Month: February 2012

When there’s a good deal people will flock

February 27, 2012

When sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, and Google Offers came out, it was a godsend for those looking to do an activity or shop for something on the cheap side. I have used these services so far for restaurants, recreation, and shopping. The economic downturn has caused more people to be frugal with their money and no one is willing to let go more than what they are willing to pay if it isn’t a good deal.

I have written many times how being a collector of anything can be overwhelming and expensive. Imagine my surprise when my older sister brought to my attention a deal in shopping for comics on Google Offers. Did I hear right? Am I dreaming? Nope, it’s all true. Google Offers had a deal a few weeks ago to purchase a “$10 for $20 of comics, graphic novels, collectables & more” at my local comic book store Forbidden Planet. As soon as I saw the offer I purchased it straightaway. No one had to tell me twice to do it.

It’s so rare for me to shop for manga these days and this deal is the one I’ve been looking for. At least if I go over by a little using this deal then the difference I pay won’t be too much. You have to find the best ways to be cheap and to save money.

The deal that will get me to shop for more manga

I haven’t used my deal yet, but I have until August to make my purchases with it. I love an excuse to shop on the cheap side. Has anyone experienced a good deal they couldn’t refuse?

A boy becomes a man: Kippei Katakura of Aishiteruze Baby

February 24, 2012

Aishiteruze Baby by Yoko Maki has been one of the many series I’ve gotten into a while ago. I’m actually one volume away from completing the entire series so I won’t do a traditional review of the series just yet. Once I buy and read the final volume, I’ll revisit the series again and review the story as a whole. I want to write about what attracted me to this particular shojo title.

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Manga collectors need more shelf space

February 20, 2012

I recently finished reading Volume 11 of Ayashi no Ceres. After I finish a volume, I always put it together with the other volumes of a series I have collected so far. Over the years, placing a volume in its rightful place with all the others is easier said than done. It’s becoming more of a challenge to not have my stack of books teetering dangerously over the edge.

When you live in an apartment with limited space arrangements it does become quite tricky to find every available spot possible to store your books in. I have to make do with what I’ve got and then worry about space issues at a later time as they arise.

The current tower of manga volumes I have arranged

This is just the front section of manga books I currently have. I also have books behind these batch as well.

My collection stacked to the side

This hardly reflects all of my manga collection. I have others stored in a wide, clear plastic bin below this stack. Not surprisingly, that bin is currently full.

I think when you start out becoming a fan/collector in anything, whether it’s manga or comics in general, I don’t think we end up foreseeing the issues being a collector will entail. That issue is having a place to put all your stuff. As a collector, you just watch the space you used to have continue to get smaller and smaller until there is no space left. It has become very difficult to want to rearrange things to accommodate the new volumes of manga I get over time. A manga collector’s best friend is shelf space. If any of us is lucky, we would have a place of our own with one room to turn into an at home library or study to put our manga collection in. It is definitely a big dream of mine. For now, I’ll have to be creative with my limited space when I keep acquiring more manga.

How about you? Does anyone have the limited space issue when it comes to storing your treasured collections? How have you managed?

Game Review: Dragon Age 2

February 17, 2012

Last week I finished playing Dragon Age 2, Bioware’s sequel to their hit RPG game Dragon Age: Origins. Like I have done with my previous review for DA:O, I won’t be going into the gameplay mechanics. There are plenty of reviews about that. When it comes to RPG game reviews, I’m much more interested in the person’s impression on the overall story than the nitty gritty of the actual gameplay. I’m not saying gameplay isn’t important, but I don’t place it too high on my list. If you want a review that talks more about the gameplay, then I would suggest checking out the other popular game review sites out there on the Internet. The following post may also contain spoilers so read at your own risk.

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The Look of Love: A Cardcaptor Sakura Moment

February 13, 2012

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I wanted to write a Valentine’s Day themed post. I may not have a Valentine of my own to share the day with, but I can indulge in the warm and fuzzy feelings of love through my favorite mangas. As you can see from the title, I have chosen to feature one moment from Cardcaptor Sakura. My favorite moment from the series has got to be the bear exchange between Sakura and Syaoran.

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Sexy & Mysterious: My top 5 men of anime/manga

February 10, 2012

I’m on a top 5 kick lately so I decided to do one dedicated to the oh so enigmatic and very sexy men of anime/manga. Valentine’s Day is also next week and what better way to get hearts all a flutter than to look at and think about these drool worthy bishonen. Without further ado, here are my picks!

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Kawaii! My top 5 cute characters in anime/manga

February 6, 2012

When it comes to cute things I nearly melt into a puddle of goo. My heart gets a warm and fuzzy feeling when I see a character in an episode or panel say or do something that makes you want to squee really loudly. Thinking about it now, there are at least 5 characters in anime/manga that are irresistibly adorable to me.

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Confusing fashion looks: Shorts with tights

February 3, 2012

Fashion perplexes me sometimes. You get the trends that are fun and maybe refreshing for the season and then you get those that are complete head scratchers. I haven’t seen this trend being too popular from what I can see when I’m out and about, but there are some that try to make it work. What am I talking about? I’m talking about wearing tights with summer shorts in the winter months.

I’ve actually seen the shorts and tights combo being very popular with Japanese girls when I visited Tokyo a few years ago. It was the first time I’ve seen such a thing. Then I later see it on the streets of New York. I couldn’t help but wonder when this became a good idea on the fashion scene. It looks plain silly. Shorts are meant to be worn in the summer and not in the winter. I guess the idea is to extend your ability to wear summer clothes into the winter months, but no girl can really have bare legs when it’s near 20 degrees or below so the solution is to slap on thick tights before pulling on your favorite summer shorts.

A model sporting the shorts and tights look

I guess it depends on how you wear this particular look. A lightweight fabric type of shorts with tights isn’t too bad, but I’ve seen the denim shorts with tights being a popular look to sport on every day women when I happen to see a girl on the street wear it.

I think tights should be worn with a dress or skirt by default. Dresses and skirts are versatile for any season. When the temperature drops and you want to be able to feel pretty and girly, you can still wear your favorite dress or skirt but keep the legs warm with tights or leggings. Shorts, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same versatility in my opinion. It’s only meant to be worn in warmer months. Has the skirt/dress with tights combo really become bland and boring? Maybe to do something different they slap on tights to revamp the summer shorts look, but insisting this look can work for girls in the winter too.

The ugliest version of the shorts and tights combination is the denim shorts with tights. It’s the same way I view women wearing leggings as pants––just no. When I think of denim shorts I envision wearing them on a day at the beach as you dip your feet in the water or brushing the sand off them after sitting on the shore under the warm sun. Wearing denim shorts with tights in the winter––something doesn’t look right. Whoever thought this was a good idea should really go back and rethink this one.

Are you a lover of this fashion look or do you hate it and wish it never existed?