Gravitation: The Novel

[Blu_Moon]

For fans that wish to discuss this book, you can do it here, as I know the Gravitation manga thread is getting a tad long.

I'm the editor, so I'll try and take questions as they come up! (Please don't feel offended if it takes me a while to get back to you--current titles on my desk must come first, but I'm excited to chat with you!)

Of course, the first thing you might want to address is "what happened with that crazy back cover copy?"

Well, I'll tell you--I was out sick the day this cover was approved. The back cover blurb was switched with the second novel we're doing, Gravitation: Voice of Temptation. I was, of course, disappointed, (I'm a huge fan of Boys Love and Gravitation) but it was an honest human error. No one's perfect; I've made plenty of mistakes myself. Even though I had no knowledge of this switch until it was too late, as the book's editor, I'm captain of the ship, so I take full responsibility. I apologize, guys. I'll be much more diligent with Voice of Temptation, so please do continue to support the Boys Love novel industry, if you enjoyed the book.

Other fans have asked me about flipped character profile art (a lot of times this has to do with the way the licensor sends us art; if we don't flip it, the images don't match up with the book formatting and characters get cut in half.)

Some fans have asked why the book calls Bad Luck's first single "The Power of Love." I made that call because the song is one of the most central parts of the story, and it was never given a title! I have the Gravitation soundtracks and I remember a line about the power of love, and so I figured I'd put it in. If that really bothered you/messed up your fan fics, etc., I'm sorry, guys. I don't do transliteration, I just try and make the best, most balanced, exciting, fun read I can. I know it won't please everyone. I'd like to, but that's impossible.

I'm certain there's plenty of other things to discuss--characterization, OVA canon vs. novel canon, writing style, etc. Please feel free to give me red pen constructive criticism--I have thick skin and wish to improve as a writer (with the understanding that there's only so much I can do with a translated text.) Please let me know what you liked, your concerns, what other kinds of Boys Love novels you'd want to see, etc.

I look forward to hearing from you!

[Adrian_Alexander]

I loved the novel. I don't think there was anything wrong with it at all. *Stares at it on his book shelf* Tis one of my favorites.

I don't know of any Boys Love novels other than Gravitation... (Except for the one I am working on of coarse tee hee...) But as soon as I discover one that I may want to read extremely bad I will post so here or PM you.

[dudie]

whats the difference between the manga and novel? I want to collect this series but i'm confused hehe

[Blu_Moon]

whats the difference between the manga and novel? I want to collect this series but i'm confused hehe


There are 12 manga and 2 novels. The first novel follows the OVA anime canon, in which Shuichi and Bad Luck play at a big televised concert. The second, Voice of Temptation, is a totally new side-story, and that will be coming out in July.

You can check out The Novel, which just released this month, here:
http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?page=product&productid=3814

Please help spread the word!

[dudie]

So in short the novel you need to see as a different thing. And it has a different story then the manga..

thanx for the info

[Blu_Moon]

So in short the novel you need to see as a different thing. And it has a different story then the manga..

thanx for the info

Sure! The Novel is a continuation of the story of the manga, it follows the anime canon. Voice of Temptation is a side-story to the manga and anime canon. But the novels don't re-hash the manga plot (nor do they change anything that's happened to the established plot.)

[Alphonse Elric]

my sister got that yesterday.. and told me it was pretty good

[Adrian_Alexander]

I only have volume one of the manga. Makes me sad becuase my local bookstore does not have volume two...

[Countess Cain]

I bought it a few weeks ago. It's not a real page turner, but it's pretty good. XD

My only complaint was with the text size. It's huge. D: I guess I'm too used to little text sizes or something...

[Adrian_Alexander]

I liked the text size. I could actually read without straining my eyes. (Has bad eyes... )

[miyu_chan454]

So if I buy the manga would it make sense even though I haven't watch the ova yet:confused:

[Veroniku]

So if I buy the manga would it make sense even though I haven't watch the ova yet:confused:
Of course. The manga was made before everything, by the original creator, Murakami Maki.

The OAV was then made, just for the existing Gravitation fans, because in the timeline I'd say it's in the middle of the manga story.

The anime was then released, animating the full story from the beginning (though the end is different than the manga's end).

The anime is standalone, so is the manga of course. Though I would suggest you to know a bit about Gravitation before watching the OAV. That's my opinion.


As for the novel, I think you did a very good job, thank you for your hard work! I was very excited about it coming out! You (or your co-workers) might've made a few typos though... :þ

I liked the layout, the whole notes things at the top and bottom of the pages. Was a nice touch. ^^ But I agree with the big font size. :/ I actually thought it'd be a pocket-sized book, when I saw it the size of a manga, I was surprised! (Don't ask why, heh).

Now I have a question that I hope you can answer: is "Jun Lennon" a penname that is a pun on "John Lennon"?!

[Blu_Moon]

You (or your co-workers) might've made a few typos though... :þ

Now I have a question that I hope you can answer: is "Jun Lennon" a penname that is a pun on "John Lennon"?!

Thanks for your thoughts!

Hmm. It went through the translator, the rewriter, myself, and two copy editors, so if there are still some typos and you can think of any off hand, let me know. I will be very careful with the next volume!

I'm not sure. *I* think it's a pun, but I've not received an official word.

[Veroniku]

Thanks for your thoughts!

Hmm. It went through the translator, the rewriter, myself, and two copy editors, so if there are still some typos and you can think of any off hand, let me know. I will be very careful with the next volume!

