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So there you go, 366+ manga for this year. Like I said many times before, making that New Year's resolution of an average of one book a day was pretty dumb, but I was true to my words.
For next year, I'm making no promises. I'm definitely not going to make an artificial target for my reading and who knows, I may even read more. But there's a lot of other DVDs, CDs, and games that I had to sacrifice and postpone until 2005 because of comics. I need to get rid of those first.
As for this site, I'll continue in low-priority mode until February. I'll put up manga magazine reviews as it's a waste to let them sit around. However, for everything else like anime DVDs, manga, and games, I'm going to put on pause (or many just a very few updates). There's something that I wanted to do since last year, but do to time constraints, couldn't start it. January will be devoted to that. I also want to spruce up this site for the new year, so that's in the works too.
Anyhow, that's it for now.
Happy New Year!

And here's the leftover pile from 2004 that I'll hopefully have time to finish next year.

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The Negima desktop accessories has been released and with it comes 11 new mascots. So add that up with the ones from Love Hina, it means a lot of RAM wasted on little cute icons. They give 5 mascots (Eva, Chachamaru, Ayaka, Yue, and Kufei) and you're supposed to play the game to unlock the other 6 (Nodoka, Chisame, Chiu, Setsuna, Konoka, and of course, Asuna). I've only managed to find Nodoka so far.
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1/1/05 Update:
I managed to get all the mascots and have updated the picture above accordingly. Just for future reference, you get wallpapers by playing the story game and defeating the 5 beasts, desktop clocks by talking to characters before starting class, and voices from just talking to characters in each room. The mascots are a bit more tricky:
Konoka: This is the hardest mascot to get. You have to go to her fortune-telling room and answer a series of 5-10 questions (I forgot how many). The questions are limited, but you get a different set everytime. The goal is to answer the questions correctly and get a good fortune. I think each response is assigned a score and your total score has to pass a certain threshold. Your fortune can range from a moster in the Library Island (bad), popular teacher (slightly good), principle of Mahora (good), an excellent mage (very good), one more which I forgot that gives you a very good, and finally, the teacher of 3-A (excellent, I think it was 3rd year but could have been 2nd). You only get the mascot when you get an excellent.
Asuna: Slighly difficult to get. As Asuna, you have to play 4 rounds of paper-rock-sissors with your fellow Baka Rangers, Ku fei, Makie, Kaede, and finally Yue. There seems to be a pattern with the earlier opponents, but luck ultimately prevails. You have to play all 4 rounds in a row, winning 6 rounds each without losing 6 rounds, to get Asuna. If you lose, you start all over again.
Setsuna: You get this by playing the Library Gollum mini-game from the mini-games menu (not during the story game). It's a rapid clicking, whack-a-mole type game, so it wasn't too difficult. Having played it many times during the story game, I just started it up at level 5 and beat it. There might be a certain minimum score to beat, but I passed it the first time I tried it.
Chiu & Chisame: You have to play the "Who is Fuuka and Fumika" reflex game. You get a vocal prompt from one of the twins saying "Who's elder/younger sister," or "Who's Fumika/Fuuka" or "Who am I" (if she uses "Boku" it's Fuuka, if she uses "Watashi" it's Fumika). You're then presented with two pictures and you have to click one within 1 second and pick the right girl. Most of the pictures show their hair, so it's easy to pick it out as Fumika, the younger one, has her hair in buns. The tougher ones are with face-shots where you have to learn it from just playing it. You have to get all 10 tries correct and maybe there's a minimum score too (~3500?).
Nodoka: Easiest to get. During the story game, go in the school house and take Kamo's 50 question quiz. You don't have to get them all in one sitting as it remembers what questions you answered and doesn't clear your record if you miss questions. However, the positions of the answers do change.
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The first edition of the software also comes with calendar cards that have the wacky versions of Negi's partner cards. They look quite nice alongside the other cards I got from the first editions of each character CD single.

As always, if you want those mascots, CD Japan has all the desktop accessories from Love Hina and Negima on sale.
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Title: ラジオすかいてんぷる (Radio Sky Temple) OP Single
Original Creator: Age
Vocals: 浅井清己 (Kiyomi Asai) and 吉住梢 (Kozue Yoshizumi)
Release Date: 12/29/04
Catalog No.: LACM-4172
Rating: 4/4
This CD contains the intro to Radio Sky Temple, a segment on the Kiminozo radio program. The songs are good, but the included DVD music clip is awesome. For fans of Kiminozo, the music video is a real treat. It has cameos with the seiyuu for all the main characters of Kiminozo (Joy-max is in there too).
