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新聞社シリーズ #Extra #2
ペーパー・バック 2
帰りたいよ。会いたい。お前に―お前たちに。
明光新聞社で働く男たちの、人生と恋と欲と日々と愛。
「is in you」「off you go」の番外編を中心に紡ぐ、大人気“新聞社シリーズ”珠玉の掌編集。
商業誌未発表作を網羅&書き下ろし短編も収録してお贈りする、パズルのピースが集まっていくような第2巻。
明光新聞社で働く男たちの、人生と恋と欲と日々と愛。
「is in you」「off you go」の番外編を中心に紡ぐ、大人気“新聞社シリーズ”珠玉の掌編集。
商業誌未発表作を網羅&書き下ろし短編も収録してお贈りする、パズルのピースが集まっていくような第2巻。
382 pages, Paperback
First published January 19, 2016
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Michi Ichiho
70 books22 followersAssociated Names:
* Michi Ichiho (Japanese)
* 一穂ミチ (Japanese)
* Michi Ichiho (Japanese)
* 一穂ミチ (Japanese)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 18, 2016
Ah.
Did you read that as a really satisfied sigh? Because that's what it was supposed to sound like.
Oh.
And *that's* the sound of disappointment because it is already over. I could have gone on reading forever, but still wanted to read as fast as I could. I love that feeling.
It honestly has been a while since I read something *that* fulfilling. I've read a few great single novels, yes, but a series this long and consistently good? Probably the first time in my life, actually. (If we're talking about novels, not manga. Man, this is complicated.)
Anyway, I'm going to get my feelings about this whole series off my chest right here, because while this second collection of doujinshi does focus on one couple, all the other couples make an appearance so this obviously is the best place to do it.
What's it about? Well, the title of the series is "Shinbun series", meaning newspaper, meaning - suprise! - it's about people working for a newspaper. I actually read the books in the wrong order - and I read the first completely unaware it was part of a series - but since they are truly only loosely connected, the order doesn't really matter (except knowing some things helps getting the most of the other characters' cameos). The order in they were published is:
1. Is in you
2. Off you go
3. Stenographica
4. Unforgettable
5. Paperback 1
6. Paperback 2
It doesn't really make sense to read either Paperback before having read the actual novels, though, since they're collections of side stories connected to these novels. Guess who ordered these because the covers looked nice without knowing they were part of a series and then had to wait an eternity before the actual novels arrived?
Well, it was worth the wait.
"Is in you" is about Itsuka and Keisuke, who meet for the first time while in high school and then again, thirteen years later in Hongkong. For Itsuka it seems like he and Keisuke, despite having feelings for each other, just aren't meant to be, but is that true? (Spoiler: no. They are super adorable, too.)
"Of you go" is about Yoshitoki, his sister Towako and their friend Hisoka. Towako has been sick ever since she was born, and she and Hisoka meet in the hospital when they're kids, and Yoshitoki and Hisoka become friends, too. As they grow up, Hisoka and Towako get married, and Yoshitoki gets married as well, but about twenty years later, both he and Hisoka end up getting divorced, and it looks like the feelings these two had been hiding all these years are finally allowed to be realized.
Yoshitoki is one of the most appealing male characters I've ever read about. Seriously, I'd marry him on the spot. Hisoka is rather, um, special, but also a truly fascinating character. Their relationship (and actually including Towako) is one of the most interesting I've ever encountered in fiction. And I know I am a bit harsh on Ichiho Michi's writing when it comes to sex scenes, but while I don't find them that hot, especially the scenes between these two ooze intimacy, it's incredible. There are quite a few stories about them in "Paperback 1" already, but "Paperback 2" is overwhelmingly about them and I won't lie, I could easily read ten more books about them. Yes, that's how good this is. (In case you can't tell, this is my favourite book of the bunch. I also love the structure of this one the best.)
"Stenographica" is about Heki, a stenograph working at the Japanese parliament, and Nishiguchi, a journalist (and a close friend of Yoshitoki and Hisoka). It was the first book I read from this series, and it was actually among the first bunch of novels I read (I remember being horribly confused by the political vocabulary. Now I just ignore it.). It's my least favourite of all the novels, but still really good, and especially in the backstories Nishiguchi is really cute. And Heki is lovely.
"Unforgettable" is about Tougo and Nozomu. The two meet in 1997, when Tougo has just been assigned a desk job at the newspaper he works for (his direct superior back then is Yoshitoki) after messing up while out on a job. Nozomu works for a pharmaceutics company, and while the two of them become friends by accident, there soon is something more than friendship between them. But then something happpens that forces them to completely break off all contact - at first it seems like for the rest of their lives, but then they get a second chance after 17 years.
"Second chances" is probably the main theme of this series, and she does a great job of telling all kinds of different stories with it. There's one side story in "Paperback 2" involving two other characters, and she mentions she would love to write a longer story about them, but sadly in their case a second chance is pretty much impossible. All the stories left such a deep impact on me, and god, the characters! The characters are all so wonderful. All of them.
And the writing is so good. In a lot of BL novels (or, novels in generally), at best the writing is solid and doesn't bother you. Often it's too simplistic, or too superficial. But she can describe places and people and emotions in an incredibly vivid way, and weaves in metaphors that unfold in a way you only understand 100 pages later. It's just such a pleasure to read because it's smart and entertaining at the same time, and it has depth and meaning and. Just. It's so good.
And it had several of *those* moments. I don't know how to best put it, but you know when you read something you have been thinking all your life, and suddenly it's there, on the page, captured in words? And I swear, it's even weirder when that feeling is captured in kanji. Those moments are what truly make a difference for me - the difference between a book I just love, and a truly, truly great book I can love. And it's not just one, it's six!