I'm not sure. *I* think it's a pun, but I've not received an official word.
Hm, I could've sworn I had noticed a quotation mark missing somewhere, but flipping through the book right now I can't find it. I should've wrote it down, heh. *is such a nerd* There was something else but I can't recall it... I'm very tired tonight you'll have to forgive me. ^^;

In that psycho mind of mine, I was certain that'd be a pun (no real japanese person would be called like that, in my stereotypical sense XD), and that it would be Murakami who actually wrote it. o.o! Why else would only Murakami's name be on the cover, and "Jun Lennon" hidden inside?! XD

I'm a nerd-freak, sorry. I'll re-read the novel when my head is clear and give you actual useful input on it then. I don't know how useful I could be, considering my first language is french, not english, but I like to think I'm decent. ^^;

Wai I'm so excited to be actually speaking to a novel editor. XD *proud to be a geek*

[MikeyS]

I want to buy the novel even if you guys say it is so bad... I want to read it really really bad and no matter what you guys say I will read it anyway...

[Blu_Moon]

Why else would only Murakami's name be on the cover, and "Jun Lennon" hidden inside?! XD

I don't know how useful I could be, considering my first language is french, not english, but I like to think I'm decent. ^^;



Murakami-sensei's name is on the cover b/c the licensor wanted it that way. And she's the recognizable name. She didn't write the book. I believe the author is male, and used a pen name for work on a BL title. But again, nothing official, just a hunch.

Vous êtes français? Bienvenue! Vous parlez anglais très bien! J'ai étudié le français dans le lycée. J'ai oublié tout, pardonnez-moi, svp. Enchanté!

[MikeyS]

Wait... What? Murakami is a man?

Omelette du framage!

[Blu_Moon]

Wait... What? Murakami is a man?

Omelette du framage!


NON NON!!! LOL.

Murakami-sensei, the artist, is a female. Jun Lennon, the book's author, is a male. He uses a pen name. He is definitely not Murakami-sensei! She gets top billing on the cover, he is listed in the credits and cover page as the writer. ^_^

[MikeyS]

Oh! I see! So Murakami had a ghostwriter named Jun Lennon.

*Wonders if Blu_Moon got my PM...*

[Veroniku]

Wait... What? Murakami is a man?

Omelette du framage!
OH MY GOSH, PRICELESS! XD; I'm sorry but you sent me laughing on the floor with that one. XD

Murakami-sensei's name is on the cover b/c the licensor wanted it that way. And she's the recognizable name. She didn't write the book. I believe the author is male, and used a pen name for work on a BL title. But again, nothing official, just a hunch.

Vous êtes français? Bienvenue! Vous parlez anglais très bien! J'ai étudié le français dans le lycée. J'ai oublié tout, pardonnez-moi, svp. Enchanté!
Hm, Gentosha are the ones with Gravitation's rights, right? And yes I understand that Murakami's name HAD to be on the nover cover or it wouldn't have sold, but putting the author's name aside surprised me. :þ

You might find me weird, but I was sure it was a guy who wrote the novel. (A hunch, or just the fact that "Jun" sounded male? Perhaps just because the lovey-dovey-ness is descriptive but still contained... A fangirl would've went into the dirty stuff straight. XD)

Vous parlez encore très bien français! Vous pouvez même écrire sans faire d'erreurs! ^^ *is impressed* Well I'm good in english 'cause I was assimilated. :þ My mind works in english pretty much now, I forget french sometimes. o.o; I can't wait to learn japanese more, but I'm afraid I'll forget french... :/ French is awesome (not really the one you learned from France, the one here in Québec is great, it's slang and so fun to speak! XD Les français sound so stuck-up, haha) This was majorly off-topic, but oh so much fun!

Why do all americans know "fromage"?

What was I gonna ask... Oh yeah! Quite a lot of people fess up about the "Eiri still has girlfriends on the side" statement. It didn't shock me, 'cause I know how Eiri was at the beginning (his new self at the end of the manga was the one that shocked me XD) but the way I interpreted it in the novel, I thought it was Shuichi who imagined that Eiri still had girlfriends. I thought it wasn't actually stated that he did. Am I wrong? I have to admit I read the novel too fast 'cause I was too excited. ;_; (Ordered it online since I couldn't find it, and then luckily found it at a bookstore and bought on a whim and read it with anxiety. XD Will give my second copy to a friend. :þ I'm too addicted to Gravitation, it's crazy...)

[Countess Cain]

Why do all americans know "fromage"?

Because we're all secretly obsessed with cheese! Yay!

As for the name 'Jun'... Can't it be both female and male? I'm not really a name expert, but that's what I thought. (I actually thought it was a female that wrote it, since on the game Tekken, there's a female character named Jun. Lame, huh?)

[Blu_Moon]

Quite a lot of people fess up about the "Eiri still has girlfriends on the side" statement. It didn't shock me, 'cause I know how Eiri was at the beginning (his new self at the end of the manga was the one that shocked me XD) but the way I interpreted it in the novel, I thought it was Shuichi who imagined that Eiri still had girlfriends. I thought it wasn't actually stated that he did. Am I wrong?


