Greetings blog visitors,
I haven't done anything in the last few weeks for my blog (well I just post something up but that's been sitting there for quite awhile). This is a status report on my situation here in relation to the blog.
First, in the last few weeks, I haven't been able to get anything done. Why? Well for one, I got sick. One Saturday evening after eating a full dinner, my stomach didn't settle and that night I got up from bed and hurled up my dinner a few times. Thereafter, I felt like shit (excuse the language). Now it doesn't help that everyone around me in class is sick and I was feeling very weak as well so a few days later, I was felt sickly with a cold. Anyways, I got better but I still have that annoying cough that lasts forever as well as occasional return of a sore throat...I should probably go see a doctor about that. Secondly, I also had my second round of midterms. Crammed like heck, aced the first and totally bombed the second (I felt like I got kicked in the stomach).
Second, in the coming days and weeks although Thanksgiving break is coming up and winter break will soon arrive in a few more weeks, I'll be busy. I have a paper due and then a midterm on the week before finals (yeah, it's the quarter system alright). Then finals week will roll in, while there are exams going on, I will have to go to work still (more like a personal obligation) since my supervisor has deadlines to meet (and without me, she'll be totally helpless since it's a demanding job in which an assistant is necessary).
I have little time to write anything fresh and thought provoking (not that I've done that in the last few months either). Alright, if anyone cares, I won't be back until the holidays.
Best,
tohukyo
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Quick Post--Cynical Orange
Hi everyone, this is just a copy of a post from a thread I created about the ending for Cynical Orange by Yoon Ji Un. It is my explanation for why and how the manhwa ends. I wrote it on the 4th of September, 2012. I just want it to be here because MF has this rule about NECRO posting which is kind of annoying since someone doesn't have enough of a life to go around different threads and closing all the threads that have relavence no matter how long ago the last post was made. This is the lack of efficiency for the forum rules on MF. No one really cares that much about necro posting for forgotten completed mangas. tsk....I might dig up some old thread posts as well from here on to give some insight on some mangas/manhwas. oh and FYI, this is a SPOILER if you didn't get that already.
Bittersweet Ending?
09/04/2012
I recently read the whole series, all 9 volumes from my local library. (I would scan it but I don't have that time nor can I keep the books for long since I'll be leaving home in a few weeks).
Also, I don't know if people care but for every volume of the translated manhwa (idk if raws have it), Yun Ji Un (the manhwaga) has colored pages for the first few pages of the volume which usually provides some sort of insight about what was going to happen. This is what the last volume, volume 9 said in its colored pages:
Many people see the ending as a tragedy however, I wouldn't call the ending a complete tragedy just b/c of what happened to Shin-Bi (his death). I thought that with Shin-Bi's horrifying pitiful and undeserving death, Hye-Min would punish herself forever by breaking up with Ma-Ha. Not only was Shin-Bi's death undeserving but if the manhwaga left the end with a true tragedy (Ma-Ha and Hye-Min breaking up), I would have been devastated because I didn't think Ma-Ha deserved to leave the manhwa in that state. (It made me tear up). But in the end they reunited =) Even though Shin-Bi died, it gave Hye-Min the opportunity to make a clean start and live/survive on her own. The memory of his death will haunt her on random days of her life probably but it gave her the push to truly enter the world and live among people.
I think Ma-ha deserved to be with Hye-Min. It was explained as clear as day at the end. During the funeral, Ma-Ha says he'll wait for Hye-Min but Hye-Min rejects him because of the raw pain and grief of Shin-Bi's death. He knew that if he ignored Hye-Min's wishes and just remained by her side, she'd eventually return to him and lean on him for survival, much like the relationship between Shin-Bi and Hye-Min. However, in a way, he proved to be a good man by letting her live her life on her own for once. It seems like it's most logical for Hye-Min to have ended up with Ma-Ha because he wanted her to be independent whereas Shin-Bi wanted to isolate her/make her dependent on him. That's not living. Yes Hye-Min had a role in manipulation but when all is said and done, it doesn't change the fact that Ma-Ha=independence and Shin-Bi=isolation/dependence. So...yeah it's terrible the way Shin-bi died and the graphic explanation that So-Ryu gave made it a more undeserving death but it gave way for all three of them to move on and be free from stagnant loneliness and darkness.
Bittersweet Ending?
09/04/2012
I recently read the whole series, all 9 volumes from my local library. (I would scan it but I don't have that time nor can I keep the books for long since I'll be leaving home in a few weeks).
Also, I don't know if people care but for every volume of the translated manhwa (idk if raws have it), Yun Ji Un (the manhwaga) has colored pages for the first few pages of the volume which usually provides some sort of insight about what was going to happen. This is what the last volume, volume 9 said in its colored pages:
The prince stayed true to his promise with the princess and tore down the tall and might tower.
In that instant, the princess realized she had nowhere left to live.
The princess grew so sad and confused that she wept.
The tired prince stood there speechless, then turned around and left.
With the tower a crumbled ruin and the prince nowhere to be found, the miserable princess was left alone.
But then the princess said, "Oh, now I can go anywhere I want."
The princess stopped crying and stood up.
Metaphors: prince=Ma-Ha; tower= Shin-Bi; princess=Hye-Min
Many people see the ending as a tragedy however, I wouldn't call the ending a complete tragedy just b/c of what happened to Shin-Bi (his death). I thought that with Shin-Bi's horrifying pitiful and undeserving death, Hye-Min would punish herself forever by breaking up with Ma-Ha. Not only was Shin-Bi's death undeserving but if the manhwaga left the end with a true tragedy (Ma-Ha and Hye-Min breaking up), I would have been devastated because I didn't think Ma-Ha deserved to leave the manhwa in that state. (It made me tear up). But in the end they reunited =) Even though Shin-Bi died, it gave Hye-Min the opportunity to make a clean start and live/survive on her own. The memory of his death will haunt her on random days of her life probably but it gave her the push to truly enter the world and live among people.
I think Ma-ha deserved to be with Hye-Min. It was explained as clear as day at the end. During the funeral, Ma-Ha says he'll wait for Hye-Min but Hye-Min rejects him because of the raw pain and grief of Shin-Bi's death. He knew that if he ignored Hye-Min's wishes and just remained by her side, she'd eventually return to him and lean on him for survival, much like the relationship between Shin-Bi and Hye-Min. However, in a way, he proved to be a good man by letting her live her life on her own for once. It seems like it's most logical for Hye-Min to have ended up with Ma-Ha because he wanted her to be independent whereas Shin-Bi wanted to isolate her/make her dependent on him. That's not living. Yes Hye-Min had a role in manipulation but when all is said and done, it doesn't change the fact that Ma-Ha=independence and Shin-Bi=isolation/dependence. So...yeah it's terrible the way Shin-bi died and the graphic explanation that So-Ryu gave made it a more undeserving death but it gave way for all three of them to move on and be free from stagnant loneliness and darkness.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Quick Post--the Hilariousness of Laziness
Very short quick post in praise of a new hilarious manga that I picked up a month ago. It's titled Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge aka Tanaka-kun Always Seems Listless (I've linked it to batoto). It's an ongoing manga but it's just so funny. First of all, this character isn't exactly "lazy", he's "listless" and he just exudes it in his whole being. That and his hard working friend make a great duo for this manga. You might feel tired reading this manga though because it really stresses on listless-ness but for me, again, HILARIOU!! Just try it out yourself, I can't do justice to this manga so just experience it for yourself.
That aside, have you guys ever noticed that during quizzes and exams in a room with at least 30 people let alone a large lecture hall of 300-400, in the quietness you begin to hear a symphony of coughs, sniffles and other sickly noises? It's not always but I've always noticed this for some reason especially when it's quiet and there isn't a symphony of noise. I find it oddly amusing b/c once one person goes, the room erupts in the sound of the sick one after the other. I wonder if the Professor and T.A.s think it's somewhat amusing as well (when I should be concentrating on my exam). Anyways....hope you enjoy the manga!
That aside, have you guys ever noticed that during quizzes and exams in a room with at least 30 people let alone a large lecture hall of 300-400, in the quietness you begin to hear a symphony of coughs, sniffles and other sickly noises? It's not always but I've always noticed this for some reason especially when it's quiet and there isn't a symphony of noise. I find it oddly amusing b/c once one person goes, the room erupts in the sound of the sick one after the other. I wonder if the Professor and T.A.s think it's somewhat amusing as well (when I should be concentrating on my exam). Anyways....hope you enjoy the manga!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Quick Post--A Story at a Glance
This is another quick post I'd written just before/during my midterm exams period but I'm posting it now since I have other posts on hold as well. It's a kind of food for thought post but it's specific to one story so I made it a quick post. Hope you enjoy!
Recently, I haven't been really into picking up new ongoing mangas because I don't want to feel the dissatisfaction of waiting for releases. I've been checking out completed works and oneshots and I just finished reading a one shot titled Kimi wa Chiisana Kesshou by Yawata Aki. (Disclaimer: this post will reveal spoilers). This is kind of a response/quick post to this oneshot. It's not really a review at all.
This story is about a teenage girl who masks her true self in order to people please for fear of not being wanted/disliked. At a glance, this story is kind of pathetic and ordinary. Others have stated that it's just another female lead with low self esteem which is undeniably true. This story is also about this girl finding herself and becoming honest with herself and to others with the help of a "stranger" (turned boyfriend). Essentially she learns to get over her "low self esteem." Been there, done that right? However, delve into the story and regarding the fact that she has low self esteem and why, it is of quite utmost importance in this oneshot how she became the people pleaser she came to be. In a brief number of page(s?), we learn that she grew up in a semi-unstable and mentally abusive/neglectful home. The fact that this manga kind of sidesteps that after revealing this piece of information is why I believe it didn't turn out as well as it could have in regards to the one dimensional reading of this (what I mean is that for those who read the story on a surface level, simply reading the story without actually reading it didn't particularly enjoy it because of that method of reading). Based on the limited interactions that take place in the scene we are revealed, the mangaka tells us that her mother and herself are hated by the father. This scene though is just a small window into the girl's childhood and the home environment. The tension in the room is like that of an abusive father. Now it is uncertain how much abuse they experience and whether or not it was physical or mental abuse. I am pretty sure it was mental though due to the words spoken in spite by the father when the girl as a child complained about a present she was receiving from her father. In that scene, she is quite taken back and in some ways (as a child should), fearful. It was a representative scene to show why she became the people pleaser she is today which is why I don't see this one shot as simply just another "been there, done that--low self esteem" manga. The home environment of a child can, of course, have damaging effects on one's social life and interactions if it isn't the safe place a home should be.
There are three ways of reading this oneshot: love it for the encouraging "pursuit of happiness"; hate it/spit on it for the pitiful female lead; or like me, understand the circumstances and therefore come to a conclusion of whether or not it was written well enough to enjoy in regards to those circumstances. The first two are kind of "at a glance" kind of reading I think. I'm not certain how other read this oneshot but I predict that the majority read it as I've stated so, "at a glance." After reading this oneshot though, considering all that happened in this story, I think it was interesting how she was able to finally kind of break through that in a "phase 1" kind of manner. Following that, I'm not too sure where it'll go. The likelihood of a regression is highly possible especially if the relationship doesn't work out. But what I was kind of most intrigued by was what her current family/home environment is like. It lacked that, completely sidestepping that piece of information, therefore it felt incomplete to me and too optimistic but quite encouraging in a way.
Anyways, that's all I wanted to address. This post is very specific to this manga but I guess generally, there are different ways to read a manga and to interpret it. Of course it also depends on one's mood--whether or not to actually invest your interest in it as well as how much interest to invest (I just happened to invest my interest instead of making it a light read). And not many people have that time nor want to do so since they're reading for enjoyment. But anyways, keep an open mind!
