My Latest Fix: Stalker

Name:  Stalker
Author & Artist: Dan Woo
Chapters: 37 - Completed
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Seinen
Plot:

A reclusive, disfigured man stalks a pretty, good-natured housewife. One day, he witnesses this woman's daughter being kidnapped.

Overview:
The synopsis really doesn't give this Korean web comic much justice since it's obviously an unexplored perspective. The author was careful not to make this a total creep fest and actually made the stalker in question "relatable".

The protagonist is a misunderstood, reclusive guy who is a total outcast because of his looks. It shows the incidents where he gets judged for his appearance like questioning from the local police or bullying because he doesn't have the right to talk to the girl he likes. Anyone can identify with this one way or another which allows the whole stalking thing to be a byproduct of his life.

Latest Fix: Ao Haru Ride

Name: Ao Haru Ride
Author & Artist: Sakisaka Io
Chapters: 34 - Ongoing
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice Of Life
Plot:

Yoshioka Futaba has a few reasons why she wants to "reset" her image and life as a new high-school student. Because she's cute and had a demure personality she was ostracized by her female friends in junior high, and because of a series of misunderstandings and mishaps, she couldn't get her feeling across to the one boy she has always liked, Tanaka Kou.

Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends won't be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Tanaka-kun again, but he now goes under the name of Mabuchi Kou. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but that they cannot go back. Will Futaba be able to continue her love that never even started from three years ago?

Overview:

You go gurrrl

I've been following this manga for a couple of years now other Sakisaka finished Strobe Edge but it wasn't until recently that the story reached a crossroads. You can't predict what will happen next and the story could go in either direction.

Manga Cap: U MAD?

Here's a manga cap from my short overview of manga Ao Haru Ride which will be posted tomorrow.

Otome Plays: Marriage Contract Prologue

Name: Marriage Contract
Publisher: Arisumatikku/Alice Matic (アリスマティック)
Comments:
It's holidays for me so I've started to pick up this game to see where it takes me. It's seems incredibly cheesy but I got time to kill. Once I finish one character (big if though) I may review it. I'm sure whether this will become a thing for me but we'll see. Sorry I haven't gotten any reviews lately, it's been hard to find something extremely crap or really great to talk about since those are the only things most people (ie me) care about. A lot of average manga or unfinished series on my read list.

About this Blog + About Me Updates

So I just updated some details about my blog. I was going to post some personal social media accounts like fb or my personal blog but I don't think anyone is interested though I want more conversation about shoujo :/
So read it you want otherwise you can wait for another review/post.

About Me

Name: Anna
Age: 17
Is:

• Generally obsessed with manga and bishies. 
• classified as a tsundere in real life (probably)
• lazy in terms of reviewing (no extensive in depth reviews here)
• crass, cynical and blunt in humour

Flaws Include:

• Unable to correct no matter how much I proofread
• a weakness to bishies despite crappy storylines
• somewhat long intervals in between blogging (I'm working on that)

Manga Review: Hotarubi no Mori e + Short Anime Review

Name:  Hotarubi no Mori e aka what fangurrrl tears are made of
Author & Artist: Midorikawa Yuki
Chapters: 1
Genres: Drama, One Shot, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural, Tragedy
Plot:

 Hotarubi no Mori e tells the story of a young girl named Hotaru and her friendship with Gin, a strange young man wearing a mask, who she meets at the age of six in a mountain forest near her grandfather's country home. Hotaru learns that her friend is supernatural and that touching Gin will cause him to disappear forever. Hotaru returns every summer to spend time with Gin, and their relationship matures as both struggle with its limitations.

Review:
I was recently reminded about this gem of a manga while scrolling down my facebook newsfeed and went a long with fangirling about this manga since I don't have any friends that like manga.

It starts off with little girl meets masked boy in mysterious forest (who turns out to be a spirit btw) and start a friendship together.

Favourite and not so good Smut Mangakas

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, just finished all my high school exams and I'm officially finished schooling now yaaaay.

Now onto the mangakas.

Private Prince, resident nerd
meets playboy prince.

1. ENJOUJI Maki
   She makes generally, comedic works with drama and smut as the good old supplement. It''s not always centered around the sex so it's a lot more story driven. Private Prince and Hapi Mari are probably her best works. Her males have a douchy aura but turn out to be sweet lovers once you get to know them type of guys.
2. OHMI Tomu
   This author is labelled Josei and rightfully so because her overall tone of her mangas tend to be on the serious side and not a lot of comedy involved. This is despite the supernatural themes she implements in her manga. Though her stories could easily become Harlequins with the melodrama, the flow and delivery stop it from being so. They're interesting and enjoyable to read and a bit more smut heavy then most of the mangakas on this list. She only has one prominent work that sticks out which is Midnight Secretary.
3. YOSHIHARA Yuki
   Her name is synonymous with comedy. It's funny, light hearted manga with smut sprinkled throughout the story. It doesn't feel as "heavy" as the other smut mangas and the protagonist is almost always "thirsty" for a man which is always funny to see (basically the inner fangirl in all of us). It's great for people too afraid to step into the smut genre and looking for a good story. Best work is Chou yo Hana yo.
4. Shinjo Mayu
   No mean to disrespect her as a mangaka but essentially all her characters are the same and she utilities the same formula every time. Not much substance other then meaningless sex or rape that isn't considered rape because the main female lead begins to enjoy it (which is pretty sickening). Though smut isn't always about substance Shinjo could at least be forgiven if all her stories and characters don't all look the same. Short, weak female lead who barely looks legal and horny, dominant and downward eyebrowed male lead looking to take advantage of the innocent virgin.
   
