Shakugan no Shana

Shakugan no Shana...oh, what a dissapointment. I thought this story looked really good: A boy who's city is suddenly attacked by ominous beings and he's saved by a girl with a sword named Shana and must now figure out what in the world is going on and also stay alive; However, I read only the first of twenty-four books (at the time there was only four) because I found it very confusing to follow, and also a little weird. I mean, maybe it gets better down the road, but something inside is telling me not to read any further! There's also an anime, but I don't plan to watch it. Zero out of five stars. T_T

Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories

This book contains the first four manga ever released by Arina Tanemura. The last story is the oldest and the first story is the most recent of the four (strange, isn't it?). The first story is split into two parts: Short-Tempered Melancholic and Short-Tempered Melancholic Without You. It's about a teenaged female ninja who has the duty of protecting her family's secret weapon. It's a good story and it's a quick read. The second story is called This Love Is Non-Fiction, about a girl named Yuri who has a male penpal (Ryo), and instead of sending a picture of herself, she sent a picture of her prettier friend Karen. But now Ryo wants to meet Yuri (dramatic sound effects). It's a really cute and sweet story with a great ending. The third story, Rainy Afternoons Are For Romantic Heroines, is about a girl who always "forgets" her umbrella so she can walk home with her crush (who always has an umbrella). A pretty basic idea, but it has a twist in it (hooray for twists!). The final story is Arian-sensei's 1996 debut work, The Style Of The Second Love. It's about a girl who has a crush on her best friend's boyfriend and a boy (who's a year younger than her) that has a crush on her. The artwork is so different from what Arina-sensei does now, it's very interesting to compare. Overall, this whole book, four out of five stars.

(once again I apologize for the lack of picture)

New Blog: Red Rhythms

If you go to the bottom of my blog, you'll see a link on the right to my new music blog called Red Rhythms. It'll be used to recommend artists and review albums and music videos. If you don't like rock/alternative/indie music than you probably won't be interested, but please check it out. I'll put up another post later today, so stay tuned!

Cardcaptor Sakura

This manga is 12 volumes long and it's by the mangaka group known as Clamp. It's about a fourth-grade girl named Sakura who opens a magical book and out of it comes a creature that tells her she must collect the Clow Cards in order to save the world from darkness. Sounds cliche, I know T_T. But it's actually not that bad. I've only read volume one because the only place I could find the books was in Vancouver. I remember seeing it on TV a couple times aa a kid, but I don't think it's broadcasted anymore. If I was to compare it to something else, I'd say it's like two thirds Mewmew Power and one third Pokemon (don't let that turn you off). The artwork could be better, but it's funny and I'd be interested in reading further into it. Three out of five stars.

My Neighbor Totoro

This Miyazaki film is pretty popular, so I was excited to watch it. It was supposed to be about two young sisters who find a creature called a "totoro", and he takes them on an incredible journey. But after I'd been watching it for half an hour (it's less than two hours long) nothing really interesting happened, and I thought it was taking a really long time to get going. When the movie ended I realized there really was no "incredible journey", just a new friend. I was dissappointed. At least the ending theme song was pretty good. One out of five stars.

(sorry for the lack of picture)

Kimi Ni Todoke

Kimi Ni Todoke (From Me To You)...I have mixed feelings about it I guess. It's about a very shy girl who looks a lot like an evil character from a horror movie, and because of that everyone is scared of her so she doesn't have any friends. The girl, named Sawako, is actually very kind and loving and sweet but no one takes the time to get to know her...except for the popular boy she has a crush on. I thought the story was sweet and I guess I liked it, but I found it a little boring to read (does that make sense???). But then again, I've only read the first of eight volumes, so maybe it gets better. This manga has an anime but I don't think it has an English dubb...at least not yet ;). So if you like slice of life stories with some romance, you might like this manga. One out of five stars.

Cactus's Secret

Results for the last poll, 'Does manga paneling confuse you?', was 'Sometimes' with, wait for it...ONE VOTE. Come on people vote on the polls!

So, Cactus's Secret by Nana Haruta has four volumes, but I've only read the first one (side note: it's not divided into chapters?!). It's funny and cute, and I really like the guy...whatever his name is. It's about a girl who is in love with a boy in her class but he's too stupid to realize it, even when she virtually confesses to him. Because of that the girl starts acting "prickly" around him so he calls her a "cactus alien". I'm looking forward to finishing the series. Three out of five stars.

