Manga Review: The Palette of 12 Secret Colors

The "Palette of 12 Secret Colors" by Nari Kusakawa is a wonderful low key manga series.  It's the story of Cello, a color magician, or "Palette, who bumbles through the years as a Palette student on a warm tropical island.  Cello is lousy as a standard Palette, but excels when she uses her powers in her own way.  As per many Shoujo manga series, there's a romance with an older male member of the faculty, in this case, the school doctor, Dr. Guell.  For the most part, the romance is dealt with in a manner that doesn't sugar coat the difficulties and at one point questions whether the relationship is proper.  However, at the same time, these difficulties aren't shoved down the reader's throat and, in this sense this sense, the romance is pleasant and ties in nicely with the story as Cello matures as a person and a Palette student.

There are some very cute and, at times, hilarious bird side-kicks.  The birds are the palette's companions and in a way serve as the "chorus."  They have their own role in the story, sometimes acting as obstacles the budding romance.  Ultimately, though, the birds love their companions and, in the end, cheer the couple on.

This series runs 27 chapters, compiled into 6 volumes.  There are also some one shots to pad each volume.  I really like that story was tightly limited, though, the end felt a little rushed.  I highly recommend this story for its imagination, likable low-key characters, adorable bird side-kicks, and it's general tropically laid-back feel.  5/5

Buy "The Palette of 12 Secret Colors" from Amazon
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Anime Review: Gundam Seed

This is 52-episodes of Gundam soap-opera goodness. In the future, humans created super humans and then became afraid of them. Accidentally a war was started and hatred upon hatred built leading to Armageddon. Friend against friend, in gundams, fight with their princesses cheering them on. Ah, yes, then there's the tainted love of the deliciously irritating Filay. It was addicting. Watch it if you haven't already. 5/5Source URL: https://aminefairy.blogspot.com/search/label/5%2F5
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Lots of New Manga -- Quick Reviews of Volume 1

Bad:
"Love Master A" -- Girl of 1000 broken hearts is made class president by a male harem that what looking for a mistress. It feels like a shabby wannabe "Ouran Host Club" I couldn't get through the entire first volume -- 1/5

"Shiki Tsukai" -- A boy is born with unknown powers that are influenced by the seasons. A beautiful maiden of spring, who happens to be the daughter of some big corporation owner, comes to protect the boy. It's not very interesting. 2/5 but I did read the entire first volume.

"Suppli" -- Whiny working women in her late 20's breaks up with her boyfriend of 7-years, now worries about growing old alone. "Kimi wa Petto" (Tramps Like Us) and "Hataraki Man" are much, much better. I got through the first chapter only before I became bored with the main character's self indulgent whining -- 1/5

"My Dearest Devil Princess" -- short and unathletic Keita buys a box from his friend who promises the box will grant him wishes. Keita opens the box and a sexy devil appears who promises him three wishes in exchange for his soul. This manga is basically a bunch of fan service -- low on story development, character development, and originality. The only saving grace of this story is the gay track captain who's in love with Keita and the vice class president who is crushing on the track captain. She thinks the track captain is after the devil. 1.5/5

"Puri Puri" -- Masato, who dreams of being a priest, enters an all girl's divinity school. Apparently at this school all the girls wear dangerously short skirts and don't know the first thing about Catholicism. This is fan service at its worse. 1/5 because I did get through the entire volume. It was funny, but there's no reason to set this story in a "divinity school."

Okay:
"Short Sunzen" -- A violent girl, violent boy love story. The drawings are really bad and the stories are forgettable. "Cheeky Angel" is better. 2.5/5

"Enchanter" -- A demon finds a boy, Haruhiko, with the same smell of her former master, Fulcanelli. The demon looks like the teacher Haruhiko is crushing on. Together with Fulcanelli's, Haruhiko and the demon, Eukanaria, fight off demons who are attacking the teacher. There is some humor, but overall the story lacks originality. 3/5 for an average manga.


