Junai Labyrinth/ Pure Love Labyrinth

This series is serialised in LaLa. I did not read it carefully until recently as its drawing style didn't appeal to me. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to read through it carefully. I love the story. Funny and it has enough dramatic elements to make me come back for more.

Ogiwara Umi is a typical 16 years old high school girl. Her mum is hungarian and her father is a very busy producer in the TV station. Personally, I would think that having a hungarian mum is not so typical in Japan, right? Anyways, let us continue. However, Umi has a not so typical older brother, Ogiwara Haruto. He is good-looking as well as an up and coming star actor. What is not so common in this otherwise typical shoujou manga is that Umi is in love with her own brother. She drools over him like many of the teenage girls. She keeps sneaking into his room and sleeps on the same bed with him (nothing indecent happened but the mangaka intends for us to know that by the side of Haruto is where Umi feels most comfortable). She daydreams about going on dates with him. Interestingly, Haruto loves Umi too. Haruto, on the otherhand, tries to hide his intense feelings towards Umi. He has been feeling very guilty about these feelings. In one of the chapters, he was staring at the sleeping profile of Umi and feels a sudden tenderness towards her. Without thinking, he bent over and kissed her lips. Their grandma saw him and Haruto was shocked. However, Grandma told Haruto that she wanted to be kissed too! (Yes, this manga's shock elements make the manga rather hilarious). Grandma, went back to bed and quietly asked herself whether he knows. This made me think that Haruto and Umi may not be blood-related. (Dramatic, right?)

Enters Kishima Reira. He is the other bishounen in this manga. He was introduced into the series as the next door neighbour of the Ogiwara household. Reira is also in showbiz. He is also an up and coming star. He is a singer. Needless to say, Reira's character grows to find Umi attractive and that got Haruto jealous.

Reira and Haruto could not get along. They behave like natural enemies when they meet. However, during one performance, both Haruto and Reira were made to sing together. Fans went crazy. That was the first time, Haruto sang in public. Not only was his singing well-received, the fans like to see two of them together. Hehehe... of course this allows for more opportunities for Reira to show his interest towards Umi and getting Haruto all jealous.

Currently, this series is at chapter 14. I will start summarising Chapter 15. Look out for it.

Faster Than A Kiss Chapter 36

For the fans of Faster Than A Kiss. This is a very brief summary of Chapter 36, the latest chapter of the series. I like this chapter. Hilarious and I like to see Ma kun losing self-control and getting all jealous.

Fumino has not told Ma kun about Shouma's kiss. She has decided that she will not tell Ma kun about it. She chooses to see the whole incident as a childish prank.

Whilst Fumino is in class during Ma kun's lesson, Shouma appears and asks her for a date. Fumino is shocked. Not knowing how to handle the situation and fearing that Ma kun will be affected, Fumino grabs hold of Shouma and runs, shouting (at the same time) that it is hot and they shall go to the library.

Alone with Shouma, Fumino tells Shouma to quit harassing her as this will affect her relationship with Ma kun. Choosing not to respond to that, Shouma tells Fumino he has tickets to the amusement park. Fumino is frustrated that Shouma doesn't seem to understand that she doesn't want him around her. She tells him she is not going.

Shouma expresses his surprise that she has not let Ma Kun know about their kiss. Fumino tells him that she has no intention of letting him know.

Shouma tells Fumino that one day, she will be by his side. (He seems very optimistic).

Fumino laments that Shouma doesn't understand at all.

Meanwhile, back home, Fumino and Teppei welcome Ma kun back home. Ma kun pins Fumino to the ground and asks her about the date with Shouma. She tells him that he suggested to go to the amusement park. Ma kun wonders what weakness she holds towards Shouma...

Fumino feels trapped. She can't tell Ma kun what happened. Seeing her expression, Ma kun gently kisses her forehead and tells Teppei that they are going to the amusement park. Teppei is very excited. He suggests that Megu chan and Shouma come along. Fumino hesitates...

