#I guess Desire is kind of Greed and Lust combined?

[the-herdier]

I'd love to hear a conversation between FMA's Greed and Sandman's Desire.

"You wanna bring back someone that you've lost. You might want money. Maybe you want women. Or, you might wanna protect the world. These are all common things people want. Things that their hearts desire. Greed may not be good, but it's not so bad, either."

vs.

"Human beings are creatures of desire. They twist and bend as I require it. If I thought otherwise, I would crack, like Delirium; or I would abandon our world, like our lost brother."

[anonzentimes]

hiya zen ! i'm sorry if this has been asked before but it just seemed like such a fun concept to explore.

on to the question, which of the seven deadly sins do you think fits nagito best ? honestly, he's so complex and putting him into a small box is already difficult enough as it is, but combined with the fact that... pretty much none of them are accurate to his character, it's pretty difficult to tell.

i've seen people (on r/danganronpa, so not too surprising) say he's wrath, which feels ,,, iffy to me. that doesn't feel like it fits him at all. his desire of wanting the very best for others seems to contrast with wrath. honestly, willing to bet those people just went "oh evil person who does bad things bc it's fun ok must be wrath then".

one i have mixed feelings about is envy, which... fits hajime better than nagito imo. sure, his entire worldview is kind of based around talent, but it doesn't feel like jealousy to me. the core of his character is that: due to trauma and the talent-obsessed society around him, he starts to hate himself... and instead of trying to desperately give everything away to change that like hajime , he just... accepts it. he accepts it as a part of himself, or hell, as the entirety of himself, as if that was all there was to him. hell, he even states *twice* that he doesn't envy the ultimates. once in the beginning of chapter 2 during his monologue, where he states that:

"Ah, just so you know, what I feel is different from admiration."

"Admiration is... wishing you could be like the object of your admiration."

"But, what I feel is more... pure. More like a selfless love that wants nothing in return."

And, once at... the beginning of the OVA i think ??? it's been a long time since i rewatched it so I don't really remember but he says something about how... the star of the show is such a demanding role, and how he'd rather remain as he is or something ???

pride is crossed off for obvious reasons LMFAO.

greed isn't accurate to him either. his only motivations are for others, not for himself. and even then, he wishes for an " absolute hope that can overcome any despair " . he doesn't even wish for an material possessions, if that makes sense. can hope be found through those material possessions ? i mean , probably. but like... what he wishes for is.. not only selfless , but also... so abstract ? i don't think he'd be a big fan of the idea that you could achieve pure hope through something material. he views it as absolute good, an absolute good like that would usually be found in other things than just something so limiting as material possessions. I'm pretty unsure about this part though.

lust is... eh. lust is almost always interpreted in a sexual sense, but it can also work in other contexts, though i'm not sure what definition would be in that case. i guess he's lustful for wanting the best for people LOL ??? that sounds so weird.

the people who say nagito is horny all the time would argue nagito is lustful in the sexual sense, and i mean , maybe but not really ? we know he compares hope to sex in one of the songs written by megumi ogata (which i'll consider canon), but he we also know that he absolutely isn't a sex freak by any means and in the games and anime, is actually pretty chaste. he also views sex as something intimate to share with a person he loves. something to share with a person who loves him enough to be intimate with him as well, and pretty much just... mutual expression of trust and intimacy ? i'd interpret lust to be like.. sex obsessed, pretty much. which, of course, kind of contradicts nagito.

anyway, i briefly considered sloth for him, in the sense that he doesn't want to put in effort to achieve something great for himself. it's all for others. he's never going to put in effort for something if it is self-serving, and... even though he ends up significantly influencing other people's lives, he plays a much more passive role in his own life if that makes any sense ????? oh, and it could also be telling of his luck in a way, in the sense that he's kind of... bound to it and can't escape it ? i have no idea 😭 to be honest, this one is atleast slightly understandable, unlike all the others which are just blatantly inaccurate to his character LMFAO.

i don't know, those are just my thoughts. what do you think ?

I just need you to know what I was giggling and kicking my feet over how much of a Nagito understander you are,,, this is such an interesting question it absolutely has not been asked before!!!

That being said, I’m honestly on the same page as you are. I’m a little stumped since none of them really describe Nagito properly? Sloth is the closest one that you could twist into a way of it fitting him, but otherwise most of the others are blatantly inaccurate to important aspects of his character??? I know that isn’t really helpful, but man is it hard to assign him one when he’s so unique. Nagito and Hajime are different sides of the same coin, and I don’t think Nagito’s selfless love, “envy,” or “admiration,” fits into any of the boxes that are provided. The end result feels like he doesn’t fit any of them, but the goal here is to assign him at least one of them right? So I guess Sloth in this situation is the best option, supposedly reflecting specific aspects of him and how he basically never does anything self serving. I mean, at the end of the day I’d like to have slightly understandable over blatant mischaracterization LMAO. So yeah, I think I would agree with Sloth over the others.

Thank you for your ask, this was so interesting to think about!! It made me so happy to read how thoroughly you thought about this, and how much you understand his character <3

[viridiave]

ELDERS AND THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

You guys seemed to really like that first braindump I dropped so uh- hey here’s another one hope you guys enjoy it-

<UNNAMED EDEN ELDER AND THE SIN OF PRIDE (Likely candidates- the Prince, the King)>

> Really it’s easy to see why this one is Pride- and arguably a combination of all sins if you choose to see it that way, seeing as Pride itself is the Original Sin. You could see this on the Eden mural as well, to some degree. Eating a ‘fruit of knowledge’ for all the Kingdom to see. Pride is described as a feeling of deep satisfaction for one’s achievements and capability- and as a sin, the pinnacle of self-importance and self-preservation, valuing oneself above all else.  While all of these traits are easily visible in the vague ‘king’ or ‘prince’ figure in the world of Sky, it would be easy to see where the root of this evil came from and that is evident in the state of Eden as well as their unsalvageable existence. ‘The Eden Elder is not around to be saved’.

