insaneneko | Entries tagged with xxxholic

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I stayed up way too late last night reading 11 volumes of xxxHOLIC, so I'm caught up with the bound volumes now! It's been nice reading all these series I'd fallen off reading for a while, even though I can't have the satisfaction of actually having an end waiting for me. ^^; Whoever said I didn't need to read TRC to read xxxHOLIC lied to me. I totally need to read TRC now (especially since the "climax," such as it is, seems completely wtf? but without any great emotional trauma/satisfaction without knowing what happened in TRC). Too bad not all the TRC volumes are out in English--otherwise I could read the series in the bookstore. I'd totally gotten bored of the series and just can't shell out the money for the volumes I don't own (which are many, as I only own volumes to the mid-teens) without knowing if I'd like the end. At this point I just want to know the complete picture vis-a-vis xxxHOLIC, which has always been the series I preferred.

What is puzzling me at this point (volume 17) is where the series is going now that the stuff related to TRC seems to be over. How long will CLAMP go with this? And where are they going? I'd like to think that reading TRC will give me a clue, but perhaps I'm being too optimistic (or pinning too many hopes on TRC). Not that I don't like xxxHOLIC as it is now....

I want the next volume already. :P

( more specific rambling )

Current Mood: blank

Greg Pattillo, the beatboxing flutist, makes some pretty cool music. I really like his version of the Inspector Gadget theme song. Check it out, along with many other songs, at his myspace page.

Blind eyes could blaze by

iambickilometer, xxxHOLIC. A year into the aftermath, neither of them has found the answer.

Current Mood: apathetic

I watched the OVA of Ikoku Irokoi Romantan by Yamane Ayano against my better judgement. Wow...it wasn't very good. I was expecting bad, but...it was far worse than my lowest expectations. The production values were very low, but beyond that the pace of the story was glacial. Even the sex was oddly lethargic and lacking in passion. The best parts were when Kaoru and Ranmaru were interacting (fighting), sadly. I didn't mind the revised storyline, too bad they sucked most of the zing out of it in the process. :P

I wish she'd write a sequel to the manga, though. I'd love to read more about Ranmaru and his hot Italian Japanese-freak lover, though I suppose they might have to deal with the fact that he's in fact being unfaithful to his wife...

Speaking of Yamane Ayano, where are the new chapters of Crimson Spell and Viewfinder? It's kind of annoying how many months elapse between chapters...It's so easy to forget and then miss the posting of the new stuff while browsing the flist (I suppose I should just unjoin some comms to make things easier for me :P).

After seeing a bunch of posts reccing

yuletide fics on the flist, I decided to poke around and read a bunch. Some of the ones I rather liked:

Christingle by

loneraven, His Dark Materials, Will at Oxford.

La Familia by

sesame_seed, Chrestomanci, Millie gets sick and the Family falls apart.

Breakaway by

shrift, Whistle!, adolescent confusion.

All True-Hearted Souls by

mardia, Temeraire, intriguing Granby POV.

Houses and Rain by

untrue_accounts, xxxHOLIC, the zashiki-warashi does Valentine's Day.

The Longest Night by

thehoyden, xxxHOLIC, Yuuko riddles as usual.

Hair of the Dog by

ruffwriter, Black Lagoon, Rock likes pain.

Speaking of fics, love the PoT drabble by

bookshop that puts Tezuka and Bump of Chicken together and makes it work. Sort of. Okay, not really, but Tezuka is massively weird in a LOL+sweatdrop kind of a way. ^__^

And speaking of PoT, saw a post for a doujinshi I own and haven't looked at in forever: Asymmetry Triangle. Pairings are Saeki/Ryoma, Fuji/Ryoma, and Saeki/Fuji (yes, very WTF?), everyone is massively OOC, the art is pretty, the storyline is "heartwarming," and I really feel like digging out all the doujinshi by this circle that I bought because the art (and the character OOC-ness and the "heartwarming" storylines) made me smile despite the constant undertone of WTF-ness.

Current Mood: cheerful

After two posts to the same comm (

xxx_holic) in a week basically dissing a major fandom pairing, to which most people seemed to have responded sincerely and politely, a shiny "response" in

clamp_rants!

