March: Accel Star

March: Accel Star

Sunday, March 27, 2016 / No Comments

Hello readers, another few days before we bid farewell to lovely March; the days just love sneaking past us while our routines get going. The first quarter of the year will soon hold the door for the next quarter to begin. Springtime represents the beginning, has cherry blossoms waiting to make people happy, and sparks off a little envy from the rest who don't have the pleasure of experiencing such. Yeah, easily put I'm talking about myself. An old classmate is in Japan for several days; it seems like a routine to him though. Another acquaintance will be flying over in due time. Suddenly (for the lack of a better word), a lot of people have plans to escape to Japan. Quite unfortunately, I don't know anybody well enough to be thick-skinned and ask for an omiyage.

Anyway, it is time for a little sharing on tennis. Yeah, tennis. The sport which I don't usually and will never easily associate myself with is gracing today's entry in a rather refreshing way. Nope, I haven't signed up for tennis lessons or bought some fancy racket at a clearance sale. So, why tennis? I attribute that derailment to a brand new manga which has caught my eyes and heart. From manga artist Hana comes Accel Star, a refreshing story about tennis. But how does it link up since I don't even consider myself a tennis enthusiast? The cover art. Yeah, once again I have judged a book by its cover. In a positive way. Well, there was a little struggling here and there for a while. I was hoping that amidst the confusion there would be a beam of light somewhere for guidance. In the end, there wasn't anything. But I got the book anyway.

I would like to believe that something wonderful is brewing in an invisible cauldron as I begin savouring this newfound sparkling gem. The synopsis brings about a promising story of a young boy called Matsuri who has a burning passion towards tennis, all thanks to an old racket among the toys which were given to him as a kid by others as his family was too poor to afford much. Also, Matsuri's parents were sickly and had passed away one after the other. There is something about tennis that drives a permanent boost into him. A video tape of a tennis match in Wimbledon had further escalated those feelings. Matsuri dreams of becoming the World's Number One tennis player.

Naturally, with every aspiration comes a setback or the whole lot of them. For Matsuri, he had been bullied as a kid for his old racket and such by the well-to-do kids who practiced their tennis on a supposed private court. While Matsuri would understand the importance of proper equipment, his situation back then had no place for him to realise those yearnings. Even so, with that old racket Matsuri never gave up the slightest opportunity to play tennis. After his parents' passing, he becomes the foster child of his relatives who are just as loving if not more so as his family. His foster parents would eventually present him with something unexpected which easily triggers yet another fire.

That is pretty much what I have read until so far. The story is adequately balanced and shifts effortlessly to and fro different arcs. Well, it makes a refreshing change though I'm still not tempted to play tennis. Reading manga is a lot easier and less stressful on the nerves. Then again, I'm not even the least athletic to take up a sport. Believe me, I had tried badminton, ping pong, volleyball, basketball and soccer back during my school days. I just want to say that I was very lucky to be alive. Anyway, Accel Star is a wonderful companion on a lazy day. The banter between Matsuri and those stuck-up kids just kills me.

Read more manga. Watch more anime (even though there is nothing on that today). Have more fun.

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪    

March: Flying Witch

March: Flying Witch

Wednesday, March 16, 2016 / No Comments

Good day readers, we have long passed the halfway checkpoint of the month. If nobody is keeping track, I'm sorry for having reminded you of that dreadful fact. Hopefully, the days have been bearable. Mine hasn't been great, but at least there is a timely backup for now. As usual, some things are a little or mostly on the slow end. The brain juices struggle much to continue the steady flow in the midst of downtime. I have been alternating between several titles with hopes of speeding up the process for each. That doesn't work all the time though, but it is a sign of catching up. I'm also looking out for newer, interesting stuff to possibly stimulate the stagnant parts of my writing. Seriously, I could accumulate all those odds and ends into a memoir of sorts.

