Ramble about Io Sakisaka

 

Today, I feel like rambling about the three series available in English by a recently popular mangaka, Io Sakisaka.

Most know that I enjoy a plethora of manga, I try not to judge or compare but after a while, you start to since reading and collecting mangas since my early teens, I have finally figured out what I like and dislike. What I want from series. What I expect from series.

So, I am now at a stage where I want to talk bluntly how I feel by comparing the works of one creator amongst their title range. I plan to do this with other creators like Arina Tanemura (Sakura Hime, Idol Dreams, Gentlemen's Alliance Cross), Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Gyo, Tomie) and Maki Enjoji (SP Baby, An Incurable Case of Love, Happy Marriage), just to name a few where I have several of their series.

Let's begin with these three shall we.

Firstly, Io Sakisaka specialises in school life shojo, which is pretty common for most shojo series. I enjoy the art, find it very cute but the story is debatable, depending on which series we look at.
Some of her characters are very distinct but I have moments where I think they all look the same but that's more me than anything else, so I believe.
The covers are usually colourful and appealing to look at and it's one of the reasons why I picked them up, outside of a few amazing friends saying I should give her works a go.

I started with Strobe Edge, which I enjoyed but the pity about it is, I can't recall the series at all. 
Maybe, compared to the other two who is recently ongoing, it didn't stick but I know it hasn't caused any negative reaction.
It is ten volumes long, which seems to be the shortest of the three, I may reread it again just to write a proper review as an apology to why this was so poorly done.

I know, for a fact, the "coven" I speak to really enjoys this title.

Next is Love Me, Love Me Not.
This one is honestly my favourite so far of the three.
I enjoy the characters, the story is rather interesting. Despite how vol3 ended, I think it did a better job of confronting issues rather than bugger around with the characters causing issues which could be seen as basically manipulation.
I could almost relate to the characters, mainly Yuna since she is rather quiet, which I myself was in HS, though I never had a liking to shojo since I wanted to be one of those girls. Yea, those "I ain't like most girls" which I bet I was since people always wanted to go against the grain of societies ideals.
Anyway, back to the series that is only three volumes in, with a few characters feeling around how to deal with relationships and how they progress and develop as the story moves on.
This is currently in print with Viz and Shojo Beat, will complete at the twelfth volume.

The final title happens to be the worst one for me,
I started to read Ao Haru Ride for two reasons.
Firstly, I wanted to support any shojo releases in hopes of gaining more series, like Honey Lemon Soda or even Rainbow Days. Secondly, the synopsis sounded good. It did start off amazingly but it started to go sour for me due to how Kou treated, not just his friends, but the two love interests.
Like many try to debate with me, I get Kou had a shitty past but that, in my opinion, doesn't give a character the right to mess with characters.
You ain't sure on how you feel, tell them, try to be honest, don't mess with people, it hurts them more than just you. In reality, being a dick to people get you ostracised, especially when you purposely push them away. A few may stick around but more often then not, it doesn't happen. I should know, I was like Kou, I had a rotten past and pushing people away, not hurt them and made them ditch me but it hurt me. I hate how this manga romanticises that. He was even a dick to the people who wanted to help him but the Kou fan-girls found this endearing and makes me wonder if they really ever interacted with someone like him, cause I bet you my bottom dollar, they call him an arsehole and ditch him.
Again, that's my opinion.

Otherwise the story had potential, mainly in the back-up cast since they seem more solid and less vapid.
Even Futuba, the main female protag, was as shitty as Kou. Sure, Touma shouldn't have been okay with being a replacement for Kou, even offering that option to her was pretty cruel cause shee honestly needed to be alone to deal with the loss of Kou since he couldn't just chose one or even say "I'm not ready, I have to fix myself" instead of letting the things play the way they did, which involved him screwing with Futuba and making her break off a relationship, cause he now decides that he wanted her.

I really did not like the main characters, I liked the idea but not where it went and I cannot wait for the thirteenth volume to finish this series, which is slated for early November, just to say that I've read it. As I say, I always finish what I have started, especially with collections.

So, in conclusion.
Read them and judge for yourself for I will always be bias and dictate what I like due to how I feel.
Personally, I'd skip Ao Haru Ride but it's popular and easier to get compared to Strobe Edge, as well as being one from the end. Love Me, Love Me Not has great potential to be an enjoyable read and worthy of being collected, it's also super cute.

