1/2 Prince (Novel) Introduction

Uwah, at last, to be able to post again! *mini celebrates*

Well, I thought it best to knock off some introductions, so let's get it underway!

This week's topic is about 1/2 Prince, the chinese novel series which inspired the manhwa. I personally use Prince Revolution as my novel source, and Onemanga for the latest in the Manhwa. Admittedly, Onemanga is just a portal source for the manga, but there's been quite a heated debate about scanlation ownership and rights and overtranslating, and the next chapters aren't expected to come out until August or so. Besides, the manga is scripted directly from the novel series, which the team at Prince Revolution is currently translating into English! They do a wonderful, thorough, and rather speedy job, and get a chapter published about once a week. They've even gotten permission from the author herself to translate! Do they offer that for scanlations? Noooooo~~! And it really alleviates some of the guilty feelings you may get from reading scanlations that, if not illegal, tend to be seen as a tad immoral.
But that's not the point of the story!
And did I mention the nice PDF version they're coming out with? Includes some scans from the manga of the bishies, which I really, really, really, approve of. And with a bit more luck it could even buil up a good fanforum. During my term at LyokoFreak, I'll admit having a website to call your home that's not attatched to a general site, like TV.com, felt really great, and gave the place an identity. I think 1/2 Prince could certainly use that, and having it irectly linked to the site producing most of the updated content could be a strategic strongpoint. I'd like to meet some other 1/2 Prince fans!

Well, I've taken a bit too long there, so I'll just get right along to the intro.
1/2 Prince takes place in a futuristic world, where the lastest in technology is the gaming field. After the invention of sleeper computers, which connect while you sleep, MMORPGs start popping up, until only two are left standing: Life and World. The industry's arm's reach so wide, it's not uncommon to ask a random person whether they're from World or Life.
The games continue to increase in realism, from 30%, climbing to 50%, and peaking at about 88%, with each new update bringing in more users. That is, until the people who put together Life introduce a new game, Second Life, with a record-breaking 98% reality rating.
And this is about where we learn of Fen Lan/Xiao Lan. A 19 year old college student whose only skill seems to be cooking, Xiao Lan gets into an argument with her twin brother, Fen Yang Ming. He begins ranting about how female players in MMORPGS get infated stats, and how they tend to act like golddiggers to get better equipment. Xiao Lan, frustrated with his attitude, challenges his position, and picks up a copy of Second Life.
But she gets an idea, while making her character. If her brother sees her in the game as a woman, it'll only prove his point more. Her plan? Become a man! As it turns out, she is the first player ever to log on, and the moderators decide to grant her one wish. her avatar is apparenly hijacked by a raving moderator, and together, they create an elven sword-wielding beauty, with extra extra handsome stat boosts, and hunky sprinkles.
There, she's done it! Going by the appropriate name Prince. Xiao Lan is dubbed "T3h M0st S3x3h Ch4r4 3V4444444~~~~!!!!!!! BISHIBISHIBISHIBISHIBIIIIIIISHHHHHHH-- *shoot*"
...
I'm sorry, I reeeeeally had to do that. It was for my own good.
And yes, I can see some of you rolling your eyes. You're shifting towards that Mary-Sue alert button. I saw you move. And in fact, I can see you'll flinch wen you learn she's very skilled with a sword, and uses her cooking talents to slash enemies. She is outfitted with the best accessories, the best pet, and the best weapons. HA! You moved a litle more! Gitcher' hand offa that button, I'm not done!
Is she pretteh? Whai yesh. Even judging by the manhwa, she's a cutie. Wohoo. And you know who else thinks so? Everyone else. To the point of chaos, really. She teams up with eccentric teammates and stalkers, and creates an odd squad. In fact, it's called the Odd Squad. She has to pretend that her hidden moderator friend is her wife to beat off the fangirls, and even still, they have to survive fights from the more rabid ones. She gets her own stalker in the form of a male obsessing over her beauty (Ohhhh Gui~), rival teams, and all while keeping her gender a secret. She also begins to spin together the dream of creating Second Life's first legend, something that nearly all the erious players aspire to do. She also begins to get quite a feminist streak, enjoying the freedom of ding wht she wants, against gender expectations.
BEEEEEEPBEEEEPBEEEEP! You presed that Mary-Sue button, didn't you! Come on, fess up! Well, what was it? The beauty, the power, the freedom, totally envy-worthy, but seemingly shallow. Bending the world around her like gravity, and apparenly trying to do just that?

Well, yeah, technically, those are traits of a Mary-Sue.

But Xiao Lan really isn't, when you read the story. Sure, she seems to start out that way, a cardboard spunk who goes ahead on a bet, makes a sudden choice, and is throwin into a completely blank world. The point is to bend it. Her power is more coincidental than anything else, and half of the time, she rarely unerstand it. She doesn't learn any new power faster than anything else, she taps into her strong points, cooking and video games. She gains knowlege of her world slowly from more experienced players, which fleshes those characters out too. She becomes a strong fighter with ambition and will, but not necessarily smarts. It allows for development, and the fleshing out of the entire false world.
And the prettiness? Well, when i say rabid fangirls, I really mean it. Foaming, mad, and contageous, they often become the enemies and hindrances. When Xiao Lan's brother talked about gold diggers, he wasn't kidding! Jeeeeez, shallow ladiez!

That's it, lift your hand up. It's okay, she won't bite...

Anyways, recap! This series is about adventure, world building, and chasing after dreams. The action is pretty cool, and, while far fetched, seems realistic and detailed. Expect to see conflicts about pasts, real life, and competition. There are screaming, rabid fangirls, carniverous talking meatbuns, and a ridicuous play between Gui's silliness about Prince. Each character has a place. And since this series, spanning eight books, follows the formula for an Epic, get ready for a massive ending!

So, that's about it for 1/2 Prince's introduction. I'll be able to being reviews now, and I hope to catch up to PR's updates soon!


Until then, Later!