Both the songs included are very upbeat songs sung by the seiyuu for Ayu and Mayu (on the cover, read the name of the duo backwards). If this CD didn't come with a DVD, I might have dismissed these two songs. The second one is decent. The first song is very catchy, but what sold me was watching the music video.
The DVD is about 5 minutes long. The video has a prologue and epilogue, which are pretty much live-action Kiminozo. It starts with a short prologue at the Sky Temple restaurant where the Kisyo (Takayuki's seiyuu) and Chiaki (Mitsuki) are arguing about Kisyo seeing another girl (implying Haruka). He wants more coffee and finds out that his cup is empty, so he asks for more. Video then starts with Kiyomi and Kozue. Near the end of the video, everyone at the restuarant starts dancing around. Kisyo and Chiaki are there as are Minami (Haruka), Kaori (Akane), and Joymax. After the video is over, Kisyo and Chiaki walk out, arm in arm. The waitresses have done their job well.
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Title: まほらば (Mahoraba) Vol. 8 LE
Artist/Author: 小島あきら (Akira Kojima)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 178pp., w/furigana
Original Serialization: Monthly GANGAN Wing 6/04-10/04
First Printing: 1/27/05
Rating: 4/4
Like most of the previous volumes, this volume is also excellent. Ryuushi and Kozue finally start dating (after 8 books, sheesh). Because of that, a bit more is devoted to serious issues, but as always, the gags are hilarious. Can't wait until the anime comes out on DVD.
Limited edition comes with an extra booklet that allows you to play a choose-your-own-adventure by following the numbers labeled next to each paragraph. First printing also comes with a Haibara/Johnny tarot card. Chapter includes a deluxe version of Subcharacter's bonus comic.
38. アルバイトして (Working)
39. きみが好きだ (I Love You)
40. 17回目の誕生日 (17th Birthday)
41. ホワイトクリスマス (White Christmas)
42. その兆し (Those Omens)
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Title: 成恵の世界 (The World of Narue) Vol. 7
Artist/Author: 丸川トモヒロ (Tomohiro Marukawa)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 200pp., w/furigana
Original Serialization: Monthly Shonen Ace 2/04-9/04
First Printing: 12/25/04
Rating: 4/4
This volume was original slated to be released in October but got delayed until Christmas. The stories included keep with the "Heart-Warming" theme that the author always claims is World of Narue. It doesn't feel like anythings coming to a conclusion yet (and the author does state that there's going to be a volume 8) and Rin gets a lot of face-time in these chapters.
Bonus comes with colored pages and a bonus comic in the back.
45. 大いなる迷信の河 (River With Many Superstitions)
46. 埴輪の庭 (Garden of Haniwa)
47. 正義ノみかた(前編) (Friend of Justice, First Part)
48. 正義ノみかた(後編) (Friend of Justice, Last Part)
49. HELLO, GOODBYE
50. ハルちゃん (Haru-chan)
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Title: まぶらほ (Maburaho) Vol. 2 LE
Artist/Author: 宮下未紀 (Miki Miyashita)
Original Creator: 築地俊彦 (Toshihiko Tsukiji)
Character Design: 駒都えーじ (Eiji Komatsu)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 160pp., w/furigana
Volume: 2/2
Original Serialization: Monthly Dragon Age 1/04-10/04
First Printing: 12/8/04
Rating: 3/4
After watching most of the anime since the first volume, I have a better understanding of the characters, so relating to the stories here was easier. Unfortunately, having been spoiled by the new Maburaho Colorful Comic, the artwork in Miki Miyashita's version is quite bland.
Limited edition comes with a Yuuna figurine. The volume has a bonus chapter (in color).
7. ゆうな、まじぼれかもしれないの巻 (Chapter Where Yuuna Might Be In Love)
8. りん、いぬずきかもしれないの巻 (Chapter Where Rin Might Like Puppies)
9. くりこ、こころをきめたかもしれないの巻 (Chapter Where Kuriko Might Have Decided on Love)
10. ゆうな、はいぼくかもしれないの巻 (Chapter Where Yuuna May Suffer Defeat)
11. ちはや、ほんとうだったかもしれないの巻 (Chapter Where Chihaya Might Be Real)
12. りん、けっこんかもしれないの巻 (Chapter Where Rin May Marry)
13. ふたり、やくそくがなくてもの巻 (Chapter Where Even If The Both Of Us Don't Promise)
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Title: 魔法先生ネギま! 3月:文化部4人組 (Magic Teacher Negima! March: The Four From the Culture Club)
Original Creator: 赤松健 (Ken Akamatsu)
Vocals: 笹川亜矢奈 (Ayana Sasagawa), 小林美佐 (Misa Kobayashi), 相沢舞 (Mai Aizawa), and 猪口有佳 (Yuka Inokuchi)
Release Date: 12/22/04
Catalog No.: KICM-3060
Rating: 2/4
Maybe I'm in a good mood, but the song included is tolerable. The last four characters are Kazumi, Chizuru, Natsumi, and Zazie. The regular mix of the song is a soft rock, the remix version has more of a beat, but is pretty much the same.
