final final count

[wednesday_10_00]

This won't be funny to anyone else, but: we're done shopping.

spacealien_vamp: 198 books, 20 doujinshi, 11 DVDs

wednesday_10_00: 196 books, 80(!) doujinshi, 12 special booklets, 6 DVDs, 5 CDs

mangaroo: 164 books, 36 doujinshi, 4 special booklets, 1 DVD, 2 CDs

sara_tanaquil: (updated count due to last-minute shopping day of departure) 157 books, 11 doujinshi (not counting what we got her at

Comments

Re: PS Yay! I win!

[mangaroo]

I'm still vexed about Doublemints because I like the unrelated extra story in the volume. (I completely understand if you find the scenario in the extra story as repellant as Doublemints proper, but I see a lot of similarities to Swiss Cheese in the emotional content and the story's structure.) However, I hate the rest of the book so much I can't bear to own it because I might accidentally look at the title story and go blind.

And YAYYAYYAY for reading Swiss Cheese. How far along are you? Do you have a favorite chapter? Do you want to hug Kusakabe from joy and Hara-sen from compassion? (Did you know Sajou was voted favorite uke in KBLY 2011?) Have I mentioned I love this manga?

Re: PS Yay! I win!

[collarnojutsu]

Sample image chosen almost purely at random

Yes! That's him exactly. Laughs have ensued.

How many ps'(?s) can one comment generate?

[sara_tanaquil]

I admit the side story pretty much squicked me out as much as the main one, in different ways (the one with the senator, yes?), but to each his own. I'd be curious to hear what, specifically, about that story reminded you of Swiss Cheese (granted, it was... sweeter than the main story? Sort of?), but if it's a purely individual thing, then never mind. God knows my kinks are not the world's kinks. Mostly.

Re: How many ps'(?s) can one comment generate?

[mangaroo]

Well, the character designs and personality dynamic of the seme and uke (carefree but secretly sincere x serious and...out of control?) reminded me a lot of Kusakabe and Sajou, as did the song. And the uke's love for the senator touches me in a similar way to Hara-sen's. I think Nakamura does a rather splendid job with these tragic emotions. Plus, the use of the song reminded me a lot of the song/poetry chapters in Doukyuusei

Re: How many ps'(?s) can one comment generate?

[sara_tanaquil]

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense, though unfortunately I find I'm so creeped out by the story as a whole that I can't seem to respond to the sweeter elements you mention.

Also, I think I don't share your weakness (?) for unrequited pining. Even when the person gets to be happy with someone else later, I just find it painful rather than touchingly tragic.

I will go back to reading Sotsugyousei. (Why did no one tell me there was a chapter where they go out for okonomiyaki and talk about Tokyo Disneyland? Did I miss that part of the pimping? I laughed so hard. I think Tani-kun might be a zombie (wtf character design), but he totally cracks me up.)

Re: How many ps'(?s) can one comment generate?

[mangaroo]

Also, I think I don't share your weakness (?) for unrequited pining. Even when the person gets to be happy with someone else later, I just find it painful rather than touchingly tragic.

Oh, no. I don't have a weakness or a fondness for unrequited pining in general, despite my appreciation for it in these two works by Nakamura. Hara-sen's is only tolerable because it is intolerable to think of Sajou with anyone but Kusakabe. And Ichigo's is tolerable because any romance with the childlike yet perverted senator would be icky to me. Basically, I can only bear pining when an actual romance between the characters is unthinkable to me. Also, I'm not sure I would describe either of those pinings as 100% unrequited love. I think the object of the pining in both cases feels something in return, but love in these two stories has to be nurtured to blossom, and the piners were deliberately not developing the relationships.