You are, in fact, 100% correct. Almost the entire story is from Shuichi's POV. He's insecure about EVERYTHING and is convinced Yuki is cheating on him. But . . . there's not a girl to be seen, is there? Not a single rival for Yuki's affection. Yuki might tease him about being busy or having dates, but, he is either with his computer, or feeling Shuichi up. Which is why Yuki is so clueless about the way Shuichi is so upset and asking relationship questions. I've seen on various fan communities the major upset that the notion that Yuki cheated on Shuichi caused, and I was curious how fans could arrive at the same conclusion as Shuichi, when the only evidence we have of Yuki's behavior is 1. working himself to death, or 2. throwing Shuichi up against the wall or couch and having his way with him. ^_^;;; I would say Yuki is hopelessly stuck on Shuichi, but can't bring himself to say it.

[MikeyS]

or feeling Shuichi up. 2. throwing Shuichi up against the wall or couch and having his way with him. ^_^;;; I would say Yuki is hopelessly stuck on Shuichi, but can't bring himself to say it.

You just sold me the novel! LOL

[Veroniku]

You just sold me the novel! LOL
Hahahaha XD You rawk.


Le fromage, c'est bon dans la poutine. :þ

You are, in fact, 100% correct. Almost the entire story is from Shuichi's POV. He's insecure about EVERYTHING and is convinced Yuki is cheating on him. But . . . there's not a girl to be seen, is there? Not a single rival for Yuki's affection. Yuki might tease him about being busy or having dates, but, he is either with his computer, or feeling Shuichi up. Which is why Yuki is so clueless about the way Shuichi is so upset and asking relationship questions. I've seen on various fan communities the major upset that the notion that Yuki cheated on Shuichi caused, and I was curious how fans could arrive at the same conclusion as Shuichi, when the only evidence we have of Yuki's behavior is 1. working himself to death, or 2. throwing Shuichi up against the wall or couch and having his way with him. ^_^;;; I would say Yuki is hopelessly stuck on Shuichi, but can't bring himself to say it.
Yay! I wasn't crazy! XD You can count on me for quoting you on this in the LJ community I'm in where rabid fangirls were throwing rocks on the novel just because they heard Eiri was cheating on Shuichi! Teach them~!

Yeah well, Eiri is clueless to ANYTHING relating to emotions. ^^; Is why he's so freaky in the 11th manga, trying to learn. o.o; Well Shuichi has a personality that is very hard to understand, and very hard to imagine yourself in. XD; I don't think Eiri even tries to understand him, he's just in love and addicted to that personality totally opposite to his. :þ

And pretty much everything was in Shuichi's point of view in the novel, that's true... Could've almost wrote it in the first person, which would've helped fangirls to understand it was all Shuichi's weird imagination, but would've caused problems with the whole Hiro point of view and the telling of the last event.

I love Slayers novels for that. ^_^ Lina telling the story, in first person, is just so hilarious and great. XD;

[midorihebi]

I would say Yuki is hopelessly stuck on Shuichi, but can't bring himself to say it.

I agree with that statement completely. For all that Yuki tries to act like he's a cold, uncaring bastard most of the time, he's a sucker for Shuichi. ... And that sounded really wrong when I read it over again in my head. Oh well.

(By the way, hi Kara. It's Not-Sarah.)

[His Holyness Moo]

I may be ordering the Novel tonight! Yay! ( Also post number 20 Yay! )

[Klawzie]

Why do all americans know "fromage"?


There's this great cartoon called "Dexter's Lab" that had an episode where Dexter was determined to learn French, so he decided to try to learn it in his sleep by listening to a language tape while he dreamed. Only the tape got stuck at the phrase, "Omlette du fromage."

So for the rest of the episode, the only thing he could say was that phrase. And everyone was like, "Brilliant! Brilliant!" It was such a great episode. Possibly my favorite. :D

Sorry for being off-topic (re: Gravitation Novel). >_>

[His Holyness Moo]

There's this great cartoon called "Dexter's Lab" that had an episode where Dexter was determined to learn French, so he decided to try to learn it in his sleep by listening to a language tape while he dreamed. Only the tape got stuck at the phrase, "Omlette du fromage."

Then his Lab goes KA-BOOM!, becuase he forgot the password.

[Veroniku]

There's this great cartoon called "Dexter's Lab" that had an episode where Dexter was determined to learn French, so he decided to try to learn it in his sleep by listening to a language tape while he dreamed. Only the tape got stuck at the phrase, "Omlette du fromage."

So for the rest of the episode, the only thing he could say was that phrase. And everyone was like, "Brilliant! Brilliant!" It was such a great episode. Possibly my favorite. :D

Sorry for being off-topic (re: Gravitation Novel). >_>
That is.. weird. Not just because of the story (it sounds funny XD) but because "Omelette du fromage" is very wrong grammar. XD It should be "Omelette au fromage". *blinks* French is complicated in weird in many ways, one of them being we have TONS of pronouns which you use in very particular ways... Heh. I don't think foreigners learn to use them right ever, haha. XD

On a more on-topic note, I received my second copy of the novel, yay! XD; Will ship them all the way to Japan, to my japanese teacher (who moved back there recently), I think that's a great home-warming gift! XD

[Ahiru_Duck]

... he is either with his computer, or feeling Shuichi up ... :eek: ... You just reminded me of the doujinshi Murakami-sensei created for Gravitation... May I never have my virginity.


On main note, I truly enjoyed the book.

On a random sidenote, a chinese lady at the burrito place gave me a peach and the "black power" stance (...truly puzzling) for reading the novel as I [a]waited my order. I love peaches... and the book only made me happier.

