#Tsubasa Catch up Chronicle

[completeoveranalysis]

[1]

Chapitre 190 - Those Who Know The World

Ohohoho I see how it is Clamp.

It’s Gay Vampire Photoshoot Part 2: this time with The Problematic fave of all time.

Aka IN HIS CLUTCHES. 

A lot of the imagery is very similar to last time we did this (187?), so I won’t go back over that, but what I WILL say is having these two pose together here in the final arc with their entire storyline completely unresolved is SUCH a power move! Go Clamp give us nothing!

Then again, the splash text reads something along the lines of:

They knew that the time

when they would see each other once more

was not too far away

So maybe it will happen! Either way you can SEE who's excited about this and who isn't.

It's GOOD. The visible contrast!! Seishirou is cradling Subaru’s arm and leaning into his touch, clearly happy to be there, but Subaru is not mirroring his smile - and their faces aren't aligned either, they're at different angles despite both looking right at the camera. Subaru’s not even trying to touch him - Seishirou is drawing him in, forcing the distance between them to close.

Their visual styles don’t align either - they both wear black with white accents, but Seishirou’s are straight lines while Subaru’s are all curves and angles. They’re mismatched, and it’s easy to see that only one of them actually wants this scenario to occur. And it’s WILD that Seishirou can make even THIS pose look predatory. He’s INSIDE the circle of Subaru’s vampire claws. He’s INCHES away from an accidental finger twitch slicing him right open. Subaru doesn’t even want to BE there, even as he hovers over him like the archetypal vampire predator that his twin was so good at emulating. And EVEN THEN, despite the powerlessness that the position should bring, Seishirou is still completely in control here. HE’S pulling Subaru closer and taking the affection he wants, even though it would traditionally be the other way around.

Poor Subaru!

[a-ramblinrose]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge || March 10 || Character Growth:                          Kurogane from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle by CLAMP

[ultimatecerealfan]

i have so much manga i want to read but I always put them off thinking 'it's not the right time' for some reason and act like I have nothing to read when I doo someone force me to finish bsd rn

[the-corvus-luna]

The Tsubasa Chronicle 'Problem'

No eye, no heart, no time, no feathers, and..... no show.

It's April 9th, 2005, 6:30 p.m. BLAZE blares loudly on the TV while you sit in a dimly lit room, slurping whatever instant ramen you could find. You catch the faint silhouettes of familiar characters from Cardcaptor Sakura, looking a bit older, along with a few new faces you don't recognize yet... a new journey, a new world.

CLAMP's Multidimensional Masterpiece.

The legendary Yuki Kajiura's compositions bring the story to life. "Song of Storm and Fire" sparks that electric feeling of excitement and tension just before Syaoran kicks into battle. Eri Itou’s breathy voice floats delicately, much like Sakura’s own feathers, adding a sense of ethereal beauty. The animation is fluid and action-packed, just as you'd expect from Bee Train.

What the hell happened? How did an internationally successful anime with 2 seasons, 1 movie, and 2 OVA's that leave the story incomplete.... what the hell?!

To find out to get the full story, you have to read the manga?!

Was it just bad like this guy's review suggests?

Is it really... a bad... anime?

Let's go on a journey about how censorship ruins everything, a broadcasting company's unreasonable demands, and a group of stubborn artists who refuse to have their story modified.

First off, based on my basic research, Japanese TV shows don't have to comply with rating laws like in the US. Before any US show airs, you usually see a rating in the top left corner—common ones for kids’ shows are Y7, meaning they’re appropriate for children 7 years or older. The US rating for Tsubasa Chronicle was TV-PG. But if you know anything about this series, it’s definitely not TV-PG... more like TV-14, and maybe even TV-MA at certain points, depending on your tolerance for darker themes.

Tsubasa Chronicle originally showed on NHK-E, an educational channel, alongside a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen...

While Japan might not have a formal TV rating system, it’s probably safe to assume that NHK would prioritize age-appropriate content. Ultimately, it’s NHK’s decision what airs on their network. For example, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (which, unsurprisingly, isn’t shown on any NHK network) airs around 11:00 p.m. The later time slot allows for more graphic content without much concern.

I can hear you screaming from the void, "TSUBASA CHRONICLE ISN'T EDUCATIONAL!" And honestly, if you’ve watched the anime, it’s not educational in the traditional sense... unless you count four people learning how to cope with massive amounts of trauma in various forms.

But Cardcaptor Sakura was kid-friendly… and someone who looks just like her stars in Tsubasa.

Magic Knight Rayearth was so educational it's anime was funded by a government grant!

I think NHK was expecting them to adapt the anime to be more 'educationally friendly' due to other properties they worked on... joke's on NHK, though.

