Dear all,
As the title of this post notes, "uninspired," I'm referring to the last few months of my nonposting history. I feel as though I do not have anything worthwhile to speak of for I am lacking in the inspiration to do so. One may say it is "writer's block". Truthfully, I am lacking in inspiration to write about mangas due to the fact that the free time I've had during my last few months have not been as invested in mangas but more in dramas and novels (as well as worry for my future). I look over previous drafts and do not deem them worthy of publishing so I will leave this blog as is for now. I am considering writing about dramas, tv shows, and novels more along with the content in this blog. For these reasons I have been avoiding coming back to this blog and have waited 'til now to write this post. So for now....I shall attend to other things besides religiously following the few manga I deem worthy (Bokura no Kiseki, Shokugeki no Soma, Moon, and Kuroshitsuji).
~tohukyo
Monday, August 11, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The Tortured Artist--Manga
This is a manga review/response. The manga is Hakuji by Morie Satoshi and no doubt, this is Morie Satoshi's best work yet that has been scanlated in my opinion.
Here is my take on the whole story- a short introductory synopsis. The paragraphs succeeding are spoilers for the manga so you have been warned. Hakuji is about an up and coming mildly successful artist named Manabe Akiharu who meets the beautiful snow white-like high school beauty Ichigo Seika. Much like love at first sight but with more artful curiosity, he is "lovestruck" by her pristine being and asks her to be his model for which she accepts. Akiharu appears in the form of an adult, however his mind has remained stagnant to that of a middle schooler due to circumstances surrounding his talent. This stagnation drives his inner battle with his perception of self impurity throughout the manga in contrast with Seika's mesmerizing innocence and warm light. But through all of this, Seika is forever his "Madonna."
The raw emotions builds up with each chapter. It's not easy to convey a unique perspective of a tortured artist without cliches but this manga was just so amazing. Akiharu's guilt and perceptual sin and dirtiness was so deep. The darkness in his heart that came to realization only by the light of Seika. Then the arc with Seika's blindness and prospective fall into darkness with Akiharu. I was reading another manga and the female lead is quite annoying and the tortured artist in that manga felt so blasé. I disliked the concept of misery loves company in that manga but I love how Morie-sensei was able to allow these characters to overcome it. Despite both of them succumbing to darkness, they were still able to help each other step back into the light (of course Seika did more for Akiharu but he helped her despite his darkness and in turn, it helped him grow) I can't express how much raw emotion and power this story had. I'm happy that Mori-sensei decided to make the two mains happy hence a 2 volume story.
I must say that there is a lot about Akiharu that I wish I knew more about though or more like I wish his development was more expansive I guess. I can't explain this very well because at the same time, what Morie-sensei did felt right (the development of Akiharu). Maybe it's because it was just two volumes when in the story itself the time was probably days and months worth. Just thinking about how long Akiharu was tortured by his belief of impurity is very harsh and do not wish him to suffer any longer after 5 years of stagnation (I may be wrong about the 5 years thing, maybe it was somewhere like 8 years actually? Hmmm...)
Anyways, amazing story. I applaud it. It's definitely something people should read. Not many mangas use such themes and plot devices with such a precision and conveyance of emotions to the readers (excuse me for generalizing). Well done Morie-sensei!!
Oh and one last thing. I read a person's short comment saying s/he is an artist and s/he thinks that Morie-sensei dramatized the whole tortured artist thing. For one, I don't understand how the simple and basic generalization of being an artist allows the person to assume any sort of emotional commonality. In fact I find that somewhat pretentious. As for the dramatization...mmm this is quite ironic considering how the person establishes commonality but then suddenly set him/herself apart. This is just another example of "If I Were In That Position." Hmm....
I read this all in one straight go with a little bit of speed reading so not everyone will have the same response as I have. It's not a pretty paper cut out manga either. The scenes aren't a beautiful shoujo style. It successfully uses the black and white to convey the drama that the main character is going through so don't expect "breath taking scenes" just because it's a shoujo manga. I don't understand why anyone would assume that.
Well that is all.
~Tohukyo
Here is my take on the whole story- a short introductory synopsis. The paragraphs succeeding are spoilers for the manga so you have been warned. Hakuji is about an up and coming mildly successful artist named Manabe Akiharu who meets the beautiful snow white-like high school beauty Ichigo Seika. Much like love at first sight but with more artful curiosity, he is "lovestruck" by her pristine being and asks her to be his model for which she accepts. Akiharu appears in the form of an adult, however his mind has remained stagnant to that of a middle schooler due to circumstances surrounding his talent. This stagnation drives his inner battle with his perception of self impurity throughout the manga in contrast with Seika's mesmerizing innocence and warm light. But through all of this, Seika is forever his "Madonna."
The raw emotions builds up with each chapter. It's not easy to convey a unique perspective of a tortured artist without cliches but this manga was just so amazing. Akiharu's guilt and perceptual sin and dirtiness was so deep. The darkness in his heart that came to realization only by the light of Seika. Then the arc with Seika's blindness and prospective fall into darkness with Akiharu. I was reading another manga and the female lead is quite annoying and the tortured artist in that manga felt so blasé. I disliked the concept of misery loves company in that manga but I love how Morie-sensei was able to allow these characters to overcome it. Despite both of them succumbing to darkness, they were still able to help each other step back into the light (of course Seika did more for Akiharu but he helped her despite his darkness and in turn, it helped him grow) I can't express how much raw emotion and power this story had. I'm happy that Mori-sensei decided to make the two mains happy hence a 2 volume story.
I must say that there is a lot about Akiharu that I wish I knew more about though or more like I wish his development was more expansive I guess. I can't explain this very well because at the same time, what Morie-sensei did felt right (the development of Akiharu). Maybe it's because it was just two volumes when in the story itself the time was probably days and months worth. Just thinking about how long Akiharu was tortured by his belief of impurity is very harsh and do not wish him to suffer any longer after 5 years of stagnation (I may be wrong about the 5 years thing, maybe it was somewhere like 8 years actually? Hmmm...)
Anyways, amazing story. I applaud it. It's definitely something people should read. Not many mangas use such themes and plot devices with such a precision and conveyance of emotions to the readers (excuse me for generalizing). Well done Morie-sensei!!
Oh and one last thing. I read a person's short comment saying s/he is an artist and s/he thinks that Morie-sensei dramatized the whole tortured artist thing. For one, I don't understand how the simple and basic generalization of being an artist allows the person to assume any sort of emotional commonality. In fact I find that somewhat pretentious. As for the dramatization...mmm this is quite ironic considering how the person establishes commonality but then suddenly set him/herself apart. This is just another example of "If I Were In That Position." Hmm....
I read this all in one straight go with a little bit of speed reading so not everyone will have the same response as I have. It's not a pretty paper cut out manga either. The scenes aren't a beautiful shoujo style. It successfully uses the black and white to convey the drama that the main character is going through so don't expect "breath taking scenes" just because it's a shoujo manga. I don't understand why anyone would assume that.
Well that is all.
~Tohukyo
Saturday, April 12, 2014
2014 K-Drama "Bride of the Century"
Hello everyone,
I was kind of bored and decided to pick up a new drama known as Bride of the Century (2014) last week on a whim (without even checking the status of whether or not it's completed). I have to say that this drama is one that curries to my favor for a Korean drama. I'm not a huge fan of romantic comedies but for me, this drama had enough melodrama to keep my eyes glued to the screen. (I'm a huge sap for the tearful heartwrenching scenes as well as the sweet ones). Before I dive in deeper, I'll just say where I go to stream dramas which is dramafever. It's relatively high quality and is hosted by Hulu so yes there are ads but usually about 30-60 seconds for each ad "segment" so it's not that bad.
