June 2011 Statistics

Wow!  I can believe June went by so quickly!  Here are some facts about Omari's Sister in June!

Top 10 Visiting Countries
  1. USA (CA, NY, TX, PL, GA) -- first appearance for GA, guess the college students went home ;p
  2. France
  3. Canada
  4. Philippines
  5. Australia (Wow!  Big Jump!  Go Australia!)
  6. Germany
  7. Indonesia
  8. UK
  9. Singapore
  10. Malaysia

Top 5 releases:
  1. Blue Rhapsodia
  2. The Honeybee Earl and the Flower Dress
  3. Magnolia Chp 11
  4. Ryuu no Moriuta
  5. Ouran High School Host Club Volume 18 Extras
Top 3 Non-Release Posts:
  1. Treasure...
  2. Pika Ichi Chp 8 Preview and AnS Announcement
  3. New Short Series and Fall Plans
  • 1460 Visitors using an iPad, iPod, or iPhone, it's a very small fraction of visitors, but Apple mobile usage is steadily growing :).
  • 50% of Visitors visited this site 9 or more times in the month.
I'm very surprised and pleased at the success of June's one-shots. Should I take this as a signal that you all like to have 2 or 3 one-shots a month?  Please let me know what you think.

One-Shot: Ryuu no Moriuta ("Lullaby for a Dragon")

Here is Akizuki Sorata's latest one-shot, "Lullaby for a Dragon".  I think this one-shot is visually gorgeous and the main character Kito is interesting.

Links to "Lullaby for a Dragon":  (Zip) (PDF -- mobile and tablets)

More Thoughts on this One-shot:
Despite the beautiful artwork and interesting lead male character, this one-shot ultimately fails for me.  Shuen is immature and acts like a self-indulgent 3-year.  Personally, I would have longed for the day to be free of Shuen's non-stop crying, whining, and tripping.  Shuen's immaturity is a fatal wound to the story since there's no way for Kito to have a deep and meaningful romantic relationship with her.  It's so bad that I think the story could have proceeded without her and focused exclusively on Kito's worries about becoming a heavenly Dragon -- losing his humanity, the loneliness he's always felt, and whether he can live up to the villagers' expectations.  In order to have Shuen be a meaningful part of the story, there had to be some strong romantic feelings involved.  Kito had to have something to lose in order for there to be dramatic tension.  But, Kito was already detached from the world and consciously detached himself from Shuen.  I was VERY peeved.  There was supposed to be some grand romantic act that leaves Shuen with a momento of Kito -- preferably a baby to continue the Dragon clan bloodline...and not some half-assed come hug me moment and the ending peck on the cheek.  UGH!!!  So much FAIL!!!

Anyhow...I'm done translating Akizuki Sorata for a while.  I'll gladly edit the images, but I can't take anymore complicated word-salad that amounts to "meh" with no emotional payoff.

His and Her Circumstances Special Chapter -- But Really an Advertisement...

First of all!  A special thanks to Chiresakura for suggesting this and helping to make this release possible :).

If you haven't read "Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou" ("His and Her Circumstances"), you NEED too, especially if you like over-the-top high school dramas like "Pika Ichi".  Unfortunately, the series is long out of print because it is a Tokyo Pop title in the US.  Boo!!!  It would be great if another publisher re-translated it and did an omnibus version of the series (hint, hint, hint...)  Anyhow, here's a handy summary sheet explaining the series:

And now the extra chapter!  It's "Kano Kare" "Chotto Edo Made" style (very cute)!

Links to "Chotto Kano Kare":  (Zip) (PDF)

Enjoy!

Next up is Akizuki Sorata's "Ryuu no Moriuta" ("The Dragon's Lullabye").

Omari's Sister Needs You!

I've added a recruitment page to this blog.  We are in constant need of help, so if you would like to volunteer to be a part of Omari's Sister, please consult the recruitment page listed at the top of the near right column on this blog and then contact me using the Contact link in the main menu at the top of this blog.

