ms Fujiwara, thank you for coming back so soon

just when I was going to write my predictions about the new manga by miss Fujiwara, I check  facebook and see...

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-01-23/maid-sama-s-fujiwara-begins-yuki-wa-jigoku-ni-ochiru-no-ka-manga#J5wLUY0Z8fxzpm30.01

haha, I was almost sure she would make the new manga center on a boy rather than girl, so that's my mistake. my only mistake, though, since the inclination towards mystery was pretty visible in the one-shots ms Fujiwara has published so far, so that was predictable enough

I hope kind people will keep on scanning and uploading raw LaLa. I have nothing but to hope...

Associations

It's so hard to immerse yourself in reality when every single word said, every item, every sound  makes you remember one certain artwork, because situations described there were so diverse.
You simply pronounce 'there' in Japanese, and hear Usui say 'I wiped myself with your towel there, and there, and even there', and Misaki shouting 'Yukimura, you're supposed to be angry, not to blush here!'
You notice the word 'Tochigi' while looking through a news website, and remember Misaki being worried 'Did he say 'maid'?! Oh, 'made in Tochigi'...'
You see words in Japanese written in both hiragana and katakana, and remember how ms Fujiwara answered the question about the proper reading of her surname by writing it in hiragana, katakana and romaji. 

You see your friend wearing spectacles, and remember Misaki crossdressing, in wig and spectacles.

You are asked by a person at the Japanese goods fair whether the green tea is expensive for Japanese or not, and you recall how Ayuzawa family won a tea box in a lottery.

You open your old notebook which is made in Japan, and is very cute, and remember how Misaki noticed a sale in a stationery shop and was so happy to have bought a cheap notebook.

The world around is filled with memories. I wonder if 後ろ向き is a proper antonym for 前向き. 'Pessimistic' is a good words, but the Japanese one is more precise. It says 'looking backwards'.

goodbye, Master, fare thee well

not even a single detail was disappointing, unlike what I was fearing. the graphics looked a bit strange, maybe, but did not lose its charm. the story did not become dull, the characters did not change into completely different people, and the happy ending was not too sickly sweet.

I could not wish for a better ending. that's what I wanted to be able to say when I finish reading.

probably, I could. you see, there are so many things I haven't seen in the manga, even though there are whole 85 chapters. however, now I cannot complain. everything is ok, just as it should be

and I am not crying. you know, I am not. no, I am not... I am... I am trying... not to...

ab invito ~ ms Fujiwara, thank you so much for these 2 years and 2 months

having a strong intuition - take it as you like, the socionical one, or the usual one - has both advantages and disadvantages. the good side is that you know what comes next and you are ready for it. it does not work for me often, though. nevertheless, intuition has an unpleasant side, too

after I knew that the current arch of the manga is the last, I persuaded myself that an 'arch' in manga is something that lasts a dozen of chapters, which means I can spend one more happy year with it. I could even prove it with my logic. when the mangaka took a break for one month, I also took a break. when the manga was back the next month, I decided to prolong my break and wait one more month. the next month came and I decided that I could not read the new chapter because it would make me closer to the finish, which was not scheduled yet. then the next month came and I thought there was a good opportunity for me - to wait until the manga ends and read all the last chapters starting from the one after the mangaka's break to the very end. however, the moment I realised this opportunity, I was scared. why? because I guessed exactly how it would be. I could try to persuade myself once more that there will be some more chapters, I could try to shut my eyes to that, I could try to ignore that fear, but it was late. I already realised what would happen next: there will be some more chapters, few enough to count them with fingers on only one hand, and there will be an end. I could not believe it, I would not want to believe it, but I was aware it will be this autumn. against my own will, but naturally, I did not start reading until today, therefore not noticing the inscription on the 83th chapter cover saying there were only 3 chapters left until the end
and today, when I opened Facebook to check my friend Ann's activity, I read ms Fujiwara's posts by chance, and realised it is the end

it is hard to pretend you are surprised when your subconsciousness has been whispering the truth to you all the time. if it were like a bolt from the blue, I would probably be able to cry and feel refreshed. but it wasn't like that. it crept up, slowly, gradually, it did not come from somewhere, it was born within me and grew up from a mere guess to the absolute confidence, no matter how hard I tried to suppress it. if someone said to me that I am wrong and I needn't hope for the better, I would hit him, but when it is your own mind that tells you that, there is nothing you can do but to admit your defeat

it is so strange. next week I have an important work as a guide which I have to prepare for, and today I have a translation to finish, but that seems so insignificant

