J-Wednesdays 水曜日だ！: Strobe Edge.

English translated volume 1 of Strobe Edge.

Strobe Edge is a shoujo manga by Io Sakisaka. It's set in high school, like most shoujo mangas are, and is about a teenage girl who falls in love for the first time. Ninako is a 15-year old girl who falls in love with a popular guy in his grade, Ren. Everyone loves Ren because he's charismatic and so many girls have already been rejected by him. One thing about Ren though is that he already has a long-time girlfriend who is older than he is and is really pretty. His girlfriend, Mayuka, is a college student and is a model. Mayuka is Daiki's older sister. Now who the hell is Daiki? Daiki, during the first few chapters, is shown as Ninako's best friend and apparently had a crush on Ninako for quite a while. He was into Ninako until she rejected him because of her love for Ren. Now Daiki will have a new love interest, and I'll leave it at that. 

There are other characters that will pop up in later chapters of this manga who are all quite important to the story. Since it's a shoujo manga, expect a lot of cheesy and fun moments in the story. In this first volume that I have, the author mentioned that she wanted this manga to become something that everyone could relate with, and created it to contain such emotions that most of us had probably already felt. When I read that, it really stuck with me through my reading of this manga. To be honest, if I didn't read that statement by the mangaka, I wouldn't have continued to read this manga because of its cheesiness. However, the emotions being shown in this manga mostly by the main character, Ninako, is of an innocent love for Ren, and I quite understand that despite the excessive "shoujo manga cliché" that it shows the readers.

Anyway, I just finished this pure and cute story of Ninako and Ren, and I want the song that's stuck with me since it was mentioned that this song is the one Ninako was listening to in a certain chapter of this manga. For those who have already read Strobe Edge, may this song make you remember Ninako's pure and innocent love for Ren.

Chiisana Koi no Uta 「小さな恋の歌」 by MONGOL 800

Enjoy and Happy New Year!「明けましておめでとう」

K-Mondays: Bel Ami/Pretty Boy (K-drama)

Bel Ami or Pretty Boy is a Korean drama series still airing in Korea and started airing last November. It is a drama series based from a manhwa (Korean comic book). This series stars Jang Geun Seuk, IU, and Han Chae Young.

Jang Geun Seuk plays Dokgo Ma Te, a playboy and a really beautiful man. So far, Jang Geun Seuk only played roles of this kind, a narcissistic man who is popular among women because of his pretty face. He fits the role well, since he is, well, pretty. 

Alongside Jang Geun Seuk is IU, who plays the role Kim Bo Tong. Kim Bo Tong is a grown adult in her mid-twenties who still lives with her family and is unemployed. She's a family friend of Ma Te, and so they have an oppa-dongsaeng (older brother-younger sibling) relationship. 

However, Kim Bo Tong is not only a family friend, but also an admirer of Ma Te. She likes Ma Te to the point that she'll do anything for him, and sees no other man more attractive than Ma Te.

Before finding out that Ma Te is the son of her (Bo Tong) mother's friend, Bo Tong met Ma Te on a bus, back when she was still in high school.

Ma Te looked so handsome that everyone in the bus were staring at him, including Bo Tong. Bo Tong immediately had a crush on him upon seeing him.

When Bo Tong went home, she then found out that Ma Te is the son of her mom's friend who just moved to their neighborhood. She was so happy and considered their meeting to be the fated. After that, Bo Tong remained loyal to Ma Te.

As I mentioned earlier, Ma Te is a playboy who wants to get rich. He easily does that by dating rich women.

Ma Te meets another girl who he suspects to be lurking around him for several years now. He confronts the lady and then finds out that she knows many things about him that even he didn't know about. That older lady is Hong Yoo Ra (played by Han Chae Young), an ex-wife of a rich man who comes from a chaebol (business conglomerate). Hong Yoo Ra needs Ma Te in executing her revenge against the family of his ex-husband. 

After meeting Hong Yoo Ra, Ma Te rushes to the hospital with her because of his mom. Just after seeing Ma Te, his mom passed away and it was revealed that she was suffering from cancer for a while now. Hong Yoo Ra also got to meet with Ma Te's mom just after she died.

