reading update: Death Note, D.Gray-Man, Samurai Deeper Kyo

[meganbmoore]

Death Note Vol 11: You know, some manga can continue indefinately, but most have an expiration date.  Death Note’s was around volume 9.  What used to be it’s greatest strength-the insanely analytical logic and outmaneuvering-has become clunky and draggy (something I never thought I’d say at one point) and, as much as I like Near and Mello, the new characters simply don’t compare to the ones that’ve been killed off.  Because they’re boring and I don’t like them, I can barely remember Mikami and Takeda’s names, and they’re pretty much the two most important characters right now, aside from Light.  I don’t mean I don’t like them in the same context of the love/hate relationship with Light, who’s one of the more interesting manga characters ever-they’re just boring and unlikable and their main purpose is to make the story last a little bit longer, so I have to focus to not zone out when the focus is on them.  There’s only one book left so it’s worth sticking it out, but they should have just skipped the plot with Mikami and Takeda(and you know, I don’t even know if I’m getting their names right, but I care about them so little that I don’t really care) and wrapped the series up earlier.

D.Gray-Man Vol 6:  Ok, I have to ask:  Why is it that all the exorcists already with the order are pretty cool and fun(and I’m counting Allen among them), but all the exorcists they’re finding and bringing in are just so…pathetic(and in one case, so extremely grating on the nerves that if she’d stayed around as a regular character, I probably wouldn’t have been able to…at least Krory can have his interesting moments, though)  Allen the card shark was both scary and completely fun, though of course he popped right back to his sweet, shiny-eyed self right after.  Komui’s serious mode when talking about the fallen men was interesting, and it made me think of both Roy Mustang in Full Metal Alchemist and Yukimura in Samurai Deeper Kyo.  Despite the minimal use of Kanda(why must I continuously latch on to the characters who tend to disappear for volumes at a time?  It dates all the way back to Blade of the Immortal and Magatsu…) this was a great volume, and the series is climbing higher and higher on my list.

Samurai Deeper Kyo Vol 22:  Aaah…so nice to have Yuya back to her cheerful, greedy self and (deservedly) yelling at Kyo for being his crass jerk of a self(and really, how did he expect her to react, saying she couldn’t go any further with them…I think he just missed being yelled at)  And of course the rest of the cast is standing ten feet away, talking about their relationship with both of them oblivious to it. It’s like 

 

chomiji says, if something is so obvious that Hotaru of all people, who thinks Yuya’s name is “Kyo’s girl,” notices it, it must be REALLY obvious…to everyone but those involved.  I particularly loved the part where Akira brought up the fact that she tends to get kidnapped a lot and Benitora mentioned his being the worst offender, and then Benitora reminding him what happened the last time Kyo tried to leave Yuya behind(Yuya gets mad, Yuya goes off on her own, Yuya gets kidnapped.  Kyo rushes to the rescue as soon as he realizes he left Yuya alone in an enemy infested place.  Everything goes back to the way it was before) and you can see Kyo just deflating as he’s defeated.  And of course when she’s about to die he turns all demonic, grabs Shinrei’s head like it’s a balloon he’s about to pop and goes “You will die” in one of those booming apocalyptic voices(really, if THAT didn’t clue those two in…)  Never change you two, seriously.  Except for the part where you finally get around to making greedy, red-eyed babies and Yuya realizes how beneficial it could be monetarily when her man is about the biggest, baddest, scariest thing ever born and most bounties are of the “dead or alive” variety.  And then of course there’s Akari.  Hmm…how do I explain Akari to anyone reading this who doesn’t know about Akari yet?  *ponders*  Akari is Fushigi Yugi’s Nuriko on crack.  And much more devoted to “her” chosen lifestyle.  And, like the rest of the SDK cast, able to obliterate entire time zones if you say the wrong thing when she’s in the wrong mood.  And really, the fact that this was the closest thing Akira and Hotaru had to a stable, feminine, maternal influence goes a LONG way to explaining how they turned out the way they did.  So yes, I love Akari very, very much.  Heck, she’s the only thing that can regularly unsettle Akira. (Apologies to anyone who expected something nice and coherent here)

Comments

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

There has been a sad lack of Kanda of late. They tease us with the fact that he's looking for someone and apparently killing himself to heal faster than he should with that seal, and then he drops out of sight for several volumes. I understand that it was so Lavi could be introduced, but still.

And I like Krory. There's something so comical about the vampire character being the weepy pushover that I had to like him. And he's pretty cool when he's angry.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Well...at least we get a couple pages a volume. I have favorites where they don't show up for multiple volumes(think Kakashi)

I like Krory for pretty much what you said...it's just that with him immediately after that chick in the time-locked place, you kinda have to wonder if all the ones with self-esteem have already been recruited.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I suppose this is a problem when your cast grows to epic size.

