Clover

[Kikuchi]

what can i say another great manga by CLAMP ^^ i just read the 4 available volumes of it and i absolutely LOVE it!!! do you?? The story is very deep and sad *sniffle* but i'm a sucker for sad stories so i absolutely love this one. It has a minimalistic style which help conveys the mood of the story itself and the art is fantastic, even though it is minimalistic, every page layout is so graphically designed. CLAMP has also done really well with the props design, a good collaboration of futuristic and classical designs verii verii nice. I was so touched at the end of the second book, even though i could do with a littble bit less lyrics repetition ^^;;

anyways have you read it? if you have what are your impressions of it? love it? hate it? if you haven't... what have you doing GO BUY IT!! ^^

[Cain]

Have the cheap french version, so I could afford it ^^
And I love it yes
it has somehting special and I really really... like it

so much me being nuanced tonight
ja ne

[Tifa]

Oooh, a Clover thread! Wai wai! I loove CLAMP! So I love Clover! Not because it's done by CLAMP, but because of it's story and the art and the characters and well ... everything! ^____^ Too bad there's only four volumes available ... I want more! Wai wai! Clover!

Hm, it'd be neaty-o if they made it into an anime. ^^

[HuhWhat]

eh? heard of it... im going to get em all but it's going to cost me a lot... and i don't have any money.

I need to start improving my spelling and grammar. Ugh. Capital letters would also probably be good. I need to trim my nails. They're making me make loud noises when I type.

[SouloftheSword]

I wuv Clover...it is done by CLAMP afterall. I read the first volume only so far...it was awesome. I love the artwork, the characters...it was just so cool and it was different. I like different. O.o I think I'll start buying it...soon. Need to catch up on some other manga first though.

[HuhWhat]

thanks for the sig, Huhwhat
Anytime, Kiddie! ~_^

I'm gonna buy it! I know I am. Just give me about 6 more months. I'm gonna buy as much manga as I can at Anime Expo, whether translated or japanese. I don't care. Heck, I'm gonna learn hiragana and katakana by myself. Then I'm gonna memorize my entire Japanese dictionary. Then I'm gonna read through as much of the manga as I can. If I can't make any sense of it. I need help...

[Saheen]

Heh. I started reading Clover from the back. I saw the english translation of volume four in the local comic book store, and I loved the style so much I bought it, even though it was the fourth book of a series. And I paid the ridiculous price they charge for english translations here, too...
A few weeks later, I found part three, and I bought parts one and two in Paris when I went there shortly after. Turns out the order in which they're read doesn't matter that much after all.

Clover has something special about it that makes it one of my favourite Clamp stories - it's a pity it was never finished. It's a manga that doesn't need an artbook, since it is one in itself.

[Kikuchi]

True the order you read it doesnt really matter, tho it is better to read the book in a order, because there are some parts which would make more sense when you read the book in order. Yeah english translated version by tokyo pop (i think) ish really expensive, well here it cost AUD$30 >_< and the paper quality of the book is not as good as well so i decided to buy the original japanese version instead.

hmmm i have a question about the ending..

[spoiler:a0d8423378] did Suu died at the end of book 2? did she commit suicide then? but if she did, why doesn't the leaf at kazuhiko's hand disappear?? well maybe Suu didn't die and the rest of the story is still unfinished by CLAMP. what do you think?[/spoiler:a0d8423378]

[Cain]

I agree with Saheen again on that one

[spoiler:41c8a9a8f2] And I think that the story is unfinished as has been said before. [/spoiler:41c8a9a8f2]

[HuhWhat]

I bought the manga online... damn... it was too irresistable.. according to "them" it's been delivered and it was supposed to be 24 hour shipping... it's been 3 days now...

[Cain]

According to my shipments I should have had
a new disc from China
16 books from Japan
and the fruits basket box by now from Canada bleedin Canada

it's been 2 months

I hate postservices -_-

[HuhWhat]

yes, gotta hate postservices...

Supposedly I was supposed to receive this book I got from Amazon about... 5 years ago. Still hasn't arrived. I'm pretty sure they either lost it or sent it to the wrong person.

[Cain]

I know -_-
I never got my tokyo babylon art book *kicks post system*

I got my Genso maden saiyuki books from Japan today XD
2 months overdue, but still.
I am still waiting for my dvd, my box and allt he other junk respectively.

I really hate em -_-

[HuhWhat]

But my orders weren't from other countries. They were in the same state too!

