Stuff I have read
Mar. 28th, 2010 02:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
petroniaSteven Brust, Jhegaala: Vlad can't catch a break, can he? And he made it sound like he had an okay time out East when he mentioned it later. I think I was expecting - well, plot, sure - but more nuanced character development about Vlad not being able to connect entirely with his roots, the alienation of the third-gen immigrant from dual conflicting identities et cetera and so forth, not TORTURE. XD;; This was as much a cut-and-dry procedural as the Indridason the other week, down to the repetitive structure of "I got
up, did some investigating, ran into brick walls, got drunk at the hotel bar before going back up to my room. Next day, got up..." Basically, Vlad is the catalyst for the combustion of a preexisting situation, but he has no idea what's going on for the longest time. And then he's flat on his back and miserable, which I felt for because I read the book while flat on my back completely exhausted. XD;
After I posted about Issola I searched up a review of Jhegaala from a flister I didn't read due to spoilers, and now I'm going nuts because I can't find it anymore.
Yamane Ayano, the end of Viewfinder (OMEDETOU!!): I really didn't know how this ended. XDD The last chapter I'd read was the one in which Feilong sits on Asami and they have an awkward conversation, and that only partially. It's as hilarious as I'd hoped and more: it literally took me three hours to read the one tankoubon because I had to stop every two pages to LOL IRL. And also because my Japanese has gone down the tubes. But mostly because shiz is hilarious.
My 2006 predictions came true, with the major difference being Mikhail who grew a personality (...and, I could swear, different hair). Which is hilarious.
I appreciate Yamane, rather than tying up loose ends, just blowing it the hell wide open as she chugs full-steam toward the ending, letting chips fall as they may with the intent of sorting them out in future when she decides to pick them up again.* By this point she has the makings of an entire Feilong-centric spinoff in which he actually gets to be the hime-sama he's most comfortable being. But I don't think she wants this 'verse without Asami front and centre... XD Reading her afterword it's clear (and anyway she'd said it before) that if she'd had her druthers Feilong would've been a lot more OTT crazy and villainous and shot more ppl eventually coming to a operatically tragic end probably redeeming himself for his lost love etcetc, but that just became a no-go, both fan-wise** and... well, this is not the character you've written, lady. The tragic ending would've been for Feilong to spark off a three-way bloodbath (in fact, if this were gangster-flick "realistic" the Takaba-Yuri-Yoh chase would've done so regardless); instead he loses control of the situation early on and simply never regains it. There are epic conversations. About feelings. The whole affair becomes so awkward by the end that when Takaba tells everyone what to do they go along with it, even the Moscovite irruption.
The other thing is that the tankoubon-only story is essential! What I like about Yamane is that she may write OTT kink meme sex but her view of... human relationships?... is fundamentally level-headed such that she'll never be unintentionally creepy. So I was thinking, is Yamane in her infinite wisdom seriously going to leave this on a note of "my past life is but a fleeting dream for I can think of nothing but you," and... she didn't! Asami talks and everything. XD Kind of amazing that Takaba is finally able to model a mental concept of Asami as a dude who has feelings, A HEART etc. by... grokking of what Feilong wanted from Asami? And then deciding that he can't play this game and expect to win without SELF-ACTUALIZATION. Because that is clearly what Asami was trying to get Feilong to do all along: self-actualize. &bawling; Meanwhile Yamane rants in the afterword about this being the "fruity drink" version of the manga, which I eventually understood to mean that she has a sort of mental image of Asami-as-evil-mobster-boss-dressup-fashion-paper-doll, with different objects in his hand eg. gun, cell phone, whiskey glass... fruity drink with umbrella in. And matching popped-collar designer polo.
* What on earth were Mikhail's scars about? He might have been talking about Yuri but they clearly didn't have that kind of relationship.
