#Seki Yumiko

[yyh4ever]

Yoshihiro Togashi Handwritten Letter

Togashi sent a handwritten letter to the idol Yumiko Seki, answering 11 questions. The letter was read aloud in the Iwakura and Yoshizumi's Show, on TV Asahi, on November 14th and 21st, 2023.

There's already a translation of the Q&A by the hunter fandom (please read it), but I want to share my favorite parts and maybe some interesting info that was said during the TV program. You can watch the full version on bilibili. The whole film studio was decorated with Hunter x Hunter manuscripts and figures, and BGM from both versions of the anime was played during the broadcast.

The MCs of the show are two female comedians, Yoshizumi and Iwakura. The guests were Yumiko Seki (former Sakurazaka46); singer Toshiya Miyata (Kis-My-Ft2), a huge Hunter x Hunter fan; and the comedian Shintaro Morimoto (TONTSUKATAN) who read Togashi's letter and served as moderator.

At the beginning of the show, Seki-san revealed she met Togashi in a Sakurazaka46 live concert.

Everyone was shocked to learn she met him face-to-face!

Then, Seki-san showed an autographed shikishi Togashi-sensei gave her when she graduated from Sakurazaka46. (T/N: She announced her graduation on December 13, 2022, and graduated on April 30, 2023 at the Sakurazaka46 3rd TOUR 2023).

Killua: "Graduation is the starting line!!"

It's interesting to add that Killua is Seki's favorite character and orange & white were her penlight colors, also her favorite colors. That's why Togashi drew Killua holding a bouquet of orange and white flowers.

Miyata joked that he will make sure that everyone knows he loves Hunter x Hunter by the time he graduates from Kis-My-Ft2 boy band. Morimoto told him "don't graduate just to get a shikishi" (LOL).

By the way, Miyata loves Kurapika, so I hope Togashi gives him a Kurapika shikishi one day :P

Here's Togashi's huge letter!

Before reading sensei's answers, they anticipated the huge success of the show, and came up with the hashtag #冨樫先生からのお手紙 (letter from Togashi-sensei).

It was a success indeed, trending all over social media.

Then, Morimoto started to read the Q&A.

The second question was about the Hunter x Hunter character setting. Before reading the answer, they showed a Togashi's memo containing a detailed timeline of each character that he uses in order to develop the story without creating any contradictions. There's a timeline of the Chimera Ant Arc, and a table of the princes' entourage, allowing Togashi to distinguish them. He even drew characters that didn't appear.

Miyata left his seat and came closer to the monitor, so he could see the memo better. He's a crazy HxH stan just like us.

This material is actually from Jump Ryu's booklet (2016). You can also watch the Jump Ryu video with subs on YouTube, where Togashi explains better how this character table works.

Here's the part of the answer Togashi talks about Killua's inspirations. I am a huge fan of MDP Psycho!

The author of "Toy-y", Atsushi Kamijo, thanked Togashi on his Twitter. He also wrote that he loves Level-E.

When answering question 4, we found out Togashi-sensei watched Sakurazaka46 New Year's special feature in 2021, when Seki-san asked for the complete set of Hunter × Hunter.

But, because Togashi-sensei is such an introvert, he thought he would make her feel uncomfortable by actually sending it. It took him two years to finally decide to send it.

Miyata laughed so hard, saying: "Togashi-sensei is such an otaku!!" (LOL)

Seki-san confirmed Togashi really sent the Hunter × Hunter set to her ^^

The 5th question was about Togashi's favorite nen ability. Seki-san and Miyata also shared their favorite type of nen.

Seki-san loves Killua, thus she likes transmutation. She also likes Hisoka's analysis about nen, and thinks Killua fits his description about transmuters perfectly.

As for Miyata, he loves Kurapika, therefore he likes the conjurer type. He remembered that in order to conjurer chains, Kurapika had to imagine, touch, draw, and even licked real chains.

He was curious if Goreinu, a character that appears in Greed Island, had to do something similar and touch gorillas in order to be able to materialize them.

Miyata is a crazy HxH fan, he came up with many curious tidbits and did a deep analysis of the series. It's not confirmed in the manga or any databook if Goreinu is really a conjurer, but I really liked his point of view.

