#Sakuras on the panels behind them

[completeoveranalysis]

[1]

And here we are at xxxHolic Chapter 91!

As usual it’s completely gorgeous. I particularly enjoy the sakura blossoms in the cage that Himawari is holding as her and Watanuki both smile politely at the camera. Because that’s fascinating. 

Like, is that a stand in for memories of Yuuko, since those blossoms were falling when she disappeared? Are Himawari and Watanuki carefully guarding their memories of her existence as they wait for her return? 

Are they indicative of the fate of the Sakuras, who seem to constantly be trapped into circumstances beyond their control? Perhaps it’s a sign of the NEW Sakura who replaced Yuuko - the new person now residing in the cage that Yuuko once lived in? Trapped in a gap in reality and not able to exist in the same way as before?

Or is it a symbol of Watanuki? He’s the offspring of a Sakura - and the branch in the cage is an offshoot of a sakura tree - but cut off, and kept separate from the tree. He too is trapped in an inbetween place, not really able to leave the adjacent-to-reality places he exists in, but like the flowers on the tree branch he is thriving now all the same. 

And if you really want to dive a bit deeper than necessary you could say that the little loop on the top of the cage perfectly aligns with the overlapping fabric behind it, in a way that might be a slight callback to the yin-yang that is the shape of Watanuki's/Syaoran's soul? And having that adorn the cage that keeps sakura trapped within is a very fun idea to play with.

Shall we go DEEPER?

The darker fabric of Himawari's kimono has a pattern of repeated circles, and then one in he middle splits into two.

And the idea of "one becoming two" is at the heart of xxxHolic as a whole, both with Watanuki himself and also the Egg. And here, where the circle seems to split and the two separate halves go in different directions matches what happened with Lava Lamp and Watanuki.

At a stretch you could also apply that idea to the tassle that hangs off the bottom of the cage. Which has it's own meaning, but visually here it ALSO begins with a circle at the top before splitting into two identical but separate tassels below. Which is fun! Possibly reading too much into it? Absolutely! But I'm keeping it.

Either way, it’s interesting that none of the flower patterns here overlap with any real flowers, which has been the theme for quite a lot of the other chapter covers lately. The visible space of real and unreal overlapping is no longer present. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if it comes back.

[tentenarchive]

In Defense of Tenten - the Chunin Exams' Written Test and Her Mirrors

A common joke made about Tenten is how obvious her mirror and line contraption, used to share answers with Rock Lee during the written exam, is. In this post, I'll show how her solution is perfectly reasonable and why she wasn't disqualified by the ninja proctors.

Firstly, we have to stablish what the objective of this written test is: to cheat. The written test was designed to be too difficult for ninjas of their level to be able to answer, forcing them to cheat from each other. Such is stated by Ibiki in the end of the First Phase chapters:

Next, the proctors are all higher level shinobi, better prepared and used to seeing various tricks and jutsu. It's not an stretch to suppose they're aware of EVERY cheating attempt made by those Genin, but were responsible for judging if their technique is too sloppy, obvious or ineffective.

My theory is supported by this scene, where Izumo eliminates one of the ninjas doing the test, claiming he took "five strikes".

It implies the competitors are allowed five errors before being disqualified, and one of the eliminated Genin makes it clear to the reader the "five strikes" are five times being caught cheating.

Naruto is also implied to be caught almost cheating when Hinata offers him her test answers (it can be interpreted either as Naruto being closely watched or Naruto's nerves making him think like that, half the proctors' job is to scare the Genin) and even then he is not automatically removed.

Tenten's technique may be obvious for us, as readers who have been shown by the author himself how she did it, but it's a single and successful attempt, and it's not commentated by any other characters, meaning no one caught on her besides the proctors, and they would only disqualify her if she did it more than once (which wasn't needed, she found the mole with all the answers!).

A pettier criticism i've "how isn't anyone seeing the lines?" to which the answer is very simple: manga is a visual media and the author needed the audience to understand how she was manipulating the mirror. If you take in consideration Tenten's fight with Temari in the anime - which is filler, btw, and it's up to you reading this to decide if it's a fair assessment on their abilities or not - she's shown using invisible lines to manipulate her weapons after throwing them. The lines are, conveniently, only visible when the animation needs us to understand how the weapons are moving backwards. Any other frame they're invisible.

You can see in the panel how the lines fade out towards the bottom and only show where they're attached to the mirror.

Finally: that's exactly what Ibiki expected the genin to do. There have been a few posts, specially on twitter, asking "how are you supposed to pass if you don't have a kekken genkai??". Like Tenten. That's how.

Kankuro and Tenten are the only characters which Kishimoto showed us cheating that didn't use an exclusive DNA super power. Kankuro and Tenten both use hidden threads, one uses chakra lines for puppetry and the last manipulates mirrors. They also pass their answers to their teammates, Temari and Lee.

(Sakura is the only confirmed character to do the entire test without cheating. Congrats Sakura!! You could argue Hinata used her byakuugan to cheat like Neji, but if you think she did it by herself, I will give you the pleasure of congratulating Hinata too. Congrats Hinata!)

Tenten's method was practical, and used her specific skill set: summoning and kunai work (where do you think the mirrors came from? a scroll, that's for sure). It was probably set up before the test started, during the commotion Team 7 created with their arrival. We're not shown it because Tenten is a tertiary character and Kishimoto wouldn't invest 2-3 panels of set up for a 3 panel sequence pay-off that works by itself very well. She is smart, did great and made sure her teammate was not left behind.

Tenten is not even the most absurd method used in this exam, so, as a treat, i will show you, in order, the most obvious cheats shown in the manga from least to most!

Sasuke's Sharingan If you're a ninja from the Leaf Village, you know who Sasuke Uchiha is and what a Sharingan is capable of. Unfortunally for him, the Exam is being held at the Leaf Village and all the jounin and chuunin there are from the Village. Any proctor looking at his direction in a position in front of him could see clearly his eyes and know exactly what he was doing.

Neji's Byukuugan Like the Sharigan, you can physhically see when it's activated, with the downgrade of being noticible by people sitting at up to 95º from him, as the veins are visible on the sides of his face too. A fair trade for the ability to see better than the Sharingan, even if you're not able to copy, in my personal opinion.

Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu The jutsu's hand signal is simple and can be missed, but it's still obvious for any Konoha ninja watching, it is a very recognizable ability. There's also the higher chance of Ino being caught since she needs to do it three times (once for getting Sakura's answers, twice to pass them to Chouji and Shikamaru). Besides, the "dropping dead on the table" thing can be disruptive in a mostly silent classroom.

Akamaru and Kiba's communication Akamaru is barking all the way through the exam, and while the balloon used for the text is the one for thoughts, it's also the same used for whispered conversations up to this point in the manga. The anime makes the barks happen in the real world, and not in their thoughts, and as far as i could find, Kiba can understand dog language but there's no psychic talk between them. By the noise alone he could be caught. I think he wasn't expelled just because a full conversation between dog and human is a novel enough ability to not be considered by most ninjas unaware of the Inuzuka clan's special abilities.

The Most absurd one: Kakuro and his Puppet He put an entire guy no one knows and has never been seen in a room where all the authorities are from the same village and have, at least, a vague knowledge of each other's existence. To increase the absurdity, somehow everyone let Kankuro use his own puppet to guide himself to the bathroom. I cannot express enough how unlikely it is that, in a real info gathering mission inside a single room where all the higher rank ninjas are exclusively from the same village, Kakuro's plan could work. Most decent sensors could also catch the chakra line's signature.

I'll give it to him, making the puppet talk helps with the disguise, but it only fools his fellow attendees, not the proctors. He's too confident that he didn't raise any alarms.

But Ibiki goes as far as insinuating he knows (and has known from the start) about the puppet's existence when Kankuro comes back from the bathroom.

If Kankuro was able to finish the test and not get disqualified, even if he had what I consider the most obvious cheating attempt from the named characters shown, it's fair game for Tenten and all the other important cheaters. Besides, it's a single attempt at cheating, even if it required an entire prep work for it, so it doesn't matter if all the high level ninja's are aware, that's not enough to kick him out.

I cannot leave out the meta reasons why these characters weren't removed from the class: they're important to varying degrees to the story and they need to advance through the first phase to keep readers engaged.

Regardless of how absurd I think Kiba's and Kankuro's methods are, they need to go all the way to the fight tournament after the Forest of Death, where they have important roles to fill: Sasuke and Naruto are main characters and are prioritized by the narrative; Ino and Sakura will have an important character developments and flashbacks during their fight; Neji has an entire arc that only concludes all the way in his fight against Naruto; Kiba is the rival for Naruto in the surprise fighting tournament and he is one of the few characters able to match Naruto's silliness so he can win in a silly way; Kankuro and Tenten are both part of the two strongest cells present in the event, the Sand Siblings and Team Gai, both introduced as real threats to Team 7, and having anyone from these cells lose would undermine the narrative created around then. All of them would get through anyway.

