3 posts tagged “bleach”
One thing about being sick, it saps your focus. I just don't have the mental energy to do anything beyond rote tasks. Therefore, instead of me getting my homework done, you get a post updating what I've been reading for the past three months.
You're thrilled, I'm sure. :-p
Anyway, despite all the things I've had going on at work, and the reading I've had to do for school (those books likely won't show up on-list until December), I've managed to get a few books under my belt. Just, you know, a handful.
*ahem*
Books: 11 (51 YTD)
A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
Trinity Blood - Rage Against the Moons Vol 3: Know Faith by Sunao Yoshida
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
Something in the Water by Trevor Baxendale
Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea by Nancy Atherton
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into History by The Bathroom Readers' Hysterical Society (what?)
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
High Wizardry by Diane Duane
Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian HearnGraphic Novels: 67 (128 YTD)
Fruits Basket 1 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 2 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 3 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 4 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 5 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 6 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 7 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 8 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 9 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 10 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 11 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 12 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 13 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 14 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 15 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 16 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 17 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket 18 by Natsuki Takaya
Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth by Paul Dini & Alex Ross
Suppli 3 by Mari Okazaki
Modesty Blaise: Live Bait by Peter O'Donnell and Romero
Kaze Hikaru 10 by Taeko Watanabe
Millenium Snow 2 by Bisco Hatori
Skip Beat 8 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Honey and Clover 1 by Chica Umino
Honey and Clover 2 by Chica Umino
Honey and Clover 3 by Chica Umino
Fables: Legends in Exile by Willingham, Medina, Leiloha, Hamilton
Fables: Animal Farm by Willingham, Buckingham
Crimson Hero 6 by Mitsuba Takanashi
Crimson Hero 8 by Mitsuba Takanashi
Bleach 23 by Tite Kubo
Vampire Knight 2 by Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight 3 by Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight 4 by Matsuri Hino
Bleach 24 by Tite Kubo
Naruto 1 by Masashi Kishimoto
One Pound Gospel 1 by Rumiko Takahashi
One Pound Gospel 2 by Rumiko Takahashi
Skip Beat 11 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Skip Beat 12 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Skip Beat 13 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Kamen Tantei 1 by Matsuri Akino
Vampire Knight 5 by Matsuri Hino
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Rurouni Kenshin 7 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 8 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 9 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 10 by Kenshin Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 11 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 12 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 13 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 14 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 15 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 16 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 17 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Kaze Hikaru 1 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 2 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 3 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 4 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 5 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 6 by Taeko Watanabe
Skip Beat 14 by Yoshiki Nakamura
Kaze Hikaru 7 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 8 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 9 by Taeko Watanabe
Kaze Hikaru 10 by Taeko Watanabe
So, uh, yeah. I've been re-reading whole series of manga. This is partly because I'm so burnt out that a volume of manga is about the only thing I can handle at the end of the day; it is partly because I've been going through my books with an eye towards culling and I need to remind myself why I should keep certain things; also, I just plain like reading manga.
Anyway, sorry for the friendspage spam for those on LiveJournal, but it's not like I do this very often. Also, I hate trying to edit the Vox code.
I haven't posted on my reading in, well, about three months now. Once again, I just don't have it in me to do any reviews. I'd love to, but time is not my friend right now. Maybe if work cools off at the end of the fiscal year...
Anyway, it being the midway point in the calendar year, I thought I'd at least update my list of books read. Since March 23, I have read the following:
Books: 21 (41 YTD)
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Turing Test by Paul Leonard
Unnatural History by Jonathan Blum & Kate Orman
Earthworld by Jacqueline Rayner
Escape Velocity by Colin Brake
Salvation by Steve Lyons
Rage Against the Moons Vol 2: Silent Noise by Sunao Yoshida
Vanishing Point by Stephen Cole
Reborn on the Mars, Vol 2: The Iblis by Sunao Yoshida
So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane
Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Magician by Raymond E. Feist
Mission: Impractical by Dave McIntee
Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane
Silverthorn by Raymond E. Feist
A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist
Krondor: The Betrayal by Raymond E. Feist
Krondor: The Assassin by Raymond E. Feist
Krondor: Tear of the Gods by Raymond E. Feist
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
Managra by Stephen MarleyGraphic Novels: 52 (62 YTD)
Suppli 2 by Mari Okazaki
