#I want that for Wakana too

[putschki1969]

KALAFINA REUNION 📢IT'S TRUE📢

Why did I even go to bed last night??! Damn it, I lost precious time. Anways, many of you must have seen my post last night about that ominous Nikkan Sports article speculating about a possible comeback of Kalafina. I honestly thought it was fake news since it contained a ton of unconfirmed/uncredited information. However, there was lots of interesting stuff that kept me from dismissing it entirely. I mean, who would go through all the trouble coming up with details such as specific quotes or exact concert details? Turns out they mostly got the dates mixed up but the rest was true. At noon Japanese Standard Time, we got all of our official announcements. Here's the gist of it〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Kalafina Staff Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter

Announcement of "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Open at 17:30 /Start 18:30 Venue: Tokyo Garden Theater Performers: Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru) Music Director: Takebe Satoshi

To everyone who loves and supports Kalafina We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". We want to sing together as a trio again, knowing that you all have always cherished Kalafina, even while we are doing solo activities. We look forward to seeing you there! Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru)

Ticket sales are scheduled for the following dates: ■Wakana/KEIKO Fan Club Advanced Lottery October 10, 2024, 11:00 - October 20, 23:59 ■Hikaru X (formerly Twitter) Advanced Lottery October 25, 11:00 - November 4, 23:59 ■General Ticket Lottery November 9, 11:00 - November 11, 23:59

Keiko Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter & Fan Club Site & Tristone & Instagram post

To all our supporters We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Through my solo activities and activities with FictionJunction, I have had many new encounters and taken on new challenges, and I am where I am today thanks to the support of many people. This is a personal matter, but the reason I took a break from singing and then decided to sing again was because of Yuki Kajiura's music. And it was the feelings of everyone who has supported us up until now that led to this event. I am grateful for those feelings, and I am simply happy that the three of us can deliver Kalafina's music again. I am truly looking forward to seeing you all next year. KEIKO

Hikaru's Post on Twitter and Instagram

To everyone who always supports us We are happy to announce that we'll be holding a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Even during my solo activities, I always got a strong sense of everyone's love for Kalafina. I'm grateful we are getting this opportunity to sing together again as a trio and to perform all those treasured songs which Yuki Kajiura has written for us. I hope we can raise a new flag together with all of you. I look forward to seeing you there that day! 2024.10.03 Hikaru

Wakana Posts on Twitter & Botanical Land & Instagram post

(We finally have an official statement from Wakana on her Insta) It has been decided that an "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" will be held on January 15th next year. From 2018 to the present, we have each pursued our own music, but we have decided to sing together again. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who always think of and love Kalafina. I am very much looking forward to meeting you all.

Satoshi Takebe Tweet 1 & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3 (deleted)

Today I had a meeting with some artists I truly respect and had a beer in the middle of the day 🍺 We had a fun afternoon. I hope there will be lots of fun things to do next year too. I can't say anything yet, but I'm already working on some exciting projects!! (Tweet 1)

I believe that my mission is to support artists. It is never my intention to betray or hurt people. That is the one thing I have always stayed true to, and I will continue to do so. It may sound naive, but I believe that sincerity and passion are what motivate people. (Tweet 2)

Due to confidentiality obligations, I cannot explain the situation. However, Kajiura-san is an artist I respect, she's a wonderful musician, and I am a fan of the music she creates. I would like to support the three members with the utmost respect. (Tweet 3 - deleted)

Tweet by Yuki Kajiura & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3

Regarding Kalafina I've received some inquiries in relation to the most recent announcement of an upcoming Kalafina Live Concert so I'd like to use this opportunity to clarify that I, Yuki Kajiura, will not have no involvement whatsoever in this concert. Furthermore, I have not received any advance notice or explanation from the organisers or any of the group members. Given the situation, I am therefore unable to answer any questions. I apologise, but any future inquiries regarding Kalafina should be directed at the organisers and official agencies of the group members.

I believe the members of Kalafina have decided to step away from me as their producer to go on a new path that is not related to me. I had been searching for a way to work together again in the future to create new Kalafina music but that will no longer be happening. It is very unfortunate but this is the road that each member has chosen. We are all individuals searching for our personal musical path so things like this happen.

As you all know, the three of them are truly wonderful singers so I have no doubt that they will continue to deliver amazing vocals and music to their fans. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again for the privilege and happiness of having been able to create music together with them for nearly ten years, and I wish Kalafina continued success in the future.

Yuki Kajiura (Tweet 1)

I hope for a great success regarding the upcoming concert, and that's all I can say about this. I hope to continue making music in a cheerful and fun way in the future (^^). (Tweet 2)

This may be an unnecessary remark, but… there's no way that Kalafina will no longer be able to sing their past songs just because one producer has left, and I personally don't wish that upon them.

I'm sure they'll create a wonderful harmony at their live show in January, so I hope you'll give thunderous cheers and applause to Kalafina's singing and to the musicians who support them on stage. Once again, I wish them all the success in the world. (Tweet 3)

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Wow. All of this is wild. I don't even know what to say. I can hardly believe it. On one hand, I am beyond happy and excited. There's no way I will not be there for this concert and everything beyond that. But on the other hand, all the announcements make this feel a little bittersweet. The personal statements by Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru don't necessarily feel disingenuous but they sound a bit flat and forced. Sadly, there's no personal statement from Wakana yet. Obviously, the elephant in the room is Yuki Kajiura's statement and her exclusion from the entire project. The way her statement is written comes off as quite bitter, passive aggressive and honestly a little petty which doesn't bode well for the future (maybe her manager Mori asked her to phrase it in such a way to make the organisers look bad. And I can understand why she would feel frustrated at being excluded like that). Mostly, I interpret her standoffish attitude as a knee-jerk reaction or as a way to strongly distance herself from the whole thing and not so much as an attempt to bash the members (the latter half of the statement would indicate that at least). Also, she already seems to regret posting such a harsh statement and posted a couple of follow-up tweets. I truly do not understand what is going on behind the scenes to cause so much hostility between Yuki Kajiura, her management and whoever is pulling the strings for this Kalafina reunion (presumably Space Craft's management). My best guess is that Space Craft is at least somehow involved in this project since both Wakana and Satoshi Takebe are able to participate (Takebe is not affiliated with Space Craft but he's been in charge of almost all of Wakana's solo work so maybe there are some ties to the agency).It looks like Space Craft are adamant about not working together with YK (same old childish attitude). Then again, Satoshi Takebe has enough influence in the industry to organise a project like this without the help of Space Craft. Maybe Sony is also involved? I have no idea. Hope we are getting more details once the ticket lotteries start. A new Kalafina website (still being developed) has popped up and it's run by Space Craft so that's probably proof enough that they are one of the main players in all of this.

I wonder if this was a spur of the moment thing once they realised how much hype there still exists for Kalafina after that "ring your bell" performance at the FSN event...Overall, the timing is so weird, Why now? I mean, this doesn't sound like it has been in the making for a very long time based on the fact that Yuki Kajiura didn't even know about it. Keiko and Hikaru literally collaborated with her a couple of weeks ago so how did this topic not come up even once???! Wonder how it will affect future collaborations between Yuki, Keiko and Hikaru? They still have the Asia tour dates coming up in November so I can imagine it would be kinda awkward to work together after this bomb has been dropped. Will they still be covering Kalafina songs? Either way, I refuse to believe tha there has been a real falling out between any of them. It comes across like a series of unfortunate events. Maybe some miscommunication and rushed action but nothing that couldn't be cleared up with a proper conversation.

One thing I'm also curious about is whether or not Satoshi Takebe will take on the role as producer for future music (if they are even planning to go down that route?? It does sound like they might have new projects/releases in store for us...I do feel a little conflicted about that since Yuki Kajiura is such an important component of Kalafina. This is basically what I thought would happen back in 2018/2019. With someone else coming in to take charge of the music production. Back then I wasn't completely against the idea since I was convinced the girls could make it work (especially with the help of someone as established and competent as Satoshi Takebe) but it certainly wasn't my preferred option. Ughhh, I will remain open-minded for the time being. My love for Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru goes beyond anything so as of right now, I feel happy and excited. The live in January will be a celebration of Kalafina so there's no way I'm not going. If they continue to hold "tribute" concerts like this, it will mostly be a nostalgic cash-grab but hey, I'm the target group for that. They can have all my money. And I can definitely see myself supporting them in future projects even with Yuki Kajiura out of the picture. Takebe has been engaging in some surprisingly frank one-on-one discussions on Twitter and so far, it looks like certain confidentiality agreements keep him from going into detail in the matter but his involvement as of right now is limited to being a director/producer for the concert on January 15.

It goes without saying that I will not tolerate any hate towards the girls on this blog! If you are bitter that Yuki Kajiura is not involved, that's your prerogative, I'm sure this will antagonise quite a few hardcore YK fans. But please, don't shit on the members for making this decision. I'm sure they put a lot of thought into it and felt like this course of action was in everyone's best interest. They are clearly thinking about the fans, their own passion/love for Kalafina's music and obviously their careers within the industry.

[yumemiru12]

LisAni INTERVIEW 2024

[This interview was published online on the LisAni website, released Dec 16, 2024.]

As Episode 12 Approaches, Liella! Members Look Back on the Story So Far and the Songs That Have Brought the Series to Life! Interview with Date Sayuri, Aoyama Nagisa, Yabushima Akane, Ookuma Wakana, and Sakakura Sakura.

Set between Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama, Love Live! Superstar!! Season 3 continues to depict the inspiring journey of the school idols Liella! from the private Yuigaoka Girls' High School. Beyond the story’s brilliance, the insert songs that color the narrative are also charming.

We spoke at length with the cast members about the already released OP theme single "Let’s be ONE" and ED theme single "DAISUKI FULL POWER", as well as the insert songs featured in each episode. Joining the conversation were 1st-gen (3rd-years) Date Sayuri (Shibuya Kanon), Aoyama Nagisa (Hazuki Ren), 2nd-gen (2nd-years) Yabushima Akane (Yoneme Mei), Ookuma Wakana (Wakana Shiki), and 3rd-gen (1st-year) Sakakura Sakura (Onitsuka Tomari).

--- INTERVIEW & TEXT BY 塚越淳一

'Let’s be ONE,’ a song that gives you the strength to push yourself forward

—The OP/ED theme song singles have already been performed at release events. First, tell us about the OP theme song, “Let’s be ONE”. What are your favorite phrases or memorable moments from the live performances?

Date: When we record, we aren’t told the specific parts assigned to us at first, so we record the full song. So during the recording, I didn’t think Kanon would sing the opening lines, and I was really surprised when I heard the finished track. Actually, it’s quite rare for Kanon to start a Liella! song.

Despite that, this time the song begins with Kanon’s voice, so I was just really nervous (laughs). The recording itself (for Let's be ONE) was done quite a while ago, but there were moments when I broke down crying and couldn’t sing. Back then, I was struggling to overcome a personal wall, and the lyrics of this song encouraged me so much...

That’s why, when I perform it live, I want to surpass the version of myself from the recording. For me, this is a song that gives me the strength to push myself forward—it’s a song that fills me with determination.

Aoyama: I thought it was such a poignant song. In the D-melody (bridge section that comes between the second chorus and the final chorus), Ren sings the line “Kono toki ga owatte mo” (Even if this moment ends), and when I looked at those lyrics again, I felt it reflects her awareness of being a third-year student and the reality of graduation approaching. It’s like she’s singing while reminiscing about everything that’s happened so far.

During the recording, I sang it as usual, but at the release event, when I sang that part for the first time, I genuinely thought, “I don’t want this moment to end.” I feel like Ren was probably singing with that same emotion too.

