Sweet Freebie in Hana to Yume 11

Do you want a sweet "Gakuen Alice" stationary set?  Then you better get Hana to Yume Issue 11!  I bought my copy from Sanseido Books (they will mail it to you if live too far away to pick it up.).  It should also be available from Akadot in about 2 - 4-weeks. (continue to see pictures of the freebie)

Also! The next issue of Hana to Yume will include a compilation book with one-shots from new mangaka and the series debut of "Liselotte and Witch's Forest" from Natsuki Takaya ("Fruits Basket").  That sounds interesting!  I'm looking forward it :)!

"Scarecrow of Oz" and "Furou Kyoudai" Update

The "Scarecrow of Oz" compilation book is scheduled to go on sale on June 20th.  There's no listing yet, but since "Furou Kyoudai" came out after, then the compilation should go on sale sometime in July.  This means we can start "The Scarecrow of Oz" in July and then "Furou Kyoudai" will start in August.  I'm very happy about this!  It means we can deliver a high quality version of these short series with out killing ourselves.  When the books do come out, I will, of course, post links so you can purchase your own copies :).

TokyoPop Books at Deep Discounts

Get 'em at $3.99 each at BookCloseOuts.com

Please Do Not Upload Omari's Sister's Projects

Do not force me to do something draconian!

I can't believe I have to say this again x2.  Please do not upload our projects to ANY of the manga aggregation websites.  Do not strip the credits pages from our work and upload them.  Do not claim that the work comes from another group and upload them.

It is not fair to have a manga aggregation website profit from work they didn't do.  They don't share their profits with the original artist or the group that did the translation.

Ouran High School Host Club Volume 18 Extras

First of all, let me encourage you to buy this volume in Japanese, whether you can read it or not (you should have the translation already), in order to directly support Hatori-sensei.  Here are some links to online stores:

• Amazon Japan
• Yes Asia ($7.99 + $3.99 shipping!)

And now onto the good stuff.  Like somebody else commented in the teaser post, these extras should give most everyone a satisfying end to the "Ouran High School Host Club" series.  I still want more Kyouya...but I'll live, I suppose.  Also...I shouldn't complain too much since I did get this (as written in the chatbox while I was struggling with the Barcelona extra chapter):

I would gladly give up this 60-page monstrosity for 6-page short of TamaXHaru snuggling on a couch on Friday night watching Netflix...as a needed rest after a good performance on midterms...

Wahahaha!!!!  I enjoyed EVERY pixel of the couch snuggling omake *wide grinz*.  And for that moment of joy, I humbly thank Hatori-sensei.

Update 05/09/2011: changed and "of" to "or" on Kyouya page.
Update 04/24/2011:  Included minor edits from Tarasaur (missed sleep bubbles on page 16)
Links to  the "Ouran High School Host Club" volume 18 extras:  (Zip) (PDF -- mobiles and tablets) RETIRED

I have no additional comments to make about the extras here because I've been posting my thoughts in the chatbox and because I put a few comments in the release itself.  I hope you all enjoy it!  Also, as with all of the Ouran stuff, this release will expire in a month.  I encourage you to purchase the official Viz translation of Volume 18 when it comes out sometime in 2012.  I will, of course, post purchase links as Viz releases the remaining volumes.

Next up!
If all goes well, hopefully, I will be able to release "Akagami no Shirayukihime" chapter 24 by the end of this month.  If not, then it will come out a day or two after "Magnolia" chapter 10.

Oh! and Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate :)

Ouran Volume 18 Extras Teaser

It's coming soon *SQUEE*!!!!  There are actually several extra pages interspersed throughout the volume and most of it is in Hatori-sensei's barely legible chicken scratch kanjis.  I will start working on it tomorrow.  I think I'll get the omake and the thank you pages out tomorrow and then release the other extra pages day by day while I finish up AnS Chp 24 and "3-Hearts".
The extra pages between the chapters show all the Ouran main characters and a few of the secondary characters grown up.  These pages are definitely squeal worthy and I want to give them the time they deserve to translate.  I have an extra hard time with handwritten kanjis T_T.  They make my eyes bleed...so it's best if I take them in small doses so I don't get too frustrated.

One-Shot: "Nanairo no Mukou" ("The Other Side of the Rainbow")

Finally!  Here is our big spring one-shot "Nanairo no Mukou". I've been wanting to translate this one-shot since it came out, but 74-pages seemed way too daunting.  I'm very proud that we were able to complete this one-shot in a timely manner.  A big thanks to all the Omari's Sister volunteers who worked on this :).

