Starting My Yuri Journey – A Taste Of The Forbidden Fruit

It has been so long since my last post but what else is new right?

Before anything else let me just start off by saying that I am straight and I have a boyfriend (Woah! Defensive!). I know the title seems a bit (REALLY) misleading and if you know me you may have already spat out a drink or two. The title was really just to add that dramatic effect and the “forbidden fruit” refers to the yuri mangas that I’ve been consuming recently. So yeah, get your mind of the gutter. To be fair, I put it there so here, let me help you with that.

Going back to the topic, I wasn’t really into Yuri before, I’m more interested in shounen-comedy-harem types of shows/manga and honestly, I thought yuri was a bit iffy. I didn’t really understand other people’s fascination with the genre. But then the fire nation--- well, not really the fire nation more like Hibike! Euphonium (Sound Euphonium) came and totally changed my whole perspective of the genre. Basically, Kyoto Animation’s yuri baiting did this to me!

I started getting into the whole Reina X Kumiko pair. Yes, this is because of episode 8. There are those who say that nothing will really come of it and honestly I think they’re right BUT if you see the chemistry they have in the show then, dear God! You must be heartless to not see that they BELONG together. It’s such a waste of build-up if nothing comes from it. 


I don’t care if you’ve read the light novels and cheer for Kumiko’s childhood friend. Yes, I do know about the light novels, blah blah blah. I was so into the pair that I did some research that made me stumble into some spoilers which ultimately left me heart broken.

If you haven’t watched the anime yet, YOU SHOULD! It is beautiful and you’re missing half of your life not watching it. I have to say that, in my opinion, Hibike! Euphonium is looking to be one of KyoAni’s best works to date. If you’re not into yuri then don’t worry, the anime isn’t yuri per say but it does have a dash of yuri baiting in it.



So even with that sad reveal, I was still pretty much hung-up with the Reina X Kumiko pair. So what I did was look for something to mend my broken ship-- I mean heart. I then stumbled into Citrus, the first ever yuri manga I've read. I was a bit hesitant to read it because of the themes and the genre but I was captivated by the character designs that I gave it a chance.

The story was interesting, for lack of a better word, and I liked by the characters. When I watch anime, I look at the characters first and then the plot second. I don’t care if the plot goes to hell, if the characters are well done and likeable then 95% of the time, I will end up liking the show. In a way, that’s how I go about choosing my manga. One of the main characters in Citrus, Mei, also kind of reminded me of Reina which was a plus.

After catching up with the latest chapter of Citrus I hungered for more and asked some recommendations from friends. I have been reading yuri mangas for, I think, 2 weeks now and I’m still having fun. So much feels man, so much feels. You have no idea what those girls have to go through.



Sure, there are inner monologues like, “I’m in love with someone and she’s a girl” or “We’re both girls. Is this really ok?” or the classic “You think I’m gross right?” comes up every now and then but it is a given considering the topic. What I like about yuri the most though is that, for the most part, the characters gets a considerable amount of development. Ok, to be fair, like any other medium, there are some exceptions but maybe that’s because I was given pretty good recommendations. There’s also an air of sweetness and innocence that’s tantalizing.

So far, the mangas I read are the following:

• Girl Friends by Morinaga Milk
• Citrus by Saburo Uta
• Shitsurakuen by Naomura Tooru (Yuri harem ftw!)
• Sasameki Koto by Ikeda Takashi
• Prism by Higashiyama Shou
• Hana to Hoshi by Suzukin Kario
• Tamen de Gushi Manhua by Tan Jiu
• Asagao to Kase-san by Takashima Hiromu
• Aoi Hana by Shimura Takako

I’m still new to the genre so any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Here’s to my new journey!

Also, Reina X Kumiko fowevaaahhh~!

Style

I have loved this song since the first time i heard it, and its pretty late for me to try to spread it because its the 2nd ED of the anime Soul Eater and the anime is really popular, but because i love this song so much i have decided to blog it.