—It’s also quite emotional that the D-melody is sung mainly by the third-years, isn’t it?

Aoyama: It feels like it’s perfectly suited for the third-years to sing. I think the phrases really reflect and align with their emotions.

—What about you, Yabushima-san?

Yabushima: When I saw the lyrics, “Important feelings are something you can’t understand on your own,” I thought, “That’s so true!” There are times when you overthink things so much that you lose sight of where your feelings are heading. In those moments, it’s often the people close to you—family, or everyone in Liella!—who help you realize what’s truly important.

There’s only so much you can do to save yourself alone. I’ve been reminded of what’s important and saved by those around me so many times. Also, in the first half, the line is “We’re always one,” but in the final part, it changes to “We’ll always be one.” I love that it emphasizes “always” here, as if to say that even if we’re far apart, our hearts and precious feelings will always be united.

Ookuma: When we sang this song at the release event, I found it really easy to sing. The OP theme for Season 2, “WE WILL!!,” conveyed the desire to win in Love Live!, to become number one, and that feeling was reflected in the choreography as well. Naturally, that made us put a lot of force into our performance.

But “Let’s be ONE” is a refreshing song, and its lyrics express our emotions more gently. The choreography also felt delicate, with an overall relaxed flow, which made it easier for me to perform. Personally, I found it very comfortable to sing. Additionally, I felt that this song really fits the vibe of a Japanese anime opening theme.

Sakakura: I might be a little different from everyone else here, but I’ve always loved the opening themes of the Love Live! series. Being able to sing one myself as Tomari, and as a member of the Liella! I love so much, made me really happy and filled me with energy.

I think I was able to sing it with all those feelings still intact. The melody line has that signature school idol feeling, and the straightforward lyrics are so impactful. The choreography includes two-step movements and other elements that really make you feel the Love Live! series vibe, so performing it was a lot of fun.

—Sakakura-san, you were originally a fan of the series, right?

Sakakura: Yes, I love the Love Live! series, and since I applied for the third-generation open audition because of that, my purest feelings are just happiness and enjoyment—that’s my biggest impression.

Also, I really love the line at the end of the D-melody: “Saa susume! Ima” (Now, let’s move forward!). In this part, the choreography has the third-years standing in a line while the first- and second-years suddenly move forward to sing. Our dance instructor even said, “I want this to feel like the ultimate Love Live! moment,” and it truly does. That choreography feels so inspiring, and it carries the strength and essence of school idols.

Additionally, at the very end with the line “Bokura wa kitto meguriaeta musubaretanda ne” (We surely met by fate and are now connected), the first-years, second-years, and third-years step forward in turn. I felt like that was such a Liella! moment!

—How was the release event? For the third-years (first-years in the story), this was the first time singing with the Liella! animated performance playing in the background, right?

Sakakura: I’m not usually the type to get nervous before live performances, but this time, I was unusually nervous. However, once it started, I couldn’t help but have fun (laughs).

Before it began, I kept thinking, “I have to sync perfectly with the animation, and I absolutely can’t mess up the lyrics or choreography here,” but once I got into it, I was able to simply enjoy performing.

—The third-years are so reliable…! The coupling track “Seishun HOPPERS” was definitely a song that stood out in live performances. How did it feel to perform it?

Yabushima: The tempo is fast, and the hand-offs between singing parts happen quickly too. I think those who watched the performance might have noticed, but there’s a lot of dancing even during the parts when we’re not singing. I feel like people might not have enough eyes to keep up with everything that’s happening! (laughs)

Aoyama: This was my first time doing rock-style dancing. Ren usually has a lot of elegant choreography, so doing this kind of dance for the first time was really fun. At first, I was worried, like, “Can I really pull this off?” So during rehearsals, we kept checking and practicing together.

Sakakura: This song is so exhausting… We’re literally moving our bodies the entire time, so I couldn’t stop sweating (laughs). There’s a lyric that says “Toni kaku tada zenryoku da” (Just go all out), and our performance really reflects that.

Aoyama: At the release event, “Within a Dream”, a full-on ballad, came right after this song, so we were desperately trying not to get out of breath (laughs).

Date: This song is the kind where, if you let your guard down even for a moment, you won’t be able to get back on track. Keeping everything in sync was incredibly tough.

Ookuma: If we end up performing this song during the 6th Live Tour, I hope they don’t put it near the end… Please put it early in the setlist, while we still have energy (laughs).

—Next, let’s talk about the ED theme song, “DAISUKI FULL POWER.” It’s truly a wonderful song.

Sakakura: This song is so uplifting and feels very much like a Love Live! series ending theme—I love it. The first time I saw the ending animation in the TV anime, I was surprised, thinking, “Wow, Tomari smiles like this!” She was shining so brightly as she sang.

Until now, I’ve always been conscious of performing with a cool expression, but after seeing the ending, I thought, “For this song, I’ll just let go of overthinking it, sing with all my heart, and enjoy it with a smile.” I even listen to it a lot in my personal time!

Yabushima: I really love the line “Minna no yume yo, kienai yume yo” (Everyone’s dreams, dreams that never fade). I feel like once a dream takes root inside you, it never really disappears, even if you think, “This might be impossible for me.”

For me, the reason I’m able to stand on stage as part of Liella! now is because, somewhere deep down, I had a dream to be part of the Love Live! series. I’m so glad I kept chasing it with all my might. I think that feeling is shared by Mei-chan and all the other members, too.

Ookuma: I really love lyrics written by Aki Hata. Her choice of words and the meaning behind them always resonate so deeply with me—it’s almost embarrassing how close they are to my own feelings. It’s like she puts into words exactly what I’ve been thinking: “Yes, this is how I feel.”

In Japan, people often hesitate to express their feelings directly, or they end up saying things in a roundabout way. But Hata-san’s lyrics are so straightforward, and they carry the exact warmth or emotion they’re meant to convey.

When I saw these lyrics, I thought, “This is what being a high school girl is all about.” It’s a song that can speak to anyone working hard in their club activities. It also feels like it’s singing about Liella!’s future, which I really liked.

Aoyama: The lyrics are truly beautiful. The line “Datte datte kokoro ni wa, junsui de mubou na jibun ga iru / Joushiki o utagaeba dekiru kamoshirenai yo” (Because, because in my heart, there’s a pure and reckless version of myself / If I question what’s normal, maybe I can do it) reminded me of when I decided to audition for the Love Live! series.

At that time, I thought, “There are probably so many applicants—I have no chance of getting in.” But I clicked the apply button because I wanted to become part of the Love Live! series. I gave everything I had in that audition, thinking, “This is my absolute best!” and I was accepted. This lyric reminds me that I should never forget those pure and reckless feelings.

Date: I felt like this is the kind of song that would play as background music when school idols look back on their time together after they’ve grown up. The struggles, the tough times, and the happy moments—all of them are packed into the melody and lyrics of this song. Like everyone else, I love the lyrics of this song so much.

In my personal image, past ED themes always felt like they had to be performed very “cleanly” or perfectly, but this song has the members holding megaphones and features animation depicting their everyday lives after school.

When we performed it at the release event, it felt like the vibe of the song perfectly matched a group of high school students joking around together. So instead of trying to make it overly polished, I went with a more relaxed and natural performance, which turned out to work really well. I think as we perform this song more and more, everyone’s expressions will become even softer and more natural.

—The megaphone dance is really cute, isn’t it?

Date: It’s actually really difficult to pull off... Being cute is definitely hard work (laughs).

—How was it performing the coupling song “Within a Dream” at the release event?

Sakakura: The style was so different from usual. It’s not the kind of song where you go all out with full power, and the dance had a vibe we hadn’t tried before. It was so completely opposite to “Seishun HOPPERS” that it was honestly quite difficult...

Aoyama: I think this might be the first time we’ve done a song incorporating jazz dance. Especially during the instrumental section, it’s fascinating to watch each person individually, but when you look at the full formation, it’s incredibly complex, so I think it’s going to look great live as well.

Sakakura: We spent a lot of time practicing this one, didn’t we?

Aoyama: Yeah, we did. The formations are so intricate that even one extra step forward can throw everything off, so we practiced a lot.

Sakakura: It’s a formation that works only because we trust each other. There are moments where you move without seeing where the others are, so it’s something we can do because of the bond we share as a group.

Date: It really made me think, “So this is what it means to synchronize our breathing!” I worked hard during rehearsals because it’s a challenging song where you have to communicate with everyone to make it work.

Ookuma: Jazz dance is different because it doesn’t strictly follow a set form—there’s room for us to adjust it to our own style. That was another challenge. There are moments where we synchronize, but we’re not just matching each other completely. Instead, it’s about how each of us takes the choreography and makes it our own, which really highlights our individuality.

Yabushima: The expressions we use are so gentle and bittersweet. I think this song allows everyone to show a new side of themselves.

Looking Back on the Story So Far as Episode 12 Approaches.

—We’d like to reflect on the insert songs as well. Early on, Kanon temporarily steps away from Liella! and forms the group “Tomakanote” with first-year students Wien Margarete (voiced by Yuina) and Tomari. It almost feels like a challenge to Liella! itself. What did you think of Kanon’s actions during this part of the story?

Date: I felt like she was acting less like a third-year high schooler and more like an alumna or senior graduate (laughs). You can see her meddlesome side peeking through at times, and that’s part of what makes her so cute.

But as the story progresses, you realize she’s acting with her own intentions and thoughts in mind, which really reinforces that she’s such an important member of Liella!. One of Kanon’s charms is that she doesn’t take herself too seriously—she’ll suddenly come out with something that even surprises me. Her decision to step away from Liella! was exactly one of those moments.

But in the end, I think that’s just who Kanon truly is. And forming a unit with her juniors like this is only possible because she has her childhood friend, Chii-chan (Arashi Chisato), right there by her side. Their relationship in this part of the story was also really wonderful.

—In Episode 2, Tomakanote performed the song “Bubble Rise”, and this anime live scene was really wonderful, wasn’t it?

Date: This group name reminded me of "KuKa" (the unit of Kanon Shibuya and Tang Keke, who sang "Tiny Stars" in Episode 3 of Season 1). For Kanon, I feel like this song has a sort of smiling warmth to it. It’s as if she’s stepping back a little and letting Margarete and Tomari take the spotlight while she observes from a slight distance.

—That feeling really came through in the visuals as well. Sakakura-san, what did you think of the visuals for “Bubble Rise”?

Sakakura: It was so beautiful! The stage design, inspired by the deep sea, really amazed and moved me. I couldn’t help but wonder how they created it.

The lyrics of this song were shaped by Margarete’s ideas, and when Tomari sings the line “Mujaki ni omoi kotoba ni dekita osanai hi wa tooi ne” (Freely expressing our thoughts with innocent words—those childhood days feel so far away), it carries a lot of weight.

Tomari saw her aneja (older sister, Onitsuka Natsumi) working so hard toward her dreams, only to face failures and heartbreak. Because of that, Tomari now values reality more than chasing dreams. That’s why her singing those words feels so meaningful to me.

I’m sure Tomari sings this song with a lot of emotion, so I hope people listen to the second verse as well, even though it didn’t play in the anime. The way the three voices come together is so pleasant and beautiful, so I really want everyone to experience that.

—Meanwhile, with Kanon absent, Liella! performed as an eight-member group in Episode 3, where Shiki took on the role of center for the first time, performing “Special Color”. It was an episode that also highlighted Shiki and Mei's bond, wasn’t it?

Ookuma: They said Shiki was the center, but after watching the episode, I really felt it was more of a double center. Shiki isn’t quite used to being in the spotlight—when she stands out, she tends to feel a bit lost. But by standing on stage together with Mei, they’re able to shine as one.

