#RyuTsu

[downinsomanyfandoms]

RyuTsu with Ryuuga as cat like and bothering Tsubasa as he tries to work. But unlike cat he has the audacity and capability to actually kidnap Tsubasa from his work

Say good bye to your tax papers brid

[catharsis-scrawled]

Little post masters convo where Tsubasa is like, "You did an excellent job filling in for me. Thank you." 

And Ryuga is like, "I just had a score to settle with that guy. It had absolutely nothing to do with you." 

And Tsubasa looks at the awkward scowl and defensively crossed arms of someone who is trying too hard to look unaffected by a compliment and is like, "alright whatever you say."

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

Honestly I don't know if ryu/ryutsu is on tumblr but their uses of Xuan Yu and Cong Zheng FUCK and I need to share them yet again

I know they can't be previewed because good luck previewing a pop song, but please consider clicking through! Their work is incredible, and they're my favourite user of these new voicebanks!

[chuthulhu-reads]

[ID: A page from Trigun Maximum. In the top panel, Vash has his arms outstretched to hold his gun. His right arm, sleeve and all, is distorting and cracking as part of it twists and extends up into a branch that has curled around and caught a bullet in mid-air. Little feathers, like the beginnings of wings, are extending from some of the cracks. Vash is wide-eyed, frantic-looking. The bottom panel shows a closer up image of Vash's face and upper arm, showing that the branch has caught the bullet just inches from his right eye. The bullet is still turning and giving off smoke as it expends its momentum, the thin branch evidently extremely strong to hold it. End ID.]

Not that I don't love a good wingfic/wingart but I think we've got some REAL wasted potential in leaving out how much Vash's extensions are both feathered and resembling leaves, bark and branches. And evidently capable of not just warping his body but the fabric of anything he's wearing. The first time I read this I thought this might have been as much of a surprise to him as it is to the reader--that he's so off his game today that he has a closer call than he has before and reacts with an instinct he didn't know he had. My current read, based on a panel below, is that he did know he could do this, but usually does his damndest not to. He is off his game, not fully in control of his reactions, so he slips and does something he normally avoids at all costs, possibly because he knows what the reaction will be...

[ID: three panels from Trigun Maximum. In the first, Meryl is collapsing, clutching her head in both hands, her mouth open and eyes wide in terror. Milly is throwing her arms around Meryl with a frantic expression, yelling "Ma'am! What's wrong, Meryl?! Hang on!" The second panel is a flashback to Vash's partial angel transformation, focused on the inhuman scream on his face and his right arm transforming into the Angel Arm weapon. The whole panel is overlaid with a staticky filter that makes this dark and chaotic. The third panel is a close-up of Meryl's terrified expression, in a photo-negative style so that her skin is dark and her hair is light. End ID.]

PTSD is a BITCH. Meryl seems to be holding it together after Ryutsu Citadel--she often comes off as the kind of woman who prides herself on being level-headed and keeping her shit together in chaotic situations--but this unanticipated transformation triggers a whole-ass flashback and that throws her into a level of terror we've never seen her experience before, not even when she was actually kidnapped, because that's how PTSD be. All that terror that she would have felt at the time had she not been full of adrenaline and anger and panic, unloading out of nowhere when there's nothing else to interrupt it. I'm glad Milly is there, she seems like she gives good hugs, but GOD this hurts to see--especially since it generates more grief and guilt for Meryl because of how her reaction drives Vash away. She's vibing with Wolfwood on the "this guy is terrifying but he's also the best person I've ever met and I can't help being in love with him" but she's had WAY less time to process knowing what Vash is...

[ID: Four panels from Trigun Maximum. In the first, Vash looks angry and frustrated, his teeth gritted as he looks down, panting, "Sh-shit!" The second panel shows some random generic townspeople looking on with wide-eyed, startled expressions. The third panel has reduced those same townspeople into pitch-black silhouettes, with only their eyes and mouths visible as blank white lines as they say, "Did you see that?", "He's a monster", and "He really does have the power of the devil." The fourth panel shows Meryl, her arms cradling her head and mostly covering her expression, but one eye is visible, wide and crying. She's visibly trembling. End ID.]

