Category: Reviews

K-Variety Review: Bounce Indo (두근두근 인도)

K-Variety Review: Bounce Indo (두근두근 인도)

by eastasianlover ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

One sentence for this show: Hilarious yet as an Indian and k-pop fan, downright embarrassing. Four episodes have been released for this series where some fan is subbing it on youtube, but KBS has started airing it officially on their KBS World YouTube channel with one episode out as of now.

Also known as Fluttering India or Exciting India, Bounce Indo is a variety show where five K-pop idols come to India to “exchange” their culture with ours, to see the scope of bringing k-pop into India. These five celebrities include: Kyuhyun from Super Junior, Suho from EXO, Minho from SHinee, Jonghyun from C.N.Blue and Sunggyu from Infinite.

I was actually looking forward to this, despite knowing that the stars were landing in Mumbai and not Delhi (which is nearer to my home town) because I wanted to see my country from their perspective (I love different point of views) and I wanted to know how would THEY like this relatively unknown place to South Koreans. I was utterly disappointed in the show and the cast as there were many other Indian fans which is evident from all the criticism I have read in articles and comments.

If the Indian K-pop fans are to believe, the Mumbaians weren’t allowed to meet their revered idols. I still don’t get the mentality. First of all, you’re coming in India to promote your culture and then you don’t deem the people, who are already familiar with your culture, worthy of the attention they deserve. In my honest opinion, they could’ve just let the fans meet, take pics and autographs and talk to them, off the camera, may be? One cannot deny the already established fan base existing in India. And how uncontrollable can a crowd of 20 odd people be? Agreed, the fans are, most of the times, a little difficult to manage, but we are talking about just a few.

Moreover, as one of the comments on the official video mentions, there were less preparations on the part of the people coming here. If one is going to survey a place for potential market, any common person would know to better equip themselves with at least a little cultural knowledge before diving into unknown waters. They needed it more so, because this was kind of an official expedition. I might be basing this on just first episode, but one can’t be expecting more from a five day trip after watching the first day.

In the first episode itself, they admit that India is not what they used to study about back in their school time. Also, the fan girl Babu, said that there are like a thousand k-pop lovers in Mumbai itself. I am pretty sure there are, a lot more in whole of India (they probably don’t know or are just underestimating the might of Indian population 😉 ) especially in big cities like Delhi and north Eastern States.

I am not criticizing every thing. Even if it was scripted (which I don’t believe), their acting is, no doubt, funny. The convivial environment they create and the way they bear strangers, who don’t even know them, taking pics with them, hats off! (I do envy Babu, who got to show them the way and click pictures with them). I also appreciate the pain they took, coming to a totally unknown country and trying to indulge in their culture (I would personally love doing that).

The major complaint is the way they tried to portray their popularity in India giving a somewhat false representation (Honestly, it was not surprising that they didn’t find a single fan on the Gateway of India. But if they had allowed the fans on airport, there might have been chances of them getting to know places where they could find more k-pop lovers. They did seem a little disappointed because no one recognised them here.).

All in all, with most of the comments and articles I have read from Indian fans, I am pretty sure I can safely say that it came as a little repulsive to Indian fans including me. Some things are embarrassing on our part and some on theirs. Even so, I do recommend it to people for the sole purpose of pure entertainment. As a proud Indian, I cannot give a green light to ALL the things shown in the show, but most of them are correct (It might take long posts to correct such things, which is going to be an excruciatingly painful process, so I would rather stay away from that. But IF someone has got any questions from the videos, or wants to ask something about India or anything else just out of curiosity, I would definitely answer them. Just post them in comments).

Here is the link to watch the official episode 1 from KBS World:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szdx3WOUF9w

Enjoy!

Webtoon Recommendation: Pinocchio(피노키오)

Webtoon Recommendation: Pinocchio(피노키오)

by eastasianlover ♥ 20 Comments

If you’re thinking that this is spin off webtoon of drama Pinocchio, or if Pinocchio drama was made out of this webtoon but you never came to know about it, rest assured (or rather, be a little disappointed), both are totally different.

This webtoon, one of my absolute favorites, is on the verge of its ending (Only some extra chapters left). Written by Maru-ssi (Why do I suddenly remember Kang Maru from The Innocent Man?), this particular piece is so full of emotions and drama, that shoujo lovers would definitely go gaga over it, once they read the story.

Pinocchio 1

The story is about high school student Choi Ha Ram who, one day, gets to buy a beautiful necklace from a suspicious place. After she wears it, she starts seeing a ghost named Yu Ga On, who doesn’t have memories of how he died or what happened to him but has a feeling that he did something bad to his family .