> There is no clear interpretation for what exactly it was that the Eden Elder must have committed, but the consequences are apparent in the ruined, dilapidated state of the Kingdom some several years later. This Elder’s particular sin may be attributed to the power they’ve garnered as the Monarch of the Sky Kingdom, and a possible attempt at playing God (i.e. the Eden diamond).

> Eden is referred to as the ‘Original Sin’ in some concepts as well.

<AYIN THE PRAIRIE ELDER AND THE SIN OF SLOTH>

> The Prairie Elder is a bit of an easy guess as well- seeing as our first encounter with them involved waking them up from what we can only assume is an absurdly long nap akin to that of hibernation. The Prairie Elder is depicted as tired again when we meet them in Orbit. 

> Other possible interpretations regarding their sin of Sloth would be a negligence to fulfill their duties as the protector of light creatures, an inaction to prevent most of them from being shipped off and manufactured into power diamonds- or an inaction to take measures preventing the war that ravaged Wasteland.

<TETH THE FOREST ELDER AND THE SIN OF GREED>

> The Forest Elder’s sin isn’t quite the obvious guess and it is possible to be interpreted interchangeably between Lust and Wrath depending on the context- but typically their association with Greed can be seen in how the realm that she has sovereign over is constructed- being heavily associated with the Industrial Age and a technological boom. It’s commonly believed that the Forest Elder is the inventor of the Power Diamonds and because of this association it can be assumed that this where the Kingdom’s drive for large-scale manufacturing and pursuit of ease originated. 

> This sin can be subtly seen in their Elder cutscene- impatiently taking the flame off a child’s hands in order to fix their power diamond. In other words, taking the resources of others to use for their own gain. 

<SAMEKH THE VALLEY ELDERS AND THE SIN OF LUST>

> The Twins’ sin of Lust is not at all synonymous with the sexual aspect of it- but can also be interpreted as them simply indulging in all the various pleasures that life has to offer. In other words, they are hedonists- coveting the pursuit of pleasure and placing value in it compared to everything else. Taking into consideration their playful and otherwise relaxed nature compared to the other Elders and the fact that their realm is representative of society at its peak- where they have time to indulge in arts and sport-  it can be easy to draw the connections to the sin of Lust. 

> Lust may also be defined as coveting one’s own pleasures above the greater scheme of things- such as a duty to God. Lust is- by some definitions- love in excess, placing the worship of greater responsibilities second to their own desires. This manifests in the carefree way that the Twins act, and the thrill-seeking nature of their realm.

> The Twins are also privy to a variant of Gluttony due to the social discrepancies found in their realm, or even of Sloth and neglecting their duties as Elders in favor of leisure.

<TSADI THE WASTELAND ELDER AND THE SIN OF WRATH>

> The Wasteland Elder’s sin of Wrath is fairly easy to recognize and ascertain given that Golden Wasteland is a land rendered useless through possibly years of struggle and war. While Forest is the first place where we truly see the impacts of discord and a general disregard for consequence, Wasteland is the realm where we see that discord be elevated to such a degree that the land is reduced to a lifeless (save for an astounding amount of dark creatures), inhospitable place.

> Golden Wasteland itself can possibly represent two forms of Wrath- the more obvious side of it being Battlefield, but Wasteland itself was also a thriving diamond production site. It’s entirely possible for them to have razed an entire forest to the ground in order to make way for the aforementioned factories- experiencing a form of Wrath that is reserved for the ecosystem that might have existed there before. The factories themselves could also be taken as a source of Wrath- provoking feuds and discord among those who might have disagreed with the production of diamonds. 

> Through the second interpretation of Tsadi’s Wrath, it is also possible that he may represent Greed to some degree because of their large-scale manufacturing.

<LAMED THE VAULT ELDER AND THE SIN OF GLUTTONY>

> The Vault Elder’s sin of Gluttony is not an immediately discernible sin- and it is quite unclear what their insatiable hunger could have been other than their thirst for knowledge. Gluttony, in this case- may not have been referring to food at all, and may be substituted for knowledge. The Vault of Knowledge is one that stores presumably every single piece of knowledge about the Kingdom of Sky- and it is possible to interpret the Vault Elder’s collection as her accumulating a hoard of sorts. 

> Other possible interpretations of this Gluttony may incorporate the reason for the condemnation of the sin- and it is that by gorging, the prosperous may leave the needy hungry- leaving it possible that the Vault Elder may have consumed so much knowledge- seeking for so much knowledge that they have inevitably left the Kingdom in a state wherein their lack of knowledge may have led to their eventual deaths. Alternatively, because they hoard the forbidden knowledge to themselves, they have left the Kingdom without a solution to an ever-growing problem that culminated in the Kingdom’s downfall.

> The Vault Elder may also represent Lust (as in, a lust for knowledge) and Greed (through the same motions used to justify their Gluttony).

<DALETH THE ISLE ELDER AND THE SIN OF ENVY>

> The Isle Elder is left with the sin of Envy through a process of elimination, though it is likely that while they might have represented such once, it is also likely that the Isle Elder instead has become someone who rose above their sin- entirely dependent on how events may have played out for the Kingdom and what exactly his role was in its rise and fall.

> Envy may be described as the ‘desire to wish misfortune on others/ deprive others of their fortunes’- in one case, maybe the fortunes of one Eden Elder. Isle of Dawn is the birthplace of the Prophecy- and, consequently, the person who will reign superior over the Kingdom of Sky through conquering the Trials of the Elements. Assuming that the conqueror of those Trials was the Eden Elder themselves (as either the Prince or the King- or both of them, it depends), it is possible that the Isle Elder may have defected from that rule- from a premonition or otherwise simple malicious envy, it is uncertain. Envy tears a man away from his neighbor- and it is possible that this is the reason why the Isle Elder is not depicted on the gate to Eden. 

