FUCK FUCK FUCK. I HATE SPOILERS GRAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
I just accidentally found a Banana Fish spoiler, like a huge one. And I want to rip my eyes out. Wahhhhh. I want to take back that last five minutes of my life~~~ :(
Hello again from a million years ago! I thought an update was in order. I finally finished all of the volumes of Banana Fish I bought ages ago, so now I've finished volume 7. Now that Banana Fish's use has been established, things are really picking up. And I was shocked when Shorter died, because the manga has such a small cast that I didn't think anything like that would happen to one of the main characters. So yeah, I'm up to after Ash does his whole "fuck Dino up financially" thing, and is being searched for by the police. I'm a huge geek for like, corporate takeover stuff, so that whole chapter was sooo satisfying. Haha.
Okay, and From Eroica With Love. I just finished the storyline where they're in Alaska, and I am even more madly in love with the series. Towards the beginning there wasn't much in the way of hints that Klaus actually liked Dorian in any way, and I was a little disappointed about that. But as the story is continuing it's becoming blatantly obvious that Klaus DOES like Dorian. He threatens to kill him all the time, but when they're in the cabin together all Klaus does is make sure that Dorian doesn't get hurt or killed. And what I loved even more was that while they're stuck on the submarine, it's clear that Klaus is enjoying their joint mission, and even admires what Dorian does for it. They work together fabulously. So there's all that knowledge that they get along so well, and yet once Dorian goes back to his normal self and steals what Klaus is after, all that knowledge vanishes. And that give and take makes a really interesting story.
Plus I love Klaus. Have a mentioned that? Haha. I think one of the big reasons that I love him so obnoxiously is that Dorian is the type of character that I automatically love, but Klaus is so unique to any other character I've ever seen that I get really excited when I think about him. <3
So yeah, sorry it's been a million years since you replied. :0
WOAH sorry for not commenting back sooner. Life got insanely crazy over the last week.
There were some cool things going on with the second season; you got to see into both of the guys' pasts a little more, but without that relationship resolution stuff it was a little lacking. I don't know if you have a link to the scanlations already, but I know that I had a bit of a hard time tracking them down. Here's the link in case you don't: http://yes-rhade-djs.livejournal.com/9968.html#cutid1 It's definitely worth a read, despite its shortcomings.
And whoo! I got my license today! Haha sorry, I can't help but be excited. XD That was probably the only good thing that happened this week, honestly. Oh, that and I read more From Eroica With Love, which is always an awesome thing. I read the chapter Hallelujah Express (If you remember, I know there's a shit ton of that manga) and it's definitely my fave so far. I LOVE KLAUS SO MUCH. I can't help it. Dorian is nothing short of amazing, of course, but I especially love super repressed, upright characters like Klaus. It's so easy to imagining all of the emotions boiling over under the surface. And the HAIR. Good Lord. And his sailor mouth. Win.
*Ahem.* It's clear that I have no one else to rant about Klaus to, haha.
Also our compatibiliy is going down just because I'm reading things that you've read but am giving them different ratings. I miss being "amazingly high"! Oh well, I still believe we have amazingly high compatibility. This website is just stupid. =____=;;;
Fake is the one series where the characters seem like real people to me. They aren't chained to the typical seme/uke stereotypes, but it's not as if they're just the opposite- which would be such an easy, throwaway thing to do. Ryo is still the more soft-spoken one despite the fact that he's not chained to the uke image.
Second Season was okay...her style changed completely and was weird for a while, but I got used to that. I think the thing I didn't like the most about it was that she doesn't say anything more about their relationship; she doesn't advance anything further. They could be in the fifth volume, for the maturity of their relationship. It might have just been because she hadn't had the chance yet before she stopped making it, but it was still sad for me.
On the exciting side of the news, dumb luck let me find someone selling her art books, including Like Like Love in print. I just got them yesterday, and they're sooo awesome. I'm super happy about that, haha. <3
I apologize for the terrible sentence structure; I took the SAT on saturday, so I'm hyper-aware of poor structure at the moment. I cringed while writing half of this. XD
Yeah, I can't wait to get to college. The schedule seems a lot better, even if there's still sleep deprivation. That I'm trained to deal with, haha.
I too am a fan of "substantial" guys. What's the point of reading yaoi if one of the guys is a girl?
OH MY I just remembered something. I discovered this and none of my friends are big enough fans of Fake to appreciate it. So I'm like super, super obsessed with that series. It is probably my all-time favorite. For a while now, I've really wanted to read either the original Japanese or a scanlation of it, because there are points in the Tokyopop version where it's obvious they've changed things. Not even in a negative way, really, but just changed. A couple days ago I found a scanlation of the last two chapters and my mind is blown!
Okay this is such a tanget but here.
Tokyopop, from act 20
Ryo: "Then I guess this is where I say I love you too. And it wasn't just a spontaneous thing because...I love you...more than anything."
Scanlation, same line
Ryo: "I love you. I wanted that night with you to happen...because I love you- you, Dee."
Tokyopop, a few pages later
Ryo: "But I-I'm...just not used to this. I don't know...how...to..."
Dee: "Don't worry, dude. I do."
Scanlation, same lines
Ryo: "But I...I'm not sure I'll...be able...to get used to it"
Dee: "Dont worry. I adjusted perfectly."
Both cases say the same thing literally, but the original scanlation has so much more direct emotion behind it. Ryo saying I love you so directly, and actually mentioning "that night" seems so much more bold than Tokyopop's version. And I totally flipped out when I got to that last line of Dee's. Because it hints at so much about his sexual experiences in a way that the lisenced translation doesn't even touch. Ahh!! XD I am determined to learn Japanese so that I can read Fake in the language in which it was written. Other series, too, but Fake is my main motivating factor.
So anyway, if you're curious the link to the scanlations is here http://www.geocities.com/fake_scanlations/main.html (there's also a lot of really good information about other old Fake merchandise, b t dubs.) And in more Fake related news, I got super lucky and found someone selling Sanami Matoh's two art books; I should be getting them in the mail soon. That includes the epilogue to Fake in print! *swoon*
Okay, so now you know my complete inability to stop thinking about Fake for five minutes. I'm actually surprised we talked this long before my obsession spilled out.
Haha, "ability to age backwards." Shuichi was terrible, but I think the worst offender for me was in that series change-wise was Tohma. He went from being maipulative and legitimately frightening to...a kitty cat.
Manga fox is coming in handy when I need to escape Senior year/college hell for an hour, ahha. Those two things are also the reason this comment is way less intellectual than the past few have been. Sleep deprivation yayyy...
Besides the most upsetting character destruction aspect of the Megamixes, what bothered me the most was that it was less yaoi and more like...and anatomy class. Getting way, way detailed was the wrong way to go, it made everything so clinical and unemotional. Yuck.
One of the few yaoi you haven't read is Lovers Flat, or 1K Apaato no Koi in Japanese. It's a one shot, and I actually really enjoyed it. For being more of a mainstream yaoi title, it had some genuine aspect to it that made me happy. The characters actually seemed to have feelings for each other. In the middle there's a whole "you've been hiding something from me" part that gets a little tedious, but other than that I really like it. If you come across it you should check it out.
So, that's all I can think of to say tonight. XD But I have a four-day weekend coming up. YAY!
Now that I've rediscovered Manga Fox I've been reading a lot more yaoi, just because it's there. I agree with the fact that most of it's average. The vast majority of yaoi is unoriginal and I actually really dislike it, so I feel strange calling myself a yaoi fan sometimes. I don't want people to think those sub par stories are what I care about. But there are some yaoi series (like Fumi's work, and FAKE, and Let Dai, etc.) that are so moving and so unbelievably better than the yaoi around them...anyway. It's just wired to me. Haha.