I was kind of bored and decided to pick up a new drama known as Bride of the Century (2014) last week on a whim (without even checking the status of whether or not it's completed). I have to say that this drama is one that curries to my favor for a Korean drama. I'm not a huge fan of romantic comedies but for me, this drama had enough melodrama to keep my eyes glued to the screen. (I'm a huge sap for the tearful heartwrenching scenes as well as the sweet ones). Before I dive in deeper, I'll just say where I go to stream dramas which is dramafever. It's relatively high quality and is hosted by Hulu so yes there are ads but usually about 30-60 seconds for each ad "segment" so it's not that bad.
The main reason I picked up this drama though is because it parallels one of my favorite manhwas, Can't Lose You by Wann. If you know the story of Can't Lose You, I previously published a post that runs over the story but I'll give a relatively "short" recap. To generalize it, it's about two girls who are identical/doppelgangers (with a reason that is later revealed in the story). One of the girls is this rich cold hearted (bitchy) queen of high society Korea and wants to gain the favor of an equally cold hearted bastard bachelor of high society Korea. However the other girl is a warm and feisty girl "commoner" struggling to live on her own while still attending high school. Fate brings the two girls together and when the queen finds out that her life is at risk, she hires the commoner as her body double. The cold bastard happens to fall in love (hard) with the commoner and as usual, the cold bastard has a heart but fate has plans for all the players in the world of Can't Lose You. That is the gist of Wann's Can't Lose You and the drama seriously reminded me of it. It has the whole supernatural thing in play as well. There are differences in which I thought made the drama not as great as this manhwa by Wann BUT I am a huge sap for melodrama and tearful heartwrenching scenes. With a foundation similar to Can't Lose You, one can just tell that there will be a good amount of that but the good thing is that it wasn't so much that it would ruin the drama. Plus, there is plenty of sweetness.
Next I wanted to generally sweep over the acting. I don't know if I am considered ignorant in evaluating "acting" but the acting in this drama is just spot on brilliant. First off, the lead actress Yang Jin-Sung portrays two characters Jung Yi Kyung and Na Doo Rim (since they're identical), which is quite impressive. I can't say much about her acting though since I haven't seen her in other roles but being able to play two roles in the drama who are completely different people is no small simple feat. The female lead Na Doo Rim is the sweetest and feisty girl-the devotion of this character wins over the hearts of all viewers. Second, the cold hearted "bachelor" Choi Kung Ju is portrayed by Lee Hong-Ki. He's kind of typical pretentious guy but I thought Lee Hong-Ki was great in this role. When I started this drama, I recognized him from somewhere but I couldn't hit the nail on the head until I looked him up and realized he was from Your Beautiful. This role in Bride of the Century is such a sharp contrast to the role in Your Beautiful and it certain has more depth and dimension that his lack of dimension yet sweet loving character in Your Beautiful did not have. He's certainly stepped into this role quite well and the character development of Choi Kung Ju is quite lovely. I'm really riding on these two as a couple Na Doo Rim and Choi Kang-Ju. They're development as a couple is great too-clearly demonstrated by the initial awkward to loving and heartfelt kisses.
Alright, that's all I'm saying about this drama. I hope I didn't butcher it but I just wanted to share it. It's not that melodramatic or anything (I feel as though I've exaggerated that too much) but if you're a little hesitant, please check out Wann's Can't Lose You. It's a manhwa that should not be missed. In some ways the manhwa is better but the drama shines in other aspects more than the manhwa too. Don't miss out and check out both! Oh and currently there are only 14 episodes with english subs for the Bride of the Century. It's supposed to be only 16 episodes-the remaining two will be released within the next few weeks on dramafever.
Best,
tohukyo
PS sorry for the lack of food for thought posts. I went though my old drafts and dug up one that I started working on again. I don't know when it will be published since this quarter is so busy.
Best,
tohukyo
PS sorry for the lack of food for thought posts. I went though my old drafts and dug up one that I started working on again. I don't know when it will be published since this quarter is so busy.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Quick Post-One of the worst love cliches
This is a quick post because I don't want to chew on this too much right now. I may adapt this into a relevant post topic.
One of the worst cliches of any love story or romance in any sort of way, to me, is when one person in a relationship asks, "me or work." This cliche is really annoying and immediate degrades not only the person asking but also the story in general for me. It's very "old fashion" in the way that it's often the female lead who says "me or work" in these stories.
As we grow up in a (western) post modern era where the nuclear modern family is no longer the ideal model, this cliche just gets to me. Women can have their own lives, their own careers, their own accomplishments, etc. I don't know if it's just a cultural thing (East vs West?) but I rarely encounter this kind of cliche in western media now-most media is multi-genre so characters have more in their lives than the pursuit of love (I realize I'm essentializing and this in no way means such media no longer exists in the western world). I find a majority of shoujo and quite a number of josei mangas still portraying a uselessness of a female whose only aspiration appears to be just having a boyfriend and hence their schedules are completely devoted to the man who has a busy life. Ok, so these genres it's expected but I don't think it's much of a good excuse to be so one dimensional. Now, I don't actually read those mangas anymore but I was bored and felt like reading a random anthology manga. I suppose that is the reason why there is such a thing as light reading but it's one of the worst cliches ever.
The story in the anthology I was reading involved a girl who doesn't appear to have anything else worthwhile besides her boyfriend. The boyfriend suddenly keeps cancelling their dates because of work and I get that that's annoying when it happen a number of times without any warning from the person cancelling. However, she then meets him while he is busy working and closing up his shop and then says "me or work." I get that she wants commitment and the guy is at fault for this as well but when a story just presses the button on the cliche "me or work," it's just.....no....
I find that when this question is asked, it's often in context of the questioner not even thinking the question through before asking. If you devote yourself to the relationship so much and dared asked that question, (1) would you be happy if s/he gave up his/her dream for you? Knowing that s/he may live in regret and eventually hurting your relationship to the point of being irreparable? or (2) s/he might just dump your ass. (3) other consequences that can very well lead to sadness. In the end it isn't about choosing sides, These stories ultimately relay the message that it's important to compromise and to communicate. Also having a life of your own would help too.
Well that's all I'm going to say. This got a little long but I don't think it's a very coherent post since (1) I'm pretty tired (should take a nap) and (2) I didn't bother rereading it to edit.
One of the worst cliches of any love story or romance in any sort of way, to me, is when one person in a relationship asks, "me or work." This cliche is really annoying and immediate degrades not only the person asking but also the story in general for me. It's very "old fashion" in the way that it's often the female lead who says "me or work" in these stories.
As we grow up in a (western) post modern era where the nuclear modern family is no longer the ideal model, this cliche just gets to me. Women can have their own lives, their own careers, their own accomplishments, etc. I don't know if it's just a cultural thing (East vs West?) but I rarely encounter this kind of cliche in western media now-most media is multi-genre so characters have more in their lives than the pursuit of love (I realize I'm essentializing and this in no way means such media no longer exists in the western world). I find a majority of shoujo and quite a number of josei mangas still portraying a uselessness of a female whose only aspiration appears to be just having a boyfriend and hence their schedules are completely devoted to the man who has a busy life. Ok, so these genres it's expected but I don't think it's much of a good excuse to be so one dimensional. Now, I don't actually read those mangas anymore but I was bored and felt like reading a random anthology manga. I suppose that is the reason why there is such a thing as light reading but it's one of the worst cliches ever.
The story in the anthology I was reading involved a girl who doesn't appear to have anything else worthwhile besides her boyfriend. The boyfriend suddenly keeps cancelling their dates because of work and I get that that's annoying when it happen a number of times without any warning from the person cancelling. However, she then meets him while he is busy working and closing up his shop and then says "me or work." I get that she wants commitment and the guy is at fault for this as well but when a story just presses the button on the cliche "me or work," it's just.....no....
I find that when this question is asked, it's often in context of the questioner not even thinking the question through before asking. If you devote yourself to the relationship so much and dared asked that question, (1) would you be happy if s/he gave up his/her dream for you? Knowing that s/he may live in regret and eventually hurting your relationship to the point of being irreparable? or (2) s/he might just dump your ass. (3) other consequences that can very well lead to sadness. In the end it isn't about choosing sides, These stories ultimately relay the message that it's important to compromise and to communicate. Also having a life of your own would help too.