At the park, Ma kun thank Shouma for the invitation. Fumino feels extremely uncomfortable. Shouma asks Fumino who suggests and how did the date become a group meeting. Both Shouma and Ma kun grab Fumino's hands at the same time. Shouma looks at Ma kun and tells him that the amusement park is near school. He loudly proclaims that Ma Kun is holding his student's hands. That comes as a shock to all and Shouma takes the opportunity to run away with Fumino.

Throughout, Shouma tries to keep Fumino with him and away from Ma kun. Out of frustration, Ma kun expresses that he observes that Megu chan seems rather calm given the situation. Megu chan replies that she agrees and it is obvious that Shouma is in love.

Megu chan tells Ma kun that she thinks he is amazing to remain quiet seeing all these.

Ma kun replies that it is not true at least since knowing about his wife's kissing incident.

Shouma takes Fumino to the haunted house...

Ma kun finds out from his students that Fumino has entered the haunted house. The house is set up to help couples come together or to make couples. On hearing that, Ma kun's face turns dark. Ma kun asks Megu chan to take care of Teppei...

Ma kun shouts for Fumino. Shouma tries to hide her behind him and prevents Ma kun from getting her.

Somehow, Ma kun reaches behind Shouma and carries Fumino away... He opens a cabinet and tells the actor (who hides there to scare visitors) he needs to borrow the place. Ma kun's facial expression is much more scary than any of the actors or props of the haunted house.

In the cabinet, Ma kun tells Fumino that he is angry that she does not sense Shouma's feelings even though they are often in contact. Fumino wonders whether he is angry and upset with her.

He tells her she is not to put on Shouma's T-shirt (I suppose that means when Shouma hid her behind him in his shirt), she is not to be surrounded by him...

...She is not to be kissed by him! Fumino realises that Ma kun knows about the kiss.

Fumino cries thinking that Ma kun must be so hurt... Ma kun sees her tears and apologises to her. He tells her gently that they will go somewhere...

Shouma thinks to put an end to his feelings for Fumino...

I think the next chapter should be an interesting one. Finally, Fumino's and Ma kun's relationship will progress to the next level. : )

Sukitte Iwaseru Houhou/ Make you say, "I love you" Brief Summary of Chapter 1-6

Hi All,

I have promised to give a brief summary of the chapters thus far and give a more detailed writeup on Chapter 7.

Nanoka is a pretty girl but deep down inside she is insecure. To confirm her popularity and attractiveness, she tries hard to make an impression on guys. She would pay them attention and smile sweetly at them so that they would like her. This also resulted in many guys confessing their feelings to her.

In the oneshot story, Nanoka used her "get popular" tactics to get Haruto, the president of the cooking club to like her. Finally, he reciprocated her feelings. The series started with them getting to know each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. She is very possessive of Haruto and worries about girls being near him. However, she tries hard not to let Haruto know about her true feelings as she thinks that Haruto will not like her for that.

Haruto, on the other hand, is a nice guy. He is nice to everyone and that makes Nanoka even more nervous. One day, an exchange student, Nakagawa Akari joins the cooking club. She is beautiful but quite unlike Nanoka, she expresses her dislike very openly. At first, she seemed to have a deep prejudice against the male sex. Akari was unhappy when she realised that Haruto is the president of the cooking club.

During a chanced meeting, Akari realizes that Haruto is a sincere person who is truly passionate about becoming a pastry chef. Her impression towards him changes. You can imagine Nanoka's discomfort when she realises that.

In Chapter 6, Akari was upset when she met up with her dad (a chef). Akari's parents are divorced. Her father has a girlfriend that is half his age. Akari resented that and also her father's busy schedule. One day, Haruto saw Akari alone in a park, Akari was upset having met up with her father. She confided in Haruto who listened and provided a source of support for her. Akari was touched.

