#I think this is the best serizawa I’ve drawn

[doctorsiren]

doodles :3

[pey-no-attention-to-me]

Jjba and mp 100 for the ask game? (If you don't wanna do both, then choose from whatever one you want to do more!)

OKAY FINALLY IM DOING IT LETS GO

as you know I like the silly’s known as serizawa and okuyasu ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

women? Uhhhhhhh hmmm 🤨 for mp100 I’d definitely say tome kurata because ALIENS for jojo I have no idea but I’ve drawn yukako before she’s pretty cool

my least favorite character. STEELY DAN. STEELLY DAN FOR SURE HES JUST SO ARGGGHHHHH for mp 100 I never really hated everybody but Mogami keiji is pretty ARGGG too

I LOVE PRETTY PEOPLE GAHHHHHH Ermes Costello . She’s. She’s just so. HANDSOME!! and ohhhhhhhh pretty people in mp100. Men. Specifically teru I- HES just so. So teru.

UH FUNNY CHARACTERS ARE LITERALLY THE ONLY THING KEEPING MY LIFE TOGETHER RN I LOVE TGEMMM would recomend reigen as a silly and same goes to polnareff like. Have you seen their faces. They are silly.

For mp100 I think the second season but that’s kinda only cause the ova and JOJO PART 4 OBVIOUSLY I LVOE IT L LOVE IT MUCH

whewww remember how I like Okuyasu yeah my favorite jojo episode ever is let’s go get Italian food. No need to explain any further. And UHHHH ONE SECOND I’m back mp100 is a hard choice but I guess season 2 episode 5 ‘Discord~Choices~’ because when I first watched it I SOME HOW SKIPPED THE MOST IMPORTANT EPISODE AND WHEN I REWATCHED IT I WAS SCREAMING LIKE WHAT WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN JUH

HAHA IVE BEEN WAITING FOF THIS!! ROMANCE‼️‼️i can say this with all the certainty in my body that MY FAVORITE SHIPS EVER are JOSUYASU AND SERIREI YOU DONT UNDERSTAND I WANT TO RUN THEM OVER I WANT OT PLAY WOTH THEM LIKE DOLLS AND MAKE THEM KISS AND I WANT TO PIT THEM IM THE OVEN FOR THEIR LAST MOMENTS I WANT TO EXPLODE THEM BU WRAPPING THEM IN TINFOIL AND PUT THEM IN A Solwave Stainless-Steel Commercial Microwave AND I WILL THROW THEM IN A HOLE FULL OF TIGERS AND BEARS AND 10 DIFFERENT THINGS AND

family ship??? huh?? uh I guess shou and his father(president suzuki??(idk his name 😭)) cause they end up like.. working together it’s cool ig and LOVE JOSEPH AND GRANNY ERINAS CONCEPT I know they didn’t get much screen time together but I LOVE THEM

My favorite friend ships uhmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhHAHAHHHA WAITWAIT JOSEPH AND SPEEDWAGON because like… the kid saves him right and speedwagon just what is happening what NO JOSEPH DONT POKE HIS NOSE and I rlly like shou and ritsu’s friend ship(even tho I romantically ship them too) because loud extrovert with no friends + constantly annoyed introvert that also has no friends is the best concept ever

JONATHAN X DIO I DONT EVEN WANT TO SAY THE SHIP NAME ITS SO BAD AND DIO IS NOT HIS JOBRO ITS SPEEDWAGON AND YOU CSNT SAY ORHERWISE AND MOB X REIGEN?!! NOOO?? IDC IF THEIR AGED UP REIGEN MET MOB WHEN HE WAS LIKE NEGATIVE YRS OLD PLEASE STOP

like you said before, jotakak is pretty overrated LIKE KAKYOIN ISNT A BIRD AND HE DOES NOT LAY EGGS for mp100 I wouldn’t say there’s a over hyped ship but I guess serirei but.. I love them.. so they’re fine.. right..

Underhyped is definitely koichi and yukako like they’re cute okay they’re happy and then shou and ritsu because.. lost of ppl like them but nobody draws them or writes about them(or I’m just bad at finding stuff 😭)

unpopular opinion? I don’t like part 5. Like I literally like part 1 better. There’s no specific reason all the characters are cool(i love fugo) but it just feel so rushed and you never get to learn anything about the characters ig and mp100- uh I don’t know 😭 let me think OH!!! Onigawara is the most amazing best character he needed more screen time and why did he have to leave to high school whywhyeheyehywhy I miss him(sobs)

[mp100fanworkstranslation]

Better than when you found it -Part 2-

Part 1 Here

-The Second Day: Saturday- 

Ekubo: Yawwwwn~~What are we doing today?

Reigen brushing teeth: There’s a DVD rental kiosk around the corner. Wanna check it out? 

Mob: Yes I’m here

Reigen: Wait, Mob what? (btw you have foam on your face.)

Mob: Weren’t you asking me where I was?

Reigen: No?

Serizawa pops out: Did someone say movie?!

Mob thinks: I keep hearing someone calling my name.

One unspecified adult: What movies are we getting?

Another unspecified adult: Lets go take a look at what they have.

--20 Minutes Later--

Unspecified Adult: Alright! What do we have? 

(It’s not specified who is speaking here, but based on the speech form it’s either Reigen or Ekubo, not Serizawa)

Ekubo reads: The Hunger Games?

Someone else: We’ll that’s....

Mob: I’ve heard of it before.

Ekubo: Yeah?

Mob: Master told me about it. -He holds up a clothes hanger-

Mob puts the clothes hanger on his head: Yeah! Hunger Games!

Ekubo: Um....

Reigen: NO NO, That’s not it.

(Can someone explain this reference to me? I’ve never seen the Hunger games. I have no idea what this is about.)

Somebody: Whatever. Lets try it. 

There is a loud scream from the TV. Serizawa is startled into dropping his tea tray. Ekubo covers Mob’s eyes. 

Reigen is pissed: WHO PICKED THIS VIOLENT FILM?! Take care of Mob!

Mob peeling Ekubo’s hands off his face: Um... I’m fine with it. I just.....I just feel like something is wrong. 

(He’s actually referring to the presence of the spirit in the apartment. He’s been talking about it since the first panel. The adults are having too much fun they forgot.)

Reigen: You.....You’re not likeing this violence are you?  hmmmmmm

Reigen: Okay Mob! Listen up! I’m gonna teach you the right way to approach media like movies and TV.

You gotta put yourself in the shoes of the protagonist.

(I LOVE THE WAY THIS PANEL IS DRAWN. The framing of the panel is encouraging and mentorly, like a coach telling his player to go out there and do his best, ........except it’s Reigen...teaching Mob to watch movies.... He’s 14, I’m sure he’s seen movies before.)

Reigen puts his hand on Mob’s shoulder: You think you can do it? 

Mob: um....

Reigen: Try it out! I guarantee you’ll get a different experience out of it.

Mob is watching intently while all three adults look bored. The room is filled with fighting sounds.

Mob: That looks like it hurts.

Reigen looks over at Mob and fails to notice the rustling behind him. 

Reigen’s Phone Rings: Crap I forgot

Mob: Is it a client?

Reigen: Yeah

Reigen: I’m just going to go on my own, it’ll be quick.

Ekubo: Are you gonna be okay on your own?

Reigen: Yeah it’s fine, It’s just an in-office consultation. I’ll be back at around noon.

Mob: Okay, see you later

Reigen: yep

Ekubo: So.... what are we gonna do?

Serizawa: Ummmmm

(I like how Ekubo hangs out on top of Mobs head, the way he does all the time as a spirit.)

Serizawa gets an idea looking at the microwave: How about we cook while waiting for Reigen to return?

Mob: That’s a good idea, he’d be hungry when he comes back Mob thinks: I don’t know how to cook though. 

Ekubo rolls up sleeves: Lets do it! It’s not like we’re busy. I’ll show you my signature dish!

Serizawa: Ekubo-kun...

Ekubo: Alright lets divide up  the work.

Mob: Okay

Serizawa: ah! Yes!

They start cooking. Mob cuts himself chopping vegetables.

Serizawa: Ah! You’re bleeding!  Mob: Ow ow... Ekubo: You cut yourself AGAIN?!

They’re almost done.  Mob: Im hungry Ekubo making fried rice. Should we make something more than just this? Serizawa: Ah, we can add a salad!

It’s 12:42

Reigen Returns: Ugh this place is so far from the office. I’m starving.

He’s jiggling the key in the lock: lock is acting up again. 

Huh?

(This is a callback to the beginning when he was working the lock, he told everyone to do things in pairs to avoid being possessed. He forgot and went off on his own.) Reigen gets possessed

The door clatters and he enters the apartment. 

Mob: ah! Master! Welcome back!

Mob: Master?

Reigen: What have you guys busied yourself with? 

Ekubo: Um.... what?

Serizawa: We made lunch

Mob: eh? ehhh?

Reigen:THIS is what you’ve decided to whittle away the last few hours on?

(This is so hard to translate, but it’s what I love about translating. His word choice here is saying that 1. they acted without permission. 2. they did something that wasted time, and resources and was ultimately unnecessary. 3. they’re screwing around like children.)

Reigen: No one asked you to do this. Why you did is beyond me. 

Others: ?!

Reigen: I put a lot of effort into planning what foods to bring and what the meal plans were going to be.

(Reigen doesn’t normally have light colored eyes. That’s a nice touch.)

Ekubo is looking at Mob

Mob: I....Im sorry

Ekubo remembers how eager mob wanted to cook for Reigen, how he cut him self trying. 

Serizawa: Mr. Reigen, this is very unlike you. Is something wrong?

Ekubo to Reigen:  I don’t like your tone.

Serizawa: Ekubo-kun!*

Ekubo: Look, I’m not sure what’s gotten into you but.......

Reigen: Hmm?

(*This wasn’t made all that clear in the manga, but Serizawa is ALWAYS very deferential around Reigen. He’s never direct with him, meekly suggests things rather than outright stating them. He doesn’t treat their relationship as that of equals, he’s the subordinate and he expresses this in the language he uses and the tone he takes. As opposed to Ekubo who is direct and not afraid to confront Reigen. Ekubo’s pronouns, word choice and tone expresses the belief that he is an equal if not better than the people around him.

Which is why Serizawa is shocked that Ekubo is so direct. Like, How could he just outright say “I dont like your tone” TO Reigen?)

Reigen: got something to say? 

Ekubo: ....how dare you? What gives you the right?

Serizawa: ....?

Reigen: What gives YOU the right? It’s not YOUR body. It’s not like I asked you to possess this man. You did that yourself. 

Serizawa notices that there’s something on Reigen: Ekubo-kun w...wait!

Ekubo: Bastard, if you don’t stop running your mouth....

Reigen smiles: Hmmm? Are you not an evil spirit? You REALLY think you live a normal human life again? 

