Claudia's Story by Ashley Marie Witter / Anne Rice

For my birthday I received this stunning comic adaption of Interview with the Vampire from my grandparents. Can I just say now, that this is the most beautiful graphic novel or manga that I've ever read! Everything about it was so wonderfully executed, and the artist's style is absolutely gorgeous!

From the illustrations, to the (of course, as it was written by Anne Rice) brilliant story, and even the presentation of the book itself was excellent; a sleek, hardback book with a blood red dust jacket.

The drawings are done on a pale sepia background that is textured, almost although aged with time, in monotone shades with the frequent splattering of red blood. Naturally, there are many chrysanthemums included throughout the pages - one of the symbols fans associate with Claudia. The endless reams of delicate, intricate clothes and bonnets and jewellery are a pleasure to look at, and honestly, I think I may have drooled once or twice... In literally every couple of pages, Claudia has a change of wardrobe, and every time I am left amazed and incredibly envious of both the artist's talent, and Claudia's own wardrobe!

I have no holes to pick whatsoever in this adaption of the story, as it was just flawless, giving details about Claudia's innermost feelings that the book did not reveal, as it was all from Louis' point of view. The language was dead on, and everything about it - including the eloquent tone - was just perfect.

This book would make a beautiful edition to any Vampire Chronicles lover's bookshelves. I just love it; 10/10! 

Hanjuku Joshi by Akiko Morishima

It's about time I picked up a new manga! I haven't read comics for a long while, except Black Butler of course, and I thought it was time I tried something new... As I like some shounen-ai/soft yaoi (the words "soft" and "some" are key) I thought I'd try some shoujo-ai for a change. And actually, I really, really enjoyed it!

Rambling aside, one of the things that interested me was that I had quite a lot in common with one of the characters! Usually I find it hard to connect with people in real life, so I look for similarities between myself and fictional characters, and when I find a character I can connect with, I'm always really happy. I feel I have some similarities with Yae Sakura.

Yae Sakura always wished she could have been born a boy, and is really frustrated because of how feminine she is; she has cute, fluffy hair, a short-stature, rounded-face, large breasts, and an interest in sewing. She meets Chitose Hayami at her first year of an all girl school, and it seems they are made for each other, and fall in love at once, no questions asked. Chitose is actually really boyish and energetic, and doesn't really see herself as a girl.

Because Yae really detests how girly she is, all that changes when she meets Chitose, who makes her love herself for who she is.

This couple is really sweet together and it's obvious that they really love each other. We see their first year of school together, bits of their past and previous loves, and several dates together. There is also another sub-story with a student-teacher relationship between Mari Hanashima (who seems very gyaru-styled to me) and Ran Edogawa, but I was mainly interested in Yae and Chitose.

I absolutely love the ending as it was so sweet! I loved that Yae learned to accept herself at the end, as it was a really cute moment! Another thing I loved was Yae's design - her hair is just so cute and fluffy, and the uniform they both wear is just so adorable! It's been a while since I read a book set in Japan, so it was also very nice to see the cultural things like uniforms, for example. The art was really beautiful, the characters were lovely, and the ending was very satisfying! Basically, I'm happy that this was the first shoujo-ai manga I read, just like I was happy that Challengers was the first shounen-ai manga I read.

Black Butler Chapter 93

First of all, I've realised that this arc of Black Butler seems very promising for glimpses into Ciel's past. I've always wanted to know why his parents were killed and his house burned down, and why he was kidnapped, so hopefully we'll have some more knowledge on this soon. This particular arc is very interesting (but also very heart-wrenching at the same time!). 

The chapter starts with Ciel still in a traumatised frame of mind (poor boy) and he is still rejecting Sebastian and all adults. Tanaka has to stop Sebastian from "shocking" Ciel at the beginning, but I misunderstood what exactly was happening at this part.

The scene then moves back to England to see the queen and her butlers. Sebastian had sent her some kind of plant for her butlers to examine, and there was this really strange scene where her butler has a finger puppet of Albert, her deceased husband, to calm her down! The Double Charles team examine the plant samples and are really shocked at what they find, however what exactly they found has not yet been revealed. I think the finger puppet part was a much-needed bit of comic relief, as recently the manga has been really depressing. The Queen then sends a message, but it's not revealed what the letter says.