** The fans clapped for Yoh too, like Tinkerbell. Me, I was glad that Kirishima survived taking a bullet for Takaba, given my inexplicable fondness for Asami's lieutenants. XD;
tl;dr in conclusion this manga is epic comedy
up, did some investigating, ran into brick walls, got drunk at the hotel bar before going back up to my room. Next day, got up..." Basically, Vlad is the catalyst for the combustion of a preexisting situation, but he has no idea what's going on for the longest time. And then he's flat on his back and miserable, which I felt for because I read the book while flat on my back completely exhausted. XD;
After I posted about Issola I searched up a review of Jhegaala from a flister I didn't read due to spoilers, and now I'm going nuts because I can't find it anymore.
Yamane Ayano, the end of Viewfinder (OMEDETOU!!): I really didn't know how this ended. XDD The last chapter I'd read was the one in which Feilong sits on Asami and they have an awkward conversation, and that only partially. It's as hilarious as I'd hoped and more: it literally took me three hours to read the one tankoubon because I had to stop every two pages to LOL IRL. And also because my Japanese has gone down the tubes. But mostly because shiz is hilarious.
My 2006 predictions came true, with the major difference being Mikhail who grew a personality (...and, I could swear, different hair). Which is hilarious.
Asami: Are you trying to make me angry?
Mikhail (reasonably): Asami, you're already angry.
Mikhail: Unlike Feilong, I'm basically a rational person.
Mikhail: So how's it going with the two of you.
Asami and Feilong: *awkward silence, lack of eye contact*
Mikhail: Not that you should team up or anything, don't get me wrong.
I appreciate Yamane, rather than tying up loose ends, just blowing it the hell wide open as she chugs full-steam toward the ending, letting chips fall as they may with the intent of sorting them out in future when she decides to pick them up again.* By this point she has the makings of an entire Feilong-centric spinoff in which he actually gets to be the hime-sama he's most comfortable being. But I don't think she wants this 'verse without Asami front and centre... XD Reading her afterword it's clear (and anyway she'd said it before) that if she'd had her druthers Feilong would've been a lot more OTT crazy and villainous and shot more ppl eventually coming to a operatically tragic end probably redeeming himself for his lost love etcetc, but that just became a no-go, both fan-wise** and... well, this is not the character you've written, lady. The tragic ending would've been for Feilong to spark off a three-way bloodbath (in fact, if this were gangster-flick "realistic" the Takaba-Yuri-Yoh chase would've done so regardless); instead he loses control of the situation early on and simply never regains it. There are epic conversations. About feelings. The whole affair becomes so awkward by the end that when Takaba tells everyone what to do they go along with it, even the Moscovite irruption.
The other thing is that the tankoubon-only story is essential! What I like about Yamane is that she may write OTT kink meme sex but her view of... human relationships?... is fundamentally level-headed such that she'll never be unintentionally creepy. So I was thinking, is Yamane in her infinite wisdom seriously going to leave this on a note of "my past life is but a fleeting dream for I can think of nothing but you," and... she didn't! Asami talks and everything. XD Kind of amazing that Takaba is finally able to model a mental concept of Asami as a dude who has feelings, A HEART etc. by... grokking of what Feilong wanted from Asami? And then deciding that he can't play this game and expect to win without SELF-ACTUALIZATION. Because that is clearly what Asami was trying to get Feilong to do all along: self-actualize. &bawling; Meanwhile Yamane rants in the afterword about this being the "fruity drink" version of the manga, which I eventually understood to mean that she has a sort of mental image of Asami-as-evil-mobster-boss-dressup-fashion-paper-doll, with different objects in his hand eg. gun, cell phone, whiskey glass... fruity drink with umbrella in. And matching popped-collar designer polo.
* What on earth were Mikhail's scars about? He might have been talking about Yuri but they clearly didn't have that kind of relationship.