With so much Christianity about it's not surprising that some people jump to "he's a witch!" but still, OUCH. Vash's frustrated expression here is what makes me think that maybe he did know he could do this--he has, after all, seen Knives create his blades from his arm--but he really, really, REALLY does not want to and usually avoids it at all costs. He's just that far off-kilter to begin with and accidentally doing this does not help. I have to wonder if he's ever done this before and gotten the "burn the witch!" reaction before... that REALLY wouldn't help his fear/lack of knowledge about his own body as an independent plant if he never actually explored what he can do because he wants so badly to be perceived as human/pass socially among humans. And if showing his non-humanity so deeply terrifies not just strangers but even someone he was getting quite close to like Meryl, why wouldn't he hate and fear himself?

[eilwen]

Meryl's first description of Vash: Lazy!

Funny, because I don't really see examples of Vash being lazy in the manga, especially not in the Trigun Maximum volumes. This makes me think of what we don't see in Vash and Meryl's friendship from the beginning of Trigun to Trigun Maximum Vol. 6.

I always remember that Trigun (before the Fifth moon incident) technically takes place within four months. Trigun Vol. 1 Ch. 1 to Trigun Vol. 1 Ch. 9 is only within the first 2-3 weeks (-ish) of Vash, Meryl and Milly knowing each other. There's a huge gap of possible adventures and stories and maybe examples of a lazy Vash that we have missed.

We do see moments of Vash resting. Trigun Vol. 2 Ch. 1 is one example of a calm moment before Legato shows up and things go downhill. Maybe that one moment could be read as laziness... but in general, we, as the readers, are aware of his extensive training, of what's on his mind when he's resting and of his discipline. That doesn't read as lazy to me.

This isn't to say that Meryl doesn't know Vash. She does. She might not be as perceptive as others when reading him (we tend to be with Milly when we observe broody Vash), but she knows a lot about him - especially after absorbing his memories in Ryutsu.

Even before then: she and Milly come in teasing water in Vol. 4 Ch. 2 showing how they know Vash (and possibly Wolfwood) enough to expect how under-prepared they would be when they left the floating ship.

But the "Lazy!" tells me that there are moments that the gang experiences that aren't shared with the audience. Good excuse for daydreaming.

A bit of an idiot though? Yeah.

[pancake-breakfast]

Ooooh, I'm actually trying to get ahead of the game this week! Look at me goooooo!!!

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 4, Chapters 3-5 below.

Chapter 3: Bottom of the Dark

Meryl title page! Hooray!

LOLOLOL, didn't these boys just get out of the hospital?? Now they're back in for, what, dehydration??? Shouldn't have snuck off without the girls.

Are the girls eating steam buns? Steam buns are awesome! But a pain to cook in hot weather.

Looks like they're sorting through their own things.

GIANT HAND!!! Noooooooo

Dude. This fake big-hands man is a creep. He needs to let Chun-Li go.

Ohhhh, he's doing that thing they do where they add weird suffixes to their speech. SIGH. English speakers don't understand these things.

THIRTEENTH!??!? What happened to the other 12??? Fly up into heaven??? What, does he throw them in the sky???

Stun-Gun Milly, here to save the day!

And Meryl as backup!

She is very tiny. It's unfortunate they're in a world where her being small makes such a defense a necessity... but it's also a nice parallel to her character. Small, but sufficient for the task at hand. Maybe even more than sufficient.

WORM

Yup, it's Zazie!

AJL:FJ:LALJ:DSF:H:KJh:LKASJ WHYYYYY IS ZAZIE LIKE THIS?!?!?! D: D: D: Friggin... 15,000 worms in a meat suit.... *shudder shudder shudder*

LOL, the boys both look like they've checked themselves out of hospitals AMA before and aren't too thrilled about being caught this time.

Vash, just giving away their money so they can leave. TBH, not a bad plan considering how inadvisable him lingering anywhere is.

Heh, Vash is calling Wolfwood out again. He trusts the girls. Even if it might make the situation a bit tricky. They're more resourceful than they look and he knows it.

Ugh, he's so lonely and so grateful that they care about him enough to stick with him. And Wolfwood here sounds like his overly cautious wife.

Midvalley and Hoppered, having a heart-to-heart. I'm starting to see why they get along so well.

Ohhhh, Hoppered has a beef with Vash.

Unsubtle metaphors about walking into darkness. I'll allow it.

