Ata (Manga)

Title: Ata
Author/Illustrator: Tamaki Fuji
Publisher: DMG
Genre: Yaoi
Rating: 18+ Explicit Content...for some frank discussion, not for graphic sex.

EXPLICIT CONTENT NOTED!

Dear Readers, occasionally I come across a manga that I should not like, and yet...I do. Ata  is such a manga. And not because it's risky, or raunchy, or because it contains questionable aesthetic choices, because Ata doesn't really do any of those things...in a lot of ways it's just another straight-forward, predictable, sloppy-love-triangle yaoi. But it's also less than that, in that it is really badly written. And it's also more than that, in that behind that bad writing and predictable scenarios there is something raw and powerful and heart-wrenching about the art and the genuine emotion that is expressed by these characters. To be honest, it surprised me. I mean it really surprised me. I said aloud to the computer screen, and the dog who happened to be listening in, "Holy crap, am I crying?" And, Dear Readers, I was.

Let's start with the bad:

1. Straight away (no pun intended) I am annoyed at the protagonist, Kagerou, who is complaining that his troubled, middle-school drop-out, foster-brother and childhood friend has "decided" that he is gay. So, my hackles were raised. Raised! "Decided?" Grrrr. Thankfully this attitude is diverted quickly by a more reasonable discussion, almost so quickly that I thought, maybe they didn't mean "decided." I'm fairly sure the author didn't. Unfortunately, this manga is riddled with not only so much bad writing in general, but also so many blatantly obvious proofreading errors that it's hard to tell if "decided" was a mistake or intentional.
 
2. Clunky translations might not bother every reader, but they make me want to throw things. If translation is an art (and it is), whomever translated this just handed you a placemat with a crayon drawing of a cat which wound up looking more like an eggplant with a deformity. And typos? Typos are unacceptable, and yet...
   
   

   

   Faught is not a word. 

   if the whole fought/faught thing were an isolated incident I might overlook it, but there are others. At one point Kagerou's name even shows up as Kagefou.
 
3. Poor translations can do more than just sound clunky. Sometimes they can change the meaning of the passage. For example, rape is a serious word. Rape is violent, brutal and is NOT about the physical act of sex as much as it is about the concepts of power, control and viciousness made physical. It is not a word to be thrown about lightly. And it is not molestation. Molestation is bad too, but it isn't rape. Molestation is unwanted sexual advances and can lead to rape, but these two things, although related, are not the same things. Language is subtle, friends, and often things that seem like synonyms to the (kill it with fire) thesaurus, are not things that are synonyms in the real world. No one is raped, thankfully, in this manga. People are, however, molested. But even that seems like the wrong word at one point. Maybe the word was coerced?  Seduced doesn't seem right? Translations ARE hard, but words need to be used wisely, Dear Readers.
 
4. Sometimes poor translations just make a mess of everything. At this point I don't know if it is the translators or the original author who should take the blame for one of the stupidest and most biologically improbable discussions of ejaculate ever. I'm assuming here, Dear Readers, because I don't read a lot of ejaculate discussions. If the translator is to blame then okay, status quo for this manga, I suppose. But if the author is to blame, then I have to ask that manga writers do a little research when dealing with the male anatomy and its functions.
 
5. The plot is predictable in a lot of ways, boyhood friendships grow into unrecognized adult affections and it takes a love triangle for the characters to realize their true feelings. Nothing special or startling happens plotwise, but...I still wound up in tears.  Let's explore why.

Kagerou doesn't seem to understand Ata at all, but he still sets himself in the role of protector, a role he took on when he and Ata were very young. Ata was a foster-child in Kagerou's home, and had a troubled past. They formed a close brotherly bond and spent much of their time together.

Little Kagerou (dark hair) comforting a  little Ata (light hair) after a bad dream. 

 Kagerou takes his role as big-brother and protector very seriously even now. He calls the men Ata sleeps with "garbage" and he's right...they are. They're abusive, manipulative, cruel and selfish. But sadly, Ata can't seem to live long without falling from one bad relationship to another. At times Kagerou even has to step in physically to protect Ata from his choices in partners.

Adult Kagerou and adult Ata after one of Ata's nasty breakups.

Ata doesn't seem to understand Kagerou either. Ata wants to be with someone, but not just someone--someone who will care for him. He discovers, to his dismay, that he has been in love with Kagerou for a very long time. The string of lovers serve to occupy his passions, because he would rather keep Kagerou by his side than lose him completely. The lovers he has are ultimately unlovable, but that's fine with Ata, who feels as if he is unworthy of even the cruelest sort of partner, since, he believes, he is betraying them all with his love for Kagerou. Kagerou is Ata's home, and he is so afraid of poisoning that home with his desire, that he shuts himself off from any real feelings. He is used to men who use and mistreat him, so he becomes nervous when one of Kagerou's friends, archery Captain Sanuki, becomes interested in him. Ata falls into a secret relationship with him, and when their affair is revealed shit hit the fan for only a second before Kagerou backs down--he only wants the best for Ata, and Sanuki is a good guy for once, someone that Kagerou can approve of.

The problem is that Sanuki knows Ata's feelings for Kagerou, and eventually tires of playing second string, forcing Ata to admit his feelings to a broken and astonished Kagerou, who has been waiting for Ata all along.

Argh! Why am I crying when this is so badly written?
I am totally ashamed of myself right now.

And that, Dear Readers, is the moment I actually start to cry.

So, despite the bad grammar and the stupid assumptions about male physiology, there's something so painfully raw and beautiful beneath the surface of this otherwise cliched story that it moved cynical old Dr. M (who does not believe in things like true love, or soul mates, or unicorns, or tragic-pretty crying moments in the rain) to tears. And that, Dear Readers, is a pretty significant thing. I just really wish the writing were better. I can't approve of this manga, or recommend it as is...the writer/teacher/reader I am will not allow me to do that, but I can say that IF you can tolerate bad writing, then the story may be worth the effort it takes to slog through this train wreck. Better yet, just look at the pictures. The pictures are very nice.

The Rule of Standing on Tiptoes (manga)

Title: The Rule of Standing on Tiptoe
Author/Illustrator: Puku Okuyama
Genre: Yaoi? I suppose incidentally it is.
Publisher: DMP
Rating: 16+ YA, but really doesn't need to be (zero sex or sexual situations)

Cover: Kosuke (Ham-chan) on Raku (Luck)'s shoulders
as Raku steals his chips. These boys are goofballs!

Okay, first of all, this is freaking adorable...adorable...like one of the most adorable things I've ever read, so I am going to keep writing adorable over and over again as I review it. ADORABLE! The Rule of Standing on Tiptoes is an adorable high-school  romantic comedy/friendship story about the tallest boy in class and the shortest boy in class. Short, hyper, hamster-like Kosuke and tall, popular Raku first meet when Raku hits Kosuke with his bike on the first day of 10th grade. Kosuke, who is immediately nick-named Ham-chan by Raku, is the first to discover Raku's secret--he's only half-Japanese. The secret isn't a big deal, but Raku stands out so much already because of his good looks and height that he'd rather keep his blue eyes (he wears black contacts) and his light brown hair (he claims he dyes it) under wraps to keep him from standing out more. His personality is vastly different from loud, boisterous, pierced, bleach blond Ham-chan, but despite their differences they form a fast friendship as they make their way through the pitfalls of high-school.  Somewhere along the way each, individually, starts to form more difficult feelings of love and devotion to the other. Did I say adorable? Because seriously, this is adorable. There's no graphic sex, no weird drama, no astonishingly unrealistic beautiful boys, no big obstacles, no secret pasts (I mean unless you count Raku's heritage), no psychic powers, no conniving rivals (one standard high-school-type rivalry is pretty tame), no aggressive lusting...there's nothing but an absolutely genuine feeling, sweetly awkward friendship that turns into an absolutely genuine feeling, sweetly awkward sort of love. Adorable.

On a side note there is something about Kosuke (Ham-chan)'s gestures and personality that reminds me of Ms. Shakespeare. Some of it may be the way he hyperactively panics before over-rationalizing and putting on a stoic face. Some of it may be because she is kind of adorable. See exhibit A and B below:



On the  left the adorable Ms. Shakespeare and surly Dr. M battling for the only copy of a manga!
On the right Ham-chan and his ex-girlfriend race to school to prove who is faster!
It really does look like us.

 So, the manga is adorable, and Ms. Shakespeare and I are adorable. Facts is facts, Dear Readers.

This really is one of the most honest seeming yaoi manga I've ever read. Okuyama has really captured that swoony-sick feeling that accompanies a timid sort of love. It is well worth a read if only to re-experience that feeling again. Oh...adorable (just wanted to type it once more).

Only Serious About You (manga)

Title: Only Serious About You 1
Writer/Illustrator: Asou Kai
Genre: Yaoi
Distributor: June
Rating: Not provided...I would put it at a PG-13 (no sex, some suggestive remarks, one sweet kiss)
Fun fact: On sale at 30% off at Akadot

Okay, this is squeeworthy. Completely squeeworthy! And it has so many of the lovely things I like: older characters, character development, complex back story...plus, it's sweet. So sweet. These are the kinds of mangas that remind me that somewhere deep inside, I am still a girl (but not very often so be warned).

The main character of this manga, Nao, is like me in that his mantra seems to be "I will work harder." This mantra is my downfall, and it is his too. Nao is a single father whose daughter, Chizu, falls ill. As a single father he must take time off of his work as a cook, bartender and waiter, to care for her, but as he is alone and strapped for cash, this becomes difficult. One of the regular customers, Yoshi, who is openly gay, a serial dater and an tremendous flirt, offers to lend his help and reluctantly Nao takes him up on it. Eventually Nao too falls ill and in typical yaoi fashion the illness brings Nao and Yoshi closer together as friends. Eventually their relationship will move from close friends into romantic territory, but not in this first volume. There are obstacles in the way that must be overcome before then.

Yoshi (in bed) finally succumbs to the flu.
It is Nao's turn to take care of him. It is at this moment that Nao
realizes that he and Yoshi are alike in their reluctance to depend on others,
and that Yoshi asking for his help is actually a big deal.
They are becoming a family.

First is the fact that Nao is not gay or doesn't realize he is--that's an issue! Nao is a divorcee with a broken heart, as such he's very guarded and unwilling to get close to or rely on anyone. Chizu is the center of his life, and he sees no point in taking time away from her for selfish romance. The second obstacle is the fact that Yoshi (who Nao says is "pretty loose with his love life") never seems to be serious about the men he dates. We discover later that the string of lovers Yoshi has is his attempt to ward off loneliness he's felt his whole life (he was raised in an orphanage)...he just wants someone to love and stay with him. Both men will  find the companionship and love they desire in subsequent volumes, but in the meantime the slow pacing and development of their relationship will keep me reading. At the end of volume one some complications arise with Nao's over-protective boss, his selfish ex-wife, and Yoshi's on-again/off-again flame.

I want volume two, which comes out late this month. This is a manga I'd read again, and a manga I'd recommend to others. I want it on my manga shelf and, Dear Readers, you should want it on yours too.

La Esperanca--Manga

La Esperanca officially has one of these jobbers ç (called a cedilla). I may or may not try to remember to put it in like so: La Esperança. I'll try. And I will try...I mean it. Why? Because La Esperança  is one of my favorite manga series ever. On the surface it's typical yaoi stuff--school boys yearning over forbidden feelings in a will they/won't they sort of situation that ends all too predictably. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but La Esperança does more than just rehash the same plot as a hundred other tension-filled, angsty, boy-love manga. It actually brings up some interesting and insightful discussions of destiny, friendship, faith, kindness, fragility and vulnerability. These are heavy, literary themes for this genre of manga and author and illustrator Chigusa Kawai (this is her first, and for a long time her ONLY work) handles them with maturity, subtlety, complexity and sincerity in this seven volume series.

But first, an important confession: I read this manga as it was being released by DMP, and eagerly anticipated each new volume. I can remember counting down release dates, driving on my lunch hour to (of all places) the local Game Stop, and bringing the volumes home with twitchy fingers. La Esperança made me nervous. It still does. I often delayed reading my new volume until I had re-read all the previous ones. I was certainly anxious to know what turn the story of wealthy private school students Georges Saphir and Robert Jade might take, but I'd need to ease myself back into it. To be frank, I was nervous for the characters. I both wanted and did not want to see them break. I was nervous for me as well, La Esperança is a series I had to physically step away from on several occasions (putting the book down mid-chapter with a sigh or sharp intake of breath) to ward off the emotional heartbreak that seemed inevitable.