Tenten losing against Temari in future parts of the Chuunin Exam has narrative importance too, a fight I will cover in the next In Defense of Tenten, but in short Tenten was introduced as a threat alongside Neji and Lee, her abilities and experience surpassing Team 7's. Having her lose against one the Sand Shinobi serves to show how big their gap in power is: if someone more experienced and well trained than them can't win against them, Team 7 has no chance. It's part of the build up for the future Naruto and Gaara fight, and the suspense about their real strength (since the fight doesn't exist in the manga, only the result is shown).

Conclusion: people are overly critical of Tenten because she's seen as a "lolcow" in the Naruto fandom, in part by the bad adaptation of her fight with Temari to the anime, which poisoned any feat of hers before and after it; but also because Naruto and Boruto don't give satisfying ends to any of the original female cast besides Hinata (she marries the man she loves and becomes a housewife away from the battlefield, an honorable decision i will never shit on, she never wanted to be a ninja and is a kind mother and wife, good for her!) so all female characters are seem as weak and useless when compared to their male peers. Naruto is a work riddled with undercover misogyny, never out right stated but always preventing the girls to achieve any meaningful resolution or permanent development.

That added to the ever expanding powerscalling abilities and fights make characters with simpler and down to earth abilities and feats outdated by its own universe. Knowing how big the Naruto fights and jutsu get in the future make people look down on crafty solutions like sealing scrolls, kunai and mirrors, when that is a perfectly respectable solution within the series and matches the powerlevel presented this early in the story.

Tenten is not weak, or bad, or useless. She's misrepresented by the most popular media consumed: the anime, and further misunderstood by the fans of said work. Large fandoms can be allergic to text interpretation and infighting is stimulated to the point fans of smaller characters are bullied off social media and forums (i.e. the forum where I got the list of all chapters Tenten is in is filled to the brim with comments about how OP should move the topic to "fan works" since no one would want to read about it in the canon work page, or how the mods shouldn't allow him to have a thread). I respect Tenten's feats, as well as other small characters', and refuse to be fed the same "uselessness" narrative this fandom always had, because i actually enjoy Naruto, even if i have many problems with it, and I take it seriously.

She did great.

[hermajestytak]

Everyone talks about Pilot!Dib vs Show!Dib, but Pilot!Zim doesn't get enough love for how unique he is

So after my bizarrely thorough pilot research, here's my points on what makes Pilot!Zim unique! (aside from his pretty sakura pink eyes)

Also note that a lot of this info comes from the original Show Bible; the Pilot itself shows a lot of characterization but can only show so much

Firstly, writing aside, we gotta talk about performance. Whether it's Richard Horvitz, Billy West, or the ORIGINAL Mark Hamill lines that Nick is keeping somewhere in their vault, Pilot Zim is more low-key and mellow than his finalized version. Like sure, he's still evil and hammy (in more of a "cringe angry little kid on the playground" sort of way) and he still screams, but it's NOTHING compared to the balls to the walls "HAVE YOU THE BRAIN-WORMS?!" madness that is Show!Zim. So this is the only continuity where Zim is way more sane than Dib tbh

Pilot Zim is really only shown on the defense in his episode; even in the fight scene, he only really uses his mech's shield and armor. The show bible describes scenarios where he's antagonistic and tries to actually ruin human lives (in a very pathetic way), but for the most part he's an observing alien spy trying to defend himself from Dib's torment. Hell, it's said in the show bible that he only ruined Operation Impending Doom 1 because his short ass couldn't see over the control panel. The most evil thing he does is snatch one child's brain nonchalantly. This is in contrast to Show Zim being a PURE MENACE.

He's a gamer! And an angry one at that. In main series, Zim's Computer claims that his base has no video games.

Pilot!Zim's got way less constitution than Show!Zim. The show bible REALLY emphasizes Zim's allergies being a major reacurring part of the show while in the final series they're just an occasional danger. Pilot!Zim's body also reacts to Earth allergens much more violently than Show!Zim's.

Pilot!Zim and Pilot!GIR feel simultaneously more positive yet more distant. They just meet up, Zim gives a command, GIR does the thing he's asked, and Zim walks off smiling. Sure, GIR is still said to get distracted behind Zim's back or straight up make up information in the Show Bible, but he doesn't piss off Zim like he does in the show. It really makes them feel more like coworkers than, dare I say it, family.

PILOT ZIM JUST STOPS TO COMPLIMENT DIB'S WORK BEFORE BATTLE?? AND LIKE...DOESN'T TWIST IT OR ANYTHING HE'S JUST "WOW THAT THING YOU MADE IS COOL! YOU MUST HAVE WORKED HARD ON IT :)))" LIKE WHATTTT??!?! I know I always bring this ONE brief interaction up when talking about the pilot but I can't emphasize enough how BIZARRE of a thing this is for Zim to do.

Building on last point, Pilot Zim is much, much more capable of positive interactions with humans. He still wants to conquer them because by God, that's his job, but he doesn't seem to hate them????!?!?!? Like he actually tries twice to sit with human kids only to weird them out, the whole...Dib compliment thing[?!] and in the original rough draft, he actually THANKS Gaz for taking him home?! Like he's having a normal conversation?!! This is really odd for him since in the show, his undying hatred for humans is one of the things Zim is loudest about and he specifically chooses to sit alone at lunch.

Pilot Zim doesn't have the insane ego levels of Show Zim! He still refuses to acknowledges his flaws, is enthusiastic and proud of himself and his mission, and is VERY eager to please his Tallest, but it's very minor compared to Show Zim CONSTANTLY boasting about how AMAZING he is because HE IS ZIIIM!!!!

Speaking of, Pilot Zim lacks a LOT of Show Zim's iconic mannerisms!!! You know, the iconic big evil laughs, the "EH?!"s, the constant use of his own name, the occasional referring to himself in third person, Zim repeating himself, Zim not listening to anyone, ALL of those qualities are just straight up absent in Pilot Zim. Part of this is the less quirky writing and part of this was Richard Horvitz not getting to add his ✨️spark✨️ to the character yet.

Instead of just Richard Horvitz doing a straight up scream like "AAAAAAHH" Pilot Zim screeches with more of a "EEE! EEE! EEEE!" when panicked (which I think is adorable)

So next time y'all feel like drawing your maniac Pilot Dibs or alternate Zims, try spicing up your art with some Pilot Zim! He's like show Zim except he remembered to take his meds and you can have a semi-normal conversation with him.

[bjorkshire-pudding]

Ok, I know y'all probably tired of me and my Windbreaker manga caps but I'm really not gonna shut up about it so I'm apologizing in advance because there WILL be more!

I just want to take a minute to appreciate this character development on both ends... like, these two only recently had a revelation of how well they can work together as a team, and that was such a huge step for both of them.

And now we have them both rushing to Umemiya, both wanting to get there as quickly as they can... and there's this series of panels where neither of them are leaving the other behind - if one is getting jumped, the other leaps in and knocks a few guys out so they can both keep going together.

But I love how the lead-up to this set of panels is Sugishita sort of reflecting on what Umemiya told him. Sakura is growing as a person, his world is expanding, and Ume wants Sugishita's world to expand, too. Sugishita is thinking about all this and weighing what the best course of action would be in this case. And because of his world expanding and his growth as a person, he decides the best course of action is to put aside what he wants and rely on Sakura.

And I just

[frozen-snowflakesandsunflowers]

D23: Frozen content breakdown | Breakdown/ Analysis

What a day it was yesterday! So much content we were flooded with and especially for us with the Frozen 3 and 4 update! I'm sure you all know the latest deets but I would like it to break it all down and guess what it could all mean. So be prepared to read a lot! ❄️

[long post alert]

Frozen III logo

A couple of hours before the Frozen panel had begun, we were given a first look of the logo for Frozen 3:

It features the four elements symbols and two snowflakes too for Elsa and Anna as the fifth spirit. The III had a purple - pink gradient to it and the background had a spring scenery south blossom/ sakura trees and mountains far behind. Some of us predicted before that Frozen 3 would be set in Spring given Frozen being in winter/ summer and Frozen 3 in Autumn.

However, some people didn't believe this logo was real. But after the panel, Josh Gad put it on his stories and as a post on Instagram, the announcements and reveals made at the panel.

This must mean that it's real. But a more accurate, rendered logo was also revealed at the Panel and that Gad had also shared in his post.

So my conclusion is that the first one is a working title, a concept of what it would be like when it's promoted. The second one is a mix of the first Frozen logo and the second movie's logo combined being more 3D but still with a frozen effect. This logo is the official used rendered one whilst the first one is just a concept based on the implied spring theme of the movie. Both are real.

Frozen questions left unanswered

When the Panel began we were given a flood of questions on the board that were the questions the fans had after Frozen 2, aka the questions that were left unanswered. Here they are:

Who gave Elsa her powers?

