#Takeshi Saito

[kaipanzero]

Pray for Death (1985)

[haveyouseenthistoku]

[nirbanox]

Shin Kamen Rider (2023)

Directed by Hideaki Anno

[redsamuraiii]

The Superior 8 Ultra Brothers (2008)

[chernobog13]

The Ultraman Dyna cast (and Booska!) celebrating the 25th anniversary of the show last year.

From left: Risa Santo (Ryu Yumimura), Ryo Kinomoto (Captain Gousuke Hibiki), Joe Onodera (Tsutomu Nakajima), Takeshi Tsuruno (Shin Asuka), Dyna, unknown, Mariya Yamada (Mai Midorikawa), Booska, and Toshikazu Fukawa (Toshiyuki Koda).

Not pictured is Hiroshi Tsuburaya (Seiji Miyata), who passed away in 2001.

Where's Hanejiro?

ADDENDUM:

Thanks to @friendlyloveaffair Mr. "Unknown" has been identified as Nobuyuki Kase, who played SuperGUTS' resident marksman, Kouei Kariya.

Sorry I forgot him!

[mythgirlimagines]

I know Fusion decided to do Bandori (DVHS edition) a while back, so could we have a followup? PJSK: DVHS! Four-person units plus a Vocaloid for each, featuring "you shouldn't technically be here" this time. - II

...I definitely didn't spend twenty minutes looking for this post

Dawn to Dusk:

Oshiro (leader), Matsumoto, Ikeda, and Saito

They focus a lot on composition more than anything else, and a lot of their music is said to be best played at night. That’s usually when they have the most time to work on it, too. They don’t really fit in any one genre, though, dipping their toes into everything.

Rin and Len would be their Vocaloids since I think it’d be a funny contrast between them arguing and Oshiro and Saito arguing.

Worldwide:

Ishikawa (leader), Nakamura, Yoshida, and Maeda

This group would probably focus on multilingual songs of all kinds, blending together different styles. Ishikawa of course knows lots of languages, Nakamura knows a bit of other languages, Yoshida’s just fun, and Maeda knows Russian!

Luka is their Vocaloid, since she’s known for being bilingual. I also think she would contribute to their chaos nicely.

Blossoming:

Hamasaki (leader), Fujimoto, Yasu, and Sasaki

They’re kind of like a traditional band like Leo/need, though a lot of their music is more calming. Fujimoto’s great with writing meaningful lyrics, though he doesn’t actually play with the rest of them. Hamasaki plays guitar, Yasu’s on percussion, and Sasaki’s on keyboard. All three of them trade off vocals.

Meiko is their Vocaloid, I think mostly because I associate these four with being more mature/older sibling-figures, kind of like how I think about Meiko.

On Your Feet:

Ueda (leader), Rikimaru, Abe, and Aoyama

They’re slightly more pop-focused, kind of in the realm of dance music. It’s surprising that Abe and Aoyama are part of the group in that regard, but the four of them work incredibly well together (barring some small bickering here and there). 

Kaito is their Vocaloid, and I think he’d cycle between being a sort of mediator and contributing to their excellent vibes, haha.

[evan-collins90]

Yoshinoya restaurant - Garden Grove, CA (March 1989)

Scanned from the book, ‘American Restaurants-4′ by Gen Takeshi Saito (1990)

[numberonepeacock]

Healin' Good♥Pretty Cure Characters as Mobians

🩷🌸🐰🌳💙⛲️🐧🌳💛✨🐯🌳💜💨🐶

Cures:

Nodoka Hanadera/Cure Grace - Auburn Rabbit/Bright Pink Rabbit

Pretty Cure of Flowers

Chiyu Sawaizumi/Cure Fontaine - Charcoal Black Penguin/Vibrant Blue Penguin

Pretty Cure of Water

Hinata Hiramitsu/Cure Sparkle - Soft Brown Tiger/Blonde Tiger

Pretty Cure of Light

Asumi Fuurin/Cure Earth - Blonde Saluki Dog/Light Purple Saluki Dog

Asumi is a spirit who was born through the power of the Earth as a human in response to Teatinu's prayers

Pretty Cure of Wind

Faires:

Rabirin - Rabbit Cure Flicky (Healing Flicky)

Fairy partner of Cure Grace

Pegitan - Penguin Cure Flicky (Healing Flicky)

Fairy partner of Cure Fontaine

Nyatoran - Tabby Cat Cure Flicky (Healing Flicky)

Fairy partner of Cure Sparkle

Latte - Saluki Puppy Cure Spirit

Fairy partner of Cure Earth

Is the young princess from Healing Garden

Latte hasn't gained the ability to speak yet, but by using a stethoscope, you can hear her inner voice

Magical Allies:

Queen Teatinu - Saluki Dog Cure Spirit

Latte's mother and the Queen of Healing Garden.

Fuu - Saluki Dog

Queen Teatinu's former partner, and Asumi's predecessor.