Ha Ram rejects him first because she seems to find herself in trouble whenever Ga On is near her, but develops sympathy for his situation and lets him live with her. She even starts helping him to create fresh set of memories taking photographs and teaching him to write even though he can’t hold or touch anything. But she keeps Yu Ga On secret from every one else including her childhood crush Han Bit who is handsome, kind, pursued by a lot of girls, her senior and has recently come back to be her neighbor. She has been madly in love with him.

Pinocchio 2

During the course of the webtoon, she confesses to Han Bit too only to be rejected more than one time. The story continues to reveal Yu Ga On’s mysterious past, the truth of the guy who sold HaRam the necklace and obliteration of his soul ultimately. (This, in no way, is a spoiler since the actual ending is quite different, and a happy one, from what might seem from this summary. Keep guessing or go read the webtoon!)

I soo want to give spoilers right now, but well, I’ll hold back. Anyway, the webtoon is full of feels and unexpected twists including Yu Ga On’s real story and who Ha Ram ends up with. The “twistful” nature of this webtoon full of cliffhangers (no cliffhangers for people who read it now but one would definitely appreciate the flow it has been made with) has been kept up till the last chapter. Most of the readers would find it difficult to digest what shows in a chapter at first until they read the whole thing (which happened with me in the very last of the webtoon also) and have tears roll down their cheeks and heave a sigh of relief on reality of events.

Pinocchio 3

Pinocchio 4

It also compels the reader to think about life and how our regrets might be hurting not only us but others as well. And that feelings need to be told and forgiveness needs to be asked, you may not get a second chance at that.

Art is great with great use of vibrant colors (Han Bit’s hair color >.<) and there are a lot of touches of comedy. (I love rom com webtoons and manga)

The whole translated webtoon is available here by EGScans. This webtoon has a prequel too, though I haven’t read it, called One Winter which has Yu Ga On’s story of what he was doing before meeting HaRam. Anyway, highly recommended webtoon.

Side Story 1: I always end up not writing a Happy New Year post (or any other occasion’s post, as a matter of fact) and this year too I am tad late but I wish that may this year bring everybody great health, prosperity and happiness.

Side Story 2: One of my blog’s reader has asked me very recently (few hours ago) to keep my rants with myself. I got that comment once before too, so I have decided, I would stop writing about my personal life. I won’t stop writing about my travel or study experiences though. And I won’t remove the earlier posts either.

With that, I will take my leave. *Wanders off to laze around in warm sun after so many chilly days*

App Review: N5 JLPT

App Review: N5 JLPT

by eastasianlover ♥ 1 Comment

Umm… yeah. I did it again (/ _ < ). I did say two weeks back that my next post would review some apps related to JLPT but the busybody I am, I didn’t get time to do so. So here’s the review.

The N5 JLPT app I am talking about is by V-Next software. It’s been very helpful to me. It has got 4 sections in all – Kanji, Vocabulary, Grammar and Search. This app basically is for testing yourself. It has predefined time for particular number of questions (for example 5 minute for 30 questions) and after you take the test it gives you details of no. of questions you attempted, got correct and incorrect.

N5 JLPT App

For Kanji section, there are 5 types of time settings – 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 words in various time limits. This section was the most helpful. But here is a twist. It mostly contains KUNYOMI of the kanji ONLY. That’s why, it is not solely enough for a person preparing for JLPT. BUT, if you keep reviewing kanji from this app, you would become master of distinguishing between onyomi and kunyomi.

N5 JLPT App 2

N5 JLPT App 1

What I used to do was, I used to take a test as soon as I  would wake up. That reminds me, the English meaning are also not given in this section. That means, you’ll have to go to a dictionary to check out the meaning of a kanji you are encountering for the first time. But that was fun and educational in a way too.

N5 JLPT App 3

N5 JLPT App 4

 

Next comes vocabulary section. Word with very difficult kanjis are given and you need to figure out the meaning in English. Another drawback – no furigana is available for you. Just the kanji and four options in English. Although they do provide kana after the test is finished and you need to check the solutions. I didn’t use it much (though I should’ve). Again, six type of word and time setting – 30, 50, 70, 90, 100, 200 words.

Next is grammar. Until and unless, you don’t know the rules, this section is pretty much useless. They have got lots and lots of examples for the related grammar point but again, one needs to actually know stuff, y’know?

N5 JLPT App 6

N5 JLPT App 6

Search is, as name suggests, simple search. They claim to have around thousand words and you can search by English or Japanese.

N5 JLPT App 5

Yup, so this is pretty much all about it. But the best part is, it’s completely offline. Yeah, sometimes, you don’t get internet access and sometimes you don’t want to use it (mainly to save battery in my phone), that’s when these kind of apps are really a life saver.

