#THE DAISUKE AND SATOSHI ONE HAS ME FEELING SOME FEELINGS

[dnangelic]

smth that's good to remember about dark is that he's doomed. he'll never get what he wants. he can never get what he wants. he's allowed to 'dream' (to desire) but not to 'wish' (to attempt to fulfill those desires.) the other thing that's good to remember is that he's already redeemed. dark will never be able to have his own body or to love who he wants to love. he'll never have the true freedom and individuality that he craves above almost all else. he, as he is, can never be or become a proper human being- as a live artwork, he too is just a 'thing,' a hollow vessel for human emotions. alone and by himself, he's unfeeling and inanimate, no matter how otherwise convincing, no matter how beautiful. all of his 'feelings' are like single droplets in a dry well that evaporate in an instant. dark has no true heart, because he's an artwork. he has no humanity, no great amount of emotion alone that he himself can muster up or express. if he has anything inside of him then it's that very nothingness; an empty cathedral made up of restless, dissatisfied desire; a somber, passive longing to juxtapose krad's obsessive behavior. it's thus only with a tamer, or daisuke, that dark truly becomes someone. more than just a ghost, a phantom beneath the floorboards. the point is, despite daisuke's own terror of those around him rejecting him as worthless and unnecessary in comparison to dark, dark will always need daisuke. not just want, but quite literally need; 'to dark, i am a necessity.' dark doesn't admit it and very likely never will but he's already saved and endlessly comforted by daisuke's presence. there's the part of him that rejects others' comforts and attempts to reach out because of his own understandings over himself (he's doomed, he's already used to being avoidant and subtly excising himself,) but also the part that decides he just doesn't need any of it because he always has daisuke with him --- he's redeemed. he has someone to rely on and to always trust and to be proud of as his 'other self.' dark will never say it (both out of pride and guilt) but he'll always, always admire daisuke for the strength of the boy's emotions and the stubborn goodness of his heart.

[bluecoloreddreams]

Excuse me, can we talk about volumes 7&8’s final covers because, I—I have stopped functioning

Okay first off, LOOK AT THAT SMILE ON SATOSHI

Daisuke’s ever present cute lil blush

Also Satoshi will never give up ties, it’s so funny, he’s always in one regardless of outfit. That’s peak 00’s fashion right there.

The cut off so it looks like their hands are brushing makes my fangirl heart do some nonsense

Also the color coordination?? 👌👌👌👌 I love that the covers keep putting Daisuke in white, it’s just *chef kiss*

And then we have Dark.... who is literally in bondage again, doing the half-kabedon on Krad who....

Looks like a pirate.

They don’t even look like they’re going to the same place, WOW. 

I just noticed the weird braided epaulets on Dark-- I got too distracted by the dang harness jfc sensei way to break my brain on that 

[douwatahima]

Turns out I have some more feelings about the manga I finished yesterday. Not naming it so this doesn’t end up in the tags. Please don’t read this, lol. The fourteen year old version of me jumped out.

I think the thing that bugged me most about this last stretch of DN Angel is how much it felt like Yukiru Sugisaki was just...done with the whole thing. Like everything felt very rushed towards a specific, easy conclusion that didn't address a lot of the interesting pieces she had previously laid down.

Like, I remember reading those last few chapters before the eight year long hiatus and HOLY SHIT there was so much! The Dark/Risa relationship all of a sudden becomes an actual threat, not just to Daisuke/Riku, but to Daisuke himself! Satoshi completely lets his guard down around Daisuke, trusting that the person he loves will make this huge sacrifice for him, and when Daisuke refuses he POINTS A GUN TO HIS OWN HEAD. AND THEN WHEN HE GETS CAUGHT HE GOES OFF INTO THE FOREST WITH. THE. GUN!!! AND THEN!!!! RIKU FINDS OUT DAISUKE IS DARK!!!!!!!! IT'S WILD AS FUCK!!!!!!!!

And then we come back and a lot of this is immediately dealt with in a comedic fashion and we just move on. Dark and Daisuke don't talk about that Risa interaction. No one goes after Satoshi. Daisuke comes up with some excuse and Riku is satiated for now.

Then we got the whole dream circus arc. Which was honestly alright. I enjoyed Daisuke coming to terms with the fact that he cannot separate himself from Dark. They are one and the same, for better or worse. And honestly, at first I thought this arc was going to lead us somewhere interesting. Because if Daisuke and Dark now understand that they are a package deal, how do they deal with the whole Riku and Risa thing???? (The answer is they basically don't but I'll get there). I was 100% ready to love this arc and then they did...the thing and I...

Okay, look. Full disclosure, I've been a DN Angel fan since I was like, fourteen. It is linked to me in a way that can only happen when you're obsessed with something at the height of your awkward teen years. And the thing that continues to be my favourite part of the whole story is the relationship between Satoshi and Daisuke. They were my number one ship, not just at fourteen, but...honestly probably through all of my teen years. Like, remember when people used to make jokes on this website about someone asking about your otp and you pull out your binder of reasons? I literally made a Satodai binder. That's not a joke. They were it for me.

And, don't get me wrong, there was never a point where I honestly thought the manga was gonna have Daisuke leave Riku and end up with Satoshi. I dreamed about it, but didn't honestly expect it. BUT I loved the way the manga addressed Satoshi's feelings for Daisuke. This is someone who Satoshi treasures above all others. The person who makes him believe the world can be better. The person he would do ANYTHING for. Like, Satoshi LOVES him.

Which is why it's so frustrating to me that Yukiru Sugisaki decided it would be better for Satoshi to have a two second dream about Risa that changes all of his feelings instantaneously. Like, I'm not here to shit on Satoshi/Risa fans, and I'm happy y'all got your ship. Honestly. But, the two of them have barely spoken before this and then Satoshi has a dream and literally says, "oh I guess my feelings have changed now" like...two volumes before the end! AND THEN THEY DON'T EVEN TALK UNTIL THE VERY END OF THE SERIES. FOR WHAT????

It honestly just read to me as, the mangaka wanted to end the series and Satoshi continuing to be into Daisuke was too emotionally complicated to quickly wrap up so he loves Risa now. And hey, that clears up the whole Dark/Risa thing, right? I'll get to that.

ANYWAY, so then we jump into an elongated story about some past Niwa/Hikari drama which would've been fun if I hadn't been growing more and more confused as I noticed how few chapters were left and we were STILL ON THIS. Like, I love when DN Angel gives us fun new characters to talk about. Hell, the Freedert arc and the Argentine arc are two of my favourites. But, when you only have a limited amount of time...It just felt like this was something Yukiru Sugisaki was maybe sitting on for awhile so she didn't want to skip it, but she also wanted to finish the story as soon as possible so the ending comes IMMEDIATELY after which makes this whole arc feel...weird. Like...we could've spent our last few chapters on the characters we know and love but...instead...

Then we get to the endgame. So, quick poll, do we think the mangaka already had this ending in mind before the anime came out or do we think she decided to do the anime ending because she had no idea how to finish the story. I'm really not sure, but either way it felt soooo anticlimactic given that we've had the anime ending for almost 20 years. Like...what was I waiting around for if you were just gonna do the same thing????? And look, I honestly never finished the anime because I couldn't stand the way they chose to characterize some of my favourite characters (most notably Satoshi and Risa) and I'd read what the ending was and hated it lol. But I digress.

The thing about the ending that gets me most is that it all comes on so fast. Like, you wanna do the anime ending? Okay. Don't love the idea, but okay. BUT it all happens in like... 2-3 chapters. Like, all of a sudden the Black Wings is sucking up power from the artwork and, oh no, here comes Krad ready wreck shop. And then we, randomly at THE END OF THE MANGA find out Satoshi's adopted Dad is actually his real Dad and also he's a piece of artwork which makes Satoshi half a piece of artwork???? Why are you telling us this now???? Then Satoshi and Daisuke seal Dark and Krad into the Black Wings the end. Like...????? That's it?????

OH ALSO I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE HARADA TWINS ARE MOVING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY. HONESTLY PROBABLY BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE YUKIRU SUGISAKI FORGOT TOO SINCE THERE'S NO CLOSURE ON THAT?????? (Honestly, I'm laughing because I literally forgot about this fact until just now. AGAIN WHAT WAS THE REASON LMAO!!!)

Okay, so the story's done but where does it leave our favourite characters???

Daisuke and Riku have figured their shit out and are...presumably going to do long distance??? Idk, they never really address whether they're staying together or not as far as I can remember???? Like, this is the relationship I thought we would get the most closure on but ?????????

Risa just gets to be sad for awhile I guess. It's honestly so infuriating to me that we got this awesome moment before the hiatus where Dark asked Risa if she would love him no matter what and she says yes with her WHOLE CHEST and that's enough for Dark to almost, like, take over Daisuke's body permanently. Like, her love for Dark is as real as Riku's love for Daisuke but she's not allowed to have a happy ending like her sister. She gets to see Dark one last time where he kisses her and hopes she'll always be his best girl and then he flies off into the night while she begs him not to leave. Then, she gets to cry in the street, trying to remember him while everyone else is forgetting. Well, at least she has Satoshi, right????

But like, we don't even know if she likes Satoshi that way. There's been...no indication that she does as far as I know. And as he's hugging her, Satoshi is having these thoughts hoping she'll be able to remember Dark because he knows how meaningful he is to her. So their ending is LITERALLY Risa gets to be horribly heartbroken and Satoshi gets to pine for someone else who, at this point, doesn't love him back.

Like, once again not to shit on Satoshi/Risa fans but...is this the ending y'all wanted????? Because as someone who stans them both this just felt horrible. It reads as a feeble attempt to "pair the spares" (since in the story the mangaka wanted to tell, neither of them could be with who they originally loved) but, like, even then this is the saddest way to do that. OH! And once again, if Risa is moving, ARE THEY EVEN GOING TO BE TOGETHER????? Like, what are we supposed to get from this what is the REASON??????

And then there's Dark and Krad being stuck in the Black Wings for eternity. The biggest reason I didn't like this ending in the anime. Like, look. I get that you have to end your manga somehow. BUT if your plan was to reunite Dark and Krad in this way I don't understand why you would write a whole interaction, mere chapters before, having Dark say that that's the LAST thing he wants to do. HE SAYS THAT THEY AREN'T THE SAME ANYMORE AND THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO RETURN TO HIM. AND THEN HE'S FORCED TO DO JUST THAT. FOR. WHAT?????

Like, Dark isn't a villain. He's one of our main protagonists and has been this whole time. I get that in stories sometimes characters have sad endings. (I've already argued that I think both Satoshi and Risa's endings were bittersweet at best). But to have Dark say mere chapters before it happens that he categorically DOES NOT want to rejoin Krad and then force him to do just that feels like such a needlessly cruel thing to do to this character we're meant to love.

Once again, it just felt so much like Yukiru Sugisaki wanted to end the series as quickly as possible. I get her wanting to come back to it; she's kinda notorious for not finishing things so I get the impulse to just drive through and get at least one story done. But, it felt like so many things were skipped over or changed just because it made getting to the end goal easier and less complicated. Not addressing some of the cool shit she laid down before the hiatus, completely morphing Satoshi's feelings in a dream, writing off Risa's feelings for Dark, telling us all of the Satoshi backstory stuff at the last goddamn minute, giving Dark his worst nightmare as an ending, so many of these things done just to move things along towards a specific end goal as fast as possible.

Honestly, there's a part of me that wishes she hadn't come back and finished it at all. I was happy enough with the ending I had written in my head and would've preferred it to what we ended up getting ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Anyway, to anyone who actually read this (and a part of me hopes no one does lmao) thanks for listening to me ramble. And if you're a Satoshi/Risa fan, uh, sorry I hated on your ship lol. You're cool.

[satorisa]

Falling: Chapter 2 - In which Satoshi Actually Gets to School on Time

Rating: T

Summary:  "I wanna forget all this burden in my past."

Alternate Reading: AO3

This is so dialogue heavy it’s kind of ridiculous, but sometimes all you gotta do is talk your feelings out. 

“—tosh—”

“Sa—shi!”

“Satoshi!”

He opened his eyes. Takeshi loomed over him, hair disheveled and eyes wide with concern. Satoshi felt warm until a chill cut through his bones; he was drenched in sweat.

“Bro, you alright?”

“…does it look like I’m alright?” Satoshi croaked. His chapped lips and parched throat made it difficult for him to speak.

“Aight. If you’re giving me attitude, you’re gonna be fine.”

Takeshi’s bedhead disappeared. Satoshi expected his roommate to leave him alone and float back to dreamland, but the door creaked open as Takeshi stomped out. His footsteps crescendoed as he returned, and his gravity-defying hair that rivaled Daisuke’s at the moment popped up by Satoshi’s bedside.

He propped Satoshi up, fluffing his pillow before handing him a bottled water. Takeshi placed a cold compress on Satoshi’s forehead and watched, eyes surprisingly sharp, Satoshi take a sip.

“Bad nightmare?” Takeshi asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do ya remember what it was about?”

“No.”

“Wanna go for a walk?”

“Isn’t it too late for one?”

“So? Do ya wanna go on one or not?”

Satoshi checked his phone. The lock screen read 2:07 AM.

“…yeah. Let’s go for a walk.”

Takeshi helped Satoshi down from the top bunk. They both put on a light jacket before heading downstairs, slipping on their shoes before walking onto the empty streets of Azumano. Satoshi looked at the darkened windows of the houses lining the road before glancing up at the night sky. His eyes then lingered on the street lamps above them before they flitted over at Takeshi.

He had his hands in his pockets. Their eyes met.

Takeshi said nothing.

The muscles in Satoshi’s body relaxed and he focused on the rhythmic count of his footsteps. He noted that Takeshi’s were slightly off from his.

“How long has it been since my last nightmare?” Satoshi asked.

“Truthfully? Last night,” Takeshi answered with nonchalance. “But most nights, you don’t keep me up with all your, um, noise.”

Satoshi didn’t like the hesitation he heard in Takeshi’s response. He bit his lip. “…sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize, bro. Better out than in, I always say.”

They made it to one of the busier streets. A lone sedan passed by as they stood at the intersection, unmoving despite the lack of traffic and the green light for pedestrians.

“You know, I never expected you to be this…”

Takeshi raised his eyebrow.

“Accommodating? Responsible? Understanding?” Satoshi paused, irritated he couldn’t find the right word to express himself. “You never seemed the type.”

Takeshi frowned. “I know I come off a certain way, but that doesn’t mean I’m a douchebag.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.”

“There ya go apologizing again!” Takeshi sighed. “Do we have to make one of those jars where ya have to toss in one hundred yen every time ya apologize?”

“Absolutely not,” Satoshi barked.

Takeshi’s laugh echoed before it petered off. His eyes were focused on the sidewalk at the other side of the intersection. Satoshi followed Takeshi’s gaze; there was nothing there. Takeshi sighed next to him.

“Yanno, I had the wrong idea about you for the longest time, too. I thought you had your whole life in order. That you were some stoic hotshot the world couldn’t touch.

“Then I lived with you and, I dunno, bro, I can’t imagine going through the half the shit you went through and are still going through. And I’m not sayin’ that ‘cause I pity you, nothin’ like that, but only now do I see how much you’ve been hiding and struggling with.”

“It’s a little pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Nah. What you’re goin’ through ain’t pathetic. Not at all.”

Another lone sedan passed by.

“Are you just being nice to me because you’re my ‘brother?’”

Takeshi glared at Satoshi. “Bro, do ya really think I’m doin’ this because I’m obligated to?”

“Sometimes, yeah.”

Satoshi felt so small under Takeshi’s scowl. He braced himself for Takeshi to scream at him. After all, those weren’t words you just admit to people.

But Takeshi just wrapped his arm around Satoshi’s shoulders and pulled him closer.

“Goddammit, Satoshi, how many times do we have to hammer this shit into your head? Me, Daisuke an’ my parents aren’t doin’ this because we’re obligated to. We’re doin’ this because we care, you dumbass.”

The warmth and physical affection felt so awkward, but Satoshi didn’t hate it. He leaned his head against Takeshi’s, trying to hold back the tears stinging his eyes.

“…because all of you love me?”

Takeshi pulled away, resting his hands on Satoshi’s shoulders and staring at him straight in the eye. He had the biggest grin on his face.

“Damn, straight, Satoshi! It’s because we love you!” Takeshi scooped Satoshi into a hug, skewing Satoshi’s glasses from the sudden ruckus and scaring the sentimentality from the situation. “I love you, you stubborn son of a bitch!”

“Okay! Okay! Let go of me!”

“No!”

Satoshi attempted to fix his glasses while in Takeshi’s vice grip, but he couldn’t and decided to weakly return Takeshi’s hug. Only then did Takeshi let go.

“Wanna grab some ice cream before we head back?” Takeshi asked.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

They ducked into a nearby convenience store and, after an awkward exchange with the cashier, they walked out with their goods: Takeshi had a popsicle, and Satoshi had an ice cream bar. (And they also had a bag of assorted frozen treats to bring home.)

“Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way,” Takeshi began, nibbling on his popsicle as they headed home,” level with me, bro.”

“Yeah?”

“What might’ve caused your terrible nightmare?”

“Why are you asking me that question?”

“Your nightmares were terrifying when you first moved in, but they’re pretty tame now, so I was wonderin’ if somethin’ might’ve triggered it.” Takeshi paused. “Don’t tell me it’s the Dark Mousy portrait!”

Satoshi shrugged. “Maybe? I’ve been working on it for a while though, so I don’t think that’s it.”

“Fair. Then, what—”

“Harada asked me to tell her about Dark.”

Takeshi smacked Satoshi’s arm.

“Hey! What was—”

“Bro, in what world do you think you’re in any position to be doing that right now?”

“She was adamant!”

“Then you should’ve been more adamant!” Takeshi sighed. “Satoshi, I know that it’s something you’re working on, but you really should care more about yourself. Please.”

…

Takeshi and Satoshi never made it to school on time.

They would always get there right when the gates would close and the teachers on tardy duty would scold Takeshi for keeping Satoshi from punctuality before letting the boys in without any consequences. And, when they would arrive in the classroom, their homeroom teacher would target Takeshi for his rampant tardiness while Satoshi quietly slipped into his seat without much of a fuss.

