Fairy Tail #245

Alright, a second manga chapter that makes me want to shout "FUCK YEAH!"? Yeah, it's from another series, but that's just one too many! This is supposed to be a limited reaction! Well, then again, I always feel like saying that when I'm reading Fairy Tail. It's chock full of moments that make you want to cheer and shout as the protagonists put the hurt on some villains that need a good punchin. Laxus does just that against his fight against Hades (as you can see), dealing some of the first real damage against the villain. Makes me sad that everyone else, who had amazing teamwork, couldn't even make a dent. That's OK though! Makarov was the most badass mage ever, and Hades practically curbstomped him. I totally expect him to be overwhelmingly powerful, and to give the heroes a great deal of trouble.

I did expect Laxus to last a bit longer though. He landed those amazing hits, and still ended up being defeated too. Though, instead of fighting until his strength his drained, he went for a completely different strategy after he recognizing Hades's strength. Believing the old bastard needed to be properly punished by a member of Fairy Tail, he bequeathed all his magic to Natsu via lightning. BAM, Natsu eats it and combines it with his fire for some C-C-C-COMBO MAGIC (no, that's not the real name). So here comes round 2, and hopefully Natsu will get to fulfill his desire to avenge his guildmaster and nakama. Also, FUCK YEAH.

One Piece #633

FUCK YEAH.

...

 Oh, I guess I should say something more? Well, this chapter basically confirms how much of a dousche Hody is, and that Shirahoshi is a stronger character than I gave her credit for. I mean, sure, she's a big crybaby, but to fulfill your mother's wishes of not hating the guy who KILLED her? That's sure something heavy for a little girl to go through, and bear with it until adulthood. Hody sees that as being stupid though (which it is a little), and immediately starts brutalizing the poor girl's family as a means to prove that point. Sucks for him, because that just made her plead for Luffy's interference. OF COURSE Luffy's going to answer that cry! Not to mention that the rest of the fishmen started begging for Luffy to appear and destroy their island, just so that Hody could be stopped. How do you not answer that kind of desperation? You don't when your shounen hero! Via Megalo's (the shark's) mouth, Luffy comes jumping out and gives Hody one helluva satisfying punch. Then, simultaneously, we find out the rest of the Strawhats were busy grabbing the keys to release the royal family, getting their pirate ship there, and grabbing the piece of paper the queen had risked her life to get. Then, they epicly pose together for the first time in forever. So... FUCK YEAH.

Bleach #458

So, Ginjou didn't end up getting bookmarked after all! He just turned back to his, apparently, original self. WHO WAS EVIL. Oooo boy! I gotta admit, I didn't see THAT one coming. Sure, I had my suspicions about him, but after the fight with Tsukishima got under way, they were mostly gone. As it turns out, this was all one of those elaborate "Wtf-just-happened" mastermind plots that Kubo's so fond of making. I suppose that makes Tuskishima in on the whole ordeal, though I wonder if the rest of his cohorts know about it too. That would explain the nonsensical beat down Ginjou got. Speaking of nonsensical, where the hell did Chad and Inoue disappear off to again? Hopefully they saw this whole scene going down, and realize they were being stupid. Thankfully, Ishida wasn't a part of the madness, and is now Ichigo's only REAL ally in this poo storm. Unfortunately, current events played out perfectly enough for Ichigo to not know whether or not to trust him. It's too bad he didn't, since that ended up getting them both cut down. Once again, Bleach ends on the cliff hanger of absolute hopelessness. I can only guess either something drastic will happen to Ichigo, Ishida will manage to get them both out somehow, or yet another outside force jumps in to the fray.

