One-Shot Review: Don't Stay Gold

Wow, okay. I have a love-hate relationship with this manga. For a one-shot, it’s high on the list – but not too high. The story, from what I could follow of it, seemed pretty genuine, so I thought it was an enjoyable read. For you yaoi fans out there, it’s not too explicit, and most of it leans more to shounen ai in the general aspect of the story. The drawing – flawless. I loved the art on this and it’s completely my style. Just enough balance between the physical and the emotional in the sense of expressions and movement, and you’re surrounded by controlled lines and neat detail. Right here you have a slick 40 pages by YONEDA Kou that tell a pretty good story in such a short space – but it does have its draw-backs.

I say ‘pretty good story’ based on what I caught of it. The dialogue’s a bit hard to follow sometimes because you have no idea who’s saying what and you’re left guessing. This was a major turn-off for me because essentially, I thought it’d be a fantastic story. That’s why I can’t exactly review the story too much – because I’m not entirely sure of it myself. All I can give you a review of is the progression of our lovely yaoi couple.

The bread and butter of the story is that some Yakuza boss has the hots for this one guy that’s paying off debt for him by fighting – or killing or something. Somehow this guy, the ‘Mad Dog’ gets himself beat up, and has to stay with the doctor for a while (because he gave the boss a big fat NO. Like “Hells to the NO, you’re NOT getting in my pants” kinda thing.)

Okay, the doctor’s not really gay to start with, the Mad Dog seems like he’s questionable (he doesn’t really reveal much in the beginning) and the boss is like a dog at the butcher’s – he wants some. The doc just won’t admit he has a thing for this guy, but as they stay together, some sort of connection develops between them.

Mad Dog (real name Kuga) seems to be young, the type that was abandoned and made his way by fighting. You know, survival of the fittest, only the strong survive, hunt or be hunted, yada yada yada. The doc (real name Kageyama) is not really in the closet. There was no closet. He’s just a guy with a burn fetish who saw Kuga’s burn marks, touched him in a completely yaoi way, then decided to make a closet – and then cover the closet with a tablecloth and deny the existence of it. It took a while for Kageyama to come to term with his feelings, but when he did, he acted on them pretty well. In an oddly similar way to Indigo Blue, Kageyama took some time to figure out what he was comfortable with. His denial phase could be deemed slightly adorable, but you never know. Some people might just think “STFU and get it over with!”

The chemistry between Kuga and Kageyama has its push and pull, which made it interesting as to where it was going. The story doesn’t follow a particular seme/uke relationship that most yaoi fans die for – but you’d be surprised at how well this works. It’s a lovely relationship between them, but I feel slightly unsatisfied in the development side of it. There could’ve been more, I think. There were some big steps forward, but it felt rushed, like running before you learn how to walk. I would’ve loved to see all the baby-steps in between. Granted, it’s a one-shot and normally you shouldn’t ask for much in 40 pages, but I’ve seem better moderated development in other stories that leave you way more satisfied. For that reason (although I did consider it) this isn’t a one-shot of the week. Well, at least it tends to your yaoi needs ;)

SO, pick this up for some enticing yaoi moments, and let it pull on your heart-strings (at least once or twice :D). Stay sharp, my feathered friends! More reviews will come your way.

MizzFWA

(Images © YONEDA Kou. None of these images belong to me)

Manga of the Month: Aozora Yell

Well all you lovers, shoujo lovers and shoujo mangas alike (yes, I DID call you a piece of manga), I hope you're ready for the Manga of the Month!

For the month of June, I'm going to have to deem Aozora Yell the Manga of the Month. Now, I don't know if it's because it's relatively new that it hasn't gotten much recognition, but I've been pretty surprised by the lack of coverage this manga has had so far. Coming from KAWAHARA Kazune, the brilliant mangaka that brought you Koukou Debut, Aozora Yell (Blue Sky) looks just as promising as its predecessor - and maybe even more so. So far, there are 2 official volumes out in Japan, and only the first has been scanlated and translated. But just from that one volume, it's gotten me even giddier with excitement than Koukou Debut. The fangirl in me has been awakened!

