Somebody out there does, I just know it., Who likes...

Sorry,it was volume 9 of the TokyoPop AYA manga. My bad.

Doggone it, where are you guys getting Volume 9? All my sources say it won’t be released in the US until June 7 or later. I can’t get it online or in Barnes & Noble, though they all offer to pre-order it for me. I expect it’s available in Japanese, but I’m not good with that. :(

I got mine at Jim Henley's Universe, a comic store across the street from the Empire State Building. If your in the Big Apple pick up a copy.

Thanks yardlet6, but I'm on the other side of the continent. That gives me an idea, though... I'll try some comics stores here.

Next day.... Well, I tried the only worthwhile comics store locally, and they told me that they had had ONE copy of Vol. 9 LAST WEEK, and they sold it. So it is available if you know where to look, apparently. They offered to special order it, but it wouldn't be in until June 1. I’m still thinking about it. I’d like to get up to speed on this as soon as possible. Hmmm…

I just stumbled across that copy in Hanley's. Another store should have it.

i kinda feel sorry,from what i know so far tina also has it for hanabishi...i wonder what happens to her when she finds out about there love id fell realy bad seeing shes one of the best charecters their ever was in manga

MC -- I like her too. She's funny and keeps a real positive attitude, at least on the outside. The whole story is carried by the fact that Aoi and Kaoru have to keep their engagement secret, which means all the other girls think they have a chance. Tina's known Kaoru the longest, and they are really good friends. I wish there was some way to give all these girls a soft landing when the lovers finally announce their engagement!

that would cut off alot of the drama i dont mind about taeko because she hasnt known kaoru that much and chicka is too young anyway so that basiclly leaves miyabi mayu and tina,im sure mayu will be crushed...by the way does she know kaoru is broke,and doesnt belong to the hanabishi im sure if she did their would be changes... <_<

Taeko probably doesn't have it that bad for Kaoru, and will just move on. Chika may be young, but she's quite precocious and has a competitive nature. She sees it as a personal challenge to try to win him for herself. But she's also resilient, and will just move on to other adventures when the inevitable disappointment comes. For awhile, we wondered if Tina and Mayu might be going off into their own yuri manga, which would have certainly resolved THEIR heartbreak! :) However, that doesn't seem to have happened, although they both still exhibit some tendencies in that direction.

You bring up a good point about Kaoru's financial status. However, I don't think Mayu's interest in him is so mercenary. She has her own family's money, and her connection to him goes back to a brief acquaintance in her childhood. I think she has a real affection for him, beneath the competition and spite for the others. She'll pretend to blow it off, but deep down I bet she'll be hurt, maybe more than most of the others.

mc maybe Posted on Sep 21 2005, 11:50 PM

and Kona Posted on Sep 22 2005, 10:21 AM

Class, IMO, is one of the major background issues in the story, and money is a proxy for class. Miyabi, Mayu and several less-seen characters care about that.

And you two touch on one of the topics that hasn't been well-explained. Tina has known Kaoru since they were freshmen and has assumed that he is short on money. Now she and Taeko have listened to Mayu enough to know that she assumes he is well-off, and it doesn't take much research to learn that the Hanabishi are an old and wealthy family. I guess Tina and Taeko haven't yet asked Kaoru about the discrepancy.

I will bet that Mayu will be shocked when she realizes that Kaoru doesn't have money and family connections. I think it is lack of family connections and class-standing that will shock her more than the money. And then - - - > we speculate on "and then."

As for your question... Tina, Satou and Suzuki all joked in vol 2 about Kaoru "scoring" his landlady. That topic has died down and not come up again. The " B) " twist is that Mayu has assumed all this time that her competitor is Tina. She has taken Aoi for granted as a sort of friend and confidante. So ...

Wow, that's a point. I bet social standing does count for a lot with Mayu. It might not occur to her that Kaoru has class of a different sort, the kind that comes from integrity and self-reliance. She would assume that his goodness to her in the past came from his good breeding.

What a soap opera!

i love the way Tina-chan greets woman,i think it brings out some of the humor of the story :D .i'm read volume 11 and i felt so bad for Tina going back to america :( .

This coming from someone who has only seen the anime...

Tina is the one character who I think could really carry a spin-off. As outgoing and boistrous and... grabby... as she tends to be, it all seems to be a mask she wears to hide the fact that she's just a scared young woman trying to fit in. That makes her a powerful character, as well, IMO. You can't help but feel for her once you get to know her.

I like the army brat analogy, btw. Also, the idea that she might be borderline lesbian is not all that farfetched. Many people who think they are straight often realize that they are homosexual as they go through life. I think it more of a possibility that Tina might actually be bisexual.

Great character, one of my favorites. She took some getting used to early on, but that only made me feel all the more for her as I got to know her.