** The fans clapped for Yoh too, like Tinkerbell. Me, I was glad that Kirishima survived taking a bullet for Takaba, given my inexplicable fondness for Asami's lieutenants. XD;
tl;dr in conclusion this manga is epic comedy
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-28 10:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-28 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 12:06 am (UTC)it literally took me three hours to read the one tankoubon because I had to stop every two pages to LOL IRL
ilu so much sabina
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 12:33 am (UTC)I have to get hold of those crossover chapters with Koi Suru, that's like my fave Yamane series. XD
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 12:42 am (UTC)I have them if you want them. I wasn't that impressed, but there were occasional moments of lulz, like when Hiyama is like THERE CAN BE NO LOVE BETWEEN MEN and Takaba and Mizuno are like w-what are you talking about ;_;
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 01:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 02:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 12:33 am (UTC)Thank you for reading all these wonderful things that I won't be able to indulge in until I'm ninety...*grin*...and then writing them up in your own irrepressible way. I now have a desire to get my teeth into Viewfinder if an English version ever shows up.
:)
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 02:55 am (UTC)Pfft - brain fart
Date: 2010-03-29 02:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 08:27 pm (UTC)oh well at least they don't all die horribly
By the way I read that as "fruity drunk" version which is not quite the same thing XD
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 01:55 am (UTC)also omg what happens to Yoh?? see I'm fairly unconcerned about the others since I believe Yamane grew so fond of them she basically tamed the fires of death and destruction that she originally intended to fan towards the ending xD;
also hi sabina xD i feel somewhat ashamed that my first comment on any of your posts in ages is in response to what is basically porn. sob
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 02:35 am (UTC)Yoh, omg, there was an entire side story re: Yoh and how he saves Feilong from prison rape, and then Feilong bats his eyelashes at him to get him to off the Baishe #3 dude who was going to ally with Asami. At the end of NT he kills the Baishe dudes who were going to execute him, helps save Takaba (as per Asami's orders) and turns himself in for execution, to Feilong, WHILE CONFESSING HIS LOVE asd;fj this was like 30 seconds after Asami and Takaba finally take off, so Feilong's just like I can't shoot you now, god can you ppl all just GO AWAY, MY LIFE
And then in the afterword Yamane's like, I bet Asami won't let him leave his clutches just like that, though! He'll order him to do things again and Yoh just can't say no! And I'm like as'dflk hasn't the poor guy suffered enough :| Basically Yoh is loyal to Asami (poss. romantically) and is also head-over-heels for Feilong and wants them to FORGIVE EACH OTHER and so, he is screwed any way you look at it. XD;
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 07:01 am (UTC)So, Feilong and Asami, um, resolve their issues? Like, Feilong actually reach a level of self-actualisation and will stop with the REVENGE thing now?
Either way - this is so very hilarious.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 01:40 pm (UTC)And then the tankoubon comes out with a final wrap-up story in which Asami reveals to Takaba (completely unprompted) that Asami was intentionally mean to Feilong in order to make him fall out of love, because Asami actually believes Feilong is COMPETENT and therefore it is a bad idea for him to have these squishy feelings. Takaba is like ......do you love the smell of napalm in the morning
(In fact the implication in the context of the conversation is that Asami would just end up hurting Feilong, being the sort of personalities they are, and therefore this could only end in disaster. Not gonna lie, you can't say events haven't proven him right.)
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 02:17 pm (UTC)OMFG! This is hilarious, but kind of HAPPY making. Like, it is the sort of stuff that you would expect from HAPPY/FIX-IT ALL fics. HAHAHAHAHA! Like, this is so very awesome - I had expected a blood bath ending, but a semi-happy ending is kind of nice.
YAY!
no subject
Date: 2010-03-29 03:29 pm (UTC)The series is still continuing, on a lighter note, because apparently Yamane's fans begged her not to write any more convoluted tales of underworld power struggle that take five years, two hiatuses and one publisher bankruptcy to complete. So instead Takaba, like, has shenanigans. XD; And I think she intends to bring back the HK characters at some point as well? I... kind of suspect Feilong will end up receiving the same sort of treatment as Byakuya in the Bleach omake post-Soul Society arc, which... maybe this says more about Bleach, idek.