I'll be very honest with you all. Shoujo manga and I rarely get along. Maybe it's because some of the couples are so cute and my dating history has made me somewhat bitter *shut up*, but I could never get into heavy-duty romantic stories. I recently went on a manga outing with the lovely Joe Pascullo of Manga Monthly, and after looking at some shoujo, we came to two conclusions. "Romance can be awesome... or absolute bulls***." Which is why I'm happy to have come across Love Me, Love Me Not by Io Sakisaka. The personalities of our two main leads are the perfect representation of how we view love. Yuna and Akari become immediate friends after a chance encounter, and discover that they live in the same apartment building and attend the same school. However, both girls have a different take on how they view love and relationships. Yuna is an idealist who views romance through her favorite books, which are shoujo mangas. She sees boyfriends as "perfect princes" like in the stories she reads, yet Yuna has never been in a relationship. Akari, however, is more realistic between the two and has been in a relationship. She sees Yuna's innocence and wants to protect her from heartbreak, especially when her step-brother, Rio, becomes the object of Yuna's affection. In addition to Rio, we have Inui, Yuna's long-time friend becomes intrigued by Akari. While Yuna wants to confess her feelings to Rio, he warns her that his heart has not healed from losing the girl he loved. And when we meet his lost love, it's a doozy. So we're treated to a love square (or rectangle as Joe described but that's stretching it *I'll show myself out*) that would keep a reader guessing and riveted. It's so jaw-dropping, yet very sweet and innocent. I really loved how these relationships come together, and the different views on love. I've seen couples come together because of looks and status, and those that form because of their mutual likes and how their personalities mesh. With this story, I feel that people of all ages can learn that while someone can be beautiful like in fairy tales, yet not right for you. They may not have the same likes, and/or their inner beauty doesn't match their outer beauty. However meeting someone who is beautiful inside and out, and who makes you feel comfortable being yourself around them is such a magical and rare feeling. Readers can definitely see that is what Akari wants for Yuna, especially when it comes to experiencing her first love. We all want that for the people we care about. I love this story and consider it very special. I feel that teens should read this with their friends and discuss what love means to them. It could be romantic love or even platonic love. To treasure someone and to learn what real love is. It's a great feeling. I give Love Me, Love Me Not a 5/5. It's realistic, heartwarming, and just a lovely story. And if it could give a skeptic like myself faith and hope in love, it must be something truly special and magical.
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I admit it. I've been singing and dancing to this song for the past two weeks. Hello. My name is the Library Lady of NYC, and I am an ARMY. Just like other fans, I was looking forward to hearing BTS' latest single. I wondered what they were going to bring. I loved their single "On," and even used it as motivation to keep going after the unrest we've been going through (and sadly, still are). I was looking for anything to put a smile of my face. And when "Dynamite" finally premiered, I found myself immediately on my feet and dancing like nobody was watching. It was the upbeat song that we all needed. It's a "feel good, jump to your feet and forget your worries" song. If you're a music nut like myself, you'll notice traces of Motown, disco, and homages to Michael Jackson, not only in the song but in the music video too. Let's not forget the added flavor that made the song even more special: it was BTS's first English single. That's very impressive. The fact that they loved the song, and left it as is instead of translating it into Korean, shows how much they want to reach out to their international fans. I did find it amusing how some Korean fans responded to the song with, "Sounds good, but I don't know what they're saying." We international fans were like, "now you know how WE feel." Then their first performance at this year's VMAs just solidified the group's mark. They brought their A game. Their moves were flawless, they were as colorful as their music video, and their personalities showed through their performance. You could tell they were having fun with this song, and so did I. I really consider it the best song of the summer, not because I'm a Kpop fan, but it is a bright, fun song that we need during a time of darkness. Even now, the song is breaking records, and made BTS the first Korean group to make it to No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100. That's no small feat. I have to give this single a 5/5. They earned it. Hi everybody!
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by fellow librarian and manga lover, Joe Pascullo. His podcast is called Manga Monthly, which I highly recommend that everyone take a listen to it. He does booktalks on newly released manga, which I'm sure you might enjoy. For August, I joined him to talk about my career as a librarian, as well as being a lifelong otaku. Here's the link to the interview: https://anchor.fm/manga-monthly/episodes/Episode-8-August-2020-ej215j/a-a342h52 Enjoy, and stay safe and healthy! |
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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