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insanenekoSad how I was so upset about not being able to pick up HP6 at midnight, but I haven't even cracked open the book since I picked it up on Saturday after work. :P Doesn't help that my brain felt totally mushy...since I got my manga from Japan, I was flipping through those instead. All those smutty manga I only had scanlations of, I can finally read in Japanese! I love Kano Shiuko even more now that I've read her stuff (Namaiki - I'm not your stepping stone and Aniki joutou!) in Japanese. And the smut! It's so excessive it makes me cackle.
In any case, instead of reading what has taken over my flist, I read the newest Fujimi Symphony and books 4 and 5 of the Mirage prequel. First, the Fujimi...oh, man. I was desperately waiting for this one to come out, but it turns out to be one of those setup volumes. ;_; I know it's necessary to transition and set up the story for the next big thing to happen, but...*sighs* I now have to wait months for the next book, where I think some shit will hit the fan. I love how earnest Yuki is, and how that earnestness can bring much trouble down upon him. It's amazing how far he's come as a person and as a musician...
In any case, when not sleeping like the dead, I also read the Mirage prequels. I think someone mentioned not caring for this part, but I really enjoyed it.
The first part had Kagetora acting out, exorcising every and all spirits by day and drinking and brawling at night. Even Haruie has no idea how to deal with him. In the meantime, Naoe realizes that he actually has emotions. It's kind of fun reading about a confused Naoe who sadly realizes that he's only begun to really live after death. The coolest part about it was after Kagetora has been caught in the web of a spider that eats off people filled with nihilism. They can't even see the spider as it lives in a different dimension or something, but they find out that they could reach the spider if they are in astral form. Of course, that means that they need to die first. Haruie immediately declares he'll do it, but he finds that he can't kill himself. He tries over and over, but his physical body won't let him. The cool part is that Naoe acts without hesitation and cuts his own throat. He has to get Kagetora back! And it's not from some high and mighty sense of duty...oh no...it's much more base. I kept thinking, damnit Naoe, stop being so masochistic! Kagetora always manages to fling words that will hurt him, upset him, shake him to his very core, and he finds that he craves that. He can't imagine not having that. So he has to go and drag Kagetora back from sinking into nihilism and losing his heart and mind. And of course he manages it. Go passionate Naoe!
It's interesting to see the Yashashu working with a living woman (with much spiritual ability). What was fascinating was having Naoe tell her about how his wife had married Kagekatsu's right-hand man, who succeeded the Naoe family name. I don't really get why he's explaining to her that his wife would say he was like a wooden doll, even in bed. Well, no good reason except to give the woman a chance to throw herself at him. The first of many, though he refuses because he has no right to sleep with her, being a dead person and all. *snorts*
The actual storyline of the second part was interesting but didn't quite draw me in. There was a lot other things that was absolutely fascinating. I always wondered, after realizing that Kagetora had a wife and child in his original life, how he managed to have sex with his wife. Seems like even though he was able to have sex (because his body was young and ready) he always felt that the act was terribly dirty and he was dirty for doing it. After his child was born he didn't have sex with her (or anyone else) for years. That totally fit my image of him and sex. I wonder if he had much sex all those years. Did he actually sleep with Minako?
Another interesting thread was Kagetora regaining his host body's memories, which is sealed away when they possess the body. His host body, Kurata, was one bad seed. He not only killed people, he killed people completely needlessly and with absolutely no emotion. He had one of those truly horrible lives. He lost his parents when he was very young, and somehow managed to grow up but he was more animal than human, barely able to speak and unable to be sympathetic with his fellow humans because he had never known love or compassion or anything good. Kagetora meets a woman in the storyline who reminds him of someone. He realizes that it's Kurata's memory, of a girl peering down at him in a well. The image comes back a couple of times, and at the end of the story we get the entire picture. One day Kurata was caught stealing by a village and put into a well. Day after day of no food, water, or much oxygen, he was on the verge of death. He was face to face with it and kind of surprised to find that it wasn't a big deal, it was only a bleeding into darkness and nothingness. But then, a girl came down holding a rindou flower (it's a pretty flower, called gentian in English, click to see pics of it). She smiles and offers the flower to him. He reaches out his hand, not to grab the flower but to grab her. He grabs her then EATS HER. He then escapes using the rope she had used to lower herself into the well, and it's then that it hits him that she had come to save him. That she was the only beauty and compassion and gentleness that he had ever known in his entire life and he had devoured her like an animal. It was at that moment that Kurata knew his sin and felt perfect despair and gave up on life. Kagetora, realizing all that, wanted to let this body he had stolen have a real life, and know that all is not in vain. The image of the rindou flower held out in the dimness is at once so pure and so filthy...
