Honey and Clover Season 2 announcement

Honey and Clover gang back again

Hooray, Honey and Clover is going to have a second season set to premiere this summer and yours truly could not be more happier. As you all know I love Honey and Clover and am dying for some company (Directed at you VIZ) to pick up the Honey and Clover manga. I admit I had a hard time when the first season ended as I just loved it soooo much. I just hope the second season is as sincere and wacky as the first. I can't wait til this summer...yippee.

New Spring Anime - Saiunkoku Monogatari

Ryuuki and Shuurei

This is a new Spring anime which I admit that I don't know much about, however the character designs intrigued me so I decided that I will give the first couple of episodes a try. From what I have heard the story is basically about a young women who comes to become the teacher of the emperor and eventually ends up his wife, mayham ensues as a result. That is probably the best I can tell you about this story as I have never read the manga. The look seems very historical shoujo, so we'll see how it goes.

New Spring Anime - The Tale of Two Nanas

Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu

Well this is another anime on the top of my list right next to XXXholic, the Nana TV series. Nana is a refreshing and stylish manga written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa, creator of Paradise Kiss. Nana is the story of two young women sharing the name Nana and that is all; their
personalities however are completely opposite of one another. The two Nana's meet by chance and decide to rent an apartment together and surprisingly they get along smashingly. Romance, heartbreak and partying ensues as both Nanas navigate the road of life together. When this manga was first released here in the US, It was Viz's headliner for there Shojo Beat magazine. I personally didn't get what all the hype was about, granted Paradise Kiss was a good story, with great fashion and humor; but that still didn't want to make me run out and buy the manga. I waited months after the release date before I even purchased volume one of Nana. When I finally did get around to purchasing Nana, I was thinking well why not, if it's not good I will pass it along. This book was not even on my radar; but after I read volume one followed by volume two I was salivating for more. I am the first to admit that I was completely wrong in ignoring this series, as it has now climbed to the top of my "must have, can't live without" list. My hope is the anime adaptation will be faithful to the manga. The Paradise Kiss anime although as I stated before was pretty faithful to the manga, failed to follow through and over all did not leave me with the feeling that George and Yukari's break up was necessary and healthy for them both. I hope the best for Nana as the story is engaging and a complete breath of fresh air. I highly recommend the manga to those who have not read it, you will not be disappointed.

New Spring Anime - XXXholic TV Series

Yuko of XXXholic and Sakura and Syaoron of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

Well since the spring anime season will be beginning soon, I thought that I would put some of the one’s that I am looking forward to. So I think I will start things off with the anime on the top of my list; the XXXholic TV series, this is definitely one of my top anticipated anime of the a spring season. As I am sure most know XXXholic is the story of a young man named Watanuki Kimihiro who is haunted by spirits. Well all that changes when he meet Yuko a space dimension time witch. Yuko helps keep spirits away from Watanuki in exchange for his services as her personal servant/housekeeper. Of course this is just a brief version of a quite detailed and epic story, that crosses over with the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle universe. Speaking of Tsubasa, that had to be on my top of my list last year only to falter so badly. The same went with Paradise Kiss, which was faithful to the manga in the beginning but did not manage to follow through as well as it could have. I have high hopes for XXXholic, which I feel is one of CLAMP’s better works(X being my all time favorite). Let me know what anime of the new spring season everyone is looking forward too. I will be sure to post some more of my top choices for the spring season throughout the week.

Everyone has their money problems.

Okane ga Nai

To start off my reviews for Otaku Corner I've chosen my favourite yaoi manga of all time.

