manga

Topical Tuesday: Characters I Want As Friends

Howdy gang! Everyone doing well? Today, I really want to do a bookish meme… but it’s not a recent one! I missed out on a particular Top Ten Tuesday the past two weeks that I really wanted to take part in. And so, today’s topic is that meme two weeks late: Characters I Wanna Be Friends With. This list is in no particular order, mind you- it’s just in the order I thought of them.

Ana Gram – Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle

I absolutely adore Ana. He’s a great example of ‘looks can be deceiving’. While he often acts as a lackadaisical artist, he’s actually quite bright and is extremely observant and understanding of the human mind. Honestly, though, I just like how innocently he portrays himself- and how dark he can get if things go a bad direction. His punny name also helps.

Nyanko-sensei – Natsume Yuujinchou

Who wouldn’t want to be friends with a greatly powerful yokai stuck in the body of a weird sort of cat? Especially a totally tsundere one? Probably a lot of people, actually… But I think Nyanko-sensei is a great ally, and I’d probably love to pieces having him as a friend. He holds nothing back- but he can be really sweet sometimes too!

Takashi – Natsume Yuujinchou

Natsume Takashi, the titular character, is another guy I’d like to be friends with. He’s a gentle spirit who likes to help others, and he somehow manages to keep up with both the human and spirit worlds. Though he starts out virtually hating yokai, his ability to bring the two worlds together is fascinating as a skill. Again, though, I also just like how he’s a gentle person.

Mayuko – High Rise Invasion

Mayuko Nise is one tough cookie, and one I’d love to have on my side in a fight. She’s a bit too like me in that she has trouble trusting people- but, to be fair, she’s currently stuck in a world where you either die by jumping off a roof or die by being killed by the means of a mysterious race known as angels. Despite the highly volatile situation, she was able to change and trust someone, and that’s just so strong…
It makes me want to learn from her, all in all.

Hades-sensei – Hokenshitsu no Shinigami

Whenever I hear the word ‘Hades’, I never really think of someone I’d like to be friends with. However, Hades-sensei isn’t nearly as scary as his looks may make him seem. Sure, he’s not exactly a normal person- but it’d take a person who’s not so normal to cure people infected by disease demons! I really like how, despite the way he’s seen or treated, Hades-sensei always does his best to help others, even if it often has an awkward and unusual result.

Karuta Roromiya – Inu x Boku SS

Though her yokai form scares me senseless, Karuta in her human form and in her heart is a person I’d love to be friends with. She’s all for sharing food with people she cares for. She’s soft-spoken, but not afraid to speak bluntly when she deems it necessary. I feel like we’d get along in our similarities, and especially our love of snacks.

Hotate – Yamamoto Zenjirou to Moushimasu

Hotate may be a young girl (okay, a lot of the characters are well younger than me, but Hotate’s in grade school for crying out loud!), but she’s a hard worker always trying to help people with her special ability. While she’s dealt with quite a bit of adversity in her life due to it, Hotate doesn’t often blame this power of hers. Instead, she grows to use it to aid others, and even to make a few friends! I’d love to be one of them!

Mayoi – Acchi Kocchi

Mayoi is a very, uh… Unique type of person. She’s a genius in her own right, but she’s also a prankster. You’d think I wouldn’t want to be friendly with someone who can do such things with a straight face, but she’s just trying to get everyone to enjoy themselves in some ways. I like how she always helps start the fun that leads to chaos. I feel like if we were friends, I’d get out more often. xD

Uru – Shiawase Kissa Sanchome

I loved a lot of the characters in Shiawase Kissa Sanchome, but no one beats the heroine, at least to me. Uru is a strong-willed girl with brute strength of unbelievable ability. She likes to meddle into other people’s affairs, but she usually only does it because she means well and wants to help. I feel like we’d get along, because while she can be a bit rowdy, she knows how to slow down for people that can’t keep up. She’s a sweet girl, and she deserves all the happiness in the world- and all the friends, too!

Nozaki – Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Nozaki, like me, is a writer. He can be pretty oblivious at times, like I can, but he tries his hardest to learn from his mistakes. To Nozaki, everything is inspiration. As fellow writers, I think we’d get along really easily, especially through talking shop and bouncing ideas back and forth!

I know this post has gotten pretty long, and I apologize, guys. I just couldn’t help myself- this topic was really fun for me, after all! Still, I’m also just so glad to be back- I’ve been so excited for this, it’s a shame it had to wait until now.

Before you go… Have you read any of the series I noted in this post? What did you like/dislike about the characters I chose? I’d love to hear some characters you want as your besties too! So stick around and at least leave me a note about it. I love your comments! You help me grow, too!

Topical Tuesday: Top Ten Manga

Hihi! How’s it going guys? Today, I’m shaking things up a bit by doing a book meme for blogs: Top Ten Tuesday. If you’ve been following my Alien Irony Redux Blog, you’ll know I’ve started doing these every so often to spread my wings a bit. Topical Tuesday is still just that: a topic. And this is my topic for today.

