#(POINTS AT IORI'S ARC)

[ohlolme]

oohhhkeyyy so the way I interpreted is that teen Utahime and Gojo were on good terms back then and then something happened along the way (we’re talking abt over ten years here) that made Utahime hate him which I actually find interesting bc I’ve always wondered why she actually hates him. Is it only because he annoys her?? I mean he annoys EVERYONE, but gg specifically stated “she truly hates him” (check this) so I always felt like something DID happen between them that made utahime really dislike him. maybe he crossed the line at some point and said something that deeply hurt her, which is quite possible I mean cmon we’re talking about Gojo here, this guy can be mean af.

and btw I actually do ship gjhm but I’m just huge sucker for nuance like yes two things can coexist at the same time, emotions are layered and ppl are FULL of contradictions so like let fictional characters have a bit of that nuance too, let them be complex, not everything is as black and white as it seems.

[littlechibs]

afflicted with oc thoughts suddenly

[citruscitrushope]

Why Ken Shiraishi is Still Written OK (aka why Vivid BAD SQUAD will never surpass RAD WEEKEND, and why that's a good thing)

An essay I wrote in someone's Twitter DMs as we discussed their belief that Ken's writing has been becoming out of character ever since On Your Feet, and my attempt to present a counter-argument that turned into an analysis of VBS stories up to this point.

1,089 words, warnings for swearing, spoilers, and the fact that this is barely formatted like an essay at all but was just a ramble I thought I gave some good points in and wanted to share.

So bro is openly going against the things that made rw what it was ("ok Toya make all the songs" <- that is not what happened with radder)" and I doubt bro would be full on ignoring it (nor clpl full on ignoring it seeing as they have all of the group's full stories planned from the beginning) and I personally theorize that it's to emphasize the four's strengths as well as to make them come face to face with their weaknesses to grow stronger (I think concerto is the most obvious case of this). Nagi's goal with rw wasn't to make something to be surpassed, it was to pass radder's dream to the next generation to reach the heights they couldn't (i.e. worldwide popularity) and I very much feel like the vbs story has enough backing them going in that direction (Toya's wl chapter, what I've seen of radder flashbacks, even Ken's whole reason for opening weekend garage).

For context, the preceding conversation was about how Ken has been going against a lot of his initial things (Running weekend garage to help the next generation, helping them not work as hard, etc), how he knew Taiga was gonna tell vbs the truth of RAD WEEKEND and that he should first but he didn't, and then how he's been overworking the kids and going against the team effort rw was by radder

Again, clpl kinda suck at writing vbs sometimes but dammit they ain't bad at foreshadowing, they teased Nagi stuff for a year or two before lutf and stuff after all. Plus they've never had a sudden decline with a character, it took two years for Mafuyu's mom to fully be revealed as bad, and even with Taiga that was a solid year. (Now what they do do a lot of are sudden "redemption arcs", sure the Otori brothers' was decent but all the times they've tired to have Shinodad or Toya's dad grow as people has been so bad like bro some people are just shit).

Plus vbs' story has been slower than most of the other units until this current arc (hell they took the longest to end their first arc), slow building blocks to surpassing RAD WEEKEND. So for this current arc to have them saying "our next event will surpass them" so suddenly just doesn't add up. It has to be a red herring. And again, Taiga's been this game's only true betrayal arc, others have been characters going from neutral to bad (Mafumom, one-off characters) or ones meant to be bad that eventually become allies to their respective groups (Arata, Iori, Otori brothers). Taiga going from an explicit ally to an enemy is an outlier, and I've noticed that they usually won't repeat plots and stuff in this game (well outside of Smile of a Dreamer and Our Happy Ending but I think that was on purpose).

I highly doubt that vbs' ending will involve them surpassing RAD WEEKEND, they're probably the only group who's initial goal hadn't changed over time (L/n "I wanna be with my friends again" -> "We wanna be pros that touch others with music". WxS "Let's save this stage" -> "let's travel the world to make our dreams come true" n25 "i need to save mafuyu" -> "she's seemingly saved but shits still tucked"). Even MMJ's which has seemed to always be "Let's be idols and give hope to others" has had steps to go through, it wasn't instantly "Let's perform in the dome" it was "Let's be idols" -> "let's do a live show" -> "let's do a solo show" -> "let's perform in the dome". VBS hasn't been like that, it's always been "let's surpass RAD WEEKEND" and never been anything but that, so their progression has just been them saying "this'll get us closer to surpassing RAD WEEKEND" with little to actually show for it.

It's a lofty, impossible task, and I think Ken and Taiga know that, but they view it in different ways. Taiga sees it as "you'll never live up to it give up stop trying" while Ken's is "you'll never live up to it but that doesn't change that you're still talented performers". Even though how characters always compare each other to radder (An and Taiga seeing Nagi in Kohane, Taiga seeing Ken in Akito) , they're not radder, they'll never be them, and I feel like that's what the story wants to have them and the audience eventually realize. That's what Nagi wanted, right? To have the next generation do what she and the rest of radder couldn't, to keep singing and to be known around the world. They've already contrasted how both Taiga and Ken have attempted to keep Nagi's wishes alive before (i.e. the whole "Don't tell An until she's ready" thing), and Ken handled this better than Taiga but both weren't the best at it, and vbs had to find the strength themselves to keep going. Taiga did it in a brutal and dream-crushing way, while Ken's was gentler and more honest but came too late, and I feel that they wouldn't get rid of that contrast with Nagi's other dream. Taiga ran off and became famous overseas, but never fully processed his grief. Ken is encouraging the next generation, but still isn't doing it perfectly.

So I feel that Ken's plan is to show vbs *their* strengths. The ones only they have. Not in the context of reaching radder's level, but in reaching their own, and truly fulfilling Nagi's wish. He's not doing it perfectly, he's overworking them severely, but I highly doubt that this is purposeful. Again, I just don't think they'd make the dilf have a villain arc.

But nothing anyone has done in response to vbs's dream has been perfect. Even from the main story with akitoya and Kotarou sabotaging Kohane, to Arata in sbd, to Taiga to Arata in bfby, and then lutf is obvious. It's a messy tale of unprocessed grief and unfiltered dreams, things that can lead to both triumph and tragedy. But I truly can't see any malice in Ken's actions, or even Taiga's to an extent. While there obviously was some there, to him I assume it was to protect the legacy of his sister and to not tarnish her swansong.

I don't fully know where I was going with this but all in all I think Ken has good intentions albeit with unintentional extreme expectations, VBS was never meant to surpass RAD WEEKEND, and the vbs story's messy pacing lately is purposeful

[eartheats]

//ooc post but god. for my own sake, i'm organizing and trying to set some hard dates for some events. i'm also looking for some volunteers, specifically BBA adjacent for one of them and just in general for the second! i need to stop keeping plots in my head.

no cws up until the third bullet point, where there is talk of kidnapping (successful attempts on adults, failed attempt on a teen), violence (to adults and to a teen), murder (of an adult and only an adult), mind control, and other evil team shit on the horizon. be forewarned! the final bullet point will be in very high stakes territory, given that noriko fully intends to try and end the world, but feel free to ignore if that isn't your jam. live your lives besties <3

(mid-may ETA): Bouton evolution arc. I need to find someone or multiple someones to bother with a very nosy Roselia who is trying to find a shiny stone, and may potentially steal something sparkly thinking that it's what it needs. If anyone wants to volunteer for this lmk, but I can just as easily borrow Carmine for this if nothing else! (CLAIMED)

(may!): Ren goes back to Zapapico! Temporarily. Jacques is going to get his grand festival trophy from Sinnoh and quietly retire. Ren's going to be in Zapapico and getting used to life back home for a lil while.

