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成恵の世界スペシャル (The World of Narue Special) Drama CD Vol. 2
The second CD out of the trilogy containing stories 4-6. When I was listening to track 4, I remembered the stories and referred back to the manga to find the chapter. To my surprise, the first drama CD in the series was also taken from a manga chapter that I had forgotten (not as much detail, but same outline). Anyhow, stories 4 and 6 have manga counterparts. Track 5 is unique to the drama CD. The second story on the first track is one of my favorite chapters in the series. Like the first CD, this also comes with a card with the same picture as the cover. Summaries are provided for the 4th and 6th stories (which really aren't that helpful as I can just peruse the manga if need be). It also includes a bonus "Ganbare Otoko no Ko" short drama. 4. らぶらぶごっこ (Make-Believe Love): At the athletic festival, Yagi has to do a scavenger hunt and according to her hint, she has to find someone she loves. In haste, she grabs Kazuto. Maruo finds out about this and goes looking for the one that wrote the suggestion and gets injured in the brawl. While unconscious, he has a dream about when he and Yagi were young. He wakes up to find Yagi by his bed and she tells him that she appreciates his help in protecting her. The next story on the same track has Narue getting all mushy with Kazuto and doesn't find a problem with it. The other students are obviously jealous at their profuse display of affection. Maruo himself is pretty fed up to, so he convinces Yagi to play along and become a mushy mushy couple to show Narue how silly she looks. 5. 宇宙人侍 (Alien Samurai): This story takes place in Edo period. According to Yagi, Maruo has been acting very mean lately. Narue and Kazuto go check him out and sure enough, he's a pretty mean guy. The find out that he's been working for the governor of the area, who himself is a suspicious guy. As they're snooping around town, they meet some travelers in the area. Maruo eventually kidnaps Yagi because his boss wanted her. Narue and Kazuto confront him and announces that they know he's an alien. With the help of the travelers, who turn out to be Rin, Bachiscaph, and Narue's sister, Kanaka, they defeat this monster from space (Narue knocks him out with her bat). 6. ささやかな未来 (Bright Future): Through a freak accident, Kazuto and Narue get sent to the future and transformed into rats. They run around the area, seeing that the future has continued without them. Narue sees Kanaka living alone with her father. They then find Yagi, who after some handwritten messages, comes to accept that they're really her old friends from the past. Yagi helps them find Rin of that time who helps send the two rodents back to their appropriate time. |
Title: 成恵の世界スペシャル２ 時のラプソディ (The World of Narue Special) Drama CD Vol. 2: Rhapsody of Time |
宇宙のステルヴィア (Stellvia) Vol. 2
Like I mentioned with the anime, this series really should have ended when the Great Mission story finished. That's where the manga ended. I'm still in the process of finishing the second box, but from seeing both print and video version, the print very is a little more zany than the anime. One of the recurring themes is that the Big Four is always enjoying their Shabu Shabu, fighting over the crab. Being that Stellvia was an anime first, the anime is still better. However, the manga serves as a good supplement. There's a mini-comic printed on the inside cover and the first page is in color. 8. 星のメロディー その１ (Melody of the Stars, Part 1): Reia has the students jousting and pits Shiipon with Yayoi. Yayoi loses, much to the surprise to everyone. That evening, Shiipon and Alyssa have a little talk and Alyssa mentions that she doesn't feel like she's on par with everyone else. 9. 星のメロディー その１ (Melody of the Stars, Part 2): The jousting continues the next day. Yayoi puts on a better showing this time. Shiipon is now going against Ayaka of the Big Four. Shiipon out maneuvers her the first round, but Ayaka vows that she won't lose. 10. 星のメロディー その１ (Melody of the Stars, Part 3): Ayaka has a flashback to when she and Yayoi took a photograph back when she was at the same grade level. Rinna comes to Stellvia for a visit and talks to Shiipon motivating her to want to be better than Ayaka. 11. 星のメロディー その１ (Melody of the Stars, Part 4): Ayaka remember what happened two years ago when during practice, Yayoi's ship malfunctions and Ayaka was helpless to save her. Present day, Shiipon and Rinna are practicing and Rinna's Bianca wigs out. Ayaka helps out by talking to Shiipon as she tries to rescue Rinna. 12. 星のメロディー その１ (Melody of the Stars, Part 5): Shiipon saves Rinna just in time. Afterwards, Ayaka and Yayoi have a heartfelt reunion knowing that they're still good friends even after that accident. 13. TO SAVE THIS PLANET: Kouta has been picked to participate in the Great Mission despite his lower rank. Shiipon gets a call from her brother telling her how famous she is. Her she doesn't talk to her mother. However, she later finds a letter in her jar of sweets written by her mother telling Shiipon that she supports her. 14. TO SAVE THIS PLANET 2: Second wave comes and the pilots (along with the overall shield) seem to be holding back the debris. A massive asteroid penetrates the shield though and Shiipon with Kouta take Infinity out for a spin. 15. 明日に届く REACH FOR TOMORROW: Kouta overexerts himself and falls unconscious so Shiipon has to pilot Infinity by herself. With the help of supporting crafts, they save humanity. Hoorah. Last. ステルヴィアの彼方へ (Beyond Stellvia): The concluding chapter has the kids enjoying a snowy day in the mountains. |
Title: 宇宙のステルヴィア (Stellvia) Vol. 2 |
Weekend Damage I went to a friend's place down in San Diego for a little get-together to watch all three Star Wars that were just released on DVD. Along the way, I was able to stop at 5 different Japanese bookstores that lay between here and San Diego. This is the aftermath:
Recently, I've been trying to catch up on my anime (Stellvia Box) and going through AIR as fast as I can. I'm hoping to finish it before the prelude DVD, but right now, I'm still only on the second story (Kano's). And of course, I have just a little over 3 months to break even on my manga quota. |
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少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine), '04 Vol 43
Mayuko isn't as bad as Waka, but still not my style. New series starting in this week's edition. A tennis manga. I use to skip sports manga since I was picky in the past. But now, I'm open to anything and to my surprise, sports manga can be pretty exciting. But that doesn't mean I'm going to start on the obscenely long Hajime no Ippo anytime soon. Full Swing: １ホームラン打てた (I Hit a Homerun): 栗原タマ (Tama Kurihara) has always wanted to play baseball every since catching the homerun ball of his favorite pro player as his childhood female friend, 古都 (Koto) recalls. He practices everyday wanting to be just like his idol. He finally makes the starters on his school team and has his first game. At bat, he swings as hard as he can, but it falls short and hits the inside fence. However, he rounds the bases as fast as he can. He slides into home, but gets called out. What's worse, he has broken his left hand. After seeing the doctor, he's told that he'll never have the strength in his left hand to hold a bat again. Months later, he seems to be okay with it, but secretly, he's angry that he can't swing a bat. He sees Koto going off to tennis practice and tries that out and discovers that he can get the same feeling playing tennis that he got from playing baseball. King's Sword: ４劉備とともに (With Ryubi): Ahi and Kanu are rewarded with some dumplings for their efforts as they're still seen as kids. Ryubi returns from scouting to tell them that the bulk of the bandits are heading this way. The people in the town scatter, but Ryubi has an idea to take out the bridge before the enemies can cross. Negima: 69時間目 嵐の夜の訪問者 (The Visitor From the Stormy Night): The girls in the dorm get a visit from Wilhelm Josef Von Herrmann who has captured 7 of the girls with his water creatures. While his primary purpose is Negi, he also knocks Kotaro around a bit asking about a certain bottle he wants back. Wilhelm tells Negi that in order to see the safe return of the girls, he has to challege him under a tree in the middle of the school. Kotaro and Negi team up and head to the battleground. Suzuka: ＃３１視線 (Eyeline): The pesky girl who was hawking newspapers previously and tricked Yamato into subscribing is now working for the cable company and is offering the same deal with free tickets to the pool. Yamato tells that he knows her technique, so having been discovered, she gives him the tickets and tells him to consider. He wonders if he should as Suzuka on a date again. The last time, he had confessed but she rejected him. At practice, Honoka comes up to him and invites him to Miki also invites herself as well as another track student 小早川健 (Kawaken Kohaya, 200m guy who Yamato doesn't know well). Miki then invites Suzuka who surprisingly agrees to go. Honoka isn't too thrilled that her rival has tagged along. Tsubasa: ５７交わらない線 (Threads that Don't Cross): The guys come back from having been defeated by Shaoran at the circus. From the description to Souseki, Kuro and Fye think it might be Shaoran, but when they say it's a girl, they disregard the thought. At the circus, Shaoran shows more or his abilities and Sakura has a talk with Karen. Suddenly, another earthquake shakes the grounds. Changing Now: ＃２１圧殺！！メガトン男 (Crushing!! Megaton Guy): Binban (Dog Fighter's ally) is in trouble fighting so Dog Fighter comes to the rescue. However, the enemies are on the same side as Crimson Bunny. The members of Crimson Bunny's faction have noticed that she's been acting weird lately, and it shows as she's hesitant about fighting Dog Fighter. But from nowhere a new villan, Velvet Rose, appears. Hamanaka Ai: ０５３少年的笑い話 (Funny, Youthful Tale): The two teachers are recalling the story about Masahiko's experience during their classes drawing session. Ayaka was going around asking for white paint, but Masahiko's tube accidentally squirted the white substance all over her face. |
Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 43 |
吸血姫夕唯〜香音抄〜 (Vampire Yui ~Kanon~) Vol. 1
Maybe I should start with Vampire Miyu, then the original Vampire Yui series before reading this one. I guess it's convenient for me that Yui starts the series off having forgotten most of her past, but there are still many things I don't understand, probably due to the fact that I haven't read the earlier works. First edition volume came with a figure of Yui I believe. I only have the book itself. There's a handwritten page by the author which completely illegible to me. The book is split into two parts, the first half is a prologue and the second the main story. 瑞月夕唯 (Yui Mizuki) arrives at the door of a church covered in blood. She utters out the name "那嵬 (Nagi)" before collapsing. She's taken in by the priest of the church. She starts out with no memories of her past, but slowly has strange dreams about her mother, Miyu, and from that she discovers her name, Yui. Meanwhile, in the village, vampire attacks are happening and Yui shudders at the though as she has a hunch that she probably is one. The culprits are 見夜 (Miyo) and his apparent superior, 唐木 (Utsuki). The find Yui care of Nagi who finally makes contact with Yui and makes her remember. The two villians go after her but Nagi and the priest try to defend her. The priest admits that he knew Yui would reawaken and eventually gets killed by Miyo. Nagi and Yui then start their story. The second part has Yui meeting the very complex 三条 (Sanjo) family. There's 真幸 (Masaki) who has taken an interest in Yui as her red eyes remind him of a girl he once knew. He starts hanging out with Yui despite Nagi's suspicions. There's 揚葉 (Ageha) the class leader and 旭 (Asahi) the eldest brother and a school teacher. There's also拿魅餌 (Namie), (Masaki's ex?) and doesn't seem to like his new girlfriend. We find out that the Sanjo family is a race of butterflies sworn to protect Yui but had escaped their duty. Namie sends out her butterflies to attack Yui but eventually gets kill for interfering. |