This actually might not be the best app out there but with very less memory and time consumption, this worked wonders for me. Just 5 minutes a day. Even reviewing anki flash cards takes a lot more time than this. That’s why I love this app.

A rant on Nisekoi, Noragami and Tokyo Ravens

A rant on Nisekoi, Noragami and Tokyo Ravens

by eastasianlover ♥ 1 Comment

Yes, I know it’s a material worth three posts but I need to write this one out. I am getting so disappointed by new anime that I want to die. I am going to do a review for all the three separately, so if you don’t know the anime, then I guess, this post would just act as spoilers for you. But if you want to know why I was disappointed in these anime, read on.

First, let’s talk about Tokyo Ravens. The ending was such an utter disappointment. I mean, you wait for 24 episodes, an awesome plot going on. On the way, you convince other people too that it’s a good story. You have to wait like two weeks for the ending episode because you don’t have means to watch it at the time it was aired. And then boom! An open ending. Now even if there is a second season, I won’t be able to watch it probably. tokyo ravens The animators did the same thing to it what the creators of Shakugan no Shana did to it. I won’t be surprised if the protagonist comes back as antagonist with new allies and claims to do everything he is doing for the sake of his old friends or whatever. I had so many hopes with the anime. Everything was going so good.Animation was good, a lot of twists, good character development, except for one or two. This one needs at least a movie to tie the loose ends as hell.

Next comes Nisekoi. I haven’t read the manga. But two girls were enough, you know. It was not necessary to introduce a third girl. It’s like, you take two tomatoes, chop them properly and you are preparing the food for just one person. Then, you feel,”Oh! You know what? I think one more tomato would spice up things a little.” but you’re not making a tomato mess. You are to make a good meal here. Ever heard “too many cooks spoil the broth?” (Guess it wasn’t a good example but you got my point).

I mean, even if it’s childhood, how can one guy make the same promise with three different girls with a variation to certain degree which includes marriage, just like that? Fake love doesn’t mean it’s gonna involve three girls. I don’t know how many are yet to get introduced. I should have listened to the unknown person who had commented on some website that they would soon introduce the third girl. My enthusiasm about the series had went down then and there. And the series is halfway through!

noragami Nisekoi should have stopped at 12th episode rather than the next one – Noragami. I have just one complaint about this one. Why the hell did you stop after 12th episode? No complaints about the ending. It was a good finish to a good series. But it was interesting as hell. The romance element between the two main characters and the past of main side character (you get the irony?) needed more time, episodes and focus. This was one anime for which I used to look forward to new episode every week. Arrrggghhhh!!! Just make another season for this one, would’ya?

Even after reading plots like a hundred times on different websites and trying the 1st episode for each anime before giving it a chance, I get to have this much disappointment, I have decided, I’ll let the new anime finish first and then start with them. For now, I am taking rest from new anime.

On the other hand, I have finished so many old anime, I have lost count myself. So I made an account on MyAnimeList.net by the name of EastAsianLover again (should’ve done way before). If you have watched the three series, what are your thought about them? Comment below and let me know if you agree or disagree with me!

[This time I didn’t take out the snapshots from the anime. So pic credits to the respective owners]

Anime Recommendation: Detroit Metal City (デトロイト・メタル・シティ)

Anime Recommendation: Detroit Metal City (デトロイト・メタル・シティ)

by eastasianlover ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The anime starts and I hear “F***”. And I was like “F***! Is this kind of anime I should be watching?” Nonetheless, I kept watching. And lo! More words were to come with greater impact.

An anime full of “f” kind of words and a lot of pervert things with Death Metal as its theme, it’s one of the most f***ed up anime, it’s Detroit Metal City (DMC). They call its genre as vulgar comedy.

DMC 1

Plot – It’s a story about Soichi Negishi, who wants to make career in soulful music after completing his studies in Tokyo. He ends up being the lead singer of a band called DMC. His stage name is Johannes Krauser II who has a lot of infamous tales associated with him including that he raped and killed his parents in his childhood, is totally opposite to real Negishi who is kind of mama’s boy.

As the story progresses, he finds himself torn apart between him and his Krauser personality, which comes out whenever he gets excited or angry (usually very critical moments of his love life). And more legends are created in each segment of the episode.

More interesting is his company’s president, who has a peculiar way of enjoying excitement (Can’t write here. You gotta watch it for that)

Analysis – As crazy it sounds, this one is beyond my head to analyse, so I’ll leave it to your imagination. But it does have a lot of things which hint that even if Krauser is more like a death messenger, the good side of Negishi helps him help people. And I must say, I wasn’t interested in Death Metal before watching the anime and I am not interested now. Too extreme are the lyrics.