(early june through august): I wanna work in the Iron Crown sighting/healing arc I have in the works, because while Ren's not going to CATCH the paradox, it's going to be something that works alongside any volunteers for taking care of Noriko's evil team resurgence. Mostly as extra assurance for them to lose! Tatiana reconciliation Arc will probably take place around here too. basically, if anyone wants involvement with zapapico/ren just in a general context, feel free!

(start of september) Ren goes back to Blueberry! Madison and Jacques will be posting some of notes they find from Noriko, which will have some involvement IC if desired since I'll be using Caesar Ciphers to scramble shit up if anyone wants to play detective. :3c They'll also briefly be around to post on Ren's blog/answer questions!

(mid september) The final batch of notes is found and translated, and the opening to Noriko's secret base of operations is opened! But Madison/Jacques are going to end up kidnapped here by Iori, an admin in Noriko's Neo Flare stuff and actually a faller from Hisui! She'll be available to interact with for at least a day. <3 Design coming soon, I need to figure out her nonsense.

(also mid september) yeah so ren is. escaping the academy, even if it tries to keep them constrained. they are going to be meeting their mom on the remains of cinnabar island, where one confrontation may take place. please keep in mind if you try to do a ren rescue party, it is going to fail. (very specifically for ren) it has to fail for the next leg of the plot, but i AM potentially considering getting carmine in on this mess and getting her injured in the process, and while there, noriko is definitely going to think about taking her too so that her kid has a friend. which. yeahno. this one is influenceable, but is MUCH more likely to fail, so if anyone wants to big damn heroes carmine you have my full permission 👍👍👍 save that girl! (CARMINE SAVING IS HANDLED BY THE GIRLFRIEND BLESS)

as a small aside: would anyone like to get ren's very stressed out team to take care of for a bit? noriko's a lot of things but she's not a monster, if anyone wants to take care of the team for a bit/potentially use them against lotus :3c it may be. interesting! (CLAIMED for now)

(october-november? maybe) noriko's neo team flare shit (name pending) will emerge proper and try to be as evil teammy as possible! ren is going to be a mind controlled admin named lotus and have none of their actual pokemon! shit's going to be bad, but! while it might take a bit to organize some losses for them and i may mostly leave that to anyone who wants to fix this mess (we can either handwave or actually play them out, preference to whoever volunteers), but there's gonna be one event specific for camille, one for iori, one for lotus (which can influence how the big admin battle goes), and then what i'm hoping to be a siege on the base. this one i have ways to bullshit a win (for the good guys!!) for, but i wanna see what people come up with, too!

and by the new year, everyone should be recovering, and that'll be the end of team neo flare at least! the rest of the event will decide everyone else but ren's fate. they will end up coming back fine from this, but it's gonna be rough :')

so yeah. basic rubric and very changeable (i gotta ask some players some stuff and things), my only real rule is no instant wins/legendary spam/godmodding really? i want this to be fun but i want it to feel like an actual uphill battle a bit, and i'm still trying to build toward that. this could even be pushed out into 2025, depending, but! yeah!!!

idk if anyone has questions feel free to leave 'em on this post and i will try to get to them when my brain isn't a mess because of retail or other stuff 👍

volunteers (for my ref)

@/suddenlyauntiemaya (bouton evolution arc!!! pushing this one back for this :3b)

@/little-guys-pokemon-central

@/elite-amarys (CARMINE'S SAVIOR!!!)

@/goindownswingin

@/professor-amaryllis (ren rescue party!)

@/electricalflre

@/bee-bee-kyuu (ren rescue party!)

temporary team-ups/team holding:

lulu the orthworm: going to @/professor-amaryllis!

bouton the roserade: @/professor-amaryllis! teaming up to bring lotus back to their senses/back to being ren :3c

coriander the ferrothorn: available! she is not a battling pokemon and is. going to be about as stressed and anxious as lulu, as a warning.

soba the furret: @/bee-bee-kyuu! will be very determined and ready for a fight.

harusame the huntail: available! will also be very determined though a lot more emotional.

any pokemon who is not taken will likely be taken in by amy, and lulu is going to be going to amy instead by default for planning purposes~

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji

It's been a while, but with the reveal of Yamato's new design in the upcoming PV for March 2025, I thought it was finally time to dive into my favourite Yamato ship out there - let's do this:

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

The portrayal of their relationship is very fascinating to me, because it absolutely is not at the forefront of the story for the most part and, unfortunately, becomes more scarce the more the series progresses (in any type of media form, that is). However, despite that, these two are - especially in Adventure - downright pivotal to each other's development regarding several aspects (in a similar way Taichi and Sora are portrayed through the course of the first few arcs of Adventure). Let's break this down:

At first, they don't seem to have too many interaction points. In fact, similar to how Jyou and Taichi start off not really trusting in the other's abilities, their initial relationship is rather rocky. This becomes apparent when Jyou is the one who tries to mediate between Taichi and Yamato and fails due to being unable to make a choice - causing Yamato to also be wary of Jyou's "reliability", so he doesn't think very highly of him at first. As they may be (presumably in Yamato's case) the oldest male characters in the group and, if you squint, you may still see them sharing very minor background interactions, mainly talking about seeking shelter for the group (or, mainly in the English dub, shake their heads over Taichi). They're not particularly close and there is nothing much to it at first...

... Until we reach the restaurant episode, which is a turning point for both of them - not only regarding their personal development, but also their entire relationship. I highly recommend reading the novel version of this episode, because it reveals so much about how these two think and feel about the other - and it boils down to one simple, but wonderfully executed concept: As Jyou is forced to work in Digitamamon's restaurant to pay off his debt, Yamato promises to help him to return to Takeru and look for the others faster. On one hand, as it is always the case at this point in the story, Yamato's primary objective is Takeru - but on the other, it's clear that, despite how much he struggles with interacting with others, he still prioritizes helping Jyou out. And Jyou does not take this for granted - the novel, while underlying his self-esteem issues, puts emphasis on how he thought Yamato would scream and shout at and just leave him behind. Jyou wouldn't even have blamed him for it in the slightest. And yet, he is thoroughly thankful for his help - and confesses through his inner monologue that he considers Yamato his very first real friend, feeling equal to him, even if he's aware that Yamato may not feel the same.

And there we have it - the theme of "friendship" that ties these two together indefinitely. Because yes: Yamato, who had been fed PicoDevimon's lies about Jyou intentionally acting clumsily to keep him at the restaurant, was more than ready to confirm Jyou's doubts at first. He wanted to abandon him and Jyou would have accepted his fate with a smile - and yet, he was absolutely ready to sacrifice his life to protect Takeru for Yamato's sake. It's that willingness, that selflessness that acts as a wake-up call to Yamato, making him realize how great of a friend Jyou really is, how foolish he was to have doubted him - and that's when his Crest of Friendship glows for the first time, thanks to Jyou's display of courage and his sense of Reliability.

It's one of their greatest moments, it softens and humbles them and causes each of them to think more highly of the other - especially Jyou is repeatedly displayed to take note of Yamato's behaviour and ends up continuously rescuing Takeru as a promise to Yamato (as well as to their mother). In general, it's a shame that there isn't more of a focus on them both being brothers who struggle with their roles in their respective families - but that doesn't mean that they don't keep inspiring each other:

In the Dark Masters Arc, Yamato leaves the group to figure himself, his path and the meaning of friendship out - whereas Jyou decides to stay behind with Mimi, continuously contemplating what his own path is after all. While they do not get to talk about it to each other, trying to resonate with Yamato helps Jyou to come to terms with making his own choices - and once he meets Yamato again, who freshly escaped from his Dark Cave, they share an encouraging smile and team up to pull Sora out of her spiraling sense of duty as well.