The next day in school, when asked, Haruto did not dare to tell Nanoka that he was with Akari as he was afraid that she would be upset. The chapter ended with Nanoka suggesting to help Akari find a boyfriend, and Akari confiding to Nanoka that Haruto was with her and comforted her!

Nanoka was jealous and shocked to say the least. That is the brief summary of chapters 1-6. The drawing is quite cute especially Nanoka's sulking and angry expressions. The character development is interesting too. Nanoka presents herself as a sweet and easy-going girl but inside she is very possessive and gets angry easily. Haruto seems to know her well. Akari, on the other hand, seems like a very nice girl. So the next few chapters, we will see how Nanoka tries to make sense of this. Look out for Chapter 7.

Sukitte Iwaseru Houhou/ Make you say, "I love you"

Make You Say, "I Love You"

Hi all.

I have been reading this series serialised in Betsuma. It started off as a oneshot by mangaka Masami Nagata. It is a shoujo love story about a girl who is in love with the president of the baking club (yummy!). Currently, it is in its 7th chapter.

I just love the drawing style. Beautiful. I will try to give a brief summary of the other chapters and give a more detailed latest chapter. Look out for it.

CODE BLUE Season 2

Some of you may realised that I have not been blogging as frequently as in the past. Apart from work (which keeps me very busy), I have been watching Code Blue Season 2. Sigh... I was a fan of Code Blue thus naturally, when Code Blue 2 was available in DVD, I could not resist it. I was not let down. Each episode is realistic and fast pace. It is like the Japanese version of "ER" except that it is centered around the doctor helicopter system where doctors are dispatched to the patients via the helicopter. Of course, one of the key reason I love this series is Yamashita Tomohisa. He is HOT!!!

Kamisama Hajimemashita Chapter 21

Hi Fans of Kamisama Hajimemashita,

This is chapter 21.

Nanami feeling despondent, has lost her appeitite cos Tomoe "rejected" her in the previous chapter. It is the start of summer vacation but Nanami cannot bring herself to feel excited over it. Mei (Nanami's classmate) asks Nanami whether she would like to go to the beach during the summer vacation. Nonchalantly, she expresses that it is a great idea. Mei tries to get Nanami to wake up. Nanami thinks that even if she wants to sort out her feelings, it is near impossible as Tomoe is always around...

Tomoe enters the class and stares at Nanami. He scolds her for not eating well. He asks whether she is trying to diet. Weakly, Nanami protests that she has no appetite. Tomoe insists that Nanami has to force herself to eat. Mei, in her bid to protect Nanami, tells Tomoe that Nanami's condition is his fault. She is depressed as Tomoe has rejected her feelings.

Nanami laments that her heart cannot quieten down. Tomoe sees Nanami's expression and throws a fuss. He pushes Mei away and threatens to stuff food down Nanami's throat.

As Tomoe bends to open Nanami's mouth, he cannot. (In the last chapter, Nanami commands Tomoe not to touch her anymore and as Nanami is Tomoe's god, he has to listen to her commands). Looking at Tomoe's response, Nanami thinks that she is the only one who is affected by the incident. She alone feels that she has no control of her emotions. To her, she thinks Tomoe seems unaffected. The only difference she notes is that Tomoe does not touch her anymore. Nanami wonders whether he does it on purpose. (Nanami seems to have forgotten about her commands to Tomoe).

Meanwhile, Mei tries to encourage Nanami to cheer up...

Mei tries to encourage Nanami to go to the beach as she feels that the beach will do some good to her. Nanami agrees to meet them on Saturday at the beach.

Meanwhile, back at the temple, Mizuki enters to see Nanami and Tomoe quarreling. Tomoe forbids Nanami to go to the beach and she refuses to obey.

Tomoe tells Nanami that the sea is full of monsters and she is his god thus he cannot let her encounter any danger. Moreover, he cannot go into water thus he will not be able to protect her. Nanami tells Tomoe that her friends will be there. Tomoe disagrees as he feels that her friends will not be able to protect her.

