#hana to kurage no refrain

[tsukiyadori]

Reading+Listening(+Watching) Log 2024.10 - October

Previous: Reading+Listening Log 2024.09 - September

Just look at that cover. It's breathtaking. (And the chapters that are going to be in there had me gulp twice.) Coming out November 20th 2024!

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Reading languages: German, English, French, Japanese, not listing which was what. (There’s also been some feeble attempts at Chinese, but that was more music.)

Titles are as I’ve read them either first or most and thus remember it for that title mostly

Not going to bother putting in the original titles of translated reads unless there is something worthy of note to it

Cursive titles have been completed

If it says a volume number, it may mean it has been finished or is still in progress

Some notes’ content may be subject to repetition here and there, as I also copied some older notes from casual conversations over and didn’t go through any rounds of cutting things down.

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October

A fairly short month this time.

I completely fell off reading anything from Manga Apps again…

I wholly expected this month to be as good as a pure Kemutai Hanashi month for several reasons, and I did sit before it, some of it, all of it, a good deal of it, but still somehow I didn't quite get on to finish that plan. The reason could be best described as 'trepidation'. Like you know it is great, it's going to hit somewhere in between hard, home, compf and wholesome and then go on to inspire something new, unknown, hopeful, maybe. And the prospect was suddenly weirdly daunting in a way, which I noticed this month as being the same reason, I let even a number of those pixiv chapters that were behind comicnettai pile up. I think that's probably because all the reservations I held over this series have fallen off. I still remember how I started the series and knew immediately it was very good and beautiful, but also there was a vague, but persistent veil of skepticism. Because. It's just too good to be true, is it? Turns out, it actually is indeed true. Ever after that bomb-like chapter 12 dropped, I felt like this was one of those titles that, had it existed earlier, had I known it earlier, could have been a game changer to some of the turns my life have taken in the past. Turns out, it's probably still going to have this sort of role anyway in some other ways looking forward. Which is to say, I am really quite looking forward to things coming.

No (classfied) this month. Actually, I've been missing it a bit, as I wound up quite liking it...

Light Novels/Web Novels/Asian Novels:

A Certain Magical Index NT v1 Clockwork Clues: When Death Comes Ticking Contest sample Global Examination Rosmei Preview I Met You After the End of the World v3 Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? v10 Mein ruhiges Leben als Schmied in einer anderen Welt V1p1 Sasaki & Peeps v1 The Apothecary Diaries v3 The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters V1p1-6 The Isolator v5 The Saint's Magic Power is Omipotent LN v1 Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! v1

Manga:

An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride ch64-65 Beastars v19-22 Burberry x Blue Period Dead Mount Death Play v8 Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu ch114-115 Domestic na Kanojo v21-23 Dr. Stone v9, v23-27, v3, v10 Flüster mir eine Liebeslied v2, v6-8 Fuwafuwa Therapist ch1-3, ch12, ch11 Haikyu v44 Hana to Kurage to Refrain ch1-2.1 Hell Mode v4, v5 I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! (Manga) Ch4-v2 Kemutai Hanashi ch1-4, reading and re-reading all over the place in between up to ch31 Knitter's High ch31.1-3 Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata Ch88 Liebe ist (k)ein Wettkampf v3, v5 Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsusuru ch35 Moriarty the Patriot v2ch7 Mr. Mallow Blue ch32 Natsume to Natsume ch1-4 Shinigami no Hanayome - Yomei 7-nichi kara no Koufuku ch1-3 Sonna Kazoku nara Sutechaeba? ch79-81 The Heroic Legend of Arslan v16 Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi ch41-42.2

Webtoons:

Silent Lover ch196-204(S2ch54-62) Taberare Usa ch123

Movie Recaps/Essays

Raise the Red Latern Moon Man

Music/Music Videos:

Zhou Shen - Shenself - 02 - 蜃楼 Mirage

Zhou Shen - Shenself - 08 - 缝合

Zhou Shen - Shenself - 11 - 没关系

Zhou Shen - 我的答案

Zhou Shen - 人是_ (电影《流浪地球2》定义主题曲)

