The first time Tokeino Hari-sensei's shoujo manga Oniichan to Issho (released as With My Brothers in Indonesia) graced HanaLaLa's front cover was back in 2007—with Issue 15. This second appearance proves that Oniichan won't lose to...Okojo-san! (Issue 14 and 26 covers)
(For the likes of Penguin Revolution, Ouran, or Skip Beat! to have at least two covers in HanaLaLa's history makes perfect commercial sense, so I'm glad that the low-key, albeit still harem- and Not blood siblings-troped series has joined these more profitable regulars.)
Could it be because at last installment, were it not for Naka-chan interruptus, Katagiri would've kissed brother-complexed Sakura-chan? And all the while Sakura just wants to confess her feelings to Masashi-nii? Does she declare her love in this issue and is that why the front cover? Okay, okay, I promise not to spoil... It's most probably because Sakura-chan turns 17 in chapter 30. Moving on.
HanaLaLa 31 also heralds the return of Uno Ayumi-sensei's Okojo-banchou (Mr. ERMINE Si Penguasa) that I thought had fallen into a crack in the universe. Also resurrected are the full-color spreads. There's three of them: for La Corda D'Oro Symphony No. 32, Skip Beat! Act.76, and Alice Academy Story 53. And while only a page featuring Arisa—English School Wars (Eikaiwa School Wars) Practice 3.
HL 31 likewise makes good on the promised hefty chapters for Dragon's Fiancé (50 pages) and Arakure - The Wild Ones (40 pages). I talk about these chapters after the table of contents.
HanaLaLa 31/2008 table of contents
Fourteen Hana to Yume and LaLa shōjo titles are currently in serialization, with latest installments below. [Click links for more details.]
- La Corda D'Oro (Kin Iro no Corda) by Kure Yuki | Symphony No. 32 [full-color title spread]
- Skip Beat! by Nakamura Yoshiki | Act.76: Love Phantom [full-color title spread]
- Fruits Basket by Takaya Natsuki | Chapter 114
- Penguin Revolution (Penguin Kakumei) by Tsukuba Sakura | Chapter 20
- With My Brothers (Oniichan to Issho) by Tokeino Hari | Chapter 30
- Mr. ERMINE (Okojo-san) by Uno Ayumi | Chapter 62 (first of two chapters this issue)
- English School Wars (Eikaiwa School Wars) by Matsumoto Tomo | Practice 3
- Arakure - The Wild Ones (Arakure) by Fujiwara Kiyo | Chapter 10
- Mr. ERMINE (Okojo-san) by Uno Ayumi | Chapter 63 (second of two chapters this issue)
- V.B. Rose (Velvet Blue Rose) by Hidaka Banri | Chapter 31
- Ouran High School Host Club (Ouran Koukou Host Club) by Hatori Bisco | Chapter 37
- Dragon's Fiancé (Ryuu no Hanawazurai) by Kusakawa Nari | Chapter 2
- Mr. ERMINE Si Penguasa (Okojo-banchou) by Uno Ayumi | X (first of two chapters this issue)
- Vampire Knight by Hino Matsuri | Ninth Night: Their Choices
- Mr. ERMINE Si Penguasa (Okojo-banchou) by Uno Ayumi | XI (second of two chapters this issue)
- Alice Academy (Gakuen Alice) by Higuchi Tachibana | Story 53 [full-color title spread]
 Latest volume | Skip Beat! 「 スキップ・ビート！ 」 |
 Final volume | Fruits Basket 「 フルーツバスケット 」 |
 Final volume | Penguin Kakumei 「 ペンギン革命 」 by Tsukuba Sakura |
 Latest volume | Oniichan to Issho 「 お兄ちゃんと一緒 」 |
 Final volume | Okojo-san 「 オコジョさん 」 by Uno Ayumi |
 Final volume | Eikaiwa School Wars 「 英会話スクールウォーズ 」 |
 Latest volume | Arakure 「 アラクレ 」 by Fujiwara Kiyo |
 Latest volume | V.B. Rose 「 Ｖ・Ｂ・ローズ 」 by Hidaka Banri |
 Latest volume | Ouran Koukou Host Club 「 桜蘭高校ホスト部 」 Chapter 37 is equivalent to anime episode 20 |
 Latest volume | Ryuu no Hanawazurai 「 龍の花わずらい 」 |
 Volume 8 | Vampire Knight 「 ヴァンパイア騎士 」 by Hino Matsuri Related: Vampire Knight novel - Vampire Knight: Ice Blue no Tsumi (Vampire Knight: The Sin of Blue) by Matsuri Hino- and Fujisaki Ayuna-sensei Ninth Night: Their Choices is equivalent to Vampire Knight anime episode 6 |
 Latest volume | Gakuen Alice 「 学園アリス 」 by Higuchi Tachibana |
HanaLaLa 31/2008 went on sale 21 October 2008.
HanaLaLa #31/2008 quick impressions
Arakure chapter 10 by Fujiwara Kiyo
The promised 40 pages deal with an underwear thief... and Sachie is one of his/her victims?? Do Igarashi (and Azuma) save this maiden's precious panties? And what kind does she wear anyway?
