October 8th, 2010
Rough review
And another review… O.O I’ve been writing quite a few of those lately. Yeah. It’s the second one, but still, that’s a lot for me. :P
So, this time, I’m going to review a manga I’ve reread yesterday. Don’t be fooled, it’s completed with 119 chapter in 12 volumes, I just happen to be able to read quite fast and the manga is pretty easy and fast to read to begin with.
So today, we’re going to take a look at “Rough” by Adachi Mitsuru. Apparently, he’s probably most well known for his work “Cross Game” right now and “Rough” is from the late 80s. I’ve read five mangas by Adachi Mitsuru and although “Rough” is by far not his best rated manga (it’s Cross Game, if I’m not mistaken), it’s my personal favorite.
So, let’s take a look.
Oh and beware: heavy spoilers.
Story
Although it’s a Sportsmanga, the story doesn’t revolve around the sport this much. The core is actually a love story. It’s pretty much a shounen-love story and while the sport is important it’s not a typical sports-story. You know, the common pattern in sportsmanga is that a guy or a team wants to win a tournament or something like that, or they’re working towards a certain goal, because they want to win. Their sheer will to prove they’re the best of the best drives them to victory. Something like that. It’s really common and you see it pretty often.
Like I said this is actually a love story. Our main protagonists are Yamato Keisuke, who’s a 100m freestyle swimmer, and Ninomiya Ami, who’s a diver. Both of their families run a confectionary store and the first interaction between those two is actually Ami calling Keisuke a murderer, because she thinks her grandfather died early, due to the stress and the rivalry while the Yamatos were outselling Ninomiyas store. Lovely situation. From this point on, the story pretty much follows Keisuke and Ami and it’s sometimes more a Slice of Life-Story than a sportsmanga.
At the beginning, Keisuke wants to give up on freestyle and switch to breaststroke, because after playing 3rd in the nationals for three years in a row, he though he can’t beat the guys above him. His trainer hates him for that and tries his best to make him switch back to freestyle – unsuccessful.
Ami and Keisuke happen to win the yearly “date for a day” and this day, Keisuke learns that Ami is a childhood friend to Nakanishi Hiroki, who apparently was 1st place in the nationals the past three years and is the Japanese national record holder. After Ami tells him what Nakanishi said about Keisukes swimming, that it’s rough but has its charm and he’s the guy how suddenly comes out and breaks records, he gets motivated again and switches back to freestyle. Keisuke is Nakanishis fan, but also sees him as his goal.
Through 5 volumes the main characters don’t seem to be in love. I think it was volume 5 where Keisuke first noticed he likes her a lot. Well, as an excuse, they DO have to go from hate to love and that takes a while. The funny thing is, Nakanishi is the love rival and he’s introduced much earlier than the main characters fall in love. In the end, Keisuke swims for Ami and not only for his own desire to beat Nakanishi anymore.
Let’s have a few words on the first chapter. The main supporting cast is being introduced by another side character, who doesn’t really appear much. He’s the “boss” of the dorm and wants to scare the freshman by playing the tough guy. Too bad those freshman are all genius sportsman and don’t care. :P I really like that, I mean the way the cast is being introduced. Ami and Keisuke are introduced through the swimming and the diving trainers, saying they have a new hope in diving, which happens to be Ami, and a new hope in freestyle, which happens to be Keisuke… who just declared he’ll switch to breaststroke.
About the end, I think it’s really cool how it worked out. There are the finals in the nationals, Keisuke against Nakanishi and while Keisuke confessed a while ago, Ami was unsure if she likes Keisuke or Nakanishi more, but by the time of the finals, she has already decided and wanted to tell both of them before the match. The tricky part is that Keisuke asked Ami to tape him a CD and she spoke her message on the tape after the song. Keisuke usually listens to music before a match, so he was supposed to hear that. Too bad his walkman is broken so he wasn’t able to hear it.
While the reader get’s to see the last seconds before the start of the match, we switch back to the walkman and it suddenly worked again. The text was some random talk and at the end she said: “I love you.” indicating she decided for Keisuke and it’s over. No reunion, no official couple, just her confession. We don’t even get the results from the match, although Ami tells an old man she’s positive the one she chose will win this match, so it’s hinted he’ll probably beat Nakanishi.
I really like this, because it’s different from the typical happy ending and the loose ends are more or less wrapped up. Well, I thought it was really cute. So especially the very beginning and the very end are different from the usual and I like that a lot. There’s a lot random stuff going on during the manga, the story itself is not new, but it’s nice to read. There aren’t many surprises, it’s more like you read it and it’s like when you see it, you think: “yeah, this could happen.” Like I said, it’s not new, but it’s still nice, I like it.
Art
The art is simple and looks old. Well, the manga IS old, but even in his more recent works Adachis style doesn’t really chance that much, it actually doesn’t really change at all. So even “Cross Game” looks like it’s from the 80s although it’s certainly not. xD
This style reminded me again something doesn’t have to be super-detailed to be enjoyable. I really like the art a lot. The anatomy is not messed up and we have more or less convincing proportions. The girls have curves, is what I’m trying to say. They don’t look like they’re all having anorexia nervosa, like in One Piece for example, and they don’t have gigantic boobs. It’s so nice seeing girls drawn this way, I’m really happy. They’re not drawn to be super-sex-symbols, they’re just cute and apparently a lot of the girls are average looking. It’s not that they’re all cute. It’s the same with the boys. We have a few good-looking ones, but the rest is average or below, from my point of view.
If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d say the style is very round. Angular faces are used for villains only and even those aren’t really that sharp. I personally like that a lot, because sometimes I think lots of manga-ka are drawing very pointy and sharp and this… I don’t approve. It’s my personal preference, but I like it round. Real persons can’t open a can with their chin either, can’t they?
There is one major flaw and if you’ve read two of Adachi’s works, you’ll probably have already noticed: he uses the same pattern for his characters again and again, so his characters often look all the same in different manga. The male protagonist is such an example.
