#The Great Yokai War: Guardians

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 3

The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 3 preview. Kei and his friends return from the realm of monsters to the human world, re-joining with the Yokai Corps! #comics #manga

[ljaesch]

Titan Comics to Publish the Witch of Thistle Castle, The Great Yokai War: Guardians, and Alpi the Soul Sender Manga in English

Penguin Random House is listing the following manga for release in English from Titan Comics: Title: Witch of Thistle Castle Creator: John Tarachine Release date: September 5, 2023 Summary: Spirits and magic are everywhere in the streets of Edinburgh – if only you dare to see it. Dive into this heartfelt manga about a witch and her apprentice as they try to find their place in a world that hates…

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (May 28-June 3, 2023)

Yukiko Takayama passed away on June 1. She was the screenwriter of Terror of Mechagodzilla, which closed out the Showa Godzilla series in 1975. Given no instructions from Toho besides "bring back Mechagodzilla," she turned in a surprisingly dark work centered around a peaceful dinosaur transformed into a weapon of war and a cyborg girl struggling to hold on to her humanity. She's also one of only two women to receive a writing credit on a Godzilla film, after Kazue Kibo (Son of Godzilla). She brought back both Titanosaurus and Katsura for the 2016 novella 2075: Meister Titano’s Counterattack, which you can read on Toho Kingdom. Rest in peace.

Skull Island co-showrunner and writer Brian Duffield took to Twitter to answer questions about the show, always a difficult tightrope to walk before your show's actually been released. What we learned: the show is set in the early 90s (so well after Kong: Skull Island but just a little before Skull Island: The Birth of Kong... love these distinct titles). Don't expect any returning characters. Season 1 will be 8 episodes long, and while Season 2 seems to be at least partially written, it's not guaranteed to happen.

More Monsterverse characters have joined Godzilla Battle Line: Mothra and King Ghidorah from Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Poor Rodan got snubbed; there's even a space in the artwork for him. Maybe next update. Mothra looks to be a beast, shielding nearby allies from stun effects when you summon her, slowing down enemies with long-range silk, and boosting her player's energy upon death. King Ghidorah is strong, naturally, but probably too costly.

SRS Cinema continues its hot streak by licensing Kadokawa's 2021 blockbuster The Great Yokai War: Guardians. The film bombed spectacularly, which I can't say I fault Japanese audiences for, but it's still a huge get for such a small company. As usual, the Blu-ray release will come first, with a more widely available DVD to follow. No VHS gimmick for this or The Whale God though; guess Kadokawa wasn't a fan.

I continue to be staggered by how many Movie Monster Series figures Bandai is cranking out: here's Mothra from Godzilla vs. Mothra and Larugeus, Kaigel, and Mammoth Flower from Shin Ultraman. For the sake of sculpt quality, maybe they should slow down; the bird looks traumatized and the plant looks like it's rising out of a dung pile.

[thenewnio]

The Mundane... The Magic... The Monsters...

Nicky: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Something dire has awoken...

[Leviathan roars]

Meslamtaea: At this rate, the whole of the Earth will...

[Map breaks]

Rake: Heck no!

The world's only hope lies in the hands of a reincarnated warrior princess...

Yeren: What do you say, kid? Are you up to it?

Nicky: Yeeeeeee- Nope!

Fiskerton: Say what?!

[A wild new adventure for the fans by the fans]

Nicky: AAAHHH!!

Harpy: She's just a child!

Yowie: DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!?!?!

Nicky: Uh... Yeah...?

Yeren: Frozen with fright, are you?

Nicky: I'm not scared at all!!!

Will Nicky save the world from the dreaded Leviathan?

[Featuring all your favorite monsters]

Momo the Ubume: We're at war, I tell ya! AAAAHHH!

Guest starring The Secret Saturdays!

Zak: Hold on!

Nicky/Fiskerton: AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

A monster epic unlike any ever known or shown!

Harpy: Will you fight for the Earth?

Jersey Devil: I've been waiting for an opportunity like this!

Kappa: This is it, everybody! Brace yourselves!

CryptozooWars

Yowie: CHARGE!!! ...Ah.

[Leviathan roars]

Yowie: RUUUUN!!!

Nicky: Really?

Premiering Halloween 2024 Commercial-Free on Cartoon Network

[monsterfucker-showdown]

characters in the showdown!

I will be posting the brackets for part 1 soon

Characters in bracket

Part 1

Venom from Vemon

Sidon from BOTW

The Creature from The Shape of Water

Cthulu from H P Lovecraft

Ursula from The Little Mermaid

Rem from Death Note

Undyne from Undertale

Pyramid Head from Silent Hill

Dracula from Bram Stroker

The Kraken

Charon from Hades

Bowser from Super Mario

Goliath from Gargoyles

Harpy Eda from the Owl House

Smaug from The Hobbit

Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean

The Snatcher from A Hat In Time

Demona from Gargoyles

Emperor Belos from TOH

Billy from Hocus Pocus

Lunar Guardian Warwick from League of Legends

Slender man

The Xenomorph from Alien

zoe from monster prom

Medusa from mythology

Red Prince from Divinity 2: Original Sin

Winged Lion from Dungeon Meshi

the devil from the arcana

the high priesttess from the arcana

Angel of Death from Hellboy 2

punitto moe from overlord

zenberu gugu from overlord

shasuryu shasha from overlord

Yog Sothoth from hp lovecraft

the snake king from SnakeMan

jotunn from the ritual

William Birkin mutant form from Resident Evil

Hammerhead Sharkman from Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy

Radu from Seventh Son

Ghost Rider is from Ghost Rider

Drake from Blade Trinity

Sharktopus from Sharktopus vs Whalewolf

Felix Rosa the whalewolf from Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf

