#Kazuya Hatanaka

[yyh4ever]

Is kurama's stepfather rich?

Hard to tell. He's the president of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) where Shiori Minamino works part-time, and Kurama joins after high school. However, Togashi has never mentioned what kind of business he runs.

For example, Togashi family has a paper store in Shinjo, Yamagata. They aren't rich, but have led a good life. On the other hand, the family of his wife Naoko Takeuchi had a jewelry store. She'd already had a Porsche before becoming well-known as the author of Sailor Moon.

Kurama lives in a nice house, attends a good private high school, gave his mom a honeymoon trip to Europe... they seem to have an income of a middle, maybe upper middle class. Mr. Hatanaka looks like a nice and simple man, I don't think he's the rich type, going out there driving a Ferrari. The couple also wanted a small and intimate wedding ceremony, and only invited close relatives.

Mr. Hatanaka seems cooler in the anime version. I also like that in the manga he was very worried when Shiori was in the hospital.

BTW, I'm also interested in the biological father, Mr. Minamino. What did he do? Did Shiori receive any Widowed Parent's Allowance? How did he die? So many questions.....!!!!!

[wolfchild48]

Kashikomarimashita, Destiny side:Master (かしこまりました、デスティニー side:Master)

Hatanaka, Tasuku (畠中祐) x Suzuki, Yuuto (鈴木裕斗); Maeno, Tomoaki (前野智昭) x Okitsu, Kazuyuki (興津和幸); Ichijou, Kazuya (一条和矢); Hozumi, Yuuya (保住有哉) Copyright Ginger Records 2017 Mangaka: Sachimo (さちも) Genre: Yaoi, School life, Romance, Comedy Date: 21 April 2017 Company: Ginger Records Website: http://ginger-records.jp/gop/dist/index.html Websites to buy…

[old-dramas]

KAMENASHI KAZUYA as Hatanaka Kosaku One Pound Gospel (2008)

[theunknownmasks]

NAME: Shuichi Minamino | Yoko Kurama

AGE: 19 (post series) | Yoko: 300+

SPECIES: Human | Kitsune

GENDER: Male

ORIENTATION: Demi-pansexual

PROFESSION: Medical Assistant | Thief

—————————————————————————- { PHYSICAL ASPECTS }

BODY TYPE: Lean, well sculpted

EYES: Green | Gold

SKIN: Pale

HEIGHT: 6'0" | 7'0"

—————————————————————————- { FAMILY }

PARENTS: Shiori Minamino (mother), father unknown, Kazuya Hatanaka (stepfather) | mother and father deceased (my verse)

SIBLINGS: Shuichi Hatanaka (stepbrother) | None

OTHER: Hiei Jaganshi, Yusuke Urameshi, Kuwabara Kazuma, Kurounue (Deceased)

ANY PETS?: No, but has considered getting a black cat to name it Kaen (flame in japanese)

—————————————————————————- { SKILLS }

Vast Intellectual Approach, Unparalleled Precision, Astral Projection, Energy Concealment, Super Speed, Teleportation, Transformation, Accelerated Growth, Demonic Plant Manipulation, Thievery, Stealth, Lip Reading,

—————————————————————————- { LIKES }

COLORS: Black, Red, Green, Silver

SMELLS: Floral scents, sweet scents, fruity scents

FOOD: Rich in flavor foods, his mother's home cooked meals

DRINKS: Tea, juice

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES?: yes [  ] || rarely [ x ] || no [  ]

FAVORITES: Stealing, spending time with his family or friends, reading, video games, gardening

—————————————————————————- { OTHER DETAILS }

SMOKES?: yes  [ x ] || no [  ] || occasionally [ ]

DRUGS?: yes [ x ] || no [ ] || occasionally [ ]

DRIVERS LICENSE?: yes [ x ] || no [ ]

EVER BEEN ARRESTED?: no [ x ] || yes [ ] || almost/detained  [ ]

—————————————————————————-

tagged: @immolatiism <3

tagging: steal it!

[askurama]

NAME: Minamino Shuichi aka Youko Kurama

AGE: 1,020s/20s (Lived Years vs Current Body's Chronological age; post-series)

SPECIES: Human, kitsune spirit

GENDER: He/him pronouns please(for canon), They/them pronouns for a few human AUs; or He/Them pronouns

ORIENTATION: He likes to mix it up. Pansexual with some demiromantic vibes are most common, though.

PROFESSION: Professional Human, side hustle is Mischief-Maker and the One Brain Cell for his three best friends

—————————————————————————-

{ PHYSICAL ASPECTS }

Human form/Youko form

BODY TYPE: Mildly-tall and slender, willowy but strong/Excessively-tall and muscular with a leanness to it (not beefy)

EYES: Green/Gold

SKIN: Rosy(pun intended)/Alabaster

HEIGHT: 5'10"/7'

—————————————————————————- { FAMILY }

PARENTS: Minamino Shiori (human mother), Hatanaka Kazuya (step-father), Minamino Matsuo (deceased human father from that one fic i wrote); youko parentage unknown

SIBLINGS: Hatanaka Shuichi (younger step-brother)

FRIENDS: Urameshi Yusuke, Kuwabara Kazuma, Jaganshi Hiei, Yukina, Botan, Yukimura Keiko, Kuwabara Shizuru, Koenma

OTHER: Yomi, Kaitou Yuu

ANY PETS?: Do his plants count?

—————————————————————————- { SKILLS }

Excellent strategic mind, planning twenty steps ahead of everyone, quick-thinking when needs must, tends to curate his battle style based on his opponent (both a strength and a weakness)

Has studied multiple martial arts disciplines, prefers long-range combat and youki-based plant attacks/weapons, but capable of close-range fisticuffs

—————————————————————————- { LIKES }

COLORS: Red, Green, Silver, Gold

SMELLS: Freshly cut grass, that tomato plant smell, roses(when he feels like it), Dream Pollen (from Two Shots), Veritas Flower (from that one fic again)

FOOD: He's become more fond of ramen since Yusuke started up his stand(post-series). Otherwise, he likes mostly all food, from Makai or Ningenkai, rustic or fine-dining. Absolutely refuses to eat bugs/snails/insects/lizards however. Enjoys balanced meals with both meat/grains and vegetables/fungi/fruit.

DRINKS: Teas in particular. Coffee in a pinch.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES?: yes [  ] || rarely [ x ] || no [  ]

FAVORITES: Limited-ingredient dishes. Coconut desserts. Light, simple, fresh flavors.

—————————————————————————-

{ OTHER DETAILS }

SMOKES?: yes  [ ] || no [ ] || occasionally [ x ]

DRUGS?: yes [ ] || no [ ] || occasionally [ x ]

DRIVERS LICENSE?: yes [ x ] || no [ ]

EVER BEEN ARRESTED?: no [ x ] (there are times he definitely should have been arrested, but wasn't) || yes [ x ] (there are also times he has been) || almost/detained  [ x ] (and one time that didn't... end well. in addition to reikai parole. no arrests while living in Ningenkai... unless you count that one canon time with the three artifacts, but kurama sure doesn't lol.)

@immolatiism

NAME: Hiei AGE: Unknown (estimated 80-90 years old) SPECIES: Hi-Yokai/Koorime Half-Breed GENDER: Male ORIENTATION: Ace/Demi-sexual PROFESSION: Thief / Mercenary

—————————————————————————- { PHYSICAL ASPECTS } BODY TYPE: Short statured, muscular, and trim EYES: Red SKIN: Warm, light to medium brown skin tone HEIGHT: 4'10" - 5'3" (pre to post-series)

—————————————————————————- { FAMILY } PARENTS: Hina (mother - deceased) SIBLINGS: Yukina (sister) OTHER: Kurama/Minamino Shuuichi, Urameshi Yusuke, Kuwabara Kazuma, Mukuro ANY PETS?: are you kidding me? he can barely take care of himself

—————————————————————————- { SKILLS } Telepathy Pyrokinesis Super Speed Advanced Swordsmanship Essential Survivalist Skills (like first aid, hunting, and navigation) Combat Strategy

—————————————————————————- { LIKES } COLORS: Black, Red, Light Blue SMELLS: Pine, the ocean, blood, steel, wood-smoke FOOD: anything sweet or spicy DRINKS: juice, coffee ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES?: yes [  ] || rarely [ x ] || no [  ] FAVORITES: Setting things on fire, fighting, napping, eating, exploring, hunting

—————————————————————————- { OTHER DETAILS } SMOKES?: yes  [  ] || no [  ] || occasionally [ ] ( lmao, technically? ) DRUGS?: yes [  ] || no [ x ] || occasionally [ ] DRIVERS LICENSE?: yes [  ] || no [ x ] (verse dependent) EVER BEEN ARRESTED?: no [  ] || yes [ x ] || almost/detained  [ x ]

—————————————————————————-

tagged: @thuganomxcs (thanks for the tag!) tagging: @thawingiceprincess, @theunknownmasks (Kurama), @goresugars (Kuwako), @unshackled-instinct, @askurama, and anyone else who wants to steal!

[thekingofthieves]

5. Do you see your parents in your appearance or behaviour? Are they favourable traits?

Well, when it comes to my spirit fox parents, I unfortunately can't remember them very well... We parted ways long before I had even gained a demon form after my first century. I've since lived for a couple thousand years, so they're nothing but a blurry memory for me now... If I remember correctly though, I believe I inherited my golden eyes from my father, and retained the thicker fur of my mother.

