Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Life, Manga, Music

Haven't written for a while. I was just thinking to myself today, and even tweeted about it, that I really hadn't blogged for a while again and I should.

Work has been a little special lately. I'm temporarily shifting positions to work on a different project at work which will not allow me to be helping and doing work all over the building as I have been doing as a team leader.  Because of this I've been having to get people refreshed and trained so my roles get covered. Found out today I may be starting on the project as soon as tomorrow. I had to fill out info for a background check and they have to change my job code and pay so things like that take time.  Last week I got out early most days because its to the point where I'm around to assist but mot actually doing any work anymore.

On the subject of manga work for DMG I was finally able to complete my last assignment and am clear save for requested edits. I'm really just happy to be out from under it and not feeling so behind and having no spare time because of having an assignment to complete.  I was a little disappointed though that I got off early last Thursday and there was no email newsletter with more assignment listings. As a lettered I have to be able to jump on those listings ASAP. However despite all the terrible things I did succeed in not missing a single deadline.  However I know my current sleeping schedule is still a little messed up from the month and a half I stayed up until midnight on work nights so lately the time has really been running away from me.

On subject of manga that I'm reading let me just say I've been reading a lot lately. I've also been reading some shorter series and stand alone stuff in between waiting or books for some of the longer series I've also been reading.  I believe in the last few weeks my title listing has included Tegami Bachi, Gorgeous Carat, Fujoshi Rumi, Tomcats, and Peach Girl.  Yes for the record I do read a rather wide variety of manga. 
- Currently Tegami Bachi has been the major favorite. I didn't get into it until about 11 volumes were out so I've had the lovely pleasure of having a multitude to read at once to catch myself up to the current release schedule. I've read up to volume 10 and just got volumes 11 & 12 in the mail today.  It's such a good story with wonderful art. The art was what drew me to it at first but it not being by a manga-ka I knew nothing about I was hesitant to pick it up at full price.  I managed to get the first few volumes at half price books and have been picking up the rest at discounted price on amazon.  I really hate describing manga most of the time because I feel like of I talk too much about it to really get my point across about what is so great about it will give too much away. It's fantasy, adventure, coming of age, mystery, fighting....so much boiled into one. Right now I think I'm most enjoying it because it's much deeper and a little darker than I thought it would be. It's very heartfelt but then mystery and suspense that I'm just so excited to see what is going to happen next.
- Gorgeous Carat was actually a much better read than I was expecting. It's a fun exciting story through all three volumes. I also in the mail today got a used copy of Gorgeous Carat Galaxy so I haven' read that yet and am referring to the base three volume story.  I remember buying the first volume many years back because it was a BLU manga title (meaning it was yaoi) and I really just had trouble getting into it because at that point in time I think I was really just desiring more smut and was less into the story.  It is very mild on the BL and there's nothing overly graphic so I feel like it's a title that would be approved to lend to my 12yr old niece (she's a mature advanced reader but her mother still doesn't want her into anything too graphic till she gets just a little older).  It's a mystery adventure story set in the early 1900s in Europe then moves around some Arabic and middle eastern counties.  I was amused because a few things out of the eps o Downton Abbey I was watching last night reminded me of it.
- Fujoshi Rumi was just one very amusing and silly love story about a boy who falls in love with a girl who is a huge yaoi fangirl.  It's like all the sweet cute innocent shojo love story with fun silly otaku goodness and some great BL fantasies on the side.  So for any fellow multi genre lovers this was a fun read.  I wish it could have had more of an insight to why girls who enjoy BL (they do touch   on the main girl character's opinion on the matter), but that was really not the main point of the story. It is a short little 3 book series so if what I have said sounds somewhat interesting if you come across it cheap or to borrow it's worth the read.
- Tomcats volume 1 was something I picked up off the $1 discount cart at my local half price books. I primarily picked it up because it's published here in the states by Deux (a yaoi label) and I figured it was worth $1 to continue to fill my BL library.  It looked really cute from first glance and is really cute and silly.  It's like a goofy gag exaggerated slice of life kind of story. There are humans and cats and he cats are basically just small catgirls  and catboys.  There is no BL romance in it at all though in the postscript the manga-ka does state that there was not in this book but that she would be doing more for the next book.  However there is just the one book published here in the states.  It was random and silly and while it made m giggle I'm glad I only paid $1 for it.
- Last thing I will talk on is Peach Girl. For years I wanted to read it after enjoying the anime, but while I had enjoyed the anime it was never something I was super crazy over so once again my reluctance to invest in such a manga then every time I considered it at half price something better was there or there was never a volume 1. Finally picked up a chunk of the series for $1ea and am now just filling in what I need for reading it as I go along. I've officially read through volume 2 and so far the anime was very verbatim from what I've read.  I do keep getting really annoyed by Tokyo Pop's obviously kinda crummy translations but I digress.  Am still looking forward to making it through more of this shojo classic (sorry for anyone who doesn't consider it as such but it is honestly old enough and had enough popularity behind it for me to consider it as such).

Okay so enough about manga. I totally claimed I was going to talk about music, but I really have become quite tired after that long bit I just wrote.  I guess on the music front I can still complain about not having enough time to follow everything and everyone I want to.  Still t current more predominantly into Kpop as apposed to Jpop but it really just helps that I keep up fairly regularly with Music Bank and Inkigayo.  I really want to get caught up with more of my favorite Japanese groups and also with my fave Korean groups Japanese work. I've only briefly been following my favorite group's, U-KISS, work and there most recent single is awesome. They do so much better work for Japan.  But yah so much out there I need and want to listen to!

I think next post I need to remember I have doll photos and face-up work to share.  Maybe someone out there is reading and interested in it (or my blathering a about manga & Asian music for that matter).

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