Antique Bakery, Sex Pistols, and Saiyuki. And health whining.

[cicer]

I have come to the sad conclusion that my immune system has up and died on me. I've has some type of flu/cold every single month since about Christmas, and I'm getting heartily sick of it, no pun intended. Dear World: It's summer. Flu/cold season is supposed to be over now. Agh. Being the hypochondriac that I am, I have of course decided that I have developed some horrible syndrome that has destroyed my immune system and now I'll have to spend the rest of my short life in a plastic bubble. But then, everyone else I know seems to be sick just as frequently as I am, and we're all complaining about how often we've had flus this year. So I don't know. Perhaps I'll postpone the bubble-ordering.

Onto slightly more interesting topics. I've been gleefully reading and rereading a whole bunch of manga lately. Aside from Sex Pistols, which I already mentioned and which is the most fabulous crack I've ever seen, I've finally caught up on Antique Bakery. I read the first bit of the series some time ago, and didn't really get into, but I've tried it again recently, and it's fantastic. Oh my goodness. I love this. *dies* Ono is the most wonderful character ever, but I adore everyone. The only problem is that I get hungry whenever I read it. Now I want cake. Mmm. I read the first two volume scanlations, and now I want to read volume three, but tragically I'm kinda broke right now, so I'll have to wait a few weeks to buy it. Woe.

Speaking of money, I dropped my last few dollars on Saiyuki Reload 4. I adore both the Burial and Even a Worm arcs, so this volume was excellent. There seem to be some slight differences between the translations of the Burial arc scanlations and the TokyoPop version, but I've decided I like the TokyoPop one better. Particularly in the Gojyo and Hakkai bit. It seemed to emphasize their relationship a bit better, and I like the way it showed the sort of people they are. Especially the end bit where Hakkai asks Gojyo why he went if he knew Banri was going to ditch him and Gojyo says he had to, because Banri would be screwed on the off-chance he did come back. That's so very Gojyo. He's really does see the best in people, and can't really give up on them no matter what, and I like how the arc showed that side of him.

Also, I was surprised at the part in the TokyoPop version where Gojyo introduces Hakkai to Banri, and Banri immediately makes a comment about Gojyo 'switching teams'. Well. My my. In the scanlations, Banri just complains about Gojyo finding new friends. As amused as I am by the insinuation in the TokyoPop version, it made me think. Now why would Banri say something like that? Like Gojyo, he seems to be big on the gay innuendo, but I wonder why. One could suggest that is was a sort of harassment, but it doesn't seem that way to me. In several places in the series, Gojyo seems to be outright flirting with various men, and when he makes those sorts of comments, they seem to be teasing. Same with Banri. Hmmm....

Also, speaking of the gay. The epilogue. Ukoku and Koumyou. THEY WERE SO DOING IT. Thank you and goodnight.

PS. Hazel's southern accent makes me giggle. A lot.

Comments

[harukami]

Also, I was surprised at the part in the TokyoPop version where Gojyo introduces Hakkai to Banri, and Banri immediately makes a comment about Gojyo 'switching teams'.

Really? The scanlation I have includes that.

Gojyo: "Ahhh, this guy's Hakkai. Well, he had some issues, so he's currently living here."
Banri: "I see. Don't tell me that while I was gone you started batting for the other team."
Gojyo: "Idiot! Of course not! A lot of things happened while you were gone!"

[kintail.livejournal.com]

I used to get every flu and cold going around, too, right through summer. Then I moved and got a new chiropractor who said that because of the stress on my adrenal glands from the scar tissue in my back, I need to be taking large doses of vitamin C -- as in, 3 grams or more per day, every day. He said that when a body is under stress, the adrenals can consume all the available vitamin C very quicky in the production of adrenaline and cortisol, leaving nothing for the immune system to use. Then the body gets sick, which puts more stress on the body, and it becomes a vicious cycle.

Since taking at least 3 grams of vitamin C per day, though, I've rarely gotten a cold in the past two years, and when I do, I just increase my vitamin C intake to about 6+ grams or what my bowels can handle (tmi: the only side effect of taking "too much" vitamin C is that you'll get, er, "soft stool" /tmi) and it clears up fairly quickly instead of hanging on for a month like before.

[viridian5.livejournal.com]

I preferred Tokyopop's translation of "Burial -- Gojyo & Hakkai" over the scanlation I had too. Many things were much clearer. (Though I had to cackle at the scan editor's note in the frame of the picture of Gojyo passed out at the table: "This has got to make one worry....") For some reason, Tokyopop's sound effects made it much more obvious to me that Banri's flushing the toilet right before he comes out to talk to Hakkai, which amuses the hell out of me. Make a really good impression on your former fuckbuddy's roommate's new roommate, huh?

Gojyo is so bighearted and loyal that he really needs people who won't take advantage of that.

Yeah, Ukoku and Koumyou so doing it. Another effect I get from some of their chapters is of the sides of our Sanzo talking to each other....