Hi, there! Welcome to March’s first edition of Authors of my Heart ❤
Today is manga author day, so next Friday we will see a book author 🙂
Today’s mangaka is a very special one, as she is responsible for truly defining the kind of art that I prefer on my manga titles. You’d think it was Matsuri Hino, but no lol
It was Kaori Yuki-sensei!
As you may have already read in this post, we’ve met in 2005, as soon as Panini Comics released Angel Sanctuary here in Brazil and I was hooked since page one. On the first time that I’ve read this series, what kept me loving this series was Yuki-sensei’s art, as I didn’t understand most of what was happening (and with reason; I was 10 and the title is rated 16+ lol). I only really understood this series on its core when I re-read it, five years later.
Kaori Yuki has several series and oneshots under her name and I’m ashamed to say that I found this out writing this post. I only knew the titles that I had read and two tbr series from her. I’m a lousy excuse for a fan, I know The awesome part is that I have several titles to read from her now ❤
The angel Alexiel loved God, but she rebelled against Heaven when she saw how disgracefully the other angels were behaving. She was finally captured, and as punishment sent to Earth to live an endless series of tragic lives. She now inhabits the body of Setsuna Mudo, a troubled teen in love with his sister Sara. Setsuna’s misery mirrors the chaos among the angels, and their combined passions threaten to destroy both Heaven and Earth.
Why is Setsuna so mixed up? Despite his attempts to be noble, he’ll fight anyone anytime; he ignores all authority; and he harbors feelings for his sister that can only be described as “incestuous.” Why is he such a mess? The reason may be found with two demons from the underworld and their enemy, an insane angel who is distributing an insidious computer game called Angel Santuary.
The first one we never forget, right? One of my favorite things about this title is the characters dynamics. They are so real and their relationships (not only amorous ones) are always so fogged, so… Grey. Seriously, just read this, haha!
Born under an evil moon harboring dark secrets, Earl Cain C. Hargreves, the youthful heir of the aristocratic Hargreves family, is a man on a quest to find the truth about his family’s past. Written in dark, harrowing episodes, The CAIN Saga chronicles how Cain solves the strange crimes that seem to plague his cursed existence, yet somehow bring him closer to deciphering the puzzling circumstances surrounding his father’s tragic death.
I spoke of this one very recently, so I’ll just add that I love the mysteries that Cain has on his hands during this series!
Lawrence is a young male prostitute whose actual aim was to look for his brother. Unknowingly, he did find his brother – the owner of the young boys prostitute club. However, his life was about to change when he witnessed the killing of one of the biggest serial killers – Dr. Wolfgang Adrain Cray. Instead of running away, he searches for the murderer and falls in love with him. Adrian, who is basically a nice person (he is a school teacher) takes in Lawrence and reciprocates Lawrence s love. but Lawrence s brother was not too happy about losing a possible money tree and sends out his gang in search of Lawrence.
You may have noticed that Kaori Yuki’s stories tend to not win the happy manga of the year prize, right? Oh well, on Boy’s Next Door, she outdoes herself. I’m not usually one to cry while reading manga, but I did here. I felt the pain, the agony, the crushed love. I really would love to re-read this title and review it, but I don’t know if I am strong enough. What awaits me is too real…
That’s it about Yuki-sensei ❤ I also innovated this time and prepared a list with my TBR list of her titles:
Thank you for reading 😀 If any of my TBR titles of this post caught your eye and you want a review for it, just say so in the comments that I’ll work faster towards the chosen title 😀
Hello, good Monday to you! I’ll do a proper announcement post later, but there are some changes on my blog sections and weekly posting 🙂 The first one I’ll tell you here, but you may have already noticed: the section Authors from my Heart ❤ will now be a monthly deal. On the second week of the month, we will have Book Authors and on the third, Manga Authors. I was running out of authors, haha! lol
Now, to the point: manga author chosen for today! It’s no one less than Arina Tanemura *–*
We have met when the anime for Full Moon wo Sagashite was released and my friend and I ran to start watching it. The songs were a blast, the art was cute and we loved the characters. It had an unexpected dark and dramatic turn, but it was worth-watching and, to this day, it’s one of my favorite animes ever! ❤ And, as I loved the anime so much, I started to read her works online – Tanemura-sensei’s work would only start to be published in Brazil on 2009, but at least they started by Full Moon! *–* (I still have to complete my collection, though. Ugh!).
