Manga + Movie Review: Doukyuusei

Title: Doukyuusei
Japanese Title: 同級生
Author: Asumiko Nakamura
Published: July 2006 to July 2007
Movie Aired: February 20, 2016
Sequels: Sotsugyousei, Sora to Hara, O.B., Dousoukai
Tags: Slice of Life, Shonen-ai
Extra Info: From MAL



Summary (From manga):
A boy met a boy.
They were in the flush of youth
Their love felt like a dream, like sparkling soda pop. 

Wdebo's Review: I discovered Doukyuusei roughly five years ago and since then this manga has been one of my favorites both as a BL and as a general romance story along with Seven Days. That's why when it was first announced last year that Doukyuusei would be getting an anime movie adaption I could not wait, especially since Seven Days had gotten a two part live action movie earlier that year as well. I have been waiting for the movie to be subbed and posted online for me to watch for a while and finally got around to watching it today and it is still as cute as I remember it to be.

Doukyuusei is the first book in the series and starts out following the two protagonists, Kusakabe and Sajou. Kusakabe is a fluffy-headed, laid back musician who meets his fellow classmate, Sajou, a studious quiet boy with no musical inclination. Kusakabe decides to tutor him to be ready for their class' musical program, but they unwittingly start to fall for one another. The pacing of the story is very important and gives the story a stronger presence. For the first book, it starts out slowly, folling the boys as they fall in love, kiss and gradually develop deeper feelings for one another. Though it is slower, it gives it a very gentle, calm tone that is very sweet to watch. This is especially evident in the movie (which followed the plot of the story well) and its usage of its gentle OST to greatly exemplify that air. What I did love about the story was that it just shows the gradual feelings of the characters intensifying for one another, it does not base its plot on unnecessary drama such as a love rival or gigantic misunderstanding. Additionally, if you continue from Doukyuusei and read more of the books, it adds more to the characters as the protagonists go through school, graduate and start college/post grad life. Also more characters, fellow students and teachers, are added in to the ensemble and the plots follow their love lives as well.

Additionally, one of Doukyuusei's more unique features is the art style. The author is famous of her artwork which uses more feathery and flowy lines that also adds to the gentleness exuded by the story and characters. However, it takes a bit to get into when you first start into the story, the lines seem a little rough and characters a bit strangely proportioned in the manga; however, in the anime movie it was more smoothed out and worked out better than I felt the manga had.

And finally as stated before, the OST for the movie is wonderful. I love its gentle tones which compliment the story perfectly. It can be seen even in the trailer:



All in all, this manga/movie is wonderful and gives such a gentle touch of romance to a simple school based story and is definitely worth a read/watch.

Grade: A

Wdebo :)

Classic Friday (3): Carrie

So today's is a hybrid post :) Both a Classic Friday AND Book to Movie!! Enjoy~

Title: Carrie
Author: Stephan King
PAPERBACK
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: November 1, 2002
Geared Towards: Adults
Extra Info: The first publication of Carrie was in 1974.

“What happens if there are others like her? What happens to the world?”

Summary: Carrie White was always a misfit at school, she was always tormented and teased at school. Her mom was religiously zealous, so religious that it becomes an obsession. Then one day, she gets her first period while in the showers after gym. She is made fun of horribly, and Carrie is confused and scared, because she knows nothing about periods and such stuff. The girls’ gym teacher, Miss Desjardin, punishes the girls. One of the girls, Sue Snell feels bad and decides to let her boyfriend, Tommy, the most popular guy in school, take her to the prom. But another one of the girls, Chris, is very very angry, especially because she has been kicked out of prom, and she has a little way of getting back at Carrie. Two words. Pig.Blood.

At first it was just a prank, dump pig blood on Carrie when she gets “crowned” as Queen at prom. But when the prank has ended, the laughter subsided, and the blood drenched on Carrie’s dress. Carrie’s anger shows her hidden side, her telekinesis, and the whole of Chamberlain, Maine, will feel the hell of Carrie’s anger and power, starting with the prom.

Wdebo’s Review: I am a big fan of Stephen King books, but the thing I hate about them is how long it takes for any thing to happen. In the beginning it hints to some action and interesting stuff; however, nothing ever actually happens, until the middle, which is like 200 pages. So, I was very thankful when I saw how thin Carrie was. After reading it, this one became on of my favorite Stephen King book because, not only did it jump right into the action at the very beginning of the book, it was actually very intersting. Telekinesis is a very interesting and novel subject.

Carrie is a very interesting character, though at first you feel bad for her and just hate all the girls, I had very mixed feelings about her, I wasn't sure if I should hate her or pity her in the end. All the other characters were pretty ugh.

Cafe Cover Chat: The cover is weird (like the book), but its pretty interesting and a little disturbing. (B-)

All in all, a very interesting and good Stephen King book, that all Stephen King lovers will hopefully enjoy, and others hopefully will too.

