Giant Killing, Tokyo Lastochika, Mitsuko attitude, and Kimi ni Todoke

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• Anime:
  
  1. Giant Killing: 1-21
     - I had watched the first episode in 2010 when it was concurrent streaming on Crunchy Roll, but fell asleep and didn't finish the first episode, so I crossed it out from my watch list!
     - This review at Reverse Thieves changed my mind and I gave it a second chance before Crunchy Roll takes it down this friday due to license restriction!
     - WatchMarathoned 21 episodes in 5 nights, it's quite a challenge since the stream was much slower than that of Kimi ni Todoke - It takes double time for an episode, I'm not sure if it's just my internet connection or Crunch Roll moves it to a lower priority!
     - Very interesting. I'm glad I gave it a second chance.
     - No romance, just competitive sport and raw motions, disagreement... conflicts like any good old shonen :) but the techniques shown are believable. The characters all have insecurities and flaws but they all try to get over them.
     - The foreign characters do speak their native language which I find very interesting.
     - Very good come back sport story.
     - If you have time, watch it before it goes away.
• Manga:
  
  1. Tokyo Lastochika 1-2 (東京ラストチカ): by Furumachi Miyoshi. Complete.
     - from JManga
     - I can't remember where I read review about this series, possibly Manga Bookshelf but I can't remember who reviewed it. 2 volumes complete!
     - I like the main characters, the brother, the cousin, and even the maids.
     - It's a shorter version of Emma and the ending is very poignant and sad.
     - I also like the art. The author wrote about cute things she wanted to draw but they are missed opportunities for this series :)
     - I recommend it if you like Emma.
  2. Mitsuko attitude 1-3 (ケッコーケンコウ家族 - Kekko Kenkou Kazoku): by Mamoru Kurihara. In French. The series is complete in 6 volumes. All the talk about food in French is harder to understand for me. I guess I didn't have enough vocabulary and didn't want to look up them in dictionary! I'm on the fence if I want to continue or not.
     - labeled Josei at Manga updates even though the story is set in high school. I'm assuming because of the magazine it was run in: Kiss. The french labels it as shojo, though.
     - The heroine - Mitsuko - moved to her uncle's house after the death of her father. She didn't want to but giving in. The uncle's family is a total health nuts! They practice some strange stuff, put behind spoiler tag due to the cross factor info - read at your own risk! like drinking one's own pee in the morning, or using coffee to cleanse one's internal organ through the bottom!
     - both cousins are nicer than they first appear.
     - The big dog's name is "Petit Four" (little four!) it's huge. It takes a liking to the heroine.
     - The heroine does have good girl friends.
     - Of course, a hot dude shows up and spoils everything ;)
     - There is a part if one holds something good for oneself on the right hand. Connect index finger and thumb to make a circle. That circle can't be disconnected by another person because the body knows the thing on the right hand is good for one's body. There were a couple tests that Mitsuko did with the dog and the hot dude did with Mitsuko - quite funny.
  3. Reread Kimi ni Todoke: 1-14: by Karuho Shiina.
     - Very good read
     - Happy sigh.
     - I feel that the discrepancy between Sawako and Shota is somewhat similar to Kyoko and Ren as in Sawako and Kyoko felt inferior to Shota and Ren and they both were afraid of being hated by the other party. It's a good thing that Sawako grew up in a loving family therefore didn't have the scar that Kyoko had so she got over it quickly. For Kyoko, who knows when that will be!
     - I had planned to buy volume 15 digitally, now I'm not sure! I'm thinking of getting the book despite the lack of shelf.

Rambling:

• Junai Labirynth 7 by Yuki Nakaji (last volume), Koi dano Ai dano 5 by Ririko Tsujita, and iHanasakeru Seishounen: Tokubetsuhen 3 by Natsumi Itsuki are out in Japan today.
• eta: From Manga Conseil, 18 et 20 looks pretty from the cover I saw on amazon.fr. So I checked it out on manga updates, it's a webcomic color (I'm assuming that it's legal since it's in Korean, if not, please let me know and I take the url down.) I readlooked at all the chapters. The funny thing is the title in French is 18 and 20, but English is 19 and 21. I'm assuming that Korean is 19 and 20; however, if I remember correctly, in Asia, the 9 mos in the womb is counted in the age, hence the difference, I think. The art is nice and the story is also nice and there are plenty of stray cats :) it's licensed in French and only 2 volumes, I may get them.