• manga,  Uncategorized

    MANGA: Amayadori Wa Basu-Tei De

    Amayadori Wa Basu-Tei De – Kano Ayumi

    This whole incident started with a phone call from Ikushima’s younger siblings in a bus stop, where he had the most unfortunate luck of meeting happy-go-lucky boy, Ariie. Ikushima may look pretty, but his seemly bad and cold attitude gave him the nickname “queen”. Even though he doesn’t think he’s wrong (actually what he say seems right, justified even) but his good intention is always taken the wrong way. He blames it on his extremely serious look. Stumbling upon the queen’s soft side, Ariie used the information to his advantage and started following poor Ikushima. Will love blossom from this seemingly weird pair…?

    Taking Shelter from the Rain in the Bus Stop is the main story of this volume. It has such a cute opposites attract premise between a blunt guy with a scary face and a cheery popular guy who can charm any body.

    I was first drawn by the art in the cover and the special illustration inside. However, I was a bit disappointed with the manga artwork itself because the characters lacked expressions.

    The story started with a promising meet cute/meet disaster where scary-looking Ikushima poured coffee over Ariie because of an incident with a crying child. Right after that, the happy-go-lucky Ariie befriended Ikushima after he discovered he was a doting big brother to 3 younger siblings. I really wished the manga went with this thread.

    Unfortunately, the story got sidetracked by Ikushima’s roommate who was there to stir unnecessary trouble. There are no love triangles, more like the roommate was one of the rare persons who didn’t like Ariie and was sowing seeds of discontent between the pair. I lost interest in this part and I ended up skimming. It didn’t help that the dialogues were uninteresting and the ending was a whole lot of nothing.

    Ushiromuki ni, Ai which roughly translates to pessimistic love is another chapter with an interesting premise but failed to deliver. This is about a very, very pessimistic guy who was so insecure he frequently texts his boyfriend that they should breakup because he thought he was not good enough for him.

    The bright spot in this story is the boyfriend, Onitake. He is a workahohlic salesman who actually saw the good in the insecure Hinoyoshi and was always trying to reach out. I struggled to like Hinoyoshi. I understand what it’s like to be insecure but seriously, this guy is just plain annoying, with his constant need for reassurance.

    This story also suffered from boring dialogue, which could be due to the translation. The ending was also blah.

  • book,  Uncategorized

    REVIEW: How To Lure A Hunter by Alice Winters

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    VRC: Vampire Related Crimes: How To Lure A Hunter – Alice Winters

    Alexei
    When Marcus Church brings his brother Claude in to help solve an unusual murder, I’m positive he did it just to disrupt my monotonous life. None of my coworkers in the Vampire Related Crimes unit seem to understand that I want to keep a wall between me and everyone else—especially Claude, who does everything he can to break through it with an annoying smile. After more vampires begin to die, Claude pinpoints the actions of the killers to a group of vampire hunters, leaving us in a race to stop them. When I discover that I have a target on my back, I’m surprised that Claude insists on staying by my side, even when things go from bad to worse. I’m determined to keep him out—I’ve lost enough people in my life—but I can’t stop feeling something every time he breaks through.

    Claude
    When I reunited with my brother, I never imagined it’d throw me right into Alexei Karsynov’s path. He’s short-tempered, stubborn, and dangerously adorable whenever he smiles—he just doesn’t realize it yet. When Marcus asks me to help with a case, it gives me the excuse I need to get closer to Alexei, but what I discover threatens to change everything. Suddenly, I find myself wanting to do anything to protect Alexei and to see him smile, despite his efforts to keep his distance from others. I’m determined to show him that he can’t live in the past when his future is so much brighter.

    How to Lure a Hunter is a 106k word book that contains: Clothes so bright they could cause retina damage, a ridiculous amount of gifts showered on a reluctant recipient, a cranky Russian with a soft spot he tries to hide, a library full of books that need to be treated with the proper respect, some possibly unhealthy sibling teasing, and a sunshiny 300-year-old vampire with an unexpected protective streak.


    Alice Winters is an author who likes playing with the grumpy+sunshiny trope. This is the core dynamics of many of her works. And she made one of her best pairings yet with a super cranky Russian detective and a colorful peacock of a vampire.

    How To Lure A Hunter is the third book of VRC: Vampire Related Crimes. This stars Alexei Karsynov a.k.a. Karsyn, a 150 year old Russian vampire working as a detective. He was the anti-social grump Finn befriended in the first book, How To Vex A Vampire. You know what they say about introverts making friends by being adopted by an extrovert? Well, that’s basically Alexei.

    The other extrovert who is very determined to adopt Alexei by all means necessary is Claude Church, Marcus’s creatively dressed twin brother. You couldn’t tell by his neon jackets and zebra prints but Claude is actually very smart. He is, in fact, a scholar who amassed a library of ancient books and is an expert in vampire history.