Element Spirits

Flower Element

Tree Element

Water Element

Light Element

Bubble Element

Harvest Element

Rain Element

Ice Element

Jewel Element

Lightning Element

Wind Element

Leaf Element

Fire Element

Sun Element

Air Element

Sound Element

Sea Element

Liyon - Earth Lion

Trigon - Earth Tiger

Saruro - Earth Monkey

Suzuchun - Brown Sparrow Healing Flicky

Momomon - Light Maroon Chipmunk Healing Flicky

Feremin - Light Brown Squirrel Healing Flicky

Hamutasu - Gray Hamster Healing Flicky

Villians:

King Byogen - Black Nine-Tailed Fox/Crow

The leader of the Byogens.

Daruizen - Pale Blue Poison Dart Frog

One of the Byogens Generals.

Shindoine - Lilac Widow Spider

One of the Byogens Generals.

She has a crush on King Byogen.

Guaiwaru - Cobra/King Cobra

One of the Byogens Generals.

Batetemoda - Brown Nutria

One of the Byogens Generals.

He used to be a regular nutria until he was infected by a Megabyogen's seed.

Nebusoku - Black Crow

One of the Byogens Generals.

He was created by Daruizen.

Kedary - Golden Poison Frog

One of the Byogens Generals.

He was created by Daruizen.

Family:

Takeshi Hanadera - Dark Brown Rabbit

Nodoka's father.

Yasuko Hanadera - Auburn Rabbit

Nodoka's mother.

Ryuuji Sawaizumi - Black Arctic Hare

Chiyu’s father.

Nao Sawaizumi - Black Arctic Fox

Chiyu’s mother.

The owner of the Sawaizumi Hot Spring Inn.

Touji Sawaizumi - Charcoal Black Arctic Hare

Chiyu’s younger brother.

Kiyoshi Sawaizumi - Penguin

Chiyu’s grandfather.

Haruko Sawaizumi - Dark Gray Arctic Fox

Chiyu’s grandmother.

Teruhiko Hiramitsu - Tiger

Hinata’s father.

He is the owner of the Hiramitsu Animal Clinic.

Youta Hiramitsu - Antelope

Hinata’s older brother.

Works at his family’s animal clinic, Hiramitsu Animal Clinic.

Mei Hiramitsu - Antelope

Hinata’s older sister.

She operates the juice bar called Café Wonderful Juice.

Supporting People:

Dr. Hachisuka - French Bulldog

Is the doctor who looked after Nodoka when she was ill.

Since he couldn't do anything but watch Nodoka suffer, he quit being a doctor and became a researcher in an overseas institute.

Kawai-san - Brown Walrus

He is an employee at the Sawaizumi Hot Spring Inn, and an overall kind, helpful and nice man.

Tsubasa Takami - Brown Ocelot

Is in the Track and Field Club at Nishi Middle School.

She fails to beat Chiyu in the Autumn Track and Field Championships, so she vows to see Chiyu again in the World Championships.

Rina - Auburn British Shorthair

Hinata's friend.

Mina - Brown Ragamuffin

Hinata's friend.

Eriko Saito - Brown Persian

Is Hiramitsu Hinata's childhood friend.

She meets Hinata again after several years had passed, however she gets jealous since Hinata kept talking about Nodoka and Chiyu.

Kyousei Maruyama - Deer

He is Nodoka, Chiyu and Hinata's homeroom teacher, and is the father of Kouta.

He teaches science at Sukoyaka Middle School.

Kouta Maruyama - Deer

He is the son of Kyousei.

Michio Masuko - Dalmatian

He is the only member of the Sukoyaka Middle School Newspaper Club.

——————————————————————————————————

Previously: 💫🔭 | Next: 🌊🌴💄

Masterpost of AU: Jewel Sonicure AU Masterpost

[underratedmhapoll]

FINAL ROUND TIME

We're here folks! We're finally here!

So some people were...a little upset. But no changing things now. We're down to Rei Todoroki and Koichi Haimawari; both of which have been utterly stomping the competition aside from one or two close calls near the end. Nothing to note this time around, best of luck to our final two.

The final round of our final bracket will drop on Friday, October 6th!

Full rankings under the cut.

1st Koichi 58.4% 2nd Rei 51.4% 3rd Aoyama 48.6% 4th Gunhead 41.6% 5th Tsunotori 6th Lunch Rush 7th Kota 8th Hound Dog 9th Shinomori 10th Ojiro 11th Ochako's Parents 12th Makoto 13th Samidere 14th Sato 15th Tsubaraba 16th Amplifer 17th Chimera 18th Bubble Girl 19th Fuwa 20th Isekai 21st Shishida 22nd Saito 23rd Majestic 24th Kido 25th Nao 26th Kashiko Sekigai 27th Third User 28th Chikuchi 29th Beros 30th Mummy 31st Tsutsutaka 32nd Flect Turn 33rd Enigma 34th Satsuki 35th Yoroi Musha 36th Kyotoku 37th Tomie 38th Crust 39th Mustard 40th Slice 41st Hana 42nd Miyashita 43rd Tsubasa 44th Big Red Dot 45th Kesagiri Man 46th Mr. Smiley 47th Shishido 48th Takeshi 49th Death Arms 50th Dadan Tadan 51st Kenranzaki 52nd Nobu 53rd Romero Fujimi 54th Uwabami 55th Rin 56th Nirengeki 57th Bondo 58th Moonfish 59th Trumpet 60th Fourth Kind 61st Toxic Chainsaw 62nd Onima 63rd Wolfram 64th Daigo