This one-shot is not all that it seems.  Don't be fooled by all the rainbows.  Like "World End Garden", this story has a range of emotions.

Oh!  Here's a little explanation of the English title I chose.

"Nanairo no Mukou" literally means "the other side of the seven colors".  In Japanese there is one word, "Nanairo", that describes the 7 prismatic colors.  I though it would sound kind of goofy to call the one-shot "The Other Side of the Seven Prismatic Colors", so I chose "Rainbow" because that's what we call the 7 prismatic colors and rainbows are a key thematic element in this story.

I really love the easy and fluid drawing style presented in this one-shot and felt inspired to make a wallpaper.  I made is all watercolorly.  Right click on the images below to download the wallpaper.

1600x1200 pixels

1920x1080 pixels

And now on to the links!

Links to download "Nanairo no Mukou": (Zip) (PDF -- tablets and mobiles) Updating files...come back in 15-minutes.

My thoughts on this one-shot:

I really wanted Ryousuke to find his sister in Nijigahara.  I wanted him to know that she was all right and for her to forgive him.    But, I guess that would have been kinda cloying. Moving on...this story reminded a bit of "The Wizard of Oz", or should I more precisely say the song "Somewhere over the Rainbow".  I always thought that was a song for very sad people because only people not satisfied with life in the real world dream of a better life in a world far away.   In this story Ryousuke is probably near the lowest depth of childhood pain.  His sister just died and his parents are splitting up and there's nothing Ryousuke can do about it. Consequently, he decides to run away from home and hopes that his parents notice.  I don't like the message let at the end of this story that running away from home will bring families back together.  Divorce is a hard thing, but it never has anything to do with the children and children can't do anything to bring their parents back together.  I think, though, that importance of his running away is that Ryousuke did something.  Good or bad, he made a statement and his parents finally took notice of him.

I really love the easy and free drawing style in this oneshot.  Almost every page in this one-shot has the manga equivalent of beautiful cinematography.  I want to spend the weekend relaxing in Nijigahara sleeping under trees and eating peaches.   Nijigahara looks like the embodiment of spring to me.

Next up!

Next up is "Akagami no Shirayukihime" chapter 24 followed by the one-shot "3 Hearts".  "3-Hearts" is a really beautifully drawn one-shot.  I'm looking forward to releasing it :).

My Manga Collection

In response to Angelanime, here are pictures of my manga collection.  I have too much manga to write out a list. (I also hope you now understand why I want electronic manga):

My collection is divided into two rooms.  I've sold off at least 300 volumes over the past 3 or 4 years to make room for my constantly evolving collection.  Haha!  As you can see, I'm almost out of shelf space again ;p.

New Purchases March 9 - April 20

Here's a list of manga I've purchased in the 5 or 6 weeks (I will add mini-reviews as I read the volumes):

• "Black Butler" Volume 5
• "Shinobi Life"Volume 7
• "Natsume's Book of Friends" Volume 6 -- Lovely as usual (5/5)
• "Stepping on Roses" Volume 5-- More crazy smut-lite stoopidity.  It's fast paced and childish, but I can't help but like this series. (3/5)
• "Skip Beat" Volume 23 -- Kyoko brilliantly mind-***s Chiori.  It's a must read volume (5/5)
• "Inukami!" Omnibus 1 (Vol. 1 - 3)
• "Gakuen Alice" Volume 16 -- Soul swapping madness, Mikan heals Naru, plus touching moments with Mr. Bear.  This is one of my favorite volumes :).  (5/5)
• "VB Rose" Volume 12 -- Mitsuya disrupts Tsuyu's omiai.  It has some very cute flashbacks to Mitsuya and Tsuyu in Jr. High, (4/5)
• "Dragon Girl" Omnibus 1 and Omnibus 2
• "Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan" Volume 2, Volume 1
• "Dengeki Daisy" Volume 4 -- another riveting volume :) (5/5)
• "Aion" Volume 2
• "Ouran High School Host Club" Volume 18 (Japanese)
• "Sakura Hime" Volume 1 -- "Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne" + "Gentlemen's Alliance" set in the Heian period.  I was disappointed by the retread of previous well worn Arina Tanemura story elements.  It feels very unoriginal.  As usual, the drawings are beautiful though.  I will give this series another volume to see if Tanemura-sensei breaks any new ground and stretches her story telling abilities. (2/5)
• "Blue Exorcist" Volume 1 -- Hubby and both liked the first volume a lot.  It's more fast paced than the anime.  I highly recommend it.  The first volume is also available on the Viz iOS app. (5/5)
• "Otomen" Volume 8 and Volume 9 -- Gender confusion with Asuka's cousin Kasuga (pretty funny) and Ryo's grandfather's closeted secret *snicker, snicker*.  (3.5/5)
• "La Corda d'Oro" Volume 13 -- Chivalrous Tsukimori *happy sigh* :3 (3.5/5)

