Of Mangas and Mangakas

I miss ranting and raving. I miss being tackless and blunt. I’m exhausted and sleep-deprived, cranky and overly patient. (something so abnormal about me: I really am patient when I’m feeling odd) Blame it on the monthly cycle pains and the not-so-over exams.

I’m obsessed with manga right now, an obsession I share with my college friend Richard. I love reading manga for some time now. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot more and craving (to the point that I spend a whole day in internet shops and bookstores reading manga). I’ve met Onyxangel, an online friend who shares my obsession. Her comments amuse me to no ends and her recommendations are smack perfect. She introduced me to the works of Hino Matsuri, MeruPuri or Marchen Prince. One word: kilig. The characters are interesting, the story is quaint, and the drawings are beautiful. I have to applaud the mangaka, her works are utterly beautiful. I love the way she draws, perfect lines and symmetry, lovely scenery and astig costumes and the characters – beautiful! I’ve always been a fan of guys with lovely eyes and androgynous features. When I saw her male leads, I just had to stop and stare, more like ogle. How I wish they were real!

Another mangaka with beautiful characters is Miyagi Riko, I’ve seen only a few chapters of her work but I’ve stared at it for minutes at a time. I love the way she draws the eyes, conveying emotions with just the eyes. Her script is heart-meltingly sweet as well.

But I guess I still love Nana the most; it wasn’t my first manga but it is my first love. Ai Yazawa is the mangaka. Plus, Nana has been turned into anime, which I found so cute, and 2 movies! *clap clap* The first movie featured one of my favorite Jap actresses, Aoi Miyazaki, the theme song was written by my fave Jap rock artist, Hyde of L’Arc~en~ciel, and had the best parts of the manga in it. I’m digressing! ^_^ I’m such a fan. Back to my point… I love the story! It moved me to tears of joy, triumph, frustration, and helplessness; it had me cringing in embarrassment and kilig; it had me crazy in love with her cute drawings; and it thoroughly converted me to rock and roll goth. The mangaka is a great story teller to the point that I couldn’t stop reading till my eyes hurt.

Hisaya Nakajo with her Hanazakari No Kimitachi E also gave me shivers of utter kilig.

My recent read is Yuuki Ryou’s Shinigami Lovers. I’m a fan of the supernatural and this really does it for me, a mortal girl and a death god. It’s not as well drawn or as heart-wrenching as the other mangas but it’s turning out pretty okei. I'm looking forward to the new chapters and the new characters.