So, this delicious little number (it seems I'm hungry again) starts with a heart-warming colour page. The main character, Ono-san, starts off by looking at her shoes. I love these shots. It’s simply from her perspective, looking down at her feet. Well, it’s not hard to guess – our heroine is this timid girl (not shy, just timid) always apologizing for herself. She’s gone to this specific high school because she’d seen a brass band perform at the high school baseball finals and, well, she got inspired. She says, “Oh yeah, bitches, I’m going to be in that band.” But, in more polite terms, and not so many words. Basically, she’s always felt that it’s what she wants to do – cheer on the baseball team with a proud and motivating performance. And she wants to play the trumpet!

So she’s there at the school on her first day, staring at the trophies the school’s prestigious band has won, and she meets Daisuke, our leading man. What a dashing fellow he is – tall and all that junk. Here that little cliché I love to talk about appears. Ono-san talking to Daisuke is like a fairy talking to a giant. There’s a colossal difference in their height. But it’s just lovely. Here it brings out more of that timid air to Ono-san – but it doesn’t bring out weakness. As the manga progresses we’ll discover more of the strong side Ono-san has tucked away inside her shoes or something.

Daisuke is that gentle giant type, and for some odd reason, it pleased me to see his lack of luscious locks. He feels more like a boy in that sense. You know when you pick up manga and the boys have all this tousled hair just nestled about their face and tumbling across their forehead? I think it bothers me if a boy has nicer hair than I do. He’s the type that smiles no matter what, encourages Ono-san because she’s the musical half to his baseball dream, and as the manga goes on, you can tell he completely adores her.

Now, let me make this clear. The thing about their adoration, which is the same thing that attracted me about this manga, is that it doesn’t stem from romantic feelings. The root of all adoration comes from the fact that they’ve resolved to aim for the same dream, thus they’ve supported each other quite well. In the beginning it was mostly Daisuke supporting Ono-san – until Ono realizes that Daisuke has a human side to him, even if he IS smiling all the time. Sweetly enough, this drives Ono-san to try harder and become stronger, so that Daisuke won’t hide his struggle and actually share it with her.



The charm of this manga so far has been their attachment to each other, without necessarily basing it on being romantic feelings. It’s heart-warmingly pure and puts you into that fuzzy shoujo mood. As if your heart just had some nice warm hot chocolate with marshmallows :3 Ono-san’s attachment to Daisuke in turn makes her realize her dependency on him, and therefore she resolves to make more of an effort so he can depend on her. Not your typical helpless heroine, is she? That’s what I love!

One last note: I think Daisuke’s reminder to Ono-san to be more confident was just adorable. Since she’s always looking at her shoes, he draws a smiley face on her shoe – which she ends up naming her trumpet after. Whoever thought! It’s sweet. Later, as you realize Ono-san’s growing confidence, those ‘feet’ shots become less frequent – and she realizes too. There was one point that made me smile when she just goes “Oh no! I looked at my feet!” as a sort of reminder that she should hold her head high =) The Daisuke effect works!

Artwork? Brilliant and heartfelt, as expected from Kawahara. My only concern is that it takes the same turn as Koukou Debut, where you could see her attention slipping a little towards the end of the manga. If she keeps going strong, she’ll add some really nice spice to this potentially well-drawn manga.

The ending to the volume is just perfect. I love the phrasing. Instead of it being all “I think I like him” or the typical “What is this feeling?” it’s a simple phrase that makes you smile quietly. She simply says “My shoulder is warm” Ono-san contemplating her feelings towards Daisuke is quite honest and isn’t drastically out there. She just really wants to get along with him (as she states in the manga).

