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"He's someone who lives under the sun..."

There's something different about sixteen-year-old Kaoru. her father calls it individuality. Kaoru thinks of it as a curse. she has a disease. but not just any disease. a disease that cannot allow her to be under the sun...or she'll die. Because of this, she spends her nights singing outside with her guitar, and her days in her room, watching a boy at the bus stop. before long, she finds herself falling in love, and yearning to talk to him at least once. but she knows this will never happen.
but what happens when she coincidentally runs into him while on ... her nightly street performance?
this tragic story shows that no matter how big the obstacle, or no matter how you are, true love awaits for everyone.

the character's in this story are very heart warming. Fujishiro Kouji is the boy whom Kaoru has been watching. he is an aloof surfer who likes having fun. he can't surf great, and he isn't the smartest guy around, yet he manages to bring smiles and hope to Kaoru, who only knew how to live in darkness. who would've thought that you could meet someone for the first time, and in one night know she was the one? his loyalty to her throughout the story is captivating, and his strong love for her brings tears to your eyes. you see how much he sacrifices to bring her happiness, because you can tell that her happiness is his happiness. he truly is a wonderful character and one to learn from.
Kaoru, despite her situation, tries to see the beauty of the life she has, and is surprisingly strong-willed. but she's very protective of her position, for she knows that one slip and she could lose all the happiness she's built up till then. because of this, she has never told anyone outside family about her disease. not that there was much people to tell. but in desperation to live and gain Kouji's trust, she spills her secret to him. her gutsy personality is heart-warming, and it's no surprise that Kouji fell in love in just one night.

the art is simple, but very eye catching. it is similar to other arts, but has it's own subtle differences that match the story line perfectly. their facial expressions are so full of life and beautifully drawn. you can really see the love and sorrow in each character's face. despite there being a few mistakes, the art is simply beautiful.

Taiyou no Uta: A Song to the Sun, is one of the most heart-clenching stories i've ever read. it teaches you that life is too short to wait around. it is bound to make you smile, cry, and think about the small beauties in life.

"when the sun sets, i'll come see you because i love you..."

would you chase after a dream, if it meant that your world would come crashing down? that despite your desperate attempts, things would never be the same as before? if it meant that people would die and cry because of your mistakes and choices?
Would you sacrifice all this, if it meant your only brother coming back?

Edward Elric, a young prodigal alchemist, and his younger brother Alphonse committed the taboo: human transmutation. All they wanted was to bring their dead mother back. to see her smile again. it all seemed so simple. but they never thought that by doing so, their lives would change forever. the ... rules of alchemy state that to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. because of this, Edward lost his left leg, and Alphonse lost his life. Edward, desperate not to lose the last thing he held so dear, sacrificed his right arm and transmuted his brother's soul to a suit of armor. And so begins Edward's trials of sacrifice, as he searches for the one thing he believes can fix his past mistakes: the Philosopher's Stone

this whole story revolves around one thing, and one thing only: sacrifice. the story beautifully portrays edward's feelings as he has to choose between one thing and another all for his brother. the story is very unique, making you question things that we normally take for granted. and it's a very good length. it is neither too long nor too short. although the manga and the second season Brotherhood are quite different. the idea of using our seven greatest weaknesses (envy, greed, wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth, and pride) as the main villains is a very unique and clever thing. this story is heart warming, tear jerking, and has a bittersweet feel to it. you'll begin to feel for all the characters, good or bad, as each character has a different story to tell.

the art is somewhat different than others. it's one of the things that captivate you. it makes you want to pay attention to every detail, such as a fold in the clothing, the blowing of their hair, or a change in background. unlike some other arts, they don't slap on different hairstyles and colors to the same model. each character is genuinely unique. their facial expressions are portrayed beautifully, and you get a full grasp on their sadness, happiness and so forth. they don't use short cuts (using the same scene over again) and the art fits the story excellently. the lighting changes with each scene, giving it a more darker or happier feel. people, clothes, background, you name it. you won't find anything lacking in the art.

the cast of characters are what brings this story to life. the main protogonists are Edward and Alphonse. Edward is rebellious, willing to help, strong-willed, selfless, and short. he absolutely hates when people call him anything remotely close to small, breaking out in rants and violence. but no matter how tough he acts, he has a soft side that he allows only Alphonse to see. he absolutely refuses to kill, and can be quite helpless and scared somtimes. throughout the series, you'll see how helpless and incompitent he believes himself to be, and see how he even wants to give up and forget everything that's happened. but his strong love for his brother and the yearning to get his brother's smile back is his motivation that keeps him going. he wants all the blame of their mistakes bestowed on him, believing all that's happened is his fault alone. his twist of character is what makes him everyone's beloved Ed

Alphonse is kind natured, quiet, and humble. he too, like his brother, is always willing to help. he loves cats and proceeds to use his hollowness to his advantage, hiding them in his armor without Ed knowing. he looks up to his brother greatly, seeing a side of him that others don't. because of his great admiration for Ed, he doesn't want him to bear the burden of their mistakes alone.