[byneddiedingo]

Michiko Kuwano and Shuji Sano in What Did the Lady Forget? (Yasujiro Ozu, 1937)

Cast: Sumiko Kurishima, Tatsuo Saito, Michiko Kuwano, Shuji Sano, Takeshi Sakamoto, Choko Iida, Ken Uehara, Mitsuko Yosshikawa, Masao Hayama, Tomio Aoki, Mitsuko Higashiyama. Screenplay: Akira Fushimi, Yasujiro Ozu. Cinematography: Yuharu Atsuta, Hideo Shigehara. Film editing: Kenkichi Hara. Music: Senji Ito.

The denouement of this early Ozu talkie is rather unfortunate: a man slaps his wife and makes her behave. It's a throwback to the marital dynamics of the era of domestic comedy when gags were milked from the relationship of a henpecked husband and a shrewish wife. Otherwise, What Did the Lady Forget? is an amusing glimpse at the conflict of tradition and modernity in pre-war Japan. A mild-mannered university professor (Tatsuo Saito) is married to a woman (Sumiko Kurishima) conscious of propriety and her station in society. When his modernized, free-thinking niece (Michiko Kuwano) comes to visit, the two women immediately are at odds, and the professor is caught in their conflict. It's a sly, sophisticated movie, influenced, as many have noted, by the films of Ernst Lubitsch, but with Ozu's own distinctive style prevailing, so much so that it's easy to forgive the retrograde element of the plot resolution. So what did the lady forget? It's not an easy question to answer, but some think it's the wife's failure to compromise with her husband's less restrictive view of his niece's behavior. 

[mhsnetflixblog]

Midnight Horror School (Netflix Jr.) Character Voices

English

Ampoo - Christina Kelly

Anto - April Winchell

Æon - Kelly Sheridan

Bri - Laura Post

Borocca - Rebecca Soler

Chaps - Candi Milo

Dabble - Sarah Taylor

Docky - John Tartaglia

Enton - Tom Kenny

Fonton - Richard Steven Horvitz

Friedi - Fryda Wolff

Furanzo - Maria Petrano

Genie - Simon Hill

Hikky - Madeleine Martin

Inky - Leslie Carrara-Rudolph

Juno - Tabitha S. Germain

Kabo - Hope Marie Segoine

Kami - Cree Summer

Karen - Kira Gelineau

Liddy - Andrea Libman

Magnero - Andrew Sabiston

Noisy - Grey DeLisle

Nonny - Michelle Marie

Onpoo - Abigail Gordon

Œther - Dee Bradley Baker

Oozee - Lizzie Freeman

Piranin - Scott Menville

Quicky - Corinne Orr

Ringring - Michael Kovach

Rosso - Kelsey Painter

Shiro - Tara Strong

Spimon - Annick Obonsawin

Tubee - Pamela Adlon

Usop - Lance Henriksen

Vincent - Vincent Martella

Watt - Jo Wyatt

Mr. X - Jeremy Shada

Yumyum - Katt Williams

Zobie - Donovan Patton

Zuzu - Carla Delaney

Mr. Salaman - Ian McDougall

Mr. Tigerl - KJ Schrock

Ms. Peginand - Julie Sype

Ms. Unirex - Leah Ostry

Mr. Komoika - Shannon Lynch

Lure - Cory Doran

Johnny Crow - Patrick Warburton

Vending Machines - Patrick Seitz, Laura Bailey

Mr. Showtime - Christian Bale

Mr. Book Deposit Machine - Don Brown

Old Owl Sage - Jason Jones

Owl Sage Apprentice - Mariette Sluyter

Principal Kocho - James Hong

Eddy - Meesha Contreras

Vice-Principal Esme & Osma - Samantha Bee & Helen King

Casey - Vegas J Jenkins

Ra - Teala Dunn

Wendell - Brett Bauer

Winifred - Carol Ann Day

Monty Carlo - Joey Mazzarino

Bashful - Roger Rhodes

Pumu - Scott McNeil

Quasar - Lenore Zann

Edgar - Meesha Contreras

Smooch - Patton Oswalt

Kwazii - Veronique Barnard

Dr. Ongo - Park Shin Yong

Bello the Bus Driver - Dave Pettit

Coco the Jinn - Travis Willingham

Motherboard - Kimberly Brooks

Siobhan - Estela Echevarria

Izzy - Winter Murdock

AJ - Bommie Catherine Han

Eli - Sarah Bock

Fiona - Dahlia Lynn

Fred - Nitzan Sitzer

KC - Hope Marie Segoine

Mona - Meghan Strange

Roy - Finn Phoenix

Rudy - Yantzi Michael David (credited as Mike Yantzi)

