Fu
In more cooking adventures:
Adapted Maangchi's Mul Naengmyeon recipe for a friend who can't have beef and subbed in pork shabu slices and added wintermelon in addition to the pear and cucumber. Success sort of achieved, by which I mean I need to plan better and cool the stock much much earlier; it still wasn't cold enough when I served it. Have been making it with various substitions but will probably go with the pork version because I liked this combo best so far.
It is absolutely essential you use the korean noodles for naengmyeon if you love chewy noodles. So far I haven't yet found any substitute that even comes close to how chewy the noodles get. My obsession with naengmyeon is to the point that I actually started googling how much it would cost to order an entire box from Korea. Then I realised I would have to convince the parental units that yes, I need to have a giant box of korean noodles in the store room to feed my cravings and nixed that plan. This will go on my to do list when I live solo.
Reading manga-wise: Giant spoilers abound, sorry not sorry.
Silver Diamond:
Caught up on a lot of series, thanks to a new app reader. Finished Silver Diamond, OMG THE FEELS. I have a remarkably soft spot for Narushige, whose angst was clearly well on its way to soap drama levels - how could I have doubted Sugiura-sensei, I am not worthy. That was actually resolved with no one having to die, and then all parties sitting down and actually talking. And implied that those talks were ongoing and it was not magically solved overnight. And even a side story of Narushige x Kou BEST FRIENDSHIP EVAR.
And even Tohji got his share of possible angst which instead was turned into the best brother complex ever - I actually find it cute and again cannot help but flail over. Everyone had a good ending. I did find the revival part slightly undermined by my completely correct expectations that death was not permanent, but I also like a good happi endo so I can completely gloss over that. That there was going to be a Rakan x Chigusa ship I never doubted, and again Sensei basically did every single damned fanfic trope out there and made me like it. Soulbonds? Talking animal sidekicks? Flowers always blooming in the background...ahahahaha sensei, may your powers never be used for evil.
I'm still absorbing Rakan and Chigusa - there were just so many moments of OMG THIS IS SO GOOD ARGGH that even now I can't even express how satisfied I am with how they each developed. I definitely want to come back to this later.
Shuuten Unknown: ARGH I NEED MORE. Going to have to stop this for a while until there are many more chapters. But I loved the interaction between Sayatoki and Yoruma and I am perfectly happy with the journey as it is. I could easily read several hundred chapters of their journey. DID YOU HEAR THAT SENSEI.
And March Comes In Like A Lion: IOW, Chica Umino, I would like to fall at your feet shrieking incoherently at how good this is. No really, HOW GOOD IS THIS. I loved them all, and I want to squish those precious precious babies. She has that amazing knack for making good characters in a single chapter. The mortician shogi player was like a Masterclass in one. Why are Kiriyama and those 3 sisters so cute argh.
The side effect of reading such amazing manga is that when you don't have anymore to read...it is as if a desert has spread before me. ;____;
Other Series I am actively following and ideally plan to blog about
Dungeon no Meshi: Best comedy and food combo ever, would totally eat that undine too.
Shokugeki no Soma: Best food fight ever. That being said, the stagiare and autumn elections were actually pretty good even if the time frames were clearly manga time. The whole Shinomiya & Soma worked so incredibly well probably because you had the feeling that Shinomiya had his own story we weren't allowed to see, and it was actually nice to see how Soma is like when he is actually learning chef stuff. (Aka, pretty much the only teacher - student session which Soma doesn't end with his catchphrase).
World Trigger: TACTICS. PACING. BUILDUP. so good, don't ever stop pls
Natsume no Yuujinchou: Was not expecting the Matoba vs Natori as the polar opposites of exorcists models, but in hindsight should have been obvious given that they are the only exorcists Natsume has the most contact with. It's also a really nice reinforcement of how no matter which philosophy you ascribe too, no one really treats youkai as Natsume does.
Akagami no Shirayuki: I feel like using this series and hitting other mangaka with it. Like, this is how you do a healthy relationship! How to respect a girl! How to respect her profession and her commitment to a job! It's not really much! ...why does it still need to be said.
The Bride's Story: PARIYA PARIYA OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.
The Magician's Bride: Loved the otherworldly atmosphere of this, though I do not quite approve of this Genji-like plot point of raising your own bride. The enormous squick factor is sort of taken out of this because clearly Elias has not quite grasped how to human it yet. (So far he has figured out the we don't actually eat them)
Houseki no Kuni: Cannot believe I forgot to add this to the list. Phos-chan has come such a long way!!
Meitantei Mamie: As in the same guy who did Franken Fran decided to lighten up and do school detective stories but still applies much of his cynical world view to it.
Amaama to Inazuma: Tooth-rotting cuteness and cooking always A+ in my book. The anime has also just been released.
Magical Exam Student: Actually a Korean webtoon, but Magical Girls if imported to Korea? The storytelling chops in this one is pretty good, and definitely done by a girl. No fanboy fanservice, instead there's a guy forced to crossdress as fanservice instead (hah!) and a really good look at the way they struggle with the all consuming terror that is the Korean schooling system while being Magical girls.
