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[survivor]

Hanjuku Joshi vol 1-2 End

So much yuri. Seriously, every couple of pages we get girls saying how much they love each other and having sex. The entire manga was all happy, fluffy, cute and so on. That should have been obvious from the author's comment in the beginning of the first volume where she said she drew everyone so cute and delicious.

So the manga follows our protagonist, Yae, attending an all girls high school, which is something she keeps bringing up. Everytime something happens in the school, Yae always likes to remind herself that this kind of thing only happens in an all girls high school. Yae also hates being so girly and wishes she was born a boy for some reason that I can't remember. This all changes when she starts getting closer to Chitose, a boyish girl, and realizes her inner yuri feelings. Then it's all love and sex and yuri.

There is also that girl, Mari, who has an affair with her teacher. I really thought she will play an antagonist role based on her first appearance, but she and her teacher, Ran, became the other yuri couple of the manga.

The overly happy tone of the manga did get a bit tiring, but luckily it was only 2 volumes long so it ended before it dragged on for too much ruining the story. I did like Yae's inner conflict and her struggle to accept who she is. I guess I would have liked it if we got someone to oppose their relationship, like their parents or some friends at school. It would have been a good obstacle for Yae and Chitose to overcome, but it's understandable that we didn't since that wasn't the focus of the manga.

 

[Articalys]

Silver Spoon 47

Ayame is amazing.

 

[duckroll]

Silver Spoon - Chapter 47

Being Hachiken is suffering, being weekly manga reader is also suffering. These cliffhangers feel more like stopping in the middle of an episode rather than actual cliffhangers.

 

[wonzo]

Silver Spoon 47

damn cliffhangers

 

[Sai]

Aw, man... I didn't know the author of MM! passed away.

Found out after noticing another group had picked up the manga.

 

[Tess3ract]

Same.

 

[survivor]

Kimi to Hajimete vol 1 End

This is like the perfect example of a standard safe generic shoujo that doesn't try to be special, unique, good, or memorable. I feel like I will forget this manga existed by tomorrow.

So you have Koiko falling in love with the awesome hottest boy in the kendo club, Hirano. The dark grim mysterious boy, Hirano confesses to Koiko setting everything into motion. Koiko gets scared and nervous and shit and they go on a date. Then there is some dumb misunderstanding drama where Koiko thinks Hirano already has a girlfriend. Turns out it wasn't just his sister, there were 4 of them and they all looked identical. So dumb

Some glimmer of hope appears when Shin gets introduced. Another kendo dude that challenges Hirano to a match to decide who takes Koiko, ignoring the fact that she can have a choice. Too bad Shin as a character doesn't develop and is just there to have some climax to conclude the manga. Hirano wins and we get some sort of sex scene and then they all lived happily ever after.

The art was nothing special. Some ugly looking faces, and Hirano looked pretty average for a supposedly pretty boy. There was also bunch of those sparkly panels and funny faces like the one below.

Reading this made me curious, do shoujo manga with sex scenes automatically get the smut tag? Seems a bit misleading to be honest.

 

[Kincaido]

KNIM

The older brother (who happens to be Haruto's senpai) of the waitress girl and Yuzuki show up at the restaurant. Brother is over protective and Yuzuki is jealous. Was kinda cute to see her jealous.

Think I'll pick up Silver Spoon tomorrow since it seems like everyone else is reading it and I'm a bit curious.

 

[Wiseblade]

A Town Where You ZZZZ

This chapter would have been a lot better if she stayed quie3t over being jealous and just started picking a bunch of fights with him and they broke up. Then Haruto could get into a hilarious love triangle with the two girls at the restaurant...

Sensei no Bulge

So it's called "Dark Energy" this time, huh.

Silver Spoon

[insert obligatory "Poor Hachiken" here]

That was a pretty dramatic whip. And Hachiken 's monologue was kind of depressing.

 

[CatPee]

Kono S o, Mi Yo 1-72

SO. MUCH. RAGE.

My new favorite manga.

KNIM

Dropped until something interestingrage-inducing happens.

 

[Akito]

KNIM

Dropped until something interestingrage-inducing happens.

There's nothing left to this manga, maybe we can get to rage in 2 years if Haruto has yet to find the balls to bone his girlfriend.

Silver Spoon
Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho
Hachiken will make it... I hope.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Is this your first time reading it? It's sooooooooo goooooooood

Yeah it is at times. It can be quite a page turned and the art is really good for characters. I still dont really like Alice/BeaRabbit. :/

 

[scy]

Silver Spoon 47 - So Hachiken winning th---what. Goddamnit. dat cliffhanger.

Cut the guy some slack. Let him have his moment of winning. C'mon.

 

[upandaway]

Minamoto

I'm all confused now. Those were not the reactions I expected from her.

I think he got this.

 

[kayos90]

Yeah it is at times. It can be quite a page turned and the art is really good for characters. I still dont really like Alice/BeaRabbit. :/

Honestly, Alice doesn't characterize much and pretty much remains a Flat character but that's only because she acts as one of Oz's foils and buffer. Other characters are much more than Alice despite the story putting so much emphasis on Alice, with good reason of course. What chapter are you on now?

