New layout...

Had to change the layout-- it was starting to bug me to no end. I'm not entirely happy with this one either. Mostly because Blogger is being a pain with its colors!

If you're wondering who the character is, it's Okazaki Shinichi (aka Shin) from the manga NANA. A couple years ago I had this dream of making a site dedicated to him, because I was just darn' crazy about this guy. I still adore this dude, but not as much like a fangirl as I did when NANA was still updating.

I miss NANA, man. That manga is just beautiful and heartbreaking on so many levels.

Oishii Kankei - A Delicious Relationship

Listening to: "Walking On A Dream" - Empire of the Sun


     Oishii Kankei is a josei manga I stumbled upon by chance -- or rather, by pure curiosity. It seemed so different from what was out there on onemanga.com, under the category of romance... that I could not help but want to check it out. 

Oishii Kankei tells the story of Fujiwara Momoe, known dearly as Momoe-chan, who lived a life of luxury and affection. She grew up going to eat at the best restaurants with her parents and eating the best food. Momoe always loved to eat the delicious food!


But one day her father dies of a heart disease (most likely because of all the over-eating) and Momoe is heart broken. When she starts to live on her own, while in attempts to support her mother and herself, she can't bare the taste of her own cooking -- for the she never had to cook before. 


One day she walks into a local French restaurant and finds no problem in recognizing the dish with just a taste, for she has had it several years ago, and is immediately swept away by it.  Momoe decides to take a job there as an apprentice under the guidance of the chef, Oda-san, for she is now determined to become one herself.


Feelings of love blossom in Momoe, as she falls for Oda Keiji . But her feelings are not answered, as the chef only considers her as an apprentice-- and an annoying one at that! 


This is a story about Momoe and what she goes through, not only in love, but also in becoming a chef, and in many other aspects of life.

THE STORY: Being a josei manga (manga for women), the story has a more realistic approach, which makes it more interesting to see where it will go. 

Oishii Kankei has a nice, steady pace. It doesn't rush its way into things. And in every romance, there's drama, there's laughter, there's tears-- a good amount emotion for a decent story. Although there are some who may find the pace dull-- I did not. Plus the story really isn't that predictable. All the cards are up for grabs, truly. Just like life in many ways!

THE CHARACTERS: For some reason, I find the characters to be very endearing in this series.
Every character in Oishii Kankei has their own personality and quirks -- pretty much all of them are nicely fleshed out, which makes them pretty human. What I liked about these characters is that they weren't entirely predictable and thank god one-dimensional. They surprise you, and show you new sides of them as the story progresses. Yet they aren't too complex to the point where you find a hard time relating to them. 


THE ARTWORK: Oishii Kankei has a very feminine art style that not everybody will like. But I think it has its charm.
Yes, it's girly. I even thought that it reminded me a bit of Sailor Moon (just a tad), but this is the first very feminine art style that I have found that can make the men still look like real men and not totally sissy looking. I personally find the artwork very sweet, charming and pretty. The lines are very thin and delicate. They flow easily, creating a light, fleeting feeling to the whole thing. And, well... I honestly found myself drooling at the detail of the hair sometimes, because it just had so much flow and paid attention to every strand of hair! 


GOURMET CUISINE, COSTUMERS AND FOOD FOR THE HEART:
Despite being mainly a drama, Oishii Kankei focuses on cuisine as well.
I can't think of much else to address, other than the fact that there is the theme of cuisine. But not to the point of over-kill. The story manages to balance it out fairly well, and hey!-- you get to know about a dish or two.


OVERALL: Oishii Kankei was a great find for me. It just has the right pinch of romance and it's not overly indulgent about it. 
It's a story that has a good balance between romance, humor and drama. A great set of characters and decent artwork as well. This isn't a manga for everyone, once again -- but for those romantics at heart, I think this will serve as a home-run. 


Oishii Kankei is written and drawn by Makimura Satoru and can be found to read online at OneManga.com. It currently has 24 chapters available and is still ongoing. Happy reading!


