The slow but furious catchup continues.

V11 Cover. Hina with Nagi and Nishizawa amidst a bamboo grove and spring. Hina’s sideway glance at the latter hinting at the tension between her promise to support Nishizawa and her own feelings for Hayate.

V11C110. Hina in centre background of Ch (3) cover. Announcement of popularity contest results:

10. Saki (187 votes)
9. Wataru (220 votes)
8. Izumi (410 votes)
7. Nishizawa (421 votes)
6. Sakuya (431 votes)
5. Isumi (666 votes)
4. Nagi (1,103 votes)
3. Hayate (1,503 votes)
2. Maria (1,586 votes)
1. Hinagiku (3,728 votes) (p.51/15)

Hina cosplay fan service! Which doesn’t really suit her though. (p.52/16) Nagi aims to make a comeback with ‘the strength of the anime’. IIRC her chara CD outsold Hina’s? I’d put it down to the power of KugiRie fandom.

V11C112. Hina in a gown. (pp.2-3) Total breakdown of popularity contest votes. (p.4) Izu Shimoda meteorite powers attract Hina’s attention. LOL (p.79/11)

V11C113. In Hayate’s moment of difficulty onboard the train, a reliable person appears - Hinagiku! LOL tsundere about the reasons for the trip. (p.7) She’s asked to babysit Maria-san. (p.96/8) The girl is now in a state of confusion! ‘Does he want to avoid me that badly?’ (p.98/10)

V11C114. Hina and Maria-san catch-up chat. (p.8) Maria’s eye arrow. ‘Your charms offset your development.’ orz (p.9) Hina’s admission to a love problem is interrupted by Nagi’s phone call. (p.10)

V11C115. Maria-san gets back on track re: Hina’s relationship problems. (p.126/6) BETRAYAL? But the answer may already be in her heart. (P.132/12)

V11C116. Hina creates a chan-su for Nishizawa, telling him to take her to Shimoda by bicycle and to give her a proper answer. (p.140-41/4-5) En route, Hina ponders about doing the right thing. (p.145/9) Kurogane’s said it all already. (pp.14-15)

V11C118. Bonus pages. ‘The universe is their stage…’ LOL Nagi and Hina :0 (p.19) Jul-Sep 2007. Hina in summer dress. (p.21) Is your New Year’s Present ok? (p.24) More Hina Lacus cosplay sans hair clip. Pink hair, pink hair. (p.27)

V12C119. Insert 1. Sergeant Donut! Insert 2. Lieutenant Hinagiku!

V12C120. Hina hot springs fan service!! She resolves to talk to Nishizawa next time they meet. (p.4) Which is the next page. (pp.5-6) Hinagiku pinch! Nishizawa poke! (p.7) Nishizawa admiration of Hina skin and hair. And runs off before Hina can get stuff off her chest. ‘I-I’m an idiot…!’ (p.8) Hina collapse from hot springs overdose. (p.9) Mezame! (p.11) Hinagiku x Nishizawa Yuri Flag triggered!! (pp.12-14) Adjourning to elsewhere. (p.15)

Aaah, I have finally caught up with the scanlations. *collapses in exhausted heap*

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

V10C104. Hina turns up just as Hayate makes his now-wasted leap for the Jackie Chan NG scene recreation. (p.134/14)

V10C105. Hina on the chapter cover. (p.1) Yukiji goes to Hina to borrow money. Hina, to say the least, is not pleased. (p.139/3) Hina kicks Yukiji out, we learn she is 12 years younger. (p.140/4) Righteous fury of Hina when Yukiji muses about borrowing from loansharks. (p.141/5) Indirect and pretty humourous way to let readers know about the sisters’ hardships from those years ago. (p.142/6) Hina’s doubts and resolution are interrupted by her sense of justice - a robber is on the loose nearby! (p.149/13) Hayate uses the ‘return call’ trick to contact an honest person - Katsura Hinagiku! (p.150/14) But the return call is cut off by a SEELE-masked robber.

