Rosario + Vampire is a Japanese manga series originally serialized in Monthly Shōnen Jump  

Saturday, October 10, 2009












































































































Rosario + Vampire (ロザリオとバンパイア, Rozario to Banpaia, Rosario and Vampire) is a Japanese manga series originally serialized in Monthly Shōnen Jump, between August 2004 and June 2007; a single extra chapter was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump in September 2007. In November 2007, the manga began regular serialization again under the name Rosario + Vampire II, now in Jump Square, and is ongoing. The first series is currently being published in North America by Viz Media. At the current rate of publication, this arc should be finished by the end of the year. The second series has yet to be confirmed as licensed.
An anime adaptation also titled Rosario + Vampire aired in Japan from January to March 2008. A second season, titled Rosario + Vampire Capu2, began airing on October 2, 2008 and ending on December 24, 2008, continuing the story of the first 13-episode series and introducing more characters from the manga, as well as new anime-exclusive characters. The anime series focuses more on the romantic and supernatural comedy sides of the series than the dark thriller and conspiracy in the manga (in a similar vain of the films Death Becomes Her, What's New Pussycat and Daffy Duck's Quackbusters with a little bit of Catch-22).
Tsukune Aono is a normal high school freshman who is unable to get into any private school, due to his dismal grades. The only school he is finally accepted into turns out to be a secret school for supernatural monsters and mythical creatures (yōkai), who are disguised as humans. He quickly becomes friends with the beautiful Moka Akashiya, who turns out to be a vampire attracted to the sweet taste of his blood (and Tsukune's only, it turns out). While at first Moka was upset upon discovering that Tsukune was actually a human, she realizes that he's the first real friend she had ever made. Tsukune quickly realizes his admission into a monster school must have been a mistake and fears for his life.
Despite Moka's vampiric nature, she is a kind girl and Tsukune quickly falls for her. Moka also quickly falls in love with Tsukune after they meet. He decides to stay and be near her, despite the various dangers. He must hide his human identity from the faculty and other students, while trying to keep his grades up and avoiding conflicts with the various not-so-mythological monsters lurking around campus. Tsukune soon discovers that when he removes the "rosario" around Moka's neck, she transforms into a super-vampire, stronger and more powerful than almost any other creature at the school. However, in this state, she has an entirely different, often cold and merciless personality, so the rosario is only removed in dire emergencies. Tsukune is the only person who can physically remove it to transform Moka, and only in the case of an emergency (the rosario remains physically bound to Moka, while Tsukune attempts to willfully remove it in a moment immediately preceding, and sometimes interjecting - a malignant situation).
As the school year continues, Tsukune becomes involved with other students who start out as enemies but who are won over into becoming his friends: Kurumu Kurono, a succubus who originally fixated on Tsukune as both a means of propagating her species and a weapon against Moka (whom she originally hated for attracting all the male students away from her); Yukari Sendo, an eleven-year-old witch who is the smartest student at the academy (but prejudiced against by the other students since witches are not truly considered monsters, but somewhere between monsters and humans) who developed a major crush on Moka, and a softer crush on Tsukune after they defended her against a pack of bullies. Ginei Morioka, a second-year student who is not only the President of the school Newspaper Club but also a werewolf and a pervert who can't understand why Moka is attracted to Tsukune and not to him; and Mizore Shirayuki, a yuki-onna who began by stalking Tsukune believing them to be soulmates. However, after Tsukune befriends each of the girls, they become friendly rivals along with Moka for Tsukune's affections and members of the school Newspaper Club with Tsukune and stand by him even after they learn that he is really a human. Introduced in the second manga serialization, Kokoa Shuzen is the younger half-sister of Moka Akashiya. Bearing a similar appearance to Moka, except for her orange hair and cyan eyes, she arrives as a first-year student to Yōkai Academy. Like her sister, Kokoa is also a vampire, but her powers are not sealed and does not carry the same supernatural strength Moka possesses. To compensate, she has a pet bat, Kou, that can transform into a variety of weapons. She has a deep hatred for Outer Moka and an obssession with Inner Moka. In the manga she finally accepts the fact that her "real" sister is sealed, though in the anime she is more persistent. As time goes on, they discover dangerous organizations like Antithesis and Fairy Tale and must do battle against them to keep the school and even both the monster and human worlds safe, and Tsukune starts to undergo changes that truly solidify his role as the link between the human and monster worlds.











