Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve reviewed or talked about anything!!!!
I wish I could say it was cause I was doing something cool… but really I’ve just been spending my days wandering the nearby wetlands and playing video games… >..>
Forgive meeeeeee!!!
Anyways… isn’t manga weird???
I come across crazy stuff all the time and I decided to do my second “Weird This Week!”
Check out the first one here for even more weirdness!
4. Now that's a Pierced Tongue!
--- From the series 666 Satan, I have never seen a character design quite like this guy before… And I have read A LOT of manga. A shameful amount of manga, but man this guys tongue! Is that even possible?? Would that even be comfortable? I wonder how heavy all those are…
3. The Naked Man of Tokyo
--- This picture is from Baka ga Zenra de Yattekuru alternatively entitled “A Naked Idiot Coming at Full Speed,” it follows the story of a young man who dreams of being a novelist and his unlikely new friend, who, you guessed it, runs around naked. XD It’s actually a really good series about refinding your passion and living life… but what a bizarre premise!
2. I am the Ruler of all Cats
--- There are quite a few weird moments in Hokenshitsu no Shinigami, but I picked this one cause it’s cute and weird… This woman can also summon pigeons and apparently speaks animal languages. That in itself isn’t THAT weird (in a manga a least) what makes it strange is that this isn’t a played up super power or anything and is brushed off for the most part. O.o
1. Either the most Bad A$$ Villian, or the Silliest…
--- I honestly couldn’t decide which picture I really wanted to share from this manga series, Seiketsu no Haguruma…. This series is weird more or less from the moment one of the characters is shown to have a flying, mechanical, talking dolphin for a side kick/friend, but add in an iron man ish origin story, unique use of color, a surprisingly dark tone, and a villain that rides, I swear I am not making this up, a flying, mechanical, samurai sword wielding, talking killer whale and I am all in! Also for those of you wondering… the killer whale wields the sword in her mouth. XD
More reviews coming soon! In the meantime, why don’t you browse my other reviews and see if you can find a new series to love!
~Tsu
The Woman of Udon
No, this isn’t a manga about a woman made of udon. (While I am sure that somewhere out there it exists, I have yet to read a manga about a person made of noodles. I can’t say the same about other foods.)
No Udon no Onna, Or Lady of Udon, by Est Em is actually a cute slice of life Josei that's the simple story of two people falling in love.
The leading lady works at the university cafeteria where our leading man buys his lunch every day. She works at the, you guessed it, udon stand. There’s a bit of an age gap between the two, of I think about 7 to 10 years, and it is really adorable to watch them fumble around!
The way they meet and get to know each other feels very natural, and being a josei it’s aimed at women and reflects a more realistic relationship than the average shoujo. Seriously, words cannot say how enjoyably awkward these two can be!
If this series has one down fall it’s that, like real relationships, there is not a clear ending. Despite this, the story still works and is enjoyable, but I know I wanted more at the end. But hey! Any series that leaves you wanting more is doing something right!
You would enjoy this if you want a cute romance to read!
I’d say skip it if you need action this week, and check out something like Tista or Assassination Classroom instead.
Sorry for the short review… >.>
I had work, Thanksgiving, more work, and quitting work this week so I’ve been busy! Lol
Next week I hope to be able to review an anime! Probably FMA or one of my 10 anime I’ve Never Seen. Oooh or maybe that Chrismas themed anime that's name I always forget… (Providing I can remember the name…)
~Tsu
Weird this week!
(Because I’ve been too insanely busy to reread or watch anything for a full review… Sorry!)
Ok so new thing I’m starting, about once or twice a month (I know the title is misleading) And I’m going to share the weirder things I’ve seen in manga recently. Usually it will be on a Wednesday but again I’ve been very busy. (I have 3 jobs, I’m translating a manga, I helped a cousin film and edit a pet project, I’m still trying to get my Claymation off the ground and I’m getting my Photoshop certification… Pish who needs sleep?)
So here we go!
Weird this week:
(all pictures are at the end)
5. A Gundam bag check?
--- From the gag manga Itonari no Seki Kun, this series is about a girl who sits next to the most creative boy ever! Well he may also distract her from class and always get away with his antics while she’s left in trouble… But still… And the thing I thought was weird? His toy Gundam hiding from a bag check… I love it. Ahhh the picture says it all!
4. Fish Bowl Headed Man
--- It's a manga about a fish bowl headed man… he turns people into goldfish. Do I really need to say anymore? Too bad cause it gets weirder… So the story’s about this boy who's sister was turned into a fish by the goldfish bowl headed man and he inadvertently ends up involved with a secret society of people who are fighting this menace… Trust me… Its very very strange… They literally jump into people’s blood to catch the disease (shaped like a gold fish) and use those little fishnets…
From Blood Diver Ringo and the Goldfish Bowl Man
3. Magical Boy Transformation?
--- I don’t know if this counts as weird per say… But come on! Do you know how many years I’ve had to sit and watch Sailor Moon kinda naked (I have a slight childhood grudge against Sailor Moon…) transformation?! Where’s the guy??? Haha! Found him! One of my current fav ongoing series, Birdmen, had a similar transformation that was not only really cool but actually kinda manly…
(Also the butt's not censored in the actual manga >.>)
2. This
--- I dunno… It was just so unexpected and hilarious… I smile every time I see it… From another one of my fav ongoing manga Ajin.
1. Wait… Gundam Use the toilet???
--- This was a good (or bad depending how you look at it) week for Gundam… He’s on the toilet… WTF??? Oh Japan I love you sometimes!
From The Violinest of Hamlin.
What odd things have you seen this week?
Have you read any of these?
Share any comments or stories in the comments!
