Olympics

Wow.

Don't know how I've managed not to talk about the Olympics up until now.

Yesterday night, at approximately 12:00am, I was sitting on the edge of the sofa, gripping onto the side for dear life, and hardly breathing.

I was watching the Women's Gymnastics team finals.

I couldn't believe what took place before my eyes. It was soooo dramatic! Better than a good movie. It was mainly between the U.S. and China (I was watching NBC, so it was especially about the U.S. team), and I couldn't believe I was gasping away along with the audience.

Well, the first thing was the actual moves they pulled off. For me, the scariest is the balance beam. All that jumping on something similar to a tightrope.... amazing.

The girls of both teams did really well. And I mean REALLY WELL. The race was pretty close too, except at the very end.

I think in this case, it's hardly a case of skill, but rather a case of nerves, optimism and delivery. All your competitors are in top shape, millions of people are staring at you (19 000 are there personally to stare at you) and this event embodies the pinnacle of your career. Imagine the pressure! I get shivers just thinking about it.

Though the United States won silver, they were very, very close. Nastia Lukin, wow. That girl got 16.9/17 for the bars. That's gotta be something to be proud of.

And the Chinese won gold. They deserved it, as was said by the NBC commentator. One of the girls, I don't know her name, but she was the all-around gymnast... I was blown away by her. How could anyone be so amazing onstage... I don't know.

It was definitely a thrill watching the Olympics last night.

On another note, Michael Phelps just became the first person in history to win the most career gold medals (11 at this point), and going on to win the most gold medals at a single Olympics (8, was it?)

I am speechless, watching him swim. He makes it look so easy 'cause he's so relaxed! Everybody else is flailing around him, and he's just going steadily on. Goodness, he broke like 50 World Records. And what does he do after winning the 11th gold medal (I wonder if it's possible to ever be tired of standing on the podium)? He easily takes off his swimming goggles, looks at the board and seems slightly angry that he broke the World Record by less than he wanted to.

I have wonder if he's the best swimmer this world has ever seen...

Also, South Korea is doing REALLY well right now. It's third behind China and the States with 6 Golds. I'd have thought it would be Russia or Germany (from past Oympics), but I'm pretty proud of them. There was this swimmer (forgot his name), that fell into the pool right before the race started at the 2004 Olympics and GOT DISQUALIFIED. Goodness, that must have felt so bad. He was really embarrassed too.

Anyway, this year, he went and won the first gold medal in swimming for South Korea. I think anyone in the world, no matter what nationality, would have been proud of him.

There are so many other stories I have regarding the olympics, but I'll save that for another time.

I'm finished Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs, and have decided not to do a review. I think I'm doing too many book reviews at this point. I'd like to focus a bit more on manga.

Yesterday, I discovered the manga Kakan no Madonna. I REALLY, REALLY liked it. It reminds of Red River/Anatolia Story so much. But of course, nothing I've found could actually compare.

I am not reading this post over. I don't have grammer check, spell check, etc etc. So, spot anything wrong, Comment or Shout me.

Manga Recommendation: The List

I've been referring to a "List" in some of my posts. I'm recommending the TOP 10 SHOUJOS on that "List" for me, including some other titles. However, things aren't set in stone. I might change the list today, tomorrow, never, who knows? One thing is for sure: You've GOT to check them out.

Note: They're in no particular order (I'm thinking of them as I go along).

TOP 10 SHOUJOS/ WINNERS

Hana Yori Dango

One of those timeless masterpieces. If you haven't heard of it now... I'm amazed. It's spawned the creation of countless dramas (4, in both China and Japan), an anime, and anime movie. It seems that Korea is planning to make another drama based off of this wonderful work.

Basically, it's about this poor girl who stands up to these 4 tough, super rich guys at her prestigious school. Before you know it, she's crushing on one of them and another one's crushing on her.

