Cage of Eden 155 + Silver Spoon 41

Cage of Eden Ch. 155

Not much happened in this chapter.  If you take a peek at my review, you'll see that I don't think much of this series.  So why do I read it?  Well...it's no skin off my back to see how it ends, so I go ahead and read the new releases.

Oomori-san really needs to open her mouth about the writing on the tower.  Everyone is trying to figure out "the mysteries of the island."  I don't really get why she hasn't mentioned the inscription to anyone.  You know, that is a rather curious piece of information.  Granted, it was revealed a chapter or two ago, so nothing new was really introduced here, but still, it does make one wonder.  I don't spend too much time theorizing about Cage of Eden, but let's look at what info we have.  The only thing relatively interesting in this chapter was the discussion about when the facilities on the island were built.  If everything was built during WWII, then was the tower inscribed at that time?  If Miina died in 1940s, then who is this Miina?  Perhaps she's not the first Miina Isaragi.  Maybe her family funded the operation and a grandmother of hers or something that shared the same name died there.  That seems too simple though.  So let's assume that the "R.I.P. Miina Isaragi" actually refers to the Miina with the group.  Perhaps she died, and her family has spent all this time trying to use the research gathered on that island to try to recreate her?  That would explain why Miina has no memories and why she knows so much about the indigenous species.  Was she actually on the plane that crashed?  I can't remember.  Fake Miina said that he was hired to dress like her for security reasons, right?  It's been a while since I read it, and I wasn't immersed enough in the world for it to stick, so some of my facts could be skewed.  Did he say that the real Miina was on the plane?  If so, did he meet her?  I guess I could look these things up, but I just don't really care to.  Damn you, Cage of Eden, for not being interesting enough!

I can't really see how they're gonna force Nishikiori to perform an impromptu surgery on Kurusu-sensei.  He's clearly got a few screws loose.  Maybe they'll strike another deal with him, much like Yarai originally did.  Don't know.  Not sure that I care.  Moving on!


Silver Spoon Ch. 41

Ya know, with each chapter, I like this series a little more.  It might bore action fans, but I think it delivers in other ways.  Arakawa-sensei has demonstrated (with Fullmetal Alchemist) that she understands how to write believable characters.  I'm growing rather attached to Hachiken.  I never really would have expected myself to enjoy a manga about life at an agricultural high school, but I guess it's not really about that, is it?  It's about a kid learning who he is and learning to embrace different cultures.  I like how that is reflected in his relationship with Chestnut.  That was the main idea of today's chapter.  Your horse isn't a tool, it's your partner, and you need to think of yourself as part of a team.  There isn't much to discuss about this chapter.  It's pretty simply stated.  In the next chapter, will Hachiken strengthen his bond with Chestnut and finally clear the jump?  As exciting as it doesn't sound, I'm actually looking forward to it.  :)

Naruto 588 vs. Bleach 494 *SPOILERS*

I'll get back on the reviews shortly.  I've been absorbed lately, in various things.  I'm almost finished with Kekkaishi!  I only have five more chapters left.  So why am I typing this instead of wrapping up those last five chapters?  Because I have satellite internet, and it's rainy and stormy outside.  My attempts to try to finish the series were foiled by internet outages.  So, here I am, typing at my word processor instead.

I've decided that I wanna discuss the new releases of the manga that I'm reading.  It's not like I have any readers.  I guess it's more just for my own amusement.

I suppose I'll start with yesterday's releases.  It was Shounen Jump day, and unfortunately, the only Jump series that I've read (thus far) are Bleach and Naruto.  So, onto the new chapters!  SPOILERS AHEAD.  LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS.  IF YOU AREN'T UP TO DATE ON THESE TITLES, THEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE A WHOOOOOOOLE LOTTA SHIT THAT YOU AREN'T READY FOR.

Okay, that being said, let's begin with Naruto!

