I’ll say it many times probably, but I love Mao Mao’s expressions so much. She’s so adorable. It’s so funny how she wears her heart on her sleeve, especially when it comes to things she likes and Jinshi.
Yes yes, I want more of this in this manga. There is surprisingly little of that considering the name. At least when it comes to what is covered by season 1 of the anime, which is what I’ve watched.
Managed it today ^^ Aku no Hana Vol. 8 — I enjoyed it a lot, I’m in the tail end of the story and it feels like it’s picking up where it was a bit of a slog before. And I got my daily ~chapter of Yagate Kimi Ni Naru, I’m obsessed with the colourized version, it’s just stunning.
I’ve only seen the apothecary diaries anime so far, I didn’t realize how crisp and expressive the manga was too! This is tempting me to prioritize it once I’m feeling a bit more confident in my reading…
For my first day, I had 極婚~超溺愛ヤクザとケイヤク結婚!?~ 1, which is an e-book I’ve had since 2022 and got for free. I’ve read the first volume in English before, but I wanted to reread it since I also own volume 2 in Japanese and wanted to have a better sense of the ~vibes~.
It’s surprisingly cute and silly for a yakuza romance manga despite how serious the cover looks. It follows a woman who’s in debt after her mother’s death and encounters an old friend from high school (who she had a crush on) and is now a yakuza. He needs to marry someone to take over from his dad (and had a crush on her in high school), so they decide to get married.
The covers in this series are gorgeous, as is the art! I’m excited to read volume two later in the month and decide how I feel about the series and if I want to buy more volumes.
I agree, the coloured version looks so good. I have the same with Shadows House. I really love the coloured version and wish it would be obtainable in print.
Nodnod, I also heard some scenes are extra nice in the manga in later volumes vs the anime~ Definitely something I’ll continue reading too~ I’m happy I could awaken your interest . Oh oh, the anime opening in season 1 was sooo good.
The list is genuinely so full of surprises. Although the language here was much easier (I think I had to look up 2 words in total for the whole volume?), the pace at which the story is told is extremely slow, so it actually took me overall longer to finish than Kusuriya yesterday, huh. So fascinating.
But I really enjoyed myself. I would most likely not enjoyed it in novel-form because it would’ve been a little too slow, but with illustrations, it’s really cosy and wonderful. And I finished three cups of tea reading it hehe.
======
Screenshots and blabber (I don't think there are really spoilers ahead, but maybe)
Probably the one conversation that really stayed with me. I can almost hear it off the pages; the voice of Kazuki’s father speaking calmly and with this soft of tinge of sadness / nostalgia. Really this whole manga gives me a nostalgic feeling.
This made me tear up… life is so fleeting and strange. And we get to experience so many different things and get to interact with so many people and leave a mark on their lives somehow.
Vocab
執着 - しゅうちゃく - attachment; adhesion; insistence; tenacity; fixation; obsession; clinging (e.g. to old customs)
中華街 - ちゅうかがい - Chinatown
I got carried away and read the remaining three volumes of 悪の華 today… very satisfying progression and ending to the story so I couldn’t help myself. And I’m obsessed with the way he draws faces:
Woah! I don’t think I’ve ever read that much manga in one day in my whole life hahaha.
I like how the eyes look so expressive … it looks so different from the anime too… back when I watched it, it made me feel really sad so I stopped watching mid-way. Would you say the manga is better or is it just as dark as the anime series?
Enjoy! The romance was really cute, especially in the beginning.
o.o I got CLAYMORE today… I am terrified because it’s fantasy and might be a difficult read on a day I’m really sick … but let’s give it a go
Oops!I have been reading from day 1 but haven’t been posting. Catch up post, here we goooo! (Sorry in advanced for the long post)
Emoji key:
I haven’t started this chapter yet
I started this chapter but didn’t complete it.
︎I completed this chapter today.
I completed this chapter a previous day.
1日
とんがり帽子のアトリエ10巻スタート！
My goal is to do one chapter a day, and that should set me on course to finish books 10-14.
︎第52話 ︎第53話 第54話 第55話 第56話 第57話
2日
10巻
第52話 第53話 第54話 ︎第55話 ︎第56話 第57話
3日
10巻 Completed 20 odd pages I had left from yesterday and started the next volume~!
The main story/central conflict in this one was pretty frustrating at times (spoilers) I really do not think the friendship between クスタス ココ and タータ was set up well enough to match the emotional intensity of the characters. Especiallyクスタス feeling that level of betrayal, タータ’s guilt/loyalty, and ココ being willing to take such a huge risk. but it had me hooked again by the final two chapters. As usual, the world building and art is incredible.
I haven’t seen the anime! I understand it was controversial, aesthetically, because it was entirely rotoscoped. I might check it out eventually but I’ve also heard there’s a new adaptation coming out, so I might just wait for that one. In any case, I get what you mean… it was about half-way through the manga that I was feeling fatigued and like the plot was just becoming a slog of suffering without development. But there’s a switch-up that happens right past the midway point that I think takes the first half and uses it to catalyze the characters’ development beautifully! It ended in a way that made me feel pleased, not sad.
I have seen the Horimiya anime, and I’m looking forward to seeing that romance play out in the manga too. I love romance plots and it’s one of my favourite examples of subtle, steady, and sincere romance development. But I was thinking I might try and squeeze in ぼくは真理のなか by the author of 悪の華 first since it’s only nine volumes anyway… for the moment I have やがて君二なる to feed my insatiable need for romance fiction.
Always a fan of detailed backgrounds. This must’ve taken forever. I practiced drawing a gate once and I almost gave up mid-way because there were so many details on the stones and metal pieces. Oof.