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This story is about a teenage girl who masks her true self in order to people please for fear of not being wanted/disliked. At a glance, this story is kind of pathetic and ordinary. Others have stated that it's just another female lead with low self esteem which is undeniably true. This story is also about this girl finding herself and becoming honest with herself and to others with the help of a "stranger" (turned boyfriend). Essentially she learns to get over her "low self esteem." Been there, done that right? However, delve into the story and regarding the fact that she has low self esteem and why, it is of quite utmost importance in this oneshot how she became the people pleaser she came to be. In a brief number of page(s?), we learn that she grew up in a semi-unstable and mentally abusive/neglectful home. The fact that this manga kind of sidesteps that after revealing this piece of information is why I believe it didn't turn out as well as it could have in regards to the one dimensional reading of this (what I mean is that for those who read the story on a surface level, simply reading the story without actually reading it didn't particularly enjoy it because of that method of reading). Based on the limited interactions that take place in the scene we are revealed, the mangaka tells us that her mother and herself are hated by the father. This scene though is just a small window into the girl's childhood and the home environment. The tension in the room is like that of an abusive father. Now it is uncertain how much abuse they experience and whether or not it was physical or mental abuse. I am pretty sure it was mental though due to the words spoken in spite by the father when the girl as a child complained about a present she was receiving from her father. In that scene, she is quite taken back and in some ways (as a child should), fearful. It was a representative scene to show why she became the people pleaser she is today which is why I don't see this one shot as simply just another "been there, done that--low self esteem" manga. The home environment of a child can, of course, have damaging effects on one's social life and interactions if it isn't the safe place a home should be.
There are three ways of reading this oneshot: love it for the encouraging "pursuit of happiness"; hate it/spit on it for the pitiful female lead; or like me, understand the circumstances and therefore come to a conclusion of whether or not it was written well enough to enjoy in regards to those circumstances. The first two are kind of "at a glance" kind of reading I think. I'm not certain how other read this oneshot but I predict that the majority read it as I've stated so, "at a glance." After reading this oneshot though, considering all that happened in this story, I think it was interesting how she was able to finally kind of break through that in a "phase 1" kind of manner. Following that, I'm not too sure where it'll go. The likelihood of a regression is highly possible especially if the relationship doesn't work out. But what I was kind of most intrigued by was what her current family/home environment is like. It lacked that, completely sidestepping that piece of information, therefore it felt incomplete to me and too optimistic but quite encouraging in a way.
Anyways, that's all I wanted to address. This post is very specific to this manga but I guess generally, there are different ways to read a manga and to interpret it. Of course it also depends on one's mood--whether or not to actually invest your interest in it as well as how much interest to invest (I just happened to invest my interest instead of making it a light read). And not many people have that time nor want to do so since they're reading for enjoyment. But anyways, keep an open mind!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Quick Post--Sekkusu Shinai Shokogun aka "Celibacy Syndrome"
Considering all the manga out there and the perpetual use of the fornication/sex motif, I find it ironic that Japan has been declared to have a "celibacy syndrome" or sekkusu shinai shokogun. I thought that Japan's starting age of sexual activity was getting younger and younger because of these mangas and because the manga I happened to be reading at the time was a George Asakura manga about teenagers being sexually active as young as in middle school (really horny boys going through puberty as well). Anyways, I was typing a post in thread and wanted to back my claim about the age of sexual activity thing but when I googled it, I was surprised and amused by the irony (especially since Japan is notorious for its red light district as well as well as other sexual related scandalous-ness.)
If you google Japan, Celibacy Syndrome or anything related to Japan, Birth Rate, and anything about sexual activity, you'll be met with articles talking about this phenomenon. It's amusing and interesting really. Apparently there are different reasons but it all seems to tie together with the economy as well as the idea of commitment and a traditional relationship. It seems like the claim about the economy doing not as well is the dominant opinion but it's hard to say. Some also think it's b/c of the contradictory mores and economy that exist right now.
Well I didn't look into it that much but I found this phenomenon of news quite interesting and wanted to share it. Just google or search it and you'll find a bunch of articles (I found one from washington post even but not new york times) dating back to just a few days ago, A FEW DAYS AGO!!
Of course there are some arguments about this b/c not having sex isn't the same as having children and it's having the low birth rate that's of concern. Why suddenly did this bubble of news burst open? Not sure but it's interesting. I guess it's because of the fact that Japan is such a huge economic giant plays a role in it.
Of course there are some arguments about this b/c not having sex isn't the same as having children and it's having the low birth rate that's of concern. Why suddenly did this bubble of news burst open? Not sure but it's interesting. I guess it's because of the fact that Japan is such a huge economic giant plays a role in it.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Quick Post--Art and Young Love
YES MIDTERMS FINALLY OVER! (until the next set of midterms in about 3 weeks...then finals...) Anyways, I wrote this quick post in the midst of my studying and I know I said I would complete my other posts before a new one but I'm eager to get a few other quick posts up that I wrote so one at a time I guess (I'm planning on making these posts be in place of the weekly sunday posts that I originally organized when I first started the blog a few months ago)
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Every year, I find myself rereading this one manga at least once. The first time I encountered it was when it was first being scanlated actually. I fell in love with it instantly. It was just so beautiful~ art and youthful love. Wonderfully dream-like is it not? It's not childlike at all either, it's passionate and full of devotion. I wouldn't say it's my favorite but it's a really great reread and it's one of those stories that I think anyone would like to experience at least once if they had infinite lives to fall in love for the first time. The manga I'm speaking of is titled 24 Colors - Hatsukoi no Palette by Chiba Kozue.
Trust me, first chapter and you'll just be sucked in by the beauty and dream-like comforting mood of the story. The moment the two cross paths on the school grounds, the wonderful on-campus quiet and isolated art studio/club room that are lined with large windows that let in the brilliant glow of the sun, and the place where the red flower blooms. Oh I'm just so moved by how romantic and perfectly in place everything is in this manga even in the first chapter!!
I think that Chiba Kozue (the mangaka) tried to stir up the magic of this manga again by setting a similar tone to another art and love story but that one is more childish to me or at least, it lacks the first impression charisma that this manga has. It's not as surreal and beautifully perfect as this story but it works for a very shoujo like story in a art school setting. The combination of art and young love still creates some good magic here and there (not as consistent as 24 colors). But if you're interested, it's titled Crayon Days - Daikirai na Aitsu
I hope anyone who reads it or who has read it will share the same opinions =)
Edit: There is one iffy part in this manga that was unnecessary in my opinion but I just push it out of my mind because it's just something that doesn't fit in this idyllic love story.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Quick Post--Incomplete!
SO right now I'm in the middle of exam studying (midterms) but being bored, I wanted to browse through some of my posts again and damn, I have a few incomplete posts here and there, mostly ones that involve a list of manga recommendations or similar to that. Sorry about that. Yoshizumi Wataru's post needs to be updated especially since I think her joseis are one of the things I like best about her. Then there is the last one I just posted about time travel-ish. I have a list but it's on an excel spreadsheet so I need to format that better. There are some other things I want to do a quick post about as well but I think after this one, I'll try to complete those posts. I guess this is more of a personal note/status update. I just hope I can survive this week x0.
Well, good luck to those who have midterms, if not, enjoy the time you have lucky butts!
Well, good luck to those who have midterms, if not, enjoy the time you have lucky butts!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
From the "Future" /Another World
Hey everyone,
I'm not back back. Don't know if I will actually "be back" but I'm here to write something (not the food for thought post that I mentioned in my "NO POST" post) because I'm bored and want to avoid studying for a little bit. This post is actually a topic I thought up a while back but I didn't so much as like the way I was writing it so here I am, attempting it again by simply writing whatever first comes to my head.
First of all, the type of story I'm talking about is those mangas where you have a person from the future jumping back into the past by some supernatural phenomenon. In some instances, the future jumping back into the past, it's like "another world" (hence why I included that in the title of this post). It's actually had to split the two up because it seems like a lot of mangas involve the "blast to the past" in another location other than the country of origin (e.g. Japan to Ancient China). But anyways, this is the foundation for which this post is going to be about.
Now, for me, I came in contact with this sort of story for mangas before I knew about online manga i.e. from my (awesome) city's library system. The first mangas that I read that touched on this type of story would be (of course) Inu-yasha by Takahashi Rumiko and Fushigi Yuugi by Watase Yuu (later followed by Red River by Shinohara Chie [aka Anatolia Story] and one volume or two of Genbu Kaiden spin off from Fushigi Yuugi). Now...Inu-yasha and Fushigi Yuugi were all the hype back then. Both were good for comedy and had an interesting story. I liked them a lot back then but then again, my pool of accessibility to manga (if that makes any sense) was quite limited i.e. small.
Anyways, personally how I feel about this kind of plot now...I love it because often times it's a portrayal of historical fiction (one of my favorite genres) but I am also ambivalent. One major reason is (if you read my post on harem mangas) because of Wastase Yuu and her over use of the whole "to the past, priestess and HAREM" stuff that made me more skeptical of reading mangas with this sort of plot. The idea is pretty golden but her type of story with the priestess and the harem of men has been way over used (also the female lead in the original Fushigi Yuugi story is really annoying and, I'll say it, dumb) so when I encounter this type of story, I'm critical of it. (But generally anything Watase Yuu starts low in expectations for me now i.e. I don't really like Watase Yuu's mangas anymore).
Kind of an awkward segway but as I stated before, I love it because of the portrayal of historical fiction but am also critical of it. The reason I love it is because I like looking into other cultures, even to people in the present, the past of their country is pretty much another culture. It's fun to see the style and such. It's also pretty interesting to see the difference between modern and historical attitudes, dispositions, ideals, morals/principles and such. However the most important factor of course is having a strong lead. I read more shoujo/josei so this means a strong female lead, preferably sharp and useful off the bat (unlike the girl in Fushigi Yuugi) kind of like Red River/Anatolia Story.
Right now, I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if it's just me but I've been seeing more of this type of manga being released (new) which was why I had tried to work on a post like this previously but failed to. Anyways the following are a list of some of the mangas that I enjoyed their "blast to the past" and some that have pique my interest =)
Well I hope you liked reading this post. I should probably reread this and make edits but I'm throwing this up on a whim because I'm taking a break from studying and I still haven't finished compiling the recommendations list for this topic. I'll get that up asap. (Considering creating a page specifically for recommendations since I'm taking time to compile then already, just a thought...)
Until next people,
P.S. I totally forgot that this kind of story can also apply to stories involving returning to one's past like changing one's future kind of story. There's only one story that I know that I actually enjoyed. There is also another that I started reading but am quite skeptical of considering the sensitive theme involved, bullying. But I'll provide a list there as well as personal comments too. Darn since it's a P.S. it's not doing this type of story justice so maybe I'll post a short follow up on this as a post topic.
COMING SOON....(hoping it will)
"From the Future" recommendations
Topic on mangas based on personal timeline travel/family timeline + recommendations
Food for thought topic (topic will remain undisclosed until posted).
I'm not back back. Don't know if I will actually "be back" but I'm here to write something (not the food for thought post that I mentioned in my "NO POST" post) because I'm bored and want to avoid studying for a little bit. This post is actually a topic I thought up a while back but I didn't so much as like the way I was writing it so here I am, attempting it again by simply writing whatever first comes to my head.
First of all, the type of story I'm talking about is those mangas where you have a person from the future jumping back into the past by some supernatural phenomenon. In some instances, the future jumping back into the past, it's like "another world" (hence why I included that in the title of this post). It's actually had to split the two up because it seems like a lot of mangas involve the "blast to the past" in another location other than the country of origin (e.g. Japan to Ancient China). But anyways, this is the foundation for which this post is going to be about.
Now, for me, I came in contact with this sort of story for mangas before I knew about online manga i.e. from my (awesome) city's library system. The first mangas that I read that touched on this type of story would be (of course) Inu-yasha by Takahashi Rumiko and Fushigi Yuugi by Watase Yuu (later followed by Red River by Shinohara Chie [aka Anatolia Story] and one volume or two of Genbu Kaiden spin off from Fushigi Yuugi). Now...Inu-yasha and Fushigi Yuugi were all the hype back then. Both were good for comedy and had an interesting story. I liked them a lot back then but then again, my pool of accessibility to manga (if that makes any sense) was quite limited i.e. small.
Anyways, personally how I feel about this kind of plot now...I love it because often times it's a portrayal of historical fiction (one of my favorite genres) but I am also ambivalent. One major reason is (if you read my post on harem mangas) because of Wastase Yuu and her over use of the whole "to the past, priestess and HAREM" stuff that made me more skeptical of reading mangas with this sort of plot. The idea is pretty golden but her type of story with the priestess and the harem of men has been way over used (also the female lead in the original Fushigi Yuugi story is really annoying and, I'll say it, dumb) so when I encounter this type of story, I'm critical of it. (But generally anything Watase Yuu starts low in expectations for me now i.e. I don't really like Watase Yuu's mangas anymore).
