Oh, totally, you should have seen how reluctant I was when forced into this corner because I could've made an earlier decision otherwise but damn thank goodness China proved me wrong anyways there wasn't much in that voice actress magazine for me to make the purchase- Also Suruga-ya has the Rieri bromides up already so *laughs* I'm sorry girl I did plan to buy the digital version but this is how I roll  man *dabs*

Well, we are NOT going to talk about that now because this time around, I am going out of my usual list of items and extending my love to other voice actress in Japan I know... and a comic magazine?? *laughs* Hmm this is interesting, and long story short is because Gamers (Online Shop) decided to do a campaign of free shipping with purchase and uh... a photobook is not enough haha well not for Ogura Yui's photobook so heck, might as well get a freebie than pay it to shipping. (Haha consumer logic *taps brain*) So, surprise surprise, I shall check out on what I guess this can be subtitled "What Otaku Buy In Japan Part 6" but no, I needed a better title for my birthday month. Well technically today is also my birthday but it's actually next Monday so...

Dear MaiMai when is your photobook getting a Regular Edition without a physical event though? *giggles* I need better presents lmao

Let us do the unboxing then! Literally the best part of this post hehe *shakes head*

Long story short again, the plan was to buy a gravure magazine until I realized I can actually do something more meaningful with my life... *dabs* So, because the shipping with just that Yui-chan photobook is 600+ yen? Which will be 4120 yen just to ship out of the store, with this free shipping campaign going on, I felt like as long as I spend within this amount total, I would still get free shipping so (even though any lesser will save me money) I told myself what the heck, might as well buy a comic magazine to show us all (including me) what it's like to read them in Japan, buying one of these off the streets.

Moving on!

Well, let's take the chance to talk about what a comic magazine in Japan is. I have seen them from where I live but of course they have been translated into the native languages here specifically in Chinese (so imported from China of course, or Hong Kong sometimes) and the pages are a lot smaller and compact that I recalled. I remember that a weekly edition of translated Shounen Jump will be out like, every Wednesday or Thursday and my middle (secondary) school classmate will buy one of these to read during their lunch break, they are a huge fan of these stuff. I would see like, the latest chapter of "BLEACH" on them (after seeing them online lol), but a lot smaller than the content on here because they printed 4 pages on A4-sized paper. This though, spanning a colossal 378 pages not including cover pages because those are advertisements for drama (which maybe I take a look later hehe), which on average of 20 pages per chapter, will bring us to around 19 (Edit: 18) different serializations on this thick monthly release!

As to why it is this cheap, I think this is how these things work: It's kind of like a subscription service, where even decades ago, comic publishers have already thought of how to garner a larger audience to like their collective published works and to catch them every month/week on the price it takes to buy a fraction of a full volume when it's out if people liked it. So, to catch up on the latest stuff and before the Internet became a distribution platform, this is the way to go.

It's like watching the latest Anime on TV every week; Those who can't wait will read the latest chapters of their favourite comics and/or be recommended new ones of the same genre as they appear.

As the header of the book has also defined, this book focuses on romantic, lovey-dovey and cute slice-of-life stories (basically all of my favourite Anime genres), and as you will see soon when I open it up, even just the cover will give you a good idea of what you will be getting, and that's how you get your initial audience in, which is what I am doing now.

Imagine this: You walk into a bookstore in Japan, in the streets of Akihabara for example, and you stumble upon their comics section and see stacks of magazines on the shelves. You pick them up and see the cover, maybe know an author or two to give them chance, and buy them at the price you would do to buy a cup of Starbucks. If you read them and like them, then you will come back for that series next month.

This is how, even outside Anime, people live their otaku lives on a regular basis, often alternating through multiple books to find their next favourite, long before it gets mass recognition. As you can see, I'm basically Japanese right now. *dabs* Haha

As you can see in the contents page as shown by the top blocks with thumbnails (I'll also reference the product page here), I will take this chance to talk about these 3 works because - and this is not an everyday thing but a pure coincidence - these are the new serializations in this book! And purely because I know of kuroda bb-sensei (A Channel) that I got this magazine, and featuring other authors like Chiba Raki-sensei (looks like they are new, even on Pixiv) and Katsuwo-sensei (Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu), authors are making an impression through their publisher to the intended audience hoping that anyone of these (as of now, likely short) stories will make it into the big screen (again) someday. They can but hope.