[glamorousjrocker]

Hm, I could've sworn I had noticed a quotation mark missing somewhere, but flipping through the book right now I can't find it.
If it hasn't been said yet, the missing quotation was:

You mean like the New Year's music festival" Hiro asked. pg. 32

BUt anyway. I recently bought the novel, the Saturday that just past. I'm only on track 2, but I like it so far. I glad I bought it.
I don't really feel any of the characters are really out of character, I find everything fine(so far). I think you've done an excellent job, Blu_Moon.

[Veroniku]

If it hasn't been said yet, the missing quotation was:

You mean like the New Year's music festival" Hiro asked. pg. 32
Ahh, thank you! Yes that was it. I was sure it was at the beginning-ish of the book. ^^ Yeah sorry I haven't had time to re-read the book... Life is hectic, but enjoying it. XD;

*nods* *praises Blu_Moon for her great work*

[scarecrow]

..
There's a novel?
Where can I purchase this O_o

[Blu_Moon]

Thanks for the catch! It's been too crazy to really check the boards the past few days. Yours, Kara

[kyothekitty]

there is no way i did not know about this thanks for telling

[sentaku-san]

Being an avid fan, of course I enjoyed this installment in the lives of these crazy characters. I'd read it again, too. (I will, if I ever find the time. x.x) But when I step back and look at it, there are many things about it that sort of irritate me. I'll start with the things that are probably no fault of the editor, as they were most likely in the original as well.

1) I'm having difficulty figuring out the chronology sometimes. I guess it has to be anime chronology, since Fujisaki is there already, but there are references to events that were only in the manga, such as Hiro's nearly quitting the band. Especially troubling is Taki of ASK: Is this story before or after he did "we know what" to Shuichi? I don't think it can be after, because following that with these petty grade-school antics would be laughable.

2) There seems to be a major discrepency within the text itself as well: On page 18, it says "Yuki had publicly used the word 'lover' to refer to Shuichi, and there was no denying their intimate on-camera embrace." Why is their relationship constantly regarded as some kind of secret throughout the rest of the book, then? Shuichi's own mother doesn't even know about his relationship with Yuki (which she should if this were true, given that she follows Shuichi on television all the time).

3) With the exception of the conflict with Hiro's mother, there is no real resolution to much of anything in this story. Shuichi never "came out" to his parents, which was disappointing because it was so often alluded to. (This would have been a great avenue in which to explore that, as it is quite neglected in the manga.) The "kiss him while he's sleeping" opener and closer, while cute, felt kind of hollow. Shuichi spent the whole book angsting about their relationship; Yuki spent the whole book being an *** and fostering that angst. Shuichi only gets to fulfill his desire to kiss Yuki while he's asleep because Yuki has totally crashed from working too much (and thereby ignoring Shuichi even more than usual). I know that those dynamics define their relationship and will never go away, but at least a temporary resolution would have been nice. This book almost left me thinking that Yuki doesn't deserve Shuichi at all. (Hiro, on the other hand...hmm...this book is pretty convincing... :rolleyes: )

4) Not very important, but I'm confused. I want to ask why Taki was stupid enough to put red tabasco sauce in the water, but I'm too busy being baffled at why K actually drank it. Did he think it was some kind of Japanese beverage? x_x

Like I said, these are probably not your fault, but I wanted to bring up these points.

Now for a few things that I felt could have been improved regarding the English edition:

1) Honorofics! Where are they? Not to be a total stickler, because I know there are cultural and linguistic boundaries, but some of the important nuances were definitely lost! For instance, Shuichi calling Ryuichi by his first name made me cringe a little. It's always "Sakuma-san." Sakano should call Shuichi "Shindo-kun," and Fujisaki should call him "Shindo-san," etc. It also would have been nice to hear Hiroshi and Maiko address their respective elder siblings with the appropriate honorific. Most anime fans understand the common honorifics by now, and an explanatory guide would take up less than a page.

2) I still don't think "The Power of Love" is very justified. Their first single in the manga was "No Style," and in the anime it was "The Rage Beat," so you kind of had two valid options to choose from, and fans wouldn't have batted an eye at either one of them.

A few typos that I noticed:

1) P.214, there is a missing period after "flatly."
2) P.118, "Kumagoro" is spelled "Kumaguro."

One request: Can you explain K's tendon/tempura/tenjo mix-up on page 40? I assume it was there in the original, since you left tenjo. Was it the same? Why did they get "tempura" from "tendon"? I'm studying Japanese as well as Linguistics, so I'm kind of interested in that sort of stuff. ^^; I feel there was another "K misunderstanding" in the book somewhere as well, but I can't find it right now.

Wow! This has been a long message. (I may find more to write later; sorry!) I think one of my favorite parts of this story was just getting to see Hiroshi and Shuichi interact with their siblings and family. Those moments are so rare in the manga, and nonexistent in the anime. *smile*

[Blu_Moon]

1) I'm having difficulty figuring out the chronology sometimes.

2) Shuichi's own mother doesn't even know about his relationship with Yuki (which she should if this were true, given that she follows Shuichi on television all the time).

3) Shuichi never "came out" to his parents, which was disappointing because it was so often alluded to. (This would have been a great avenue in which to explore that, as it is quite neglected in the manga.) The "kiss him while he's sleeping" opener and closer, while cute, felt kind of hollow.

