#I play these games in Japanese first but I noticed that there’s an English dub complete with lipsync ala Like A Dragon

[catboygirljoker]

some observations from going down a rabbit hole of japanese language xigbar yesterday

(apologies for the youtube watermarks. i got this clip from this video.)

[Video ID: a fifteen-second clip from a cutscene from kingdom hearts 3D: dream drop distance, with japanese audio and english-language visuals. it's the scene where xigbar tells sora that he's not going to wake up. end ID.]

keep in mind that this clip is just the japanese audio being played over the visuals from the english language release. the subtitles aren't a direct or literal translation of the words being spoken; they correspond to the localized dialogue that the english voice actors wouldve been given

hōchū ōtsuka (xigbar's japanese va) and james patrick stewart (his english va) give, to my ears, pretty similar vocal performances. this is the case for pretty much all of the characters ive seen so far in my xigbar-centric explorations (roxas's vas sound nearly IDENTICAL). the notable exception being xemnas, whose japanese va straight up sounds like he's trying to talk without moving his mouth

in the english dub cutscenes, the character animations often feel...floaty? disconnected? like, because they're not synced up to what the characters are saying and how, their gestures frequently seem random and unmotivated. in retrospect it's obvious that this issue wouldnt be present in the original language because that's the dialogue they would've been animated around in the first place!

now that im actually watching the character animation with the dialogue it was actually done for, i appreciate it a lot more. its so expressive. smiles.

at the end of xigbar's speech here you may notice him saying the phrase "tte hanashi." this is his japanese catchphrase! it means something along the lines of "so they say", "or so I've heard", et cetera. i love "as if" im a big fan of "as if" but i also love the idea of xigbar consistently undermining the information he gives and emphasizing how often he eavesdrops and spies on people.

he says "tte hanashi" very very often. multiple times in most of his scenes that ive seen so far. way more often than the english dub says "as if"

he doesn't say it normal like im pretty sure that's not how you say it in normal speech. like sometimes he does say it normal, but he always draws it out at least a little and often really draws it out, emphasizing it with some kind of gesture, like he does in the clip

seriously if there's a moment in the games where xigbar says something while doing a cunty little gesture he is probably saying "tte hanashi" in the japanese version

this is my new vocal stim. i can't stop saying it

[bravelyartbooking]

little known bravely default series facts

I noticed a couple of comments about the Bravely Series on Twitter last night that made me realize some folks didn't know some of what I consider common knowledge of the series (like why the ba'al theme wasn't on the Bravely Default soundtrack).

Contains spoilers for all three games. Also this got longer than I thought, thanks in advance if you make it to the end and find something you didn't know! I'm sure most of this seems obvious to long timefans.

Here is a compilation of what I know that may or may not be common knowledge to newcomers?

I had to split this into three parts because of Tumblr's character limit and I'm honestly too tired to fix the numbering. A much more readable version can be found on Google Docs here.

First part:

The version of Bravely Default that was received in the West is the second version of the original Bravely Default game, released in Japan in Dec 2013. This version, called "Bravely Default: For the Sequel" came with a massive (80ish) amount of improvements based on player feedback, such as: additional sidequests for the Asterisk Holders in later parts of the game, difficulty and encounter settings sliders, battle speed, redrawing the cities, and the Bravely Second mechanic itself.

This means some tie-ins to Bravely Second didn't exist with the first version - the Adventurer being green when you first encounter her, the end AR movie with Magnolia, the Ba'als and their theme. All this was added later.

The Japanese version does include different languages, including English, so if you can't understand Japanese you can still easily play this version of the game on a hacked or Japanese 3DS!

The first release in Oct 2012 was called "Bravely Default: Flying Fairy" and a lot of JP folks still use BDFF to refer to it.

While BDFTS and BD: Where the Fairy Flies (the Western release) are functionally identical, some changes between JP and West include but are not limited to:

Costumes were censored (such as the Vampire having a bodysuit under the belts and the Bravo Bikini)

The ages of Agnes, Tiz, Edea, Alternis and the Venus sisters was bumped up 3 years in their journal entries (or anyone whose age is written out instead of written as numerals).

Japan had merchandise that had codes for the extra costumes. The extra costumes made it into the Western version of the released game for in-game currency with the exception of Tiz's Dimensional Officer, Edea's Military Cadet, Agnes's Bravo Bunny, and Ringabel's Wakoku Warrior.

You can summon friends from Japanese versions and those costumes will be visible EXCEPT the Bravo Bunny is censored (the cut-out is covered) and Wakoku Warrior is replaced with Freelancer.

These codes expired after like 2 years.

There are 4 novels called "Pocketbook of R" (2 books) and "Pocketbook of R Second" (2 books). I'm including all the translation information I currently have.

Pocketbook of R is a first person journal from Ringabel in what is commonly dubbed "Infinity World" between the events of Bravely Default and Bravely Second.

Ellen translated the first book here (note that she did largely 'summary' translations as she hated the writing in the novel).

Bill translated most of the second book (page 70+) here. (Bill's native language is French and while I did some proofreading, there may be some clunkiness of translating from a third language into a fourth.)

Ellen started translating the third book here. This and the fourth book take place at the same time as Second, for the most part.

No solid English translations of the fourth book currently exist though I know the gist of it thanks to an older Tumblr fan who gave me the rundown. I'm sure RNT will make a video.

Second Part:

There are an additional 2 novels that are based on two of the spinoff games.

One is "Bravely Default - 200 years later" based on Praying Brage that was released in the Japanese Bravely Second collector's edition ONLY.

One is "Bravely Default Fairy's Effect - Rinne's Miracle" based on Fairy's Effect that was released as a standalone novel.

Very little information has been released about both. One day we'll have a summary/translation.

There are (currently) 4 spinoff games, all currently shut down.

Praying Brage (Nov 2012 - Apr 2017) was a browser game and was based on the premise of Edea going 200 years into the future to save Agnes. RedNovaTyrant has a great video on it here!

Bravely Archive: D's Report (Jan 2015 - Oct 2017) was a mobile game that centered around an alternate/future Luxendarc with crystal memories and a new main character who is revealed to be Deneb

It released in Australia for about 6 months in 2018

Bravely Archive Fairy's Effect (Mar 2017 - Aug 2020) was a mobile game released after Bravely Second that took place simultaneously 8000 years in the future and between the events of Bravely Default 1 and Bravely Second. There's a lot of lore for both games in FE that can be seen in various videos on the internet (such as info on the Kaiser/Glanz Empire and Agnes's transition into Pope, Ominas having a role in saving Mahzer and the newborn Edea from Eternia during Braev's coup), but Bill translated some of the remaining website summary here.

Bravely Default Brilliant Lights (Jan 2022 - Feb 2023) was a crossover mobile game in a new world that combined Luxendarc and Excillant characters and setting. It lasted 13 months and I archived as much video as I could on Youtube but as of now, first person "reports" can be found here that summarize each board of each story.

It explains why "First Born" Ba'al was a thing in Bravely Second.

An 'offline' version was released but pulled from the app stores in July 2023.

There are 2 audio dramas for the first game!

First one is called "Festival of Reunion" and a translation of all four tracks can be found here.

Second one is called something like "Bracelets of Eternity" and so far no English translation seems to exist (though I know the gist of the first track).

The Ba'al theme was released with the first audio drama.

There's a Luxendarc / Linked Horizons concert that took place in Japan in 2013, you can find video of it on Youtube and Amazon Prime Video, and they released music CDs specific to it.

Square released an X-mas Collections Music CD that has wintery remixes of some of the Bravely Default music.

There is a Bravely Default 4 volume manga that's a retelling of the first game. Red made a video about it here. You can find scans online and most of the translations were done by Ellen.

There is also a manga anthology that serves to tie together Bravely Default and Bravely Second (released around the same time as Second, if not earlier). Red also made a video about it here. Ellen scanslated the third story in the anthology, I reuploaded it here after her imgur account got nuked.

Bravely Second was changed between the JP and Western releases based on feedback from Japanese players:

Sidequests were streamlined so that players could get a "good ending" based on their decision even if they chose the opposite Asterisk after the time reset

The Black Mage/ Ranger sidequest had its endings completely rewritten, as the Japanese version ends with either Bahamut being eaten or the wounded NPC dying depending on who you sided with.

Some costumes that were DLC were added to be bought with in-game currency (same as Default)

Fort Lune was made more easily available instead of being locked behind a SE Member account (along with some other things like costumes).

Some of the writing was tweaked as there were complaints about the memey/modern references/references to other media like Dragonball.

Aimee/Hawkeye costume was changed (there was also minor censoring of other costumes, like adding a bra to Ranger for Magnolia).

The fox companion was moved to different locations instead of sitting next to the Adventurer, lessening some complaints of "mood whiplash" between tent scenes and serious story events.

Some JP preorder-exclusive weapons were excluded (as far as I can tell, some weapons were just very hard to get).

The controversial apology for Bravely Second was in regard to the large amount of negative feedback the team received from the JP fans in regard to Second (though some Western fans also had a lot of negative things to say, it was largely only because of the costume censorship to the point at least one mod was released).