Characters
Most of the characters are quite easy-going, actually the whole manga has this feel to it, but they all have their own problems. More or less. There’s Ogata, who’s really hard working and a baseball genius, who only came to this school, because he’s in love with Ami. He used to be a pitcher, but he busted his elbow, so he switched to being a batter. After he found out that due to his mothers bad condition they’ll have to move to Hokkaido, he gives it his all and goes back to being a pitcher, because he wants Ami to see him go to Koshien at least once. Well, he fails, but at least Ami saw it and he’s happy.
Ami herself is a bit of a Tsundere. She’s really sweet and cute towards everyone, but a bit nasty when it comes to Keisuke. Well, her behavior does turn into a friendlier one when they befriend each other and their relationship seems more free and easygoing in general. It’s a bit like… yeah, he already knows she can be a bitch sometimes and has her flaws, so why bother trying to hide? They have their friendly fights, sarcastic moments and everything. This leads to the impression that they’re very equal and honest in their relationship and this is what makes them a really good match.
Keisuke seems to be lazy and a chicken, given he’s trying to run away from the competition, but you also see him getting pumped up and training in secret. He’s not very honest when it comes to his swimming abilities and he sometimes messes the start up. He doesn’t go all out every time, because he doesn’t want to give others “weird expectations”. In other words: he just doesn’t want to stand out that much, because he’s afraid to disappoint those around him when he’s not able to meet their expectations. He certainly is a real genius, but he doesn’t really look like one unless he’s really giving it his best shot and he has his flaws, like the starts he tends to mess up (he’s even disqualified from the tournament in his first year of high school due to that).
Although Ami and Keisuke are both not really outgoing or experienced when it comes to romantic feelings, Keisuke is still a bit more straightforward and also seems to notice his feelings first, acting a bit jealous and stuff like that. He’s probably also the one who falls in love first what makes sense, because unlike Ami he didn’t hate her. It’s really nice to see characters, which’re most likely the main love interests not fall in love at first sight. They don’t jump from strangers to lovers. They need 3 years to go from strangers/rivals in business to friends to being in love with each other and admitting it. This kind of feels real. All they knew from each other were rumors they’ve heard from their families, so they pretty much had no idea what the person really is like. They took their time getting to know each other (unintentional, but well… it works XD) and eventually fall in love, because they notice their good points over the time and don’t stick to the false rumors.
Enjoyment
I’ve read this manga two times, the second time even in less than a day and I take my time writing such an ass-long review about it. Before I started, I said this manga is my favorite Adachi-manga. Now think a moment. Did I enjoy it?
HELL YES.
I really like this manga and the fact that made Vampire Knight bad, the incredible easy reading, is actually positive here, because it’s not boring. It’s somehow interesting to read about Ami and Keisuke, to see how their relationship progresses and look into their lives. Like I already said, it’s a bit slice of life sometimes. The obstacles they have to overcome are pretty common and although there’s a bit of drama, it’s not that much. The introduction of the characters is kind of creative, or at least not your usual pattern and the conclusion is tricky, while it give you enough hints to wrap up the loose ends, but doesn’t show the real thing. It’s incredibly teasing, but I liked it a lot.
The manga has an easygoing and lighthearted feel to it with nice drawings and an author who constantly makes fun of himself and is actually part of the manga. It’s charming in its own way. The main characters are very likable and seem like ordinary people, although one of them is a national champion. I think you can probably relate to them pretty easy.
This manga is really useful, if you just want to read something lighthearted every now and then. It’s not complicated, it’s not overly dramatic, it’s just the life of two people who happen to swim and dive. I don’t think it tries to be a masterpiece, but it’s really nice and has its own charm.
Overall
I’m tired; I’ll just go with giving points now. XP
Story – 6/10 It’s pretty average, some kind of slice of life love story with a bit sport mixed into it, but nothing special. It’s not bad, but it’s not that good either. The way it’s presented and handled is really good and makes it enjoyable, but the story itself is actually pretty simple and many things we see are common nowadays and even turned into cliché. Given this manga is 20 years old, it may not have been the case back then, but still, you can’t help but recognize.
Art – 7/10 I think Adachis style is very good, although it’s pretty simple. In One Piece, you have a simple style that’s bad in overall, but here, you have a very nice simple style. The only reason I give 7/10 and not more lays in his the problem that his characters look the same in different mangas. It’s weird when you begin to read another manga, because you feel like it’s another story with the same characters in terms of their outlook appearance.
Characters – 7/10 They’re kind of predictable and don’t really have to face so many serious hardships, but they undergo character development. They’re very likeable and seem like ordinary teenagers, probably even a bit too ordinary when you look at their surrounding and the situation they’re in.
Enjoyment – 9/10 I really loved to read it both times. Its lighthearted nature appeals to me and draws me in, forcing me to read it all in one run. I can’t stop. I really can’t stop reading Adachis mangas, they draw me in and I can’t get out, it’s the same with this one.
Overall – 8/10 Actually, it looks more like a 7/10 to me and this is how I rated it on MAL, but I enjoyed it so much, even though it was my second time reading it, I think it deserves an eight more than a seven.
So, this time, I’m going to review a manga I’ve reread yesterday. Don’t be fooled, it’s completed with 119 chapter in 12 volumes, I just happen to be able to read quite fast and the manga is pretty easy and fast to read to begin with.
So today, we’re going to take a look at “Rough” by Adachi Mitsuru. Apparently, he’s probably most well known for his work “Cross Game” right now and “Rough” is from the late 80s. I’ve read five mangas by Adachi Mitsuru and although “Rough” is by far not his best rated manga (it’s Cross Game, if I’m not mistaken), it’s my personal favorite.
So, let’s take a look.
Oh and beware: heavy spoilers.
