The Wallflower by Tomoko Hayakawa

Hi guys,

So, not that anyone cares, but I am late in posting this week. My reasons for this are because of the dreaded finals I had this week. Like I said, I don't think anyone cares... Alright, if I secretly have readers out there, they're probably supremely irritated that all I do at the beginning of my posts is complain about how no one is reading... *insert cliche sigh* Somehow I need to get myself into the manga online community, so that I may meet my grandiose dream of having followers who aren't already my friends in real life. :3 Anyone know the best manga forum site?

Okay, this week I chose to reviwe another old anime show called, 'The Wallflower' or 'Perfect Girl Evolution' by Tomoko Hayakawa. It's also a manga of course, but I haven't actually read it, though I can tell you that the art is very different from the anime. The story is about a girl named Sunako, who was told she was ugly by the only boy she had ever liked. Since that experience, Sunako shuns all 'beautiful' things, including her own blossoming beauty. She prefers to spend her time watching horror movies and making friends with anatomical science mannequins. Her aunt notices this unusual behavior and sends her to live with her four handsome renters in order to turn Sunako into a 'perfect lady'. If successful, the four boys will receive free rent! Unfortunately for them, Sunako is the farthest thing from a perfect lady, and is also far from willing. The anime is a twenty-five episode series, which ends rather abruptly with a hint about Sunako's love for one of the boys.

While looking for something good to watch over my winter break a few weeks ago, I ran into 'The Wallflower', which is a romantic comedy with a lot of gothic undertones. Along with some of its strange interjections of gothic doom, it still keeps a light hearted tone. It wasn't my favorite anime to watch due to its often repetitive plot lines, but it was very entertaining at its best. Sunako is prone to nosebleeds, cares more about her mannequin, Hiroshi, and spends most of the show in demented chibi form, rather than her true beautiful self. As you can see, it's pretty hilarious. I would definitely recommend this anime if you're looking for something fun and silly, but not if you're looking for a serious shoujo or dramatic anime.

Well, gotta go!
Best,
Pseudonymous Jayne

Mars by Fuyumi Soryo

Dear Cyberspace,

So, it seems my internet popularity has increased within the last day! In spite of the fact that I am acquainted with my one follower, I am overjoyed that my reviews are being read by more people than yours truly. :3

After a stressful day debating in french (oui, je parle francais, mais jusque un peu), learning 'u substitution' in calculus, and writing an essay on the reasons I know what I know, I've decided to pick a school related manga. Even when I'm out of school, I just can't help but love manga with school themes! Though, I must admit the adorable uniforms are a definite perk! Ironically, the manga I've chosen (Mars by Fuyumi Soryo) doesn't actually have any uniforms... Anyway, I'll stop rambling and start reviewing!

'Mars' is a manga series by Fuyumi Soryo. It was released in english language through Tokyopop, but is now considered out of print, though it can be found on most online manga sites. The series was released in 1996 and ended in 2000, which makes the clothing and art style a little dated. In spite of this, it's really one of the best manga series I have ever read. 'Mars' follows the romance between Kira Aso and Rei Kashino, who are opposites in every way, but both come from troubled backgrounds. Rei is a professional motorcycle racer with a bad reputation for using girls and starting fights, while Kira is an introverted artist who spends most of her time hiding from people. Even though, Kira and Rei live different lives, they're drawn to each other and eventually fall in love. Through their journey together, they learn about each other's dark pasts, which both are filled with pain, loss, and sadness.

'Mars' follows a traditional shoujo plot with romance and high school themes, but it's very unique in its character depth. The characters, Kira and Rei, are lost in their dark pasts and show growth as they learn to move on to make the best of their lives. Aside from the romance, 'Mars' has sports, drama, psychological, and mature content. It's action packed and fast paced, but classic in all aspects of the word. 'Mars' will make you laugh, cry, smile, and cringe with the story Soryo brings you. I'm actually really disappointed I wasn't reading manga when this came out, because I would have loved to forum or talk about this manga in the decade it came out! :3

Anyway, I really loved this series and definitely recommend it to everyone. It has aspects that make it interesting for all manga readers. Its fifteen volumes can be found at: http://www.mangareader.net/mars
(I'm going to start linking the manga sites from now on!)

In case anyone is interested, Mars has also been made into a live action drama in Taiwanese! I can't attest to whether it's any good, but I imagine it's very entertaining. Soryo also made a prequel to the series called 'Mars: A Horse By No Name' in 1999, though most reviews say it's way overdone to be taken seriously...

