insaneneko

I am loving the Sekaiichi Hatsukoi anime SO MUCH. I giggle through the whole episode. I have no idea how they will end the anime, but so far I am enjoying the ride. I also recently got volume 5 of the manga and was sad that the first really long chapter was about Kisa and Yukina. I don't dislike their characters, but I'm quite tired of Kisa's insecurity being the source of all problems. I felt really sorry for Ritsu as the end of chapter 9. I wish Yokozawa would just lay off on Ritsu. He causes so much trouble for the two by being such an unrelenting asshole. I did like the manga on the cover showing Yokozawa surrounded by cats, though. Also, the "we work at night"=hosts was fabulous.

I also got Natsume Isaku's new manga, Ameiro Paradox volume 1. It's about a reporter for a weekly who ends up partnering with a photographer he feels a rivalry against in the paparazzi division. I...couldn't read it straight through. The characters act like annoying kids. But the end made up for EVERYTHING. ( why the end kicks ass ) I look forward to volume 2.

Honto Yajuu volume 4 by Yamamoto Kotetsuko wasn't quite as awesome as volume 3, but I don't know how you'd top Aki's mother anyway. But the little kids at the run-down ryokan(?) adoring Aki in his awful yazuka get-up and getting upset when he is dressed normally and looks like a regular good-looking guy was wonderful. Also, the sempai policeman lending Aki his clothes and getting stuck at the police box because he can't go home dressed in Aki's outfit was hilarious. XD;

I liked volume 2 of Shizuku Hanabira Ringo no Kaori by Kawai Toko even more than volume 1. They are so sweet, the uke is so upbeat, the sex is frequent but not gratuitous, the seme isn't a bastard. It's not the best thing I've ever read, but it's so satisfying.

rachelmanija posts about Diana Wynne Jones' Charmed Life, which she likes and many of the commenters like. I am a Cat person so reading it made me happy.

Via genkischuldich, what happens when you greet people in the street as per (a really annoying) commercial (Japanese).

I already knew this: If You're Looking For A Little Diversity On Television, Try HGTV. One of the few TV stations I watch is HGTV, and I noticed a while back that they had a lot of minorities on their shows. Lots of non-whites, same sex couples, mixed race couples, all presented without comment. Wish all the shows on TV were as (or more) diverse.

NPR: Rickrolled: Or How One Politician Overcame Partisan Divide To Pull A Prank

I watched the 1996 TV adaptation of Emma starring Kate Beckinsale as Emma and Mark Strong as Mr. Knightly this weekend. I now feel a lot more positive about the book. I found Emma (the character) hard to stomach in the beginning, but Kate Bekinsale does a great job (her expressions are priceless) and I quickly softened towards Emma. By the end I really enjoyed the story...Though seeing Frank Churchill in action made me really wish something bad happened to him in the future. Ugh, what a slimy, icky ass. I'm a bit curious as to what was cut out and what was changed, so I might someday pick up the book and try to read it again. ^^;

Could Mansfield Park be made palatable when turned into a film? I'm a bit tempted to find out....

Seeing Mark Strong makes me want to rewatch Stardust, in which he is an awesome villian. Now that was a really good adaptation of a book.

I am terribly disappointed that Jane Eyre is currently limited release. I have a perverse desire to see the movie, perhaps because I don't care for the book.

I was eating lunch at a local udon restaurant today when the Korean actor who was in Lost and is now in Hawaii 5-0 came in to eat. I had to snort at my attempts to NOT stare at the guy even though I'm not that into celebrities in general and didn't watch either show. The girls at the next table were adorable, though, whispering about trying to get autographs and/or pictures. I wish I could've seen them do it, but I left before they did. :P

I've been rereading old BL novels and manga the last month or so. I had initially been looking for a particular book, but I couldn't find it*. Instead I started reading stuff I hadn't read in a while. Talk about a mixed bag. I own some truly crappy books as well as some really good books I don't reread enough.

I reread a book about best friends in high school in which one has loved the other since forever and finally confesses, turning his friend's world upside down. Sadly, the best part of the book was the art. I was trying to remember books about best friends with sekrit unrequited love on one side because I'm sure I've read tons of them. I could only think of two involving working adults and one with students off the top of my head, which isn't that many...Any recs? I like the premise a lot if done well. I can rec the two working adults books: Slow Rhythm by Sugihara Rio and illustrated by Kinoshita Keiko (♥ her!) and Tadashii koi no nayami kata by Watarumi Naho and illustrated by Sasaki Kumiko. I can't find the student one, but that one wasn't that great anyway. :P

