My Updated thoughts on Scanlation

I wrote a new blog power on Lovely Manga in response to a question about whether "Kanojo ni Naru Hi" and the spinoff are popular enough in scanlation to get licensed. The short answer is scanlation and manga licensing are unrelated. To read more of my perspective on the matter, here's a link to the blog post on Lovely Manga.

I do have an account on Ask.fm now, so if you wish to ask me a question, you can go here: http://ask.fm/KuronekoOO3 or use the Ask.fm widget on the right hand side of this blog.

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.

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 :).

Mega Uploads Shut Down

I imagine some of you are raging about the Mega Uploads Shutdown.  I imagine many scanlation groups lost all of their content links as a result of the Mega Uploads Shutdown.  I think, though, before you go off raging, you should understand the full extent of Mega Upload's activities.  This is more about criminal conspiracy and racketeering than anything.  Please read the statement from the US Justice Department on the matter of Mega Upload's shutdown.

Link

My opinion: 

• Mega Uploads was sketchy.  Once I got wise a few years back, I quit downloading anything from that website for fear of viruses and opening my computer up to being hacked.
• This is proof that SOPA and PIPA aren't needed to combat online piracy.

Basic SOPA and PIPA Legislation Information

I didn't want to take down this blog on strike day because I'm not sure I could properly restore it.  But, I felt that you all, as folks who depend on the Internet, should know some basic information about SOPA and PIPA, pending legislation in the US that is intended protect US intellectual property from online piracy.

I think the best jumping off point for more information is Wikipedia:

• SOPA information
• PIPA information
• Google Statement
• The Obama Administration Press Release

If I'm not mistaken, SOPA has been pulled, but a vote on PIPA is expected soon.

My opinion:  We already have laws and processes to address the kind of online piracy these bills are meant to cover.  I also don't support any laws like this that do not allow for due process.  There is a process for rights holders to exercise their copyrights and companies should use that process.

I also believe that copyright laws written at the turn of the 20th century are not applicable to now.  Much has changed and companies have to accept the reality of the Internet.  I would rather see companies come up with new business models and innovate rather than litigate and lobby politicians.

First Impressions of Winter 2011 Anime Series

First, the loving spoonful:

• I will definitely watch:
• "Yumekui Merry"
• "Beelzebub"
• "Kore wa Zombie desu ka"
• "Level E"

• I will give it another episode
• "Gosick"
• "Puelle Magi Madoka Magica"
• "Infinite Stratos"
• "Dragon Crisis"

• Crap
• "Freezing"
• "Rio Rainbow Gate"

More Details about the series:

• "Gosick" ("Gothic") -- A really nice and normal Japanese boy transfers to a boarding school in a fictional European country in the Alps.

Random Thoughts on the Child Protection Law Passed in Japan

First of all, I'm trying to get some clear information on the ban.  So far what I've gathered is that law is trying to establish what's okay to sell to minors and what should be sold to adults only.  So in this sense, I don't think it's a ban on manga so much as a clarification as to what's appropriate to sell to minors.

I think we all know from the selection of manga I chose for this group that I don't choose series with even modest amounts of violence or sexuality or series that depict inappropriate acts towards minors.  In my private life I do read manga that I would consider outside the scope of this group, but I don't read or watch any manga or anime that I would consider gratuitously violent or sexual.  In general, I believe that adults should have the right to choose their entertainment as long as it doesn't harm anyone.  As for minors, I believe parents should help their children choose appropriate material and that parents should know what their children are reading.

The question for me comes down to what can harm other people.  I am against the depiction of harmful acts to children either real or drawn unless it is in the service of the story and that story has something to teach.  There are a great many stories where a character's childhood trauma shapes the personality of the character.  These are important stories to tell (for instance "I Know why the Caged Bird Sings".)  However, I don't approve of stories that depict such things for shock value or titillation. This doesn't mean it should be ban, it just means that I will not consume it.  I don't believe that violent or sexual material drive deviant behavior, rather I believe people interested in deviant behavior seek such materials out.  It's easy to blame an outside influence for crimes rather than to blame the person themselves.  I will say, though, that rape and murder existed long before people drew it, so purging such materials will not make one ounce of difference.