In short, this series is pretty powerful stuff at times, especially in terms of image, emotion, and characterization. It also has a lot of wind blown angst. Lots of wind. So much wind that Ms. Shakespeare once went on a lengthy diatribe about the amount of wind in this manga series, claiming that in order for this to be realistic each character would have to be sporting around their own wind machine at all times. Wind aside, because I don't really care either way, this is a must read. Chigusa Kawai's first work is intense, impressive and (dare I say it? ) literary. I have been looking forward to some new work from this writer/illustrator since the end of La Esperança, and Kawai has finally produced something new--a series entitled Alice the 101st, which is on my to read and to review list as we speak. I only hope the new series lives up to my expectations based on this one. I'll certainly be letting you know, Dear Readers.

WARNING ONE: Blogger may have just screwed me out of a crazy-good, long-ass essay on this manga. In fact, I know it did. I have never had this experience on blogger, and am half-furious at both it and myself at the moment. I will have to rewrite it, and I am ensaddened. I hope it is even better this time around, although I expect it will not be. Hey, blogger, what happened to the auto-save? Did you forget to do that? Because it would have been really nice in this case. SO ANGRY!

WARNING TWO: Dr. M (seriously, I have an actual PhD...don't question my ability to get all schooley) is about to wax all academic up in this mug, please bear with her, humor her and acknowledge that from time to time this sort of thing has a place.



Robert and Georges first meeting.
Georges literally falls into his arms.
Only to be dumped out unceremoniously with a
"Tsk, I thought you were a girl."



At its heart, La Esperança is a buildungsroman about the development of the inner self. The teenage boys populating St. Grollo Boy's School are coming to an awareness of the singular self at odds with the surrounding world. This awareness brings with it an acknowledgement of limitations and complications. Each character is asked to face their fears about the past and future in order to become a whole person moving in and through the world.

Thematically it deals with some very important, and sometimes heavy, topics, asking us, as readers, to consider, what we do to protect ourselves from the world as human beings.  It is very human to put up our guard against the world around us, because vulnerability leaves us exposed, but closing ourselves off keeps us from living fully in the world through connections with others. Georges, the protagonist of the novel, begins as nothing more than a pretty object--a self-effacing angel popular with all students, but close to none. Henri, the best friend, is held at arms length and longs to breach the unseen barriers Georges throws up to guard his inner self from the outside world. Robert, the antagonist and eventual love interest, hides his true self  behind the perceptions others have of him; he lets his classmates and others believe him to be cold and callous because it is easier (and safer) than having to explain or relieve past sorrows. 

Georges' Story is about acceptance:

In all of the essential ways, this is the story of Georges Saphir, orphan, half-saint, pianist, and angelic do-gooder with a tragic past he is unaware of. So, we must start with Georges.Georges has things wrong, but not on purpose. An altruist at heart Georges strives to be pure, to be kind and helpful to everyone, to live for others. But in living for others he abandons himself in many ways, and becomes less of a person as a result. The sweet-smiling barriers he constructs keep people from seeing what Georges believes is impure, or undeserving, below the surface. Robert is the first person to ever breach the barriers Georges puts up, and he does so rather cruelly in a way, telling Georges that there is a contradiction in George's actions, that Georges, who is friendly to all, but close to none, is actually cruel. He berates him, telling Georges that he spreads benevolence around, but feels none of it, that he pushes his kindness on people, and that although he seems altruistic he is in fact selfish with himself. Robert points out the "lie" in Georges' treatment of his classmates that he claims to like them, but never lets anyone know the real him. Georges, he claims, will be the one suffering in the end if he does not learn to love himself. Roberts lessons are cruelly given at first, but they belie the interest he has in Georges. Georges, over the course of the story, learns to let people in bit by bit. He also learns that to become an adult, to have real relationships, one must give of ones' self.

Robert's Story is one of rredemption:

Can I just tell you how much I love this character? Too bad, Dear Readers, I'm doing it anyway. I love Robert Jade. His cockiness covers his hidden sensitivities and insecurities, therefore he's my second favorite kind of tragic hero. My first favorite kind, incidentally is Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. He is a "pain demon," seemingly sadistic, but really masochistic. Oh, Heathcliff! Robert is the second kind, the torn prince, the knight errant crippled by his own inner workings and personal tragedies, the bad boy with a secret child's heart plagued by sorrows and desires ( on a related note, I love you, Dean Winchester!). His small gestures undo me. Scenes when we get a glimpse into Robert's past, scenes when he and Georges struggle to contain emotion, and scenes where Robert breaks, showing his kindness or his haunted soul, or his fragility, leave me breathless. Georges is a pretty blank page, but Robert....Robert is a supernova: a dying star in the throws of immolation. Robert is haunted by his own tragic past, one in which he feels responsible for the death of a loved one (whom Georges greatly resembles in looks and in personality). Neglected as a child, Robert is awkward with emotion and relationships, but it is clear that he has vast up-wellings of love that need an outlet. In the climax of the book, Robert not only redeems himself, but finds closure and forgiveness. 

Side stories are about coming into one's own self, creating the individual, navigating the distance between expectations and reality, desires and needs. Each of the characters faces their own personal quests to establish a future, to comes to terms with obstacles and to make secure connections that will last a lifetime. These boys are at a crossroads in which the must choose the directions their lives will take: each struggles with very human fears, fallabilities, and even a few neuroses.



Georges kisses Robert out of the blue,
finally taking something for himself.



The story ends, not on a saccharine sweet happily ever after, but on a sort of trembling hopefulness.  Robert and Georges actually part, but with promises. They will each other to fight, to survive whatever life may throw at them and (in the immortal words of Tim Gunn) "make it work" despite obstacles.  We see a glimpse of their possible future in their determination to take initiative, address, change, and compromise WITHOUT sacrificing one's ideals, and self.

In this way the "Ending" feels more akin to a beginning. Half of me wishes for a continuation---half of me thinks that this hopeful, "non-conclusion" is the best of all possible endings for a series concerned with accepting and facing future obstacles.

I keep coming back to this manga again and again, not because it is sweet or inspiring (although it is at times) , but because it touches on what it means to be human in all of its incarnations--positive and negative. There are certainly moments where my heart is bursting  for these characters, but there are equal number of  moments when I feel afraid for them, or question their actions and reactions. Human beings are not perfect.  There are no happy endings. In fact, there are no endings at all.

Durarara! (Anime Series) Mid-season Update

The season is half-over and I'm half-hooked, which is a good sign, because unlike our intrepid Ms. Shakespeare, I hardly ever feel obliged to continue a series if I'm not enjoying it. I am enjoying Durarara! As the story progresses, the interspersed stories of the first few episodes begin to overlap and reveal the hidden connections that exist in, Ikebukuro, a city that only feels anonymous and disconnected. The mid-season in Durarara! makes clear that, although disparate units make up the city, each of these units feed off of one another in co-dependent ways.