So, what is Top Ten Tuesday as a book meme? Well, it’s a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week, we’re meant to share our top ten favorite books of our favorite genre. I know manga have genres, but it’s so hard to choose one genre in it I love… So I’m going to share a variety, telling you things about each one, and hoping maybe you’ll love them too! (Please note, there’s no real hierarchy here. I just wrote it in the way I thought fit best!)

Alive The Final Evolution

This manga, which deals with the concepts of life and death quite uniquely, has to be my favorite manga hands down. I’ve read it at least six times now- and every time, I’ve been enthralled by the characters and the powers they grow to possess. This manga is not for those with weak hearts. There’s a lot of suicide, murder and gore. Honestly, I don’t know how I managed to read it so often. With major twists and turns and an unbelievable fate for the world, this manga is definitely number one in my eyes. Happy Sugar Life

Happy Sugar Life

Don’t let the title fool you- this manga is a psychological horror that cuts deep and displays the danger of pure obsession. The heroine will do anything to keep a young child she adores by her side- kidnapping, murder, literally anything. She wants to maintain her ‘happy sugar life’ with her beloved, even if there were many wrongs going on about it. This story took a lot of confusing turns to me, but they lead me to feel far more inspired and intrigued than I thought they would. The tension, the strong emotional ties- it’s all so… Moving. I almost wanted to cheer on the crazy heroine!

Mushi to Medama to Teddy Bear

Mushi to Medama to Teddy Bear starts off with a sweet but illegal couple being cute- that is, until there’s a surprise attack on the young teenager by another girl. Appearing to be murdered with her eyes gouged out, only to be alive with more blood loss than she should be able to bare. This manga brings a whole new idea to the story of Adam and Eve… and it’s simply amazing, if I’m being honest.

King’s Game: Origin

King’s Game is a well known horror manga… But if you want a really good death game of sorts, King’s Game: Origin, the prequel, is where it’s at to me. Someone called the king leaves a note, and if you don’t obey… Well, bye bye. You’re gonna die in whatever way the note says, whether you like it or not! This prequel really gives you some interesting twists, and shows how stress can lead to insanity and impulsive actions that are dangerous to yourself and around you. It’s just… Amazing. Literally bloody amazing.Dolls Code

Dolls Code

This manga, another psychological horror, focuses on juvenile criminals that have committed some form of a crime. In this detention, however, they have one of their body parts taken from them when they enter the school- for the hero, that happens to be his memories. Supposedly, the part relates to the crime they’ve performed- but that’s not all. The parts were used to create a humanoid doll! With a doll in their midst, the teens must partake in puzzles and games that will test their wits, sanity and more- all to escape from this prison school alive.High Rise Invasion

High Rise Invasion

High Rise Invasion is up there with Alive for me. This piece of speculative fiction follows a young teenager who finds herself waking up in a strange world where only tall buildings exist and the only way you’re allowed to go to the ground is by jumping to your death. Add the people wearing masks that will try to scare you into jumping or kill you if you refuse to try, and you’ve got the weirdest idea of a way to create a new god that might ever exist. The characters are strong, there’s more mystery than I can explain in a short blurb, and it really makes you wonder what you’d do in that sort of situation. Would you have the strength to fight the masks?

The Bride Was A Boy

Finally, the list is taking an uplifting turn! No more horror in here! The Bride Was A Boy, which started out as a comic blog at first, is a true story of how the author, Chii, came out as transgender and began to live her life as the woman she was meant to be. She covers everything from coming out, dating, and even getting her sex changed to marry her beloved husband. It’s educational and adorable! I can’t push it enough!

Tabi no Michizure

Okay, I might have lied a little bit. To some, this might very well be a horrifying concept: a girl gets off a train and finds herself in a town that repeats the same day, every day… and the roads eat people lacking the right marking to pass through. I really love this one so far- the mystery of why only things used by Tabi disappear during the reset is an interesting add on. It also makes me wonder… How would I react being one of the few that realizes the groundhog day effect?

Nukoduke

If you like cuteness and constant fluff, Nukoduke is the manga for you. It follows a lackadaisical young man who one day finds a pair of nukos- tiny cats with partially human bodies and the ability to speak. He unthinkingly brings them home, and so starts their lives together. The characters are all kind of focused on one major personality aspect, but it’s full of interesting growth in the connections between nuko and people, and it is just constantly sweet as pie. Expect insanity, sweet moments and good times!

Yandere Kanojo

Do you like slapstick comedy? Do you like couples that seem unexpected based on cliques? If you’re a fan of such things, you might like Yandere Kanojo, a gag manga on all accounts. The manga follows a gang leader and her boyfriend, an average guy who, to others, has no real redeeming qualities. The manga slowly but surely expands its cast to have a wide variety of kooky characters- a masochistic little sister, a teacher afraid of groups and people that looks scary when he’s teaching class, and so much more. The relationships grow well, and there’s a lot of fun to be had. Give it a go- even in short bursts, I promise you’ll find a reason to smile laugh!