You can obtain them here
Ao Haru Ride BD: http://bit.ly/BD-AoHaru
Love Me, Love Me Not BD: http://bit.ly/BD-LMLMN
Strobe Edge BD: https://bit.ly/BD-StrobeEdge

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 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 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 - Shortcake Cake 1+2

While I was in Canberra last month, I bought the first volume on a whim. So eventually, I got around to reading it and kind of fell in love with the story. That very day, I ended up pre-ordering volume 2 and today it made its appearance. Within a short time, I also have read it and decided that I wanted to talk about how much I enjoy this series, so far anyway.

We follow a young girl name Ten as she moves into a boarding house with her friend and a cast of amusing characters. Here she also meets and gets close to Riku and Chiaki, who may seem to want more than friendship from our lovely protagonist. We also meet and learn about a few more characters who Ten may befriend but then again, need more volumes in order to see what happens.

Now I don’t have much to share on story or characters besides being super sweet, simple and can’t help but adore them. The art is pleasant and it males me want to keep reading so I can absorb the beautiful environment they live in. Heck, it even has some of the most amusing facial features that I haven’t seen in a while, since I do read a variety of manga.  Heck, if I was more of a cosplayer, Ten would be on the top of my list.

It’s funny, it has been a while since I had a series inspire me so much to buy it. As soon as I finished one, I ended up pre-ordering 2, as I originally mentioned earlier and that’s because of how volume 1 ended, on a dreaded cliff-hanger. I really can’t add much more since this is just the beginning of what I hope is an amazing series where it may make me a ball at the end due to making me emotional.

For now, I give it a 4 out of 5 bookmarks.

Since this is just the start and I have to impatiently wait for more volumes, but I can wait for great mangas, it’s a major part of my collecting hobby. If anything, I would like to thank suu Morishita for creating such an adorable manga and being able to read it gives me so much joy. This also extends to Shojo Beat and Viz Media for distributing this series in the first place. I am really resisting the urge to pre-order 3.

Manga Mumbles - Assassination Classroom

Assassination Classroom, a 21-volume manga done by Yusei Matsui and the English version distributed by Viz Media. I seem to have bought this series on a whim or even possibly influenced by the movies that came out around the time I decided that I should get them. Whatever the real reason is, I started to buy the series. I do admit, that I sometimes, almost affectionatley call it Ass Class, mostly cause it's easier too.

The first volume amused me to no end but not enough to go off and buy the series. Then eventually I started to get bit by bit. I finally hit around the 7th volume and then the story grew on me and I wanted more, before long I started buying the volumes in bundles but a few times I had to stop due to other series gaining priority, mainly those dastardly out of print series.

Recently, I manage to obtain the last four volumes and felt a huge relief, knowing I had the series in my hands. I basically read them all in a few days and it was such a trip, I laughed, I got angry and I cried with the characters and in the end, I felt so happy and sad to say goodbye to class E because I went through so much with them.

This ramble is more about my experience with the series rather than giving people a reason to buy it. Why? You are probably wondering, because I feel that the series can sell itself better than I could ever say about it.

My collection at it's finest

So, I will try my best to review this series without spoiling it and talking about the manga overall that one usually does in a review.

The art is simple but appealing with great detail to attention with a unique style and recognisable characters, despite having so many. I also enjoy the covers, especially when the creator decided to play with patterns, designs and colours. Even then, it was so simple but striking, it’s a series that is both colourful and dark, I cannot name many series that can pull that off too well.

Even with all the characters, each with their own unique skill and story, Matsui manages to make every character matter and a focal point during the story. This amazes me to no end and I love how each character gets a turn in the spotlight, despite Nagisa being the main character. Even a few characters break the fourth wall, making references to being minor characters or even saying “yes, Nagisa, you are the main guy”. Even one point made a joke about another manga series being run with the theme of spending several pages emphasising how good a meal is. This sort of thing helps makes a manga an amazing read, it’s always the little things and quirks each character provides to the overall story.

With the story, there is so much that happens. We have entertaining fillers between major arcs as to remind the readers that it’s not an overly serious manga and that most of the main characters are children trying to get through school.

So, you have the usual culture fests, sports fests, exams and just general school life. Then you have the side where they are training, trying to eliminate their teacher and facing off with bigger adversaries and overcoming them in the end, which helps develop the characters in many ways.

