Day 22 - January's Overview

Time to bring back the monthly round up!

Now I am looking forward to sharing and update my lists of mangas and this month procurements is kind of large, just as big as my reading list. I have a few mangas coming in and waiting is such a boring part of being a huge manga collector. I didn’t realise how much reading and procuring I have done in the last month and the future procurements are really going to add onto next months number, as well as the last minute purchases that occurred today that is not part of this official monthly overview.

So, this may be short but hopefully insightful view on what I do between having a life and dealing with personal issues that are a huge pain in my butt.

Monthly Goals
Read 30 mangas: 76/30
Finish 1 Series: 13/1
Obtain 5 new mangas: 108/5

Mangas Read: 76 {new}
Mangas Obtained: 108 {new}

Series Finished

• Angel Sanctuary 1-20
• Neon Genesis Evangelion Angelic Days 1-6
• Genshiken 1-3
• Acute
• Mayo Chiki 1-3
• Beast Master 1+2
• Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit 2
• Phantom Thief Jeanne 1-5
• God Child 1-8
• Sankarea 2-11
• The Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross 3-11
• Kobato 5+6
• Death Note 1-13

Series Started

• Tsubasa 1-5
• Gantz 1
• Mysterious Girlfriend X 1
• Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz 1+2
• Prison School 1
• Hellsing 9+10
• Ao Haru Ride 1+2
• Dangan Ronpa 2 1
• Yotsuba&! 1-3

Obtained Manga

• Food Wars 5+6
• Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card 5
• Magical Site Girl 4+6+7
• RWBY Anthology 3

Pending Manga

• The Promised Neverland 8
• Magical Girl Site 8
• Shibuya Goldfish 3
• Shortcake Cake 3
• Ao Haru Ride 3
• Happy Marriage 3
• Happy Marriage 4
• Persona Q 3
• Persona Q 4
• X 12
• Pita-ten 4-8
• Paradise Kiss 1-5
• Peacemaker Kurogane 1-4

Planned

To finish: Fruits Basket Collectors Edition + Hana Kimi + Behind the Scenes
Lookout: Battle Royale Ultimate 3-5
Keep up to Date: Gantz + The Promised Neverland + Ao Haru Ride + Shortcake Cake + Shibuya Goldfish + Magical Girl Site + Platinum End + Vampire Knight Memories
Next series to start: Gantz G + Wotakoi

Day 16 – Procurement Squad #3

As mentioned in the Angel Sanctuary acquired post, I mentioned a series I wish to get once the funds came in and today, we have Phantom Thief Jeanne joining the ranks of mangas owned in my care. I am so glad that I have someone I can easily procure manga from and for such an amazing price. I can even put in some requests which is like a dream come true for me, since I have so many series I want in my shelves, both new and all.

Newest babies

Anything by Arina Tanemura seems to pass in my books and I look forward to reading this series since I enjoy her other works, namely Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross and Sakura Hime (Fun fact, it was one of the first few mangas I have bought from Panda and never once looked back). So, I look forward to reading this, which you will read often here in this post. Like with a few other creators, I plan to obtain her other works one day but for now, slowly working off my collection list.

One looks a little beat up, possible water damage, but I can live with that and the yellowing but otherwise they look amazing and I can’t wait to read them, as they join the pile of mangas I so badly need to read. The last three mangas will be mentioned in a later post but I am glad they came in today. So back to my lovely Phantom Thief, it is the complete set for an amazing price, I love the covers and the colour scheme, the story seems appealing as it is about a girl who transforms into a thief whose job is to seal demons within art pieces.

The last item on this agenda is the three pins from Ohayo Clothing, who does absolutely gorgeous pins and I have a few other pins from previously backed projects. This package came with six pins, but I gave three to my partner and now have ownership over Bowsette, Chocobo Sundae and Sakura Futaba. I honestly love how big they are, and the colours are so bold and lively that I couldn’t help but put them with my mangas. The other pins that my partner has is Boosette, Moogle Sundae and Yusuke Kitagawa.