don't be led astray. just because i focus on just Ed and Al, doesn't mean the other characters are any less amazing. the side characters support these two main characters perfectly. Such as the ever cocky Roy Mustang, or the very important, gear freak, childhood friend Winry. Each side character has their own sad tale, and are no less greater in character than the Elric Brother's themselves. they are all so very important for the story.

another strong point is the sounds. the sounds are also an amazing work themselves. for starters, the opening. FullMetal Alchemist has one of the best openings and endings i've seen. the songs are catchy and great, and the animation is there to back it up superbly. the background music is also an amazing feat. the music can either inhance the humor to a scene, or sadden it even more, pulling at your heartstrings. whether it be "Brothers" or "Pint-sized Alchemist" the music never seems to fail me.
the voice acting makes the characters stand out even more. english or japanese, you won't be disappointed in the efforts each voice actor put into their characters. it's no surprise that Edward is Romi Paku and Vic Mignogna's most memorable character, because they put so much emotion into every scene.

As you can see, this story is one to recognize. it's packed with action and humor, and will yank your emotions back and forth. probably one of the best stories i have, and ever will come across.

So tell me. would you sacrifice so much, for one selfish dream?

the only thing that got me starting this show was Funimation channel. it seemed really interesting at first, although the story line is cliche. but i decided to give it a try. already from the first episode, i could tell that Momo was going to be a pain to watch. she was so obsessive with toji from the get go. but it wasn't until later on that you could really see her obsessiveness. she threatens to jump out windows, get's angry when she sees her boyfriend talking to someone else other than her, and she waits 5 minutes for her boyfriend. any later than that, ... she assumes the relationships over. pretty obvious she's desperate for a boyfriend....she just get's plain annoying. her decisions were plain, and her love life over exaaggerated.

everything about this story is unrealistic. i had heard many peopple say "this show is amazing! i can relate to it so much!" .......ok? u cannot relate to this story what-so-ever. it makes no sense. many plot twists seemed like they were just made in an attempt to keep the story going. like when Kairi decides to go on a whole trip walking the whole summer. yeah right, like his parents would let him do that in the first place, but basically the creators only made him leave so that they could try to make the drama greater by bringing in toji again. momo's feelings are always unclear. and she's such a sap and goes with the flow too much. if she cries and someone comforts her once, she immediately thinks "this person was there when i was feeling down. i love him".....SHE CANNOT CHOOSE!!!! if i were kairi or toji, i would dump her. i just don't see what they find so captivating and attractive about her. she cannot hold a decent relationship even if her life depended on it.

basically, the characters could've been so much more. Momo is out of the question. she is no doubt the most annoying person in this whole show. Toji is just some freak stalker who can do nothing but stalk Momo, hoping to be her comfort when kairi makes her cry. that could be depicted as sweet, but later on it just get's creepy. he'll begin popping out of no where seemingly having no plans that day, and you'll wonder what he does with his life. Sae is...annoying, yet smart. she gets annoying because all she wants is to ruin someone else's life, but then again, she is clever. she uses her resources wisely in order to get what she wants. and she has backbone. but still... she is pretty annoying. the only thing that kept me going through this show was Kairi. he seemed aloof, loveable, and a sweet sensitive guy. his methods to cheer up momo were cute. but then after a while, he too began getting on my nerves.

i'm not gonna say much about the art. the art was good. it was different than others. but it had it's awkward moments. they didn't seem to focus too much on the quality of the opening. in many occassions, Toji looked like either a bird or a fish. and the sound wasn't good either. at first the theme songs seemed okay and fit the story quite nicely, but then they just got annoying again. like everything else in the story. the ending wasn't too good, and the opening seemed okay at first. but as you can guess, you get tired of hearing "baby low tension" it just loses it's catchiness.

so as you can see, this show was a fail of slice of life. the creators tried to make it entertaining and easy to relate to, but it just didnt happen. i found myself groaning in disgust at most of the episodes, and the only reasons i actually finished this show was because
1. there was nothing to watch
2. something in me still believed that this show could get better
3. i didnt want to leave it unfinished.
characters were bad, soundtrack bad, storyline bad, and...yeah that's basically it.

