Update

College is crazy, my dorm room is an anime shrine, my Psych prof has a 1.2 (out of 5) hardness rating on ratemyprof.com, I should really be studying Chinese instead of writing this and screwing around on PSP9, and I now hate reading.

Have these:

End of Summer List~

Since May 2009, I have watched (with MAL ratings included!):

Akira – 8
Baccano! – 8
Baccano! Ova – 8
Black Lagoon: Second Barrage - 7
Castle in the Sky – 8
Code Geass - Hangyaku no Lelouch R2 - 8
Detroit Metal City – 8
Gake no Ue no Ponyo - 8
Hellsing Ultimate - 9
Higashi no Eden – 6 (THAT'S RIGHT, BITCHES.)
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai - 7
Initial D 1st Stage - 8
Initial D 2nd Stage - 7
Initial D 3rd Stage - 8
Initial D 4th Stage – 9
Junjo Romantica – 7
Junjo Romantica 2 - 7
Kaleido Star: New Wings Extra Stage - 7
Kara no Kyoukai 1 – 7
Kara no Kyoukai 2 – 8
Kara no Kyoukai 3 – 9
Kara no Kyoukai 4 – 8
Kara no Kyoukai 5 – 9
Kara no Kyoukai 6 - 8
Kigeki - 8
Kino's Journey: The Land of Sickness -For You- - 8
La Maison en Petits Cubes - 9
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - 9
Mushishi - 9
Natsume Yuujinchou - 9
Nijuu Mensou no Musume – 7
Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter - 8
Nodame Cantabile Special Lesson - 7
One Outs - 7
Ookiku Furikabutte – 8
Skip Beat! - 9
Slam Dunk – 7
Spice & Wolf - 7
Spice Wolf II ova - 7
Sword of the Stranger - 7
Terra e… - 9
The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya - 7
The Wings of Honneamise – 7
Touch – 10
Tsubasa Chronicles: Tokyo Revelations – 8
Vampire Knight - 6
Victorian Romance Emma: Molders Hen - 8
Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou - 9

...Not including a few series I rewatched. Currently watching: Fate/stay night, Full Metal Panic!, Hellsing Ultimate, Hetalia Axis Powers, Kuroshitsuji (on hold), Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Lovely Complex (on hold), Major S1, Spice and Wolf II, Haruhi S2, and Umineko no Naku Koro Ni.

I also have been rethinking the Top Anime List I made up a while back. Now it's a little more specific and I've added a few series as well:

1. Touch

First Tier
Berserk
Gankutsuou
Monster
Princess Tutu

Second Tier
Twelve Kingdoms
Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou
Skip Beat!
Kaleido Star

Third Tier
Toward the Terra
Rose of Versailles
Claymore
Gurren Lagann
Ouran HSHC

So this is the most anime I've watched in, like, the past three years. I basically went crazy with anime this summer b/c A) I didn't have anything better to do and B) I realized part way through the summer that not only was I horribly behind on new series, but this summer was one of the few chances I'd have to catch up. Next summer I'll most likely be doing some language program for Chinese and who knows what the hell I'll be doing the summer after study abroad. In any case, it was fun. And now, it's back to me studying all the time and not sleeping. :D :D

Made these Totally Captivated icons in-between my Psychology reviewing the past couple days. I'm particularly fond of the first and last ones. I also made a background-less version of the fourth icon. :3

2nd to last post before classes~ D:

• I utterly FAIL at studying while on break. Here's to hoping that the first week of Chinese is easy, so that I have time to review and not embarrass myself in front of my entire class. 8D

• I marathoned the Finder Series yesterday, which had a couple... interesting sex scenes. I realize now that I would have been 10x more shocked by the first chapter if I had read it a year ago instead of just now; my college friends have so corrupted me that, while reading this manga, I found myself thinking, "Well, I have seen worse." Seriously, at least nothing in Finder made me scream out loud... UNlike some of the videos my friends have made me watch.
• Also read Kyuuso wa Cheese no Yume wo Miru & part of Sojou no Koi wa Nido Haneru, which are both good, albeit horribly depressing even during the happier moments. Both are def. more emotionally mature than all of the other BL titles I've been reading lately.
• Have also been watching Major S1 and just started watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes, which is supposed to be The Anime That Begins and Ends All Anime... or something. Might also start watching Gundam 00 S2 today.