(In reality, it was actually Satoshi keeping them from getting to school before the first bell. Takeshi learned that Satoshi was a pain in the ass to wake up, so he usually spent his morning at his desk. Whenever Satoshi would meet his eyes while rushing to get ready, he always saw a judgmental smirk on Takeshi’s face.)

But Satoshi, for once, actually got up while Takeshi was getting ready. The two left for school at a reasonable time that morning and bumped into Daisuke and Risa at the school gates.

“Congrats on waking up early!” Daisuke greeted.

Risa giggled next to him.

Satoshi rolled his eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Takeshi patted his back. “Bro, this is monumental for you.”

“Shut it.”

Risa and Takeshi began talking about some K-pop song that just dropped. And Daisuke began talking to Satoshi about his plans for the art club.

Satoshi appreciated this distance from Risa. As long as Takeshi and Daisuke were there, he had a safe buffer.

Thank god he wasn’t in the same class as her.

…

Inspector Saehara locked the door behind them. The sun had set a while back, so he and Satoshi stepped onto the evening streets of Azumano. They were on their way to grab fried chicken for dinner before heading home.

Office workers were only just clocking out, so the two passed by commuters in business casual. Passersby were either alone, rushing off someplace, or leisurely strolling about, socializing in groups. Inspector Saehara and Satoshi also passed by students either on their way to cram school or back home.

In the middle of a conversation about stocks, a young woman wearing Azumano High’s uniform bumped into Inspector Saehara. She furiously apologized before rushing off as her pigtails bounced behind her, muttering something under her breath about being late to cram school again.

“Do you wanna go to cram school?” Inspector Saehara asked. “I know your grades are good, but it wouldn’t hurt if you’re aiming for a prestigious high school.”

“I have a Bachelor’s degree, remember?”

“I know,” Inspector Saehara huffed. “It was just a suggestion.”

“Then suggest it to Takeshi. He needs it more than I do.”

“Nah. He’s already decided on going to Azumano High.”

“Why? He’s got the potential to aim for a better school.”

“He wants to stay close to home.”

“That’s a waste.”

“Yanno, there’s more to life than success,” Inspector Saehara said. “I may not show it, but I do miss Ma terribly when she’s overseas, so I appreciate having Takeshi around.”

“And he made that decision because of you?”

“Yeah. He knows he might be at a little disadvantage when applying to universities, but he’s got plans to make up for it.”

“Then why are you and Saehara-san forcing me to stay in school for at least one more year when you’re not pushing Takeshi to try harder?”

Inspector Saehara let out a guffaw at this. His reaction only confused Satoshi more.

“I dunno about you, but it seems a little unfair for me to let a fifteen year old go straight into the workforce, college degree or not.”

“I don’t know about you, but it seems a little unfair to me that you’re forcing me to ‘relearn’ things I already know in the hope that I may want to waste away another three years of my life in high school.”

Inspector Saehara just laughed at Satoshi’s snarky comment.

Satoshi didn’t see his reply as a joke. The Saeharas laughed at the strangest of things and made a big deal over the littlest of things. Even after living with them for a while, their theatrics were still foreign to him.

“I suppose, but Ma and I don’t want you to shoehorn yourself into that path. And who knows? You may change your mind between now and December!”

“I highly doubt it.”

Inspector Saehara laughed again.

Besides, even if Satoshi, for whatever reason, decided he wanted to waste another three years in high school, he had already gone through the college experience once. After high school, he only had two options available to him: work or attend graduate school. He certainly didn’t want to toil through studying again, so the latter option was off the table.

Honestly, Satoshi didn’t understand Inspector Saehara and Mama Saehara’s insistence on him “living his youth.” Were they nostalgic of their own youth? Trying to live vicariously through him? Or was there something here that Satoshi wasn’t understanding but that they, two bona fide adults, did?

Which only then begged the question…

“Why did you and Saehara-san decide to take me in?” Satoshi asked.

They stopped at a crosswalk. Satoshi glanced over at Inspector Saehara, but the older man’s expression showed nothing. It was his usual gruff face, disinterested with the bustle surrounding them.

“I was wonderin’ when you were gonna ask that question,” Inspector Saehara admitted.

“I didn’t think I could. It seemed a little rude to ask after all your hospitality.”

“It ain’t rude. You’re curious, and you have the right to know,” Inspector Saehara said. “I want you to feel comfortable asking us for stuff, yanno. I don’t want you feelin’ like you can’t or shouldn’t.”

“But— ”

“You shouldn’t have to feel responsible for my, or anyone’s, feelings. How I feel is on me. And if somethin’ you ask makes me uncomfortable, I’ll let you know.”

Inspector Saehara ruffled Satoshi’s hair. He looked over at the older man who had the biggest grin on his face. Reassured, Satoshi allowed a small smile to slip.

“As long as you keep your word on that, I’ll try to get more comfortable about asking for stuff.”

“Atta boy.”

The light turned green, and they crossed the street.

“Anyways, uh, Ma and I were already planning on taking you in,” Inspector Saehara answered. “We waited to see if the Niwas wanted to adopt you, since Daisuke’s your friend an’ all, but he said it’d probably be better for you if we took you in.”

“Did he say why?”

“Nope. Figured your close friend would be excited to live with you so, if he had something against it, then he prolly had a reason why.”

“Did you know about it before taking me in?” Satoshi asked.

“About your issues an’ stuff? I had an inkling that something was up, but I only really knew when ya told us about it.”

“…how did you and Saehara-san take it so well?”

Inspector Saehara just smiled. “Honestly, Satoshi, this ain’t Ma’s and my first go around with somethin’ like this.”

The words danced on Satoshi’s tongue. They screamed in his head. He wanted to know what Inspector Saehara meant, to learn about another situation similar to his. Inspector Saehara noticed Satoshi’s face, scrunched in thought, and let out a hearty laugh.

“One day, Ma will tell you about it, alright? It ain’t really my place to share it.”

“…fine.”

“Now then, where should we grab chicken from today?”

…

Yet another art meeting ended. The fangirls that initially joined had long left. In their stead were passionate first-years, crazy about art and simultaneously enamored with Satoshi’s handsome visage and artistic prowess.

The second and third years contended that Satoshi had the personality of a wet block of tofu. They all bickered for a while for a while until Daisuke broke it up.

Satoshi laughed at this. Everyone gasped.

“I think I might need to ban you from smiling for the safety of my club,” Daisuke joked, handing Satoshi a warm black coffee from the vending machine.

Satoshi nestled the drink in his hand, nursing it like a baby chick before looking out the window. He spotted the art club members in a group, arguing about something until they noticed Satoshi looking at them. They waved enthusiastically, and he returned their gesture, albeit calmer, with a small smile, and the group returned to their conversation absolutely giddy.

“Maybe you should,” Satoshi quipped.

Daisuke laughed before pulling off the tarp covering Dark’s portrait. It looked complete to the untrained eye, but Daisuke knew there was still work to be done.

“You’ve made really go progress on this,” Daisuke said. “Are you planning on doing something with it?”

Satoshi shrugged, examining the painting while sipping on his drink. He noted spots he wanted to work on while Daisuke continued to study it.

“Why don’t you give it to me?” Daisuke suggested. “I think my mom might appreciate it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“What else would you do with it?”

“Give it to Harada.”

Daisuke made a face, trying to hold back from saying what was on his mind. He had a way of wording his thoughts as gently as possible, but the facial journey to his decision said everything.

“Whatever you want to say, Takeshi’s already said it but worse,” Satoshi said as he got ready to work, squeezing some paint onto his pallet. “Don’t feel like you need to sugar-coat it for me.”

Daisuke sighed. “I think this is a terrible idea.”

“Thanks,” Satoshi drawled. “I’m aware.”

He glanced over at Daisuke again to see if he could gather anything  from his friend’s expression. Illuminated by the setting sun, he witnessed yet another facial journey: introspective instead of judgmental.

Perhaps Daisuke had something to say about Risa, especially since he was the closest to her out of the trio of boys. Maybe there was something hidden behind her loud screeches whenever Takeshi would hound her about something or the silent, composed smile she had whenever Satoshi found himself alone with her.

But Daisuke just kept it to himself, giving Satoshi a reassuring pat on his back before working on his own painting.

Satoshi knew that telling Risa about Dark was threatening the distance between them. He preferred those smiles compared to her screaming into his ear. As long as Risa behaved herself around him, he knew that she wasn’t comfortable in his presence.

For his sake, he wanted it to stay that way.

…

Satoshi woke up at a reasonable time yet again. To celebrate his achievement, Inspector Saehara gave them some money to buy some nikuman.

And so, they stood in front of the convenience store by the school, watching students pass by while they nibbled on their steamed buns and sipped on their milk.

Takeshi looked down at his phone for a bit, and Satoshi spotted Daisuke and Risa walk by. He nearly called them over when he noticed the exuberance in Risa’s expression: shining, just like how she looked like when she was around Dark.

“…shit.”

…

Satoshi woke up that morning to an empty room. Takeshi planned a team-building event for the newspaper club that day, so he said he would be out for a while.

After stretching, Satoshi headed downstairs. Inspector Saehara stood in front of the stove, focused on the pan of scrambled eggs.

“Good morning, Saehara-san.”

“G’morning, Satoshi,” he greeted. “Yanno, you can call me ‘Pa.’”

“Absolutely not.”

He sighed before turning off the stove, setting the pan of eggs to the side to cool. The rice cooker sang, signaling that the rice had finished cooking, so Satoshi helped Inspector Saehara set the table.

“Saehara-san, do you think me telling Harada-imouto about Dark is a mistake?” Satoshi asked once they both sat down to eat.

“I appreciate you asking me questions an’ all, but do ya have to ask me now?”

“I wanted to ask you when Takeshi wasn’t around.”

“Can we eat first though?”

After saying their thanks, Satoshi gulped his food down. Inspector Saehara watched in awe before shaking his head and digging in. Once he finished, Satoshi had already cleaned up his spot at the table and washed most of the dishes.

“So?” Satoshi started as he finished cleaning up the table.

Inspector Saehara sighed. “Do you think it’s a mistake?”

“Daisuke and Takeshi—”

“I ain’t askin’ about what they think. I’m askin’ about what you think.”

Satoshi didn’t answer. He focused on washing the dishes, feeling the warm water running over his hands, the soap clinging to his skin. The sound of the faucet said everything.

“Satoshi, what do you think?” Inspector Saehara asked again.

He finished rinsing the last dish. Satoshi placed it on the drying rack before turning off the water and facing Inspector Saehara.

“…I don’t know.”

Inspector Saehara got up from the table. “Alright. Let’s go call Ma.”

“No, don’t do that!” Satoshi protested. “It’s late over there and I don’t want to bother her.”

“Yer not botherin’ her.”

“Yes, I am! This whole thing is ridiculous—”

“This ain’t ridiculous.” The stern tone in Inspector Saehara’s voice startled Satoshi. “Whatever problem yer havin’ is a problem so stop trying to minimalize it. ‘sides, Ma’s better at figurin’ out emotions than me.”

Satoshi held back from protesting and silently followed Inspector Saehara to the master bedroom. The older man grabbed his phone and dialed Mama Saehara before lying down on his bed. Satoshi sat next to him, uncomfortable about calling Mama Saehara, when she picked up. Her face appeared on the tiny screen, and she looked drowsy.

“What do you want, Pa?” she asked.

Inspector Saehara handed the phone to Satoshi. Mama Saehara perked up immediately.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Satoshi’s breath hitched. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Saehara-san, but—”

“Honey, no, please don’t apologize. It’s alright.” He heard something move on her end. “What’s wrong?”

He took a deep breath. “Do you think me telling Harada-imouto about Dark is a mistake?”

“Do you think it’s a mistake?” she calmly echoed.

“Daisuke and Takeshi think it is, but I genuinely don’t know. It feels like it is, though.”

“Why do Daisuke and Takeshi think it is? And why do you think it is?”

Her soft tone asked questions Satoshi had difficulty answering. He preferred hearing someone speaking to him, interrupting him, calling him out, explaining things to him, than hear his timid voice struggling to respond to something so simple.

“Daisuke and Satoshi said that I should take care of myself first. And, for me honestly, it scares me.”

Mama Saehara was silent. She pondered for a bit before nodding and responded. “I do have to agree with Daisuke and Takeshi about taking care of yourself but, funnily enough, sometimes facing things that scare you is actually taking care of yourself.”

Satoshi blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Daisuke and Takeshi mean well. They want to protect you from getting hurt, so they’re telling you not to do it. And, if you’re not ready for it, Pa and I would stop you from doing it , too.”

“But I don’t feel ready for it at all!”

The decision felt like taking a step into the woods without a flashlight. Whenever Risa approached him, he felt like he was drowning, terrified that she would ask about Dark. Why did he have to face something he had no strength to acknowledge just because one stubborn, teenage girl wanted to now about her forgotten lover?

“Sometimes, you won’t feel like you’re ready, and that’s okay,” Mama Saehara answered. “But you don’t have to go through this alone anymore. We’re all with you now.”

“At the end of the day, what you do is your decision,” Inspector Saehara said. “If you don’t want to help Harada-imouto, then tell her you can’t help her anymore. And if you want to, like Ma said, we’re with you every step of the way.”

“What type of answer is that?” Satoshi asked. “You two are the adults here. Don’t you have something clearer than that?”

“Sorry, Satoshi, but this isn’t a decision we can make for you,” Mama Saehara answered.

Satoshi wanted to scream. Why did this situation have to be so difficult to deal with? Calculus was no problem; he could derive and integrate equations all day, but this? This whole damn thing made him so uncomfortable, and he hated it.

Daisuke and Takeshi told him this wasn’t a good idea. Inspector and Mama Saehara told him otherwise. How the hell could he make a decision when he didn’t have a unanimous answer?

“You know, Satoshi,” Inspector Saehara began, shaking Satoshi out of his thoughts, “I was in that situation, too. Everyone around me thought that I was making a terrible mistake to the point that I began to second guess my decision.”

“And?”

His expression softened. “I ain’t gonna lie, the whole thing was hell, but it worked out alright in the end.”

“That’s a terrible answer,” Satoshi grumbled.

Inspector Saehara laughed. “I suppose it is.”

Satoshi glanced down at Mama Saehara. She looked lost in a happy thought.

“Saehara-san,” he called, catching Mama Saehara’s attention,” what do you think?”

“I don’t have a personal anecdote like Pa, but I think you should go for it. If you’re able to think about something like that, then you should give it a shot. And, speaking from personal experiences, you’re a lot stronger than you think you are. If the whole thing gets difficult, you can always take a break before jumping back into it.”

Satoshi mulled over her words while looking at Mama Saehara. She was wide awake, comfortably sitting up in the bed by the lamplight. Was that what it looked like to be an adult? Able to take on other’s burdens while giving advice, looking like they’ve been unaffected by the toils of life?

“Thank you, Saehara-san. And sorry again for calling you this late.”

“You’re very welcome, Satoshi. And please don’t apologize. I’m glad you called me for this. She yawned. “Unfortunately, I have a packed schedule waiting for me, so I must now depart. Au revoir, my loves.”

She hung up. Satoshi handed the phone back to Inspector Saehara.

“We’ll be proud of you no matter what decision you make.”

“…why?”

“Because you finally asked for help. Thanks for letting us know.”

Satoshi never understood why the Saeharas celebrated such small things like that. Sometimes, he felt like they treated him like a kid, but the pure elation on their faces whenever he accomplished something said otherwise.

These menial things meant a lot to them, and he couldn’t take that away. Not when their idiosyncrasies began to grow on him, too.

“Let’s go out for some coffee,” Inspector Saehara sad. “You look like you need that pick-me-up.”

“Is that fair to Takeshi?”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

…

Takeshi happened to spot them through the window on the way back home from his outing. Risa was with him, and she casually followed Takeshi in while he sauntered over to where Inspector Saehara and Satoshi sat. Satoshi watched, amused, as Takeshi scolded his father for leaving him out of “bonding time with Satoshi.”

Eventually, they settled down before directing their attention towards Risa, begging her to join the Saehara family for an afternoon snack. When she relented, Takeshi and her fell in line to order.

Inspector was busy enjoying the brownie he bought with his coffee. Satoshi was about to return to people-watching when he noticed Takeshi’s familiar expression while joking about something with Risa: radiant with just a touch of gentleness.

…oh.

…

Daisuke and the rest of the club had long left. Satoshi, content with the work he had just finished, began cleaning up. He draped a tarp over his canvas and gathered up the brushes, dumping them into his water cup. Palette in hand, he picked up the cup and was about to leave the room—

Risa opened the door, bathed in the blue glow of the evening.

“Oh!”

Satoshi blinked at her startled reaction. “Hello, Harada. Takeshi keep you long again?”

She shook her head. “Oh, no. Ritsuko just finished something up for the robotics club, so I kept her company.”

“Isn’t she the club president?”

“Yup.” Risa laughed. “I don’t get how she gets that stuff and likes it, but it sure is interesting when you see the final results.” She noticed what Satoshi was holding and stepped out of the way. “Whoops. Sorry about that!”

“No issue, Harada. Did you need something, though?” he asked.

He made his way to the bathroom and Risa followed. “I just figured we could walk home together if you were still here.”

Satoshi raised his eyebrow. “What about Fukuda?”

“She has cram school today, so she rushed out.”

“She’s been busy?”

“Yup. It’s been hard to see her lately.”

They got to the bathroom. Satoshi stepped in and after he finished cleaning everything, he came out to see Risa sipping on a strawberry milk. She handed him a can of black coffee that he accepted, and they headed back to the art room.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to bribe me right now.”

“Maybe.”

He glanced over at her, and she giggled. Satoshi became painfully aware of what this meant to the two of them, and Risa felt so far away from him in that instant. He had to quell the desire to crush the can in his hand.

“Why haven’t you asked about him sooner?” Satoshi asked.

“Mm, I don’t know. I felt like I needed to brace myself for it. And that you needed to prepare yourself for it, too.”

“Was that a hunch of yours?”

“Yup. You’re not very easy to read, Hiwatari-kun.”

They reached the classroom. He let Risa go in before he followed. Satoshi tidied up while Risa busied herself with her phone.