Third Part:

Magnolia and Pope!Agnes had large plushie prototypes made of them that were never released.

There's an official MMD figure of Agnes from Second.

2 types of large Edea plushies were released, one with closed eyes and one with open eyes.

Only 200 of the open-eyed Edeas were made/released but now there apparently there's only 199 in existence because I tried to buy one and the seller told me she was damaged in by a wild animal getting into the warehouse, rip Edea...

Large plushies were released of Edea, Ringabel, Agnes, and Tiz based on their Default appearance. Tiz's plush had an unfortunate hair style in the prototype that they changed in the final version. Images of this bowl cut have been lost forever.

Gloria got a smaller plushie that's in the JP SE Store.

A set of even smaller Default 1 cast plushies, among other things, are in the 10th anniversary set.

The European Collector's Edition of Bravely Default Where the Fairy Flies included this unfortunate figure of Agnes.

The Bravely Second artbook has three versions:

Original Japanese version, scans of it exist online

Bravely Second (Western) collectors edition version, which removed several images - sketches/concept art of Agnes tied up in the ribbon and a couple of images of Geist as well. This version had translated captions but any text on the images was not translated.

The fully English translated version which also restores the images removed from the CE.

Sales data has indicated that the Bravely Series reached 3 mil in Nov 2021. No word on 4 mil or 5 mil, but maybe we'll find out this year?

Bravely Default 1 (all versions) hit 1 million in July 2014 (21 months from initial BDFF release)

Bravely Second (all versions) hit 700k in April 2017 (2 years from BSEL release)

Bravely Default II (all versions) hit 1 mil in Dec 2021 (10 months from BDII release)

So much JP only merch was released through the years, especially in the years before Second.

Some through the SE Cafe collab with BDII

Some through Artnia (here's Default and Second's collabs)

10th anniversary stores with Hakabanogarou in person and online (now closed)

10th anniversary collab with Super Groupies for watches, Agnes's pendant, a stole with Airy's pendant.

Stuff on the SE JP store

Limited edition rubber stamp sets for Default and Second

Linked Horizon branded BD merch was released with the concert like pins.

Magnolia figure.

Official D's Journal

The messaging Line app released Bravely Default/Bravely Second stickers drawn by a fanartist made official artist named Satokivi! I think they were like 3 dollars per set.

She also drew the mini series of 4koma called "Praying for Miko" for Praying Brage

Physical versions of these stickers are on the JP SE Store.

There's a vinyl record

Pop-up Parade figurines of the main four were released in 2023 for the 10th anniversary of Bravely Default.

Bravely Default II had two demos, the first one specifically made difficult to get feedback from the fans. They implemented some feedback to change the final version of the game (but not everything). This was the first time they have asked for feedback from the West instead of just Japan.

Team Asano has released Lunar New Year art every year except 2016 with Bravely characters and the zodiac animal

They do Christmas cards every year, and it seems that this year they included a special card for a special fan with an extra character in the dragon art. If you know you know.

The woman on the cover of Bravely Default II isn't Gloria.

Bravely Default II has several secrets in the names of Chapter 5, 6, and 7. Spoilers for BDII below:

Twin AGES refers to both the first initials of the known Heroes of Light (Adelle/Gloria/Elvis/Seth and Aileen/Godric/Emma/Sloan) as well as the repetition across the two eras of Heroes. Also, you’ll notice that the initials are shared between the folks who inherited the same blessing from the crystal (assuming Emma got the Earth Crystal and Godric the Water Crystal). This is most noticeable in the final fight against the Night’s Nexus when the spirit of the old Hero of Light is standing behind the new to help them. - Adelle/Aileen - Gloria/Godric - Elvis/Emma - Seth/Sloan

Twin CAGES refers to the ‘cage’ that Adelle locks herself into, and the ‘cage’ that Elvis is forced into without her

Twin PAGES references back to the twin eras of the known Heroes of Light, but now with the Player - whose help is needed for the cycle to end. This is why “P” is the last letter to fade in the ending credits when the player is thanked.

I'm sure there's a lot more I'm forgetting, and this isn't even including the Bravely Default original concepts that were revealed in a booklet in the 10th anniversary exhibitions.

If you made it to the end, I applaud you, and I hope there was at least one or two things you didn't know!

Also one day I'll finish the video on the English fan survey.

[room-surprise]

Dungeon Meshi Season 1 EP 5 review

Episode 5 of the anime came out and we got to see Kabru!!! My boy Kabru!!! Oh right there was other stuff after the first five minutes.

KABRU THOUGH!!!

I don't actually have a lot to say about this episode. I thought it was competent, although as always characters standing around and talking, or doing simple tasks like eating, are just not Trigger's strong point.

Has anybody deciphered the language that Kui is using in the backgrounds? SO HAPPY that her glyphs are here now, instead of the Japanese in the first episode. I've tried to figure out what they are, but I'm honestly stumped. Seems like a combination of Norse runes, Greek letters, Cuneiform and Sanskrit...

Was NOT a fan of the way they overdid Kabru scaring Mikbell. It's really not a joke that's even that funny, so I think the lighting change and drama of it was really overselling it. Would have been much better if it was like in the manga, some childish, light-hearted ribbing between friends while they get ready to leave.

Although it was VERY VERY funny, I was also not a fan of the youtube-poop-esque zoom out on Marcille when she sees the treasure bugs. Like Laios' galaxy brain moment, comedic edits like this remind me that I'm watching a TV show, instead of allowing me to be immersed in the historical fantasy world. If I wanted modern jokes I'd be watching an Isekai where the characters are in a video game, not Dungeon Meshi.

I think they could have gotten an equally good laugh just from doing a simple zoom out.

I love the way they're depicting Laios. You can clearly see all the red flags his friends are picking up on and how he might be scary to others, but he's also very sympathetic and sweet.

All the Japanese VA's are doing a great job. I liked Kabru's Japanese voice a little better than his English voice just because I think he did a better job capturing Kabru's dual nature - he started out very sweet and cute, and then dropped his timbre noticeably once he was no longer sweet-talking someone. The English voice actor meanwhile felt like their voice basically stayed the same the entire episode.

THE DUB

This is still the better way to watch the show, the subtitles are SO lacking that they make the story harder to follow. The dub script, meanwhile, does a much better job. I wonder if there's a way to watch it with Japanese audio and the English dub subtitles?

BangZoom continues to make interesting casting decisions that make me VERY curious to see how they're going to handle the elves when they finally arrive.

Kabru, Daya and Kuro are all voiced by black voice actors! Rin's voice actress is Asian American, and Namari's voice actress is nonbinary. They all sound fantastic and I'm excited to hear them develop their characters as the series progresses.

Obviously Kabru isn't black, he's Indian, but Zon also isn't black, so I appreciate casting people of color to play characters of color (?) or at least, characters that are minorities? It feels like that's what they're trying to do.

ON THE OTHER HAND, Daya is very much not a minority or a character of color... I suppose that would be a case of race-blind casting? Which is also a good practice, getting new, underutilized talent into the industry... But obviously not a part of the previous point. Regardless, she sounds great.

Again, REALLY wonder how this will influence their casting decisions with the elves. Wonder if any of this was done with instruction from Trigger or Kui, or if it's 100% BangZoom operating on their own.

[theultimatemercenary69]

Sonic and Infinite are so fucking GRAUGHHHHHHHH I want. To study them in a lab. I don’t know how to convey the emotions I feel for this dog and hedgehog so please bare with me

Before I start my bs I just wanted to say this post actually goes out to @neurotypical-sonic and uh @beloved-user (and maybe a few other people but those were the only 2 that I saw had said anything at the time of writing this) because they wanted to see this content in the world so shoutout to them for giving me the courage to post about these cringe fail mobians (I am the sonic and infinite psychoanalysis anon btw)

there’s so much under the cut please be careful also please be nice it’s 2 am and I’m very emotionally fragile

The fact that sonic and infinite are 2 sides of the same coin yet also thematic foils to each other is just sending me over the deep end I can’t take it ARGHHHHHHH (I am willingly taking it)

You’re probably asking “what the actual fuck are you going on about dude” and to this I raise you all of this entire post (you’re gonna regret asking)

A few things before I start, this is obviously gonna be Forces bullshit because I Bear The Curse™️also I’m only gonna be talking about the English version of the game because sadly I have not been able to play or see the japanese dub yet, I’ll do that later though 

Also if there’s photos with shit quality, sorry, that’s on me

Ok autism activated let’s go

Let’s start with our obvious main man Sonic, the blue blur. I’m gonna start with something that irked a lot of people, and that is the fact that Sonic seemingly came out fine after being tortured for 6 months.

The thing is, he was absolutely not fine, at all, it was just so subtle that it was genuinely hard to tell, but once you notice, you continue to notice. The first thing you can see is that he is acting a lot more brutal I guess I could say??? 