Kind of an awkward segway but as I stated before, I love it because of the portrayal of historical fiction but am also critical of it. The reason I love it is because I like looking into other cultures, even to people in the present, the past of their country is pretty much another culture. It's fun to see the style and such. It's also pretty interesting to see the difference between modern and historical attitudes, dispositions, ideals, morals/principles and such. However the most important factor of course is having a strong lead. I read more shoujo/josei so this means a strong female lead, preferably sharp and useful off the bat (unlike the girl in Fushigi Yuugi) kind of like Red River/Anatolia Story.
Right now, I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if it's just me but I've been seeing more of this type of manga being released (new) which was why I had tried to work on a post like this previously but failed to. Anyways the following are a list of some of the mangas that I enjoyed their "blast to the past" and some that have pique my interest =)
Well I hope you liked reading this post. I should probably reread this and make edits but I'm throwing this up on a whim because I'm taking a break from studying and I still haven't finished compiling the recommendations list for this topic. I'll get that up asap. (Considering creating a page specifically for recommendations since I'm taking time to compile then already, just a thought...)
Until next people,
 |
| tohukyo |
P.S. I totally forgot that this kind of story can also apply to stories involving returning to one's past like changing one's future kind of story. There's only one story that I know that I actually enjoyed. There is also another that I started reading but am quite skeptical of considering the sensitive theme involved, bullying. But I'll provide a list there as well as personal comments too. Darn since it's a P.S. it's not doing this type of story justice so maybe I'll post a short follow up on this as a post topic.
COMING SOON....(hoping it will)
"From the Future" recommendations
Topic on mangas based on personal timeline travel/family timeline + recommendations
Food for thought topic (topic will remain undisclosed until posted).
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Status Update
Hi visiters,
So it's been, what, a few weeks? almost a month? Well things haven't actually settled down and I'm not sure if it'll settle down anytime soon since I'm on the quarter system and it's really quick pace compared to all those semester systems (we don't have a dead week which I would die for if we had the luxury of time like one semester system school has). The thing with college is the mountains of reading and professors expecting you to keep up and do it so you police yourself and of course when you have other things going on in life like day to day responsibilities for yourself, a part time job during business hours (which sucks because I have to plan ahead whether or not to go to work or to office hours), and just life, it's hard to balance. Though! I haven't forgotten the blog. Last time I posted, I said I had a food for thought post "work in progress". That is still in progress but I have another post that's also in progress that's on a slightly lighter note with some recommendations. I actually have it ready it's just the recommendations are taking awhile to compile. I might just throw the post up there first and then follow with a recommendation post so keep an eye out!
Best,
P.S. I hope if I don't have time to come back in the next few weeks that during the holidays or breaks I'll have time to come on and write a little something.
So it's been, what, a few weeks? almost a month? Well things haven't actually settled down and I'm not sure if it'll settle down anytime soon since I'm on the quarter system and it's really quick pace compared to all those semester systems (we don't have a dead week which I would die for if we had the luxury of time like one semester system school has). The thing with college is the mountains of reading and professors expecting you to keep up and do it so you police yourself and of course when you have other things going on in life like day to day responsibilities for yourself, a part time job during business hours (which sucks because I have to plan ahead whether or not to go to work or to office hours), and just life, it's hard to balance. Though! I haven't forgotten the blog. Last time I posted, I said I had a food for thought post "work in progress". That is still in progress but I have another post that's also in progress that's on a slightly lighter note with some recommendations. I actually have it ready it's just the recommendations are taking awhile to compile. I might just throw the post up there first and then follow with a recommendation post so keep an eye out!
Best,
 |
| tohukyo |
P.S. I hope if I don't have time to come back in the next few weeks that during the holidays or breaks I'll have time to come on and write a little something.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
No Posts!
Visitors,
I had been writing a post for this week but I haven't had time to finish it. I'm on the quarter system for school so I've been busy packing and getting things together when I move this weekend to my apartment. I probably won't be able to post anything new by this up coming Sunday as well as the next. Maybe I'll do a quick post here and there but since it's a new school year and I also have a part time job, I'm not certain when I'll have a full on post. The one I was working on is kind of another food for thought topic so I hope you'll find it interesting when I do finish it =)
Best,
tohukyo
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Quick Post--Can't Stop the Tears
So...I just finished rereading a manga titled Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan. I had forgotten about this manga but recently rediscovered it. Tears were forcing themselves out of my ducts continuously.
It's a tragedy tagged series but still wonderful and beautiful. It allows one to appreciate life, allows one to understand the misunderstandings of convicts, and allows us to realize the precious value of forgiveness. It really struct me how the (somewhat) paradox of the two characters was explained in the beginning by Miss Mutou Jirou (the female lead)--how she is free despite her ill mentality about people around her compared to him who is behind bars wanting forgiveness. This story speaks a lot and there are many layers to it. A wonderful and meaningful read. The development of the characters was very heartwarming. They would have been perfect together. It is most deserving of tears.
Someday, I'll watch the film drama adaptation, Maundy Thursday and hopefully a translated text of the novel it is adapted from.
It's a tragedy tagged series but still wonderful and beautiful. It allows one to appreciate life, allows one to understand the misunderstandings of convicts, and allows us to realize the precious value of forgiveness. It really struct me how the (somewhat) paradox of the two characters was explained in the beginning by Miss Mutou Jirou (the female lead)--how she is free despite her ill mentality about people around her compared to him who is behind bars wanting forgiveness. This story speaks a lot and there are many layers to it. A wonderful and meaningful read. The development of the characters was very heartwarming. They would have been perfect together. It is most deserving of tears.
Someday, I'll watch the film drama adaptation, Maundy Thursday and hopefully a translated text of the novel it is adapted from.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Age Gaps--A Double Standard and Culture
Hey visitors,
The main topic for this week is regarding age gaps and I've read a few here and there, some small, some large, older, younger, etc. Over the years I've come to terms about the double standard as well as how the modern age culture has come to terms with regards to age gaps (does this mouth of words makes any sense?) Basically, double standard and cultural tolerance towards age gaps is what I'm saying/addressinghere.
First of all, cultures today are disapproving of age gap relationships hence the whole minors protection against pedophilia, statutory rape, and child porn. However overtime, if people notice age gaps are more tolerable, mainly after you are out of compulsory schooling aka at least age 18 I guess. Why that is is kind of strange but when I think about it, what I think is that it's because people think that a minor doesn't understand love so much hence all those child love terms like "puppy love" and "crushes". However love is also a more modern concept since for quite a long time, people have married out of duty and sake of living (procreation, separation of labor, raising one's social position, power, etc). Side note: I'd like to point out one example of how love might have been a more modern concept; from Bokura no Kiseki (spoilers for people who haven't read it)-Manami said that as Veronica, even though people thought she and Glen were an item, he says they weren't because in those days, there was actually definition of what love was. Hence something so complicated and abstract that is also quite irrational at times, I think things like true love is a more modern concept.
Ok so I've kind of trailed off in another direction so back on track...What I'm getting at is that culture today has changed. What society defines as child has also changed of course since back then it was more acceptable worldwide to have marriages between youth and between a youth and an elder. But really, that's why when reading mangas that take place in the past (historical fiction or stories along the lines of fictional with more factual), if there are age gaps such as in Otoyomegatari, readers should realize that they're stepping into another culture that is different from the one they are raised in at the present. Age gaps were more socially acceptable back then especially since the concept of love and marriage weren't ideas that were put together until more present means. The purpose of marriage was more for purposes of social/status mobility, economic stability, political, etc (love wasn't usually first in line is what I'm saying). Anyways, for age gaps in historical context, not weird. Don't judge harshly on cultures by comparing it to your own. You can ask why but don't force it since you should know that the world of today isn't the world of yesterday as well as what is one culture's norm even in the present isn't another culture's norm.
Next I'd like to note one double standard of age gaps which is the seemingly progression of age correlating with more tolerance towards age gaps. (I noted it above but I didn't expand on it since I got more into cultural aspects.) This is a more modern thing that goes on since age gaps in the past weren't such a huge issue and as I noted above, it could very well be the way people today view youth. Another reasoning would be the the accumulated intellect and life experience we have after adolescent that somehow qualifies people to have age gap relationships? The way I've put it sounds ridiculous but people do say "what do you know? you're still a child". As noted before, another example is terms like "puppy love" which label a person for ignorance who is usually a child but over time no one uses such a term especially when one is an adult deemed ready to commit to a relationship to life's end. Of course maturity is necessary to maintain a relationship so it makes sense.
Although life experience is good, the appearance of a child seems to be important as well.This is another double standard I've realized. I've noticed that in age gap relationships in mangas, those who appear child and adult are heavily questioned and criticized whereas if the child appears adult, there is less criticism. One clear example would be the popular yet controversial to today's societal principles, Kore wa Koi no Hanashi Of course if you appear adult and are mature in mentality for what is to say, a typical child, then readers probably won't criticize. But then you can go the other way where you have the appearance of an actual older gentleman or gentlewoman (I haven't seen older woman often in mangas of any genre) i.e. you actually look past your 40s or 50s. What I'm getting at is that appearance is extremely key in mangas for age gaps-at least that's what I've gathered after reading different age gap mangas. Frankly it is really annoying when the story is amazing despite the age gap. Though I suppose everyone wants to share their opinions whether they are uncomfortable or simply enjoying the situation at hand. To summarize this point, if a character appear child-like and in fact is a child, then s/he will receive much more criticism for a relationship with an obviously older person (or vice versa older pursues younger); if a character appears mature/adult-like and is a child in age (mental maturity doesn't really play into it as much from what I remember) s/he will receive less criticism for pursuing a relationship with an older person (or vice versa older pursues younger). I'm not that surprised since as humans, we've come to rely on our vision to determine survival as well as what appeals to us but yeah...the look of a couple, if socially approved of will be more socially accepted.
Well that's all I can think of right now. I've actually thought about this topic quite a lot since some of my interested mangas have been and currently are about age gaps; especially when people are arguing in the forums about being for or against the age gap relationship. In reality, I'm not sure how I feel about it. In mangas I've always been pretty open minded about age gaps-love for all, you know? That is as long as you are the couple I'm rooting for =d But realistically, I kind of understand the challenge of social norms today about age gaps.
I hope you've enjoyed reading. I'm glad I've finally written about this topic. I might add on later on but that's all for today =)
Until next,
tohukyo
P.S. Although I don't mind age gap relationships, it doesn't change the fact that I really don't favor teacher-student mangas. The way it's written usually just really gets to me. There's only been one (completed) that I've actually liked because of it's somewhat open ended and quite a confusing ending that a lot of people didn't like nor understand, "Beautiful Fascination is Better Than Love."
(Last updated 10-28-2013)
The main topic for this week is regarding age gaps and I've read a few here and there, some small, some large, older, younger, etc. Over the years I've come to terms about the double standard as well as how the modern age culture has come to terms with regards to age gaps (does this mouth of words makes any sense?) Basically, double standard and cultural tolerance towards age gaps is what I'm saying/addressinghere.
First of all, cultures today are disapproving of age gap relationships hence the whole minors protection against pedophilia, statutory rape, and child porn. However overtime, if people notice age gaps are more tolerable, mainly after you are out of compulsory schooling aka at least age 18 I guess. Why that is is kind of strange but when I think about it, what I think is that it's because people think that a minor doesn't understand love so much hence all those child love terms like "puppy love" and "crushes". However love is also a more modern concept since for quite a long time, people have married out of duty and sake of living (procreation, separation of labor, raising one's social position, power, etc). Side note: I'd like to point out one example of how love might have been a more modern concept; from Bokura no Kiseki (spoilers for people who haven't read it)-Manami said that as Veronica, even though people thought she and Glen were an item, he says they weren't because in those days, there was actually definition of what love was. Hence something so complicated and abstract that is also quite irrational at times, I think things like true love is a more modern concept.