The worms really are pretty at night.

Did Meryl just get abducted by worms?!?!

Chapter 4: Den of Evil

Milly title page! Always good to see more of the girls!

Milly found the boys.

Oh, no! Someone take care of her!

Dang, Stampede just straight up took that elevator inspiration from here, didn't they?

Mmm, delicious delicious worms.

Hahahahaha, Zazie doesn't understand "hostage." Zazie understands "bait."

Vash the Stampede's followers? Rude. Just because she's literally following him doesn't mean she deserves so distant a title.

Props to Meryl. She has this twisted monster looming over her, a weird worm-controlling kidnaper, and a shady man in a fancy suit all surrounding her, and what does she do? She starts DEMANDING ANSWERS from them. This woman has a serious pair.

Awww, Milly is soooo upset. They're keeping guard on her while she's supposed to be sleeping, but she's just can't manage it.

Zazie, creeping outside of windows....

Vash doesn't even wait to hear the other side of Zazie's deal.

Gods, they are such dorks.

That's one big worm.

I don't know what the Japanese characters are for ryutsu or juukei in the original here, but I just want to note that one possible definition for "juukei" is "execution by firing squad." (No, I didn't know that off the top of my head. I got curious and looked it up.)

All these imposing city shots, and then at the bottom, Vash and Wolfwood.

Not great. That means there are more hostages here than just Meryl.

Lower and upper class crammed together means something went wrong.

Milly may not have been featured in the shot above, but she's tagging along, too!

Wolfwood's looking forward to a bit of murder today, I see.

Hahahahaha, <3 Milly. She will not be sidelined. Her and Wolfwood are giving Vash a headache. Personally, I have mixed feelings on the matter. Like, Milly is super-competent, and this is important to her, but if they spend more time protecting her than rescuing Meryl, it's worse than useless for her to come along.

Holy hell. Did not expect girl to pull her gun on Wolfwood.

Vash has a point. Leaving her behind does not, in fact, guarantee her safety here.

Hoppered, that looks painful. Your body looks painful. See a better chiropractor, please.

Chapter 5: Wild Crying Bullet

Three? I thought there were... hmmm... *goes back to check* Ok, so: - Monev the Gale (1) and E.G. Mine (2) went down before they made it to Jenora Rock. - Dominique the Cyclops (3) went down right before Fifth Moon. - After Fifth Moon, they ran into Rai-Dai (4), then Leonov the Puppetmaster (5) and Gray the Ninelives (6). - Then we have Zazie the Beast (7), Midvalley the Hornfreak (8), and Hoppered the Gauntlet (9) here right now. - And we have Wolfwood (10). That means we're missing two out of the 12. So there's a good chance that either Wolfwood doesn't know about the other two, or they were brought in after Wolfwood was sent out. Wolfwood's not an idiot, but it's not like he was privy to Livio's conversation with Vash about there being 12 coins. I suppose one could assume Livio and Knives are the last of those 12, but the way the coins are presented implies both those two are exempt from Gung-Ho Gun status. Also, those who've watched Stampede might be able to take a guess at who we're missing.

Oooof, Midvalley's gonna be a rough fight.

Hoppered might be a bullet, but Vash is a gun. Hehehehehehhhh...

Heh, Wolfwood can't call anyone by their actual name.

He looks genuinely concerned when he catches sight of Midvalley.

Epic Midvalley shot.

Oh, no. Wolfie, that's gotta hurt...

Not good. Wolfwood's already down.

Vash knows.

?? Hoppered is just... giving him the coins? Who is the second coin from? Midvalley??

Oh, no, Milly! Get it together, girl! You can do it!

Yeah, Vash was never very keen on Legato's weird fetch quest.

AAAAHHHHH, EPIC WOLFWOOD SHOT!!! OUR BOY'S NOT DOWN YET!!!!

(When I talk about trying to gnaw off my own limb over fandom stuff, that two-page spread above is basically what my heart looks like.)

Heh, Midvalley didn't expect this.

I honestly don't know how Hoppered concluded that Vash is enjoying what he's doing right now. He's mostly looks focused and angry to me.

LOL, Zazie just chilling, watching the fireworks.

Oddly, Meryl is probably in the safest place she could be right now.

Meryl is getting caught up on Vash lore.