As for homosexuality, homosexuals exist.  Get over it.  Again, adults should be able to choose their entertainment and parents should help their children choose appropriate materials.  However, for parents, I think if they know their child is struggling with questions of their sexuality, that it may be a comfort to the child to read material that affirms that struggle.

In general, I have a great appreciation for artists who are able to convey trauma, tragedy, violence, and sexuality without actually showing the graphic details of it.  I feel it's best to leave some of these things to the imagination.  In this sense, I think the Japanese law is an invitation for artists to try harder with their story telling. Seriously, how many more stories do we need about students in relationships with their teachers?

I'm trying my best to find some concrete facts about the law and when I have located some reliable sources, I will share them with you all.  As of now, though, I think it's too early for any of us to get riled up or believe anything out on unvetted manga blogs and websites.  Everything I've seen so far has been hyperbole.

If you have a concrete vetted source of info, please leave a comment.  If you have some thoughts to share on the matter, also leave a comment.

Kuroneko003's ZHD Ending Predictions

Here are my random predictions for the end of "Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen."  I really have no idea what's going to happen, but it's fun to speculate.

1. Johanne is saved at the last moment either by Joshua, the citizens, or military coup.  I put my money, though, on a Joshua redemption at which point he can get pneumonia and die in the arms of his personal assistant.
2. If Joshua saves Johanne it will be because Yuda has a "good talk" with him (personally, I'd crack up if Yuda starts the conversation by first laying down that little pistol she hides in her robe on Joshua's desk.)
3. Yuda's knocked up and gives birth to a girl who marries Daniel (That would make me super happy)
4. Claspel and his cronies are rounded up and tried for treason after Joshua spills about the entire conspiracy (and Claspel's final words, "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those darned kids!")
5. Joshua enters the "spanking machine" and at the end is greeted with smack and then a hug from his mother, the Queen.
6. Joshua abdicates the throne after giving up Claspel, Yuda's Dad gives up Canaan to be under the administrative control of Meteora (Canaan is broke and in debt to Judecca) and Jeremiah reveals himself to be a good guy.  Johanne eventually becomes the benevolent ruler of Canaan, Judecca, and Meteora and under unification there's finally peace and a railroad to Judecca and Canaan.

I was really looking forward to conmmando-Yuda, but chapter 18 put that hope to rest.  There will be no valiant Yuda led escape.  That would have been so like the beginning of "Return of the Jedi."  *boo-hoo*

Either way, I think we all want this ending (peek -- it's from here -- Ogura-sensei's blog)

What are your predictions?

Merit in "Ouran" and "The Scarecrow of Oz," Plus, Other Fun Stuff

Here's some bits from an e-mail discussion I had with Corgi about "Ouran" and "The Scarecrow of Oz."  This might, also, give you some insight into the thought that goes into translation.

Black Text = Corgi
Red Text = Kuroneko003

Please feel free to add to the conversation or make you own comments.  I really like "The Scarecrow of Oz" and found a lot of meaning in it.  Furthering the discussion about "Ouran" is welcomed too :).
-------------------------

Page 6: 'Merit' - heh.  Reminds me of Haruhi's discussion with Kyoya during his fake assault.  I keep thinking there's implications to the word-as-translated that I'm missing ever so slightly.

Indeed, there is more packed into the words than can come through in English.   But I think the discrepancy is cultural and I feel bad that I can’t get it across in English without writing an essay.  In this case there seems to be two themes about merit – what’s useful to a person and what’s useful in the competition.  Silvy Rose in her choice of a familiar wanted a companion and in her experimentation to heal the humans.  Whereas, Lillian Berry is wholly focused on the competition to become the next chief witch.  Interestingly enough, Lillian is so conceited that she thinks Silvy too thinks of nothing but the competition.  This is classic wisdom vs. vanity ;p.  It seems that Lillian will always continue to lose to Silvy, even though Silvy isn’t actively competing.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ASPECT OF THE STORY :)  This is why I think it a good story for children.  I wonder, though, about the other witch who sought power…maybe there will be a sequel???