That’s something I felt while performing “Special Color”, so I’m starting to think we shouldn’t overly emphasize “Shiki’s center song” (laughs). It’s something she was able to achieve because Mei was there, and because everyone was supporting her, she was able to sing.

Yabushima: Mei wrote the lyrics for the song, but even though she’s the closest to Shiki and understands her feelings, there’s always some hesitation when it comes to putting someone else’s emotions into words.

I feel like I was able to connect with these lyrics because they reflect a part of myself as well. While the lyrics were written with Shiki in mind, I think the words and emotions also resonate with me in some way. And the lyrics have a very Mei-like quality—they’re not overly grandiose or exaggerated, and that’s something I really like about them.

—The lyrics really feel relatable to everyone. I thought it was a song that encourages people who want to change but can’t quite break out of their shells. After that, there was an episode (Episodes 5–6) where everyone visits Tang Keke’s (voiced by Liyuu) hometown in Shanghai. It was so striking to see Liella! sing together as 11 members for the first time with “Zettaiteki LOVER.”

Sakakura: This song really felt like it was made for Keke—it’s packed with “cuteness.” I remember thinking, “Keke, I’m so glad you got to sing this song!” It even has lyrics in Chinese, which made it feel even more special. The costumes were also incredibly cute.

—Before the live performance, there’s a touching exchange where Kanon confronts Keke, who is considering ending her school idol journey after high school to focus on university.

Date: In Episode 1 of the Season 1 anime, when Kanon couldn’t face the thing she loved most (singing), and she felt like it had become her enemy, Keke was the one who gave her the opportunity to reconnect with it. Keke said, “Is there really such a thing as an end to working hard for something you love?”

Even in moments not depicted in the anime, I feel like Kanon has been saved by those words so many times. As the cast member playing Kanon, I also love those words dearly. In fact, Saku-chan (Sakakura Sakura) has mentioned that she remembered this line when she decided to audition.

It’s such an important line that has changed so many people’s lives, and this time, Kanon gets to say it back to Keke. Hearing those words come from Kanon’s mouth made me so happy, and when Keke said those words were a treasure to her, that made me even happier.

Personally, I’ve also been helped by Keke’s words, and I think it’s something I’ll continue to carry with me and remember for the rest of my life.

—In Episode 8, Liella! and Tomakanote face off in a decisive showdown at the school festival live, where they performed “Dazzling Game.”

Date: It’s wild—like hair-whipping wild (laughs).

Sakakura: It really feels like a battle. Just by looking at the lyrics, you can tell which parts belong to Liella! and which parts are Tomakanote. I have a really strong attachment to Episode 8. That’s because right before singing this song, Tomari finally reconciles with her aneja (older sister, Onitsuka Natsumi).

The key moment that leads to that is Shiki pushing Natsumi forward, and I really love that it was Shiki who gave her that push. In Episode 3, it was Mei who encouraged Shiki to step forward, and this time, Shiki is the one pushing Natsumi. I feel like this kind of “passing it forward” is so fitting for high school students.

—That part was really moving, too.

Sakakura: Up until “Dazzling Game”, when singing as Tomari, I intentionally avoided putting too much emotion into the lyrics during the recordings. At that point, Tomari hadn’t fully opened her heart to those around her, nor had she completely understood the appeal of being a school idol. So I tried to keep a cool and composed impression in the way I sang.

But this song comes after she reconciles with her aneja (older sister, Natsumi). At that point, you can feel Tomari’s emotions finally bursting out. From this song onward, I’ve made a conscious effort to change the way I express myself—sometimes fully embracing cuteness or going all out for a cool and powerful vibe.

—It was really nice to see them reconcile. They were at odds for a lot longer than expected, weren’t they?

Sakakura: Exactly! So thank you, Shiki-chan!

Ookuma: Oh, you’re welcome (laughs). Shiki and Mei had moments where they fought, too, but even then, Natsumi was always there supporting them in her own way. I think the Onitsuka sisters were a central part of Season 3’s storyline.

I also feel like Shiki and Tomari have a lot in common. Maybe that’s why Shiki was able to give Natsumi the push she needed.

Sakakura: But seriously, it took so long! When we realized they didn’t reconcile until Episode 8, both Emori Aya (Natsumi’s voice actress) and I were shocked (laughs).

—The two of you as cast members get along so well in real life, don’t you?

Sakakura: We’re always so lovey-dovey (laughs). From here on out, I think Tomari’s expressions will also start to soften!

—Episode 10 featured an episode where (Sakurakoji) Kinako (voiced by Suzuhara Nozomi) becomes the student council president.

Aoyama: In Episode 10, Kinako-chan is entrusted with writing the lyrics for a song. When Ren sees that, she feels that Kinako is someone she can trust and asks her to take on the role of student council president. The way Ren chooses her words in that scene is also very gentle—it’s not forced, as though she’s waiting for Kinako to step up on her own.

Watching that scene, I really felt once again how hard it must have been for Ren as the student council president. She wants people to join the student council, but when no one steps forward to become president, it must have been so sad and lonely for her.

At that moment, Ren sees Kinako standing alone and singing, and she instinctively knows she can entrust the role to her. That insight shows how much Ren has grown as a student council president—she’s learned to observe people from multiple perspectives. That growth made me really happy.

And then, the song “笑顔のPromise” (Egao no Promise, lit. Smile’s Promise) is performed. Kinako appeared in the anime at the start of Season 2 but hadn’t had a center-position song, so I was thrilled to finally see her get that spotlight here!

Yabushima: At the start of Season 2, Kinako-chan couldn’t even find her way to the school because she kept getting lost. To think that same girl would become student council president! I got so emotional when I read the Episode 10 script.

The image of a student council president is often someone perfect, like Ren—beautiful, intelligent, and talented in every way. But as Ren herself says, what’s truly important is being able to see and understand those around you better than anyone else.

When you think about it that way, Kinako-chan really is the perfect choice for student council president. The song “笑顔のPromise” follows this heartfelt conversation between Ren and Kinako, so I really hope everyone gets to see and enjoy it.

—It ("笑顔のPromise") really felt like the quintessential idol song. In Episode 11, the third-years decide on their respective paths for the future. Meanwhile, the second-years are working on creating the song they’ll perform at the Love Live! finals, and that’s when “スーパースター!!” (Superstar!!) is played.

Aoyama: This song shifts into a triple meter partway through. That kind of rhythm is something we haven’t really had in Liella!’s songs before, so I felt it showed a new possibility for Liella!. I could tell we’re taking on a variety of musical styles, and I fell in love with this song after just one listen.

Sakakura: I cried! I was reading the lyrics while listening, and there was one line that resonated so deeply with me—it reflected exactly how I felt when I auditioned. I genuinely thought, “I’m so glad I had the courage to take that step back then.”

If we ever get the chance to perform this song live, I’ll have to be careful not to cry. I love the lyrics so much that I need to stay composed (laughs).

Aoyama: The insert songs and coupling tracks after Episode 10 really tug at your heartstrings.

Yabushima: I think everyone came to Yuigaoka Girls’ High School with their own dreams and goals. But as they spent time there as students, new dreams emerged, or their current dreams began to change.

It’s not just about their personal dreams either—eventually, they start carrying dreams for Liella! as a group. Listening to this song made me realize that having a dream isn’t the end; it’s something that grows and changes over time.

—The third season of the TV anime has truly been an emotional rollercoaster, bringing tears every week. I feel like I need to carve it into my heart. By the way, in 2025, you’ll be performing at “LisAni! LIVE 2025” on January 24th during the FRIDAY STAGE. Date-san, could you share your thoughts on this?

Date: I heard it’s the 15th installment of the event, and I’m so honored that we get to perform on such a milestone occasion. We’ll be standing on the stage of Nippon Budokan, so I want us to bring something uniquely Liella!, something that only school idols can deliver, and celebrate the 15th event in grand fashion.

We’ll give it our all, so please look forward to it and support us!

—Finally, what kind of year was 2024 for you?

Sakakura: I’ve been active as part of Liella! since 2023, and I really feel like 2024 was the year when all that effort finally paid off. Before the TV anime started airing, I often struggled with how to express Tomari. I wanted to like her so badly, so I just kept pushing forward.

When the anime finally aired and Tomari was introduced, I felt like all the effort leading up to that moment had truly blossomed. It might sound like I’m being too easy on myself, but I thought, “Maybe I can finally give myself a little credit for everything I’ve done so far.”

Moving forward, I want to continue sharing Tomari’s charm and Liella!’s appeal with as many people as possible—to fans and potential new fans alike.

Ookuma: For me, 2024 was a year where things settled down in a good way. When I first joined Liella!, I felt like I was constantly sprinting at full speed, with emotions running high—joy, anger, sadness, everything was so intense. Looking back, I think I was often spinning my wheels and overthinking things.

But after gaining experience, I’ve had people say to me, “Wakana, you’ve really calmed down lately.” (laughs) I think this was the year where I started to understand my role and where I fit in.

At the same time, I’ve realized that no matter how much you plan or try to express something, there are things that won’t come across unless you actually do it. That experience taught me that charging ahead on my own isn’t always the answer. In short, I’ve grown up (laughs). This year was about finding my footing and settling into it.

Yabushima: I’ve always loved expressing myself through acting, but when it came to expressing myself on stage, I always felt this lingering sense of uncertainty. Because there’s no definitive “correct” way to do it, I was constantly wondering, “Is this the right way?” That uncertainty stayed with me.

But this year, I realized that it’s okay to embrace those uncertainties and include them in my stage performance. I used to think that expressing my doubts, even during MCs, was something I shouldn’t do, but when I started sharing those feelings, people told me they felt encouraged or found courage in hearing that.

I’ve come to understand that it’s okay to accept even the weaker sides of myself. Those parts are part of who I am, and there are things I can do precisely because of that. This year was about embracing all of me and finding what I alone can bring to the stage.

Aoyama: 2024 was a year full of so many emotions. After Season 1 and Season 2 of the TV anime ended, we went straight into live performances and fan meetings, so there was always something happening. But then we had two years without any new anime. During that time, we struggled a lot with figuring out how to convey Liella!’s charm without the support of the anime visuals.

Especially for Saku-chan (Sakakura Sakura), since Tomari hadn’t appeared in the anime yet, I imagine she was carrying a lot of pressure. Everything she did would define Tomari as a character.

Finally, when Season 3 started airing, all that uncertainty turned into relief. By the latter half of 2024, I felt so much more at ease. Now, I feel like I can see a bright future for 2025, filled with hope.

Date: For me, 2024 was a year of big changes, and I found myself smiling more than ever. Honestly, I’ve only been able to keep going because of the support of my fellow members. They’re the ones who put smiles on my face, and my gratitude toward them keeps growing every day.

With the start of the TV anime’s third season, the things my fellow members talked about—whether in character or as castmates—helped me realize what I really want to do. Before, I felt like a part of me was lost or wandering, but now, I’m starting to see, “Ah, this is what I want!”

The time I’ve spent with everyone this year has been so much more fun than ever before.

—With the “Love Live! Superstar!! Liella! 6th LoveLive! Tour ～Let’s be ONE～” approaching, it looks like 2025 will be another fulfilling year.

Date: Season 3 of the TV anime really allowed me to feel the love within the group. I want to fully embrace and express the fleeting nature of their青春 (seishun; youth)—something that passes by in an instant—by carefully reflecting on each and every part of their story as I take on this challenge!

And above all, I will never forget to enjoy it!! That’s my promise to everyone!

[anime-fyi]

Watched the first episode of 2.5 Dimensional Seduction.