Well that's all I'm going to say. This got a little long but I don't think it's a very coherent post since (1) I'm pretty tired (should take a nap) and (2) I didn't bother rereading it to edit.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
HIMYM in it's end, so much like KNIM
Somewhat an irrelevant post and it's like a follow up to my recent post about KNIM.
The TV series How I Met Your Mother has finally ended with a full 9 seasons. I must say that it was quite a wonderful show with the last season not doing as great as its other seasons (one has mentioned that the whole of the last season is like a huge filler). It saddens me that Barney didn't end up with Robin because they're so amazing together but I guess, like their first break up's "excuse" too much awesome and they cancel each other out LOL! I was really ready for the two of them to be together and the destiny of the mother with Ted throughout the whole series, it just seemed so "match made in heaven"! Sigh...that aside, I'll miss Marshmellow and Lilypad- a clean and wonderful couple with their fair share of ups and downs but forever persevering like no other. But in all seriousness, let's get to the ending...I did not see the ending coming at all. I did not see the whole KNIM Haruto and Eba ending because of how hard they were pushing on the little clues of destiny!! In fact, I was a total fan of the mother. However it makes a lot of sense. Though, I can't describe how extremely bittersweet this last episode's last few minutes were. Although it was a long drawn out unbelievable love story that is quite amazing when I think about it (just think about it), at heart I wanted to see the mother grow old like an old couple with Ted. In general, this feels so much like KNIM (see last post). It's like Haruto and Eba in a way. Damn, it's so much like them but of course age is different and the time frame is many times more than KNIM but with added "bonus" of clues of destiny to the mother!! To tell the truth, this whole series really is about how Ted in freaking in love with Robin. It makes sense. It makes a lot of sense especially since the mother has been out of the picture for 6 years....I need to mull over this ending because honestly, it's gone from bittersweet to (at heart) great disappointment. I don't want to hate it because in my mind, I know it's great but yep....my heart won't let me. Let's see what time to mull over this ending will fruit. Well anyways, Marshmellow and Lilypad FTW!
The TV series How I Met Your Mother has finally ended with a full 9 seasons. I must say that it was quite a wonderful show with the last season not doing as great as its other seasons (one has mentioned that the whole of the last season is like a huge filler). It saddens me that Barney didn't end up with Robin because they're so amazing together but I guess, like their first break up's "excuse" too much awesome and they cancel each other out LOL! I was really ready for the two of them to be together and the destiny of the mother with Ted throughout the whole series, it just seemed so "match made in heaven"! Sigh...that aside, I'll miss Marshmellow and Lilypad- a clean and wonderful couple with their fair share of ups and downs but forever persevering like no other. But in all seriousness, let's get to the ending...I did not see the ending coming at all. I did not see the whole KNIM Haruto and Eba ending because of how hard they were pushing on the little clues of destiny!! In fact, I was a total fan of the mother. However it makes a lot of sense. Though, I can't describe how extremely bittersweet this last episode's last few minutes were. Although it was a long drawn out unbelievable love story that is quite amazing when I think about it (just think about it), at heart I wanted to see the mother grow old like an old couple with Ted. In general, this feels so much like KNIM (see last post). It's like Haruto and Eba in a way. Damn, it's so much like them but of course age is different and the time frame is many times more than KNIM but with added "bonus" of clues of destiny to the mother!! To tell the truth, this whole series really is about how Ted in freaking in love with Robin. It makes sense. It makes a lot of sense especially since the mother has been out of the picture for 6 years....I need to mull over this ending because honestly, it's gone from bittersweet to (at heart) great disappointment. I don't want to hate it because in my mind, I know it's great but yep....my heart won't let me. Let's see what time to mull over this ending will fruit. Well anyways, Marshmellow and Lilypad FTW!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Quick Post--Kimi no Iru Machi COMPLETED!
This is just a quick post so it'll be short.
Just found out that Kimi no Iru Machi has officially been declared completed as a scanlated project at "volume 27" for about 2 months (it's not an actual volume but it'll come out as volume 27 as the end). Damn this ridiculously long and drawn out manga that I stopped after the "Tokyo reunion after the male lead craps on everyone to get back with the girl" Arc. (chapter 100-something) I think I'll attempt to try and reread the manga from the beginning and continue to the end now that I know it has officially ended. If memory serves me right, this manga is kind of like Ted from How I Met Your Mother where the male lead is kind of a man-slut except KNIM is more emotional based than physical despite Ted's emotional neediness (a difference in which I think age ie life experience is responsible for). It's actually not such a bad manga (despite me comparing him to a man-slut). This manga is like an harem manga but not as cliche as the general baseline for harem stories like...(don't punch me for this) Love Hina. In a way it is stomach-able but at the same time it makes you want to smack the crap out of a number of characters in it. I don't know if it got any worse after I stopped reading it (already felt like it was dragging on but I persevered until I could not) so maybe by the end it'll actually be more smacking of characters. Hmm....anyway, I can't believe it's finally laid to rest. Something I might get my hands into during the summer =)
Side note:
Seo Kouji not too long ago returned to Half & Half. I initially thought it was kind of like crap but for the most part, the plot is tweaked and the tone of the story seems different in the serialized version. Hm...
Just found out that Kimi no Iru Machi has officially been declared completed as a scanlated project at "volume 27" for about 2 months (it's not an actual volume but it'll come out as volume 27 as the end). Damn this ridiculously long and drawn out manga that I stopped after the "Tokyo reunion after the male lead craps on everyone to get back with the girl" Arc. (chapter 100-something) I think I'll attempt to try and reread the manga from the beginning and continue to the end now that I know it has officially ended. If memory serves me right, this manga is kind of like Ted from How I Met Your Mother where the male lead is kind of a man-slut except KNIM is more emotional based than physical despite Ted's emotional neediness (a difference in which I think age ie life experience is responsible for). It's actually not such a bad manga (despite me comparing him to a man-slut). This manga is like an harem manga but not as cliche as the general baseline for harem stories like...(don't punch me for this) Love Hina. In a way it is stomach-able but at the same time it makes you want to smack the crap out of a number of characters in it. I don't know if it got any worse after I stopped reading it (already felt like it was dragging on but I persevered until I could not) so maybe by the end it'll actually be more smacking of characters. Hmm....anyway, I can't believe it's finally laid to rest. Something I might get my hands into during the summer =)
Side note:
Seo Kouji not too long ago returned to Half & Half. I initially thought it was kind of like crap but for the most part, the plot is tweaked and the tone of the story seems different in the serialized version. Hm...
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Bitter Virgin Manga-A Review
(I don't feel like thinking up a more creative title so I'm titling it as is for now.)
The manga I'll be discussing in this post is Bitter Virgin by Kusunoki Kei. I've only read this manga one other time. I'm not sure why I never read it again after that. I knew that the story was quite serious, complex and quite worth reading but for some reason I avoided reading it again. Recently I happened upon this manga again and because I was bored with all the new manga coming out while waiting for updates for much anticipated ongoing mangas, I decided to finally reread this manga. Note, the content of this manga is mature and not a topic to be taken lightly. There is, in my opinion, pettiness involved but ultimately the tone is serious drama.
I finished my second read over this manga in about a day or so. It was really intense in the way that the male lead Suwa was constantly walking on egg shells and stressed over Aikawa (the female lead). I can't say much about the story other than how strong it was because I can't actually connect to the experiences of Aikawa but the raw emotion and amount of responsibility that Suwa took upon himself to look after this girl whom he inevitably fell for touched me.
The rest of this post from here on out is a spoiler in relation to the end which prompted me to write this post. You have been warned thus if you read from here on out, you are solely responsible for allowing yourself be spoiled.