Hana Kimi

Similar to Hana Yori Dango in the overwhelming response it's received from fans around the world. Basically, it's about a girl whose admiration for a world-class high jumper causes her to dress up as a guy and attend the all-boys school he goes to. Guess what? They even end up as roommates. Hehehe.

Anatolia Story/ Red River

Not much more I can say about this title apart from reiterating that it's awesome. Perhaps my favourite manga of ALL TIME. And that's really saying something, as I've read too many mangas to count.

Best described by my review. Click Here.

Itazura Na Kiss
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Whenever I think about this manga, I smile. It's such a bittersweet work of art that continually makes my heart pound. First of all, I'd like to point out that the drawing/art is horrible. Yes, it's horrible, sketchy and will probably hurt your eyes. But ignore all that. Because the plotline is either my favourite of all time, or at least the second.

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It's about a girl who has a crush on the smartest, cutest, most popular guy at school. When she confesses by giving him a love letter, he doesn't even read it. She thinks that's the end. But it's not. Through weird, fantastic circumstances, she ends up living at his house...

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For once, it's not about some lovesick average little girl hitting the jackpot at first glance with the most awesome guy. I mean, does that even happen in real life? Not every girl's story is a Cinderella story, and I just had a lot of fun reading about one that wasn't.

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Koukou Debut
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Sometimes I wonder if everyone can relate to the usual, cute little girl with absolutely no backbone. Because I can't. I hate reading about girls whose only goal in life is to snatch up a handsome guy and crying and wailing when that doesn't work out. I love strong characters. This manga has one of them, and I suppose she's relatable more than most I've seen so far.

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It's about this girl who has trouble getting guys. So she asks one of the most popular guys in school to help train her. He agrees, but first tells her, "don't fall for me." Like that's possible. Hehehe.

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H2O

I bet many of you haven't heard of this one. I came upon it one day during my endless browsing for good manga titles. I'm not sure if it belongs in my top ten, but I have to admit that there must be something special about it for me to think of it now.

There are two plots to this story. Two girls and two guys. Ok, it's hard to describe. You've got to check it out for yourself. I simply love the poignancy and the artistic abilities of the author.

Hot Blooded Woman
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I've already recommended the author - Hwang Mi Ri, and this is really the reason I came to enjoy all of her works. When I first heard of the title - Hot Blooded Woman, I got goosebumps. Why? Because the name was probably the worst name you could possibly name a manga series. Who'd want to read it after hearing that? But, despite everything telling me "It'll suck! Just look at the name", I decided to check it out.

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It turned out that you can't judge anything based on the name or the cover. Just because the author screwed up with naming the series doesn't mean the whole lot of drawing isn't good.

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Anyway, it was wonderful. There are so many underlying currents I never got about this series until I finished and thought it over. For the very first time, a manga series made me think. That has to say something. Not to mention, I just absolutely adored the storyline. Stop reading this recommendation, and check it out for yourself!

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100% Perfect Girl

This is the reason for this website. Ok, maybe not the reason, but the inspiration behind the name - J is looking for J. You've got to read my first post to understand anything.

I loved it more than I probably should've. There is so much drama - I cried. And I laughed. And .... WOW. It completely blew me away. It was such an awesome literary escape, I was speechless after reading all the chapters that were available to me.

Some might complain about all the seemingly impossible circumstances that the main character, Jay, is thrown into, but I just think that it makes for an awesome read. Again, no summary for you. So that means you've better check it out now.

Mars
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This is probably the deepest, most meaningful manga I've ever read. It simply dealt with everything - life, death, love, hatred....

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I can go on and on about this manga, but if you want the truth, it's hard to find the right words to describe it. Simply put - if you want an experience, not just two minutes of a quick escape, this is what you're looking for. It'll leave you emotionally impaired, and yet at the same time, fulfilled. It's one of those timeless mangas that becomes much more than just pages of art. It becomes a story that'll stay with you for a long, long time.

