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ファイト／ステイナイト 
Well, I finally am back from my trip to Japan. I am going to try to catch up with other posts as soon as possible but I decide to post this first since I already typed it during the plane trip back home. Overall, I am very satisfied with the ending of the series. It may not feel conclusive to some but by reading this, I get the impression that Umino Chika didn't want the ending of this series to be conclusive. In addition to this, a spin-off is coming soon this autumn so maybe some of the characters from this series will make it to the spin-off. Anyway, sorry for not scanning all of the pages but I'm still a bit tired and don't feel like scanning every single one of them. And since this is the last chapter, obviously this will spoil your entire experience of the second season anime.
I find it amusing that lately I can skip a couple of chapter of Fruits Basket and still able follow it quite well. I supposed it's a bit worrying as well because it means the plot develops at a snail pace. Having said that, there are some chapters that are still worth taking a look at and this one is one of them. I just think that this chapter is quite unusual to the point that it must be seen to be believed. It's also quite hard to digest at first because the concept that is introduced here is quite new. Each character in this series has been assigned a particular role right from the start. As a result, it's always hard to accept the character in an entirely new role. This is especially true of Akito, who's been positioned as the main antagonist of the series ever since the beginning. The change in her character feels quite jarring here. It's hard to believe that this is the same character who has caused so much pain to others before.
January 5, 2006 | 
118 Comments
* Do not direct-link to these images or reproduced them on other boards/forums
I realised that it's been a while since I wrote anything Furuba related. As I've mentioned before, I lost my interest in the series a few months ago and unfortunately, I haven't completely regained that interest. I just thought that lately the storyline has become a bit boring although I can't exactly pinpoint the problem. I think it's mostly because the series changed its focus from the everyday life theme to shocking revelations after revelations. I think the strength of Furuba lies in its character interactions and the small moments shared by those characters. This chapter seems to mark the return of this kind of interaction. Having said that, this is not a sign that I'm going to continue doing this on a permanent basis. I'm just going to feature whatever chapter I think is interesting from time to time just like other manga that I cover. Anyway, the focus this time is on the confrontation between Tohru and Akito, which I think suggests that the series is coming to a close very soon.
December 23, 2005 | 16 Comments
Well, this is the so called 'present' that I mentioned last week. I actually hesitated to put this out since the chapter has been out last week so it's not exactly new. As everyone already knows, episode 10 of Rozen Maiden Traumend will most likely deal with HinaIchigo's fate. However, judging from the preview, the story will most likely be different from the manga version. Please be aware that this is the first time I obtained BIRZ and and therefore, I have no idea what happened in the previous chapters. So there will be time in this entry where I have to guess what happened in the past. Anyway, this particular issue of BIRZ also comes with a nice-looking Shitajiki (pencil board) featuring Shinku. So if you're interested, here are the pictures of the cover and the Shitajiki (Do not direct-link or reproduce these images elsewhere):
BIRZ Cover: Rozen Maiden's Barasuishou and Shinku
BIRZ Shitajiki: Rozen Maiden's Shinku
December 1, 2005 | 23 Comments
Before Mai Hime came up with the idea of MIP, there was X, CLAMP's dark opus about the battle between Dragon of Heaven (Ten no Ryuu) and Dragon of Earth (Chi no Ryuu) to decide the fate of humanity. People who haven't read/watch the series are probably unaware of the part where this battle is complicated by the fact that all members of each faction have their own MIP that they want to protect. But because of this very point, it doesn't take long before twist of fate, violent death, treachery, and of course, the destruction of Tokyo, take place within the series. By 'series' I meant the TV series and the manga because the movie just throws all of that story-building out of the window. Anyway, while the TV series was completed, the manga is still not completed because CLAMP apparently refused to tone down the ending.
September 7, 2005 | 10 Comments
Well, here's the latest Evangelion chapter for everyone who still follows the manga's storyline. I'm sorry that I can't keep up with the series on a more consistent basis, but unfortunately I only like one or two series featured in Shounen Ace. As a result, I usually consider this anthology as a side purchase rather than one of those items that I must buy right away. As a side note, I decided to include Blood+ manga in this entry for those of you who are curious about the story of this upcoming fall anime series. Just be aware that there's a possibility that the anime story will be fairly close to the manga. So by reading this entry, you may end up spoiling the first couple episodes of the anime series. As usual, please do not make direct link to the images here or reproduce them on other site/board. If you want to link, then link to this entry instead.