Seriously, we've all bitched about pairings in fandom, especially those that dominate the fandom...in "private" (personal LJ posts I do think of as sort of "private," though if they are not locked they are technically "public"). But posting on a comm? Oh, please. And the second post was either done by a total newbie to any fandom or was just plain disingenuous. If you can't get into a pairing from the get-go or after reading a bunch of fics (that don't suck), you'll probably never get into it...Unless you persevere and keep reading until you hit the fic/author that makes it click for you. And it still may never happen. I don't really think pairing preferences are logical anyhow, no matter how much fans (including me XD) love to use logic to justify their pairings (unless it really is canon, of course). *shrugs*

Looking through more posts in

clamp_rants (most of which are really lame, btw), it seems there is much Fai-angst in Tsubasa? I wish I didn't know that, because I now don't want to read it! And I probably need to, since it's intruding into xxxHOLIC so much now. *sighs*

Current Mood: amused

Shiny Haru wo daiteita pimp post! With pics! It's funny and makes me want to reread the series...

Eat Your Heart Out by

rageprufrock is a terribly fun Doumeki/Watanuki fic. It starts with Doumeki getting a not-very-good pink bento for lunch. Watanuki flails and spazzes, then ends up kind of despondent. There is timely intervention and all ends well.

Only More Stupid by

scratchmist is a cute Ouran fic featuring Kyoya and Tamaki. It's a delightful look into Kyoya's head as he first learns to deal with Tamaki. While a bit jerky at times, the shininess far outweighs those minor blips. XDXD

worldserpent linked to a great post about why the OP prefers print media over audiovisual media along with offering her own comments. I can never follow TV shows for long because I can't keep up the effort to follow them week after week. But what really drives me more towards books are a) that I can read at my own pace and b) that I can get into the character's heads more. More on those points:

a) Not only do I often chafe at having to watch shows real time, it's a lot harder to easily skip around. I am told that I read pretty damn fast, so I can get through a lot more story and character in a shorter amount of time through reading. Also, I sometimes like to skip around instead of plowing through from beginning to end. It's a lot easier to flip to the last five pages of a book and read them, go back a chapter and read that, go back to where I had stopped reading and pick up from there, etc. It helps me sustain interest when the material is not engaging me. I've tried with TV shows/movies/anime and always got frustrated at all that I missed (I think it's easier to scan the words even while quickly flipping and catch significant passages than catch the significant moments while fast forwarding) and having to go back anyway. Which causes me to get bogged down at the boring parts...

b) Lately I read a lot of trashy BL novels, which are full of cliches and kinks and stupid plots/characters. What keeps me from truly getting disgusted at the whole genre? In novels I can get into the character's head, which lets me become more sympathetic to his actions/reactions. Yes, often the internal narrative is exasperating as well, but it provides a context that can explain the stupidity of what occurs next. I know I wouldn't give half the BL novels I read a chance if it was an anime or a manga that was skimpy on the thoughts. In any case, I love bonding with the characters (particularly the main character). That is made so much easier when I can get into their heads.

Current Mood: drained

I didn't realize there were doujinshi for Underground Hotel by Sadahiro Mika...Get them here, they were pretty enjoyable.

Want to read a fabulous Doumeki/Watanuki xxxHOLIC doujinshi that is IC and well-drawn? Check out Yume kara sameta yume here . Watanuki has a bad dream, freaks out and spazzes. Yuuko is mysterious, and Doumeki is Doumeki. XDXD

( love the omake, too! )

From

sesame_seed: Dan Brown gets so much wrong in such a small amount of text, it's kind of amazing. Kanji language, my ass.

I'm rather disgruntled as I just read two really crappy BL novels in a row. They weren't even the good kind of bad that I enjoy poking at, really. It's amazing how every single BL author I like has managed to write books I not only didn't care for but thought were utter crap. *sighs*

Current Mood: okay

I haven't been reading too much in the way of fanfics online lately. I think I'm savoring the feel of a real book in my hands, instead of having to squint at a computer screen and getting dried and tired eyes. Also, it's depressing and de-motivating when an author "cleans up" her site and takes down 70% of her fics, some of them simply because they are WIPs stuck in purgatory. I liked those WIPs! I was foolish and didn't save them! *sighs* In any case, some fics I have read (fairly) recently:

A Brief Record of An Unfortunate Seduction by

ficcentricity is a lovely Doumeki/Watanuki fic about a date that doesn't seem totally OOC or lame, like too many fics of this pairing seem to me.

Then I took a quick look at

ficcentricity's LJ and found the "fics that never happened" meme that spawned the Doumeki/Watanuki one...And found a very nice Ouran one about when the club was first formed, Aupres de ma blonde, il fait beau, fait beau, fait beau.