I have finished listening to Siam Shade's discography and those moments when I found a song I could die listening to will never repeat. I will have finished reading Maid-sama within the next few days, and the moments of bliss of the new chapter coming out will never repeat. so many other masterpieces I have already discovered - I will never discover them as if they were new to me

IMHO. KWMS ch 82 ~ is it how 'twas supposed to be?

this stupid feeling when you open the mangaka's FB page, suddenly panic that you must download the raw magazine ASAP, but then remember understand you have already read the chapter... 3 times...

The most dangerous thing would be if the last arc had no adventures - the ones that were so attractive in the beginning and lasted through the middle. Misaki should constantly be involved in different troubles and face different challenges - otherwise KWMS is no longer KWMS. It started as an interest towards an anime with a kiss scene, but grew into something different - my feeling about KWMS, I mean. After KYAAAAHing over Usui - an inevitable thing when you watching KWMS for the first time, and even for the second - I finally realised I no longer go into any raptures over romantic moments. I don't mean I began to dislike them, and it's not that I consider them odd or simmering, I mean they are no longer my entire purpose of reading. By the end of her manga ms Fujiwara taught me to love her work as a 'work about people and their life', not simply 'my favourite shoujo'. To be precise, KWMS stopped being shoujo for me long ago - it is just that the real, thorough and strong understanding of this came to me now. I am not awaiting for one more kiss. I am enjoying a scene that makes my heart skip a beat and breathing - difficult, because of the tension, of the strong true feelings. I only hope it lasts till the very end. Fujiwara-sensei, don't lose yourself. Don't betray me

finally I get KWMS ch 80 ~ a bunch of thoughts

loving someone makes us vulnerable. loving something is the same

you expect it to be published on the 23rd, then you expect it to be scanned and to be uploaded on 26th, but it is not. you hope until 28th, you endure until 30th, you finally put up with the fact that you have no raws this month on 31st, but then...

probably everyone knows that in order to get something one wants badly one has to give up entirely - and then it comes down into his hands like manna from heaven. too bad to those of you who do not speak Russian, as you do not know what the 'law of meanness' is, though Sod's Law would be close

after reading 15 original volumes and being able to read raw LaLa for 3 months, being forced to read translation this month seems like a sacrilege

before the chapter comes out life has no meaning because you are all anticipation. after you have read it life has no meaning because you are all exhaustion

there are works that entertain you and you feel sad when they end because you no longer have your fun and joy. there are works that inspire you and when you finish them you feel pain because they were so beautiful and perfect. there are works that make you think over something deep and philosophical, and when you finish them you are somewhat depressed but then you feel lightness because you understood something important

and finally there are things that have become your daily bread supporting your existence. what are you supposed to do when you finish them?

IMHO. Kaichou wa Maidsama ch 81 ~ everything has to change, everything is gone

Momoe Yamaguchi has a great song called 'omoide no mirage' - 'a mirage of memories'

it has the following line - 'everything has to change, everything is gone'

how timely 'tis that I recalled some of her songs, including this one, when I read the 81st chapter of KWMS

the greatest disappointment in any long manga would be when the last chapters turn into a completely different story from what it was in the beginning. 'tis what happened with RuroKen. though the additional 'Hanami' chapter was an example of a perfect happy ending - with all the main characters gathering together, and the only one unable to come sending a letter, so that the reader understands that they live in peace and happiness. and I would be extremely happy to see this, if not for the third arc, where Misao was left behind, Kaoru was expelled from the main team and turned into the usual 'princess awaiting for her knight to come and save her', and the male characters were suddenly granted something verging on a superpower

moreover, I was absolutely unhappy with what happened with the mangaka's art, and I still prefer his immature style in the first several volumes

from then on, I developed an easy way to determine whether the manga is 'drained' or not. you just need to compare the beginning with the latest chapters. in terms of art, Fujiwara-sensei has surely progressed, though I would agree that the best art was somewhere in the middle of the manga. in terms of the story, everything goes smoothly and naturally. then, why did I have that awful feeling of despair after reading the chapter?