Two books I truly enjoyed rereading: Sono otoko, toriatsukai chuui! and Sono otoko, shinyuu kinshi! by Narumiya Yuri and illustrated by Sakuragi Yaya. They are about a young road construction worker Saeki Keisuke and the guy who becomes his boyfriend in the first book. The blurb for the first book says that Keisuke is a loose guy who will sleep with any guy or gal. He becomes friendly with a government worker who moves in next door, Ogata Mizuki. When Ogata confides that he's in love with some other guy, Keisuke offers to teach him how to sleep with a guy. He's always been the one doing the fucking with guys, but he ends up being fucked by Ogata. The book also has some yazuka (and random criminal) action, but the main point of it is the disgustingly sweet yet adorable relationship between Keisuke and Ogata. Keisuke is tall and decently built, looks a bit intimidating, and is good in fights, but is like butter in Ogata's hands. He's a bit embarrassed, but isn't too full of pride/tsundereness/whatever to hide it constantly. The second book has the insecurities and misunderstandings that seem to show up a lot in second books with established relationships (go cliches!), but in the end the sweetness makes it all okay to me. It helps that I love the art. XD;

*Has anyone read a BL novel about a salaryman with an actor boyfriend whom he supports financially? The boyfriend is on the verge of getting his big break and their relationship becomes destabilized. I hope I find it one day... ;_;

Random news:

Ugh, I hope the rumor that Robert Pattison may play Tetsuo from Akira is wrong. Putting aside the "why is a white guy playing a character who is sooo NOT WHITE" thing (which is neither here nor there as it doesn't apply in this case as per the article the location will be "New Manhattan" instead of "New Tokyo"), I have an aversion to the actor (thanks to how awful he looked in the Twilight promo material).

For people in the US: Costco has a printer cartridge refill service!

Odd, possibly bad: Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata rearranges the entire score of The Sound of Music on their newest album.

I kinda want to see the Priscilla Queen of the Desert musical just for the cupcake scene.

Amazon is shutting down ebook lending sites.

I hate being cheated out of a satisfying ending to a book. I just read most of Renai senryaku no teigi by Fuyuno Jinko, which was decent until the very last part. ( why I'm all aaaaaaaaaah about it )

My first impressions tend to be crap so I usually don't post about books until I've reread them several times, but since sara_tanaquil asked what I'd ordered and I didn't want to just list the books...Please take all comments with a grain of salt. I revise my impressions of books quite a bit. ^^;

Ryuu no fukkatsu, Dr. no Houkou by Kifu Kaname and illustrated by Nara Chiharu

The latest book of the Ryuu and Dr series (I've summarized four of the books), still fun but not quite as fun as the last one...I might revise my opinion once I reread. Or maybe it just couldn't live up to the build up of insanity that fueled the previous books.

Aisaresugi to iukeredo by Nakahara Kazuya and illustrated by Nara Chiharu

Third book about a doctor and a laborer who used to be an amazing surgeon (I summarized the first book here). I enjoyed it, as I've enjoyed the first two. I just like the recurring characters a lot. And the really horrible lewd jokes Dr. God Hand makes. XD;

Kayashima-shi no yuuga na seikatsu novel vols 1, 2, and 3 by Tono Haruhi and illustrated by Hidaka Shouko and comic vol 1 illustrated by Mamahara Ellie

Reprinting of a series Tono Haruhi had originally done as doujinshi about the romance of a rich blue-blood (Mr. Kayashima) and his gardener. Mr. Kayashima is a great character. He's young, good-looking, rich, doesn't do any work, and has an overwhelmingly noble presence that just bowls people over. But he adores the gardener and is very honest about his feelings towards the gardener (most of the time). They are a cute couple. My favorite parts, though, are other people's reactions to Mr. Kayashima's oddness and presence. I have to admit that I like Hidaka Shoko's art more than Mamahara Ellie's, but the manga is worth having just for the short novelized portion and extra manga at the end. The first volume's novel bit is from Mr. Kayashima's dog's POV. It's adorable, as all stories written from the POV of someone's pet tends to be. I will be buying the second volume.

Hanayaka na Aijou by Sakiya Haruhi and illustrated by Hasukawa Ai

Fourth book about a detective and an artist. I adore this series, though I think I've never posted on it before. I like both characters, I like their relationship and how it develops. I like the police cases that come up in each volume. This book uses a total cliche as its premise, but I like how she handled it. Angsty, but not totally predictable. One big plus about this series: the uke loves sex and can be very aggressive in getting what he wants. No faux uke modesty here.

Futsuu gurai ni aishiteru by Kuga Ariko and illustrated by Hashimoto Aoi

This is about a salaryman who meets a dude who'd harassed him in high school. I....couldn't keep interested in the book enough to finish it. I'll have to go back and try again later.

