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Mini Reviews
One of our favorite sites Sleep is for the Weak started a new thing called Mini Reviews where they give short blurbs of things they didn't want to write a full review about but still wanted to share their opions on. I thought this would be great for The Rose Garden, because it would stop me from filling up the main page with my opion on whatever I've just seen or read.
Reviews will be about anime, manga (English published and scanlation), and the occasional novel. I might even surprise you with a video game.
And, yes, you cannot escape the Amazon links.
12/16/04
Hyakuman Tsubu Namida Manga scanlation
When Tokyopop put up their page for Flower of the Deep Sleep, I thought it sounded really good and put it on the ever growing 'to buy' list. A little while after I was browsing Storm in Heaven and thought Hyakuman Tsubu Namida sounded interesting so I downloaded it and enjoyed and what do you know, it's by the same manga-ka as FotDS. I love when that happens. It's like I didn't realize Sakamoto Gakari was by the same artist as Fun Fun Factory until after I downloaded it. I always take that as a sign that I really like the artist, if I'm drawn to their works like that.
I'm not quite sure what Hyakuman is really about. It's very confusing. The first 2 chapters made sence, but after that... Anyway, this kid (Hirokazu? don't feel like looking up his name) is greated by this weird boy who calls the kid 'Glourious Lilly' and acts like they know each other. But the weird boy eats people's souls and trys to eat the kid's girl friend. Then the next chapters are flash backs to why the weird guy knows the kid. Very odd and confusing, but I'm going to keep reading it. Evangelion and Betterman were odd and confusing too but I watched both to the end anyway.
So, yeah. Give Hyakuman a try. I'm sure it'll make more sence as it goes on.
12/12/04
The Demon Ororon Manga
I don't know what idiot at Tokyopop slapped this with a 13+ rating, but I would not let a 13 year old read it and I probably would not not have liked it anyway at that age (I was still very much into to Pokemon at age 13). Definatly should be 16+.
Anyway, got Oronon from the library. It was on my 'To buy' list (I do have an actual, physical manga to buy list) when TP first anounced it...until I saw the art. It looked incredibly ugly. But when it showed up at the library, I said, what the heck and got it. And magicly, the art wasn't nearly as ugly as I thought. Yeah, it's not great, but it's readable. Overall, I enoyed Ororon very much. The story is like Wish but a demon moves in with a girl instead of an angel with a guy. Lots of demons then come after our hero Ororon and chaos ensues. Back to what I was saying before about the rating, this is a very violent manga. Not artsy gory like X, but shockingly gory. I can't get completely used to heads exploding and seeing the eyeballs go flying. Um, yeah...
Pick it up if you like demons and don't mind some gore (it's not constant). Though I would never buy it, I did enjoy it very much. I found the plot very interesting too. I really did not do it justice here.
Buy Demon Ororon from Amazon
12/09/04
Death Note chapter 45+ Manga scanlation
DN was slowing down for a little bit, but now it's coming back strong with these latest chapters. Misa is less annoying now and is actualy adding to the story. I'm glad to see that. In chapter 48 I think it was, I was getting worried because it looks like Obata-sensei forgot to draw Light and L's handcuffs. I thought that maybe I missed something and L freed Light while I wasn't looking o_o And L had just made it clear he had no intention of freeing Light for a long, long time. But the cuffs returned in the next chap. so all's good. That brings me to something that's been bugging me for a while... Um, how do L and Light sleep while they're handcuffed together? I guess the chain's long enough that their beds can be a few feet apart, but still. I wish Obata would draw the, um, sleeping situation just to set my mind at ease. Lastly, I've switched from the We the Fans translation to Pedo Bears because they're going faster. They seem to be just as good as WtF. The font they use bugged me at first but I don't notice it now. They did have me wondering who Iver and Vedi were until it hit me that they where Aber and Weddie, but I think I can get used to it since they aren't main characters.
Read Death Note at all costs or...let's just say I have this special note book...
12/08/04
Please Save My Earth Anime OVA
So for my Japanese course twice a week after class I have to go the "language lab" where you listen to tapes of the lessons or watch videos or use a language computer CD (yeah, right. I always check out the CD then download some manga with the high-speed internet). Well, when I looked at the videos, I saw PSME and I knew it was an anime so I gave it a try. 0_0 I'm so glad I did! While the animation is dated (from around '91 I think) it's no worse than Yu Yu Hakusho, so I had no problem with it. The music is by Yoko Kanno, who, despite her popularity, doesn't impress me (although, I do enjoy the Esca op.). PSME is about a girl named Alice who had an odd dream one night. She dreamed that she was an alien scientist named Mokuren. She finds out that some boys at school and the little eight year boy next store are having dreams about being other crew members on the alien ship. PSME is a fantastic anime. The story and the characters are perfect (Haruhiko!! *hug*). The only problem is that it's only six episodes. Now while that worked just fine for FLCL and Shamanic Princess, It does not work for PSME. There is a rather long manga series, which I'm sure explains eveything but the art stinks not just because it's old either. Here is Greenwood is from around the same time and looks great. Saki Hiwatari's art is just so ugly that I cannot get past it enough to read the manga. It's a real shame. I wonder if her art improved in her new series Global Garden...
Highly recommended
Buy Please Save My Earth DVD from Amazon