I like how it wraps up so nicely at the end. Despite being what could have been 20 volumes, the final one is a nice addition where you see Koro-sensei doing other things while his students are busy or even the bonus manga which I would love to see as a major series cause of how unique and amusing it is.

I give this 5 out of 5 bookmarks.

I could possibly spend the next month talking about this series, but I don’t want to give anything away. It’s a series full of surprises, emotions and other amusing things that one can’t help but enjoy. I recommend people to read this series, especially if they like action, heartfelt and a series that just grabs you with it’s tentacles and drags you all around it’s world filling you with knowledge and feelings you never would have expected.

Manga Mumbles – Magical Girl Apocalypse 1-8

The joy of Halloween is to enjoy horror things, don’t know why but I certainly like to read a good horror that makes the day feel extra tasty. With the sound of the rain hitting the metal of the fence and the sound of a show in the background, here I write about my recent manga reading, Magical Girl Apocalypse, where today I finally got volumes 14 and 15, soon 16.

One of the older images of my collection

Magical Girl Apocalypse, a manga I bought some time ago just because the cover looked cute to me. At first, I didn’t know what to think about it but the idea of Magical Girls killing people instead of saving them felt like it could be very interesting and a big flip of the bird to the usual magical girl genre.

So here I am, with manga in hand and I started to read the series, by time I was finished, I felt an array of emotions. I was amused, shocked, offended but overall, I wanted more, I wanted to learn more about the characters, the magical apocalypse, if that rent-a-cop Akuta was going to die horribly because he pretty much deserves that.

It took me a while but I eventually started to buy the rest, due to limited  funds and sources to buy from but now I am one manga short of a complete collection.

That’s as much as I will say now on personal spending for now, I want to ramble a poor review about the first season of Magical Girl Apocalypse.

The story is simple, just like in most survival stories, there is a small group of main characters who are up against great odds or in this case, very powerful Magical Girls that kill anything that moves. If that’s not bad enough, there are perverted characters like Akuta making crude gestures to the female characters and doing acts that is best described as sexual assault, best avoid this series if you don’t like those sorts of themes. Then you have the large amount of violence and gore, which is best avoided for those of a sensitive nature. Finally, the fan-service, it is there regularly but not as often as the gore.

Now, you may like violent Magical Girls, but you can’t forget the lovely zombies in this series, for they are not your usual slow and stupid zombies, they are like your Red Zombies from the Resident Evil remake. They will chase everything down and rip them to shreds, but that’s not all, guess how these are made? It’s all thanks to the Magical Girls that originally killed them, this manga is certainly full of surprises. Funnily, these are one of the few zombies that actually scare me since they are faster than the usual zombies one sees.

Why am I mentioning these while talking about the story? It contributes to the story, emphasising the death, chaos and the crumbling of society where anything seems to go. So, I rather readers are aware of that before considering this manga, which as much as some themes unsettle me greatly, my curious nature and the fact I love gore and horror has kept me reading till the last volume.

Now, back to the story, we are following Kii, the main male protagonist who just wanted to live a boring life but is suddenly thrust into a world of chaos where he groups up with Tsukune, Sayano, Yoruka, Ren and Akuta as they try (but badly) work together in coming against this powerful adversary. I am trying to keep this relatively spoiler free, so I am going to do this in points, which I find usually unsavoury in a review, but anything goes if it helps me.

Volume 1 – 5: We are following the group as they are trying to find a haven in a world of chaos, they do get separated by reunite and meet characters like Miu, who becomes a bigger role in later volumes. They also learn more about the Magical Girls and how each one’s abilities seem to work.

At one point, they are sent back in time and find clues to how and why this is happening. After returning to their time, the group manages to meet up again and are given new ways to combat the threat.

Again, this ends up being cut short as they end up in another time where there are no Magical girls

Volume 6 – 8: Now we have the characters finding out a more to why this is happening and are slowly being better equipped to deal with any future issues that may arise. It’s hard to talk about these volumes without giving so much away since it’s such a good read. But they meet new characters who help lead the way down the right path. But in the end, a lot of what will happen is up to the choices Kii makes. Will he make the right ones? That’s for season 2 and 3 to tell.

Yes, the manga is cut up into three seasons, which I find very fascinating, I haven’t seen many mangaka do this kind of thing, I mean, we have seen obvious change of seasons but usually called something different to make it obvious it’s apart of the same world but done at different times.

I also really adore the art, it’s really appealing and quite detailed, which is nice in a manga, it especially helps in the horror aspect as it can leave a lasting impression on me. This also reminds me of Ito’s work where it leaves an impression through the themes being put forward in their works.

