Shoujo Ink

The Devil Does Exist Volumes 1 & 2

2008-10-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Devil Does Exist. It doesn't sound like such a good title for a romance manga aimed at teens right? Well, despite the off-putting title, this manga is great. I've read the first two volumes and so far, I'm hooked.

It's all about this high school girl named Kayano who was about to confess to her crush that she likes him. However, instead of handing her confession letter to the guy she likes, she accidentally gives it to the school troublemaker, Takeru. He then holds the letter hostage and blackmails Kayano to follow his every word. Sounds pretty cliche right? I thought so too. However, after a few chapters I found out that there's more to the characters than what I originally perceived. The plot further thickens in the second volume, but I don't want to give anything away and spoil it for anyone. You'll just have to take my word for it that this manga is great!

Another thing I love about this manga are the drawings--they're absolutely beautiful. In The Wallflower and Ouran High Host Club, some scenes are drawn where the people look like little caricatures. In fact, I think this technique is used far too many times in both series. On the other hand, In The Devil Does Exist, this technique isn't used at all.

I love this series, I'm giving it 5 stars!

The Wallflower Volume 1

2008-10-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

If you've read my past few posts, you'll know that it's really hard to find volume 1 of any manga series in any of our local bookstores. That's why I didn't think twice when I saw volume 1 of The Wallflower and bought it right away. I didn't really know what to expect about this series. All I know at that time is that one of the most common elements in Shoujo manga is a group of good-looking boys and this is definitely not absent in this series.

Basically, this series is about a group of boys giving an extremely shy and awkward girl a makeover. But I realized after reading the first few pages that this is no ordinary makeover story. This girl is extremely anti-social to the point of it being something like a psychological problem. She also has a certain affinity to the dark side, which I find really weird, but it makes the story more interesting nevertheless. There's no question that this girl is pretty, but the challenge in here is how to make her realize her worth and potential.

I'm really curious about how this manga series would turn out. This is one I'll continue reading hopefully 'till the very end.

Ouran High Host Club Volumes 3 & 4

2008-09-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

I must say that volumes 3 and 4 of Ouran High Host Club are certainly much much better than the first and second volume. I have complained how volume 1 was all over the place. Fortunately, volumes 3 and 4 ties up things much better. The characters are starting to become more like real people in some sense and the plot and sub plots are starting to be more interesting now. I'm really starting to like this manga series!

As the series progresses, Tamaki is showing more and more signs of liking Haruhi. But it looks like Haruhi has no interest in him at all. I'm also not sure what Kyoya's role will be in the long run... Hmmm, go figure. I don't know how this will turn into a romance but I'm eager to find out how. I can't wait for things to get more serious and for the plot to thicken. But I'm guessing it won't happen any time soon.

Ordering from Amazon.com

2008-09-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com is probably the biggest existing online store right now. I've always wanted to order something from Amazon since I discovered the wonders of online shopping. I wasn't done reading the first ten volumes of Ouran High Host Club that I bought a few months ago, but what the hell... I went ahead and ordered a few manga titles in Amazon just for the sake of it anyway. I ordered the following volumes:

Chocolat Volume 5

Chocolat Volume 6

The Devil Does Exist Volume 1

I already have Volumes 1 to 4 of Chocolat and I can't wait to see what will happen. Volumes 5 and 6 of the same manhwa series will be a welcome addition to my collection. On the other hand, I decided to buy The Devil Does Exist Volume 1 because I already have volume 2 and couldn't find volume 1 in local stores. I still have no idea if it will be worth reading though.

Anyway, I hope the package arrives sooner than later. However, since I chose to avail of the free standard shipping, it's taking a long time for it to get to New Jersey, where it will then be shipped to the Philippines. I'm betting it'll take around 3 weeks for the package to get here but I hope it will be less.

Update:
It took just a day short of 3 weeks for the package to arrive.

Ouran High School Host Club Volumes 1 & 2

2008-09-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to type out a review for the first few books of the Ouran High School Host Club series. I've read volumes 1 and 2 a few months back and became busy with other stuff... well anyway, here are my thoughts on the first two installments of the series.

