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

b Loveless 1,3: I have very little self control.  When there is a Manga Moveable Feast, if I make the mistake of reading any of the posts, I always end up re-reading part of the topic.  And loving it.  And feeling guilty.  Oh, man, things were so simple in these early volumes even though they were incredible mysterious and complicated.  Soubi is a very puzzling character.  He can be very mature, he can be kind, he's ruthless enough to put himself through a lot of pain to beat the Zeroes, but then he takes them home and takes care of them.

b One Pound Gospel 1-4: This is the story of a boxer with promise but no self-discipline where food comes in and his quest to win the affection of a lovely neighborhood nun-in-training.  Yeah, it's a tad wacky, more Maison Ikkoku Lite than InuYasha, and it's not really a sports manga at all, but it was amusing.  Each fight has some weird constraint or bargain or lesson, and my favorite is probably the one where the opponent has a huge tattoo of the Virgin Mary on his chest, and Kosaku is told by the head nun that he's not allowed to punch the tattoo or else.

"You've taken my tacos from me.  Boxing is all I have left!"

b Saiyuki Reload 8:This is a tough but good volume, where the crew is split up, and a city of humans scheming to steal more from the youkai who lived there first uses some of them to their own ends.  It's pretty much sad the whole way through as powerful people manipulate the fear in people's hearts and inflame it into hatred, and horrors that cannot be taken back are committed, perpetuating a cycle of revenge that might only end when no one is left standing.  Poor Goku is helpless to stop things.

"It's not about human or youkai.  Or whose side I'm on.  This's about what's important to me."

b Skip Beat! 31: Oh, things are tense as Ren dives deep into his role as a psycho, so deep that he kind of nearly kills a co-star.  Kyoko talks him down and pacifies the director and tries to figure out what she's supposed to do to help him when he's in such obvious and (to her) inexplicable agony.

b Slam Dunk 9:Guess what?  There is some basketball in this volume.  There's a lot more drama off the court, though, as someone who once turned his back on the sport tries to get back in the groove and become part of the team he was somewhat responsible for beating the crap out of in recent volumes.  And it's tourney time!  Can their new line-up blow away the competition?

b W Juliet 10-11, 13: Summer camp brings Ito back in contact with a childhood bully, and he's crushing on her hard.  She has some trouble telling him she's already taken, and Makoto gets jealous.  On the home front, things come to a head with the weird American girl who's obsessed with Ryuya.  Can she manage to score a point off Papa Miura to avoid having to leave Ryuya and go back to America?

Then more trouble on the homefront as youngest Miura Tatsuyoshi has enough of being picked on and snaps.  Yuko and Akane have some rough moments, but they finally say what they need to say.  Makoto's oldest sister who eloped to get away from their father is in town, and Ito can't help meddling to try to get the family to reconcile.  Then there's a bit about how people always think Ito and her best friend Yoshiro are dating when Yoshiro has already publically confessed his love to Misaki.  Then it's costumes and cultural festivals and sabotage.  Then other stuff happens in volume 12, which I don't have.

In volume 13, Ito ends up spending some accidental quality time with Makoto's hated father.  She does her best to work her usual magic.  Graduation is coming up, and Makoto and Ito are auditioning to try to find employment once they graduate, but Ito gets really sick and has a terrible audition, but she impresses the scary director, and they both get in.  Then it's the big reveal as Ito gets in trouble, and Mako gets caught with his hair off by one of her brothers, and things start to fall apart.

"Manga is about being entertaining, not being realistic." 98

Good to know.

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 June 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 3

b 07Ghost 1-4: Holy unexpected license rescue, Batman!  This series is still kind of a sloppy mess, but the story underneath all the slop is compelling enough that I will support this license rescue and learn all the names again in this different translation.  Teito gets better acquainted with his inner Mikhail and then loses his Eye.  He decides to take the test to enter the clergy anyway, and he and his new friend (the nice Oak guy) train and team up and do their best.  Unfortunately, the church is attacked while the test is going on.  Will Teito even have time to pass the test before the church is blasted down around him?  You have to wait until the next volume to find out.

b Ai No Kusabi 8:So I read volume 7 and was told volume 8 was the last, and I was trying to figure out how it could possibly end that quickly with all the threads it had outstanding and without being some stupid, cop-out, fake-y happy ending.  Instead, it kept on its determined course, ignored lots of dangly bits, buckled down and focused, and continued to the end of its path, turned the tragedy on 150%.  This has always been a really dark series, with two protagonists who loved each other but were ill-equipped to realize it or do anything even remotely positive about it.  I wanted them to be happy, as I do all folks in love, but it just didn't seem in the cards.  In the end, I guess they sort of were as happy as it was possible for them to be.  Bitter, bittersweet ending.