<THE SEVEN HEAVENLY VIRTUES>

LUST=CHASTITY* GLUTTONY=TEMPERANCE* GREED=CHARITY* SLOTH=DILIGENCE* WRATH=PATIENCE* ENVY=KINDNESS* PRIDE=HUMILITY

It’s pretty awkward trying to attach any one virtue to any one Elder not gonna lie- not because I don’t believe they can fit but really more so because the virtues themselves do not correspond to each brand of sin that the Elders represent. For example- no amount of Patience could have saved Tsadi from the destruction he’d wrought upon his realm, whether this is due to outside circumstances or his own personal grievances, nor would Charity necessarily be something that the Teth would covet as her Greed is more representative of the exponential growth in technological prowess that her realm (and by extension, the Kingdom) had gone through, as well as the consequences of such growth. Lamed is a strange case in that she seems to represent Gluttony and Temperance simultaneously- and the same could be said for Ayin and his Diligence. 

[tcmpcral]

A.    ＣＨＡＲＡＣＴＥＲ  ＩＮＴＥＲＶＩＥＷ.      [  repost, don’t reblog ]

𝙱𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙲𝚂.  

NAME:  basil NICKNAME:  AGE: somewhere in his early 20s SPECIES: idk apparently something Somewhere referred to him and his brothers as ‘wolfmen’ but that sounds very silly to me so it’s anyone’s guess

𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻.

MORALITY: it’s pretty loose but he has those pesky standards RELIGION: n/a SINS: Greed / Gluttony / Sloth / Lust / Pride / Envy / Wrath     VIRTUES:  Chastity / Charity / Diligence / Humility / Kindness / Patience / Justice   KNOWN LANGUAGES: mostly just the ones that exist on his planet. i like the idea that he’s picked up a few things from traveling occasionally with roh and his brothers SECRETS: he’s so lonely and starved for validation pls tell him he did Good

𝙿𝙷𝚈𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻.  

BUILD: Scrawny / Bony / Slender / Fit / Athletic / Curvy / Herculean / Pudgy / Average   HEIGHT: about 6′ SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: probably has some scars but i haven’t. settled on any in particular yet jfjkf;da NOTABLE FEATURES: very tall and lanky. also very long, extremely fluffy tail. there’s also the fact he wears no pants that tends to Stick Out ABILITIES/POWERS: idk your standard db power pack lmao he is most likely capable of flight considering his brothers are. very strong and fast. his stomach is made of iron, too fjkdf;a RESTRICTIONS: he’s reckless and too eager to prove himself. he puts little stock in strategy and would rather just rush in with proverbial guns a-blazing. not the greatest of stamina, either

𝙵𝙰𝚅𝙾𝚄𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴𝚂.

FOOD: meat aspics, bone broth, would probably love cheap desserts like bread with water and sugar sprinkled on it jfjfke;a DRINK: alcohol PIZZA TOPPING: when i was a teenager my grandparents would buy digiorno pizzas and then just plop big chunks of hamburger on it before baking so That COLOUR: orange, red, green MUSIC GENRE: oh what’s it called, like. shoegazing or something like that. dream pop kinda stuff BOOK GENRE: he doesn’t read like some kinda NERD MOVIE GENRE: probably action. something exciting, with not a ton of depth to it laughs like he won’t mind it, but if it hits too close to home he’ll hate it SEASON: winter, but especially the new year when it’s starting to turn into spring CURSE WORD: all of them jfjfkd;ao SCENTS: i honestly could not tell u.................

𝙵𝚄𝙽  𝚂𝚃𝚄𝙵𝙵.    

BOTTOM OR TOP: SINGS IN THE SHOWER: probably not lmao LIKES PUNS: sometimes

A.    ＣＨＡＲＡＣＴＥＲ  ＩＮＴＥＲＶＩＥＷ.      [  repost, don’t reblog ]

𝙱𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙲𝚂.  

NAME:  majora NICKNAME: shosa has some nicknames for him but i never did settle on them tbh AGE: 247 SPECIES: ???

𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻.

MORALITY: he’s not a terribly kind, compassionate, or pleasant fellow, but he has no real desire to cause trouble RELIGION: n/a SINS: Greed / Gluttony / Sloth / Lust / Pride / Envy / Wrath     VIRTUES:  Chastity / Charity / Diligence / Humility / Kindness / Patience / Justice   KNOWN LANGUAGES: a couple different dialects which are littered about his home SECRETS: eyeing that god of destruction position with Interest even tho his natural pessimism means it’s mostly from afar

𝙿𝙷𝚈𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻.  

BUILD: Scrawny / Bony / Slender / Fit / Athletic / Curvy / Herculean / Pudgy / Average   HEIGHT: iiii think i settled on the 5′6 to 5′7 range or so? maybe 5′8 i can’t remember lm a o SCARS/BIRTHMARKS: one leftover surgical scar on his abdomen NOTABLE FEATURES: his ears are Enormous ABILITIES/POWERS: same as basil, mostly, tho he is noticeably weaker and can not hold his own against some of the main protagonists like basil can. it’s unclear whether he’s capable of flight. it’s also unclear if he can sense energy or not but i tend to cling to the headcanon that he Can RESTRICTIONS: he’s. Blind. he uses a combination of his other senses to help him out. an elderly individual who has had a number of health problems throughout his life which occasionally still affect him

𝙵𝙰𝚅𝙾𝚄𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴𝚂.

FOOD: smoked fish, jellyfish, dried squid DRINK: probably just some kinda tea but i’m pretty sure i once did some research and gave him a fondness for a certain yellow wine but i no longer remember what it was anymore :v PIZZA TOPPING: tomato sauce and left beef probably COLOUR: it was purple before he lost his sight MUSIC GENRE: would i ever live it down if i said rap or hip hop BOOK GENRE: n/a MOVIE GENRE: enjoys dramas and plays based on myths and fairy tales he grew up with SEASON: autumn CURSE WORD: hell, son of a bitch, dickhead SCENTS: look if it’s not krillin’s demon shoe or fermented tofu then it’s probably Alright in his books

𝙵𝚄𝙽  𝚂𝚃𝚄𝙵𝙵.    

BOTTOM OR TOP: SINGS IN THE SHOWER: he lives in a setting with a communal bathroom nO LIKES PUNS: sometimes, but he will probably react like you’re getting on his last nerve no matter what

[houkagokappa]

Sarazanmai Main PV analysis

Third time’s the charm. With Sarazanmai airing tomorrow I finally want to go through the main PV and give you my thoughts and impressions and observations from it.

