Latest Fix: Henyoku no Labyrinth

Name: Henyoku no Labyrinth
Author & Artist: KUMAGAI Kyoko
Chapters: 21 (ongoing)
Genres: Romance , School Life, Shoujo, Supernatural
Plot:
The story follows a love struck girl who is unfortunately in love with her sister's boyfriend, Hiroto. After her feelings are found out by the couple, she thinks her life is over... That is until she receives a magical key that allows her to travel back in time. Miyako is determined to use this second chance to confess to Hiroto before he develops feelings for her sister. Will this be second encounter be fruitful or will she discover that there are some things that simply can't be changed?

Overview:
Oh boy, I had to write the plot for you guys since the sypnosis on most sites is either non-existent or simply vague. Anyway, I don't make it a habit of picking up manga that is under 20 chapters since waiting for chapters is antagonizing (having the same problem with Rokka Melt by Toma Rei).

I'm currently addicted to this and though it seemed like it was going to be a short and typical story of: girl meets boy, falls in love, angst/complications, big confession scene and then happily ever after, it actually has a fairly compelling story.

Latest Fix: P to JK

Name: P to JK
Author & Artist: MIYOSHI Maki
Chapters: 15 - ongoing
Genres: Comedy,  Romance, Shoujo, School Life
Plot:

From ANN:

Female high-schooler Kako met Kouta at a party for adults. Although she gets into a good mood with him, she finds out he's actually a policeman.

Overview:
Hey readers, it's been awhile. Sorry for my disappearance yet again. I'll make a post about the happenings for the past 2 months and mangas and otome games I've been playing.

Anywho I actually haven't picked up much new manga but this is one of the few I've been following that has left some sort of impression on me.

Initially it's a fairly interesting premise with the policeman but soon it kind of devolves into some really unrealistic shoujo plot that requires you to suspend disbelief all up on another level. If you are able to get past this short coming, it's actually quite a solid series. The mangaka somehow blends in the shoujo universe logic, romance, friendships, some character development, some great side characters and a good foothold on darker themes like abuse.

Maybe the way the story is set up lowered my expectations and allowed me to enjoy the story for what it was. So give this series a go if you're looking for a light-hearted romance that isn't stalled with a fairly good plot and likable characters.

Latest Fix: Mairunovich

Name: Mairunovich
Author & Artist: SATO Zakuri
Chapters: 32 - ongoing
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo
Plot:

Kinoshita Mairu has a cute name and she's apologetic for it, because she's ugly. In fact, she's apologetic for her very existence because she's not cute. Classmates call her "Poison Mushroom" behind her back and even her own brother treats her with disdain. However, all of that is about to change with the help of her transvestite mentor/neighbor, Fuwari-chan, and the "school king," Kumada Tenyuu!

Review:
So I mentioned this manga in a post awhile ago as I picked it up as holiday/vacation reading and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far.

It's a dramatic, school life manga and although the author puts a lot of weight into the heroine's love life which gets really annoying at times and is almost ridiculous, whether intentional or not, it sends a strong message.

Mairu effectively gets the typical nerd to cute girl makeover, no glasses, a bit of makeup and hair styling and she turns out to be not-so-ugly after all. Her appearence has changed for the better, her socially awkwardness and her immature personality still shine through however.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Recommended Read: Grand Sun

Name: Grand Sun
Author & Artist: Emura
Status: Completed
Chapters: 18
Genres: Action, Comedy, Romance, Shoujo
Plot:
In Japan, criminals are running rampant, and the law enforcement quality is worse than it has ever been. Anyone who has a large amount of money or is even a bit famous is liable to be kidnapped at any time, and it happens constantly. Bodyguards have become a necessity for anyone who doesn't want to be held captive, and special schools have been created for the soul purpose of training body guards and special organizations called vigilante groups that are made up of of highly trained people with advanced combat skills enforce the law since the police do not.

Asahi is part of a vigilante group called Nekomata, which makes its headquarters in a cafe of the same name in downtown Tokyo. Asahi is still young, but she's the best of the best working in the city, and is very passionate about her job. Then she gets called to a security school and offered a contract to be the bodyguard of the incredibly famous Kisaragi Sakuya, the rich heir to the Kisaragi Group and the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Prize with his incredible inventions. However, all of his previous bodyguards quit because of his personality and rather unfortunate hobby of testing his inventions on his bodyguards. Asahi accepts, and is whisked away from her rough-and-tumble home in Tokyo to a totaly different enviroment: the Kisaragi mansion. Eventually, she mangages to befriend Sakuya, and friendship grows into romance. Now, she must work to thwart the various criminals attempting to kidnap Sakuya, 90% of which want his money and 10% his skill, for if Sakuya were to join a criminal society and invent weapons for them, they would become the best in the world.

Comments:
The plot is very similar to Tokyo Crazy Paradise (with the female body guard thing) but I think this manga was a bit more different. This manga had some good depth and I really liked the characters. Although you do notice that the characters swith roles between master and bodyguard sometimes...
There's also a shocking (maybe typical?) plot twist in the story (that almost scared me to death XD).
The romance is actually pretty realistic despite the setting of the manga; it's not a really mushy romance.
I guess you have to read it to find out :L

Recommended Read: Koukou Debut

Name: High School Debut
Author & Artist: Kawahara Kazune
Status:  Completed
Chapters:  52
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School life
Plot: 
Haruna Nagashima gave her all to softball in middle school, and now that she's made her high school debut she's decided to give her all for a new goal. Getting a boyfriend and falling in love! However, she has one small problem. Since she never paid any attention to fashion or trend in middle school she has no idea how to go about attracting her yet-to-be-found love. But a chance encounter with with Yoh Komiyama provides her with the opportunity she needs. If he coaches her in how to become attractive, surely she can find herself a boyfriend!
Comments:
I'm a bit too lazy to write a review (cos saying I'm busy would sound like an excuse). Maybe one day I will but I really think that you should read this. Yes to the person that asked if it has cliches but it's done well so I don't mind as much. The female lead might get annoying for some people XD
And for those who finish reading this or have already read it then there a live action movie coming out!

Recommended Read: Cheese in the Trap

Name: Cheese in the Trap
Author & Artist: Soon Kki
Status:  Ongoing
Genres:  Comedy, Josei, Mystery, Romance, School Life, Slice Of Life, Webtoons
Plot:
Hong Sul is a ordinary college student. Yoo Jung is the school's most popular upperclass man. He's good looking, rich, smart, and even nice. However, Hong Sul thinks there's more to Yoo Jung than what meets the eye..
Comments:
I have to commend this author for this really good manhwa. It's not really romantic but involves a lot of psychological stuff which is really interesting. Yes, I know this is josei manhwa (korean comics) but it's really entertaining and makes you think. I generally don't read much manhwa probably because I haven't come across good ones but I'm pretty familiar with the culture. The characters are pretty three dimensional and the story doesn't have many cliches. Ohh and before you start reading here are some tips that might make it less confusing:

• Black borders= Past Events
• White Borders= Present Events
• It's a webcomic scroll down a lot
• Read it slowly, it's hard to get if you skim throught it
• Noona= How a guy addresses an older girl
• Unni= How a girl addresses an older girl
• Dongsaeng= Kohai
• Sunbae= Senpai
• Oppa= How a girl would addresses an older guy
• Hyung= How a guy would addresses an older guy
• Soju= An alcoholic drink commonly drunk in SK
• And remember to read from normally (left to right, I sometimes forget >.>)

Sorry I haven't been posting, gahhhh so many tests and assignments DX