   On a totally unrelated note, there's this k-pop idol from a band named EXO who strongly resembles Shinjo Mayu's male leads named Kris.

Yep it's the eyebrows

EXO's Kris, it's probably the eyebrows, isn't it?

Happy Halloween~! The Bongcheon-Dong Ghost

Hello guys. Instead of reviewing a horror manga I'm going to direct you to this really creepy Korean web comic called Bong-cheon Dong Ghost. Let me say if you're a complete wuss, read this with your friends, I can guarantee you'll be scared.

Click on the image to read the web-comic, enjoy :)

Manga Cap: Does he have poison in his dick?

Sorry for the late update so here's a manga cap that ties in with my next post. You have got to love Yoshihara sensei and her humor.

Manga Review: Hyakunen Renbo

Name: Hyakunen Renbo
Author & Artist: MASHIBA Nao
Chapters: 8 completed
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy,  Romance, Shoujo
Plot:
From Mousou Scans:

Eva, a long-lived witch, takes in Fernest kingdom’s youngest prince, Louis, when she is asked to heal the eldest prince of an illness. Although witches are traditionally despised, Louis forms a close bond with her. When Louis is called back to the palace by a strange twist of fate to take his father's place on the throne, Eva must decide whether to let him go or follow.

Review:
This is a sweet, kawaii-ful manga. It's nothing that really strays from your shoujo formula but it's done fairly well. The protagonist isn't especially exceptional nor is she annoying so I can't complain.

Male leads on the other hand is cute, lovable and hot. He's definitely belongs on some bishie list and I oggled over him as I read this.

I kind of wish the mangaka had the opportunity to expand on this story line since this had a lot of potential. Though putting my fangirl tendencies aside, it's mediocre at best.

Spoiler (but I don't think it is really):
Some people were complaining about how old the character was (like she was 110 years old) and how she acted like a "teenager". It's ridiculous to say that when it's published in LaLa magazine, which is shoujo mind you. Their demographic are tweens and older teens (deluded shoujo fans aka me) so to open up a magazine like this an expect a 12 year old to appreciate the wise teachings of a 100 year old witch is absurd. That's why I can understand why she acts young for her age. Guys don't nearly get as much flack as girls do.

Manga Review: Koi Shitagari no Blue

Name: Koi Shitagari no Blue 
Author & Artist: FUJIWARA Yoshiko
Chapters: 24 - completed
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Plot:
From Aerandria Scans:
“Won’t you become my girlfriend?”
On the day of her high school entrance ceremony, Ao got asked that by Riku, a guy that she has only just met. But by that, he meant to ask her to become his fake girlfriend, just to pretend. Ao was surprised by the sudden request, but after knowing Riku’s true feeling, she decided to agree to become his fake girlfriend...?

Review:
My initial impression of this was nice art and the whole story progressed very smoothly. All in all, I really liked it. Though as the plot unfolded, I really started to hate it.

The heroine, Ao, is likable and noble and I feel like the reason why the whole premise went downhill pretty fast was the other supporting characters.
Her main love interest is a classic example of that really cute guy who's childish/immature tendencies inadvertently hurt everyone else.

Manga Review: Akumu no Elevator

Name: Akumu no Elevator
Author & Artist: Kinoshita Hanta & Roppongi Aya
Chapters: 1 (148 pages)
Genres: Mystery, One Shot, Psychological, Seinen
Plot:
Jun receives a phone call from his wife Manami telling him that she's about to give birth, while he's at the apartment of his mistress Yoko. He promptly breaks up with his mistress and runs out the door to rush his wife to the hospital.

Unfortunately, the elevator becomes stuck on the way down, and he's trapped with three strangers. To pass the time, they decide to share their deepest, darkest secrets. Jun can't help but be horrified by the criminal acts these seemingly normal people are capable of committing... and getting away with. Will a rescuer ever come, or will they be stuck in this nightmare elevator until they all die?

Review:
I know this ain't shoujo or even aimed at the female demographic but this was an intriguing story and hey, it's Friday the 13th (I know I'm a bit early for you North Americans).

In a nutshell, it starts off as a dark atmosphere with black humor and really takes a casual light on their given situations. It's amazing how the offset humor enhances the overall dark and creepy effect of this manga. It really needs to be read rather than explained.