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The Bride of the Watergod
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This title is probably the one I'm the most unsure of being on THE LIST. I haven't read enough of it to make a very good judgment, because for all I know, it could suck really badly later on. So far, Oh My Goodness. The art is the BEST I've ever seen.

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I have never seen anything SO well drawn. Every page can be entered into an art competition and win. That's the main reason this title is here - simply looking at it (not even reading), makes me breathless.

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On another note, the storyline so far is very good too. I'm beginning to feel more secure in my awarding this series such a prestigious space on my website. :D

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I guess I should show you what I mean (these would make great backgrounds):

Some that almost made it/ The shortlist:

Basara (Too political for me, very similar to Anatolia Story)

From Far Away (Also very similar to Anatolia Story, but not as good)

Snow Drop (Loved it. I just wished that there would be some more characters that could have supported the main characters in the development of both personality and romance)

Marmalade Boy (Some would argue that this is better than H2O or some other titles I've listed in the top ten. They might be right on some accounts, but I just never saw what made the girl so great that the guy overlooked every single girl he'd ever encountered just to be with her)

My Girl (I had a great time reading this. It's definitely worth checking out)

Sugar Addiction (After I finished, I couldn't believe I'd come across it through browsing, and not through some sort of recommendation. So I'm recommending it)

They, Too, Love (It's a manhwa with a very original perspective of telling a story. Quite a fun, enjoyable read)

Peach Girl (A lot of people liked this, so I thought I'd check it out. It fulfilled my expectations. I wasn't too excited about some parts, though)

Vampire Knight (One of the most popular titles right now, I know. I gotta give it to them, it's an interesting story)

Bokura Ga Ita (This one is interesting in the sense that it's much more realistic than most mangas. The art is very well done and chewed off half of my hand looking for more)

No way in hell would have made it, but were enjoyable/ Honorable Mentions:

Girl Got Game (Ok, this shouldn't even by under Honorable Mentions by a long shot, but I just had a really good time cracking over the absolutely hilarious parts)

Fruits Basket (I never got over the fact that the girl was so juvenile with her impossibly huge eyes... the art bugged me to death)

Akuma de Souru (It's a good story, but I kept on getting bored and looking for other stuff to read)

Goong (Drawings = amazing. Story = ~so so~. Overall, something you should take a look)

Hot Gimmick (Despite what some reviewers say, it's not a pointless story that only revolves around smut. I'd say also drama. I'm not against drama. And I like smut at appropriate places. If it doesn't belong in this list, then it belongs in the Shortlist)

You're So Cool (Reminds me of Sugar Addiction. Very good manhwa overall)

Kiss in the Blue (I loved this manga. It's not shortlisted because I'm not 100% sure it belongs there. But almost)

Legend of Nereid (Again, similar to Anatolia Story)

Lovely Complex (It is the most comedic, romantic, cute read ever. It breaks a lot of the overused plotlines and cliches. Check this one out for sure)

Yaya (I kept on trying to remember the name of this series. I love this type of drawing, and the plotline kept me interested the whole way through)

Ao No Fuuin (by the same author of Anatolia Story/ Red River, which in itself should be checked out)

Vanilla Ice (It's the name that stuck with me, more than anything else. The plotline is very unique and original - something I haven't seen in quite a while. Definitely worth checking out)

Want You (Hwang Mi Ri again. I loved this series. Almost shortlisted)

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Finally, at the end of this post...
Arguably, Angel Sanctuary, Fushigi Yuugi, Glass Mask, W-Juliet and several other works (as I'm sure other people will start pointing out to me) could have made any of the lists. I cannot judge as I have not read them. The lists were only compiled based on what I've read up till now.

On another note, maybe I've forgotten some awesome titles that should be pointed out/ mentioned/ fits on any of the lists. There are too many works floating around my head, and it's hard to think of them all. If you notice anything, comment and point them out to me.