The drama has Kazumi, who is currently in a slump without any new breaking news, asking around for anything. She hears from Natsuki that Chizuru might have something and ends up following Zazie around as she seems a little suspicious. Turns out that Zazie is just meeting up with a kindergartener that Chizuru helps take care up and tries to cheer her up with magic. At the end, Zazie performs a disappearing trick, but Kazumi jumps in and her clothes disappear.
The seiyuu talk isn't all that interesting with talk related to the drama like illusions and magic.
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Title: 美鳥の日々 (Midori no Hibi) Vol. 8 LE
Artist/Author: 井上和郎 (Kazurou Inoue)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 206pp., w/furigana
Volume: 8/8
Original Serialization: Weekly Shonen Sunday Vol 22, '04 - Vol 34, '04
First Printing: 11/15/03
Rating: 4/4
This series has one of the more complete endings of comics I've read recently. All the important characters have their own conclusions and Seiji and Midori also have their special moment. I'm pretty surprised that I came to like this series, given that it's a story about a girl who grows out of a guy's hand.
Limited edition comes with a Midori cell phone strap. Bonus includes character descriptions, parting message from the author, 4 panel comics on the back flap, and a couple of notes from the author's peers and sensei he used to be an assistants for. One of the guys is Bow D(z)itama, author of Mahoromatic who talks about his drinking binges with Kazurou Inoue.
75. 正正堂堂 (Playing Fair)
76. 夢の第一歩 (The Dream's First Step)
77. 天才少女 (Genius Girl)
78. 最後の手段 (Last Resort)
79. 最高の女の子 (The Best Girl)
80. あいまいな態度 (Ambiguous Behavior)
81. 告白 (Confession)
82. 本心 (True Feelings)
83. もう一度 (One More Time)
84. 日記 (Diary)
Final. 新しい日々 (New Days)
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Title: 蒼い海のトリスティア (Tristia of The Deep-blue Sea)
Artist/Author: 結城さくや (Sakuya Yuki)
Original Creator: 工画堂スタジオ/くまさんちーむ (Kogado Studio/Kumasan Team)
Character Design: 駒都えーじ (Eiji Komatsu)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 194pp., w/furigana
Volume: 1/1
Original Serialization: Monthly Dengeki Comics GAO 4/04-11/04
First Printing: 12/15/04
Rating: 3/4
Saw this at the bookstore and the obi had, in big letters, "character design by Eiji Komatsu." Well, I'm sold. The story is based off a video game that was later turned into an OVA earlier this year. The story is about Nanoka who is the granddaughter of a famous inventor in Tristia, a city that used to be a bustling commerce point, but is not a quiet town. With her inventions, she wants to revive the city. The story doesn't really seem to follow that as it's just a collection of short stories that don't seem to deal with main plot. But that's to be expected from a game tie-in manga. The episodes in themselves are interesting and of course, the character design is great.
Bonus includes character design and sketches from the OVA.
1. 1st Invention
2. 2nd Invention
3. 3rd Invention
4. 4th Invention
5. 5th Invention
6. 6th Invention
7. 7th Invention
8. Last Invention
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Title: コードネームはセーラーV (Codename is Sailor V) Vol. 2
Artist/Author: 武内直子 (Naoko Takeuchi)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 292pp., w/furigana
Volume: 2/2
Original Serialization: Various issues of Runrun 3/04-11/97
First Printing: 11/22/04
Rating: 3/4
A lot of the battles end so quickly. Sailor V just appears, transforms, and the enemy disappears. What had the most meaning in this volume is the last one where Minako realizes that she's not just Sailor V but Sailor Venus and starts to remember her past as a Sailor Scout.
Bonus includes a few pages of illustration and like the previous volumes, the cover is apparently a first printing special.
9. セーラーV vs. デブリーネ (Sailor V vs. Deburine)
10. セーラーVピンチ!? 怪盗A登場! (Sailor V in Trouble!? Phantom Thief A Appears!)