"He could hope.  All I have to do is not quit."

"It might break your heart, but there's love that can only be expressed the way they lived it."

b Ai Ore! 4:Uh-oh!  The power-crazed student council president finds out the our heroine is dating a boy from a crappy school.  So what does she do?  Lock her up without pants, of course!  (I have no idea sometimes.)  When her boyfriend Akira finds out, he's on a mission to reform his school and prove that it's not completely full of total losers.  Except that it sort of is, and extreme measures have to be taken to make the place more respectable.  New character: Banbi is this huge, facially-scarred, quiet guy who turns out to be a really nice rich boy also tired of being judged by his thug-like appearance.  I am a big fan of Banbi because he has NO CREEPY INTENTIONS towards Akira, which is unfortunately refreshing . . .

b Boys Over Flowers 34-36 of 36: Yuki ends up in a unique position: she can give Sojiro another chance with the (only) girl he (ever) loved, which she does because she really loves him (and wants what's good for him even if it makes her miserable).  While it turns out that Sojiro doesn't love the girl any more, he still gets a proper chance at closure.  Then he decides to start being a player again, and Yuki is first in line . . .  Err . . .  I give up.  Anyway, Tsukasa's father collapses, and his one year grace period sort of evaporates.  He's  leaving, but he can't quite find the right moment to tell Tsukushi, so things are awkward as he keeps screwing up and she keeps freaking out.  He keeps asking her to marry him, and she keeps dodging the question, so when he makes the public announcement that he'll be moving to the United States for college, he promises he'll come back for her when he graduates.  They have one last day together, and maybe one last night, but Tsukushi ends up falling in a pool and getting a fever, and Tsukasa doesn't push it.  Then it's time for prom and graduation, and Tsukushi's parents lose their jobs again, so she might not get to go back for her senior year (not that she's terribly disappointed).  Her family moves on the day of the prom, and her dress gets ripped, so she shows up all sweaty and bruised from moving and in her civvies.  She gets one last dance with the guys, which is kind of a hoot.  Her family also decides to work their tails off to make sure she can keep going to Eitoku, and she decides the same thing because there are people waiting for her there.  To close things out, there's a lovely little short about Akira and some of the crap he's had to put up with keeping things in balance for the F4.  Oh, Rui Hanazawa, you are still pretty great, and I wish she'd chosen you.

"In four years from now, if you come back a good man, I could make you very happy!"

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 2 of 4

b Devil and Her Love Song 8:  We wrap up the Anna arc here, leaving burning wreckage in her wake but also a little honesty.  Maria's forthrightness and sincerity have once again, in their own special way, caused the emotional breakdown and the flood of cathartic communicated feelings.  One of the worst bits of fallout is that Shin knows some terrible things he didn't before and has vowed that he will never have a romantic relationship with Maria because of the pain it will cause her.  With her usual bad timing, Maria has come to realize that she does not just want to stay friends and that she does want a romantic relationship with Shin, who is suddenly pulling away hard and not explaining himself.  As with all fiction, a lot of the problems could be solved by getting all the involved people into a room to actually be honest with each other, but that doesn't happen in real life, either.  Alas.  And how can you be honest about things like the bomb Shin got dropped on him.  Yikes.  Hang in there, folks!  (Also, Shin, when you are swearing that the way you will show your undying love is by taking your beloved's secret to the grave, it is best not to also reveal the secret because, you know, duh.)