Grade: A-

Thoughts on the movie: So, I didn't watch a lot of the movie, I watched the prom scene and on and a little before, and since it was on AMC, so there were lots of scenes that were cut out. The movie was actually not that bad, it was ok, but just cheesy, and the cheesy-ness made it kinda funny, which I'm sure the director was not going for. But it was a pretty good movie none the less. (B-)

Wdebo :)

Book To Movie: Watchmen By: Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

Title: Watchmen

Author: Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

PAPERBACK

Amount of Pages: 416

Publisher: DC Comics

Release Date: April 1, 1995 (Original came out in the 80's or so)

Genre: Graphic Novel

Geared Towards: Adults

Extra Info: This novel is VERY GRAPHIC-FYI

More Info: Alan Moore is also the author of V For Vendetta

"Who Watches the Watchmen?"

Summary (From Amazon Review): The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced.

Wdebo's Review: I have never liked to read comcis before, instead I enjoy the company of shojo more, but when I saw the trailer for Watchmen the movie and how many people where obsessing over it, I knew I had to get it when I saw it on my library's shelves. I read it in just one sitting and I loved it :) Though there were some lagging parts in the middle.

The story was like this twisted reality (when you minus the "superheroes" of course), except I still don't understand are they all humans who work out a lot and use martial arts or people with powers or aliens? (I just kno that, that blue dude-Doctor Manhattan (?) has radiation, but I apart from that, IDK, but I know that Raschach is human). And the art was ubber gory, and I thought 100 Girls was gory, bahaha I was so wrong. The story is really dark so the blood fits in there, but seriously, there is way more drawn blood then there should be, some guy gets his neck slit and all of a sudden there's a volcano of blood coming out? You don't get that much bloodloss, that's wat annoys me about comics, when they have an overexagerated amount of blood.

My favorite character? Defidently, Raschach. But I don't know why I like him so much, he's mentally challenged and scary and likes to hurt people, bahaha but after learning about his childhood I started to really like him. Except most people don't turn into a human-race murdering maniac when they have a troubled childhood, take Dave Pelzer the author of A Child Called It, he had a...to put it gently had a "harsh childhood," but he was able to turn that around by writing his memoir and creating a foundation for other children that were in his position.

The cover, scares me (blood...yeah) but it does capture the essence of the book, and smily faces are just never going to look the same to me again.

All in all, an amazing comic book, that I think everyone (who is mature enough) should read.

Grade: A-

My Take On The Movie: So, I watched the movie last night, and I defidently have to say, that the movie was not as good as the GN. Yes, it was cool and all and I really loved the beginning credits as it flashes through history and the history of the minutemen/watchmen. But after that it seems to get slowly more boring and more boring. The fight scenes were pretty cool except there was one, elbow splitting one that made me and my friend spit out...it was WAY gross.

But of course, all of Roaschach's parts were AWESOME...cuz that's just how he is :) Except Roaschach didn't talk in a monotone, which annoyed me, his voice just sounded husky but not very monotone-y. But it was cool, but the moving displays of the ink blots on his mask were very distracting. Except there was ENOUGH Roaschach scenes...god...he's suppose to be the "main" character.

They had interesting music for diferent scenes, like in the very beginning when The Comedian gets killed there is this really happy, happy song...and then in one of the more mature scenes, there was the Hallelujah song from Shrek playing...*cries* they corrupted that song for me lol. And also another fight scene or so they had BALLET music playing...BALLET XO.

All in all, this was a pretty decent movie...I just think those who haven't read the GN might have enjoyed it more then me. I still think the Graphic Novel is 1000000000 times better.

Grade of the Movie: B+

Wdebo :)

Book To Movie: The Tenth Circle

Title: The Tenth Circle
Author: Jodi Picoult
PAPERBACK
Amount of Pages: 387
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publishing Year: 2006
Geared Towards: Adults or Older Teens
Extra Info: The movie version is part of the Lifetime Original Movie. The cast members include Ron Eldard, Kelly Preston and Britt Robertson. Here is some movie info...

"Her hands were knotted together between them, like a heart that had broken its bounds. 'Daddy,' she whispered. 'He raped me.'"

Summary (From author's site): When Daniel Stone was a child, he was the only white boy in a native Eskimo village where his mother taught, and he was teased mercilessly because he was different. He fought back, the baddest of the bad kids: stealing, drinking, robbing and cheating his way out of the Alaskan bush – where he honed his artistic talent, fell in love with a girl and got her pregnant. To become part of a family, he reinvented himself – jettisoning all that anger to become a docile, devoted husband and father. Fifteen years later, when we meet Daniel again, he is a comic book artist. His wife teaches Dante’s Inferno at a local college; his daughter, Trixie, is the light of his life – and a girl who only knows her father as the even-tempered, mild-mannered man he has been her whole life. Until, that is, she is date raped…and Daniel finds himself struggling, again, with a powerlessness and a rage that may not just swallow him whole, but destroy his family and his future.