~Tsu
Hunger Games and Battle Royal Duke it Out
(Well you know… until only ones left alive…)
Not really anime or manga but this works best on this world.
Hello!
I’ve had several friends ask me about Battle Royal in the last year or so because I’m one of those people who have read the Battle Royal book. Not the manga, not watched the movie, but who has actually read the official English translation of the book by Houshun Tokami. This makes me one of the few who have read Hunger Games AND Battle Royal and can explain whether Hunger Games really is the rip off that Royal (mostly movie fans) say that it is.
So I’m going to share my opinion with you guys, who may also be curious what the similarities and differences are.
So right off the bat I’m going to say, I enjoyed both books. I read Battle Royal at 15 when I was the same age as the characters and at the time, the most emotionally taxing thing I’ve ever read. (And arguably it still is.) I read the Hunger Games trilogy in the last couple years and it was also good and I enjoyed it.
So now lets talk about what’s the same and what’s not!
(THERE WILL BE SOME SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)
SAME:
The basic Premise
The basic premise of both books is the same. Young people (I think its 12 to 17 in Hunger games and in Battle Royal its only the last year of middle school which is about 14-15) are being forced to fight and kill each other until only one survivor remains.
THE DIFFERENCE:
From there both plots go off onto their own path. Really except for the basic plot they have very little in common and focus on completely different aspects of what a world like this would be like.
Games focuses far more on one person’s journey in this world and the political implications. In fact, Games is far more about social commentary on media and war than on children killing each other. In Royal, on the other hand, the teens are all taken from the same classroom and have known each other for years before having to kill one another. Because of this, the story ends up being more of a study of the mindset that people would be in in the situation and throughout the book we hear from almost all 42 students point of view as they are killing or being killed.
TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL:
The core of both books takes on different angles of the same situation.
Games wants you to understand Katniss’s path to wanting to over throw the government. To do that, the trilogy sets up the world and politics in great detail and we hear all about it. This allows us to understand Katniss’s choices throughout the story.
In Royal the government may be the reason they’re in a killing game, but the actual reason they do this is not really known in the book. I think there’s a brief blurb about them saying something like that it’s “So the government can research tactical information and study human responses” but is that really the reason? That question is not answered in the book.
In Games, the media, physical appearance and the actual coverage of the game is essential to the story. In fact a good chuck of the three books is talking about how it is vital for political ideas to be presented in a way that looks good. (as a film major who’s helped manage a social media campaign, it’s definitely a thing.)
In Royal, nothing about the killing is broadcasted. At the beginning I believe that people know which middle school class is taken, and then nothing until the survivor is announced. (In fact, one of the few similarities is that both books have a moment where the characters are remembering seeing a feral and haunted girl who just survived on television.)
Royal is way way more brutal. You see (or read I guess) the deaths in great detail. It’s crazy and intense. Every chapter opens with the number of students left alive. It is rough to watch the number fall… Parts of the book still follow me to this day.
The Games is Katniss’s story and the first person stays with her. Very few deaths are actually seen and even less are described in detail. Also, a lot less people die in the games, which has only 24 people, versus almost double that in Royal. (The last chapters in the last book are pretty brutal but not too bad) Also Games doesn’t stay in the actual games very much. The trilogy isn’t really just about the games. If it was it would end with book one.
Ok now to answer the second question I always get asked by friends who want to understand the similarities and differences:
Which do I prefer?
Well, both books make their points very well and appeal to their audiences.
Personally I really like the grittiness of Battle Royal and it made it’s impact on me first and while I was much younger. Since I was the same age as all the characters at the time I really put myself in their shoes and it was intense. (Lord of the Flies is literally nothing in comparison)
But I can see why people would prefer Hunger Games and I really do still like the series. It also made it’s points very clearly and did what it was trying to do well.
-I think if you want to experience intense moments of people lives read Battle Royal, if you are more interested in knowing about an entire world read Hunger Games.
To end this little talk, I want to point out that accusations of ripping off will always arise whenever something popular is released. Many many movies and books share similar plots and ideas, because everything has been done before at one time or another. What makes things not a rip off is when they take an idea and spin it in their own unique way.
Either way these books stick with you after you read them. To quote the last line in Battle Royal, “they’re part of you now” and I encourage people to look for Battle Royal in English or Hunger Games if you haven’t already read them!
Feel free to share how you feel about them or ask questions in the comments!!!
~Tsu
True Anime Strangeness
Real Life VS Anime!!!
Hey everybody! We’ve all been there, reading a manga, or watching an anime, and we think to ourselves “This is soooo unrealistic… When has any girl been accidentally roomed with a guy?! BY HER SCHOOL! And they’re all fine with it??”
While I don’t know about you I always plow on… because well… I kinda enjoy a bit of crazy stuff in my manga. >.>
And do you know what else? The above example of something unrealistic…
has actually happened…
To me…
XD Well while not QUITE like that (The school most definitely cared once they figured it out, which was as soon as I pointed it out) but amazingly yeah, what sounds like the beginning of your run of the mill shoujo has happened.
Also, due to having a crazy life, I have had to run from a swarm of bees, gotten so lost I had I ask directions from a barber shop with a headless mannequin hanging out front, have been lost in the woods, joined a paranormal investigation group, once taught a hula class despite not knowing any hula, and even had a vacation eerily similar to a certain episode of Airbender.
Which makes me wonder… Maybe anime is more realistic than I thought..?
So I turn to you all,
What weird moments of your life have seemed like they could come straight out of an anime?
Please share!
I look forward to hearing all about it!
~Tsu
Ps. My grandma also once offered to “teach me the ways of voodoo” since I was “old enough now to carry on the ways”
Oh and random picture cause… you know… Penguins…
and yeah this was the first gif I ever made lol and its terrible!
But Penguins!