Why doesn't Anna have powers?

Was there a fifth spirit before?

What kind of Queen will Anna be?

Will Kristoff be a King?

Do they [Anna & Kristoff] want kids?

Where are Kristoff's parents?

How did Kristoff meet Sven?

How can Sven be so old and still so virile?

Why is Olaf alive?

What about Marshmallow and the snowgies?

Is it “Hoo Hoo” or “You Hoo”?

What are Elsa's powers still growing?

Why are their castle ruins throughout Ahotohallan?

Where do the nature spirits come from?

Do we still need to beware of the Frozen Heart?

Who is the Frozen Heart?

What happened to Hans?

These questions will most likely be answered in Frozen 3 and 4, as they are confirmed to be a two part film. These are actually really good and interesting questions we have that we do need to have answered. I actually want to try and analyse (and answer them for fun!) them because some people might feel some have already answered so why the need to answer them again?

Who gave Elsa her powers?

We already know that Ahotohallan is where her powers come from. That's the source along with the other four spirits. But they probably felt like they didn't make it clear enough. Some people before Frozen 2 had theorized that there was a Snow Queen who gave Iduna something that caused Elsa to have powers. Maybe there's more to Ahotohallan than we know.

Why doesn't Anna have powers?

This isn't addressed in the movie other than the fact that Elsa and Anna are both the fifth spirit and the bridge which has two sides. But why doesn't Anna, I believe that's because the fifth spirit's role is to create balance between the powerful and the powerless (in a literal magical form). The fifth spirit was never just one being I don't think. It was always two to have one with powers and one without and have the two form a deep unbreakable bond so that humans and magical entities would look at them and see that though different, they can get along and have peace amongst each other, and live in harmony. If both were magical it would defeat the objective of creating peace between the two different types of beings

Was there a fifth spirit before?

I think yes because in the Myth VR on Disney plus, it was revealed that there was a fifth spirit before Elsa and Anna but after it created harmony with the other spirits and humans, it disappeared creating disharmony in the forest and caused the spirits to rage. Then the other four spirits managed to calm down until they were raged again by King Runeard's war between Arendelle and Northuldra. Even if this isn't canon I still believe there was one. I think it's important to know because it could be important with the journey Elsa and Anna next go on.

What kind of Queen will Anna be?

Her own kind of Queen. She will continue to bring peace and joy to Arendelle while also supporting the Northuldra tribe as her statues unveiling had suggested. She won't try to be Elsa. She's not Elsa. She's Anna. She may be the fifth spirit But whether or not she realises that she'll help maintain peace between magic and humans will Elsa's support too.

Will Kristoff be a King?

If Anna does abdicate from the throne then yes. To be exact he would be a king Consort. At the end of Frozen 2 we saw Anna greet the public as Queen and unveil the statue of her parents and kids. That wasn't the coronation which is confirmed and this confirms it too as it asks will he be king? and not is he king? I loved Elsa as Queen but she probably felt that she couldn't take care of Arendelle as she had to restore and look after Northuldra/ the enchanted forest and felt Anna deserved it after she had scared her and Arendelle twice without a doubt.

Do they [Anna & Kristoff] want kids?

That's a question that none of us thought of? Do they want kids? I think they do but will find it hard to do if there's threats and danger around. Anna definitely would be a lovely mother and Kristoff and lovable dad. But I don't think we'll see them have kids so soon, at least not in the beginning of the movie, like we won't immediately be introduced to them I don't think.

Where are Kristoff's parents?

A question we've been asking since the first movie. All we know is that he grew up as an ice harvester. He seems to have grown up independently with Sven. I can't even guess the answer because I'll probably be wrong anyway.

How did Kristoff meet Sven?

Another question regarding Kristoff's backstory we've been longing to see. It's nice to see they're including Kristoff's backstory now. The first two movies were about the sisters backstory and development arcs (and 3 and 4 continue that) but now we can finally learn about Kristoff!

How can Sven be so old and still so virile?

No clue! I never noticed that actually. I never thought of why. I don't know much about reindeer so I didn't know that Sven was so old yet so virile. Perhaps when he was young he was injured and the trolls may have healed him giving him a longer youthful life. I'm certain the trolls have a role in this if it's magic related.

Why is Olaf alive?

Why not how!! Another really interesting question that I can answer. We all know how he is alive because we saw Elsa bring him back to life but why was he brought back? He's still an important part of the sister bond and individually he has much more in him than we have seen. Plus he's Olaf and we love Olaf!

What about Marshmallow and the snowgies?

I believe they all too, along with the ice castle and all other permanent creations of Elsa, got restored either automatically after Elsa's return or by hand when Elsa got the chance. They too are as iconic as Olaf is. I hope they return in Frozen 3. They're so lovable and cute - it would be a fun addition to the movie.

Is it “Hoo Hoo” or “You Hoo”?

I always thought it was... “Yoo Hoo” because that's what people say. Hoo Hoo is an owl's line lol and one says that.

What are Elsa's powers still growing?

Just as we grow individually sometimes in height, in character, in what we feel, powers are no different. They grow as we grow inside. And Jen Lee has previously said that her powers will reach a new height in Frozen 3.

Why are their castle ruins throughout Ahotohallan?

I think they are referring to Ahotohallan as a castle and inside and out it looks ruined. During Show Yourself Elsa has to lift things up and add things to get across to the place where the memories are held. I theorize that the previous fifth spirit may have done something to Ahotohallan or to its power and caused chaos that caused Ahotohallan to have ruins in it. Ahotohallan probably was the previous fifth spirit's castle and when it went rouge Ahotohallan may have been left abandoned and ruined.

Where do the nature spirits come from?

Ahotohallan is where their powers are from. But perhaps it's more complicated than that and it needs to be addressed for lore reasons. There's more to Ahotohallan than we know.

Do we still need to beware of the Frozen Heart?

Oooooh!! My favourite question along with the next two. Do we? We must be if it's even a question at this point?

Who is the Frozen Heart?

Who? Frozen Heart is a person?! It was literally Anna in Frozen but metaphorically it was Elsa. Maybe someone else will be the Frozen Heart. Hans? Kristoff? A new character/ being?

What happened to Hans?

A question we've needed answering since Frozen and one that Hans fans have been trying to answer. His backstory based on official and unofficial media is that he has 12 brothers but they all or at least most of them treat him poorly along with his dad because he's the last child and last in line to the throne. That means, they think Hans as unworthy and unless of anything. So why did the Queen and King have another child? Probably as an accident child or just because. I'm sure the Queen is loving. He was sent back at the end of Frozen to his home, the Southern Isles so they can deal with him themselves and they did. As punishment they made him do chores like sweep up horse poop as seen towards the end of Frozen Fever before Elsa's giant snowball accidentally yet subconsciously hit him causing his major injuries. The southern Isles didn't immediately know where the snowball came from. But what happened to him after that? In a poster in the new Frozen Park in Hong Kong, it is revealed that Elsa and Anna invited the Southern Isles among other kingdoms to celebrate a year since Anna sacrificed herself to the Elsa and the Kingdom.

Hans couldn't come because he was injured. But his return is almost certain in Frozen 3 with his rise in unofficial/ canon media. Will he return as a villain or a redeemed hero is to be determined. I don't think he should return as a villain. If he did he would have taken his revenge out during Frozen 2, as he would have been recovered by then. Seeing the concept art of Frozen 3, which I'm about to go onto, it looks like we'll see mythical beings and a world bigger than Ahotohallan. Hans wouldn't fit as a villain in the expanded world of magic because he doesn't seem to be interested in magic in that greed sense. I think he'll be redeemed and help them in their new quest. Perhaps he does have tied with magic in his ancestry as we know nothing about his family.

All these questions are ones that the team feel like they need to answer in the next two movies and I think that's good. Along with showing something new, we get answers from questions we've long waited for too. And I think it's a good strategy for them to tell us the questions we've been asking so that they can answer it in the movies. They're letting us know that they can hear us and want to fulfil our wishes while telling a new story. It's good communication in my opinion.

Frozen 3 concept art and new release date

Jennifer Lee also revealed the concept art of Frozen 3. I'm sure there must've been dozens of art but this one may have been the direction they're headed in.

We have a beautiful calm colour palette that reminds me of dawn/ dusk of spring. Trees are on either side, golden light beams from behind a mystical palace in the left centre. Flowers and leaves present hinting at a Spring setting. Anna's on a horse with Olaf and Elsa on the Nokk on the river both heading to the palace-like place. The scene is set at night as the aurora borealis/ northern lights can be seen arising from the castle. Perhaps this castle has some connection to the northern lights. In the Lego Northern lights series, the trolls crystals are the ones to cause the northern lights or have a connection to them. I don't think the Lego series is canon but I do wonder if the trolls will have a role in this too.