I honestly look forward to reading more and eventually gaining the final volume in this series.  If anything, there is another series after it called Magical Girl Site which is sounding very appealing to me and may be the next one to be procured when I get the final volume.

Until then, enjoy my poor attempt at a season 1 ramble review. Season 2 may be along before long and hopefully a huge final review along with the final season of the monster of a magical series.

I give this season a 4 out of 5 bookmarks.

Not recommended for those who dislike violence, gore, forced sex, death and horror but if you like any of those and looking for a good violent horror, then I highly recommend giving Kentaro Sato’s Magical Girls Apocalypse a go. Bonus if you enjoy zombies cause this series does not lack them.

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 – Where did I begin?

I am not keen on restarting on a professional note but rather a personal one where people can understand where my hobbies started and other things that may not mean much but it could give me a to understand myself and my hobbies. 

I don’t recall when I started collecting manga exactly but I can mention how it all began and in a way, it wasn’t the best of reasons to start a hobby.

It began in HS, around 2003 when I made a group of friends who was into Anime and such. One day, they brought a manga in and I loved it because of how different and interesting it was but the other reason I kept liking it and anime was because I wanted to fit in and stay with these friends. So I kept collecting them.
It was when I was looking at these five that I remember the joy they brought me and that I didn’t buy them because of those friends but because I wanted them for myself. I manage to reclaim some series I nearly gave away at the time and spent a few years in a limbo where I was figuring myself out. It was about 2015 when I made my current group of friends and reminded me of why I loved Video Games and discovered I enjoyed Tabletop Games and games like DnD.
This is why I collect manga. They bring a joy to my usual somewhat gloomy world.

I started with Fruits Basket, Battle Royale, Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits and X/1999. Sadly, I wish I recall who was first but I sadly can’t. I can recall going to EB when they use to have this tiny arse collection that I use to think was huge and I bought most of my volumes there, heck being $15aud a volume was a lot then but to me, it was worth spending a large chunk of pocket money on it, then again, I was 13/14 years old and had so little care other than knowing if I could get the next manga or another video game cause I could only have one or the other.

Then the next year, my friends took me to Kinokuniya where I use to save up and buy hundreds of dollars on mangas. I got into more series but mainly the ones my friends liked, since I still wanted to belong with them. This went on till for about a year and then the visits got less and eventually 2012/13 rolled around and that’s when things went wrong with my friends, slander was spread about me and I lost all my friends.

I no longer had a reason to keep collecting mangas or watch anime, the love for them died horribly. I could no longer look at them, so I tried to give them all away but when it came to the first five series I ever owned, I couldn’t let them go.

One of my friends, who is also my Ex, reminded me of why I use to love manga and it sort of rekindled my love for anime. Sadly it didn’t last long since I can’t get myself back into it. He helped me start buying manga again, as a way to help me feel better about my current issue and it worked for a bit but I couldn’t fully love them and I use to get angry at them for being such a bad reminder.

This is what Mouse did and it may not have been much at the time but now I realise it meant a lot.

Then I met my Mouse, he has helped me with myself and in turn, I started to love manga again. I started setting funds aside every pay to buy new volumes, to collect both old and new series, he even helps me buy them too. The one thing that helped me with ending my hatred for manga was the day I lost my temper at the manga, I couldn’t look at them, I couldn’t touch them. Mouse came over and helped me put them back on the shelf and made them look beautiful. I sat there, looking at them and since then, I started to let go of the stigma I had towards them. He really helped me that day when it came to manga and myself. I’m so glad I met and end up with an amazing guy like him.

I started with about 5 series and had fluctuations between the years until today where I have nearly 600 volumes in 90 series and 19 one-shots for a total of 109 manga titles. I regret one thing, it was letting this hobby have it’s love stolen by toxic people and missing out on some rare series or having volumes stolen and now having a hard time finding replacements. It’s the only regret but I am working on making this collection beautiful again, something to be amazed by.

I want to read so many stories, meet so many characters and enjoy what they can offer.

Manga Madness: DearS Vol.1

Today’s views are based on a series I recently obtained second hand and at an amazing deal too since I now have all the volumes said series, long enough to make 8 posts about each volume. I swear to do my best to avoid spoilers. Now let’s introduce the series in question!

