"Magnolia" Chapter 19

Nagi's taking off the gloves...hee!  I think "Lost Lamb" describes Nagi's situation in this chapter more than "beast".  Hahaha!  This chapter is such a tease!  Still it's fun to see Nagi suffer sweetly.  He makes a great martyr.

Lala 4 AnS Freebie

Lala 4 includes a sweet "Akagami no Shirayukihime" alternative book cover.  It's so cute.  Do I sense wallpaper material??? (Hint, hint all you creative people out there!)

 

There are also "Ookami Heika no Hanayome" and "Gakuen Kindergarten",  book cover included.  Both are these are also very nice :).

January 2012 Manga Purchases

This post is quite late, but better late than never!

English Paperback:

• "The Guin Saga: The Seven Magi", Volume 1
• "Sumomomo, Momomo", Volume 1
• "Nabari no Ou", Volume 1
• "Durarara!!", Volume 1
• "Black Butler", Volume 5 & 8
• "Skip Beat", Volume 26
• "Black Bird", Volume 12
• "Dengeki Daisy", Volume 8
• "Oresama Teacher", Volume 6

Japanese Paperback:

• Hana to Yume Platinum
• "Joousama no Shiro Usagi:, Volume 1
• "Natume Yuujincho" Winter 2012 Special
• "Sayonara Chocolate"

Commentary: My Views on the MangaStream vs. Viz News

There are a lot of things I want to say about this issue both as a manga fan and a scanlator.  As a fan, I say true fans show their support through rewarding creators with money.  I think if you are reading scanlations, whether you read Japanese or not, you have an obligation to buy at least one volume of the Japanese version of your favorite series.  You have the translation, so the "I don't know Japanese" excuse isn't valid.

As for the reading scanlations as a try before you buy option, reading 1 or 2 volumes of a multi-volume series in scanlation is understandable.  However, reading all 59+ volumes of something online is not "try before you buy".  There is no reason to have an entire series online in scanlation when the series is licensed and available for purchase.

Valentine's Day Special One-Shot: "Heart Assassin" by Sora Kakeru

This year for Valentine's Day I thought we'd present a "delinquent love story".  I think delinquents with a heart of gold are my favorite type of male manga character.  This story has a bit of a twist at the end...though.  I kinda wonder if it's a double twist.  Haha!  You'll see what I mean after you read it. Along with the potential double twist, the story has an unexpected bit at the end...actually, a theme in this story is "unexpectation" so it all makes sense in an unexpected way.  Haha!!

February at Omari's Sister -- Going into a Transition Period

As some of you may know, I am finally leaving the ranks of the unemployed and will be working full-time once again as an engineer at the end of the month.  I'm sorry, but I won't reveal where I'll be working, but I'll say it's such an appropriate job that it's kinda scary.  I'm very much looking forward to getting started, and I have no doubt that what I do at my new job will touch a great many of you.

January 2012 Statistics

In January, we made a big push to release chapters from some long neglected series and a couple of new series.  We introduced "Ojou-sama no Untenshu" and "Ore to Atashi no Kareshi-sama".  Both series were received well.  We also welcomed a new image editor, Kayori.  Kayori has been providing some of the wonderful banners you've been seeing on the blog lately.  Let's all welcome Kayori to the group!

Now onto the numbers!

Top 10 Visiting Countries:

1. US (CA, NY, TX, MA, WA)
2. Canada
3. France
4. Philippines
5. Indonesia
6. Germany
7. Australia
8. The United Kingdom
9. Malaysia
10. Singapore

Romantic One-shots from the Past

Valentine's Day is a week away!  What better way to get into the mood than to read some romantic one-shots.  Here are some past love-dovey one-shots we've translated:

• Ginrou no Sakura 
• Bouquets of Flowers for the Sleepless Knight
• Blue Rhapsodia
•  
• Wait until it's Dark 
• The Honeybee Earl and The Flower Dress
• The Wizard and the Love Potion
• Shinobigoto 
• His and Her Sleepless Winter

Hugo Poll

Love him or hate him, Hugo is an interesting character.  Is he Ayato's friend, enemy, or both?  Seriously, what IS his deal?  Personally, I think he's there on a specific mission, but I don't think things are going as planned -- though, I admit I have no idea what his mission is.  I think Hugo is getting a little side-track because, regardless of the Magnolia smell, he likes Ayato.

I look forward to the development of Hugo's character.  Will someone eventually take him down a couple of notches?  Will Ayato eventually wrap him around his/her finger?  Or will he be a damned-dirty-dog forever?

What do you think?  Take the poll in the right hand column.  If you want to rant positively or negatively, please leave a comment.  Go all out!  Let's talk about Hugo :).