I mean, look at the end of the Zavok fight, he beats the ever loving shit out of Zavok with his hands, not a few homing attack or spin dashes, his fucking hands, I don’t know how often that happens outside of games where the actual gimmick is hand to hand combat, but it seems pretty weird to me how he just keeps hitting Zavok and he just stares at him as he falls, panting and out of breath from how relentlessly he was attacking him

Second, he’s constantly talking about how he wants and will get revenge for what happened, he doesn’t let up that he’s going to get revenge, and I was actually kind of shocked when he started saying that I was kinda like “woah calm down buddy” (note, one of these screenshots is from the wiki because I couldn’t get the image from the game, also, these 2 are just from the cutscenes I could find, there’s so much more, this hog can hold so much malice and rage)

Third? Now this one is my favorite to talk about, because it really shows just how drastic Sonic and Infinite really are, the scene it occurs in is during the infinite fight with sonic and the avatar character, during the first stage where it’s just sonic

You may say “ok what’s special about the reskinned metal sonic fight?” sarcastically but this is a very important fact to me, and the fact is that Sonic just straight up implies to Infinite’s face that he’s gonna murder him!

 The line he says is played off as a kinda joke, but the way Sonic says it is so genuine that it’s a little bit disturbing, it’s a fridge horror kind of moment where you look at the line, maybe giggle, but after a quick google you realize just how fucked the line is because of the inclusion of one word, one single word.

The word being “Epitaph.” An Epitaph being the phrase or words written on someone’s tombstone in memory of them.

Now, you may know what line I’m referring to if you’re like me and reply that fight alot, but if you don’t know the line that’s fine, I’m gonna explain it either way because it’s very important to me!

So the fight starts and the first lines said are these;

Infinite: What would you like your epitaph to read? How about “Here lies the blue buffoon”?

Sonic: Why not “Here dozes the masked clown”? Might as well make it for the person who needs one, right?

I think you can see where I’m going with this point, let’s move on now to the other point I wanted to make, which is also kind of a major tone shift from the point above

This point ties in with the “2 sides of the same coin” bit, but the point I want to make is that Sonic needed companionship to win. (Take a drink of water every time I write the word “companionship” or anything similar starting now, see how hydrated you get)

He needed the avatar character to support him throughout that fight, he needed the avatar & classic to help him defeat the eggman and ruby as well, he needed companionship. 

This theme of him needing support and a companion is echoed through the very song that is the theme of forces, I am, of course, referring to Fistbump

AGGHHHH I LOVE FISTBUMP SO MUCH IT’S SO GOOD THEMATICALLY AND IT’S ALSO JUST A GOOD SONGi want you to know I’m snarling and biting and growling like a rabid animal but in a good way I’m sorry I just needed to say that real quick back to the point I was trying to make

Now, the first indication that Sonic needs companionship is that Fistbump is literally him “speaking” to the avatar character, the lyrics portray this perfectly, but I am going to stop myself before I go on a tangent about this song for too long, so next um dot point

The second indication he needs companionship using Fistbump is that it plays whenever he double boosts with the Avatar and during the level Null Space, the double boost is self explanatory, it’s them working together, they’re being friendly friends!

What people may not completely get is me bringing up Null Space, because, once again, there’s seemingly nothing special but there is. There is to me. In my heart. I love Null Space as well as the other stuff mentioned here because it ties into this insane bs I’m concocting for my viewing pleasure that just so happens to get to be on tumblr too!!

Null Space is a level where Infinite sends Sonic and, accidentally, the Avatar character to the level’s namesake, Null Space. Null Space is devoid of substance or life, it is the loneliest place you could ever be, but here Sonic and the Avatar are, the complete antithesis of such a concept, they are together, they are safe with each other, they are going to get out of there together.

And so they escape, and what is playing in the background as they do so? A version of Fistbump dedicated specifically to that level.

Before I can make the rest of my points, we have to talk about the elephant, er… jackal, in the room; Infinite.

Let’s start with a general thingy like we did with sonic, now, I’m not gonna go over his actions in game, they speak for themselves, I will, however, be talking about the implications of his actions; his morals, his values, all of that

First off let’s collectively discuss and by discuss I mean go ‘what the actual fuck is wrong with this dude’

It’s very clear that he’s just not a “good” person, he does morally frowned upon things like being a mercenary, of course, that’s one of the big ones, but the one that really fucks with me and makes me really wanna pick his brain is that despite Shadow being the one who hurt him, he immediately clicks to Sonic and the best way I can describe it is him going “i NEED to beat the ever loving shit out of that kid right now.”

Like, even during Episode Shadow, he still mentions Sonic with this personal malice that you don’t expect, stating that Sonic won’t be able to stop him, and it’s honestly just kind of weird tbh??? 

So he hates Sonic from the start, he gangs up on him, beats him to the point of unconsciousness, kidnaps him, is indirectly (at least) the cause of 6 months of torture, beats him again, tells him he’s not even worth killing, tries to kill him and the entire resistance by throwing the sun at them and then tries to kill him personally before Sonic can finally get the revenge he wanted.

So I’m sensing a lot of initially one-sided hostility between him and Sonic.

Another point is that his theme seems to be directed towards Sonic, it is mocking him, trying to tear down everything he establishes in Fistbump, stating that friendship will get you nowhere when you rely on it too much, asking who is going to save Sonic from Infinite when he is alone?

This is once again shown with how he interacts with Sonic, using Silver and Infinite’s little tussle as a comparison, yeah, Infinite throws an insult, but it’s as a collective, he says he’s happy to crush a hero to keep the “rabble” (the resistance) in line, but when Sonic appears it becomes very personal

He’s immediately on him, stating that Sonic is “back from the dead”, calling him the “little blue savior” and insisting he can smell Sonic’s fear, glad he’s left an impression, noting that Sonic is “still thrashing around”, in his own words.

He speaks to Sonic so personally, hell, he waits for Sonic to quit talking before tossing Sonic to another part of the jungle to fight him alone. He very well could have gotten rid of Silver and then dealt with Sonic, but he instead decides dealing with Sonic immediately is more important than Silver is. He even says that he will meet Sonic again after that fight.

he also threatens to smash Sonic into blue jelly. I just wanted to mention that because it’s funny that he specifically said he would smash him into BLUE JELLY

So it makes me wonder, what is this dude's issue??? Why is he so obsessed with Sonic? And then it kind of hit me. Sonic is the antithesis of everything he values and believes in, of course he’d be intrigued.

Or, alternatively, he’s intrigued because Sonic is just like him.

Yep, It’s the moment we’ve (me) all been waiting for! We’re finally discussing the “two sides of the same coin” point!

Sonic and Infinite are exact opposites but they are also the exact same! They both so desperately need support and companionship (I’ve covered Sonic’s need, but we can see how Infinite needs support and companionship with how he handles the loss of his squad), they both have the same kind of goal (change the world to be a place they would want to live in, good or bad), they’re both associated with the same people (Shadow and Robotnik)!

They are the exact same but they are exact opposites! They are each other’s foils but they complement each other so well, they are two sides of the same tarnished, damaged coin!

I LOVE SONIC FORCES SO MUCH WHY AM I LIKE THIS

Sonic and Infinite are what they could have been based on how they responded to their own struggles. Infinite could have very well been just like Sonic, dedicated to helping people because of what happened at Mystic Jungle, and Sonic could have very well been just like Infinite, lashing out and hurting everyone in his way because of any of the copious losses he’s been forced to deal with.

But they don’t, they become the person they are because of how they respond to their own struggles, trauma, losses and wins. And that’s the beauty of their characters. 

Sonic and Infinite are foils to each other, it’s a point you can’t argue, but the reason they are foils to each other is because they are the same in some weird, messed up way.

But I wanted to add one more thing before I finish this off.

Infinite very well left an Impression on Sonic. Like it or not, somehow, someway, Infinite’s concepts and ideals imprinted on Sonic and it made him and his own problems worse. So much worse.

I won’t go into too much about that because that links to other things outside of solely Forces, so yeah, tangent done. Thank you for listening

[fostersffff]

Visions of Mana Demo Impressions

The Good:

I LOVE the big, elaborate, gacha-esque animations that play the first time you do a class change with a character. Excellent stuff, they were clearly tapped into what people (i.e. me) loved about the original the original Trials of Mana and the remake: class changing is cool.

I also love that all the characters get at least three kinds of weapons! I assumed it would just be main character Val who got to choose between Sword, Greatsword, and Lance, but Careena and Morley get Spear, Fans, and Fists, and Katana, Daggers, and Staff! (although they don't have any classes that can use Fists or Staff in the demo, but they're there in the shop)

Actually, I guess this is where I should get into how the classes affect combat, which I am relieved to say is "noticeably". The demo gives you three party members and two "elemental vessels", Sylphid (Wind) and Luna (Moon). All the characters have a base class, but you can class change them by equipping a vessel to them. Val, for example, starts out as a Guard, becomes a Rune Knight when equipping Sylphid, and an Aegis when equipping Luna. Each class uses a particular weapon, so using Val as an example again, Guard uses Sword, Rune Knight uses Greatsword, and Aegis uses Lance. Based on Careena and Morley (whose two classes use the same weapon), the attack strings are the same for each weapon, but certain attack commands can only be learned by investing in a particular class's skill tree.

