Chihayafuru | Anime + Manga Review

Source: Crunchyroll

About the Show

Chihaya Ayase has spent most of her life supporting her sister’s model career. When she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, he thinks Chihaya has potential to become a great karuta player. As Chihaya dreams of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends. Now in high school, Chihaya still plays karuta in the hope that she will one day meet her friends again.

• Publisher: ntv
• Videos: 25
• Year: 2011

WARNING! THIS POST IS FULL OF GIFs ;)

What their club room looks like during springtime

It's actually a storage room but they cleaned it up and rearranged things inside

Meet Chihaya (beauty in vain)

Kanade Oe fascinated *_* I think she had some mascara on or something since she got 3 eyelashes on this one she usually have just one or 2 haha

Meet Taichi, going back home together they met for the very first time at school all grown up

Even if they haven't seen each other for ages it's as if nothing much changed

Meet Arata

here's Arata with a failed high five with Taichi haha

Young Chihaya and Taichi playing around he said she's such a tomboy compare to her sister

Well said young Arata

Their 1st team tournament match with matching shirts so cute!

For some reason Shinobu reminds me of Rukia from Bleach maybe it's her hair or like character demeanor

powerful vibe

I have no idea what is Karuta and how it's played it looks very interesting and fast paced though competition style

My thoughts:

This series is so cute and I can't get enough of it! I watched it so many times now it always gives me that butterfly,fluffy feeling inside my stomach the love triangle and love interest is definitely something to think about at first I'm like team Chihaya x Arata then again as this story progresses especially in the manga now I'm like in a dilemma I also like Taichi he's smart,rich,nice, jack of all trades master of none as they say haha!

I think what attracted Chihaya to Arata is that he's so hard working and he got a dream and he gave her a mind opening experience something she's never forget that her dream should be all about her (just like the gif way above) as for Taichi he's very dedicated and he gave her that feeling of uncertainty sometimes like what is this? and that moment Taichi told her ( I won't say you gotta read it it's in the manga haha!) she was like dumb founded and because of that I feel like aha! Oh Chihaya now I kinda get it for this I really hope Chihaya and Taichi would end up together because of that moment she questioned herself and stuff definitely a game changer.

It's more tournament focused though although I really crave for intimate moments and Arata to show up oh boy! so many things yet to be revealed so if you're tuning in to this series and know what I'm talking about are you team Arata or team Taichi? that always seems to be the question isn't? haha

also the character developments are pretty outstanding this series covers friendship,love,slice of life and cultural stuff no wonder it won awards! I gave it 5 out of 5 stars due to its awesomeness! I'm really looking forward to Chihaya being Queen and her showdown with Shinobu also who would beat the master? Taichi or Arata waah! so freakin exciting! as for the next installment please publish it faster and more frequently haha

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias/Crimson Corsair by Len Wein

Source: Netgalley
Category: Graphic Novel
Format: Ebook
Page Count: 256
Language: English
Published July 2nd 2013 by DC Comics
ISBN:1401238955 (ISBN13: 9781401238957)
About the book:

Back stories of now iconic characters Ozymandias & Crimson Corsair

from Goodreads:

Discover what happened before WATCHMEN. The team of legendary writer Len Wein and acclaimed artist Jae Lee--in his first DC Comics' work in nearly a decade--delve into the mind of the smartest man in the world: Ozymandias. How does one go from the son of immigrant parents to becoming the world's smartest man? Adrian Veidt begins his journey, both spiritual and physical, that will one day make him one of the most pivotal players in the world-changing events of WATCHMEN(more)

My Review:

"All a man reaps is that which he sows" ~ Crimson Corsair

Ozymandias is truly such a kick ass character beginning til the very end and clever too.Somebody that could match the comedian and even more it's crazy!I love his story especially his rags to riches journey and be better.

Crimson Corsair, I got this pirates of the caribbean feel all over again.I like the story quite interesting some are hella scary and few that bore me so I took my time to totally get into as it is in some sorta grim effect.It drags mann...there's also blank pages I'm not sure if there's something suppose to be in there but oh well I carry on everything that happened to Gordon Mcclachlan feels,looks and sounds like a continuous loop of gruesome nightmare.N'Tunga's she's an admirable character.And then....what the heck did just happened?

