Fusanosuke

The manga which keeps going and going and I still enjoy it - From Eroica with love. It's a sheer awesomeness.  And now we have - エロイカより愛をこめて vol. 35 by 青池保子 ( Aoike Yasuko).  But what I found totally amusing is this article from German military magazine - Y - Das Magazin der Bundeswehr.  In the issue March 2003  they had an article dedicated to Major Eberbach, deutscher Offizier und Gentleman ^__^

Particularly cute was the give-away of 5 Japanese mangas + Japanese-German dictionaries.  Just too cute for the words! )))

Today I was looking for the meaning of 花道.  What poke my interest was the manga オトコの花道 by 笠井あゆみ(Kasai Ayumi).

The translation was not very clear:

花道 --はなみち-- (n) passage through audience to stage

The wiki provide more information that it is a feature of the kabuki theater: It is a long, raised platform that runs, left of center, from the back of the theater, through the audience, to connect with the main stage. Generally it is used for characters' entrances and exits, though it can also be used for asides or scenes taking place apart from the main action.  Somewhat similar to the runway.

So I've been pondering what the author meant with the title Otoko no hanamichi?  -- Boy's runway -- Does it refer to the passage in the boys' lives?  Or is it more about the boys being in the spotlights of the life?

When I saw today the cover of 天使のうた vol.1 by 西田東 (Nishida Higashi) my immediate thought was about the movie My Own Private Idaho (1991, directed by Gus Van Sant)

I have not read this manga but the cover makes me so curious as to how much of the reference to Idaho it will contain.   I mean, after Gus Van Sant's piece sleeping has a totally new dimension....

天使 --てんし-- (n) angel;
うた - song

いい加減にしろ --いいかげんにしろ-- (exp) that's enough!; cut it out!; get a life!;
いい加減にしろよ。 -- Cut it out
and then on the hand-writing:
殺すぞ! -- I'll kill you!
殺す--ころす-- (v5s,vt) to kill; (P)
ぞ as an indication of emphasis.

This is from ゴールデン・デイズ (1) by 高尾滋 (Takao Shigeru), p.20.  I just love how easy it is to rememeber the new words once you could put the emotions behind them )))

黒船-- くろふね-- Black Ship
A generalizing term for Western ships arriving in Japan in the 15-19th centuries.

I remember this term because of the quite new manga magazine クロフネZERO (website), latest issue - クロフネZERO (ゼロ) Autumn 2009年 10月号. I remember that the publisher had specifically announced the reference to the Black Ship, though I cannot really recollect why it is important. This magazine is rather pretty, but has only 2 issues per annual.

There is an excellent manga about kappa - Japanese mythological water spirits that are popular in Japanese folklore.   Though one might think that the manga's version is way too pretty for the traditional interpretation of the creatures.  I don't mind, and the manga was a pure delight to read.
月と水の夜 vol.1
月と水の夜 vol.2 by 梶原 にき -(Kajiwara Niki)

河童 --かっぱ-- (n) (1) kappa (mythical water-dwelling creatures)

長州五傑--ちょうしゅうごけつ--
were members of the Choushuu clan who studied in England from 1863 at University College London.  noteworthy is that at that time leaving Japan was still illegal under the policy of Japan's isolation.

I came across of this bit of historical information in the manga.  5 very dashing young Japanese men traveling to England.  They've got to wear European clothes and they look very smart in it )))))

長州ファイブ vol.1
長州ファイブ vol.2 by ユキムラ (Yukimura) - artist, 五十嵐 匠 (IGARASHI Takumi ) - author.

秘密 --ひみつ-- (adj-na,n,adj-no) secret; secrecy

One of the most thrilling manga I've read in ages 秘密(トップ・シークレット) vol.1 by 清水 玲子(Shimizu Reiko).  There is also anime that was broadcast in 2009.

Here is the ad from the latest issue of Melody (メロディ) 2009年 12月号

it promotes 秘密(トップ・シークレット) vol.7.