By the end of the series Gravitation's art was made of trashy fail. And bordering on shotacon, which I really, really dislike. I don't know if you ever read the remixes or (God forbid) megamixes, but those were the part about that series that made me the most angry at her. She turns characters that are deep and meaningful and emotional (Yuki in particular) and turns them into nothing more than sex toys. I mean, everyone is allowed to make doujinshi of their work, but it's so clear that the characters mean absolutely nothing to her anymore. And the fact that so much of it is non-con makes me seething mad. That's one thing that I have no tolerance for, and it's almost appalling how common it is in shonen-ai and yaoi. Even/especially between couples who are supposed to have this magical fantastic love for each other that nothing can ever break. Grahh. I hate it. Anyway, I didn't mean to turn this into a huge rant about things I hate. =_____=;;;
Wow, ten volumes! She never does series that long! I'm excited.
It is a very interesting story concept. And with the depth of emotion that she's able to convey, I'm sure it'll be awesome. In the hands of a lot of other mangaka, especially ones who usually do yaoi, the concept would be treated like nothing more than a gag, but Fumi'll do it right. <3
Holy. I was looking at out compared manga stats, and you're some kind of yaoi reading demigod! Haha. I also enjoy that fact that except for a few times where we voted the same, I almost inevitably rate things higher than you. It makes me seem like I'm just easily pleased by anything that comes my way. XD (Yay for a tied 5 on Graviation. To be honest, I think it's overrated. I loved the beginning, up until maybe the fifth volume, but from there everything went way downhill. In my opinion.)
I just got volume 3 on Friday and I'm at the part where Ash and Eiji go back to Ash's house in Cape Cod and are looking through Ash's brother's things. After he dies, and all. I just ordered up to 8 on amazon and I'm super excited to get all of them. I don't think I've ever ordered that many volumes of a series at one time, haha. The thing about volumes of Banana Fish is that there's no closure. Other series have little conclusions at the end of their volumes but BF seems like the mangaka was like, "Oops page limit lemme just chop off the story here." It makes reading it like crack. :D
I've heard of Ooku and apparently it's really good, but not yaoi. I've been meaning to get it for a wile but haven't gotten around to it yet. Something about there being a lot fewer men than women in ancient Japan, so women have all the positions of power. It sounds really interesting, and of course Fumi can do no wrong.
Yeah, college stuff is a pain in the ass. I'll be glad when it's over, XD.
I just got volume 3 on ebay, so now I can get the rest on amazon. Yay! I'm so excited to be able to continue the story after being stuck for so long.
I'm also reading From Eroica With Love on MangaFox, and loving every second of it, XD. The only problem is the fact that I have schoolwork as well, and too often I put it off just so I can read "one more chapter...just one more..." haha. I mean, why write college essays or fill out applications when I could be reading about NATO operations and fabulous art thieves? =______=;;;
Okay, and seriously I think we're manga twins. I was reading our chat from before and noticed that you were reading From Eroica with Love. I just discovered it a couple weeks ago and I am IN LOVE WITH IT. It's so good and oldschool and beautiful and hilarious. (And I'm in love with both Dorian and Klaus, haha.) Double yay for finding someone who likes the same obscure manga as you! <3
I am so sorry! Somehow I missed the notification that you had replied to the last message I sent so long ago, which is why I totally dropped communication. I feel totally horrible and I really missed talking to you. :C
AHH! How are you reading Banana Fish? Are you buying it or reading it online? Because I was buying it but after the first two volumes I couldn't find the third ANYWHERE. So I've been stuck at the beginning for I don't know how long and it's torturing me! Also I'm super glad you stayed vague because I have a paranoia of spoilers, haha. Try to resist giving it away! Of course, what you did say has made me so curious and desperate to read the rest of the series. Wahh! :C
Let's see...I first picked up Kiki's Delivery Service and some manga in 4th grade, which would been somewhere around 2002? Wow, seven years! (It feels like more, haha)
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I just accidentally found a Banana Fish spoiler, like a huge one. And I want to rip my eyes out. Wahhhhh. I want to take back that last five minutes of my life~~~ :(
Okay, and From Eroica With Love. I just finished the storyline where they're in Alaska, and I am even more madly in love with the series. Towards the beginning there wasn't much in the way of hints that Klaus actually liked Dorian in any way, and I was a little disappointed about that. But as the story is continuing it's becoming blatantly obvious that Klaus DOES like Dorian. He threatens to kill him all the time, but when they're in the cabin together all Klaus does is make sure that Dorian doesn't get hurt or killed. And what I loved even more was that while they're stuck on the submarine, it's clear that Klaus is enjoying their joint mission, and even admires what Dorian does for it. They work together fabulously. So there's all that knowledge that they get along so well, and yet once Dorian goes back to his normal self and steals what Klaus is after, all that knowledge vanishes. And that give and take makes a really interesting story.
