manga: Phantom Dream Vol 1

Tamaki is the latest in a long line of summoners who protect humans from spirits called Jaka, which are born of negative emotion. He’s uncomfortable with his duties because of their destructive nature, and only seems to find comfort with his childhood friend and girlfriend, Asahi, who knows he’ll eventually have to leave her for a bride chosen by the family.

This is the first manga by Natsuki Takaya, the creator of Fruits Basket, and a lot of it feels like a testing ground for her more popular series. Asahi looks and acts like an earlier version of Tohru, and Tamaki seems to be a bit of a cross between Kyo and Hatori. There’s also an emphasis on family heritage and cursed families that’s central to Fruits Basket, as well as the loneliness and isolation that are so dominant there, not to mention some nods to the problem of domestic violence.

Phantom Dream is more immediately dark than Fruits Basket, but also less refined. The first 2/3 of the volume is two standalone stories, with what seems to be the main story coming into play at the end. Though a large part of the appeal to most is going to be “earlier work by Natsuki Takaya, lets see how it compares to Fruits Basket,” it shows good signs of eventually being able to stand on its own merits.

Forsyte Saga: Series 2: ep. 1

Not as complex as the first, but entertaining (in a different way) and instead of the main focus of the beginning of the series being an overwhelmingly hateful man, it’s on a pair of very likable-even if one is rather spoiled-young lovers.

( spoilers )

Also, I am amused that Soames and Jolyon are permanently in their late 40s, Winifred 40-ish, and June and Irene in their 30s, even though they really should all be a good bit older than that.

I general, I think this can probably be watched with only a general understanding of the first series. Mostly, who ends up with who and why there’s a feud.