Daydream Sanctuary Features

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Fangurling: The Hunger Games Trilogy


THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY
by Suzanne Collins

~ Click here for the unbiased and spoiler-free review ~

I was already familiar with the Hunger Games popularity even before the second book was released. Its popularity made me curious so when I spotted it in the bookstore oneday, I read the plot at the back. It sounded so much like Battle Royale, which I didn't appreciate much because of the sexually mature themes. Though I am certain a YA novel won't ever go that far, I still don't think I could appreciate it because of the reality TV thing. I never appreciated reality TV series with the likes of Survivor and Amazing Race, so my interest in the novel's story became even lesser. What made me more convinced that I won't ever appreciate it is because I see a certain author's name among the reviews saying that she's so obsessed with it. Why? I just can't imagine getting hooked to a series that is loved by an author I disliked. I don't care if Stephen King, an author that I like, had praised it despite that. Not all the books that my favorite authors like are what I like anyway. Because of that I've been ignoring this trilogy and paid more attention to other novels (and my other fandom).

During the month of the third book's release, I found out that a close friend of mine is actually hooked to it. Since we have similar tastes, I thought that I might end up loving the series after all because my friend did. It took me a while before I decided to buy the first book already.

I didn't read it at once though. I just left it on a shelf then continued with my daily life. The one night, when I finished a certain novel, I thought of giving Hunger Games a chapter or two.

The next thing I knew was that I was already at chapter 5 in the middle of the night!

Unlike the other YA novels I've read before it, its first chapter was already so terrific that reading it felt like it was saying to me, "Put me down and you'll regret it!". In other words, it's such a page turner... really difficult to put it down because knowing what will happen next has been exciting and seeing the world through Katniss had been interesting.

I think the choice of a novel's narrator is very crucial.... because how he/she narrates the story matters a lot. I mean, it's seriously difficult to appreciate the story if the one telling it is freakin' annoying. Thank goodness Katniss is a likeable character. She uses her brain; she analyzes and observes, formulates strategies and considers multiple options. She's no close-minded idiot who only relies on the others to do the thinking. She also doesn't waste paragraphs in decribing how beautiful things/people are and in agonizing about how unfortunate she is.

Katniss has not only been a decent heroine, but also lovable and admirable. Sure, she may be a little extra special among the other characters.... but at least it's because of her own efforts, even if she did them unkowingly, not out of pure luck or coincidence. She acts stupid at times, but at least she's aware of it... and she faces the consequences and she actually improves herself. I love her skills and limitations, her strengths and weaknesses. I love this girl.

Actually, there's no character that I absolutely abhor in the series, because I find none of them annoying. All of them had been interesting in their own way, whether they're major or minor characters. Yes, even the main villain who's absolutely heartless. I find it better if villains do their role well.... and also those that only hold back for a good reason.

A terrific leading character and a marvelous main villain.... actually that's already enough to make a decent series because they're seriously rare. What's even rarer is that this series managed to give enough character development to most of the characters in this series. I firmly believe that we could've learned even more about the progress and the backgrounds of the other characters if we didn't need to rely on Katniss's point of view. But well, even if we're limited to only seeing what Katniss does, what we get to know about the others is already satisfactory.

Speaking of satisfaction, one of the things that made me so pleased with this series is how it represented love. For one, it didn't focus only on romantic love. I was so relieved that it also puts great emphasis on the love for family, friends, and countrymen. The saying "love conquers all" isn't only applicable to romantic love, you know. I'm so happy that the characters here aren't absolutely blinded with erotic passion.

Another is that the love stories here are heartwarming, sometimes tragic, but overall absolutely beautiful. It's so amazing when he characters express their love, because it's something that you call true love, not to mention it's pretty realistic. They love everything of their other half, no matter what his/her flaws are. There's a reason on why opposites attract. It also showed that sometimes romance is somethng practical: you pick the one you need the most.

The most popular love story here is none other than the main love triangle, which is one of the most decent love triangles in literary history. Neither of the boys had a "forever one-sided love" because Katniss gave love to both Gale and Peeta equally; what she had done one is most likely what she would also have done to the other one if the same thing happened; if ever she didn't, there's usually a good reason/excuse for it... not because she's just being biased to the one she favors more. The boys, on the other hand, showed their undying love for her in absolute obviousness. They were straight to the point. They don't hide their jealousy, but jealousy didn't make them forget about their love nor make themselves angry with the other guy. In fact, they get along well and there had been times where they tell each other that the other will be the winner, not himself. They have a peaceful rivalry, and neither are forcing their feelings on Katniss. I wish other love triangles are like this.