I.O.N

I.O.N., while not the first manga of hers, is the first BOOK ever released by Arina Tanemura. It's  a supernatural/romance about a high school girl that touches a strange substance, which gives her telekinetic powers whenever she spells her name aloud (which is Ion). It's sweet and it's funny and it's just good. It's interesting to see how Arina-sensei's art has changed and improved over the years. Three and a half stars out of five.

Kiki's Delivery Service

This is a Hayao Miyazaki film that's really cute and sweet. It's about a young witch named Kiki that leaves home to work on her magic. To make money she starts a delivery service by flying on her broom with her talking cat Jiji. My description makes it sound kind of boring but it's good. I recommend it to all Miyazaki fans. Three and a half stars out of five.

P.S. The results of the last poll "Have you ever been to an anime convention?" had two votes for No. I haven't been to one either. VOTE ON THE NEW POLL PLEASE!

Chibi Vampire

I haven't seen the anime (or at least not yet), but the manga is really funny. So funny that the chapters aren't called 'chapters', but 'embarassments'. It's a comedy about a teenaged vampire named Karin who is practically an anti-vampire (for example, rather than needing to drink blood, Karin-chan needs to pump it INTO humans to get rid of it) and her life pretty much sucks (no pun intended...I swear it was an accident T_T). It's fourteen volumes long, but I've only read the first four and am planning on reading the rest. If you're constantly embarrasing yourself or you don't fit into your family (or you're just looking for a laugh), then this is the series for you. Two and three quarter stars out of five .

P.S. Sorry for the crappy quality on all the pics I post T_T

Ouran High School Host Club

Just finished the anime a minute ago, Ouran as I call it is absolutely hilarious. The characters are so diverse and funny (my faves are Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hunny)! Although, the ending could've been a little better, mainly the relationship between Haruhi and Tamaki, and it seems the manga has more to offer (I haven't read it though). I know people that DON'T like anime that DO like Ouran so I totally recommend it. It's a (romantic) comedy by Bisco Hatori and it's 17 volumes and 26 episodes. Four out of five stars.

Physical vs. Online

Another versus! So, do you prefer to read manga online or to read the actual physical book. I really don't like reading online manga because I don't like:
-Staring at a screen
-When loading takes a long time
-Waiting to read if someone else is on the computer
I really like reading manga in book form because:
-I like being able to flip freely through pages
-Having the books on hand for reference or something
-Having the front covers

How about you? Comment (please)!

Gaba Kawa

First, the results of the poll "What's the most important part of a series?": first place was Art with two votes and second place was Characters with one vote; Storyline and Other didn't get voted for. Vote on the new poll!

Anyway, Gaba Kawa is a one volume manga by Rie Takada about a demon girl named Rara who goes to Earth to cause trouble, but due to her clumsiness and new crush she isn't very succesful. This manga is so hilarious and I totally recommend it. Another fairly short post. Four out of five stars.

Rasetsu

Rasetsu is the spin-off to Yurara, which I talked about in an earlier post. It's seven volumes and ongoing by Chika Shiomi. The main character Rasetsu looks a lot like the spirit Yurara from Yurara (intentionally) and the story includes Yako from the previous series. The artwork is good, but it could be better. I don't really have much to say here, so.....Three out of five stars.

The Gentlemen's Alliance cross

This manga really got my heart going fast. It's got tons of charcters with tons of different relationships (which can sometimes be confusing and/or hard to keep track of), amazing art, and lots of drama (the good kind though....wait, is there good drama? Whatever). It's about a girl named Haine that's been through A LOT of hardship and she attends a school where she's in love with the "emperor" of the school. There are lots of great twists and shocks and it's just awesome! It's by Arina Tanemura and it's 11 volumes (Arina-sensei's longest series yet). The artbook has also been  released in English an it's awesome. Five out of five stars.

Comments

By the way...this might go without saying, but...............please comment if you're reading this :)

Spirited Away

Spirited Away is an incredible animated movie by Hayao Miyazaki that was later made into film comics (basically coloured manga). It's about a young girl that goes to an abandoned theme park of some sort and when night falls her parents are turned into pigs and she's forced to work at a bath house for spirits. It's better than it sounds just in case you didn't like my explanation ;). The character development is good and the story's good and the animation isn't too serious or too cutesy, but rather just in the middle <3. I highly recommend it to anyone and give it five out of five stars.

