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Legal Drug


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I've been a fan of this series for quite a while. :) In any case, I'm pretty sure that book 2 isn't supposed to come out until early next year.

Unfortunately, Legal Drug seems bound to suffer the same fate as X/1999 and Clover. Only three or four volumes have been released in Japan. CLAMP is focusing all of their collective effort on Xxxholic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, and the group has even released plans for a new shounen romance manga. I'm just glad that I held off on starting X/1999, easily their most epic and beloved series, since it looks as though they've simply dropped it, with no closure whatsoever and no end in sight. At least fans have the anime to fall back on, I guess.

Legal Drug is simply riddled with mysterious insinuations, particularly in the latter half of volume 3. I will be extremely disillusioned with CLAMP if they never follow up on these hints.

~Dagger~
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  • 4 weeks later...
[COLOR=DarkOrange][quote name='Dagger IX1'] Unfortunately, Legal Drug seems bound to suffer the same fate as X/1999 and Clover. [/quote]

I think that it was actually you, Dagger, who showed me the way to the site with the scanlations *^_^* From what I've read over a year ago, I really enjoyed the series. THAT, and the fact that I am also currently in Pharmacy school.

LOL! A story that sets in a Pharmacy? What a great coincidence! I absolutely love it. Perhaps I should some day open up my own pharmacy, and call it the Green Drug Pharmacy.[/COLOR]
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[quote name='Monkey_Orange][COLOR=DarkOrange']LOL! A story that sets in a Pharmacy? What a great coincidence! I absolutely love it. Perhaps I should some day open up my own pharmacy, and call it the Green Drug Pharmacy.[/COLOR][/quote]
Haha, that would be so awesome. Especially if you hired a bunch of uber-pretty boys to man the cash registers and restock the shelves.

I [i]think[/i] Tokyopop's version of the second volume is going to be released in early February. Well, whatever the case, I'm looking forward to it. ^_^

~Dagger~
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No problem. ^_^

Fans have come up with a lot of different theories regarding Kakei and Saiga's connection to Kazahaya and Rikuo. The one I personally ascribe to--or at least find most intriguing--is the idea that [spoiler]Kakei and Saiga are future versions of the main characters. Kakei looks [i]very[/i] similar to Kazahaya, and this would explain why Saiga wears sunglasses all the time (assuming he's not a vampire or something). Maybe I simply relish imagining how each of their personalities might evolve to that point; i.e. the earnest and spastic Kazahaya becoming calm, manipulative and just a little bit sadistic.[/spoiler]

In the very end of volume 3, [spoiler]Kakei mentions that he and Saiga opened the store [i]specifically[/i] for the purpose of getting Rikuo to meet Kazahaya.[/spoiler] So that also creates a lot of interesting possibilities.

~Dagger~
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[QUOTE=Dagger IX1] The one I personally ascribe to--or at least find most intriguing--is the idea that [spoiler]Kakei and Saiga are future versions of the main characters. Kakei looks [i]very[/i] similar to Kazahaya, and this would explain why Saiga wears sunglasses all the time (assuming he's not a vampire or something). Maybe I simply relish imagining how each of their personalities might evolve to that point; i.e. the earnest and spastic Kazahaya becoming calm, manipulative and just a little bit sadistic.[/spoiler]
[/QUOTE]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]That's a definitely interesting theory. I can [spoiler]see how Kazuhaya resembles Kakei, but I'm a bit iffy on Riku to Saiga -- well, personality wise. ^^;; LOL! [/spoiler]. Interesting, nonetheless *^_^*[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Dagger]Legal Drug is simply riddled with mysterious insinuations, particularly in the latter half of volume 3. I will be extremely disillusioned with CLAMP if they never follow up on these hints.
[/QUOTE]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]So I've finally managed to pick up volume 3 yesterday, and read it last night. What can I say? I want more! No, honestly, I have been enjoying this series very much. Aside from it's ties to pharmacy [though a bit miniscule :animeswea ] , I liked learning more about the characters volume by volume. Of course, all the teasing that poor Kazuhaya has to endure is hilarious! But yes, there are still many more mysteries about these characters' personal lives that I want to learn more about. ESPECIALLY that particular extra story at the end of volume 3 -- the story about when Rikuo arrived w/ Kazuhaya. Very interesting...

I took a peek at TokyoPop's site and saw that they have posted volume 4 but...with no date. Sadness... :animecry: Those CLAMP ladies are evil! First, they've abandoned[B] X/1999[/B]....which, for heaven's sake, only has a few more volumes in order to conclude it. And now...they've done the same with [B]Legal Drug[/B]. That's just plain cruel! Well, hopefully once they are finished with[B] Tsubasa[/B] THEN they'll return to this series.

