KazeShiki wrote:Well Sengoku Youko ended . . .
^ Welp, I know what I'm reading next!
That mangaka is amazing~~
...And here are the (number of!) *new* series I started reading over the past few months!
Behind The Scenes!! vol. 1 (so far): This is the new series by Bisco Hatori of
Ouran High School Host Club fame, and while it's not as hysterically funny as that series (nor was I actually expecting it to be, since that series was a parody and this series is not
), I'm liking it so far.
It's set in college this time; and the MC is timid/easily scared, physically frail, and has a serious inferiority complex due to bullying/general social condescension (which is unfortunately understandable, albeit infuriating {and wrong!}
), but he's a *great* artist/crafter, and he not only notices
*everything* (even things the other crafters don't!) but also has the natural ability to intuitively compile those observations and extrapolate them into very useful conclusions. And at their arts-focused college, he has complete acceptance and affirmation of his talents and gifts, which is just <3 .
Looking forward to more~
Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai chapters 1-17 via normal methods, 18-36 via raws + text translations (ON HOLD): This is a (
supposedly 
) josei romcom by the mangaka of
Lovely★Complex... however, unlike
Love★Com, this one's a disappointment.
Unfortunately,
Dame... does not even come anywhere near
Love★Com's level of charm and amusement; the two main characters are not very likeable at all (and aren't all that fleshed out, either)-- particularly the female MC, who is desperately, face-palmingly, annoyingly, and downright suspension-of-disbelief-breakingly naïve for her age ( + not to mention hopelessly stupid on top of that!)
; and there are more clichés than expected (given that it's supposed to be a josei...).
That said, it's not *terribly* bad-- there were certainly some smile-(and even, on occasion, laugh-)inducing moments, especially later on-- but, on the other hand, it's not actually
good, either, writing-wise.
Oh well. I suppose I *might* eventually continue to catch up with it in batches here and there; however, it will definitely *not* be a priority (and definitely not a recommendation, either!
).
Joou no Hana chapters 1A-12B (so far): I previously read (and quite enjoyed!
) the
Ni no Hime no Monogatari one-shot by the same mangaka, and this (full-length) story actually takes place in another part of that same (fictional) land. And the first thing I have to say is that I love the MC's. <3
The princess is a realistically capable young woman who is put into a very cruel position by her power-hungry royal 'family' and constantly underestimated/looked down upon by almost everyone else, and her Caucasian 'slave' (mostly in name only-- he serves her, yes, and completely so; but in practice they're more like partners than anything
), while also having his own issues due to racism on top of his slave status, is wonderfully frank/blunt (and so in sync-- and in love
-- with the female MC that he feels whatever she does)... and their complete lack of inhibitions when it comes to physical contact/closeness is refreshing in and of itself when it comes to anime/manga, given Japan's generally less-touchy-feely culture (...although, that *did* actually end up backfiring pretty darn hard on the male MC when it turns out that
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she actually had a very different perspective on their relationship than he did...... 
). Oh, and their light and easy banter is delightful, too.
And then, of course, being historical fiction, there's plenty of politics and battles going on. (There is also some truly heartbreaking stuff in here-- not gonna lie, I teared up very fiercely indeed at the whole thing with
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Aki and Seitetsu...
It's so good, though~ <3 ) Suffice it to say, I'm really looking forward to more of this!
Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai, a.k.a.
The World God Only Knows/TWGOK, 1-268(Expanded Version) (complete): This is the famous somewhat-parodic harem series that I've heard great things about for years-- and, to my (quite pleased!) surprise, it was indeed not only a great series (!), but it was also far sweeter (and {minus two of the 'routes'
} a lot less fanservicey) than I expected! <3 It's actually more about helping the characters fix their hearts' issues (well, and saving the world, too
) than anything; and lest you worry that it might get repetitive, it does not do so at all. Indeed, it seems like a fairly straight parody for the first few chapters, but as it goes on it starts gleefully twisting the 'archetypes' (and even some of the 'routes' themselves) quite nicely (and quite amusingly
)-- and then the plot itself takes a few sharp turns, and gets far more interesting than you'd assume from the initial synopsis. Also, despite the MC's numerous protests that the real world (and, by extension, the real people in it) mean nothing to him, he's actually a really good kid at heart who can be hurt by cutting words (and people forgetting him, and at one point even having to hurt others) just like anyone else, never takes inappropriate advantage of anyone (...er, well, at least for his own gain, or to anyone who doesn't deserve it...
), and, deep down, genuinely does care about the well-being of everyone he interacts with. <3 And he even changes for the better throughout as well, letting go of his own protective fantasy-world shell to indeed acknowledge the 'real world' bit by bit. <3 In all, I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and am quite glad I finally gave in and read it!
Koudai-ke no Hitobito chapters 0-3 via normal methods, 4-31 via raws + text translations (so far): I was in the mood for some good josei, and had heard good things about this, so I went for it, and I am indeed enjoying it so far. The female MC is a 29-year-old office lady who just so happens to be blessed with a fantastic imagination that runs off on vivid (...and downright hilarious!!
) daydream tangents at the
slightest provocation, and the male MC is an intelligent and easygoing businessman who just so happens to come from a line of people blessed(/cursed) with
telepathy. (I'm sure you can see where that's going, and it's just as amusing as it sounds. Let's just say that while his telepathy {understandably} doesn't seem to have been much of a positive thing to him {or really to any of the rest of his family} in the past, he finds it *extremely* difficult to keep a straight face whenever she's around, and he actually quite likes that...
And his {equally-telepathic} siblings are just as amused.