The classes are further differentiated by having a vessel power, which is a cooldown that works the same between all the characters: Sylphid throws out a boomerang that pops enemies up into the air, and Luna creates a time bubble that slows down enemies and increases party attack and casting speed. Because the vessel powers are tied to classes, they seem to be designed in such a way that they pretty synergystic with the kit of the class (at least based on the demo). Takes some time to charge your shield as an Aegis? Create a time bubble!

I don't know exactly how much variety they'll be able to muster across all eight elemental vessels and five playable characters, but at least based on this demo it feels like Visions of Mana is situated in the same zip code as Granblue Fantasy Relink when it comes to variety, which is I was I was hoping for in my heart of hearts.

Tremendously endearing the have Morley wield a third dagger with his tail. Superb.

You also have a shortcut menu for items and spells, but you also have the Ring Menu, and the Ring Menu is still the perfect ARPG solution for items and spells, as it has been since 1993.

RETURN OF THE MOOGLE STATUS EFFECT WE'RE SO BACK

I'm about to talk about the dub, but before I do: giving the Japanese Dragon Priestess a Southern U.S. accent is a really endearing choice.

The Bad:

I think they dub these games wrong as a joke. Like, Trials of Mana also has a notoriously poor dub, and this isn't really doing that much better despite it being four years later and everyone knowing how bad that game's dub is. Again, it just sounds like no one is 100% sure of their character voice and are sight reading their lines for the first time. Because there's also a lot more incidental dialogue, and because the script isn't based on a pressed-for-space SNES game, I worry the quality of the dub is going to stick out even more.

These cutscenes have a lot of, uh… weird wiggling? I’m not sure how else to describe that thing where it feels like characters are doing large body gestures that maybe make sense in Japanese but not so much in English? Seriously, watch the video: there's 5 seconds where Careena is just wildly gesticulating, saying nothing, while the guards walk up to seize her.

Hoping they can tune up movement a bit between this and the final release. Even in performance mode, the game felt a bit crusty here and there, but there's only one aspect of it that I would argue is fundamentally designed wrong, which is cancelling dash momentum into a jump. It was bad in Smash Bros. Brawl, and it's bad here, but at least it's somewhat mitigated by Infinite Airdashing.

I'm hoping there's a relatively even distribution of "open world" type areas and thoughtfully designed "action stages". The open world area in the demo is neat and I love the pikul, but enemies felt pretty conservatively sprinkled around. I like fighting dudes in ARPGs!

The story felt a little too Saturday Morning Cartoon-y, considering the emotion I most associate with the Mana series is melancholy, but then you get on the boat and the one guy is like “hey you know there are legends that we didn't used to have to send eight sacrifices out to die every year” and your party is like “whaaat, that’s crazy, we have to go die!”, so there might actually be some juice here.

To be honest, a lot of what I have to say about this demo is pretty close to what I had to say about the demo for Trials of Mana years ago. Which is interesting, because as far as I can tell, an entirely different team than the one responsible for that game is making this one (NetEase subsidiary Ouka Studios, rather than Xeen Inc.).

[angerybabydino]

I keep noticing small language things and other parallels when it comes to AA & DGS XD I almost always listen to a combination of all my dubbed relaxing game OSTs while I'm writing. I think it's because both played relatively close to each other tonight, but Edgeworth's theme from JFA onward and Kazuma's grand reveal have similar naming schemes.

Edgeworth's is 「大なる復活～御剣怜侍」 (or the other way around; romaji for it is ounarufukkatsu - mitsurugireiji), its English title being "Triumphant Return - Miles Edgeworth." Kazuma's is 「大なる帰還」 (ounarukikan), and in English it's "His Glorious Return." I guess they're also pretty close in English, but the difference in endings (復活 vs. 帰還) is really the word that changes instead of the adjective (大なる, which roughly means "great" in both cases).

I'm relying a lot on google since I'm still a beginner when it comes to speaking Japanese b u t I only got curious about this because the actual verb for "to return" is 帰る (kaeru), which shares the same kanji with 帰還 and then it went downhill from there.

復活 (fukkatsu) is actually closer in English to resurrection or revival, which makes a lot of sense considering the first time the player actually hears Edgeworth's theme. If I remember right (it's been a hot second since I've played JFA), the first time you hear it is in the police department in 2-4 after Edgeworth butts into Franziska and Wright's conversation after being presumed dead for... I don't remember how long oops. There's the literal revival of him being not dead and coming back to Japanifornia, but also the metaphorical revival of him learning to be a better prosecutor.

帰還 (kikan) roughly translates to repatriation, which is a big word I didn't know until I googled it. Oxford says it means "the return of someone to their own country," which is of course super interesting with the context of when it plays in DGS2. It's during the scene where it's revealed who the Professor is and Kazuma gets his memories back. You can interpret it in the way of his memories returning to their rightful place, essentially "coming home," or in the way that home isn't necessarily a place and he's been "reunited" with his father and/or friends after so long. OR (I'm spitballing here as the ideas come to me) it's super weird in the sense that the meaning doesn't match since Kazuma wasn't born in England, but it could mean repatriation in the sense that he's "freeing" Genshin's spirit by destroying the waxwork and retuning it back home, Japan or Karuma or wherever it is.

Okay I'll shut up now byeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[harukirai]

the thing you mentioned in the comments of my post about how rude Noctis is to Ignis in Japanese after Ignis' sacrifice, i love that you brought that up because it's a huge reason why i struggle to believe Verse 2 is anything more than Ignis' fantasy.

in Verse 2, the Noctis who shows up and willingly goes into the Crystal is so out of character compared to how Noctis acts up until that point. upon seeing Ignis' sacrifice, he's mature, apologetic, and self-aware (unlike the Noctis of the canon timeline, who reacts like he does in Chapter 10).

i can't even imagine how deeply it hurt Ignis to be treated the way he was in canon, which is why it makes sense to me that Ignis would imagine a version of the story where Noctis appreciates him and his sacrifice actually fixed everything.

Ohh im pretty sure it is a fantasy/non canon.

I think it was square pressure to give the fans an alternate happy ending, cause at the time so many pple were pissed at the ending(even though i thout it was good)

My headcanon for verse 2 is that ignis is either in a coma from the ring or straight up dead and that's his version of heaven.

Cause they never actually said its canon or anything, its literally a fanservice ending(also fair for the players who perfected the combat and beat ardyn under a certain time), so its nothing more than square's trophy for good job.

Also noctis change of hear happens at the end of chapter(i think 13, the one when you have nothing but the ring)

I think him being separated and powerless was the last straw that made him realise that hey, he do care about pple, and that he wanna be better. Thats why even though everyone hate this chapter, i love it(and love that they gave us the gladnis alternate in an update)

But id recommend playing the original route first especially for jap players.

Actually when they lose prompto is when the spark starts, cause he realise that his anger and hatred blinded him not to notice that he tricked him, and he hurt prompto(also in the eng version its not so obvious but in the jap its pretty obvious that he realised what he did when it happened).

So yeah over all the localization was really bad, to the point the story lost sometimes its sharp points.

But hey at least the localization in ffxvi is *chef kiss*

(no literally its the first time ever i played a square enix game in eng dub. I started the demo in jap and something felt off, like when i hear the eng ffxv dub wrong, idk how they did it but in jap its so cringe i had to bite the bullet and put on the eng dub, i hate it cause its medieval english too, so i find myself reaching dictionary often, but hey at least it betters my english😂)

[unrealisticexpectationsofspring]

Rising back from the dead to review Udon’s English release of the P4A manga, because I love P4A, I love the P4A manga, and I hate this book.

I’ve been a big fan of Persona 4 Arena for a while now, so I was really excited when Udon announced an official English release of its manga adaptation. I’d read the unofficial translation a couple of times, and I felt that it adapted the story well, especially given the unusual way that P4A presents its story. The first volume was originally going to be released in February of this year, but was delayed until May for no specified reason. I was finally able to get my hands on it today, and oh boy does it suck. Oh FUCKING boy it does it suck.

In this post, I will be talking about why that is, not just to vent, but also to warn anyone who might be thinking of buying this. I’ve even included pictures. Please enjoy (because I’m not).

Let’s jump right in.

The dialogue is so unnaturally wordy that makes regular conversation very awkward, and ruins the comedic timing of almost every joke.

For example, compare this scene with the one from the unofficial translation. First, the unofficial:

Then, the official:

Words words words. You don’t need that many words.

And it’s not just with that panel; you’d be hard-pressed to find a single text bubble that doesn’t use at least three more words than it needs to. For example:

How hard is it to just say “Sounds fun.��??

Then, we have an issue that you may have already noticed from the examples above. Scenes that were taken directly from the game are completely re-translated, and are often nothing like what they’re supposed to be. The Midnight Channel cutscene is a glaring example of this. (I can’t post the whole scene because of the picture limit, but these are the highlights. If I had to read “eat my powerful dragon kick”, then you do too.)

Given that they play this cutscene in almost every story episode, I think I remember what it’s supposed to sound like, and it’s not this.