4) Did he think it was some kind of Japanese beverage? x_x

1) Honorofics! Where are they?

2) I still don't think "The Power of Love" is very justified.

A few typos that I noticed:

1) P.214, there is a missing period after "flatly."
2) P.118, "Kumagoro" is spelled "Kumaguro."

One request: Can you explain K's tendon/tempura/tenjo mix-up on page 40?

Howdy. I don't have much time but to address your questions:
1. It was never made clear in the book. It follows the OVA 1 and 2 canon pretty much to a T, however. I assume it is a side-story somewhere in the first year of Yuki and Shuichi living together.

2. Shuichi's family doesn't read every tabloid and watch every news program. The author made it quite clear that his family was in the dark about him being gay, except for his sister who was all for it. I think at this point it's an "open secret" which is working FOR Yuki and Shuichi's careers, but Yuki doesn't really relish Shuichi's schmoopy outbursts on stage and Shuichi isn't keen on the notion of having to have The Talk with his folks. At least, that's my take on it.

3. I agree. Some resolution on that score would have been very satisfying, but there's only so much license I can take with the rewrite. If I wrote a scene where Shuichi announces something so big to his folks, and then in Voice of Temptation there's a similar scene, you can imagine the rock and hard place I just wedged myself into. ^_^

4. Yes. He probably thought it was a power drink or something.

***

1. If you had had a chance to follow the Transliteration thread before it was deleted due to flame wars, you would know that I never do a word for word edit, and honorifics will never happen in our prose novels. It is not the publishing industry standard for English prose and not part of the style guide, so, as a fellow Japanese speaker, I feel your pain, but that's that.

2. Okay then. Heard it in a lyric on the soundtrack, liked it, went with it. It was never named in the book and I didn't think to check it with the other canons, though I have read all manga and seen all the anime, OVAs, remixes, etc. My bad.

3. Thanks for the catches. I've seen it spelled Kumaguro, Kumagoro, Kumagorou and Kumagurou. You would prefer Kumagoro, like what's in the manga, I gather? Duly noted! ^_^

4. K comes out of the ceiling and announces he's been in the tendon, which means like a bowl full of tempura and rice. Everyone takes a moment, scratches their heads, and realizes he means, tenjo, which means ceiling.

Sorry I can't get into more right now. Yours, Kara

[Veroniku]

The "Transliteration" thread has been deleted?! Aww, it's a shame, I enjoyed arguing in a one-way sense in there. ;_; Even if those people were extreme and wouldn't change their opinions with my just saying so, I still think the thread could've been just locked, not deleted... *sniff*

Really nice to read your comment, Sentaku! *fangirl group hug*

1. I figured the chronology to be anywhere between the moving of Shuichi at Eiri's, and the raping-stuff. But now that you remind me about that sentence talking about the coming out on TV... and kissing on TV (which only happened in the manga right? I'm not going crazy right?), well I'm not sure anymore. XD; A long analysis of the story would be fun to do! I need to do a Gravitation TV series marathon before though. I watched in MANY times, but didn't for a while, and re-read the manga series too many times since then. I confuse stuff a lot (and I discussed the last Megamix too much). @.@

2. I guess I just answered that, haha. *sucks*

3. I agree it would've been nice to learn more about Shuichi's parents through a coming-out scene. XD; Shu's mom's crazy like him, it'd be great if she got more lines. But yeah the 2nd novel is supposed to be a continuation, neh? Let's just wait and see.

4. I never figured Taki to be a smart guy to start with (I don't wanna offend any Taki fans but yeah ^^; ). I think he has the mentality of a child... And a child wouldn't think far enough to figure tabasco would show (no matter how deluded in water it is XD). To back-up my statement of him not thinking in advance (no matter how many plans he comes up with), well he never figured he'd get punished for messing with another group under the same label - thus putting the label in trouble. And he always thought his petty threats were enough to scare Shuichi and the group, never thought Shuichi could hire some thugs to kill him or something (of course Shuichi's too simple minded for that, but you know XD) That's just my take on that, haha. And K is just random and stupid; we all love him.

1. Honorifics aren't necessary. I could read the story just as smoothly without them. Did you seriously stop at every name-calling, thinking "Oh my gosh the honorific is missing!"? Really you shouldn't let it bother you that much, english is english, japanese is japanese. English stole enough foreign words and misinterpreted them enough. Though I have to admit Sakano could've called Shu "Shindou" (if he didn't. I don't remember, sorry), since anyway everyone called Sakano by his last name, since his first name is unknown. XD; Anyway I think the story-telling stayed true to the character relationships overall, so you don't need the honorifics to figure the relationship between so or so characters.

2. I knew about No Style being the first single in the manga, but I didn't remember about Rage Beat. Figures though, heh. But really, anything goes in fanfics right? XD *cough* I don't mind either way.

3. You found the typos for me, thank you! *hug*

Also, kumagorou is spelled くまごろう, as seen on the cover of the new メガミックス　グラビテーション　（くまごろう） Megamix Gravitation Kumagorou here (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/UsagiNyo/MMK_cover.jpg) (bottom of the page). I'm not making it up, it's written by the hand of Murakami itself. XD

And I think K's japanese-words-messing-up are awesome and hilarious. *glomps K*

[PeNCILz]

I'm not making it up, it's written by the hand of Murakami itself. XD

OMG YOU CALLED THE GODLY HAND OF MURAKAMI AN IT! WE ALL KNOW IT IS AN ETHEREAL BEING THAT AIDED IN THE CREATION OF GRAVITATION!