Here's a list of the voluntary positions we have that need filling in order for us to maintain our schedule of releases:

Project:  Pika Ichi (URGENT NEED)
Needed:  Translator/Typesetter (works out better if you can do both)
Project:  Fushigi no Maria-kun
Needed:  Cleaner and a Redraw Artist

Project:  Ojou-sama no Untenshuu
Needed:  Cleaner and Redraw Artist

Project:  Comic Gene Trials
Needed:  Cleaner, Redraw Artist, Typesetter

Project:  All Projects
Needed:  Cleaner and Redraw Artist, Typesetters, QC

There's no experience need for cleaners.  If you already have knowledge of Photoshop I (Kuroneko003) an will to train you.


"Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" Chp 5

It looks like this chapter of  "Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" ends at the climax of the story (perhaps the next chapter is the last? or the end of the first arc?).  I guess we'll find out at the end of July.  Anyhow, the story, while remaining stupidly funny, takes a violent turn as the true nature of Snow Owl is revealed.  And now the links:

Links to "Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" Chapter 5:  (Zip) (PDF -- mobiles and tablets)

Thoughts on the chapter:
I feel super protective of Eagle, but I'm scared of Snow Owl!  She's nutz!!!  Anyhow, I hope the next chapter is the last so the story ends with a bang.  The Zoo animal war is a cute concept, but I don't know how long the gag can keep running before it gets stale.

Next up!
I'll be prepping for July and working on the joint projects, so unless I'm able to pull off something quickly, next up will be "Yukarism" Chapter 7.

Poll: The Future of "Pika Ichi"?

Update 6/22/2011:  Pika Ichi will continue at least through Chp 11.  We'll do another assessment at Chp 14.

Update:  We need a Translator/Typesetter to help keep Pika Ichi alive!  Until we find one, Pika Ichi will not be on a regular release schedule. If you are interested in helping with Pika Ichi, please contact me via the "Contact" link in the main menu at the top of this blog.

I could take or leave "Pika Ichi" so I want to know how you as the readers feel about the series.  Should we continue it or would you rather have us do as series or two from Comic Gene?  Take the survey at the top right corner of the blog.  You can also leave comments to this post if you want to discuss the matter.

We have a good amount of chapter 9 finished, so we will release that regardless, but I would like to know whether we should continue after chapter 9.

"Pika Ichi" Chapter 8

"Pika Ichi" is back!  In this chapter we start to learn about Dougen's damaged life and brain.  Of course, his parents are an insane pair and his freedom is restricted.  Dougen is the anti-Tamaki.  Instead of making the best of his situation, he decides to go down the path of destruction.  Personally, I'd like to see him succeed.  But somehow I suspect this is a gonna be a story of redemption.  Anyhow...here are the links:

Links to "Pika Ichi" chapter 8: (Zip) (PDF -- this time it looks really nice on PCs, viewable on mobiles and tablets)

Spoiler Alert!  Spoilers Ahead!
My Thoughts on the Chapter:
Poor naive Hanako...she's good to a fault and it continues to get her into trouble.  The ease with which she falls into Dougen's pace is pretty sad.  I would love it if this story ends like real life and there is no redemption for the bad-boy Dougen and Hanako gets her heart broken and her faith in humanity broken -- well, not completely broken, but broken enough for her to learn to stay away from people like Dougen.  Seriously, why hang out with a guy who's ballsy enough to ask if he can use you? Dumb, silly, Hanako...

Next up!
Next up is "Kemono Kingdom: Zoo" chapter 5!

Treasure....

 Treasure...get your own...



Pika Ichi Chapter 8 Preview! And AnS Announcement...

Update:  The new translator for AnS is Nati-chan (I'm very grateful to her for taking over because chapter 25 was like Japanese chopped word-salad to me -- devoid of grammatical structure and too many obscure word usages for me to grasp...ugh...page after page of WTF???).  AnS will now be a joint project between NeteruMouse and The Zero Alliance.  We will make Zip and PDF versions of AnS available here on Omari's Sister for those of you who can't open RAR files, those of you who are afraid of MediaFire, and for those of you who prefer to read releases on mobiles and tablets.  We will all try our best to get the remaining chapters out to you in a timely manner, so please be patient and refrain from pestering the folks from NM and TZA about release dates.
-----------------------
Yes! "Pika Ichi" is returning but as a low priority project.  This means that releases will not be on a regular schedule.  I'm sorry about the delay we took, but I wanted to get a few more chapters in to see where the story was going into order to decide whether to continue the series or drop it.  During that time, I came to understand and appreciate the ridiculousness of "Pika Ichi", so I can now say I like the series and I'm eager to continue it (for the meantime, barring no stupid plot twists.)