Speaking of Doumeki/Watanuki, from people's comments on the latest xxxHOLIC and Tsubasa it seems like I really should catch up to Tsubasa to more fully appreciate xxxHOLIC. *sighs* I am...probably at least five volumes behind at this point, maybe even more.

I was randomly looking around the manga index on boysonboysonfilm and almost had a heart attack seeing the Takumi-kun series on the list of BL novels to be released. Now that is one famous series I rather despise. I've read about four of the novels and I can't believe how much the writing style just turns me off (and I can't believe it's a case of the style doesn't agree with me--I seriously think the writing SUCKS). With the banality of the characters added in I can safely stick it in the "why is this crap popular anyway?" category. But when I checked the publisher's site (in a "say it ain't so" moment) it seems like the manga has been licensed. I suppose the manga must have more merit, since the art is pretty nice (though not "wow").

I feel rather horrified (and very guilty) that after being really good about not splurging on clothing for a while, I...well, splurged. It's funny how much more sixties style fashion appeals to me after a period of too much eighties flashbacks. I am just not a big fan of the eighties (though I'm coming around to the idea that leggings aren't awful if done right--too bad a lot of people don't know how to wear them right). I bought a dress that my mom commented looked like something she used to wear when she was young. Makes me want to shake her and ask her why she didn't keep her old clothes...I'm more or less the same size as her, though it disgusts me that she had a 20 inch waist that prevents me from wearing the few skirts she did keep. I know with my rib cage I'll never fit be 20 inches without a corset. :P

Current Mood: tired

I just read yet another squee-fest re: Ze by Shimizu Yuki and it's just a little depressing to see all that joy I can't share. I don't hate it, but I certainly don't like it. Hm...or more like it makes me shrug in total indifference. Every mention I happen to see is always a positive reaction, and even the only RL friend who has even heard of Shimizu Yuki likes it. I kind of wish I had some sign that I wasn't alone in the world (but I refuse to stoop to actually seeking out not-so-positive mentions via search...that'd just be too pathetic). I usually love angst, but the arc with Himi and Genmu made me want to just...slap Genmu around and put Himi out of his "misery" ASAP. I have a feeling Shimizu-sensei and I just don't mesh. I didn't read the Aoki/Naoya arc in Love Mode at all--which was most of the series--and was totally repelled by Recipe. Oh well.

What's more traumatizing to me is the proximity of the letters "Q" and "W" as well as "C" and "V" on the keyboard. I live for keyboard shortcuts, and I can't tell you how many times I did a control-Q instead of a control-W and screamed when the application closed rather than the window/file. Not as bad (usually) is when I want to paste and I copy instead, thus losing whatever I had stored in the clipboard. Most of the time I can just backtrack and recopy. Sometimes all is lost and I can only gnash my teeth.

I learned a new word today--"grok." It's such a silly sounding word that I will probably never use even if I remember it, but I did find it cool that it came from a sci-fi novel, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. I think I own that book (a gift) but I've never read it.

I recently discovered the most wonderful radio show "This American Life" on public radio. I had seen it around on iTunes and the like but had never bothered checking it out. I got interested after hearing an interview with the producer/host of the show re: the television version that's coming out on Showtime (Which kind of disgusts me, since it went from public radio to premium cable channel? Thanks for putting it out of my reach, buddy) next month. I downloaded the currently available podcast and...wow. Blown away. The current podcast has a rerun of an amazing narrative of a New Orleans resident that originally aired a year ago. Also, a funny (yet not) story about how a chocolate factory in Chicago that emitted too much cocoa powder and made some bridges in Chicago smell like chocolate was ordered to comply with regulations by the EPA. The way it introduces the piece and segues into the main body is just delightful. Available via iTunes or the website.

For some reason I type "q" instead of "g" at times. Sometimes I catch my mistake, sometimes I don't. I don't think I'll ever understand why I do it (Just caught "seques" instead of "segues"). And isn't "podcast" one word or at least can be written as one word? Stupid LJ spellcheck keeps bringing it up as a misspelling.

The new chapter of xxxholic (available here along with Tsubasa) made me want to catch up with Tsubasa. I understand they crossover, but it's been hard to keep up my interest in Tsubasa and I am sooo behind. *sighs*

Speaking of xxxholic, the arc in chapters 124-129 was so delightful. Loved the panel with Yuko leaning towards her client with their shadows behind them in 125, as well as the very last panel of 129. She's justso cool!