There's also a brief story of another character in which I wouldn't name coz I'd like it to be some sorta bonus story I wasn't expecting..I felt kinda bad for him being stuck in that situation although I kinda knew it and he saw it coming then I recalled Edna Mode (The Incredibles movie) once said "NO CAPES!"

Overall,I like how every character got his shot of glory in their story I'll give Ozymandias 4.5 stars,Crimson Corsair 3.5 stars and the bonus story 3 stars out of 5 stars.Average score of 3.7 stars not bad at all ^^,

Before Watchmen: Minutemen/Silk Spectre by Darwyn Cooke

Source: Netgalley
Category: Graphic Novel
Format: Ebook,Graphic novel
Page Count: 288
Language: English
Published July 2nd 2013 by DC Comics (first published June 2013)
ISBN: 1401238920 (ISBN13: 9781401238926)
About the book:

Back stories of now iconic characters : Minutemen & Silk Spectre

from Goodreads:

The Minutemen were assembled to fight against a world that have more and more rapidly begun to spin out of control.
SILK SPECTRE takes an introspective look at the WATCHMEN feature player's struggles with her overbearing superhero mother and her scattered path toward taking the mantle of the Silk Spectre.Takes a very different perspective at the world of BEFORE WATCHMEN.(more)

My Review: 5 out of 5 stars

"There are all kinds of sane ways to help you community that don't involve a mask and short pants" ~Nite Owl (Mason Hollis)

"You see a problem fix it!" ~Mason Hollis

I'm so freakin excited about this! this is one of my most anticipated graphic novel release.

I love the colors,how they're illustrated and the panels looks so beautiful and absolutely brilliant!some are drawn in a way you can see the big picture in small panel/chunks.

Dr. Manhattan

The stories told in a memoir sort of fashion,back and forth,lots of flashbacks here and there truly enlightened me how the group Minutemen was formed and the next generation of crimebusters.It cleared up a lot of things for me especially when it comes to watchmen.This made me want to pick up Watchmen and read it all over again.

I like how detailed every panel looks. Byron Lewis's story panels the way it's illustrated that moment he looks down in the building was absolutely fantastic and breathtaking!I felt that I'm there with him.I didn't like Dollar Bill his exposure is so commercialize! and Sally she's so overly dramatic (sometimes) although I'm really proud of Laurie Jane (her daughter),her story line during the woozy hipster era are so colorful and amazing it captured that high feel effect well.I love Ursula,she's so kick ass!her jump scenes greatly executed, truly an avenging angel!her story's so amazing,touching,traumatic and tragic but alas! Justice! best served cold pwahaha! I quite understand the comedian better I mean he's an interesting character alright.I somewhat agree with the other characters about Mason Hollis just want to lighten his load although without it there would be no story,prequel,enlightenment,before anything really..so I'm really glad in some ways I knew what happened.Thank you!

I definitely highly recommend reading this before watchmen especially if you're already a big fan of the series or if you simply want to check it out and have an awesome read.

Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 1 by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima (Graphic Novel Review)

Source: Netgalley
Category: Graphic Novel
Format: Ebook
Page Count: 711
Language: English
Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Dark Horse Comics (first published 2002)
ISBN:1616551348 (ISBN13: 9781616551346)
About the book:
A samurai epic of staggering proportions (more)


My Review: 4 out of 5 stars

The ebook was quite hard to read due to the font was kinda blurry & messed up I tried my best to carry on.The stories are really nice,simple and short.The illustrations are ok and captured the japanese era well.

I learned a lot from this book and here's some of the quotes that I liked:

"The child of the wolf my Lord is still a wolf"

"Don't brace yourself to against the cold north wind.Think of the moment when the east wind heralds the coming of spring."