[sentaku-san]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was complaining too much. ^^; Most of the time the lack of honorifics did not interfere (for instance, I only thought about the sibling addresses in retrospect). But it did immediately jar me to hear Shuichi say "Ryuichi," and I still have a hard time getting over that one. I guess I don't really understand why the standards for English prose need to apply for a book that is based on a comic for which such standards are not imposed. It's all the same ficitonal universe under the same publisher, so who actually enforces the standards? Really, just curious.

Oh, and of course I wouldn't have wanted you to completely fabricate a scene. That would be unethical (illegal?) as the novel is supposed to be a translation.

This may be deviating a bit, but speaking of Kumagoro(u)...Does anyone know the exact "etymology" of that name? Kuma 'bear' and goro 'about, approximately' (as in time)? That has always been my best guess. But goro is missing the long vowel...oy. I've only taken about a year of Japanese so far, so forgive me for any naive mistakes. ^^;

[Veroniku]

I live in Québec and there aren't any japanese classes here (not even in Universities ;_; ). I had found myself a personnal teacher (who became one of my best friends ^_^) but she moved back to Japan recently. ;_; So really all I know is hiragana and katakana (but I pride myself in mastering them well enough to read as fast as in french! Even if I don't understand what I'm reading XD), and the random vocabulary I picked up from my long and too-numerous hours of anime-watching.

Yeah I thought Kumagorou was named after 'bear', but didn't stop to think what the "gorou" part meant. XD; I thought it was like "Tarou" is a common generic name for guys... XD;

And yes, Murakami's a god *cough* I mean goddess, and her hand is the tool of god and... XD Riiight. Haha.

[zetsui101]

just because this was a novel of Murakami's work was what drove me to buy it! but the fact that I have little money left after splurging at Borders on books for myself and my friends stopped me from buying it at Hastings the next day. :(

i was flipping through the book and it seems to be pretty good. now if i could just get a job... curse you, child labor laws! <(>_<)>


*holds up sign that says*==> will work for Gravitation novel and Manga :D

[zetsui101]

...4. Yes. He probably thought it was a power drink or something...

...4. K comes out of the ceiling and announces he's been in the tendon, which means like a bowl full of tempura and rice. Everyone takes a moment, scratches their heads, and realizes he means, tenjo, which means ceiling...

good ol' K. the first gravitation episode i ever watched had K doing something wierd. :D

[Deacon Blues]

Also, kumagorou is spelled くまごろう, as seen on the cover of the new メガミックス　グラビテーション　（くまごろう） Megamix Gravitation Kumagorou here (bottom of the page). I'm not making it up, it's written by the hand of Murakami itself. XD

Except for the fact that the Remixes/Megamixes are, oh I dunno...

UNOFFICIAL IN EVERY ASPECT KNOWN TO MANKIND

*coughs*

[kokorochan]

Hello, first want to say that i love the novel, I read it in a few hours and expect impatient for the second novel, at first was a little strange the lack of honorifics but we do not live in Japan so is normal, but the true strange feeling was to read Shuuichi call to his idol Ryuichi, in the anime he says Sakuma, I thinks there is more of that i.e but do't remember very well ^.^u Even thus i have a lot of enjoyment reading this history, perhaps because I am not super hard fan of the manga, only like the tv series, 2 cd dramas (sound storys) and now the novel, thank you so much for to have published Gravitation the novel. And sorry for my bad english i can understand and read it but when i am going to write it, well you can see XD

Can i suggest the follows novels?
Lesson XX - Author : Oonagi Ei & Illustrator : Monchi Kaori
Osananajimi - Author : Yoshihara Rieko & Illustrator: Toujou Kazumi
Abunai shiawase chou bangai hen - Author: Ikaruga Sahara.

[scarecrow]

Except for the fact that the Remixes/Megamixes are, oh I dunno...

UNOFFICIAL IN EVERY ASPECT KNOWN TO MANKIND

*coughs*
O_o
what? lol

[Blu_Moon]

Can i suggest the follows novels?
Lesson XX - Author : Oonagi Ei & Illustrator : Monchi Kaori
Osananajimi - Author : Yoshihara Rieko & Illustrator: Toujou Kazumi
Abunai shiawase chou bangai hen - Author: Ikaruga Sahara.

I can look into those. Can you tell me what they are about? By any chance, do you know the Japanese publishers for these titles? (I love Yoshihara-sensei's work too, btw.)

[kokorochan]

I can look into those. Can you tell me what they are about? By any chance, do you know the Japanese publishers for these titles? (I love Yoshihara-sensei's work too, btw.)

Osananajimi published by: Kadokawa Ruby Bunko, Kanzaki Katsumi and Takatou Akira knew each other since kindergarten. Akira had always liked Katsumi, when he heard that Katsumi was very close to a girl, he snapped and forced himself on Katsumi.

Lesson xx published by: BexBoy novels, Morifuji Shizuka was a highschool
student sitting for college entrance exams soon, and he was a secret
admirer of one of the other students, Sakura Ichitarou. During the summer vacations, everyone went back home except Shizuka and Ichitarou. Before summer vacation ended, they were more than friends but still not exactly a couple.

About Abunai shiawase chou hangai hen, i have a mistake this is not a novel is a compilation cd about the side story of the shiawase and abunai series. The series is published by: Hanamaru Novels and Charade Books.