First glimpse of new Viewfinder chapter started off with that annoying Mikheal (or however you spell his name) but quickly turned to the characters that don't irritate me. Kind of weird how...emotionally attached these people are turning out to be to each other? I didn't bother reading most of it since the quality and angle was just so bad on my eyes so that's all I could get a feeling for. I can't believe the next chapter will be in the October issue, though. What is up with that??

Some fics of note:

Doumeki/Watanuki drabble from

drabble_trade--Short and tasty.

House of a Hundred Regrets by Shiyo is a Doumeki/Watanuki fic I wanted to like, and do like portions of. Great premise, nice conclusion. The execution...made me pause every so often. Nice use of details to create the setting...except when the detail threw me out of the fic...

May the Best Man Lose by

aishuu is Tamaki/Kyouya/Haruhi about what happens when two from a triangle chose each other.

The Earl's Folly by Compass Rose is a Count Cain/Godchild Riff/Cain rather explicit fic that...Frankly, I tend to think of Riff/Cain as one of those not sexual but totally romantic devoted bondings type of relationships. In other words, with no sex at all. So I never had much of a reason to go looking for the smexing...But if they were going to get it on, I can imagine it being something like this.

Stuff that interested me in an old issue of Pafu:

Seeing an article and interview of Teikoku Kyoudai by Kaji Eiri made me curious about it again. It's a Tosuisha manga that looks like something that I may like, but...I never did bother to actually check it out. Unfortunately, aarianfantasy only has the Chinese scans so I can't preview before committing to buying to even see. Oh well.

Two manga reviews:

Katana 1 by Kamata Kimiko is a shojo title about the heir of a swordsmithing family (his grandfather is a Living National Treasure) who isn't interested in swordsmithing because being a swordsmith is not normal and made it hard for him to make good friends. He is actually good at it, plus he has the ability to see manifestations of the "personalities" of swords. Doesn't it sound interesting?

Renzu-goshi no binetsu (A Slight Fever Through Lenses) by Kaiya Tatsumi is about a hetare megane otaku who's loved his childhood friend (whom he calls "Fumi-chan"!) forever. That alone...makes me very interested. I love hetare megane types who have those kind of hetare unrequited loves...It's only because of an external factor that things start to change...

An advertisement:

Empress of Sirius had an interesting blurb and illustrations by Zaou Taishi, but one of the Amazon reviewers mentioning that the author isn't a very good writer makes me back away from it...

I was flipping through a magazine not associated with celebrities or media much and laughed at the photo spread on some guy named Matsumoto Jun, whom I swear I've read squeeing over on LJ somewhere...I laughed because the pictures are so...not pornographic per se, but...so oozing the "I am hot young thing wearing lip gloss (it really looks that way!), aka jailbait" thing.

( they are pretty large (if crappy) scans )

I ended up having to scan something because I forgot to make copies of it at work, so I figured I'd scan the manga stuff to finish and actually post the stuff that's been left half undone this entire week...

My friend lent me the recently released limited edition of the last volume (9) of Genshiken by Kio Shikumo. I have to admit, this last volume was a lot more uneven than the last one, and was thus a bit disappointing. What was really fun to read? The doujinshi that came with the limited edition! Filled with entries by apparently well-known artists (I only say "apparently" because I happen to not know them...), it is TO DIE FOR FUNNY. It starts with the CLASSIC two people doing something totally innocent in a room and others overhearing them and completely misunderstanding the situation. Doesn't help that the people doing the overhearing are fangirls rotten to the core...And there's so much more (a fun sasoi-uke one, and a beastiality traumatizing the beast one that...just has to be read). *_* I'd try scanning some in but as it is not mine I don't want to risk doing any damage to it. ^^; I just love the idea of having a DOUJINSHI as the omake for a series about otaku, too. I hope the English version includes it because it is so MADE OF AWESOME.

Also read Silver Diamond 10, which continues to be excellent. Loving the plot development with Kinrei and the prophecy scrolls and the Prince's not-sleeping, but of course the relationship between the four main characters is what makes me happy. Love love love how Rakan thinks really hard at Chigusa's offer but in the end says screw it and just goes for it. He's so cluelessly decisive! It's adorable! And of course Narushige and Tooji and their not sleeping....