(Click on images for larger view.)

FMA - Blood and Heartstrings

[You can skip this part, if ya like]
OK, so as I thought of writing up this post, I kept asking myself: What anime/manga would you recommend to anybody? And I've thought of some, but they all have complicated story lines (go figure!), so I wanted to avoid those being the first ones.


But alas, I couldn't! In order for me to get this flowing, I need to be passionate about it, right? And those are the intricate stories. Then again, I don't have to give away much of the story, but gaah!-- whatever, I'm just a indecisive person. Anyway, I have others that are not so intricate and more like light entertainment, but... I can't decide! 


So, remember when I said I'd start with the ones I've completed? I take it BACK. Yes, because I can. Here goes! Oh, and don't complain to me if you know about this one, just like a bazillion others. :3 At least it's not Naruto~ (I can't warm up to it, sorry!)
[/end ramble]

"The world isn't perfect. 

But it's there for us, doing the best it can. 

And that's what makes it so damn beautiful."

- Roy Mustang

Full Metal Alchemist is the story of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who embark on a journey to restore the body parts that they have lost while playing with life and death, by using alchemy in an attempt to bring back their mother from the dead -- which resulted in failure.

The story sounds pretty straight-foward, but like many journeys, it's a hell of a long ride.

FMA is written and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa. It currently consists of 24 volumes, 22 of them published in the US at the moment.

THE STORY: Just like my title says, FMA is a story of blood and heartstrings.

Blood is staining our canvas, while the heartstrings are constantly being pulled. Full Metal Alchemist has a rich story, and a vast variety of issues being addressed. We see human evolution, as cities grow... and the government becomes corrupt. We see religion being questioned, morals being explored-- ultimately man being put to the test.  

Too metaphorical? FMA has many metaphors. It's a story that may make you question your values, your perspective on things, and the raw emotions we experience. With a very big cast of characters, you get to see the big picture and the narrowed down. Despite the story being mainly revolving around Ed and Al, FMA takes us to many others, and gives us a deep look on their stories as well-- and how they are also part of this intricate tale.

THE CHARACTERS: Characters, for me, are a big deal. The story can be pretty lame, but if the characters really stick with you-- if they really leave an impression on you, it makes it all worth reading. 

The characters of Full Metal Alchemist are so terribly developed. With so many, you get to see a wide batch of personalities, and they go through so much growth and emotion! And not just the "good" ones, but the so called "evil-doers" as well-- they also have their shining and humbling moments. If someone asked me who was my favorite character, I couldn't tell them. I found myself bonding with almost every character, even the crazy ones. There was something so human about them. And anybody who can bring human-like characters on paper and bring them to life, deserves a medal in my book.

THE ARTWORK: Another important factor for me. Alas, if the story is really good, then I can deal with poor artwork. Thankfully for FMA, that is not the case. 

Hiromu Arakawa's art has clean and strong lines. The tones are very intense at times, where the black and white's strong contrast make a statement. Every scene has an atmosphere, especially when there's suspense involved. I personally really enjoy her character designs. They have a more realistic style to them, making it easier for each one to be unique. And the variety of expressions she is able to portray-- the many emotions she expresses in her characters with just their eyes-- for me it's dazzling. I don't know, call me silly, but it ain't easy to do that! Her attention to detail is also great.

DARK ACTION, HUMOR AND EMOTIONS: Full Metal Alchemist is a shounen manga, which means some sort of action is mandatory, and this story definitely doesn't lack that.

You'll see a lot of confrontation, a lot of bloodshed and a lot of tense moments. The story is ultimately quite dark and somber, and overall serious. But despite that, you'll find an endearing humor can be found in FMA. Sometimes even hilarious scenarios. I know I've laughed plenty in it! There are many funny moments to be found-- and just the right amount.

OVERALL: I definitely recommend Full Metal Alchemist to all those who like a rich and well woven story that only gets more and more exciting.

