Hana-Kimi May 2010 Extra Story

Here's the latest Hana-Kimi Extra story from one of the May 2010 issues of Hana to Yume.

Link to the Hana-Kimi May 2010 Extra story (Retired)

Hana-Kimi May 2009 Omake

Update:  Wow!  You all are so great!  I got a proofread on this quite quickly! (Cheers to Paikea!)  I'm still looking for a back-up proofreader, though, so see the message below for more info.
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Here's the last of the Hana-Kimi omakes.  My regular proofreaders are very busy for the next few weeks, so if one or two of you could proofread this and give me some feedback if there are errors, that would be great!  Also, if you would like to be a back-up proofreader in general, please send me a little e-mail.  It'd be much appreciated.

Link to the Hana-Kimi May 2009 Omake (Retired)

I've also included a lovely wallpaper with all your favorite Hana-Kimi boys (sorry, Nanba not included).

And now back to "Orange Chocolate!" Speaking of "Orange Chocolate" I just got the raw for chapter 16 today and Chiro and Ritsu do a photo shoot dressed as Alice and the Mad Hatter!  As usual, the drawings are gorgeous!  But alas, that's some time off, since I'm just now starting chapter 8...T_T...

Hana-Kimi September 2008 Omake

Here's the second Hana-Kimi omake published after 2007.

Link to September 2008 Hana-Kimi omake (Retired)

It hasn't been proofread yet, so if you wanna proofread it, please go ahead and do so and send me back some feedback and I'll give you some credit.  Anyhow, this omake is very short and doesn't really add anything to the Hana-Kimi story, but it is cute.  The last of the omakes will come after Orange Chocolate chapter 7 and Ouran Chapter 79.  Here's the updated release schedule:

Orange Chocolate Chp 7 -- ETA:  3/22
Ouran Chp 79 -- ETA:  end of March (depends on when I get the raw)
Orange Chocolate Chp 8: Early April
Zettai Heiwa Diasakusen Chp 16: Mid April
Orange Chocolate Chp 9: Mid April
Hana-Kimi Aug 2009 Omake -- ETA: Late April
Kaicho-san no Neko Chp 1 -- ETA:  Late April

Hana-Kimi July 2008 Omake

 

Here is the first of the three Hana-Kimi extra stories that were published after 2007.  This is a really good one and I wish it had been published while the series was still running so it could have been included in the Viz release.

Link to the Hana-Kimi July 2008 Omake (Retired)

Next up is "Orange Chocolate" chapter 6 followed by the Hana-Kimi omake from September 2008 (it's very short at only 8-pages).

Coming Soon in March

Here's what's coming up in March:

• Ouran High School Host Club chp 78 Omake (Currently editing, ETA  3/3) Done!
• Hana Kimi Omakes
• July 2008 --Done!
• Sept 2008 -- Done!
• May 2009 -- scanned
• Orange Chocolate
• chp 6 -- Done!
• chp 7 -- Sent to proofreaders
• Ouran High School Host Club Chp 79 -- waiting for Lala 05/2010 release for raw (raw on 3/24, release ETA 4/1)
• "Kaichou-san no Neko" Chp 1 -- "The Class President's Cat" (looking into it) -- it's a very cute and short series with 3 chapters and a one-shot ("Gakuran Ouji").  I don't particularly like cats, but the cat in this short series is ADORABLE!!! -- Moved into April

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.