Story
Although it’s a Sportsmanga, the story doesn’t revolve around the sport this much. The core is actually a love story. It’s pretty much a shounen-love story and while the sport is important it’s not a typical sports-story. You know, the common pattern in sportsmanga is that a guy or a team wants to win a tournament or something like that, or they’re working towards a certain goal, because they want to win. Their sheer will to prove they’re the best of the best drives them to victory. Something like that. It’s really common and you see it pretty often.
Like I said this is actually a love story. Our main protagonists are Yamato Keisuke, who’s a 100m freestyle swimmer, and Ninomiya Ami, who’s a diver. Both of their families run a confectionary store and the first interaction between those two is actually Ami calling Keisuke a murderer, because she thinks her grandfather died early, due to the stress and the rivalry while the Yamatos were outselling Ninomiyas store. Lovely situation. From this point on, the story pretty much follows Keisuke and Ami and it’s sometimes more a Slice of Life-Story than a sportsmanga.
At the beginning, Keisuke wants to give up on freestyle and switch to breaststroke, because after playing 3rd in the nationals for three years in a row, he though he can’t beat the guys above him. His trainer hates him for that and tries his best to make him switch back to freestyle – unsuccessful.
Ami and Keisuke happen to win the yearly “date for a day” and this day, Keisuke learns that Ami is a childhood friend to Nakanishi Hiroki, who apparently was 1st place in the nationals the past three years and is the Japanese national record holder. After Ami tells him what Nakanishi said about Keisukes swimming, that it’s rough but has its charm and he’s the guy how suddenly comes out and breaks records, he gets motivated again and switches back to freestyle. Keisuke is Nakanishis fan, but also sees him as his goal.
Through 5 volumes the main characters don’t seem to be in love. I think it was volume 5 where Keisuke first noticed he likes her a lot. Well, as an excuse, they DO have to go from hate to love and that takes a while. The funny thing is, Nakanishi is the love rival and he’s introduced much earlier than the main characters fall in love. In the end, Keisuke swims for Ami and not only for his own desire to beat Nakanishi anymore.
Let’s have a few words on the first chapter. The main supporting cast is being introduced by another side character, who doesn’t really appear much. He’s the “boss” of the dorm and wants to scare the freshman by playing the tough guy. Too bad those freshman are all genius sportsman and don’t care. :P I really like that, I mean the way the cast is being introduced. Ami and Keisuke are introduced through the swimming and the diving trainers, saying they have a new hope in diving, which happens to be Ami, and a new hope in freestyle, which happens to be Keisuke… who just declared he’ll switch to breaststroke.
About the end, I think it’s really cool how it worked out. There are the finals in the nationals, Keisuke against Nakanishi and while Keisuke confessed a while ago, Ami was unsure if she likes Keisuke or Nakanishi more, but by the time of the finals, she has already decided and wanted to tell both of them before the match. The tricky part is that Keisuke asked Ami to tape him a CD and she spoke her message on the tape after the song. Keisuke usually listens to music before a match, so he was supposed to hear that. Too bad his walkman is broken so he wasn’t able to hear it.
While the reader get’s to see the last seconds before the start of the match, we switch back to the walkman and it suddenly worked again. The text was some random talk and at the end she said: “I love you.” indicating she decided for Keisuke and it’s over. No reunion, no official couple, just her confession. We don’t even get the results from the match, although Ami tells an old man she’s positive the one she chose will win this match, so it’s hinted he’ll probably beat Nakanishi.
I really like this, because it’s different from the typical happy ending and the loose ends are more or less wrapped up. Well, I thought it was really cute. So especially the very beginning and the very end are different from the usual and I like that a lot. There’s a lot random stuff going on during the manga, the story itself is not new, but it’s nice to read. There aren’t many surprises, it’s more like you read it and it’s like when you see it, you think: “yeah, this could happen.” Like I said, it’s not new, but it’s still nice, I like it.
Art
The art is simple and looks old. Well, the manga IS old, but even in his more recent works Adachis style doesn’t really chance that much, it actually doesn’t really change at all. So even “Cross Game” looks like it’s from the 80s although it’s certainly not. xD
This style reminded me again something doesn’t have to be super-detailed to be enjoyable. I really like the art a lot. The anatomy is not messed up and we have more or less convincing proportions. The girls have curves, is what I’m trying to say. They don’t look like they’re all having anorexia nervosa, like in One Piece for example, and they don’t have gigantic boobs. It’s so nice seeing girls drawn this way, I’m really happy. They’re not drawn to be super-sex-symbols, they’re just cute and apparently a lot of the girls are average looking. It’s not that they’re all cute. It’s the same with the boys. We have a few good-looking ones, but the rest is average or below, from my point of view.
If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d say the style is very round. Angular faces are used for villains only and even those aren’t really that sharp. I personally like that a lot, because sometimes I think lots of manga-ka are drawing very pointy and sharp and this… I don’t approve. It’s my personal preference, but I like it round. Real persons can’t open a can with their chin either, can’t they?
There is one major flaw and if you’ve read two of Adachi’s works, you’ll probably have already noticed: he uses the same pattern for his characters again and again, so his characters often look all the same in different manga. The male protagonist is such an example.
Characters
Most of the characters are quite easy-going, actually the whole manga has this feel to it, but they all have their own problems. More or less. There’s Ogata, who’s really hard working and a baseball genius, who only came to this school, because he’s in love with Ami. He used to be a pitcher, but he busted his elbow, so he switched to being a batter. After he found out that due to his mothers bad condition they’ll have to move to Hokkaido, he gives it his all and goes back to being a pitcher, because he wants Ami to see him go to Koshien at least once. Well, he fails, but at least Ami saw it and he’s happy.
Ami herself is a bit of a Tsundere. She’s really sweet and cute towards everyone, but a bit nasty when it comes to Keisuke. Well, her behavior does turn into a friendlier one when they befriend each other and their relationship seems more free and easygoing in general. It’s a bit like… yeah, he already knows she can be a bitch sometimes and has her flaws, so why bother trying to hide? They have their friendly fights, sarcastic moments and everything. This leads to the impression that they’re very equal and honest in their relationship and this is what makes them a really good match.