Another character, Choi David, will come out in the second episode, that's why I don't have a screenshot of him in this post. David will be Bo Tong's lover in the love triangle happening in this story..

That's it for the introduction, and I didn't mention something that's important to the plot of the story in this post, since (as always) I don't want to spoil anything. I have to admit that the story is not that great, and it really seems that it came from a manhwa. I like reading manga/manhwa, but these two, manhwa and drama series, have their own elements unique to them, and maybe that's why I'm not finding this drama series to be that recommendable. I will still keep on watching it though, because of curiosity, but I will not promise that I will keep on watching it until the end.

J-Wednesdays 水曜日だ！: Switch Girl!! (J-drama)

I started watching Switch Girl!! around last year, but it was really hard for me to get a copy of its first season back then, so I stopped after watching the first episode. I then read the manga, because I wanted to know how the story goes. As far as I remember, I've read the manga quite a lot. I even bought a volume of its manga (in Japanese) when I went to Singapore last year. Now, I've gotten a complete copy of Switch Girl!! seasons 1 and 2, and I plan on watching it all consecutively.

The main character is "Switch Girl" Tamiya Nika, a beautiful and popular high school girl. She's popular among girls and boys probably all because of her appearance and friendly personality in school.

Nika, when at school, always has her switch "ON." However, when she arrives at home, she lets her switch "OFF" and becomes like the girl in the screenshot above. When at home, she does not care about her appearance (but her hair needs to be like that), she's stinky and dirty (and also her room), and she's just like everyone of us at home, carefree. She's the complete opposite of the Nika in school, and that's why she's afraid that someone at school might know about her appearance at home, because they might end up bullying her and disregard her.

This is Nika with her older sister (who's much like her, also has an ON and OFF switch), Rika. 

Nika's life will change upon meeting this guy, Kamiyama Arata. She met Arata for the first time in a supermarket, and she taught him how to make many cucumbers fit in a bag, because apparently, the supermarket near their house has a promotion that all cucumbers that could fit in a bag are just for one price. 

When they went to school the next morning, Nika met Arata again.

After the two of them met again, Nika found out that Arata was the handsome (but rude) guy that he met at the rooftop back then. Nika was shocked upon finding out that Arata has a handsome face and that he's just hiding it with the use of the fake glasses. Arata doesn't want attention, that's why he's doing that. The two related with each other, and became friends. However, Arata also knows Nika's OFF side, and so their friendship is also bound by a secret that these two doesn't want to reveal to everyone at school.

Now for my comments. I find this similar to Horimiya, the manga that I wrote about back then. I first knew about Switch Girl!! before finding Horimiya, but I think I find Horimiya to have a better concept. I think that Switch Girl!! might be just your typical shoujo manga/story because of the way the characters react to situations, and I'm only realizing that now. There's this reaction unique to shoujo manga characters that are the same in every manga. Nevertheless, Switch Girl!! is also interesting, but seeing as it has the same concept with Horimiya, I now have lesser interest in it than before. I still am going to finish watching it though, because even though I said that it's the same with Horimiya, it still has something special to offer.

P.S.

I am writing this on a Thursday and I should be ashamed. My night was so spontaneous yesterday, and I got home at midnight so I didn't get the chance to write J-Wednesdays yesterday. Okay, I'll admit it. I watched OneRepublic's concert last night! It was awesome.

J-Wednesdays 水曜日だ！: Horimiya (Manga)

Poster taken from here.

Horimiya is the shortened version of "Hori-san to Miyamura-kun." However, the title "Hori-san to Miyamura-kun" pertains to the four-panel manga by HERO. Horimiya, on the other hand, is the usual manga also by hero, but illustrated by Hagiwara Daisuke. The one I'm reading is Horimiya.

The story is about a responsible high school student, Hori Kyoko, who has good grades, is popular in school, but at the same time, takes care of their household especially his little brother, Hori Souta. The other titular character is Miyamura Izumi, a silent-type high school boy who has many piercings and a huge tattoo on his torso and upper arm. He is usually covered up in school, from his hair to his clothes, because he wants to conceal his piercings and tattoos. The two are classmates but they got closer because of an encounter outside school. Souta got lost while he and Kyoko were outside, and Miyamura was the one who helped Souta find his sister. Souta ended up liking Miyamura as an older brother, and that's why Miyamura kept visiting their house to play with Souta.