First off, I'd really like to point out that volume 1 was really all over the place. If I had to judge this series solely by the first volume, I wouldn't have bothered to even read the rest. It's a good thing though, that I already bought the first 10 volumes and I've already heard good reviews about the series in general. My main problem with volume 1 is that there wasn't really a solid plot there. It's just a bunch of short stories stringed together to form a volume. In fairness to the mangaka, she did admit that in one of her written side notes. Thankfully, volume 2 was much better in that respect. There's definitely more "meat" in this volume, and things start to make sense. In fact, this volume even made me appreciate the first one better.

Generally, this manga is a comedy. Each character has different quirks, all of which make them funny and adorable in distinctive ways. I must say though, that I'm getting Hana Kimi feel from this series. Although, I'm not really sure if a romance will blossom. I do hope it does though, since I'm a sucker for a good love story. Tamaki is showing a bit of interest in Haruhi but I won't hold my breath just yet.

Ouran High School Host Club Vol 1-10

2008-07-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

Everytime I pass by a bookstore, I would always vist the manga shelf (or shelves) to see if there's anything that might interest me. Usually I would only see a few volumes available per series. And frustratingly, volume one seems to be always missing. Despite these reasons, I still keep checking, hoping that I'll find something I like.

Yesterday, I got lucky. I found volumes 1 to 6 of Vampire Knight and volumes 1 to 10 of Ouran High School Host Club. I decided to go for the Ouran volumes because I was in the mood for something funny (I bought all ten books). Good thing that since the manga titles were from a Singaporean publisher (Chuang Yi), each volume just costs about half the price of a usual manga title published in the US. In addition to that, all volumes had a 20% discount! It looked like the planets were lining up in my favor!

Here's a short summary of the Ouran series:

Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student at Ouran High School, a fictional school located in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Because of the superlative cost of the school uniform, Haruhi resorts to wearing long slacks, polo shirts and vests. Combined with her large glasses and tousled short hair, Haruhi's look causes her to be confused for a boy.

Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Third Music Room, the working place of the Ouran Host Club, a group of six extremely attractive male students (Takashi Morinozuka, called "Mori"; Mitsukuni Haninozuka, called "Honey"; twins Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin; Tamaki Suou, and Kyoya Ootori) who spend their time charming and entertaining the school's girls for profit. During their first meeting, Haruhi accidentally knocks over and breaks a vase valued at ¥8,000,000, estimated to be US$80,000.

In order to pay off the large debt, Haruhi is employed as the club's "dog" and is constantly ordered to do menial tasks like serving food or cleaning up. The club president, Tamaki Suou, without knowing she is really a girl, promotes Haruhi to "host" as soon as he discovers her potential. Even after the truth comes out in the Club, Haruhi continues the charade and is allowed to pay off the rest of her debt working as a host; in order to accomplish this, Haruhi conceals her true identity/gender from the customers and the school.

The only unfortunate thing about this is that it looks like I won't be buying any more mangas for about a month or so. I've got to watch it or I might spend all my money on manga.

Chocolat Vol. 2, 3 and 4 and Hana Kimi Vol. 1

2008-07-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, all it took was one afternoon to read Chocolat Volumes 2, 3 and 4. Although I really liked how the story was progressing, I was kinda peeved that I finished reading them so quickly. I mean, they're not exactly cheap so it would be better to make them last longer. I guess I was just used to reading novels that took at least a whole day to finish. Haha.

But other than that, I wasn't disappointed with the Chocolat Volumes. Being a huge fan of Korean pop music, I'm learning a lot about how the industry works. Oh, and a love triangle has started developing. It seems pretty obvious though who the female lead will end up with. I don't mean to give things away but is it just me or do female manga lead characters always tend to fall for the silent, moody guys? What do these guys have that funny, goofy guys don't?

I do hope there's a great twist in the end though, something that would really turn things around! Either way, I can't wait for the next volumes of Chocolat! I checked JustManga.com and volume 5 is now in stock! I'll wait for volume 6 before I order both just so I could read the two volumes one after the other! :-)

After the three Chocolat volumes, I read my first volume of Hana-Kimi. This one was very funny. Currently, there are two guys who are potential love interests for the main female character. Big surprise, one's a funny, goofy guy and the other's a more serious guy. Obviously, it looks like she's falling for the serious one, but I don't know yet who the main love interest will be. I am inclining towards the funny, goofy one because I think he's cuter.