Those are the titles that I have read from her so far:
By day, Kusakabe Maron is an ordinary high school girl with more then her share of problems. But by night, she is Phantom Thief Jeanne. As the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, her mission is to steal demon-possessed paintings and neutralize their evil. Jeanne’s only ally is the angel-in-training Finn. Together, they must fight evil by night while surviving high school by day.
Ironically, my first read title from her wasn’t Full Moon, haha! It was Jeanne. I admit that I don’t remember ANYTHING, so I guess this is a must re-read, haha!
Ion Tsuburagi chants the letters of her first name as a charm to bring good luck when she needs it. Then she meets Mikado Hourai, the president of the Psychic Powers Research Society at school, and touches a mysterious substance he’s been developing. Now chanting “I-O-N” gives her telekinetic powers!
My second read was this one shot, I.O.N. I remember that I wasn’t impressed despite its cuteness, but I have the impression that this will be another post were I don’t remember anything about the mangas I’ve read…
In this bittersweet tale of puppy love, tragedy, and aspirations of pop-star fame, 12-year-old Mitsuki’s life finds hope when a comical pair of magical beings appears. Rated for teens.
So helpful. Yes, Full Moon was my third title from Tanemura-sensei and easily my favorite one, haha! This is a rare case in which I think the anime is better than the manga, but I liked reading it nevertheless. I highly recommend it if you like shoujo [romance], comedy, drama and fashion – Tanemura-sensei’s clothes are sooooo pretty!
In return for a business loan of 50 million yen, the prestigious Kamiya family gave their daughter Haine away to the Otomiya family. Haine, now an Otomiya, is appointed to the student council of the exclusive Imperial Academy, a private school for the aristocracy. Even though Haine is of proper lineage to be on the council, she finds herself struggling to find her place among the many secrets of its elite members, especially those of the president who holds her heart–Shizumasa Togu, aka “the Emperor.”
Another title in which I remember nothing, but I have to be fair: I was able to buy only the first volume when this was published in Brazil and now it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to complete my collection 😦 Damn you, Brazilian market! I still want to finish reading this! Hm, restarting may be a better word.
“Supernatural things don’t exist in this world!” Kaho Mira absolutely hates all things supernatural, so why does Hikaru-sempai keep persuing her to join the Supernatural Research Club?! But one day, Mira barely escaped the clutches of the White Rose Academy vampire, Rose. Now, she had no choice but to join the Supernatural Research Club with Hikaru-sempai for help! And they unravel much more about Rose they never knew before…
After years (I mean it literally), I would only pick up a title from Tanemura-sensei again last year and my chosen one was this one shot. It was lovely! A sugared-romance like all her works, but with a bit of mystery on it. A nice 4 stars read 😀
At age 31, office worker Chikage Deguchi feels she missed her chances at love and success. When word gets out that she’s a virgin, Chikage is humiliated and wishes she could turn back time to when she was still young and popular. She takes an experimental drug that changes her appearance back to when she was 15. Now Chikage is determined to pursue everything she missed out on all those years ago—including becoming a star!
And right after Vampire Rose, I read the first volume of Idol Dreams. This struck me as a cute and deep series, but I still need to read more before form an opinion. Sadly, I couldn’t find the next one yet, ugh!
I’m still considering if I’ll continue to read new works of Tanemura-sensei, since my interests nowadays lay on yaoi titles filled with hot sex scenes other kinds of titles. Let’s see what the future holds for our relationship, Tanemura-sensei! ;D
Hi, there! Good morning 😀 Today is Authors from my Heart <3, manga section! The chosen one was a group responsible for my entry on this world: CLAMP!
CLAMP group back in 2006 😀
We first met in 2003, which was my official year of manga discovering (thanks, Rachel!). My first title from CLAMP was Chobits and I regret nothing ❤ I’ve read almost all their works (some not until the end, I confess), so I have a clinical eye for them. Strongest point is, for sure, the art and the clothing in all titles. Seriously, these women are AWESOME. Their plots are a bit temperamental, but I never outright hated anything, so I guess this is a plus. Weak point: subliminal messages. SUBLIMINAL MESSENGERS EVERYWHERE. Read Card Captor Sakura or Wish, YOU SHALL UNDERSTAND MY MEANING. And, at the same time that is very cool, it can be so frustrating! CLAMP is not known for sheets action, if you catch my drift, so we fans have to resource to dousjinshis to see what we want from any couple, hetero or homosexual 😦
Anyway, I’ve read 13 series from them until now and I promise to try to put them in chronological order of appearance in my life (or something that approaches that, haha!)