I am now setting up a schedule for my posting habits since doing it everyday is a headache when I don’t really have any content and reading Naruto is worthier as a large review than interval ones since I have so many other ones I wish to share. I am now up to volume 11, as an indicator that I haven’t stopped reading them. I also plan to add in novels once I start reading them more actively since they are also a hobby of mine. Like the mangas, they are not consistent in genre but that’s just me.

Day 14 – Weekly Reads (8-14 Jan)

Another week and a manga a day, which I am quite proud of doing that, again, it’s also a low amount from my usual but I am also doing reviews on them and for once keeping up with them all. Oddly, I added six since I was reading it at the time of the picture but between writing this and that picture, I finished it bringing it a bit over the once a day limit which I was hoping to do earlier in the week. 

Weekly Reads #2

Oddly, From Shadows is one I enjoyed the most since it focuses on Blake and her as a character along with glances at her past and seeing her relationship with her friends. Compared to the first two volumes, it’s a smaller book but I enjoy seeing all these creators coming together and making this a great read.
It’s real reason it’s at the top this week: gripping, variety and learning more about Blake.

Naruto, for one fact, I only just started, four volumes in review wise but 7 volumes in on reading, and I have so many volumes to go and I have to limit my thoughts on it since I don’t want to judge it too harshly until I get closer to the end of the series. That and somewhat knowing the ending due to people spoiling it on the net because we can’t have people not knowing endings of stuff, they wish to read in the future but that is just my bitter opinion on things.
The real reason’s it’s at the bottom this week: just the beginning of a series and want to not overhype it for myself but book 5 onwards is getting really juicy, especially with Sakura.

I really enjoyed these mangas and I can’t wait to read more of Naruto and see the next part of the anthology that features Yang, who is one badarse blonde who doesn’t end things with a bang but with a Yang. Now My Fanatic Rabbit is in the middle of the two series since it was really good and enjoyable but didn’t stick as much as the From Shadows did and it’s not an incomplete series that I have on hand like Naruto.

I know this is a bit shorter than usual, but I have written reviews about all the mangas shown here and I feel they could explain how I feel about them since all three series earned a 4 out of 5 bookmarks. I am unsure on what else I could say further than that, but I still wanted to keep notes on what I read this week, just like how I want to keep tabs on my mail I get, mainly for monthly reviews. Now, I am going back to reading more Naruto since that is getting really good and I want to see how this battle ends.

Day 13 - From Shadows Ramble

Finally, the third book has arrived, and I had to restrain myself from reading it but clearly, I failed. So, I took a break from my Naruto to give the Blake edition of the RWBY anthology a read and I really enjoyed it. This volume is centred around our Faunus freedom fighter who turned from the White Fang when she felt they are no longer fighting in a way she felt comfortable with, so now this volume reflects on her friendship with the other girls in her team and who she is as a person. May contain a lot of cat themes that just make me die of joy cause it’s one of the reasons I love this so much. 

Volume 3 feat. Blake

The stories are many since it’s a collection of works from many artists and I enjoy this series for it. My personal favourites are Beacon Days by mojojoj, Friend by Sun Hiura and Break Time by Sorappane. The sad thing, there was none that I disliked in anyway, I just enjoyed them all and it made me feel like I understand Blake a lot more.

The art varies from creator to creator and I love seeing the variety, the work and love put into each story. I cannot choose a favourite or a dislike since I really appreciate the good art that everyone did in the manga. Though, I do admit I have a huge weakness for the cover since it’s purple and really cute but pleasing to look at, it would probably be one of the few books I’d like to show off on my bookshelf if I had the space.

Blake is our main girl and what’s not to love about our favourite feline Faunus? Simple, she is just too loveable for me and I felt like I got to know her better despite seeing different interpretations of her through others, but she still remained the same silent and mysterious lass with a sweet and caring side who only wants to find a place to fit in. I feel like I can relate to her and hence why she is a favourite character of mine.

Blake and Yang are personally my favourite characters out of Team RWBY, and they always save the best for last, so I plan to buy them as soon as they come out, well just Yang now. I do hope they do Team JNPR and the other teams because it be such a delight to own them, especially JNPR because I love the whole team.