even though Misaki is still the usual determined, active, demanding leader, shouting when she has and feeling awkward when something happens, there is a great change in her. unlike, probably, many people, I prefer characters like Misaki stay unchanged. others may call such changes an 'improvement'. I call them - giving in to the environment. and Misaki choosing jurisprudence as her future field of study and work only because it gives her a prestigious, respectable position in the society, Misaki thinking whether she would become an official so that she would have a stable job - this was almost a fail

what saved the chapter from a complete disaster was Usui's position - as usual, he reminded Misaki that she need not burden herself with what she does not want to do, and that she can choose anything she wants because she can do anything she addresses. if not for this part of the chapter, I would be very sad, and I would feel betrayed by Fujiwara-sensei. however, by the last several pages she returned things to what they have always used to be - overdoing, concerned, hard-working Misaki and Usui, making her slow down a little

after I reread the chapter once more, I calmed down a little. as for now, the main line is still preserved and the characters' axes are not ruined. I hope it will never happen during the following several chapters

p. s.

fans often say there are many things that could be depicted in the manga. at first I was not paying attention to such comments, but these days I cannot help thinking about all the possible events, arcs, happenings that will never be drawn. there are lots of questions already existing, and there are a lot of things that might appear here or there. none of them will be explained. I have to give up. and this is a difficult thing for a LII/INTj with Intuition of possibilities as the second strong function

translation. from Fujiwara Hiro's blog ~ Fujiwara-sensei... you are really going to end the manga, huh...

2 AM. the meaning does not reach me instantly. I have to reread the whole post once more. the same as when Kiriya Hiromu announced her retirement. however, this time I am probably more prepared. I was absolutely aware that this is coming soon

yes, I am more prepared... I must be... I thought I would be...

Garnet Crow's 'Happy Days?' currently playing. what a mockery. 'happy days'. and question mark in the end

translation of the official blog post

'Maid-sama' 80th chapter is published. I feel like 'ei... eightieth chapter already?' When I think of it, I have come this far!

In 2005 the first chapter was born as a non-serialised story, then in 2006 it was made into a serial one, and in a blink of an eye 7 years have passed.

My first serial story, my first comics, the first making of a drama CD and the first making of an anime based on it, all of this was a precious experience to me which I am thankful for, and at last even a poster was made - I was able to see all these daring challenges.

Thanks to this work, I was able to participate in autograph sessions both in Japan and abroad, and this 7-year-long experience is not something I can describe simply.

However, every work has to be finished sometime.

And so, starting from the next issue is the last arch!

As for me, I have been drawing this manga aiming for the end for several years... and last year, I could finally see the definite time of the end of this work.

Even if the author himself moves forward in a fumbling way without seeing what is further, when the characters start acting according to their own intentions, I feel I am dictated by those characters.

I feel like all of the characters have their own habits, and there are both times when one can sympathise with and disagree with their respective thoughts and beliefs, their way of life, so I want to go on drawing them so that they could live in their own way until the end, and I would be truly happy if you supported me until the end.

Until the end, keeping the 'Maid-sama' style!

I want to keep doing my best!

So, in the next issue there will be more coloured pages published!