Each character plays a part in Ikebukuro, which itself is nothing more than a conglomeration of many selves, hitting and pinging off of one another in a seemingly endless, and intricate pattern. Every character, from the Russian Sushi Chef to the introverted Student Council Representative, seems to be on a search for some sense of completeness and connectedness that may already exist below the surface of their understanding. All of these characters express a heartfelt (and sometimes misdirected) desire to belong to something, and many, like the "main" character, Mikado Ryugamine, actively create that "something" through their actions and interactions.

It turns out, in a mid-season reveal,that Mikado is the accidental and anonymous leader of the Dollars, the "gang" of the moment that actually is more of an anti-gang, seeking out ways to act for the greater good instead of self satisfaction. His need for belonging stemming from his isolation (he is without family, and introverted) helps him create virtual connections in an online community. The numbers of Dollars swell beyond his expectations as more and more people join this "unband" of outsiders and misfits. Although they have been a latent gang (of sorts), Mikado calls on them for the first time in an attempt to assist Celty in her quest. Even he is impressed by the turn-out.

Other characters, like the siblings Shizuo Heiwajima (a self-proclaimed peace-loving man who seems anything but that when he resorts to ridiculous shows of violence)and Kasuka Heiwajima (a professional actor on the rise), keep a distance from one another despite their strong brotherly bonds, in order to assist the other in achieving their goals, and only reveal their connections in subtexts and secrecy. Other less pristine relationships like the one between Doctor and Pharmaceutical Director, Namie Yagiri and her disturbingly obsessed brother, Seiji Yagiri, have a more troubling relationship in which the co-dependency is pushed to its irrational, and disturbing, limits out of a twisted response to childhood loneliness and desperation.

Lovers like Celty and Shinra Kishitani (her old friend and current roommate) deepen their connection to one another, finding in each other someone who accepts their limitations without question (they are adorable in their sweet, simple friendship and stilted infatuation). They all struggle, in positive and negative ways, for completeness. Celty herself serves as a character who, quite literally, embodies this desire for completeness in her continuing search for her head and the memories she believes it may contain.

Out in the city it isn't only people, but incidents that become intertwined. A rash of disappearances is connected with gang activity, medical testing and even, in a rather disheartening way, with Celty's missing head. Good news everyone, Celty's head has been found…unfortunately, attached to the body of a murdered girl (one of Mikado's classmates who has gone missing—she was Seiji’s stalker and he killed her when she discovered Celty's head in a jar by his bed) by Namie Yagiri in order to satiate her little brother Seiji's obsession (I did say they had a disturbingly twisted relationship) with said head and serve as a "love gift" of sorts. Bleh. Poor Celty's head attached to that stupid girl's body. I hope Celty gets her noggin back; headlessness must be frustrating.

I love this picture of Celty and the Good Doctor Shinra
by deviantArt artist YukiYijiKusakabe.
She's captured the sweetness of his devotion to Celty,
regardless of her "incomplete" state.

Most of me wonders if I'm really just watching this series to see if Celty gets her head/memories back. I might be, but I'm also watching to see the connections play out. As I wrote in my earlier Durarara!: First Impressions post, this series has an insane number of characters who each tells/sees/experiences only part of the whole story of Ikebukuro and its residents. I like the complexity of the interwoven plots, and I hope that by the end of this series more mysteries and connections are revealed. Until then, it is on Adult Swim on Saturday nights. Check it out (try not to get confused).

Kissing--Manga

Kissing by Teiko Sasaki and Shoko Takaku centers on the friendship of college seniors Haru and Kazushi. And it is another angst-fest. These two childhood friends are often mistaken as a couple by the people around them as a result of their comfort and affection with one another. Already I am a smitten kitten at this point. I love stories about close friendships that blur boundaries between amorous, philial and fraternal love, so even if there were not the later element of a hidden amorous/erotic love thrown in I would still be drawn to the story. Haru and Kazushi rely on one another's friendship so it is no surprise that Kazushi holds back his feelings from Haru for fear of risking what they already have together. It isn't until Haru pushes Kazushi for answers about his secret love interest that the truth is revealed. Haru's response is shock and dismay...followed by avoidance and an angry confrontation about how Kazushi should have just kept quiet. Behind the surface, though, readers are made aware of how much Haru relies on Kazushi and how oblivous he has been to the effort Kazushi has put into their friendship over the years. It is time for Haru to grow up.

As graduating seniors each friend is plagued with concerns over their future, and what it might hold. When Haru learns of Kazushi's goal to move to America for an MBA, he considers the loss that that entails and subsequently the important role Kazushi has played in his life. What is the difference between friendship and love? At times it is quite clear, but for these two characters whose lives have been so intertwined the distinction is almost irrelevant. They belong to one another in so many ways that the shift from platonic to romantic love seems inevitable in some ways.

The manga centers on that shift, and the fear that if "things go wrong" their longstanding friendship will be destroyed. It is also sprinkled with nostalgic moments that show us how their relationship has developed over the years. Scenes of Kazushi sneaking through Haru's window mean much more in the context of his now-public confession. Very Romeo and Tybalt! The genuine affection between the two characters is beyond sweet, and their fear of losing one another motivates each to reimagine their connection to one another. All in all, this is a really sweet and tender story about not only the crossroads between different types of love, but the uncertainties these students face regarding their future together and apart.

The manga rates itself as 16+ (for one little scene at the end).

Yellow and Yellow 2 --Manga

Now, normally I give you, dear readers, a link to Amazon where you could, potentially, purchase a copy of the manga/anime we are discussing. However, it appears that Makoto Tateno's Yellow is partially out of print. So, I feel bad talking about a series whose first volume is difficult to obtain. The good news is that volumes 2-4 of Yellow and volume one of the sequel Yellow 2 are still in print. And, if you look, and trust me you don't need to look very hard, you can find fan translations of volume one online. I will not guide you there, you can find it yourself, trust me! In fact, just scroll down the right side of the screen to where we mention sites we like and one of those sites might be FOXy enough to provide you with the MANGA scans (see what I did there? I know you did, because you are brilliant and insightful).

But, Amander, you say, fan translations can sometimes be very bad. Yes, friends, I know, but trust me, they're no worse than the actual translation in this case. Yellow volume one has the notorious distinction of being the one manga so poorly translated (by the publisher, mind you) that Ms. Shakespeare attacked my copy with a glue stick and some paper. Allow me to demonstrate with an actual scan of my favorite of her "alterations."