The timing hasn’t been too bad since the official English subbed trailer came out yesterday when Crunchyroll announced they would add Sarazanmai to their simulcast for Spring 2019.

I don’t really have any authority to comment on the translation. It’s professionally made and it’s good. There are some translation differences to mine (I never translated the main PV, but they reuse a lot of the phrases I’ve translated in the past). For the most part I’ve been more literal (mainly so that I can retain as much original information as possible, even at the cost of it sounding chunkier).

Japanese is a very contextual language with room for many interpretations, especially when the full context is missing, so seeing differences in the translations are to be expected. The only difference I find eye-catching is the phrase “Suck out the greed” since they clearly use 欲望 desire/lust. Maybe the translator knows something about the upcoming episodes that I don’t? 

The PV starts with the same beautiful gloomy music from the Tsunagaru PV and Kazuki jogging/running in Asakusa. He’s wearing the matching bracelet he shares with Enta around his ankle. We specifically see shots of the red Azuma Bridge as well as Tokyo Skytree and Asahi Beer Hall in the background on the other side of the river. The stage is Asakusa alright.

Then there’s this wild spark in the middle of Kazuki’s melancholic narration about wanting to connect but not being able to.

Pink’s an unusual colour for sparks but plays on Ikuhara’s typical use of colours. It seems to be revealing a grid of some sort. This also feels very Ikuhara, he has a habit of combining the whimsical with the mechanical and technical. Think about the whole “ROCK OVER JAPAN” sequence for example.

The tone shifts, the upbeat ending theme “Stand By Me” by the peggies starts playing and Sara greets us cheerfully. She looks like an idol with her sparkling starry eyes and own TV program. The ア is everywhere. It seems to be used in her show a lot. There’s still no indication what exactly it stands for though.

This screenshot is pretty interesting. The text under “Fortune of today” says “lucky selfie divination”. Is Sara a fortune-teller? Are these her mysterious powers in action? The smaller text says “dish. I can’t see regular people. SARAtto report + Looking for the Prince. Characteristics are [ikevo?] a good smell and fair complexion”. Is that going to be Keppi or the mysterious figure from the last chapter of the manga? Or are they the same?

The focus shifts back to Kazuki. He’s talking about only needing three rules in his life, which could be good or a bad depending what those rules are. Okay let’s face it this is Ikuhara they’ll be bad. 

First he’s on his phone like in the earlier PV’s and then we see him with the kappazon cardboard box in his hands walking among other people. We get a quick glimpse of a weird golden kappa statue that makes the same kind of pose I assume the boys will do when they transform. What looks like a phone strap with Sara’s kappa-like creature swings by. It’s probably Kazuki’s and he’s a fan of Sara. There’s also a not-so-hidden ア that’s just on a tile on the pavement, showing us that they really are everywhere.

Next up we have Tooi. We’re shown a calendar (that I think is hanging on a classroom wall) with an overview of July and August (covering the summer vacation). Is that when Sarazanmai takes place? The illustrations for the calendar are of kappa. One highlights that kappa like/need water in their “sara” plates, the cavities on top of their heads. The other one depicts their love for sumo-wrestling. These are both typical kappa things we know from having studied the lore!

Tooi himself is along the river talking to his older brother Chikai. “Let’s get this over with. You and I aren’t very different”. There’s also one of the funniest reveals yet when we see Tooi’s weapon up close and it turns out to be a ruler. As a final touch there’s another ア to be seen right next to the brothers.

Then we get Enta’s presentation. At first he’s playing soccer by the river and then we see him holding on to the bracelet he shares with Kazuki. The in-between frame shows us a fish shop. What’s remarkable about it is that all the signs on it say “kiss”. Then we get a kappazon.co.jp box that flies away. Enta talks about having a strong bond that can’t be easily broken. Based on what we know it’s safe to assume he’s talking about Kazuki.

Then things get weirder when it’s Keppi’s time to appear on screen. He’s holding on to a cucumber, which is another thing that kappa love. He tells the boys that they’ve been turned into kappa and that they need to get the zombie shirikodama in order to turn back. We see the boys all slimy and gooey in their new kappa forms. Kazuki still has the box, so it might be something that happens during this walk of his that we’ve been seeing the whole time.

This is a very interesting frame. The pictograms behind the kappa boys look like ghosts. Are they supposed to be the boys’ souls or something like that? Or are they actual spirits wandering around? Story wise them being the boys’ makes more sense, but from an artistic viewpoint I think it’s weird to suddenly draw something that’s part of the main characters in the style that’s deliberately simplified and created for background characters. There’s also the “DO NOT ENTER” sign with the otter symbol and a cross over it. Clearly the otter is unwanted, that’s been confirmed by the Reo and Mabu’s keeponly1luv twitter account as well.

The PV continues with its interesting imagery. The next shot is of this circular shape with the words “no start”, “no end” and “no connection” getting revealed. We’ve heard these words before so they’ll be important.  They all tie together, but we’ll have to wait and see just how. It’s possible that they each apply to one of the three boys. Kazuki can’t connect, Enta doesn’t want to let go (end) and Tooi doesn’t want to uhh... get involved and start anything?? I’ll have to think about this more another time, or please send me your theories!

The background isn’t the same as it was for the spark earlier, but it’s the same style. I wonder if it’ll have anything to do with what the cops are up to because they’ll be introduced soon and they were the ones talking about no beginnings or endings.

The PV continues and there’s a small explosion hiding the boys in a cloud of black smoke while they let out a surprised scream.

Then there’s a pling, which I think resembles the sound an elevator makes when it reaches the right floor and opens its doors. The background is a metallic grey so it might as well be where the scene plays out. Reo and Mabu appear with their weird new catchphrase “Suck out the greed” (or desire!) and there’s some mechanical action that starts. Lights get turned on, gauges reach their max and a bunch of signs with the kanji 吸 “suu”, to suck or inhale appears.

I guess this is their machine for sucking out the greed? Or desire. I’ve pointed out the heart in the upper right corner before but it’s worth pointing out again. Earlier I wondered if this machine was somehow alive, but now I’m thinking that it might just stand for “desire”.

