Hello, dearies! After so many months without a single manga review, now I bring two in the same week, right? Yup, that’s crazy old me for you all, haha! This time, I’m going to talk about TokyoPop’s duology manga series for Beauty and The Beast: Belle’s Tale and Beast’s Tale ❤ I received my review copies from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and here we go! Thank you all, guys! /o/
*~.Belle’s Tale.~*
In Disney’s live-action film Beauty and the Beast, Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman, is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince inside. This manga explores Belle’s innermost thoughts as she learns that true beauty comes from within.
~*~
*~.Beast’s Tale.~*
A tale as old as time … told in timeless manga style Disney’s much-anticipated live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” hits theaters in March 2017, and it stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. This original two-part manga series is based upon the upcoming movie… but you’ve never seen this classic love story told quite this way before. The “Beauty” manga delves into Belle’s deepest thoughts as she’s taken prisoner by the Beast in his majestic castle. Where the “Beast” manga explores Beast’s deepest thoughts as he captures Belle in his castle and finds himself falling in love with her feisty attitude and adventurous spirit.
Hello, there! Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday and Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers around the internet ❤
I’m back with a manga review – just for you guys to have a notion of how late I am with my manga reviews, there are 10 pendent reviews after I finish writing this one. Ugh, I simply can’t keep up with myself, haha! Regarding today’s title, it’s another yaoi (gay) manga and it has been recommended to me by a Goodreads’ friend, Samantha. Thank you, dear! I really enjoyed this one 🙂 I’m talking about Sleeping Moon, from Kano Miyamoto-sensei!
Akihiko has a slightly peculiar family problem: all the male descendants of Odagawa family end up dead awfully early in life. Being a 27 year old, Akihiko knows he will be next unless he can break the said curse that already lasts centuries.
As he goes back to his family state on the countryside, things gets weird. His family seems to hold way more secrets than a regular one and those are far more deadly. Along with his cousin, Akihiko is hell bent in understanding why does his family members always turn up dead so early.
Things turn downward crazy when a lapse of time allows Akihiko to go back a hundred years, to the Meiji Era. There, he meets Eitaro, a young man that is also trying to understand the curse and break it.
Will the forces of past and present be able to change the Odagawas’ future?
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
This title was very different from the yaoi titles that I usually read and I loved the change of scenario. Being a mystery / time travelling /paranormal series, Sleeping Moon had a heavy art style and an eerie feeling about it all the time. It was like you needed to look over your shoulder as you read it, haha! As much as I found it all interesting, I didn’t like the loose ends on the series finale or the shallow way that the characters’ relationships were built. For those small things, I declare Sleeping Moon a proud 4 stars title 🙂
The narrative follows Akihiko mainly, but we also see the story from Eitaro and Ren’s points of view. The pace is fast and, sometimes, a bit confusing, as the characters mention several people and stories from the past that neither Akihiko, Eitaro or Ren care to explain to the reader. I think Miyamoto-sensei wanted to increase the mystery aura of the story, but it didn’t really work for me, haha!
The plot is complex and well executed. The mystery and paranormal elements are awesome and there are several funny moments to break the intensity of the story and its drama. The only reservation I’ve got is how Miyamoto-sensei build the amorous relationships on this title. As much as Akihiko says how deep his feelings for Eitaro are or how much he enjoys Ren’s advances, I didn’t feel it. It was like she just threw an amorous triangle there to have one and totally forgot to invest on this during the plot. There are a few sensual scenes (nothing very explicit) and that’s all. You don’t feel the love 😦
The characters were very well constructed and intriguing. I really liked Akihiko as a main character, as he was humble despite his accomplishments. He also wasn’t perfectly beautiful, just handsome in a regular kind of way what and I could feel that his life was real. All character’s emotions that weren’t love were pretty real, haha!
The art was cool and gorgeous, a different type from the ones that I usually swoon for. Take a look*:
from left to right: Ren and Akihikoand again, in black and white 🙂and here we have Eitaro and Ren 🙂
Isn’t this art beautiful? ❤
Overall, Sleeping Moon it’s an interesting and seat grabbing title, ideal for people that don’t really care about romance, haha!
Thanks for reading my review! Now there is only 10 more to go, haha! Oh, and thanks again to Samantha for the lovely recommendation ❤
ps:I do not own the illustrations, they were found on Google, belong to Kano Miyamoto sensei and were used with illustrative purposes only
Hi, there! Today I have something different to present as my Manga of the Week 🙂 How about something inspired by a famous game? Let’s talk about The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, by Akira Himekawa!