Oh, it's not just here - it's how Haruhi uses it too.  It's clear, but it also seems deeper than just 'merit' suggests, if that makes sense.

Thoughts on Ouran Chapter 79

In general I liked Ouran chapter 79 because it gets back to the original spirit of Ouran and finally gets to the kidnap-Tamaki-from-the-main-residence heist that we've all been waiting for.  I am bothered by one thing, though.   If the host club members understand that Tamaki's mom is not seeing him out of respect for Tamaki's feelings, then why doesn't the Host Club have that same respect for Tamaki's feelings?  It seems to me like nobody is willing to give Tamaki the time work through his issues with his grandmother and father.  It's not like Tamaki can't visit Anne-Sophie once things are worked out.  It seems with the last conversation between Tamaki and Shizue, a breakthrough was made and, perhaps, Shizue realized that Yuzuru doesn't hate her, but rather, he loves her and tried (rather clumsily) to make a family bond through Tamaki.  I think there's no doubt, now, that Shizue has accepted Tamaki and that they will have a lovely grandparent-grandchild relationship because they have so many common interests.  I think at this junction, it's only natural that Shizue lighten up and grant Tamaki freedom.  I think it's also only natural for Shizue to finally recognize Yuzuru and tell him he's worthy of carrying on Suou and that his wife and son are her family too.  I don't think any Host Club interference is needed.  Personally...I think the ending with the woman's shoes and the corner of another person's shoe indicated that their planned heist will be short lived because those feet probably belong to Anne-Sophie or Tamaki's grandmother.  My guess is that it's Tamaki and his grandmother because that pair would best accelerate the ending of this story.  But I guess we shall see ...Hmmm...I think after the current poll ends, that will be the next poll...

Manga Reviews: "Alice in the Country of Hearts" Vol. 1 and "Portrait of M and N"

"Alice in the Country of Hearts" Volume 1 story by Quinrose and art by Soumei Hoshino: 3.5/5

This manga series should be call "Alice in Country of Bishies."  So far, in volume 1, Alice, the Red Queen, and Alice's sister are the only female characters in the story and the Red Queen and Alice's sister have negligible presence in the story so far.  The rest of the characters are all idealized pretty boys. Here's a list of them:

• Peter - the white rabbit who appears to be simply mad
• Hatter - the flirtatious and dashing mafioso
• The March Hare - a dandy
• Julius - a sensible fellow with some secrets
• Ace - a bad-ass knight who hides his murderous nature behind a kind smile, inability to navigate, and slap-stick behavior.  However, his dead eyes when he smiles indicate his true nature.  He works for both the Red Queen and Julius.  He, of course, is the character I'm most curious about.
• Gowland - a poorly named hot head who murders people's ears with his violin playing
• The Cheshire Cat - a slightly punk ne'er-do-well in a skimpy cat suit -- nothing says "hotness" more than a guy with an exposed pierced belly button,  wearing a cat collar, ear collars, a furry boa, and a kilt.  It's all about "attitude" I tell you!
• Nightmare - a black-haired demon who has lungitus and poor constitution
• The Twins (Deedum is one of them) -- token shouta-types who want to play with Alice

Anyhow...Alice is a world she somehow "dreamed" of, though it's not necessarily a dream.  Peter, the white rabbit tells her eventually everyone in this world will come to love her.  Alice, believing this is a dream, starts to question her subconscious desire to be loved and some issues around her ex-boyfriend, who the Hatter appears to resemble.  To get out this world, Alice must play a game, the nature of which she doesn't understand.

