Manga
10-08-2009
This time I'd like to share with you the scans of the manga books that I got with my latest package from amazon.co.jp. There's not much stuff this time but the books are all very cute. That is, no textbooks, just pure entertainment. I'm very happy with the purchase.
It seems that Amazon now has new cardboard boxes for shipments. Maybe I didn't pay attention earlier but this time the line 取扱注意 ("handle with care") is clearly visible at the front. I don't think that it really helps prevent damage during transportation but sometimes I did receive a bit smashed books and this time everything's in perfect condition. Good work, Amazon & DHL.
So, what was it the box, actually?
Here it is.
Now let's take a closer look at each item.
マリッジロワイヤル (電撃コミックス)
Navel, 奈月 ここ
Marriage Royale (aka 'Marirowa') is a series of short stories published in G's magazine. Actually, there's a lot more beside the short stories but let's talk about that some other time. This is the manga version which is also printed in the above-mentioned magazine, and it is now available in tankobon format. This time I got vol.1 to 4. The idea to check the amazon site for it came pretty suddenly. I was looking through the old issues of G's magazine that I managed to get with my previous orders and surely I came across this title. When I read a few chapters from various parts of the story I kind of got attached to it, so I decided to give it a try. The original designers are Nishimata Aoi and Suzuhira Hiro while the manga is drawn by Mme. (Mlle.?) Natsuki Koko (her name is below the title), so it's all very cute. And I'm rooting for Miyako (美弥子さん、頑張ってください).
アイドルマスターブレイク！2
藤真 拓哉, バンダイナムコゲームス
Here we go. It's the second volume IM@S Break by Fujima Takuya, released on October, 2. It's is now actively discussed at Im@s-forums and is generally considered a complete trash absolutely not worth reading. But I read the first volume and found a few very laughable moments so I thought it'd be only natural to get the second book as well.
ツバサ ―RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE ― 豪華版 (少年マガジンコミックス)
CLAMP
I'm reading Tsubasa manga since 2005, back when my Japanese was way worse than now. This time I got vol.24 to 26. Now that I check the site I can see that volume 28 is the last in the series (it could end much earlier!), so I'll have two more books to buy to complete the collection. When I read volume 23 the story was as interesting as it was in the beginning. I can say that this is one of the rare occasions when the quantity doesn't mean trashy quality, and the authors don't fall to self-citation. I haven't opened the books but I hope that the new volumes will be as interesting as those 23 books that I've read so far.
アマガミ オフィシャルコンプリートガイド [単行本（ソフトカバー）]
ファミ通書籍編集部
Last but not the least, this is Amagami game guide. If you ask me why I need a guide without a game I'll tell you that I have already placed another order with play-asia.com and I hope they'll prepare a package for me in a few days. So, expect an update in a couple of weeks.
Speaking of the book itself, I can say that it's pretty much like the one I got for Kimikiss but it's like 3 times thicker and almost twice as large. It is also more expensive. Last time when I played Kimikiss the guide was extremely useful. Some of the important events were actually well hidden and without a guide you could only come across them by chance. This time the tips are given in the form of graphs and the book is still as spoilerific as the one for Kimikiss. Additional materials include an interview with the developers as well as character art. You can also find a map of events at the end of the book. But it it's folded and it needs to be cut out from the book before you can use it. I think that it works pretty much like the guide itself and you can use it as crib notes when playing.
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