I shouldn’t say much more since this is supposed to give you an idea on the manga of the month, rather than a complete review of it. However, since I love it so much and since it’s on-going, I’ll start to review the chapters as they are released! :D So ya’ll have something to look forward to, and I’m going to have some toast since I seem to have the munchies and it’s a long way to lunch :D

MizzFWA


(Images © KAWAHARA Kazune. None of these images belong to me)

Review: Love Com - Volumes 1 and 2

Volumes 1 and 2… Are you afraid? Well, maybe you should be! Get ready for some mad reviewing :D

Okay, Volume 1 was the introduction, and started covering most of what I’ve said in the general review. If you skim that you’d be able to get a quick idea and we can jump straight into the deep end of this kiddy-pool.

WARNING: Here there be spoilers. Well, I’m reviewing the story, so it’s like reading a summary, so you can read on if you haven’t read the manga and you don’t mind knowing the plot. However, if I’m about do reveal something SO undeniably juicy, I’ll put up another spoiler warning.

Right. You have the introduction of the two characters, Risa and Otani) They don’t get along, but when they find some common ground (they totally dig each other’s friend) they decide they can get along, join forces and put their backs into it. Risa has the hots for a guy taller than her, Suzuki, while Otani thinks that Risa’s friend Chiharu is a tasty little morsel (this is the second time I’ve referred to Chiharu as edible. Maybe it’s because I write these so close to lunch time?) By the end of the first chapter, they’ve made failed attempts to go for gold. In-between bickering like a 60 year old couple, they’ve spent their time enjoying each other’s company while completely forgetting about their goal.

Now, does anyone see what’s coming? No wonder everyone thinks they’re going out! They spend their time freaking out about the pool and fangasming over the waterslide together. Everyone’s kinda going “Only those two would be simple-minded enough to find that amusing” I’D tease them too.

As they keep trying, they realize Suzuki and Chiharu may have an interest in each other, rather than in Risa and Otani. One of my favourite moments happened when Chiharu reveals that because he’s so short, she doesn’t consider Otani to be a guy. Risa’s pep-talk with Otani just made my day. I think it was great because they’ve destroyed that helpless girl image and had Risa nail him a good one.

SO, Otani encourages Risa, and she increasingly admits what a lovely person he’s turned out to be, rather than some short jerk. I think it’s that tickle in the back of her head that doesn’t become as predominant until the second chapter is over. Now, I would’ve loved to have explained how this little tingle with Risa happened, but I think Laura of Heart of Manga (linked on the homepage!) captured the essence of the first ‘moment’ between Risa and Otani (no matter how small) in her Memorable Manga Moments, linked here:

http://heartofmanga.blogspot.com/search/label/love%20com)

I couldn’t have put it better myself. By the second chapter they’ve realized their efforts are in vain, and they’re just going to give it up. Chapter 3 is a huge fight just to get Suzuki to confess, which happens just nice and smoothly (Random note, I did NOT like what Risa was wearing when they went to the movies. Is it just me?) Suzuki and Chiharu hook up, Otani and Risa bicker again, and decide to make a wager. Who’s going to score first? Let’s find out, shall we? Chapter 4 is where they start trying. After some weird make-up issues, odd hairdos, a love machine that confirms their compatibility at 100% (Suzuki and Chiharu had a funny moment with that one) and some synced food, a goukon presents itself. Risa goes thinking she’s gonna score big, ends up finding a dog, a bird and a monkey (not literally) AND Otani. Lovely! It’s here that we unlock the source of all fangasm and unity between Risa and Otani: Umibouzu. No, I don’t need a tissue, it’s a band that only Otani and Risa seem to know and LOVE. After karaoke like mad people, they fangasm some more, and Risa makes this naïve little comment about Otani being good looking and just because their compatibility is 100% doesn’t mean there has to be love involved. Pssh. Girl, are you shitting me? Don’t kid yourself :P