Ok so I've kind of trailed off in another direction so back on track...What I'm getting at is that culture today has changed. What society defines as child has also changed of course since back then it was more acceptable worldwide to have marriages between youth and between a youth and an elder. But really, that's why when reading mangas that take place in the past (historical fiction or stories along the lines of fictional with more factual), if there are age gaps such as in Otoyomegatari, readers should realize that they're stepping into another culture that is different from the one they are raised in at the present. Age gaps were more socially acceptable back then especially since the concept of love and marriage weren't ideas that were put together until more present means. The purpose of marriage was more for purposes of social/status mobility, economic stability, political, etc (love wasn't usually first in line is what I'm saying). Anyways, for age gaps in historical context, not weird. Don't judge harshly on cultures by comparing it to your own. You can ask why but don't force it since you should know that the world of today isn't the world of yesterday as well as what is one culture's norm even in the present isn't another culture's norm.
Next I'd like to note one double standard of age gaps which is the seemingly progression of age correlating with more tolerance towards age gaps. (I noted it above but I didn't expand on it since I got more into cultural aspects.) This is a more modern thing that goes on since age gaps in the past weren't such a huge issue and as I noted above, it could very well be the way people today view youth. Another reasoning would be the the accumulated intellect and life experience we have after adolescent that somehow qualifies people to have age gap relationships? The way I've put it sounds ridiculous but people do say "what do you know? you're still a child". As noted before, another example is terms like "puppy love" which label a person for ignorance who is usually a child but over time no one uses such a term especially when one is an adult deemed ready to commit to a relationship to life's end. Of course maturity is necessary to maintain a relationship so it makes sense.
Although life experience is good, the appearance of a child seems to be important as well.This is another double standard I've realized. I've noticed that in age gap relationships in mangas, those who appear child and adult are heavily questioned and criticized whereas if the child appears adult, there is less criticism. One clear example would be the popular yet controversial to today's societal principles, Kore wa Koi no Hanashi Of course if you appear adult and are mature in mentality for what is to say, a typical child, then readers probably won't criticize. But then you can go the other way where you have the appearance of an actual older gentleman or gentlewoman (I haven't seen older woman often in mangas of any genre) i.e. you actually look past your 40s or 50s. What I'm getting at is that appearance is extremely key in mangas for age gaps-at least that's what I've gathered after reading different age gap mangas. Frankly it is really annoying when the story is amazing despite the age gap. Though I suppose everyone wants to share their opinions whether they are uncomfortable or simply enjoying the situation at hand. To summarize this point, if a character appear child-like and in fact is a child, then s/he will receive much more criticism for a relationship with an obviously older person (or vice versa older pursues younger); if a character appears mature/adult-like and is a child in age (mental maturity doesn't really play into it as much from what I remember) s/he will receive less criticism for pursuing a relationship with an older person (or vice versa older pursues younger). I'm not that surprised since as humans, we've come to rely on our vision to determine survival as well as what appeals to us but yeah...the look of a couple, if socially approved of will be more socially accepted.
Well that's all I can think of right now. I've actually thought about this topic quite a lot since some of my interested mangas have been and currently are about age gaps; especially when people are arguing in the forums about being for or against the age gap relationship. In reality, I'm not sure how I feel about it. In mangas I've always been pretty open minded about age gaps-love for all, you know? That is as long as you are the couple I'm rooting for =d But realistically, I kind of understand the challenge of social norms today about age gaps.
I hope you've enjoyed reading. I'm glad I've finally written about this topic. I might add on later on but that's all for today =)
Until next,
tohukyo
P.S. Although I don't mind age gap relationships, it doesn't change the fact that I really don't favor teacher-student mangas. The way it's written usually just really gets to me. There's only been one (completed) that I've actually liked because of it's somewhat open ended and quite a confusing ending that a lot of people didn't like nor understand, "Beautiful Fascination is Better Than Love."
(Last updated 10-28-2013)
Friday, September 6, 2013
Quick Post--Movie Unrelated to Manga
Hey guys,
This post is completely unrelated to manga and anime and the like but I just have to praise this movie I just watched. The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones is a young adult movie recently released, adapted from the trilogy The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I've been really anticipating to watch this movie since I saw the trailer and because I already read the books way before the movie was in the making and I'm so elated that I finally watched it!
Ok so most people have a bad impression of young adult adaptations because of Twilight (if you have a good impression well, that's your opinion) especially critics. Then there was Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins in which was finally adapted for the big screen but I'm one of those people who didn't particularly feel it was as well put together as it could have been. Though I've only watched it once when it was released in theaters. The books I loved years before it was the hype but the movie was, in my opinion, put together awkwardly. However it is a complete foil to Twilight because it puts a badass girl as a heroine compared to utterly useless damsel...There was nothing in between to level out between the two extremes but I can't exactly say it's in the middle and I'll tell you why later but technically, I guess you can say The Mortal Instruments can be placed in between (but a lot close to Hunger Games than Twilight).
Now, people, this is one AWESOME ASS movie. You see, I read these books way before the movie came out and way before there was even any discussion about a movie adaptation. The plot is amazing and contained so much action and so much in just one book (hence the thickness) but the problem was that the books, in my opinion, weren't so well written (the plot is so good that it still draws you in, but you get bored sometimes). My friend can testify to that since she read it only once and she watched it with me today. The first time I read it, it was good but I second time around, I found it more difficult to get myself into it (though it could be also b/c I already knew what was going to happen). ANYWAYS, the plot is AMAZING and definitely had great potential to be a good movie. When I saw that trailer, I knew it was going to be good.
Watching experience? OH MY GOSH! I can't stress how amazing and awesome it was. It was so full of action, scenes transitioned from one to the next quite well, and the actors portrayed the characters so well (almost perfect cast for me)! The actors, I thought, portrayed the main pair exactly as Cassandra Clare wrote them to be in the books; especially Jace who is pretty much a cocky douche with a heart, portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower. The couple dynamic was awesome too between the two main characters, it was just wonderful and not at all corny cheesy over-dramatic love. The nondiegetic sound for scenes in the movie were great too! Loved it! Demons, Mundanes, Shadowhunters, Downworlders, and lastly Angels. Gosh, so much supernatural but just so much fun (it's because there was just so much supernatural that I knew it had great potential to be a great movie too)! But most importantly, no useless characters. Every character had badass-ness in them. I was watching with my friend and she read most of the books so it was a lot more fun to watch it since we knew stuff was going to happen but we were getting ahead of ourselves, bringing up stuff in the end when we're still at the beginning. ANYWAYS, I just hope the next movies will be great as well.
It's because of all that stuff above that I can't exactly say that it's in between Twilight and Hunger Games since I thought this was a whole lot more awesome than the Hunger Games movie. Though, the plots are completely different. I think the major difference is due to the fact that the author didn't actually write the script, simply looked over to make sure it was all there and well written. However one thing that makes both HG and MI better is how there is a bigger story than a love story going on here.
Anyways, awesome ass movie, WATCH IT PEOPLE. I totally recommend it and I hope you'll feel the same about it. Maybe it's because I read the story that I know that it's awesome but yeah...if you have the opportunity, read the books first then watch it. Trust me, it's a hell lot more fun having read it first. And it'll definitely be tons more fun if you have a friend who also read and watches with you.
Hoooooo, I feel like I'm running on adreneline because I feel so excited to watch the next 3 movies (Book 2, Book 3.1 and 3.2).
Peace out!
tohukyo
PS I say trilogy because the main story is in the first three books. I have yet to read the ones after since I really think the writing could be better and they're extra stories kind of like "adventures after Clary, Jace, and friends save the world".
Oh and no hate please. I don't need people getting fussy with bashing
This post is completely unrelated to manga and anime and the like but I just have to praise this movie I just watched. The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones is a young adult movie recently released, adapted from the trilogy The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I've been really anticipating to watch this movie since I saw the trailer and because I already read the books way before the movie was in the making and I'm so elated that I finally watched it!
Ok so most people have a bad impression of young adult adaptations because of Twilight (if you have a good impression well, that's your opinion) especially critics. Then there was Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins in which was finally adapted for the big screen but I'm one of those people who didn't particularly feel it was as well put together as it could have been. Though I've only watched it once when it was released in theaters. The books I loved years before it was the hype but the movie was, in my opinion, put together awkwardly. However it is a complete foil to Twilight because it puts a badass girl as a heroine compared to utterly useless damsel...There was nothing in between to level out between the two extremes but I can't exactly say it's in the middle and I'll tell you why later but technically, I guess you can say The Mortal Instruments can be placed in between (but a lot close to Hunger Games than Twilight).
Now, people, this is one AWESOME ASS movie. You see, I read these books way before the movie came out and way before there was even any discussion about a movie adaptation. The plot is amazing and contained so much action and so much in just one book (hence the thickness) but the problem was that the books, in my opinion, weren't so well written (the plot is so good that it still draws you in, but you get bored sometimes). My friend can testify to that since she read it only once and she watched it with me today. The first time I read it, it was good but I second time around, I found it more difficult to get myself into it (though it could be also b/c I already knew what was going to happen). ANYWAYS, the plot is AMAZING and definitely had great potential to be a good movie. When I saw that trailer, I knew it was going to be good.
Watching experience? OH MY GOSH! I can't stress how amazing and awesome it was. It was so full of action, scenes transitioned from one to the next quite well, and the actors portrayed the characters so well (almost perfect cast for me)! The actors, I thought, portrayed the main pair exactly as Cassandra Clare wrote them to be in the books; especially Jace who is pretty much a cocky douche with a heart, portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower. The couple dynamic was awesome too between the two main characters, it was just wonderful and not at all corny cheesy over-dramatic love. The nondiegetic sound for scenes in the movie were great too! Loved it! Demons, Mundanes, Shadowhunters, Downworlders, and lastly Angels. Gosh, so much supernatural but just so much fun (it's because there was just so much supernatural that I knew it had great potential to be a great movie too)! But most importantly, no useless characters. Every character had badass-ness in them. I was watching with my friend and she read most of the books so it was a lot more fun to watch it since we knew stuff was going to happen but we were getting ahead of ourselves, bringing up stuff in the end when we're still at the beginning. ANYWAYS, I just hope the next movies will be great as well.
It's because of all that stuff above that I can't exactly say that it's in between Twilight and Hunger Games since I thought this was a whole lot more awesome than the Hunger Games movie. Though, the plots are completely different. I think the major difference is due to the fact that the author didn't actually write the script, simply looked over to make sure it was all there and well written. However one thing that makes both HG and MI better is how there is a bigger story than a love story going on here.
Anyways, awesome ass movie, WATCH IT PEOPLE. I totally recommend it and I hope you'll feel the same about it. Maybe it's because I read the story that I know that it's awesome but yeah...if you have the opportunity, read the books first then watch it. Trust me, it's a hell lot more fun having read it first. And it'll definitely be tons more fun if you have a friend who also read and watches with you.
Hoooooo, I feel like I'm running on adreneline because I feel so excited to watch the next 3 movies (Book 2, Book 3.1 and 3.2).
Peace out!
tohukyo
PS I say trilogy because the main story is in the first three books. I have yet to read the ones after since I really think the writing could be better and they're extra stories kind of like "adventures after Clary, Jace, and friends save the world".
Oh and no hate please. I don't need people getting fussy with bashing
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Quick Post--Project Exclusivity
I just happened to read most of an "argument"/discussion between an "amateur" scanlator and a "major" scanlator relating to this whole "controversy" about exclusivity of projects on batoto. It's quite amusing to see this yet also sad since it shows how disturbed this phenomenon of exclusivity is. The "amateur" scanlator is doing pretty well in terms of translating and uploading chapters for a couple of mangas (one of which has become a recent favorite and both of which are historical genres outside of the japanese past). This whole "competing" thing sucks since it is as the person says, for the readers yet the "major" scanlator group was somehow insulted(?) by the fact that someone else is "speedscanning"? What?! Yeah....anyways, this exclusivity thing....hmm....
Sorry for being so generic. I don't want to be too direct about the individuals involved in this issue but check out Shoukoku no Altair on batoto if you want to see what I'm talking about. The "amateur" is Aizen-sensei and I just love the releases for Choukakou!
