Manga Read: Skip Beat! Chapter 143

New chapter 143 for Skip Beat! has finally been posted up for reading. You can find it here.

I'm sure you are as excited as me on how the story is progressing now. Well, poor Ren. It's still not at the stage where he can finally receive his birthday present from Kyoko.

For Kyoko, the beagle guy continues to harass her and refuses to give up on getting her to give him chocolates on Valentine's day. So Kyoko has no choice but to make them for him, with all her hatred of course. *grins*

Meanwhile Shou popped when Kyoko was giving the chocolates to the beagle guy. He was so angry that she actually cared to make chocolates for his enemy that he had declared his intentions right there. Though it wasn't clear cut, but he has definitely fallen for Kyoko for real now.

Shou can't escape from Kyoko's grasp and that's not because her revenge against him has succeeded. She is still a long way from there but with the Natsu role, she is slowly cementing her status as a credible actress and a worthy kouhai to Ren.

For me, I hope that she will end up with Ren. However she is still pretty thick-headed and don't realise that Ren has feelings for her. So far Ren's manager is the only one who knows about Ren's love for Kyoko. Looks like Ren still has a long way to go before he can win his lady's heart.

Plus with Shou and the beagle guy, it's going to be a difficult task but since he's such a nice guy, I'm sure he will get his heroine eventually.

Oh man, now it's another wait to the next chapter! I hope it will come soon. Perhaps by this week. =P

Manga Read: Skip Beat! Chapter 142

Finally chapter 142 has arrived for us manga fans!

You can get the chapter here. It's all thanks to Franky House for giving us the chance to read this wonderful manga. I don't think I can ever get enough of this manga. It's got everything that I love.

Sensei is so awesome to draw this manga. I hope she can continue it forever! Kyoko FTW!

Right. On to the new chapter now! =D

Happy Birthday, Yoshiki Nakamura Sensei!

Today is Yoshiki Nakamura sensei's birthday. Otanjoobi Omedeto!

She is the mangaka for the popular manga series, Skip Beat! This series is one of my favourite series and so I must also give my wishes to the mangaka as well. Without sensei, we won't get to read the manga at all!

I hope all her wishes will come true and I certainly hope that she will draw lots of Kyoko and Ren so that fans like me can continue to read them in Skip Beat!

Hooray!

Manga Read: Skip Beat! Chapter 141

Yay!

Chapter 141 has finally arrived! The story is getting more interesting as it slowly progresses along. Mind you, it's really a long and slow process. After all the mangaka did said that this is going to be a very long, long project.

Hmmm probably it might turn out to be as long as Inuyasha, another one of my favourite mangas. *grin*

Right. You can get the new chapter here. You might have to register in order to get it, I'm not sure. Nonetheless, it's definitely worth joining Franky House. They have so many awesome releases! They are truly a god-send to us manga fans. =D

Ok, onward to the new chapter! See ya!

Manga Read: Skip Beat! Chapter 140

Wow! Finally chapter 140 for Skip Beat! is now up for reading. You can go to this website to download the scans to read.

Oh boy! I can't wait to see what Kyoko had bought for Ren! The suspense is killing me man. I like the way the mangaka is going in the story's direction. If only we can get more regular updates from her, then we wouldn't have to wait in suspense for so long.

Right. I am going off to read thew new chapter! See ya!

Fuwa Sho's Prisoner in Skip Beat!

In the anime Skip Beat!, Kyoko's childhood love and now her enemy, Fuwa Sho, hired her in the making of the PV for one of his songs, Prisoner. In it, Kyoko played an angel who turned evil after killing her best friend's love, a devil acted by Sho.

Now a video can be found on Youtube containing the full song, which is sung by Fuwa Sho's seiyuu actor, Mamoru Miyano and I think the song is pretty awesome.





I was surprised to read that he also did the voicing for Setsuna F. Seiei in Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Light Yagami in Death Note and Zero Kiryuu in Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty. Gosh, this guy is sure amazing as I like all the characters that he voiced for. To think that he is of the same age as me but he has achieved so much in his life. I'm ashamed of myself.

Hmmm a seiyuu job is so attractive. Too bad I'm not a Japanese otherwise I would have chosen to be a seiyuu too. =D

Anime Watch: Subbed Version of Skip Beat! Episode 21

Here is the latest update to Skip Beat!. Episode 21 can now be viewed here:



Watch sb21 | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


Thanks so much to the user for uploading this subbed episode. It must have taken the person quite a lot of time to do the subbing and the uploading in order for people like me to be able to view the show.

In this episode, Kyoko is on her way to her first TV role in Dark Moon as Mio Hongo and she discovers that Ren would be acting alongside with her as well. We also see Director Ogata for the first time and the way Kyoko described Ogata as fragile is so hilarious.

From this episode onwards, we shall see a total evolution of Kyoko as an actress when she is put to a test by the veteren actress who played Mio 20 years ago.

I hope we can get to see how Ren struggled with his love scenes and how he used Kyoko to practice his love scene, in the process discovering about his love for her. That part is very detailed in the manga and so I hope I can see that in the next episode of the anime.