Scylla from Mamula

The Trench from Aquaman

Tao Tei from The Great Wall

White Spike from The Tomorrow War

Subject 20 from Forbidden World

The Gill-man from Creature from the Black Lagoon

surtur from Thor: Ragnarok

raiju from pacific rim

otachi from pacific rim

trespasser from pacific rim

knifehead from pacific rim

scunner from pacific rim

ink from bendy

the projectionist from bendy

Death from Discworld

Heavy from Alien Outpost

Leshy from COTL

Brooklyn from Gargoyles

Broadway from Gargoyles

monster x from godzilla final wars

gigan from godzilla final wars

Leomon from Digimon

Garudamon from Digimon

cave of wonders from Aladdin

azhdaha from Genshin Impact

osail from Genshin Impact

The Behemoth from Final Fantasy

Apollomon from Digimon

The Werewolf from the Doctor Who episode Tooth and Claw

The Beast from the Doctor Who episode The Satan Pit

Yugo Ogami from Bloody Roar

Venom possessed Thor from avengers assemble

Lake Yokai from Sailor Moon

Wither storm from Minecraft Story Mode

frankenstein's creature from mary Shelley

Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas

sloth from bayonetta

malphas from bayonetta

madama khepri from bayonetta

madama butterfly from bayonetta

labolas from bayonetta

gomorrah from bayonetta

diomedes from bayonetta

alraune from bayonetta

Hunson Abadeer from Adventure Time

Gummy from Gummy and the Doctor

Ln'eta from Sucker for Love

The crow mauler from fear and hunger

Te Ka from Moana

Alastair Crump from Haunted Mansion

Creeper from Minecraft

Springtrap from fnaf

The Headless Horseman from Sleepy Hollow

Clem from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Tuunbaq from the Terror

Indrid Cold's Mothman form from The Adventure Zone Amnesty

Urskeks from The Dark Crystal

urZah from The Dark Crystal

SkekSil from The Dark Crystal

Shina from Bloody Roar

Roxanne from fnaf security breach

Yautja from Predator

Undersea Gal from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Uranus from Bloody Roar

Gado from Bloody Roar

Shenlong from Bloody Roar

Rengar from League of Legends

Lunar Guardian Nasus from League of Legends

Jon Talbain from Darkstalkers

Angela from Gargoyles

Minotaur from greek mythology

spot from across the spiderverse

Lord Arum from The Penumbra Podcast

Abathur from starcraft

The Beast from Over the Garden Wall

Ultimecia (final form) from FF8

M'aiq the Liar from Skyrim

MELON from Beastars

Garrus Vakarian from Mass Effect

Carnage from Marvel Comics

Blaidd from Elden Ring

Jzargo from Skyrim

Durnehviir from Skyrim

zinogre from monster hunter rise

scp 2521 from scp foundation

Part 2

werewolves from skyrim

the rajang from mhr

dimple from mob psycho 100

Maximus Lobo from X-Men

Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls

The Red Bull from The Last Unicorn

Lord english from homestuck

grim from the grim adventures of billy & mandy

the lorax

Stricklander from Tales of Arcadia

Darkness from Legend

Mr Mirrors from Fallen London

Kokushibo from Demon Slayer

Moon presence from bloodborne

Simone Lenoir from Scooby Doo on Zombie Island

Peitha from Guild Wars 2

the grinch (jim carry) from how the grinch stole Christmas

the aliens from space invaders

clickers from the last of us

goomba from Mario

the wendigos from until dawn

Sheeva from Mortal Kombat

The Stalk from Saga

Mileena from Mortal Kombat

King Ghidorah from Godzilla: King of the Monsters

kolivan from voltron legendary defender

spriggans from skyrim

Red Guy from dhmis

Dragon from Shrek

Mothman

The Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth

The Faun from Pan's Labyrinth

King Boo from Mario

Cerus from Guild Wars 2 Secrets of the Obscure

Orthax from The Legend of Vox Machina

The Balrog from The Fellowship of the Ring

Hexxus from Ferngully

beast from beauty and the beast

Lady Dimetrescu from resident evil village

Discord from My Little Pony

Narinder from Cult of The Lamb

cheshire from bayonetta

Asterius from Hades

The Emperor from Baldur’s Gate 3

lynels from botw

Sully from Monsters Inc

Paarthurnax from Skyrim

Ryuk from Death Note

Hermaeus Mora from Skyrim

Hellhound from Supernatural

Astaroth from Soul Calibur

Nemesis from Resident Evil 3

the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home from Welcome to Night Vale

Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors

astel, naturalborn of the void from Elden Ring

Kang and Kodos from The Simpsons

Licker from Resident Evil

Mr. X from Resident Evil

Mouth Of Sauron from Lord of the Rings

Laudna from Critical Role

Wiggly from Black Friday

Count Orlok from Nosferatu

Harry the werewolf from scary godmother

Barnaby from Billy Bust Up

Pride demon from dragon Age inquisition

Raziel from Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

Draco from Dragonheart

The Unusual Hilichurl from Genshin Impact

Serleena from Men in Black II

The Devil from Good Omens

Koh from A:TLA

The Enderman from Minecraft

Medusa from Greek Mythology

Enjou from Genshin Impact

Roz from Monsters Inc.