Keisuke seems to be lazy and a chicken, given he’s trying to run away from the competition, but you also see him getting pumped up and training in secret. He’s not very honest when it comes to his swimming abilities and he sometimes messes the start up. He doesn’t go all out every time, because he doesn’t want to give others “weird expectations”. In other words: he just doesn’t want to stand out that much, because he’s afraid to disappoint those around him when he’s not able to meet their expectations. He certainly is a real genius, but he doesn’t really look like one unless he’s really giving it his best shot and he has his flaws, like the starts he tends to mess up (he’s even disqualified from the tournament in his first year of high school due to that).
Although Ami and Keisuke are both not really outgoing or experienced when it comes to romantic feelings, Keisuke is still a bit more straightforward and also seems to notice his feelings first, acting a bit jealous and stuff like that. He’s probably also the one who falls in love first what makes sense, because unlike Ami he didn’t hate her. It’s really nice to see characters, which’re most likely the main love interests not fall in love at first sight. They don’t jump from strangers to lovers. They need 3 years to go from strangers/rivals in business to friends to being in love with each other and admitting it. This kind of feels real. All they knew from each other were rumors they’ve heard from their families, so they pretty much had no idea what the person really is like. They took their time getting to know each other (unintentional, but well… it works XD) and eventually fall in love, because they notice their good points over the time and don’t stick to the false rumors.
Enjoyment
I’ve read this manga two times, the second time even in less than a day and I take my time writing such an ass-long review about it. Before I started, I said this manga is my favorite Adachi-manga. Now think a moment. Did I enjoy it?
HELL YES.
I really like this manga and the fact that made Vampire Knight bad, the incredible easy reading, is actually positive here, because it’s not boring. It’s somehow interesting to read about Ami and Keisuke, to see how their relationship progresses and look into their lives. Like I already said, it’s a bit slice of life sometimes. The obstacles they have to overcome are pretty common and although there’s a bit of drama, it’s not that much. The introduction of the characters is kind of creative, or at least not your usual pattern and the conclusion is tricky, while it give you enough hints to wrap up the loose ends, but doesn’t show the real thing. It’s incredibly teasing, but I liked it a lot.
The manga has an easygoing and lighthearted feel to it with nice drawings and an author who constantly makes fun of himself and is actually part of the manga. It’s charming in its own way. The main characters are very likable and seem like ordinary people, although one of them is a national champion. I think you can probably relate to them pretty easy.
This manga is really useful, if you just want to read something lighthearted every now and then. It’s not complicated, it’s not overly dramatic, it’s just the life of two people who happen to swim and dive. I don’t think it tries to be a masterpiece, but it’s really nice and has its own charm.
Overall
I’m tired; I’ll just go with giving points now. XP
Story – 6/10 It’s pretty average, some kind of slice of life love story with a bit sport mixed into it, but nothing special. It’s not bad, but it’s not that good either. The way it’s presented and handled is really good and makes it enjoyable, but the story itself is actually pretty simple and many things we see are common nowadays and even turned into cliché. Given this manga is 20 years old, it may not have been the case back then, but still, you can’t help but recognize.
Art – 7/10 I think Adachis style is very good, although it’s pretty simple. In One Piece, you have a simple style that’s bad in overall, but here, you have a very nice simple style. The only reason I give 7/10 and not more lays in his the problem that his characters look the same in different mangas. It’s weird when you begin to read another manga, because you feel like it’s another story with the same characters in terms of their outlook appearance.
Characters – 7/10 They’re kind of predictable and don’t really have to face so many serious hardships, but they undergo character development. They’re very likeable and seem like ordinary teenagers, probably even a bit too ordinary when you look at their surrounding and the situation they’re in.
Enjoyment – 9/10 I really loved to read it both times. Its lighthearted nature appeals to me and draws me in, forcing me to read it all in one run. I can’t stop. I really can’t stop reading Adachis mangas, they draw me in and I can’t get out, it’s the same with this one.
Overall – 8/10 Actually, it looks more like a 7/10 to me and this is how I rated it on MAL, but I enjoyed it so much, even though it was my second time reading it, I think it deserves an eight more than a seven.
Posted by kennikitty | Oct 8, 2010 9:16 AM | 0 comments
Private Entry
August 23rd, 2010
gfx - signatures and icons
Anime Relations: Shinseiki Evangelion, Rozen Maiden, Bleach, Shakugan no Shana, Pokemon, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Hetalia Axis Powers, Bakemonogatari, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Durarara!!, Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi
The oldest stuff is at the top, the newest at the bottom.
Please DON'T use anything without asking me.
Signatures
Avatars
Other Stuff
Please DON'T use anything without asking me.
Signatures
Avatars
Other Stuff
Posted by kennikitty | Aug 23, 2010 12:09 AM | 0 comments
May 31st, 2010
stamps!
I love the stamps on deviantart, so I decided to collect a few. xD
All the credit goes to the awesome artists from deviantart.
FMA-related:
All the credit goes to the awesome artists from deviantart.
FMA-related:
Posted by kennikitty | May 31, 2010 3:31 PM | 0 comments
May 27th, 2010
Fan Preferred Couple
Anime Relations: Fullmetal Alchemist, Digimon Adventure, Ouran Koukou Host Club, Digimon Adventure 02, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Well yeah, yesterday, I was talking about the "Ship to Ship Combat" trope and several examples.
Today I've been reading a bit about Fan Preferred Couple and... yeah, I never planned to write another tv tropes-entry this fast, but when I reached FMA in the Fan Preferred Couple Examples, I just couldn't help myselfy, because it more or less says just the same thing I said yesterday.
Roy/Riza of Fullmetal Alchemist would be a Fan Preferred Couple were it not so obviously canon already, with even the other characters acknowledging it. The true Fan Preferred Couple of the series is Roy/Ed, which is unsurprisingly popular with slash fans (especially among anime fans), even with Ed being in an Official Couple too with Winry.