Well, I should stop procrastinating my work!
Best,
~Pseudonymous Jayne ;)

Princess Hanaka by Kayono

Ahoy again,

So, it looks I still don't have any readers... :( Sad, but very true. I don't know what to do to start getting some readers, but I know it's probably because I currently have zero advertising tactics! At least I enjoy ranting and raving about manga. It's my stress reliever in my very busy pre-college schedule. Okay, I should probably stop moping about my lack of internet popularity, and get reviewing. Since we reviewed a manga about a prince last week, let's review a manga about a princess... 'Princess Hanaka' by Kayono. Unfortunately, I didn't really like 'Princess Hanaka', but it will be fun to review something awful (wow, I sound terrible).

'Princess Hanaka' is about a girl named Hanaka, who is used to traveling frequently with her fortune telling grandma. When her grandma announces that they'll be leaving again, Hanaka is upset because she's in love with a popular boy who barely notices her. The next day, Hanaka is confronted by a group of cross dressing thieves who address her as Princess Hanaka and demand an object called the Laga Star. Hanaka doesn't know what they're talking about, but finds herself being rescued by an other-worldly boy of her past, who professes his love for her. Hanaka learns that she is a princess from a world called Oz, where she is wanted for the jewel she carries on her belly. On her way back to Oz with her new lover, she is followed by her love from earth, whom she didn't know loves her back. The story continues with a rescue of Hanaka's kidnapped grandma, but more importantly, a duel between her two lovers. Hanaka tests their love by measuring the amount of flowers that appear from her Laga Star jewel, which shows how much she is attracted to someone (weird, right? o_0). The story ends abruptly without resolving who Hanaka likes more, but concluding that she has two lovers in Oz.

I am usually not as adamant about how much I hate a manga series, because I usually love just about anything, but 'Princess Hanaka' is probably the worst thing I have ever read. Kayano's artwork is beautiful, and her bishounen boys are simply marvelous, but her plot was ridiculous. This would have been okay if her ending had not sucked so much! The story uses a great big lover's duel between her two lovers (who are so pointless aside from their looks, that I can't even remember their names!), but ends up making them share Hanaka! I really love Kayano's drawing style, but that's all I can giver he kudos for. I can't honestly say I'll never read another Kayano manga, but I can at least advise everyone not to read 'Princess Hanaka'!

Enjoy the week,

~Pseudonymous Jayne :3

Private Prince by Enjouji Maki

Hey!

It's officially the first night I'm blogging on the schedule! I'm also running on about four hours of sleep and I have a manga series to blame. :) I just finished Enjouji Maki's 'Private Prince', and really loved it. Yes, it has a cheesy title, which is what detoured me from it for the longest, but it's actually much better than I expected. I usually don't like to admit that I like sketchy "ecchi" manga, but 'Private Prince' isn't incriminating at all. ;) It's actually one of the few manga series, categorized as ecchi, with an adorable plot and powerful female character! For that, I give it a thumbs up.

'Private Prince' is about the unusual romance between Miyako, an obsessive history research graduate and the famous Prince Willfred of Estolia. It just so happens that Willfred has the information Miyako needs, because he is the grandson of Queen Ritsuko. Miyako is willing to stop at nothing if she can finish her thesis, but when Willfred refuses to tell her anything until she falls in love with him, she's not so sure she can comply. Willfred thinks of the whole ordeal as a game and a way to be around Miyako who has a quality he loves: big boobs (and that's where it get categorized as ecchi!), but as the story continues, both Willfred and Miyako begin to fall for each other. The story also deepens when Miyako meets Prince Willfred's royal family, and the additional drama that ensues with being in a relationship with Willfred. This romantic comedy is definitely for more mature readers, but its lighthearted characters and plot ease it into a very carefree series.

I'd never heard of Enjouji Maki or 'Private Prince', but I'm beginning to wonder why I hadn't! It's definitely one of my favorite this month (even if we're only a week into it!). I also really liked how 'Private Prince' was an echhi/"smut" manga series with a pretty focused and intelligent leading lady. Miyako is an incredible and motivated researcher, and refuses the Prince's advances with a different reproach than other manga characters. Aside from being fairly naive, she doesn't beg and plead to gain the Prince's love. In fact, it's her constant denial that eventually makes the Prince fall for her. I'm sure you can tell that I take this sort of stuff pretty seriously... :) I think we all get tired of reading the same relationships in manga, so this was nice break from that!