Compared to volume 2, which I have reviewed before, I give this one a 4 out of 5 bookmarks since I am a sucker for not just a cat-girl but Blake, a character I can somewhat relate to and enjoy seeing her progress from the guarded person to someone bonding and coming out of her shell while making friends and going on adventures with them. This was a great read for me, and I hope others give it a read too.

Day 9 - Manga Mail Haul #2

This came in today

The joys of holidays are when all my mail comes in one lump of mail goodness and I take great joy in ripping them apart for more manga goodness. All but two mangas are from Book Depository, which I frequent due to cheaper prices and the free shipping. Sometimes I get dirtied mangas from there but that is easily fixed and the least of my problems. The other two were second-hand books from Abe Books which is a medium where stores can sell their books for, sometimes, a cheaper price. I get actual novels from both places and are generally worth it. 

In this bundle, I have finished two sets, got one up to date and added more to the pile and eventually get the other five to get that series up to date as well. Sadly, I cannot pick up the rest I planned to get, so they will be put here at a later time with a review about buying from Facebook markets, which should be like buying from Gumtree or eBay. Uncertain until the products have arrived into my care.

Finally finished

Anyway, let’s begin with the main set, The Gentlemen’s Alliance Cross is 11 volumes long and written by Arina Tanemura, whose other works include Sakura-Hime and Full Moon. The story follows Haine, a young lady who goes to a private school where she struggles to find her place there and discovers the many secrets that’s within the school’s council. I read this series a few years back and decided to get it as it was something I’ve always wanted to own, like many other older series but, compared to some, this was one of the easier series to find. I am glad to have completed this and I bought them all close to Christmas time, as I was gifted with money rather than gifts.

The next two are part of the Magical Girl Site series and that has 11 volumes out currently, ongoing and done by Kentaro Sato, who also did Magical Girl Apocalypse, which is the series that goes before this one, in my opinion. The only good thing is, you can read them out of order compared to most series and they don’t directly impact each other that I have seen so far. You may think “Where is five?”, that’s simple, I bought five in a bundle I got last year to help elevate the price to over 50aud to get the free shipping. I dread to read the three I recently got because I hate being up to date with ongoing series but it’s too good not to read.

The rest of the gang

Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit. I have spoken about it previously and my opinion hasn’t changed but the condition for a “good” second-hand, it’s rather amazing, just like how I got GAC 4 second-hand and the only flaw is some of the pages seem to be misaligned but otherwise its in a pretty great condition. Then again, I tend to avoid ex-library editions and sometimes mangas from the US since it takes a very long time to get here and not always honest about the conditions. These two, are better than what it said it was.

Onto the last manga is the one that gets my RWBY anthology set up to date and I cannot wait to get Yang’s version since her and Blake are my two favourite characters out of Team RWBY. It came a little marked, but a little olive oil can make that an issue no more. It’s my secret to cleaning all my mangas, to be completely honest.

Pretty Pins and my crafts

Now, this is a bonus thing to add to my manga mail is the pin mail I got today, both pins are seconds from Sakura Pins and both are from series I love, Fruits Basket being my first manga I read/bought and Spirited Away being the first anime movie that I always enjoyed. I am super glad to have them in my set, I plan to get more of their Fruits Basket pins, since they are both gorgeous and the only ones I can find easily. I recommend buying from them, it’s always beautiful pins, wrapped nicely and a cute little company sticker that I enjoy putting with the rest of my stickers.

Tomorrow, I believe it will be another procurement special and I can’t wait to share that on this blog. This makes me so happy. I’m really glad to be a collector of mangas and all cute things, like pins.

Day 7 - Weekly Reads (1-7 Jan)

In the first week of January, I barely read seven books!

As much as I like the themes of K-On, I didn’t love it as much as I assumed, and it took me days to read all four of them. It’s not like they were heavy reading material, quite the opposite, light, fluffy and very cute. It had moments where it felt like some things were being repeated over and over but I still love reading it. Very glad I’m finished it and I do eventually plan to get the College and Highschool arcs and thankfully they are both a volume each and cannot wait to see what they contain.