Okane ga Nai {No Money/There's No Money} is an on going tale of young eighteen year old Ayase Yukiya, who was sold to the yakuza by his cousin when he got into debt. The manga opens on the night of Ayase's auction, when the delicate boy is in the process of being sold as a slave to one of the many men of the yakuza.
Things instantly turn rather up-side down when he's bought for 1.2 billion by the very man who his cousin owes the money to, the man apparently having met him before though Ayase is unable to recall in his drugged state.
Kanou, the debt collector, expressing feelings other than anger isn't something he's used to, and so when he attempts to treat his new "pet" with kindness he ends up becoming angry with the terrified boy and reveals his cousin had placed Ayase name on all the papers - meaning it is Ayase who technically owes Kanou the money. Things go from bad to worse when he tries to show the boy that his cousin has betrayed him but is only met by anger. This instantly sparks off Kanou's own short fuse and he ends up forcing himself on Ayase.
Their relations improve however through out the following volumes. Kanou slowly becoming used to the delicate Ayase and even allowing him to attend summer school, though his temper still remains and is easily sparked whenever it seems Ayase might be hiding something from him. On occasions he still shows his terribly mean side, quick to humiliate Ayase in front of others by revealing his secret job of selling his body to Kanou, however he treats the boy with increasing kindness with each volume. He saves him many times from many different kidnappers and doesn't hesitate to protect the boy.
As the story progresses and the volumes are released it's easy to see Ayase and Kanou will continue to struggle through their relationship, though will hopefully reach the happy ending the young boy so greatly deserves.

My thoughts:
I personally love this yaoi, it is my definite favourite and the art is beautiful. It is very much in the same style of CLAMP's {non-BL} work, following their trend for males; strong, broad shouldered semes and small, delicate, wide eyed ukes.
Ayase is a loveable character you are garuenteed to fall in love with, wanting to take him away and shelter him from Kanou's rough manner, yet at the same time wishing they would just fall into each other's arms.
Despite some people claiming this is a shouta, it is clearly stated at the begining of the first volume that Ayase is eighteen and attends university.
This is one of the more "hard" yaoi that you're likely to find and as such isn't likely to be liscenced in english any time soon. It contains, a fair bit of non-con in the first volume which seemed to put a few people off though it quickly simmers down to less "rape-like" situations.
Overall, I adore this yaoi and if you're mature enough to deal with a bit of non-con this is definitely for you. For fans of work by Tori Maia and Dr Ten, this manga is a must. As of thi moment Forever-More is the only scanlation site that hosts the manga, and it seems it'll be a long time before anyone is willing to publish it.
You can find volumes 1-4 on IRC here: http://www.forever-more.1-eurohost.com/
Volume five came out a short while ago so there should be files for that soon too.

Furuba Rama Link

Good Morning Everyone, I wanted to point out a new link that I have posted on our site this morning for Furuba Rama. This is a site that is especially dedicated to Furuba fans. I hope that you will all visit and enjoy the contents of Furuba Rama. To visit Furuba Rama simply click on there sign located on the sidebar. Have fun and enjoy!

Otaku Corner Welcomes Seph

Honey and Clover Friends

Otaku Corner is proud to welcome Seph aboard as our newest member. Seph will be posting various manga reviews and also be writing up everyone's favorite summaries for Fruits Basket. Seph will also be delighting us with her choice for Bishie of the month ocasionally as well. Otaku Corner is pleased that Seph has joined, and looks forward to her articles. Welcome aboard Seph.

The Disappearence of X and Bishonen of the Month

Yuto Kigai of X

Well X is my all time favorite manga, and like many other people I was disappointed to find out that it had been halted. To me personally I feel that the X manga is one of Clamp's best works. (With both XXXholic and Tsubasa running in second). It's been more then two years and there still has been no ending in sight to the X manga. Last we left of Kanoe had been murdered, Arashi went missing, Princess Hinoto is totally evil and the final battle between Kamui and Fuma had began. The point that the manga had ended at was Fuma holding a sword over Kamui who has now realized his final wish....argh.... Anyway according to a recent report X had decided to hold off the last chapters of the manga due to current events and natural diasters occuring in Japan at the time. Apparently the ending of X is extremely violent and many of the cast members die brutally due to natural diasters. As a result Clamp did not want to change the ending and decided it would be best to wait for another time to finish the ending. I hope to see the end of the X manga soon regardless of how tragic of an ending it is. It doesn't help either that Tsubasa Resevior Chronicle also features a whole bunch of X characters....but c'est la vie.