b Earl and the Fairy 1-4:  So, there is a good premise here, maybe, but the execution is really all over the place.  Maybe they tried to adapt too much of the books, leaving it feeling splintered and poorly paced, giving me that good old Cliff's Notes whiplash from thing that happened in the book to other thing that happened in the book while also making me think things were dragging in certain places because the missing information would have made them more poignant.  So Lydia is this girl who can talk to fairies, and there's this surly Earl guy who kind of kidnaps her and drags her around for his own (nefarious?) reasons as a fairy interface.  He does not really believe in fairies, he claims.  He has a super-sad, dark past, and a couple of very dedicated servants that were a part of it, and he's dark and broody and guild-ridden and kind of a jerk, but sometimes he does nice-ish things for Lydia.  Did I mention the smart-mouthed, talking fairy cat?  It's like a cuter, fluffier version of the one in Natsume Yujincho, so there is some silver lining in this cloud.

b Grand Guignol Orchestra 4:More zombies, more music, more plot twists and revelations of mysterious pasts better left buried, more crazy horror dressed in lots of gothic fashion, heavy eye makeup, and a visual Kei aesthetic.  It must be Kaori Yuki.  And it is.  There is angst, androgyny, and zombie killing as only she can present it.

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 2 of 3

b Dawn of the Arcana 7-9: So.  Having knowledge of what might happen in the future can REALLY SUCK.  It can interfere with your relationships, your sanity, and your life.  Nakaba's starting to really see this.  She's also struggling to figure out who she can trust.  She thought she could trust Loki, but she knows he's hiding a lot, and she's not sure what his ultimate goal is.  She's increasingly in love with Caesar, but their awful family situations make really trusting him difficult.  Some sad deaths here and some scheming and some ally-gathering lay the foundation for what's to come, but sometimes the pacing seems to drag because things stew rather than move forward.  It certainly has its tensions, such as the cliffhanger ending of volume 9 when Nakaba is faced with the choice of which of two people she must allow to die.  Fans of non-stop action, adventure, and intrigue may yawn a bit, but why would they be reading this particular shojo manga in the first place?  Anyway, it still has promise, and I will definitely keep reading to see if that promise is ever kept.  : )

b Drops of God: New World: In an effort to try to boost sales, Vertical skipped several volumes of the story to place us in the arena of New World Wines.  You will be pleased to know that the hilariously over-the-top descriptions and illustrations are still present.  I may never drink wine, and if I do, I will never be able to taste it like this.  Viva la fiction!  I can get some of the experience (despite my too-oft-broken nose and allergy problems that prevent me from smelling or tasting much of anything) and none of the hangover or alcohol-tastingness of the whole endeavor.  There is mystery, intrigue, competition, ridiculousness, wine-related gang violence, and extreme environmentalism.  What is not to like?!  If you want to see a volume 2 (and maybe a fill-in of the skipped volumes), do what you can to help this one sell really well.  : )

b Ghost Hunt4-5: The problem with reading Ghost Hunt is that it really makes you frustrated that it stopped being published here, and I have no way of knowing where they were going with the tantalizing bits of info on Naru's past.  Anyway, this is early, when all you get are little hints that he's more than what he appears to be.  The stories are creepy and contain unexplained phenomena (shockingly).  I really wish the rest of this series or the novels it was based on could be released because I really want to know what happens (especially with Naru's past and his divergent dream and real life personalities).

b Jiu Jiu 2: Well, the puppies are growing up, and they're accompanying their master to school and there are demon killing, wacky hijinks, impractical attire, suggestive art, time apart, touching moments, and moping.  The art is still really different with its heavy ink and oddly proportioned characters.  It's a bit of a chaotic mess in all ways, but I'm curious about where it's going and where it will end up.

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 watched in Spring 2013: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

b House of Five Leaves: The most laid back period show about ronin samurai ever.  There is some action and a certain amount of suspense and intrigue (and a wildly anachronistic soundtrack heavy on Italian/Mediterranean accordion music).  The main character is a seriously timid samurai who has severe social anxiety issues.  He's not actually bad with a sword; he just can't really use it when lots of people are watching him in a real-life situation.  He ends up catching the eye of a mysterious criminal who drags him into his kidnapping business.  As time passes, this criminal's past starts catching up to him.  I think I prefer the manga because the ending is very different and feels more consistent and because there are more interesting sub-plots and more character development.  The anime is sleeker, trimming away the extra plot threads (mostly) and turning on different circumstances and choices.  The art in both is, well, very Natsume Ono, which means it's distinctive, startling, and sometimes hard to get used to.  Even though no one really leaves, there's a relaxed, road trip vibe.  It's a good time, and the character interaction is entertaining.