Weekly Read (1-7 Jan)

The other two, Ao Haru Ride 1 and Kobato 5, they took no time to read and I absolutely love them to bits. It’s hard to say how I feel about these two.
I cannot wait to continue Ao Haru Ride but that may be some distance away, the story amuses me, and I simply adore the characters. It seems like there is about 10 volumes, which makes me super happy cause I forever have a weakness for shorter series.

Kobato is one away from the ending and I cannot wait to see how this end, I feel like so much is going to happen and knowing it’s going to end shortly, I feel so sad. It’s such a sweet series and the art is just gorgeous, considering Clamp is one of the most distinctive art styles in the manga world. It’s funny, I bought this series since the first two books was going for very little and I never knew I would love it so much and I how Kobato gets what she wishes for.
I really do hope it ends well, I am fond of this series.

Now Naruto on the other hand, is something I have started reading recently and I am a bit into it since I have read the first few books previously and I am not usually so slow with reading in them, but I guess I am having a reader’s block. I plan to review this series at every five books since it is one of the larger series I will be reading, I do admit, I am not a fan of long series. I only really exempted Food Wars and The Wallflower for now. I do hope it’s as amusing as everyone makes it out to be but it’s nice to finally read and finish this series. Just have 72 books to go.

My final conclusion, out of the stuff I have read this week, I recommend Ao Haru Ride and Kobato as must reads, they are unbelievable good. They have beautiful art and an enticing story that it’s something all manga readers should give a gander to. I cannot wait to see what new mangas that will be read and obtained this week. I can confess one thing, a beautiful series will be gracing my life soon and I cannot wait to share it here and read its stories, the characters and see where it all leads me.

Also, presenting Kel, my new wallet Owl, it carries all my important stuff and a D20. It's a gift I got from my dad that I simply adore. Until next time!

Day 5 - Manga Procurement Squad #1

This may be a small update since I am half asleep and unsure on what to post.

Naruto 1-60

Me and my partner finally procured some mangas from someone for an amazing price. My Partner managed to get 60 volumes of Naruto, a few is a bit sun damaged, bit warped, a few had a stain on them, some even laminated and contain bonus content, but they are in amazing conditions and they were well worth the money. This has inspired me to eventually roam more often on Gumtree and eBay for good manga deals, seems like a lot of people want to sell due to space. That means more for me eventually. Then again, procuring these mangas was like a form of nostalgia since these were very popular when I first started and remain very relevant at this time.

My plans, after reading K-On and Kobato, is to read the Naruto volumes and eventually hand them back to my partner. I did start reading them ages ago but never got further than volume 5, I think but glad that my partner nearly has the whole set for us to eventually read through. Soon, obtain the final 12 volumes and we can put that baby to rest.

Death Note minus 2

I mange to get a boxset of the older Death Note collection, it had 13 missing but I’m glad to find book 13 second hand before procuring this box, considering I had the complete set and it lacked 13 too, either way, it now has a spot in the box to fill. I am kind of glad to finally obtain and finish this set, since I started it years ago, never finished and sadly gave it away to someone when I went through my bad time.

Bread Top 

The only issue I had is they didn’t quite mention that volume 2 is missing but that’s okay, it’s easy to get and I am glad that I had procured volume 13 previously but the main pro is that I got the boxset with the exclusive booklet in it and that makes it worth it. It also can’t close properly but a little glue and love goes a long way to fix this baby. Now, just waiting for two to come in and I can binge read this again.

Newest darlings

Also, on the other items procured today besides delicious bread from Bread Top, me and my partner got some Pop Vinyls and I am pleased to have a little Pusheen Dragon, Chuchu and Legolas on my bookshelf protecting the manga.

I am no connoisseur of goods and figurines, but I do enjoy the look and feel of these new Pop Vinyls and they are being added to my collection that is inconsistent at best. My partner got his first one in the form of a little T-Rex with its tiny body and big head, it’s hard to not fall in love with it.

Again, I do apologise for the short update but hopefully tomorrow I have a review for K-On.

