(no subject)

[insaneneko]

First off, has anyone read W Juliet? Is it any good? I've seen it recced around in comms, but not in any individual journals (at least on my flist and in the journals I've poked around).

According to the anime production blog, the Fuyu no Semi (Winter Cicada) storyline from HaruDaki was inspired by a song with that title by the folk singer Sada Masashi. They are going to use the song, sung by Morikawa Toshiyuki, for the opening. I figured I wouldn't be able to find the song itself online (it's a folk song, for god's sake), but I was able to find the lyrics in Japanese. How...appropriate. Nothing like an evocation of transience to really drive in the JAPANESE-ness of the story. ^^

I have mixed feelings reading 'Manga' reading program promotes literacy among Los Angeles teens. On the one hand, whatever gets people to read is great. On the other hand...comics aren't really a substitute for pure prose.

Japundit posts:
For humor: Where Have All the Ninja Gone?
Silliness abounds, especially in the comments.

For the anime/manga squee: Kamakura Dreamin'
Haven't been to Japan in the height of summer in a very long time, so I don't recall seeing these temporary structures on the beach. The second pic reminded me of every anime/manga where students go and work as waiters/waitresses at places like this. XD

Last but not least, cute cat pics are always a good thing.

Comments

[ramble-corner.livejournal.com]

W Juliet = &Hearts;&Hearts;&Hearts;&Hearts;

oh dear, I wish I could elaborate but I'm on a time limit now but it have my thumbs up ^^

[worldserpent.livejournal.com]

It's a very sweet, WAFFy shoujo series that is mostly episodic. It's fairly good if that's your thing, but after awhile I got a tad frustrated with the episodicness.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Did you bother reading to the end? Was it satisfying?

[worldserpent.livejournal.com]

I was reading the official translations, so they haven't gotten to the end yet, so I don't know about the ending. However, I'm certain it's happy and all.

[modorenai.livejournal.com]

I read W-Juliet relatively early on in my manga reading "career", and while I liked it a lot, now that I've read more series and my taste has evolved somewhat, I'm not quite sure whether I'd like it as much. It's very shoujo, with lots of sweet moments, but as worldserpent mentioned, it's definitely very episodic, and not exactly very innovative. And if episodic isn't really your thing, the fact that this series is 14 volumes probably isn't good. :p The selling point of the manga is definitely the characters and their relationships, I would say, and my favourite characters in the series are two of the main female character's elder twin brothers. :) My overall verdict would be that this is a relatively good read and definitely a manga to read if you're looking for a feel-good awwwww romantic comedy type manga, but it's definitely not anything ground-breaking or a must read.

*melts at the cute cat pictures*

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your assessment. From your description the chances that I'll like it are only moderate. The local used bookstore has the entire series for $28, but I'm not sure it's worth the money (and more importantly) bookshelf space investment.