Ultra Maniac

OK, this one's rated A for All Ages, whereas all my other one's are rated T for Teen or T+ for Older Teen, so this one's a little more...uh, tame....I guess. Anyway, it's a cute fantasy manga that's been made into an anime that just got licensed in English. It's 5 volumes long and it's by Wataru Yoshizumi. It's about a girl who's a failing witch (not evil though) that's an exchange student in the human world and meets another girl and some other people. I made it sound like the witch is the main protagonist, but the MAIN protagonist of the story is more the normal girl, Ayu. So yeah, it's pretty...tame, as said, but it's sweet. Two and three quarter stars out of five.

Death Note

Warning, Death Note, while not so much gory, is very morbid and harsh. I didn't read the 12 volume manga, but I watched the anime and just like I said it was harsh. When I watched the first couple episodes I didn't really like it, but I had to keep watching it because I wanted to see how it ended without looking it up (which I had already done before so I already knew how the story ended T_T). It got much better as it went along, adding more characters and adding more challenges. Oh right, the story. Well, this genius high school boy Light randomly finds a note book that says 'Death Note' and inside it says that any human's name written in it shall die. He thinks it's silly but later tries it and realizes it works. And so starts Light's mission to rid the world of evil. I got so hooked on it, and it has a somewhat shocking ending (or at least it will for you T_T). Three and a half bleeding stars out of five. (See? Morbid.)

P.S. There's also a novel (which I think is a prequel to the series), and three live action movies. I think the first to movies are just the normal story divided in half, and the third is sort of a side story or an unseen happenings. There's also an anime (I think, don't quote me) that's the same story but from a different point of view (the main shinigami, Ryuk). Sorry for the long post :P

One more thing...

Oh yeah, in case you didn't see, the last poll, "What's Your Favourite Genre?", was a tie between comedy, fantasy, slice of life, and other. Vote on the new poll!.......please?

Time Stanger Kyoko

Another one from Arina Tanemura, this three volumer (oh, I seem to have created a word!) is set in the 30th century where all the countries of the world have unified as one country called Earth Nation. The story revolves around Earth Nation's princess, Kyoko, as she bends time to try and awaken her twin sister Ui (and falls in love along the way!) by gathering the other twelve "strangers" (basically people with special powers) and their twelve godstones. It's a really cute story with a major twist in the last volume. The charcters are perfect and diverse and the bonous stories are great (but then again, isn't any story by Arina-sensei great?). Four stars out of five.

Yume Kira Dream Shoppe

Sooo cute! YKDS, as I sometimes abbreviate it, is a single volume with four different stories, but with the same idea. The idea is that there's a person named Rin (the gender is supposed to be unknown, but it's clearly a girl) and her living stuffed rabbit that own and run a shop in the sky that grants wishes to people...but at a price. This fantasy book by Aqua Mizuto is really really sweet and I totally recommend it. Four and a half stars out of five.

Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne

Kaito might actually be Kaitou, I'm not sure. Anyway, this is a great series by Arina Tanemura that is 7 volumes and has been made into an anime (it's fantasy/romance). All I can really say without giving anything away (hey that rhymes!) is that it's about a girl who serves God as Kaito Jeanne, a reincarnation of Joan of Arc (or Jean D'Arc as she's called in the manga since that's her proper French name), by capturing demons that have possessed pieces of art. I didn't watch the anime, but the manga is excellent and has a virtually perfect end (is that saying too much???). Four out of five stars.

Just to my school friends...

This, as the title says, is just to my school friends: if whichever one of you that got me for secret Santa wants to get me manga, I'm picky. So here's a list: Vampire Knight volume 11 (dosen't come out till Dec. 7), Cactus's Secret volume 2, Chibi Vampire volume 5, Rasetsu volume 6, Black Bird volume 6.
Of course, there's always the other things I listed for you today. That's all ;)

Inuyasha

This was the first anime I ever watched and the first manga I ever read. My neighbor got me hooked on it in grade 4 or 5. It's about a "sacred" girl who falls through a well that transports her to feudal Japan where she meets a half-demon guy and they have to collect the sacred jewel shards. It's a very long elaborate story T_T. It's by Rumiko Takahashi and it's 57 volumes (that's right, 57 volumes. I didn't finish it T_T), an action/fantasy/romance. Three out of five stars.

