Through the Milky Way

I love Morinaga Milk's work centering around the Hitomi/Nana couple. It's as cute as Girl Friends with Mari and Akko.




Even if we're not friends by Morinaga Milk
About: Two girls who were friends in junior high but end up going to different high schools.
Read online: Dynasty Reader | download
Status: COMPLETE (one-shot)
My rating: 8/10
Reaction: I think these girls make a pretty big deal out of it about either or not going to the same school together.



If I Kiss Her Ring Finger by Morinaga Milk
About: Nana wants to take things farther with Hitomi, but Hitomi doesn't seem interested. Meanwhile, Nana's failed her midterms, and she uses the make-up tests as an excuse to avoid Hitomi.
Read online: Dynasty Reader | download
Status: COMPLETE (one-shot)
My rating: 10/10
Reaction: This was just so cute and very sweet. Nana and Hitomi have been going out for quite some time now, but Nana was afraid that upon declaring her love to Hitomi first, she'd make herself vulnerable. Plus, she wanted to take things further with her. It was such a romantic gesture, really, kissing the ring finger as another way of saying "I love you". Sweet...


Chocolate Kiss Kiss by Morinaga Milk
About: Valentine's Day is coming up, bringing both sweet and sad memories for Nana and Hitomi.
Read online: Manga Fox | download
Status: COMPLETE (one-shot)
My rating: 8/10
Reaction: I love this one-shot. This is definitely a nice read when you've enjoyed Girl Friends. Nana and Hitomi are close friends, with one of them having secret feelings for her friend but she couldn't express them until the right moment came: Valentine's Day.


Wishing on the Moon by Morinaga Milk
About: It's the final story in the series that began with "Even If We're Not Friends" and continued in "If I Kiss Her Ring Finger" and "Chocolate Kiss Kiss." Can Nana and Hitomi manage to balance their relationship with the other demands on their time?
Read online: Dynasty Reader | download
Status: COMPLETE (one-shot)
My rating: 9/10
Reaction: Aww! Secret dates under the moon, stolen kisses when no one's watching, covertly holding hands together...simply sweet.


This takes place in the same setting as "Even if We're Not Friends," but centers around different characters.

A Kiss, Love and a Prince by Morinaga Milk
About: The main character is kissed by her sempai, who is playing opposite her in the school play, and freaks out because she always imagined her first kiss would be with a boy, preferably a dashing prince.
Read online: lililicious | download
Status: COMPLETE (one-shot)
My rating: 8/10
Reaction: The story ended so quickly! Ugh! But the kissing scene was very sweet.

CH. 3 is finally UP! Read online at Manga Fox.

Yay, I was so excited! Rui is just so cute when she finally meets again the person she so much admires and worships since childhood, her sole reason why she started playing soccer in the first place. Guess, who I mean? :)

Thanks to YuriGirl's blog for sharing about this manga.

Read online: Manga Fox
Author: Fuduo Ran
Scanlation Group: Ala Atra Scans
Summary: Little Rui having lost her mother is sent by her father to be taken care of by a girl named Honoko, who looks almost identical to her own mother. But it's not just her face that has grabbed Rui's attraction to Honoko....it's also the passion for soccer!
Promising to become pro and play alongside her adopted sister Honoko, 13yr old blue-eyed Rui would let nothing stop her!

Recommendation: If you like a cute blonde and blue-eyed girl or just generally cute girls playing soccer, all of them with a common ambition in life, then this manga is for you!

Reaction: Wow, this manga is just what I like in a manga: Art (10/10), Visual Perspective (10/10), Characters (9/10), Story (9/10), POV (6/10) it jumps between Rui and Yayoi (the other newcomer), and Yuri (7/10). The yuri-part might change as the story progresses. What bugs me just now is that there's already excessive groping between the girls. Rui is only 13 years old, and her senpai grabs her breast as if it's nothing. Rui shrieks, and is totoally baffled, like WTH? It's funny if you read it, but that's sexual harassment nonetheless, especially if done to a minor! So wrong!

There are just the first two chapters so far, but damn, I love it already. It's about soccer, young girls playing soccer!!! And not just any girls, but beautiful girls, cute girls. And with such talent! I love the main protagonists, the blonde Rui, and the 15-year old Yayoi, Rui's roommate. We don't know yet much about the legendary Honoko. But surely there'll be more about her later.

This manga looks quite interesting. Another brunette/blonde couple. I'd be sure to keep track of it and hope to find a scanlated version, soon! I can't wait to find out what it's about. :)

This manga's title is called Alice Death (one) by Izumi and the Oto.

