#Ronin Tama

[storiesfromhalcyontale]

How the chess pieces fall

Inevitably, the game is always won either by yourself or your opponent. It’s how we play that sets the stage for the game to be interesting, it’s how the chess pieces fall. You either see yourself win, or you fail and become one of the many pieces that fall. You must use your fellow peers to your advantage to get the best possibility at success, even if it ruins their lives.

Or so I thought.

I sat in the cafeteria eating a pizza and drinking Randor Splash as I glared over at a particular group that were studying for upcoming exams, I didn’t understand. I severed that orphan’s connections with Ronin and yet he’s gotten new friends. The Dreemur child and the scholar, they’ve become friends and in actuality better friends than Ronin ever was. Mainly because he didn’t turn on Sho for power which annoyed me because no matter how hard I tried to reset the status quo and make Shoto alone again it always came off flat. I don’t understand what the Dreemurr child saw in Shoto but it clearly made him more social and clearly more outgoing than the time he and Ronin weren’t friends.

“Eren, you're staring at Sho again.” Aiya mentioned as she tapped my shoulder, I turned to Aiya as I sighed.

“Sorry. I’m just annoyed that Shoto has new friends somehow.” I grumbled, “All that hard work I did to separate him and Ronin was for nothing.” “I say drop it now Eren.” Aiya reassured me, “I’m ninety-nine percent sure you’ve completely demolished their friendship.” This was true, there was no possibility that Shoto and Ronin would ever become friends again. The betrayal that he did was impossible for Shoto to forgive him for. “Still, it’s really annoying.” I stated. 

I should probably talk about the figurative elephant in the room, yes I did torment Shoto awhile after he found me and Aiya tormenting a kid. That’s when he decided to give Ronin the ultimatum between me and Aiya or himself. Ronin, for being a good guy, is a coward so he chose power over friendship. And that’s how Shoto became lonely, his friend chose power over his friendship with him. A fatal human flaw I saw first-hand that day, it was funny for me but not for Shoto. “It’s still annoying that he’s able to be happy with his friends.” My grasp on Shoto was loosening, my tactics of control by presenting myself as a perfect student whilst hiding my true personality behind a facade. Mainly because I’m from a rich family and they help fund the school but also it helps develop a fake layer of trust for me to manipulate people, it worked for Ronin at least and I was able to puppet him to make sure he was separated from Shoto.

I looked away from the group of three and turned my attention to Ronin, having just left the lunch queue with just a chocolate cookie and he looked quite annoyed. Maybe because the queue was quite long today.

“That took ages…” Ronin, quite annoyed, took a seat next to Aiya and began eating, “I swear multiple younger years pushed in front of me.” Aiya turned to Ronin. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” She stated kindly. I, however, kept silent, I was disinterested in the conversation. I wasn’t tired or anything, just disinterested. I was planning on how I could separate Shoto from his friends again but nothing was coming to my mind. Unlike Ronin, Asriel is a good kid and Akemi is a scholarly kid. Both compliment Shoto’s personality perfectly.

I could be in a checkmate here.

A loss against the most idiotic boy in this academy in the game he doesn’t even realise he’s playing. There’s no way I was going to lose to him! Yet, this weird loss interests me.

How could someone like him, someone who isn’t as smart as his other friends, beat me? That was something I didn’t understand. Akemi was just as smart as me and Asriel is new on the block yet Shoto was able to become friends with them, and he was doing this by being a genuinely good person. Not even playing the figurative chess game that is life, just living. That’s why I envy Shoto, he’s too nice and he’s not even using it to his advantage. He could be up there with me! And yet… he chooses to be genuine. I turned to look at Ronin who was now looking in the same direction I was a moment ago. I decided not to say anything, as I couldn’t be too bothered to hear him talk about how guilty he was that he abandoned Sho. He could just leave, it wouldn’t make much difference to me. But he’s too attached to the power that being friends with me has. I looked back over at Shoto.

There’s still a game here, a game that I was now losing.

[theyilinglaozus]

I mentioned this briefly over on MDL yesterday, but since I'm back from my theatre trip I figured I'd say a little something about the Shōgun finale here too.

I've seen quite the divide in how people felt about the ending; some hated it whilst others, myself included, loved it.

I think one of the things that some people feel disappointed by is the fact we never got to see the battle of Sekigahara that the show was building up to. Yet the truth is that Shōgun was never going to show it, because in terms of the story the viewer didn't need to see the battle to know the outcome.

The story was always about Toranaga and the journey he takes towards becoming Shōgun. He is a master strategist, and has been playing the game of war from the very start, just silently and through methods of politics rather than by the sword. He uses every person to his advantage, moving them like pieces on a board for his endgame, even those who he is closest to. Sure, there are moments he likely doesn't account for - the death of his son and the appearance of Blackthorne, for instance - but like any strategist of his level he either adapts them into his plans, or finds a way to use the moment in his advantage. That's what strategists do.

We don't need to see the battle of Sekigahara, because by the end of the show Toranaga has already won. This is what he tries to tell Yabushige before his death. Toranaga's explanation here reminds me to the moment he's talking to his son, with this quote:

'Why is it that only those who have never fought in battle are so eager to be in one?'

War is inevitable, but Toranaga is trying to minimize the number of those who have to die because of it. After all, his goal is for a peaceful era for Japan.

Mariko's death was the final act of Crimson Sky. Her death shakes the foundations enough to cause action to happen, because her death should not have been allowed to happen. Ishido knows this, which is why he sends his ronin to capture, not kill. Mariko's death, while tragic, is the final nail that sparks change. Ochiba, mourning the death of her childhood friend, decides to tell Toranaga in secret not to send the Heir's army to aid Ishido in battle, meaning that without his banner Ishido's war is no longer a lawful one.

While Mariko's death is a tragic one, it is not a meaningless one. It does not feel cheap, and the finale episode allows the viewers to mourn with those who knew and loved or respected her. I thought this was quite beautifully done, as even though she wasn't present in the episode, her spirit was still there, so she was still very much there. Some of the cinematography beautifully alluded to this, especially in moments like when Blackthorne and Fuji are sitting together in silence, yet there's one seat left -- Mariko's. Blackthorne even says then, 'no translator', because once Mariko had been a bridge of communication and understanding between them.

Another thing which I see a lot of confusion upon is Blackthrone's flash-forward scenes -- did he ever return to England? The answer, in my opinion, is told in the finale episode too. No, he didn't. Toranaga tells Yabushige that Blackthorne will never leave Japan, and in the scenes with an older Blackthorne, we see he's holding Mariko's cross. Yet he drops it into the water, showing that he lets it go. The episode title is 'a dream of a dream', and that's what Blackthorne's flash-forwards are: dreams. Another life, another path - but not this one.

The characters of Shōgun are based on real-life people in history -- it's actually really fascinating, and I've been learning more and more about their real-life counterparts whilst following this gem of a show. If you're interested in learning more, look up names like Tokugawa Ieyasu, Miura Anjin (William Adams) and Hosokawa Gracia (Akechi Tama).

All in all, Shōgun to me leaned more into the political intrique side of war, which for some people will be fascinating, and for others, not so much. But this show has so many layers and so much hidden within it, I can see it being one that's analysed for years to come.

[mybeingthere]

Asako Iwasawa is a contemporary Japanese painter from Akabane, Tokyo. She graduated from Tama Art University’s Department of Design, then established a design "Water Studio" studio with a friend.

During this time, Iwasawa discovered a passion for kimono design and joined the batik studio Kimono Dye Laboratory. Iwasawa spent 10 years living in the countryside, indulging her love for nature. Working as a farmer, she became acquainted with the beautiful and harsh realities of the natural world.

Iwasawa looks beyond the physical reality of the natural world and portrays the spirit of nature in her paintings. In her words, “nature is full of thrills and wonders that fuel my imagination.”

[visionkept]

OPEN DYNAMICS your muse can have with their favorite ronin ( aka. hopefully Tomo ).

Does your muse require a BODYGUARD ? A knight in shining armor ? Then Tomo's your man ( not a man but you get what I mean ) ! Pay them to protect you at the low cost of thousands of mora. This package includes Tomo doing their job and pretending they are doing it just for the sake of money when in reality they CARE A LOT and will even risk their life to save your muse if needed. Bonus points if this does becomes SLOW BURN.

If your muse is a NOBLE or someone with a HIGH RANKING position I got good AND bad news: The good ones, they won't care about your fancy title and they WILL treat you like an ordinary person and NOT some golden statue that has to be revered, on the other hand they will find a way to get on your nerves as they love making fancy nobles break from character.

Tomo would actually be a great sword arts teacher. Want to wield a sword ? Tomo will help you with it. Want to cut your enemy in half ? Tomo WON'T help with that but they'll teach you the basics to attack and defend yourself.

RIVALS. Spar together, break each others' noses, go to the limits of life and death in a one of a kind rival encounter !

This is more of a shipping one so. . . princess x scoundrel dynamic . . . I rest my case, your honor *drops mic*.