Bishonen of the Month
Incidently I chose the picture of Yuto because he is my favorite X character, his easy going nature and acceptance of his destiny as a Dragon of Earth is what I love most about him. His tarot card: The Devil. Yuto is a water master, he has the ability to control water, although most of the time he prefers to use a whip with blades at the ends for a weapon. Yuto like water tends to go with the flow, he decided to accept his destiny as a DOE because he felt it would be interesting. He has no real attachments and is a very happy go lucky guy. Yuto is actually a cross over character from some other CLAMP series. Yuto is very close to Kanoe and is actually one of the first DOE members she recruited. However even though he shares a closeness with Kanoe he is very much falling in love with Satsuki, a fellow DOE. I have heard that Yuto has a sister named Tomoe, however I have not gotten that far in the manga to be sure. Yuto's day job is a Civil Servant, however as Sorata once pointed out, Yuto looks like he should be working in the "Red Light District". Sorata is actually the first DOH that Yuto fights as he found Sorata to be quite amusing. In the anime Yuto is killed by Karen the flame master (Incidentally Satsuki is also killed by a jealous beast when she helps Yuto out during this fight). In the manga however he is still very much alive.

Fruits Basket Chapter 124

Well this was an interesting chapter....not alot of drama, just some sweet moments. This chapter starts off with Akito visiting Kureno in the hospital. Meanwhile at school Yuki and Haru are just hanging around discussing the fact that Tohru is now able to recieve vistors other then family members. Haru then notes thatMomiji probably skipped school for that very reason, to visit Tohru, and Yuki comments jokingly that Momiji's presence will probably bother Tohru. Meanwhile Kyo has his path blocked by Hana and Arisa, when Kyo kindly asks them to let him pass since he wants to visit Tohru, the ladies are shocked by his kind demeanor and even Arisa says that she may get a crush on him when he acts so kind. Kyo then asks them to cut to the chase and tell him what they want. Arisa then gets angry and tells Kyo that he has no right to visit Tohru, to which Kyo just comments that he is aware of that. Then Arisa says that some who is aware would not make comments about Tohru's disillusioned feelings. Kyo is shocked to hear that Arisa knows what he said to Tohru before her accident and turns to Yuki, who confesses that he did tell Arisa and Hana thinking that it would not cause this much trouble. Arisa the tells Kyo not to bother visiting Tohru and Hana says that he doesn't need to visit because he would just be giving her meaningless apologies, which she does not need to hear. Hana then goes on to say that Tohru is not blaming him so why is he blaming himself. Kyo then decides that before he can visit Tohru he needs to pull himself together and work things out in his head. As Hana and Arisa leave Haru tells Kyo that he is still taking the blame for everything, and Kyo just said it doesn't matter, having Hana and Arisa get mad at him helped a little. Meanwhile back at the hospital as Momiji is walking he sees Akito sitting on a bench and goes to sit down next to her asking her if she is there to visit Kureno or Tohru. Akito then says that Tohru and Kureno should be blaming her more then they are, they they are soft hearted fools. Momiji simply says that she's very lucky that they are like that, Akito gets away free from the blame. Then Akito starts crying and Momiji asks her why she is crying. Akito says that when she went to visit Kureno he just smiled at her, and she remeber how kindly he has always treated her, and that she always treated him poorly consuming his time. Akito then says she is mad at herself for her poor treatment of people. Akito remebers how Kureno would always accept her empty apologies, she doesn't understand how he easily forgave her for such unforgivable things. Momiji then tells Akito that from now on she should love and cherish those people around her. That it's very much like the foolish traveller. Akito looks at Momiji confused tto which he then tells her the story saying that after hearing it she will definately want to visit Tohru. As Momiji tells his story at the mainhouse we have a suprised Shigure, when he notices that Akito is missing from her room. Shigure is suprised to see that Akito has travelled alone to the hospital. Hatori then asks if something has changed between Akito and Tohru. Shigure says yes as he recalled the day of the accident when Akito sat on his porch talking to him. Back at the hospital Akito opens Tohru's hospital door only to her her sitting on the bed very much like how she imagined her at the banquet in her dream. Hatori meanwhile asks if Shigure plans went accordingly and Shigure replies that he does regret some things. Hatori asks him what are those some things he regrets. Shigure simply comments that he is coming to terms with that and that he has changed in some small ways as well. Back at the hospital Akito hesitates at the dorr of Tohru's room but as Tohru reaches out her hand to Akito, Akito moves foreward reaching out her hand to take Tohru's.