The whole Naoe/Kagetora thing just gets so much more complex in this storyline. It's the most evident when Naoe attempts to kill Kagetora. Kagetora had, previously, ordered Naoe to kill him if Kurata's memories took over. He had even tried to kill himself but had been stopped by Naoe. But then Naoe actually follows through and stabs Kagetora, to kill him. It's at that moment of dying that Kagetora sees all of Kurata's life, and it is later revealed that he managed to live through sheer will. Naoe finds that he's totally confused as to the reasons he did it, and whether it was the correct thing to do. Having lived his whole life so sure of himself, his position, his correctness...it really throws him for a loop.
What takes the cake is that scene where he gives the recovering Kagetora water mouth to mouth, then goes back for a "meaningless" kiss. ^_____^
But the true squealing only came at the end when Nagahide finally shows up for real. I had squeal because he was so...proper and warrior-like. Falling to his knee, and declaring himself so formally. KYAAA!!! Now the Yashashu is complete. I can't wait to read the next ( and last ;_;) book.
Damn, I think I started to really ramble somewhere along the way. Oh well. I'm tired. I have an excuse. :P
After reading![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
petronia's comment about inadvertent spoilers I think I'll refrain from checking LJ until I actually read HP6. *sighs* I need to kick my butt in gear so that I can read all the posts full of spoilers (I didn't realize so many people on my flist were such fans!!). And fangirl (or bitch, depending on how I like this volume).
I think I'll actually try to sleep now. The start of another (long) week.
In any case, instead of reading what has taken over my flist, I read the newest Fujimi Symphony and books 4 and 5 of the Mirage prequel. First, the Fujimi...oh, man. I was desperately waiting for this one to come out, but it turns out to be one of those setup volumes. ;_; I know it's necessary to transition and set up the story for the next big thing to happen, but...*sighs* I now have to wait months for the next book, where I think some shit will hit the fan. I love how earnest Yuki is, and how that earnestness can bring much trouble down upon him. It's amazing how far he's come as a person and as a musician...
In any case, when not sleeping like the dead, I also read the Mirage prequels. I think someone mentioned not caring for this part, but I really enjoyed it.
The first part had Kagetora acting out, exorcising every and all spirits by day and drinking and brawling at night. Even Haruie has no idea how to deal with him. In the meantime, Naoe realizes that he actually has emotions. It's kind of fun reading about a confused Naoe who sadly realizes that he's only begun to really live after death. The coolest part about it was after Kagetora has been caught in the web of a spider that eats off people filled with nihilism. They can't even see the spider as it lives in a different dimension or something, but they find out that they could reach the spider if they are in astral form. Of course, that means that they need to die first. Haruie immediately declares he'll do it, but he finds that he can't kill himself. He tries over and over, but his physical body won't let him. The cool part is that Naoe acts without hesitation and cuts his own throat. He has to get Kagetora back! And it's not from some high and mighty sense of duty...oh no...it's much more base. I kept thinking, damnit Naoe, stop being so masochistic! Kagetora always manages to fling words that will hurt him, upset him, shake him to his very core, and he finds that he craves that. He can't imagine not having that. So he has to go and drag Kagetora back from sinking into nihilism and losing his heart and mind. And of course he manages it. Go passionate Naoe!