I feel so conflicted about this from the start after having seen My Dress-Up Darling back in 2022. That show created something interesting because Marin was the one interested in cute and sexy characters and she brings in the rather traditional Wakana into that world. She also came across as a genuine girl, like there's enough spontaneity and unique interest in characters that came through with her, as well as a certain air-headedness (don't we all have some of that). Point being, it felt less patronizing as fan service as it could be.

Anyway, back to this show. Here, we have the male character Masamune who's steeped in otaku culture, obsessed with 2D girls, and seems a bit too dismissive of 3D ones. In comes Lilysa, who turns out is into the same character as he is, but has to kind of prove herself to him with a bunch of random knowledge. She's also into cute and sexy characters, looks hot (I do like her looks admittedly), and apparently is good at making or obtaining cosplay outfits. It all comes across a bit more like she's just there to look good at the moment rather than be a true otaku in her own right.

I get the impression this may be good at what it wants to be, I'm just a little less enthused after experiencing something as solid as Darling which felt a little more all-inclusive. It's only one episode, but perhaps this'll be a better harem than an otaku culture type show.

[asknarashikari]

About the W summer movie, would it be just other cases of Philip taking Shotaro for granted too often (since Xtreme debut), or that it's more about the writing regressing Philip that one time?

Regarding what Shotaro has done for him, what'd be a scenario you think it's justified for Philip lashing out (at least about venting and being angry, not physical) at Shotaro or the other main cast? Not saying I'm agreeing or disagreeing here, but the argument IMO sounds like children being criticized for being ungrateful to their parents for what they have provided them (well you did talk about the family thing too here), but dunno.

Hmm... I think in the case of the summer movie, Philip took Shoutaro for granted in a more wounding way, specifically by bringing up the fact that they aren't really family and thus Shoutaro can't truly understand him. And this, after everything they've been through. Even after they literally became one, sharing their minds and souls in a single body.

That's the hurtful part. Philip was blinded by his need to have a blood family and became fixated on Maria Cranberry being that blood family he wanted... even though his partnership with Shoutaro should've made them family in every way that matters.

(To add insult to injury, Akiko and Ryu were also present when Philip lashed out. One wonders how they felt if Philip didn't consider Shoutaro family- when he has known Philip more intimately and for longer than they have. I don't think Philip did, which adds to my view of him being insensitive sometimes.)

I also think Philip questioning Shoutaro's judgement also had a greater effect on Shoutaro than he realized. While he does criticize Shoutaro for being half-boiled (as did everyone really), I think in this case it goes beyond that. He was choosing to trust Maria, a woman he barely knew, over Shoutaro- when Shoutaro would've trusted Philip's judgement on this had he not been obviously emotionally compromised (and they not just gone through Wakana's betrayal, which likely played into Philip's emotional state to begin with).

It probably made Shoutaro wonder what else Philip questioned about him. And add to that Philip not considering them family... Well, Shoutaro was likely wondering what he meant to Philip at all.

As for what would justify Philip lashing out at them... I think, maybe, that if he felt like he was being infantilized by them (e.g. acting like he doesn't know anything due to his lack of experience outside his time in Museum, coddling him, etc) could be a scenario where him losing his temper would be justified. Though no one really treated him that way, tbh.

[lilbugprincess]

Lately, I've realized how much I consider fashion design when I'm doing character designs. It only struck me when I was doodling those Pokemon redesigns, how I care about the outfits characters wear and how it coordinates and the details and what it SAYS about the character wearing it!

...got too detailed, gotta add a cut

Hideyoshi's fit is about him being sloppy, careless, but still a legitimate professor (somehow). He's got the labcoat but it's slipping off his shoulder, slacks but a tropical shirt (collar unbuttoned, half untucked). His hair is pulled back but not properly; he's got a bit of stubble! His slacks are baggy on him... A size too big? Or an old-fashioned style? His shoes are worn converse--not an athletic shoe, but he gets up and moves, he's a bit active! Despite it all, there's still touches to point towards legitimacy, though. A clean coat, pen in the shirt pocket, a proper belt... He's making an attempt, just not succeeding! I think when it's time to draw the actual professor, I'll mirror a lot of it... Make it clear what he's aiming for.

Mayumi, on the other hand, is aiming for "office worker who doesn't want to stay at her desk." Her look is fundamentally a nice pantsuit... Well tailored and coordinated in business appropriate colors, with some fashionable touches that wouldn't be out of place in the office. She's not wearing a blazer but her vest and shirt are both classy and tailored, and she's coordinated her tie with the rest of her outfit (I drew small but I imagine the pin on her tie to be a symbol of the Pokemon League). And for all that, she's still active! Wide legged pants highlight movement, a chunky heeled boot is easier to move in than high heels, and she's rolled up her sleeves! I wanted to convey a woman who looks ready to throw down but still clearly fits an office setting.

I worked out Kaori's outfit yesterday, trying to keep elements from her original look (kimono styled neckline and sleeves, bandana and hair pin) while adding some feminine touches... I'm going with a skort-like pair of overalls, long socks and Mary Janes for a very girly look that I want to evoke Pokemon protagonist outfits. I'm giving her some kind of pokegear and a Pokemon Protagonist bag, too. I want to keep her vibes, but I also want her to feel like a proper trainer...

Wakana and Defiant are next on my list, and here I find myself stumped a bit. I could draw THEM, but I'm trying to figure out what they WEAR.

Wakana's tricky in two ways: first, her initial design is maybe one of the best I've ever designed and second, she's got a certain detachment from her clothing! She cares for textures and how some clothing fits, and she wants to have elements of traditional Japanese clothing, but otherwise I conceive of her as someone who typically wears what other people buy for her. There's a reason her DA3 outfit is primarily her uniform and her initial FFD look was supposed to be "just clothing she owns". It's harder thinking about what she would want to wear in this setting... And I think I also have to decide where she is in her life and how she relates to her family. I've got some ideas, but nothing solid yet.

Defiant is also a bit hard bc... She's a game character. Most of her outfits are based directly off clothing in game, so I'm picking from limited options rather than choosing my own. And when I do draw her in other clothes, I've done a lot of VERY cutesie or sexy looks, neither of which feels right for what I'm hoping to do. It's such a different setting from FFXIV, too, so there's a lot to revise and reimagine.

I know most of this is... Like. It's only me who is thinking this deeply! But it means a LOT to me to put the thought in, and I want to have it just right. My little hill to die on.

[pretty-idol-hell]

So a little while back you may have seen I made a Prism Stone Tokyo Station haul post in which I expressed wanting to buy a plush doll but being unable to decide between Pololo, Naru, and Amari?

Well, I made my decision.

Funny thing, when I went back to Prism Stone to buy her, she was the only thing I was buying. So the cashier was like...

"Your purchase of Amari-chan today comes to..."

"With your purchase of Amari-chan you can choose from these cards..."

Hehe.

Another thing though. Wakana would have been in the running and might have actually won if they had her, but they did not. She was the only one sold out and she was sold out at the 10th Anniversary Exhibition too. Huh.

[goldenworldsabound]

Word Find Game

Rules: search for the given words in your WIP(s). If you don't have a word, you can use a variation on it or a word with a similar meaning. Then choose new words for the people you tag to look for in their WIP(s).

tagged by @one-winged-dreams (and a second tag that I'll do separately hehe)

my words: amount, obscure, relevant, taste, definite

LET'S GO GAMERS!!!

I will be tagging @singingdeepinme @princess-hope-selfships @fleur-de-leap with the words dance, growl, forever, glow and hand

S

Chapter 6 of the new Ainosuke x Aura series!!!

The restaurant was upscale, and Aura was glad that Wakana had suggested a more formal outfit for today. Even so, they felt a bit out of place as Ainosuke helped them parse the menu, putting in an order that would be a sufficient amount of food. They recalled the time when they had mistakenly ordered way too much, their perception of what a "gram" represented sorely lacking.

Crafty Crafts

AYATO FIC MY BELOVED sobs

"You lived in Sumeru?" Ayato asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. Didn't Thoma tell you?" Void looked perplexed, eyes raised to the sky as they considered if they could recall the information being shared.

"He didn't mention it."

"Ah. I lived there for many years. I was a student in the Akademiya, and I even published a few papers."

Why did you leave? Ayato bit his tongue, holding back the question. As matter of fact as their answer was, there was a clear sadness in their eyes as they said it. That, combined with the feelings they had expressed about their Vision, were allowing him to begin to piece together something about how that experience might have gone. He knew very little of the Akademiya, only the rumors that floated into Inazuma, and the occasional frenetic Akademiya researcher who ended up in Inazuma. None of the rumors were terrible positive - and all of those researchers had seemed more stressed than happy.

He settled for responding, "that's quite an achievement."

"Ha." Void's self deprecating smile was almost painful to see. "Hardly. I was nobody of importance, and my work will fade away into obscurity." Their tail was thrashing around behind them.

"..." He wanted to comfort them, but he didn't know enough about them to do that. He wanted more information, but he could tell that if he pushed, they would shut down. He chose to say nothing, merely looking at them with interest, and a hint of sympathy.

"Sorry." They grabbed the end of their ponytail, pulling it forward over their shoulder to fidget with it. "It's a sensitive subject. That's probably why Thoma didn't mention it to you."

"You don't need to apologize." Ayato offered. "We all have things that we would rather not think about."

Zhongli Proposal

OLD ASS FIC GODDAMN FEKJWHFJKEHWKJ I FORGOT ABOUT THIS. I never finish wedding fics fdkajshfkjasd

"Oh. Yes. I'm going to propose to Wendy." Zhongli said bluntly, a look of determination crossing his face. Childe froze in place, the food he'd impaled on his chopstick sliding off and onto his plate.

"ZHONGLI 先生!!!" Childe set his chopsticks down to put his hands on his cheeks, grinning like a madman. "That's wonderful! How are you going to propose?"

Zhongli huffed, one arm crossing his body, the other hand going to his chin.

"Thank you. I am...somewhat undecided as to how to proceed. The ancient traditions around proposals are clearly no longer relevant, as they involve asking the father of the bride, and while Wendy is okay with the term 'bride', she isn't a woman, nor is she the property of her parents. In fact, she's estranged from them, so it becomes even more impossible, even if it were not so antiquated." Zhongli's long winded explanation left Childe looking at him in mild annoyance. "...yes?"

"Even someone as old as you can do better than that, gramps," He joked, rolling his eyes. "You gotta go big." His eyes widened. "You should take her to Liuli Pavillion! I'll even front you the money, cause you're gonna forget it otherwise. And, and, you could get on one knee and propose! Do you have a ring yet? You gotta get her a nice ring too." Childe seemed thoroughly delighted by all of this.

"You're awfully excited," Zhongli responded, blinking at Childe's enthusiastic response.

"Well, YEAH! Can't believe the old man's finally getting married. Get it!" He laughed, elbowing Zhongli teasingly.

Fishy Fish

Aaaaah the little meow meow au for Rufus that I never even started posting. Still a fave of mine though!

Lightvoid had reservations about this. But they also had a sensitive nose that had quickly picked up the delicious scent of fish. They couldn't remember the last time they'd had unprocessed fish. Come to think of it, had they ever had fish before? It smelled a lot like one of the foods Rufus had been giving them, but even stronger. They were salivating.

The look on Rufus' face as they poked their head out was...soft. They had never seen such an expression on the lab humans. He looked excited, and eager, and awed all at once. And as they stepped fully out from under the couch, crouching low to the ground as they approached his out stretched hand, his wonder only seemed to grow. Despite their anxiety about being out in the open in front of him, they couldn't help but find his reaction to them endearing. It felt...nice. To be looked at like that, rather than...how things had been.