TRAVELING PARTNERS. Our muses should travel around TEYVAT in a self discovering trip where one of them discovers the meaning of life or whatever, I just want them to have fun and feel that they got a friend to TRUST.

ENEMIES. That's it, you know there's nothing healthy in this point.

This is for the single parent AU: help their ass raise baby Tama. Become the auntie / uncle or whatever the heck the bab needs really.

[shinsengumi-archives]

I found the twitter account of one one Okita Mitsu’s descendants https://twitter.com/oki045/status/1259145304651083778?s=61&t=dgsv3BtuXS1AGH5aV7mp3A

Thanks for sharing this!

Okita Ikuo (沖田郁雄) is the great-great-grandson of Okita Mitsu. He actually really looks like that famous composite photo commonly mistaken for Souji 😅

According to this article, he’s the current head of the Okita family. His father was Okita Tetsuya (沖田哲也), a scholar of public administration, emeritus professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Meiji University, and Director of the Center for lnternational Programs (1, 2) focusing on Canadian Studies, who passed away in November 2000 (obituary).

From a quick Google search, according to Linkedin, Okita Ikuo works as a private secretary at the House of Councillors. After seeing other photos of him on his Instagram and Facebook, I think he kind of looks like these 2 possible photos of Okita Souji 😅

Here's what I learned from his tweets about the Shinsengumi:

He donated a photo of Okita Mitsu to the Shinsengumi Hometown History Museum in Hino. (source). “I wondered if I could have sent Mitsu back to her hometown. I don't really know if Hino was her true hometown, but at least she returned to the place where she spent time with Souji.” (source)

“There are no photographs or portraits of Souji.” (source)

“According to the scraps of lore passed down in the Okita family. Mitsu liked to gather people and have banquets. It's said that she gathered the "continental ronin" [T/N: Japanese who lived, traveled and conducted political activities in continental Asia from the early Meiji period to the end of World War II, in other words, colonists] at her son's house in Dalian and took care of them. Well, Souji was also helped by Yagi-san and other caretakers, so maybe she was paying it forward for their kindness to her brother. It's interesting to think about it.” (source)

Okita Souji was also fully-licensed at the Chiba Dojo. (source)

Okita Souji was a tall man for his time. (source)

It's been handed down in the Okita family that Souji used to slay people right after smiling and laughing in his daily life. (source)

“Inoue Genzaburo was not a good-natured uncle like he’s often portrayed in dramas. He was a staunch swordsman like a warrior from the Warring States period.” (source)

He confirmed that Okita was at Ikedaya according to the information passed down in his family (source)

“Kondo Isami vaguely dreamed that Hijikata Toshizo would reach Goryokaku and that the peasants and local samurai of Tama would decide the fate of the country. Ryoma acted early on with the awareness that commoners would become involved in politics. It was an awareness that Souji couldn't reach.” (source)

As a descendant of the Shinsengumi, he is deeply offended by the presence of Yasukuni shrine [T/N: this is the WW2 war criminal shrine, also enshrined members of the anti-Shogunate side who died during the Bakumatsu] for insulting and defaming the Shinsengumi. He believes State Shintoism is the pinnacle of cowardice for taking advantage of the fact that ordinary people would not sue (source). He would never visit Yasukuni because he’s a descendant of the opposing side, he’s Christian, he believes it would be better to thank those who had a higher mortality rate than the soldiers, such as transport crews, and he couldn’t forgive the suicide attackers. (source)

In the past, the Shinsengumi were portrayed as villains and didn't play a big role. Thanks to Shiba Ryotaro's novels, they became popular. He’s grateful as a descendant of the Shinsengumi. (source)

The families of the core members of the Shinsengumi were not descendants of Takeda Shingen's surviving vassals, rather vassals of Hojo. (source)

“As a descendant of the Shinsengumi, it is a family motto handed down from ancestors to beat off the "patriots" of the Meiji Restoration.” (source)

“Why does the Okita family, who is based in Tama, live in Tsurumi, Yokohama? That's because Tsurumi used to be a part of Tama.” (source)

“The Shinsengumi was a group of young people. I'm sure there were some serious historical dramas, but it couldn't have been without romantic elements.” He supports the idea of love stories involving Shinsengumi, and said this in response to someone making music for a romance novel series about the Shinsengumi (source)

Okita Souji’s descendants could visit his grave any time (source). For everyone else, it’s only open on the anniversary of his death. (source)

A crowd lining up to visit Okita’s grave on the anniversary of his death (source)

[cienie-isengardu]

Luffy and Zoro, equality presented by Wano Arc...?

The feeling of equality between Luffy & Zoro has been sitting on my mind a lot lately, so I finally decided to write down my chaotic thoughts on that matter. 

First, to be precise: I’m not talking about power levels between Straw Hats because One Piece proved on many occasions that power alone is not a good measure how one character will fare in a fight or that beating X does not automatically guarantee beating Y. In Thriller Bark Perona took down Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Franky without a problem, but lost to Usopp out of all people. At the same time, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji will always be the main fighters of Straw Hats no matter the gap of power between them. Everyone is powerful on their own, but they may fare better in different fighting settings. I personally tend to think that Luffy and Zoro are closer to each other in terms of power, raw strength and will, but this is not exactly the matter of equality I wish to talk about. What I wish to talk about is how the Wano arc set Luffy and Zoro apart from the rest of the crew in a more tangible (visual) way.

Even before Wano Arc, Luffy and Zoro were singled out by narrative on various occasions. The most memorable is: the first meeting with Shichibukai (and Mihawk acknowledging them both), taking a beating in Mock Town to Nami’s dismay and Bellamy Pirates’ amusement, earning the title of Supernova and with that becoming part of the Worst Generation, independently attacking Charlos/Tenryūbito (though sadly, Zoro was stopped by Bonney) or killing together a dragon on Punk Hazard. In all cases, Luffy and Zoro were set apart from the rest of the crew and even other pirates, sharing unspoken understanding of other actions and needs or becoming a part of something bigger and more dangerous. 

Luffy will always be the captain (leader) and as the main character, the hero saving the day at the end of the arc. At the same time, Zoro may never be officially called the vice captain by other crew members (which is fair, Straw Hats Pirates don’t care nor have any need for ranks) but narrative puts him as the protector of crew (i.e. Kuma), the leader in the absence of Luffy what consistently is marked by narrative boxes (i.e. “Zoro team”,”Zoro side”) and the layout of frames (Zoro taking the central position that normally belongs to Luffy) or even having some confrontation with the final boss (Arlong, Hody). Zoro is also treated like the voice of reason; even if his words are harsh and emotionless, he will speak what must be said for the Luffy and crew’s sake (Alabasta, Davy Back Fight Arc, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Zou). He is also the one that provides Luffy comfort and support in dire situations (Usopp leaving the crew). 

Luffy cares equally about his nakama, yet the narrative likes to single out Zoro as someone usually standing by him but also as someone taking Luffy’s position of captain very seriously. Further details adding to the feeling of equality set up by narrative include the visuality of their most notable scars (under left eye/left eye and middle of chest), the running joke of people mistaking Zoro for an actual captain of Straw Hats Pirates or acknowledging him as a dangerous “beast”, Luffy and Zoro’s very similar mindset and attitude towards fighting powerful enemies and all the parallels in which both captain and first mate* did the same things on various points in the manga or color spreads/covers (x)(x)(x)(x)(x)(x).

In general, the story established how despite their different nature of extrovert and introvert,  Luffy and Zoro are similar when it comes to the serious and trivial matters about whose I could talk for days. What is vital though, for years such treatment of Zoro created the feeling of equality between him and Luffy. Not in the power sense per se because narrative has never been objective about that, but how they progress from rookies to men getting closer and closer to fulfilling their dreams.

And now the Wano Arc seems to single them out in ever more visible ways.

For one, anime dropped the individual eye catchers for the whole crew, except for Luffy and Zoro. At the end of each, all Straw Hats are showed standing together:

In both cases, Zoro is on Luffy’s right and both carry similar looking katanas: Kitetsu II and Sandal Kitetsu III. The swords may have different colors, but their tsuba have the same patterns, which double the feeling of equality between those two. 

Manga provides similar moments, starting with chapter 912

and cover of volume 91 (which was used for Luffy’s eye catcher apparently) and inside illustration included in volume 92

Then from all the crew, only Luffy and Zoro were pretending to be ronin (the masterless samurai), seen in box info

while the rest Straw Hats played the role of ninja (Chopper), kunoichi (Nami), ghost (Brook), geisha (Robin), toad oil salesman (Usopp), carpenter (Franky) and soba cook (Sanji). Even Law, another Supernova and equal to Luffy, hid his identity pretending to be some sort of wandering monk. And thinking logically, Law would be better ronin because unlike Luffy, he knows how to use sword in fight. 

Another visually prominent detail - Zoro and Luffy are the only one Straw Hats who have kimonos with ornaments resembling the sun that may be a symbol of the coming dawn, foretold by Lady Toki. A dawn that will end Kaido and Orochi’s reign on Wano.

