What I read in June 2013: Digest Version, part 2 of 3

b Dawn of the Arcana 10: By golly, yes, they did go there.  I sort of expected some kind of Loki-enabled intervention, but I forgot this is the series where they totally killed off a pretty major antagonist far earlier than I expected (and made it hurt the reader more than expected).  It turns out that she didn't make the decision, though, which makes me a bit glad because that would have been really hard for Nakaba.  And then everything falls apart.  Nakaba and Caesar return to their respective kingdoms where they divorce each other and start pursuing the same future even though they are separated: they want peace in their generation, and they will lie, scheme, and kill for it if they have to.  A dangerous game, and they're both growing up fast playing it.

b Grand Guignol Orchestra 5:of 5:  The end is nigh!  Hooray!  We'll maybe sort of find out at least part of what is going on, right?  Then again, this is Kaori Yuki; viva style over substance! More goth costumes, more zombies, more treachery and tragedy and sorrow and songs.  Maybe some folks even make it to the end alive?

b Kamisama Kiss 9:Our heroine is actually thinking for once, and she's realized that her loving Tomoe might not be good for Tomoe.  But then they end up on Tengu mountain, and wow.  Their tengu pop star acquaintance has had a visit from a little brother telling of bad times on the mountain.  He doesn't care, but Nanami does (and she's curious to know about his past).  The mountain (where women are kind of forbidden) isn't exactly welcoming, but Nanami is determined to figure out what's going on and help whether they want her to or not.

b Kieli: The Dead Sleep Eternally in the Wilderness, Part I: Oh, the end is nigh, and I'm thinking it won't be a particularly happy one for anyone involved.  Kieli meets her father and finds out a lot of very sad truths while things start to spin out of control in the capital.  Joachin continues to be something of an enigma with his seemingly random acts of strange kindness.  I think I may go through and re-read from the beginning when the last volume comes out, so I can remember everything, but that will require copious puddles of sunlight in the winter time, which might mean that I actually put it off until next summer, when I can bathe in sunlight while reading through all the horror and sadness again. 

"He was supposed to be the great wall of evil blocking her path.  It wasn't okay for him not to be.. . . [I]t wasn't okay  for the ringleader behind all kinds of unforgivable things, Kieli's most hated enemy, to be just an exhausted, normal man like that.  The people Kieli loved had been tormented all this time because of a stupid little enemy like this?" 144

"So normal human beings . . . Are allowed to let other people help them?  Oh.  Huh." 163

"Yup, I'm fighting a lot of losing battles right now, so I'm pretty pathetic." 207

b The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story: I am still slightly bitter about many things about the Last Airbender movie (especially the revamping of Uncle Iroh), but I do like additional bits of backstory.  It hurts the brain a little to try to reconcile both versions of the story, but at least one can see that although Iroh's appearance was changed in the movie, he's really still the same character.

What I read in May 2013: Digest Version, part 4 of 4

b Strobe Edge 3-4: More young infatuation and love geometry as we get to know Ren's girlfriend a bit more and get a feel for their relationship.  Ren's friends notice that he acts differently around Ninako, but they're divided as to whether they should bring this fact to his attention.  And Ando is falling for Ninako more as she pines away for Ren while trying to keep a friendship going.  Uniquely, one of Ren's friends has a lot of good insight for another of his friends who wants to "help" by getting Ren to see he likes Ninako romantically.  And then there's Daiki (Ninako's childhood friend).  His parents have been divorced for a long time, and now one of them is getting remarried, which could mean a move just when he's found a girlfriend he really cares about.  He's always tried to support his dad, but should he stay where he is instead?  Kind of a realistic question for a lot of kids these days.  Overall, I really like this series.  It has lots of heart-pounding moments and some very sad moments that feel somewhat realistic.  For some reason, it just feels very refreshing, and very few people are painted as bad guys, and you just want everyone to be happy.
"But I guess I was wrong."
"Huh?  You're actually admitting you did something wrong?"
"Cherish the moment."

"My policy is to never replace anything unless it's well and truly broken beyond repair.  I won't let anything go until I'm 100% positive that it's kaput.  It's a combination of laziness and frugality."

b Until Death Do Us Part 2: More adrenaline-laced, violent adventures brought to you by a young teen who can see the future and the guardian she chose (a blind vigilante with a katana and the aid of technology to help him fight).  There are tactical ops; there is carnage.  There is a savvy police detective who's always barely on the edge of being fired because he's too flexible and competent to really fit in Japan.  There are really bad guys.
"I see.  So the future doesn'a always mean 'good things.'  There's always the possibility that your only choices range from 'bad' to 'worse.'  I guess I never really considered that seeing the future could be such a painful thing."

"Isn't preventing crime the entire point of this organization?"
"Th-that's right, but the most important part of that is making sure that it never happens again."
"Which is why I'm making sure to put the fear of ME into 'em.  I want them scared straight."

b The Wallflower 13:I can never get over how ugly the art is in this series.  It's just an aesthetic I do not subscribe to.  It's still pretty funny, though, in a sit-com way.  Sunako just wants to keep living in the darkness, and the boys just want free rent (which they can get if they turn her into a lady).  Her aunt (the landlady) shows up in this volume and is every bit as ridiculous and over the top as every other character.  She's a rich, fashionable, gorgeous woman who is absolutely nothing like Sunako.  It's pretty touching how much they really love each other despite that.  I enjoyed the cursed jewel gag (it sort of ends up afraid of/at odds with Sunako).

What I read in May 2013: Digest Version, part 3 of 4

b Kimi ni Todoke 11-15: Oh, dear, well, once they're together, they get to experience all sorts of new and awkward problems.  It's meet the dad time, and Sawako's dad is hilarious (her mom is pretty great, too).  Kazehaya wants to do right by her, but it might be problematic to add on Sawako's father's desire to protect his daughter on top of Kazehaya 's already heavy sense of duty.  On the Chizu front, Ryu is playing the long game, and Chizu is, well, recovering from the loss of her first love and being generally dense about Ryu's feelings for her.   There's also a really adorable flashback about how Chizu and Ayane met and became friends (with hilarious guest appearance/help from Ryo).  Then it's back at Kazehaya as Sawako meets his parents and little brother.  His baseball nut dad and little brother and entire baseball team are a hoot.  Then it's time for the class trip, and the girls buy special underwear, and then Ayane teases Kazehaya about it.  Everyone is teasing Kazehaya about "how far they've gone" or want to go physically, and Kazehaya is pretty miffed.  Chizu finds out there's someone Ryu likes (but doesn't realize it's her).  Ayane goes out with a guy who ends up just being interested in her body, and she's really devastated when it ends, even though she didn't really like him and was just hoping that his affection would make her care about him.  She finds an unexpected shoulder to cry on.  Pin is like the bad-relationship-advice fairy throughout these trials.  Kazehaya tries to deal with his self-control (he's great at it but lousy at dealing with expectations and communicating with Sawako), and Sawako is really new to all of this.  As Kazehaya pulls away from her to protect her from himself, she doesn't understand what's happening and doesn't know what to do.  Yech.  Will all the threads be untangled?  Probably, eventually, yeah.  Looking forward to seeing how.