Title: 吸血姫夕唯〜香音抄〜 (Vampire Yui ~Kanon~) Vol. 1 |
ドラゴンエイジ (Dragon Age) September '04
Still overwhelmed by the variety of stories in here that I'm interested in as well as the number of books I'm going to have to read to catch up to the current chapters. I've started on Full Metal Panic (which fortunately has this month off), and Supasu-pa. I'm already up to speed with Karin and Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto. Have to wait until Maburaho (which started again this month) Vol. 2 gets released and Yaeka's Carte and Zero-In (cover) will be coming shortly. I wrote up a bit from Tsubasa Syndrome last time, but that's going on the back burners. I'm gonna wait until I have the previous chapters. However, I'm following Nodoka Nobody, which is only on chapter 3. Nodoka Nobody is about Nodoka who is a hot-springs designer. It has the same feel good atmosphere as Someday's Dreamers. There are three one-shot manga in here. The first is Yaeka's Carte, which is a completed series with 3 volumes, but they're releasing the drama CD so I guess they included it here just to promote it. The second is ツイてるカノジョ (Girl Following). The last is titled オルフィーナ (Orphena, ?). There are articles talking about: Girl Following, Maburaho #2 LE, Yaeka's Carte CD description and cast, Zero-in's #3 + CD bundle, and info about a new season of Full Metal Panic anime. Bonus this month is a sample of Yaeka's Carte drama CD. I haven't listened to it yet as I don't know who the characters are and what they're doing. Maybe after I read the books... There's also a Supasu-pa card. Next month will be a sample from the new upcoming Supasu-pa drama CD. Karin: 恥の１７「かりんの気持ちと煉の憤慨〜Indignation〜」 (Karin's Feelings and Ren's Indignation): Ren has met up with Kenta's mom. Karin is out looking for the both of them to prevent him from sucking her blood. Karin's parents also worry and her dad also goes and looks for them. Karin arrives just in time to stop Ren and their dad drags him back home. At home, they have a family discussion with Ren about how he made his sister cry and that he shouldn't target people Karin treasures. Afterwards, Karin is afraid to pick up a cell phone call from Kenta. Girl Following: Story follows a guy 矢薙詠太郎 (Eitaro Yanagi) and his two female friends, 風間 (Kazama), an occult girl, and 七弦 (Nanatsuru). Kazama tells Eitaro that bad luck will come. Afterwards, he notices that when he passes cats and dogs on the street, they bark and attack him. Kazama tells him that there's a ghost of a puppy recently killed in an accident and volunteers her body to the spirit of the dog to find out what its clinging to in this world. She becomes the puppy and tells Nanatsuru and Kazama that it wants to see its master again. They find out that the master has moved, so they go to his new house to find him. They see that the master has a new pet and the puppy peacefully departs. Maburaho: 第１２話「りん、けっこんかもしれない」の巻 (Rin, It Might Be a Wedding): Rin overhears Yuuna, Kuriko and Chihaya (I think) talking about how Kazuki has forgotten and how gullible he might be. Rin uses this opportunity to "remind" Kazuki that he promised to marry her but he just forgot and she's come to make good on the promise. She goes as far as making invitations, but finally can't stand his naievety in believing her and asking how she feels about it. She admits that she wouldn't mind if it wasn't a lie. Taisetsu na Koto: Step 8 心の熱帯夜 (Warm Night in the Heart): The love triangle continues. Mitsuaki tries to inquire about Nami's response but when she hesitates he quickly changes the subject and asks if she's going to the upcoming festival, and then speeds off. Nami wonders why she's attracted to Ryutaro. Nami and her mother visit her father's grave, and later prepare for the festival. The kimono that Nami wears looks exactly like the one Mitsuake's mother wore and at the festival, Mitsuake comes up to her thinking Nami is his mother. Nodoka Nobody: 参の湯「”街”との対話」 (3, Dialogue with the "Street"): At the cafe before meeting with their new client, Nodoka and Kemi see a boy, Michio, smoking and ditching school. After the meeting, they go to their company's accountant, Taro's, house (who was also at the meeting) and celebrate. His son comes home and it's none other than Michio. The mother scolds him, but that just makes him run away again. The next day, Nodoka and Kemi go back to say farewell to Taro and wife. Michio shows up again and after some talk, Nodoka takes him to the cafe and invites him to the hot springs when they're done constructing. Because of him, she changes the design. Months later, he comes as promised and seems to be less of a trouble maker. The second time they come back even more months later, he's a normal school kid. Kannagi: 神崎聖 (Hijiri Kanzaki, got his name wrong last time, I think) is still wonder who and what he is. 七海衣理 (Eri Nanami) has a little talk with him saying that she believes his story and that he'll find the answer within himself. Eri's friend from cram school comes, 仙道友恵 (Tomoe Sendo) shows up for a bit, does introductions and then rushes off. She later gets in a car accident. Eri and Hijiri visit her and after they leave, A strange man (same punk from last chapter) comes. Next thing that happens is that a couple gets attacked by some beast in the park. |
Title: ドラゴンエイジ (Dragon Age) September '04 |
この醜くも美しい世界 (This Ugly and Beautiful World) Vol. 1
I passed up on the anime of this show, but decided that I could try out the manga. A $6 dollar manga is cheaper than a $60 DVD. I like the story, but it somehow, it doesn't strike me as too original. When I first heard about the anime, I got the feeling that it was another Mahoromatic and reading this first volume confirms it. As this is an Young Animal serialization, there's plenty of nudity (probably more-so than the anime). The bonus is a 4 panel comic with the director of the anime. 1. Takeru believes he has seen a shooting star in the middle of the day. His friend Ryo doesn't believe it and continues walking with his other friends, Sakurako and Amika. They all arrive at Takeru's house (they apparently run a delivery service). In a discussion, they talk about what kind of girl Takeru would like and Ryo draws a sketch of her. Takeru and Ryo go out on a delivery and see a bright light. Takeru approaches it and finds a naked young girl. 2. The girl is named Hikari. Ryo mentions to Takeru that she looks a lot like the girl he sketched before and tells him to take her home before she catches a cold. On their way home, Takeru and Hikari get accosted by a monster. Somehow, Takeru transforms and defeats the monster. 3. The family is surprised that Takeru has brought home a girl. Takeru tries to explain, but falls asleep. Hikari, feeling a little lonely, decides to sleep next to Takeru. Meanwhile, Ryo is still outside walking home, wondering what has happened. In the morning, Mari, Takeru's sister finds him sleeping in the hallway. In the woods, there's apparently still another girl. 4. At school, rumor has gotten out about Takeru's new alien friend and they all come over and visit. Hikari mentions something about a promise, implying that she and Takeru had promised something in the past. Meanwhile, Ryo is out in the woods again. 5. There's been reports of thievery in the neighborhood, and the culprit is the other girl in the woods. She's accompanied by a little flying creature, Kuon. Ryo has discovered her and gives her the name of Akari. 6. Ryo takes Akari into his home. Since his parents died, he lives alone with his younger sister, Kimi. The next day, they prepare the attic for Akari. 7. During a tour of the school, Takeru sees Ryo and the two aliens finally meet each other. They don't know each other, but see the resemblance. Ryo explains that they both came from the same flash of light that night. 8. The group of friends go to the beach. There, Mari, the daughter of the family Takeru's living with feels a little uneasy with a new girl in Takeru's life. Meanwhile, Hikari feels uneasy seeing how close Takeru and Mari are. 9. That night, Hikari explains to Takeru how she doesn't feel comfortable when Takeru is with someone else. Outside, Akari and Ryo see that the ocean is filled with dead sea-life and implies something about Hikari's true self. |
Title: この醜くも美しい世界 (This Ugly and Beautiful World) Vol. 1 |
すぱすぱ (Spas-pa) Vol. 1
I would really love this series if I had read it some other time. But right now, it's in the mist of XXXholic, Kamisama da mono, and Maburaho, all of which share very similar commonalities with this series. Anyhow, this is one of the series I need to catch up on for my Dragon Age subscription. The drama CD (limited edition), which I've already pre-ordered, is also coming out at the end of the month, so I should get up to speed with the story. There are color pages in front, comics on the inside covers, mini-bonus comic at the end of the last chapter and a letter from the author. 1. 突然の訪問者 (Sudden Visitor): 水森樹 (Itsuki Minamori) has fallen asleep in class and dreams about a girl from his past. He is awakened by 春奈 (Haruna), a girl who apparently has a crush on him, but her friend, 結城千早 (Chihaya Yuuki) tells her to stay away from this boy. He explains that he's spent his life being followed by evil ghosts and during the exposition, another one shows up. However, it gets destroyed by a little girl with a big gun. He runs home to find the little girl in his house. She introduces herself as 栖羽鈴 (Suzu Suwa), his fiance. At the same time, she's a ghostbuster, by the code-name "Spas." Itsuki comments on how small she is for a 17-year-old, but she shows him that she can transform into a more mature girl by kissing him, but only for a little while. 2. 樹と春奈とスカートの中！？ (Itsuki, Haruna, and Inside the Skirt!?): Itsuki prevents Suzu from following him to school. At school, while he's talking to Haruna, a ghost appears. Suzu comes to the rescue, but Itsuki and Haruna had gotten tangled with each other while trying to escape. Chihaya and Suzu see them and give Itsuki a beating. Afterwards, Suzu announces that she's now a new student in class. 3. 陽だまりの縁側で (At the Sunlit Porch): At school, Suzu almost lets out the secret about her and Itsuki. After school, Suzu explains to Itsuki about her gun and how it doesn't affect people (he's not so sure). They end up sitting on the porch next to each other and talk about their childhood and how he's protected her in the past. Suzu almost gives Itsuki a kiss but Chihaya and Haruna just happen to show up and catch them in the act. 4. 風邪の特効薬 (Special Medicine for a Cold): At school, Suzu has collapsed and has been taken to the nurse's office. As Itsuki is carrying her out of the office and on home, a ghost appears. Suzu tries to fight, but doesn't have the energy to, so she asks Itsuki for a kiss so she can become her adult form. He does so and the ghost gets blown to bits, but then Chihaya catches the two of them in an embrace. 5. 過去と現在の繋ぐもの（前編） (The Thing That Binds Present and Past, First Part): With rumors of ghosts floating around, a few of them decide to have a challenge and brave the school at night. Chihaya wants to be with Haruna and Suzu with Itsuki, but Haruka ends up with Itsuki and Chihaya with Suzu. As Suzu is walking along, she takes out a ring. She explains that she used to be a lonely girl until Itsuki and this ring was given to her when they had to separate after their summer vacation. Suzu and Chihaya hear some noise and run to see that Haruka has fallen on top of Itsuki and giving him a kiss. In the rush, Suzu realizes that she's dropped her ring and runs off looking for it. Chihaya is bummed that Haruka kissed someone else. 6. 過去と現在の繋ぐもの（後編） (The Thing That Binds Present and Past, Last Part): Itsuki gets a visit from his mother's ghost and she fills in his memories about Suzu. She then gives him her ring before disappearing. Itsuki later returns the ring to Suzu. |
