#[;Shizuma Arashi;]

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@goresugars || introductions

|| 萎縮の炎 || The boy looks around, observing his surroundings as he quietly does so. This estate was extremely well managed and did not show any hint of rotting at all. Back then, it was only he and his younger sister that tended to the small house that they had but it was never enough for nature to rip away at them.

The youngin approaches the small village near the shoreline, not sure of what he needs to do as his Kasugai crow only told him to get to this village to seek out the Kinoe that resides out in this village and nothing else. Although it was curious, there was really no point for Arashi to think about the pointless details... His main objective was to get stronger... Perhaps that may be the reason why the Kasugai crows tasked him with the trek here to this village?

" This is where it starts huh? I hope they're nice enough to let me stay for a while... " Scanning the area, there were farmers doing their usual business of planting rice in their rice paddy fields, to the right of that was a line of small homes, and much further in the distance was a mountain that overlooked the village. As much as Arashi wanted to sightsee, he also needed to prioritize getting to where he needed to be, and so, the crow pulls at his sleeve while also pecking at him.

" GO TO THE KINOE OF THIS VILLAGE NOW " Repeating this over and over as Arashi shoos him away, sighing as he hurries down this strip of road with the guidance of his crow. It was a slight hike to get to his destination but fortunately for him, the crow was able to lessen his time by a lot by just guiding him straight to it. As the boy stands a few meters away from the home, he approaches this small quaint village home and knocks on it. " H-hello? Is anyone home? "

[ignxsflxmes]

@kushimaki

    “ Ah! Nee-chan! Please, go rest. I’ll make dinner for you! “ 

Of course, having another house-mom isn’t too bad... But he worried for Kushina. He didn’t want his precious big sister to be straining herself when it comes to household chores. 

[burnouts3s3]

Bloom Into You, a Blu-ray review

(Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit unprofessional blog post written by an unprofessional blog poster. All purported facts and statement are little more than the subjective, biased opinion of said blog poster. In other words, don’t take anything I say too seriously.) Just the facts 'Cause you're in a Hurry! Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP): 69.98 USD How much I paid: 45.99 USD , the pre-order price Animation Studio: TROYCA Licensed and Localized by: Sentai Filmworks Audio: Japanese Audio with Subtitles and English Dub available.   English Cast: Tia Ballard as Yuu Koito, Luci Christian as Touko Nanami, Shanae’a Moore as Sayaka Saeki, Amber Lee Connors as Akari Hyuga, Brittney Karbowski as Koyomi Kano, Patricia Duran as Riko Hakozaki and Samantha Stevens as Miyako Kodama. Number of Episodes: 13 Episodes Length per Episode: 25 Minutes on average. 21 Without Intro and Ending song. Number of Discs: 2 Blu-ray discs Episodes per Disc: Episodes 1 through 9 on the 1st Blu-ray Disc. Episodes 10 through 13 on the 2nd Blu-ray disc. Does this come a digital voucher to redeem?: No. This only has the Blu-ray discs. Are there plans for a DVD release: Not as of the writing of this review. Also on: HiDive, Sentai Streamwork’s Streaming Service. Bonus Features: Clean Opening Animation, Clean Closing Animation and two Japanese Promos. Notable Localization Changes: For the most part, Bloom Into You sticks as close to the original Japanese script as possible. Which Edition are you reviewing: The Standard Edition, that comes with just the Blu-rays. What does the other Edition come with: The Premium Box Set comes with a Special Book, Storyboard Book, Original Scriptbooklet, 6 art cards and Rei’s receipe for cheesecake. (Yes, really). It is priced at 149.98 USD. My Personal Biases: I’ve seen Kannazuki no Miko, Strawberry Panic, Maria Watches Over Us, Kase-san and Morning Glories, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, Simoun, Citrus, Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Yurikuma Arashi, Sweet Blue Flowers, Whispered Words and others. To say I’ve been waiting for something like Bloom Into You would be an understatement. My Verdict: Not only does Bloom Into You stand amongst the pinnacles of Yuri anime, it outshines some regular romance shows in the process. Yuu and Touko feel like fully fleshed out characters instead of the usual stock types and gives ample amount of time to not only developing the main girls but the rest of the cast as well. My hopes is that the success of this show will spawn a 2nd season. Buy it! A/N: SPOILERS for this show and other Shoujo-ai shows below. Bloom Into You a Bluray review

I honestly think many newcomers to the Shoujo Ai genre don’t know how good they have it nowadays. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Before the 1-2-3 Punch of Strawberry Panic, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl and Simoun in 2006, Kannazuki no Miko was considered the pinnacle of Yuri Anime. But in 2018, Yuri anime seemed to make a comeback in full force with the 1-2-3 punches of Kase-san and Morning Glories, Bloom Into You and, yes, Citrus. The three adaptations of manga titles managed to be an oasis in the desert after titles such as Simoun failed to find an audience, Sweet Blue Flowers ending on a cliffhanger and Whispered Words bombed so hard, it was rumored to have killed the Yuri anime genre for years. Even titles after that such as Yurikuma Arashi and Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid didn’t manage to find a larger audience other than the converted niches they were aiming for. But then, Bloom Into You came onto the scene and became a revolution, for both longtime fans of the genre and newcomers. Bloom Into You didn’t just manage to be a critical success, but also managed to be a commercial juggernaut, spawning a stage play, multiple light novels and having numerous books of its manga sold. Freshman high schooler Yuu Koito has always loved shojou manga, so she is aware of what she ought to be feeling if she were to receive a love confession. But when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings for her, she somehow does not feel anything. She delays her response, and ends up entering high school, still unsure of how to respond to those type of feelings. While there, she happens to see the student council president, Touko Nanami, elegantly turning down a confession. Yuu is inspired to ask her for advice. She finds out that Nanami has never accepted a confession because none of them has ever made her feel anything in particular. The two bond over their similarities. Nanami realizes that she could be falling in love with Yuu, so she suddenly confesses her feelings to her. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the upperclassman and lowerclassman (or the Senpai and Kouhai) relationship. We’ve seen countless pairings with Sachiko and Yumi or Shizuma and Nagisa or Amane and Hikari or Utena and Anthy or Asuka Rei and Nanako or… you get the idea. (I watch a lot of Shoujo ai). Even when it’s established both girls are of the same age such as Kannazuki no Miko’s Chikane Himemiya and Himeko Kurusugawa or Kase Tomoka and Yui Yamada, there’s a notable class difference between the popular girl and the unpopular girl. But Touko and Yuu take all those past pairings and put them to shame. Yuu actually does feel like a fully fleshed out human being with her own agency and thoughts (a far cry from the naïve Himeko Kurusugawa and Nagisa Aoi). Yuu isn’t sure if she’ll ever be in a relationship and we’re treated to her inner monologue of whether she is capable of loving Touko the same way Touko loves her. At the same time, the more we see Touko, the more the outer exterior falls apart. Interior voice-over is said to be a lazy storytelling technique in fiction, but Yagakimi uses it to explore the very real and unsure feelings of Yuu. Yes, the trope of ‘the popular girl isn’t perfect after all’ trope has been done to death with Chikane, Shizuma, Shizuru, Asuka and others, but Touko feels particularly tragic as she’s locked in arrested development. Touko’s been trying to live in the footsteps of her deceased sister who was also Student Council president, only to find out that her sister wasn’t the image she always had in her head. It’s up to Yuu to find a way to save Touko from herself. Also, no one rapes or tries to rape each other. So, you know, progress! Also a breath of fresh air are the additions of other queer characters such as an older lesbian couple living together and Sayaka Saeki, Touko’s classmate who also harbors romantic feelings for Touko. Sayaka has been a fan favorite in the franchise and even has a Light Novel adapted after her. (Though spoilers indicate she’s to join the ranks of ‘lesbian best friend who is friendzoned by love interest’ alongside Strawberry Panic’s Tamao Suzumi and Yaya Nanto, Hajimete no Gal’s Ranko Honjou and Cardcaptor Sakura’s Tomoyo Daidouji). Sentai Filmworks did the localization of the show and for the most part, it has been a very solid translation to little or no changes. Luci Christian (who’s voiced Honey-sempai in Ouran High School Host Club and other lesbian characters such as Himiko from Shattered Angels) really brings a lot of range to the character. But Tia Ballard (who performed Teruhashi from the Disastrous Life of Saiki K, Marron in Dragon Ball Super and Lady Rain from Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid) manages to wring out real depth through Yuu. Her performance is subtle, slow and has enough energy to make it feel real. Rounding out the cast are familiar voice performers. Amber Lee Connors (who voiced Mei Aihara in Citrus) is nice to hear and Brittney Karbowski turns in a surprisingly toned down character, a far cry from some of her more energetic performances. JAPANESE AUDIO WITH SUBTITLES IS ALSO AVAILABLE. CAVEAT:  Through Shoujo-ai’s vast, incredible and at times, problematic, history, we’ve seen milestones and steps being placed into BiY’s direction. Slowly but surely, the path was being placed as every woman love woman anime placed its mark to getting here. From the tragedies in the past, to the slice of life shows to the shows pandering to titillation, Bloom Into You is not only an accomplishment in its own right, but a climax to every other shoujo-ai show out there. My only hope is that we get the much deserved 2nd season and adapt the rest of the wonderful manga. Verdict: Full Price!