Anybody knows of a flying witch, or used to know one at some point of their lives? Recently, I got acquainted with an apprentice witch from Yokohama named Makoto. With her black cat Chito, she travelled to Aomori as part of her training. Supposedly, Makoto will stay with her relatives until coming-of-age in terms of the training duration. In a rather tranquil town like that, Makoto's identity is surprisingly pretty much exposed since there isn't any lurking danger, though she has let in that it is to be hidden from people outside the family. Actually, I would think that Makoto's way of doing things is likely the cause of any risk of further exposure. Nonetheless, the situation has been well thus far.

While her appearance is that of an ordinary high school girl, Makoto seems to let out a certain aura which is easily noticed by Chinatsu, her younger cousin. Chito also has a peculiar presence that is unlike other cats. The other cousin Kei, who is of the same age as Makoto, has Chinatsu show Makoto around the neighbourhood. Despite the initial worries and such, Chinatsu quickly warms up to Makoto upon discovering the latter's identity. Well, I would find that riding on a broom is just as awesome. That is, if nobody crashes into a tree, building or just about anything while mid-air. Yeah, I believe that Akazukin Chacha is dangerously prone to such accidents. The only difference is that Akazukin Chacha is an apprentice magician. Pardon the slight digression. 

I was pleasantly surprised to know that Flying Witch is having an anime adaptation due to premiere on the 10th of April. I realised that while I was browsing around at Books Kinokuniya. The fourth tankoubon had also made its way to the checkout after a little struggle on my side. You see, I haven't been able to effectively divide my time and attention between so many books and other stuff. Well, in the first place nothing of that sort was ever really possible. I just don't wish to regret anything. Buying the manga for safekeeping will always be a right decision. Just make sure that eventually you unwrap those books and savour appreciatively.

As of now, I'm trying my best to complete the second volume and hopefully the third, before the anime commences next month. The manga has a slice-of-life feel, even though the story is progressive. I have an instant liking to Makoto and Chito. I often wish that I had a cat for a pet, yet for some unknown reason cats don't really like me much. On the other hand, dogs give me quite a bit of attention though not necessarily positive ones. It would be rather exciting to have a cat like Chito. Then again, I don't possess magic though the idea of chanting spells while stirring the cauldron sounds wickedly cool. An apprentice wizard who is also a high school student - not a bad idea eh?

Read more manga. Watch more anime.

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪

Boys’ Love Reads – March 2016

Boys’ Love Reads – March 2016

Saturday, March 12, 2016 / No Comments

"Boy's Love Reads" is a series of bite-sized yaoi and shounen ai manga reviews. This is its second instalment, and you can check out the first one here.

Ani No Chuukoku (兄の忠告) by Asada Nemui

Synopsis

Sharp-tongued and brash, Tsuzuki is your classic rough-around-the-edges young lad who also happens to dabble in call girl *cough* scam *cough* operations. With his brawn and street smarts, he feels like he can take on anything and challenge anyone – and win. That is, until his older brother, who deserted him and his mom years ago, suddenly reappears in his life with the intention to support and take care of him. But Tsuzuki is more perplexed than happy about the reunion.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

I absolutely adore the way Asada Nemui draws dudes. They’re really masculine yet elegant, rugged but still sophisticated. I could cry legit tears because her art makes me that happy. The dialogue in the story is awesome as well; tons of bickering and subtly flirtatious bantering. Like, manly bantering. You know how conversations between yaoi characters can sometimes feel like o(*>ω<*)o? This one is just plain ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

Plus, did I mention their age gap is twelve years? Goodbye ovaries.

Close Your Eyes (目を閉じて) by Hidaka Shoko

Synopsis

Two childhood friends grew distant when they entered high school. Why did one suddenly decide to push away the other when they were so close before?

Rating: 3 / 5

Extremely open-ended ending which is frustrating when the plot is as angsty and good as this. It has so much potential to be made into a successful continuing series, and it almost felt like the author took the easy way out by ending it so… Openly. If it has been developed more, it would definitely warrant a higher rating. Overall, I liked the way the controversial situation was portrayed and how their attraction to each other was conveyed as vexing and complicated.

