Daydream Sanctuary Features

Monday, June 21, 2010

Manga Catch-Ups + Manga Discoveries + Kuroshitsuji 2 at BT

I totally hope that the complains/rants/whines from people who only like Kuroshitsuji because of Ciel + Sebby will stop already, especially when the second season looks this promising:

(Black Tabloid scan by spacexat)
Ah well, I may take that back, but I'm starting to like this kid more than Ciel... YAY TO THE "BEH!" POSE xD (Ah well, not really a huge Ciel fan in the first place). Sebby's still the best but no complains on a Sebby with glasses. Teehee~ And it looks like the staff did a lot of research for this series (I saw Sherlock Holmes xD) I hope this wouldn't be letting us down ;D

Anywayz, oh my god I read so much manga..... catching up on a number of them yet still checking out a lot of new ones ^^; Here goes.... some of them:

[ CATCHING UP ]

  • Shiki 19 - It didn't exactly continue from the evil cliffhanger from the previous chapter =_= Guh. But at least we get to know how Yuuki's doing... and his dad has gone insane? Haha! xD Nice nice. Gimme best friend fanservice next time please~
  • Watashi ni xx Shinasai 13-14 - Love quadrangle's an overused shoujo cliche.... but I love this group xD They're all evil, twisted, and daaaaaw in their own way. But... OTP forever! Shigure, I love you xD
  • Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen 17 - So older brother from this series is a bastard.... but he's broken so I can't hate him. I also doubt this will have a sad ending. After the flashback on the next chapter, I'm curious on how Johanne's gonna be saved.

[ MANGA DISCOVERIES ]
Back to making batches of five titles ^^; New grouping though: 1 title for each rating~

  • (1 Parfait - Horrible) My Barbaric Girlfriend - stop the gender stereotypes!
  • (2 Parfaits - Disappointing) Lichti Hikari Club - too disturbing yet story where?
  • (3 Parfaits - Satisfactory) Telephatic Wanderers - pretty good.... and if only...
  • (4 Parfaits - Good) Demon Flowers - seems fun and promising *_*
  • (5 Parfaits - Fantastic) Zanbara - I love it love it love it love it love it. Samurais FTW!


=== My Barbaric Girlfriend (Boku to Kanojo no XX) by MORINAGA Ai
Rude girl and effeminate boy switch bodies and find that it might be a better fit for both of them. Lots of crazy comedy. Nanako Momoi is the belle of high school... as long as she stays quiet. Once she shows her true self, guys' dreams are shattered for she is a true tomboy. Akira Uehara has the looks and brains, but, unfortunately, his personality is so dull it overcasts a shadow, and nobody notices him. One day, Nanako's grandfather comes up with a crazy invention, and Nanako and Akira trade personalities! She's he, and he's she! (Tokyopop)
~~~ [1 volume read] Is this really shoujo? I don't like the idea of it being read by young girls.... it has a character who got excited to do you-know-what and its concept of masculinity and feminity.... oh jeez =_= Stereotypes!!!
The only interesting thing about this is that it seems so true that the main duo are really like born in the wrong gender. Moreover, if this duo won't end up together, the more it has escaped from the shoujo cliche. But aside from those, everthing else here is too stupid or angsty.... or disturbing. And the "female" lead is too pathetic to be true (I also hate the "she makes me suffer yet I can't stop loving her" thing in this series). I can't stand it. Oh my head...

=== Litchi Hikari Club by FURUYA Usamaru
warning: VERY unsuitable to very young readers or those with innocent minds; don't even dare
~~~ [4 chapters read] I can tolerate its intense and mature themes but having too much of that and lacking in story consistency and decent character presentation is just too WTF. And I don't get why the mangaka didn't bother to include the translations of the German words... does he want to brag that he knows German and give his readers a difficult time? =_=
Anyway, I'm alright with evil characters, but high school boys going to that extent is just too much. They have no sense of morality that makes me think that the ancient barbarians are more decent than they are x_x The only thing that makes me want to read more of it is because I'm curious of what they'll do with the beautiful girl... who has finally woken up!

=== Telephatic Wanderers (Nanase) by TSUTSUI Yasutaka and YAMAZAKI Sayaka
Nanase, a beautiful young telepath, returns to her hometown to settle down and lead a quiet life. However, her unique abilities make that impossible--even in the most remote location. Then she meets Norio, an abused little boy with extraordinary powers of his own. Nanase takes him under her wing, and from there they wander...two outsiders traveling from one strange encounter to another. (Tokyopop)
warning: not suitable to very young readers or those with innocent minds
~~~ [1 volume read] Its pretty promising. The female lead here can read minds, and I love how she uses that ability to make others go crazy. This manga has also portrayed that even though telepathy is such a cool power, it could also be pretty inconvinient. It's touching that she felt at ease with people with pure hearts.
Sadly though, for the whole volume, men were all presented as bastards with perverted minds (except for one, because he has medical/mental problems). I mean, come on! Not all men think that way! Even if she's hott, there's gotta be someone who wouldn't think of wanting to f*ck her upon seeing her =_= Jeez...

=== Kuruizaki no Hana (Demon Flowers) by HAKASE Mizuki
Long ago, when Japanese gods descended upon humans, their mixed offspring inherited supernatural powers...and the name "Kuruizaki no Hana." Now, those of the Demon world are rising up to wipe out these offspring - led by the cool and confident assasin, Ushitora. He's worshipped as a deadly professional, but when he falls in love with one such gifted boy, Masato, everything changes. Ushitora betrays his people, instead sacrificing himself to a life on the run, in order to care for Masato and a spirited orphaned girl named Nao.
~~~ [1 chapter read] I thought this wouldn't be my type because of all the pink and the flower and Demon no Ororon disappointed me so much. But what a surprise! This one seems to be pretty good! How Ushitora decided to take Masato was quite fast/rushed, but it's still very cute and interesting~ Ororon hadn't entertained me this much.... so hopefully this won't disappoint ^^

=== Zanbara! by KATAGIRI Ikumi
Ichiyo and Akehiko (both 15 years old) have been brought up in an amicable environment at a prosperous restaurant in Japan. They live a safe, happy life, but, as was the norm in feudal Japan, they train at the local dojo with determination to become strong. The times are turbulent, and violence brims the streets of nineteenth century Japan. Under such conditions the boys will have to learn what it means to wield a sword, to take someone’s life and understand the precarious life of living by the sword.
~~~ [6 chapters read] Best friends. Samurai. Zerosum WARD. Katagiri Ikumi. I'm not surprised that I fully enjoyed this one xD It's fantastic, I love it!
This has been a nice story of two boys growing up and starting to face the real danger in the samurai world. They may be strong yet they're not the best. The series acknowledges that our characters are still boys. No shounen cliche wherein the teens are always better for some reason.
There's a lot of action and a mix of politics. The comedy made this more fun xD And it looks like there'll be an interesting twist on our adopted main character.... which will hopefully be revealed soon!

1 comment:

Aorii said...

WxxS' love quadrangle might be overused but... Yupina's perspective on people is awesome!! xD I seriously can't say I've ever quite seen a heroine like her, but if another series does exist with that then I want to read it now xOOO!!

I have no clue why My Barbaric Girlfriend is considered Shoujo but... I think the stereotypes are exactly the point there; because it is genderswapped, and we see exactly how those two mains are obviously born with the wrong gender, and we experience how both the society inmanga and the audience sees the characters differently just because they're in opposite bodies.

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