In a small village in Hyrule, there lives a boy called Link who has the mark of the Triforce on his left hand. It is a mark of destiny that leads Link on a fantastic adventure! Transported to the land of Holodrum, Link meets Din, the Oracle of Seasons. When a plot to steal the seasons from Holodrum unfolds, Link must battle the evil General Onox to save Holodrum and his friends from a terrible fate!
Why I think it’s a worth-reading manga: first, because it is Zelda. I love videogames, but Zelda is a title that I never had the chance of playing due lack of opportunity. I like the game’s concept, characters and plots (I have an offline friend that is a Zelda fan and she used to fill me in with the news pretty much always, so thank you for that, Lu! <3), so when I saw the opportunity to read something about Zelda, I just grabbed the manga as quickly as possible, haha! And it was cute and lovely as I expected it to be! So you should read it too 😀
That’s it, thanks so much! Have you ever read a manga based on a game? 🙂
Hi, there! I know, it’s been FOREVER since my last manga review! I really need to manage my time better, haha! I promise I’ll catch up with myself soon 🙂 But mean while, let’s have fun talking about a very funny, cute and surprising manga series: Seito Kaichou Ni Chuukoku, from Monchu Kaori sensei!! 😀 (yes, it is a yaoi series… Again.) My review contemplates the series until volume 6 😉
Chiga, vice-president of his class, is obsessed with his president, Kokusai. The other guy is a magnet to pervs and weird people, so Chiga feels like is his duty to bodyguard for Kokusai.
What started as only a safety arrangement very soon grows into friendship with the undeniable pull of desire and passion behind it.
Can Chiga confess his true feelings for Kokusai? Will Kokusai accept something more?
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
First things first: HACHIYUMI, WE HAVE TO STOP STARTING UNFINISHED SERIES!! LOL This one I’m not really sure if Hachiyumi recommended to me or if I found it myself and filled her whatsapp with crazy fangirlings while reading and bossing her around for her to read it too, haha! Both scenarios are equally like to happen and I apologize for my eccentricities to all my offline and online turned offline friends, as I have no control whatsoever when I’m obsessed with something, haha!
Now, to the manga: it had me since page one. The art is so delicate and yet the males remain so manly, haha! I loved everything about this series! Oh, well, I don’t really loved that it takes so long for its chapters to be out and about, but one can’t have everything, right? Haha! The title starts light and funny and gets darker with each volume until you are grabbing your seat and eating your nails without being able to breath. For sure, a 5 stars series!
The narrative is manly from Chiga’s point of view, but we get to switch characters more as the series go by. I liked the main couple and Chiga is one of my favorite manga guys! Also, the relationships on this series are so real, with the difficulties, the love, the camaraderie and all… It begins with a very fast pace and it slows down as the story gets more complex.
Which brings us to the plot. It starts simple and revolving around Chiga and Kokusai, as they need to work out their differences and feelings to be together. As things go by, new characters are introduced and Chiga and Kokusai start to share their spotlight with other gay couples. This is highly common for long yaoi series and now I’m going to tell the big secret behind this.
The truth is… that the authors rarely know how many volumes their stories will have. The manga publishers are merciless and demand a good start for the series. If you make trough that and the public loves it, only God knows when they will allow the author to finish their stories. Don’t believe me and need examples? Okay.
NARUTO. The author had the whole story prepared, but when it was coming to the end, the publishers begged him to keep going as Naruto is a world-wide gold mine. Results? The story got boring, confusing and repetitive.
Back to Seito Kaichou Ni Chuukoku: it is still being published and I think that’s awesome, but once the main problem gets solved and Chiga and Kokusai start to go out, there is only a handful of things that one can do to keep the story going without falling for Naruto’s destiny and that’s why other couples take over. Either the story that Kaori-sensei had in mind came to an end and she is stretching it or she never had a plan for a long-term publication and is going with the flow.
Anyway, the characters and the art are the best assets of this series. The characters are so real, intense and funny! They always have some snarky remark to make and Chiga is incredible. Kokusai is more naïve, so Chiga is the skeptical with streets’ smart. I laughed aloud many times while reading Seito Kaichou Ni Chuukoku ❤
And there is the art, that is breathtaking and only keeps getting better, as Miss Xtina would say.
Don’t need to believe me, look*:
from left to right: Kokusai, the bottom, and Chiga, the top ❤
and it is still beautiful in black and white ❤ I took the liberty of erasing the line in the square due to spoilers 🙂
Really, I love this delicate and beautiful art style that still manages to portray guys as guys lol
Overall, if you like yaoi, daily life titles, wonderful art and awesome characters, you have to add Seito Kaichou ni Chuukoku to your TBR pile!
