Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 8:41 pm
by Trace
Contrast wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 7:29 pm
I bet it's one of those things you remember being awesome as a kid, but then, when you watch it again as an adult, it's just the stupidest thing ever. That happened with me and Power Rangers. "Alpha! Rita has escaped! Recruit a team of teenagers with attitude!"
Actually, I hadn't really watched Samurai Pizza Cats as a kid. I picked it up in part because anthros, but also because of what I learned about how the show was produced in the States.
The script that the dubbing studio was given for the show was incomplete and poorly done, and so they ended up pretty much scrapping it and rewriting everything, making it much more comedic.
This meant that it went from a functional, but probably rather generic fantasy show to a ridiculous, over the top comedy action series. It is a lot of fun, but is best watched in small doses.
Which is probably why I haven't come close to finishing it yet. XD
As to what I am reading right now... I have a stack of books to get through, including a couple of manga volumes.
I have once again gotten into the bad habit of being in the middle of far too many books at once. I need to read more. XP
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:46 am
by Rakuen Growlithe
Next up for me is A Brief History Of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford. It seems to be human history through genetics. I got it for Christmas though only physically got it a few weeks ago when I was in SA.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:57 am
by Adagio
I haven't read a book in over a year.
I so miss reading...
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:49 pm
by Flaxney_2
Currently I am alternating between Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino and The Trial by Franz Kafka.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the funniest mangas I have ever read. It's about a high school gamer-girl named Chio on her way to school. That's it. That's the premise of every chapter. A girl on her way to school. But where the absolute brilliance comes in is how every single little thing gets exaggerated to ridiculous extremes. The writing, the art style, the relationships, the situations, all of it gets blown up to such a degree that you can't help but laugh your ass off. A simple argument between two characters can escalate into something that would look more at home in a shounen manga like Dragonball rather than a slice-of-life comedy. Even the facial expressions are gold! Just look at what happens when Chio realizes that something bad is about to happen to one of her classmates:
The Smirk of Doom.png
That face. That freaking face! There are dozens just like it, and some even funnier.
In case that Smirk of Doom hasn't tipped you off yet, the characters are unabashed assholes. They are total jerks who gladly dick each other over for no other reason than personal gratification. Never before have I read anything where the characters are so openly bitchy and downright nasty towards one another, and you know what? I fucking love them to bits. Every single one. Despite being so horrible to each other, their friendships feel so genuine and honest, and it's the way they go after each other at every opportunity that adds so much magic to this manga.
Oftentimes they need to resort to some pretty spectacular bullshittery in order to extricate themselves from whatever outrageous predicament has befallen them. Take the very first chapter as an example. Chio is late to school and her normal route is blocked. Oh no! Whatever shall she do? She could just take the long way around, like a disgusting normie, OR she could scale the buildings like a frikkin' assassin! I found this particularly funny because I have been in that exact same mindset, as I'm sure many others have been as well. If you spend too many hours playing Assassin's Creed, you can't help but look at the buildings all around you and think, "Yeah, I could totally climb that." The fact that Chio actually does this is something that firmly ingratiates her with the reader as someone who would actually attempt something way too outlandish for the rest of us relatively sane individuals to even contemplate, and it's like that throughout the entire manga.
It's ridiculous, it's funny, it's over the top, it's one WTF moment after another, and I loved every page of it.
Also, I learned quite a bit about the sport of Kabaddi!
HOLY SHIT IT'S GETTING AN ANIME!!! XD
Coming out in June!!
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Okay, this is going to be a difficult review, because there isn't a whole lot to actually comment on. Nothing too outrageous or climactic, no gimmicks, no hook that can be easily summarized in a single sentence. For all its nuance, it's still a tale about people, plain and simple, and that, in my humble opinion, is where the true power of this story lies. The believability of its characters, their hopes, their dreams, their efforts, and the vibrancy of their personalities, and how those characters interact with each other. All those different elements combine to create a story that can be funny and lighthearted, yet thought-provoking. It deals with some very serious issues, such as divorce and alcoholism (and many others I don't want to spoil).