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Honestly, Alice doesn't characterize much and pretty much remains a Flat character but that's only because she acts as one of Oz's foils and buffer. Other characters are much more than Alice despite the story putting so much emphasis on Alice, with good reason of course. What chapter are you on now?

Just started chapter 9, at Gil's house.

 

[kayos90]

Just started chapter 9, at Gil's house.

Ah. It's slow to pick up imo but once the balls starts going, it's craziness. I think the next particular arc is good, which doesn't start until 15.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Witch Hunter

Very nice development and the pace is very good.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Witch Hunter

Very nice development and the pace is very good.

I'm still waiting for chapter 74 =(
(if we're talking about the same mang- manhwa)

 

[Johnlenham]

JoJos Bizarre Adventure - Steel Ball Run 23
Well Gyro and Johney joestar just killed a man that could sprout bombs/mines on anything he touched including Bees, water and AIR by pinging two spinning steel balls off of Johneys newly discovered spinning finger nails move.
They are now riding off at what I assume is 1st and 2nd place because Mountain ranger is putting himself backtogether with ropes, to find a zombie horse given to Gyro by the king.

The front cover of chapter 24 has Johney stradling Gyro in a a way that looks like a sex position.

My reaction:

Oh yeah and he didnt seem that bothered about blowing his own foot off and riding through the desert like it. Saying that the other guy cant even walk so what the hell do I know.

 

[CatPee]

There's nothing left to this manga, maybe we can get to rage in 2 years if Haruto has yet to find the balls to bone his girlfriend.

Rage moments were literally the only thing keeping the manga going, more or less. Without them it's just a terrible slice-of-life, really.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Pandora Hearts 9 - 14

Some reason I feel that it is really filling in lots of the holes to the backstory really well, though still leaving questions open, like why is Oz's existence a sin, or why his father thinks he ought not be born, why Vincent and Gil were found lost, or why Oscar has taken a liking to them...and then the 100 years thing.

The Gil and Oz really close master servent relationship thing really makes me think of a few other series, though it seems Gil is really contributing way more feelings which is definitely my favorite part.


Barrage 8

Tiamet is really afraid of woman? Is that what it was since he really never actually looked at her directly, which led to interesting comments by Astro. I like the plot of aliens having infiltrated these cities, but to actually plan planetary domination...well hope Astro can get rid of them and the allied humans.

----

The Viz Manga android app is alright, they just need to do something for the page spreads or something and theres no landscape view, but the manga, well at least all in the SJ Alpha look nice and detailed on it, it downloads to the phone.

 

[kayos90]

Pandora Hearts 9 - 14

Some reason I feel that it is really filling in lots of the holes to the backstory really well, though still leaving questions open, like why is Oz's existence a sin, or why his father thinks he ought not be born, why Vincent and Gil were found lost, or why Oscar has taken a liking to them...and then the 100 years thing.

The Gil and Oz really close master servent relationship thing really makes me think of a few other series, though it seems Gil is really contributing way more feelings which is definitely my favorite part.

Oh good sir you are in for a treat. You sure are.

 

[Urban Scholar]

JoJos Bizarre Adventure - Steel Ball Run 23
Well Gyro and Johney joestar just killed a man that could sprout bombs/mines on anything he touched including Bees, water and AIR by pinging two spinning steel balls off of Johneys newly discovered spinning finger nails move.
They are now riding off at what I assume is 1st and 2nd place because Mountain ranger is putting himself backtogether with ropes, to find a zombie horse given to Gyro by the king.

The front cover of chapter 24 has Johney stradling Gyro in a a way that looks like a sex position.

My reaction:

Oh yeah and he didnt seem that bothered about blowing his own foot off and riding through the desert like it. Saying that the other guy cant even walk so what the hell do I know.

Yes! You're compelled to read more.

 

[gunbo13]

Reading this made me curious, do shoujo manga with sex scenes automatically get the smut tag? Seems a bit misleading to be honest.

Nah

 

[survivor]

Osusume Boyfriend vol 1 End

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. Came in expecting crap, instead I got an average shoujo manga so it at least exceeded my expectations.

It's just standard high school girl (Koshiro) falls in love at first sight with another boy (Araki) and she can't confess to him and he is a dumbass. Koshiro has problems with her own boyfriend cause he is a dickhead and Araki starts dating a college student. Koshiro obviously gets jealous but she can't confess her true feelings and the first chapter ends. Then the second chapter changes the narrator and starts telling the story from Araki's perspective. We see he is unhappy with his current relationship as he is getting treated like a pet and eventually he breaks up with his girlfriend. Then he realizes his true love is Koshiro and they all become happy and stuff.

Nothing too outstanding about the story, just two chapters (around 100 pages) about two high school kids dating and stuff. The one thing I really did like was the change in perspective from Koshiro to Araki. Added a really nice touch and changed things up for the better. Now I want to read more shoujo manga that do that. The art was also surprisingly alright, definitely a step up from the Kimi to Hajimete crap I read yesterday.

