Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 7, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven't played out the way anyone expected...

Nino takes the stage at the school festival, ready to deliver the message held fast in her heart. Both Yuzu and Momo have composed songs for her, but which piece of music will be the one to awaken her? Meanwhile, Kuro's secret feelings seem to have reached a turning point as well... And is In No Hurry finally ready to take things to the next level professionally?

Review:

I somehow completely skipped this volume and read the next one, and I have no idea how that happened. I will say that reading volume 8 wasn't confusing, as a new plot line started at the beginning of it. But it sure makes a lot more sense after this one.

Not a lot of action happens in this volume, but so much character progression and realization and thought process does.

Yuzu is silently competing with Momo here, as he has Nino sing a song by each of them, because he wants to see which one of them will make this work for her. She's missing something, and she's trying to find it, and he needs to know which of them will give it to her.

I'm honestly not sure which one wins. They both seem to give her something different.

On that note—I have no idea what she's actually missing. Her voice is somehow off, I guess? She can't get into the songs, or the performance, or the singing? It's really hard to tell what exactly it is that's off for her, which is probably why it's a little hard to tell what it is that she discovers mid-song. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it?

After all of that, it makes sense why Yuzu decides to write songs for other people, after previously agreeing not to. He needs to expand his view.

I love the subtlety, the moments of realization, in this series. They're done so well, so on point and perfectly timed. I appreciate that, and it gives the series a particular intensity.

We got some progress and insight into some of the side characters, like Ayumi and his messy crush, but still most of the focus is on the main triangle. They're just such a mess, and Nino doesn't even realize it.

Manga Review: La Corda d'Oro, Volume 15, by Yuki Kure

Rating (Out of 5): ~4 - 4.5

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)

Volumes: 17

Goodreads Synopsis:

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences T. 

Every few years, the prestigious Seisou Academy holds a prominent musical competition, and only the very best students at the Academy are allowed to participate. Though all are eligible to apply, only students from the music department actually make it to the competition...until now.

As Len leaves Japan to study abroad, Kahoko struggles with the changes in her own life. Can she find a way to say farewell to Len before it’s too late? Can she ace the upcoming music contest without Len’s tutoring—or the help of her magic violin? And what will she do when both Ryotaro and Azuma decide it’s time to make a move?

Review:

I really did miss this series. I believe I stated this in my previous review, but it's so true. I love all of the characters, and it's so nice to get to read about them again. They're all just so great, and different, and fun, and I'm glad that I got to read two volume so close together (and, um, upset that the next one isn't out till August, but oh well).

Quite a bit of the volumes lately seem to be taken up with other things, that don't have to do with the main story. And, while I enjoy these stories, I also kind of want the story to get moving, or to get to see it moving more in a volume.

The first chapter of this volume, for example, is a small special about Keiichi's sister, who came to visit, and pretends to be him in order to see the friends he told her about and fangirl over them. This was very cute, though. She's older than Keiichi, but looks almost like his twin, and is very different. She gets very excited and loves clothes, and makes all of his friends frilly outfits to wear. Also, I love that we're getting to see all these things about Keiichi, since he's usually so aloof and blank-faced and asleep. It's nice to see him interacting with others, and doing things that people wouldn't expect.

His sister also mentions to him that Kahoko's cute, which makes it seem like he's interested. I really hope he's not, because there are enough guys wanting her.

Aside from that, the volume starts with Kahoko and Len practicing, and him walking her home. They do a little shopping along the way, and I believe that Kahoko buys a going-away present for him. They play some more. And Len comes to realize his feelings for her. Which is huge and exciting, and yes! Love it.

In the next chapter, Kahoko helps Kazuki take some pictures for the newspaper/year book, while waiting for a music room to open up. Azuma joins them when he sees Kahoko's discomfort around him. He bothers her some more, and she realizes that he doesn't hate her, which perhaps bothers her even more. When she leaves, Kazuki and Azuma talk about her, and how Kazuki likes her but is afraid to confess. Kazuki doesn't believe that there will be any distance between them when he graduates, and Azuma tells him that they'll be going to the same school after graduation (which is exciting, since that means he's going to take up music, despite what his family wants).

