(no subject)

[oyceter]

Lalala... I suddenly feel like writing things in LJ again, except I can't think of what. And since yhlee's requests for topics to write about yielded some very interesting entries (to read, at least), I figure I shall ask people if there is anything they want me to write about.

Otherwise I just babble on like usual! I also feel an incredible urge to read manga. I've got Nana 1-12 sitting around, but I'm a little lazy about that because it's in Japanese, and mine is quite rusty. I really should try and reread them though. And me and fannishly went to B&N today, and I just stood around and ogled at their manga. I was just going to do that stand-and-read thing (tachiyomi?), but I couldn't find anything in particular I wanted to read. No Fullmetal Alchemist manga, no vol. 1 of Fruits Basket. I tried flipping though vol. 4 of Angel Sanctuary but was completely confused. Apparently reading up to vol. 4 in Chinese six years ago doesn't mean one can pick it up in a jiffy ;). I ended up reading about half of Yuu Watase's Alice 19th, which was actually pretty interesting. And I like her chibi character drawings.

Sigh. I wish manga weren't so expensive. Or that there were more manga in libraries or something. Maybe I can just make weekly trips to Borders or B&N and just stand there and read one volume.

Comments

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I have actually stood in bookstores and read books (they have to be short ones, like Silence of the Lambs or A Separate Peace -- both first read in chain stores) but it usually makes the employees super-unhappy. One thing I do like abt the Burnt & Chernobyl chains is they have nice armchairs and tables to relax in/at and read.

[oyceter]

I used to do it all the time as a kid! I'd just plunk myself down there and read. Heh. I understand it making the employees grumpy, but honestly, it does seem like they're providing chairs there specifically for that purpose.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Well, heh, this was B Dalton's circa the late eighties, no chairs, but I wld just sit on the floor. Heh.

[oyceter]

Ooo yes. I remember that. My legs would get all numb from sitting on the floor.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

The staff couldn't really get angry at me cause I made my mother spend soooo much money there, but they'd occasionally chase me to the back regions of the store.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Write about books!

No, I have no other topics of conversation. [ahem]

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

There are other topics of conversation than books? ((is doubtful))

[oracne.livejournal.com]

There are other topics of conversation than books?

Nah, didn't think so.

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Surely not. ((relieved, goes back to new P.D. James))

[oyceter]

Hee! It's hard to come up with a topic of conversation better than books ;).

It's funny, actually -- I keep thinking that posting my book review things aren't really writing about books for some reason, maybe because I try to do them regularly? Or maybe because they're more about one book in particular, as opposed to the experience of reading.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Nope, they're about books.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

I've been referencing coffee_and_ink's romance novel conversion kit post for a while - do you have your own? A novice's guide to graphic novels and/or manga? Or how about writing about a formative reading experience? It's always fun to read how people experienced Tolkien (or Le Guin, or some other author of their choice) for the first time.

[oyceter]

Ooooooo you're reading romances?! Muhahaha! Yes, I will definitely sic whatever I like on to you, although I think a giant portion of my list is the same as Mely's, given that I blazed through hers first.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I moved from Georgette Heyer into other regency romances and historicals in general. I should note that I really didn't like Kinsale, which seems to put me in a major minority among others in my flist.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Well, Kinsale really is a wacky subgenre of her own. I have to forcefully suspend my disbelief when I read her books...

[oyceter]

Ooooo, that's right, were you reading Carla Kelly as well?

I think Kinsale is in a class all on her own. I like a percentage of her books, but not all of them.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've read some Kelly, Chase, Ross, and other random things. So I guess I'm less in need of a beginner's guide than curious to see what you'd put in it!

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

The FMA manga isn't out here yet. It's listed on Viz's Website as due 5/3, which might mean it will be out earlier -- I haven't gotten the hang of Viz-speak.

This is probably a good time to tell you I'm sending you a disc with assorted manga I think you might like, including all of Angel Sanctuary and the first six volumes of Nana. The AS scans aren't the best, so if you like them you'll probably want the licensed translations eventually anyway.

I'm trying to resist spending $30 on a Shojo Beat subscription, since I'd rather have things in book form than magazine anyway.

I'd love to hear you talk about Japanese language study or how odd it is to see people getting into manga, which you mentioned you might do a while ago, but I'd also to hear about your history with fantasy/sf or your history with romance novels or more about being a Third Culture kid or food or anything. I like the way you write about things.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

How's Nana? What's it about? There's a fifteen year anniversary or some other similar Nana or Ai Yazawa celebration going on, or maybe it's over the Paradise Kiss anime production beginning, but all the manga stores have piles of her manga on display, especially Nana.

