Nana to Kaoru Appreciation Post

 

Anyone who knows me knows that this is a series I wished was translated into English so I could feel more supportive of the industry, that and how much I have adored this series since I first read it.

Now I gave up with waiting. I decided to hell with it and get the Japanese editions of Nana and Kaoru (Nana to Kaoru), also grabbed Black Label and Last Year as well cause might as well get as much as this series as I possibly could.

There is no regrets here but I now feel a drive to actually better what little Japanese I know into an ability that would allow myself to fully immerse into my favourite series.

I do plan to buy other series that companies either won’t print or license into English cause why should I keep waiting for something when I can support the original publication? Also, there is something about owning the original form of a manga in it’s original language.

It doesn’t help that these are absolutely gorgeous and I am in love with them. It's a pity that you can't get these in English but you can basically get them in German, French and I think Spanish, so quite a few European countries. Heck, I noticed it gets asked for quite a bit and I wish it got noticed cause despite the S&M themes, it's a rather cute series that focuses on relationships and personal growth and development as well as giving a much better view of how S&M and BDSM works, unlike the other series that got printed which didn't start off with consent, looking at you Pleasure and Corruption. Don't get me wrong, Pleasure and Corruption is not a bad series but it's not a great representation of Bondage either. 

So, Nana to Kaoru (Nana and Kaoru) is an 18 volume series by Ryuta Amazume where it's about a 17yo Kaoru who has a love for S&M and Bondage, who is in love with his childhood friend Nana, not only that but he imagines doing such things with her. Until one day his mother hid his gear with Nana to try and get him to study. Nana, who is having a rut with her studies, decided to peek into the bag, she pulls out the leather one-piece and tries it on, pondering why it seems to fit her, without realising she accidentally locks herself into it, of course, she doesn't have the key! Embarrassed, she goes to the one person who can get her out of it, Kaoru. This starts a S&M comedy about a boy and a girl who uses these themes as a way to develop themselves and their relationships, not just around them, but between themselves.

It has a lot of ecchi and fan service in it but the one aspect I love the most is the romantic and slice of life themes that the story embodies. It's just a pity people see it and go "ewww" without reading it. Sure, it has some strong themes (urinating in public, bondage, pet play) but it also focuses and shows the development of relationships and characters within the story. It starts off like a cliche but it becomes something so sweet and sensual that it's an utter shame that this doesn't have an English print.

Though, now I don't care if it does get one (if it does, I'd get it just to sit with the Japanese) but I am super thrilled to have this series thanks to my partners help, he knew how long I wanted these and we finally found two sellers that had the lot. I am eternally grateful for having a series I love. It's the year of dreams coming true~! 

Downfall feat. Life

Downfall - Inio Asano
Viz Media asked if they could use this image, I feel so honoured.

It's been a  while since I last posted here for I have been dealing with a lot of things, finding motivation to blog or been drowning an anxiety with doing things I use to do in my old place, which basically involves doing dishes and dealing with washing. Something I was once forced to do but now is oddly something I have to, no, I must do. Otherwise I get so antsy if I don’t, I feel like I’m not doing anything, feel like trouble will be around the corner, that feeling that I can’t breathe if I don’t do them… It’s too much even though I don’t have to do the dishes or the clothes but lately, I feel that I must. 

Otherwise, in my life I went to the city, got some mangas, novels and a figurine from Kino, I should make a post image just for them, to be honest because adding them here would be an injustice. Also went and had dinner with my partner and his mother, it was a lovely meal and I joined the local club since being local requires me to do so now. 

Anyway, then I don’t recall Tuesday. 

Wednesday was a contributor to my stress for my mother was being unreasonable since I didn’t resolve to be quick to answer her, resulted in her throwing a tantrum and basically being done with me, which is code for basically being disowned in my family. So, since I had other plans, I went to drop off boxes, dealt with the woman-child and resolve to see her the next Wednesday for her Birthday, which I have not found a suitable gift for her. Then I saw a friend that I haven’t seen in ages and had a long convo over sushi with and ended the day with picking up an order, obtaining a shelf and did a spot of shopping to end a stressful morning but a relaxing afternoon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

But I am not here to talk about my life, I am here to talk about Downfall by Inio Asano which was published by Viz Media.