The lone wolf and the cub they work really great together the father and son tandem is really awesome! they always seems to outsmart their enemy and bring about justice wherever they go.This is a massive epic collection, a must have and read especially if you are into old school rurouni samurai action and adventure. I'm so excited what comes next and have yet to read other volumes. XD

Usagi Yojimbo Volume 27: A Town Called Hell by Stan Sakai (Graphic Novel Review)

Source: NetGalley
Category: Graphic Novel,Action,Japanese Folklore,Fiction
Format: ebook
Page Count: 216
Language: English
Published:  May 2 2013 Diamond Book Distributors

Expected publication: July 2nd 2013 by Dark Horse Comics
ISBN: 9781595829702 (ISBN13: 9781595829702)
About the book:

The rabbit ronin's wanderings find him caught between competing gang lords fighting for control of A Town Called Hell. (more)

My Review: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

It was really cute! :3

I like Usagi. I love rabbits!and all the characters are all animals. The mix of japanese folklore and Stan's storytelling was really nice.Although I found it predictable I like the concept of it all.It reminds me of Kenshi (Samurai X) being a wanderer.I also like how the thought bubble just has a skull drawn into it and X mark on characters eyes when they are dead. It was simple,neat,everything fits perfectly and easy to understand.

If you like japanese folklore,graphic novels that has animals as characters and a kickass bunny Samurai heroine I urge you to check this out ^^,

Stumptown Volume 2 HC by Greg Rucka (Graphic Novel Review)

Source: NetGalley
Category: Mystery,Action,Music,Graphic Novel
Format:  ebook
Page Count: 138
Language: English
Publish Date: September 4,2013
ISBN: 9781934964897
About the book:
Dex Parios (Private Eye)  has finally opened her own office, and her first case is to find a rock star Mim Bracca's baby ( prized guitar) which disappeared after her band Tailhook's Portland show. (more)

My Review: 2.5 stars out of 5 stars 

I have no idea what this was about until I've read the description and it looks interesting so I requested a copy and got approved then got an ebook via Netgalley (Thanks guys). I haven't read Vol. 1 but that didn't stop me from reading vol. 2.And I think this is one of those graphic novels that you don't necessarily have to read the first one so you could understand the second one.I did not have any difficulty grasping the story or the character(s).

The story and characters are very realistic,human,had some short comings but it was very fast paced,some intense actions here and there.There's little character development.Lots of room for improvement.

It was a quick read, quite interesting but not enough to get me hooked and be obsess with it.I found the colors boring sometimes too dark,the contrast,schemes & backgrounds could have been better vibrant so it could define the boldness of every scenario (perhaps they're trying to go with a classic vibe) though I must say that the jump scene was pretty impressive but too movie cliche all that running could have been prevented if the other character isn't that careless which got me so irritated the story in circles with no leads ugh so frustrating but without that sort of dilemma we don't have a story to begin with so that's that.In the end it was sorta revealed in a cliff hanger and still under investigation who screwed up.The Bonus rocks but sucks big time truly a hassle that ruined the moment with Dex disappointed face.The D.E.A & Police could have handled it with more class and yes I agree with Dex "Respect".I like how Greg Rucka have this portion wherein he tried to fill in explain his favorite books,side of the story,very enlightening & informative ,what is stumptown & whereabouts that made me want to read more and discover what's next perhaps maybe read vol. 1 or vol 3 just so I could find the root of it all and see it all unfold.This is the first piece of work I've read by Greg Rucka so I'm not familiar with his style it was alright so-so like he said on part five he write bad mysteries solving the puzzle isn't the story the journey is.

Dark Swan Storm Born by Richelle Mead

Category: Graphic Novel,Adult,Fantasy,Paranormal,Urban Fantasy

About the book:

Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she''s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures. When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld''s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past...(more) Check out her website as well for more details. (click here)

My Review:  5 stars Spirits away

The lead Eugenie is pretty badass straight from the beginning there’s a lot of intense action going on til the very end. The writing style,folklore and illustrations are brilliant it immediately caught my attention page after page I learned and was greatly amazed with all the characters.I like how the story unfolds and I love Eugenie’s wand weapon of choice it’s not the stereotype we used to see in movies or elsewhere it’s  very unique..suites her personality really well. The mystery and oddness of things keeps me speculating which is good I can’t wait to read more of the series.Definitely PG13