Here's a preview of chapter 8 to get you ready for the series' resumption!





"Pika Ichi" chapter 8 should be ready for release in less than a week.

On to the AnS news!  "Akagami no Shirayukihime" is being transferred to The Zero Alliance.  I will continue on as the image editor for the series and we will PDF releases available here, but TZA will be managing AnS schedule and releases.  I'll post more information on the transfer once things become clearer.  Hooray for AnS's new home!

One-shot: "The Honeybee Earl and the Flower Dress"

I readily admit that this one-shot is a beyond cliched Cinderella story (the title page pretty much tells the entire story), but it's done extremely well so all is forgiven.  Actually, I enjoyed this one-shot A LOT.  It filled the hole for a good summer romance comedy (damn you, Hollywood, make us some good summer movies!).  Anyhow, there are no surprises here and it all ends with the lovely little bow, as it should.  Yes, it's perfect for the June wedding season :).

Links to "The Honeybee Earl and the Flower Dress":  (Zip) (PDF -- mobiles and tablets)

More thoughts on this one-shot:
Virgil and Dahlia remind me of Tamaki and Haruhi, but set in an alternate universe.  I like how this one-shot stayed sharply focused on the relationship between Dahlia and Virgil and I like the gentle message about birth right versus merit.

Oh!  And Dahlias!  I saw a lot of them in the Floral Contest at the San Diego County fair.  Dahlias come in a surprising variety of shapes and sizes.  Here's are some of the pictures I took of dahlias at the fair:





 (This one is my favorite!  It looks like a cartoon flower.  Amazing, isn't it?)



Next up!  I don't know yet...hmmm..

Ouran Volume 16 is Available from Viz!

I meant to announce this weeks ago.  Sorry :(.  Anyhow, "Ouran High School Host Club" volume 16 is available now from Viz.  I recommend this translation over anything available in scanlation.  It is superior :).  The book is available now through the special Ouran section I set up in the Omari's Sister Amazon Store.   Click here to buy and support Ouran, Hatori-sensei, and Omari's Sister with your purchase :).

One-Shot: "Blue Rhapsodia"

It feels like it's been forever since a release!  UGH!!  Lala DX arrived 2-days later than expected, so I spent the time waiting working on other projects.  This means we will have a bunch of releases coming in rapid succession.

Anyhow...here is the latest adventure from Ogura Akane!  It's about pirates so I'm quite pleased and had a lot of fun with the translation.  It sounds like this may be Ogura-sensei's next series -- or so I hope :).  

Links to "Blue Rhapsodia": (Zip) (PDF -- mobiles and tablets)

Up Next:
Up next is the one-shot "The Honeybee Earl and the Flower Dress"

Recruitment: Two Experienced Image Editors Needed for New and Fall Projects

I need two experienced image editors for "Fushigi no Maria" and "Ojou-sama no Untenshu".  All raws will be pre-cleaned and cleaned.  All the new editors will be required to do are cloning and redrawing.  If you are interested, please send me some e-mail via the contact link on the top menu of this blog.

Announcements: New Short Series and Fall Plans!

I've been going through some gyrations the past couple of weeks.  I didn't like the direction of some of our projects were going and went seeking some series and one-shot with greater emotional depth and range.   I dropped a bunch of one-shots, transferred a couple of series to other groups, and went on a search for some new stuff.  For now, I've decided not to take on series of undetermined length because it's a risky proposition (boredom, story failure, hiatuses, and the possibility of me returning to the workforce...).  So for now, any new series we take on will be known to be complete in less than 4 volumes.  With this in mind, the new series we will be taking one for the rest of 2011 and the Beginning of 2012 are:

  • "Fushigi no Maria-Kun" ("Wonderous Maria-Kun") by Shiina Dai
 
  • "Ojou-sama no Untenshu" ("The Young Lady's Driver") by Ishihara Keiko -- Moved to 2012.  We also offer this project to another group if they want to do it.