Oh, no. News that Knives is nearby is very not good.

Yusssss, gives us the exposition, Zazie!!! Next time, I mean. I'm good for tonight.

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10 || Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Volume 1: Covers + 1-2, 2 DT, 3-4, 3 DT, 5-6 || Volume 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Volume 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Volume 4: Covers + 1-2

[trigun-manga-overhaul]

hello! sorry if this is a weird thing to point out or if it's already been brought to your attention, but i was reading vol 7 for book club and noticed an inconsistency; in vol 4 (chapter 4) zazie refers to the "ryutsu citadel." in vol 7 (chapter 5) wolfwood refers to it as "fort ryuu-tsu jou." i know they're the same place, i'm assuming the inconsistent naming is a translation mistake... (unless it's on purpose, in which case feel free to ignore me lol)

the pages in question:

i have no idea if this happens anywhere else because like i said i'm still reading. it just really stuck out to me and i wanted to let you know :v

Hey there and thank you for pointing it out!

Yeah, that was a translation oversight, as the second name used is the more directly Japanese way of writing it and Ryutsu Citadel was the more English styled way. I know we use the more English way again later, so this was an edit that we missed.

[arollingriver]

End is near for "Rolling Girl" it seems. Looking for colors she can't perceive. Channeling voices in that head of hers. Making one out of all, making one out of all.

(inspiration: wowaka; english lyrics: ryutsu)

[cherry-chicchi]

【後方展望風景】東京モノレール 天王洲アイル駅から羽田空港第１ターミナル駅 後方風景好きな人向け #amsr

Video from Tokyo Monorail Tennozu Isle Station to Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Station and South Ticket Gate. Recommended for people who like the scenery behind the train window. 

MO02 Tennozu Isle Station, MO03 Oi Keibajo-mae Station, MO04 Ryutsu Center Station, MO05 Showajima Station, MO06 Maintenance Center Station, MO07 Tenkubashi Station, MO08 Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station, MO09 New Maintenance Center Station, MO10 Haneda Airport Terminal 1 Terminal Station, MO11 Haneda Airport Terminal 2 Station. Please use time stamps and subtitles.

[downinsomanyfandoms]

Being possessed by dark power also give one the same sense of sass apparently

Giọng Tsubasa nghe muốn đánh zl đcm sao nghe láo vậy con :))))

[catharsis-scrawled]

I think Ryuga's a sub but would be hard pressed to admit it even to himself. Tsubasa is perceptive enough to figure it out though and finds that if they let Ryuga tie them up/bite them/do the penetrating, things they enjoy anyway, that feels like a sufficient display of dominance in his brain, and from there Ryuga will relax and let Tsubasa direct and praise him. This headcanon amuses me immensely.

[diarioelpepazo]

