Lala Fantasy Oneshot: "Vered no Rosemary" by Hitsuji Harumi

This is one of the oneshot from Lala Fantasy, a special Fantasy themed Lala magazine. The frontis page of this oneshot struck me. It looks like one of those carved cameo. I also like the rosemary wreathe and the ornament in Rose's hair.

I really enjoyed Peonine and Jade's translation of this oneshot. Great job ladies! Ahhh... and Ichi's redraws... Hee! Anyhow, I'm a sucker for royal romance like this one.

And now onto the release!

One-shot: "The Honeybee Earl and the Flower Dress"

 

I readily admit that this one-shot is a beyond cliched Cinderella story (the title page pretty much tells the entire story), but it's done extremely well so all is forgiven.  Actually, I enjoyed this one-shot A LOT.  It filled the hole for a good summer romance comedy (damn you, Hollywood, make us some good summer movies!).  Anyhow, there are no surprises here and it all ends with the lovely little bow, as it should.  Yes, it's perfect for the June wedding season :).

One-Shot: "Blue Rhapsodia"

It feels like it's been forever since a release!  UGH!!  Lala DX arrived 2-days later than expected, so I spent the time waiting working on other projects.  This means we will have a bunch of releases coming in rapid succession.

Anyhow...here is the latest adventure from Ogura Akane!  It's about pirates so I'm quite pleased and had a lot of fun with the translation.  It sounds like this may be Ogura-sensei's next series -- or so I hope :).  

New Manga (to me): Otomen

After reading a brief synopsis on Manga-Updates, I finally decided to check out "Otomen." This has got to be one of the cutest manga I've read in a while. It's the story of Asuka, a young man who likes girly things and had girly hobbies (Otome + man), who hides his true self to please his mother. He was doing pretty well until he started crushing on Ryou. In comes Tachibana, an irritant, who decides that he's going to propel Asuka's relationship with Ryou on for his own selfish reasons. The cutest thing about this is Asuka, who is strong and cool and oh, so pure hearted and somehow this combination of protector and nuturer seems much more manily than physical strength alone. I also believe that there are more men out there like Asuka, who like things that are stereotypically considered girly, and hide their tendencies for fear of being called "gay" and ridiculed. I think this is a tragedy. Guys who can cook and have soft hearts are HOT!!! Anyhow, I liked this series so much, I bought all the available volumes of this manga from Yes Asia. The series is also currently running in "Bessatsu Hanato Yume", which I also get. The first 6 chapters are out there in the ether, so check this series out! As I read through the bunko, I'll give updates :).

New Manga: High School Debut (Koko Debut )

This manga is new to the US (came out in 2003 in Japan) and is brought to you by Viz. This is the story of Haruna a high school freshman who after being a softball "jock" in Junior High, wants to find love in High School. Her obsession is driven by delusions created after reading too many shoujo mangas (let this be a lesson to us all). After miserable failure at "self study," Haruna's friend suggests that she find a love coach. Haruna does just that, seeking the services of the popular but wary, Yoh, a boy that has lived on the disadvantageous side of being a bishonen. Yoh's only condition for his help is that they must not complicate the relationship with love -- although you can tell he doesn't really mean it. And so this version of "Pygmalion" begins ... will Yoh expose Haruna's true beauty to herself and others? (Of course he will). Has Yoh already fallen in love with Haruna? (Of course he has). Oh, but here's the rub: Haruna is already in love with somebody else. How will this story continue? Will Yoh end up with the girl in the end? Well, a quick check of YesAsia, says at 10-volumes, and still going, "not any time soon." I guess we'll have to see if the mangaka can keep up the momentum.

Hana-Kimi: Volume 21 (FINALLY!!!)

Volume 21 of "Hana-Kimi" ("Hanazakaria no Kimitachi he") has finally come out in the US. This is the pivotal volume in the Hana-Kimi series. So far, "Hana-Kimi" is my favorite manga series and this volume is the best in the series. Gosh, it took so long to get there, which makes this volume all the more sweeter. (I have to admit that I have already read Hana-Kimi. I read it before it got the US at least a couple of years ago. If you can't wait to finish the last two volumes, they are out there in the ether. Also, if you really like this series, buy the manga to encourage publishers put out more great series. I bought this series in English and I'm considering getting it in Japanese, too. Oh, and some extra one-off stories came out too, so look out for those. Hopefully they will be included in the 23rd volume.)

Why is "Hana-Kimi" my favorite manga series? ... well, I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. I adore Sano, Mizuki, and Nakatsu and my heart really felt what each of them was going through. The most intriguing thing about this series is the way Nakatsu is dealt with. As the reader we adore Nakatsu, because the author does too. We believe Nakatsu and Mizuki would be good together, but know it must be Sano. Yet, when Mizuki makes her feelings clear, we feel deeply for Nakatsu and we understand the guilt his best friend, Sano, feels. And we understand that Sano, seriously, has no intention of letting someone else, even his best friend, have Mizuki -- not that he feels she's his to give. Love is that way. There's always somebody who is hurt in the wake of a happy couple -- whether the happy couple is aware of it or not.

The other thing that resonates with me about this series is the fear that both Mizuki and Sano feel in their love. There is a lie between them -- She is pretending to be a he, he is pretending he does know she's a girl, they are both pretending not to be in love, even though one another is about the only thing on their minds. They are so scared to lose one another that they live in this carefully crafted house of cards so they can be together. I have felt this fear -- and it's scary to give yourself over, because if that person you care so much for rejects you, you fear it will tear your chest out. And when it does happen, it does hurt like nothing else (it does get better over time, though, and eventually goes away if you don't see that person anymore).

Well, I guess I just answered my own question: This is my favorite manga series, because I feel this manga and I relate deeply to the story and the characters.

Manga: Tail of the Moon, Volume 8

"Tail of the Moon" continues on with the adventures of Usagi and Hanzo Hattori. For those of you not familiar with this story, it's a fluffly romp through feudal Japan in which the Ninja clans of Iga are perpetually preparing for war, each clan aligning themselves with either the treacherous Nobunaga or the Budda-like Ieyasu Toukagawa. Usagi and Hanzo are, of course, aligned with Toukagawa. The story starts as Usagi is sent to a neighboring ninja village to become the wife of the clan head, Hanzo Hattori. Her main duty is described as bearing him a strong heir. Usagi is a Rubenesque teenager, who for the most part is not good for much other than bearing children -- okay, that's worth a lot -- sorry. Hanzo is a stoic ninja who initially shows no interest in Usagi and says he will not marry her until she becomes a ninja. Hanzo, of course, is gorgeous, so Usagi and every other single female swoons in Hanzo's presence. Usagi trains hard, but it seems that she's not cut out to be ninja. She is, however, an uncommonly good herbalist, which is great addition to a ninja village. And so the story goes with Hanzo, various relatives, and villagers going on adventures with Usagi as she tries to qualify to be a ninja. As things progress, Usagi's character strengthens and Hanzo heart melts -- it's so nice :).

Anyhow, in this volume Usagi is finally earns her ninja qualification, which is quickly revoked. To get it back, she is sent on a mission with Goemon, her childhood friend and initial fiancee. (Goemon is still in love with her.) On this mission Usagi and Goemon must pretend to be husband and wife and there's some tension, mostly in Goemon's mind about the situation. Usagi ends up in the base of the enemy without Hanzo and all seems lost ...

This was yet another fun volume of this series. I like how this series manages to move along without ever taking itself too seriously, while at the same time, being packed with adventure and heart. I like the little fan service drawings between the chapters. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of this fun manga series.