Naruto Ch. 588

I'm glad to see that we're finally ending the Itachi and Sasuke vs. Kabuto battle.  I was interested in it at first because I kinda like Kabuto, and I was glad to see Itachi and Sasuke able to fight side by side.  I liked finally seeing Kabuto's history.  However, the battle was getting a little long.  One side would whip out an ultimate technique, then the other would do the same.  The battle itself just didn't have the magic and intensity of other fights in the series.  Therefore, it's nice to see it end, especially with an ending that leaves it open for a Kabuto redemption.  I am a little disappointed in how it's ending for Itachi and Sasuke though.  I was really looking forward to them finally being able to have a heartfelt talk with no more lies and airs.  But instead Itachi's just like, "Hey, I'm gonna end the Edo-Tensei now, so I'm gonna go back to being dead.  Have a nice life, bro!"  Hey, wait a minute... I feel gipped.  Really, I do understand why Kishimoto-sensei is doing this.  He's setting this up to be a big Naruto vs. Sasuke fight and during that fight, Naruto will finally get through to Sasuke, who will finally redeem himself (hopefully by dying).  I think if Sasuke and Itachi were to actually sit down and talk, Itachi would sway Sasuke a little bit, which would lessen the impact of Naruto's breakthrough later.  Sasuke's already being pretty dumb though.  Can't he see that yet again his brother has proudly given his all to protect Konoha?  Yet he remains unwavering in his desire to destroy the village.  Hmm...I still kinda like him though...

I'm glad that we got back to the Kages vs. Madara.  Oh, Gaara, how I've missed you.  He's one of my favorite characters, and I'm glad to get back to his fight.  Of course, this battle is already going to be fraught with the same problem as the previous battle.  Madara's already bringing out the big guns.  "Oh, Susano'o ain't enough for ya?  Ok, let's try the ULTIMATE Susano'o.  Yeaaaaahh, booooooyyy!"  Ok, I may have dumbed that down a little.  I realize that I can't complain too much.  This is a shounen manga.  Ridiculous strengths and abilities have been a part of the genre for a long time.  So, I can't be too picky.  For the record, I'm ready for the plot to move forward.

Bleach Ch. 494

I'm really not invested in this whole Quincy arc.  C'mon, Kubo-sensei!  This is the FINAL ARC for Bleach!  It needs to be epic and kick the shit out of everything that has happened already!  The substitute shinigami arc was pretty good and seemed to promise that several reveals were in store.  So far, I just don't see how those are gonna be worked in.  What went down with Ginjou back then?  What were the circumstances that led to Isshin losing his powers and leaving the Soul Society?  THOSE are the things I wanna dig into.  I really don't get the whole Quincy thing anyway.  So the Soul Reapers wiped them out two hundred years ago, yet hordes of them managed to survive and build a super-powerful army that is capable of subduing Espada-level arrancars and killing thousands of Soul Reapers within only minutes of the invasion?  I don't have a problem with having to suspend belief a little bit when it comes to manga, but this is starting to get a little ridiculous.  Not to mention that I don't care about these villains at all.  They have no history, no background.  I've always thought that it was vital for a series to have a good villain.  So far, none of these characters are developed at all.

I suppose the highlight of this chapter is the fate of Izuru Kira.

That's a pretty tough blow, and Akon remarks that Izuru's reiatsu can no longer be detected.  Is he dead?  Is he alive?  Part of me hopes he's alive because I really like him.  The other part of me thinks that Bleach needs another good death.  The Division 1 lieutenant's death had little impact.

As ridiculous as I'm claiming it to be, I'm certainly not gonna give up on the series.  Of course, I'll keep reading.  He simply has to work in the whole Isshin thing, and I can't wait to see what will happen there.  Also, I'm eagerly awaiting the return of one of my absolute favorite characters:  Grimmjow.  He's gonna come back.  He has to.  I can feel it!

So for this week's releases, I think Bleach wins the battle.  What edged it out?  Probably Izuru's injury.  It was an interesting read and leaves one wondering what will happen next.  I'm kinda guessing that Orihime will scurry over and fix him, though.  I'll be surprised if that's the end of Izuru.

Goong Ending SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Life has been busy, so the reviews have been on hold for a while.  Also, it's slow going through Kekkaishi.  I'm most of the way through it now, so I'm trying to make more time to read so I can hurry up and finish it.  So much manga, so little time!