(Remember, this is manga in the original Japanese formatting, so read Right to Left and then Down the pages.)

That is Ms. Shakespeare's actual handwriting which you see so eloquently "correcting" my first chapter. They may have hired a translator/editor for subsequent chapters because they did get better, MUCH better. The first chapter of volume one is nigh unreadable. And that, friends, is why when Ms. Shakespeare borrowed my copy she could not help but improve upon the choppy translation. Thank goodness. (Incidentally, as a thank you, I altered a copy of one of her more, ahem, provocative manga purchases to include, um...junk. Yes, I drew in "parts" where parts had been pixelated or removed due to censorship in Japan. I'm a good friend! Such a good friend!!)

But, I digress...a lot!

Here's the gist of Yellow: Taki and Goh are what they call "snatchers" who live their life in the metaphorical "yellow"/caution zone both professional and personally. They are hired by anonymous entites to "snatch" things like drugs, guns, evidence, etc. Taki is heterosexual and Goh is gay. They live together and most people assume they are a couple. Despite being only partners, they love one another very dearly and rely on one another in life or death situations which has formed a strong bond between the two. Each of them is willing to sacrifice themselves to save the other. Eventually Goh develops some rather strong feelings for Taki, and despite Taki's resistance (sometimes violent resistance) to Goh's advances, it is clear that it is only a matter of time before Taki succumbs to his intense love for (and of) Goh and their chaste partnership turns into a physical relationship. So, DRUGS! GUNS! ULTRAVIOLENCE! DIRTY SEX! I like it.

One interesting aspect to the relationship that develops between the characters stems from the fact that they know little to nothing about one another previous to their first meeting (a little over a year before the plot begins). Their former lives and identities (for the most part) are kept secret even from one another. On the surface this seems like this omission might insinuate a deep mistrust on the characters, but it doesn't seem to be the case. Each of them is trying to reinvent themselves, and feels so much trust in the other that pasts don't seem to matter. Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way and Taki's past catches up to him with a vengeance. The boys must negotiate their pasts with their future as both partners and lovers while both the good guys and bad guys are out to get them. The first series ends with a fairly solid conclusion, and feels complete (if not a little saccharine). The sequel series Yellow 2 is being released as we speak from June' Manga...and it is certainly good, but isn't great. I wish they had opted out of a continuation. I mean I like spending more time with the characters, but the sweet tension between the characters has abated as they are drawn back into the life of snatchers.

On the surface the Yellow series is a angst filled story with some light-hearted moments, and will appeal to both the yaoi crowd and detective story fans. Below the surface, for you analytical readers, there are some fairly interesting, although sometimes quite subtle discussions of the role of trust in a relationship, the definition of love (in all its incarnations), and whether abiding romantic love needs a physical aspect to be powerful and permanent.

Warning: Some very intense sexual scenes so, NC-17. Despite the rating I'd give it, I would not consider this manga series to be pornographic in nature, it is erotic at points, but is more character driven than it is a plotless vehicle for hot manga-guys doin' it.    

Invisible Love--Manga

Title: Invisible Love
Author/Artist: Rie Honjou
Publisher: DMP (Digital Manga Publishing)

Invisible Love, like most of Rie Honjou's work both as author and animator, is kind of squeeworthy. I'm most familiar with her as an illustrator, but she has branched out into writing as well. Invisible Love is a collection of unrelated (mostly) vingnettes centering on hidden crushes.

The title story, about college students Inori and Senou, is really sweet and ridiculous...so, of course I love it. Inori is an easy-going guy who has a tendency to get dumped by girls who claim he's not serious about them. His most recent girlfriend told him that she couldn't be with him knowing that someone else held his heart. (Awwww! Seriously, awww!) Every time he's dumped he goes to best friend Senou for support and guidance, and finds himself thinking--ah, if only Senou were a woman. One night, while drinking their troubles away Senou passes out cold and "dreams" about Inori. Mostly-sober Inori succumbs to Senou's sweetness and devotion and learns how much his friend really loves him. The next day Senou believes it is all a dream, and Inori keeps his secret hoping that someday Senou will have enough courage to confess his love aloud. Hijinks ensue, and...Squee! For course there is a happy ending.

The other stories in the collection center on similar "hidden" or "invisible" feelings between characters. In one a host club manager accidentally runs into a childhood crush. In another a department store worker befriends a new employee and learns about his past indiscretions. In another a new couple reveals their hidden desires. The mandatory school-boy story has an interesting sweetness to it, despite its...um...naughtyness? And in the last story a set of young lovers discovers they share a tragic past that has left both of them shaken. The interesting part of this thematic collection is the sweetness that tempers the obvious desire (and smut-itude) between the characters. Each story reveals some invisible connection that could end in agony or ecstasy.


As far as illustration goes characters are cute without being too girly. She has a knack for capturing subtle emotions in her drawings that a lot of manga artists lack; often a small gesture will surprise me during rereadings, and I like that. Although sometimes her illustrations are quite, ahem, graphic (with the getting-it-on), they're never gross or crude. Although, I just discovered she has a collection of S&M stories...huh. Her drawings and gestures border so closely to precious that I wonder how she pulls that off?

She is one of my favorite illustrators, but she has some odd habits. For one, she loves to draw people eating or smoking...even she has pointed out this odd quirk. She thinks people look "cute" drinking a soda, eating donuts or with a chopstick in their mouth. One big glaring quirk, which annoys not only me, but the author (enough so that she bothered to mention it in a post-script) is that she often has characters from different stories who look IDENTICAL! In the collection two of the stories featured side by side have confusingly identical protagonists. So, there isn't a ton of variation in her characters as far as illustration goes, but that's the case in a lot of manga, it seems. I swear in one of my favorite manga it took me two reads before I could differentiate between the best friend and love interest. I kept getting confused, and thought I'd eventually have to label them. So, it's a problem, but not one particular to Invisible Love , but manga in general. Just remember that the stories are, for the most part, unrelated...you'll be fine.

Let's end with some squeeworthy sweetness, shall we?

SQUEE!

Time Lag--Manga

Mama Shakespeare is gone to writer's camp, so I'm going (mostly) yaoi all up in this blog until she gets back. That's a lot of responsibility on a little Ponyo like me.

Incidentally, I do not believe I look like Ponyo. I look like this:

Okay, maybe a little chubbier and more Ponyo...but I don't like it. Hence the badass buckle boots that attempt to thwart my ponyo-esque nature. Hence also my constant sneer/smirk which fails to make me look especially badass either. In fact, it might just make me cuter. Oh, the woes of the cute...no one ever takes us seriously.