I didn't seriously mind much on who Katniss ends up with, but I admit that I favored Peeta over Gale... simply because he's ranked higher in my favorite characters list compare to Gale, haha! I find Peeta's romance more romantic because he was in love with Katniss much longer than Gale had. I also find find it difficult to compare Peeta's sacrifices for Katniss' sake compare to Gale's.... because Peeta really did a lot more! What I find most remarkable with Peeta is that he managed to protect the girl he loves.... even though he's no fighter type.

He's in fact the peace-loving boy and the artist type. He's such a nice guy and really terrific with words. I don't know how many times i had called him genius! Haha! It made me so sad when I read about the parts when he's in pain. I feel even sadder when I see Finnick and Cinna in pain, because those are the only two characters whom I like more than Peeta.

At first I thought Finnick was just a playboy, but when I found out that he isn't what he seems and is actually a pretty nice guy, I changed my opinion of him. Much more when I found out that he's also awesome and adorable 24/7. Haha! I find it pretty romantic that he's in love with someone.... not mentally stable. I mean, he treasures someone who's very vulnerable... and practically useless. I'm not saying that a kickass dude x helpless girl is my ideal romance.... but the way Finnick loved her... and knowing that this girl used to be a survivor of the Hunger Games... I'm sure there's something more in their relationship. Unfortunately we just weren't able to know more details about it. Ehehe.

Now as for Cinna, he may not have much role in the trilogy, but his little acts and words already gave me so much impact. This guy is BRILLIANT and really LOVABLE in whatever he does. It's like how Katniss got captivated with him.... this guy is just difficult to hate no matter how little he says. He's a stylist, and what he designs aren't just pretty and very creative.... but they also have meanings and purposes. In his own way, he fought for what he thought is right and helped those he had loved.

When something tragic happened to Cinna, however, I didn't cry.... because I already expected it. I honestly didn't cry at all as I read the books.

Why? Simply because I didn't want to make the books wet because... I just borrowed them! Haha! Another reason is because I finished the novels after midnight... and I need to sleep as soon as possible because I need to be early the next day. Crying would only delay my sleep. Only then I realized how good my self-control had been when it comes to that.

But the tears started the next morning, when I was recalling what I've read as I left home. It's embarassing to cry in public so I advise you not to think of the sad scenes of the Hunger Games while outside, okay? Ehehehe.

Anyway, I haven't been this hooked to a novel series since the Harry Potter phenomenon. I highly look forward to its upcoming movie. Hopefully it would be able to live up to the book's glory!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Hetalia World Series - Episode 26

I admit I'm not that hyper to Hetalia recently.... blame it on the Hunger Games Trilogy. Aaaaaahhh!!! I still can't get it off my head xD But ah well, since I've finally finished it, most likely my hype will cool down soon.... at least not until there'll be more interesting information about the upcoming movie *_*

*ehem* Something I've heard that is Hetalia related in real life. The Prince of the Principality of Wy has painted a portrait that looks sooooo similar to Hetalia's WY that a lot of fans doubt that it's just a coincidence ;D Moreover, you could even see Peter (Sealand) in the painting! This is really... wow!

Now onto the episode:

When Feliciano and Ludwig greeted Kiku a happy birthday one day, only then they have realized how old Kiku is.... and how many troubles he's facing because of his old age. The sad faces of the two younger ones upon hearing it is so.... aaaaaaw~

Ludwig thought of helping Kiku out...

He shows his concern by controlling Kiku's diet and having the poor guy more worked out. Kiku's not complaining.... but I don't see his condition getting better either.

Feliciano still has no idea what's going on (only pink flowers are popping out from his head, LOLz):

But it's really cute when these two do some bonding.

Now for the other part of this episode, here's something new: NEKOTALIA!

I didn't expect this to be animated this soon because it only got featured in the manga very recently. It's really amusing to watch the cat versions being so similar to the human versions, hahaha!

I'm still not fond of cats, but this scene of Germouse is iresistably adorable xD:

KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
(I don't know what's with the change of eye color however o_O Or Ludwig, does your eyes change when half asleep? O_o)

Lastly, I just have to fangurl on this because I'm biased:

I. ABSOLUTE. CAN. NOT. WAIT.SQUEE. xD

[Novel Batch Review] The Hunger Games Trilogy


THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY
#1: The Hunger Games
#2: Catching Fire
#3: Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins
Katniss Evergreen: Our country, Panem, is ruled by the Capitol, which controls the twelve ditrcits surrounding it. I live in District 12... and everyday I try to save me and my family from starving to death.
Gale: The Capitol is evil. Forcing each district to send 2 children to fight to the death on live TV every year is wrong!
Effie Trinket: Happy Hunger Games! The girl selected to be this year's tribute is.... Primrose Evergreen!
Katniss Evergreen: PRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM! I volunteer as tribute!
The idea of forcing a group of young people to kill each other until only one of them is left is not something new. Such a harsh phenomenon can be traced back in history. It's sad but it's a reality that humans really have the ability to find enjoyment in watching others bathe themselves in another's blood. In the past, these could only be seen in one area, but thanks to modern technology even those who are far away can witness such horror.

