Hey!

So, I thought I'd type up a page about references from chapter 1 of For the Love of Manga (FTLOM). I might not cover all of them because that wouldn't be too fun on my part. The subtle ones I shall skip. Those that actually read manga a lot would be able to detect those. If you don't, it's okay! The really obvious ones, where I mention the title of a manga or a specific scene/situation, will be the references that I cover on blogs.

Here are some that I mentioned in chapter one!



This is quite a famous manga by Hino Matsuri (樋野茱理/樋野まつ). I won't bother with the plot details, but one of the male leads is a vampire called Kaname Kuran, a pureblood. 

Kaname Kuran
Ojiro Ren from FTLOM reminds Misa of Kaname Kuran. Ren has that pale complexion, and he is dressed pretty properly. We probably think that a character like Kaname is really cool and collected, but obviously, Ren isn't . . . like that. He's far from being cool. He's super quirky, so in that sense, I thought I'd have that contrast between manga and reality.

(I don't follow Vampire Knight anymore. I used to follow this series until it got really messy and the plot kept dragging on and on. I recommend that you read until maybe halfway. Then, don't read anymore. It becomes rather dull. Other vampire stories are better.) 


Paradise Kiss is a manga by Ai Yawaza (矢擇愛/矢沢あい), who is known for her other work, Nana. I thought I'd play with the idea of having Misa as a muse like Yukari from Paradise Kiss. Of course, George is really seductive and mysterious in that manga. Of course, Ren, again, is completely different from George. Ren is like George's foil in a way. George may be a bit offbeat, but his quirkiness is sexy. Ren, on the other hand, is just downright odd. I guess you can say that Misa and Ren's relationship is a satiric version of George and Yukari's relationship. 

The Lovely Couple - George x Yukari
I seriously recommend Paradise Kiss to everyone. It's a great manga that has a lot of profound messages. When I first read this manga, I was really young, so I had no idea what the mangaka was trying to tell us. Then, I reread the manga when I was older, and I really appreciated the ending. There was closure and it was realistic. *Spoiler alert below. Highlight at your own risk.*

Although I was sad that George and Yukari didn't work out in the end, I understood why Yukari chose Hiroyuki. Hiroyuki has that sense of stability that George will never have. I wouldn't say that George and Yukari never loved each other. It's just that you can only live so long off of "Paradise". Eventually, Yukari won't inspire George anymore, and George is the type with grand dreams. Plus, Yukari become rather insecure at one point during her time with George. So, it makes sense that she'd be with Hiroyuki and keep her relationship with George as a pleasant memory of "Paradise". I think with George and Yukari, I can only say that it was nice while it lasted. And that scene, where George leaves Yukari with a storage locker filled with his precious works, really made me bawl into tears the second time I read the manga. I could really feel how much George loved her. I was crying as hard as Yukari then. 

Anyways, I hope you understand a couple of the references now! :) Thanks for reading!