Swamp Thing from Swamp Thing

Cheetah from Wonder Woman

Killer Croc from DC Comics

Juggernaut from Deadpool 2

Hellboy from Hellboy

Hraesvelgr from Final Fantasy XIV

e. aster bunnymund from rotg

Toothiana from rotg

Lorelai from Vainglory

Amael from Vainglory

Phinn from Vainglory

Toothless from HTTYD

Papa Titan from The Owl House

The vampire from the Halloween Ring Pops box

Odahviing from Skyrim

Ganondorf from Tears of the Kingdom

Randall from Monster Inc

Papyrus from Undertale

Mettaton from Undertale

Jack from Jack in the Box

WereGarurumon from Digimon Adventure

Stormfly from HTTYD

zubeia from the dragon prince

Revali from BOTW

Mipha from BOTW

Red Dragon from Dungeons and Dragons

Black Dragon from Dungeons and Dragons

Silver Dragon from Dungeons and Dragons

Brass Dragon from Dungeons and Dragons

Baphomet from Dungeons and Dragons

Count Strahd von Zarovich from Dungeons and Dragons

Lolth from Dungeons and Dragons

Asmodeus from Dungeons and Dragons

Demogorgon from Dungeons and Dragons

Chernabog from Fantasia

Glamrock Freddy from fnaf

Mind Flayer from Dungeons and Dragons

elijah volkov from camp here and there

Abe Sapien from the Hellboy

The Wood Sprite from Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Battle Beast from Invincible

Skelly Schelemeus from Hades

Kugo Sakamata from BNHA!

Genn Greymane from World of Warcraft

Dragon form Zhongli from Genshin Impact

Francoeur from A Monster in Paris

Childe foul legacy form from Genshin Impact

The Corinthian from The Sandman

Death from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Kaiju No. 8 from Kaiju No. 8

Sabrewulf from Killer Instinct

Piccolo from Dragon Ball

Sans from Undertale

[mira--mira]

I put all of my current WIPs for @hashimada-week​ below the cut, instead of making separate posts. A quick summary of everything below.

Day 1: Childhood Crush (Marriage proposals, Hashirama raised by the Uchiha!AU)

Day 2: Yokai (Jubokko[blood drinking tree]!Hashirama)

Day 3: Healing (Fem!HashiMada, Banshee!Madara, Fantasy!AU)

Day 4: Love (Accidental Jutsu, Canon-verse, Cat!Madara)

Day 5: Sharingan (Genjutsu, Madara and Hashirama in genjutsu)

Day 6: Flowers (Sex Pollen!AU, Canon-verse, SFW excerpt)

4.2K words in total.

Day 1: Childhood Crush

“We should get married,” Madara says as confidently as he can, praying to Amaterasu that his voice doesn’t crack. The goddess listens and the sentence comes out almost flippant despite the ways Madara’s body wants to shake and how sweaty his palms are. 

“What?” Hashirama blinks at him and then leans closer until their noses almost bump. Madara does not gasp at the sudden intrusion of his space, he absolutely does not. “Are you serious?” Hashirama whispers even though it’s just the two of them in their room, hidden away behind the tansu chests like they used to do when they were little. 

“Y-yes!” Dammit, there’s the crack. Madara clears his throat and does his best to straighten up, shoulders back, and chin raised. “If the Senju are going to try and argue their blood claim is strongest—which is utterly ridiculous, what do you have in common with such [savages] after being raised an Uchiha, obviously you’re one of us—but if they insist, a marriage tie would be another point in our favor. Think about it, Hashirama.” With only the slightest bit of hesitation, Madara reaches out, making sure to wrap his hand around the sleeve of Hashirama’s mantle so he can’t feel Madara’s sweat practically dripping off his hands. Why didn’t he think to put his gloves on before this? “I’m not…no one is going to let them take you away. We’ll do whatever it takes.” Madara squeezes his wrist, hoping Hashirama understands all that he’s trying to say but not the secrets underneath Madara would prefer to keep hidden.

Day 2: Yokai

In the heart of Shikkotsu Forest there is a tree that feeds on blood. It is an inconspicuous oak, no different from the rest except how inhumanely tall it towers in the forest where other ancient trees tower no larger than saplings next to it. There is a [rope] around it that marks it as sacred, a flat stone shrine at its base, and an entire compound that curls built in and on top of its massive roots. 

The Uchiha have served as diligent guardians for as long as anyone can remember. When the lands are ravaged by war, countless shinobi clans and daimyo determined to destroy others along with themselves, their small settlement nestled into the vast roots remains untouched. Invaders and killers brush by them, but all unfortunate enough, those ignorant of the legends of Shikkotsu Forest and foolish enough to seek violence in its depths, find their last moments in those same protective roots, their throats open and lifeblood gushing out. 

Madara is born into this clan, heir of the 44th generation, but he is markedly different from the rest. Like all the heirs, when the cord that connects him to his mother is first cut, his small bloody body is laid on the stone altar at the base of the tree. It is a tradition as old as the second generation, according to the stone tablets. He was to lay there, untouched, for seven minutes before he was blessed by the forest. When his father went to lift him from the altar, he discovered a halo of leaves around his body, despite none falling from the great tree above, and a single leaf with a perfectly shaped hole through the middle gently alight on his forehead. All the leaves but the last fell harmlessly away. The one on his forehead eventually drifted to the ground, but a perfect imprint was left on his forehead, one that would mark him for the rest of his life. 

Madara has heard the whispers about him, about the mark, for as long as he can remember. It means something the elders say, surely it is a blessing. But the specifics of said blessing, what it means, what the god tree wants…none of them know. 

