Becoming a Girl Day

Miyoshi with girl Mamiya

Konbanwa~
Again, I have to apologize for not posting last week, as an apology I've brought you all one of the oddest romances, well in general oddest manga I've ever read. Ever. This supernatural shoujo manga is called Kanojo ni Naru Hi by Ogura Akane. It is only one volume and has been completely scanlated. Lets begin:
In this alternate universe, there is something called "emergence". In ecosystem you need a balance between boys and girls, if there are too many boys, some of the males will become females in order to balance things out. In our reality, this only applies to a certain species of fish. In this universe, it can happen to human boys. If it does occur, it usually happens when they are young. Its rare for an emergence to occur once a boy reaches puberty, its even rarer that those survive the transformation.
Now, the main character of this story is high school boy Miyoshi and his childhood friend Mamiya. Since elementary school, Miyoshi has always been challenging and competing against him, and he's has always been losing since Mamiya is more or less perfect at everything. One day, Mamiya suddenly collapses and is hospitalized for several weeks. Miyoshi is worried, but is unable to visit him while he's in the hospital. As soon as Mamiya's discharged, he rushes over to his home to see how his best friend is doing. He's utterly shocked when a female Mamiya's opens the door and greets him. Mamiya emerged and managed to survive! And like usually she's calm and composed. She tells Miyoshi, who suffers from gynophobia (a fear of girls), that this is the perfect opportunity to treat him! The treatment is actually a success, though very awkward in my opinion. But, even though he's fear of girls is gone, he can't seem to handle Mamiya; he's heart races and he quickly becomes flustered whenever she's around. And as his gynophobia disappears, Miyoshi becomes popular among girls, irking Mamiya, though she's not sure or willing to admit why.
Now I feel like I've read a soft yaoi or something because I kept thinking of Mamiya as a boy. I know she's a girl,

Miyoshi with Mamiya when she was
a boy

and I actually thought she was a lot cooler as a girl than a boy (boy Mamiya looked really annoying), but at the end I kept thinking how she could still live as a boy. Sure now she has to wear a bra and worry about her period, but she could dress like a tomboy and date girls. She didn't have to make an effort to be girly, everyone would have understood if she wanted to continue living as much as a boy as she could. I don't really understand why she pushed herself to live like a girl, especially after the first chapter when she admits that she doesn't want to become one.
Also, I think I would've liked this better as bromance than a romance. In the first chapter, Miyoshi tells her how precious of a friend she is, even if she is a girl he comforts her that their friendship will always be the same. I think this could have been an adorable bromance: Miyoshi and Mamiya maintaining their friendship and not treating each other any differently.
I'm also curious to see if their relationship would've become romantic if Mamiya never emerged. Towards
the end Mamiya has a chance to become a boy again, but hesitates because she worries that Miyoshi's feelings will change if she returns to being a boy. I have to admit I thought it was pretty cute and touching for Miyoshi to declare that his feelings won't change and that he'll always love Mamiya. But then I ruined it for myself thinking of how he's feelings began in the first place: seeing Mamiya as a girl. If that had never happened, would he have never loved boy Mamiya romantically? So is there love based on Mamiya being a girl? Or would is to so real and so powerful

Miyoshi comforting Mamiya
as she admits that she doesn't want to be
a girl. Even this I thought of bromance,
even though I know boys don't hug each
other like that.

that they would've fallen in love either way? I highly doubt they would've fallen in love if Mamiya hadn't become a girl, so it made their love a little less romantic. You don't get to see much of their pre-emergence friendship, but there didn't seem to be any romantic tension whatsoever. And Miyoshi even commented about Mamiya having dated several girls before becoming a girl and he didn't become jealous or anything then.
I don't really recommend the manga, its amusing at times but in general it doesn't really make much sense. Not because its supernatural, just the character's logic in general. The art's alright, rather stiff and squarish. Its not a great manga, its not terrible either though. Its just okay. But not really an okay that makes you want to read or reread it, just an okay that makes you want to tell a friend about an odd little manga you read when you were bored. That's all for today. Bye-Bye

~Nadeshiko-chan

Orange Marmalade

Konnichiwa~

Today I’ll be reviewing a webtoon called Orange Marmalade by Seok Woo. The series is ongoing in Korea with 105 chapters, 104 of which have been scanlated. Its actually a weekly series, a new chapter coming out in Korea and one being translated every week. Though the author has taken several breaks since the series began in 2011, which can be very frustrating. But lately the series has been pretty steady in releasing. Anyway, lets begin:

