What I've been doing while away from LJ.

[osaraba]

I'm still in that sampling-a-bit-of-everything mood recently.

I finished Death Note about 3 weeks ago. To tell the truth, it was somewhat anti-climactic. I DO love the way it ended. I love that, together, Mello and Near were able to surpass what L had attempted. I was still hoping that L would come back into the story somehow. I knew it was in vain, but I couldn't let it go. I really enjoyed that Raito's insanity was revealed without doubt, and that Matsuda didn't actually screw anything up for Near. It was also fitting that Ryuk didn't help Raito in the end, although if you didn't see that coming, well... you need to brush up on recognizing foreshadowing blatant hints. I think the part that disappointed me was the "wrap-up" chapter. And I realize how badly I'm harping on this, but I think it's probably because I was still hoping that we'd get a peek of L -- still alive? Not likely. Maybe transformed into a shinigami or something. I'd go search for fanfic, but I'm not all that interested in reading DN yaoi, and I have a feeling that's mostly what I'd find.

Since then I've been reading the Initial D manga, which is SO AWESOME. The anime stayed really close to the plot, which I'm really grateful for. The things they left out/changed are not hugely significant, but I'm glad that I read the manga and now have those things to flesh out the story even more. They're mostly having to do with Natsuki (whom I like). I'm up to volume 25 right now, and there really aren't too many more volumes scanlated, so I'm both looking forward to reading more, but not looking forward to finishing what I have (vol 27 or 28).

I've actually been watching anime of my own volition! Saiunkoku Monogatari, which at first seems to be very similar to Fushigi Yuugi, but really isn't. The setting is the same, and the part where there's one main girl character and 5+ bishounen characters, but that's where similarities end. The major difference: SHUUREI IS NOT MIAKA! Shuurei actually has a brain, and is both intelligent and clever, and IS NOT STUPID! She can be slightly innocent or naive at times, but in a normal way -- NOT stupidly and unrealistically. The perceived love rivals are also the emperor and a fighter/warrior type, but the romance part is SO much less of a soap opera than FY, and there really isn't very much of a triangle. I'm enjoying it so much; I'm up to episode 14 and have up to 27. I can't seem to find Shadow Dreams subs after ep 27, but I know it goes up to at least ep 39, so I'm wondering if the status is ongoing or dropped...

Also, I've been carrying around Sorcery Rising by Jude Fisher, and reading around 20-30 pages/day during weekdays. I think it's probably the perfect book for my mood right now. It has a pretty slow build-up; not boring, but definitely something I can only read in small chunks at a time. Since I have been excited to do other things when I get home, it's perfect for commute or lunch-time reading. The characters are intriguing, and that's really what's keeping me going with this book. The narration goes from character to character, laying down the foundation for each character's origin, background, and motivation. And only now, at 285 pages in (out of 528), are they beginning to intersect.

I have more to update about (Blood Ties, the TV series based on Tanya Huff's Vicki Nelson books, for example), and more to squee about (Drakengard and The Prestige), but I'll stop here for now and spare you my long-windedness.

Oh yeah, and the movie Clueless is based on Emma by Jane Austen.

Comments

[louiex.livejournal.com]

Don't know if I sent this to you or not, or held my tongue to avoid spoilers :D But this is one of my FAVORITE fanarts from DN. Ever. And the artist does a lot of DN stuff that's worth looking at too.

I hope you like it

I'm soooooo happy you finished it though :D

[osaraba]

LOL, I DO like it! ♥ You didn't send it to me, but I did come across it myself. I worried for a while about whether I spoiled myself, and often fluctuated between "OMG L's GONNA BECOME A SHINIGAMI!" and "Oh stop Sara, it's just a fanart; it doesn't mean anything."

I'm so glad you sent me all the manga scanlations that day! Even though it took me a while to get to it, I'm really glad I had it on my comp when I was finally ready to read it! <3333

[louiex.livejournal.com]

And I didn't mess up and spoil anything for ya! :D That's a bit of pride there for me XDXD

But huzzah~ I knew you'd like it, DN is freaking awesome. So well written to be dubbed merely as a manga, you know?

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of trying Saiunkoku Monogatari again. I was disappointed with the romance. I was hoping for something different. It's a very pretty anime, though.

[osaraba]

Well, after the first several episodes, the romance doesn't play as big a part. I'm not sure how the romance figures in, if it's the main focus or if it plays a significant part but not the main part? There have been quite a few episodes by this point that have barely any interaction between Shuurei and the emperor. I think it's more a story about Shuurei and the social issued involved with the introduction of a strong & smart woman into official politics than it is about the romance between her and the emperor (although that will, of course, play a large role -- because she has his support and the support of many of his high-ranking officials). Anyway, that's my guess as to where it's going; I'm not completely sure about that yet.

I do know that it's based on a novel series, and that there's a shoujo manga based on the series too. I read the first 5 chapters of the shoujo manga and liked it and decided to look up the anime. But I very much enjoy romance shoujo, so... ^^;

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

Jay's friend is going to give me a copy of the series (what's subbed so far by Suck). I'm going to give it a second chance, since I'm caught up on a bunch of other things I've been watching. It's nice to know the romance isn't a big part of the action. Thanks!