At the end of that chapter, and the beginning of the next, Kahoko and Len talk and tease a bit, which is super cute and sweet. I love them. I think that they're really good together, that Kahoko pushes Len just the right amount, and makes him open up, which is nice. On the other hand, though, there's Ryotaro, who is also good with her. (There are other people, of course, that are possibilities, but I think those two are the ones that work best, or at least are the most likely to happen, no matter how much I love the other characters as well.) Nami (the newspaper girl) talks with Ryotaro, mentioning that Kahoko and Len have been getting close lately. (Maybe something with happen between those two? Maybe that could work, and would make me feel less bad?)

We become aware that there's only a week left, till Len leaves (I believe?), and Len and Ryotaro talk some more. I like their relationship. It's sweet, and fun, and while they both like Kahoko, they're not mean about it or anything, even if they do insult each other. They're got an odd friendship, and I like it. The chapter ends with Len promising to come to the competition that Kahoko is participating in.

It's becoming apparent that Kahoko is going to get hurt when Len leaves, and Ryotaro has a talk with him about it. It's also obvious that Len is going to miss her (which is so sweet!). But Len tells him that he's not going to tell her, whatever it is that he's has to tell her (maybe that he's leaving sooner than she thinks?) after the competition, so as not to mess it up for her.

The volume ends with them going in to the competition, which is so very mean. I want to know what happens! There are only two volumes left, and I want to find out what happens!

There's an extra chapter at the end about La Corda d'Oro 3, which is the new video game that was coming out in Japan at the time, I guess. We got to meet the characters in it, which was interesting. They were all rather different, and did catch my interest, but my attention was mostly on the main story, because I wanted more of it. And it made it sound like we would be seeing them again? As in, there might be more extras with them in it in the next volume? Or just as in, if you go and play the game? While they were interesting to me, and I was glad they were so different (even with the same general plot, of going to the same school and being surrounded by boys), I just want more of Kahoko and her crew. I want to know what happens! (But there's such a long wait!)
Sidenote: I noticed that Shoko isn't in with the characters descriptions. Because there isn't enough space, maybe? This bothers me. But there should be several other characters in there, like maybe the teachers and Nami. With the people that are mentioned, it makes it seem like the only important people are Kahoko and the boy falling for her. Which might be the case, but shouldn't be.

Manga Review: La Corda d'Oro, Volume 14, by Yuki Kure

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)

Volumes: 17

Goodreads Synopsis:

  At Seisou’s annual school festival, hearts are pumping, blood is pounding...and Kahoko’s love life is heating up. Ryotaro takes a break from the sports competition to make a private confession, Aoi asks Kahoko to play Juliet to his Romeo in the class play and even Len lets slip that he has human emotions. But before Kahoko can decide where her heart lies, she has another problem to tackle—the festival’s big music recital!

Review:

I really like this series. I watched the anime several years ago, and then started the series. And it's been so long since volume 13 came out, plus it was hard to find this volume, so it was a little weird to be reading it again. Good, because I missed it, but I couldn't remember completely what had happened last time. I did miss the characters, though, so it was nice to get to read about them again. (But I just noticed that it's complete in Japan now, with only three volumes left! Does that mean we won't have so long to wait for the next one?)

In this volume, the school is focusing on their school festival. In the first chapter, they have sports day, where Ryotaro, Aoi, Kazuki, and Keiichi are competing. They had a little competition going on, which was fun. (It was a surprise to see Keiichi competing, doing something sporty. Later in the volume, he sings, too. We're learning all kinds of things about him in this volume.) Also, Ryotaro talks to Kahoko when she gets hurt, and says that he has something to tell her, but it can wait until after the music contest.

By the end of the volume, he still hasn't told her, and she's been worried about it the whole time. She wants to know what it is, and even guesses that it's about him liking her, but then pushes that thought away. I'm excited for it. Also, what everyone else will think. Aoi has been openly flirting with her, and asks her to the dance with him (which she says yes to). Kazuki is always paying attention to her. It also seems like Len is thinking about her more often. Romantic feelings are all over the place, and I'm hoping something big happens with them soon. (Honestly, I love all of them, Kazuki and Ryotaro especially, but I'm Team Len. I think she would work best with him.)

In the next chapter, they start talking more about the contest, and practicing. Kahoko finds out that Aoi used to play the violin, but now plays the viola, even as he denies that he's any good. (He has mixed feelings about it for some reason, and I'm curious to find out why.) He also doesn't want anyone to know, but everyone finds out, accidentally, and Kohako pushes him to perform. They do a, not-very-good, impromptu concert. We also get to see Aoi in his Romeo costume, as his class is doing the play, Azuma and Kazuki in suits, for, I think, a cafe, and Keiichi dressed as a ghost for the haunted house.