Usagi Drop #1-56 [END] (Final Impressions)

One of my favorite series ended recently (well, the scanlations for it anyway), and it just didn't feel right not saying anything about it in my blog. Now, for those of who don't know, Usagi Drop is a heartwarming story about Daikichi Kawachi and Rin Kaga. Rin is the illegitimate daughter of Daikichi's grandfather, Souichi Kaga (and is thus, technically, Daikichi's aunt). When he passes away due to old age, a young Rin is left orphaned and alone. Unfortunately, due to circumstances of her birth and it having been kept secret from the rest of the family, no one wants to take her in. Daikichi, angry at this relatives' seemingly callous regard for the child, decides to take it upon himself to care for her. Thus begins the adorable tale of how Daikichi, suddenly an unprepared parent, takes care of and raises Rin. It's a slice-of-life story, so if you're not into that sort of thing, then this manga probably isn't for you. However, if you enjoy the genre or don't particularly mind it, Usagi Drop is an absolutely fantastic read. Rin is incredibly cute (and diabetically sweet), and it's always amusing and/or entertaining to watch Daikichi deal with raising her. It ends up being far harder than he ever expected, and he wonders whether he's really up for the task or not, but he never once thinks about taking back his decision based upon the hardship he ends up bringing to himself. Rin, although still a child, also never complains about her situation, and is wondrously mature for her age. Almost anyone would want a kid as well-behaved and yet still childish as Rin, or a father figure as earnest and hard-working as Daikichi. It's almost impossible to not want to continually root for them as they tackle lifes' issues one at a time.

Around the half point in the series, a time-skip then occurs, and the manga begins to shift its focus to Rin's life in high school. It sort of becomes a typical romance story from there, as she deals with her developing feelings for Kouki Nitani, who she had grown up with and was also a major supporting character in the first half. I didn't enjoy the second half as much as the first half, but it still kept my interest as it was still a fun read. Although the characters I had come to love were still there. They had just grown up, or grown old! After having followed Rin's life for so long, it almost felt like a crime to stop too. Still, I can't say I liked the ending much either. I enjoyed the father-daughter dynamic between Daikichi and Rin more than what ended up developing at the series' end. It sort of came out of left base. Nonetheless, I didn't hate it, and it was satisfactory enough for me. There's still an Extra volume coming out for the series and a live action movie, both of which I can't wait to read/see.

Fairy Tail #244

So Revolver Ocelot Hades continues his assault, gun motifs and chains abound. And, of course, Wendy ends up being perfectly fine. Ha! Just like I thought! Although the reason for her being so is completely random, as Horologium pops in for another surprise save. Apparently, he's on-call for any danger Lucy AND her allies may be in. When Lucy points out she's been in frequent danger the entire arc, he merely asserts that threat of this encounter far exceeded those other moments. Doesn't make much sense since Lucy's life was in danger regardless of the severity of the situation, but then again, Horologium popping up every time she was on the ropes would've gotten stale fast. Deus ex machina aside, I've always liked this Stellar Spirit. He was never particularly special in comparison to Lucy's other spirits, and yet has frequently force-opened his gate to save her. Hell, he's probably been even more useful than Loke at this point.

Following a brief gag about Wendy being naked before quickly being clothed again, Horologium disappears, and everyone starts to get their ass kicked again. Through their beating, Fairy Tail learns the unfortunate truth that Hades was the last leader of their guild, Purehito, and had entrusted his will to Makarov. However, he states that Makarov had changed the guild, making it become something he didn't agree with. This immediately draws into question what the guild was like before, but I can't really imagine it being anything like Grimoire Heart. He also states that he inherited the first master's will too, but I don't see that either, considering Mavis was protrayed as a benevolent force who even granted Cana power to aid the guild. Although this shakes everyone up, they continue fighting, and unfortunately, continue to get beaten (Natsu in particular). However, before the killing blow can be dealt, Laxus makes his entry onto the battlefield. Hell yes!

I don't remember how many chapters ago they slapped us in the face with his eventual return, but I'm glad it wasn't just some tease that'd never happen.