If you love mystery and don't mind thrillers I recommend this, also there are a lot of abrupt plot twists that are sure to surprise you

Manga Review: Hapi Mari

Name: Hapi Mari
Author & Artist: ENJOUJI Maki
Chapters: 40 - Completed
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Josei, Romance, Smut
Plot:
From Aerandria Scans:

Men - they're the root of Takanashi Chiwa's problems, which is why she never had the time nor the opportunity to have a boyfriend in her entire life. A full-time office lady and a part-time hostess, she works night and day to pay off her dad's debt from his failed business. One night at her part-time job, a high-class customer has her fired. Then the next day, she's called in to see the president - whom she had never even seen before in the office - only to find out she's to marry him! But what kind of guy is Mamiya Hokuto anyway? Will he become one of Chiwa's problems, or will he save her from them? And will this marriage even last?!

Review:
After reading this a couple of times I've decided to do a review for this.
My expectations for this manga were just above average, a lazy Sunday afternoon a I-got-nothing-better-to-do-on-the-with-my-life type of read.

The plot was a tad melodramatic and typical of office romance genre. They had their cute moments which I liked though the jealously got a bit past the point of endearing and became more of an annoyance. The story could have been cut short a few chapters if the mangaka just moved on.

Manhwas vs. Webtoons

There's this common misconception that Manhwas and Webtoons are the same since they are both Korean Language comics. Let me rebut this and say this is not completely right in my opinion. Many people use Manhwas interchangeably with webtoons and although it's not technically wrong it bothers me how they are classed as the same thing.

I feel like one of the major factors are how the medium is presented. I'll shortlist some of my observations on the given genre (correct me if I'm wrong):

1. Manhwas are presented in paperback book form or in magazines. This greatly restricts target audience (whether it's a tween, older teen or young adult magazine) which in turn feels like the author must meet the demands of what the audience wants. It's a good thing sometimes but generally the author should really be in charge of the story's creative direction. They also have editors, both a good thing and a bad thing, it stops the author from writing anything to choppy but again, restricts them from creativity.
   
   On the other hand, Webtoons are obviously posted online, free for anyone to view. Traditionally when hosted on sites like Naver, they get money based on hits and popularity I'm assuming. It actually gives the artist more freedom in writing the story and the audience is not restricted. The demographic is anyone that has a computer and likes comics.

My Latest Fix: Ciel

Name: Ciel The Last Autumn Story

Author & Artist: RHIM Juyeon

Chapters: 22 Chapters approx. Ongoing

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Supernatural

Plot:With the author's characteristic humour and creativity, the work describes one girl’s fantasy adventure. Yvien Magnolia's beauty widens the small villagers' eyes she is living but she never knew what her future would be, since it is destined too high to imagine for her at that time....

As the lord of the manor tries to kidnap her, Yvienne flees to Lowood Institution for wizardry and witchcraft she never thought to go leaving behind her family.

In the school, she meets interesting people, like, January Lightsphere who shines purple aura compared to his noble but peculiar family, and Lariatte, an orthodox fighter family's heir, who will be her closest mate.

Review:

I put this on hold 2 years ago since I was really busy and now I've come back to it and have really enjoyed re-reading it so far. It's really a breath of fresh air from the shoujo I typically read, I'm not sure whether to attribute this to the fact that it's a manhwa.

Although I usually prefer manga art, this author has pretty nice art, it really is based on personal preference.

The female lead, Yvienne, is a somewhat haughty about her looks though this is mostly for comic relief. I like how her mother and herself promote strong-independent-women-ness that most manga and manhwa lack.
It's not all about physical strength alone but also thinking smart which is exactly how Yvienne is portrayed.

Manga Review: Sailor Fuku ni Onegai!

Name: Sailor Fuku ni Onegai!
Author & Artist: Tanaka Mecca
Chapters: 21
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Supernatural

Plot: When Hina hits a homerun ball and goes to get it back, she realizes she has damaged a shrine with the baseball. When she touches the object inside the shrine, the object is absorbed into her, and she becomes the shrine's god. Now she is protected by the shrine's guard dogs, Shishi and Koma. On her journey she meets other spirits, guardians, and the legendary nine-tailed fox.

Review:
So I've read this manga 2 years ago and re-read it again just recently because I was bored. I basically forgot most of the story line, only having a vague idea of the ending, so it shows this isn't exactly a very memorable manga.

Nonetheless I found it pretty funny, I mean I really like Tanaka Mecca's sense of humour since it's quite befitting for shoujo. If you're looking for happy-go-lucky characters and almost idiotic comedy then you should read her other works like Faster Than a Kiss. Of course there's a few moments that tugs on those heart strings but it didn't leave me in a crying mess.

