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Category: Picture Posts
The Left Hand of Darkness Artwork by Vanessa Lemen
This was the second summer I have dedicated to my favourite author – Ursula K. Le Guin. Apprehensively, I’ve decided to go back to the book that started my path to Guin-worship in order to have a better understanding of its “sequel”, The Winter’s King.
As always, it was with trepidation that I went back to the book that has since been on my all-time favourites list. It’s a risk – testing the timelessness of ideas. But it was a risk worth taking, because once again I was amazed, touched, angry, resentful, and hopeful.
Light is the left hand of darkness
And darkness the right hand of light
Two are one, life and death, lying
together like lovers in kemmer,
like hands joined together,
like the end and the way.
There aren’t many pitfalls to reading Ursula. A total of two, I would say. One being that she is no longer on this plane of existence, and the other that everything after reading Ursula seems anaemic. Like eating tofu after you’ve eaten some damn fine cheese. Naturally, I cannot just sample the cheese. I have to stuff my face until I’m full, all the while searching for the best fucking tofu on the market.
And no, I did not deceive you. There will be pictures. Art by Vanessa Lemen. Created for a limited edition of The Left Hand of Darkness that I cannot afford. Maybe.
Rossdraws Girls
Naruto Fanart by Uzucake
Artwork by Wlop
Sunday Shōjo: Tsuki ga Kirei (anime)
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished (April 6, 2017 to June 29, 2017)
I did not fall in love with Tsuki ga Kirei on first sight. There was something about character animation which made me cringe (I think it was the use of CGI, but am not sure). However, overcoming the initial cringiness was worth the while.
Tsuki ga Kirei is simple and cute with a surprising dose of realism thrown in. I have difficulty finding anything in it that defies the possibility of this story taking place in real life.
Of course, there’s your fireworks festival, sports, studying, school trip, rivalry, misunderstandings, and a lot of texting. The characters are not perfect – they actually act like real teenagers and there are no typical shoujo characters (sexy rival, villain, prince of the school, scatterbrain…). I think it is impossible not to fall in love with Tsuki Ga Kirei if you’re a fan of the holy trinity: shoujo, slice-of-life, school life.
A Phonological Mistake
Leaving is a feeling that overwhelms me at times. It’s so abstract. I don’t want to leave anyone. There is no place I wish to leave behind in a cloud of dust. It’s just a word that pops up into my head and takes me over; a word I don’t know what to do with. The probability that what I want to leave is myself is what freaks me out the most. Because, that’s something I cannot leave.
I don’t dream about distant beaches or snowy hilltops of some non-European country. I just feel like leaving. Maybe it’s a phonological mistake. Maybe I feel like living. Whatever that might be.
Sunday Shōjo: Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (anime)
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun)
Episodes: 12
AnimeStatus: Finished
MangaStatus: Ongoing
Sakura Chiyo (sort-of) confesses her love to Nozaki Umetaro, a guy who is pretty much clueless about everything except the manga he is writing (he’s a bit clueless about that, too). This ends up by Chiyo becoming his beta and getting entangled with the intricate process of writing manga. Soon enough, a bunch of colourful and interesting characters emerge as a part of said process, and the result is one of the funniest animes I have ever watched.
The romantic part is on the sidelines, worming its way into funny situations and misunderstandings. If you don’t mind laughing your ass off while enjoying a bit of romance, you’ll love Gekkan Shojo. I’d liken it to Ouran High School Host Club – if you liked that one, I’m pretty sure you’ll love Gekkan-shojo.
Credits:
Featured image by 区宇(くう)＠原稿中 taken over from zerochan.net
Image 1 by 白夜ReKi taken over from zerochan.net.
Image 2 by 三本王wallace taken over from zerochan.net.
Image 3 by ☆★☆ taken over from zerochan.net.
Artwork by Re° pt. 2
Sunday Shōjo: Orange (with Pictures)
Goodreads: On the day that Naho begins 11th grade, she receives a letter from herself ten years in the future. At first, she writes it off as a prank, but as the letter’s predictions come true one by one, Naho realizes that the letter might be the real deal. Her future self tells Naho that a new transfer student, a boy named Kakeru, will soon join her class. The letter begs Naho to watch over him, saying that only Naho can save Kakeru from a terrible future.
- Bittersweet love triangle;
- Lovely story about regrets and how they influence of our lives;
- Cool characters whom you would not mind knowing in real life;
- The art is really cute and very consistent in quality.
Read Orange here for free.
- It’s not the usual, simple love story solely focused on the two protagonists getting together;
- Leaves you cheated for the “realtionship” part of the story;
- It is not really clear whether the manga is completed or not…and it feels like it could do with a few more chapters.
Cheap Thrills, Guilty Pleasures 