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Old 2011-05-03, 23:28   Link #21
lordshadowisle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kujoe View Post
The stigma is being treated as if were a macguffin of sorts, I think. Similar to the other works of the author from the Cupid series (a mysterious male fertility disease, an age regressing disease, a super accurate spouse-matching program, and so on...), the stigma is just there to drive the plot while staying out of the actual human drama.

I won't be surprised if it doesn't get fully explained in the end.
Agree that it's just a plot device to create situations, to sometimes shake things up.

We probably shouldn't be too concerned about getting an explanation regarding the stigma; it doesn't matter if it's powered by magic or gobbledygook. The most we're getting is a more concrete definition of the stigma's powers, but at this point I don't think we'll be seeing any further exploration on the stigma. Rin's experiments in the early chapters seem to have the stigma's powers pretty well defined.
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Old 2011-05-04, 02:33   Link #22
Shouta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kujoe View Post
The stigma is being treated as if were a macguffin of sorts, I think. Similar to the other works of the author from the Cupid series (a mysterious male fertility disease, an age regressing disease, a super accurate spouse-matching program, and so on...), the stigma is just there to drive the plot while staying out of the actual human drama.

I won't be surprised if it doesn't get fully explained in the end.
The only major Macguffin was Sakuranbo's. They actually explained the Nijidama disease at the end which was cool. While yes, it's true it's meant as a driving element for the story, it's still something that needs to be explained overall, I think. He'll explain it and then we'll know it'll be the end of the manga.
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Old 2011-05-04, 04:13   Link #23
kujoe
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Yes they did, but it was practically inconsequential in the bigger scheme of things. In fact, it was only explained after the whole resolution to the drama has been said and done. The spouse-matching program in Ore x Yome doesn't even get explained aside from the fact it's what allows the main characters to meet each other, while the regressing age disease/condition—while rather macguffin-ish—could at least be said to be metaphorical of the relationship issue central in the story. (As for the second Ore x Yome story, well... I didn't really bother with that one.)

With that said, I wouldn't consider a full explanation for the stigma as a direct indication of whether this story is nearing its close or not. It could still be possibly explained, but I'm not going to expect it to be a thorough one... which really might not matter anyway depending on how the story plays out.

Spoiler for raws:

Last edited by kujoe; 2011-05-04 at 04:41.
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Old 2011-05-04, 04:44   Link #24
Kna
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This one look interesting but it's a bit hard to find
I hope it's better than sakuranbo syndrome.

btw just a bit off topic..... Can anyone spoiled Sakuranbo syndrome ending for me, please?
I already read Vol. 11 raw but got a bit confuse in the end. Thanks in advance.
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Old 2011-05-04, 15:54   Link #25
oDin01
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Didn't even remember Sakuranbo Syndrome was 11 volumes. I'm guessing that's probably a good thing.

I can see Kono S o, Mi yo! going past volume 7, but really since the start the end game has always been Rin x Chizuru. That's the only happy ending IMO.

Spoiler:
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Old 2011-05-04, 19:46   Link #26
Shouta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kujoe View Post
Yes they did, but it was practically inconsequential in the bigger scheme of things. In fact, it was only explained after the whole resolution to the drama has been said and done. The spouse-matching program in Ore x Yome doesn't even get explained aside from the fact it's what allows the main characters to meet each other, while the regressing age disease/condition—while rather macguffin-ish—could at least be said to be metaphorical of the relationship issue central in the story. (As for the second Ore x Yome story, well... I didn't really bother with that one.)

With that said, I wouldn't consider a full explanation for the stigma as a direct indication of whether this story is nearing its close or not. It could still be possibly explained, but I'm not going to expect it to be a thorough one... which really might not matter anyway depending on how the story plays out.

Spoiler for raws:
Here's the other thing with the illness/macguffins, they usually are an important part to the overall theme or conflict of the work. It's very noticable for Sakuranbo but for it's there for Nijidama and Ore x Yome story 1. So while the Stigma doesn't require an explanation to complete the story, I think it needs to be somewhat there to make the theme of the story apparent. While we have had glimpses of it so far, it's not quite as concrete so far.

As for the direction of the manga currently.