Zhou Shen, Terry Zhong - 春雪

Zhou Shen - Endless Sailing（电视剧《三体》主题曲）

Zhou Shen - 永恒孤独（《三体》电视剧主题曲）

G.E.M. - 面壁者 (《三体》动画片尾主题曲)

谭维维 - 歌者 《三体》广播剧最终季主题曲

咻咻满 - 《歌者 Singer》 Cover 【三体 Three Body Problem】 广播剧最终季主题曲

咻咻满 - 《奇点》 三体 同人印象曲

Zhou Shen - 浮光

TommyMuzzic - Different Kind Of Beautiful

TommyMuzzic - Different Kind Of Beautiful (8D Audio)

Alec Benjamin - Different Kind Of Beautiful (Piano Version)

Alec Benjamin - Different Kind Of Beautiful

redrose - Isolated (feat. Ivri)

redrose - memories

redrose - Origins - 01 - Held on a Thread

redrose - serene moments

redrose - A World Gone Blue (feat. Elle)

Notes:

Kemutai Hanashi ch1-4, reading and re-reading snippets all over the place in between up to ch31: Chapter 30/31 sorts of kinda hit home, with how Arita is stuck with mulling over the question of "what would it change" and finding the answer, that... really doesn't solve anything, but still feels like a bucket of cold water thrown over. I had an episode of that in 2022 myself, (my version that question was pretty much an alternate translation of Arita's question, "What diffrence would it make?"), and after a few weeks to month brooding over it the answer was the same: What a dumb question. Of course it'd make a difference. A whole world's worth of it. And maybe at the same time it doesn't really. (For now anyway, however long "now" will last.) Now 2022 really isn't that long ago, and this series has even existed by then and I was even reading it, but darn did I wondern what would have been, if it had started serializing a bit more early.

I asked a stupid question. "What would it change" Of course it would change things. Other than that I begun my (very throughout) 're-read' up to ch4. And I did already know this series was very scenic and doing a lot of still life scenes that just showed literal slices of their life. But I think on my first read I completely underestimated just how much it was. Actually it's more like almost cinematic with all the little details that are just shown, the many little sounds that are there here and there at the sides, especially many of those still scenes with no dialogue. It may be still scenes and moments, but it's definitely not actually 'still' and in unmoving or still as in quiet or inanimate. It gives just a clear air of where they are living (and the series is very much certainly very Japanese in all those details.)

A Certain Magical Index NT v1: There is no Touma in this volume so far and that makes it (unsurprisingly) far more insteresting. Pretty much because it means there is no Index in action there. (She is quite obnoxious to me...) Hamazura himself is rather pathethic, but when it counts he quite shines with a strengh that has no foundation in any sort of OP-power trump card. Wverything around him tends to be far more interesting due to everything happening because things are interconnected and not because of some underdog special power. Accelerator by now is also much more like Mikasa, as in knows his high level powers, has some brains and sticks his nose into whatever he deems necessariy, but still knows his limits. While Mikasa is more limited in maturity, Accelerator's are more immediately tangible. (Plus he has no teleporting fangirl at his side.) The whole thing around this really varied (downright nuts) found family is also fairly compf. Maybe, finally, Index as a series is coming to a point to having the same strength of Railgun. (Index always struck me having more interesting cards in terms of all the wordbuilding, while Railgun was much more character driven, but the plotlines themselves tended to be somewhat not too exiting.)

I Met You After the End of the World v3: Oh well. That ending. Came sudden. And the situation is somewhat back to square one at where the volume began. Also a grave now popped out, but still no actual corpse or mention thereof, so who knows what is what. I'll say I am curious how it'll go on, and v4 is on the horizon soon, so probaly not long until finding out.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? v10: It is a slog. A slooooog. 1/3 still to go. I am really tempted to just skip it, given I read v11 already anyway…

Sasaki & Peeps v1: Euh. This was. A slog to the end. Many plotlines, not really interconnecting much, the magical girl remains not enticing and the neighbour girl's questionable ideas only got much worse by the end. Maybe I'll continue it, if the vols just somehow drop into my hands, but in no hurry whatsoever.