Koboreru cream by Sakai Akeo and illustrated Shidoh Kai

I admit it, I bought it for the cover. The blurb sounded pretty interesting, so I figured why not. The book is just too short. The story doesn't suck, but it isn't meaty enough for me to love it.

Steal Your Love - Yoku by Himekawa Hotaru and illustrated by Kohji Tatsuru

Third book about a popular actor and host who'd been high school classmates. Another series I enjoy because I like the main characters and their relationship. Also, the uke also enjoys sex very much once they become established in a relationship. I'm hoping this continues, especially since I want to see what happens in their careers and their dealings with each other's families.

Tama ni wa koi demo by Wataru Minaho and illustrated by Sakura Haiji

I got this because it's illustrated by Sakura Haiji and the main character is a plain and introverted programmer being harassed by a very good looking, very out-going sales guy at his company. They become friends once the programmer realizes he shares interests with the sales guy. It turns out the sales guy is a uber-otaku. I was meh about this one. Doesn't suck, the uber-otaku-ness of the sales guy is rather hilarious, but it just didn't hit the spot.

Sore wa tsumi na anata no sei by Hagino Shiro and illustrated by Natsume Isaku

I love love love love love this book. Love. Also, love the art. I really don't want to say more, because it'll turn into a huge, long thing that I don't have the time do now and I want to do a long, looong summary of this some day. Let me just say it hits my moe points totally and completely.


I didn't realize I'd bought so many sequels until I started writing this post! I enjoyed the sequels well enough, but I think my overall disappointment with the order comes from being disappointed by most of the one-shots. I want to find shiny new stuff, not just rely on the familiar.

What is up with Nara Chiharu? I do not like her art nowadays. :(

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...( I'll just mention some choice bits. )

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.

>Fujourina kuchizuke by HImekawa Hotaru is a silly but fun example of an amazingly huge type of BL, the Japanese guy assigned to guard/guide/assist some foreign VIP visiting Japan who ends up in VIPs bed. I think this subgenre has grown on me, even though as usual most books are on the crappy side. This time it's an SP officer assigned to guard a prince and military commander of a small but rich Scandinavian country (I love how these VIPs are almost always from small but rich countries--usually from the Middle East or Europe, and tend to be mixed race) who happens to be half-Japanese. I like this because the serious political side story is particularly lame and the main character is hilariously dense, especially considering his job. The art is pretty and the main character's partner and friend is also a plus.


( pretty pics and a bit of plot )

Asterisk 7 and 8 by Morimoto Shu concluded the current arc very satisfactorily. Lots of action, lots of friendship and sacrifice, lots of warm and fuzzy feelings. And lots of cute animals doing their part as well. XD This series doesn't seem to have finished with the end of this arc, and I'm so glad. This is my very reliable happy drug manga series (especially since there's no new Hakkenden!!! GAAAAH!).

Don't Cry Baby by Kinoshita Keiko is an odd manga. It's about a medical rep for a drug company and the veterinarian he visits as part of his work. The medical rep is gay and is still "recovering" from a painful breakup, but is outwardly very tsundere. The veterinarian, however, is rather carefree and doesn't get upset over the medical rep's tsundere-ness. At first I disliked this manga. I couldn't connect with the characters (esp extreme tsundere medical rep, but also the oddly detached veterinarian) or see how their interactions turned into anything. But after rereading many times to try to figure this manga out, I've come to like it. The medical rep's fragility and vulnerability comes through only in small bits through his brittle exterior, and the veterinarian's seeing through the medical rep's facade and his attempts to get through were subtle but firm. Though he didn't mean them to be that way, the veterinarian's attempts ended up being blows to the medical rep. It's hard to get through to a wounded heart, isn't it? I especially like one part where two scenes are juxtaposted: the medical rep is trying to kill his feelings over his ex while taking a shower after a one-night stand while the veterinarian is at his clinic trying to get a cat who pines for it's owner to eat by asking if his presence isn't enough for the cat. The cat is so pitiful, crouched down with one of those cones of shame.

I recently reread two books that have somewhat similar premises and very pretty art. Sukinante ienai! by Ioka Itsuki and illustrated by Arima Katsumi and Mister romantist no koi by Sunahara Touko and illustrated by Sakuragi Yaya both feature handsome capable guys who can't get what they really want--someone to love them. They are the typical seme types who just really want to be ukes.