Luffy’s ornament is straight taken from the crest of the Kozuki clan (and resembling the symbol Alabasta Kingdom). I have much more to tell about Zoro’s design but that will need wait for another time. For now, though it looks much sharper is no less reminiscent of the same solar symbol. Adding to the sign their status of ronin and we may call Luffy and Zoro, figuratively speaking, the samurai bringing sun (hope, new era, peace) to a country plunged in darkness, most likely in nearest future fulfilling late Kozuki Oden’s desire to defeat Kaido and open Wano  to world.

Of course, all Straw Hats, Heart Pirates, Minks and people of Wano are working together to defeat Kaido but Luffy and Zoro were visually set apart from everyone from the beginning of the arc. There is also their personal, strong connection to Oden’s children: Momonosuke and Hiyori who both were very impressed and protected by Luffy (Momonsuke) and Zoro (Hiyori).

Another detail binding Luffy and Zoro more to Oden and setting them apart from the rest of characters are new things they have acquired through the course of the arc. Namely, the better understanding & advanced techniques of Busoshoku Haki (Luffy) and late Oden’s great sword Enma (Zoro). Both things are capable of hurting Kaido.

Usually, during the arc, Luffy gets separated from the crew for the longest part of the story. And indeed, he gets struck first in prison (where he managed to win over imprisoned there samurais) and now, during battle, is running to face Kaido escorted only by Jimbei and Sanji (who wandered away in chapter 997). Surprisingly, Zoro too was separated by quite a long period of time, in which he met and befriended Yasue, Hiyori and Toko before he rejoined the crew for the final battle. Luffy and Zoro are the Straw Hats that openly admit they want to face Kaido in fight.

Another detail setting them apart from the rest of the crew: interacting with (and in case of Zoro, beating down) other Supernovas. They met Hawkins at the beginning of arc and fought him (Sanji too, met Hawkins and Drake once in public baths but ran away, securing Nami, Robin and Shinobi well being), then Killer and Kid before and during battle, Apoo and Drake which whom they had small crash, but now Drake were working with Roronoa against Apoo. Ironically, Drake is a friend with Coby who is a friend of both Luffy and Zoro. Coby literally met those two before Nami debuted. Also, the Supernovas allied with Luffy are learning in hard way that dealing with Zoro is not less stressing that working with Luffy.

How the Wano arc will turn out will show the upcoming chapters, for now though, not only Straw Hat has a strong connection to people of this land. For one, there is Tama, that both Luffy and Zoro came to like very much and literally started wreaking havoc in enemy territory because of her. Twice. Then there is mentioned connection to Oden - symbolic samurais of dawn and carrying Momonosuke and Hiyori’s wish to defeat Kaido and save the country but also Zoro’s personal connection to Shimotsuki clan that was hinted time after time and briefly explained in SBS that may or may not play bigger role, especially since Shimotsuki clan support Kozuki family. Which only adds to the whole connection between Luffy and Zoro and (good) people of Wano.

I feel like Wano arc was set up to establish the equality of Luffy and Zoro, not in the power sense that so many fans love to argue about, but as the relationship between them. Not just as captain and (powerful) subordinate but more like partners, the way Roger and Rayleigh or Kid and Killer are seen. The manga put a lot effort in creating parallels and the visual similarity between those two characters to dismiss the potential hints of Luffy and Zoro slowly falling apart from the crew in the sense of the role they will play in this and maybe future arcs.

[batskeeart]

Inktober 2018 [Day 10] Gintoki Sakata

Happy birthday to the best Samurai ever!

[visionkept]

Animals are drawn to those with a KIND HEART and in Tomoya's humble opinion, it couldn't be more true. As a matter of fact their keen sense was sharper than those of a human's ( and a puppet's as well ), capable of seeing past facades and deceptions. If Tama and her attention seeking group of strays had approached him so rakishly then Tomo could afford to trust a WANDERER like him even if it's just for a fleeting moment. ❝ It seems that we have something in common. ❞ A quiet laugh does come to soothe their senses before they take the chance to sit right next to the other. There's a considerable space between the two and Tomo would keep it that way for good measure. ❝ You could say that Tama is one pampered princess. ❞

As if she had been called over, the white coated furball makes her way up to her owner's lap defying the prior dissatisfaction they held for her shameless actions. She is well aware that the ronin couldn't stay mad for long and to persuade this change a light tap on their hand prompts them to scratch her head ( if that didn't sell it fully then the PURRS emitted shall do the trick ). ❝ I have had her since she was a kitten so you could say she's sort of my RESPONSIBILITY. ❞ This, however, doesn't make them entirely liable for any of her elaborated schemes. ❝ Is any of these troublemakers yours ? ❞ Considering how thin and squalid some of them looked, they doubted it. ❝ Or could it be that you are instead interested in adopting one of them ? Maybe the one begging for your attention could be a good match. ❞

He shook his head, dark blue ends tickling fair-skinned cheeks. A hand to come up and push the hair back but to no avail. It fell right back in place as if permanently fixed there. " No need to apologize. I'm used to this sort of thing. " One of the strays nudged at his hand in a plea for attention. Though he gently pushed them away, they only came right back and nudged at him harder. After a moment of hesitation, the wanderer obliged and began to pet its head. With a sigh, he went on. " This seems to happen everywhere I go. Eventually, you learn to just go along with it. The food won't be anything I miss. " Rather, it wasn't something he needed to begin with. The fish they feasted on now was something he'd gone out of his way to acquire just for them. But none would hear that tale.

" You said the white one is yours ? You take good care of her. " He could tell at a glance that she must have belonged to someone, but chose to ignore this initially. After all, the others still needed to eat. And there wasn't any way he could purposely exclude her for this fact alone. He wasn't so cruel.

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Wano (Part One)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

shirahoshi seeing the sun for the first time is really a relatively minor and understated thing, among all the chaos and revelations of reverie, but it strikes me as one of the most meaningful little moments in the arc. 

i LOVE the luffy fanclub. i love that a meeting of the world leaders winds up being a who’s-who with assorted friends of one of the world’s most notorious criminals, and it brings me SO much joy to see them meeting each other and being able to connect. i feel the same way about coby and rebecca meeting.

in general, and i think i said this at marineford too, i love that the one piece world is developed and interconnected and alive enough to allow for these sorts of interactions. 

fucked up that this was almost a hundred chapters ago and we still have no clue what the fuck was up with this, isn’t it? 

i do find the introduction of im fascinating. up until this point we’ve had two presumed final villains- blackbeard and akainu- who were first established pretty far back at jaya and enies lobby (in robin’s flashback) respectively. meanwhile, im isn’t even seen until chapter nine hundred and something. it feels very late-game, but at the same time, their existence doesn’t contradict anything previously established, and in fact jives pretty well with a lot of information more recently revealed in dressrosa. 

in any case, when in doubt i do trust oda knows what he’s doing when handling his story, and i’m very excited to see what he does with this.

wano is SO PRETTY. i mentioned this before in fishman island, but i think wano is definitely the prettiest setting in the series to date. i think it’s obvious oda was both very excited to draw it and put a lot of work and research into his depiction of it, and wow does it pay off. wano is so bursting with life and detail, and frequently looks like an ukiyo-e painting come to life, and just- wow wow wow.

i love zoro and luffy’s reunion so much... i love how happy they are to see each other. it’s only been, what, a couple weeks in-universe? but luffy is pulling the full tackle-hug like he did for sabo at dressrosa. i love them.

i really like the outfits in wano, too!! zoro’s ronin look in particular i think suits him very well, and i also love luffy’s patchy yukata and robin’s geisha getup and they’re just very cool. this also applies to the non-strawhat wano characters, for the record, and kind of ties back to what i was just saying about wano being so full of detail. it has a very specific look, and everything from the outfits to the way things like the fire and the waves are drawn folds very neatly into that aesthetic. 

as i’m writing this i just finished on the paramount war posts, so with that fresh on my mind, i have to say i really like the way ace (or rather, his memory) is incorporated into wano. he’s not really a major presence- that is, the fact that he was there before luffy has no real bearing on the plot. but there are people who knew and cared about him and remember him fondly, tama and yamato, and it just really helps add to this feeling that ace was a person and his life and death had real and lasting affects. 

and it adds, too, to the fact that even if it took ace way too long to realize it, he was so thoroughly loved everywhere he went. 

i have a lot of thoughts on the intersection of food and heroism in one piece (i keep trying to compile a coherent meta post on the subject and mostly failing). but i’ll settle for saying that in wano luffy is a hero by his own definition, as someone who shares food with others, and i doubt he realizes that, but i think it’s really interesting. 

i know luffy’s fight with kaidou is kind of controversial in fandom but i love it, personally. it feels like a logical outcome for luffy to get his ass kicked the first time he tries to go up against a yonkou singlehandedly! he got wrecked when he tried to throw down with a shichibukai the first time, too, and this is just the next logical step from that. 