A few days ago, I was scouring the Internet for Totally Captivated media, and stumbled upon this very enlightening (and very lengthy & spoiler-filled) analysis of Mookyul/Ewon and their subtle "role reversal" towards the end of the series. Basically, many of Mookyul & Ewon's arguments tend to go something like:

Ewon: [insert argument topic here] That's it, we're through!
Mookyul: What the hell. Why are you so upset over a stupid little thing like this?
Ewon: That should be obvious! Or at least it would be if you weren't so socially retarded.
Mookyul: ...socially retarded? What, I don't get it. omg stop being such a lameass and sleep with me already.
Ewon: Hell no. I'm seriously walking through that door now!
Mookyul: Don't you dare. And even if you try to run, I'll just CHASE YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.
Ewon: Ok whatever. =_=;;
Mookyul: ...what is with your indifference. I'm insecure and actually in love with you, you know. ;_;
Ewon: Then it's just too bad that I'm as insecure as you are! You don't mean a thing to me! NO ONE DOES!!
Mookyul: HOW DARE YOU TOY WITH MY HEART. AND AFTER I GAVE YOU A PORSCHE, YOU WHORE.

etc. etc. And this essay deconstructs absolutely everything: Mookyul's social problems and Ewon's attachment issues, materialism, Mookyul's physical/sexual control vs Ewon's emotional control, as well as individual chara analysis. I'd have to re-read it to say just how much I agree/disagree with the author, but a couple points of interest:

When I loaned the first three volumes to a Korean friend to read, she commented that Ewon would never make it in Korean society; he’s too stupid. I’m not sure “stupid” is the right word for it; I wouldn’t even say he’s naive. I think it’s more a matter of being willfully ignorant, a kind of simple refusal to acknowledge certain things and thus reduce their impact, somehow.

....when Mookyul is out of his depth, and is intimidated, his first reaction is not just to strike out, but to do so in any way that will throw the other person/people far off their center, as well. He can find his own balance only by knocking others off theirs...

Def. agree on the above two points (though I never thought of it in these terms), but I'd like to add that Mookyul probably behaves this way subconsciously. After all, Mookyul has never really known what "normal" is; "normal" to Mookyul is to act as abrasive as he usually does. He doesn't know how to act in casual situations with "normal" people, and he isn't the type to compromise or clam up when put in an awkward situation, so his knee-jerk reaction is to just "be himself," even when he is fully aware of the fact that he doesn't fit in. Also:

Mookyul’s physical reaction in the course of the break-up scene was very telling, as well -- which first was a punch, but curiously enough when Ewon went for the kill, verbally, Mookyul's reaction wasn't to punch, but to slap -- which if you think about it, has some slightly different connotations. We tend to punch people when we want to hurt them, to knock them down; it seems to be instinct (in a wide number of cultures, from what I’ve seen) to slap when you’re offended/hurt... When you slap someone, it’s almost always across the face or cheek, with the palm carrying just a bit to the mouth: the meaning, then, isn’t “get away” but “shut up, stop saying that".

Ahh, I love posts like this that highlight all sorts of things I never would've realized myself. And this also helped me appreciate Ewon as a character THAT much more. I was already very fond of him before, but now I just <33 him. :)

And look at what else I found: a screenshot of Yoo Hajin coloring in a picture of the old man when he was not yet old! AND DAYUM, IS HE HOT. Like, seriously, ouch. This is like seeing Kakashi without his mask and finding out that he's at least twice as hot as you had anticipated. Though his obvious resemblance to Ewon kind of freaks me the fuck out.

...I'm fangirling over a wrinkly old man? The hell.

Things Bell Bitches About In Her Head:

• A little while back, I stumbled upon this very amusing blog post about Vampire Knight, which contains a rather likely theory as to why that series is so popular amongst female anime fans. In short: "Don’t believe everything the media tells you - some teenage girls have sex, but lots are just interested in sex in theory. They want boys, and they want sex, but not actually. That’s exactly what Vampire Knight gives them - boys, and sex, but not actually. Characters get into states of undress without ever showing anything important, there are lingering touches and little licks, and forbidden SEXY BITING with all its emotional and social repercussions stands in for fooling around."

  Not only does this perfectly explain why so many girls like VK, but it also perfectly explains why I dislike VK. Because apparently, I am perverted enough to prefer outright smut. Biting isn't sex, damnit, sex is sex. Why the hell do other girls want metaphors in their porn? I mean, Totally Captivated had neck biting too, but in that series, it was drunken and actually hot. In terms of sexiness:

  Totally Captivated >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Vampire Knight

  Actually, make that in terms of everything. Although I DO still like Zero well enough. Kaname, on the other hand, can kiss my ass.

• I feel like I would enjoy this club a lot more if there weren't a suffocating heir of superiority hanging over it. I mean, I get that seinen/josei series are supposed to be more mature than shounen/shoujo, but I get the distinct impression that these people think seinen/josei = "good" anime and shounen/shoujo = "bad" anime.

  First of all, how in the hell is Ookiku Furikabutte seinen? (Or even josei, if you're going at it from that angle.) It's an anime about high school boys playing baseball, for godssake. It's a good anime, yes, but that's as shounen as it gets! And do they think Haruhi is really josei? I mean, really? Secondly, a mature rating doesn't automatically equal quality anyway. e.g. As generally entertaining as Dogs: Bullets & Carnage is, it's pretty damn shallow. Naruto is about as meaningful a series as Dogs is. Seriously. But Dogs happens to have ultraviolence, attitude, and nudity, and people are like, IT'S SO MUCH BETTER AND MORE MATURE. Spare me, please.