Rurouni Kenshin 18 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 19 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 20 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Love Attack (Juna'i Tokko Taicho) 2 by Shizuru Seino
Rurouni Kenshin 21 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 22 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 23 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 24 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 25 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 26 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 27 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rurouni Kenshin 28 by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Crazy Love Story 1 by Lee Vin
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 8 by CLAMP
Trigun Maximum 9 by Yasuhiro Nightow
Trigun Maximum 10 by Yasuhiro Nightow
xxxHolic Omnibus (vols 1-3) by CLAMP
Saiyuki Reload 1 by Kazyua Minekura
Saiyuki Reload 2 by Kazyua Minekura
Saiyuki Reload 3 by Kazyua Minekura
Saiyuki Reload 4 by Kazyua Minekura
Saiyuki Reload 5 by Kazyua Minekura
Saiyuki Reload 6 by Kazyua Minekura
Saiyuki Reload 7 by Kazyua Minekura
Ouran High School Host Club 10 by Bisco Hatori
Saiyuki Reload 8 by Kazyua Minekura
Kaze Hikaru 9 by Taeko Watanabe
Bleach 1 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 2 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 3 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 4 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 5 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 6 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 7 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 8 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 9 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 10 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 11 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 12 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 13 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 14 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 15 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 16 by Tite Kubo
Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo by Matsuri Akino
Wild Adapter 5 by Kazyua Minekura
Bleach 17 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 18 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 19 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 20 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 21 by Tite Kubo
Fullmetal Alchemist 16 by Hiromu Arakawa
As busy as I am, I guess I still have time to read. :)
4 Books - 2490 pages (2 new)
Chain Mail: Addicted to You by Hiroshi Ishizaki
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling9 Graphic Novels - 1786 pages (6 new)
Bleach 19 by Tite Kubo
Bleach 20 by Tite Kubo
Divalicious 1 by T Campbell, Amy Mebberson
Hellsing 7 by Kohta Hirano
Hellsing 8 by Kohta Hirano
Kaze Hikaru 6 by Taeko Watanabe
Monster 8 by Naoki Urasawa
Monster 9 by Naoki Urasawa
Ouran High School Host Club 9 by Bisco HatoriFanfiction - 1200 words/2.5 pages
Scanlations - 928 pages (337 pages not previously read)
Addicted to Curry Chapter 46. The Spirit of Onions and the Volume of Beef Curry by Kazuki Funatsu/Solaris-SVU
Bleach Chapter 281. The Vulgarian Noise by Kubo Tite/M7
Bleach Chapter 282. The Primal Fear by Kubo Tite/M7
Bleach Chapter 283. You Don't Hurt Anymore by Kubo Tite/M7
Bleach Chapter 284. Historia de Pantera Y su Sombras by Kubo Tite/M7
Bleach Chapter 285. Eating Meat, Alone--The Loneliness of the King by Kubo Tite/M7
Emma Volume 5 by Kaoru Mori/Iichan
Emma Volume 6 by Kaoru Mori/Iichan
Emma Volume 7 by Kaoru Mori/Iichan
Emma Bangaihen Chapter 9. Friendship by Kaoru Mori/Iichan
Emma Bangaihen Chapter 10. Shopping Together by Kaoru Mori/Iichan
Gokusen Gangster Dog' My Name is Kuroda Fuji by Kozueko Morimoto/Completely Oblivious
Gokusen Gangster Dog' A Demon's Island - Mr. Ginko's Murder by Kozueko Morimoto/Completely Oblivious
Gokusen Volume 10 Chapter 1 I hope you Understand Shin... by Kozueko Morimoto/Completely Oblivious
InuYasha Chapter 507. Hitomiko by Rumiko Takahashi/Maki Maki Scanlations
InuYasha Chapter 508. The Miko's Barrier by Rumiko Takahashi/Maki Maki Scanlations
InuYasha Chapter 509. The Bow's Spiritual Power by Rumiko Takahashi/Maki Maki Scanlations
InuYasha Chapter 510. Hell by Rumiko Takahashi/Maki Maki Scanlations
REC Take 30. Cocktail by Q-Taro Hanamizawa/XLG
REC Take 31. Proxy by Q-Taro Hanamizawa/XLGTotal, Year to date:
Books: 30 - 10752 pages
Graphic Novels: 106 - 20710 pages
Fanfiction: 38 - 105178 words/210 pages
Scanlations: 6 volumes, 80 chapters - 2834 pages
This summer has been so incredibly busy that I haven't felt that I've had time to think let alone read. Apparently July wasn't as bad as I'd thought because I managed to get a few things read after all.
I started the month by catching up on some scanlations. Three volumes of the scans were me simply not being able to wait until the English release of Emma. Volume 4 ended on such a dramatic note that I had to go right on through to the rest of the series. The release of a pair of Emma Bangaihen chapters around the same time was a pure bonus. The stories are romanticized and unbelievable, but so lovingly told and charming that it's impossible not to fall in love with them yourself. (And I have to say that the chapter showing Hakim and William as children was made of pure squee and awesomeness.) Bleach is, of course, still fun to read, despite having fallen into the neverending cycle of beating up stronger and stronger foes. To balance that, Gokusen, Rec and Addicted to Curry are all perfectly cracktacular -- but in that really good way. The less said about Inuyasha, the better I think. This series really needs to be brought around to a close.
In anticipation of both the release of the fifth Harry Potter film and the final volume of the book series, I re-familiarized myself with books 5 and 6 in the series. There's not much to say about these books that hasn't been mentioned elsewhere, but my notes on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoneix basically say that the book could have used a bit more editing and possibly some outside direction to keep it from rambling quite so much. My notes on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince are very succinct. They simply read: 'Much better than OotP'.
