If I ever needed a good rom-com in my life, this book delivered it. This story was unlike anything I've ever read in my life. So many romantic hijinks and chaos, and it's all caused by an eraser. Yes, an eraser. My Love Mix-Up centers on Aoki, who has a crush on his female classmate, Hashimoto. However, she has a crush on someone else, as Hashimoto has her crush's name etched in her eraser. When Aoki sees the name "IDA" etched on the eraser, he becomes disheartened that he accidentally drops the eraser, and who happens to pick it up but Ida, the boy whose name is on the damn eraser. And the kicker, Ida thinks the eraser belongs to Aoki, and that Aoki has a crush on him! And here's where the chaos begins. As Aoki tries to correct the miscommunication by trying to set up Ida with Hashimoto, he finds himself in chaotic, and very humorous, situations while struggling with his growing feelings for Ida. For example, poor Aoki being forced to portray Juliet in the school play opposite Ida's Romeo. Oh my lord, where do I begin? The characters are so great that the reader will want to root for all of them. Aoki is so noble to attempt to set up the two people he has feelings for despite his own growing attraction to Ida. Hashimoto wants Aoki to pursue his crush, whoever it may be. Ida wants to clarify the miscommunication between himself and Aoki, but Aoki just seems to misunderstand whatever Ida is telling him. There's no ill will between them or any shady behaviors. These teens are being honorable and honest towards each other. It's so refreshing that there's no overuse of the tropes we usually see in these stories. The storytelling is not offensive towards the LGBTQ community, and the ending was so damn good that I'm still invested and looking forward to volume two. My Love Mix-Up comes out in October, and I cannot recommend this manga enough. It deserves a 5/5 because of its relatable characters, storytelling, and an ending that will make you laugh and go "are you kidding me?!" Seriously, that was my actual reaction to the cliffhanger. Absolutely worth it.
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It's true what people are saying right now. It's a great time to be a wrestling fan again. And we have All Elite Wrestling (AEW) to thank for that. The last time I went to a wrestling show was over twenty years ago. It was WWE Monday Night Raw during the Attitude Era (When it was WWF, yes I'm showing my age *shut up*). These were the days of DX, Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. However my interest in WWE began to wane due to my interest in WCW (Crow Sting Era YAAAAASSSS!!!) and Ring of Honor, where years later I would be introduced to The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega AKA The Elite. When AEW came onto the scene, I was immediately invested because they gave us fans something that other wrestling promotions didn't: inclusiveness. We now have LGBTQIA talent not being used as comedy in a stereotypical sense, and women main-eventing the programs that didn't include having their clothes ripped off. That was fun to watch >_> Yes, WWE did have women main-eventing too, but AEW really did it first and with gusto. I mean, that match between Dr. Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa?! Damn that was a MATCH! Hell, it could've been a death battle! So when my friend/colleague got us tickets to the September 22nd Grand Slam event at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, we were super excited. And finding out that one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, Sting, was going to have a match, I wore my Sting t-shirt and was ready to go! Now, we knew it was going to be a long night for us as they were not only doing Dynamite live, but taping Dark Elevation and Rampage. But, from beginning to end, the excitement was so lit and I really have to give credit to announcer Justin Roberts for keeping all us attendees engaged. First was the AEW Dark Elevation taping, and the highlight for me was definitely seeing Thunder Rosa in-person. Another plus was seeing Paul Wight (formerly The Big Show), squash three jobbers with the Gunn Club watching. Then came The Dark Order. Love these guys to death! They're just the best. John Silver is just adorbs. Then we went live for AEW Dynamite, with the first match being the one EVERYBODY was hyped for: Kenny Omega vs. Byran Danielson. Holy s***, this match had me on my feet from beginning to end. The bumps they were taking made my jaw job and literally scared for Danielson, who has a history of neck problems. These guys, who are also my all-time