I am hoping to rely on your support!
_____
the first person able to kill me has done it. Fujiwara-sensei, 'tis your turn

some thoughts on KwMs ch 79

Feb. 23. I suddenly realise the next chapter is about to come out

Feb. 24. 'tis not scanned by anyone yet

Feb. 25. Chinese raws are out and people speculate about the meaning of the last pages. succumbing to the rumours I look through the Chinese raws. this is the first and the last time I look at manga pages in a language I do not understand. 'tis also the last time I read any forums with rumours, opinions and speculations

Feb. 26. I remember last month the chapter was uploaded exactly on 26th

Feb. 27. I finally found it on raw-hunters. just one hour to download the huge archive and it will be mine

Feb. 27, evening. as I thought, Fujiwara-sensei did not betray me. the story develops the same as before, and if it does not cultivate this sweetness any longer, then it will be all right in the future as well

Feb. 28. I have reread the chapter several times already. I wonder if I shall do a rough translation myself? since I have been willing to translate just anything for a week now

Feb. 29. meseems, I need not. the chapter is translated and uploaded already

Mar. 4. shall I go and read the English version? there were a few phrases that seemed difficult for me in terms of translation, it would be helpful to read how other people interpret their meaning. mangafox webpage. KwMs page...

Mar. 4, 10 minutes later. did I not decide not to read forums anymore? did I not promise myself to stop paying attention to what other people think? it never leads to anything good. 'tis a bad habit, nothing more

I thank my beloved 'husband' +Арагорн Араторнович for listening to my complains and supporting me when I got totally fed up and pissed off with KYAAAHHH-ing fangirls. U-chan, without your sympathy and understanding I do not know what would become of me. I am so happy to have you, who always agrees with me on this topic

妄想、想像

http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/maidsama/contest/grandprix.html

there was one line I remember clearly in the chapter 'Maid Latte backyard'. the manager, Satsuki, said something like 'I want to have bright dreams about them, not imagine the reality!'

if this is how they would look in the reality, then I join Satsuki-san...

my humble opinion on 'Kaichou wa Maid-sama' manga ~ one of a kind

I have already written a long post about KwMs manga, but I erased it. 'twas no longer necessary to describe all the aspects and do a comprehensive analysis. I better simply name particular points I like

• humour

a lot of shoujo mangas are completely bereaved of it. and that can be either good or bad. serious shoujo verging on drama are also necessary in this world, I believe. and still prefer the ones with humour
this is not the case when the story is deliberately, artificially made humorous. Fujiwara-sensei seems to have a natural aptitude to making everything fun. how did she think up the 3 idiots thing? why did she create Yukimura as a character constantly seen to be 'just a little too womanlike'?
not only characters and their behaviour is funny, but also the author's manner of speaking. do you read author's comments within the chapters and in 'closing time'? 'tis a bit difficult to understand handwritten Japanese to me, but I force myself to do it and sometimes receive a huge amount of pleasure as a feedback
once Fujiwara-sensei was asked 'did someone think up the like 'Usui you perverted alien' for you?' and she says - 'I thought it up myself. why?' with that 'why' closer to 'you have any objections/complaints/doubts?'
next time when asked 'who writes the characters' profile?' she answers 'I write them myself. sometimes I write with my left hand'
she does not even forget to use the fact that KwMs is published in 'LaLa' magazine

and I have seen an arrow used in the text for the first time

I wonder if I am the only one who is enjoying this kind of humour...?

• characters' depth

how many layers of characters are there usually in a manga? the main character is of course in the middle of attention, his close friends/family/lover(s?) are also described in detail. sometimes family and friends are a bit more distant and seem to be less important. classmates, fellows, friends of friends, casually encountered people are left behind. what we see in KwMs is thorough development of all the possible sides. vice-president and his sister, delinquent from the former school of Shirokawa, 2 guys who hit Miyabigaoka guys - they all have personalities. was I blind before or KwMs is really deep in terms of character development?
moreover, many of them deserve my respect. this is a rare thing which I remember happening only in case I was reading shounens like RuroKen or Letter Bee

• main couple

I wonder if I am wrong in thinking that popularity of shoujo as a genre is based on the fact that it presents male characters as guys whom the female audience wants to have for themselves, and female characters are portrayed the way that the readers can identify with themselves? in other words, reading shoujo manga makes girls feel as if they were inside the story
when I was younger we had a special kind of entertainment with my friends who watched anime. we made lists of our 'husbands' - bishies whom we liked. my list was perhaps the longest, but the principle was simple - he's cool? then he's in the list. if this entertainment survived until last year there's no doubt Usui would be in it
the older I grew the more I understand that not all of my 'husbands' were 'my type'. coolness is ok but should not there be something else?
from the very beginning I knew Usui was not my type. and I knew Misaki was not me. the more I read the manga the more I love these characters, but I am far from them. therefore, KwMs is not a story to replace my own reality with. 'tis a story about people whom I like and whom I wish all the best as if they were my acquaintances

• just momentary images

I must not lie that romance has nothing to do with me reading this manga, it would be absurd. however my favourite moments in the manga are not exactly the 'romantic ones'. KwMs fans like to discuss which of the kisses they like best. I am out of this conversation. since there are too many I better post them separately huh?