Question 7 about Meruem's final moments was really touching. After hearing Miyata's explanation about Meruem and Kogumi, Iwakura almost started crying.

Tears rolled down her cheeks when she saw the double spread of Meruem's final moments.

The funny thing is, at the beginning of the show, she told us she had only read the first chapter.

So, Morimoto joked: "Why did you have to stop at volume 1!!?" XD

Morimoto also revealed that Togashi-sensei's favorite scene is Meruem and Kogumi double spread.

Question 8, what does Togashi do on his days off? Morimoto asked Seki-san's opinion. She imagines Togashi having mandarin oranges on a kotatsu table, and talking to cats on the porch.

T/N: Eating oranges while sitting around a kotatsu table is a japanese tradition during the winter.

Togashi didn't mention anything like that in his answer, but there's an interview with Naoko Takeuchi (WITH magazine, May 2022) where she says, "We have been married for over 20 years. Although we have small fights sometimes, my husband is extremely kind and quiet, like a hermit (...) The house we have lived for 20 years is also a place of healing. Sometimes we have meals or tea in the garden". So, I can totally picture Togashi-sensei eating oranges in the winter and talking to cats.

Togashi-sensei stated he is the type of person who always has sound playing while he is working, just like Yoshizumi-san. She was happy she was acknowledged in his letter!

The question 9 was about manga that Togashi-sensei found interesting recently. Miyata remembered that Togashi had wrote a recommendation on the obi of Kimestu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) volume 4, praising the series. I had completely forgotten Togashi loves Demon Slayer!

In his letter, Togashi-sensei wrote he couldn't give the name of the series he's currently into, since he would get criticized. But he left some clues. Yoshimizu said the crazy amount of ッッッ (small tsu) used in his answer was maybe a keyword, and that the fans would probably figure it out. She had no idea what manga he was talking about, though.

Togashi-sensei also wrote this manga is a true story published in 2023. So, many fans came up with the Autobiography of Keisuke Itagaki (author of Grappler Baki): an autobiographical manga depicting the harsh life experienced by Keisuke Itagaki in the "JGSDF 1st Airborne Brigade" that consumed his youth!

I started reading it, and the author really loves to use "ッッッ" at the end of the sentences. I don't think it's the kind of content I would recommend to an idol like Seki-san. Anyway, I don't know whether that's the correct answer or not, but it seems so.

The manga that Togashi-sensei ended up recommending was "Oi! Tombo". It has been serialized in Weekly Golf Digest since 2014. An anime is also scheduled to premiere in 2024. I was happy to see that the Golf Digest X Account mentioned his letter!

Seki-san was introduced to an unexpected golf manga, but she immediately became interested, saying, "I really want to read it'' and "I want to buy it right away.'' I guess we all felt that way. I'm definitely watching the anime!

The 10th question was about the ending! The reaction of the guests and MCs when Morimoto read there's an Ending D in case Togashi-sensei dies was priceless.

Before Morimoto could read the "Ending D", Miyata recalled he went to watch the Hunter × Hunter movie "Phantom Rouge", and received a copy of Volume 0. He grabbed it, and showed the Q&A with Togashi-sensei, highlighting Question 4: What will end up happening to Kurapika and the Phantom Troupe? A: "They will all die."

He was really looking forward to knowing the ending of Hunter × Hunter, but not this one (LOL). Morimoto and Miyata were too nervous, they took a sip to calm down before reading the "Ending D Pattern".

The final question was about the amount of text in volume 37. Miyata commenting that his answer also had an incredible amount of text made me laugh so hard. It was a huge answer indeed.

Togashi's last words were:

"Words are da best!" (Words rule/Nothing can beat words/Only words wins/ whatever sounds better in english).

Everyone laughed so hard, because this is actually a slang used by young people or fandom to say someone or something is the best. He wrote the letter in polite japanese, it was fun he ended it with a slang. By the way, Togashi-sensei loves slang, specially fandom unique vocabulary, as he usually uses it Hunter x Hunter. He's a fan of Keyakizaka46/Sakurazaka46 after all.

