#If his mangaka doesn't give him love we will

[gemgdynamight0]

KATSUKI WON THE FINAL STAGE OF POLL. they're gonna make a bronze statue of him. WE DID IT😭😭😭❤️🎉🎉

I mean he IS the symbol of victory. This was a perfect victory 😭

[earthtodora]

btw the idea of the epilogue giving ozawa screentime doesn't piss me off because i'm a delusional itafushi shipper who convinced herself that it was gonna be canon (it's shonen jump, of course they're not gonna make two guys kiss), but because it feels cheap, unearned, and out of place.

first of all, gege didn't even want to include that chapter in the manga. it was his editor who convinced him that there was need for a slice-of-life chapter, and something that will make yuuji's character even more lovable and show his kindness and humanity. the chapter did exactly that. it showed that even though yuuji's type is a tall girl with a big butt, when he's forced to pick (forced, because at first he says he doesn't like anyone, so it's not like he was harboring a secret crush on ozawa) he picks ozawa because he notices certain qualities in her that others don't, and that's what matters in the end. yuuji's type doesn't mean he's superficial and doesn't value personality.

second of all, the fact that gege didn't force romance on his characters is part of what makes jujutsu kaisen great. i think yuuji's arc is very compelling without any romantic subplots. it doesn't take anything away from his story if he doesn't have a love interest. it makes his journey feel much more genuine and relatable, and also shows that romance doesn't have to be part of everyone's story to be considered a complete one. if it had been built up and hinted at during the series, i'd have no problem with it, but to give him a love interest after the story is already over, and a completely random one at that, is a disservice to his arc. it doesn't feel earned. it just feels like "oh, i forgot to add romance so let's stick a girl in here and make her confess to the main character."

third, the only explanation i have for ozawa being added as an epilogue character is that it's supposed to be fanservice. like, it's common in shonen manga for the mangaka to address or confirm the romantic interest of characters in an epilogue or at the very end. we saw this recently with mha, we saw it happen with naruto, and now it might happen in jujutsu kaisen. the difference is, in jjk, there wasn't any sort of set-up apart from a long forgotten chapter about the female character liking yuuji. now, if it's fanservice, i'm thinking, how about considering the fans? cause, the most popular ship for yuuji isn't itazawa, i can tell you that. if you're gonna throw the fans a bone, give them the bone they want.

anyway. i know it's silly to rant about the epilogue before we even know what's in it. but, realistically, what other purpose could ozawa have in the epilogue besides the one above?

so yes, i am worried about the epilogue, but i'll keep my expectations low and hope for the best.

[angy-grrr]

more than repressing feelings, I think Izuku tends to not think about himself in general -about how others could actually be interested in him romantically for example- and usually keeps many things to himself, sometimes out of necessity. Its like he is completely clueless, truly unaware, and knows to put his feelings to the side in order to be good at heroics, but doesn't suffer from this decision as he lets himself feel those emotions.

To compare, Ochako did suffer from her feelings because they were dictating her career and decisions, who she was, and prefers to pretend she directly doesnt feel them at all; Izuku suffers from them when something really hurtful happens and becomes way too much to handle. Maybe Ochako's feelings arent that big, but they grow out of her repression; Izuku feels his feelings freely, but they are so big already he has trouble handling them.

But who is Izuku outside of it?

There's this misconception, out of translations and not understanding the clues of the original Japanese text, of him repressing and thinking his feelings for Katsuki are gross however turns out he likes them, he doesnt reject them at all. He knows others would see Katsuki's behavior as gross and inappropriate, and yet he acts like him instinctively. This is what he held back when he fought for the second time with Katsuki, and the reason why he lost.

When he had to stop thinking about Katsuki's death, it was the best decision to ensure he would fight against ShigAFO without losing control -it wasn't a negative thing from him, just the best option. This is why Katsuki told him in the memories ep to not think about unnecessary stuff, because he can't stop thinking about those; this is also why he had to get away from the Himiko Ochako Tsuyu fight, because he wouldnt be able to ignore those things.

Katsuki on another hand is able to fight while thinking of emotional memories, and while he died in that moment

I believe there's something going on with Katsuki tho, the little smiles he has given were strange in my opinion, like melancholic, and we still need to know what's going on with his heart just. Being able to handle so much when it exploded.

Idk if we will get a word about Izuku's reaction towards his corpse -sometimes mangakas and comic writers do that, using the rage moment on its own to explain what the character feels when a loved one is hurt instead of giving time to explore the MC's sadness.

Izuku is a hopeful character, but he has a big heart full of emotions and there's something he hid from Katsuki as we saw in their second fight, and I have no idea if this will be brought up. He seems to be focusing more on heroism at the moment -he is sending the message to Spinner like Shigaraki wanted, he talked with Ochako about the topic focusing mostly on a hopeful future more than expressing internal conflicts, and asked mentors and figures of authority about what could be done.

Some people pointed out these chapters are going back to the beginning, and I believe it would be a nice detail to go back to All Might and Izuku and, finally, to Izuku and Katsuki.

I would love to see a more "simple" approach with a bkdk scene; with this I mean to go to the beginning beginning, outside of heroics, just them and the river.

[algerian-lady]

Listen, his clothing style is completely random and tacky, but he makes it work somehow, maybe because he's excessively handsome? Jk, I think his style reflects who he is as a character, he can dress formally too ofc, when the occasion is offered, but otherwise he's just not interested in that, and his huge coats and oversized clothes as well as his large built and height, make him appear as this huge friendly bear, intimidating as a mafia should be, but also super warm and cozy when you get to see his smile and super soft personality.

I really love Dio's character in Khr, I love so many characters so it's difficult to pick favorites, but I'd have wanted to see him more (like not as a side character, but see his work, life, powers etc as an individual and the Cavallone family in general) that's why I wanna write smth for me abt him (prob gonna share it with my sis). And while I was looking back on his appearance and fashion choice, did I really start analyzing it, like ofc all khr is like this, it reminds me in a sense of bleach with how random the fits were, it's nostalgic to the 2000's style and I love it ofc, I love homey comfy clothes, they just put you in a different mood.

But since Dino is from the few characters who aren't attending school, and he doesn't give a shit abt official wear, that's why we get to see some of that clothing style ppl were wearing at the time. I'm saying it's the fashion sense of that period yes, but the author still gives their character their individuality, like Gokudera has a very edgy punk fashion statement, despite being in school he's always popping up with a new killer outfit and it's so interesting to see. (like I'm acknowledging here that they don't only wear their school uniforms, it's just what they wear the most, but he's still outstanding outside of that contrary to the others who made made forget they wore other stuff)

This is just a rumble and if I start talking about everyone and comparing, it'll be a mess, so let's just focus on Dino. The guy is at the head of one of the biggest mafia families of his time and at such a young age, all of his men are in uniforms to give their family a decent representation as a serious gangsta mafia unite, but their leader doesn't, he just dresses up like a hipster. The thing is he can clearly afford to dress up more richly, but he doesn't.

In manga and animes, I usually make a wild guess that authors may not know if what the person is wearing is considered fashionable,( like I'm an artist and have absolutely no idea how my characters will be perceived, I could think 'this character needs to appear fashionable' but ppl online will call them tacky and messy, especially generations later, across continents ) I have also a feeling that bcz it was so old the perception of fashion was different (as I have pointed many times) and lastly, bcz the Mangaka (s) is/are prob Japanese, they could have a certain image (right or wrong) over foreign fashion, esp from a country as fashionable as Italy, so that'd explain why they wanna give an impression with characters that came from there, like Gokudera his sister Bianchi and Dino, saying like look these ppl are youngsters from Italy, they wear like 2000's magazines. All of these are speculations, to say that those could be some reasons those characters wear this specific way.

