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[skygiants]

I don't know if I have anything much to say about volume 10 of 20th Century Boys except that I continue to love this series with a great and fiery passion. *____* It is kind of hard to believe that I'm less than halfway through the series; everything is already so epic! I love everybody, but Koizumi Kyoko is rapidly becoming one of my favorite characters of all time. I would seriously read a whole manga about Kyoko lolariously stalking Kanna. TEEN GIRL SQUAD. I want more than anything for Kyoko to become Kanna's permanent sidekick. I don't think this will actually happen, but that does not stop me desperately wishing. Also, Yukiji and Kyoko eating ramen <33333. Was there a time I complained about this manga's One Girl Rule? Urasawa, I don't take it all back, but I take a lot of it back. YOUR LADIES ROCK.

In other news, it's been long enough since I rewatched Ouran High School Host Club that I can now actually read the manga without feeling like I'm going back over material I just saw. I'm now through volume 3, which means I've covered the intro, the Christmas party, Renge's introduction, the physical exams, Hikaru and Kaoru's fight, the pool, the beach, the Zuka Club's introduction, and a Halloween episode that I don't think was in the anime, and am in the middle of the club's visit to Haruhi's house.

A few miscellaneous notes:
- Tamaki comes across much more as a traditional high school jerkass playboy in the first chapter; it's a lot of fun seeing the character rapidly be reconceived as the overenthusiastic walking golden retriever that we all know and love.
- every time Mori has a line of dialogue, I laugh. Because it's SO RARE.
- Bisco Hatori clearly really, really enjoys herself drawing the characters in ridiculously overelaborate outfits. And who am I to complain?
- the translation is a bit odd sometimes, especially in the first volume - the weirdest is probably the decision to translate Haruhi's joke that she'll refer to herself as 'ore' (super-masculine pronoun) as "maybe I'll start calling myself *@#$*#*" without further explanation, giving the impression that she's about to start referring to herself as "shithead."
- in the cross-dressing episode of the show, Mori is the only one who doesn't crossdress; in the manga chapter, the twins and Honey are the only ones who do. I wonder if this is because Tamaki and Kyouya are being set up more as romantic leads? (I'm connecting this in my head to Disney's Mulan, in which Shang is also the only male character who doesn't cross-dress.)
- I kind of love the cheerfully casual treatment of Haruhi's dad's bisexuality so far
- the youngest member of the Zuka Club's last name is Tsuwabuki. Between this and the Ohtori family, there more than ever needs to be an Ouran/Utena crossover. The path before us has been prepared!

Comments

[gramarye1971]

Now that Ouran is slated to wrap up soon, I'm going to look and see if the local library has any of the volumes. (Looks like it'll be 17 total volumes -- quite a respectable run!)

I agree that the ore translation above is a weird translation choice. The nearest I can come to rendering it into usable but still semi-PG English is something like 'maybe I'll start calling myself this badass mo-fo'. *shakes fist at Japanese pronouns, on principle*

(I would run away screaming if Kyouya and Anthy were ever in the same room. But knowing both series, in a crossover we'd find out that Kyouya actually is Anthy in a frightening end-of-Black-Rose-Arc way.)

[skygiants]

The news that Ouran is about to wrap up is the other reason I decided to pick it up now - it's always nice to be comfortably aware that the full run of a series you've started will be relatively easily available.

I'm just surprised that they didn't at least include a translation note or something to explain; it leads to rather weird implicatoins otherwise. On the other hand, I don't blame them for just throwing up their hands and refusing to clarify the uke/seme joke during Renge's appearance, which is basically exactly what they do.

(. . . . . . . . I was about to laugh, and then realized, terrifyingly, I could in fact see this.)

[ojuzu.livejournal.com]

Kyoko is amazing. *_* I want like a thousand characters like her because oh god she is such a normal teenager and that is great. Like, she reminds me of a flailier Kenji. :D

- I kind of love the cheerfully casual treatment of Haruhi's dad's bisexuality so far

Oh, yes! It's wonderful. And Haruhi's own complete disregard for gender! ♥

[skygiants]

Yessss I love her SO MUCH for this. Like, she is normal and flaily and occasionally a bit spacy and yet so amazingly sane. And so far she's managed to hold onto all that in the middle of everything, and I adore her for it.

And yes! Haruhi is so awesome for that - I am really curious to see how much the manga continues to run with it, or whether it ends up pushing her more into a traditional heroine mode. (But obviously I hope not!)

[rawles.livejournal.com]

OOOOUUUUURRRAAAAAAN.

I am so not ready for it to end. Haha, it is the manga I have been following live for the longest! Separation anxiety :(

I wonder if this is because Tamaki and Kyouya are being set up more as romantic leads? (I'm connecting this in my head to Disney's Mulan, in which Shang is also the only male character who doesn't cross-dress.)

I always noticed that in Mulan! And...THERE IS NO WAY FOR ME TO RESPOND TO THE OURAN SPEC IN THAT WITHOUT SPOILERS SO...I WON'T.

[skygiants]

I am so excited to have fourteen volumes or so still ahead of me . . . and yet, already dreading the day when this will not be so! ;_; manga why do you go so fast

I remember reading someone's analysis somewhere about Disney/Hollywood being unwilling to feminize romantic leads, and connecting it to Mulan, and being kind of unsurprised but saddened by it. ALTHOUGH IT IN NO WAY LESSENS MY LOVE FOR THE FILM, I hasten to add.

And WELL at the rate I am going I doubt I will have to worry about spoilers for very long! Uh. >.>

[elspeth-vimes.livejournal.com]

KYOKO IS THE BEST STALKER EVER. Kanna is walking around reading and having serious thoughts of REVOLUTION. And Kyoko is all @_@

...yeah I basically just wanted to throw in more Kyoko love here.

[skygiants]

The scene in the cafe! When Kanna is all ~*~DEEP THOUGHTS~*~ and Kyoko is just peering super-sneakily over her menu like Audrey Hepburn in Charade. I LOVE HER. (I also laughed so hard at the part in the infirmary where Kanna is like "please go away I am READING MY BOOK.")

I remember you telling me many months ago that I would love Kyoko. CLEARLY YOU WERE PRESCIENT.

[elspeth-vimes.livejournal.com]

CHARADE!HEPBURN AND KYOKO WOULD BE THE BEST TEAM EVER. (I think the infirmary bit is my favorite stalking moment, though.)

I AM GLAD TO SEE SO MUCH LOVE FOR HER. Because she very much deserves it.

[skygiants]

THEY WOULD. *___* Kyoko would teach Charade!Hepburn the ways of rock-and-roll, and Audrey would teach Kyoko the ways of fabulous hats. And Cary Grant would facepalm at both of them into infiinty. (That is also awesome. Bsaically all the bits are awesome!)