Kill La Kill Comic Strip Review: Gamagori x Mako Wedding by 洗面きぬ子

Fanart by 洗面きぬ子

(however that is pronounced)

So me and my sister had just finished Kill la Kill and we were both hooked by the MakoxGamagoori pairing. We weren't expecting it at first, but it really grew on us. The way the hints and the shiptease just built episode by episode just enough to get our interest until we were ready to invest.

So we were glad - relieved, actually - that the predictions of Mako dying before the show ends did not pull through. All thanks to Gamagoori taking the bullet for her in the last episode. Though all we got was the hint of a future date or courtship between the two in the ending credits, that doesn't stop a lot of artists thinking up ways how that would happen.

This one just skipped right into the wedding. And it was one of the best and most beautiful fanart dedicated to the two we've ever found.

The original material could be found here:

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=42121011

but you could find copies of the translated version floating around in Thumblr if you google-search "Mako-Gamagori wedding". Just click whoever is following the thread and join in the fun. 

Enjoy :)

How to Train Your Dragon Fanfic Review: Crossing The Line by The Antic Repartee / Avannak

Fanart by the author

This month of April has got something to look forward to. I waited almost a year to see this ever since I first saw the trailer: the sequel to How To Train Your Dragon. Finally, something to overtake the overused Frozen memes and fads.

No offense to Disney's latest entry, but I want something a little new and different for this summer. Last winter season may have been the Ice Queen's time, but this summer will belong to the dragons.

A lot of fanfics had been made expanding the HTTYD world, and some of them delved into the future of the characters after the movie. I've seen plenty of them, but this one goes into such detail about the Viking culture that was absent in most and the social impact of having dragons as pets. Because there is one fact that we can easily forget when we see the main cast: they maybe child-friendly Vikings, but they are still Vikings. Vikings on dragons.

Anyone who knows their history and culture - their warrior culture - should get an idea where this is going. So basically, this fic explores what would happen in the HTTYD world when actual Viking culture is applied. When old rivalries with other clans are in effect, the troubles of adjusting into a new life felt, and the idea of going to war on the backs of dragons is tempting... Yeah, it gets a whole lot more complicated.

It also explores the dynamics of the relationship between Hiccup and Astrid, as well as what would happen when include one more person from the books into the equation. It's more mature and realistic in its portrayal, as well as justified in its developments.

I haven't read the books myself, but there are several elements from there incorporated into the story. Such as the characters of Berk identifying themselves as Hooligans, and the introduction of other characters not included in the movie but are present in the books. Anyone who had tried both might get a kick in this; but for someone like me who was only familiar with the movie, I had reeled from the fact that there's a third wheel in the pairing.

It's still a good read, despite the unfamiliar elements. It's from the same author who gave us Hitchups, The Antic Repartee or Avannak, so it is worth it.

You can read it here:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7021226/1/Crossing-the-Line

and here:

http://avannak.deviantart.com/gallery/38585809

Enjoy :)

The Avengers Movieverse Fanfic Review: The Photograph by sam_storyteller

Fanart by Res-Gestae

I know what a crack fic is. I've seen and read crack. I've had crack. But this. This is too well done to be just labeled crack.

Here's the situation: set after the big damn movie, Tony Stark gathers the team to live in the newly-rebuilt Avengers Tower. Seems to be all fine, at first. But for all smarts that our millionaire-genius-playboy-philanthropist was supposed to have, he never had the experience of dealing with roomies. Until now.

Especially when Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America - of all people - inadvertently turned the place into a nudist colony while cooking breakfast.

By all rights, Tony . He'd seen a lot of people naked. He might even like to see a few select number of people naked - female ones, anyway. But there's something about seeing a butt-naked Thor that makes even him want to back away. That, and Hawkeye in superhero underwear.

And all it took was a routine fire drill to get some sense back into everyone's heads.

Want to know how things escalated so quickly? Check this link to find out: http://sam-storyteller.dreamwidth.org/180567.html

Enjoy ^_^

Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime Doujin Review: T-MOON COMPLEX Congratulations! 10th Anniversary by Crazy Clover Club

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

A Song of Ice and Fire Fanfic Review: Neither Wolves Nor Dragons by L_Cloudy

Fanart by MARYMARU

If there is one thing that the A Song of Ice and Fire series (better known as the Game of Thrones for the people who prefer TV) had taught me, it’s that convenience is boring. After seeing the unforgiving and unfavoring brand of realism the series is notorious for, I’ve started to feel that whatever story development that seems too easy and too good to be true would be too ridiculous to believe. Much less accept.