Although for those who don't like action, FMA may not be your cup of tea. But look, I'm a girl who's a total romantic at heart. I read silly shoujo mangas too. Yet I've learned to love series such as Full Metal Alchemist, and have come to like the thrilling action scenes. But hey, that's just me. It's up to you to give it a try.

Full Metal Alchemist is published in the US by Viz Media-- $9.99. But if you don't have the means of spending money, OneManga.com has the most up-to-date chapters. Happy reading! 


(P.S. Click on the images for a larger view)

New posts

Since I don't have much to talk about-- or at least anything I find interesting about my life, I'm going to dedicate some future posts about one of my hobbies. That means lots of eye-candy and review attempts at anime and manga series I've come to love. For now I'll start with the ones I've already completed, so I can better recommend, I suppose. But I'm going to try and not give away too many details. ;d

I'll be editing this post later. Until then!

Possible Ouran spoilers (for those who haven't read the manga!)

I'm tired, really, I am. I should go to bed... and I will! But I just had to read the newest chapter of Ouran!!! It was already awesome before, but now that Haruhi is getting flustered when with Tamaki-- it is soo cute. Not only that, but Hikaru has also become a rival! <3

TOO CUTE OMG-ZIES!! <3

TAKOYAKIs NANA town

Listening to: "Wait A Minute" - Pussycat Dolls

I must mention this adorable game. It is a fan made, mini-flash pixel-like game based on the popular shoujo manga called NANA. For some wonderful reason, the site that made it, who also translates scans of the manga, decided to give us net surfers some fun as well. As I am a huge NANA fan, I squealed at the greatness of it all. The game is so cute!! Unfortunately there is the one last little mini game in it that I cannot complete. Buuah. It's one of those games where you have to find all of the items he asked for in the room, and I can't find the darn last one! /;o;/

Go the heart to check it out--> <3

Fear teh addiction, my friends. <3

For Pete's sake, I must have eaten too much chocalate or something today 'cause I'm really giggly as I read my favorite shoujo manga... What's with that?! It's like I've become more addicted recently, especially since I have had more time now that I'm on vacation.

How hopeless, though. I mean, really-- what's more silly than staying up till nearly -- oh jeez-- 1AM reading Koukou Debut, that just so happens to be a very sweet shoujo manga I can't stop reading!! It's like coffee, but sweet!!

So yeah.. I'm starting to think that my giddy-ness at amusing/romantic situations is fun but kind of sad. Makes me kind of pitiful of my situation, haha. Oh well...

I'm going to regret staying up tomorrow. XD

Death Note? A new obsession, perhaps?

Death Note is a story, in manga or in anime, that I have always been curious about, but never had the courage to actually read or watch it. Coincidentally I came across some screenshots of the anime today, which made me even more curious, so I searched for it on You Tube. And I found it... Still not convinced if I should watch it or not, I read a review of the manga, which gave me the gist of the story. The review reassured me, so I watched the 1st episode.

And I liked it. It totally creeped me out.

The first thing that I noticed was the subtle background music that made a slight creepy atmosphere. The animations is also very nicely done. Besides that, the voice actor who does Raito Yagami, one of the main characters in the beginning, sounds like Tamaki from Ouran Host Club. I know, it's strange, but it does! And after seeing the whole episode, I am sure of it! That's awesome! <3

Not to mention that there are some creepy and complex characters taking place here. Despite that, they don't cease to be charming, like Ryuk, a shinigami, or a demon of death. He's actually funny!

The ending of the 1st episode kind of creeped me out the most, though. Light is waaay twisted, and for once I am not swooning over such a character at first sight. He's cool, but morbid. Good-looking, but not as cool as someone like Kadaj. <3 XD But who knows. Maybe there's chance I'll like him more later...

P.S. I only didn't explain the story since I expect you guys to take a look at the review, har har.

[EDITED: Just saw the 2nd episode. It is comfirmed. I am hooked. <3 ]