For my human form, I assume the energy of my demon soul somehow affected the fetus' development, as I look nothing like either of my birth parents- or others of their families, even. Though I am fond of the appearance of this form now (it took quite some time before I felt comfortable and like myself in it), I do wish I resembled my mother more. Even the texture of our hair is different, mine being soft and fluffy while hers is more smooth and silky- which, funnily enough, is closer to how my hair is in my Youko form. Hiei's told me we have the same "overly-sweet" smile though, haha. :)

Oh, but a few years back, there was this elderly lady on the street that was struggling to bend down to retrieve her groceries after her bag ripped. Me and my mother stopped to help her, and after thanking us, the lady had asked if we were related (specifically she asked if we were "mother and daughter." My mother corrected to say I'm her son, though honestly I've never cared what gender I'm viewed as). After the confirmation, she said that we look so different, but she can see the same warm kindness in our eyes... It's definitely one of my favorite compliments I've ever received from a stranger. 😊

Behavior-wise, I have become a lot like my mother, I believe. Once we grew close, I made a conscious effort to model myself after her, though some changes have also occured unconsciously. I greatly admire how she always tries to help people when she can- even with complete strangers- so I try to do the same. We often playfully bicker with each other because we're always trying to do things for each other around the house, haha.

One quality I hadn't realized though until Hiei brought it to my attention, is that we both tend to put our loved ones way before ourselves... even to the point of getting in harm's way. 😅 I may have brought that to a whole other level though, considering the amount of times I've jumped to putting my life on the line for my family and friends. Not my healthiest expression of my love and care, I'll be honest... Ah, but to return to a lighter note, Hiei also says we're both prone to looking and sounding "all too polite" when we're "tag teaming" him with teases, hehe.

My birth father passed when this body was only a few years old- and with him working while my mother stayed home at the time, along with me not paying them much mind back then, I don't have much recollection of what he was like. I wish now that I had payed more attention, he was someone very important to my mother after all... She says that I'm rather quiet and soft spoken like he was, though. Additionally, I've seemed to have inherited his poor eyesight, which isn't much issue since I can simply heighten my senses with my demon energy. It's not necessary to do that constantly, though, so I sometimes wear glasses when I need to.

My step father is notably louder in comparison- but I don't mean that as a negative quality, of course! I just mean he's the type to really make his presence known- cracking jokes a lot and has an infectious laugh that fills the room (he, Kuwabara, and Yusuke immediately clicked when they met, haha). I enjoy his company and I'm happy to have him as a father, but aside from our love for my mother, I don't feel like we have a whole lot in common, honestly. We both seem to be the gift-giving type, though- however, his gifts and presentation for them tend to be much more extravagant, haha.

[reikaidetective]

Headcanon

I'd like to believe Kurama makes special dishes for holidays for his mother. Then when she remarries, he'd make them for everyone.

He doesn't throw things together. In fact, he goes ornamental to make it themed for the specific holiday if it's dessert, like hot chocolate. Also, it's a way of giving from the heart rather than buying something which can be trivial.

[unlockthelore]

Never Ending

A mistake reunites a family long lost and mends one fraying at the seams.

Chapter 8 of A Mother’s Love on Ao3. For more updates, follow the a mother’s love tag on this blog.

Much had changed over the years, that Kurama was sure of. All brought by the hand of a young man who was marked for death and instead changed realms far beyond his comprehension. For all that Yuusuke had given him, Kurama would always answer his call. Even when he was tucked in bed with Hiei comfortably at his side and the chime of his cell phone broke the peaceful atmosphere. Sharing a quick chat with Yuusuke while the fire demon started to dress, grumbling beneath his breath with wisps of smoke rising from his bandaged hand — Kurama was unsurprised that the Reikai had need of them once again. But this was different. Yuusuke told him not to panic but how could he not?

The Reikai had been investigating a few instances of smuggling from the Makai. Demons selling poisonous or otherwise harmful fruits, meats, and trinkets to humans. Checkpoints set at the former sites of the barrier were unable to detect everything. And the number of victims were rising.

Including one particular in Sarayashiki.

Soft vibrations from the device turned Kurama’s attention to the darkened screen. A few taps and a swipe before an image filled his screen.

“No…”

Kurama’s phone slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground with Yuusuke’s voice shouting from the receiver. The warm pressure of Hiei’s hand against his shoulder in an instant and the Jagan opened, scouring through his thoughts for the detective’s words. Unable to voice a protest at the intrusion, Kurama wondered what color his eyes were. Hiei nearly looked panicked himself.

Hurry.

The order was unneeded but it spurred Kurama into action. Shiori. Her frozen smile in the photograph, exchanging money with the stall owner, a lower-class demon of no importance besides this — it gave his mother a fruit from the Makai. One that would likely kill her if she ate it unknowing of what it held.

How long ago was that picture?

Why wasn’t he alerted of this sooner?

Did she eat it?

We will get to her.

Kurama hadn’t realized Hiei was in front of him until the fire demon grabbed his arm, forcing the thought into his mind. They nodded at one another and Hiei pressed his hand to his cheek, waves of cooling youki barely flecked with fear seeped into his skin. A deep inhale steadied him and Kurama smiled softly as he laid his hand on the back of Hiei’s.

Picking up his phone, he apologized to Yuusuke for the delay in responding only to be told to forget it immediately. He could understand. And Kurama never felt happier to have Yuusuke as a friend. They agreed to meet at the Hatanaka-Minamino household, and Kurama fought back the waves of worry and fear threatening to swallow him whole.

His mother would be fine.

She had to be fine.

As they arrived to the others standing in the front yard, Kurama glanced back at Hiei curiously. They’d never been strangers to entering his mother’s home and she always greeted them warmly. With or without him, she was hospitable and motherly. Doting on Kuwabara and Yuusuke, exchanging kind words with Yukina, Botan and Keiko, and having tea with Genkai and Atsuko. Kurama’s heart dropped to his stomach. Had something happened?

Their faces were contorted with confusion and tension thickened in the air. Hiei’s youki pressed against his back, urging him forward. They’d find no answers here. Taking steps forward, he barely reached Yuusuke when he felt a wave of youki coming from inside of the home.

“You feel it too?” Yuusuke said with a frightening calm, the faintest tremble to his shoulders. “Your dad’s energy is in there but your mom… I don’t feel her at all.”

Kuwabara’s lips were twitching and Kurama could see he was fighting back a yell. The sparking beginnings of his Reiki Sword forming around his hand, barely keeping their shape. “Say the word and we’re barging in, Botan.”

Botan tapped at the communicator she held with furrowed brows. “Hold on, hold on..” She muttered. “It says that there’s four demons in our presence but there’s no malicious youki.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Kuwabara whisper-yelled. “Whatever’s in there might’ve —“

“We don’t know that!” Botan glared at him, clutching it closer to her chest.

If it had been under other circumstances, he might have been touched that everyone was so worried over his mother. Though the longer they stood here, the likelihood that something terrible would befall her rose. Shouldering through, he could hear the beginnings of his name being called but it didn’t matter.

He wouldn’t lose her.

Not her.

His plants made quick work of the door’s lock and he hurried inside, forgoing taking off his shoes to follow the thickened trails of his father’s youki.

“Father?!” He called out, wandering to the sitting room where the large frame of Kazuya Hatanaka could be seen perched on a chair in the furthest corner of the room.

Kurama had never seen his father this panicked. His eyes wide, skin pallor, and gaze trained on something across the room from him. Slowly, Kurama followed his sight and his eyes softened then narrowed. His stomach twisting and senses caving in.

Perched upon the couch that his mother had taken from their old home was a demoness, silver-haired and dressed in a flower-printed kimono, her golden eyes blinking slowly and narrowed as they leveled Kazuya with a flat stare.

“Dear,” her smooth and deep voice said patiently, the timbre making Kurama shiver unconsciously. “You really shouldn’t stand on that.”

Kazuya tensed up further and the demoness sighed, turning her head slowly, her ears perking when her eyes met Kurama’s own. Immediately, he could see the depths of the Makai’s forest. His own childish form playing on the forest floor as she wove flowers together in a circlet. Coaxing him over with a wave of the hand and settling them atop his head. Her laughter soft as the crown fell over his eyes.

Perhaps it’s too big for you, Kurama.

The ache in his chest when he recalled the park Shiori took him to. Her arms scarred from the accident, fingers quick in their movements as she wove the flower stems. He’d been distracted with some of the blooms that he’d been tending to, quickly hiding his hand behind her back when she approached. Her smile was soft and he tipped his head in confusion then. Startled when the crown slipped over his eyes.

It may be a bit too big for you, Shuuichi.

The memories overlapped, his mother’s golden eyes met with Shiori’s brown ones, their smiles softened with love.

You’ll grow into it.

“Shuuichi, be care—“ Kazuya started as the demoness rose from the couch swiftly, taking a step toward him. Her tails arose from behind her, many of them, and flicked at the air.

“It can’t be…” Kurama said quietly, his voice trembling and heart hammering. Her hand reached for him and the pressure of Hiei’s youki reminded him of the others entering the house.