I’m guessing it’s a sign that my taste in media has started to mature. I now have this preference for a sense of realism in whatever story I read.  Some scenario that’s not too good to be true but not too hard to believe, but enough to convince me that something like this is still likely to happen in the real world.

This is why I often try to find stories that show me that even good things – believably good things – can still happen. Even in a crapsack world such as Westeros.

That was how I found this story. This fic is part of a series of what-if? stories set in the world of the series where it answers one basic question: what if Rhaegar Targaryen had won against the rebellion? Well, for starters, everyone seems better off. But, of course, this is still Westeros and there will always be downsides: the Mad King is still alive (but locked away somewhere while his son is effectively king in all but name), some people are still dead (some of whom we won’t miss though *cough*Robert*cough*), and (according to the other stories set in the same timeline) Cersei is still a bitch.

This story is told from the perspective of the eldest Stark daughter, Sansa, who in this universe is less spoiled but still a bit of a brat, as she and her family are called back from exile in Braavos and make their way back to a home they never knew: Winterfell.

This might be living proof why the author, George R.R. Martin, has a disdain for fanfiction. Whatever scenario I’ve just described to you is pretty much just product of wishful thinking, which runs contrary to how the narrative causality of the world of Ice and Fire works. Like I've said, too good to be true (if you're still naive enough not notice the implied political-hostage situation).

But given the original material it’s based on, this fic comes as a much needed breath of fresh air.

You can read the fic itself here:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/897512/chapters/1733934

Enjoy :)

Frozen & Rise of the Guardians Crossover Fanfic Review: To Thaw a Heart by justcallmefaye

Fanart by Queen-of--Snow

My interest in this crossover pairing started from having watched their respective movies within the same weekend. I've finished torrenting Rise of the Guardians just in time Frozen came out in theaters, and me and my sister both had that what-if? scenario that might as well be a eureka moment for fanfic writers.

Jack Frost and Elsa? Sure, why not.

The thing is, the idea for the pairing is only just recent and though there already are plenty of fanart of the two popping up online, there is still the issue of finding any decent fanfics of them.

But I think I've found one that's maybe up to par.

Just a little something short, sweet. Nothing fancy, nothing too deep. But written in a way that could work in each other's canon. This fic gives us a scenario how these two would interact before and after the events of Frozen. Loneliness and ice powers are what Jack and Elsa both have in common, so why not let them bond with it. Besides, their fanbase had already run with it as a good starting point.

You can check the fic itself here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9893186/1/To-Thaw-a-Heart
Enjoy :)


Finally had time to post a new one. After weeks, months of adjusting to my new workload, I managed to fight off writer's block to get this done before the end of the year. I hope this would help me get back in stride.

Haruhi Suzumiya & Doctor Who Crossover Fanfic Review: Worst Day Ever by Sharper Than the Sword

Fanart by mell0w-m1nded

This crossover had been bound to happen. Aliens, time travelers, espers, a would-be god, and an ordinary human roped into the mess... Did we just describe the cast of Haruhi Suzumiya or the recurring elements of Doctor Who?

Heck, the name "John Smith" pretty much guaranteed it.

The story could  be simplified as thus: the SOS Brigade - bar Haruhi - meet the Doctor (Tenth, my personal favorite), they go to Dairy Queen (in China), they try to keep him a secret from their boss, Haruhi finds out anyway, universe goes boom. And all it took for the latter to happen was the name "John Smith." Not too long, nothing too serious. Which is why I think if this story was polished a little bit more, it would make a hilarious episode in the style of the Haruhi-chan spinoff show.

What's also fun about it is the little thought exercise of reading this in each of the characters' respective voices. That would be hearing Crispin Freeman and David Tennant hamming it out in our heads.

Mind blown.

Imagine Kyon near freaking-out at the absurdity of the situation? Bit out-of-character for him, but still funny. Hearing Crispin Freeman as Kyon near freaking-out at said situation? Definitely funny. Hearing Crispin Freeman as Kyon near freaking-out the same way he does in the Haruhi-chan gag dub? Along with Tennant's cheeky glib? Priceless. 

Get that dose of crack here:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5403007/1/Worst_Day_Ever

Enjoy :)

Wild Arms 3 Fanfic Review: The Birthday Boy Remains Unwilling by grey

Fanart by Innocentfate

This was one of the very first stories I've read when I first discovered Fanfiction.net, and also one of the first batches of fanfic printouts I've had. I'm sure I still have the copy somewhere in my house, and I wouldn't mind digging through my mess of files to read it again. Even after all these years the story is still a good read. It also had helped set my standards for fanfic-writing, and provided a speculative relationship subplot that the original material didn't bother to show.

Not that the latter problem stopped us.

