The Opposites Book Tag

Image taken from giphy.com

I don’t feel like I’ve done and taken part in a blog tag for a while now (not going to lie, it was probably just last month… :P) so when I came across The Opposites Book Tag on Eleanor’s blog a month ago I knew I’d do it at some point.

Fast forward a month later and here we are! She tagged anyone who read her post, which I’m linking here because you need to read her answers!

I’m changing my answers up a little though and instead of talking about “normal” books, I’ll be talking about manga instead… Considering manga is the majority of what I read. 😛

I hope you enjoy this tag post!

FIRST BOOK IN YOUR COLLECTION/LAST BOOK YOU BOUGHT.

The first manga I ever bought was Azumanga Daioh and it’s one of my biggest manga books in my collection… So far anyway. 😛 I loved the anime of the same name so when I heard about a manga of it too, I knew I had to find it! It took me ages and when I finally found it online I ordered it to be told a month later that it wasn’t actually in stock as they’d said. I got a refund and headed elsewhere in search of it. I found it on eBay in the end brand new and ended up buying it for less money than I was intending to pay for it in the first place.

My most recent purchase is Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life Vol. 2. I LOVE this spin off series even more than the original due to how adorable it is and yet how hilarious it is at other times. I’ll soon be buying some new manga… I feel like I buy it monthly in all honesty. 😛

A CHEAP BOOK/AN EXPENSIVE BOOK.

This stands for both of the same series but I’ve spent an absolute fortune on the Nana manga in the past! It’s not really published anymore I don’t think so it can be such a hard manga to get hold of! It’s so worth it though as I think the Nana manga will be worth some serious monies in the future due to it being on a hiatus. ANYWAY I’ve spent next to sod all on many copies of this manga and other times I’ve paid through the teeth just to get a decent copy or even a brand new one.

Aside from Nana the most I have spent on manga for myself is £15.99, which I spent on the manga of Wolf Children. I regret spending that much on it, but 1. it’s hardback and 2. I picked it up in Waterstones… Of course it was expensive! 😛

A BOOK WITH A MALE PROTAGONIST/ONE WITH A FEMALE PROTAGONIST.

First of all, male protagonist! The first one that pops into my head is Hideo Suzuki from the manga, I Am a Hero. This manga is amazing and it’s thanks to Dane discovering it in Forbidden Planet that we started reading it together. He’s such a fanny at the best of times, but this is due to what appears to be a form of anxiety. He’s our hero during a zombie apocalypse in Japan and he’s such a great and real protagonist for that story. I cannot wait to see where the series goes and what the future has in store for him.

So a female protagonist eh? Oh man I could pick so many manga series with a legend of a female protagonist but I think the first one I can think of is Nana Osaki, from the manga of the same name. She’s the Nana who is a singer in a rock band and doesn’t stand for shit! Although she’s rock hard on the outside and appears untouchable, she actually has a heart of gold and is mending a broken heart throughout most of the manga. I remember when watching the anime, as well as reading the manga what a strong and bold woman she is, even though she isn’t real. I wanted to be like her as I got older and I like to think I am. 😛

A BOOK YOU READ FAST/ONE THAT TOOK YOU LONG TO READ.

If there is a series I found myself whizzing through and finishing quicker than any manga series I own to date, it’s A Silent Voice. I remember hearing about the manga thanks to the anime that came out as a film last year. I picked up a couple of volumes to read to see if I would enjoy it and I instantly fell in love. Even before me and Dane went to watch the anime I went into my local manga/comic book store and bought some more volumes! Later I bought the rest on Amazon PRIME so I could read them as soon as possible. To this day it is now one of my favourite manga series and I recommend it highly to anyone who wants to get into manga and see why it’s so amazing.

Fuck me, if there is one manga series that is taking me forever to get through, it’s definitely K-ON! and I honestly couldn’t tell you why. I think it’s because I enjoy reading it so much that I take my time to read it. I’m on my second to last volume now and I’ll be sad when I’ve finished the K-ON! series. This just means I need to find a NEW SERIES to get into. 😛

PRETTY COVER/UGLY COVER.

I don’t think I really own any pretty manga covers… If anything I love Nana for the story each volume tells about the two Nana’s and the same can go for A Silent Voice which shows off the two main characters together. I also really love A Polar Bear In Love for the adorable covers that their volumes produce! I cannot wait for Volume 3 to come out now as the cover for that looks amazing.

I can’t say I own any ugly covers though… If there are some manga covers I dislike it’s Dane’s Berserk series, as well as some of the Junji Ito covers which aren’t ugly, just very creepy. 😛

A NATIONAL BOOK/AN INTERNATIONAL BOOK.

