You: I want to get transparent...I’m getting paid. Me: I’m been rooting for (almost) everyone Black! *Jamaican air horn* But in all seriously, My heart just swells every time I see you on Viz’s twitter. Black women make up so much of fandom and we, well EYE almost never see us represented in the coverage. (Starting to change but change is slow) It’s a good step for Manga publishers, Do you have a decent size audience and I love your content (and seeing you of course!) 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
RE: MARS *insert ‘It’s been 84 years’ meme* I’ve been patiently waiting for your thoughts on this manga! I especially found insightful your discussion of the tropes And I was really digging thinking the deeply on “reading critically and reading with feeling” approach. For some many of us manga readers this was the series that was the gateway for that Mangaka-And I did read this in high school and I really to this day I really do feel it was marketed as shojo. The tagline that was used was “A good girl can change a bad boy forever” which is cringe worthy now but back in 2003 2004....lol Yeah, WE ATE IT UP! Lol In regards to the execution, There was a lot that this manga did well that other series failed to do and the only one that really comes to mind right now is HOT GIMMICK, Which is also a mess and stressful to read but of course comparing these two series is miles apart. To be fair. I do feel guilty for suggesting this and not being able to give you fair warning on the triggers as there are many and it’s really hard to not spoil the series but also not ruin how the narrative flows with them with the story. I am very glad it didn’t send you to a dark place and I hope you were able to do some self-care if you felt yourself slipping there. There has to be a better way to present/recommend art with high levels of triggering with nuance And it’s something I’m going to take away the most with watching this! P.S. Fuyumi Soryo Should be better known outside of Japan for her work in Mars is a spectacular example of someone who is gifted in storytelling-You said you couldn’t put it down and you were intrigued to find out what happened to the characters. Well all the psychological drama is a characteristic of her work yet falling in love with her characters is something people just do!
Don’t feel guilty!!!! I was definitely triggered, but it made the story that much more impactful! Although it isn’t perfect, I am in awe of how well she can weave a complicated story with compelling characters. Have you read Eternal Sabbath? It’s so amazing!
MommaLuvsManga Y E S! I was so pleased when I saw you reading and making videos about it. It inspired me to collect the series again (collected it once when it was first published and gave them away). I’m pricing the last volume online to finish my collection (been waiting for a copy under $25 FML)
I love that hair color. I dyed mine purple, just different shades just a while ago. Edit: Ever since I saw on an online manga shop from around me that manga, My Androgynous Boyfriend, that cover and that title lured me in. I've been wanting to get it. I'll wait till it's completed though.
I looooooove having purple hair. Haha! I think this is the shade I like the most out of the purples I’ve tried. Androgynous BF is really cute and I’m excited for the next volume!
Congrats on your Viz sponsorship! My Androgynous Boyfriend sounds cute. I enjoy het romances that have fun with gender roles and don't treat it as a joke. Fix It Felix/ Sgt Calhoun aren't really comparable, but I like stuff like that.
Mars is my favorite manga of all time and you saying that One Tree Hill fans would like Mars made me almost spit out my drink 😂 that was my favorite show in high school
Your ride with Mars reminded me of reading Marmalade Boy. It is definitely less dramatic of a shojo story but it still has a lot of the overdone tropes, but the characters and the overall plot are so compelling it hard to not get attached to stories like these lol.
agree with you on "mars". it definitely wasn't bad, and i was definitely looking forward to whichever mess was going to happen next. but i really wasn't happy with how certain things were portrayed. and the characters were all awful people, if i'm being honest - and their awfulness was almost always glossed over. "let dai" is a better version of "mars" imo 🤭