Hopefully :animedepr
[/COLOR]

[color=darkblue][size=1][b]Double-posting, even if it's five months after the first, isn't allowed. ^^; -Lady K[/b][/size][/color]
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  • 6 months later...
Guest Kumabeam84
[QUOTE=Monkey_Orange][COLOR=DarkOrange]That's a definitely interesting theory. I can [spoiler]see how Kazuhaya resembles Kakei, but I'm a bit iffy on Riku to Saiga -- well, personality wise. ^^;; LOL! [/spoiler]. Interesting, nonetheless *^_^*[/COLOR]



[COLOR=DarkOrange]So I've finally managed to pick up volume 3 yesterday, and read it last night. What can I say? I want more! No, honestly, I have been enjoying this series very much. Aside from it's ties to pharmacy [though a bit miniscule :animeswea ] , I liked learning more about the characters volume by volume. Of course, all the teasing that poor Kazuhaya has to endure is hilarious! But yes, there are still many more mysteries about these characters' personal lives that I want to learn more about. ESPECIALLY that particular extra story at the end of volume 3 -- the story about when Rikuo arrived w/ Kazuhaya. Very interesting...

I took a peek at TokyoPop's site and saw that they have posted volume 4 but...with no date. Sadness... :animecry: Those CLAMP ladies are evil! First, they've abandoned[B] X/1999[/B]....which, for heaven's sake, only has a few more volumes in order to conclude it. And now...they've done the same with [B]Legal Drug[/B]. That's just plain cruel! Well, hopefully once they are finished with[B] Tsubasa[/B] THEN they'll return to this series.

Hopefully :animedepr
[/COLOR]

[color=darkblue][size=1][b]Double-posting, even if it's five months after the first, isn't allowed. ^^; -Lady K[/b][/size][/color][/QUOTE]
[SIZE=2]
[FONT=Arial Narrow][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]Well, I was looking it up at work the other days while I was bored working behind the cash registers (I work at borders by the way). and it said in the borders system that a new legal drug was being released in January 2006. ON the borders website it said this (because I had to confirm I wasn't hallucinating):

Legal Drug
Bibliographic Data: Trade Paperback, TOKYOPOP, Incorporated, January 2006
List Price: $9.99
In-store prices may vary. See your local store for the most up-to-date pricing.
Status: Not Yet Published
ISBN: 1591824877

So, maybe a new one is coming out in January ?? Or maybe they're just lying and being a tease.
~Christina[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]
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A few months ago, I read something interesting about the fate of X/1999 and Legal Drug. I'm not sure quite how true it is, but I suppose it has as much of a chance of panning out as any of the other rumors swirling around CLAMP's various abandoned manga.

Apparently Asuka saw the ending (or future chapters, or something) CLAMP had planned for X/1999, declared it too violent/morbid/whatever, and refused to run it. CLAMP had already altered their original ending for Wish to please said magazine, and X was where they put down their collective foot. Due to the dispute over X, they also refused to continue serializing any other manga in Asuka, so Legal Drug (which was also running there at the time or shortly after, if what I've been told is correct) was dropped as well.

There's some reason that the whole thing continues to be at a standstill, but I can't remember the other details, haha. Anyway, if I manage to find the main source for this information again, I'll post a link. True or not, it sounded believable and made for a pretty interesting read.

EDIT: Whoa, whoa. Fourth volume!? I'm not sure why this never occurred to me before, but as far as I know, there [i]is[/i] no fourth volume. Tokyopop is being awfully Pollyanna-ish about this... :animestun

~Dagger~
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[quote name='kayutori_sama']Actually, I was the Tokypop website a few weeks ago and I did see something there being a fourth volume, but if I'm correct the fourth volume (if there is one) would be the last instalment in the Legal Drug manga.[/quote]
No, what I'm saying is that as far as I know, a fourth volume has never been published in Japan. There are only three tankoubon available, in other words.

As for the intended span of the series--I've seen a CLAMP interview in which the ladies stated that the part of the story currently available was only 1/5 of what they had planned. I've gotta say that ~15 volumes of Legal Drug would be pretty awesome, although it seems unlikely that the manga will start up again in the near future.

~Dagger~
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[QUOTE=Dagger]No, what I'm saying is that as far as I know, a fourth volume has never been published in Japan. There are only three tankoubon available, in other words.