Release Date: 17 July 2010

Since I'm still awaiting the new chapters of Koburiawase and The Secret Recipe, I thought I'd read some other yuri manga stuff. Those I came across were...gross. Why? Because most of them contain incest between sisters! DX Sorry, it's not my cup of tea. This is why I can't bring myself to read the manga Candy Boy, even though lots of people are fans of it, even though the art is terrific, the plot probably is fantastic, and it's been recommended on most Yuri manga forums, blogs, websites, I just don't like it...

I tried, really, I did try watching the anime. I only came across this anime because I read it in a forum, and it was on a Top 10 list, and I did not read the synopsis. I was drawn by the art itself. The first few minutes were harmless. Two girls were lying in bed, entangled, just waking up. Then one of them was getting ready for school, and was trying to wake up her sister, to go to school together. Now the girl who was still asleep was having, I assume, a hot dream about her sister. In her half-sleep state she pulled her sister close to her and all that cuddling, and smooching, and the sweet-talk began. I couldn't finish watching it.

Just like people dislike same-sex relationships and think it's "wrong", I think incest is worse! What could be more wrong than a same-sex relationship between two siblings? Reminds me of the saying, "Two wrongs don't make a right" lol, but I'm digressing.

There is this other anime I've watched long time ago, Angel Sanctuary [manga][anime]. It's about a boy, a high school student, Mudou Setsuna, and is the reincarnation of a powerful angel. Good so far. Interesting. But Setsuna loves his sister...and in a wrong way. And she turns out to be in love with her brother, too. So friggin' wrong! I watched the OVA, a 3-episode anime. Since it was the very first incest anime that I've watched, I was still kinda, well, unaffected by this kind of love. It's like when you see for the first time in your life two girls/two boys kissing, and later on you realize you don't actually like it.

What do the fans like about this? Serious question, I just want to understand...

Synopsis: A series of events unfold in Shangai, China, starting with the arrival of two Japanese photographers taking pictures there during a festival. But before they know it they, and many other people, will be entangled in a series of events that will affect the whole world, including a deadly virus. ~ T.H.E.M

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Superpower
Format: TV anime (13 Episodes)
Original run: July 4, 2009 – September 26, 2009
Director: Masahiro Ando
Writer: Mari Okada



Watch CANAAN online at: Anime Avenue (subbed) | chia-anime (subbed)


Comment: After watching and re-watching a few of my favorite scenes, I'm still not sure whether I liked this anime or not. Yes, the drawing and visual style were GREAT, but still... While the storyline was quite interesting at the beginning it turned out to be boring towards the end. I mean, to put it simply, both girls, Canaan (protagonist) and Alphard (antagonist), were fighting over some dead dude's spirit?

One sought revenge and wanted to "counter hatred with hatred", while the other sought freedom, release from said dude's spirit. If I understood correctly, she wanted to be the "only Canaan", too, because this dude who died (their mentor), has treated and raised both girls equally, named them both "Canaan" (making them feel special), taught them cool combats, etc. except that he saw more potential in the younger girl who turned out to be the Canaan of the series. They've become arch-enemies and rivals ever since this dude got killed by one of his apprentices, the two Canaans.

My head actually cracked understand this plot.

All the action scenes, choreography, the idea of what it's like being a synesthesist, showing the horrendous side-effect of the Ua Virus, the animated blood, etc. these were all what has made this anime worth watching. The storyline though was lame.

Friend of Protagonist gets targeted by the enemy throughout the series. Friend of Protagonist has amnesia, doesn't know why she's being targeted. Friend of Protagonist doesn't want to be protected anymore. The only way to trigger Protagonist's true strength is by killing her Friend, so naturally, Friend of Protagonist sacrifices herself by blowing herself up in order to save Protagonist's life during a battle with Antagonist.

Yeah, alright. Got it. And of course, there's the whole Ua Virus going around, infecting people. There are lots of terrorists, too, the Air Force blowing up buildings; Unblooms walking like zombies; children playing in blood...

Anyway, I didn't like the ending very much. Neither Canaan nor Maria know whether the other was still alive -- they only felt it. They felt each other's presence despite the long distance between them. Maria Osawa went back to Japan, and Canaan continued her job as an assassin in Shangai, China.

The implied Yuri, or rather, shoujo-ai between Canaan and Maria is their love for each other as being BEST FRIENDS despite their differences. They hold hands, they look at each other's eyes deeply and blush, they speak openly about their fears and feelings. Maria is kinda the source of Canaan's motivation or the source of strength to fight. She's the "light" Canaan wants to protect. All this, however, does NOT necessarily mean that they are in love with each other.

Anyway, I did like the other supporting characters, too. Yun Yun, or even Hakko, both Borners, which means they both carry the Ua Virus but survived it. Its effect, however, differs in both women. Yun Yun is almost just "ordinary", feisty and fun to be with, while Hakko is this sexy character, who at first appears to be "mute", but actually has a voice that can kill.

