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.

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 a day: NGE Campus Apocalypse

When I have nothing to review as a set, may as well talk about the ones I am reading, re-reading, in this case. I may do this with both old and new series I have obtained and it's basically me rambling again. I do hope it's at least minorly interesting.

Today, I am reading Campus Apocalypse, an alternative storyline to the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. I originally bought this series due to being an NGE fan and wanting to see alternatives to the main series. Another reason for procuring is for the delightful art and I do really enjoy the change of pace as well as the different story.

The fun thing about this manga that it is rather short, being four mangas long compared to the 14 volumes of the original series. So, since I am reading it and not reviewing it, I may as well leave all the fun and juicy morsels till the being unveiling. Who knows, it may happen later today!