Warning: this post is huge. Sorry about that, haha!
Chi isn’t your average humanoid computer. She can’t do word processing, she can’t connect to the Internet, and she’s incapable of networking with other persocoms. Even her sound card seems broken. No wonder Hideki found her tied up in a pile of trash. But when the 19-year-old technophobe takes her home, he finds that she may be more advanced than her childlike behavior lets on.
The first one is always special, even not being the best. Already talked more about it here 🙂
From CLAMP comes the thrilling adventures of Sakura, a fourth-grader who accidentally finds an enchanted book called The Clow. The book once contained a set of magical Clow Cards, but they all escaped while the guardian of the book fell asleep. Now, Sakura is thrust into a mystical journey to capture all the cards before they wreak chaos and destruction!
I’ve watched the anime on TV for years before getting to ready this title and it’s even better on manga ❤ CLAMP’s art is something astonishingly beautiful. My first yaoi couple comes from this series, in the form of Touya and Yukito. They were clearly boyfriends, but damn CLAMP and their subliminal messages! I only realized that years after, ugh. Still, they are adorable together:
Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are Tokyo schoolgirls with nothing else in common, until one fateful day changes everything: the three are summoned to the magical realm of Cephiro and find that their lives are inexorably intertwined. Princess Emeraude, whose willpower keeps Cephiro safe, has been kidnapped by the sinister Zagato, and the three girls must become the legendary Magic Knights in order to save her. It’s not going to be easy, as Zagato has sent his most powerful minions to stop the girls before they can fulfill their destinies. Protected by an ancient wizard’s blessing and determined to find their way home, Hikaru, Umi and Fuu begin the adventure of a lifetime!
This series is quite nice, but I confess it requires a re-read on my part, as I barely remember anything beyond the three main characters, oops!
As part of the X/1999 series, this volume features breathless action and stunning art. When Kamui returns to Tokyo, he learns that his childhood girlfriend Kotori and psychic Princess Hitoni are having strange dreams about his role in a coming apocalypse! Is he the angel of salvation, or the devil of destruction?
To be honest, I barely remember this series either. I’ve read it on 2003 or 2004 and only once, so this needs a re-read, haha!
Angelic Layer is sweeping the nation! In the newest electronic sport, players enter their Angels in tournaments and battle for fortune and glory. Twelve-year-old Misaki just discovered Angelic Layer, and she’s already captivated by the game. But building a winning Angel takes money and experience, and Misaki’s short on both counts. With the help of a crazy scientist and a very special Angel of her own, she’ll give it her all to win the Angelic Layer crown.
This series is a sweetie! I love it so much! Its catch is similar to Chobits, in a way, as there is robots and common characters (oh yeah, they looove to do that and we love to spy their Easter eggs, haha!)
Tokyo. The cultural and economic hub of the Eastern world. Not unlike the legendary city of Babylon, its man-made tower stretches toward the heavens … a symbol of its people’s ambition and their indomitable spirit. Nowhere on Earth will you find such vanity … or such beauty.
This is my home.
My name is Sumeragi Subaru, and I hunt the dead. Then I return them to peace.
No matter where my work leads me, I suspect I’ll never leave Tokyo in spirit. But then again, it seems so few people do these days…
If I remember correctly, this series is a kind of prequel for X 1999, but I’m not sure. Again, only read once in 2004/2005, haha! I need to re-read many things…
Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop–a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience.
Most of Yuuko’s customers live in Japan, but Yuko and Watanuki are about to have some unusual visitors named Sakura and Syaoran from a land called Clow…
This series crosses paths with the next of the list, Tsubasa. I didn’t finish either, but I always liked Holic best ❤ Yuuko is amazing and I love the bromance between Watanuki and Domeki, haha!
SAKURA AND SYAORAN RETURN!