Thanks so much for reading my review!! ❤ What’s your favorite on-going manga series?
*ps: I do not own the illustrations, they were found on Google, belong to Monchu Kaori sensei and were used with illustrative purposes only
Hello, there! We reached another middle in another week and it’s time for me to recommend a manga title again! Today’s title is dedicated to Hachiyumi, who’s coming over my place on the holidays!! God knows what we will be getting ourselves into, haha! But anyway, she introduced me to this title (just as so many others) and it’s only fair that Hachi gets her credits, haha! Without further ado, our Manga of the Week: Ouran High School Host Club, by Bisco Hatori!
One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the ‘Host Club’, a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it’s there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else.
Why I think it’s a worth-reading manga: BECAUSE IT IS SO FUNNY! I know the title sounds a mouthful (and it is), but you will never stop laughing at this title! You know when people say that money makes people go insane? That’s the case. Poor Haruhi has to endure a bunch of very rich and very crazy boys and they don’t even know that she is a girl! Hahaha! Seriously, just read it and come fangirl with me later, please!!
That’s it, thanks for reading! Have you read the manga or watched the anime for OHSHC??
Hello! Quick late post today, just to recommend a manga for this week! I’m trying to gather a bit of everything that I have already read here on the blog, so today it’s time to show you Nana, by Ai Yazawa!
Nana Komatsu is a young woman who’s endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she’s hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She’s looking for love and she’s hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo’s underground punk scene. She’s got a dream and won’t give up until she becomes Japan’s No. 1 rock’n’roll superstar. This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.
Why I think it’s a worth-reading manga: Nana is that kind of shoujo (romance) that stars cute and light and then goes darker with each volume. Secrets, lies, problems, dramas… Everything pops up. It’s not only real life, it’s a sad real life. I admit that I couldn’t keep going with the series after volume 7, as I would open it and immediately started to cry, but Yazawa-sensei’s art is wonderful, just like her plotting skills. If you like a good drama, you have to pick this one up 🙂
Hi, there! Good morning and happy Wednesday! I’m kind of freaking out today, as my graduation ceremony is tonight, but I’ll try to act normal, okay? HAHAHA
Today’s Manga of the Week is Death Note, from Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. This title left me glued until the very end, as there were so many twists and intriguing characters. And did I mention that the main character is basically a villain? ❤
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects – and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, a death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal…or his life?
Why I think it’s a worth-reading manga: BECAUSE THE MAIN CHARACTER IS A VILLAIN! Okay, not just that. This title is intriguing, delicious, full of fandoms and room for ~interpretations~, if you catch my drift (and if you don’t, just google Light and L yaoi to see what I mean, haha!), and so much more. Until the end, you don’t know what’s going to happen and it is awesome!
That’s it, haha! I have a couple of bookish news to share and, hopefully, I’ll get to post two reviews today, after I get back from my graduation ceremony. That’s the plan, at least…
Good morning! Another Wednesday kicks in, another manga is brought! My recommendation for today’s Manga of the Week is a beautiful and light hearted romance [aka shoujo] called Kare First Love, from Kaho Miyasaka!
The age-old dilemma of choosing between your friend and the one you love is the lesson for the day for these bubbly high schoolers. 16-year-old Karin Karino finds herself torn between keeping the friendship of her classmate Yuka and entertaining the advances of a boy named Kiriya. Plain-Jane Karin experiences the gut-tingling roller coaster ride for her love and first kiss as fate pairs her up with Kiriya, who also happens to be Yuka’s object of affection.
Through a series of chance meetings, Kiriya discovers the exquisite beauty lurking behind Karin’s thick glasses and coy demeanor, and asks her to be his girlfriend. But living happily ever after in high school isn’t on the curriculum, as Karin soon finds herself the center of Kiriya’s attention, as well as the bulls eye in embittered pal Yuka’s dart-board of hate.
Why I think it’s a worth-reading manga: this was one of the most classic shoujos I’ve ever read that didn’t bore me to the core. I’m very specific in my tastes to get swept off my feet for simple romances (reads romances without a supernatural or gay or dystopian touch to it). Also, I don’t like drama books or mangas, so shoujo isn’t my go-to genre most of the time. Unless Hachiyumi says the series is worth my time. Then I’ll read it and love it ❤ Point is, Kare First Love was adorable and perfect and you have to read it if you like real characters and a twisting plot!