Then, we return to Ciel. It was really interesting to see his thoughts, as they were split into two versions of Ciel; a confident, calm Ciel, and a frightened, child-like, innocent version of Ciel. They had a conversation, and it seems Ciel can't make up his mind as to what he wants. I won't reveal too much about this scene, but I'll say that it was rather surreal.  I just love the way Yana Toboso drew this part, it looks really dream-like with the huge chess board, star-shaped lights, and huge pairs of stage curtains. The design was amazing, and the artwork was simply gorgeous!

After that, I'm really starting to wonder whether Sieglinde is a good character or a bad character... I mean, she seems nice, friendly, and willing to help Ciel, but I can't help but feel there is more to her than what meets the eye. We see her being carried off by Wolfram, and the look in her face is just really sad, like she's really going to miss everyone. She gets scolded by the women in her village, and in the end she gives up and tells them all that she will get rid of Ciel and his servants from the forest.
Sebastian  goes back into the basement of that place that Wolfram tried so hard to keep secret, (the place where the werewolves were last time) and I really, really want to know what he found.

In the end, the letter is delivered by hand to Sebastian by the Queen's butler. Still, I have no idea what it says... Next chapter, I hope we'll have more answers!

Black Butler Chapter 92

First of all, the chapter starts from Finny's point of view, which I always find interesting as I love the Phantomive servants. He is in captivity as a medical experiment (as we saw in the Murder Mystery arc) and escaped covered in blood to find Ciel and Sebastian waiting for him. These few pages were particularly disturbing, as we saw his two friends shot and killed by the 'doctor'; at this point, I'm wondering if I should stop reading the really gory chapters, as they're actually quite upsetting, especially where it concerns children being kidnapped and tortured... I won't stop reading Black Butler - and I know it isn't meant to be light and fluffy - but I just feel upset seeing children being so cruelly abused, even though it is just a comic.

Anyway, it soon goes back to the castle in the forest, where Finny tells Ciel that if it weren't for him, he wouldn't be alive and there today. Sieglinde accompanied with Sebastian goes to visit Ciel and see how he's doing, then change his bandages. He seems to be healing well, but is obviously still emotionally unstable, as Sieglinde comments later on. The loss of vision is apparently psychological (which again, I'm surprised, as I know all about that myself as I had conversion disorder!) and his eyes will heal soon along with his stress.
Outside, Sieglinde asks Sebastian if he and Ciel are devil worshippers. It was actually quite amusing, as she called Sebastian an amateur that will be cursed by a demon if he isn't careful, not knowing that Sebastian is actually a demon himself!
There is a secret passage way that Sebastian and Snake find together, and Wolfram becomes furious when he finds them there. Later it is revealed that the passage way is where the werewolves are kept.
Back in Ciel's bedroom, Finny is trying to persuade Ciel to eat more food, when he sees the werewolf looming over him in the window. Much to my surprise and horror, the werewolf shattered through the window and attacked Finny whilst trying to get to Ciel, as the servant threw himself in front of Ciel to protect him. The way that Finny emotionlessly told the werewolf "That hurt." was kind of creepy, I had to admit! The werewolf jumps back out the window as the others arrive to see what all the fuss is about, and Bard threatens to go after the werewolf to protect the others. He is persuaded not to, as he would be cursed also. Sieglinde tells Wolfram to prepare the Green Witch "service", and together they go down to the passage way where Sebastian and Snake were accosted. Surprisingly, we find that down in the passageway, there are many werewolves gathered there, and Sieglinde addresses them as "beasts that protect the forest". At this point, I'm really curious about Sieglinde. What is she doing with the werewolves in her castle?
Ciel is more frightened than ever, and is screaming (understandably so) that he wants to go home. Everyone is bewildered by the change in the young master, after all, he used to be cold, calculating, and extremely emotionless, and to turn into the terrified person he is now - well, anybody would be alarmed.
Personally, I hope that they go home for Ciel's sake. I know that he has a mission to complete there in Germany, but I'm hoping that they'll all put Ciel's wellbeing first. He's suffered enough already.