Other things – Animation is okayish. Characters aren’t of today’s general style – big eyes, shining colors but I think it won’t go with the theme either. The beats of the songs rock. Lyrics are all f***ed up. The most peculiar thing about the anime is that its all 12 eps are of 14:12 length, no more, no less. Its starting and ending though are 2+ mins each, so the actual content reduces to around 10 mins. Each episode has two segments A and B.

A live action movie is also there. Again my favorite character is the president (Don’t judge me on that if you end up watching the anime!!!). Also, you don’t need to worry about the f words being translated from Japanese to English since most of the times, they’re spoken in English only.

It’s not that I am recommending it from my side. I wouldn’t have watched it if this friend of mine hadn’t recommended it to me. But it’s hella funny and worth a try (I generally don’t like the obscure comedy. I never got Chromartie High School and such but this, even I found funny!). If you’ve a problem with the content, don’t blame me afterwards.

I think this youtube playlist with some of the songs will help clarify some things and help you decide to watch it or not: 

Manga Recommendation: Seiyuu Ka! (声優かっ!)

Manga Recommendation: Seiyuu Ka! (声優かっ!)

by eastasianlover ♥ 1 Comment

Today I bring you a manga which teaches you about the voice actors in Japan. Seiyuu is the Japanese word for voice actor. A story by Minami Aki, many say, it accurately depicts the general hardships, a voice actor faces during their début and further in their career.

Plot – This story is about Kino Hime who joins the Hiiragi academy, a top notch school for voice actors. She is inspired by a Seiyuu called Sakura Aoyama who helped her when she was little. She has kind of complex towards her younger sister who is cute and adored by everyone unlike her. The major problem is, she has very scratchy voice, and that’s why she earns the nickname – Gori Hime (Gorilla Princess). Her another problem is Kudou Senri, the son of her ideal, who is harsh and blunt about Hime’s voice. He doesn’t leave any chance to insult her. In the initial days, she is put in a group of bottom four students in the class.

Seiyuu Ka! 1

Everything changes when she is scouted by a famous voice acting company and she has to pretend to be a guy and hide her real identity from everyone. She keeps improving and making new friends on the way. Plus she changes the hard Kudou Senri in her guy form, little by little.

Analysis – This manga talks about the recklessness of a girl who is determined to prove herself. Human beings’ determination to do something is their biggest weapon is what this manga teaches. It also tells about the importance of friendship in one’s life – unselfish one on the top of that. In terms of values, the 70 chapters have lots of elements to learn. A girl who stands up to face her problems even when her own mother looks down on her, I’m touched *brushes the tears away*

Seiyuu Ka! 2

Other things – Again, if we talk about the art, it’s great! It’s full of many many great looking guys 😉 Has many romantic elements too, not just between Hime and Senri but others too. A good time pass and a great read! I am a sucker for good plot in manga and this one does justice with the plot as well the characters. Also, great to learn about the voice acting industry in Japan since much research has been put before writing it. Highly recommended!

Read here – http://www.mangahere.com/manga/seiyuu_ka/

Today’s Song – Another Naruto OST from Asian Kung-fu Generation 

Side Story 1 – I got myself a language exchange partner for Japanese. I hope my Japanese studies would come on track now, since we decided to write each other everyday. I am very happy and excited.

Side Story 2 – Today was supposed to be my “No Laptop Day”. I am addicted to this guy and my day starts and ends with my laptop. So I decided to have a day when I won’t use it. But damn my plans. There is nothing I can do without it.

Webtoon Recommendation: Nineteen Twenty One (열아홉스물하나)

Webtoon Recommendation: Nineteen Twenty One (열아홉스물하나)

by eastasianlover ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Do you ever compare your lives to animals and get inspiration from them? I know, we consider ourselves the highest beings on the earth, but like Shaolin martial arts is based on movements of animals, their lives can teach a lot too. That is the theme of this relaxing webtoon.

Plot – Two separate lives, Ju Dong Hwi, our hero, 19 years old and Lee Yun Lee, our heroine, 21 years old are brought together by their love for cats. Ju Dong Hwi is a carefree person, same as a cat. He is the philosopher of the story, who makes the girl and us realize a lot of things about life. He has finished the high school, but doesn’t take admission in a college or a job, just because he wants to live his life to the fullest before turning into an adult at 21 years of age.

Whereas, for Lee Yun Lee, the life has become a big mess after an accident just before her college admission exams when she was nineteen and she lost her life’s two years. Now she has started prep school again, but reluctantly, because she is half embarrassed to see her juniors being her classmates at the prep school and half despaired.

Nineteen Twenty One 2

They both find solace in watching cats and feeding them. Dong Hwi makes her ponder over the facts that animals don’t pity themselves and keep moving on, why people call cats with no owners as thieving cats and such. They start finding answers to the questions they have been struggling with, with all this wondering and self realisation.