(I love that panel with Reigen’s silent open-mouthed smile, he knows he’s won.  He’s gonna pull the trigger now.)

Ekubo: ..... I see 

Mob: Eku~ Ekubo: I understand now. -He walks out and closes the door being him-

Mob stands at the door: Ekubo?

Serizawa: Ekubo-kun

(AAAHHH I LOVE HOW YOU DON’T SEE EKUBO’S EXPRESSION IN THE FIRST PANEL THERE)

Reigen: Enough.... he’s so much trouble.

Mob is still at the door:..... Ekubo

Mob: When we were cooking, he said....

Ekubo: He’s considerate in a way.... For an evil spirit like me, he treats me no different than anyone else around him.... that’s something. 

Mob: Eventhough Ekubo is an evil spirit, and a dangerously powerful one at that,... he’s an uncharacteristically a good person.

Mob opens the door and runs outside after him. 

TO BE CONTINUED

I like this part SO GODDAMN MUCH. Reigen is really good at reading people and knowing what to say. He can use his words to get people to feel how he wants them to, and the idea of him getting possessed and unleashing his ability on other people to destroy them is so goddamn cool. 

You’ve heard of Empaths. They are people that easily understand the emotions of others. But in psychology, there’s a lesser known personality type called a “Dark Empath” that can understand peoples feelings well but is also a sociopath that has no problems hurting other people.

Dark Empaths use their understanding of other people to hurt, defraud and other take advantage of others. These are people that convince others to commit suicide or charm people out of their life savings etc.

I wish there was more Dark Empath! Reigen fics. This is something I’ve not seen in Fanfiction, in fact, this comic is the only place I’ve seen it. It’s such an interesting concept. Like, if there were fics that cast him as a villan, then it’s perfectly in-character and logical for him to be a Dark Empath.

[hakuogakuen]

Hakuouki SSL: All Yamazaki Emails

EDITED 7/31/20 - reformatted 9/8/20

Hello! Here are the translations for all emails that Chizuru can receive from Yamazaki, as well as a simple method to allow players to identify which email they have received. Primary translation by yuugs and primary proofreading by kuririn, with further contributions by shizuumi, MaiMaiOtome, and a member of the otogelib server who preferred to remain unnamed. Translation begins below the cut!

(above is a simple graphic which that identifies where each character’s emails can be found) 

1. ついに最初のテストだが…… 

Sub: Finally, the first tests...

At last, the routine testing begins tomorrow.

This'll be the your first time taking these tests, though...

How are you feeling?

Are you nervous?

[I am oaky.] or [...just a little…]

→ [I am oaky.]

RE: Finally, the first tests...

...Wait, the fact that you made a typo like that 

gives me the impression you're incredibly nervous, though...

Are you really all right...?

→ [...just a little…]

RE: Finally, the first tests...

I got that impression, and I feel the same way.

However, the tests this time are still an extension of middle school testing. 

Please find a way to relax and face this head-on. 

...I don't mean you should cut corners, though. 

2. 勉強がはかどったな。 

Sub: I made a lot of progress studying

Yukimura,  you helped me out earlier. 

I suppose that studying together like that isn't so bad. 

Just thinking about someone else watching you reduces 

how much you procrastinate.

[I get distracted without meaning to in my room.] or [Let's study together again.]

→  [I get distracted without meaning to in my room.]

RE: I made a lot of progress studying

You're right about that.

There are loads of tempting distractions in my room, 

so studying there is a one-way trip to procrastinating on my assignments.

I'll have to reflect on this, too.

→  [Let's study together again.]

RE: I made a lot of progress studying

Yeah, I hope that you'll help me out again. 

I regularly drop by school during breaks, so...

Please message me when you stop by the school 

if you feel like it.

I'll try to find you on those days as well.

3. ……すまなかった

Sub: ...I'm sorry

I'm sorry about earlier. 

...It, uh, looks like I was so startled I ended up losing my composure. 

And weirdly enough, I can't remember what the food tasted like...

[ S-Sorry for assaulting your eyes...] or  [Was it really so shocking?]

→ [S-Sorry for assaulting your eyes...]

RE: ...I'm sorry

N-No, that wasn't the case.

...I think that it suited you. 

Yeah, it definitely suited you. 

→ [Was it really so shocking?]

RE: ...I'm sorry

Yeah. ...Of course, I mean that in a good way.

4. 来年は……

Sub: About next year...

Merry Christmas, Yukimura. 

I wondered what exactly would happen at first, but overall, things wrapped up peacefully in the end. 

I wanted to express my gratitude for your efforts again.

...If possible, it'd be nice if we could spend time together like this again next year.

[I also want to party with you, Yamazaki.] or [But not at Mr. Serizawa's house, hopefully…]

→ [I also want to party with you, Yamazaki.]

RE: About next year...

Yes. I'll be taking my entrance exams this time next year, 

but I'd like to try and make time to relax during Christmas. 

→ [But not at Mr. Serizawa's house, hopefully…]

RE: About next year...

Haha, you said it!

It was really nerve-wracking this time around, to no one's surprise.

5. あけましておめでとう

Sub: Happy New Year

Yukimura. 

Happy New Year. 

I mentioned this earlier, but...

I've already handled the misunderstanding with Mr. Nagakura, so don't worry.

It'd cause problems for you if, uh, some  weird rumor came up, right?

[I wouldn't really mind…] or  [Thank you very much.]

 → [I wouldn't really mind…]

RE: Happy New Year

Wha... W-What do you mean by that?

→  [Thank you very much.]

RE: Happy New Year

No, think nothing of it. 

...Honestly, I feel that if such a rumor came up...

...my life would be in great danger...

6. 食べるべきか、食べざるべきか

Sub: To eat or not to eat

Sorry for the sudden message, Yukimura.

You see, earlier I received some sweets from Okita, but...

For some reason, a skull and crossbones are drawn on the bag, and it looks like a bad omen to me.

I'd feel guilty just throwing it away, but I'd also have to gather my courage to eat it.

What do you think I should do?

[You may want to wait and see…] or [You could try eating it...?]

→ [You may want to wait and see…]

RE: To eat or not to eat

...I guess so.

It's not that I'm suspicious of Okita, it's just that I don't know what sort of prank he might've set up. 

I'll try waiting until I've questioned him tomorrow before trying the sweets.

→ [You could try eating it...?]

RE: To eat or not to eat

...I guess so.

No matter how dubious it may look, I'm sure he wouldn't gift me something completely inedible.

...Right,

I've prepared myself. 

I'll try eating it. 

If something DOES happen, please see to my remains...

7. 君の父親の話なんだが……

Sub: About your father...

Yukimura.

I apologize if I'm misremembering, but I'm certain I've heard people refer to your father as a doctor. 

And so, that is to say, um...

The truth is, right now I am worried about  my prospects after high school, and...

I wanted to see if, you know, I just thought I could try and speak with someone who is an actual, practicing doctor.

So, if you wouldn't mind, could you give me your father's contact info?

[Of course.] or [But, he's away on business right now…]

→ [Of course.] 

RE: About your father...

Thanks. 

After all, the best way to determine your path in life is to listen to those who're further along their paths.

Even though you're still just a freshman, you should start thinking about your future, too. 

→ [But, he's away on business right now…]

RE: About your father...

I see... Then, as unfortunate as it is, it seems like I won't be able to  speak with him directly.

I'm sorry, please just forget I said anything. 

[mustdang-100]

Shifting Perspectives - Ch. 9

Serizawa gets a text message. Teru and Shou practice some skills.   Summary:

How many espers does it take to rescue one abducted conman?

Months after the events of the World Domination arc, Reigen disappears sometime between leaving the office and after-work plans. Serizawa finds himself the unwilling leader of a bunch of former Claw members and a couple of stubborn teenagers, determined to get Reigen back.

On AO3: <https://archiveofourown.org/works/11091201/chapters/34325561>

Tumblr: Ch.1|Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4|Ch.5|Ch.6|Ch.7|Ch.8|Ch.9 - below

“Th-thank you again for choosing Spirits & Such for your spectral solutions; come again if your problem returns!”

Serizawa pressed the office door gently but firmly closed – before the overly grateful customer could launch into another round of fawning compliments. He leaned heavily against the door with a relieved sigh and allowed his eyes to slide shut for just a moment, trying to remember why he’d thought opening the office today would be a good idea. He was lucky the woman’s issue really had been spectral in nature. Even at the very best of times he had no aptitude for the kind of charm Reigen could put into play, much less now. But the tiny spirit clinging viciously to the customer’s purse had been an easy job; he’d exorcised it with a single surreptitious flick of his hand before she’d even finished explaining her troubles. Getting rid of the customer herself, however, had been a bit more of a challenge. Tsuchiya, lounging behind the desk that Serizawa usually occupied, shot him a sympathetic look that did not quite hide her amusement. “Damn, I thought the door was gonna catch on her eyelashes, with how fast they were fluttering.” Tsuchiya grinned. Serizawa made a face at her, and sighed again. “Sorry, that was probably a bit abrupt of me. It’s usually Reigen who takes care of seeing out our more, uh, amorous customers. I think he considers it a fun challenge. I’ve gotten too used to throwing him at them as a distraction to get out of doing it myself, since he can manage to do it without being rude.” Tsuchiya rolled her eyes. “That’s the nice thing about running the boxing gym. Being rude is practically one of the techniques.”

Serizawa snorted, straightening up to keep from simply sliding all the way to the floor, as Tsuchiya returned to her text conversation.

As the only one of the group who owned her own business, Tsuchiya had offered to stay with Serizawa while they all waited to see whether Hatori managed to dig up any more clues from the video with his technological wizardry. Serizawa had urged the rest of his little rescue band to return to their jobs for the day – there was no reason why they should all put their positions at risk – and he would let them know as soon as he heard anything. They had gone, protesting all the way, but it made him feel like less of a burden.

He’d tentatively suggested that Tsuchiya go into work with the rest of them. She’d fixed him with eyes like steel and said only: “The gym will be fine without me for a day or two; that’s what assistant managers are for. You shouldn’t be alone right now.” Serizawa had almost cried at the show of support, which just made her uncomfortable – Tsuchiya really preferred actions to emotions. Serizawa walked heavily back to the chair behind Reigen’s desk, feeling a little sick that the action might imply he thought Reigen wasn’t coming back. He’d started the morning just sitting on the office couch, until Tsuchiya had pointed out that might look unprofessional to any customers. The office had already seemed bigger than usual, somehow, with just the two of them. Almost like the force of Reigen’s personality had taken up the space of an entire third person. Serizawa pulled out his phone and pressed the power button, preparing himself to wait the small eternity the decrepit thing needed to start back up. He normally kept his phone off and stowed in a drawer during the work day, in an effort to put forward the best businessman face that he could. Today he was so paranoid about missing a call from Hatori that he’d had to fight himself to turn it off even when a client walked right up to him.