As for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I left the following review on Librarything:
The long awaited close to the Harry Potter series delivered in a way that I think the preceding two books did not. The tone was (as expected) dark, but plot seemed much less muddied and Harry himself seemed to have moved beyond his teenage angst and found his way to resolve. Along the way, Rowling filled in backstory and motive, explained mysterious events with more fullness, and maintained a higher energy level throughout than her more recent Hogwarts-based novels have managed.
I felt that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was not only an appropriate ending to the series, but a good one. Everything that needed to happen in terms of plot resolution did, the emotional resolution was there and the story was still very clearly appropriate to its young adult genre despite the constant and occasionally heavy handed reminders that war = death. The epilogue simultaneously manages to be both too much information and not nearly enough, but it brings the message back around to one of hope and provides the ultimate reminder that even in the face of war and of death, life will go on.
The final novel I read in July was Hiroshi Ishizaki's Chain Mail: Addicted to You, released as part of Tokyopop's Pop Fiction line with an English adaptation by Rachel Manija Brown. For a 'light novel' clearly aimed at a much younger audience, I found it surprisingly engaging. As these girls lived out their twisted roleplaying fantasy, I found myself missing my own MUSH and 'play by email' days (which probably says something about me). The odd character relationships, the twists to the story and the final resolution worked well and overall, I found it to be a quick, fun read. I would definitely recommend picking this book up (or, possibly borrowing it) if you feel like reading something short and a little twisted as an afternoon distraction.
Then, of course, there are the manga.
I had read both volumes of Bleach in scanlation some time ago, but I had forgotten that Volume 20 was entirely comprised of the 'End of Hypnosis' chapters which serve to wrap up up the Soul Society arc. It can go either way when you have a single volume that brings resolution to the entire series to that point, and Bleach 20 didn't disappoint. This series of chapters took care of the major mysteries and did a great job with the foundation for the next story arc. I don't think that anybody is going to make the argument that Bleach is somehow deep or meaningful. It truly is formulaic shounen, but the story is laid out well and the dramatic resolutions don't disappoint. I'm definitely looking forward to the official translations of the books still to come, and that kind of sustained interest is impressive for a series this long.
Next up was Monster, volumes 8 and 9. To be honest, I'm not sure there's anything more I can say about this series. Each and every time I try to review it, I simply end up being completely incoherent about the quality of the storytelling I'm pretty sure that you've all gotten the point that I think it's damned good (both of you!) and I'm not sure what I can add to that right now. Maybe when volume 10 comes out.
The shoujo for this month was a very mixed bag. Kaze Hikaru volume 6 really shined for me. The book starts out strong with Kaze Hikaru's representation of the 'Ikedaya Incedent' and Okita's collapse. Then, that's followed by the tensions of the Okita/Kamiya/Saito triangle and Kamiya's dilemma when Kondo asks her to be his successor. There was a lot of action and story packed into a single volume and while it's not a portion of the story you could come into cold, I think it's one of the best single volumes to date.
Faring less well on the shoujo side was Ouran High School Host Club which was disappointingly short and felt padded out by the filler material. This series is capable of so much more than a retread, I'm hoping I see that potential again when volume 10 comes out.
The final shoujo book I read was an OEL, Divalicious 1 by T Campbell and Amy Mebberson. I had received this book some time ago, but had never quite managed to talk myself into reading it. It was some comments on Amy Mebberson's Deviant Art account about the future of the series (or the lack thereof) that convinced me to break it out and give the story a try. My final judgment, as recorded in my handy spreadsheet was: 'Cute. I liked the art, but the story was a bit frenetic.' To expand on that, the simple fact is that Divalicious is not the kind of story I'd seek out on my own, so the fact that I liked it at all is a testament to the creators. That said, I felt there were some flaws both in the content and the pacing that attractive and engaging character design just can't compensate for. It is possible that I will buy a copy of volume 2, but it will be because I want to support the work of an artist I like rather than because I am truly interested in the resolution to this story.
I've saved my commentary on Hellsing for last because I wanted to end on a high note.
Hellsing was one of the first manga I began following back when I was just 'checking out this Japanese stuff'. I have waxed and waned over the years, put off both by a storyline I felt bogged down a bit and by the lengthy wait between volumes. As I reread volume 7 in anticipation of book 8, I felt that I was coming back to the story 'fresh' and that I appreciated it more this time around. The chapters focusing on Pip Bernadette and Seras Victoria were strong and her progression meaningful. The final chapters which set the stage for volume 8 were decent and held their own surprises as well, but the real star for me was volume 8. It's difficult for me to express just how much ass was kicked in this one book alone. There was ultra-violence, and backstory and Count Dracula. There was carnage on the streets of London, the likes of which I haven't seen since Miracleman 15. There was the final showdown between Alucard and Anderson and...and...and...
Anybody who has read and enjoyed previous volumes of Hellsing owes it to themselves to read through the story up until this point. It's just that damned good and I sincerely hope it will not be another two years until the release of volume 9.
Next up! August!
(Which I promise will be considerably shorter)