Well, I'd better head out!
~Pseudonymous Jayne :3

Bizenghast by M. Alice LeGrow

Hi all,

I seriously cannot believe I'll be back in school tomorrow! It's too unbearable to think about right now, thus I will blog. Today is the last day I'll blog until Wednesday, which will begin my weekly schedule. (Maybe I'll blog on Saturday, too...) Anyway, let's talk about 'Bizenghast', an English-language (OEL) manga series I've really enjoyed. Yes, it's not technically manga, but it's still a very pretty and entertaining series. Though, the fact that it's read forwards, rather than the traditional backwards of manga, is annoying! XP

Okay, 'Bizenghast' is series by M. Alice LeGrow. It's published in North America by Tokyopop, which has released seven volumes, expected to finish with a final volume soon. The story is set in the haunted town of New England, where an orphaned girl named Dinah Wherever is sent to live with her aunt. Dinah can see ghosts, which causes trouble because her aunt's home is haunted; however she is believed to be schizophrenic. Later Dinah and her only friend, Vincent, find an old mausoleum where they accidentally subject themselves to servitude to free ghosts and release their souls, or die! Dinah is bound to a contract that makes her return every night to work, a job which Vincent voluntarily accompanies her. The story continues with the adventures Dinah, Vincent, and the ghosts of the mausoleum experience.

Unlike the shoujo romance I usually love in manga, 'Bizenghast' caught my eye entirely for its art. 'Bizenghast' is illustrated in beautiful gothic styles, for which Dinah and Vincent are always dressed. LeGrow uses interesting macabre objects to create figures for her characters and the prisons the ghosts in the mausoleum have suffered in. This quality and creativity in art does slack as the series continues, probably due to the fast publications of the series, which has only been out for five years. The story is very strong in art and plot with the first four volumes, but after the death of Vincent (spoiler, but you just had to know), it seems the plot unfolds too. The attempt to become a horror manga is weak, but it's lucky that LeGrow illustrates so well, because she definitely keeps her readers interested in the visuals of the story. The story was well received for its American audiences, but has yet to be come an animated show. It's been released as an imanga (a concept I don't quite understand, or like at all) through myspace, which doesn't do the art justice, so I definitely recommend taking a look at the manga yourself.

Best,
~Pseudonymous Jayne

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya

Happy New Year! :)

Let's start the year off with a related and very popular manga series, 'Fruits Basket'. 'Fruits Basket is a manga series by Natsuki Takaya. It's one of the best selling shoujo manga series in the United States and Japan, even earning itself a very popular anime series with 26 episodes.

'Fruits Basket is the story of orphaned and destitute Tohru Honda, who before meeting Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure Sohma, lived in a small tent in the forest. The Sohma boys take Tohru into their care after her tent home is destroyed in a mud-slide. Tohru knows Yuki as a quiet and popular boy from her school, but as she comes to know the Sohma family, she learns they are cursed. Thirteen members from the Sohma family represent an animal of the Chinese zodiac, and are cursed to turn into their animal forms when hugged by someone of the opposite gender. Yuki and Kyo are the rat and cat zodiac animals, who naturally loathe each other because in the traditional folk tale, the rat caused the cat to be removed from the zodiac. After finding out about the Sohma's curse, Tohru must promise to keep their secret or have her memory removed. Tohru's optimism teaches the Sohma family many lessons as she meets each member of the zodiac, who have all dealt with family, love, and emotional problems caused by the curse. Tohru also develops a strong bond with Kyo and Yuki, who both seem to love her. As the story continues, Tohru learns that the Sohma curse is darker than she thought, but sets out to break the Sohma curse and help each member of the zodiac in any way she can.

'Fruits Basket' is a long series with 23 volumes, which is shortened and rearranged in the anime. The anime series changes almost all events regarding Kyo's "second form", which is the darker part of the Sohma curse. The anime also ended with an ambiguous ending, which didn't touch the true ending in the manga series, where Yuki and Kyo express the manner of their love for Tohru.

Overall, 'Fruits Basket' is a cute series with a lot of small stories and events intertwined in it. I was never able to get through the whole manga series, because I felt the pace was just too slow. The anime left too many details regarding Yuki and Kyo's feelings for Tohru, but was entertaining. Plus, I really loved the theme song, which helps a lot when watching a series! :D The anime makes Tohru seem like she could be a therapist! She is just so good at recognizing all of the Sohma family problems (plus, the adorable theme music intercepts and it's nearly impossible not to smile or feel like crying!).

The manga and anime both have perks, but are both fairly slow-paced. Popular or not, I've also never liked Natsuki Takaya's art very much. The characters are lovely, but have bizarre proportions when it comes to their unusually short legs! XP Takaya succeeds in creating a kid-friendly shoujo manga though, which provides a key reason to the manga's popularity. If you like cutesy shoujo manga series with romance, gender bender, school themes, and animals, 'Fruits Basket' is a must see/read! :)

~Pseudonymous Jayne