Hehe, such a dramatic throw. I like how it demonstrates just how powerful the claymore are. Look at the size of that sword they’re wielding with one hand… and how far it went in the air.
Vocab
闘う - たたかう - (struggle with) fight (against), contend with, strive against
高が - たかが - only; merely; just; at most; no more than (usually written in kana)
捕食者 - ほしょくしゃ - predator
盾 - たて - shield; buckler; escutcheon
犠牲 - ぎせい - sacrifice
狩る - かる - to hunt (animals), to search (for a criminal), to go looking for (flowers, etc.); to gather (mushrooms); to pick (berries)
I started ぼくは麻理のなか today, meeting with a small shock because I expected it to have furigana like the other works I’ve read by the same author. It did not! Still, I thought it would make a good opportunity for my first furigana-free reading, since the Natively level is a modest 18. It’s definitely slower, but the writing is sparse and simple enough that I was able to get through the first volume without too much struggle. And I got the satisfaction of feeling like my reading is moving ahead a level ^^
Anyway the character is very cute and I was immediately invested in the narrative. I plan to do my best to keep pace with a volume a day, and I can already feel things rewiring in my head from being forced to read kanji without resort to furigana. I’m having a lot of thoughts both about the plot and the author that I’m not sure I want to get into here… suffice it to say I’m not sure he quite realizes the significance of what he’s written here. hope one day he understands that, contrary to his own expressed hopelessness, he can have the happiness he says he desires in his note at the end:
The paneling, symbolism, and attention to detail is incredible. (Spoiler) Like the king musing about his desires being out of reach, then the next panel his hands are resting outside of the panel. Or the author’s brilliant use of negative space, so it is just the pure white of the paper in contrast to black ink on things like キーフリー’s glasses. Ahhhh. It’s so good! Some of the two page spreads this volume in particular really make me wish I was reading a physical copy rather than digital.
I think I should be able to finish this volume tomorrow, and maybe even start on volume 12.
Ok ok, interesting… it always seemed like such an interesting manga, but I always worry. I might check out the manga or this new adaptation you mentioned (I haven’t heard that it was getting a new one, thanks! )
Yesss, that’s what I liked about it as well. Until the weird point where the lady turns into a masochist… that was weird and not really funny to me and made me extremely uncomfortable. I’m extra sensitive to that sort of thing, though. But otherwise it’s cute. I also liked that the cosy feeling between them is present from the very start.
Imagine intense nodding. I love this manga and have it on my shelf~ I like it not just for the romance. I remember how much I could relate to Yuu at the start of the series because of how she couldn’t relate to her peers and their romance-related conversations hehe. The whole underwater imagery was such a strong visual.
Woah you did so well!! Furigana-free manga are so cool because you notice how far you’ve come and what you still need to put some more effort into. Sometimes I would stare at a kanji and know I’m supposed to know its reading, but I can’t remember, so I note it down for later hehe.
I’m happy it was a good experience !
You can do it!!
Had that with the manga I was reading today. Some manga are just so incredibly pretty.
Somehow very ominous to think that in this alternative universe, this guy can just get any info he wants by saying it’s relevant for the investigation. I guess it’s not too far off from like people with a warrant, but still. Privacy where .
Volume 2 of ぼくは麻理のなか kept up the pacing and conflict really well, and I still think Oshimi achieves something deeper than he might realize in terms of the text’s ability to convey certain material realities with remarkable subtlety. I’m looking forward to the rest of it, very much.
Yes, I understand! I enjoyed the earnestness and comedy of it but I understand it’s not for everyone. Definitely agree re: the feeling between them from the outset.
It’s so intricate! A friend once described the story as “textured” and I’ve thought about it since. There’s so much detail and attention given to the full range of the cast. I really like Sayaka’s arc over the course of the narrative, and the mentorship role the teachers play.
Thank you, it’s daunting for sure but the only way to get better is to keep challenging myself consistently.
I loove when artists play with perspective, this is stunning…
This video has a lot of views, so it’s very possible you’ve seen it, but your comments here and below made me think of (IMO) the definitive video essay analysis of ぼくは麻理のなか. I highly recommend checking it out once you’ve finished the manga if you haven’t watched it already (with a content warning - the video touches on the topic of sexual violence).
Interesting! Yes, I’ll save it for when I’m finished in hopefully a week or less. I’m curious how the story will progress considering that my impression so far does not accord with the description of the video so far. But obviously I’m early into it. Thank you for the suggestion ^^
! How is everyone else doing with their goals?
I’ll say it many times probably, but I love Mao Mao’s expressions so much. She’s so adorable. It’s so funny how she wears her heart on her sleeve, especially when it comes to things she likes and Jinshi.
She’s so cuteee…
Yes yes, I want more of this in this manga. There is surprisingly little of that considering the name. At least when it comes to what is covered by season 1 of the anime, which is what I’ve watched.
good job.
. Oh oh, the anime opening in season 1 was sooo good.
~
Probably the one conversation that really stayed with me. I can almost hear it off the pages; the voice of Kazuki’s father speaking calmly and with this soft of tinge of sadness / nostalgia. Really this whole manga gives me a nostalgic feeling.
This made me tear up… life is so fleeting and strange. And we get to experience so many different things and get to interact with so many people and leave a mark on their lives somehow.
I haven’t started this chapter yet
I started this chapter but didn’t complete it.
︎I completed this chapter today.
I completed this chapter a previous day.
Woah you did so well!! Furigana-free manga are so cool because you notice how far you’ve come and what you still need to put some more effort into. Sometimes I would stare at a kanji and know I’m supposed to know its reading, but I can’t remember, so I note it down for later hehe.
Thank you, it’s daunting for sure but the only way to get better is to keep challenging myself consistently.