We follow a mans journey as he navigates the dark waters of being a manga creator who had a taste of glory and started to feel it slip away from him. At first he seems to scorn women and those who don’t seem to support him and his dream, then question on where to go after he finished his series. So he starts to consort with other women for love while his marriage seems to be crumbling to nothing with his career slowly following. It was here another character leads him to find himself more and learned more about her but their relationship doesn’t seem to last as they go their separate ways. He reflects upon his path as he finds a spark within his works, during a signing a fan he chat to on social media meets him and it was thanks to her he found a human side to himself and his works, possibly.

Sure, I basically spoiled the story in a vague as fuck way since this story has so much depths and darkness to it, I feel like Asano is talking about a truth that may be lurking within them, showing us readers a side of the industry that we try to overlook since we want to only see the works more than the creator. It was truly a fascinating read though it was not my favourite of the year but it left me feeling heavy and tired, since there was so much inside the work. I would recommend others to read this since I don’t have enough yet too many words to describe this work.
Then again, this is often reflected in Amano’s works like Solanin, Nijigahara Holograph and A Girl on the Shore, which a stories that make people think of a darkness, changes in life and usually of serious nature that a lot of mangas these days don’t have since they are so not often licensed by companies, which I can say a lot on but don’t wish to waste this post on.

Downfall art is similar to all Asano’s works and is easy to spot from a distance. It’s still appealing and I have moments where I mixed up characters, mainly due to possibly me reading a part before bed. The detail is gorgeous with a sense of depth and somewhat realism. I really love the simple cover and how it looks upon my shelf. I’m glad I accidentally dropped it and felt guilty that if it was damaged that someone else ends up getting it. It was quite the read for me and I hope others, especially fans of his works, gets this manga. It’s a single volume and is really worth the buy.

Day 31 – Readable Procurement Squad

Today there is no manga to really share, so I decided to go with books today, since that is also a big part of my collecting habits. So, I am happy to share the possible shit taste I have in books, which may or may not be any different to my manga taste.

Here is the list of books I have today:

• Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler
• Dark Secrets 1, 2 and 3 by Elizabeth Chandler
• Beautiful Creature by Garcia and Stohl
• Beautiful Darkness by Garcia and Stohl
• Beautiful Chaos by Garcia and Stohl
• Beautiful Redemption by Garcia and Stohl
• Others by James Herbert
• Haunted by James Herbert
• The Taking by Dean Koontz
• Trust me, I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer
• Trust me, I’m Trouble by Mary Elizabeth Summer
• The Forbidden Game by L.J.Smith
• Dark Visions by L.J.Smith
• Under the Dome by Stephen King

I am going to do my best talking about these books since I haven’t read any of them yet and bought them all second-hand from Lifeline as I usually do on a Thursday. I think my goal will be sharing the synopsis and condition of the books.

Book Collection

Kissed by an Angel has minor bends on the cover and a bit coloured but otherwise it’s in great condition. 

This is the tale of Ivy who had just lost her boyfriend, which made her lose her faith in angels. That is, until she discovers that he is now her guardian angel. She needs him as he knows she is terrible danger as his killer has turned their eyes onto her but saving her means leaving her forever, what will happen knowing that her being saved means leaving again?
That is the basics of this suspenseful, romantic trilogy. I am not very fond of angel-based stories that seem to be based on romance, since I feel iffy about romances to begin with. Despite that, I am giving it a chance since I felt it be weird to get the other books by Elizabeth Chandler and not Kissed by an Angel.

Next, we have the three Dark Secrets books by Elizabeth Chandler.
The First book doesn’t match the other two but matches Kissed by an Angel, so I am not too fussed. All three books are in great condition despite the scratches on book 2, which is noticeable at closer inspection and it’s the only damage worth noting.
Each book contains at least two tales.

The first book revolves around Megan, who has to stay with her grandmother that she doesn’t get along with and tries to get through it without issues but that doesn’t happen as she ends up in a twisted love triangle with deadly consequences. There is more to her and her family that she never realised till now.
Lauren is returning to the town where her mother died in a drowning seven years ago. When she arrives, she ends up in a series of mysterious events that lead her to believe that her mothers drowning may not be the accident she first believed it was.

