Docchi mo Docchi (Same Difference) is back for a second volume, titled Docchi mo Docchi!! Don’t blink, you’ll miss the difference in the title. It’s a continuation from the first volume that focuses on their building relationship. I love the bright, cute cover. It will be released on 3/9. Getting new Hiiragi Nozomu manga is always a treat, so I already ordered a copy last week along with the new Tokyo Shinjuu book before that has a chance to sell out!
Since it’s one of the most popular pages on my site, I’m guessing people are excited at the chance to read Docchi mo Docchi (Same Difference). It’s out! There’s some good and unfortunately some bad about this incarnation of Hiiragi Nozomu’s work.
Good? First, Hiiragi Nozomu in English! It doesn’t get much better than that. Ignoring the hideous ~~Yaoi Manga~~ side bar on all June’s BL releases (and that mocked up Starry Sky pic lol), the cover and logo look good. I didn’t notice any glaring translation issues and came away with the same impression of the story. The guys had the same stilted, awkward language in the beginning which relaxes as the story progresses. There was a minor scene in round two where Ozaki was stubbornly trying to make his proposal to Tsuburaya sound like he was doing Tsuburaya a favor by becoming his lover. Their choice of words didn’t emphasize Ozaki’s stubbornness at making it seem like a favor, thus not giving up any more ground. A minor point that was still telling of a character. Nit-picky, really. My biggest issue with the release is decidedly not nit-picky.
I have a very modest English translated manga collection, so maybe I’m ill-informed at acceptable levels of quality. I only own three June manga, including Castle Mango which says Ogura Muku was the writer on the cover. Right. I saw a number of printing errors in Same Difference that were glaring. Also, my copy’s cover was BOA (bent on arrival), but I don’t know who/what did it and can’t point angry fingers.
Tsuburaya, you got something on your face…
Ozaki is angry at the offending dark bar across the page
BAR. BAR!! You’re in the WAY.
None of those three errors were in the original–here’s the last for comparison.
His suit is dirty and it got all over the wall behind them
All clean!
Now that’s some quality. You might be luckier than me–not all copies have the ugly bars. Don’t get me wrong–I’d buy it again and think it’s worth the money. I’d like to see others buy it, but people should know what they are getting. I’m excited to see Hiiragi Nozomu in English and want her to get a lot more fans, but her work deserves more respect in terms of quality control. Or is that too much to expect from people who made that mock-up cover with Starry Sky as yaoi manga?
Oyajina! ~Ryuu to Shinomiya no Baai~
I couldn’t decide what manga I should cover and then the answer became obvious: Oyajina! was one of the reasons I started this blog almost 2 years ago and it’s still unloved. A fandom fail. I don’t get it. Perhaps Docchi mo Docchi will build a considerable Hiiragi Nozomu fanbase and draw more attention? But instead of wallowing in sorrow, I’m going to take another stab at encouraging it so I’m not the only vocal, crazy bitch who loves it. I probably talk about Hiiragi Nozomu too much, but some things just need to be done.
Oyajina! was one of the reasons I started this blog. I wanted people to know more about it. Sadly, it remains untranslated in any form… and no one has really read it and gone nutso over it with me. /dead
Regardless of this fandom fail, the series is still progressing. The cover for the second Oyajina! manga – Oyajina! Ryuu to Shinomiya no Baai has been posted on Opera’s blog. Shinomiya (the blonde) was one of my favorite characters from the first book, so I’m looking forward to him (her?) pushing around Ryuu, who acts like an enthusiastic shounen manga hero at times. It’s smooth playboy versus endearingly dense big guy… who are actually teenage girls. And just look at girl!Shinomiya on Ryuu’s head.. /definitelydeadthistime. I. CAN’T. WAIT.
And as a bonus, because Opera is officially now the coolest manga magazine to have ever existed, Hiiragi Nozomu is also featured on the cover. She’s one of my favorite BL mangaka and I have no doubt this tank and her future works will only further cement her position on top.
Since I’m still actively hunting the glorious oyaji scattered throughout BL manga, I figured I should actually update my Oyaji BL Manga Primer. I’ll post new additions separately before editing them into the main entry, so people can easily tell there’s been a change. I have more oyaji manga on the way as well!
As stated before, these are selected picks that feature an older man. There’s a short description of the oyaji and the manga itself listed. It’s not all-inclusive, just manga that I particularly liked and felt worth including. For now, here’s a few new additions to the list. As I make new categories, a few things might get shuffled, like Oyajina! in this case.