There’s other little things too, like calling Naoto “she” in a scene where she is most definitely meant to be referred to as “he”.

Like, seriously?

All of this would be bad enough, but it’s nothing compared to the book’s biggest sin.

So, if you’re aware of P4A, then you’ll probably be aware of a character named Labrys. If you’re aware of the English version of P4A, then you probably already know that it makes the interesting decision of localising her Kansai accent as a Brooklyn accent. The reason why this is an interesting decision is because, typically, Kansai accents are converted to Southern US accents for English dubbing, so the use of a Brooklyn accent is quite notable. One possible reason for this is because Persona 4 is already set in rural farming town, and her accent is (one of the things that are) meant to make her seem out of place, so using a Brooklyn accent is far more effective than using a Southern US accent (which would commonly be associated with rural farming towns).

Whatever the reason was, however, doesn’t change the fact that her accent is supposed to be unlike anything around it, otherwise the other characters making particular note of it wouldn’t make sense. And yet…

Oh Lordy Lou indeed, Labrys. Oh Lordy Lou indeed.

I was so excited for these books. I had even considered buying the Japanese release before the English version was announced. The art is nice, the little fragments of each story episode were chosen and interweaved well, it has Labrys in it, it was accurate… what more could you want from a video game adaption?

I’m not sure I’ve ever been more insulted by a book in my life. I want to burn it. Genuinely. I have no idea what to do with this thing. I kept trying to get through it despite all its issues, but it just kept getting worse. My god, if I had just stopped reading halfway through, I could have spared my eyes (and sanity) from Yee-Haw Labrys. Why did I not?!?!

Do not make the same mistake I did. Please. You don’t deserve this.

TL;DR: This book saved me £25.98 during the cost-of-living crisis by being absolutely unbearable to read. I’m so glad I didn’t preorder the other two volumes before I read this one. Go read the unofficial translation on a manga piracy site if you want to read this manga. Or, just play P4A. Just don’t buy this book.

[ecargmura]

Detective Pikachu & The Mystery of the Missing Flan Short Review - The Cutest Mystery Short

Why does Pokemon keep releasing these shorts on a short notice? I was only informed of this because I saw this on my subscription box on Youtube and then my friend was asking if I saw it. So, I sat down and decided to watch it and…it was adorable. Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions lately, but I’m falling for the mystery genre recently. Maybe it’s the reason why I enjoyed this short a lot.

It’s very short and simple. It’s basically Detective Pikachu and Tim Goodman trying to solve the mystery of Tim’s missing flan. The flan was in the refrigerator yet it disappeared within hours. Tim had initially pinned Munchlax as the culprit, but its only crime was stealing his banana. The way the duo used observation and gathered clues to find the culprit was nice to see. It’s simple and to the point.

The animation seems a bit different from the games. Pikachu and Munchlax look like they’re handmade plushes while Tim Goodman looks a bit different than he does in the game. Applin looks the best, honestly. It’s not plushy, but it looks like a ceramic apple. I think it’s really good for a rather simple short like this. I’d like to see more shorts animated like this.

I don’t know much about Detective Pikachu, but I can see their personalities well from this short alone. Pikachu is confident. Tim is a bit short-tempered and quick to assumptions. If anyone is familiar with the game, are these what they are like canonically?

I actually watched this short in three languages: English, Japanese and Korean. The voice acting for all three languages are really good. For the English dub, the cast of the duo is the same as the game. Pikachu is voiced by Kaiji Tang and Tim is voiced by Khoi Dao. For the Japanese dub, the duo actually have different voice actors from their game counterparts. In the games, Pikachu was voiced by Toru Okawa, but for this short, he’s voiced by Koichi Yamadera, a rather familiar name seen in Pokemon movies. Tim was voiced by Yuma Uchida in the games, but he’s voiced by Yuto Uemura for the shorts. Unfortunately, they never revealed the Korean dub’s casting list. What are your thoughts on the voice acting?

I do wonder if there will be more of the Detective Pikachu shorts. I hope they make more! This was so fun to watch! After much convincing from my friend, I actually bought the first Detective Pikachu game for the 3DS. I can’t wait to play it! Overall, what are your thoughts on this short? Do you also want to see more?

[goldentigerfestival]

Hello. First of all, I wanted to thank you for all the details about how Dub Yuri and JP Yuri are different. I play with the original voices but with the texts in my language (French) which are unfortunately translated from English and not from the original. I'd noticed that sometimes the tone didn't really match what was being said and I'm relieved to know that it wasn't me but the translation itself which was faulty. I also wanted to ask you if you know or are part of a Fluri discord, please?

Hi! Thank you for reading it! Yeah, I've heard from some others that they felt like things were off about the dub, so I'm glad some people have noticed but I just love Yuri too much to stay quiet about it lol.

I'm sorry to hear the French version did that! God, that's the worst thing you can do in translation - translating from a translated language, but especially for an official product. I hate that that's apparently such a common thing to do for non English localizations. I've heard other times about games being translated into another language taking off the English version which was already translated from Japanese, and it seems like a pretty regular thing unfortunately (from what I've heard). In Vesperia's case it's bad enough that the English loc messed around with Yuri (and Flynn) so much, but I can only imagine how much other context got muddled from a translation of a translation.

I can't speak on behalf of the French version as far as tone not matching the context, but yeah, if the text is based off the English loc text you're going to have cases like the Nordopolica port scene that just don't match up. Yuri in JP sounding like he's about to cry does not fit in with the English loc text in the first place, so.

It's sad because like I said, they obviously can translate correctly and I'd argue in some cases (with things like plot discussion from the characters, etc) some lines were even almost 1:1 if not just actually 1:1. There's enough evidence for me to see that they weren't incompetent or didn't know how to do their job (which some may argue if either of those were true that they shouldn't work in that profession in the first place or be given such a hefty job depending on one's stance, but that's another topic itself). Idk where in the decision making chain someone made the choice to change Yuri's lines/behavior (same with the general treatment of Flynn), but a good chunk of the game tells me that it was no accident that they magically started having wrong context for those two when other things were generally fine.

Usually I enjoy Tales dubs (in some cases prefer them, at least with voice work/casting, since I haven't played every Tales game in JP to have compared them all contextually), but I can't enjoy this game's dub with how those two ended up. It's a shame because some of the voice actors did good work (Michelle Ruff definitely left an impression on me since to this day I still hear Rita in her voice in other games lol), but I can't play this particular game dubbed anymore.

As far as a Discord goes, no, I'm not part of one and have no plans to be. I generally keep my Vesperia/Fluri interaction to the JP fandom on Twitter tbh (you can probably guess half of why lol).

[beardedmrbean]

Oh about the dialect, okay varies on the writers that assigned to the project.

But for the most part they used modern dialects, revelations Turkish is a big example as people notice they was using modern Turkish than historical proper

Now Mirage and Odyessy and it clearly obvious that they used modern dialect. Odyessy is very obvious because they use the modern dialect structures or modern definition of Greek words like Malaka. Actually they abused the living hell out of the word

For mirage they actually created a Arabic dub using real Arabs vas

Here a Reddit post on it

https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/s/WF7oTyNFoT

Now they were inspired by Ghost of Tsushima Japanese dub and it extremely likely they are doing it for red because if i remember correctly a Japanese company mention they are partner with Ubisoft for one of the biggest games of 24

Now for English dub….given the story, it very likely they are going to pay homage classic samurai and ninja films like the seven samurai. So similar structure though modernized

Yasuke will probably have a East African inspired accent (think of Boseman T’Challa accent) and probably meant to sound different when using Japanese words

Tangent, Boseman was going to play Yasuke in a movie before he passed away. It very likely that the red devs discovered that during their research

Maybe I can make it (given Ubi, probably not. I MISS COLOR OPTIONS FOR CLOTHES WAAAAAAAAH) a Black Panther inspired homage to Boseman as Yasuke. Perhaps I can fine such it or get it off the market

Okay I bitch about it later but still, that would be a nice Easter egg for the late actor

Will miles morales have a black panther suit in Spider-Man 2 with the Wakanda pose….the problem is…T’Challa and Miles never interacted in comic lore proper expect this

https://x.com/dyingscribe/status/1591347533577859072?s=46

I mean…I can easily make a snippet where miles and T’Challa interact on avengers tower. But T’Challa (as he done with several black heroes prior to miles) stated that these two are strangers to each other as much as Tony is to Thor. T’Challa would still admired how miles people survived such challenges. But the pan African stuff would not work

Also I would thrown in that T’Challa have an undercover agent that keep tabs on miles in his civilian life. What he a king? I mean Nick Fury like playing big brother too

Damnit Tolkien detour again

But like for the Japanese dub, actually I hope both dubs play on regional dialects. IE in odyessy, Spartans had harsher pronunciations most Athenian educated style of speaking

OR YOU CAN BE LIKE SOCRATES AND MAKE GAMERS QUESTION THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS

But like for example, I learn that the Shimazu clan would be considered “country hick” samurai to say the Oda clan.