Tee - Bommie Catherine Han

Zane - Sharon Youngmee Kwon

Japanese

Ampoo - Chiyako Shibahara

Anto - Ai Maeda

Æon - Ai Kayano

Bri - Kumiko Yokote

Borocca - Junji Majima

Chaps - Hisayo Mochizuki

Dabble - Ken Morita

Docky - Takeshi Kusao

Enton - Tarusuke Shingaki

Fonton - Kenji Nojima

Friedi - Azusa Enoki

Furanzo - Miyuki Sawashiro

Genie - Ryuuzou Ishino

Hikky - Hiromi Ohtsuda

Inky - Tomoe Hanba

Juno - Ayumi Kida

Kabo - Etsuko Kozakura

Kami - Nakamura Maiden

Karen - Kaori Yamamoto

Liddy - Etsuko Kozakura

Magnero - Setsuji Satoh

Noisy - Tomoe Hanba

Nonny - Yutaka Nakano

Onpoo - Sakiko Tamagawa

Œther - Kenjiro Tsuda

Oozee - Ayano Yamamoto

Piranin - Eriko Nakayama

Quicky - Takeshi Kusao

Ringring - Yuna Taira

Rosso - Eriko Nakayama

Shiro - Isla Summerhaze

Spimon - Etsuko Kozakura

Tubee - Chiyako Shibahara

Usop - Kosuke Okano

Vincent - Kosuke Okano

Watt - Sakiko Tamagawa

Mr. X - Ayumi Kida

Yumyum - Ryusei Nakao

Zobie - Yusuke Numata

Zuzu - Etsuko Kozakura

Mr. Salaman - Sukekiyo Kameyama

Mr. Tigerl - Kenji Nomura

Ms. Peginand - Hiroko Oohashi

Ms. Unirex - Hiroko Oohashi

Mr. Komoika - Kenji Nomura

Lure - Yuichi Nagashima

Johnny Crow - Kosuke Okano

Vending Machines - Cho, Sukekiyo Kameyama

Mr. Showtime - Kenji Nomura

Mr. Book Deposit Machine - Kenji Nomura

Old Owl Sage - Hiroshi Iwasaki

Owl Sage Apprentice - Yuko Sanpei

Kocho-sensei - Tomomichi Nishimura

Eddy - Kenji Nomura

Esme-sensei & Osma-sensei - Cho & Hisayo Mochizuki

Casey - Kenji Nomura

Bello the Bus Driver - Chafurin

Ongo-isha - Mayumi Tanaka

Coco the Jinn - Kenji Nomura

Ra - Chiyako Shibahara

Wendell - Kosuke Okano

Winifred - Hiromi Ohtsuda

Bashful - Setsuji Satoh

Monty Carlo - Tomoaki Maeno

Motherboard - Atsuko Tanaka

Pumu - Ayumu Murasa

Quasar - Misato Fukuen

Edgar - Kenji Nomura

Smooch - Tomoaki Maeno

Kwazii - Reina Ueda

Siobhan - Nanako Ishizuka

Izzy - Yuna Saito

AJ - Karen Miyama

Eli - Chinami Yoshioka

Fiona - Maika Pu

Fred - Botchiboromaru

KC - NOA

Mona - Ai Kayano

Roy - Isla Summerhaze

Rudy - Yu Fukaya

Tee - Kaori Yamamoto

Zane - Yuna Taira

[theanimoo]

Ghosts And The Man Who killed Them: Prologue

Characters: Miho Kirishima, Miyuki Tezuka, Takeshi Askura, Odin, (Random guy) & Yuichi Saito

Pairing: None

Summary: A singer in a smoky room, the smell of wine and-OH GOD! THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE!

Warning: Blood, swearing, gore and death

Word count: 1582

Day 2 of 30 of my 30 Day Writing Challenge and the prompt is Mafia Au for Ryuki.

“We’re up next, Miho.”

Miho paused, her eyes narrowed as she popped the lid on her stick, and glared at a young man that couldn't stand still. His legs shaking like desperate leaves hanging on a twig; shaking, even though they should just fall off and…die.

“Yuichi, stomp your stamping!” The singer stared down the frightened man as he kept tapping his foot, and looking down like a kicked puppy. “The hell are you so nervous for?” 

“You don’t know?” Yuichi suddenly stopped his stamping and looked up with a wide-eyed look. 

“Know what? 

“Well, you see my friend-” The man was suddenly stopped by Miho’s venom.

“That Fortune teller? What does he have to do with anything?”

Yuichi put up a finger as he took a deep breath. “Let me finish, he did a reading for this night and he told me that something was going to happen. Something real bad.”