I think what's saves this manga from being completely cliched is the comedy. Otherwise it'd leave a pretty bland taste in your mouth. The guy is your basic, "If you get too close, I'll hurt you" type whereas the chick is not exactly a Mary Sue but there aren't any distinct characteristics that really make her the main heroine.  Though I like the art, simple and recognizable.

I think it ends on a good note as stories like this tend to overstay it's welcome. It was good to see it end in about 20 chapters and the author wasn't trying to milk their franchise coughVampireKnightcough.

This isn't bad but it isn't great either. It's the kind of thing you read when your bored. It's short and sweet is how I'd sum it up, more or less.

Top 10 Things I Learnt About Japan Through Manga

Sometimes I'd get into conversations with my friend and occasionally when the topic of Japan comes up for some reason or another I'd spit out information like it was nobody's business. Most of the time they're taken aback, awed by my worldly knowledge but actually it's mostly donates from sitting at home and fawning hopelessly over 2D men.

Here are 10 interesting things I learnt about Japan and it's culture that you can't necessarily read from a textbook

1. Blood Type Horoscopes
   I was always curious why some mangaka would include blood type in character profiles along with height and name amoungst other things. They even made specialised condoms for each respective blood type. It really should be taken with a grain of salt but hey no harm in reading about it. It says that I'm the type to start but not finish thing, that I can agree on.

Manga Review: Hadashi de Bara o Fume

Name: Hadashi de Bara o Fume
Author & Artist: Ueda Rinko
Chapters: 57
Genres: Drama, Historical, Romance, Shoujo
Plot: From Viz:

Poor Sumi Kitamura… Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi's financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Ashida enters her life with a bizarre proposition: he'll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him. But can Sumi fool high society into thinking she's a proper lady? Moreover, is it worth giving up everything for this sham of a marriage?

Review:
Remember how I took a trip to the manga shop and totally spazzed out? Well I saw this amoungst the many titles that were being translated and I had to stop myself from laughing. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would consider translating this. First of all the Jerk with a Heart of Gold trope only works if he's a adorable tsundere not some rich d-bag.

I read this awhile ago and gave up halfway because it was shoujo at it's best and when I say best I mean it's really bad. Everything you can hate about shoujo is in this story. Add a psychotic third wheel and you may just have the single best badly-executed manga ever.
What I mean is it's so stupid it's funny. Reading it the second time around to kill time and also with my expectations lowered gave me some enlightenment.

I don't recommend this unless you have absolutely nothing better to do.

Spoiler alert highlight to see:
There's a really hilarious moment when the two dumb leads are making love and the crazy ass mofo third wheel pulls a "Here's Johnny" moment. Like he literally goes around the hotel with an ax and starts smashing up doors. I laughed for hours.

My Latest Fix: Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei - Sugar Apple Fairytale

Name: Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei - Sugar Apple Fairytale
Author & Artist: MIKAWA Miri & YUKIMURA Alto
Status: 4 chapters - Ongoing
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo
Plot:From AQUA Scans:
In The Kingdom of Highland, a country where fairies are slaves of the humans, Ann Halford, a Candy Craftswoman, decides to purchase one in order to arrive the once-yearly Candy Fair to achieve the title of Silver Sugar Master.

Overview:
With the whole "fairies" premise, the expectations are a childish, magical girl story but it has a twist. All the fairies are enslaved bringing a realistic aspect to what would normally be an idealistic world.

Manga Review: Diamond Life

Name: Diamond Life
Author & Artist: FUJIWARA Akira
Chapters: 14
Genres: Drama, Josei, Romance, Slice of Life, Tragedy

Plot: Kanae dropped out of high school, because her father is a gambler while her mother ran away with her boyfriend. Kanae is twenty-two years old, and very poor working for a cleaning shop. She comes to have something to do with Haruki Oda quite by chance. Haruki is an IT millionaire and called "money-mad man," or "the god of death." Then Kanae's life makes a sudden development. Money cannot be made by love alone, though love cannot be bought with money. People of today want to have both love and money. This get-happy-story is a must read for the present-day people.

Review:
The thing I love about Josei is that it's so much more easy to read in terms of not gagging from over cheesiness. I guess if you love melodrama then this may not exactly be for you.

What I love about this series is it really addresses some pretty interesting, lesser known issues and I actually found myself learning more about. If you can take anything away from this manga, it's that you learn some important life lessons and I felt more knowledgeable about things (I can't really tell you what they are since it'd kinda spoil it).

Template Updated Once Again

I was really unsatisfied with the last template so I decided to spend some of my time updating to my liking. It's nothing flash but looks a lot better than it did before.

I also want to take the time to thank everyone for reading and commenting. I'm usually the passive reader and really get too lazy to comment on things but thanks for showing interest towards this blog.

I have no friends who read manga in real life so this is effectively my only outlet to fangurrrrllll.

The picture is from Dear by Fujiwara Cocoa. I really need to do a overview of it sometime since I love that manga to death.