Day 3 - Manga Mail Haul 1

I like to procure mangas from online since the choices of stores are more limited than the milk available at a local Woolies or whatever your local shopping centre is. I have a fair list of online stores I frequent, few actual physical stores I favour which are a few hours away from me and I even order online from them when the sales are on. So, in the meantime, I been waiting for them to come in the mail and three have arrived within the few days, but one manga was bought from an actual bookstore that has very limited choices but was stunned to see it. 

So, let’s begin with the four new babies.

First manga to join the party is Kobato 5 which I got brand new from Book Depository that it is an online store I frequent a lot.
Now I am just waiting for book 6 to come in and I can’t wait to get them all to read the two final volumes.
The condition of the manga is perfect as usual and I always recommend this online store since it has a usual good price range for Australia and the free shipping helps. I enjoy the art so much of the series. I am pleased to say I am so close to the end and it was a series bought on a whim too, mainly because Clamp has such gorgeous art and the first two mangas was under 8aud.

Second one is from Harry Hartog, the local bookstore near me and usually the prices are a bit pricey for me, considering I usually frequent Book Depository and the amount of manga choices is very limited but I was pleased to find a copy of Ao Haru Ride hiding in the bottom shelf, so I picked it up cause I like the story and the fact that it looks really cute and appealing.

Normally I am not inclined to pay full price but this little baby got exempted today.

This one is also a second-hand book and is more of a series to finish the set.

It’s part 2 of Twilight, pity that the cheapest one was a paperback version of it but it will do and the most damage it has is a piece of the corner taken off. I am just super pleased that the rest of the comic is in excellent condition but got what I paid for and I am happy to have finally finished it, even though I have a dislike of Twilight. Then again, book 1 was a hardcover version and a gift from someone because they assumed that I would I like it, personally I don’t but I can never say no to a comic. I plan to read it soon, just to see if it is better than the novel.

The final one to come in is Death Note 13.
As I say, I got what I pay for, I got it second hand for about 8aud and the only damage worth noting is the few dents and slight warped spine, but I am not too upset with it since the content itself is in great condition. It is probably a few years old and read a few times at best, but I love it and can’t wait to sit it with the Death Note set I plan to get that lacks a book 13.
This series has always been something I wanted to complete for a while and I’m glad to finally be able to say it’s complete.

So that's my mail for the last few days and I am happy to have these in my ever growing collection.

Day 1 - Manga and Goals

In a previous post, I stated that I started collecting in the early 2000’s and my collection has been small ‘til I started recollecting in 2016, where my last count was at 152 mangas. I took a picture during mid-2018 and its final total was in the 232 area, meaning I only went up about a good 80 mangas. Now, I have 626 physical books which is about 735 manga volumes to this date.

Collection about 2016

At that time, I started a manga-based Instagram where I felt so self-conscious about my collection due to being so small. This may have influenced my huge jump in mangas within the 6 months. A side of me is ashamed that such a shallow thing influenced me so much, but I really don’t regret it because I got both old and new series I always wanted to read and found a list of things that inspired me to post and eventually blog about since it brings me so much joy.

So, today’s post is more about my goals for this year and a good look on what I have ended the last year as.

I have a few goals in mind when it comes to my manga collection.

Mid-2018 

The first being to reach or at least get near 1,000 volumes.
I have a few sets lined up to procure in the next few days and waiting for a few to come in the mail.

The second goal is to finish at least 10 series I have started in the last year.
One of my main series goals is Fruits Basket, since it is a near and dear series to me. 

I will list the ten most likely to be completed this year, I hope.

• ·        Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition
• ·        Behind the Scenes
• ·        Princess Jellyfish (hopefully the boxset)
• ·        Your lie in April
• ·        Sankarea
• ·        Pita-Ten
• ·        Anything by Junji Ito
• ·        Kamisama Kiss
• ·        Dreamin Sun
• ·        Ghost in the Shell

I also hope to find and finish Battle Royale Ultimate, X and Hellsing since they are indeed much older and rarer compared to the above titles. I also hope not to start too many new series since I have so many ongoing series that I wish to get up to and stay up to date with. I shall share the top ten series 

I want to keep up to date within the new year.