The Apothecary Diaries v3: Maomao remains impressive, as in, she wholly can recognize how mind blowingly beautiful Jinshi apparantely is, can even loose a breather or two about it, and really not manage to not mention it, but other than that. It does nothing of relevance onto her. (Which together with previous comments still give me a whole aroace vibed air about her.) Nevertheless, there is a sort of connection building up between her and the folks around here. She does have a trusted place in the crowd and it's wholly earned by herself. Her torments are also funny to follow. Those poor mushrooms, indeed. Still have to finish the volume and see how the singular cases connect to each other. They were a bit fragmented, but this time also heavily lampshaded from the beginning to have something more overarching hanging over them.

The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters V1p1-6: Oh, it's another unfairly kicked out of the adventurer's party plot. Then it was followed by an Oh, it's another slave girl story. Eh. Do I even want to continue? Dunno, maybe someday.

The Isolator v5: So, it's been a few years I read v4. There were some more hints in this volume that sounded like buildups for later reveals and there's this whole new subplot around Stargazer. But really, the most eyecatching thing is that Liquidizer very much quite rocks. And the afterword's mention of that she'll be sticking around as a recurring character is promising. Not promising is the entire lack of a sign for a v6 however. ._.

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop: This was a weird read, something about it felt okayish narratively, but also strangely… shallow? Somehow lacking flourish. Maybe it's because, as the afterword states, this is an adaption of the anime movie? I don't know. As for the content it just really is. so. puberty. teenagers. Resonance or value seriously zero, as I never had any such experience like that.

You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! v1: The title definiely is clickbait. Not that it is wrong per se, but it very very fast lets the cat out of the sack, so that misunderstanding doesn't even really get past half a single chapter. But I was pleasantly surprised that Taku is actually an adult there and a colleage student, so there isn't that sorta iffyness Are You Okay with a Slightly Older Girlfriend? has. (Where it's like the guy is totally his age as in teeeenaaaagerrrr and the girl is kinda…. an extreme late or maybe even no bloomer in terms of mental maturity.) Everyone already feels surprisingly mature and down to earth, even Miu, the actual teenager character.

An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride ch64-65: Chastille, Chastille. Oh Chastille… Way to dig your grave.

Beastars v19-22: And to the series finished pile it goes. I think the series has lost me. Well not so much the content, but really…… what is it even trying to say? So many hoops, indeed actually interesting themes and whatnot, but in the end it doesn't feel like much has happened. (Especially not around the Beastars significance.) I will give it though, that this is one of the rarer series, where it starts in school and goes beyond to feature them growing out of it and as adults. It makes up about or slightly more than a third, which is kind of a lot of screentime. And this was funny, about lossing your wits over a disgruntled bun.

Burberry x Blue Period: This. uh. was okay? Maybe it'd be better if I actually read the main series. (Still stuck at v1.) Will maybe revisit later again.

Dead Mount Death Play v8: The volumes are pretty thick, but the plot still feels like progressing somewhat slow.

Domestic na Kanojo v21-23: Haaa. v21: As usual Hina is born to suffer. And just when you kinda feel bad about her, it does on to... v22: Oh Hina. Hina. Can you… just stop being so… @_@" And then we go off to another side quest to Natsuo's author senpai/mentor, and well, it's okay? But whyever does Natsuo have to get a crisis now.... v23: Unsprisingly that just feeds in more drama and Rui does probably the only good thing for her own mental health, put a line down. Too bad Natsuo himself is terrible with that (also, Hina where are you, why do you keep missing your best timing chances??) and so a new girl shows up. With... problems. A whole bunch of them... So are we gettign some Yakuza action now?