Nonetheless, this is even more bleak and sadder than doujin illustrators already tbh haha, but heck, since I'm here to support them for once, let's see if we can like these on the regular! And then maaaybe I will catch the latest chapters online for free hehe you think these are already translated? *shakes head*

And if you don't need me to explain but don't want to buy this for yourself, here's a summary of pages from a news article site which has 2 of the ones I'll be mentioning here. *thumbs up*

Let's start with...!!

I'll only be going to give short summaries for each series I'll be talking about, in this case "Yashiro no Maou" (Trans.: Yashiro's Demon Lord) is a simple story of Yashiro (the long haired lady) being essentially possessed by this demon lord who has been weakened and is here to build back their power by forming contracts with humans as demons typically do, think "Jahy-sama". Our dear girl Yashiro here is a gamer and won't give a damn, not until the demon lord decides to sink to her level as a human. Well, loli level human should be enough. *giggles* Look, the demon's the one begging for this, not her. *laughs* So yeah, this is just "Senko-san" but we deal with the devil now lmao

DONDON IKIMASHOU!! *giggles*

We have a new guy in town here, we welcome those more than the ones on Pixiv haha oh come on getting your work published on this was way harder, because in "Shy na Ano Ko ni Natsukaretai" (Trans.: I Want To Be Loved By That Shy Girl), we got shy black-haired girl liking the cool blonde (possibly) gyaru in class, and it wasn't until the former visited the latter's part-time working place at a convenience store that they managed some chit-chat, and we know their feelings are mutual. Haha YURI LORE INCOMING lol I won't go that far don't worry so this read is just for cutesakes hehe is that how you say it? *giggles*

Ah hey, who says writing stories like this isn't cringe? *laughs* From the author who brought us "Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu" (Really? I thought you would be the author of the previous series we just covered lmao) comes a special series where in "Boku Dake ga Shitteiru" (Trans.: Nobody Knows But Me), high school boy knows of his female classmate's little secret: She is a part-time Ultrawoman transforming hero(ine) fighting huge monsters in town! Interesting circumstances I would say, as he sees her in injuries once in a while after fighting with the monsters, is not obliged to reveal her secret (just in case no one wants to be friends with her, or it affects her school life in other ways), so the guy also keeps this secret to himself. I know right, what are the chances EVERYONE in class knows about this? *laughs* Still, more interesting than knowing your female classmate is secretly some pervert-

Okay okay I better stop the night is... dawning upon us? It's getting late and my brain is rotting so I gotta sleep, I'll read the rest another time. *giggles* So, as planned perfectly though missing the mark on Valentine's Day (haha), we will have a long weekend (yes including upcoming Monday) where I do a new post until my birthday! Yeah, up next will be the new season of Fanfiction series which I hope I can carry it on until the new season of Anime so we shall see about that. See you then, have a good night.

P.S. Okay this might as well be omake at this point but hey, a chapter from another serialization, shall we? There's so much on this I'm already getting my money's worth. *giggles*

Short story long haha, in "Kutabire Salaryman na Boku 7-Nen Buri ni Saikai Shita Bishoujo JK to Dousei wo Hajimeru" (Trans.: A Worn Out Salaryman Who Started To Cohabit With A High Schooler Beauty Reunited After 7 Years) (*sigh* And that's why I hate long titles) is basically "Otonari no Tenshi-sama" if you watched that spectacle lol, but this is stemmed from a childhood friend relationship. Still, you know, when she was in elementary school you were already in high school. *laughs* Now that you all have grown up *shakes boobs* (LMAO) seven years later, why not help each other out? She can help him get his life together as an adult (SAME), and he can help her...?

I mean, we don't know maybe selfless giving from the girl is good enough *giggles*

Okay I may have clipped too much- Maybe I go find out when this started this is only Chapter 2?? MUAHAHAHA they got me *laughs*