It’s tiring to be the subject of such expectations and gazes. As soon as he’s able, Madara picks his way from the manicured houses and paths among the aerial roots, choosing to lose himself in the less explored and maintained ones instead. The god tree is big enough, wild enough, that he could be lost in its embrace for years. Madara is nine summers old as he walks across the tallest moss-covered aerial roots he can, bare feet slipping and sliding along their slick curves. He is ten summers when he drops to the middle layer, surrounded in constant twilight between the roots and the great canopy above and with no torches like the Uchiha compound to light the way. Eleven summers when he plunges to the lower depths, seeking to find dirt and mud to squish between his toes in this wild place. 

Twelve summers when he finds a pseudo cave at the base of the tree and Hashirama waiting for him inside. 

“It took you long enough,” are his first words to Madara, delivered with a haughty pout. 

“Who do you think you are? What are you doing here?” Madara splutters back, confused and disoriented to see another child so far away from the compound, and a non-Uchiha one at that. Madara knows the face and name of every member of the clan. Hashirama, naked as the day he was born, with skin the color of the god tree’s trunk, unnaturally straight hair, and glowing yellow eyes ringed in red is certainly not one of them.

“I’m Hashirama and I’ve been waiting for you. Now let’s go find the rinnegan!” Hashirama moves, quicker than Madara expected him to, and grabs Madara’s hands. 

“You have one chance to explain yourself or I’m gutting you and feeding you to the roots.” Madara yanks himself away before drawing his kunai and holding it up in front of him. Hashirama merely cocks his head to the side. 

“I already told you—”

“No you didn’t! Not enough!” Madara interrupts, peeved as Hashirama puts his hands on his hips, lower lip jutting out. “How did you get here? Why were you waiting for me? And what happened to your clothes?” 

“Ok, maybe I got a bit overexcited.” Hashirama starts to pace around the small cave but the way he walks is…weird. It’s dark and gloomy here, but every time his heels leave the packed earth, there’s a flash of white and he doesn’t take steps so much as raises his feet and shuffles forward. “I’m Hashirama, a jubokko, though you’d probably call me the god tree—”

“You’re claiming to be the god tree?” Madara can’t help but scoff. So Hashirama is clearly delusional. 

“Why do you keep interrupting me?” Hashirama crosses his arms with a huff. “And no I’m not ‘claiming’ to be anything, I am the god tree in my…temporary human form.” He gestures to himself, chin raised high. “If you’d like to take a moment to bask in my presence, I’ll allow it.”

Day 3: Healing

Once she passes through the village, the edge of the world greets her. There is a sharp difference from their trees to the otherplane, no blurring of boundaries as they seep into one another. There can be no lies, not even to herself, as Hashirama crosses the line. The inhuman willows greet her, their strands brushing along her dress in welcome. 

There is no difference in temperature, snow covers both their lands, the wind an [not picky] traveling blowing through both, but everything is sharper. The chill, the crunch of ice, it all prickles over Hashirama’s skin, countless little reminders that she has crossed over. 

As if she could forget. 

There is no path through the willows, but Hashirama makes her own. Her steps are sure and unhurried. She has traveled this way over a hundred times before, she could do it as a specter walking in her sleep. 

The tree she comes to is no obviously different from the willows around it. If one peers closely it may be a little bigger, perhaps with a few more roots bursting to the surface, and deeper colors in its fronds, but none so great for a simple curious passerby to notice. 

What sets this tree apart from all others is the banshee haunting its branches. 

Hashirama has long heard the villagers whisper and mutter about the banshees’ [complexions]. Her father raves that their appearance is proof of their wickedness, that any poor soul unlucky enough to lay eyes on their visages shall know it as immutable truth. 

“Hashirama.” Madara smiles, twisting toward her. “You came.” 

She is divine. Hashirama’s heart swells and she blinks back tears that well in her eyes as she looks upon her betrothed. 

Here in the weak day, Madara is not as solid as she is under the watchful moon. Her skin is translucent, the image of the willow shining faintly behind her. Yet still, Hashirama can pick out the details that she so loves. Madara’s fathomless pure black eyes, the snaking blue and purple veins beneath them, her wild spiky hair, and the almost delicate pink curl of her lips. She’s dressed in her typical daygown, a high-collared white dress with long sleeves that nearly brush her knuckles, and a hem that completely swallows her feet. Madara does not feel cold the same way Hashirama does and certainly not during the day, but she always worries about the thin material, questioning her endlessly on comfort.  

“Of course, I came.” Hashirama steps up to the willow, reaching for the lowest branch to pull herself up into its safe cradle. Her muddy boots threaten to slip as she climbs, but this—as finding the path through the woods—is something she has endless practice at. Hashirama pulls herself up to the higher branches, fitting herself between the trunk and limb. Madara floats after her, alighting by her side in a mimicry of sitting together. 

Hashirama longs for the moon’s gaze, for Madara to be flesh and blood next to her. How she wishes to wrap her up in her arms and kiss her pale cheeks. 

“Pardon me, but you’re the one who said it’d be a miracle if your father let you out of his sight so close to the Blood Moon.” Madara rolls her eyes, it’s rather difficult to tell but the faint reflection, her tone, and years of experience guide Hashirama to the simple conclusion. 

“Yes, well…I am surprised.” Truthfully it was a little unnerving Father had said so little and left her without a guard. She had been careful to express only her commitment as the Senju heir to the banshees, not her personal relationship with Madara. “Father wants to end our [contract], but I don’t know how much is bluster and how much is truth.”