[Deacon Blues]

O_o
what? lol

...

The Remix and Megamix manga that are drawn/written by Maki have no bearing whatsoever upon the plot of Gravitation, therefore any other "spellings" that appear in them are not considered 'canon' to the Gravi universe. Understood?

[Blu_Moon]

Thanks, kokoro!

[scarecrow]

...

The Remix and Megamix manga that are drawn/written by Maki have no bearing whatsoever upon the plot of Gravitation, therefore any other "spellings" that appear in them are not considered 'canon' to the Gravi universe. Understood?
oooh
i see.
i thought you meant she didn't draw them O_o

[Veroniku]

The Remix and Megamix manga that are drawn/written by Maki have no bearing whatsoever upon the plot of Gravitation, therefore any other "spellings" that appear in them are not considered 'canon' to the Gravi universe. Understood?
How does the un-cannon-ness make the spelling of a name unofficial? o.O; No kanji of names ever changed in the doujinshi, that I know of... Fine, I'll look into my 5th volume in japanese and see if they mention Kumagorou in there. (I can't wait to buy the rest in japanese. ><; ) I'll get back to you on this...

Anyway, the Remixes and Megamixes are anything-goes, you can consider some stuff canon if you want. *shrugs* Murakami just has fun with them. XD *wishes she could do doujinshi of her own work too*

I think we went off-topic enough. @.@

Kokoro thanks for the suggestions, they sound interesting. I hope that either TOKYOPOP will license them, or that I'll be able to read them one day. XD がんばります！

[scarecrow]

hmm o-o good point. XD

[ddr tatsujin]

IMO: If I can't see the boy sechs then I aint' buyin it!

[scarecrow]

XD
it's theere

[rei_ayamy]

no offence of course but i hate the boy love boy thingy i pefer the girl love boy u know but anyways i want to read the novel but don't like the manga why? becuase in the manga u see it's a guy the book at least u can imagine it's a girl u know? lmao^^ srry no offence so my question is can u read the novel without reading the mangas? thanks

[Blu_Moon]

While you can figure out what is going on and are told who people are and what their backstories are like, being familiar with the manga certainly helps. As the editor, I'd like to tell you to keep an open mind and buy the book. However, Gravitation is absolutely a boys love novel. While there are no hardcore sex scenes, the boys are very clearly boys when they are making out. If you are bothered by love between homosexuals, then I don't recommend it. Why not check out the Love Hina novel that came out this month instead?

[zetsui101]

oooh, everytime I come here it always makes want to jump into the car and drive to Borders to get the novel :D ...but I can't drive. :(
I was flipping through the novel once and I read one part where Hiroshi was happy for Yuki and Shuichi. He said he was so happy he could take a trip around the southern islands (correct me if i'm wrong). shuichi's comment after that was a little wierd... is he made more naive in the novel?

[scarecrow]

Yeah same XD Borders is so far hahah
and I don't have money o_o

[Blu_Moon]

He said he was so happy he could take a trip around the southern islands (correct me if i'm wrong). shuichi's comment after that was a little wierd... is he made more naive in the novel?


Well, Shuichi is a pretty child-like character about some things. Every once in a while he has an epiphany and recognizes his own selfishness or coming-of-age stuff, but for the most part, he's like a big puppy on crack, and this does get played up in the novels, but it reads a tad awkwardly. It's the kind of thing that works better visually, when the characters are chibi-fied, in my own opinion. So then I must struggle between leaving things in as they are, or toning them down/playing them up for a smoother, more balance read.

Voice of Temptation, the second book which I am editing now, is absolute crack. Absolute. Crack. Nothing I could do to it as an editor would make it anything other than crack, so I'm just embracing its crack-ness. ^_^

[Veroniku]

Voice of Temptation, the second book which I am editing now, is absolute crack. Absolute. Crack. Nothing I could do to it as an editor would make it anything other than crack, so I'm just embracing its crack-ness. ^_^
OMG! Sounds promising. XD; I love randomness (one of my fave characters is Reiji so XD), well actually, I love Murakami's randomness. If that second novel is anywhere near her craziness... I'll love it. XD I think what bothered me about the first novel was the weird emo-ness that Shuichi had... I know his feelings are always like rollercoasters in cannon, but his doubts sounded unlike him sometimes to me... Gah sorry I didn't re-read it yet. ><; I've been planning a BL/yaoi panel for an anime convention to be held in Montreal! ^_^!; If any of you wanna proof-read it, e-mail me through the forums. o.o; *puppy eyes at Blu_Moon for her opinions on my BL panel* Only if you have time though of course. ^^

Ok, that went off-topic... *cough* Anyway. @.@

[Blu_Moon]

Be happy to help, but I've never done a panel. I have, however, written extensively about Boys Love in the past, so, just let me know your questions and I'll spout off for probably too long and bore everyone to tears. ^_^

[kokorochan]

Voice of Temptation, the second book which I am editing now, is absolute crack. Absolute. Crack. Nothing I could do to it as an editor would make it anything other than crack, so I'm just embracing its crack-ness. ^_^

*see the calendar* arghh i cant wait, more Gravi!!!! *_*, Thank youuuu!

