2009-10-21, 19:34 | Link #21 |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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Marathoned all the chapters today; heading out to Kinkokuniya to buy it tomorrow. I'll probably need the English/Chinese version as well for parts where the Japanese gets difficult.
Thoughts: Love the story and engaging characters. I think Umino Chika's art has improved; everything just seems prettier. First time I've seen Umino Chika include "villains" in her work: In this case, Kyoko, Rei's "sister" and Rei's boyfriend, 20+ years older, married, and treats Kyoko (who is infatuated with him) and Rei like shit. The mood of the story swings between healing and abusive/damaging, depending on the situation Rei finds himself in. The central struggle is that of Rei's tragic past (both from his original family and his adopted family) and how he tries to achieve happiness in the present, with help form Akari's family (in a way, his Present Family) and his new comrades in Shogi. Kyoko is a bitch. An extremely effective one who derives greatest satisfaction when she can cause Rei to suffer, usually by guilt-tripping him over how screwed up she became. I don't get the impression that she has feelings for Rei. Whether Rei has romantic feelings towards her is ambiguous; something ranging from a childhood crush to a familial sense of obligation/responsibility, that he screwed up her life, or something. In addition, she leeches off of him because she fell out with her father over her loose life style. About the only redeeming point Kyoko has is that she's aware of how screwed up her life is. Frankly, I never expected to dislike a character this much when I pick up a Umino Chika story. A great character though. Akari is as good a person as Kyoko is a bad one; they are polar extremes in behavior and outlook on life. One copes with grief by self-destructive/latching-on behavior, one copes by working hard in life and caring for others around her. If there's to be romance at all in this story I hope it occurs between Rei and Akari, but everything has been strictly platonic so far.
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2009-11-11, 16:31 | Link #22 | ||
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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PS: (Very off tangent) I just read a Doujin done by Umino Chika the other day (a Dead or Alive one, but their diguise names are Ayu, Morita and Mayama, and they had a threesome . The doujin was done while Honey and Clover was still on-going, and I wonder if we'll get the same treatment with Akari, Kyouko, and Rei |
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2009-11-11, 17:31 | Link #23 | |
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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Do you by any chance know the name of that doujin? It's been years since I last saw it... |
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2009-11-11, 18:08 | Link #24 | |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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It's actually pretty exciting <__< |
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2010-11-29, 23:59 | Link #27 |
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Join Date: May 2007
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anyone still reading this? :P
anyway I just read chapter 17 and Kyoko is such an interesting character. She appears abusive, cynical, manipulative, arrogant, but there's something about the bluntness of her words that really attracts me. I have to love her smile for some reason, or the way she finds pleasure intruding into Rei's life. She seems to play with his feelings, but her ambiguous behavior and her attitude towards him (which is a strange mix of "kindness" and manipulation) might hint at much deeper layers about her character. There's something mysterious and yet fascinating about the relationship of these two. I can tell it's quite complex, but it doesn't quite revolve around romance, yet (?). if there's a pairing I'm shipping for, it might be this one, though. |
2010-11-30, 15:53 | Link #28 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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17 was definitely one of my favorite chapter, though the manga is all the way up to 49 now ... emotions got built up even more with the new Shogi players and things got even more complicated.
Chapter 18 is going to be out soon ... I think. SCX went on semi hiatus (all project are on hold except for this one) and everyone in BWYS are super busy as well. |
2010-11-30, 17:11 | Link #29 |
simp for Lyria
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Yes, yes, this is quite the lovely tale. I haven't read chp 17 since it released, but Kyoko was definitely complex. At first she seemed kinda abusive, but there were moments that showed she legitimately cares about him. While I DO prefer characters with(in a serious light) a negative demeanor, I still like Akari best, even if she's just too much sugar and not enough spice .
I don't know about this. While it's quite interesting to see characters psychologically pushed around in a serious perspective, I don't think she's good for Rei. I think the chemistry between them would be intriguing, moreso than Rei and Akari, but kinda dangerous for Rei's state of mind. This manga has always given me the impression that it's about a melancholy, depressed boy who slowly finds Solace[har] in the heart of a struggling, but warm family. It was Akari who somewhat alleviated the negative aura and embraced Rei in that familial warmth. To me, Kyoko just seems like a person that will stifle and suffocate Rei's existence, even if she really loves him. |
2011-03-17, 23:49 | Link #31 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Poland
Age: 39
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It will be better if things between Akari and Rei stay like are they now- close family, but without any romantic feelings... This manga is really unique with relations between characters like this... It will be better if this manga will not change into another schematic romance with love triangle... And relationship between Kyoko and Rei is unique too... Better if this one will develop more...
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2011-05-14, 18:26 | Link #32 |
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: US
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I've just read the entire manga thus far, and I really love Umino's signature melancholy and sensitivity in this new story. I feel strongly for Rei, in his journey of trying to figure out his place in the world.
I don't think that Kyoko's vicious, manipulative nature could ever be good for Rei, and I'm glad he feels strong enough to resist her influence in his life. Regardless of her intentions, she cannot bring anything beneficial to his life at this point.
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Last edited by achirist; 2011-05-14 at 20:32. |
2011-05-15, 16:54 | Link #33 |
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Join Date: May 2007
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Not only for the Manga Taishō award, but also for the (shared) Kodansha Manga Award 2011 in the general category http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...a-manga-awards.
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2013-05-08, 23:39 | Link #35 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Soon to be 2 years since last post, the translation group has made decent progress since then. I am not sure if I'm around when Chapter 36 gets released (still quite a bit of time I think, but one of my favorite chapter!), but the raw is up to 89 now (Hina's new haircut's cute , though Kyoko hasn't been the focus for too long ).
There're really cool commercials for the released of volume 8 that I posted elsewhere back last December. Literally all star team that featured a famous author + a famous VA (Nisio + Sugita for one combo). Do check it out if you haven't already. Link: http://3lion.younganimal.com/vol8/ |
2014-03-25, 02:55 | Link #39 |
Le fou, c'est moi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Age: 35
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Recognizing the sheer difficulty of this being picked up by any fan translators -- the dense text, the high level kanji, the poetic monologues, Umino Chika's flowery, light-penned art, and the complex rules of shogi, to start with -- I still don't understand why no official licensors stepped forward. Is the manga industry in the English-speaking world that dead? Honey & Clover was big and commercially successful, and this is universally critically acclaimed. It should be number one priority outside of the obvious Jump commercial works.
I want to buy it, dammit. |
Tags |
seinen, shogi |
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