What I like about this series so far is that Alice appears to be in her late teens so there's no icky loli-ness to taint the whole story.  I also like the Bishies.  They all have very distinct personalities and the interactions amongst them is interesting and humorous.  I'm curious about how they are all related and what they are all truly want from Alice.  Alice is interesting in that she's a very normal girl and she's handling the situation she's been tossed into with a level headed manner.  Still this first volume doesn't knock it out of the park for me. I think this is mainly because the characters are still just caricatures to me and I don't feel any attachment or affinity for any of them yet.

My husband hated this first volume.  As for me, I think it's a good start to series and I'm looking forward to learning more about the Bishies and the world they inhabit.  3.5/5

"Portrait of M and N" Volume 1 by Tachibana Higuchi 5/5

This is a masterly written story from the author of "Gakuen Alice."  This is one of those series that I don't want to spoil by saying too much about it, so I'll be brief.  "Portrait of M and N" is the story of the encounter between two very troubled teenagers.  The two become close and share a bond through the terrible secret each one holds.  This manga has a carefully measured and balanced amount of humor, sweetness, romance, psychology, and heartbreak.  Both characters are complex and likeable and after the first chapter I was hooked and cheering the two of them on as they delt with their troubles.  I highly recommend this manga series and I'm looking forward to the next volume. 5/5

My Thoughts about Orange Chocolate Chapter 4

What I like about this chapter is the way, towards the end, Chiro starts to confront her own personality.  She wonders if she is as bubble-headed as Ritsu is playing her.  I wonder will Ritsu's behavior while he's in Chiro body affect the way Chiro's friends and colleagues perceive her.  Sure, Chiro has her impulsive moments, but she's not fiery like when Ritsu inside of her.  I wonder will Ritsu soon begin to confront his own personality.  I think he's definitely getting a different perspective on Chiro.  I get the feeling that he's taking her more seriously in terms of soft skills, but he still has a ways to go in terms of not thinking of her as a idiot child.  I wonder, though, does Chiro have to realize first that's she's not a idiot child before it can be perceived by Ritsu and the people around her.

My feeling about the over arc of this story, is that the two won't stop switching until each feels comfortable in their own skin.  I could be wrong, though, because it is a Kitsune's curse.  Peeking ahead, though, I can see that there's a twist or two coming very soon.  Regardless, for now, I think I'll enjoy the very fierce Chiro-Ritsu as he continues to stick it to the Student Council President in the next chapter.  There are also some very sweet moments in the next chapter to look forward to.  Hopefully, I will be able to get chapter 5 out early next week.  I would do it sooner, but I need to do some website maintenance, housework, work on my online portfolio, find a job, and watch the Winter Olymipic ice skating events.

Some Thoughts on the Lastest Developments in Ouran 77

Don't get me wrong, I like "Ouran High School Host Club" very much, but I think the dramatic turn it has taken lately is throwing a lot of people for a loop.  I, myself, feel a little duped because it started out a classic screw-ball comedy that I liked for story's and the character's irreverence.  Now, I feel like I'm being forced to ride an emotional roller coaster.

For me the change in Ouran occured when the twins got serious about Haruhi and then went about establishing separate identities for themselves.  Sure it was heartwarming, but, at the same time, it was very dramatic and not very funny.  For a while I tuned out from Ouran because it was missing too much humor.  Eventually, I came back once the twin drama had been resolved and I could read the whole story arc in one setting.  Then I really got back into it once Tamaki and Haruhi started to get a clue about how they felt about each other, only to have that story arc swatted down by Tamaki's issue with his grandmother and now in chapter 77, an additional issue with his father with some corporate intrigue tacked on.  This was supposed to be a screw ball romance about a happy-go-lucky rich buffoon and smart  =_=  poor girl in the setting of a ridiculous host club!  I feel like I'm reading two stories.  Mind you the two stories are great, but it's two stories, nonetheless.