Title: すぱすぱ (Spas-pa) Vol. 1 |
KaNa Vol. 2
More good stuff. I think the artwork is getting a little better, at least that what my impression is from memory. It feels like the artists is putting more details into the backgrounds. Like before, there are letters from the author and creator, a couple of colored art pages, and a summary of the previous book with character list. 6. 空回る気持ち (Aimless Feelings): Okubo, one of the members of the 7 Heads, used to date Yuji's sister and has paid her a visit. He wants to invite her to a dinner, but gets caught by his current girlfriend. At the 7 Heads meeting, they talk about whether they've determined if Kana is "Babylon." As the meeting adjourns, Saku arrives and tells the leader where Kana lives. Yuji's sister comes back drunk and Yuji goes out to get her some drinks. He meets Saku and thinks he's an enemy of Kana. 7. 僕にできること（前編） (What I Can Do, First Part): The next day at Kana's hideout, Saku shows up. He's Kana's brother, but Yuji doesn't trust him. Beth and Kana get summoned to lake in Ueno by Ken Kageyama, another member, where he'll will explain everything to them. They arrive (without Yuji -- he's with Saku) and get told about Babylon. Babylon is suppose to be the one who brings the hail in the new age of beasts and humans, and they suspect that it's Kana. Kana denies this and changes into attack mode. 8. 僕にできること（後編） (What I Can Do, Last Part): Ken summons a water snake to take care of Kana. Kana eventually defeats it, but gets seen by Yuji, so unexpectedly appeared. 9. イレギュラー (Irregular): After seeing Kana like that, he goes home pretty bummed. Meanwhile, the leader of the 7 Heads gets the report that the contact has failed and again, Saku shows up and tells them about Yuji. At school, Yuji's friends also see that he's depressed and cheer him up by having him play soccer again, his favorite sport. 10. イレギュラー２ (Irregular 2): After a day of fun, Yuji and two friends, Nakada and Kayo go home. Along the way, they get accosted by Minami Saito (another member of the 7 Heads). 11. イレギュラー３ (Irregular 3): She dispatches some monsters (flying frogs) to kill them, especially Yuji. They get cornered in a building and then on the roof 12. イレギュラー４ (Irregular 4): As the beasts fly towards them, Ro shows up and takes a few bites. Minami runs away and Kana makes her appearance. |
Title: KaNa Vol. 2 |
少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine), '04 Vol 42
Freakin' Waka. King's Sword: ３鉄騎来襲！？ (Steel Horsemen Attack!?): The bandits with the yellow bandana come on horseback and start attacking. The first few waves of defenders get mauled down without much challenge. The guys in the back start to back out, but Ahi and Kanu are able to bring down the 3 enemies by themselves. Suzuka: ＃２９好転 (Improvement): Yamato thinks that his relationship with Suzuka is getting better. Meanwhile, Honoka is a bit bummed as she wonders what's going on with Yamato and Suzuka (she has a crush on him, as described during her introduction). After practice, she asks Yamato to accompany her home, but he innocently brushes her off. Suzuka comes to where Yamato is sitting and tells him to stretch after he runs. She helps him stretch, but they're in an odd position and Honoka sees them. Negima: ６７時間目 どっきりぬるぬるバスタイム (Frightening, Slimy, Bath-Time): The girls at Eva's place want to go into her magical "room," where time slows down so they can study. Eva warns them that they'll age faster though, and with that, they decide it's not worth it. Ayaka bumps into Kotaro and is furious that a guy is wandering in the girl's dorm. Chizuru explains that Kotaro is actually Natsumi's little brother and has come to live with her because of family problems. In the exquisite bath in the dorm, a few of the girls are bathing when the blobs (from previous chapters) go in the water and play around with them. As Ayaka, Chizuru, Natsumi, and Kotaro are having dinner, a mysterious man appears outside their door. Tsubasa: ５６男と女 (Men and Women): After the performance last night, Sakura apparently got pretty wasted. This morning, she and Shaoran talk and she mentions that she has the memory of Clow Country and the ruins that arose in the desert after an earthquake. The men from Fye/Kuro's side of the country then come attack the troupe, blaming them for the quake. Shaoran steps in and fends them off. Hamanaka Ai: ０５２奥深い日本語 (Deep Japanese): Masahiko's back is hurting, so Ai helps him stretch. He tries to explain this to Misaki the next day, but the words come out wrong and she interprets it differently (and ends up giving Masahiko a bump on his head). Changing Now: ＃２０訪問 犬と兎 (Visitation, Dog and Rabbit): Dog Fighter and Crimson Bunny have tea at her place. They agree that they can still be coworkers, but fight each other at night. He comes home late at night to a suspicious Takeko. |
Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 42 |
愛人 (Ai Ren) Vol. 3
Unfortunately, Bookoff didn't have this volume on the shelf when I bought the other 3, so I had to order this from overseas, hence the delay. I find out thought, that they now have it...for half the price of importing. The bulk of the chapters are cute romantic chapters with only a few dedicated to the real story. It's not that I don't like it, but the series is already half over. Speaking of that, I recently found out that volume 5 is going to be released later this month. I had thought that the series ended at volume 4 as that was published more than two years ago. Had I actually read more of the preview pages of volume 4, I would have found out that vol. 5 was slated to be released in 2002. I guess they just delayed it.
19. 少年の朝 (A Young Boy's Morning): Ai has matured and Ikuru can't help but stare at her and wonder why he's suddenly attracted. As they're hanging laundry, Ai says she understands and tells him that he can look under her skirt, which to his surprise is a buruma. She laughs and says he's cute. 20. 月光 (Moonlight): Ikuru believes he's seen the Goddess of Death again. The next day, he and Ai go out on a date. 21. おでかけ おでかで (Trip, Trip): They go out and enjoy the day in the busting town. As they're biking home, it starts raining and they both get drenched. Then spend the night snuggling. 22. 鬼火 (Jack o' Lantern): A flashback to when humanity first met HITO. It's from the same dark skinned character as before, Kamaro. He wonders about their intentions as they disappeared soon after arriving and attacking, and then wonders what it means to be human. 23. ひまわり (Sunflower): Haruka tries to find out more about Ai and her past, but comes to a dead end. Along the way, she apparently also sees the Goddess of Death. In the end, so wonders to herself who Ikuru really loves. 24. あいの絵日記ＩＩ〜すきなひとといっしょに〜 (Ai's Picture Diary II, With the Person I Love): Ai writes about frolicking while doing laundry, a kitten that comes by, their dying tomato plant, her endless crying, and then back to something happy, Ikuru. 25. 夢を見た (I Saw a Dream): Ai has a messed up dream where blood is gushing out of her. The next day, she and Ikuru play with a water hose and she catches a cold. Haruka comes over to check her out and keeps her in bed. Outside, she tells Ikuru to prepare himself for her inevitable death. Meanwhile, Ai has dreams about who she apparently is and how she'll end up killing Ikuru. 26. 情歌 (Love Song): Ikuru managed to borrow a car and drives Ai to a concert where they here another Ai-Ren singing. |
Title: 愛人 (Ai Ren) Vol. 3 |
ちびまる子ちゃん (Chibimaruko-chan) Vol. 3
More adventures with Maruko. This series is one of those where if I'm interested in the story at hand, the pages go quickly. If I'm not really interested, it's a chore to finish. Fortunately, I've liked most of the stories so far, so reading it isn't too bad. It still takes me almost 2-3 hours to finish this little book though because there's so much text in here (for manga). The print quality is consistent in this volume and doesn't suffer from the strange printing issues in the last volume. The postcard has a Christmas theme and as always, there's a bookmark included with the book. My favorite stories from this volume is when Hanawa goes on TV for a talent contest and Maruko is in the audience. The big sign she holds up has his name misspelled. Her experiences with a penpal (who later abruptly stops writing) gave me a good laugh too. Oh, and the story where she has a stomach ache during the test was a hilarious one. She wanted to be excused to go to the bathroom, but someone else in the class already used that excuse and was found out to be lying, so she had to just hold it in. |
Title: ちびまる子ちゃん (Chibimaruko-chan) Vol. 3 |
美少女戦士セーラームーン (Sailormoon) Vol. 8
Looks like my old-timer's memory has kicked in. Fisheye, Tigereye, and Hawkeye appear in this volume during the Pegasys arc as well as that old grand(ma?). Stupid me, to confuse them with Wiseman and all. It's a shame that my favorite story arc is over, but I liked it in the manga version too. The bonus sticker is almost the size of the page. Color pages for the first few pages too. 36. 無限１０ 上空 (Eternity 10, Sky): The city, starting at the school, is becoming a wreck due to Mistress 9's summonings. The spirit of Hotaru comes and frees the demon from her body and awakens Chibiusa by returning her crystal to her. With the demon out and about without a crystal, Sailormoon and Chibimoon power up their attacks. 37. 無限１１ 審判 (Eternity 11, Trial): The two defeat the demon that had possessed Hotaru, but the evil still isn't gone and in fact, it's even greater than before. Hotaru reappears as Sailor Saturn and casts her Death Ribbon Revolution to stop the evil. Unfortunately, this also means that it's the end of everything else. 38. 無限１２ 旅立ち (Eternity 12, Travels): Saturn tells Pluto to seal her away as to stop the evil from spreading and her powers from destorying the earth. Pluto does so reluctantly. Death always brings Rebirth and Saturn is reborn as a baby. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna become foster parents for this new child. A while later, the scouts are now high school students. During a solar eclipse event, Usagi and Chibiusa meet a unicorn that asks them to save him. 39. 夢１ 日食ドリーム (Dream 1, Solar Eclipse Dream): The Circus of the Dead Moon is in town, but that's just a front for the new gang of villains. Eriol, the unicorn, takes Chibiusa on a night ride around the city and gives her a bell to summon him. Sailormoon and Chibiusa get attacked by the Amazoness Quartest, but fend them off with their new weapons. Fisheye, Tigereye, and Hawkeye get brought to life and the chapter ends with Usagi and Chibiusa changing bodies, which is what they had talked about previously. |
Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Pretty Guardian Sailormoon) Vol. 8 |
フルメタル・パニック！ (Full Metal Panic!) Vol. 2