"If I were you, I would have done the same thing.  There aren't any right words to say."

"If you know the problem, you tend to look for someone else to blame."

"Your dad is really fatherly!!  He's different from my dad.  Your dad is more dignified."
"Dignified?! I guess you could call it that.  I thought my dad was just mean."

"People date other people because they like them.  I have never liked someone.  I have never dated someone because I liked them."

b Pandora Hearts 16:Oh, Pandora Hearts, again, you twist and turn and break my heart.  More mysteries, more betrayals, more reversals.  How much longer can Oz keep it together?  And what horrible truths will get thrown on him next?  Is there any way that there could be a happy ending for anyone at the end of all this? 

b Saturn Apartments 6-7 of 7: I held off on reading 6 until 7 came out because I couldn't bear the wait for the conclusions.  There were so many ways things could have gone . . .  And I can't spoil this, but I was more pleased than not with the ending.  It did feel a bit rushed, and people didn't always make the choices I thought they would, and there was some tragedy and triumph.  I liked the series, and I was glad that it ended on the notes it did.  If you like slice-of-life with an overarching plot and science fiction and coming-of-age stories, give it a try.  You might be pleased.

What I read in May 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 4

b Bride's Story 4: Two rambunctious twin girls do their best to steal the show a bit in this volume.  They are not particularly demure and sort of come as a set, so they aren't particularly marriageable, and they worry that their father (who is not wealthy) is not doing enough to find them husbands.  There's a cute and awkward set of quasi romances that end well.  Meanwhile, our sociologist POV character ends up getting pulled into their little dramas and then serving as a doctor all while he needs to be getting to the border before hostilities between his home country and the aggressive neighbors make him a target.  And the drama that played out in the first and second books when the original female lead's clan decided they wanted to take her back after marrying her off is coming back around and could lead to bloodshed or peace.  It's 100% sociological slice-of-life fiction set in a meticulously researched and rendered Asian setting.  I adore the art and the culture, and I will follow it wherever it meanders.

b Bunny Drop 8:The end is nigh, and there are choices that are becoming more and more clear.  I'm spoiled on the ending, so I may not be as horrified as some folks on the internet, and, of course, since I don't read trying to figure out what will happen, I don't get as cynical about certain kinds of plot points.  I just enjoy the cute, sweet story and wince as it unfolds with some of the awkwardness of reality.

b Cross Game 8 of 8: This volume really brings home the fact that this series is primarily a drama and only secondarily a sports story.  Facts and scores and stats and results that would be pretty vital in a sports story just don't matter.  Not that the games are boring or short-changed; it's just that they're the backdrop against which many dramas are playing out.  I love the tension and the understated nature of so much that happens here.  Plot advancement comes sideways through sometimes seemingly unrelated conversations, not through loud and clear declarations of intent.  The subtlety is really very refreshing.  I really wish I were able to read stories like Touch that I've heard about, but I am really pleased I was able to read (and own) another series by Mitsuru Adachi.  He's just good at telling stories that have sports in them but never lose focus on the human drama.

b Dengeki Daisy 12:The plan to rescue Rena is executed, and it is full of tension and hilarity.  Evil bad guy mastermind is, of course, just a pawn, but taking him down feels mighty good.  And maybe, just maybe, the mastermind makes an appearance?  Or is he just a higher level pawn?  We don't know, but Kurosaki is kind of a wreck after crossing paths with him.  Instead of freaking out and retreating into himself and doing something dumb and repeating the cycle, he brings it to the attention of the gang.

What I read in April 2013: Digest Version, part 3 of 3

b Kamisama Kiss 8:While I find the romantic premise still a bit stupid and forced, it's a romance, so you kind of just have to accept that and move on.  Because there's a lot of silly weirdness to enjoy.  "I didn't expect to go for a freezing swim in the land of the dead.  My shoes feel icky."  Our heroine ends up in the land of the dead with an evil spirit inhabiting and preserving the dead body of a teenage boy.  She has to figure out how to rescue him and get out before the land of the dead kills her.  

b Pandora Hearts 2:Oh, these were simpler times, when Oz first met people who will be important later, when he finds out who "Raven" really is, before things get really, horribly, incredibly, amazingly, devastatingly messy later on.  Before all the astounding plot twists and turns and reversals.  When things were only a little mysterious and there were only a few questions to pursue.  It made me a little nostalgic. 

b Story of Saiunkoku 9: Some more excellent insight into the complicated Hong family situation (such as why Shoka and Shurei are so poor).  Poor Shoka.  Seriously.  He never got a break, not even as a kid.  Some adorable flashbacks to little Shoka, Reishin and Kuro.  Reishin and Kuro overhear a lot they aren't supposed to, and Reishin tells Kuro to forget it.  Maybe he does?  Anyway, their interactions as adults are really kind of painful to see, living, as they do, in such a mannered and rule-bound culture.  We get some insight into the Ran clan, as well, with the return of the flamboyant Ran brother.  : )

b Strobe Edge 2: More adorable not-quite romance and splashes of humor.  What do you do after you kind of confess to a boy only to find out he has a girlfriend he is committed to, and you want to still be friends?  You try to act normal.  If you are Ninako, this is really a struggle.  Ren is not nearly as expressive or impulsive, so he hides it better.  Ando also moves onto the stage.  He's a girl-loving playboy to hide his wounded soul.  "Even if the person you love loves someone else, you still love them.  You can't help it.  That's what love is to me."  Will Ren and Ninako ever get together?  Will Ando ever have a healthy relationship?  And what about poor Ninako's childhood friend who has a crush on her?  Will he get a happy ending? 