“Something bad? Come on, do you really believe that fortune telling bushwa?” 

“Well, he’s never been wrong, and there’s also going to be-” The man was cut off again as a group of boys came walking past them with their instruments in hand and grins on their faces.

“Good luck, you two! We have a special guest tonight.”

The two stopped for a moment, both wondering the same thing and what it meant.

Who’s the special guest?

After a few seconds of looking at each other like a couple of blockheads, they finally climbed up the creaking stairs to the stage, and took their places behind the red curtain.

Yuichi on the piano and Miho front and center of the microphone. They both waited in silence before the curtain pulled back to show a dark room filled with cigar smoke, and smelled of wine and blood.

Mobsters and thieves filled the audience, but one person caught their attention: It was the Don.

Odin

The man always wore a perfectly crisp suit and a mask, hiding his face from the world and leaving everywhere he went with an eerie atmosphere. But, the man sitting next to him, he was new. A stranger. A new killer who was there to see their rinky-dinky little show.

He wore black suit, nothing but pitch except for a red waistcoat, and a maroon tie. And, yet that didn’t drive away from his features; He was quite a good looking fella. Slicked back hair and a looked in his eyes that reminded them of-

“Psst! Oi! Get to playing you dumb doras!” A voice that was all too familiar reached Miho’s ears, causing a smile to form as they glanced towards the stairs. There stood the lady’s older sister, their number one fan. 

The only person they trusted in the room.

After the lady’s sister skipped off to her seat, a smooth, deep voice swam over the crowd as a soft piano accompanied the little ditty; it slowly ramp up as they went on, but the mob seemed to love it. Song after song the duo completed brought big smiles to the crowd. 

The crowd was hanging onto every note, taking a ride on every tone and it wasn’t long until they were nearing the end of their show.

Hollers and calls rang throughout the room as Miho sang the last cord, and Yuichi played them out. Blood stained hands applauded with cheer, cheers that were created from cries that would never be heard. 

They almost didn’t want to hear them, but those cheers paid the bills.

“I would like to thank the Don for gracing us with his presence, and for being your friend along to our show. He is quite a handsome fellow if I do say so myself.” Miho spoke with the sweetest voice she could muster as the crowd roared with laughter, the stranger gave a small nod, and Odin waved. 

Then the curtain slowly began to close as a wave of calm rushed over the duo, and they let out a breath that they didn’t know they were holding.

“We’re still alive, right?” The pianist let out a pained chuckle as he was socked in the shoulder by a smug Miho. “I’m still surprised that it went that well, it still seems a bit odd.”

“I told ya it would be ab-so-lute-ly fine, and see nothing happened! I told you that stuff was all balon-AAAAHHHH!”

Red splattered across the singer’s face, iron attacked her tongue and a blood curdling scream left her form as white silk was stained. Her eyes darted around as she stared back into bloodshot eyes.

The pianist’s hands were dripping with blood as fat tears streamed down his cheeks, and mingled with the red on his collar.  Screams filled their ears as Yuichi stumbled across the stage, and tumbled into a hysterical Miho. 

“M-my hands! Miho, I-i-it’s my hands!” His voice wavered as he raised his hands to show the carnage of his most prized possession; Yuichi had been shot, and all they could see was a sick smile through the curtain.

A smile they’ll never forget.

“Oh, god! We need to go! -AHHH!” Miho grabbed onto the man’s shoulders, her whole form shaking as they rushed towards the stairs. The sound of gunfire and the cries of pain sent them stumbling over themselves, fear rushing through their veins as they scrambled to get up. 

The duo clung to each other like an lifeline as they made it to the floor, and a figure backstage caught-

A loud thud made them jump as time seemed to still, there on the floor was her sister. Red poured from her lips as her form laying limp, pale and quickly losing life. 

A hole in her head.

"Nee-san! NOOO-!” Her screams fell on deaf ears as she was yanked past the bones, and into the back of the club- to the exit; Miho couldn’t stop her feet from trying to dart back, but a face left her frozen.

The same sinister smile from before was directed right at her, clothes stained red and engulfed with holes; he didn’t shoot though, he just waved.

H-he waved at m-

“MIHO, MOVE!” 

The singer was yanked back with the force of a desperate man, but it wasn’t enough to tear her gaze away from the monster staring at them. It was almost like he wasn’t even there, a figment of her imagination.

He might have just been smoke and mirrors.

Yuichi slammed into the exit door with his shoulder, biting back a gasp of pain as he pulled Miho along. Concrete greeted them once they stumbled into the alleyway, hard ground and grime gave them a place to catch their breath as they stared into the sky.

There was no cloud in sight as the stars shone brightly above them in an indigo haze, with a soft breeze blowing through the air. Their vision began to slowly blur over as the world began to still.  It would have been peaceful if a sudden blood-curdling scream hadn’t forced them to their feet, and scapering away into the night.