Spoiler:

Last edited by Shouta; 2011-05-04 at 22:24.
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Old 2011-05-04, 21:46   Link #27
kujoe
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shouta View Post
Here's the other thing with the illness/macguffins, they usually are an important part to the overall theme or conflict of the work. It's very noticable for Sakuranbo but for it's there for Sakuranbo and Ore x Yome story 1. So while the Stigma doesn't require an explanation to complete the story, I think it needs to be somewhat there to make the theme of the story apparent. While we have had glimpses of it so far, it's not quite as concrete so far.
I think of these as part of the setting. To me, they're a backdrop for the real story that is going on. For example in Ore x Yome, it does not need to be some spouse-matching system that allows them to enter into cohabitation. Its only role is to get them together in the first place. What matters is what the characters go through during the phase, and what lessons they learn after. It could've been a simpler agreement of sorts, a wager (which it was essentially), or even an unforeseen mistake in apartment hunting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shouta View Post
As for the direction of the manga currently...
Spoiler:
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Old 2011-05-05, 10:58   Link #28
oDin01
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FYI Volume 6 raws are out.
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Old 2011-05-08, 11:34   Link #29
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Chapter 23 & 24 are out...
Spoiler for Chapters 23-24:
And now that I think about it, the author is really good with cliffhangers.
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Old 2011-05-21, 09:38   Link #30
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The rest of volume three is out...

Spoiler for Chapters 25-29:
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Old 2011-07-11, 22:05   Link #31
Shouta
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So Vol 7 is out in Japan for about a week or two now.

So it starts off where it left off last time.

Spoiler:


It's amazing how great Kitazaki is at making these situations so damn cute and funny. There's a lot of good exposition in there too about the characters feelings and etc. I don't have the book on me and I'm a bit too lazy to sum that information down at the moment though
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Old 2011-10-15, 21:41   Link #32
Maes Hughes
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The other day, I started reading Kono. I read all five volumes that have been translated, as well as the v6-7 RAWs; with the help of the summaries posted in this thread. (Cheers!)

Not content to leave it there before on-holding for months, I then searched to see if anyone had uploaded chapters from the yet to be released 8th volume. I then ran into a c75-80 download. And then the author trolled me...

Spoiler for c75-80:


...Can anyone give a summary of 75-80, or at least explain wtf is going on with Chizuru's thought process? She moves back to be near Rin ASAP, leads him on, gives him the option of taking her virginity... yet she's intent on marrying some other guy, no matter what; just so her grandma can stay at the hospital when she's clearly hardly broke?... DOES NOT COMPUTE. Now that the end drama has come around and it's no longer lighthearted fun, Chizuru is seriously giving Kyoko from a Maison Ikkoku a run for her money in the indecisive bitch league.

Also: the manga IS now clearly winding down--the change of tone is proof enough of that as drama has now taken over. The endless foreplay without penetration, as well as Rin only ever loving and wanting Chizuru, make it near enough certain that she's going to pair-up with him, come the end... unless the author pulls an Ichigo 100% in order to troll everyone for lulz purposes. Usually there'd be a decent argument for the other childhood friend character in a manga like this, but even after getting... arse'd by Rin, Makoto still made it clear she didn't view him as a man/have romantic feelings for him. Unless the manga is extended to 15-20 volumes, there's no way any other ending but RinxChizuru would work. There isn't even another proper love interest for Chizuru since rich dick has started making sinister faces and doing nasty things.

PS: Here's an indirect link to the RAWs, as well as more of my thoughts - http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=353047
PS2: In case I'm breaking some rule even by going indirect, Google jcafe24 for the 75-80 RAWs /
PS3: SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN WTF IS GOING ON AND END MY SUFFERING!!!! TELL ME IF RIN MANAGES TO WHITE KNIGHT MR. SINISTER, ALSO!

Goodbye.
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Old 2011-10-16, 20:22   Link #33
Shouta
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I havn't picked up Vol 8 so I can't tell and I'm at work right now so yeah...

Spoiler:


I'll post a summary when I get the chance.

Also, I don't think the story will end until Kitazaki has resolved some issues with the Stigma. In particular, Makoto's issue hasn't been resolved yet, Takako's still scheming probably, and there's a few folks still afflicted with the Stigma.

