Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo Vol 3

[meganbmoore]

This volume seemed to be a lot more about Kabuki-cho than about D and his shop. Actually, this series as a whole has a bit of that going, the earlier volumes just not as much so. Not a complaint as I like stories like that, but I wonder if that has to do with the series being set in Tokyo, instead of an unspecified U.S. series like the first was.

There also seemed to be less of Woo Fei here than other volumes, but we did get an interesting look into his darker side in the second chapter.

But where did the Leon cameo and story about D’s father that we had in the first two volumes go? I anticipate those! They’re my favorite part!

And was Femto in the first series, but I’ve forgotten him, or from another of Matsuri Akino’s series? I wasn’t clear on that bit. And did I also forget that the animals changed shape? I always thought that they were always in their humanoid forms, but looked like animals to most people, not that they changed shape. But then, it’s been a while since I read the original series, and it’s one of several that went missing when I moved, so I don’t have it to go back and check.
 

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Femto's story was stated as being in "Reisho," but wasn't sure if it was a series or chapter title.) Time to hunt it dowm.

I remember scenes in the first series were one person was seeing a humanoid pet, and another was seeing an animal.

Matsuri Hino is writing something that is less character-focused and more place-focused.

This made me choke a bit, as Matsuri Hino is Vampire Knight's mangaka. PSOH is Matsuri Akino.

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

D'oh.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Can you imagine those two swapping out series?

[octopedingenue]

NOW I can!!!!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

BTW: have you read Captive Hearts and/or Wanted? Can you give an opinion catered to someone who would be a Vampire Knight fangirl were she not creeped out by Kaname, and the way the entire cast seems to take it for granted that Yuki is his property?

[octopedingenue]

I have read both, sort of? Wanted: read once, years ago, in scanslation so bad I didn't notice at first I'd read chapters out of order. Captive Hearts: have once read the officially translated first volume, as I no longer trust Matsuri Hino scanslations that aren't of VK. (The Merupuri babeldom of "I want to spend myself in Airi" is priceless.)

Wanted IIRC was basically that bit of The Princess Bride in which Dread Pirate Roberts sorta-kidnaps Buttercup, if he'd actually succeeded in sorta-kidnapping her, and then they'd both been slow to realize they were each other's Long-Lost Twue Wuv, amid various piratey hijinks. I'm saving the official translation for a rainy day to read when I need cute fluff fix I won't feel compelled to analyz.

If you were able to roll with the pedophilialalala of Merupuri, you should be fine with Captive Hearts, as I would group it with the Sublimated Kinky Fun for the Whole Family at which Hino excels. Basically, spoiled rich guy finds out (cue his FREAKING OUT) that he's prey to a hereditary curse that makes his family flip out into SLAVISHLY DEVOTED SERVANTS to another particular family, of whom there is only one living (young, sweet, gorgeous, female) member left. Who to her credit responds to his sudden spasms of prostrating himself adoringly at her feet by FREAKING OUT on behalf of his free will and vowing to break the curse, while he is freaking out less as it becomes increasingly blurry how much of his following her around like a lovesick overprotective puppy is due to Insidious Mind-Control Curse and how much is due to Hot Chick Making Big Empathetic I-Will-Protect-You Eyes At Him. I'm only one volume down, but I'm hopeful it won't go all "SLAVERY IS HOT!" as so far it's the most fluffy S&M With Bonus Class Divide Draaaama ever.

I like Kaname, but I think he and D would also get along with terrifying ease, which is not a plus for either of them. Though the series-swap of Count Kaname in a flowing robe and cranky Officer Zero busting in for a tea and pastries is hilarious beyond words. (I guess Leon is off patrolling Vampire High School? OH MAN.)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

...

I'm not sure I would have survived MeruPuri scans.

Meru Puri..I just kinda "LaLaLa"-d my way through it, really...

(There aren't little boys who grow in the dark and mutually declare love for girls twice their age, right?)

[octopedingenue]

I know you sexualize me like a young thing would and I think I like it~

Merupuri...I read it long and lovingly and squirmed like mad. I don't think Matsuri Hino characters ever have to actually have sex, they are so fulfilled(?) by the free-floating kink vibes of chaste BADWRONG.

(Not so far! But guy does get control-freaky a bit a la "MY LADY MUST NOT BE BESMIRCHED BY WORLDLY EVIL" at times; hopefully that will ebb with the foot-kissing curse.)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

You know, obsessive devotion can have it's appeal *eyes Basara's pirate queen and her boytoy for a moment, not to mention every Clamp character ever* but there are limits.

[cerusee.livejournal.com]

...I would read that.

I feel that Akino could make the freaky romance of MeriPuri or the tired forbidden romance trope of Vampire Knight work for me. And I think Hino would draw smashing pets, and perhaps beef up the romance in Kamen Tantei.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

...

I so need to finish Kamen Tantei. I love its strange little meta-obsessed self to smithereens, but can only read it when exactly in the right mood, like Mushishi and Omukae Desu.

[cerusee.livejournal.com]

I'm two volumes behind on Genjyu no Seiza for the same reason.

You know what I can read just about any time at all, no matter what my mood? Anything by Tezuka. I have no clue why.

[octopedingenue]

The only Tezuka I've actually enjoyed so far were Dororo and bits of Princess Knight. MW, Ode to Kirihito, and (especially) Apollo's Song all had me going, "Yep, the art is awesome, and I am now swearing off sex forever."

[cerusee.livejournal.com]

Well, those are all the freaky ones.

Older works like Lost City and Astro Boy are just fun (boy's adventure stories,and not much else, although still historically important), and stuff like Phoenix and Black Jack is darker and weirder and more ambitious, but less mindfuckish than MW and Apollo's Song and Ode to Kirihito, and Adolf. Dear god, what an upsetting story that was.

And then there's Buddha, which I think I am even more in love with as time passes, even though I only read it once. It's just still percolating through my skull.