V10C106. LOL Chapter title is soooo Stripey. Hina arrives at the scene. (p.161/9) And it looks like Yukiji is the robber LOLOLOL. Hina-shokku! All because I didn’t lend her money?? (pp.164-65/12-13) Teary Hina smites Yukiji with wooden sword and speech. (p.166/14) The real robber surrenders and is taken away. Hina;; (p.167/15) All’s well that ends well - Oneesan no baka!! (p.168/16) Foolrulez Credits. Yes I admit I’d love to get stepped on by Hina… =_=;;

V10C107. Bonus pages for the anime. Hina is given top billing alongside Hayate, Nagi and Maria. (p.2/26) P.E. attire Hina! (p.32) Full colour Galaxy Angel Hina! (p.33) Nishizawa and Hina tied by the red string of fate. Toranoana Apr-Jun 2007 calendar illustration. (p.37)

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

V10 Cover: Or under the book jacket. Bad End! Hayate over sleeps and the Hina flag disappears as a result. SD Hina T_T Hina sweat drops at the “Contents” label on her cake (with teddy bears!)

V10C97. Cover page - smiling Hina in the moonlight! Hina is impatient for Hayate’s arrival - the clock is in danger! (It says p.6 on the scan but it’s the 5th page on Manga Fox’s index; I’ll go with the former page numbering.) An hour later, Hina wonders if Hayate is not going to show and if he doesn’t like her anymore. (p.7) It’s true that she didn’t have the chance to show him much of her cute and girly side. Clock tsukkomi is hazardous for clock! Hina has Hayate mobilization rights. (p.8) Hayate arrives just as she is dozing off. (p.9) He’s 2.5 hours late! Good sword catch though. Normally I just make my perpetually late friends *coughStripeycough* buy me lunch or a drink at least. (p.10) Biggest twitch ever. Righteous Hina fury at Hayate’s forgetfulness. (p.11) Isumi Miscomm! Hayate wants to talk; Hina thinks it’s a challenge to a duel. (p.12) Because of Hina’s inner strength, the Saginomiya sword, Masamune, can grant her Bismarck Waldstein geass. (pp.14-15) LOL Obi-wan Squirrel but I’m still thinking of that Chestnut x Squirrel pun from Ebichu. (p.16) Hina finally gives Hayate an opening by telling him why she’s unhappy with him - his promise to her unfulfilled yet (p.17), Hina is surprisingly insecure about herself (p.18), the tears come out and her fighting spirit is dissipated (p.19) BTW I completely agree with the note at the bottom of the page about how the chronologically jumbled broadcast order of Haruhi built up the show much better and that the impact was diminished in the DVD order. (p.20)

V10C98. Nagi and Maria-san’s contrasting assessments as to whether Hinagiku would fall for Hayate. (p.1) Tea doesn’t quite soothe Hina’s turbulent feelings, Hayate acknowledging her girly side, her anxiety not to lose and the demand for her present. (p.23-24/3-4) Against Nagi’s Bu…Bul.. LOL watch, Hayate offers handmade cookies. (p.5) Hina remembers something from her past, she hears another one of Hayate’s hard luck stories. (p.26/6) She tells him about her hairpin and how her parents abandoned her and her sister, with a JPY 8 million debt (about USD 88,600 at current rates) just a few days before her 6th birthday. (p.7) Yukichi has paid off the debt through dubious means and Hina still wonders why they were abandoned. (p.8) Hina likes her foster parents but she’s sure her parents liked her too. Hayate invites her to the terrace and to hold her tightly. (p.29/9) And she opens her eyes to a beautiful view. (p.10 - two pages in the manga) Hayate talks about the inside and the right here and now. And Hina realizes (p.32/11) that her flag has

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

V9C93. Contra Maria-san’s not believing Hayate is cursed, Hayate believes that Hina will definitely believe him and lose to him for the sake of lifting the curse! BTW it’s probably that Maria likes to dress up Hayate in girls’ clothes. LOL (p.121) Hina rationalizes her feelings for Hayate as being caused by their unfinished battle during the Free Style Marathon way back in Vol.6; as a result, she is no mood to be defeated. Poor Isumi-san, rallying messages is a difficult job! (pp.122-6)