Check out my post(s) on the exclusivity thing and my thoughts about it~
Sorry for being so generic. I don't want to be too direct about the individuals involved in this issue but check out Shoukoku no Altair on batoto if you want to see what I'm talking about. The "amateur" is Aizen-sensei and I just love the releases for Choukakou!
Check out my post(s) on the exclusivity thing and my thoughts about it~
Quick Post--Clamp
Quick Post! Just wanted to just share this.
I've been searching for new mangas to read and in the latest updates on a site, Gate 7 by Clamp was updated. I don't read Gate 7 (yet) but Clamp has always been pretty amazing and complex in general. Reading about their hiatus for Gate 7, I decided to search around from one thing to another about Clamp.
I came to their wikipedia page and damn...I read everything on that page and just wow, their history and how they work as a team is amazing. What I'm most surprised about is just how they plan everything ahead of time especially the endings!! When I think about Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and think that they already knew that they were going to end it as it did, they sure are a "Fantastic Four" group of mangakas.
Quite frankly, this may be exaggerated but I find CLAMP pretty mind blowing considering what they write and draw.
Rambling--My Beginnings with...
Sorry everyone. I had a topic planned but I haven't completed it yet. I would do another "segment" of "Authors" but I don't want to burn that one out. So right now I'm just thinking on the spot as I type this and I think maybe I'll just go with my "firsts" or beginnings based on what I remember. I was going to just do manga but it's not as long. This is just going to be my first on hand experience. I'll leave online exposure to another time.
MANGA
I was first exposed when I was really young. All mangas I knew of were from the library but I didn't actually read because it was what I myself decided to read. It's like when you are stuck in a small community and all you can do in it is what you are given to do. I was in elementary/grade school at the time. My brother was in junior high/middle school and right next to the school was one of the public library branches in my city. He occasionally borrowed mangas from what was available at the branch and so I was first exposed to manga by the title of...uh....*google search: robot girl manga* Battle Angel Alita. I didn't exactly follow the story (since there wasn't much of a transfer of books from library to library nor was there a request system yet, usually it was one of those volume 4 then 2 then 5 kind of readings) but it was interesting. There was then Ranma 1/2 and later on the whole "fad" with Inu-yasha--by that time, my sister was in middle/junior high school and she provided me with my manga. Of course later there were more and more mangas like Watase Yuu's Fushigi Yuugi; there was also Saint Tail, Cardcaptor Sakura, X/1999 (this one I couldn't follow because of its complexity but Clamp's art was and still is very beautiful). When I entered middle/junior high myself, the range of mangas widened to W Juliet, Kare Kano, Prince of Tennis, Godchild, Imadoki (Nowadays), Swan, Hana Yori Dango, Ceres, etc. (Just a lot more, the manga collection at my city's library system exploded in numbers) but anywas, I think my genuine first manga exposure was Battle Angel Alita. I haven't touched that manga since then....
ANIME
So being an ABC (American Born C____) it's not odd that my first exposure to any anime (not cartoons, anime as in made in japan kind of thing) was dubbed. Being a child of those times, I can't exactly remember my first animes but Sailor Moon was up there along with Dragon Ball Z and of course who doesn't remember Pokemon! Yeah I was growing up during those times when these anime dubs were on. I remember before I had to attend language classes on saturday that every morning, my siblings and I would wake up early like maybe 6 or 7 AM in the morning (not sure about the time but it was early) because that's when Saturday morning cartoons in general would begin. This was of course way before my exposure to manga. Over the years I remember having watched Digimon and Cardcaptor Sakura too...not sure where that fits in in the picture... and later Yu-gi-oh as well. But anyways, I still have VHS tapes (Yes, I'm a child of the last years of VHS) of Sailor Moon, Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z dubs stashed somewhere.
Ah...the memories. It's amazing when I think back. Just thinking about the mangas, the library system in my city has just grown so very much and there's also the whole online internet mangas! Then the animes as well as just Saturday morning cartoons. I didn't have cable and still don't have cable or any sort of television service that I have to pay for (I'm one of those people who didn't grow up watching Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, and Sponge Bob) so when I think about the huge shift in just kid's cartoon television shows on (what do you call free no serviced television?) the channels I have grown up with, it's just really different. There aren't any more anime dubs, all or most of what is available are American/Western cartoons--well with the exception that Yu-gi-oh is still on.
Alright that's it for this week. I think I'll do online exposure some other time. I hope you thought my experience was interesting but if not =)
Toodles~
tohukyo
MANGA
I was first exposed when I was really young. All mangas I knew of were from the library but I didn't actually read because it was what I myself decided to read. It's like when you are stuck in a small community and all you can do in it is what you are given to do. I was in elementary/grade school at the time. My brother was in junior high/middle school and right next to the school was one of the public library branches in my city. He occasionally borrowed mangas from what was available at the branch and so I was first exposed to manga by the title of...uh....*google search: robot girl manga* Battle Angel Alita. I didn't exactly follow the story (since there wasn't much of a transfer of books from library to library nor was there a request system yet, usually it was one of those volume 4 then 2 then 5 kind of readings) but it was interesting. There was then Ranma 1/2 and later on the whole "fad" with Inu-yasha--by that time, my sister was in middle/junior high school and she provided me with my manga. Of course later there were more and more mangas like Watase Yuu's Fushigi Yuugi; there was also Saint Tail, Cardcaptor Sakura, X/1999 (this one I couldn't follow because of its complexity but Clamp's art was and still is very beautiful). When I entered middle/junior high myself, the range of mangas widened to W Juliet, Kare Kano, Prince of Tennis, Godchild, Imadoki (Nowadays), Swan, Hana Yori Dango, Ceres, etc. (Just a lot more, the manga collection at my city's library system exploded in numbers) but anywas, I think my genuine first manga exposure was Battle Angel Alita. I haven't touched that manga since then....
ANIME
So being an ABC (American Born C____) it's not odd that my first exposure to any anime (not cartoons, anime as in made in japan kind of thing) was dubbed. Being a child of those times, I can't exactly remember my first animes but Sailor Moon was up there along with Dragon Ball Z and of course who doesn't remember Pokemon! Yeah I was growing up during those times when these anime dubs were on. I remember before I had to attend language classes on saturday that every morning, my siblings and I would wake up early like maybe 6 or 7 AM in the morning (not sure about the time but it was early) because that's when Saturday morning cartoons in general would begin. This was of course way before my exposure to manga. Over the years I remember having watched Digimon and Cardcaptor Sakura too...not sure where that fits in in the picture... and later Yu-gi-oh as well. But anyways, I still have VHS tapes (Yes, I'm a child of the last years of VHS) of Sailor Moon, Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z dubs stashed somewhere.
Ah...the memories. It's amazing when I think back. Just thinking about the mangas, the library system in my city has just grown so very much and there's also the whole online internet mangas! Then the animes as well as just Saturday morning cartoons. I didn't have cable and still don't have cable or any sort of television service that I have to pay for (I'm one of those people who didn't grow up watching Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, and Sponge Bob) so when I think about the huge shift in just kid's cartoon television shows on (what do you call free no serviced television?) the channels I have grown up with, it's just really different. There aren't any more anime dubs, all or most of what is available are American/Western cartoons--well with the exception that Yu-gi-oh is still on.
Alright that's it for this week. I think I'll do online exposure some other time. I hope you thought my experience was interesting but if not =)
Toodles~
tohukyo
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Authors-Wann
Hey people,
I haven’t finished my last post on authors but I will sooner
or later. I don’t have anything planned for this week nor do I have the will to
go in depth on another topic that I would like to so I’m just going to be lazy
and jump off of last week’s topic, authors. I don’t want to bash on an author
nor do I want to choose an author who has written a lot and has been scanlated
so please bear with me and excuse me for my laziness.
Wann is a manhwaga. I’m pretty sure Wann is a female because
one of the free talk sections in a manhwa, she talked about her being pregnant,
also her manhwa chibi portrait is a girl I think….? Anyways, Wann is one of my
more recent favorite manhwagas. Or actually, she’s not so much as a favorite as
is her stories are interesting and unique compared to what we see these days
(so I guess she can be considered a favorite by my standards). She draws shoujo
manhwas but a majority of them involve more adult presence than teenage high
schoolers. First, her art—the drawings are pretty good and easy on the eyes so
they qualify for most people’s standards I think. Males are handsome
(especially in a suit and with black hair) and the females are relatively fashionable. Now for her stories…she mixes things up well with
different plots touching on different lifestyles and settings. From what I’ve
read, there’s been small country royalty, the art world, the rich and wealthy
(a few of her manhwas), other worldly, etc. Both males and females are strong
character leads in all of her scanlated manhwas so far. Basically it’s the
diversity of settings that Wann dips into together with the strong characters
that makes her a favorite for me.
The following is a personal note to the manhwas I’ve read by
Wann. They’re kind of in order by favorites (length of notes aren't very
significant):
Can’t Lose You
This is my above all favorite among all of Wann’s manhwas.
It’s not the first that I touched on but it’s the first I enjoyed and read to
the end (and rereading a few times right after reading it the first time). I
first found it from my local library and later searched for it online with no
luck at all until I obtained a direct download to the zip files from someone
who had it downloaded from Netcomics. Now it’s available online too but it’s
not a scanlated work (the very same Netcomics) so it isn't on batoto but on ad-ridden aggregate sites.
So…there were a lot of things I loved about this manhwa but
I don’t want to be so direct to give too much to spoil so I’ll be very generic.
SPOILERS/Synopsis The story is about two people, girls who appear
to be each others’ doppelgangers. Lida is rich, heir to an enterprise—she is,
in essence, a cold hearted but very insightful queen. Yooi is dirt poor, an
orphan but was raised to be a sweet hearted and hard working samaritan. Both
are bound to a destiny beyond their grasps from the day they were born. When
they meet, attempts happen to be made on Lida’s life so she hires Yooi as her
double. Although fate brought the two together, the male lead’s presence, Gaon
is significant to the two and their relationship. Gaon is a charismatic and
successful young man as well as a cold hearted business man (doesn’t blink an
eye to take money from people or have someone killed). Upon the first meeting
with Lida, he rejects to be her fiancé but being the only man with his caliber
fit to be the husband of the great Lida, she’s insulted. One day he walks by a
shop that Yooi happens to be working at and at that moment, Yooi is napping by
the window. Gaon is pissed and accuse her of stalking him and then lays a kiss
on her. Next thing you know, he’s literally fallen head over heels for this
girl whom he thinks is Lida. And so by being Lida’s double, Yooi meets him
again and they develop a relationship—whenever with her, his personality turns
180 from his cold hearted-ness. However, with the two girls’ fate, the story
isn’t so simple and there’s a lot of action going on especially with the
attempt on Lida’s life.
I’m sorry that was a little too detailed was it not? Said
too much I think. But anyways, the twist of fate for the two identical female
leads, Yooi and Lida as well as the fiancé Gaon who stands between them. This
isn’t a simple tale of love as cheesily as I’ve put it. There’s a lot more
pressure with fate than with love especially since Gaon’s future is dependent
on which of the two girls he decides to fulfill his days with. There are also a
couple of other characters and the family of Lida is very crucial to this
story. And touching on fate, if you know Greek mythology and the whole prophesy stuff with mythology, then this story is kind of like that. No matter how much you want to change the future, fate has a way to play and force you back to that route is kind of what this manhwa is saying. Also, even though seers can foretell the future, they don't see everything. I just realized it's kind of like how the Fae can't tell lies but they can speak the truth in a twisted way by leaving out details. The details of the future aren't aligned but the future will become as foretold.
Well, for the most part, I feel like it’s a well rounded dramatic story. I love how all of the main characters and secondary main characters turn out to have a happy ending except for one...which makes it a semi tragedy... All in all, it’s wonderful and just one of my favorite all time stories.
Well, for the most part, I feel like it’s a well rounded dramatic story. I love how all of the main characters and secondary main characters turn out to have a happy ending except for one...which makes it a semi tragedy... All in all, it’s wonderful and just one of my favorite all time stories.
The Snow Queen
This is my second favorite manhwa by Wann but I guess this
is influenced by another factor as well. This is a shoujo manhwa about a young
man who becomes the body guard/chauffer of a spoiled “brat.” Spoiler This is also a tragedy because she has a fatal illness to do with her
heart I believe. However their story isn’t as simple as a one day meeting. Her
past has been tied to this man through her brother who died when he was young.