At this point, I’ve written SO MUCH and I’ve only spoken about the first volume. So I’m going to speed through the rest. Volume 2! Dun dun DUN! Lovely plot device every shoujo mangaka loves to pull – the ex-girlfriend. Impossibly cute, sweet and nice, she turns up and puts a twist on EVERYTHING. At this point, Risa is playing cat and mouse in her head about liking Otani (“He’s great! He’s wonderful! He’s so nice! He’s cool! He’s – what? NO, I don’t like him!”) and then this little wonder comes along. She looks like Chiharu, turns out she was the basketball team manager at Otani’s old school and she dumped him. WELL. Since I’m fighting to keep this short, let’s go into Tarzan-Jane mode. Otani has Umibouzu tickets. Invites Risa on Christmas. Ex-girlfriend appears. Invites Otani to Christmas party. Risa freaks out about ex (“I don’t like him but I’ll take time to feel slightly subdued and maybe threatened!”). Risa encourages Otani to go and ‘reconcile’ with the ex. Risa goes to concert alone. Risa falls and cuts her knee. Risa on the verge of tears. OTANI! (I just had to put it like that :D) appears. Risa realizes Otani ditched ex for her. Risa bursts into tears. Otani holds her hand and takes care of her boo-boo.

NOW. In the middle of all this, Risa is slowly realizing her feelings because by the end of it, she says “Something might develop” Ooooh you know you want it! However, the volumes not over yet! If you thought Risa conquering the ex was one thing, conquer THIS.

Risa and Otani have been getting quite nicely until a new character appears! Haruka! Some childhood friend of Risa that she saved lots of times because he was such a pussy *cough cough* I mean, ‘girl’ that he got bullied lots. Okay. What does he want? He wants Risa! Like.. wants-wants her. I have to say, comedy-wise, some of the times I’ve laughed the hardest was with all the interaction between Otani and Haruka. It was so beautifully priceless that I couldn’t help myself. Volume 2 ends with Haruka telling Risa he’s going to confess to her soon. NOT that he’s confessing, no no no… He’s GOING to. Thing is, I really like Haruka’s presence as a character because he’s the boy dependant on the girl. That rarely happens – shoujo boys are usually manly and rigid beyond everything else, and the only time the girl would be dominant is if she was some sort of dominatrix, or completely madly evil out of her mind. But Risa’s not, so it’s a change.

After that, then like any other respectable mangaka, she leaves you hanging. That’s exactly those 2 volumes. Wow, to think I actually considered doing 4 volumes in one post. I’d be here all day, and so would you. So I’ll leave it here and you can simmer in all of that for now. I’ll be rolling in with Manga of the Month tomorrow, so watch out for that! It’s a recent release that’s been catching eyes and turning heads and will be one of the up-to-date mangas that I’ll be reviewing in the future on this blog! Take it easy, and don’t overdo the doki-doki moments :D

MizzFWA


(Images © NAKAHARA Aya. None of these images belong to me)

One-Shot of the Week: Indigo Blue

This manga took my breath away. This is by YAMAJI Ebine, and my experience with her manga, and especially her yuri ones, is that they’re about literature and self-discovery. Well, technically so. In ‘Love My Life’ the heroine studies English while her father is a translator for novels, and in ‘Sweet Lovin’ Baby’ the protagonists meet in a bookstore. ‘Free Soul’ has the jazz/music aspect of things which brings in the idea of some sort of art, or culture. I like it that they’re not just random women, but there’s a culture aspect to them, giving everything a softer feel. And not every character is entirely sure or confident of what she’s doing or wants to do – and the story is of how she confirms it. In Indigo Blue, our protagonist is a novelist who hides her confused feelings about her sexuality in her writing.

Now, when I started reading this manga, I didn’t expect what I found. Normally, I’m not so much of a yuri reader, but I try not to be sceptical and decided to give it a go. When I read manga (any manga), I look it up first, just to read a review about what it’s about – you know, one of those single paragraph quickies. Here, the quickie was way too quick. So quick I didn’t even really absorb anything. But I just held my breath and went for it anyway – I’ve got nothing to lose.

The artwork opens up like a sandwich. A sandwich that you unwrap and expect this stuffed deli-type thing with cold cuts and lettuce spilling out. And when you see it you kinda go “hmm” because it looks a bit… under-stuffed. But then you take a bite out of it and you do that face where you raise your eyebrows and the “hmm” turns into a “hmm!” and you realize it’s not so bad.