Basically, the story is a lighthearted rom-com involving the only two main characters in the cast with a chance of shiptease but never got explored: Virginia Maxwell and Jet Enduro. She's upbeat and plucky, he's sulky and snarky. She's team leader, while he's the ineffective loner. She had brought the group together, while he gets convinced that it's better than going solo.

Oh, and they were separately sort-of raised by Virginia's absentee father at different points of their life. So yeah. Bonus points for that.

Opposites attract. That might as well be their charm. And their interactions - and often arguments - gives us some of the funny and heartwarming moments in the game.

Expect some more of those here. The story goes like this: Virginia decides to throw Jet his first birthday party because he never had one - by virtue of the guy not having been born (more like created). There's also a treasure map involved, some moldy cheese, and a bet that got ruined by a squirrel. Believe me, it'll make sense in context. And it is a lot better than it sounds.

In-character interactions, witty prose, and a well-written narrative. What's not to like?

Check out the story here:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1984579/1/The-Birthday-Boy-Remains-Unwilling

Happy reading :)

Baccano Fanfic Review: Copycats by r_lee

Fanart by JaviDLuffy

Isaac and Miria. Two names, two characters with a meaning all by themselves. If blind optimism and dumb luck were to mate and have children, it would be these guys. Or better yet, they're the patron saints of both attitudes.

Too bad we hardly had any origin story for both of them that would've explained how in the hell they ended up like this. Only a few vague hints in the light novels, but those things weren't even conclusive. But, then again, detailing their origins might spoil some of their mystique.

This author though, r_lee, gives us an interesting speculation on how these two met though. Nothing detailed, nothing out of character for either one of them, and definitely not boring. Might not be as good as canon, but it might as well have captured what they could have been like when they first discovered their natural chemistry together.

Check it out here:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/37191

The author had also done a few other fics on the other Baccano cast as well. Maybe worth a look.

Enjoy :)

Baccano Fanfic Review: Family Rites by karanguni

Fanart by chiart

I was never really a fan of the three Gandor brothers in Baccano, much preferring the antics of the more colorful members of the cast. Compared to the rest, these three seemed to be the only sane guys in the entire entourage. In fact, excluding their mortality and criminal roots, they seemed the most normal. Down to earth, even.

But that must be why they make this fic work.  

Simply put, this fic shows the dynamics of the Gandors as a family and how they cope together after the events of 1930 in the series’ timeline. Like mentioned in the fic’s introduction, one of them gets married, starts a family, all that stuff even men of the criminal underworld have the luxury of having. But they still have to put up with the consequences of living forever while the rest of the normal world couldn't.

Some of the other characters make brief appearances in this fic. That’s not to say they don’t do much either, since they always drop by to keep the brothers grounded when the changing world proves a little too much to handle. Oh, and Claire drops by every now and then, of course.

It’s all keeping it in the family alright. Even if one of the members in question is Claire batshit-crazy-insane Stanfield.

Oh, and if you read between the lines hard enough, you might even spot some slash between Luck and Claire. I’m no fan of yaoi and I’m not starting now or anytime soon, but I don’t really mind since that side-plot doesn’t overtake the rest of the story.

You can find the fic in either of these pages in livejournal:

http://baccano.livejournal.com/92518.html

http://karanguni.livejournal.com/26782.html

EnjoyJ

From One-Shot to Series: Koe no Katachi Serialization

OH. MY. GOD.
It's a series...

It has happened. I was expecting something like this would eventually come to pass so it shouldn't be a surprise. Koe no Katachi (The Shape of the Voice), the heart-moving, tear-jerking one-shot manga about a deaf girl and grade school bullying, is finally serialized.

It means that we now have a long drawn-out version of that drama short. I'm now kinda hesitant in reading it now.

I make it a point to never review an anime/manga series unless it is finished, but I'm making this an exception. I've read and made a review about the one-shot last March (see http://fanworksandreviews.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-shot-manga-review-koe-no-katachi.html) and, though it's been months since that time, I still find myself... scared - more like hesitant, actually, but I can't deny also being outright terrified - of following the drama again now that it has a continuity. I'm still willing to go through with it, given that the author won't jump the shark, but only if - ONLY IF - the series is finished or has reached a considerable number of chapters.

Because I don't think my heart can take a cliffhanger chapter in this series...

The one-shot was first published by Kodansha last February where it appeared on Bessatsu Shounen Magazine and Weekly Shounen Magazine, the same publications where the manga is now being serialized. Apparently, it had trouble being released at first most likely due to its content. I'm only hoping the author, Ooima Yoshitoki, would make the story work well in this form in the long run.

Original Doujinshi Review: Blindfold Play by Shiwasu no Okina

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.