Since the Hunger Games also uses this idea of people fighting to the death, naturally its story would be filled with tragedy and hardships. Moments of peace and happiness are rare; feelings of pain and loss are uncountable and unforgettable. Bloodshed isn't the only horror to be faced in this trilogy for there are also a number of psychological horrors to be encountered. There are things that could be far worse than death and torture.

But even though the main plot is meant to be depressing, it won't be a surprise if you'll be finding yourself laughing or giggling at times as you read these books. Despite the dark themes, the series has a great sense of humor. Its various elements are blended so well that it didn't ruin the main story.

The story is much deeper and more complex than it seems. Not everything that the narrator witnesses is the truth, and neither are everything on the surface is as it appears. A certain action could cause or imply so many things; a certain thing could be defined and used in many ways.

I'm very impressed that forms of entertainment that are considered pretty harmless and wasteful in modern times had been used in important matters in the story. Music saved lives, television has brought inspiration, and fashion sparked a revolution! Not only those who are capable of battle can fight, but also those who can bake, invent, and design clothes!

The trilogy has a dynamic and interesting cast. The characters are different from each other in various ways yet in their own way they could shine even with the simple things that they have done. A lot of them got enough development... and even if some of them seem too skillful to be real, their backgrounds make their capabilities believable enough. Despite of the many amazing things that they could do, I love it that the author hasn't forgotten about their imperfection and limitations; there are times where they would fail or would need to step back. There are times where they rely on others... and how these relationships are formed are beautiful.

I believe it's safe to assume that the trilogy supports the saying "Love conquers all". But fortunately, unlike other novels that talk about love, the Hunger Games trilogy acknowledges that romantic or eros love isn't the only form of love in the world. There's love for family, friends, companions, country, and oneself as well.

Aside from love, the trilogy also teaches the value of other things such as patience, resourcefulness, wits, and guts. Being able to attack others and defend oneself isn't the only way to survive in a deadly arena, but knowing the ways of mother nature is just as important. Mental and emotional strength.... how you'll manage to keep yourself together and retain your positive sides... are also very essential. True victory doesn't just mean managing to breathe for a long period of time in chaos.... what you did matters more than what you won.

The Hunger Games trilogy is a brilliant narrative filled with action, suspense, mystery, romance, and even comedy! It involves discipline, justice, politics, revolution, strategies, war, and survival! Opposite sides of the spectrum are blended well in this as well, such as mother nature and advanced technology, and a city filled with luxury and a city filled with almost nothing, and despair and hope!

The novels are such page-turners that it's so difficult to put it down because of the hunger of knowing what will happen next. If the first book is already incredibly captivating, the succeeding books are even better. It improves and gets more serious in each succeeding novel, yet the excitement and intensity aren't any less.

Like any other novel that has existed, there's no way for this trilogy not to have any flaws. But since it's well-written and has so many fantastic aspects, it's absolutely not difficult to ignore those minor flaws. This is the best Young Adult trilogy I've read so far! It's highly recommended to everyone because finding something this good is seriously rare!


A+ (TOTALLY BRILLIANT! *worships*)
It has been amazing in so many ways. It totally deserves its fame.
5 Hearts ---> OBSESSION
This is my top favorite YA trilogy so far~ I was very very very hooked to it!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Hetalia World Series - Episode 25

Ahahaha... this got a little delayed ^^; Perhaps it's because the Vampirates, Hunger Games Trilogy and many other books are occupying my time right now, teehee.

Alrighty, this episode is filled with Antonio and chibi Lovino goodness that the image above is just so perfect for this episode post xD Squeee~

It continued to when Antonio's boss was scolding him for wasting money for Lovino's sake.

Antonio considers his baby boy precious.... daaaaaaaaaw....

Well, Lovino's not heartless enough not to acknowledge that. He wants to make up for Antonio:

But he's TSUNdere so this is the most he could do to show his appreciation. So it looks like he expresses it by: 1) not minding sleeping together 2) says thank you
He can't avoid saying bad phrases though, haha.
(This makes me more convinced that he NEVER hated Feliciano. Sleeping together = Good terms with Lovino. Though he says he hates sleeping with his brother, he ends up doing it anywayz. Oh I love those two xD I blame the counting sheep series for me being hyper about them xD)

It took Antonio by surprise at first then....

