manga and shojo manga ...
6. 4 episodes of Azumanga Daioh (あずまんが大王, Azumanga Daiō). Quote: "You know those tiny bubbles inside your eyes you sometimes catch? Yeah, I'm trackin' 'em down as we speak."
from Wiki
from IMBd
from Rotten Tomatoes
from Anime News Network
The anime is not much different from the manga. I don't think I'll finish the anime.
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9. 9 volumes of Tail of the moon (月のしっぽ, Tsuki no Shippo).
wiki
from Viz website
Vol 1: The path to love is never easy, and Usagi has some unexpected competition. It seems that another ninja clan wants to welcome Lord Hanzo into the family, and they've sent the beautiful and talented Yuri to win herself a wedding. Usagi won't be daunted by her rival's looks and skills, but will Lord Hanzo's secret feelings for an off-limits princess be enough to send her away in despair?
Vol 2: Usagi's mission to bear Hanzo's child is not going well. The father of her future babies has no interest in her, and she has a beautiful, brilliant rival. In order to regroup, Usagi goes back to her home village, arriving just in time for the annual Ninja Games--and the prize is a love potion! In order to win the race Usagi agrees to team up with her ex-fiancé Goemon...and then Hanzo drops by the village unannounced! Who will win in this game of love?
Vol 3: Lord Hanzo readily agrees to Ieyasu's offer to take Usagi away to work as an herbalist--almost as quickly as he agreed with Ieyasu that Usagi doesn't have what it takes to become a ninja! Hanzo seems unconcerned about having Usagi out of his life, but Usagi isn't faring as well. Lonely in a new place, Usagi crawls into Yukimaru's bed, much to his distress!
Vol 4: Usagi will remain in Ieyasu's household forever, apart from her beloved Hanzo, unless she can come up with an elixir of eternal youth. Usagi journeys to a mountain to find a hermit who supposedly knows how to create such an elixir, but he has no intention of sharing his knowledge with her. Even if Usagi is successful, there are others who don't want to see her free to return to Hanzo's arms...
Vol 5: Usagi is reunited with Hanzo, but Usagi's bliss ends abruptly when Hanzo's sister Suzune pays a visit and starts throwing ninja stars at the happy couple. Suzune won't accept Usagi as a potential sister-in-law if she can't evade her deadly attacks. Can Usagi survive Suzune's ninja offensive?
Vol 6: Goemon and Mamezo are taken hostage by the Kanbutsu clan, and the price for their lives is an "Instant Death" poison, which Usagi must create. Their captor, however, seems intent on killing Goemon whether Usagi makes the poison or not...
Vol 7: Hanzo is waiting for Usagi to qualify as a ninja before marrying her, but Usagi doesn't seem to be getting any closer to achieving her goal. Frustrated by the long wait, her great-grandfather decides to call off the engagement!
Vol 8:Usagi and Hanzo continue posing as a married couple during their ninja mission, and Hanzo seems to be jealous of Ranmaru's attentions toward Usagi. Furthermore, it seems that Ranmaru is planning to start a war by attacking all of Iga!
Vol 9: At the tea ceremony, Hanzo saves Usagi and takes her to his hideout in the city. Unfortunately, Mamezo is caught by the formidable Akechi Mitsuhide and forced to reveal where Hanzo's hideout is! Meanwhile, Ranmaru feels humiliated for letting Hanzo get the best of him and vows to hunt down all the ninja of Iga by himself...
I enjoy reading this up to volume 8. At the end of volume 9, I was disappointed in Usagi. Apparently she had no training in being a ninja whatsoever, she acted like a Mamezo without his skills. Not only she got herself in trouble but also other people's lives are in danger because of her act without thinking. Argghhh. I probably will continue to read this because of Hanzo, though.
10. 1 volume of Mermaid Saga (人魚シリーズ, Ningyo Shirīzu).
wiki
I check this out because of a recommendation. It turns out that this is not my cup of tea. A bit too dark. I can't make myself reading the rest of the series now even though I have them.