Duty, purpose and choices are continuous themes between them that come full circle once we reach the stageplay - which is why I chose the screenshot above as a header for this post. Because here, six years after their Digital World adventures, it's Jyou who came to terms with what he wants to do for himself, despite all the hardships, family obligations and other stress factors. Yamato on the other hand is seen struggling with the idea of growing up, making choices for himself and losing everyone in the process... Similar to how Koushirou asks Taichi to confide in him, Jyou is the one asking Yamato to do the same, encouraging him to choose for himself instead of "being chosen" - just like watching Yamato back then had inspired him to do the same.

As mentioned, it's a shame that canon hasn't provided more interactions between these two. They do feel linked together, since they're so vital for each other's emotional development - but neither 02 nor Tri nor Kizuna showed them having significant moments with each other. (Minus the fact that 02 basically gave them a similar hair length and seeing how Jyou always seems to adore and be inspired by Yamato, this may lead to a very interesting headcanon at least, but I digress.) There are little nods in the PSP game and while Jyou's adoration for Yamato shines through in the reboot as well, these instances of Adventure, the novel and the stageplay will at least forever live rent-free in my head.

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

I have once written an analysis post on who I think are the characters that bring out the best in each Chosen Child respectively - and while Yamato seems to be particularly hyperfocused on Taichi in all the more recent portrayals of Digimon, I still feel like Jyou is the one person that knows how to handle and reach him best. In more than one way. There is just a sense of fondness and patience I can sense between them, one that has been growing between them ever since they overcame their shortcomings (Jyou's timidness and Yamato's brashness) as children. Basically, you could say that they had to become the people they are as adults to be compatible with each other; Yamato is still a very emotional person who doesn't always know how to express these emotions properly - which is where I think Jyou would function as the reliable, calming rock he has eventually grown into, as depicted in the Kizuna shorts. I simply feel like he is capable of relaxing Yamato with absolute ease, encouraging him to open up or letting him have a ramble... And that may sound funny in return, but I also feel like Yamato has an equally calming effect on Jyou in general as well. Yamato used to be his anchor in Adventure, giving him direction and security and through his stressful doctor life, I think Yamato's presence could be a grounding factor as well.

In my Jyoumi analysis, I pointed out how Jyou may need someone with more outgoing energy levels to pull him out of his own head - but with Yamato, I feel like that isn't necessary, because they already contrast yet complement each other despite being more introverted. A lot of (more recent) fandom portrayals like to depict Yamato maintaining his rockstar aesthetic - and Kakudou's current vision of Yamato seems to go in a similar direction, so that may actually contribute to more adventurous aspects of their relationship (and really, if you aren't swayed by the idea of Jyou being Yamato's number 1 fan in the crowd, I cannot help you, it's one of most adorable things I can think of, even if it was just a one-sided crush).

Personally, I just see them as this absolutely chill couple as adults that would settle down doing sophisticated stuff like wine tastings, going to museums with Sora and Takeru (who would be absolutely delighted by them being together), having late-night dinners with Taichi and Koushirou, still shaking their heads over their friends (Taichi and Mimi in particular)... I just get warm, floofy butterflies in my stomach when I think of them.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

As you may have been able to tell, I absolutely adore them as a romantic ship - mainly because I feel like Jyou is the most romantically compatible character to Yamato in the entire series due to the mutually calming vibe they give me. I'm still sad canon doesn't even give us much when it comes to them, so the sea-themed official art that dropped this year displaying them as captains of the ship felt like the most nurturing breadcrumb ever. I would love to see more of their platonic bond, but if I had anything to say, I would adore seeing these two end up with each other.

[kideternity]

Digimon adventure 02 review time! Similarly to the adventure review, this one will be written in a less concise way / more of a ramble of bullet points- August was a very hard month for me TDLR, so this led to another weird watching experience. But as a whole, I really loved this season, and It helped me through the month.

Full thoughts under the cut;

-Similarly to the original adventure, 02 has a very charming art style, arguably even more so charming for me personally then the original. The animation stays roughly the same- the same style of reusing various shots and scenes from previous episodes- but I did notice here and there some areas of somewhat higher quality. The new Digimon designs of the season I was worried I was going to hate, but I ended up liking all of them a lot more then I expected, and I enjoyed the beastly or slightly strange nature of a lot of them.

-Music was the same as adventure for the most part that I noticed, though I personally prefer the main theme songs for 02 over Adventure. I like the upbeat and dance nature of them

-Compared to the rest of the seasons, 02 had the least amount of focus when it came to the children’s families and parents. Outside of Iori and Ken, we never properly meet the parents of Miyako or Daisuke, and rarely see them, and Daisuke's sister exists purely for comedic relief then as a substantial character. Iori and Ken explore new dynamics however, that being the experience of being a child who grows up with a dead parent (and one whose death affects the overall narrative) and that of being a child who grows up in a dysfunctional or potentially neglectful home- we see characters like Jyou and Sora who have problems with their parents, but those are swiftly resolved in an episode or two. Ken's dynamic with his parents is more complicated, and we see throughout the series the repairing of their relationship comes more gradually. I didn’t really end up finding that the lack of any sort of major familial aspect a failing of the show, and I found both Iori's and Ken's relationship with their families engaging, particularly Iori's perception of his father in the last few episodes

-I love the worldbuilding and I'll always love the global aspect. I definitely wish the world tour arc, and generally the existence of the worldwide chosen children was explored more thoroughly- In general, I wish the chosen children as a lore concept was explored more in depth, since 02 makes various changes to it (some that contradict each other), and takes instead the approach of “anyone can be a chosen child if they truly desire to be so” which I much greatly prefer then the way adventure presented it as a “Following Your Destiny” storyline. 02 follows in the footsteps of Adventure's world, and expands on it in a way that I really enjoyed- I loved seeing the existence of proper towns and societies in Digimon, the armour evolutions and Jogress, the existence of Qinglongmon and the holy beasts, even the fact that different worlds even existed such as Dagomon's ocean.

-As a whole, I would consider 02 EXTREMELY ambitious- from worldbuilding, to characters, to themes and plot. It had a LOT it wanted to do- many various different goals it had set for itself to accomplish- which leads to a watching experience where for the most part, they achieved, but still inevitably along the way ended up getting burned and not being able to properly answer all of the questions it asked of itself. It gets messy, and contradictory, and some arcs will probably never get a genuine conclusion to them. But personally, I think I do prefer for a series to try and do as much as it possibly can, even if it may get overwhelming and they fall short of what they wanted, over a series that plays it safe.

-Pacing was a mixed bag- I find that 02 had a hard time starting arcs, and ending arcs (Most notably the first BWG arc) as well as a problem of certain arcs ending up being just a bit too long or way too short (Again, BWG, the world tour). Tone was also somewhat of a issue, as there was a tendency for out of nowhere comedy and filler episodes to be written in usually in the middle of or just after otherwise serious storylines, which can get frustrating. The same applies for weird, out of nowhere joke scenes being added to episodes that very much did not need them. I really, REALLY liked the main themes for 02 though- there’s a large emphasis on redemption, change, connection, violence/morality and mortality, and I would honestly argue that 02 tackles the theme of violence and power way better then Tamers ever did! There’s genuine care and discussion given to exploring the nature of violence and what violence can do, as well as having the kids ACTUALLY give a shit about killing Digimon, and ACTUALLY explore their feelings about having to ultimately kill Digimon for the sake of protecting others. It’s great. I absolutely love it. And I feel like not enough people give 02 it’s flowers for it.