The story mostly revolves around a girl named Shin-Ae, and let me just say, rarely have I found a more likable character in any type of fiction, flaws and all. Down to earth and grounded firmly in reality, she just feels so real, like an actual, living, breathing person, and the same can be said of all the characters. Reading this, it doesn't feel like you're just consuming another story. It feels like you're peeking in on a real world with real people trying their best to deal with real problems the only way they know how, and that is a beautiful thing.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Summary wrote:The everyday life of Nakano, a salaryman working for an exploitative company, is suddenly intruded upon by the Kitsune, Senko-san (800 Years Old - Young Wife). Whether it be cooking, cleaning, or special Service(?)... she'll heal his exhaustion with her tender "care".
SO MANY TAIL HUGS!! SO MUCH FLOOF!! :3
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:04 am
by Adagio
So, Ive been reading Simon Sues again!
Its an amazing comic, though not at all furry. But who cares.
I'd seriously recommend it!
its about a law studemt that accidentally gets pulled into the Occult when he meets a young boy who made a deal with a Demon.
Demons have to follow their laws, and the rules their contracts are bound by. And Simon finds a loophole that allows the boy to stay with him.
their mission is to solve 99cases before 2 years are up, and Simon needs to face the demon that imprisoned the boy, and try and free him from his contract.
I'm usually horrible with these synopsis. So if I royally screwed it up. Give it a read anyway.
it really is brilliant! The art, the plot. I'm absolutely in love with it!
(Banner is a link to the comic.)
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Koizumi Takashi is an unscrupulous asshole, a salary man who only cares about cutting a profit by any means necessary. However, he's not quite evil enough to deserve an outright ticket to hell, so when he dies he gets one last chance to earn his way into heaven by fighting his way to the bottom of a dungeon, RPG style. He gets assigned the class of "summoner", which sounds great until he summons his monster, the one who's supposed to aid him on his journey and protect him from the ferocious creatures lurking within the dungeon's depths...
Gobumi. A tiny little goblin girl. Level 1.
Looks like Takashi's pretty much screwed...
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Summary wrote:Fish people have been welcomed to the town where the human girl Wakasa Otomi lives, and they are integrating well. The fish people can be identified by the physical marks of their fish species, though they take medicine to keep their lower bodies human rather than a fish tail. Otomi loves fish people, and is eager to meet as many as she can! One day, she meets a new transfer student, a lantern fish girl named Tsutsumi Anko. Anko is a bit self-conscious about being a deep sea fish, with a tail that is not cute like some other fish girls. At school, she and Anko deal with various fish problems that intersect with issues an ordinary human high-schooler would face.
Fish girls!! :3
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 4:49 pm
by Leeward
I... uh... what? I don't know which is weirder: that that is actually a thing, or that I can name every fish on the cover.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 7:18 pm
by Contrast
Leeward wrote: ↑Tue May 08, 2018 4:49 pm
I... uh... what? I don't know which is weirder: that that is actually a thing, or that I can name every fish on the cover.
It's surprisingly good, actually. A lot of the girls have X-men-like powers (like the hag fish girl who can produce copious amounts of slime) and the humour doesn't rely on superfluous ecchiness (although there are a few scenes like that). Overall, it's just a light, fun little slice-of-life manga about mermaids, with a bit of fish trivia thrown in for good measure.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Summary wrote:Fish people have been welcomed to the town where the human girl Wakasa Otomi lives, and they are integrating well. The fish people can be identified by the physical marks of their fish species, though they take medicine to keep their lower bodies human rather than a fish tail. Otomi loves fish people, and is eager to meet as many as she can! One day, she meets a new transfer student, a lantern fish girl named Tsutsumi Anko. Anko is a bit self-conscious about being a deep sea fish, with a tail that is not cute like some other fish girls. At school, she and Anko deal with various fish problems that intersect with issues an ordinary human high-schooler would face.
Fish girls!! :3
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 12:31 pm
by Contrast
Anko-san doesn't have an anime, but I would watch the frig out of it if it did, though! :3
As for what I'm reading right now...
Summary wrote:Yoshka is a genius amateur inventor who would create anything from scratch for sale at a hefty price. Although her inventions are quite incredible, they often cause more trouble than good. What is Yoshka planning to do with all this money? She's gonna build a rocket to the moon!
Like the summary says, Yoshka is a plucky mechanical genius who wants to build a rocket to go to the moon. Why? Because her father told her that that's where her mother is, and Yoshka would very much like to meet her.
Um... that actually sounds kind of... wow...