If we put these aside, and consider that the Manga artist know exactly what they are doing and it's 100% what you think it is, in this case, Dio's décontracté objectively messy style compared to his men, has a clear message, he's saying" I'm your homie clumsy big bro, fuck étiquette, i'm the boss hanging out with my fam, let me live my age, I'm tired of this mafia stuff so I don't have time to dress up so I put on this mop I found on the trash bin." or whatever. But that appearance could also be 100% intentional, maybe he wanna look approachable to Tsuna sensing he'll become the head of the Vangolla and wanting to maintain a good alliance with them so he needs tsuna to like him, he also us aware he's staying around kids and don't wanna intimidate them with formal wear again because those kids are future mafia allies and he's counting a lot on their family in general. Or he just genuinely want to give a good impression because of he's a genuine guy and his family despite being mafia, have a pretty good reputation.

In conclusion. Dino can wear suits, we saw him in them, yet his appearance is mostly casual( but still gangsta, more like street gangsta, your local drug dealer not huge corporation like) , he still looks intimidating from a first glance until you get on his good side and discover he's a good guy. He could prefer this style over the other because it's cozier and more like him or because he wanna appear cozier and thinks that's the way to do it (altho he'd have made his men dress up to if that was the case). Whatever is the case, I just think it represents his personality a lot and his character in the series (as underrated as I feel it was) as well as the time era.

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia Chapter 428 Spoiler Talk: Did Kohei Horikoshi Just Blueball Us???

So, that just happened, huh? Not a bad chapter by any means. It was a solid, slice-of-life-ish chapter that continues to give us our beloved Class 2-A kids some idea of how life is going to be like now that the war is over:

The chapter starts off where we left off 2 weeks ago with the new first-years (the new Class 1-A) fangirling over Shoto and Bakugo. Iida has to step in to stop the chaos while Bakugo and Shoto hide behind him like little kids using their big brother as a shield 😂! It's cool to know that our kids have fans now and seeing them as Senpai to new Kohais is a nice idea to think about. I also like that there's a panel of Shinsou in the class to remind all of us that he's part of the main group now.

There's also a tall 1st-year who is inspired by Deku and wants to be like him after seeing him fight in the war! I love that for him 💚! I don't think Deku's really had any fans outside his classmates before, so it's nice to see how people are looking up to him like how he looked up to All Might.

A little later, we see our Class 2-A working to help clean up the wreckage from the war with Fat Gum, Best Jeanist, and Edgeshot who FUCKING SURVIVED (BRO, HOW???) and is now just a big strand of string with a face and tiny string arms 😂😭! It's a funny visual for now, but Edgeshot says that he'll be better than ever hopefully which makes Bakugo show a wobbly, awkward smile 🧡.

I also love how much Bakugo has changed in general. It has been a slow, general progression, but it's clear that he's softening up and opening up more to the people around him. It's such great character development for him. I love this dude so much 🧡

It's also cool to see the kids work and use their Quirks to help clean up all the rubble. We've seen them do this a little before during the Provisional License Exam, but it's good to see it again because it's a good reminder that there's more to Hero work than just beating the bad guys and saving civilians. I can absolutely see how a lot of their Quirks can help out with clean-up duty, but I can't help but wonder how people like Jiro, Shinsou, and Kaminari use their Quirks though can already think of some ideas. Actually, Kaminari can restore power to towns and cities, but he can't use his Quirk to help pick up rubble.

The civilians and even the new Class 1-A kids come along and are more than willing to help clean up the mess too. The heroes are being trusted more again and then getting help from the people who they thought lost faith in them is a great sign for that bright future everyone hopes for. I also have high hopes for the new UA kids. They're already heroes in their own right by wanting to help during their first few days at the school. I also really like the look of the few new designs we get out of these kids. As expected of our mangaka!

Later that night, we are told that the students at UA aren't forced to stay at the dorms anymore, probably because things have calmed down after the war. This is good to hear because while I know the kids loved life at the dorms, I'm sure they missed their families too. I won't be surprised if some students in general decide to stay home for a while. I'm sure this also gives Horikoshi an excuse not to draw so many characters in one panel because god knows this man has his work cut out for him over the next 2-3 weeks.

The last couple of pages boil down to beautifully drawn panels of Ochako who's still keeping up that fake smile and optimistic façade and Izuku and Tsuyu worrying about her because something is CLEARLY wrong. Ochako does eventually break down remembering Himiko Toga and her fate. This chapter doesn't outright confirm nor deny what happened to Toga, but I'm pretty sure she's dead. I don't think Ochako would be this sad if Toga was alive in any capacity. It sucks because Toga had a change of heart in her final moments and I think she would have been given something of a second chance had she lived. But, maybe not because I don't know how society would really treat her if she was allowed to go out in public again. I would love for Toga to be alive, but I'm betting my gatcha money that she isn't... Still, this is a big loss for Ochako and I feel for her. I still can't help but feel we got blueballed on Toga's fate, though and I'm not sure how to really feel about that.

The final page shows us that Izuku used some embers of One For All to get to Ochako who's on the same hill back during the "We're Weird" conversation they had before the Final War. First off, Izuku bby 🥹💚. Second, this absolutely sets up Izuku and Ochako finally talking to each other since the Final War ended. I assume some kind of love confession is going to happen, but I'm not 100% sure because I don't know if now is a good time for that or not. Ochako definitely needs a shoulder to cry on and Izuku needs to talk to someone about what happened, so we'll have to see where things go from here.

Regardless, we have 2 chapters left and something has to happen before the end. It's going to be bittersweet next week though because we are getting the Cover and a Color Page in WSJ! These will be the last ones we get, so I hope they're special. Knowing Horikoshi, the art and coloring are going to be immaculate and I am going to cry happy tears for the next 2 weeks.

We will also get a 16-chapter tie-in chapter for the new You're Next movie by Yoko Akiyama, the mangaka for the spin-off Team Up Missions manga! I love her art so much! It's very similar to Horikoshi's, but the style and the coloring especially is so soft and cute! It's perfect for a slice-of-life-esque spin-off like TUM and she hasn't disappointed me yet. Plus, I'm 99% sure she did the manga tie-ins for the 2nd and 3rd movies too, so this was expected.

We're finally at the penultimate and final chapters of the series. I still can't believe it's ending. Just 2 weeks to go starting this Sunday.

[animentality]

I'm not looking forward to season 3 of Blue Lock.

There will be good moments sprinkled here and there, like Bachira doing his monster thing, Chigiri stealing from Kaiser, Nagi and Reo getting re-married, but the Neo Egoist League Arc is way too long. It's gonna be like 25 full episodes, since the entire arc is over a hundred chapters long, and most of them will be Isagi beefing with Kaiser against players we don't care about.

Plus, all the matches are basically the same. Isagi's team wins every one, and he gets the final goal.

Also he calls Kaiser a bitch.

It's not that I hate Kaiser, I actually love him, I think he's the best character introduced in the NEL arc, it's just that the first arcs of Blue Lock knew not to focus on just one rivalry all the time.

We got new rivalries all throughout the First Selection.

We had an even dispersal of, ok Bachira's a new rival, now here's Kunigami, now here's Chigiri, now here's Nagi and Reo - these were all interesting characters who had space to breathe and develop personal relationships with our MC.

They all had matches where they got to shine as the main play makers. Kunigami got super goals. Bachira outdribbled an entire team on his own. Chigiri had the most epic First Selection moment, when he broke the chains weighing him down. Reo and Nagi were introduced as a demonic duo, and had an entire match to show how good they were together.