Fist things first: OMG, they're calling Ed/Win a canon couple! (actually, they're not, since we still don't know if Ed loves her... he clearly shows it, but doesn't spill the beans)
Now...
What's new? Roy/Riza, but seriously, I think there's no person out there who reads the manga or watches the second anime who dares to question Roy/Riza. Like the trope says: They're so obviously canon it hurts. Physically.
[spoilers ahead]While the manga doesn't even say it this clearly, in the latest episode of Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood the crazy doctor actually calles Riza Roys "beloved one" - at least if my subtitles were accurate. No need to worry, the manga has it's own obvious-moments, like in the latest chapter where Roy was clinging to Riza so possessively, I thought he was planning to never let her go out of his arms again. Jeez, Roy, we get it, she's your woman.[/spoilers end]
What I totally forgot to mention yesterday was Roy/Riza in the ship war between Ed/Roy vs Ed/Winry vs Ed/Rose simply because Roy/Riza was never really part of the ship war. Why? I don't know, there are enough Roy/Riza-fans out there, but it seems everyone just accepted it, if someone said he's/she's a Roy/Riza-fan. And the reason for this probably lies in the fact that those two were the main couple in the first anime, although their "romantic" moments back then were pretty ... small, but there was still more than Ed/Winry, what was completely downgraded to "just being friends".
What did I already talked about yesterday? Ed/Roy being the main yaoi-fan-couple in comparison to Ed/Winry. And: The first anime is the evil mastermind behind all the crap, because the manga shows us it's main couples so obviously clear, there's no room to argue at all. I've talked to Ed/Roy-fans and some even admit they can't work with the manga or the second anime and just rely on the first one, since it's the only source they can take "hints" and "sexual tension" from. It's incredibly funny, because more than half of the first anime is completely made out of fillers and not true to the original storyline.
Since the manga and second anime are so different from the first one, it's hard for me to think of the first anime as canon, but I guess this problem is something every FMA-watcher has to decide for himself.
Not just every FMA-reader/watcher respects Roy/Riza, the entire cast of Fullmetal Alchemist does, too: May ships Royai too. In chapter 101 she neglects a Philosopher's Stone in the interests of going all starry-eyed watching them. At this point, it may be safe to say that pretty much the whole cast ships Roy and Riza.
Yes, this is just the treatment Royai deserves. :< Everyone ships Royai! o/
In Katekyo Hitman Reborn, it's safe to say that the majority of fans ship Tsuna with pretty much any male in the series, and tend to dislike him being paired with any of the more canon female love interests. And even when there are shippers that put him in a hetero relationship, it never seems to be with his most official love interest, Kyoko. The more popular pairings include: Gokudera/Tsuna, Hibari/Tsuna, Mukuro/Tsuna, and Spanner/Tsuna.
Okay, question: there are shippers who ship Tsunafish with FEMALE characters? I'm deeply impressed, I thought the whole fandom consists of yaoi-fans and non-shippers. You know what I want to say: yaoi-fans = female audienence, non-shippers = male-audience <- I'm an exeption, I'm female, but not a yaoi-shipper, I ship Yamamoto/Wall! YES! :<
Although they only talk about the Tsuna/everyone-thing here, it implies my yaoiparty-theory, especially when you look up the Ship to Ship Combat trope example from last time where Hibari/everyone was mentioned. Also, I think it's pretty funny the main fan preferred couple is Gokudera/Yamamoto and both of these guys aren't main characters. They are part of the main crew, but the main characters are Tsuna and Reborn. I'm not the slightest bit surprised. I mean: with a main character like Tsuna... *cough* coward *cough* pussy *cough* chicken *cough* the supporting characters are just much more interesting and likeable.
Ouran High School Host Club, being a Reverse Harem series, has a lot of this. Although the canon pairing (in the manga, at least) is Tamaki/Haruhi, many fans pair Haruhi off with someone else, usually Hikaru (who also has romantic feelings for her, although they're one-sided). Kyouya's a popular choice, too. The anime kept all possible pairings open by ending with Haruhi not romantically involved with anyone, which was probably a smart move on their part.
Talking about smart moves and Ouran High School Host Club. Not only did the anime-ending leave open pretty much every possible pairing (although I think Haruhi/Tamaki was still the main focus), but there's a video game. It's not uncommon there are games made for animes, but I guess when we think of stuff like this, we usually think of the fighting games for Bleach, One Piece or Naruto. Ouran, being a reverse harem, never got a fighting game, no, it got an otome game. In case you don't know what this is: the main goal in this kind of games (or at least one of the main goals) is to develop a romantic relationship between your female main character and one of the male characters. You can choose whoever you want. So frankly speaking, this official game allows you to pair Haruhi up with every character from the Host Club
So, the anime and this game tried so hard to keep the pairing-diskussion alive and the manga completely sinks every other ship besides Haruhi/Tamaki. Oh, the power of the original creator of the series. Fear the evil Manga-ka. [spoilers ahead] Yes, Haruhi/Tamaki is the one and only pairing in the manga. While Haruhi/Hikaru was possible, it was destroyed by Haruhi admitting her feeling for Tamaki to herself, Hikaru giving up completely and admits defeat and Haruhi confessing her love towards Tamaki in the latest chapter.[/spoilers end]
Despite prodigious Ship Tease in the Digimon Adventure 02 series, the Takari (Takeru/Hikari) pairing is, due to the Distant Finale never mentioning them being romantically attached, not canon.
Digimon really loves to destroy it's most possible pairings, doesn't it? Tai/Sora and Takeru/Hikari as well... Seriously, Takeru/Hikari was so obvious (even more obvious than Tai/Sora - A LOT more obvious), I completely striked out the fact those two weren't shown as a couple in the last episode of Digimon Adventure 02 and the information above managed to shock me. In every Digimon 02 fanfiction I'vs ever read Takeru/Hikari was a given fact. Of course, I never read a Daisuke/Hikari-fan fiction or stuff like this, but I also never read a Takeru/Hikari-fanfiction, it just appeared somewhere in the background as a given fact.