45 segundos y más de 80 pasos en una extraña ejecución en el futbol de Senegal que es furor en las redes. En una definición desde los doce pasos, el jugador caminó hasta la mitad de la cancha, volvió y convirtió picando la pelota. Los antecedentes en Japón y en el Ascenso de la Argentina El conocido cuento de Osvaldo Soriano “El penal más largo del mundo” volvió a tener su secuela en la realidad y en este caso a 8.150 kilómetros de Río Negro, donde ocurrió la historia narrada por el recordado escritor argentino fanático de San Lorenzo. Se trata de un video del fútbol senegalés, que es furor en las redes sociales y se muestra un penal en el que el ejecutante tardó 45 segundos. No trascendieron más datos, pero lo que pude verse en el video es que el juez sonó el silbato en una definición por penales y el futbolista, firme junto al balón, hizo tres pasos hacia atrás y se dio vuelta. Ahí comenzó a caminar y comenzaron a escucharse los gritos del público, como no pudiendo entender qué pasaba. Llegó hasta casi la mitad de la cancha y el árbitro nunca lo reprendió. Luego volvió hacia el área y habría hecho más de 80 pasos, pese a que en un momento está fuera de plano. Entre el tiempo del pitazo del referí hasta cuando efectuó el remate se demoró unos 45 segundos. Previó a hacer su tiro de zurda, picó la pelota y desorientó al guardameta que se tiró hacia su izquierda. Aunque este particular episodio en la tierra de Sadio Mané tuvo algunos antecedentes. Entre ellos uno acontecido en el fútbol estudiantil japonés a fines de 2021. Fue en la final del Torneo Nacional de Fútbol de Escuelas Secundarias. Te puede interesar:Una futbolista de la selección argentina denunció que le robaron un tesoro de su participación en el último Mundial En ese momento, el joven Ryutsu Keizai Ogashi, se tomó unos 30 segundos desde pitazo del árbitro hasta su ejecución. Fue haciendo un trotecito muy lento y ante de su remate metió un leve salto. Le pegó de derecha y a media altura la colocó a la izquierda del golero. Esa imagen también dio la vuelta al mundo como la del video proveniente de Senegal. Lo llamativo es que en ambos casos, ninguno de los árbitros intervino para acelerar la ejecución de los jugadores. También hubo un aviso hacia ellos o algún ni reclamo de los rivales. Penal ejecutado 24 días después Penal de Atlanta a Cambaceres ejecutado 25 días después debido a que el partido se suspendió por incidentes cuando el árbitro sancionó la falta  Penal de Atlanta a Cambaceres ejecutado 24 días después debido a que el partido se suspendió por incidentes cuando el árbitro sancionó la falta Ya en el fútbol argentino, hace dos décadas hubo un episodio que pudo compararse con la obra de Soriano que fue uno de los cuentos que del libro Arqueros, Ilusionistas y Goleadores. Aquella historia de “El Penal Más Largo Del Mundo”, que según el relato aconteció en 1958, en un encuentro regional de Rio Negro, entre Estrella y Belgrano. En el final del juego, el juez cobró penal para Belgrano y se generó una gresca dentro del campo de juego y el cotejo se suspendió por falta de seguridad. Una semana después se reanudó el juego y se pateó el penal. Esa narración de Soriano llegó a la realidad en un encuentro del fútbol del Ascenso entre Cambaceres y Atlanta. Fue el 5 de abril de 2003, en el duelo válido por la sexta fecha del Grupo B del Torneo Clausura de la Primera B Metropolitana. Faltaban seis minutos cuando el juez cobró un penal para el Bohemio, en un marco difícil ya que el encuentro se paró dos veces por cantos antisemitas. Parte del público de Ensenada se trepó a los alambrados y se quiso meter dentro de la cancha. El clima de tensión creció ante los 15 mil hinchas de Atlanta que viajaron a alentar a su equipo, que peleaba por no descender. El partido se suspendió y se resolvió en el Tribunal de Disciplina de la AFA. El partido siguió 24 días más tarde, pero en otro recinto, Argentino de Quilmes, sin público. Lucas Ferreiro, que era el original ejecutante, volvió a tomar la pelota y convirtió.

El choque terminó 1-0 a favor del Bohemio, que luego mantuvo la categoría al vencer en la promoción a Argentino de Merlo. Para recibir en tu celular esta y otras informaciones, únete a nuestras redes sociales, síguenos en Instagram, Twitter y Facebook como @DiarioElPepazo El Pepazo/Infobae/Con información de Página 12

[chuthulhu-reads]

[ID: three panels from Trigun Maximum. Vash is sitting with his head and upper body flopped over a table that's strewn with empty food packets, bottles, and cutlery. Across the table, a dark-haired, scruffy man is sitting back in his seat and staring up at the ceiling. Next to them, a huge bald guy, bigger than the other two men put together, is lying on his back on a couch and scratching his stomach. The big man is saying, "So many peoples ded... and it's purdy much all done bah y'self." In the second panel, we get a look at the bleary, drunken expression of the dark-haired man as he says, "Pffft. Lemme guess, ya feel like yer bein' crushed by regret, right?" The third panel shows a half-empty liquor bottle and a battered mug as the dark-haired man continues, "Everybody feels that way. There isn't a soul who hasn't wanted to escape from it all." End ID.]

With what a huge disaster July was and the high drama of the previous reveal of what happened, it's just kinda hilarious to me in the sweetest way that Vash gets drunk and spills it out to a couple of randos he just met and they're just like "damn, bro, that sucks. Shit happens." He bares the fact that he's not human and accidentally committed a mass murder to these dudes he met literally today and they're chill about it. They're just giving him shitty drunk emotional advice like he's just told them how his girlfriend dumped him and he deserved it. I honestly love it. It's human acceptance on a very fundamental level. He's an ambulatory leek that's sometimes a nuke but right now, to them, he's just another dude at the bar. I love that Vash gets this moment after Ryutsu Citadel, and I think it really fortifies his resolve against Knives.