Black Butler Chapter 91

I have read a lot this month, so expect a lot of book reviews!

This chapter starts off with Ciel rejecting Sebastian once again, so instead of trying to comfort the young master, Sebastian leaves to look after Sieglinde. Naturally, her own butler seems pretty annoyed by how perfect he is, and how much Sieglinde is starting to like him.
Sebastian tries to teach her to behave like a proper Victorian lady, and at one point scolds her quite badly. Sieglinde isn't put off, however, and sees it as a learning opportunity. Also, she asks Sebastian to teach her English so she can communicate with Ciel better once he's feeling well again.

Then, we got to Ciel's side of things, where he's being looked after by Finny. He refuses to eat, so Finny, under Sebastian's instruction, offers him warm milk with honey (his one weakness!). Because of Finny's inhumane strength, when he blew on the milk - intending to cool it down so Ciel can drink it - the hot milk ended up all over Ciel's face. There was a sweet moment where he tries so hard to be gentle whilst wiping the milk from his face, that Finny's arms start shaking with the effort.
Finny then offers to take Ciel on a walk outside for some fresh air, but Ciel declines, saying that there are scary things out there; Finny then tells him that he'll protect him no matter what (which was so cute!). Ciel says that he's not worth saving, then breaks down crying...

This ending of this chapter was just as sad as the previous one! :( I'm really wondering what Ciel was going to say at the end... It made the Two Ciel's theory sound likely.

Black Butler Chapter 90

This chapter made me cry. Everything about it was so angsty and depressing... I knew Black Butler was dark, but this chapter has to be one of the darkest of all, especially from Ciel's point of view.

Ciel becomes really ill from the curse, so Sebastian attempts to save him with Sieglinde's help. He doesn't die, thank goodness, but becomes blind in his eye. We also get another insight to his month in captivity (and this is where it really makes me cry, so I won't go into detail), and because of the trauma, he becomes afraid of adults and lets only Finny near him. He seems really human this chapter, if that makes any sense. Usually he is afraid to show any emotion, so it made him seem even more vulnerable this chapter.   

As Sebastian asks for Sieglinde's help, she commands him to become her butler. To be honest, this kind of annoyed me. Something tells me she wants much, much more than for him to cook delicious food for her... Plus, I don't really want to see Sebastian being her butler next chapter, I'd much prefer more from Ciel's point of view.

This chapter brings a lot of questions to mind, too. Like, who was the person who told Ciel not to be afraid and held his hand? A lot of people are talking about the Two Ciels Theory, but I'm not too sure. It would be interesting, but too far-fetched and complex. In my honest opinion, I'm thinking it was just another child in captivity who Ciel became friends with, and when the poor child was killed, it made Ciel go insane. Also, who was Sebastian addressing in the forest? I thought he was talking about Ciel at first, but it made me kind of confused...

In a nutshell, this chapter was really emotional, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

The Heart of Thomas by Moto Hagio

After almost a year of wondering whether to buy this book or not, I finally did, and it has to be one of the best decisions I've ever made about a book. The only reason I didn't buy it when it first came out in January last year was because of how expensive and heavy it is! £28 is an awful lot for a book, especially nowadays, but it was completely worth it. 

First of all, the book is absolutely beautiful, both the cover and the actual content of the book. It's really thick and well-made with amazing illustrations. The vintage style of the comic is lovely in my opinion, and has a lot of character to it. The clothes the characters wear are so cute. I'd love to draw them someday. I particularly liked it because of the setting. I'm really getting into German-based stories!

As for the story... Wow, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it inspired me so much. It was even breath-taking in places. Firstly I was nervous to read it. After all, one of the main topics of this book is suicide, so I was pretty hesitant to try it, as it would be too sad. The Heart of Thomas IS really sad, but not the depressing kind of sad. It feels more like when someone you love has passed away, but it was a long time so it isn't so painful to think about it, and you can just smile a little thinking of the memories you shared. Kind of like that, but that's just what I feel when reading it.