Dr. Stone v9, v23-27, v3, v10: Finshed that one now, and kinda all over the place with the gaps and filling them. But the last few volumes were definitely more interesting than the beginning. Probably not least because not so much annoying Taiju and Ryu has grown up. I think I quite am on board with it's concept. It's educational, while not forgetting to tell a plot that's for entertainment and the coolness factor to attact younger readers. There is never harm to charm people into the wonders of science. But darn is the beginning a read that requires patience, because everyone's so annoying. The ending with the time machine is even more of a stretch than the series is anyway, but it does feel like it does tie the string with Byakuya. It always felt somewhat off with that scene of him dying in the river full of sorrow and regret, despite everything else being rather hopeful and plot amory-they manage everything. In the end, they even pulled this teary emotional scene about that Whyman.

Flüster mir eine Liebeslied v2, v6-8: Ok. I will say the art is pretty. And those later volumes after the gap jump are ever so more enticing than the first volume manages to be. I always thought this was completely unlike Given, in tone, vibes and everything, but there is two things they have in common aside the band thing: Everyone's in pain and somehow just about everyone is revealed to be gay/lesbian. Just what are the odds of so many assembling in one place so coincidentially?

Fuwafuwa Therapist ch1-3, ch12, ch11: MC gets diagnosed with 'fluff illness' and gets send to 'fluff therapy' with a 'fluff specialist'…. who turns out to be a very uncannily propotioned bunny that can transform into a bunny-man. Soon it is revealed, he got sick with this illness because his rabbit (an actual rabbit-rabbit) he's been living together with for 10 years has died. Now there's been a bit too big of a gap to see the progression, but I definitely was checking the tags again for any BL tag in ch12. But anyway. While this doesn't have be hooked I subscribe to the premise. It's a bit like Hari to Hitsuji no Fune, but instead of a needlework course, you get a fluff therapy. Like. Right. I want to have a fluff therapy by a cute bun myself (without the rabbit death trigger tho). Just please an actually cute one, because this

is not convincingly looking like a fluff bun whatsoever.

Hana to Kurage to Refrain ch1: This is looking like a compfy series with a bittersweet tinge to it. Curious how it will go on. It definitely does a good job of feeling animated though its art.

MC Kafuu is also very much a scaredy cat mood.

That's whole gradient right there.

German initial impressions:

Plot ist: MC Kafuu, ist ziemlich schreckhaft in allen Angelegenheiten Horror. Sie ist Teil vom Occultic Club, praktisch dahin verschleppt worden von ihren Senpais, weil weil sie das "Spririted Away Child" ist. (Sie selbst meint nur, sie habe sich als Kind verlaufen.) Als Kind ist sie mal bei einem Fest alleine zum Tempel, verschwand spurlos, um dann später am gleichen Ort in gleicher Gestalt einfach so wieder aufzutauchen. Befragt zu was passiert sei, schüttelt sie nur den Kopf. Ihre Club Senpais rufen sie eines Tages wieder zu dem Tempel, da sie Gerüchte gehört haben und dem nachgehen wollen. Da treffen sie auf Nukumori (der Junge mit der Brille), der sie als Ursprung der Gerüchte entpuppt. Sie reden etwas, Kafuu merkt derweil, dass sie voll die weiche Knie bekommen hat so wie Nukumoro aus dem Gebüsch kam. Man bringt sie zu einer Bank beim Tempel, die Senpais holen was zu trinken und die MC unterhalten sich etwas. Nukumori macht einige mysteriöse Andeutungen scheint umherzuziehen und allen Spirited Away Vorfällen nachzugehen, weil er etwas/wen sucht. Sie frägt danach, da kommen die Senpais wieder. Tags drauf beim Essen meinen die Senpais, sie sollten Nukomori einladen, füttern sie aber noch mit einem grusligen Gerücht, weswegen sie dann ganz nervös ist, als sie sich zu Nukumori auf macht. Sie findet ihn dann (nicht ohne einen Schreck vorher, weill sich was hinterm Bücherregal bewegt), läd ihn ein zusammen Mittag zu essen, er sagt geht nicht, weil er kann nicht vor anderen Menschen essen, sie wundert sich in Gedanken über die Formulierung, läd ihn dann noch ein, dem Club beizutreten, und redet auf ihn ein. Er frägt, warum sie sich so Mühe gibt, sie meint, dass sie ihn für einen guten Menschen hält. Er verneint das und lehnt auch ihre Einladung ab. Sie stolzert dann fällt auf ihn und durch die Berührung fällt seine menschliche Gestalt ab. Es entschuldigt sich dafür, sie erschreckt zu haben, da erinnert sie sich wie ein Junge ihr als Kind in dem Fest-Yukata die Richtung gezeigt hat. Er meint noch, er hätte noch weiter mit ihr interagiert, aber jetzt da sie seine wahre Gestalt, muss er sie verschwinden lassen. Kapitel Ende. Tag/Logline nach ist das wohl eine RomCom Von den Zutaten her wirkt es jetzt nicht nach etwas furchtbar weltbewegendem, aber es hat hat Good Dork Faces und setzt sie auch gekonnt ein, dass aus den Figuren direkt Persönlichkeit spricht. Die Andeutungen und der Mystery Anteil speisen sich aktuell noch sehr à la Mystery Box Effekt, was auch gut für den Cliffhanger funktioniert. Hab aber den Eindruck es wird das Augenmerk nicht drauf legen. (Dafür ist bisschen sehr naheliegend, dass Nukumori und Kafuu sich früher schon getroffen haben und sie es ist, den er sucht.) Sonst ist es vermutlich trotz übernatürliche Wesen etwas das Richtung compf gehen wird, MCs erscheinen beide als viel zu liebe Wesen, die in allem das gute sehen und Nukumoris Name schreibt sich schon mit den Zeichen für warm und Wald und ist homophon zu Wärme. Was der Titel nun zu bedeuten hat erschließt sich mir aus Kapitel 1 bislang noch nicht so ganz. (Flower vermutlich weil das Ka in Kafuu Blume heißt. Vielleicht ist Nukumori eine Art Quallenwesen oder so fürs Jellyfish? 🤔 ) Intro der ersten Seiten hat so eine Rückblickende, bittersüße Note, die schon verrät, dass sie sich noch verlieben wird, aber klingt auch bisschen so an, als würde nichts draus werden, weil es nur eine Erinnerung ist.

Nach Kapitel 2.1.: Lag erstmal falsch, der hat gar nicht jemanden gesucht, sondern einen Weg nach Hause. Riecht auch etwas nach fluff, auch wenn es das noch nicht ist

Knitter's High ch31.1-3: I am somewhat amazed this series is so long and I'm sure 90% of it won't stay in my memory (actually more than half has already vanished). But it's probably reaching an end soon. School is ending after all. The ending note about feeling somewhat forlorn kinda looked pretty nice.

Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata ch88: So after a cheese death it goes on to be compf and fluff, but then he worries about essential cheese deaths again.

Following them I really just circle back to what Yoimachi said about watching them and it's pretty on point to the sentiments I have watching those two. That being said. It's been a while with Yoimachi last showing up, I'd love to see more of her again, too.

Liebe ist (k)ein Wettkampf v3, v5: This is really…. not good. Way too much macho and rotten cheese nonsense.

Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsusuru ch35:

Cat version of the grand jump of chapter 1? Still cool.

And darn is this hairdo pretty!!

Moriarty the Patriot v2: This was an accidential re-read I only noticed near the end of the volume. Ha. Ha. Brain? I did not permit vacation for you.

Mr. Mallow Blue ch32: Yikes. Yume is just yikes. That flashback of why she became Sakura's enemy is already yikes, but it's getting worse… Sakura already is one that gives off the impression that she direly needs some therapy to sort out her issues, but Yume is way way worse. Meanwhile at Aoi's camp:

Cute-compf by a supportive character probably just is the best medicine, if somehow professional help doesn't exist.