b Ristorante Paradiso:  Another Natsume Ono story, this one takes place in modern-ish Italy.  It follows a young lady (whose mother abandoned her in order to marry a man who didn't want a woman with a child) as she plots her revenge on the mother she doesn't know.  Except then she meets her mother, and her planned revenge just sort of falls apart as she falls in love with the restaurant her mother's husband runs which has a staff made of up middle-aged men with glasses.  She also starts to fall for one of said middle-aged wait staff and ends up helping out as a kitchen assistant.  This series is also very laid back as it meanders around the lives of folks involved with the restaurant.  If you are looking for resolution or something to really happen, just don't.  Enjoy the ride and try to control the food cravings.

b Steins;Gate: WHOA.  It has bits of gosh-wow fantastic science-fiction increasingly crushed by that pesky time paradox/morality problem.  It has some moments of ridiculous otaku fanservice and episodes of unrelentingly dark moral quandries.  It has murder, mystery, romance, and a main character who has adopted a personna to annoy people around him.  I cannot really explain what makes this show great, but I was hanging on by my fingertips most of the way, and I found the ending to be incredibly well-done.  Excellent voice acting and sometime excellent plotting (it twists, it turns, you NEVER thought it would go there, holy cow).  I suspect it might be a good show to marathon because lots of details MATTER in a way that they don't in most other shows, but some of the characters are reeeeally awkward and might get on one's nerves in larger doses.  Good stuff.

What I watched in Spring 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Bunny Drop:  This series is touching and adorable, which is unexpected given how it starts with a funeral.  After the funeral, a 30-something bachelor ends up taking guardianship of his recently deceased grandfather's surprise  5-year-old love child, mostly because he can't stand the way his relatives are being mean where she can hear them.  Of course, his whole life changes as he switches his focus from himself only to a dependent little stranger.  Dwaaaaaw.  (For those who have read the series, the anime version only covers the parts where Rin is little.)  I want to see the live-action version (Usagi Drop), as well, partly because Kenichi Matsuyama plays Daikichi, and I am familiar with his TOTALLY DIFFERENT work in Detroit Metal City, DeathNote, and Nana and want to see how seamlessly he creates and disappears into this role.  It's legally viewable on Crunchyroll and released physically by NIS America.

b Chihayafuru: I believe this story was originally published in a josei magazine, but the anime is like the best kind of sports series, which it is.  The sport?  Karuta.  It's a competitive card game involving poetry and lightning fast reflexes.  (Probably only in Japan would such a thing exist.)  I cannot tell you how much fun I had with this series.  It starts with Chihaya, a lovely young woman who is abnormally obsessed with Karuta.  She is determined to start a club at her high school, so they can compete as a team in tournaments, so she can someday meet up again with the kid who introduced her to the game years ago and lit the fire in her to become the best karuta player in the world.  She gathers her team (sometimes by bullying and force), pulling her childhood friend back into the competitive world and causing all kinds of trouble along the way.  You seriously have to see people playing this game.  It's amazing.  It's legally viewable on Crunchyroll and well worth a watch.

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 February 2013: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

b Seiho Boys' High School! 7: More fun with the boys trapped at the elite, remote, all-boys' school.  Hilarious communication issues abound between Rui and his girlfriend when Rui gets sick of all the crap he has to put up with as the good, strong leader guy, and he ends up taking it out on everyone, which pretty much floors them.  Then there's this young teacher who graduated from their school and has never had any successful relationships with women.  He is jaded and cynical and preaches a gospel of hopelessness.  Then he tries to steal Kamiki's girlfriend, which brings out the inner thug in Kamiki, which is also hilarious.  Good times all around.

b Wallflower 11: I just can never quite adjust to how ugly all these characters are while still marveling at how much they really do look like the androgynous, visual kei people they're modeled after.  The sit-com hijinks continue as Sunako refuses to be a creature of the light, and the boys try various schemes to make her into a more normal human being in order to score free rent.  (Spoiler: They're still paying for their rent at the end of this one.)

