Tou Lang Merry Rose [Chapter 2]

Originally posted @ tatsukida.pitas.com on August 2, 2011

After leading Azalea and Dulcie to a store called Canary Hall, Auguste invites them inside. Looking at all the art works inside the store, Azalea asks if he is an art dealer. While lighting a lamp, Auguste tells her yes, he is, but he isn’t that knowledgeable about art, so he is the owner only by name. After telling them to put their luggage at the side, Auguste says that the former owner gave this store to him. “The things there are popular items though not necessarily of high value. Eastern people like Western products. Western people like Eastern products. The ones that are more popular are items has an ethnic characteristic, as well as, ceramics [pots and porcelains].” Azalea remembers that Tou Lang is a place where East and West intertwine, thus there are a lot of stores like that in that place. Then, she notices a small straw doll with a nail on it and the sign ‘blame’ [/grudge]. She thinks that there are also a lot of strange things there. Auguste says that is very cute. Holding the straw doll, Auguste happily tells her that he bought this plain doll so if she wants it, he can give it to her. He heard that it is used for worship. Thinking that he has bad taste, Azalea refuses by telling him that she doesn't need it. She is startled when something is fluttering. She notices that it is a canary that flies on top of two beautiful children dolls. She exclaims in surprise when the girl wakes up and moves. The girl asks her who she is. Azalea realizes that they are humans. Auguste goes to them and says that it turns out that they are there. The girl calls out to him as ‘Kai’. Auguste says that he’s back. The two children hug him and welcome him. Surprised Dulcie comments that the children are like porcelain dolls. Azalea asks about ‘Kai’. Auguste explains that is his other name. He introduces the girl as Simone [希諾; ‘xi nuo’], while the boy is Kenny [肯加; ‘ken jia’]. They are 13 year old twins. Thinking that she cannot differentiate them, Azalea asks if the children are his younger siblings. Patting the twins’ head, Auguste says no, though he would have wanted to.

Tou Lang Merry Rose [Chapter 1]

Originally posted @ tatsukida.pitas.com on  November 2, 2010


燈港メリーローズ is a new series by Miyako Ritsu which is published in Bessatsu Hana to Yume. Touran means ‘light port/harbor’. I’ll be using ‘touran’ instead of ‘light port’ since it seems to be a name of the place. In Chinese, this is called Light Port Romance. From the art, I thought it is by the author of Emma. ^^; That is the first thing that got my interest. I think the author is fairly new. She used to be the artist of the manga serialization of Shinrei Tantei Yakumo in Betssatsu Hana. That series seems to have been re-serialized in Asuka. I recall reading a chapter of her Kanjou Hakubasen Shashou no Ei-san before which I thought is good though I have no idea what it was about again aside from the character wanting to be a train conductor. This story is about a young aristocrat lady, together with her young attendant, heading out to travel and check out Touran to see with her own eyes the place that her tutor had once told her about. As she travels to this different and exotic place, it turns out to be different from what she expected. This seems to be a monthly series and in Japan, my guess it is in chapter 3 since the series just started last August. On a side note, most of the names will be ‘invented/misspelled’ since I’m basing it on the Chinese pronunciation and what I can find in google. I’m only sure of the tutor’s name since it is written in English here. I hope the author would write the other’s names in English, too. Special thanks to Mopp and Sheep for the help regarding a couple of the names ^^. Enough introduction, here’s the 54 page first chapter of this promising series: