#Jimsa

[daryun]

Volume 12 sketches

The Heroic Legend of Arslan - Hiromu Arakawa extra art

[innerchorus]

Arslan Senki Chapter 121

I was going to say that in that first panel, it looks like Jimsa selected a horse similar to the Turanian 'type' but actually I think his mount just looks small next to Shabrang! (I actually went back to look at Jimsa's horse in earlier chapters and in doing so I caught a minor mistake in Chapter 117, where his horse's mane is erroneously colored black in one panel)

Good horse content this chapter, anyway: I like that it's Jimsa (a Turanian, whose lifeblood is their horses even more so than Parsians) who rides in shouting for water for his horse. And how quick the men are to care for the horses that have been ridden so hard. (Seeing them pour water on Shabrang's legs instantly made me think of how racehorses are cooled down; it's worth remembering that this battle is taking place in sweltering heat and those horses have been worked extremely hard to the point that it's a valid concern to think that they might collapse from overheating. The way Jimsa's horse is breathing is definitely worrying. (If you're interested, there's an article here about preventing post-race collapse in racehorses that goes into more detail and sheds some light on precisely why they're right to be so concerned.)

The dialogue that accompanied wet Daryun is 👌 (when he says "To the ends of the earth, if that be your order" because doesn't that one line just embody Daryun's feelings?)

And GIEVE, holy shit. I admit I have never been his biggest fan, but his involvement in the defeat and death of Bodin hit the right spot.

"Even now, you squirm unknowingly on the palm of my hand like the mediocrity you are!" is going down as one of my favourite lines in the whole series, seriously.

Right on both counts. Also, lol at the face of the soldier in the middle who looks far more worried by Bodin's pursuit than Narsus or Gieve

Something I really liked with how this all turned out is that Arakawa didn't just add Bodin into the mix because it was a convenient place to kill him off, she also integrated his presence on the battlefield and the tactics used to deal with him into what happens to Guiscard.

(I've already shared my thoughts on Guiscard's survival prospects via reblog here, so consider those bullet points a lit candle for his prayer circle! The one counterpoint to the argument that he will survive is the fact that a key reason for allowing him to live is now no longer necessary; Bodin is gone so there's no need to try and pit them against each other.)

It's mentioned quite a few times in the novels that an enemy who has a good grasp of tactics etc is easier to predict that someone who is more of a wildcard. Narsus knows enough of Guiscard to feel confident in what his move will be here, despite never having met him!

On that note, I really cannot wait for Guiscard and Arslan to come face to face.

(Just thinking back to how stressed the Parsian soldiers look when Bodin is on their heels and you know, it makes a lot of sense. Though they know it's part of a plan, they're still relying on the actions of an external force in order to pull it off. Not everyone has Narsus's understanding of strategy, so perhaps they're concerned that Guiscard won't do as expected and instead Bodin's forces will catch them. Plus, although Narsus had time for a quick tactical talk, the situation was still quite fraught and needed a fast response so I doubt there was much time to go into great detail and reassure everyone.)

The moment I realised what was going to happen to Bodin and his army will stick with me for a long time. I knew I would enjoy seeing him meet his end, but I didn't expect the moment to feel so impactful. (That panel where he first looks at the rotting remains of the Parsian cavalry in the pit just keeps coming into my mind, even days after first reading this chapter.)

So thinking ahead to what we might see next chapter... obviously a resolution to whatever's going to happen with Guiscard. I can't see that being the entirety of the chapter, though, so what else might we see? I wonder whether we'll get a panel or two of a Team Zahhak reaction or some sort of... 'status update' I guess (this chapter did have that 'man who hears the voice of god' line to remind us of Team Zahhak's involvement with Bodin). Otherwise, I would dearly love to get a glimpse of what's going on in Ecbatana, where Team Hilmes are beginning to feel the pressure. Yes, it has 100% been too long since I have last seen Zandeh.