11. ペット編その1 娘々の陰謀 (Pet Chapters Part 1, Nyan Nyan's Plot)
12. ペット編その2 王々の陰謀 (Pet Chapters Part 2, Wan Wan's Plot)
13. ペット編その3 触々の陰謀 (Pet Chapters Part 3, Chu Chu's Plot)
14. ハチマキ石にかけた青春 (Deathly Ill Youth)
15. 新たなる旅立つッ! 前編 (A New Journey, First Part)
16. 新たなる旅立つッ! 後編 (A New Journey, Last Part)
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Title: 愛人 (Ai Ren) Vol. 5
Artist/Author: 田中ユカタ
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 278pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 5/5
Original Serialization: Young Animal Vol 2, '02 - Vol 8, '02
First Printing: 10/5/04
Rating: 3/4
The final volume made the story lines a little more clear as everything gets wrapped up, although it mostly focused on Ikuru and Ai. The ending turned out to be a little different that I had expected. The characters who I knew were going to die did so, but not in the order that I thought they would. Haruka's epilogue, which wasn't in the original serialization, summed up the underlying meaning of the story pretty well.
The author has a pretty long essay at the end of the volume.
35.5. 雪景色〜にんげんのふるさと〜 (Snowy Landscape~Home of the Humans~)
36. 夏の恋人 (Summer Lovers)
37. 初夜 (First Night)
38. 夜 (Night)
39. 海・明け方の夢 (Sea, The Dream at Dawn)
40. 帰宅 (Going Home)
40.5. また明日 (Again Tomorrow)
41. 手紙 (Letter)
42. ヨシズミ・イクル (Ikuru Yoshizumi)
42.5. あいの絵日記III〜ヨシズミ・イクルの遺品より〜 (Ai's Picture Diary 3, From Ikuru Yoshizumi's Documents)
43. 春の日に、君と帰る (Returning With You on a Spring Day)
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Title: 櫻の一番 (Sakura's Best) Vol. 5
Artist/Author: 影崎由那 (Yuna Kagezaki)
Book Size/Pages: A-5, 172pp., w/furigana
Volume: 5/5
Original Serialization: Monthly Comic Dragon 10/02-2/03
First Printing: 4/1/03
Rating: 3/4
Being the last volume, I had expected a little more from the ending especially since I liked the previous volumes. It have a great conclusion, but it's enough to finish up the story and tie things up with Asami and her brother.
Bonus includes color pages, omake manga, and the usual author's 4 panel comic.
21.深い闇を越えるために(其ノ壱) (In Order to Get Over The Darkness, First Part)
22. 深い闇を越えるために(其ノ弐) (In Order to Get Over The Darkness, Second Part)
23. 深い闇を越えるために(其ノ参) (In Order to Get Over The Darkness, Third Part)
24. ココロの帰る場所(前編) (The Place Where the Heart Goes Back To, First Part)
25. ココロの帰る場所(後編) (The Place Where the Heart Goes Back To, Last Part)
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Title: 美鳥の日々 (Midori no Hibi) Vol. 7
Artist/Author: 井上和郎 (Kazurou Inoue)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 190pp., w/furigana
Volume: 7/8
Original Serialization: Weekly Shonen Sunday Vol 13, '04 - Vol 21, '04
First Printing: 7/15/03
Rating: 3/4
This volume was pretty much like volume 6. All the stories were pretty good, but nothing really stood out. From the build-up in the last few chapters it seems like the last volume is going to be good.
Bonus includes a bonus chapter with Seiji and Midori back in the old samurai days. An omake manga and 4 panel comic on the back flap is also included.
66. 恥辱の女 (Humiliated Woman)
67. 以心伝心 (Telepathy)
68. 秘めた想い (Stored Feelings)
69. ケンカ野球 (Fighting Baseball)
70. 父と息子 (Father and Son)
71. 友の存在 (The Presence of Friends)
72. 送別会 (Farewell Party)
73. さよならルーシィ (Goodbye Lucy)
74. ガマンの限界 (The Limits to Restraint)
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Title: 舞-HiME (Mai-Hime) Vol. 1
Artist: 佐藤健悦 (Kenetsu Satou)
Story: キムラノボル (Kimuranoboru)
Original Creator: 矢立肇 (Hajime Yatate)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 200pp., w/furigana
Original Serialization: Weekly Shonen Champion Vol 38, '04 - Vol 45, '04
First Printing: 12/10/04
Rating: 2/4
It's a little strange that a weekly would have an anime tie-in. I'd expect a post-anime manga to show up in Dengeki Daioh or the likes, not in Champion.