I think the thing that is most frustrating to me with the latest chapter is the demands the author is making upon the readers.  My understanding is most readers of this manga genre are in their teens, yet the author expects these readers to understand a bunch of medical jargon and have working knowledge of corporate power structures.  Honestly, how many readers out there really understand how it is that Shizue can be ousted by Yuzuru?  Well, here's a short explainer (as far as I understand it from working at a company where one of the CEO/Presidents was famously ousted recently):

1.  The Executive Staff (President, CEO, COO, CFO...etc...) works for the company's Board of Directors
2.  A company's board of Directors works on behalf of the shareholders.  The Board of Directors are, in fact, elected by the shareholders in a democratic process.
3.  The President, CEO, CFO, and on-and-on can be fired if a majority of the Board of Directors agrees the person should  go.
4. A company's Board of Directors can be changed by the will of the shareholders.  The will of the shareholders can be changed forcefully if some entity buys up enough shares in the company to vote in their own board members (I suspect that something like this will happen as it did in the anime).
5. The Chairman of the Board (that is Yuzuru's title), leads the Board of Directors. He or she sets the Board's meeting agenda and acts as the Board's host.

Anyhow ... I would not expect that to be common knowledge amongst teen readers and some international readers who are not exposed to corporations.  The same thing goes with the how the drug research ties into the corporate stuff.  Besides keeping it from Shizue, there are other reasons drug companies are mum about what they are up to and it mainly has to do with "intellectual property."  But why should I even have to get into any of that to explain what's going on in Ouran?  And why should Yuzuru's resentment towards his mother, Shizue, be explained in a corporate coup?

Anyhow, I feel with the latest technical complications and a loss of focus on the romance between Haruhi and Tamaki, Ouran will lose most of it's target audience.  It all feels like pretentious flowery dressing to me that neglects the heart of matters -- how Tamaki's screwed up family is keeping him away from Haruhi.  Now, if this were aimed at adults, I would feel differently about matters, but seeing as how the main characters are kids, there really is nothing they can do about the corporate stuff except watch a bunch of adults thwop each other over the head via various corporate power plays.

What are your thoughts?

New Anime: Goshushou-sama Ninomiya-kun

Okay, take Jason Bourne, a succubus with man-phobia, a haughty girl in a maid outfit, and an older sister who is a bad-ass mercenary and put them in a high school anime and you end up with "Goshushou-sama Ninomiya." So here's the deal, Ninomiya is a high school boy with some over- the-top military fighting training who is constantly being harassed by the female students in his school. In flies a military 'copter containing a curvaceous succubus who is very afraid of men, except for Ninomiya, who seems to be resistant to her powers -- sorta. The succubus, Mayu, gives off strong pheromone which turns males into drooling zombies who try to get next to her. Ninomiya's sister says Mayu has to move-in with them ... and ... enter the haughty girl (I've forgotten her name) who is Ninomiya's childhood friend as well as the student council president. Through some circumstances, she becomes a maid at Ninomiya's house. Ninomiya's older sister and Mayu's older brother insist that Ninomiya must help train Mayu to rid herself of her man-phobia so she can control her pheromones. The training, of course, is basically a bunch of fan-service. This anime is very funny, and that's all I'll say for now.

New Manga: BlackBird

From the mangaka who brought us "Backstage Prince" comes another tale of a good hearted but weak female, Misao, and a bad tempered Tengu, Kyou, who disguises himself as a handsome guy. Misao has the misfortune of being able to see supernatural beings and now at the age of 16 has become the target of those supernatural beings who wish to eat her to gain eternal life or marry her to strengthen their clan. Kyou wants to marry Misao, but Misao doubts his sincerity and believes he only seeks to strengthen his clan. Kyou shows up in Misao's everyday life as her Math teacher at her high school (but of course). Anyhow, most of the stories revolve around various beasties attacking Misao and Kyou coming to her rescue followed by Misao asking herself why this guy bothers. Meanwhile Kyo seems to find some excuse to lick her, whether it's licking Misao's wounds to heal her, or licking her as a prelude to a kiss, or licking her in her dreams and so on ... Half of me continues to read this just to see how creative the licking can get ... (I'm sad, sad, sad person ...). Somewhere in here, there is a story, but I'm just so distracted by the licking that I haven't quite grasped it.