favorites, were beating the holy hell out of each other to the match ending in a draw due to the time limit. I can't wait to see how their story plays out. One of the many things I like about Kenny Omega is his ability to sell a storyline (and that he's a big gaming, anime-loving nerd. I would love to hang with him in real life and defeat him in games, but I digress). I will say as much as I like the Rocky reference on his twitter, there definitely has to be a rematch. Quit playin' with us, bruh. Heh. Next, CM Punk on the mic. My friend is a HUGE CM Punk fan, and he was over the moon to see him, and that he was wrestling later on Rampage. More on that later. The heat towards MJF was real, even his own parents didn't like him (kayfabe, y'all.). His win toward Brian Pillman Jr. did suck, but again, a great match. On thing I did not expect at all was the crowd turning on Cody Rhodes during his match with Malakai Black, even though I was rooting for Black. Queens definitely belonged to the House of Black, and celebrated his win over Rhodes. But it was great seeing Brandi back after the birth of her and Cody's daughter. I love Brandi and admire her greatly for all the work she does. Now, FTR vs. Sting and Darby Allin. I was near tears that I finally the legendary icon and Darby Allin wrestle and win. Sting, who is 62-years-old, still has the moves and energy after all these years. Such a great match, I'm still speechless. The main event for Dynamite was Dr. Britt Baker, DMD vs the newly arrived Ruby Soho. I love both of these ladies, and the match was so close with the Dr. winning (with some help, not that she needed it.). But overall, another great match that only AEW can deliver. Now to Rampage and the TV wrestling debut of CM Punk vs Powerhouse Hobbs from Team TAZ. I divided my time watching this match and side-eyeing my friend who was just awestruck seeing his hero in action. That bump Hobbs took on his head, oh my god. I seriously hope he's alright, but CM Punk still got it and I'm grateful to see it. No more grateful than my friend, but still grateful. The Young Bucks and Adam Cole *BAY BAY!* vs. Jurassic Express and Christian Cage. It was so hard to choose sides with this one, but an amazing match with the Superkliq winning the match. But we know this feud is far from over, now with Bryan Danielson on the scene. Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. The Men of the Year. First off, I love Ethan Page's vlogs (I love everybody's honestly, but when he's with Danhausen and doing his cheat days, it's just gold), and he is such a great heel. Seeing Jericho and Hager lose like that hurt. Wonder how they're going to top that loss moving forward. But I got to sing "Judas" *horribly*, so yay! Epic match between Santana & Ortiz and the Lucha Bros vs. HFO (Private Party and The Butcher & The Blade), with hometown boys Santana & Oritz repping NYC with their Warriors homage was on point!!! If they lost, NYC would've rioted. Damn awesome match. and Orange Cassidy making an appearance to even the odds against HFO. Too cool. Next up, Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford. Can I just say that AEW's women's roster is just the best?! Great match with Penelope ford cheating to win, Tay Conti trying to make to save to no avail, until the Dark Order and Orange Cassidy *again* with Kris Statlander making the save. Such an awesome set-up with was slightly marred by my friend swooning over Anna Jay (Ok, I did swoon over Sting, Darby Allin, and Kenny Omega, so I guess we're even). Final epic match of the night: Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston vs the legendary Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer. Thus was a Lights Out match, where there are no rules and anything can happen. And boy did everything happen. The guys brutalized each other and it was an all-out brawl. What I didn't expect was LAX's Homicide to appear. We literally jumped out of our seats when his music hit. AEW keeps breaking down that Forbidden Door and keeps us fans riveted and thirsty for more! I don't know what else to say. AEW keeps giving us such amazing stories and action, it's not hard to see why they are surpassing WWE right now. They know what fans want and deliver it with the same love and passion we give to them. AEW's Grand Slam was a solid 5/5 and I'm so glad that my first wrestling show in over 20 years was this one. A great time to be a fan indeed. |
Who am I?The Library Lady is a Young Adult Librarian and reviewer. She's also a music, anime, and film nerd. Archives
January 2024
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