19 days: Chinese webtoon done in super short panels by Old Moss and Xian. They run 3 webtoons concurrently and all 3 are recommended. Superb art and seriously funny. 19 Days is the boy love one; the main characters don't even get names until the 100th strip or so.
Tamen de Gushi: Otherwise chinese for Their Story, the girl love one aka the lesbian one. Also hilarious and I'm seriously crushing on Sun Jing and her entire school. The third one is Mosspaca Department which is the exaggerated and comic version of their studio which works on advertising. All three are strongly recommended.
Series I've taken a break from:
One Piece: I think I prefer it when I read it in arcs; I start losing the threads of who is where doing what. But I have caught up right up to the Sanji's new past getting revealed, so now I'm just waiting for more chapters so I can binge read the entire arc instead.
Bleach: I hear it's ending soon, so I'll probably just wait and read it when it actually ends for completion sake.
Yowamushi Pedal: I only started this when there was already 100+ chapters and all that binge reading has completely spoiled me. I can't take reading this in drips and drabs only; going to wait for another 100 chapters before catching up again.
Akatsuki no Yona: Ironically I finished the anime for this, so I'm sort of saving this as a "i have nothing to read oh noes what shall I do"
Kingdom: Strangely exhausting. Stopped somewhere around the 400 or so chapter.
Ubel Blatt: All caught up already; conclusion is that I am still equally irritated by the fanservice and equally charmed by Ascheritt's adorable elfin ears. It's definitely something to read if you liked Berserk and desperately wanted something similar that you know, updates a bit more regularly. (Like maybe not after several years hiatus)
Birdman: Yellow Tanabe's new series, by which I mean I have been forced to wait for new chapters because it appears to be stuck at 25. I need more of this! She has another weirder series that definitely appeals to younger kids but apparently its popular enough that Birdman has taken a backseat.
Gakuen Babysitters: WHY R U ALL SO CUTE. Another forced hiatus because there are no updates at present.
Amanchu: Next series after Aria/Aqua. Wonder if sensei lives near the sea? Relaxing diving manga, also fortunately coming out with an anime. Putting this on hold. I can't dual consume manga/anime - too much of the same thing.
Completed:
Ansatsu Kyoshitsu: KORO SENSEI! *sniffs*
Ran to Haiiro no Sekai: I actually finished it a while back, but this is me finally admitting there is no more of that amazing goodness of this manga despite re-reading a few times. Sincerely, pls do more manga, Irie sensei! Gunjou Gakusha are a collection of short stories, which are really amazing...but too short.
Adapted Maangchi's Mul Naengmyeon recipe for a friend who can't have beef and subbed in pork shabu slices and added wintermelon in addition to the pear and cucumber. Success sort of achieved, by which I mean I need to plan better and cool the stock much much earlier; it still wasn't cold enough when I served it. Have been making it with various substitions but will probably go with the pork version because I liked this combo best so far.
It is absolutely essential you use the korean noodles for naengmyeon if you love chewy noodles. So far I haven't yet found any substitute that even comes close to how chewy the noodles get. My obsession with naengmyeon is to the point that I actually started googling how much it would cost to order an entire box from Korea. Then I realised I would have to convince the parental units that yes, I need to have a giant box of korean noodles in the store room to feed my cravings and nixed that plan. This will go on my to do list when I live solo.
Reading manga-wise: Giant spoilers abound, sorry not sorry.
Silver Diamond:
Caught up on a lot of series, thanks to a new app reader. Finished Silver Diamond, OMG THE FEELS. I have a remarkably soft spot for Narushige, whose angst was clearly well on its way to soap drama levels - how could I have doubted Sugiura-sensei, I am not worthy. That was actually resolved with no one having to die, and then all parties sitting down and actually talking. And implied that those talks were ongoing and it was not magically solved overnight. And even a side story of Narushige x Kou BEST FRIENDSHIP EVAR.
And even Tohji got his share of possible angst which instead was turned into the best brother complex ever - I actually find it cute and again cannot help but flail over. Everyone had a good ending. I did find the revival part slightly undermined by my completely correct expectations that death was not permanent, but I also like a good happi endo so I can completely gloss over that. That there was going to be a Rakan x Chigusa ship I never doubted, and again Sensei basically did every single damned fanfic trope out there and made me like it. Soulbonds? Talking animal sidekicks? Flowers always blooming in the background...ahahahaha sensei, may your powers never be used for evil.
I'm still absorbing Rakan and Chigusa - there were just so many moments of OMG THIS IS SO GOOD ARGGH that even now I can't even express how satisfied I am with how they each developed. I definitely want to come back to this later.
Shuuten Unknown: ARGH I NEED MORE. Going to have to stop this for a while until there are many more chapters. But I loved the interaction between Sayatoki and Yoruma and I am perfectly happy with the journey as it is. I could easily read several hundred chapters of their journey. DID YOU HEAR THAT SENSEI.