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Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth.  

Friday, October 9, 2009

Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is also referred to as Riddermark or The Mark. (The Mark is believed to have been the Mercian name for the Anglian Kingdom of Mercia, but could also mean just land as used in Germanic languages. Ridder just means Knight in Germanic languages such as Dutch and Norwegian. Therefore Riddermark may be translated as "Riders Land" or "Horsemans Land" which corresponds to the Rohirrims love of horses) The realm is of significant importance in the author's most famous book, The Lord of the Rings.
Rohan is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy (see maps of Middle-earth). It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry.
Conceptualized as the "Horse Kings of Rohan" allied with Gondor in early drafts of 1939, the Rohirrim took their final form in 1942 when about one third of The Lord of the Rings was completed.














































































In the thirteenth century of the Third Age (T.A.), the Kings of Gondor made close alliances with the Northmen of Rhovanion, a people said in The Lord of the Rings to be akin to the Three Houses of Men (later the Dúnedain) from the First Age.
In the twenty-first century, a remnant tribe of such Northmen calling itself the Éothéod moved from the valleys of Anduin to the north west of Mirkwood, clearing out what remained of the recently defeated witch kingdom of Angmar, east of the Misty Mountains. While there, some dispute arose between them and the Dwarves over the treasure-hoard of Scatha the dragon.
Later, in 2509, Cirion the Steward of Gondor sent summons to the Éothéod for aid in throwing off a combined invasion of Men from the north east of Middle-earth, and Orcs from Mordor.
Eorl the Young, king of the Éothéod, answered the summons, and arrived unexpected at a decisive battle at the Field of Celebrant, routing the orc army, and then destroying it as it fled.
As a reward, Eorl was given the plains of Calenardhon, and he moved his kingdom there. This land had earlier been part of Gondor proper, but had been devastated by the plague of 1636, and the survivors to a large extent slain in the invasion mentioned above.
The first line of kings lasted for 249 years, until the ninth king Helm Hammerhand died. His sons had been killed earlier, and his nephew Fréaláf Hildeson began the second line of kings, which lasted until the end of the Third Age.
In 2758, Rohan was invaded by Dunlendings under Wulf, son of Freca, of mixed Dunland and Rohan blood. The King, Helm Hammerhand, took refuge in the Hornburg until aid from Gondor and Dunharrow (a refuge of the Rohirrim) arrived a year later and defeated the invaders.
It was soon after this that Saruman arrived and took over Isengard, and was welcomed as a strong ally, since it would take Rohan close to 200 years to recover its strength after the invasion.
In 3014, Saruman began using his influence to weaken the King, Théoden, as part of a campaign to invade or take over the kingdom. In 3019, he launched a great invasion of Rohan, with victory in the two first battles (at the Fords of Isen; Théoden's son, Théodred was killed during these attacks) and defeat at the Battle of the Hornburg, where the Huorns came to the aid of the Rohirrim.
On the heels of this victory, Théoden rode with an army to Minas Tirith and helped break its siege in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where he was slain. Éomer, the nephew of King Théoden, then took up the reign, beginning the third line. Éomer rode with the armies of Gondor to the Black Gate of Mordor and took part in the Battle of the Morannon against the forces of Sauron, who were defeated when the Ruling Ring was destroyed.
The rule of the Stewards of Gondor was then over. King Éomer and the new king of Gondor, Elessar, renewed their oath of alliance, and reaffirmed Cirion's grant of Calenardhon to the Rohirrim.
In the Fourth Age, Rohan remained in peaceful coexistence with the Reunited Kingdom. It became the site of routes where Elves migrated from their eastern kingdoms to Lindon to leave Middle-earth. A few remained behind to help in the reconstruction of Rohan. A Dwarven community developed in the caves of Helm's Deep, which became prosperous from its mining of precious materials.