Bleach #457

Things intensify as the fight between Tsukishima and Ichigo progresses, and Ichigo once against demonstrates his lack of battle vocabulary. When in combat, there's no better way to express anger and/or hate for opponent then just repeatedly yelling their name. Well, aside from "HULK SMASH!" of course. Unfortunately, in spite of Ichigo superior experience, anger channeling, and possibly power, Tsukishima continually maintains the upper hand by hiding behind Orihime and Chad. Although they haven't been outright aggressive towards Ichigo just yet, I'm starting to find it odd that they haven't considered the possible reasons for their friend's behavior, especially after Tsukishima has attempted some killing blows. Sure, ole strawberry is out for blood, but if Tsukishima's the "friend" they remember, they should find it odd he's trying to FATALLY retaliate (for all they know). I can't just accept that fact that they're THAT stupid. Alas, so far, they apparently are.

Those two pale in comparison to Ginjou's friends/allies though. They're not even hesitating trying to kick the crap out of him. Hell, Tsukishima's lackey (I don't remember his name) is trying to outright KILL him, and was quite vocal in his attempt to do so. What does his "friends" do? Think its hunky dory and assist. WAH. My previous intrigue with this arc has died, and now I'm continuing with my opinion that it's all remarkably stupid. Hopefully, Ishida can makes things more interesting, or at least we can see some development with that mysterious shinigami. With Ginjou "bookmarked" now, Ichigo is fresh out of immediate allies. 

Code Breaker #131

D'awwww!! Look at them cute widdle kids! Normally I try not to be too spoilerish with these pictures, since while you can opt out of reading text, you can't really NOT see a picture that's in your face. Alas, I just couldn't help myself, not with a picture this amusing. Anyway, on to my spoileriffic thoughts! So, finally, we learn about the connection Ogami and Sakura had in the past (although not much about the event that led to Sakura ripping off his freakin arm). How ironic that it was Ogami himself who taught Sakura the importance of life, as well as her deadliest attack, the glomp. Though, I wonder why she reverted back to her ignorant, child self, when confronted with her memories. I mean, if this flashback is any indication, Sakura learned the importance of life at a very early age. It's not like she learned it AFTER the possible trauma-induced amnesia. Then again, it may have simply been a defense mechanism. Plus, we wouldn't have seen this adorable flashback, or the overwhelming display of power a "rare kind" can truly pull off. I mean, holy hell, not only can they negate powers via mere proximity, but also negate LIFE? Insane.

Anyway, Sakura makes quick work of her friends by simply standing there, reverting nearly everyone to their "lost" forms instantaneously. Ogami is barely spared, as the emperor blocks most of the "attack." The Emperor then warns him not to approach her, but, being the shonen hero he is, MANS up and charges straight in. Awesomely, his allies urge him to go forward instead of telling him to play it safe, knowing that if Sakura were to badly hurt or kill any of them, she'd be the one who would hurt most. That's nakama for you! Toki even steps in at the middle of it all, and buys Ogami enough time to get close. Then, he musters up all his strength to unleash a powerful attack: A HUG! This snaps Sakura out of it, who almost immediately begins to despair over her sudden cruelty. Luckily, her friends are quick to comfort her, initially stating that she is, indeed, frightening and monstrous at full strength, but regardless of that, they'd stand beside her like she did for them. It was a great moment, and I enjoyed seeing that her friends were indeed grateful to her for reaching out to them in spite of their powers. Unfortunately, Toki doesn't get in on friendship time, as he immediately challenges Ogami after the crisis. Dun dun dun!

Fairy Tail #243

And thus began Revolver Ocelot's counterattack. Er, I mean Hades.

I can't be the only MGS fan who noticed the similarities right? I mean, look at that face! The hair! The wicked stache! And the eyepatch just makes me think of the Big Boss! It's only that silly beard that creates a marked difference. Well, incredible coincidence aside, this was one amazing chapter. Fairy Tail's united assault against this arc's Big Bad was incredible, showing that they haven't forgotten anything of what they learned. Not only that, but they did what very few shonen heroes do, and made a relentless assault with frequent, unspoken teamwork between allies. They even had a healer/buffer in the form of Wendy! It's like a well-coordinated MMO raid!