And March Comes In Like A Lion: IOW, Chica Umino, I would like to fall at your feet shrieking incoherently at how good this is. No really, HOW GOOD IS THIS. I loved them all, and I want to squish those precious precious babies. She has that amazing knack for making good characters in a single chapter. The mortician shogi player was like a Masterclass in one. Why are Kiriyama and those 3 sisters so cute argh.
The side effect of reading such amazing manga is that when you don't have anymore to read...it is as if a desert has spread before me. ;____;
Other Series I am actively following and ideally plan to blog about
Dungeon no Meshi: Best comedy and food combo ever, would totally eat that undine too.
Shokugeki no Soma: Best food fight ever. That being said, the stagiare and autumn elections were actually pretty good even if the time frames were clearly manga time. The whole Shinomiya & Soma worked so incredibly well probably because you had the feeling that Shinomiya had his own story we weren't allowed to see, and it was actually nice to see how Soma is like when he is actually learning chef stuff. (Aka, pretty much the only teacher - student session which Soma doesn't end with his catchphrase).
World Trigger: TACTICS. PACING. BUILDUP. so good, don't ever stop pls
Natsume no Yuujinchou: Was not expecting the Matoba vs Natori as the polar opposites of exorcists models, but in hindsight should have been obvious given that they are the only exorcists Natsume has the most contact with. It's also a really nice reinforcement of how no matter which philosophy you ascribe too, no one really treats youkai as Natsume does.
Akagami no Shirayuki: I feel like using this series and hitting other mangaka with it. Like, this is how you do a healthy relationship! How to respect a girl! How to respect her profession and her commitment to a job! It's not really much! ...why does it still need to be said.
The Bride's Story: PARIYA PARIYA OMG I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.
The Magician's Bride: Loved the otherworldly atmosphere of this, though I do not quite approve of this Genji-like plot point of raising your own bride. The enormous squick factor is sort of taken out of this because clearly Elias has not quite grasped how to human it yet. (So far he has figured out the we don't actually eat them)
Houseki no Kuni: Cannot believe I forgot to add this to the list. Phos-chan has come such a long way!!
Meitantei Mamie: As in the same guy who did Franken Fran decided to lighten up and do school detective stories but still applies much of his cynical world view to it.
Amaama to Inazuma: Tooth-rotting cuteness and cooking always A+ in my book. The anime has also just been released.
Magical Exam Student: Actually a Korean webtoon, but Magical Girls if imported to Korea? The storytelling chops in this one is pretty good, and definitely done by a girl. No fanboy fanservice, instead there's a guy forced to crossdress as fanservice instead (hah!) and a really good look at the way they struggle with the all consuming terror that is the Korean schooling system while being Magical girls.
19 days: Chinese webtoon done in super short panels by Old Moss and Xian. They run 3 webtoons concurrently and all 3 are recommended. Superb art and seriously funny. 19 Days is the boy love one; the main characters don't even get names until the 100th strip or so.
Tamen de Gushi: Otherwise chinese for Their Story, the girl love one aka the lesbian one. Also hilarious and I'm seriously crushing on Sun Jing and her entire school. The third one is Mosspaca Department which is the exaggerated and comic version of their studio which works on advertising. All three are strongly recommended.
Series I've taken a break from:
One Piece: I think I prefer it when I read it in arcs; I start losing the threads of who is where doing what. But I have caught up right up to the Sanji's new past getting revealed, so now I'm just waiting for more chapters so I can binge read the entire arc instead.
Bleach: I hear it's ending soon, so I'll probably just wait and read it when it actually ends for completion sake.
Yowamushi Pedal: I only started this when there was already 100+ chapters and all that binge reading has completely spoiled me. I can't take reading this in drips and drabs only; going to wait for another 100 chapters before catching up again.
Akatsuki no Yona: Ironically I finished the anime for this, so I'm sort of saving this as a "i have nothing to read oh noes what shall I do"
Kingdom: Strangely exhausting. Stopped somewhere around the 400 or so chapter.
Ubel Blatt: All caught up already; conclusion is that I am still equally irritated by the fanservice and equally charmed by Ascheritt's adorable elfin ears. It's definitely something to read if you liked Berserk and desperately wanted something similar that you know, updates a bit more regularly. (Like maybe not after several years hiatus)
Birdman: Yellow Tanabe's new series, by which I mean I have been forced to wait for new chapters because it appears to be stuck at 25. I need more of this! She has another weirder series that definitely appeals to younger kids but apparently its popular enough that Birdman has taken a backseat.
Gakuen Babysitters: WHY R U ALL SO CUTE. Another forced hiatus because there are no updates at present.
Amanchu: Next series after Aria/Aqua. Wonder if sensei lives near the sea? Relaxing diving manga, also fortunately coming out with an anime. Putting this on hold. I can't dual consume manga/anime - too much of the same thing.
Completed:
Ansatsu Kyoshitsu: KORO SENSEI! *sniffs*
Ran to Haiiro no Sekai: I actually finished it a while back, but this is me finally admitting there is no more of that amazing goodness of this manga despite re-reading a few times. Sincerely, pls do more manga, Irie sensei! Gunjou Gakusha are a collection of short stories, which are really amazing...but too short.