Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa

Ahoy,

Alright, now for an anime review! This time I'll review an anime series called 'Paradise Kiss' (abbreviated to ParaKiss) or 'Paradaisu Kisu'. I haven't read the manga for this anime, but I'm told the anime follows very close to the manga except for the ending, which is gone into more depth in the manga. I'm a fan of this anime series for a few reasons: 1) It's short 2) It leaves off where the manga ends 3) The animation is still beautiful even though it's an anime series. I'm so used to the art of an anime series being totally different than the style of the manga, but 'Paradise Kiss' has wonderful art in both the manga and anime.

'Paradise Kiss' is a manga and anime series by Ai Yazawa, who is famous for the josei (which means a manga made for 'ladies') manga/anime series 'NaNa'. The manga series ran in a magazine called 'Zipper' where it was later compressed into five volumes and twelve anime episodes. The anime series was produced by 'Madhouse Studios' and began airing in October 2005. (I know, it's an old series, but it was new to me a few weeks ago... XD)

'Paradise Kiss' is a semi-sequel to Yazawa's previous series 'Neighborhood Story' or 'Gokinjo Monogatari', but only in the use of several characters. 'Paradise Kiss' follows Yukari "Caroline" Hayasaka, who is disenchanted with her average high school life. She is beautiful, but spiritless until she meets the ParaKiss crew, who are a team of fashion designer students. ParaKiss is lead by a handsome, but cold designer named George who creates extravagant costume clothing. George and the ParaKiss crew plan to use Yukari as their model for an important fashion contest. While designing the dress, which progresses through the whole series, Yukari leaves high school to taste independence and begin her career as a professional model, as well as continue her developing relationship with George. The ParaKiss crew are the most entertaining characters of the series with the lovable Miwako and her punk boyfriend, Arashi. This anime series is fast paced and will keep you watching. The series is probably recommended for an older audience, due to it's briefly sexual scenes and the required appreciation for a fashion based anime.

I didn't think I'd enjoy an anime series named 'Paradise Kiss', because it sounded like a sad romance, but 'Paradise Kiss' is probably one of my favorite anime series. I should probably learn to stop judging my manga/anime series by their names! 'Paradise Kiss' has a lot of annoying twists, mostly due to Yukari's lack of confidence and George's snide remarks, but in the end the series has a definite shoujo feel. For a short series, the characters are very well developed and make you laugh. I personally, did not like the ending which took an unexpected turn, but it was realistic and a definite Yazawa-styled ending. But... you'll have to read/watch to find out yourself!

Best,
Pseudonymous Jayne

Rin-ne by Rumiko Takahashi

Hello cyberspace,

I've decided to review a more current manga series called 'Rin-ne'. Yes, a lot of the manga series I'll be reviewing have been long finished, but as a late bloomer in the manga world, I'm still reading old series. There are simply way too many manga series to have read them all while they came out. I personally love reading a series after it has been entirely finished, so I don't have to worry about stopping in between while I wait for the next chapters or volumes to be released.

Unfortunately... as a lot of manga readers have noticed, there are not a lot of great new series coming out! I like to believe that it's just too hard to find a unique concept in the manga world, but the need for graphic novels has definitely increased in the past few years. They're even responsible for getting more children interested in reading because many authors have started releasing graphic novel versions of their books to encourage literacy!

Alright, onwards:

'Rin-ne' or 'Kyokai no Rinne' (Rinne of the Boundary) is the newest work by Rumiko Takahashi, famous for 'Inu-Yasha', 'Ranma 1/2', and many more titles. It was released in 2009 withink Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday manga magazine. 'Rin-ne' is the story of Sakura Mamiya, a girl who has the power to see ghosts, and her classmate Rinne Rokudo. Rinne is mixed with human and shinigami, which makes him required to help lingering spirits to pass through a 'Wheel of Reincarnation' and reincarnate to their next life. Rinne and Sakura work together to help spirits with bounds to eartch pass into reincarnation, while being interrupted by troubling ghosts, other shinigamis, and even rival suitors. Rinne and Sakura develop a relationship, which is reminiscent of the bond between Kagome and Inu-Yasha in Takahashi's 'Inu-Yasha' manga. The story is still too new to determine if there is an official romance between Rinne and Sakura. The story is similar to other supernatural manga involving the ability to see ghosts, but captures the reader in a way that no one other than Rumiko Takahashi could do. If you enjoyed 'Inu-Yasha' or any of Takahashi's creations, you'll love the newest addition to the Rumic world. There are currently only four volumes released in english, but a fifth volume is on the way. Due to the success of other Takahashi endeavors, the series is predicted to have an anime premiere soon.