Day 4: Love

Kagami is a good student, a gifted one, but choosing Madara to practice this specific lesson with shows his lack of experience. Perhaps if it were another jutsu the results may have been different but…

Madara feels the spike of his chakra every time he attempts a henge and he easily flicks the brat between the eyes to dispel it before he can attempt to reach out to Madara’s. He’s a genin and Madara is a god. 

They do this useless dance over a dozen times, each to the same disastrous result for Kagami. 

“That’s enough,” Madara says, swirling the last of his tea in its cut. “You made a valiant effort, but you need more practice before—”

“One more time, Madara-sama, please!” Kagami’s pale face is red with how hard he’s concentrating, hands pressed together in a [seal]. Determination shines a black fire in his eyes. 

Madara sighs. “Once more and then we’re done.” If he’s late to work Hashirama will start whining and Tobirama will never let him hear the end of it. 

“Thank you, Madara-sama! I won’t disappoint you or the Uchiha!” Kagami says and slams his hands together again. 

The words—I’m sure the pride of the Uchiha will [survive] one genin’s assignment—never leave his mouth. Something other than a henge sparks in the air. It’s similar to it, but Kagami’s papers have all mixed together and the wet ink mixes together and redirects inward. It’s going to [hit] him, not Madara. 

Madara reaches forward and grabs his hands but he’s too late. The jutsu doesn’t [hit] Kagami…it [hits] him. 

There’s a flash of light and a blinding shock of pain. It stabs at his lungs, through his skull, shooting down into his legs. It’s not the worst pain Madara’s ever felt, physically that’d been an infected [cut] that left him feverish and the handful of medics worrying about amputating his arm, emotionally that’d been watching Tobirama cut down Izuna and then sitting next to his side waiting him to die before Hashirama came, but it’s the suddenness of this pain, unexpected and out of place here in the peaceful village that takes his breath away. 

Then, between one blink and the next, it’s gone and Madara’s entire body has gone numb. He can’t move his limbs, blinking takes nearly too great an effort. 

What happened? The words float in and out of his mind, but when he opens his mouth to ask, nothing comes out. 

No, that’s not true. He meows. 

Kagami recovers first, before Madara can get his wits about him and then leans over him, eyes wide with horror. Had he fallen to the engawa? How disgraceful. 

“M-madara-sama, you’re…you’re…” Kagami’s face has gone sheet white and finally Madara manages to get some coordination in his arms to push himself up. Or he tries. His muscles flex, but the world swims and he stumbles half up into a very distorted scene. Kagami towers above him, the table he was sitting at tripled in size and the long familiar purple fabric of his mantle swallows him, the fabric a faint weight on his back.

Madara tilts his pounding head down and sees…paws. A cat’s paws. His paws, he realizes with a lurch. 

He’s a…a…cat. 

“I’m so sorry, Madara-sama! I don’t know what happened! I’ll get Tobirama-sensei to fix it, I promise!” Kagami cries and lunges to pick him up. His words, the fully realization of what happened, and some instinct of fear of a larger creature looming over him has Madara darting from the engawa, claws digging into wood as he runs as fast as he can. 

He darts into the [bushes] around the house, hunkering between the leaves. His mind is scattered and he has half a mind to stay here until the thoughts unravel in his mind, but he hears Kagami calling and running toward his hiding place and dozens of other Uchiha turning toward him. Madara’s ears flatten against his head and he bolts from the bush, rushing out in the Uchiha district. 

He runs and he doesn’t stop. Logic is far away, only adrenaline and fear pumps through his veins. The familiar Uchiha buildings fall away into Konoha proper. It’s a mistake. There’s so much noise, people walking past with thundering steps, their voices ringing around in his skull. The children are screeching banshees trying to burst his poor eardrums and make them bleed. Worst though is the smell. Madara gags and it’s only his overwhelming panic that prevents him from throwing up. The normally pleasant smell of the buildings—fresh wood and new paint, all of the promise of his and Hashirama’s dream—is overwhelming. The street food stalls are a mix of appetizing and [nauseating], the oil and meat makes his stomach rumble but each is so intense it sends tremors through his body, pain spreading in fiery waves across his face. 

“Madara-sama!” Kagami is at the gates, head frantically swiveling around to find him. Madara is already gone. 

He doesn’t know where he’s going or how far he runs. The world is reduced to overwhelming stimuli around him that blots out everything but his fear until—

There’s grass underneath his paws, its texture strange and foreign compared to touching it with his human hands. A lure in the distance draws him near promising sanctuary and—

“Oof!” Madara trips over the lump on the ground and instinctively digs his claws in. “Ow, ow, ow!” The lump grabs him and moves upright. 

Person. Madara thinks foggily. 

“Are you okay, kitty?” A broad hand strokes his back. 

Hashirama. If he were human, Madara would be in hysterics.

It’s the last thought he has before he passes out. 

Day 5: Sharingan

“How long do we have?” Hashirama asks as he reluctantly tears his eyes away from Madara to trace familiar patterns in the stars. He finds the Great Tree, the Endless Fields and wonders if Madara knows the same stories. Probably not. 

“Half an hour? It’s been a rough couple days…” Madara doesn’t apologize directly, but Hashirama can hear it in his words. 

“It’s alright,” he whispers, despite the disappointment he feels. “Any time is better than none.” One of the best things about Madara’s genjutsus is how easily he could manipulate time and stretch it out. On the good days when he had the energy, an hour of time in the real world could become a week here. On the bad days, it’ll last only half a day. Hashirama has to work with Madara to stretch out the time though, if he gets impatient or makes his chakra surge in a way Madara doesn’t expect, the whole thing will shatter like ceramic. He has to be careful, exceedingly so, but it’s worth it to spend all the extra time with Madara. 