I am getting more and more intrigued with and addicted to Abe Miyuki's Hakkenden. Volume 4. Feels like it's going somewhere (just...in a meandering kind of a way). I love that Abe-sensei actually includes interesting and strong women in her stories.

On a completely shallow note, I adore Genpachi's chara design (especially the birthmark on his cheek!). In particular the look he has here is just pure love:

Inukai Genpachi

Inukai Genpachi

Got the first volume of Morimoto Shuw's newest series, Asterisk. I know her from the long-running series full of hot gay men who serve and protect, G-Defend, and the shorter, tighter, not-so-gay magical fantasy set in China, Jinju Horetsuden. I adore her art so it was a no-brainer to get this. Well...This is a fantasy about angels. The main characters are Kio and Furawa (is his name supposed to be...."Flower?" ^^;). Kio is a low-ranking angel who goes around getting rid of "Anihisu" (evil things of unknown origin) that prey upon the wishes/thoughts/yearnings of human souls, dead and alive. He is followed around by his childhood friend Furawa, who is, unbeknownst to Kio, actually one of the Seven Angels (which is, according to this world, right below the Archangels in rank). Apparently his big duty is to go around helping out Kio because Kio attracts the big bad nasties and he is completely unable to not help someone who needs it. The first volume really feels like just the beginning of an EPIC. I'm thinking the whole unknown origin of the "Anihisu" thing will come become key.

In any case, right now the big draw is the pretty art and the cute interaction between Kio and Furawa. I'm not sure if they are just going to be very, very close or actually gay, and I really don't care because we gets tons of flashbacks of when they were little (little angels with little wings being caring and cute!). As long as the flashbacks keep coming I'm happy. XD

( completely superficial pics and comments )

***
Also, some xxxHOLIC fanart:

Hironetto has a cute manga here:

Reluctant...

Watanuki: Gyaa! Don't come near me! Don't touch me!
Doumeki: Fine fine
Humph

chisoba-e has a weirdly erotic Watanuki and Doumeki and Watanuki nengajou...

...And back to cleaning...

I came across this pic in an interior design/style blog and immediately thought "Kyouya's room come to life!" Also, totally drooled over all that shelf space (am currently struggling to find room for all my crap...). And the hardwood flooring. And the wall of windows...

Two hilarious Doumeki/Watankui fics: Day 2 by Circe and the one where watanuki makes him a scarf by

lazulisong

Hobbies by

insaneidiot is an amusing Mirage of Blaze fic, on many levels. Superficially, it's fun. I love the Kousaka POV. It's also funny for another reason: ( cut for allusions to spoilers to novel series ) tee hee!

Ugh, RL and other things have kept me completely occupied this entire week. Now I feel like crap and am fighting to stay awake. *sighs* But I have been collecting links throughout the week, so I figure'd I'd dump them:

Japanese words for body parts by

nanya_hime is a cute and possibly useful list of words (not only body parts) that can appear in BL.

Tongue twisters in Japanese!

Draconic by

kish_t_rethya, a TezuRyo AU, with dragons! And unwilling princes!

Project Overlord by

kantayra is an amusing Clark/Lex crack fic.

Speaking of fics, I hate it when a detail just throws me straight out of one. Like, a fic supposedly set in Japan? They aren't going to be paying in dollars, people. HELLO.

Shigure Gokochi 1 and 2 is Doumeki x Watanuki doujinshi with very nice art. I love the covers. Need a bit more flailing snarky Watanuki, but I don't mind just eye candy. XD

Just got the December issue of Pafu and for the most part was disappointed in this issue's content. However, the cover was just lovely. I think it must be from Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru, the fantasy series by the wonderful Odagiri Hotaru (Only the Ring Finger Knows, Time Lag, etc.), except dripping with Japanese ambience. Love love love the details, wish I could get a hold of a clean copy of the illustration:

( kimono and momiji and moonlit nights, oh my )

And for anyone interested in the series, the first chapter has been scanlated and available for download here. The first volume of the manga is out, and while it has very typical elements of the modern fantasy with reincarnation and destiny type story I can't help but like it because I just like Odagiri Hotaru's art and characters.

Drama CDs coming out soon that I am interested in:

Jun'ai Romantica on 11/24
Total BL cliche brought to life! Must check it out! Voice actors include Itou Kentarou (Kaga's voice from HIkago!) and Canna Nobutoshi (No damn clue!).

