Grrr. I shouldn’t actually be here right now *glances around furtively* but I’m a little grumpy because of work and the fact that people keep putting more on my to-do list without giving me enough warning -_-.  I hate last minute work surprises, and some part of me rebels by just saying “NO” and shutting down, refusing to do any more work for the night. People really should do their own work instead of making me do it. *sighs*

Apparently, tonight’s rebellion has taken the form of going onto tumblr and grousing. XD

But I hate to be a damp raincloud that brings nothing but gloom and complaining, so yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about Toriko so yeah. I kinda feel a little guilty, at times, that I still haven’t bought at least one volume of the manga, but sooner or later I will. I just have to get off my bum and get talking to a few contact and see if I can get the vegetable sky arc. :)

Toriko never fails to make me happy. It actually has a pretty good artist following on pixiv as well.

Tonight, though, I’d like to highlight one of my favorite artists, Kuro.

And just in case you’re wondering about wtf?! with the wolf ears and goat tail … well, click the read more!

Actually I got to thinking about her/his work because (obviously) I was in the mood for a sweet and cute pick-me-up, and I thought of her Arashi no Yoru Ni crossover with Toriko. It made me smile back then, and yeah, I dropped a few minutes of my non-existing time to go and watch the actual movie.

In case you’re curious (and needing a small, sweet pickmeup too):

http://www.youtube.com/user/subanimehd2 (when it comes onto netflix or hulu, make sure you give it a watch there too ;) That way we can support the artists).

It’s such a sweet little movie about how a little goat and a wolf have an unexpected encounter … and end up finding a true friendship in the oddest places. It’s a kids movie, though, but hey, I’m pretty much a big kid at heart and I enjoyed it. The backgrounds are LOVELY and Mei is just adorable … though you can’t help but love Gabu too.

And after you watch it then read the whole comic here. Definitely Toriko/Komatsu, though nothing more than a little kissy face. I can really see how both could match the characters in Arashi no Yori Ni. Huh. Has this fandom had it’s first werewolf AU yet? XD XD XD

Knowing the end to movie helps a lot there too, though I kinda wish she drew the movie’s ending since the point where the comic cuts off is a bit of a … well, you’ll see.

I think what I like about Kuro’s style is she has a great way with expressions and body stance. My other favorite comic by her is:

This festival comic. It nearly entirely wordless, but you don’t need the words to know what’s going on, what the characters are feeling, and how the night evolves between the two. WARNING: It’s definitely Toriko/Komatsu and getting pretty risque by the end.

My favorite image has to be these two panels:

It’s all the little character interactions there that ring so true; how Komatsu calms Toriko down, how they both are in turn amused and thoughtful at the different things at a Matsuri (I can imagine Komatsu being really excited, and Toriko’s like “this is … fishing?!”, and how observant Toriko is and how Komatsu (to no avail) tries to wave it off. All without a single word. That’s some good stuff.

Check out Kuro’s work. It helped lift my spirits, and I hope it helps you too. :) With some warnings: like I said, it gets a little over the pg-13 to R rating.

She’s also the author of “The Dog” series, which is an AU where Toriko is fighter in a rather dark world and Komatsu is his only solace. It does have SCRUFFY!Toriko and long haired Komatsu. It’s a really grim one, but very well drawn. Does have blood though and a bit of kissy face <3.

So, anyone else have recommendation? Write them up (and link me from this post, since I can’t tell when I’ll be around again — I don’t want to miss it). I can always use a good Toriko boost. ^_^