There was also a one shot at the end of the volume which was far better than the actual manga story. It's about Sakae and her cousin Yori. Yori is waiting for a girl in coma to wake up so she can reject his confession, while Sakae has a crush on Yori. The story was a bit melodramatic and cliched but it worked out in the end.

Nah

I guess maybe it depends on the magazine it was published in or the way they portray sex? Cause right now it seems pretty arbitrary classification to me, barring the fanservice heavy ones.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

I'm still waiting for chapter 74 =(
(if we're talking about the same mang- manhwa)

It was chapter 72. I am reading chapter 73 now. It did not know chapter 73 is out until you pointed that out. Thanks.

Edit:

Witch Hunter 73

Bwahahaha. Tasha is so damn awesome. I knew he would never give up Halloween. I also knew that he would quit Witch Hunter association before he does.

 

[grandjedi6]

Is Silver Spoon still awesome?

Yep, Silver Spoon is still awesome

 

[Taruranto]

Pandora Heart 75

The huge-ass flashback is finally over. Aye!

 

[scy]

Is Silver Spoon still awesome?

Yep, Silver Spoon is still awesome

Hohohohohohohohoho

 

[gunbo13]

I guess maybe it depends on the magazine it was published in or the way they portray sex? Cause right now it seems pretty arbitrary classification to me, barring the fanservice heavy ones.

Probably the portrayal. Bubbles and flowers don't get smut tags. Anything with boobs, moans, and all that can get the smut tag. It is fairly arbitrary though for shoujo. Josei smut pretty much means the business. Shoujo is for your deep down desire to see an airhead hook up with a bishounen...

...wait, why do we read this stuff?

 

[El Sloth]

Hohohohohohohohoho

Ohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Soul Cartel 10

Azrael at just the right time. Hopefully Si-hun faces them, though I guess it will be a showcase of Faust's power. Im a bit more hyped for the eventual, hopefully, contract with Si hun.

 

[kayos90]

Pandora Heart 75

The huge-ass flashback is finally over. Aye!

I still think there's going to be more in the future but it's just on hold for now.

 

[Articalys]

Hohohohohohohohoho

Ohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho

Why is the ojou laugh so funny?

 

[Angry Grimace]

Why is the ojou laugh so funny?

~ohohohohohohohohoho~

 

[scy]

Shoujo is for your deep down desire to see an airhead hook up with a bishounen...

...wait, why do we read this stuff?

Because deep down, I am that airhead.

...!

 

[Articalys]

So we talk about sales on a series-wide level, but how about on a publisher-wide level?

The Japanese market research firm Oricon released their report on the Japanese publishing market for the first half of 2012 on Tuesday.

Kodansha topped the list in total revenue, up 2.3% from the same period in 2011 to 45.720 billion yen (about US$583 million), the first time since 2010 that they have taken the top position for the first half of a year. The report credits Hajime Isayama's Shingeki no Kyojin as one of the titles that pushed the company to this level of sales.

Shueisha dropped to second place in revenue after a 12.1% drop in sales to 44.003 billion yen (about US$561 million), though the publisher sold the most units over the period, with 85.835 million books sold as compared to Kodansha's 67.649 million units. Oricon cites a drop in manga sales for the company as a major reason behind the drop.

The publishing arm of Square Enix experienced the greatest percentage-wise jump in sales compared to 2011, when it failed to chart in the top ten publishers after the end of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. The company's revenues were up 21.6% to 9.912 billion yen (about US$126 million), in part thanks to the strong performance of the Inu x Boku SS manga.

One more quick fact: Shueisha and Kodansha combined make up 25% of all units sold, at 14% and 11% respectively.

Full chart of the top ten at the link.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Fairy Tail and Air Gear must have had a killer year to make more $$$ than Yueisha's titles.

 

[El Sloth]

DTL you just completely ignore this line?

The report credits Hajime Isayama's Shingeki no Kyojin as one of the titles that pushed the company to this level of sales.

Edit: What is wrong with me. I should know better by now.

 

[Angry Grimace]

mysticwhip why you gotta get yourself banned? =(

Goodnight sweet prince... *pours out a 40*

 

[Crash Station]

Nisekoi

Hah, secret yandere!

 

[Articalys]

Nisekoi

Hah, secret yandere!

 

[Kusagari]

Nisekoi:

She was reminding me of Yuno during that outburst.

I think I like her even more now!

 

[Solune]

Nisekoi:

She was reminding me of Yuno during that outburst.

I think I like her even more now!

Someone needs to photoshop her into "the" Yuno anime picture.

 

[scy]

Nisekoi 35 - The image I wanted to post is already up so all I have to say is dat yandere route unlocked.

 

[Articalys]

Nisekoi 35 - The image I wanted to post is already up so all I have to say is dat yandere route unlocked.

I would read an entire series of just Naoshi Komi drawing faces.

 

[scy]

I would read an entire series of just Naoshi Komi drawing faces.

I'm actually surprised that this panel wasn't full page and the end of the chapter after that shot of her:

 

[Kincaido]

Nisekoi

I knew she was crazy! Still like her though.

Spoiler

Tsugumi and Chitoge still better.

 

[grandjedi6]

Nisokeieieiofjeoif

We should start taking bets on what trope the inevitable next key girl will embody.