The second book also contains two stories. The first one introduces Jenny who is devastated by the death of her sister Liza. While looking for closure, she secretly signs up for a drama club where her sister died. Jenny feels she can find answers there but what she got is a lot more twisted than she first thought.

Next we have Kate who thought she was done with the daring adventures since her friends’ death in an icy pond. Eventually she returns home and flooded with memories of her friend and feels her presence lingering there and the boy next door claims to be able to see her. Will Kate be able to face her past to prevent it from happening again?

Now the third book only seems to contain one story compared to the first two. This time we are introduced to Anna, who knows her family is a little crazy but when the body of her uncle shows up burned to a crisp, she reaches a new level of crazy. Apparently, according to the local folk, her family are known to be psychic in nature. When she is suddenly pulled to the site of her uncles’ death, she starts to believe that those tales may be true and that there is a lot more going on than what it seems.

Next, we have the Beautiful something series, I am kind of glad I got the lot together and nearly the same design but all in great condition. Book 2 is laminated though but that has me amused more than anything else.

First, we have Beautiful Creatures where we meet Lena Duchannes, a girl who is cursed and that curse will be paid in full on the sixteenth birthday. Lena and Ethan are bound by a deep love and fate will change everything.  

Beautiful Darkness continues on with Lena 17^th birthday approaching as the couple face a greater danger. She is a caster while Ethan is a human. She fights a war that her family is locked in but how will their love last when Ethan’s heart could beat it’s last at any time.

Beautiful Chaos follows as they continue on their path, but Lena is struggling with her power that could destroy their world, but one must make a sacrifice, even if there is no answer and could result in a happy ending.

Beautiful Redemption is the conclusion to the Beautiful series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
The story picks up where Ethan longs to return to Lena and her to him, but will they end up together or be apart forever? Will fate have other ideas? Only this book will give us the conclusive answer to this series of Love, War and the Supernatural.

Seems like Others is a supernatural mystery and the condition of it is great for a second-hand, like a large chunk of these books I obtain.
The synopsis is interesting to me, it starts off with what was suppose to be an easy job, find a missing kid but it doesn’t help that the kid is dead but the mother insists that the child is still alive. This took the main character to hell, where they came from, but the thing is, they can’t remember anything and the answers were not what he was ready to confront. It’s a story that one might hate, since it’s so close to the real truth. Do you have the guts to read this? 

Seems like the book wants you to read it but tries to scare one away with horror themes, so this book is ideal for horror and supernatural lovers.

Haunted is a hardcover book with a book cover on it, which I am too lazy to remove but I am glad that it won’t get more damage compared to the others.

Now the synopsis.

David Ash, Psychic Investigator, is invited to Edbrook where an alleged haunting is taking place. He is known to root out and expose the fakes and finding the natural causes of the supposed hauntings but Edbrook has a mystery that cannot be explained by natural causes, in the process Ash is faced with his past as he takes part in the game with deadly consequences in order to find the truth about this place.

As usual, great condition and another Dean Koontz work that sounds quite interesting.
The Taking follows Molly and Neil Sloan wakes to find an themselves in an eerily luminous downpour, this was not the only issues happening as they turn on the news and see that all sorts of extreme weather are occurring all over the globe. In the evening, a ghostly fog covers the area and leaves them feeling isolated but that’s not all, everything starts to go dead. They gather with the neighbours, sensing a danger is looming and they figure a way to find out what and how to deal with this. But is it all what it seems or something deeper and darker?

The next two are a part of a series together and seems like the only two works currently by Mary Elizabeth Summer. I like the condition of both these books, and they seem to be there every time I go in there and decided to take them home and give them a gander, as well as add them to my novel collection.

First, we have, “Trust me, I’m Lying” where we first meet the character Julep Dupree and she is a very good liar, with good reasons. She is at one of the swankiest schools and needs funds for her tuition and what is no better than running petty scams, deception does run in her family and all.
That is until her home is ransacked, and her father is missing, that’s when things get serious and fast. Considering now that one of the hottest guys gets involved and makes it messier. Julep feels she is in over her head, but it doesn’t stop her using her skills to find her dad before someone takes her out of the game.