The song, as I mentioned above is the 2nd ED of the anime Soul Eater (you have to watch the anime too, the animation is really nice as well as the design and the shounen action! *thumbs uo*) its called Style by Nishino Kana. I have fallen in love with the song because of the lyrics and its rythm, i can't get tired of listening to it, and i have heard it over and over and over and over again. So, let me share the PV and the official ED, so here, hope you guys enjoy it..^___^

Style PV





Style ED

Kannagi OP!

OMG *big grin* ROFL! this was my first reaction when i watched this OP, the song is really catchy and the animation is really good, it actually reminded me of hare hare yukai (suzumiya haruhi no yutsu). Well for those that doesn't know this anime or for those that are interested in watching, the anime is called Kannagi, i have all the impulse of writing about this anime but, alas, because of the busy schedule i still haven't seen the first episode and also because of the stench of fail that i'm emitting i would have to end here.

I just wanted to share this OP to those who needs cheering up..i really feel crappy this week and watching this OP cheers me up a bit, it just makes me smile and laugh. So, to those who are feeling that "end-of-the-semester" blues..here's something to cheer you up..

What if you're loved one becomes the enemy of the world?

The video is one of the 4 part short film, amazing nuts(each film has no connection to the others by the way) which was created or more likely animated by Studio 4°C. This specific piece was based on the feature-length storyboard by Yasuhiro Aoki.

This may be a little biased(why biased? the fact that i haven't seen the other videos yet) but i think among the 4 short films, this one is really my favorite, i like the story flow, the animation, the art and the song(Twinkle by Koda Kumi). Although after the video you have that urge to want an explanation to what happened, the video keeps us hanging leaving us with so many questions, but i guess that's a part of its charm. I actually feel a bit sad considering that this video is already 2 years old it was released on 2006 but i've actually seen and heard of it a few days ago *sniff*

I hope you like the video!!! Studio 4°C created numerous of videos so if you're interested just check them out for now, here are the titles of the other part of amazing nuts.

• Amazing Nuts! Part 1 - Global Astroliner (2006)
• Amazing Nuts! Part 2 - Glass Eyes (2006)
• Amazing Nuts! Part 3 - Kung Fu Love - Even If You Become the Enemy of the World (2006)
• Amazing Nuts! Part 4 - Joe and Marilyn (2006)
  

*SPARKING!*

Gintama (銀魂, Gintama, literally "Silver Soul") is a comedic manga created by Hideaki Sorachi. The original manga began in April 2004 and is currently being published by Shueisha under Weekly Shonen Jump. The manga has sold over 20 million copies in Japan. In March 2007, Shueisha announced that sales of the first volume had passed one million copies.

The manga has been licensed by VIZ Media in North America under the Shonen Jump label, under the title "Gin Tama". It debuted in the January 2007 issue, and was serialized at a rate of one chapter a month (as opposed to the two or three chapters of the other serialized manga). The magazine serialized the entire first volume, and currently releases the other volumes bimonthly under the Shonen Jump Advance imprint; it is rated for "T+" for "Older Teen" (ages 16+).

Story

The story takes place in Edo (known today as Tokyo because of the name change in 1868), Japan, which has been taken over by aliens called Amanto since the late Edo period. The samurai of Japan have fallen, and the Amanto placed a ban on carrying swords in public. The story focuses on an eccentric samurai, Gintoki Sakata, his (partial) apprentice Shinpachi Shimura, and a teenage alien girl: Kagura. All three are "free-lancers" who search for work in order to pay the monthly rent, which usually goes unpaid anyway.

What the hell is that video?

The video if from episode 100 of gintama, as you can see its a parody of dragonball z. If you haven't watched or heard of dragonball...ever, then i don't recommend you to continue to watch the video, you'll just be confused and disappointed. I just want to share this really cool video, with everyone, its from the episode its not fan made, its REALL. Hope, it makes you laugh to the point where you get interested and might want to watch this anime.

Animes that deserved a share in the spotlight...

So, i've been watching and downloading lots of animes recently but for quite sometime now i have observed that some really good animes, that deserved a share in the limelight, always have a tendency to get overshadowed by other animes. I know and understand that each of us have their own preferences, but I just don't think its fair for good titles such as the ones im going to post, just be forgotten just like that..

