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RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - The Guilded Age




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Kyogissun



Joined: 17 Aug 2007
Posts: 676
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:20 am Reply with quote
Alcor is most definitely one of the poorest entries in the series. At least XXXX provides a good AU approach to the R:1 Saga, what with spoiler[Cubia taking the form of a PC] Alcor is even MORE fluff than the Legend of the Twilight Manga was... And Alcor fails to contribute to the story in any way. At least with LotT you had an ending that was up for interpretation...

The .hack saga is already fine as it is, one shots it does not need. Anime hyper
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Mistypearl



Joined: 03 Oct 2008
Posts: 517
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:35 am Reply with quote
I stumbled upon Happy Cafe not too long ago, and I'm glad I did. Its nothing new, but there's something definately about it that I find makes me have a smile on my face everytime I read. I have actually laughed out loud numerous times, which I often don't do. I agree it isn't much in terms of groundbreaking, but I tend to gravitate towards entertainment worth buying (and re-reading) than great masterpieces good for once a reading. The characters though albeit normal shojo fare are charming and a delight. I'm sad that my volume was shipped to my school address otherwise I would be reading it now (though not as I type, but you get the point.) I can't remember what exactly happens in this volume, but the pace and general gist of the manga stays pretty consistent throughout so far, so if you like the first volume you'll probably be sure to enjoy the rest. I would definately check it out!
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:09 am Reply with quote
Another reminder that I really need to put Ooku onto my wish list (in fact, I just did). It definitely sounds like it's right up my alley, even with the translation issues (as long as it's not like, in Middle English, I'll be fine...hopefully the reason for the thees and thous is the original Japanese using an older form of the language?).
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:25 am Reply with quote
Dear Viz,
Your presentation of the manga "Ooku" is quite wonderful, from the beautifully presented covers to the high quality paper. However, I beg of thee: Thou shoudest consider revising thy translated text to make the dear readers feel less like they are'st being poked by one William Shakespear in theirest heads. Otherwise, I shall have to consider reading from more dubious, morally suspect sources. Thank Thee. (Or thou, or...whatever).

Fake-Shakespearean English is as annoying to read as it is fun to write! I do have the second volume on order at Amazon, and I hope that the story makes up for the barely comprehensible, inconsistent dialog.
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Happy Cafe sounds like another winner from Tokyopop! *sarcasm meter-over 9000!* If they don't get another hit soon, I really fear for their future. They better not go under before they get that Van Hunter Von movie out! (No really--I want to see it!)
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Sket Dance- why is it called Sket Dance if the name of the club is Sket Dan? Anyone familiar with Japanese care to explain, please? But I have to check this one out. You compared it to Gintama, and that's enough to make me want to read it.
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That "Rainbows" manga sounds quite good-like a Jane Austen novel of sorts. Hoping CMX might take a risk on it, however unlikely that may be-it's classic, it's shojo, and it's short, which is all in its favor!

Glad your resolution is to continue writing this column, Carlo. It's a biweekly treat!
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:14 am Reply with quote
Sket Dance sounds interesting. I hope there's a possibility of a U.S. release.
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kuroraka



Joined: 21 Sep 2009
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:11 am Reply with quote
Wow, this has to be the first article i've read here which didn't bash Fairy Tail! Or are we only bashing the anime?!

Sket Dance is a seriously underrated series. I don't really know how the situation is in Japan but considering that every semi-popular Jump series gets an anime these days, it can't be that popular...which is a bit of a shame.

I love Ooku but i agree about the language. English isn't my native tongue but i've read enough Shakespeare to get by, it just feels odd and out of place in this manga.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 9902
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:37 am Reply with quote
kuroraka wrote:
Sket Dance is a seriously underrated series.

Seconded. Several chapters got me ROFL, literally. However, you've got to know enough about cliches of anime/manga/video gaming, or it would be just another manga with high schoolers fooling around.
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Brack



Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Posts: 281
Location: UK
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:42 am Reply with quote
Like a lot of the SJ titles that fail to stand out from the pack, I really think Sket Dance's art hurts it a lot. Compared to something as idiosyncratic as Toriko, it just looks bland and generic, regardless of what merits its storyline may have.
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Sailor S





PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:45 am Reply with quote
kuroraka wrote:
Wow, this has to be the first article i've read here which didn't bash Fairy Tail! Or are we only bashing the anime?!


Generally it's just the anime that I've seen being bashed, and largely by fans of the manga. Although the manga does have its detractors due to it's style and such. But, I like it, and it sounds like it'll continue to be enjoyable.

