Manga reading
I was late at work last night, so I ended up sleeping late and not going to help with my friends' move after all :P. Sigh! Well, I guess I'll go help with the cleanup of the old apartment tomorrow instead...
Since I didn't go there, I decided to read some of the manga I recently bought and just relax. I have been feeling a bit stressed lately, so I thought it would be nice to just relax and do some reading.
(12.-16.) Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist 15 told some more details about the Ishbal war. I thought it very intriguing that Riza Hawkeye is actually Mustang's old alchemy master's daughter. I suspect he may have been one of the reasons she chose military service after all.
But the secret of the flame alchemy, tattooed to her back in order to keep it safe, is also very interesting. Did she ever think what would happen to the secret if she died and somebody else discovered the secret, or was it in a code that on her father and Mustang could decipher? Still, all codes can be deciphered with enough time.
And did she reveal her father's secrets to Colonel Mustang or not? Like she asks at her father's grave, can he be trusted with her back - figuratively and literally...
The Ishbalan war itself looks like a completely inhumane massacre, as has been suggested several times, with people on both sides not being able to forget or forgive the things that went on during the war. But it was also interesting to what went on with some of the main chracters (we get to see Hughes again, yay!!!) and how Scar got his initial impulse to go after revenge.
(13.-16.) Akimine Kamijyo's Samurai Deeper Kyo 18 - 21 continue the group's fight through Mibu lands in order to find salvation for Yuya. I really like how the characters have grown throughout this series. In the beginning, most of the fights were just to determine who was the stronger, but now the characters have found real reasons and people to fight for and also slowly figured out what is important in life. It's not just personal glory, but your friends that matter as well. And it's not just the fighting, all of the characters have grown stronger and more sure of themselves during the books.
There were quite a few interesting developments in these books, like Mahiro finally finding out that it was Shinmei and not Kyo who killed her sister, Yuya finding out her "brother" wasn't actually blood related to her and that he was actually on the run from the Mibu, and all kinds of intrigues going on behind the scenes.
I really liked Taihaku. It's a pity he had to die, but the encounter with him also made Benitora so much stronger person, because he had to face his own demons and to accept who and what he was in order to protect the values he cared about and to protect his friends.
I can't wait to finally find out what is the secret of the Mibu and what is it with Kyo and Kyoshiro and the former Crimson King...
(17.) Tomoko Hayakawa's The Wallflower 14 had it's good moments and it's bad moments. It was rather Yuki-centric all in all with first a story about him being jealous of his girlfriend's American male friend and also a story of him fighting with a friend. The story with Sunako going out in strange clothes and freaking everyone out with her looks was pretty standard fare, but I loved the 'prince on a white charger' rescue thing which the guys arranged to make everyone think it was just some weird movie shootout or something XD.
*cough* I think I need to make another visit to my local manga store on Monday in order to get vols. 22-26 of Samurai Deeper Kyo... I want to know what happens next!!!
Since I didn't go there, I decided to read some of the manga I recently bought and just relax. I have been feeling a bit stressed lately, so I thought it would be nice to just relax and do some reading.
(12.-16.) Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist 15 told some more details about the Ishbal war. I thought it very intriguing that Riza Hawkeye is actually Mustang's old alchemy master's daughter. I suspect he may have been one of the reasons she chose military service after all.
But the secret of the flame alchemy, tattooed to her back in order to keep it safe, is also very interesting. Did she ever think what would happen to the secret if she died and somebody else discovered the secret, or was it in a code that on her father and Mustang could decipher? Still, all codes can be deciphered with enough time.
And did she reveal her father's secrets to Colonel Mustang or not? Like she asks at her father's grave, can he be trusted with her back - figuratively and literally...
The Ishbalan war itself looks like a completely inhumane massacre, as has been suggested several times, with people on both sides not being able to forget or forgive the things that went on during the war. But it was also interesting to what went on with some of the main chracters (we get to see Hughes again, yay!!!) and how Scar got his initial impulse to go after revenge.
(13.-16.) Akimine Kamijyo's Samurai Deeper Kyo 18 - 21 continue the group's fight through Mibu lands in order to find salvation for Yuya. I really like how the characters have grown throughout this series. In the beginning, most of the fights were just to determine who was the stronger, but now the characters have found real reasons and people to fight for and also slowly figured out what is important in life. It's not just personal glory, but your friends that matter as well. And it's not just the fighting, all of the characters have grown stronger and more sure of themselves during the books.
There were quite a few interesting developments in these books, like Mahiro finally finding out that it was Shinmei and not Kyo who killed her sister, Yuya finding out her "brother" wasn't actually blood related to her and that he was actually on the run from the Mibu, and all kinds of intrigues going on behind the scenes.
I really liked Taihaku. It's a pity he had to die, but the encounter with him also made Benitora so much stronger person, because he had to face his own demons and to accept who and what he was in order to protect the values he cared about and to protect his friends.
I can't wait to finally find out what is the secret of the Mibu and what is it with Kyo and Kyoshiro and the former Crimson King...
(17.) Tomoko Hayakawa's The Wallflower 14 had it's good moments and it's bad moments. It was rather Yuki-centric all in all with first a story about him being jealous of his girlfriend's American male friend and also a story of him fighting with a friend. The story with Sunako going out in strange clothes and freaking everyone out with her looks was pretty standard fare, but I loved the 'prince on a white charger' rescue thing which the guys arranged to make everyone think it was just some weird movie shootout or something XD.
*cough* I think I need to make another visit to my local manga store on Monday in order to get vols. 22-26 of Samurai Deeper Kyo... I want to know what happens next!!!