Good:
"Love Attack" -- A violent girl, violent boy love story done right. This first volume had lots of sincerity and humor. 5/5

"Monkey High" -- The jaded uppity daughter of a disgraced politician transfers to a public school. There she meets a boy who reminds her of a baby monkey. His innocence charm melts her heart. This manga so far is very sweet. 5/5

"To Terra" (Terra e) -- The manga the anime is based upon. Like the anime, it is excellent! I highly recommend reading it. 5/5

"Pretty Face" -- A karate macho gets into a accident and awakens a year later with the face of the girl he's love with. Mistaken for dead, his parents move away in sorrow and he is mistaken on the street to be the twin sister of the girl he's in love with. To make her happy, he decides to live as her big sister until her real sister is found. The manga series starts off sweet and sincere with sprinklings of raunchy boy fantasy. 4/5 -- because I feel the main conceit is going to get old quickly.

"Shinshoku Kiss" --16-year old Kotoko admires the reknown doll maker Fool. While out scouting for beautiful people, Kotoko is kidnapped by Fool and told that she has to be his assistant or die. And so begins Kotoko's bizarre relationship with Fool. I like the drawing style of this manga a lot and I also like how I'm not really sure what Fool's intentions are. 5/5 for a creepy manga.

"Walking Butterfly" -- This is the story of Michiko, a 6-foot tall girl who hates her body. Consumed by anger and self loathing she lives on the fringes of society doing odd jobs and petty crime. While delivering pizzas, she is mistaken for a model and dressed to go out on the runway. The clothing designer, Mihara, recognizes right away that she's no model and tells Michiko that she couldn't handle one second out on the runway. He's right and Michiko runs out, but at the same time has a breakthrough, realizing that modeling is something she can do and feeling all fired up by Mihara's challenge. 4/5 -- for a good start with a deduction for some self indulgent whining on Michiko's part.

"Heaven!!" -- This light confection of a manga is about Rinnie, who can send ghosts to heaven with her harisen; Uzaki, a yankee punk with bad taste; and a lecherous God in search of a body. Uzaki gets run over by a bus while trying to save Rinnie and end up in a coma. The God takes over Uzaki's body and condemns Uzaki's soul to a stuffed pink monkey. It turns out that the God has a much better personality and fashion sense than Uzaki, so once he gets Uzaki's body cleaned up, the new and improved Uzaki is a handsome lady killer. Oh, what's a poor pink monkey plushie to do? 4/5 -- for a promising premise, but there does seem like there's anywhere to go with the story.

"VB Rose" -- I didn't expect to like this manga about a high school girl who assists a pair of guys who run a wedding dress boutique. Surprisingly, it's a sweet story about a Ageha who idolized sister has just revealed to her family that she's pregnant and is marrying the father of her child, a man Ageha considers less than worthy. Ageha designs handbags and has a local following, that includes Yukari and Mitsuya of VB Rose. While workig through her emotions about her sister, Ageha volunteers to help make her sister's dress ... and so begins VB Rose. 5/5 for great character development and an examination of a sibling relationship that is universally common.Source URL: https://aminefairy.blogspot.com/search/label/5%2F5
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Manga Review: Tramps Like Us (Kimi wa Petto)

"Tramps Like Us" finally wrapped up. The last volume covers Sumire's introduction to Takeshi's family, an event Takeshi dreads. The rest of the volume wraps up the Hasumi side story, wraps up the Rumi sidestory, does a flashback of the friendship between Sumire and Yuri, and finally covers the last few hours before Sumire's and Takeshi wedding. It's all very sweet. Sumire finally experiences "love" as she and Takeshi become a family.

This manga series is most definitely for adults. I really don't recommend it to anyone under 16, not because of the nudity and sex scenes, but because it takes some life experience to truly appreciate this manga. At the beginning of this series, Sumire is truly in a bad state and in a word, "crazy." Takeshi isn't all together himself, either. It really takes some "special" thinking to take a man in, literally, as a pet. But you have to understand, that Sumire is so broken, that this is the level of emotional attachment she can handle. This is also reflected in her strained relationship with Hatsumi. She seems to admire him, but she never opens up to him to show her real self and she is never able to gain intimacy as a result of having sex with him. Also Hatsumi has some problems too. He created an idealistic vision of Sumire rather than make the effort to get to know her.

Overall, this is an excellent drama with some very comedic moments. I highly recommend it. There is also a 10-episode live action version of this manga out there in the ether called "Kimi wa Petto." Check them both out! 5/5Source URL: https://aminefairy.blogspot.com/search/label/5%2F5
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Anime Review: Kyou Kara Maou

I watched the entirety of this anime over one week of my 3-week winter break from work. Yep, all 78-episodes over a week -- quite a marathon. I enjoyed this anime series from beginning to end and even felt a little bit mournful after watching the last episode. Oh, but rejoice "Kyou Kara Maou R" has just begun and so the adventure continues.