But they’re not the people you know. Sakura is the princess of Clow – and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father’s life. They reside in an alternate reality…where whatever you least expect can happen – and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered – which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds – all in the name of saving Sakura.
I’m not the biggest fan of this series and I had never the opportunity of finishing it either, but I liked Phi and Kurogane (me and my males, I know). And the fact that here and there CLAMP made Tsubasa and Holic cross paths was super cool, haha! I need to re-read and finish this…
A trio of pre-teen sleuths made up of: 6’th grader Nokoru Imonoyama– Student Body president– his family built the CLAMP school and he’s the top student in his school. He has the superhuman ability to detect a woman crying from 2 km away!; Suoh Takamura- 5’th Grader –Student Body Secretary– A master martial artist with 3rd degree blackbelts in Judo, Aikido, Karate, and Kendo.; 4’th grader Akira Ijyuin — A master thief, also known as the Man of 20 Faces. He’s popular with the ladies, and is currently dating the president of the Kindergarten. Together they are the Clamp School detectives and they help girls in distress around the campus.
THIS SERIES IS SO CUTE! Plus, one of the boys is the main character of Man of Many Faces ❤ Please, don’t kick me, as a great deal of those series (including this one) were read in my late childhood and teenies…
Murikuri
Goodreads blurb[translated because the only available edition was in Spanish]:
An anthology with several short stories created by CLAMP, which portrays a series of closed worries in a funny way.
This was a bit weird and not really funny, but okay. I survived and now I pretend this does not exists.
When Shuichiro rescues an angel he is granted a single wish. The problem? Shuichiro can’t think of any wishes that he couldn’t grant himself. Refusing to leave Shuichiro without granting a wish Amber, the angel, moves in with the young doctor to help out around the house and wait for a chance to return the favor. Of course, angels aren’t the only supernatural beings wandering the Earth. Soon, demons and archangels alike are stopping by Shuichiro’s house, making things difficult for his angelic roommate.
THIS MANGA IS CUTENESS ALL OVER! Nothing prepared me for it, really. It’s the series that best approaches boys love, but not there yet as we barely get light kisses, ugh. But most parties involved are males, so I guess it’s a start? One of my favorite series from CLAMP!
There are many worlds in the universe outside of our own, connected by doors that are hidden to the eye. but if you chance upon those doors, you can be transported to a place where supple beauties reign supreme and all of your fantasies come allve. Should you pass through the doorways, be most careful, for the creatures you will meet can be as dangerous as they are beautiful. Many would die for a glimpse at those worlds–Miyuki would do anything to have them go away.
If you ask me, this series of short stories with poor Miyuki is awful and creepy, haha! I didn’t really like it.
Akira ljyuln lives a double life as a top student at Clamp School and as the infamous thief 20 Faces. He steals at the whim of his two crime lord mothers until his life is changed forever by a chance meeting with the lovely Utako. Featuring cameos by other Clamp School characters, Man of Many Faces is a romance that spans years, as childhood crush turns to true love. An absolute must that no Clamp fan can do without.
I loved this series! It was oh-so-cute and funny! Despite being an old title, it was only released in Brazil in 2014, so I didn’t know it. Now it’s one of my favorites ❤ SO. CUTE. Cute defines CLAMP very well. Cute and creepy, haha! Review here 🙂
Drawing on CLAMP’s own personal experiences, The One I Love provides insight both into the creators’ own lives, and into the oft-elusive concept of Love itself.
This intimate collection of short stories and essays doesn’t skirt issues at the heart of the matter such as insecurity, honesty, distance, independence, age, and – of course – marriage.
This one-volume anthology comprises 12 individual stories, each of which consists of seven pages of manga and two pages of prose.
I’m very sad to say that this was the last work from CLAMP that I got to know and read for now and that, despite its cute proposal, I found it very boring… I feel so guilty, haha!
CLAMP has several other works, but I guess it doesn’t make sense for me to talk about those titles if I didn’t read them. (Actually, there are some titles in this list already that could have been cut because I can’t remember shit about them, haha!) My point is, I love CLAMP and can’t wait to read more series from them ❤
That’s it! Thanks for reading 😀 Do you know / like CLAMP’s series??