Set in an all-boys boarding school in Germany, either before or after World War II, a teenage boy named Thomas commits suicide after the Easter holidays, causing his whole school to erupt with suspicion. Thomas had an unrequited love for Juli, who shunned him in front of the whole school. A boy named Erich transfers to the school, and he is almost identical to Thomas - so much that almost every boy in the school either asks him if they're brothers, or just directly call him Thomas. He falls in love with Juli also. Eventually, Juli comes to terms with his feelings for both Thomas and Erich, and leaves to become a priest.

All the characters are so interesting, and even complex in some cases. You think you know somebody, and there are actually more and more layers you have to dig through to find the person inside. Juli especially.
At first, he rubbed me the wrong way. The way he had such disregard for a person who had just died a violent death made me dislike him, especially when I found out he was the reason of the death. In the beginning I went from thinking the reason Thomas died was because of suicide, and at one point, I even considered that Juli could have murdered him! It kept me in constant suspense, especially in that one scene where he threatens to kill Erich whilst straightening his peer's tie.
Soon, I realised he was actually more of a victim than anyone, really. His cold, sometimes Sociopathic attitude all came down to feeling ashamed of himself for being physically (and even sexually) abused at school. Not only that, but because of his duel German-Greek nationality that gave him his 'exotic' black hair, he was hated by his grandmother. That changed my feelings about him entirely.
Then there's Erich Fruehling. He's very easily agitated, easily jealous, and gets into a lot of fights at school. At first he was home-schooled at his home in Köln, where he had very little interaction with others. I'm not quite sure if he's in love with Marie, his mother, but he certainly does have an obsession with her. Whenever she had lovers, he would become very jealous of the men, and even go so far as to attempt to choke himself to death. He's unsuccessful, and it becomes a kind of neurosis/'hysteria' that causes him to faint and become ill. When Marie fell in love with one Austrian man so much she wanted to marry him, Erich was furious and went to attend Schlotterbetz Gymnasium. It may make him appear selfish, but I actually think that his mother is quite self-centred, too. Marie died in an accident whilst he was away at school, and understandably, he was heart broken. However, this seemed to make his neurosis a little better with time. He finds himself falling for Juli, the prefect.
Oskar Reiser is a seemingly lazy, delinquent student. He has a cool aura about him by the way he smokes despite it being against the school rules. However, he proves himself to be a very understanding, insightful friend, who acts very well no matter what the situation is. He knew about the dark things that happened to Juli and stood by him until the end. In fact, he has his own problems. Some very troubling problems that would cause anybody to panic. Yet he always keeps his cool. I think he is definitely one of my favourites in this series.

There is a lot of religious imagery in The Heart of Thomas. Most notably, a lot of characters sporting angel wings and long flowing robes. I'm not religious at all, so I can't tell if they're accurate or anything, but I did find it very beautiful to look at.

For those people who are reading this for the 'BL' side of things, it could leave you disappointed. I'm only really interested in a more shounen-ai, sweet, fluffy romantic side of the BL genre, so this was perfect for me. Hardcore sex scenes? Hardcore yaoi? I'm sorry, but this is not what you're looking for. The most you will find is a few kisses on the cheek every so often, so it's pretty innocent compared to some books. Moto Hagio has been nicknamed as the "founding mother" of shoujo manga, especially shounen-ai.

For a comic written in the 1970s, it was a really risky thing to publish. It features some pretty dark themes; suicide, self-hatred, abuse, incest, and racism in some cases. Not only that, but it included homosexual characters and adolescent love - something that would have been a little bit hard to sell at that period of time, to be honest. Nowadays, generally, people are more accepting of those kinds of things, thankfully. I can commend the author for her bravery at such a risky comic. It must have been a very anxious feeling at the time of publishing in the 70s. Well, that's what I would have felt if it were me.