• mood-maker and lifesaver

December, the last month of the semester. this time - the last month of the last semester, too. if not for KwMs I would be completely exhausted and broken and sad. thanks to it, I am alive. this is true. Fujiwara-sensei is a soul-reviver

graphics

the manga graphics look a bit strange for a shoujo. it has a little of a feeling that this is not a manga by female mangaka. of course I like ephemeral styles of Saitou Chiho, or Takeuchi Naoko, but a manga with graphics less shoujo-like is not worse in any sense. I adore its simplicity and its strength, and I admit its influence on me. the only frustrating thing is that Fujiwara-sensei, as some other mangakas, tends to simplify her style. Watsuki-sensei ended up with too simple lines that the fans were dissatisfied with. Fujiwara-sensei is unfortunately also moving that direction

conclusion
to hell with conclusions. I do not want to write any when it comes to KwMs

KwMS fav moments ~ oh, what a trivial post title...

first I put some favourite moments of mine into the post 'my humble opinion...', but I realized I cannot make it even longer. so I decided to create a separate collection of my favourite moments in the manga and anime (where actually they are repeated with almost 100% precision)

first I wrote down funny moments like this

Seika High School Astounding Perfect Person

Usui Takumi

- smart

- handsome

- good in sports

- professional (?) cook

- pheromone emission

- immortal body

*although there are rumours circulating that he is not human, this remains unconfirmed

chapter 28.5

when Misaki approached Usui to present him as an unfaithful prince, the dialogue

- hahaha, yes, I toy and XXX and OOO with women

- don't you deliver such a delicate phrase in front of an elementary schooler!

(if you don't know, XXX and OOO are the ways how Japanese replace the offensive or improper words)

however, my main interest are the touching moments with a considerable amount of psychological insight. as I said, Fujiwara-san has a good knowledge of people's feelings and emotions, and she is really outstanding in portraying them. lines, actions and reactions of the characters are far from stereotypical and plain and show the depth of their souls. a rare thing for a shoujo, eh?

unfortunately, I don't remember the numbers of the chapters very well (perhaps I will check them later), but take a look at the scene where Suzuna comes to Seika. when she is asked why she chose the same school as her elder sister, she answers first - 'I just felt that family should stick to each other...' but then adds that this was just a proper reason that a good younger sister should say, and the real reason was the low fees. however, between these two lines of Suzuna we are able, thanks to the author's efforts, to capture Usui's face expression. the first words of Suzuna hit the nail on the head. imagine what those words sound like to Usui who had no such family to stick to. this was pretty similar to when he helped Misaki's mother and got treated at her house. in the end of the chapter he gets gloomy so that even Misaki is worried. she supposes this was due to the fact she came with Hinata. however, I doubt Hinata was the real reason. Usui was already impressed enough by the atmosphere in the house which was completely opposite to what he experienced. I cannot name Misaki's family a very strong bounded one - this is natural, as the family is not very happy. still, the atmosphere in the house was rather warm. therefore, I do appreciate moments when Fujiwara-san lets us know not only the shoujo side of the manga shown from Misaki's side, but the side of Usui, enabling us to understand his loneliness which was not a primary reason for his behaviour, but obviously catalyzed his actions

*to be continued*

my humble opinion on 'kaichou wa maid-sama' ~ I never read or watch ongoings!

can this count as criteria to decide what are you favourite works - the fact that you make an exception to your rules and start watching/reading an ongoing, despite that you were previously against this?

plot and characters

I cannot deny the obvious. KwMS is shoujo. shoujo has its own characteristics. shoujo may seem a bit far from reality. in the end, I started watching the anime because of the very fact that I wanted a romance, I wanted a shoujo. however, this is more than a simple shoujo for me. I have watched and read dozens of shoujo works, but this one is special

why?

