Manga
Most of the links in this entry take you to Wikipedia. I love that encyclopedia!
I never really understood the appeal of manga before I went to Japan. I've always loved comics, and Mikael introduced me to graphic novels, mostly by Marvel. After I became a X Japan fan, I started to gradually take an interest in everything Japanese. For a long time I couldn't understand why anyone would like manga or anime, because I hated those big eyes etc. (But for some reason I've always loved the big eyes in Disney movies... Go figure.)
Last summer I decided it was time to try some manga for myself. I borrowed the first volume of Ranma 1/2 from a friend. It was okay, I liked the bizarre Japanese humour, but still the story didn't really touch me. I tried some other series too, like Lone Wolf and Cub, Fake, Mars, Blade of the Immortal, Fushigi Yugi and Chobits but still I wasn't convinced... It wasn't until I read Paradise Kiss in November, that I found something I really liked! (Read my review here.) The artwork in that series is amazing! And the plot, which centers around 4 young people running a fashion house, is certainly the most interesting one I've read so far. But what really makes the series great is the characters! The main character Yukari is a pretty standard character, but the author has managed to make even her interesting. But the other characters, oh wow! I totally fell in love with Isabella when she first appeared. She's absolutely gorgeous, and Yukari is never sure if she's really a man or a woman. Arashi is very punk with his safety pin piercings and British accent. He uses words like "blimey" and "bloody hell", kinda like a certain sexy blonde vampire in my favorite tv series... Miwako is so cute and girly that you want to squeeze her. And last but not least, George, with his blue hair and Velvet Golmine obsession (which, btw is one of my favorite movies!) is just incredible! He is very sexy, just like Brian Slade in the movie. With characters like that, how could this be boring?
When I was in Japan, I had to buy the first volumes of all the other series by Paradise Kiss creator Ai Yazawa. The only bad thing is that I don't know enough Japanese yet to read them... So I ordered Nana in French and Neighborhood Story in German... That should get me started! :)
After I came back from Japan, I've been a naughty girl. I've held up all bookrings and just read manga! And I'm surprised at how good some of the books have been! The first volume of Tokyo Babylon (by Clamp) was great! I have to go buy the rest in the series too! Fruits Basket was surprisingly good too, whereas Mink was just okay.
During the weekend I also read my first real yaoi story, Kizuna, published by Be Beautiful. The story was a bit confusing, and the art wasn't the best possible either, but still I've gone completely crazy and now I want to read every yaoi title there is in English! (There aren't that many of them at the moment.) I've always had a thing for gays, and now we're talking about Japanese pretty boys, so it's almost more than I can handle!
My favorite manga after Paradise Kiss is definitely Gravitation, which is a shōnen-ai story. (Less explicit than yaoi.) The characters, the story, the art, everything is good in Gravitation! I can't wait to read the whole series!!
I went crazy and ordered three t-shirts off the net. Take a look:
I ♥ yaoi
Rated H
Looking for a Japanese Boyfriend
I have to wear them to Tuska festival next summer, when my Japanese friends come to Finland, and see which one makes them laugh the hardest...
I never really understood the appeal of manga before I went to Japan. I've always loved comics, and Mikael introduced me to graphic novels, mostly by Marvel. After I became a X Japan fan, I started to gradually take an interest in everything Japanese. For a long time I couldn't understand why anyone would like manga or anime, because I hated those big eyes etc. (But for some reason I've always loved the big eyes in Disney movies... Go figure.)
Last summer I decided it was time to try some manga for myself. I borrowed the first volume of Ranma 1/2 from a friend. It was okay, I liked the bizarre Japanese humour, but still the story didn't really touch me. I tried some other series too, like Lone Wolf and Cub, Fake, Mars, Blade of the Immortal, Fushigi Yugi and Chobits but still I wasn't convinced... It wasn't until I read Paradise Kiss in November, that I found something I really liked! (Read my review here.) The artwork in that series is amazing! And the plot, which centers around 4 young people running a fashion house, is certainly the most interesting one I've read so far. But what really makes the series great is the characters! The main character Yukari is a pretty standard character, but the author has managed to make even her interesting. But the other characters, oh wow! I totally fell in love with Isabella when she first appeared. She's absolutely gorgeous, and Yukari is never sure if she's really a man or a woman. Arashi is very punk with his safety pin piercings and British accent. He uses words like "blimey" and "bloody hell", kinda like a certain sexy blonde vampire in my favorite tv series... Miwako is so cute and girly that you want to squeeze her. And last but not least, George, with his blue hair and Velvet Golmine obsession (which, btw is one of my favorite movies!) is just incredible! He is very sexy, just like Brian Slade in the movie. With characters like that, how could this be boring?
When I was in Japan, I had to buy the first volumes of all the other series by Paradise Kiss creator Ai Yazawa. The only bad thing is that I don't know enough Japanese yet to read them... So I ordered Nana in French and Neighborhood Story in German... That should get me started! :)
After I came back from Japan, I've been a naughty girl. I've held up all bookrings and just read manga! And I'm surprised at how good some of the books have been! The first volume of Tokyo Babylon (by Clamp) was great! I have to go buy the rest in the series too! Fruits Basket was surprisingly good too, whereas Mink was just okay.
During the weekend I also read my first real yaoi story, Kizuna, published by Be Beautiful. The story was a bit confusing, and the art wasn't the best possible either, but still I've gone completely crazy and now I want to read every yaoi title there is in English! (There aren't that many of them at the moment.) I've always had a thing for gays, and now we're talking about Japanese pretty boys, so it's almost more than I can handle!
My favorite manga after Paradise Kiss is definitely Gravitation, which is a shōnen-ai story. (Less explicit than yaoi.) The characters, the story, the art, everything is good in Gravitation! I can't wait to read the whole series!!
I went crazy and ordered three t-shirts off the net. Take a look:
I ♥ yaoi
Rated H
Looking for a Japanese Boyfriend
I have to wear them to Tuska festival next summer, when my Japanese friends come to Finland, and see which one makes them laugh the hardest...