manga (and a book) i've been reading
Read Castle Mango 2 and Rivers End...Oh boy. Glad I got to do it in one fell swoop. I think I would've stopped reading it from depression if I had read it in installments, especially Castle Mango 2. I can't believe how painful basically the entire volume was. No lovey-dovey till the very end! And the crap that happens to Yozuru and his bad (yet earnest and determined!) handling of things waaaay over his head...And Togame's somewhat understandable (given his personality and background) but truly frustratingly passive way of dealing with Yozoru....GAH. Dude, just cast the kid off if you want him to keep to the straight and narrow. Don't do it AFTER you've done tons of stuff for him, including rescuing him from his foolish attempt to be in a porn film and secretly fixing the ruined room in the love hotel. Also, don't hang out with his little brother while basically brushing him off. I guess I can forgive Yozoru's inadequacies because he's young and immature and he's so obviously trying. I never got into Togame's head enough to really resonate with him, even in the novel that is his POV.
The hilarious last-minute confession Yozoru makes as they are about to have sex was fun, but...not enough! The sweet last bit with Togame coming home to a sleeping Yozoru was great, but...not enough! I felt like I should've gotten more sweetness after the pain of this volume, especially since there were many adorable moments in the first volume. But I should've known, it's Konohara Narise, right?
As for the novel...I didn't really read the story about Togame's past, "River's End." I skimmed it, and it was depressing. I'll fully read it when I'm up for it. As for "god bless you"...I enjoyed it because I enjoy reading stories that show the nitty gritty of some industry I don't know much about, in this case the film industry. But Togame's POV was so distant it's hard to get into. He's really too fatalistic for me, so I was glad when Yozoru tells him that his attitude is awful at the end.
The first sex scene in the story really threw me off. When I went back I realized it was because the narration didn't use Yozoru's name but instead just called him Togame's "lover." It was so impersonal, it made me sad to think it was an indication of Togame's distance from everything. Compared to that, the sex scene at the end is a lot more personal. Yozoru's name is used a lot more, and it just felt more passionate and loving.
I love love love love the lines: "恋人の横顔を見ながら、自分は幸せなのかもしれないと気づいた。いや、幸せなんだとそう思った。" I'm a sap for these kinds of sentiments expressed in a throwaway manner. ♥
I hope there'll be another story showing them in the future when Yozoru is Togame's sponsor.
Also read Silver Diamond volume 27 and gaiden...I gotta say that it went on too long. There were bits I enjoyed a lot in the last volume, but these story head really sputtered out by then. The gaiden was, on first reading, not that great to me. I'll have to go back and reread at some point to see if I still feel the same.
Hakkenden volume 12 was so worth the wait. Revelations! Flashbacks! I can't wait for the next volume. The annoying thing is that I reread the series and realized that stuff in volume 12 contradict stuff that was shown before. It really felt like she hadn't thought it through at the start (at least the big things) because seeing those inconsistencies just irked me.
This entry was originally posted at http://insaneneko.dreamwidth.org/492031.html. Please comment here or there.
The hilarious last-minute confession Yozoru makes as they are about to have sex was fun, but...not enough! The sweet last bit with Togame coming home to a sleeping Yozoru was great, but...not enough! I felt like I should've gotten more sweetness after the pain of this volume, especially since there were many adorable moments in the first volume. But I should've known, it's Konohara Narise, right?
As for the novel...I didn't really read the story about Togame's past, "River's End." I skimmed it, and it was depressing. I'll fully read it when I'm up for it. As for "god bless you"...I enjoyed it because I enjoy reading stories that show the nitty gritty of some industry I don't know much about, in this case the film industry. But Togame's POV was so distant it's hard to get into. He's really too fatalistic for me, so I was glad when Yozoru tells him that his attitude is awful at the end.
The first sex scene in the story really threw me off. When I went back I realized it was because the narration didn't use Yozoru's name but instead just called him Togame's "lover." It was so impersonal, it made me sad to think it was an indication of Togame's distance from everything. Compared to that, the sex scene at the end is a lot more personal. Yozoru's name is used a lot more, and it just felt more passionate and loving.
I love love love love the lines: "恋人の横顔を見ながら、自分は幸せなのかもしれないと気づいた。いや、幸せなんだとそう思った。" I'm a sap for these kinds of sentiments expressed in a throwaway manner. ♥
I hope there'll be another story showing them in the future when Yozoru is Togame's sponsor.
Also read Silver Diamond volume 27 and gaiden...I gotta say that it went on too long. There were bits I enjoyed a lot in the last volume, but these story head really sputtered out by then. The gaiden was, on first reading, not that great to me. I'll have to go back and reread at some point to see if I still feel the same.
Hakkenden volume 12 was so worth the wait. Revelations! Flashbacks! I can't wait for the next volume. The annoying thing is that I reread the series and realized that stuff in volume 12 contradict stuff that was shown before. It really felt like she hadn't thought it through at the start (at least the big things) because seeing those inconsistencies just irked me.
This entry was originally posted at http://insaneneko.dreamwidth.org/492031.html. Please comment here or there.