b Whistle! 15, 17: Sho is getting better now that he's practicing with the select team, but he and the other alternate struggle with wondering when they should keep struggling, and when they should give up.  The head coach ends up in the hospital , so they end up with the lady assistant coach in the lead.  Some of the young, arrogant morons have a problem with this until she shows she's way better than they are.  (And this may be why the Japanese women's team won the World Cup instead of the men's team despite all the stupidity and unfairness in women's athletics in Japan.  Just saying.)  The starting goalie's old knee injury flares up, and his replacement wonders if he's really up to the challenge.  The team prepares to take on the Seoul Select team in their first international match, and things are guaranteed to be awkward due to some lingering politically-based bitterness between the two countries.  I love this shonen series about guts and the possibility of glory and the necessity of doing your best and being content with that while driving yourself to reach new bests through hard work.

b YuYu Hakusho 18: Hiei relives some of his past, kills a lot of people, and teams up with someone who might be good for him.  Yusuke learns about the human woman who made his ancestor give up eating humans until it killed him.  With murky motives, Kurama does what he can to help the important guy he tried to kill once upon a time.  Yusuke decides that they should all just have a tournament fight instead of a war to decide who'll be the next leader.  And it works.

"My mother was traveling and didn't know I was taking my calls from the demon plane."

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

b Boys Over Flowers 33: Tsukasa still doesn't remember Tsukushi.  The nice girl who was his neighbor in the hospital starts getting really close to him, and he treats Tsukushi like dirt because no one will just tell him who she is.  (Ah, amnesia plots.)  When Tsukushi finally has enough, she lets Tsukasa have it, which seems to be the additional tramastic head injury he needs to get them back to their usual dysfunctional and crabby relationship.  And something genuine might be about to happen between Tsukushi's friend and one of the F4.  Or something shallopw and terrible.  Not sure at this point.

"Umi, when you smile, it reminds me of the sun.  How many times have I felt envious of you?  I'm a little warped, so I'd never be able to smile like that."

b D. Gray-Man 12: We're smack dab in the middle of the end of the fighting inside Noah's Ark.  Krory gives it his all.  Alan and Co. end up facing off with the sometimes ambiguous Tyki Mikk (one of my favorite characters) , and Lavi falls victim to Road's power.

b Here Is Greenwood 5: A sort-of predecessor to Seiho, this series is wacky and set at an elite, all-boys' school.  The main character is kind of everyone's punching bag, so the humor comes from the character interactions and how they needle him in their own various ways.  A good time with some touching moments followed by more gags. 

b Otomen 6: This is another series where, every time I read it, I wonder why I haven't read a volume in so long.  Chock full of goofiness and social commentary, this volume shows us what happens when Yamato falls for a girl and asks Asuka to figure out what he should do to woo her by going out on a fake, planning date.  And there are plenty of heart-pounding shojo moments, such as the one where Asuka meets another manly looking young man who likes the frothy pop group he does.  Good times.  "People should like whatever music they like."  I think I just really like comedies that play off the difference between outward appearance and inner life, especially in Japan where the expectations for outward appearance and actions are more strictly defined.

b Ouran High School Host Club 12: Seriously, how did I never finish this series?!  Easy answer: because I knew I was going to collect it, I stopped reading it and then stopped working at Borders, so I didn't really know when it had all come out, and it's popular and not in danger of going out of print, so I don't like to buy new copies of it when I could be spending that money on other things that are going out of print.  But when I see it in used bookstores, I buy it so fast because it's so much fun.  Things are getting more serious here  with Hikaru and Kaopru's battle and decision to be visibly different and maybe more mature while Kyoya hunts for Tamaki's mother in France while pretending not to and Tamaki confuses Haruhi, lies to everyone, is lonely, and finds out he may have an idea of what he wants to do with his life.  Whew.

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 December 2012: Digest Version, Part 2 of 2

Well, that whole trying to publish things in June to get caught up didn't happen.  I continued to get health records together and enjoyed doing so as anime such as Hare + Guu and Magic Users Club played in the background.  Comedy anime with hyper dubs make tedious chores more bearable.  Slightly.

b Kekkaishi 32-35 of 35: All good things must come to an end, alas.  This ending is, as I expected, bittersweet.  More tragic pasts are uncovered, and many problems are resolved.  It's not a perfect ending, but it's a decent one.  More people were able to earn those happy endings than I expected.