luffy’s always been an underdog starting from nowhere and working his way up and up and up, and i love that for him. of course he’s going to get messed up the first time he tries punching an entire order of magnitude above his weight class. and then he’s going to get up and try again, and again, and again until he wins. 

the act structure of wano is really neat, i think. it helps such a long and complicated arc feel a lot more structured and less interminable than it might otherwise, and it also gives specific breaks where we can cut away to the story happening on the outside world. 

honestly i really like the whole udon prison segment. it’s fun! i like it for similar reasons i like the colosseum mini-arc in dressrosa, honestly, which is that there’s no real stress because we know luffy is the scariest person there by a country mile so we can just watch him go ham, and that’s fun. it consistently cracks me up that absolutely nobody is worried luffy’s in jail. they’re all just like “yeah, he’ll be fine.” and they’re right! he’s having the time of his life!

wano’s cast is fascinating, because almost nobody is who they first appear to be. almost everyone is wearing masks, whether literal or not- fitting, for an arc structured after a kabuki play. everyone is playing roles, from hiyori to denjirou to kanjurou to yasuie, and everyone lies. 

this entire sequence at orochi’s party is one of my favorites in the whole arc- in fact, it was my favorite, until we reached a certain part i’ll get to in the next post. everything from komurasaki standing up for toko and slapping orochi to denjirou “killing” her to robin getting caught by the oniwabanshu and dissolving into petals to nami calling down a massive lightning bolt to cover their escape- it’s really good. 

i’ve written extensively before about the smile fruits and the themes of smile and laughter in one piece and how important the freedom to feel and express emotion is. suffice it to say that for all the atrocities orochi commits against the people of wano, it’s feeding the smile fruits to the people of ebisu town that is his greatest crime, and the revelation of just what happened to those poor people ratchets up the tragedy of wano tenfold.

i do think it’s interesting to think about how if denjirou had been just a little less committed to his role, zoro would’ve killed orochi right here. it really drives home that orochi is nothing- he’s weak, he’s cowardly, he’s just lucky and clever and cruel enough to be able to get much more powerful people to do his work for him. 

it’s infuriating that someone like him has been able to hold such power over the lives of the people of wano and ruin them so thoroughly, and that’s exactly the point. 

wano is the arc where oda says you Will care about the supernovas and i’m like yeah

hey, another of my all-time favorite luffy panels!! i honestly just think this one sums him up as a character in a line more than almost any other- “i’m always free.” 

just look at the detail on kidd’s metal hand holy shit holy shit. on occasion certain panels jump out at me that remind me that oda really is just, a genius at drawing on a technical level, even setting aside his writing and storytelling chops, and this is one of them. 

oda is really, really good at creating the sense of a darkest hour- a time when all hope seems lost. the other best example in the series is in water seven, when the crew seems to be falling to pieces, merry is marked for death, robin’s gone, and the aqua laguna is coming. here, too- nobody comes to meet the akazaya nine, and the one chance they’ve waited twenty years and staked their lives on seems in danger of slipping through their fingers-

but the point of making it so all seems lost is so that when hope does appear, it shines all the brighter, and feels all the more triumphant. it’s always darkest before the dawn, and we all know how wano has been waiting for the dawn. 

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1004 - Initial Thoughts

We keep on rolling to 1004

Last time we continued with the fight as Luffy ran out of gas, leading to some hype and highly anticipated moments, so let’s see if they unfolded in 1004

Spoilers for Chapter 1004, Support the Official Release too!

A nice Chopper cover this time, looks like you get enough value for your money with that bag of rumble ‘candies’

The chapter title also raised a brow, lots of theories could indeed come to fruition

I TOLD YALLS ASSES THAT SPEED WILL COME BACK! THERE’S HORSELINA!

So of course, Speed is the ‘enemy ship’ that let Tama in, makes sense since she’s their master so they can’t pull the ‘you’re too young card’ on her

She’s also hard at work using her DF, Kibi Dangos all around!

Sometimes all a girl needs is a supportive family of a Tengu sensei, a pet dog and baboon, a tea shop grandma, a caring horse lady, crazy pirate brothers, a samurai aunt, a ronin uncle and your very own army of human/animal hybrids

Tama wanting to see Momo as Shogun was a pretty big statement too

I do particularly love that Speed, Gazelleman and Daifugo - who were all minor characters in the last 2 acts of Wano - are coming in big clutch for Tama, Oda doesn’t forget

Also funny is there different methods, Speed is all ‘this is a special dango that makes you stronger’, Gazelleman is just all ‘have this snack’ then there’s Daifugo that’s just ‘EAT YOUR DAMN DANGOS’

Over to Franky vs Sasaki though and Sasaki’s defence is pretty strong, but General Franky is also pretty strong too

Cheap shot though, the Armored Corps holding General Franky down to be charged by Sasaki, looks like this Flying Six member doesn’t share the honour rules that Franky does

Fortunately Nami, Usopp and Tama are riding in...aaaand they’re being chased

OR ARE THEY!?

Nami and Usopp’s chaotic grins are great behind Determined Tama

SMILE ATROCITIES, ATTACK!

And then Sasaki wipes his own men out XD

I have mixed feelings about Thunder Lance Tempo, on the one hand Yay Nami! but on the other Nooo Ulti!

Usopp as well using his salt sniping skills but this time with Dangos...another Thriller Bark callback in Wano...

Oooof, got him in the fleshy belly. I doubt he’s done though, if Ulti can take a lightning bolt through the chest then Sasaki can deal with a belly slice

Not looking good with Sanji though...well, depending on your point of view, should’ve used the Raid Suit

Maria wants Sanji to betray Robin? Ha, good luck with that

Sanji doing the badass face there too

Magical Squirrel Girl and maybe-maybe-not-CP0 Bao Huang has found the Scabbards though due to her mouse spy

Whoa now hold up, who as that Bird person with the eye tags that is an epic design!

Second floor treasure room huh? Guess that means no Yamato :/ shame

Wonder if Marco is the one keeping King’s hands full

That girl is wearing an earpiece for sure, maybe it’s a den den mushi earring, or an earworm SMILE....they do keep bringing attention to it

Maria to face down the Samurai, Sanji may yet get a reprieve

Ten people huh? Reminder that the Akazaya are only 8 at the moment; Kin, Denjiro, Inu, Neko, Kiku, Izo, Raizo and Kawamatsu, so that means 2 other people are tending to them

Hidden Person is the final panel

NOOOOOO NOT ANOTHER BREAK!

So...no Hybrid form this week...or next week, maybe not even next chapter. We seem to have used this as respite to show the movements of the lower floors, but right now we’ve only really covered Nami, Usopp, Sanji and Franky. This does leave open Chopper (and Drake and Marco), Brook and Robin, Carrot and Wanda, Jimbei and Yamato, on the enemy side we have yet to see movements from Queen, Hawkins, Apoo, Jack or Who’s Who either.

There was a lot of love about the chapter though, revenge of the Queen of Beasts! Tama is directly working to shift the black tiles white as she is practically absorbing Kaido’s armies into the alliance’s. Now the SMILE atrocities are on our side, but there is still the matter of the Tobi Roppo and the Lead Performers, but this is indeed a turning point CP0 may not have anticipated from their reviews last chapter.

As for the person helping the Scabbards, they do look feminine and have one long bit of hair drooping down, people are saying Hiyori though I wouldn’t put it past it being Robin and Brook, Robin would want to find a treasure room for any intel and her and Brook would attend to the Akazaya if they saw them, on top of this it can lead to the confrontation that Black Maria wants; Robin vs Maria. This could also bring Sanji back from his rough spot in the raid, he started strong but in the face of his simpness he fell from grace, but if he escapes Maria and is confident that Robin can handle the giantess then perhaps he can move towards other fights.

This being said, the fact that we left the top of the dome with Luffy exhausted and Kaido in Hybrid form does worry me greatly, who knows how long it’ll be before we see Luffy and Zoro again, and what state they could be in.

[mybeingthere]

TAKEDA, HIDEO (1948 - PRESENT)

As one of Japan’s most important creative minds, Hideo Takeda's work invariably speaks to a global audience. Over his long career, Takeda has inhabited multiple identities and worked with innumerable media. His art is firmly rooted in the creative potential inherent in crossing boundaries and the freedom that comes with the refusal to be categorized. As a satirist, cartoonist, printmaker, photographer, illustrator, comedian, provocateur, and as both a citizen of Japan and a citizen of the world at large, the only persistent qualities of Takeda’s artistic output are flexibility, adaptation, and surprise.

Born in Osaka in 1948, Hideo Takeda was accepted to the prestigious Tama Art University, where he completed his degree in sculpture. It was his drawings and works on paper, however, that propelled Takeda into the spotlight, and shortly after graduation he received the prestigious Bungei-Shunju Cartoon Award in 1976. Combining the aesthetics of traditional prints, western cartoons, and textile patterns, Hideo Takeda’s prints are startling, boldly graphic, often surreal, and subtly beautiful. After a career of more than forty years, Takeda enjoyed a one-man show at the British Museum and his work can be found in the permanent collections of multiple prestigious institutions.