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River's End is a historical fantasy shōjo manga series by Chie Shinohara  

Thursday, October 8, 2009
















































































Red River (天は赤い河のほとり, Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori, lit. Heaven Is on the Banks of the Red River), also known as Anatolia Story, is a historical fantasy shōjo manga series by Chie Shinohara. It is published in Japan by Shogakukan in Sho-Comi and collected in 28 volumes. It is published English in North America by VIZ Media, with 25 volumes released as of April 2009. In 2001, the series won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo.
Red River is about a fifteen-year old Japanese girl named Yuri Suzuki, who is magically transported to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia. She was summoned by Queen Nakia who means to use Yuri as a human sacrifice. Yuri's blood is the key element needed in placing a curse upon the princes of the land so that they will perish, leaving Nakia's son as the sole heir to the throne. As the story progress, however, Yuri not only repeatedly manages to escape Nakia's scheming, she also becomes revered as an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar and falls in love with crown prince Kail.
The story takes place during the reign of King Suppiluliuma I, at a time when the Hittite Empire was near its peak of power, rivaled only by Egypt, which was then ruled by the young Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Many of the people and events in the story are drawn from actual history, from Princes Kail Mursili, Sari Arnuwanda, and Zannanza, to battles with the neighboring Mitanni kingdom around the town of Kizzuwatna.



Yuri Suzuki (鈴木夕梨, Suzuki Yūri)
The main character of the story. Only fifteen at the start of the series, Yuri is confident and willing to take up any charitable cause. As she possesses knowledge far greater than any woman of the time (such as recognition of iron and knowledge of 20th century medical practices and hygiene), and often seems to find herself in situations that "prove" she is Ishtar, she is often considered to have divine powers and is thought by most to be the living incarnation of the goddess of love and war, Ishtar; as such, she is often referred to as Yuri Ishtar (ユーリ·イシュタル, Yūri Ishutaru). Despite this, Yuri is modest and a tomboy; she generally prefers to dress in men's clothing for the sake of practicality, much to the consternation and dismay of her handmaids. Much is made of the general opinion that she is "not strikingly beautiful" and "possesses little womanly charm"; however, her natural charm and selflessness win her the undying affection and loyalty of many people, both Hittites and their enemies. She is an accomplished gymnast, and during her stay in Hattusa, she learns the art of sword fighting and archery, so that she can better help Kail and survive on her own.
Torn between her return to her time and her love for Kail, Yuri finally decides to stay in Anatolia forever. In a desperate attempt to overthrow Queen Nakia, she raises a private army and unites other factions loyal to her and Kail, and eventually succeeds in deposing Queen Nakia once and for all and ascending to the title Tawananna, the Hittite Queen.
Kail Mursili
The third prince of the Hittite empire, son of King Suppililiuma and the second Tawananna, Queen Hinti. At the beginning of the series, he finds Yuri running frantically from Nakia's guards, and gives her the gift of understanding and speaking their language by way of a kiss. He rescues Yuri from sacrifice by claiming to have taken her virginity, and takes her as a concubine to keep up appearances. He finds Yuri to be quite unlike any woman he has ever met, and promises to help her find a way home to Japan, while struggling with his own growing love and desire for her. He initially calls Yuri his concubine and the incarnate form of Ishtar in order to protect her from Queen Nakia, but even he begins to believe his own tale after a while, and the legend of Yuri as Ishtar and his growing love for her eventually evolve beyond his control.
Kail is loyal to those he cares for, but constantly at odds with his stepmother, the third Tawananna, Queen Nakia; her lust for taking the throne for her son, Prince Juda, is his prime motivation for finding a woman who he can love unconditionally and whose personality would be that of a true queen. A powerful priest and sorcerer in his own right, he has the ability to control wind and air, and is one of the few who can counter Nakia's spells in any way. Part way through the series, in volume 12, he ascends to the throne as King Mursili II.








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Rental Magica (Rentaru Magika) is a Japanese light novel series by Makoto Sanda  

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
















































































Rental Magica (レンタルマギカ, Rentaru Magika) is a Japanese light novel series by Makoto Sanda, with illustrations by pako. It is currently in the midst of serialization in The Sneaker magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. An anime television series adaptation animated by Zexcs was broadcast in Japan between October 7, 2007 and March 23, 2008, airing a total of twenty-four episodes.

The plot centers around the magician dispatch service and Mage's Society: Astral. The main protagonist of the story is Astral's second President: Itsuki Iba, who, while being young and inexperienced ironically isn't even a Mage. Central to the story are Astral's many adventures with magical spirits and creatures, competing with rival company Goetia, rogue members, taboos and the Dark Magician's Society: Ophion, all while trying to complete enough jobs to pay the bills and fill The Association's quota and evade abolition. Each story arc is written as an incident in which the Astral members and their associates are involved.









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