Kyou koi wo Hajimemasu (Today, our love begins)…

 

This is absolutely one of my favorite mangas to read and it’s still ongoing! Currently at chapter 77 (vol 12) ^_^ If you’re looking for some school life romance with all the dramas involved in a typical relationship, then this is one of the best that gives you that tingly feeling.

Tsubaki Hibino’s first meeting with Kyouta Tsubaki (hey, they are both Tsubaki!) was one of mutual dislike. She takes a pair of scissors to his long hair and he in turns decides to play with her feelings. Although she knows that he is just punishing her for the audacity but over time she could not help but fall for him. Kyouta is not an easy guy to fall in love with. Due to his troubled childhood of women betraying him, he has a problem trusting women. And so, he continues to reject Tsubaki until suddenly, her last-ditch effort to reach his heart finally pulled through. Ever since then, the experienced Kyouta in toying with a girl’s feelings decides to trust Tsubaki the inexperienced girl in love…

Minami Kanan, the author and artist of this manga, really drew the characters beautifully and proportionately. The faces are very expressive with the right display of emotions during romantic scenes and Kyouta is always so handsome! ^_^ The story plot, although typical in this sort of genre, still makes one want to continue reading because it addresses all the issues that arise in relationships. Does one do the things they feel uncomfortable with just so that the person they love can be happy? Do you hide your feelings over a small issue so as not to appear childish and insecure or do you communicate them to your partner and risk losing them? Things like that always makes for a good read in school life romance mangas.

There’s a bit of good news if you do like this manga. There is a 2 (or is it 3) episodes OAV directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi back in 2010(a person that had a part in making a couple of Dragon Ball Z, Digimon anime…hmm, probably not the best examples lol…and one of my favorites, Chihayafuru anime). It’s sort of a recap of what happens in the manga focusing only on the important scenes. It can be somewhat annoying at times when you just get still pictures when they are speeding through the story and the recording of the voice for Kyouta at some parts seemed a little distant. However, the soundtrack seems decent and to be able to see my favorite characters in motion still  made my day.

Private Prince by Maki Enjoji

     

Ever since I read Hapi Mari, I’ve been scouting for Maki’s other works. This was my next read. I must say, I couldn’t help but compare the lives of these two characters with those of Prince William and Princess Kate of Great Britain. It’s quite possible that the author loosely based her story around that royal couple. However, I’m not sure the characters are similar or even meant to be similar.

Prince Wilfred (known as Will) from a European country called Etolia decided to study in Sakuragawa Miyako’s university. Miyako is a historian major and is passionate about learning the history surrounding Will’s late grandmother Queen Ritsuko who was from Japan. She decided to request for the prince’s help in writing her thesis on his grandmother.

Things didn’t go as she planned however. The prince happened to be a pervert with a pension for big boobs and as an exchange for information about his grandmother, Miyako had to follow his conditions and that is to fall in love with him. The prince was pretty confident that she would succumb to his advances but due to Miyako’s failed relationship in the past, she has a problem in trusting men.

Miyako is a bright and passionate girl when it comes to studying and pursuing her major in history. She’s actually in position to inherit the family Ryokan business (Japanese Inn). However, because of her stubbornness, she decided to move out in pursuit of her happiness. So, getting to know the prince was one of her plans to get her career going. What she didn’t expect however was the means she had to go through to get the information she needed on Queen Ritsuko. She had to lower her defenses and be vulnerable so that she could fall in love with the Prince. Normally, a girl with some pride wouldn’t stoop to such a thing especially when one is referred to as ‘Miss Melons’, but this is a romance manga and of course, she being inexperienced was weak against his advances and eventually fell in love with the prince.

Prince Willfred or Will, if I may, appeared to be a play boy right from the beginning. One might think that this sort of character can’t possibly get the girl as bright as Miyako especially when he readily admits that he likes girls with big boobs. But there is a gentle side to the prince that one can not help but be charmed by his lecherous advances and hope that he really falls for the girl and vice versa. His attraction for Miyako is nothing short of predictable. Because of Miyako’s lack of trust, she fends off his every advances thus making him even more attracted to her. In all aspects of the relationship, the prince has nothing to lose. Because Miyako drops her defenses whenever she thinks he is hurting, Will is almost always able to get her into his arms.

This 5 volume manga doesn’t have a very complex story plot, but it’s a fun read nevertheless. How does a royal prince and an ordinary girl make their relationship work under the scrutiny of the public eyes and the royal family? If Prince William and Princess Kate’s marriage is any indication at all, one can already tell what the ending is going to be. Just have to enjoy the story and then move on to the next manga.