What I’m trying to say is, it’s simple – VERY simple. A lot of people, I noticed, are put off by Yamaji’s artwork. Personally, I couldn’t disagree more. The simplicity of it – once you get used to it – makes you realize it’s not about talent, complexity, detail or some intricate or life-like style of drawing. The feelings and progression in the characters are as blatantly obvious as the blank spaces on the page. Her stories are heart-felt and quite touching, and she didn’t need stylistic drawings to convey them. So even if the artwork isn’t your cup of tea, the story will more than make up for it. Personally, I think the fact that in not crowding her drawings she didn’t crowd the story.

OKAY. Enough about art. The story, the characters – the rest of the sandwich! The main character, Rutsu is a novelist who’s always had a certain curiosity or uncertainty about her feelings and sexuality. To let it out, she puts all her thoughts and experiences in her novels, using the ambiguous ‘Y’ to be vague about the gender of her character. She has a boyfriend, but one day she meets an artist Tamaki, who makes a comment about Y being a woman. This sparks Rutsu’s interest and curiosity, and she asks to see Tamaki again. Tamaki, however, refuses her, and asks to simply stay a reader of her work.

Thus begins the Rutsu’s struggle between confronting her suppressed feelings, dealing with her boyfriend and opening up to a lesbian relationship. It’s a lovely story about coming out and having the confidence to discover yourself. Rutsu tries to comprehend her discomfort in a heterosexual relationship and her yearning to be with a woman. It’s smartly written and you notice certain things that make you do a double-take. For example, when Rutsu is dealing with Ryuuji, her boyfriend, you notice that she is quite cold and distant, yet she opens up freely when she is with Tamaki. It is wonderful contrast and quietly hints at where her comforts lie. Matter of fact, you never really have any insight on Rutsu’s character until she’s talking to Tamaki – even her narration is subdued. When Rutsu is around Ryuuji, I honestly thought she was heartless and cold. Her character – at times it’s hard to sympathize with her. At times it’s because you feel like you hardly see the emotional side of her (not till the very end, at least) and at times because you want to smack her in the back of the head and go, “Woman! What the HELL are you doing?” She might be confused, but whether you think that it’s a good enough excuse, that’s up to you.

Despite that, I got a lot of emotion from this manga. It’s a one-shot of about 200 pages and in fact, it’s more Josei than Shoujo, which suits its more adult theme and more mature approach. It’s not adult to the point of ecchi – there is sex but it’s more about the situation than actual “this is a sex scene!” and no, there are no penises present. If you read this be sure to read Yamaji’s afterword once you’re done. It’s a nice finishing touch and further clarifies the story for you. As a one-shot, this told a lovely story so simply and beautifully. It’s quick and light to read (really easy to get through), so if you’ve got an hour to spare, be sure to pick this up!

MizzFWA

(Image © YAMAJI Ebine. None of these images belong to me)

General Overview: Love Com

This review will just skim the manga as a whole, and the next review will cover the first four volumes of the manga. This seems convenient since one review for the entire series will not do it justice and a review per volume will take too long, and since this manga has 16 volumes it’s only sensible to do them in multiples of 2 :D Don’t kill me for nerding out at least a LITTLE on that. As with every other review I will do in the future, I will try to write with a minimum amount of spoilers. I’ll do a general review firsthand then go off in a tangent about the details. If any, there will be warnings of spoilers, so for those of you who haven’t read the volumes I’m referring to, you can do the visual equivalent of covering up your ears and going LALALALA really loud. If you’re not interested in the finer details and just want to get an idea of whether or not this manga is for you, this is the review to read. See? It says “General Overview” in the title. Mkay? Let’s begin! :D

Okay, straight off the bat, this'd have to be one of my favourite mangas EVER. When I started reading manga, and shoujo manga especially, it ever so slightly bothered me that the heroine was always this teeny-tiny thing while the hero was always taller and larger than any respectable guy would ever care to be. Why are they all ridiculously tall while the girls are like little chiclets? Because of the typical shoujo cliché - the vulnerability. Mangaka have a lovely habit of pinning down the fragile-girl image and playing up the men’s… manliness. Then THIS manga comes and smacks you in the face. In a good way! Now, not only is it unconventional and quite refreshing that the girl is taller than the guy, but it’s also one of the best complexes I’ve seen with couples in mangas. It’s not the whole “Does he like me? Am I pretty/daring/worthy/confident/good enough for him?” cycle that most manga heroines seem to go through – but it’s a bit more realistic, and also provides for some pretty good comedy. Therefore, NAKAHARA Aya is a genius, and Love Com is one of the most popular shoujo manga you can find.