But with each hour that passed with no news, the clearer the message became: the video was a dead end; they were back to square one.

Tsuchiya exhaled loudly and began typing a long text message, thumbs flying aggressively over the keyboard.

“Mukai still wants to help?”

“Yes,” Tsuchiya said with an eyeroll, voice brimming with affection. “Little ass-kicker. We’re lucky she doesn’t know where we are, or she’d have been here hours ago. I’m telling her that we’ll call her in if we need any more firepower.”

Serizawa felt his lips twitch up in the first smile in days. “And the chances of you actually telling her to come join us are…?”

“Exactly zero.” Tsuchiya nodded decisively, snapping her phone shut with a resounding clack. “After Claw, I’m trying to give her as normal a childhood as possible, but it’s difficult. She’s so smart, and so powerful – she’s having a hard time making friends her own age.” Tsuchiya rubbed her face, her expression shadowed with a weariness that was more mental than physical.

Serizawa’s heart twisted in empathy; he well remembered similar difficulties in his own childhood, and that was without the trauma of being recruited to Claw before the age of…

...He shuddered. He knew Claw kidnapped children as young as possible, for the brainwashing to be most effective. He found he didn’t want to know how young Mukai had been when she was taken.

He opened his mouth to offer his sympathies, but was interrupted by a chirp from his own phone sitting innocuously on the surface of Reigen’s desk, announcing he’d received a message during its brief hibernation.

Serizawa stared at the phone, frozen, until his body caught up with his brain.

Hatori!

He lunged; the phone practically leapt into his hand, and probably did have just a bit of telekinetic assistance. He had not one, but two messages; unfortunately they were not from Hatori, but from an unknown number. Serizawa swiped at the screen, frowning, disappointment crushing down as quickly as his hopes had risen.

“Not Hatori?” Tsuchiya had jumped to her feet, but relaxed at the slow shake of Serizawa’s head.

“No… it’s someone I don’t know. But, it’s… it’s weird…”

The message was one giant mass of characters, and Serizawa read through it in increasing bewilderment. Something about the… the government?”

He blinked. Ugh, was this political spam?

Serizawa slumped against the desk in disgust; well, a spam message might explain all the typos. He scrolled halfheartedly through the jumbled mess of kanji, only skimming now. The last thing he wanted was for political campaigns to get hold of his number, when every message sent his emotions on a thrill ride that was somehow mostly plunging falls. Serizawa had been doing his best to be a model citizen, but at the moment he couldn’t give two shits about the upcoming elections, or the government as a whole, for that matter, regardless of what they wanted. Something about kids? Serizawa squinted, tilting his head as though that would make it easier to read. Kids, and-

Wait… ‘Mob?’

An electric jolt zipped up his spine; Serizawa leapt back to the beginning of the text and read with frantic exhilaration. He clutched the phone so tightly he was afraid he might break it in his fervor. But his excitement faded into mounting anxiety as sentences slotted damningly into place with the context of the sender.

Serizawa whirled to face Tsuchiya, who’d straightened in alarm.

“I think…!” Serizawa could barely hear himself, his heart drumming too loud in his ears. “I think it’s Reigen!”

Tsuchiya’s eyes flew wide; she dashed to read over his shoulder.

Reading it through a second time did not alter the conclusion he’d drawn; Serizawa brought up a second hand to minimize the shakiness of his hold on the tiny device that had brought him both jubilation and horror.

The government – the government – had taken his… had taken Reigen. Because they thought Reigen was responsible for the increasingly peculiar psychic phenomena that had been occurring in Spice City.

Because who they were really looking for was Shigeo.

Serizawa reeled; his lungs couldn’t seem to take in any air. They wanted to take Shigeo, his wise little friend, who wanted a life filled with nothing more than kindness and normalcy.

And Reigen had – ? What? Told them that he was responsible for everything?

Reigen, Reigen no…

The message was all warning. Warnings for Serizawa, to be careful of anyone watching him. To make sure no one had any more reason to look too closely at the kids. It said nothing about where. he. was.

Serizawa almost did crush the phone, then, out of sheer frustration. He resisted the temptation – it might still be able to tell him something.

He tried calling the unknown number, once, twice, three times. Each one rang through to a curt, no-nonsense voicemail message. The voice belonged to a stranger.

He was so close. He could feel the chance falling through his fingers like grains of sand, possible to grasp but only with the right knowledge, the right equipment, the right-

Tsuchiya pointed at an icon at the top of the screen, interrupting his racing mind. “Is that another message?”

Serizawa had completely forgotten about the second text. He opened it at once, but it contained only a single, blurry photo.

A single, blurry photo of two street signs, the names of which were still perfectly legible.

A destination. Finally, a god-damned location.

His mind snapped onto the street names like a hound with a scent. He could finally do something.

He called Minegishi, words spilling out before they could even say hello.

“Minegishi! He sent a message, he sent a text! Reigen! We have a clue, we have a – a picture! A street sign! We can find him! Those people that took him – in the video – they’re from the government, but we can search the street names and find where he is! I’m gonna-”

“Ok, calm down,” Minegishi said, more unflappable than ever in the face of Serizawa’s tripping tongue. There was the sound of talking in the background, of a door opening and closing. “I’m leaving now. I’ll text the others. We’ll meet you at the office within an hour, two at most.”

“Two hours? I’m leaving now, Minegishi. Tsuchiya’s here, we can go, we’ll find the intersection,” He looked up at Tsuchiya. She was already on her phone, searching the internet for intersections with those names. “We have to get there before he gets too far from that street, before-”

“Serizawa.” Minegishi’s voice was loud and curt. “You just said someone in the government has him. You don’t know who, you don’t know why. You don’t know what kind of resources they have to bear, which means you could walk straight into something that could get you taken as well, or worse. And you are not sacrificing yourself for anyone else, we are done with that.”

Their voice broke, surprising both of them into silence.

Minegishi didn’t say anything else, but Serizawa could hear the sounds of traffic in the background; they hadn’t hung up. Serizawa gritted his teeth. The urge to run straight to the intersection was almost overpowering, but… the implication behind Minegishi’s words deserved a response.

“Reigen isn’t using me, Minegishi.” Suddenly Serizawa almost smiled, as a long-ago conversation about job duties floated up from his memories. “Or rather, he’s very upfront about how he is most definitely using me. That is, to help his business succeed. I’m in charge of beating the crap out of anyone or anything that might be a threat, you know.”

Minegishi said nothing to that. Serizawa realized belatedly that now might not be the best time for jokes; the adrenaline rush from finally having a firm lead had pushed him towards something approaching giddiness. He quickly sobered.

“I promise he’s not manipulating my emotions like that. I promise. I know exactly where we stand.”

Whether he liked it or not, he thought with a slight pang. Not important right now, Serizawa.

The silence lasted one heartbeat, two. And then a sigh whispered through the line.

“Just.. please wait? We’ll get there as fast as we can. You find the location, look up the fastest route there, and we can discuss our plan on the way. It won’t be that much slower.”

Serizawa was itching with the desire to run out there, after Reigen, right now. But if he could push his panic away for just a second… Minegishi did have a point. It would be better for Reigen if he could come in with real support.

Despite this logic, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hold himself back if he hadn’t been coming to the sinking realization that Reigen’s texts had arrived almost 45 minutes before he’d seen them. Reigen was either on the run, long past the intersection where he’d managed to take a photo, which meant they’d have to follow a train anyway. Or, he was hiding somewhere nearby. Maybe with the phone he’d somehow gotten ahold of turned to silence, so it wouldn’t betray his location to his pursuers…?

Serizawa made his decision.

“Fine. I’ll wait, for at least an hour.”

Minegishi’s sigh was a punch of static. “Thank you. We are on the way.”

Serizawa ended the call, and immediately called the unknown number one more time. Just as before, it rang through to voicemail. This time, Serizawa spoke when prompted.

“I’m coming for you. We’re coming for you. Please hold on.”

He stopped himself before he could say something more, something that was simply not appropriate, not right now. Not in these circumstances. Instead, he added only the simplest, most overwhelming hope in his heart.

“Stay safe.”

He ended the call, and settled in to research Spice City’s sprawling train lines.

Tsuchiya was arguing that the less-direct east train got to the business district faster than the midtown line when a text message tone made Serizawa jump.

His heart leapt instantly to his throat – Reigen!? – until he realized the buzz had come not from his own phone, but from Reigen’s, which he’d recharged and placed back in his pants pocket. He’d grabbed it to look at the sender before he recalled that it might be an invasion of privacy. But it was too late – he’d already seen the sender’s name, and a preview of the message that appeared on the lockscreen.

[Mob]

[Sunday 11:48 am]

[Hi Shishou. Ritsu is acting kind of weird. He said nothing is wrong but I was wondering if you…]

Serizawa stared at the words, his stomach twisting in horror. The message was cut off, but the preview said enough.

Shigeo was starting to figure out that something was wrong.

‘It’s Mob thety want Mob you have to keep him away, pleas keep him safe no keep them all away, all the kids, I don’t know what they would do with kids, Serizawa please make sure…’

Serizawa squeezed his eyes shut. And slowly returned the phone to his pocket.

If he was smarter he would respond to Shigeo’s message, pretending to be Reigen. He’d send something reassuring, but very short, to sound as much like him as possible without giving away the ruse. But the lies of omission were already sticking in his throat, trickling nauseatingly into his belly; he simply couldn’t bring himself to lie so directly to someone he trusted.

They had a location. If they were lucky, they’d have Reigen back before Shigeo’s concern had the chance to blossom into real suspicion.

Serizawa knew only one thing that Reigen wanted right now, one thing he could do for him: protect the kids from the people who wanted Shigeo, to keep the people who had Reigen from finding out it was Shigeo they wanted. These people who had already taken one person he cared about. He would keep all the kids, whose powers made them too obvious a target, as far away from this business as possible.

***

“So here’s what I’m thinking,” Shou said, staring intently enough at the government building that he might as well be trying to intimidate it into revealing its secrets.

He and Teru had watched the building all morning from Shou’s lofty hideout, hoping daylight would reveal new information. There had been a buzz of activity a few hours ago; a half-dozen people dressed in black burst from the three different exits they could see, but it’d been hard to tell exactly what was going on from Shou’s chosen lair around the back of the building.

Shou’s glare suggested that Teru might have pointed this out one too many times.

They’d relocated to the roof of the building across the other side of the street from the government stronghold, hoping to get a better view. Bright sunlight gleamed across the empty space, glinting off the satellite disks and air conditioning units the two crouched amongst, peeking over the edge of the building to survey the site. Yet the only movement below was the usual traffic of busy pedestrians, scurrying along the street like ants. The building revealed nothing new. It was time for them to try breaking in.

Shou continued voicing his plan aloud, not bothering to wait and see if Teru had any suggestions.