Mechas come into play starting this chapter. Mechas never seemed to interest me much, but from what I've read so far, it seems like they're secondary to the main story, so hopefully it should be okay. A little bit of Kaname's background and why Sosuke is protection her is revealed in a few chapters here as well. The first few pages are colored and a mini-comic with the author. 8. 憂鬱な修学旅行 (Depressing School Trip): Kaname's class is going on a school trip to Okinawa and of course, Sosuke is also on the plane. However, their plane gets hijacked and they land in North Korea somewhere. Hiding in the bathroom, Sosuke gathers his thoughts and recognizes the leader as Galon and is surprised that he didn't see him before. They terrorists take Kaname for some testing to see if "Black Technology" is implanted in her brain. 9. 深淵からのよび声 (Call From the Deep): Sosuke sneaks around and discovers there's a bomb on the plane. Meanwhile, Kaname is undergoing some tests where she hears a voice calling out to her. She's about to break free from the brain reading contraption, but is told to get back in. Sosuke finds her and tries to take her to safety. They end up running to hanger with an AS (Arm Slave) mecha. 10. オペレーション＝スタート (Operation Start): Mythril, Sosuke's organization has sent some recon, but the leadership is surprised that Galon is still alive. He should have been dead. Some battles back at the base with Sosuke's mecha. Suddenly, Galon appears in his mecha. 11. 暗く長い夜 (Long and Dark Night): The passengers in the plane get rescued, the bomb detonated in a safe area, and Galon's first mecha gets destroyed. Kaname and Sosuke run to the woods and she starts having some feelings for him. They encounter an injured Kurutsu. 12. 天空の眼 (Eye in the Sky): Sosuke tells Kaname to go on ahead while they serve as decoys, but Kaname doesn't allow it. After some gunfights, a new AS falls from the sky near where the 3 escapees are. 13. その「想い」が届く時 (When Those "Feelings" are Conveyed): The AS is unmanned, so Sosuke takes the cockpit. Galon then arrives in his second mecha and fights Sosuke. Sosuke is on the losing end when Kaname tells him to how to properly pilot the machine. 14. 大脱出！！ (Grand Escape!!): Galon gets defeated (and killed, hopefully). Sosuke reports to his superiors and Kaname ends up in the hospitals with no memories of the events. Despite being told that Sosuke has moved on to his next mission, he appears in the hospital room. |
Title: フルメタル・パニック！ (Full Metal Panic!) Vol. 2 |
フルーツバスケット (Fruits Basket) Vol. 6
The story about Kyou's identity and the relationship with his mentor carried the plot for me in this book. It's interesting and all, but at the same time, it felt a little tacked on. The fate of Kyou's mother isn't much of a surprise to me either. No bonuses in this volume. 31. Kyou is already having a rotten day as it's cold and rainy. Just to top it off, Kagura has come over for a visit. She drags him out on a "date" as she's been asked to get some food for Tohru. Kyou comes back to find a visitor. 32. The visitor is 草摩藉真 (Kazuma Souma), one of the family members but not a zodiac character. He's also Kyou's mentor and paternal figure, and as Kagura explains, Kazuma's grandfather was cursed as a cat the same way Kyou is so Kazuma could relate to Kyou. Kyou explains to Kazuma that he hates it here, but Kazuma tells him that he's only trying to run away from his true self. 33. Kazuma turns him into his true self, a foul beast. Tohru sees this, and Kyou runs away in shame. Despite his repugnant appearance and smell, Tohru approaches him and implores that he comes back. After some flashbacks to his childhood and his mother, he comes to his senses and Tohru carries him back as a regular feline. 34. Kyou has a dream about when his mother commited suicide and the rumors that he was the cause and continues his dream to when Kazuma adopted him. He wakes up to find that Kazuma has left the house and chases after him. He finds him outside talking to Tohru about why he decided to take in Kyou, partially because he felt he needed to repent for the way he treated his grandfather. Kyou and Kazuma say goodbye in their own way and he leaves. 35. Tohru is somewhat worried. She now understands Kyou's true self, but wonders about Kagura, who left mysteriously before she woke up, and also about Yuki. She takes to Hatsuharu at school, who then has a little chat with Yuki. But in the end, everything seems back to normal...at least for now. 36. Yuki and Tohru go pay a visit to Ayano's store where his assistant plays dress-up with Tohru and has her wearing a gorgeous gown. |
Title: フルーツバスケット (Fruits Basket) Vol. 6 |
ネギま！ ２学期 (Negima! 2nd Semester) Drama CD
The dramas are pretty good on this CD, with Chisame's being great. The more I hear Chisame's dramas, the more I like her character. Like the previous CD, these drama CDs all happen before Negi arrives in Japan, so they serve as a prologue to the manga story. The songs included are okay. There are only 3 of them, compared to 4 in the last CD. The bonus DVD has footage from the second Negima event in April/May-ish. There's a lot more song and dance in this DVD than in the previous one. Akemi Kanda still can't get Asuna's character song correctly despite having almost 6 months practice since the first event. It's still a shame as that's my favorite song. The best of show in my opinion is Kaede's seiyuu singing the song from the first drama CD. It was originally a 5 vocal song as it was sung by Drops (is she in Drops? Hmm.), but she sings it alone. She does get help from backup vocals recorded along with the music, so I guess that might be cheating, but she sounds good and really pumps up the crowd. Chisame's performance is pretty good too. I'm surprised the seiyuu's vocal range despite being only like 4 some feet tall. I like the chorus of the ending credits song. Too bad it only available on the CD sold at the event. If they made it retail, they would have gotten another sale. There's also a mini-anime episode that has Negi leaving his school in Wales and he introduces a few of his students, namely the Baka Rangers. Ryo Hirohashi has a minor part (whoot!) and Asuna's eyes are really whacked. 2. 一時間目 スラッシュ！ (First Hour, Slash!): Negi explains that before he goes to Japan, he should do some research about the country. Nekane had given him a book that explains some aspects of Japan. The first chapter explains that 4-kanji sayings are prevalent in Japan and gives an exmple, 疑心暗鬼 (suspicions creates more suspicions). It then flashes Mahora School where it's early in the morning and Mana and Setsuna are chasing after the panty thief (extension from the Martial Arts single) and Ako believes she has seen someone standing atop a tree outside her room. She asks around the people who are up early, include Makie who has practice, Yuna is exercising. Ako wanders outside and gets a surprise from Setsuna who almost attacks her thinking she's the thief. Setsuna apologizes and leaves, but Ako is curious and follows them and but gets caught and gets slashed by Setsuna's katana. She then wakes up and Makie tells her that she's been sleeping with a bad dream. 3. 二時間目 マジカル・ミートマン (Second Hour, Magical Meat Dumpling): The next chapter explains the Japanese use many more complex proverbs and that one should memorize a few. The example is 食多ければ病多し (much food, much pain). At Mahora, the Chao and Satsuki are selling their dumplings. At first, Chisame in her usual arrogant tone doesn't understand why they're allowed to do business at school. However, when they announce that they've created special dumplings that enhances a girl's appearance, Chisame buys up 20 of them (to the surprise of the sellers). She goes home and snarfs all of them down and then poses in front of the web camera for her web page. At first, she feels that her breasts have become larger, but she then she collapses in pain as her stomach expands. She gets taken out on a stretcher and the other students comment on how pretty this unknown student is. 5. 三時間目 燃えろ！ダンクショット！ (Third Hour, Burn It Up! Dunk Shot!): Third chapter tells Negi that the Japanese value cooperation. Kufei explains to Chao that she's eaten a bit too many dumplings. Yuna scolds her teammates for eating too many dumplings and won't be able to play in the game tomorrow. To fill the positions, Yuna recruits Makie, Akira, Chao, and Kufei to play despite the fact that they don't know a thing about basketball. Their opponents play dirty during the first half and injure Makie. However, they make a comeback in the second half to win the game. Negi hopes that his students will cooperate, but then the scene changes to where Setsuna and Mana (I think) are arguing. 6. 四時間目 女生徒は見た！ (Fourth Hour, I Saw the Female Students!): The last chapter teaches Negi that the Japanese are intellectual and handy with machines. Hakase has just created a robot that she thinks will be helpful to the students. Meanwhile, the athletes from the previous track are enjoying the springs inside the dorms. Mana and Setsuna are still on the prowl for the thief. In the bath, the girls observe that Makie has gotten a little more chubby. Hakase appears and debuts her robot which is used to control a person's weight. Like with any machine, it goes wild. Setsuna hears some girls screaming and shows up, but gets caught up in the action. Kaede then shows up trying to help, but gets scared off by the frog there. Back to Negi, he wonders what kind of students he'll have. |
Title: 魔法先生ネギま！ 魔帆良学園中等ぶ２−A:２学期 (Magic Teacher Negima! Mahora School Class 2-A: 2nd Semester) |
KaNa Vol. 1
Yet again, I'm starting a new series before finished many others. I think I'm become more attracted to these supernatural and Miko-like girls. I have a few more series that I'll start soon that also fall under similar categories. I guess it's just evolution of a hobby. I got to browse a few pages of this series at the store before I bought all 4 books. The artwork is very simple, not much backgrounds and there's not much half-toning. Character design is good, but artistically, it's on the simple side. The story however, has me captivated. Bonus has a letter from the creator, a lot of color pages from the original GUM magazine, and if you take off the dust jacked (I always do when I read), there's a letter from the author who comments on the fact that people reading his letter have bothered removing the cover. 1. あたしは人間じゃない (I'm Not Human): In class, 安倍佑二 (Yuji Abe) listens to his teacher talk and makes fun of an old legend about a famous person (maybe?) encountering a female devil. After class, he sees a strange girl, 哀 (Kana), at the subway station and only has time to say hi and "we'll meet again, right?" He goes home and gets pestered by his sister and guardian, 由子 (Yuko), as she can tell he's hiding something. Kana goes home and explains her experience with meeting a human to her guardian, 狼 (Ro), a talking wolf. The next day, Ro meets up with Yuji and tells him to forget about Kana, but Kana catches Ro as he's about to forcibly make him forget. Kana tells him that she's not human. In the subway again, they get attacked by a monster and with Ro and Yuji both hurt, Kana's anger transforms her into a demon and quickly finishes off the beast before transforming back to her normal self. 2. 七つの頭 (7 Heads): Back at Kana's hideout, Yuji finally wakes up and hears Ro's story about how Kana's late mother, 滝 (Taki, a devil), wanted her half-human daughter to not have to show her devilish side. Meanwhile, there's a conversation going on outside a bar with Elizabeth, a vampire, and another man (later find out as Masaru Ookubo) who is also a half breed. He wants to recruit her, but she refuses and he attacks. She managers to escape and shows up outside Kana's place. 3. デートしよう！ (Let's Go on a Date): Beth, as Ro calls her, busts out some drinks at Kana's pad and gets Yuji to drink. It makes him drunk to the point where he tells Kana to go on a date with him. Next day, they go on a date (Kana doesn't exactly know what a "date" is, but plays along) and wander around town. Ro sees a strange woman following the happy couple. Later back home, Yuko tells Kana in the bath about how she's happy her little brother has a girlfriend. After Yuji sees her off, he also sees that strange woman. 4. 老夫婦（前編） (Old Married Couple, First Part): There's a society (two members previously mention, strange woman being Michiko Arai) who are interested in Kana. They lure her to the old couple living in the mountains. Kana goes to the mountains, but makes sure Yuji doesn't come. 5. 老夫婦（後編） (Old Married Couple, Last Part): They meet the old grandma of the mountain who tells Kana about her history with Taki, Kana's mother. Later, another member of the 7 Heads, Kousuke Haga, has controlled the husband and the two couples end up dying. With their deaths, Kana transforms again into a devil and dishes out some punishment before Kousuke runs away. |
