(L) Ai Yori Aoshi manga discussion

[Forbin]

I'm still reading. I think 13 was Tina getting ready to go home and it's already in Enishi right?

[Vexx]

aye...she's trying to "Keep the party going" so she doesn't have to think about it and is getting a bit frantic as it closes in on her.

[taki-chan]

The Ai yori aoshi anime is pretty clean...so when I got the manga I was totally surprised how dirty it was. There's a lot of ecchi in it, that's for sure. All in all, the manga is a lot funnier but the anime cuter because it doesn't have as much...well..you know. *sweat drop*

[Vexx]

Actually... there's not any sex as such (though some of the characters would love to have it)... .but there's a lot of nudity. I tend to not label things "ecchi" unless actual sex is involved because it has to be viewed through japanese norms.

They do spend an amazing amount of time in baths. Now thats not unusual as such because japanese tend to do a lot of their thinking, discussion, and brooding in baths. There are open air and coed baths. Nudity just doesn't equal "dirty" in japanese culture (or many others) in this context, so you might keep that in mind.

However, given the muddy plot progress and what is becoming the Chika's buddies "derail" scenes, I think the author is losing focus and some steam here.... I'm getting the "plot weak, aiee, quick add nudity" feeling here.
Unfortunately, a great deal of the bath sequences were extremely cartoony or sketchy so there wasn't even much "arty cheesecake" about it.

This is the first AYA volume I've finished and I felt like all but 3 or 4 pages were filler -- little character development or plot advancement.

I thought the anime series was enjoyable (but tame as you say), though I got really tired of the "boob check" not-joke (very lame humor). The first season was solid with a nice ending. The second season was kind of unfocused outside of Tina's arc with no progress in the main thread of Aoi and Kaoru.

[Vexx]

Its called *buy* the manga ... its sold by Tokyopop at a very reasonable price.
You should really take a second and read forum policy on licensed properties versus unlicensed properties before you get permabanned.

[Vexx]

Volume 14 is out and about... but I've not been able to snare a copy yet --- if its not at my local store tomorrow, I'll just have to order the thing and wait a few day.

[Tasdern]

Hi everyone! I just discovered Ai Yori Aoshi about a week ago. I’ve seen both sets of videos and have Vol 1 of the magna .

On the video, the story line is fantastic. The fans service is a bit corny in places but the plot and setting makes up for it. I like the way the use the background in the videos to show time and the deeper elements.

Note how often a cherry blossom is part of the story line.

Anywho, I’m looking to pick up the remaining magna volumes at a good price. If anyone is interested in selling me Vols 2-14, please let me know.

Oh, I would also be interested in good quality DVDs. (I’m not a reseller. These would be for my collection. – I just want one set.) I re-renting the DVDs from Netflix again!

BTW, I’m not interested in scans or downloads. I only buy original in decent condition. I can buy new but I'm willing to help out a fan by buying used books for a discount.

Thanks,

~TASDERN~

[Tasdern]

I’m going to weigh in on Aoi and Karou going all the way. I have not read all the magna yet, just watched the DVDs.

While they did sleep together in Karou’s apartment when they first met, they did not have sex. While Aoi may have said yes if Karou suggested it, after all she is about 23 or 24 years old and has been dreaming of this guy for 18 years and in her mind is already his wife, I do not think Karou was in any condition to do so nor would he take advantage of such a situation.

As for the end of the first season where they are alone where they first met, they certainly did. There is a very real possibility that Aoi may never see Karou again. In her world, she IS Karou’s wife and she most certainly has dreamed of this moment many times for years. She doesn’t want to be apart from him and this is a moment that only they share. Only Miyabi knows that they have been alone. And to Aoi, it doesn’t matter what her family thinks about her. At this point she has already decided that she will leave them in order to be Karou’s wife. Also note that this is the same place were Aoi (and Karou even though he was asleep) had their first kiss. Its only fitting that this is where Aoi would lose her virginity.

Also notice how Aoi acts afterwards in the second season. She wants to crawl into Karou’s futon in the mornings. Not necessarily to have sex but because she wants to be in his bed. She has already gone all the way with him and wants to be able to have a real relationship. She wants the simple joy of being able to hold him and be near him when he sleeps.

At this point Aoi is Karou’s wife. They have already vowed their love and will not forsake the other. Formal or not, to them, they are hitched.

[Vexx]

The real problem is, of course, the crotchety two powerful families they each belong to. As you'll see, the controlling interests within the families are pretty intent on cementing a bond between the two clans. Aoi's only real chance here lies in her mother. Even in today's Japan, duties, obligations and family lines often have a demanding pressure that is fairly alien to many American eyes.