This is all controlled by the otters, the next cut shows us otters decals that are peeling. The otters seem to be controlling some circular objects, not unlike the construction we saw light up earlier.

Then there’s the “desire extraction” that covers all of Asakusa. The cops throw their hats. Celebrating their success? In an attempt to be dramatic? You decide.

Next up the opening there “Massara” by KANA-BOON starts playing and we see the three boys striking poses while in their kappa forms. I’m guessing it’s from the actual OP although it might be part of their transformation sequence.

Following this there’s a scene where the otter symbol all over Asakusa (or Sumida where Tokyo Skytree is located) burning red. It definitely looks like a bad infestation. There’s also a spiral with text reaching down from the heavens. The text is the same as we got in the first teaser PV’s and says “CHARGE” and “desire”. As something new there’s also ハコ which is the word for “box” written in katakana. I think this is a reference to the Box Zombie which is supposed to be the first zombie we’ll be introduced to. There are certainly boxes everywhere in the following shots while the zombie seems to have a lust for more cardboard.

Are the otters summoning the zombies? There’s definitely a connection between them.

Then we see Keppi run with a cart (or whatever it’s called) where the kappa boys sit. They seem pretty chill so I wonder if this is after their fight with the zombie? Next up we see one of these legendary shirikodama balls. It’s a ball with the kanji for butt on it. Then the three kappa boys are flying around, apparently connecting through the sarazanmai. They managed to connect in one way at least by holding on to each other’s hands.

I also find this next image interesting, it really plays up the “connection” part of Sarazanmai. We get the ア again and what looks like a mobile signal. It’s a very modern and a very literal interpretation. Ikuhara has mentioned the era of the internet and how easy it is to connect through the use of smartphones and apps several times when he’s talked about the inspirations behind Sarazanmai. Old vs. new has been another topic and this highlights that as well.

After this we see another shot of the Asakusa Sara TV program. The text is the same as previously but this time the image is of a traditionally drawn Japanese woman. Is this where the “old” is brought in?

Then this is another one of my favourite shots! It’s the Niimi Yoshokkiten kitchenware department store, that’s also the building where Reo and Mabu’s “Asakusa Sara Kouban” is located. Their police box/station is the red structure at the bottom of the building and I think we can see their silhouettes inside of it. What I really love about this image though is the otter that’s next to the giant chefs head on top. To be clear, the chef’s head is actually there in real life actual Asakusa while the otter is something the anime added there. I think this highlights the fact that Reo and Mabu are working under the otter (literally! - pun not intended).

The signs on the building are a bit difficult to decipher, but I see ウソ a lot which means lie. There’s also something about the world and food/eating? The text on the top that says “kawau” is probably in reference to “kawauso” which means otter.

As a side note I want to point out that the second teaser PV that featured the otter symbol had a narration about lies and otters. Could it be about Reo and Mabu? Who’s the one with the strong desire…

Right after that split second image we get this one. That’s an otter! Clearly controlling/ordering all the other otters around! Mabu makes a comment that someone tries to get in their way, which we can assume will be the three boys. Are they confirmed villains now? I feel like a lot of people aren’t buying it. With Ikuhara first impressions are often deceiving and characters can have good reasons for their seemingly horrible actions, so I wouldn’t count in it.

Next Asakusa Sara TV reports on flying boxes. The text that is show on screen is absolutely horrible to read and full with silly puns on Sara’s name and her using “dish” instead of “desu”. It’s cute as long as you don’t have to translate it yourself. The time here is 19:00 which makes me think that this PV covers the entire first episode and will end here with this (it was 7:55 at the start).

Reo and Mabu have their little quasi villain speech and then Keppi talks to the boys and says “you’re as dead as you are alive”. Does this have to do with the “turning into kappa” process and the “ghosts” I mentioned earlier? Are the boys’ actually half-alive, half-dead? Isn’t that what zombies are? Suddenly things are starting to make more sense!

There’s quite a lot going on visually. Keppi’s eyes look terrifying. They’re large, read, black and purple. He seems to clapping, so I’m guessing this happens after the boys have dealt with the zombie successfully. One of the ア signs falls down and is heavy enough to break the pavement. There’s a close-up of Kazuki’s face where he looks kind of frightened and surprised and then in classic Ikuhara fashion there’s a shot of hands trying to hold on to each other but not being able to do so. However, unlike in his previous works there are now three of them. It’s most likely for the three boys, although it could also be one boy using both of his hands.

Then there’s text on the screen that says “even if you connect”. Tooi fills in that he “won’t let you have it”, Enta says that he “doesn’t ask for anything else” while Kazuki “can’t bear to lose his connection”. Tooi’s just angsting in front of the lockers, Enta’s shown where he was practising football, but what’s interesting is that he has a kappazon box right next to him. It looks like the one Kazuki was carrying. Could it be the same? Could it have been for him? Kazuki’s chilling somewhere (at home?) out of frame with his phone in his hands. He has the Sara strap on it and a tiny otter icon appears on the screen.

Then the most mysterious thing in the PV happens with all these ア signs flying around and uhh... through Kazuki? The pink things look a little bit like buildings, are they perhaps reflections? The sparkles and the rainbow give this image the impression there’s something reflective. I really don’t have that much else to say although I’d love to be able to do so.

The PV ends with the three boys appearing as kappa yelling “sara” and “sarazanmai”. The final shot shows us the iconic look over Asakusa and Sumida with the tagline “Don’t let go. Desire is your life.” The ア’s are everywhere.

[haunting-kind-of-high]

Deadly Sins as Sides AU

A few weeks ago, I had a thought about how the seven deadly sins would act as dark sides. And after ages and ages of research (I'm not kidding you I spent so much time on this it's insane), here we have it! It's not fully complete, as I couldn't think of everything perfectly, but there are ideas (: 

I might continue this, but that depends on my ideas for it

(Also note: I haven't double checked every link or just everything in general, so there might be a few mistakes or weird things but just… go with it)

Tag list: @imin-loveanon, @musicphanpie-b, @mikey-girl12

Pride

Of course, most of us know him as dark!Roman

Which is cool

It would still work

But for this AU I’m gonna assume he’s his own side just because it’s convenient

The fanon outfit people have made for him would still work

With a black shirt and I think golden sash

He is a prince, because that can easily be linked to pride

Though maybe a king would fit him better?