[visionkept]

Puts a little flower--- behind Tama's ear... [ she's here for the kitty ]

It had taken her some time to get accustomed to the presence of KOKOMI. For long it had been just the two of them, ronin and cat, wandering around all of Teyvat without anyone else to rely on. But since her owner met the other and became part of the picture, things had drastically changed without a warning. Never had Tomoya found themselves coming back to someone so constantly, even to the point of SETTLING DOWN and starting a new life. Tama blames it on the strike they received though they had already shared the need to be with her prior to that event. It had taken her more than a year to accept this new reality and the implications involved, one of them being the constant exchanges between her and the Watatsumi princess.

At first she would hiss at the other, later that aggression become a mutual tolerance and now, with her hand offered, she would LEAN ON her touch by will. The flower put on her ear makes the fur ball tilt her head with curiosity and a paw tries to fetch the item. A 'meow' follows after, might be her way to say 'thank you'. Although it feels a bit weird, she will let it happen and stay for the next couple of minutes as a sign of gratitude. ❝ Meow. ❞

[shinsengumi-archives]

Shinsengumi

This site appears to be a Rurouni Kenshin fan blog, but it provides a good overview of the Shinsengumi’s history. It’s no longer available, so I’ve added it to the archives:

--------

Historical Background

After the arrival of Commodore Perry, Japan was thrown into chaos and fear. Many samurais, especially those of lower ranks, began to doubt the power of the Shogunate in defending the country against foreign powers, especially when they had seen the armed blackships. The slogan "Sonno-Joi" (Revere the emperor, dispel the barbarians) was winning more and more support, such that samurais desert their hans to come to Kyoto to join the revolutionary movements. (In those days deserting your hand can be one of the most condemned sins - once you desert, you can never return to it, on pain of death.)

Such roshis (masterless samurais, but not ronins and definitely not rurounis:)) increased in Kyoto, causing more and more disturbances at the capital. In those early days of unsatisfied feelings, most of the roshis still did not have a clear idea of what movement or who they should follow. All they knew was that they were impatient and eager to do something to defend Japan. There were myriads of schools of thought - Sonno-joi, open up the country to learn from the gaijin and in turn attacked them using the same technologies, support the Bakufu - as Watsuki once remarked, it was an era where 100 people may hold 100 different arguments and you can't say who's wrong. It's one factor which makes this era as tumultuous and interesting as it is. The Bakufu decided that it would be to their advantage if they took such roshis without any stand yet into their service, rather than letting them roam about the capital. Hence, Roshi-tais (bands of wave samurais) were formed and roshis enlisted under respective Bakufu samurais, where the "entry requirements" were one's sword skills (kenjutsu matches, something like an exam, were held.) This happened in 1863 or 3rd Year of Bunkyuu, one year after Kaoru's birth.

(Right, shift the scenes for a while...) Now in the district of Tama near Edo, there was a kenjutsu dojo, the Shieikan, practising the Tennen Rishin Ryuu. The master was one Kondou Isami, and among the students are Hijikata Toshizou, Okita Souji and Inoue Genzaburou. These four were like brothers, with Okita as the youngest and also the strongest. There were also many frequenters at the dojo who take their meals there (like Sano frequenting the Kamiya Dojo), among them Yamanami Seisuke, Harada Sanosuke and Nagakura Shinpachi. When Kondou and Hijikata heard of the formation of Roshitais in Kyoto and being the patriotic hunks that they were, they went to Kyoto with a few other disciples of Tennen Rishin Ryuu (including all of the above named), leaving the dojo in the care of Hijikata's elder brother.

In Kyoto, they were enlisted under Kiyokawa Hachirou, after passing the "entry requirement exams". 13 roshis, including Kondou and Co, were appointed "Kyoto Defenders" by Matsudaira Katamori, the Daimyo of Aizu.

Now, although Kiyokawa acted in public like a pro-Bakufu, he was actually on the other side. What he wanted to do was to gather a troupe of roshis in the name of the Bakufu, BUT to train these roshis to be Ishin Shishis - ironic, isn't it? He had planned with the other Shishis to attack the gaijin settlement at Yokohama, setting fire to the buildings and killing the foreigners, so that the Bakufu's foreign diplomacy, as well as their image, would plummet as low as it could get. The Shogunate had news of this, however, and they sent assassins to elimainate Kiyokawa on 13/4, 3rd year of Bunkyuu, before their plan could be carried out. After that, Kondou and co. insisted on supporting the Shogunate, and they set up the Shinsengumi, with 13 members. (Actually there are other developments before this happened, but then it was so complicated that I've given up trying to figure it out. Help, anyone?) It was then that the kanji "Makoto" was chosen as the group flag. There were some arguments on this: Kondou insisted on "Makoto", while Serizawa on "Ryu" (Dragon). (from one historical novel) The first committee was as follows:

Joint Captains: Serizawa Kamo(character model for Shishio), Kondou Isami, Niimi Nishigi Vice Captains: Hijikata Toshizo (character model for Aoshi), Yamanami Keisuke At this point, several new members joined in, including Saitou Hajime.

First Internal Turbulence

You may have noticed by now that the Shinsengumi now comprises mainly of Kondou's men. Needless to say, they were the souls of the Shinsengumi from the start to the end - 'cos they are the more powerful. ("This is a world where the strong survive and the weak perish...") Anyway, Serizawa Kamo wasn't quite an impressive piece of goods. He was famous for wielding an iron fan as a weapon and frequented brothels, killed people at whims, got drunk and got all the more impertinent, while using his power as "Captain of the Shinsengumi" to cover up his wrongs all the time. This caused the birth of the nickname, Mibu Wolf: the troupe first gathered at a village called Mibu, so Roshis of Mibu -> Mibu-ro but this became Wolves of Mibu -> Mibu-ro. The troupe was despised throughout Kyoto. It was the last straw for Kondou and Hijikata when Serizawa summoned a prostitue to the hostels of the Shinsengumi - they were men of high morale and held fast to the codes of samurais.

On the other hand, Niimi wasn't much better off. As the troupe was travelling to Kyoto, a fire broke out at the inn that they were staying, and Kondou had taken all the blame for negligence. He was further mocked by Niimi and Serizawa. A few weeks later, however, Hijikata and the others uncovered the truth: Niimi and Serizawa were demanding some discount (or some other luxurious services) from a certain shop-tender, who declined to obey them as their demands were just too ridiculous. Angered, the two of them fired a cannon - which travelled with the troupe and was being kept in the inn's store - at the shop. They blundered somewhere, however, and the inn was plundered in fire. Hijikata managed to uncover enough evidence to convict Niimi only, however, and he ruled Niimi to commit seppuku. After which the hostility between Serizawa and Kondou became more intense. Finally, on 18/9/1863, Serizawa and other corrupted members were assassinated by a special killer group, comprising of Inoue, Yamanami, Toudou, Harada and Okita. (Refer to RK chapter on Udou Jine - he was supposed to be one of the corrupted members, but of course he doesn't really exist. His sword skills do, though.)

Well, members came and went, usually by decapitations and commiting seppuku. After the Serizawa affair, Kondou and Hijikata were determined to keep up the qualities of their members, so not only was the "entry exams" made more difficult (more notes on this later), any members found guilty of doing something which stain the "way of samurais" was decapitated, assassinated or ordered to commit suicide. (Refer to Saitou's quote when fighting Kenshin in Kamiya Dojo: "The first rule of Shinsengumi - never do anything that stain the way of samurais!")

I got this from a historical novel: Roshis who wish to join the Shinsengumi would have to fight other candidates in the same "intake", fighting the matches using shinais (bamboo swords). The stronger ones would usually be required to fight some of the more accomplished Shinsengumi members, usually Saitou (who joined the Shinsengumi later), Nagakura or Toudou. The referee for these matches would usually be Okita. Actual selections of new members were done by Hijikata and Yamanami.

Their Job

Essentially, the Shinsengumi was a police troop, patrolling the streets of Kyoto and keeping the peace. They vowed to protect Kyoto with their swords. In the heat of the Ishin movements, Shishis flowed over to Kyoto to plot the downfall of the Shogunate. Add the radical actions of the Shishis, such as setting fires to the gaijin's abodes (this was done by Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogorou/Kido Koin. Takasugi is the guy who set up the Kiheitai, and in RK, the guy who first introduced Kenshin to Katsura.), and it made roshis other than Shinsengumi, especially those who'd deserted their hans, very suspicious and dangerous persons in Kyoto. So if you cannot produce a satisfactory identity, i.e. your name and your han when questioned by the Shinsengumi members, chances are that you'd be cut down at once. To quote Kenshin, in the Bakumatsu times, Kyoto was a hell where people died and blood flowed every single day. This made the Shinsengumi feared by many indeed, especially Hijikata, for he was strict and merciless, both when it comes to punishments and cutting down suspicious persons.