Misuki who has been quietly listening to the conversation interrupts and says that he can accompany her to the beach.

At the beach, Nanami thinks that her mood will improve seeing the blue sky and the beautiful beach.

Nanami expresses that it has been a long time since she came to the beach. Her friend, however, is rather upset that Tomoe and Mizuki are tagging along. She tells Tomoe to keep his distance as she is her to make more male friends. She didn't want the potential suitors to think that Tomoe or Mizuki is her boyfriend.

The girls change into their swim suit. Nanami's friends tells her that she looks good in her suit. They encourage her to walk over to where Tomoe and Mizuki are sitting to see their reactions. However, Nanami feels self-conscious when Tomoe casts a glance at her. Not knowing how to handle her discomfort, Nanami suggests that they go into the sea for a swim.

Looking at Nanami's and her friends' departing figures, Mizuki comments that girls of this generation have no sense of modesty when it comes to their dress sense. He feels that male humans subjected to such a sight will naturally turn into a lecherous monster.

On a more serious note, Mizuki expresses his curiosity as to why Tomoe bothers to turn up at the beach. He tells Tomoe that he knows Tomoe is happy to be here at the beach but he is surprised that Tomoe actually turned up. Mizuki tells him that he knows the reason why Tomoe cannot go into the sea. He tells Tomoe he will keep the secret from Nanami.

After that comment, Mizuki calls out to Nanami and runs into the sea to join them.

From the beach, Tomoe is observing Nanami. He looks at her as she smiles and enjoys herself. Nanami finds a pretty sea shell and runs to Tomoe enthusiastically to show it to him. In a bid to control himself, Tomoe responds nonchalantly to Nanami. Seeing her disappointment, Mizuki puts his hand on her shoulder and tells her to leave Tomoe alone as he hates the sea.
Tomoe stares angrily after the couple and frustratingly expresses his displeasure towards Mizuki. Tomoe:" That idiotic snake (Mizuki)! I can't touch Nanami and he can do so as he pleases!!"

Mei tells Nanami that she is happy that Nanami looks happier.

Suddenly, a huge wave crashes into them. Mei disappears into the waves. Nanami:" Mei! Mei!"

As a wet Mizuki approaches Tomoe, he notices Tomoe looks irritated. Mizuki:"What's wrong with you?"

Suddenly, one of Nanami's friends runs towards them and shouts:"Tomoe, Mei and Nanami..."

At that moment, Nanami gets out of the sea. She is shivering and coughing.

Tomoe:"Are you ok, Nanami?"

Nanami:"Tomoe, Mei has disappeared. She doesn't know how to swim. Tomoe, I beg of you, please help her!"

Tomoe tells Nanami:"Leave it to me."

Tomoe heads into the sea. Mizuki is suprised and asks Tomoe whether he is sure he wants to go into the sea. Tomoe tells Mizuki that since Nanami asked him, he will go.

Tomoe saves Mei. Nanami smiles appreciatively at him:" Thank you, Tomoe."

Suddenly, another voice echoes:" Thank you, Tomoe..."

Nanami sees beyond Tomoe...

A hideous monster rose out of the sea:"... Thank you for coming into the sea. Because of that, I've found you, Tomoe."

That concludes Chapter 21. This chapter we can see Tomoe feeling jealous when other male person (Mizuki) pays attention to Nanami or gets close to her. He will go to all length for Nanami's sake, including putting himself at risk. I'm hoping that Nanami will note this in the next few chapters.

Strobe Edge Chapter 36

Dear Strobe Edge Fans,

This is the last chapter of Strobe Edge. I have such mixed feelings when translating and summarizing it. I wanted to get it up asap for all you fans (knowing that you are probably waiting anxiously for it), yet, I wanted to savour the moment. This is afterall, the LAST chapter. T_T.