Actually going down to the area the Shimazu clan was at would be interesting for both characters as Naeo would probably know only vague ideas of them (a lot of clans went “meh” to the shimazus for centuries and they gain power during the final civil war) and Yasuke would probably be surprised how less “elegant” people are considered samurai. Of course the Shimazu became a important samurai clan

But it’s a “da fuck?” Style of growing power to others from what I research

Sorry for this long rants now to online gaming to the next one

Now Mirage and Odyessy and it clearly obvious that they used modern dialect. Odyessy is very obvious because they use the modern dialect structures or modern definition of Greek words like Malaka. Actually they abused the living hell out of the word For mirage they actually created a Arabic dub using real Arabs vas Here a Reddit post on it "I never used Arabic dubs before because they don't fit the setting/characters, and they're usually dubbed with an accent rather than classical Arabic."

that reeks of snobbery there in the first response, be like someone saying they'd like old English because it would make more sense canonically, likely thinking that old = Shakespearean instead of

"we're going on an adventure" becoming

tyht hû−hwega ealdgenîðla

-Fun fact, some of the NPC speak Hebrew, and they say silly things

That is fun

Now they were inspired by Ghost of Tsushima Japanese dub and it extremely likely they are doing it for red because if i remember correctly a Japanese company mention they are partner with Ubisoft for one of the biggest games of 24 Now for English dub….given the story, it very likely they are going to pay homage classic samurai and ninja films like the seven samurai. So similar structure though modernized

The need to call in the cast of Black Dynamite, just because it would be funny

Tangent, Boseman was going to play Yasuke in a movie before he passed away. It very likely that the red devs discovered that during their research

Man did not let anyone know he was hurting, he kept goin to hospitals and visiting kids in the same situation he was in and doin the salute for the 8 millionth time just to give them something positive to hold on to, I have a insane amount of respect for him because of that. Maybe I can make it (given Ubi, probably not. I MISS COLOR OPTIONS FOR CLOTHES WAAAAAAAAH) a Black Panther inspired homage to Boseman as Yasuke. Perhaps I can fine such it or get it off the market

Medal you can earn for doing something good, but it's not always the same thing that gets it for you. Could be save an orphanage could be put a Koi back in the water.

Okay I bitch about it later but still, that would be a nice Easter egg for the late actor Will miles morales have a black panther suit in Spider-Man 2 with the Wakanda pose….the problem is…T’Challa and Miles never interacted in comic lore proper expect this

Had to read it a few times because I was very worried about this

they're not trying to establish more of a dominion than they already have, trying to stop those that are.

Miles will have a spiderman suit, but it could be very very fancy and made of vibranium, he's spiderman not black panther.

He's also Latino

But like for the Japanese dub, actually I hope both dubs play on regional dialects. IE in odyessy, Spartans had harsher pronunciations most Athenian educated style of speaking

This is a thing that I wouldn't know about, I'll take it in english that's my language, I can do snips and snippets in several others but for the most part any attempt to teach me a different language has been a utter failure, hard enough time with english thank you, lol.

OR YOU CAN BE LIKE SOCRATES AND MAKE GAMERS QUESTION THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS

Diogenes, make them question their sanity.

But it’s a “da fuck?” Style of growing power to others from what I research Sorry for this long rants now to online gaming to the next one

A lot of the feudal stuff in Japan was very similar to everywhere else, humans aren't incredibly diverse when it comes to social structures, kings started getting replaced around the time they left leading their armies into battle to generals (Vive Napoléon), tradition keeps the houses in the western world going where they still exist now, not sure how the various native groups do it these days, probably not killing each other while jockeying for power anymore though in as much as they ever did (everyone did)

Sounds fun on the next one, will have to wait till morning for me to get to it, but I figure you knew that already.

[dollwrites]

Yeeeeesh when I first started playing whib I was so obsessed. I basically sped ran chapter four because my kings were high level. Bloodshed Beel carried my team ngl. Took a lot to play it at work but it’s mostly dead so it’s fine lol. Ooof I can’t commit to tv shows or movies anymore. TikTok has ruined it for me lol. Unless it’s anime ofc but even then muscle memory kicks in and I would randomly try to scroll 😂😂. YES ANOTHER SAMPO SIMP!!! I will admit Sampo is a favorite of mine (right next to Ratio) He’s so silly and I think his voice suits him very well. I HAVENT HEARD HIS JAPANESE DUB!! I have my game on English dub and I’ve seen clips of his Korean dub. I just love him <3 He’s also my strongest character at the moment too. He’s E6 (I hope I’m using the correct term) I rambled again lol mb

-mammon anon

IM STILL ON CHAPTER 4 GAHAHA. So what I’ve noticed esp with games like whib, obey me, etc is that the story ( for me ) gets old REALLy quickly so I gravitate towards events or just like,, skip all the story parts and get to the battles. Seriously I haven’t read a story scene since part 1 ya girl only reads the steamy sub stories

SPEAKING OF WHICH PAIMONNNN WE GOT TO FUCK PAIMONNNNN !!! I was so happy to see that scene bc he was one of my favorite devils 😭

Oh yeah! And I got Satan bath finally. AFTER PULLING DAILY I FINALLY GOT A NEW KING CARD. Gah, their gacha system has no pity aspect and it’s so cruel 😭😭 but I’m happy I got bath Satan?! He’s so pretty

OOOH YOU E6’ed Sampo already?? So I’ve heard that he’s like one of the strongest 4 stars you can get, but my sampo is pretty low level. He unfortunately got dumped when I got blade, but you should listen to daisuke hirakawa do his voice! He uses his slutty sexy voice for it 🫠 i melt when he voices anyone.

I play the Japanese dub bc jotaro’s, daisuke ono, va is also jing yuan too!

Plus looking at it now, I don’t think I could hear Alejandro Saab voice jing yuan bc I know he’s also cyno my little pocket bf from genshin in the English dub and that’s so weird to me ???

[nanakamadoblog]

The first bit is very good advice that I simply cannot take, but perhaps others can. But I'd actually like to take a moment to talk about *why* I can't, and why I study language anyway.

I've been watching anime since I was 12. I never liked dubs, so it's always been in Japanese. But here's the problem: I cannot process auditory input right without focusing 100% of my energy on it, even in English. And if I can't do something in my native language, I cannot expect myself to be able to do it in another. It comes tied to ADHD or autism or something, I think, I know I knew at one point but I forget now. So while I do watch anime, I still do it with English subtitles. I don't know enough kanji to make use of Japanese subtitles yet, and if I'm watching something, I don't really want to be googling every kanji I don't know and pausing midway. I have noticed that I understand MORE of the Japanese audio! There are words I recognize all the time, and sometimes even entire sentences! But, like in English, I only comprehend a fraction of what I'm technically hearing. This also makes conversation practice difficult, because words that I know very well (including practice listening!) I can miss because my brain sometimes hears gibberish instead of language.

What I do instead of listening is I try to read! Reading a book, I don't mind looking up kanji, because it's not a constant game of pausing and playing that frankly hurts my ears (because of my issues processing auditory input), which means I can actually kind of relax while reading. And eventually, through this, maybe I'll feel comfortable using Japanese subtitles on my anime some day. For now, I'll just enjoy it how I can.

Anyway, this is mostly jsut a reminder that not everyone can study optimally, and that's okay! It doesn't make the pursuit of language any less worthy. Take the time to figure out what works best for you and apply it. Everyone has weak areas, and especially if you have dyslexia or auditory processing disorder or something similar, please be lenient in the areas you're weak. You cannot expect yourself to be better than in your native language.

So because language learning is an eternal struggle, here's some of my progress from this month and the things I've learned during the past 8 months

1. 70% listening, 30% vocab/grammar/writing

Studying a language is 70% listening practice and the other 30% is memorization. I picked up my Japanese studies this year after having watched anime for years, and I noticed that it's so much easier to make progress. I've internalized around 500-1 000 words and some basic grammar, so getting through N5/N4 was a breeze - in 2 weeks I achieved the same level that took me 3 months in Chinese. I can watch anime without subtitles and easily understand what they're saying (when did this happen? No idea!) because I understand the expressions and slang, all which would not be possible if I hadn't spent so much time with media.

I often have a hard time focusing on watching shows etc. because of how much of a critic I am, but it's the most important thing. Immerse yourself.

2. Reset your learning schedule if it gets too overwhelming

This is something I only learned this week, as I'd been stubbornly holding onto those 900+ word reviews waiting for me back in Ninchanese.

I've been at a standstill for the past 2-3 months after studying the radicals because of some personal responsibilities, and I never got around to learning any new vocab, I was just too busy trying to keep up with what I had learned previously.

But now I've reset my schedule, and I FINALLY feel like I'm making progress again. Sure, my memory might be hazy for the latter parts of HSK 4, but you know what to do about that? You immerse yourself with listening practice so that they will stick with you when you hear them be used IRL :)

[kyarymell]

YESSSS CRYING MY BOYS ARE BACK! THIS IS HUGE THAT THE RELEASE WILL BE GLOBAL

[saikagerights]

Lay Me Down to Rest - Entry for Day of MirSan 2021

Hello there! And welcome to my first Inuyasha fanfiction, as apart of the @dayofmirsan event. 