It's interesting to see the Yashashu working with a living woman (with much spiritual ability). What was fascinating was having Naoe tell her about how his wife had married Kagekatsu's right-hand man, who succeeded the Naoe family name. I don't really get why he's explaining to her that his wife would say he was like a wooden doll, even in bed. Well, no good reason except to give the woman a chance to throw herself at him. The first of many, though he refuses because he has no right to sleep with her, being a dead person and all. *snorts*
The actual storyline of the second part was interesting but didn't quite draw me in. There was a lot other things that was absolutely fascinating. I always wondered, after realizing that Kagetora had a wife and child in his original life, how he managed to have sex with his wife. Seems like even though he was able to have sex (because his body was young and ready) he always felt that the act was terribly dirty and he was dirty for doing it. After his child was born he didn't have sex with her (or anyone else) for years. That totally fit my image of him and sex. I wonder if he had much sex all those years. Did he actually sleep with Minako?
Another interesting thread was Kagetora regaining his host body's memories, which is sealed away when they possess the body. His host body, Kurata, was one bad seed. He not only killed people, he killed people completely needlessly and with absolutely no emotion. He had one of those truly horrible lives. He lost his parents when he was very young, and somehow managed to grow up but he was more animal than human, barely able to speak and unable to be sympathetic with his fellow humans because he had never known love or compassion or anything good. Kagetora meets a woman in the storyline who reminds him of someone. He realizes that it's Kurata's memory, of a girl peering down at him in a well. The image comes back a couple of times, and at the end of the story we get the entire picture. One day Kurata was caught stealing by a village and put into a well. Day after day of no food, water, or much oxygen, he was on the verge of death. He was face to face with it and kind of surprised to find that it wasn't a big deal, it was only a bleeding into darkness and nothingness. But then, a girl came down holding a rindou flower (it's a pretty flower, called gentian in English, click to see pics of it). She smiles and offers the flower to him. He reaches out his hand, not to grab the flower but to grab her. He grabs her then EATS HER. He then escapes using the rope she had used to lower herself into the well, and it's then that it hits him that she had come to save him. That she was the only beauty and compassion and gentleness that he had ever known in his entire life and he had devoured her like an animal. It was at that moment that Kurata knew his sin and felt perfect despair and gave up on life. Kagetora, realizing all that, wanted to let this body he had stolen have a real life, and know that all is not in vain. The image of the rindou flower held out in the dimness is at once so pure and so filthy...
The whole Naoe/Kagetora thing just gets so much more complex in this storyline. It's the most evident when Naoe attempts to kill Kagetora. Kagetora had, previously, ordered Naoe to kill him if Kurata's memories took over. He had even tried to kill himself but had been stopped by Naoe. But then Naoe actually follows through and stabs Kagetora, to kill him. It's at that moment of dying that Kagetora sees all of Kurata's life, and it is later revealed that he managed to live through sheer will. Naoe finds that he's totally confused as to the reasons he did it, and whether it was the correct thing to do. Having lived his whole life so sure of himself, his position, his correctness...it really throws him for a loop.
What takes the cake is that scene where he gives the recovering Kagetora water mouth to mouth, then goes back for a "meaningless" kiss. ^_____^
But the true squealing only came at the end when Nagahide finally shows up for real. I had squeal because he was so...proper and warrior-like. Falling to his knee, and declaring himself so formally. KYAAA!!! Now the Yashashu is complete. I can't wait to read the next ( and last ;_;) book.
Damn, I think I started to really ramble somewhere along the way. Oh well. I'm tired. I have an excuse. :P
After reading
petronia's comment about inadvertent spoilers I think I'll refrain from checking LJ until I actually read HP6. *sighs* I need to kick my butt in gear so that I can read all the posts full of spoilers (I didn't realize so many people on my flist were such fans!!). And fangirl (or bitch, depending on how I like this volume). I think I'll actually try to sleep now. The start of another (long) week.