'cause this shoujo is not entirely shoujo. at least, not the ordinary one

why?

as many have noticed (therefore, this is not purely my subjective opinion), Misaki is not the typical  shoujo character, fragile and wanting to be constantly protected and taken care of in a huge war between human and monsters that involves the whole universe... nor she is an all-forgiving 'maiden in love' who is unable to oppose others, including the 'male protagonist'. this fact was perhaps the main reason why I like KwMS so much

another reason came to me after I spent quite a time with this work. both anime and manga have one very important characteristic. they apply to my condition of verisimilitude - there is only one 'imagine that...', only one assumption, and the rest of the story never crosses the borders of realism. moreover, this assumption is not expressed in '...that such a person exists' speaking of any character in the story, including Usui. everybody in KwMs looks like a normal person - yes, there are such people, there must be such people, even if they are rare species. unlike ordinary shoujo stories where characters are absolutely ideal, or at least ideal for a certain part of the audience, characters in KwMs are not assumed to exist, they do. instead, the assumption we face is - 'imagine that all these guys have been able to meet due to...' - attending the same school, working together, living in the neighbourhood, etc. this coincidence is far more acceptable. they were able to meet, however strange or miraculous it might seem, but why not? the probability theory is inexorable. the chance of their meeting was small - but we cannot say there was no. the only fact we have to assume is that this chance out of many others came to reality
speaking of romance, sometimes rough statistics can help to understand the contents better. how many kisses there were in the anime? only 2. how many hugs? I remember only 1. how many other touching moments that made my heart beat fast? uncountable. this romance is about true feelings, not about watching a crowd of bishies fighting for one useless main heroine
speaking of other characters than Misaki and Usui, they could be really poorly done, taking into account the genre. an average shoujo work makes only those characters important who relate to the main heroine in a way of either being her own rival, or being a rival of her beloved. a more serious shoujo may have a group of characters supporting the heroine and a group of her 'enemies' in some way. this is what we have in KwMs, and those characters are beautifully portrayed. also, note the number of the 'third line' - not only the closest surroundings of Misaki is done in detail, but even Satsuki's sister, the beach house owner, or the guys who were involved in incident with Miyabigaoka, etc. unexpected depth for a shoujo

humour

I rarely create an additional paragraph in my reviews, but KwMs has a special aspect I must describe. the greatest contributor to this side of KwMs is, of course, Sakurai Hiroaki-sama. this person should be carved in stone so that other anime directors know whom to follow up. I adore his DGC, and while watching KwMS I recognized so many elements that he cherished and kept alive through these years - the overall feeling of light humour in every episode and things like
SD

the inscriptions inside the frame of the video

 funny faces and sound effects

 different (ir)relevant objects

KwMs is able to make fun of everything including irrelevant characters which are usually created in all seriousness

including also proper names - instead of thinking up of some name, they emphasise the level of ridiculousness of the situation

and including Usui himself. while bishies in other shoujo works prove to be cool with how they are wielding ancient swords or modern bats, riding horses or bikes, Usui proves his coolness with... breaking an egg

this is what I call self-critical attitude and appreciate greatly

graphics

I have never been a fan of JCStaff, however this studio is responsible for many good animes I watched. and they were good in terms of graphics no less than anything else. pleasant to watch and bright enough to cheer you up
the characteristic feature is that the moving objects are done in a usual manner but the backgrounds are all pencil and watercolour