On the top of that, they start making the people in the neighbourhood who hit these poor animals for no reason realize, that they are to be loved too. They start learning and arranging about neutering surgeries for the cats so that their number keeps  in check. And with all this, they find love in each other.

Analysis – This particular webtoon is full of things one can learn from it. First of all, kindness towards animals, especially strays, who generally are abused a lot for no reason. With proper care and treatment, they can be managed too, but we need to learn how. One of the solution provided here is neutering surgeries, but again the question comes who’s gonna pay. *Sigh* Money is a big problem after all.

Then it poses a lot of questions about life in general. We should not pity ourselves and treasure our lives and go on, to achieve our dreams. It also addresses the impact of what parents say knowingly or unknowingly, on their children. Ultimately, it forces the reader to think about a lot of things dealing with general life, in just twenty one chapters.

Nineteen Twenty One 1

Other things – Author John and artist Jenna, both have done a great work with the Webtoon. Since the art is generally based on real life photographs, generally from the neighbourhood, sometimes the cats don’t look normal – neither proper pics nor proper cartoons. But everything else covers up for it. Flowers especially are detailed and beautiful. To any person, I would recommend this webtoon, any time, anywhere.

Read here – http://read.egscans.com/19-21

Today’s Song – Well, as I said here, I’ve got a lot of songs now to share. Today I’ll go with this MV which I absolutely love. This song is OST of bleach – 

Image credits – Easy Going Scans

J-Variety Review: TORE!

J-Variety Review: TORE!

by eastasianlover ♥ 2 Comments

It’s really really difficult to find Japanese Variety shows online with some exceptions like Gaki no Tsukai. But those kind of comedies don’t appeal to me. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand what is so funny in there (obviously, I’m not at that level of Japanese). And my quest for Japanese variety shows (with no videos other than youtube working here ¬¬) led me to to two – Hey! Hey! Hey! and TORE!

Hey! Hey! Hey! is a talk show and only eng subs I found for were the episodes where DBSK have appeared. So I’m not gonna talk about that. I did stumble upon this game show – TORE! which made me remember all those game shows they used air on cartoon network and other channels when I was a kid. Takeshi’s castle and Wipeout are still popular because they are still aired on channels like Pogo and AXN.

But TORE! was kind of new to me. I remember seeing a variety show with some temple guards in it but the things are hazy and I’m pretty sure it was an English game show. I don’t remember the format either.

So, yes. About TORE! They say it’s kind of mummification program. Ah! Yes. If you get squeezed by the walls or you fall down through a hole whose end you can’t see from above, you’ll definitely become mummy unless you give the correct answers asked in the show. It’s super entertaining and thrilling. The setting is Egypt kind. The keys, the walls, the Pharaos with the most modern instruments and equipments, you’ll all find in here. I watched one episode only, today and unfortunately, the subtitles weren’t available. ¯\(°_°)/¯

You can actually feel their anxiety during the games. When they fall before finishing the sentence they were saying, the breath stops! I mean I know they’re safe and that the hole may not be that deep that they show, but that’s the magic of directors and the technical staff out there and they work for this only. As their audience, I salute them! (￣^￣)ゞ

For Japanese language learners, it can be very helpful. Most of the words can be looked upon in dictionary and I can already see changes in my kana’s reading speed. The contestants (generally celebrities) have to answer the questions so fast with their lives (kind of) at stake that you have to read things fast if you’re staying with their speed. Of course, you can slow the videos down, but where is the fun in that? One of the most fun way to learn Japanese. Highly recommended.

I’ll post the episode I watched. Happy learning!

Manga Reco: Kagerou Inazuma Mizu no Tsuki (陽炎稲妻水の月)

Manga Reco: Kagerou Inazuma Mizu no Tsuki (陽炎稲妻水の月)

by eastasianlover ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I saw the cover photo on the website and the drawing style – I knew it had to be Ame Arare Sensei’s manga. And I was right. This mangaka’s drawings are so very intricate and delicate. I want to meet Sensei once in my lifetime TT_TT

Genre – Romance, Tragedy

Plot – Four one shots again. First three stories are tragedies and last one is a happy ending (which made the day I read it on, otherwise I would have drowned in the puddle of my own tears).