I like the artwork with the only exception being the character's faces drawn at an angle. The artist draws them pretty poorly in my opinion (isn't this one of the basic angles that all illustrators have to know how to draw well?). The action and other scenes are good though. The blurb on the back of the cover claims that this is an original story. Not having seen the anime, I can't compare, but as it is, I didn't think that the story here was that interesting. I don't feel as bad for not picking this anime up next month despite Kuribayashi and Kajiura's involvement in it's soundtrack.
The book includes an interview with the seiyuu for Mai and producers of the anime.
1. ボーイ ミーツ ガールズ (Boy Meets Girls)
2. 大嫌い!! (I Hate You!)
3. 理屈じゃない!! (It's Not Logical!!)
4. 長い夜 (Long Night)
5. そばにいてくれ… (Be By Me)
6. 炎の記憶 (Fiery Memories)
7. 生徒会執行部 (Student Councilmen)
8. オリHiME隊 (The Origin HiME)
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Title: 愛人 (Ai Ren) Vol. 4
Artist/Author: 田中ユカタ
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 237pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 4/5
Original Serialization: Young Animal Vol 11, '01 - Vol 20, '01
First Printing: 12/24/01
Rating: 2/4
I understand that the theme of this story is life, but the two parallel stories that go still muddle things for me. Ikuru's story with Ai is easy to follow, but the other story with Camaro is utterly confusion. On the bright side, it seems like her story is over so hopefully the last volume will conclude Ikuru's story.
Bonus comes with a glossary of people and places used in the story and the author has a write-up in the back.
27. 密月 (Honeymoon)
28. この世にて (On This Planet)
29. ひとどろしの夢 (Dreams of Murder)
30. 誕生-BIRTH-
31. Stand By Me
32. からだのうた (Song of the Body)
33. この世界とボク ~We love you~ (This World and I)
34. NEW WORLD
35. いきているボク (The Me Who Is Alive)
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Title: 恋風 (Koi Kaze) Vol. 5
Artist/Author: 吉田基已 (Motoi Yoshida)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 215pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 5/5
Original Serialization: Bi-Weekly Evening KC Vol 10, '04 - Vol 22, '04
First Printing: 12/21/04
Rating: 4/4
I haven't even finished all the DVDs yet and I'm finished with the manga that was published after the anime finished. I don't know how the anime ended, but for the manga, I can't say that I disagree with the ending, but up until the very end, the story made me believe that Koshiro and Nanoka were going to end up differently than they really did. Definitely a good story overall, a lot different that most of the stuff I usually read.
29. ふたりの長い夜(前編) (Our Long Night, First Part)
30. ふたりの長い夜(後編) (Our Long Night, Last Part)
31. 夏のおわり (End of Summer)
32. 生涯の恋 (Life's Love)
33. 家族の風景 (Family Scene)
34. 陽だまり (Sunshine)
Last. そしてまた春 (And Then Spring Again)
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Title: 千夏のうた (Chinatsu's Voice) Vol. 3
Artist/Author: きたがわ翔 (Sho Kitagawa)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 242pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 3/3
Original Serialization: Weekly Young Jump Vol 30, 04 - Vol 44, 04
First Printing: 11/24/04
Rating: 3/4
It's quite unfortunate that this series ended here. Like a lot of others, I felt like it had potential. This volume does give more insight into many of the characters and so I don't feel like the story was hurriedly terminated since it does provide a conclusion, however, I had hoped that it would go one for a bit more. There have been worse manga that have gone on for much longer.
No bonuses, cover is the same waxy treatment as previous volumes.
20. 思い出の夏 (Summer of Memories)
21. 夏祭り (Summer Festival)
22. おばあさんと約束 (The Promise to Grandmother)
23. 初登校 (First Day of School)
24. 仲間の条件 (The Condition for Friendship)
25. お友達 (Friend)
26. 歌声の記憶 (Memories of the Singing Voice)
27. エーデルワイス (Edelweiss)
28. 大地の歌 (Song of the Earth)
29. 虫かごの生活 (Life With Insect Cages)
30. 母と… (With Mother)
Last. 光射す (Shining Light)
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Title: よつばと! (With Yotsuba!) Vol. 3
Artist/Author: あずまきよひこ (Kiyohiko Azuma)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 184pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Monthly Dengeki Daioh 5/04-11/04
First Printing: 12/15/04
Rating: 3/4
My Dengeki Daioh subscription started with chapter 19, so I had to catch up on the ones that I missed. Out of the ones that I haven't read already, the fireworks in chapter 16 provided a good laugh. I wonder when this is going to be made into an anime. The character image single CD is supposed to come at the end of March.
The very last fireworks page is in color (the monthly was in black and white). The cover has a waxy texture to it like the previous volumes.
