The Last Straw!

So I wanted to edit an older post to fit the newer review format and what happens? The format for the whole thing goes wack. I can't even fix it because the breaks are not showing up in the HTML section. This is the last straw, I'm moving my blog to wordpress. I've had enough of being unable to edit old posts because the format gets messed up for NO APPARENT REASON! I'll be slowly moving all my old posts to the new blog and when I do, I'll close this one down. Sorry to any readers that like blogger. I just can't take it any more. I know I haven't been posting lately but I still do want to maintain this blog. Plus a lot of online bloggers I know are using wordpress or have moved to wordpress. So it was only a matter of time.

~Joanna

Impression: Please Save My Earth 9

Volume 9 continues the Moon Scientists story through the eyes of Shion.

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Summary

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Shion's recollections continue this volume; from his last days at school to his assignment and arrival at the Moon Base.

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My Thoughts

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I bet no one thought I could ever make my summary so short, but here it is, a single sentence. I guess it's much easier to do it here because it's all recollections. :P

Shion continues to fascinate me this volume, although he can be quite the egocentric jerk. Still, something about the way Hiwatari-san wrote his character makes him quite sympathetic. I personally think it has a lot to do with his inner monologues as we are given a window into why he does what he does.

Mokuren finally makes a bigger appearance this volume, although it's all through the perspective of Shion. Knowing that Hiwatari-san can write interesting characters, I'm awfully curious why Mokuren does and says what she does and I'm really hoping it's not just because she's a sweet little thing (if that does turn out to be the case, I will be really disappointed). I really hope we get a look into her head too. The biggest points I wonder about are why she smiled when she was right about to cry (and doesn't tell Shion off for being the jerk he is to her) and the supposed "happiness and preference" that Shion ascribes to her upbringing in Paradise. I honestly think Mokuren might have had a less sugary childhood than Shion thinks precisely because Hiwatari-san made Shion dwell on this. Hopefully we shall find this out later when we get a look into Mokuren's head. Yes, I will be thoroughly disappointed if we don't get a look at things from Mokuren's perspective.

Also, I was quite surprised Shion made me chuckle this volume when he and Gyokuran were discussing whether they should say something to Mokuren about her nude stroll. It was priceless, the things Shion said. haha. I hope we get more of these little bits of humour.

Other than that, it was an interesting volume in general because it gave us a look into what was happening on the Moon Base. I'm looking forward to volume 10.

~Joanna

Impression: Please Save My Earth 8

This volume finally gives us a look into the enigmatic Shion.

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Summary

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Haruhiko manages to deflect the blast from Rin, but when he begs him to spare the others, Rin furiously reminds him that he has no obligation to do that for someone who never kept his promise and proceeds to beat Haru up. Mikuro tries to stop him and the resulting collision of mental powers causes a great explosion, which sets the temple on fire.

Mikuro and Haru escape with minor injuries, but Rin isn't so lucky. Mikuro explains that it is because Rin's power was much stronger, and because it was different than his own, each of their powers rebound back at them. Compounding this, jumping back to Tokyo, like Rin did, would only worsen his injuries.

Meanwhile, Alice hears about Rin's hospitalization from her mother and both of them hurry to the hospital. They learn from the doctor that while Rin is ok, his injuries were grave and they do not match with being hit by a car. Alice later volunteers to stay by Rin's side when his father can't make it. When she comes, Rin's mother confesses to her that she feels as if Rin is no longer her son and asks if this is because she is tired. Alice is amazed at how well Rin's mother is able to understand what has happened to Rin without knowing anything.

Rin, other the other hand, has delved even further into Shion's psyche and is now experiencing Shion's entire life from his young childhood on the war torn Moon Tess, where he had to kill to survive until he was picked up and sent to the planet Shia to live in a Sarjalimian Monastery to his short stay with Lazlo, his foster father, and Kyaa. Then the memories shift due to Rin momentarily waking up and we are introduced to a slightly older Shion, who is now attending a boarding school though a state sponsored scholarship. During this time we are also introduced to Gyokuran, who seems to have known Shion since they were children, and Shiukaido, who has recently transferred to Gyokuran and Shion's school. Later Shiukaido asks Shion why he insists that Gyokuran hates him and Shion tells him that everyone has a dark side but Gyokuran would rather die than let others know about it. Shion then recalls how Gyokuran invited him over to his home when they were younger and paraded around his family. This event seems to have been the cause of Shion's resentment toward Gyokuran. --End of Volume Eight.