Oh his smile... *melts*

Lovino's little "thank you" was enough to make Antonio very very happy~

Lovino's like a widdle puppy that you can't help patting for beign so adorable xD

Unfortunately, Antonio had pulled something he shouldn't have....

And had to suffer from Lovino's headbutt of doom ^^;

Now to WW2 times... and back to the scene when the two Italians got captured by Arthur:

Daaaaaaaaawwww.... even after all those years, Lovino still calls for Antonio for help xD Oh I wish there'll be more moments of Antonio and grown-up Lovino...... (I'm dying to see the strip with Antonio sick animated xD)

But no matter how much Lovino "plead", sadly, Antonio couldn't help him even if he wanted to:

I honestly didn't know that Spain was having such rough times during WW2 until Hetalia and Shadow of the Wind (I highly recommend it by the way~ well... maybe not to kids and innocents) taught me about it ^^; Hehe.

The episode had more minutes to waste to they inserted a random Roderich-related scene.... this time with Francis trying to mess with him:

He tries to embarass Roderich by taking a picture of the guy... but it got backfired. Haha!
Roderich's amazing.... Francis can't bully him... Ludwig couldn't do it either.... ONLY GILBO CAN!!!! YOU'RE AWESOME GILBO!!!! TRULY!!! xD

But ah well, Roderich still stole the episode with this:

HE SPARKLES!!! SHET!!! xD

[Novel Review] Shadow of the Wind


Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Daniel Sempere: When I was young... my father brought me to a labyrinth filled with a lot of books....
Mr. Sempere: This is the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Choose the book you desire and you must protect it.
Daniel Sempere: I chose the Shadow of the Wind... I was so in love with the book that I wanted to find the other novels written by Julian Carax but....
Julian Carax: All of the novels that I've written are burned....
Daniel Sempere: I shall protect the book with my life and get to the bottom of this mystery...
My discovery of this novel felt similar to the way its main character found a novel of the same title.... I couldn't let it go! I fell under its spell instantly and reading the plot already made me so attached to it, much more when I started reading it! It was irresistably good that it was really difficult to put it down due to time contraints....

Overall, it was simply brilliant~ I was so intrigued to its many mysteries.... they involve tragic pasts, destructive wars, inhumane tortures, dark secrets, and so on. Despite its gothic theme, it manages to make me chuckle a lot because of its witty humor! It also shared a lot of insightful thoughts related to politics, society, philosophy, and religion (even the occult). It also made me so pleased that this novel is also about love for books and literature.... and sure knows a lot about it!

The author does beautiful storytelling which kept me so engrossed to the book. It's difficult not to fall in love with its story and characters~

I admit that I wasn't that impressed with its love stories though.... those involving the protagonists give us examples of "geniuses turning into idiots because of being too passionately in love". Ahahahaha.... but well, that's "youth"? Hehe. It's a coming-of-age story after all. At least they develop. The idiotc protagonists could be compelling characters if they want to be.

The most interesting main protagonist for me is Julian.... mainly because of his habit of telling frightening tales related to the supernatural... also because of his guts to insult a noble and befriending weirdos. As for the other main protagonist, he's a darling but sometimes I find him too idiotic. But well, that's part of growing up. Haha! He's a nice character.... my only problem with Daniel that on many ocassions he seems to be.... too lucky. How he gets away and gets saved.... they're mostly thanks to coincidence.

Nonetheless, many of the supporting characters have been really remarkable (and even those who don't get much of a role are nicely developed), especially my favorites~ Mr. Sempere had been such a nice man, who truly loved his wife and his son. He's such a caring father that can be considered as one of the best fathers in the literary world~ I would also want to award Julian's and Daniel's best friends as the "best best friends in the literary world"~

Both Miguel and Fermin, who are Julian's and Daniel's best friends repsectively, are friends that a lot of people would wish to have for their selfless love and fierce loyalty. They aren't only like that to the protagonist that they adore, but to the woman that they love as well. Aside from that, they also have great minds and fun personality. I love learning about Fermin's opinions about various matters (from food to war to women to sanity).... and I absolutely adore Miguel's Freudian obsession~ It's also difficult not to giggle at their jokes... especially Fermin... he's so hilarious~~

I'll never forget how I madly fell in love with my favorite characters, especially Miguel. This book is worth treasuring.... for being so incredible and amazing~


A (EPIC AWESOME! So addicting I cannot get enough!)
It's GENIUS but I just can't make it A+ because the erotic romance kinda turned me off... ehehehe.
5 Hearts ---> OBSESSION
I'm really a sucker for books dealing with various topics related to religion, philosophy, psychology, politics, sociology, and the like. And it just had to add some crime and book loving stuff. I also absolutely adore stoies with mystery and comedy xD Lastly, Miguel, I love you~

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Heroes of Olympus Debuting Soon!