When I woke up this morning and checked online to see if any new chapters were posted of any of my ongoing series, I was in for a treat!  To celebrate their third year as a scanlation team, Evil Flowers had a huuuuuuuuge release, which included the final SIXTEEN chapters of Goong, all at once!  I was absolutely giddy.  I immediately dove in and began reading.  Unfortunately, I had to work, so I only got a few chapters in, but as soon as I got back home, I headed straight for the computer and picked up where I left off (sorry, Kekkaishi...reading the finale of Goong took priority...).  This is the part where I simultaneously bash and praise the ending.  Get ready for some mood swings.  As the title of this post suggests, there are SPOILERS AHEAD.  BIG SPOILERS.  IF YOU'RE READING GOONG AND HAVEN'T FINISHED, MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP HERE.


SERIOUSLY, I'M ABOUT TO SPOIL THIS SHIT HARDCORE.

......
.....
.....
......
.....


YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.


I'll start from the less interesting parts and work my way up to the juicy bits.

Park worked her way through the minor characters throughout these chapters, tying up all the loose ends.  Hangoong regained her memory and accepted the proposal of Eunuch Gong.  I wasn't too wrapped up in that, but it was nice to see that Park didn't forget about them.  Yul seemed to finally take a couple of steps toward Miru, though she seems to be still be her usual conniving self.  I had really hoped to see a somewhat softer side of her for Yul to respond to, but in the end she was still manipulating him.  Yes, I know that her character is for comedic relief and that her antics are meant to be funny, but I only ever found her to be annoying.  I'm glad that Yul has someone else so he can move on from ChaeKyeung, but come on.  As horrible as he has been, he still deserves better.  I would have accepted Miru if she had just shone the tiniest bit of a genuine side.  Throughout the whole series, my thoughts on Yul were back and forth.  In the end, he did redeem himself some, but more on that later.

HyoRin found something to replace her dancing:  acting.  After all this time, ChaeJun goes to see her, and they seem to be on their way to a reconciliation.  I felt good about this one.  I wish that Park had been able to spend a little more time on this couple.  I really would have liked to have gotten to know ChaeJun a bit better.  I don't think that it was stupid of him to go back to HyoRin.  It had been about three years since they had broken up, and I think old wounds have healed.  Though it wasn't directly addressed, I think HyoRin finally gave up on Shin.  I feel like her decision to pursue a new career sort of symbolized that she was moving on with her life and trying to begin anew.  There shouldn't be anything in the way of her and ChaeJun now.  I liked how later, ChaeJun tells TaeJoon that HyoRin isn't his girlfriend, but that with time, she might be.  I think the two of them will move slowly and build a stronger foundation for their relationship.  I was pleased with their ending.

The King and Queen even got a little closure in the end.  The King falls ill due to stress, and the two of them are able to spend quite a bit of time together, where I think they rediscover their intimacy.  He tells the Queen that he's always known that she hides her true emotions, and that he's only ever pretended not to notice.  However, now he wants her to be more upfront with him and not try to hide what's on her mind.  I think the two of them are on their way to falling in love again (or for the first time?  The Queen has hinted before that she wasn't the most willing to be in that relationship...).

Now, I'm gonna lay out what all went down between ChaeKyeung and Shin.

So where we left off in the previous chapters, our lovely couple were finally back together again after having been apart for nearly two years.  Shin was on his way to being demoted from his position as Crown Prince, and he was ready to live a life outside of the palace with ChaeKyeung.  He had to return to the palace once more to give his consent for his demotion, but he promised that upon his return, he would propose to her once again.  I was so happy...

And then Yul just HAD to go and fuck it all up.  I said my thoughts on Yul were back and forth, right?  They fell waaaay back at this point.  That little fucker didn't show up for the public announcement of his promotion.  Instead, he hopped a plane and left Korea, knowing damn well that this would force his demotion and leave Shin to remain the Crown Prince.  His parting words were something along the lines of how he wouldn't be able to strengthen the position of the King from the inside.  He needed to be outside of the palace to do that, and then he would make sure the council passed the bill giving the rights to the throne solely to the goons (Korean term, not our English word "goon"), and THEN he would be king.  Dude.  That is so convoluted.  And how do you even know it's gonna work?  At least if he had accepted the promotion, he would have been next in line to the throne.  This plan seems to have a lot of "ifs" involved.  And then to REALLY piss me off, this plan is left hanging in the air.  Once we skip to a year later, he seems to have forgotten all about his plane to become King.  What happened, Yul?  Why the change of heart?  That whole plot development just pissed me off.  Sorry, Park.  I didn't go for that one.

