12-ji no kane ga naru mae ni

[insaneneko]

I haven't checked LJ in quite a while. Been busy, but lately I've also had internet connection issues which I've been too busy to get fixed. Isn't that how it always goes? ^^; In any case, I'm posting to mention 12-ji no kane ga naru mae ni (Before the clock strikes twelve--not the "official" English translation, but the official Engrish is rubbish) by Hichiwa Yuka and illustrated by Enjin Yamimaru. It is deeply cliched and conventional, but it is deeply satisfying. It's about a stubborn yet awkward high school student who cooks and cleans for a 30-something doctor with a broken leg and a major attitude problem, and how he thaws the doctor's frozen heart (frozen thanks to past trauma, naturally). And how it was all destiny, anyway. The fun spin is that the doctor thinks the high school student is in college and is actually working as (or will be working) a prostitute, so he's even more of an asshole because the high school student "appears" so pure and innocent. But the high school student, being incredibly stubborn and massively clueless, just thinks the doctor likes to be nasty (and doesn't pick up on any of the blatant sexual innuendo) and decides he won't give in. One particularly amusing incident occurs when the doctor receives some live lobsters which are supposed to be eaten alive. The high school student is horrified and ends up secretly feeding the lobsters instead of making a meal of them. When the doctor eats them when the student isn't around, the student gets mad and buries the remains of the lobsters in the garden instead of just tossing them. Just hilarious, and so totally them. It has both sweepingly romantic and extremely down-to-earth details.

Sadly, I don't have the time to do the full blown summary I've love to do...so...

The doctor initially thinks the student is just a stupid kid who'd racked up debts and wants to pay it off by selling himself. After he learns a bit more about the student, he thinks the student is looking for someone that he's in love with, and that the friend who runs the prostitution bit who'd brought the student to be his housekeeper is making the student work for a huge amount before giving him information on the guy. So he takes out a loan and gathers his savings to offer his friend to "free" the student. To the tune of 6 million yen. Is that love or what? XD;

And the "destiny" thing comes from the fact that the two had met a long time ago, when the student was five and the doctor a lot younger. At that time the student had been having a hard time with various things, and the doctor had given him comfort in that chance meeting. The doctor had dropped a key to an antique pocket watch at that time, which the student had kept all those years. Of course in the very last scene the doctor realizes who the student is and shows the student the watch.


It doesn't hurt that the art is nice, too.

And for something completely unrelated, I'm currently addicted to a rather old song, My Sweet Darlin' by Yaida Hitomi.

Comments

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

D'aww, that sounds adorable! (In all the right stupid ways.) I was just debating what to put in my September order -- into the cart it goes.

Hope to see you back online more soon!

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Hope you like it! It's got its problems, but overall I found it very sweet and funny.

My internet connection is back, finally. Not having a proper connection at home is torture. :P

[madamada-chan.livejournal.com]

Ooooh! From the same author as Keep Out!! ♥

I can't really read it yet T__T So I'll just have to wait for a drama cd~ *keeps fingers crossed*

I'll definitely watch out for it when I order books next time~

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Ooh...Keep Out is a fun book, too. I hadn't made the connection. I hope Keep Out turns into a series...

[madamada-chan.livejournal.com]

I know!! I hope for the same too, because I really, reeeeally want to know more about the other couple, Shen Yi and Kadokura!! I want to see their story develop, and also am curious on how they met and fell in love~ *_*

I liked ended up really liking them in Beauty and Beast ♥♥♥ (There's a special drama cd for that chapter too, btw. And as expected of the cast, it was so nice :D)