  • "Suzu Musou" by Mizuno Tooko
  • "Otome Knight Princess Prince" by Ikemi Runa
  • "Vampire Hunter" by Ikemi Runa
  • "The Scarecrow of Oz"
  • "Furou Kyoudai"
  • "Hatsukoi Succubus" -- That series will be done by Shoujo Crusade
Fall 2011 One-shots! (Sept, Oct, Nov)
The theme for this fall's one-shots is spooky/horror...okay not too much horror since I'm a wimp.  I'm developing the selection now.  Please check the release schedule for the latest updates.  We'll also leave some flexibility in the schedule in case anything pops up that we want to do right away.  I'll make a formal announcement of the one-shots once I've nailed them down.

As for Winter 2012 -- my current thoughts on the one-shot theme is "Sci-fi" ;p, but of course we'll also have to mix in some selections for various holidays :).

"The Ghost Apartment Manager" Chapter 5

The zip for this chapter is watermarked with the same big and annoying watermarks on "Junketsu + Kareshi" chapter 9.  It seems that some folks haven't gotten the message, so I have have to resume the watermarking.  The PDF is clean, though.  Those of you viewing the PDF on a mobile device or a tablet will not notice any degradation in image quality, however, some of you with PC's connected to high resolution monitors will notice a decrease in image quality.

On to the chapter!  This chapter continues the Kyariko arc.  In it we learn why she's still bound to Earth, but we don't find out what closure she wants so she can move on to the next world.  Of course Kyariko is in love with one of her male teachers, but the story of her crush is told thoughtfully so I'm not foaming at the mouth in anger over the matter.

Links to the "Ghost Apartment Manager" chapter 5:  (Zip -- watermarked) (PDF -- not watermarked, viewable on mobiles and tablets)

I don't have deep thoughts to add about this chapter.  It's nice gentle read, with a quick dirty zinger, and a bit of a shock at the end.  As usual, the side characters are very funny and Sekka seems to be getting some nice lesons about life.

Next up!
Next up is "Blue Rhapsodia" by Akane Ogura!  Please look forward to it!

"Magnolia" Chapter 11

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This chapter continues the Ayato and Sui story line.  It's a little creepy, but if you can keep your mind rather innocent it's rather sweet.  Hopefully, this is the real set-up for Sui vs. Hugo.  A little warning:  at the beginning there's a rather crude joke.  I had to do a double take.  I imagine, though, that the joke will fly right over some of your heads.  Anyhow, I tried my best with the translation to get the crude joke across.  And now for the links:

"Magnolia" chapter 11:  (Zip) (PDF -- Mobile and Tablets)

Spoiler Alert!  Spoilers Ahead:
The chapter seems to me to be a contrast against chapter 4 in which Ayato and Hugo dance at the ball.  It seems that Sui and Hugo have two different ways of approaching Ayato's self-confidence issue.  In this chapter we see Sui giving Ayato instructions and telling Ayato to believe in him/herself then lets Ayato try.  When learning to shoot a bow, Ayato at first falls a few times before he/she is able to do it.  In contrast, Hugo tells Ayato something similar about listening the music and then trusting his/her body to know what moves to make.  However, while dancing, Ayato realizes that Hugo is firmly in control of the dance and he will not allow Ayato to fail.  Some would see this as a act of kindness, and given the circumstances, it was the best move for Hugo to make so the two of them remained blended into the crowd -- although, that's not what happened in the end :/.  But...there is the matter of coddling Ayato and controlling Ayato rather that letting Ayato find his/her own way.

What's going on with Ayato being so self-conscious while Hugo's watching?  I suppose, in general, Ayato feels that Hugo has trifled with him/her way too much.  I wonder whether Ayato considers his/her failure as a greater sign of weakness in Hugo's eyes or is Ayato actually trying to act impressive now that Hugo is watching...or...is it just girlish embarrassment in front of someone he/she likes?

And then there's Hugo...Is he just sizing up Sui?  Is he jealous that Sui is showing Ayato how to shoot and they are having fun?  In the next chapter are Hugo and Sui going to have a confrontation?  My gut feeling is that Hugo is the type to shoot a smug chuckle over at Ayato and do a little wave goodbye as he leaves the gym.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Next up!
Next up is the Ghost Apartment Manager chapter 5!

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