Unfortunately for this pure awesomeness, Hades was predictably unharmed. I mean, come on, he freakin manhandled MAKAROV. My definition of badass old man! What I didn't expect, though, was that his retaliatory strike would be something so OP. Oh, is it my turn now? Here, let me wipe you from existence. Whoa whoa, all you do is shout a word, and suddenly whoever you're looking at poofs into nothingness, like you just shot them with one of those death rays from War of the Worlds? Ridiculous!

Granted, Wendy's probably OK, given the track record of the series. At worst, it'll just probably be awhile before we see her again... maybe until the end of the arc (unless finding her becomes its own arc). I mean, we're conveniently left with the original four (Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Erza) here, and it would create a far more dramatic effect if the healer, and also adorable child, was eliminated instead of one of the others (call it the Dende effect). In the unlikely alternative, she really could be gone. Then I would be sad, and cry. ):

Code Breaker #1-130 (Thoughts so far)

Here's a series that I wish had more exposure! Code Breaker takes place in a world where special, superhuman powers exist, such as pyrokinesis, magnetism manipulation, sound manipulation, etc. Those with these gifts are inducted into a secret organization where they are given the title, "Code Breaker," and charged with destroying evil wherever it may be and whenever they see fit. One of the main characters, Oogami Rei. is one of these Code Breakers, with the power to generate and control blue fire (thus indicating a flame of great intensity). He uses it frequently to burn criminals to cinders, so that there's no evidence of any wrongdoing. Bad. Ass. He's also merciless as hell, and is even willing to kill bystanders should they jeopardize his mission or his cover. His costar and eventual foil is Sakura Sakurakouji (clearly, her parents had a lot of trouble naming her), a young girl with exceptional physical and intellectual abilities who despises Oogami's violent sense of justice. She frequently tries to impede him after finding out what he does for a living, which irritates him so badly he tries to kill her later. Fortunately (and very coincidentally), Sakura has inexplicable ability to completely negate his powers upon physical contact. Thus, her action of choice is to hug power users when she wants them to stop killing people.

Eventually, the two graduate from foiling each other's plans of justice to much more complex, and sinister plots. Later on, more Code Breakers join the scene, who are increasingly more dangerous and more powerful than Oogami himself. Masaomi Heike, #2 and a manipulator of light, Yuuki Tenpouin, #3 and a manipulator of sound, and Toki Fujiwara, #4 and a manipulator of magnetism. Of course, regardless of that, they still get the ULTIMATE FRIENDSHIP HUG OF POWER NEGATION from Sakura when they get out of line. Naturally, in spite of their misgivings with Sakura's meddling, they all become friends/allies (aka NAKAMA) and end up falling in line to her inescapable flow. So yeah, totally a shonen, even if it's much darker than most. The first mission the collected group of Code Breakers get is to defeat one of their own, and former number 1 of the organization (called Eden btw), Hitomi, a manipulator of electricity. He's the typical well-intention extremist, who wants to bring the Code Breaker's more heroic exploits to light. For him, he just couldn't take his young allies all dying in the line of duty, but never being remembered for it. After his eventual defeat, the Code Breakers promise to never forget him.

Then, the shit hits the fan. The Re-Codes enter the storyline, who are power users like the Code Breakers, but are acting against Eden. They are all much more powerful, and much more ruthless than the Breakers, proving to be the most formidable set of foes for the heroes. To make it personal, their leader, enigmatically known as the "The one being sought," was once Oogami's mentor and surrogate parent, while Kouji. Re-Code #3, was the one who killed Toki's sister. Fortunately, they get one more ally to balance their strength, which comes in the form of former Re-Code, Rui Hachiouji, an adorably shy tomboy. This arc is one of my favorites, as the ever powerful Code Breakers are always on the ropes, desperately resisting annihilation. Then, after the Big Bad is defeated and all is won... IT WAS ALL FOR NAUGHT. As it turns out, Eden is the true enemy here, and the battle lines shift. Heike ends up being one of the FOUNDERS of Eden, and a primary antagonist, while a large chunk of the Re-Codes decide to ally themselves with Oogami, per their leader's wishes. Toki and Yuuki end up siding with Eden for their own reasons, with Yuuki needing to protect someone under Eden's "care," and Toki refusing to ally himself with his sister's murderer (understandable).