Dubs vs. Subs

Let's change it up a bit :D

Pretty staraight forward...do you prefer English dubs or English subtitles? Personally I very much prefer dubs because with subs you have to read, which takes away from watching, so sometimes you miss something visual or the words dissappear before you finish reading them. However I can see why some people would prefer subs: you get the original Japanese voices and sometimes the wording of dubs are different. I also prefer dubs because you can tell where the voice rises and falls, whereas in the Japanese you can't really tell which part of the sentence the character is at.......Does that make sense???

Anywho, leave a comment saying if you prefer dubs or subs!

Vampire Knight

Once again, not all the volumes have been released in English yet so I haven't read the whole series, just the first 10 volumes. Vampire Knight is basically about an academy that has the Day Class, for humans, and the Night Class, for vampires. Don't worry it's nothing like Twilight, though it does have a little romance. There are a few really good twists too (yay!).

By the way, do you think vampires would be considered fantasy? Probably. Comment!

Anyway, I haven't watched the anime because the art dosen't look...good enough. Plus I tend not to watch anime if I've already read the manga. This series is by Matsuri Hino, and I believe it's 12 volumes and ongoing. Four out of five stars.

Oh, and if you find something called Vampire Knight Guilty, that's just the name of the second season of the anime ;)

Black Bird

I haven't finished this one yet because not all the volumes have been released in English yet, but judging by the first five volumes, it's excellent! It's about a girl who can see the supernatural (that seems to be going around quite a bit huh?) and now that she's sixteen demons are hunting her and her childhood friend/love Kyo (who is a demon) has come for her. Some parts can be a little dirty but other parts make up for it in comedy. I can't wait to finish it. Four out of five stars.

Heaven's Will

Heaven's Will is way too short (one volume!) because it's so sweet! It's a supernatural shojo sort of manga, about a girl who can see ghosts and HATES scary things, then she meets a cross-dresser who can banish the ghosts and has a "pet" vampire. I know the summary sounds somewhat like Yurara, but it's completley different, not to mention better. The characters suit their roles so well and are so diverse, and the ending isn't the typical "happy ever after" wrap-up, but instead it's just right (and not really what you expect). A must-read. Five out of five stars.

Yurara

My very second Shojo manga! This is about a girl who can see supernatural stuff and she meets two guys who can see them and also banish them. It's (obviously) a supernatural manga with a little romance and a few laughs...5 volumes...by Chika Shiomi. There's also a spin-off to Yurara called Rasetsu, but I'll cover that in a later post. Two and three quarter stars out of five.

Oh by the way...I just realized that I haven't been telling you what the stories are, just what I think of them........................................sorry. I'll try to remember to do that from now on T_T

Soul Eater

Soul Eater is a really awesome series. I watched the anime rather than reading the manga. It's an action/fantasy sort of thing. Be warned, once the anime reaches a certain point, it changes the story a lot...like a lot...so the manga and the anime have slightly different endings. The moral of the story is really nice and the characters are perfect (I LOVE Death the Kid and Crona!) and there's plenty of laughs to go around. Another warning, the two episodes dedicated completeley to Excalibur are boring and have nothing to do with the story, so unless you're an Excalibur fan, skip them.

I MIGHT like to read the manga to see the original ending, but I'm still satisfied with the anime one. Four stars out of five.

Beast Master

One of the cutest manga I've ever read. Unfortunatley, it's only two volumes, but Beast Master is still really funny and sweet. I don't have a lot to say about this manga, just that, well...it's funny...and sweet...and cute...and awesome! It's by Kyousuke Motomi and I highly recommend it. Five out of five stars.

Hmm...this was a short post huh? Maybe I'll do another one later...but maybe not...but maybe ;)

Full Moon wo Sagashite

Full Moon is my favourite manga and the first Shojo manga I ever read. It's a seven volume fantasy/romance series by Arina Tanemura (my favourite mangaka). For anyone who's lost an old love, you can probably really connect with the main character, Mitsuki. Full Moon has great artwork, a great story, great characters, and I found it really inspiring. It's also got some good funny parts :D

I haven't watched the anime, but I know someone who has and really loved it. Five out of five stars.

P.S. The artbook for Full Moon has also been released in English. I have it and I really love it. It's beautiful and has art from some of Arina-sensei's other series too <3

Well, Hello There!

As you probably guessed, this is my manga and anime blog. I plan on using it to review and recommend various mangas and animes. Pretty simple. Feel free to leave comments stating your opinions, asking questions, and recommending other series.

Oh, and Nicole, if you're reading this, then HAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes Nicole, I'm proud of this and you'll just have to cope! :P