xenization. > Recent Status Updates

a. i was holding off on this volume since i'm missing some volumes and viz seems to hate reprinting the good series <\3

b. nanami shoving him out of the way to get to tomoe, oh my god

c. it's so weird seeing them so lovey-dovey but i love it, i need more of it.

d. i'm glad yukiji didn't end up being a totally sucky person and eventually she was happy

a. i wanted cat cafe ft tadano, i got cafe ft tadano. thank you tomohito oda <3

b. i don't know why, i just find the idea of "huffing cats" so ridiculously silly yet adorable.

c. i want to root for manbagi so badly but i know where my heart lies and i just feel so heartbroken for her :((

d. do not speak to me about that final page, ever. i will drown us all in tears, i dare you to try me.

a. i am deathly behind on my updates, i promise i've been reading this year

b. i love the reconciliation and friendship forming in this volume, although i did find the start unnecessarily slow and kind of boring.

a. if teagan doesn't open grillmatic i will riot.

b. still not a fan of psychotic jakey-poos over here. how is he rationalising any of his actions to himself? he sounds unhinged.

c. don't mind me, just google translating all of the words that appear in italics.

d. carlos <333

e. i hope teagan and nic become a thing. i do like a bit of romance in my books, just to see happy people - before it all crashes down <\3.

a. i'm having a similar issue that i had with the silence of bones where when i pick it up i want to read more, but when i put it down i don't, only not as bad because i really love this book.

b. i'm not one for books with a contemporary setting, especially not ones where you have to know the place to get it, but i still enjoy it.

c. i don't like the way the flashbacks are written. i thought it was happening now.

a. if at any point in the next three sequels teagan doesn't open her own restaurant i will riot, and it if it doesn't: 1) get blown up, 2) get set on fire or 3) in any way fail, i will be immeasurably happy.

b. so far, not a fan of jake.

c. i forgot that we're using american laws here and was prepared for the "another 19 year old protagonist" rant; until i realised teagan is actually 22 and now i'm happy.

a. i finally bought volume 2, so i allowed myself to finish this volume

b. i like the artwork and the concept, it definitely feels like something i'd adore, but i feel like something is a bit off? but then it could be because i haven't read this in months.

c. sometimes i forget that this is shonen and then there's a boob joke to jolt the atmosphere from intense to uncomfortable.

d. the mokke <3

a. i finished volumes 11 - 14 at the beginning of this year, but looks like i forgot to update it. my 2022 challenge isn't looking so sad anymore.

b. i really like the development of the new kid character in this volume and how she helps komi. though i was a little sad about the ending, it will always be an endearing volume.

c. komi <333

a. wait, wait, wait... has maomao left the palace for good? is she no longer a food taster? don't tell me that, i haven't spent 4 volumes falling in love with the characters only for them to be taken away from me. where will she work now? not at the palace?

b. it is entirely possible that i am in love with lady aduo.

c. her relationship with lady lishu <3

d. i still love this series, but i don't like change much.

a. i was right about the twist, yay me.

b. i need more. i need more mysteries, and murders, and maniacal foreigners and just more everything<\i>

c. the pacing was much better in the last 100 or so pages, which i appreciate, although the flowery writing died off.

d. i would like as many sequels as is humanly possible.

e. i still don't like siti.

a. i think i know who the imposter actually is and if it's who i think it is then they might just be the smartest character in this whole damn book.

b. i love the world, but everything that has happened felt like it was stagnant and repetitive to build up to the next big fight... that had the exact same outcome.

c. i love hadia, can we see more hadia?

d. siti annoys me so much, she's always getting involved.

a. it felt like orka hated thorkel for the first few chapters, but now all of a sudden she likes him?

b. where has varg disappeared to, he gets two chapters and now he just doesn't exist?

c. at first i hated elvar but her moral compass is making her extremely likable.

d. so far, there isn't really an overarching story to link all of these povs, but nonetheless i enjoy the individual tales.

e. orbit paperbacks <3

a. i'm not crying, you're crying

b. i can barely remember anything, i haven't read this since last year

c. i want a mallory and half-born spinoff. pretty please. pretty pretty please.

d. the ending was really different to the epic battle i expected, but then that's the beauty of magnus chase - you expect a cannonball and get a giant expand-o-duck.

e. "i've got a plan. you're not going to like it."
"i love it."

a. finally! it took 4. whole. volumes. but this is finally getting really good!

b. i'm still really irked by the lazy artwork, but it's bisco hatori and how can you not love her :((

c. i'm all for izumi/soh, can we make this happen please, thank you <3

d. i love the steam punk artwork that starts each chapter.

e. the dialogue can be really confusing. speech bubbles have no tails and two scenes happen at once.

a. this is.. so painful. so very, very painful.

b. it's very "ooo, look at me, i'm so smart."

c. soo, three countries just decided to merge into one hive (colony) and then place their capital.. in a different country?

d. it feels like mental gymnastics just to get through one sentence. it physically hurts.

e. the concept seemed.. well, passable, but this execution is certainly interesting.

a. i'm really liking the quality of orbit's paperbacks - they're floppy but not necessarily breakable.