Elsa and Anna are in their Frozen 2 attires, Anna in her travel one and Elsa in her fifth spirit one but with boots (for practical reasons). That doesn't mean that's their final look. Frozen 2's early concept art had Elsa and Anna in their Frozen looks. Olaf looks worried as he points to something off scene.

Just below the direction in which he points, in the river, lies a shadowy creature. It could be that that's the shadow of the creature Olaf points to. The creature appears to have horns and hold a staff/ spear with a sharp end.

Just below the palace-like place is a land. I was going to say Ahtohallan but the silhouettes are different.

So it seems like this place is unknown. If they went North in Frozen 2, perhaps Thai time they're going south, which is why Hans could appear. But that's just a guess.

During the panel it is also revealed that the release date is November 2027 having it moved back by a year from its original 2026 release date. 2027 seems quite far away just when we felt we were getting closer to Frozen 3 but we'll just have to be patient and hope we get some other Frozen content released meanwhile.

Frozen: Winter Festival short form series?

That's everything that was revealed regarding Frozen 3, but no word on the series that was revealed by dolls and their descriptions. I believe since the movie got delayed by a year, probably to spend more time developing the two part movies (which is a good thing so we avoid the mistakes caused by rush in production for Frozen 2), the short form series will be delayed by a year. That would mean the announcement could be closer to time in next year's D23. That or they wanted to announce the series later. The dolls are to be released in September and the series is said to be released this fall. That is of course unless they have delayed it by a year but we'll have to wait and see if anything gets said before September otherwise consider it delayed by a year (😭).

And that's all the information given to us for now. Frozen 3 looks so good and promising - the vibe of spring with a deeper fantasy element is making me extremely excited! New places, new seasons, new characters, expanded lore, possible character returns, new looks and more!! Can't wait!! And yeah though my patience is sad that Frozen 3 had been delayed by a year, I'm glad because it means they can spend more time on the movie, to develop it properly and not repeat the same mistake they made with Frozen 2 with no good planning and a rushed development to the run up of the movie.

And the Frozen: Winter Festival I'm also excited for. I think Frozen needs a canon series in its franchise.

The future looks big and bright for the franchise! ❄️

Any new info or details I have not mentioned please let me know! Any questions for me please feel free to drop them in the "Ask" box

[maoam]

“whenever I see these gay clips of naruto, it is/was so popular too like how did the fans NOT see the gay subtext”

Many fans did though. Many men were complaining during part 2 manga on how Kishi made Naruto act too gay/thirsty for Sasuke. Currently KingChris makes funny anime shorts, including ones making fun of Sakura and Hinata marrying Sasuke and Naruto despite the fact the latters are attracted to each other and not them. They get millions of likes, and the comments are full of fans going “yeah this is the whole show”. There’s the Real Housewives of Konoha series where Sakura gets trolled all the time for marrying a gay man, and for being satisfied with a stupid poke, and there’s plenty of implications of Naruto and Sasuke having an affair behind their wives backs. One anime reviewer said when chapter 698 dropped he got angry messages in all of his social media from people saying they are sick of Kishimoto pushing gay agenda on them. There are countless memes about the gayness like this from user shikqmaru from instagram:

Only ss/nh/other people in denial deny it. They will go “there’s no proof that they are gay”, “they are brothers”, “Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other in that one panel, that means they are in love”, “Naruto was nice to Hinata couple times, that means he always loved her”, “Naruto and Sasuke being in love with each other is the most delusional thing ever”, “this is shonen, gay characters don’t exist in shonen except as jokes”. And so on and so on.

And yet, ss/nh can’t shake off the gay allegiations... it bothers many of them, maybe not the popular tumblr bloggers who only stay in their own echo chamber where they go “Sasuke poking Sakura’s head means she’s more important to him than Naruto!” while possibly not even being aware millions of people are laughing at Sakura for wasting her life being married to a disinterested man who loves another man and not her.

[tossawary]

Looking up some things has turned into reading the last 100 or so chapters of the "Naruto" manga for fun, because why not. Some random assorted notes so far (as of finishing Chapter 661):

This end fight is so fucking long, there are so many characters, and the pacing is bordering on excruciating. There's some stuff happening here that's delicious, but there's a lot of messy back and forth of the narrative focus that I personally am not fully vibing with. I cannot imagine trying to follow this split story weekly. This is common enough to a lot of big shounen mangas.

I generally like the basic artstyle here (the use of white and black especially), but the quality of page composition, panel composition, and scene clarity generally is obviously suffering heavily from these chapters being pushed out too quickly. I can barely tell some characters apart and some panels are just messes of lines. This is also common enough among mangas, so eh, it's also whatever.

It's kind of funny to me how Hashirama and Tobirama and Minato suddenly become major characters for like a solid 30 chapters or so. Like, yeah, I can see why Founders Era fic is popular. The flashback chapters themselves are pretty short, but Madara is one of the main villains in this fight, and the undead Senju brothers are suddenly here to kick ass on a level apparently far beyond most other characters. The grudges and betrayal here are delicious. These are also the people who founded Konoha itself, the main location of the manga for hundreds of chapters now, honestly not that many generations ago. It also helps that the Founders feel like they have nicely complete tragic arcs and lives to work with, instead of the relatively open-ended narrative mess that the main Naruto characters live in.

Also, Hashirama can definitely act the idiot and I think some of his choices / opinions are stupid as hell, but he's obviously a very clever and observant and ruthless person. Tobirama went on to become Hokage after his brother and will not hesitate to forcefully give his opinions, but it's also clear in some scenes that Hashirama is still the one in charge between them. Tobirama seems to fairly naturally fall into a very useful support role to whoever he's fighting with, including Minato and Naruto.

I like both Minato and Tobirama because I have a weakness for characters who engage with their magic systems to make new things. Minato improved on the Flying Thunder God technique and Orochimaru improved on the Edo Tensai technique, but Tobirama invented BOTH of those things? PLUS Shadow Clones??? All of which are basically carrying a significant part of the battle right now? Like, damn, Hashirama has his Mokuton, and Tobirama was stubbornly like, "Not being left behind. Fuck you."

So, yeah, the "Hashirama versus Madara", "Tobirama versus Madara", "Minato (plus Naruto & Tobirama) versus Obito", and "Kakashi versus Obito" are probably my favorite parts of this. Not knocking on Naruto or Sasuke or the large background mob of characters here, but they just do not have the same personal, ugly, emotional history in this fight, so I don't really care as much.

Ino can forcibly link hundreds of unknown minds together so Shikamaru can broadcast battle plans??? Holy shit??? The vibe I'm getting is that she was using the link apparently created by Naruto's chakra to do this, but still. Both Ino and Sakura have the potential to be incredibly OP badass characters and they are generally just... Not Allowed to take the spotlight here.

Shikamaru had this big dramatic chapter about surviving to become Naruto's future advisor someday, and I had to repress the urge to holler, "Gaaaaay!" at the screen. I do love the inherent homoeroticism of a right-hand man. (Also, *waves a hand vaguely* Gaara's whole everything.)

To be honest, though, I'm not even sure what Sasuke has spent the past fifty chapters doing. He's there! He sure is there! I think he just got stabbed, so now he gets to be emotional motivation for Naruto again. As far as I understand it, not being sure what Sasuke is actually doing sums up basically everything he does in the manga. There are too many characters here.

On that note, the vibe I'm getting from Orochimaru is that he's also mostly just here to spectate. Like, yeah, I know. Characters like Orochimaru and Sakura and Tsunade are keeping everyone alive with their bare fucking hands right now, but also, give Orochimaru some opera glasses and an alcoholic beverage and it wouldn't feel that out of place.

I'll probably have more to add at some point, but these are the (not that serious) notes off the top of my head.