HA they’re all pretty international when you think about it! 😛

No I joke. All my manga books are in English! Although once I nearly ordered Elfen Lied on Amazon, only to discover they were all in German. I dodged a very heavy and expensive burden there. 😛

A THIN BOOK/A THICK BOOK.

I don’t really own any thin manga… Some of my thicker books are Wolf Children and Azumanga Daioh.

FICTION BOOK/NON-FICTION BOOK.

They’re all fiction really.

VERY (WAY TOO) ROMANTIC BOOK/ACTION BOOK.

Oh man, the majority of my manga is romance related as that’s just what I’m into. I have read action style manga though before, don’t get me wrong! Those are usually ones that Dane has bought and told me to check out. I do like a bit of action in manga, but I’m a total romance girl. 😛

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY/ONE THAT MADE YOU SAD.

There are so many manga series that make me happy! K-ON!, Azumanga Daioh, Nichijou, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and more, but if there is one that really cheers me up to read lately, it’s A Polar Bear In Love.

A Polar Bear In Love is about a polar bear who is in love with a baby seal. The story is about them exploring where they live together and learning more each day about one another, as well as about things around them. I remember reading volume 1 and wondering what the hell was happening, but it’s such a cute story and the artwork is also adorable. Give it a read if you love cute and yet weird manga. 😛

I feel like I’ve spoken about it so much on this post, but both Nana and A Silent Voice broke my heart. Nana is for many reasons, with the biggest of course being the story but also because it isn’t finished! The writer/artist of Nana has health issues and due to that she had to hiatus Nana. I need to know what happens and how it finishes for all the characters. 😦

A Silent Voice is just depressing for many different reasons and what makes it even more depressing? It’s so realistic that I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of stuff that happens in the manga, doesn’t happen on a daily basis to both children and teenagers. It’s about a deaf girl who is bullied by her classmate. She leaves due to the bullying, which results in the classmate being bullied himself for many years after. He learns sign language and goes to meet her to apologise before he attempts suicide… Which doesn’t happen thankfully! That’s all I’m saying! 😛 It has a lovely ending to it however and in itself, that makes me happy.

So those are the answers to the The Opposites Book Tag! I hope my answers aren’t boring due to me changing them to adapt to manga, but as I said before… I don’t read anything else other than manga these days…

Like Eleanor did, anyone who reads this tag post, I CHOOSE YOU TO TAKE PART TOO! 😀

Will you be giving the tag a go? If so let me know in the comments!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re ready for the weekend.

Old English Company*

Eee I’ve been so excited to write this post the past week! It’s Sunday morning (rain isn’t falling, it’s actually SUNNY! If you didn’t get the joke, it’s the first line of the Maroon 5 song of the same name… Sorry, not sorry!) and I have a lovely review to write today.

Recently I was approached by Old English Company and they asked me if I’d like to review some of their products for them. As a small blogger, I rarely get opportunities like this, so when I do I feel so loved, especially when they’re amazing companies like this one!

I was asked to pick some items and they sent them out to me. They arrived last week and I have been LOVING them! I mostly picked office related items that I can use both at home as well as at work.

I have been so excited to write this post today to show you what goodies I got, as well as how amazing they are! You’ll definitely want to head to the website yourselves after you’ve read this post. 😛

Don’t forget that any items with * next to them have been sent/gifted for reviewing purposes. 🙂

First of all I’ll let you know a little bit about Old English Company.

We’re a stationery and homeware brand creating beautiful, hand lettered products. First established in London, our studios are now located in the beautiful town of Stamford. The art is in the simplicity of our designs. Following no particular calligraphy rules, all of our products are uniquely hand lettered to create stylish, uncomplicated designs with messages that resonate with people.♥

♥Quote taken from Old English Company website.

Old English Company have also sold their stock in Olivia Bonas, Waterstones, Urban Outfitters and Paperchase.

Now onto the products I was sent! I will be linking each item I talk about back to the website so if you like the look of it, you’re a simple click away from viewing it on the website.

• You’re My Fox Enamel Pin* – £7.00 (link)

Recently I have really become a pin badge gal and it’s all since the start of the year. I wear cardigans now on a daily basis so I always pop one of my kawaii pin badges on them now. When I saw this cute little fox pin badge I KNEW I had to get it! It says “you’re my fox” on the foxes back, which I think is so adorable. I’ll definitely be wearing this for work. It’s a really good size if you aren’t into big garish pin badges and the black and gold colours work really well. As you can see the pin badge was sent to me really well packaged as it was covered in bubble wrap and pinned to a backing card.