Hapi Mari…Happy Marriage! ♥

 There I was feeling exhausted from my day job and was even thinking of taking a nap but the moment I started reading Hapi Mari, napping was far from my mind. Before I knew it, hours had gone by and I was at chapter 10 (volume 4).

Hapi Mari is written by Maki Enjoji and is being serialized by Petit Comic (January 8, 2009 – June 8, 2012). Some of her other works, which I’ve not read but I will after Hapi Mari, were Private Prince, Atashi wa Sore wo Gaman Dekinai, Fu Junai, Koisuru Heart de Taihoshite (Arrest me with love), Sekai wa Bokura no Tame ni (The world is just for us) and Yoru Cafe (Your cafe).

Hapi Mari short for I guess Happy Marriage is exactly what it is all about. Takanashi Chiwa was just a regular office girl until her father ran into some financial problem that left her no choice but to seek out a night job as a club hostess. One night, a high profile customer requested for her, insulted her and before she knew it she threw politeness out of the window and kicked him out. The next day at her office, the president of her company requested her presence and when she met him, he was none other than the customer she told off, Mamiya Hokotu!

Instead of being fired though, a strange arrangement was made. All of her father’s debt would be taken care of provided she married him! Because her desperate situation demanded it, she accepted it. What started as just a business arrangement for him to use her as a pawn in his plan while she reap the benefits later developed into a real marriage…a happy marriage!

Mamiya Hokuto seemed at first like a cold hearted bastard with no consideration for Chiwa’s feelings. But as she discovered his past, she came to understand his personality, what drives him to reach his goal and his brand of love. Instead of accepting her role as a pawn though Chiwa was determined to help bridge the gap he has with his family, particularly his father whom he believed to be the reason his mother was targeted and killed.

 

Chiwa, a naive but bright and cheerful girl, has a lot of worries. Besides the low self-esteem she has of herself when compared to Hokotu and the people he has in his world of rich and fame, her problems seem to manifest itself from their past relationships as well. How is she to measure up and remain as Hokotu’s wife? Well, she has nothing to worry about since Hokotu has long since changed his opinion of his little wife and fallen for her naive ways. It’s because of her impulsive and naive impulses that has forced Hokotu to experience feelings that he had coldly put aside in the past for the sake of revenge.  And much to his befuddlement, feelings like jealousy and anxiety are new to him but one he has come to accept where it comes to Chiwa.

So, will this marriage continue onward on this fragile road to true happiness? Will Hokotu give up on his revenge, mend the bridge between him and his father? Or will her good intentions and efforts prove futile and they would eventually part ways? I’m excited to read on to find out!

Sailor Moon lives again!!!

Thanks to a really good friend of mine back in 1996 (and she’s still my good friend now after 17 years) I was introduced to Sailor Moon and it changed my life forever. The story of an ordinary school girl having super powers to fight evil accompanied by friends with similar powers was so captivating that I quickly devoured that first manga volume within the hour. And her romantic interest being a prince from her past life further drew me into this world of yokai (monsters) and mahou (magic) and sailor senshis (crime fighters in sailor suits).

Since Sailor Moon has been talked, reviewed and quite possibly known by all otakus out there by now, I’ll just briefly state what a Sailor Moon wannabe fan can lay their hands on:

18 volumes of manga written by Naoko Takeuchi (1991-1997 and quite recently taken up by Kodansha Comics USA in 2011 – only available up to vol. 6 currently)

TV anime series:

– Sailor Moon (46 episodes)

– Sailor Moon R (43 episodes)

– Sailor Moon S (38 episodes)

– Sailor Moon Super S (39 episodes)

– Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (34 episodes)

Sailor Moon R movie

Sailor Moon S movie

Sailor Moon Super S movie

Recently, there’s been news about a new anime adaptation being released in Summer 2013! Go here for more details about it: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-07-06/sailor-moon-manga-gets-new-anime-in-summer-2013

As a result, many Sailor Moon fans young and old have been gearing up, meeting up to watch reruns of Sailor Moon episodes just to revisit the magic and celebrate the news. I myself dug out my Sailor Moon box sets to start the marathon.

One question that I’m sure is on everybody’s mind is how would this new adaptation turn out compared to its predecessor? Well, we’ll see wouldn’t we? In the mean time, “Tsuki ni kawatte oshioki yo!”