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My Thoughts

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This was a very interesting volume and I am simply amazed at the level of sophistication that Hiwatari-san has painted Shion. The boy is clearly troubled by his lack of parents, of love and he clearly still has scars from his time on war torn Tess leading to much cynicism. For example, Shion is greatly affected by seeing Gyokuran's family; not only because he really wants one, but also because he feels that Gyokuran brought him over out of pity. My interpretation of Gyokuran's action is two-fold: yes, at the core there must have been some pity there, but it also looked like Gyokuran wanted Shion to have some fun at his house. He simply brought a friend over; it looked to me that Gyokuran was oblivious to how Shion left. Another example was when Gyokuran defended Shion and cried afterwards about his bullying. Shion didn't understand why he was crying, but again, Gyokuran felt pity but also I think frustration and sympathy (he says to Shion: "Why don't you say something back to them!? I...I can't stand how they treat you...!"). I personally feel that if it was just pity, the young Gyokuran would simply say: "it's not fair how they treat you" and leave it at that. But he genuinely seems to care and sympathize with Shion and thereby showing frustration that the other boy isn't standing up for himself. How does this factor into Shion? Well Shion is cynical; he can't seem to believe that Gyokuran would feel anything but pity for him, that coupled with his jealousity of Gyokuran's love and family leads to much anminosity toward Gyokuran....which seemingly Gyokuran doesn't notice or doesn't want to notice.

What makes me curious is that Enju and Shusuran imply that Shion is right about Gyokuran: that this is all an act for Gyokuran. Shusuran stated that Gyokuran is a "slime ball" and only acts good because he's too cowardly to do otherwise and Enju affirms this by saying she also likes that about him. Yet, it doesn't appear to be an act, at least not all of it. So I really do hope Hiwatari-san gives us a look into Gyokuran too. I would love to see his side of the story. :)

~Joanna

Top 5 Manga I want to See Localized

I was going to do a top 10, but I figured I haven't read enough Japan-only manga to pick ones I really really would like to see, so I settled for a top 5, which has titles I would purchase in a heart beat if they were ever brought over:

5. Olimpos

I originally read this 2 volume series because it was featured in the manga reading club I was a part of on MAL. I'm really happy I gave it a chance. Not only is the manga heavily based in Greek mythology (which I am crazy about), but it also feels like an existentialist work: meaningless living, unknown purpose for being a prisoner, ending lacks answers to the meaning behind the character's imprisonment, etc. And I guess because I am somewhat sympathetic to existentialism, I found this manga a pleasure to read. Although I readily admit that most would probably be frustrated with the lack of closure. Oh and the art is drop dead gorgeous. Two volumes isn't much to translate, any entrepreneurial translators want to officially license this here? please? :3

4.  Kagen no Tsuki

I decided to try this manga out because it was written by Ai Yazawa-san, author of ParaKiss and the popular Nana. While I haven't finished reading both of those, I did enjoy what I have read, so I thought, why not read something else by a mangaka whose work I already enjoyed. Seemed like a good idea and I wasn't disappointed; in fact, I think Kagen no Tsuki is probably one of Yazawa-san's best works! The story has dual heroines, who could not be any more different from each other, and it's unlike any of her other works available in English. Rather than a romance, this is a supernatural thriller. While romance does play a part in the story, the main conflict and the reason to continue reading is for the mysteries surrounding a ghost named Eve. And these mysterious were page turners! I believe I finished this 3 volume series in a 2 days. I'm actually surprised this hasn't been liscensed yet, given the popularity of Yazawa-san's other works in English. Hopefully someone picks this up soon.

3. Rose of Versailles

I haven't personally read the manga, but I really really enjoyed the anime. I keep hoping for an official English version, and thus I keep putting off reading a fan translation. There are many theories as to why this shoujo classic hasn't been licensed in English, but I nonetheless hope a dedicated publisher takes the task upon themselves and brings us this gem. It would be a shame if this stayed in Japan. Also, I am a big fan of retro shoujo art. ;)

2. Gokusen

I was recommended this one and I am really glad I gave it a shot. It was another series I marathoned for a few days. The premise is rather simple: gangster teacher straightens out punk students, but the way it is handled, well, it makes the journey quite the ride. For one, the teacher doesn't try to force her views on the students, she upholds this meek mask and only gets involved when her students are in serious trouble. For another, it's really funny and the romance is nice and slow. And my favourite thing? it breaks the mold of the guy love interest being older and stronger than the female. Of course, the manga is highly unrealistic with it's depiction of Yakuza, but for what it is: a woman's romantic comedy (yes woman's, this is a josei title ;] ), it's not too big of a deal. I guess what it comes down to is that I really enjoyed the male and female leads, neither of which was really submissive or overly macho, which is the most important thing for a manga that is a slow romantic comedy, at least for me.