So meet Koizumi Risa. 170cm, taller than she needs to be and not particularly thrilled about it, especially with a name that means “Little Spring” (Koizumi) as opposed to “Big Spring” (Oizumi). Then you have Otani Atsushi, 156cm and just the opposite of Risa – but he’s not happy either, with a name, ironically, meaning “Big Valley” (Otani) as opposed to “Little Valley” (Kotani) – name blunders to which references are made in the manga. Together, they’re known at school as the All Hanshin-Kyojin comedy duo of their class, and their classmates find it entertaining to tease them about it. Now normally, they don’t get along, but when Risa develops a crush on a boy taller than her (wow, there is such thing? :O) and Otani decides Risa’s friend is quite yummy too, they figure they’ll join forces and help each other obtain the object of their desire! (Okay, Love Com’s not THAT kinda manga, I’m just dramatizing a little)

That’s how the relationship begins. Most of the comedy comes from their interaction, which is that they bicker bicker bicker like there’s no mañana – about their height of course. Although they (try to) help each other, one will always play on the other’s height as the source of their failure, and there are all these proclamations of “why would I ever go out with shrimp/giant (delete as necessary) like you?”


The funniest thing is that no matter how they deny it, try to encourage each other to go for someone else or have a major go at each other, everyone’s labelled them a couple. It’s nice to see them resist it, and I think it was a good thing that the development of their relationship didn’t come from other people’s opinions. The times I’ve seen mangas where the heroine will question herself and say “maybe they’re right!” are countless, so this was another fresh outlook that made this manga a little less typical and a bit more funny, too. Another part to add to that is that Otani is the THICKEST guy manga has ever produced. I loved and hated the mangaka for creating a personality like his – and the hate only came from the frustration of “When is he going to friggin GET IT through his thick skull?”

But I’d have to say, the wait was well worth it. The growth and changes of the interaction between Risa and Otani was well-timed, well-thought out, and not overdrawn. One thing is that although there was a lot of frustration with the couple’s timing of getting together, it wasn’t strung along for too long, or extended to the point that it got repetitive or boring. Much respect to the mangaka, again, for being able to pull off what most mangaka rush or try to milk for more than it’s worth. Something that’s never too good in a manga is when they make you WAIT, and you realize it wasn’t worth the wait – because it’s usually followed by stupidity, useless interaction and a story and relationship that goes absolute NOWHERE. THIS one, on the other hand… :D

So overall, I had no trouble with the story. Towards the last few volumes, however, I felt like the mangaka was trying to play up other characters now that Risa and Otani had settled a bit. It was a really good effort, considering she had a few tricks up her sleeve that were pretty admirable and she didn’t really lose touch of them. There was enough story to go around, which we all love, don’t we? :3

Now, I realize I’ve rambled way too much about the story, and I think maybe I should try focusing on other aspects of the manga.

The characters! I’ve explained the main characters, and I’m not the type to list out the characters, but the “supporting” roles are brilliant. Everyone had their own quirks and everyone did their bit just nicely. Like I mentioned before, it was nice that Nakahara took time to pay a bit of attention to other characters at times. It was cute, like doing a side-quest in FFX or something. You take a break and go do something else for a while, that’s maybe not AS important, but just as fun and exciting. <3

Just a short mention on the artwork – it’s great. I loved that it didn’t get lazy or rushed towards the ending (you know, like Bleach fillers or something where the characters start to look… Odd. And maybe a little deformed) It stayed faithful, it wasn’t too detailed but it was attractive, fun and I love those typical manga moments when characters freak out. Nakahara has a unique way of drawing out their expressions, and Risa’s faces when she tries to be “persuasive” or slightly evil or taunting are quite priceless, and the cute moments weren’t too flowery (you know that ‘roses in the background’ bullshit? What IS that?) and it wasn’t overdone. Overall I’d have to say I’m pleased with the simple yet striking art. The colour pages, by the way, are adorable and have a slight pop-art feel to them. Like candy! It’s quite lovely.