Yuusuke was the first to say something, startling Kurama from his thoughts. “You know her or something?”

Kuwabara stood closer to Kurama’s side, his arm thrown in front of him protectively. “Some kind of fox thing?” He asked, sparing a glance at him, the concern showing when Kurama said nothing.

Hiei was silent as was Botan, seeming seconds from contacting Koenma when the fire demon snatched the communicator from her hand. The ferry girl scowled at him but he put a finger to his lips then gestured to the bowl sitting on the low table in the center of the room.

“Mother…?” Kurama whispered unsurely, feeling the burning in his eyes as he pushed Kuwabara’s arm aside, taking a few hesitant steps toward her. The demoness’ eyes misted over and she stepped toward him, her hand outstretched as the henares one another. “Mother.”

“Oi oi,” Kuwabara called out, reaching to pull Kurama back. “What are you talking about…?”

Yuusuke frowned, glancing between them. “She doesn’t look like Shior—“

Hiei hushed them immediately, grabbing the pair by the arms and pulling them backward. Yuusuke was poised to argue and Kuwabara wrenched his arm free but Hiei pressed a finger to his lips then pointed at the bowl. Diced pieces of a reddened fruit sitting in a crimson red mixture, most of the fruit having been eaten.

“Wait, isn’t that…” Yuusuke glanced at Kuwabara then back to Hiei and Botan.

The fire demon nodded slowly, ushering the pair to the hall with his hand at Botan’s shoulder to push her along. “Quiet,” he warned, sparing a glance over his shoulder at Kurama’s back.

This moment wasn’t for them. And though he didn’t want to leave Kurama to face it alone, the others wouldn’t understand. Hiei sighed under his breath. Of course, he’d be left to explain it to them. Typical.

Once the door had closed, it left Kurama alone with Kazuya and the demoness standing before him. He had to tip his head back to look her in the eyes, her form much taller than his own and possibly even taller than his youko form.

“Little one…” She muttered softly, and the dam of emotion broke within him.

The farthest reaches his memory contained her image, foggy though it might’ve been. Her soft humming distracting him from the storms raging across the rooftop of their den. Tails, warm and comforting, when he needed to find sleep or hid from the dangers that he brought to their doorstep. Never once did she turn from him or abandon him.

She died for him.

And now, she was here.

The Fruit of the Previous Life, it’s scent knew well, and he could smell it on her. She had been here. Right beneath his nose, the entire time.

Kurama shook his head vehemently, relinquishing his composure as he hugged her tightly, clutching the back of her kimono tightly. His shoulders trembled and the burning in his eyes built as wet tears clung to his eyelashes. It was uncomfortable, blurry, and her kimono dampened where they touched.

She did not touch him and for a moment, he worried. Did she not recognize him because she changed? Did she not know him? Was she ashamed of him?

The mess of venomous thoughts were cleared away by a gentle touch. Her hand smoothed over the top of his head, flattening his hair with a few slow pets. Warmth coursed through him as she brushed his hair aside, sharp claws raking against the skin of his nape. She could’ve killed him then. To expose his back, his neck of all things — it was foolish. A sign of trust.

And trust could kill him.

“I thought you were lost to me…” She whispered softly, bending down to press the words into his hair. Her arms wound around him tightly, hugging him impossibly close to her chest. Kurama closed his eyes, grunting softly from the pressure. He felt tiny like this.

“Kurama…” She sighed in the same manner Shiori did when she spoke Shuuichi’s name.

The gentle creak of the chair and a soft thump drew Kurama’s attention to Kazuya slowly making his descent from his perch. From behind his glasses, he looked between them unsurely. Tension in his large frame, he seemed ready to defend Kurama although the youko knew that against the demoness Kazuya would stand no chance. If she wanted to kill him, then she would have.

But she didn’t.

And the same vein of thought seemed to cross Kazuya’s smile as he stood upright.

“… Shiori?”

Her arms tensed. Looking into her eyes, Kurama saw the recognition. The moment of confusion as two souls seemed to merge even further. But it was slow. His mother was here but Shiori — had she forgotten what it was like to be her so quickly?

Her eyes met Kurama’s own and he searched them for remnants of the human woman he’d come to love. True, there was motherly affection and adoration reminiscent of Shiori but she still seemed confused. No doubt the Fruit was still coursing through her. Glancing at Kazuya, Kurama’s gaze flicked toward the door then met his own imploringly. The bespectacled man seemed conflicted, posed to take a step forward but hesitating. Adjusting his glasses though there was no need, he flashed a tight smile.

“Explain it to me later…” He asked softly, sparing one glance at the demoness before making his way across the room, lingering in the doorway for a moment before he left.

Kurama appreciated his haste especially with how confusing this must’ve been for her. And Hiei had ushered the others out. He’d have to thank the fire demon later. Looking up at his mother, his eyes softened as he leant up to nuzzle her before pulling away to look at her properly. “… How did this happen?”

She tilted her head to one side, and her eyes narrowed, gaze flicking to the bowl on the table before the doorway the back to the couch. Easing her arms away from Kurama, she stepped out of his hold and reached for the bowl, bringing it to her nose to sniff.

“… The Fruit of Previous Life,” She said, her voice dazed and further away as she set it down with a slight frown curving her lips. “She… I… ate it.”

Kurama looked up at her with a thoughtful hum. “… This does explain why I was drawn to you when I needed a place to flee…”

Despite the displeasure written across her face, she laughed softly and pressed her fingers to her temple. “Just like when you were young,” she teased, sparing him glance from the corner of her eye.

His heart fluttered and he smiled widely. How long did he want to recount those memories with her? To laugh with her and show her how much he had changed. Seeing her wince again, his smile faltered and he reached up to rest his fingers against her cheek.

“I can’t count the number of times I hid beneath your tails when I infuriated something bigger than me,” he said with a pulse of his youki coursing through her to help ease the pain. Her next chuckle was warmer. Soft thanks in the form of her lips brushing against his knuckles before she stepped away to sit on the couch.

He followed suit, leaning against her with his arms folded across his chest and her body sinking against the cushions to rest easily with her head against his own.

“Oh, I can,” she said, easing her arm around his shoulders. “You always had a habit of practicing what I taught you on the wrong targets…”

He huffed. “To be fair, many things were bigger than me. There were no right targets…”

Although, he had brought her back many small animals to prove that he was just as capable of hunting as she was. Her proud smile was worth the few scrapes and bruises from chasing them.

“Your ego was bigger than most things,” she said with a light tap to his chin, her nose burying in his hair as she nuzzled him. ���My little Kurama…”

He closed his eyes, relaxing as he let his form shift. The change was gradual and his mother seemed unpretrubed when he looked up at her with golden eyes. Her tails brushing against his own and her hand squeezing his shoulder, a proud look in her eyes.

“The King of Thieves.”

His ears perked and he could feel his face heating. His youki circling around them like a blanket and her own responding in kind. Covering one another, defending one another.

“… You aren’t disappointed?”

Her head tipped to one side, and she laughed softly. “Why would I be disappointed…?”

“You taught me those skills to survive and I—“

“Survived,” she interjected, pressing her fingers to his chin, tipping his head up. “… Be it far from anyone to say that keeping you was a mistake. You were the best decision I ever made.”

His eyes widened, those words dizzying, leaving him weak and confused but wanting. Unable to stop himself as the question poured forth. “Why did you keep me?” He almost flinched as her smile faltered. “It’s unusual for a youko to care for their kits..”

“Why…” Her gaze drifted from him and her eyes seemed distant, sweeping over the living room as if she was seeing it for the first time. “I was asked that question many times… but never by you.”

When she looked at him, her eyes softened and Kurama wondered what it is that she saw. He doubted that she would give it away to him so easily. His mother’s mind much like his own, a fortress nigh impenetrable when they wanted.

“Let’s see… I suppose we should begin with why I had you,” she nodded to herself as if confirming that was a proper way to start the story. “I’d been alive for millennia, far longer than most, and many offered, made propositions, and tried to sway me. Again and again, I refused but I grew curious in my age and trusted no one enough so I took matters into my own hands…”

It was the same as the story that Inari had told him and the ones that his mother summarized when he was a child. The few stories weaved of her, the Lady of the Moon, visible but far out of reach. None could reach her but he had been the one to hold her hand — to be born from her.

“When I was young, my mother left my siblings and I. And I knew that once you were old enough, I was expected to do the same…” She pressed her fingers to his chin, guiding his head closer, their foreheads touching. “And I refused.”

Her nails raked against his scalp, brushing over the tip of his ears and his eyes fluttered shut. Lost in the hazy warmth of her touch and her hold on him.

“I suppose that the easiest way to summarize is that I loved you… enough to put myself at risk by keeping you with me.”

Kurama closed his eyes tightly, winding his arm around her and hugging her close. The cool fabric of her kimono brushing against his arm and her hand, warm and solid, interlacing with his own.

“You certainly put yourself at risk…”

“Yes, but only fools dared to challenge your mother. And none of them could kill me.”

Kurama smiled, opening his eyes slowly. “… Until the end,” he pointed out quietly.

Her eyes softened and there was a regret there, a burning pain of hurt in his own chest, but the truth was what it’d been. His mother wasn’t invincible. The same as he wasn’t.

“Until the end,” she conceded. “… I thought I could buy you time and I suppose that I had…”

“You certainly did.”