15. おみやげ (Gift)
16. あさぎ (Asagi)
17. フラワー (Flower)
18. お盆 (Bon Festival)
19. ぞう (Elephant)
20. 花火大会? (Fireworks Gathering?)
21. 花火大会! (Fireworks Gathering!)
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Title: 美鳥の日々 (Midori no Hibi) Vol. 6
Artist/Author: 井上和郎 (Kazurou Inoue)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 190pp., w/furigana
Volume: 6/8
Original Serialization: Weekly Shonen Sunday Vol 49, '03 - Vol 12, '04)
First Printing: 5/15/04
Rating: 3/4
While all the chapters were funny in their own respect, none of them really stood out like some of the previous ones. Chapter 57 with Shuuichi was hilarious (as he always is).
Bonus comes with a couple of omake 4 panel comics, color page and summary, and a 4 panel comic on the back flap.
55. 泥まみれの栄光 (The Glory of a Mud Bath)
56. 勝利の儀式 (The Victory Ceremony)
57. マニアの鑑 (Mirror of Mania)
58. 正治の初恋 (Seiji's First Love)
59. 思われる女 (The Thought Of Girl)
60. 愛のキューピッド (Cupid of Love)
61. 野性の証明 (The Proof of a Wild Nature)
62. 緊急事態 (Emergency)
63. 新型の力 (The New Model's Power)
64. 愛情表現 (Expression of Love)
65. 沢村の選択 (Sawamura's Choice)
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Title: 櫻の一番 (Sakura's Best) Vol. 4
Artist/Author: 影崎由那 (Yuna Kagezaki)
Book Size/Pages: A-5, 171pp., w/furigana
Volume: 4/5
Original Serialization: Monthly Comic Dragon 5/02-9/02
First Printing: 11/1/02
Rating: 3/4
The first three chapters continue from the last chapter in last volume. They explain a little more about Asami's brother's past and the crime he committed. Like most of the stories for this series so far, it's dark and a bit violent, but has a sense of profoundness to it. The last two chapters discuss what goes on with Asami's friends during vacation.
Bonus includes color pages and 4 panel author's comics.
16. 地獄の境界線(其ノ弐) (The Boundary of the Underworld, Second Part)
17. 地獄の境界線(其ノ参) (The Boundary of the Underworld, Third Part)
18. 地獄の境界線(完結編) (The Boundary of the Underworld, Final Chapter)
19. 操さんの家庭の事情 (Misao's Family's Situation)
20. 欠けた月とその影 (The Waning Moon and That Shadow)
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Title: 月詠 (Moonphase) Vol. 3
Artist/Author: 有馬啓太郎 (Keitaro Arima)
Book Size/Pages: A-5, 178pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Comic GUM 10/00-4/01
First Printing: 5/10/01
Rating: 3/4
I liked this volume better than the previous because it focused on one main story. Hazuki got kidnapped and Kouhei has to go and rescue her. There are some action shots, but overall, the artwork is still pretty plain.
No bonuses besides the colored pages in the beginning.
12. 予兆 (Premonition)
13. 母の影 (The Shadow of Mother)
14. じじいの大活躍 (Grampa's Big Activity)
15. キンケル反撃 (Kinkeru's Counterattack)
16. 覚醒と守護 (Awakening and Protection)
17. Kissの力 (The Power of a Kiss)
18. 素直な気持ち (True Feelings)
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Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 4/5
Issue Date: 1/19/05
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 578
This week's double feature has a special one-shot, Santa Claus of Junk. Ken Akamatsu had a special Christmas one-shot in this magazine years ago too. The feature has several pictures of jailbait idols. The blurbs in Tsubasa say that more details about the anime will come in vol. 7.
The main character in Toto is 案山子 (Kakashi). Wish they would have mentioned that in last issue.
Toto: 3かかしと男鶏団 (Kakashi and the Man Chicken Gang): Kakashi has become the chore-boy on the blimp. He finds a world map (for kids) hanging on the wall and is fascinated by it. The leader of the gang finds him and points out where Kakashi's home island is. When asked about why it's a kid's map, the leader mentions that his kid gave it to him. The blimp is then under fire from the ground and the gang has to escape the burning airship. Kakashi yells out in anger that it's his birthday today. The leader then has him get a parachute runs to the exit with him. He tells him that he just remembered today was his dead son's birthday. He pushes Kakashi out with a parachute and stays on the ship himself as he doesn't have a parachute for himself.