Second book is the continuing with her still running cons while keeping her guilty conscious at bay, but it doesn’t stop someone from wanting her to pay with her life. So, in ones usually dumb judgement moments, she takes a shady case that could lead her finding more about her mother and a blue fairy. Julep will do anything to make sure she doesn’t fail, considering her life is on the line at each step of this journey.

We have another two omnibus from L.J.Smith and it’s only another cause I have previously collected the Night World omnibus sets and been waiting for years for more from that series cause it was really good. I did start reading the series due to Vampire Diaries, since it was so fascinating at the time. Which was me back in High School during the early 2000s.

Dark Visions follows a group of special people with psychic abilities. We follow Kaitlyn Fairchild, a girl with prophetic and strong psychic abilities. She meets others like her and end up falling for two guys there while trying to bond with others like her, but it eventually gets rocky when they all develop a link between each other and makes things more intense and Kaitlyn questions herself on her choices.

The Forbidden Love starts with Jenny buying her boyfriend a game but at the same time, she feels a strong attraction to the man who sold her the game. Eventually, she returns back and starts playing the game with her friend, despite it being for her boyfriend. A night of fun and friendship decided to turn into a night of terror and obsessive love. The game has become their new reality with the cutie from the store being the overlord. Now Jenny and her friends must face their deepest fears or lose their lives but that is just the beginning.

Under the Dome is basically a rebuy since the version I had was very unappealing to me, but this copy not only looks better but fits in better with my collection and is in a newer condition.
It’s a beautiful autumn day when everything changes in a New England town when they are inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force. No one can fathom what the barrier is or where it came from, let alone if or when it goes away. A few people, led by an Iraq vet turned short-order cook to confront the corrupt politicians set on seizing the reigns of power, while also dealing with the dome because time isn’t running short but running out.

I do enjoy Stephen King books and I hope to one day own all his works especially Cujo. I do really enjoy his works ever since I was a young teen, then again, other authors on this list, such as Dean Koontz and L.J.Smith are also other authors I seem to have held on as favourites since I was a teen.

These are my procurements this week, sadly not manga but I hope these are just as interesting. Also, I do apologise for such a long post and it took me two days to write it up, which is a new thing for me, but I am happy to be sharing this. I cannot wait to read them and possibly share my views on these books.

Day 28 – Manga Procurement Squad #6

Presenting the sixth procurement method which shows I have so little time and a lot of ways to procure manga, besides allocating funds for the lovely habit of gaming, manga and cute figurines. Today, we have a pile from the Kinokuniya visit during the Tuesday social event and the pop figures cause my partner is my valentine for life and he has increased our future collection together.

The list consists of both manga and little decorations called pop vinyl and figurines:

• I want to eat your Pancreas Complete
• Gantz G volume 1-2
• Dangan Ronpa 2 volume 2
• Dead Mount Death Play volume 1
• Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy
• Smokin Parade volume 4
• The Demon Prince of Momochi House volume 13
• Kaguya-Sama: Love is War volume 2
• Genkaku Picasso volume 1
• Rem Figurine
• Four Pop Vinyls from Aggretsuko and Fantastic Beasts

My original plan was basically Gantz and Gantz G, I want to eat your Pancreas, Demon Prince, Wotakoi and Dangan Ronpa 2 but when I got there, Wotakoi wasn’t present and I wasn’t keen on just getting 3 without 1 and 2, so that’s where about four other mangas came in. This also applied to Gantz, since that never seems to be in.
Anyway, Dead Mount, Caterpillar Girl, Smokin Parade and Kaguya-Sama was to beef up the missing ones and the Genkaku was obtained due to it being really cheap and I was like “Hot damn, you are joining in with the pile”

Probably thinking, why so many mangas? Well, I don’t get to visit Kinokuniya often, so we, just grab a few more than usual and enjoy the indulgence. This time, we also got the Rem figurine and she is now hiding in my figurine cabinet. I really enjoyed shopping with my partner at Kino, it’s honestly one of my favourite parts of this week cause I got to spend time with my partner doing stuff I really enjoy.