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

|| 萎縮の炎 || 

It was a great pleasure to be invited in by a Kinoe in which he thanks him graciously by bowing before he enters the small home. He immediately noticed the shrines to the right, staring upon the three shrines with a gentle smile animated on his face. He quietly murmurs a prayer and then excuses them for the intrusion. Immediately, his attention shifts to the Kinoe and their questions for him. As he suspected it seemed that his senior wouldn’t know either. 

However, Arashi could only suspect that it would be to better his physical and mental strengths...? Though, why would they send him here? “ Ah- yes. Eh-... I was sent here to monitor the area. I’m not exactly sure because when they told me that a Kinoe was in the area, I questioned why I was requested to go too... They honestly did not tell me much. ”

Arashi proceeds inside a little further, kneeling down into a seiza just a couple feet away from the kotatsu as he did not wish to be a burden. He believes that due to his breathing style, practicing his opposing breathing would benefit him in a multitude of ways. Perhaps mixing the two together to combine them into a stronger breathing style? 

His eyes observe his surroundings, noticing that for a small home, it was quiet, cozy, and quite easy to rest his eyes. Demons obviously have never seemed to touch this area at all. “ I-I apologize! I haven’t introduced myself! My name is Shizuma Arashi. Shizu meaning quiet and ma meaning space. ” 

Another smile appears while eye contact is made with his senior. With a slight tilt of his head, he asks in a polite manner. “ And you, Mister...? ”

·• The village was small, a humble place to live. A few families that all knew each other and worked along side one another, not much of big importance happened there very often. A sparrow-hawk perched outside the home leered at the approaching stranger and his crow, ruffling its' feathers when he knocked on the door.

Yoiite had been inside, sitting down at the kotatsu as the day had become rather chilly. Hearing someone outside, a knock and then a voice, he stood up, making his way to the door. Eyes fell upon someone he didn't recognize but the crow was all he needed to identify the other as a fellow demon slayer.

With his grandfather away at the market getting food, he was alone. "Yes, can I help you? Did your crow send you here...?" As far as he knew, there was no demon in the area. Yoiite had come to visit his home for a bit, but only for a little bit. "Did they send you because of an emergency or something else..?"

Stepping out of the way, so he could let him in the house. The room just inside was a sitting room with the kotatsu, three shrines pushed up against the wall in the right side for his parents and Akita. A low table as well.

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

"H-hello... I-I know it's been a while but I hope you forgive me... I just- I um..." The boy stutters, not really knowing what he should be saying at this current moment. "I-I hope I haven't kept you waiting..."