[ID: a panel from Trigun Maximum. Vash is smiling brightly as he says, "I won't forget about tonight. Being able to sit down and have a couple of drinks before the end... it was nice." End ID.]

Look at his smile... he really did need a couple beers with some benign randos to relax and I'm glad he got it Q_Q

[eilwen]

Visiting the Dragon's Nest District

Most cities and towns in No Man's Land have been similar in appearance, with a ship or a portion of a ship watching over its people. However, in Ryutsu, where many things happen, the ship is not the only structure that dominates the landscape.

I wanted to do a dive into the city, what inspired it (and speculate on some of the visuals) and what we can potentially understand about No Man's Land.

Some spoilers for Vol. 4 and 5. Also, this is long.

Even without the baos and wonton-fonts on signage, Ryutsu visually does not match with other cities in No Man's Land. It’s not just the citadel which can be seen from afar, but it’s also the crammed housing and confusing architecture. The tone of Vol. 4 shifts and leans towards neo-noir. As this arc's villains move into the city, Hoppered says: "This place is truly the bottom of the dark. [...] We'll walk into a place where the light does not enter." These lines may not be literal but it certainly brings ideas of seedy places. They move through pitch black and eventually…

The big showdown happens at the city's main feature: the Dragon’s Nest District - an area that brings up memories of the old Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. No Man's Land is a sparsely populated planet, yet for whatever reason, people have sardined themselves into this city and into this district.

Kowloon Walled City had been called ‘City of Darkness’ and it was possible to move through the city without ever seeing daylight. It carries a bit of romantised nostalgia because of its weird part in Hong Kong colonial history, its uncontrolled and chaotic construction, and its lawlessness (though apparently the ungoverned city was tight-knit and communal). The city became a source of inspiration for a lot of media, but not many films were shot in the city itself. Those that I had seen tended to use the city as a 'cool film location' so apart from the examples below, there aren't many I know to recommend (happy to take suggestions for films I may have missed).

Clip from Bloodsport (Arnold, 1988)

"No joke, man. It's a random piece of No Man's Land in the middle of a tourist paradise. It goes way back to the old lease agreement between Great Britain and China. Once you step out of the sunlight into the narrow corridors, it's time to protect your nuts, guys."

Clip from Crime Story (Wong, 1993). This is the climax of the film, which featured actual explosions from Kowloon's demolition, according to its wiki page.

Off the top of my head, good fiction film substitutes (unrelated and unlike Trigun/Trimax) which more illustrate what life might have been like in these places, may be films like Wong Kar Wai's Fallen Angels (1995) and Chungking Express (1994) - though these films take place at the Chungking Mansions, Kowloon Walled City's more modern cousin. I thought of Wong's films because he treated the mansions as a character more than as a location. His films showed examples of immense density, globalisation, and a bit of that noir crime stuff within small and unusually intimate spaces. They also reflected Hong Kong's complicated anxiety as the city was approaching its handover from British to Chinese rule.

Panel from Vol. 4 Ch. 7; Screencap from Chungking Express (Wong, 1994).

To talk more about Hong Kong cinema itself would be much longer than a tumblr post but if Nightow is connected with Rodriguez's films via Desperado (1995), Rodriguez and his collaborative friend Tarantino are connected with Hong Kong films from those like John Woo and Ringo Lam. One example: Mexican standoffs are tropes used in various films, but we see them frequently enough in Tarantino's films and in Hong Kong action cinema that it becomes noteworthy.

Panel from Vol. 5 Ch. 3

Panel from Vol. 5 Ch. 5

Kowloon Walled City which was demolished in 1993, was visually ‘resurrected’ as Ryutsu's Dragon's Nest. Kowloon Walled City was not a city that just looked interesting. It was an agreement between China and Great Britain that was then kind of weirdly botched, thus leaving it pretty much ungoverned. Trimax Vol. 4 was released in 2000, three years after Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China. We don’t get Ryutsu’s history and with the multiple panels of silhouetted buildings against the night sky and hanging laundry in balconies, Ryutsu’s citadel falls into the 'cool manga location' category. Also, I should be clear: these chapters in Trimax are not an analysis or an allegory of Hong Kong's colonial history.