Kodocha. this is a pretty popular manga. i have to say, i was pretty skeptical about reading this at first because the storyline seemed poor, and i'm not a fan of old art. but I am glad to say that i read it, because it is simply amazing. the story follows Sana Kurata. she is the daughter of a famous writer, and happens to be famous herself, owning her own talk show called Child'sToy. Sana's only wants in life are to be able to be with her mother, stay by her bodyguard/"boyfriend"'s side, and enjoy an everday school life. the first two wishes are in ... place, but not so much the third. Akito Hayama, the class's "monkey boy" rules over the boys, making them cause chaos everyday. this aggravates Sana, and she tries to tell Akito to stop. but his rebellious nature due to hard family life rejects Sana's pleads. upon finding out about his family problems, Sana sets about trying to soften up the hard heart of Akito. and that's basically the gist of it

story: i would think that this story is pretty unique. having a hyper-active child star getting deeply involved with a boy who sees life as nothing more than living simply because you have no choice is pretty interesting. her efforts in trying to change him result in both having a mutual love toward each other. that's nice. the story is portrayed so nicely, and their love grows so deeply. rivalry drama is really good too, seeing as her rival is her best friend. this story has a good sense of humor while at the same time having a deep emotional feel to it. it makes you wanting more and more.

character: this is Kodocha's greatest point. the characters have such life to them. Sana, the hyper-active girl who sees life as a glass so full it's spilling over, and Akito, one who found life so dull it was almost as if there wasn't even a glass to begin with. this may seem like a typical stereotype, but there's something much more deep to them. as you read on, you'll discover all of their insecurities, all of their hopes, and you'll find yourself wanting the best for them. the way their relationship grows is so captivating, that you being to really feel both of their happiness, their sadness, and their love for each other. the side characters really help the two main characters grow. and the character development is outstanding. seeing the way that Sana grows from a crazy insane child to a mature young lady (still crazy from time to time) and how Akito changes and starts to love life is a beautiful sight. and, they have their funny moments too. although Akito seems to be quite lifeless, you'll see that he's hopelessly clueless about small things. and of course Sana's crazy haired mother and her companion chipmunk Maro. characters get a 10.

art: i'm not a real fan of old art, but Kodocha would be an exception. it may not be the greatest, but feelings were portrayed well. art:8

enjoyment: this story is hopelessly funny, and unbearably dramatic (unbearably in a good sense) you'll enjoy every chapter from start to finish.

overall: this story is really great. the length wasnt too long, going no further than 10 volumes. i would recommend this to everyone

Koizumi Risa: a taller than average girl. Otani Atsushi: smaller than average boy. Lovely Complex follows the story of these two out-of-place people and how they're relationship grows from mutual hate, to love consultants, to one-sided crush, to completely head over heels in love with each other.

story: the story is...not unique, but in it's own way, very unique. the story of a tall girl and a short boy falling in love is found in many different stories (like Ikeyamada Go's "Get Love") but Aya Nakahara add's her own bit of character into LoveCom, making it stand out from "any other manga" the humor is great, ... the different arcs in the story arent pointless and long, and the length of the story progresses with the right amount of pace. Story:9

Art: something about the art captivates me. its different than that of other mangas. the girls don't have those outrageously large eyes (thank God) and the guys aren't the typical shoujo guy who is liked by all the girls. Aya Nakahara's art is outstanding, because she adds all those little details to everything. unlike some other stories i've read, Aya Nakahara adds the little fly aways that hair naturally has. the backgrounds are drawn nicely. the facial expressions had me jumping, laughing, and i could really see how the characters felt. Aya Nakahara really adds amazing precise detail to every little thing. so i'll give the art a 10

Character: another one of LoveCom's strong points. in normal shoujo manga, the main girl is the type that all the guys like. she's kind, beautiful, and willing to help others at her own expense. Not Risa. Risa is some aloof idiot who wants nothing more than to hang out with her friends, play video games, and of course, be with Otani. THANK GOD she wasn't one of those annoying nice girls. but if you like that type of person, then Chiharu Tanaka is the person to look at. Also, the guys is either the super cool smart guy, or the deep emotional guy with a bad temper who looks at life like everything is just wrong and boring. Not Otani. Yes, many stories have the crazy, cute, and carefree guy, but Otani also has a bit of temper to him that makes him loveable. He's basically a mix of different selections of characters, minus the smart type. his personality is the perfect match with Risa. The character development is really great too. you can really see how much Otani likes Risa, even though he doesnt show it. Nobu and Nakao are just as sweet, and Suzuki and Chiharu aren't that bad either.the side characters were very unique too. u can't forget loveable Haruka and transvestite Seiko. each character played an important role for the story to project. Character:10

Enjoyment: VERY ENJOYABLE

Overall: as you can see, this is one of my favorite mangas of all time. i've read the whole story about 8 times (that's how good it is) and i'm sure that others will find this to be one heck of a good story too. i would recommend this to everyone :D

this is my first review...so....
so anyway, i've read alot of shoujo manga, and some get pretty tiring cuz they all have the same boring storyline. girl falls in love with boy, boy likes her back. boy and girl date, new rival comes along, lots of drama, boy and girl get together in the end. typical. wit this story, i thought "this is probably gonna be the same as anyother." but i enjoy reading new things so i decided to try this one out. when i started reading it, i was hooked. u never know what to expect in this story. there are so many twists ... and the ending is so different than what anyone would expect...well, actually i kinda expected it a little, but not entirely. it was still a surprise (dont wanna say anymore. mite spoil it :P)
so basically all in all, this story was worth reading. some people mite not really like the ending cuz it just stops there. leaves u hanging. but if u like a story thts different, this is the one :)