• ·        The Promised Neverland
• ·        Platinum End
• ·        Magical Girl Site
• ·        Vampire Knight Memories
• ·        The Demon Prince of Momochi House
• ·        Machimaho
• ·        The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• ·        Danganronpa 2
• ·        Food Wars
• ·        Gantz Omnibus

End 2018 1/3

This is going to take a lot of effort and time considering that this is only 20 out of about 37 series that are either ongoing or ongoing with final chapters and not including series I hope to one day buy ‘cause either short or very interesting series going for cheap.

The third goal is simple, it’s a mix between reading manga a day and writing a small post about it and so far, I am behind. I plan to write up a small review about K-On 1 and 2 to cover the missing days. I really hope to make a habit of this where I just talk and share my love and enjoyment for manga. I may also do this about other hobbies including gaming and novels.

As mentioned before, the Instagram I started was because I wanted to share my love for manga with others and stumbled into the community. Then I saw all these people with amazing and huge collections, even if a lot of their main titles were recent manga I never heard of cause of my huge break from associating with manga. I do admit I got jealous cause I only had old and obsolete mangas compare to all these new, shiny and super popular manga and I wanted in. I felt at that point, I lost myself to it and it took me stepping back to realise that I was trying to appeal to others for the wrong reasons and so I just posted what I liked, and I am much happier with that.

End 2018 2/3

I also started making challenges to meet and bring new people to myself because I am a wuss when talking to new people and it helped in starting conversations. I honestly believe no matter how long I will do them, I will always be an amateur at it and it will forever be my own title.

During the new year, I posted a few people I enjoyed following and out of that, I found out that in one way or another, my Instagram had been either an influence or a source of enjoyment and that meant more to me than I realise cause it told me that people enjoyed what I shared with them to the extent that they either picked up the manga or gave them a smile. It’s things like that which made me happy I started it. I hope this continues and I hope to one day do giveaways as thanks for still following a potato like me.

End 2018 3/3

On other news, I plan to add more about my gaming and other hobbies as notes within each review since I want to, in a way, use this as a diary as well. I want to share what I like as a person since I feel that is more interesting than my personal issues. I can admit that my next four posts may be about K-On, which is the series I am currently reading or even manga mail because I ordered a lot in December and they are slowly making their way to me. Though I cannot wait to post about Magical Girl Site and finish another review I been delaying since last year.

I hope this wasn’t a boring post since I really wasn’t sure what to write and I hope that all who reads it has a happy and wonderful new year and can’t wait to see what new adventures are in store. Hopefully I don’t triple my manga amounts again, otherwise I won’t have a room to sleep in anymore.

Manga Mumbles - RWBY Vol.2: Mirror Mirror

If one knows my habit of buying manga, I tend to try and focus on finishing other sets, usually ones with final volumes. So, in typical me fashion, I was planning to delay buying this volume of RWBY. Probably wondering why this didn't happen, the answer is rather simple; nostalgia.

Back when I was first buying mangas I use to buy from my local EB games, since at the time I wasn't really aware of other places. So I thought, "for old times sake", that I should grab RWBY being both the only volume there and that good ole time feels and procured a copy of this lovely manga to go with the two other RWBY mangas I have. Side note, I do look forward to the other releases and future manga volumes from RWBY even if I ain't too keen on Rooster Teeth and the series as much as I use to be.

Anyway, back to the main topic. So I bought this manga, looking forward to reading stories that focus on Weiss and I really enjoy the themes it seems to be centering on.

It's about Weiss and her loneliness, her desire to be noticed and then her realising that now she doesn't have to go seeking for it, cause now she has a team of friends who are there for her and love her for her.

I still very much enjoy the fact that each comic is done by a different person but still following the theme of friendship and Weiss development as a character, even though some seem to show a deep love that Weiss has for Ruby, which is a great sign that Ruby has helped Weiss a lot more than she sometimes realises.

Another reoccurring theme is Weiss's admiration and desire to be like her older sister, sometimes to be seen by her and others is to surpass her in every way. Even in the end, her sister only wishes the best for Weiss and even praises her on the amazing friends she makes, which is really kind of pulls at the heartstrings.

This manga has both strong themes and whimsical stories. They are both serious and silly. I really enjoy the concept of the anthology where I feel like I am learning more about the character it focuses on and those around her.