Panel from Vol. 4 Ch. 4; Photo of Kowloon Walled City's alleyway from wiki article.

At the same time, many eyes, including those outside of Great Britain and China, were on the news when the handover occurred. The point is not if Nightow was considering that historic moment or if he happened to be watching Hong Kong films when he was working on these chapters. Instead, I wonder if readers, when they picked up these volumes from the bookshelves, had thought about Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s movies, and Hong Kong’s past and uncertain future, as they were skimming through the pages. But you know… this is 2023 me thinking about 23 years ago. All of this is daydreaming.

I bring up Hong Kong's history and cinema because I wanted to see what I can envision and interpret about Ryutsu and thus about No Man's Land. If Hong Kong via cinema brings imaginations of transnationalism then Ryutsu via Vol. 4 and 5 could do the same for No Man's Land.

There is no literal ocean to divide cities and there are no named countries. There is a broad ‘Federal Government’, so I assume that means the government concerns itself with all settlements in the entire planet. If Ryutsu itself is No Man’s Land’s ‘Hong Kong’ (which opens another discussion of the use and/or misuse of Hong Kong in media - some other time), then despite No Man’s Land being an incredible dystopia, the elimination of borders is, very plainly, very interesting. I am leaning to this being a good thing, considering that one major problem in No Man’s Land tends to be ‘Humans vs. X’ (plants, worms, the planet’s environment etc.). Also, No Man’s Land is already very sparse. No spoilers for later volumes but I am curious about the planet’s future if the population demographic changes.

Panel from Vol. 4 Ch. 4. Western and Eastern hats in the same panel.

There are also thoughts about its class struggles. Vash says in Vol. 4 Ch. 4: "There are too many people here. I don't like it. The lower and upper class all cramped together." ... which really made me think about the conditions the upper class were living in. Kowloon Walled City was known to be unhygienic, dark and cramped and the wealthy did not live there, so how rough was it to live in Ryutsu when a rich person might still need to live in the citadel? I didn't interpret Vash's statement to mean 'citadel plus those outside of it' when the high stakes in these volumes were because of the high density and maze-like streets.

Panels from Vol. 4 Ch. 6; Ch. 7; Ch. 7.

The above panels remind me of establishing shots in gritty crime thrillers than the sci-fi western I had been reading up to this point.

Featured is the Juukei Building - a building that looks pulled from the 20th century. It is tall, drawn sometimes in narrow panels to emphasize its height and to show how small the characters are in the claustrophobic space as they navigate towards it. As characters move through the structure once inside, it becomes more difficult to tell where in the building they are or if they are somewhere adjacent. Combining historical and futuristic designs in Trigun/Trimax isn't new, but it's not often you see 20th century structures. Maybe wealthier residents lived in buildings like this, though the interiors of Juukei look like abandoned offices.

Panel from Vol. 5 Ch. 3.

Or maybe this was meant to be a mixed-use building? But it seems the entire building is abandoned anyway.... So I'm not sure where the upper class is supposed to live or how I should imagine the upper class to be.

Panel from Vol 5. Ch 6.

... After the end of the battle, once morning comes, we no longer see the citadel. The landscapes return to those reminiscent of American Southwestern deserts. Like we dipped into darkness then we returned to the light.

Anyone who knows about Kowloon Walled City would instantly recognise it in Trimax. The imitative Ryutsu Citadel could be read as a cool manga location where a massive shootout plus some serious revelations occur, but I personally am always interested in what else a location can do. It matters if you set a film in New York City versus a nameless location and how you visually convey that city because it can tell us about its people and helps us understand its characters. So to me, I thought it would be fun to look at certain locations in Trimax (with all of Nightow's free-form inconsistencies and confusions) and imagine or interpret what they can tell us about No Man's Land and by extension, the people in No Man's Land.

Other fun facts include: "[...] Japan, in particular, developed a keen interest towards Kowloon. Its demolition in 1993 was broadcast on national television."

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

technically po-uta might be the most underrated of the two but i like violence too

Eleanor Forte is a famous woman, who doesn't shy away from not wishing a happy birthday to her behated coworker GENBU <3 Her Standard and AI voicebank sound so different that they each have their own fanbase.