Another reason this book means a lot to me is that I can identify to one of the characters. Usually I have a hard time connecting to people (fictional and in real life) and when I found Momoko Ryuugasaki from Kamikaze Girls I was really happy, as she had a lot in common with me. This time, I found that I could connect to Erich Fruehling. For one, he has a fiery, defensive side at first, but after you get past that barrier, he is really sweet and kind in places. Also, it is mentioned somewhere in the book that he suffers from "Hysteria" which is today known as Conversion Disorder. I was really stunned to find a person in a novel who suffered from conversion disorder, especially as it is such a rare and unknown health problem! And considering this was written in the 1970s, perhaps even rarer! Erich has fainting spells in stressful situations, and heaven knows I have to deal with that a whole lot, especially in the past.

This book is amazing, and I recommend it to any lover of shoujo manga. Well, I can feel a whole load of fanart and fanfictions for this story coming on; and I definitely have to track down Les Amitèis Particulières!

 

 

Black Butler Chapter 89

In my honest opinion, this chapter was really shocking and surprising. Especially the ending!

First of all we see the woman who was mauled by the werewolf, and Sieglinde pours some liquid over her (maybe it's holy water? I have no idea) whilst uttering something the reader can't make out. We later find out she is a "green witch"!
It is obvious all the villagers want Ciel and Sebastian out. Well, that was clear from the start. Yet I think Sieglinde could be very lonely, so she wants to keep them there for the time being...

Later on, she is found to be spying on Ciel and Sebastian, and there's this really funny panel where Sebastian shoves a cake in Ciel's mouth to shut him up. Or maybe I'm just easily amused? XD
She mentions something about a premonition of destroying the key to a secret chamber she had protected for eleven years... I'm really wondering about that, what it could be. Maybe she thinks there is something in there that Ciel and Sebastian need? I can't work out if they're going to turn out to be enemies, like Doll for example, or if she's actually harmless.
THEN, she tries to get Ciel and Sebastian to sleep with her, to buy their silence! I felt kind of sorry for Ciel, it must have been really embarrassing for him (it was for me, and I'm a reader)! I could tell Sebastian was very amused by it all. XD

The pages on the witch trail were very beautiful. I'm starting to become really interested in the whole witch business of this arc. It's very different from the others.

  
Ciel and Sebastian go to chase after the werewolf after they spot it in the woods. It was really suprising to see Ciel and Sebastian cry - especially Sebastian! He said so himself that he is not capable of that kind of emotion.

The cliffhanger at the end was really intense! I'm really, really not going to be able to wait until next month!

Black Butler Chapter 88

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote a review for Black Butler chapters... In fact, I missed about six months, and I've still got more book reviews in my queue to do! *hides*

Firstly, I'm really liking this new arc (I liked the Weston College arc too, but when the cricket started, I couldn't be bothered doing reviews anymore as it'd be out of my comfort zone), it's getting more towards the occult side of things, and I noticed this especially in Sieglinde's home. Did you see those devil-like horns on the chair she was sitting on in the dining room? And the torture devices about the place? It seems more like the devilish, occult-y theme that Black Butler started with. Also, this current arc is set in Germany, a beautiful place that I've always wanted to go!

Anyways, Sieglinde's design is amazing. What I love most about her is the really old-fashioned clothing she wears. They really remind me of the fashions in Tudor paintings that you see in history lessons. I'm really tempted to draw her, but I've got enough things to be drawing right now. XD Not only does she look really cute, but she genuinely seems interested in Ciel. Her name is interesting too. I looked it up, and apparently it can mean "Victory" and "gentle, soft". I wonder if it means anything towards the outcome of this arc?

The Green Manor is beautiful! Yana Toboso's attention to detail is stunning! If I were Ciel -- despite the fact he already lives in a manor and is filthy rich -- I'd be really excited to stay the night there!

It was pretty funny when there wasn't any conversation for about an hour, and Ciel was becoming desperate for Sebastian to start a conversation! Reminds me of break times in my two schools, aha... It was also very sweet when they tried to talk together, despite Ciel being practically useless at German. Seeing Ciel's sad little face when she asked about his parents made me kind of sad myself. Poor Ciel...

I wonder if Sieglinde has to wait until midnight every day to get her food at the rate Wolfram is going? Funny that Sebastian compared him to the three Phantomhive servants. (as a plus, his face reminded me of Maurice Cole's expression in the Weston College arc XD) When the food finally arrived, I loved that Sieglinde wasn't all ladylike and minding her table manners, like Elizabeth, or any other Victorian woman for example. She actually looked really cute in those panels. XD Ciel's face was just too comical at that point. He's probably never seen anything like that before!