Nijuu Rasen no. 3 on 12/28
Miki x Midorikawa!!!!! I loved book 3 and totally enjoyed the first two drama CDs. I can't wait for this one! XD

Don't Worry Mama on 11/25
It's Konohara-sensei! I plan on reading this book someday...when I get my hands on a copy...In any case, voices include Yamaguchi Kappei and Hiyama Nobuyuki.

( xxxHOLIC 123 squee )

I love this series so much.

Last but not least, links of much hilarity and joy:

ELECTION DAY 2006 - WHOSE SIDE IS YOUR FAVORITE SUPERHERO ON?

Stalking Haruhi Suzumiya

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series (Episode 1)

Cliches of the Erect Penis

Being the big dork that I am I only just now discovered the Doumeki/
Watanuki entry in

ship_manifesto. It's old, but still sums up their relationship pretty well. I love how people keep repeating "it's not emo! how refreshing" over and over. It's true, I love that the characters and storyline aren't weighed down by tragedy and angst like every other CLAMP couple or sort-of couple. XD I'd read the fics listed in the entry already, but I can't help but mention measure for measure by Neo (again) because it showcases Watanuki's dorky (and often dangerous for him) kindness. She also gives good fangirling (re: 119).

Amusing TezuRyo fic: Something Special by

regulusa because Ponta rules above all.

I should be sleeping, but I got all excited over finding out about illustrations in the Japanese translations of the Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling. They are lovely. See this gallery of illustrations. *_*

Speaking of English fantasy novels with gay relationships/characters, Kirith Kirin by Jim Grimsley has also been translated. I find it bizarre, yet so logical. I think his prose style would actually work really well in Japanese...The actual product is dependent on the translator's skill, though. I'm a bit curious...

I wonder if other books such as Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner has been translated? Her style would be pretty cool in Japanese, too.

Also, much love for the newest DVD cover for xxxHOLIC. Go here to see the pretty. ^^

Yay! There are direct downloads for Lunar's sub of Ouran 25 over here at

anime_yousendit (but that means only one more left? ;_;).

And speaking of direct downloads,

prillalar has uploaded PoT OVAs 6 & 7 in this squee-filled spoiler post. I do want to see them but the files are encoded with WMV9 which I've never gotten to work. :P

Koi wa Keiyaku no Ato de (Love After the Contract) by Maruya Kae is a BL manga with some pretty nice art. The guys have solid bodies but still very pretty, and the story is starting out very sweet. I've only seen the first post at

crimsonevening but it looks promising. XD

( I finally caught up with the most recent xxxHOLIC and had to babble a bit. )

I haven't kept up with Tsubasa at all. I kind of lost interest because I couldn't feel anything for the characters. The art is pretty, I love seeing people from other series in different worlds, the stories are pretty interesting...but that's all. They're interesting but not...enthralling for me. I should pick up the last several tankobons and just read through them.

I downloaded a xxxHOLIC raw DVD rip the other day, and finally decided at a very ungodly hour of the night to watch it last night. It was probably not a good idea, but lately I've been doing lots of things that aren't good ideas so what else is new? In any case, the file, an .mkv, totally choked on my computer but I kept watching anyhow. There's a sub that's an avi file now, so I'm going to download that and hopefully watch it without the pixelization and other fun stuff I had to contend with the first time around (torrent).

( some quick thoughts )

Speaking of CLAMP, the most recent Tsubasa chapter has ( spoiler )

Oh, and another thing. Speaking of DVD rips of movies, does anyone have a torrent link to a DVD rip of the FMA movie? It must be out by now...

Instead of doing a million other things, I've just been wandering around LJ-land:

I read a little guide to dæmons (for a fanfic, which I haven't read) from His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful series that you could simplistically call fantasy. ( A scene flashed into my head suddenly. ) Now I want to reread the series...except i don't know where I put The Golden Compass. *sigh*

I'm so glad I read the series after the third book came out. My friend who pimped it to me was dying in agony waiting for it to come out (especially after the release got delayed). Seeing her state, I (wisely) decided to wait for the last one and read them in a marathon.

And some fics:

Clover: Leaves by Asael. It felt right, which of course means sad and bittersweet.

Gohou Drug: Idiot by

elihice makes me want to read volume 3. I have the first two volumes and was not impressed enough to want to read the third one. Now I do. I suppose the fast and easy way is to go to a bookstore and read the English translation there (tachiyomi go!). But it's annoying being reminded that CLAMP does that series-on-hiatus thing (X!!!!).