Here, they can almost pretend there is no war, that they’re two normal kids living what they think should be normal lives. Everything is an illusion—and Madara is always quick to remind him of that—but they can treat it like reality, give it the same meaning and weight. They can sleep next to each other in matching futons, eat meals together around the same hearth, play and train together on the cliffs and in the forest. In the real world, they can only do the last one and not nearly enough to Hashirama’s liking. They can’t meet up every day and whenever they’re apart, he feels Madara’s absence like a deep, painful bruise he can’t heal. It won’t kill him—eventually he’ll see Madara again—but he’s always aware of it. He can’t stop poking it, wishing Madara were by his side, thinking of whatever menial chore he has to do in the Senju compound, all of Butsuma’s pointed words and lectures he has to endure, the isolation and knowledge that, as much as he tries, because he’s the clan heir, because of the mokuton, because he likes boys too that he’ll always be different from everyone else…all of that would be easier to endure if Madara were with him. 

Sometimes Hashirama wishes more than anything the genjutsu could be the real world, but if he doesn’t phrase it right Madara gets all skittish and starts worrying that he’ll get reality-sick or whatever the Uchiha call it. He’ll refuse to take them into the genjutsu and then Hashirama has to mourn all the time he’s not getting to spend with Madara. He’s become very good at his phrasing. Hashirama sorta understands Madara’s worry, the Senju don’t use genjutsu but he gets the concept of being reality-sick, but he doesn’t actually think the genjutsu is the real world. He would never mistake the two and he doesn’t so much as want to leave the world behind and live in a genjutsu, but take this image of paradise to the real world. He has a special fondness for it because it’s the most access he’s ever had to Madara, the most time he’s ever gotten to spend with his friend but…there is something more to it. 

In the process of making this genjutsu, breathing life into the village at the mountain’s base so they could walk around the buildings, interact with it like a real compound, and see it from every angle without the whole thing falling apart…it became ironically more real to both of them, Madara especially. Hashirama had always been the one to envision a village, see it in his mind’s eye, the peace that could be if they changed the world. Madara by contrast, was the spark, the one to ignite the dream, the one to want to change their reality so badly so no other kids would suffer as they had. He had trouble envisioning the end though, the village that could be. Here, in a genjutsu he was forced to create step by step, well both of them built the village far earlier than they ever imagined. 

The real thing will be different, Hashirama knows. Their houses probably won’t be side by side, the Senju and Uchiha architecture faithfully interwoven and mixed until they look almost like one cohesive clan rather than two separate ones. The gardens won’t be in the places Hashirama chose, nor the spaces for all the contracted animals and non-contracted ones that Madara [chose/did]. The food stalls, some familiar and others whacky as they pushed what they think people would sell as food, definitely won’t. But it’s these small things, the things that’ll never be, nonetheless make the idea real. 

They can see a version of their village. An illusion, a genjutsu, but a happy one to take refuge in as they start to plan the details, start to look forward to what could be if they manage the impossible. 

Day 6: Flowers

“Do you know how long it took for him to eat the damned food? Hours, Hashirama, hours! It would have been so much easier to slit his throat but nooo the daimyo wanted to use poison so I had to skulk about this idiot’s house for weeks waiting to infiltrate it unseen and then when I finally poisoned his dish and only his dish he didn’t want to eat it and—”

Madara is still ranting, his cheeks flushed bright red in anger as he gestures sharply with his hands, emphasizing every point. Hashirama is still listening to him, but his voice becomes a comforting background noise as he gets to stare openly at Madara’s face. Silhouetted by the setting sun and the dark copse of trees further back on the cliff, he’s perfect. 

Hashirama had been warned about the mission in advance, an easy but long and dull one to complete properly and that he might not see Madara for a few weeks, maybe even months, until it was finished. There was nothing he could say, they’re shinobi after all it’s what they do, but he can’t deny that he’s missed Madara, felt his absence like an unhealable gaping wound and only now with his surly, prickly self returned to Hashirama’s side does it finally stitch itself up. 

Hashirama is overcome and he finds himself tilting forward before he knows it, leaning into Madara’s space and pressing a kiss to the side of his mouth. He’d kiss him in full, but Madara is still complaining and Hashirama would prefer not to have his lips bitten off. 

“Are you even listening to what I’ve been saying?” Is the first thing Madara asks when he pulls back. Hashirama tries to take it as a good sign, Madara definitely has never protested against his kisses, when Hashirama first pecked him on the lips when they were fifteen he even seemed to enjoy it, but he says absolutely nothing about the kiss this time, only his listening demands. 

“Of course I have, the noble and his refusal to eat poisoned food, thwarting all your well made plans,” Hashirama teases, forcing himself to be light about it. Madara calms and looks pleased for the first half of the sentence and then prickles angrily by the end. Before he can wind himself up to start yelling at Hashirama, about how his plans were not thwarted, only delayed by human idiocy and refusal to be poisoned and die, Hashirama continues. “You know…I could try and make you an airborne poison. Disguised as a flower? Fast acting so you’d only have to slip it into his room at night and then…” Hashirama sticks his tongue out, head hanging limply as he croaks. 