"Before I go, I'll let you in on a secret ...How to avoid taking a wrong turn.  I speak from experience. ||  Don't blame the world around you.  The world is very much larger than you realize.  Large enough to embrace all of you. || You just don't know it yet.  Or maybe you do."  v. 33
"Why won't you trust me?  Every face I present is equally a part of me." -v. 35

b Kimi ni Todoke 1-10: Dwaaaaaawwww.  A fun, quirky little romance with lots of interesting secondary characters and their trials and tribulations and friendships as they all grow.  Except for Pin.  Though maybe he starts to mature later, which is sad because he is the adult . . .

b Natsume's Book of Friends13: Natsume comes out infrequently, and I treasure each volume, each tiny, incremental change as he tries to figure out how to balance all of his sides.  In this one, one of his secrets is revealed to the wrong person.  We also get some side stories about how he first became acquainted with the two normal boys he sometimes hangs around with.  These were actually interesting point of view changes.  I really did wonder why they hung around him, and I was pleased to see them expanded as characters.

"His eyes searched my own.  As if he was afraid of something.  Must've been through a lot.  Say one wrong thing and I might hurt his feelings.  I didn't want to get close to anyone so fragile."

b Real 11: Nomiya's finally trying out for his dream.  His hard work is paying off.  Takahashi is making real progress, reengaging with the world again, starting to desire something other than death.  This volume was pretty tense.  There is hope, but despair is waiting in the wings.  Man, I love this series.  It can't come out fast enough.

o Rohan at the Louvre: Well, um, yes.  This was weird and violent and artsy, so it met all of my expectations.  Some folks love this author's work.  I . . . am not one of them.  I just don't have the stomach for it.  Sorry.

b Whistle! 12, 16: Another series that moves fast.  Some day, once I have tracked down all the volumes, I will marathon it, and it will make sense, and I won't forget who people are, and it will be an all-day adrenaline rush of action on and around the field.  And I will love bits like the one below because I apparently face life like a shonen manga character, and I need to stop that.

"Quitting is the same as running away with my tail between my legs!. . . I know we have to do our best, but . . . How much should I give them?  And how long should I try?  Is it ever gonna work out, someday?  It's unbearable."
"Going abroad.  There's no future for a female soccer player in Japan.  But I want to become a lot better!  I want to play at a higher level!  ||  Because I've decided that I'm playing soccer for a living." 113-4

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 2 of 2

b Dawn of the Arcana 6:  The action and weapons are still awkwardly and stiffly drawn, which makes the intense battle scenes lead to more snickering than anything else.  Kudos for the ending of this bit with the older brother.  It was unexpected and seems like it could really cause some issues with the plot later.  We'll see if the author manages to make those issues work for her.

b A Devil and Her Love Song 4-5: Maria continues to wrestle with herself, her friends, her classmates, and her evil demon of a teacher who needs to be taken out by a team of ninjas soon.  (That will never happen because this is not a fantasy shojo.  More's the pity.)  I still really like all the screwed up dynamics because the confusion and internal lying and external fakery and everything feels very real even if its execution feels more outrageous than reality.

"Every once in a while you should cry until you're a mess. Sure, it might startle me, but I won't think you're a pain."

---
'"She's got dignity." That's what he said about me.  I want to live up to his expectations of me.  So I can't lean on him that way anymore.  I've got to get it together." (That's a common trap, well explained.)

b Missions of Love 1: She writes cell phone novels, and she hears some people saying they wish her work had more romance.  She doesn't really get romantic love, so she decides to do research that ends up involving her powers of observation and some blackmail of a rather unsympathetic character.  Interesting set up here because I'm pretty sure I don't want them to get together, but this is shojo, so that's likely to be the end result.  How will they get from here to there?  Stay tuned.

b YuYu Hakusho 16-17:  The end of Sensui and a new beginning for Yusuke involve a lot of fights.  (Shock!)  Then, Yusuke tries to adjust to "normal life," fails, and gets an opportunity to go back to his roots.  Kuwabara tries to get serious about school, and Hiei and Kurama also get some interesting offers.  Yusuke makes a choice and tries to make a deal with Keiko.  (Pretty funny editing out of a cigarette and replacing it with pocky.)  Two more volumes to go!
It was the right decision for all concerned. But if it had just been me . . . ?