11. 10 volumes of RG Vega (聖伝 kana:リグ・ヴエーダ, Seiden kana:Rigu Vēda).
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This is bloody but I didn't mind. I guess because of the pretty drawing? I'm a shallow hypocrite. Reading this I kept thinking about other changing fate stories no matter how many lives got wretched. Hercules for example because of the prediction, he was not raised by his parents, and guess what? it happened anyway. I wonder what would happen if the kids were just raised *normally*, when he or she comes of age tell them about the prediction and teach them how to work it out. Wouldn't it be better? Maybe, but then there won't be an interesting story to tell, or so I think. I have to correct myself, I'm a shallow and boring hypocrite.
12. 7 volumes of Skip Beat!(スキップ・ビート！).
wiki
from viz website
vol 1: Kyoko knows she's not plain and uninteresting, no matter what Sho says. With the help of a little makeover, Kyoko's ready to exact her revenge. But first she needs to land an audition, and she sets her sights on the agency where Sho's lead rival works. Her persistence pays off, but her broken heart turns out to be a disadvantage. Kyoko has lost the will to love anybody, let alone fans she's never met. Can the agency see past this problem to Kyoko's true star potential?
vol 2: After failing her audition, Kyoko has just about given up on her revenge--until Sho shows up at the gas station where she works and doesn't even recognize her! With her desire for vengeance rekindled, Kyoko goes back to the talent agency and gets assigned to the new "Love Me Section." There, she can earn points for good behavior, and if she earns enough, the agency will back her debut! The only problem is that she has to do whatever they tell her to! Will her first assignment be her last?
vol 3: Kyoko is determined to win her way into show business, even if it means wearing embarrassing bright pink overalls and putting up with spoiled stars. But her first big assignment proves more difficult than she imagined when she finds herself in front of the camera with an injured leg. Will she be able to ace her first attempt at acting despite the pain, or will she make an utter fool of herself in front of her sort-of nemesis, Ren Tsuruga?
vol 4: Kyoko helps the LME president's granddaughter heal from a childhood tragedy, and in return she should have earned a free ride through the LME training school. But the other students throw a fit, and now she still has to pay. In order to support the high cost of the program, Kyoko gets a job as a seat filler on a TV show. But when one of the characters gets sick, Kyoko has to fill in--in a chicken suit! To make matters worse, Sho is the guest star! Will Kyoko destroy her only chance of revenge?
vol 5: Kyoko lands a regular role on a TV show...as a giant chicken. Not content to settle for poultry recognition, Kyoko tries out for a big commercial. At the audition she runs into her Love Me-rival Moko, who's having rival woes of her own. With a jealous rich girl out to bring them down, can Kyoko and Moko overcome their differences and act as a team to trounce the competition?
vol 6: Ren's manager Yashiro comes down with a nasty cold in the middle of an important shoot, and dares Kyoko to take over his job! Of course Kyoko accepts, but she's in way over her head with a pack of new responsibilities and the scorn of everyone who thinks she's doing a bad job. But the more time Ren spends with Kyoko the more he sees her kind and gentle side. Will all her hassles be worth his change of heart?
vol 7: All Kyoko's dreams are coming true! She's got a best friend (okay, so Moko still needs to come to terms with their bosom-buddyhood, but she's learning). She's finally going to high school (so what if a mean girl is picking on her--Kyoko knows how to deal with bullies). And she's landed a spot in Sho's new video (Yes! Revenge! Bwa ha ha ha!). Life doesn't get any better than this.
This is a fun series to read. I was reluctant to start it because it's still going. I prefer series that at least ended in Japanese. Anyway, I started reading it from scans out of curiosity and got hooked. I really like the angry Kyoko, she's so entertaining :) It's funny how I care so much more about 2 dimensional fictional characters than real life. Anyway, this is going to be one of my favorite series. I have bought all 10 books, the good news is it's released every 2 months instead of 4 or 6, so even if it's 30 volumes (which I predict it's going to be more since there are so much going on). I'm glad I read it. There are too many fun characters here: Lory is one of them.