Pika Ichi Chapter 5 -- A lot Better than chapters 3 and 4

Pika Ichi is always such a long slog!  Fortunately, this chapter is much better than chapters 3 and 4, except for idol chick.  She really needs to go away.  Anyhow... in this chapter Dougen finally enters the scene and he may be as some of you expected.  I think most of us are hoping for a Tarou-Hanako-Dougen love triangle.  That could be interesting, but Tarou's heart is fragile and I would hate to see him suffer.

Ouran High School Host Club Chp 81 Previews

I decided to break up the previews and the project announcement into two separate postings.  The project posting won't be finished until tomorrow because it requires a lot of detailed work.  Anyhow, here are the previews from Lala magazine.

Update 7/28/2010 -- the only Ouran freebie I can confirm is the drama CD that is coming with Lala 10.
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It looks like there will be at least 3 (including chapter 81) more chapters and with each chapter starting at issue 10 there will be a special Ouran freebie included inside Lala magazine.  The first freebie will be a CD with favorite quotes from the Ouran anime series. The project is a 3 part fan project with prizes that will be raffled off.  I will translate most of the project announcement because it is a very nice retrospective on the series.  I will put that out tomorrow.

Some thoughts on chapter 81:
From the preview, it looks like Hatori is done with the Suoh family drama and is now moving on to resolve Tama x Haru.

Arakure Chp 51 Translation

Here's Arakure Chapter 51.  This is a bittersweet chapter and Azuma fans should get out a couple of hankies.  I like manga like this in which the main character has two excellent choices for a mate.  It's always sad when the choice is finally made, but at the same time it's satisfying because we the reader know it's destiny.  I think this is the way life as humans.  Love is a train.  Whether the person knows or not, there are always more than one person in love with them and when that person settles on someone, the train of other folks is hurt.  And so it goes from person to person as unrequited love stays unrequited.  Sigh... Here's the link:

Link to Arakure Chp 51

And now there are 5 more chapters to go ... I'm so happy to have the stack of Hana to Yume's shrinking in my office as I re-shelve them in my "library" (which has run out of shelves and now is spilling onto the floor.  I should take donations for a bookcase.)

Ouran Chp 70 Omake (Bonus Story) Translation

Here's a short Ouran High School Host Club side story that was published in Lala DX last May. 

Link to Chp 70 Omake (Retired)

Hopefully this will give you the little fix needed to make-up for the lack of an September Ouran chapter.  This bonus chapter is very cute and features Kanazuki, Hani, Haruhi, and the twins.

Manga Summary: Kagetora Volume 8

Ahh, "Kagetora", this fluffly little pubescent male fantasy entertains me so much with its innocence. In this volume, Kagatora's brother, Taka, drops in for a visit. He tells Hime that she must score a hit on him within 24-hrs or her strict grandmother is going to come and reinforce her training. Oh, no, if Hime's grandma comes, then Hime's relationship with Kagetora will be threatened. What's an unathletic Rubenesce teenage girl to do? After that, it's off to an amusement park, where Taka acts like a typical older brother and gives Kagetora much grief. It got a chuckle out of me. Onto another episode in which Hime freaks out because she's gained a little bit of weight. Will Kagetora find out? (Will Kagetora even care?). The second half of this volume features some extra comics like you would find in supplemental editions of the big manga magazines (La La DX, for example). They play like regular chapters, so I don't understand why they are called out specially. Anyhow, one is about Hime doing martial arts while drunk, another involves hime going out on a date with a boy from Jr. High, the third is an onsen chapter, and the last one is a Valentines day story. All of the chapters are sweet as usual. And now I wait for Volume 9.