-The same writing problems that plagued the original season still persist, such as the sloppy and inconsistent writing, but as a whole I definitely think overall plot and character writing improved. 02 tries much harder to actually tie its story arcs together, and to give the impression that it is an actual cohesive narrative. And I just- GOD, I love the characters of 02 SO much. I love Daisuke, I love Ken, I love Miyako, I love Iori. It’s nice too, seeing older versions of the characters, who aren’t overbearing on the other characters or treated as innately more special (ignoring that one scene with Takeru and Hikari that thankfully goes nowhere). I also generally liked Takeru better this season, and seeing his complex feelings about the power of darkness, and I wish it got properly resolved. Hikari was nice too I guess. But returning to the main group, all of them are such engaging characters, and generally 02 cared a lot more to give all of its characters more equal development instead of focusing on one over the other or suddenly cutting arcs off short- Miyako's and especially Daisuke’s development near the end of the season takes a backseat in favour of Ken and Iori, but it never felt the two were somehow now suddenly More Important. The only big complaint I have, is that the writers felt particularly mean sometimes to the kids, for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Not enough to ruin the series, but definitely noticeable. #Justice for Daisuke

-Continuing off the characters bullet point, 02 also prioritised very heavily the interpersonal relationships for everyone. To me, 02 definitely has the best writing of the friendship between cast members- we get to see each character's unique dynamics with one another, explore their thoughts and emotions about each other. The original adventure has a major habit of either writing about the characters individually, or sorely as a group, and even Savers and Tamers didn’t bother trying to explore the intricacies of certain potential relationships/prioritised certain relationships over others. Adventure 02 really did care to represent its core theme of connection with others, and it did it well.

-02 thankfully forwent any overt horny jokes, at least with the kids, but it did have a higher emphasis on romance. It was still mostly a backseat thing, and isn’t really relevant or necessary by the end of the series. Daisuke's crush on Hikari definitely got grating at times, but I forgive it more then other times when seasons try to talk about romance, since at least they tried to explore Daisuke's character through his crush.

-Compared to the original season, 02 put a LOT of stock into having much more complex antagonists, and focused heavily on redemption as a theme, from Ken to BlackWarGreymon to even Oikawa in the finale. I personally liked how they handled the redemption aspect- a lot of people really harp on the idea “it was possession all along” being a big part of how they redeem the characters, at least in Ken's case, but IMO, the dark spore + Oikawa's involvement existed not as a get out of jail free card, but instead as a metaphor for grooming- Ken's story and Oikawa's behaviour reminded me a lot of the stories of groomed children and their groomers, and I think it does a disservice to act as though the writers were simply being lazy in this regard, especially since the grooming metaphor becomes even more apparent during the dark spore arc. Also, I hate Mummymon, I liked Archemon and thought she deserved better, and I hope I never see Vamdemon ever again in my life.

Im sure, again, as always, Im missing stuff or have forgotten stuff I wanted to say, but I think this covers my main thoughts and pondering I had. The idea of Adventure 02 being seen as a “bad season” is CRIMINAL to me- I think it is legitimately a fun, interesting, even arguably well made show, better then the original, and I wish more people appreciated that! It was a blast to watch, and I'm really glad I was able to go through it

[itsmelilyv]

yuri recommendations for yuri day

Hello!! It is yuri day. Here is a short list of yuri I really love, if you're looking for something good to eat ~

Even Though We're Adults by Takako Shimura A bartender sleeps with a teacher, only to discover she's married. An exploration of the difficulties adults can have discovering and managing relationships.

How Do We Relationship? by Tamifull Two college lesbians start dating on a whim, but run into problems when they try to express their needs. A genuine, heartfelt look at the difficulties of communication.

Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games by Eri Ejima Girls at an uptight high school embrace their love of fighting games. Full of gorgeous renders of girls crying and screaming at games. There's a tournament arc. If you like competitive video games at all, please read this.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All by Arai Sumiko An introvert with a love of hard rock makes a new friend. Incredibly stylish, and written clearly by someone with a love of music.

Liar Satsuki Can See Death by Ryouko Yuri-light. A high school girl, cursed to see death before it happens, tries to prevent it. A mix of detective mystery and slice of life, and very dark at times.

Otherside Picnic by Iori Miyazawa Yuri-light. Two college women explore a horrifying alternate universe, full of unknowable monsters, to make money while searching for a lost friend. If you like creepypasta, this might be for you.

---

Bonus Round, for absolute freaks like me who constantly need more to read:

Futari Escape: Two young women do anything they can to avoid work.

A Monster Wants to Eat Me: A high school girl who wants to die meets a mermaid who might grant her wish.

I Don't Know Which One Is Love: A college woman falls ass-backwards into five relationships at once.

She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat: Two lonely women befriend each other over their love of food.

Lily (by Yy): A high school love story grows into a college love story. Slowly, deeply explores the growth of a relationship.

Moonlight Garden: A secluded, otherworldly brothel hides the lives of it's mysterious inhabitants. One wants to escape.

And as for yuri games, I really love Ladykiller in a Bind (a bratty woman explores dom/sub relationships) and Heaven Will Be Mine (several women use mech fights as an excuse to make out)

---

I have read so so much yuri in the past couple of years and it's only getting better and better... we really are living in a golden age of yuri. I have at least twice as many I could recommend.

At some point I'll make this into a full, thorough post, like I did with Lily Explores Ten Transgender Manga (which I would super recommend if you want some good trans stuff~)

happy yuri day <3

[kaibutsushidousha]

Ok after finishing all of the main story content in Samurai Remnant, I'd really like to know your thoughts on not just Saber, but the other new servants as well. (I know you did Rider already so maybe you could talk about her Avenger form added recently to FGO)

Saving the Iori and Saber posts for after I play Entreat the Darkness but I suppose I can do this one now.

FSR's cast is built like Fate/EXTRA's. You have big arcs for the protagonist and the main Servant. And then every other Master is a supporting character for the protagonist's arc and their Servant are supporting characters to those supporting characters.

Zhou Yu is the golden example of that. He is the guy who understands Zheng's position, relates to his experiences, and serves as the model for Zheng to follow after every ending. He's not very explored in the parts of his character that aren't relevant to that, in the same way Zheng isn't very explored in the parts that aren't meant to show the ways he's similar to Iori. Although this is probably guaranteed to change when he goes to FGO because Zhuge Liang is right there hiding inside his Waver Velver skin.

Jeanne is the same Jeanne we know since Apocrypha, except in serious mode 100% and in a Master-Servant pair where both sides have firm opinions about the other side's life choices and refuse to back down there despite their fundamental disagreements. FSR and its collab event were the only two times I came out of a Jeanne story having zero problems with Jeanne's characterization, which is a major testament to how good Chiemon is and how Jeanne plays an essential part in making Chiemon the best.

Ushi Gozen is already covered here and here.

Are is different in that he exists as a personal antagonist to Saber rather than as a supporting character to either of his Masters. Saber's arc is about becoming more than Yamato Takeru, so they fight a boss who has the literal constraints of Yamato Takeru's story as his Noble Phantasm. He has his own personal goal in evidencing his own existence, but that's a really frustrating concept as it is because it doesn't give Type-Moon's reasons why Are's existence is doubted. He's a character I have ideas for how I'd have done him differently, but that's a topic for its own post.