Announced at Publishers Weekly, to be released on October 12 is the first book, entitled "The Lost Hero", which is a part Percy Jackson Spinoff series called "Heroes of Olympus".

:: STORY ::

=== Synopsis
After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they'll need the help of some familiar demigods.

=== Plot Summary (first 2 chapters)
Jason is a boy who suffers from amnesia. Jason wakes up on a bus sitting next to Piper, a girl claiming to be his girlfriend. Sitting in the seat in front of him is a boy, Leo Valdez, who claims to be his best friend. It seems that Jason is a student attending the "Wilderness School" (a school for juvinile delinquents), and they are on a field trip to a musem of history for the Hualapai Native American tribe at the Grand Canyon. Once there, a storm appears, and one member of the class, Dylan, transforms into a violent wind spirit. He then summons two more. The supervising teacher, Coach Hedge, reveals himself to be a satyr. After a fight in which Jason uses a sword that is disguised as a Greek Drachma, the storm spirits are defeated, but Dylan kidnaps Hedge and escapes. At this point Piper is falling towards the bottom of the canyon, but Jason jumps to her rescue and learns that he can fly by riding the winds. When Piper and Jason make it back to the Sky Walk two pegasi land next to them carrying two people: Annabeth from the first series) and a guy with a tattoo of a rainbow named Butch. Annabeth gets angry because she had a vision that she would find someone missing one shoe at the Grand Canyon, and thought it to be someone who could tell her where Percy Jackson, (the main character from the first series) was. As the second chapter draws to a close and Jason and company prepare to leave for Camp Half Blood Butch reveals to Jason, Leo and Piper that Percy has been missing for the past three days. It turns out that Jason is the person missing one shoe, a reference to the original myth of Jason

:: TRAILER ::


:: CHARACTERS ::
=== Festus

A run-of-the-mill bronze mechanical dragon which is a friend and chauffeur to the three young demigods.It could fly, breathe fire, and hiss steam. Its amazing fire power can be deadly to anyone but Leo, who is immune to the dragon's flames.

=== Jason

He wakes up one day on a bus and he doesn't know how he got there. And he has no idea of who he is and where he came from.

=== Piper

Her father has been kidnapped, and she's trying to figure out who and why.

=== Leo

A guy that can make anything with his hands, and yet he has never thought that he fits anywhere. Until when he arrives at Camp Half-Blood.


:: FANGURLING ::

I HAD SO MUCH FUN READING THIS! After reading the first page, I already knew it was terrific! And as I kept going, it just kept getting better and better! The wait for the third chapter onwards is torture! Aaaaahh!!!!
It was as hilarious and action-packed as its predecessor. It's nice that the demigods we're already familiar with will be debuting here. As much as I love Percy and the rest, I think I'm going to love this new main trio more. And their adventure seems more exciting! Hooray!
Looks like Hera's the god who'll be having a big role this time. Why do I have a feeling that she's going to be the villain? o_O In any case, I love Greek mythology references and of course I looked up on the Venti. It appears that the Anemoi Thuellai (meaning "Tempest Winds") is one of the four lesser wind deities. They are wicked and violent daemons (spirits) created by the monster Typhon, and male counterparts to the harpies, who were also called thuellai.
OH MY GODS! I am so excited for this! Crap, I need to catch up on the Percy Jackson series *stuck on book 3* I thought of continuing it when I get the paperback version of the last book (which I was told will only be released on January 2011).... but I don't think I could wait anymore when this baby comes out ;D Haha!


CREDITS:
- Official Site
- Wikipedia
- Rick Riordan

Sunday, September 12, 2010

A Dozen of Random Shoujo Manga Series that Rock, Suck and... are Okay

Before I used to post about a manga I recently discover almost everyday. Lately I don't but... honestly, the new manga I check out still increases in number! @_@ I'm beginning to find it troublesome to post an entry for each... even in batches of five (like the recent ones) because they're really really so many O_O;;; So I thought of a new method. For new manga titles that don't have that much chapters out, I'll include them to a batch of twelve. For those with more titles, then I'll cut the batch in half. I'll also only be posting the images of those I highly recommend ;P The list will always be arranged according to favorites, with the most favorite on top then to the least favorite (or hate) down at the end. So here goes:

For this batch, I've been putting together all the shoujo series (in which I've read only 1 chapter, except for J+K, which is 2 chapters) that I've read recently (of course not all of them just this weekend. Some are even last month).
ZeroSum series are usually categorized as josei, because the plots are more complex (and hell better than your average shoujo).... either that or a mix of shoujo and shounen, because the action scenes are awesome enough to be categorized for the action boys ;D But I'll be classifying them as shoujo, since they're more aimed to females anywayz. Moreover, the stories aren't as deep or mature as the many officially josei series that I know. Besides, a ZeroSum mangaka has considered her work shoujo, so I'll stick to that. Alright, here goes:

:: THEY ROCK ::

A boy claims to be a reincarnation of a queen of a foreign country... unfortunately no one believes him... except for one girl who's into fantasy. In their school, it has become a custom for some upperclassmen to bully those in lower years. Our main characters become targets later... our heroine spoke her mind while our hero fought back, which is unexpected for a laidback guy. He had decided not to rely too much on the magic he learned from his previous life and continue to live as an ordinary schoolboy.
I LOVE IT!!!!!! Though I'm honestly more interested in Veronica's life, Minami's life isn't that bad either. I love it that he didn't rely on magic to fight against the bullies, and he only used it to get back to the person who got him into trouble in th first place (there's no room for martyrs! Revenge is sweet~ Haha!). I love Minami, and also Kamioka! I love girls who show it when they're pissed off and try to get along with the "weird" people not because they are "new students" or "she's just trying to be nice to everyone", but simply because she believes they have the same interests. That's very nice~ And hopefully the other characters in Veronica's era will be revealed soon, especially the bishie who seems to be her love interest (if not her relative). SQUEEEE!!!!! I LOVE THIS A LOT!!!! xD

Their boarding school seems ordinary in the surface but is actually rich in urban legends. Two of the main guys meet a mysterious little girl who wants to have her dog "fixed". They promised to do that for her, and they were given a pile of rocks with only a vague sketch for a clue. They eventually meet a sculptor who can "fix" the dog for them, but unfortunately she actually hates dogs. Then one of the main guys suddenly started to have visions of the mysterious girl and an actual dog... she repeats that she want it fixed... and that she hated some woman. The leading guy collapses and the chapter ended with that cliffhanger.
I adore slice of life-ish series with a group of guy friends because their interactions are usually so adorkable xD It totally got my humor, I enjoy reading it xD Among the characters, my favorites are Tulli (oh his jokes! And he's abusable xD) and Yan (Yay! Supernatural boy!). The story's quite messy though (I don't get why the connection of the two meetings of the main duo's not explained.... and what's with the leading guy suddenly having psychic visions =_=) but the mystery got me intrigued~ Gah! Evil cliffhanger!!! =_=

The leading girl is very very busy because she has been helping out in so many clubs. She's very nice; she seems happy and all.... but she has blames herself for a tragedy that happened in the past. She finally finds a friend who was involved in that incident... and tries to chase him... but she prioritized the boy about to be hit by a huge vehicle. She got hit... and the one she's chasing tried to save her life.... by biting her neck!
I have been avoiding vampire love stories because the recent ones that I know of are either crap or becoming crap! Fortunately, this series has a huge chance of not heading to the wrong direction. Story's doing good so far and I'm very intrigued with what happened in the past and also the nature of the vampires in this series. Our heroine's likable; she may be the usual saint but at least she knows how to fight and speaks up her mind. The leading guy's your angsty tsundere though.... but he reminds me of the leading guy from Seirei Produce so I can't hate him, haha! Moreover, there are TWINS in this series. I.CANNOT.RESIST.BISHIE.TWIN.BOYS.SQUEE~

A bodyguard was hired by a king.... who doesn't want to be protected! Bodyguard gets annoyed but also intrigued on the reason why the king does such, especially when he found out that the king still visits the graves of all those who protected him! So later it has been revealed to him that the king hates people dying on him.... to the point that he is doing his bodyguard's job when they were attacked... costing him his right eye. This time bodyguard promises to protect him.... and become the king's right-eye.
There are other royalties who don't like being protected and having their bodyguards sacrifice their lives, but at least this king is capable of kicking ass, not a fragile self-sacrificing idiot. And I like the bodyguard dude... and I love it that he's abusable! Haha! And I believe the doctor's crack... a doting daddy! I'm so fond of them, haha!