I finally received my copy of CLAMP no Kiseki. Yeah, it's very late and all but the shipping fee is kind of expensive and I didn't want to bother my friend with too many shipping request. So in the end, I had to wait until there are a couple of them to send. Unfortunately, the magazine themselves are a bit of a letdown. I have a lot of CLAMP artworks and IIRC, the majority of the artworks featured in this magazine have been shown in those books. The rest of the content usually are filled with character information as well as interview with CLAMP about a particular series. And finally, there are some short original comics which I'm not too crazy about either.
Sorry for posting this late but I was hesitant to buy this month's Shounen Ace because I thought it doesn't have any EVA chapter. I don't really like other series inside Shounen Ace so I'm always hesitant to plonk money to buy this magazine. Sadamoto-sensei seems to follow CLAMP's way of writing when it comes to this series. One chapter in a month then no news for a couple of months. But then all of a sudden, there's another chapter when I least expect it. The problem is, unlike other series, EVA manga don't normally tells you when the next chapter will come. Oh well, at least Sadamoto's artworks are worth it. That light sketch of Rei at the end of this chapter, for example, is enough to make me worship at the altar of Sadamoto. :)
February 16, 2005 | 6 Comments
Well, here's the 8th Tsubasa hard cover manga scans. I'm sorry for taking this long to scan the image but I haven't had access to scanner for a while. As usual, CLAMP seems to maintain their high quality drawings. Kurogane and Fye are especially hillarious in this particular scene. I'm not even sure what those animals are since I haven't got the time to properly read the book but they sure look like a riot. Kurogane sure isn't happy about being glomped. :D The volume also featured an alternate universe version of X character, Karen. The cover this time features King Touya. The extras are pretty slim this time around with only one thin postcard featuring Shaoran included inside the book. This actually made me pause for a second or two when I first got the book. I actually wonder why I've been buying the hardcover since the extras usually are really not that great. I guess at this point in time I'm doing it simply to complete the collection.
February 9, 2005 | 67 Comments
Hardcore manga readers are most likely already aware of this Ohba Tsugumi/Obata Takeshi's famous series for a while now. Unfortunately, I was only vaguely aware of it until gprei, a regular poster on this blog told me about this a couple of weeks ago. I have to admit that I was rather surprised to see this kind of story appearing in the normally action-laden Shounen Jump. I think in a lot of ways Death Note (デスノート) is similar in style and tone to Seinen series such as Monster. This simply means that physical fight scenes or power-ups abilities are not the main features of the story. Instead the series focus more on a tense drama involving dangerous mind games between two very clever individuals. Having said that, while Monster is grounded in reality, this series uses supernatural theme as the basis for its story, thus the title of the manga.
After one year waiting, Evangelion finally returns to Shounen Ace with chapter 64. To be honest, I almost resigned to fate and actually thought that this series has suffered the same fate as X. Thankfully, that's not the case. Although one year waiting was really trying, it's good to finally see the series back. It also gives me hope that maybe X will be continued as well soon. I do wonder, however, if people are still excited about this series or have long forgotten about it. Anyway, this chapter is actually not that different from the anime except for one interesting revelation about Rei Ayanami's feeling. As usual, I'll have to ask you to not direct link to the images. Especially since I put these images on another server that doesn't have too much bandwidth.
December 7, 2004 | 19 Comments
Honestly, I'm not sure why some of you are that eager to see this particular Tsubasa cover. I think Chii looks really bad here. But I guess different strokes and all. Sorry for taking this long to scan this but honestly, I kind of lost interest in the series a bit. Maybe when the anime starts to air, I'll regain interest again. But for now, I'm still disappointed over the fact that CLAMP leave X in an incomplete state while pursuing other long-term projects. It doesn't help that some of the characters' poses in this volume's color illustrations are styled in similar manner to various X illustrations. On top of this, I've been wondering if this series actually has a story beyond its initial 'collect Sakura's feathers' premise. Because when I think about it, I'm not sure what kind of story CLAMP tries to tell in this manga.
October 25, 2004 | 81 Comments
Okay, before I begin, I have to say first that this will be the last continuous translation that I do. This means that I want to take a long break from doing any kind of translation and will only do one if the chapter is unusually interesting. There are many reasons that contribute to this decision but it's mostly because I need to get away from the series for a while. When I started doing this, I didn't meant to do it every single chapter. I wanted it as a side entry to compliment the anime entries. Lately, however, I feel that the blog has somehow become a Fruits Basket blog in the sense that people start asking about when the next translation coming on entries that are completely unrelated to it, or people direct-linking to the scans even when I asked them not to.