Miyata was excited to hear that Togashi-sensei himself is "bugged", which makes him want to continue reading HxH even more. One thing that caught Miyata's attention during this final question was the part Togashi-sensei mentioned he needs to settle many issues during the voyage of the Black Whale ship. Actually, the word "settlement" (解決) captured the attention of many fans, as they posted a lot about that on social media.

Miyata thought about people on board the ship whose fates needs a resolution. He wondered if this was about Kurapika and The Phantom Troupe since the conditions to what Togashi-sensei said in volume 0 (everyone's gonna die) are right there to happen soon.

He showed his Volume 0 again. LOL, I hope Togashi-sensei was just joking.

Of course, let's not forget that are many other unfinished business that needs a solution in this arc, we have a whole succession to the throne war in motion. But, Miyata was really hyped about Kurapika and volume 0.

The show ended with a big thanks and bow to Togashi-sensei!

Miyata said he has been reading HxH for more than 20 years, since he was in elementary school. No matter how old he is, he still gets excited about it! He loves Hunter × Hunter!

Morimoto asked Seki-san to say some final words to Togashi-sensei. Besides showing all her love for Hunter × Hunter, Seki-san was really cute and asked Togashi-sensei to take really good care of his health!

That's it, sorry for being like Togashi-sensei and writing too much. Although my posts are more about Yu Yu Haksuho, I feel I needed to address his letter too. I didn't take the Ending D too serious, since it was discarded. However, I think it was a cute closing to HxH. Like Miyata-said, everything went back to the beginning, The Whale Island where it all started.

I just want Togashi-sensei to live long and write his favorite ending!

There were other interesting parts, like Seki-san telling Togashi-sensei to make a DVD BOX of the TV show. In the end, everyone wanted to make one ^^ (me too). It is a really precious letter. I hope Seki-san frames it and make an altar :P

Thank you very much, Togashi-sensei!

[paapurup]

Animated Poster Fanmade

Seki Yumiko [関有美子]

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[i-heart-hxh]

Here's a full translation of Togashi's letter to Yumiko Seki!

Source, and a text version of this translation on the Wiki!

[yyhockeyshow]

New Killua art by Togashi, given to Yumiko Seki (ex-Sakurazaka46).

[antoniettap1303]

Killua congratulates Sakurazaka 46's Yumiko Seki for her graduation

"Graduation is the starting line!!"

Togashi has done this drawing to celebrate Seki's graduation from Sakurazaka 46, and she has shown the drawing at the Iwakura & Yoshizumi talk show where she was present as a opinonist.

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: Okko’s Inn

Rating: PG

Director: Kitarou Kousaka

Cast: Seiran Kobayashi, Nana Mizuki, Satsumi Matsuda, Rina Endou, Etsuko Kozakura, Yoko Asagami, Kana Hanazawa, Teiyu Ichiryusai, Masaki Terasoma, Fumiko Orikasa, Yumiko Kobayashi, Mikako Komatsu, Makoto Tanaka

Release year: 2018

Genres: comedy, fantasy

Blurb: 12-year-old Oriko Seki lost her parents in a car accident and ended up living in her grandmother’s Onsen Ryokan “Haru no Ya”. With the ghost Uribou cohabitating with her and all the other odds, she ended up training to be a young female innkeeper. At first, she didn’t like the training, but gradually felt admiration for her title and began to train seriously. Thus, the growth of the young warrior Oriko begins.

[wotakugo]