I understand that the time control girl wasn't supposed be a regular character until the last minute and Krory had been planned all along, so my assumption is that it was simply coincidental that two spineless characters got put so close together.

Which makes me even more curious about Kanda. We known nothing about his past compared to Allen and Lanalee. How did he come out so almost normal?

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Actually, given what we know about their pasts, I'm more curious about how Allen managed to turn out so nice and shiny-eyed. But yes, definately need more focus on Kanda.

I can handle time control girl in small doses, but if she'd stayed on as allen's travelling companion like krory, i'm not sure i could have stuck with the series.

[chomiji]

(Telophase did a gorgeous pic of Kanda ... it's not coming up for me at work right now but I saw it earlier ... )

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

soo...does this mean d.gray-man is one you're thinking about checking out?

it's really quite good, though the art takes a bit of getting used to.

[chomiji]

Prob'ly not anytime soon. I need to remember Blade of the Immortal next time I buy manga (that missing vol. 2 still hasn't shown up ... I know that the minute I buy another copy, it'll appear!), and if I start another shounen manga, it will be Bleach (which I actually started in the bookstore the other week).

But telophase was blogging the artwork she was preparing for A-Kon, and that was one of the pieces. I just thought it was a fun coincidence. I think I'm going to buy one of her originals that she didn't sell ... she did a beautiful color one of Yuuko from xxxHolic (which I've read through vol. 8 - now I just need time to blog it!).

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

YEs, you must read BotI vol 2 very, very soon. It's where my favorite manga character ever, Magatsu first shows up(though he doesn't become my favorite until he shows up again several volumes later) Magatsu really set the trend for my favorites in various series...especially in his tendency to not be around for multiple volumes.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

My friend stopped reading DN after that which you called "ending" happened. She ranted about how she thought the mangaka/writer fucked up the plot, basically just stretching it for length's sake (like many mangaka's do I guess but some well and DN just wasn't one that was meant to be done like that). I didn't agree with her at the time because I wanted to see how things went down but as they continued, I just lost interest.

Now I agree with both you & her. The writer messed up the plot - it didn't lead to the finale we all thought it would. :/

You going to keep reading?

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The core idea of the second arc is actually pretty good, it's just that Light/Near needed to only be 2-3 volumes, not...what? 6? It's the addition of Mikami and Takeda that really bogs it down, as they're very clearly "stretch it out" characters...it should have kept the early stuff w/ Mello and Near competing to catch Kira until they're forced to work together, and then wrapped it up, instead of creating yet another Kira and the spokesperson plot.

There's only one book left so yeah, I'll finish it.

More updates pls

[danavalkyrie.livejournal.com]

Hi Megan,

more updates about SDK pls, I just love it so much, I think I need the manga, just don't know where to get it!

Re: More updates pls

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I actually have a mountain of SDK posts...just click the tag. I finally looked ahead for spoilers(after avoiding them and just reading the US releases for several years) a few months ago and kinda went psycho.

As far as where you can get it...mosdt bookstores have or can order it, and i think amazon has most volumes in the "buy 3, get 4th free" sale.

Are you a fan of just the anime then? I adore the anime(it's one of my favorites) but the manga is far superior.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

I stopped reading DN around the now-infamous Note 58. I remember when that chapter first got scanlated, everyone in the then-fandom pretty much lost their mind and it split the group in half -- those of us who stopped reading and those who kept going on.

(Admittedly, I did peek at the ending when it finally came out, just to see how things ended up.)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

that was the death of *hem*(in case anyone avoiding sdpoilers reads this) right?

Plotwise, it was actually a good move: the series wasn't about the duel of wits between the characters, but about how that kind of power can corrupt absolutely. The dueling and hyper analytical logic was the most interesting part, but the move served to drive home the original point of the series: that the power of the death note turned Light, who started out s good guy with good intentions, into a soulless monster incapable of seeing anything but it's goals. Unfortunately, what came after just doesn't hold up and the replacement character, though an endearing woobie, just can't take *hem*'s place(ok, so anyone reading the series can gues who *hem* is, but humor me)

Good plotpoint, not so good followup asnd subsequent execution.

[chomiji]

The bizarre thing about Akari is how sweet and how insecure she can be ... I'm thinking about that flashback in the huge fight involving Yuan and everyone, where she's wondering whether she's dreaming, and Kyo is just so down-to-earth and tough-love with her.