Could he really be a bad person if he looked like that, and more importantly, if he was giving them this delicious treat for seemingly no reason? Well, they supposed it was because of hissing at Darkstar...? Whatever, it didn't matter why.

They pressed their nose right up to the fish, sniffing. Rufus was clearly holding his breath, staring with wide eyes. They licked the fish. Their pupils grew huge. This was even better than the cat food had been. Leagues better! They quickly ate the small pieces, all their anxiety dissipated at having tasted something so good.

Just as they finished, they felt a slight pressure on the top of their head. Instantly, without a second thought or moment of hesitation, they darted back to the couch. They were halfway under before they realized what had happened.

Rufus had tried to pet them. They turned around, poking their head back out. He looked devastated, frozen in position. One hand was still upturned, the one that still smelled of salmon, and the other hovered where their head had been.

Shopping

chapter 30 of the new RufAura fic, hehe~

"Let's get a move on then," Reno said, snickering to himself as he drove the car away. "So, ready for some shopping, Mistrum?"

"I think so? M-maybe." Aura squirmed, smiling despite the nervousness that flitted across their face. Darkstar snuffled, reaching her head over to nudge Aura's leg. Aura reached down and pet the dog, smile going soft.

"Maybe? What are ya even nervous about?" Reno met Rufus' gaze in the rearview with a grin before dropping his eyes back to the road.

"You don't have to answer him, Aura," Rufus interrupted, rolling his eyes. "In fact, I'm sorry I brought him along at all." He was smirking, his tone just barely making it clear he was joking.

"Aw, don't be like that. Mr Sandbag over here may be able to keep you safe, but I'm gonna be the one bringing the fun!" Reno snickered again.

"Excuse me?" Karma grumbled, fixing Reno with an icy glare.

"Actually, I'm feeling well enough anyway, I could definitely protect ya too-"

"Reno, that's enough," Rufus interrupted again. "Though, Aura, you do seem nervous. Is there something I could do to put your mind at ease?"

[lazinni]

All the Kalafina drama is making me so angry. People spent YEARS spamming Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru with how much we miss Kalafina. (I do, too! But lt rubs me the wrong way that people can't respect their will). Now they offer a concert so we can enjoy their music once more, and all they got is a massive amount of hate.

They probably posted the announcements expecting a happy reaction, but they got so many attacks and mean comments... I feel so so bad for them.

I actually understand Kajiura. It's heartbreaking that she (most likely) found out via twitter/news instead of being told by someone. She has all the right to be furious. And I 100% respect her decission and support it.

However, she shouldn't have made a post like that. Her feelings are valid, but when you have such a big following, you should be more careful with your public statements. She should have talked about it privately first. She should have listened to the girls' reasons. Because I feel no one had ill intentions, and all of this was just a massive misunderstanding.

Even if she tried to sound less harsh on her next tweets, at that point there was so much damage done already.

I'm sure Kajiura's intentions were not bad either, she just shared how she genuinely felt. But the way it was worded blew things out of proportion.

"they're trying to remove Kajiura from the project" "they're replacing Kajiura" "they think they are better than her" mmm no???? All that was announced was a anniversary live. No one mentioned resuming "full time" activities. Nor releasing new music. It was wrong no one contacted Kajiura earlier, but as far as we know, no one is "stealing" her project.

For me, it's more like a tribute live. A tribute for her 10 years of work, and a tribute for us.

I agree Kajiura is the one who created and shaped Kalafina's identity. I dont think there's another group with such an unique and varied discography.

For me the best Kalafina era music-wise was 2008-10. I agree back them the girls were more like Kajiura's "instruments", and Kalafina was Kajiura.

But I feel with time girls grew so much. They became Kalafina. Their stage presence and charisma were a big part of the success of the group.

In fact, most anime tie-ins since 2010 (besides Meguca), the one they became popular for, are pretty bland and generic songs. What made them special was the way they performed it and how they shone in stage.

Imo Kalafina became "mainstream" not (just) because of the quality of Kajiura works, but because of the girls. (don't get me wrong, she does have a lot of great works.... But the anisongs are not one of them).

In fact, I dont enjoy as much FJ lives. Despite Joelle/Yuriko/Kaori being much better/stable vocalists than Wakana and Hikaru, the vibe is completely different and (for me) not as enjoyable. Kajiura is still my fave composer and all the girls are great..... But Hikaru/Keiko/Wakana work too well.

Also, I don't think it's fair to talk as if girls "owe" everything to Kajiura. They gave her their best years, the best moments of her voices. Hikaru and Wakana lost their chance to became solo artists when they were on their best.

They're all adults, that's the decisions they made and no one is to blame about them. But my point is, both parts put a lot of work into the project. It's not like Kajiura was some charity who wanted to help them, they worked their asses and they *deserved* to be part of the group.

Please don't get me wrong. I don't want to shit on Kajiura, I think she's a genius and the one who made everything possible. But the girls don't deserve to be treated as if they were less than her.

This is not about picking a side, but about respecting everyone.

[sneek-m]

Favorite dramas, 2024

This year's shows were a bit underwhelming compared to the last few years, but I found a few I enjoyed. Here are some words on them.

Tsukuritai Onna To Tabetai Onna 2

Everything you'd hope in a second season: more characters, more opportunities to learn about our couple as individuals, more relationship development. The last bit inspires more LGBTQ discussions as Manami Higa's Nomoto is now in a formal relationship with Emi Nishino's Kasuga, her first with a woman. And while my favorite TV dramas this year below concerned the nuclear family, its make-up and how it can stray far from tradition as we like (can't get more into it than my number seven), TsukuTabe 2 reminds queer couples in Japan have yet to be in the same page when it comes to starting a family, or even get an apartment together.

Fune Wo Amu: Watashi, Jisho Tsukurimasu

I collect, research and write about music as a hobby. It'd hard for me not to be all in on a story about big nerds being so engrossed in their passion for their chosen interest, even if said interest is the dictionary. It's about loving the thing as much as it is about making one, and the long gestating process behind it all. The commercial conflicts has to be wrestled with, though it always puts the love of the craft first over the political drama. For those who've seen the 2013 film or the 2016 anime, the post-COVID plot line should be a nice addendum, reminding the work and the pursuit is never truly over.

Haru Ni Nattara

The mortality of my own parents came to my attention a bit last year through Hidetoshi Nishijima's Shiro and his parents in the second season of Kinou Nani Tabeta? Haru Ni Nattara really makes me confront it, in particular with Nao's Hitomi also being an ara-saa like myself, opposed to the 50-something Shiro. When the time comes, you only hope it'll be a comedy as rowdy and full of life like this one, with the stubborn attitudes of both Hitomi and her father Noritake Kinashi's Masahiko clashing in the ways a close family members do. It's safe to say I'm growing out of twentysomething musings on TV about finding the one or being something and warming up to discussions like this one.

Tora Ni Tsubasa

Thank god for Sairi Ito, who brought comedy and needed levity to the show especially as it got deep in the weeds in the court system. Only she can turn the most ridiculous hengao into the year's most heart-tugging scene in TV. Not that the story and its central cases wasn't compelling, just heavy at it is complex: I often forget these scenes featuring conversations about war horrors, misogyny and homophobia, juvenile crimes, domestic abuse, et. al air during breakfast time. Kenshi Yonezu first imagined a gentle ballad as its theme, following his impression of an asadora; Tora Ni Tsubasa was anything but.

Ayaka-chan Wa Hiroko Senpai Ni Koishiteru

Nothing too deep to say here other than this was a fun yuuri comedy to watch. If you know Shiho Kato from the Hinatazaka variety show like I do, even more so.

Saionji-san Wa Kaji Wo Shinai

Never did this show express to me that it knew where it wanted to take its story nor did it seemed to know exactly what Wakana Matsumoto's Saionji meant when she pitched to Hokuto Matsumura's Kusumi this idea of a "fake family." But both were happy to make it up as they went along, constantly playing the silliest mental gymnastics, so long as they didn't have to go separate ways, and the show's energy, too, mimicked this eagerness to just go with the flow and see where the two will take it next. That's what it all boils down to anyway, this needlessness for labels and keeping definition of this unit of two people being together fluid.

VR Ojisan No Hatsukoi

The moment I gave my full respect to the show might be when Toru Nomaguchi's Naoki explained to Yajuro Bando's Honami that it wasn't any parts of their circumstance -- of a internet-born relationship met through digital avatars, with someone who's more than 10 years older, of the same sex -- that kept him at a distance from the latter once they met in real life, but because he needed time to simply sort out what exactly his feelings were for him. The first act hardly put any attention to the novelty of the overall premise, down to the outlandish costuming: and to be fair, don't we all customize our online avatars with flashy skins and costumes? Which gives way to the measured handling of their relationship as it steps off from the VR world, and eventually a heartfelt story of family, grief and preservation of life after death, the last bit I am very susceptible to.

Percent

Similar to selection number 2 in its premise being an immediate sell for a Person Who Makes Things as a Hobby, with this one being a TV drama about producing a TV drama. More un-romantic in its depictions of the behind-the-scenes process, and the show hardly hands Maika Ito's Miku an easy way out from dealing with production politics. But it only makes for an honesty I respect to say it takes work as much as passion to reap the rewards. More compelling than the other drama with another protagonist trying to be a TV-drama screenwriter whose inspired work is just slices of her life transferred wholesale and by some stroke of luck keep landing hits. It ain't that easy, but that's why it feels so good when you finally stick the landing.

Hikaru Kimie

My first taiga drama, and it was a commitment I enjoyed undertaking. There's nothing like the character development that unfolds in a year-long serial: my favorite was seeing Ai Mikami's Akiko grow from the painfully shy and forlorn girl into a powerful, vocal royal member of Fujiwara. Or the real sense of time you feel once a decades-long secret is finally out, especially when it comes from someone like Haru Kuroki's Tomoko, at the final episode. And who knew I'll come to love Yuriko Yoshitaka's Mahiro, or Murasaki Shikibu, and Tasuku Emoto's Michinaga Fujiwara together this much, maybe my favorite couple of this year.

...and some more:

Densetsu No Head Sho

Baby Walkure Everyday!

Umi No Hajimari

Karakai Jouzu No Takagi-san

My Diary

[buffintruder]

@allpurposepanda sent me this ask game and since I have writing to procrastinate, I figured I'd just go through and answer all the questions I felt like answering

1. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

I think the most interesting thing I did was write a fic where I tried not to use any figurative language at all in the narration or dialogue from other pov characters. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting (actually, it was harder to determine what counted as figurative and what counted as a word simply having multiple meanings, one more concrete than the other) and I think it turned out pretty okay. I'd do it again if I wrote from this pov again or someone similar, but I don't think I'd seek it out

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!)

About 18 if I counted correctly! 7 have been posted, 1 is in the process of posting, and 10 are unposted. 9 are brand new while 9 are continuations of wips from previous years

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

I'm not sure. I guess I've been thinking about the relation between a writer and the audience and feedback and community support a lot (I went from a bigger fandom to a smaller fandom, and the decrease in comments and people to talk to about my fics hit my motivation harder than I was expecting)

4. What piece of media inspired you the most?

I'm not sure, but I think I wrote the most fic for Donbrothers or Kamen Rider

5. What fandom(s) did you write for this year?

8 fandoms: Kamen Rider Blade (6), Kamen Rider W (1), Kamen Rider Drive (1), Changerion (1), Donbrothers (3), Ace Attorney (4), the Watchmaker of Filigree Street (2), and Les Miserables (1)

6. What ship(s) captured your heart?

Nothing new from last year, but Hajime/Kenzaki from Blade and Sonoi/Momoi from Donbrothers

7. What character(s) captured your heart?

Also nothing new, but Haruka from Donbrothers and Wakana from Kamen Rider W

8. Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year?