The ending to the Hunter x Hunter manga in case it doesn’t get finished as planned was revealed in a letter addressed by author Yoshihiro Togashi to Yumiko Seki, an ex-member of one of his favorite idol groups – Sakurazaka46. The letter was read out on the Japanese TV program Iwakura to Yoshizumi no Bangumi (The Iwakura and Yoshizumi Show) on November 21, 2023:“Broadly speaking,” Togashi says. “I have prepared 3 possible ending patterns: A, B, and C. When imagining reader reactions as ratios of positive to negative, Pattern A would be 80% positive and 20% negative (This isn’t meant as a judgment of the ending’s quality, but rather my personal view that it’s a safe development unlikely to garner much criticism). Pattern B would be an even split between positive and negative. And for Pattern C I envision around 10% positive and 90% negative. The reason I’m keeping the overwhelmingly negative C as an option is simply because that’s my personal preference. However, ideally I’d like to come up with an ending so interesting that none of these 3 patterns are necessary. Just for your reference, I will reveal the D pattern that slipped through the cracks – so if I happen to die with the work unfinished please show some leniency and assume this was how it was meant to end.Togashi indicates that his ratios aren’t necessarily an indicator of the ending’s quality. However, combined with his personal preference for option C despite its expected lack of support amongst fans suggests whatever ending he does go for will be pretty subversive, to say the least. Togashi doesn’t outline the expected reaction to option D. Nevertheless, that is the ending the manga will get in case of his passing. This version can be read below:A girl sits motionless, holding a fishing rod by the lakeside.Suddenly, the rod bends sharply, and the girl shouts. Her name is Gin.Gin: “Got one, got one, got one!!” Holding up the catch, Gin proudly stands before a woman and declares:“I caught one as promised! Mom!!”She approaches the woman and continues in a small voice:“So don’t ever tell me to become a hunter again…!”The woman reluctantly nods. Gin leaves, carrying her catch.Mother: “I thought if she caught a fish she might awaken to hunting, but…” Seeking agreement from her husband next to her,Father: “She wants nothing more than to run the store her whole life and never leave the island… Let’s respect that.”The woman is still unsatisfied.Mother: “Well, she might change her mind partway… Honestly, why do you and Gin hate it so… Oh right, you share the same bloodline of that Granny Mito and Granny Noko…”It seems the woman doesn’t know Noko and Mito are not related. Her husband smiles wryly. Unwilling to give up, the woman continues:“But Grandpa Gon was a famous hunter…! Someday that girl will surely…”Gin (from deep in the woods): “No means no!!!!”The daughter shouts back from the depths of the forest, where she can’t even be seen, let alone hear her parents’ exchange. The father murmurs happily, “She sees right through you, huh.”The scene changes to a store that has been open since Mito’s time.The master of the swamp has been neatly carved up, with every part prepared.While working, Gin has an inner monologue:Gin: (Mom doesn’t understand… Whenever Grandpa [Gon] happily recounted his memories from his hunter days, Grandma would quietly slip away. Whatever Grandma Noko can answer comes from second-hand information… Her loneliness, having not been able to be by Grandpa’s side, all spilling out…)She pounds the cutting board forcefully with the knife in her hand.(I won’t do it!! Having to wait for someone’s return for months or years while my heart felt squeezed… and making someone wait for me!!)(I…)The sound of the door opening.A relaxed, gentle voice echoes.A plump young boy enters, carrying plants.Boy: “I picked wild vegetables~ Oh wow, there’s a lot~ We really caught the master! Let’s serve it to everyone on the island!”Gin: (Forever… I just want to be with the person I want to be with forever…)Boy: “I can picture everyone’s delighted faces~ Alright, let’s get started~!”Gin: (Together… Forever!!) “Yeah!”The two cook with beaming smiles.A bird takes flight from the island.The bird flutters across the vast sky.Beneath the bird is a city somewhere. All kinds of people.Somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter, somebody’s grandchild living in various places, smiling with someone.It may even be the child or grandchild of that character.A bird takes off into the distant sky.From behind, the figure of someone seeing it off. The End.Includes a scene reminiscent of Gon determinedly catching the master of the swamp in order to become a Hunter.Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter plan D ending came in the second of two parts following last week’s edition of Iwakura to Yoshizumi no Bangumi. In the prior episode, it was revealed that the manga’s initial plans featured a timeskip. Despite no longer proceeding with the planned ending, Togashi’s contingency plans may suggest a lack of confidence in finishing his series. Nevertheless, the author is preparing for the manga’s continuation, having tweeted the words “Start Over” in October 2023 with a picture of his drawing setup. It’s widely hoped that next year will see more consistent publication after last year’s announcement that the manga will be moving from a weekly to monthly serialization.Hunter x Hunter began serialization in March 1998 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. The series is one of the best-selling manga of all time, with two critically acclaimed anime adaptations. The first, by Nippon Animation, spanned 62 episodes from October 1999 to March 2001. The reboot by Madhouse spanned 148 episodes from October 2011 to September 2014 to near-universal praise.MangaPLUS offers the Hunter x Hunter in English and describes the plot as:Gon might be a country boy, but he has high aspirations. Despite his Aunt Mito’s protests, Gon decides to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a legendary Hunter. The Hunter hopefuls begin their journey by storm-tossed ship, where Gon meets Leorio and Kurapika, the only other applicants who aren’t devastated by bouts of seasickness. Having survived the terrors of the high seas, Gon and his companions now have to prove their worth in a variety of tests in order to find the elusive Exam Hall. And once they get there, will they ever leave alive…?Source: Iwakura to Yoshizumi no Bangumi, via What an Interesting World© P98-23 © V・N・S・MAfter AnimeCorner