What I read in April 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 3

o AI Ore! 3:I can really see why this series makes some readers uncomfortable.  It's hard to get behind a love interest who uses more than just the verbal threat of rape to "punish" another character who had something similar in mind.  Just, not okay, dude.  Not okay.  Maybe he'll become a better person as time passes?  Then again, this is Mayu Shinjo, so who knows what THAT would even mean.

b Black Butler 12-13: An ocean voyage complicated by the undead tests our characters in ways they have not been tested before.  It shows that the author, Yana Toboso, is an artist who actually understands human anatomy (weeping tears of joy).  It also shows that she's not afraid to toss in some awesome reversals, as we discover that Elizabeth IS actually more than annoying and sympathetic eye candy.  She, like all the people in her family (particularly all the women), is a master of the sword, and she saves Ciel's keister several times (reluctantly because she thought he wouldn't love her if she was strong enough to slay zombies when he couldn't).  This was actually very refreshing.  She kind of drives me crazy because she seems so irritating and pointless when you can't imagine that she could possibly be what she appears to be for 12. Whole. Volumes.  To find that there IS a reason she was engaged to a Phantomhive and that there is a real, adorable reason she's been hiding it (because when they were little, Ciel was scared of strong women who could use swords and totally beat the snot out of older and larger men and was unaware that Lizzie was one such person).  And, yes, I found it adorable because it's the sort of thing kids do/remember that scars them for longer than it should.  "I'm fine with not being cute if it means I can protect you!"

Anyway, things heat up a bit as the Reapers make their usual flamboyant appearance and give Sebastian lots of added trouble.  AND A HUGE AND WELCOME FLASHBACK, holy cow.  The covenant they made, how they interacted and learned their roles, why "Sebastian" (Ciel named him after his dog), how they found their footing with each other (HINT: Sebastian had a lot more to deal with than he bargained for).  GOOD STUFF.  "He wished three things of me.  To protect him without betrayal until his revenge came to fruition.  To obey his commands without question.  And to never tell lies."

b CrossGame 7: Oh, CrossGame, how I love thee.  Humor, pathos, sports, slices of life, thoughtfulness, one last shot at Koshien.  I want to know how it all ends, but I don't want it to end.  (Sign of a series/book I am really enjoying.)

"If worrying would make her better, I'd worry night and day for as long as it takes."

"Some things you gotta do.  Other things, you can only have faith."

"I'm a good liar."
"Even if it was a lie, it made me happy."

What I read in March: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

b Library Wars 9: Eeeee!  So Iku knows  that Dojo is her prince of yore, and she really, really wishes she didn't know that because it's making things REALLY awkward, which amuses everyone else a lot.  I loved the moment when Dojo asked if the pervert they were trying to catch touched her, and she explained what he did and tried to brush it off, and Dojo told her not to pretend like it was nothing because it wasn't nothing (it isn't nothing even when you only get molested a little), and he felt bad for putting her in a situation where that happened to her.  I also love the storyline where their promotion test is to keep kids under control for library story time.  Loved, loved, loved that.  Poor Tezuka and his ongoing war with himself because of his brother (and his lack of exposure to kids).  And the twist with the twisted Shibazaki's reason for going last.  And then at the end, a big case that might help the forces of freedom of expression to win over the forces of censorship and political correctness!  Continued to the next volume!  Argggggg!

b Oresama Teacher 13: More amusing times with the wacky kids at a boarding school with a reputation.  It's goofy with the occasional touching moment, and it makes me laugh out loud.

b Pandora Hearts 14-15:  No, seriously, you are killing me, Pandora Hearts.  His beautiful turquoise cover.  The look of relief on her face when she saw that he was still alive.  That twist (THAT TWIST!!!!)  The death of those characters, and the ways they died.  The truth about him creeping out little by little (why he can do these horrible things because he knows that if he accomplishes his goal, he can change everything to erase them, and if he doesn't, well, failure isn't an option he can contemplate).  The message, over and over again, that trying to bring back what has been lost has such dire consequences.  The sad irony of making the choice.   The pain of knowing the truth, facing it, and acting on it to make the best choice available to you (not the choices that other people tell you are there and best but the choices you see and make).  The people you leave behind.

"If there's even just one thing you want to protect, possess the brutality to cast off all else.  For no one is allowed to regain that which has already been lost." - Break to Gilbert

b Strobe Edge 1: Despite the sort of terrible cover, this series is kind of adorable.  It's about a girl falling in love with a guy who ends up having a girlfriend and how she deals with her desire to be closer to him while not wanting to cause him problems.  It's also about the girl's childhood friend who has a crush on her and how he survives her turning him down.  The material is pretty standard, but there's something about the characters and plot that hint that this is one to follow.

"That was nerve-wracking.  I had no idea that admitting my feelings would be so exhausting.  Hurting someone is terrifying.  'I'm sorry, Daisuke.  I really like you a lot.  I care about you a lot.  But that's not love."

What I read in March 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Aria Volume 5: More serenity on Aqua as the young undines explore and train and live drenched in whimsy and wonder.  So relaxing.  They learn more about Akira and her very strict style of training, have coffee, watch a meteor shower, get lost and found, and discover things about each other and the world around them.  IF you are not in the mood, this slice of life sci-fi series will likely bore you to tears, but if you are in the right mood, it's like a balm to the roughed-up soul.

b The Betrayal Knows My Name 5:  I really, really want to know what's up with this newest Zweilt guy.  I think he had a thing for Yuki in the last reincarnation, but it seems more complicated than that.  There are hot springs, mysterious kidnappings, and yet another obnoxiously tense cliff-hanger ending.  I like the way that the bonds between the various Zweilt are being explored (not just between the pairs)

b Cross Game 6: More subtle humor and drama and baseball as life moves and time marches on.  I do like the effortless way the author shows us how easy it is for people to drift apart.  There isn't really a love triangle vibe that you get in a lot of shojo (and even shonen) manga.  This is a tangled web of a shape, but it's all understated and in the background.  There isn't much in the way of manufactured drama or hysteria.  Things just happen, and we don't get much of a glimpse into the deeper, psychological reasons why it is happening.  I can't describe why I like this so much, but the ambiguity that arises from being shown only what the characters say and do makes this story breathtaking reading.  He did this, but why?  We don't know, and that makes us curious.  Makes me curious, anyway.  Oh, yeah, and there's baseball.  Lots of practicing and working hard and seeing each other in new lights.  LOVE IT.

b Genshiken Second Season 1: Fun and chaos reign in this entertaining follow-up series.  The new crop of oddballs keeps the Genshiken afloat, but it's full of Fujoshi.  I like the way the new folks interact with each other and the way that some of the old guard are still involved.  It captures something about college that is pretty accurate these days: the way graduates drift apart at varying speeds.