Yesterday was the day of Valentines and I neglected to write up this blog but the partner help me get more cuties to the party of pop vinyls, this procurement was somewhat inspired from me going “I want to see if the other Retsuko pops are in to go with the chainsaw one I got in the mail” and before long, we got them and two cuties from the Fantastic Beasts world. Apparently, one glows in the dark and I think it’s super cute.

It’s hard to pick one thing I enjoy.
I love the ever-growing figurine collections and I got a lot of manga that I cannot wait to read. Heck, even a few I been wanting to get a few but keep delaying for one reason or another but I am really happy to have this collection slowly increase but I also get the fun part of storing and reading them.

I had a lot of fun this week and I am so glad to have this small procurement, but I probably love the time with friends and my partner the most and all these purchases was a bonus that I can share with them. Next will be the mail this week, which includes the long overdue order, but I am very happy. Now time to study and rest from too much social.

Day 25 – Manga Procurement Squad #5

The recent unofficial collector has picked up a huge bundle for me and they are added to the collection quite nicely. Not all are from that bundle but there is a few that I got from Lifeline and the rest are either cute knick knacks, books and even sweets from the ever so amazing Mouse. Trust me, I will mention which come from where and the usual info, sadly I been a bit slow on reading but hopefully I can fix that up within the coming weeks, since I am reducing on buying the lovely mangas, unless they are a good bundle for a good price.

The newest children are:

• Mayo Chiki (Complete) Omnibus 1-3
• Mysterious Girlfriend X 1
• Genshiken (Complete) Omnibus 1-3
• Yotsuba&1-3
• Beast Master 1
• God Child (Complete) 1-8
• Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz 1-2
• Vampire Game 1-6
• Black Clover 1
• Hana-Kimi Omnibus 1
• Pokemon 1
• Crazy Rich Asians
• 3 Lying Cats
• Basilisk

So, let’s begin with the mangas that I got from facebook.
One bundle consisted of Beast Master, God Child and Alice in the country of Clover and they are pretty good condition, minus the fact that God Child needed a wipe down due to the dirt or what not on the covers. I enjoyed reading the Alice mangas and waiting till I get Cain Saga before I can read God Child as well. Beast Master was an amazing read as well, if it was any longer, it would have been ruined but then again, there is a review about it on this blog.

Bundle two off of Facebook is basically the Omnibus collection and Yotsuba&.
I started to try and Yotsuba& but I was a little turned off from the yelling in it, but I am hoping to read the others to see if it gets better, for now they are on the backburner in regards to buying them.
Mayo Chiki, Genshiken and Mysterious Girlfriend X are a few I am quite happy with and cannot wait to read them. Mysterious only has five more volumes until it is complete while the other two are complete. They came in such amazing conditions and the price made it worth procuring, even the one I am very iffy with.

Now, the rest of manga is the ones from Lifeline.
First we have a lovely collection of Vampire Game where I am only missing, oh, 9 volumes until it is complete.

Black Clover has up to 19 volumes out and surprisingly, not a bad series and I hope to procure the rest at a later time.

Now, Hana-Kimi, I enjoyed a lot and knowing I can get about 7 more volumes to complete, what is normally a 23 volume series, is even better. I enjoy the concept of seeing a girl survive in an all-boys school just to be close to her idol amuses me to no end.

Pokemon was todays purchase and I am kind of hoping to see if it is like the original series but I don’t have the highest of hopes, but I do hope it’s entertaining either way.

The condition of the mangas are pretty amazing for mangas being left in a second-hand store and I am very happy to have them in my collection. I also cannot wait to read them after I finish Sankarea, especially Pokemon.

Now onto the last bits of this purchase/acquisition phase.

I have four new pop friends in the form of Harry Potter’s Basilisk, three Lying Cats and one of them seems to have a lot of fun eliminating a foe. I may not have read Saga, but I do enjoy the looks and concept of the Lying Cat and I only did a bit of research, just to have a little idea of what I bought.

I also recently got Crazy Rich Asians since I did watch the movie, very much enjoyed it and hope the book is just as amazing or even better than the film. It’s just a pity that I haven’t been motivated to read as much as I should have but either way, I am glad to see it join the growing ranks of novels.