The ending of the story is very bittersweet. It walks in the end with reality in mind, that even though they are together now and it is a happy ending, it will not change the realistic future that they will someday split upon finding someone else who they will fall in love with probably. It shocks me how mature both parties are and they realize this realistic side of a relationship going into the story. I like how the mangaka doesn't cover all the bases with this controversial relationship like when Suwa's mother finds out or like when the child of Aikawa possibly comes to seek her out-which would probably contribute to the reality of the future (not happily forever after). It really saddens me in a way though (bittersweet) because of all the mental stress and turmoil that Suwa suffered from this knowledge about this girl he came to love throughout this manga really makes me want to believe that in the end, he will definitely see to it that Aikawa will be happy. I guess the idea is that for Suwa, in the end if they don't end up together, he will still treat her with the up-most care in order to see to it that Aikawa will never have to suffer under those circumstances again (or at least I hope it would be like that). In addition to what Suwa had to go through in this story is obviously Aikawa's physical and mental trauma that she suffered through. It's amazing how much she's been able to step out of the darkness and with Suwa, I hope she'll eventually be able to somehow come to terms with her experience (whatever that means). I hope someday she grows up to be a strong woman like Suwa's sister.
All in all, this story is a definite read. If you get passed the petty and quite hysterical "girlfriend" Kazuki, this manga is really amazing and kind of opens up your mind. For me, I've read more than a few mangas where there is this sort of traumatized character and this other character come together and find some sort of happiness as a couple and usually they end with a happily ever after as though it's saying, "finally, I can be happy and at peace" but this manga strikes through that. This manga brings us all down to reality that no matter if we find happiness, happiness is and can be fleeting and can potentially come to an end. However, I sincerely hope that these two characters will come out strong through thick and thin because if anything, I feel as though they are a much more deserving couple than idiotic happy go lucky love birds.
The manga I'll be discussing in this post is Bitter Virgin by Kusunoki Kei. I've only read this manga one other time. I'm not sure why I never read it again after that. I knew that the story was quite serious, complex and quite worth reading but for some reason I avoided reading it again. Recently I happened upon this manga again and because I was bored with all the new manga coming out while waiting for updates for much anticipated ongoing mangas, I decided to finally reread this manga. Note, the content of this manga is mature and not a topic to be taken lightly. There is, in my opinion, pettiness involved but ultimately the tone is serious drama.
I finished my second read over this manga in about a day or so. It was really intense in the way that the male lead Suwa was constantly walking on egg shells and stressed over Aikawa (the female lead). I can't say much about the story other than how strong it was because I can't actually connect to the experiences of Aikawa but the raw emotion and amount of responsibility that Suwa took upon himself to look after this girl whom he inevitably fell for touched me.
The rest of this post from here on out is a spoiler in relation to the end which prompted me to write this post. You have been warned thus if you read from here on out, you are solely responsible for allowing yourself be spoiled.
The ending of the story is very bittersweet. It walks in the end with reality in mind, that even though they are together now and it is a happy ending, it will not change the realistic future that they will someday split upon finding someone else who they will fall in love with probably. It shocks me how mature both parties are and they realize this realistic side of a relationship going into the story. I like how the mangaka doesn't cover all the bases with this controversial relationship like when Suwa's mother finds out or like when the child of Aikawa possibly comes to seek her out-which would probably contribute to the reality of the future (not happily forever after). It really saddens me in a way though (bittersweet) because of all the mental stress and turmoil that Suwa suffered from this knowledge about this girl he came to love throughout this manga really makes me want to believe that in the end, he will definitely see to it that Aikawa will be happy. I guess the idea is that for Suwa, in the end if they don't end up together, he will still treat her with the up-most care in order to see to it that Aikawa will never have to suffer under those circumstances again (or at least I hope it would be like that). In addition to what Suwa had to go through in this story is obviously Aikawa's physical and mental trauma that she suffered through. It's amazing how much she's been able to step out of the darkness and with Suwa, I hope she'll eventually be able to somehow come to terms with her experience (whatever that means). I hope someday she grows up to be a strong woman like Suwa's sister.
All in all, this story is a definite read. If you get passed the petty and quite hysterical "girlfriend" Kazuki, this manga is really amazing and kind of opens up your mind. For me, I've read more than a few mangas where there is this sort of traumatized character and this other character come together and find some sort of happiness as a couple and usually they end with a happily ever after as though it's saying, "finally, I can be happy and at peace" but this manga strikes through that. This manga brings us all down to reality that no matter if we find happiness, happiness is and can be fleeting and can potentially come to an end. However, I sincerely hope that these two characters will come out strong through thick and thin because if anything, I feel as though they are a much more deserving couple than idiotic happy go lucky love birds.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Quick Post--Increasing licensing on Mangafox
Recently I reverted my original quick post on how to transfer from mangafox to mangahere to view license mangas to draft mode. Well, I don't know if this is a recent thing but I also noticed a pretty large increase in "licensed" mangas on Mangafox and licensed usually means only select countries cannot view (i.e. #1 America and #2 European nations that publish. Not sure about Canada and MX though). After deliberating whether or not to rerelease the post that technically encourages the use of aggregate mangas sites that immorally profit instead of using the scanlator friendly site batoto, I've come to a resolution. Seeing as how there are more and more mangas with such a status, I think it's pointless for me to rerelease that post on how to get to Mangahere from Mangafox. People might as well just use batoto or visit scanlators' sites for their own readers or just download it. It really does seem pointless to me now. Although batoto can be relatively slow occasionally (via my recent complaint), it's better than using aggregate sites like mangafox, mangahere, mangareader, tenmanga, animea, etc. Plus, I bet a majority of people don't even use an adblocker so who better to get all that ad money than batoto? FYI according to what I've learned, the ad money from batoto is sent to scanlators in some scanlator friendly way. I'm not too sure about the gist of it since I only read through the information once but generally, the profits from ads don't go solely into the pockets of the server owner. Well that's all I wanted to share, 'til next.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Oneshot-Laughter is Good For the Heart
Very short post. Just read a oneshot and it is just so adorable. It's a perfect blend of original "love story" and "childhood friends" plus a great sense of humor (reason for why I named this post as it is). Anyways, check it out. It's short, it's cute, it's funny and it's fresh. Brought to you by Kawabata Shiki, Shueisha Publishing, and Delish Scans: 08:05 no Hengao-san
"If I Were In That Position"
Hello visitors,
It's been quite some time since I've released a more "food for thought" post but here it is. Hope people are thought provoked; it is not so much of a news flash but something to think about if you haven't come to this realization on your own.
All of us (I am sure) have read mangas where the situations are so terrible for the characters that you cannot imagine what you would do if you were in that position. However, that doesn't stop us from imagining. Sometimes there are scenarios in mangas where the characters act with such idiocy according to us as readers yet readers don't hesitate and point out how they would approach the situation-again imagining. What I'm getting at here is that as people read mangas (and stories in general), many can't help but project themselves onto the characters in the story, imagining whilst imposing their ideals and cultural etiquette and values and think, "If I were in that position, I would..." Am I wrong?
I've seen various mangas with similar discussions of "what would you do" and people explain their attitudes towards the situation, attempting to explain their behaviors in that situation. The issue with the projection of readers onto the characters in a story is that attitudes do not speak for behavior in actual experience of the situation. We assume that we will act a certain way in certain situations that the characters are in however this assumption is usually a "I hope this would happen." SIDE BAR: The word "assume": There has been one thing that has stuck with me since I was about 11 years old and that is a tale my teacher told me about the word "assume". I won't get into it but basically, one should not assume because in doing so, one makes an "ass" out of "you" (u) and "me". The moral is that assumptions aren't facts so one should be careful in the use of the word----Now ideally, if the situation is terrible and traumatic, avoiding it all together is preferable but usually when people explain "if I were in that position", they put themselves in that situation. What I'm trying to get at is that true empathy, I would argue, is not possible.