The story takes place in a  society where vampire exist, but they live like normal humans do. They go to school, they get jobs, they get married, and they have kids. The only thing that makes them different from humans is that they’re hematophagous, meaning that they drink blood. They don’t drink human blood though, they drink pigs' blood. They don’t drink human blood and they aren’t any different from humans, but they’re treated like outcasts. If someone discovers you’re a vampire, you’re attacked and abused, you either have to flee or be sent away. Because of this, vampires in this world do their best in pretending to be human and that’s exactly what Ma Ri Baek is doing. Ma Ri and her family have already been driven away from several neighborhoods, so she hopes that they can finally settle down. Believing all humans will fear and hate her, she distances herself form the rest of the school, gaining the reputation of being an ice queen. Then one day, half-sleep on the train, she’s attracted to the scent of Jae Min Jung’s blood and nips his neck. Now Jae Min hates being touched by girls and in general finds girls annoying, so he immediately confronts her at school. Ma Ri remains relatively calm, telling him sorry, lets just forget about it. But Jae Min can’t forget. Because of the incident, he noticed Ma Ri and he begin falling for her. But Ma Ri isn’t interested in dating a human that could betray her as soon as they realize she’s a vampire. She's also not interested in becoming friends with the energetic Soo Ri, but she’s determined to get close her no matter what Ma Ri says. How is this distrusting vampire going to react to these two pesters?

This is my favorite webtoon: Ma Ri undergoes a lot of character growth, she stops running away and try to enjoy life. You also see other characters like Soo Ri realize how ignorant and prejudice they’ve been, how

vampire really aren’t any different from humans. At times it feels like Ma Ri’s living during the Civil Rights movements, meeting those who are either accepting, tolerant, or “racist”. Her romance with Jae Min is really adorable, I love it when guys are very direct about their feelings. The misunderstandings and complications will keep you interested and sitting at the edge of your seat. But as much as I like this webtoon, there are many aspects about that frustrate me. The problems often repeat themselves; you’ve think Ma Ri has made progress or decided what to do, but she ends up doing the exact same thing for another 8 chapters. The character growth is as wonderful as it is terrible. She goes very slow and makes poor decision that don’t seem to match what she’s been thinking about or her experiences so far. Jae Min makes some pretty stupid descions as well, but I believe they are justified considering his past and trauma and the fact that he’s made reasonable progress after making the mistake. Other than this frustrating and slow pace at times, I think it’s a great webtoon worth reading. I especially love Si Hoo Han who brings a very interesting perspective when it comes to vampire discrimination. That’s all for today, bye-bye

~Nadeshiko-chan

The Dog and I Secret Service

Even though Ririchiyo is capable of taking
care of herself, Miktsukami wants to do
everything for her

Konbanwa~

I just finished a hilarious and romantic shounen called Inu x Boku Secret Service and I absolutely love it!  It’s amazing! The story is sweet, the characters are interesting and lovable, and it managed to make me both cry and laugh. I haven’t read the manga and I probably won’t since I’m very satisfied with the alternative ending the anime provided. The anime is 12 episodes and covers up to volume 3 of the manga, and in case you’re curious the manga is ongoing with 9 volumes in Japan and 6 volumes scanlated. Anyway, let’s begin:

The lovely elite Ririchiyo Shirakin is moving into the Maison de Ayakashi, better known as the Ayakasikan, a high security apartment building for humans with demon(youkai) ancestors. Each resident is provided with their own Secret Service bodyguard, who are also human’s with demon blood. Ririchiyo has moved in wanting solitude and independence, but when she arrives she’s greeted by SS agent Miketsukami Soushi. She tells him to leave, that she doesn’t need him, but Soushi’s dog-like devotion to her leads to her relenting and accepting him as her bodyguard.

Now Ririchiyo wanted to be alone because she’s scared of hurting her others, because she wants to break her bad habit of lashing out at people with her vicious tongue, because she wants to communicate better with others. Despite her bad habit, Miketsukami seems to always notice her true feelings and he claims that he’s known her for years. Who Mitetsukami behind his puppy-like demeanor?  Their relationship is both comedic and touching, and their days at Ayakasikan with lazy Renshou, lolicon Nobara, sadist-masochist-obsessed Kagerou, glutton Karuta, “super-delinquent” Watanuki, and mischievous Natsume.