Smells Like Green Spirit (スメルズライクグリーンスピリット) by Nagai Saburou

Synopsis

With his long silky hair, slender figure and pretty face, Mishima is constantly bullied for his feminine features. He likes boys and secretly cross-dresses. As the days pass, he becomes more aware of one of his bullies – a popular, good-looking guy who gazes at him with the same deadpan expression.

Rating: 4 / 5

I thought it was going to be some generic tale, but the author dropped this huge plot twist I was not expecting. Combine that with weird facial expressions and eccentric characters, and you get this oddball of a manga. The story is nothing heavy; it’s very comedy-oriented but… weird. Good weird.

Ninii no Mori (兄の忠告) by Shoowa

Synopsis

A series of oneshots based on the lives of animal-human hybrids and curious creatures dwelling in a quaint forest called Ninii, where eating red meat is forbidden and all species live in harmony. In the first story, the fisherman’s frog boy brother meets a mysterious, soft-spoken rabbit boy who carries a pig everywhere and gazes at the sky from the treetops. The second tale is about a cat boy with star-shaped marks and his adoptive parent, a wolf-turned-human. The third is about beetles and a hopeful promise between lovers.

Rating: 2 / 5 | 4 / 5 | 4 / 5 (rating for each individual story)

Another lovely, and very different, work by the talented Shoowa. I usually don’t like this style of fantasy premise, but the mangaka makes it authentic and sweet. Due to the whimsical drawings and graceful prose, the chapters have a charming bedtime storybook atmosphere. Personally, I found the first story flat, messy and borderline boring, but the second, beautifully heart-wrenching and the third, very unconventional in its narrative and topic, while being thoroughly enjoyable and memorable.

Nobody Knows (无人明了的爱) by Shoowa

*Note: This is a collection of stories. Review is only for the first story, which then continues in the last two chapters of her other book, ‘Non Tea Room’.

Synopsis

A top secret factory, where workers operate under aliases, produces surreally beautiful artificial intelligence doll robots that are purchased for private companionship as well as prostitution businesses. Modoru takes up a job there and and is assigned to work with Susumu in the same room. Modoru finds himself slowly falling in love with his mysterious colleague who, despite his emotionless disposition, handles the dolls with remarkable gentleness and affection…

Rating: 3 / 5

That’s right, it’s a double appearance by Shoowa on this month’s list! I have to say, she really does have a knack for experimenting with plots and this story is no exception. And I’m about to drop a “major spoiler” so don’t say I didn’t warn you. Susumu is basically a robot too. And yes, that’s him in the picture. Do you need any other reason to pick this up? But in all seriousness, I think that the whole concept of whether love is possible between a machine and a human is very fascinating, and it’s kind of a bummer Shoowa didn’t delve into the philosophical aspect of it and make it as complex and dark as it could be. Still, it was interesting with a fluffy feel-good ending so even though it didn’t appeal to me that much, it’s nevertheless an above average read.

Fukouchuu no Shiawase (不幸中のしあわせ) by Enzou

Synopsis

Yaotomi is an unnaturally lucky man. Everything goes smoothly for him, all situations turn round to work in his favour and he basically wins at life. One day, his blissful world is turned upside down by a series of unfortunate mishaps and his colleague suggests trying exorcism as it might be the work of an evil spirit. After praying to a random jizo statue, Yaotomi returns home to find a stranger in his house who claims to be the God of Calamity whose purpose is to restore the balance of luck.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

On the surface, it’s a plot that seems to have lost its ingenuity through various rehashings using the gag approach. But what saved this story from being underwhelming was its good balance of humour and substance: the god has an ironic love for humans, which comes from witnessing people’s strength and ability to overcome adversities in the face of misfortune. Even though he naturally brings disaster and pain to those he possesses, he finds joy in seeing them happy instead. Which, as you can guess, causes a lot of problems and the story escalates into something more complicated and interesting.  