Shinigami no Hanayome - Yomei 7-nichi kara no Koufuku ch1-3: The cover is eyecatching. And that way of dying does supply a sorts of morbid, but beautiful imagery material. Her half-insane, but also kinda alluring smile only adds to it. That being said the plot seems to be a bit on the more edgy side, but it leaves that premise behind fairly soon already. Curious what will come now. Too bad it's probably going to be without the flowers, through.

Sonna Kazoku nara Sutechaeba? ch79-81: Euh. Okay. The teacher's detective arc is over apparantely? Or is it postponed? Anyway, the conclusion gotten is uh. Anticlimatic? Or beside the point, but still not very comfortable. Meanwhile it's going back to the family issues. Which really come back to that every single one of them are terrible communicators.

But it's definitely more lighthearted overall now with these little cute titbits inbetween.

Silent Lover ch196-204(S2ch54-62): This is completely ludicrous now and that prince deserves some serious slaps. The complete absence his birth father and the other adoptive father of the other MC is still puzzlingly suspicious. Maybe there will be a twist about, oh they knew about the illness so went to a trip to call upon that old royal dynasty's advanced wisdom to get a cure?

On Movie Recaps/Essays: The new category here... Recently Youtube has thrown me a number of movie recaps or film analysis video essays over, but this month probably for the first time, these was one that had a lasting impression and so I decided to list some of those titles off as well.

Raise the Red Latern: I've not watched the movie. Also I don't think I want to now. It's terribly uncomfortable. But what footage I did see went all across the whole movie and it definitely is a whole piece of art. Also adressing something you always see in royal court harem dramas, but here it's "just" a rich man and commoner mistresses. Yet the same sort of system applies and if court harems always do come off a bit like power hungry, here there are also power games, but it's looking more purely just desperate. The ending is also just really really gloom.

Moon Man: So, it's a bit of The Martian at first, except the premise happens because the guy is a cheese stricken idiot. Then it goes cringe, and then……… a kangaroo appears, when it has a few Wandering Earth vibes and the ending is also sounding like the same sort of Amageddon inspired heroic sacrifice blockbuster. Except it's also a comedy. Probably mostly a comedy. I'm not sure what to make of it. (Or if I actually want to watch the whole thing.)

Music/Music Videos: The second half of Septemer's playlist moved over, but somehow all that Three Body Problem/Wandering Earth part fizzled off somewhat soon. Diffrent Kind of Beautiful stuck around for a while, until it it lost effect and then I put the randomizer up again for a bunch of days. That had me hit upon Isolated and which then had me pull out some other redrose tracks again. (I've always liked serene moments, somehow it always makes me have a sort of Mono no Aware moment.) Isolation and A World Gone Blue otherwise were mainly the tracks that accompanied my Kemutai Hanashi trip (serene moment's previous associations kind of never managed to peel off and get dyed in this) and Held on a Thread was just forgotten to be taken out again. That's always been something of a "theme track" of a large middle portion of Higurashi ga Naku Koro ni for me, which ironically is probably as far off away from Kemutai Hanashi as it gets. Isolation and A World Gone Blue were also subjects to some habitual severe lyrics mishearing yet again. I'm not sure how I got "Undefined, sick and tired" out of "Can I say goodnight" (I was already going Hnnngh, another gloom song about sleepless nights??), but there we go… Same for A World in Blue, I misheard "poignant" as "pungent" and that paired with the "I didn't question it" tained the whole song with me thinking, oh no, not again another toxic relationship one. Turns out Isolation is indeed about sleepless nights, but there is a sort of determination in there to get through it all and A World in Blue doesn't actually have a trace of toxidity in it after all. (Altho it's still a bit gloom, because clearly it's mourning the absense of another person.) But Pfeeew. A half break from my curse of either finding cheese or questionable lyrics songs. That's nice.