Saburou is an accessory to Dorothea's character but he's the most poorly communicated character in the game, so he muddles the point of Dorothea along with him. His motive for wanting to test Doro is not stated but it's implied to be simply disagreeing with her decision to retreat instead of storming Yasuhiro's fortress in their last Digression, which really makes him come off as just an asshole. And I feel like more could be done with the arrangement of him and Saber being mutually weak to each other.

Musashi is the one Servant who serves as a supporting character to Iori rather than her own Master and she feels a lot more right in this role than she ever did as a main player. She's the one character who understands Iori's arc through personal experience and ultimately tries and cathartically fails to be a source of closure to Iori, the other Musashi, and to a lesser extent herself, all in a single duel. It's a satisfying loss for everyone involved.

Yoshinaka is an odd Rogue who is stripped of anything and everything that defined Yoshinaka's source character. Making Yoshinaka a good guy because they didn't want Tomoe to be heads over heels for the worst man of his time is understandable, but the narrative that Yoshinaka was unfairly hated comes with reasons why he was hated despite being innocent, and the game doesn't bother to work with that either. Their Yoshinaka is just a nobody who exists only to be Tomoe's man.

Samson is the Rogue who exists to be Takao's supporting character since Musashi is busy being another one of Iori's. He's a screamy Berserker, but for the first time, this archetype worked because the 3D models allowed for new levels of expressiveness, such as the thumbs up and him sitting next to Iori's house pouting. He's as much of a simp as any version of Samson should be and the way Takao treats that giant hulk like a baby is pretty cute. He's just nice to have around, especially when he is playable.

[tobiasdrake]

Tailmon/Gatomon is an interesting example of the corners that writers can accidentally work themselves into, and the ways that writers can then work themselves back out.

Hikari and Tailmon are unusual for Digimon protagonists. Traditionally, a partner Digimon rests in their Child state, evolving to Adult, Perfect, or Ultimate form as necessary for battle. What makes Tailmon unusual, possibly even unique, is that her natural state is her Adult stage. Her child stage, Salamon, is only seen on rare occasions when she exhausts her strength.

This is an important distinction, since Digimon "power levels" so to speak are often wrapped up in those evolution stages.

In Digimon Adventure, this didn't matter so much. Hikari and Tailmon were introduced very late in the series. By that point, everyone had Perfect evolutions to battle with, and Taichi and Yamato were about to unlock their Ultimate evolutions. Adult-stage fighting was so last season.

But in 02, this presented a conundrum. The show was starting over fresh with new protagonists, new partners, and an escalation reset. Hikari and Takeru would join newcomers Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori and start over from the beginning.

This presented the writers with two separate problems. The first is that, as veterans of the first series, Hikari and Takeru were already comfortable evolving their Digimon to Perfect stage. This was resolved with the Dark Towers and Dark Digivice, which suppress evolution and force the characters to rely on the new Armor Evolution instead.

Blocking normal evolution served to nerf Takeru and Hikari, bringing them down to the new kids' levels - While occasionally lending them opportunities for Angemon and Angewomon to come out and shine, as a teaser of things to come.

But there was one other problem. Since the escalation was starting over, that meant the series would present the kids with Adult-stage Digimon as deadly threats that they needed Armor Evolution to overcome.

But the thing is? Tailmon is an Adult-stage Digimon in her natural state. This distinction suddenly mattered. The show needed all five kids to be running around in terror of Adult Digimon until they get the ability to fight back with Armor Digimon, but there was nothing stopping Tailmon from getting in there and throwing paws.

The solution? One of the very first things the show established is that Tailmon lost the golden ring she wears on her tail. Her "Holy Ring" would go on to have a plot-important role after the Kaiser arc was complete. But the more immediate effect it had was that losing her tail ring cut Tailmon's power dramatically.

This was kind of a new concept. Other Digimon don't work like this. Andromon doesn't turn as weak as a Child Digimon if you knock off his right index finger. But it needed to happen in order to bring Tailmon down to the others' level and stop her from walking all over the challenges that the protagonists would face in the early series.

I've often wondered why Digimon abandoned the concept of a consistent continuity, opting instead to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh with a new world with each series. Looking back now, I think I finally understand.

From the Dark Towers and Digimon Kaiser to the Holy Ring to Armor Evolution, it's kind of amazing just how much of 02's story had to be done the way it was, specifically to prevent Hikari's LVL100 endgame Digimon from effortlessly stomping all comers and nuking the tension. The show had to go out of its way to nerf Patamon and Tailmon, and then go further out of its way to nerf Tailmon some more.

[beginningobserver]

You might know that i tend to complete the evolution lines for my favorite characters (and i'm still struggling with Iori's Armadimon) and this means i should do the same with Rui's Ukkomon, right?

Especially when i made posts asking about "which Digimental would suit Rui and Ukkomon" before...

But, honestly?

I don't think Rui would want to get involved in the digimon battles and such. Especially when the main reason he snapped at Ukkomon at age 11 (in March 2003) is because of the digimon fighting and dying for their human partners.

Even if Daisuke and co explain that there's bad digimon so the fights are needed in order to protect more lives... I feel he wouldn't be comfortable with that kind of thing.

He's non-confrontational. This might be one of his biggest flaws at some point, but i think this also means he’s cool-headed and able to find different approaches to solve conflict without fighting. And this means he’s not the kind to be in the front lines like the rest of the 02 kids, or Taichi & Yamato. Rui suits more the type of support unit character, a role more like Koushiro’s, Jou’s, Mimi’s and Sora’s (yes, all of those had proven that you can take part of digimon business/battles without fighting directly with enemies: Koushiro helps supervisioning the battles and investigating stuff – especially in 02 & Kizuna; Sora and Mimi are more likely to be the emotional support. Mimi even recruited digimon to help them in the final arc from Adv’99, and Jou is like our medical/healer unit.)

Even if Ukkomon evolves someday in any extra material… I don’t expect it to be an offensive-type digimon, because of those same reasons above. Maybe he could turn into a support-type critter, one with abilities that could assist the 02 kids in a case.

tldr; Rui is not the type to be involved directly in digimon fights. The canon also showed that you can still be part of them WITHOUT having to directly go and attack the bad guys, you can be helping the crew emotionally, or gathering information/investigating stuff, or helping them to keep in a good shape and heal their wounds.

[somena-libra-dawn]

Now that I have read up to volume 103... I had to reveal my old weird misconception (yeah, called it 'misconceptions' right off the bat because it obviously is when having the thought^TM) before the revelation of Rum’s identity is that I suspected Muga Iori more than the Rum suspect trio.

Yeah, he lacks Rum’s descriptions but still being perceptive enough that I’d believe he is in the Black Org. Like, why does Momiji ask Conan that he figures out the case because her butler says so? At the end of the said case, he also mentions the Haneda (through Heiji) who is the key person of Rum arc. How does he know about that? Why did he tell such info? More importantly, why does such important thing happen right now!? (Ik it is meant to connect the following chapter but what was I thinking back then?)

Weirdly, he disguises himself at his first appearance. During the Kyoto arc, he strangely doesn’t show up till his lady is endangered. Not to mention, he is incredibly strong and smart.

‘Could it be… he goes along with Momiji’s love tics to get closer to Heiji and gain info of Shinichi since the two are besties?’ was in my thoughts at some point, and I believed he worked for the rich Ooka to gain profit for BO’s finance (like Vermouth being a big star thing I guess)… 

At least till he was revealed to be a former PSB member.