So Shin is left stranded.  He was ready to give up palace life to be with ChaeKyeung.  Now, he has to remain the Crown Prince.  Or does he?  He could have just told everyone in the palace to bugger off and ran out the door and back to his love.  But did he? Noooooo.  THAT WOULD BE TOO FUCKING SIMPLE, NOW WOULDN'T IT?  Nope, instead he feels as though it is his responsibility to hang out and be a good little royal since there is no one else in line.  Then his father becomes ill, and he becomes Deputy King (dude, English really needs some better words to describe these royal titles) for a while, so now he's REALLY burdened.  So what does he do?  He basically breaks up with ChaeKyeung. He says he can't leave the palace like this, and won't she please come to the goong and live with him.  Of course, she says no!  From day one, she's been the one having to sacrifice everything.  He promised he'd leave the prison of a palace for her, and now he wants her to chain herself down again?  He tells her that if he had truly meant to leave the palace, then he would have followed her when she left during the divorce.  Of course, he's remembering his upbringing while he says this, when he was taught to "become an emotionless machine" when it comes to making royal decisions.  All he wants is to leave with her, but he feels like he can't.  Despite his desperate pleas for her to stay with him, she says she just can't do it.  It's not the life for her.  Good for you, ChaeKyeung.  I wouldn't have been happy to see her give up everything once more for him.

At this point, I'm sensing a little Serendipity Syndrome.  What's that, you say?  Have you ever seen the movie Serendipity starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale?  Stupidest fucking movie ever.  All you want is for this stupid couple to get together, but they just keep missing each other.  Some stupid little something always comes up.  I fucking hated that.  This is the way it has been for ChaeKyeung and Shin.  After they finally get back together after the divorce, all this shit happens and tears them apart again.  A year passes.  ChaeKyeung is sort of dating someone new now (the Taejoon fellow I mentioned earlier).  They haven't even kissed even though they've been dating for months.  Clearly, she's still hung up on Shin, but at least she's doing her best to try to move on and put him behind her.  Meanwhile, Shin's a mess.  He spends his days getting drunk and going on rants about the one who got away.  I actually enjoyed seeing this rather pathetic side to him.  She did all that suffering after the divorce, and while it's true that he wasn't having fun then either, now he's really getting what's coming to him.  This time, it's his own damn fault that she's not with him, so he deserves to be miserable.  ChaeKyeung held an auction of her things for charity, then accidentally discovered that it was Shin who bought everything.  She starts to wonder if after all this time, he hasn't let her go.  She decides to call him, but oops.  He's changed his number.  Serendipity Syndrome strikes (it will now be known as SS).  Ugh.  But then, wait!  Drunk Shin decides that he just needs to hear her voice!  Though he's changed his number, he still kept hers, "just in case."  He starts to call her......and then hurls his phone away!  SS strikes again!  But!  But!! His tiny little toddler brother picks up the phone and hits "send!"  Finally!  They're connected!  But Shin doesn't say anything to her to identify himself.  He decides that she sounds too normal and must have moved on.  Dammit!  More SS!!  Then Drunk Shin whispers something into his little brother's ear.  The next day for a royal interview, little Sun spills the beans on what big bro said during the very live broadcast.  Shin told his little brother to grow up big and tall just like him.  When that happens, Shin will leave everything to him and leave the palace to marry the girl on the phone.  But alas, ChaeKyeung had decided not to watch the interview.  There's that SS again...  Before I move on with the next part, I wanna say that I did feel a little bit of squeeing come on when Sun was blabbing Shin's secret.  There ya go, ladies and germs!  Shin's true feelings (as if we didn't know already).  It was kinda sweet.