To his delight, Madara doesn’t immediately reject the idea. Instead, he purses his lips and looks past the cliff’s edge and their dangling feet below. “That’s…not a bad idea. I wouldn’t use it every time, obviously,” he waves his hand before Hashirama can get too excited, “I won’t depend on you alone to complete all my missions Senju, but gods I hate the poisoning ones. If there were a way to get them over with quicker…fine. Try and make the air-borne poison. We’ll see how it works out and I may just give you a reward if you’re successful.” Madara smirks and Hashirama knows he’s talking about bragging rights or bringing him one of the disgustingly hot Uchiha candies he claims even babies like to suck on and surely Hashirama doesn’t have a weaker constitution than a baby…but all Hashirama can think about at eighteen after three and a half long weeks away from Madara, his lips still burning from his short little kiss is something decidedly more erotic. 

Madara kissing him for a change, Madara trailing his hands over Hashirama’s chest, down his sides, Madara sinking to his knees with a smirk before he wraps his mouth around—

“Sure! I’ll make the best air-borne poison ever, just you watch!” Hashirama laughs and he hopes Madara thinks his blush is the bleeding red light from the sinking sun.

[doronjosama]

New this week (3/20/24), 7 new furry-interest titles! Great Yokai War: Guardians V.1, HeatxBeat V.1, Man's Best #1, My Little Pony: Mane Event #1, Nacelleverse #0 (so many variants!), TMNT: Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan #1 & The Tiger Won't Eat the Dragon Yet V.1! Check your local comic shop, or order online! #FurryComics #FurryManga #comics #graphicnovels #greatyokaiwarguardians #heatxbeat #mansbest #mylittlepony #nacelleverse #bikermicefrommars #tmntuntolddestinyofthefootclan #thetigerwonteatthedragonyet

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[bottlepiecemuses]

given that saturns ability is based of the ushi oni/gyuki I think v nasujiro ( bald gorosei) is based off a yasha a war demon thats said to guard treasure fitting for the warrior god of finance

Yokai: Yasha Yasha are race of powerful high ranking spirits in Buddhism. They are fearsome warriors, and serve as the guardians of the treasures of the earth. A fitting role for the Warrior God of Finance

(and zoro has a lot of buddhism connections

and for ju peter I would say that since he is the warrior god of agriculture the akaguchi makes the most sense given its connection to farming

" Akaguchi has association with the use of water in farming country.[1] Though some sources say Akaguchi is simply an omen of bad luck, others represent Akaguchi as a protective spirit.[1][8] During droughts, water is carefully controlled and distributed equally to farmers in the area. As a form of warfare, some would siphon above the allotted amount of water for their personal fields. This was a great crime and could cost neighboring farmers their livelihood. It was believed that the perpetrators of this crime not punished by law would be punished by Akaguchi. If these criminals came near the floodgate Akaguchi would appear and swallow them, scooping them up with its giant red tongue."

Aka Shita is a yokai that appears during the summer months, when rain and water are necessary for rice fields to ensure a successful harvest. A perfect ability for the Warrior God of Agriculture

Yep

[littleeyesofpallas]

Youkai Dai-Sensou GUARDIANS[妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ]: Yokai GreatWar GUARDIANS

aka The Great Yokai War: Guardians

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Great Yokai War Vol. 1 Guardians

Great Yokai War Vol. 1 Guardians preview. After giant kaiju threaten to destroy Japan, the guardian spirits of the nation, known as 'Yokai' appear before the young boy Kei… #manga #comics #comicbooks

[comiccrusaders]

Titan Manga announces The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 1 - the manga adaptation of the hit Japanese movie of the same name! #YusukeWatanabe, #SanamiSuzuk @ComicsTitan #comics #comicbooks #manga https://ow.ly/V9UR50PwnEc

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (March 5-11, 2023)

The post-Godzilla Godzilla Rivals issues continue to impress. Mothra vs. Titanosaurus is light on Mothra actually battling Titanosaurus, but the egg-saving efforts of its clearly-in-love scientists are so absorbing that you should take that as only a mild complaint. I also loved its explanation of how kaiju come into conflict; more interesting and more grounded in reality than, say, the MonsterVerse's alpha obsession.

Here's the first episode of Godzilla Island with Toho-approved subtitles, with another one already on the channel. At the current pace, they'll finish in 2025. All those official English names... Wikizilla's gonna be busy. The rest of you, enjoy the Bandai toys being waved around.

Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle was evidently enough of a hit at the Seibuen amusement park that they brought back Takashi Yamazaki (who, yes, is still directing the next Toho Godzilla film) for Ultraman the Ride. It looks to be based on the original show rather than Shin Ultraman, keeping with the park's Showa trappings. It's scheduled to open in the early summer.

I thought 2021's The Great Yokai War: Guardians was a pretty lackluster effort by Kadokawa to revive one of the marquee tokusatsu series they inherited. That they brought back Daimajin in the same film, only to barely let him do anything, made it all the worse. Film festivals aside, it still hasn't been released in the U.S. yet, even by Arrow Video, who brought all the old Yokai Monsters films to Blu-ray the same year. Nonetheless, Titan Manga is publishing the first of three volumes of the Guardians manga adaptation here on September 5. (They're part of the same company responsible for all the MonsterVerse novelizations and a couple of the art books.) Here's hoping it's more exciting than the film.

[songedunenuitdete]

Yôkai War – Guardians T01 de Sanami Suzuki et Yûsuke Watanabe

🌺Mon #avis sur Yôkai War – Guardians T01 de Sanami Suzuki et Yûsuke Watanabe sorti chez @nobi__nobi est en ligne 😘 🔥Un premier tome bien sympa qui met dans l'ambiance et qui m'a plu 😁

©Sanami Suzuki 2021 ©Yusuke Watanabe 2021 ©KADOKAWA ©2021″The Great Yokai War: Guardians” Film Partners Mon avis : Un manga qui ne paie pas de mine de prime abord, mais qui finalement fait assez bien son job pour qui aime les histoires de fantômes, sombres et tortueuses à souhait. J’adore les premières pages en couleur, ça m’a donné envie de rentrer dedans rapidement. En plus de devoir sauver…

[chernobog13]

DAIMAJIN STRIKES AGAIN

Daimajin is about to mete out final punishment on the evil Lord Arazawa.