1. Kagerou no Shou – Kagerou was sold by her parents to become an oiran (read ahead). She was a bold child and became friendly with the person who transported her to the red-light district named Ryuuji. Before he left her there, she asked him to be her first customer. Now, years later, she is ready to take the customers but Ryuuji doesn’t have enough money to buy her services even for one night. Does her dream come true? Go and find out! TT_TT

2. Inazuma no Shou – Wakana is another oiran, and beautiful and popular one on that. She wants to free herself from the shackles of the prostitution and lures out rich men into giving her expensive presents which she pawns in order to save money. One of them is Mitsunori, who is a high ranking person in society and a shy guy who wants Wakana’s services only. But Wakana gets disappointed when Mitsunori gives her inexpensive presents out of love. After spending one proper night with her, he disappears for three months. On the other hand, Wakana becomes pregnant with his child. In the end, he comes to buy her out and make her his wife. What is the end to this love story? Go and find out! TT_TT

Kagerou Inazuma Mizu no Tsuki 2

3. Mizu no Tsuki no Shou – This is one of those stories, which start happily and you’re happy happy. And suddenly, tragedy befalls and all you can do is ponder what happened. This is the story of Suigetsu, who by chance meets her brother one night as a customer. Her brother promises to buy her out in future. But the poor guy he is, he can’t afford her services everyday and no one knows the secret that they are cousins. His master also gets surprised when he asks him to bring him there again considering he had been reluctant till now. But Suigetsu gets terminally ill before losing her virginity. Her brother tries to obtain medicine illegally but are his efforts enough to save her? Go an find out!  TT_TT

4. Nagasaki Bojou – This was the most different and definitely the most informative one. It is about the times when foreigners started coming to Japan. Otaki is chosen to serve in a colony of Dutchmen. It would be her first time but she has apprehensions about a foreign partner, the language barriers and other things. She is very reluctant but her luck, she meets a super nice guy who cares for her and doesn’t touch her without her consent. They fall for each other and Siebold (her partner) proposes to her. In the meantime, her very beloved senior catches a really bad illness. Otaki, against the rules, return back with the permission of Siebold. When discovered, she is asked to server other customers since she ran away. In the end, Siebold takes her as his wife before everyone’s eyes. Slap in your face, you bad people. Take that!!

Analysis – The topic is same as Hira Hira. Setting is kind of same, just that it deals with the time before Geishas appeared. The courtesans at that time were called oirans, and everything was much more complex and difficult during their time. More you can read here.

The theme is told by the title itself. It means something you have near you but you can’t have it – something on those lines. The major difference in both of the pieces is that the first one was more concerned with their lives, this time it’s more about love.

Kagerou Inazuma Mizu no Tsuki 3

Again, it teaches that human beings have no right to tamper with the lives of other people and treat them as trash. These ladies were the most intellectual and artistic beings of their times. They were in the power to reject the most influential people. But they weren’t in this position or profession by their choice. Call it fate or circumstances of their parents that they had to do the work against their wills.

They are not to be demeaned in any manner, no matter what! After all they are also human beings, with pride, feelings and emotions.

Other things – Art is awesome as expected from Ame Arare Sensei. I have read a lot of historical manga but those sharp lines, those details, from eyelashes to the flowers on their dresses, that is something I admire a lot about Sensei. If you read this sensei, I’m your very very very big fan, though I have read only 8 stories of yours.

Warnings – Doesn’t have that much details but contains a few scenes which may offend some people. But since topic is sensitive, scenes need to be so, to deliver the right emotions. So read on your discretion! It is definitely NOT hentai, take my word.

Read here – Kagerou Inazuma Mizu no Tsuki Manga

Today’s Song – Haha, this is a funny MV. It will definitely help after reading the manga, I’m telling you:

Manhua Recommendation: Once Again (初.末)

Manhua Recommendation: Once Again (初.末)

by eastasianlover ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

So, I’ve appeared with another review and this time it’s a manhua. You know what’s a Manhua is, right? No? Manhua is chinese version of manga. Many of those are colored and they are generally done by hands and not computer softwares, is what I’ve heard.

This manhua has been written by Feng Xi Shen Lei. Also called, The Beginning and the End: Once again, this particular piece reminds you that humans get so busy in work, that they forget why they were working in the first place.

Once Again 1

Plot – The manhua follows the story of a guy named Yuan Ge who is handsome and at a high post in some company. He sees everybody in the terms of gain the relationship with that particular person will bring to him. He travels in subway trains despite him being on a higher position because he thinks that traffic jams are a wastage of time.So you can basically see what kind of Scrooge he is!

Story opens with him ignoring the news of his wife’s death while being in a company meeting. Apparently he makes all the arrangements for his wife’s funeral but is unable to attend. On the top of that, he thinks that he has completed his duty towards his emotionless wife (which he thinks she was). He can’t even remember her face well.

After some days, he starts noticing a 14-15 year old girl in the train he takes. He has been shown intelligent enough to deduce what a person’s profession and position might be in their respective companies by their clothes (pretty much same as Sherlock Holmes, no, it’s not shown like that though). But this girl is mystery to him. He sees her everyday but as soon as he is distracted by even one thing, he loses sight of her.