Of course, ChaeKyeung does eventually see the interview, and she recognizes Sun's voice as the child on the phone the previous night.  Now, she's really having her doubts.  Will she truly be able to will herself away from Shin?  She decides to go see him at the Royal Procession celebrating the King's return from his recovery retreat.  However, TaeJoon says that sitting in the back and sulking won't do any good.  This was a really cool moment for TaeJoon, one that almost made me wish that he would catch a break.  He was in the story for only a short time, but that poor guy never stood a chance.  He manages to get ChaeKyeung up to the front of the crowd, and when she's afraid that Shin will see her despite the throngs of people there, he makes an impromptu mask for her.  It's not enough though, and Shin does see her, and with tears streaming down her face, she calls out to him, "Were you serious about me, you bastard?!"

At this point, I'm envisioning the various ways that this series can end.  One of them is that they both decide to move on with their lives.  I tried to decide how I would feel about this ending.  It would be almost bittersweet.  I mean, I loved Paradise Kiss because the protagonists didn't end up together in the end.  But no.  Hell no.  Not for Goong.  These two have been through so fucking much, if they didn't end up together, the whole series would be rendered pointless.  ParaKiss was about a girl learning who she is.  Goong is about boy and girl falling in love.  If they don't end up together in the end, then what a waste of 179 chapters!  Ok, so now I've decided that somehow, they have to find each other.

As soon as she can slip away from TaeJoon, ChaeKyeung makes a break for it, running for the palace as hard as she can (at which point, I envisioned Coldplay's "Fix You" to be so very appropriate).  She arrives, but nooooo, her passage is blocked by the guards!  But along comes Yul, conveniently back from his trip to Africa to tell the guards that she can go wherever she wants.  As he walks away, he knows that he's helping ChaeKyeung and Shin get back together, but he hopes that this can be the first step towards forgiveness.  Dammit, and now I like him again, even though it's gonna take a LOT MORE THAN THAT for ME to forgive the bastard for putting them through all that shit to begin with.

While ChaeKyeung is running to Shin, we see him leave the table where he was seated with his parents to go after her.  He opens a door, and the two meet, after having been apart for yet another year.  A few awkward hellos are exchanged.  Then he answers her question.  Yes, he was always serious about her.  He tells her it will be a while before he can rest easily and leave everything to Sun, but he promises her that he will leave everything for her.  She falls into his arms, and they kiss.  Thank God.  I was gonna be sooooo pissed if we didn't get a nice big kiss out of this ending.  At this point, I forgot all about my frustration and just gave in to the giddy little shoujo fan in me that just eats this shit up.  I may have been a little teary-eyed.  Maybe...

Shin's so cute!  And I love Taejoon's and ChaeJun's expressions in that last frame.

In the end, ChaeKyeung narrates that there was still a wall between them that they could not cross, illustrated literally by the doorway between them.  Though they had embraced, Shin still stood just inside the palace, and ChaeKyeung was just outside.  But one day they will cross it.

....

Wait a minute.

So does this mean that she's just agreed to wait about 18 years before she can be with Shin?  What exactly does this mean, Park?  Are the two of them gonna remain separated, and then get back together after Sun becomes old enough to claim the position of Crown Prince?  Are they gonna date and maintain their relationship and only get (re)married when Sun is older?  Or is she gonna stay by Shin's side while he carries out his duties, and then he'll leave the palace behind to have a quiet life with her?  I definitely prefer option 3.  I like to imagine that the wall between them was only figurative.  That part of me hopes that she does immediately remarry Shin and wait by his side for him to fulfill his promise.  But then again, that disagrees with what I said earlier about how I didn't want to see her give up everything again to have to live in the palace.  So maybe option 2 won't be so bad.  They might still see each other, date, and for all intensive purposes be a couple, only making it official through marriage when he's able to leave the palace.  So, I guess that option could work.  But still, by then, they would be almost 40.  I guess the Queen had Sun when she was in her forties, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that they could start a family then.

Ok, so there it is.  The final 16 chapters of Goong.  Overall, was I pleased?  Yes.  It may have been frustrating along the way, but I guess it just made it all the sweeter when they finally do get together in the end.  I still bloody love ChaeKyeung and Shin, and this is still one of my favorite series.  I'm up to the first six volumes in my collection, with number seven on its way!