Also, Ryotaro and Len talk some, where Len asks what Ryotaro likes about Kahoko, and he tells him something about his going abroad. I'm thinking it's that he's leaving earlier than expected, but it isn't said.

In the last chapter, they all perform (for some reason, all but Len in a group, with Len doing two songs after them), and then go to the dance. Kahoko dances, a little, with Keiichi, then Aoi, and then Kazuki (who blushes; he is so adorable), and after the dance, with Azuma, who also harasses her a little.

Throughout the volume, there are three short stories. Two of them are with the rest of the chapters, and are just fun things about sports day and the school festival. In one, we find out that Kazuki is hoping to be a music teacher, which I guessed and makes total sense; in the other, Len is offended by everyone's reaction to him never having tried Takoyaki. At the end, there's one about Kanazawa and Akihiko (another teacher, I think? I don't remember...), who is related to Kiriya, who we met in the last volume. Kiriya is apparently planning on applying for the school next year.

I like this series. It's really good, and I love all of the characters. But it's starting to bother me a little bit, how many guys are falling for Kahoko. Almost all of them, if not all, have feelings for her, and it's a little ridiculous. I mean, yea, I do like Kahoko, but that's a bit much.

Still, I'm looking forward to the next one (which I already have, so that will be up very soon), and especially for when the boys confess. I want to see that happen, and am hoping Ryotaro does it in the next book.

Review: Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater

3.5 of 5 Stars

Publisher: Flux

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this mesmerizing sequel to Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, music prodigy James Morgan and his best friend, Deirdre, join a private conservatory for musicians. James' musical talent attracts Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. Composing beautiful music together unexpectedly leads to mutual admiration and love. Haunted by fiery visions of death, James realizes that Deirdre and Nuala are being hunted by the Fey and plunges into a soul-scorching battle with the Queen of the Fey to save their lives.

Review:

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I've read the first one, Lament, and thought it was pretty good. It was amazing, and I didn't particularly feel for the characters, but I liked them. I liked the characters a lot more in this book.

James is awesome. He's very sarcastic and snarky, and also kind of adorable. I liked his conversations with everyone, all of his comebacks. I felt bad for him because of Dee, and how Dee treated him. I liked her in the first book, and I kept trying to like her still in this one, but I kind of sided with Nuala on how she felt about her. Mostly, I really felt all of the things that he did, and related to him quite well.

Nuala is a faerie, a Leanan Sidhe, who is a muse for humans and in return takes years from their life. And she only lives sixteen years before she burns up on Halloween and starts a new with no memory and looking mostly the same age, but her looks change to fit her current artist. She's very harsh and mean to most people. But I liked her a lot as well.

I liked the plot line, and the ending was very good. Much more satisfying than the ending of the first book. At least for James. I'm not totally sure what all happened to Dee. I have an idea of what went down, but I'm mostly confused on the Luke thing, like if it was really him or not. I did like how things worked out for Nuala, too. I don't want to spoil too much, but I think things worked out very well for them, and I'm glad the ending wasn't left too open.

I also really liked Sullivan, James' teacher. He was fun and sweet, and I'm a little upset at how things worked out for him, but I guess they kind of make sense. I feel like the last scene with all of them wasn't done as well as it could have been, as it seemed a little too cliché, but the outcome worked out well. And I liked Paul, James' roommate. And the school that they're all going to, a musical boarding school called Thornking-Ash, is fantastic. Even if some of the teachers are crazy and the school opened for a not so good reason or in a not so good place, I would still totally go there.

The writing was especially pretty in this book. I've talked about Stiefvater's writing before, with how lyrical and pretty it is and all that, but I think that it's especially so in this book. In her small faerie series, because of the music element, it adds to things for her to describe and make pretty. And she definitely accomplished it in this book. It was all so very gorgeous.

Review: Where She Went (If I Stay, Book 2) by Gayle Forman

4 of 5 Stars

Publisher: Dutton

Goodreads Synopsis:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Review:

I don't know what I was expecting when I started this book. Because there was a sequel, I know that there wasn't a happy ending and I was afraid that it was just going to get worse. So I was happy to find that I liked this book even more than the first one.

I didn't feel a big connection to Mia in the first book, but I felt more for Adam in this one. He's still upset over her and depressed, and I didn't think it was too much. I mean, sure, the part of me that's all for self-love and all that, thinks that he should have moved on a little bit, dealt with it better, but it mostly fits and it was done very well. He didn't seem whiny or anything to me. He was a bit depressing, but I liked it. I like those kinds of characters, though.

When I heard about this book, I imagined something more along the lines of Adam and Mia stumbling upon each other in a subway or something and having one night to try to work out their problems, and I imagined that they would fight and talk and all those things, but I was unsure if it would have a happy ending or not. I was really happy to find that this wasn't the case.

Instead, Mia is successfully being a musician and Adam is not successfully being in the band anymore because of how depressed he's been. It's sad how badly losing Mia hurt him. And Adam finds out that Mia is playing near him, and despite his promise, he goes to watch her play. I hadn't realized that his promise at the end of the first book was going to be taken seriously. To me it didn't seem like either one of them should take it seriously, that either of them would want to fulfill it, so that bothered me. But I see why it was important, and things played out like they did partly because of it. Then there are some awkward moments and painful moments as they try to talk and find themselves unsure how to do it.

Their relationship, as they start talking and start moving on from it, is so sweet. They're much more mature in this book, and they need t move on from some things and they do. They're so very sweet to each other and cute together. They belong together, and they know it. I loved seeing them together in the present in this book. There should be more couples like this in books.

The writing was pretty much the same from before. It flows easily and it keeps me compelled to read more.

The ending is very fitting to the story. It's showing that they are going to work things out and are going to stay together no matter what happens. And Adam does a bit of growing, as well. I liked that he went to go talk to his band with Mia, and that it shows us that he did work that out, instead of leaving it open to our interpretation.

This book was fantastic. It was definitely better than the first one.

Manga Review: Crown of Love, Volume 4, by Yun Kouga

4 of 5 Stars

Publisher: Viz Media

Goodreads Synopsis:

How far would you go for love?
Sixteen-year-old Hisayoshi "Kumi" Tajima wasn't looking for love. But after he accidentally bumps into teen idol Rima Fujio, he can't stop thinking about her. Living worlds apart, he'll never have a chance to meet her again. Until Rima's former agent Ikeshiba gives him the perfect opportunity—by turning Hisayoshi into an idol himself! Too bad Rima only sees him as competition for Ikeshiba's attention...

Review:

I started this series a while ago but just recently finished it. It feels like there's a lot to take in with each book, like there's a lot of drama, or it's really emotional, or just full of stuff, but I don't really know if that's true. It just seems like a heavy series, or something. So it took me a while to finish it.

I read 3 and 4 together, so this might turn a bit into a re-cap of both of them.

In volume 3, Kumi meets Rima's mother, and Kumi meests this girl that's having problems in her love life that leaves an impression on him. And then Kumi and Rima have a serious relationship, where Kumi tells her that the next time she tells him she hates him, he'll take it seriously. So of course she immediately tells him that she does and then regrets it. The volume ends with Ikeshiba making a move on Rima, which she believes she wants, but it turns out that she's uncomfortable with it.

The volume starts with Rima getting home, confused with her feeling, and her mom wondering what is going on, and then calling Kumi. Oh, Rima and her mom also made up in the previous volume, and are living together again. Kumi's all upset because of his conversation with Rima earlier that day and doesn't want to answer, but does and talks with Rima's mom.

Within the next chapter, Kumi decides to run away. He doesn't do a very good job of it, because he leaves a note and then calls Ikeshiba not long after leaving. He ends up staying at a hotel like place, and the place catches on fire. He gets away from it mostly alright, and immediately heads back to town and goes to Rima's place. She's all scandalized because it's late and she's having a hard time with trying to deny her feelings for him. They have a conversation through the door and then she lets him in and there's a very intense kissing scene. It's very sweet and hot.

After that there's mostly just some closing scenes with other characters, closing some plot lines. Yurie has a conversation with Rima, claiming that she's still not going to give up on Kumi. I don't particularly like Yurie. She won't give up on Kumi and she should, he's already told her that he doesn't like her like that, and she mostly whiny and cowardly when going to Rima about Kumi. Kumi and Rima also have to work out some stuff with work because they're going out now.

Kumi and Rima are very intense and sweet together, not backing down about anything, and they're very honest about being together. It's cute, really. I actually kind of like Rima; she's kind of a spitfire, always going on the defensive. And I do like Kumi. He's sweet and honest. They're both still a bit immature and obviously need to grow up some more, but they've grown up some since the beginning of the series and will no doubt continue to do so.

I wasn't a big fan of the series at the beginning, but I actually do quite like it now, at the end. My feelings for it grew the more I read, which I'm glad for.