The Crack-tastic Oyaji
Shachou Momoi-kun by Nishida Higashi
Watanabe is a hard-working, older manager who is targeted by the new company president (who is seemingly there to find a boyfriend more than actually work~). He’s an earnest, kind older man, but also a workaholic demon when necessary. Instantly attracted, Momoi weasels his way into Watanabe’s life. Since Watanabe has lived his life until recently as a straight husband, he isn’t sure how to feel about the situation, despite his growing attachment. Shachou Momoi-kun is a funny gag manga with a few serious moments. It tears down the fourth wall and has a half-naked man dance on top of it (sadly, not the oyaji). There’s also a randomly serious side-story included that has an oyaji vampire. Bonus salarymen oyaji everywhere, as expected from my Oyaji BL Queen (sorry Naono Bohra).
Liechtenstein Hakase no Karei Naru Nichijou by Shingyouji Tsumiko
This is the crack cocaine of weird oyaji BL manga. Liechtenstein is a brilliant biotech company owner and professor. He’s also naive and sheltered to the point he doesn’t know how to use public transportation. This little lamb falls right into the sadistic arms of his younger admirer, Shumiia. Liechtenstein is subjected to subway molestations, fake proctology exams, elaborate spy setups, and more.. including a random tentacle plant. This is the only BL manga I own that contains tentacle porn (NSFW, duh), which is more comical than anything, if you believe that. Being a huge masochist, Liechtenstein didn’t seem to mind much at all~
Oyajina! ~Chinatsu to Tomoe no Baai~ by Hiiragi Nozomu
How you can improve upon the already awesome oyaji character type? Stick teenage girls in older male bodies and watch the ensuing hijinks and budding romance. Fluffy teenage love, but now with more old man facial hair! This is what fangirl dreams are made of. Full entry here. A continuation will be released in February.
Rejoice, Hiiragi Nozomu just released a new manga! At least I’m crazy giddy about it. Ebihara-san no Iutoori sounds like more Hiiragi Nozomu genius for us to bask in. If you’re not familiar with her work, that must be fixed! Stop by my Oyajina! and Docchi mo Docchi manga previews and wallow in her greatness. ♥ For now, let’s take a peek at the premise of the manga.
Taira works part-time at a convenience store with his senior, Ebihara. Taira just can’t get along with Ebihara. He’s a blunt, yet good-looking guy who effortlessly attracts lots of attention from many different female customers. Taira is the serious kind of guy who stays loyal to a single girl, thus it’s impossible for him to relate to Ebihara. After scolding Ebihara’s ways one day, Taira inadvertently stirs those powerful pheromones…?
Between this and Silver Diamond 24, I’ve been needing to place a modest order. I can’t wait! There’s just a few preview pages available, but enough to send me into a wild frenzy.
Aaah, between that cute blush and the “I’m a sexy bitch and I know it” pose, this looks great. :3
Docchi mo Docchi
It’s a battle of pride and willpower for the top!
Docchi mo Docchi (Same Difference) is Hiiragi Nozomu’s newest manga and it contains what she does best: silly and terribly cute BL. Docchi mo Docchi is a “seme vs. seme” setup with two strong wills battling for control: not only against the other guy, but also their own feelings about the situation. Two normally mature, elite businessmen lose their composure while trying to dominate the other, just to prove who’s top dog. So who will fall first and is he really the loser?
I’ve already dived face first into my new manga. Since I won’t do individual posts for every title, I wanted to try some random snippets from works that I’ve recently read. Feel free to chime in if you’ve read any of these, although refrain from spoilers if I haven’t finished it! No specific spoilers are given here–only short, general impressions and a couple fun images that will help me in my next purchasing round.
Furuya Usamaru locked in a struggle of wills with Picasso!
Posted in Manga
Tagged CJ Michalski, Furuya Usamaru, Hiiragi Nozomu, manga, Matsunaga Kuuya, Nakamura Asumiko, snippets, Takadono Madoka, Tanaka Meca, Yukihiro Utako
Oyajina! ~ Chinatsu to Tomoe no Baai
Who knew high school girls were so hot?!
Oyajina! ~ Chinatsu to Tomoe no Baai is a sweet slice of life tale about high school girls experiencing young love. The protagonist Chinatsu is a cheery girl whose life is all good and normal until…
the manga habit 