[requinviolet]

Yumiko Seki

[sullenidol]

Shonen Sunday 週刊少年サンデー 2022年24号 関有美子 藤吉夏鈴

[i-heart-hxh]

Killua drawing by Togashi, which was a gift for Yumiko Seki from Sakurazaka46 for her graduation from the group. So beautiful!

Here's the tweet on this from @yyh4ever:

[nikologueplus]

[adhd-skullfuck]

Yumiko Seki

#関有美子 #yumiko_seki #櫻坂46 #sakurazaka46 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cox3EV2BWFl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kyokosdog]

Seki Yumiko 関有美子, ENTAME 2021.06-07

歳/Age: 23

身長/Height: 167cm

B? - W? - H?

Twitter:?

Instagram:?

[chukemoto]

NHK Venue 101 backstage

via Instagram

[j-gravure]

関有美子 x  武元唯衣

[wotakugo]

The Hunter x Hunter author Yoshihiro Togashi puts the golf manga Oi! Tonbo among the best manga he’s read in 2023. The mangala reveals that its main character Tonbo is how Togashi tried and failed to make Gon at the beginning. The letter was addressed to idol Yumiko Seki and was read out during a segment of Iwakura to Yoshizumi no Bangumi (The Iwakura and Yoshizumi Show) on November 21, 2023. Seki’s question to Togashi was “What manga have you found interesting recently?” to which he replied:“There is a manga that I thought, ‘It’s amazing as expected regarding recent works but I don’t have the courage to name the specific work. So, if I were to change the definition of ‘recent’ to works that are still being published, I would choose one work that I continue to enjoy reading, and that work would be ‘Oi! Tonbo’.It’s a manga about golf, but I think you can enjoy it even if you don’t know the rules. The main character, Tonbo, is the kind of person I wanted Gon to be when I first started planning the serialization of Hunter² [sic]. It was the ideal image that I failed to realize in the first chapter. It’s a work that perfectly combines Mr. Kawasaki’s knowledge of people and golf with Mr. Furusawa’s warm illustrations that gently portray the dedicated characters.“Oi! Tonbo has been published in Golf Digest’s Weekly Golf Digest magazine since August 2014, spanning 46 volumes. The manga is written by Ken Kawasaki and illustrated by Yu Furusawa. While the manga may not be well-known internationally, an anime adaptation was announced in May 2023. The teaser trailer, visual, and a Spring 2024 release date were revealed in October. Studio OLM Team Inoue (Pon no Michi, Yo-kai Watch) was also announced to be animating the series with SMDE responsible for the CGI.Oi! Tonbo anime image from the trailer © Ken Kawasaki/Yu Furusawa/Oi Tonbo Production CommitteeThe official synopsis for the upcoming anime is:Igarashi discarded his past and relocated to the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture as if fleeing from society. On Hijinoshima, a place called “Japan’s Last Undiscovered Spot”, the one person he meets is the middle schooler, Tonbo. This innocent and cheerful girl conceals an unbelievable talent for golf!? Triggered by this fateful encounter, the destiny of the two greatly changes…Togashi’s letter, endorsing the Oi! Tonbo manga follows other reveals read out on The Iwakura and Yoshizumi Show. It was revealed that Hunter x Hunter originally featured a timeskip, and has multiple endings, including one if Togashi passes away.Source: The Iwakura and Yoshizumi Show, via Golf Digest© P98-23 © V・N・S・MAfter AnimeCorner