Cause obviously he is better than anyone else

So he’s got to be the king

Arrogant motherfucker

He also embodies vanity, so vain as fuck

Narcissist

Thinks he is better than the rest and acts like it

Clashes a lot with the other sides because he’s always fife thousand times more important than any of them combined

He only looks at what is best for him and doesn’t think past that

No one likes the guy

You don’t want to upset him though

He’s one of the worst of the dark sides

You want to be on his good side cause he is not scared to hurt you

His name could be Belial, or something similar, from the demon of arrogance and pride, Belial

He could be considered the leader of the dark sides, as Belial is mentioned as the leader of the Sons of Darkness, on one of the Dead Sea Scrolls

So there is the role of king again

Also, Dante believed all other sins were derived from pride, so that matches up with Pride being the leader too

Belial is also described as Prince of Darkness, or King of Evil, which would fit with a royal outfit pretty well

I also saw a site which named Lucifer as a demon for Pride which intrigued me a lot and offers a lot of perspective

Even more interesting would be Roman turning into Pride, which would make for a lot of opportunities to refer to the Lucifer story and use symbolism

Might get into that later, this is not the post for that

Yeah I really like the name Lucifer for him, though Belial is also fancy idk

His room probably has a bunch of mirrors

And one of those desks with a mirror where you can do your make-up and stuff, I forgot the word for it

Is it a vanity?

I also thought of this picture and felt like it belonged here. Though idk what to do with it.

Lots of violet details, as that colour seems to symbolise pride

Greed

All he wants in life is for Thomas to get rich, really

So obviously he supports this whole YouTube thing because that can get them a lot of money

He isn’t really a harmful dude

Less harmful than most of the dark sides

Chaotic neutral, probably

He just wants what he wants and it doesn’t matter what it takes to achieve it

He sides with anyone, as long as it benefits him

The demon associated with greed is Mammon

So his name could be either based on that, or it could be Midas

Random sidenote: the list I’m using for this, calls these demons the Princes of Hell, which is pretty fun

But back to the point

He can get along with most of the sides pretty well, though he stays away from Wrath and Pride if he can 

His outfit consists of a black blazer with a pattern of golden roses (referring to the myth of King Midas), a necklace with a pendant of a silver pipe (reference to a Native American legend about greed), a white shirt (the black and white being another reference to King Midas), and black trousers

Lots of gold and silver stuff in his room as well 

I picture his room would be similar to a vault or something

With lots of valuables

Probably every price Thomas has won too

Not because he values them so much emotionally, but because they are worth quite a lot

I can’t find the post any more, but I once saw this theory of there being exactly one (1) dollar in the mindscape

Greed definitely created the dollar

He’s upset it was stolen from him

So he made a lot of dollars which he hid from the others

They’re his dollars your heathens

Lust (a big thank you to @purple-plaid-patches for helping me out with this dude’s outfit!)

Depicts all and any kind of lust

Demon of Lust is called Asmodeus

There are so many stories about lust yet I can’t find a single one that has a personification of Lust, that is homophobia

I read that the snake symbolises lust

So I picture Deceit and Lust would get along pretty well

He also likes it when the other sides get in trouble because it’s fun

Especially if Pride and Wrath are the angry ones

A hint of sadist

But Patton dulls out most of his influence, being Morality and enjoying people being in pain is b a d

Patton’s influence slips sometimes tho

Like when Thomas is watching those home video things and people slip or get hurt in another way

Cause let’s be real

That’s kinda funny

Notorious invader of personal space

It’s funny to see how the others get uncomfortable when he does it

Likes making people uncomfortable in general

Not a fun dude to be around

He’s not as dangerous as Pride or Wrath though

He is just very annoying and is almost guaranteed to make you uncomfortable

He likes to watch people get hurt but it’s so much effort to do it himself

So he’s not a huge threat to your safety

Just to your personal space

His outfit is great, thanks to @purple-plaid-patches

It’s a crop top, dark blue with gold accents

This skirt but dark blue

These things but in gold

Choker but with like… sapphires

Also this anklet

I honestly don’t know what to do with his room so go crazy on that

His name could be Phillip

Cause I found this Native American legend about a woman gaining an obsession with horses (I mean… this was in the category for lust so I’m using this)

And Phillip means horse

Might be a little far-fetched, but I searched so long for symbolism and this is the closest I could get why couldn’t I find more personifications or symbols of Lust 

Envy

He often works with Pride on stuff because they both want Thomas to be as famous and successful as he can be obviously

Greed as well, probably

Looks at the achievements of others and gets jealous of everything they possess, everything they have achieved

So he works together with the other sides to try and top those others

Actually, now that I think of it, he would probably work together with most of the sides if it benefits him

He is also pretty close to Deceit

Because envy often leads people to deceive another in one way or another

Think of Iago in Othello

If Deceit and Envy would ever fuse, they would form an Iago istg

(Shit could you imagine tho? That would be so cool)

Like most of the dark sides, he doesn’t really care about the overall picture, he just really wants to do what makes him happiest

His basic outfit is a simple green shirt and jeans

But he changes his outfit all the time, depending on what he desires most at that time so no one really knows his actual outfit

His room is cold and dark, much like Envy’s home in Ovid’s Metamorphoses

It’s not very pretty

His name is Levi, from Leviathan, the demon of envy

I also like his name being similar to Aglauros somehow, because in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a girl named Aglauros is corrupted by Envy, but I don’t know a name that could fit

Gluttony

For this, I am using this quote I found from Thomas Aquinas

“Gluttony denotes, not any desire of eating and drinking, but an inordinate desire...leaving the order of reason, wherein the good of moral virtue consists.”

I assume that the ‘…’ implies a bit if left out, but for some reason I can’t find the full quote, so I’m not totally sure

But from what I read here, is that Gluttony basically encompasses everything

This site described it as excessive materialism, which is a pretty good explanation I guess

So basically he wants Thomas to get everything in existence

“Oh look at that! You should buy this thing because you might be able to use it one time and then forget about it! And even if you can't use it, you will have it.”