“Why didn’t you get it first hand?” Good question! The series in question is DearS by PEACH-PIT and was done with the company TokyoPop and if you know anything about TokyoPop in English speaking places, the company is long gone and their mangas are basically out of print now. Yes, I should have gotten them years ago when I saw it in stores and probably alongside Chobits but I was a poor and silly teenager and assumed they will be around forever. Adult me still regrets some actions of Teen me but now I can make up for it.

Why you should consider DearS as a manga to read? A beautiful alien comes into a life of some normal guy and possibly changes it for the best and maybe become a romantic partner, yes, very cliché and so many series has the same premise but usually different types of girls (Persecoms anyone? Lol).

What makes this series different from any of those series? Honestly, I am not too sure. It reminds me fondly of Chobits but at the same time, Chobits felt like a story of discovery, finding the one for you and discovering that things are not what they seem. DearS has the same thing, the whole “not what it seems” thing going on, compared to Chobits, I feel like DearS has a darker ulterior since it was a colony of Aliens coming to Earth due to technical issues, but they seem to be concealing something, which is a vibe I got from the first volume.

Let’s talk about the manga itself and end the comparison report.

DearS one starts with the landing of alien lifeforms. About 6 months pass and we are introduced to Takeya, your typical male high schooler who is being woken up by his neighbour because they are going to be late for school. This is typical for most mangas of this genre and of course, something goes wrong and Takeya storms off and finds a girl in a park. He helps in his way and the next thing you know, she’s in his home and in his bed!

Later on, we find out that the girl is a DearS and is later called Ren since her name is obscenely long and alien to our main protag. Like in Chobits, they must go shopping for her and before long, she is now going to school with him.

You may wonder why my story seems jumpy and all over the place? Simple, I want to be as vague as possible cause saying too much gives the whole story away, then what’s the point of getting and reading the manga if it’s all been given away. The story starts off simple, but I feel it’s got a lot more in store, I have a feeling it’s a lot darker than it’s showing with its happy-go-lucky feel that it is currently giving me.

Now for something drawn and made in the early 00’s the art is still gorgeous, but it still has the unrealistic bodies, abnormally large eyes and dorito chins that is normally associated with the genre and style at the time. I personally may not enjoy all the clothes but some of the details is wonderful and at times I wish I had clothing like that. Honestly, looking at the art is like a nostalgia hit since I been reading manga since the late 03/early 04 and it reminds me of how exciting it was to read manga. Silly to mention but it’s true. The other plus side is that, for something so detailed in its own way, it’s very simple and extremely pleasant to look at it.

“Why are you reviewing it now!? It’s been out since 2005!” Age, time and experience changes a person, what you once read something as a teen will look different as an adult, while at the same time, you will see and understand content differently because you have been exposed to more and different views and experiences. So, it’s always fun to go back to something and see it in a new light and discover things you originally overlooked because you didn’t quite see or understood it. I plan to do other series that I read as a teen and still owned for all these years, such as Chobits, Battle Royale and even Cardcaptor Sakura. I mean, as a child I didn’t quite understand Toya and Yuki relationship till I got way older but that’s a whole can of worms for another day. Another fact that was pointed out to me is, during the time one could have read DearS to now is that one will read many more mangas and stories between each one and able to build up a comparison and feelings that was never there originally. It’s amazing to be able to do this, I guess that’s one amazing things about humans, we change and grow with more that we do and read. Until next, read moar manga~!

Manga Mumbles: Lets Talk Love Hina

Years ago, when I was a young Lass, I discovered manga and the choices back then was very limited and to make things even more fun, there was even less choices of where to find them and even worse if you don’t aim to travel to the city just for Manga. Back then I also use to be a weeb, into anime, worshipped Japan and thank the lords, I grew out of it, so the city was a frequent visit and back then, I wanted to read Love Hina but I delayed it for other series, like Battle Royale or Chobits.

Recently, I procured my partners 12 volumes of the series and read them all. I don’t look forward to the ending since I am in two minds about what I read to this point.

Let’s start with the first 8 volumes.

I did not like them. It was the same themes and, to be honest, abuse but in different areas and the story was not just going anyway. Sure, I love series that try and establish the goal and characters but I felt like it took 8 volumes to get anyway. The harem concept was a joke cause it’s super predictable that Naru, who constantly beats up Keitaro, is going to be the girl he marries. Another thing about Naru is the constant attacks on the guy, even when she is at fault. After the first few falls which results in tit grabs and garments being taken off, it loses its humour and becomes annoying cause it doesn’t stop.