That said.... I think you'll enjoy most of the manga. The mid-series events are pretty compelling. I did get fairly tired of Tina's "running gag" though Tina herself was interesting and provided some interesting tension. Unfortunately, the manga is losing some focus and steam since volume 11 (I'm about to start volume 14). I was fairly unhappy with the art quality in the last couple of volumes as well (lots of sketchily drawn cartoony scenes --- where a nice drawing would have been stellar). I understand it has a proper ending at least but it does seem to be fading to a climax rather than building.
If volume 14 proves me wrong, I'll update.

[Tasdern]

I’ve just seen all the DVDs, both in English and subtitled. I’ve seen the first set twice before seeing Enishi twice and now I’m planning on re-watching the first set again. After watching Enishi, and then reading just Vol 1, I have a whole new take on things.

The first set of DVDs were great. The love story was much better than I expected. The last time I got misty-eyed watching a cartoon was when Snoopy didn’t come home. I was ok until Aoi brings out the key at the tree and then it really hit me when at the very end we get the flashback to Aoi’s first kiss.

But the Enishi series really threw me off. It is supposed to be 2 years after they met and at least 1 year after the confrontation at the Sakuraba Estate. Yet they act as though little has changed. It’s obvious that it is mostly a filler series.

I was originally convinced that we were supposed to assume that Aoi and Kaoru were intimate at the end of the first season. But I’m revising that thought. It just doesn’t fit with the Enishi episodes. Had it really happened, I can’t see Aoi, being able to hide the fact that they were more then just secretly engaged.

I’m very interested in the manga. My local bookstores do not stock the whole set so I would have to order it from Amazon or such. But before I do that, I’m going to see if any cash-strapped fan is willing to sell their used volumes. I can save a few bucks and some teen can afford some new ones.

~Tasdern

[skywalker_623]

Originally Posted by JokerD

Spoiler:

Kaoru comes to the Hanabishi with Miyabi to pick up Aoi. Some cov with Aoi's parents which are there to hear the marriage proposal of Kaoru(2) which seems to indicate that Aoi's father is against the marriage to Kaoru or something. Either way they leave the house and return to the mansion which is now empty. Where they have sex.
The next morning they meet everyone where (I think) they annouce their marriage, then flash forwards to half a year later where Tina's leaving. Everyone's depress but Tina manages to cheer them up in her own way. Every lady kisses Kaoru as a goodbye present much to Aoi's dismay.
Final chapter is 4 years later with Tina's return. She goes to the uni to find Chika with her 2 friends and passes them the photo of the group at the mansion taken earier. Later she finds Miyabi and the maid (can't remember her name offhand) working in a department store (salesladies? OL?) and still haveing their relationship (clusmy maid/devil supervisor) and passes them the photo as well as talk a little. Finally she heads to Kaoru and Aoi's appartment (the family name on the name plate is not Hanabishi or Sakuraba maybe Kaoru's mother's) and she meets Aoi at the door. Lots of talk and flashback to when she gave the other rich girl the photo. They head out to meet Kaoru on his way home from work. Final shot is of Kaoru and Aoi's face when they meet up.

There, that's it for the final volume. I prob missed a lot but I think I should have gotten the basics down

what volume is this? volume 15? i got to order this

[Vexx]

Tokyopop is releasing this in 17 volumes. Volume 14 was released on 10/10/2006.

--------------------
From Tokyopop:
volume 14 (10/10/2006 release)
As Kaoru and Tina continue on their date, Tina asks Kaoru to take some pictures of her--and then tells a story about how she ran away from this guy that she liked because she was afraid of him hating her. But the end of the story, she reveals a secret that may win his heart!

volume 15 (02/13/2007 release)
With so many secrets revealed, Kaoru's life has been turned upside down. He must handle his own issues before taking on more responsibility. Tina and Aoi must confront their own feelings before facing each other. Love is still in the air and Chizuru is hoping to get a big whiff.
--------------------
volume 16&17 have no release dates and no synopses from their website yet... but the spoilered tag of JokerD sounds like a summary of the last volume of the japanese edition with some limitation because of translation skill.

The usual release cycle has been 3-5 months between volumes. You can order directly from tokyopop.com if you wish if the usual places like amazon, b&n, or borders doesn't have it. My closest bookstore is b&n and though they have a large manga section... they do a terrible job of keeping series up to date. Guess its back to online ordering again...