Negima: 78時間目 開幕、ネギ争奪戦 (It Begins, The Scramble for Negi): Despite the pretend date with the older Negi, Asuna still hasn't confessed to Takahata yet. Meanwhile, everyone is preparing for the cultural festival and the students all invite Negi to their event. The students include Nodoka, Chachamaru, and Kotaro. Kotaro's event is a fighting even and Kamo has the idea to give them the temporary aging pills. Negi comes back as his older self and introduces himself as Nagi. Eva then sees him and thinks he's *the* Nagi. Negi explains the situation to her and she challenges him. If he can't beat her at the fighting event, Negi has to date her on the last day of the festival (as Nagi). Negi seems to be overbooked for the festival and Asuna finally calls Takahata.
Suzuka: #48彼女 (Girlfriend): Honoka hears from Ayano that Yamato and Suzuka are coming back at noon, so she waits at the station for them. She meets Yamato and Suzuka. When Suzuka leaves, Yamato and Honoka kiss.
Student Council: #5戦いの螺旋 (The Spiral of Battle): Musashi comes back with Mami after their battle. As she's taking a shower, he suddenly remembers back to the boating accident where his parents were killed. He apparently used his powers back then too to save himself. Akane comes over and he tries his best to keep Mami a secret from her, but Akane finds out that he has another girl at his house. In her depressing and anger, he goes to the park and gets accosted by Kaoru.
Changing Now: #33慟哭!! 若者の叫び (Cry!! The Call of the Young): Yoshino is a regular young man who has a part time job, but that's only a front for his true identity. He works for the bad guys, the people who Dog Fighter combats. Today, Dog Fighter infiltrates their base and knocks out his two front teeth. In his anger, Yoshino fights back and makes Dog Fighter flee. He becomes a hero in his group for the day.
Tsubasa: 66永遠の想い (Eternal Memories): After being killed, Yasha disappears and turns into one of Sakura's feather. Ashura explains to Shaoran how the real Yasha had died already and this current one is just an illusion. She hands the feather to Shaoran and that's what he wanted. Afterwards, she pursues her own wish and proceeds to destroy the castle in the sky.
King's Sword: 17敵は鉅鹿にあり (The Enemy Is In Kiyoroku): Ryubi and the army are advancing to Kiyoroku where they'll meet with the rebels (I think) for battle. They stop off at a desolate village which seem to be home to the bandits. Ahi trips and falls down a cliff and as he's unconscious, a girl picks up his weapon and points it at him.
Hamanaka Ai: 064少年は使者になる (The Boy Becomes the Messenger): The tutors and students have a Christmas/New Year's Party at Ayana's house. Rinko apparently still believes in Santa, so as to not ruin her night, Nakamura has Masahiko sneak into Rinko's bed to put a present under her pillow. She wakes up thinking that Santa transformed into Masahiko to grant her Christmas wish: to make a her a woman.
Full Swing: 13ちょっと待って! (Wait!): Tama wins the next point to make it 30-40, but the coach stops the game as Shun has broken a string. He reminds them that this is only practice so it's not a big deal. The two shake hands and Shun accepts him as a tennis player. At home, Tama's parents give him a new tennis racket and later, she rallies with Douchi.
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I managed to delete the database that holds all the text for this site yesterday and spent most of the day trying to restore the data. I have a full backup from September, but I still needed to manually upload all the entries since then. Ugh.
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Such a shame, I'm so close. I'm still 3 books behind the breaking even point and I have to go off skiing for a week. When I get back, it's going to be in the double digits again (sigh). I think I did a pretty impressive job of catching up though. I believe in just 17 days, I've read 50 some volumes. Just need 17 more to hit 366...
I'm actually quite tired right now, can you tell which one I wrote first? The Dragon Age and Dengeki Daioh write-ups?
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Title: ドラゴンエイジ (Dragon Age) December '04
Issue Date: 12/10/2004
Publisher: Kadokawa (Fujimi Shobo)
Pages: 754
Having caught up on most of the manga that I'm interested in this magazine, it's taking me longer and longer to read it. I have 9 series I'm following this month (including the new series), and that's not even counting the fact that Someday's Dreamers and Nodoka Nobody is taking a month off.
The new Maburaho manga starts this month, titled Maburaho Colorful Comic. Because it's by a different author, the artwork is slightly different. I like this new artist's characters better. It sticks a little more closely to the original character designs.
I've decided to go ahead and continue reading Zero In even though I'm missing chapter 11 (vol. 2 ends on chapter 10 and my first issue, August, starts on chapter 12). What a shocker at the end of chapter 13.
The new series this month is "The Masked Maid Guy." It's about a girl who's about to turn 18 and will an heir. However, her grandfather is worried about her being targeted, so he hires a girl maid for her brother and a guy maid for her. At first, I was doubtful given the title, but I decided to read it anyway. It's not as bad as it sounds. The guy maid is a lot like Sosuke in that he's overprotective and that gets him in a lot of trouble, especially from the girl he's protecting.