That's it for now. I'm looking forward to watching the CANAAN movies, because the series has left me open-mouthed! They can't seriously end it like that, can they? o.O

Images to CANAAN!

Girl Friends by Morinaga Milk
About: Akko and Mari are best friends, but what if one of them discovers that her feelings are more than that of just girl friends?
Read online: Manga Fox | download (scanlation team: makimaki)
Status: ongoing EDIT: COMPLETE
My rating: 10/10
Reaction: I like it so far! The art is amazing! It's also very funny and there's lots of romance and miscommunication between the two protagonists.

Synopsis: Mireille Bouquet is an assassin for hire who gets a mysterious job request from a Japanese school girl, Yumura Kirika. After a quick scuffle with agents from a shady organization, these two girls decide to join forces in order to uncover the truth of their attackers and of themselves. ~ Nihon

Genre: Action/Drama
Company: Bee Train/Victor Entertainment
Format: 26 episodes



Comment: I thought since my initial review (here) of Madlax has changed and I learned to actually love that anime that my opinion about Noir will change also. But I was wrong! So very wrong! I thought I'd give it a try but in the end I wasted 13hours (not at one sitting) of watching this anime...because I thought, hey maybe the next episode will be better, maybe they will reveal more, maybe...maybe...maybe. My opinion didn't change at all. It was boring, despite all the stunning action scenes and the very well-done choreography, the whole plot was boring! My favorite part in these "girls-with-guns" themes is when the lead roles point their guns at each other's heads, and it happened several times in this anime. A plus point for that.

The last few episodes have surprised me, though. I did like Kirika at the end because finally she was showing some emotions; she was showing anger, and she could scream! She yelled Mireille's name from the bottom of her lungs whenever Mireille, who keeps reminding Kirika that Mireille will kill her at the end, was in danger. Kirika has saved Mireille on several occasions, even missed her big chance opportunity to finally find out about her past just to save Mireille. Why I'm referring to something as trivial as "voices" here was because Kirika's low and quiet voice totally pi**ed me off at the beginning. Maybe because she reminds me too much of myself. lol Whatever...


Watch Noir online:
at AnimeFreak (dubbed) | watchanimeonline (dubbed)

Since the episode titles are in Japanese (or if you're lucky, and find one where they have this translated, good for you), here's the link to the Episode guide.


Images
(images from several sources)



























Reviews:

While the creators try to make Noir as realistic as possible, certain things are still glaring. The first thing that strikes is that while people are dying left, right, and center, there's hardly a drop of blood spilled. The wounds are all incredibly clean. The second is what I'd like to call the Rambo element - where there are 100 dudes all totting submachine guns but their bullets will never hit their targets while a single shot fired by our ladies will drop them immediately.

- T.H.E.M

And much of the episodes do focus on the growing friendship/bond between Mireille and Kirika - two lonely girls who have this knack for avoiding death at all costs and who have never really trusted anyone before. That character development also plays out well in the final episodes.

- Animetique

Plot Summary: In the country of Gazth-Sonika, civil war rages. There, a mercenary called Madlax plies her trade, with almost supernatural skill. In the seemingly peaceful country of Nafrece, Margaret Burton lives a tranquil life. As separate as their lives may seem, the two are connected by ties of mystery, and by a holy book that is also sought by the shadowy organisation, Enfant. As Margaret and Madlax follow the path of their destiny, they come ever closer to uncovering the truth - with no guarantee that it is a truth they can bear to learn. ~ IMDb


Genres: action, drama, mystery, psychological, supernatural

Themes: assassins, girls with guns, military

Comment: I totally loved this anime! There was lots of mystery, action scenes, violence, and what it means to have friends in life, or to look after someone you care so much about, and protect this person with your life. It was almost heart-touching seeing Madlax, a professional mercenary-for-hire AKA "kind assassin", turning from a "robotic-killing-machine" to a person who was actually regretting what she was doing, that she could kill people very easily and yet feel nothing, not even compassion. She was never happy with her life, but she felt like it was her only purpose.

Margaret Burton, the other lead role, was the most boring character, EVER! She has all money in the world, lives with a maid who takes care of her, lives in a mansion, yet her life was dull, in great contrast to Madlax' life. Given that Margaret has lost her memory, almost didn't have a personality, but did she really have to be THAT boring, "dumb" and "naive", too? I mean, yes, I understood later on why she was like that, and her link to Madlax, why they were so much alike despite the differences, but still. As much as I have loved Madlax's character, I have disliked Margaret's.

However, watching this anime requires a lot of patience to finally understand what was going on, because the pace of the plot was horrendously slow! Anyway, this was my opinion of this anime, read my first impression in this post.


Watch Madlax online
at JustDubs (dubbed) | AnimeNetZone (dubbed)

List of Madlax characters:









(click image to view complete list)

Images to Madlax