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
Hi, there! Today I’m going to review my very first heroes comic book ever! As I had no clue for where to begin on comic book reading matters, I asked for a sweet and helpful guy to pick a Wonder Woman volume for me on the last comic book fair that I’ve been to, last June. The guy picked me up Manhunter, volume 4: Unsleashed. It’s the Wonder Woman trial ❤ Months passed and I finally got around to read it and the results are not quite what I expected.
Collecting issues #24-30 of the acclaimed MANHUNTER series, written by Marc Andreyko! Manhunter Kate Spencer takes on her biggest case yet with Wonder Woman as the client, but the stakes are higher than anyone knows! Is the Amazon princess guilty of murdering Max Lord?
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
So, I wanted to make some things clear before starting my review. First, this was my first hero comic book ever, but not my first comic book ever. I’ve been reading those since I’m a child: Tex, the Texas Ranger; Asterix and Obelix; Garfield comic books; Disney and children’s comic books. I’m not completely clueless of the genre. At the same time, I didn’t use to have the habit of taking comic books seriously, unfortunately. I promise that I have changed, but it was only recently that I gave a serious thought to starting a “serious” comic book reading. Third and last thing: I watched so many hero cartoons when I was a child (sometimes I still do; all it takes it’s for them to be on the tv, haha!) and still watch a lot of heroes movies, so it made sense to finally give a try to heroes comic books. From this, this read was born.
I know that reading a comic book isn’t always something neat and organized or ordered at all, so I had a had time adjusting to the fact that I was starting to read something that wouldn’t give all the previous information that I needed to have a perfect understanding of the storyline in any moment at all. Also, I had to brace myself for loose ends, as I only bought volume four for Manhunter. I mean, okay, the trial of Wonder Woman is a “closed story”, but one inside a big picture. Now add all of this to my high criticism of the art on this volume (in which sometimes women looked like dudes or drag queens in the worst way possible) and the fact that the story kept coming and going to other parts of the plot instead of focusing on Manhunter and Wonder Woman’s problems and you have a highly disappointed reader.
Even if I had the opportunity of picking up the other issues of Manhunter, I wouldn’t. I gave it three stars on Goodreads because it was my first time and this comic book managed to keep my attention while I was reading, but I don’t think I’ll re-read it or trying a new hero comic book again in a while
As I already said, the narrative kept coming back and forth between Kate (Manhunter’s actual name) and her attending to Wonder Woman’s case and this random guy in another part of the world. Besides, the story wouldn’t stop coming back and forth in the past without even a note or subtitle to indicate it. Seriously, this drove me mad. I had to re-read several pages until I understood a little where I was 😦
The plot was simple, as Kate had to prove that Wonder Woman was innocent of Max Lord’s murder and we all already know how this ends. I can’t say much more because I sincerely didn’t understood the rest of the plot to form an opinion about it.
The characters are the only thing that kept me reading this comic book. I loved Kate and Diana’s relationship and how Kate was deeply attracted to Wonder Woman (in case you’re new to the heroes world, Diana is Wonder Woman’s real name <3). Also, Batman was hilarious on his few scenes, haha!
As I already mentioned as well, I didn’t really liked the art, but I really loved the original cover for this volume:
And, of course, some pictures inside of the volume were brilliant, but I can’t give more than three stars for the art as a whole 😦 It was too bulky.
Overall, I think this was a good experience. I don’t know if I’ll be reading more heroes comic books for a while, but I tried.
That’s it! Thank you for reading 😀 Do you read comic books?
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, 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 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.
Why I think it’s a worth-reading: this is a funny story, actually. In Brazil, Panini published it in 2005. The manga is rated 16+ and I started reading it as soon as it was released because Kaori Yuki’s draws are just perfection. Nothing wrong, right? Wrong. In 2005, I was only 10, LOL. I read the series again with 15 and it was a life changer; there was so many things that I understood without understanding at 10 (did I make sense?).
Anyway, the plot is amazing, the art is perfect and the characters are so passionately, so human… I’m lost on this one, lol. It’s drama, action, romance and religious conflicts all tangled up together, with touches of laughter and adventure. They’re 20 volumes, but in Brazil, Panini split the volumes in half, so we have 40 volumes. I prefer it this way; we have more covers. But I think 20 would be easier to keep – I’m that kind of person who has the entire collection of the manga and also wants the same manga in other languagues, like Japanese and English, as mine are all in Portuguese.
That’s it! Thanks for reading! Have you read Angel Sanctuary or heard about Kaori Yuki? 😀
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 