The art style is different between each artists but it still gives the same feeling as each other and even the series. I also cannot wait for the next volume in this anthology and secretly hope one day that they may even do the other parties, like JNPR, I would honestly buy the shit out of that series, sorry for the unsavory words but I feel so strongly about that team compared to RWBY.

Out of all the comics, my least favourite would be No Doubt Weiss by Umiya, the art style doesn't overly appeal to me but I do kinda like the theme and my most favourite would probably be One Day by Kuma, mainly cause it feels like the best view of Weiss, someone who seems like she doesn't care but when it comes to it, she will do anything to save and protect others, also the art is cute. It was really hard to pick one favourite and one least favourite cause they were all so good. I recommend this to RWBY fans more than anything, since you need the knowledge of the story and characters from the series by Rooster Teeth.

I give this series a 3 out of 5 bookmarks

It's a great read but mostly recommended to people who are familiar with the RWBY universe more than someone randomly picking it up. Though I still recommend it to people who enjoy a feel good manga about a group of friends discovering themselves, each other and their place in the world.

Lady Agi posing with the newer manga

Manga Mumbles - The Wallflower

The Wallflower is a 36 volume story about Sunako, a hermit with the love of slasher and horror films is being forced into being a lady by four beautiful men on behalf of her Aunt and their landlady. This greatly upsets Sunako as she rebels against their every advancement of change in order to gain their chance at free rent.

This is the easiest synopsis about the story I can write and we meet a few characters that help change Sunako but does she really become a lady?

I read this series years ago, from 1 to about 12 and thought it sounded amazing. Then, with help from my amazing partner, I got the first 16 and then finally 17 and 36. With all the mangas bought, I decided to binge read the series I enjoyed when I was in my teens and I was sorely disappointed and that saddens me a lot.

Now, before I continue, this is going to be a spoiler filled review about The Wallflower.

Honestly, there is nothing that can't be ruined about this series cause it's 36 volumes of the same thing over and over with different looks and situations.

Yes, I wasted about a month reading this series thinking that something is going to change and the sad thing is, it doesn't change there is no conclusion, there is no ending and there is no real story progress or change.

I was hoping that maybe Sunako, at the end, would play the role of the lady when needed but remained true to herself, maybe even start a relationship with Kyohei, even if it's a small one where they both realise they have feelings and go "Sure, maybe it can work" instead of the "deny, deny, deny" relationship they have.

The only real character developments happen with the minor characters, their relationships grow, they become more interesting people, they actually become more interesting than Sunako, who is the main protagonist. This is saying a lot.

I felt like the story and characters had a lot of potential but it fell flat.

I want to agree so much that I liked this series, I did, for the first 12 volumes. Then it was like reading the same first twelve volumes over and over for the next 24 volumes. I sadly don't like this series, like I said before, had so much going for it but failed and it makes me sad, considering I spent so much on buying a series that barely had any satisfying aspects at the end. I mean, if I can read seven volumes of a manga within 1 day and about a week to read 6, it's saying a lot about this series.

I can't even bring myself to review each individual volume cause each one would be like, read volume X to get the same feeling as volume Y did. Even Devil Survivor that has 8 volumes gave me more satisfaction than this series ever did. Sorry Wallflower fans but I once use to enjoy the series but there is so much I don't like about it.

For example, how every female character wants to bang the four main males. That is unreasonable, I find it funny at first but after the first hundred times, it gets so annoying and boring, like all there is to them is their looks and I couldn't really enjoy them as characters.

I would have liked Sunako but something about her irked me after a while, especially when she wants to do right by her aunt but wouldn't even enter a middle ground where she could still be herself but played the role of a lady.

Noi and the Princess characters were kind of good but fell flat since they were partnered with very flat male characters, same with Machiko.

Then we have the gold digging, man-hunting Aunt that basically left a bunch of stupid children to run a house and are really unable to look after themselves. Then again, I never liked vain characters like her anyway.

It's hard to enjoy a story that is stuck in a loop and never progresses, characters that barely progress and the art style is okay but it feels really boring after the first few repetitions of the volumes.