So, speaking of cute:



Title: Time Lag
Author: Shinobu Gothoh
Artist: Hotru Odagiri
Publisher: June’

Time Lag is a sweet and long-suffering comedy of errors. And like many other yaoi manga the plot is almost Shakespearean in how it centers on an accident of fate to both move the plot along and keep young lovers apart. In this case the accident of fate can be attributed to the postal service. "DAMN YOU POSTAL SERVICE!!!!"

Here's the basics (spoil city):
At the end of middle school Shirou Sawaguchi writes a letter to his best friend Satoru Tendou which confesses his love and asks him, if he accepts his love, to meet him under the tallest sakura tree after graduation. And guess what? It's never delivered. (Cue "dunh-dunh" music!) So, Satoru, also in love with Shirou, never meets him. Shirou believes he has been denied. A year later Satoru decides to confess his love, and is shut down by Shirou who believes he is being cruelly teased by Satoru. Satoru confesses again the following year with the same results. Our story begins in year three, when Satoru, still pining away for the bitter Shirou, debates laying his heart on the line again. His friend, Seiichi, tries to disuade him because he not only wants to help Satoru avoid more heartache, he is harboring his own feelings for Satoru!

Chaos of the cutest variety insues as a result of a misunderstood "love triangle." Just when everything is going wrong, the letter, three years lost in the mail, arrives on Satoru's doorstep. More chaos! Lucky for readers, and poor Satoru and Shirou (too many S names in this one), everyone ends up happy all around...well, I guess not Seiichi...hmm. But that's okay, he hasn't given up either, he vows to sweep Satoru from Shirou's arms and into his own. Huzzah!

I don't know why I'm not more smitten-kitten with this manga, it has everything I love: angst, schoolboy crushes, misunderstandings, clutsy morons, scowling, windblown hair. It falls flat, though. Again, I think this might be a situation in which character development takes a back seat to plot. I love a good plot, but I don't fall in love with plots. Plots don't break my heart or make me fall in love. Characters do that. So, Time Lag leaves me wanting more. The plot is interesting, that missing letter leads to some complex misunderstandings, but the characters are undeveloped, simplistic and pretty uninteresting as a result. So, another meh. At least this one has a happy ending?

Day 30 - Favorite Anime Involving Guns: Black Lagoon

Wow, Day 30 ends with a BANG! And, another couple hundred. And then some explosions. And a few trickshots.

Black Lagoon gets my vote as Favorite Anime Involving Guns. This is one hell of a shoot'em up. I'd love this if it were live action, but animated...woo wee!




The city of Roanapur is a criminal underworld, and the Black Lagoon mercenary crew is composed of the best guns for hire. The anime is part classic outlaw western, part cold war James Bond weapons cartel conspiracy, part pirate adventure, and 100% dark comedy.

The main character, Rock (with the pizza on his face in the trailer), is (of all things) the company accountant. He's just a miserable Japanese businessman, thrust into a world of insane guns-for-hire bad-assery.

It is just so much fun.

And Revy...hahahah!



Revy is the most bad-ass anime bitch ever created!

Day 22 - Favorite Anime Character Team Up: Hikaru and Kaoru from Ouran

Double Evil! Hehehe! Funny and evil.

Here's why they're my pick:



The twincest thing is all a game...they're so rotten and mean. They stage fake fights, they torment poor Tamaki, and they're just generally mischievous. Hooray!

Incidentally, they were in the running for "Anime Character you Feel Most Like" as a duo, of course.

Day 13 - Underrated Anime: Inuyasha

Can something be both underrated and overrated? I mean, Inuyasha is pretty universally loved, but it gets a lot of flack from "real" anime fans who see us Inuyasha lovers as some sort of less-than fan just because we happen to think it's cool. (Incidentally I have also gotten flack for just liking the English Dubs...apparenty I am "missing out" on the original which is "so much better." Bleh.)

I have heard the following phrases, or some variations of them, several times in my anime-lovin life (a few times from Ms. Shakespeare perhaps...ahem, ahem..?):

"Yeah, but it's so mainstream."
So? It's mainstream because it's good. I get a little defensive of Inuyasha at times. Just because something is popular doesn't automatically make it bad. This feels like the whole "sell-out" theory of rock. BTW world, if Someone you like gets famous and other people like them now, they do not automatically become sell-outs. You should be happy that someone you like finally hit the big time, instead of throwing out scornful and nostalgic crap about how they were "so much better" before everyone started watching/listening to them.

"It's all very monster of the week."
So? There are a LOT of monsters in the feudal era (this is non-fiction, right? I mean Feudal Japan was like crawling with oni? Inuyasha is practicaly a documentary, right?). There is still an overarching plot (or five) that ties all the pieces together.

"It's for kids."
No. It is not for kids.

Inuyasha has been around for a long time, sure. And it's really popular, sure. It's also weirdly underrated as an interesting, complex and well-written (most of the time) show. Plus, they'll keep you going for a while with 167 episodes and 4 feature films. Ah, I can remember waiting for the new seasons on [AS].

I do hate the way it ended though...boooooo! BOOOO!

The manga spans 56 volumes. 56!!! I don't have the time or energy to read all of that, although I hear it is a little more violent and risque than the anime series. Plus I think it has an ending.

So, Inuyasha haters of the world. Quit underrating and under-appreciating one of my favorite series of all times.

Day 11 - Favorite Mech Series: Gurren Lagann

I think the animes/mangas with Mechas/Robots/Gunmen are called Mechs in English and Mechas in Japanese because they need an extra letter.

They are not this:


Oh, creepy robot mouth, you scare the bejeezus out of me. Please do not sing me to sleep. At least with anime viewers don't face an uncanny valley sort of robot issue. Most mechs in anime are pretty cartooney, and most are pretty meh...I think Voltron is pretty cool, I watched it when I was little too. And I really love the farcical Titan Maximum on adult swim. But most, nearly all, mechs bore the poo out of me. It's all fight, fight, fight. Look at me sweating in my robot suit. Look at me yelling stuff.

There is one exception though, and it isn't Gundam. I love Gurren Lagann. In fact, I love it so much that I am constantly surprised by my love for it. I have talked about it plenty before, and already picked the finale of the series as "Most Epic Scene." So, I'll keep it brief and just say, SEE IT! (Also, Ms. Shakespeare if you are going to see one mech, see this one, please? That way we can talk about how awesome it is.)