"Girl otakus and fujoshi are different things!"

What I read in January 2013: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

b Ouran High School Host Club 11: The sports festival charges on to its hilariously stupid conclusion as the manipulator becomes the manipulated.  Every time I pick up a volume of this series to read, I wonder why it's been so long since I read it.  I just really love the mix of sitcom goofiness and actual character growth that occurs over the long haul.  A great good time all around.
"As long as the people we care about understand us, the other stuff doesn't matter. Don't you agree?"

b Pandora Hearts 12-13:  Oh, Pandora Hearts, you are killing me with your fabulous and tortured characters and their increasingly convoluted relationships with each other.  Reim is dead; Xerxes is out for revenge, the headhunter is on a rampage, the orphans are involved, and the tragedy of Sabelier is trying to happen again.  There is no way this series can come out fast enough.  Eeeee!

b Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro 3: I waited so long for this volume!!!!!  And it was great.  More short comics that somehow do tell a wandering story.  I'm not sure if it will ultimately be a tragedy or a triumph.  Yen is doing a great jobn sticking with this one and giving it the lovely color treatment.  I have no idea if/when the next volume will come out, but I will be buying it if it ever sees the light of day.  I must know what fate awaits everyone!

b Skip Beat 30: Still deep in their role playing for the sake of this TV series, Kyoko and Ren are both struggling a bit.  And there's a 3rd player: the star of the show has taken a liking to the character Kyoko is playing off-screen, and he's feeling really challenged as an actor by the character Ren is playing.  Things are getting dangerous.  It's awesome!!!!

b Train*Train 3:  More adventures of a boy and his prairie dog.  Not really but sort of.  The wacky hijinks continue at Minami-Kitazawa Train station where all the employees are handsome in different ways.  Generally dumb fun.

b YuYu Hakusho 9: Things are brutal in the tournament.  Yusuke is unconscious, trying to process taking in Genkai's powers, and the rest of the team has to step up in his place, which is hard because of all the cheating from the tournament brass.  Sheesh.  Love the action, sarcastic banter, and tension, even though I know who will win through in the end.

What I read in January 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Bokurano Ours 6: You will be shocked to know that this volume is still dreadfully depressing.  In a series where the end will come when all the main characters die, it is unlikely that there will be a single volume that is NOT depressing.  But there are these little personal victories along the way that keep me reading.  And the dark, moral territory, of course.  Holy cow.

"I never was really wild about action movies.  It's not that the fighting and violence bother me, but generally a lot of innocent bystanders get killed in those stories, right?  That doesn't bother me either.  That's what actually happens in those situations, right?  So it wouldn't make any sense to try to pretend otherwise.  (47)  But the audience never cares about the innocents who get killed even though it's a huge deal if any of the main characters die. As far as I'm concerned, the  death of the heroes isn't any more tragic than the death of a bunch of nobodies.  Sure, it's a fictional world.  But they're living people, too.  Why should their lives matter less?  If the hero makes it to the end with the girl he met along the way, it's considered a happy ending.  If the hero dies, it's a tragedy.  I don't get it.  To me, if even one bystander dies, it's a sad movie.  The only difference between all those sad movie is whether the fictional hero is sad about the bystanders' deaths.  Most of the time, he isn't.  How can the heroes in the movies be so cheerful at the end?  How can the audience call that a happy ending?" 49

I cry so many tears reading this series . . .

b The Clockwork Sky 1: Too small!  Wanted more than this tiny introductory chunk.  Fun art because it's Madeleine Rosca, messy and rushed setup because of the small page count, generally interesting setting in a sociopolitically restless steampunk world.  Good times.

b Loveless 10: Kio is rescued.  And he's also suddenly a real player instead of a spectator, which is a surprising and promising development. Ritsuka has some transfer students in his class (the Zeroes), causing no small amount of trouble for his poor, innocent teacher.  Another pair approaches Ritsuka to propose an alliance against Seimei.  There's also a totally random Gundam 00 crossover, which made me laugh.

b Nabari No Ou 7: This arc wraps up with a death and some secrets being revealed.  Plots are continued and foiled, alliances are made and broken, tough moral questions are bludgeoned, and there is a lot of passion and conviction behind even the most questionable of actions.  Miharu now very firmly cares, and that only makes things harder. Oh, and they also get another scroll.  Good stuff.

b Othello 5: I still really wish this series had been allowed to be longer and do all the things it promised to do early on.  This volume is past the halfway point, and Nana is starting to get an idea that Yaya exists, partly because of Yaya's continuing rivalry with the evil and obnoxious Hano-chan.

What I read in December: Digest Version, Part 1 of 2

b Aria 4: Trip to the beach!  Meeting Grandma!  The perils of hitching a ride with Woody!  Aria continues to be a soothing, relaxing, wide-eyed exploration of a future world more laid back than our own.  You really want it to exist, so you can go there.

"Just consider it a secret ingredient to a happy life.  Try to turn pain into something better.  Enjoy everything you do.  Living each day is wonderful.  Just give yourself credit for your hard work." 140-141

b Dengeki Daisy1-10: So except for that one HUGE, GLARING LOGIC PROBLEM I CAN'T GET OVER WHEN I REREAD IT, I still love pretty much everything about this series.  Its goofy side, its serious side, its romantic side, it's suspense/action/techno-thriller aspects, its author's notes, its hilarious and unexpected crudity, everything it does that shojo is just not supposed to do: this is solid, good stuff here.

b Dogs 5:It's funny because the overall shallow plot means that basically the same actions get repeated each volume.  There is fighting, extreme violence, short bursts of hints about terrible pasts, smoking, mysterious crypticness, drinking, occasional touching moments between characters, miscommunication, and so much style.

b Drops of God 3:I don't drink wine.  I think it smells of fermenting things, and I just can't stomach fermenting things of any kind.  I love this manga and its crazy premise of a shojo-style, drawn out showdown between two boys, er, men as they learn and grow from interactions with each other.  There's also a lot of wine and awesome, ridiculous commentary about wine and what it tastes like.  If I had any interest in wine, this would be an awesome resource along with being an awesome manga.  It's like Yakitate Japan for grownups, and who doesn't want to read that?

b Kaoru Mori: Anything and Something: Basically, yes.  Everything from short pieces for men's magazines of various focus and fetish to trip narratives and the crazy illustrated author's notes we've come to love only in greater quantity. The quality is wildly variable, and reading it one story at a time is probably a good idea (instead of reading the whole thing in extended bouts), but I enjoyed it.