“We wait invisibly by the door, until someone opens it for us. Then we can slip through-”

“What, no handy key-card for this one?”

“They change the system too often,” Shou snapped. “Both times I managed to steal one, it stopped working within a month. But this is how I’ve gotten in before without setting off any alarms – I know my way around inside.”

He turned suddenly to fix Teru with an almost accusatory stare – or, maybe that was just Teru’s imagination. “You can make yourself invisible, right?”

Teru drew himself up, insulted. “Of course I can.”

“Good.” Shou nodded, and started to turn back to the building. Teru took advantage of Shou’s attention elsewhere, and flexed a bit of his power. “So we get in, stay invisible, and search the place until we find Reigen, figure out everything that’s keep-”

“And what if we can’t find him?” Teru cut in quickly. “Who knows how long it might take us to find Reigen, just by snooping around, having to be quiet to keep anyone from noticing.”

Shou snorted. “I know where they keep prisoners. My pops is-”

“Your father is an ultra-powerful terrorist turned long-term prisoner. Reigen is a guy they only just grabbed off the street, for reasons unknown, who has zero psychic ability. In my hardly-uneducated opinion, I sincerely doubt they’d waste one of the super-protected cells on him.”

Shou rolled his eyes. “Damn, guy gets kidnapped once and thinks he’s an expert.”

“I’ve never been kidnapped,” Teru said instantly. Shou opened his mouth to argue, but Teru beat him to it. “I walked into the Seventh Division headquarters on my own volition, to help Shigeo get Ritsu back. Who, I should mention, had been kidnapped. It took two Claw-tier espers, taking me by surprise, in their own base, to capture me. After I’d incapacitated more than one of them in that night alone.”

Teru was breathing too hard; as soon as he noticed, he forced himself to relax. “As a child, I evaded several kidnapping attempts and acquired a large amount of information about the process. I think it’s a reasonable guess that Reigen might be in a different part of the building.”

“Ah. Yeah, Claw does, I mean did, like to go after the little kids. They’re much easier to manipulate that way, ya know.” Shou’s gaze was unnerving. “They get your folks, too? That why you live alone?”

“Of course not,” Teru said, instantly defensive. “The first time was a bit of a close call, I suppose, but I handled it.  And they… we were... more prepared, after that.”

Shou was looking at him oddly; clearly interested, but not reacting in quite the way Teru would have expected. It put Teru on edge; he was getting tired of how carefully he had to tiptoe around Shou.

“The point is, I think it’d be good to have a backup plan,” Teru said briskly. “For example: if it’s taking too long to find Reigen, or… any other issues, I can cause a distraction.” Teru brought one finger up to his chin in a thoughtful manner. “If we make them think someone is attacking, part of their defense system will undoubtedly involve some people going directly to Reigen’s location. They’ll lead us to Reigen while I keep up the distraction, and then we'll sneak him out under its cover.”

Now it was Shou who looked offended. “Do you think I can’t come up with distractions?”

“I would never suggest such a thing,” Teru said, with utmost sincerity. “It’s just that, I am, perhaps, a bit more talented at distractions that don’t also require anything to be set on fire.”

"Quite talented,” said Teru, from just behind Shou’s left shoulder.

“Probably the best in the world at distraction; it’s just one of our vast array of talents,” said Teru, from directly behind Shou’s right shoulder.

“Probably the best in the world at distraction; it’s just one of our vast array of talents,” said Teru, from just behind Shou’s right shoulder.

Shou launched himself five meters straight into the air, simultaneously forming a blob of bright energy in his fist. Teru had expected some kind of retaliation at being surprised, of course, but had underestimated just how quickly a spooked Shou would respond to a perceived threat. The first psychic clone managed to dodge Shou’s blast completely, but the second suffered singeing to its entire right side. Teru sighed disapprovingly.

“Wow, you really can’t take a joke, can you?”

Shou’s eyes were large with fury, and for once, he seemed too angry even to speak. Teru’s clones took advantage of the silence.

“Teru’s the best at jokes; you should feel lucky to have the chance to be part of one,” Clone One said in pompous, chiding tones.

“Teru’s right,” said Clone Two, voice slightly more irritated than the first as it patted anxiously at its smoldering hair. “Do you even know what some of the old Black Vinegar kids would do for the honor of having a joke played on them by Teruki Hanazawa?”

Teru hastily waved a hand, dispelling the clones before they could say any more. Teru had discovered somewhat to his chagrin that, unless he was actively directing the clones, they behaved and spoke much more like he had before meeting Shigeo than he did now – they didn’t have as much of a filter as Teru would have liked.  

“So you see,” Teru said smoothly, “I can lead any meddlesome government employees away, while we remain invisible. Should such an occasion be necessary.

Shou returned slowly to the ground, eyes narrowing as he peered at Teru with suspicion.

“If you’re so eager to demonstrate your talents, you should probably show me your skills at invisibility as well.”

Teru put a hand to his chest. “Do you think I’m lying?”

“Show me, Hanazawa.”

Teru tched, but complied with a pulse of power, concentrating on bending light. He kept his face as smooth as possible, so as not to reveal just how much effort he had to pour into this particular trick.

Shou inspected him carefully, eyes squinting in the bright sunlight.

“Hanazawa… is it just me, or is your gaudy-ass aura still perfectly, fully visible?”

Teru released the power instantly, reappearing.

“It’s perfectly suitable for most occasions!” Teru said quickly. “It… it simply goes... rather against my nature to hide my gifts. I've honed them so specifically for different tasks-”

“Oh my god.” Shou dragged a hand down his face. “You’re so goddamn extra that you’re literally having trouble with invisibility. Oh my god.”

Teru folded his arms across his chest. “Only espers can detect me. And given proportion of people we’ve seen entering and exiting the building, it’s far more likely that a non-esper will be the next person to appear.” Teru moved his hands to his hips. “And I’d like to point out, if we’re going to discuss the gaudiness of one’s aura-”

Shou’s face was turned to the sky, as if seeking guidance. He took a deep breath.

“Ok. You know what: fuck it. We’ll just have to try and avoid any espers in there altogether. Let’s get this over with. The sooner we get Shigeo’s master back, the better.”

Teru was just as eager to be done with Shou, and contemplated multiple possible replies. Rejecting all of them in favor of simply not granting that comment a response, Teru turned and led the way to the rooftop access door. He pointedly ignored the irritated muttering from his companion as they let the door swing shut behind them, cutting off the brilliant sunlight, swallowing them in the darkness of the descending stairwell.

[jkl-fff]

Reigen looks at Serizawa like he looks at Mob: they’re both fundamentally pure-hearted individuals with incredible gifts that they genuinely want to use to help people. Sure, maybe they got scared into hiding themselves away, or got tricked into making some mistakes. But they’re both just ... *good* on a deep, spiritual level.    And what is Reigen? Just a conman. A liar, a cheat, a crook.    Someone who’d take advantage of their trust    to make a quick buck, because he’s too selfish    to go back to the hell of being somebody else’s wage-slave.    Someone petty and pathetic enough to trick them into thinking    they need him ... when the truth is, nobody needs him.       Reigen dreads the day they’ll inevitably realize that,       because that’s the day they’ll come to their senses       and leave him behind. Like they should, honestly.

Serizawa, meanwhile, looks at Reigen like a hero. Shigeo is amazing, of course, but Reigen’s the one who taught him (and is teaching Seri himself) how to be amazing beyond his powers. Honorable in his own way, and independent and clever and so very, very brave. His own man, who can figure out how to do anything. He chooses to be a dynamo, chooses to protect and help all the people drawn almost gravitationally into his orbit, and he always finds a way to lead them to a better place.    Meanwhile, what does Seri have to show for himself--    his real self, without any of his psychic powers?    Nothing. Which is what he is without his powers. Nothing.    He couldn’t have started up a business, let alone    figure out how to make their regular clients’ lives better    on the force of his charisma alone. He’s so scared all the time,    he can barely hold a normal conversation with his friends,    let alone talk strangers into feeling better about the world.    He couldn’t have stood up to ghosts and demons    and criminals like Claw, all of whom could’ve killed him,    without flinching. Even intimidating and recruiting many.    No, even with all his powers, he’s always so terrified    it’s a wonder he graduated high school or ever leaves his room.       Seri worries all he is to Reigen is another stray needing help.       Or worse, that Reigen will one day realize he’s beyond help--       a nothing forever--and stop wasting his time.

So, sooo much angst potential. Because both think so much, so highly of the other man, yet so little, so poorly of themselves ...    “Seri’s so good and pure and kind,    but I’m bad and tainted and selfish. A parasite, unworthy of him.”    “Reigen’s a real man, his own man, the man everyone turns to    because he can do anything. But I’m a worthless nobody    who can’t do anything on my own.” What sweetness there’ll be, therefore, when each learns to see himself as the other sees him.    “I need you, and I will always need you to help me stand as myself.    What’s more, I want to be with you, and will always want you close    because you choose everyday to be a good and kind man.    It’s why I think you’re the best man I’ve ever known.”    “You are the most courageous man in the world. Despite the fear    dragging you down, you’ve chosen to make so much of yourself    in such a short amount of time. And you keep doing it, too,    like you won’t let anything hold you back ever again.    You have no idea how much you inspire me every day.    Or how happy you make me every day. You are everything to me.” 

Serirei is so sweet but there's also so much potential angst like... Reigen seeing Serizawa being a functional adult with friends and thinking he's not good enough for Seri. Or Serizawa thinking about how Reigen, this person who doesn't even have powers, tried going up against Toichirou so that Mob, a kid, wouldn't have to do it, something that Serizawa himself could've but didn't do for Shou and god knows how many people affected by Claw (and yeah he was being manipulated but he probably still feels terrible about it), and him having a nagging feeling he doesn't deserve Reigen. On top of it, Serizawa admires Reigen for it but also starts to worry about his friend's lack of self preservation.

[recentanimenews]

Check Out Messages from TV Anime 180-Byou de Kimi no Mimi o Shiawase ni Dekiru ka? Main VAs

    The official website for the forthcoming TV anime 180-Byou de Kimi no Mimi o Shiawase ni Dekiruka? (Can I Make Your Ears Happy in 180 Seconds?) announced its seven main voice members on August 23. The ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)-themed five-minute original short anime is set to premiere in Japan in October 2021.

  Synopsis:

  The protagonist is "you." When your childhood friend girl Gekkou-chan hears that you are into ASMR, she buys a "dummy head microphone" and starts researching ASMR. Then there are Akimizu-chan, who wants to be friends with Gekkou, Gekkou's older sister and mom, and your twin younger sisters. The seven characters around you are drawn to the appeal of ASMR. Three minutes = 180 seconds in which you can experience realistic sounds, including ear scratching, breathing, voices, touching squeezes, ice, water, typing, and other household sounds.

