Well, because of the high price point of Yaoi, I just don't find myself buying the books anymore (It's a good thing Be Beautiful isn't printing, then). I suppose I should change the name of this blog, but I've grown attached to it. I still have my eye on 'Voice or Noise' just because it is a BL manga for the non-BL lover.
I am currently enjoying CLAMP's lighthearted fare (compared to their climactic X/1999, T Babylon, and RG Veda). 'Genshiken' is also an appealing title because of the care taken in representing otaku. I've also pledged to buy volumes of 'Tsubasa' and 'xxxHolic' simultaneously, but have been procrastinating.
I just purchased 'Bride of the Water God' manhwa and the art is stunning, but the story doesn't seem in stride (the artist would rather move the plot along with pictures, which explains the lack of dialogue).
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
New manga avenues
Sometimes I need to take a break from Yaoi, so I am now seeking out new, non-Yaoi series' from Tokyopop (for some reason, their line fascinates me). I am currently reading "Aria" which is a beautiful manga, as well as "Chobits". I also have a strange hankering to read, "Cardcaptor Sakura". I am one of those people who doesn't consider himself a CLAMP fanatic, but actually does have a soft spot for their manga.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
$12-15? Then serve it to me on a Silver Platter!!!
Here is an understandable rant of mine: when visiting the bookstore to view its manga offerings, I was disappointed that I couldn't buy some titles because of their condition. Whether a book was bent out of shape from being read by too many non-paying hoodlums, or simply the paper was yellowing due to being exposed in constant fluorescent lighting, I couldn't bring myself to pay for such shoddy product.
The lighting is unavoidable, but I still can't buy a title that was printed before January 2008 just because the paper (on the surface of the top of the book) is yellow because it has been sitting under that blazing light for a long time! Eew! What do I do? Buy at a comic shop? Maybe. The lighting is darker in comic shops (and the books are cheaper, too!) I have been lucky with a certain comic shop that lets the women do the stocking and filing. These books just need tender care.
Consider this message in warning, beware of the books you find at major bookstores. They could have been handled several times a day by who knows? And the the paper yellows very fast. If it's not a new release, it belongs in the "NO" pile. I don't think the idea of selling manga in chill dark rooms is gonna fly, so I suggest you think twice before picking up that swiftly-aged tome.
The lighting is unavoidable, but I still can't buy a title that was printed before January 2008 just because the paper (on the surface of the top of the book) is yellow because it has been sitting under that blazing light for a long time! Eew! What do I do? Buy at a comic shop? Maybe. The lighting is darker in comic shops (and the books are cheaper, too!) I have been lucky with a certain comic shop that lets the women do the stocking and filing. These books just need tender care.
Consider this message in warning, beware of the books you find at major bookstores. They could have been handled several times a day by who knows? And the the paper yellows very fast. If it's not a new release, it belongs in the "NO" pile. I don't think the idea of selling manga in chill dark rooms is gonna fly, so I suggest you think twice before picking up that swiftly-aged tome.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Dust Jackets vs. No-Jackets
Because I am too damn lazy to write reviews (seriously, folks, it's hard to read a manga 3 times in a row unless it is an epic!), I will provide topics for discussion (just as good, in my opinion).
I was staring at my Yaoi shelf today (I group books by publisher), and I was noticing the ones with dust-jackets vs. the ones without. My personal preference is no-jackets because I believe in practicality over bells and whistles. It's easy for me to pick up one of my Be Beautiful books and start re-reading just because of its basic quality (huh?). It's true, when I pick up a book that has a dust jacket, I usually just end up flipping through it, taking off the jacket, putting it back on, and not reading the book at all. The bells and whistles of the manga should be a stellar translation, and the title itself. Have you ever bought a manga just because it looked pretty? Did you get burned?
When I pick up one of my jacketed books, I tend to focus on its quality rather than its contents. I know the publisher wanted me to get it because it dolled it up so I would THINK that it's a good buy. The only publisher who has the Dust-jacket down to an art is DQ. The gorgeous jackets accompany the flimsy and gentle books quite well, whereas June's jackets clothe a pretty large, heavy, and stiff tome. Same with 801, except smaller.
While this discussion is all very nit-picky, it's actually what companies consider before marketing themselves. Kitty Media and Be Beautiful, being two of the first English Yaoi companies, had no idea that fans might want the pretty dust-jackets and colour pages. As for this fan, I can do without.
I was staring at my Yaoi shelf today (I group books by publisher), and I was noticing the ones with dust-jackets vs. the ones without. My personal preference is no-jackets because I believe in practicality over bells and whistles. It's easy for me to pick up one of my Be Beautiful books and start re-reading just because of its basic quality (huh?). It's true, when I pick up a book that has a dust jacket, I usually just end up flipping through it, taking off the jacket, putting it back on, and not reading the book at all. The bells and whistles of the manga should be a stellar translation, and the title itself. Have you ever bought a manga just because it looked pretty? Did you get burned?
When I pick up one of my jacketed books, I tend to focus on its quality rather than its contents. I know the publisher wanted me to get it because it dolled it up so I would THINK that it's a good buy. The only publisher who has the Dust-jacket down to an art is DQ. The gorgeous jackets accompany the flimsy and gentle books quite well, whereas June's jackets clothe a pretty large, heavy, and stiff tome. Same with 801, except smaller.
While this discussion is all very nit-picky, it's actually what companies consider before marketing themselves. Kitty Media and Be Beautiful, being two of the first English Yaoi companies, had no idea that fans might want the pretty dust-jackets and colour pages. As for this fan, I can do without.
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