What I read in November: Digest Version, Part 1 of 2

b Aqua 2: Calm and episodic.  Peaceful soft sci-fi where a girl who immigrated to a terraformed, water-rich planet trains to be a full-fledged undine (the gondoliers who ferry folks around).  Very pleasant and relaxing.  If I had better arms, I could cosplay this. : )

b The Betrayal Knows My Name 4: I am ever more suspicious about the origins of this war.  There's just something about what we know the big leader isn't telling us and the way Kanata/Reiga is acting that make me really, really suspicious.  And we're still getting crumbs of pieces about our favorite Duras fighting on the side of humans and his past with the person currently incarnated as Yuki.  I'm pretty sure Yuki really shouldn't want to remember his last life.  Really.  Oh, and there are two new folks.  One might be trouble.  He seems kind of vicious towards Yuki.  I hope we find out why before he does something even worse than what he's already tried.  I totally need a character chart.

"I wonder why it's invisible when we hurt on the inside."

b Black Butler XI: The real end of the murder mystery.  The author knows something is wonky, so he comes back, and they explain everything to him.  He leaves, properly terrified, and we see that there are plots within plots and the Queen (or at least her other servants) may not be even vaguely trustworthy as they work towards some other end.

b Bunny Drop 7: More laid-back family drama.  Daikichi hurts his back, and his co-workers, Kouki, and Rin take care of him.  His co-workers all tell stories about their own (usually child-related) back problems, which is hilarious.  Rin's mom is pregnant again, and the father wants to get married.  Rin decides she wants to meet her, and that meeting is interesting.  You can really tell she's Daikichi's child by how she handles that whole situation.  Also, I have no idea how Rin's mom met this guy, but he's a keeper.  So great in this super-awkward situation.

"At the time, I believed that there were plenty of people who could be "mothers," but that I was the only person who could do 'my work.'  But by the time I realized that I had those two things completely reversed, you were in a place where I couldn't reach you.  I'm so sorry."

What I read in September : Digest Version, part 3 of 3

I am interested in finding out what she does with these characters after all these years. 

b Library Wars 8: Phew.  We find out who's pulling strings and what Iku's fate is.  Iku figures out who her prince is, and it's traumatic.  For everyone.  Other folks experience trauma, as well, and side characters continue getting some screen time of their own.  Lots of folks complain about the relationship between Iku and Dojo, but I rather enjoy it.  Now that its fundamental nature has changed, I wonder what's coming next . . .

b Saturn Apartments 5: Things keep moving slowly, but I feel like they're inching towards destruction.  Specifically, I fear for Mitsu.  Covering for someone else gets him hurt, and helping others continues to be his modus operandi.  I always worry for the innocent characters when intrigue swirls around because they don't really know how to protect themselves.  In realistic stories, they tend to get hurt.

b Shinobi Life 5: This is another license I hope someone rescues because this series was way more fun than it really had any right to be.  Lots of twists, and the most recent one is the best.

"No one knows anything at first.  We aren't born knowing how to do things.  But when you really want to do something, you keep practicing and failing until you acquire the skill you need.  There's no shame in not knowing how to do something.  The thing that's embarrassing is not devoting yourself to reaching a goal."

b Wild Adapter 4-5: Volume 4 is where we meet Anna and learn a bit about Kubota's past and what kind of person he is/was.  Volume 5 is still my favorite, as it covers the missing year between volumes 1 and 2 through the eyes of the neighbor kid who helps them connect.

b Yotsuba 11: Yotsuba!!!  Oh, the good-natured jolt of energy that is Yotsuba.  A new volume always makes me smile, and I try really hard to make it last.  I tell myself, "Only one chapter a day!" very sternly, but then I am lucky if I can make it last for two days.  For some reason, Yotsuba reminds me of the 3-year-old I know right now.  They even both have a stuffed animal with a totally weird name.  Delightful!

What I read in September : Digest Version, part 1 of 3

Sometimes you just need some ridiculous feel good shonen anime to get you through the surgery research.  Just keep believing, Viewtiful Joe!

b 20th Century Boys 22: Music will save the world!  We're coming down to the wire.  Everyone is gathered on safe ground.  But is it really safe?  If not, can the 20th Century Boys make it safe in time?  Keep reading . . .

b Blue Exorcist 2-6: I like this series a lot.  It is excellent to read while exercising.  I think my favorite twist is the one that indicates that the one most likely to end up fighting on the enemy's side might not be the twin you'd expect.  This is good, solid stuff, and I hope our heroes reconcile with each other for real.  It's kind of hard watching them tiptoe around each other and play fooly games in their heads.  I wasn't as surprised by the big reversal as I would have been if I hadn't read some reviews, but I was still pleased that they got it out of the way briskly and moved on to the fallout so quickly.  Frankly, I prefer watching them work things out to waiting in tension as they grew closer and closer and then found out.  This way is better; less lying/deception.  It's also harder because they don't have the bonds they might have if they'd known each other longer.

"Do you promise to be true to me in sickness and in health, to love me, to honor me, and help me until death do us part?"
". . ."
"I may now chew the bride's lips off."
---
"While demons are pleasure-seekers who can only destroy, humans are weak because they walk the middle path.  So which will it be for you?"
---
"I hate her!  She's talented but just goofs around!  She isn't serious!  It makes serious people look stupid!"
"Don't be so uptight.  People may look frivolous on the outside but still be thoughtful on the inside."

b Bunny Drop 6: Oh, Rin.  Oh, Kouki.  Oh, everybody loses in the romantic relationships game in this volume.  Relationships are complicated, and I was pleased to see that a certain amount of import was given to non-romantic relationships.  Parent-child, childhood friend, single parent with other single parent, peer friendships, etc.