None of us know what the heck we would do if we were in a position as terrible as the character is in unless we have actually experienced a similar situation. We can imagine putting ourselves in the shoes of another but that's all it really is. The most obvious example I can think of that gets hit with threads with people posting what they'd do are usually the trauma-ridden mangas e.g. bullying. Bullying is not something people can empathize with unless they're experienced it themselves in my honest opinion. Sure we can try to empathize through compassion but people who say this and that if they were in a victim of bullying don't know what they're say unless they've actually experienced it.
My hands aren't completely dirt-free of doing this (call me a hypocrite but no one is a true saint). I myself have b!tched about characters being stupid and this and that. I've also argued some points about bullying and traumatic events. However, I didn't come to this realization recently so whenever since I came to the realization, I try, when speaking my opinion, to be mindful that I don't know in actuality what would happen if it were me as well as mindful of the fact that my upbringing in my own culture and society has brought out different values and etiquette that are not exactly conventional for another culture. (Cultural upbringing and socialization of readers versus the targeted audience of manga will be another topic I'll post some other day).
So when one attempts to explain what one's behavior would be in the situation of the character, I don't think anyone knows for certain unless they've been in a very similar situation. I'm not saying that it's completely BS but just keep in mind that it is an assumption and if it's a "worse case scenario" it's more of .an opinion of "I hope if I were in that position..."
That's all for this post I suppose. It's been quite awhile since I've written something like this for my blog. Hope visitors enjoyed and if you didn't, move on =)
Best,
tohukyo
It's been quite some time since I've released a more "food for thought" post but here it is. Hope people are thought provoked; it is not so much of a news flash but something to think about if you haven't come to this realization on your own.
All of us (I am sure) have read mangas where the situations are so terrible for the characters that you cannot imagine what you would do if you were in that position. However, that doesn't stop us from imagining. Sometimes there are scenarios in mangas where the characters act with such idiocy according to us as readers yet readers don't hesitate and point out how they would approach the situation-again imagining. What I'm getting at here is that as people read mangas (and stories in general), many can't help but project themselves onto the characters in the story, imagining whilst imposing their ideals and cultural etiquette and values and think, "If I were in that position, I would..." Am I wrong?
I've seen various mangas with similar discussions of "what would you do" and people explain their attitudes towards the situation, attempting to explain their behaviors in that situation. The issue with the projection of readers onto the characters in a story is that attitudes do not speak for behavior in actual experience of the situation. We assume that we will act a certain way in certain situations that the characters are in however this assumption is usually a "I hope this would happen." SIDE BAR: The word "assume": There has been one thing that has stuck with me since I was about 11 years old and that is a tale my teacher told me about the word "assume". I won't get into it but basically, one should not assume because in doing so, one makes an "ass" out of "you" (u) and "me". The moral is that assumptions aren't facts so one should be careful in the use of the word----Now ideally, if the situation is terrible and traumatic, avoiding it all together is preferable but usually when people explain "if I were in that position", they put themselves in that situation. What I'm trying to get at is that true empathy, I would argue, is not possible.
None of us know what the heck we would do if we were in a position as terrible as the character is in unless we have actually experienced a similar situation. We can imagine putting ourselves in the shoes of another but that's all it really is. The most obvious example I can think of that gets hit with threads with people posting what they'd do are usually the trauma-ridden mangas e.g. bullying. Bullying is not something people can empathize with unless they're experienced it themselves in my honest opinion. Sure we can try to empathize through compassion but people who say this and that if they were in a victim of bullying don't know what they're say unless they've actually experienced it.
My hands aren't completely dirt-free of doing this (call me a hypocrite but no one is a true saint). I myself have b!tched about characters being stupid and this and that. I've also argued some points about bullying and traumatic events. However, I didn't come to this realization recently so whenever since I came to the realization, I try, when speaking my opinion, to be mindful that I don't know in actuality what would happen if it were me as well as mindful of the fact that my upbringing in my own culture and society has brought out different values and etiquette that are not exactly conventional for another culture. (Cultural upbringing and socialization of readers versus the targeted audience of manga will be another topic I'll post some other day).
So when one attempts to explain what one's behavior would be in the situation of the character, I don't think anyone knows for certain unless they've been in a very similar situation. I'm not saying that it's completely BS but just keep in mind that it is an assumption and if it's a "worse case scenario" it's more of .an opinion of "I hope if I were in that position..."
That's all for this post I suppose. It's been quite awhile since I've written something like this for my blog. Hope visitors enjoyed and if you didn't, move on =)
Best,
tohukyo
Monday, February 17, 2014
New Manga--Like Blind Love
I was considering not calling this "Like Blind Love" because I over-thought the possibility of someone getting offended so if you do are offended, please...I don't mean to be. (now onto the post...)
WARNING--CONTAINS SPOILERS!! (read the first two chapters of Nanoka no Kare if you don't want to be spoiled)
This is a newly scanlated manga about a high school girl who isn't that crazy about the idea of being in a relationship. She's not like those people who form shallow relationships for the sake of just wanting a boy/girlfriend like her friend here. In her experience, she once was in a relationship with a boy that was a little too needy. He was the type of guy who wanted the girl to be devoted to the him (typical traditionalist) but she isn't the type of person to do that. She wasn't the type to be devoted and loyal but she still loved the boy. Now...guys being guys, he tried to show-off his "game" and lied to his friends about having kissed her (probably because his friends were teasing him which is so typical). She happens to overhear and gets the wrong impression, confronts him and he gets too pushy about something along the lines of her being distant and almost forces a kiss on her, resulting in their break up. (sorry for that run-on but I don't feel like reliving that explanation). One day she's alone eating at some fast food place and overhears the couple she is sitting behind having an argument. The girl is breaking up with the guy because the guy is being distant. A day or two later, she just happens to walk passed the guy with a couple of his friends and overhears how the guy answers his friends' questions about the break up. Instead of being "typical guy" and trying to show-off, he explains with somewhat honesty but never lying. The way he explains it hits her with an impact and suddenly, she turns around and confesses to him thinking he can "heal" her but much to her surprise, seeing his face for the first time, she's in shock (and awe I think).
Ah..now that I'm done with the long drawn out spoiler explanation of my perception of how the first chapter (and a half?) went, but to sum it up, let's just say I'm excited about this manga's potential. Oh but first off, I'll get out the obvious possible cliche that's to come. Because of the situation, I'm totally calling that this boy is the younger brother of the guy that she dated before (or somehow related like a cousin). If the story doesn't move along that way then kudos but if it does...I hope it doesn't drag on and it strides well with it.
Now onto why I'm really intrigued by this manga--as the title of this blog indicates, I named it "like blind love" and what I mean is that I love the originality in how this mangaka write this story. The girl finds new love in a person whom she's never faced before- instead she falls for the sincerity and patience that she's longed for through his words and actions. What I like more about this manga too is that in a way, I consider this female lead to be quite the modern woman. My reasoning for this is because traditionally in relationships, girls are expected to be really devoted to their boyfriends and husbands and families--leaving their sense of identity such as a career of their own or their own relationships with their own friends. This girl, even though she had a boyfriend, she doesn't conform to popular convention and wants to hang with her friends whereas everyone else seems to think she should be devoted wholeheartedly to the boy. That's very typical shoujo as well (leaving all sense of identity and being totally devoted to love and all that). I feel that there is a lot of potential for this manga and I hope it doesn't flop.
Anyway, so far it's a good start and I like the originality. Praise to Chibi scans for scanlating amazing story (maybe it's about time to drop a few of the others eh? no offense). I hope I didn't butcher this for all of you readers. Give this manga a chance anyways if you were bored out of your mind reading my post. It's awesome and you wont' regret it for sure!
