Fandom Blurbs 2011 #007 (Arakawa 6, Tiger & Bunny 23, and Some Manga)

[ DRAMA ]

(Arakawa Under The Bridge 6)

(So cute and amusing that live-action Ric showing his "date plan" with him and Nino in anime style, hehe.)

The episode began with Ric being fooled that something bloody serious (literally) has happened. Ah well, just when had this series been that kind of seriousness, haha. Still... Billy seemed out of character for doing that...

This episode was more of Ric x Nino centric... it's their first date episode. Too bad they weren't as bizarre as their animanga counterparts (I was looking forward to Ric and his shoujo manga collection) and Nino didn't wear the dress T_T But at least the "distancing" was still there, and they had more romantic scenes (as expected).

Next episode looks more exciting... looking forward to laugh a lot again xD

[ ANIME ]

(Tiger and Bunny - Episodes 23)

"The pain of friendship"... oh my god, Kotetsu... THAT'S SOOOO LAME!!!! .... AND YOU'RE SO AWESOME FOR THAT!!! HAHA!

How Barnaby got his memories back was so... what's the term for it... it makes you exclaim "that's it?!"... but it works, so I don't care~ And if the slap worked, that's lamer. It's more fun if it worked on something unexpected, even if it's a little predictable, hehe.

The hugs moment was soooo touching. You can see how relieved Kotetsu had been for that. I suppose Bunny's already as important as family to him. Daaw, how sweet.

The future of the city now lies on our duo's hands. The other heroes are helpless.. held as hostages eve, and they have no choice but to wait. Since they're so righteous and they believe in the power of friendship, they won't lose hope.

Cliche, isn't it? But nothing's wrong with cliche if the characters are great and the show's still interesting and enjoyable. Oh we know the duo's gonna win, but how they would win would be really interesting... especially with Kotetsu's situation: 1) daughter' and friends are hostages 2) he can't stay calm for that 3) his powers are going bye bye.

[ MANGA ]

• Kimi to Boku 18 - Shu-chan's brother's soooo adorable~
• Perfect Girl Evolution 112 - I have realized that this is more exciting to read if it's a chapter with Kyouhei and Sunako trying to kill each other, LOLz
• Watashi ni xx Shinasai 28 - It took Mami quite a while to realize her mistake, but at least it didn't take that long (Yukina didn't look like the novelist type). Anywayz, OHMYGODSHIGURE!!! xD His first "command" to Yukina is just... daaaaw~ What simple joy he has... so freakin' huggable~

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!

Watashi ni xx Shinasai - Akira or Shigure?

I've been catching up on this series . . . it's one of the very few shoujo manga I actually appreciate. And oh boy it's getting more intense~

Oh I love the colored picture (even has a butterfly! Kyaaa!) on chapter 9's cover:

Anywayz, I'm very curious:
Are you an
Akira x Yukina fan or a Shigure x Yukina fan?

Please answer the poll (I am also curious to know why you picked that choice):

Who do you want for Yukina?
	Akira
	Shigure
pollcode.com free polls

[ CHOICE #1: Akira x Yukina ]

Akira and Yukina are cousins. They've been together since they were young and Akira's the only one who hangs out with Yukina, whom many people are so afraid of because of the way she stares.
Akira has been her only company, being not only her relative but also her best friend.
He's the one who has protected her when she was at breaking point. He defended her like a knight in shining armor and gave threats to the one who caused the problem.
He doesn't hide his feelings anymore and confessed his love to her. He doesn't like the way Shigure has treated her, so if Yukina needs a lover for her novel, he would happily play that role, and he'll do it for real. He desperately wants Yukina to the point that he tells her to look at him as a man and that he wants to stay at her home.

[ CHOICE #2: Shigure x Yukina ]

Shigure is the most popular guy in school but his true character is rotten to the core. Yukina knows that side of him, but she got interested in using him as her fake lover for her to write a better romance novel. Shigure doesn't want to of course but with blackmails and threats, they started cooperating. Yukina has been giving him different missions in which he has to follow, all of them deal with romantic actions.
Shigure just plays the love game because he's forced to.But even though she has his weakness, it doesn't stop him from doing cruel things to her (and vice versa).
But later he started to feel bad when he does mean things to her, and even gets worried if something bad happened to her. At times he has been doing romantic acts with her out of his own will, but will later dismiss it as a joke. He doesn't like seeing Yukina becoming romantic with Akira and he doesn't want to lose to him.