[daryun]

(chapter 117)

being knightcore doesn't mean you have to be pro-monarchy. you can just swear your undying fealty to your best friend or your crush or something

[importantdestinydefendor]

Chapter 136 Reaction

Love the detail that the line around Etoiles and Ricardos bubble changes when it is just the two talking to each other. Very nice, very nice!

the way Khayr reveales that the snake king is out and about is really nice.

Also everyone reacgting horrified and then there is this dude

Horrofied but still holding the horror monkey in a headlock

Our multitasking king

Uheuhe Khayr is so horrific! Good job on the designs, Arakawa!

Also nice detail that Khayr is using the monkeys to get to Zaravant

His horse went "YEET" and flung the poor man into space (curtesy to @tired-reader-writer for that joke lol)

Love how much focus the horses always get in these fights. It's not something we see alot (I need to do that in my writing sometimes)

Zaravant has a very good horsie <3

Can't wait to see how Zaravant will look like with his scar. Probably very cool! (Another detail, his ear is also nipped! Didn't see it in my first read through)

NOOO TUS! I know he will be fine but FUCK

EWW KHAYR STOP THAT! STOP TWISTING!

ZARAVANT!!! The goat! He will 100% be one of the main pillars of Arslans reign. He has proven himself to be a very good warrior and leader - making quick decisions in stressful situations and stepping up when others couldn't.

Love that we are reminded of the different cultures between the different people through Jimsa here. Specifically regarding fighting traditions and how to deal with a fallen enemy's body. Love to see it

That is actually a very interesting thought that Zaravant has here. Yes, maybe he could have ended up like our imposters here had he succumbed to the poison. Maybe not. Probably not. But an interesting thought none the less.

LOL Jimsa has his priorities straight.

Tus is fine as he can still make jokes I see.

lol the reactions to hearing that he has three wives

JIMSA AS WELL Hcbiauefkidc

Ugh the emotional whiplash I got from the switch to Sam and Garshasph

Wanted to point something out here that intrigues me

From this perspective, the staue looks massive when In all actuallity

It isn't. While, yes, still tall as fuck, taller then the avarge man (aka Sam), it isn't sky massive as it looks in the first panel. I think the angel is playing a big part in it

Also, there is blood on it... WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THOSE POOR SOLDIERS, GARSHASPH?!?!?!

Ugh hitting Sam right were it hurts. I am wondering what it will cost Sam to get over this foe.

On that note: What was it that Tus and Zaravant had to "pay" to defeat Khayr? Since Kishwar sacrificed his arm, we assumed that everyone needs to at least offer something to convince the souls of the possessed fallen to rest. So what was it for Zaravant (and Tus)?

All in all a very good chapter as always!

[thatskynews]

Music has always been a big part of Sky - half the experience even. 🎶 Learn how music inspired the development of Season of Duets in this Developer Chat with our senior technical game designer, Julian Jimsa, and composer, Adam Gubman.

[glassbead-xx]

Arslan reread pt 6 (last one)

So I’m finally done and I remembered how much I love this series

I started reading almost 10 years ago and I’ve gone through periods of reading it monthly and then not because of app change or stuff (if only Kodansha could put their app in Latin America but nooooo)

I have thoughts that will go on bullet points, tons of them, so yeah (also spoilers)

The last time I reread the story before I lost it was when they were in Gilan (yes that long ago)

I knew a couple of things because of novel spoilers but I assume things are changing from the source material (and Arakawa is the one who made one of my favorite stories of all time, Fullmetal Alchemist, so I trust her)

Also, from the spoilers I gathered from the novels and the changes she made, I’m sure Arakawa has something specific planned for Estelle, what it is I don’t know

18 year old me shipped Arslan and Estelle so hard and I still do but now I know that the chances of it actually happening are astronomically low

Andragoras annoyed me more now, probably because I had no patience for his arrogance now