If you are interested in owning any of these volume, please consider ordering them through the Omari's Sister Amazon Store.  Also, if you start at the Omari's Sister Amazon Store for any of your Amazon purchases, we'll get small commission.  I'd appreciate it a bunch to help pay for the magazines and tankoubons I purchase for this blog.

New Earthquake Messages from our Favorite Artists!

http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/message/index.html

Just Added:

• Bisco Hatori
• Hino Matsuri
• Hibiki Wataru
• Ichiharu Koma ("The Scarecrow of Oz" very cute!)
• Banri Hidaka
• Akizuki Sorata
• Takagi Shigeyoshi

"Nanairo no Mukou" Preview

Here's a preview of our big spring one-shot.  Sorry it's taking so long, but it's a big whopping 71-pages, so it's taking a while to typeset ;p.  It's a really cute and touching story, so I hope you all will give it a chance and read it. This hasn't been QC'ed or proofread, so please bear with the mistakes you may find.

Hopefully, it will be out before Friday :).

"Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" Chp 4

Here is the next installment of the cute animal civil war! In this chapter of "Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" we meet Prince Panda, King Panda's son.  He, of course, is adorable.  A new character "Red Wolf" is also introduced.  Like the other characters in this series, Red Wolf has some peculiarities.

Links to "Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" chapter 4:  (Zip) (PDF -- Tablet and Mobile)

My Thoughts on this chapter:
As usual, I was laughing hysterically at some of the gags.  The polar bear gag tickled my inner 6-year old the most.  The treatment of Prince Panda reminds me of the Guinea Pig invasion on "South Park" *wink*  What could be cuter than cute animal cosplay?

Next up is our big Spring one-shot "Nanairo no Mukou" ("Beyond the Rainbow").  It a long one, so it'll take a week or so to complete for release.  It a very family friendly one-shot that I'm sure kids and adults who are still kids at heart will like.  Look forward to it!

TokyoPop is Shutting Down US Operations

Tokyo Pop is finally going under in the US.  They will be shutting down US operations on May 31st.  I don't know what will happen with all the series they are in the middle of.  I myself am currently reading:

• Shinobi Life
• Gakuen Alice
• Portrait of M&N
• VB Rose
• Aion
• Alice in the Country of Hearts
• Maid-sama

Needless to say, I'm rather disappointed.  Anyhow...hopefully, another publisher will rise up and take over some of the licenses so the series can be finished (Hopefully in affordable electronic form rather than tree killing volumes).  I'm not feeling all that confident, though, since I haven't seen a resumption of any of the series from CMX, which went out of business last year.  Sigh...*shakes head*

Here are some links for more information on the situation:

• Article from "The Beat"
• TokyoPop Website
• CBR
• Article from Publisher's Weekly

Oh...well...

Happy Easter Wallpapers for Desktop

Easter Desktop WallpaperHappy Easter WallpapersFree Happy Easter Desktop WallpaperEaster Cool Wallpaper 2011 FreeHappy Easter Background flowers Wallpaper2011 Happy Easter Wallpaper cuteFree Happy Easter Cute PictureEaster Wallpaper 2011Easter Rabbit WallpaperRabbit Happy Easter Wallpapers2011 Desktop Background Easter Happy wallpapers

Happy Easter Animals Pics, Funny Easter Animals Pictures

"The Ghost Apartment Manager" Chapter 3

 

Here is the third installment of "The Ghost Apartment Manager".  In this chapter three new fun characters are introduced and immediately begin to torment poor Sekka.  Haha!  The apartment is getting more rambunctious ;p.  This is also the beginning of the first story arc which revolves around the female character Kiyariko.  

Links to "The Ghost Apartment Manager" chapter 3:  (Zip) (PDF)

Spoiler Alert! Spoilers Ahead!