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: Remnants Rambling

A Game Better Than It Has Right To Be

I recently finished what is my fourth romp through the Fate Series. It has been slow going due to life but truth be told I didn't want to rush either.

My go of Fate Grand Order is still ongoing, my first anime was Apocrypha, then I watched the 2006 Fate Stay Night, and now I've finished Samurai Remnant after 70+ hours.

Each of these has been good so far. I may hate gacha games but FGO has a solid initial story arc and it's Lost Belt 6 story is also great apparently. I'm not sure I'll get that far but I am determined to finish Solomon's villain arc.

While I'd rate Apocrypha a better anime than it's often given. I am still in shock from the sheer contrast of Astolfo in-story vs the internet osmosis he's become. While the 06 anime was decent for me I do admit I had already seen plenty of lore videos prior so I knew what was going on.

Then there's Samurai Remnant that is better than I expected. I tried it because I am a new Fate fan and Type-Moon doesn't localize things often. I'd argue it is my second favorite story so far falling just behind Apocrypha.

Imagine a Fate Stay Night remade in this style!

Game mechanics weren't perfect or without annoyance for me, I will admit. I feel like Iori gets knocked around far to easy and can be stun locked.

The barrier gauge among most enemies and bosses is honestly a pain and feels like it's padding a bit (until you hit max level anyway) and it is easy to get lost in the towns at first.

Yes you have a map but I did get annoyed more than once be slow traversal hazards or dead ends. Granted, this is an aggravation for extras.

When in-story it is all fine. There's story reasons or game mechanic reasons for why you will have to crawl around, sneak, and so on. It was very much an issue I gave myself for wanting to do every thing and search every corner.

Many other things that annoyed me at first quickly vanished later as I leveled up or filled out skill boards so I will not list them. It was a somewhat basic but unique (in ways) game play set up for what is essentially a visual novel.

I only mention it all because I think this game would be an amazing blueprint for other Fate games. I've already seen people hope for a Fate Stay Night remade in this game's image.

Whether it's a new route or just the old novel redone the hope is now there and I find myself agreeing with them. Samura/Remnant is a great prototype for taking visual novels that began Fate and turning them into a video game that can reach more people.

Story is where it Shines

I won't lie, I expected something 'okay' or "mid" as kids call it, but no. This story actually is rather good. Several characters have more going on than it initially appears and multiple runs are required.

You'll play this game 3 to 4 times if you want every ending or to finish ever digression mission. Something I highly recommend you do because you'll miss out on explanations for several plot points or character motivations.

Admittedly, there are several things that I didn't get answered despite my thorough go of the game. I completely missed the fact that Tsuchimikado's family can use divination for future sight. It was this very skill that allowed him to create the Waxing Moon Ritual.

The whole reason the ritual is flawed is due to him using imperfect foresight to orchestrate the event. The story tells you several times that the ritual is a sham compared to the Fuyuki Grail War but I don't remember it ever actually stating why.

The wish of Rogue Berserker was also something I missed in-game. I won't spoil who he is (or was?) but knowing his wish now makes his finale and leyline placement much more sensible.

Leyline you ask?

Ah yes, it's explained in-game but I'll spoil it here since it's not that much of one. Due to the rituals imperfection a number of extra servants are summoned to Edo.

They're "rogue" or stray servants who are bound to a leyline in the land. (A spot of particularly high mana essentially.) On top of the rogue servants a pseudo servant and ruler class servant are also summoned.

Of course, none of these extra heroes have much interest in the ritual. You can befriend them in the story but the actual war itself is carried out by the 7 actual servants and their masters.

As for the ruler, well, Gilgamesh really just proves why he never gets the role in the funniest way. He doesn't care about the false grail, he doesn't care about the half-assed ritual, and he doesn't care for his job as a ruler.

He literally fucks off, weebs out, and opens a store five houses down from yours early into the game. It is one of the funniest fucking things.

It's small things like this or Gilgamesh's antics that give the story life. I don't want my section above to paint the image of it being bad for some things going unexplained. It's entirely possible I missed the in-game explanation.

But do know that characters will sell this story too you more than the plot beats will.

The story itself, in terms of progression, is simple. Iori gets drug into the ritual like most Fate protagonists do. Many of the events triggered are usually by way of the other masters having an actual battle.

Iori is there, he's an active participant, but he mostly runs around seeking information or making allies while major events are kicked off by the magi or servants triggering them. The digressions show you a lot of these perspectives.

Iori isn't a fool or ignorant of magic, he's just not a man of status or means to pull the stunts many others cause. I would argue he "has no desire too" but that in of itself is a murky topic.

Overall, I do consider it a good thing because the story is character driven instead. So much so that I won't even dare to try and fit it all in a post. I'll let you discover that for yourself...except for Assassin.

Not a bad character by any means but he has a moment in the game mid way and to this very day I do not get why he does what he does. It's like they just did whatever they had to for that boss fight to happen...

I just find it a shame because his digressions are actually humorous. Many character interactions are funny at times. It's always the small things too, little scenes that you could miss if you rush.

Other Questions & Conclusions

To be honest there's more I could ramble on but it won't fit into one post and I do not feel like I can make more than two or three. One reason is due to me obviously missing details that I only learned later due to a video by Otakudaikun.

Another reason is due to the sheer number of characters. There's several I've only seen for the first time outside of FGO and do not feel like I can do them justice due to my lack of familiarity.

Others are so simple that I do not think they have much to be said. They're not bad for it they're just simple and true to their nature.

Such as Jeanne. I didn't even get into how disappointing it is for her personality to be muted. And make no mistake, this is Jeanne corrupted not FGO Jalter.

I didn't cover just how much Rogue Berserker hit me personally since I liked his legend as a child.

I'd need a whole post of it's own to talk about Rogue Rider and her antics. Sure you see a loli but by hell I know Amaterasu's lore in Fate, her nature, so I only get nervous seeing her grin. (though I do love her dynamic with Kaya)

Nor did I elaborate on how cool it is for the main servants (the ones paired with masters) to be legends from Japan or China. I actually learned a few interesting ones due to this writing decision.

There's the other endings as well but nothing is as deep as the 'Entreat the Darkness' ending imo. They're all decent though.

I even have this theory that Iori is the reason Musashi was summoned to t his timeline with no proof other than he wants to best his master and she wants a decent opponent.

What I will reiterate is that you should try this. It's a great place to start Fate and it's a good one to try if you already follow Fate.

Go give it a try, bye now~

================================================

Other Fate related ramblings here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[the-one-that-weeps]

36. A theory you have?

31. Favorite event?

4. Favorite character from each unit?

1. What got you into project sekai?

hiiii

Thank you for the ask! I ended up talking a lot haha.

1. What got you into Project Sekai?

Funny question! I've downloaded pjsk around 7 times now, whether because it crashed and I had to start from the beginning again, the times i got terminated for absolutely no reason or the times I eliminated it. The first first time was because of... Ruikasa tiktok. Yeah

4. Favourite character from each unit?

I'd say Saki, Shizuku, An, Rui and Kanade. I enjoy all of them more or less equally though, especially niigo. I love all my babies.

36. A theory you have?

Pjsk will be multigenerational. or at least, it'll go for longer than 6 years (time until we reach next anni and the moment when the third years leave). Firstly, because — in case they wanted to make all the characters have an equal amount of wedding/valentine/new year/etc. cards, — this is already impossible to achieve. (E.g: An has 2 wedding cards. You do not have enough time to give everyone 2 wedding cards)

Secondly because Colourful Palette has mentioned adding college locations and even new units for newer fans. They're not doing it now because 1) having too many units could make the narrative disperse and difficult to follow 2) we have enough content for now.