Greed probably likes him, even though Greed is more about having things just to have it and never use them, while Gluttony wants things to use them

But they both want things

He secretly loves Patton’s room because he holds on to pretty much everything, and Gluttony loves going through those old things

But he will never admit it

Loves his foods

He’s the voice in Thomas’ head telling him eat pizza all the time

Logan has a hard time countering him sometimes

At the same time, he also wants Thomas to try all kinds of different food because he needs to taste it all

Very confusing side

Demon of gluttony is Beelzebub

There’s a fun fact for y’all

I was going to suggest Logan for a name because of Wolverine (the Dutch name for a wolverine is pretty close to what you’d call a glutton and I liked the idea)

But then I realised that there already is a Logan

But James could work too

His room would probably have a lot of storage space

Cupboards, shelves, closets

that's all I've got, can't think of anything else

His outfit is an oversized shirt (orange, cause that stands for gluttony) with grey sweatpants

Wrath (warning for mention of dismemberment, in the final bullet point)

Most dangerous of the sides

Obviously, he’s a hot-tempered guy

Gets very upset very quickly

His influence on Thomas is mostly dulled by other sides, though

Especially Patton, who handles most of the emotions anyways

Doesn’t mean the guy doesn’t get very upset

If you thought Pride was bad, oh boy, Wrath is worse

You really don’t want to upset him either

Very vengeful

Satan is often depicted as the demon of Wrath so there’s a connection

I feel like he would be the most violent of all the sides

Probably has a bunch of weapons himself

The other sides stay away from him if they can

His outfit is an all-black ensemble with a dark red cape

I don’t know why but I feel like he would be extra enough to have a fucking cape

It’s like one of those capes with a high collar that are Extratm and slightly creepy because only villains appear to be wearing them

His name is Elliot, after one of the Batman villains called Wrath

In reference to his name, his room would look like a stereotypical villain lair

Lots of dark

Dark walls, dark furniture

It’s just a place where he can escape to

Sorta like a dungeon

I also like the idea of there being a lot of silver details idk why

It’s a pretty creepy place and no one ever goes in unless they have a very good reason to

When thinking about this, I immediately pictured him having a throne, I don’t know why

But he definitely has a throne

It’s decorated with black roses, spiralling up from the legs all the way to the top (they have lots of thorns obviously)

Also across the arm rests and stuff

I also read that the punishment for wrath (I am assuming it is in Dante's Inferno, but the site didn’t specify) is constant dismemberment, so I like the idea of him just… cutting of a hand or foot if someone irritates him?

Cause that’s pretty ironic

Sloth

Obviously, he is the laziest side

Just wants to sleep constantly

He doesn’t understand the point of trying to achieve big goals when you can just fucking sleep

Most of the dark sides don’t understand him

A true chaotic neutral

He is chaotic, both in the literal sense and the sense of the alignment chart

The demon of sloth is Belphegor

His name could be Roderick, which is incredibly fancy for a side like him but

Hear me out, I like my reasoning

Machiavelli wrote a novella called Belfagor, about (you guessed it) Belphegor

He was sent to Earth for some mission and used Roderigo as a name when posing as a human

So yeah

Roderick

His name could also be Rick tho

Maybe his name is Roderick but he hates it so everyone calls him Rick

If that were the case, he would constantly make Never Gonna Give You Up jokes

Wrath got so sick of it that he threatened to kill Sloth over it, so now he makes sure Wrath is nowhere near before making the joke

Lust secretly wants to tell Wrath about it every time Sloth makes a joke like that again, because he’d like to see Sloth getting in trouble

His outfit is a light blue pyjama with little sheep on it, you know the one (because light blue symbolises sloth)

He also has a necklace with a goat he always wears (also a symbol for sloth)

His room is a mess cause he never bothers to clean it

It’s just Thomas’ room but

A million times messier

Also the reason that Thomas keeps procrastinating things, because “why do it when you can just sleep and… not do it?”

In Dante’s Inferno, the punishment for sloth is a snake pit

So where Envy gets along with Deceit pretty well, Sloth can’t stand being around Deceit

He just makes him very uncomfortable 

 Deceit

@musicphanpie-b showed me this site

The important thing here is “Of course, the seven deadly sins cover mostly MOTIVATIONS to do things. If you were not compelled by anger, greed, arrogance, lust, envy, gluttony or laziness, there wouldn't be much to make you deceive someone.”

So basically, he works together with the other dark sides

He manipulates them into getting to do what he wants

He knows what the other sides value the most, so obviously, he abuses this knowledge

Sneaky snake 

[petty-crush]

“No Small Affair”

-an odd, wonderful, joyous teen comedy that resonates quite well, even over patches of sparseness

-it lingers in the mind due to the strong direction and especially the magnificent, tender cinematography

-no surprise, as the main character is a photographer, and there is a warm blanket of nostalgia by both the writer, director, and cinematographer

-I actually really really enjoyed Jon cryer’s acting here, he plays a earnest vulnerability surrounded by a wall of faux cynical protection

-nice bit with all the frame with a frame as cryer’s character tries to photograph moments of empty space and animals, +he wearily notes how he cannot stand humans

-I can’t tell if his character’s voice over narration was part of the original intent, or a boardroom note. +It comes off as unintentionally clumsy in the first twenty minutes or so (as does the music)

-I laugh as I see cryer’s father figure(really step father) is played by Jeffry tambour. He really filled in that niche early, didn’t he?