Anyway, after I get all my finances sorted out I'm buying the next four volumes of Hana-Kimi and volume 1 of The Devil Does Exist. I found a copy of volume 2 of The Devil Does Exist lying in the discount bin of our local bookstore and I couldn't just pass up the opportunity. :-) The art looks great so if volume 1 is as good as other people say it is, then i'm definitely collecting this series too.

Justmanga.com Delivers!

2008-07-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

So I ordered a bunch of manga titles from Justmanga.com last month (Chocolat Volumes 2 to 4 and Hana Kimi Volume 1). As promised, the books (all 4 of the titles I ordered) arrived around two weeks after I ordered them. Not bad, not bad at all. Just so you know, I live in the Philippines and the books were shipped from the US. I'm definitely going to be a repeat customer and recommend them to all manga collectors.

Justmanga.com and my Manga/Manhwa Wishlist

2008-07-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

I just discovered a great site for buying manga and manhwa. Justmanga.com practically has all the manga/manhwa I could dream of... most of them at a discount! I ordered a few books just a few days ago to see how long it would take and if the books will come in good condition. According to the site, it would take 2 weeks for me to get my order. Not bad, compared to the 18 to 32 business days Amazon promises for it's standard shipping. Plus, Jusmanga.com's shipping rates are sweet; the cheapest I found online.

Anyway, I've browsed several review sites and created a manga/manhwa wishlist. Basically, I'm the type who loves romantic comedies so obviously all the items on my wishlist would reflect that. Here's what I have so far...

Knockout Makers Volume 1

2008-07-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

Knockout Makers Volume 1 by: Kyouko Hashimoto is more like a collection of short stories than a novel. Basically, it's about a group of mysterious stylists called The Knockout Makers. They take on different girls and turn them into knockouts. This particular volume has around 4 or 5 stories, which makes for an entertaining but light read.

If you're looking for something you'll get immersed into, then this is not for you. There isn't a smidgen of unpredictability or suspense in the stories. However, if you're looking for something to pass the time during a lazy Sunday, then this might just be the book to read.

Chocolat Volume 1

2008-07-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

How far would you go to meet your favorite boy band? Keum-Ji was little late getting under the spell of the chart topping boy band DDL. Unable to join the DDL fan club, she almost gives up meeting her idols until she develops a cunning plan, becoming a top member of their rival fan club for a brand-new boy group, Yo-I (Chocolat). This way she can always be near Yo-I at all their concerts. Funnily enough Yo-I always seem to play the same shows with DDL. It's almost the perfect plan except it's really complicated being a super fan for one band when your heart lies with another. Follow the adventures of Keum-Ji in this full-blown romantic comedy as she tries to keep her scheme together.

Chocolat Volume 1 by Ji-Sang Shin and Geo is the first manhwa I bought and I'm glad I started out with this one. I loved it! It was funny, entertaining, and sweet. I started out thinking it was too shallow for me but it certainly grew on me. It would be great if I could collect this series.

The only problem right now is that since it's Korean and not that popular, it might be difficult to find the entire series locally. When I bought this book, I only found volumes 1 and 3 on stock. The good thing though is that Amazon has this on stock so if all else fails and I can't find one, I can always order online. I just hope I don't have to resort to this since international shipping is not exactly cheap.

Introduction to manga and manhwa

2008-07-19T04:58:00.000-07:00

I collect shojo manga and manwha. This simply means girls' manga and manhwa. Here's a quick intro for those who are unfamiliar with these comic book terminologies:

Manhwa are Korean comics, which read left-to-right. Manhwa and manga are the same word (same kanji), they simply have a different pronounciation in Korea and Japan. Korean and Japanese comics are very similar, but they each have their own unique feel due to stylistic and cultural differences. Learn more about the differences between manhwa and manga at Manga Life.

Despite their differences, I like them both. I must admit though, that I prefer manhwa just a bit over manga. However, the availability of manhwa in my local stores is a bit limited. The good thing is, Amazon.com does have them on stock most of the time so maybe I'll try ordering from there someday.

So if you're new to these comic books I highly recommend that you try them. I'll put together a recommendation list sometime in the future so watch out for that.