Donbrothers is new because I was waiting for the show to finish airing before I started writing anything for it. Changerion I only watched this year, so that's also new

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

I am obsessed with my Blade soul nemesis au and my Ace Attorney Trickster au, and I don't have any fics that like particularly hit close to home for me or anything. However, I do think the winner would have to be Truer than Truth because idk. It was difficult and it feels like one of the best things I've written (definitely the best shorter fic I've written) and just had a lot of thought go into it

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Definitely my soul nemesis au. Tbh I have enjoyed working on it so much I started posting it probably like a good 6 months later than I could have so I could work on it more, and it's also taking me forever to upload the chapters despite the fic being finished because I want to keep working on it (that and it has 0 comments, so I feel like no one is too invested other than the people I know personally, so I can take my time with it and get distracted from it)

11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

To Turn the World Upside Down is maybe the best long fic I've written, and finishing it felt like the end of the journey. However, I'm pretty sure I wrote the ending in 2022 (I just finished the editing in 2023), so I'll also put in Truer than Truth for the reasons answered in the next question

12. What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

Definitely Truer than Truth. I mentioned I wrote a fic without figurative language, and this was the first fic in the series where I tried to write a fic with a ton of figurative language. Coming up with symbolism related to classic Japanese Buddhist literature that isn't too heavy handed is hard! Coming up prose with metaphors and pretty descriptions that doesn't sound unbearably flowery is hard! Also mapping out the character of progression of Sonoi, someone who both knows a lot about humans and also doesn't, in a way that makes sense and doesn't make him more ignorant than he is in canon is hard!

13. What fic was the easiest to write?

Trust Fall. I wrote probably about half of it in one day and finished writing+editing it in probably around 2 weeks which is insanely fast for me. It just sort of came out of me, idk man

14. What were your shortest and longest fics this year?

Technically Meetings is the longest fic (90k words), but that was originally meant to be a trilogy that I wrote most of years ago and just polished and posted this year, so I'm counting To Turn the World Upside Down (73k words) instead because it's finished and I like it more.

Shortest is Trust Fall (4k words)

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

This is hard because I do like a lot of the fics I wrote and posted in 2023. However, I've talked a lot (and will continue to talk) about my top 3 fics in this ask game, but one fic that will not be mentioned outside of this that I think is good is Across the River of Stars.

It's an outsider pov Cowherd and Weaver au where I think I did a good job with a sort of melancholic atmosphere

16. What were you go-to writing songs?

I don't listen to music a lot while writing, but when I do it's probably the How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack (movies 1-3), the Witcher 3 soundtrack, or the Black Sails soundtrack

17. What were your go-to writing snacks?

I don't think I have one. I don't particularly snack while writing, and if I do, I'll just eat whatever

18. What was the hardest fic to title?

Afterwards. I needed something short and simple and to the point to contrast the long and more poetic "truer than truth are those beautiful lies", but I still think it's a bit meh and doesn't really do much for the fic

19. Share your favorite opening line

Here is a truth: Momoi Tarou is like the sky, impossibly vast and unreachable; and Sonoi is like the sea, forever gazing up, reflecting that same blue.

This wasn't initially the beginning line (I switched around a lot of stuffin this fic), and the whole "here is a truth, here is a lie" bit was a totally unexpected unplanned bit that just happened when I started writing it. However, I'm pleased with how it turned out, and also the particular way in which I took a line from the show (Sonoi saying "we are like the sky and the sea") and expanding a bit on it and how the two of them individually relate to that

20. Share your favorite ending line

Okay technically it's 2 lines from Trust Fall, but it's still my favorite:

(All too soon, when the end does come, Kenzaki looks at Hajime and smiles like a blade to the heart and says, “See, I said that you could trust me to keep this hope of yours alive.” And Hajime does not have the time to tell him that no one has ever lied to him so cruelly before.)

It's good because of the misunderstanding. Kenzaki is sacrificing himself so Hajime can keep living, but of course that also really sucks on Hajime's end. I just think seeing something from the pov of the person/people left behind when someone sacrifices themselves is so juicy. Also Kenzaki's symbol is a blade while Hajime's is a heart, so the smile is from Blade to Heart but also metaphorically like being stabbed hahaha (i think i'm so clever when i do symbolism 101)

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

This is hard. Definitely, my favorite piece of dialogue comes from To Turn the World Upside Down because tbh I think that fic has some of the best written dialogue in anything I've ever written, but I'm not sure I could pick out something among it. I just went with the last scene because I am genuinely proud, like I don't normally like writing endings and it's especially hard in a long fic with a lot of build up, but I think I did well on this one. Also it's probably one of the parts I worked most on in 2023 (rather than 2022)

“I think you should do it, daddy,” Trucy says. Surprised, Phoenix looks up to see his daughter staring at him, her face set firmly. Of all the people who would encourage him to retake the exam, he hadn’t thought it would be her. She has never known him as a lawyer. “What? Why?” “You never stopped being a lawyer,” she says, as if it’s that simple. “Sure, officially, they took that away from you. But deep down, you’ve always been one.” “What?” Phoenix scoffs, something small and hopeful curling into a cold and defensive ball deep in his chest. “Prove it.” Trucy raises her eyebrows at him. “Prove it? Do I need physical evidence for it so that it may be accepted in the court of Phoenix Wright, or is pointing out your contradiction enough?” Phoenix flushes. “Okay, okay, point taken.” “She’s right,” Miles says quietly. “It’s your life to live, but please—at least consider it.” From the moment you asked, there was no question of the answer, Phoenix thinks. I became a lawyer for you once, I would do it a second time, as many times as you needed me to. “Are you sure about it?” Phoenix asks. “I mean, you know what it was like the first time I was a lawyer. You know the kind of shit that follows me. I was a lawyer for just two and a half years the first time, and look at the kind of mess I left behind me.” Miles smiles at him, so fond it hurts. “You say that as if that’s not exactly what I want. I want you back in the courthouse, Trickster and all. It all needs a good shaking up, don’t you think?” It was never meant to be about the suffering, the Trickster had said about their chaos. There already is suffering stuck in between each clean-cut brick of the legal system, trapped in the very foundation and everything that has grown on top of it. Maybe it’s time to knock things around and see what shakes loose, to see what can be built anew from the rubble. “Alright,” Phoenix says, and the way Miles and Trucy’s eyes light up already makes it all worth it. “I’ll do it. Let’s go turn turn the legal world upside down.”

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

Tbh I could probably also post a bit from the Trickster au, but just to switch it up here's a sneak peak from my soul nemesis au. I was so excited to write this scene that it's the only one I skipped ahead to write. This scene (earlier parts of it, not what's here) is also the reason why I chose the mechanics for soul nemeses that I did, like I've been hyping up this scene almost since I first had the idea for the fic, and it's still one of my favorites

“Did...” Gou started. “Did he love you too?” Kenzaki thought about the way Hajime kissed back, the way his whole face softened as he smiled at Kenzaki, the way he looked like his heart was shattering when Kenzaki had last seen him, the way he had written don't go in his letter. “I think—maybe. But it doesn’t matter. I had to leave, so he could live out his life.” For the whole time that Kenzaki had known him, Gou had been all bright smiles and wild hand gestures. Even as the conversation took a turn for the more serious, his face had been an open book, but now his face turned still and unreadable. “It’s not worth it.” “What?” demanded Kenzaki. “I’ve been there,” Gou said, and now he looked angry. “Someone sacrificed himself for me, so I could live my life. And I will never forgive him for that, because if I had the choice, I would choose him over me every time. I may not have met Masaki myself, but I'm sure that he would rather have you in his life no matter what hardships. You can still go back—” “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kenzaki snapped, anger curling defensively around him. He knew that. He knew he was hurting Hajime, that it had destroyed him to be left behind. It had destroyed Kenzaki to leave. But he had chosen to defy fate, and this was their punishment. “It’s impossible.” "What's impossible? You're both still alive, aren't you?" "He might as well be dead, for all the difference it makes to me,” Kenzaki snapped. Maybe if Hajime had been dead it would hurt less. “There is no other choice.” Gou stared back at him, his expression set stubbornly on his face. He was so young, Kenzaki thought all of a sudden. Kenzaki had been like that too over a decade ago when he was around Gou’s age, so stubbornly set on how things should be, as if he could bend the universe into shape through sheer force of will. Kenzaki sighed, and let the anger drain from him. He would have had those same thoughts, and it wasn’t like Gou had any idea of the impossible circumstances that kept him and Hajime apart. “It's too late now. I would go back, if I could. And he would track me down across the world, if he could." “Right,” Gou said, and Kenzaki wondered if he felt the same envy towards him. Gou hadn’t specified what sacrifice had been made for him, but the implication was clear. At least Hajime was still alive. At least he was out there somewhere that Kenzaki could return to, technically. Gou couldn't know that the potential only made the separation ache more, he couldn't know that the impossible situation that trapped them went far beyond ordinary human concerns. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Kenzaki said, as much of an acquiescence as he could make. “Thanks,” Gou said, his mouth twisting. “I... don’t know if he’s gone for good though. That’s actually why I’m here. Trying to do some research to bring him back.” “Are there good medical facilities here?” Kenzaki asked, confused. Maybe Gou's person was in a coma or something? Gou shrugged. “Not particularly. I’m here more for the tech stuff.” “I hope it succeeds,” Kenzaki said, not entirely sure what to say. “Thank you,” Gou said, sounding tired. “And I hope you find someway around whatever’s keeping you two apart.” It was impossible, but Kenzaki smiled and nodded anyway. “If I ever run into him, do you want me to pass on a message?” Gou asked. What could Kenzaki say that Hajime did not already know, and that would not hurt him more to hear? “Just that I am well,” Kenzaki said at last. “And that I like his book. And... I still miss him.” Gou nodded. “I’m going to get my friend back,” he said, with all the confidence and naivety of a twenty year old. “So you better not give up on yours, alright?” “I never will,” Kenzaki said. And Gou smiled because he did not yet know that it was the hope that destroyed you.

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out?

There are definitely many of these, but I'd have to go through my fics again to figure it out and that would take a while so I'm skipping this

24. What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

I mentioned earlier that there's a bit in Truer than Truth where between each scene it goes like "Here is a truth: [...] Here is a lie: [...]", or in the other order (lie first then truth) that is vaguely related to the themes of that scene, and I absolutely was not expecting.

It ended up changing the story quite a bit. I was originally going to have the story alternate povs, but something like this could only work from Sonoi's pov, and I wasn't sure how to juggle things around to make it work. Because I also wanted to have it alternate between whether it starts with a truth or a lie, I had to add two scenes in order to make the pattern work when I realized that some of the truths and lies would work better flipped around. And I think the story is better off with those added scenes to fill in something that would have been a jump otherwise

Also, it just generally affected the tone, since I had to think about the themes of the scene to write those bits, and they're very heavy in symbolism and metaphor that I could reuse throughout the fic

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.)