My thoughts on the chapter:

Turtle Symbolism -- an anonymous reader wrote about turtle symbolism in a comment for "Kemono Kingdom: Zoo".  Considering that a turtle character has been introduced in this series, I think I should share that reader's comment now.

As for your question, the series lacks a reptile, but it also lacks a slightly crazy old person who is wise but uses that to take advantage of everyone.

Considering giant tortoises and tuataras are both reptiles and can both live extremely long times, easily over 100 years, either would be a good choice for such a character. It would certainly provide a lot of comedy opportunities.

Giant tortoises are zoo staples, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Tuataras like to sunbathe and have a third "eye" (light-sensitive patch) on top of their heads that could provide for some interesting mechanics in the story.

Old man Kame is very cute, but I wonder what his true condition is.

Dog-man and guitar guy are fun.  I look forward to seeing more of them in future chapters.

I don't trust Leon, yet.  And this chapter deepened my suspicions about him and his intentions.  What is he protecting Sekka from?  Is it in general or is he protecting Sekka from something specific?  Why does Sekka see ghosts?  Is he perhaps close to death himself?  Or has Leon known all along that Sekka is weak against ghosts?

The next chapter is a flashback to Sekka's childhood and his pet bird.  It looks like it will be a poignant chapter, so you may want to prepare some facial tissues.

Next up is "Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" Chapter 4!  I'm excited to see what baby Panda's all about -- Hee!

Tip to all:  the TV show "Being Human" is lots of fun.  I'm currently watching the American version of series on Hulu.

Delaying "Furou Kyoudai" and "The Scarecrow of Oz" Short Series

I've decided to delay "Furou Kyoudai" and "The Scarecrow of Oz" short series until July to allow for time for the release of compilation of the series and one-shots into a book (Hopefully, the books will come out way before July.  If so, we'll start when the books come out instead of waiting.).  The magazine print quality of the short series portion is atrocious and will take a long time to clean and edit (It's making my eyes burn and tearing up my mousing-wrist -- hello carpal tunnel...).

Even if we do our best, we could probably only bring the quality up to barely medium (too much missing "data").  If there's no sign of a book compilation by July, then we'll go with the raw we've got and do what we can.  In the mean time, instead we'll start short series "Depend on a Kiss" and "Duet with a Demon" in May.

We Are Dropping "Orange Chocolate"

After much consideration and tracking the series for the past few months, I have decided to drop "Orange Chocolate".  This series started out very strong and then got bogged down with a sports festival arc and then continued down a road that neglected its original premise.  It looks like this series has no end in sight and I can't commit to this series indefinitely.  I'm sorry to all the Orange Chocolate fans out there.  Hopefully another group will pick up the series and upkeep the quality.  Dropping this series, though, will allow us to continue our new series without stress and without breaks.  We will also be able to bring you more fun one-shots and short-series.

"Yukarism" Chapter 4

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the smuggiest of them all?  I'll let you be the judge.  Is it Hugo or this new guy Shizuka Takamura? Haha, this is so much fun :).

Here's "Yukarism" chapter 4!  The plot thickens as more people from the past are introduced.  In this chapter, the witch doctor Shizuka Takamura enters the scene.  Is he an enemy?  Somehow I feel that he's just misunderstood.

And now the links:

Links to "Yukarism" chapter 4:  (Zip) (PDF -- Medium Quality)

Spoiler Alert!  Spoilers Ahead

My thoughts on the chapter:

Mahoro is still pretty funny.  She so badly wants to serve Yukari.  What the heck happened that's got her past self as Kazuma so mad at Takamura and makes her present self so deeply hate the present Takamura.  What is Mahoro going to do in the present now that Takamura is back.  I love how Yukari sees a delicious situation ahead is game to let Mahoro and present-Takamura go at each other.  Yukari is such the pot-stirrer.

Takamura -- I don't think he's evil.  I think he does evil things and he's probably in love with Yuumurasaki because she's the only person who doesn't fear him.  I imagine the scroll with the incantations was probably a protective scroll or a scroll with an incantation that bound the people in the past together so they can meet up again in the future.

It looks like some of the political intrigue of the Edo period.  I wonder if that has more to do with Yuumurasaki's death more than any personal relationship?

Next up!
Next up is either "Akagami no Shirayukihime" chapter 24 or "The Ghost Apartment Manager" chapter 3, depending on whether I get the AnS raw today or tomorrow.