:: THEY'RE OKAY ::

Crash!
The leading girl has the ability to detect people who have celebrity potential.... which is through her nosebleeds! Her mother, who works in an agency, asks her to use her skills once more by finding recruits at the park. Miraculously, she was able to spot a group of boys... enough to form a popular boy band! She faints form too much nosebleed... and failed to get their names. But luck has come to her doorstep when one of the guys came to the agency looking for more work opportunities.
The nosebleed thing reminded me so much of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge xD I know the nosebleed thing in this series is pretty stupid... and it's so obvious that the leading girl is gonna be romantically paired up with the "bad boy" bishie.... and it has cliches like meeting all the main bishies in one go for some coincidence..... BUT IT'S SOOOO AMUSING!!!! And stories of this type usually have the heroines wanting to become idols themselves, not recruiting them. Hehe~ This was such a delightful read~

Iiki no Ki
The young master finds a boy with an ogre mask in the ruins. The ogre boy later became the loyal servant and friend of the young master and his fiancee, who apparently is an orphan from a witch clan. They had a little sword practice and when the servant got injured, for some reason the fiancee is more concerned about him than her boyfriend. Master gets mad, servant boy takes the blame. Then one day he sees the girl outside, who seems to be possessed, telling him about his ogre side... very vaguely. Then later the master comes with a psychic mistress, and she foretells that ogre boy will be the cause of the fall of the capital.
The young master's amusing and crazy. The ogre boy's frighteningly adorkable. I love those two~ But the rest is MEH! Oh gawd, it's not as creepy as it seemed (or maybe my annoyance to the leading girl overpowered the eeriness of this series to me). And a love triangle to complicate things? "Great"! Oh well.... I don't remember lasting long in reading Kaori Yuki series.... I think her oneshots are better.

Tsumitsuki
Demons, called the tsumitsuki, eat people who feel guilt for their sins from the inside. The chapter's heroine's friend, who is apparently avoiding her, has become a victim of the monster. A mysterious boy named Kuroe had been warning her about it, but she still wants to help her friend. But it has become too late to save her friend, Kuroe kills the friend, and he later reveals a surprising twist of why the friend became like that and... also that the heroine will be his next meal.
I liked the story (especially the twist! Our main character's a bad boy who acts like someone who wants to help out but in the end is the type who can manipulate people to his advantage~) but not the story flow... I mean, he just appeared out of nowhere! He also pops up in the girl's school. Err... character relationship development please? Nonetheless, it was an interesting read. And I love it when stories that promise to be tragic are really tragic~

Ayahatori Shoukanjou
Our heroine can summon spirits, and the one she summoned in the chapter is the leading guy, who is a very unwilling spirit. He doesn't like being a servant but since she's her master now, he can't do anything about it. She doesn't want to be treated such anyway, because they're friends to her. Yes, one of those typically angelic heroines who summons servants to become her "friends" but they will later become her super loyal bodyguards and, of course, love interest. It has been like that with our leading guy. But at the moment our heroine has an obvious crush to her senpai... just to make things complicated and for the sake of a love triangle. Later chapters will most likely continue the bad spirit fighting and the "complexity" of the relationship of the main characters.
The bishies are really really really pretty (especially the senpai! He's even in a prince charming-ish costume) but it just had to cover almost all the supernatural shoujo cliches, making it extremely boring and annoying. Surprisingly, it's quite tolerable. And at least the heroine didn't annoy the hell out of me. Hopefully the cliches become less in later chapters, because those are the only things that degrades it x_x


:: THEY SUCK ::

Kiss Me Host Gumi
Leading girl transfers to a new school... where the host club is freakin' popular. She doesn't get the hype... and accidentally ruins a poster which made her forced to work for the host club. She doesn't like her job, and is very open about it. She loathed the host club business more when she learned that the love being spread in it isn't true love. She spoke her mind but got backfired for making a speech about something she has no experience of. She mopes... leading guy, who is apparently the no. 1 host, tries to comfort her.... and kissed her.
Oh gawd... no matter how you look at it, it's an Ouran wannabe. However, it's nowhere close to Ouran's level of awesomeness. I like it being weirder and more violent, but I'm not liking how it's planning to represent "true love". And oh boy, the main couple had a kiss this early, and seriously... I can't see the necessity of kissing a depressed girl =_= The leading guy will definitely be encountering problems on his position because of the leading girl's existence. Ugh... I find this so lame. The art's not that pretty anywayz =_= Meh.

Stardust Wink
The leading girl is failing in getting a boyfriend because she's still close with her two male childhood friends. She can't imagine being in a romantic relationship with her childhood friends... but since one of her friends got a girlfriend, she doesn't want to lose! So she was so happy when she finally becomes successful in getting one later.... but her friends promise to be there if something came up.... which did happen. Her prince charmings came and she broke up with her boyfriend. In the end, one of her friends finally had the guts to be honest with his feelings for her.... yeah, he asked her to become his.
I like romances with childhood sweethearts but having it as a love triangle is something I'm getting really sick of. I also abhor the "getting a boyfriend is the most important thing in life" idea... uuuuggghhh.... And it was totally not a surprise that the two boys are gonna be romantically connected to the girl... love triangle's just gonna make their relationship more "complex" to have some drama here and there.... and also to make the story longer. *yawn* I admit it got me giggle but still.... this is CRAP. What's the title got to do with anything in it? =_=