Written by Faelan

How To Keep A Mummy

How To Keep A Mummy

Wednesday, February 24, 2016 / No Comments

Hello readers! We are just a few days away from March, and I must say that I have long given up thinking about what would lie ahead since the mind needs to be constantly conditioned to be able to process and digest, to the point where there isn't really much space left for other stuff to come in. An old classmate on Facebook has indicated an interest in attending Anime Festival Asia 2016, and I'm like...okay, isn't that stretching things a little too far? Or maybe I'm just a snail in denial or something. Anyway, the weather is acting up crazily again. Do replenish those fluids and keep cool. Yesterday, it had rained pretty much the entire day but I was still perspiring from the invisible sun. Right now, the fan at home is at full blast. Let's see just how effective that is.

Would anybody fancy the idea of keeping a mummy for a pet? Yeah, the one with an entire hospital's supply of bandages wrapped around its body. Well, before anybody flees off in fear of being cursed, this particular mummy is so sinfully adorable that there is no way to push it out of the mind. Meet Mi-kun, the palm-sized mummy which has become an important presence in the house and life of Kashiwagi Sora, a high-school student whose father is a self-proclaimed adventurer frequently absent in his son's life. However, Sora's father extremely dotes on him, and in the beginning a really huge, odd-shaped package arrives at Sora's doorstep. Upon opening it, Sora discovers a coffin and a thick letter that is filled with mushiness.

Until Mi-kun's timely arrival, Sora was supposedly rather immune to his father's weird antics since he would often receive strange presents from his father's adventures, from a sinister-looking doll to a killer scarecrow. Well, not quite so after what the father had mentioned in his letter that he hopes Sora and the mummy will get along nicely like a family. As if on cue, the coffin begins to tremble eerily, causing Sora to grab some household item in self-defence. The mummy soon slides out of that coffin, having exhausted all its might just from pushing the lid. Yeah, the mummy is so tiny! As the sight is totally different from what Sora had expected, he becomes even more fearful.

It turns out that the mummy is virtually harmless and like an actual pet. An apprehensive Sora is just as confused if not more so over the peculiar figure which is alarmingly emotional and would tear up almost every few seconds. After a failed attempt to roll it back to Egypt, Sora decides to temporarily let the mummy move about and help with a little housework. Naturally, that quickly becomes out of the question as the mummy nearly drowns inside a pot full of undone dishes and dishwashing liquid. Following that, it clings onto Sora tightly while the latter becomes even more baffled with the situation. After much scuffle along the way, Sora tries to calm the mummy down by calling it Mi-kun. Mi-kun takes that gesture as a permission to stay with Sora.

How To Keep A Mummy is created by Utsugi Kakeru, and the first tankoubon was released just recently on 12th of February. The front cover art is simply irresistible! Mi-kun looks so adorable and loving next to Sora. I'm glad that I bought this. The concept is certainly refreshing, and the illustration style has enticed me to check the manga out even more! The bond between Sora and Mi-kun gradually becomes inseparable. Reading their stories has definitely made me wish for a pet mummy as well! I have never had a pet before, unless a Tamagotchi still counts as one. Anyway, I recommend How To Keep A Mummy to anybody who has always wanted a pet in their lives.

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪  

Prince-Fever Sickness

Prince-Fever Sickness

Sunday, January 31, 2016 / No Comments

Previously, I had watched many  anime of school-life, fighting, adventure, action and ecchi  but I craved for romance and shoujo titles. There is nothing much to offer since I have watched most of the popular ones.

My only solution is to focus on manga since there are tons to choose from. I am using an app in my iPad to read them. To my surprise, there is a huge variety of  plots to pick from. Since the beginning of January till now I have been a huge fan of manga. This is actually my first post in the manga section since I started writing on this website.

I am going to share a few titles with the readers and hopefully, it brings the same happiness to you!

