http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubblegum_Crisis

1. Tinsel City – The Knight Sabers are hired to rescue a little girl from a group of kidnappers, but the girl is far more than she seems…
2. Born To Kill – A friend of Linna’s threatens to expose Genom secrets that led to the death of her fiancé, but Genom plans to silence her, first.
3. Blow Up – The Knight Sabers attack Genom Tower to put an end to the machinations of Genom executive Brian J. Mason.
4. Revenge Road – A racer modifies his car into a weapon of vengeance against the biker gangs of Megatokyo, but the car soon develops a mind of its own.
5. Moonlight Rambler – A killer is draining victims of their blood, but this is no vampire. And what do a pair of escaped love-doll androids and the D.D. super-weapon have to do with it?
6. Red Eyes – A group of fake Knight Sabers are ruining the group’s reputation, leading to a fight against a returning foe.
7. Double Vision – A singer with a vendetta comes to Megatokyo, and brings some heavy firepower with her.
8. Scoop Chase – An ambitious technical scientist and an aspiring reporter both plan to make their names at the expense of the Knight Sabers, and Nene is caught right in the middle.

This might explain a lot.

I’ll go dig out Mars…

I heard about Aurora, but only looked into the BL they’re releasing. Got any specific recommendations for their josei titles?

I read pretty much everything, manga wise, except for little kids’ stuff. Although there are a couple of little kids anime series that are just too darned cute to pass up. *grin* But most of what I read is BL and shounen, mainly Jump titles of the latter. Shoujo and josei are great if I can find something that interests me. CMX carries some good titles. I really like Cipher, Seimaden and Emma. And of course Eroica. I’ll be reviewing Cipher sometime soon.

If you ever feel like recommending anything though, feel free. I’m always looking for good titles to read. I love old school and new.

I’ve gotten kind of used to it since in shoujo pushing someone down, to use their term, is a way of expressing uncontrolled love. But it’s not for us English readers, and I too felt disappointed that it had been used.

It is indeed a convention of the shoujo romance genre and is one of the traits that bothers me the most. I will admit that shoujo, as a whole, and shoujo romance, as a whole, is typically not for me though. I’m more of a older shounen/seinen manga girl but there are a few josei titles coming out later this year from new publisher Aurora that look interesting. That said, I absolutely adored Fuyumi Soryo’s Mars.

I remember thinking it felt rushed. I didn’t expect it to be a long series like some of my friends did (a bunch of us were reading the manga at the same time and had a kinda-discussion group about it).

Ah, you know, I was thinking maybe that’s why I find it easier to enjoy NANA than, say, Keishon, because for a while I’ve been following it chapter by chapter as it comes out in the monthlies. It’s easier to absorb in small pieces, and every page is dwelled on and enjoyed. It is a different reading experience than reading the tankoubon.

I was uncomfortable when I read about the start of Arashi and Miwako’s relationship. I was wondering if that was what you meant. I’ve gotten kind of used to it since in shoujo pushing someone down, to use their term, is a way of expressing uncontrolled love. But it’s not for us English readers, and I too felt disappointed that it had been used. It’s the primary reason I haven’t read the prequel to the series yet that concerns their relationship and probably that scene, even though it’s been sitting on my shelf.

Note for anyone reading this: This incident is just referred to in Paradise Kiss. It happens before the start to this series, and occurs between two secondary characters.