Her eyes narrowed and she pressed her forehead against his own, nuzzling. “I should apologize. That is the first time that I lied to you…” Her hand squeezed his own. “I knew you wouldn’t stay where I left you otherwise and I expected to return. I wanted to return.”

She said nothing for a moment. And in the evening sunlight slanting through the windows, he could see what made her Shiori. The regret in her eyes, and the faint trembling in her shoulders. In the past, he might have held resentment toward her. Come up with any number of reasons to dissuade that his mother hadn’t died that night. That she was somewhere in the Makai, fulfilling her obligations as a youko, allowing him to survive on his own — to let pain be his teacher.

But she had died that night and by some stroke of luck, he found his way home once again.

Kurama reached for her hands, holding them in his own, her claws scraping against his fingers before curling in to her palms. He never noticed it before. But his mother’s hair was a soft shiny silver, as if spun from moonlight, and her eyes reminded him of the sun. She was beautiful and that same beauty, she passed down to him without thought to take it for herself or claim it as her own. He squeezed her hands and slowly, her gaze lifted to meet his own.

“You’re here now,” Kurama insisted with another squeeze of her fingers, this time seeming to bring her attention back to the present, her eyes actually focusing to see him. “And I found you again despite the odds against us.”

Her silence was stifling and her gaze, sharpened with interest and thousands of years of inquisition softened gradually. “That you did…” His mother gave him a look so utterly fond as she sighed those words, bringing his hands to her lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. “The odds are always against us, little one, but that is because we risk and do what others dare not.”

Infamous words. Troublesome ones as well. Kurama could remember many nights where his mother’s teachings would lead them to committing one crime or another, but she insisted upon survival. Frivolity had no place in her teachings. No, that was his own hubris. Her hands slipped from his own and traced along the back of his fingers with a featherlight touch, coming to a rest at his cheeks where she squished his face.

An act no one dared to even think of committing toward Youko Kurama.

Alas, his mother nor Minamino Shiori had been one to follow the norm.

Kurama resisted the urge to groan as his mother squished his cheek and peppered his skin with light kisses.

“Like you, my little kit,” She all but cooed, rubbing her nose against his own. “Growing up so strong.”

Kurama’s tail flicked and he leant against her hands, seeking that familiar warmth. Her laughter, deep and warm, blanketed him just as easily as her youki seeping out frothier like the vapor from a kettle.

“A very good thing too…” She said, pressing another kiss to the middle of his forehead. “You’re far too big to be hiding beneath my tails.”

Kurama scoffed, cracking his eyes open as he smiled at her playfully. “Unfortunately, but this means I can protect you.”

Her smile falls gradually and Kurama could feel his heart plummeting. When he was young, she would entertain his notions of protecting her and fighting for her. Telling him that he should take what he learns from her, grow stronger, and defend himself. But he was a child. A child that loved his mother dearly. He would’ve done everything and anything for her.

I knew you wouldn’t stay where I left you.

In hindsight, it was so obvious why his mother smiled so much. Pressed kisses to his fingers. Urged him to use the shadows and nature as his protector and weapon. She was preparing him for the da that he would have to go without. Because life inevitably took without discrimination.

It might have been childish. No, it surely was. But he was stronger now. He could protect her. He would protect her.

“Just as you did when I was ill?”

The words were said so softly and with such grace that he almost didn’t miss the implication. His mother was never ill, youko rarely contracted sickness in that sense. Only Shiori ha—

Kurama’s eyes widened and met his mother’s own. Her own gaze impassive and she looked unbothered by the realization or how startled Kurama must’ve seemed.

“… You’re…. aware of that time…?”

“Quite a bit.”

Though she seemed nonchalant, her touches were anything but. Purposeful sweeps over his cheeks and beneath his eyes, her hands resting at his shoulders, exploring the length of his arms and his hands. He’’d felt Shiori do this before. Casually checking him for injury while he talked to her about his day or hers. Her attention solely on him for both his comfort and his safety.

While it’d been irritating to begin with —

— It’d been her all along.

“I remember death creeping upon me and wondering what would happen,” she said, adjusting the sleeve of Kurama’s clothes, rubbing the white fabric thoughtfully between her forefinger and thumb. “Forlorn Hope’s words, and you.”

Kurama could think of nothing to say as his mother held his hand on her knee, gently gliding her fingers over his knuckles. Her gaze remained locked with his own but she was no longer seeing him. Kurama swallowed thickly. Where was she now in her mind?

That hospital room?

On the verge of death?

She continued as if unaware of his youki’s spiking though her own eased around his, as if she was holding him .“Hiei spoke about the Artifacts when my illness began to show and after I was hospitalized, you were gone for a day or two..” Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed so airily that Kurama shivered. “I resisted death as much as possible, but staying awake was exhausting… and sleeping forever was appealing…”

He didn’t want to speak of this. Not that time when he was convinced he would lose everything. Hiei. His mother. All the things that made his human life bearable. Which made him feel as if he were complete rather than going in between. Her hand squeezed his own and when he focused, he could see the warmth in her eyes.

She was calling him back home.

Far from the reaches of memories that could harm him. Though the confession lingered on his tongue, saying it out loud would be an admittance that Kurama was wary of. His mother was patient, and that was never-changing. How was he to tell her that his definition of love had changed? That as long as the happiness of those around him was secured — he would sacrifice life and limb.

It wasn’t often but Kurama found himself speechless and his mother’s patience wore down at his resolve til he conceded with a heavy sigh.

“If it hadn’t been for Yuusuke’s interference, I would have met my end,” Kurama admitted with reluctance. His mother nodding slowly and despite her calm, the flicker of pain in golden eyes wrenches at his heart.

His mother seemed to go through a sequence of emotions all at once, too quickly for him to analyze. The one she settles on is acceptance and the sadness radiates from her in waves. “Remind me to thank him,” she said softly, words hollow and steeped in regret. Of what, Kurama wasn’t sure and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

“And you, my son…” Her hand touched his cheek, startling him from her thoughts, the light touch tracing over the curve of his jaw then up to the side of his head, stopping shy of one of his ears. “Are far too much like me.”

Pride etched with regret wove tightly together in those words and Kurama reached up to hold his mother’s hand tightly.

“Of course I am,” he insisted, squeezing her hand and bringing it to his cheek, leaning into her palm. “… You saved me, mother.”

A loud clatter from the kitchen startled them both and their eyes transfixed on the light from the kitchen doorway. Soft cursing along with shuffling feet came from down the hall before it silenced.

“Your father is going to wear a hole in the floor with all the pacing he’s doing,” his mother said with a sigh, rubbing her fingers over the bridge of her nose. Her energy spiked with pain and Kurama tried to ease it with another pulse of his youki before moving from her side.

“I’ll go get him.”

“Mm, you may want to change back, kit…” His mother pointed out as she curled up on one end of the couch, pressing her fingers to her temple. “Kazuya is understanding but familiarity may help him.”

Kurama had never asked his mother’s opinion on humans before. She never truly spoke of the Ningenkai outside of stories. And Inari was quick to tell him lucrative tales but nothing too enticing that would cause him to wander. Hiei’s opinion of humans wasn’t necessarily high but his mother had lived for millennia. What did she see when she looked at him in his human form?

Slowly, he turned back, looking to her as silver and gold became red and green. Her eyes opened. Likely alerted by the change in his energy. But she smiled at him faintly then waved her hand. A signal for him to go but no refusal. His eyes softened and he gave a curt nod, turning to follow the sound of Kazuya’s pacing. His knuckles tapping gently against the doorframe.

“Father?”

Kazuya’s head whipped around at the sound of Kurama’s voice, unshed tears glazing his eyes. With his glasses in one hand and his other occupied with wiping down the spilled tea on the counter, he cleared his throat and suppressed a sniffle. Salt tinged the air and Kurama’s eyes softened. Carefully, he averted his gaze to give the man a moment to gather himself.

He was no stranger to his stepfather’s tears. Kazuya was a man unafraid to cry when need be. An emotional response that Shiori was grateful for and quick to hold him through. Numerous times, the bespectacled man urged him to be honest with his own feelings.

Cry when he felt he needed — happy, sad, or angry.

Smile when he wanted to — and never when someone demanded it of him.

Respect for Hatanaka Kazuya came quickly. He was a good man who stood with his mother throughout her illness and later on with the ups and downs of life. Even going so far to marry her after the disastrous end of his previous marriage.

How would they get through this?

What questions would he have?

Kurama’s eye twitched at the thought of him rejecting his mother. Of course, Kazuya was human. It was natural to feel betrayal when one’s partner didn’t reveal something to them but Kurama’s natural instinct was to protect his mother.

And protect her he would.

“Shuuichi?” Kazuya called, his voice close to breaking and laden with tears. Kurama looked up, bracing himself for what to come. “How is your mother? Is she okay?”

Hunched over the kitchen counter with the damp rag in hand, his hand trembling as he pulled his glasses on and pushed them up to rest against his nose. He was in pain but it wasn’t from betrayal. Kurama’s guard steadily fell.

“Sensations are a bit intense for her, and she may experience headaches but she will be fine,” Kurama explained as he shifted slightly to the right, trying to find a better view of his father’s face.