Last Game

Both protagonists are intelligent and study in the same school since young. Yanagi is a very smart boy who plays a role model for everyone but Kujo is one step ahead of him. He can get everyone attention except Kujo, a plain looking and poor girl who keeps her first position in the school. Kujo does not like to talk and she faces difficulty in making friends.  

On the other side, Yanagi is a natural when it comes to girls. Despite his attempt to rise to the top, he is defeated by her every single time. Eventually, Yanagi has developed a mysterious feeling toward Kujo and he stays beside her through thick and thin. Being Kujo herself, she does not notice such changes in his best friend Yanagi, but to continue with this mutual relationship. 

Watashi ni xx shinasai

This is one of the 'doki-doki'  (exciting) manga I have ever read so far. Yukina is a very popular cell phone novelist but her story lack of love development which she needs Shigure to open a new world for her. Shigure is really a womanizer and he gets into a bad situation when Yukina found his notebook. The notebook contains every girl names in the school. He makes all girls fall in love with him and reject them afterward. 

Once Yukina know about this, she blackmails him into doing missions which involve romance that she believes will help her in writing a good plot. As times goes by, Yukina is questioning herself if love is developing between both of them. Besides these two, other characters are appearing gradually in the manga to heighten the story development.  

Soredomo Sekai Wa Utsukushii

How unfortunate it is for Nike, the fourth princess from Rain Dukedom to lose to her sisters in a ‘Scissor Paper Rock’ game. The loser will have to be betrothed to the King of Sun Kingdom. There is this rumor about the king who has a pair of horn and is an old man. He is one who has ruled the world and earned him the title King of the world. Reluctantly, Nike travels thousands of miles to this country to meet her future husband. The Sun Kingdom king is not what Nike expected to be and she has to learn to co-exist with her prospective husband.

Nike has the power to summon the rain by singing. Rain is a rare occurrence in the Sun Kingdom and with her help, she flourishes the earth.

I came across this title when I watched this anime last month. I feel that the anime should have continued instead of stopping the story. Then I went into the manga to read further and it is definitely worth waiting for every new chapter release.

I am definitely in a fangirl mode when I watch the kissing, hugging and whispering in the manga.

Please do share with me if you have any manga to recommend.

Written by SnoringSeal

Ajin, Worth my time? Manga or Anime?

Ajin, Worth my time? Manga or Anime?

Monday, January 25, 2016 / No Comments

To All,

Ajin. A seinen manga about Demi-Humans written and illustrated by Sakurai Gamon.


First off, Ajin are immortal humans who live among us and do not actually know that they are Ajin until they actually die and revive. Cue in our every so adorable cold-blooded elite cream of the crop protagonist, Nagai Kei, who got knocked down by a truck one fine sunny day. While the driver goes into hysterical mode and takes snapshots of the green traffic light to prove that it isn't his fault for knocking down the kid, Kei regenerates himself and stands back up, much to the horror of his 'friends' and by-standers.

And now, cue in the humans, who are constantly afraid and thirsting to know more about the unknown, these hostile humans have all identified Ajin on the Wanted list. Thus far, there are 3 identified Ajin in Japan, inclusive of the protagonist, Nagai Kei.

A boring plot? Think again.

We will have a number of helpless humans firing tranquilizer guns at Ajin and hoping that they will drop asleep, while on the other hand, we have these fantastic and capable Ajin tossing their lives away and reviving constantly just to stave off the effects of the tranquilizers.

Shingeki no Kyojin? No, it's nothing as amazing as their human versus titan main plot line which we had a taste of in the first season. In Ajin, it's Ajin versus Ajin, with elements of terrorism.

Gore on the level of Tokyo Ghoul is a nice change of pace from the Slice of Life shows populating my watch list. And watching Ajin's psychological downfall and going from the "I'm not an Ajin, I'm human!" to the "Would I come back to life after I die this time?" to the final Ajin mindset where they just simply commit suicide to revive and recover from wounds.

The power of immortality.