Screenshots (of Hori and Miyamura) from the OVA of Hori-san to Miyamura-kun.

The OVA is based from the 4-panel manga's illustration, and not from Horimiya. It was also cute though, because it's somehow a short version of the first few chapters in the manga.

Screenshot from the OVA.

The purple-haired guy in the screenshot is Ishikawa Toru, Hori and Miyamura's classmate. He became friends with Miyamura because of Ishikawa's feelings for Hori. Ishikawa confessed to Hori about his feelings but then got rejected. After he was rejected, he and Miyamura became good friends.

Screenshot from the OVA.

The yellow-haired girl is Yoshikawa Yuki, also a girl from their class and Hori's close girl friend. She is an air-head. 

Screenshot from the OVA

Lastly, we have Hori Souta, Kyoko's younger brother. Souta is close to Miyamura and plays with him a lot. He's a smart kid.

So that's it for the manga, Horimiya. I actually found out about this manga just last Monday and finished reading until the current chapter last Monday night. It only still has 26 chapters scanlated online and I really want to buy the manga magazine where it's being published, or the tankobon if it already is in one. The story's really fun and it got me into reading (new) manga again so I thank Horimiya for that. Haha! I hope it gets to have a full anime season in the future when it has material enough for a full season anime. In the mean time, I'll be waiting patiently (and in agony) for new chapters.

J-Wednesdays 水曜日だ！: High School Debut「高校デビュー」

Photo from Wikipedia

I don't even know why I'm writing about this just now, because this is my most favorite shoujo manga. I read and finished it when I was still in high school. High School Debut or Koukou Debut is about a girl, Haruna, who wants to finally experience dating upon entering high school. Before she entered high school, all of her time was dedicated to playing soft ball. Now that she's entering high school, she wants to experience dating (or love) for the first time in her life, that's why she's trying her best to be more attractive enough that someone would actually try to 'hit on' her. While she was on her journey to making herself become more likable for the boys, she meets Yoh, and for some reason, Haruna got Yoh to coach her in dating.

I really like everything about this story, even though it's just a lighthearted shoujo manga. It brought me so much emotions that my naive heart fell for Yoh's character like Haruna did. Their relationship was too cute and very shoujo that I melted every time.

The manga has 13 volumes, and the only volume I'm missing is the 3rd. How come? I collected the Viz Media (Shoujo Beat) English translated version from volume 4, because older volumes were always out of stock. I got the first and second volume in Japanese version, and because I didn't have enough money to buy volumes 1 to 3, I only got two, which leaves me with one missing volume.

You wouldn't imagine my fangirl madness when I found out about the release of a live-action movie version of Koukou Debut. I had never expected that they would make it into anime back then because I thought that it was too old to turn into one. Thank goodness for the kind people who decided to make it into a movie. I was not quite satisfied with the actor that they chose for Yoh's character, because I imagined Yoh to be taller and more 'dapper' looking that Mizobata Junpei. Don't get me wrong though, Mizobata Junpei is one hot piece of man candy but I think someone like Mizushima Hiro would fit better for the role. The other actors and actresses got the looks just fine, especially the other man candy Furukawa Yuki. Although, I think that Mizobata Junpei was (and all of them were) able to pull it off in the movie.

The movie was satisfying enough; it was funny, cute, and very shoujo-like. It depicted the manga almost as good, but of course, reading the manga was more exciting because the movie did not really went through the whole story. The manga is quite long, although the 13 volumes are just right for the story. That's why I think that having an anime would be better so that the story will be more detailed unlike the movie. I'm saying this because I wish that the movie was longer! (but it's too impossible to squeeze all of the Yoh-Haruna goodness into just 2 hours huhu)

Koukou Debut (and Yoh-Haruna) will always have a place in my heart. Now I'm off to re-read a random volume from the series!

