Song 18 : Usui the Great

Ok I burst my eyes with tears after reading a comic.
And guess which manga was that?
You would never guess......

It
is
Shin Chan!!!!!!!!!!
weird isnt it?
As Shin Chan volume 46 and 47 were already in stores I decided to buy it, thinking i would have a heck of a time whacking myself with uproars of laughters. Instead, the opposite happened. As soon as i started reading Volume 47, my eyes were dripping with so much tears that I could use it to water the plants.
Now why would someone cry reading Shin Chan? (these aren't tears due to laughing too much mind you)
Anyway, if you were keeping track of this manga about a gregarious brat, you remember Ume Matsuzaka engaging in a feud with Tokuro?
Well, their relationship ended tragically. I shall not feed you with spoilers as it will ruin the fun, so if you want to find out what happened, read the manga!
anyway, I never really looked up upon Usui Yoshito as a great mangaka, but this volume has really changed my perception towards him. The twists and character development in this volume, definitely was a surprising work of art by Usui. I mean, as a mangaka who is only known for wild imaginations and whacky ideas, Usui has really undergone metamorphosis and transformed into an outstanding well-balanced mangaka that is capable of weaving humour as well as sorrow into one masterpiece!
Who could beat that?
However, Usui's drawings are considered grotesque if you would compare them with other mangakas. Yet, if you would open your eyes and study his previous chapters, you will realise that Usui has really gone a long way from home.
If you haven't thought of him as a great illustrator, your thoughts about him might change. In this volume, Usui has been putting a lot of focus on angles and perspective, unlike the previous so-bad-that-it-appear-to-be-whimsical ones.
Besides that, Usui has really been putting worm eye views to good use in nostalgic scenes and scenes depicting freedom of the mind. With that, he is one step ahead of proclaiming himself as a real mangaka(though i think he really is one already)
Anyhow, the movements of the characters are still stiff and he has yet to grasp the technique of drawing the image boxes professionally.
Above all, Usui successfully delivered his message in this volume:
-People can change, give them a chance
-Our life isn't just about us, but it involves all the people around us
-Shit happens
-Life isn't all haha hehe
-Let the past, remain the past, live in the present and embrace the future
-Even when a person is gone, he still lives in you

Haha who would guess a slapstick manga depicting a rumbustious perverted boy, waving a bra in the air, actually expound philosophy?
If you didn't then you might want to try reading these two volumes.

Song 17 : Strum the golden strings

Recently, i got addicted to this anime called La Corda D'oro, a very interesting shoujo anime that revolves around classical music.
And yes, it's reverse harem! Crowded with a gang of bisshies i am sure people will wonder why on earth would a boy watch an anime that was intended for girls?
well, I am not pretty sure myself, but the only reason i can think of is that, the main character, Hino Kahoko sorta resemble Yuuki Nao from Mai Hime and Juliet Nao Zhang from Mai Otome, my two favourite character ever.


Ok they may not look exactly alike, but there are some resemblance right? After all, they do have the same hairstyle and the colour is just about one shade away. Anyway, if you were to add a little more detali to Nao, then i am sure she will turn out to look like Hino.
Anyway, this anime is all about the music. Well, i don't mean the Bing! Bang! Bong! music, but smooth and calming classical music.
Oh, its also about the bishonens. Duh, that applies to all reverse harem anime.


Ok enough crap. Let's get to the story. La corda d'oro takes place in a Seisou Academy, a school that divides its students into the the general stream and the music stream. And of course, since it's a music academy, the general stream students are inferior in many ways to the music stream students.
so, Hino Kahoko is a gen stream student who has no talent in music at all, until she met Lili, a mysterious fairy, who granted her a magic violin. After that incident, her name was automatically listed in the school concour, together with 6 other participants. However, doubts began to arouse as Hino was a gen stream student and she had never played the violin before until duh, the day she met Lili.
Interesting huh?
Besides that, the theme and messages brought fourth in this anime reflects a lot upon our soceity.

Things that were discussed in this anime:
-Practice makes perfect
-Social prejudice
-You are the architect of your own life
-Winners don't quit, quitters don't win
-You are who you are, accept it!
-A friend in need is a friend indeed
-Believing is the key to achieving
-Never say never
-Music is magic
-You can deceive others but you can never deceive yourself

haha, i felt that this anime really compensated their childish plot with very matured theme, message, and character development.