Today I've been reading a bit about Fan Preferred Couple and... yeah, I never planned to write another tv tropes-entry this fast, but when I reached FMA in the Fan Preferred Couple Examples, I just couldn't help myselfy, because it more or less says just the same thing I said yesterday.
Roy/Riza of Fullmetal Alchemist would be a Fan Preferred Couple were it not so obviously canon already, with even the other characters acknowledging it. The true Fan Preferred Couple of the series is Roy/Ed, which is unsurprisingly popular with slash fans (especially among anime fans), even with Ed being in an Official Couple too with Winry.
- Although it should be noted that EdWin is only cannon in the manga/Brotherhood. Most of the Roy/Ed fans tend to come from the first anime fandom, where Ed is "just friends" with not only Winry, but Rose and Noa. Also, The Movie may have something to do with this.
Fist things first: OMG, they're calling Ed/Win a canon couple! (actually, they're not, since we still don't know if Ed loves her... he clearly shows it, but doesn't spill the beans)
Now...
What's new? Roy/Riza, but seriously, I think there's no person out there who reads the manga or watches the second anime who dares to question Roy/Riza. Like the trope says: They're so obviously canon it hurts. Physically.
[spoilers ahead]While the manga doesn't even say it this clearly, in the latest episode of Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood the crazy doctor actually calles Riza Roys "beloved one" - at least if my subtitles were accurate. No need to worry, the manga has it's own obvious-moments, like in the latest chapter where Roy was clinging to Riza so possessively, I thought he was planning to never let her go out of his arms again. Jeez, Roy, we get it, she's your woman.[/spoilers end]
What I totally forgot to mention yesterday was Roy/Riza in the ship war between Ed/Roy vs Ed/Winry vs Ed/Rose simply because Roy/Riza was never really part of the ship war. Why? I don't know, there are enough Roy/Riza-fans out there, but it seems everyone just accepted it, if someone said he's/she's a Roy/Riza-fan. And the reason for this probably lies in the fact that those two were the main couple in the first anime, although their "romantic" moments back then were pretty ... small, but there was still more than Ed/Winry, what was completely downgraded to "just being friends".
What did I already talked about yesterday? Ed/Roy being the main yaoi-fan-couple in comparison to Ed/Winry. And: The first anime is the evil mastermind behind all the crap, because the manga shows us it's main couples so obviously clear, there's no room to argue at all. I've talked to Ed/Roy-fans and some even admit they can't work with the manga or the second anime and just rely on the first one, since it's the only source they can take "hints" and "sexual tension" from. It's incredibly funny, because more than half of the first anime is completely made out of fillers and not true to the original storyline.
Since the manga and second anime are so different from the first one, it's hard for me to think of the first anime as canon, but I guess this problem is something every FMA-watcher has to decide for himself.
Not just every FMA-reader/watcher respects Roy/Riza, the entire cast of Fullmetal Alchemist does, too: May ships Royai too. In chapter 101 she neglects a Philosopher's Stone in the interests of going all starry-eyed watching them. At this point, it may be safe to say that pretty much the whole cast ships Roy and Riza.
Yes, this is just the treatment Royai deserves. :< Everyone ships Royai! o/
In Katekyo Hitman Reborn, it's safe to say that the majority of fans ship Tsuna with pretty much any male in the series, and tend to dislike him being paired with any of the more canon female love interests. And even when there are shippers that put him in a hetero relationship, it never seems to be with his most official love interest, Kyoko. The more popular pairings include: Gokudera/Tsuna, Hibari/Tsuna, Mukuro/Tsuna, and Spanner/Tsuna.
Okay, question: there are shippers who ship Tsunafish with FEMALE characters? I'm deeply impressed, I thought the whole fandom consists of yaoi-fans and non-shippers. You know what I want to say: yaoi-fans = female audienence, non-shippers = male-audience <- I'm an exeption, I'm female, but not a yaoi-shipper, I ship Yamamoto/Wall! YES! :<
Although they only talk about the Tsuna/everyone-thing here, it implies my yaoiparty-theory, especially when you look up the Ship to Ship Combat trope example from last time where Hibari/everyone was mentioned. Also, I think it's pretty funny the main fan preferred couple is Gokudera/Yamamoto and both of these guys aren't main characters. They are part of the main crew, but the main characters are Tsuna and Reborn. I'm not the slightest bit surprised. I mean: with a main character like Tsuna... *cough* coward *cough* pussy *cough* chicken *cough* the supporting characters are just much more interesting and likeable.
Ouran High School Host Club, being a Reverse Harem series, has a lot of this. Although the canon pairing (in the manga, at least) is Tamaki/Haruhi, many fans pair Haruhi off with someone else, usually Hikaru (who also has romantic feelings for her, although they're one-sided). Kyouya's a popular choice, too. The anime kept all possible pairings open by ending with Haruhi not romantically involved with anyone, which was probably a smart move on their part.
Talking about smart moves and Ouran High School Host Club. Not only did the anime-ending leave open pretty much every possible pairing (although I think Haruhi/Tamaki was still the main focus), but there's a video game. It's not uncommon there are games made for animes, but I guess when we think of stuff like this, we usually think of the fighting games for Bleach, One Piece or Naruto. Ouran, being a reverse harem, never got a fighting game, no, it got an otome game. In case you don't know what this is: the main goal in this kind of games (or at least one of the main goals) is to develop a romantic relationship between your female main character and one of the male characters. You can choose whoever you want. So frankly speaking, this official game allows you to pair Haruhi up with every character from the Host Club
So, the anime and this game tried so hard to keep the pairing-diskussion alive and the manga completely sinks every other ship besides Haruhi/Tamaki. Oh, the power of the original creator of the series. Fear the evil Manga-ka. [spoilers ahead] Yes, Haruhi/Tamaki is the one and only pairing in the manga. While Haruhi/Hikaru was possible, it was destroyed by Haruhi admitting her feeling for Tamaki to herself, Hikaru giving up completely and admits defeat and Haruhi confessing her love towards Tamaki in the latest chapter.[/spoilers end]
Despite prodigious Ship Tease in the Digimon Adventure 02 series, the Takari (Takeru/Hikari) pairing is, due to the Distant Finale never mentioning them being romantically attached, not canon.