I don't particularly blame anyone for doing this because I know the series is popular but at the same time, I don't like what the blog is turning into. I also realised that lately I'm starting to lose interest in the series and that's not a good sign for me. I don't want to dislike the series so I better stop now while I still like it and then resume it later on when I regained interest in the series. In addition to these, real life has been catching up to me. My studies have been suffering lately because I've been kind of neglecting them. And since doing the translation/scanning/graphic manipulation often takes a long time for me, I'll have to forgo it for now. I'll probably also have to shorten my other blog entries in the future. Anyway, I'm sorry about this but it needs to be done.
This chapter basically deals with the aftermath of the previous chapter but unfortunately, it's not as great as I imagined it. It serves me right, I guess, for expecting the story to go the way I hoped it'll be. Never the less, I can't shake the disappointment especially since this is one chapter away from the big 100. This kind of chapter always makes me lose interest in the series from time to time. It feels as if the series is being stretched thin even when it's not necessary anymore. I supposed it gives the feeling that just like in real world, things don't happen overnight. Having said that, I still want the plot to move faster. BTW, I'm sorry to say this again but some of you don't seem to get it at all: please do not direct-link straight to the images. If you want to link, then link to this page.
September 4, 2004 | 56 Comments
Well, the revelations keep coming thick and fast. Although the ones revealed here are not as shocking as the one in the previous chapter, I think this week's revelations make last week's a bit more interesting. This chapter also confirms once and for all that Akito is indeed a girl. In fact, the amount of times the chapter goes through to emphasise this point is kind of ridiculous. There are some sentences in this chapter where the word '女の子 / Onna no Ko' (Girl) is used in reference to Akito to the point that the conversation feels unnatural. Anyway, the next chapter is not out until next month so don't hold your breath waiting for the next one.
Hmm, just when I'm about to lose interest in the series, Takaya-sensei has to throw in a shocking revelation. If you ask me, I don't know if this latest 'twist' was actually planned right from the start or simply a new idea that Takaya-sensei came up with very recently. But if one really thinks about it, this series does have a long list of characters with similar issues to a certain extent so maybe this revelation was actually planned right from the start. Anyway, this chapter is actually a continuation of the last chapter and as a result, not many characters appear in this chapter. Those who appear are: Tohru, Kureno, Shigure, Akito and one pair of boobs courtesy of Akito ;)
The series finally moves in to deal with the curse part of the story. As usual, however, there are more questions asked than answered, and it's getting a bit frustrating sometimes. Having said that, this is a rather interesting chapter that deals with Kureno and his association with Akito. It seems unlike the other Sohmas, Kureno really cares about Akito. And interestingly enough, unlike the other Sohmas, there is something else that makes Kureno a little bit different. This chapter also shows the other side of Shigure that has always been hinted at but was never shown clearly before. Unfortunately, there is not much of anyone else in this chapter apart from some minor story about Izusu, Yuki and Momiji. I supposed it's a nice break after the rather couple-heavy focus of the previous chapter.
I just realised that I haven't scanned the last 2 Tsubasa Hardcovers. Well, it's kind of hard to do this when I didn't even open the books ever since I got them a couple of weeks ago. I was kind of bored, and in some ways, a bit pissed off at the series because it indirectly makes CLAMP postponed their work on X, which I consider a much superior story. Anyway, the entire hardcover version of Tsubasa makes me wish that CLAMP will give X the same kind of treatment in the future or at least half of the attention that they've given to this dimension-travel series at the moment. For now, I'm a bit mollified with the fact that these two volumes present three crossover characters from X: Yuzuriha Nekoi, Kusaragi Shiyu, and a young Seishirou Sakurazuka (who physically looks very similar to Subaru).
Well, here it is: the final chapter of Midori no Hibi manga. I am not really sure the number of this chapter because I missed out on some chapters and Shounen Sunday magazine had a double-issue edition a couple of weeks ago. Having said that, if my calculation is correct, I think this is supposed to be chapter 85. Anyway, it turns out the manga does not end any different from the anime. There are some small differences but definitely not enough to make it stand out more than the anime. The only thing that the manga has that the anime lack is Seiji telling Midori that he loves her too. So if you were one of those people who were annoyed that Seiji didn't say the S word (Suki) to Midori in the anime, you probably like this one better.
Since I'm obsessed with Naruto lately, I think I'll pimp this artbook a little bit. Uzumaki is the new artbook from Masashi Kishimoto, the author and designer of the series. This is actually a collection of the manga colour illustrations that appeared ever since the series started. So don't expect any anime images here. In addition to this, there aren't that many new and original illustrations on this book. If you have been following Naruto, you probably have seen the majority of these images somewhere. There are some exception to these such as the first image that I included below. But apart from that, they're just collections of previous images that have appeared in the weekly Shounen Jump. These includes those character ranking images as well as the complete manga covers.