[Kikuchi]

why don't you buy it from a store in person instead of using the postal system don't postage and handling usually increases the price that you have to pay? well then again you might not know anyplace that sells these items silly me. well soomin arent you in the US i thought US have plenty of hobby or bookstores that sells anime related books?

i'm going to HK at the end of the year hopefully to get X zero at a moderate price or else i'll have to get it at a slightly higher price at Kinokuniya Bookstrore (i love kino bookstore ^o^)

[Cain]

Gods
That really sucks Huhwhat... Got any idea if you could harrass them?

With my dvd box once, I flamed the post office for 1 week and suddenly they called and said they had my package and if I would please come and pick it up and NOT call or mail again. :twisted: :twisted:

I only Read originals, or really goods translations, so I import from other countries ^^'
I am a snob

ja ne

[HuhWhat]

Whee! I finally got my clover. I finished it in one day... it was too short... *cries*

How can they end it like that?! The f***??!! Great manga though...

[Cain]

I know so very well how you feel -_-

And no fair you getting your stuff and me still not even getting an email fromt he damn company! ><

*flicks off Canadian Company*

[HuhWhat]

Ah Canada... *flicks off Canadian Company*

[tamashii]

I've read through 3 volumes of Clover. I liked all of them, and Kikuchi was right, the song is waaaaaaaaay too repetetive. But other than that, I thought it was a great story line about how you shouldn't control someones life and all, and what happens in the past does affect the future. And I love all the wing designs, they're all so futuristic and detailed.

[HuhWhat]

it just keeps going and going and going... why won't it stop...

[windarrow]

I think Clover is interesting from several points of view.

The artwork is great, as is usual from CLAMP's mangas. It's interesting to see how they did a pure technology based world, as compared to a combined fantasy/tech world--I'm thinking of Autozam from Magic Knight Rayearth. Instead of cloaks and gems and wires, with Clover it's grillwork, wings, gears, rods, and screw heads. It's quite unique. One thing is similar though: equipment is tucked away in a hand mounted module instead of a gem (as in MKR).

I'm surprised not to see at least one giant robot from such a mechanized environment. ;-)

Contentwise, yes, Ora's song is just a *tad* repetitive. Perhaps more than a tad. I think they did it to reinforce the everpresence of Ora in Suu and Kazuhiko's hearts. It's also there to underscore the story's theme.

The prequel nature of the Clover manga reminds me of the Shamanic Princess anime. Of course, book 4 is yet another prequel to book 3. :-)


Here are my ideas on Ora in book three:

[spoiler:e3e1705f36]
Suu was forbidden to have outside communication, but became good friends with Ora. The manga explains that this sort of thing is forbidden because whoever the Clover holds dear would inherit too great a power. It wasn't love, but a good friendship with Ora. Since one of the Wizards tried to destroy Kazuhiko at Fairy Park, perhaps one of them ordered Ora to be destroyed for a similar reason? Perhaps future Clover books might be in the present and have Kazuhiko looking for Ora's killer and discovering this fact? It's just a thought.
[/spoiler:e3e1705f36]


As for the leaf cryptogram on Kazuhiko's hand:
[spoiler:e3e1705f36]
General Kou said his leaf cryptogram would dissolve when the mission with Suu was over. Kazuhiko is seen at book two's end still staring at the cryptogram. What this actually means is material for future Clover books in the present. It was stated that some of the Wizards wanted Suu for their own use, so maybe this "death" at Fairy Park was a faked distraction? Perhaps Kou arranged this to get Suu out of sight from the other Wizards, and that Kou has a plan for Suu and Kazuhiko (for which he needs the cryptogram to get access to her again)? 'Tis just another random thought. ;-)
[/spoiler:e3e1705f36]


Finally, there's one sentence about the Clover hierarchy which I initially took at face value but am now rethinking (overthinking?):
[spoiler:e3e1705f36]
Ora said the psychic kids were divided up according to strength. "The four leafs (notice that S!) were the most powerful." Does that "s" have any meaning or is it just a general statement about the clovers? Could there be more than one four leaf? *gasp* How about a five leaf? Suu comments that A and C thought they were the most powerful, but in fact had no knowledge of higher clovers because of their rank. Hmmm.
[/spoiler:e3e1705f36]


Anyway, Clover is another fine CLAMP work. :-)

-- windarrow

[HuhWhat]

If there was any more four leafs then they're most likely dead.

Also, yes, I have also wondered about that leaf cryptogram...