• You’re My fox Coaster* – Was £2.95 – Now – £1.03 (link)

This is one of the last items I saw on the website and knew I had to have it! As regular readers will know, I love foxes so knowing about the fox pin design I searched on the website for anymore fox goods. This coaster shares the same design as the enamel pin and it’s adorable. I don’t need anymore coasters at home, so this is going to become my coaster for my desk at work. My only issue with the coaster is on the website it looks more of a duck blue colour, when in actual fact it’s mint green. This isn’t an issue though in all honesty as I love either colour!

• Enamel Pin Display Flag* £8.95 (link)

I wouldn’t have picked this up, but to be honest my pin badge collection has really grown lately and I need somewhere to keep them all! To be honest I’ll probably be buying another one of these in the future to home even MORE pins! I’ve already decided I want to hang this on my dressing table near my jewellery! It’s huge to be honest with you and depending how many pins you have and also how big they are, you could fit 10-20 different pins on this flag. My only issue with it is the price. For what it is, I find it could be a little cheaper. This is something you could make yourself in all fairness. BUT that being said, it is really good quality. It depends on your own personal preference. 🙂 As you can see, I’ve already popped my pins onto it!

• Beauty In Simplicity A5 Wiro Notebook* £9.95 (link)

I love a good notebook to be honest with you and I ended up picking up two! This one is the first I chose and it’s so simplistic and gorgeous. It’s a white wire notebook that says, “there is beauty in simplicity” which is so true! It’s got a fabric band around it so you can keep the notebook closed and secure. The inside of the front and back cover have this very 90’s looking pattern on, which is what drew me to the notebook the most to be honest with you. The pages are lined and you can rip them out along a serrated edge so you don’t get the nasty part of the notebook when putting the page out. I hope that made sense! This would be a great notebook for school, college or university. I’m going to have it for blog ideas at home! It’s not a heavy notebook, which is even better. On the back of the notebook it has Old English Company’s logo.

• Bring Me Coffee A5 Notebook* £5.95 (link)

This notebook is just me all over to be honest with you. I picked it up to have for writing notes down at work. It’s a 100 page notebook that has lines inside. It has the quote, “bring me coffee and I will love you forever” I LOVE coffee. 😛 I love the style of this notebook, I’ve owned ones similar to this in the past but they don’t feel as expensive and luxurious as this one does. I know what you’re thinking, “Nat, it’s just a notebook!” I KNOW BUT I LOVE STATIONARY! 😛 What I love the most about this book is it has a spine, which says “Notes” on it. You could use this as a mini scrapbook, a diary or even a bullet journal which eventually you could keep in a bookshelf. You may even have a mini bookshelf on your desk, which you could then keep there. This notebook is perfect for anyone who likes to write on the go, it’s so thin and lightweight that you could throw it in your bag. This would be a good notebook to use at school, college or university but I don’t think it would be as practical as the wire notebook due to pulling pages out. This also came in a little plastic sleeve to protect it, which I really loved. Overall, I LOVE this notebook and I want more. 😛

• Black and Pearlescent A5 Planner* £11.95 (link)

This was the first item I chose as it was the first thing I spotted on the websites homepage and I fell in love. It’s one of my favourite things to be honest with you. I’m such a magpie when it comes to holographic and shimmery things and seeing as the “planner” part of the front of the book is pearlescent, the magpie deep down inside of me jumped out. This is a 380 page planner and I’ve owned a planner similar to this in the past, but this one is so much more organised inside. I felt my old one was too messy and due to that I don’t use it. Like the coffee notebook, the spine also has writing on, which is “planner” BUT I was delighted to discover that it’s also pearlescent! That’s so good in my opinion, it just adds something to the planner and makes it stand out in a pile of books. It isn’t a hardback style book, which I like as it makes it easier to turn and use. Inside the book the pages feel so lightweight and gorgeous to turn. You have your bog standard planner style with “today’s tasks”, “date” and “notes”. I don’t have a clue what I’ll use this planner for to be honest… Probably blog related stuff, as well as to use if me and Dane go away on a trip to plan what we’re doing and when. Like the coffee notebook this comes in a plastic sleeve to protect it. Personally I think the planner would work best for people who need to keep tabs on stuff everyday as you could use it for every day of the year. There would be more than enough pages.

Overall, I am so happy with the package I received from Old English Company. I want to thank them so much for giving me the opportunity to work with them to bring you guys this review.

I feel their website and products are amazing for people who want to jazz up their home with some simplistic prints and homeware, or for stationary obsessed girls who want some new pieces for their office desk. I’d even say their products would make amazing gifts too! I’d definitely buy pieces from there for friends, especially the planner come Christmas time for the new year, pin badges and especially prints for people with new homes.

What do you guys think of Old English Company and their products? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below, as well as on my Twitter @maybeecoffee

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’ve all had a fabulous and sunny weekend!