Kagerou; Miketsukami;Ririchiyo; Watanuki
Karuta; Renshou; Nobara; Natsume

It’s a great anime and I highly recommend it to older teens, 16+. Some of the stuff Kagerou and Nobara say are probably not appropriate for younger people. But hey, if you read lolicon, sadist, and masochist, then you’ll probably be okay. Anyway, every character has their own ending, depending on the episode you’ll get a different ending. I’d personally avoid Kagerou, no matter what age. From the pieces I’ve seen it’s pretty weird. And remember that the episode isn’t over when the ending begins, there’s usually 4 or so minutes after it and if you don’t watch the next episode usually won’t flow as well. Alright, bye-bye

~Nadeshiko-chan

Pandora Hearts

Alice; Oz; Gilbert

Konbanwa~

On this hot July day I'm going to be reviewing one of my favorite shounen manga/animes: Pandora Hearts. I loved the anime and immediately started reading the manga, which is currently ongoing. Anyway, let’s start with the general plot:

The series begins with the day of 15-year old Oz Vessaliu’s coming-of-age ceremony. He spends most of the day running around with his younger sister Ada and his faithful servant Gilbert before finally preparing himself for the party. But the ceremony is interrupted by group known as the Baskervilles and their Chains (creatures who were humans at some point but were transformed by the Abyss) they’ve made contracts with. As the guest runaway, they condemn him for the sin he knows nothing about. When he attempts to ask, they tell him “your sin, is you very existence!” before throwing him into the Abyss, his eternal prison. There, while running away from Chains and looking for an exit, he meets Alice, the notorious B-Rabbit. She tells him that she isn’t like the other chains; she woke up in the Abyss knowing she was once human and her name is Alice. She explains that she wants to search for her lost memories and knows of a way for both of them to get out: Oz must make a contract with her, unleashing her sealed powers and allowing her to break out of there. Though Oz is hesitant, he eventually decides to trust her and they make a contract. Oz and Alice wake up in the house of Break and Sharon Rainsworth and their partner Raven Nightwing. All 3 of them are part of strange organization known as Pandora, whose only goal is to better understand the Abyss and the Will of the Abyss that controls it.  They explain to Oz that coming out of the Abyss is complicated and it’s rare to come back to the same time in which you entered. Basically, 10 years have passed since the coming-of-age ceremony. Oz sets out to help Alice find her memories and understand the sin he was condemned of, unraveling a complex mystery centered around the Tragedy of Sablier.

There are lots of questions and confusion in the beginning, but the author does a great job of slowly giving you the answers, having you piece the puzzle together before he shows you the remaining pieces to complete it.

The characters and their relationships are also quite interesting. Oz having a very friendly, adventurous, and

Alice hugging Oz after she's nearly swallowed by her
own fears

happy-go-lucky attitude most of time, but being sneaky and manupliative when he needs to be. He protects the people he loves and doesn't want to burden them. Then there’s our heroine Alice who is blunt, pugnacious, and somewhat of a glutton. But as Oz says “she’s kind-hearted and easily cries”. Alice in the beginning is often insecure because she can’t remember any of her memories as a human, but as time goes on she doesn't seem to mind as much, accepting that she doesn't remember, but is happy being with Oz and their friends. In case you can’t tell, Oz and Alice have a very good relationship, both caring about each other and wanting to protect the other. Though it hasn’t be said, its implied they like each other, heavily on Alice’s part whose upset whenever Oz neglects her or spends time with other girls, even upset when he spends time with his sister Ada. Anyway, the third main character is Gilbert(Raven) Nightwing, Oz’s faithful servant  and  best friend (Technically this is a spoiler, but if you would’ve figured it out as soon as you saw him). He’s the most serious of the trio, though childishly fights with Alice over trivial matters (He’s also adorably afraid of cats). Him and Oz have known each other for years and have a heartwarming friendship, both of the caring deeply for the other. Gilbert’s past is also shrouded in secrets, being connected to Alice’s lost memories…

The wonderful Gilbert-sama <3

Now for the art: it’s absolutely beautiful! Its one of my favorite manga art, being so elegant, especially the clothing! The art starts out a bit rough in the beginning, but Jun Mochizuki gets better and better as the story goes. Mochizuki-sensei can really show fear, sadness, and happiness and he’s fighting scenes are rather easy to follow, something I’ve always had trouble with when reading manga. Overall, I think it’s a great anime and manga. The anime follows the manga, but ends around volume 8 before wrapping up. It doesn’t make up its own ending or answer all the questions, but it’s a pretty nice ending. If you want answers, read the amazing manga and watch the mystery slowly unveil.

