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Archive for January, 2009

Review: The Antique Gift Shop (Vol. 06)

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, January 5, 2009

Manhwa-ga: Lee Eun
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: December 2008

Synopsis: “Donning a disguise complete with a pair of antique galsses for an impending (and potentially embarrassing) doctor’s appointment, Bun-Nyuh never expected to find true love in the waiting love! But when the handsome young physician seems equally floored by her, a romantic escapade might just be around the corner. However, love at first sight is not all it seems… especially when you’re looking at the world through someone else’s glasses…”

Some womanly concerns send Bun-Nyuh to a doctor but embarrassment over the possibilities leave her bundled under a disguise. But one look at the doctor and it was love at first sight! And maybe the same from him…?

Categories: Manhwa, Reviews, Yen Press |

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CLAMP Appreciation Fanbook

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, January 5, 2009

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CLAMP Appreciation Fanbook Project

CLAMP fans out there will likely be interested in a new, though very steadily growing, project by CLAMPNow, one of the web’s largest CLAMP fan-communities. As the four women manga team celebrates their 20th Anniversary, the fans would like to give them something to show our appreciation and so came about the ‘Happy 20th Anniversary •CLAMP• Appreciation Fanbook Project‘. If you’d like more information on the project or would like to contribute, then definately check out the link above. It’s a fun project with a lot of talent and enthusiasm behind it, so here’s to a great success!

_{Image above provided by project coodinators}

Categories: Manga, Misc |

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Review: A Capable Man

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, January 4, 2009

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Manga-ka: Hinako Takanaga
Publisher: BLU
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: November 2008

Synopsis: “Shingo has always liked guys who are exceptional. His best friend, Koji, is the smartest, fastest and hottest gy in the school. But what Shingo doesn’t know is that Koji has worked hard to be so exceptional – and he’s it to impress Shingo! Why? He’s in love with Shingo of course! But all is about to be revealed, because when Shingo’s just-as-impressive cousin comes into town, Koji realizes he’ll have to confess everything or risk losing his one true love forever…”

A Capable Man is a collection of short stories by Hinako Takanaga, each with its own set of characters and their own little worries, issues and fetishes. Ranging from bad hair days to masochists, there’s plenty to surprise and entertain readers in this assortment of boys’ love.

Categories: Manga, Reviews, Yaoi/Boys' Love |

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Review: Black Cat (Vol. 17)

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, January 3, 2009

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Manga-ka: Kentaro Yabuki
Publisher: Viz
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: November 2008

Synopsis:
“The final stage of the battle begins! Now that Train and the Sweepers have reached Creed’s hideout, there is no turning back. But for Train, it’s not about avenging Saya’s death anymore. He’s risking his life to capture Creed as a member of the Sweeper Alliance.”

No surprise after the last volume’s pace that volume seventeen is brimming with action. What remains of the Sweeper Alliance forges their way to Creed’s estate, determined to see him defeated once and for all. But before they can finally face him, more of the powerful members of Tao resurface to cause problems and it takes every one of the characters, major and minor, to make it through.

Categories: Manga, Reviews, Viz Media |

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Review: Cynical Orange (Vol. 05)

By Marsha Reid on Friday, January 2, 2009

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Manhwa-ga: Yun JiUn
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis: “The gaiety of the school festival takes an unexpected turn when Ma-Ha is accosted by a group of his former girlfriends! Unabashed, Ma-Ha introduces them all to a shocked Hye-Min: How can they all stay friends with him when he’s such a player? But with Hye-Min’s popularity at an all-time low, she is surprised to find such good friends among Ma-Ha’s slighted exes. Hye-Min finds herself in a group of companions, forcing her to look closely at the cold, isolated person she’s always been.”

It’s a new beginning for Hye-Min, as the life of being girlfriend to the famous playboy, Ma-Ha, takes her down new roads. Her past has been full of elegant silence, but there’s no way Ma-Ha will let her get away with sitting on the sidelines anymore. Dragging her into his world by the wrist, she is forced to find out that other people aren’t so bad, and there is life beyond the walls of Piper.