Shugo Chara AMV

Random post but I was just procrastinating on youtube (since schoolwork is physically impossible to complete unless I'm at some kind of library) and I stumbled upon one of my favourite anime music videos back in 09 when I was really getting into manga.

I jumped on the bandwagon pretty late since I went to a white washed school and it was only in high school (13 - 17 yrs my country has no middle school) when I started to really get in to manga.

This AMV helped solidify my growing love for manga and Shugo Chara was the first one I really got into. I want to review it some day since I got a couple of volumes of it sitting on my bookshelf though. What's stopping me is the fact that I was a noob back then and I've taken off my rose-coloured glasses, I'm afraid that the manga I loved so much is going to effectively be a dissapointment once I review it.

Anyhow if you plan on watching the anime, I suggest you skim over the Shugo Chara Doki season and try to skip the fillers and skip most of Shugo Chara Party.

Enjoy the AMV :)

Manga Review: Mars

Name: Mars
Author & Artist: SOURYO Fuyumi
Chapters:
Genres: Drama, Mature, Psychological, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Tragedy
Plot:
Kira believes that Rei and all other men in the world are dirty. She stays away from her classmates, hiding in her art. What happens when the delinquent motorcyclist and playboy, Rei, gets ahold of one of her drawings, and actually wants to keep it?

Review:
Now I perpetually avoid tragedy cos I'm a crybaby but seeing as I was in the mood of some psychological romance I thought, why not?

At first glance it's typical bad boy and anti-social, man-phobia girl but there seems to be such an inevitability on how it all unfolds. It's the dark side of human nature. It explores our natural instinct of violence and atrocities of man.

Hellooo~

I'm on holidays now so I should really get around to reviewing. I've spent most of my days hermitting while reading manga, I have no laifu :C

Meanwhile I found this manga/anime shop in my city and I set out alone, especially to go buy some manga. I tried to contain my excitement and my otaku feels while entering the store. A whole shelf of manga. I feel like manga is just so much better in physical form :3.

I modestly purchased the first volume of Strobe Edge and he nonchalantly handed me my receipt as I could of literally skipped happily away from.I even posted a pic of it on Instagram (don't ask me why I joined the camwhorifying bandwagon).

Rating Systems in Manga

For those of you not familiar with my manga reviews, I do not have a rating system.
Why?
What I've noticed while looking through baka updates and filtering the kind of manga I want to read from the ones I don't, I always take notice of the rating.
If gives me a ballpark idea of whether the manga is good or not.
That is by all means fine and quite useful.
But the problem is a lot of it isn't an accurate reflection of whether it's really good or not.
A lot of the ratings are really subjective.
For eg. there's your stereotypical shoujo oneshot.
For an avid shoujo manga freak like me, I always judge things based on the purpose of the manga. Most of them are just fluff to read to kill time so I would probably rate it, say a 7.5.
On the other hand, if someone was actually judging it, having only read really meaningful stories then they would probably give it a 4.

Same scenario can be used it there is a deeply emotionally driven plot.
Someone like me would rate it a 9 but someone who loves cheesy crap mixed to together with comedy and hot bishies might not appreciate it so much and give it a 7, labeling it boring.

Rating systems only work if you have certain standardized criteria. That's why I don't have such rating systems because dissecting a story and slapping on a number isn't how I feel it's supposed to be seen. Sure you break it down into simpler parts but logic, reasoning and numbers isn't supposed to be associated with manga, especially shoujo.
Your supposed to review it as a whole (how well it's put together), the purpose and it's intended audience.

Some are obviously better in the morals, execution and art. I feel like putting rating systems for those wouldn't be bad.

Well done with this boring post. Look forward to more reviews...

Manhwa Review: He's Dedicated to Roses

Name: He's Dedicated to Roses

Author & Artist: Hwang Mi Ri
Status: Finished 
Chapters: 42
Genres: Action, Comedy, Gender Bender, Romance, School Life, Shoujo
Plot:
"If you were a girl, we would never have met."
"Well- to...to be honest with you- I AM a girl-"
Plain as a girl, but HOT as a guy.
Choi Ida wants no more then to relieve her stress and anger when she is off work as her alternate male identity Choi Yodah. Her job? A slave to the popular rich girl, Mimi, at both school and home.
One day in the park, free from Mimi, she meets Kang Naru, who kisses her as Ida, not as Yodah).
Then, one day, Kang Naru meets and falls in love with Ida's alter ego, even though he thought 'he' was a boy!
But can Ida keep up both of her lives without getting caught?

Review:
So I happened to stumble upon Hwang Mi Ri's name in some forum and I had to make a review on one of the manhwas I read from her. She is the sole reason why I've been put of manhwas for awhile. She has a huge repertoire of manhwas and she gets so much hype but it really is crap and this is not exception. It's full of classic shoujo cliches or korean drama plot elements and it really makes me cringe. I can see how it appeals to the masses but honestly if you read Asian graphic novels as avidly as I do, you'll find it repetitive and bland.