[Tsuzuki]

o there is a second one coming out soon !!!
man i cant wait!!
i will look forward to it...and i love the first one...i wasnt sure about it for a while but then i ended up loving it ><

[Ritsuka]

i loved the first novel i cant wait till the second novel to come out

[kyothekitty]

o there is a second one coming out soon !!!
man i cant wait!!
i will look forward to it...and i love the first one...i wasnt sure about it for a while but then i ended up loving it ><
same here i just can't wait

[scarecrow]

I finally saw the novel in a borders in chicago but I couldn't buy it then so I'm still lookin' around XD I'm glad there's a second though :D er. gonna be.

[kyothekitty]

I finally saw the novel in a borders in chicago but I couldn't buy it then so I'm still lookin' around XD I'm glad there's a second though :D er. gonna be.
what!!!! no so did it at least look good?

[sentaku-san]

Voice of Temptation, the second book which I am editing now, is absolute crack. Absolute. Crack. Nothing I could do to it as an editor would make it anything other than crack, so I'm just embracing its crack-ness. ^_^

I've been feeling kind of down today, but that really made me laugh. I'm excited. I can't wait to return to Gravi-land, an excellent alternative to both real life and real crack. ^^; If only more people were acquainted with the work of Murakami-sensei...heheh. :D (Even though I know she doesn't write the novels...)

I remember how depressing it was when the manga series ended last summer. I'm glad we've got the novels to hold us over for now, but I really want to know the status of Gravitation's continuation. I wonder if/when Tokyopop will license it...but since it doesn't seem to be released in tankouban form in Japan yet, maybe there's nothing to license. :(

[Blu_Moon]

Actually, a competitor is releasing the new tracks online for a fee. And as for the Remix DJs, well, they might be a bit too racy for TOKYOPOP, but maybe someday BLU will be able to pick them up . . .

[scarecrow]

pick up what? O_o the remixes?

[Ritsuka]

but what happens to the people who cannot pay online. it would have been easier if someone picked up the new series and release it into book format because you are still paying for it. but will tokyopop still pick it up? as it released the first series and the novels.

[Blu_Moon]

but what happens to the people who cannot pay online. it would have been easier if someone picked up the new series and release it into book format because you are still paying for it. but will tokyopop still pick it up? as it released the first series and the novels.

That's what I'm trying to say, hon. A competitor has licensed the new tracks. And the original company in Japan and the US competitor both are releasing it online only. (And the sales aren't doing well, from what I hear, for the very reason you are stating.) So, no, we can't get the rights to it, sorry!

[LKK6144]

as for the Remix DJs, well, they might be a bit too racy for TOKYOPOP, but maybe someday BLU will be able to pick them up . . .

From what I've seen of the remixes, I suspect they're too racy even for BLU especially if we're talking about the more recent megamixes. I doubt the mainstream US graphic novel publishing industry is ready for any of those yet.

[Ritsuka]

That's what I'm trying to say, hon. A competitor has licensed the new tracks. And the original company in Japan and the US competitor both are releasing it online only. (And the sales aren't doing well, from what I hear, for the very reason you are stating.) So, no, we can't get the rights to it, sorry!
okay thanks for the info. ill look forward to the second novel instead

[sentaku-san]

From what I've seen of the remixes, I suspect they're too racy even for BLU especially if we're talking about the more recent megamixes. I doubt the mainstream US graphic novel publishing industry is ready for any of those yet.

I'm afraid you're probably right. :( (I'm used to yaoi by now, and a fan of most of the Remixes, but the Megamixes make me a little squeamish.) I would still absolutely love for BLU to try, though! It could be in several layers of plastic? XD So many that the cover becomes obstructed, but the informed will know where to look. ;) I wonder if they could distribute it exclusively online? I would buy it, disturbing or not, because I'm such a fan and I have to have the collection. XD

...Which is why I'm really upset at the status of Gravitation 2. *kicks the dirt* I wanna complete my book collection! T_T Gravitation deserves better treatment. I wonder how this happened? Wasn't it popular enough to run in a print magazine? I have a few copies of "Kimi to Boku" from when Gravitation was originally running in it, and over half of the fanart is Gravitation. So apparently the Japanese fans liked it too.

[Momochi]

I only own two vols. of the Gravition manga series (been meaning to get the rest though heh ^^; ) But i first discovered Gravitation through one of my internet anime friends a few years ago and i bought the anime series when it was still just a subtitle. I instantly fell in love with it! The manga series is just as good different but more indepth than the anime, and as far as the translations and editations go their fine i enjoy the way they are done ^^ I really want to read the novels but my book store doesn't carry them so i gotta order them off line which is okay ^^ But if you want to know of another really good Shounen Ai manga and novel series try 'Only The Ring Fingure Knows' I laughed and cried during the whole thing i couldn't put it down (which was kind of bad because it was 7 am when i finally did finish it and i got no sleep that night heh ^^; ) Its already licenced to June Manga but its well worth looking into. If you liked Gravitation you'll love this one. The art is beautiful and story line amazing ^^ I HIGHLY recomend this manga/novel series.

[sentaku-san]

I read the manga of Only the Ring Finger Knows, but not the novels. It was okay, but I don't think it can be compared to Gravitation because it's missing the cracky randomness and hyper characters. XD (Murakami's oddball-ish-ness is part of what draws me in.)

Still looking forward to the second Gravi novel!! Yay for literature devoid of any meaningful content! :D (Oh wait, there was one pseudo-intellectual metaphor about the apple and the tree in the first novel.....aw hell, I loved that bit. XD Gives more meaning to the title and all.)