b. it feels like the story is near the end yet not much has actually happened, or at least that's memorable.

c. i can barely remember who anyone is and i feel like this al-jahiz guy is gonna get stretched across multiple sequels because 190 pages just isn't enough to wrap this up nicely.

d. bowler hats.

a. that was.. anticlimactic, and honestly a little disappointing. i was expecting a firey ending of rage, deceit and twists but what i got was tantrums, dull-dialogue and unravelled yarn.

b. why does this feel like a love hexagon? no, i am not joking. no, this is not even a harem.

c. i need more of anya, her character is very interesting in comparison to others.

d. so... none of the plot twists were real?

a. a lot has actually happened in the short span of this book, yet the pacing feels perfect?

b. i would like a bit more history, because i still have no idea why the ikessars and the orenars fought for 30 years.

c. agos, love of my life, do me a favour and kindly sod off, i have not spent the last 300 pages rooting for khine only for you to appear like a dishevelled lumberjack and ruin everything.

a. a lot has actually happened in the short span of this book, yet the pacing feels perfect?

b. i would like a bit more history, because i still have no idea why the ikessars and the orenars fought for 30 years.

c. agos, love of my life, do me a favour and kindly sod off<\i>, i have not spent the last 300 pages rooting for khine only for you to appear like a dishevelled lumberjack and ruin everything.

a. at first i found talyien dull and unimpressive, but she's really grown on me a lot - though, her personality feels like it's up and down.

b. if tali ever gets home i hope she rounds up all of the people she met in the zarojo empire and just takes them home with her. :((

c. i'm assuming the next two books are going to be dragons/agan returning to jin-sayeng and assassination/kidnapping attempts on thanh. woo.

a. aoki's design reminds me of mone sorai's art style.

b. speaking of art, hasimoto is described as being sweet and joyous but her eyes look really lifeless. she does seem nice, though. the backgrounds are also really dull.

c. at first, i didn't understand the humour at all but it quickly grew on me and i was very much so cackling at aoki's and akkun's antics.

d. a lot was happening very quickly, but i loved it!

a. this for me is probably the weakest of the first 3 volumes.

b. so, turns out li haku is an ass. huh. who'd have thunk it.

c. i really like maomao's father, he seems cool.

d. right now i don't understand how she could have been kidnapped.. and then put to work in the exact same city<\i> she lived in in the first place. the way it was worded i assumed she was shipped halfway across the country.

e. jinshi.

a. i think this series peaked at volume 1. volume 2 was a drag and this volume i spent half of the time wishing for it to be over.

b. well that friend-villain arc didn't last long.

c. but never fear, we have a new arch-rival that fits that arc fabulously!

d. yori's personality needs to pick a lane and stick to it. is she a nervous wreck or is she an overly-confident, slightly pushy crush? figure it out, kid.

a. i actually finished this on november 17th but i'm still in shock over being noticed by june hur on twitter.

b. why? why do i always have to love the secret crazy psycho character?

c. so, i was right about the plot twist in my last update at page 90 something. go me?

d. i need a whole review for all of my thoughts because 300 chars just isn't enough.

e. that ending was.. kind of disappointing?

a. i have a strange relationship with this book - when i pick it up i never want to put it down but when i put it down i never want to pick it up.

b. because of that i'm always forgetting important details about the victim and characters.

c. seol is beginning to irritate me a bit - she needs to realise she's not all that she thinks she is just because han took a liking to her.

d. i really enjoy the plot though!

a. i wish i was lying when i say i'm only reading this for shen.

b. i really like fuuko, and andy really, but he gives off this strange vibe?

c. the new characters all seem really cool, i really like the designs of the guy with the white hair and the token "squats on awkward object" guy.

a. so i figured out who the main male is, go me

b. i'm so glad officer shim isn't the "older character set in their ways" guy, he's my favourite side character. :)

c. speaking of, i'm also glad that there's not sexism at every turn? characters seem to let seol be pushy or overstep the mark, which is interesting.

d. i want to know what happened to her brother, i have a feeling i know what it is but we'll see.

a. so far i really enjoy this, and i really like seol's character from the get-go, which is a good sign.

b. i can't tell whether officer kyon or inspector hun is supposed to be the male lead? kyon was described as the youngest and he spoke to seol first but hun is older yet still described as young and has the slow-burn male lead vibe about him?

c. i think i've found my new love and obsession.

a. yet another volume i've forgotten to mark as read.

b. as a foodie manga, it was pretty good. i loved the art for the food aoi makes, and the preparation panels.

c. i am in love with genji, and i like the side characters art (specifically the spider god) but i'll be damned if i know their names.

d. i really want to know what happens next, and find out how the hell these relationships will progress.

a. this volume was much too short.

b. i love the chibi art that gets thrown in for comedy, it just adds a new layer to the comedy aspects.

c. bless that lady-in-waiting who helped maomao, that was such a heartwarming scene.

d. i love jinshi's character design, but i don't really feel anything from him? i think he's there just to fill the "other half" of the main character duo. he is rather mysterious, though.