Even that side ass character Kuon had an interesting moment...hell, he had two. He fucked up two different games, betrayed his team, and then redeemed himself.

He wasn't even a major character, but he had a singular story to tell, that didn't rely entirely on the specific match he played in, or the goals he scored.

But the Neo Egoist League Arc is like...a rushed mess, that somehow managed to take up 40% of the entire manga at the same time.

It's got the dense, complicated character juggling of the U20 arc, except not good, lol. U20 had high stakes. It was intense, and every character was juggled, sure, but at least they all had their time to shine. That's 22+ characters who had to get some focus, plus the substitutions. I'd say Kaneshiro did a banger job of maintaining the tension, while still moving us around from person to person with consistency. But NEL?

The stakes were immediately lowered by the fact that winning the matches doesn't matter, scoring does.

And it like, cycles through every important character, gives them a single goal, and then proceeds on to the next player who needs to get a goal. Then it neglects that character for another twenty chapters.

There's no even pacing here.

And what's worse is that most of the players on these teams are...not that interesting. Karasu and Otoya, most of the European team members, who basically don't exist... I personally don't like Niko, who just does the same thing Isagi does, or Yukimiya (although at least Yukimiya's backstory is depressingly real, and kinda compelling, even if he himself isn't utilized that well).

I like Hiori, but Nanase and Kurona and Kiyora...I mean, they're kinda just there to give Isagi assists...

They're not quirky and weird and relatable like the freaks of First Selection. They don't get the time and spotlight they need for me to really care.

Like any of these characters could probably be great if the pacing was better, but... it's like the mangaka will just speed through a backstory before one of them passes to Isagi. And then that's it.

The only true spotlight is given to Kaiser or Isagi.

Now Isagi is the MC, so that's alright, although can I just say, he's kind of unlikable during the NEL arc, like, Jesus Christ, was he...awful when he was against Man City...if he hadn't apologized to Yukimiya...hmmm...and after an entire match of calling Nagi and Reo slurs too, lol...but I digress...

And Kaiser is good, he's great, but can you imagine how boring the First Selection arc would've been if it was entirely dedicated to Isagi just beefing with Barou?

Like come on.

It's basically just a glorified training arc, that abandons what made Blue Lock interesting in the first place, which is the high stakes, but then doesn't have the decency to at least still give us the great character drama that we've come to expect from BL.

And that's a shame.

It's also fucking ridiculous for a training arc to be so long.

God.

I hope it ends soon.

Please get back on track.

[mallas28]

Why i think Horikoshi need some help.

So, sorry for my English but will try to explain my point of view why Horikoshi favor Katsuki Bakugo so much and doesn't like Izuku.

Problem is...Horikoshi really doesn't like Bakugo and He actually loves Izuku. But he is too afraid showing this. This is my opinion.

Reason for this is Horikoshis PTSD from his previous experience with Shonen Jump. As you know SJ has cruel practice closing Unpopular mangas without giving them any time to get popular. (Ironically this cruel practice lead SJ in bad condition they are now).

Horikoshi suffered from this deeply. He even stated in interview that he considered leaving manga industry and find other job. He even stated that he has nightmares about that times and waking up with horror thoughts that his manga will be closed. So this is only my POV, but i think Horikoshi has PTSD and need help..

You see, Shonen Jump is not very nice company. Its a horror place in reality. I don't know other shonen magazine which have so mant artists with ruined health. Which says a lot about their work atmosphere.. You could also read about their conflict with Dragon Ball rights to realize how they treat horribly their employees. For Shonen Jump mangakas is a trash that needs to be thrown out.. Nothing more.

So going back to Horikoshi. I think he doesn't like Bakugo as many claims. I nean doesn't like so much. He in reality loves Izuku at some way.

Problem is because of his past experience with Shonen Jump. Horikoshi become to dependent from popularity polls. And popularity overall. You could see that from his interviews. Like that villain academia (the best written arc in manga) was axed because lack of popularity. Or that Aoyama was supposed to be revealed traitor in Camp arc but Horikoshi was afraid it will low popularity. You could find many of them

So i think Horikoshi is so afraid of losing popularity that he try to please fans instead of telling his own story. Like he pushes Bakugo forward and forward excuses his actions because he is most popular. Meanwhile Deku seems on second place..

Also, I truly believe that Horikoshi originally planned different ending but SJ forced his to rewrite it in last minute. Just look hiw badly 430 chapter was written. No design changes, narration jumping and etc.

So because of Shonen Jump pushing him and because of dependent from popularity Horikoshis own story suffers a lot. Bakugo gets too much ridiculous spotlight. Horrible resurrection and no abuse recognition. Izuku sufferers as independent character. Whole story and almost all characters suffers because of that.

. Why we only see it in last arc? The answer is editors. First three Editors were the saviors for Horikoshi. They lead him in righg direction.

The last one... Imamura or whatever. I think he is the most horrible. Because he did nothing. 430 was not edited at all. Why he was put with Horikoshi? I don't know.

So i truly believe that if not Shonen Jump and Horikoshi PTSD we would get a great story. The only thing that could probably change Horikoshi behavior and point of view on Bakugo is the next film flop in box office. If next film will be dedicated to Bakugo i will be praying for it to flop hard . And SJ will lose money. Only that could make them think a little.

This is only just my point of view.

[bimgtt]

Sasuke isn't compatible with any forms of romantic relationships whether instinctively or purposely with anyone including Naruto

Many people may think i ship SasuKarin but truth is no matter how much I try I can't imagine people like KaKashi( survivor of tragedy who can't overcome his trauma by himself can be in romantic relation?), Gaara, kabuto, orchimaru, jugo etc. people being in romantic relationship,

similarly Sasuke can't either, survivor of crime against humanity, i think brotherhood bond from naruto is happiness for Sasuke and him wandering the world freely and helping naruto from shadow but for offspring, he can get help from orchimaru and karin and create a child of his own, leave the child under karin or naruto, sasuke is a person who doesn't need romance or compatible with romantic relationship, i ship sasukarin is only cz karin is selfless in gaiden and wanted best of sasuke meaning she will take care of sasuke's child as a caretaker mother even if sasuke doesn't reciprocate her romantic feelings, that's how noble Karin had become so noble since gaiden,

whereas sakura was always forcefully romantic towards sasuke even in chapter 699 she forced sasuke to reciprocate her forced fantasy based romance when he never was the fiest one to show any special romantic interest towards sakura other than comradeship like he did with kakashi and naruto, in gaiden too,

sakura is a girl who wants romantic relationship from her respective partner, in which case only someone like rock lee or hashirama or minato or child obito like personality can give her perfect romantic relation, someone like minato is perfect for sakura who has both sasuke's good looking and skills and naruto's quality to be able naturally social with others, so someone like minato is perfect for sakura and will understand her romantic feelings, sasuke is far from that, he is romantically incompatible with someone like sakura along with everyone else, sasusaku is recipe for disaster, it forced sasuke to play a role he never naturally wanted or not compatible instinctively whereas sakura in gaiden regressed her natural personality bcs of this relationship mainly cz she is obsessed without any deep, valuable, memorable background connection with sasuke which made it more incompatible as natural romantic relationship and sakura suffers the most than sasuke as she has to totally revise her lifestyle and regress her natural lively personality, that's why this ship is forced, toxic and one-sided and sasuke is incompatible with any kind of romantic relationship, only camaraderie, familial relation where he is compatible with such as brotherhood of narusasu and fatherhood with sarada etc.