    Key visual:

    Main voice cast:

    Akari Sawake / Gekkou-chan: Shiori Mikami (Akari Akaza in Yuruyuri):

- A high school girl who is a childhood friend of "you".

  "Gekko-chan's addiction to ASMR is sympathetic, so even ASMR beginners can easily get into this anime. Other characters with rich personalities will deliver lots of pleasant sounds, so I hope everyone is looking forward to it♪ This is the first time in the industry that ASMR and animation have been combined, so I myself am very excited to see how it will be broadcast!"

  ????澤家月光(ゲッコーちゃん)役#三上枝織 さんよりコメント到着！ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 「月光ちゃんのASMRにハマっていく姿に共感が持てて、ASMR初心者の方でも入りやすい作品となっています。」#君みみ 10月放送スタート????????https://t.co/aMXRU1QxK0@mikami_shiori pic.twitter.com/VPcydH0Ohu

— TVアニメ『180秒で君の耳を幸せにできるか？』公式 (@180Kimimimi) August 23, 2021

    Shusui Kagami: Suzuko Mimori (Umi Sonoda in Love Live!)

 - Gekkou-chan's classmate, nicknamed "Akimizu-chan"

  "The character I play, Shusui, is a shy girl with dark personality, who doesn't have any friends, but she makes an effort to get to know Gekkou-chan through ASMR. I myself am a beginner at ASMR, so I hope to learn a lot along with Shusui."

  ????鏡 秋水(アキミズちゃん)役#三森すずこ さんよりコメント到着！ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 「私自身もASMRは初心者なので、秋水と共に色々学んで行けたらと思っています。」#君みみ 10月放送スタート????????https://t.co/aMXRU1QxK0@mimori_suzuko pic.twitter.com/DVL4xq9V6C

— TVアニメ『180秒で君の耳を幸せにできるか？』公式 (@180Kimimimi) August 23, 2021

    Hikari Sawake: Azumi Waki (Nagisa Minase in Girlfriend, Girlfriend)

 - Gekkou-chan's older sister, nicknamed "Youkou-san"

  "Youkou-chan is a free and easy-going older sister, so you can relax and be healed by her pace, and sometimes she will play a little prank on your ears, giving you both excitement and comfort at the same time. I'll do my best to play Youkou onee-chan so that I can make everyone's ears happy!"

  ????澤家陽光(ヨーコーさん)役#和氣あず未 さんよりコメント到着！ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 「皆様のお耳を幸せにできるよう、精一杯陽光お姉ちゃんを演じます！」#君みみ 10月放送スタート????????https://t.co/aMXRU1yWSs@azumi_waki pic.twitter.com/cXdxIsNbTp

— TVアニメ『180秒で君の耳を幸せにできるか？』公式 (@180Kimimimi) August 23, 2021

    Udoku Sawake: Kanae Ito (Nanami Nanase in Gundam Build Divers)

 - Gekkou-chan and Youkou-san's mother

  "When I read the script for the first time, my impression of Udoku-san was that she was a mother, but she had a very charming personality, and she was even smaller than me!... just a little bit. I wonder if my height is one of the factors that led to my being cast as Udoku-san? (laugh) I will play her with all my mischievousness and sweetness, so that everyone who listens to her voices will think, 'I'd love to have a mother like that around!'"

  ????澤家雨読 役#伊藤かな恵 さんよりコメント到着！ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 「聴いていただく皆さんに、こんなお母さんが近くにいたら最高だぜ！と思ってもらえるようにお茶目さと甘やかし全開で演じます！」#君みみ 10月放送スタート????????https://t.co/aMXRU1QxK0 pic.twitter.com/QAzA4izXsn

— TVアニメ『180秒で君の耳を幸せにできるか？』公式 (@180Kimimimi) August 23, 2021

    Nanako: Yu Serizawa (Shera L. Greenwood in How Not to Summon a Demon Lord)

 - Your sister

  "Nanako-chan is full of love for her onii-chan! She is the kind of girl who would do anything for her onii-chan, even things that make her heart beat. I think both unreality and realism are important in ASMR, so I'll do my best to make you feel as if Nanako-chan has suddenly appeared in your daily life."

  ????ナナコ 役#芹澤優 さんよりコメント到着！ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 「聞いてくれた人の日常にナナコちゃんが突然現れたような気持ちになってもらえるように頑張りたいと思います！」#君みみ 10月放送スタート????????https://t.co/aMXRU1yWSs@iRis_s_yu pic.twitter.com/h7ljjl9ROI

— TVアニメ『180秒で君の耳を幸せにできるか？』公式 (@180Kimimimi) August 23, 2021

    Kanako: Aoi Koga (Kaguya Shinomiya in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War)

 - Your sister

  "I'm Aoi Koga, and I'll be playing the role of Kanako. Kanako-chan is the twin sister of Nanako, played by Yu Serizawa-san, so I'll try to play the role in a fun way so that you can enjoy their 'twin-ness' as well as their differences as characters. They also have their own unique way of speaking, so please listen carefully...!"

  ????カナコ 役#古賀葵 さんよりコメント到着！ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 「カナコちゃんは芹澤さん演じるナナコちゃんと双子という関係なので、"双子らしさ"もたっぷり楽しんで頂ける様、楽しく演じようと思います。」#君みみ 10月放送スタート????????https://t.co/aMXRU1yWSs@824_aoi pic.twitter.com/q6f4kujwNW

— TVアニメ『180秒で君の耳を幸せにできるか？』公式 (@180Kimimimi) August 23, 2021

    Jiro: Show Hayami (Ferdinand in Ascendance of a Bookworm)

 - Akimizu-chan's father

  "I wonder if Jiro Kagami is a wild and a little decadent character? I think he's different from the characters I've played in the past. I'm a little worried about how much I will be able to deliver the dialogue three-dimensionally by using a dummy head microphone (ASMR). And on the other hand, I'm not sure how everyone will perceive it, but I'm very motivated to give a good performance at the real recordings, so please look forward to it."

  ????二郎 役#速水奨 さんよりコメント到着！ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 「本番でいいパフォーマンスが出来る気満々ですので、是非、ご期待ください。」#君みみ 10月放送スタート????????https://t.co/aMXRU1QxK0@show_ism pic.twitter.com/PJPNA8O1t3

— TVアニメ『180秒で君の耳を幸せにできるか？』公式 (@180Kimimimi) August 23, 2021

    Sources: TV anime "180-Byou de Kimi no Mimi o Shiawase ni Dekiruka?" official website / Twitter

  © KimiKimi Production Committee

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #194 - Godzilla (2014)

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes, #293.

Format: Blu-ray

1) There’s a good chance that this fact will effect my opinion of the film, but this is the first and to date only Godzilla film I’ve ever seen. Not a bad intro to the franchise.

2) I like that this film pays respects to the character’s origins. Godzilla is rooted deep not only in Japanese culture but also history, with the original Kaiju being representative of survivors of the nuclear attacks which hit the country (his skin being based on that of survivors from those blasts). This film incorporates nuclear radiation in a meaningful way, has a strong Japanese setting (at least in the first act), and even features a meaningful scene recognizing the attack in Hiroshima. It’s more than just a pale carbon copy (as I understand the version directed by Roland Emmerich is received as) but is aware of what makes a Godzilla movie.

3) The film’s entire prologue does a very good job of establishing the film’s dark tone and occasional sense of mystery.

Vivienne [while inspecting the bones of a dead Kaiju]: “Is it possible? Is it him?”

Serizawa: “No. This is much older.”

4) Juliette Binoche as Sandra.

Binoche’s role in the film is brief but holy crap if she just doesn’t juice all her screen time for everything it is worth. In the few minutes we know Sandra her professionalism, priorities, skill, and investment in family became incredibly clear. It is her ability to get you so invested in her character in these few moments which makes her death all that more effective.

While Bryan Cranston’s total desperation and heartache in that death scene is an enormous factor, it is largely carried by the strength of Binoche’s unfortunately brief performance. The scene is perfectly paced and Binoche helps play each emotional beat perfectly. I tear up every freaking time I see it, especially at the fact that Sandra and her husband Joe get to see each other one last time while she’s basically dead. It is Binoche’s brief performance and her death scene which helps anchor the giant monster spectacle in real human emotion moving forward.

5) Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as Ford & Elle Brody (husband and wife) have this really great chemistry between them. It’s not so much a crazy hot chemistry as it is significantly deep. You understand the strength of their love, their connection, their trust, all in the way they act around each other. It would be a chemistry the pair would repeat (with some obvious differences) in Avengers: Age of Ultron a year later.

6) Aaron Taylor Johnson as Ford Brody.

The role of a human protagonist in a monster movie is wildly important but incredibly easy to have be a forgettable schlub against Godzilla. But Johnson does incredibly well to make Brody not only memorable but also get the audience invested in him. You can see Brody’s struggle and pain throughout. Over the course of the movie he loses his mother and father while at risk of losing his wife and son too. These lead to very simple motivations: take care of his family. This drives his every action, his every choice, to help and get to his family. The struggle is largely man vs nature (nature in this case being a trio of giant monsters who keep getting in his way) but Johnson plays it VERY well and helps elevate the film because of it.

7) Bryan Cranston as Joe Brody.

Cranston is arguably the strongest actor in the entire film. Very similarly to Binoche, his performance and character is the emotional bedrock on which the human story rests. The pain/turmoil he displays is so freaking raw and powerful that in every scene you are just drawn to him. You know exactly why he’s doing what he’s doing, how powerful his grief is, and it drives a fair amount of the early plot. Through Cranston’s performance and the writing surrounding it he’s able to even give the audience a fair amount of exposition in a way which is very telling of his obsession. All in all, it’s just freaking great.

8) There is this very nice sense of place to the Quarantine Zone that is established immediately. The overgrown plants and sense of tone all help make it seem otherworldly.

9) Director Gareth Edwards employs a controlled sense of pace, taking his time to set up the story and the conflict at large while never boring his audience. It’s a nice change of pace from standard giant monster movie fair that really just helps the film be its own thing.

10) Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishiro Serizawa.

It could be argued that if anyone gives a better performance in this film than Bryan Cranston, it’s Watanabe. But that could also be because he has far more screen time. The actor is absolutely incredible here, with a soft but poignant pain which defines his every moment of screen time. Watanabe just breathes tragedy but not in a way which drags down the film but instead motivates much of the action. It is not all there is to him but it’s definitely a huge factor in his character. It is this sadness (first seen at its best when he mournfully says to kill the MUTO) that is so telling of his character and helps get you invested in his character. He’s just great.

11) I give this film massive credit for introducing new monsters - the two MUTOs - into an at the time sixty year old canon. The filmmakers could’ve easily made these monsters be boring/lazily designed creatures who only exist as something for Godzilla to beat on, but they end up getting a lot more screen time than the titular monster actually. The thought put into the design of both, what makes them different from not only other giant movie monsters but also each other, is what helps make them so good.