[ MY PICK: Shigure x Yukina ]
Akira x Yukina is cute . . . . BUT SHIGURE x YUKINA IS MORE INTRIGUING!

Seriously, AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO SHIPS THIS TWISTED PAIRING????
Most fan comments that I see are similar to "Kyaaaaa~ Akira's like a prince."
Errr . . . yeah, but. . . I dunno. The pairing's cute but I find it a little boring.

I prefer something different. Something crazy. Something evil.
SHIGURE x YUKINA IS MY ANSWER!!!!!!!
YES! Shigure's so cruel to her; but so is she to him.
Their relationship is so twisted. They either torture each other or go lovey dovey. It's fake at first but now it's becoming REAL (or partly real. BUT THAT'S THE FUN IT IT!!!!).
IT'S A BASTARD x BITCH RELATIONSHIP! I LOVE IT!!!!
Shigure's showing signs that he has really fallen for her (HIS BLUSHES CAN'T BE FAKE) and I think he's obviously jealous when he sees Akira and Yukina together.
And I think Yukina's choice is obvious especially with this part:

THAT WAS JUST SO ROMANTIC.

Oh pfft! As if Shigure's gonna start admitting anytime soon. Well, he may claim to dislike Yukina but him saying that he doesn't want to lose to Akira is his way of hiding his true intentions: I can't let Yukina be touched by other men.

OH.MY.GOD.
Shigure's FINALLY making a move.
BE CANON ALREADY DAMN IT!
THE 10th CHAPTER ON THE MONTH WITH VALENTINE'S DAY BETTER BE A GOOD ONE!!!!!



Ah well, my opinions are my opinions. I don't really dislike Akira x Yukina. I just find Shigure x Yukina more thrilling~ (And Shigure's such a jerk. Tsundere's overused, but a 100% jerk and he's completely aware of it is not common. That's Shigure. I love bad boys. Haha!) I'm open to other opinions, but I don't like people fighting ^^; *saw something like that on a hetalia post* And my main reason for posting this is because I'm starting to wonder if there are really other Shigure x Yukina fans out there o_O
Or wait . . . . I think some are Shigure x Akira (or vice versa) fans. Bwahahahahha!

Notes/Credits:
~ RAWS scanned by Shirayuure and Nimakka

New Flavors: Watashi ni xx shinasai

Watashi ni xx Shinasai!
( Do xx to me! )
by Tooyama Ema
In class, she's a sort of zoned-out girl, and he's the year one class' most perfect, good-looking guy. But the two of them have a secret, and their extraordinary "love experience" will start now!

Title sounds like hentai! Haha! And that panel is so cute! Haha!

Honestly, I only checked it out because the art looked really pretty and the mangaka's the same as Koko no Iru Yo's.

While reading it, I thought it will be too similar to the mangaka's other work, for having an outcast of a leading lady and a leading guy that is so popular and loved by everyone except for the leading lady. The end of the chapter made me realize that I was so wrong though.

It's not your typical romantic shoujo series. Mr. Nice Guy is actually a secretly very arrogant and pretty narcissistic bastard; while the leading lady thinks of love as something being studied and experimented. So even if they do romantic acts (the leading guy is actually forced to do so, and the leading lady's unemotional about it), they don't exactly have romantic feelings for each other. So no stupid blushing or whatsoever. This made me really curious on how the love story between the two is going to develop.

Another thing that I like about this series that it also has writer's passion stuff. The novelist here (who is the leading lady) finds inspiration from the people around her through observing. And what she writes about are also mostly based on experience. I really like it that she gets determined to do things she's not really fond of for the sake of her readers. I'm no story writer, but I understand that feeling.

Anyway, I'm not really that sold to this series. At least not yet. But I have to admit that it got me really interested and eager to know what happens next! I think shoujo fans should try this out.

Plot source: Nagareboshi Manga