) This also leads to things moving along much faster and smoother than they usually do in romance stories. And, even better, it's really not only about the two of them-- the rest of the family (including the siblings, the parents, and even the grandparents) actually end up as MC's themselves, and get plenty of development of their own. <3
So, yeah, worth the read so far~
March Comes In Like A Lion, a.k.a.
3-gatsu no Lion, chapters 1-65 via normal methods, 66-114 via raws + text translations (so far): Oh. My. Gosh.
I had heard that this series was fantastic, but I had no idea that I would end up downright *adoring* it!! <3
The characters and the stuff they went through in the past/are going through in the present are just so
real, and-- despite the small (but also quite real) thread of darkness/melancholy woven throughout due to the aforementioned situations-- in the end this series just makes you feel so warm! <3
And the shogi-playing is woven in very naturally (it's the MC's actual profession, after all), and is not heavy-handed at all, either (nor is it even really the main focus; this story is more character-driven than anything)-- in fact, towards the end of the first volume it's revealed that
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: despite being great at the game, the MC doesn't even really like it. Oh, and when the MC finally meets Souya-- the true genius who is holding the very top ranking(s)-- it's downright mesmerizing! See, at first, you're purposefully led to
assume that Souya is merely going to be just another embodiment of the 'elusive genius rival' trope...
however, it then actually gets a brilliant twist once they meet, where the truth about him is revealed-- for one thing, while he certainly is a genius, he's actually really, genuinely nice (indeed, he's one of the nicest genius characters that I've seen!); and for another, his perceived elusiveness/eccentricities also actually have a beautifully-explained reason (which rather impressed me in both its inclusion at all + how naturally it's handled):
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he's actually been deaf for years. And to top it all off, while he and the MC have a sort-of immediate understanding of each other and there are certainly some similarities between them, both the characters as well as the series itself are all very realistic about the differences in talent/ability levels even between pros, and there is no presumption whatsoever that the MC will reach Souya's level anytime soon (if at all). (Again, love the realism. <3 ) And oh my goodness the MC is so adorable (especially once
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he realizes that he's in love with one of the sisters~! <3 <3 <3 ). (+ Bonuses of note: The cats are adorable and hilarious. <3
And I also love how all of the chapter covers tell their own {extremely adorable! <3 } sequential story in and of themselves. <3 <3 ) ...TL;DR: This series is awesome and I wholeheartedly recommend it!!
Noragami: Stray Stories vol. 1 (DROPPED): Hmm...
These are some random little side-stories by the mangaka of the main series; however, they're a lot more OTT and fourth-wall-breaking (and thus may or may not be canon), plus they're both quite a bit more fanservicey than the main series + really not all that funny, either.
Basically, I would definitely not recommend this-- just read the (actually really good!) main series instead.
Sensei Kunshu chapters 1-7 via normal methods, 8-27 via raws + text translations (so far): Welp, as you might possibly guess from the title
, this features a student-teacher (or, rather, student - substitute-teacher-who-becomes-a-full-time-one) romance; however, I have no problem with student-teacher relationships in fiction so long as it's entertaining/written well, and this one is certainly entertaining.
In fact, it's often downright hilarious (those
faces...! Those
hysterically OTT reaction faces!!
), and the romance isn't half bad, either
(...especially because at first she's freaked out by the very idea that she might fall for him, and he's *very much* not at all
romantically interested until well after she is; and also because even after they start dating he acts as responsibly as he can given both his rather brusque personality and the various circumstances/situations.
For example, the male MC fully understands (and fully explains to her) the possible consequences of them having a relationship, and even after they start going out he does what he can to avoid her having any. Now, the female MC is not smart
at all, but she is so one-track/dead-set determined (and her facial expressions in reaction to everything are just so OTT) that it always ends up being hilarious.
There are a couple of clichés on occasion, of course, but they're either used for (usually actually quite amusing) humor, or are averted at the last minute (...or, in the case of the 'blackmail,' actually provide an opportunity for them to make sure her parents know about everything and are okay with it); etc.
Now, I do have to give a content warning in that all of the female students (including the female MC) are almost shockingly open/frank about discussing sex-- I mean, not shocking in terms of
realism, unfortunately
, but rather in terms of not usually being so bold about it in a shoujo manga.
(Though, due to the male MC actually being responsible about it, thankfully nothing actually happens, despite the female MC's best efforts to the contrary...
) Oh, and the MC's friends-- two female, one of whom encourages the MC to a hilariously ridiculous degree
, and one male, who is completely baffled (and understandably a tad horrified) by the whole idea
-- along with the sub-teacher's slyly
encouraging helpful brother {and even the slightly creepy regular teacher that the sub-teacher effectively replaces!
} make it even better
). ...All that said, I mean, let's be honest, this is still complete fluff, of course
; but at least it doesn't wholly disregard the readers' intelligence and truly is a lot better-written than most student-teacher stuff I've skimmed through, and again it's just entertaining regardless
, so I'm enjoying it despite it being complete fluff.
And
Takane to Hana chapters 1-21 (so far): Again, I'd heard good things about this, and it did indeed turn out to be a great little romcom that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. <3
The MC's are quite amusing-- in some ways the girl is actually more mature than the guy, despite him being older; and neither can admit 'defeat' (i.e. that they actually kinda fell for each other
), so they keep on trying to outwit each other (spoiler: Hana-chan usually wins.
Not *always,* though...
). I mean, it's not very often that *both* halves of a couple are tsundere, so that's also quite amusing in and of itself
) Really looking forward to more~!
Yeah, won't be doing 
My... heart... </3 Also, I know the implications are very far from amusing (the flags are everywhere for that poor little girl... 