We may end up with a Nijidama situation though, I think the author is pretty good about doing this sort of thing so it'll remain to be seen. As I mentioned in my previous post, Makoto's situation is a little muddled and we won't know what's true until it's been cleared some. Also, should the crazy thing happen, Chizuru not having another love interest doesn't matter.
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Old 2011-10-17, 07:17   Link #34
Maes Hughes
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Still not getting my head around the whole grandma thing. Why is marrying a playboy rich doctor she has no feelings for vital to the happiness of her senile nan? She's an adult woman who's had a stable, well-paying job for a number of years... surely she can cover the expenses of her nan on her own?

I've only read the first volume of Cupid, so my knowledge of that is limited, but there's a key difference between the supernatual problems in that and Kono: Cupid's issue is far more serious and problematic than having women accidently lust after the lead, after seeing his naked arse. For a young man, the threat of only being able to act like a man for five more times would ruin his life. The same isn't true when it comes to the risk of accidently instigating gang-rape sessions with a crowd of overly horny women. If anything, that's a positive ability to have for a hot-blooded guy!

My point? Cupid's "Rainbow Balls" issue had to be dealt with for it to end happily. The same isn't true of Rin's arse seduction method. I mean, how many women can he expect will see his naked arse, aside from his future beloved? One his waifu sees his bum and goes lust-crazy once, all would be well.

Until Makoto saw Rin's arse, there wasn't anything between the two other than friendship--nothing whatsoever. Neither party had any sexual interest in the other, resulting in zero sexual tension, and Makoto even stated that Rin's weak-minded personality was a turn-off for her--as well as later confirming, post-arsing, that she only wanted to do it with him once and didn't see him as a man--STILL.

I said the length of the series would need to double for a satisfying RinxMakoto ending because, up to yet, it's been ALL Rin>>>Chizuru. Some serious groundwork needs to be put in place for any other decent ending. Up to yet, it would appear that the author only had Makoto be arse'd for comic relief (/wetting her panties and orgasming when around Rin, with him unaware) and to have more chances to draw her in erotic situations. It doesn't strike me that he's planning on having her fall for him, after having sex once.

...Is Takako the lesbian? If so, her part in the story is already over, as far as Rin is concerned. She's now only around to talk with Makoto and occasionally 'ease her suffering' through lesbian activity. Once Rin discovered that she was playing him, she went bye-bye as far as the main plot went.

If the author is going to end the series with either the ninth (possible, since c80 isn't the final chapter of v8) or tenth volumes as I believe, there are only two things that really need dealing with... and he could very well avoid covering them. The first is Makoto's lust (he might just leave her suffer, for comedy purposes) and the second is Chizuru's wedding, which he may not feel the need to show. All I can say is that, if I were a betting man, I'd put money on this sinister rich dick NTR business being the endgame drama.

It seems you're more in the Makoto camp than Chizuru, and that's fair enough--even I like her personality. The thing is, unless the author is intent on fucking with the readers, 99% of the time it's obvious who the leads woman in a romance is going to be.

I haven't read much of Cupid, as mentioned before, but I got the distinct impression that the childhood friend would be the lead's choice, come the end. Why? Because the lead cummed on her face (/first intimate moment with a female) and he got with the long-haired rival at the start. I've read enough romance manga to know how it goes with first kiss/cum girls + early relationships.

In the case of Kono, Chizuru took Rin's first kiss, he remained a virgin for her for 22+ years and has only ever loved her. She's only ever loved him, in return. Throw-in the amount of foreplay/teasing without penetration, compared to the other girls, and his love rival having quickly turned into some kind of pantomime villain and I just cannot see anything other than a RinxChizuru ending. ONLY the main girl in a romance is allowed to mess around the lead as much as Chuzuru has.

...I'll end by saying this: if Rin doesn't white knight rich dick and he takes Chizuru's virginity/marries her, I'm dropping this with a score of 1/10. Seriously. I'm fine with the author not going with the obvious pairing but having the villain steal the woman from the lead of a romance is too far into trolling territory for me to handle.

I was ok with Chizuru inexplicably being set to marry a man she hasn't slept with and doesn't like, back when Kono was nearly all lighthearted goodness + sex. Now, though? I'm not liking how a 30-year-old woman is acting like an indecisve slut without a will of her own. My rage meter is currently high.