Currently, the group is in the thick of Eden, counting down to their final confrontation. I really enjoy this series, and wish it got more exposure. It has some great storylines and great character development, as well as very creative uses for powers that have been tried and true by almost every other work I can think of. It would definitely recommend anyone who enjoys a good action read to check this out.

Skip Beat #1-177 (Thoughts so far)

Here's another shoujo series I adore. Although I never really cared for the art or the style, I really enjoy the story. This manga covers the trials and tribulations of Kyoko Mogami, who selflessly followed her love, Shotaro Fuwa, out of their small town to help him in his venture into stardom. Unfortunately, she ends up finding out the hard way that he was using her all along, causing her to, no not break down, but fly into an almighty rage. She swears vengeance against him, and practically forces her way into his company's rival, L.M.E., so that she could beat him at what he does best: show business. The road isn't easy for her though, and she has to build her way up from the bottom of the barrel. Her initial audition is a failure, but Lory Takarada, L.M.E.'s awesomely crazy president,  is impressed by her determination and interested in her unique personality. He grants her a second chance through the company's "Love Me" section. That is, the section he just made up right there on the spot, because screw normality, he's the president!

Thus, Mogami is forced to handle various odd jobs in order to gain "points," which when she has accumulated enough, will be granted her own grand debut. Surprisingly, in spite of just wanting to become famous to get back at Sho, she finds a genuine talent and love for acting. She's capable of playing a wide range of characters, so long as she has the opportunity to build them up, and assume the persona (which, being a method actress, becomes her personality until her role is done). Ren Tsuruga, L.M.E.'s most successful and popular actor, initially dislikes Mogami for her impure reasons for joining show business. However, after seeing her genuine abilities, and being able to see her reasons evolve from revenge to true appreciation of the craft, he ends up being one of her strongest supporters (and major love interest, of course). In fact, Mogami's first big break ends up being a movie where she costars with Ren himself. To add to their dynamic, Mogami is one of the few people who can see past Ren's polite facade, especially when he's trying to hide his anger, and Ren actually knows Mogami much more intimately then he lets on. That's right! Secret childhood friends. Normally, such a thing can be frustrating for me, but it makes sense here. The childhood friend she remembers is blond hair and blue eyed, while Ren walks around with black hair and brown eyes (I think). Add several years not seeing each other, and anyone would be hard-pressed to make the connection.

Supporting characters include Kanae Kotonami (nickname Moko for some reason), Mogami's reluctant best friend and partner in Love Me, Yukihito Yashiro, Ren's intuitive and perceptive manager who sees Ren's true feelings for Mogami, and Shoko Aki, Sho's manager who's also perceptive of charge's feelings (also for Mogami, the little wiener), and works to help him grow up and realize it. So far, it's been a fantastic read. I especially love how Mogami is not your typically meek shoujo heroine, and isn't afraid to be angry and get her hands dirty. Plus, her downright supernatural ability to manifest her negativity into this adorable apparitions is just hilarious. I just hope there's some development between Ren and her soon, since it's absolutely killing him that continually get closer and closer, and yet still get nowhere. If only she could accidentally stumble upon him with his original hair and eye color, dammit! Even if that'd be a cop out, dammit! Ah well, I still love the read anyway!

Bleach #456

WARNING! This post is going to contain spoilers, so don't read this if you haven't caught up with the One Piece, or haven't read the chapter yet! You've been warned!