12) Ford’s motivation for the entire film can easily be defined by his father’s last words to him.

Joe: “GO home to your family. Keep them safe. Whatever it takes.”

13) Honestly, if they only had Ken Watanabe in this film to deliver two of its best lines I would’ve been so okay with that because he’s so great at it.

Serizawa: “We call him, Gojira.”

Originally the line referred to the monster as Godzilla but Watanabe asked to call him by the original Japanese name.

14) The entire backstory with how giant monsters exist in this world (how they’re ancient alpha predators who pretty much exist entirely off of radiation) and how the government agency of Monarch fits into it is all REALLY well done, actually. It could’ve easily been boring and shoehorned in but there’s a fair amount of thought put into it which helps to organically build this universe at large.

15) The film does a nice job of making sure each giant monster scene has a parallel human conflict to it. The kid on the monorail Ford has to keep safe when the MUTO hits Hawaii, for example, is a good example of this.

16) So one of the things this film does which I appreciate is also a great point of frustration for me and that is how little we so of Godzilla for so much of the film.

On the one hand, it is very Jaws esque. That decision helps to convey the scale and significance of Godzilla. Each time he appears on screen you can FEEL the stakes rise, you can feel the dynamic of the scene change, and that’s pretty great.

On the other hand: I WANT TO SEE GODZILLA FIGHT GIANT MONSTERS! IT’S A GIANT MONSTER MOVIE FOR PETE’S SAKE!

I’m very conflicted about this.

17) This is nice.

Vivienne [on the second MUTO]: “It’s far bigger than the other one.”

Adm. Stenz: “This one doesn’t have any wings.”

Vivenne: “A different sex?”

Serizawa: “A female.”

It’s easy when making not only one giant monster but a species of an original giant monster to have them all be carbon copies of each other. But to put thought into differentiating between the sex shows an intelligence in the filmmaking which I certainly appreciate.

18) Remember the respect I mentioned that this film pays to its original source material?

Serizawa [showing Stenz a broken watch]: “Eight fifteen in the morning. August sixth, nineteen-forty-five.”

Stenz: “Hiroshima.”

Serizawa: “It was my father’s.”

The original Godzilla came out only nine years after Hiroshima was bombed. Not only that, but a Japanese tuna fishing boat known as the Lucky Dragon was exposed to/contaminated by nuclear fallout from the US Castle Bravo nuclear weapon test in March of that year. Godzilla as a character originally served as a metaphor for nuclear weapons; a destructive force which is beyond nature and humanity have little control over stopping. The fact that this film not only recognizes that but openly discusses Hiroshima - if only briefly - is an important respect to pay to its predecessor.

19) The phone call between Elle and Ford not only speaks to the strength of their relationship but also shows off Elizabeth Olsen’s ability to portray raw human emotion brilliantly.

20) So there is this brief pan over jammed traffic with a downed plane while we hear reports over the radio and I think that tiny moment does an incredible job of establishing the effect of these monsters on everyday people.

21) I actually really like the military’s representation in this film, more than any other film that comes to mind. They don’t Michael Bay it by glorifying the armed forces to the point where they’re action figures or ridiculous action heroes. But it also avoids vilifying the military or dumbing them down to the point of stupidity. Everyone involved understands the weight of their decisions and David Strathairn’s  Admiral Stenz has this constant eagerness to hear better ideas than what he’s coming up with because it’s not about his ego. It’s about saving as many people as they can and I like sort of the simple elegance they convey the armed forces with in this film. I hope some of that made sense.

22) Okay, is Ford nuclear or something? Because he’s like a giant monster magnet! No matter where he goes, there are giant monsters!

23) The scene on the golden gat abridge is very nice, primarily because it does the Spielbergian thing and shows the action and drama through the eyes of the kids on the bus. I like that.

24) I’ve mentioned the intelligence put in designing the MUTOs already, but particularly the mating ritual shown between the male and female is very strong. It feels natural, organic, and makes them more than just destructive forces but actual animals.

25) Remember how I said Ken Watanabe has the two bets lines in the film? Well, besides, “Gojira,” we get this iconic beauty:

26) The halo jump.

The halo jump is possibly the best set piece in the entire film and not because the action is strong but because of how freaking haunting it is. There is this absolutely stellar atmosphere which is created by the strong visuals, sound design of Ford’s breathing, and Alexandre Desplat’s eerie score. You KNOW they’re past the point of no return just because this scene is so freaking awesome.

27) I love the little moment when Godzilla’s eyes and Brody’s eyes meet. It’s like, “Yes, these are the two protagonists we’ve been following this entire time, and they connect!” I love it.

28) When Godzilla is able to use his freaking atomic breathe for the first time, that’s really when the monster vs monster action kicks off. The ensuing fight is truly badass, culminating in one epic finale which has you asking: “Why didn’t he open with that?”

29) You can tell when a film has a great climax because when it’s over, all the tension will leave your body. You just relax and take in the ending. For me, that’s how the ending of Godzilla is. Once he kills the last MUTO and lays down for a quick “you think I’m dead but I’m just napping” nap, I just take in the rest of the movie.

Although you may find issues in how little of the titular monster we actually get to see, odds are you’ll get a kick out of Godzilla. There are a handful of absolutely amazing performances (Binoche, Cranston, Watanabe) which help root a very strong human drama which gets you invested in otherwise forgettable characters. And when Godzilla does show up on screen it is utterly badass. By sacrificing some of the sheer fun the giant monster movie genre can have the filmmakers are able to create a well paced, dark, mysterious, and intriguing film which is at the end of the day still really freaking good. Again, I’ve never seen another Godzilla film, but I definitely recommend this one.

[rieshon]

Winter 2019 Season Preview

I can't believe it's another goddamn year. 2019 marks my fifteenth year of watching anime, which fucks me up to even write. The about 540 anime I've seen in the intervening years doesn't even feel like that many when I think about how I've literally spent half my life watching these Chinese girl cartoons. Onwards and upwards, I guess.

1 Girly Air Force: Oh fuck yes. Sukasuka is still the best LN I've read, but Girly Air Force is far and away my favorite and it should be obvious why: it's got cute girls, it's got airplanes, it's got cute girls who ARE airplanes! The story is surprisingly well-done and if Satelight's adaptation is on point this could be a pretty good show. Phantom is best girl and Izawa Shiori sounds perfect as her, so we've already got that going for us.

2 Endoro~!: Okay, so Release the Spyce was bad. That's not Namori's fault, though, 'cause the characters were still adorable. This is Namori's next try at being an anime character designer, and it definitely looks better than Spyce ever did. Cute girl lighthearted fantasy is definitely a good genre (it's why I played Priconne for as long as I did despite the game being terrible) and the pastel colors all over this show tell me I'm home. Kaori, director of one of the best cute girl anime of the last decade, Yuyushiki, helms the project and venerable Studio Gokumi animates. Yeah, this is AOTS.

3 Kouya no Kotobuki Hikoutai: Based Tsutomu is BACK, babey! Somehow, this is his first TV project in three years (after the lackluster Mayoiga) though he's obviously been hard at work making more of Garupan as slowly as possible and probably also working on that Shirobako movie that's in the oven. I'm sure it's hard being an anime god. It's definitely disappointing that this is a full CG anime, but the fact that it's about planes and being made by Tsutomu is enough for me to overlook that fact. It's not quite the Daisan Hikou Shoujotai anime we've all been waiting for, but it's close enough.

4 Ueno-san wa Bukiyou: I have a hard time believing this will be anything but comedy of the season in three months' time. The excerpts from the manga I have seen are amazing, and the trailers have been brilliant as well. Plus, Serizawa Yuu in the lead role, and it also has one of the surest signs of a comic hit (at least in my book) which is the male lead also being played by a girl―Tanaka Aimi in this case. The character designs definitely capture tugeneko's unique style. This should be great.

5 Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!: Clearly this is the spiritual successor to Uzamaid. Perverted channee hnnngs over some cute lolis? That's almost always good. Said lolis look incredibly adorable, and the protagonist will be played by the always-brilliant Ueda Reina, who should shine in a role like this. It's definitely hard to imagine this one missing.

6 Kakegurui XX: I never expected this show to get a sequel, but I'm sure not complaining about it. Everyone's favorite hot Akagi expy is back, babey. I can't wait to see some more sexy gambles. Hearing Hayamin's lewd voice is worth the price of admission by itself, and it looks like there are new hot channees coming by the truckload in this second season. Sign me the fuck up.

7 Gotoubun no Hanayome: I'm mad at this show because I thought Ayaneru was supposed to play all five heroines, but apparently that was just for a commercial for the manga and they cast five different people for the actual anime. I wanted to hear quintuple Ayaneru! This show still looks like a good harem, though, and of course does still provide one Ayaneru. The rest of the cast are no slouches either, and despite the Ayaneru presence I think Ayachi's character looks like the best girl.

8 Domestic na Kanojo: Schoolteacher romance anime!?! FUUUCK YES. This is exactly what the doctor's been ordering. The Hiyocchi-voiced sensei looks adorable (as all anime teachers should be) and I am just 100% here for what is happening. There's also another cute girl, but, just give me Hina-sensei and I'll be happy.

9 Date A Live III: Hard to believe the original DAL anime was almost six years ago. I stopped following the series closely when DAL2 was bad, but I'm still excited for this new sequel. The girls are still great and so is the premise, they just need to actually have money to make a good anime this time around. Happily, J.C. Staff have been pegged to animate this time instead of the perenially inconsistent Production IMS, with the principal creative staff (including director Motonaga Keitarou) still intact. So it should be pretty good!

10 Kemurikusa: Yes Tatsuki, yes tanoshi! I still haven't seen Kemono Friends so I can't speak personally to Tatsuki's alleged genius but I have seen some of his short anime he posts online and they're always brimming with atmosphere, so I'm excited to check this out.

11 Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka: The latest in a seemingly endless line of anime that ask, 'How can we take the concept of magical girls but make it edgy?' Okay, I admit, the idea of magical girls who wield Kalashnikov rifles is actually pretty great... It just depends on how seriously the show takes itself, because this is not a concept that should be played straight. Strike The Blood's Yamamoto Hideo is set to direct, and STB was a show that definitely knew how to toe the line between serious action and lighthearted antics, so hopefully it will be good.

12 Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai ~Tensai-tachi no Ren'ai Zunousen~: Though I'm a long-established devotee of the Church of Blondenblu, black hair and red eyes is pretty close behind as far as I'm concerned, so this show's titular Kaguya-sama definitely looks good. Plus that forehead! There's also a nice blondenblu girl voiced by Hanabee. Looks like a cute romantic comedy.

13 Manaria Friends: Yeah, this is finally happening after years of development hell, apparently being produced entirely in-house by Cygames and their animation studio CygamesPictures. From what I hear, this is supposed to be a lot different from the mainline Bahamut anime: kind of nichijou-kei, and apparently gay as hell. Cute girl and her demon girlfriend? Yep, sign me the fuck up.