1. 7SEEDS

I know, it's rather odd that my most wanted license is a manga that I haven't even tried. But I have great faith that anything, and I mean anything, by Yumi Tamura-san will be worth every single penny. I adore Basara and I enjoyed Wild Com. I'm sure that I will enjoy Chicago when I get around to reading it as well. The sad part is, I probably won't ever get the chance to purchase an English version of 7SEEDS since most of Tamura-san's manga that was localized, hasn't been that popular. It makes me sad. Tamura-san is a master storyteller. I can only hope some of the smaller more dedicated publishers like Fantagraphics, Yen Press, Vertical, and maybe even DMP would give Tamura-san's manga another chance. Am I dreaming here? Maybe, but this is still a list of what I want to see and not what will most likely be brought over.

~Joanna

Impression: Please Save My Earth 7

Volume seven continues the enchanting story-telling of volume six.

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Summary

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In volume seven Alice comes to the Moon Dreamers meeting, but she can't seem to add anything to the discussion, which prompts Sakura to doubt she is Mokuren. Jinpachi defends her, but the meeting goes no where.

When heading back on the train, Alice tries to talk to Rin, but he screams at her saying he hates her. This causes Alice to stop dead in her tracks. We are then taken back to Alice's childhood, where she lost friends for no reason she could discern.

Rin calls Haruhiko for another meeting where he tells him to keep Alice busy and away from the Moon Dreamer meetings. When Haru asks why, Rin tells him that he doesn't want Alice remembering things at random. Haru then comes to the realization that he is a pawn in Shion's game against Gyokuran for Alice's affection and that he is currently the stop in place keeping Alice and Gyokuran from getting closer.

Fed up, Haru asks if "M" is also someone Rin is using to keep him in check. This, however, turns out to be wrong, and Haruhiko has now unknowingly given Rin information about his allies. Haru then realizes that "M" must be helping him with Mr.Tamura and that his letter did get to him. Riddled with guilt, Haru desperately tries to jump to Kyoto, but his heart cannot take the strain and he faints.

Meanwhile Rin sends a love letter to Takashi asking him to meet him at the Renmyo Temple at 6 o'clock.  One of Tamura's men intercepts the letter and lets Tamura know. Rin also calls Tamura telling him to bring "M".

Tamura arrives at the temple and "M" comes a little later. When "M" arrives, a psychic battle between him and Rin commences. Unfortunately, Rin has the upper hand and just as he is about to blast "M" and Mr.Tamura, Haru appears in front of the blast. Leaving us with a nice cliff hanger.

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My Thoughts

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Well I have finally gotten the characterization I was asking for with Alice. The flashback, while a mere 5 or so pages, gave me such a rich understanding of her. Her meekness and lack of confidence make perfect sense now. I've actually grown to sympathize with her now, whereas in other manga with similar characters, I cannot stand them. Characterization is an important element in getting the reader to sympathize with characters, especially those with unlikable traits; at least that is what I strongly believe. And with that little tease, I am looking forward to what Hiwatari-san can do with more back story. I hope Jinpachi and Mokuren are next since these two have very little inner monologue or what, in Jinpachi's case, he has had, it was rather shallow.

And is Rin ever evil, but I can't bring myself to hate him. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because I know it's Shion and those 9 years that are affecting him, and maybe it's also because he's so young and my maternal instincts are acting up. Well, whatever it is, I just can't seem to hate his character, even though he's such a villain! Poor Haru, he can't seem to get any slack. He was quite noble, doing what he did after his heart attack.

Also, I find it cute how Sakura still feels loyal to Enju and gets angry at Jinpachi and Alice. I think I may just ship these two together~ Issei and Sakura complement one another really well too. :3

The cover of this volume is rather plain: just a frontal portrait of Rin, but it's still quite nice. I am looking forward to the next volumes. Please Save My Earth has been picking up a lot of steam!

~Joanna