Currently Reading: Claymore

Author: Yagi Norihiro

Year: 2006

Status: In publication

# Chapters: 141

Genre: Seinen

Chronicles of an Addict - Chapter I: How Mangakas Manage to Screw Up their Stories

 Caution: possible spoilers for the mangas mentioned in labels.

"Did it ever happen to you that after reading the first chapter of a manga, you thought: "Ohhh, this manga is gonna be epic and as you read the manga, that feels slowly disappears? And when you reach last chapter, you feel like you've been cheated?"

Disappointed...

So there's this manga that I like very much called Saiyuki (it's a must-to-read). Anyway, that manga is divided into several parts. And one of it is called Saiyuki Gaiden. The thing I'm disappointed about is that not so long time ago several OAVs have been made. At first, I was thrilled. I was there like yay!! Happy and stuff. But then when I finally found a link and watched it, I was just disappointed.

So here are the reasons of my disappointment:
First you have to know that Saiyuki Gaiden is a 4 volumes manga. So imagine what was my reaction when I saw that the 2 first volumes were dealt in 5 minutes (NOT kidding).
And in the manga there's a beautiful and tragic scene, and you're supposed to cry, but this time I laughed. Can you imagine I was laughing (unbelievable).

Concerning the design, there's nothing to say except FUGLY.
For those who know more or less the manga, they are certainly aware that the author's style is special but beautiful. And for those who are not familiar with the manga here's 2 images so you can have an idea.
So imagine that they tried to copy that particular style. When you see the result, again, FUGLY

The only thing positive about it is the music. I think that KOKIA has a beautiful voice.
Overall, I think that's it.
Hum, yes for those who know the manga here a link for the first OAV but it's only in Japanese, there are NO subtitles.

And for those who don't know Saiyuki, here is a little summary:
This is the story of 4 guys who are sent by Kanon (bodhisattva) to Tenjiku (India) to stop an evil that's afflicting the youkais (I suppose there's no need to explain what a youkai is?). Amongst the 4 guys, you have a monk called Genjo Sanzo. But there's something particular about that monk. He smokes, drinks, swears and carries a gun, yes ladies and gentlemen a GUN.
The other 3 are respectably called Son Goku, Sha Gojo and Cho Hakkai and they're all youkai.

And here is my  reading advise.
As I said it's divided in several parts
So you have to read them in that order:
- (Gensomaden) Saiyuki
- Saiyuki Reload
- Saiyuki Reload Blast
- Saiyuki Gaiden/ Saiyuki Ibun

Mangas I've been recently reading...

Hello!!

So let's talk about mangas.

The first I'll talk about is Karakuri Odette by Suzuki Julietta (author of Kamisama, Hajimemashita)

Basically it's the story of Odette who is an android designed by the Dr. Yoshizawa. Wanting to find the ultimate difference between humans and her, Odette decides to persuade Dr. Yoshizawa to enroll her in a local high school. So we'll follow her crazy adventures in her discovery of the human world.

I have to say that, at the beginning, I was a little perplex. I was there like huh? What?A story with a robot?! o_O But while reading, I became to like it very much. Seriously, it's a nice story, Odette is not stupid, she's just sometimes clueless,that's all.

 Next is Mademoiselle Butterfly by Ogura Akane. It's a 2 volume manga that tells us the story of a 15 year old geisha-in-training named Butterfly. Every day, she goes to see Chinatsu, a tattoo artist who lives behind her okiya. He has always been kind to her and she's in love with him (not really surprising, I know). And what Butterfly likes the most are Chinatsu's tattoos. Of course, he refuses to make her a real tattoo and instead he draws her butterflies on her arms.

One day, a rich client comes to her okiya and finds her interesting. He's willing to buy and take her overseas. So what will happen? And what will Chinatsu think about the news?

My opinion is that it's a very nice shoujo. And even though it's a typical shoujo, it's still a cute little story to read. I know that I didn't say much about it but I think that the best way to know it is to read it.

BTW, it has nothing to do with Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly. The only thing in common is that they're both geisha.

Now a shounen for change. This one is quite known, I think, but I still want to talk about it because it's so hilarious.

The name's Beelzebub by Tamura Ryuuhei.

The strong delinquent Oga (nicknamed Ogre, Demon, or "it'd be alright if he'd just die" by other delinquents) picks up a baby that turns out to be the son of the Great Demon King! And so he is chosen to be the one to raise baby beel (nickname given by Oga). But the thing is that he doesn't want to, so he'll try to find someone else to raise baby beel. But he won't and so after subsequently fighting and defeating all members of the Tōhōshinki (the gang chiefs of the high school he's going to) and in the process, destroying Ishiyama High itself, Oga and company are transferred to Saint Ishiyama Academy, which appears to be a direct opposite of the delinquent school... that is when the real story actually begins.

Anyway, hum, what to say, I don't know. I think you should see it yourself. There's no way I could say something to make you read it. No that there's nothing to say it's that there's to much to say. I don't know what to begin with.

But where to read them?

Karakuri Odette and Beelzebub are on MangaFox. 

But Mademoiselle Butterfly is not available on manga sharing site that I know. But you can still find and download it on the group's blog who translated it. here you have the link.

Hope you'll like them and have a good time reading them if you do read them

Kamisama, hajimemashita !

As I said in my presentation, I will not only publish translation of manga ,but I will also speak about manga I've recently read. So here it is.

The manga I will talk about is Kamisama, hajimemashita (in English it's Nice to meet you God).

I have to say that it surprised me. It's a typical shoujo but still, full of surprises.

So basically, it's the story of Momozono Nanami, whose father has accumulated a huge amount of debt. So you might think that the little girl is going to help her father to pay back his debt and then going to meet a nice boy, blah blah. But hey, not this time. The father has actually ran away, leaving his daughter alone and homeless. 

So, the day when her father has run away, she finds herself in a park, not knowing what's gonna happen next. And there she meets a guy (no, it's not prince charming, quite the opposite actually) to whom she tells her story. And that guy, moved by her story, offers her his house and then before leaving he kisses her on her forehead. So, of course, she decides to take a gander at this house and she finds out that it's not a house but a shrine.There she meets 3 spirits. Two of them are child-like people with weird faces and the other one, a kitsune (demon fox), called Tomoe. And of course Tomoe  is awfully cute (ha ha, of course he's cute, it wouldn't be a shoujo if he wasn't) but he's not as nice as you might think. He's more like a devil. 

Anyway, the 2 little spirits are welcoming her with great enthusiasm and they tell her that she's the new God of the shrine. But how come can she be the new God?  Well, it's simple, the guy she met in the park was the previous God of the shrine and with that kiss she received, she was given the shrine and all that goes with it. Of course Tomoe, not happy to discover, after 20 years of waiting, that the previous God won't come back and that he appointed a useless and fragile human to be the new God, will leave the shrine. But the thing is that Tomoe is the only one who can prevail the shrine to fall into ruin. So Nanami will have to convince Tomoe to come back to the shrine. Which won't be a piece of cake, believe me.

Okay, I think I'll say no more about it and let you discover the rest of the story, of course if you liked the little summary I've done.