How sharp was Risa’s intuition? Even Daisuke and Takeshi had difficulty seeing past his unexpressive face. Yet, without much effort, Risa could see past everything.

Terrifying.

When Satoshi finished putting away all the art supplies, he looked at Risa. She laughed at something on her phone and, when she noticed Satoshi looking at her, she put her phone away and smiled.

“Ready to head out and talk about my special someone?” she asked with that lilting tone.

“No.”

“Then is there something on my face?”

“No.”

Her amusement gave way to confusion. “Then…?”

Satoshi sighed. He couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer.

“Do you want to see what he looked like?”

Risa’s eyes sparkled. He urged her over to the covered painting and slipped the tarp off, revealing the completed Dark Mousy portrait.

And Satoshi, bathed in the blue flow of the recently set sun, could only stand there and watch as the pure elation in her face gave way to tears.

Dammit.

…

“You’re giving it to me?” she asked after she calmed down.

“Yes. The paint’s still drying, so I’ll let you know when you can take it home.”

Risa sniffled before looking at the painting again.

“What’s his name?”

“Dark Mousy.”

She giggled. “What a silly name!”

“Indeed.”

She continued to admire the work. Her eyes glistened under the fluorescent lights, and her smile wouldn’t leave her face.

“You don’t want to learn more about him?” Satoshi asked.

She looked at him and beamed brighter than the lights above. “Nah. I think this is enough for today. There’s always another time to find out more about him.” Risa slipped off the desk and straightened her skirt. “Anyways, let’s head out now.”

“Yes, we should.”

Satoshi covered the portrait. He took the club room keys out of his pocket and, after turning off the lights, locked the door behind them. They made their way towards the faculty office.

“I’m in the mood for some crepes. Wanna grab some on the way back? My treat.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Aw. You’re no fun.”

[luanna801]

Here are a few random questions for you! What's your favorite arc of DNAngel so far (I think mine is Sage of Sleep)? What are your top 3 favorite books/shows/movies/games? What's your favorite season? What's your favorite kind of music to listen to?

Wonderful questions! <3

1) My favorite D.N.Angel arc is the Argentine arc, for a whole lot of reasons. It has some of my favorite moments with Daisuke and Satoshi, obviously, but I also love all the backstory, and I think Argentine as a character raises so many fascinating questions about what it means to be human and what that implies about the Hikari artworks. In a lot of ways, I think the story backed off from really examining those questions after that arc, and I think you really can’t do that once you’ve raised them. If these beings are capable of feeling love, of having independent thoughts and desires and goals outside of anything they’re “programmed” to, then how can we really say they’re not people? What does it then say that the Hikaris create and destroy them on a whim (Argentine’s description of the artworks screaming as they were destroyed is so chilling), or that the Niwas treat them as objects to steal? When Satoshi “fixes” artworks, is he altruistically healing them or basically reprogramming people to do what he wants? There’s so much to explore there.

I also really love that it’s where we really see more of the Ancestors and how the curse came into existence, because I find all of that backstory fascinating. And I think it’s a huge step in the way you see Daisuke and Satoshi working together and really bonding, opening up to each other about these hugely important things that we’ve really never seen either of them confide in anyone about, up to that point. It’s honestly just a great arc for their friendship, and potentially more than that if you read it that way. (Am I ever gonna be over this scene? No, I am not.) And simply put, it’s the arc of the manga I most enjoy reading and re-reading, because there are so many great moments. 

2) This is an incredibly hard one because there’s so much I enjoy and I’m always getting into new things, but I’ll try my best to narrow it down!

Books: Pride & Prejudice, The Perilous Gard, Anne of Green Gables. 

Shows: The Good Place, Charmed (OG version), Star Trek: TOS.

Movies: Captain America:TWS, Mulan, Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

(Games is n/a because I honestly don’t really play! If I did, some that seem interesting are: The Last of Us, The Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider, and The Wolf Among Us.)

3) My favorite season is officially winter, because it has Purim and my birthday and I love snow... but honestly, there’s something great about all of them. I do really enjoy the warmer weather in summer, and somehow I still associate it with freedom and relaxation even though I’m not in school anymore. Fall is absolutely stunning when the leaves change, and I love how spring always has this feeling of promise and the world coming to life after winter. So all of them, really! <3

4) I don’t know that I have a consistent pattern? I listen to a lot of 60s oldies because it’s the music my parents raised me with, and I also happen to genuinely like it. But beyond that, it’s really anything that appeals to me. I like Frank Sinatra and I also like Metallica. I don’t know! It’s mostly a mix of pop and rock. 

[polar-stars]

Shokugeki no Kimiko à la carte Series - The Extended Hand

Author’s Note:

Written for ShokugekiOCWeek, Day 7 (Prompt: Party)

You’ve reached the point where I’d to something for ShigeChi, because of course I would; or the tale of Chieko visiting a party she feels to small for. 

(As always, I’m not sure if its good or not haha)

---

Like he loved to do, Satoshi went out early in the morning so he could help his students tend to the garden.

An all-too typical everlasting smile on his face, he opened the heavy door of the dormitory to step out into the fresh, cold air. He took a deep, satisfied breath before he marched on.

Little did he expect however to hear the door opening behind him again.

And even less he expected Hideyoshi Kawashima to be the one coming out of it.

“Hideyoshi-kun?” He questioned. “You’re not on field-duty or cooking-duty today. What gives me the honor to greet you so early in the morning?” Hideyoshi was known for many things but not exactly for being an early riser.

Instead of answering, Hideyoshi only threw a “Good Morning, Satoshi-san” towards the brunette man and rushed straight up to the mail box of the dormitory.

The dorm caretaker had already turned around to walk on to the garden as he heard Hideyoshi’s loud exclaim of joy possibly waking up the last few sleeping birds in the trees. When Satoshi then looked over his shoulder, he saw the black-haired youth sprint back towards the dormitory with a bunch of letters in his hands.

A chuckle escaped Satoshi, as he lightly shook his head. “Youth.” Then he walked on.

-

When he finally came back from field work, all sweaty but filled with the highest spirits after his connecting and conversing with Mother Nature, Satoshi found all of Polar Star’s current highschool first years at their table in the dining hall, hunched together like a group of penguins.  

“Good Morning.” He warmly announced in order to get their attention. He ended up being successful as the young teens all lifted their heads with admirable synchronicity.

"Good Morn-" Was all that Hiroshi could say before his friendly greeting was drowned out by Hideyoshi's exclaim. "Satoshi-san! You're not going to believe this!" The addressed adult came closer, chuckling. "My, my, you're truly in a good mood today, Hideyoshi-kun."

"He was invited to a party." Mumbled Daisuke while staring at his omelette, some jealousy swinging in his voice. "Not a party." Hideyoshi immediately corrected and held up an envelope. "THE party." As Satoshi arrived at their table, blue eyes full of interest for what Hideyoshi was so excited over, the emcee began elaborating further. "It's Inoue Eito's party, Satoshi-san! The tenth seat!"

While Daisuke rolled his eyes and Yasu slightly shook his head Hideyoshi took over the tone of a storyteller, weaving myths and legends. "The 114th Generation is famous for their parties and Inoue-senpai is the one who throws the most acclaimed ones by far. Each and every single one of them being iconic. He's not one to invite too many underclassmen. The fact that I got invited…." He proudly puffed out his chest. "Makes me a VIP without a doubt."

"I see…" Satoshi rubbed his chin and then nodded. "I am glad to see you so happy, Hideyoshi-kun." The dorm-warden spread his arms and, as they did many times, the young teens swore to see sparkles and glitters appearing around him. "Parties are a great way to savor your youth!"

"Ever considered that these might have been some prank? Maybe by the underclassmen?" Chieko suddenly spoke up. As the heads turned towards her, Satoshi noted the white envelope in her heads. "Because I can't see why they would invite me…."

The gears in Chieko's brain had been turning ever since Hideyoshi had pushed the invitation into her hands. But all the data and knowledge that she'd stored up over several years could not provide her with an answer to the question on why her, a perfectly normal student of the 115th Generation who looked plain and nerdy, was invited to such a popular, trendy event. In her understanding her name just didn't fit in-between widely-gushed-over emcee Hideyoshi Kawashima, gorgeous Mika Aldini and the school idol's little sister Kimiko Yukihira.

"I don't really get this either. I haven't met this Inoue guy." Kimiko voiced. She had laid her letter away already, so that Hiroshi read it instead while she payed more attention to her omelette.

Hideyoshi was quick to enlighten the blonde. "Please, Yukihira. I thought you were smarter than that. Of course Inoue-senpai would want the sister of the most popular person within the 114th Generation and Totsuki as a whole to be there."

"Hiraku will be there? Yeah, I think I will pass this one." Kimiko shrugged at that and continued eating her breakfast, completely unbothered by Hideyoshi looking at her as if she had personally insulted him. Meanwhile a visible blush had been creeping on Mika's face as she quickly decided to read over invitation again, only now truly realizing that she'd get to meet a certain redhead on the party.

"Maybe it's actually for you." Chieko theorized and pushed her invitation over to Yasu. Good-looking, well-liked Yasu, who never failed to catch several eyes when walking through town wether he was aware of it or not. No way she was chosen over him.

"I don't think a guy that concerned with creating an illustrious guest list would make such a mistake, Chi-chan." He tilted his head slightly. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to." "We can play cards together instead!" Kimiko quickly brought up with a grin.

"No!" Hideyoshi huffed. "No, I'm having enough of this lack of appreciation for this flattering, distinguished chance." He pointed at Chieko. "Marui, I won't allow you to miss out on this. As your friend I can't let you shot yourself in the foot like this!"

—

Despite all of Chieko's skepticism and hesitance, she ended up standing in front of the tenth seat's mansion outside of Totsuki when the day of the rager had come through the sheer force of Hideyoshi's insistence. She even had put on make-up and one of her prettiest dresses.

She felt the house was practically shaking from the booming music that played in it. Hideyoshi next to her bounced on the balls of his feet like some 3 year old who was granted two scoops of ice cream by their mother. Mika had merely crossed her arms as she eyed the scenery in front of her with narrowed eyebrows. Around them, students kept streaming in and out of the house. Some sober, others already smash-drunk.

Chieko could tell right away: this was a very different caliber than the regular Polar Star gatherings.

The insides of the house were loud and crowded. Chatter, laughter, badly sung lyrics to whichever song was playing; those were the sounds that dominated the halls.

The trio began wandering around and inspecting the mansion's ground floor but eventually they split up, as Mika sought to find her prince charming while Hideyoshi aimed for the bar. Chieko meanwhile found herself a corner that was not occupied by some horny couple or a guy about to throw up for her to stand in.

Not many took a notice of her but occasionally she received a couple of confused looks here and there. But what did she expect? Here she had been, dressing up pretty just to stand around in the shadows.

She had just decided to search for Hideyoshi at the bar in order to drown her frustrations in a little bit of cheap wine as said classmate already appeared in front of her, yelling. “Marui! There you are!”

Before Chieko could come up with a response, her dorm mate began to make hasty gestures. “I heard Aldini made it into the upper part of the building! Can you believe it?”

Based on his tone, Chieko knew that he expected some sort of shocked surprise from her but all she gave him was calm confusion. “Huh?”

Hideyoshi gave her a long look before he groaned. “Marui, everybody knows that the real deal of Inoue-senpai’s parties is in the upper part of the mansion. This is where the A-List gathers. The most popular personalities of the school. The true Crème de la Crème!" Knowing her dorm mate and his never-ending chase for a grand social standing well enough, Chieko already feared what will follow next as she listened to his ramble. "If Aldini made it up there, we gotta get there to."

Before Chieko was even given a chance to rationally line out all the reasons on why this was probably a bad idea; she already found herself standing in front the massive staircase that lead up to Hideyoshi's personal Olymp, with Hideyoshi next to her engaging in a broad discussion with the second-year that had been tasked to keep out any mere mortals. "No, there has to be a  mistake. I am Kawashima Hideyoshi. Surely, you must have seen me host a Shokugeki already. I belong up there." "All I see is another entitled, little first-year-shrimp."

Chieko felt an immense urge to hide her face in her hands as Hideyoshi just kept on being his ever persistent, irritating self. "Just let us through! You'll thank me later." "Pffh, yeah right." The guard scoffed before crossing his arms to truly complete the image of the strict, incorruptible doorman. "Listen up, you two guppies have no business up there, understand? Now buzz off or I'll throw you out entirely."

To Chieko's sheer horror, she saw Hideyoshi opening his mouth yet again. However before any words could come out a third voice suddenly spoke up. "These two are my guests actually."

Chieko, Hideyoshi and the gatekeeper all turned their heads in surprise. The gatekeeper was the first one to greet the new participant of the discussion, as his face instantly became pale and he shrieked. "Eizan!"

Shigeo was dressed in a white shirt, a waist coat, black trousers and his infamous smirk. Behind him, one could see Umino and Yamada in full casual glory and with burning eyes directed at the gatekeeper. "Let them through." Shigeo purred, with a certain warning edge to it.

"We-Well…..if they're your guests, they should have just said so." The guard stammered in a desperate attempt to defend himself, while simultaneously taking a step to the side to symbolize their free pass.

"Wise choice." Shigeo hummed before turning to Chieko, whose eyebrows had sunken downwards in the meantime. Not imitated the slightest by her glare, Shigeo merely brought out his hand to her. "Greetings Marui. What a pleasure to see you! I am glad my plus-one showed up."

“Plu-Plus-One?!” Chieko snarled. So that's how she received an invitation. She practically heard Hideyoshi's jaw dropping behind her.

"The Boss barely ever brings a plus one!" Umino brought up with a certain gravity in his voice, most likely to make Chieko understand just oh how special and lucky she was.

"It really was not necessary." Chieko replied, not flattered but completely meaning what she had said. It left both Umino and Yamada utterly floored and Chieko could also feel Hideyoshi's disapproving gaze and his fear of his dorm mate ruining his one chance to get upstairs.

But Shigeo's smirk merely grew a bit as that certain amusement glinted in his yellow eyes. "Yet you still showed up. So I don't believe it was a wrong choice inviting you." He nodded towards the staircase. "Now let's go upstairs. What good is an invitation if I don't give you a chance to experience the true party. Not this….gathering of maggots down here."

While Chieko still made no attempt to take his held out hand, Shigeo for the first time shifted his gaze to Hideyoshi. "Your dorm mate can come too if he wants." Chieko didn't have to turn around to know that Hideyoshi's face lightened up at that, not even bothered how both Umino and Yamada made rather displeased grimaces.

A moment of silence ensued in which Chieko wagered cons and pros in her head. Ultimately the knowledge about how badly her friend wanted to hang out with the cool kids pushed a sigh out of her and a curt. "Fine." She then began walking past the hand that Shigeo still held out to her and up the grand stairs. "I suppose a glimpse can't hurt. Come on, Kawashima."

Before Hideyoshi, completely over the moon, followed he gave a quick bow towards Shigeo. "Thank you, Shigeo-senpai." He faked an unsure laugh and made a waving hand gesture. "Don't mind Marui's grumpy tone. She's always like that. I'm sure she's more than happy about your gracious-" "Listen sockpuppet, if I should ever feel the desire to chat with you I'll be sure to let you know, alright?" Shigeo's frosty tone interrupted him  and it brought back the smiles on Umino's and Yamada's faces rather quickly.

Hideyoshi gulped, made another bow and then chose to retreat back to Chieko's side. Shigeo and his two companions watched them for a couple more minutes before following as well.

Upstairs and Downstairs truly felt like two different worlds. Chieko could tell as much when she finished climbing the stairs.

The first floor was a lot less crowded and the faces she saw were all faces she recognised instantly. From 7th seat Suzume Hojo dancing alongside the president of the French RS Harumi Tsujimoto to a song, whose lyrics "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" described the entire atmosphere perfectly, to Kimiko's widely-beloved brother Hiraku sipping whiskey at a bar, much more finer-looking than the one they had down there, with 6th seat Akio Hayama close as ever to him.

Hideyoshi let out a whistle next to her. "That's what I'm talking about, Marui. This is were Totsuki's truly important people can be found." Just as he said so, the duo also spotted their lost dorm member Mika, a glass with some red drink in her hands and in a conversation with Beatrice Shiratsu.

Their reunion seemingly had to wait however as all out of the sudden a blonde upperclassman approached them, spreading his arms and true manner of a host exclaiming. "Eizan and Co! I wondered when you'd show up."

Both Chieko and Hideyoshi turned their heads and saw that Shigeo, Umino and Yamada had arrived as well. "Good evening, Inoue." Shigeo greeted while subtly raising his hand. Umino gave a nod. "Yo" while Yamada just said. "Sup'"

As the tenth seat, Eito Inoue, reached them, he observed with a bit of sorrow in his eyes. "I see Saito-senpai didn't come along this time. What a shame." Shigeo gave a shrug. "Spontaneous shopping-trip to Paris." He said with a nonchalance you'd expect a person who grew up in a world where spontaneous weekend trips to other countries were affordable and completely normal to have.

"Inoue, is Koharu-chan here already?" Umino questioned Eito before he could make any further inquiries over Kiyoko Saito's whereabouts.

"Yoshida-san?" Eito gave a nod. "Yeah, she's here." He then pointed at a large assortment of couches far away and close to a wall. There, waiting, Chieko and Hideyoshi could make out a thin, female figure with blonde hair and clothes in pastel-colors. "She's at you guy's usual spot with the usual amount of vodka."

"Hell yeah." Yamada grinned in anticipation. "Koharu-chan never fails to disappoint." Umino meanwhile turned to Shigeo. "Boss, is it okay if we join Koharu-chan already?" "Go ahead." Shigeo replied. "Tell Yoshida, I'll be there in a second."

"Aye, Boss." The two men answered simultaneously before wandering off to the couches and Koharu Yoshida with her numerous bottles of vodka.

Once they were gone, Shigeo gave Eito a command, disguised as a friendly request. "I'd like the usual brandy, Inoue."

"Sure, sure." Eito nodded. "Just a question."

After having looked over their heads for the last minutes, Eito finally let his grey eyes fall on Hideyoshi and Chieko. "Who are they?"