if you make sasuke romantic it will not be kishi's sasuke but another author's creation, naturally kishi's sasuke is aromantic and can live his life without romance and marriage but sakura is totally complete opposite whose whole character is based on romantic love from someone, someone like minato is compatible with sakura who is mixture of narusasu, a perfect man for every shallow romance loving girls like sakura or previous ino but sakura forced to compromise her natural personality or regressed her natural character traits in gaiden whereas esaka regressed sasuke's natural character in retsuden

moral is sasuke is instinctively or voluntarily incompatible with romance and sakura has to regress her personality or character traits bc of SS and SS was able to happen for extreme initiating from sakura(like blank era novel and gaiden mentioned) and sasuke never the first one to voluntarily showed or initiate any romantic interest towards sakura aside from comradeship in part 1 and not even in gaiden we have no concrete details of blank era from original mangaka but vague and ambiguous details,

sasuke never meant for any kind of romantic relation and SS is forced recipe from sakura and forced to regress her whole natural character traits from part 1 to part 2 in gaiden and boruto manga only comes back when sasuke isn't around, which is pretty unromantic.

so my preferable eding would be karin as sasuke's clone child caretaker mother which is perfect than sasukarin as sasuke can't have instinctively or voluntarily romantic relation with anyone even with naruto bc of his severe past tragedy which shaped his whole lifestyle and gave birth his present personality which is incompatible with any kind of romantic relationship

[roses-bel-air-darling]

In one way, at least Touya’s end is kind of ambiguous so we can make our own ideas! I mean yes, there are the implications of him dying and such. I won’t deny it still sucks considering Endeavour and all. But, in one way at least he will be able to talk with his family, reconcile with them. I like to think (might be wishful thinking on my part) that eventually he gets better and maybe lives with his family again, or something, to give him a chance at normal with his family. He might be under house arrest or something, unless he still stuck in a tank after all those years, or did die. But if he did, I like to think he and his family made peace before he did.

Idk, it’s just unfortunate how the Todoroki plot wrapped up, but at least his family didn’t push him away. Honestly I’m probably in denial with it all because maybe he is dead considering he wasn’t shown in the flashbacks, but who knows?

Toga and Shigiraki’s deaths were unfortunate, HK really fumbled on the end. Honestly I dipped when the last chapter released, and when I came back, I realized that a lot of people/blogs didn’t have many thoughts on the end. Almost unanimously it seemed everyone was in radio silence 😅

I am so sorry that this is long!

That's the tiny bit of hope I have for touya. Although, I'm trying not to be a negative nancy. There is the last volume and the official fanbook both coming out this December. We could possibly get a final update on touya. Good or bad.

Hori confirmed that he forgot to draw a few things in the final chapter and is going to put it in the final volume.

I'm not going to be cautiously optimistic. I'm just going to expect something.

Personally, before the manga ended, I was on the villain trio big save train. I was so sure they were going to get a 'happy' ending and heading towards their bright futures as it was intended to throughout the story. (Note: I won't elaborate on the whole villains bad, must die arguments. It's tiring and gets old super fast the moment those sentences are used to justify the deaths of toga, shigaraki, and touya. Different topic, different day.)

Now, looking back, I just want him to have a peaceful death with his mom and siblings there by his side and knowing he's not alone and loved. I don't want him to be alive and be a part of the society that still rejects someone like him, toga, and shigaraki. You must be a good victim to be accepted back into said society, and bad victims don't deserve a second chance, sympathy, or to be heard. Doesn't matter how much pain and abuse you have been afflicted. No redemption. Death is the only option.

Onto the last parts, with the todoroki family plot. I hated that dabi, shouto, and the rest of the family became plot devices for endeavor's "redemption."

Shouto and dabi's moments are being overshadowed by endeavors, constant apologizing, and yapping. Over and over.

Hori didn't know what to do with endeavor and it showed.

Poor shouto's arc being ruined.

The unnecessary parts of the final todoroki chapter of endeavor's talking as if touya is still a villain by accepting his invitation to Dabi's dance and natsuo's comment about that was the only time he thought his dad was a badass. It felt so off and OOC of natsuo to say that.

I lost interest during the entirety of the ACT 3 of the manga. I only cared about the villains at the time. I think hori in the end. He just wanted to end the manga. There were a bunch of breaks during Act 3 due to his health and stress, and it affected the story. Hori deserves a long, long vacation as being mangaka is draining. I also hope he recovers as well.

I'm sorry for yapping, but I felt the same that I wish we didn't get these endings for the todoroki family and the villain trio. I would say more on toga and shigaraki's outcome, but I would make this reply WAY too long. Almost a 20-page essay. 😂

Lastly, with the blogs I follow on tumblr and Twitter on the reactions I saw to the last few chapters. It was mainly negative. And yet other bigger blogs in the fandom it was crickets. I agree I think the silence was loud and clear too. I'm like... 😬

I don't go on the BNHA reddit as the posts call the ending bad cause people's ships didn't become canon. Which with shipping vs. story arcs, themes, and narratives. I only care about the story in general when I read. Shipping? Nah.

For real, tho, I just wish the manga ended on how it was originally going to.

My headcanon is that the league is in an island somewhere, just soaking in the sun and having fun. Spinner and shigaraki brought a whole TV and gaming consoles to the beach, toga swimming and teaching twice how to swim, dabi cooking some BBQ while texting shouto asking how's he's doing. Compress is getting a tan and scolding shigaraki and spinner for bringing electronics to the beach. Big sis magne is not with them as she modeling in a big fashion show.

Just a happy little misfits being a family. 💗

Sorry anon! For the long reply! I wanted to share my opinions on the ending as well. Take care!

[cocktailjjrs]

So, Chapter 112 is out.

We don't exactly get much of explanation or distinction from S5 ending ep.

Mori, he really just glued in the fangs for FUN! What even is the Mafia! (Plus, Dazai Laughed!) We had old man Yaoi. I am not going to talk about it as we already know what went down there. We got Kunikida, Atsushi and Tanizaki. And Gogol man being sad (it broke my heart again to see his reaction). Ngl, even i would be sad if someone killed my Situationship But not Chuuya calling out that Situationship, lol (That was my exact reaction when a friend of mine told me she was in one and how it works) SKK bickering, still. And Fukuzawa being handed the greatest responsibility.

All in all, everything we had seen so far, only an added reaction here and there.

Next chapter will most likely also follow through the rest of the episode. But nothing much is left, so chances are that we may get new content. Or latest by April.

This all seems well and good, but I'm suddenly feeling anxious about how things are going to progress further.

I've said time and again, BSD takes 'it can't get worse than this' phase and just proves it wrong again and again. We reach new rock-bottoms every time.

So, things looking up now, gives me anxiety that something is going to go horribly wrong. (Cue the flashback of the 'Two hours later' bit)

All things that can horribly go wrong:

Everything with Soukoku at Meursault. I find it so weird that we are not getting detailed explanation of how things are proceeding there. We have seen Dazai and Fyodor play mind games for so many arcs now, there is always an explanation at the end of each one. But this doesn't have that 'satisfactory' level of explanation yet. Yes, Chuuya again came to Dazai's aid, but how? How did Dazai knew that the Vampires were turned in his favor. Would killing Fyodor (if he actually is dead) really be wise? How is he sure that it was Fyodor plan all along to get killed and he played right into it? You know when things are kept ambiguous, as most things related to Prison break arc are, it means there will be some facts that will come in light later. And that's what I'm scared of because it can be anything! It does not help that Dazai is yet to take that antidote! What if it doesn't work? What is Nikolai goes for revenge? Since he love's loosing himself and that's why he fought, so what if he continues? Can Chuuya's gravity manipulation even be effective against someone like Gogol? He can just go from one place to another, dodge all of Chuuya's attacks. We also know he can use his ability with Dazai as long as he isn't touching him. What is he takes the antidote form the case before Dazai can take it? That makes him such a kryptonite for Soukoku.