Best,
tohukyo
WARNING--CONTAINS SPOILERS!! (read the first two chapters of Nanoka no Kare if you don't want to be spoiled)
This is a newly scanlated manga about a high school girl who isn't that crazy about the idea of being in a relationship. She's not like those people who form shallow relationships for the sake of just wanting a boy/girlfriend like her friend here. In her experience, she once was in a relationship with a boy that was a little too needy. He was the type of guy who wanted the girl to be devoted to the him (typical traditionalist) but she isn't the type of person to do that. She wasn't the type to be devoted and loyal but she still loved the boy. Now...guys being guys, he tried to show-off his "game" and lied to his friends about having kissed her (probably because his friends were teasing him which is so typical). She happens to overhear and gets the wrong impression, confronts him and he gets too pushy about something along the lines of her being distant and almost forces a kiss on her, resulting in their break up. (sorry for that run-on but I don't feel like reliving that explanation). One day she's alone eating at some fast food place and overhears the couple she is sitting behind having an argument. The girl is breaking up with the guy because the guy is being distant. A day or two later, she just happens to walk passed the guy with a couple of his friends and overhears how the guy answers his friends' questions about the break up. Instead of being "typical guy" and trying to show-off, he explains with somewhat honesty but never lying. The way he explains it hits her with an impact and suddenly, she turns around and confesses to him thinking he can "heal" her but much to her surprise, seeing his face for the first time, she's in shock (and awe I think).
Ah..now that I'm done with the long drawn out spoiler explanation of my perception of how the first chapter (and a half?) went, but to sum it up, let's just say I'm excited about this manga's potential. Oh but first off, I'll get out the obvious possible cliche that's to come. Because of the situation, I'm totally calling that this boy is the younger brother of the guy that she dated before (or somehow related like a cousin). If the story doesn't move along that way then kudos but if it does...I hope it doesn't drag on and it strides well with it.
Now onto why I'm really intrigued by this manga--as the title of this blog indicates, I named it "like blind love" and what I mean is that I love the originality in how this mangaka write this story. The girl finds new love in a person whom she's never faced before- instead she falls for the sincerity and patience that she's longed for through his words and actions. What I like more about this manga too is that in a way, I consider this female lead to be quite the modern woman. My reasoning for this is because traditionally in relationships, girls are expected to be really devoted to their boyfriends and husbands and families--leaving their sense of identity such as a career of their own or their own relationships with their own friends. This girl, even though she had a boyfriend, she doesn't conform to popular convention and wants to hang with her friends whereas everyone else seems to think she should be devoted wholeheartedly to the boy. That's very typical shoujo as well (leaving all sense of identity and being totally devoted to love and all that). I feel that there is a lot of potential for this manga and I hope it doesn't flop.
Anyway, so far it's a good start and I like the originality. Praise to Chibi scans for scanlating amazing story (maybe it's about time to drop a few of the others eh? no offense). I hope I didn't butcher this for all of you readers. Give this manga a chance anyways if you were bored out of your mind reading my post. It's awesome and you wont' regret it for sure!
Best,
tohukyo
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Irrelevant Randomness
This is completely irrelevant to manga and I should be studying/reading (midterm paper to do and exams) but whilst reading, my mind can venture off into random thoughts. I suddenly thought, I want to see episodes of Pink Lipstick, the South Korean Drama (I don't know why I specified when NK doesn't release any of the dramas it makes if it does make it) with Ha Jae Bum (actor Park Kwang Hyun) in it. Even though the drama was just excruciatingly long and also very soap opera-y Ha Jae Bum who wasn't the main character, totally made the drama lighten up with his heartiness and loving character. It really pulled me through a few years ago when I watched all 149 (30 minute) episodes with a prologue that was extremely long and painful to watch (was really bored and just felt like suffering through it). My sister was smart and just skipped episodes. The episodes with Ha Jae Bum really tugged at my heart strings. I can just remember how emotional I got when I go to the more heart breaking episodes towards the end. (As well as the disgust when his old man uncle/dad was cozying up to the young woman Jae Bum fancied....) Anyways, it's be awesome if there was some way to easily find those episodes starring him.
OH and a little environmental spiel for the sake of irrelevant randomness.
People have to realize that the world is disintegrating. In the last half century or so, we're killed more of the earth than ever before like cancer on high (if that makes sense). I hope people are more environmentally aware. Every little bit helps-recycling, reusing paper and such, (esp) conserving water, and all that knick-knack. Now what brought this on? Well here where I live, we're in drought conditions. Even though it's been raining some, our water supply is on the down low (way below, like almost 10%) and we produce a lot of commodities. Do you know how much water paper uses? How much water is used to make a single sheet of paper? I got really irked when my coworker (also a student like me but he does the more menial stuff and doesn't get the job done as well as I did when I was in that position last year)...when my coworker was printing a shit load of stuff for some undergrad or grad student and didn't even bother printing back to back. I don't care if it takes longer to print back to back. It's a sheer waste of paper and water when we're in emergency conservation right now!! Being a college student, for many, makes us hermits in a closed world (unless we let ourselves remain in tact w/ the rest of the world) so I realize my colleagues may not know what the rest of the world is up to but seriously, we're in the 21st century, it's time to clean up our act even if you contribute a little. Haven't you seen An Inconvenient Truth? (If not one of the most memorable quotes that is a requote:) "The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." Sir Winston Churchill. Well that's it and that's my spiel =D Please be as environmental as you can. Also recycling-you can't recycle containers contaminated by food. People don't know that in my school apparently which makes it totally useless to have recycling bins in dining areas IMHO.
OH and a little environmental spiel for the sake of irrelevant randomness.
People have to realize that the world is disintegrating. In the last half century or so, we're killed more of the earth than ever before like cancer on high (if that makes sense). I hope people are more environmentally aware. Every little bit helps-recycling, reusing paper and such, (esp) conserving water, and all that knick-knack. Now what brought this on? Well here where I live, we're in drought conditions. Even though it's been raining some, our water supply is on the down low (way below, like almost 10%) and we produce a lot of commodities. Do you know how much water paper uses? How much water is used to make a single sheet of paper? I got really irked when my coworker (also a student like me but he does the more menial stuff and doesn't get the job done as well as I did when I was in that position last year)...when my coworker was printing a shit load of stuff for some undergrad or grad student and didn't even bother printing back to back. I don't care if it takes longer to print back to back. It's a sheer waste of paper and water when we're in emergency conservation right now!! Being a college student, for many, makes us hermits in a closed world (unless we let ourselves remain in tact w/ the rest of the world) so I realize my colleagues may not know what the rest of the world is up to but seriously, we're in the 21st century, it's time to clean up our act even if you contribute a little. Haven't you seen An Inconvenient Truth? (If not one of the most memorable quotes that is a requote:) "The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." Sir Winston Churchill. Well that's it and that's my spiel =D Please be as environmental as you can. Also recycling-you can't recycle containers contaminated by food. People don't know that in my school apparently which makes it totally useless to have recycling bins in dining areas IMHO.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Future topics
So as my title says, this is just a list of future topics that I'll be writing about with a few notes. It's more for my use than yours but just so people can see what's to come (maybe).
There are things from every genre that I like (almost every) and I haven't even gotten to the stuff that I really like (other than the gender bender posts-crossdressing and physical transformation). Here are a few topics I'll definitely want to write about:
1) (Fine) Arts
Notes: I have a fondness for the classic fine arts which has to do with how I perceive most mainstream pop culture manga seems to lack substance or is inferior in terms of substance when compared to the classic fine arts. There are subgenres that go into this category but for this post itself on Fine Arts, I'm probably going to include graphic art like drawing and painting, traditional dance, theater/acting, and classical music related (I may do pop culture music at some point but there's not much there). However, depending on how long the posts get, I'll probably cut stuff out and post it another time.
2) Ballet
Notes: I have a separate category for this compared to Fine Arts because I absolutely adore Ballet mangas specifically. It is also because the subgenre ballet is more concrete in the sense that I can easily think of mangas that fit in the category. I already have a list of the mangas I'm going to recommend in this category because this subgenre is limited in the scanlating world
3)Time Skips
Notes: This is different from time travel mangas. This topic will be more about mangas that start out with characters in youth. They'll have a story developing but then years past and their story continues with their reunion. I'll admit that this subgenre I have set out is quite vague and I'm going to be flexible on the time skip part but I won't recommend anything that I think is shallow or superficial.