Lungs burned with every breath as their feet slammed against hard ground, and pushed themselves as far away as they could from the hell they escaped; hoping that running away would wipe their minds clean.

___________________________________

The Ore Journal

Gunslinging Crook Asakura Takeshi Finally Thrown in the Salmer!

After the bloodbath that happened on the ___ of___ at a speakeasy that resulted in the death of over 10 people, and many injured, but the crook was finally caught. Asakura Takeshi was arrested by Police Detective Sudo after being caught at an esteemed lawyer’s estate; the crook was there for legal help (God knows he needs it), but he was refused services and without warning pounced! Thankful, Detective Sudo was on patrol that very moment- it’s almost like he’s superhuman! The Crook is currently awaiting his trial in the ___ jail and is-

RingRing 

Is said to be under heavy surveillance until he can be moved to a-

RingRing RingRing

A more secure-

RingRingRingRingRingRing

“Fine! I’m coming, so stop the ringing!” A disgruntled Miho slammed the paper down with a smack, before pushing herself out a loveseat that was too nice, and too far from her front door. 

She stomped her way to the door, but stopped, took a deep breath and opened the door with the sweetest look she could muster. “Well, what’re you here- wait!”

The person outside in the cold, windy air was someone Miho wasn’t expecting to see; it was the psychic guy-Yuichi’s friend. He was drenched in rain and was just dripping with dread.

“Why are you-?” 

“He’s dead.”

A sinking feeling formed a pit in Miho’s gut as she slowly shook her head; she must have heard him wrong. 

“That’s nonsense, there’s no way-!”

“He’s dead…he’s gone.”

The singer felt a lump in her throat, choking her and not letting a word out. She swallowed around nothing for a few moments as her mind raced. “So, how’d it happen? Was he blown down or-?

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you, Canary.” His voice was even, almost cold, but his eyes were dark. They were little windows into his soul that he tried to hide.

“Then what was the point if I wouldn’t believe you?” Miho leaned against the doorframe while a sudden nauseous feeling rushed through her, making her sigh and shut her eyes.

“I just thought you should know, and I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

To Be continued

[blue-pastel-cat]

Tagged by: @isnt-it-pretty (Thank you for the tag!)

Favourite colour: Blue pastel (HAHAHAHAHHA)

Favourite flavour: SPICY

Favourite genres: Horror (EH? Suprise isn't it XD)

Favourite music: Soundtracks. They give me the emotions and I love to feel it.

Last song: VOH feat. Takeshi Saito by Kevin Penkin (I am writing a fic so)

Last WIP: OOF, so I switch between 3 of them LOL. Xiaobedo Server Zine, TighCyno challenge and Memories of Flickering Sun fic

Last movie: Oh wow, I just rewatch Everything Everywhere All at Once. A phenomenal movie. Changed my way of character portrayal forever.

Currently reading: about 15 fics on Ao3

Currently watching: Starting Dragon Prince Season 4

Working on: Xiaobedo Server Zine, TighCyno Color Challenge, Memories of Flickering Sun, A secret project

Tagging: @redteqirla @alchemical-stardust @bird-priestess

(Only if you are up for it!)

[jgmail]

El decrecimiento nipón

Por Nathan Gardels

Cómo subsanar la «brecha metabólica» del capitalismo

Fuentes: [Imagen: Andres Von Chrzanowski (CASE) aka @case_maclaim]

Varios años después del supuesto fin de la «década perdida» de Japón, el país nipón se mantiene al borde del decrecimiento. Su PIB apenas creció un 0,1% interanual en el último trimestre del año 2022.

Aunque la mayoría de los economistas consideren a Japón como el hombre enfermo de entre las naciones más avanzadas, Kohei Saito sostiene que esta senda decrecentista es precisamente la que debería tomar una sociedad sana en un contexto como el actual, en un mundo sumido en una vorágine abrasadora provocado por un consumo desmesurado.

Saito es un escritor de 36 años y autor de «El capital en la era del Antropoceno», una obra que aboga por el decrecimiento como la salida de la crisis climática y de la angustia provocada por la competencia constante que ha llevado a tantos sararīman —trabajadores asalariados— a la desesperación. A pesar de tratarse de un texto marxista —un enfoque poco popular en la actualidad—, es evidente que su libro ha tocado una fibra sensible, sobre todo entre la población joven, vendiendo más de medio millón de ejemplares en Japón.

Podría decirse que este país insular, caracterizado por su frugalidad histórica y que surgió en la antigüedad a partir de lo que el filósofo Takeshi Umehara describió como «la civilización del bosque», es un terreno más fértil que la mayoría para que el mensaje radical de Saito fructifique. Si nos remontamos al periodo Edo, a finales del siglo XVII, el shogunato Tokugawa constató la crisis ecológica que suponía la deforestación causada por el uso generalizado de la madera como material de construcción. Así, restringió drásticamente la tala y plantó árboles a gran escala con el objetivo de reforestar el paisaje. Y no cabe olvidar que la primera iniciativa internacional encaminada a frenar el calentamiento global recibió el nombre de Protocolo de Kioto.