I honestly wish I could talk more about the other characters but half the time, they are just in the background or props for more shit to be dished out on the somewhat boring and useless main protag. 

I get that when it was released, this use to be the best thing in Manga but reading it over ten years from it’s prime time, it’s not that great.

In my opinion, the first 8 volumes are just one giant filler.

Now, volume 9 started to garner interest from me cause it feels like the story was actually going somewhere. The characters seem to finally have a reason for being there besides props for the main two characters. The plot seems to make sense since they are now in Tokyo U and everything seems to finally mean something to the reader, it means progress.

Then, another character comes in and throws the story into a spin. I mean, at this point, why bother? 

Just means more work for both creator and reader but this addition brings in the whole incest thing which is beyond creepy in my opinion but I do admit, with her in the mix, it gave a spice to the story which also makes Naru pull her finger out her arse and do something about her feelings with Keitaro, which took nearly the whole series to get to this stage which should have been done when Mutsumi proposed herself as a love interest as Keitaro. No, we have to drag out an already dragged out series.

Normally I would rant and rave till the cows come home about how cliché and boring this series is and wonder how this actually got popular if it didn’t have the fan-service and harem themes that usually brings all the hormone driven males to their shores. I am still disappointed that it took 8 mangas to get somewhere interesting. I admit, I kept reading cause I love Tama-chan.

Now, I shall actually talk about the manga themselves.
For an older manga, the art style is still lovely but sometimes it gets really busy and overwhelming sometimes but at least they are utilising all the space.

The story is bland at best but it only really gets interesting after 8 volumes of filler work under the guise of story establishment. I mean, how hard is it to establish a story of a guy wanting to get into Tokyo U to fulfil a promise while living in luxury with a harem of gorgeous women, debatably with underage ones too, and then finally fulfilling that promise and marrying the girl of his dreams? 

Apparently with 8 filler volumes and 7 volumes of actual story where shit gets done.

Now the characters are not that great at first. The progress best when the story actually started to get interesting. Why won’t I say more on this or anything? All I can say is boring, bland and cliché. That’s this series in a nutshell and it’s quite sad. I bet if they remade it with all the good parts, I would probably have bought the series. I kind of glad that I never bought it originally, otherwise it may have ended up being a series I regret buying and would dump it on my friends who gets it up for the harem/fan-service/empty mangas like this.

I do apologise that this is not as positive as I would have liked but that would be lying. I actually struggled to read this series as a whole and I rarely take more than a few hours, let alone two weeks to read twelve volumes of a manga series. This says a lot about the series if anyone knows what I am like with a good manga. Spoiler: I read mangas in an hour or so cause I love a good story and I absorb it so much to the extent I regret finishing it, like I did with That Wolf-Boy is mine. Actually, I’d recommend that more than Love Hina and it could have done more with story.

Ken Akamatsu is a fascinating mangaka since I prefer some of his other series more than Love Hina, such as Negima and UQ Holder which are of the fantasy and supernatural themes but also have a reverse harem thing too. I also like the fact that he is a creator to the J-comi site that distributes digital versions of out-of-print manga. As much as I don’t like Love Hina, I feel that Ken did his best since this was his second series to garner much attention after A.I. Love You. If you are like me and can’t travel to local stores, you can purchase copies of his mangas from sites such as Book Depository.

Volume 1: $25.39aud (https://www.bookdepository.com/Love-Hina-Omnibus-1-Ken-Akamatsu/9781935429470?ref=grid-view&qid=1529977609622&sr=1-1)
Volume 2: $22.09aud (https://www.bookdepository.com/Love-Hina-Omnibus-2-Ken-Akamatsu/9781935429487?ref=grid-view&qid=1529977609622&sr=1-4)
Volume 3: $25.05aud (https://www.bookdepository.com/Love-Hina-Omnibus-3-Ken-Akamatsu/9781612620206?ref=grid-view&qid=1529977609622&sr=1-2)
Volume 4: $25.03aud (https://www.bookdepository.com/Love-Hina-Omnibus-4-Ken-Akamatsu/9781612620213?ref=grid-view&qid=1529977609622&sr=1-5)
Volume 5: $19.85aud (https://www.bookdepository.com/Love-Hina-Omnibus-5-Ken-Akamatsu/9781612620220?ref=grid-view&qid=1529977609622&sr=1-3)