4)Shounen
Notes: I'm not a huge fan of shounen so this is a "maybe" topic but I do have a few that I enjoy reading and rereading every so often. Since I'm not a huge fan of shounen and I identify myself as more of a shoujo/josei (now seinen-ish) reader, I think it'll be easier for me to write about the few favorites I have in the shounen genre. Compared to Shoujo and Josei which I read a lot more from, it's more difficult to write a whole post just on each of those genres whereas shounen, it's limited so it's easier. Well this is a maybe post.
5)Authors
Notes: There are quite a few authors I want to write about. So far I only have Yoshizumi Wataru (which I need to finish) and Wann. There's quite a lot actually than a few. Some to list: Maki Youko, Emura, Arina Tanemura, Saitou Chiho, Souryo Fuyumi, Ogawa Yayoi, George Asakura, Lee Hyeon-sook, Narita Minako, Sakai Miyu, Yoshino Aki, etc.
6.) Historical Fiction
Notes: This is my one of my favorite genres of all time. I don't want to elaborate right now but I give anything a chance to win my favor that goes back to the historical periods in any world (well not anything) so I know a few good ones under my belt included Japanese history which I think some people aren't as fond of compared to other historical fiction.
7)Mangaupdate polls
Notes: I like popping into Mangaupdates once a week at least for their weekly poll. Some are interesting, others aren't so much but there have been more than a few polls that are total starter topics as "food for thought" posts. I've been thinking about doing it for some time but because it's quite time consuming to write a whole "food for thought" post, I thought I'd just move it to the side
8) VS [Versus]
Notes: I said almost a year ago (still a few more months til it's a year), I said I might work on scanlating VS [Versus] because I find it a wonderful and amazing story. I'm not so sure when I'll get to that since currently I'm not using a laptop with Photoshop functions. My other laptop shitted up so when I came back down to school, I brought another laptop for personal use. The way I'm going to do it is probably clean as much as I can and later typeset.
9) ETC
Notes: I think this is good enough for topics wise. I have a few drafts posts in my blog that I haven't looked into in a while. So I may start on releasing those depending on how much time for school, work, life, and this =)
'Til next. (midterm seasons now til the end of the quarter, work is at a busy deadlines season too ack....)
There are things from every genre that I like (almost every) and I haven't even gotten to the stuff that I really like (other than the gender bender posts-crossdressing and physical transformation). Here are a few topics I'll definitely want to write about:
1) (Fine) Arts
Notes: I have a fondness for the classic fine arts which has to do with how I perceive most mainstream pop culture manga seems to lack substance or is inferior in terms of substance when compared to the classic fine arts. There are subgenres that go into this category but for this post itself on Fine Arts, I'm probably going to include graphic art like drawing and painting, traditional dance, theater/acting, and classical music related (I may do pop culture music at some point but there's not much there). However, depending on how long the posts get, I'll probably cut stuff out and post it another time.
2) Ballet
Notes: I have a separate category for this compared to Fine Arts because I absolutely adore Ballet mangas specifically. It is also because the subgenre ballet is more concrete in the sense that I can easily think of mangas that fit in the category. I already have a list of the mangas I'm going to recommend in this category because this subgenre is limited in the scanlating world
3)Time Skips
Notes: This is different from time travel mangas. This topic will be more about mangas that start out with characters in youth. They'll have a story developing but then years past and their story continues with their reunion. I'll admit that this subgenre I have set out is quite vague and I'm going to be flexible on the time skip part but I won't recommend anything that I think is shallow or superficial.
4)Shounen
Notes: I'm not a huge fan of shounen so this is a "maybe" topic but I do have a few that I enjoy reading and rereading every so often. Since I'm not a huge fan of shounen and I identify myself as more of a shoujo/josei (now seinen-ish) reader, I think it'll be easier for me to write about the few favorites I have in the shounen genre. Compared to Shoujo and Josei which I read a lot more from, it's more difficult to write a whole post just on each of those genres whereas shounen, it's limited so it's easier. Well this is a maybe post.
5)Authors
Notes: There are quite a few authors I want to write about. So far I only have Yoshizumi Wataru (which I need to finish) and Wann. There's quite a lot actually than a few. Some to list: Maki Youko, Emura, Arina Tanemura, Saitou Chiho, Souryo Fuyumi, Ogawa Yayoi, George Asakura, Lee Hyeon-sook, Narita Minako, Sakai Miyu, Yoshino Aki, etc.
6.) Historical Fiction
Notes: This is my one of my favorite genres of all time. I don't want to elaborate right now but I give anything a chance to win my favor that goes back to the historical periods in any world (well not anything) so I know a few good ones under my belt included Japanese history which I think some people aren't as fond of compared to other historical fiction.
7)Mangaupdate polls
Notes: I like popping into Mangaupdates once a week at least for their weekly poll. Some are interesting, others aren't so much but there have been more than a few polls that are total starter topics as "food for thought" posts. I've been thinking about doing it for some time but because it's quite time consuming to write a whole "food for thought" post, I thought I'd just move it to the side
8) VS [Versus]
Notes: I said almost a year ago (still a few more months til it's a year), I said I might work on scanlating VS [Versus] because I find it a wonderful and amazing story. I'm not so sure when I'll get to that since currently I'm not using a laptop with Photoshop functions. My other laptop shitted up so when I came back down to school, I brought another laptop for personal use. The way I'm going to do it is probably clean as much as I can and later typeset.
9) ETC
Notes: I think this is good enough for topics wise. I have a few drafts posts in my blog that I haven't looked into in a while. So I may start on releasing those depending on how much time for school, work, life, and this =)
'Til next. (midterm seasons now til the end of the quarter, work is at a busy deadlines season too ack....)
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Stealing Intellectual Property?
Lol the title is a little bit of an exaggeration but I googled myself (tohukyo) which is a little narcissistic BUT I did it because I wanted to check what accounts I made over the years using the username to ensure personal info isn't revealed. Turns out I've created a number of accounts that don't do that (found one that did but changed it) and I happened upon a DEVIANT Art account that isn't mine WITH my username. NOw I'm not sure who created it is since it isn't me (I use a standard date of birth for this username usually for accounts or my real one May 22). It's quite ironic that it's on Deviant art because I consider the person who is using my username a deviant. It's a name I consider quite precious to me since I CREATED THE NAME and it brings up wonderful memories of relationships I've formed online using this username--the online game RF for example which is what I originally created it for). I of course could be flattered that someone is using the name however it's nothing flattering if the person doesn't ask. Of course it is the internet and the internet is kind of anarchist but come on, why didn't you just ask? I obviously would have said no but I would be flattered of course but now it's kind of irksome especially since it's very sentimental to me. =l As annoying as it is, I used to always say "the internet is anarchy"where even the government can cross lines. Sigh...I'm disappointed.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Quick Post--MF Forums down?
Simple as the title is. I haven't been able to access Mangafox Forums in the last few days so I can't post any commentary on any mangas I have. I use batoto as well but still, Mangafox is my go-to place for manga discussions. Batoto has a comments section so it kind of becomes the unofficial forum for things like "latest chapter discussion thread"s. Anyway, I tried it out on three different browsers, all say "Server Error" and I can't check to see if it's my DNS I'm not tech-savvy enough. I also did one of those internet website status things (the sites where you paste the url of a site to see if it's just you and not anyone else who can't access it), according to that site I checked on, the forums aren't working for everyone. I don't know if that's true though. Well not such a big deal since I should be studying....
Tata...