J-Wednesdays 水曜日だ！: Bokura ga Ita

Bokura ga Ita, when I was in high school, was just a shoujo anime series (and a manga series, which I wasn't aware of). I finished the anime in high school but never really got to know the ending because the ending of the anime was open ended. It turns out that the manga was not yet finished at that time, and so the creators of the anime didn't have material to continue the anime series. Upon entering college, I heard the news that the manga was coming to an end, and that there would be an upcoming movie version split into two parts, which will include the conclusion of the series. I didn't get to read the manga because I was too busy with other series and fandoms and of course, my priority (HAH) which was studying. And so I waited for the movie to come out and unfortunately I was not in Japan and had to wait for almost a year to have a copy of the movies. For the reason that I am facing a sort-of withdrawal from the series (back in college), I purchased some English translated manga by Shojo Beat and the last volume of the Japanese version manga.

When I already had the copy (of the movie), and had so much time in my hands, all I needed to do was watch it. I then watched both movies and boy was it satisfying. Imagine the time I had to wait for just to know the ending to this lovely story? It was in 2007 that I finished watching the half-done anime series and I was dying to know how it ends. I've read some spoilers, I admit, but it wouldn't compare to when I actually watch it. Without further ado, here comes the story of Yano Motoharu and Takahashi Nanami entitled Bokura ga Ita, or We Were There.

The movie starts with Takahashi Nanami or Nana-chan reminiscing about her first love, Yano Motoharu, in what seems to be their old high school. She's all grown-up at that time, and while looking around, she's wondering what had happened to Yano, what he's doing, or where he is.

Then the story starts. Yano and Nana met in high school. While Yano is so popular among the girls and also some of the boys, Nana is just a simple high school girl who does not excel in her studies. When Nana met Yano, she didn't like him at first but came to be somewhat attached to him. They started dating but the thing is, Yano has a huge baggage that Nana-chan didn't know about and so that greatly affected their relationship.

This girl right here is Nana-san, who is Yano's ex-girlfriend. She died in a car crash when Yano and Nana-san were still dating in middle school. Yano has heavy resentment for her because of that.

The guy beside Nana-chan is Takeuchi-kun, Yano's best friend. He will develop feelings for Nana-chan as they continue to interact with each other while Nana-chan tells Takeuchi her woes about her and Yano's relationship.

The girl in the glasses is Yamamoto-san, Nana-san's younger sister. She had an affair with Yano after Nana-san died which happened because of their remorse for Nana-san.

Even though Nana-chan and Yano's relationship will eventually work out well, a huge trial will come to them that will cause their break-up. Yano will move to Tokyo because of his mother's job, and though their relationship will not end there just yet, slowly, they will drift apart.

What I've written was the summarized version of the already summarized first part of the movie. In the anime, lots of detailed scene was shown, like how Yano and Yamamoto-san had an affair, or how Yano and Nana-chan's relationship was developed.

I don't want to spoil the second movie here, because I think that's the most important part of the story. How come the title was "We Were There?" Of course, the story is stylized as something that had happened in the past, where they fell in love, grew together, and have grown apart. The second movie will have all the answers that some of you might also have been waiting for ever since you finished the anime series. However, I will not just leave this article like this, and give some snippets of what might or might not happen in the second movie.

Yano will still contact Nana-chan after he arrives in Tokyo. They would talk everyday and send pictures to each other.

Yano's mom will quit her job, because that's the kind of woman she is, but will eventually become really sick.

Yano will meet a girl (Sengenji Akiko), the one whom she will consider a "best friend in Tokyo," whom he confides in.

Because of his mother's fickle-mindedness and illness, Yano will end up working many part-time jobs just to have money to pay for his tuition fees, daily expenses, and hospital fees of her mom.

That's just the first part of the movie. Something terrible will happen to Yano that he wouldn't be able to maintain his relationship with Nana-chan anymore and will leave her hanging. It will be a roller-coaster ride from then on, and lots of things will happen to these five characters of the story, Yano Motoharu, Takahashi Nanami, Takeuchi Masafumi, Yamamoto Yuri, and Sengenji Akiko.

Despite the bitterness and sadness that these characters will be put through in this story, I can assure you that they would eventually attain their well-deserved happy ending. It's a story anyway. Right?