As for the intended span of the series--I've seen a CLAMP interview in which the ladies stated that the part of the story currently available was only 1/5 of what they had planned. I've gotta say that ~15 volumes of Legal Drug would be pretty awesome, although it seems unlikely that the manga will start up again in the near future.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]
Agreed, 15 volumes would be nice, but basically what your're saying is that Legal Drug was abandoned ?
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[quote name='kayutori_sama']Agreed, 15 volumes would be nice, but basically what your're saying is that Legal Drug was abandoned ?[/quote]
Yes. The series is incomplete, but there have been no new chapters for quite a while, and the prospects of seeing it continued (at least in the near future) seem pretty dim.

Still, I wouldn't lose hope completely. Maybe CLAMP will decide to pull a Maki Murakami. :animesmil

~Dagger~
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[QUOTE=Dagger]Yes. The series is incomplete, but there have been no new chapters for quite a while, and the prospects of seeing it continued (at least in the near future) seem pretty dim.

Still, I wouldn't lose hope completely. Maybe CLAMP will decide to pull a Maki Murakami. :animesmil

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]
Let's hope so. My collection feels incomplete with only 3 volmues:animecry:
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  • 3 months later...
[color=darkblue]I do indeed remember hearing that Legal Drug has been put in hiatus until further notice in Japan, though I don't recall the exact reason given. I'm sure once our Admin, Dagger, sees this, she'll let us know, heh.[/color]
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"In the name of the moon, I'll [strike]punish[/strike] inform you!"

There are a lot of conflicting rumors about what happened with Legal Drug, but I believe it goes something like this: Legal Drug was being serialized in the same manga anthology (Asuka) as X/1999. CLAMP and Asuka had a conflict over X/1999's ending; apparently whatever they had planned was too violent for Asuka's tastes. Because they were unable to come to a compromise, production of both CLAMP's current (well, at the time, anyway) Asuka series was eventually halted. I don't think we can expect more Legal Drug or X/1999 until CLAMP works out their issues (mostly legal stuff at this point, I guess) with Asuka.

It's a shame, because from what I've read in interviews, they had something pretty cool worked out for Legal Drug (and it could have been rather lengthy, too!).

~Dagger~
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  • 7 months later...
I read on (all-knowing) Wikipedia that CLAMP said they would resume it in the near future. Unfortunately, there are no cited sources on the page. Which brings me to another problem...

It also said that CLAMP has stated Legal Drug is not meant to be shonen-ai. I find that extremely hard to believe. If it's true, they are being incredibly evil, because they should [I]not tease the fans with the really, really hot chapter opening art![/I] I know that American fangirls are prone to interpretting any sign of affection between two males incorrectly--that's why there are so many SasuNaru fans out there. [SIZE=1]And if there's a canon couple in Naruto, it would be them, but... Okay fine, I'll reign in my fangirl-ness and get back on topic.[/SIZE]

There are too many blatant signs of attraction between Rikuo and Kazahaya to be misinterpreted, I think. Not OMG! Two male characters are the same page so they must tear their clothing off and go for each other signs, but serious instances where they care about each other and show physical attraction between them. If there had only been a source stating when and where CLAMP said it isn't meant to be shonen-ai, I might be able to see them as just friends, but it's hard. Especially after the extra story about chocolate.
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[quote name='silver_blade']I read on (all-knowing) Wikipedia that CLAMP said they would resume it in the near future. Unfortunately, there are no cited sources on the page. Which brings me to another problem...[/quote]
Well, I can answer this part for sure. Ageha Ohkawa said they will be resuming Legal Drug in the near future. She didn't give any more information beyond there is no problems and they will be getting back to it in the near future. Since this came directly from a member of CLAMP which I heard with my own ears I trust what Ohkawa sensei had to say.

I can't wait til they get back to work on it!

Edit: I'm such a loon. I should give more info as to where my info came from! [u][URL=http://www.theotaku.com/news/view/clamp_interview_at_anime_expo_'06/1577/]Check out my article on theO[/URL][/u] for more CLAMP information but I got that info during the press conference at Anime Expo '06.
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[quote name='Panda]Edit: I'm such a loon. I should give more info as to where my info came from! [u][URL=http://www.theotaku.com/news/view/clamp_interview_at_anime_expo_'06/1577/]Check out my article on theO[/URL][/u'] for more CLAMP information but I got that info during the press conference at Anime Expo '06.[/quote]
Thank you, oh-so-loverly Panda-san! A very nice article, and it makes me go "SQUEEE!" (international sound of fangirls, you know) to think of them resuming it. You made my CLAMP-induced euphoric day!
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