Then we have,

The Shin soukoku's battle against whatever that (Fukuchi) was. Two hours, if you think about it is not a long duration of time for things to start fucking up suddenly. There must be something already laid in waiting for it to start going shit when time comes. We are yet to get the details of how the Vampirism is going to wear off. Because it does, Akutagawa was back to normal when he was fighting with Atsushi. Sskk teaming up is well and good, but can they stand against that being? They had a hard time dealing with Fukuchi only a while ago, this enhanced being will be much tougher than them. What if this also is set for failure? only for the world to be purged into more chaos? Maybe i'm being a bit to pessimistic, but i've lost confidence in the mangaka's they always do the unexpected and kill everyone's favs, fr.

That also makes me think

Will taking on the role of Mankind's leader, lead to Fukuzawa on a deeper end? We know he struggled earlier, before founding agency, with his assassination work. He had refused to work in the war for a reason. Won't this be undoing everything he's worked for so many years? Also, taking in that honor from their government (or officials, i don't exactly remember what it was. I'm talking about the appreciation symbol of katana'?' they received at the beginning of S4) that basically led them to take on that case that declared them terrorists. Won't taking the role of Mankind's Leader also make Fukuzawa susceptible to be declared as the Mankind's Enemy? This seems similar to that previous situation. Reminds me of how Ranpo called this responsibility, or last wish, a curse. And Ranpo is always right, so there's that. Maybe that's how they are going to introduce the next adversaries?

Too much uncertainty and what-ifs.

[maoam]

do you think there’s anything romantic between gojo and geto in jjk or is it all just the shippers making things up

Hello.

Since last time this was being discussed I have delved more into jjk and can give better answers about it as well. Jjk isn't a love story, but something like that doesn't automatically stop a mangaka from writing elements of love into a story.

First chapter of volume 0.

Last chapter of volume 0.

The way volume 0 is written, how at the beginning Gojo talks about love being the most twisted curse (my 'personal' theory) and how at the end he tells Geto something that isn't shown to the audience, to which Geto replies "at least curse me a little at the very end" is a very interesting connection... To add to this, the ost that plays during this moment with the two of them in the movie version is called "This is pure love". And Gege was apparently very involved in making the movie (and the anime, he apparently helped write anime only scenes for the series too and we know he storyboards the juju scrolls).

Like, that is admittedly suspect. Like these are choices that Gege made when writing.

Also this dramatic break up (in front of KFC no less). What I find funny is the songs that Gege chose for Gojo, one is a bitter break up song and the other deals with loneliness, loss and bittersweet memories. Both of the lyrics make me think about Gojo's relationship with Geto, or should I say Satoru's with Suguru lol. Like who else has he had a break up with other than Geto... His fall out with Geto and the fact he had to kill him by himself affected Gojo immensily. He's a lonely character, and the fact Geto had an inferiority complex compared to him probably hurt him, made him feel even lonelier. And the fact he didn't notice what happened to Geto until it was too late. Geto is his biggest regret!

It was also a very cool moment when Gojo said "my six eyes tells me that you're Geto Suguru, but my soul knows otherwise". And how Geto tried to stop Kenjaku from sealing Gojo by strangling him after Gojo called out his name. They have a very deep connection.

Geto never answered Yuki's question so we don't know what is his type.

As for Gojo, we know women find him attractive and Gojo himself knows women find him attractive. But he doesn't seem to pursue women. Yuta even made fun of him for that.

So yeah I don't think fans are pulling it out of nowhere. I think Gege does like the ship and he likes making fun of Gojo for it too.

Recently they also revealed that the season 2 opening has connection to Geto and Gojo. [link]

"Get lost in me" you say? Well he did enough to be sealed I guess. 😅 It also ties up nicely to the first point... Geto is like a curse that haunts Gojo.

[p3ta]

gotta send Ryoji Mochizuki

Thanks for the ask! Hope your day's going well, fellow Ryoji enjoyer.

Spoilers below for P2, P3, P4, and P5R.

Send me one of these here!

First, I want to give some thoughts on his character as a whole. For the certain type of character he is (doomed, remorseful harbinger), Ryoji Mochizuki is perfect. I don't think there's a better Persona twist than his reveal as the the Appriser/Death, the thirteenth Arcana Shadow. Just because a twist is easy to see coming doesn't make it less impactful, and I particularly enjoy the way Persona 3 distills information to the player in allotments. Even knowing that, Ryoji managed to surprise me with how much more he was. And fittingly, a lot of Ryoji's characterization bounces back to the P3 Hero, and vice versa.

On top of that, Nyx Avatar is my favorite final boss in the entire Persona series and unsettled me out the first time. I'd still say that Nyx Avatar causes me more fear than the Reaper, who I'd comparatively describe as inciting panic rather than fear.

Ryoji is frequently compared to Kaworu from Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), and, well. Yeah. I believe I read that in a developer interview that the P3 dev team deliberately took inspiration from NGE but I'm unable to find a source at hand, so don't quote me on that. Between the two, I prefer Ryoji. He is the strongest out of the character type for me.

favorite thing about them

His layers! Ryoji is one of those late game characters who comes in and recontextualizes all the information you've learned thus far. It's why I love watching the Dictionary update throughout a playthrough. I understand why people are put off by the way he's introduced as a serial flirt, but Reload made it much more textually clear that this isn't his true personality, nor his intentions. Ryoji is proto-Teddie (Japanese Teddie, anyway); a fully formed individual who sprang into existence seeking connection. However, where Teddie's isolation and lack of identity are his defining characteristics, Ryoji's are moored in how connected he is with P3 Hero.

Ryoji ultimately only exists because of that connection, that little bit of humanity he's been given, but that's also what prevents him from being fully human. He's had a role to play since his inception, and he can't avoid that even with his newfound connections.

Ryoji's present throughout the entire story. You've got Pharos at the very beginning with the contract running errands for the Velvet Room (I like it more and more that I think about it. Picture Elizabeth or Igor having to explain to this terrifying child what he has to say. Or maybe he knew what to say all along! He has been waiting ten years), Thanatos tearing himself out of Orpheus (by far the best Persona awakening in the series and a textual highlight for what an alien force he is), and a crucial lynchpin event for Yukari's backstory, Mitsuru's backstory, as well as the crucial event for Aigis and P3 Hero.

There is no version of Persona 3 without Ryoji and I'm all the happier for it. Genuinely, if something's confusing with P3's story, there's 90% chance the answer is Ryoji or one of his many numerous forms. The remaining 10% is the Kirijo Group. That said, we don't get a lot of time with Ryoji. Ultimately, he's a part of P3 Hero and you're left to extrapolate exactly how much of each other you believe they've influenced.

Sogabe, the P3 & P4 mangaka, chose to highlight how similar Ryoji and P3 Hero look. I consider it an essential element of their relationship together.

least favorite thing about them

It'd be cheating to say nothing, wouldn't it? I'd say that his design is easy to mock and hard to get right in fanart. Between Ryoji's forehead and very Axel Kingdom Hearts approach towards long limbs – and legs in specific – the movies did not help with this. I've read reviews saying how the higher budget allowed for the characters to be more consistently on model, and thus look better, but I fervently disagree. That boy is mostly leg. Late 00s and early 10s anime art Looked Like That, though. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for some of it.

But I love how Ryoji looks and wouldn't change it for the world. Silly slick-backed hair boy. It is funny how whenever Persona wants a villain with sympathetic qualities, they slick back the protagonist's hair (Philemon and Maruki come to mind).