Before Shigeo could say anything however, Hideyoshi held out his hand and informed. "Kawashima Hideyoshi. Good evening, Inoue-senpai. I'm a large fan of your work."

It was silent for a second but then Eito's eyes grew and he exclaimed. "Oh! Of course! The Shokugeki-Host!" He playfully hit his head. "I knew something was familiar about your face! How did you get up here though?"

Hideyoshi opened his mouth again but this time Shigeo was faster. "I brought him up." It might have been Eito's party but Shigeo's tone showed absolute confidence in the belief that he could do whatever he wants and he was proven right as Eito showed no signs of an intention to call him out over acting on his own behalf.

"I see." Eito merely smiled over Shigeo's lack of respect for his neatly organized VIP-guest-list. "Lucky kid."

Then his eyes fell on Chieko. "And you are?"

Chieko tried her best to resist the urge of nervously fumbling with her skirt as she answered. "My….name is Marui Chieko."

What followed was a minute of silence and Eito just blankly staring at Chieko. With each passing second, she felt smaller and smaller and her lips began to tremble.

Finally Eito monotonously spoke. "Oh, so you're Eizan's plus-one, right?" He finally smiled again, albeit it seemed a little forced. "He told me to invite you. I hope you know that he doesn't do that very oft-" "She knows, don't worry." Shigeo suddenly cut him off, a little harshness in his tone which made Eito flinch subtly.

Chieko meanwhile looked at the floor, her face burning.

"Enjoy the party, then!" Eito exclaimed jollily. "And we'll get you a brandy." He also said towards Shigeo.

As the two upper classmen then moved away, Hideyoshi shifted his gaze to Chieko. "Marui…." He asked. "Everything alright? You've been so quiet suddenly…."

Chieko bit her lips one last time before looking up and giving Hideyoshi a little smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. I think I just need some fresh air right now." Before Hideyoshi could make any further inquires she already began pushing him into the direction of two Italian chefs. "Be a dear and tell Mika-cchi that we're here, alright? I'll be back soon."

With no more explanation left, Chieko then made her escape to the balcony.

As she stepped ousted she was immediately greeted by the cold night air and the stunning sight of Tokyo's sparkling skyscrapers in the distance. Yet she could not take much enjoyment from it as the heart in her chest was close to bursting.

Dazed from her sudden sorrow Chieko staggered to the railing for support. She felt the tears urging to come out, but kept on fighting the battle against them so she would not have to return to her friends with red eyes.

After having observed her for what must have been several minutes, Eito had only been able to recognize her as "Eizan's plus-one". And the way he had said it. 

As the memory mercilessly replayed in her head a single tear rolled over Chieko's cheek despite all of her best efforts.

Foolish as she ever was, a part of her had hoped to have fun tonight. To be someone more than the one nerdy girl from Polar Star. She hd put her efforts into dressing up for the occasion but no matter how hard she tried, she'd never be a gorgeous Mika Aldini, a noble Kaori Hayama or a interesting Kimiko Yukihira. She'd always be the girl from the library to everyone else.

"Are you upset that I invited you?"

A lightning bolt was sent through Chieko as she heard Shigeo's voice behind her. Still wide-eyed over the sudden noise, she made a half turn and found the older male standing close to the door of the balcony with crossed arms and an unreadable expression.

Once she had recovered from the initial shock, Chieko managed to press out. "I don't want to talk right now. Go away."

Shigeo however rather took a note of something else and surprise spread on his face mixed with something that seemed identical with actual concern. "Marui….have you been crying?"

Immediately Chieko turned her head away at that, cursing at herself internally. But it was too late, as Shigeo already appeared next to her after a couple of seconds. "If you really hate it around here so much, you could have said something."

Chieko pressed her lips tightly together as she kept averting his sharp gaze. "I…..It's simply that your ever great self made a mistake. I do not belong here."

As Shigeo did not reply, she kept on. "This is a group of people who instantly have all eyes on them whenever they enter a room. I don't fit into that." Her voice shivered slightly. "I'm much too dull and unexciting for that."

What followed was a long silence. But just when Chieko actually thought that Shigeo had just quietly slithered away already, he spoke up again.

"Do you mean to insult me?"

Completely taken by surprise and confusion, Chieko finally turned his head back to him and met a pair of oddly serious eyes. "Marui Chieko, do you honestly think that I, Eizan Shigeo, would waste my time and breath on a type of person you just described?"

Chieko could only blink.

"If you really think that I would even consider to bring some uninteresting bore to a party as my partner, you're a lot badder at reading people than I thought you would be." Shigeo continued.

At first Chieko was only capable of staring at him, robbed off words. But finally a few of them returned in her otherwise so eloquent brain. "I….you…."

Shigeo's solemn look disappeared and made way for a smile. But for a change it wasn't loaded with self-infatuation but rather had a hint of genuineness in it. "I invited you for two reasons, Marui: one being that I earnestly believe that you belong into these ranks given the talent that's sleeping in you. The other one being…" He made a slight pause, letting his eyes trail to Tokyo's skyline for a second before looking back at her with the city lights reflecting in his eyes. "The other one is….that I quite frankly enjoy your company."

Once again, Chieko was at a loss for words as her teal-colored eyes merely widened, her jaw dropped and the blush appeared on her cheeks.

They stood there like this for several minutes. Just staring at each other. Noises of the city on one side and loud music from the other side, but the two didn't seem to hear either of them.

Finally Chieko regained her ability to speak and additionally several facts of her speaking-partner which were about more than him just being a good-looking, charming young man. "Shigeo-senpai, I…." She looked to the side and sighed. "I don't know if I can truly trust you with your words. You're Shigeo-senpai after all." Now she was the one to take a pause before looking back at him. "But for tonight I like to believe they're true…..Thank you."

Once those words were spoken, she immediately looked down to her feet as she felt her face burning hotter and hotter with each second.

Would she come to regret what she had just said? It was impossible knowing with this man.

Another moment of quiet ensued, until it was broken by Shigeo. "May I have the pleasure of dancing with you?"

Chieko's head shot upwards again as she looked at him in disbelief. "You dance on parties?"

"Not normally." Shigeo replied and yet again brought out his hand to her, as finally after all of this uncharacteristic concern and sincerity, his well-known vain smirk appeared back on his face. "But perhaps this is a way to prove to you that you're not just some girl to me." He chuckled. "I believe we two could be quite a sight."

Chieko stared at his held out hand, thinking about wether this was the gloved palm of her Prince Charming, or the dangerous, seducing offer of some mob-boss.

She decided that today was not the night she'd try to solve this question and simply took it.

[saturniiddae]

Ongoing Project Snippets!

(No working title) (3.6k, DNAngel, Satoshi/Daisuke)

  “You said you didn’t want your precious things taken from you,” Daisuke retorts, face flushing. “Haven’t you considered that I feel the same way?! That I want to keep my precious things from being stolen?”

Satoshi shakes his head, hand raised between them. Daisuke steps up closer his palm bumping up against Daisuke’s chest. He flinches and steps back, eyes wide.

“I have no interest in your precious things,” he croaks.

He thinks of the dream, of dark eyes and hair, a burning fierce love shared between two strangers in the bottom of a well, and he shakes it off, because he does not choose this, this tepid, woeful desire he could have if he let Krad control his soul. He has no interest in Dark’s things, in his echoes of humanity. Well, save for...

“You should,” Daisuke says, his eyes sharp, cutting. He is more Dark than he realizes, a fierce presence that beats around him with unseen wings.

He steps closer, and Satoshi swallows hard, lips parting to protest, but Daisuke grabs his wrists in both hands, thin fingers wrapping around to rest against his pulse.

“What?” Satoshi manages, and the storm rises, beats against the shore of his heart. He is dangerous, this is dangerous—Daisuke has no idea the danger he is stirring.

The demon stretches and yawns in his mind, a phantom of a smirk in the back of his head.

Daisuke steps forward again, and then they’re chest-to-chest, his hands tight on Satoshi’s wrists. He tips his head back, eyes blazing in the reflected moonlight.

“Don’t be sorry,” he insists. “Just think, just… have you ever considered that you, too, are a ’precious thing’?”

“I’m not,” Satoshi protests, jerking back. His shoulders ache, bones creaking as his muscles tense with the anticipation of pain.

His mother, blurry with the age of memories, the white sheets and the cold iron cross—my masterpiece will be called Satoshi—

“I’m not a precious existence,” he spits out.

    Winter, winter, Spring, (3.2k, Fruits Basket, Shigure/Hatori)

Silence, and then, Hatori sighs.

“If studying is boring, then isn’t watching me boring too?”

There’s something in his voice that seizes ahold of Shigure’s gut, yanks and twists and sends him burning. It’s not the same desperate longing that long-ago dream had set alight in him, but the echo of it instead.

He knows Hatori is painfully aware of his coldness, of the ways his dreams stagnated on the rigid path his parents and Akito had set him on. The question is of a young man well aware of the popularity of his friends, of a teenager who, while not jealous of the attention they get, is aware of his own role: a background character, the straight man to his and Ayame’s comedic idiocy.

He slides his palm flat against the back of Hatori’s hand, tucking his thumb just so underneath Hatori’s fingers to brush against his palm.

“Not at all,” he says softly.

  A Certain Band of a Certain Name (working title/rewrite self-challenge), (1.8k, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, KuroFai)

“Enjoy the show.”

“Yeah,” Kurogane mutters. He curls his hands in his pockets, slouching over to the rickety-looking barricade. There doesn’t even seem to be any use for it—it’s barely a foot from the stage. If someone wants to jump the stage, they’ll do it in a heartbeat.

It seems like a stage-jumping place, the venue. It makes him uneasy, makes his palms itch, but it’s just a cement box of a bar, not some big name venue. There’s no reason to let his mind jump, skip, hop like it does when he feels trapped.

He can see the electricians tape marking tidy squares, pedals and wires bursting in a mess of bright-colored cords and taped numbers. The stage is packed three-layers deep with instruments, a crowded mismatch of soundboards and computers and guitars. The lights cycle through, and someone comes out and starts speaking into the mics, finger pressed to an earpiece, eyes fixed somewhere in the back of the cavernous room.

Kurogane cranes his head back and looks up at the metal-mesh railing of the balcony. He jolts, locking eyes with a figure leaning over the backmost section of the balcony, bright hair shining as the lights swirl through the room on a test run.

Fai raises a hand with ease and in the bright spotlight, Kurogane can’t quite make out the motion on his face, but instinct tells him that Fai just winked at him. Irritation wells in him and he rolls his eyes, turning stubbornly back to the stage.

There’s a loud cabbie whistle, and when Kurogane whips around, Fai’s fingers are leaving his mouth. That smug son of a—Kurogane knew he’d been lying because what sort of music major can’t whistle, especially one that carries reeds with him even if they are to sell like bubblegum.

Kurogane hopes his scowl looks as pissed as he feels, but Fai only waves as the rest of the slowly gathering crowd turns, heads craned back in collective intrigue. Fai grins and pushes off the railing, turning back into the darkness.

  Private Projects:

GO Big Bang: 5.6k/8k minimum)

[rixareth]

My top five canon OTPs

@drawsaurus​ tagged me for this!

List your Top 5 Canon and Top 5 Non-Canon OTPs.

This is tough, actually! I ship pretty much everything on a low level; it’s hard to pin down the ships I have more intense feelings about. I’ve rambled on for a bit, so I’ll post the canon and non-canon lists separately. My non-canon OTPs are here.

(EDIT: I have forgotten about both Beatrice/Battler and James Sunderland/Mary Shepherd-Sunderland, and that was very wrong of me.)

 CANON:

Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher (Uncharted)

These guys are so cute! They balance each other so well; they have such good chemistry! What a great adventure duo. When I saw I’d been tagged to do this meme, Nate/Elena was the first pairing that came to mind.

I love that Nate and Elena have fun together and they make fun of each other, but they also have moments when they’re vulnerable with each other. In particular, I love that Nate, the big action hero protagonist, is allowed to be vulnerable with Elena, and not just the other way around; Uncharted 3 is great for this.

The sequence in Uncharted 4 where Elena just mocks Nate’s videogame skills is my favourite part of the entire series. I would buy a full Elena Fisher Mocks You While You Play Videogames simulator in a heartbeat.

 Jeff Winger/Annie Edison (Community)

The episode ‘Debate 109’ is the fastest I’ve ever gone from ‘I’ve never thought about this pairing’ to ‘I ship this with every fibre of my being’. Jeff Winger and Annie Edison have, by far, the most ridiculous chemistry I’ve ever seen in fiction. It’s absolutely absurd. He’s almost twice her age and I just can’t care!

I was not expecting them to kiss for real in the first-season finale, and I flipped out when it happened.

 Mukuro Ikusaba/Makoto Naegi (Danganronpa)

No appropriate GIFs, but THERE ARE CANONICAL IMPLICATIONS THAT SHE HAS A CRUSH ON HIM; I’M COUNTING THIS FOR THE CANON SECTION.

Danganronpa IF gave me a lot of feelings about Ikusaba/Naegi. I’ve got a huge weakness for redemption storylines, and Ikusaba sort of breaks my heart as a character who has the potential to be redeemed but never had the chance. I also tend to like pairing up cynics with the idealists who make them a little less cynical (other ships I have that fall into this pattern: Jeff/Annie, Sora/Riku, Satoshi/Daisuke, the Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler), and Ikusaba/Naegi is a rare example of that dynamic with a female cynic.

 Abby Griffin/Marcus Kane (The 100)

(it’s really hard to settle on a GIF for these two, there’s so much almost-kissing and facetouching and I love it)

In the early episodes of The 100, I got into the habit of referring to Kane as ‘Councillor Dickface’. I was very confused, during the second series, to realise that Councillor Dickface had at some point become my favourite character.

A lot of the canonical pairings on The 100 follow the formula ‘they have a couple of scenes together with some contrived furtive glances and then they make out’, so Kane/Abby, where they had loads of scenes together and loads of chemistry and persistently didn’t make out, really stood out to me. Taking the time to build the dynamic up made a huge difference. I had such intense feelings when they finally kissed.

One of my favourite parts of the buildup: Abby kissed Kane just by the mouth! And I love kisses by the mouth; they create such a strange tension. They’re halfway between a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the lips: too intimate to be considered normal, not quite intimate enough to be unambiguously romantic. I rewound to watch it seven times.

 Chloe Price/Rachel Amber (Life Is Strange: Before the Storm)

One aspect of Life Is Strange I really love is its portrayal of very intense, slightly unhealthy relationships between psychologically damaged teenage girls. There’s genuine love between Chloe and Rachel, but there’s also manipulation, and things can get a little dark sometimes, a little frightening. Sometimes there are beautiful moments: sharing earbuds on a train and watching the scenery pass by, a kiss on an empty street at night. Sometimes Rachel drags you out of school while concealing her real intentions and ends up starting a forest fire while you watch in helpless alarm.

I love that the Chloe/Rachel pairing isn’t overly idealised or included in the game to titillate; they’re humans, sharing intense experiences, and it’s complicated and beautiful and painful and interesting. Chloe/Max is also great, but Chloe and Rachel make this list because their chemistry is slightly stronger in my eyes.

[lunawings]

Free! Dive to the Future Special Event 1/13/2019

Yesterday I went to the live viewing for the evening performance of the Free! Dive to the Future Special Event. 

The structure of the event was kind of unique I thought. The first thing they did was play scenes from the anime chosen by each of the voice actors, who would then comment on them. They they started into a looooong skit which basically lasted until the end of the event. It was a pretty great skit though, and made the event feel like more of a stage performance than a talk event. 

The following voice actors were present: Nobunaga Shimazaki (Haruka), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Makoto), Mamoru Miyano (Rin), Toshiyuki Toyonaga (Asahi), Kōki Uchiyama (Ikuya), Ryohei Kimura (Hiyori), Chihiro Suzuki (Kisumi), Akeno Watanabe (Gou). 

Also Kenji Nojima (Natsuya), Tsubasa Yonaga (Nagisa), Daisuke Hirakawa (Rei), Yoshimasa Hosoya (Sousuke), and Satoshi Hino (Nao) gave special messages which they showed on the screen at intervals during the event. (While the others were backstage having a water break or something.) 

The scene Ryohei Kimura chose to show the scene with Ikyua and Hiyori on the slide, and for some reason the audience just erupted with laughter. I guess maybe because it’s so overboard. Like, after it ended Mamoru Miyano said something like “Even I didn’t go that far!!”

It was kinda neat to have the voice actress for Gou there. When she said “oniichan!!” the audience screamed. For her scene she chose an Iwatobi scene where Rei was talking about aiming for nationals and then she talked about how she was so proud of him and felt like his mom watching the scene. She kept saying like “Mamma’s so proud, Mamma’s so proud” over and over again and I was like... SISTER. I FEEL YOU. 

Chihiro Suzuki was a fairly big part of the skit, which was a nice surprise to me considering Kisumi isn’t on the show a lot. But Chihiro Suzuki is really popular, at least in the Tales fandom. It was a trip to see him reading a script for something that wasn’t Tales. 

So the skit was about Kisumi taking the boys (Haruka, Makoto, Asahi, Ikuya, Hiyori) around to tour different circles (clubs) around the Hidaka campus. He keeps recommending incredibly obscure circles such as the bamboo shoots and mushroom club over and over again. They are later joined by Rin escorting Gou to the open campus. 

First Haruka, Hiyori, Ikuya, and Asahi visit the Karaoke club. 

Asahi yodels. 

There was a running gag about “singing from the heart”... here is a paraphrase:

“Haruka can sing?!” “I sing all the time. I sing from the heart. I’m singing right now...” “How can you tell?!” “There I just finished.” “What?!” 

Later Ikuya is going to sing and they all make a big deal about it. Then the song starts up and he’s not singing. He informs he’s also singing from the heart. 

When Rin and Gou make it to the campus Gou enjoys the view of all the muscular boys from an athletic school. She somehow ropes Rin into rapidly listing his top ten muscles with her (as she judges his choices) and she almost gets taken away to the top ten muscle deciding circle.

Then Kisumi, Makoto, Rin, and Gou visit a comedy circle. Kisumi recommends this circle in particular for Makoto because apparently he did a comedy routine in the past for something?! (Makoto is incredibly embarrassed by this.) 

Somehow Rin and Makoto then get roped into performing a routine, and Rin is like Makoto “What did you do in your routine before?!” And Makoto is like “Uhhh Kansai dialect....” 

So then they just both talk in really bad Kansai dialect about nothing haha. At one point Rin finished a gag he didn’t know how to end with “SHARK!!!” which is an inside joke from a different Free event ahaha. 

Here is where the skit really derailed (heh pun intended) for a while as they just started doing.... train impressions. First with Tatsuhisa Suzuki. Like he would just say the name of a very specific train line, then make an expression. Sometimes blank, sometimes unusually happy. Then it spread to Mamoru Miyano as well because I guess they didn’t know what else to do haha. 

It’s kinda unclear to me what happened at this point, but either a.) The script just said to improv until Chihiro Suzuki and Akeno Watanabe called it off or b.) Tatsuhisa Suzuki got them so far off script they didn’t know how to get back on. I think maybe the latter. Because Mamoru Miyano started reading Gou and Kisumi’s lines desperately to just try and get the scene to end because they weren’t helping him aha ha... pretty funny but I also felt kinda bad for him at the same time. He seemed a bit frustrated with Tatsuhisa Suzuki for going off script.

The in the next part Kisumi, Haruka, Makoto, Ikuya, Hiyori, and Asahi (I think) visit the drama circle, which Kisumi is actually a part of. He was supposed to write a script for their next play but he hasn’t done it yet. So he decides to do it now, based on a phone call from Rin. Rin has lost Gou and is looking for her, so he creates some dark swimming plot about Haruka’s character's sister being kidnapped. 

He has the boys actually read the lines for his characters with Makoto as the villain.  Tatsuhisa Suzuki suddenly started reading the lines in a completely different villain voice, perhaps the actual voice of one of his other characters, it was pretty amazing and hilarious.

Kisumi gets Ikuya to play the sister, and when he’s not being girly enough he keeps asking him to redo it until eventually he sounds so girly that Rin bursts into the room thinking it’s Gou. 

The last circle the participate in is a quiz circle, where they compete to win some mascot toy that Haruka really wants. At one point the “question” is to sing the Hidaka school song and Haruka just desperately yells the name of the mascot character over and over again. So that wasn’t correct. 

Suddenly they hear the ding of a correct answer. It turns out Ikuya sung the song from his heart. 

Then finally the last “question” is to do a comedy routine. (They wonder how someone could get that right or wrong.)

But Rin steps up to the plate and does...... Japanese Australian animal puns..... in English..... 

So like follow me here. Mamoru Miyano went up the mic, and said very seriously in English and super over enunciating... “A kangaroo.... is thinking.......”  and then another character would be like “Oh! Kangaruu ga kangaeru!” and he’d be like “THAT’S RIGHT!!!!” 

I tried so hard to remember all of them but as soon as I left the theater the rest were gone ahaha there was also one about a koala, a wombat, and a crocodile. This scene also went on like forever eheh. 

So they won the quiz, or Rin one, not sure but Rin gives Haruka the mascot character and all is well... the end! 

After a quick goodbye we were left with “See you in 2020 on the screen” which stayed for at least a minute or so until suddenly the numbers began to flip. They stopped at 2019, revealing the new compilation movie with a new episode and then flipped back to 2020 to reveal the new movie. 

[kazemon15]

So, chatting with my friend, Moezy, we were listing our top 10 (.5) anime guys that we liked in all anime and/or manga that we have watched/read...here is my list starting from 10.

10. Kogami Shinya from Psycho-Pass.

Badass and intelligent. I just love this guy. His backstory is a sad one, but it’s not something that he regrets. He can be a bit emotional, but really, who isn’t? What I like about him is that he knows what the right thing is morally, but he just can’t help his emotions. He knows when he is doing the wrong thing, but won’t run from it either and accepts the consequences of his actions. And he isn’t bad to look at either!

9. Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

This guy is such a dork, but also badass. Powerful and smart, with a cool head (most of the time, which is funny, considering he uses fire). Like Shinya, he can also be a pretty emotional guy, and he uses his past as a reminder to not stray from his goal. He is also in one of my favorite ships, but that’s for another post. Also, did I mention he’s such a dork? lol

8. Yuri Lowell from Tales of Vesperia.

Now this guy is how you do a likable main character. Cocky and sarcastic and loves teasing his friends. He is also has a strong belief in stepping in and doing something about whatever wrongdoings is happening right in front of him, even if it means breaking the law and becoming a vigilante. He’ll do anything he can to set things right for those around him. Not so much of a sad past, but still a fun character! I love his sarcastic attitude at times.

7. Kai Hiwatari/Ray Kon from Beyblade 2001/V-force/G-Revolution

Okay I’m cheating a little bit here, but I just couldn’t decide who I liked more. Let’s begin: Kai: The cold emo Russian/Japanese boy with blue/gray hair. His past is extremely sad and it is understandable why he is such a cold jerk. However, I found his growth in the series amazing. He started off being forced to be a Team Captain for his group. This annoyed him to no end as he wanted nothing to do with the happy bunch. As time went on, however, he gained a soft spot for them and even started to become a real captain, giving advice and caring for their well-being. At first, he was prideful, so very prideful... but as time went on, that pride still remained, but only changed. He takes pride in beating his opponents fair and square and defending his comrades. (Despite betraying them 3 times in 3 seasons but...I chalk up the very first time to PTSD and mind-control of his past...other 2 times... well, that pride problem right?). Also, the irony, a cold emo FIREUSER. Right? lol

Ray: My Chinese catboy! Ray is very friendly and reserved. I was instantly drawn to him when I first saw him. Ray is one of the reasons why white tigers are my favorite animal. He will do anything for his friends and even a stranger if they need help. He always listens to both sides of the story before making a judgement and is the guy to go to for advice. Though later in the series, he does have his own personal battles which causes him to become a bit cocky and jerkish at times, but what can you expect from a nice guy who always put himself last and just wanted to do something for himself for once? Self-care, Ray! Self-care. And he isn’t the only catboy on this list...

6. Kimura Kouichi from Digimon Frontier

Another emo boy! But not a jerk like Kai. Kouichi’s past made me like this character so much and his struggle with his inner demons throughout the series is what made me love him. He was the first character to show me that the power of Darkness does not have to be evil, for without Darkness, there is no Light. He always holds a place in my heart is one of my favorite digi characters.

5. Eizen from Tales of Berseria

I wasn’t sure where to place Eizen. I had to think long and hard. At first I thought at putting him at 7, but then I realized I just loved this dork just a little more than the other characters. The comically serious... no seriously, this guy can fanboy at the silliest things with a straight face, like arguing over the name of a bug...or wanting to build underground tunnels...on an island... ...yeah... ANYWAY, I just love this guy because of his morals and creed. He never compromises his ideals and always faces the consequences of his actions. Yeah another one of those huh? Hm, starting to see a pattern here... Oh yeah, touch his little sister, and he’ll beat your face in and break all 10 of your fingers. Seriously, just...don’t touch Edna. Why couldn’t he be 1,000 years younger (2,000 in Zestiria...)? Such a badass long living adult!

4. Narumi Ayumu from Spiral. It’s a shame this manga isn’t that popular as Ayumu is a great character and his growth is amazing in the manga (not so much in the anime..) His growth is both sad and inspiring. He is such an inspiring character for me. He starts off as a stoic, with having no confidence in himself at all because of his brother, since he is constantly being compared to him and is reminded he can never be as good as his brother (I can relate)... but by the end of the series, despite all the sad things that has happened to him, he learned to smile in the end, no matter how painful. I really can’t go into details about why I love him so much, but you’ll just have to read the manga to find out why!

3. Niwa Daisuke and Dark from D.N.Angel

Yes I’m cheating again, but this is my list, okay?! Daisuke: I love this guy to death. A bit clumsy and timid, but never gives up. Always smiling and managing to find the best in people, even those who keep convincing him he is the enemy, he can end up friends with and change anyone with just that smile. However, even he is not all smiles and has his own concerns... even so, Daisuke doesn’t let such things get him down for long. He is a naturally empathetic person, and I have never seen him cry for himself. He cries for others, but also knows when to be reserved.

Dark: I wasn’t sure if I wanted Dark here or Hiwatari Satoshi, as they both have equally sad pasts. However, seeing as Dark lived for over 400 years and still manages to put up a cocky womanizing front to spare the feelings of others, Dark won out in the end. Again, can’t go into much detail, but the manga is amazing. I like Manga Dark so much more than his anime counterpart.

2. Sawada Tsunayoshi from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Ah yes my favorite series of all time....so then why is Tsuna at number 2?! Well, I’ll get to that when I get to number 1. Like Daisuke, Tsuna is a pretty empathetic person who cares for his comrades. He doesn’t necessarily have a sad past, but his growth is amazing in the series. Because he is around, he managed to help his friends through their own emotional turmoils and is just the light of the series to everyone.

1.5 Zeno from Yona of the Dawn/Akatsuki no Yona

Zeno and my number 1 favorite have ALOT in common, which is why I put him at a 1.5. Despite this, Zeno does have alot of things I like him for him. I love the fact that Zeno does not hesitate to help his family or be in pain for them when the situation calls for it. It is the only thing he can do to help and despite always being in pain, he would rather have all the pain in the world than to have pain inflicted on his family. That is what I love about him most. Of course, his silly childish side is so lovable too! Him and Eizen can talk about the suckiness of living a long life together...

1. Train Heartnet from Black Cat.

Of course, for this guy, I strictly talking about the manga, not the anime...the anime just does not show how awesome and badass he is.

Like Zeno, he is also a very empathetic person who always wants to protect his family. What I like about Train the most is, though, like Zeno, despite having one of the saddest pasts, and has all the reason in the world to go around being bitter and emo, he decides not to. He decides it’s better to smile, have fun, and make the most out of life. He does have some tendencies to become emo, but only when the situation calls for it. And despite being childish and silly, always having fun, he never let’s that get in the way of being serious and protecting those close to him when needed. He always tries to cheer everyone up in a bad situation, and is not above asking for help when he really needs it. Not to mention, he’s a catboy and left-handed at that, like me! All my favorite things in one!

[satorisa]

Phantom Thieves of Hearts Club: On Our Way to Steal Yours, Dark

Chapter 3: Trick

Rating: T

Summary:  A loosely connected one-shot collection about an unlikely trio trying to catch Dark for their own personal agendas which may or may not include their personal infatuations towards their target.

Alternate reading link: AO3

Risa, you absolute madman.  

“Hiwatari-kun?”

Satoshi looked up to see Daisuke hovering over him. He was packing up, slowly, to delay his trip home and avoid dealing with…whatever the hell Commissioner Hiwatari had in store for him, so he welcomed Daisuke’s conversation.

“Yes? Did you need something?”

“I um…didn’t realize you were close to Takeshi or Harada-san.”

“I’m not.”

“Well…uh…” Satoshi raised his eyebrow at Daisuke’s nervous stuttering. “I was wondering why you’ve been hanging out with them a lot lately.”

Satoshi smirked. “Scared that we’re scheming to catch Dark?”

“What?!” Daisuke’s face reddened. “No! I was just—”

“I’m joking.” Satoshi let out an exasperated sigh. “Honestly, Saehara is possessed by this idea that Risa and I like each other, so he’s been hounding us whenever he has the chance to.”

“Oh god,” Daisuke groaned. “I’m so sorry about him.”

“No need to apologize on his behalf, but I’d appreciate it if you could talk some sense into him.”

“I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll see what I can do,” Daisuke assured. “Thanks for letting me know about it, Hiwatari-kun! Have a good evening!”

Daisuke bounced out of the classroom while waving farewell. Satoshi returned it half-heartedly before resuming his task.

…Harada was right.

…

“Harada-san!”

Risa turned around and spotted Daisuke off in the distance. She escaped the throngs of students to wait for him, and they resumed their trek to school once he finally caught up.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Nothing much,” Daisuke replied. “What about you?”

“I’m alright, but—” Risa sighed. “—can you do something about Saehara-kun?”

“Does it have something to do with you, Hiwatari-kun, and ‘the hottest take of his middle school career?’”

“Yes. Yes. Oh my god. Like, everyone knows I like Dark, so I don’t understand why he thinks I have feelings for that…”

“…that?”

“Since it’s not nice, I’d rather not finish my sentence.”

Daisuke laughed. “Well, I’ll be sure to talk to him about it since Hiwatari-kun’s getting annoyed by it, too.”

“Saehara-kun truly has a gift if he’s able to annoy Hiwatari-kun,” Risa said. “But thanks, Niwa-kun. You’re a pal.”

“Daisuke!”

“Well, speak of the devil,” Risa grumbled. “I think that’s my cue to leave. See you later, Niwa-kun!”

Risa quickened her pace and spotted Ritsuko ahead of her. She caught up to her friend to gush about the recently aired episode of that drama they were following.

…I didn’t think those idiots could actually pull it off.

…

“Hey, Takeshi,” Daisuke began as he slipped on his uwabaki, “could you stop bugging Hiwatari-kun and Harada-chan?”

“Absolutely not! Until I uncover evidence of their true feelings for each other, my journalistic integrity will march unrelentingly!”

“You’ve finally lost it.”

“Finally?” Masahiro asked as he appeared next to Daisuke. “He’s always been like this.”

“Hey!”

“Well, I don’t think I can get to him.” He patted Masahiro’s back. “He’s all yours.”

Takeshi watched Daisuke meet up with Riku before the two of them disappeared into the crowd. He then turned around to see Masahiro’s unamused expression and gulped.

“What insane take is causing you to annoy people this time?”

“Hiwatari and Harada-imouto like each other, and you cannot convince me otherwise.”

“…you know, I can actually see it.”

Takeshi blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah. And, for once, I don’t think you’re too far off on your hunch this time. It doesn’t seem like they like each other, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something there.”

“Wait, actually?”

“Yeah. So good luck with it, I suppose. And hurry up or we’re gonna be late.”

Takeshi put on his uwabaki before tagging along with Masahiro to the classroom as they talked about if they should grab snacks or hit up the arcade after school.

…Harada-imouto, you madman.

…

“Look, people are going to be suspicious if they keep seeing us together,” Risa explained. “So, we need to fake a scenario that explains why we’re interacting at all.”

“What crazy idea do you have in mind?” Takeshi asked.

“You—” Risa pointed at Takeshi. “—are convinced that me and Hiwatari-kun like each other, so you’re trying to uncover what could be the scoop of your middle school career.”

Takeshi burst out laughing at the sheer insanity of the situation. Satoshi, not as amused, just frowned.

“That won’t work.” Satoshi grumbled. “It’s reasonable for Takeshi, but it disregards your widely known affections for Dark and my lack of affection for anyone.”

“I know, but it’s actually the best excuse we’ve got,” Risa answered. “It’s so on brand with Saehara-kun that no one would question it, and the notion is so disgusting to us that our reactions towards it would be genuine. Everyone would buy it.”

Satoshi’s face crumpled in disgust. “Is this really the only idea you have?”

“Do you have any other bright ideas, mister?” Satoshi answered with silence. “That’s what I thought. Besides, I know for a fact that your fan club will willingly back off if you showed even the slightest interest towards anyone.”

“…that sounds appealing.”

“Exactly!” Risa’s eyes glistened as she put her hand in front of her. She looked at the guys. “So, are you two in or not?”

Takeshi put his hands on top of hers. The grin on his face was blinding. “Hell yeah! If this actually works, I owe you big time.”

Risa winked. “I’m holding you to that, Saehara-kun.” She then turned to Satoshi. “You in?”

He sighed. “Yes. And, on the off chance that this actually works, I’ll chip in for your treat.” Satoshi looked at their hands with a blank stare. “I’ll pass on the childish gesture, though.”

“What?!” they exclaimed simultaneously. “But—”

Satoshi was already gone.

[luanna801]

I’m getting mighty curious about this D.N. Angel series you mention in some of your posts! Would you mind telling us a little about it and what makes it worth the read?

Listen, I’m always delighted to have an excuse to ramble about D.N.Angel (I would probably ramble about it far more if I wasn’t worried about annoying people), and delighted to know that my posts got someone interested in the series! So no, I don’t mind at all - I’m absolutely thrilled to get this ask. :-)

Okay, so the first thing you need to know about D.N.Angel and what makes it worth the read is that the main character is an absolute sunshine:

^Meet Daisuke, our protagonist and deserving bearer of my #Actual Most Adorable Human Being Daisuke Niwa tag.

I enjoy morally grey characters, but sometimes it’s just really nice to read a story about someone’s who’s kind, and gentle and good-natured, and cares for others with every fiber of his being. And Daisuke is all of that, and more (he also looks like he literally shines when he smiles, bless). That’s not to say he’s lacking in flaws or moral complexity - you’ll see that right off the bat when I explain a bit more about the premise of the series - but he’s a continuously sweet and lovely person in a way that’s very lovable.

Daisuke’s deal is basically that he’s been trained by his family to be an expert thief from birth but never knew why (and never demanded answers about this because… well, he can be rather too nice for his own good, frankly). It isn’t until his 14th birthday, when the series starts, that he finds out that he comes from a long line of phantom thieves who have the unique magical ability to, under certain circumstances, transform into an entirely different person by the name of Dark:

^This is him. (The series’ title is obviously a reference to him, although he is not technically speaking an angel. But he is a winged magical being so, y’know, close enough.)

So basically this is a Magical Girl series (despite the protagonist being male), with the twist that Dark is a separate person unto himself, as opposed to just being Daisuke’s transformed self. When Daisuke isn’t transformed, he basically exists as a voice inside Daisuke’s head, and vice versa. Naturally Daisuke isn’t too thrilled with this situation at first, so a large part of the early series is the two of them learning to co-exist with each other.

(Co-existence, or lack thereof, is a major theme in the series! But I can’t discuss that much without getting a bit into spoiler territory.)

The transformation is, specifically, triggered by Daisuke (or Dark, when he’s the one in control) having romantic feelings, which leads me to…

… Risa Harada, Daisuke’s crush (at the start of the series, anyway).

Daisuke and Risa are classmates and he’s had a crush on her for a while, but she isn’t interested in him romantically and turns him down when he confesses to her (leading to his initial transformation into Dark). She feels like Daisuke isn’t cool enough to be boyfriend material but unsurprisingly… well, this happens:

(The art from this series gets a lot better as it goes on, I should tell you.)

So yeah, Risa has it bad for Dark pretty much as soon as she lays eyes on him. This starts off as a pretty shallow crush at first - he’s cool and mysterious, while Daisuke seems like your typical Boy Next Door - but as time goes on, she grows up quite a lot and their dynamic gets a lot more depth.

Meanwhile, Daisuke’s been told that the only way he’ll stop tranforming into Dark is if he gets into a successful, requited relationship with someone, but Risa only has eyes for his alter ego. But someone who feels quite differently is:

Riku Harada, Risa’s twin sister.

Riku and Risa are your time-honored trope of identical twins who have completely contrasting personalities. Riku is a down-to-earth tomboy, while Risa is a romantic adventure-seeker. And unsurprisingly, Riku thinks Dark is a lawbreaking jerk, while Risa thinks there’s nothing cooler than a magical bad-boy.

And, on the flipside, while Risa thinks Daisuke is far too average and milquetoast to be a romantic prospect, Riku likes and admires him for the kind and creative person he is.

Despite their differences though, the Harada sisters do have some major similarities - they’re both very outspoken in what they believe in, very stubborn when they make their minds up about something, and very brave. And while they do clash over their differences at times, they also genuinely love and are very loyal to each other.

The Daisuke/Risa/Dark/Riku love quadrangle occupies a fair part of the early arcs, but it largely ends up being resolved a couple of volumes in and the series from there on focuses a lot more on developing the relationships and plots revolving around the various magical shenanigans everyone deals with, which I appreciate.

Most of the D.N.Angel plots revolve around magical artwork, which Dark (and Daisuke) typically try to steal and which often ends up creating a lot of unintended magical havoc, both for the main characters and on a larger scale. Which brings me to this guy:

^This is Satoshi Hiwatari who, cards on the table, is my absolute favorite character in the series and it was therefore vitally important that I talk about him last, as he brings out my tendency to ramble.

Satoshi, like Riku and Risa, is Daisuke’s classmate, and when the series isn’t focusing on the more serious and plot-driven elements, there are often lots of cute scenes of all of them in school, doing regular things like going on field trips or putting on their school play. (Of course, these are also in turn always hijacked by magical shenanigans, because these kids do not lead normal lives.)

So Satoshi comes from a long line of magical artists who make most of the aforementioned magical artwork that Dark and Daisuke are always stealing. Because of this (and other reasons which are more spoiler-y), his family and Daisuke’s are mortal enemies, and they’ve been trying to capture Dark for generations, which is currently Satoshi’s mission.

Oh, and to facilitate this Satoshi is somehow a freakin’ police commander at the age of fourteen, because he’s just that much of a super-genius. This is ridiculous, obviously, but it should be noted he’s usually much more competent than any of the adult police officers, so. *shrugs*

Also, his life is The Worst. You’ll understand more about why when you read the series, but it’s vital to understanding his character that he has basically never known love or kindness in his life and is one of those characters who severely needs hugs at all times (but would probably have trouble accepting them.)

In spite of the fact that they work on opposite sides of the law and have this longstanding feud between their families, though, Satoshi and Daisuke come to form an increasingly close friendship as the series develops, which is really sweet and one of my favorite aspects of the series.

There are also two main villains of the series, but I’m not sure how much to talk about them without giving away spoilers? But suffice it to say that a lot of the overarching plots of the series tend to revolve around them and the different ways that they go about targeting Dark, Daisuke, and other characters in the series. There’s also quite a bit of backstory development regarding Daisuke and Satoshi’s families, the nature of Dark and the other magical beings who exist in that universe, and things like that.

This is far from a complete overview of the series (particularly since I was trying to avoid anything too spoilery), but that should at least give you a solid starting point! Let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to expand on more, and if you do pick up the series, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. :-)

[gamer-chick-reviews]

Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk (PSVita) Non-Spoiler Review

Hiya! Time to rate an otome game. I have played a couple otome games, but this will be my first review on one. Some of you might find this game familiar if you have played the first in the series: Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly. I played the first game last year, so it has been a couple months. You don’t need to play the first game to play this game, but there are some references to the first game. Players can always play Black Butterfly after Ashen Hawk.

For this review, there will be no spoilers. I will layout my thoughts on certain aspects of the game and will talk about the characters. In the character section, there will be brief descriptions to give players an idea of the characters personalities. If that’s something you want to experience for yourself, feel free to skip over that section.

Alright! Hope you guys enjoy the review!

Description: (Quoting from the PlayStation Store)

Uncover the secret – Unite the clans

In a town ruled by opposing clans and overshadowed by superstition and legend, a child is born with the dreaded mark of a witch.

She conceals her identity until the theft of a mysterious relic brings to light a series of staggering revelations.

The mysteries she will uncover could restore order... or destroy everything that she knows...

The Psychedelica series is an otome game that focuses heavily on the plot/mystery aspects rather than the romance. The romance plays a secondary role, but there are still alternate endings for each character. If you have played the first Psychedelica game, then you will notice some bias for the poster boys. I felt that it was more subtle for Black Butterfly, but I would say that it really shows in Ashen Hawk. Players might not like this, but I would say to give the game a chance because the plot and characters really shine in these games.

Characters: (9/10)

The characters in this game were all very likeable in different ways. Since this is a non-spoiler review, I cannot go into too much detail on each character, but I do feel that each one was delivered well based on the circumstances they were put in. I think that left a big impression on me because for each character, their ending is not necessarily happy or consequence free.

The Psychedelica series does a good job on showing each characters personality outside of the main plot through extra events you can obtain throughout the game. I found myself liking some characters more than others due to these extra events. However, each side story added a lot of texture to the characters and overall showed their dynamic with the main girl.

Some background before getting into the characters is that they focus on two opposing clans: the Wolf and Hawk clans. They both manage the town, but do not get along. Other characters are residents of the church and tower. Only the main cast will be described, while some side characters will be briefly mentioned.

Jed/Eiar (Jed is the name she uses as a man, while Eiar is her real name. Both names can be changed. Voice actor: Tamura Mutsumi)

Jed is the protagonist of the game and a resident of the tower. I am going to refer to her using her male name because it is mostly used throughout the story. It shows above that Jed is not her birth name but is given to her to disguise her gender because she has the mark of a witch. Jed is very independent, which causes her to not rely on others very often. She works as a handyman to make a living and is skilled in housework such as cooking. She is seen as a very reliable person, and often takes care of others. In search of the missing relic, she is often seen to long for what it would have been like if she did not have to hide her gender. This shows a different side of her where players can see more of her desires and thoughts, which can sometimes cause her to be a bit self assuming toward others. Overall, I thought that Jed was a strong protagonist because of her many skills and witty personality. I did not agree with some of her actions, but it was all very believable with how the plot developed.

Lavan (Voice actor: Hino Satoshi)

Lavan is the eldest son and heir to the Wolf Clan. He is loved by everyone, but keeps a distance from others at the same time. His closer relationships are basically with Jed and his family. He is good natured and skilled in combat. He often puts the priorities of the clan above his own feelings. He is pretty much the older brother type character.

My thoughts on Lavan were that I felt for him, but he was my least favorite of the group. I already had a feeling that he would be my least favorite, but I got to say the voice actor did a great job with his character. He wasn’t my type and his ending was alright. I just had vibes from him, and I am sure you will too. I think they made it pretty obvious.

Levi (Voice actor: Saitou Souma)

Levi is the second son of the Wolf clan who is in charge of the vigilante group. He is hot-headed at times when provoked by the Hawk clan, but he is an overall cheerful person. He thinks of Jed as a younger brother, but Jed often ends up giving him advice instead.

Levi is my favorite in the game. My first impression of him with the short description given was that he was going to be one of those short-tempered manly guys who like eating meat. A typical stereotype you see in anime. Not going to say if he was or not, but Levi went up a lot for me as the game progressed. Some things I can say are that I really like that his relationship with Lavan was not a basic sibling rivalry. They were brothers that supported each other. Levi had a lot of texture and flaws, but I like that as a character he accepted his flaws.

Lugus (Voice actor: Furukawa Makoto)

Lugus is the son of the current Hawk clan leader, Olgar, and the next heir. He has an intense expression where others find it difficult to approach him. He is seen doing his father’s bidding and does not care about the town residents opinions of him. Of course, there is a lot more to Lugus than this. He is a man that respects his father, and cares for his younger sister, Ti.

Lugus was probably my second favorite in the game. He is that cold type that is actually soft and adorable. He is also the poster boy of the game which is obvious from all the promotional art and the alternative game cover. It is also pretty obvious as the story progresses since there is some romantic bias. I honestly thought he was a great character, so overall poster boy material.

Tower Overlord aka Ashen Hawk (Voice actor: Hirakawa Daisuke)

Ashen Hawk is a free spirited man that does not remember his past. He is also a resident of the tower and is often scolded by Jed for his lazy behavior. Because of his behavior, he does not like troublesome things and does not go out to meet others. He is also one of the only characters that knows Jed is a girl.

My first impression of Ashen Hawk was that he was going to be the flirtatious type. He is, in a way, and often teases Jed, but he has a lot more layers than that. I found his interactions with her to be fun and sweet. He is very much like a guardian figure to her. Ashen Hawk is a bit of a mystery, so I cannot reveal much.  

Hugh (Voice actor: Namikawa Daisuke)

Hugh is a mysterious traveler who comes and goes as he pleases. He takes an interest in the heroine and wants to see how her story plays out.

Hugh was my third favorite. I got the feeling as the story progressed that he was strangely easy to talk with. He drops a lot of hints to the first game and often tells the heroine stories from his travels. His character was actually pretty confusing, but most of his story was sorted out as you got more endings. He has got to be the most beautiful character in the game. I found myself liking him more in the common route and other people’s endings rather than his own.

Plot/Gameplay: (9/10)         

The description and character section of this review basically shows the general story that will unfold. The beginning of the story is a very long common route that branches into different endings. In these games, you are usually required to complete the common route first to get character specific endings. It is all set up in a flowchart system that you will see below. I like this system a lot because you can skip over parts of the story faster. The plot consists of 10 chapters, but some endings can end in early chapters.

There is also a map function of the town that consists of different side stories and events. The events in pink are considered “Town Memories” which can be described more as questions that you ask the people of the town. It is almost like a trivia add-on because it even asks some of the main characters their favorite food or hobbies. The events in blue are considered “Short Story Episodes” where Jed/Eiar can interact with the main and side characters of the game. Lastly, the green events progress the main story. There is also an antique shop in the tavern of the town where you can buy extras that will reveal more of the mysteries of the story. I liked having this shop, but you had to gather town memories which got very repetitive. I suggest that you do all the town memories in the map before progressing in the main story or short story episodes.

The story itself was enjoyable because of the good balance of plot twists and character interactions. There are some clichés, but I would not say that they are bad. I felt that this game did a good job using some of these clichés. Some of the plot twists can be easy to predict, but I still found it fun and engaging. I am sure that you will have inklings about certain things and character. I had so many, and I ended up being right for the most part. I was still surprised even when I had an inkling about something, so that also left a big impression on me. I was definitely absorbed in the story and found myself wanting to know more as I progressed.

Music/Sound: (10/10)

I enjoyed the music in this game and felt that it was all thought out with the setting of the story. It sounds pleasant, lively, and dramatic depending on all the different scenes in the story. The transitions for the music were all on point.

The songs with lyrics were my favorites. The opening song “Haizora no Shizuku” by Akiko Shitaka feels very dramatic. I love her unique voice that I have often recognized in other games (The Liar Princess and The Blind Prince). The ending song, “Vermelho” by Eiko Shimamiya is also pleasant to listen to. I ended up really liking this song once I heard it a couple more times.

I also want to add that the voice actors did amazing with their characters. I think they all did equally well. I have to applaud Lavan’s voice actor though for reasons I cannot go into much.  Let’s just say some of his extra events really gave me vibes from his voice actor.

Graphics: (8.5/10)

The artwork in this game is really nice. The soft colors match up with the snowy setting and look really clean. Like in their first game, they would add an animated effect to the characters to create movement in a 2D setting. I honestly like that they did this because it really gets you to picture the scene.

Another aspect that was great was that Jed gets a character portrait in the game. This was nice because the game gives her and the other characters great expressions. Jed has this amazing smirk that I really enjoyed seeing, while the others had a variety of expressions during extra events.

The backgrounds of the game were all nice as well. I thought there was a good variety since the town, forest, and tower were pretty much the main areas you could go to. The map of the town was actually a surprise to me that I ended up liking because it gets the player to have a more interactive experience within the game.

Lastly, the CGs of the game were all very beautiful. I could really feel the atmosphere from them and how heartfelt exchanges between characters were. The setup of the gallery also puts all the CGs together, so there are no separate character menus or repeated CGs like in Black Butterfly. Some character endings did not have a final CG for their romance, while there were moments where I felt there could have been a CG added. Although some characters did not get a super romantic scene or kiss CG, I felt like their interactions made up for that. Of course I was still a bit sad, but I do appreciate that these games put a lot into their plot and characters.

Verdict: (9/10)

I give Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk a 9/10.

If you are a fan of Black Butterly, I would say that this game definitely does not disappoint. I think it is worth the buy for new players as well because of the variety of characters and overall plot. I want to say again that this game can stand alone, but if you like to notice references than I suggest you play Black Butterfly first.

I had a lot of fun with this game, and felt that all the endings were interesting and matched up with each characters circumstances. It was not all happy times, so be prepared for some feels. I am hoping that there will be another installment in the future.

As always, thank you for reading this review. I hope you enjoy this game if you give it a go!

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Seiyuu Challenge (#1+2): Favourite and Least Favourite Male Seiyuu

Least Favourite?

I’ll start by saying that I don’t have a least favourite. I just have a lot of seiyuu that I don’t like as much as the rest of you like. Those ones will be revealed in question [blank].

Favourite?

We’re going to be doing this in the form of a top fifteen list.

I’m going to try to put a “keep reading” line because this is SUPER DUPER LONG. This took me quite a while to complete, and I’m too lazy to proofread, so whatever happens happens.

Honourable Mentions:

Takehito Koyasu 

(the hate for him transcends animation; no gif of Takehito Koyasu on Tumblr)

Here’s to the guy who almost always gets cast as the villain. Seriously, his voice suits it too well. He even looks like an action-movie villain in real life. Some people are just born with a resting villain face I guess. But he’s not just that, he has played a nun, Deadpool (for Japanese dubs), and Excalibur from Soul Eater. All his other roles are mostly villainous stuff though in things like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Gintama, Re:Zero, and others. I still need to watch a lot more of his stuff. He is the voice behind the infamous Dio. I think that’s enough to get him onto this list.

Roles | Singing

Kenichi Suzumura

(Maaya Sakamoto and Kenichi Suzumura would make a god-tier kid)

I know him best for playing Okita from Gintama. Okita is a great character though who I know will get a lot of development moving forward in Gintama. He also surprised me in Osomatsu-san since he was responsible for the “SHEEEEEEH”. He won an award for that too. Hikaru from Ouran Host Club was a role that surprised me a little because he wasn’t expected to be a love interest from my perspective. Speaking of love interest, I may be a bit bias towards him because he has a really cute relationship with one of my favourite seiyuu Maaya Sakamoto. They also acted in the Kara no Kyoukai franchise together where they took on the two main characters. If it wasn’t for that movie’s timeline (eight movies, all out of order), I might’ve finished it. I love his work in Honeyworks. He’s good at singing, and I plan on watching more of his stuff in the future (especially D. Grayman)!

Roles | Singing | The Full 1080p “SHEEEH” Experience

Toshiyuki Toyonaga

(The news that he had a child surfaced a while ago. Congrats to him!)

He just won the best lead actor award at the Seiyuu Awards a few months ago for his performance in Yuri On Ice, and he fully deserves it. He’s a talented musician, and he has such a soft-toned voice at times that can go to really deep in a matter of seconds. I haven’t seen him in shows like Free, SAO, Tokyo Ghoul Root A, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Karneval, or Code: Breaker, but I have seen him in Yuri on Ice where he exceeded my expectations and definitely deserved that award (his speech was great too). He played Mikado who was a fun unexpectedly interesting character  in Durarara, he shocked me in Zetsuen no Tempest where he Mahiro Fuwa who I didn’t like, he had an appearance in Bungou Stray Dogs as Tanizaki, he was Takeru in Kamigami no Asobi, and I really liked his role in Kimi to Boku as Shun Matsuoka (I really liked that anime in general).

Roles | Singing | Bonus: Seiyuu Award Speech, “Day You Laugh” Durarara OP, Zetsuen no Tempest Duet (ft. Kouki Uchiyama)

Daisuke Ono

(He looks like he forgot the rest of his lines)

He either gets those roles like Sebastian from Black Butler where he’s smooth and charismatic, or he gets those roles like Shizuo from Durarara where he’s the rugged thug. He is the fifth sextuplet in the notorious Osomatsu-san. Jyushimatsu is the loudest of the six, but he has the best episode in the entire show. If I remember correctly, I think it’s the second half of episode nine (I watched this a year ago). He has his own little episode where he falls in love, and it was nice to watch. My favourite roles from him personally are Sinbad from Magi, Shizuo from Durarara, and Handa from Barakamon. All of those anime were really enjoyable, and my favourites wouldn’t be the same without his voice.

Roles | Singing | Bonus: Kokkuri, “When you’re left with everyone’s bill” (Seiyuu Event Subbed), Barakamon (Highlights), Magi (Sinbad Highlights)

Ryouhei Kimura

After watching Silver Spoon and Kids on the Slope, I just had to include him here. I first knew Ryouhei Kimura for playing Judar from Magi, and even though he did well playing the heavy eyeshadow magi, when he takes the spotlight as a really well-developed character, it makes it that much better. After watching him in shows like Gekkan Shoujo, Akame Ga Kill, Tokyo Ravens, Kimi to Boku, Grand Blue, that BNHA OVA with the zombies, I can say that he earned the spot on his list.