In the first one, a salaryman has always known he's gay but he's been too afraid to venture out to where the gay people are. So he'd dated the random gay guy he'd run into, who'd inevitably look to him to take the lead in and out of bed. He is both jealous of and attracted to a designer he works on a project with. The designer has the soft, almost feminine-but-not looks that he'd always wanted instead of his masculine good looks. The designer turns out to be a lot more aggressive than first appearances would indicate, and so he gets his wish.

The second book is about a high school student who is the ace of the tennis team, student council president, a good student with top scores. But inside he's mushy. He's had a crush on an underclassmen for a year. He has no courage to speak to his crush, but he will borrow his sister's magazine to check how his compatibility is with his crush in the horoscope. He has a best friend who looks adorable and sweet (the way he'd always wanted to look), but has quite a sharp tongue. At one point he sees his crush and says, "Isn't he so cool! ♥" to which his best friend responds, "If you like that type, just look in the mirror." XDXD; The crush is a normal guy who at first is put off by the main character because the main character is one of those types who just looks expressionless (even if he's melting inside) and seems too perfect (from the outside), but he learns to see the adorable sap inside.

The second book has a bit too much of the misunderstandings that come from insecurity in the second half for my taste, but it was still very sweet. The first book is much better at not succumbing too much to the misunderstandings cliche.

I would love to read more of these types of stories...Hopefully I'll come across more that don't suck, and maybe have just as nice artwork as these two. ^^;

Amazon Japan sent me a rec for a really stupid-sounding novel called Love guard wa owaranai by Kouyama Kenko and illustrated by Takarai Saki. Just the cover made me chortle, but the first line of the blurb: "...Yes. I am a bitch that loves to be fucked." The "bitch" is a gorgeous bodyguard in his forties who has been having an affair with the president of his company. He's also having sex with a yakuza in exchange for intel. Last but not least is a newbie bodyguard who reminds bitch man of a love who'd died because(for?) him...

It doesn't sound like a book I'd like, but it gave me three minutes of joy reading the blurb and laughing at the cover. XD;

I don't quite understand how Ryanair can get away with getting rid of toilets and making people pay for using the one left. There are laws that require a certain number of toilets per seats for spaces where lots of people gather on the ground....Why isn't there something comparable for airplanes? I hope this fee (and the fee for carry-on baggage) doesn't catch on.

I keep meaning to read The Secret Language of Signs: They're the most useful thing you pay no attention to. Start paying attention. by Julia Turner on Slate because stuff like this fascinates me. XD;

Also on my to-read list: Can Animals Be Gay? by Jon Mooallem on NYT. There's a slide show that is subtitled, "The Love That Dare Not Squawk its Name." If this article doesn't kick ass I will be disappointed.

not martha mentions some books on her desk right now: Now I want to check out Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces and The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook: 101 Asian Recipes Simple Enough for Tonight's Dinner.

Things that make me hate being an adult: paying taxes, searching for and determining the necessary amount of insurance (car, home, medical, life), and thinking about how to save enough to retire at some decent age

I've been rereading random BL novels and finding that I'm dissatisfied with quite a number of sequels. The first books usually would do a refreshing or unusually satisfying take on some cliched storyline, but then the sequel would fall prey to the cliches they'd managed to work around/with the first time around. I don't know if my happiness in reading more about the characters I grew to like in the first books outweighs my irritation at the cliche fail in the sequels. :P

I was a lot happier rereading Slow Rhythm by Sugihara Rio and illustrated by Kinoshita Keiko. It reminds me of Suki to ienakute just a little because it features a rather clueless guy and his handsome, talented, considerate, gay best friend, and how they become more than friends. It's different in that the characters in Slow Rhythm are salarymen and there is less angst and more confusion. The best friend has loved not-very-perceptive main character for, like, ever, and the main character sort of knows, but they remain just very, very good friends. The best friend is a victim of "I love him too much" cowardice, as well as "I love him so I just want him to be happy and I know he's straight so he'll probably eventually find some woman" selfless concern. He actually tells main character back in high school "Don't worry, I'll never fall in love with you," which is the most obvious yet backwards way of declaring your love I'd ever heard. And yet main character is just dense enough that he can't quite read the true meaning of those words (though there is an element of deliberate taking-at-face value thrown in there) and they keep their delicately-balanced friendship for 12 years...

It felt like nothing much happened in the book, and yet I was very satisfied in the end. I think what I liked were the misunderstandings that came from being different people that weren't blown up into the Greatest Tragedy Ever. They are a big deal to the characters, but they aren't the end of the world either. Erg, I can't quite express why I enjoyed the novel so much. Maybe in the end it's just nice reading something that isn't as dramatic, angst-ridden, or full of odd coincidences as most of the books out there. Also, the art goes perfectly with the narrative which always gives a book an extra boost. XD;