*I do not own any of these illustrations, they were found on Google and are here displayed with the solemn purpose of illustrating points of the post. Those images belong to CLAMP group 🙂
Hello, everyone! Today I begin another section at the blog: authors from my heart <3. I’m that kind of person that, if I like one book or manga from a writer or mangaka, I will madly look for all the other works from the person, lol. This section will take place four times in a month: two posts for book authors and two for manga authors, or mangakas ❤
So, I officially open this section with one of my all-time ever favorite manga authors: Matsuri Hino-sensei.
sensei ❤
We first met in 2003, when Meru Puri was released in Brazil by Panini. This series changed my life and my conscious preferences on men to this day. If you ask me, her strong point is her art. Her draws are insanely beautiful and a true signature ❤ As for the plots, that’s a weak point. I don’t know what happens, but I feel that she gets lost into her own stories sometimes, haha! Anyway, who cares about plots when you can have a look at her men? LOL
Anyway, Hino-sensei only has six titles to her name, as she is the kind of author that focus on a series at time. I already read them all, so here we go, in the order of my reading:
Meru Puri
This was my first and beloved one. Soon, I’ll make a decent review of the story, but Alam and his brother Jeile still visit my dreams at night with their perfection ❤
On the way to school one morning, Aili loses her mirror – one that had been passed down to her through generations – and suddenly finds herself in a bizarre situation. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Alam, a little boy from a magical kingdom, to have emerged from the mirror in the short time it took her to track it down!
And those are Alam and Jeile, from left to right:
Vampire Knight
I have a funny story with this series. When I was younger, I wasn’t very, er… Watchful(?) of the manga world. I loved it and all, but I only knew about the releases when I saw them selling, haha! At the time Vampire Knight was released around here, it wasn’t long after Meru Puri’s end, so I was feeling very abandoned. When I saw Vampire Knight, I had an attack and bought it thinking that it was the continuation of Meru Puri. I didn’t even bother reading the title, I just took it home with me (#stupid, haha!). My mistake turned out just fine, but I admit that I never finished this series – stopped by volume 8, because of publishing problems at Brazil. One day, I’ll start over and finish it 🙂
Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy’s secret. Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!
This is Kaname, one of the main characters in Vampire Knight, and a long lost brother of Alam and Jeile (ok, he is not, but you can understand my confusion now, right? Haha!)
Wanted
This is my second favorite title from her. Too bad it’s an oneshot
In the Mediterranean at end of the 17th century, former songstress Armeria disguises herself as a boy and boards the ship of the pirate Skulls–the man who kidnapped Luce, her first love. Captain Skulls is arrogant, violent, and a skirt chaser! And unfortunately for Armeria, he discovers she’s a woman…
Captive Hearts
Third favorite o/ The story is very funny overall and the characters are interesting.
Fate plays an unusual trick on a privileged boy in this adorable shojo!
Being carried around everywhere and having handsome Megumi act like a slave may seem ideal, but Suzuka just wishes he would stop. Can anything be done about Megumi’s captive state? Or is Megumi doomed to see Suzuka as his master…forever?
Carefree Megumi Kuroishi was living a life of luxury until the day a girl named Suzuka Kogami walked into his life. All of a sudden, Megumi finds himself kneeling at Suzuka’s feet and prostrating himself like a servant! What Megumi doesn’t know (until that very moment anyway) is that his family is cursed to follow the orders of the Kogami family.
Watashi To Fukigen na Panya-san
This is a short story without a proper cover, sweet and sad. I particularly didn’t like it very much, but it’s cute in its own way.
A touching story of a young woman on the verge of adulthood who reminisces about a certain bakery she visited many times during her youth as she is on her way to visit it once more.
Shuriken to Pleats
This is Hino-sensei’s current project. I read what was already available at my Manga Rock app and I hated it. And me hating it broke my heart, because I know it will take a while now to a new release, as she works into one manga each time…
The story revolves around Mikage, a schoolgirl who is the descendent of ninjas. She lives in modern-day Kyushu, and she serves a certain man.
That’s it, guys! Thanks for reading 😀 For now, I can promise reviews to Meru Puri and Wanted, but I can gladly review all of them if you are interested 🙂 Do we have other lovers of Matsuri Hino-sensei’s works around??
*I do not own any of the images used on this post, they were all found at Google researchs and used here to illustrative ends only.
The awesome part is that I have several titles to read from her now ❤
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 