Aaaaand once again I haven't posted in this thread in *way* too long, LOL...
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime chapters 64-65: This research is getting pretty interesting. (LOL at the
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "YOU'RE ANNOYING." message from the researcher they were trying to find, though.
) And aw, Ryuu... <3 And then in the next chapter: LOL, Shirayuki and Obi sneaking up on the trio (with Kiki helping to provide a distraction!
) to play that good-natured prank was so cute. <3
And ROTFL, so they actually
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: got the drop on that researcher, bwahahahaha!
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun chapters 62-63: LOL, Hori figured it out.
(Not his *own,* of course, but Seo and Waka's.
) And ROTFL, "I'm sure it'll write itself"!
As for the second chapter: Bwahaha, Yukari's friends (and Yukari's very Nozaki-like imagining of/trying to use their conversations and interactions as manga ideas-- *especially* once she {accidentally} got drunk) were hysterical!
(Poor Ryousuke.
) On another note, this series has now been licensed by the ever-amazing Yen Press
, so I look forward to getting caught up with the volumes once they're released!
The Heroic Legend Of Arslan chapters 22-23: I loved how handily they... well...
handled the situation, LOL.
It's also interesting how the slaves reacted here, in contrast to the ones in the capital... although the explanation was, of course, quite accurate. It was also nice to see Arslan learning from that experience, and discussing what kind of social system/skills training the slaves will need before they can be properly freed in the future.
Hibi Chouchou chapters 57-58: ...Well, at first I was going to complain about nothing really happening in the first of these two chapters besides the seating placement (which Suiren herself even pointed out
), but then that secret note
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (festival invitation) + smile (!) happened, and... aw.
And as for the second chapter: ...Finally! You see? It doesn't matter how shy/reserved you are, you have to actually *talk* with each other about these things!! What a relief this chapter was after the last few. <3 (Also:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Suiren's happy dance was adorable and amusing {as was Kawasumi's reaction to it }; Kawasumi's explanation that all she has to do is call and he'll be there, no matter what, was <3 <3 ; and OH MY GOODNESS that completely out-of-the-blue surprise-princess-carry where everyone could see FTW!! <3 ) So yeah, basically, the latter of these chapters made up for the previous few quite nicely.
Kimi to Boku. vol. 7 extra: ROTFL, this was hilarious!!
It's actually one of my favorite chapters from this series so far. <3
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: First the glasses prank, then the (accidentally-aired) skit, then Koichi-sensei and Akira... I just couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire first bit. And the second bit (with the flashback + the little sweet scene afterwards) was just adorable. <3 (And then of course that just-as-expected skit #2 at the end, LOL...! ) It was just great.
Orange chapter 18: Oh man, this chapter was somehow equal parts dead serious, squee-inducing adorable, funny, and tense.
I was (quite literally) on the edge of my seat through every page. HOW DOES THIS MANGAKA DO IT.
Actually, this chapter, combined with the announcement that this series will finish sometime this year, is making me slightly terrified of the outcome of a certain character...
(But I mean that in a good way. ...Okay, wait, that didn't sound right, LOL.
What I meant is, it's good in that there's a surprising amount of suspense here regarding that character's fate; I honestly think it could go either way at this point.
NEXT CHAPTER WHEN.)
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii chapter 28: Welp, that arc ended pretty much exactly as expected.
On to the next...
Spirit Circle chapter 34: And here we are, the start of the (presumable) final arc! And wow... it had quite a start.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: At first, I was wondering how on earth Fortuna could've become the 'evil' person that he supposedly became; I mean, sure, he was arrogant and abrasive, but hardly evil. However, by the time it got to the point where he was 'healed' and mellowed by the others, I knew what had to be coming... and, sure enough, that kicker of a chapter ending delivered just the right blow to him to set off whatever chain of events is going to lead up to whatever he did that made him (supposedly) evil. Oh man, I cannot wait for the next chapter!
Taiyou no Ie, vol. 11 extra: Oh my gosh, poor Oda...
He sure wasn't kidding about his sisters.
No wonder the poor guy was confused!
(And LOL at poor Daiki's face when Oda said he was trying to figure out why people fall in love.
) I also liked that even though Oda was making Chihiro misunderstand (simply due to his own confusion), they worked it out quickly
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (and even got some kisses in there <3 ). This was a nice extra.
Zetsuen no Tempest chapter 36: PLOT TWIST!
(Actually, more than one!
) Plus,
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that whole conversation between the two girls was just so interesting. And oh man, that reveal about who the REAL Magician of Exodus is, and also the reveals about the REAL purpose of both Trees (etc.)... This is only making me love the series even more. <3
And
Are You Alice? chapters 1-43 (so far): I'd had this on my to-read list for a while, and recently I'd really been feeling in the mood to watch/read something
Alice In Wonderland-based, so I dove in. And now I'm hooked.
Indeed, this is one of the more interesting takes on the story I've seen (in any medium). For one thing, there's the gender differences-- (the 'current') Alice and the Queen Of Hearts are male; the Caterpillar and all of the Queen's Cards minus one are female; etc.-- however, it makes perfect sense in-story, since those people are simply the most-fitting for each of their respective 'roles' (gender regardless), as chosen by the White Rabbit. For another thing, there's the series' interconnected story-within-a-story premise-- Lewis Carroll is
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (or, rather, was) an actual character in the 'real world' (and seemingly rather mad himself, to boot,
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: even before he wrote himself into Wonderland), and he wrote the original
Alice In Wonderland tale for the sake of the real (original) Alice Liddell. I tend to really love story-within-a-story stuff, so that whole aspect is right up my alley.
Thirdly, the in-story 'game' (to
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: kill the White Rabbit-- which was set up by the Rabbit himself!), along with Wonderland's rather complex rules of who-can-do-what-to-whom-and-how, actually feel very fitting, and provide another interesting element to the story. And fourthly, it's surprisingly dark. I mean, there's certainly a fair share of humor sprinkled throughout (mostly courtesy of the MC
)-- in particular, the whole bit where
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Jack 'captures' him was hilarious
-- however, it can also get more than a tad disturbing at times.
(For example: While the Queen Of Hearts both is and is not quite as psychopathic as expected {it's complicated...
}, not even young children are immune to his scythe; the Duke is a monster both literally and figuratively, and what he routinely does to the Duchess is disturbing in more ways than one; if a character
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: is truly sweet and wholly pure-hearted {of which there are actually very few in the series, although to be fair there are enough likeable and/or just generally interesting gray-area characters to make up for it}, they are nearly guaranteed to be slain without mercy {and sometimes without even a warning} ; even aside from the Queen Of Hearts' judgments, there is a good deal more than one rather...
lingering stabbing {by knife and sword}; and while many of the characters are more on the 'eccentric' end of the scale of 'mad,' there are several who are very definitely insane-- violently so.) Of course, YMMV on whether you think that last one's a point in its favor or not, LOL, but while I certainly wasn't expecting this to be as dark as it is, I have to admit that I personally kinda like it's even-more-twisted take on the story, since AIW adaptations are rarely this intense. (And it certainly keeps you on your toes as you're reading it, too.
) All that said, the series does begin rather confusingly (until things are explained), and you do have to pay attention to know what is from the 'real world,' what is from the *original*
Alice In Wonderland world, and what is from the *current* AIW one, but the series quickly becomes addicting, and as I said above, I'm quite hooked now.
Can't wait for more!