Also Hilmes has issues. The guy is so obsessed with the throne he made it his entire personality to the point finding out the truth broke him. Literally his only redeeming qualities are his relationship with Irina and maybe Zandeh

Also there are several characters I thought were strangely endearing this time: Zandeh, Zaravant, Jimsa, Merlaine, on top of the one I always loved like Jaswant, Alfreed, Estelle

And yes, I still have a crush on Daryun, I shouldn’t have giggled as much as I did whenever he was fighting someone (Serica flashback when)

If you want a good telenovela look no further than Pars’ royal family

Really what is it about people trying to prevent prophecies from happening, don’t you guys know that the more you try to prevent it the crueler the outcome? Look at Oedipus

Guiscard was so done since the beginning, like really when Arslan told him to go home I was so relieved, like he’s finally free from everyone’s shit

And Bodin died, in your face bitch

But I guess since Innocentis is dead Guiscard can finally have the throne like he wanted

Also, Innocentis and Andragoras’s death wtf was that I almost cried (not for them, but their death was too brutal I know it’s a drawing but their state was too upsetting for me especially Innocentis)

And Tahamine killing Andragoras at the end because she’s pissed he took their daughter away (I have so many theories and questions regarding this girl)

Also is it me, or is Arslan relationship with Elam, Alfreed and Jaswant the cutest thing ever?

I haven’t mentioned Farangis and Gieve but I love them, always did always will

Also Narsus is way too smart, should I be scared

I’m scared for everyone obviously, I know what happens in the novels but if Arakawa is changing things then I don’t know what to expect

Also I hope going for the sword was worth it dammit Hilmes this is why you don’t take from graves, I hope y’all enjoy the flying monkeys (Oz/Wicked reference much)

I’m going to read Yona next, since Yona and Arslan are very similar (they basically have the same inciting incident) I know they’re not the same story but I’ve been wanting to read Yona again for a while so yeah

Also, is no one going to talk about how Arslan and Estelle’s Japanese VAs got married on New Year’s Eve??

[inthebamboogrove]

This should have been the character Arslan Senki. He is canon and is not Jimsa who gave himself a ponytail. I actually need to work on his appearance.

[daryun]

Volume 14 sketches

The Heroic Legend of Arslan - Hiromu Arakawa extra art

"aaah it's a demon!"

[innerchorus]

Sad about the previous chapter again and...

#LetSaamKillAFuckingSorcerer2k23

On a... not lighter note but a different one, in the newest chapter I think Jimsa tells Narsus to use him without restraint, and Narsus asks “Well even if you're told to assassinate King Andragoras?” and Jimsa's like “If it is His Highness' command, yes.” and Narsus... probably says smth like “His Highness isn't the type to use such methods, you've seen so yourself” I... admittedly got dizzy staring at the kanji so there's a high probability that I'm wrong. Jimsa speaks about some stuff, didn't catch it all but I caught smth like “someone like him would've been killed and under the earth by now” and of course, the part where Jimsa calls Arslan an idiot LOL.

Arslan, Zaravant, and Jaswant in the background though! I wonder what they're talking about. Arslan and Jaswant seemed enraptured in Zaravant's tales.

YES let him do it. He wants it. He deserves it!

And who knows? It might happen! I really doubt any of Team Zahhak will get to live to the end of the manga now. Hilmes stopped Sam from killing one of them this time, but what I really want is for there to be another scene where Hilmes actually realises that fuck, he never should have associated with the Master and his disciples and therefore doesn't halt Sam's killing blow. I mean, Hilmes isn't the kind of person to apologise but a scene like this could still indicate that he acknowledges that Sam was right and that he trusts him after all...?