Digimon really loves to destroy it's most possible pairings, doesn't it? Tai/Sora and Takeru/Hikari as well... Seriously, Takeru/Hikari was so obvious (even more obvious than Tai/Sora - A LOT more obvious), I completely striked out the fact those two weren't shown as a couple in the last episode of Digimon Adventure 02 and the information above managed to shock me. In every Digimon 02 fanfiction I'vs ever read Takeru/Hikari was a given fact. Of course, I never read a Daisuke/Hikari-fan fiction or stuff like this, but I also never read a Takeru/Hikari-fanfiction, it just appeared somewhere in the background as a given fact.
Posted by kennikitty | May 27, 2010 2:45 AM | 0 comments
May 26th, 2010
Ship to Ship Combat
Anime Relations: Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Time to dig a bit into tv tropes again. Yes, I know, I love doing this when I'm bored.
This time, I read a bit in the "Ship To Ship Combat". I guess you can also call it "the ship wars". Pairings are an important element in a lot of mangas and animes. If the manga-ka wants it or not. :P Fans tend to pair up characters, no matter if there's really something going on or not and sometimes this will turn into a war.
When I first looked at the examples, I was shocked about what was going on in the Pokémon-fandom when I was still too young to think about shipping. (if I would've been old enough, I would've taken part in the war, I tell you xD)
A few quotes from the examples:
Naturo
Heck, even people on the same side of shipping can be incredibly vicious. Sasuke/Naruto vs. Naruto/Sasuke, anyone? And don't you dare say these are the same pairing deep down. For those of you who are understandably confused, the order apparently indicates who the dominant person in the relationship is...
Talking about the stupidity of yaoi...
Bleach
The Ship To Ship Combat between fans of Ichigo/Orihime versus fans of Ichigo/Rukia is particularly bloody.
Yes it is and I can tell you: It's incredible fun to participate in this war. When I get into this, I'm always incredible angry, because Ichi/Hime just makes no sense, how can you ship it? But you know, it's just too much satisfaction when you can bash the pairing you don't like to actually stop this.
To this day, shipping sections on Bleach forums are usually heavily regulated
In some forums, it's even forbidden to mention the name "Orihime" when you're in an Ichi/Ruki-related thread and users tend to mention a lot pairings, but not Ichi/Rukia or Ichi/Hime when they're not in their pairingrelated threads to prevent a flame war.
Haha, I once got bashed because of an Ichi/Ruki-Fanfiction I wrote. It was one of those stories where you don't know which pairing will come together at the end and an Ichi/Hime-fan obviously did not approve my choice. :P
Especially in Bleach, I think this war between the Ichi/Ruki and Ichi/Hime shippers are what keeps the fandom alive, because Bleach totally went down the river and sucks. The pairing discussion is pretty much the only interesting thing going on.
Digimon
Digimon fandom suffered from a terminal case of Pair The Spares in its early years that went something like this: "Digidestined must be paired up in descending order by importance." Thus, Taichi/Sora, Mimi with either Koushiro, Yamato, or Jyou (despite that she rarely even speaks to the first two) and Takeru/Hikari.
And I still HATE them for officially shipping Sora with Yamato. She matches Taichi so much better. Damn, it was such a huge disappointment when I saw the last episode of Digimon Adventure 02 and Sora and Yamato were married and had children. I hate you for this!
Code Geass
Lelouch/Kallen and Lelouch/C.C. were hardly the only two ships out there. There's also Lelouch/Suzaku, Lelouch/Nunnally, Lelouch/Euphemia, Lelouch/Shirley, Lelouch/Rolo...yeah.
Typical case of Launcher Of A Thousand Ships...Hey, Lulu and Nunnally andEuphemia are siblings, you sick bastards. O__o
Lelouch/Zerozaku's sword OTP!
Reminds me of Katekyo Hitman Reborn. YAMAMOTO/ WALL FTW! XD And while we're talking about KHR:
Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Katekyo Hitman Reborn seems to suffer from this quite a bit. Between all the people who want Gokudera with Yamamoto and all the people who want him with Tsuna instead, it all seems a bit pointless. Don't even get started on the Magical Tsuna Bicycle, Rokudo/Basil or Hibari/anyone.
I love the "Hibari/anyone"-part, but Tsuna is being paired up with everyone else, too. In fact, I sometimes think the KHR-fandom treats it's characters like this: EVERYTHING IS ALLOWED! o/ YAOIPARTY! o/ Oh geez...
Fullmetal Alchemist
Although not as bad as it used to be, the Fullmetal Alchemist anime fandom fought hard over the classic trio of Ed/Winry, Ed/Rose and Ed/Roy. Poor Rose herself was on the receiving end of Die For Our Ship quite a bit, to the point that even mentioning her name on a Ed/Winry forum is ... discouraged.
As far as I know, Ed/Rose wasn't as much of a big thing as Ed/Roy vs Ed/Win was, because the fandom is simply smaller than Ed/Winry. The main argument was basically "Yaoi vs not Yaoi" and due to the bigger fanbase, it was more like Ed/Win vs Ed/Roy. Ed/Rose (most of the time) only popped up in the heterosexual-pairing-discussions: Ed/Win vs Ed/Rose.
Yes, the evil mastermind behind this is FMA2003. If this anime would've never been made, this ship war would've never grown as big as it did. The manga has much more romance in it and more pairing hints, so you can crush the Yaoi-shit under your foot, if someone dares to begin talking about it. The manga is on YOUR side, my love, if you ship Ed/Win or Roy/Riza.