Here's an incredible original song with her Standard:

Did you see me share "Seance" for Cheng Xiao? I also happen to love the original version with Eleanor Forte AI as the ghost girl:

I even had the opportunity to make her Lite sing amazingly thanks to a svp by ryutsu:

(And a reminder that we're boycotting this year's Eurovision, unless they take a MAJOR decision in the next few days, for its hypocrisy in the face of genocide ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

Po-Uta song:

Eleanor Forte song (Warnings for flashing):

Propaganda under the cut

Po-Uta:

HE'S SUCH A UNIQUE VOCALOID . the fact that a vocal synth with stylization like po-uta's exists is such a blessing for the vocal synth community in my opinion. he's completely different from just a normal vocal synth and i think it's the coolest thing ever ... there's lots of things that could be done. he's kind of been forgotten about since his release and i wish that wasn't the case

Eleanor Forte:

Her voice is great of course but her design is also SO GOOD I love my fancy fountain pen girl

[karenperezsee]

While I’m not exactly a birder like my friend Yui, I was nevertheless looking forward to our trip to Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park.

As surprising as it may sound, both my home institution, Ateneo de Manila University, and the neighboring University of the Philippines-Diliman are actually recommended sites for amateur birders located just within the vicinity of the metropolis.

Bird walks are organized periodically in both institutions; in addition, one might be delighted to discover that the latter also offers bird watching as one of its many course choices (as many as 100+) for Physical Education.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)

Known for having one of the more beautiful campus grounds in the country with a lot area of 83 hectares, ADMU is home to 43 bird species as of 2011 count done by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP). Resident birds amount to 36, of which 30 are endemic while 7 are migratory.

📷

The terrain is elevated at some points owing to the original hilly landscape where the university now lies. As seen on the map, trees line the streets and the vegetation becomes more dense towards the eastern side of the campus that actually overlooks a valley. Being more forested and untamed, this area grew overtime to be the university’s unofficial wildlife sanctuary as well as the favorite spot of bird watchers. In fact, just last school year on the month of July, the university held its most recent batch of bird walks in celebration of the Ignatian Festival in honor of the school’s patron, St. Ignatius.

[caption id="attachment_89" align="aligncenter" width="526"]📷 The latest series of bird walks as sponsored by the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability[/caption]

[gallery ids="91,90,92" type="rectangular" link="file"]

Some of the birds seen in the campus include the following (for the name, just hover over the image):

[gallery ids="94,95,96,97,98,99,100,101" type="rectangular" link="file"]

University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD)

Meanwhile, with a staggering lot area of 493 hectares, UPD abounds with mini forests dotted around the campus. As of 2013, the university is home to 113 bird species, of which 109 are endemic, resident, and migratory while the remaining 4 are introduced and escapees.

📷

Knowing Yui, who’s a long-time avid birder, I know she would especially love it here as this open university town (think of it as like University of Tsukuba) is teeming with its own extensive wildlife set against one of the last remaining vestiges of the country’s urban forests. In addition, unlike in ADMU, bird watching can happen anywhere with birds spotted even around the busiest of areas such as the Main Library owing to the density of the forest ecosystem on campus.

Below, I have listed some of the birds verified by WBCP.

[gallery ids="113,114,115,116,117,118" type="rectangular" link="file"]

Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park

The park hosts 22 endemic bird species here in Japan, which is rather commendable considering that this is a reclaimed area.

Just last week, our class together with some friends from ANT461 (also under Professor Watanabe) went to the park after lunch and it was good knowing that the weather was clear and fair. From Yotsuya station, we took off for Ryutsu Center Station along the Tokyo Monorail line going to Haneda Airport. From there, the park is just a 15-minute walk.

While I know that Tokyo has its fair share of green patches, it still feels surreal as I am typing this right now to know that a bird sanctuary like this actually exists close by a busy airport. It’s a sharp contrast that leaves one in a dreamlike state upon entering the nature reserve, as if a switch had been turned on.

Some of the fauna that I could remember include:

[gallery ids="119,120,121,122,123,124,125,126,127,128,129,130" type="rectangular" link="file"]

Note: Pictures not mine. Close-up of the birds are not the actual shots.