Oh, and good luck with those resolutions Carlo. I keep saying that I need to stop buying figurines, because I don't have anywhere to put them now either, but then I make my way over to Tomopop and see something new that I just have to buy, and thus the vicious cycle continues. Now I just say that I need a new house Razz


Last edited by Sailor S on Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:26 am; edited 1 time in total
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:55 am Reply with quote
I like Lucy! Ok, maybe it's less that I like the character and more that I was pleased to see her be more than the breasts of the operation. But I did enjoy the departure from the series' standard manly magic fighting.

Thou dost not find the language of Ooku most meet for th'occasion? Forsooth, I do find that tis a great diversion and dost maketh the tale more pleasing to the eye. But tis possible that I am passing strange and simply pleased, particularly when't comes to restoring the informal to our much-evolved language.
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HJSoulma



Joined: 06 May 2009
Posts: 62
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:58 am Reply with quote
Agent355 wrote:
Dear Viz,
Your presentation of the manga "Ooku" is quite wonderful, from the beautifully presented covers to the high quality paper. However, I beg of thee: Thou shoudest consider revising thy translated text to make the dear readers feel less like they are'st being poked by one William Shakespear in theirest heads. Otherwise, I shall have to consider reading from more dubious, morally suspect sources. Thank Thee. (Or thou, or...whatever).

Fake-Shakespearean English is as annoying to read as it is fun to write! I do have the second volume on order at Amazon, and I hope that the story makes up for the barely comprehensible, inconsistent dialog.


As an avid lover of Shakespeare, I found Ooku more than readable, although, granted, that is not the standard a translation should be measured by: can someone who can teach Shakespeare read this? Good enough!

Regardless, I would like to defend the usage (not use) of Elizabethan language; they did a good job of, at the very least, keeping it grammatically correct. Also, "thee" is the object form of "thou," so your original ending was right. Wink (Thou be'st a florist? I did not know that about thee.)

I may be the only person here that feels this way, but the semantic drift from a more general thee/thou usage to a ye/you to just a "you" usage is very interesting if you feel like doing some research.
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lys



Joined: 24 Jun 2004
Posts: 1006
Location: mitten-state
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:04 pm Reply with quote
Oh, Sket Dance! I will cry for joy if Viz licenses it here. It really is awesome, and not nearly as well known as I'd like it to be. I don't care if it gets an anime or not; the manga is plenty good on its own. Please, Viz, please!

Agent355 wrote:
Sket Dance- why is it called Sket Dance if the name of the club is Sket Dan? Anyone familiar with Japanese care to explain, please?


I think the kanji for "dan" means something like "group" (also used in ouendan/male cheer squad, SOS-dan/Brigade, etc) so that is why their club is called what it is. For the title of the manga, maybe they wanted something that did more than simply state the name of the club; "dance" sounds similar to "dan" in Japanese. I don't know that there's any more significance than that.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:39 pm Reply with quote
marie-antoinette wrote:
Another reminder that I really need to put Ooku onto my wish list (in fact, I just did). It definitely sounds like it's right up my alley, even with the translation issues (as long as it's not like, in Middle English, I'll be fine...hopefully the reason for the thees and thous is the original Japanese using an older form of the language?).


It is slightly older and in the court they use very formal speech. But it isn't completely awkward and borderline unintelligible the way that Viz's "translation" is. This is one of the worst adaptations I have ever read. This was clearly written by someone who thinks that "archaic" or "formal" means "making the sentences awkward and long" rather than actually looking up archaisms. Nor does the translation really reflect differences in the modes of speaking that the characters use. And let's all remember that Shakespeare often was using a theatrical and formal style, not the way people actually spoke.

Basically, this is a horrible version. I tremendously enjoyed reading it in Japanese, and will continue to do so until Viz gets their act together and produces something that isn't crap. You're supposed to make things readable, not go out of your way to make them hard to understand.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:56 pm Reply with quote
HJSoulma wrote:
I may be the only person here that feels this way, but the semantic drift from a more general thee/thou usage to a ye/you to just a "you" usage is very interesting if you feel like doing some research.


I am also a linguist geek and so this is one of the many little tidbits of the English language that I quite enjoy (which makes me think I might also not have such an issue with the translation).
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Cowpunk



Joined: 03 Nov 2004
Posts: 168
Location: Oakland - near the Newtype Lab
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:32 pm Reply with quote
I'm greatly enjoying Ôoku. But then I love stories steeped in history and culture. Of course interesting characters and a story add to the pleasure.

I've even started to add entires (note blatant plug here) to the Anime Companion supplement.

See:
http://www.koyagi.com/ACPages/aco.html#ooku

http://www.koyagi.com/ACPages/ack.html#KasuganoTsubone

One thing tho' you refer to it as an "imperial drama" it has nothing to do with the imperial household (yet). It is set in the shogun's palace in Edo.
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