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Because exceptionally strange things randomly occur to me:
How many (and what) manga and anime are there where swords are somehow kept inside a woman's (or a man's, I just haven't seen that one) body. Surviving the sword being drawn/birthed is optional. Off the top of my head, there's:
1. X/1999
2. Revolutionary Girl Utena
3. Seimaden
Also, what about series where characters are actually swords (or other weapons) with just being a talking hunk of metal. Off the top of my head, there's:
1. Angel Sanctuary
2. Bleach (I think it counts as being more than a talking hunk of metal, at least. That may be debatable.)
Spoiler code for details: <span style="color: #333333;background-color: #333333">Spoilers here.</span>
How many (and what) manga and anime are there where swords are somehow kept inside a woman's (or a man's, I just haven't seen that one) body. Surviving the sword being drawn/birthed is optional. Off the top of my head, there's:
1. X/1999
2. Revolutionary Girl Utena
3. Seimaden
Also, what about series where characters are actually swords (or other weapons) with just being a talking hunk of metal. Off the top of my head, there's:
1. Angel Sanctuary
2. Bleach (I think it counts as being more than a talking hunk of metal, at least. That may be debatable.)
Spoiler code for details: <span style="color: #333333;background-color: #333333">Spoilers here.</span>
manga: Seimaden Vol 6
Feb. 21st, 2009 10:41 amPoisonous flowers! Cured amnesia! Flowers that represent “the barometer of one’s life”! Roddrick joined the ranks of the sexually confused! Laures becomes kinkier!
( Spoilers involve misguided expressions of love. Very misguided. )Seimaden Vol 5
Dec. 24th, 2008 08:40 pm( I haven't had fanservice of a certain variety this good since certain parts of Tsubasa and Samurai Deeper Kyo. )In the afterword, Higuri You says that she gets letters saying that she should get rid of Hilda so that Laures and Tetius can be together, but that that wouldn’t work because Laures is straight. This amuses me because…err…aside from Seimaden and Cantarella, aren’t most of her works shounen-ai or yaoi? It also makes me wonder what she says to similar letters about getting rid of Lucrezia and/or Sancia in Cantarella.
My current goal is to finish this, X/1999, and Godchild by the end of the year. I’m not sure that’s a wise goal. It also depends on whether or not Rightstuf sends me vols 8-9 of Seimaden, and how long they take to get here.
PS-Am this close to waging sound war with the people in the apartment below me.
Seimaden Vol 4
Dec. 1st, 2008 01:43 pmLike with Angel Sanctuary, 99% of my opinions could never be as entertaining as recounting what happens.
( spoilers )Seimaden Vol 3
Aug. 17th, 2008 04:35 pmI must confess, I don't know that I like Laures that much. The incredibly popular "manslut because of angst" trope has absolutely zero mileage with me (I think the only character ever where it didn't cause my opinion of them to drop is Gojyo) and it loses even more ground when it's because of romantic angst. Still, he seems to be laying off that. My main use for him, though, is saving Hilda and angsting over her and doing dramatic things there. He does those in ways my inner 13-year-old likes.
( SPOILERS! )
( SPOILERS! )Seimaden Vol 2
Aug. 15th, 2008 06:41 pmI should not be reading this looking for the prototypes for Cantarella characters. Except…it’s so easy in bits. I blame Laures. He’s Cesare so much is almost hurts. Hilda is kind of a combination of Sancia and Lucrezia. She leaned more towards Sancia in Vol 1, but more towards Lucrezia here. Cheryl is also a bit like Lucrezia, but maybe that’s just Higuri You’s kind of character. Tetius is Volpe if he were about 1000 times more naïve. And prettier. Roddrick is kinda like Chiaro, except I want to smack him and I’ve never wanted to smack Chiaro. Maybe a light tap upside the head from time to time.
Though, if Roddrick is Chiaro, and the whole thing is “Laures became a demon lord to save his true love’s soul but she died anyway and was reborn as Hilda, who was Roddrick’s childhood love before Laures wiped out their village,” (all this revealed early in vol 1) does this mean Seimaden is also going to be a Love Triangle of Epic Doom? Except, I can’t imagine Laures ever viewing Roddrick as more than an annoyance.
I really hope there isn’t talk about how pure and perfect Elis was the whole series. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing Hilda get annoyed and tear into someone after getting annoyed at hearing her past self talked about like such a paragon.
Higuri You also seemed to be channeling her inner Kaori Yuki (that, or the copy editor was having some problems) and her inner Clamp. Unless X/1999 came after Seimaden. I should look into that.
( spoilers )
Though, if Roddrick is Chiaro, and the whole thing is “Laures became a demon lord to save his true love’s soul but she died anyway and was reborn as Hilda, who was Roddrick’s childhood love before Laures wiped out their village,” (all this revealed early in vol 1) does this mean Seimaden is also going to be a Love Triangle of Epic Doom? Except, I can’t imagine Laures ever viewing Roddrick as more than an annoyance.
I really hope there isn’t talk about how pure and perfect Elis was the whole series. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing Hilda get annoyed and tear into someone after getting annoyed at hearing her past self talked about like such a paragon.
Higuri You also seemed to be channeling her inner Kaori Yuki (that, or the copy editor was having some problems) and her inner Clamp. Unless X/1999 came after Seimaden. I should look into that.