[thornswoggled]

yori is fumiki and heres why: my manifesto

or: wait, we werent all on the same page about this?

i should have written this when i first read chapter 98, but im only getting around to it now. this is less me trying to convince you, the reader, and more hoarding all my collected thoughts on why yori is absolutely fumiki, if its a red herring its a silly one, and if he isnt or if its left ambiguous forever i will eat crow. here we go:

before i start let me say most of my evidence is the way yamazaki frames him visually rather than solid "proof." comics are an artform, theres a reason things get framed the way they do, and her artistic choices in ch 98 (i feel) are meant to serve as a big blinking neon light that says "you should be feeling this way about xyz right now"

iic, there were rumblings of "the young auditor" being fumiki as far back as his introduction in ch 51 due to to his unique ability:

which is essentially a refined version of fumikis innate ability to keep fae away. we know yori is part of a "family business," and it seems appropriate that with the proper training, he would be able to freeze fae in their tracks rather than simply ward them off

unfortunately this is where "evidence" ends and "vibes" begin

chapter 51 didnt get adapted into what was otherwise a pretty faithful adaptation in season 2, and i understand why - theres a lot going on, and this chapter is fairly out of left field. but theres one other quip that got left out of season 2:

this is a one-off thought that wouldnt have been difficult to include in the anime. imo, i believe this line from ch 62 didnt get animated because we hadnt met fumiki yet like we did in the manga. now, onto more recent chapters... (under a read more because this is going to get pretty long)

chise and yoris first meeting is framed in a very purposeful way. in chapter 98, elias is preoccupied with ousting all the outsiders so that he and chise can be alone, stuck on the idea that "christmas is for family only:"

and three pages later, who do we meet?

im really struck by the way chise and yori are drawn together here. personally, i dont read this as "chise is meeting a new unimportant side character," this is "the strings of fate have pulled us miraculously back together again"

waiter! waiter! can i get an order of drifting sakura petals and sparkles with this panel? am i waxing poetic here or do you see it? the way theres no background drawn here, no other characters, even in later pages when we know elias is standing right behind chise, he doesnt get included in frame so that its just the two of them:

while im at it, can we appreciate how theyre wearing the same outfit? black pants and a hip-length dark coat/sweater with oversized pockets, a collar, and six left-sided buttons. yoris dark gloves also evoke chises cursed arm here but i dont want to risk looking like a maniac any more than i already do. i mean... dude, look at them, theyre matching

speaking of matching, lets pop back to 51 for a sec

both yori and chise have canine familiars! actually, it looks like yori might have multiple - look at all those pokeballs i mean bamboo tubes in his coat. if my memory serves, we didnt know yori was japanese at this point, but everyone assumed so because of the appearance of this familiar... which was another log on the "this might be fumiki" fire

fun fact: this little dude is almost certainly a kuda-kitsune, which were said to be kept in tubes and summoned by a soothsayer, who could use it to perform curses, or tell the past and future

and the drama with which we find out his "name":

"i bet you were expecting me to say fumiki, huh. good luck im not giving you that this early you have to work for it." as far as aliases go, "ri" could be derived from "hatori," but neither of the kanji in "fumiki" can be read as "yo," so its probably just random

after yori leaves, we get another repetition of "christmas is for family," which at this point feels like yamazaki is leading us to water and dunking our head in it:

i think its awfully convenient that ruth was absent for chises exchange with yori. do you think he would have been able to smell that theyre related? or whiffed the kuda-kitsune in his coat?

right after this, too, we get this line from elias which i have been thinking about a lot:

theres a few different ways this could be read, so im not married to any one interpretation, but it could be foreshadowing "if chise decides to pursue a relationship with her estranged family, what will i do then?" as gabriella would say, "i hate to be a third wheel"

given what we have seen of yoris aloof personality, i have to imagine there will be drama if/when the reveal is made. sadly i can picture him actually pushing chise away if she tries to reestablish a relationship with him

now! that is pretty much where my thoughts end, but i do want to share questions/doubts i have:

if yori read all of simons reports to determine he was an unfit observer, there is no way he doesnt know chises full name. i wonder whether he had any reaction to it? he may assume that its just a coincidence. i briefly wondered if the hatori name was an invention by yuuki, until i remembered that the family chise stays with in the OVA also has the same name. unless yuuki was adopted by another family like seth...? dont mind me, im going pepe silvia mode over here

have i mentioned i talked about yuuki before in another theory post? take it with a grain of salt, i already got proven wrong on one front now that jasper has been introduced

will yuuki be reintroduced if fumiki is? i desperately want chise to get that closure, but this scene from ch 42 has a sense of finality to it, a sort of "you will never get to resolve things with your father or see his side of things" stank:

... actually, now that ive mentioned the kuda-kitsune, can we look at this thing again?

another word for the kuda-kitsune is "izuna," which is read in modern japanese as "weasel." could the critter whos watching yuuki here come from the same place as yoris familiars? yuuki leaves his family immediately after this - getting summoned maybe?

okay, okay, let me stop myself here before i start looking like im ranting and raving. can we talk about the mail, please, mac? ive been dying to talk about the mail with you all day, ok? "pepe silvia," this name keeps coming up over and over again. every day pepe's mail is getting sent back to me. pepe silvia! pepe silvia! i look in the mail, and this whole box is pepe silvia!

if youre a fence-sitter, what are your thoughts? do you think we just dont have enough evidence yet? inquiring minds want to know

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

一生愛の人生よ! isshō ai no jinsei yo ! Love of a lifetime! This is what was pasted on her mirror. Instead of working together with Naruto and Sasuke to chase & find those scrolls… she is taking such care of her hair in the forest of death for sasuke-kun.

Kin tsuchi is mocking her by saying... "Your hair's shinier than mine... If you have time to take care of your hair, you should practice , you female swine! "

"KILL THAT SASUKE GUY IN FRONT... OF THIS BOY CHASER'S EYES"

(Sakura called 'Ino' a pig.... and now Kin called her a pig. Most of the time when she insults others it will backfire on her the next time)

This is what sasuke said to her before... "If you have time to bother me, Practice a Jutsu or Two"

Kishimoto tries to point out that instead of doing useless things to chase after a boy...try to improve your own skills. And when you promise you will do something, do it. Be a person of your word rather than being "all talk and no action."

Sasuke told Naruto the same thing to become stronger than him. What did he do? Did Naruto do nothing and just think about it and leave it there?NO. It's his honest desire to be as strong and equal as Sasuke. He trains hard and never tries to run away from it, finally getting his wish and attention from Sasuke by declaring 'I want to fight you too (Naruto)'.

The same phrase [ love of a lifetime] appeared on the wall of her room this time. But What is she doing now... holding the photograph of team 7 and crying.

Both of them are thinking of the same person 'Sasuke'.... but when it comes to Sakura's panel there is no hope.

Naruto was training here to become stronger (for Sasuke) and he was wishing for Sasuke on a shooting star. Even though he was exhausted from training… his thoughts of Sasuke made him not to waste time and went back to training.

"Sasuke is what makes him so determinated"

There are no secrets, there is no lack of trust. Indeed you trust your precious person with your mind, body, spirit and soul. You only want what's best for that important person. And you support and try to understand that person. Even if it means giving your life you will willingly and happily give it to your 'precious person'. You will not let them suffer alone, take their burden on your shoulders and show them that you will always be there for your precious person. You will always be with that 'person' in death and afterlife. You won't let them feel alone. You acknowledge their pain and difficulties. You do things to make the person feel loved and supported. you take the time to listen and understand. You give all that you can and do the best for the other person. You stand by them and support them when no one else does. You love the person because you do it without expecting anything in return. You try to be more open, communicative, and honest. You do whatever it is to show how much you value the other person. You choose to put your needs your dreams behind you because that person is more important than anything else. Instead of thinking just for yourself and your needs, you consider that person as well. Loving a person selflessly means accepting the person for who they are and who they will be. Loving selflessly is respecting that person. That's what Naruto does for Sasuke. Because his love towards Sasuke is selfless.

What did Sakura do for Sasuke:

She didn't do anything... even if she says she loves Sasuke but for that love she never did anything... she never tried to understand Sasuke... She never trusted him completely…. She dont even trust the boy she was addicted with.... And She always put herself first...

I don't care about your revenge... but I want to be with you

I don't care about your well being... but I want to be with you

I don't care if you don't reciprocate my love....but I want to be with you

It's all about herself only, not even concerned about the other person's feelings and emotions. She only care about what she wants. She overly concerned with her own desires, needs, and interests. she puts her own thoughts and feelings above other people’s. Even though she knew Sasuke didn't give a damn about her, she kept crying and screaming for his attention. Emotional blackmailing just to achieve what she want. she take all the opportunity to go on and on about her selfish love without acknowledging her own concerns about the other. She know that the person they're chasing doesn't love them, and never will.

"Her pursuing a selfish love is pretty realistic"

She's so selfish that she refuses to accept the reality, truth and facts. Her love for Sasuke is selfish and she is a selfish girl. She even broke her friendship with Ino because of that. Ino befriends her and helps her in her struggles when no one else cares, but Sakura throws away her friendship for a boy. She has never changed, and she is never going to change that aspect of her character. She's still in her delusional mind, even when signs point and hint that what she's after is never going to happen

Why does she love him? You need a reason to love someone... but she doesn't have any.

[thelunarfairy]

The Symbolism Behind the Camellia

You've certainly seen these flowers, haven't you?

Yes, they are everywhere, so I did a little research into their meaning, and yes, there are several. So I chose to talk about the meanings that are most repeated, not only in the West, but in the East as well.

Before we start talking about meanings, let's talk about the types of camellia, in fact, the colors. These are: red, pink, white, purple and yellow.

Let's remember when these flowers tend to appear more frequently

Hanako and Yashiro

Hanako and Tsukasa

Okay, but what difference does it make?

Let me tell you the meaning of flowers and their colors

White Camellia Flower Meaning – The white camellia flower symbolizes adoration and admiration.