 So I'm still of the opinion that Bleach is a trainwreck of a series, but I do have to admit one thing: Tsukishima is a more refreshingly unique villain. I mean, he still acts and looks like Aizen, but at least his execution is far more interesting. Gone are the vastly overpowering foes! Instead, Ichigo is forced to fight the friends he's been working so hard to protect, and they're not even being tricked by illusions or being mind controlled. Nope! To them, Tsukishima has always been their longtime ally and friend, and it's Ichigo suddenly flipping out trying to kill him. I suppose to us viewers, it would look like Ichigo was trying to kill Chad or Ishida. It's such a hax power, and I got to wonder how this is all going to turn around, since just killing him doesn't seem like it's going to happen. Personally, I feel like Ishida will end up holding the key somehow. Then again, there's that mysterious shinigami working with Urahara and Ichigo's dad too. I just hope I get to see Tsukishima's smug grin wiped off his face soon. I'm getting tired of the "faint smile" arrogance so many villains have. It's what made seeing Aizen get manhandled last arc so satisfying.

One Piece #632

 WARNING! This post is going to contain spoilers, so don't read this if you haven't caught up with the One Piece, or haven't read the chapter yet! You've been warned!

DUN! DUN! DUN! DUNNNN!!! SHOCKING REVELATIONS!! Well, I had actually guessed it awhile back, but I never thought Hody would actually admit it himself. I mean, even those loyal to him or sharing in his views still loved Otohime. To readily admit to her murder is to alienate himself even further from the rest of the fishmen, but I suppose he doesn't care. He'd probably only want people as crazy as him beside him anyway. I got to say, he's an incredibly uninteresting villain. To me, he's like an Arlong 2.0, just now more fanatical and smoking up some crack (well, steroids would probably be more accurate). I do have to admit though... I still really want to see him get punched in the face by Luffy, so I guess he's succeeding as a villain via the fact he's so hateable.

Fairy Tail #1-242 (Thoughts so far)

Strange, isn't it? I won't recap any of the Big 3, but I'll gladly recap a lengthy shonen series like Fairy Tail! Why? Well, because it's easy, and most people are aware of the Big 3 anyway. Fairy Tail, unfortunately, doesn't get as big as a limelight. It's popular, but those who haven't picked it up are too reluctant to do so. Because they are stupid. No, I kid! I gather it's because people are afraid it's the typical shonen series that quickly gets pointlessly repetitive as the arcs go by. It also doesn't help that the series will also seems like "One Piece - Pirates + MAGIC!" at a glance. I can't blame anyone for that, because there ARE similarities, and the anime does fall into this trap quite easily. I urge everyone, however, to give it a chance! It will surprise you, and the art improves dramatically as the chapters go by!

Anyway, here's the shortest recap I can do for the story so far: Fairy Tail is a manga which follows the adventures of a mage guild known as, of course, Fairy Tail. The setting is Earthland (creative!), where magic is commonplace, and magic users are carefully governed. We are initially introduced to Lucy Heartfilia, a mage who specializes in Celestial Spirits (think summoner), who quite accidentally falls into a friendship with Natsu Dragoneel, the main character and a powerful wielder of "Dragon Slayer" magic, which allows him to utilize fire, and his partner, Happy, a cat with wings (no seriously). Eventually, she becomes one of Fairy Tail, and also learns the incredible importance of... NAKAMA!! Which, similar to One Piece, is what this manga is all about. Every character rarely gets anywhere without help from one of their friends or guild members. Even those who seem like loners end up relying on others soon or later. There's no escaping friendship! Although such a theme can normally be pretty corny, Fairy Tail does it fairly well (tee hee).

The story then continues into Lucy's first mission as a member of Fairy Tail, partnering with Natsu to find a lost guild member. After they succeed, it then quickly switches gears towards something more epic. We get introduced to more characters and situations, like the beautiful and deadly Erza Scarlet, the ever awesome and always stripping Gray Fullbuster, and a more dangerous mission. The whole time, the manga manages to balance hilarious gags and exciting action. Each arc also continually gets more awesome, as the guild faces greater and greater threats, from other guilds, dark guilds, world changing magic, parallel worlds, forbidden magic, to history's most powerful, and feared dark mage (no, not that one). What's also a treat is that none of the minor characters are really THAT minor. They all have their own backstory, whether it's covered by in an arc or bonus material, and will always end up contributing some way to the overall storyline. I love it when the details aren't overlooked, which can happen frequently in manga with this many characters. It's really become a favorite of mine, and it's one of my "MUST READ"s when a release gets scanlated.

