Milky Mixer
August 7th, 2006, 10:55 AM
I've been using ebay as a way to discard some of the manga I've purchased but no longer want as its a nice way to get books into the hands of someone else who might want to read them but also makes me some decent money to spend on other anime/manga I wanna check out or just spending/splurging money in general while I stash most of the cash from my regular job away to purchase a home. So here's my dilemma... I'm trying to decide if I should sell my set of TOKYO BABYLON or not. I have a complete hot/cold relationship to this series unlike any of the other manga I've read and collected.
The Pros: This was one of the first BL series that I discovered (by way of the OVA) and I remember being super excited about Tokyopop releaseing the manga and finally having a chance to read it. I loved the relationship between Subaru and Seishiro in the OVA, the charming, innocent, but powerful guy and the cooler older man who looked out for him and longed for him. And I loved Hokuto, the somewhat arrogant and aggressive sister who was also wise when she wasn't being a wiseass who had her own limited magical skills and loved interfering in the love lives of the boys by attempting to play matchmaker. He character in the OVA delivered some laugh out loud moments for me, and her solo story in the 2nd volume of the manga was one of the highmarks for me... really captured the loneliness of life in the crowded city of Tokyo. In fact, one of the other charms of the series is how invested in Tokyo the reader becomes, from the Tokyo Tower to the twinkling lights in the distance to the infusion of old Japan. I think CLAMP did a really exceptional job with capturing this special city and creating three likable and interesting characters.
The Cons: MAJOR SPOILERS HERE! My gosh, I have never felt so completely betrayed by a manga or the manga-ka who created it. By the fifth volume, something sneaky is going on with Seishiro and by the end of the seventh volume, Subaru's world is destroyed, the man he was falling in love with has killed his sister, and that's it... there's no happy ending, no conclusion (unless you read X, I guess), no fulfilling end. This turn of events really digusted me when I read it (no one spoiled me on what happens so when I read it, I wanted to scream!) and it's just unforgivable. Ok, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but it really wrecked the whole series for me. I'm bitter. I doubt I'll ever read this series again because of the way it ends.
So I have a series that does a total 180 in the middle for me and turns from magical, wonderful, almost flawlessly good to something of unforgivable betrayal. There's no doubt in my mind that this is a special series and I've sort of been hanging onto it because of that, but like I said, I don't know that I can really read it again. If I want a BL series, there's so much stuff on the market now that doesn't involve one character completely turning on his partner and murdering his perky twin sister (ok, so they weren't 'technically' a couple, but I was rooting for them and then BAM! betrayal, disgust, anger!). Of course, I don't know that any of these series have the same charm as the Subaru/Seishiro relationship initially does (well, except maybe Earthian which is also a very special series, I think).
I'm not a CLAMP follower and only have a handful of their series, so that's also not a factor. I just wondered what others thought about Tokyo Babylon and if you think it's worth keeping or worth selling to get some cash. If I throw in the OAV dvd, I could probably fetch 50 bucks or more for the entire set... I feel like TB is one of those bad relationships... yknow, it started out so good and ended so badly.
Opinions?
The Pros: This was one of the first BL series that I discovered (by way of the OVA) and I remember being super excited about Tokyopop releaseing the manga and finally having a chance to read it. I loved the relationship between Subaru and Seishiro in the OVA, the charming, innocent, but powerful guy and the cooler older man who looked out for him and longed for him. And I loved Hokuto, the somewhat arrogant and aggressive sister who was also wise when she wasn't being a wiseass who had her own limited magical skills and loved interfering in the love lives of the boys by attempting to play matchmaker. He character in the OVA delivered some laugh out loud moments for me, and her solo story in the 2nd volume of the manga was one of the highmarks for me... really captured the loneliness of life in the crowded city of Tokyo. In fact, one of the other charms of the series is how invested in Tokyo the reader becomes, from the Tokyo Tower to the twinkling lights in the distance to the infusion of old Japan. I think CLAMP did a really exceptional job with capturing this special city and creating three likable and interesting characters.
The Cons: MAJOR SPOILERS HERE! My gosh, I have never felt so completely betrayed by a manga or the manga-ka who created it. By the fifth volume, something sneaky is going on with Seishiro and by the end of the seventh volume, Subaru's world is destroyed, the man he was falling in love with has killed his sister, and that's it... there's no happy ending, no conclusion (unless you read X, I guess), no fulfilling end. This turn of events really digusted me when I read it (no one spoiled me on what happens so when I read it, I wanted to scream!) and it's just unforgivable. Ok, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but it really wrecked the whole series for me. I'm bitter. I doubt I'll ever read this series again because of the way it ends.
So I have a series that does a total 180 in the middle for me and turns from magical, wonderful, almost flawlessly good to something of unforgivable betrayal. There's no doubt in my mind that this is a special series and I've sort of been hanging onto it because of that, but like I said, I don't know that I can really read it again. If I want a BL series, there's so much stuff on the market now that doesn't involve one character completely turning on his partner and murdering his perky twin sister (ok, so they weren't 'technically' a couple, but I was rooting for them and then BAM! betrayal, disgust, anger!). Of course, I don't know that any of these series have the same charm as the Subaru/Seishiro relationship initially does (well, except maybe Earthian which is also a very special series, I think).
I'm not a CLAMP follower and only have a handful of their series, so that's also not a factor. I just wondered what others thought about Tokyo Babylon and if you think it's worth keeping or worth selling to get some cash. If I throw in the OAV dvd, I could probably fetch 50 bucks or more for the entire set... I feel like TB is one of those bad relationships... yknow, it started out so good and ended so badly.
Opinions?