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@goresugars sent an ask: "What are you staring at?" - Yushiro

|| 萎縮の炎 || 

" Huh...? I-... What? "

Visibly confused, the boy shook his head, squeezing the nasal bridge as his brows furrowed in frustration. It seemed like the reason he was staring wasn't because he wanted to stare, it was because his memories started to remind him of happened in his past... Before he joined the demon slayer corps.

A voice rung in his head, not exactly remembering the person's face but their voice was... muffled and not coherent at all. All he could remember was them telling him to 'smile' with a gentle caress to his cheek. It was... warm...

Arashi quickly snapped back, eyes wide open then quickly excuses himself, gathering his belongings as he brushed past the other.

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

|| 萎縮の炎 || 

" I... need... a hug... now... "

He's desperate. He hasn't gotten his daily hugs in lately and it's currently killin' him.

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@goresugars sent an ask: " Oh do not mind my grandson, he'll get up when he's ready to." - Matsuzaka (yoiite's grandfather)

|| 萎縮の炎 || 

" Eeeeh... "

Bored, the boy flops onto the ground, staring into the sky and watching the clouds form into a variety of shapes. He did not mind the monotonous days that passed while temporarily assigned to the village that Yoiite was currently at as he utilized this time to train.

Arashi would also assist Yoiite's grandfather when the opportunity arose most of the time while he bided time before receiving word from headquarters. Honestly, it was just like when he lived back home with his sister so he honestly did not mind.

" Well, Oji-chan! What do we got to do today? Market trip? Foraging? Hunting!? "

He props himself up with the use of his elbows, looking over his shoulders, beaming with so much loving energy as he honestly just wanted something to do. Give Arashi something to do... Please.

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@lunarxdaydream​

  “ Oooh a new video game is out?! Aaaah but it’s triple A! Noooo... Maybe if I keep on doing bounties on the youkai around these parts and scrape up whatever money I have left, I could possibly buy it! “ With an outburst of nervous laughter, the boy suddenly looks as if he’s seen the end of the world. All because of the lack of money on his person.

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@fangsofdestruction​ liked for a starter

 “ Ah... You’re “ The boy stood in awe as ember hues gazed upon the Daiyoukai. Most of the youkai that the young exorcist meet were usually lesser or mediocre at best... “ I don’t thing we’ve ever caught each other’s names before. I apologize for disturbing your sleep that one time. My name is Arashi Shizuma, what about you? “ 

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@csmicwarrior ; @multifacetecl​

    The young exorcist observes with ember hues, glistening as if seeing the fireworks above Inazuma for the first time. Taking a moment to realize the situation in front of him, of all people, the Traveler made her way around here in Inazuma. Word spreads quite fast! After defeating the Overlord of the Vortex and confronting the Stormterror, it’s crazy to think that ‘one’ person was behind it all. 

    “ Traveler! Please, come here! I wish to speak to you for a moment if you could spare a minute? “  

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@fuwafuwaramu 

    “ a-ah! Ari-nee! where’ve you been lately? It’s been getting lonely without you. “ the blonde haired boy, gazing upon the celestial spirit before him with wide ember hues. Funny how he should ask where she’s been when he’s been gone for months on end. 

“ I missed you so much... “ 

[ignxsmaelstrcm]

@fangsofdestruction​ ||

   Arashi stands there in awe, staring into the eyes of the yokai... There was no fear that emitted from the boy, but instead, more curiousity. As the young exorcist approaches the yokai, the boy reaches for him, attempting to feel for... something, anything in all honesty. Strange, yes, but there must be a method to his madness.

“...Uuuh, excuse me?” a shy tone expells from his lips, staring to the man above him. “Do you need guidance?” 

[ignxsflxmes]

@kushimaki

“ Ah! Onee-chan! You’re so pretty! You’re amazing! “

[ignxsflxmes]

@imperishable-flame

     “ You’re so warm, Mokou-chan! “ 

Cue the adorable sounds and the warm hugs!!!

[ignxsflxmes]

continuing from here (x) @gardenofunimaginabledreams

“ Byakuren, you’re being all cute now. It’s a little late but you seemed really peaceful while you were sleeping so I let you sleep. “