SKIP BEAT CAME OUT!!! I've added a link to the latest chapter; Mech's awesome. There's been some drama in the comments, it seems, so if you're here because you searched for Skip Beat, and you go over there, leave a comment with your name.
And it's a personal pet peeve of mine when people say things like "OMG PLEASE UPLOAD THE NEXT PAGE NOW OR I'LL DIE" (ok no one says that, but you get the idea). Yeah, I get impatient, but if you need the raws that bad, go to baidu skip beat. You can translate the page (ish) with Google translate, or something. It's not English, but it should tide you over. I mean, what's the rush? The next chapter isn't out until Dec. 20 and if you take it easy on the newest chapter, the time can go by much faster.
Sometimes I don't know if people think of it, but scanlators are doing you a favor. They understand what's going on -they're sharing it with you from one fan to another, because they want to. They have jobs and families and lives in REAL LIFE, and if they're too tired, they shouldn't have to worry about scanlating. Once upon a time, I too was a translator, and I feel terrible about it, but I couldn't handle (at the time) full time school, work, and translating. I had to give it up because real life comes first.
Sorry about the little rant there, mooooooooving on!
here, have something cute just a little extra skip beat art
Onto what I WANTED to talk about...I love Skip Beat. Too often, Shojo manga features a weak female who can only love an undeserving guy. In Skip Beat, Kyoko gets dumped by her childhood friend/pseudo-boyfriend Sho who manipulated her into running away from Kyoto to Tokyo with him to help him. Maybe a year after they're there, she finds out he was only using her, they fight, he dumps her, she decides to get revenge. And on the path to revenge, she does NOT fall back in love with Sho. So far, she hasn't admitted to falling in love with anyone.
The character I like best, though, is the male lead Ren. He's the top celebrity dream-boat hunk gentleman -the ideal guy- but as Kyoko gets to know him, he's got a pretty dirty past. He's not a perfect gentleman, he can sometimes be a jerk, too. Even the bad guy isn't that bad, just kind of an immature prick. Most of the characters in Skip Beat are pretty round.
WARNING, SPOILERS BELOW
In the preceding chapters (to Act 167), Ren is acting as fake-actor Cain Heel to play BJ the serial killer. The president Lory has placed Kyoko as Setsu Heel, Cain's little sister. Lory said it was to make sure Ren eats, but he calls Kyoko an "omamori," a protective charm against evil. What evil? Apparently, Kuon had a friend/sempai/mentor named Rick who was hit by a car and killed (?) while running to/from/after Kuon. A lady with a ring held Rick and called Kuon a murderer.
Living as the character Ren has helped Kuon seal away this trauma, and seal away Kuon. Kuon is now Ren, and Ren seems to be modeled after Rick. As my friend said, "if he isn't careful, he's going to end up with multiple personality disorder." There's a fine line between Kuon and Ren, deep inside, because acting roles aside, Kuon/Ren is truly the same person with one personality. There might be many facets to it, and it might not be flat, but somewhere in there lies his TRUE self.
While filming for Dark Moon, Ren almost hit a dumbass young child who ran into the street and his stupid grandmother, bringing up his worst trauma. Ren freaks out, and is only reached by the warmth of his omamori, Kyoko, who came running when she heard the tires screech. One thing that I think is being overlooked is the use of the stuntman. Yashiro and Ogata are pressuring Ren to use a stuntman next time after this fiasco. Ren always wants to do things himself. I can't say what yet, but I think that this stuntman is symbolic, or has broader implications, to Ren.
In 167, Ren is torn. He "knows" that he must never forget his past, that he must seal Kuon away, but at the same time, he really wants to be with Kyoko. The time is fast approaching when he must choose -the painful past or an uncertain future with a girl he thinks doesn't love him. He truly thinks that Kyoko only pities him or feels obligated as a kohai. When she calls, he ignores her.
We see Kyoko's reaction. She's agonizing, worried, over Ren. When he calls her back, she smiles and blushes adorably. But he doesn't see this. Is he going to fire her because he doesn't want to forget his past? Is he going to confess everything to her (his past, his trauma, his love)? Is he just going to talk? I really can't tell you, because Skip Beat often goes in an unpredictable direction.
Whatever he says, I'm hoping that Kyoko says something cute. Ren has good reason to think she really doesn't love him; she hides it very well. Still, I think that she started falling in love with him from the last chapter in Volume 13 (whatever chapter) when he kisses Corn and she thinks "I thought I'd fall under an evil spell." I think Kyoko is also coming to a precipice. She's also torn between never reliving her past (i.e. never falling in love again) and moving forward. Soon, she's going to have to choose what's most important to her -her pride or her desire.
Personally, I tend to see things in shades of grey. Ren can be Kuon and have Kyoko, if he handles it right, and if she is forgiving (ummm...). Most importantly, Ren can move forward, live for himself, and be happy while still remembering Rick. Isn't that the way it goes? When something awful happens to someone you care about or were close to, you want to blame yourself, saying you could have prevented it. But there will come the point where you're still alive, and you have to decide to forgive yourself (or even others) in order to move past it. Ren doesn't have to forget Rick; he should use his death as a reminder to never use violence against another person.
Kyoko can also have her past with Sho as a learning experience. Now she knows what mindless devotion can do to oneself. She knows better what love should look like. I don't want her love for Ren to be anything like her love for Sho. Each love is different, each person is different, their relationship is different, and she's not going to overcome her issues if she's always thinking of Sho. I think she should just forgive him and live her life. That would be the best revenge in the end :D
Anyway, I've rambled for farrrr too long >_< sorry! I got excited and I'm tired, so the words just flow out. If you read all this, THANKS! Lol
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