Title: KaNa Vol. 1 |
君が望む永遠 (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien) Vol. 7 LE
I take it back. Manami finally has a voice in this last volume. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the ending. I knew what ending it was based on the bonus book that they gave, but I expected it to be a little more. The game's ending had things flushed out better including what *also* happens to Haruka (it's implied if you read the poster Takayuki looks at, but not immediately obvious). Akane and Mitsuki also settle their differences in the game, but that bitterness never made it to the latter half of the anime series. The two episodes included here were really moving and brought back some memories. But alas, the ending was just a less than "perfect." They also had Rino singing and I think I've already mentioned that I like Minami's version better. But it still gets a 4/4 because I said so. Bonus is the book that Haruka writes years after her awakening. Video bonus is a previous of Akane Maniax OVA. 13. Haruka has come to terms with the fact that she's been out for the last 3 years. Mitsuki is bumming and Takayuki tells Haruka that he's not currently dating anyone. Akane knows this is a lie and has Mitsuki come over to talk to Haruka. Haruka gives her a nice slap. Later, Haruka endures some rehabilitation, but despite showing determination she still suffers inside. 14/Last. Takayuki has a heartful breakup with Haruka on beach where she realizes that Takayuki is the same person she remembered three years ago. Akane reads Mayaru's Gift and sees that it parodies Haruka's tragedy. Takayuki gives up his promotion to be with Mitsuki. Years later, Haruka has published a book, a allegory of the 4 friends. Story ends with a reading (just a showing) of Haruka's book, "The Real Treasure." |
Title: 君が望む永遠 (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien) Vol. 7 LE |
鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 11
Another series over. I liked the ending to this series as they put in a few interesting twists at the last minute. Maybe I've been too dense to see them coming, but I was a little bit surprised at what happened. Good stuff, though. Maybe I should (finish) watching the anime? As always, color pages, character intros, and the behind the dust jacket bonus is a little musing from the authors. 61. 決戦１ (Final Battle 1): Nakahito has a dream about super Kurumi defeating the dragon fused by the 6 Chaos Minds before being awaked. Dr. Ayanokoji finally shows up, much to Nakahito's surprise and tells him that he had to remain hidden to fix history. Amato has summoned a dragon to fight the devils, Kurumi vows to defeat them and save Nakahito. Meanwhile, Magato and Diana are preparing to show their true selves. 62. 決戦２ (Final Battle 2): The dragon gets defeated by Kaga, Kirigakure (powered up), and Amato and the 6 Chaos minds are collected. Kurumi and Saki cleanse the artifacts. 63. 決戦 (Final Battle 3): Dr. Ayanokoji celebrates prematurely and notices something's wrong in the furnace of the Academy filled with Steel Angels. Saki notes that they've only gotten 6 Chaos Minds, but there's supposed to be 7. Magato shows himself as the 7th and explains Dr. Ayanokoji's original plans, which weren't so altruistic. Diana has also paired up with Magato and since she can control any Steel Angel, Kaga accepts defeat. 64. 決戦 (Final Battle 4): Amato and Nakahito are praying hard. The other Angels try to fight, but are easily deflected. Kaga finally gets the strength to strike back at Diana, something he has great anguish in doing and manages to kill her. With her last breath, she explains that she just wanted to set things right. Aoi slices up Magato, Academy falls into the sea and Nakahito's curse has been exorcised. 65. 戦いの後に…… (After the Battle...): They celebrate at the cafe and despite not having the Academy anymore, Dr. Ananokoji says he has another location deep inside the school, the Cradle, where they can send back the time travelers. However, Nakahito gets wisked away by Excelia to the Cradle where Amato waits. Amato apparently is cursed too and despite the deveils being defeated, his curse is still eating him up. He tries to have the curse flow into Nakahito's body. Kurumi and gang come to find the Cradle, which happens to be the Kagura shrine to find it protected. They fight through and encounter themselves. 66. 弐式 (2.0): The 2.0 Kurumi (and gang) is the Kurumi of present day. They're fighting, just like the old Kurumis, to protect their master. They also remember the day when they lost their master and won't let it happen again. 67. 帰還 (Return): (Old) Kurumi, Saki, and Karinka win! It turns out that Amato is part Nakahito. In the current world, Nakahito died 100 years ago (hence the 2.0 Kurumi's memories) from the curse and was revived as Amato with genes from both Mikhail and Nakahito. Since he has Nakahito's blood in him, he was able to control the present day Steel Angels. Excelia steps in to stop Amato and the gang goes back in time. |
Title: 鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 11 |
双恋 (Futakoi) Character Single #3
It's Akane (Tomomi Uehara = Kaori Mizuhashi) and Hakase Satomi! The game comes out for the PS2 on 11/11 (hmm, a game about twins comes out on a month that has two identical digits and the day and month are identical too...). I just hope that I can get the limited edition game new rather than having to go through the after market. As of today, the limited edition hasn't been listed in any of the places I buy games (that import to the US). Even non-exporting Amazon Japan doesn't have the LE, but hopefully its because they haven't gotten the info yet. The songs here flow a lot better than the second single. It's similar to the songs from the first single, but there's something missing that doesn't make it as catchy as the previous songs. Both these songs talk about dreams of love. Generic, but it's not something I mind. The mysterious second Futakoi anime is supposed to feature these two girls. |
Title: 双恋 (Futakoi) character song series #3: Shirogane Sara & Soujyu |
神様だもの (Because I'm The Goddess) Vol. 2
Pandora is back capturing her Gifts. I'm getting into this story more and more. I don't know why, but it's a bit hard to describe. I know what's going on, but it's a little difficult to describe. There's a color first page and some comics about the author. She has one where she talks about receiving fan mail telling her that she can't draw breasts correctly, so she describes her research into a better drawn female. 7. 蘭の姉妹 (Sisters Ran): Pandora has gotten interested in Taiyakis and decides that she wants to learn how to make them herself. Her fishies don't come out perfect, but appreciates the lady who tries to teach her how by using her magic to fix her kitchen. Meanwhile, Aoi's older sisters are after him, so they dispatch the maid to come pick him up. When he refuses, the maid uses her servant, but Pandora defeats her and collects the Gift/Cupid. 8. 隷と犬 (Servant and Dog): While Pandora, Aoi, and Matsuyuki are visiting the Taiyaki grannie, a young girl arrives, 蒲原鈴蘭 (Suzuran Kabahara). With her glasses on, she's an innocent girl, but when she has her glasses off (usually by accident), her other more dominating personality shows. She wants to make Aoi her slave/dog much to Pandora's objection as he's already Pandora's slave. They argue and so they're told to take it outside. After falling into the river, they both seem to come to better terms. 9. 走れ鈴蘭 (Run ,Suzuran): Suzuran, the evil half, gets in an altercation at school with a rival, Maya who has a servant, Rose-sensei who's an English teacher. During the fight, Pandora jumps in, but it's a third party, a cool guy named 三十郎椿 (Tsubaki Sanjuro) who helps defeat Maya. Pandora claims her Gift/Cupid, Momosu. 10. あぶない恋愛感情 (Dangerous Love): Aoi is training hard to become like Tsubaki. His sister, Shunran, is having an audition for extras in her musical and Pandora thinks it's a good opportunity to get closer to her and snag her Gift. She auditions and wows the producers with her body, but her voice has much to be desired. Shunran has another member, Asami, use her servant and try to defeat Pandora. Pandora wins and claims Gift/Cupid Apate. After the battle, Shunran asks Aoi to come back, but Aoi responds with an "I Hate You." 11. 絆の真価／前編 (The Value of the Bond, First Part): Aoi has a nightmare about his past and his strange sister Shunran. While they're shopping, Pandora, Matsuyuki, and Aoi meet Shunran who uses her servant. This time, Pandora loses (Aoi, who's turned into a spoon for the battle gets cut in two). Aoi's sisters take the unconscious Aoi away. 12. 絆の真価／後編 (The Value of the Bond, Last Part): Pandora and Suzuran (belligerent version) go to Aoi's family's house to rescue him. Pandora finds him, but he's still numb from the defeat. Tsubaki shows up again just in time to unlock Aoi's cuffs. The rematch happens again with Shunran, but this time, Aoi is turned into a Spork and they win. Pandora retrieves Keeru and is allowed to take Aoi back. |
Title: 神様だもの (Because I'm The Goddess) Vol. 2 |
少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine), '04 Vol 41
No Negima this week as Ken Akamatsu has the week off. Tsubasa is finally back in action after some sick days. The bonus Kodansha staff comic features the author of MIQ. Next week is supposed to feature an idol, I hope it's not Waka. King's Sword: ２張飛と劉備 (Chohi and Ryubi): The men, along with Ahi and Kanu, are gathered in front of a fort and are told to protect it from the thieves. The man on the white horse, 劉備玄徳 (Gentoku Ryubi), comes back to the fort and tells these two kids to leave as they'll be killed in battle. Ahi and Kanu refuse to. Ahi sneaks in and tries to ride Gentoku's horse, but falls off. Gentoku sees this and teaches him how to ride. Afterwards, he formally introduces himself at which point, Kanu realizes that he's part of the nobility. Gentoku says he has no relationship with his name anymore and leaves to scout out some more. Before he leaves, he reiterates that they shouldn't fight. Soon later, an arrow flies in their direction and the enemies appear. Tsubasa: ５５神の涙 (God's Tears): Suzuran explains to Shaoran and Sakura that once every year, they return to their current location (they're a traveling circus, after all) where Ashura is. Souseki explains to Kuro and Fye that once every year, Yasha tears up with blood. Both the circus and the shrine blame each other for strange things that happen. At the circus, they party and Shaoran has to dress up like a girl as no men are allowed. While that's going on, an earthquake shakes the land. Suzuka: ＃２９決着 (Results): Yamato loses! After the humiliating defeat, he sits alone in the woods near the track. Suzuka comes with a first aid kit to treat his scrapes from his fall during the race. She is disappointed, but tells him he lost because he ditched practice. She wants him to start coming to practice. Hamanaka Ai: ０５２美しい華 (Pretty Flowers): As the librarian, Rinko has to shelve books. The current one is on a high shelf, so Misaki has Rinko sit on her shoulders. They fall the first time as Rinko is afraid of heights. To cope, Misaki has Rinko blindfolded and is telling her to relax. Masahiko and Ayana walk in at this time and leave quickly. Changing Now: ＃１９栄転！ 高橋くん (Change, Takahashi): Dog Fighter finds out that his enemy, Crimson bunny, is actually a colleague. |
Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 41 |
美少女戦士セーラームーン (Sailormoon) Vol. 7
While Prof. Tomoe was a bit annoying in the anime, I got used to him. The Tomoe presenting in the book is rather boring. I think Hotaru is a bit more fleshed out here, with her background story and such, but maybe that's because I don't remember if it was talked about in the TV show. Bonuses are plenty of color pages and a sticker sheet. 31. 無限５ SAILORPLUTO 冥王せつな (Eternity 5, Sailor Pluto Setsuna Meiou): The next enemy from the Witches 5 is Ruru Teruno with her popular plants that emit an fragrant but deadly scent. Jupiter/Makoto is the featured scout as she's interested in botany. Hotaru is acting even more strange and grabs at Chibiusa's broach. Chibiusa tells her that is the Crystal, something that she sudden feels the need for. During the fight with Ruru, the outer scouts do the finishing blow and Pluto/Setsuna reveals herself to the inner scouts. 32. 無限６ ３戦士 (Eternity 6, 3 Scouts): The outer scouts tell the fabulous 5 that they're too weak and shouldn't involve themselves in the battle that's going on. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are stronger and have special items, the Talisman, to fight against the Goddess of Destruction. Later, the scouts do some research into Souichiro Tomoe, Hotaru's father. Chibiusa gets invited to go to a movie with Hotaru, but Hotaru is a no-show. Chibiusa goes to her house and accidentally sees her grafts. As she's running out, it starts hailing. The hail makes people want to kill each other. The scouts, with the exception of Moon and Chibimoon, become affected. Moon, joined with Chibimoon and Tuxedo Mask, release the Princess Serenity's holy cup. 33. 無限７ 変身 SUPER SAILORMOON (Eternity 7, Transform Super Sailormoon): With that power, she becomes Super Sailormoon and defeat the last of the Witches 5, the twins. The outer scouts explain to Sailormoon about how they released Sailor Saturn, the goddess of destruction, the first time Crystal Tokyo was destroy. They conclude that Sailor Saturn is Hotaru and in order for her to not be revived -- which would mean the destruction of Earth -- they would need to kill her. Chibiusa tries to go on ahead to warn Hotaru, but she's already become Mistress 9 and takes Chibiusa's broach. 34. 無限８ 「無限迷宮」１ (Eternity 8, "Eternal Labyrinth" 1): Chibiusa loses consciousness and falls deathly ill. The scouts try to find Hotaru/Mistress 9 to save Chibiusa. They arrive at the school to find that it's changed. They enter and each of the scouts has to deal with their respective Witches that they previously defeated. Meanwhile, MIstress 9 is basking in her new stolen power, but Hotaru is still within her. 35. 無限９ 「無限迷宮」２ (Eternity 9, "Eternal Labyrinth" 2): In her dreams, Chibiusa is protected by Hotaru (as Mamoru notices). Moon, with the outer scouts, travel to the depths of the building. They find Tomoe there, but he's transformed into a monster. They dispose of him, but have to face Mistress 9. |
Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Pretty Guardian Sailormoon) Vol. 7 |
鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 10
One of the things with this volume as well as the previous few volumes is character overload. For every Steel Angel, there's a name and an origin. When they first started doing that, I actually tried to memorized those characters (even with my terrible proper noun memory). Now I just skip through it since those characters don't show up more than once. It looks like the story is finally start to wrap up with the story kicking up again. I still like the old character designs better, given the mood of the story. Back of the cover bonus is a do-it-yourself paper crawler. Book starts out with a few color pages and has a bonus mini-comic in the back. 54. 誰が為に戦う (For Whom I Fight): The fighting competition has started, but Kurumi is opting to sit out because she doesn't want to be disrobed if she's defeated. However, people are expecting them to participate and Nakahito reminds her that by participating, she'll be able to find the strongest angels to help him find the demon. The three of them eventually join. 55. 鋼鉄ファイト再び (Steel Fight, Revisited): Some more fighting. The top 20 finalists move on to the island "Mahoroba" to have the final showdown. 56. １００年 (100 Years): Fighting on Mahoroba. Late arriving Kurumi and gang begin their own fight too. Meanwhile, Kaga is also on the island and meets Jinkuji-sensei and Aoi. The two Steel Angels start to scrap. 57. 対決！！ 加賀対葵 (Showdown, Kaga vs. Aoi): Kurumi has a bit of trouble. Aoi and Kaga fight, with Kaga ultimately winning. Kaga tells Aoi that she's weakened because she has become complacent after receiving the title of Angel of Angels. 58. 絶対天使領域 (Complete Angel Territory): Kaga reiterates why Aoi has gotten weaker and reminds him of how Steel Angels get their strengths -- from their masters. Kaga tests her again and Aoi has gotten stronger. Kurumi had a little trouble, but eventually defeated her enemies. Meanwhile, Angel Hildegarde, apparently seeking revenge on Kaga unleashes a weapon that reveals a city in the sky. 59. 七つのピース (7 Pieces): The city in the sky is the Academy. Nakahito is encouraged by this development as he realizes that he has a way back home after he defeats the demons. Kaga fights Hildegarde, formerly known as Misto. Amagi arrives and shows that there are 6 demons in Mahoroba. 60. 魔竜の雄叫び (The Magical Dragon's Roar): The remaining other Angels attack Hildegarde while she's recharging, but instead, Kurumi and the good guys get a shock when they become the enemies, 5 demons. They summon the 6th, a magical dragon to fight Kurumi and friends. |
Title: 鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 10 |
ネギま！ １１月：武道四天王 (Negima! November: The Big Four Martial Artists)
This CD features the four martial artists, as it says, but in fact, it's only three. Setsuna is the swordswoman, much akin to Motoko. Kaede is the ninja, Kufei is the Chinese student (with blonde hair) who specializes in Kung Fu. However, Mana is a sharpshooter. It should be 3 martial artists and a riflewoman. To be honest, I really don't have much feelings for Mana, Kufei, and Kaede. Setsuna should have had a larger role as she's had a large part in the manga and it's a shame that she doesn't. Anyhow, that aside, the original mix of the image song sounds very much like the song for the athletes a few months back. Solemn and tries to convey a sense of seriousness and has serious bass to drive some impact. I'm ambivalent about it. The standout, in a very bad way, is the remixed version. They tried to mix some traditional Chinese sounds in there, took some cues from techno, and produced pure cacophony. It sounds terrible. Someone should be shot (by way of Mana) for releasing this. The mini-drama included is okay. Setsuna is searching for the underwear thief who she thinks has stole Konoka's underwear. Along the way in her pursuit, she meets Miho and Kaede. Meanwhile, Kufei is playing around with the training robot created in the last CD. She tries to power it up, but the button she presses makes it run away. It runs into the forest where Setsuna and Miho are and Setsuna destroys the machine thinking it's the pervert. She finds out that it's not and tries fix it. Kufei comes to find a half destroyed robot. The cast free talk has the four seiyuu talking about the martial arts like whether they learned it as children and if they like those kinds of movies. Ho-hum. First edition comes with a Setsuna tarot card. |
Title: 魔法先生ネギま！ １１月：武道四天王 (Magic Teacher Negima! November: The Big Four Martial Artists) |
双恋 (Futakoi) Character Single #2
Animage August had some more information about this series, but not much. There's gonna be two different series that carry the Futakoi name. The first is what I expect it to be, a boy meets 6 pairs of twins, all of whom possess different personalities. The other series is still a mystery as of now, but is supposed to be a darker story than it's twin program. I've never had a song sung by Ho-chan that I didn't like, and this CD is no exception. However, the first single was a tough act to follow and the songs on this CD fall just short. The best word I can find for both tracks is probably "happy," but I didn't find it "cute" like the previous CD. The lyrics are similar, but the way that the song's structure -- it's very rhythmic and the singing is very staggered -- doesn't convey the meaning of the song very well. They're nice songs to bob your head at, but not very melodious. |
Title: 双恋 (Futakoi) character song series #2: Ichijo Kaoruko & Sumireko |
電撃大王 (Dengeki Daioh) September '04
Dengeki Daioh is the other magazine I've started subscribing to after stopping my Young Magazine subscription. Since it'll take some time for me to synchronize with many of the series in here, I'll only outline the ones that I can actually write about, either they're the first chapter or chapters in series I've already been reading. As I read more, I'll add more in later editions. This week's highlight is Muv-Luv Unlimited which is just starting based on that story arc of the game (sigh, will I ever get around to playing it. I'm holding the DVD-ROM in my hand, but don't want to start it as I've got too much on my plate already). The comic is in a separate booklet with highlights of all of Age's works including Kiminozo and Kimi ga Ita Kisetsu. There's also a bonus poster with the artwork from the cover. Next month's new manga is Uta Kata. Muv-Luv: 1: Takeru wakes up to Sumika's incessant banging at the door and finds Meiya sleeping in his bed. He looks out the window and sees a large pieces of twisted metal and turns around to find that Meiya has disappeared. He goes outside and finds that his house is in the middle of a wasteland and he gets take in by the UN. At the military facility where he's held, he sees Yuuko-sensei, who apparently doesn't recognize him and then sees Meiya and Sakaki, who also don't know him. Yuuko explains that he's from a parallel universe. Yuuko has him enter Meiya's and Sakaki's unit (much to their objection) and explains that in this world, they're having a battle with aliens. KuraKURA: 1: 月島流奈 (Runa Tsukishima) is young high school girl who apparently has the power to defend the world. However, she tells her mom that she's not going to do that today as she has something more important -- confessing to her crush and fellow co-class leader, 早川 (Hayakawa) at school. However, she chickens out at the last minute. After class as they're cleaning the hallways, she and and friend, 時雨 (Shigure), talk it over where Runa is told that she won't go anywhere if she doesn't work at it. Runa then looks outside to see a large beast, one that only she can see. She phones her mom and the mother explains that the beast was what she was trying to do. She reluctantly transforms and heads outside to defeat the beast, but comes back tired and exhausted. Yotsubato: 19よつばとぞう (Yotsuba and the Elephant): Yotsuba and her dad go to the zoo. They feed the goats (Yotsuba punches the older goat who bites the carrot she was going to feed the younger goat, hilarious), see the guinea pigs, stare at the owls, and observe the elephants. Yotsuba remarks that it's larger than Jumbo. Ichigo Marshmallow: ??: Matsui needs to go back to the school to get her recorder, so she has Nobue accompany her. Miu and Chika decide to get there first and scare them using the ghost tales of the school, but end up scaring themselves. Kashimashi: 2(?): After a failed confession to his crush やす菜 (Yasuna), はずむ (Hazumu) encountered aliens who turned him into a girl and now has to deal with living as a female. Being late for class, Hazumu runs out to meet his friends, but the male friend notices he doesn't have a bra. She asks female friend, 来栖とまり (Tomari Kurusu) to accompany him to the lingerie shop, where it just so happens that Yasuna is a sales attendant. He gets his measurements from the girl who rejected him and as they're walking home, he thinks how strange the situation is. Siren: 2: The Sirens are a special women who can suit up in "Psi" suits to combat terror. However, 波好めるな (Meruna Namiyoshi)'s Psi levels have been down recently. It stems to an event 5 days ago where she dropped some ice cream on some guy, 水凪総一郎 (Soichiro Minagi) and felt really sorry for being such a klutz. She has a talk with the directory, 天城 (Dr. Amagi) who tells her that she's still more than competent as a Siren. Meruna and her partner, 北斗 (Hokuto) get called to do a patrol for some strange activity in a neighborhood. There, Meruna encounters Soichiro again, who quickly avoids her by running in a building nearby. Suddenly, a monster/alien appears and attacks, bringing down that building to rubbles. Meruna sees this and runs to the site looking for Soichiro. What she doesn't know is that Soichiro is working for the enemy and has a camera pointed at her as she talks to a "doctor." He comes to realize that she may be a Siren. |
Title: 電撃大王 (Dengeki Daioh) September '04 |
少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine), '04 Vol 40
New series starting this week, titled 覇王の剣 (King's Sword) which looks like an adventure story. It's based in China near 100A.D. and is alternate story to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (?). At the end of the 68 page chapter is a little history lesson, although I'm still clueless. The story looks interesting though. My only gripe is that for the first 10-15 pages, the main character looks about 5 years old, and afterwards, he looks 15. Tsubasa is off again this week. A little footnote says that they're taking some sick leave. Negima has another incredible chapter. There's also going to be a series of bonus comics detailing the various authors of manga currently running. This week is the author of Hajime no Ippo. King's Sword: １張飛と関羽 (Chohi and Kanu): Being the village scout, the young Ahi spots the oncoming army. The villagers scramble to pack up and leave since they know the army will raze everything in sight. The the mad scramble, Ahi gets left behind and her mom tells him to stay put as they'll come back for him. After the army passes, he realizes he's alone. He kills a boar (he looks 15 now), and gets accosted by a strange who asks him to share and offers some salt. The stranger tests his trustworthiness by having him keep some money while he walks off. Surprised by the fact that Ahi didn't run away, he tells him that people will betray and proceeds to introduce himself as Kanu. Ahi introduces himself as Chohi and tells him that Ahi is a nickname. They go into the next city trying to sell their meat. Chohi, with his kind heart, gives a piece for free to a scrawny young boy. The young boy soon gets killed for that piece. Chohi and Kanu get mugged with Chohi being held at knifepoint at which time he remembers Kanu's words about betrayal. He fights back and is about to deal the death blow when an official appears asking to men to go fight. The two boys decide to participate. Negima: ６６時間目 雪の日の真実 (The Truth About That Snowy Day): Negi runs off as his dad fights off the monster with his tremendous powers. He soon runs into another monster who is about to cast the stone spell on him when and old wizard, Stan, and his sister step in and receive the curse. Stan tells Negi to take his sister to safety as she still has a chance. Now alone with an unconcious sister, Negi's dad comes and apologizes for being too late. He gives Negi his staff and leaves telling him to grow up and lead a life a happy life. Later in school, Negi wraps himself in studies from fear of that Snowy Night and has always wondered if his dad was just visiting (and not helping out because he was in trouble). Asuna agrees to cooperate and the other girls, who were moved by his story, also agree to help him find is father. Back at the school, Kotaro seems to have befriended Natsumi and Chizuru. No Negima next week. Hamanaka Ai: ０５１贈る予定の言葉 (The Words of the Planned Giving): Ai has dug up her old elementary school time capsule since the school is closing. After talking with Masahiko and Misaki, they decide to bury another time capsule at the house. In the yard, Nakamura and Rin ask what they're doing and the two students respond that they're digging a hole. Just then, Ai stumbles and the shovel lands right between her legs which Nakamura remarks as "digging a hole." Suzuka: ＃２７勝負 (Competition): Arima and Yamato start the race with Arima looking like he's going to win. Midrace though, Suzuka yells out that Yamato is an idiot, which gives him an extra boost. The chapter ends with the race still going on. Changing Now: ＃１８復讐！！ 怪人の恨み (Revenge!! Monster's Grudge): Dog Fighter is so engrossed in his baby's first words that he lets his partner Sigma get a beating from baddies (whom he's defeated before). |
Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 40 |
まぶらほ (Maburaho) Vol. 7 LE
Two more good episodes, nothing too new, but not boring either. On the drama CD, I love Yuuna's voice as she explains why she was late to the cafe. Dragon Magazine September arrived at the bookstore last week with Yuuna on the cover. So tempted to buy it, but since I have no plans on reading it, it would just be a waste of money. The bonus drama CD is a 10 minute drama where the girls talk at a cafe about how they're going to get Kazuki back. Kuriko suggests that they sell their souls to the devil, but that plan doesn't pan out. Item bonus in this volume is another keyholder (Shino), drama CD, cards, and sleeves, which this time comes packaged in a bag so they don't all fall out. The drama CD has an insert with artwork this time. Video bonus is a non-text version of the second ending (Shina is part of the collage now). 13. もどちゃった (I've Returned): Kazuki is now a ghost because he's used up all his magical powers, but regardless, Yuuna says that he's still Kazuki. In his depression, he encounters a mysterious woman, Shino, who invites him to be a part of her collection of ghosts and promises he'll be happier in captivity. He almost falls for it until the 3 girls break in and interrupt the process. Yuuna's particularly angry that he's with another woman. He gets lured a second time, and again, they come to his rescue. 14. はまちゃった (Suckered In): Yuuna tries to cheer Kazuki up by giving him some cotton candy as she's heard from Elizabeth that ghosts love it. Kazuki meets Shino again, but Yuuna interrupts them again. However, she catches Kazuki holding a cotton candy that he's picked up from Shino's place. As she's leaving, Shino tells them that she was about to tell them how a ghost can be happy. At home, Shino visits again telling him that she knows how he can return to being a human. She tells him to meet her later, and ends up just trying to convince him that being human isn't what he wants. The 3 girls follow, and after a series of traps, finally find the two. But then Akai-sensei shows up and revelas that Shino is his younger sister. |
Title: まぶらほ (Maburaho) Vol. 7 LE |
美少女戦士セーラームーン (Sailormoon) Vol. 6
These long chapters! You could fit 3-4 Shonen chapters into any one of the chapters in this volume. But I liked this volume as it returned back to the normal life of the 5 girls. It could be also that I loved this whole arc in the anime series. There's a bunch of color pages and the sticker sheet as always. 27. 無限１ 予感 (Eternity 1, Premonition): The girls are back at home, but Rei and Mamoru have a dream where they envision the destruction coming. The sailors meet two new characters, Haruka and Michiru, both students at the Mugen Private School and talented in their own respects. Haruka is a star driver and Michiru a violinist. Some students from that school become monsters and the Sailor Scouts eliminate them. At that point, we find out that there's a new enemy, Calinite who has the Witches 5 helping her eliminate the scouts. After Chibiusa comes back from the amusement park, she sees a young girl in a private school uniform, apparently in pain with a dark cloud approaching. She and Moon transform. 28. 無限２ 波紋 (Eternity 2, Ripple): It turns out to just be a cat, but as they're fighting, Moon sense some other scouts and has a glimpse of one. The girl introduces herself as 土萌ほたる (Hotaru Tomoe). The message that Calinite gets and Mamoru sense is that when the 3 talisman are gathered, the destruction will begin. Some more enemies appear, and the mysterious new Sailor Scouts appear too. 29. 無限３ ２人 NEW SOLDIER: Michiru is to have a concert, but on the same night, the school idol (one of the Witches 5) is also having a show to get some souls. Chibiusa goes to Hotaru's house to return the the handkerchief, or rather, a new one in its place. Hotaru explains her dark personality and they talk about Chibiusa being a scout. Outside, the new scouts watch. Afterwards, Haruka and Michiru give Chibiusa a lift back to her house on a helicopter. At the idol show, Venus and Moon try to stop the enemy, but aren't strong enough. Just then, Sailor Neptune and Uranus appear [cue the violin theme]. 30. 無限４ SAILOR URANUS 天王はるか (Haruka Tenou) SAILOR NEPTUNE 海王みちる (Michiru Kaiou): The outer Sailors say that they're not friends and are immediately recognized as Haruka and Michiru. Afterwards, Mamoru and Usagi have a talk about their respective encounters with Michiru and Haruka. At school, Ami has a rival who turns out to be another Witches 5. Neptune and Uranus help out again. Meanwhile, Pluto comes as a transfer student with the alias, 冥王せつな (Setsuna Meiou). |
Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン (Pretty Guardian Sailormoon) Vol. 6 |
フルーツバスケット (Fruits Basket) Vol. 5
I'm only on volume 5!? Maybe it's because I've been reading too much Karekano as it has the same Hana to Yume cover design that I think I should be further in the series. There's a summary of the primary characters in the first few pages. 25. Kyo and Yuki have not talked to each other visiting Tohru's mother's grave. To break the tension and to escape his editor, Shigure suggests that they take a vacation at the Souma vacation house. They have Hattori drive them there. As Kyou, Yuki, and Tohru are walking in the woods, she apologizes for anything she's done to make them angry. They spot a large footprint, Kyou thinks it's Jason, Tohru faints and have the two boys catch her but turn into animals. The cat and rat argument, which makes Tohru happy as they're back to their normal personalities. 26. Ayano shows up at the vacation house after being told by the family servant. Yuki and Kyou take Tohru to the lake while the three older fellows, Ayano, Shigure, and Hattori talk. Ayano mentions that he attended Hattori's previous love's wedding and met Shigure's ex there too. They chat about their curse and Shigure tells Hattori that they'll get some new girls together. 27. At the end of their Golden Week vacation, Hatsuharu brings back another member of the Souma family, 草摩杞紗 (Kisa Souma), the Tiger. It was her first day of school and she was picked on, so she turned into her Tiger form and won't talk to anyone. In fact, he doesn't even like Hatsuharu telling everyone that reason. Tohru tells Kisa her own experiences and with some empathy, gets Kisa to return to her normal self. 28. Despite transforming back to a regular girl, she's still silent. Momiji explains that she's this way because of her strange looks, especially her eyes and her colored hair. Kisa receives a letter and with some more TLC from the family, she gets the courage to go back to class. 29. The members of Yuki's fan club want to get rid of Tohru as she's spending too much time with Yuki lately, so they concoct a plan to befriend Hanajima and have her interfere with the friendship. They pretend to be doing a special report on "vibes" and to interview Hanajima at her house. However, Hanajima finds out about their plans and scares them off telling them that her little brother specializes in curses. Although she admits that she's a little affected by Tohru's new friends. 30. Tohru received a bad grade and feels like she has failed her mother, but she realizes that she has a large support group, the Souma's, supporting her. |