Reload fixed ("fixed") this anyway but making him much fluffier in his portraits and giving his skin some color! He's achingly soft in that game.

favorite line

There's many iconic ones I could pick but I'm going to go with a new one from Reload:

It's so small, it's so playful! I like that if you choose to start an exchange he finishes the bit. It says a lot about him in such a succinct way.

Even more so when you consider the reason he came here was for Junpei's sake. Being able to balance joking around while keeping a touch of concern endears me beyond belief. Thank you, Reload.

brOTP

Junpei & Ryoji. It's not even close. This was the one element I was hoping Reload would show more and I was not disappointed! The dynamic is good for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is that despite Junpei's Persona being Magician Arcana, he is not the P3 Hero's Magician Social Link. Junpei is not the male protagonist's best friend. He clearly wants to be, but his frustration is palpable. The P3 Hero is cool, charming, and everything that Junpei plays second fiddle to, but he won't even acknowledge him. But what if there were a more likeable version of the Hero?

Instant friendship. Those two are besties from day one, where Ryoji has all the qualities but none of the knowledge, and so their dynamic is a much more even one. To me, it indicates how well Junpei and the P3 Hero might have gotten along had he not carried Death inside him for ten years. It's a brief window into another world.

There's also the fact that Ryoji, Death, befriends Junpei so close to when Takaya shoots him and he perishes. His character arc is defined by change, this act being what radically transforms his soul, and what's one of the meanings of the Death Tarot? It's like universal foreshadowing. It's funny to me too that the Magician Arcana Shadow is the one Thanatos tore to pieces. Growth for Ryoji too.

As an aside, I miss the dynamic movements from the PS2 cutscenes. Junpei being so quick to drown Ryoji is nowhere comparable to him covering Ryoji's mouth.

OTP

Hmm. This might take a second. I wonder what pairing I might like with Ryoji. Here's an unrelated picture of Messiah:

You know, Messiah is one of those Personas that has only grown on me more as time passes. My favorite of the final protagonist ones, due in part to how you have to fuse him yourself. Orpheus, the starting Persona, combined with the power of Thanatos, the penultimate manifestation of the Death Arcana. They compliment each other beautifully, and regardless of if you the player create him, he is always the true final Persona, the final result of the Judgement Arcana.

They are inevitable.

Of course it's Ryoji and P3 Hero. How could it be anything else? These two make me sick with joy. Death has a clear favorite and in the end, gets to keep him forever.

nOTP

It's funny, because I can't think of any serious pairing with Ryoji that I wouldn't view as a crack ship? I can't see any version of Ryoji with anyone but the P3 Hero nor can I take that relationship seriously. The only other being Ryoji has an established relationship with is Aigis, and that ship comes across as black comedy. I mean, there's also Ryoji and the P3 Heroine, who he is undoubtedly head over heels for, but I see her as heavily preferring Aigis. Oops.

Wait, I did remember one! Ryoji and Junpei! I'll admit, maybe it's the sheer "dudebro" vibe of their relationship, but people pairing these two was not an outcome I expected from Reload. I've seen it enough to know those who like it aren't joking, either.

It's funny, because they're both soul-taken at the tail end of their friendship (Ryoji with P3 Hero and Junpei with Chidori) so I guess I wasn't looking for it? Then again I can't see Junpei Iori kissing a man in general. If there's a Ryoji pairing that isn't my thing, these two are the Most not my thing.

random headcanon

Ryoji memory backfill!

I've seen multiple interpretations for how Ryoji's sudden transfer, housing, and parental situations were never questioned. I like exploring this for myself, especially from Ryoji's perspective. Ryoji fully believes himself to be human until 12/2's Dark Hour. So, how does he reconcile his own situation?

This headcanon states that whenever Ryoji is prompted to answer on where he lives, what he likes, or where he went to school before, he'll often "backfill" what memories he think should be there. If it's something he should reasonably know, it'll be there.

In-game you can see a couple instances of Ryoji being stumped at simple questions, like where his class trip was going to be, but excelling at others, such as when he asks Mitsuru out to a restaurant date. According to the headcanon, he failed the class trip question because it wasn't something he anticipated, but he knew a date location because it was essential to his personality. Ryoji Mochizuki is a hearthrob, it wouldn't make sense if he didn't. So he does.

I like to think Reload Ryoji's phone is another example of this backfill, though this one spills over into material items. Ryoji thinks he should have a phone and knows he should ask for others' numbers, but when he reaches for it on his first day it isn't there.

His inconsistencies are fun.

Rapid fire small ones: his favorite color is blue, he likes sunrises but not sunsets, and he's good with children.

unpopular opinion

This may be the most unpopular opinion I have in general, but I don't believe Ryoji is bisexual. Or rather, I don't necessarily believe he must be bisexual. It's not like I'm trying to shirk representation, but I think there are so many fascinating ways that you can analyze orientation for a character. Same with gender.

Ryoji, through my interpretation, is someone who could only love the protagonist. And it doesn't have to be a sexual kind of love. There's an entire spectrum of identities in our culture that we've labeled for what Ryoji's experiences could be. It brings me joy to be able to think about how – even if Ryoji knew about these identities – he'd define himself. On top of that, would how he define himself be accurate? Would he have misunderstandings about his own identity?

There tends to be a large backlash when someone even suggests a different label for a character with one widely agreed upon, which means my gender and sexuality thoughts stay hidden away. I'm more than aware of those that insist any hint of same-sex attraction is obviously platonic and fans are reading too much into things. I'd never want to take away from an individual identifying with a character for what a fandom settles on calling them.

Though one note: it's interesting to me that from the collective opinion I've seen, people have latched onto bisexual as a label rather than pansexual despite them ostensibly meaning the same thing. Something something changing social climate. Anyway. Play around with character gender and sexuality. It's good for you.

song i associate with them

Auld Lang Syne.

For old acquaintance be forgot

And ne'er brought to mind

Should old acquaintance be forgot

In the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll drink a cup of kindness yet

For the sake of auld lang syne

-

It's a traditional New Year's celebration song. Auld Lang Syne essentially means "for old time's sake". It originates from a precursor to Scottish, and exists as a fossil word inside this otherwise Standard English prose. I find it sweet how this little, historic piece gets to survive through something that redefines it.

favorite picture of them

Well, that was a lot. If you have a keen eye, you might've already noticed I've been dropping in pictures so I'll keep this part concise.

My favorite pictures of Ryoji are his portraits:

Sweet. Fluffy. Endlessly endeared by the way his hair flairs out. A much clearer heart shape for his face. Perfection. Special mention to his startled expression. His eyes get small and I get happy, simple as that.

Although, I'll never forgive Reload for dropping his Messiah pose:

There's an element to this portrait that's a little more unearthly, but earnest. Visually, his eyes are also a clearer parallel to Aigis's in this version.

Thank you for reading all the way through! And thank you again for the ask. I'm not sure if you were expecting an essay, but I think that about sums it up.

Have a picture of Ryoji nui + charm!

[justxtalking]

I'm so mad right now and I need to rant. I know I should get over it, but I literally can't. It's so annoying to meet hxh fans in real life.

I'm buying bit by bit the volumes of yu yu hakusho and hunter x hunter (level e is not available in my country), and reading them (again). I got volume 28 and took some photos of some panels that I liked and shared them as a collage in my story. It looked nice, I liked it and I am really happy that I finally got it. The thing is that a friend I haven't properly talked to for I don't know how long saw my story and realized that I liked hxh. We started talking, but damn, I don't regret sharing what I bought, but why are people like this? This is the second time it happens to me (third time if I include a non-fan but knows hxh): everytime someone hears that I like togashi's work, they start complaining about the popular hiatus (as if he's the only mangaka who does that). I so prefer to meet the guys who act all surprised everytime I go to buy a hxh volume in the comic book store. At least they try to make a conversation about the story and just ask me about my favorite character.