Ahh, I'm really excited to find out about the werewolf situation next chapter! I don't think i can wait until January. :D

Black Butler Chapter 80

Omigosh, this post is so late! I just completely forgot to read the chapter! :O Anyways, just some thoughts... I can't remember most of it, so this post is a little lacking... T^T

- YES! The cricket is finally over!
- Poor Ciel!! That must have really hurt but he did it so his team would win!
- It was so cute when Sebastian carried Ciel in his arms and took him to first aid.

Black Butler Chapter 79

Some random thoughts on the recent chapter... Note form is so much easier lol ;D

- Hmmm I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get to see what creature Sebastian was chasing. Here's a theory but you're probably not gonna like it; the thing/person that Sebby is chasing is Claude. Another demon. I saw this picture and thought that. I actually don't mind Alois, in fact I love him! XD I named one of my characters after him as well.

- The poster thing at the end reminds me of Harry Potter.

- Yana Toboso is really good at drawing realistic-looking things like owls and lions! I'm so jealous...

- When will this cricket end...? It's confusing.

- It made me laugh when Bard said about Ciel, 'His horrible personality is showing...' XD

- Bluer is really bad ass now! I really like his character. :) He reminds me of a mix of William T Spears and Ciel.

- Ciel with his hair over his eyes is creepy. I wonder if he's a psychopath or something...? I think I saw a post like that on Black Butler forums. For the record I agree.

- Is it just me or is the way Bluer strokes Ciel's hair kinda weird? XD He did that in a previous chapter as well. Also Ciel doesn't like being touched so he must be kinda distressed.

- Hopefully we'll find out who or what the principal is now that this cricket is over hopefully!

Chobits by CLAMP

Just some of my thoughts on the Chobits series... Not really a review or book report.


- Firstly, I love the omnibus version. The colour pages and additional illustrations are really nice to include, and the size of the book looks impressive on my book shelf too! XD

  - Chi is soooo cute! I love the way she could only say 'Chi' at first, but then progressed really quickly to full sentences.

- Hideki is a pervert. Need I say more? lol

- I REALLY want a persocom! It would be so amazing to have one!

- Chi's outfits are adorable (but slightly... umm inappropriate? Think lolita-esqe dress that reveals her panties lol). I like the way the landlady keeps giving her hand-me-downs.

- I feel bad for Yumi-chan who is always surrounded by persocoms, even though they make her really depressed.

- The additional illustrations are amazing. Does CLAMP use watercolors, acrylics, markers or what?

- The landlady's really mysterious in my opinion... I've watched the whole anime series (and I really need to catch up with the manga), and didn't she build Chi and Freya? I can't remember. And the manga that Chi reads... Didn't she write that too?

- When Minoru Kokubunji reveals that he build one of his persocoms to replace his dead sister I almost cried. :(

- Shinbo's tiny persocom, Sumomo, is adorable!

I really need to buy the second omnibus! XD

Spring's Here And I'm Still Failing!

But I'm still drawing wintery-styled pictures. It's annoying. I always write down what I want to draw, but it seems to morph into something different every time.
I think it's my laziness - and also the fact that I always rush to finish what I'm drawing!
 Ok! So my goal for the rest of the year is to think about quality, not quantity! :D

I think this goes well with my starry BG!

This picture was meant to be a coloured sketch, but for some reason it turned into a fully coloured picture. I love doing sketches but I get really OCD about the line work! So it turned out actually quite neat. It was meant to be a pic of Aika in her Innocent World dress, but I felt like doing a shiro lolita instead. Oh yeah, and the 'sweet rain' part was inspired by this song by Y&CO. :)

It was my sister's birthday on the 2nd (she's 10!), and I had a really nice time, but I ended up in hospital again as I had something like a fit/seizure. Another example of me failing! Damn my stupid brain!