Anyhow, this is also being serialized in Betsucomi, which I just got a copy of today.

Wild Ones (Arakure), Volume 1

This is a delightful manga series about a girl, Sachie Wakamura, orphaned at the age of 15 who finds out she's a yukuza princess when her grandfather comes to retrieve her at her mother's funeral. She is assigned a personal body guard, Rakuto Igarashi, who also happens to be the student council president of the high school she starts to attend. Rakuto is a "princely" type guy who never really lets anybody get to know him -- so, of course, he's very popular with the girls at school. Rakuto is a orphan, too, who Sachie's grandfather has taken in and treated like family. Upon meeting, Rakuto treats Sachie very nicely which makes Sachie thinks he's weird, because, of course, normal people don't treat strangers as friendly as he does. But as you can guess, they met in the past and Rakuto has promised to protect his princess. Sigh ... it makes your heart pitter-patter. There's sweetness all around mixed with some light humor (mostly about the Sachie's new yukuza "family"), and a fair bit of action oriented violence. I enjoyed this first volume greatly enough to order the next 3 volumes from Japan. Fortunately, this is also being serialized in the "Hana to Yume" magazine, so I will be able to keep up with this series as it releases :).

"Zig-Zag" and "Venus in Love", vol 1

"Zig-Zag" and "Venus in Love" are two mediocre manga series written by Yuki Nakaji. "Zig-Zag", which is still currently running in LaLa magazine, is about 3 male high school students whose lives seem to revolve around flowers. One of the guys Takaaki looks like a little girl and has a crush on his older cousin Marika. Takaaki's roommate, the mysterious Sonoh, ran away from home. He's the first son of a family that is famous for arranging flowers. And lastly, Tatsuki, who is obsessed with the small and meek Mei. This first volume lays down no story and seems to serve only the function of character introduction.

"Venus in Love" gets more to the point. This manga is about Suzuna, a naive college freshman, who is living on her own for the first time. Her new neighbor, Eichi, a boy is also in love with the same guy Suzuna has developed a crush on -- Fukumi. Sigh ... Sigh ... Get over Fukumi and move on ...

Both stories, so far, are so innocuous that they are basically inert. I don't feel the need to actually buy anymore "Venus in Love" because it's not funny or daring enough and "Zig-Zag" I can read from the Lala mags I already get. I imagine the story hasn't progress very much in the past 3-years.

Commentary: Your and My Secret or My Barbaric Girlfriend

Only the first volume of this manga series was released in the US. I found volume 2, 3, and a bit of 4 while Lurking. This series is pretty good and I don't really understand why it didn't catch on in the US. The manga is the story of Akira and Momoi and their adventures while swapped in each other's bodies. Akira is a very quiet and neat boy and Momoi is a racous tomboy. When they switch, their personalities seem more line with the bodies they now possess. Momoi decides that she likes being a guy and does not want to switch. Akira's family rejoices that Akira has finally become a man causing the real Akira to feel pressure to remain a girl. Except there's a big problem ... Akira's best male friend, Senbongi, is activity pursuing him as Momoi. All this is well and good until sometime in volume 3 *spoiler alert* Senbongi finds out that Akira's personality is in Momoi's body and instead of being repulsed, Senbongi rejoices that the boy he has always had a crush on is now a girl so it's now okay for him to actively pursue Akira. I had a good laugh over this, especially when I think back to how lamely this situation was handled in "Kashimi: Girl Meets Girl." Anyhow, Ai Morinaga is very good with comedy and with understanding the inner workings of weird people and normal people thrown into very weird situations. So far this series is quite enjoyable.