Shoujo Manga Cliches: My Top 7 Favourite Cliches

There are just some cliches that I love, if done well of course.
I've read a lot of mangas under these categories and I don't know why I like it so much.

1. Really, Really sweet guys - You know the ones that make you realise you'll probably never find a guy like that? And make you scream kawaii at the top of your little lungs? Example of really kawaii guys are Suwa from Orange by Takano Ichigo.
   
2. Bromance - My love for bromances is a bit unhealthy. Friendship is really a sweet thing. Friendship between girls is nice. Friendship between guys is too. Friendship between hot, nice guys. DAMN I'm already on the bandwagon. A good one is from Strobe Edge with Ren and Takumi.
   
3. Jealous Lovers - Jealously is the main instigator for guys to take action. Yup, just cos you're hot it doesn't mean she'll stick around. Faster than a Kiss has a lot of those jealous moments.
   
4. Tsunderes - Tsunderes are so typical but they are so sweet. I guess it's just my personal preference. Youko x Boku SS has a Tsundere female who throughout the story, tries to counter her mean tendencies.
   
   
5. Older Male x Younger Female - I feel like these types of relationships cos I like the male who seems dominant have a girl 6 years younger drag him along at her own pace. 7 Jikanme Rhapsody, also a teacher x student relationship.
   
6. Tall Guy x Short Girl - Maybe I like it cos I'm short myself but I like the idea of a guy being tall, like a protecter of the girl. Hilarity is ensured it the short girl is dominant in the relationship. Narabuna Kiken is a oneshot that puts a bit of emphasis on the height.
   
7. Arrogant Guys - Yeah I know they aren't really attactive. But the nice arrogant ones are hilarious to watch. Sir Tiger's Table has a pretty lol-worthy male lead who's dresses funny and is somehow rich as hell.

Takano Sensei is qutting shoujo. WHAT AND WHY?

For those that don't know, Takano Ichigo is the mangaka behind Orange which I may or may not have ranted and raved about. She's relatively new on the scene and Orange is probably her best work, her other mangas are cute but mediocre at best.
Even though it was released in 2011 I can dare say it's probably one of the best manga I have ever read. So when I heard that's she's quitting I was shocked.
According to her now deleted blog, a post said that she was essentially tired of haters and she's been contemplating about quitting. "Nothing will change if only one among so many artists disappears" she says, not but you are a top notch mangaka and you haven't even started.
There are plenty of shit ridden shoujo and you don't see them quitting, (insert joke about Watase Yuu). It's just so disappointing. She does plan to finish it off before she quits, not sure if I'm relieved or sad. It's currently on hiatus and I really hope she does the story justice. Not sure if I should recommend it so much anymore since I personally feel it's really good.

Manga Review: Hitsuji no Namida

Name: Hitsuji no Namida
Author & Artist: Hidaka Banri
Status: Complete
Chapters: 42
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Romance, School Life, Shoujo

Plot: High school student Hasumi Kei has only one goal in life--that is to visit her classmate Kanzaki Kyosuke's apartment! Seeing how the two do not know each other, Kyosuke refuses to allow her to be anywhere near his apartment... But Kei is relentless, demanding to get her way...but why?

Review:
Read this on the holidays to kill time and it was fairly good. What kept me reading was the whole mystery element going on, you wanted to know more about the character's situation and whatnot.
Though after letting it simmer in my mind for a week or so, it's not very memorable. The characters are likable, the main lead isn't all that bad and the guy is cute but nothing more then that. If you're looking for romance, this really isn't the manga for you, even categorising it as romance is a stretch. So give it a go if you got time, it's a cute read.

Manga recommendations... anyone? And Inu Boku x SS is getting licensed!

So I need more manga to read, like one worth reviewing. I've spent my two weeks off school reading crap manga and re-reading favourites again and again.
I guess it's cos the quality of it has gone down but I feel like it's getting better and scanalating takes ages. I really wish I knew Japanese T_______T

Sorry I've appeared illiterate in my recent posts, doesn't matter how much I proof read it, there's always dumb mistakes when I type. I assure you English is my first language...
Also updated the blogger skin, it's pretty dull but I don't have time to invest in making it look pretty, sorry.

Also Inu Boku x SS aka Youko Boku x SS is getting licensed by Yen Press and is due to release in October this year. I really want to support the author, Fujiwara Cocoa, even if it is purely Japanese raws but I'm so glad they'll be an English version.
Manga in book form will always beat online versions, it's how it was supposed to be read.
I guess it's a matter of personal taste but really give the manga a shot, it's just one of those mangas I'd buy every volume for and there's not a lot of mangas I'd actually buy.

Manga Review: Hanatsukihime

Name: Hanatsukihime
Author & Artist: Hibiki Wataru
Chapters: 8 - finished
Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural
Plot:"There once was a girl with a splendid flower blooming upon her chest."