Plus I love Klaus. Have a mentioned that? Haha. I think one of the big reasons that I love him so obnoxiously is that Dorian is the type of character that I automatically love, but Klaus is so unique to any other character I've ever seen that I get really excited when I think about him. <3
So yeah, sorry it's been a million years since you replied. :0
There were some cool things going on with the second season; you got to see into both of the guys' pasts a little more, but without that relationship resolution stuff it was a little lacking. I don't know if you have a link to the scanlations already, but I know that I had a bit of a hard time tracking them down. Here's the link in case you don't: http://yes-rhade-djs.livejournal.com/9968.html#cutid1 It's definitely worth a read, despite its shortcomings.
And whoo! I got my license today! Haha sorry, I can't help but be excited. XD That was probably the only good thing that happened this week, honestly. Oh, that and I read more From Eroica With Love, which is always an awesome thing. I read the chapter Hallelujah Express (If you remember, I know there's a shit ton of that manga) and it's definitely my fave so far. I LOVE KLAUS SO MUCH. I can't help it. Dorian is nothing short of amazing, of course, but I especially love super repressed, upright characters like Klaus. It's so easy to imagining all of the emotions boiling over under the surface. And the HAIR. Good Lord. And his sailor mouth. Win.
*Ahem.* It's clear that I have no one else to rant about Klaus to, haha.
So sorry for ruining our fantastic percentage.
Second Season was okay...her style changed completely and was weird for a while, but I got used to that. I think the thing I didn't like the most about it was that she doesn't say anything more about their relationship; she doesn't advance anything further. They could be in the fifth volume, for the maturity of their relationship. It might have just been because she hadn't had the chance yet before she stopped making it, but it was still sad for me.
On the exciting side of the news, dumb luck let me find someone selling her art books, including Like Like Love in print. I just got them yesterday, and they're sooo awesome. I'm super happy about that, haha. <3
I apologize for the terrible sentence structure; I took the SAT on saturday, so I'm hyper-aware of poor structure at the moment. I cringed while writing half of this. XD
I too am a fan of "substantial" guys. What's the point of reading yaoi if one of the guys is a girl?
OH MY I just remembered something. I discovered this and none of my friends are big enough fans of Fake to appreciate it. So I'm like super, super obsessed with that series. It is probably my all-time favorite. For a while now, I've really wanted to read either the original Japanese or a scanlation of it, because there are points in the Tokyopop version where it's obvious they've changed things. Not even in a negative way, really, but just changed. A couple days ago I found a scanlation of the last two chapters and my mind is blown!
Okay this is such a tanget but here.
Tokyopop, from act 20
Ryo: "Then I guess this is where I say I love you too. And it wasn't just a spontaneous thing because...I love you...more than anything."
Scanlation, same line
Ryo: "I love you. I wanted that night with you to happen...because I love you- you, Dee."
Tokyopop, a few pages later
Ryo: "But I-I'm...just not used to this. I don't know...how...to..."
Dee: "Don't worry, dude. I do."
Scanlation, same lines
Ryo: "But I...I'm not sure I'll...be able...to get used to it"
Dee: "Dont worry. I adjusted perfectly."
Both cases say the same thing literally, but the original scanlation has so much more direct emotion behind it. Ryo saying I love you so directly, and actually mentioning "that night" seems so much more bold than Tokyopop's version. And I totally flipped out when I got to that last line of Dee's. Because it hints at so much about his sexual experiences in a way that the lisenced translation doesn't even touch. Ahh!! XD I am determined to learn Japanese so that I can read Fake in the language in which it was written. Other series, too, but Fake is my main motivating factor.