14 Circlet Princess: It's always good when the "story" tab on your show's website is under construction when your show starts in like two weeks. This is apparently based on a DMM web game, but the writer and designer is Kio Nachi, who was responsible for the game and anime of the way-better-than-it-should-have-been Ao no Kanata no Fourhythm, so it might be good. The voice cast is a star-studded assemblage of veterans like Gotou Mai, Nabatame Hitomi, and Mizuhashi Kaori... With the turnover in the seiyuu industry as of late it's nice to see that vets like this can still get main-cast roles and aren't just relegated to playing the moms of the latest 18 year old darling. But I digress.

15 Boogiepop wa Warawanai: Otherwise known as Boogiepop Phantom in the West, this is the latest classic property to get the remake treatment. I've always meant to watch the original, but never did. Boogiepop was one of the original series to start the modern "light novel" movement, and I've always heard great things about it, but other than that I really know nothing about the story so I'll be going in blind. I'm sure Ao-chan and Oonishi will be great in it at least.

16 Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan: I have no idea what Ekoda-chan is about (other than it's a 4koma manga) but this adaptation looks like it's some art. Apparently every episode will have both a different director and a different actress playing the titular Ekoda-chan. Presumably, we are about to See Some Shit. Names set to direct episodes include some names like Sugii Gisaburou (Touch, Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru) and Mochizuki Tomomi (Ranma 1/2) and Kitani Yoshitomo (GaoGaiGar) so we're definitely in for something.

17 Egao no Daika: It's time for your seasonal dose of robot anime with hot girls in it. It's going to be awhile until I can see a show like this again and think "Gridman was better," but hey, this one's got some hot girls in it too. This is brought to us by longtime mecha anime guy Suzuki Toshimasa, who was responsible for a recent sentimental favorite of mine, Rinne no Lagrange. The character designs are the work of Nakamura Naoto, who also did the job on High School Fleet. That show was notable more than anything for having an incredibly large and diverse cast of incredibly cute girls, so that's a good sign.

18 Pastel Memories: This show has nothing to do with Plastic Memories, but that doesn't stop be from thinking of that every time I see the title. If you immediately suspect it to be a social game adaptation after seeing the art and logo, you would be extremely correct. The key visual on the show's homepage does not inspire confidence, but the animation looks fine in the PV at least. As a genre, "cute girls from social games fighting monsters" generally produces rubbish, but I appreciate that the action at least looks to be hand-drawn in this one. The show does have Rieshon in it, who I feel like I haven't heard in ages, so that's nice.

19 Bermuda Triangle ~Colorful Pastrale~: I've always been on record as saying mermaid girls suck because they don't have legs, and I still stand by that. Why should I get excited about a cute girl anime if there's no ftmm to ogle??? I'll still watch it cause it promises to be a nichijou-kei cute girl anime (and there's a channee mermaid who wears hoop earrings which almost makes up for the lack of legs) but I'm not going to be happy about it damnit.

20 Minitoji: It's some kind of SD Toji no Miko spinoff. I'm sure I'm in the minority just like, in general, but I really enjoyed Tojimiko so I'm happy enough to see this being made. It looks like the protagonist from the (truly dreadful) mobile game adaptation is making an appearance, so I guess that thing is making enough money to have this produced... Hey, if I get to see more of Hiyori-chan being gay, I'm down.

21 Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari: It's light novel anime. When the show's "characters" page is half dudes it's never a good sign, especially for a show in this genre. Probably the most interesting thing about it is that Kevin Penkin, who did the fantastic music for 2017's Made in Abyss returns to anime work here... But it will probably be in service of a lame, too self-serious fantasy plot with lots of dudes grimacing.

22 Grimms Notes The Animation: Grimms Notes is a shitty social game so you can already see where this is going. It feels like a waste of my time to even write a preview for it since I know I'll be dropping this before the first episode is even over. At least it has a blondenblu girl, I guess.

23 Yakusoku no Neverland: Did you guys know noitaminA is still a thing? Remember when it was relevant? This is this season's noitaminA show and it looks like exactly the kind of thing I watch out of obligation because it looks like "art" and then drop even after saying I'll give the second episode a chance. The protagonist's face gives me bad juju. At least most of the male characters are voiced by girls since they're kids.

24 revisions: Enver Hoxha's least-favorite anime is brought to us by Netflix. It looks like, honestly, exactly what I expect from Netflix at this point. The CG animation doesn't look great (Shirogumi doing it this time, instead of Netflix stalwart Polygon Pictures) and it has the same kind of serious sci-fi feel as shows like A.I.C.O. Incarnation. Probably won't be that good, but these shows that strive to feel like Western cable thrillers have a bad habit of being pretty easy watches.

25 Virtual-san wa Miteiru: I don't think I actually want to watch this. I like to watch some virtuals sometimes but... No.

[psychicdinneranon-blog]

Blindly and Always

First of all you may thank @qcatter for this fic. They brought up Shou’s mom and everything went downhill from there.

Note this is a part of the MiB AU So Shou isn’t quite an esper in this fic.

Summary: Shou’s mother is asking him to stop talking about certain things. But Shou can’t even meet her halfway because what she is doing is asking for the impossible. She’s telling a fish to climb a tree and Shou can’t. He can’t just pretend that he’s not himself. Can’t pretend that he doesn’t have three eyes and the ability to eat rocks and make things float without lifting a finger.

(Alternatively: Shou loves his mom unconditionally, but not all love is unconditional)

Shou twiddled the carnelian ring that Ritsu had given him. A slight smile played across his lips as he glanced down at it, remembering the way Ritsu had dropped it into his hand and saying that it would be something good to focus on if he needed to stay still. Like now for instance, as he waited for his mother to reach his table at the café.

Sometimes Shou wondered what he had done to get a friend like Ritsu, who always seemed to know the perfect things to give him.

Then his mother walked into the café in a pale blue dress and a sunhat. But even with the hat, Shou would know his mom anywhere. He lit up upon spotting his mother in the store and he waved enthusiastically until she looked over his way and gave a small half wave in response.

Shou put his hand down and went back to twisting the ring on his thumb. It was too big to fit it anywhere else. Ritsu had apologized about not knowing his size, having just seen the ring and making the impulse purchase. Then he jokingly teased Shou about having small fingers, as the ring had managed to at least stay on his digits.

Shou had laughed and accepted the ring like he was being presented with an ancient treasure. Including stealing it out from Ritsu’s hands while he was showing Shou that he could actually keep it on his fingers. And then promptly “defeating” the treasure guardian in a tickle fight.

The last “ancient treasure” he had seen might have been on an Indiana Jones movie. But Ritsu was smiling and out of breath from laughing so Shou didn’t worry.

His mother smiled softly as she brought her cup of coffee to the table and Shou moved the pastry he had bought so that she had plenty of room.

“Hi mom.” Shou smiled brightly, slipping out of his seat to give her a quick hug before the two sat down across from each other.

“Hi Shou.” She murmured softly and Shou delighted in the soft tones of his mother’s voice. They reminded him of valleys and mountains when viewed from the clouds. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good mom. You should see my hamster, last Thursday she just flopped down on her back against my arm while I was drawing at my desk. It was sooo cute! I had to stop drawing for a while because I didn’t want to disturb her.” Shou shifted slightly in his seat, still unable to sit still as always, and tilted his head as he asked his mother curiously. “What about you? What have you been doing since I last saw you?”

His mother had her hands folded into her lap, and Shou remembered suddenly how still she was compared to him. “I’ve been good as well. I got a promotion at my job and they’re asking for my help in planning a coworker’s birthday.”

“Cool! What are you all planning on doing?”

“Nothing too much, but the staff think that it would be fun to get lunch at that Indian restaurant off of Allspice Drive. If it turns out to be good I’ll let you know.”

Shou nodded, he was always in the mood for hot things be they spicy or temperature. Just as he was about to ask what else his mom had been doing, she cut him off and pointed to his left hand.

“What’s that?”

Shou couldn’t help how his smile widened as he stuck his hand out to show off the red orange swirls of the ring. “Ritsu gave it to me! Isn’t it awesome? He said it reminded him of me and so he just dropped it into my hand yesterday.”

“You must like it a lot to be wearing it, you used to hate things on your fingers when you were little.”

“Oh really?” Shou chuckled softly, and he could hear a few bird tweets creep in, but he didn’t let himself worry about them. “I don’t really remember. I know you used to dress up as the Queen of the castle though.”

“And you were my valiant little knight. Until you got tired of being a knight and became a dragon.” Something about her voice seemed off to Shou, a little forlorn, a little sad.

So of course Shou decided to try his best to lighten the mood. After all, he never wanted to see his mother sad. “Well you should see me now, I’m the Dred Pirate Shou reigning champion over any and all tickle fights with Ritsu.” Shou stated with a proud smile on his face.

Shou’s mother chuckled and questioned what other things he did with his friend. And Shou launched into one of his endless stories. This particular one being when he and Ritsu had been rock hunting all across town. All the while with the ever studious Ritsu actually trying to identify the rocks that they had gathered together.

“It’s so funny mom, you should see him when he’s trying to figure out something. He gets real quiet and he’s this little scrunch in his eyebrows, like this.” Shou tried his best to mimic Ritsu’s “thinking face” as Shou liked to call it. All the while he was talking he waved his hands about like he was directing a concert. “And when we found this patch of cracked road he picked up a few road pieces just for me! Isn’t that amazing?” Shou almost went on to say that Ritsu knew his tastes all too well be then he looked at his mother’s expression.

His mother had that look on her face again. That distant half stare that both pierced Shou to the heart and looked right through him all at the same time. She looked at him like she was looking at someone else. And Shou wondered just what he had done; wondered if she really thought that he was so similar to his father.

Shou never voiced his questions but he thought them all the same.

And so he fell silent for enough time for his mother to steer them away from that particular topic.

“How are your studies going Shou?”

And Shou bit the inside of his cheek and tried not to sigh as once again his mother dismissed the story he had just been telling her. His arms fell back against his side and he started to pick apart his pastry into bite-sized pieces. He wished he knew what he was doing, what he was saying that was so wrong.

He was getting tired of trying to keep up with the mazes that she had lain with traps and pitfalls about subjects Not to be Discussed. His powers. Anything about being a starchild. His diet. And now Ritsu?

His wide smile drooped a little at the corners. And he wished that things were as easy as those long summer days when they used to draw by the window together. Shou with his crayons because he couldn’t be trusted not to eat the charcoal pencils his mother was so fond of. And at the end of the day they would compare their pictures side by side each gushing about the other’s work.

But those days are long gone, blown away like dandelion seeds and carried far, far away by the wind.