"Well, I'm not going out with Kouki now and don't plan to in the future.. . . But he's someone important to me.  If something were to happen, I'd protect him."
---
"I worry about him because he's such an idiot."
"Yeah.  But Kouki always worries about you, too."
"Yeah.  Is that weird, even though we're not going out?"
"No, I actually think it's a good thing.  But when both of you find good matches, it probably can't stay the same."
"Yeah."

b Chi's Sweet Home 9: More Chi being adorable!  (Shock.)  Chi is grounded, but she escapes and tries living the life of a wild cat for a bit with her friend Cocchi.  She fails and ends up falling asleep on the road.  Short attention span theater.  And then, an unexpected twist!

What I read in August: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

Is Goong cancelled?!  NOOOOOOO!!!  Yen, don't do this to me. 

b 13th Boy 12: Oh, our crazy anthropomorphic, fried-chicken loving cactus may have made the ultimate sacrifice, but that doesn't guarantee a happy ever after for the characters who remain.  The characters stayed true to themselves, so I was pleased even as I wanted to kick some of them in the head.  The happy ending was earned, and a bonus story shows that some of the other characters may be in for happy endings of their own.  Except for the cactus.  I cried about the cactus.

b Blood+ Kowloon Nights: Dark Horse, sometimes you really baffle me with the things that you publish. I mean, I'm a big fan of Hagi, and I was pretty curious about what he was doing when Saya slept, but this book didn't really add anything new to his character.  Good thing he's a pretty good character anyway.

b Dogs: Bullets and Carnage 6: No idea where I last left off this story in volume 5.  It's been a long time.  Pretty quickly, I don't care because we get some of that clear back-story for Heine, and it's about as brutal as I expected.  Wow.  Don't make deals with the devil in any of his incarnations, dude.  Bad things happen.  Now Giovanni makes more sense, too.  This series is probably still more focused on style than substance, so it's good that the style it has is enough to keep me reading despite the sword-fights, bullets, and extreme carnage that earn this bad boy its M rating.

b Gon 6: In this volume, Gon helps out some baby birds, helps an ancient elephant make it to his final resting place of choice, and climbs a mountain in a howling blizzard just because it's there, and he's a badass little dinosaur who can do anything he sets his mind to.  He does other things, and this wordless comic still amuses me to no end.  Oh, Gon, I will be sad when you are over with the next volume, but I will re-read you.

b Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries 1: This was really a lot of fun for the part of me that likes Sherlock Holmes mysteries and people bucking the class system.  He was a street urchin who rose through the ranks to become a famous lawyer and then gave it up to become her butler.  She's a woman of noble-birth with a penchant for writing mystery stories and solving real-life mysteries when she can get the chance.  They both have ways of obtaining information to help solve cases that the other lacks.  He loves her; she still sees him as an annoying childhood friend.  It's all rather gruesome (the murder mystery) and delightful (the character interactions).

b Sakura Hime3-4: More bad things happen; some things are made clearer; other things are obscured.  Character revelations are made, and they are more than a little horrifying.  It reminds me a bit of the anime Strain where by the end I was pretty sure I sided with the folks who just wanted to blow all of humanity away.  I am not totally on the side of the poor, beleaguered, butt-kicking non-humans, but I completely understand where their boss is coming from.  Good thing Sakura is made of stern shojo stuff.

b Toradora 4:  Ah, the pool bits.  Hilarious and horrifying in equal measures.  We get some insight into the minds of boys during pool classes (and their own body-conscious worries). And I did find out what vale tudo is.  You can, too, if you Google it.

b A Zoo in Winter by Jiro Taniguchi: Wow.  There is something solid and quiet and calm about his art style in this that somehow prevents any of the drama from seeming like melodrama (even when it sort of is).  They get away with lines that would induce eye-rolls because they are serious about this stuff, and they probably did talk like that, and it's all kind of fascinating.  And then it just sort of . . .stops.  It doesn't really end because that implies some sort of wrap-up of some kind.  It just stopped, and I wanted to read more.

"Maybe this place is haunted because there's something mysterious that possesses people in places of creation." 66

"Doing what you love for work.  Sounds idyllic!"
"They say you can't do this if you don't love it."

What I read in August: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

I find myself shocked and appalled by the fact that no one has made an FMA AMV of the Decemberists "The Shankill Butchers."  Seriously, internet?  You disappoint me.

b 20th Century Boys 21: All the threads converging slowly, deliberately, perfect endings each time (not quite cliffhanger but definitely making you want to read to find out what happens next).

b Alice in the Country of Hearts omnibus 1-3 of 3: It's true that those who didn't read to the end of this series missed out on the part that pulled many of the foreshadowing threads throughout together finally.  Dwaaaawwwww.  Finding out what you do at the end sheds a new light on things and somewhat redeems what would otherwise have been a totally frilly, silly bit of reverse-harem comedy fluff.

b Book Girl and the Wayfarer's Lamentation: I was quite surprised that this plot thread unravelled here.  There are still quite a few books left; I thought this was the main conflict.  I guess I was wrong.  I hope the real main conflict feels organic and not tacked on because I really like these books and all their broken people and literary nerdiness.

b Dawn of the Arcana 5: Things get even more muddy in this volume, as everyone figures out the dastardly plot and then tries to stop another slaughter from happening.  And Cain?  Your life story has been unpleasant, but you're not helping yourself by lending yourself to more evil, as if that will erase the wrong done to you.

b Gimmick! 9: And the finale!  More passionate declarations, more makeup art madness, and some really touching reunions.  Villains learn their lessons, mentors return from their globetrotting and make me laugh with their weird reasons for going on with special effects.  Good stuff!

"Why are you so mad?  It's our job to make people believe things that aren't true! To make them believe lies."
"But with that power comes responsibility, Kazuki.  We can never use it to deceive people."
"But millions of people believed my lie!  I was just using the power of SFX that you taught me.!"
"You still don't get it!  SFX should only be used for good!"

Do you really think your friend's death was your fault?  We just do our jobs.  What people do after seeing those images is entirely on them.  Nobody made your friend enlist.  If people are deceived by images, then they're fools.  BE proud of your abilities, Kohei Nagase!  The SFX you created fooled everyone.  You defeated reality!"
"That's not why I got into this business."

