Haru wo Daiteita licensed!!!

Thank you SuBLime for licensing one of the bestest manga ever published!

To be released next year, and in omnibus form. 2 volumes in 1.

Haru wo Daiteita deux .... and this week's releases

I just re-read all 14 volumes of Haru scanlations. I fell in love with Iwaki-san and Katou-kun all over again.

Look at them! How can you NOT fall in love with them! 

Of course there were other characters that surround them, that support them or cause trouble, or both! 

I really wish that there was more. It's not hard to lose yourself in their lives, to get caught up in whatever emotion they were feeling. Or maybe it's just me....
Their story is so beautiful and has grown so much since... uh... 2003? I wouldn't have minded watching them grow old together... I bet Katou would still be the lovesick puppy he was when he first chased Iwaki and Iwaki would still be trying to train this said (horny) puppy ^_^ And I bet... they'd still be making sweet sweet love without the help of the little blue pill ;)

This was one series I really wouldn't have minded to collect no matter how many volumes they released.

It wasn't just the characters that improved over time, the art also did. Though some characters still looked like other characters from Youka Nitta-sensei's other works. ^//^



As for this week's releases.... I really don't know what to do....
I look online for this week's releases, and I get excited because of some of the titles I see... Then I go to the store.... And see that not all of the titles reached my little country again... It's a little... no... a LOT depressing...
I was happy to see Stray Cat though

" Kaoru is frustrated -- he's just been dumped by his boyfriend again! And it's all because he could never express his true feelings properly. What's wrong with him?! Feeling lonely and miserable, he takes a stroll through a gay park one day and meets a straight guy named Youhei. Although he seems to be an unassuming, gentle soul, something inside Youhei has caused Kaoru's heart to swell. Will Kaoru step out and express his feelings to Youhei? " -Amazon

I do have the scans, not really sure if it's complete.
I highly recommend this manga to cat lovers out there... both the animal and the "neko". If you don't know what I mean and you're really into yaoi... shame on you *wags finger at* (if you buy and read this manga you'll know what it means ^_^)

I reserved In the Walnut vol 2, 'coz it was on the list, but I just confirmed on amazon that I do have it already. So I guess I won't wait for the other bookstore's release of Stray Cat and just get one from the first store.... but that's still more than $2 more expensive! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! >.<

Oh yeah, the last volume, 6, of the Gravitation Collection is also out this week.

This one... I'll wait for the other bookstore's release... I hope it'll be before the holidays o.o

oh and... Finder vol 2 is supposed to be released, but I'm not really putting my hopes up for this one...

Methinks I shall read Stray Cat before I go to bed... Stay smutty my bishies :)

Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love) by Youka Nitta

This isn't a real review, or is it? I just happened to see it while I was going thru my scanlations and I remembered two one-shots that I loved. And my regret that I only got 2 out of the 5(?) volumes that were released by BeBeautiful...
I do have anime, Embracing Love: Cherished Spring

and I'm waiting for amazon to get Winter Cicada, or maybe I'll get it from Rightstuf, since they have it and I plan on ordering some manga from there soon...

this made me cry ;.;

The artbook, Kiss of Fire, is so sexy. And the extra manga in it is so cute!

Kiss of Fire front

Kiss of Fire Back and letter

I thought it had free stationery, but it was a letter. I'm not sure if it was something about their wedding or it was Katou's letter to Iwaki regarding this book. Like a dedication of sorts. I think... As you can see I bought it 2006, and my memory just doesn't want to work anymore :( there is a translation of the letter inside the book.

Damn.... I haven't seen it since I transferred rooms! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! >.<

*slaps self*

Anyway... back to Haru wo and my favorite extras (one-shots)... for now...

It's not like I don't like the main story of Haru wo or that I don't like the other one-shots. I du! A LOT! But these two seem to pop into my mind when I see the Haru wo scanlation folder.

One is The Plunderer. It's about Iwaki and Katou spending the holidays over at Iwaki's house. Iwaki's brother and his family are there and so is his father. 

Iwaki's brother doesn't like Katou, for obvious reasons, but seems to be dealing with their relationship in his own way.... 

The story begins with Iwaki's brother saying goodbye to Iwaki, 'cause they're going over to his in-law's place to show off his baby daughter, Hina, who looks a lot like Iwaki! Iwaki then enters a room where Katou is looking at pictures of Iwaki as a child.This then goes to Iwaki and Katou discussing how Katou 'stole' Iwaki from his brother. Which then leads to them doing it... WHILE THE BROTHER WAS STILL IN THE HOUSE! WAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! 

*clears throat* 

Anyway... Katou wants copies of the pictures, so Iwaki suggests that he photocopies them in color, since the negatives were missing. And so, as Katou heads off to have the pictures copied, he runs into Iwaki's brother! Who sees the albums and takes them with him! And we are left with Katou crying hahahahaha! 

the page before the yummy smutt >D

The other one... Kato's Delicious Praise.

This finds the two lovers trying to get Iwaki to gain weight. He had to lose it for a movie he did. And that's basically it o.o

There is smutt of course. When I first read it I thought there wasn't going to be any 'cause Katou didn't want to do it, 'cause it'd cause Iwaki to burn more calories, which they were trying to avoid... but then Iwaki would have none of that hehehehe. In the end he did gain a little weight.

Now this is one feast I can really sink my teeth into

I really love Haru wo. Anyone who likes yaoi would love Haru wo.

Their relationship is really amazing. At first they're two AV actors trying out for a role in a gay movie, then they act together in a series developed after the movie. You can see them developing as actors and as a couple in the manga. The smutt is really really sexy....

And I liked what they did with Winter Cicada. A story within their story. The behind the scenes peek into what went into creating Winter Cicada. From the fire and having one of the actors hurt to not having enough money to continue the production. Of course, the production continued, thanks to the couple they met in America ;)

The only quibble I have is that some of the characters look alike. And I do get confused easily... 

Youka Nitta had trouble a while back when she was caught copying fashion ads and incorporating some of her characters in them as the main couple in the ad. One company didn't really mind, they even thought that it was an honor of sorts (not sure if it was Diesel). I guess the others didn't like it :( This led to the end of the series ;.;

I know it was wrong, but there were other mangaka doing worse things and they hide behind their famous parents and not get punished!!! But I digress...

 It's not like she was stealing the stories from these ads, they were just art inserts. It's understandable since Iwaki and Katou are also models. And so are some of the other characters in Youka Nitta's work.

I wish someone else would license this in english again. All 14 volumes... I'd buy all of them immediately, and not wait for them to go on sale... like I do some other titles... hehehe ^.^;;

Okay... that's it... it's almost 2 am and my bed is calling to me...