Teppu – Thick Eyebrows

No, Teppu does not translate to thick eyebrows. Reason I post this up is that Yuzuko reminds me of a certain kendoka I know as she has thick eyebrows. It does not help that she is short either. Teppu is a new series that has been released recently. It has 4 chapters as of now (crud, now I have to wait for future releases). It revolves around martial arts, or should I say mixed martial arts, and the protoganist is a tall girl who is gifted in any sports. The girls may not be ‘moe’ or whatever people call it but it is good enough. Story looks promising as well. Here is the summary from onemanga:

Series Info

Title: Teppu

Categories: action, comedy, martial arts, seinen, sports

Author: Futada Moare

Artist: Futada Moare

Chapters: 4 – ongoing

Summary

Ishidou Natsuo is a gifted girl who can achieve anything she wants in sports. Because of this she is permanently bored, as there aren’t any real challenges to her abilites to make her feel alive. One day she receives an invitation of a merry girl to join her martial arts club. Irritated by her happy expression, Natsuo decides to accept the invitation just as a pretext to beat her up, but she receives a shocking surprise.

Suzuka

Original Title: Suzuka
Author: Seo Kouji
Length: 18 Volumes (Complete)
Status: Finished

Description: Yamato is ready for a fresh start. So when his aunt invites him to stay rent-free in her big-city boarding house in hustling, bustling Tokyo, Yamato jumps at the chance. There’s just one teensy-weensy catch: It’s an all-girl housing complex and spa! Things get even more nerve-racking when Yamato meets his neighbor Suzuka, a beautiful track-and-field star. She’s not just the cutest girl Yamato’s ever met, she’s also the coolest, the smartest, and the most intimidating. Can an ordinary guy like Yamato ever hope to win over a girl like Suzuka?

I first came across this manga in a Popular bookstore quite a long time back. For some unearthly unknown reason, I went ahead to read the summary for volume 3. (I have seriously know idea why but I did the same with a lot of manga like Pokemon Adventures and Love Hina) Thus, I know what to expect when Yamato confessed to Suzuka in the previous volume.

Putting aside the fact that I have spoiled myself, I did not really consider to buy the manga as it was not released by Chuang Yi which means that it costs a lot more. The summary above also makes it sound as though it is very similar to Love Hina. Truth to be told, when I read the first chapter, Love Hina did crossed my mind. There were girls, fan service, and more girls. Maybe there were not many girls at the beginning chapter but they will be the only girls in the entire dormitory that interacted with him. (Note: It’s excluding girls he met outside or in school) The fan service may be a lot fewer compared to other series but they are more graphic.

However, it is evident that this is not a harem manga but truly a romance manga as the story developed. Sure, there are your usual stuff like love triangles but the manga scores in a sense that the entire story is not that predictable. (Especially nearer the end, when I realised that it is going to take a turn towards a different ending than what I anticipated in the earlier chapters) Furthermore, the main lead isn’t so useless afterall as he really do have some skills. It helps quite a bit as it doesn’t entirely dwell on romance alone. The comedy is a great bonus to the manga and it keeps the mood going.

Many of the stuff in the manga can relate to real life. 18 volumes (167 chapters) is more than enough to show you the different possible situations you might face in life. It doesn’t matter if it is just a normal crush on a guy/girl or things like “how to be a good boyfriend” but one can really learn a lot of things in this manga alone. However, I really feel like slapping Yamato sometimes because some of the things he say or do, which causes him to be in trouble, is just plain common sense.

This manga has seen mixed reviews from its readers. Some will say this is your average romance manga with its so ever predictable plot while some will say it is the best one they ever read. Whatever their opinions are, this is one manga that will burn a hole in my pockets. 18 volumes in total and if each costs at least 10 bucks, I’ll be freaking broke (*cursing*) Oh well, after 2-3 years, I finally decided I’ll get this series as well.

Bitter Virgin

Original Title: BITTER VIRGIN
Author: Kusunoki Kei (楠桂)
Length: 3 Volumes (Incomplete)
Status: In Progress

Description: Suwa Daisuke is the ladies man of his small town high school, and he has his eye on most every girl, except for one. Aikawa Hinako isn’t his type, but when he overhears a deep dark secret of hers, he finds himself thinking of her more and more.

When I first came across this manga a month or so back, I decided to give it a pass for the moment as I thought it might be a just another shoujo manga or the fact that her deep dark secret is related to rape ( I would usually stay away from these type of shows/stories if I can help it due to certain circumstances plus well, rapist really do disgusts me.)