"The process of creation is basically communicating something to others."

b Kaze Hikaru 20: As with every new volume, I was totally lost at the beginning, but it very quickly didn't matter at all because this series is so fantastically awesome.  There are consequences for Kamiya's dressing up as a girl briefly a little bit ago, and in this volume, she's undercover in a dangerous way.  No one really explains it to Hijikata, and things are pretty tense until the end, which wraps up kind of hilariously . . .  I never thought I would be grateful for having watched the Shura no Toki MANime for this reason: because it made me look up Ryoma Sakamoto, I could really enjoy his bits in this shojo manga of awesome.  Thanks, MANime.

b Legal Drug 1-3: In honor of CLAMP re-starting this series, I read it again.  I see the seeds of xxxHolic here in the move towards more solid black and white and the vignettes and mysteries and mysterious store owner and awkward relationship between the two protagonists.  They better fill in the missing pieces of background in this one, is all I can say.  Reading it again just made me more curious . . .  One of my favorite quotes about this series came from my co-worker at the bookstore who took one look at the marijauan leaf logo and said, "I don't think this is actually a legal drug."

What I read in July: Digest Version, Part 2 of 2

Lest you wonder at the sad number of things I read this month, I also read something like 6 novels, which is where my time went.

b Haunted House: He's a normal guy who just wants to be normal, but his family is full of morbid, weird, Gothic-obsessed freaks.  This is not good for his love life, especially since he can't quite get his life together enough to move out.  The ending is supposed to be sweet and such, but mostly I still just want to smack them around.  If he wants so badly to be normal, just leave him alone in his own boring company.  I suspect my reaction to this book has more to do with my inherent dislike of pranks and jokes that involve tormenting and lying to people.  The book itself has fun art and is somewhat novel with its way of not repeating itself exactly in every chapter.  (The ways his family is weird are always slightly different in the details.)

"This money is the fruit of Sabato's blood, sweat, and tears, and god help me, that makes me want to spend it on stupid things."

b Kindaichi Case Files3-4: More cheesy, mystery-solving shonen greatness as slacker Kindaichi solves mysteries and doesn't get the girl.  Death TV was pretty out there, and Smoke & Mirrors was a way out there and kind of awesome history mystery.

b Olympos:  What a gorgeous book.  What did they use for the cover to give it that lovely sheen?  Anyway, reviews have been mixed on this one.  I found it interesting, but I was glad that the author pointed out how much she made up to save me the trouble of tracking down the myths this one touched on.  Since I didn't expect it to be straight myth anyway (and since I've forgotten most of what I ever knew about these myths), I was just fine.  Lots of musing and a kind of bittersweet ending.

b Pandora Hearts 11: Don't keep doing this to me, PH.  My heart can't take it.  And neither can my brain.  All these hints and nuances that I forget from one book to the next, requiring me to go back and read the several volumes preceding each new volume.  I really need to read them all from the beginning, but the series is growing large enough to make that troublesome.  The best thing to do would be to wait until the series is finished and then read them in a marathon.  As this would require a lot of self-control, I will call it unlikely and reserve some time in my schedule each time a new volume comes out.

"No, you fool!!  It is!! A duty!! I should fulfill as your friend!  Why you!  Stupid Xerx!!"  Ah, friendship.

b Ratman 4:I haven't actually seen Tiger and Bunny yet, but I'm thinking there are some similarities to this story and Mystery Men.  I am so bummed that this series never got finished over here.  It's a hoot.  A short kid obsessed with heroes (in a world like the one in Mystery Men where heroes exist and compete for corporate sponsorships and fame) ends up falling in with a group that seems pretty much like stereotypical villains.  But who are the heroes and who are really the villains?  I really want to know!  Things were just getting good here!  Sigh.

b Wandering Son 1-2: I think the reason I like this series is because it doesn't feel gimmicky and agenda'd.  It just feels like a story about characters who grow increasingly familiar and more complex the more you get to know them (kind of like real people).  It has a gentle air even though it's not like everything always goes right or anything.  And the essays/editor reflections are way more informative than the average.  I'm hooked.

What I read in July: Digest Version, Part 1 of 2

b 13th Boy9-11: Oh, 13th Boy, you are nearly over, and it has been a ride.  I would hate your heroine in real life and find her generally unsympathetic, yet you keep me reading.  Mysteries are revealed, choices will have to be made; it's a romance, but how can there possibly be a really happy ending?!  I hope to find out.

b Black Butler X: Well, I'm glad THAT character wasn't dead.  Seriously, I doubt anyone really thought he was.  The mystery was more going to be in how he pretended to be a corpse while also doing everything else . . . "This is vicar Jeremy Rathbone."  Bwaha.  The Sherlock Holmes references are not subtle at all.  : )  And, oh, Tanaka.  I'm so glad you get to be more than that weird, laughing chibi-guy who never does anything significant in the anime.

b Dengeki Daisy 10: Things were certainly going okay there for a while, which is always a nice change of pace, but, well, you knew it couldn't last, and you were probably hoping it would be over soon, but the webs are converging, the relationship is still hilarious and chaste, and there is danger lurking.  Next volume, please?  Pardon me while I go try to get that song out of my head . . .

b Descendants of Darkness1-3:  Wow, um, this is really bad.  Like, painfully bad.  It's incoherent, the art is all over the place, and the plot is, well, obviously not the most important thing.  It has lots of atmosphere and terrible things happen and there is horror imagery that's just shivery gross.   Maybe why the audience skews younger and more sensational-craving.  I would categorize it as not as dark or polished as Kaori Yuki's stuff.  I remember it getting "better," but since I'm randomly missing volume 10, I should wait until I stumble across that really cheap somewhere before I binge.  Not like it's finished anyway, so I have lots of other things I could read first.

"I'd rather suffer than regret." - Tzuzuki

"I won't make a promise I can't keep, not even to make him feel better." - Hisoka

b Gimmick 3-8: I read the first couple of volumes of this shonen story about a special effects makeup artist genius in his early 20s years ago, and I remember reading something (maybe a review) somewhat recently that mentioned how the series got better.  It did.  And more ridiculous, but how can you not love a series with lines like the following:

"The Unholy silver spatula!" 3
---
"You mean we're being exposed to hidden messages all the time?"
"What a horrible thought."
"Don't ever forget!  Images can lie!!  Don't just blindly accept any information from a stranger!  Be suspicious!  Think for yourself!  Figure out what's real and what's a gimmick!  Don't be fooled by images!!" -5
---
"We've waited a long time for this, Kohei Nagase: me and my evil spatula!