~Nadeshiko-chan

Heat-Haze Days

Konnichiwa~

Today my review will be a little different from others. You see, soon after I stumbled onto IA, I stumbled onto a series of songs known as the Kagerou Project by Shizen no Teki-P. There are three novels and an ongoing manga adaption (It’s currently on chapter 12). I’ve read the manga, I haven’t gotten a chance to read the novels yet, not entirely sure if I can get them in English. If you know if I can, please tell me! I love this story! It’s interesting and so unique. The songs can also tell you the story, though some make more sense once you know the characters; they can also be mind-blowing! I love them so much~ Alright let me begin explaining. Now the manga has a beginning, but I don’t really want to give a summary of the manga. Instead I’m going to explain the basics:

Azami is Medusa, her hair growing as snakes. What makes her different from the classic Medusa is that each of her snakes possess a unique ability. She’s an immortal and has lived relatively alone for years and years and she thinks of humans as “dull creatures that die easily”. But one day she met a young man who wasn’t afraid of her. He was the first human to not fear her and they quickly fell in love. They had a daughter and she was happy, until she began worrying about their deaths, not wanting to be alone again. This fear drove her to using her powers of snakes to create a never-ending world where they could be together forever.  Sadly, her family never enters this world and she becomes trapped there.

Years and years later, in a industrial and modern city, there’s a group that calls themselves Mekakushi Dan. Each member has come into contact with Kagerou Haze and have gained a special ability because of it. From my understanding, when someone whose suffering and have some sort of strong desire because of this pain, suddenly dies they come into contact with the Kagerou Haze or rather they enter the world Azami created. There they are possessed by one of her snakes, gaining that snakes ability and coming back to life, there eyes now glowing a vibrant red whenever they use this new ability.

The members consist of

Tsubomi Kido: First member of Mekakushi Dan and currently the leader. She was the second daughter of a wealthy family, but not a illegitimate daughter, the child between her father and his mistress. Because of this, she always felt out of place and was treated cautiously by those who interacted with her, unsure how to treat a wealthy man’s bastard. She developed a strong desire to “disappear”. Other sources also imply that she was molested and that also contributed to this desire. Her entire family was killed in a fire started by her recently bankrupted father. She came into contact with the Kagerou Daze and was possessed by the snake with the “Concealing Eyes” ability, gaining the power to hide her presence.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Kousuke Seto: Second member of Mekakushi Dan. Since he was younger, he has been on his own. He was small and timid, having trouble speaking with others. Because of this, he was viciously bullied and had no humans friends, an abandoned dog being the only one he considered his friend. Because of this, he wished that he could “understand how someone” or something “felt without using words”.  Then on one stormy day, a group of kids threw his dog in the river. Seto drowned after throwing himself into the river in an attempt to save it; this is where he came into contact with Kagerou Daze and was possessed by the snake with the “Stealing Eyes” ability, meaning he can “hear” information of whoever he looks at.

Shuuya Kano: The third member of Mekakushi Dan and is the one who came up with the name. When he was younger he didn’t attend preschool or kindergarten, spending his time alone with his mother in an apartment. She was emotionally unstable and often hit him, causing the neighbors to spread rumors about her abusing him. Believing it was his fault for upsetting his mother, he desired strongly hide the bruises on his body so that he could “deceive” the neighbors that attacked his mother. One day, thieves broke into their apartment and his mom was stabbed by a knife as she tried to protect him. He was killed after when he tried to fight against the thieves. This death allowed him to come into contact with the Kagerou Daze and become possessed by the snake with the “Deceiving Eyes” ability, thus gaining the power to deceive how people around him perceive him

Mary Kozakura: the fourth member of the Mekakushi Dan and a very unique one. She is the granddaughter of Azami, her mother Shion being her daughter. As a young girl Mary was constantly told by her mother to never make eye contact with a human, or they’ll turn to stone. She lived in the forest in cabin away from the rest of the world with her mother. One day, while she was playing outside, she was found by humans and attacked. Shion attempted to turn her attackers into stone in order to protect her only daughter, but they were both hit in the back of head, the impact killing them. They were both swallowed up by the Kagerou Haze. But only Mary returned, her grandmother giving her the “Combining Eyes” ability, the ability to unify all the “snakes. She also has the “Eye Contact” ability, something she’s possessed since birth because of her Medusa blood.