Their favourite combat style was many-against-one(or a few), and this became more evident as the size of the Shinsengumi increased. If the first layer of Shinsengumi members surrounding suspicious persons got cut down, further layers of members will converge on them, until they are totally exhausted and cut down. Quoting Kaoru and Kenshin, "but isn't that a coward's way, to have many on one?" Well, their main aim was to ensure the peace of Kyoto, so the method's not so important to them."

The Ikeda-ya Affair (June 1864, First Year of Genji)

Finally. This is the turning point of the career of the Shinsengumi. The essentials of what happened are covered in RK #93 and in one of the Flashbacks in the current chapter, if I'm not mistaken. (I've seen only the translations and not the mangas.) I'm just adding that most of the killed Shishis are from Choshu and Tosa. It was after this affair that the Shinsengumi became national heroes overnight. However, the affair costed Okita a heavier price than anyone bargained for... (see section on Okita for more info)

A More Organized Structure

As the group's name struck admiration nationwide, it's size increased so rapidly and large (300 strong at its peak) that a more thorough, detailed committee was called for. Following is a list, though I don't know how to translate some of the posts properly... please help anyone who has any idea!!

Captain (Commisioner? I don't know what to call him): Kondou Isami Vice Captain: Hijikata Toshizo *char. model for Shinomori Aoshi Military/Strategems Advisor: Itou Kashitarou (head of literatures/records(?)

Captains of the 10 battle/patrol troops:

1st: Okita Souji (instructor in Kenjutsu) *char. model for Seta Soujirou

2nd: Nagakura Shinpachi (instructor in Kenjutsu)

3rd: Saitou Hajime (instructor in Kenjutsu)

4th: Matsubara Tadaji (instructor in Jujitsu)

5th: Takeda Kanryuusai (instructor in military strategies) *char. model for Takeda Kanryuu

6th: Inoue Genzaburou

7th: Tani Sanjyuurou (instructor in spearing skills)

8th: Toudou Heisuke

9th: Suzuki Mikisaburou

10th: Harada Sanosuke *char. model for Sagara Sanosuke

Head of sentries/spies: Yamazaki Susumu *char. model for Henya (His job was to keep an eye on the members' conduct, sort of like a disciplinary master, besides being a spy to make sure of the coast before an important operation. Kondou and Hijikata relied and had a lot of faith in him) (?no idea what his job is, except the JP word is souchou)Yamanami Keisuke (same post as above) a lot of those but the most famous among them was Shimada Kai who was a big muscular man *char. model for Anji

Kondou Isami (Captain)

Originally son of a rich peasant farmer, his original name was Miyakawa Katsuta. He was adopted by the former master of Shieikan Dojo, Kondou Shuusai, at the age of 16. His katana was the Nagasone Kotetsu (yep, the one used by Soujirou which was cracked by Kenshin), length 2'3"5.

According to most sources, he was a rigid man, loyal to the moral codes of a swordsman. Had a wife, and his daughter Tamako was born just before he went over to Kyoto. After the utter defeat of the Shinsengumi in then Boshin War, he was captured by the Ishin Army, who had now become the "legal" government army - after Shogun Yoshinobu's resignation, the situation took a complete reverse, so now it is the Shinsengumi who are outlaws. Kondou was decapitated on 25/4/1868 at the age of 35.

Hijikata Toshizo (Vice Captain)

The drug powder which Saitou tried to sell to Sanosuke in the guise of Fujita Gorou is the Ishida Sanyaku, a formula which had been in Hijikata's family for generations. It was used frequently in the Shinsengumi for battle wounds and broken bones. In fact, when Hijikata was a child, also son of a farmer (about 11 years old), he was something like Sanosuke, fighting and brawling all day. Then his elder sister married into a household of decent name, and his brother-in-law arranged for him to become a door-to-door medicine seller, selling the Ishida Sanyaku. It was then that he met young Kondou.

Hijikata was feared by many for his mercilessness. Nicknamed "The Demon of Shinsengumi". Can't find the JP name of his katana, though it's of length 2'8". Master strategist and tactician who stretched the prowess of the Shinsengumi to its maximum.

One of the Shinsengumi iron rules was that any traitors, including deserters, had only one path to take: COMMIT SEPPUKU. Yamanami was one such deserter. (See section on Yamanami for more.) After Yamanami split his bowels, he was decapitated by another member of the Shinsengumi, the whole process overseen by Hijikata. I must stress that Hijikata knew Yamanami ever since their Shieikan days, so feel the guy's cold-bloodedness. However, according to Watsuki, in the historical novel 'Moeyoken' (Burning Sword) by Shiba Ryotarou, Hijikata was acting the way he did because he realized that he *was* a leader and could not afford to be soft, though he *did* bring it to the extreme. In that novel, 'he chose to play the part of a demon in front of everybody and killed those he loved, and cried alone in the dark', to quote from Watsuki in his comments about Aoshi. As a leader, he had to be firm and set a good example for his followers regardless of what he actually felt. I'm sure he's hurting beneath his seemingly cold-blooded facade, after all, they were childhood friends. Perhaps Aoshi keeps his own feelings to himself for the same reason? After all, Hijikata *was* the character model for Aoshi! :)

After the group's defeat in the Boshin War and the death of Kondou, he joined Enomoto Takeaki (a former Bakufu Navy official), escaped to Hokkaido and proceeded to build a so-called "Hokkaido Republic" in order to continue fighting the Ishin government. However, Hijikata was shot to death in a battle in 1869, 2nd Year of Meiji, aged 35. Watsuki's favorite historical figure. And according to many sources including Watsuki, a handsome total knock-out...

Itou Kashitarou (Military Advisor)

This guy just can't seem to merge in with Kondou and the others because of the different way they see things. He had a lot of followers in Shinsengumi, for he was a scholar-type fellow and was able to explain his beliefs (tending to Sonno-joi) to the others and even persuade them to support his views. Finally things got to a head, Itou and his followers, including Saitou, packed up and resigned from the Shinsengumi. He was quite popular among some of the Shinsengumi members, which was why as many as 15 people packed up and went with him. Yamanami's death sentence played a part as well - see section on Yamanami on this.

But wait! Saitou's departure with him was actually Hijikata's trap, where Saitou was sent as a spy! By and by Saitou gained Itou's trust while relaying messages back to Hijikata, until finally Saitou assassinated the former advisor, and rejoined the Shinsengumi... Saitou was really a very important personnel in the Shinsengumi, ne?

Okita Souji (Captain of the 1st Troop)

Probably the best-known and popular Shinsengumi figure. Another handsome total knockout, besides being a child prodigy at kenjutsu - he joined Kondou's dojo at 9, and was an accomplished swordsman at 15 or so. Former name Soujirou, (yes, it's true!) the sword he used is the one used by Soujirou in his last battle with Kenshin, the Kikuichi Norimune, length 2'4"2.

Strongest swordsman in the Shinsengumi, he yields a katana, bokken and shinai equally well. Famous for his "3-piece thrust" - 3 thrusts delivered so quickly at the opponent, usually at the neck and the right and left shoulders. Like Saito, this technique was improvised from the one invented by Hijikata.

Tragedy struck, though, for Okita contracted Tuberculosis, an incurable disease in those times, shortly after the formation of the Shinsengumi. He coughed up blood several times, though he would not let the others know. During the Ikeda-ya affair, however, his situation suddenly spiraled down (perhaps because of the cold night and the vicious battle), and fainted after he coughed up a shocking amount of blood. It was then that Kondou and Hijikata knew of his disease, and even by then the doctor had already predicted that he would not live long. Both were distressed over this, for they were like elder brothers to Okita (did I mention that Kondou was 10 years Okita's senior, and Hijikata 9?). However, all 3 agreed that news of Okita's disease should not be widely known, lest it dragged down the members' morale.

After the Boshin war, Okita went into a tuberculosis hospital in Edo. He passed away on 30/5/1868, First year of Meiji, aged 25.

Nagakura Shinpachi (Captain of the 2nd Troop)

Not much that I can find about this guy - only that when Okita fell sick, Nagakura sometimes commanded both the 1st and 2nd patrol. He deserted his han to come to Kyoto. After the Ishin government was set up, he was granted pardon to return to his han, and changed his name to Sugimura Yoshie. In the 15th year of Meiji (1882), he went over to Hokkaido and became a kendo instructor in a prison there, the same prison Anji went to... (wonder if they'll meet each other there?) Nagakura resigned after several years, and built some graves for his former friends in the Shinsengumi. He later wrote a book on his Shinsengumi days, which seemed to be the main factor of his fame. Nagakura passed away in January 1915, 4th year of Taisho at the age of 76.

Saitou Hajime (Captain of the 3rd Troop)

Saitou Hajime seems to have struck second fame in Japan following his appearance in RK! There are certainly a lot of info about him on the web. Seems to be a mysterious guy even in real life... Also, everything about him that came out in RK (except Shishio and Kenshin, of course) is real history. I got a shock there!