And that cover for volume 5 (you have to be able to see it up close and detailed to see the characters' expressions.  Well, volume 5 in general was pretty powerful.  There was a lot of passion about the power of artists and images to shape the reality of viewers and warp reality.  It felt a bit out of place to me, and I wasn't sure exactly why at first.  I think it was the disconnect between a commercial, shonen story and the idea of art and images having that much power.  The story within the story was a tad melodramatic, but the fit there was better.  It answered a lot of questions about why the main character left Hollywood and went back to Japan, anyway.

b Gunslinger Girl 7-10: My heart is going to break.  Oh, man.  We learn the backstories of more people (ranging from sad to brutal).  Someone decides to try to live right around the time we find out that she's running out of time.  There's a main character death and a lot more on the way.  Lots of reexamining of motives and thoughts and actions and morality present and incoming.  Also one romance that is not totally creepy.  I'm sure it will end in tragedy.  Meanwhile, it seems like the fight against the terrorists is coming to some sort of decisive point, as well.  How can this series not be totally creepy?  I'm kind of constantly in awe about that.  Or maybe it is more creepy than I see it being, and I'm just not in it for that at all, so I can enjoy the rest of the stuff that it is?

"Because I'm a bad guy.  'Course, being a bad guy lets me protect the good guys.. . . Good guys don't wanna do mean things to others, even the ones trying to hurt them.  So it takes other bad guys, like me, to protect them.. . . We've got other ways we can contribute.  Ways they can't use.  And that's what we bad guys can take pride in." 7

What I read in June: Digest Version, part 2 of 3

b House of Five Leaves 7: The end is nigh, and self-destructive behavior is everywhere.  Yaichi's past is revealed more linearly, and, well, hmmm.  Where is justice in all this?  And then there's Masa's stupid brother.  Sigh.  When the last volume comes out, there will be a marathon before I read it.

b Kaze Hikaru 1: Speaking of marathons . . .  I should need to marathon this one each time because there is so much time between volumes, and it's true that I start each volume totally lost, but that quickly doesn't matter because the story, oh, the story.  The problem is that if I marathon it, I'll just want more, and I should just be greatful it's coming out at all (Crimson Hero, I weep for you).

b Maid Sama! 8: And speaking of things I wish were still coming out . . .  Things were just getting really dicey, and the potential for the series to turn stupid was high.  There were mysteries boiling up, and I really wanted to find out what happened . . .

b Natsume's Book of Friends 12: Oh, dear Natsume . . .  Some folks apparently didn't like the long three-part story at the end.  I found it vital to the overarching plot and very touching.  I mean, so much of the tension from the story comes from the fact that the way Natsume has found to fit in more is to lie to those closest to him.  He used to tell the truth, and that drove everyone away.  Reiko just drove everyone away without the truth.  (At some point, I would love to know where and how she met the guy she married and how that played out.)  Others in the supernatural community are used to some sort or combination of lies and driving people away.  But Natsume wants desperately for there to be a way he can stop lying while still protecting those around him.  The problem is that it might be impossible for him to predict and protect the ones he loves when they know he is in danger.  He can't resist the urge to help those who need him; how can he honestly expect his loved ones to leave him alone when they know he is in danger?  The story keeps circling back and touching on this point every so often (kind of like real life), and things are a bit different each time.  Oh, Natusme, I want for you to be loved and love the way you want to, but I'm not sure you can . . .


b Pandora Hearts 9-10: Another one I have to resist the urge to marathon each time a new volume comes out.  There are so many hints and nuances and such that I forget about immediately after reading, so I'm sure I miss plenty in the next volume.  There really is so much to miss, so many strings playing out, so many lies and misdirections, so much awesome!

b Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei! 5: More deeply cynical sarcasm!  More depression!  More social commentary as subtle as a bat upside the head.

b Skip Beat! 12, 28: Oh, Skip Beat.  One of my favorite things about this series is how the main characters have really good reasons to avoid falling in love.  Realizing that they are in love is a horrifying Very Bad Thing.  It's so anti-shojo . . .  There is trauma that digs up past trauma, and we get to see more clearly the facts behind some of the hints about Ren's inner darkness and turmoil, and Kyoko saves the day, but, well . . .  When is 29 coming out?

b Slam Dunk 8: More furious basketball action and lots of fighting this time around as a former teammate who quit due to an injury rejoins the team in his own stupid, violent way.  He'll fit in just fine . . .

What I read in June: Digest Version, part 1 of 3

Natsume's Book of Friends has been licensed to be released on DVD!!!!  Eeeeeee!!!!!!  Ahem.  I am excited.

b 13th Boy 8: As many others have said, I should not enjoy this as much as I do.  I mean, the protagonist is kind of a horrible person, and I don't really like her and am not really rooting for her, but that doesn't necessarily matter because this is fiction.  And, c'mon, sentient cactus that transforms into pretty boy?  And what's this, a couple sides of the love pentagon might be leaving?!  Well, anyway, I'm in it for the long haul.

b Blood Blockade Battlefront 2: Just as bloody and action-packed as volume 1.  Dark and weird, yet somehow lighthearted, full of mystery and mayhem and weird demonic powers.  The character designs are distinctive, and it is nothing like Trigun.  It's a wild, fun, scary ride.

b Boys Over Flowers 31: It's been a long time since the last volume, and I am looking forward to a marathon when I collect them all.  Maybe things will be more coherent, but I suspect they will also be more annoying.  Oh, long-running shojo full of ridiculous misunderstandings and escalations: why do I still love you as much as I do?

b Dawn of the Arcana 4: The cast expands a bit here, and the heroine really starts developing a spine, as does her husband.  Danger swirls; secrets are revealed.  I hope this gets better and better because it seems to have worked out a lot of its early jitters.

b A Devil and Her Love Song 3: Can I punch the teacher in the face?  Or talk to another teacher to point out what's going on?  This is really pushing the bounds of what I'm willing to accept.  Through it all, these awkward, quirky characters continue to swirl around each other and smash into each other and do unpredictable things.  Oh, the lovely spin . . .  I have no idea where this one is going.  Part of me hopes the teachers are irredeemable and all get fired, but that's unlikely.  I don't really want them to be redeemed . . .

b Ghost Hunt 2: Oh, this is the one with the super creepy doll!!  It is super creepy in a way that a static medium should not be able to be creepy.

b Gon 5: Okay.  Bugs.  Huge, prehistoric bugs and spiders.  Gross, gross, gross.  Beautiful and lively and amazingly able to tell a coherent (if yucky) story with NO WORDS AT ALL.