[Tasdern]

I was wondering who owns the original rights to the manga. Does anyone know? I wonder because I believe it was first serialized in Young Animal. They may own the rights to the submissions. This can be both good and bad. Good in the sense that they could have the funds to publish the manga and work to produce the anime. (I don’t know if they would do this though.) But it could be bad because the original artist and writers could get nothing extra for their work and then let the storyline crash.

I’m just speculating at this point. I’ll be getting vols 2-14 in the next week or so.

At this point, I would love to see a book version of the story line. Anime and manga are great but with such a rich storyline, a book or books could be a great read.

Have any other mangas or anime series ‘crossed over’ into a book series?

~Tasdern

[Tasdern]

I just had a thought. Does anyone know what the original purpose or outline of the story was? Since it was in Young Animal, was it supposed to be a love story or was it more about cute girls with some nude scenes that turned into a love story?

~Tasdern

[Vexx]

1) you can edit your posts so you don't end up double posting (unless you actually want to bump the thread back up in the list like I did the other day).

2) the original rights belong to the publishing company and the author in a partnership arrangement and they've licensed it hither and yon (though the publisher calls the shots for the most part as to when production stops and starts). Tokyopop has rights to publish it in the US and they've chosen to refabricate the chapters into 17 books (the original volume collection in Japan was eleven volumes I think). Pioneer had the US anime license. The manga is complete and done in Japan as is the anime - and I suspect that is it for the AYA collection.

3) Looking at the story itself, the first major story arc (up to their confrontation with Aoi's father and the results of that) was pre-outlined and probably the final arc was outlined. It looks kind of like Tina's arc had its own outline of sorts. The rest was probably done as the author went along and that is where the "popularity" meter could be adjusted to produce more or less of the story. You can tell in couple of volumes that were mostly sidestory that the author was kind of scrambling around --- the artwork quality plunged during those volumes as well (lots of sketchy stuff where one would think you'd see higher quality). The nudity factor ramped up during those weak points as well which didn't work well with the sketchy art

I'd say the core love story between Kaoru and Aoi was always there ... and the cute/nude kept ramping when the story floundered a bit, though that is mostly my opinion from studying media entertainment and storywriting in general.
Young Animal doesn't just do cute/nude, they do slip in "romance for guys" types of stories though I'd guess that AYA had more substance than they are used to.

[dpryciak]

Thanks for the help and news! I'll anxiously await the next...and as for the Spoilers, I expected as much.

Except, I KNOW for certain that Aoi and Kaoru did not have sex early on, or until...well, that book 16 or 17 or so. You can tell by how they act, and Kaoru was going to, in that hotel, but his past stopped him. He has a high deal of respect for Aoi.

And as for bad boob draws, the guy who draws DearS draws big breasts like they're granny boobs sometimes. Nothing natural flows like that!

[Vexx]

They never really say, but based on their post-trip behavior I'd have to guess they simply slept together... as in consensual snoring. Their ethical standards are simply at that level. Same way with Tina and Kaoru on their trip (though in their case, it was as much poor timing as being ethical. Tina would have said yes if she hadn't passed out and Kaoru might have asked). Kaoru has some guts if this is so... I could probably maintain force shields a few times but at some point the lower brainstem would kick in.

[Vexx]

Minor bumpage.... just finally got to read volume 14 of the Tokyopop edition of AYA.

Much more focused than last couple of volumes --- wraps up a major plot issue and foreshadows what I suppose will be the series climax. Artwork was *much* better. Some of the story sequencing in the first chapter or two was a little confusing concerning what was really happening versus what characters were wishing or thinking. So... whew, the author didn't continue his flailing about so much at least in this volume.

Nice little bonus at the end with a short story of Chizuru's first crush (Chizuru is the tall rather spectacular but shy girl who swims by drowning in a chosen direction).

[rooboy]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Tokyopop has rights to publish it in the US and they've chosen to refabricate the chapters into 17 books (the original volume collection in Japan was eleven volumes I think).

Minor correction, the original in Japan was also 17 volumes. Re-editing to change the number of volumes would be an incredible pain. AFAIK, no one's ever done it, but I'm sure someone probably tried at one point.

[Vexx]

Ah... I was curious about that. A wiki entry (and a manga reference website) had said AYA was *originally* published in 11 volumes.... and I had not heard of anyone resequencing a series. It had me wondering if the japanese 11 volumes had been re-released in Japan as 17 volumes prior to being picked up by Tokyopop but I wasn't quite concerned enough to go research it.

Whee for wikis, I guess (tosses salt).