Quotes of November 2013, part 6

Sara K on The Lady Hermit: "I do not like being told that romantic relationships are so special that it’s only natural that any other relationships – no matter how deep – can be dumped for romance – regardless of how shallow the romance is. If individual people want to only value romantic relationships, that’s their business (though I think they should inform their friends, families, and colleagues that they do not value non-romantic relationships). But to see such a wonderful teacher-student relationship disrupted over such an empty romance is heartbreaking."

Bamboo Dong on Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars: "As far as alien fights go, Shingu has some of the dullest. Watching Nayuta-as-Shingu fight monsters is like watching Sock 'Em Boppers in slow motion, and if what you're looking for is crazy, intense fight scenes, this show is not for you."

Melinda Beasi on Loveless: "Whether deliberately or not, physical abuse of all kinds is often romanticized in manga—especially BL manga and other genres for girls—and for that reason, I’m generally leery of it as a plot point. Yun Kouga, however, manages to portray this abuse and even give us a taste of the mother’s own internal conflict over it, without romanticizing Ritsuka’s suffering or sympathizing with his abuser."

"We are witness to his mother’s turmoil and her declining mental condition, but we’re not asked to excuse her or to identify with her own suffering. Instead, the focus is on Ritsuka’s desperate refusal to blame her and his determination to maintain her love, through the eyes of Soubi, who finds it all pretty horrifying."  [And like he has room to talk . . .]

"Of course, Soubi has his own issues, and Kouga doesn’t let him off the hook for them, even here, betraying his secret desire to see Ritsuka cry in the midst of it all."

SEAN: Oh Dear Lord. Look at the cover for Hide & Seek. Have you seen two people you want to punch in the face more than these two? :) This is by the author of Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love, which if I recall also had ridiculous covers. Recommended for those who enjoy large yaoi hands.

Brian Hanson: "Let's just say that Company A licenses Show B, but only the first season, and you REALLY LOVE Show B and want to support it so the second season can come stateside. In that case, buy the hell out of that first print run of Show B and love it and cherish it and sing it sweet songs at night, because the only good that waiting will do in that case is to show Company A how unenthusiastic the fans for Show B are.

"And if you multiply Show B by the cosine of Company A, and the sun is directly facing due East and it's 6:00 on a Tuesday, what will the temperature be in Prague? Show your work."