I think this is a very good story but it has a lot of holes in it in and keeps
the reader kind of wondering why and how this and that is relevant in the
manhwa. I can’t exactly describe it without talking about the drama it was
adapted into. Now, this drama is just really sappy. Literally, I was just
crying from the very beginning to like episode 12 I think (it was so good that
I remembered) but it was because I just couldn’t bear to cry any more. The
manhwa is a good preview for the general storyline of the drama so if you watch
it, I recommend reading the manhwa before watching. The manhwa kind of provokes
the reader to try to read between the lines which I think is pretty clever of
Wann and the drama does a good job filling in the holes. However I’m not sure
if Wann had the intention of such a storyline in the drama when writing the
manhwa so this is solely based on my personal experience. I guarantee the
manhwa and the drama are great as a pair though!
100% Perfect Girl
This manhwa by Wann…many have held it as esteemed but for
me, it falls short somewhat but I think it just may be because of my prejudice
against harem mangas. The first time I
laid eyes on this manhwa was before Can’t Lose You but it was new in releases.
I stopped reading the first few times I tried, I’m not sure why but when I finally
did read it, it was because I read Can’t Lose You and The Snow Queen. Anyways..
I love the whole royalty and the whole falling in love
between two characters with the same/similar names “J”. It’s cute but when
things just got so intense and dramatic with the whole love-hate relationship and
the aggressive prince lover…mmm that was a little off putting but I think the
obstacles they went through with the whole love hate relationship was really
amazing. Destiny really had a way with pulling the two together still. Even
though it started off as a fairy tale kind of love story and they went through
so much trauma and terror with each other to the point of actually hating each
other yet loving each other, gosh it’s really amazing that they ended up
together happily ever after if you can say that…
Both characters had SOOOOO many flaws and I meant to use the
emphasis of “so” as how I’ve used it. The prince was just an extremely
obsessive and possessive lover. A lot of the times, he was (kind of) a douche
bag but you know, love has a way of making people crazy ergo “crazy in love.”
But, for a powerful figure like himself who has never known love and simply
known how to make love, I’m guessing the intensity of falling head over heels
was just too much for him. Then there is the female lead…I love that she has
talent in art and I admit that she’s pretty and kind of cute but seriously…an
harem of men. AN HAREM OF MEN. Every single guy who has laid eyes on her except
for her family, (excuse if I have this wrong but) it’s like every single guy
literally fell in love with her to the point of laying down their lives for
her. I have a prejudice against harems if you’ve read my post on harems and
that really got to me about this manhwa. The intense love was already just so
much to bear but ugh…every single guy just falling in love with her and every
single one of them were all shady and dealt with bad business…she was a bad boy magnet. Also personality-wise...not so impressed with the female lead but I guess she's a different kind of "strong female lead" just not really what I picture or think a strong female lead is. She was kind of weak willed....
Ok, so I have a lot of feelings about this manhwa. I love it
(I guess?) yet hate it like the relationship we have in this manhwa but not as
intense. Props to Wann for the dramatic and intense story but I really did not
like the whole harem of men falling for this “ordinary” but very cute girl (apparently
she’s very ordinary in the story but very cute to all the men in the story). Sigh…glad
I finally got that out but all things considered, good yet bad, very dramatic—not
at all good for the heart yet also sweet. However I think people have
disagreements on the ending...
So that's all I have to say for Wann and my experience with her manhwas. She really is a favorite. There are more manhwas but these are the big three. I may update this post at another time to add the other manhwas like Wann's newest 2013 manhwa but another time. Thanks for reading, I hope you've had a nice visit.
Best,
tohukyo
Monday, August 19, 2013
Authors—Yoshizumi Wataru
With the
finite of topics I can think of to write about, I decided this week to write about one of
my favorite authors in the graphic novel world whom I like reading and
rereading from, mangaka Yoshizumi Wataru. This will probably a first of a
number of posts with a topic on authors in general though I’m not sure how to
structure this though since I don’t know so much about these mangakas than I do
know about the mangas they write…Also, the chosen author is extremely significant—I just think it'll be easier for me to write about Yoshizumi as my first author post since most of her mangas are also completely scanlated.
So the
mangaka Yoshizumi was among the first mangakas I read from before I started
reading online—Marmalade Boy and Ultra Maniac (was available at my city’s huge
library network). I think she became one of the first I also read from when I
started reading online—Datte Suki
Nan Damon. And thereafter, I began to seek out and read all
available Yoshizumi mangas that were scanlated.
I have this feeling that a lot of people don’t really like Yoshizumi’s
work. I think all of them vary in degrees of greatness but generally the
storylines are enjoyable if you read with more of an open mind. She initially
wrote shoujo genre but recently in the past few years, I’ve seen more scanlated
mangas by her showing up under the josei genre.
Whenever I
think of Yoshizumi’s work, I think it’s quite relaxing in how realistic she
writes her stories. Her style of art is between simplistic and detailed but
more on the simplistic side. It’s pretty clean which helps the mood of the
stories she draws since most of her stories aren’t extremely complex but very
slice of life style (if the stories she wrote were to be played out in real life). The stories vary in terms of drama but when I think about
the characters and stories she creates, the drama isn’t superficial and
somewhat understandable unlike other shoujo and josei mangas. To simply put it,
for me, she isn’t a cliché writer.
I’ve read
every single Yoshizumi manga available on the net so the following will be
personal notes on each manga.
JOSEI
Cappuccino
Spicy Pink
Cherish
Happiness
*Incomplete post, to be continued*
Shoujo
Datte Suki Nan Damon
I think this is one of my favorite light reread mangas. The story isn’t great but I think it’s well written considering the characters that Yoshizumi creates in this manga. The male lead, Masato-kun isn’t someone to exactly look up to since he is dubbed a playboy but removing that information, he’s a pretty decent male lead. The reason for why Masato is a playboy is more or less forgiving especially when one reaches the end of the manga. The female lead Moka is likeable since she’s not a frustrating shoujo lead and is quite honest. Her commitment to the feelings she has, how Yoshizumi lets Moka shine by not making her overbearing and insistent about her love really drew me in. I think of this story as quite relaxing.
Random Walk
I like to think of this manga as a good realistic and possible account of dating for people today/in high school. It’s not everyone’s experience but I feel like it gives a piece of reality that not everyone sticks to one person throughout their high school years and in early adulthood (especially since young people don’t really know much about love either). Motives are different of course, some people date for the sake of the dating experience and just having fun whiles others like the female lead in this manga Yuka, date for the sake of finding their love. Much like the title, this manga is a “random walk” for Yuka because she finds different guys and falls in love kind of easily but I like how she’s open minded about falling in love. I like her father's open-mindedness towards love as well. I think a lot of people don’t find this manga very tasteful but I enjoy it because today, not everyone is lucky to find “the one” as easily as most shoujo mangas portray.
Handsome Girlfriend (completed)
Handsome Girlfriend (completed)
This isn’t my favorite manga by this mangaka. In fact I find it fluctuating in terms of how interesting it gets throughout the story. What I like about this manga is that there is the element of the entertainment world but I find most of the characters…”meh.” I’m quite fascinated by the male lead, Ichiya’s ambition as a director and “movie enthusiast” and the people he’s gathered around him. The female lead, Mio…well the concept behind a “handsome woman” isn’t about sexiness or elegance but about the strength of a woman that can potentially be associated with that of a man as “handsome”. Mio is supposed to be a “handsome woman” but I see her as more of a cry-er than “handsome” so she didn’t appeal to me. However I love the concept behind the movie that is produced in the manga known as “Private Ai.” I wish Yoshizumi would write a manga based on the concept behind that movie because it’s pretty interesting but I don’t think it’s likely with what she said in the free-talk sections.
Mint na Bokura
It’s a gender bender involving two identical twins—brother and sister. The brother sneaks into his sister’s school (a boarding school) as a girl to try and get his sister to come back to school. He ends up rooming in a double with another girl of course. Another of course is that the roommate he has happens to be someone he ends up being attracted to/falling in love with. It’s pretty funny but it’s been awhile since I last reread it (maybe I’ll take this opportunity to reread it).
Ultra Maniac (completed)
I kind of call this an oddball manga written by Yoshizumi
since it’s the most out of the ordinary compared to the other mangas she has
written. This is a manga involving the supernatural—witches but not in the
usual sense with wands but with spelled objects. I can’t exactly explain it
since it’s been awhile since I last read this manga. The female lead is pretty
childish but it’s forgivable because of she wasn't raised in the human
world—though I don’t favor characters who refer to themselves in third person
and I think she’s one of them. The man that she eventually falls for is
sensible so I liked him. All in all, it’s an ok manga with touches of
child-like innocence and refreshing youth.
PxP (completed)
I like this manga because both leads (male and female) are
impressive. The female lead is outgoing, down to earth, and pretty smart and
really athletic. The male lead is intelligent and cool with inventive skills.
The two of them work as a duo in a Robin Hood way but instead of stealing from
the rich to give to the poor, together they steal meaningful items back from
people and return them to the original owners. I think it helps that this manga
is also short so there isn't so much time to develop any frustration with the characters
as well. It’s a light read.
Marmalade Boy (completed)
Not my favorite by Yoshizumi but it’s one of her earlier
mangas and I think it’s her most successful right? I enjoy the unique scenario
that she thought up as well as Yuu’s charismatic playful personality. Miki is a
little annoying but she’s very much “normal teenage girl” material as a
character so I give props for the reactions of Miki towards her baffling
circumstances. It’s fun to reread like once a year or couple of years because
of the freshness of older style shoujo (older than today that is). I enjoy the
purity of older shoujos and even though Miki isn’t such an appealing character,
I still like her since I feel like she’s like the connection of the “normal.”
(Sounds like BS but I kind of feel like because she’s the most normal,
it makes sense that she’s the/a main character).
Kimi Shika Iranai (completed)
I think this is another not as well liked manga by
Yoshizumi. SPOILERS The female lead
is a high school girl who was once married but is now a divorcee, but (and
excuse me if this is a little plain-spoken) she didn't even lose her virginity
yet. Now, the protagonist is actually a male who falls in love at first sight
with the girl. As for the reason why I think it’s not a well liked manga, it’s
ultimately because of the girl—she kind of became all anti-love after finding
out that her ex husband had cheated on her. The worst part about this ex husband is that he doesn't even
see what he did wrong because physical cheating isn't the same as emotional
cheating which I can kind of see his point since there are things like open
marriages but still. The girl friend zones the guy pretty quickly but the guy
perseveres. The thing I liked about this manga is the male lead’s perseverance
and undying (exaggerating) devotion to his love. Also, the little sister of the
girl is pretty cool despite being a grade schooler. She has a good head on her
shoulders and takes the role of the rational and supporting secondary character
for the male lead, encouraging him to continue persevering for her sister. But
for the female lead, I must put in a word that readers are way too hard on her
because I understand rationally why she feels the way she does and acts the way
she does. It wasn't exactly a clean divorce so with lingering feelings, she couldn't help but still feel attracted to the manslut.
Chitose, Etc.JOSEI
Cappuccino
Spicy Pink
Cherish
Happiness
*Incomplete post, to be continued*
Sunday, August 11, 2013
How I feel about Harem Mangas
Greetings,
It's midnight Saturday into Sunday right now. (Is it midnight Saturday or is it midnight Sunday?) I'm posting this before I go to bed instead of after because I won't have time to later.
I'm just going to touch on this topic about harem mangas kind of lightly since this is just personal taste and opinion. Sorry if it sounds immature and inexperienced on my part.
I'm just going to touch on this topic about harem mangas kind of lightly since this is just personal taste and opinion. Sorry if it sounds immature and inexperienced on my part.
So...how do I feel about Harem mangas in general? Frankly I don't like/hate them. But my feelings towards those mangas varies between harem and reverse harems. What's the difference? Most people who have read manga for some time know (I suppose). Harem mangas are when you have one male and multiple females. A reverse harem is when you have one female and multiple males.
Harem mangas.