V9C94. Katsura Hinagiku - defender of Japanese culture against Nagi’s criticism of festivals! (p.145) LOL Hina graciously accepts Nagi’s present. What a smile! All will love Hinagiku and despair!!!! (p.146)

V9C95. Happy birthday, Hina-chan! *party poppers* (p.156) LOL, the Terrible Trio’s reasoning and Yukiji’s present. (p.157) Hina ponders Hayate’s challenge letter - is it a love letter!? But she is interrupted to pick a song. (pp.158-9) Hinagiku Lacus Clyne cosplay concert! Hilarous given how Maria-san is voiced by Tanaka Rie in the anime! Hina can stir up a crowd. And counter-attack! :D (pp.161-4)

V95C96. Hina’s step mom is also at the party. Hina is stirred to meet Hayate’s challenge. (pp.166-7) But Hayate is too caught up with rescuing Nagi, breaking his curse blah blah and doesn’t remember until the time of the appointment has past. (p.177) Entering the Student Council office, Hina sleeping in the moonlight! (p.179) ‘Alone. Their special birthday party begins.’ (p.180)

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

After Musashi stopped scanlating, I was adrift for a while. And the inertia of the backlog was pretty paralyzing. But with the recent infusion of sweet Hinagiku loot, I’ve finally managed to get going again with the manga. But I’m too lazy WRT site maintenance to set up a separate blog just for manga entries.

V08C85. Fishing. Hinagiku doesn’t actually appear but Nagi mentions her when Hayate accidentally gropes her while saving her from going overboard: ‘Hinagiku has about this much too!’ (p.179) LOL I certainly don’t hold it against Hina-chan and which is why I’m not a huge fan of Tony Taka’s Hina artwork; not being well endowed is one of her chara characteristics and it’s just not kosher to inflate them like he did. At least she gets an ending illustration with Nishizawa. (p.184) Her Greece trip (pp.185-8) was faithfully animated in Ep 52 - mainly involved jokes about her fear of heights but it’s also an important milestone; Nishizawa is really happy to be on a trip with Hina.

V09C86. Yukiji observes Hina’s ’surprising’ popularity among the male students. (pp.8-9 [changed page count to internal to chapter]). LOL, aging gas.

V09C87. Again Hina doesn’t actually appear but it’s all about Hayate’s quest to buy a birthday present for her. Why does he think that Maria-san isn’t a good source of advice? Loads of Hayate-Nishizawa awkwardness as he hasn’t yet given a response to her confession.

V09C88. Hina helps out at supplementary classes! (pp.3-4) Overhears discussion about why certain presents are not suitable for her. LOL comment from the Terrible Trio that she’s ‘a little boy inside’ (pp.5-8): doesn’t that make her a perfect match for the girly-looking with girly interests Hayate? But then again, Hina does have a girly side e.g. likes cute stuffed toys. Nishizawa runs off and Hina arrives just in time to hear why Hayate did not accept the former’s feelings: he feels he does not have the qualifications to be a good boyfriend - particularly financial skills. What a warped little flashback that was! (pp.12-16)

V09C89. Nagi is Not Pleased that Hayate is so earnest about buying a present for Hina’s birthday. (pp.2-4) She definitely knows who is The Best Girl and Strongest Competition.

V09C90. Still worrying about the present buying! Nishizawa meets up with Hina and, with the exams approaching, manages to employ some typically lame but cute hamster reasoning to get Hina to agree to tutor her. (pp.8-10, 16)

V09C91. Hina is troubled by a very flowery dream about Hayate presenting her with his present. (p.1) LOL at Miki’ ninja appearance and SD Hina trying to escape and colliding into her chair in shock. She can be surprisingly clumsy! (p.5) Miki Knows All: including the colour and design of Hina’s panties today. *nosebleed* Was this the first time that Hina heard about Hayate being abandoned by his parents and his enormous debt? (p.6) Hina gets furious with Hayate for neglecting his studies i.e. looking for her present despite belatedly realizing how tough the exams will be. (pp.8-10) Flashbacks to Hina’s own Hard Life story (pp.7, 12-16) which, apparently, Hayate is not cognizant of yet. Hina: ‘The one thing that haunts my heart…[Why did her parents abandon her and Yukiji? applied to Hayate]‘ Hayate’s pragmatic riposte? Hina tells Hayate that she will be looking forward to her present. Oh so tsundere!