What would I give for this series? a 2 out of 5 bookmarks.

It had great potential but it just fell through, it felt like nothing really changed for me, sure little bits did but not enough to really warrant praise.

Manga Mumbles: musings of a collector

I been collecting mangas on and off for years. In a way, I use to collect when I was trying to fit in with certain people. Then when they left, I was stuck with things that reminded me of them.

So for a few years, I would look or read them from time to time but never bought more cause I felt alone in this hobby and so I ended up focusing on collecting video games.

In the last three years, I went to buying mangas again, once every few months and I rediscovered the joy in it. I may have regreted the hiatus in collecting and missing out on a few series or being able to replace the stolen volumes but that gave me the incentive to buy the omnibus volumes of the mangas. Mainly Neon Genesis Evangelion and Death Note.
I also plan on rebuying series I gave away during my down times, like Ouran High Host Club, Kingdom Hearts and Millennium Snow.
There are also a lot of incomplete series but they are now put in an order of most desired/shortest to first and so forth.

Heck, the most exciting part is finding out about new mangas and deciding which ones to buy.
While at the same time, I made an Instagram account based purely on manga to try and talk to more like minded people, see what they like and recommend and possibly one day buying them too. It's kinda exciting.

I feel kinda glad to rekindle my love for manga and taught myself that I am able to buy a bunch once a month and I can start new series once I finish one. So, next may be Food Wars but that's after I finish Evangelion and one other series lol. It's only cause Food wars is a current manga and a long series.
Guess one thing hasn't changed since I started, I don't like buying long series. I prefer them under 15 volumes but if they go over, hopefully not more than 30 *coughGantzcough*

Anywhom, the attached images are my current set-up and shelves of my mangas. One day I'd like to have them spread out on one shelf instead of two rowed like it currently is but that's for future Mizu can fulfil one day. If she does, she better come back to this post and show off the success lol xD

Mail Mumbles: Fallen into Fantasy Pins

First time I'm making a post about pins.
I don't know what to say about them cause I am no expert, just a buyer of cute and affordable things.

So recently, I got into pin collecting and started to mass a formidable collection of a variety of pins but today, my Cardcaptor Sakura pins came in with a food kitty pin. They are really adorable.

The seals have glitter on some parts and apparently glow in the dark, which I can't wait to see tonight with the other pins that glow. They are rather big but thats what I really like and I can sit other pins in the middle of them, if I so wish. Which is kinda unique.

Kero and Spinel are really cute too and they pair perfectly with the seals. Mainly Kero with the pink since it seems to be a gold plating while Spinel goes with the blue cause silver. I mean, I am not sure on what else to say but honestly, these are solid pins that look amazing in my collection and when I hold them, they have a good weight to them. The colours are beautiful, the glitter really brings a magical feel to the seal and it's honestly a must have for any pin collector that loves Cardcaptor Sakura. The heads have one pin prong while the seal has three, which is understandable for the size that each pin is.

Now the Noodle kitty, or as I call it, the Food Kitty is on a black plating (or is it onyx or gunmetal grey, I am terrible with names) but it brings me such joy looking at it cause you can tell it's having a grand time on the egg and the cute noodle bowl/cup on its head. Reminds me of the scene in Danganronpa which is another reason why I love this pin, it reminds me of something else I love and enjoy. It also fits in with the theme of Cats with Food, especially the Asian or Noodle kind. Like the other pins, the colours are gorgeous, it has a nice weight to it and has two pins at the back which makes it rather stable and less likely to move once placed on something.

For being an Aussie buyer, price is everything and most of the time, after converting the currency and then the shipping. It really makes or breaks a purchase. These pins are well worth the money, I spent about 50aud on the pins, as well as using a discount code provided by Fallen into Fantasy, which makes each pin about 10aud each which is amazing and worth it for me. Normally I wouldn't go on about prices but for someone with a low income but a love for pricey things, it means a lot to mention that if I can afford it, then anyone could. So if you're like me, you can buy pretty things that you love if you know where to look.

So please visit Fallen into Fantasy at their Instagram or their Etsy shop for all their creations, you won't regret it!