Stay tuned!

Anime Watch: Subbed Version of Skip Beat! Episode 20

Skip Beat! episode 20 is finally out and you can view it here:



Watch sb20 | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


Well, hopefully this video doesn't get removed that fast as it's getting really hard to find Skip Beat! episodes due to the fact that it has been licenced.

Nonetheless, thanks to this kind soul, we are able to continue to catch the anime together with the Japanese viewers right now.

This episode centres on how Ren deals with finding out the truth that Kyoko is trying to hide from him. You see, Kyoko knew that Ren hates her motive for joining the entertainment industry purely for revenge. Ren felt that it won't get her to anywhere.

Hence if Ren were to find out that Kyoko had just completed filming in Shou's music PV, things might go bad for Ren knows that Kyoko has a deep hatred for Shou. But Kyoko also couldn't hide the fact that she had managed to use acting to try to defeat Shou during filming.

So she admitted that she wasn't out for revenge when she did the filming, which was a total lie. This made Ren very angry and jealous, which puzzled Kyoko as she still don't know that Ren likes her.

However in the end, it was heartwarming to see them patch up after Kyoko said the truth to Ren about her revenge being the main motive. Her joy at getting Ren's forgival is somewhat obvious that she harbours some sort of feelings towards Ren. But both characters are still either not aware or, in Ren's case, in denial of their feelings.

Well the manga has yet to get Kyoko to realize about Ren's love though Ren has already acknowledged his love for her.

It would be interesting to see how the anime will pan their love out in the remaining episodes. I hope they would make Skip Beat! into a long-running anime series like InuYasha. It would do much justice to the hugely popular manga too since the manga has many important plot points from here onwards.

Stay tuned for more.

Anime Watch: Skip Beat! Episode 19 without Subs

Here is the video for Skip Beat! episode 19. However, it comes without any subs and it's in Japanese audio dialogue. You can watch it here.

This episode is very funny and I love the way they dress Kyoko up so beautiful. Her new beauty did made Shou dropped his jaws in shock. Plus it's so funny seeing her trying to strangle and kill the devil, the character which Shou is playing. It is even more hilarious seeing her talking to Moko-san while asking for help. Her inattentiveness to listen to other people is indeed very annoying but that's part of her personality, I suppose.

Then when Kyoko finally completed her filming in the PV with that famous crying scene, I can tell you Shou's heart is a goner for Kyoko by this time. Then we have Ren who is also falling in love with Kyoko, albeit unknowingly. His manager is much more astute in observing these small little things in Ren.

All in all, the anime is going great and the next episode is bound to be as good too. Stay tuned!

Anime Watch: Skip Beat! 18 now uploaded!

Wow! The latest episode to the amazing anime, Skip Beat!, has just been uploaded. You can see the video below:



Watch Skip Beat! 18 (english subbed) | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


Thanks so much to the uploader for putting up this episode. Here in this episode, we can see the new transformation of Kyoko and how Shou was mesmerized by her newfound beauty status.

Lately, it's not easy to catch all these latest episodes online as videos are soon removed once they are uploaded. So enjoy it while you still can!

w00t!

Anime Watch: Skip Beat! Episode 17!

Wow. I am so thankful for people like MiJani7. They are so fast in uploading the latest anime updates that fans like me are able to watch the series first-hand.

Now Skip Beat!'s latest episode has been uploaded and you can view it here:



Watch Skip Beat! ep 17 Subbed | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


This episode finally reunites Kyoko with her hated man, Fuwa Shoutaro!!! How will she react to seeing him again after so long? What is Shou's reaction upon seeing her?

Oh man, I couldn't wait for the next episode to arrive for that's the penultimate episode in the series. Things are getting very interesting and very fun to watch, though it's still better to read the manga as well.

Anyway, on to the show!!!

w00t! =D

Anime Watch: Skip Beat! 13 Just Uploaded

Wow! The latest subbed video for Skip Beat! has just been uploaded for online viewing. You can view the video here:



Watch Skip Beat 13 in Anime | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com


I am loving this anime so much and it's all thanks to the manga creator. If not, we would not have been introduced to Kyoko at all.

Episode 13 shows how Kyoko and Kanae overcome a scheming girl in order to pass their first ever commercial audition. It is almost exactly like the manga but with very few scenes cut. Not that it matters though. The main gist of the chapter is still evident.

Yay for Skip Beat!

Manga Read: Skip Beat!

Currently I am following several mangas, one of which is Skip Beat!. It is a long-running manga series that dates back to 2002. Its creator is Yoshiki Nakamura and this manga has been a great success. To date, about 20 volumes have been published

The manga follows a young girl's trials and tribulations of surviving in the showbiz world and it also showcase her intricate lovelife. Kyoko Mogami has always been in love with Sho Fuwa and when he asked her to follow him to Toyko to realise his dream of being a star, she agreed immediately.