Red Camellia Flower Meaning - Red camellia flowers symbolize true love, passion and empathy.

Pink camellia flower meaning – The pink camellia flower symbolizes love for someone and also the feeling of missing them.

Purple Camellia Flower Meaning – Purple camellia flowers symbolize love, devotion and admiration for loved ones.

Yellow Camellia Flower Meaning – The yellow color of the camellia symbolizes care, passion and love.

Among these three, the flowers that appear most frequently are red, true love, passion and empathy. If we consider that it is related to Hanako and Yashiro, this does not surprise us, but it is also related to the twins.

The red flowers weren't the only ones that appeared between the two.

On Tsukasa's side we see purple, pink and white flowers, they seem to have more "healthy" meanings for common brothers, while on Hanako's side, there are still red flowers, love and passion, there are also white ones, that is, there is something mutual between them.

Followed by this, we have cherry blossoms (Sakura), which means beauty, femininity, love, happiness, renewal and hope. They are also associated with Tsukasa, as if to mention that he is "feminine or fragile"

The flower also means renewal and rebirth, which would also fit well with Tsukasa.

In fact, it's very interesting that the twins' panels and Sumire's panels with Hakubo are in parallel. The owners of the yorishiros looking at them from above, and the yorishiros looking at them from below, while there are cherry blossoms representing their fragility, femininity, the power of renewal and rebirth, as mentioned before.

Regarding the "happiness and hope" part, it's difficult to associate with Tsukasa and Sumire, because there is no more happiness in them, if there ever was, and about hope, I don't need to go on and on to say that they both no longer have it. no hope about anything, not just them, but Hanako too.

It's very interesting how Aidairo likes symbolism, and how well they fit into the general context. Flowers represent a very important part of how the characters feel, of course none of this is certainty, but speculation is important to try to understand them better.

[thebrookesnook]

Hmm, I'm surprisingly calmer this chapter (it's the stress i'm telling ya) and so much yapping to be done for EndoChika istg. I'm sorry for sidelining our savior Ume for the nth time, I'll make it up to you king i swear 😭🙏.

My thoughts on Chapter 152 of Wind Breaker so spoilers ahead!

First, the title ("Symbols") is so very fitting let me tell ya.

Secondly, idk why but Sakura being worried for Umemiya is so heart warming 🥹. My son, oh my, have you have grown so much 🥹😭🤧. I hope he gets to do the "babe this isnt you" that other people have said about in previous chapters, but like in the funniest way possible.

Thirdly, this panel of Ume is insane!! LIKE THE EYEE, THIS IS BOFURIN'S LEADER Y'ALL. BEAT HIM UP UME!!

Fourthly, Endo and Takiishi tattoo lore drop??? Not me thinking that tattoo on Endo's left deltoid m. was exclusively for himself then Takiishi takes of his jacket only to reveal the same tattoo as well!?

AND THEN PROCEEDS TO LORE DROP THAT HE DREW THE TATTOO HIMSELF??? Moreover, TAKIISHI AGREED?? these two make me sick (/affectionate)

(TAKIISHI LOOKS SO TINY HELP WHAT-)

AND OF COURSE HE TOOK GREAT CARE IN FINDING SMTHING THAT FITS TAKIISHI SO WELL.

I made a visual for comparison:

(Btw, the "kuzushi" is actually a JP martial arts term for unbalancing an opponent + there's a story behind the Kunikuzushi: to briefly sum it up, a military commander from the Sengoku Period by the name of Ōtomo Sōrin had obtained an ichibiya likely imported from Portuguese Goa, India and used it for battle in other countries hence its name Kunikuzushi.)

-

Man's so gay he literally made a soulmark tattoo for his boo. Even Sakura could see it.

Endo lowkey be fantasizing an period dramas in his head with Takiishi and I can respect that.

Him also being jealous of Umemiya that he's the center of Takiishi's thoughts is so hwkwkfksl. Ume would very much like to not be Takiishi's center of attention and can you please get your boyfriend back, please and thank you. This guy I swear, I'm embarrased for you and all your boy failure. Keep doing you hun.

Lastly, this chapter has made Endo more & more relatable and I don't know how I feel about that so I made memes about it:

He's part of the art community my guys. (Not surprising considering he is a prodigy).

Thank you again Nii-sensei for the chapter and to Jacqueline Fung for the official translation 🙏 Please go and support them via the official international release in Kodansha.

(P.S. I've decided to move my wbk content on a new blog specifically for wbk. That also means new chapter rants will be there to for the forseeable future. So if you wanna check that out, come visit me @transient-winds )

[leportraitducadavre]

I commented this on another person's post and realized, not before someone pointed it out, it wasn't the place to do so; however, I've decided since I can't seem to finish the long posts I'm currently (still) working on, I could transform this addition into a post of its own, so here:

These panels right here showcase the brilliance in Kishimoto's writing through Naruto's statement (characterization-wise) and the overall structure in which it's sustained.

Sasuke, and every Uchiha before him, has always been seen as a tool. The most obvious way to pinpoint this is how the most relevant thing people highlight of each clan member is their Sharingan (or lack of it, as those who don't possess it, are seen as "lesser members" of the clan also) and how it’s treated throughout the manga; how the very possession of such element negates every sort of oppression or discrimination (they can’t be discriminated if they’re reverberated and feared, the politics constructed around their doujutsu are specifically designed to exploit and contain such power, as those in power are doing it for the��and "their" greater good). But such conduct it’s also shown through how the people perceived as good that move around Sasuke interacts with him:

Naruto doesn’t want to kill Sasuke, because he wants the “help” that he provides, or is about to provide, to be rewarded. He wants Sasuke to acknowledge him.

Sakura can’t kill Sasuke, because she wants her love to be reciprocated, she wants him to care for her, and to be prioritized.

Kakashi is incapable, but is willing, to kill Sasuke; because his existence is a testament to his failure as a teacher.

They have different methods to demand it: Naruto uses violence to impose his worldview. Sakura begs and Kakashi emotionally manipulates (or attempts to), but they all want Sasuke to live by them and their rules, their worldview.

Sasuke returned after Naruto won yet Sakura still pursued him romantically because the only one that managed to obtain his goal was Naruto (and Kakashi, who restores his honor), as he ended up “saving Sasuke”, therefore, was acknowledged by his rival; however, Sakura’s goal wasn’t “saving Sasuke from darkness” (as she very gladly tried to leave Konoha alongside him, yet he refused), she wanted his romantical reciprocation, which is what he had to give in order for her to finally return to the village and leave him to travel alone as he wanted.

And why do I say Naruto’s speech it’s brilliant, character-wise? Because by acknowledging their true motifs and their overall characterization we can achieve a very plausible conclusion: All of them, but specifically Sakura and Naruto, are incredibly simplistic. No, really. They aren’t anywhere near smart enough to comprehend Sasuke’s turmoil and the complexity behind it, so they oversimplify it to levels they can comprehend.

Both Naruto and Sakura feel lonely without Sasuke, and because that’s their primary pain throughout the manga, Sasuke being lonely must be equally painful for him as it is for them. The world around them is incredibly complex and it is embedded in convoluted political issues that entail immense exploratory work to dismantle. The only way someone can be “happy” inside such a system is by reducing everything to its most basic structures: Black/white, good/bad, happy/sad, and light/darkness. Naruto simplifying Sasuke’s core to “being lonely” is very in character for him, as that’s not only Naruto’s own core (which he uses to project onto others) but also is the only way he can explain to others and himself why Sasuke needs “his help”. 

Kishimoto’s tool to dispute Naruto’s perspective and actions inside the narrative is presenting counterarguments through the antagonists of the show; which is why there’s a dichotomy between Sasuke and Naruto’s characterizations. 

The characters and their speeches/actions are the author’s way to either validate or invalidate, argue in favor or dispute both the narrative's and the protagonist’s stances on the issues he faces (as we can’t really separate the author’s intentions from the whole world he creates); this is not to say that Kishimoto’s writing is without flaws, as he does allow the narrative to swallow the antagonists’ ideals by destroying the characteristics that he gave them.

Kishimoto’s writing fails at the end of each arc, as he realizes that he’s written himself into a corner. Naruto is a Shönen that, as a specific type of manga, follows simple rules: the “good guy” should always win, however, Kishimoto allowed that “goodness” of the main character to be questioned by those that stood up against him, but he did end up gifting Naruto a win without allowing him any introspection, as he never truly gave Naruto enough depth to perform it. 