Mostly google docs and occasionally a notebook and pen. I have occasionally written a bit on my notes app of my phone if i couldn't get to google docs for whatever reason, but i don't think i did this year

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

The writing spree during which I wrote the first half of Trust Fall. I was feeling a bit shitty and purposeless at the time, but I had an idea brewing in the back of my head for awhile, and the stars aligned so the idea solidified and I wrote like 2k words in one day. I remember feeling afterwards that I really love writing sometimes and maybe if I go too long without doing it, it makes me worse

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

Not really? Maybe tell all my friends about it

28. How did you recharge between fics?

I don't think this question applies to my writing style tbh. I don't have "in between fics" (i am always working on a fic) and I switch between them a lot, so I don't really get worn out by them. I recharge between writing sessions I suppose?? I'm not actually sure how I'm supposed to answer this question

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

I do try to thank the people involved in me writing a fic in any way at the beginning of each fic, but in a general sense, I would thank all the friends and acquaintances who encouraged me to write whenever I was like "maybe this is stupid" and all the people who listened to me go "wait I have the coolest idea for a fic, let me tell you about it" and all the people who helped answer my questions from everything between 'does this sound like semi-realistic attraction or is it just weird' to 'what are traffic-related superhero/supervillain names.' And particularly to @magpiedragon who bears the brunt of all of this

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

I still have that one Kamen Rider Blade post canon idea that crosses over with Star Trek ds9. Also some Kamen Rider Agito ideas I want to get to at some point, but who knows if I ever will

[curejiraiya]

I've seen multiple tweets now in Japanese that are like "well I mean if that use of the word rainbow meant gay, what other uses of the word rainbow meant gay" let's fucking gooooooooooooooooooooooooooo gaybow live i'm so serious. Ito and Otoha finally get to be prince and princess. Ann and Wakana realize they hate men. Naru is sad because her gay girlfriend left for the magic world but don't worry there's six girls and only 4 of them are taken which means Bell is left for her. The three members of Over the Rainbow? We love polyamory here well at least I do and three certainty isn't a crowd with these gay boys. Don't worry I didn't forget about the side characters. Kouji's mom and Ito's mom? SUPER gay good for them! Fake Otoha? She finds her fake Bell and they kiss. Yuu Suzuno isn't gay but he is a non binary champ. Rei Kurokawa can't be gay because his last name works really well with the pun Rei Coochiekawa EXCEPT SIKE he can date a trans man you can't stop me you wont. Hijiri and June can be allies . fine . Jin is an ally too but in that way we like to categorize a lot of villains. He isn't homophobic he just fucking hates everyone. Love who you want, you'll never sparkle in the light of the prism enough for him. Cosmo who shows up in the audience for one fucking episode because she's in the 3ds game? Well she gets reincarnated in PriPara and gets to marry Ajimi don't worry. The penguins? more like the GAYguins. That guy who works at the music store? tbh he probably was gay the whole time like he HAD to know about Jo and Gen.

Poor Gen though. Guy got doomed by the narrative.

[putschki1969]

2024/12/31 Blog post by Wakana 2024年もありがとうございました！！〜みんなのうっかりにほっこり🍵〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

Thank you 2024!! 〜Everyone's Mistakes Make Me Feel Warm and Fuzzy〜

I have read all of your questionnaires which you filled out for "Wakana Classics 2024"😊 Thank you so much! I didn't wanna mention that I was going through them because I didn't want you to feel self-conscious about what you wrote. Also, I wanted you to feel like you didn't have to hold back on anything. Your words were so kind, I was moved to tears many teams and felt really encouraged✨ Of course, there were some strong opinions too, and some harsh words but even so, that just makes me feel like I have someone watching me closely. Everything I have been thinking, feeling, and doing this year, I've had someone watching over me. You all always seem to understand me so well. How come you know me so well? It's like you are parents☺️✨ It means so much to be and brings me so much happiness to know that you are watching over me and supporting me. It's because you were there by my side that I was able to sing so energetically again this year. Of course this also applies to all the staff members at my agency, everyone who I've worked with, my family and friends, I couldn't have made it without them supporting me. I will welcome the next year by looking forward to meeting you all again! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

I would like to share an interesting tidbit from this time's questionnaire. Most of you wrote my name "Wakana" in the Latin alphabet but for some reason, sometimes you misspelled my name and wrote things like "Wakame-san" or "Wabana-san". That really made me laugh😂😂 I am casually reading your answers with a feeling of excitement and then out of nowhere, a "Wakame-san" pops up😂 I wonder if some of you were writing it like that on purpose😂If you, you have a great sense of humour😂 Actually, the script for today's NHK-FM "Anisong Premium RADIO" also had "Wakan-san" written on it which made me giggle😂Sounds like some weird herbal extract🌿 Sounds very healthy😆

Well! Everyone! Thank you so much for 2024! (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) Let's spend lots of fun and happy moments of music together next year as well 🌟＼(^o^)／

(Here's a photo of me during the recording of "Anisong Premium RADIO" 😃)

Oh! ! ! Speaking of which! Please don't forget about the today's submission deadline for the next podcast episode!! 😂 The next episode is scheduled for January 10th and the talk theme is [This is the kind of year I want 2025 to be!]‼︎＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Please tell me what thoughts you have in your heart as you welcome the new year. What do you want to achieve, anything you left undone this year so you wanna give it a try again? Please send in whatever you like and tell me your thoughts about 2025😊♪ Click here to send us your letters!! I'll be waiting for your messages･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+ ↓↓↓↓ https://wakana-fc.jp/answers/botanical_oshaberi_17/new

By the way, I've prepared the cards for everyone whose message I read during the last episode. I'll send them in the new year so please wait a little while longer! (It's already a little late for it but the cards have a Christmas theme 😂) (It's hard to make out in the photo, but Same-chan is sparkling with glitter! 🦈✨)

Well then, everyone, let's meet again next year! Happy New Year〜☆( *'▽'*)/

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊

[tokuteasings]

Kiss Headcanons: Narumi Akiko, Sonozaki Wakana, Sonozaki Saeko

As requested by my dearest partner @lunalove25​, kiss headcanons for the W girls~! Man...I love them so much fuck-

Warnings: I’ve kept this as spoiler free as I can due to this is Luna’s first Kamen Rider show. So...if y’all know....y’all know. ;)

Also uh kinda nsfw

Narumi Akiko

Akiko’s kisses are as spontaneous as she is! Whenever she sees you, she tends to tackle you and smother you in kisses! She’s a very naturally affectionate woman so she can and will zone in on you from like the other side of Fuuto just to tackle you and kiss you. You cannot escape from her or her kisses. Accept your damn fate and just take them. After all, you can’t really just deny her! She’s gonna pout and whine out, “But I miss you~!” and just give you the biggest fucking puppy eyes a girl could give. You crumble immediately and let her continue her onslaught of affection.

As such, Akiko isn’t shy about PDA at all. She does this in front of everyone in the Narumi Detective agency, much to the groaning of Shotaro and the shrug of Philip. Despite this, the pair do care about Akiko and would give you “the talk” but they know Akiko can take care of herself. It doesn’t stop them from teasing her sometimes...or being exhausted by her. But in general, Akiko adores PDA and will just go out on it. Kisses to your lips, neck, cheeks, forehead, eyelids, etc! She has so much pent up affection that she HAS to get it out! Perhaps it’s because of the absence of her father or her general lack of people she has connected so deeply with...Akiko has become rather clingy because of it. 

But her favorite kisses are the lazy ones. To harken back to Soukichi, because of his death...Akiko fears the worst sometimes. She can hide it easily because of her peppy demeanor but she has this smile that never reaches her eyes and you can tell immediately. So these lazy kisses are the kisses she makes count; especially if you’re on some sort of front line work (Rider, police, paramedic, etc etc) or live in an area with a high amount of Dopant attacks. Akiko worries about you day to day so these sorts of kisses are slow and she pours all of her love into them for you. She clings on to you when she does this, and doesn’t stop until you two run out of air. 

Akiko is the most fucking clingy ass bitch you have ever seen. Constant texts and calls, full of emojis and kaomojis and of course, pictures! She sends them to you whenever she’s lonely and/or bored. She cannot live without your kisses and makes this beyond apparent. She’ll send you texts and calls, asking when she’ll see you again or when you can kiss her again! Shotaro is beyond annoyed.

In the end, Akiko’s kisses are full of love and affection and you can never get rid of them. They’re like glue and cling on to you just as much as she does. She has this loud love for you that is shown with every single word she says or her actions. But honestly, Akiko just loves love itself. She gives you cheek kisses and saves the photos of your surprised face to her phone. To her, love is something shown in volumes and you always know that you’re important to her. That being said, the best way to make her fluster is to give her surprise kisses in return! Just grab her by her collar and slam your lips together~!

Sonozaki Wakana: 

Wakana’s kisses taste of expensive lipstick and the better things in life. She kisses with a sense of purpose and drive that is found within someone who has a constantly busy life. Her kisses feel like determined clacks of heels upon the ground, she knows what she wants and how she will get it. She will not be denied in any and all aspects. This princess is spoiled, high-strung, and knows her worth. As such, you will too. Wakana is a selfish yet selfless lover and her kisses take your breath away. She lays claim to your lips quite often, sometimes as a way to unleash the frustrations of her life, and other times...she just misses you.

PDA does not fucking exist. Simply due to her nature as an idol and while she doesn’t care much about her fans knowing about her relationship with you, she tries to keep it on the down low due to the target that will eventually be on your back. She knows what it’s like to live with your head on a swivel and she refuses to let you feel the same thing. She also will keep this relationship a secret from her family. However, when she does have a chance, Wakana will pepper kisses to your cheeks and lips. These are always kick and ethereal, as though they don’t exist in the first place. She always has this cute little flush on her face that you can tease her about...if you want, if you don’t value your life. Kissing her back just to tease her is also really good.

As her partner, you tend to have a clue on what her little tuts and tsks of her tongue mean If there is a tsk with a higher octave and dry sounding, she's upset with dealing with people. If its a normal tsk sound, shes annoyed with everyday life If there is a tsk with her hands halfway upwards towards her mouth like she's going to chew on her nails but brought back down, that is the cue you need to kiss her fingers and take her mind off of whatever stresses she has that moment. She used to destroy her nails when stressed so kissing them helps take her mind off of her old habit. Plus, it’s like the best way to make her flustered!

Wakana isn’t super clingy, or she claims to not be clingy, but in reality she kind of is. She sends you constant texts with message wondering when you’re going to meet up with her. So sometimes, these clingy little kisses are legit the best thing in the world. Her manicured nails are clinging on to you and never letting you go. There’s this underlying sense of, “I don’t want to let you go.” and how she will definitely fight everything in the world just to be by your side. Verbally, she won’t admit it too much but...you can tell.

Wakana adores the kisses that are found between the two of you whenever you’re alone. There’s something not really taboo about your relationship but sometimes it’s fun sneaking around unbeknownst to anyone. However, those quiet kisses that serve to take away the breath of both of you are just...coming to you both naturally. They’re always under some sort of starry sky, or in your home that Wakana had snuck into, just to see you. It’s these kisses that she starts with your eyelids because she wants you to take in all of her. If you blink, she will not forgive you. But then when she kisses your lips, it’s magic and extremely blessed - with all of the loveliness of the earth flowing into you. 

Sonozaki Saeko

Kissing Saeko is like tasting smoke, vine, lipstick, and literally every single fine dining taste you could think of. If you think Wakana is high maintenance, Saeko is something else. She is a woman that knows what she wants, and she will stop at nothing to get it. This includes kisses as well. These kisses are brief, but passionate, calculated even. A confident little streak in her that you have come to expect. She takes charge in everything she does, and grips your chin to force you to peer up or down at her. She demands your attention, and to take it off of her is taboo. She is going to take up your space and that is final. 

Saeko, similar to Wakana, would appreciate hand kisses. As the Taboo Dopant, she generates energy in her hands most of the time and is very skilled with her hand. When she first became used to her Dopant form, her hands were noticeably rather raw. She, thus, takes very good care of them. Kissing her hands does give her a power trip but it shows her that not only do you love her, you care for her, through thick and thin. She does the same to you as well, kissing your hands and fingers is something intimate for her. To Saeko, kissing your hands and fingers is this nonverbal “thank you” for always taking care of her - things she cannot properly say out loud.