Finally, it just doesn't make any sense to kill the chicken that's been giving only golden eggs to them until now. The pjsk fandom has been growing exponentially for the past year, especially since 3rd Anni, it doesn't economically make sense for Sega to throw the project away.

31. Favourite event?

Can't pick just one, so here's a list off of the top of my head:

- Resonating with you: besides being the original tear jerker, this event is incredibly complex. You have so many points of view here: Shiho's dilemma upon wanting to pursue her dream but simultaneously wanting to stick close to her friends and simultaneously not wanting them to get hurt; l/n's blind "we need to get Shiho back" determination, mixed with worry of whether or not they can actually do it; how Iori acts as the perfect gray character and how she ends up letting Shiho go; Saki's worries and that one "I miss my wife /ref" scene genuinely made me squeal. And 1. Stan 1.

- Wonder Magical Showtime: crazily underrated. The wxs fandom needs to understand that an event doesn't have to be sad to be good. This event is absolutely amazing and scarily creative, even though it follows the fairytale structure wxs early events tend to follow. It's the epitome of what a wxs story is, I think. It's that good.

- Same Dreams Same Colours/Vivid old tale: even though these events are very different, I enjoy them for pretty much the same reason: they're happy vbs events where the kids just chill and have fun. I'm sure that'll never happen in the narrative again, so these have a special little place in my heart. Mirai and Machi still make me sob.

- And Now, I Wear This Ribbon: contrary to popular opinion, Niigo backstory events are amazing. This one in particular made me tear up. It sets their dynamics, even from early stages, and shows us just how much the four of them have transformed over their time together. Overall, it's just such a tender event. And Yuki Akiyama.

- Lion Dance Robot's New Year's Show!: No angst. Just happy little guys being silly on Christmas. And wxs caravan.

- Kick it up a notch: I complain loads about pjsk event pacing, but this one handled it pretty well, actually. Not only does it "conclude" Kohane's "fitting in" arc, but it also shows us many snippets of what happens with other characters during that moment. It's thrilling in a way you're happy to see Kohane overcome her issues and equally scared and excited for what's to come (glances at Light up the fire). This is actually the event I think about first when someone asks me what makes a good event.

- immiscible discord: please give an applause for Kanade's best event, best commission, best character development moment, best side character appearance and best everything /silly. I can't articulate it right now but it is Great in G Major.

- Pandemonium and Sayonara to My Persona: obligatory shout-out to the events that shaped my personality in ways intangible to a sane man. I Literally Own Them My Life.

- Wxs WLE: this is like bringing back the old wxs formula but with even more character development. It actually gets so many things down so well, I'll be on this hill defending it til I die because this is the only WL that actually does its job well.

[atsoraasayoma]

Yes, Iori I agree one hundred percent, but if you looked beside you to the left from your perspective you might see why.

The second time. Shall I bring back and again show you the first?!

So, recap. Dark Master Arc. It’s up to Takeru to protect Hikari. So he protects her from…a rope…and then eventually Piedmon.

Moving forward this episode 3: Digimental up, Takeru is protecting her from a pack of Tyrannomon-and the episode focus is on them and getting their armor Digivolutions.

You never were. But this is not the point.

This is the point. Light and hope bind the evil. I don’t get the sanctuary part though…

..what ‘sanctuary’ are they talking about?

Yes, the answer is in the episode introduction! Like the overlap of the Digimon’s attack so to do their crests overlap in the intro…

..and there you go! Sanctuary bind! Hope and light practically hand in hand…

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

Look, I've made the poll about these ship analysis posts in February 2024. And even though I had already seen The Beginning at this point, I am still entirely grateful that I took that long to get to this analysis, because I wouldn't have been able to take a screenshot like this. This is the first time that, through the course of me writing Digimon relationship meta, we got a significant boost towards a ship from official sources - and, dare I say it, they actually did a good job this time in my opinion?

But let's start at the beginning, shall we: Through the course of 02, Miyako's stance towards Ken changes drastically. At first, we see her gushing and swooning about him being that "smart and attractive" boy that is all over the media, as she is very prone to crushing on various people at the time. Then, upon finding out that Ken is the Digimon Kaiser, her view obviously changes to 180° - she curses him, gets, understandably, very heated up about the whole issue... And even when he tries to redeem himself after everything he has done, she is among those who struggle to accept him the most. She is torn, overthinks the whole situation a lot - but after seeing his actions and through the course of getting more chances to interact with him (and Hikari too), she grows more understanding, accepting. She still struggles to interact, awkwardly trying to engage in conversation, even though she may not feel very capable to do so - but as mentioned, she is actually trying and starts to discover more and more of his good sides.

Ken on the other hand, prior to his redemption arc, didn't really notice Miyako before - and only starts doing so while trying to repent for all his sins. He is often seen taken aback by her brash, loud attitude, unable to really respond to her, but, just like with the rest of the group, he is relieved to see her slowly but steadily accepting him.

As I haven't consistently watched 02 back to back for a while, I may have forgotten one or two scenes between them, but the overall verdict here AND up until Kizuna's events is: They are on good, friendly terms. We always knew more about Miyako's stance towards Ken than about Ken's stance towards Miyako - and yet, a good chunk of people, me included, still found themselves BAFFLED when 02's epilogue told us that these two eventually got married with three kids.

While it didn't feel completely out of place - we did know about Miyako's rollercoaster of feelings and her tendency to crush on people, including Ken, so there was some kind of subtext after all -, for the longest time, it didn't feel like the most plausible outcome after all this time. (Especially because one may argue that 02 used to push different relationships much harder, especially in regards to Ken's focus on Daisuke and Miyako's focus on Hikari. However, you gotta take that with a huge grain of salt, because Jogress compatibility was never meant to be equal to romantic compatibility.)

Digimon always had its fair share of problems with canon romantic relationship portrayal. There are certain ship teases and crushes that never went anywhere, there are official (or semi-official) relationships that didn't appear plausible... And then they decided to do something about Ken and Miyako.

In November 2023, The Beginning aired - and I don't exaggerate when I say that people who did ship Kenyako/Miyaken before absolutely rejoiced. And for absolutely valid reasons! Unlike before, the creators managed to capture the spirit of how 02 handled these two before - and it actually portrayed them in a believable way after all these years, while leaving them and the audience enough room to breathe. As pointed out in the post above (and in this one here), it wasn't exactly subtle, but it was still tastefully done without exactly hitting you on the head. What's the set-up, you may ask?

Through the course of the movie, Miyako is focused on Ken; to get his attention, to respond to what he is saying, to encourage him when he falters - and to actively flirt with him by the end of it. The girl who had such a hard time sorting out her feelings for this guy when they were still children/young teenagers seems to have come to terms with what she wants as an adult - and tries to pursue him now. In the meantime, she still acknowledges that Daisuke is playing a huge part in Ken's life, she even teases them a little about it... And it's all good-hearted, gentle and fun. Ken on the other hand, still seems to be a little oblivious and taken aback - but not exactly opposed to the attention. So the main takeaway here is: We're getting actual justification. We see them slowly but steadily working towards a potentially romantic relationship as they're already adults - and it's beautifully done, hands down.