I was reading a forum today and the topics was on ‘Dark Anime’, which are basically anime series that revolves around the darker side of life. All is well until I came across this post:

well i don’t know much about dark anime
but if you want a manga there is this ” bitter virgin “
i won’t spoil the story here but i’d like to warn you before you read that manga
may be its just me
this is truly the darkside story, if you have weak heart avoid it
i read without aware of it and now my heart is aching whenever i remember the story
but i can’t stop reading it now
so its like you read at your own risk

Thus, I decided to try the manga out on a whim. I read the first chapter and was instantaneously ‘hooked’ to it that I read all 24 chapters in one sitting. It tackles on issues which include rape, pregnancy, abortion etc. The burden the lead female, Aikawa, have to carry when she was in junior high is very heavy indeed. The psychological effects after the horrible experience in that few years was such that she dared not go near anyone from the opposite sex at all.

That is when the lead male, Suwa, comes in. The story starts off showing that he is just one of your typical high school cum good-looking guy who likes to flirt with girls but his whole life change after he accidentally came to know Aikawa’s past and the reason why she behaves like that around men. As the summary suggested, he starts thinking about her more and more.

The manga belongs to the seinen genre, a mistake of mine to assume it was shoujo, and it is only 4 volumes long. (They only have it till volume 3 currently. Volume 4 is not up for scanlations yet although it has been released in Japan.) The plot is very well developed, pending between drama and romance. Characterization was exceptionally good as well. Thankfully, it is not overly dramatic like those malay drama series you watched in Suria where their main aim is to simply stress you out. As a matter of fact, I was simply touched by this manga and I was totally immersed in the story. It just captures your feelings and emotions throughout. It is pretty unique and is a must-read, no qualms about it. I am going to buy the manga but I don’t think Chuang Yi will ever release this title so I will probably head down to Kinokuniya to get it.

Slam Dunk

This has got to be one my favorite anime. I’ve forgotten how many times I’ve watch this. Well, decided to re-watch it when it aired in Animax but as per usual, I was soon getting impatient to watch it one episode per day and I decided to ‘chiong’ it on youtube. Here’s the summary from animenewsnetwork:

Sakuragi Hanamichi is a junior high punk used to getting into fights and being rejected by girls but upon entering high school he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko Akagi. He will do anything in order to win her heart including joining the school basketball team that is aiming to conquer the nation lead by Haruko’s brother. The problem is that Sakuragi has never played basketball before and a freshman sensation is stealing the spotlight and Haruko’s affection from him.

It’s interesting to see how each character grows, especially the main protagonist Sakuragi Hanamichi. Some might call it talent or the like but it’s amazing how he managed to turn from a guy who is totally clueless about basketball to become one of the finest players in a mere 4 months. In the anime however, they only showed till about 3 months into his career, which is during the preliminaries. You will have to read the manga to find out what happens during the Nationals as the anime will end right before Sakuragi and co. heads off for the Nationals

Slam Dunk is somewhat inspiring in a sense. It’s also something that will have you gripping the edge of your seat, especially during those intense moments in the matches and it’s sometimes emotional that you’ll just feel like crying. I might be exaggerating here but that’s how I felt when I watch the anime or read the manga although some parts of the anime can be draggy. Most memorable match was probably Shohoku vs Sannoh in the Nationals. Why memorable? Go read the manga to find out! However, before you do, watch the anime first.

You’ll then find that there’s a difference when you read it after watching the anime and when you just read it without watching. I’m not the talking about the quality and the likes. The feeling of reading the manga will be totally different. Maybe it’s just me but it won’t hurt to try no? Now I feel like learning basketball. Guess I’ll also buy the manga. Lol

Air Gear

Haha, I’m back! First off, have a new pic for the blog ^^ The guy is Ikki, the main lead for Air Gear. Thus, today I shall just give my 2 cents regarding the anime and manga. For all those that haven’t read or watch it yet, I suggest you watch the anime before reading the manga. It’s for your own good! Lol.

When I first heard of Air Gear and went to read the review, my first impression was like ” Hmm, how interesting can an anime get with….roller blades. Ones that can make you…fly?!” Lol, but since the anime cds were like staring right at me in the face (Thanks, Jas XD) I figured that I should give it a try. So, I did. Hell, Air gear is simply o_o It first started out as what is said in the summary but as the anime progress, the story gets deeper and deeper. Lol, will not dwell into what the story is or it’ll be a spoiler =P So, about why one should watch the anime before reading the manga?

Well, first thing first, the artwork in the manga is simply awesome. You can see the difference of the artwork between the anime and manga. Furthermoe, the anime stops halfway and to continue the storyline, one have to read the manga. Haha, I’ll be lying if I say there are only a few similarities between the anime and the manga. Sure, there are a lot of similiar scenes and stuff but no harm starting all over =x Reason being there ARE variations to the scenes. Well, the anime might have ended but the manga is still ongoing. So, why Air Gear? Cause you’ll simply love it. I mean, how often do you see people using motorized roller blades to kick butts

Haha, now for the summary can be found in Anime News Network. They are: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6251 (anime) and http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=4164 (manga) Lol, see ya then. Cheers~