Roles | Singing | Silver Spoon clip (WARNING: CONTAINS COW BIRTH)

Miyu Irino

(This whole thing is quite extra and overdramatic, isn’t it?)

His role in A Silent Voice left me shocked. Saori Hayami and his performance blew my expectations. They are both really talented individuals, and that movie was packed with feels. Even though I like Saori better, I think he deserves a place here. Sugawara from Haikyuu reminds me of a mom, and I think that’s kind of common. He gives the character a kindhearted voice (with a few exceptional moments). Todomatsu is another sextuplet in Osomatsu. I mention this show often because it’s really crazy. I can’t say I would recommend it to everyone, but the seiyuu definitely make the show funny at times. Ritsu Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100 is a character that is one of my favourite in the show because he is such a relatable person who just gets a little lost at times. And I’ve got to say that Miyu portrayed him well. I enjoyed that show a lot. Jintan from Anohana continues to be a show that I remember because it gave me the feels. I won’t get deeper into that because of spoilers and digging up old wounds and feels. But to end on a lighter note, if you like Osomatsu, I recommend checking out Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou because it has a hilarious cast in a bunch of sketches that can be quite funny.

Roles | Singing | Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou “RPG Quest”, Koe no Katachi SPOILERS

Jun Fukuyama 

(You can see the moment the failure seeps his soul)

Koro-sensei and Lelouch would not be the same without him. He has given these two characters life. He was Souta Takanashi in Working!!, Ichimatsu from Osomatsu, Shinra from Durarara, Yukio from Blue Exorcist, and King from The Seven Deadly Sins. I recently watched him as the Dark Flame Master-- I mean Yuuta Togashi. The way his voice went from Dark Flame Master to Yuuta was funny even if it wasn’t realistic for a first-year high schooler. Same goes for Nura Rise of the Yokai Clan (which I haven’t finished). Bundo from Deadman Wonderland was fun to watch since he was a twist that I probably should’ve seen coming. Kassim from Magi is one character that I will never forget from him though because that backstory was sad, but his character along with Yuki Kaji’s performance really laid out one of the most exciting parts of season one of Magi.

Roles | Singing Compilation | Ichimatsu Compilation (Season One), Koro Sensei’s Weak Points

Satoshi Hino

I first saw him as Sai in Naruto, but since then, he has been in so many anime that I’ve seen as all types of characters. He’s Kineshi Hairo in Saiki, Ash Landers in Black Butler, Momonga in Overlord, Emil in Yuri On Ice, Akito Takagi in Bakuman, Daichi in Haikyuu, Shinku from Yowamushi Pedal, and the renowned Tomoda from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (the real MVP and hero we do not deserve). But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m looking forward to watching him as Kamui in Gintama.

Roles | Singing

Top Fifteen

15. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Despite being one of the most sought-after harem seiyuu, I can say that I don’t watch any of those. I haven’t watched The Pet Girl of Sakurasou or Food Wars or that Dungeon anime. I watched him as Sora in No Game No Life, but I didn’t like that anime. I put him on this list because of his smaller roles that I see him on. Titus from Magi is a perfect example. He may not get the most screen time, but when he’s on, he does a wonderful job playing his characters. His range is outstanding from playing the infamous Kirito to a crazy monster to an alleyway cat that got stuck (if you’re curious, watch Saiki). He also made me laugh quite a bit as Lubbock from Akame Ga Kill. Ah, that anime is just a tragedy. But speaking of tragedy, he apparently has a tough time talking to the people he works with which I relate to. Especially when he does harems (which have a lot of girls), you really can’t blame him. Plus, they make fun of him too. 

Roles (This one is a little longer, but it includes extras and everything) | Singing  

14. Toshiyuki Morikawa

I first saw him as Minato in Naruto, but I didn’t realize how prolific he was until I watched him play a wide range of characters from the villain Boro in One Punch Man to the crazy priest Azuma in Deadman Wonderland. He has such a calm and soothing voice too. This is especially apparent in Magi where he plays Ugo. He has so many miscellaneous characters in so many anime, and I just like his voice in general. 

Roles | Singing

13. Akira Ishida

(This is almost the only gif??)

He has said that he turns down a lot of roles now, but he has still done so many. He is Katsura in Gintama. That in itself is enough to land him on this list. Katsura is one of my favourite characters in Gintama. Name a more iconic duo than him and Elizabeth. Exactly, it’s impossible. He’s also Gaara from Naruto which is where I first saw him. Yunan from Magi is a polar opposite. He’s such a mysterious kind soul. He has been in Danganronpa, the Fate series, Mirai Nikki, Fairy Tail, Kekkai Sensen, Parasyte, Natsume’s Book of Friends, Evangelion, and so many other shows. He’s been around since the 80s, so it’s really no surprise that he is in so many shows. His voice is so versatile that it’s almost scary. He inspired Aoi Shouta to become a seiyuu too because he was a “beautiful woman with a beautiful voice”.

Roles | Bonus: One Man, Seven Voices, Katsura Raps, Trivia

12. Sakurai Takahiro

He plays too many characters to count, and like Akira Ishida and Satoshi Hino, he has been around for a long time. He has characters that I’ve hated, loved, and wanted to “accidentally” push onto the road for them to get hit by a truck. I’ve watched him as the leader of Osomatsu-san who is just too insane for works, Fitzgerald from Bungou Stray Dogs who probably doesn’t know how it feels to be broke, Suzaku from Code Geass who I liked and hated at the same time, Yukiatsu from Anohana who you can’t help but pity, Jafar in Magi ho made me laugh lots, Arataka from Mob Psycho 100 who made me laugh so much with his antics, and Sakurai from (one of my more recently finished anime) Net-juu no Susume. He’s also kind of funny to watch in Ad-Live, but there aren’t any clips of that.

Roles | Singing | Bonus: Cringy Pick-up Lines, Anohana Festival, Osomatsu

11. Kensho Ono

I first saw him as Hakuryuu from Magi where he gave a great performance. He’s a talented singer as well as a stage actor. But besides Magi, I’ve liked his role in A Silent Voice where he plays Tomohiro (who is just such a precious character). His role as Akutagawa in Bungou Stray Dogs eventually did grow on me as I got used to him being the edgy, scarcely eyebrowed Port Mafia member. But one of the most standout characters I’ve watched from him (besides Hakuryuu and Akutagawa) is Arata Kaizaki from ReLife. He seems like a useless NEET that couldn’t stand the world at first, but then we find out that he’s a useless NEET who couldn’t handle the really tough world. But in all seriousness, he’s a character that seems really bland at first, and now that I’ve finished it, I can say that he gets some development that makes you realize that he might be that same average guy, but the plot and the people surrounding him make things really interesting. Kensho Ono is also a part of Ad-Live.

Roles | Singing | ReLife Clip, Magi Clip 

10. Kaito Ishikawa

(I just read a fake article about how he was attacked with shuriken during a home invasion. Fake articles are wild.)

I know Kaito Ishikawa for playing characters in a lot of new shows. A lot of the roles are the ones that I haven’t watched, and some roles were a miss because the anime was a miss (Tokyo Ravens wasn’t excruciatingly bad, but even with the good cast, they couldn’t save a lot of its flaws.) Some people didn’t like Zankyou no Terror, but I still enjoy it. The performances were quite strong even with the cringy “Engrish”, and the music was phenomenal. His portrayal of the colder part of the duo “Sphinx” was one of the highlights of the show. Kouto from Noragami didn’t get too much of a chance to show what he’s truly capable of (since they ended it when his role was becoming more apparent). And even though his time on Bungou Stray Dogs was short, I certainly enjoyed the time that we got to see his character Rokuzou. Kageyama from Haikyuu is a great main character from him. He’s such good friends with Hinata’s seiyuu Ayumu Murase, and he’s so involved in the My Hero Academia cast as Iida Tenya (as we’ve seen from many of the highlights of the cast). His role as Iida was really good especially during the Hero Killer arc. His role as Genos had me laughing a lot of the time even though it’s ironic because he was a very stiff serious character. I hope to see him a lot more in the future.

Roles | Singing

9. Junichi Suwabe

(I relate to this too much because I don’t know where I am unless I’m inside my house)

His role as Aizawa-sensei made him too relatable. I’ve seen several pictures of him cosplaying as his characters which I have massive respect for. His role as Viktor in Yuri On Ice has probably wooed a lot of fangirls, but what stands out the most for me (besides Aizawa) is his role as Odasaku in Bungou Stray Dogs. That performance left me shaken up (especially from the storyline), and I’m sure a lot of Bungou Stray Dogs fans feel the same way. That scream near the end of the arc sent chills. He is also in a bunch of other things that I haven’t watched from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Kuroko no Basket, Black Butler, Fate, Food Wars, Nana, Natsume’s Book of Friends, Space Dandy, and a few others. I have watched him in some supporting roles like Jamil from Magi (that was a great three episodes where he appeared as a spoiled rich guy), Jae-ha from Akatsuki no Yona, Freed from Fairy Tail, Juuzou from Danganronpa, and Junichi (yes, Junichi) from Sakamichi no Apollon. That was rollercoaster of a role, but his singing was so good.

Roles | Singing

8. Tomakazu Sugita

You would think that with a voice like that he would be voicing a lot more serious characters. I guess that’s because I first watched him as Karasuma in Assassination Classroom. In reality, he’s a real jokester (especially when around Yuuichi Nakamura). His role in Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou was funny. It was thirteen episodes of craziness, and it features many of the regulars from Gintama. Speaking of Gintama, the reason why he’s on this part of the list is quite simple. Gintoki. If you’ve watched Gintama, you’d know that Gintoki is such a vibrant character with so much dick jokes and screaming that you really can’t imagine anyone else playing him. I say this as a compliment when I say that he yells just as much as Nobuhiko Okamoto. Just watching Gintama mentally strains your vocal cords. 

Roles | Singing | Bonus: “Voice Acting Meme”, Gintoki Exclusive, Yukana helping out Sugita, Sugita x Nakamura (Seiyuu’s Little Forest)

7. Mamoru Miyano

I know everyone knows him for voicing Light from Death Note, but I haven’t watched that anime (don’t judge me, please). His evil laugh was good though. Speaking of other characters I haven’t watched from him, there’s also Rin Matsuoka from Free, Kiba from Wolf’s Rain, Lucifer from Hunter x Hunter, or Konoha from Mekakucity Actors. There’s probably a bunch more too, but let’s get to the stuff that I have seen. He has been around for so long, and his best characters are the types that appear goofy on the surface but have inner anguish and more depth to their personality. Dazai Osamu from Bungou Stray Dogs is such a character, and he’s the main reason why he’s high on this list. Dazai is such a funny weirdo. Kida Masaomi from Durarara is kind of like Dazai in an odd way too, and I don’t just mean his voice. He has humour that seems to hide something... or maybe that’s just me. Okabe from Steins;Gate (even though I haven’t watched that anime in its entirety) and Ling Yao also seems to keep up this trend. Shuu Tsukiyama from Tokyo Ghoul is just crazy though. It was fun to watch though. He brings so much fun to the characters, yet when they finally show a more vulnerable side to themselves, he still portrays them well. Not to mention, he has a great sense of humour and an awesome singing voice.

Roles | Singing  

6. Hiroshi Kamiya

He’s way too easy to identify. Honestly, the first role I remember him for is probably Otonashi from Angel Beats. That gave me a bit of feels too, so I had to mention that. Besides that, he has had too many other notable roles, but I’ll try to mention a few supporting roles: Takeda from Haikyuu, Mephisto from Blue Exorcist, Araragi from Monogatari, and Ranpo Edogawa from Bungou Stray Dogs. Some roles I want to expand on are Natsume from Natsume’s Book of Friends. His chemistry with Kazuhiko Inoue is great, and they make for such an entertaining show. Izaya from Durarara is insane and neurotic, but he seems like a character with so many underlying insecurities. I haven’t watched the full series (only the first two seasons), but I still remember them (whether it’s because I hate him or not). Levi is a badass that I’m sure a lot of people know from Attack on Titan. He’s proof that short guys like me have a chance. Choromatsu is just crazy. He’s the most productive out of his siblings, but that’s like saying he’s the tallest among dwarves (shout-out to Veronica Sawyer for that quote). With that being said, my best role from him is easily Yato from Noragami. The cast of Noragami is strong, and he is the protagonist. He has so many funny moments and maybe serious ones as well. I could go on all day how he does a good job voicing Yato, but I’ll just leave it at that.

Roles | Singing

5. Yuuki Kaji

He truly does have the voice of a main character. Sometimes his voice is a bit too recognizable for me, and sometimes I think that he does get some roles that don’t fit him as well as I’d like, but I think that’s more up to the casting director than Yuki Kaji. I didn’t like his portrayal in Ao Haru Ride and found it really cringy. A lot of the other anime I don’t like him in is because I don’t like the anime in general. Diabolik Lovers, Guilty Crown, and High School DxD are a few examples of that. Besides that, he has had many outstanding performances. His roles as Takami from Deadman Wonderland and Ayato Kirishima from Tokyo Ghoul were okay. Eren from Attack on Titan which just from the clips I watched were epic and emotional. The amount of strain you can feel for his vocal cords (especially considering that he takes hours for a single episode). Yukine from Noragami was not liked by many at the beginning, but I actually really liked this character, and he portrayed his hardship really well. Todoroki from My Hero Academia sounds like a complete badass. And even though he’s really stoic, he had made me laugh as the “Hand-crusher”. Sonic from One Punch Man made me laugh a few times (RIP his nuts). Shion was great, and his chemistry with Nezumi (Hosoya Yoshimasa) is almost touching. When he got bitten by the wasp, I felt bad for him. This anime does not get the credit it deserves as a nice post-apocalyptic anime). But above all, my favourite role is Alibaba from Magi. I read the manga (slowly but still), and I still hear him doing Alibaba’s voice. He nails the character’s strength, goofiness, positivity, and his overall personality. I’m looking forward to watching Kouichi from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Soramaru from Donten ni Warau.

Roles | Singing | Bonus: Kaji100 Staff, An Interesting Conversation with Hiro Shimono, Slippers

4. Yuuichi Nakamura

Okay, so maybe he has had a few questionable roles that I won’t bring up, but we’re going to ignore those for now. I first saw him playing Gray from Fairy Tail, but I later saw him portraying Nozaki from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun which made me laugh more than it should have. I haven’t watched Clannad yet (partially because I still want my soul intact), but from the funny clips I’ve seen, he certainly does a good job playing Tomoya. Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Sanada from Kimi ni Todoke (who I relate to on a personal level because names just don’t stick in my mind), Ren Kouen, and that dude on a bike from One Punch Man are his other notable roles I’ve seen in the past. But for the most recent ones I’ve seen, Sweetness and Lightning and Poco Udon’s World are two anime that I just finished. They are both very similar, and they bring out his fatherly side which he even said himself cleanses his soul a little. Sure, he has a lot of not-so-family-friendly-or-morally-right-roles, but he also has a lot of good ones too. A lot of these recently watched shows have given me a lot more respect for him too. I actually watched his full Ad-Live performance (only one of them since he has been a part of a bunch), and the fact that he was able to put up with the costumes, ridiculous lines, and everything else also brought him into a new light. Seriously, he was stuck acting as a moving truck guy who’s a robot.

Roles | Singing | Ad-Live: Download link (Subbed by Anokoe)

3. Kouki Uchiyama

Let’s just skip Raku from Nisekoi. I didn’t like it. But onto the good roles. Hiroshi from Barakamon is a supporting character who doesn’t get a whole lot of screen time, but when he does, he certainly provides a lot of laughs. Tsukishima from Haikyuu is a character to rival the king of the court himself. Yuri(o) from Yuri on Ice is so edgy and butthurt all the time. He’s a salty ballerina, and his fans are supposedly very motherly which is fitting since he’s going through teenage angst. Takumi from Anthem of the Heart is a role I wasn’t expecting to like, but he actually kind of pulled it off. Shout-out to Hosoya for telling him about the movie! Gin from Hotarubi no Mori e is a role that brought me feels. If you haven’t watched it, you really should. Akira from Devilman: Crybaby is a role that was too intense for me to get through. It was an extremely demanding role which is kind of funny because he thought he was going to end up as Ryo. Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia (I call him “The Man Who Needs a Hand”) is another one of my favourite roles from him because he has such a creepy aura thanks to character design and his voice. Soul from Soul Eater (who I like despite not being original). I really want to see more roles from him (preferably edgy).

Roles | Singing: Honeyworks (Vocaloid cover ft. Nobunaga Shimazaki), Zetsuen no Tempest Insert Song (ft. Toshiyuki Toyonaga) | Bonus: Yurio “HAAAA” Compilation, Horror Movies (ft. Ryouhei Kimura and Nobuhiko Okamoto)

2. Yoshimasa Hosoya

Some people are just not like the people they portray on-screen. Number two and one are just like that. Here, we have a guy who usually plays brash characters actually being a timid softy whose backbone seems to be made of silly putty. I’m going to try to name a few of his roles that I’ve liked without drowning this whole post. Tokoyami from My Hero Academia whose quiet darkness I really respect especially with these new episodes. We need to see more of him! Asahi from Haikyuu who is the closest to him personality-wise that we will ever see. Daiki from Anthem of the Heart whose ending shocked me. Masmur from Magi who’s an underrated character. Braun from Attack on Titan who I know is a titan, and that shouldn’t count as a spoiler because everyone knows that by now. Saiki from WWW.Working whose his English wasn’t as bad as some shows. Seriously, Hosoya took an exam for English proficiency. He’s not that bad. In terms of outstanding roles, Nezumi from No.6 who is one of my favourite openly gay characters. He’s a badass, and along with Shion, they are an iconic duo in an anime that I found really enjoyable. Kunikida Doppo from Bungou Stray Dogs is the Armed Detective Agency’s soccer mom. He is responsible, keeps his ideals in check, and deserves happiness and a nap. 