Categories: Manhwa, Reviews, Yen Press |

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Review: The Dawn of Love

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 1, 2009

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Manga-ka: Kazuho Hirokawa
Publisher: DMP
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: November 2008

Synopsis: “When law student Masahiro Matsunaga has his eye caught by the beautiful, seductive Takane, it’s lust at first sight. No matter what, Masahiro simply must bed his gorgeous classmate, even if it amounts to a one-night fling. After discovering his goal was easier to achieve than he’d realized, Masahiro finds he’s in another dilemma – once is not enough! It becomes all Takane all the time as far as Masahiro is concerned, but the object of his obsession has no lack of other “sex friends”. For Takane, committing to one lover is a ridiculous proposition, one he’d never consider, unless Masahiro can make the case for monogamy. Is it possible for animal lust to grow into true love?”

The Dawn of Love had a few things in its favour as far as I was concerned the moment I got mid-way through chapter one. Most of all, the two leads are already gay. They’ve come out, had their share of lovers and have no regrets as to the matter, eliminationg the need for the most-often required acceptance that two boys in a yaoi will fall in love with eachother with little thought to their sexuality or consequences. Our two college students are quite comfortable being gay and a not a moment is spent questioning otherwise, leaving time for the big question that rules the majority of the book: ‘Can monogamy work between two men?’

Categories: June, Manga, Reviews, Yaoi/Boys' Love |

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Funimation Domination, Boys’ Love and Other Stuff

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 1, 2009

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Nabari No Ou

I’m not a big anime-watcher these days so I tend to leave the anime news to other sources but since so much has come up in the last little while, I figured it’d be of interest to my visitors for some sharing. And so, quick anime recap!

Funimation’s big New Show-A-Go-Go has come to an end with lots of Geneon rescues, a few inevitables and a couple surprises. The complete list of licenses are:

Ikki Tousen
Gad Guard
Vandread
Nabari No Ou
Last Exile
Oh! Edo Rocket

Gankutsuo: Count of Monte Cristo
Slayers Revolution
Gungrave
Samurai Champloo
Soul Eater
Evangelion: 1.0

It’s great seeing Funimation rescue some of these great series and it’ll likely mean that fans will see some affordable boxsets in the future. May I highly recommend Gankutsuo, Gungrave and Last Exile. I’m also happy to see Nabari no Ou licensed because I’d really like to watch it after seeing the first episode a while back. Oh Funimation, you’re making an anime-watcher out of me again!

December was a month of boys’ love anime announcements following the news that the manga Sex Pistols would be made into a set of OVAs. Now not only are we getting an animated version of Kaori Monchi’s Hey! Class President, but also a remake of the retro-popular Ai No Kusabi (and the leads are very attractively redesigned, if I do say so myself).

Meanwhile, Crunchyroll is on, well… a roll, when it comes to picking up animes for showing on their free, ad-supported website. Since stripping the site of its illegal fansubbed work, they’ve wasted little time in refilling the site with lots of subbed, legal and still free works to view streamed from their site. Since the list is too long for me to dig for and post, I’ll just direct you here. Happy legal watching!

And finally for this anime-day posting, it was announced early in December that CLAMP’s Kobato series would be getting the anime treatment by Madhouse. All I can say is that if the studio handles it half as well as they did Cardcaptor Sakura, then all is well in the anime world as far as I’m concerned ;)

Categories: Anime, Licensing, Yaoi/Boys' Love |

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Starting 2009 with Fancy Fella

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 1, 2009

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Not only does tonight mark the beginning of 2009, it also marks another year of my friends’ traditional holiday gift exchanges. As usual my friends all treated me with some fantastic and creative gifts, one of which I can’t help but share with you! The image to the left is a Fella plushie (Deviantart‘s mascot), who has been purchased for me and creatively dressed up to look like my ~~crush~~ favorite character from Kubo Tite’s Bleach, Uryuu Ishida. This fun present was compliments of my good friend and fellower Kuriousity reviewer, Marsha Reid! Ain’t he cute?! I also recieved the Marvel released Spiderman manga, SpiderMan J which looks so ridiculously adorable and, well, ridiculous, that I can’t wait to read it! It was a blizzardly but fun New Years Eve with good drink, good food and great friends. I hope all can say the same and are enjoying the first few hours of the next 365 days! Welcome 2009 :) Expect some news recaps and reviews to continue tomorrow as Kuriousity kicks off the new year!