Here's the trailer:


JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!!! I love Gurren Lagann! But I'm not alone.

This review by Anime News Network rated Gurren Lagann as an A rated series that shows "the manly side of mushiness, the kind of content which speaks about people who truly throw everything they have – all of their passion, their hopes, their determination, and even their souls and very lives – into the crucible to challenge the heavens, to force a path to their own destinies and those that they hold dear. "

This is some band of brothers stuff, very St. Crispin's Day speech! I cannot help but be swept up in the struggle.

So I'll leave you with some Shakespeare, which is an odd thing to be reminded of when one is discussing giant robot gunmen, but it seems entirely appropriate.

Since I mentioned it here is the St. Crispian's Day speech from Henry V:

This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.


Or, as Simone the digger would say:
"Aniki is dead. He's not here anymore! But on my back, and in my heart, he lives on in me! My drill is the one that pierces the heavens! Even if that hole becomes my grave, as long as I break through, I shall be victorious! Who the hell do you think I am?! I'm Simone! I'm not my brother Kamina! I am myself! Simone the digger!"

I'm all amped up now! YEAH! "This is my soul, and I'll make you regret this!" SQUEEEE! So much asskickery!

Upcoming: Supernatural: The Anime

I can't tell you how excited and nervous the official trailer for Supernatural: The Anime makes me. I love Supernatural...I am an addict. So, when I heard that they would be reimagining the series as an anime, I was stoked. The latest news is that the US Release is scheduled for July 26. I will be saving my meagre dollars. Supernatural is a series that could lend itself well to anime...long story arc, monsters, complex characterization.
The only things that concern me are:
1) The animation of older brother, Dean Winchester, is not exactly what I would have envisioned (then again, I am a fan of Dean Winchester) and younger brother, Sam, seems to be getting the brunt of attention...he might be the lead, which is offputting to me. They are a duo, plus I just don't think Sam is as interesting (or complex) as Dean is.
2) Someone covered "Carry on My Wayward Son" as the themesong. It plays a prominent role in the live-action series, and is a good classic rock song...I happen to like Kansas (it is one of my favorite state-named bands). So, the cover seems weak.
3)Jared Padelecki (Sam) voiced the US episodes, but Jensen Ackles (Dean) only did a select few...who is doing them? Does anyone but Ackles sound like Ackles? I don't think so. I like his voice. He was awesome as Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood, so he CAN do voice work. (Plus his dad is a voice-over legend). The choice is odd.
4) It may be drawing too much from the storyline in the live-action series. What I see from the preview is most of an episode called "Roadkill" from season two. (Yes, I am that much of a geek.) I hope that there are new plotlines, otherwise I'm not sure what the point of redoing the series in animated form might be.

Concerns aside, I am (pun intended) geeked! I look forward to viewing and then reviewing the series here on Squeefinity...it will give me something to do during the summer hiatus of the live action show. And new ways to oogle Dean.

I, My, Me: Strawberry Eggs (anime)

Hibiki Amawa is a recent college graduate who has taken up residency in a boarding house owned by aggressive, gun-toting land-lady Lulu Sanjo. He is looking for a job as a Physical Education Teacher and is living off of his meager savings, but eventually his savings run out. Nearby Seito Sannomiya Private Co-Ed School is hiring a Phys Ed. teacher, but despite Amawa’s excellent credentials refuses to hire ANY male faculty, claiming that men do not have the instincts to care for and instruct children. Still desperate for a position, Amawa disguises himself as a woman and is hired on immediately. The series is, for the most part, a standard and expected gender-switcheroo comedy, full of close-calls, odd crushes, and goofy disasters. Thematic issues with gender and sexuality do play out in some interesting, albeit mostly predictable, ways, but it is ultimately the sweetness of the show that kept me watching. The characters genuinely care for one another, and want to see each other succeed. With great episode titles like “Forbidden Eyeliner,” and very tender moments between friends and classmates, the series is worth watching.

There is, however, something in this anime that makes me slightly uncomfortable, to say the least. Amawa throughout the series develops strong feelings for awkward, immature, and naive student, Fuko Kuzuha (and vice-versa). Amawa is approximately 20 years old, and Kuzuha is 15. Their age difference is disturbing given the current conditions of their relationship (teacher/student…and erroneously same-sex?), but the age difference wouldn’t cause much uproar later in life. This isn’t a case of pedophilia really, because the closeness of their ages seems to thwart that interpretation, however the age issue is still too great to be deemed socially acceptable. And, in defense of the main character, he/she recognizes the problems with succumbing to a more physical relationship (and is adequately disturbed by his love for Kuzuha), and the series ends with a declaration of love, a reveal of identity, and promise from Amawa to return once Kuzuha reaches maturity. Despite the obvious problems with the relationship, and sexual tension, between these two characters, there is something sweetly innocent about their affection for one another.

So, to sum up: I, My, Me, Strawberry Eggs has a stupid title and contains at least one potentially skeevworthy relationship, but somehow manages to remain funny, sweet, a little sad and completely watchable.

Proposal--Ouran v. Ouran : Anime v. Manga

Ouran High School Host Club is not only adorable, more complicated than one might expect (it hits on some very profound psychological and emotional issues in very subtle ways), and worthy of watching/reading, it's also very dear to my heart in a very specific way. Ms. Shakespeare and I bonded over the anime of Ouran High School Host Club; as soon as the fanslation of Ouran hit Youtube one of us would call...our voices full of squee! It was usually a Thursday afternoon, when the dedicated fansubbers of the world appeased our growing desire for the SNAFUs of Ouran High School's wealthy harem of charming young men (and one girl in disguise). I have never seen such dedication and speed in translation; Ouran ran very late on Tuesday nights in Japan, and by Thursday (with some exceptions) we would usually have a fresh episode to watch...just a few days after our squee-filled Japanese peers. When Ouran went live we ran home after school/work met at Ms. Shakespeare's house and huddled around the small, laptop monitor...nearly bouncing out of our chairs at the kitchen table. We chain smoked (something we have both ceased to do), drank diet sodas, and paused often to comment on what was happening on the screen, as the sun went down over our oddly eclectic Michigan neighborhood. When Ouran ended, we cried (we cry a lot), and squeed (we squee a lot) and praised Bisco Hatori for her utter cuteness while lamenting that this was the end of our love affair with the characters who populated the 3rd Music room of Ouran High School.