Roles | Singing Compilation | Bonus: “Ghost Story” (First 5 minutes), Guess the Profile (ft. Yoko Hikasa), Inu x Boku Radio

1. Nobuhiko Okamoto

This is a bit of an odd choice comparing to the usual popularity polls, but hear me out. This dude has range. He shares my love for sweets and chocolate. He does all kinds of crazy characters. He can voice the angry Katsuki Bakugou from My Hero Academia whose screams a lot. Let’s be real, he is not what we expected when we heard “Hero”. Some of his scenes can send chills down spines. The charismatic Karma from Assassination Classroom is another kind of crazy. He is quite popular in the series, and he has this personality that makes people scared and allured by him. Even in an anime I didn’t like, Juuni Taisen, he did an amazing job portraying the flamboyant crazy Usagi who only kills in fabulous stilettos, suspenders, and bunny ears. He voiced the best version of Obi in Akagami no Shirayuki with his laid-back attitude and confidence. I guess that’s why he’s cast for Otome games? Anyway, Obi was probably my favourite character from that anime, and he was just such a likeable dork who’s going to lose out in the end. Poor secondary love interest. Speaking of likeable, Rin from Blue Exorcist was fun to watch. Not for the story or anything (since that was lacking at times), Nobu provided a performance that was really enjoyable. He nails Nishinoya’s energetic personality in Haikyuu (”ROLLING THUNDAAAAA”), and he does a good job with Mikorin’s bashfulness and awkwardness in Gekkan Shoujo. Honestly, Mikoshiba is my favourite character in Gekkan Shoujo along with Seo who’s a legend. I haven’t watched Taoru Kagaku no Railgun, but Accelerator looks like such a fun character who I would like. Too bad I couldn’t get myself to like that anime.

Roles | Singing Compilation | Bonus Runniart Compilation Video 

[sambart93]

2018.07.20 Tenimyu: VS Hyoutei Nationals [Review]

I really shouldn’t have gone to this but I damn got a ticket and I damn went xD I really shouldn’t have though but it’s Higa AND Miura...I just had to!

Official Website here Official Twitter here Press Coverage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 DVD PreOrder here and here, BR here and here

CAST and CHARACTERS

SEIGAKU 10TH GEN

Akutsu Nichika as Echizen Ryoma Aoki Ryo as Tezuka Kunimitsu Ezoe Takanori as Oishi Shuichirou Minaki Ibu as Fuji Shuusuke Taguchi Tsukasa as Kikumaru Eiji Takenouchi Daisuke as Inui Sadaharu Iwata Tomoki as Kawamura Takashi Ookubo Tatsuki as Momoshiro Takeshi Nakajima Takuto as Kaido Kaoru Ryuga as Horio Satoshi Nakamigawa Toshiki as Katou Kachirou Okuda Yumeto as Mizuno Katsuo

HYOUTEI

Miura Hiroki as Atobe Keigo Isaka Ikumi as Oshitari Yushi Kobayakawa Shunsuke as Shishido Ryo Kitano Satsuki as Mukahi Gakuto Tamura Shogo as Akutagawa Jirou Yamazaki Shogo as Taki Haginosuke Yamaki Takanori as Kabaji Munehiro Watanabe Aoto as Otori Chotarou Utsumi Akiyoshi as Hiyoshi Wakashi

HIGA

Muto Kento as Kite Eishirou Yoshizawa Tsubasa as Kai Yujirou Iwaki Naoya as Hirakoba Rin Raita as Chinen Hiroshi Takata Makoto as Tanishi Kei Sonomura Masashi as Shiranui Tomoya Matsui Haruki as Aragaki Kouichi

*

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Overall: This was so good!! I am so glad that I went!! It was so good. It was absolutely amazing. It's difficult to explain but the story just entirely suited my taste and it was well acted and the songs were all great and I enjoyed pretty much all the characters which is unusual for me xD And the best part about the stage was definitely the bench interactions!! The bench interactions were amazing!! I couldn't stop watching them! I also loved how dark this stage was compared to others and previous ones. I felt like the atmosphere was really heavy for this one, or that I was just so completely engrossed in the whole thing this time around. And I got to see Hiroki in action again which was great! Also I was looknig forward to seeing this new Seigaku Gen - or at least went in with a clear mind and no pre-bias - and I enjoyed their performances so much -- they even got me crying a few times! This. Was. Great! Rating: 8.5/10

*

SPOILER

This'll be split into the two parts of the play and then some extras or whatever.

PART ONE

Some of the Higawaris that I remember were mostly from Higa: FAS: 太ってる あなたにオススメ シェイプアップ F&D: fitness and diet All were aimed at Tanishi obviously xD

As I said before, I couldn't take my eyes of the bench. Especially Jiro, he really caught my eyes during this stage. I spent more time watching what he, and the rest of Hyoutei were doing, rather than what was happening in the main plot and story xD Some things that Jiro did that caught my eye were:

☆Jiro falling backwards while sat on the steps and falling asleep onto Taki xD ☆Jiro dancing during Gakuto's pair song. ☆Jiro being so supportive of his other members and just never stopping!

Other things I spotted from other members on the benches were: ☆Eiji giving Taka a racket and then when it was taken away from Taka just after, Eiji tried to hide from him but Taka stormed over and held onto his shoulders and Eiji just stood in shock like 'omg what is he going to do to me!!' it was really cute and funny.

Speaking of Seigaku: I really like this new Seigaku already! Which is good!! Inui‘s actor can sing really well and he sounded so great! I like this new Seigaku so much that I actually felt sympathy for the Seigaku members; Tezuka's solo was so good and so dark!!! I was crying for Tezuka during his match!! That NEVER happens with me! And Fuji’s solo at the end of part one (Heavy Rain) was so good!!! He sounded great! Also when Fuji and Atobe were dancing together!!!! I ship it!!! They looked so good together! It was great! Also, Momo’s actor is good but his voice feels a bit too low that it’s kinda suffering during the songs he sings.

The day I went, there was only one mistake and the entire audience died of laughter for a good minute which ruined the moment but it was funny: Just after his match when he returned the the bench, Gakuto slipped down the stairs a little and because it was this silent moment between Tezuka and Kabaji, everyone heard and everyone's attention went there. The audience died laughing. All of Hyoutei kept it together during this moment but poor Eiji’s actor was looking over at what happened and he cracked up laughing too. But kudos to pretty much everyone keeping it together and acting completely normal. But for some reasons all the audience just found it so amusing!

Other comments:

☆I love how DARK this stage it! For some reason Tenimyu always seemed like this happy, clappy, fun and games stage but for some reason I found this one SO dark and I absolutely loved it!! I really do enjoy dark plays.

☆Higa are the very first to enter the stage and straight away they are hilarious. They come in from the sides on stupid boats and come down either aisle. Once they get out of their tiny boats (by the way, one is being dragged behind by a rope and ring xD) and on shore, they started rapping. HIGA DID RAPPING AGAIN! It was great! And what was even better is that they got the entire audience to clap along to their song! Which I really appreciated!

☆The first three opening school songs were so strong and so good!! I enjoyed every single one; Higa then Seigaku then Hyoutei. They were really powerful and so enjoyable to watch!

*

PART TWO

During the breaks between the two arts, I ran out to buy Kaido and Jiro's bromides. I got about 30 minutes into part one before I was like 'duh goddammit I love Kaido! I should've picked them up straight away!' and then damn Jiro came along and my brain went 'shit this kid is too cute! I must support him and get his bromides!' Jiro has always been cute but I've always thought no one would ever out-do was Tomorun did as Jiro but damn Tamura is so cute as Jiro! He's so bouncy and hyper and so funny. Speaking of Jiro; more Jiro adorableness:

☆Jiro sleeping between Oshitari's legs. ☆When Jiro fell asleep on Otori and Atobe, and Atobe lifted Jiro's hand (that was touching his leg) in disgust and pushed it off himself xD ☆Jiro making fun of Eishiro Buchou was absolutely hilarious! He just kept going because the audience were dying of laughter. And then some members were like 'Oi.. OI!' and trying to get him back to the bench.

Jiro needs to be protected. Jiro is a sweetie. Jiro is amazing xD

More Higa moments and Higwaris:

☆During the end of one of their appearances, Rin hit Buchou on the head but when Buchou turned around, Rin had already slipped past and gone off stage, so he thought Kai did it, so he grabbed Kai by his shirt collar and dragged him off stage. Kai's toes were like tiptoes as he was dragged off stage xD ☆There was another moment when the (I think) Buchou said something and Tanishi got really angry and went to attack him but then Shiranui grabbed Tanishi's arm and pulled him back so that Shiranui could attack; Tanishi was super shocked by the strength Shiranui had and the audience cracked up laughing from the twist of events that Shiranui was the strong one in the group. Luckily Aragaki stopped Shiranui from attacking and got him to back off xD ☆Towards the end of the stage, Higa had to break a watermelon with their eyes closed, but they all failed so Eishiro said he would show them how it's done, but instead of a watermelong, Shiranui (I think) pretended to be it and when Buchou went to hit the watermelon, he caught Buchou’s hand and of course Buchou was dumbfounded xD

Lets talk about the giant final match shall we because the entire final match was amazing!

☆Nichika’s pronunciation with all the English lines was really good!! ☆When Echizen and Atobe were having an evil laugh showdown, Atobe's laugh was so gooood!! HOMG... ☆When Echizen threw his cap and Kaido caught it oh so perfectly! I was so impressed with how flawlessly he caught it! ☆Now can we talk a little about Hiroki’s butt? Because damn it was so damn obvious in those shorts!! He has such a good butt! Even from 3rd balcony, I could tell he fit nice and tightly into those shorts...  ☆And ohhhmyyyygoooddd can we talk about the amount of hip rolls he did during this damn stage and in different songs and stuff!!! Oh my... ☆Huge kudos to both the boys during the final match because even watching it, I as getting exhausted for them! It goes on for so long and they're constantly running around the stage and Hiroki is doing all his ballet jumps the entire time and stuff! Damn Hiroki must have been exhausted after that!  ☆The final match between Echizen and Atobe was so intense and so much dancing and performance. Just damn. I absolutely loved this entire last segment of the stage. So intense, so well choreographed, so well performance and presented. It was phenomenal.

Other comments:

☆Ohhhhh I teared up during the Golden Pair song and I really, really don't like Golden Pair in general, but even they got me in the feels this night!! Which just shows already how much better this gen is! ☆I really liked all the doubles duet song. And all the songs in general I really got into and enjoyed! ☆Just before the final song, the ending is with all the school's songs remixed and it was great! ☆BUT the encore song and dance is silly in my opinion. It was ridiculous. ☆During the EnCore, Kai came to our side!! I have had the best luck with him seriously... ☆During the EnCore song, Echizen was slacking off to the right side of the theatre, and when Tezuka saw him and Echizen got worried and began to move away from him. ☆Kaido made it back on stage just girigiri right at the end of the EnCore song xD ☆I realised today that I like Tenimyu when it’s dark. Like this stage is dark as fuck. But one thing did ruin it, and it was infact Echizen's song. It was a bit too happy clappy and just ruined the dark mood in my opinion xD just keep it ALL dark!! xD ☆Now I know this is going to sound hypocritical but I appreciate that the very end of stage ended on a funny note. Echizen came on stage with a razor and some classical music started playing and Echizen started doing ballet moves towards Atobe but then obviously Taki comes on stage and says he'll sacrifice his hair so begs Echizen not to shave Atobe's xD I think we needed something like this AT the end to just bring us all out of the story and back to reality a bit.

*

GOODS

*

And there we go!

[phantomthiefdark]

just some notes about the theme song (currently the Am//al//ie version I might look at other versions for like. changes in wording based on translation and etc. also I Hate V/c M/gn/gn/)

Darkness of white, you can

Through this sadness take your flight

And become the wings that pierce the veil

Spreading strong and true tonight

I think the first line is a little obvious? Dark is an angel (often associated with the color white due to good and holiness and the like), but honestly I find the second part most interesting? “through this sadness”, what sadness? in the anime itself the only inherent sadness I can think of is Daisuke’s feelings after his whole thing with Risa doesn’t go well? but I feel like this could mean more, and once I go into what my brother and I have got so far, I think it’d make a bit more sense? honestly I want to try to make the rewrite make sense w this song

Brought into the light at last

By the cold exposing sun

I was granted freedom tame

To become the chosen one

this bit confuses me a quite a bit tbh? here immediately I think we can see light being equated with bad (Krad), but I find the second half interesting? by the chosen one, are they referring to how Daisuke became Dark? but I think it’s a little more than that, because of “granted freedom” - Dark is often described as the Niwa curse, so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to call it freedom? 

what I think rn is that this line is indicative of how Daisuke himself is talented, and ultimately he grows in numerous ways to become the person that everyone needs to help with all of the issues going on towards the end? (admittedly the end is fuzzy to me but really I think this series can be sort of a coming of age story and should emphasize Daisuke’s character growth?) tbh this is a segment I need to Really think about

Through the mirror

Night reflected

Miraculous to see

My soul threw away the mask

That hides the deeper me

this one ties in a little with what I have for the last stanza? when they look in the mirror, Daisuke and Dark see each other, and seeing as Dark’s quite heavily associated w the night (imo), I think by “night reflected” it’s referring to Dark. I think it’s like. partially bc of Dark, Daisuke begins to push himself, and having Dark has really set him on the path to self discovery and growth? and he’s become a bit more comfortable with himself hence the throwing away of the mask

Breaking the one divide

We reveal the other side

Where despair and grace

They share a face

Much alike both you and I

in this bit, I’m not sure if they’re still talking about Dark and Daisuke? I’m honestly a little lost on the first two lines (what’s the one divide? what’s the Other side? maybe the divide is the families and the other side is, in the Niwas’ case, the Hikaris?), but the last three seem more indicative of Dark and Krad or Daisuke and Satoshi? 

Dark and Krad because they’re. quite literally opposites but also share a face, and Daisuke and Satoshi because the Hikari curse leads more to. well. despair? in the anime it’ll literally kill him, whereas Daisuke’s curse seems to be more use in developing oneself and pursuing emotions, so I’d call that grace, not to mention how people apply that to like. holiness.

If you’re not satisfied

And you find you’re seeking more

You can go ahead

Where the tale has lead

As it tries to fly away

honestly, this is another bit that. doesn’t quite make sense to me? not satisfied with what? seeking more of what? the furthest I’ve gotten though I’m not quite set on it is that “the tale” is actually Dark - Takeshi calls him a legend, and of course the flying could be taken literally. maybe, and this is very loose bc I’m v confused about it and probably have to update this as I watch the series more, but maybe it’s like. if you’re not satisfied with the information you have and you want More (which I feel like is just Daisuke’s Mood the entire time bc no one tells him anything), look at the hints that have already been dropped

and I say this bc I feel like to some extent Dark really is trying to get away from the curse - I think he’s genuinely unhappy and the curse effects him more than anyone (and really in the anime I feel like Dark’s existence kind of sucks - being a statue and all the things that come w the curse? it sounds Terrible), but I feel like Dark leaves very subtle clues about himself and the curse without really intending to? but I also feel like he very much tries to avoid his problems (flying away from them), and that in itself can be very telling when trying to piece things together?

In this world, the sky is bright

But the wind cuts like a knife

What I seek is nothing more

Than a purpose of my life

I find this bit interesting bc towards the beginning of this song, it equates the sun as a bad thing, but now, saying the “sky is bright” and then that the wind is bad, is interesting because that means light is good suddenly. though I’m not entirely sure what the wind bit is about, I do think that maybe Daisuke is searching for what his life means. though really? I think it could apply to Daisuke, Dark, and Satoshi. 

Daisuke I feel is generally lost and that the series really should be more about his growth, and with Dark his life is. a cycle and I would imagine, especially in the anime, it would feel. quite pointless. Satoshi, however, I feel, this applies to because all his life has been is to catch Dark but after that, there’s not really anything? and in the anime his curse will quite literally kill him and soon, all in all I’d imagine he’d feel his life to be? pretty pointless? especially if I remember correctly and towards the end he tries to die to end the curse early as there isn’t another Hikari to inherit the curse

Every trial cuts me deeper

The pain, dark ebony

But I draw a little closer to a truer me

this part is. yet another one that confuses me if I’m honest. it implies a level of pain and upset I feel isn’t very present in the anime? I do find it interesting though that it equates bad things with darkness again, thoug

I’d imagine on some base level it has to do with Daisuke’s romantic pursuits, and how his trouble with Risa hurt a lot, but he also had to grow a lot from it? I’m not sure, though hopefully it’ll be clearer with some anime watching

Disappearing fake light

Be reborn a true light

Within these hands

literally? what does this mean? we find the bit that gives the song its name (True Light), but I’m not sure what it means rn tbh? what is the fake light? I’m assuming the hands are Daisuke’s and that he’s out to fix whatever this is, but what is it?

fake light would imply to me Krad, because while he seems like the character you would think would be an angel, he is described as a demon. so, equating light with good and holy things again, it would sound like something good involving Krad - though literally if I remember correctly he just ends up sealed. hardly reborn, let alone a true light.

Breaking the dark of night

Piercing through the painted white

Cut it all away from yesterday

’Til a new era’s in sight

I find this one interesting, it talks about breaking both darkness and white, so I almost think it’s both the curses? especially because Dark is, again, associated with the night and Krad (white) is the Hikari curse - aka the family most known for their art including paintings

lumping the entire 300ish year history of Dark and Krad as curses passed down from generation to generation as “yesterday”, cutting them away would imply the end of them, as well as a new era - and era without curses and family rivalries to say the least. definitely implies the breaking of the curses at the end of the series

Unlock the heart within

Let it spread its wings and soar

Rising up in flight

Through a night of white

And fly on forever more

this however, contradicts what I said in the last bit, at least how I understand it rn. or at least, it did at first. initially, when I saw this, it seemed to me that Dark is the heart within - given he has wings, and is literally inside his tamer - and the line “fly on forever more” would definitely imply that he’s going to keep going on despite the last line having implied to me that the curse was gone

looking at it right now though, I wonder if Daisuke is the heart within? having grown to see his true self, his new self, he would unlock the heart within? unlocking his innerself, and metaphorically, allowing himself to soar and continue on that way after a bit of confidence building and character development

of course, non eof this I’m 100% set on and I’m really tired so it’s subject to change as I sleep more or watch more of the anime!

I may input my thoughts from reading the manga too tbh, but I focus on the anime because. this is. the anime’s theme.