I feel that lately my interest in this manga is kind of muted. This is partly because I've been a bit obsessed with Naruto at the moment and can't get my mind off that series. But it's also because nothing much have happened thus far with this series. There have been some good character development lately but as far as storyline goes, I feel that it still remains as the way it was when the last New Year's Eve story happened. And that was already quite a long time ago. Anyway, unlike the last chapter, this one seems to focus on multitude of characters for a change. The chapter also ends in a non-cliffhanger note just like the last one. This is good because the next chapter won't come out until next month so it will be annoying if a cliffhanger happens at the end of this chapter and the story is postponed for one month.
Since the last four or five chapters have been spent on developing the back story of Tohru, Kyou, and Kyoko, it's not surprising to see this chapter focusing exclusively on Yuki and his development. This chapter, however, is quite interesting because we get to see Yuki from the perspective of another student who reminds me of Yuki from a couple of years ago. Just like Yuki, Machi seems to suffer from a self-confidence problem, mostly thanks to her patronising mother. But when you see Machi and Yuki side by side right now, you can easily tell how far Yuki has changed as a person. He definitely has opened up a lot more these days. I attribute this mostly to his determination to find friends outside the Sohma family.
Attempted suicide! Feeling of abandonment! Horror! It seems this chapter almost has it all. And yet somehow the chapter still manages to tell a harrowing story that I think only Fruits Basket can do so well. It's amazing how one little drawing of a character in this manga is more than enough to describe the situation and feeling that the character feels at that time. Anyway, this particular chapter continues the story of Kyoko's life after Katsuya's death and it is finally confirmed that Kyoko has not always been the model mother that we've been lead to believe. The chapter also adds a rather new subplot, depending on how one looks at it. This means that it doesn't look as if the series is going to end anytime soon.
It looks like my theory about Katsuya's motivation is completely wrong. I still think he's a bit 'off' somehow, but it seems the only 'secret' he possibly kept from Kyoko is simply a matter of his own health. This bothers me a little bit because the entire Katsuya and Kyoko story ends up not being any different from what Tohru said before in the earlier chapters. It feels as if the manga is being stretched out thin when there is no need to do so. Oh well, at the very least, this story will provide some insight into Kyoko's struggle in rising Tohru on her own. But if there is something that I really want to see coming out of this mini-plot is the knowledge on how Kyoko gets to know Kyou Sohma when he was a little kid. From what I've read so far, it looks like Kyou knew her for quite a while so I wonder if she also knew the other Sohma family members.
This chapter basically continues the flashback story of Kyoko and Katsuya. I find it strange, however, that Kyou seems to know a lot about Kyoko and Katsuya (since I assume this story is told through Kyou's memory). Oh well, I'll just assume that Kyoko did sympathise a lot with Kyou's fate to the point that she told him the story of her life. At the same time, since no one else seems to know about Kyoko's background, this kind of implies that Kyoko had no other person to talk to about her own past. It is sad in some ways but not unusual either because sometimes humans don't want to burden the people that they love or know with some sad stories of their life and find it easier to actually spill his/her sorrow to a complete stranger.
I ended taking a look at these chapters because I was curious about the latest development in the series after someone asked me if the series is actually going anywhere as of late. Thankfully my local Japanese bookstore still has the two latest issues of Shounen Sunday Magazine. Unfortunately, I can't find a copy of the magazine that has chapter 73 of the manga. At any rate, it looks like the series is going somewhere and I think there is a big possibility that the manga will end very soon. As usual, be aware that this is just a rough summary and unless you've followed the manga or like reading spoilers like myself, then don't proceed any further.
I am sorry for not posting this one sooner but to be honest, I wasn't exactly excited with this particular chapter and I still have to catch up on the new anime as well as other things that I prefer to watch or read first. Anyway, this chapter is basically all about the first encounter betwen Kyoko and Katsuya (Tohru's mother and father). And yes, that is Katsuya that is featured on the colour layout. And his physical similarity to Kyou hasn't lost on me. It looks like the mangaka likes the idea of showing Kyoko and Katsuya as the mature version of Tohru and Kyou while making Kisa and Hiro looking like the younger version of the two. But don't let the physical resemblence fools you. As this chapter shows, Katsuya and Kyou can't be more different to one another even if they try.
It's been a while since I last bought a copy of Tsubasa Hardcover Edition. To be honest, I am actually wondering if this story will go anywhere at all. It was fun for a while but right now I think CLAMP should stop before the storyline becomes repetitive. This manga starts to feel like Sliders, if you actually ever managed to see that Sci-Fi show where the main characters jump into a parallel world, do what they need to do, and then move on to another parallel world.