Also! I'm starting to draw my fancomic, Funhouse, again! (It's a fancomic/doujin of Stephen King's IT with the pairing Henry x Patrick. My favourite book.) I wanted to have a week off drawing in black and white - it get's dull after a while - but it turned into a two month break. Whhhyyyy? Why do I lose track of time in such a bad way???

Random pages

 Check out the rubbishness! XD You can read it at my website or at my Deviant Art account if you want to scar your eyeballs. :)

Black Butler Chapter 78

Okay so here are my thoughts on Black Butler chapter 78:

The detail is amazing in this picture!

-The cover picture is GORGEOUS! Reminds me of Yana Toboso's earlier cover pictures in the 1st few volumes!

- I think we might be getting somewhere with the plot... I mean, Sebastian's face was so shocked at the end. Could the guy he was chasing be a demon? It was certainly too fast to be human.

-The cricket is a little boring as I'm not really a sporty person, but Yana's artwork is amazing. She's even moving on from every character being a bishounen!

- Lau turning up and bringing his scantily-clad Chinese ladies was hilarious! XD And the way he pretended not to know very much English!! *dies*
 

 - MY BABY IS BACK!! Ahem... I mean, Maurice Cole isn't dead. ^^ The way he suddenly disappeared after falling out with Redmond kinda scared me. I really need to make an Maurice Cole appreciation post or something. XD He's a very minor character but I like him because he's a cunning little psycho ;D.

Getting jealous are we? XD

-Ciel's getting more independant.

-Sebastian could have some competition with whoever that guy is that he's chasing. I wasn't paying enough attention as it was 12 at night when I read it! ^^;

- This page is beautiful. I love the way Sebastian can just do a back flip through the air as if he's flying or something! He's so graceful (I'm so jealous. I wish I was some unnatural demon flying thing XD).

-The dude in those Kuroshitsuji road show adverts is really handsome in my opinion. He reminds me of Malice Mizer for some reason...

Chainsaws! X3

I've discovered recently that I have a little fascination with chainsaws!

(Don't worry, I'm not a psychopath that's gonna kill you... XD)

I blame Grell Sutcliffe for this.... and also the music I've been listening to....

Challengers Fanart

I'm so bad at fan art, especially Kurokawa-san... *cries*

Just some practice anyway! :) I've always loved this manga, so I might do some more fan art later.

Oh yeah! And characters belong to Hinako Takanaga, despite how much I want to kidnap them and love them forever!! XD

http://elliemorris.deviantart.com/

http://www.eri-chan.co.uk/ (my webcomic and art website.)

Challengers by Hinako Takanaga

Challengers by Hinako Takanaga has to be one of my favourite mangas ever. Along with Black Butler and Loveless of course. :)

Some people complain that the artwork isn't as good as the author's latest works, but I would kill to be able to draw like the art-style of Challengers! It looks kind of retro in a sense, but goes through a bit of a revolution of art style... In short I love it.

The story follows a Freshman student called Tomoe Tatsumi, who studies robotics in a really good universtity. Despite being really intelligent in his studies, he seems a little bit half-witted at times (but cute as holy hell). As Isogai put it to Kurokawa-san, he's a 'laim-brained sweetheart' XD
Tomoe meets Mitsugu Kurokawa, a salary-man living in Tokyo, when Kurokawa's friend, Isogai, throws up on Tomoe (they're drunk by the way XD).
The freshman doesn't have a place to stay, so Kurokawa offers him a rent of his apartment, much to Tomoe-kun's brother's displeasure. Who, by the way, becomes quite an important character later on in a sequel called Koisuru Boukun. Kurokawa-san act's as Tomoe's Landlord despite having romantic feelings for the boy.
He tries to make Tomoe understand those feelings by kissing him goodbye, but due to Tomoe's umm 'laim-brainedness', he misunderstands the kiss as an American custom, and so, Kurokawa has to jump through even more hoops to get through to him!

I can honestly say that I loved all the characters, except for maybe the lady at Kurokawa's work, who found out he was homosexual and took it upon herself to try and 'rehabilitate' him. Creepy!

Challengers is cute, funny at times and lighthearted. I would defiantly recommend this manga to any lover of shounen-ai!