    This is the very reason why he was called upon as a consultant in their murder investigations. Occult symbols and ancient artifacts were found at the scenes of the crime. He and Alexei had to work together to figure out the clues that were somehow tied to Alexei’s secret past. Something the detective was desperate to keep hidden.

    The author’s trademark humor hit the sweet spot in this installment, a lot of silly scenarios and snarky banter but nothing too over the top or exhausting. The mystery was a bit predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless, especially with how it was tied to Alexei’s history and character development.

    Alexei!!! I just adored him! I was fully invested in getting to know why he is the way he is. He is the most lovable tsundere to ever grump his way into everyone’s hearts. He had so much hurts and so convinced he is unlovable because of his past, he decided he should be alone for the rest of his life rather than have his heart be broken again. Being burned alive by a loved one could do that to a person.

    He was valiantly keeping everyone at arm’s length but Claude was relentless. Having latched on to the Russian in the previous books, he pursued the man with the good-natured persistence of a Labrador. I loved Claude just as much because he was never annoying in his pursuit. He was also very generous, thoughtful and caring. Not just with Alexei but also with his brother, even though Marcus had tried to kill him several times. He even risked his life to save Finn in book two, How To Elude A Vampire.

    It was a joy to see Alexei grow as a character and how Claude convinced him he was always going to be there for him no matter what. The part where Alexei finally accepted that, and brilliantly performed with such overflow of emotions by narrator Michael Ferraiuolo, that scene went straight to my kokoro. It was, hands down, my favorite in the entire series.

    How To Lure A Hunter is the best book in VRC. I don’t know how the next one would top that. It’s a great balance of humor, mystery and romance. I was already rooting for Alexei and Claude even before I read their book and they came together wonderfully here. They proved that cheerful scholars in flashy neon suits are doggedly steadfast and that it’s the grumpy ones who have the softest hearts.

    Also, solnyshko ♡ (ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

    P.S.

    VRC: Vampire Related Crimes is best read in order. Read the first two books and find out how a tiny human with mechanical limbs tamed the big bad 300-year-old vampire who hates humans.

    Check out my reviews below:
    How To Vex A Vampire
    How To Elude A Vampire

    Rating:
    4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step away

    Soundtrack: Brighter Than Sunshine
    Artist: Aqualung
    Album: Still Life


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to purchase your copy of How to Lure A Hunter. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.

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  • song,  Uncategorized

    SOUNDTRACK: Brighter Than Sunshine by Aqualung

    Soundtrack to VRC: Vampire Related Crimes: How To Lure A Hunter by Alice Winters

    I chose this song for the book because of solnyshko. It’s Russian for “sunny one / my sunshine“. I couldn’t help but melt a little every time Alexei calls Claude that in such an adorably shy way.

    I also like the part of the song that goes “Tied up in ancient history / I didn’t believe in destiny / I look up, you’re standing next to me / What a feeling”. It’s how Alexei was trapped in the past and Claude was there in the bright future with him

  • quote,  Uncategorized

    I never understood before.
    I never knew what love was for.
    My heart was broke, my head was sore –
    What a feeling.

    Tied up in ancient history,
    I didn’t believe in destiny.
    I look up, you’re standing next to me –
    What a feeling.

    What a feeling in my soul –
    Love burns brighter than sunshine,
    Brighter than sunshine.
    Let the rain fall, I don’t care.
    I’m yours, and suddenly you’re mine.
    Suddenly, you’re mine;
    And it’s brighter than sunshine.

    I never saw it happening.
    I’d given up and given in.
    I just couldn’t take the hurt again –
    What a feeling.

    I didn’t have the strength to fight.
    Suddenly, you seemed so right.
    Me and you –
    What a feeling.

    What a feeling in my soul –
    Love burns brighter than sunshine.
    It’s brighter than sunshine.
    Let the rain fall, I don’t care.
    I’m yours, and suddenly you’re mine.
    Suddenly, you’re mine.

    And it’s brighter than the sun.
    It’s brighter than the sun.
    It’s brighter than the sun, sunshine.

    Love will remain a mystery,
    But give me your hand, and you will see.
    Your heart is keeping time with me.

    What a feeling in my soul –
    Love burns brighter than sunshine.
    It’s brighter than sunshine.
    Let the rain fall, I don’t care.
    I’m yours, and suddenly you’re mine.
    Suddenly, you’re mine.

    I got a feeling in my soul.
    Love burns brighter than sunshine,
    Brighter than sunshine.
    Let the rain fall, I don’t care.
    I’m yours, and suddenly you’re mine.
    Suddenly, you’re mine.

    I got a feeling in my soul.
    Love burns brighter than sunshine.
    It’s brighter than sunshine.
    Let the rain fall, I don’t care.
    I’m yours, and suddenly you’re mine.
    Suddenly, you’re mine.
    And it’s brighter than sunshine.