Of Swords and Parasols

Over the last few weeks, I have been catching up on the U.S. releases of various manga series that I was following in scans (and largely posted on at the time) before I burned out on scans (as in, one week I was following faithfully and the next I didn’t and haven’t touched them since and have avoided posts on the series from people who were still following them to avoid spoilers. (Given how much of the fiction I consume is foreign, I have become a master at avoiding internet spoilers, unless someone just blurts out “And then the cliff crumbled beneath this character in this series, and s/he fell into the sea and died!”)

Anyway, this mean the last six volumes of Samurai Deeper Kyo (Certain aspects near the end are delightfully reminiscent of self-indulgent fic. This is not a bad thing.) and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (Clamp is so…utterly shameless. I am both impressed and concerned that they actually Went There, and yet…somehow not squicked. Also, Kurogane must be so relieved that his major issues are Dead Parent Angst, a major princess complex, and thwapping his buddies when they start getting too self-sacrificing.) This actually worries me a bit.)*, seven volumes of Full Metal Alchemist (Despite some problems, this is one of the most tightly plotted and better characterized series I’ve read.), two volumes of xxxHolic (That cooking lady plot that seems endless when you’re waiting for a new chapter zips right by in collected form.) and three volumes of Claymore (I still know joy that my fanon of Helen being a grabbing drunk basically became canon.).

Naturally, This mean I am looking for clones and significant eye-and-other-body-parts-but-mostly-eye loss and clones and duplicates and various forms of created beings and zombies and immortals everywhere. Not to mention swords and various kinds of long, flowing hair.

But it looks like xxxHolic, Full Metal Alchemist, and Claymore are all within a few chapters of where I left off, so there will soon be new-to-me stuff!

Meanwhile, a spoiler for Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle‘s ending, that’s also a xxxHolic spoiler.

( spoiler )

*Later volumes of SDK and T:RC both have serious cases of “OMG would you just finish that sentence/say what you mean, but mostly just finish that sentence already!” Random observation.

I’m not counting Rose of Versailles because I haven’t finished it. I think I blogged everything fairly extensively, so just a few brief comments each.

( comments )

Somebody up-to-date on Claymore (as in, today's chapter) should be on IMs so I can angst at them.

ETA: Spoilers in comments.

( spoiler cut for random squee )

But...err...was that our regular translators on an off-day, or someone else?

Nifty little video for the Claymore manga I just found on youtube. Random and mostly vague spoilers through mid-Vol 13 (aka, the post-Pieta manga arc.)



( And if you don't know what the title refers to then this is required viewing. )

And another one I found.

( Claymore Meets 300 )