Shouri no Akuma
The leading girl transfers to a new school because of financial issues.... but her new school has become too weird for her. She received a warm welcome from the weirdoes but they're so different from her that she finds it hard to get along with them. She's also very upset when her hobbies are insulted and when people don't understand her. Nevertheless, the other main character (whom the leading girl finds really really beautiful) doesn't give up in making her part of the family. The charisma of this mysterious person encouraged her to try to get along.... and still trying.
I find Akira awesome but OH GAWD THE LEADING GIRL IS ANNOYING TO THE CORE! Fine, she's capable of speaking up her mind... but she just blurted those out. She's so emo... BUTTHURT EMO... and of course she cries easily. I like her passion for literature but she's very boring... and her being annoying makes my hatred towards her even worse. And honestly, the folks in the school aren't really "weird", just people doing what they want and quite rebellious to the usual school rules. They are pretty wild, but not as weird as the manga is trying to imply them as. Anywayz, that's just a minor flaw from the way I see it. Everything could've been nice if it weren't for that leading girl, who's incredibly unbearable. Ugh... I BLAME HER! Thank goodness Pika Ichi's heroine's nothing like her.

Royal Straight
It's about a princess, who has no traits of being a royalty at all, and wants to visit her mother's birthplace, Japan. She doesn't wish for publicity so she stays in an average family's place like a transfer student. There's a boy in that house.... of course he's a bishie. They are like polar opposites and "don't get along" because the bishie is mean. But of course, later we find out that he's actually a nice and caring guy... and the girl falls in love with him. Now we have a problem... and drama and emo stuff will come very soon.... boohoo
Typical shoujo crap, of course I hated it! It was really difficult to find something unique or cool about this. I like tsundere bishies but he's too predictable.... and the leading girl? So lame to the core.... not to mention annoying and pretty whiney. Oh just die. Gawd, I was hoping that there would be cards stuff because of the title. But there was none. And it was more horrible than your average shoujo. Uggghh

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Hetalia World Series - Episode 24


(Yay! Horsie!)
Should it be a surprise that Turkey had easily caught Lovino? Haha!
This is a pure Antonio + Chibi Lovino centric episode.... there should be more episodes like these~ I love these two~

So in this episode....

Antonio finds out that of all nation-tans, Turkey's the one who got Lovino this time.


Antonio's freakin' worried now because Turkey's in his Golden Age during that timel thus, very powerful. Antonio can handle the perverted Francis, but Turkey was a totally different issue. As much as possible, he wouldn't want to be enemies with the guy. But he doesn't want to let go of Lovino either. What a dilemma~
They're like gradeschoolers. Turkey got Antonio's toy, but though Antonio would want to have it back, he doesn't want to fight against the "powerful bully at school", haha. Oh history, you're no different from gradeschoolers. It's amusingly adorable. Haha!


But then, Lovino finally said the magic sentence "Save me, Antonio (bastard)". Everyone, especially Antonio, went DAAAAW~
Honestly, though it was cute and sweet, it's still abnormal to be touched even when being called a "bastard", haha!
But well, Antonio has the magic of seeing the cuteness of any type of toddler that or he's just a professional pedo. What a nice guy~


So Antonio didn't have second thoughts now. He doesn't care about what happens to him, he has to rescue his little Lovino~
YAY BULL!!!!


Turkey seeing everything as so-so. Turkey treating Antonio as so-so.
It was amusing~ Haha!


Antonio declares war!
When Antonio pulled out his sword.... I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE A SWORDFIGHT-

But...


Turkey was acting cool.... amusingly cool. He cancels the fight for that day just because he doesn't feel like it... and he's hungry. Haha.
Antonio's face.... teehee.


Lovino finally regains consciousness and....


LOLz to him saying that he thinks he's in hell because he sees Antonio. Hahahahaha!
Poor Antonio, I understand your frustration.


I believe it's not that difficult to guess what happened afterwards, right? Hehe.
Poor Antonio. It seemed that he had suffered more for protecting Lovino. Were you also like this to the other countries you conquered? (I don't remember he did that to my country. *sigh* Favoritism... )


Because of the troubles he had been encountering, his boss has been scolding him for it. She thinks that it might even be more advantageous if Lovino was left to Turkey to annoy the dude.


Lovino saw it all. And he's sad. Of course the boy has now realized on how much Antonio has done for him.
SO THE NEXT EPISODE SHOULD CONTINUE AFTER THIS SCENE BECAUSE IT'S VERY CUTE!!! AAAAAAAHHH!!!!

Now to end this post with my favorite Antonio scenes in the episode:

Nice close-up~

What a bishie~

I really love "I AM SO GONNA KICK YOUR ASS"-looks~