KKM: Dressses by

elihice is a cute gen fic with Greta in it. I love Yuuri's mom. She's so wacked out. XD The last line is just killer.

xxxHOLIC: Initiation by

evherie is a Doumeki/Watanuki fic that I remember reading and laughing over, but hadn't rec'd. Not sure why...Their banter is hilarious. XD

xxxHOLIC: Closer by

evherie is a Doumeki/Watanuki fic that I both enjoy and have problems with. I love how Watanki has to be busy and ends up doing tons of chores. I even love his blushing. I'm not so sure about Doumeki's mom's reactions. Overall, I still enjoyed it though.

I'm probably the last person on the net to find it, but I found a site that posts raw scans of xxxHOLIC and Tsubasa, Room of Requirement. Needless to say, I devoured the xxxHOLIC. I still need to catch up with Tsubasa.

I cracked up reading the Guide To Decoding Tezuka's Expressions Part I and Part II but stopped dead at the comment that read: "Ahh but Tezuka is so hot. I don't even feel like a pedo when I stare at him.. *drools*" I panicked for a moment, thinking, Is something WRONG with me for not having felt like a pedo even once when drooling over him? I mean...when I do the math...I'm old enough that I could be his mother!! (Unlikely, but physically possible...) But then sense came over me and I realized that all I had to do was think of this as a live action show where they cast a 30-something-year-old to play a 15 year old (not that far-fetched!). HOW ELSE DO YOU EXPLAIN IT? (Secret genetic experiments?) ^_^;

Speaking of Tezuka...

prillalar had written a very sweet TezuRyo Ryoma birthday fic...well, she also wrote the black self-loathing Tezuka version of the same scene. It is...funny, yet not. And it certainly turns the entire scene upside down.

Some fics I read today:

Butterfly Effect by Laurus Nobilis is a wonderful collection of Clow/Yuuko fics. Some are better than others, but the ones that are good sparkle. Their banter is hilarious.

Toil and Trouble by Laurus Lobilis is a HP/xxxHOLIC crossover where...I'll just shove the author's summary here: "In which Harry Potter has to deal with a certain Witch of Dimension and Kimihiro Watanuki has to deal with an entire Wizarding World." I love how Yuuko both walks all over Harry and is very helpful to him, and how sorry Harry feels for Watanuki for having to deal with her.

Cat Skin by

wrydley is a so far more or less gen xxxHOLIC fic that feels like an episode in the manga. Watanuki sees something bad on the way to school, and that turns into a job for him and Doumeki. I really like the author's cool idea about what maneki neko really are for. It's WIP and I can't wait for more.

Speaking of xxxHOLIC, I got the Tsubasa/xxxHOLIC calendar as a late Christmas present today and to my delight it featured the manga art (I thought it was going to use anime art, which I don't like as much)!! Oh, the loveliness! And there was an additional desktop calendar featuring the Mokonas. Kawaii!

January 2006

First things first, saw KKM 67.

( some thoughts )

The next episode looks promising. Gorgeous men going around being heroic. ^_^

And I spent some time reading fanfics this weekend. Lots of HP, but found very few fics to my liking (though there are many good ones out there). In any case, some fics I enjoyed recently:

KKM: Turning Point by

elihice is such a lovely wonderful Conrad story, I just sighed in contentment when I finished. I love it when ConYuu stories don't ignore or trivialize the Wolfram factor in their relationship. I love it when they allow Wolfram to be a great character. I love a pensive, quietly angsty Conrad. And how can I not love a fic that ends with the line: "He hadn’t expected to be happy, but it was very nice to be wrong"? XDXD

xxxHOLIC: Measure for Measure by Neo is just hilariously perfect Doumeki/Watanuki, with Doumeki fangirls accosting Watanuki and Watanuki being so Watanuki (saying stuff like "Those girls told me not to walk with you, and I needed an excuse not to walk with you anyway, so. HAVE A HORRIBLE DAY.” is so like him). I also loved the interweaving of the supernatural with the everyday.

HP: Good Boy by

memorycharm is a disturbingly well-done AU Harry/Sirius fic that was...well...disturbing. (Overwhelmed by my way with words yet?) I don't even like this pairing but the way Harry was confused and needy and slowly sucked in like the innocent young thing that he is, and the way Sirius was fucked-up and manipulative yet also kind of confused and maybe innocent (or maybe not?) was totally cool.

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