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UPDATE--Jan 26 (noon-ish)
MF forums are back up. It took like 2 or 3 days just to update the server format I guess. They added an activity log like on facebook which is lame because I don't need to know every single detail of what other people are doing and I don't need some person going to my profile seeing my activity (hence why I'm always in invisible mode on MF). The fact they brought down the server just for that is lame. "Dislike!"
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UPDATE #2--Jan 26 (nearing midnight)
So according to the announcements, the server down for the forums was due to ridding of malware stuff (about time, chrome was high on alert for those) and for changing the forums (again-lame). So earlier this evening, I checked in on MF forums again (my profile) and not so much to my surprise, the activity log was removed. Wonder if that'll be permanent...But now, geez, they're still trying to fix things. If it's for the malware, go ahead but it seems like they're still messing with the formatting because now I'm seeing the customize profile stuff on my profile when I haven't even clicked on customize profile.
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Update #3-Feb 6
It's ridiculous how much they screwed up the forums in the last couple of weeks.
Tata...
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UPDATE--Jan 26 (noon-ish)
MF forums are back up. It took like 2 or 3 days just to update the server format I guess. They added an activity log like on facebook which is lame because I don't need to know every single detail of what other people are doing and I don't need some person going to my profile seeing my activity (hence why I'm always in invisible mode on MF). The fact they brought down the server just for that is lame. "Dislike!"
____________________________________________________
UPDATE #2--Jan 26 (nearing midnight)
So according to the announcements, the server down for the forums was due to ridding of malware stuff (about time, chrome was high on alert for those) and for changing the forums (again-lame). So earlier this evening, I checked in on MF forums again (my profile) and not so much to my surprise, the activity log was removed. Wonder if that'll be permanent...But now, geez, they're still trying to fix things. If it's for the malware, go ahead but it seems like they're still messing with the formatting because now I'm seeing the customize profile stuff on my profile when I haven't even clicked on customize profile.
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Update #3-Feb 6
It's ridiculous how much they screwed up the forums in the last couple of weeks.
Monday, January 20, 2014
The Exclusivity of Projects Rant-ish
I'm not going to get too into this because I have other things I should be doing but I can't help but make note of this. Months ago, I blogged about the Exclusivity of Projects and the basics of that whole "private property" notion that scanlators adopt (those who respect it that is). I also made note of how people can abuse that. Now this post is about one group (whom I shall not name but you may speculate from the details).
This group has really been a thorn I'd say but in another respect they are quite notable for "good" scanlating work. This group is one of the oldest I'd say (relatively), they've been going at it for quite awhile and produce HQ scanlations. HOWEVER, the thing that irks me the most and also displays the abuse of the exclusivity "phenomenon" is the freaking fact that they keep taking up new projects and not bothering to actually complete old ones. Ok so I've done a count and here are the numbers:
This group has really been a thorn I'd say but in another respect they are quite notable for "good" scanlating work. This group is one of the oldest I'd say (relatively), they've been going at it for quite awhile and produce HQ scanlations. HOWEVER, the thing that irks me the most and also displays the abuse of the exclusivity "phenomenon" is the freaking fact that they keep taking up new projects and not bothering to actually complete old ones. Ok so I've done a count and here are the numbers:
Totaling "active" projects are about 120 (+/- 5)!!
Projects that they've set their sights on (therefore other groups may not touch them unless they contact the group for "permission") totals to 170 (+/- 5).
AND "future" oneshots add up to about 130!!
Now I suppose I can just counteract that by observing what their completion ratio is so here are the numbers: 75 (+/-5)
I get it, the amount of man power it takes and I get that I'm not taking into consideration the amount of chapters and differences in terms of quality of work required for each manga as well as the fact that they may not have listed every single project they've completed but still...This number of active projects is quite excessive and the future ones that they have their sights on (it's good to look towards the future but it's obviously gotten out of control) is quite outrageous (somewhat of an exaggeration on my part i suppose). Now, they certainly turn out great work and I absolutely praise them for that but when I just see on whatever manga site I"m on and on the updated page, a manga with their group name on it saying "Chapter 1" as an update, it just pricks at me with annoyance.
I"m actually making it a bigger deal than it is and I actually don't care that much as it sounds like I do here but seriously it's like WTH right? Mmmm...yeah, that's all I wanted to say.
Lol first time I posted something related to manga on this blog in awhile. And a tangent from this blog but still related to the whole exclusivity thing, I just wish that people would take it in strides as in if some low blow scanlator picks up a project without any consideration for the HQ scanlator, I wish the HQ scanlator will just be the bigger person and still release despite less numbers reading the HQ scans =l I surely prefer it over low blow quality (especially when they butcher the english langauge)
Well until next whenever that may be...midterms are coming up x0
I"m actually making it a bigger deal than it is and I actually don't care that much as it sounds like I do here but seriously it's like WTH right? Mmmm...yeah, that's all I wanted to say.
Lol first time I posted something related to manga on this blog in awhile. And a tangent from this blog but still related to the whole exclusivity thing, I just wish that people would take it in strides as in if some low blow scanlator picks up a project without any consideration for the HQ scanlator, I wish the HQ scanlator will just be the bigger person and still release despite less numbers reading the HQ scans =l I surely prefer it over low blow quality (especially when they butcher the english langauge)
Well until next whenever that may be...midterms are coming up x0
Friday, January 10, 2014
TV Marathoning
Hi blog visitors,
So...things obviously didn't go as planned. The holidays have come and passed and now I'm starting a new quarter at school that's why more hectic than ever!! (why do I do this to myself...) ANYWAYS! There were a couple reasons why I didn't update the blog and such.
One was because as soon as I got home, I somehow decided that I had to go out almost every single day. I'd say about 70% of my holiday consisted of shopping. Original objective since November was to buy sweaters and I ended up buying a bunch of knit "kind of" cardigans as well as shoes AND A NEW LAPTOP. A tiny notebook actually. My main laptop's motherboard F-ed up so I'm using a replacement laptop with all my stuff in a portable hard drive and my mini laptop serves as my lecture notes laptop. Also got around to watching the Catching Fire movie which I felt stayed pretty true to the storyline compared to the prequel (that was a disappointment to me but then again I've only watched it once so maybe I'll have a different opinion later on).
The other reason why I didn't get to blogging was because, (other than the fact I was celebrating the holidays). I entered into a TV marathon-ing phase where I watch the whole half season of supernatural for this year, the whole 2.5 seasons of suits, all 2.5 seasons of 2 Broke Girls (Hilarious!). I think that's all I watched....RIP Kevin, you will be missed. It hit me when you died....OH and like 1.5 seasons of Arrow (rewatch actually because my brother and I already were following it but my sister just started watching so we watched it with her). Of course it's no fun watching on a small screen laptop. HDMI+Flat Screen+laptop, who needs DVR? =)
Anyways, that about sums up most of my holiday in a go. I don't feel like sharing my actual holiday celebration since that's too long of a story and no one wants to read that (then again I don't know who would want to read the contents of what I've posted here in this post anyways).
Well new year, new classes, bigger work load as well but I still feel the same ambivalence about my future.....
I"m actually still in my TV marathoning phase (not so much of course considering how I'm in school again) watching Merlin. I haven't read much manga to report on and to talk in the forums about. I'm taking a break I suppose and simply reading the ones I find worth following (ie whatever I decide to follow on batoto and even then I don't read every single one of the updates on the follows).
Bye and 'til next time..................................
Anyways, that about sums up most of my holiday in a go. I don't feel like sharing my actual holiday celebration since that's too long of a story and no one wants to read that (then again I don't know who would want to read the contents of what I've posted here in this post anyways).
Well new year, new classes, bigger work load as well but I still feel the same ambivalence about my future.....
I"m actually still in my TV marathoning phase (not so much of course considering how I'm in school again) watching Merlin. I haven't read much manga to report on and to talk in the forums about. I'm taking a break I suppose and simply reading the ones I find worth following (ie whatever I decide to follow on batoto and even then I don't read every single one of the updates on the follows).
Bye and 'til next time..................................
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