Kimi ni Todoke #1-59 (Thoughts so far)

So for those of who are miraculously unfamiliar with this series, Kimi ni Todoke is the adorable tale of Kuronuma Sawako, a ridiculously sweet, and compassionate girl who can't seem to catch a break. She wants to make friends and have fun with her classmates, but her long black hair and involuntarily frightening facial expressions make her look like Sadako (of The Ring), which her classmates call her due to mishearing her real name. Thus, her classmates avoid her out of fear of being cursed. However, thanks to the kindness and encouragement of the school's most popular guy, Shouta Kazehaya, she begins to break out of her shell and clear up the many misunderstandings regarding her. Along the way, she makes friends with the beautiful Ayane Yano and the tomboyish Chizuru Yoshida, two best friends who become the first to see past Sawako's terrifying image, as well as Ryu Sanada, a stoic friend of Kazehaya and Chizuru. Of course, there are many other colorful characters as well, including Ume "Kurumi" Kurumizawa, a seemingly sweet girl who become Sawako's rival, and Kazuichi "Pin" Arai, the students' obnoxious homeroom teacher. I absolutely love the characters in this manga, as well all the relationships they have with one another. I love the sense of loyalty and trust Chizu and Ayane have, I love Sawako's infinite ability to be endearing, I love Kazehaya's mature-yet-immature personality, I love Ryu's stoicism, Kurumi's multi-layered personality, etc. etc. Although I listed a few traits per person, they all, of course, have so much more to them.

Eventually, the manga veers away from friendship, and dips into the pot of love (as it should as a shoujo). Of course, it concentrates heavily on the budding romance between Sawako and Kazehaya. In spite of them liking each other mutually, however, they are met with one frustrating hurdle after another. Or, rather, I should say they only have one hurdle: misunderstandings. No matter how close they seem to get, they're always kept from closing the gap because of one misunderstanding or the other. Jebus, no wonder anime watchers called it "Misunderstandings: The Anime." Nonetheless, they do eventually get there, and it's so sweet and innocent, that it almost gave me diabetes. Fortunately, between all the sugary goodness, there were developing relationships between the side characters as well. Although not as emotionally engaging (for me at least) as the main relationship, they are no less awesome to read about. DAMMIT CHIZU, RYU'S RIGHT THAR.

When the first started this series at chapter 1, I kind of expected the typical shoujo. It still kinda is, but it's execution is fantastic. I instantly fell in love with the characters too. Who can't love the adorable Sawako, and her earnest ways? No wonder Kazehaya can't leave her alone! And my god, that smile. The real one of course. Not the one that strikes fear into the hearts of men. The art is just gorgeous too. Gotta love that watercolor-like feel to it. I definitely don't foresee myself dropping this any time soon, and will plan to read this until the very end!

An Introduction

Hey guys! This here is going to be a blog where I dump my reviews and opinions on manga, anime, video games, and whatever else may catch my fancy. For the most part, I'm going to try to concentrate on the manga, as it is the one medium where I've burned through a low of material.

Also, if you happen to be wondering why I have so many blogs, and why I didn't just incorporate new material in those existing ones, it's because one has a different scope and the other has a stupid name. It was also difficult to think of a proper theme to go with a name like "Thought Dump," that didn't sting the eyes. You might also notice that I'm linked to a class's blog I don't even glance at any more. Pay it no mind. ;P

These first few updates are going to concentrate on the manga I'm currently reading, so that I can "catch up" and start blogging them chapter by chapter. Except the Big 3 (One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach). I honestly don't want to recap any of those, or state my opinion of them. That's risky business!