J-Wednesdays 水曜日だ！: Itazura na Kiss/ It Started With A Kiss

No matter how old, no matter how many times it has been remade, I will still continue to love this story. It is one of those stories that I will always treasure in my heart, and that of which I will repeatedly go back to whenever I feel down. This story a girl who sincerely loved a guy, who is out of her league, but eventually gets the guy is something that touches me (in good places) every time. Maybe it's because she's living the fantasy of every girl who likes someone who might be considered "too good" for them. That girl, Kotoko, showed people the power of pure love and determination, and so it never fails to make my heart burst with happiness. I bet it's a love story for every girl who dreams, not only those who have their own dream guys, but girls who have a deep and sincere dream of having what they want to have in their life. Seeing Kotoko make it all happen inspires me and I assume other people as well to do their best and be sincere in doing it.

It Started With a Kiss (Taiwan) Photo taken from Dramawiki

My relationship with this wonderful story started with "It Started With a Kiss," a Taiwanese version of the story. It is definitely one of the dramas that made an impact in my life when I was in High School. Even now, it still brings me wonderful memories while writing this. This version is definitely my favorite one, maybe because of my attachment to it. Nevertheless, it's still a great version and I believe that the characters were portrayed well.

They Kiss Again (Taiwan) Photo taken from Dramawiki

They Kiss Again is the sequel to ISWAK (Taiwan). The story starts from after the couple's marriage and tackles their struggles being married while pursuing their careers. You wouldn't imagine how excited I was when I found out that there would be a sequel to that story, since I really assumed that it was the end when they got married. I hadn't found out then about the original story which is the manga, and I also didn't watch the first live-action drama which was aired in Japan in 1996.

Itazura na Kiss (anime) Opening credits

While I was getting all giddy watching They Kiss Again, the anime version of Itazura na Kiss was also airing and so I didn't miss the chance to also watch it. Since it is the most complete version, I think this is the best one. You see, the mangaka (author) of the manga Itazura na Kiss, Tada Kaoru, died in 1999, before she could even finish the manga. Good thing though that her plans for the manga were known by her husband and they put an end to the story itself in the anime. It's nice to see her work be completed even though she's not in this world anymore.

Playful Kiss (Korean) Photo taken from Dramawiki

Two years after the anime aired, MBC (Korea) released its own version of the story. Again, I was ecstatic about it and I didn't miss the chance to fall in love again with it. This version sort is sort of like the Taiwanese one because it ended kind of the same. However, it was completely different overall. I've read and heard from my friends mixed reviews about it; some say that it's better than the Taiwan version while some didn't like it. Nonetheless, I still liked it because it had its own charm which cannot be seen in other versions.

Itazura na Kiss ~ Love in Tokyo (Japanese) Opening credits

Finally, the latest version which was aired in Spring 2013. I admit, when I found out that there would be a new Japanese version of Itazura na Kiss, I was not interested because I was busy getting hooked with other Korean dramas then. That's why I didn't really take time to get a copy. However, when my friend who also likes the story had a copy, I watched it and definitely got hooked! I realized that I still love the story despite how many times I've seen it being remade. I would like to praise the Japanese actors who portrayed these wonderful characters yet again for their faithful yet refreshing portrayal. I wouldn't have gotten hooked had they've been lame. One thing that I have not much felt is how in love Naoki is with Kotoko and I'm demanding for a sequel because of that. Another thing that is quite different in this version is Kin-chan, who is Kotoko's one-sided lover. In all the past versions, I was rooting for Naoki all the time and sometimes got annoyed with Kin-chan's affection. In this version though, I liked Kin-chan and even sided with him during some parts when Naoki was all confused and extra cold to Kotoko. I don't know if it's just the actor or if I just grown mature and acquired different tastes. That's why it was more heartbreaking for me now that Kin-chan was rejected, compared with before. However when I saw how Naoki showed his feelings in the end, I was smitten with him. Just then, I realized how much this story meant to me, even now.

It has been seven years since I first encountered Kotoko and Naoki's love story. I watched different versions, fell in love with different actors who played them but still, their story remains alive. I thought that I had gotten over it after the Korean version but seeing that my feelings are still alive in 2013, there's no reason to deny anymore that I love this story and will never get over it.

Itazura Na Kiss / It Started With A Kiss from genina07 on 8tracks Radio.