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

Whether I think they'd work is still an entirely different story. Granted, we saw the course of the series now portraying Miyako as more of a career-oriented person, actively studying abroad and learning about other cultures - so we can be assured she won't JUST end up as a stay-home mom as depicted 24 years ago... And I think that is important because Miyako IS a person who, similarly to Mimi, cannot stay still, she needs to have goals to pursue. We also see that she IS into romance and her trying to get closer to Ken is, as mentioned, wonderfully depicted, because it absolutely fits her outgoing personality... However, it's still difficult to estimate how Ken plays into all this, because, on his behalf, we can only really guess how he feels.

To go into speculation mode again: Miyako and Daisuke actually have a lot of things in common, they're both loud and opinionated, they'll tell you when they don't like something, they're passionate about the things and people they like and may suffer from more or less elaborated inferiority complexes at times - and without trying to undermine Miyako's impact on Ken, you can absolutely see that Ken would have a point in actually liking Miyako back BECAUSE of Daisuke. Because without a doubt, Daisuke, as mentioned, must have had such a great impact on the person Ken grew into and chose to present himself as an adult... Long story short, Ken would not be Ken without Daisuke. And since Daisuke and Miyako have so much in common - you can see Ken has a type. He needs someone who pulls him out of his head, stopping him from overthinking too much. Miyako may be prone to overthinking too, whereas Daisuke just goes straight for what his heart tells him - but The Beginning!Miyako has learned to channel the overwhelmingly loud thoughts in her head. And that is something Ken is obviously VERY impressed and encouraged by. Probably even attracted to.

Again, I still believe the movie brilliantly depicted that dynamic between not only Ken and Miyako but also the role Daisuke plays for both of them, so... Yes, a part of me still thinks they would do brilliantly in a polyamorous relationship and I will stick to that - because these dorks need each other and play off of each other beautifully.

Either way, with or without Daisuke, you see Miyako and Ken being not only soft and supportive, but also both very career-driven as young adults. We have yet to see if Koushirou they manage to find a way to make gate-hopping work again, but I can see them trying to figure their relationship out through the course of the next years, finishing their studies, going on exploration dates, teaching each other languages and talk about coding and psychology and what-not... Ken will still be tied to very tight working schedules and there will most likely be arguments about prioritization - but that's also what Daisuke is there for to mediate between them. Hehe. And through all that, Miyako may eventually want to juggle the whole "career-woman with children" thing if they work out. I can see that for them, they just have to work on their prioritization - as mentioned!

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

Personally, I still believe Ken and Miyako should have been very clearly depicted as bisexual, both of them - but I am already glad that we got Daisuke acknowledged so heavily, that is more than I could have hoped for! I must admit that I have never been the biggest fan of Kenyako/Miyaken, simply because a.) I always wanted Daiken to be the first canonically confirmed mlm relationship in Digimon and b.) it always kinda felt a little one-sided on Miyako's behalf to me - but The Beginning really made me like their dynamic and the potential behind them there, so I can appreciate it a lot more by now. Again, my most preferred outcome would be an open poly-relationship with Daisuke, but I can absolutely appreciate the course this ship has taken at this point.

[hxneylavendxr]

so. how about that i7 episode huh. *collapses on the floor*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11dies

SO THE FIRST PART LET'S START THERE (im going to scream and cry about the whole episode right now so cut)

kaoru anesagi i fucking love you with all my heart she deserves so so much for giving nothing but her all and working her fucking ass off for these boys her crying alone is enough to break my heart and the way not a SINGLE ONE OF HER FUCKING TEARS IS JOYFUL. IT'S ALL BECAUSE HER BOYS HAVE LOST IT ALL!!!!! SHE CAN ONLY FEEL GRIEF RIGHT NOW ARGHH STARTS BITING

and then the trigger live in the rain... the way it goes through all our idols stopping what they're doing to watch the broadcast on their phone is heartwarming and Well, you know me, always very excited when we get a live performance in this anime and i looooooove love secret night, i have the choreography bits from their anime debut with it memorized so, to the girls who were mouthing the words during the performance, me fucking too i was doing the dance and singing along even for the whole segment with yamamitsunagi (of course except for the brief moment where i had to go "Don't even say that right now dude. don't even go there There is no sakura haruki that bitch is dead and gone i swear don't even with me right now")

.....which leads us to TENN FUCKING CRYING ON STAGE AFTER THE SONG..........AAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHFUCKKKKKKKK DUUUDE an d and riku monologuing about it this is such deep ass shit for an idol show it's ridiculous Tenn Kujo is a strange strange little guy and i want to punch him for it and cradle himin my arms because everything is okay but also he needs to get his shit together but also life isnt fair to him but but :((((

(plus those girls who ran all the way from fuck knows where to get to trigger in the rain oouughhh my heart these in universe fans are so wonderful and passionate it's so relieving whenever they show their undying support)

so im reeling over that right. only half way through. and i play the idolish7 video game so i have a vague memory of the plot outline, right? we get to the scene where iori is rewinding clips of riku and i pause to hold my face. LET MEOUT WE CAN'T DO THIS NOT HERE NOT NOW I DONT WANT TO WATCH THIS ANYMORE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NO this meta arc is so incredible and interesting from a writer's point of view and from an anime consumer point of view even but for Fucking Sake dude they are IDOLS just HAPPY LITTLE POSITIVE IDOLS CAN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE AND MAYBE SAVE THIS TOPIC FOR LIKE..A REGULAR SHONEN JUMP OR SOME SHIT come on (the way iori is the only one who didnt watch the trigger live because he was too busy being weird and breaking my heart. whatever)

then that WHOLE ASS SCENE where the environmental symbolism ISNT SUBTLE AT ALLL with riku sitting in the dark half of the room while iori is in the light AND I DONT EVEN NEED TO SAY IT DO I. HEARTBREAKING, VOMMITING MY GUTS OUT, MAD AT IORI, MAD AT THE WRITERS, MAD AT THE WORLD

the way he full on WHISPERED with ALL THE DESPERATION OF THE EARTH AND HEAVEN AND HELL IN HIS VOICE didn't i promise to make you a superstar? don't go anywhere without me

if i7 was just a smidge more popular iori nation would be fighting for their fucking lives on twitter right now. im telling you i can see it and im getting a headache imagining it

and then we went there again with the live! i love perfection gimmick :)! i have every bit of choreography they gave us memorized from the iori center arc (normal well adjusted behavior) and the lyrics are particularly easy to sing for japanese learning beginners! so when i tell you i started kicking and punching the air when riku didn't do his fucking part with me. and then he goes and starts CRYING. I AM SICK I AM SOOOO SO SICK

and iori's. speech his revelational speech to tsumu. i was screaming and eating my entire fist i was really trying to get as much of my hand into my mouth as i possibly could that was the most painful thing to listen to i think we all need to never watch an episode of idolish7 again and we will all be okay. im not even going to get into picking apart his points and why i feel so strongly about them being brought to light we'd be here for 6 more hours But but the way he DOUBLES DOWN when tsumu tries to take him off of it and just like i mean like iori, girl, so true, so insightful, but this road will only lead us straight into hell. Please

i dont want to give stupid ass kujo whom i punch through my screen (physically, for real i start hitting my screen when he shows up on instinct) the time of day but when he says that tenn is just doing what riku does... sapping empathy out of the fans to regain trigger's bearings.........fuuuuuuuck let me ooooout

and of course. finishing off the shitshow with the zool ed that fucks severely. by that point all of the life has been drained from my body but i must dance because it still goes hard. a lovely way to end evey mental breakdown this forsaken show bestows upon me

[nyas weakly and collapses onto the floor with you]