“… Is she still…”

Kurama braced himself against the doorway, the wood pressing into his hand as he leant against it. Although he loved his mother as she was, it didn’t matter to him the form. He wanted to press that ideal into Kazuya, help him realize, but these things took time.

“It will take time before she is able to return to her human form.”

Kazuya inhaled sharply, holding the breath with a firm nod. “Alright…” he exhaled in a burst of air, nodding. “Alright…”

With a small sigh, Kurama stepped into the room and ambled over to Kazuya’s side. His hand gently resting against the man’s trembling shoulder. “She is still the same woman, father. Though she may appear different, she’s still the one you fell in love with.”

Like this, he couldn’t help but wonder how it was for Hiei to see him in his other form as he had. The fire demon had always looked at him with a sort of compassion, even gentleness. But when he emerged from his fight after reverting back to his human form, Hiei looked at him with something akin to awe. Kurama did have fears — that Hiei preferred one form over the other, that he thought him weaker now that he knew the power he used to possess, that he was unsatisfied with him and the life he chose.

But the fire demon held him closer in the quiet of their hotel room, pressed kisses to his skin and muttered that he was beautiful. Compliments weren’t unheard of in his old life or the new, but the genuine unprompted ones snuck beneath his guard.

And the fire demon himself held secrets he was unaware of or perhaps resented. But he was no less in Kurama’s eyes either.

After a moment, Kazuya sighed and buried his head in his hands, musing up his short dark brown hair. “Was she always like this?” He asked, though he sounded less indignant and more worried. “I’ve never seen her like this before…”

Kurama hummed softly. His mother was always quite self-sufficient. She didn’t so much as need Kazuya as she wanted him at her side. If she wanted to handle something on her own, then she would.

“She’s always been this way, but it’s been.. Hidden. Many of her memories were scattered, and her awareness is questionable. The fruit she ate forced the change and returned her to her original form.”

Glancing down at the bespectacled man sympathetically, Kurama startled when Kazuya bolted upright to look at him. His skin flushed around his ears and his cheeks, and an almost shy look on his face as he scratched at the back of his neck.

“And she’s quite tall…”

Kurama chuckled. That was one thing that Hiei and Kazuya had in common, commenting about a youko’s height. “She is a youko. You’ve seen how large I am in my proper form.”

“A youko…” Kazuya folded his arms as he bent forward, pushing the rag aside to free room for him to lean. “Is she… angry?”

Kurama tipped his head to one side, glancing up at the ceiling. His mother didn’t seem angry with Kazuya. A bit unaware of his presence but her senses were taking time to adjust. If anything, she seemed as she usually did. Calmly in love with him and aware of his faults and her own shortcomings.

“No.” Kurama said, suppressing a smile when Kazuya sagged with obvious relief. “Confused, perhaps, and likely in pain but not angry.”

Kazuya flinched at the mention of pain and stood upright, Kurama’s hand falling from his shoulder as he brushed past. Hesitating in the doorway but his muscles trembled and he forced himself to move. Watching his retreating back, Kurama smiled.

Humans truly were a resilient bunch and love itself had fairly little boundaries when true.

[mauve--art]

“Please catch my drop curve.”

From Miyuki’s Birthday Party Event

[2centsoframblings]

Two cents of ramblings on “Yūkoku no Moriarty” (‘Moriarty The Patriot’) (Anime) - Season 1...

...and why I STRONGLY recommend it.

GENERAL DATA

Title: Yūkoku no MORIARTY (憂国のモリアーティ “Moriarty The Patriot”)

Media: Anime television series

Adaptation of: Yūkoku no MORIARTY (憂国のモリアーティ “Moriarty The Patriot”) shōnen manga by Takeuchi Ryōsuke, illustrated by Miyoshi Hikaru.

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Directed by: Nomura Kazuya

Written by: Zappa Gō

Studio: Production I.G

Original run: October 11, 2020 December 20, 2020

Episodes: 11

WARNINGS: There's murder, drug abuse, mistreatment of minors, discrimination, implication of sexual abuse of minors.

The plot in short: The story is a very loose retelling of “Sherlock Holmes” by Conan Doyle, however this time the main protagonist is professor William J. Moriarty, who’s now represented as a man committing crimes in an attempt to fight the corruption of the English nobles so as to create a better world.

HOW DID I STUMBLE INTO IT

The title got me curious and since Studio I.G usually makes very good series I decided to try it out.

THINGS YOU MIGHT WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE TACKLING THIS

I’ll reference the manga version on which this anime is based, the manga “Fushiji Fushiji” (ふしぎふしぎ ‘Wonder wonder’) by Yamazaki Hiroshi, the manga “Death Note” by Ōba Tsugumi and illustrated by Obata Takeshi, the anime “Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch” (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ ‘Code Geass: Lelouch of the rebellion’). Oh and the movie “The silence of the lambs”.

MY TWO CENTS ON IT

THE SHORT VERSION… or what I can tell you about this while trying to keep spoilers at the very bare minimum.

Opening & ending: The series uses as opening “DYING WISH” by Tasuku Hatanaka, and, as ending theme, “ALPHA” by STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION. I quite liked both song and I love, love, love, both the opening and the ending. They’re both awesomely drawn and well matching with the songs, the opening is filled with symbolism and foreshadowing which makes it pretty intriguing. The ending, if possible, is drawn even better, even though it’s mostly a panning of still images and it too drives forward an interesting message.

The plot: This first season loosely covers the first 4 volumes of the manga (and a chapter from vol 5). Loosely because they actually skipped 3 arcs and added one. Each arc is a case the Moriarty brothers take, but the structure of its presentation might differ from case to case. This season works mostly an introduction to the characters and the story but we also see an evolution in the situation as the characters start to interact and the Moriarty brothers’ plan begins to unfold. Personally I enjoyed the series both for the overarching plot that it starts and for the episodic plots that it contains.

The characters: As this season covers only a small part of the manga we get introduced only to a part of the full cast and since not all the arcs of the manga are covered Fred and Moran are less developed than their manga counterparts, the anime focusing more on the Moriarty brothers as well as on Holmes and Watson. Still, the characters come out as interesting and likeable and there’s a care in depicting the minor characters involved in the various stories, even though they often get to end up being simplified a bit, often either to tame down the story or due to time constraints.

The visual: Personally I think the anime did a good work of reproducing Miyoshi Hikaru’s work. The character design is faithful enough to the one of the manga and there’s this amazing cure in the background which I really love. Here and there however I feel the quality is a little less than good though it will probably get fixed in the dvd release. There are some interesting stylistic choices too so it’s still very pleasurable to watch.

The BGM: Oh, no doubt I love it. I truly enjoyed Tachibana Asami’s work on this series, the music well underline the mood, stays with you and it’s pleasurable to hear.

Overall: It’s a good, well done and intriguing first season. I would personally wish it had been longer, so as not to cut arcs and take more time exploring the characters but nowadays seasons are mostly short so I guess they couldn’t do things differently. It’s still a good work and a good transposition, even though if you want to know more about the characters I recommend you to read the manga.

THE LONG VERSION… or what I loved and hated about this with, of course, TONS OF SPOILERS.

Let me dig a moment into the opening and the endings as I think they really did a good job here. The opening really get you in the mood of the series and gifts you with little gems of foreshadowing and symbolism.

It starts with the sun disappearing so we find ourselves in the dark side of the day and of London. Then it well introduces the Moriarty brothers and their helpers (Fred and Moran) and then send them walking for the night streets of London.

The scene is interrupted by the nobles entertaining themselves with a masked ball… uncaring of how a lily (usually used as symbol of purity and innocence) lays in a pool of blood. The only one who pays it any mind and picks it up is William Moriarty, which basically foreshadows the whole plot of the story, the nobility is uncaring of other people’s suffering while he wants to help. As the lily seems to redden further in blood we basically get a flashback of a poor girl selling lilies having her flowers tossed on the ground a noble deliberately stepping on them with cruelty while she’s desperate and then disappears in red petals. The lily in William’s hand, now completely red, burns.

I mean, this whole scene isn’t just beautifully drawn and takes care to match with the music in both melody and lyrics but it’s of an awesome symbolism for the series down to how London will burn in the following season.

We’re treated with some more symbolism, fruits which quickly grow rotten, a poor street and a cemetery, a statue of the angel of death then, in a maze of thin threads, Sherlock appears and this too symbolizes how he’ll have to untangle the skein of the Moriarty case. Sherlock runs with Watson and the next we know is he and William are pointing their respective guns at each other head, foreshadowing another scene in the next season.

Then a bird flies above them (birds, I’m not sure if they’re crows or ravens, are used to symbolizes the Moriarty brothers) and, superimposed to it, we see hands being joined and then the other 2 Moriarty brothers and William and Fred, so as to symbolize how they’ll join forces with William.

We get a flashback of the Moriarty house burning down and then of William’s eyes. To better tie him to the bird, his eyes are then covered by bird’s wings and we see 3 birds (symbolizing the Moriarty brothers) fly away. The song’s pace get fast and we’re showing Fred and Moran fighting, Albert smiling (as he basically fights from behind the scenes, using his own power to aid his brother’s plan) and then Louis fighting as well.