High School Debut

Title:  High School Debut
Japanese Title:  Koukou Debut
Mangaka:  Kazune Kawahara
Length:  13 Volumes (Completed)
English Translation?  Yes, all released by Viz Media.
Demo/Genre:  Shoujo/Slice-of-Life/Romantic Comedy

How did I hear about it?  I had seen it advertised in some of my manga, then found a strong recommendation on one of the blogs I read.

Haruna was a tomboy all through middle school.  She has made it her goal to shed that image in high school, to find a boyfriend, and to fall in love.  There's just one problem:  she has no idea what boys like!  Immediately after entering high school, she meets Yoh, a popular upperclassman.  When she sees how girls throw themselves at him, she thinks that surely he must know what it is that boys look for in girls.  She begs him to become her coach, teaching her how to be a girl that boys will want to date.  He reluctantly agrees, but with one condition:  Haruna must not fall in love with him.  Gee, I wonder where this is going?

I'm really on the fence about the art in this series.  My opinion of it changed from frame to frame.  At times, it seemed really clean and pretty.  At other times, it seemed awkward and childish.  It just felt a little inconsistent.

This is another series that was just plain fun.  HSD never really gets deep, though it does explore the notion that the best person you can be is yourself.  It's a simple, candy-coated moral, but it's a true enough statement that it allows this manga to express itself without ever getting too heavy.  At first, I didn't like Haruna.  She was your average cookie-cutter shoujo heroine.  She was naive, dense, nice to a fault.  Really naive.  Unbelievably naive.  Maybe about halfway through (possibly even later), I did start to warm up to her a bit.  I never outright liked her, but I felt she worked well enough.  I liked Yoh though.  He was a bit more complex.  Haruna just had to learn to be herself, but Yoh had to work out a few issues from his past, though his issues didn't end up being all that heavy when you consider what a lot of other protagonists have had to go through (Fruits Basket or Mars, anyone?).  The supporting cast was functional.  Of Yoh's two best friends, one is a bit too much like Haruna (one was enough, Kawahara-sensei), but the other was a bit snarky, and therefore, more interesting.  Yoh's sister also played a sizable role.  I actually liked her.  She was very conceited to the point of being funny.  I think what made her attitude work was her facial expressions.  Her delivery was calm and aloof, but pleased with herself.  Haruna's best friend was of little consequence.

HSD is a perfect example of a story of a light-hearted teenage first romance.  It's a fun, light read that I think would be good for any shoujo fan.  Do I plan to collect it?  Someday.  I have other titles a bit higher on my priority list though.

Her Majesty's Dog

Title:  Her Majesty's Dog
Japanese Title:  Joou-sama no Inu
Mangaka:  Mick Takeuchi
Length:  11 Volumes (Completed)
English Translation?  Yes.  All released by Go! Comi.
Demo/Genre:  Shoujo/Fantasy/Romance/Comedy

How did I hear about it?  It was recommended by an otaku friend.

Amane comes from a clan that possesses the kotodama, or power through words.  While all in her clan have spiritual powers, only the most prominent of members can use the kotodama, and Amana is the granddaughter of the village chief.  With the kotodama, if Amane knows the true name of a person or creature, she can control it.  Everyone in her clan has a demon familiar by their side, their koma-oni, that feeds off of their life force.  Amane's koma-oni is a dog demon named Hyoue whom she "feeds" through kissing.  As she and Hyoue leave their isolated village to sample the "normal" life for a while, they deal with spiritual problems of both the living and the dead.  This being a shoujo, Hyoue's devotion goes beyond familiar to master.  He has developed forbidden feelings for his human companion.  Even though she is far from her clan, Amane can't escape her responsibilities as signs of a traitor within the family soon reach the two of them.

I wasn't crazy about the art.  It wasn't bad, so I don't think it would be fair to say that I disliked it.  It just seemed a little dated.