Title: フルーツバスケット (Fruits Basket) Vol. 5 |
千夏のうた (Chinatsu's Voice) Vol. 1
Another find I did while looking at the new releases in the bookstore. This Fuyuki's flashback of the summer, 10 years ago when he met Chinatsu. It's more of a "daily life" story with a girl and her mesmerizing voice than something more supernatural. The plot's been flowing very well so far. I'm surprised something so "innocent" would end up in a Young comic. The first few pages with the older Fuyuki are in color. 1. 蝶々 (Butterfly): A story from the summer, 10 years ago. 稲葉千夏 (Chinatsu Inaba) has just moved into this rustic town with her grandmother who tells her that this is where her mom had grew up. She explores the new town and finds (岩泉冬紀) Fuyuki Iwaizumi on the shore eating oysters. When they get caught, they both run off in the woods. At first Fuyuki wants to get rid of this incessant guest who wants to follow him, but his attempt causes Chinatsu to fall off a small cliff and sprain her ankle. As he's carrying her home, they see some butterflies and Chinatsu starts singing. Her song attracts the butterflies and Fuyuki is stunned at how powerful her voice is. They go home where Chinatsu's grandma tells her about Fuyuki and how he's younger by a year (unfortunately). In bed, Fuyuki can't stop thinking about the song he heard. 2. 秘密の庭 (Secret Garden): Fuyuki goes to school and arranges to attend school after summer vacation. Instead of going home, she wanders around school. She climbs a tree and spots Fuyuki in class and later goes into the woods in back. After class, Fuyuki comes looking for her and gets accosted by a few bullies. As they're about to pummel him, they hear Chinatsu singing and her song pacifies them. 3. ムクゲの花 (Rose of Sharon): Fuyuki and Chinatsu find a stray puppy in the woods. Fuyuki goes home to get some food for it. Chinatsu then spots another dog who she thinks may be the parent and chases after it. She comes across a patch of flowers to which she finds out belongs to the old man who lives in the bomb shelter. It marks the place where his 10 year old younger brother died in the war. Fuyuki comes back to find that the bullies have the puppy in a plastic bag and are playing with it. 4. 仔犬 (Puppy): One of them drops the bag and Chinatsu tackles the other, making him bleed from the head. After they run off, Fuyuki and Chinatsu find that the puppy has stopped breathing. 5. 小さな命 (Small Life): Chinatsu tries singing and that brings it back to life. At Fuyuki's place, the father of the injured child comes trying to place blame on Fuyuki, but Chinatsu and the old man come to his defense. Chinatsu apologizes and chases after the old man. 6. おじいさんの空 (The Old Man's Sky): They spend the day in the woods first playing around and then doing some cloud watching. 7. 嵐の予感 (Premonition of a Storm): Chinatsu helps replant some of the old man's flowers, but finds out that he has a cataract and can't see. She apologizes profusely. The old man in turn, gives her a gift, a wood-carved fish. He senses the wind picking up. 8. 贈り物作戦 (The Plan for the Gift): They go to the beach trying to find driftwood that looks like a cat so the old man can carve it as a present to Fuyuki's mom. After some searching, the old man and Fuyuki head home. Chinatsu and Mukumuku (the puppy) stay, despite the incoming storm. 9. 台風上陸 (The Storm Touches Down): Mukumuku runs to the old man's place where he realizes that Chinatsu is probably still at the beach. He goes to find that the tide has risen and Chinatsu is clinging onto a rock engulfed by water. With Chinatsu in peril, the old man remembers his brother's death and says that he's also been dead since that day. However, he can't let Chinatsu die. |
Title: 千夏のうた (Chinatsu's Voice) Vol. 1 |
彼氏彼女の事情 (His and Her Circumstances) Vol. 18
I was going through Newtype August and it said this book was the top selling manga for the previous month. I'm finally caught up with this series. There's a lot of story telling in this volume about the people in Arima's previous generation. Not as much humor, but I enjoyed the narrative. It might be because I took a week off from reading before this volume. Bonus is a Tsuda Diary. 84. ACT84 ラ・ヴィ・アン・ローズ (La Vie En Rose (Life in Pink)): Arima is currently staying with Reiji. He attends the concert. He gets visited by his dad who checks up on him. That night, Arima asks Reiji if he's married to which he replies that he can't. He's been permanently scarred from his mother's suicide where she tried to drown with him. 85. ACT85 カデンツァ (Cadenza): On their 6th day, Arima and Reiji bump into Yukino on the streets and invite her to dinner. Reiji tells Arima that he should return home now and that he can't do anything to help him. At home, Arima asks his dad about Reiji's past. Menawhile, Arima's biological mother sees her former lover on TV. 86. ACT86 ノクターン (Nocturne): Arima's dad tells the story of his family, particular, his father. His explains the lineage of his family where they've been doctors since the Edo period. His father never appreciated his children though and despite the oldest sister studying hard to become a doctor, he brushed off her goal and told her to do something else. Eventually she did. Years later, they hear about their father's new and illegitimate child, Reiji. 87. ACT87 ゲーム (Game): After the suicide, Souji's father tells him to take care of the mischievous Reiji, especially since the result of the family simple detests him as he's gotten more attention than all of them combined. When confronted by family members who mock him for being a bastard, he pounds their faces in and takes pleasure in that. 88. The Way We Were: In middle school, Reiji graduated with top honors and is revered by everyone, making Souji feeling very isolated. Some of the feelings his older sister has about the illegitimate child getting more attention creeps in and Souji starts showing that. In retrospect, he regrets that he brushed Reiji off. |
Title: 彼氏彼女の事情 (His and Her Circumstances) Vol. 18 |
鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 9
What happened here? Kurumi got moved from Ace Next (older audience) to Ace (younger audience) half way through this volume. But it's not even so clear cut as Ace Next doesn't use furigana while Ace does. One would expect that the first few chapters lack furigana, like all the previous volumes, and the later chapters containing kana. But that's not the case. The chapters that lack furigana are 50, 51, and 52, in the middle of the book. Strange. With the transition, the character designs have changed slightly. It's not a little more cheerful and "bright" (it's still a black and white volume). I dunno about that. One thing I noticed is that there's no coherent story anymore, but rather, little episodes. Bonus is prologue chapter (probably for the readers of Ace) and a 1 page bonus comic. 47. サキの病 (Saki's Sickness): Saki passes out from Kurumi feeling for her temperature and has a dream about her and Kurumi as kids where Kurumi was the only one who would play with her. She wakes up and get taken care of by Kurumi until Nakahito shows up. 48. カリンカの気持ち (Karinka's Feelings): Excelia comes to the restaurant to work and while she's changing, she gets involve in a conversation with Karinka about who they love the most. Karinka tells her she loves Nakahito although he's not her real master. Later, Karinka introduces a new item to the menu, but it tastes horrible as Kurumi took the liberty to add some more ingredients. 49. 仲人の不安 (Nakahito's Uneasiness): Jinkuji-sensei tells Nakahito that her family's angel is Aoi. Nakahito calls Amagi, Dr. Amagi, but Kurumi reminds him that it's store-owner Amagi. Both these bring up the fact that he's 100 years in the future and that he's in an age where most of the people he used to know have died. However, the Steel Angels remind him that he still has people to rely on. 50. そして、歯車は廻りだす (And Then, The Gear Turns): While chasing someone who stole a briefcase, the Angels bump into Aoi, who has actually passed the last 100 years in real-time. Nakahito tries to get some information as to what happened to his family, but Aoi's memory had been erased. It's a new semester at Angel school, and they anxiously await the new students. 52. 詩人の奏でる詩 (The Poem that Portrays the Poet): The fight gets broken up. Amato takes his Angel, Excelia to the depths of the school to the cradle of the Angels where the first 13 Angels were created, including herself. He starts telling her the story of her sisters with Kaga listening on. 53. クリスティーヌ天城の新連載 (Christine Amagi's New Story): Amagi tries writing a new manga which resembles the Kurumi story [at least the first part of it]. |
Title: 鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 9 |
Hatsubai Like with all software, I'm late on delivery with missing features. I had originally planned for 5 days (last Monday through Friday), but it's now 1:45 on Saturday. This is the program I've been working on for the past week, which I call "hatsubai" (meaning "on sale" in Japanese) for lack of anything more creative. Sometime late last week, I was surprised to find out that there were quite a few new releases in September that I wasn't aware of including Hanaukyo Maid Tai #10, Mahoraba #7, Fruits Basket #15, Ichigo 100% #12, and so on. I've been so engrossed in my reading that I haven't been keeping up with the list of upcoming titles. I don't think it's a serious problem as I'd much rather reading manga (and watching anime) rather than just spending all my time just talking about it and not actually enjoying the art. It's still nice to keep up with titles. What I needed was something that will scan through all releases for series I'm interested in and authors I enjoy reading, hence this program. Hatsubai does a very simple job: it parses a long list of manga/anime/anime music/novel releases and shows me anything that matches the title or author that I specify. It also allows for some simple bookkeeping as to what I've pre-ordered, what I've purchased, and what I'm going to purchase. It can also filter out on the different types of media. The database is pretty big and contains almost 45,000 products, ~27,000 manga titles, ~6600 anime DVDs, ~3600 anime/game CDs, and a few thousand novels and CD singles. The is downloadable as a comma separated file from Mangaoh and they track titles all the way to the beginning of 2001 to current/next month. According to the program right now, there are 12 "must have" books for me for my next order. I didn't even know half of these were released until I ran it through the program. If you click the image below, there's a little demo of the program. At the very least, watch the splash screen. That caused me quite a headache, but served as a good learning experience in programming in Cocoa.
The only missing feature now that I had planned is the automatic download of the product list from Mangaoh. Right now, I have to manually save the file, but eventually, the program will be smart enough to do that. It's amazing what laziness can make people do. :) Manga reading will continue tomorrow, after a long, long slumber. |
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