William then, in a scene that reminds me a lot of the opening of “Zankyō no Terror” let himself be fall from what we’ll discover is the big bang tower, watching the city as it burns, and foreshadowing how he plans to end his plan. As if this foreshadowing isn’t enough, the scene switches again, William joins his companions in a room and points a gun at his own head. All this is beautiful animation, smooth transitions and intriguing storytelling that well fit with the music and the lyrics of the song which I recommend to read as you enjoy it. And I love it.

And what to say of the ending?

It starts depicting a simple episode of the Moriarty brothers’ childhood. They’re just having fun painting some walls with beautiful scenery (which is symbolism for how they are hoping in real life that, with their actions, they can paint a beautiful world).

I love how they did the colouring, it reminds me of watercolours, I liked how they had bright colours all over the characters, how the clear colouring of the scenery makes it look like as if everything is filled with light. Although it’s made by still images on which the camera pans, it has its own dynamism, the characters in motion and expressive. It reminds me of the manga “Fushiji Fushiji” (ふしぎふしぎ ‘Wonder wonder’) by Yamazaki Hiroshi whose message was just to discover the wonderful beauty of the ordinary all around you.

There’s an interesting contrast between the lyrics and this calm and happy moment, well harmonized by the music that still seems happy and dynamic but it has a purpose.

In fact the hopefulness and the wonder are kind of shattered when, at the end, we have a really clever transition.

The image moves from the brothers looking at the painting they made in front of them, to the beautiful images painted behind them, as if to hint those images, those happy moments will become their past, something they’ll leave behind, and then the image quickly shift and we see the three brothers, now adults, under the rain and among ruins (are those the ruins of the place they painted?). Albert has a bittersweet expression, the corner of his lips are turned up but the rain makes it look as if he’s crying,

Louis keeps his face down, in the shadows and is not smiling,

William is smiling but it’s a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, which are on the ground, a forced smile.

The rain soaks them like tears, in a way it washes away the memory of the colours that covered them because, despite their beautiful hopes and dreams, what they had to do was dark and painful and definitely not nice, the sad contrast between idealism and realty.

The songs end showing the Moriarty coat of arms on the ground, in a giant puddle (or outright under water) the words ‘Je crois en moi’ (“I believe in myself”) clearly visible as the song ends with “There is no turning back” which fits so well with how the Moriarty brothers can’t return to that time of their childhood… how they can only advance until the end.

So okay, said this let’s move on the story.

As I said the anime starts with an original only episode. Why this choice when they instead cut manga arcs? Why not to animate another manga arc instead than create a new one that’s loosely based on “The hunting of the Baskervilles”? Why not to just animate “The hunting of the Baskervilles” instead? Why did we ended up having “The earl’s crime” instead?

My guess is that the anime was very invested in making sure we would know we’ve to root for the Moriarty brothers, but also that we were aware that, although they want to create a new world, they’re not Yagami Light from “Death Note” but are closer to Lelouch Lamperouge from “Code Geass”.

So what they do?

They first remember us who was Professor Moriarty, the Lord of Crime in Conan Doyle’s tales by starting the story showing us a kid reading “Sherlock Holmes – The final problem” book and, as his father gives the book a look, his gaze falls on a photo of Professor Moriarty (and the image of Moriarty is a copy of the illustration by Sidney Paget which accompanied the original publication of “The Final Problem”) and then we hear…

Narrator: This is the tale of the man who confounded even the great detective Sherlock Holmes… Professor Moriarty, the Lord of Crime.

…and, as we hear so the image switches from the picture of the book to an image of William Moriarty as we’ll see him in the series, all busy writing mathematic expressions on a blackboard, but then everything seems to take fire as he keeps on writing and then everything fades to black.

From this start we might even think the story was going to represent Moriarty as we know him from the books… an evil mastermind… though the story would start from his past, as the Moriarty we see writing on the blackboard is clearly younger.

And this is a device to raise interest. Then the opening starts.

I’ve discussed about how awesome the opening is above, but when you first see it, you might not catch up all the symbolism or only part of it and therefore fail to see the full picture and this too is a good idea.

Then the episode starts and in a nightmarish red atmosphere (as every image is painted with a red filter) someone chases a poor kid, captures him and makes clear he’s going to make something terrible to him.

We don’t clearly see who’s doing this so we might be tricked into thinking it’s Moriarty himself… but then it turns out the guy implied to be a young Moriarty is reading on the newspaper about the kidnapping and this can divide the audience in 2 groups, those who realizes by the glimpses we saw of the abuser he can’t be Moriarty and those who didn’t.

And here the anime does another clever thing with this bit of dialogue.

Louis: It’s hard to believe a human being could do such a thing. William: (smiling) It’s human to think that this could not be the work of a man.

The fact William can smile in such a way for such topic feels suspicious, the anime plays with our pre-existing ideas of how professor Moriarty is evil. Is he bragging when he talks with Louis? Or is he genuinely analyzing the case? Or is he planning to offer his services to the child murderer?

And then, as he studies the case we get this line…

William: People’s fancies do not get taken by that which is out of view. They want what they see.

…and doesn’t all this starts to look like a reference to “The silence of the lambs”?

Clarice Starling: The thing is that Lecter said everything we need to catch him is in these pages. Ardelia Mapp: Dr Lecter said a lot of things. Clarice Starling: He's here, Ardelia. Ardelia Mapp: Is this Lecter's handwriting? "Clarice, doesn't this random scattering of sites seem desperately random - like the elaborations of a bad liar? Ta, Hannibal Lecter." Clarice Starling: "Desperately random." What does he mean? Ardelia Mapp: Not random at all, maybe. Like there's some pattern here...? Clarice Starling: But there is no pattern or the computers would've nailed it. They're even found in random order. Ardelia Mapp: Random because of the one girl. The one he weighted down. Clarice Starling: Oh, Fredrica Bimmel, from... Belvedere, Ohio. First girl taken, third body found. Why? Ardelia Mapp: 'Cause she didn't drift. He weighted her down. Clarice Starling: What did Lecter say about..."First principles"? Ardelia Mapp: Simplicity... Clarice Starling: What does this guy do, he "covets". How do we first start to covet? Ardelia Mapp: "We covet what we see -" Clarice Starling: " - every day." Ardelia Mapp: Hot damn, Clarice. Clarice Starling: He knew her.

Now, child murder is one of those crimes that are considered morally terrible by a lot of people included criminals. If you add to this a comparison between the criminal and the culprit of “The Silence of the Lambs” you create in people’s mind the image of a monster.

And, as William keep on talking, it’s clear he’s not the culprit, but the fact he claims…

William: This may be a case in which we become involved.

…might still make people to wonder on how he would get involved.

Professor Moriarty wasn’t a detective, he was a crime consultant, a lord of crime, so what is he up to?

And there’s also something else that’s incredibly smart, the whole mention of how a victim was an orphan with William discussing the lack of relation between noble men and orphans.

Louis: Still, one of the victims… …appears to have been an orphan who slept on the streets. What of him? William: Ah, yes. Noblemen and orphans—there is nothing quite so far removed as the two worlds in which they live. Assuming that’s the case, it could be the clue that leads us to our culprit.

And at this point the dynamic between the two starts to resemble the one people would expect between Holmes and Watson but there’s more in this line that just that, the foreshadowing William knows personally the distance between nobles and orphans.

And then Albert appears and goes visiting the father of one of the victims, Eden, but who pays attention to the discussion might notice that he’s an earl… and the episode’s title was “The Earl's Crime” so is he the culprit?

Meanwhile as we are introduced to the poor father, we start to pity him. That man is destroyed from pain for his loss… and he’s a nice, humble man, a loving father who lost a beloved child. We sympathize with him, we want justice for him.

Then William approaches a boy… but in case we still have doubt it’s clear he’s merely doing so to investigate on the case… and then William and Louis are joined by Albert and their goal is made clear, provide the poor father with a chance of vengeance.

So, now we know for sure William, Louis and Albert aren’t involved in the child murders and are hunting the culprit… and we all side with them because what he did was terrible… but just in case we need an extra push let’s have Earl of Argleton, aka the culprit, be introduced… and at the same time William confirm what we assumed, that he is William James MORIARTY.

Then William, engaging conversation with the Earl, acting as if he were Sherlock Holmes (to the point even the Earl observes he seems a detective) points out from where the various objects the Earl is wearing come. The Earl is impressed by his deductions but for us, viewers, the scene is a further proof the Earl is guilty because all those objects come from the shops from which worked the murdered kids. And, as William progresses, even the Earl realizes that’s the point he’s trying to make.

And then we’ve William say this.

William: You prefer the meat of young hares, yes? Tender, not yet fully developed, and so fresh that it still drips with blood, which you take your time to savour, nice and slow.

And, as he says so, we see the shapes of young boys running, and they seem naked, and they’re smiling and it’s clear that’s how the earl sees them… Previously we were merely said the killer ‘target young boys for their amusement, and then, after they’re done, slaughter them’.

You might even think the amusement was in the hunt… but now it has been made clear the Earl lusts for those young boys. And if killing a child is considered one of the worst crimes, it pales to sexually abuse a child. The series as now successfully painted the Earl as the most disgusting monster ever.

So why is this so very important?

Because you ends up agreeing with William that this person deserves to be killed, that the world would be better without him. And this means that in the viewers’ eyes the figure of Moriarty despite being called ‘crime lord’ and ‘crime consultant’ will be viewed as someone who bring justice, not something like Yagami Light who forced his own justice to the world, but something we all agreed upon is justice.