[exstasyplague]

UnPopular Jujutsu Kaisen Opinions (with arguments)

manga spoilers

☆ Yuji is the perfect MC

i've seen a lot of people trashing on him. some say gege writes him poorly and doesn't give him enough scenes, some say he's boring because he doesn't have any fancy cursed techniques. first of all, yuji has been aware of the jujutsu world for 6 months in manga; even less in anime. he doesn't have any OP cliche to him (looking at you Ichigo) and that makes him so much more enjoyable! when he loses he loses for good reasons and when he wins you can feel genuinely happy for him because you know he deserves it. he is a teenager and the shift in his mentalities embodies that perfectly; along with him we discover the cruelty and unfairness of the jujutsu world. at first, especially if you're a shonen watcher, you'd tend to believe he will shift to a high white knight borderline annoying mentality yet he doesn't, the jjk verse doesn't work like that. yuji is able to adapt. he has traits that you'd see in your real life friends: silliness, kindness, idiocy, love for jennifer lawrence etc but also traits that make him a perfect mc: empathy, resiliance, convinction, raw anger. + gege have him some of the HARDEST panels.

ㅡif it's just pain... Yuji Itadori won't ever stop

also. his last battle with mahito. hands down. best. panels.

mahito (another well structured villain) RUNNING for his life while yuji walks slowly behind him. if that doesn't show major improvement from the kid he was at the beginning idk what does. that's some MC shit right there man.

☆ Sukuna is not a fraud

the fraudkuna memes are funny. i admit. i'm sure mahoraga kisses him goodnight and tucks his blankey, however, sukuna is a fucking piece of shit, LOL (i mean it in the best way), my man literally became curse. people expect him to not use the weapons he has to his advantage as if he didn't want megumi from the beginning specifically for using his abilities. a good gun doesn't make you a military tier shooter. it's about the resources, it's about the experience, it's about the aim. "why doesn't he use his curse technique wah wah" — because he knows gojo is strong. unless he isn't absolutely sure he will strip him away from all his gimmicks, he has no reason to flaunt his true powers. sukuna wants to win. he wanted to kill gojo since the beginning of the series. i think the fight is balanced well, sukuna uses his resources and takes the consequences for being a tad too cautious. in the heian era when cursed energy had a purer, rawer output even domain expansions were simple in principles: you're in, i kill you. (line from the manga, btw) his CT is probably straightforward as well with a simple principle so having gojo use his infinity against it and figure out how to strip him naked would make him lose faster than todo called yuji his bestie.

☆ Gege doesn't hate women

because the unfortunate thing with nobara and yuki getting xd-d by kenjaku, a popular belief seems to be that gege is fond of trashing the women in his series. argument people have for that? "the only one in the spotlight is maki and she's female toji". first of all, if gege hated women he wouldn't write them as he does— each one of his lady characters is incredibly well structured and way beyond the love interest/ gotta be protected trope. mei mei, shoko, utahime, miwa and many others became non-existent, or what? even tengen is a woman. masashi kishimoto (the creator of naruto) is an author i'd say has 0 regards for women since the way most of his girl characters are built is literal dog shit. sakura is naruto's one sided love and a sasuke dickrider, hinata is a stalker that sharts when she sees naruto, karin is a sasuke dickrider, kurenai is asuma's chick and the only two women somewhat ok as a structure are tsunde and temari. (i am a big fan of the naruto series but i am spitting facts, also an avid sakura lover) plus there is a rumour that gege is a woman too and from the way sato sugu is written i'd agree anw

☆ Kenjaku is the best villain of the series

homie got railed by itadori's papi just for his plan, that's not even aizen level of plotting bro. he got drizzled in jizz and gave birth to yuji 💀

how good that d had to be for him to get impregnated....

ANYWAY jokes aside, he is very calculated and chill. he is not the strongest but his literal essence is to be a technique stealing leech and well, he's just that. with suguru, even in his villain arc you can empathize. sukuna is cool and straightforward: he wants to massacre people, kill gojo and then enjoy his life slashing random ass people who don't kneel is total submission.

kenjaku? bro, kenjaku has plans over plans and he executes all of them. even in geto's sexy body he still gets hated because there is genuinely nothing likeable about him. not because he's a poorly written character, he's written to be a piece of shit that makes you wanna break the screen when he gets a W and idk about y'all but even when he exorcised mahito i was like "aw hell nah bruh, get your hands off asap". may come as a shock, i know but we're like supposed to hate villains (not me being the biggest sukuna simp even in his crusty dusty OG form🤭) and well, nobody fucking roots for kenjaku. so gojo, go take your boyfriend's body or something fr.

☆ Yuta is.... mid

hear me out.

i don't hate him— not in the slightest. i hope he will actually have something going on with maki since apparently nobara is afk. i liked his entire rika situation but... bro.

yes, i will be going into the power system 😭I'M SORRY BUT like all he does is copy shit. wow. sure, he's a good copycat. i am not complaining about him being called so powerful and wtv but i don't find anything exciting about his battles and his personality is dead ass boring. do i get happy when he wins? yes. do i hope he'll come and save goatjo? yes. yes. yes. but people call him the real MC and all that shit... not even that— i... nothing in me likes him. my opinions are not absolute. his story is cool. i liked jjk 0 but the only thing that ruins his story is literally his lack of perosnality. and don't come at me for not grasping his depths or whatever. yuta is best fanfic y/n material because he can be turned into bashful stereotype really easily. "omg, best friend power, precious friends made me wanna live ❤️" very sweet HOWEVER very untouching for me. i only liked him when he made maki go all blushy because my girl deserves happiness.

☆ Toji actually cares about Megumi

is he the good father that would spoil his kid as a ray of sunshine?

no.

but he chose this. to forget about everything, to abandon his pride, to part himself away from the clan that rejected him and live his life on his own. megumi's mom made shit better for him and she died so his life became shit again. he thought that by entrusting megumi to the zenin clan he would actually be able to make something of himself since he had cursed energy.

also, people tend to forget just how conservative and judgemental the 3 big clans are, maki and mai have been shat on their whole life by the zenins, especially maki. toji went through the same shit if not worse. he wasn't always buff max version of himself, he wasn't born with anything. exactly because he gave up on all the things in his life he was able to reach that type of power and live with some purpose since he failed in everything else.

in the manga he has the option of coming back to life as long as he keeps killing sorcerers, which is his speciality, but he meets megumi, recognises him and kills himself in order to not hurt him. be fr. anciet sorcerers sold their booty holes to kenjaku to get a second chance at life.

ANYWAY. SADLY i can't post Toji memes since i reached my pic limits.

let me know what you think:) i may make a part 2. feel free to also ask for my opinions about anything in the verse, lol. if you wanna see my fics check my ao3, i promise i don't write in the same braindead way i type. <33

[comikadraws]

does sakuras (rather unhealthy) fixation on sasuke count as loving a shadow? because sasuke and sakura never really had a proper friendship or bond and sakura hardhlyif not knows anything about sasuke

I personally think so!

Sakura is "Loving a Shadow"

For reference, "loving a shadow" is a trope in which a character falls in love with another character not for loving them as a person but for loving what that person represents. It can be a character trait, their looks, or even the idea of being in love itself.

But also, Sakura is not a favorite of mine, hence I never paid as much attention to her. Analyzing her from start to finish would require a full re-read of Naruto, which I really just don't have the time or energy for. So don't take my thoughts to heart or expect them to accurately reflect her character.

DISCLAIMER: I will only use information from the manga in this post!

Sakura's Love as a Preteen

Sasuke is Sakura's first crush. She is a preteen and my interpretation is that she doesn't have a very elaborate idea of how a romantic relationship works - only what they should look like. So instead of searching for intimacy and partnership, she searches for a symbol of such. Those symbols (first kisses and flirting) are what she fantasizes about in chapter 3 of the manga.

This is also reflected in her approaches. Instead of establishing an emotional connection, her goal is to win Sasuke's attention via physical appeal, not even considering that she herself could rather offer her own attention in the form of genuine care and empathy. Again, she doesn't seem to know what to expect from a relationship - and especially not a relationship with Sasuke.

As a result, Sakura doesn't actually know much about who Sasuke is as a person. So when she gossips about Naruto and his lack of parents, she seems completely unaware of the fact that Sasuke is an orphan, too, unintentionally insulting him.

This is not necessarily a fault of her own alone but also because Sasuke is a very closed-off person who doesn't reveal a lot about himself (probably due to his trauma). This idea is supported by both chapter 4 and chapter 181 (the panel for that later). This makes getting to know him genuinely hard no matter whether Sakura is interested in learning about him or not.

But still, Sakura doesn't seem to express curiosity about Sasuke as a person either way. When Sasuke explains that he has sworn to kill someone, indicating a history between himself and that person, Sakura's reaction doesn't go beyond a "he is so cool". Sakura doesn't see the history behind Sasuke. She doesn't even question it. She only recognizes a surface-level character trait.

Sakura's Development

I am not going over the entirety of the Naruto manga now, but it is entirely possible that she grew out of her surface-level crush eventually. We get signs of that sort of development in chapter 181 where Sakura expresses a clear desire to learn about Sasuke as a person.