However Sho only treats her like a servant and he declares that he has no feelings for her at all, in front of his manager. When Kyoko heard this, she was heartbroken but her rage overpowered her and she swore revenge on Sho through an unusual way, by getting into showbiz and make it to the top so that she can crush him.

To achieve her goal, she joined Sho's rival, Ren Tsuruga's company, LME. Ren's popularity is much higher than Sho's, hence making him a rival to Sho. Sho has vowed to overtake Ren in the popularity stakes and control the entertainment world.

Kyoko displayed her amazing talent during LME's audition, which she had tried very hard to get into. However she failed the audition as she lacked the most important virtue that an artiste needs, love. Due to her constant obsession over Sho, she gradually forgets her own existence and hence when Sho dumped her, she lost the ability to love, or so she thought.

Despite her failure, the president of LME, Rory Takarada, decides to create an entirely new section and Kyoko would be the first member. That section is named 'Love Me', alluding to its mission of cultivating talents who lack the love virtue.

Throughout Kyoko's work in LME, she encountered many setbacks which she met with much gusto. Her strong determination and professional attitude towards her work slowly gains the respect of Ren Tsuruga, whom initially had disliked Kyoko's motivation to join the entertainment industry. In the later volumes, Ren is revealed to be Kyoko's childhood friend, Kuon Hizuri, although she does not recognize him due to the name and appearance change.

Kyoko's first audition for a drinks advertisement met with unexpected results and she was casted alongside with her fellow 'Love Me' member, Kanae Kotonami. Subsequently, she was casted in Sho's new PV due to the advertisement's success. That PV marked the first confrontational meeting with Sho after her entry into the entertainment world. Kyoko was subsequently casted in a TV drama, Dark Moon, and received rave reviews for her performance as Mio.

The manga is currently ongoing and I can't wait for the next volume to be released. The numerous setbacks that Kyoko faced and conquered made it a truly worthy read among the best mangas. Her never-say-die attitude is so strong that even when she has an injury, she still carries out her role to the very end. That's what I like about this series. It teaches valuable lessons about life and its trials.

Kyoko is only a 16 year old girl yet she managed to overcome so many difficult setbacks that even her seniors in the industry are beginning to like and care for her. The most evident person has to be Ren, for he had fallen in love with the gutsy girl despite his reservations about love. Even Sho has come to realise that he,too, has feelings for the girl that he had once tossed aside.

Now this manga has been made into an anime and its currently still running in Japan. In Singapore, it's being aired on OKTO every Friday at 11pm and it's a must for me to catch the show.

Below are some of the cover pictures for Skip Beat!:

Vol. 01 Cover - Kyoko Mogami

Kyoko in her Love Me uniform

Vol. 09 Cover - Ren Tsuruga

From left to right: Sho Fuwa, Ren Tsuruga and Kyoko Mogami

Vol. 17 Cover - Kyoko with Ren (my fave pairing!)

Vol. 05 Cover - Kyoko with Kanae Kotonami

Kyoko with Maria, the granddaughter of the LME president

Kyoko as the evil angel in Sho's PV, Sho by the side

Kyoko as Mio in Dark Moon

Currently there are confirmed talks of filming a Taiwanese idol drama version for the anime series. Jerry Yen will be playing Ren Tsuruga and Ariel Lin will play Kyoko Mogami. However the confirmed start of filming has been delayed due to a change in the Japanese company and it is not known when a date will be confirmed.

For me, I don't like the choice of Jerry and Ariel playing the leads. In fact, I don't want the anime to be adapted into a Taiwanese idol drama. The story will definitely be mangled to pieces in favour of promoting the stars in the show. It's horrible to see the stars making coo-coo eyes all the time, irregardless of the story plot.

But fans have no choice in this matter and we can only wait and see how things go. Kyoko's character is so complex that I doubt Ariel Lin can portray her well. I probably won't be watching the idol drama. The manga and anime are more than enough for me.

Hurray to Skip Beat!

Whoa! It's New Year 2009!

Time flies so fast and before I know it, it's now 4 days into the new year of 2009. Honestly, 2008 has not been a very good year with all those depressing news on the financial crisis, terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

As for the countdown, I didn't go out anywhere in order to avoid the crowd and spent my time reading online manga. The current manga that I am chasing right now is Skip Beat! and it's totally awesome. Maybe I shall write about that later.

Right and so, on Friday night I went clubbing with mayi and xin at Zirca, the new club which had replaced the former Ministry of Sound. Frankly speaking, the whole atmosphere at the new club just reeked of boredom. The music was so-so and the dancers are not so fantastic at all. Plus the second level didn't have anything much except for a lounge named "Envy". Envy of the previous club's success, perhaps? After an hour or so, mayi and I went off to another clun while xin went home.

The second club was The Arena and at least the music there were much better than Zirca. There was a live band at the club but the singers are not quite good. The house music was like the Top 40s chart so it was pretty ok. Towards the second part of the night, it was getting pretty boring though and so mayi and I went home.

And so, back to the new year. My hopes for the new year would be that more pleasant things will come back to earth and that life goes on without any troubles or fears.

Happy New Year!!!




Cheers!