Wdebo's Review: Yeah!! Another amazing book from Jodi Picoult. The actions of the characters were so vivid. Her writing always makes me feel like I am going on a journey around wherever she wants to take me.


This book is diffrent for what I am used to by her because instead of making each chapter from a different character's perspective, she goes with each paragraph. This can be good I guess, it does allow you to see each character's story unravail and come nicely tied together, but I guess there is such thing as TOO much perspective. I think I like each chapter with a diffrent character more then each paragraph. But the good thing about it is that you won't have to read A LOT about one character before you get to read about the other.


I did not like the character of Trixie she was too baby-y for me. She was very spoiled sounding.

Favorite Character: Willie- He was very sweet.

The Cover: I really liked it, it was very simple but very deep at the same time. (A-)

All in all, this was a really great book. Sure to please all of Jodi Picoult's fans.

Grade: A-

Wdebo :)

*************

Other books by Jodi:

Change of Heart
Nineteen Minutes

Book To Movie: Revolutionary Road

Title: Revolutionary Road

Author: Richard Yates

PAPERBACK

Amount of Pages: 355

Publisher: Little, Brown & Co. (1st edition)

Publishing Year: 1961 (1st edition)

Geared towards: Adults

Movie Info: Stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank and Kate Winslet as April.

"They were a rather strange young couple. Irresponsible. The guarded way they look at you; the way they'd talk to you; unwholesome, sort of"

Summary (From B.O.B): In the hopeful 1950's, Frank and April Wheeler appear to be a model couple: bright, beautiful, talented, with two young children and a starter home in the suburbs. Perhaps they married too young and started a family too early. Maybe Frank's job is dull. And April never saw herself as a housewife. Yet they have always lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. But now that certainly is about to crumble.

Wdebo's Review: Just a note, I am so sorry I haven't written any of my own summaries in FOREVER but I've been really busy so yeah.

Anyways, I have never been a big fan of books like this (A Walk to Remember is an exception) and the only reason I read it was because I won it. Now, I am very happy I did win it and have a chance to read it because it was very good and totally exceeded my expectations.

I found the first part to be very well written as with the third part. The story was so well written and detailed that my heart went out for this family. Well, not a lot because Frank and April annoyed the crap out of my sometimes. Frank is this really egotistical (haha I love that word) guy who might be blessed with good looks but he struts around and thinks of himself as the alpha peacock. He's rude and cocky. While April is cowering in the corner and only comes out of her shell a bit at the end.

I loved the last part the most, I thought it was the strongest written. The dialogue was so raw and you felt like it was literally playing a movie in your head as you watched the whole thing played out.

The second part, ehh, not so good. I found it boring and dragging and the whole moving to Paris then not moving just seemed like the author put that in to fill out space. It was pointless and went by fast it felt uh.

All in all, this was a ok book. I wouldn't call it a motivating book but it was nicely written and descriptive. I could totally call this book a "classic."

Grade: B-

Wdebo :)

I would like to thank Reviewabook123 for sending me this book! Thank you! Arigato! 謝謝! <3

Book to Movie: Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

Ok, so this is my first "Book to Movie" so I am not sure if I should review it or what? Oh well, here goes...

Title: Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

Author: John Grogan

HARDBACK

Amount of Pages: 289

Copyright year: 2005

Geared towards: Adults or teens

Extra Info: Pics on Back and front of the book insides, sooo cute!!

Movie Info: Comes out on December 25th, perfect christmas gift *hint,hint*, the official site is HERE. An all star cast of: Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson!!

"Was it possible for a dog-any dog, but especially a nutty, wildly uncontrollable one like ours-to point humans to the things that relly mattered in life?"

Summary (Credits to front flap of book): John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound steamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good-Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquiliers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these."

And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night, Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditioanl love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Wdebo's Review: I read this book a while ago, so I don't remember the finer details. (But don't worry, I am reading it again to get ready for the MOVIE! But I do remember that I was IN LOVE with this book when I read it.

Pro: So cute and good. John Grogan is an amazing author. He uses wonderful imagry that really captures the beauty of Marley. He takes you on a ride of his life, through the ups and downs of pregnency and owning of a dog. Trust me I know, my dog is an Australian Shepherd, she has WAY too much energy for her own good. I also love the pictures, they are soooo cute! <3

Con: I can't think of any, doesn't mean there aren't any.

All in all, if you haven't read this book before I reccomend you do so RIGHT NOW before the movie comes out...So excited!! For those who have RE READ IT!!!

Grade: A+++++++

Wdebo :)