Actually, one of the things I would love to see from the end of the manga is Hilmes having that moment where he comes face to face with Zahhak and is utterly terrified, finally realising what he's been used to help bring about. I don't want anything bad to happen to him, but I want him to go from being unaware to having that sudden and horrifying moment where he understands what he's seeing. It's kind of amusing that Hilmes in the novels is totally oblivious to most of the supernatural stuff long after Team Arslan are used to fighting it (it takes him right until the end of the series to even see a winged ape, and when he does end up running into Zahhak on the battlefield right at the very end of the series he's totally mentally unprepared to be faced with Zahhak's existence and so can only run in fear). I do wonder whether there are elements from later novels that Arakawa might draw on like this, even though things are obviously going to go down differently and with a greatly reduced death toll please I am begging you

Yeah, as for that bit in the manga with Narsus and Jimsa, it sounds like it matches the nove scene where Jimsa offers his services, saying that because he's not Parsian and is therefore psychologically unaffected by any emotions about the country and the royal court, he can be used effectively. Narsus gets what he's implying. Jimsa is (understandably, given how different things are in Turan) baffled by Arslan, though he does admit that he understands Arslan isn't the sort of person to use such methods.

[tired-reader-writer]

Khayr's movements. Daaaamn. And Don Ricardo got his shit back together? Interesting! Jimsa saying smth like “I hope/think His Highness will richly reward me if I defeat a lot of these” was also nice. Zaravant to the rescue!!!!

OHH. Zahhak does. Look quite different from what I was expecting.

[manifiestotamaulipas]

Encabezan corte del listón inaugural de la Sucursal de Pinturas Berel

Encabezan corte del listón inaugural de la Sucursal de Pinturas Berel

Noé Gea Medina. Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas.-“Lo que ha caracterízado siempre a Miguel Alemán son las oportunidades, sobre todo cuando hablamos de inversión y de empleo”, dijo este lunes el Biol. Ramiro Cortez Barrera al encabezar el corte del listón inaugural de la Sucursal de Pinturas Berel, del Grupo JIMSA propiedad del Ing. Mario Jiménez. Acompañado de la directora de Enlace Empresarial y…

[pastellig]

Do you think Arakawa will include Jaswants encounter in the brothel and Jimsas escape from Peshawar?

General novel spoilers for you folks! If you’re unsure what anon is asking about, you can read a summary of A Frenzy of Dust here.

I feel confident that Arakawa will show Jimsa’s escape from Peshawar! It’s the kind of scene she seems to enjoy, and she’s already planted the seed: in Chapter 90, we see Jimsa sawing through the bars of his cell (and run back to bed to pretend he’s not quite so healed up when he hears the commotion of Andragoras’s return!).

I’m not as sure about Jaswant’s encounter in the brothel, but I lean toward yes. It’s interesting you asked about it, because I have been wondering how she will handle this for today’s audience since a couple chapters ago. (In other words, buckle up for a long post!)

A few things make me think she will feature this scene:

1. It was featured in the shojo manga by Chisato Nakamura. Her manga ran from from ‘91-‘96, which is a few waves of feminism ago. That being said, it wasn’t enthusiastically distributed to a Western audience, which can be more conservative.

2. Arakawa’s been pretty open about sexual behavior in Pars. Two points of evidence:

Narsus is casual about Shaghad’s multiple mistresses. While he also says Shaghad lives a life of debauchery, Narsus himself is the product of his father, Lord Teos, and one of Teos’ twenty to thirty mistresses — and he still gets to be an heir and earn a position at court. I don't think it was included in the manga so explicitly, but it is implied (when Alfarid first learns he is indeed “Lord Narsus,” Narsus quickly tells Alfarid his mother was but a free woman like herself). He doesn’t seem stigmatized for this situation at all, implying it’s common enough — lots of people hate Narsus, so I’m sure they’d mention it!

Hilmes and another Parsian (I think Garshasph?) note with displeasure that the Lusitanians are executing prostitutes and mustarid in Chapter 33. Though this word actually means “homosexual man,” the official translation indicated they are male prostitutes. The man who I think is Garshasph even says, “Do Lusitanians know nothing of life’s pleasures?”

