Comments on: Two series by Hidaka Banri

By: meowster

meowster — Sat, 15 May 2010 05:32:30 +0000

where can i read i hate you more than anyone online

By: Joy

Joy — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:14:34 +0000

lys – And go figure, I just had to repost your comment because I just started the dns transfer to my new webhost when you posted it. But this time I had a proper backup! Anyway, that’s the reason for the funny timestamp.

Thank you for taking the time to recreate your comment!

27th book makes a lot more sense than 27th series–I was assuming there were a lot of one-shots in there that I wasn’t finding info on! I have to say that I still ultimately enjoyed IHYMTA even though I have some issues with how its being written. I kept wishing we’d see a little more of the other siblings, though I wonder if that’s really saved for the other Akiyoshi books? For Kazuha and Sugimoto, I sometimes felt like I could tell what Hidaka was trying to do with the characters even if it wasn’t entirely working for me. That’s definitely one of the things that got me through the first two volumes.

By: lys

lys — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:09:13 +0000

Ohh, darn! I’d actually put the comment in a text document from the first time I read this entry (I found this review before the site went down and opened it in a tab to read later, but by the time I read it and wanted to comment I noticed the site wasn’t loading). But once I posted it I got rid of my copy. Oh well. Thanks for explaining what happened, and sorry you’re having these issues with the site!

Let’s see if I can recap my comment (I always end up writing something like an essay when it comes to Banri Hidaka’s manga…) I think that VBR 1 was Hidaka-sensei’s 27th book, not series—she’s done four big series in Japan (IHY, Tears of a Lamb, VBR and now Berry Berry) and a number of one-shot volumes (including the rest of the Akiyoshi family stories). I absolutely love her work, and VBR and IHY are two of my very favourite manga series. What makes me place IHY over VBR, despite the lack of polish in art and story that you point out, is my love for the characters. I think characters are the strength of all her works (or at least, the biggest appeal for me, followed by her sense of humour), but I have an especial love for Kazuha and Sugimoto, and Senko, and Honjo, and Chizuru and so on, and that’s why I’m more than willing to put up with a sometimes frustrating or complicated story. It’s just so enjoyable seeing the characters interact. But VBR is still high on my list of favourites as well, and has plenty of great characters of its own, like Mamoru (yes, she continues to show up and be awesome in later volumes). I can see where it might be the more accessible series for many readers, with its lovely fashion focus and a very sweet, romantic story.

There, an all-new essay! I could say more, but I’ll call it good for now :D

By: Joy

Joy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:24:43 +0000

Quick aside to lys – My apologies for the apparent disappearance of your comment. My current web host has been restoring the site from backup after an extended downtime, and they managed to overwrite your comment in the process. Unfortunately I don’t seem to have been emailed my usual copy of the comment which is lost. :(

(Yes, I will be switching web hosts soon.)

By: Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:22:54 +0000

I've not read either of these yet, but I've read a few volumes of her Tears of a Lamb, also published by CMX. Sometimes the humor was not to my taste, but I did like the gradual build in the main characters' relationship. The final volume just came out last month, too.

By: Manga past, manga present, and manga yet to come « MangaBlog

Manga past, manga present, and manga yet to come « MangaBlog — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:36:34 +0000

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