The bonus is chapter 2 of the Zero In drama CD. The way they're doing this is that they're releasing the first 3 chapters (full 20+ minutes each!) of the drama CD with the magazine (next one is next month). The final chapter will be included in the limited edition of Zero In manga vol. 3 along with the three previously released tracks. Like the drama CD is just as cool as the manga. I'm becoming a bigger fan of Sanae Kobayashi. The first drama CD (last month) is named after the first chapter and follows it, although it does take liberties. The second drama CD is named after the second chapter in the first volume, which is technically a side chapter, but includes events from multiple chapters. It covers the time that Mikuru and Kou are training. Kina also has a different debut in the drama CD.
Maburaho Colorful: 1: Rin, Kuriko, and Mariho Kurioka (probably a newer character) quickly recap their intentions with Kazuki. They overhear that Yuuna has gone to the river with some other guys. They find out that the guys want the matching "K" and "Y" sweaters that she made for Kazuki and her (the guy's name also starts with a K). In her anger, she unleashes some magic and ruins the clothing, but Kazuki tells her that it's the thought that counts.
Karin: 恥の20「雨水くんの風邪とおばあちゃんの企み〜Intrigue〜」 (Kenta's Cold and Grandma's Plot): Kenta's been missing school due to the cold and Karin pays a visit (although she tries not to think of it as something so romantic). Having heard from her parents that her grandma doesn't like humans, she warns him about the situation. At home, grandma finds out more about her granddaughter although the family tries to hide the fact that she's more of a normal person than a vampire. She makes the connection that Karin's school has young people and goes there at night where Kenta sees her again, but this time knows she's not Karin.
Tsubame Syndrome: ACT12[チェンジ・マインド] (Change Mind): Taiga doesn't tell Tsubame that he's training with Ura and she becomes worried because he always comes back late and tired. She follows him one day to Ura's ship and discovers he's training. A phantom appears and according to Ura's analysis, it's shield is too tough for Tsubame to penetrate. Taiga then transforms into a phantom himself (from the power of his origin heart) and defeats the beast, but remembers none of it. Ura's cameras just happened to freeze at that point, so there's no footage of it either.
Full Metal Panic: MISSION54 One From the Heart: Thinking that Sosuke won't come, Kaname tries to fight off her captor in the submarine (Dunnigan, I think is his name). Sosuke does come through and rescues her and they have a quiet moment where she admits that she feels like excess baggage and Sosuke tells her that he wants her to have a normal life. Meanwhile, Tessa is witnessing the torpedos that Galon launched whiz by.
Zero In: Piece15 Feeding Trouble: A halloween killer is on the loose and with the Minkei short a person, they add a new recruit, Zou Hanatomo and have a new police officer managing them named Misono Shikie. After a little remembrance for Kina, they go out and find the criminal. Mikuru does her Zero In Burst attack to disable the guy, but rather than apprehending him, Zou just kills him on the spot.
Love Dog: 第2話「真ちゃん熱をだす」 (Shin-chan Has a Fever): Because of all early morning walks in the cold, Shinichiro has a fever and is now in bed. As he's sleeping, he has a dream about his late grandmother who tells him that he's no longer alone because he has the 4 dog/girl companions.
Maid Guy: 1: Naeka Fujihara will be 18 in half a year and will be an heir. However, due to the fear that she'll be targeted, she has maids who protect her. After some strange events (due to the zealous maids), she gets called to meet with his grandfather who wants her and her little brother, Kousuke, to live with him. She refuses and wants to live alone with her brother. However, they live in a pig-sty. So, the grandfather makes them live with a maid, Hubuki. Because Kousuke is an otaku, he has an obsession with maids. Naeka contends that having a maid in the house with only allow him to live in his fantasy world even longer, so the grandfather unveils the maid he has for her, Kogarashi. He's is a tall, built man who wears a maid uniform and a mask.
Girl Following: 第2話「さがしもの」 (Lost Item): After coming back from her date to the aquarium with Eitaro, she realizes that she's lost her precious keychain. She and Eitaro ask for Miori's assistance as she practices the occult. They first try dowsing with a crystal necklace. This leads them to a tree. They next try an Ouija board, which gives some scrambled letters, but gets decoded incorrectly. Lastly, the crystal ball says a beautiful sunset. She finally finds the keychain on top of a tree which overlooks the city (she's there at sunset).
Supasu-pa: 24春奈のラブモード事件 (Haruka's Love Mode Event): Another spirit is chasing Itsuki again, | |