First stop..



Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge


The Wallflower: Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge (ヤマト ナデシコ 七変化, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge?), or The Wallflower for short, is a manga series written by Tomoko Hayakawa (はやかわ ともこ, Hayakawa Tomoko?). The manga is being serialized in Bessatsu Friend and has been published in twenty collected volumes by Kodansha thus far.

Nippon Animation adapted part of the manga series into a twenty-five episode anime series which aired on TV Tokyo and TV Aichi from October 3, 2006 through March 27, 2007.[1]. The anime adaptation has been licensed for Region 1 release by A.D. Vision.

Plot

The Wallflower is about Sunako Nakahara, a girl who was called "ugly" by a boy, the first and only person to whom she confessed her love. This incident sparks a life change, and as a result Sunako shuns all forms of beauty, both in herself as well as in life. Concerned by her change for the worst, Sunako's aunt, the owner of a beautiful mansion where four very handsome students live, offers the guys free rent in her mansion if they can turn Sunako into a "perfect lady" (referred to in Japan as the titular Yamato Nadeshiko).

My thoughts

Well, honestly at first i really got distracted with the art, especially the "lips" it thought they were drawn too much, although im not quite sure if the artist did that intentionally, basing from the art, it really wasn't my cup of tea. But as i watched the episodes(all 7 of them) i just can't help but to laugh at every one of them, although it did have a "Gokusen" "yankumi" feel in it, it was nonetheless fun. If you're just bored and you want to laugh senseless i would really recomend this anime.

Next stop...

Nodame Cantabile


Nodame Cantabile (のだめカンタービレ, Nodame Kantābire?) is an ongoing manga by Tomoko Ninomiya. It has been published in Japan by Kodansha in the magazine Kiss since 2001 and collected in 19 tankobon volumes to date (as of December 2007). It is licensed in North America by Del Rey Manga. The series received the 2004 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo.[1] When volume 19 was released in November 2007, the Japanese Comic Ranking at #1 at its debut.

The series has been adapted twice on television, as a live-action drama that aired in 2006 and as an anime series that aired in 2007, a 2 night live-action drama special was aired in January 2008.

Plot

Based on the hit comic book by Tomoko Ninomiya, this is a fun-filled quirky romantic story of two very opposite people.

Megumi Noda, or “Nodame” is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend’s lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.

Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka’s top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy (namely Prague), he is trapped in Japan because of his childhood phobia.

They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame’s unusual qualities. Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow. Along the way, they meet some crazy people (like Masumi, Mine, and Stresemann) and make lasting friendships. Because of Nodame, Chiaki gets the opportunity to lead a student orchestra and begins to have a broader appreciation of people's musical abilities. Because of Chiaki, Nodame faces her fears and enters a piano competition. Opportunities open up as both begin taking risks, stretching themselves far more than they ever thought possible.

My thoughts

Actually, i would never have watched or even payed attention to this anime if it wasn't for a good friend(Ka-chan!!! T_T), we watched it at lab C at school while "doing our ics 21&22 activity" and we instantly fell in love with the story. Nodame Cantabile is a very refreshing anime, with every episode leaving you wanting for more. Nodame and Chiaki's antics made me laugh as well as touched me leaving me teary eyed, the art as well as the soundtrack is very pleasant for both your eyes and your ears. If you have'nt watched the anime then i really urge you to watch, the anime is not just for people who appreciates classical music but for everyone.

Last stop...

Katekyō Hitman Reborn!



Reborn!, known in Japan as Katekyō Hitman Reborn! (家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN!, Katekyō Hittoman REBORN!?, which would literally be Katei Kyōshi Hittoman Reborn! and translated as Home Tutor Hitman Reborn!), is a Japanese comedy manga written and illustrated by Akira Amano.

The manga is published in Japan by Shueisha's Jump Comics imprint and is serialized in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. On October 7, 2006, an anime adaptation created by Artland premiered on the Japanese television network TV Tokyo.