So he danced along to his mother’s tune of what she wanted to talk about. Let her lead him down the maze and followed as best as he could.

He told her that he was doing well in school, even making sure that he stayed ahead with his assignments actually. And then he told her about how he was still sort of figuring out algebra but Ritsu and he had a few study dates and how he thought he had actually got it now.

Then after a long pause of silence, with neither of the two sure of what to say next. To break the silence, she asked him what he had thought of the weather recently, commenting that it had been a little chilly for the dress earlier that morning.

Shou nodded a little, saying that he never really had liked the cold. “But the sunrises from this time of year are beautiful mom, don’t you think?”

“Yes they are.” She nodded and smiled softly at him. That smile made his heart jump in his chest while his stomach settled uncomfortably. He wasted no time in allowing himself to think of why he had such reactions.

“I mean, it’s just so bright and oh today it was red even after leaving the horizon. I love when that happens. I want to just wrap the color around me and never let it go.”

And there was that awkward pause again, like he had said yet another thing wrong.

Shou and his mother stared at each other. It was in this moment that Shou felt a surge of longing to be with his best friend right now. Even with all the time he had spent with Ritsu there were never any long drawn out silences like this one. Ritsu always had a sharp quip or a clever comeback or did something to make Shou forget how to use his words at all through his laughter.

Nothing like this. And oh, didn’t that thought hurt like the last time he had decided to eat a microwave. A long drawn out pain that persevered because of each new piece.

Then his mother looked at the delicate watch strapped around her wrist and announced that it was time for her to leave. She had another appointment and couldn’t afford to be late.

Shou nodded and offered to take her empty cup to the trash, to which she thanked him gratefully and stood to go.

Shou walked over to the garbage can, he took a deep breath and let out slowly. Then he tossed his mother’s Styrofoam cup away and ate his pastry wrapper in one bite.  

When Shou walked past the table again he saw that his mother had already left.

He fiddled with his ring and started to walk towards the Kageyama’s house. He wondered idly if Ritsu still had some pieces of road he could snack on. He hoped his friend wouldn’t mind heading out on another adventure with him. Or let him steal the bed and curl up together and watch cute hamster videos on Ritsu’s computer. Or follow him home to have lunch with Serizawa. It had been planned that they would just have sandwiches today, but he was positive that with Ritsu there they would be able to convince Serizawa to try something a little more complicated.

And if he burned the pan again then Shou would be more  than happy to eat the scraps.

He’d take anything so long as it wasn’t another one of those endless silences spent biting his tongue and searching for the -as of yet to appear- the right words to say.

[auro-cyanide]

2, 15, and 18 for mp100 ask meme

Fifth one! Sorry for the delay on these, work has been kicking my butt and I have been in a MoodTM. I want to get through all of them this weekend hopefully!!! I really appreciate that people cared enough to ask hahaha

2: Who's your favorite character out of the cast?

Okay, so like despite how often I draw him, Teruki is only my second favourite. A very, very close second but second none the less. Mob still takes the number one position in my heart. I have a long standing love for over-powered characters, I love stories about them. And Mob like god damn the child is perfect and adorable and gah I love him so much. I love that he’s a dork, I love how hard he tries, I love how kind he is, I love how he has certain jagged edges to his personality, I love when he’s cool and when he’s very not, I love his relationships with the rest of the cast, I love how he changes the world around him, I love his design, I just love Mob like A LOT.

So I basically go Mob>Teruki>Ritsu>Reigen>Shou>Ekubo>Serizawa>and everyone else is here because all the characters are pretty great and are a lot of fun.

Koyama, Sakurai and Shimazaki are probably my favourite antagonists especially their visual designs. 

I love all the girls but especially Emi. I’m not sure why, I felt like she was a really, really well written high school girl and her mini arc was actually really engaging.

15: Do you have a favorite AU?

Answered this one here

18: What headcanons do you have for (character)?

So I’ve done a terumob one for this and a Reigen one so I might do... Mob this time. Other people have asked for Ritsu and Teruki so I’ll do them later.

Okay... Mob will probably be hard, let’s see how this goes.

Is terrible at texting. Is most likely to reply with one word answers. It’s easier to just call him if you want more than that... though you won’t get much more.

Enjoys walking. He usually needs a goal in mind, but he enjoys the act itself.

Has no sense of direction, mostly navigates based in landmarks. Unfortunately sometimes his mind is elsewhere and when he looks up again he has no idea where he is.

His best subject is music. Not to say he’s great at it, but he’s fairly co-ordinated with his hands and it’s something he can do on an individual level.

Hates coffee. Tried a cafe au lait once and wondered why you would ruin milk like that.

Some of his best memories are going to visit his grandparents out in a smaller rural town once a year.

He loved going to explore through the forest. There was something calming about being surrounded by massive old trees, something that helped make him feel smaller in the world, less consequential.

He loved nature in general. He can spend hours quietly watching animals.

He has lived in the same house all his life. There is a door frame with their heights marked, including the shocking moment when Ritsu grew taller than him.

Very money conscious. Doesn’t tend to buy much if he can help it and when he does he usually spends it on someone else.

If he needs adult help at home he goes to his mum, she’s significantly more likely to get the thing done.

Winter is his favourite season. He likes hot chocolate and wrapping up warmly and sitting at a kotatsu with Ritsu on the weekend.

Thinks he might want to travel. Maybe. One day. It seems scary but he’s drawn to idea of there being a much bigger world out there.

I love him

[akuriyou]

Hakuouki Fandom Tag Game

-- tagged by @hakuoukiandmocha11 (that was unexpected haha XD)

-- How and when you got into this glorious fandom:

HAHAHA That’s a story in itself.

SO.

I never knew what Otome was until... ooh... 2015? Maybe it was 2014. In any case, I didn’t have a clue. My cousin spammed me a shit ton of Hakuouki stuff in the past along with other Otome stuff, but I never really paid much attention to it. Until then. I also didn’t even pay attention to the company name when I picked up the PS3 game case. I literally walked into GameStop, browsed the PS3 section, and saw this game. And me, being a historical Japan geek (although I know almost nothing about it), saw this game that involved the Shinsengumi and started freaking out. I jumped on it thinking it’d be a rad game.

Little did I know, it would be a rad game in a completely different way.

I really didn’t think it’d be a romance novel until I started playing. Like I read on the back that it was, but I was expecting it to be more like... half-cutscenes and then fighting, you know? Cuz that’s the kind of game I play. And man, was I hooked. Still am. My best friend can attest to this. I am so diligently waiting for when Shinkai comes out in North America.

I didn’t watch of the anime. It just... didn’t click with me. I tried to, but I just stared at the screen with a dead face. I did watch the movies, though, and a few of the OVAs. I still have yet to watch Reimeiroku. I should learn Japanese and play the game XD

-- Favorite character in terms of development.

Oh man. I think Souji-kun. He was a little shit at first to me and I kinda disliked him, but when I actually played his route, I grew to love him. He’s the cutest out of all of them, I think, in terms of how he loves you. And the way he presents himself to others and hides who he really is... I don’t really know how to put my feelings on him into words, but I definitely say Souji-kun on this one. (He’s such a precious baby - protect him).

-- The character you’d get along with most in real life:

Err... This is hard, cuz I’m kinda awkward and don’t have the best social skills. I tend to blurt things out before I think about them and... yeah. If I really sit here and think about it, it’d probably be either Toshizou or Kondou-san. Toshizou because although he’s scary as fuck, he gets things done, is very orderly, and knows what to do. I feel like I tend to gravitate towards people like that.

As for Kondou-san, he’s like a daddy! Well, he is one, but, well, I think a good number of people could get along with Kondou-san because he’s such a charismatic guy. He’s nice to be around and is very kind and open. I respond well to those kinds of people and is when I act my stupidest. I also feel like if we were friends, we’d be constantly trying to make sure the other isn’t being burdened too much or the like, haha XD

I think I’d also be cool with the baka trio, however, I fizz out really quickly in high-energy settings like parties, so I’d mostly be a party pooper who tries to enjoy the atmosphere with them. Though, I don’t think they’d particularly mind, especially Sano-san.

-- The character you are most like:

Hm. This one is also a tough one because as I was sitting here, thinking about immediately putting down Heisuke-kun, I thought about Shinpachi-san. They’re similar, but I think I’m most like Shinpachi-san. Loud, not exactly boisterous, but blunt and awkward. He smiles a lot and tries to be everyone’s support, but has a quick temper and is quick to yell. I’m similar in that regard, although I try to be calm and support like Sano-san (HA! HAHA! HAHAHA!)

-- Least favorite character

Oh. Uh. Well. I didn’t play Reimeiroku or watch it, but Serizawa. Just from the accounts I’ve seen, I just can’t stand him. 

OH. NEVER MIND, I JUST THOUGHT OF ITOU. I can’t stand Itou. Just his pompous ways and the way he holds himself and - ahem. The one thing I can’t stand about him the most would be the way he talks. But that might’ve been the point.

-- Personal favorite husband:

Oh fuck, really? 

HAJIME-KUN. YOU CANNOT TELL ME OTHERWISE. (Okay, but honestly, Yamazaki-kun and Shinpachi-san would be wonderful husbands.)

-- Favorite route:

Toshizou’s. Fight me.

-- Who you wish had a route:

Kondou-san. Not in a romantic way. Nonononono. Do. Not. Go. There. Just like... as a father-figure. I know he dies and all that, but it’d be wonderful if you could interact with him more and see him acting all fatherly-like and warm fuzzies all around. I just want more Kondou-san loves. Is that bad?

-- Least favorite route:

Heisuke-kun’s. I say this without hesitation because of how Sannan-san turned out. I really love the guy (though I didn’t at first), but this... and plus, I love Heisuke-kun and all, but his route was the least interesting out of all of them.

-- Favorite Chizuru ship:

Toshizou/Chizuru or Souji-kun/Chizuru

-- Top 3 ships overall:

Ibuki/Shizu; Toshizou/Chizuru; Souji-kun/Chizuru

-- Do you write/draw/contribute to the fandom in some way? If not, do you have any recommendations? Link us to them!

I have a couple of fanfictions ideas down, but I don’t have a lot written or posted because they involve OCs and all that and I hate for my OCs to be Mary Sues and I’m a perfectionist, so I don’t know if they’ll ever go on the internet. (Holy shit, that looked like a run-on sentence).

Otherwise, I’ve drawn a shit ton of my OC in the Hakuouki universe. I have some lying around, waiting to be posted, but I don’t really have the time to finish them quickly. I hope it will be soon, though.

Overall, I hardly contribute at all. I have everything confined in my own little shell... I need to break out of it.

Okay. That’s it for me today. I’ll tag @aciddollies because she’s the cousin that spammed me way back when and the only one I know who likes Hakuouki that follows me. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to though. I just said why the hell not when I saw this. XD

Now then. Time to go watch One Piece Film: Gold.