The final item is the box of chocolates my lovely partner got because it was a great price and he knows that I absolutely love Cookies and Cream anything. He claims it’s for Valentines and I just glad he got me something I’d enjoy and share with him cause they are so yummy.

So that’s the huge procurement bundle I got some time ago and I am so glad to share these and the others I got because I just a sucker for a good deal. Next coming up is the mail haul, which is a few rare mangas for an even cheaper price than these ones and they were pretty damn cheap. I really need to start reviewing and less procurement stuff. Until next time, read more stuff!

Day 19 – Manga Procurement Squad #4

Yesterday was a busy day and resulted in me not being able to post anything, so was today but finally, a downtime where I can talk about my newest babies from the amazing pandapaws! 

Tsubasa 1-5

So, as usual, we met up and I procured the lovely mangas that I am going to have fun trying to find the place for them since they are wide but average sized mangas.

The babies in question is Tsubasa Omnibus 1 to 5 and I am pleased to get at least half the series for an amazingly cheap price. Funnily enough, it was one of the few mangas I have procured within the last few days, considering I got a few off facebook and plan to put them in the next procurement squad instalment.

RE2

The conditions, as usual, was amazing.
Tiny bit of yellow on the edges, minor damage on the spine of one but otherwise five perfect babies for me to love, read and enjoy. I am so glad to finally obtain a copy after a few days humming over it and ended up in the back burners. Then this deal came in and I was like “yes, you join us now” and boom, they are now apart of the Mizu den’s collection.

I know, I am not saying much since my head is full of Resident Evil 2 thoughts since I been playing the shit out of it today since I couldn’t help myself and buy it on day one release. It was a really fun game, very different from the original game and I really glad to finally see it in a new light. I also got two pop vinyls earlier, mainly to invoke my desire to play Kingdom Hearts 3 and cause Sirius Black as a puppy is super duper cute.
So now, I shall read some more Naruto and enjoy my new Resident Evil cup!

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 10 – Manga Procurement Squad #2

Today was not that great of day in the emotional sense for me but after a few thought out ideas from my partner, such as good food, looking at books, getting new mangas for a great price, those sorts of things and eventually, things got a bit more bearable for me. Like I mentioned yesterday, the procurement squad had a quest to procure a 20-volume collection named Angel Sanctuary done by Kaori Yuki, who also done Godchild and Cain Saga. Actually, she has done quite a few manga series that I would love to get one day. 

Volumes 1-10

As amusing as this sounds, I actually have a few eBay sellers that I will frequently check and buy from, Pandapaw123 is one because she is always honest about her stuff and sells at an amazing price. I plan to buy another series when the funds come in, since I enjoy Arina Tanemura’s works and I heard many good things, major point, it’s a complete set. Anyway, that’s for another time.

Angel Sanctuary, like many other series, was something I read several years ago during my early years of buying mangas. It was also a collection my old friend got a few of and then didn’t quite finish it. So I have been sitting on unfinished knowledge about Angels versing Demons where a human was dragged into cause he is the reincarnation of a very powerful angel. That is just a small part of it, in my opinion, since this has a lot more to it.

You have the romance, debatably incestuous but a love no matter. It has violence, in the form of a war. You have a story written by one of the most captivating manga artists whose style is very distinct and honestly, I recommend her works so much. Then again, I should procure more before going on about how amazing it is without evidence to back me up.

Volumes 11-20

The mangas were a bit aged in the fact of the yellowing occurring but I believe it must have been loved and was possibly kept out or stored away. I am unsure but that is honestly a lesser evil compared to some other mangas I have procured in the past. Volume 4 had a sticker on it but that’s easily fixed. No marks that bothered me and I am just happy to have them in my life now. I will do a review eventually when I get to reading it once again.

As much as I have a lot to say, I can’t find the right words. I do recommend this series a lot since it is one of the more intriguing stories, I have read in my teen years since it stayed with me long enough to inspire me procuring it and I am so pleased to have the whole series for an affordable price. I also enjoy the little wall scroll that was in the bag, but I doubt it has much relation to the series in hand, but I thought it was very nice. I can’t stop admiring and feeling glad that this series was obtained.

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.