La sensibilidad sintoísta y budista que venera la naturaleza como la unión de todos los seres sigue estando presente en los jardines y santuarios que contrastan con la espantosa expansión de hormigón por todas partes que trajo consigo la rápida modernización de posguerra de las décadas de 1950 y 1960.

Fue en aquella época cuando el arquitecto Fumihiko Maki y otras personas iniciaron el «movimiento del metabolismo», una iniciativa encaminada a integrar los patrones tradicionales del espacio en el diseño de megaestructuras. Además, este movimiento se inspiraba en algunos conceptos de la capacidad de adaptación de la biología orgánica como forma de abordar la creciente concentración y congestión de la hiperurbanización.

Por aquel entonces Maki y sus compañeros ya comprendían intuitivamente que el alcance inaudito del desarrollo metastásico requería una respuesta que contemplara las formas y los sistemas naturales.

La brecha metabólica

En este sentido, no es de extrañar que sea también un ideólogo japonés quien haya recuperado la teoría de la «brecha metabólica» de entre las obras más recónditas de Karl Marx. Este concepto constituye el eje central del esfuerzo de Saito por reverdecer los matices rojizos del materialismo histórico.

Según Saito, Marx entendía la interacción entre la especie humana y su entorno natural como «la base de la vida». El capitalismo convierte la «naturaleza» en un recurso mercantilizado con al de alimentar el crecimiento económico y, de este modo, cercena la armonía entre los seres humanos y los no humanos. Esa escisión cristaliza ahora en el Antropoceno, un periodo en el que el conjunto del planeta se ha visto tan trastocado por este modo imperante de producción y consumo que hace peligrar la biosfera habitable de la Tierra.

Saito opina que la única forma de subsanar la brecha que Marx identificó es una economía estatal estable que renuncie a la ambición implacable de un crecimiento cada vez mayor y que recupere el mundo natural como procomún. Esta interpretación situaría al gran ideólogo de la Revolución Industrial entre las filas de los posteriores apóstoles de la «era de los límites», como Ivan Illich. Illich, que se definía a sí mismo como arqueólogo de las certidumbres modernas, predicaba la «virtud de la suficiencia» y confrontaba la interdependencia convivencial de las relaciones sociales y naturales con la ideología que fabrica nuevos mercados constantemente mediante la transformación de los deseos y anhelos en «necesidades».

El capitalismo convierte la «naturaleza» en un recurso mercantilizado con al de alimentar el crecimiento económico y, de este modo, cercena la armonía entre los seres humanos y los no humanos.

La idolatría del PIB

¿Qué aspecto podría tener el decrecimiento posmoderno en un lugar donde los espacios reducidos en los que la gente mantiene las distancias quedan empequeñecidos por torres del tamaño de Godzilla, unas torres que incluso hoy en día siguen aumentando su altura de forma inversamente proporcional a la disminución de la población? ¿Qué forma adopta el movimiento decrecentista en un país donde las raciones de comida pueden ser minúsculas pero donde todo, desde las piezas individuales de pomelos hasta las cajas bento, está envasado en plástico? La postura de Saito resulta una herejía absoluta en el contexto en el que Japón ha valorado su éxito en la posguerra.

«Nos preocupa la clasificación del PIB y el crecimiento, pero el PIB no sirve para medir el bienestar y la felicidad de una nación», señala Saito. «Aquí en Japón tenemos una comida deliciosa, la esperanza de vida más longeva del mundo, unas calles seguras y un transporte público excelente, por no hablar de lo atractivo que resultan nuestra cultura y nuestro arte. El PIB no recoge ninguno de estos elementos. Así pues, el hecho de adoptar indicadores de valor no relacionados con el PIB supondría por sí solo un paso positivo hacia el decrecimiento».

Este es un buen argumento, aunque es inevitable reconocer que lo que diferencia la calidad de vida de Japón mencionada por Saito de la decadencia y el estancamiento de un lugar como Cuba es la acumulación de capital heredada.

Por su parte, Saito se mantiene fiel a su legado cultural y se ha unido a otros ciudadanos activistas para crear la Common Forest Foundation, que ha adquirido terrenos alrededor del monte Takao, cerca de Tokio, a fin de proteger el «bien público» de las zonas boscosas frente al desarrollo comercial.

El planeta vs. el modo de producción

Conocí a Saito recientemente en Tokio, en la ceremonia en la que se concedió el Premio Berggruen de Filosofía y Cultura a otro filósofo japonés mucho más mayor que él: Kojin Karatani.

En su obra cumbre, «Estructura de la historia del mundo», Karatani invierte la idea fundamental de Marx de que el «modo de producción» económico es la subestructura de la sociedad que determina todo lo demás. En su lugar, sostiene que los siempre cambiantes «modos de intercambio» entre el capital, el Estado y la nación son los elementos que conforman el orden social.