Yeah, I'd like to read anything you write too. Since I'm somewhat mobility-impaired at the moment, it turns out that I am reading other peoples journals after all.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I just posted on this, but you're probably not reading LJ stuff that isn't emailed, right? So at risk of boring poor oyceter, I'll cut and paste:

Nana is the story of two girls named Nana who come to Tokyo to pursue their fortunes and end up sharing an apartment. They are, of course, polar opposites: Nana Komatsu is sweet, conventional, blonde, flighty, always falling in love, never keeping a budget or making long-term plans, and not at all sure what she wants to do with her life. Nana Oosaki is a musician, an orphan, dark, cynical, independent, and fiercely devoted to a single long-term relationship. She looks a little bit like Faith, which I hardly mind. (One of the pleasures of the story is seeing how the two of them actually subvert their stereotypes; the apparently unconventional Nana Oosaki has had a far more traditional love life than the apparently staid Nana Komatsu.) The story is about their friendship--mildly slashy in places if you're so inclined, but I like this one much better as platonic, including their uncertainty at how much they mean to each other and how to demonstrate or preserve this against all the cultural and personal forces minimizing friendship in favor of family and romance. The story's also about a wide array of supporting characters--Nana Komatsu's friends and boyfriends, Nana Oosaki's band, the love interests of each of the band members--who are all drawn beautifully and distinctively, in both the literal and metaphorical senses. The series is by Ai Yazawa, whose Paradise Kiss is out in English; the earlier series shows some of her gorgeous design sense and some of her flare for rounded characterization, but Nana is miles deeper and more involving.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

And you just said you were reading other people's journals. I think I am brain-impaired today. I didn't realize that I hadn't set my watch forward till 4pm today, despite thinking lines were awfully thin for the time of day my watch said it was both at Starbuck's in the morning and at the post office during lunch. And also I avoided realizing that my watch at Starbuck's had an earlier time than my cable box clock had had before I left.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Ah, read it now. Well, I@m reading a few people@s journals, but mostly if it:s emailed, as you surmised. (Writing from a manga net cafe again, which I stumbled upon in Shinjuku^^ the steps down are all nmirrieored, even the floor, and the guys at the counter asked if I `knew JR` which I only do if they meant Japan rail, which I:m sure they did not. I shook my head dumbly and finally they gave up and just handed me a receipt and told me my cubicle number, and I went downstairs (dark and WET ubderfoot) down twisting weird dark corridors, if it was America I@d have been sure I:d be murdered any second or emerge in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre set, but it is Japan so I persevered, found my cubicle, and here I am. I thibnk it:s also a teen makeout joint; I hear suspicious giggles.

Um, thanks for the notes on Nana.

[oyceter]

There's a Yazawa Ai celebration in Japan?!?! There's going to be a Paradise Kiss anime?!?! !!!!!

Um. Yes, she does happen to be my favorite mangaka! I had no idea she was that popular in Japan too! Ohhhh... if it wouldn't be too much trouble or take up too much luggage space, I would love some sort of Nana paraphernelia! I've got the manga vols. 1-12 and 7.8 in Japanese, along with the Nana artbook, but anything else would be highly appreciated! Willing to mail you a check or Paypal or whatever would be more convenient, of course.

Anyway, coffee_and_ink's description of Nana is right on.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

You have voulume 7.8?? So anything after 12 in Japanese would be good? Sure, no problem. Haven:t seen any Nana paraphernalia, alas, in fact have seen less paraphernalia overall than I:d expected. I:m sure there are shops everyobe on the fifth floors of buildings and only labeled with their names in kanji to frustrate foreigners.

[oyceter]

Ooo, yes, anything after 12 in Japanese would be wonderful! I suppose Nana doesn't quite lend itself to paraphernelia as well as shows with giant robots and teh like... I remember this giant anime/manga store in Akihabara that had a whole bunch of out of season stuff that was on sale, but I can't remember the store name =(.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I think twelve is the last one, alas. There is a Nana tribute CD with pop singers apparently doing songs inspired by Nana?? Would you like that if I see it again?

[oyceter]

Ooooo yes, thank you so much!

[oyceter]

Ah yes, that would be why I can't find the FMA manga ;).

And eep! I've already been excited and bouncy on your journal already, but OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! Beautiful boys with wings incesty gender mixy crack!