And that’s all for me today. What manga would be on your top ten? Which of these do you love or hate? Tell me all about your manga tastes in the comments- I might just find new ones to love!

Topical Tuesday: Manga I Love

Good afternoon, everyone! It’s time for another Topical Tuesday- and today, I have a pretty broad topic to discuss: Manga.

I was stuck on a topic you see, and a friend recommended I talk about my favorite genre- but the thing is, I read manga 99% of the time nowadays, and I have a very eclectic range with it on things I enjoy. While I can never seem to enjoy a science fiction novel, science fiction in manga is regularly enjoyable for me. I read horror manga to fight my anxiety and get mentally stronger. There’s just no end to what manga does for me!

Of course, even I have certain genres that draw me to them when it comes to manga. I have a hard time enjoying sports ones, for example. And there’s a lot of those out there! A sports manga can be great, but it gets boring seeing the drama and not really learning about the sport that much. And I’ve seen that issue a lot in sports manga.

For me, my favorite genres are probably a mix of horror, supernatural in general, romance manga, and good ol’ slapstick comedies. Since there’s a lot of sub-genres and even a lot of crossover with these genres, I’m going to talk about each of them just a bit, just to give you an idea of my mind and what I notice.

First off, horror. I don’t like ALL horror, by any means. I tried reading Corpse Party but something about it just kinda… Didn’t work with me. It’s not necessarily the gore in it- I’ve read plenty of others with gore and creepy stuff. I just didn’t handle it well.

For me, I tend to spend a lot of time looking for and reading ‘play or die’ manga as I call them. They’re also known as “High stakes”. These manga tend to be about some form of a ‘game’ where if you lose, you die. Not all of them are actually games, mind you- but they’re close enough. My absolute favorite of this genre is the lucrative Alive: The Final Evolution by Tadashi Kawashima. Other good ‘play or die’ stories include Dolls Code by Runamu Kinashi, High Rise Invasion by Tsuina Miura, and the renowned King’s Game by Nobuaki Kanazawa (though to be honest, King’s Game: Origins was way better in my opinion).

I like other manga that have horror in them too. I especially like psychological horror that really surprises you time and time again, such as Happy Sugar Life by Tomiyaki Kagisora. The title alone threw me off- I didn’t expect it to be horrific as much as it was. Another really good one that’s more standard horror is the Ghost Hunt series by Fuyumi Ono. It’s a great mix of ghost and ghoul hunting with psychic power and scientific reasoning.

Now that I’ve finished sharing so many horror stories I’ve read, let’s talk about the light-hearted shoujo and comedy manga that I adore reading after a particularly scary horror story. There’s plenty of subcategories and mixtures when it comes to comedy manga as a whole. One example is the manga Yandere Kanojo by Shinobi, a somewhat cliche story about a delinquent and an ace student falling in love. The gags in this one are just far too humorous and regular. I’ve read it probably five times already. It’s a good read if you need a dumb joke to lighten your mood. Another good comedy is Kaeru no Ossan by Zenyuu Shimabukuro. It’s far from any normal manga I’ve ever read. I mean, I’ve heard of half human creatures, but never a human body with a frog head.

Swerving away from the horror and hysterical, I’d also like to talk about some romance manga that swerve off the beaten path in ways you might think they fit the previous categories. Chimoguri Ringo to Kingyobachi Otoko by Abe Youichi is a supernatural romance- that all starts when the hero’s sister is turned into a goldfish by the mysterious fishbowl man. Is it weird enough yet? Let’s say it is, because I could talk about it for an hour trying to explain the insanity.

A less insane fantasy romance is Akagami no Shirayuki-hime by Sorata Akizuki. This is a typical forbidden romance of sorts, as it relates the tale of a woman of lesser standing and a prince. It’s a very complex manga, and at times it’s hard to keep up, but the characters are well played out and overall, I just really enjoyed the series. Seeking a more comedic love story? The Devil is a Part Timer is a great story that starts with the concept of rebirth, and ends with the idea that the Devil isn’t as bad as he’s cracked up to be.

I think I’ve rambled on enough- you clearly get my point. While I read a great variety, I still have certain types in the genre that I pay heed to. For me, getting out of my comfort zone is hard, because I sometimes don’t recognize what it is.

Do you have a genre you recommend, or a book in the genres I listed? I’d love to hear about them from you! I’m always up to hearing your recommendations! Who knows? It might just end up in my next Topical Tuesday! Please never hesitate to comment- whether it’s in response to something I said, or an idea you’d like me to explore in another blog post. That’s all I have to request… and thank you for reading my manga mayhem!