Don't be fooled by the cheesy title and cover art.  This was a really fun read.  It was sweet and funny, then later developed into something a little more substantial than that.  I really liked both Amane and Hyoue.  If you've been reading my reviews, you've probably figured out that I'm not usually keen on shoujo heroines.  They typically have a few traits that can be a bit grating.  Amane has "naive" down to a T, but where she really shines is her humor.  It's perhaps not Amane's humor, but more the style with which Takeuchi-sensei wrote her.  Amane is ditsy and naive, which is usually a big turn-off for me.  What makes her work is that she's also serious.  She rarely smiles at all throughout the series, and her lines are delivered completely straight-faced.  She tends to take things literally, which only adds to her deadpan humor.  Despite her denseness, she's quite mature and has a big heart.  It made her a pleasure to read.

Hyoue is a pretty standard tsundere character, so natually I loved him.  He teases Amane and can give her a hard time sometimes, but he's truly completely devoted to her and doesn't hesitate to put himself between her and danger.  I loved the dilemma between the two of them.  I feel like there aren't enough shoujo out there where it's the boy who first realizes his feelings.  His feelings for Amane are often the butt of Takeuchi-sensei's jokes, but eventually, it does take a turn for the serious.  Hyoue's feelings are absolutely forbidden, and even if there was nothing standing between them, what kind of relationship could form between a mortal being and a demon of great longevity?  Interesting, very interesting.

This was a fun read for this shoujo fan.  It was the perfect balance of heavy and light, and all wrapped in a nice fantasy package.  I haven't started collecting it yet, but I'm planning on it as soon as I finish up one of the series that I'm working on now.  I wish this review could be a little longer and more detailed, but it's hard to write about something I read so long ago.  Maybe I'll update this after I collect it and refresh my memory.  This is another series that makes me wish I had done a half star system.  It's more a 5 than a 4 though, I suppose...

 

Goong

Title:  Goong
Manhwaga:  So-Hee Park
Length:  27 Volumes (Completed)
English Translation?  Yes.  16 Volumes so far by Yen Press (omnibus starting from volume 9)
Demo/Genre:  Shoujo/Slice-of-Life/Romance/Comedy/Drama

How did I hear about it?  It was recommended by an otaku friend.

The story takes place in a fictional version of modern-day South Korea in which the royal family still exists.  Chae-Kyung is just your average high school girl.  However, she happens to attend the same high school as Shin, the Crown Prince.  A few awkward encounters between the two leave them with a low opinion of each other.  When Shin receives pressure from his parents to marry, he is informed that if he cannot find someone suitable, they have a long-since arranged marriage to fall back on.  When the only girl in his life turns down the caged life of royalty, he is slated to marry...Chae-Kyung.  Yeah, who saw that one coming?  It turns out that her grandfather was a close friend of the late former King and was the only person to treat him as a man and not a royal.  To thank him for his friendship, he arranged the marriage of their grandchildren.  Chae-Kyung and Shin begin their tumultuous relationship as man and wife, but can they truly learn to love each other?

At first, I rejected the artstyle.  Then, as I read, it grew on me until I found it to be beautiful.  I absolutely love it now.  Also, her SD drawings are absolutely RIDICULOUS, but in a funny way.  Seriously, it's so outrageous that it's hilarious.  If you don't like the art at first, give it a bit.  You might be like me and just need it to grow on you.

I really liked Chae-Kyung.  She's spunky, independent, and willful.  Most importantly, she doesn't put up with Shin's shit.  At the start, Shin is an asshole.  There's no sense mincing words.  He's an outright asshole.  Usually, that doesn't fly with me in manga (Black Bird, anyone?).  However, I feel that it's a compliment to the manhwaga that she created an asshole that I wanted to get to know better.  I felt that there was more to him, and I wanted to stick around to watch him grow.  I'm really glad that I did.  His cold and selfish exterior slowly melts away until he becomes someone worthy of Chae-Kyung's love, yet it never feels like he becomes someone else.  His growth and development feel like a natural reaction to his circumstances, so it doesn't feel out of character at all.  I loved watching Shin mature throughout the series.  I said before that Chae-Kyung doesn't put up with him, but then I turned around and pointed out that she loved him, indicating that she felt that way even before he "became worthy" of her.  I wasn't necessarily contradicting myself.  After she realizes how she has come to feel about him, she even tells someone (one of her only confidants) that her love for him isn't because of who he is, but what he is.  She's been placed in a completely different world, cut off from her friends and family, and he is the only constant in her life right now, and the only person she can rely on.  Had it have been someone else, she would have fallen for them, too.  Just because she loved him on some level, she didn't sacrifice her dignity.  When he picked a fight, she stood her ground and bared her teeth (figuratively and literally.  She bit him once, haha).  That being said, I don't doubt her love for him in the slightest.  I believe it may have started that way, but as Shin came to love her as well (and manned up, so to speak), I believe she genuinely fell in love with him.  I cannot express how much I love Chae-Kyung and Shin.  IMO, they were very well-written characters, and they made this series for me.

