Everyone's probably heard the news by now. I thought I'd make my own post about it, since it is one of my favourite Angelic Pretty prints. When I read about it for the first time, my brain screamed.
I found it on my dashboard, in the blog updates section. Lolita Wonderland was talking about its return. It later went to the back of my mind, and I found it verified on my homepage on Facebook about 25 minutes ago.
I have to say, even though I know there is no chance of me buying, I'm thrilled.
Please become mine, beautiful Sugary Carnival! T^T
I discovered Jpop in about summer 2007 through High School Musical. Not the place you'd expect someone to find it.
High School Musical 2 was showcasing different versions of their songs on Family. When the Japanese version of "You Are the Music In Me" by Nami Tamaki came on, I instantly fell in love. It sounded like just the right music for me. I liked upbeat songs. ( I really liked her hair too!)
I later began looking for the lyrics to the song so I could sing along. I eventually learned the lyrics by heart. My sister was on the computer one day, looking for other songs by Nami Tamaki. She found "Heroine" and I instantly was sucked into the world of Jpop.
You Are the Music In Me (Japanese) - Nami Tamaki
Heroine-Nami Tamaki
Today, almost all of my songs on my iPod are either Japanese or Korean. I prefer Japanese over Korean, although I know a lot of people who prefer vice versa. I have three American songs left on my Ipod that have yet to be deleted, and haven't been fully listened to since then. I've discovered a huge amount of Jpop artists since then, like Ayumi Hamasaki, Kana Nishino, Kanon Wakeshima, and a lot of others. A few of my favourite songs are:
Ai no Imi wo Oshiete - W (Double You)
This is one of my favourite songs from W (Double You).
Best Friend - Kana Nishino
Another beautiful song from Kana Nishino. The lyrics are really strong too.
I've gotten so addicted to Jpop that I don't even listen to American music anymore, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing that comes out of it is that I can learn about Japanese culture. The bad thing? There are two things: 1. I don't know what some people are talking about anymore. 2. I have an assignment for English, where we're supposed to pick songs for scenes we are assigned to do. I don't think we're allowed to do any other songs but English, so you can say... I'm screwed. For the time being. I just hope I can find an American song that fits Romeo and Juliet Act 4 Scene 1 in time! It's gonna be a lot of work. I just know it.
About the items: (in the order they were attained) Pink Tartan Hello Kitty: my present from Anna for Chinese New Year, 2010. She's from Animal World!
Blue Overall Hello Kitty: I got her from a mall across Woodbine Racetrack. There was a sale (it was sort of an anime store, not sure if they're still there) so I couldn't resist!
Red Overall Hello Kitty: I got her from a party today! (Read more about it in my last post)
Hello Kitty overload! Not really. XD If you saw my Hello Kitty haul, then definite yes. This tiny Hello Kitty Beanie Baby collection is sure to expand!
I went to a birthday party, and - surprise! They were giving out Hello Kitty give aways. What broke my heart was that they gave me a small bottle of perfume instead. Anyone who knows me knows that I rarely wear any cosmetics.
I later was able to get one for myself. I know I describe myself as one would describe a child in this case, but this was an opportunity to build up my collection!
I'll post a picture of my new addition on a Kawaii Item(s) post later. For now, I'm jumping with joy that I have a new one in my collection!
That's right. Sailor Moon's coming back. Not as an anime, but as a manga.
Kodansha announced on March 18 that the manga will be released in September later this year. After six years, we'll be seeing Sailor Moon back on book stores' manga shelves.
How did the famous Sailor Moon disappear from our culture?
The largest age group began to age, and the new generation came in the middle of the series, not understanding how the story was the way it was because of the scenes from previous seasons. Interest began to fade.
Another factor of its disappearance is the fact that the production companies discontinued the anime series after the inability to keep their audience. Tokyopop also decided not to renew the license when it expired in 2005.
This is a dream come true for many otakus wanting a copy of this successful series.
As for myself, I'm going to think about it. Being a Sailor Moon fan since childhood, I know this one will be long-running.
I'll see if I'll give the manga a chance, and update if I do decide to buy it.
Just a few minutes ago, I was searching for otaku communities on Live Journal, and stumbled upon Anime North's page, which had an advertisement from TokyoPop about "America's Greatest Otaku".
TokyoPop's looking for the most die-hard otaku in America! Is it you? Reading the part where it said, "Do you have what it takes?" I thought, "YES, I DO!!!", taking a look at my room. After second thoughts, I took it back. Here's why.
Die hard - otakus:
have anime posters plastered all over their walls and have very little white space left.
have an enormous collection of manga.
Watch anime as much as possible. They use their free time for watching or reading anything otaku.
Go to Japan.
Etc, etc.
I:
have one anime poster (That'll grow sooner or later though).
have a moderate sized manga collection. (In my view. Other otakus might consider it tiny. If you're wondering, I'm at 56 mangas and an anime fanbook right now. I think. I have to count again later.)
I've been to Japan once when I was eight, but I was just passing through the airport.
Etc, Etc.
You can find more of those Die-hard otaku characteristics here. Be warned, this is a very old site, from I think 1998. This quiz has to be the most detailed "How Otaku are You?" quiz I've ever seen in my life. Back when I first read this, I didn't even know what a seiyuu was!
At heart, I think I'm still a die hard otaku. I just need money and access to an otaku empire. T^T
Getting back, you can watch the episodes here. I can't watch it on this site, since it's only available for viewing in the US.
More information can be found on theirwebsite. The grand prize is a trip to Tokyo!
I'll have to find it on another site. If it were in Canada, I know someone who would make an excellent candidate!
EDIT: I found episode one that people outside America can watch!
Rinko Ueda is one of my favourite mangakas. She has such suspenseful series, and she makes her characters grow too. The way she makes them grow is amazing. I recommend her to everyone. Most of her mangas are historical mangas (a bonus for me, since I love history!).
Rinko Ueda is from Nara Prefecture. She has created many mangas such as Tail of the Moon (also known as Tsuki no Shippo), Home, Stepping On Roses (also known as Hadashi de Bara wo Fume), Chupa!, and many more. For more information about her, click here. That link also contains a picture of the mangaka herself, which is very rare.
I discovered her through Tail of the Moon in the library (this was about two years ago). After reading the first volume, I became a die hard fan of hers. I showed Anna the first volume, and she soon became a fan. She later put holds on the rest of the copies, and most of the other girls in our class began reading this series.
My favourite series that she created is Stepping On Roses. I find it to be her best work so far. The summary at the back says:
"Poor Sumi Kitamura... Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi's financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Ashida enters her life with a proposal: he'll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him. But can Sumi fool high society into thinking she's proper lady? Moreover, is it worth giving up everything for this sham of a marriage?"
I just love this series! Words cannot explain how much I do. I've mentioned in my last mangaka post that this is the one series I cannot stop reading online. I really do want to read it in English and have the surprises come from the English tankobons, but the thing is, English tankobons are way too late from the Japanese ones. With a series this great, it's impossible to stop. I feel slightly terrible, but this series is way to good for me to not read any further!
My feelings for that series are also shared with her other series, Tail of the Moon. I had the exact same feelings when I read it. I've finally ruled out that I like Stepping On Roses much more.
So how many mangas do I own that are by Rinko Ueda?
Just the four volumes of Stepping On Roses that are out so far. I try to keep updated on when the next ones come out, since this series is popular. Volume 5 will be coming out next month, I think, and Anna and I are eagerly awaiting its release. I would love to own Tail of the Moon, but it's a pretty long series, with 15 books. I would take forever to complete that series.
After reading this, please try to read one of her series! If you're already a fan of hers, please continue to support her!