Plot

Reborn! is about a boy, Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada, who is chosen to become a Mafia Boss. Tsuna unwillingly undergoes training from Reborn, a hitman from Italy. Timoteo a.k.a. "Vongola IX," the head of the VongolaFamily, sent Reborn to train Tsuna; the first Vongola boss moved to Japan, and Tsuna was hisgreat-great-great grandson; the other candidates for the position of the head of the Vongola family died.

Enrico, who was the leading candidate to become "Vongola X", died in a gun battle. Massimo, the second,"sleeps with the fishes." Federico, the favored son, was found as a pile of bones. For these reasons, Tsuna isthe only remaining heir.Reborn's main instrument of choice in teaching Tsuna is the "Dying Will Bullet" ("Deathperation Shot" in the English versions), which will make the person be "reborn" with a stronger self intent on fulfilling his dying will.

My thoughts

If your an avid fan of Naruto and Bleach, or just plainly a shounen fan then this anime is good for you. I honestly watched this anime for one reason and that was "lambo", but the as I watched more reborn i learnedto really love the anime, its not as serious as bleach and naruto when it comes to the fighting because it doesn't just focus on defeating you-know-who and saving some damesel in distress but, its kinda like a slice of life anime but not quite like that let me just say this, and im not saying this because im not a bleach or naruto fan but...there are still loads of shounen animes that are better than both of the ones i have mentioned(i prefer naruto to bleach though). Katekyo is a really fun anime although the anime has a really huge line-up of fillers, i read the manga so i know, but every filler is refreshing.




So, let me just end there, at least for today, im going to post more soon, if you didn't get what i said then there's only one thing to do, watch the anime! Again let me just say, i understand that each and everyone of us has his/her own preference when watching anime or any kind of movie, but we will never know what we truly want if we don't find out for ourselves. So happy watching!!!

Upcoming animes!!!

So far so good! the list looks great with titles like Code geass season 2 and macross frontier!!! wohoo!!! i'm really getting pumped up this season!!!

these are the animes which i will surely watch!

• code geass R2
• macross frontier
• amatsuki
• soul eater
• special a
• tower of druaga
  

projects..services..finals and eroge

Finally, after a month or so of silence, my blog continues to live...*sigh*
the semester is coming to an end, and you know what that means, yup, FINALS week T_T
its our last chance to redeem ourselves, to right the wrongs, to pass the F's T_T; to those who can't relate *sigh* LUCKY YOU!!!!! The nerve racking pressure is on! sleepless night here i come, eye bugs will pile up and insanity will haunt me yet again, its the time for me to get paranoid again. Yet, I'm here writing on my blog while deadlines are coming near, with quizzes for both ICS 23 and physics 2 coming tomorrow and on Wednesday T_T May God have mercy on my soul..*sigh* Too many things to do, all the reports to be done, installing of services(it may sound easy but its freakishly hard and complicated) I do hope i survive(background song: "i will survive" by cake) XD

The pressure is on but I'm still thinking of playing tsukihime, yes..yes..it is an eroge but its not like I'm playing because of the adult content --or in plain english "porn", but the story is really kick-ass! Its actually my first time to play an eroge, well if you consider ganguro girl to be an eroge then its probably my second time, and its really not that explicit but that's probably because i haven't gotten to the "ero" parts yet. Playing tsukihime is really like reading a book with choices, I'm really getting hooked, so for those who's curious or is interested in tsukihime i give you the thumbs up! You should try it, its really good, although the arts not that impressive but the story makes up for it.

I'm starting to get annoyed with other people's installation guide! especially for samba! i mean, would it hurt to speak in proper english?! *sigh* its really very complicated as it is you don't need to complicate it more! *sigh* for five hours we tried to install the service samba with poor results, i got a headache from reading the installation notes, and we really need to get ahead because the first 3 to install it properly gets plus points! yes PLUS POINTS!!!! Its something that we really need!!! *sigh* anyways, I'll try to post the upcoming anime list ^_^ and by the way RADWIMPS RULES!!!

Recomended Manga

If you can't stop get the ouran fever out of your system, then you will like this manga...