Despite the very common theme of shinigami and supernatural powers in manga series, I was really drawn to this manga. This is probably because I have a lingering respect for Takahashi and 'Inu-Yasha' which initiated my interest in manga. However, the art of Takahashi manga is also a refreshing new look because her work is neither flowery or blocky, which is different than other manga styles. Like many of Takahashi stories, 'Rin-ne' is probably destined to have a long running with sometimes repetitive, but enjoyable plots. The relationship between the characters Sakura and Rinne will probably irritate you just as much as the relationship between Kagome and Inuyasha did, but as with most Takahashi stories, most will continue reading anyway! :] I wouldn't recommend this series if you're anticipating a quick read or a satisfying ending, because Takahashi tends to create poor and dissatisfying endings to her usually long series...

And that concludes another review!
~Pseudonymous Jayne

Millennium Snow by Bisco Hatori

Hello hello,

I realized that I left off my last entry without actually reviewing anything!?! So, I've got to start somewhere, right? I've decided to begin with a short series I've really enjoyed, Millennium Snow' or 'Thousand Years of Snow'. The title sounds slightly New Years related, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with New Years...

Another important task for me now is to decide how frequently I want to blog! I read somewhere that a good blogger remembers to blog with a schedule. Wednesday is a central day of the week, and it seems that after Wednesday passes by, the rest of the week follows in a flash. So, Wednesday it is! Welcome to Pseudonymous Jayne's Weekly Manga & Anime Blog! :)

(Though, I'll be blogging everyday this week before I start blogging once a week)

Alright, without further ado, I'll begin:

'Millennium Snow' or 'AThousand Years of Snow' is a manga series by mangaka Bisco Hatori, who is famous for the series 'Ouran High School Host Club' (which, I will also review sometime soon!). Millennium Snow is the story of a sickly girl named Chiyuki, who doctors claim won't live to see the next snowfall. One night, Chiyuki meets a handsome young vampire named Toya, who is cold and cruel towards humans, but also finds himself drawn to Chiyuki. In spite of this, Toya knows that if he makes a blood partnership with a human like Chiyuki, he would be able to keep Chiyuki and himself alive for a thousand years. The story continues with Toya's progressing love for Chiyuki, which is put to the test when she meets Satsuki, a humorous and flirtatious boy, who just happens to be a werewolf. The series is focused on Toya and Chiyuki who develop a fickle romance. Chiyuki is able to teach Toya a respect for life as she lives each moment to the fullest, which contrasts Toya and his distaste for life and his immortality.

Now, I don't typically like manga series with vampires, because the whole concept has been milked entirely by the 'Twilight Saga'. 'Millennium Snow', despite its comparisons to 'Twilight' with the wolf and vampire fighting over one girl, is a stand alone unique story. The series was first published in 2002 (three years before Twilight was made), but was released in english in 2007. Unfortunately, the series has not been finished, because Bisco Hatori decided to focus on 'Ouran High School Host Club'. Even though that series has been finished for a few years, the 'Millennium Snow' has not continued, and is still limited to just two volumes! :( 'Millennium Snow' also has its perks in the art, which shows you Hatori's style before she completed 'Ouran High School Host Club'. Overall, a great story and art, until you realize it doesn't have an ending... If you're looking for a short and sweet shoujo romance, 'Millennium Snow' will definitely satisfy.

Hope you enjoyed my first manga review!

Best,

Pseudonymous Jayne

Another Manga Blog (an explanation to the madness)

To my (currently) non-existant readers,

Boredom makes us do a lot of silly things...
In my case, I'm using this boredom as fuel to start my first blog, and not just any blog, but a blog on manga and anime! It's a hackneyed idea that numerous teens and overaged fans have done with the hopes of sharing their penchant for manga to the world. I'd like to say I'm different, but it really isn't the case... :(

I think the only difference between this blog and the hundreds of other manga blogs is the fact that I'm an inexperienced blogger and I've just started my manga/anime exploration. I guess you could say my fascination with manga began in middle school, reading the redundant series 'Inu-Yasha'. I continued reading with the typical 'Fruits Basket' and even stretching into 'Gravitation'. I stopped reading when I entered high school, where I thought it would be the end of my manga days. Now, as a high school senior who has just finished the dreaded college applications, I've found myself with a lot of time and a new computer. The world of anime and scanlations is at my fingertips!!! XD

After joining several forums and applying to be a proof reader for a scanlation site, I've decided to do what many have already done - blog about what I love. As a bored, almost college student, I'm going to soothe my inner manga fan by posting my manga and anime progression in the form of this here blog...

I guess that's all I have to say. Now, all I need to do is review and rave, while these words get lost in cyberspace. It's like speaking into a black abyss. Who knows if anyone will hear?

Best,
Pseudonymous Jayne ;-)