I initially was planning to be an observer of the event, but sudden inspiration struck at 1am during my nightly routine of falling asleep to Inuyasha. Rewatching the Monkey Sprite episode is interesting for many reasons. For one, there was an unhealthy amount of filler added into the anime adaptation of this story-line, which gave hit-or-miss comedy. But the most important thing is that Miroku and Sango are mostly unaccounted for in this story-line, which gives shippers like me an opportunity to write some “off-screen development” for them. And though the anime does give us an idea, I’m afraid that Miroku’s indifference and frustrated edge in the scene feels a bit off, so I decided to add a bit of a bit of context. Consider this a bit of a fusion between the anime in manga, though the scene is based off of the anime. Also I was very liberal with my use of English/Japanese dub terminology. I watched the anime in English, but switched over to the manga to replace the Final Act, so it’s a bit inconsistent. 

I’ve been observing this fandom from afar ever since I started getting into Inuyasha back in December, and though I wanted to try and engage with it, it seemed very daunting given this fandom’s age and organization. But I’m very grateful that I was given the chance to participate in this event, and lucky that inspiration struck me at the right time. I’ve really been looking forward to seeing the works that come out of this event, and I hope you enjoy my contribution. 

And thanks for the mods for allowing me to share my work with you fellow fans

InuYasha and it’s properties are owned by creator Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise 

Read on AO3

Sango tailed the monk as he led their investigation. The villagers they had asked so far had no knowledge of the wicked demon, only of the pestering monkeys that were ravaging their fields. Her companion simply nodded, thanking them for their time and promising that the Inugami would save their village. They soon found themselves at the outskirts of the village on an empty patch of land outside the forest, save for one tall tree. Sango found his behavior during their search to be strange, especially as he now paused at the tree, leaving his Shakujo leaning against its trunk.

Was he just as stumped as she was? Would this reprieve be a chance for them to rethink their approach? 

“Why have we stopped here, Miroku?” She questioned. “Aren’t we supposed to search for Naraku’s whereabouts?”

Her befuddlement heightened as he laid his body to rest in the grass underneath the shade of the tree with a sigh, both hands pillowing his head. His intentions then became clear at the sight of his eyelids slipping shut.

“How might we do that when we have neither Inuyasha’s nose or Kagome’s detection?” His tone reflected his relaxed poise. “I merely said that so that Inuyasha would be more inclined to help those villagers.”

Her head tilted downward towards the monk’s resting face. “I understand wanting to help, but do you honestly think that Inuyasha dealing with those monkeys will get us any closer to finding him?

“Not particularly.” He punctuated the off-handed remark with a yawn, overstating his disinterest. “But enough of that... Why don’t you join me here?”

She stood awestruck at his bold request. He lays there while their friends were helping this poor village and now he asks her to do the same? If Inuyahsa were to find out, he’d surely have more pressing things to worry about than the food security of the village. 

“I don’t think it would be wise, considering your flippant lies.”

The man remained still, no sign of concern disrupting his posture. 

“If you changed back into your battle attire before our return, they’d never suspect a thing.” He ignored her statement, a peaceful smile casually appearing on his face. She instantly recognized this move. He was fully convinced he would get his way, the sleazy crook. “Besides, I’m sure sleep has been as kind to you as it has been to me as of late.”

Although it was usually hard to detect amongst his manner of speaking, the monk’s sarcasm was not missed by the slayer. She knew very well that Naraku’s sudden disappearance had their whole group on edge, including herself. And while sleep had become its own battle, the desperate investigations of their enemy have left her distracted from everything else. Sleep meant the rest needed to fight again, but it also meant time alone with one’s most intimate thoughts. What always plagued her mind nowadays were things she’d rather not willingly engage. Finding Naraku should be her biggest concern now, but she indulged her companion despite what she would consider was her better judgement.

The monk had a particular talent for steering her away from rationality.

“Knowing your pervy ways, I’m sure you’d try and sneak a peek at me”

The monk could’ve never noticed the sneer on her face behind his still-closed eyes. The same smile was plastered on his face as well, despite her accusation. He really did enjoy giving her grief, didn’t he...

“Trust me, my dear. I have no intention of moving from this spot for a while. Or at least until Inuyasha comes for my head.”

 “Then I guess you wouldn’t mind if I left Kilala here to guard this spot until I returned.”

He chuckled at that. “I don’t mind at all. I’m sure she’d love to watch me lie here, right Kilala?”  

Sango looked to the nekomata, who merely chuffed in response. She was wary of Kilala’s strange trust in the monk at times, but she was sure that the demon would keep an eye on him in case he tried something funny. 

Miroku took this as the perfect time to reveal his indigo eyes to her. 

 “Please, my intentions are more honorable than what they seem, believe me.”

There it was, that gentle voice of his used to convince her of his authenticity. The same breathy tones that sent her heart racing and her stomach in somersaults. She knew Miroku was confident in his charms, but she also liked to think that he was fully aware of this game they played. She only came to grips with it recently, but there was something going on. 

They’d fight, they’d talk it through, and just when she thought he would try to make a move, that damn hand of his would find the wrong place to caress. Or it would be when she found herself grieving once more, and he could comfort her with his words alone. How did he always know what to say that made everything clear and could heal every fiber of her being, but also had a hand that never failed to do the exact opposite? He was a truly frustrating man, but he was the only one she ever considered more than just that. 

But did he really know? That was a puzzle Sango couldn’t solve. It wasn’t as if anything meaningful resulted from these escapades. Afterwards, they would act as if nothing happened, and he would return to his typical flirtatious ways with any woman that entered his line of sight. So Sango liked to think that Miroku fully knew that he was toying with her feelings. That way it made it easier to lower her expectations and resent them despite Kagome’s not-so-subtle prodding. 

When she became abruptly aware that her eyes had been locked on him for too long, she made her hasty retreat, hoping he didn’t catch her bright red flush in the shade of the tree. 

“This man will be the death of me,” she softly cursed herself as soon as she knew she left his earshot. 

_______________________________________________________________

Upon her return to their little “spot,” she was greeted by an alert Miroku. His body was now fully upright and turned towards her approaching form. 

“You’ve accepted my invitation, I see”

“I thought you were trying to sleep”

“I still am, but I’d figured it would help if I got a quick glimpse of your beauty before-hand.”

She rolled her eyes at his shameless attempt. “You really are troublesome, you know that?”

“You wound me, dear Sango!” He unceremoniously flopped back into his previous position, his left hand patting the spot next to him. “You are free to lie beside me if you wish.” 

Without the need for consideration, she silently opted to sit against Kilala’s curled form, stretching her legs in front of her. He managed to convince her to relax alongside him, but she had no intention of allowing herself to get too comfortable around him in the likely case the monk’s wandering hands wandered once more. He sighed audibly at her decision, but allowed his eyes to close again without any further word. He could act like a child all he wanted, but she would not budge. 

She watched the man for a while, observing his state of rest. She could tell as much that he hadn’t fallen asleep just yet by all of his idle noises and the way he kept trying to steal a glance in her direction. 

“Can’t sleep?”

She hadn’t even tried to close her eyes just yet, as she was still trying to grasp their current situation. Why was he so insistent on sleeping if he was just going to try and stare at her the entire afternoon? Why did he lie to Inuyasha in the first place if this was how they would spend their time? With all these questions moving around in her head, she might as well ask for the most basic of them.

“Miroku? Why do you lie and steal as casually as you do? I always thought that monks were pure-hearted.”

“What a wonderful question!” He exclaimed. With such enthusiasm, she was almost afraid of the answer she would soon receive from him. “I’ve been traveling on my own for so long, and it’s quite difficult to acquire wealth in such unfortunate times. I wish to give aid to those in need, but I also believe that it never hurts to help yourself as well.” He settled for an even tone and let his eyes slip open once more. 

 “And you are right, It is true that holy-people such as myself are meant to be free of sin. But,  I was born tainted by the hole that resides in my hand.” His voice tapered off at his pause, the newfound silence growing thick with each passing moment. His sound returned to him, soft and low, as if it were only meant for his ears alone. 

“It doesn’t matter how much I devote myself to my faith to any idol or deity. My curse is hell-bent on deciding my fate....”

But we are trying to stop Naraku! To free you from the Kazaana. You can always change your path after that! She immediately contested, perhaps a little too loudly, but she didn’t care. How dare he speak so little of himself and avoid her gaze as he did it?! She refused to accept his belittling statements. 

“It is very hard for me to see a future for myself at this time, I’m afraid…” He brought his head up to look at her. A flash of fear ran through his eyes before he looked down once more. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t speak like that.”

He’s afraid…

And he had every right to be. 

“Please don’t apologize.”

He never showed it in front of their group, but behind that calm and smooth exterior remained a man trembling under the weight of his own mortality. He was a man after all, and men were never to show what made them most vulnerable. But with how much he gives to help others, it feels unfair for him to just allow himself to suffer inside as he did.