I don't particularly have any ill feelings for harem mangas since most of them are involved in comedy and aren't very serious at all. I tend to avoid them though because there isn't much substance to a lot of them. There are a few exceptions of course but I can only think of Kimi no Iru Machi and Yamada and the Seven Witches (if you can all Yamada an harem manga at all). I guess the difference is that those that I avoid usually center on a story about one guy encountering a bunch of girls from the very beginning of the story-usually very comedic and often a lot of comedic ecchi scenes too...The most clear indication of the harem manga that I avoid are those that start with a guy returning to a village or small town, encountering multiple girls with one as a former childhood friend? Sounds like Love Hina right? I'll admit that I read it when I was younger and it was for humor and boredom I suppose but in the last few years or so...not my taste.
Reverse Harems.
For this genre, I guess I can kind of say I actually hate this genre. Of course with a "few" exceptions...though I can actually think of one right now which is Ouran High School Host Club. Anyways, the reason why I hate this genre is because more often than not, the female lead is just so...SO irritatingly frustratingly annoying. I guess they all try to redeem themselves in some way but since it's usually a shoujo manga...it's not easy to avoid cliches like really annoying love polygons. I guess when love isn't so involved as much, I appreciate reverse harems more, just like the one I mentioned already i.e. Ouran. But it's so rare. There is another kind of reverse harem manga that I thought did well known as Love Sick by Morie Satoshi. This one did involve love and all but the female lead carried herself through pretty well in relation to what the plot of the story was. Random Walk by Yoshizawa Wataru is another reverse harem-ish manga but I thought it reflected well on the whole dating experience that people today have in high school (though the girl fell in love with people too easily but I credit that to her open mind and her father).
Basically, I'm less critical of harem mangas since they're usually comedic but reverse harems are more difficult for me to enjoy....I think the subjected pathetic-ness of the female leads is to blame when in contrast, harem mangas don't usually have pathetic males as a protagonist...
That's all I have to say for this topic. I don't want to get into it that much.
Best,
tohukyo
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Why So Many Projects?
Hello,
These last few days I've been busy with life so I haven't had time to really think and write. I decided to extend from my last post on a topic-kind of food for thought?
Scanlators don't all have such a large group of people working on projects especially since there are a finite number of people who are willing to give up the time in their lives for the many jobs required for a "HQ" scanlation~ providing raws/translating/cleaning/redrawing/proofreading/QCing (that all?).
So...I've wondered for some time, especially with one group specifically (the name of which will not be provided), why do some scanlation groups take on so many projects? This one group has like about 100 projects (give or take 10 or so that they have dropped but haven't removed from the ongoing projects list). I don't know how many people are volunteering to work in that group but even so, that's a lot of projects. With so much to do for just one project as well, it begs me to question, why bother taking on so many different projects?
Possible Reason #1--I understand that some groups seem to take on projects based on the magazines they subscribe from but in my opinion, it just seems less efficient to do that since not all magazines continue to feature a manga to its completion (or is that just American manga magazines).
Yes, Magazines have their perks. One of which would be that there are multiple mangas in each magazine. They also are cheaper in the long run I suppose when you calculate the cost of each magazine you get from the cost of an annual subscription against one volume of a manga. There's also the factor that it's a lot easier to scan from too if you do the whole de-binding method/ripping the pages carefully. That just seems like all the perks there are to me. Nothing more and nothing less. (Maybe color pages are a perk as well? I don't know if volumes in the country of origin have color pages.)
But of course, all things good also have its bad. But it's easier to compare than to simply say the bad so I'm not going to say why to me it seems better to not rely on magazines.
For me, it makes more sense to take on projects that are already completed in the country of origin. Whether you obtain the raws by buying the manga in a foreign language or online from people who upload raws on their own free time, it makes a lot more sense to do that doesn't it? This way, there is no doubt that the mangaka will drop it or put it on hiatus despite it being not very probably but also, it seems like it would be better in that a group doesn't have to wait around that long for a new chapter for a project being worked on.
I also think having a manga in volumes is better too. Similar to the idea of it already being completed, you at least don't have to wait so long for another chapter. Yes, volumes take longer to compile and be released but it gives more control over how many projects to take on right? If a group gets a magazine, I feel as though they may feel obligated to do all the mangas featured with some strange idea that they'll get their money's worth.
Possible Reason #2--Other groups have so many projects just for the sake of variety and keeping the interest alive I suppose which does make sense and would work better if you have a large pool of people you can dip into for job distributions but again, finite people.
There is one group in particular that I think works well with a large amount of projects because it has a large pool of people to dip into for work. But the largest difference is that this group also takes time to encourage and train its people to take on other jobs like from PR to cleaning. Although their PR needs some brushing up grammar and all but in general, they've created a system that works pretty well I think.
Generally though, I feel like groups should try and brush themselves up and control the amount of work they take on. Having so many and leaving most inactive for long periods of time is a pretty cruel fate for the projects as well as those who have vested their interest in those stories. It's sad to see projects drop but drawing on the exclusivity thing, by dropping projects that have less probability of reviving, it may be a better fate since it would allow the possibility of it being picked up by another group who many invest more time into working on the dropped projects.
Speaking rationally, this makes sense to me but maybe it's just to me. I can't really think of anything else to add (maybe later) but that's all.
Until next week,
tohukyo
These last few days I've been busy with life so I haven't had time to really think and write. I decided to extend from my last post on a topic-kind of food for thought?
Scanlators don't all have such a large group of people working on projects especially since there are a finite number of people who are willing to give up the time in their lives for the many jobs required for a "HQ" scanlation~ providing raws/translating/cleaning/redrawing/proofreading/QCing (that all?).
So...I've wondered for some time, especially with one group specifically (the name of which will not be provided), why do some scanlation groups take on so many projects? This one group has like about 100 projects (give or take 10 or so that they have dropped but haven't removed from the ongoing projects list). I don't know how many people are volunteering to work in that group but even so, that's a lot of projects. With so much to do for just one project as well, it begs me to question, why bother taking on so many different projects?
Possible Reason #1--I understand that some groups seem to take on projects based on the magazines they subscribe from but in my opinion, it just seems less efficient to do that since not all magazines continue to feature a manga to its completion (or is that just American manga magazines).
Yes, Magazines have their perks. One of which would be that there are multiple mangas in each magazine. They also are cheaper in the long run I suppose when you calculate the cost of each magazine you get from the cost of an annual subscription against one volume of a manga. There's also the factor that it's a lot easier to scan from too if you do the whole de-binding method/ripping the pages carefully. That just seems like all the perks there are to me. Nothing more and nothing less. (Maybe color pages are a perk as well? I don't know if volumes in the country of origin have color pages.)
But of course, all things good also have its bad. But it's easier to compare than to simply say the bad so I'm not going to say why to me it seems better to not rely on magazines.
For me, it makes more sense to take on projects that are already completed in the country of origin. Whether you obtain the raws by buying the manga in a foreign language or online from people who upload raws on their own free time, it makes a lot more sense to do that doesn't it? This way, there is no doubt that the mangaka will drop it or put it on hiatus despite it being not very probably but also, it seems like it would be better in that a group doesn't have to wait around that long for a new chapter for a project being worked on.
I also think having a manga in volumes is better too. Similar to the idea of it already being completed, you at least don't have to wait so long for another chapter. Yes, volumes take longer to compile and be released but it gives more control over how many projects to take on right? If a group gets a magazine, I feel as though they may feel obligated to do all the mangas featured with some strange idea that they'll get their money's worth.
Possible Reason #2--Other groups have so many projects just for the sake of variety and keeping the interest alive I suppose which does make sense and would work better if you have a large pool of people you can dip into for job distributions but again, finite people.
There is one group in particular that I think works well with a large amount of projects because it has a large pool of people to dip into for work. But the largest difference is that this group also takes time to encourage and train its people to take on other jobs like from PR to cleaning. Although their PR needs some brushing up grammar and all but in general, they've created a system that works pretty well I think.
Generally though, I feel like groups should try and brush themselves up and control the amount of work they take on. Having so many and leaving most inactive for long periods of time is a pretty cruel fate for the projects as well as those who have vested their interest in those stories. It's sad to see projects drop but drawing on the exclusivity thing, by dropping projects that have less probability of reviving, it may be a better fate since it would allow the possibility of it being picked up by another group who many invest more time into working on the dropped projects.
Speaking rationally, this makes sense to me but maybe it's just to me. I can't really think of anything else to add (maybe later) but that's all.
Until next week,
tohukyo
Monday, July 29, 2013
Exclusivity of Projects
Hi,
My post is one day late (two for most people in the world) and I have a topic I want to write about but I'm too tired to go in depth so I'm just going to go into a topic in relation to it which is a lot easier to structure than what I have in mind.
I don't know how many people have actually noticed nor do people care but in the scanlating world, there seems to be this sort of "de facto" law with manga projects. (de facto: in practice or actuality, but not officially established)
The thing is that if you've been reading as long as I have and/or if you aren't always in the clouds when reading, you'd catch on that only one group/scanlator works on a manga. It seems like this exclusivity (note, exclusivity is an actual word) is some de facto law or some unified consensus among the manga community that only one scanlator/group works on a manga and no one else.
First of all, how does this exclusivity work?
Well, I think it's quite simple. From what I've seen over the years, a group has to simply deem themselves as a scanlating group (setting up some kind of webpage be it a forum or a blog or something else; so that people can find it and witness them as a scanlator) and make sure no one else that is established as a scanlating group is working on a project or has noted a project as a future work. If it's a person, well, same thing generally. But this also brings into question how this even began. I think it's just some kind of twist on the human notion of private property as well as the idea that there is no point on starting on a project if it's already being worked on. That's just me though, what I think.
What happens if someone else works on it?
Well usually this only happens with "amateur" scanlators e.g. (e.g. not i.e. -there is a difference) anyone, usually a one man job, who works on a project without consulting the group that has "obtained" exclusive rights to a manga. (Gosh this "obtained exclusive rights" thing just sound ridiculous since scanlators aren't doing anything legal per se.) And this usually happens because the scanlator that has the "exclusive rights" aren't working as quickly as the freeloading masses want them to. As a result, there are usually 2 different scenarios that can play out.
1) The amateur doesn't do a good job at all (stressing on the "amateur" but there are those rare cases where the amateur does a pretty exceptional job) and the release(s) simply serves as a preview (using paint instead of PS is one clear indication). This is good because that means the scanlator is pretty "professional" in the sense that they'll still release the chapter but in better/high quality.
2) The amateur (good or bad) keeps on releasing chapter after chapter and in the end, the scanlators stop working on it. After awhile, the amateur stops too.
Usually when this happens, it's because the scanlators get annoyed that someone else (amateur) is working on it and doesn't see the point of going any further--as for the amateur, they just stop because unlike the scanlator, he/she/they didn't have much obligation to continue working on it.
It actually rarely comes to this but when I sit witness to this, I advise the amateur to consult the scanlators as soon as possible in order to avoid the issue of a project being completely dropped all together. I'm glad they actually listen too
*3) The amateur does a good job at it. I don't know for sure what happens when this is the case because both 1 and 2 can happen but from what I remember with one person, the amateur realizes that #2 can happen and puts out some sort of warning credit/declaration about it as well as telling people not to release it on a manga aggregate site since it's just an amateur release.
It's kind of strange how this exclusiveness works but there are some exceptions and recently I've noticed a few mangas having more than one scanlator working on it and they're not any of the big name mangas either. It's strange when that happens but this is actually related to a topic I may be talking about some other time.
I never really thought about this "strange phenomenon" (or whatever you want to call it) of exclusivity until now but I remember one somewhat recent event that really made me aware of how crude that the practice of exclusivity can be. I'm not going to name anyone but this group, let's call it B (I know, how creative is that?) I remember only released the first chapter of a manga simply fearing another group, A would take it on as a project eventually. This manga had a prequel and a sequel. The prequel was drawn by another mangaka artist (the story is by a novelist) and A was making pretty good momentum in the scanlation of the prequel. The sequel on the other hand (by another mangaka-and in my opinion too flowery with details and doesn't fit well with the prequel at all) was kind of "up for grabs" so to speak. B wanted to work on it but feared that A would eventually work on it first so in a rush, B released a first chapter. I must stress that it's exclusivity in it's most unrefined "raw" state. The chapter was poorly done (cleaning was ok but the translation/grammar was poor--grammar and the flow of the text is necessary for HQ scans IMO) and it was "rumored" that B simply did a quick release in order to obtain the exclusivity. Worst part is that now, B has dropped it. I don't know what B's reasons were for dropping but if the reason for release is true, that's sad. Anyways, it's strange how this works in some ways I think.