It looks like Morinaga has three manga series currently going and hasn't written more of this series for about a year. Well, I hope that there's another volume within Morinaga that wraps this story up.

Manga Commentary: Kiss, Vol 1 - 5

Apparently, there are a bunch of manga out there about 16 and 17 year old girls falling in love in with a teacher and having a relationship with that teacher. "Kiss" by Matsumoto Tomo is one such manga. There are 8 volumes to this series, but I could only find 5 online and I have volume 6 and 8 on order from beNippon (I requested volume 7 too. I guess we'll see what happens). So far this manga seems to be dealing with the situation pretty fairly and seriously. Both the girl and the teacher are anxious about the age difference and the relationship is anything but easy to maintain. Again there is the same internal struggle with the teacher, Goshima, in which he is uncomfortably split between being teacher, father, and lover to the girl, Kae. Kae is clearly struggling with being a child in a grown-up's world. For me this relationship doesn't work because Kae and Goshima's minds are too far apart. Goshima seems to be distance, cold, and emotionally stoppered and Kae is a very needy child who needs to play with kids her own age. They don't really talk, rather Goshima attempts to teach Kae piano and tells her to be aware of other men and Kae gets mad because she feels the teacher is treating her like a child and then she kisses him and all is band-aided. The cycle repeats over and over. Anyway, I would like to see how the story ends -- will they get together or will Kae find someone her own age or will they part for some time so Kae can grow-up a little and then get back together, or not. I guess I really want to see Kae grow-up and the piano teacher soften (and stop smoking like chimney -- ugh, it's absolutely disgusting how much this character smokes).

Fortunately, the story is told with the simple yet deep and on target narration and dialogue that is expected of Matsumoto Tomo, so even though the cycle of Kae and Goshima's relationship repeats in action, we see that both the Kae and Goshima are slowly evolving in thought. At the point where I left off, Kae and Goshima are not able to see each other. Both are forced to take a look at themselves and to re-evaluate the relationship. Kae is trying not to let herself be hurt and Goshima is wondering whether Kae is hurt. We also sense that Goshima is taking some time away from Kae to grow up himself. It's understood as he is now, he can't sustain any kind of meaningful relationship nor provide for Kae if he were to get serious about her.

So far this is a very good manga series, but it's not something that can be easily understood by teenagers. Actually, I'm a little disturbed that there are so many manga on this subject. I wonder is it good to give girls under 18 the thoughts that this sort of relationship is one they should try to pursue. Obviously, this sort of thing is against the law in the US. Although it's not against the law in Japan, I would imagine, it's still not something that is not accepted. I don't necessarily feel that this manga is advocating or warning against this type of relationship. It's merely telling the story of two people in a relationship in a rather objective manner. This brings me to that matter of "Faster than a Kiss" which I don't have a problem with because they are married. Although, it was a snap decision, the teacher in that manga series is fully taking responsibility for his 16-year wife and her little brother. The same is true for "Onegai Sensei." They are married, so as far as I'm concerned it's okay.

I will reserve final judgment for "Kiss" when I've completely read the series.

My Heaven Hockey Club, Vol 1

"My Heavenly Hockey Club" is basically a clone of "Ouran Host Club." Of course "Ouran" is better, but this has its own charm. In this version, dimwitted Hana Suzaki gets run over by equally dimwitted and outrageously rich Izumi Oda, denting Izumi's car. Izumi blames Hana for the damage to his car and tells her to pay him back she must join the Ground Hockey team. The Ground Hocket team is, of course, composed of 5 bishonens, including a pair of twins (but no twincest), who have never actually played ground hockey. Rather, they use the club as an excuse to go to Onsens and eat local food. Hana being very much into eating, sleeping, and onsens goes with it. And on goes the story, culminating in a hilariously 4th chapter about a mountain retreat and a bear. I was in tears laughing at this chapter. So, so far so good and I'm wait for volume 2 to be released.