Although, they didn't even kiss, but the mangaka was able portray the intensity of their feelings for each other. To me that is unforgetable lovey-doveyness. As Freesiane has pointed out, the smiling couple. Yes, they are the cover page of the last chapter of Strobe Edge. I so wish to see more of a smiling Ren...

Ninako is thinking that she wants to convey her thoughts and feelings to him...

Ninako blushes as she comes face to face with Ren. (Gosh... Ren is looking at her so intensely... ) Ninako: "Well... you see..." Ninako thinks to herself that she had refused him so now she must explain herself to him.

Ren: "Kinoshita San... I..."

Ninako to Ren :"I wish for you to listen to what I have to say."

Ren is surprised to hear this and he gives her his attention. Ninako feels Ren's eyes on her.

Ninako:"Perhaps, I am not apt at expressing and what I have to say may be long but... I wish for you to listen." Ren is looking at Ninako as she talks.

Ren:"Yes..."

Overwhelmed, Ninako tears. She quickly wipes it away. She wonders why she is crying and that she should not cry now as she has not said the things she wants to say. She wonders why her chest feels tight.

In between tears, Ninako pleads with Ren:"..listen, ok?"

Ren looks at her: "Yes, I am listening." Looking at her intently, he says:"I will listen properly."

Wiping away her tears, she says:" To like Ren and to have you said that you liked me, this is beyond my dreams and my thoughts... but at that time I could not give you any response... this feeling of guilt... at that time, I thought it is cruel for me alone to feel blessed... My thoughts were filled with hopelessness....

Ninako continues :"However, I was terrified of being moved...and each time, I tried to find a plausible explanation for my behaviour... I protected only myself... because of that..." Ninako wants to explain her feelings and thoughts clearly but she cannot. She wants to convey her feelings properly but she can't. Frustrated, she tears again.

Ren, looking at her struggling:"It's ok."

Ninako looks at Ren and tells herself to convey her feelings across. Ninako:"I have endured this confused state for awhile..."

Ninako:"I have various things I have to say but even if these are not said, there is one thing I must say to you..." Ninako wonders how would what she has to say next affect the feelings between them. She must tell him.

Ninako bursting into tears confesses:"I love you Ren Kun." She wonders whether he feels the same.

Ren:"Ki.."

Ninako interrupts:"Ren Kun, I love you. I want to become the most important person to you." Blushing and crying at the same time, Ninako continues:" I want to be able to do things like talk to you on the phone, send mails, share a cake with you, although I have a great appetite, I want to see you smile... I want to hold hands with you like a couple, I'm just saying it. We need not do that... but it does seem common to hold hands..." Ninako rambles on incessantly...

At that moment, Ren...

...reaches out and envelopes her into his arms. (T___T , I've waited so long, sooooo looongg for this...T____T, good job Ren. You are such a good, sweet boy. I just love this moment....sigh....)

Ninako blushing says:"I too, I want to hold you tight too... can I?... Ren blushes as he realizes what Ninako is asking... (so sweeeetttt)

Ren:"Please do." (this is unforgetable lovey-doveyness to me... I just love how they fit in each other's arms... sigh...)

Ren:"Don't let go."

Slowly, Ren pulls apart and looks into Ninako's eyes:"Kinoshita San, I love you, I love you very much." (the look that passes between them... Io Sensei, you are the best!!!)

Ninako:"Me too, I love Ren Kun very much..."

Narration: A world where the person you love, loves you too. Such a world glitters and sparkles...

Back in school the next day... Ninako is being surrounded by the girls in her class. Someone has seen Ninako and Ren at the train station yesterday. Some of her classmates express that they are shocked.

Someone asks:" Ninako, I thought you said Ren Kun is merely a friend?"

Ninako apologises:"I'm sorry, in truth, my feelings for him never did change since the beginning..."

Ninako's close friends teasingly calls her:" Hey, Ojousan (young lady), we can see that you are in a great mood." They wish her their blessings.