February 23, 2004 | 18 Comments
Yikes, I've been too focused on getting the 26th February issue of Shounen Ace (which hopefully will contain a new chapter of Evangelion) to the point that I forgot that there is a new chapter of Fruits Basket inside this week's Hana to Yume. So thanks to those of you who reminded me about it. This chapter turns out to be as thick as the last one and that can't be a good thing as far as I know when it comes to manga chapter releases. Normally a thick chapter is followed by either a very thin chapter on the next issue or no chapter whatsoever. In Furuba's case this time around, there won't be any new Furuba chapter until April 5th, 2004. Well, at least we know when to expect the next chapter. I wish I can say the same thing about EVA and X.
February 7, 2004 | 18 Comments
Well, this is one thick chapter. Basically we know get to see the Cinderella school play after the wacky hijinks of last chapter's rehearsal. As mentioned last week, due to the clash between the personality of the players and the personality of the characters that they play, the play committee decided to change the script of the school play. In doing so, they have created one hell of a weird but unbelievably funny version of 'Cinderella'.
January 21, 2004 | 11 Comments
For those of you who are interested, this particular chapter of Fruits Basket manga can be found inside Hana to Yume issue 4/2004. Included with this chapter is a 2-pages color spread of Hiro (the Sheep) and Ritsu (the Monkey) trying out their New Year celebration clothing. I assume this is because we're closing in to the Lunar New Year, where the year of the Sheep will be replaced by the year of the Monkey in the Lunar calendar. So Happy New Year to those of you who celebrate it.
January 14, 2004 | 16 Comments
It looks like I've become addicted to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle's artstyle after all. I ended up purchasing the Hardcover Edition vol.3 from Amazon Japan because I was afraid if I don't buy it now, it'll be out of stock before I have the chance to get one. Besides, I find the series' entire dimension-travel story to be quite interesting. It makes me wonder, however, if some of the scenarios in this other dimensions could be a possibility in other CLAMP's series. For example, there is a particular dimension in Tsubasa, where Sorata and Arashi (of X) live happily together in an apartment that doesn't look that different from the place where Hideki and Chii (from Chobits) lives. Because of this, I wonder if this is a hint that CLAMP gave to the readers in regards to Sorata and Arashii's future fate in X manga.
After another long wait, Shounen Ace (issue 2/2004) finally presents a new chapter of the Evangelion manga. For those of you who like freebies, this edition of Shounen Ace also comes with a free Eva Shitajiki (pencil board) that features one of the two new illustrations created by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto for the Renewal project. As for the story itself, it's basically a retelling of the Eva units vs Armisael fight. In case you've forgotten about it, Armisael is the angel that looks like a chain of DNA linked together forming a ringband and then later on unchained itself to attack Rei and Shinji. Having said that, the manga shows a rather different take of the scene than the one that was presented in the anime.
December 31, 2003 | 12 Comments
Well, I supposed I'm a bit late to talk about this one since the manga came out on the 19th of this month. But it's a very interesting chapter that I think deserves the attention of other Fruits Basket fans. Those of you who have watched the anime know that the ending for that version ends rather abruptly because the manga version is not finished yet. Well, it's still not finished. We're up to chapter 86 at the moment which was released on Hana to Yume issue 2/2004. If you prefer to wait until the tankouban comes out, I think this particular chapter will be a part of tankouban vol.15 (only 13 tankoubans have been released thus far).
December 14, 2003 | 4 Comments
Uhm, it looks like I got suckered into the X-mas buying mentality. I went to my local Kinokuniya bookstore to see if they have the bilingual version of Fruits Basket (I know Tokyopop is going to bring the English language version next year in February but still, I was curious of this bilingual version). But when I couldn't find it, I instead ended up buying the Hardcover Edition of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Vol.2. But hey, I got a great excuse for it, I was pressured by all of the X-mas buying mentality (yeah, that's a good one!) and the artworks inside the book are worth the price tags (around $18 US Dollar - you can probably get it cheaper online).
It looks like CLAMP is still on hiatus when it comes to writing fresh new chapter of X manga. It's been 6 months since the series was last seen inside ASUKA magazine. So now I am a bit worried because the manga have been running for 10+ years, and yet, there is no end in sight. Meanwhile, the film and the TV series versions have been concluded a couple of years ago. I hope CLAMP have a plan to finish the story properly and not just leave it in its current state for a long time. Especially since the last chapter of the manga ends in a cliffhanger.
X Chapter 20