That’s it, thanks so much for reading ❤ Have I convinced you yet that you need to start reading mangas?? ;D
Hello, there! I know, it’s late, but I bring to you something that hasn’t visit the blog for quite a while: a manga review! And, of course, it’s a yaoi [a.k.a. gay] title, so sit back and relax: Annelise is back to her good shape, haha!
Today’s series is none other than Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, from Shungiku Nakamura-sensei! This review contemplates the series until volume 9, as it’s still being published on Japan.
Ritsu Onodera is the heir to one of the biggest publishing companies in Japan. He loves his job as a book editor more than anything in the world and has been living the dream since he left college and started working.
Perfect? Perfect.
But there is one thing that really bothers Ritsu: everybody assumes he’s got his job and is good at it because he is taking advantage of his dad’s position as the president and owner of the company. And, as it isn’t true, Ritsu is determinate to prove that he can be the best book editor in the world anywhere without his dad’s help.
So he quits and leaves behind his perfect life to end up on the shoujo [romance] manga division of Marukawa Shoten publishing company.
And directly into the hands on the most tyrannical manga editor of all times: Masamune Takano.
As if things couldn’t get worse, Ritsu starts to feel that he knows Takano from somewhere and the feeling seems to be reciprocal…
The Analysis
Just remembering that those are my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
This title was another tip from dear Hachiyumi, responsible for the entry of some of the best manga titles ever in my life, like The Tyrant Falls in Love, Ten Count and Super Lovers. I already knew that I would love it, as she knows my tastes almost better than myself, but wow. THIS SERIES IS SOOOO COOL! It explains in detail how a Manga Publisher works and shows their very difficult routine. As a journalist and a manga lover, I was swept away for all the knowledge that came with my delicious gay romance. Sekaiichi Hatsukoi started as a 4 stars series for me because of the art, that was a little weird, but now evolved into a full 5 stars series!
The narrative follows Ritsu’s point of view almost most of the time, especially on the beginning, but as the story goes by and the other guys in the publishing company gain relevance and their own parallel stories, we start to see the story from almost everyone’s point of view. AND I LOVE IT.
The plot is simple, but has a lot of room for anything to happen, as it is the kind of manga that follows the character’s everyday life. Of course, the story has a point: Ritsu needs to fall in love again with Takano, his high school boyfriend that broke his heart (and had his own heart broken by Ritsu). But until then – and even after, if you ask me, there’s so many nice things that can happen! And things get really tangled when the secondary characters become main characters on their own stories. They also have their problems to solve and stay with their respective lovers, so it is all too exciting!
I wanted to take my time reading this series, as a new chapter is out only every four months at time (just like Super Lovers, may I add…). Seriously, this kills me, but moving on. I couldn’t stop reading! I read volume one and held myself, but as I read the next one, I was doomed. I almost cried when I reached the last available chapter, as only God knows when the next one will reach English readers now.
The characters are the best part of this title. I wouldn’t classify them as the strongest point, as we’ll get there, but definitely they are what would appeal the most to any other person in the world besides myself and Hachi, haha! Ritsu is a good protagonist, not overly dense or cocky, but not helpless and pathetic either. Takano is a dominant and stubborn boss that will do anything to get his mangas published right and in time and to get into Ritsu’s pants. [spoiler alert: Takano always gets what he wants, so he got into Ritsu’s pants several times.]
that would be Takano lol
I find highly amusing Ritsu’s perpetual denial of any good feelings that grow inside himself for Takano during the story and that’s new for me. I usually have no patience with indecisive characters, but there was just something about Ritsu that made me love him. To be honest, I love all the characters in this series, haha!
However, I must insist that the strongest point ever in this series is the backstage of the manga publishing companies in Japan. This is the kind of knowledge that you usually only have if you work in the area or is very close to someone who does it. Seriously, it was priceless for me to see how my lovely babies are born and now I want to thank all the editors that brought me the manga titles present on my collection!! ❤ THANK YOU, GUYS!
Now, let’s talk about Nakamura-sensei’s art. It definitely evolves during the series and gets so much better… Here’s a comparison between an image on the beginning of the series and one more ahead:
from letf to right: Takano and Ritsu <3*and again, some volumes later!*
Amazing, right?? Nakamura-sensei isn’t fooling around by any means, haha!
Overall, if you like gay titles, are deeply interested on how this crazy manga publishing world works and love real and alive characters, just stop whatever you’re doing and go read Sekaiichi Hatsukoi!!
That’s it, thank you for reading! Have you missed my manga reviews? Haha!
*ps: I do not own the illustrations, they were found on Google, belong to Shungiku Nakamura-sensei and were used with illustrative purposes only 🙂
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 😀
The awesome part is that I have several titles to read from her now ❤
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 