3. Arakawa’s Daryun didn’t think of Shinryan/Shin-Liang by the light of Peshawar’s silvery moon. I’ll explain:

Readers might not understand why a man with a distant ~one true love~ would have sex with someone else, especially someone as notably loyal as Daryun. Since Arakawa didn’t feature him thinking of her, he’s “free” to get down with the lovely professionals of Gilan.

4. Most importantly: She’s stuck to Tanaka’s storyline pretty closely thus far, and Tanaka’s storyline includes visits to the brothels of Gilan.

I see only one hurdle: people have Mixed Feelings© about sex workers and those who utilize their services — feelings that wouldn’t apply to the same sexual situations sans financial transaction. While Arakawa isn't making a family-friendly manga, this could still pose problems.

Jaswant isn’t the only man who visits a brothel in Gilan: Gieve, Narsus, and Daryun do as well. Daryun, Narsus, and Jaswant are among the most noble-hearted, principled, honorable men in Pars — and those characteristics are key to this story. If I were an artist or a publisher, I might worry that a modern audience with modern scruples may think less of them for being “men with men’s needs,” which is essentially how it is presented in A Frenzy of Dust. (Seeing as Gieve has pretty clearly always been a man with a man’s need, this doesn’t quite apply to his character, but more on that in a bit.)

Respectable men may seek out sex workers as a matter of course in ancient Pars, but today’s readers won’t have the same perceptions of sex workers and their clients. Even ostensibly “sex positive” people often draw a line at prostitution, and others view paying for sex as evidence that you aren't desirable.

Modern readers don’t expect adult men to remain abstinent, but we do romanticize characters we like. Depending on our own perspective and the character, we see them as the sort of fellows who’d engage in some sort of exclusive relationship (Jaswant, Daryun), have such a focus on the mission that they become impervious to the call of Ye Olde WAP (Narsus, Daryun), or be a Lothario who doesn’t need to buy sex because he can charm women the old fashioned way (Gieve). In short, even pretty liberal people often prefer their fictional heroes be "above" going to a brothel.

Personally, I hope the publisher and Arakawa will trust readers to understand the context of the setting. It's a fun scene, it illustrates that Pars’s sexual habits are just another thing about their society at odds with the invading Lusitanians, and it adds dimension to characters who are otherwise rigidly focused on their goal of crowning Shah Arslan.

Other bits from my brain:

How will Arakawa’s Alfarid react to Narsus going to a brothel — or Arakawa’s Farangis, for that matter, considering she’s been a strong advocate for Narsus taking Alfarid’s feelings seriously? Especially since Arakawa seems to be building toward the canonical relationship between Narsus and Alfarid.

Now that I think about it, Shinryan’s/Shin-Liang’s absence may give Arakawa an opportunity to have Daryun decline to join the gang on a visit to the brothel. Then he can moodily think about Shinryan/Shin-Liang by the light of Gilan’s moon, which is presumably still silvery. For fuck’s sake, just show us the badass princess.

She could also modify it — visiting a brothel is pretty within Gieve’s personality for even a modern audience, and could always be played for laughs, so maybe he drags an innocent Jaswant along. Alternatively, the gang could meet some pretty ladies in a tavern.

[importantdestinydefendor]

The gut punch I felt all over again after switching from the funny light-hearted benter between Tus, Zaravant and Jimsa to the fight between Garshasph and Sam! What the imposter said is exactly what Sam has been thinking since the day Ecbatana fell. I am so not ready

[colleyuriko]

ATROPANTENE STRIKES AGAIN

Daryun fulfilling the wet man quota this chapter 👌

I am eating my phone the website won't show me the images as if it knows my eyes won't be able to handle it.

(I'm currently sewing on a project, so I'm not on my laptop much hfhjdjdjdjd)

[thatskynews]

We've come to the end of Season of Remembrance 😌 Julian Jimsa, the lead designer for the season, would like to show his appreciation to all the Sky children who helped the Spirits find solace and hope 🙏

[evergardenwall]

him 😳💖