 If they understood each other as well as he liked to claim, then she knew he hated the restless feeling they had knowing nothing of where their wicked nemesis resided, surely plotting something to exploit the fears he caused within their hearts. Knowing that her poor brother remained in that demon’s grasp sickened her to her core, and sitting around with no leads made it hard to lay dormant as they did now. 

“I get it. I am just as frustrated as you… About Kohaku-”

“-You don’t need to go any further” He  interrupted her thoughts, I didn’t mean to remind you of your pain like that.”

 “Miroku-” 

 “-Please,” he sharply cut in once more, hoarseness settling into his throat. He must’ve noticed it as well, as he cleared his throat soon after. “let’s just try to find rest while we still can.” 

He squeezed his eyes shut, clearly trying to force unconsciousness upon himself. Sango relented, trying to relax her body, idly stroking Kilala as she watched the man slowly succumb to rest. It was surreal to see him struggle like this when it seemed like meditation was second nature to him. She decided on trying for sleep once his breathing evened out and all the remaining tension left his face. 

________________________________________________________________

Miroku wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep, but he could tell from the shadows before him had grown considerably when his eyes peered open. He turned his head to see Sango now curled up against Kilala, her face all but buried in her demon companion’s fur. He slowly rose to his feet, slightly stretching as he made an intake of his surroundings. It looked as if the sun would soon begin it’s retreat from the sky. The monk knew the rest was necessary, but he definitely didn’t look forward to another predictively sleepless night. 

One more glance at Sango’s sleeping form was enough to convince him to approach her, neglecting his Shakujo to silence his movements. He knew, probably better than anybody, of the threat imposed by the slayer’s attuned senses. He also knew the danger of being caught if she awoke to his gawking. Unfortunately it was a risk he was willing for one small fleeting moment to stare at her.

What an idiot he had been for making her sympathize with his life. Even worse that it reminded her of her own grief. He was happy to indulge her curiosity, but when he looked up at her, he turned cowardly at what he saw. It wasn’t fear, or sadness over his grim fate. It was the very same fire that lit behind her eyes in battle. 

She was prepared to fight for him, it seemed…

He dare not think that she would go any farther for that. He was not worth her death. In fact, nothing was worth her death. The honor of her clan was at stake, and her life was essential in carrying on their legacy. One measly itinerant monk with a fated death should be worthless in her eyes, even if he wanted nothing more than to keep her alive.

Even if he wanted more than anything to see a future with her.

He turned away from her, returning to his spot in a now seated position. The monk had half a mind to wake the woman, but decided against it. Every waking moment for her was its own battle, after all. She needed all the rest she could get. And he’d gladly wait for her until that battle resumed, and fight with her at every step.

And if dying for her now meant he could spend the next life by her side, then he would welcome death with open arms. 

“I hope this woman is the death of me,” he softly wished before all else melted away to his own meditation.

______________________________________________________________

Yeah I realized I took some liberties here with how Miroku and Sango’s relationship was at this point. This episode takes place after the Temptress of the Mist and Demon-Head castle, but far behind Mt. Hakurei, so what was going on with them hadn’t really become a “pattern” just yet. And Miroku had just comforted her in her grieving state for the first time right before that. Sango wasn’t deep enough to say he was her reason for living, so that’s why I kept her on the fence and didn’t have her feel too disappointed, because that’s what came after Mt Hakurei. 

I’m a sucker for long winded perspective changes, especially here with all the parallels I draw between them. Some of my best lines were written here, especially the ending line. My GOD. I swear, I wrote that and everything made sense. I said “yes” over and over again, it was so good.

Also can you tell whose voice I’m talking about when describing Miroku’s? The answer is Koji Tsujitani. I always knew about Tsujitani’s delivery that makes Miroku sound truly “fake” but I noticed rather recently how he would add so much breath, especially in serious scenes. On the other hand, Kirby Morrow played the character down and deep in his throat, which isn’t bad when talking about his overall performance, but I decided to favor Tsujitani’s performance in this instance. 

(I’m a classically trained singer and a music education major, so I’m a nut for analyzing voice acting. I have respect for both of these men may they rest in peace.)

Thanks again for the opportunity, and I hope to write more for this series. 

-Saikage

[5ds-sub-vs-dub]

Sub vs Dub Notes

Prior to the actual reviews, I want to take a moment to talk about changes that apply to the series as a whole and don't need to be talked about every single episode because that would just be tedious. These things may still come up as a comment here and there, but won't be addressed in depth every. single. time. There are probably also more than just the these things below, but going into it, these are things I remember off the top of my head.

So let's get in to it!

What's up with the names?

Maybe it's just because I don't watch that many dubs and the ones that I have are slice-of-life explicitly set in Japan rather than the more ambiguous, futuristic city displayed in the Yugioh franchise, but most of the time names are left in tact. So what's up with the localization of Yugioh when it comes to names?

I'm sure it's mostly because of the younger target audience, but let's face it: Japanese names pronounced by English speakers are butchered a lot. (This is true for any name spoken by a non-native speaker for the most part and doesn't just apply here, but I will digress before I end up going on a long tangent about one of the reasons for this happening in particular here is because Japanese names stress the first vowel and English names stress the second more often than not.) I can absolutely understand why names like Mikage and Ushio were changed for that reason.

In a similar vain, I'm sure Aki with an English pronunciation would sound more like an adult telling their toddler not to put something in their mouth because its "ucky (yucky)" so, uh, yeah, I definitely also get adding that extra syllable, as well as changing her surname to something more easily pronounceable. Additionally, considering the fandom at large can't even decide if the twins' names should be spelled as "Rua and Ruka" or "Lua and Luka" (the official subs take the latter), that change also makes a ton of sense, and in both cases the names ended up honestly being very similar anyway (which isn't always the case, see the change from "Saiga" to "Blister", lol).

The thing is, they can get away with it without causing a huge problem since not all the names in the original are Japanese anyway, so these types of changes for localization don't stick out or really detract from the content in any way.

But then you have Godwin. Like, hey, 4kids, that's an honest-to-goodness real surname. Quick google search gave me a dude who plays football and a gymnast, both with that surname. It's not a weird name. It's not even a hard-to-pronounce-for-foreigners Japanese name. So why on God's green earth did they feel the need to add that extra 'o'? It baffles me. It was unnecessary.

Moving on.

Similarly, there are the names of cards. All card names are the official names from the game, which means some of them differ depending on the version. Which, in some cases with the sub, is actually annoying because monsters like Red Demon's Dragon are already in English but the subtitles still say "Red Dragon Archfiend" because, ya know, that's what the card name actually is here. That aside, I will not be pointing every card that's name is different between the version because there are A Lot.

....

Characters and Personalities

I'm just gonna say it: some of the dub characters are entirely different characters from their sub counterparts.

This, I feel, is most noticeable with Yusei. Please understand, I don't dislike either one. I saw the dub first so dub!Yusei is the one I originally fell in love with! I love snarky characters, and I am a very pun-y person myself, and it makes for good humor! But dub!Yusei's snark and puns are vastly different to sub!Yusei's quiet stoicism. Now that I'm an adult, I appreciate sub!Yusei in a different way than I loved dub!Yusei initially as a teenager, in part because as an autistic adult, I see more autistic-coding in sub!Yusei than in dub!Yusei. Neither one is worse or better than the other, but they are very different.

This is less noticeable in other characters, but other characters definitely fall into this still as well. Ushio, for example, has an entirely different start with Yusei depending on which one you watch and that affects their character interactions -- I have an entire post in the works on main and I'll talk a little about it in the review so I won't go into detail right now on that, though. Jack, as well, has more of a change than just his accent to the point that I can tell which character version is being referenced when I read fanfiction based on how the dialog plays out, even when all sub names are being used.

To a certain extent, I'd say that most -- if not all -- of them have at least a noticeable change between the two versions. Some of these changes are small enough to be negligible, but many of them are quite noticeable.

(This will definitely be brought up in reviews in terms of changes made to dialog but I wanted to throw this out as a general point first, anyway.)

....

Thought bubbles

This...may only be true of the first two arcs. I have not seen the dub, save for a handful of random episodes, since it aired in 2008 to 2011. But it seems to me that most of the dialog presented as thoughts in the dub is original to the dub. I watched the first episode not that long ago and I know it's true for that episode at the very least. I feel like there are more "thought bubbles" in the sub from the third arc on, but basically any thoughts from the first two arcs you can probably assume don't exist in the sub. (There are a few, but there are very few.)

These will get commented on in reviews but only if it's a relevant or drastic change and I will not be pointing out every single one that is not present in the sub. Because that would be tedious.

....

Music

The soundtracks are vastly different. Generally speaking, the music is much less noticeable in that the volume is much quieter. I do not know why this is, it just is. I am not going to comment on the differences in score because that would be every score and I honestly don't really notice the dub score overly much when I'm watching anyway. (The sub score, on the other hand, can actually be distracting at times. Not because of volume, though; just because it's so freaking good. And because of the volume it's more noticeable. But I digress.)

....

Thanks for reading, and please stay tuned for the review of episode one on Monday, August 8th!