The comic antics of mistaken culprits aside, it's the sore lack of Igarashi x Sachie goodness that made this chapter lukewarm. I just hope it doesn't preview Arakure plotting to come...
Alice Academy (Gakuen Alice) Story 53 by Tachibana Higuchi
(Something to tide you over after finishing Alice Academy volume 9)
We move on to the new year and it seems everyone in Class B is getting tons of cards—save Mikan who received only one (from her grandpa) and Natsume who refuses to show or let anyone know (unless s/he wants to be singed) who sent him his card. Mikan opens mouth and inserts foot when she inquires about Natsume's family, the absence of whom is an open secret (except to Mikan).
However, this shortage of sensitivity not the reason why no one greets Mikan, born on January first, a Happy birthday.
Dragon's Fiancé (Ryuu no Hanawazurai) Chapter 2 by Kusakawa Nari
I can actually smell the testosterone wafting from the pages where Lushin and Kwan show off their sword skills in a tournament that draws the best blade wielders from all over. Lushin fangirl that I am, I say that Lushin came out tops, especially with his confident I don't have to kill to win
pronouncement, not to mention his braiding Shakuya's hair interlude.
Is it any wonder that there's now a wild rosebud added to Shakuya's Lushin tattoo?
English School Wars (Eikaiwa School Wars) Practice 3 by Matsumoto Tomo
Whoa! You kiss your mother with that mouth??
This chapter features the command: Go f**k yourself
one too many times. The potty mouth is redeemed by some halfway adorable growing closeness between Arisa and Ish, the first on their way back from an errand to a convenience store (it's not a 100-yen shop so they didn't fight) and the other, on the school's rooftop where Arisa in a yukata sought refuge from the English-speaking guests of a school get-together.
Favorite line (Ish to Arisa): Don't wander around! Stay beside me!
Ouran High School Host Club chapter 37 by Hatori Bisco
Chapter 37 aired as anime episode 20 - The Door the Twins Opened
(双子があけた扉 - Futago ga Aketa Tobira).
All I can say is, once you've read up to the 12th volume, you will want to re-read this chapter that tells how the twins ended up in the Host Club. It adds a new dimension to HikaHaru and KaoHaru (not to mention HikaKao).
Penguin Revolution (Penguin Kakumei) Chapter 20 by Tsukuba Sakura
Ryo and Yukari's pampering of the catatonic Aya was just too kee-YOOT! We have to thank the nefarious Yasuoka Production subplot for that.
More importantly, Yukari finally learns the name of the first person whose talent wings she saw (remember the first chapter?): Oka Yoko.
Vampire Knight Ninth Night by Hino Matsuri
Ninth Night: Their Choices obviously equates with Vampire Knight episode 6 - Their Choice
(彼等の選択 - Karera no Kuraimu). If you watched that anime eppie, I don't need to blather about what happened in this chapter. If you need to refresh your memory, go here.
UPCOMING: HanaLala 32/2008
Highlights
- Alice Academy - two chapters
The next issue streets 18 November 2008.
~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03) who now realizes that Oniichan to Issho really needed to be the cover of this issue (I'm not going to let anyone else have Sakura!
- Masashi-nii)
copyright information
Oniichan to Issho is © Tokeino Hari/HAKUSENSHA, INC. Indonesian translation rights in Indonesia arranged with HAKUSENSHA, INC. through TOHAN CORPORATION. Published under license from HAKUSENSHA, INC. All rights reserved. No infringement intended.
Technorati tags (click to unhide)
manga, shoujo, HanaLaLa, Hana to Yume, LaLa, Hakusensha, Elex Media, Arakure, Fujiwara Kiyo, Dragon's Fiancé, Ryuu no Hanawazurai, Two Flowers for the Dragon, Kusakawa Nari, Eikaiwa School Wars, Matsumoto Tomo, La Corda D'Oro, Kure Yuki, Fruits Basket, Takaya Natsuki, Gakuen Alice, Higuchi Tachibana, Okojo-banchou, Okojo-san, Uno Ayumi, Oniichan to Issho, Tokeino Hari, Ouran High School Host Club, Hatori Bisco, Penguin Revolution, Tsukuba Sakura, Skip Beat!, Nakamura Yoshiki, V.B. Rose, Hidaka Banri, Vampire Knight, Hino Matsuri
shout-outs
7&Y and Amazon Japan for helping me track down latest issues.
Looking for other language versions? (Links to Amazon)
Some of these titles, like Oniichan to Issho, released as Me & My Brothers, are available in English from Amazon.com. You might want to check them out in the search box ^^
And yes (this serves as my full disclosure), there's a little something for me to spend on more manga if you decide to order from links that look like this (that's a link to the Arakure search page) ^^
Latest volume
Kin Iro no Corda 「 金色のコルダ 」 by Kure Yuki
Hakusensha LaLa - ongoing serialization
Latest tankōbon release: Volume 11 (September 2008)