My conversation with this guy started with him just complaining about how togashi doesn't continue the story and he should leave it to someone else but he's too proud and blablabla. I tried to be sympathetic since he seems to be a fan of his work from years ago, but I did defend togashi a whole lot (he said I should stop defending him but never in my life I would do such a thing). I find it awful how some fans still put so much pressure on togashi to continue hxh when we know about his condition. And to just leave the story to someone else? It's clear that those people haven't done anything close to a story to say that.

I literally already made peace with the fact that I don't need an ending. As a fan, of course I want to know how it ends. But also as a fan, I don't want him to sell his soul to the devil only to know the ending.

And something I said to this guy was that he should make his own ending, I have mine and I will throw it away when hxh ends. It was literally a joke to lighten up the situation and it wasn't even something to focus on because in between I was saying other things. And he literally focused on that and said "don't let it be fujoshi" (used as an insult) and I'm here like: are we back into the 2000s and nobody told me?

1. What is the problem?

2. Why do you care?

3. We didn't even speak about any kind of ships, what are you trying to say?

4. Are you sure you know what type of story you're reading?

And this question is for me: How am I meeting dude bros in real life? Why are they in the WILD? AND HOW THE HELL DID I BEFRIEND ONE YEARS AGO WITHOUT ME KNOWING? I want a friend who also likes hxh and togashi's work to talk, but not like this </3

I'm so tired of these kind of people. While living my life outside of the Internet and just being in my corner of the fandom living the great life, I tend to forget that they still exist and there are people who still act like this. What annoys me the most is that literally, they don't know what type of story they're reading. They like to say they like hxh because they know it's good and it gives you some kind of "status" within the anime community because togashi is a really good mangaka and someone who influenced a lot of people within the manga community. Without him, shonen as a genre wouldn't be the same. But then, they also choose to ignore what they don't like about his work, like the queer elements. It's highly known that togashi loves to play with gender and sexuality, but that's only a fact for them when they find it convenient. If you don't like it, don't watch/read it, but it's ignorant and blatant stupid to just act as if it's not there and talk shit about other people only because it's uncomfortable to you. And I'm not even saying that everyone should analyze the story, some people just like to enjoy it and move on with their lives and some others don't know how to analize it, but one thing is that and another thing is just to close off to the possibility when it's clearly there. But of course, the others are sick, not them who are clearly homophobic and don't want to admit it. They should ask themselves why do they get so mad about the possibility of two kids being together romantically and just work on themselves. What's worst is that this guy even said to me he likes NANA and I don’t want to know what kind of interpretation he has because DAMN

To be honest, sometimes I'm a bit surprised about how well togashi seems to know the anime community, but of course he does, he's being a fan for how long now and he's being a mangaka for how long. And I so hope he keeps trolling because DAMN these people are annoying

The worst part is that these fans wouldn't even be friends with togashi or wouldn't like him as a fan because togashi really does look like the type of fan they would hate. Togashi likes BL, mpreg, obscure stories, horror (body horror even) and science fiction (both genres who allow and are known for queerness), he used to make doujinshis (even in an era that was even more bad looked upon than now), he likes to draw bishonen characters (even in a time which was more common to see buff characters in shonen), he drew gender-bender designs of kurama and hiei, he included a homoerotic art of kurama and karasu (a friend made it for him i think) in his doujinshi, he wanted to make a shonen with gay characters and crossdressing and the list goes on and on. He likes so many things that these others fans are disgusted by and it really looks like they don't know who they are admiring. The reason why ending D got so much negative attention when it came out is because it doesn't sound believable that a mangaka like togashi himself, the same person who made level e and is constantly worried of making an interesting story, would make such a bland and heteronormative ending in a story like hxh no less.

They should just shut up and go do their homework instead, they look ridiculous.

And no, I didn't answer this guy again and I don’t think I will, though I really want to troll him.

[flyingwargle]

bokuto hasn't been home in a month because of a series of away games, but he finally gets the chance when the team's last match is in tokyo before a four-day break. he waves goodbye to his teammates as they board the bus that'll bring them back to osaka and turns to walk toward the nearest train station.

"keiji! i'm home!" bokuto shouts as he enters the apartment. a flurry of footsteps follows, and his boyfriend appears in the hallway.

"welcome back, kou." akaashi's still in his pajamas, bedhead unruly, tired eyes bright with love as he approaches to embrace him, lithe arms wrapping around his waist. "i thought you weren't going to be back until tonight?"

"we managed to finish the team meeting last night, so the others left this morning. you're still in your pjs!"

"not for long. i have to leave for a meeting soon."

bokuto pulls back to frown at him. "it's a weekend! are you overworking again?"

"i know, but my seniors want me to meet a mangaka that's visiting. he lives in ibaraki and doesn't come to tokyo often." akaashi gives him a reassuring smile. "it won't be for long, i promise."

they enter the bedroom - bokuto to put his bag down and change into sweats, akaashi to change from pajamas to business casual. they head into the living room, where bokuto immediately sees changes from the last time he was home. "i forgot you redecorated!"

the changes are subtle - akaashi's desk is closer to the window, the couch pushed further away from the brand new tv. another new addition are the low shelves along the wall, countless framed photos adorning the surface, manga volumes crowding the rows. all are udai's works.

bokuto kneels and pulls out the first volume of mateo attack, the protagonist drawn in his full splendor on the cover. "did you buy these?"

"no, the printing press gave them to me. these are the first editions, so there may be printing errors that make them unsuitable to sell. i offered to take them instead of recycling them." akaashi sips his coffee. "you haven't read mateo attack yet, have you?"

"i didn't have time," bokuto says sheepishly. he's been saying he would, ever since it began serialization. "but now i do! it's better than just sitting around while you're gone."

he places the first five volumes on the coffee table and settles on the couch with the first one, pulling the blanket over his lap, arranging the pillows behind him. when was the last time he read like this? contrary to popular belief, bokuto does read by listening to audiobooks, morning runs and long commutes accompanied by tales of fantastical worlds and thrilling plots. the team has a bi-monthly book club (since that's how long it takes for them to finish a book), where they alternate between fiction and nonfiction. only one manga series has been recommended so far, a tragic yaoi oneshot that ended in unrequited love. everyone called their significant others afterwards, bokuto included. atsumu just laughed at them, and then cried. hinata comforted him.

"should we cook tonight?" akaashi asks from the kitchen. "or should we go out?"

"let's go on a date! wasn't there this sushi restaurant nearby you wanted to try?"

"i'd like that. i can call later to put in a reservation. the quality is above standard, so we'll need to dress appropriately."

it sounds like a pointed comment, but bokuto brushes it off. he has all day to style his hair and put on something that isn't polyester. "what time will you be done?"

"no later than three. we can eat at six?"

"okay! i'll just read, maybe go for a walk and find lunch later. mya-saam opened his shop nearby, right?"

"two stops away, just outside of the station. i can text you directions."