The first anime on the other hand, never had this clear pairing hints and practically erased all Ed/Win-moments, leaving Edward without a love interest and although Roy/Riza was indicated, it was so small, you were able to ignore it. This was like an invitation for the homo-crazy yaoi-fans an so... the ship war escalated. Being as dumb as studio BONES was, they added this fatal sentence somewhere near the end: "No wonder you fell in love with her." you = Edward, her = Rose. There was much more and the sheer fact Rose had so much screentime, although she's just a minor character, helped to lighten the fire between the Ed/Win and Ed/Rose-fans.
This time, I read a bit in the "Ship To Ship Combat". I guess you can also call it "the ship wars". Pairings are an important element in a lot of mangas and animes. If the manga-ka wants it or not. :P Fans tend to pair up characters, no matter if there's really something going on or not and sometimes this will turn into a war.
When I first looked at the examples, I was shocked about what was going on in the Pokémon-fandom when I was still too young to think about shipping. (if I would've been old enough, I would've taken part in the war, I tell you xD)
A few quotes from the examples:
Naturo
Heck, even people on the same side of shipping can be incredibly vicious. Sasuke/Naruto vs. Naruto/Sasuke, anyone? And don't you dare say these are the same pairing deep down. For those of you who are understandably confused, the order apparently indicates who the dominant person in the relationship is...
Talking about the stupidity of yaoi...
Bleach
The Ship To Ship Combat between fans of Ichigo/Orihime versus fans of Ichigo/Rukia is particularly bloody.
Yes it is and I can tell you: It's incredible fun to participate in this war. When I get into this, I'm always incredible angry, because Ichi/Hime just makes no sense, how can you ship it? But you know, it's just too much satisfaction when you can bash the pairing you don't like to actually stop this.
To this day, shipping sections on Bleach forums are usually heavily regulated
In some forums, it's even forbidden to mention the name "Orihime" when you're in an Ichi/Ruki-related thread and users tend to mention a lot pairings, but not Ichi/Rukia or Ichi/Hime when they're not in their pairingrelated threads to prevent a flame war.
Haha, I once got bashed because of an Ichi/Ruki-Fanfiction I wrote. It was one of those stories where you don't know which pairing will come together at the end and an Ichi/Hime-fan obviously did not approve my choice. :P
Especially in Bleach, I think this war between the Ichi/Ruki and Ichi/Hime shippers are what keeps the fandom alive, because Bleach totally went down the river and sucks. The pairing discussion is pretty much the only interesting thing going on.
Digimon
Digimon fandom suffered from a terminal case of Pair The Spares in its early years that went something like this: "Digidestined must be paired up in descending order by importance." Thus, Taichi/Sora, Mimi with either Koushiro, Yamato, or Jyou (despite that she rarely even speaks to the first two) and Takeru/Hikari.
And I still HATE them for officially shipping Sora with Yamato. She matches Taichi so much better. Damn, it was such a huge disappointment when I saw the last episode of Digimon Adventure 02 and Sora and Yamato were married and had children. I hate you for this!
Code Geass
Lelouch/Kallen and Lelouch/C.C. were hardly the only two ships out there. There's also Lelouch/Suzaku, Lelouch/Nunnally, Lelouch/Euphemia, Lelouch/Shirley, Lelouch/Rolo...yeah.
Typical case of Launcher Of A Thousand Ships...Hey, Lulu and Nunnally andEuphemia are siblings, you sick bastards. O__o
Lelouch/Zerozaku's sword OTP!
Reminds me of Katekyo Hitman Reborn. YAMAMOTO/ WALL FTW! XD And while we're talking about KHR:
Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Katekyo Hitman Reborn seems to suffer from this quite a bit. Between all the people who want Gokudera with Yamamoto and all the people who want him with Tsuna instead, it all seems a bit pointless. Don't even get started on the Magical Tsuna Bicycle, Rokudo/Basil or Hibari/anyone.
I love the "Hibari/anyone"-part, but Tsuna is being paired up with everyone else, too. In fact, I sometimes think the KHR-fandom treats it's characters like this: EVERYTHING IS ALLOWED! o/ YAOIPARTY! o/ Oh geez...
Fullmetal Alchemist
Although not as bad as it used to be, the Fullmetal Alchemist anime fandom fought hard over the classic trio of Ed/Winry, Ed/Rose and Ed/Roy. Poor Rose herself was on the receiving end of Die For Our Ship quite a bit, to the point that even mentioning her name on a Ed/Winry forum is ... discouraged.
As far as I know, Ed/Rose wasn't as much of a big thing as Ed/Roy vs Ed/Win was, because the fandom is simply smaller than Ed/Winry. The main argument was basically "Yaoi vs not Yaoi" and due to the bigger fanbase, it was more like Ed/Win vs Ed/Roy. Ed/Rose (most of the time) only popped up in the heterosexual-pairing-discussions: Ed/Win vs Ed/Rose.
Yes, the evil mastermind behind this is FMA2003. If this anime would've never been made, this ship war would've never grown as big as it did. The manga has much more romance in it and more pairing hints, so you can crush the Yaoi-shit under your foot, if someone dares to begin talking about it. The manga is on YOUR side, my love, if you ship Ed/Win or Roy/Riza.
The first anime on the other hand, never had this clear pairing hints and practically erased all Ed/Win-moments, leaving Edward without a love interest and although Roy/Riza was indicated, it was so small, you were able to ignore it. This was like an invitation for the homo-crazy yaoi-fans an so... the ship war escalated. Being as dumb as studio BONES was, they added this fatal sentence somewhere near the end: "No wonder you fell in love with her." you = Edward, her = Rose. There was much more and the sheer fact Rose had so much screentime, although she's just a minor character, helped to lighten the fire between the Ed/Win and Ed/Rose-fans.
Posted by kennikitty | May 26, 2010 9:47 AM | 0 comments