The Earl is a monster. He deserves to die.

This episode also becomes a chance to let us glimpse Lois in action. In the manga he would start to be more active much later, ironically exactly in “The hunting of the Baskervilles” while the anime decided to put him immediately at work. While this choice sacrifices part of the character arc of both Louis and William (there was a reason why Louis wasn’t as active at the start), since “The hunting of the Baskervilles” was cut, it made sense to put it here.

There’s also the beautiful artistic choice to show William arriving driving a coach as the scene is completely covered by fog with the sounds somewhat muffled.

It feels creepy, like the death itself is getting on that place. And then it turns out the tables are turned, the coach was likely Earl of Argleton’s one and this time it was his turn to be kidnapped, taken there and tied over as he had done countless times with the boys… and it’s William, instead than him, the one who gets inside the place, his red eyes shining as he gets inside.

And really, the colouring is so brilliant here because it’s mostly greyish brown and white but then there are some colours that shine and are clearly visible.

William’s eyes and tie which are red… his blond hair… Eden’s red tie and his empty blue eyes… the Earl’s fear filled blue eyes…

And then there’s a flashback in which William is shown talking with Eden.

Eden: Are you certain you can grant my wish… …Sir William? William: Mr Eden, what you are proposing to do Is unfortunately categorized by this twisted world as a crime. Knowing this, does your resolve remain unchanged?

We’ve a flashback in a flashback, with Eden thinking at what happened to his poor son before he nods.

William: Very well. Then I, crime consultant William James Moriarty, accept your request.

And with this we go back to the present and to Eden pulling out a pair of scissors. It’s clear what he wants to do and William urges him to be quick about it. We see nothing of the gruesome scene that happened after, just darkness and a scream, but we’ve gotten to a point where few of us would deny a poor father the chance to avenge his own son abused and murdered by such a monster.

Light returns as William lights a match and this too symbolizes how William’s actions bring light in a world filled with darkness. Birds fly away and raven’s feather flutter around him so that we now will get the symbolism in the opening.

Eden joins him and William kindly offers him his tissue so he can clean up before he personally takes care to close the door of the place in which Earl of Argleton was killed. We don’t see the Earl, just some blood but it’s clear it should have been a gruesome mess and this too is clever.

Some anime like to show things up but merely implying is much more powerful because you can actually imagine a scenario as bad as you prefer.

The episode ends showing Eden being back to normal. Although this is kind of a dangerous message to give out (vengeance by murder bringing you peace, I mean) it makes sense.

The ending for this episode is just a black screen on which credits runs but it makes sense to postpone seeing the images in the ending AFTER this episode, when we’ve seen “The scarlet eyes” and got to know the young versions of the Moriarty brothers.

After the ending the anime leaves a final bit explaining how the Moriarty brothers went through the trouble of erasing everything so that the death of the Earl and his coachman don’t even make it to the news, so that they successfully created the perfect crime.

With this the episode ends and now the series has successfully created a mind setting in which we know William helps people in committing terrible crimes… but in a way we see him as Robin Hood, as if those crimes were an act of justice because those people were terrible but due to social differences and privileges they were also untouchable and this was the only way to punish them.

William is not Yagami Light, who passed judgement on people because he felt better than them, he really feels a lot more like someone who brings justice were none can be obtained but with terrible methods. Like Lelouch Lamperouge, he took what was helpless and gave him power so that they could obtain justice.

Long story short, this episode exist to make as easy as possible to see William as a good guy despite committing crimes and “The scarlet eyes” couldn’t quite drive to the same result.

It’s not solely just because the anime tamed it down, so that the nobles involved seem less abusive than in the manga, but because that’s what those nobles are. In “The earl’s crime” we have a paedophile murderer, so it’s easy to say he deserved a horrible death but in “The scarlet eyes” we just have abusive people.

They’re bad, mind you, but this could still lead to the discussion ‘did they deserve to be murdered like that though?’ They were Albert’s real family after all. They were horrible but they hadn’t killed anyone yet. And the decision to murder them is taken by three children who all benefit from their death. And what about young William preaching to kill all the bad nobles to a group of children?

Mind you, I’m not saying that the “The scarlet eyes” is bad, in truth it’s a lot more interesting than “The earl’s crime” but it moves on a huge grey area… which is great if you want to think things through but if you’re handling a short anime and need your viewers to immediately stick with the main character… well, it doesn’t work so well.

So yeah, “The earl’s crime” might not be quite as good but it works well as first episode, and it serves well to make viewers understand to what William is referring when he gives his speech about wanting to fight the whole country.

William: Our lives should have the same value… Everyone should have an equal right to happiness… But in this country, that doesn’t exist. This class system places a curse upon people. Because of it, people’s hearts are tainted and twisted, giving rise to devils. In which case, the opposite is also true. Once the devils are cast out, people’s hearts become clear again, and the curse is lifted. The country will assuredly be beautiful.

And if you hear all this and think to episode 1, you see how the unfairness of a class system allowed a man to abuse and murder young poor boys and how murdering him fixed everything. It’s an easy to understand, immediate message and one that can easily be shared by the viewers.

So yeah, it works. It’s not great and morally elaborate like the other episodes but that’s exactly its purpose. To be as straightforward as possible to drive home a concept.

So, yeah, I think they did a very clever thing with episode 1… though, on the opposite side, I hate how, due to the limited episode number, its existence meant to further cutting chapters from being transposed. And it’s not just that chapters were cut… even those that were transposed were often changed so as to make them short and simpler.

Mind you, the episodes still remains powerful and well done but they’re actually a lot less strong than the original.

For example in “A rare breed” which is the transposition of “The one grapefruit pie” all William does is to cause the viscount’s death because he let a child die. In the manga he lowered the rents the townspeople had to pay to live on his newly acquired property, stole the control of the town from an evil baron (in the anime they decided to turn Baron Dublin into Viscount of Belfor), forced him to regret denying to the parents of the sick child a glass of water by causing him to feel sick and desperately needing water, write down a formal apology to the child as well as a testament that, once he were to die, his tenant farmers would inherit his lands and then caused the baron’s death.

It’s a much bigger accomplishment for a more complicate plot which is much more tied to the state of society than the one of the anime, who merely focus on a noble’s wrongdoing toward a poor family… but “A rare breed” is still a very good episode, even if simpler than what gave it inspiration.

Another downside of the cuts is that, as I mentioned before, the characters gets less fleshed out than in the manga, which is something that strikes hard for the minor characters. Moneypenny gets cut off and the same goes for Von Herder and Mycroft Holmes (although they’ll manage to recover the two of them for season 2), while Fred and Moran will get a lot less characterization.

Major characters will also be affected by the cuts, although they won’t have it as bad as the minors.

Still…

William James Moriarty, Albert James Moriarty, Louis James Moriarty, Fred Porlock, Sebastian Moran, Sherlock Holmes, John H. Watson, Miss Hudson, George Lestrade, I loved them all. They might be not as fleshed out as in the manga but they’re still interesting and very likable, especially William and Sherlock. I love those two guys they’re perfect.

Now… for who’s not familiar with “Sherlock Holmes” and doesn’t get why this story involves the ‘Moriarty brothers’ instead than just professor Moriarty, that is because Takeuchi Ryōsuke, the manga author, found an interesting way to solve the contradictory information about Professor Moriarty. Professor Moriarty has no given name in the first story in which he appeared (“The Final Problem”) but gives him a brother, Colonel James Moriarty. However, according to another story (“The Adventure of the Empty House”) it’s said that is professor Moriarty who’s named James and his brother is not a Colonel but a station master. So Takeuchi Ryōsuke decided to interpret all this as Moriarty having two brothers, one of which is a Colonel (Albert) and giving to the three siblings the middle name of ‘James’ so that when they play the role of Lord of crime the three of them can say they are ‘James Moriarty’, which is quite clever if you ask me.

And then, because repetita iuvant, the visual is so very great, from the art used for the background to the way the scenes are framed. Really I love this.

So, to sum it up, the first season of this series is a very good first season and actually I hope the fact that it differs slightly from the manga will also work to persuade you to read the manga because boys, the manga is awesome.

And now let's end this with an AMV about this series I recommend watching: Confrontation

[trashexplorer]

BLCD 2019: June Releases

Legends:

✓ - have      

💡 - interested

✘ - not interested (but will probably still listen to)    

🙏 - dying for

1. Gohou Chikubi ✘

Release Date: 2019/06/05

Cast: Tsuchida Reiou x Ishiya Haruki

Synopsis: Akagi, a member of the photography club with a muscle fetish meets an upperclassman, Suga who is in the track and field club, and has Akagi's ideal body. However, when he asks Suga to model for him, he is refused because Suga has a complex about his nipples...

Comment: Congrats on your first seme role, Tsuchida Reiou! 👏 This will also be Ishiya Haruki’s debut in the BL industry. May the yaoi gods grant you their blessings. 🙏

2. Sei to Karada to Koi no Hansayou ✘✘✘

Release Date: 2019/06/14

Cast: 

Taku Yashiro x Hatanaka Tasuku yo, you better step it up, Jirou

Masuda Toshiki x Terashima Junta

Synopsis: Adaptation of the prequel, Koi to Sei to Mahou no Sayou revolving around the lives of the older Yuushima Kazuya and his younger lover, Nari.

