in a different sense. I love leading guys like these~ They're . . .different.

We'll only find out in the next chapter on what the Money Game is actually like. I'm curious on how the game is played . . . hopefully it's not something stupid. I'm also curious on how it'll turn out. . . whether the leading girl wins or not . . . how it happens should be not something . . .too expected or dumb (like making her win because of some luck or miracle. That's just . . .guuuh).

I also want to find out who the other girl beside the leading guy in the colored spread is. Hopefully she ain't a part of a love triangle . . . or at least, not the annoying kind of love triangle (since I liked some love triangles . . . ehehehe). I also wish another bishie shows up~ *obviously likes bishies* Hehe.

I'm not sold to this series but . . . it has been pretty interesting. I'm giving it a few chapters. I'm dropping it if it turns out to be the usual shoujo crap. I honestly don't like a lot of shoujos but my number one manga happened to be one *sweatdrop*. So I'm hoping to find a rare gem among all this collection of crap.

I honestly don't expect Million Girl to be a terrific shoujo series (yeah, still keeping my expectations low), but I believe it has potential to be very decent or pretty good at least.

READ: 1 chapter out of 1 translated chapter of a new ongoing manga
VERDICT: Giving it a Few Chapters . . . .
Shoujo that has money stuff and a cute eye-patched bishie . . . so I gave it a try~
And it wasn't bad. I honestly expected the worse. I kinda liked it, but am not yet sold to it. I'll give it a few more chapters I guess~

Manga Discovery: Ransetsuki

Ransetsuki
by KATAYAMA Shuu
Sakumiya Minagi and his adopted older brother Amou live in a family which protects the katana "Kiriyasha" and "Hagasumi." Kiriyasha has been known to be attracted to blood and the only thing that can stop it is the sword "Hagasumi." After the death of Minagi's father, strange people start to appear around Minagi, some attacking him and others protecting him. Soon after, his brother Amou breaks the seal of the Kiriyasha and leaves the Sakumiya house after killing his mother. Minagi now has to fight his brother with the Hagasumi and seal the Kiriyasha once again. (Baka-Updates)

I am so hooked to Ilegenes that I thought of checking out the other manga being scanlated by Bliss. When I read the first chapter, it seemed so familiar . . . so I checked my manga database and it turns out that I've already read this manga sometime last year . . . but I don't remember much of it anymore, so I read starting from the beginning again but this time until the latest scanlation.

I got interested in this because it is a supernatural + martial arts manga. I also like the idea of brothers being so close before but are now mortal enemies. I was expecting myself to like this manga a lot but . . . .

It was a disappointment.

It's the typical chosen one thing with the leading guy so fragile that he needs to have so many protectors to face so many enemies but he actually has some mysterious and great power in him and of course he will be able to use it when the right time comes. He's not as bad as the heroines in fantasy reverse harem series . . . but still . . . guuuhhh . . .

Story is too meh . . . for me, it has been so fast paced and kinda angsty/emo. Thanks to those sudden deaths in the earlier chapters, leading guy is more emotional than ever, But instead of sympathizing with him, he makes me more annoyed with him. I don't care if he's cute. I don't care if he has a sweet attachment to his older brother. I see him as an emo, the typical chosen one, and a guy version of a damsel-in-distress.

Moreover, none of the characters had appealed to me. They're either stereotypical, uninteresting, vague, or simply DUH. . . .

Except for one.

I really really really like Kaishi. He entertains me a lot~ Haha! I find him a lilttle tsundere for saying that he's only protecting Minagi because his original boss told him to, but slowly he's getting attached to the boy~ And oh he's so cute when he's hungry and so cool when he fights.

Guuuuhhh . . . .I so want to drop this but . . . this character existed in this series! Damn. My character bias could be pretty strong no matter how crappy the series is overall. The art and the fight scenes aren't really that terrific for me either . . . just . . .that character. Aaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!

READ: 10 chapters out of 10 scanlated chapters out so far of a 10 volume complete manga
VERDICT: Kinda Following. . . Out of Character Bias
I thought I'll like it . . . since it's my type of series . . unfortunately I didn't.
I loved a certain character though. Damn, can't he exist in a different manga instead of this? It's such a waste for me to read this manga if it's ONLY for him.