-funny bit where cryer talks to his mom about his brother bringing home another fiancé, which leads them to argue about whether or not he is just saying that so he can sleep with them with impunity

-great visual moment where Cryer notices that he accidentally did snap a shot of a human and, more shockingly, he likes her. +He then proceeds to blow up several photos of her, assembling them in his wall like a giant jigsaw piece

-the mysterious woman is played by Demi Moore, who handles the role with good cheer

-I must stress that cryer’s character is 16, and combined with his numbness to his family (and those feelings coming out obtusely) this makes clear why cryer does certain acts but does not condone them

-Tim Robbins plays a wanna be punk dork, and he has his moments

-cryer is getting TV eyed by this nerdy girl who loves arcade games with coke sized glasses, and her thirst is palpable

-personally I think this girl is way more of a catch than Demi moore’s character, but there is no accounting for taste

-the fact that she’s played by Jennifer Tilly at the dawn of her jaw dropping beauty and attitude doesn’t hurt

-ok, now cryer’s brother and his fiancé is revealed and she is played by Elizabeth Daily (“Dottie” from pee wee, the singer of the title song of “Better Off Dead”) +this director has an eye for interesting and stunning women

-Demi Moore is finally found, and she is a singer in a band, reminding me of that early tori amos album where she did all that hair metal/“material girl” stuff that just didn’t suit her

-cryer’s brother is a tall glass of knucklehead with a thin layer of good hearted slobbering dog

-cryer’s awkwardness is like a beacon in the night

-there is an odd subtext of cryer’s character being a minor wandering in strange lands he shouldn’t

-the next day he goes back to the bar and overhears Moore arguing with her guitarists; perplexing moment where the guitarist says he is too old at 28 for bands and if he doesn’t make it young, he’s out the game (I call chickenshit)

-Moore goes to the aquarium to see a tumor fish to calm down

-cryer ingratiates himself to Moore in a bewildering way

-cryer’s brother has a bachelor party where they all buy him an escort; leading him to drolly note “there’s only one room in this apartment; where we gonna do it?”

-so cryer takes a under aged drink (first of many) and suggests they go see Moore sing

-the escort is touched by this tells cryer he can have her

-cryer’s blushing is a thing of beauty

-this is definitely a 70’s vibe where pretty much anything goes,

-cryer is too shy but meekly asks for a hug; the escorts laugh and adds “now that is a first”

- cryer’s mom catches them (they hilariously share a pillow to cover themselves-although cryer is still wearing underwear) and the escort excuses herself + kids in the 80’s got away with everything

-cryer boyishly finds Moore again and tries to connect more

-I don’t believe for a second Moore finds anything of loving value in cryer, but I do believe she loves the attention-the desire to be loved as a icon; in turn he can only appreciate her on a surface level + this disconnected relationship gives the film a unique emotional registry

-Moore follows cryer to school and wants to be photographed again, shocking his classmates

-again, cryer ignores the cauldron of lust that is Jennifer Tilly’s arcade girl, and I just gotta wonder why

-what is tambour even talking about with being a dope smoking kid who grew up? I find this a pretty accurate summation of a certain group of people who can’t accept they aren’t hip anymore. Pretty funny

-I also laugh at the fact the owner of the bar Moore plays at is acted by George Wendt, who did a pretty gotdamn similar role in TV. +I guess bar crawls are a mixed media thing

-this 80’s montage is one of the very, very best I have seen; the great cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmund is texturing every shot in this film with outstanding lighting and angles + it parts the oceans to let the synth music land like a ufo

-funny spot where cryer is trying to take moore’s picture, but a couple asks for a photo of them, so in one long double speed shot cryer runs around and takes twenty shots of them +kinda reminds me of “A Clockwork Orange” or “Benny Hill”

-in one of the best sequences of the whole film, cryer and moore crash a wedding for free food and drink; while she’s in the bathroom cryer is accosted by the father who demands money +his sputtering is a joy to behold

-cryer gets Moore to sing, and she totally slows down his style to do a cover of a old standard, essentially turning into a 80’s Norah jones

-this is where the film really gets cooking, this pause and abstraction shows that even with the robo music, there was a artistic bent to directors in 80’s films if they had the courage to pursue it

-this is definitely one of the most 80’s films I have ever seen; I mean that as a compliment

-in that it is a series of escapades, very loosely connected, but also surprising and varied

-in a move wholly surprising and seemingly out of a young banksy, cryer takes all his money (six grand) and has his photos of her plastered on every cab in the Bay Area

-this leads to my favorite line in the film “I’ve learned that you may be disappointed by people’s humanity, but never by their greed”

-Moore is getting all kinds of sketchy calls, realizes what happens, then freaks out and finds cryer at French class

-the French teaching is both irked and delighted at being told to fuck off in French

-cryer’s reasoning is so perfectly adolescent, and so starkly sad in his inability to differentiate true feelings and obsessions

-so after they part he goes to drink himself to death

-Moore is talked back into singing at her old bar (people are waiting around the block to see her) and she stuns then with her throaty renditions of older songs, perhaps proving people don’t want a new drug, just one in a newer suit

-I’d call bullshit but every five years some other sparkling turd carries on the baton + thus proving “same as it ever was”

-cryer has a trash bag apparel, to die like the garbage he feels he is

-thank gawd “Dottie” is here to take slobbering dog brother to find him, and then slobber bro breaks his foot on the bike

-funny jump cut to said foot

-as cryer finds out that Moore “loves” him he goes back to her apartment (which I neglected to mention is bohemian to the extreme) where she tells him thank you, and now she must go to Los Angeles

-cryer comes off as rather small here for selfishly wanting her, but, again, he is sixteen and has no healthy emotional support

-this clearly didn’t blip as a problem at the time, but now moore’s young twenties character is clearly doing statutory assault

-but I guess it’s love (or something approaching it) so sure why not

-ok, funniest moment of the film, where cryer (in bed next to Moore) calls his mom(in bed next to tambour) and says he won’t be coming home tonight +tambour says to say goodnight and then takes the phone and says “good job, son”

-like he knew without ever seeing it; he just had a hunch

-this is the first time I’ve ever seen a couple naked in bed calling another (let alone older) couple naked in bed + usually it’s a lawyer or some shit

-a long lingering look at each other in a airport, then off forever

-why am I getting recollection of “la la land”?

-so this airport has a arcade

-cryer remembers his brother saying that “love only happens once, but sex washes off” (source?)

-so, finally, (and with one more montage to establish all her past horniness) cryer goes to Tilly’s arcade girl to see if he can gobble her ms pac man fruit

-this is a very kitsch, offbeat teen humored film that is a series of escapades; there is a weird alternatively randy and sentimental vibe that permeates it; it’s also a blast and I can’t recommend it enough