Of course amongst the girls, there are those who are not so enthusiastic with the news. One of the girls says:"Since Ren likes Ninako so there's nothing I can do..." One of them even says that she is surprised that Ren likes a commoner. Ninako is hurt to be called commoner.

Ren's buddies comment that they will support Ren's partner. Manabu:"I wonder how did Ren confess his feelings to Ninako, I'm going to tease him when he comes." At that moment, Andou who has been listening quietly to the comments stands up and leaves the class.

Andou bumps into Ren outside the classroom.

Ren:"Andou." Andou ignores him.

Ren calls out to him a few times but Andou refuses to acknowledge. Ren reaches out to stop Andou. Andou turns around tells him to hold the conversation. He doesn't want to listen to him now.

Andou to Ren:"Stupid bullshit!"

Ren calls him again. Out of frustration, Andou tells him to shut up and that he really doesn't want to listen to anything he has to say.

With a smile, Ren tells Andou that when he behaves in such a manner he is getting better (as in he is healing).

Andou replies Ren:"What do you know, idiot!" (Ren understands Andou : ) )

As Andou leaves the scene thinking how Ren can remain so calm towards him who has stolen Ninako's first kiss (I wonder how Ren will react when he knows this). As Andou leaves, a girl asks him whether he is free tonight and wants to play. Andou replies that he is sad and he doesn't want to go out. (Andou is healing...)

Back in class, Ren enters the class and sees Ninako telling about how Ren hugged her and she hugged him back... At that moment, Manabu sees Ren and announces:" Here comes the boyfriend!"

Ren walks up to Ninako:"Wait a minute, Kinoshita san..."

Ninako:"You heard it just now...

Minabu:" It's just sharing of happy tidings."

Teasingly, Minabu asks Ren:" Please teach us how you confess your feelings."

Ren with a straight face:" No."

Ren intending to silence further teasing tells the whole class:" This is between the two of us and it will remain a secret between us."

With that announcement, everyone in class turns a shade of pink at his bold declaration.

The class bursts into an uproar of teasing. They shout:" He says two of them.... their secret..." Ninako blushes furiously. Ren looks on and thinks that they are so noisy... Ren bends down and apologises to Ninako. He asks whether she has been harrassed by their teasing. Blushing as she replies Ren:"Actually, I'm quite happy (to be teased)."

Ren covering his blushing face replies:" In that case, it is good..." (So sweeeettt. Only Ninako can make Ren blush)

At the end of the day, as they leave school, someone shouted:" Ninako, Ren is going home. Do follow him. Please the two of you can you show more lovey-doveyness?"

Ren stretches out his hand to Ninako as they walk. In shock, Ninako stares at his outstretched hand and stares back at Ren.

Ren blushes and replies:"Isn't it common for people to hold hands? (he is repeating what Ninako said to him earlier).

Ninako lifts her hand slightly and Ren holds her hand.

Ninako comments:"I know I said about wanting to hold hands but I'm still feeling shocked..."

Ninako:"...I know this is common, I'm having difficulty. When will I get use to it .."

Ren:" You will soon..."

Ninako:"I feel a sudden tightening of my chest..."

Ren:" Me too."

Ninako is surprised to learn that boys feels so too.

Wanting to know more, she asks whether he feels his throat tightening too. Ren replies that he feels his collar bone creaking. (Bawhahahaha.... these 2 are so kawaii!!)

(Buchan, the cat has kittens!)

Again, love gathers.

Gosh. I'm overwhelmed. The sweetness level between the two more than hits the roof! Sigh... I am satisfied yet I want more... Io Sensei, please.... I love the ending statement. Love gathers or love piles up. I'm pondering over this phrase...

Ok. There will be a special edition chapter in the coming issue of Betsuma. The magazine seems to suggest that we will be able to see their first date! I am hoping we can see more lovey doveyness as well as a good ending for Andou. Ok. I would love to hear from you. Leave me your comments.