3. Blue Sky Complex Third 💡

Release Date: 2019/06/26

Cast: Satou Takuya x Eguchi Takuya

Synopsis: Third volume of the series.

4. Sahara no Kurowashi 💡

Release Date: 2019/06/26

Cast: Satou Takuya x Kumagai Kentarou *the devil works hard, but Satou Takuya works harder

Synopsis: At the edge of the desert oasis lies a place named “Kurowashi” wherein which slave trades often partake and on this particular night, Loki HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHFUCK YOUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA was in the rows of slaves to be sold. They are all to be taken to Alkil, a man who possesses magic seed that can bend people over to obey him (literally). And so begins Loki’s training of submission in the talented hands of Alkil.

5. Yatamomo 3 ✘

Release Date: 2019/06/27

Cast: Ono Yuuki x Shimono Hiro

Synopsis: Third volume of the series.

6. Utsukushii Kare 💡

Release Date: 2019/06/28

Cast: Ono Yuuki x Saitou Souma *Satou Takuya works harder, but Saitou Souma and Ono Yuuki works the hardest 

Synopsis: The gloomy, friendless, class bottom-feeder, Kazunari Hira falls in love with boy on top of his class’ caste, Sou Kiyoi, at first sight. No one could hold a candle against Kiyoi’s authority and beauty—Hira could not help but worship the ground he walked on and treat him like a god.

Comment: Y’all, if this is going to do a Caste Heaven on me, I’mma flip shit.

7. Yoidore Koi o Sezu✓

Release Date: 2019/06/28

Cast: MAENO TOMOAKIIIIIIII X SAITOU SOUMAAAAAA

Synopsis: Thirty-two year old Suwa Misumi is a Master of Sake and has just recently been fired from his job due to causing trouble from being "too friendly" since he doesn't like to refuse requests. At the lowest point in his life, he now finds a restaurant he desperately wants to work at. Only problem is that his latest drunken one night stand is the owner!! (Exiled Rebels Scans)

Comment: OH MY GOD I’M CRYING. I’M BUYING MYSELF A COPY OF EVERYTHING!!!

[tsuminiochiiru]

KENPROCK Fes bullet points

KENPROCK Fes bullet points

This will be a bit long, ’cause it was an awesome evening…. Show started half an hour late for reasons we never quite understood Our seats … wow. We were unlucky in the original homepage lottery for tickets, striking out at least 5 times. Turns out that’s because some folks ended up with 3-4 sets of 4 tickets. Shine found us someone with 3 sets to sell and we bought one. My friend Diana did the...

[the-oddest-inkling]

I’m watching the live action tv-show adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s manga “One Pound Gospel” with Kazuya Kamenashi (my ultimate crush) as Kosaku Hatanaka and I love it so much. I can really recommend it. 

[exdetective]

(Minoru, is the orator and suave manipulator, and is in control for most of the Chapter Black saga. He was created to persuade the six other psychics to join his cause. He is described by Itsuki as a prideful man who talks too much. Of the known personalities, he is the second spiritually strongest after Shinobu. He shares his name with Minoru Kamiya, Sensui's comrade in the Chapter Black saga. His color in Shinobu's mind is light green (talking with his other personalities for the last time) or purple (when Itsuki talks about the other personalities, the one looking the calmest is purple which fits right with his trademark purple energy aura and attacks). Minoru seems to echo Shinobu's sentiments, showing passionate kindness to animals, as proved when he allows a butterfly to rest on his finger before he started his fight with Yusuke in earnest

.Kazuya is a violent foul-mouthed personality, formed in the wake of the breakdown Shinobu suffered upon crashing the Feast of Human Vices all those years ago. His emergence causes the formation of a gun barrel over his whole right hand, but he is not the strongest of the seven personalities. He was the killing specialist of the known personalities, deriving sadistic pleasure from incapacitating his victims, and was known to kill puppies and small children for his amusement. He says that he was created to do the dirty work; all the stuff that Shinobu and the others couldn't tolerate, much less do. As such, he is the physical manifestation of Shinobu's hatred towards humanity. He shares his name with Kazuya Hatanaka, the second husband of Shiori Minamino (Kurama's human mother). He seems to possess great physical strength, but apart from a surprise attack with his hidden gun, he was by far the least effective personality in his attempt to fight Yusuke. In Shinobu's mind, he is represented by the color red, likely for the bloodshed he causes.

Naru is a childish and sensitive female figure in charge of Sensui's non-violent emotions, oftentimes emerging late at night to cry over the implications of the plan. She appears to emerge only in front of Itsuki and, according to him, composes the most beautiful poetry he's ever heard. This personality is the one that he loves, second only to Shinobu, and he goes so far as to imply that the two of them are in love. Like Sensui, she cares about the Human Realm, but understands humans must die for their sins. Her color in Shinobu's mind is green. This personality is not named in the English dub.

George is a master of all types of weapons that Sensui may need, and he may have Kazuya's gun(though Itsuki states that only Kazuya can form the gun). It is implied through the anime that George is also foul mouthed like Kazuya, but leans to be more cynical then deranged. His color in Shinobu's mind is light blue.

Makoto takes care of the burdening errands that Sensui would have to deal with: shopping, cooking, cleaning, driving, etc. It is implied through the anime that Makoto is the one with his eyes shut and never speaking both when Itsuki explains Sensui's personalities and in the background with George while he sarcastically remarks about Shinobu's extreme love for the world. His color in Shinobu's mind is orange.

Hitoshi is the part of Sensui that cares the most about animals and plants. He was the one who likely convinced the five other personalities that the ningenkai's only problem was humans. It is implied that Hitoshi is the one that looks somewhat disgusted during Itsuki's explanation of Sensui's personalities. In Shinobu's mind he is yellow.

Those are Shinobu Sensui’s personalities.)

[fukaina]

YAKUZA CLANS

The Clans actually go way back in history, when emperors and samurai ruled over the country. The most known and most powerful families back then were Minamoto, Fujiwara, Taira and Tachibana. The Minamoto and Fujiwara used to be allies but due to an treacherous act that lead to mistrust and hate, a war broke out between the two. Taira, a very powerful and dangerous clan, took this opportunity to attack both sides.

Years passed but the bloodline of the families still exists. However, society changed a lot over time and so did the goverment. Claiming to be descendants of powerful families without any sort of prove didn't really do much. Well, except being laughed at while being called crazy. So it came that the descentdants disappeared into the shadows- into the underground of society. They knew the truth. Afterall, the stories had been told to generation to generation.

However, the current leaders of Minamoto and Fujiwara want to forget about the past. They want to stop the hate and want to form peace. And the only way to do so in their eyes, would be a marriage between their children.

There are four Yakuza Clans, each ruling a territory in the north, east, south and west of Tokyo. 

The Genbu Clan, belonging to the Tachibana Clan. They rule the north and their symbol is a turtle. The Tachibana family also seems to be close friends with the Nishimoto family, one of the wealthiest families in Tokyo. The Clan is lead by a woman, who took over the lead after her father passed away. Out of all the other Clans, they seem rather peaceful and try to avoid conflicts. They also help civilians and seem to hate the goverment.

Known Members: Shima Ueno

The Seiryuu Clan, belonging to the Minamoto Clan. They rule the east and their symbol is a dragon. The lower ranks don't like the idea of forming peace with the Fujiwara, since most of them cling onto the past. The Clan seems rather clever and always finds a way around the law without breaking any rules. They basically take illegal actions without getting into trouble. The Clan is lead by a literal power couple.

Known Members: Hibiki Minamoto

The Suzaku Clan, belonging to the Taira Clan. They rule the south and their symbol is a vermillion bird which resembles a phoenix. They are rather dangerous and brutal, most of their members seem rather shady and heartless. They also have a known hitman department and tend to attack the other clans on purpose, believing that only one Yakuza Clan should rule over Toyko. This is probably because of their gruesome leader.

Known Members: Kazuya, Daichirou Hatanaka (hitman), Natsuki Usui (loan shark)

The Byakko Clan, belonging to the Fujiwara Clan. They rule the west and their symbol is a tiger. Most members, including Kazuha, don't trust the Minamoto. They also want to fight the Suzaku Clan to put an end to their tyranny. The Clan seems rather chaotic and acts on impulse. They have their own sense of moral and rarely stick to rules if it means doing the right thing. The clan is lead by a rather dorky man who takes his responsibility as boss serious... sometimes.

Known Members: Goro Fujiwara (oyabun / boss), Kazuha Fujiwara (second in command), Arata Saito (advisor / right hand)

[fuckyouimafox]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mizuno Ami/Kurama | Minamino Shuichi Characters: Mizuno Ami, Kurama | Minamino Shuuichi, Mizuno Saeko, Hatanaka Kazuya, Hatanaka Shuuichi | Kokoda, Minamino Shiori, Tsukino Usagi (Mentioned), Chiba Mamoru (Mentioned), Hiei (Mentioned), Yukina (Mentioned) Additional Tags: Matchmaking, Ami having none of it Series: Part 4 of Love In Other Dimensions Summary:

Kurama's POV on Match Unmade

Kurama's fine with the idea of dating, just, maybe someone a bit more interesting? Wait, was that a backbone he just saw? Was that a challenge he just heard?