When Lys was born, her heart did not beat at all. To save her, her mother made a contract with a devil: Lys can borrow his heart until the day she turns sixteen, but after that, he will eat her body. Together with her companion, Siva, someone whom she met by chance in the desert at night, she travels around as a dancer girl to find the devil who sealed her fate. One day, while they were traveling, they suddenly meet an egoistic prince and a ring spirit...

Review:
This is a really sweet manga and I really like the idea of borrowing demons' hearts to survive, plus one for creativity.
It's a short no nonsense series and isn't ridden with unnecessary chapters and idiotic situations. I feel like a bit more angst, stuggle and a couple more chapters would've been better and given it a more solid, conclusive ending but I'm fine with it. The gap between the finale and the ending scene was good enough nonetheless.
It easily makes it into my list of manga I'll read again and it's not a waste of time but it's not the absolute best.

Manga Review: Mugen Dokei

Name: Mugen Dokei
Author & Artist: Saitou Ken
Chapters: 1 - finished
Genres: Drama, Fantasy, One Shot, Romance, Shoujo, Tragedy,
Plot:
In a world where time consists of two kinds of clocks, the Clock of Eternity, which indicates the life span of the universe, and the Silver Clock, which indicates the life span of a person, lived Mu, a carefree girl who despises the contradiction between eternity and the Clocks. Then she meets a boy who’s Silver Clock runs faster than any other person she’s met…

Review:
Let me start off by saying this has got to be one of the best one shots I've ever read. I've read this awhile ago and I've been itching to do this review for awhile now. It's so well put together and the subtle foreshadowing is utilised well.

The whole premise is living in a world where you life span is dictated by your watch. Eerie  and tragic but definitely intriguing and romantic.
I can't say much without spoiling it but if you love everlasting love, character development along with tsunderes then go ahead and read it.

Manga Review: Otogimoyou Ayanishiki

Name: Otogimoyou Ayanishiki
Author & Artist: Hiwaka Kyouko
Chapters: 21
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural.
Plot:
Suzu, an ordinary girl who possess extra-ordinary power to summon demons, was left with a flute, the only keepsake of her disappearing ‘Father’. In the flute, dwelt the guardian spirit who responds to her plea in danger.

Review:
I came to the sudden realisation that the author of this manga is the same as Kanata Kara and I thought the two stories were very familiar, blonde moment there.

Art has a very 90s-esque to it and it's very similar to Kanata Kara although romance is very minimal so if you're looking for sappy romance, this is not for you.
It's very plot driven and I find the story intriguing. I thought the characters were a bit similar to the author's previous works and there wasn't much character development.

The female lead, Suzu, relied on Shinkuro too much, plus she suddenly gets powerful in the story and she wasn't shown to have trained much. Characters are bland and are again, a bit too similar to Noriko and Izark from Kanata Kara. I guess I've been drawing too many comparisons but that's the conclusion I've come up with.

The side characters are a lot more interesting, I mean you got a kitsune here (fox spirit) who's really funny and the villains are a lot more scarier too.
I thoroughly enjoyed it but it doesn't stick in your mind so much and I don't think I'd be reading it again anytime soon.

My Latest Fix: Nobody Knows

I'm renaming my recommended manga segment to my latest fix. I think it just sounds better. Basically it's just manga I'm enjoying recently but they haven't released enough for me to determine whether the overall story is good.


Name: Nobody Knows
Author & Artist: Lee Hyeon-sook
Status: Ongoing
Chapters: 14
Genres: Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural
Plot:
The “self bully” Ban has a normal enough life, and where divorced parents aren’t that uncommon, her life becomes shadowed in mystery when her mother, Eun-Joo, suddenly brings their “distant relative” Jin-Whan home to live with them. Ban’s mother would always avoid the topic of her family, so who is this strange boy? Are they really relatives? What torturous secrets does her mother’s past hold? And what do the sudden strange happens that follow in Jin-Whan’s wake mean? Would a better question not be who is he, but what?

Overview:
I think it's definitely worth a read and I really dislike manhwas (korean comics). They are generally overdone and melodramatic like k-dramas. I guess I just have a prejudice against them but I know I shouldn't generalize Although the good ones I've read tend to have a dark ambient to them, being a wuss in horror I find it weird how I like crime, thrillers and dark ambient things, I just find them intriguing.

Manga Review: Kanata Kara

Name: Kanata Kara aka From Far Away
Author & Artist: Hikawa Kyouko
Chapters: Approx.  70 - Finished
Genres: Action,  Adventure,  Comedy,  Drama,  Fantasy,  Romance, Shoujo,  Supernatural

Plot: 
Walking home from school one day, Noriko is innocently caught up in a terrorist bombing. Rather than being blown to bits, she finds herself transported to another world; a world in which darkness seems on the rise, as its powers desperately search for a being known as the Awakening whom it is said will awaken the Sky Demon. She finds this new world to be dangerous and overwhelming, and Noriko has little choice but to throw her lot in with the mysteriously powerful man she encounters upon her arrival. The enigma of this world and her role in it will gradually unfold, but first things first: Noriko must learn their language!

