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Arina Tanemura

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 4:34 pm
by anon
Okay, guys, I'm going to open up a big can of worms with everyone's favorite shoujo staple, Arina Tanemura, AKA flawless former kween of Ribon. Or so they say. Her stories are sugary but do have a dark side; her artwork is gorgeous and detailed, etc.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people remember her for Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, the one series that rocketed her to a big status, but my favorite is Full Moon wo Sagashite. I feel like a lot of her works pretty much jumped the shark afterwards, but that might be because I didn't like The Gentlemen's Alliance + very much. Tanemura's stories are great with a flavor of fantasy and I really feel like she should keep it that way because she does it best. With that said, Mistress Fortune is my second favorite and it's a charming story; the fact that it is short is actually pretty good because I feel like it'd ruin my expectations if it were longer. (Plus, I have the original volume and it is SPARKLY!!!)

Tanemura's artwork is gorgeous and detailed but her biggest flaw is that all of her characters look the same. I'd like to say her characters act the same but if you've read her stories long enough, you can actually differentiate her characters... though I've yet to find a difference in personality between Haine (The Gentlemen's Alliance +) and Sakura (The Legend of Princess Sakura).

I've read all of her works with the exception of Short-tempered Melancholic (which I never finished) and her Margaret series Fudanjuku Monogatari. And Neko to Watashi no Kinyoubi because it just started and I can't find raws for it. And I'm slightly getting to finishing The Legend of Princess Sakura?

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:51 am
by Juhi
Tanemura Arina used to be one of my favorite manga artists back in the day. Her earlier works definitely had a distinctive charm. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get into her works since SD+. Honestly, that manga steadily became a mess. I dropped it around volume 4 because it started giving me migraines (and Ushio, one of my favorite characters, got totally butchered from what I remember).

Her art is definitely pretty. A little more distinctiveness in the characters would be nice, though. Everyone does look the same if you're not paying close attention. On whole, not too many complaints from me. I didn't buy the KKJ and FMwS artbooks for nothing!

I voted for Fullmoon wo Sagashite, but I equally like Time Stranger Kyoko. The kingdom setting and fantasy+adventure elements were its strong points. I honestly wished TSK were a little longer. So many characters got shafted... If I had to pick my favorite character from her works, it'd have to be Kyoko.

I skipped pretty much everything after SD+. I might try her new series if I'm able to obtain raws or something.

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:16 am
by Destinie
I liked KKJ to an extent but it was pretty much her version of Kaitou Saint Tail with a darker element. It's hard for me to read some of her stories because I feel like her protagonists are all very similar (if not the same). I know that Shoujo genre is very formulaic but it just seems like her characters in each story look and act the same. However, It's kind of nice that she throws in the element of them going through struggles and overcoming their insecurities.

I tried reading FMwS and Gentleman's Alliance and didn't like either. However, I am open to reading some of her later stuff so maybe I'll give that a shot.

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:34 pm
by anon
I personally felt that The Gentlemen's Alliance + was Tanemura's weakest series. She tried to break out of her mold of fantasy stories, but all of her characters in the story were very hard to relate to and just seemed all over the place. However, it was her longest series, if that is saying something. It seems that Tanemura's longer series have a lot to be desired because her character development is pretty sloppy especially when she introduces a wide cast of characters. With that said, she's good at drawing action scenes... Destinie, this might be me but I think you should give The Legend of Princess Sakura a try?

I've started to forgive Tanemura's non-fantasy stories because I've come to the realization that some of them are actually entertaining. My favorite one-shot by Tanemura is Shoujo Eve. And even though Neko to Watashi no Kinyoubi is basically Tanemura tapping into the "little devil romance" market, it still managed to charm me somewhat.

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:25 am
by Cherri
I've never read anything by her. Her artwork is beautiful. I was thinking about picking up Legend of Princess Sakura but I do admit I am a little afraid too. Is it gonna be like in Yuu Watase's work were the girl is totally perfect and all the guys want her? Destinie brings up a point. Where the art is beautiful and the plot lacks? Am I judging shoujo manga too hard? Probably. Should I go for it as in just pick Legend of Princess Sakura? I figured I ask you guys.

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:38 pm
by anon
Arina Tanemura follows a standard shoujo formula where the protagonist is clumsy, ditzy, and clueless, but has a good heart. The Legend of Princess Sakura is very dark compared to Tanemura's works but the action sequences are great. Just go into her work with no expectations whatsoever and you should enjoy it because I don't consider her work to be THE best.

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 2:48 pm
by Cherri
All right. I'll give it a shot and get back to you guys. ^.^ thank you for the help.

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 8:52 pm
by anon
I've been keeping track of Neko to Watashi no Kinyoubi and all I have to say is LOL. The series is really ridiculous, and not in a good way, but it makes for extra snark. Tanemura is pairing up a 16-year-old with an 11-year-old boy and the extents to what the little boy does is ridic.

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:33 pm
by Destinie
Will need to add this to my list of silly shoujo to read. ;>

Re: Arina Tanemura

Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:42 am
by anon
Destinie wrote:Will need to add this to my list of silly shoujo to read. ;>
LOL DON'T IT'S HORRIBLE