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!

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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!

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.

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.

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!

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,

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).

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,

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.