Ouran was our obession for twenty-six episodes. When the series ended, I started in on the manga, ongoing in Japan and in it's 11th issue in the U.S. I'm a big fan of both versions of the story (and they are very different), but I'm focused more on the manga version right now, because it allows me a little more time and depth with the characters I love. Ms. Shakespeare is a big fan of the anime version, because it has a very tight and effective story arc and seems very self-contained.

I propose a debate...Ouran v. Ouran, Anime v. Manga! But first, an overview:

The series (summary from For Richer or Poorer (FROP)," an Ouran Fanclub Website, courtesy of VIS):
In this screwball romantic comedy, a poor girl at a rich kids' school ends up working for the school's swankiest club—and gets mistaken for a boy!
One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the "Host Club," a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it's there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else.

Essentially, the series is a gender bender/male harem situation...the main characters each represent some anime/manga-typical "type" of swoonworthy fella.

---

Main Characters:
Tamaki Suoh--The "king" of the host club, an over-the-top, half-French, prince character with a fragile heart of gold, who despite his intelligence and grace is actually much more of a goofball and klutz than he is debonaire.
Kyoya Ootori--The "shadow king" (or "mother") of the host club, a caluclating, determined high school student from a very wealthy and powerful family. Despite his forbidding air, he has a tender side.
Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin--Twin trouble makers who use their bond with one another to their advantage in order to keep their distance from other people. They see other people as "toys" and certainly tease, taunt and create mayhem, but secretly they harbor deep feelings for their friends and not just each other.
Mitsukuni Haninozuka, "Hunni"--a high-school senior whose outward cuteness ("a loli-shota") hides brains, martial arts skills, and the fact that he's actually the oldest of all of the host club members. He shares a bond with his cousin, and best friend, Takashi Morinozuka.
Takashi Morinozuka, "Mori"--the strong, silent type. He is quick to defend his friends, is very thoughtful and very emotional despite his tough outward appearance and constant silence.
Haruhi Fujioka--The bluntly honest hero/heroine of the group. She attends Ouran on scholarship, is the top of her freshman class, and is brutally oblivious to things a "normal" girl might desire or notice. She is stubborn, androgynous, practical and independant...and she's hiding the fact that she's a girl.

---

So, what makes this story different or interesting, it's the characters, nothing more. There are no evil aliens to defeat, there are no psychic powers, no real love story to speak of (until perhaps the later chapters of the manga)...it's a story about teenagers with obstacles, despite the opportunities their wealth, intelligence and familial power affords them. For some of these characters the obstacles are emotional; for others they are circumstantial, based on family, status, goals, and/or desires. Oddly, although this manga/anime is about a group of friends, what it discusses the most is an idea of family. Other big themes in the series center around individuality, loss, and success. The themes themselves are addressed honestly, and realistically, despite the fantasy world of wealth and priveledge in both verisons of the story.

There are some differences though between the two mediums of Ouran...and if I can get Ms. Shakespeare to agree to a debate, I'd be most pleased.

What manga would you most like to see turned into an anime?

Great question, Shakes! <- Yeah, I'm talking to myself. What of it, huh?

The manga I'd most like to see made into an anime is "Hands Off" by Kasane Katsumoto. It's a cute, short series (If you don't count the prequel, I think it's eight volumes) about a couple of teenage psychics, cousins, Kotarou and Tastsuki, and their not at all gifted, but truly earnest friend Yuuto.

It's a treat of a story. It strikes just the right balance between humor and drama, and I think it's the kind of manga that would appeal to both sexes. I wouldn't really say it's shojo or shounen, which I think is kind of rare in manga for a preteen/teen target audience. What I'm trying to say is it has broad appeal, and I think that's important.

Basically the story goes as such. Kotarou is a really sweet hearted puppy dog of a teenage boy. He's kind of pretty, but he's obsessed with being masculine, and he loves basketball. He had to leave his former school because he was being bullied for being efeminate. He goes to live with his grandpa and his cousin, the dark and brooding Tatsuki.

Tatsuki is a prickly pear. He and Kotarou used to be the best of friends, but something happened and when his cousin comes to stay, Tatsuki is ice cold to him. It turns out that he can see the past of places (usually the awful past) and when Kotarou touches him, it's magnified.

Yuuto is a long haired, womenizing gem of a character. He sits in the middle between Kotarou and Tatsuki. He's not naiive like Kotarou, and he's not cold like Tatsuki. He somehow manages to hold them all together.

If you drew all of your conclusions about Japan based on this manga, you would think it was a horrible place where people frequently cross dress and criminals roam free. This trio does get in a lot of trouble. Kotarou gets kidnapped more frequently than any character I've ever met. I realize this is to showcase Tatsuki's distant dedication to him and Yuuto's commitment to them both. That could get a little tired, if the relationships weren't so strong. As a reader you want to see how the people around Kotarou react to him getting hurt and how he takes it in stride.

Anyway, things happen. These three investigate. Psychic powers are revealed. Friendships are formed. Obviously the psychic powers part is important. It informs the characters. But, it's the strenght of the relationships that make this manga shine.

I think it's a story that would translate very well to an anime series, and I hope it does one day.

Kyo Kara Maoh (Anime) The End!!!

SQUEEEEEEEEE! Well, that is how I feel right now. Have you ever finished an anime and gotten little jabs of happiness? Kyo Kara Maoh is that show for me.

From beginning to end, this has been a dorky, cute thrill ride. I loved all of the characters, and there were a ton of characters. The writers/animators made it predictable enough that I didn't feel high anxiety, but exciting enough that I found myself yelling at the screen:

"Yuri! Fight back! Fight back! Don't let the bad guys win!!!!" Do they win? Well, it's Kyo Kara Maoh, what do you think? It's kind of like asking half-way through a Jane Austen novel if it will have a happy ending.

Of course, silly.

Now this show is about 78 Eps long, and it is a 78 Ep story arc. The episodes are not self contained, so if you choose to work your way through this one, you'll want to be committed.

I really should talk about plot here. I believe I wrote before that this anime is weak on storyline. I still believe that. I mean, it did take about approximately 26 hours of running time to tell a very simple story.

One kid from earth falls through a toilet into the demon realm where he is really king. There are a lot of bishonen around. He accidently gets engaged to a boy. He finds out there used to be a great Demon King who fought some superbad guys/things but was able to seal them away in four boxes. The four boxes start showing up and the superbad guys/things start getting strong again. The new Demon King has to go on some adventures, gather the boxes, learn about himself and his friends, fight a lot and have some life lessons. There is a final standoff. The new Demon King wins and all is well.

Pretty simple. Pretty darn simple, but the show does sustain its momentum all along.