"i know how to use google, keiji!"

his boyfriend chuckles. "he's usually here on the weekends. i'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

as he turns to finish cleaning, bokuto settles down and opens the first volume. in his youth, he followed quite a few manga series but never finished them. maybe this will be the one that he'll see through all the way.

the art is pretty cool. the story is also about an underdog player who strives to win nationals in volleyball, which makes it better. he flips through, following the panels, making sure to appreciate the details before he moves to the next page.

it isn't long before his eyes grow heavy, and he loses focus. he blames the strenuous routine that he had for the last month catching up to him. lowering the book over his face, he lowers his arms across his chest, closing his eyes.

silence washes over him. slippers slide over the hardwood floor. a presence approaches, quiet and affectionate. the blanket slides over his upper body. the barest chuckle tickles the air around him. "i'm heading out now."

there's a kiss on the book over his face. then, in a whisper, "i love you. see you soon."

his footsteps retreat. a few minutes later, the front door opens and closes. that's when bokuto lets his blush overwhelm him, pressing the book against his face, kicking the couch like an overexcited high school boy.

that's who he is, though. keiji isn't the most affectionate person in the world, limiting his touches and love declarations. instead, he shows it through his tone, how he gently scolds bokuto for skimping on nutrition or going too hard on weights. he shows it by diligently picking up his call, no matter the time of day, and asking if he's eaten. he shows it by watching his games, wearing his jersey, proudly telling everyone that he's bokuto koutarou's boyfriend.

and bokuto is damn lucky to have him. he closes the book to press his lips where keiji did, smiling to himself. he's looking forward to tonight.

--

inspiration: this fanart of bokuto reading meteo attack!

[sarahjtv]

Thank you, My Hero Academia

Today, August 4th in the West and August 5th in the East, the My Hero Academia or Boku No Hero Academia manga has finally ended after 10 years of serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump with 430 chapters total.

It still doesn't feel real, but it is. I finished reading the final chapter a little over an hour ago and I can say that I am very happy with this ending. The only real complaint I have now is that I wish Horikoshi gave us more chapters for the epilogue to give us more content. The 5 chapter epilogue we got was definitely rushed in some parts, but we should still be blessed we got those 5 chapters at all because I cannot tell you how many times mangaka shortened their epilogues to 1-2 chapters, and then that's it. Apparently he has a lot of pages left in the final Volume to fill in, so we’ll see if Horikoshi will expand on things when it releases in early December. For how it was as a final chapter, it's was near perfect.

Having Izuku become a teacher at UA was a great alternative to becoming a Pro Hero after the embers of OFA faded away. Teachers inspire their students to strive forward and follow their dreams. If he wasn't going to be a Pro Hero, being a teacher at his Alma Mata is a great consolation prize. Thankfully, that dream of Izuku's didn't die.

Izuku did so much for the world and the people around him for that 1+ year that it was going to give something good back to him somehow. Though it took 8 years, thanks to his friends supporting him all the way through, he is able to continue living his dream as a Hero with his friends by his side. Considering the fact that All Might's Iron Might suit cost most of his fortune, I gotta wonder how much it cost to make Izuku's support suit. Shoto, Momo, and Iida are all rich thanks to their family's inheritance, but I'm sure everyone else had to save up a shit ton of cash to get this project done ESPECIALLY BAKUGO! I'm glad they got there in the end anyway.

And seeing our beloved kids as adults (I think they're 24-25 now) leading the way for a better world is so satisfying to see. I love all their upgraded looks and outfits too! I hope we get more details about them in the upcoming Fan Book and Art Book next year! Honestly, I'm going to miss this entire cast even Mineta of all people. Horikoshi clearly put a lot of love and care into each one of his characters no matter how small of a role they played. I saw these kids and even adults grow into amazing people and heroes for the better part of the last decade and saying goodbye to them is like saying goodbye to a good friend.

Despite its problems, this story will always hold a special place in my heart. It was a beacon of hope for me over the past 6-ish years and I'd argue that it saved my life when my life was in the pits. It still is today in a way. I can't give My Hero Academia an honest rating without bias kicking in hard, but I think this is one of the best manga that Shonen Jump had to offer. I'm so glad Horikoshi got to end his story on his own terms and ended up being one of THE most successful mangaka in modern WSJ. He deserves everything good that ever comes to him. Please don't ruin that for us, sir lol.

Regardless, thank you, Kohei Horikoshi. Thank you for telling this incredibly special story of a young boy who became the greatest hero and how everyone can be a hero Quirkless or not. I will forever be grateful for what you brought to me and I will cry happy tears as I say goodbye. I hope you take a long, deserving break for now. I look forward to whatever you have in store for this world next.

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

So my man what do you think of how bnha act 3 has treated the villains so far?

I think it's going exactly the way the story hinted it would. No surprises there.

In terms of narrative, people should give Horikoshi his flowers. MHA might not be as flashy as other mangas, but Horikoshi keeps it consistent and to the point. I'm glad that he doesn't sacrifice the writing of a plotline in order to create flashier or more action based fights. I'm also glad he's been with the villains' ideologies and their reasons to do what they do.

It's funny, the hero side might be the one who's more surprised with the current outcome of the final showdown. You have moments like Ochako risking it all for Toga, which is a dream come true for villain fans yet might be hard to process for other people. I'm personally satisfied with how the author treated the Enji and Dabi plotline, because in the end it was not Shoto who alone could do a miracle. A bit of a "family issues must be solved by the whole family" opinion, but I'm glad to see Rei, Natsuo and Fuyumi getting involved. They all had the spotlight in a heartwarming moment to stop and help Touya. They all took responsibility for their role in what happened to their family.

So far, so good.

To be honest, my perception is that Horikoshi has great respect for some of his villain characters. He has so far dedicated a lot of the story to Tomura alone, to his connection with Izuku. At least when it comes to the League, sacrifices are not simply plot twists, you know? They held meaning, they're respectful to the character.

I can't say the same for other antagonists and villains, tho. It's understandable, those secondary characters won't receive as much screen time and that's okay. It's just a bit sad to think that some of them have a lot of potential, but the story keeps them backstage. I certainly miss seeing some of the members of the Meta Liberation Army, for example. I loved the implications of corruption of power in the hero society. I miss Lady Nagant too, I can't wait to see her reaction to knowing that AFO is finally dead. Right now I wonder what the hell Horikoshi had planned for Hawks, lol. Every time I think his plotline is getting kickstarted, it runs for a second before stopping again. If he's there it's because there are unfinished businesses with him, maybe we will finally get a resolution on his connection with Toga and his past with Twice, but that's for later.

I have faith in Horikoshi, I guess. He has shown us that he does what the story demands and doesn't change the course of it for the public as much as other mangakas do. That is what movies are for.

I'm sure we'll see Spinner and Compress again, but most of all I'm curious worried about Kurogiri. I insist that the resolution between Kurogiri and Aizawa and Yamada will wreck me. In my wildest dreams I see Kurogiri begin for Tomura's life aka to save him, to give him a chance. I saw Aizawa's face when he heard Kurogiri talk about Tomura. He knew it was not only an order, but also a part of Oboro still alive. Oboro would do anything to help someone in danger, he'd pick any stray cat, give his life for anyone. I'm on the edge of my seat with that trio. Teachers on opposite sides of the war, once friends. Don't even get me going about Yamada and Kurogiri. Whenever I think of Mic and his role in that situation, it's pure torture.

If you ask me, I'm getting what I wanted. Act 3 has been great. It got a little boring for me when the whole focus was fighting AFO (I don't know why, maybe AFO is just not my favorite character to focus on). The rest? Amazing. Beautiful panels and drawing style, emotional instances that reveal the heart of the villains, their determination and dreams were respected, they got treated for once as real humans and not just villains... I'm behaving like a total kid with what is happening with Deku and Tomura in the 415 chapter.

Now, post-battle is another matter. We will cross that bridge when we get there, but they must be all alive and well or I'm ending what the League started and taking this whole world down with me (I'm not exaggerating at all haha why you ask?)