/end rambling
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Old 2011-10-17, 16:04   Link #35
Mentar
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Erhm...

I tried the story based on your hints and reviews. I fought hard, I honestly did, but after 6 chapters I gave up.

My question to you: Is Rin going to grow something like a spine real soon? To be honest, he's ruining the show for me. He is the picture-perfect definition of a total coward, intellectually he's on the level of a juvenile, and I can see absolutely no redeeming qualities in him whatsoever.

Is this going to change, or is this farce going to continue longer like that? Because if it does...
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Old 2011-10-18, 09:42   Link #36
Shouta
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Finally picked up Vol 8.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
Still not getting my head around the whole grandma thing. Why is marrying a playboy rich doctor she has no feelings for vital to the happiness of her senile nan? She's an adult woman who's had a stable, well-paying job for a number of years... surely she can cover the expenses of her nan on her own?
Since I guess you can't read Japanese, the details are revealed in Vol 8.

Spoiler:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
I've only read the first volume of Cupid, so my knowledge of that is limited, but there's a key difference between the supernatual problems in that and Kono: Cupid's issue is far more serious and problematic than having women accidently lust after the lead, after seeing his naked arse. For a young man, the threat of only being able to act like a man for five more times would ruin his life. The same isn't true when it comes to the risk of accidently instigating gang-rape sessions with a crowd of overly horny women. If anything, that's a positive ability to have for a hot-blooded guy!
Actually, the Stigma has many a minus to it too though perhaps not as evident. In fact, it may have worse consequences.

Spoiler:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
My point? Cupid's "Rainbow Balls" issue had to be dealt with for it to end happily. The same isn't true of Rin's arse seduction method. I mean, how many women can he expect will see his naked arse, aside from his future beloved? One his waifu sees his bum and goes lust-crazy once, all would be well.
Considering how many have already seen it including one of the other main characters, it's going to have to be resolved in some respect for the story to finish.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
Until Makoto saw Rin's arse, there wasn't anything between the two other than friendship--nothing whatsoever. Neither party had any sexual interest in the other, resulting in zero sexual tension, and Makoto even stated that Rin's weak-minded personality was a turn-off for her--as well as later confirming, post-arsing, that she only wanted to do it with him once and didn't see him as a man--STILL.
Actually, this isn't necessarily true. It's a little more complicated than straight expression.

Spoiler:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
I said the length of the series would need to double for a satisfying RinxMakoto ending because, up to yet, it's been ALL Rin>>>Chizuru. Some serious groundwork needs to be put in place for any other decent ending. Up to yet, it would appear that the author only had Makoto be arse'd for comic relief (/wetting her panties and orgasming when around Rin, with him unaware) and to have more chances to draw her in erotic situations. It doesn't strike me that he's planning on having her fall for him, after having sex once.
The focus has been Rin and Chizuru, indeed. However, He was super serious about Takako in vol 1 and 2 and had kind of given up on Chizuru until after the Takako incident. So Rin himself isn't exactly the most one-track minded person.

Kitazaki is also a very good writer and has made his twists and turns work well.

Spoiler for Big Spoiler for Rainbow Balls:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
...Is Takako the lesbian? If so, her part in the story is already over, as far as Rin is concerned. She's now only around to talk with Makoto and occasionally 'ease her suffering' through lesbian activity. Once Rin discovered that she was playing him, she went bye-bye as far as the main plot went.
Actually,

Spoiler:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
It seems you're more in the Makoto camp than Chizuru, and that's fair enough--even I like her personality. The thing is, unless the author is intent on fucking with the readers, 99% of the time it's obvious who the leads woman in a romance is going to be.
It's 99% obvious who the lead women are but it's not 99% who will end up with who. That's the part of manga stories that are fun. Kitazaki hasn't really failed me yet with the twists and turns and I've been happy with the end of his mangas so I'm sure It'll be fine either way. It's just a matter of making sure everything is settled and made clear.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
I haven't read much of Cupid, as mentioned before, but I got the distinct impression that the childhood friend would be the lead's choice, come the end. Why? Because the lead cummed on her face (/first intimate moment with a female) and he got with the long-haired rival at the start. I've read enough romance manga to know how it goes with first kiss/cum girls + early relationships.
Watch the J-drama if you want to know what happens with the story as those have subtitles and the story is more or less the same (though there are some important differences). The manga hasn't been translated yet so you'll be lost just flipping through them.