V09C92. Not to be outdone, Nagi grudgingly buys a ridiculously expensive watch for Hina. Hayate is flabbergasted at the price and Nagi really rubs it in. (pp.4-5) In order to break the Hinamatsuri doll’s nekomimimeido curse, it seems that Hayate must defeat Hina. (p.12) Still more Hina internal struggling between her feelings for Hayate (still ‘Ayasaki-kun’) and her promise to support the Hamster’s love. (p.13) Some surprisingly good, if standard, advice from the ghostly Father: open your heart. (p.14)

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.

The power of Hinagiku compelled me!

This is actually the first time I’ve bought Cospa merchandise; I do own a Cospa Swimsuit Hinagiku towel but that was a gift from Stripey. But while at KKnM yesterday, I couldn’t resist buying the above Hinagiku t-shirt (Japan RRP at JPY 2,900 exclusive of tax) especially when another customer was already wearing it at the shop; in sales, nothing beats a positive demonstration!

And after deciding on the t-shirt, I was then informed that there was also a 140 x 80cm towel available; Japan RRP at JPY 4,800. I had a bit of a discussion with A about whether these towels will actually be used - a ‘for’ argument was that one side was blank so that could be used but (1) I couldn’t actually use it as a towel, more of a decoration since repeated washes would wear out the colours; (2) if you’re into ‘using’ chara goods, doesn’t using the white side defeat the purpose? :3

‘To use or not to use’ is also the question for the final purchase of the day. My first ever dakimakura cover or hug pillow case, measuring 50 x 150cm and made of 100% polyester, Japan RRP at JPY 9,000.

I was even informed, by Sharon, that if I wanted to use it, I should go to OG’s bed deparment and ask for a ‘body pillow’ and it should be relatively inexpensive (under SGD 20). Man, I love a store that understands its customers. At this point, I would have linked to the Sexy Losers web comic No.148 but the site appears to have gone to where ever websites go when they vanish from the interwebs. But at least you can get some idea of the content from the ohnorobot transcript:

SUBTITLE: Haven’t we seen this guy before…? / [[Mr. Shibata stands at the counter of an electronics store talking to a young male clerk.]] / Clerk: Can I help you? / Mr. Shibata: Yes. I’m looking to buy a home security system for my bedroom involving at least three cameras. My wife is having an affair, you see… / Clerk: Geez, that’s gotta be rough. Who is it, your best friend, mailman, ex-boyfriend from college… / Mr. Shibata: Eighteen year old high school girl. / [[They stare at each other in silence.]] / Clerk: In that case, I should tell you about our special on bulk quantities of high grade video cassette. / Mr. Shibata: I love a store that understands its customers.

Hmmm, when I first bought it I thought I preferred the school uniform side. But now upon reflection the pajamas side is better. The blush is just a perfect touch. I’m not actually sure about hugging it in the afore-mentioned body pillow since (1) polyester is not the most comfortable fabric to hug; (2) I really wouldn’t want to dribble drool all over this fine fine piece of artwork while asleep. -_-;; But fitting it over a body pillow might still be good for display purposes since it is a pillow case afterall and would look best that way…

Actually I might not have bought the dakimakura but, as they say, timing is everything. At first, after enticing me to buy the t-shirt and then the towel, A said that there was a Hinagiku hug pillow case but now only left Nagi. I actually breathed a sigh of relief as I knew I would find it hard to resist. But just when I turned away to talk to someone else and turned back, Sharon slipped the dakimakura cover on top of the t-shirt and towel. As my eyes widened, she made a nose bleed gesture (the explosive jet type not the dribble type) and the deal was sealed. After wiping off my nose bleed, of course.

©2009 hontou ni sou omou?. All Rights Reserved.