And I'm pretty sure if you liked the concept of Tokyo Ghoul, Ajin would be a show for you. Moreover, Ajin will also have three upcoming anime films. And I'm also sure many would recognize the animation studio Polygon Pictures, well known for their 3DCG animations (Knights of Sidonia, anyone?), which I (unfortunately) am not really a big fan of.

Perhaps Ajin's anime would have been better and more fluid if it had the traditional animation and quality, but let's not go down that line of thought. At least not here, not now.

But what I didn't like most about Ajin's anime was how they had subtle changes from the manga itself, which tuned down the gore factor for the anime (PG and all of that, I understand) but at the same time, it tunes down character development as well.

For instance, in the manga we have...

And in the anime film. we have...

Which is quite a bad adaptation in my opinion because I always thought that the purpose of showing Kei's fingers being cut off was to show his character development, where he is finally developing the Ajin mindset. But no, Polygon Pictures had to go ahead with PG and change those fingers into shoes!

Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Perhaps. 

Probably.

But there are times when I enjoy watching an anime sticking close to its roots, which I would very much appreciate in this case. But that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the anime. I certainly do.

And I would actually seriously recommend it to everyone who doesn't mind 3DCG, or would be able to put up with it for a good plot and whirlwind of events. If not, I'd recommend the manga instead.

In fact, I'll recommend getting your nose buried in one of those manga volumes right now, before you even touch the anime films!

Written by Your Fellow Manga Reader,

Reina-rin

Do It This Way If You Wear The Clothes

Do It This Way If You Wear The Clothes

Thursday, January 21, 2016 / No Comments

Believe it or not, dear readers. Just when you thought that time couldn't leap any faster, it did another few long jumps in the air. We are inching closer to a new month. February. Lunar New Year. Valentine's. Who is celebrating their birthdays in February? 29 days (a leap year!). Okay, why am I even moving that far ahead? The remains of January continue to slither past everybody. I hope that the days have been well thus far. Let's watch more anime, read more manga, listen to more songs, play more games...if possible. The trenches have opened up just a little deeper for now. I wonder what else lies beneath as I resume treading along those lines.

Does anybody dig fashion, or the art of wearing clothes (if such a term exists)? Apparently, there is a title which is entirely dedicated to those aspects. The first volume has been out for a while I believe, and it is considerably bigger than the average manga. The front cover shows a woman eagerly picking out some clothes for a man who looks rather uncertain of the situation. Some of you might be familiar with this one. Do It This Way If You Wear The Clothes, or in Japanese 'Fuku wo kiru nara konna fuu ni'. The manga artist is Shimano Yae, with project assistance from MB. There is a line on the obi that reads: The most important thing about being fashionable is understanding the theory. Not sense or lots of money. What a statement!

Basically, this is an ongoing quest to find and coordinate the right clothes for a 27 year-old salaryman, who quite unfortunately becomes mentally and emotionally defeated after attending a reunion with his old friends from elementary school. Yeah, it isn't difficult to imagine what had happened then. His younger sister comes in and provides a timely pep talk, in which this classic line pops out: Buying expensive stuff isn't the reason for improving the physical appearance. Coordination is the most important element. In the next chapter, they stop by a fictionalised version of a famous clothing brand.  

Naturally, the man is overwhelmed by the endless possibilities. As mentioned, the crucial element here is coordination. Nonetheless, he attempts to pick out a pair of skinny fit jeans which gets the greenlight from his younger sister. It is as if a huge jackpot has been hit after countless brushes with bad luck. She makes him try on the pair of jeans, and proceeds to fold the edges up for a slimmer, beautiful look. Well, I used to fold the edges too, but only because the jeans were a little long!

Hmm, I'm a little tempted to buy the manga. While I don't think that I would ever become a fashionable person, I do think that knowing the different options available for men's wear is essential. Just in time for the annual Lunar New Year shopping, eh? Then again, I have already bought some clothes. For future reference, maybe? Hmm, decisions.  

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