• Read a nice little BL manga called Doushitemo Furetakunai. The art originally turned me off (I got too used to seeing Mookyul & Ewon's hot asses, haha), but the characters were certainly interesting enough to keep me reading. It's fairly realistic... I'd say the only real gripe I have is that it uses the whole "straight guys go gay for the main chara" thing. I mean, come on, how often does shit like that really happen? Unless guys "convert" a lot more often in Japan.
• I've been attempting to review Chinese (in preparation for the start of classes) for the past week now, and have been utterly failing at it. I think at this point, I'm about 2-3 days behind from the schedule I originally had planned for myself. SHAME. And starting tomorrow, I'll need to start reviewing Psychology too. ;____;

Totally Captivated (a.k.a. sorry Japan, but Korea is always sexier)

I caved and read this earlier than expected (the anticipation was too much for poor lil' me), and it is the best shit ever. Well okay, it really isn't, but I'm still on a post-series high (a full 30-ish hours after finishing this and I'm still thinking about it constantly!). So for now, I think it is the best shit ever. You can read the synopsis over at MAL, but when stripping it bare, this manwha is really about two incredibly messed up people who fling themselves into, then desperately try to hold onto their relationship. That Mookyul is a mafia boss is a relatively extraneous aspect of the story; not only is the Korean underworld merely the setting (as opposed to something truly necessary for the "plot"), but it also partly functions as a ploy to make Mookyul appear to be the most kickass, aggressive (but still lovey-dovey!) seme evar.

This series is far from flawless: many plot developments are super cliche, the leads make a lot of dumbass decisions throughout that had me facepalming every few pages, the last two volumes are total maudlin k-drama shit, the plot becomes really convoluted in the last five chapters, and to be honest, Mookyul isn't even all that well-developed of a character. But this is one of the rare instances in which I can guiltlessly say that, no matter how much the critical side of me protests, I really, really don't give a shit. This series is basically the equivalent of a very long and very addictive fanfic; it's supremely entertaining in such a way that you *know* the author understands the target audience well and is catering to that audience perfectly. I can't even say this is a guilty pleasure because it's so good at being entertaining that I feel no reason to be embarrassed about liking it. As far as I'm concerned, this manwha is brilliant and Mookyul is one badass mo'.

Of course, that the two leads are stupid gorgeous and wear stupid gorgeous clothing just adds to the brilliance. This series is practically a fucking fashion show half the time, what with Ewon constantly strutting around in DKNY-esque clothes even though he's poor as hell, and Mookyul's wardrobe almost entirely consisting of the nicest 2D suits and jackets I have ever seen. The boys alone are eyecandy enough, but the clothing is the icing on the cake. Or even better, it's the ice cream that turns a mere cake into a much tastier ice cream cake. <3 <3

read: left --> right

And did I mention that Ewon & Mookyul use the most absolutely hilarious insults on each other? And that the whole thing is really just hilarious in general, yet still sometimes surprisingly touching? :D

Random points:
1) People who liked Hana Yori Dango or maybe the Mars manga (and are BL fans) prob. have a good chance of liking this. I think these three series are entertaining for pretty similar reasons.

2) Mookyul has such an amazing potty mouth. Of course, this only serves to somehow make him hotter.

3) Ewon shops the exact same way I do:

4) At one point, Ewon fantasizes about Mookyul wearing SS guard-esque clothing. Needless to say, I was drooling right along with him.

5) Missed Moment(s) of Awesome: violentgangsta!Mookyul wasn't whored out and taken advantage of nearly as much as he should've been. It's a shame that he's only shown seriously wailing on people a few times throughout the series, as opposed to *all the damn time* like it should've been.

6) There's a side story doujinshi, which is actually just a huge excuse for the author to draw shameless Mookyul/Ewon smut. (Since the main series was "only" 16+. Explicit sex scenes were thusly replaced by facial closeups, panel fade outs, and the obligatory "last night was AWESOME!!" morning-after talks.) Features over-the-office-desk sex and Ewon gasping, "Hyungnim!" a lot.

7) There's a to-be-translated 2nd side story doujin. BUT someone had mistaken it to be a sequel series, and when I read their post, I was flailing and silently squeeing on my bed like an absolute retard. MISLEADING BASTARDS. But ah well, a 2nd perverse doujin is good enough for me.

8) If you can't tell already, I *love* Mookyul, even though half the things he does make no rational sense. <33
So much love. Like. I DON'T EVEN. *incoherent*

And most of all, I like how this manwha has proven to me just how utterly shallow and superficial I really am, that I would be more than overjoyed to read a sequel series that doesn't even pretend to have a plot this time around and consists of absolutely nothing other than Mookyul & Ewon flirting, making out a lot, and wearing really nice outfits.

THE END.