FYI Cupid's Prank is the entire series of manga including Kono S, Cherry Syndrome, Ore x Yome, and Rainbow Balls. It's easier to figure out what you're talking about if you refer to the subtitle of each.

Spoiler for More big spoilers for Rainbow Balls, don't read if you're going to check out the series:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Maes Hughes View Post
...I'll end by saying this: if Rin doesn't white knight rich dick and he takes Chizuru's virginity/marries her, I'm dropping this with a score of 1/10. Seriously. I'm fine with the author not going with the obvious pairing but having the villain steal the woman from the lead of a romance is too far into trolling territory for me to handle.

I was ok with Chizuru inexplicably being set to marry a man she hasn't slept with and doesn't like, back when Kono was nearly all lighthearted goodness + sex. Now, though? I'm not liking how a 30-year-old woman is acting like an indecisve slut without a will of her own. My rage meter is currently high.

/end rambling
You should actually read what's happening before raging needlessly because it's rather silly. There are a lot of things going on and a lot of reasons for what's happening. It's not as stupid or silly as something like KNIM or GE. There are real reasons for what's happening and real problems associated with it. I mean seriously, Chizuru isn't a slut, indecisive, or doesn't have a will of her own. She's the exact opposite of that in fact.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mentar
Erhm...

I tried the story based on your hints and reviews. I fought hard, I honestly did, but after 6 chapters I gave up.

My question to you: Is Rin going to grow something like a spine real soon? To be honest, he's ruining the show for me. He is the picture-perfect definition of a total coward, intellectually he's on the level of a juvenile, and I can see absolutely no redeeming qualities in him whatsoever.

Is this going to change, or is this farce going to continue longer like that? Because if it does...
Who are you talking to?

Personally, I think Rin is like any protagonist as he's continually growing and changing. So starting off as he has is kind of the usual starting point. The difference is that his background is usually more fleshed out and his problems are generally a lot more real than say a shounen lead. I mean it's a seinen series so the level of writing and issues tackled are generally totally different.

His attitude starts to change a bit in Vol 2 and his first real epiphany hits in Vol 3. He's a bit more confident and a lot less cowardly as a result of the first 3 volumes and he's kind of a different guy from there on.

I'd say Vol 3 is the cutoff point in whether or not to continue reading the series. Seems like a lot but a lot of what happens in the first 3 volumes are a bit connected so seeing it until the end is kind of a good idea. Plus, it shouldn't take you that long to get through 3 vols.

Cherry Syndrome, Kitazaki's previous Cupid manga is a little easier to get into as it has a little more of an offbeat set-up and the main male protagonist is a bit older and of a different cut compared to most. If you can read Japanese, I think Rainbow Balls is the best of his 3 big Cupid mangas. He starts off a little like Rin though but some of his coolness comes out a little faster, plus I <3 Asami.
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Old 2011-10-24, 00:11   Link #37
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Spoiler for 52-62:
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Old 2011-10-24, 19:11   Link #38
DragoZERO
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Just read volume six and it was excellent.
Spoiler for Vollume 6:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Mentar View Post
Erhm...

I tried the story based on your hints and reviews. I fought hard, I honestly did, but after 6 chapters I gave up.

My question to you: Is Rin going to grow something like a spine real soon? To be honest, he's ruining the show for me. He is the picture-perfect definition of a total coward, intellectually he's on the level of a juvenile, and I can see absolutely no redeeming qualities in him whatsoever.

Is this going to change, or is this farce going to continue longer like that? Because if it does...
I don't want to force you to read it but there is a lot of character development in this series. Rin is a frustrating character but the whole cast is a lot of fun if you ask me.
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Old 2011-11-11, 01:41   Link #39
Cream
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Holy shit is Rin an annoying person . I can't stand him at all , but the plot development and all the characters make up for it so freaking well . I couldn't stop reading because of the chapters always leading me on '-' .

it looks really good , clearly needs more publicity .
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Old 2012-02-20, 06:05   Link #40
vansonbee
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Anyone inform me about the ending (if there is one)?

Scanlator dropped this a few months back.

Currently on 62 and hoping Rin ends up with anyone else than the predictable choice.
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