A su juicio, las normas y creencias históricas sobre la justicia y la reciprocidad, incluyendo las religiones universales, obligan al Estado a regular la desigualdad en el marco de la comunalidad mística de la nación, atemperando así la lógica del mercado libre y sin restricciones.

A pesar de haberse modernizado siguiendo el modelo occidental, el concepto sintoísta de «kami» (la presencia del espíritu en todas las cosas, desde las montañas hasta los objetos creados por el hombre) sigue resonando en la cultura japonesa. Es posible que esta herencia animista haya influenciado la interpretación original que Karatani hace de Marx, al considerar que el filósofo alemán no materializó tanto el idealismo del «espíritu del mundo» de Hegel, sino que veía el «capital como espíritu» que se vitaliza mediante el trabajo.

El argumento principal de Marx era que la liberación de la alienación del trabajo respecto a lo que éste produce se convertiría en el motor histórico que culminaría en la realización del espíritu del mundo. En la visión de Karatani, lo que impulsa el espíritu de la historia mundial es la dialéctica de la contradicción y la resolución dentro de sus modos de intercambio en interacción.

Saito impugna el planteamiento de Karatani sobre los modos de intercambio porque no incorpora su interconexión con el ecosistema de la Tierra. En esta coyuntura histórica, arguye, es sobre todo el imperativo capitalista de crecimiento lo que más en conflicto está con el imperativo planetario de evitar la catástrofe climática. Por lo tanto, «si queremos examinar adecuadamente la interacción humana con el mundo natural, es preciso volver a centrarnos en el lugar de producción». Tal como entendió el Marx menos conocido en su teoría de la brecha metabólica, es el modo de producción el que aliena a la especie de la base de la vida.

Para Saito, el choque y la reconciliación de estos imperativos contrapuestos son los que impulsarán la historia hacia el futuro, del mismo modo que lo hacen la lucha de clases para Marx y la interacción de sus modos de intercambio para Karatani. En el Antropoceno, la historia social y la natural se fusionan y ya no pueden disociarse la una de la otra. En términos hegelianos, el despliegue del espíritu del mundo es la realización de la razón planetaria.

Tal y como hiciera Illich, Saito nos alerta contra la ilusión de que los humanos podemos escapar a los límites de nuestra condición mediante un apaño tecnológico que, de algún modo, dé cabida tanto a la «sostenibilidad» como al «desarrollo». Es inevitable que la tecnología, sometida a la lógica del crecimiento del PIB, no haga sino impulsar y acelerar aún más el curso destructivo en el que ya nos hallamos, en lugar de alejarnos de él.

La alternativa a la legitimación continuada de la apisonadora del PIB pasa por considerar el ecosistema planetario como un común finito que hay que conservar y no como un recurso que haya que explotar hasta la saciedad, un espacio en el que la prosperidad humana no se defina tanto por la propiedad como por el bienestar.

El hecho de que esta visión parezca tan utópica refleja hasta qué punto nos hemos alejado de una ecología de la mente, aun a sabiendas de que la resolución del dilema planetario debe apuntar en esa dirección.

La mejor forma de navegar por los horizontes del futuro que se abre ante nosotros radica en comprender debidamente la dinámica que determinará nuestras decisiones. En este sentido, la perspectiva de Saito es una aportación ejemplar.

Nathan Gardels es licenciado en Teoría y Política Comparada y en Arquitectura y Urbanismo por la UCLA, y en la actualidad es redactor jefe de la revista Noema Magazine. También es cofundador y asesor principal del Instituto Berggruen, además de ser autor y coautor de varios libros. Anteriormente fue redactor jefe de varios medios de comunicación y ha escrito numerosos artículos para The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc. y también en publicaciones extranjeras como Corriere della Sera, El País, Le Figaro o The Guardian y Die Welt, entre otras. 

Artículo original publicado en Noema Magazine

Texto traducido por Lara San Mamés, editado por Marta Cazorla

Fuente: https://www.elsaltodiario.com/guerrilla-translation/decrecimiento-nipon

[redsamuraiii]

Asuka and Ryo Love Hate Relationship 🤣

Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light (1998)

[valhelos]

Sorry for the like/reblog spam, I just spent 15 minutes looking for this ask game and am easily distracted. Anyhow.

22, 23, and 38?

My friend, you liking and reblogging my posts will never be spam to me 💛✨ I'm happy my posts have been entertaining! (And I was waiting for you to find the Holly&Julius hug drawing :3)

22. say 3 things about someone you love

They live too far away >:(, they keep stalking my tumblr and taking screenshots of my suffering and then laughing at me in discord DMs, and they make amazing art (that i wanna bite).

23. say 3 things about someone you hate

I'm not sure if anything they told me was true, they forgot my birthday and then got mad at me for it, and they make art.

38. fave song at the moment?

Hanezeve Caradhina by Kevin Penkin feat. Takeshi Saito!