Right. First of all, his origins seems a bit obscure. One theory is that he's the son of a ronin. Another says he hailed from Edo, son of a Bakufu official, and that he'd come to Kyoto after accidentally killing a person in Edo. Yet another claims that he's a son of the 12th Shogun?! and yet another says that he was a spy of the Aizu han placed in the early Roshitai. Talk about a mystery guy. His name, Hajime (meaning "one" or "start" as in another kanji") was because that he was born on the 1st day of the 1st month, though there are other reports as to his birthday.

He entered the Shinsengumi "sponsored" by the Aizu han, under the name of Yamaguchi Jirou, when he served as one of Hijikata's assistants. His most powerful sword skill is the "Left-hand single thrust" (but *not* Gatotsu, that's Watsuki-san's creation), this skill is even more destructive than Okita's 3-piece thrust! In fact, Saitou, together with Okita and Nagakura, were hailed as the 3 strongest swordsman of the Shinsengumi. Saitou assassinated a lot of corrupted Shinsengumi members. Eg, Itou Kashitarou and co., Takeda Kanryuusai and others. And yeah, Aku.Zoku.San was no invention of Watsuki - it was a motto of the whole Shinsengumi!

He was also a great drinker! The creator of one Shinsengumi website stated that "he's a different person when drunk", (I'm not sure whether this refers to "I desire to kill once I'm drunk"). In fact, he finally passed away because of a stomach ulcer, caused by excessive drinking. Unfortunately, I still can't verify that he smokes all the time, or that his favorite food is soba... help, anyone? Saitou's wife, Takagi Tokio, was the daughter of an important Aizu official - in fact,the middle-man was none other than the Daimyo of Aizu himself! They (Saitou and Takagi Tokio) were married in the 6th year of Meiji (1873), and their first son, Tsutomu was born in the 9th year (1876).After the Ishin government was formed, he changed his name and worked as a kendo instructor in a university. In 1877, the 10th year of Meiji, he joined thepolice troop with permission of carrying a sword to fight in the Seinan War, the one where Saigo Takamori rebelled against the Meiji government in Satsuma. Saitou did this under the name of Fujita Gorou. After which he became a spy directly responsible to the Police Commissioner, Kawaji Toshiyoshi. (I was really shocked at this one... Watsuki can really interweave fact and fiction!)

Saitou worked as a guard of a museum in Tokyo when he was quite a senior citizen. After his retirement, he seemed to spend a lot of time thinking. Pity I can't understand his grandchild's remarks in the Japanese homepage. Anyway, Saitou passed away on 27/9/1915, 4th year of Taisho, at the ripe old age of 72.

Takeda Kanryuusai (Captain of the 5th Troop)

Watsuki's pretty much covered everything there is about this guy in his comments about Takeda Kanryuu. He was learned in military strategies and practiced medicine. A homosexual. Not an impressive piece at all - he sucked up to those in power and bullied those beneath him, and often outstepped his boundaries by throwing his weight around. What made him so exceptionally despicable was that he betrayed the Shinsengumi to team up with the Satsuma Ishin Shishis, just because of the benefits and profits. Finally assassinated by Saito.

Harada Sanosuke (Captain of the 10th Troop)

According to Watsuki and the historical novels I've been through, he's almost the same as Sagara Sanosuke. Liked to brawl, short-tempered and simply loved a fight. His favourite weapon was the spear. According to Watsuki, before he joined Kondou, Harada was the servant of some bushis, and this lowly status caused him to have a weak side at times. However, he really took care of those under him. (Really manly...) He was also a man who didn't like to fuss, and did things the way he saw it. Kinda like those "tai-kos" (like Cheng E-Kin) in those gangster movies.

One interesting point here: the members of the Shinsengumi frequented the brothels (hey they *were* humans with biological needs too! Just that Serizawa was carrying it way too far) but they seldom attached themselves to the girls, to take them as their legal wives. Harada married his girl, however - something surprising considering his personality, for in those days, you had the choice of *not* marrying a girl even if you'd slept with her.

After he broke up with the others following the Shinsengumi defeat in the Bushin War, he joined the Shogitai, the same troop in which Yahiko's late father also took part. Harada died in the Ueno War. According to other sources, however, he survived the war and stowed-away to Manchuria, China, where he became a bandit.

Yamanami Seisuke [Keisuke] (Gochou)

The guy deserves a special note. He tended towards Sonno-Joi as time went on, and was thus isolated by Kondou and Hijikata. He suddenly escaped from the Shinsengumi (perhaps because he couldn't take the pressure of doing things he didn't feel right and being isolated anymore?) in 1864 (or 65), which made him a traitor, only to be caught by Okita before he could go far enough. He was sentenced to commit seppuku, and died at 29. I understand from the novel that Okita faced some anguish here - Yamanami was one of the earliest members of Shinsengumi. Okita and the others had known him since their Shieikan days. Okita was in despair because he had a choice of letting Yamanami go, but he chose duty when it came to a choice between "duty" and "passion". And from we get a glimpse at how merciless Hijikata can be when it comes to punishments, for the sentence was imposed by him. The harsh sentence imposed on Yamanami invoked the other members' dissatisfaction, because Yamanami was a gentle, honest man, and many thought that Hijikata was being too harsh. This was also one of the factors which caused 15 members to pack up and go with Itou.

[caelumriptide]

{ @celestialborn encountered Tomo! }

His search for Kazuha was taking a long time, and he couldn’t help but wonder where the ronin had gotten off to. Surely he showed up again shortly after the vision hunt decree ended? Tomo sighs, adjusting Tama in his arms before he looks about again for him.

While he didn’t find Kazuha, he did find someone else. Tomo didn’t recognize him, but maybe he saw Kazuha pass by and could tell him where he is.

“Excuse me, sir. But have you seen a white haired ronin pass by at all? He has a red streak in his hair too, and red eyes.”

[toreii]

I just want to know why Mitsuhide is dressed like this😂

Well, it looks like I won’t get to see the gruesome deaths of Asakura and Azai. Unlike in Onna Nobunaga and some other interpretations... No drinking out of golden skulls, either.

Now that Nobunaga ended the Ashikaga Shogunate, his next move with his now official boyfriend, Mitsuhide, is to conquer Tanba. I think I shared a map of the region that showed Mitsuhide’s path of battles. I’m loving Mitsuhide’s evolution from a minor samurai of his own clan to ronin, and then a retainer of the Shogun, to the lord of his own castle, and now he’s on his way to getting Tamba. I can only cheer him on until the Honnō-ji Incident. Also, there’s going to be a bit of focus on Tama since she is famous in her own right. I’m ready to see my Akechi princess become Hosokawa Gracia.

[cienie-isengardu]

The Development of Law and Zoro relationship: Wano, ...and Law Is Not Happy About That

<Part I: Before Meeting>> <<Part II: Sabaody Archipelago, The First Meeting>> <<Part III: Punk Hazard: The Alliance (A)__(B)>>  <<Part IV: Dressrosa, The Breaking Point (The Plan Failed)__ (Saving Law)__(Protecting Law)__ (Birdcage, Pica and Doflamingo)__ (Aftermath)>> <<Part V: Zou, The Kindred Spirits (Traveling Together)__(Searching for Nakama)__ (Reunion)__ (Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance)__(The Last Moments before War)>>  Part VI: Wano, Against Emperors (The Untold Journey)__(Luffy & Zoro Means Troubles…)__(…and Law Is Not Happy About That)

The fight between Law and Hawkins was stopped; Law didn’t manage to eliminate the enemy nor prevent information leakage about alliance presence in Wano. He almost was run over by a speeding cart with stolen food (another “crime” against Orochi & Kaido, which Straw Hats committed in his absence). No wonder why Law was so pissed of at Zoro (chapter 918):

➽ Up to this point, Law never have been so openly angry at Roronoa, nor aggressive toward the other man. Now, Law vented all frustration and anger while Zoro kept silent… and maybe felt some embarrassment(?) about Trafalgar’s unusual outburst, considering bubble speech with three dots and “sweat drop” expressing Zoro’s reaction in a more visible way.

➽ Another interesting detail is how calmly Zoro endured Law’s angry rant. He simply let the other man scream at him, and even tolerated grabbing his kimono and invading his personal space. When it comes to scolding, Zoro reacts differently, depending on the seriousness of the situation and who is scolding him. He either fights back in such situations or doesn’t respond to angry rants and taunts. For example, if Sanji started screaming and pointing his faults, Zoro most likely wouldn’t be so tolerable because those two like to antagonize each other. Seems like Roronoa opted for the calm approach with Law. Maybe Zoro knew that Law was right and his anger was justified. Maybe he simply figured it will be better if Law got all the anger and stress out of him. Or maybe he was just taken by surprise by the sudden outburst? 

