Hatori Bisco - Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 04-10 (Eng. trans.)

I had read volumes 1-3 about a year or so ago and decided not to continue because the paneling was too busy and the manga lost a lot of humor without the sound effect of the anime.

But then, I saw volumes 2-10 at the library and decided to read them just for the heck of it. It also helped that rilina had been telling me that the manga got much better, especially once it got past the territory covered by the anime. So far, it covers most of the anime, with a few unanimated chapters in volumes 8-10.

Thankfully, either I got used to Hatori's paneling, or she got better at it; it no longer confuses the heck out of me, and I'm fairly certain that her layouts have gotten less busy. Some bits are still funnier in the anime—Tamaki's "Mon ami!" in particular—but Hatori's art is pleasant. I also love that she includes sketches of her characters by other mangaka in the extra bits, particularly the one Matsuri Hino did.

Storywise, there's not much difference so far. I am having an easier time telling the twins apart in terms of personality, though I vaguely remember being able to do that in the latter half of the anime as well. I do like that the non-animated bits have more women in them, although usually it's a girl and how the host club heals her or whatnot in some way. On the other hand, volume 10 introduces a non-Haruhi female character who could stick around for a while.

( Spoilers )

I'm rather disturbed by the translation's use of "tranny;" does anyone know if it corresponds to a similarly derogatory Japanese term, or if it's supposed to just be informal?

Still, fun manga, especially now that it's going beyond the territory of the anime. Also, I root for more character development for Kyoya and Mori, my favorite host club guys.

Sarah Connor Chronicles 2x02-2x04

( Spoilers )

Beckett, Galen - The Magicians and Mrs. Quent

This is a very confusing book. It starts out as a bit of an Austen pastiche: three sisters live together in a house with their mother, who desperately wants to marry them off to rich men, as the house will be entailed when she dies. It'll go to their smarmy cousin, of course. One of the sisters (Ivy) has no delusions about her family, and is beautiful and witty and carries herself well in higher society (she is our heroine, of course), while one is silly and flighty and given to melodramatic piano playing. They meet two bachelors and sparks fly.

But as this goes on in an imaginary version of England called Altania, we also get hints of magick, a mysterious warning given to Ivy by her father, who has been incapacitated by magick.

And then, suddenly, we are in Bronte-land, and instead of being Elizabeth Bennet, Ivy is now Jane Eyre, complete with a huge house, a position as a governess, a possibly evil housekeeper, disobedient children, and Altania's version of the moor. There's even a switch to first-person POV.

And after that, we go back to a non-Austen fantasy in which the fate of the world is at stake!

My favorite portion of the book was the Gothic one, as the atmosphere Beckett invokes there is really creepy. Plus, I feel too many people try to do Austen poorly, and I've read entirely too many romance novels set in Regency England to be much interested in it, no matter how much magic there is. Ivy also pales in comparison to Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre; I never got a good sense of who she was through the book because I was always comparing her to much more interesting heroines.

On the other hand, the grand mystery (as this book seems to be the first in a series) is interesting, and I particularly like the system of luminals and umbrals—the world gets uneven periods of day and night, so the sun could be out for four hours then set, then be out for fourteen the next day. I'm just not going to think about how that works out astronomically, although astronomy does feature in the book. Oh, and there's unrest in the kingdom, a revival of magic, highwaymen, rebels, dark and sinister forces, and balls.

I'm not sure at all if the worldbuilding all holds together—it feels more like pieces of several different books put into one—but so far, it's interesting enough to get me to read the next book.