( spoilers )Seimaden Vol 1 by Higuri You
Mar. 29th, 2008 01:14 pmLong ago, a man named Laures sold his soul and became a demon lord to save the life of his lover. Sadly, she died anyway and he was still a demon lord. Now she's been reborn as Hildegarde, an amnesiac dancer. Lots of men think she's up for grabs, but Laures, not explaining who he is, assigns himself as her protector from skeevy men after her virginal self, but never touches her himself. Well, that's what she says. There's lots of holding and kissing and whatnot going on there. I guess it only counts a touching if there's actual clothes being torn off and/or sex. To give Hildegarde credit, she gives him a lot of flack for his "mysterious but unexplained protector" routine and calls him on his alpha maleness, no matter how hot she may think he is. The fact that he tends to slut around to keep himself from ripping her clothes off doesn't go unmentioned. (And I'm not remotely reminded of another kinda-evil, demon-like male lead of Higuri You's who also goes around smexing up other people to keep himself from ravaging the object of his affection at all. Nope, not in the least.)
Except, remember that amnesia thing? Apparently, Hildegarde was part of a now-nearly-extinct tribe, and had already acquired herself a mortal True Love named Roddrick by the time Laures found her. Guess who else from the tribe is alive? And wants his girlfriend back? And claims his romantic rival both wiped out the tribe AND gave her amnesia? Oh, and has magic powers, can't hold your own against a demon lord without them. Meanwhile, Laures claims that he can't take Hildegarde, she has to give herself to him "body and soul," and Laures's angelic-looking minion wants him to just get it over with so Laures can be evil full time.
Reincarnation, selling one's soul for true love, amnesia, demon lords, melodrama, cheese, crack, and another Love Triangle Of Epic Doom!!!! Really, half of it almost feels like a trial run for Canterella, and I have no idea if it's actually GOOD, but it's quite fun in the 90s shoujo way.
Except, remember that amnesia thing? Apparently, Hildegarde was part of a now-nearly-extinct tribe, and had already acquired herself a mortal True Love named Roddrick by the time Laures found her. Guess who else from the tribe is alive? And wants his girlfriend back? And claims his romantic rival both wiped out the tribe AND gave her amnesia? Oh, and has magic powers, can't hold your own against a demon lord without them. Meanwhile, Laures claims that he can't take Hildegarde, she has to give herself to him "body and soul," and Laures's angelic-looking minion wants him to just get it over with so Laures can be evil full time.
Reincarnation, selling one's soul for true love, amnesia, demon lords, melodrama, cheese, crack, and another Love Triangle Of Epic Doom!!!! Really, half of it almost feels like a trial run for Canterella, and I have no idea if it's actually GOOD, but it's quite fun in the 90s shoujo way.
Seimaden Vol 1 by Higuri You
Mar. 29th, 2008 01:14 pmLong ago, a man named Laures sold his soul and became a demon lord to save the life of his lover. Sadly, she died anyway and he was still a demon lord. Now she's been reborn as Hildegarde, an amnesiac dancer. Lots of men think she's up for grabs, but Laures, not explaining who he is, assigns himself as her protector from skeevy men after her virginal self, but never touches her himself. Well, that's what she says. There's lots of holding and kissing and whatnot going on there. I guess it only counts a touching if there's actual clothes being torn off and/or sex. To give Hildegarde credit, she gives him a lot of flack for his "mysterious but unexplained protector" routine and calls him on his alpha maleness, no matter how hot she may think he is. The fact that he tends to slut around to keep himself from ripping her clothes off doesn't go unmentioned. (And I'm not remotely reminded of another kinda-evil, demon-like male lead of Higuri You's who also goes around smexing up other people to keep himself from ravaging the object of his affection at all. Nope, not in the least.)
Except, remember that amnesia thing? Apparently, Hildegarde was part of a now-nearly-extinct tribe, and had already acquired herself a mortal True Love named Roddrick by the time Laures found her. Guess who else from the tribe is alive? And wants his girlfriend back? And claims his romantic rival both wiped out the tribe AND gave her amnesia? Oh, and has magic powers, can't hold your own against a demon lord without them. Meanwhile, Laures claims that he can't take Hildegarde, she has to give herself to him "body and soul," and Laures's angelic-looking minion wants him to just get it over with so Laures can be evil full time.
Reincarnation, selling one's soul for true love, amnesia, demon lords, melodrama, cheese, crack, and another Love Triangle Of Epic Doom!!!! Really, half of it almost feels like a trial run for Canterella, and I have no idea if it's actually GOOD, but it's quite fun in the 90s shoujo way.
Except, remember that amnesia thing? Apparently, Hildegarde was part of a now-nearly-extinct tribe, and had already acquired herself a mortal True Love named Roddrick by the time Laures found her. Guess who else from the tribe is alive? And wants his girlfriend back? And claims his romantic rival both wiped out the tribe AND gave her amnesia? Oh, and has magic powers, can't hold your own against a demon lord without them. Meanwhile, Laures claims that he can't take Hildegarde, she has to give herself to him "body and soul," and Laures's angelic-looking minion wants him to just get it over with so Laures can be evil full time.
Reincarnation, selling one's soul for true love, amnesia, demon lords, melodrama, cheese, crack, and another Love Triangle Of Epic Doom!!!! Really, half of it almost feels like a trial run for Canterella, and I have no idea if it's actually GOOD, but it's quite fun in the 90s shoujo way.