↪ In all fairness, I think he perfectly knew what Law’s reaction will be, especially considering this ambiguous frame:

At first it seems like Zoro talked about Kinemon, what honestly would make perfect sense. He already mentioned Kinemon when repeated samurai’s warning to Luffy but couldn’t really say his name in front of just met Kiku. At the same time, he could also talk about Law, because at this point he was familiar enough with the man to predict his angry reaction. Law seems to be prone to stress and he likes planning everything ahead and Zoro not sticking to plan (letting Luffy smash enemy) would definitely earn Law’s ire. Righteous so. Then what was the point of arguing with Trafalgar? Even more, when the man, despite stress and rage, doesn't hold on such emotions for too long. Which really seems like the best way to deal with a pissed off Heart Captain was just let him scream until he cooled down and adapted to the new situation.

➽ Because Zoro did not stop Luffy as he should - as Law hoped he would - Trafalgar was blaming Zoro for the whole situation, even though Luffy was as much guilty, charging into unknown without care for consequences. Zoro not once tried to excuse himself or Luffy, did nothing to stop Law’s outburst nor remind Law he wasn’t his captain (superior) thus he wasn’t obligated to listen. He simply let Law scream and blame him for the mess.

Anime expended this moment by actually giving Zoro a chance to explain to Law why he screwed so badly. Which literally was “I met Luffy” what immediately refocused Trafalgar’s anger from Zoro to solely Luffy:

This extended scene fits well with already existing Law’s personal experience from Dressrosa - the usually stoic and reliable Zoro will throw away rational thinking in the favor of Luffy’s whim and craziness. Monkey D. Luffy has that kind of effect on Roronoa.

Also, another funny thing anime did with that scene is when Law was scolding his fellow Supernova, Zoro was maintaining eye contact.

But when he was saying “sorry”, he was clearly looking to his left, instead at Law. Which makes the apology feeling insincere. Zoro wasn’t really that sorry about the mess but he said it, most likely to placate angry (stressed??) Law. Seems like Roronoa is bad at lying; not on Luffy’s level of bad, but still not really into telling lies.

Law most likely could tell Pirate Hunter wasn’t sorry at all, which explains grabbing Zoro’s kimono and screaming more at the other man’s face.

➽ Zoro’s patience and lack of response makes an interesting contrast to Law’s unusual aggressiveness. We may only wonder if Roronoa already had some experiences with such an outburst from the other Supernova. Once again, there is little to no information how their relationship was affected by the journey and situation in Wano, nor why Zoro was so indifferent while Law’s level of stress so high.

➽ Manga and anime versions of the scene give us valuable informations. One: Law was aware that Zoro promised to not cause trouble, like not fighting with samurais and Kaido’s men. That of course was a rational thing to ask of Zoro, because the man is too bloodthirsty for his own good and is always up for a good fight. The manga translation makes it look like Law personally witnessed Pirate Hunter swearing to not cause any trouble. Yet Law’s screaming sounds a bit confusing. On one hand, he knew Zoro A) became a wanted man and B) was supposed to be in Flower Capital. So it seems Law was informed about Zoro’s mission of pretending to be ronin. Whatever Kinemon initiated him from the start or after the wanted poster was made public, Law understood the danger of drawing the enemy's attention to the alliance. Which may be the reason why he was so mad at Zoro and referred to him by surname or called in his mind an idiot. On another, asking Zoro - a wanted man - why didn’t he stay in capital sounds, well, kinda stupid (and interestingly, the additional symbol of irritation was added to this specific question / bubble). Roronoa killed in broad daylight an important person (magistrate), and either killed or injured the magistrate's samurais, so it is not like Zoro could wander through the capital or any city without causing more problems. Of course, wandering directless did not help the alliance at all but it was still the best outcome. As a wanted man, Zoro could either stay in capitol and draw enemy’s attention to himself - and in result, endanger Franky, Robin and Usopp’s missions and even alliance’s presence in the Wano or wander through the wasteland in which was easier avoid unnecessary troubles and, in case of fight, hide dead bodies without increasing the vigilance of Beast Pirates or Orochi’s samurais. As a wanted man, Roronoa wasn’t really in position to come back to Kinemon because of possible pursuit - though he managed to wander into Kuri region, but that is more lack of direction sense than anything intentional, I guess. Unless this is why Law was the most angry? That Zoro came too close to their main secret base of operation? Anyway, Trafalgar for sure did not hold back and vented all his anger and frustration at still passive Zoro.

Soon, the group made it into Okobore Town and gave the stolen food to starving locals while Luffy brought the fresh water with himself. Straw Hat told the happy people “I’m Luffytaro! If anyone asks, you tell ‘em my name!” (chapter 918). For the first time Luffy also noticed Law - now much calmer than a moment ago. Law made clear, that what Luffy and Zoro did was ultimately an act of rebellion against Wano (Orochi and Kaido) to which Luffy responded he was “repaying the favor” to Tama, who fed him, once again getting into additional trouble just because someone gave him free food. The serious note disappeared right away, when Luffy started screaming at the starving people to not eat all meat without him:

➽ The meeting between Luffy and Law is drastically different from meeting of Law and Zoro. Like was mentioned, Trafalgar didn’t show any anger or frustration, so either screaming at Zoro calmed him down or he already gave up trying to reason with Monkey D. Luffy. Taking into account all previous adventures from Punk Hazard to Zou, what in universe happened through what? One or two months at best? Law’s resignation makes sense. Luffy wouldn’t care nor bother to apologize for the pulled stunt, while Zoro, well, didn’t care much either, but at least didn’t try to argue back.

➽ Once the serious talk was done and Luffy literally jumped after the meat, Zoro and Law shared the same reaction (visualed by bubble speech with three dots, though the “sweat drop” symbolising embarrassment(?) is only on Zoro’s part). Despite the previous intense moment, both men were again on good terms and even in agreement toward Luffy’s idiotic/childish behaviour.

The next time we see Zoro, Law and Luffy, Trafalgar kept his distance from everyone else. He stood the closest to Luffy yet with back turned to him. Was that sort of ostentatious expression of dissatisfaction or did he keep watch in case of an enemy's attack, hard to tell.

Luffy loudly declared his intention about Wano to Tama (“By the time we leave this country, it’ll be a place where you can eat as much as you want, every single day!!!”). With a sigh, Zoro noted how because of Luffy’s action, the enemy will come after them for real. Law did not take such a comment from Zoro kindly, because the man ignored(?) his own part in the mess.

➽ Surprisingly, Law still was angry more at Zoro than Luffy, who was the main culprit. But it may be just Zoro’s uncaring attitude that provokes Law so much.

➽ Despite the still fresh feeling of irritation, Law decided to focus at the best course of action - moving on to safest place. In this case, to the ruins of Oden’s Castle, in which Kinemon and the rest of the alliance stayed in hiding. 

The group said goodbye to Tama who was taken to home by Horselina (a former enemy-turned-into-her-loyal-servant thanks to Tama’s devil fruit powers). Like always, Law kept his distance from others (in manga on one frame, he kept close to Zoro, on another, to Luffy). In anime, between sharing food and saying goodbye to Tama, Trafalgar was shown usually close to Zoro, similar like he did on Zou:

At this point, there is something to ponder a bit about Law and his (lack of) interaction with people. Like in the scene above, does Law keep close to Zoro (or Luffy) because of their bond (trust?) alone or is that partially due to his minimal social skills? As in, he keeps close to people he at least knows and doesn’t make contact with strangers unless it’s necessary. Zoro and Law both have some asocial traits (seen especially in their tendency to isolating themselves from too large group), but in contrast, Zoro and Luffy were shown through the Wano arc to interact and even befriend the local people while Trafalgar was interacting only with his crew, Straw Hats, samurai group (extended of Shinobu person) - the people he already knew for some time. Law isn’t going out his way to meet new people (like Luffy) nor bonds with accidentally met people (like Zoro with Tonoyasu). It seems in Law’s nature to avoid interaction with strangers as much as possible. Which makes me wonder if that comes simply from his introverted nature, general distrust for people or maybe even some social awkwardness created by childhood trauma and growing up in criminal organisation (Donquixote Pirates)? Because Law’s way to interact with people he just met is either ignore them (seen above) or act in cool manners around them, like in Punk Hazard with Straw Hats…  but frankly, Straw Hats freaked him there on so many levels it really makes Law looks like social interaction is not his thing. 

This reflection actually comes close to another detail. Namely, Law’s general feeling about Straw Hats helping starved people. Because the locals were truly happy and expresses that just before the departure of Three Supernovas (chapter 919):

Law has strong opinions about pirates, it seems. And it comes from a man that admitted he doesn't like to kill but yeah, doing nice things for (poor) people makes him sick. Was he so annoyed by the cheering people, or did he simply didn’t know how to react to such situation so he went with a grumpy approach?

Law expressed a lot emotions; the outbursts of anger departs from the image of stoic captain but at the same it makes me think that Law must feel okay around Zoro to be so open about his frustration (and lack of control over situation?). At the same time, Zoro let him take out all anger on him without a word. But the most important thing, no matter how much Zoro’s screwed up, no matter how much Law’s screamed and accused and was unhappy about, it didn’t change their already estabilished relationship. Once the situation calmed down, Law again kept close to Zoro and shared the same opinion about Luffy’s antics and in general they were okay in each company. 

Next part: Separated Again