and some of the frames are so obviously special

music
Mizuno Saaya-san is not an outstanding singer, so I cannot say I am particularly happy with the opening theme, but 'tis not too bad, either
the REAL balm for my soul was the using of heidi.'s two songs. visual-key-rock is not a usual accompaniment for a shoujo, huh? since then, I am their fan!
another delighting thing is the background music. pretty, suitable, absolutely 'hitting the bull's eye' of every moment in the anime. though most of the OSTs are not really suitable for separate listening, the more I watch some scenes from the anime, the more I understand that the background music is absolutely perfect accompaniment for all the scenes
what I liked a lot is the album with YumeMishi songs - the singer is a seiyuu, again, but he DOES sound like a professional singer and his voice was ぴったり - absolutely fitting - for his character, a rock band leader and vocalist. 'yume no hana' is one of my favourite songs
are there any shortcomings at all in KwMs? oh yes, they are character image singles. really boring, I could not even listen to any of them from the beginning to the end. not bad, but not good. just... mediocre. especially comparing them with the 'virtual live' album. well, at least all the seiyuus are good at singing unlike many other popular seiyuus who only scream or squeak or pronounce their lines instead of singing them (I particularly dislike Working!! OPEDs. all of them)

seiyuus
I almost forgot to write this paragraph because there is nothing to say actually. they are all absolutely gorgeous and realistic. everybody was 'at the right place'. especially exciting 'tis to hear Fujimura after I heard her as Niche in 'Tegamibachi', or Asumi after I heard her as Popura in 'Working'. if you want to enjoy the seiyuu's work even more, you absolutely MUST listen to the audio dramas. while anime was thrilling enough, dramas are even more embarrassing. several times I paused the track because I was either laughing from the funny situation and perfect implementation of it by seiyuus, or I was especially impressed by some particular intonation, or I wanted to listen to a phrase which was hard to understand because a lot of difficult words were pronounced with high speed or I was nose-bleeding because of Okamoto. audio dramas are rarely THAT good for me
 

conclusion

I can open whatever episode and start watching without exhaustion and boredom. both the romance and the funny elements belong to the kind you can reread and rewatch many times and enjoy them more and more. I love this work more than anything, and there are only a few others that can stand on the same position

IT IS NOT my humble opinion on 'kaichou wa maid-sama'

right now 'tis half past 1 AM and I have to get up in 4 hours. therefore, my 'thorough analysis' - well, my humble opinion on this beautiful manga will be somewhen next time

I am just overly happy with chapter #71 released and translated. somehow this is the manga that really supports me. 'tis there when I need it, realistic and fantastic at the same time. of course the list of what I like is not limited to it, but the delight it brings to me every time is just so... indispensable? ^.^

my humble opinion on 'transparent world' by Fujiwara Hiro

after reading 'kaichou' I felt an urge to get acquainted with the style of Fujiwara-sensei

her graphics I consider great, and the most important point here is that it looks a little slipshod, almost like that of an amateur, but nevertheless 'tis a style, not the lack of it which gives such an impression

another point I appreciate greatly is that we can see progress, not regress as the chapters of 'kaichou' increase in numbers, unlike Watsuki-sensei whose style became so simplyfied and ugly that most 'Kenshin' fans complained about this fact and wished the style stayed as 'twas in the beginning

my delight with reading 'kaichou' was so great that I decided to search for more. unfortunately, there is only one oneshot available in the web (am I mistaken? are there any other?), so my pleasure did not last for long, but what a pleasure 'twas!

'transparent world' is that kind of oneshots which present a short slice of life, but express the idea greatly. though I am not fan of sad stories like this, I was able to read it to the end, and I liked it much more than a happy-ending 'tsuki no shippo' which I finished this week (BTW I did not even feel like reading the prequel of it)

the idea we have this time is simple and trite, and the manga tells us how we should appreciate the life we have and live it to the fullest, spending our time in joy of everyday activities, the explanation of this being offered as a boy who died just 5 days before his birthday and stayed in this world as a ghost because he was so determined to live until the birthday comes. I would never be touched by such a simple plot if not for the style I am speaking of so frequently. and the style was present, 'twas almost tangible there

at the same time, I feel sorry for being unable to explain what I mean by 'style' this time. no sudden turns in the storyline, no unexpected lines of the characters, no special surprises or whatever, only the fact that every frame there was full of deep feelings and made me cry a little in the end

conclusion

the only fact I can state for sure is that among all the oneshots (or not oneshots) full of fanservice and cheap tricks to please the readers this one is the 'real' one and worthy of reading