Hikari Hanazono, the main character, has always been second to Kei Takishima. While Hikari considers Kei a rival and somewhat of a friend, Kei loves Hikari. Everyone knows this, but she is too dense to notice. Their wrestling loving fathers first introduced them to one another when they were 6 years old. Assuming that she was the best in wrestling, young Hikari challenged Kei to a wrestling match only to be thoroughly defeated by him. Ever since that fateful incident, Hikari swore to beat Kei in school grades, a sporting event - anything. To do this she has enrolled in the same school as Kei since elementary. Now she attends Hakusenkan, an ultra elite school, that costs her carpenter father a lot of money. Hikari and Kei are the top two students in the school, with Kei holding firmly to that number one position.

The story primarily focuses on Hikari and her constant attempts to defeat her one and only rival, Kei and how she finds love in their rivalry.

-wikipedia.org

Watch out for the anime show coming out this spring of 2008.


If you're getting tired of naruto and want to read something which has a definite end...



Ruby Crescent is an ordinary girl, who likes to go out with boys and go shopping. Her life is changed dramatically when her father dies and she becomes a treasure hunter as he was. Her objective is to find O-Parts: magical items hidden under the ground which grant people superhuman powers and can only be used by an O.P.T. (O-Part Tactician), Angel, or Devil. She soon meets a mysterious boy named Jio who, due to having a dark, lonely past, seeks to conquer the world. Jio is hostile to her at first, but ends up traveling with Ruby as her bodyguard. When Ruby is attacked by an O.P.T. claiming to be Satan, Jio rushes to her rescue and a battle occurs. Initially they are on the losing side, but Jio releases his true power and is revealed to be not only an O.P.T., but the real Satan. Thus, the two continue to travel together in hopes of unlocking their pasts.

The manga is already complete with 19 volumes and 76 chapters
-wikiepia.org

If you like clamp and just want to read something light and short...

Kobato began its serial run in the June 2007 issue of Newtype USA, and will continue its exclusive serialization through the May 2008 issue, comprising 12 installments in total. Each installment will include full-color spreads, along with standard black-and-white manga art. Furthermore, Kobato is set to appear in Clamp's second music video, CLAMP in Wonderland 2. This will be the first time the characters Kobato and Ioryogi will be animated.

Kobato is sweet and perky girl, but also extremely naïve about the world around her.She has a "mission", which is to fill a mysterious bottle of hers with the suffering from people's hearts. Among the hearts she heals, there will be a boy she will work for and bring happiness to, but she is forbidden to fall in love with him.

-wikipedia.org

endings..beginnings..and crap...ranting time

This have a been a very stressful week *sigh*..it had a good a pretty good start but it got chaotic in the middle. 3 days of bombardment with quizzes, disappointments and evil teachers(no offense -_-). The two events stated here(i mean the very crappy ones)all happened in one day.
<

It starts of with a very excited me really eager to finish a project we have been working on for quite some time now just to find out that our computer..our computer that had our project, the very thing that we poured our hearts and souls into(sorry for sounding dramatic) was reformatted, wiped clean, done for! With very little time to finish it.

Next stop 92 slides of death(dead serious), we were told that we were going to have a quiz on a certain subject, 92 slides thick, so i tried to study(i really did..honest!) but since the lesson wasn't discussed properly in the end nothing got into my mind. I really spent hours and lack of sleep trying to finish the 92 slides but in the end the teacher only told us, with a devil like laughter how "good" she is and that we should be good to her because she was going to cancel the quiz, *sigh* hours spent looking at a piece of paper and sleep deprivation, wasn't worth crap! I have already ranted to the two major crap that happened to me but for some reason i like to repeat it, oh well i guess i was just bored.

Next was a physics quiz that wreaks of failure, although the failure thing was entirely at fault(i really suck at these kinds of things *sigh*) and two more other subjects but i guess they went better than those mentioned above.

As they say for every beginning there is an end, which makes me happy that the bombardment is finally over, but also, for every end there are beginnings, CRAP!, next week midterms exams are going to start, *sigh* more bombardment to come. Although i understand that there are people who had it worst, still, can someone just shoot me already! *sigh*