So anyway, if you're curious the link to the scanlations is here http://www.geocities.com/fake_scanlations/main.html (there's also a lot of really good information about other old Fake merchandise, b t dubs.) And in more Fake related news, I got super lucky and found someone selling Sanami Matoh's two art books; I should be getting them in the mail soon. That includes the epilogue to Fake in print! *swoon*
Okay, so now you know my complete inability to stop thinking about Fake for five minutes. I'm actually surprised we talked this long before my obsession spilled out.
Manga fox is coming in handy when I need to escape Senior year/college hell for an hour, ahha. Those two things are also the reason this comment is way less intellectual than the past few have been. Sleep deprivation yayyy...
Besides the most upsetting character destruction aspect of the Megamixes, what bothered me the most was that it was less yaoi and more like...and anatomy class. Getting way, way detailed was the wrong way to go, it made everything so clinical and unemotional. Yuck.
One of the few yaoi you haven't read is Lovers Flat, or 1K Apaato no Koi in Japanese. It's a one shot, and I actually really enjoyed it. For being more of a mainstream yaoi title, it had some genuine aspect to it that made me happy. The characters actually seemed to have feelings for each other. In the middle there's a whole "you've been hiding something from me" part that gets a little tedious, but other than that I really like it. If you come across it you should check it out.
So, that's all I can think of to say tonight. XD But I have a four-day weekend coming up. YAY!
By the end of the series Gravitation's art was made of trashy fail. And bordering on shotacon, which I really, really dislike. I don't know if you ever read the remixes or (God forbid) megamixes, but those were the part about that series that made me the most angry at her. She turns characters that are deep and meaningful and emotional (Yuki in particular) and turns them into nothing more than sex toys. I mean, everyone is allowed to make doujinshi of their work, but it's so clear that the characters mean absolutely nothing to her anymore. And the fact that so much of it is non-con makes me seething mad. That's one thing that I have no tolerance for, and it's almost appalling how common it is in shonen-ai and yaoi. Even/especially between couples who are supposed to have this magical fantastic love for each other that nothing can ever break. Grahh. I hate it. Anyway, I didn't mean to turn this into a huge rant about things I hate. =_____=;;;
It is a very interesting story concept. And with the depth of emotion that she's able to convey, I'm sure it'll be awesome. In the hands of a lot of other mangaka, especially ones who usually do yaoi, the concept would be treated like nothing more than a gag, but Fumi'll do it right. <3
Holy. I was looking at out compared manga stats, and you're some kind of yaoi reading demigod! Haha. I also enjoy that fact that except for a few times where we voted the same, I almost inevitably rate things higher than you. It makes me seem like I'm just easily pleased by anything that comes my way. XD (Yay for a tied 5 on Graviation. To be honest, I think it's overrated. I loved the beginning, up until maybe the fifth volume, but from there everything went way downhill. In my opinion.)
I've heard of Ooku and apparently it's really good, but not yaoi. I've been meaning to get it for a wile but haven't gotten around to it yet. Something about there being a lot fewer men than women in ancient Japan, so women have all the positions of power. It sounds really interesting, and of course Fumi can do no wrong.
Yeah, college stuff is a pain in the ass. I'll be glad when it's over, XD.
I'm also reading From Eroica With Love on MangaFox, and loving every second of it, XD. The only problem is the fact that I have schoolwork as well, and too often I put it off just so I can read "one more chapter...just one more..." haha. I mean, why write college essays or fill out applications when I could be reading about NATO operations and fabulous art thieves? =______=;;;
AHH! How are you reading Banana Fish? Are you buying it or reading it online? Because I was buying it but after the first two volumes I couldn't find the third ANYWHERE. So I've been stuck at the beginning for I don't know how long and it's torturing me! Also I'm super glad you stayed vague because I have a paranoia of spoilers, haha. Try to resist giving it away! Of course, what you did say has made me so curious and desperate to read the rest of the series. Wahh! :C
How about you?
The scratch and sniff covers were great! I'm just upset that mine don't smell like anything anymore. :( Haha.