Lord Arazawa’s lifeless body sinks into the same boiling sulphur pit that he intended to throw his slave workers into.

Tsuru, Sugi and Daisaku are reunited with the men from their village who were abducted by Lord Arazawa’s samurai.

His mission accomplished, Daimajin prepares to depart.

And thus we come to the end of the Daimajin trilogy, just in time to celebrate its 55th anniversary (just like Ultra Q, Ultraman, Star Trek and the Slurpee).

This was the end of Daimajin’s cinematic adventures, which is a darn shame.  I’ve read several sources that state that Daimajin was originally conceived as an opponent for Gamera (whose adventures Daei Film had only recently begun producing), but it was decided to give him his own series as well.  I think a Gamera/Daimajin face-off would have been hugely entertaining, but what do I know?

Daimajin did battle Godzilla, sort of, in 1992′s Godzilla Color Special from Dark Horse Comics.  

Written (with an assist from Randy Stradley) and drawn by Arthur Adams (perhaps the greatest Godzilla artist ever!), the story involves The Big G battling an oni named Genkido-Jin, a protector deity for a small island off of Japan.  When Godzilla attacks the island, a man sacrifices his life in order for Genkido-Jin to come alive to battle Godzilla.  

The battle is one-sided at first, with Godzilla’s greater size and atomic breath making short work of the oni.  But Genkido-Jin keeps reforming, bigger each time, until he and Godzilla are almost equal as they battle away!

Since Dark Horse was only able to license the use of Godzilla from Toho and couldn't’ feature other cinematic kaiju with him in their comics, actually using Daimajin (especially since he is owned by a different company) was impossible. That is why Genkido-Jin is wearing samurai armor instead of keiko armor, and has a much more monstrous face.   However, this is a fantastic “what if--?” story.

Art Adams is at the height of his artistic powers with this one, folks.  And he also gives us the introduction of the Godzilla hunting/fighting team G-Force, a full year before Toho used the same name in the Heisei films.  The comic has been reprinted in a few different trade editions, and is well worth seeking out!

A 2010 television series, Daimajin Kanon, billed itself as a sequel of sorts to the film trilogy.  However, the Daimajin in this series is actually named Bujin, and has about as much in common with the original Daimajin as the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla has with the original 1954 Godzilla.

The television series was preceded by a manga series which, though it had differences with the television version, explained some of the concepts of the new Daimajin.  By itself the television show is an interesting and entertaining mash-up of yokai, kaiju, and Kamen Rider (!), and I hope to dedicate a post or three to it soon.  I will say this about it, though: it features perhaps the sexiest goldfish known to man!

Finally, Daimajin returned to the big screen this year in Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War: Guardians (which itself is a sequel to his  2005 film The Great Yokai War).

The film premiered in Japan earlier this month, and it closes out this year’s Fantasia Film Festival on Wednesday, Aug 25.  The official US premiere is Saturday, August 28, in New York City at the Japan Society.

I have no idea when - or if - the film is going to be shown near me here in the Los Angeles area.  Frankly, as the delta variant rages and hospitalizations are going up even among fully vaccinated people, I am not comfortable returning to movie theaters yet.  I am quite fine with waiting to watch this film at home when the opportunity arises.  

I certainly hope it’s as good as the 2005 film.  This and Shin Ultraman are the only two films coming out this year that I’ve really been excited about! 

[ogradyfilm]

Recently Viewed - The Great Yokai War: Guardians

If you still require evidence that Takashi Miike is a certified cinematic genius, look no further than his latest effort, The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Because this loose sequel to the director’s 2005 cult classic absolutely should not work. The plot revolves around a typical adolescent power fantasy: a cowardly ten-year-old boy inherits his ancestor’s magical sword and embarks on a quest to save Japan from utter annihilation—learning important lessons about the importance of brotherly love and the value of peace, tolerance, and cooperation along the way.

It is, in other words, what a cynic might describe as “kiddy.”

Many of the creature designs, however, are so horrifyingly grotesque that it’s difficult to believe that they were intended to appeal to younger audiences. One prominent supporting character, for example, is the ghost of a heartbroken mother cradling the bloated corpse of her stillborn infant. Heck, even Pennywise the Dancing Clown puts in an unexpected (and lawyer-friendly) cameo appearance as one of a handful of “foreign yokai.”

But somehow, against all odds, Miike manages to weave these tonally dissonant elements into a genuine masterpiece—an adventure that is earnest enough in its themes to be safe for consumption by children, yet subtly subversive enough to entertain adults. The fact that a sudden (and, within the context of the narrative, unprecedented) musical number—which, I might add, interrupts the climactic action sequence—can be simultaneously hilariously absurd and sincerely poignant is nothing short of miraculous.

Miike’s devil-may-care attitude certainly helps to alleviate some of the film’s technical shortcomings. Sure, the CGI isn’t exactly what you’d call “convincing,” but the sheer audacity of the visuals more than compensates for the obvious budgetary limitations. After all, when a movie serves up the image of none other than Daimajin (returning to the big screen for the first time since his own series ended in 1966) riding into battle atop an undead dragon, backlit by the silvery light of the full moon, who the hell cares whether or not it looks “realistic?”