She does not mind showing you off to her father and even Wakana, along with her staff and subordinates. You’re basically untouchable by anyone. She doesn’t mind much PDA but it’s rather sparse. It’s mostly shared between the two of you in hallways or in her office whenever you two are alone. It’s quiet moments like these that make Saeko honestly...purr in happiness. She would reach out to you and drag her towards her own lips, pressing them to yours and they just tell you everything she can’t. 

Saeko is secretly passionate as well. When she’s relaxing at last with you, and especially after some cups of wine, her kisses become...not sloppy per-say but more so relaxed. She does this thing where her well manicured nails grip your hair and tug you in closer. Maybe she’s in your lap or you’re in hers. It’s this exchange of air and love that you two are hesitant to leave. Once you two part, you just press your foreheads together in this rare moment of affection and smile this ageless smile and no words are exchanged because...who needs them?

Saeko’s legs, similar to her hands, are sensitive due to her nature as the Taboo Dopant. She also tends to get a lot more migraines also due to the heavy mental strain that Taboo gives her. She adores kisses to her forehead and head in general, helping to ease her pain away. Kisses to her legs are also a fave of hers due to her being sensitive there along with the fusing of her legs whenever she turns into a Dopant. They’re painful to be like that so kissing her thighs and legs are a ticklish but utterly welcome sensation. 

[jpt3391]

Sweet Bean

After looking at the title, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a movie named Sweet Bean, but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself tearing up after hearing a meaningful story about a sometimes forgotten side of Japan, and the world too. Almost like a triptych, the movie unfolds itself and shows beautiful scenery of Japan, different from what we’ve seen so far with the movies that we’ve watched. Sweet Bean made the harsh concrete jungles Tokyo seem so inviting along with the calming views of nature that the sanatorium had as well. The movie starts off with a man getting ready for his early day prep as a cook, where it is revealed that he makes dorayaki (a Japanese dessert of red bean sandwiched between two pancakes). In the shop, his only regulars are school kids who stop by to tease him and comment on how sad he looks and acts. While they do come for his food too, there is some truth in the playful words that they exchange with him. As a viewer you can tell that Sentaro is a sad, but caring man who is living his life as it goes on (he cares for one of the schoolgirls who stays behind and most likely asked for his scraps, which he gives to her). He doesn’t really have a purpose and it shows in his work as well. Then comes Tokue, an old lady who wants to help him out at the dorayaki shop. At first he turns her down mainly because he doesn’t want to inconvenience her, but due to her persistence and showing off her own red bean paste (compared to his sad red bean paste) he decides to take her in. She shows him what I can only assume is her secret recipe of making red bean paste, and both enjoy spending time with each other, almost like mother and son. I really enjoyed seeing the connection that they shared, and I noticed while watching the movie that there was barely any background music in it. It was just the noise of the city, which I found pretty interesting. If I remember correctly, the only time there was music was when Sentaro was contemplating on how he should break the news to Tokue (the owner of the shop wanted him to fire her because of her past condition of leprosy). It was really meaningful to show the power that Tokue had in influencing Sentaro’s path. Before her, he was just someone who was paying back a debt that he owed, but after meeting her he chose something that he wanted to do (while still paying that lady back, I assume, just from his own stall though). It created a sense of meaning for him, and also closure from his past life as a convict when he wasn’t able to spend time with his mom before she passed away, and Tokue was able to be a maternal figure in his life. Going back to the schoolgirl though, she ties the story together by relating to Sentaro and Tokue, the sense of loneliness that they all feel at times. Sentaro, is a convict that doesn’t have as much opportunity for work. Tokue, cast away by society, wasn’t able to do much of what she wanted to do as well. And lastly, we can see that Wakana, who doesn’t go to cram school like the rest of her peers, is struggling to find herself in all of it. 

[onesemesterfilmstudentta]

Sweet Bean

I clap my hands. Wonderful, amazing! It's so funny to watch this after Pulse's tirade (the word lovingly used by me) about the epidemic of loneliness.

The found family aspect was wonderful to see emerge between Tokue as the mother, Sentaro as the son, and Wakana as t

he granddaughter. It is such a gradual realization confirmed finally in Tokue's last message to the two of them that was so sweet to hear. I think what creates this strong feeling of becoming family are the scenes of Tokue and Sentaro working together to create dorayaki especially when compared with each of them struggling to create dorayaki on their own and also the conversations Wakana has with each of them. To begin with, Sentaro giving Wakana the rejects is already a sweet gesture that implies they have a strong relationship. Furthermore, Wakana somewhat sharing a meal with Sentaro (especially when it's clear her mother has abandoned her to go find dinner on her own) and giving him advice about Tokue's employment feels a little like a consultation between family members. Of course Tokue giving Wakana advice about how to live her life freely and offering to take care of the canary was very sweet and grandmotherly.

On another note, the use of sound was kind of interesting? I mostly noticed it whenever Sentaro was walking up and down stairs. The heavy thuds of his depressed steps when we are first introduced to him as well as a similar after the dorayaki shop starts to crumble are so loud that it's unreal and emphasizes the sense that something is going wrong for him. Otherwise, the contrast between Sentaro carefully crafting his pancakes while the middle school girls noisily chatter in the background was seriously hilarious. The film is able to use sound in ways that set the emotional tone of scenes in interesting ways.

To end, the relationship between Tokue and nature is interesting especially when considering that quote from the book about leprosy. Those with leprosy/Hansen's Disease want to live in society "where the sun shines" too. Tokue listens carefully to nature and this way she is alone and lonely but surrounded by beautiful and noisy nature. The film shows us and lets us hear the sounds of the nature that Tokue loves so much throughout the film as well. It feels like nature is also society, that both are one and the same, and by enjoying nature we can also become part of society as well. The ending scene of all the people cherry blossom viewing and Sentaro setting up his own stall, calling out to them, might be representative of this as well. Everyone loves nature! We're all looking at the same moon!

[ka-go-me]

Everything and Nothing

A short MirSan drabble by me, written a long time ago. I wrote it in 2004, and I just felt like sharing it here. The non-existent lag time after the battle with the village of the oni-women leaves Miroku time to think on his true feelings towards Sango. What will he choose?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All I could remember was the rain pattering on the roof on that one night after we had come across the village of Oni women just after we had defeated the youkai within the scroll, saving Wakana's life and giving Shinosuke-dono his bride back. After Sango had been controlled and nearly killed me. Kagome-sama had done up my wounds as carefully as she could, though all the while eyeing me.

I knew why.

When she was finished I had thanked her and excused myself to go to the temple to find something to calm myself, let myself think and figure some things out in peace. Sango being controlled and learning of why she'd let herself be controlled was very distressing to me. It made me feel something rather awkward, and I needed to get away.

The rain would help.

Not too surprisingly I found shelves of old books and scrolls in the temple, and with my mind in such a riot-I was eager for distraction so I pilfered through them. In my searching through the stacks of old reading material I came across a scroll entitled: "Ai." With a small frown I took that scroll down from the pile of others and sat myself upon the floor to read it. Maybe with this I could figure out what I was feeling. Quietly I skimmed the material until I came across this oddly worded passage. I read it silently to myself.

"Love is the power that will bind us and break us. It is everything and yet it is nothing at the same time. It rules and enslaves but it lets go and sets one free. It is something one must feel to know true happiness, and at the same time know ultimate sadness."

I sat back and reflected on all those words as I looked at the scroll in my hand. I pondered the meaning of love to me. Sighing and shook my head sadly. Unfortunately, in my predicament I had to constantly act with promiscuity…I never really knew when it might be over for me; so I was terrified of falling in love.

The problem with that was, I thought I already had anyway.

The one lady in my life that I had not asked to "bear my child," the moment I met her was the one woman I could never see as truly-a woman. She was a comrade at arms, a travel companion, and a firm feminine backside for when those urges arose. She was the tajiya who had had her family and friends destroyed by the same person who had cursed my family, a strong soul who kept fighting no matter what the cost. Someone who loved her friends and would do anything for them.

I smiled ruefully, lifting a hand and placing it upon my cheek where Kagome-sama's band-aid was red with seeping blood left by her concealed wrist blade from the battle with her earlier. She was resting with Kagome-sama and Inuyasha now, having not awakened just yet.

My Sango.

Did I love her? I wasn't sure. If I did I couldn't do anything about it till I was sure that the void in my hand was gone. I didn't want to say that I did, then leave her alone to fend in the world without me by her side…That was if she felt the same in return. I felt broken and torn when I was alone and thought about it, but, then, when we are together and I'm not thinking about it-it feels-right somehow. We're almost always attached at the hip-during every escapade our group has. We were inseparable, and I felt as if I could overcome mountains with her by my side.

So, did I love her?…I sighed again, and placed the scroll on my lap. I had to admit it to myself. Yes I loved her.

She was everything but it would be nothing if I died upon telling her.

But then, this was exactly as the text had said wasn't it? "Love is the power that will bind us and break us. It is everything and yet nothing at the same time."

But as I thought about it more, gazing at the scroll in front of me, Kagome-sama's words came flooding back to my memory. "Because you were so obviously unfaithful Miroku-sama, she got angry and went off by herself." My promiscuity had nearly gotten Sango killed, all because I wasn't sure how he felt towards her. But-if I didn't tell her, and didn't survive this, she'd be safer in the long run. Someone had to take over the battle of Naraku for me-and I would rather it be born of a woman I didn't love so I wouldn't have to worry about leaving her behind when the kazaana finally sucked me up.

I frowned deeply and picked the scroll up crushing it in my hand. I did love her, I knew that now. But I had tell her how it really was, there was no escaping it. I didn't want her hurt in any possible way ever again by me.

It was now that I noticed the rain had stopped outside and that the morning light was spilling through the cracks in the old walls. My face softened a bit and I stood up, walking to the shoji and pushing it aside with a clack. I gazed out into the morning and watched everything all around glisten with the sparkle of light bouncing off the dew-drops. My face fell a little bit and I lifted the crushed scroll into my view, a weary and sad smile crossing over my lips.

"It is something one must feel to know true happiness, and at the same time know ultimate sadness."

The passage was all too right. With a resolute look on my face I stepped out into the dripping morning, finding Kagome-sama and Inuyasha waiting for me, with an awake Sango on his arm. I smiled and sauntered up to them. "Sango, I'd like to speak with you before we head off." I said, and offered my arm.

She blinked at me and seemed to have a look of-regret-? Was that it? in her eyes. She nodded and Inuyasha loosed her and I took her on my arm, moving off to sit by the river as Shinosuke-dono and Wakana came up to thank us for our help. Sango and I bowed briefly and left Inuyasha and Kagome-sama to properly accept their thanks.

We sat side by side in silence for a time, just staring at nothing, wondering where to begin, and if it would end. Surprisingly she broke the silence first. "I'm sorry Houshi-sama. If it weren't for me-"

Already I could tell this wasn't going in the right direction, so I interrupted her. "Don't worry about that Sango. Besides, this time it was my fault. If it weren't for my bad habit with women, this wouldn't have happened. I should be saying I'm sorry."

"You-you, there's no need for you to apologize…" she countered, turning her face and blushing. "I was the one who was being careless…It had nothing to do with you and your-"

I shook my head and cut her off again. "Sango, I've been thinking about this, and I've decided that this is how I truly feel. I want you to listen to it all…" She turned her face to me attentively then, and so I told her it all. Every detail about how I felt towards her…And she seemed happy about it, but, as things go with me and her…it eventually ended up in a glare and a near slap.

Ahh, the pains of love…

Owari