My theory: Spoiler
I think Yoshka's mother actually died giving birth to her, and her father was too softhearted to tell her the truth, so he made up a story about her mother living on the moon. So now Yoshka, being all alone, wants to build a rocket to the moon in hopes of finding the only family she has left, a dream that's really no more than a lie... That's sad as fuck.
PS: The site says this manga is complete, but that's a mistake. It updates regularly.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 12:33 pm
by Leeward
Holy macaroni Contrast, how much manga do you read?
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 12:40 pm
by Contrast
Not that much, actually. Including manhwa, I'm following 124 series right now. But most days there are only 3 - 5 updates for any of them, so it doesn't feel like much.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Summary wrote:
Set on the Silk Road that connected Asia with Europe before the modern times. The story of Amira, a woman skilled in archery and horsemanship, sent to marry Karluk, a boy from another village who is 8 years younger than her. But all is not well, as her village decides to take her back...
OMG so much culture!
*Rolls around in all the culture.* :3
Seriously, though, the author has spent a lot of time actually traveling through the locations depicted in this story, and it shows. The attention to detail in every page is stunning, and every frame is filled to bursting with history and culture. Weaving, baking, hunting, falconry, pottery, archery, fashion, laws and customs regarding family dynamics and marriage, this manga offers an absolutely fascinating glimpse into the lives of fascinating people. I've had so much fun learning all kinds of things from this manga, like how much time and effort goes into the making of a dowry, the traditions of a proper wedding ceremony, and even what all the little shapes and symbols baked into a piece of bread can mean.
The summary makes it sound like it focuses only on a single bride and her family, but it actually switches perspective between numerous brides and brides-to-be, following their everyday lives as they work and play and love and make the best of a very difficult point in history.
Also... Spoiler
PARIYA IS BEST GIRL!!
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 6:29 pm
by Rakuen Growlithe
I finished reading The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin. It's all about anarchist communism and quite interesting.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 12:45 pm
by Flaxney_2
Currently I am alternating between One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Summary wrote:
My hugging pillow turned into a really beautiful girl?! (She's not fake, she's human!)
And apparently, this girl wants to marry me!
I-I'm sure everything will turn out fine.
There's nothing to worry about...
A dude's dakimakura comes to life, and that's pretty much the entire plot, but that's okay. It's cute, it's funny, and sometimes that's all you need. :3
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 10:11 pm
by Rakuen Growlithe
As an update, I've also now finished reading a book about genetics; A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived.
Now, I'm supposed to be getting a furry book to review but it hasn't arrived yet... Hopefully this week. In the meantime, I will probably go back to The Fact of Evolution by Cameron M. Smith which I had started reading looong ago when I was still in South Africa but never finished.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Just like the title says, this is a story about treating a female knight who has never been treated as a woman as a woman. Leo, the titular female knight, has a very scary reputation among the townspeople. Even though she risks her life every day to keep them safe from monsters, everyone avoids her because she's covered in scars and has a very surly demeanor. All that changes when she meets Fooly, a mage who is completely smitten with her and sees past her rough exterior.
Unfortunately, this manga doesn't have any plot to it. Each chapter merely focuses on a single cute moment or interaction between the two main characters, and never really tries to go further than that. It's a real shame, because I really like this kind of misunderstood character, and the concept has a lot of potential, too.
Still, if you're looking for a light read that'll make you go "D'aaw!" on a semi-frequent basis, this is ideal.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:49 am
by Rakuen Growlithe
I'm halfway through The Adventures of Peter Gray by Nathan Hopp which I was asked to review.
Re: What are you reading RIGHT NOW? (Apart from this post)
It's kinda difficult to summarize this without spoiling too much (the official summary just about gives away the whole plot), but basically it's an isekai story (one of the rare good ones). It's set in a world populated by demons, and all of them are pretty much in agreement when it comes to the tastiest meat: human! Their deliciousness is a thing of legend, but they're so rare that none have been seen for hundreds of years. So when Leo and Kuro, a pair of no-good layabout thugs, just so happen to find an unconscious human girl practically right on their door step, they're overjoyed! Finally, a meal fit for a king!
That is, if they can actually bring themselves to cook and eat such a cute, innocent-looking creature... >.>
PS: This manga finished last night, so if you're the type who hates waiting for updates, that won't be a problem.