Okay, enough talk talk talk talk. I could ramble forever but two things would happen: 1. I’d end up going into detail and spewing spoilers, and 2. you’d get bored, providing you’re not already and you’ve read this far. To bring this endless rant to a close, I’d have to say this manga is well worth it. You can’t go wrong. It’s sweet, funny, real and one of the few authentically-themed manga out there. I hope you go for it! If you want reviews on the volumes, those will be coming soon! :D Till then, stay sharp!

MizzFWA

(Images © NAKAHARA Aya. None of these images belong to me)

Debut!

Well, welcome to the Mho-Shoujo manga review blog! A few disclaimers first:

1. I will not apologize for my use of exclamation marks, emotes or language. My metaphors might not make sense, my opinions may be out there and I make no excuses or exceptions for my love of everything cute and fluffy and shoujo.

2. This blog is for you! Based on me! You may not like me or my opinion, but don't hate on the manga. I'm reviewing and recommending them because I think all you shoujo lovers will love it too! If you don't agree with my manga choices or reviews, I'm sure there are plenty other places you can look for that'll suit your interests. Spamming will not be tolerated.

3. My love for the cute and fluffy does not encompass the stupid. I love shoujo, but I don't like to dwell too much in the side where the girls are helpless and the guys are unrealistically manly and fabulous. I cover the cute, not the mushy. Clichés aren't my thing. If that's what you like, I suggest you look elsewhere.

4. There WILL be the occasional exception on point #3 in cases of guilty pleasures :D We all have them.

5. I will definitely cover manhwa too!

6. I don't provide manga for download, although I may be able to recommend places you could download them at! Please don't ask me for links or to upload anything for download, because more often than not, I won't.

7. In random cases, I will cover a manga that is not mainly shoujo and in rare cases, not shoujo at all. Here on Mho-shoujo, we don't discriminate :3 This is a place where I will cover genres that are not purely shoujo, but also Adult, Romance, School Life, Comedy, Ecchi, Shounen Ai, Josei, Slice of life, Mature, Yaoi and Yuri. I don't do Hentai (although Ecchi is borderline), I'm not a fan of Shounen, Gender Benders or Doujinshi. I'm not sticking to those genres specifically, but I just want to give you a general idea ^_^

SO! Because this is an introduction I should outline what this blog will have! I'll be posting review of mangas. I'll start with complete ones because I can't stand incomplete mangas. The wait kills my soul O_O I will be posting about mangas I am up-to-date with, and keep updating as chapters are released.

There will be the random one-shots, where I will cover the one-shot of the week. Love it or leave it, these are for those short bursts of shoujo just to keep you going through the week.

I will also cover the Guilty Pleasure of the Month (refer to disclaimer point #4) where once a month, I will cover a manga that I loved to hate and would never normally admit that I've indulged in.

Similarly, I will cover the Manga of the Month, where each month I'll pick a manga that's stood out for me. To be fair, I won't pick my all-time favourites, but perhaps once I've got this site up and running a bit more I'll have a separate section for those.

Okay! That's all I have to say about this site! Oh dear, I've rambled and haven't even introduced myself :D MizzFWA, at your shoujo service. HUGE shoujo fan, self-proclaimed artist and random blog-writer (as of right now). I've got a random comic strip based on the real-life adventures of my friends and I, and you can check it out if you like speed-drawing and lots of gay humour: http://oeffingliver.smackjeeves.com/comics/

That's it from me, for now! Lots of love love love - the reviewing starts immediately!

MizzFWA

(MizzFWA avatar © Me. Not for alteration, distribution or personal use)