Since he never gets to talk to her, she slowly starts driving him nuts. He goes as far as to get checked for pedophilic tendencies in him since the girl is way younger than him and he takes his feelings for love.

Once Again 2

*Spoilers start* – Can’t do without the ending can I? But if you’re still tempted to keep it unknown, I must say that it’s pretty interesting. So you can go and read the manhua yourself to uncover the girl’s identity.

He finally decides to chase her and reaches his old school where past memories come to him and it is revealed that the girl is his deceased wife only. Earlier, he blames his wife for everything but now he discovers that it was him all along. He had promised the girl that he would earn a lot of money to buy precious gifts for her. As he starts becoming ambitious and rising the ladder in his company, he asks his wife to change for him. She has to leave her job of kindergarten teacher, shun her cute image to be able to blend among the wives of higher ups, suck up to them for his husband and ultimately along the way, she falls sick. On the other hand, Yuan Ge stops coming to home, or comes late at night and goes early in the morning and such and such. The wife has been shown pretty caring. She prepares food for him as early as 4 o’clock. This finally breaks him and he realizes his mistake of ignoring her completely.

Analysis – From life point of view, I think that the author has shown a proper present life scenario. I mean, I don’t know if it happens everywhere around the world, but it does apply to Asian countries, especially patriarchal societies where they think that it’s a girl’s duty to look after the household and related chores.

Even if we don’t go to that side of the story, it in general depicts how the life has become so fast paced that we forget every thing, including our relationships. There is no time for talking, for sharing emotions, for anything. We’ve become too busy in earning our bread.

Thus we need to rediscover ourselves because we’re missing a hell lot as this guy Yuan Ge realizes. We need to re-remember main purpose in our lives which we have lost sight of, becoming too entangled in the society and material life.

Other things –  Art is good. Plot is awesome. I loved the self discovery thing and the author doesn’t fail to compare the thoughts of the guy pre and post his realisation of the truth like he hated the monotonous breakfast she used to keep for him every day on the table and later he finds out that even though she was sick and coughing all the time, she would get up every day to prepare fresh food for him. So he basically lives his life once again, through memories, to get to know that had he cared for her health earlier, she may have been alive today. But they say that we realize value of something or someone when we lose it. It’s the fact of life and that’s what has been shown here.

In just seven chapters author has shown all kind of emotions and I respect that. Oh, now I realize, this one also has seven chapters. In the end, I would say, highly recommended!!

Read here – http://www.mangahere.com/manga/once_again/

Manga Review: Boku wa Kiss de Uso o Tsuku (僕はキスで嘘をつく)

Manga Review: Boku wa Kiss de Uso o Tsuku (僕はキスで嘘をつく)

by eastasianlover ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I don’t know what happens to me sometimes and I stumble upon such things which aren’t worth the time. This time I bring you a review which says DON’T read the manga if you don’t want to end up hitting your head on your wall as to why even the story was made. I mean who can write 7 chapter manga on just one kiss? Yeah, this managaka did.

Boku wa Kiss de Uso o Tsuku 1

Plot – So the story goes like this. There is this girl Kitazono Meiko, who has a complex about her slanted eyes and hence, secludes herself in the library reading books. One day she falls asleep and is kissed by a guy. When she wakes up to find him, she is met by four super-handsome boys – Shindo, who is the library monitor, is a senior, Mikoshiba is another senior who is one of those cold kind of guys. Then there is Mogami, who is in her class and is outright about his feelings for her. Last one is Hachiya, a junior of hers who is cute type. And then the seven chapters are all about finding the guy who kissed her.

What I didn’t like – First of all, how can four guys fall for the same girl at the same time? I’m so freaking jealous. I mean, one or two is right as happens in a lot of shoujo mangas but this is too much. Second, how can one fall for a guy who has stolen her first kiss while she was sleeping without knowing who, how and what he is. There comes a time in the manga when one needs to ask herself, what am I doing, where am I? The story is something that can’t happen even in dreams. Meiko is just after knowing the name of the guy and then she would fall for him out of the blue? BOOM! What crap!

I became so thankful to the Mikoshiba guy when he confronts her about the same. What a dumb girl. And in the end, she chooses the one, who kissed her. If we talk about the probability of choosing the right person, its 1/4. And it happens. What in the world….. (-_-* )

Some would say it’s at least different. Yeah. And so are other lots of works which present an acceptable universe to comprehend. This one is just out of the bounds. I’m sorry for the harsh words but I just can’t do anything about that.

