If you could answer this then...(end of series mild spoiler)

[ruri]

hello...
actually there is a story re: his past.. but i haven't read it yet... i am skipping several voulmes so i can read something interesting.. (when sousuke was ordered to come back and was "relieved" of his duty to guard kaname).. after that, i plan to read about his past,.. (that is if i have time..) i haven't read the 'ikinari FMP'.. i will surely check it out next week when i go to sapporo ..
definately there are differences between the novels and the animation.. what i like about novel is that it offers more information, details, etc. about the characters' emotions... so basically we can read about sousuke's confusion and "sadness".. (he was really really sad and depressed when kaname said "i hate you!".. kind of cute..)
and also there are two types of novels: stories regarding S and K's school life (eg. sousuke's date with mizuki) and action stores (animation stories). S and K's school life novels focus on their relationship and sousuke's efforts to "fit in" @ school, with friends.etc.. (very, very, funny... )
anyway, i hope i answered all your questions..if i didn't let me know..
and i started studying japanese 5years ago by myself..and then to a language school.. my grandparents were educated in japan .. plus my dad speaks japanese. so i can ask him ^o^.. and i travel to japan quite often .. so i guess that helps alot ... and i am from the states...

[Kodachiko]

YAY!!!!!!!! There's a book only with his past???? SUGOIIIIIIIIIII!!!
Oh, thank you thank you thank you! ^-^ *lol*
I think the same than you about the characters feelings etc, I love to be able to have the detailed descriptions rather than just have to guess from their expression in the anime...*lol* (maybe that's why I love manga, it's more descriptive than anime, and since there aren't always books of the series.....*lol*)

And which is it? (the title?) Because I'm kinda confused with all the books... ^^;
I know that some are comical and some serious, so I was planning on buying first :
"Boy meets girl"
"One night stand"
"Into the blue"
"Owaru day by day" 1 and 2

But then I started wondering if it would be okay, or if it would be a problem to not to read also the comical ones on same time. Are they completly separated, or linked?
And which is the one about Sousuke's past?
Does Gaulun survives again in "Owaru day by day"?

Wooooooooow, you lucky! @_@; I wanna go to Japan often too... *lol* How cool also that your family speaks Japanese, that's great to help to learn! ^_^/

Sorry for annoying you with a lot of questions, and thank you very much for answering them, thanks a lot for all the info! ^--^//// *happy*

[Jae]

personally I class the books as 'school-side' and 'serious-side'-
Not a purely ture way to think of them (since they cross sides sometimes)

I don't really think you're skipping out of order if you skip 'school-side' books to read the 'serious-side' ones, but they seem to work best in tandem (ie, don't try to connect the two perfectly, but accept them as being equal halves of the total story)

Is that an appropriate way to think of them?

I don't think there is one volume just about Sousuke's past, did I miss checking that one out? (when really looking at them, I sorta skipped the short story ones and was mostly trying to puzzle out the long ones.)

ruri- while you're reading the next one- could you maybe, um,...share with us what's going on, as you read it? If you have time and want to?
If not, that's alright, I guess we could wait for a summary...
That's the one that really needs to be read :)

[ruri]

actuall you are right... there is a story regarding sousuke's past but it only a section... so unfortunately,, its a small glimpse of his past.. but its better than nothing.. sorry if i confused anyone..

i would love to share the story.. .. so be patient.. i will start probably next week.. not now.. i have eye infection.. barely get my eyes open..

[Taurec]

Thank you for sharing, and i hope that eye infection will heal really soon.

*Salutes*

[URZ-zero]

Personally, from what I get with only the anime, I belive Gauln's obsession with Sousuke goes way back when he took the bullet in the head from Sousuke. I think that even though he lived, the bullet probably damage his brain so he lost his psyche and developed an obsession with Sousuke. It never manifested itself in all those years cause he never thought he'll see Kashim again, of course, until the whole Kaname incident. The Lamda Drive duels afterwards only reinforces what was already there from the get-go.

my 2 cents.

[Taurec]

*collects* those 2 cents ... It could be like that ..
But then again he already was a evil maniac bastard even before he met Sagara..

Welcome to the nuthouse ..

[Liselle]

Pffft Taurec you are getting cheaper than ever...

[Weez]

C'mon, the poor guy's got to fund Tauweek somehow.

[Liselle]

Honestly, he should do it the good ol' fashion way. Bully recruits into signing you on as their life insurance recipients, then their is no guilt when one goes down in a 'trainning accident'.

[Katyusha]

Sounds like a new way to me. Well actually the "old fashioned way" was to beg the boss for funding.

[Liselle]

Seriously?

Well judging by the tiny meal portions of slop we're being served each day, I doubt you'd squeeze more out of Jae than blood from a rock.

[Katyusha]

Good point.