My Thoughts

Well this was an overall sweet chapter. It's nice to see that changes that have occured in Akito and to a lesser extent Shigure. I still am not sure what Shigure was trying to accomplish, maybe he wanted to free Akito from her bonds as the "God" of the zodiac, but I still hope to see some closure in there relationship. As for the Stupid cat he still needs to get his ass in gear, but I am glad to see Hana and Uo get on his case. Momiji was great in this chapter as well. I always felt that Momiji's innocent demeanor really hides how truly mature he is. Well the next chapter is scheduled to be released April 5th. Here's hoping for a Kyoru chapter....lol. Anyway leave me your comments and thoughts as usual. I love to hear them.

Fruits Basket Chapter 123

Sorry I have not posted anything lately; however I am just swamped because of this anatomy and physiology class I am taking, it's horrible. Well anyway this chapter was not as intense as the last, and while I was a little disappointed by this chapter at least Yuki is able to get Kyo to get his ass in gear. This chapter starts off with Yuki who has been staying by Tohru’s side at the hospital. Eventually Grandpa Honda arrives and tells Yuki that he can go home. Before Yuki leaves however Grandpa is curious as to if Kyo is aware that Tohru is injured; as he would have expected Kyo to be by Tohru’s side. Yuki then says that Kyo is the one that makes her cry and is a total fool, however he is the only one who is adequate for Tohru, more so then he will ever be. At the main house Shigure as brought Akito back home. Kagura along with Kisa inquire about Tohru and Kureno whereabouts while Hatori checks in on Akito. Meanwhile other zodiac members are doing there own thing. When Yuki gets home, is surprised to find Haru visiting. Haru comments that Tohru’s accident is the topic at the main house and that many family members are concerned. Haru goes on to mention how the news shocked Rin, and the makes an inappropriate comment about her increase in breast size. Haru then says he is visiting out of concern for Yuki and Tohru; saying that Kyo would not tell him how Tohru is doing. This pissses Yuki off, who goes upstairs past Shigure who just walked in; looking for Kyo saying at this point in time his issues do not matter. Yuki barges into Kyo’s room demanding to know why he did not go to see Tohru, Kyo’s response is that Yuki can do whatever he wanted, but his presence would only bring pain to Tohru. That stupid cat then goes on to say that Yuki should be with Tohru. This leads to the house being torn apart upstairs because the two are obviously fighting and Haru amusingly just asks Shigure if they can order take out; ignoring the drama unfolding upstairs. In the middle of the fight Kyo yells out that he wished he was more like Yuki. This pisses Yuki off even more, who yells that he always wanted to be more like Kyo. Yuki is so pissed to the point that he starts beating the shit out of Kyo until Kyo finally decides to block some punches. Yuki then goes on to say that they can only be themselves and no one else, and that they have to accept who they are. Yuki in his anger destroys parts of the house saying to Kyo that he has always been protecting Tohru by doing little things. They way Kyo made her smile, they way he made her laugh, just by being with her everyday he was protecting her. Yuki then goes on to say that if he were by Tohru’s side, she would not feel the same way she does when Kyo is by her side. Yuki then tells Kyo to get up and stop being a stupid cat. Kyo leaves and Yuki just comments on how he hates people like that. Yuki meanwhile comments on how it would be nice to go through life never stepping on the wrong path, however Haru comes upstairs interrupting Yuki’s inner monologue to check in on his well being. Eventually Yuki, Shigure and Haru are eating dinner when Shigure inquiring about Kyo’s whereabouts comments that the visiting hours at the hospital are over. Yuki just mumbles that Kyo really and truly is an idiot and that Uo and Hana need to teach him a lesson. Meanwhile that stupid cat is in front of the hospital on his hands and knees realizing that the hospital visiting hours are over.

My Thoughts

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID CAT! I had honestly thought Kyo had worked through his issues in the last chapter, obviously not. This chapter made me seriously pissed off at Kyo, I wanted to be the one to kick his ass with Yuki. Seriously he should have been the first one in the hospital, what a dumbass. I think Yuki is right when he says that Kyo is the only one who really needs to be with Tohru, because with him she is truly happy. I was happy to see that Kyo and Yuki finally confessed what they really feel for each other is admiration, I feel there is some resolution between them in this chapter, as we get closer to the end of Fruits Basket. For me this chapter didn't really do much other then resolve some tension between Kyo and Yuki, as well as get Kyo's ass into gear. Well the next chapter is scheduled to release on March 20th, so hopefully I will have my summary up. As before leave me your comments, thoughts, whatever, I love to hear everyone's opinion on this chapter.