Momo Kisaragi: Fifth member of Mekakushi Dan and Shinataro’s younger sister. Her brother is a genius and because of this she developed an inferiority complex, always feeling stuck in his shadow. Because of this, she desired that people would pay more attention to her. One day she visited the beach with her father where she drowned after getting caught in the waves. After this, she came into the Kagerou Haze and was possessed by the snake with the “Eye Captivating” ability. Since then she can draw an abnormal amount of attention to her personality, body, and senses.

Takane “Ene” Enomoto: the Sixth member of Mekakushi Dan and a computer program that loves messing with Shinataro. She was once a human named Takane. When she was human, she lived with her grandmother and had a disorder that caused her to fall asleep spontaneously. Because of this she always had trouble developing close relationships with people around her and attended a class for handicapped students in high school. The class only consisted of one other person, Haruka, whom she loved. One day, someone administered her with a drug and she died, entering the Kagerou Haze, where she was possessed by the snake with the “Eye Opening” Power, gaining her an immortal spirit.

Shinataro Kisaragi: The seventh member of Mekakushi Dan and Momo’s older brother, and he’s a little different from the other members. In middle school and high school, he was always at the top of his class in National Mock Examinations. But he’s high intellect caused him to develop a very apathetic personality. The first time he opened up to someone was his classmate Ayano, who was cheerful and sat next to him. They became rather close and he was devastated by her death. Depressed, he started living as a shut-in, spending a majority of his time on the internet. Then one day, a mysterious software entered into his computer and a virtual girl named “Ene” took over his computer. Because of her, he left his room and became entangled with the Mekakushi Dan.

Hibaya Amamiya: The eighth member of Mekakushi Dan. He went to the city for a summer school program that would prepare him for middle school entrance exams with Hiyori, a friend he has unrequited feelings for. During their time there, while shopping together, he gets involved in a traffic accident, where he comes into contact with the Kagerou Haze. There he is possessed by the snake of “Eye Focusing” abilities, and acquires the power to perceive objects and details that are far away. I don’t understand why he gained this particular power, or why he came into the Kagerou Haze but Hiyori, I guess its something that will be revealed with time.

Haruka “Konoha” Kokonose: the 9^th member of Mekakushi Dan and once a human, but somewhere before the current timeline he was turned into a cyber-being. He doesn't remember anything from his life as a human. When he was a human, he had a frail body and poor health, repeatedly hospitalized as a child. He attended the handicap class with Takane. He suffered a sudden stroke during his second year of high school and died, coming into contact with Kagerou Haze. He is possessed by the snake of the “Awakening Eyes” ability, meaning he can remake his body into one that he finds one that’s ideal. Thus he became Konoha, but since the process put a large strain on his mind, he lost large parts of his memory.

When it comes to Konoha and Ene’s background story, I've also heard that their teacher was part of a research team that wanted to understand the Kagerou Haze and that he let them use Konoha and Ene as experiments. They gained it artificially and thus lost their humanity. This explanation seems to fit most of the songs better, but a lot of sources give me the background stories above.  If you know which ones true please tell me, though I have a feeling it’s a mixture of the two.

A great story with amazing characters you come to love and sympathies with. Read the manga and watch the videos, it’s a wonderful series.

Songs:

Jinzou Enemy/ Artificial Enemy

Mekakushi Code/ Blindfold Code

Kagerou Days/ Heat-Haze Days

Headphone Actor

Souzou Forest. Imagination Forest

Konoha no Sekai Jijou. Konoha's Stae of the World

Kisaragi Attention

Children Record

Yobanashi Deceive/ Night Talk Deceive

Lost Time Memory

Ayano no Koufuku Riron/ Ayaon's Theory of Happiness

Otasuimi Rectical Moon/ Moon Viewing Recital

Toumei Answer/ Transparent Answer

Ene no Dennou Kikou/ Ene's Cyber Journey

Gunjou Rain/ Ultramarine Rain

Shinigami Record/ Death God Record

Dead and Seek

Here’s Children Record, which many consider to be the opening of Kagerou Days:

~Nadeshiko-chan