And actually, I think it's amazing to see how much thought she has put into these characters. Usually, I don't care that much about extra stories, but in this case they are such a valuable addition that give even more depth to the original stories.
Honestly, I am so happy right now. After all these years, there are still books that can give me this feeling, that can truly take me to another world. I am so so grateful I encountered them. I am sad to say goodbye to these characters for now, but I hope she will continue writing in this universe. And if not, I will definitely read these books again.
Did you read that as a really satisfied sigh? Because that's what it was supposed to sound like.
Oh.
And *that's* the sound of disappointment because it is already over. I could have gone on reading forever, but still wanted to read as fast as I could. I love that feeling.
It honestly has been a while since I read something *that* fulfilling. I've read a few great single novels, yes, but a series this long and consistently good? Probably the first time in my life, actually. (If we're talking about novels, not manga. Man, this is complicated.)
Anyway, I'm going to get my feelings about this whole series off my chest right here, because while this second collection of doujinshi does focus on one couple, all the other couples make an appearance so this obviously is the best place to do it.
What's it about? Well, the title of the series is "Shinbun series", meaning newspaper, meaning - suprise! - it's about people working for a newspaper. I actually read the books in the wrong order - and I read the first completely unaware it was part of a series - but since they are truly only loosely connected, the order doesn't really matter (except knowing some things helps getting the most of the other characters' cameos). The order in they were published is:
1. Is in you
2. Off you go
3. Stenographica
4. Unforgettable
5. Paperback 1
6. Paperback 2
It doesn't really make sense to read either Paperback before having read the actual novels, though, since they're collections of side stories connected to these novels. Guess who ordered these because the covers looked nice without knowing they were part of a series and then had to wait an eternity before the actual novels arrived?
Well, it was worth the wait.
"Is in you" is about Itsuka and Keisuke, who meet for the first time while in high school and then again, thirteen years later in Hongkong. For Itsuka it seems like he and Keisuke, despite having feelings for each other, just aren't meant to be, but is that true? (Spoiler: no. They are super adorable, too.)
"Of you go" is about Yoshitoki, his sister Towako and their friend Hisoka. Towako has been sick ever since she was born, and she and Hisoka meet in the hospital when they're kids, and Yoshitoki and Hisoka become friends, too. As they grow up, Hisoka and Towako get married, and Yoshitoki gets married as well, but about twenty years later, both he and Hisoka end up getting divorced, and it looks like the feelings these two had been hiding all these years are finally allowed to be realized.
Yoshitoki is one of the most appealing male characters I've ever read about. Seriously, I'd marry him on the spot. Hisoka is rather, um, special, but also a truly fascinating character. Their relationship (and actually including Towako) is one of the most interesting I've ever encountered in fiction. And I know I am a bit harsh on Ichiho Michi's writing when it comes to sex scenes, but while I don't find them that hot, especially the scenes between these two ooze intimacy, it's incredible. There are quite a few stories about them in "Paperback 1" already, but "Paperback 2" is overwhelmingly about them and I won't lie, I could easily read ten more books about them. Yes, that's how good this is. (In case you can't tell, this is my favourite book of the bunch. I also love the structure of this one the best.)
"Stenographica" is about Heki, a stenograph working at the Japanese parliament, and Nishiguchi, a journalist (and a close friend of Yoshitoki and Hisoka). It was the first book I read from this series, and it was actually among the first bunch of novels I read (I remember being horribly confused by the political vocabulary. Now I just ignore it.). It's my least favourite of all the novels, but still really good, and especially in the backstories Nishiguchi is really cute. And Heki is lovely.
"Unforgettable" is about Tougo and Nozomu. The two meet in 1997, when Tougo has just been assigned a desk job at the newspaper he works for (his direct superior back then is Yoshitoki) after messing up while out on a job. Nozomu works for a pharmaceutics company, and while the two of them become friends by accident, there soon is something more than friendship between them. But then something happpens that forces them to completely break off all contact - at first it seems like for the rest of their lives, but then they get a second chance after 17 years.
"Second chances" is probably the main theme of this series, and she does a great job of telling all kinds of different stories with it. There's one side story in "Paperback 2" involving two other characters, and she mentions she would love to write a longer story about them, but sadly in their case a second chance is pretty much impossible. All the stories left such a deep impact on me, and god, the characters! The characters are all so wonderful. All of them.
And the writing is so good. In a lot of BL novels (or, novels in generally), at best the writing is solid and doesn't bother you. Often it's too simplistic, or too superficial. But she can describe places and people and emotions in an incredibly vivid way, and weaves in metaphors that unfold in a way you only understand 100 pages later. It's just such a pleasure to read because it's smart and entertaining at the same time, and it has depth and meaning and. Just. It's so good.
And it had several of *those* moments. I don't know how to best put it, but you know when you read something you have been thinking all your life, and suddenly it's there, on the page, captured in words? And I swear, it's even weirder when that feeling is captured in kanji. Those moments are what truly make a difference for me - the difference between a book I just love, and a truly, truly great book I can love. And it's not just one, it's six!
And actually, I think it's amazing to see how much thought she has put into these characters. Usually, I don't care that much about extra stories, but in this case they are such a valuable addition that give even more depth to the original stories.
Honestly, I am so happy right now. After all these years, there are still books that can give me this feeling, that can truly take me to another world. I am so so grateful I encountered them. I am sad to say goodbye to these characters for now, but I hope she will continue writing in this universe. And if not, I will definitely read these books again.
Displaying 1 of 1 review