Review:
This has got to be one of my favourites. It's a solid manga with nice, clean art from the 90s.

Noriko is your average Japanese school girl who's thrown into a pretty dangerous world. She does everything she can that's within her limits and doesn't get bogged down by the fact that she really can't help anyone fight off demons or the enemies. She doesn't sit around and wine, and when she gets captured she thinks calmly about the situation and tries to desperately escape. I could have easily seen her become a Miaka from Fushugi Yuugi...

Shoujo Manga Cliches: Annoying Female Characters

So with my recent comeback to my blog, I'm going to start writing about shoujo manga cliches. If you read shoujo manga as frequently as I do. You will know what I'm talking about.

1. The Crybaby/ mentally weak female lead - one of the most god damn annoying cliches in the whole shoujo manga world. If an author is too lazy to think up something original, they'll whip out this 1 dimensional character. Girls like this frequently exist for the guy they love; they have no depth at all. They don't have any deep relationships with friends or even family members, their sad little lives revolve around their high school crush or loved one.

Happy Single Awareness Day

It's that time of year again where Japanese High School girls go ahead and give chocolate to their crushes. Or giri chocolate to boys who aren't so popular.
If your forever alone then go ahead and play a sim date. A lot of them either aren't available in English or you have to pay.

Scheduling Posts in Advance

School has started up again but I'll try to keep this blog active.
Meanwhile this describes me everyday.

Manga Review: Midnight Secretary

Name: Midnight Secretary
Author & Artist: Ohmi Tomu
Status: Complete
Chapters: 35
Genres: Josei, Romance, Smut, Supernatural
Plot: Kaya thought she had found the perfect job when she became the private secretary of Kyouhei Touma - the director of a tableware company of the same name. Kyouhei is a capable director, but his arrogance and sluttish behavior are almost legendary. Kaya is doing her best to prove that she is capable in her work, but one night, by accident, she discovers his secret... of him being a vampire!

Review:
I know it's josei but hey it's still manga so I'll keep this short and sweet. When I first read it, it was an enjoyable read. I was just looking for a vampire romance and I gave it a go. It fulfilled it's purpose of giving of women sense of excitement with endeavoring into a forbidden relationship with a boss and a vampire at that.

New Blogger Template

Someone commented and said my site was hard to navigate so I hesitantly switched to the new blogger template. I like the old html but I'm not coding master so I guess I will make do with this.
Goodbye old theme ;___________;

My Top 5 Shoujo Mangas

Hey Guys I'm probably going to do this blogging thing as an on again off again thing so if you really like the crap I post just comment and let me know so I have motivation to post more :D

There's a difference between entertaining mangas and manga that are so kawaii and meaningful that you'd pass this down to your children to read. (ok I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea).

In reality most shoujo mangas are complete and utter shit, sugar coated so it looks presentable and add in a couple of bishies and you're good to go. Shoujo manga are basically to entertain and give girls fantastical views of romance. But these ones have more depth and dimension and contradict the norm. Always read shoujo to it's intended purpose and these are actually trying to tell some kind of story.

So let's start off with a micro reviews of my top list and I probably will make full reviews when they're finished or when I can be bothered.

1. Orange (Takano Ichigo) - I was seriously hesitant to put this as my top since it's so new but god damn is it good. The time-travel would be tragedy is expected to be gripping and intense but it literally feels like walking in a cherry blossom park with petals flying everywhere. Or in other words it's kawaii as hell with a meaningful message behind it. Read this after you go through this list. You will not regret it
   
2. Dear (Fujiwara Cocoa) - This fits with my personal tastes so it can be a bit draggy and disjointed to some as it take multiple perpsectives from the characters. Art is beautiful and story seems pretty unique as it addresses themes of loneliness  friendship and love (all the sappy crap I love).
   
3. Youku Boku SS - Another time travel type of manga and from the same author above. Based on youkai and multiple lives which can be a bit confusing but it's the good kind of confusing. It feels like thinking is something you don't do a lot in shoujo anyways. I feel like the anime doesn't really bring about how whimsical and comedic the simple lives of the characters are and the insecurities of loneliness etc. And heterochromia male lead? I approve.
   
4. Last Game -  The kawaii levels of this manga is over 9000. It's a bit similar to Special A in the whole trying-to-beat-each-other-academically-thing initially but better execution, better art and the leads are sooooooo kawaii. The female lead is strong, a bit apathetic towards the people around her but she's just a socially awkward female trying to figure out her new founded feelings for her long time friend (it's love damn it). And the poor boy has been in love for the same girl for about 10 years so props to him.
   
5. Hana to Akuma - The whole demon x human is such an overdone thing in shoujo but this is done pretty well. Ok so the age difference is about a couple thousand of years but they love each other and it's all that matters. All I have to say is if you like this type of genre without the smut then go read this.