"Kyou Kara Maou" is the story of Yuri, an ordinary high school student, who one day saves his best friend from bullies. The bullies turn their attack toward Yuri and while attempting to "toilet bowl" him, Yuri gets sucked into a black hole located in the toilet and sent to another world. In this new world, Yuri is by virtue of his Asian features -- black hair and dark eyes -- is crowned Maou, or King, of New Mazoku and the fun starts from there, beginning with a social blunder that results in his marriage engagement to bishounen, Wolfram. This story contains adventure, action, lots of humor, a very sweet love triangle, brotherly love, and a wonderful transformation of a war torn land to peace and the transformation of an ordinary boy to a great king. I highly recommend this anime series. 5/5Source URL: https://aminefairy.blogspot.com/search/label/5%2F5
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Anime Review: Umisho

I wonder whether the pun was intended -- "Umi" = beach + sho --> show, because this anime is one long bathing suit episode. This is the story of a high school swim team, whose student coach, Kaname is afraid of water. His fear of water stems from a childhood accident which Kaname believes was causes by a very scary green-haired mermaid. One day Amuro, a very weird girl with "X's" in her green hair who lives on a rickety house boat, shows up. Despite her unusual swimming style, she is an ace. Could she be Kaname's mermaid? The show basically follows the swim team as it works its way to the prefectural championships. As implied by the pun, this show is mostly bathing suit fan service and the fan service (mostly raunchy) is for everyone. This show was so funny that sometimes my husband and I had to pause the show to guffaw for a minute or two and then calm down enough to actually continue the show. 5/5 for a raunchy comedy that kept me in stitches.Source URL: https://aminefairy.blogspot.com/search/label/5%2F5
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Anime Review: Code Geass: The Lelouch Rebellion

It's taken me a couple of months to process "Code Geass: The Lelouch Rebellion." That's because it was just plain shocking. It's not that anything particularly shocking in a weird way happens, it's more like nothing goes as expected and I can't say whether Lelouch is a hero or a villain. This story takes place in the future when the Empire of Britannia (looks like the North American continent is taken over by Britain -- or maybe it's an alternate reality in which the Americans lost the war for Independence. It's not really clear and it doesn't matter) has taken over most of the world, including Japan. Japan is stripped of its name and is referred to as "territory 11". The former Japanese, now call 11's, have become 2nd class citizens in their own country. Small terrorist groups fight a pointless battle to reclaim Japan, but faction after faction is crushed by the huge Britannian Army. Enter Lelouch who goes to an elite school for Britannians. Lelouch is Britannian, but has no love for Britannia. One day he gets mixed up in a terrorist plot and saves a girl who gives him the power of "Geass." His "Geass" is absolute order, and when used upon a person, that person is absolutely compelled to follow his order.

Lelouch decides to use this power to destroy Britannia. To start, he disguises himself and takes the leadership of one of the Japanese terrorist factions. Lelouch has a childhood friend, the son of the former Prime Minister of Japan, named Suzaku, who has decided that he wants to change Britannia from the inside by becoming an honorary citizen of Britannia, a position that doesn't grant the full rights of a Britannian, but it is better than being an 11. Suzuku, in every way, represents the good soldier, while Lelouch is a renegade. Stuff happens and Lelouch is forced to make some moral decisions and face the consequences of his decisions. How Lelouch conducts himself is the most interesting part of the show. We see the wheels turning in his head and we understand why he makes most of his decisions and are shocked at the realistic consequences of his decisions. This show holds no punches with the consequences, and that is why it's so shocking.

My husband and I were riveted to this show through all 26 episodes, wondering what was going to happen next and how Lelouch was going to get out of the tough situations presented. Lelouch is definitely a controversial character and if this were reality, his personality and actions would make for lengthy scholarly study and debate. 5/5 for another great anime series. I can't wait until season 2. And oh, BTW, it's a gundam anime!

This is also running as a manga series in "Asuka" magazine.Source URL: https://aminefairy.blogspot.com/search/label/5%2F5
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