But then there's the problem of some groups taking on too many projects that they can't handle it and end up not actually working on them simply because they're more recent mangas that are released by magazines... To solve that problem, I think some scanlators should look to volumes and not magazines as well as completed mangas instead of ongoing. But another day for another topic to go into I suppose.
That's all I have to say. I hope you enjoyed. If not, not my problem =)
Have a great week!
tohukyo
My post is one day late (two for most people in the world) and I have a topic I want to write about but I'm too tired to go in depth so I'm just going to go into a topic in relation to it which is a lot easier to structure than what I have in mind.
I don't know how many people have actually noticed nor do people care but in the scanlating world, there seems to be this sort of "de facto" law with manga projects. (de facto: in practice or actuality, but not officially established)
The thing is that if you've been reading as long as I have and/or if you aren't always in the clouds when reading, you'd catch on that only one group/scanlator works on a manga. It seems like this exclusivity (note, exclusivity is an actual word) is some de facto law or some unified consensus among the manga community that only one scanlator/group works on a manga and no one else.
First of all, how does this exclusivity work?
Well, I think it's quite simple. From what I've seen over the years, a group has to simply deem themselves as a scanlating group (setting up some kind of webpage be it a forum or a blog or something else; so that people can find it and witness them as a scanlator) and make sure no one else that is established as a scanlating group is working on a project or has noted a project as a future work. If it's a person, well, same thing generally. But this also brings into question how this even began. I think it's just some kind of twist on the human notion of private property as well as the idea that there is no point on starting on a project if it's already being worked on. That's just me though, what I think.
What happens if someone else works on it?
Well usually this only happens with "amateur" scanlators e.g. (e.g. not i.e. -there is a difference) anyone, usually a one man job, who works on a project without consulting the group that has "obtained" exclusive rights to a manga. (Gosh this "obtained exclusive rights" thing just sound ridiculous since scanlators aren't doing anything legal per se.) And this usually happens because the scanlator that has the "exclusive rights" aren't working as quickly as the freeloading masses want them to. As a result, there are usually 2 different scenarios that can play out.
1) The amateur doesn't do a good job at all (stressing on the "amateur" but there are those rare cases where the amateur does a pretty exceptional job) and the release(s) simply serves as a preview (using paint instead of PS is one clear indication). This is good because that means the scanlator is pretty "professional" in the sense that they'll still release the chapter but in better/high quality.
2) The amateur (good or bad) keeps on releasing chapter after chapter and in the end, the scanlators stop working on it. After awhile, the amateur stops too.
Usually when this happens, it's because the scanlators get annoyed that someone else (amateur) is working on it and doesn't see the point of going any further--as for the amateur, they just stop because unlike the scanlator, he/she/they didn't have much obligation to continue working on it.
It actually rarely comes to this but when I sit witness to this, I advise the amateur to consult the scanlators as soon as possible in order to avoid the issue of a project being completely dropped all together. I'm glad they actually listen too
*3) The amateur does a good job at it. I don't know for sure what happens when this is the case because both 1 and 2 can happen but from what I remember with one person, the amateur realizes that #2 can happen and puts out some sort of warning credit/declaration about it as well as telling people not to release it on a manga aggregate site since it's just an amateur release.
It's kind of strange how this exclusiveness works but there are some exceptions and recently I've noticed a few mangas having more than one scanlator working on it and they're not any of the big name mangas either. It's strange when that happens but this is actually related to a topic I may be talking about some other time.
I never really thought about this "strange phenomenon" (or whatever you want to call it) of exclusivity until now but I remember one somewhat recent event that really made me aware of how crude that the practice of exclusivity can be. I'm not going to name anyone but this group, let's call it B (I know, how creative is that?) I remember only released the first chapter of a manga simply fearing another group, A would take it on as a project eventually. This manga had a prequel and a sequel. The prequel was drawn by another mangaka artist (the story is by a novelist) and A was making pretty good momentum in the scanlation of the prequel. The sequel on the other hand (by another mangaka-and in my opinion too flowery with details and doesn't fit well with the prequel at all) was kind of "up for grabs" so to speak. B wanted to work on it but feared that A would eventually work on it first so in a rush, B released a first chapter. I must stress that it's exclusivity in it's most unrefined "raw" state. The chapter was poorly done (cleaning was ok but the translation/grammar was poor--grammar and the flow of the text is necessary for HQ scans IMO) and it was "rumored" that B simply did a quick release in order to obtain the exclusivity. Worst part is that now, B has dropped it. I don't know what B's reasons were for dropping but if the reason for release is true, that's sad. Anyways, it's strange how this works in some ways I think.
But then there's the problem of some groups taking on too many projects that they can't handle it and end up not actually working on them simply because they're more recent mangas that are released by magazines... To solve that problem, I think some scanlators should look to volumes and not magazines as well as completed mangas instead of ongoing. But another day for another topic to go into I suppose.
That's all I have to say. I hope you enjoyed. If not, not my problem =)
Have a great week!
tohukyo
Sunday, July 21, 2013
The Beef With Manga Aggregate Sites (A brief "analysis")
Good Morning visitors,
So this post will be very general (VERY GENERAL) info on what I know about the situation and some personal opinion about manga aggregate sites and the continuing feud between scanlators and manga aggregate sites for years now.
I don't know how many people know about this (not that much compared to the whole population of online readers) but for years, scanlators have had a lot of "beef" with manga aggregate sites. Now, first is the idiom of "someone having a beef with someone" i.e. a problem or bad relationship with someone. Second, what is a manga aggregate site? Generally it's a manga hosting site that collects all or as many of the translated work that scanlators do and host it on their site for people to read. (eg mangafox, mangahere, tenmanga, etc) If you just started off in the online manga world then I don't expect you to know much of this but it's some information you don't want to miss out on. If you remained ignorant despite reading for awhile, it's about time to get educated. If you know about this and continue to ignore and not care, then you are just trying to annoy me. (edit: 07/30/2013)-Not proud to know that my brother is one of those indifferent people....
I don't know how many people know about this (not that much compared to the whole population of online readers) but for years, scanlators have had a lot of "beef" with manga aggregate sites. Now, first is the idiom of "someone having a beef with someone" i.e. a problem or bad relationship with someone. Second, what is a manga aggregate site? Generally it's a manga hosting site that collects all or as many of the translated work that scanlators do and host it on their site for people to read. (eg mangafox, mangahere, tenmanga, etc) If you just started off in the online manga world then I don't expect you to know much of this but it's some information you don't want to miss out on. If you remained ignorant despite reading for awhile, it's about time to get educated. If you know about this and continue to ignore and not care, then you are just trying to annoy me. (edit: 07/30/2013)-Not proud to know that my brother is one of those indifferent people....
Ok so, I'm not sure when this feud really started but it was about a few years ago when I realized how unpleasant and uncomfortable I was with the whole thing and I sympathized with the scanlators. First of all, just hosting on its own is quite harmless I think except that there are scanlators who depends on visitors to kind of make a profit to support their own sites. I'm not too sure about that but as far as I know, manga hosting itself is innocent except when they start putting ads up on the pages for profits. The things is that with a manga aggregate site and hosting manga, every time you click, you get a new page of ads as well. Think about it, let's say the average number of pages in a chapter is about 20-30, then you include the fact that you may read more than one chapter in a day and the fact that thousands are doing the same thing from the comfort of a accessible internet device worldwide. No doubt that people got the light bulb and thought that it would be an excellent way to make a profit. Some people claim that the ads don't do anything as long as you don't click on it. I don't know how much that is true but bottom line is that these sites are pocketing the money off of the hard work of scanlators who buy raws, scan, translate, proofread, clean/crop/level/redraw them, typeset, and edit/QC them. (Some do occasional color pages too!) These people aren't making profits off of any of the scans they work on yet someone else is doing that and pocketing the money for themselves....Anyone see how messed up that is?
Now the moral grounds...yes scanlators and what they do with raws is illegal. They do stop if contacted by the publisher or if something is license (I hope). But they simply do this (at least I assume most of them do so) because they want to share their love for mangas AND the fact that not everyone has the privilege to access them in a language internationally understood. Most of the mangas that are professionally (ie through a publisher) translated into english have kind of been not so great in my opinion (especially tokyo pop mangas) There have been a few that have upped the game recently like Yen Press but there aren't many. One of the best sadly died a few years back too....CMX (may you rest in peace). Anyways, there is an argument that scanlating reduces international sales but 1) scanlators aren't making profits off of what they do and 2)it is true that it reduces profits but again, things aren't being translated/published in english and not everyone has that access to buying translated text.
The bottom line generally (and I stress this is an over simplification!!!) for manga aggregate sites is that it's unfair that they're making profits off of the illegal work that scanlators do voluntarily on their own time for free. One way how not to contribute? Get a damn Adblocker. I know firefox and chrome has it as extensions. I'm not sure about other browsers but I'm sure you can just google it and find one you can download for your browser. This application blocks ads from all sites including the video ads for youtube. You can also disable the application for sites that need the profits from ads like Batoto which I believe uses the profits from site to pay for the site which is supposed to be a scanlator friendly site for all languages. (good site to use if you want a good will aggregate site).
Personally for me, I use an Adblocker because I do not want to take part in the profits of sites like those. Secondly, I use batoto and scanlator sites/readers to read as much as possible but I don't know what sites are affiliated with profiting hence the adblocker. It's kind of hypocritical for me to denounce people who visit sites that are profiting as I've described in a very generic way because I'm a pretty avid poster on one of the most notorious manga aggregate sites ever, Mangafox. Maybe the difference is that people just remain ignorant and that really gets to me because they either think the sites themselves do the work or they don't care at all about HQ scans, expecting scanlators to come up with a new chapter within days of the previous release! Now back to my own hypocrisy of visiting MF...I go mainly for the discussion community which I think is the best there is, honest to god. It's a great place to visit for discussion and I've been with it for years now. When I first started out on mangafox though, it wasn't as terrible as it is now in terms of respecting the wishes of scanlators. I was here when anime-eden existed and I know for a fact that the staff used to take down mangas upon request but that stopped happening of course when voluntary forum staff were finally denied access to regulating the mangas that were uploaded to the hosting sites (this has NOEZ written all over it, the owner of MF and very notorious-HQ located in China). I feel kind of bad since it was once a quite respectable site to a certain degree when the voluntary staff still had that access....But anyways, if you aren't ready to make the shift just yet, just get the Adblocker. It'll save you a lot of loading time from the ads as well so you might as well get one. But I encourage going to scanlators who have readers of their own or go to batoto. Might as well thank them after you read them no?
I want to say more but this is getting to be too long and I'm getting tired (typing this at midnight before I go to bed). I want to say more and wish I structured this post a lot better and more eloquently but I've got a lot going on.
For more info (and you should want to look into this more) go to:
For more info (and you should want to look into this more) go to:
- 06-11-2010 (Anime News Network) Manga Aggregator to Close as OpenManga Plans Launch
- 08-04-2011 (Manga Updates) A Tale of Two Manga Readers
**09-25-2011 (Evil Flowers Scans) Dear fans…- 01-22-2012 The age of scanlators and money--This one is a little touchy on just the whole business of scanlating but I think it's informative.
01-25-2012 (Japanzai) Watermarks/NOEZ- 1*04-15-2012 (Batoto) Mangafox & Co. - How NOEZ does Business
- 2*04-10-2012 (Batoto) Mangafox & Co. - How NOEZ does Business
- 01-29-2012 (Batoto) Are some scan groups really better then Noez
03-08-2013 (Omari's Sister Scans) Please Boycott MangaFox and Other Manga Aggregators- 05-13-2013 (Anime Loot) Why sites like MangaFox are Run by Douche bags for Douche bags
Sura's Place
(read a part of the journey of one scanlator, no longer wanting to deal with this feud anymore)
Gosh, as I copy and pasted the links and skimmed through some of them (many are familiar), I'm getting the same nauseous feeling I did the first time I found out about this....
Bye,
tohukyo
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