There was a turning point in the plot, and I've read that many readers didn't like what was happening so much.  Many say that it slowed the series down and frustrated them.  For me, I actually really loved it.  Though, I'll admit that my love for this plot point is heavily influenced by an outside source.  You see, there was a conspiracy between James Blunt and my iTunes that resulted in me loving this manhwa immensely and being so moved by what happened that I actually cried.  I friggin' CRIED.  And it's all James Blunt's fault.  And my iTunes.  They worked together on that one.  James Blunt wrote a very appropriate song, and my iTunes just happened to land on it at just the right time.  Shuffle, my ASS.  It's a CONSPIRACY, I tell ya.  Anyway, outside source be damned, I loved the drama.  Every time I hear that song, I think of Chae-Kyung and Shin, and my heart aches.  Who cares how I came to love something?  It just matters that I do.  Oh, and I can't tell you what song.  If you haven't read the series, it would be an uber-spoiler.  I don't think that it would be hard to figure out though (the plot or the spoiler).  Still, I shall retain my silence.

I doubt the pic is a spoiler.  If you can't read the premise and figure out that our two protagonists will eventually fall in love, then you clearly haven't read much shoujo... O_o  I had to choose it because it was one of the most beautiful pages I've encountered.  See, this is my sappy side.  It's small, but it does exist.

In summation... Goong is laugh out loud funny, yet very moving and beautiful.  The lead characters are spectacularly written, though the supporting cast is a bit lacking.  Though the series has completed its run in South Korea, the scanlations are a little behind, so I haven't been able to finish the series yet.  I can't wait to see how it ends!  Yen Press is releasing the manga in the US, but don't be fooled by the volume numbers!  Starting with Vol. 9, they packed 2 volumes into each one.  So though they've released twelve physical volumes of Goong, it actually covers volumes 1-16 of the original release.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, I am in the process of collecting it right now, and I have four volumes so far.

Gate 7

Title:  Gate 7
Mangaka:  CLAMP
Length:  3 Volumes (Ongoing)
English Translation?  Yes.  2 volumes so far by Dark Horse.
Demo/Genre:  Shounen/Fantasy/Action

How did I hear about it?  I've read other works by CLAMP, and I was curious about their current series.

Umm...the plot....Let's see.  There's a guy named Chikahito, and he met a girl named Hana while on a trip to Kyoto.  Then he met her again after moving to Kyoto for school...and now he lives with her caretakers.  Turns out, she's some kind of warrior against supernatural things, and then there's a lot of history in there somewhere...  Yeah, I just can't get a good grasp of the plot, probably because this manga just can't hold my attention.

One good thing I can definitely say about G7 is the art is great, which one should expect from CLAMP.  It's a very beautiful manga.  Unfortunately, that's all that really interests me about it.

Many of the references in Gate 7 will be lost on those who aren't Japanophiles, which I am not.  I know some basic Japanese history, but I don't think I'm quite on the level that this manga requires.  I'm not a fan of Chikahito.  Big-eyed boys are never a big draw for me, and it's rare that I find myself taken by one (I can think of a couple that I have liked though).  Also, I can't quite figure out his purpose yet.  The manga is still in its early stages, so perhaps all will be revealed at a later time.  Currently though, he's pretty useless.  I'm not too fond of the girl either.  Hana is a loli-type, but perhaps a little too much so.  She's just too childish for me to take seriously.

It's hard for me to formulate an opinion of this manga, seeing as how it's so new, but so far, I'm not taking to it.  I continue to read the new chapters as they're released though.  I think I'm hoping that at some point, some turning point will happen in the plot, and I'll find myself liking it.  Only time will tell on this one.