Not that this desire ever goes anywhere as her understanding of Sasuke and his past is still very basic, to the point that she believes her loneliness (unrequited love) is comparable to that of Sasuke (being the survivor of a genocide). A completely disproportionate comparison. Furthermore, while she does care about Sasuke's well-being, her core motivation seems to be his presence in her life.

Again, it is not like she is really to blame for not understanding Sasuke. Nobody does at this point in the story. Even Naruto, who is one of the most empathetic characters in the manga, doesn't understand Sasuke and instead prioritizes his own feelings of loneliness over Sasuke's trauma and desires.

Beyond this, Sakura expresses an interest in Sasuke's life every now and then in part 2. She takes the initiative to learn about Sasuke and understand what happened to him and what drives him.

But then again, as we can see at the end of the manga, she is still very focused on her own relationship with Sasuke rather than his desires or even just Sasuke's relationship with the entirety of Team 7. Her own feelings take priority. This might indicate that Sakura's love could still be part of her longing for Sasuke as a partner rather than Sasuke as a person.

Post Marriage

Whether or not those patterns persist into her adulthood and marriage, I do not know (mainly because I haven't read the Boruto manga). The stakes are different once they are married, giving Sakura a sense of safety in her relationship and erasing the need to beg and plead with him. On top of that, we don't know how their relationship came to be in the first place and which hurdles had to be overcome.

What we do know, however, is that Sakura seems to be far less desperate for symbols of affection than previously. She still seeks them, but she can do without them. She understands that love is a connection of hearts and not necessarily how you express that love. Personally, I interpret this as Sakura also accepting that Sasuke might have a different love language than her and that he is more of a tease rather than someone who openly shows affection.

Sasuke's departure in Gaiden contrasts with Sasuke's departures in part 1 and 2 of Naruto. Sakura is no longer begging Sasuke to stay. Instead, she understands his reasoning and is accepting of his absence.

Well, either that or neither Sasuke nor Sakura are happy with this marriage, both of them having their needs neglected. But I prefer living in a world in which Kishimoto is simply just that bad at writing romance and thinks that physical presence and spending time with each other is not at all necessary for a functioning relationship.

Either way, Sakura's love for Sasuke, in its earlier stages, can definitely be considered "loving a shadow" as Sakura is more fixated on the idea of having a "cool, handsome boyfriend" rather than learning about him and forming a genuine connection. However, she matures and begins to learn about and appreciate Sasuke as a person. Whether or not this knowledge and appreciation goes far enough is ambiguous, however.

[sasukesun]

you would think a chapter named “fighting, side by side” with team 7 on the cover right after they reunite would be a chapter about… team 7, about them fighting together, side by side. kishimoto seems to have other funny plans, though.

every time we see members of team 7 actually fighting side by side… we only see naruto and sasuke.

either in closer or wider panels, naruto and sasuke are the only ones to be seen by each other’s side. of course that is shown also through sakura’s pov, who always saw herself behind them. you would think that this moment in which she pulls her little speech about reaching out to them would put her on their side, finally, especially when she does her own thing and punches some monsters and the ground very impressively (contains irony).

i guess not, though, she might have gone ahead of them, but naruto and sasuke still remain by each other’s side, without sakura. another very funny metaphor, i might say, because this is what happens right after it:

sakura is so worried about throwing shade at her mentor that she is surprised by another monster attacking her. guess who’s left with the job to save her? ah yes… naruto and sasuke for the nth time in the manga, still side by side.

it’s like kishimoto puts her physically ahead of naruto and sasuke as a metaphor, especially when you consider that she always felt behind the boys, you’d think sakura is better now, competent, helpful, but one moment later and she’s already back at her place, the bragger that is all talking and no doing.

well, she’s by their side now, right? she’s finally caught up to them… yeah, but like i said, kishi has other funny plans, because the very next chapter we have naruto and sasuke drawn again side by side, eye to eye practically, and checking each other’s powers out, while sakura’s back is at them, oblivious in her delusions, not even as an afterthought to the boys. that should be clear enough, shouldn’t it? but kishimoto went ahead less than 10 chapters later to emphasise who the main act is. i guess he can’t get enough of humiliating sakura’s character.

[sakuraharuno156]

I really don't understand the hypocrisy of some Naruto fans - a rant. Part 4

(Trigger warning - anti Hinata)

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The things that I have seen in the Fandom really make me question people's ability to read.

PART 4

(I want to provide manga as a proof, but Tumblr has a limit of pictures i can add, so I'll do it in parts)

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1. What Hinata fans think happend:

HINATA SAVED THE WORLD BY TALKING TO NARUTO. IT'S ALL THANKS TO HER.

What really happend:

Naruto talked to KURAMA, and it's KURAMA who made Naruto realize he has to continue to fight. Not Hinata. After Hinata finished talking - Naruto was still on the floor. He got up after KURAMA helped him.

It's like me saying that Sakura saved Kakashis eye after it was taken. Like sure, she started it, but is it Sakura's achievement? NO. Naruto fixed it. 🤷‍♀️

2. What Hinata fans think:

OBVIOUSLY HINATA IS STRONGER THAN SAKURA. Why? Because she's family of the MC, and family of the MC is always the strongest!

Whats the truth:

Kushina was the junjuriki of the strongest beast and mother of the MC, yet still:

The strongest was Tsunade 🤷‍♀️

3. What Hinata fans think:

Hinata is stronger than Neji since the WAR ARC.

What really happend:

Hinata at 17, fighting for dear life to do 64 palms, thinking it's her maximum and wobbling while doing so.

13 yo Neji, doing it perfectly (even tho he had to learn it on his own) without breaking a sweat.

Hinata running for dear life to cover Naruto, saying how fast were those rods, having no time to do a thing, but to stand there.

Meanwhile Neji, still having time to jump IN FRONT OF THEM.

Neji is stronger, more skilled and faster than Hinata, always has been and forever will be.

Is the argument that she is stronger than Nejis corpse? Because he was A JUNIN, and Hinata has never achieved it, so Neji at 15 is stronger than Hinata at 32. THERE IS NO PROOF THAT ANYTHING CHANGED 🤷‍♀️

4. What Hinata fans think:

Naruto and Hinata understand each other!

Naruto just needed

A full-on confession,

A filler move,

And to see Hinatas memories

TO KNOW SHE EVEN LIKES HIM.

What is the truth:

Naruto and Sakura, reading each other's minds.

5. What Hinata fans think:

Hinata stopped OBITO. Ino was there just to help out.

What is the truth:

Ino and HER technique, that was just AIDED with byakugan. Not with Hinatas byakugan (as if it was special). It was aided with a byakugan. It could have been any Hyuga 🤷‍♀️

"But... but... Ino needed Hinata to see!"

Ym, no. Ino can se BEHIND HER OWN DAMN HEAD.

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It's terrifying! It's like manga said one thing, and Hinata fans went: 🙈🙉.

Unfortunately they forgot to 🙊 as well. 🤷‍♀️

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That post is shorter than normally because I needed a lot of panels, but I have a bonus :)

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Bonus!

Because it's hilarious to me:

Sakura fans: Sakura got from nothing to the strongest, she had no kekkei genkai, no special eyes, she had to trained her ass off to become strong.

Hinata Fans: HINATA IS THE MOST HARDWORKING PERSON. She got nothing from her family, she had to work for everything! She got strong because of her training only! That's why she is the best! Hardworking queen.

Sakura fans: well, she got byakugan and was taught all her techniques so she got something, while Sakura got literally nothing.

Hinata fans: HAHA HER CHILD WOULD BE WEAK! Hinatas children would inherit byakugan as well! So they would be born great! That means that Sakuras child would have to work to be remotely strong, while Hinatas children would be born strong! ROYALTY.

Sakura fans: actually, Sarada inherited Sharinngan, so she has that and hard work from Sakura!

Hinata fans: haha! No, she has NOTHING FROM SAKURA BECAUSE SAKURA IS NOONE.

Sakura fans: well, that's a good thing because Sakura went from nothing to one of the strongest, which is why she is great!

Hinata fans: YMMM NO! SAKURA HAD TALENT! SHE HAD TALENT OF CHAKRA CONTROL, WHICH IS TALENT, SO HINATA IS BETTER BECAUSE SHE REALLY HAD NOTHING.

Sakura fans: ok, so maybe Sarada would inherit the chakra control and get byakugou to support her sharinngan!

Hinata fan: HAHAHA NO, BECAUSE ITS NOT A TALENT, SHE CANT INHERIT THAT. She would have to learn it, so Hinatas children would be born stronger!

PICK ONE YOU MORONS. I CAN'T 😭

Either we are proud of hard work, and we support the hardworking queen OR Hinata inherited EVERYTHING so her children would be born strong.

Either chakra control is a talent that Sakura was born with, so Sarada can inherit it OR it's not a talent, and Sakura really got from nothing to everything.

IT'S NOT BOTH IF THEY CONTRADICT EACH OTHER.