Boku wa Kiss de Uso o Tsuku 2

Other things – Art is good. I’m following the same mangaka’s another manga – Reimei no Arcana which I’ll review after it finishes (which I don’t see anytime soon) and that story has some weight. But this one seriously fails on the plot. I thought, since it is short and not as short as a one shot, it may be an interesting read but now I so regret reading it. I know seven chapters are not many, they won’t take much time too. But it’s still stuck in my head. So if you ever find this one in recommendations by your favorite manga site, DON’T get into the trap of lesser number of chapters. It could’ve finished in just one chapter, may be two at most. Has hints of humour too here and there and that’s it. I can’t find any other plus points since I’m so pissed off with the story itself.

I’ll give rest to it here. I don’t want to degrade the mangaka coz I like her other story and faithfully following that one, but I would rather not read any manga than dealing with these kind of plots. Of course, that is upto my discretion. but if you are still curious and end up reading it, tell me how you find it in the comments below. I won’t post the link here since I don’t want you to curse me when you finish it. ¯\(°_°)/¯

Oh, and it’s not colorful opposed to what is being suggested by above two pics. They are just the cover pages.

K-drama Recommendation: KBS Drama Special – The Memory in my Old Wallet (내 낡은 지갑속의 기억)

K-drama Recommendation: KBS Drama Special – The Memory in my Old Wallet (내 낡은 지갑속의 기억)

by eastasianlover ♥ 4 Comments

Alright, a little background here. None of the video sites works here, in BITS, except youtube and now I realize, there is a huge scarcity of subbed dramas on this particular website. Other sites are either blocked here, or they just don’t work. And this has led me to discover some gems in the sea of whatever is left to me. Out of those, is this collection of drama specials by KBS World.

I absolutely love this channel. They themselves provide the eng subs to such shows and their popular variety shows. I know, they are almost one month late to the original airing date, but let’s be honest, I don’t have anything else now. So, I’ve been watching anything Korean I get and these are not bad. The Drama Specials are around 1 hour long – so not as long as a movie and definitely not as long as a drama series itself. Some of the specials may have as long as four-five episodes, so it’s just enough to feed your hunger.

Also, there are new actors and actresses. I remember watching the one in which BoA made her debut as an actress, though that is for other review. Now I’m writing, I’m getting a little reluctant, but oh well, whatever.

Plot – A heart wrenching mystery revolving around a guy Lee YeongJae, who has lost all his memories after an accident and has nothing to remember his past except a bookstore, a bar exam passing certificate and some other things (which just tell him his name) and now a wallet which he receives after two years of the accident, the present time, which contains a photo of him and his girlfriend. He has secluded himself from the world and is not interested in his past. He just keeps reading a thick book on civil laws. Sua is a high school student who was saved by YeongJae in the past from her abusive stepfather, and has fallen in love with him. Though she likes him, she persuades and helps him to uncover the mystery of his life and that’s the story.

Analysis – Since, it is about love and I’m a little weak in that area, I wasn’t able to relate it to the life in general, as I say it. But yeah, the selflessness of Sua did touch me a little. And those books in YeongJae’s bookstore! My God, someone gift me that kind of store…..

Also, in India they say “Agar kisi ko poore dil se chaho to poori kaynat tumhe usse milane mein lag jaati hai” translating to “if your love for someone is pure and sincere and you love that person with all your heart, all the forces in nature help you to get him/her.” (That’s a dialogue from a very famous bollywood movie ‘Om Shanti Om’. Yeah yeah, I do watch or to say have to watch them occasionally) I don’t know how much it’s true in the real world, but this is kind of basis for this episode too.

Other Things – Coming to the acting and all, it seemed alright to me – not overdone, not underdone. Well, of course I’m not an acting major, so I don’t know the technicalities, so I can write from a general audience POV. That’s why, if you don’t agree with me, well, that’s your thinking and mine is mine 😉 Also, the parts where YeongJae goes to the places of accident or last memories with his girlfriend, made me spill my tears a little. I’ve got them a lot lately. Anyways, yeah, the plot is kind of different too. I mean, who is not interested in knowing about themselves after losing all their memories? You can find the guy here.

Watch here – 

Enjoy!

Side Story 1 – As I mentioned above that the video sites aren’t working, it’s difficult to find thing I so want to watch – like Wooyoung in WGM. I know I know, I said, I was against the show. But I so want to watch some first episodes of this couple. Heck, even Khuntoria isn’t available on Youtube. I was going back to listening to f(x) and suddenly had this urge to watch their first meeting. I couldn’t find the episodes TT_TT

Side Story 2 – More than that, the internet was so slow last night that I wanted to publish this post yesterday. But I tried for one hour and when I couldn’t after some 10 tries, I gave up. But I wanted to write one post per day >.< Guess, I’ll start the count again from today. *Sigh*