The first issue I remember hearing was how NHK wanted to censor all alcohol references from Tsubasa.

From this interview from 2005 at around the 9:30 mark, we get to have a rare look at their art studio/research library and most important, the bar. Alcohol is a part of their creative process, and based on the KyotoHoLiC collaboration with traditional sake brewers, it means they have no intention to hide their passion for relaxation... not for NHK or anyone.

Second issue, graphic imagery. When the anime came out, the manga was only to volume chapter 66 - chapter 73 (Tsubasa Onmibus Vol 4)...literally 3 pages into the next chapter is the start of the graphic imagery that eventually leads into violent fights, lots of blood, and death by the end of the series. That's assuming that NHK didn't get a sneak peak at what the story was going to become.

For people who've read the Omnibus, to goes from Piffle World to Recourt to the 'Acid Wasteland'... quite the tone shift when NHK picked up this anime for a kid friendly educational show.

That's why Tsubasa Chronicle was canceled, or at least my general theory. Sadly there's no official reason for the cancelation. CLAMP did run Kobato on NHK-E in 2009, so the censorship and eventual cancelation didn't not burn the bridge between them.

Sadly, NHK did cancel a show that was not only getting a following internationally but also had it's own international merchandise sold at retailers! I will always treasure my US Mokona Modoki Soel plush, matching backpack, and Fai's Staff necklace.

Don't forget, even Gaia Online even had a huge promotional event where players had to track down Sakura's feathers alongside other promotional events such as Magic the Gathering and Hollywood produced movies... and that was in 2007, after the anime series was already cancelled, never able to reach the conclusion.

Do yourself a favor and I'd suggest reading this manga if you loved the anime back in the day, but know that the lighthearted whimsy and sweetness of the anime is a palate cleanser for what NHK deemed they could not put on TV.

I found an unsubstantiated rumor on the fandom page about how the S2 opening was already storyboarded in Character Guide Vol 2., but NHK made them re-do it. I'm trying to track down that PDF so figure out what they cut, but it's a difficult one to find.

I did find a short of someone thumbing through their Japanese copy.

Holy shit! That's the scene in CLAMP in Wonderland 2 that's eluded to, but we never see play out in the anime. NHK made them get rid of their weapons for boxing with shadows? I guess Sakura's image also had to be 'softened' too. Ick.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

It’s been a while! Being productive at the end of the year is truly one of the most difficult things in the world… But here are some replies~

simplydlightfuldestiny asked:

Whenever I look at the shroud brothers or specifically Idia, I kept thinking: I wonder if he would be hooked of angelique layer?

It's an old series made by CLAMP (card captor sakura, tsubasa chronicles, etc..)

But basically it's a battle of figurines that's linked to your mind and teamwork. I think he may have gotten inspired by it when he first made ortho.

You know, I also wonder what kind of anime Idia used to like as a kid and which ones he likes now. He seems to enjoy the “cute girls doing random things” genre, but he’s also definitely a man of culture that has a lot of favourite titles of all kinds of genre. He definitely would like something from CLAMP.

I haven’t seen Angelique Layer, but BATTLE OF FIGURINES!! That’s fun.

Maybe he did get inspired by it to some degree (he absolutely got inspired by anime, let’s be honest), but I can also imagine Idia realising the similarities later, maybe when he rewatches it together with Ortho.

Anonymous asked:

What would be one example of Azul and Idia being affectionate with one another

What are you talking about, Anon? They're always affectionate.... 🥹

But I’ll answer your question properly as well!

It’s very difficult to catch these two being affectionate with one another due to their condition (“being allergic to being emotionally open and vulnerable”), these instances are quite rare, but also completely depend on Azul’s mood. Idia just prefers not to do anything; the most thing you’d get from him is that sometimes he won’t tease Azul for being affectionate. Sometimes he might even kiss him back or push his cheek against Azul’s in a surprisingly cute way. But for that to work they need to be alone and frankly to shut the fuck up. And once again, Azul needs not to feel bitchy and pissy that day.

But also, these two are the most passionate for each other when they do something together and it works. Especially Azul. If something that he and Idia have been working on works exactly how they’d planned it, he’ll get so overjoyed that he’ll hug and kiss Idia, scaring the shit out of him…

Anonymous asked:

Do you think if Jamil died then Kalim would turn out like Prince Soma in Black Butler? Go from happy to angry-despair?

I honestly believe that Kalim would overblot if something happened to Jamil. I say it every time we’re getting asked about Kalim’s possible overblot (which I find almost impossible, unless something happens to Jamil lol).

But if he is defeated and calmed down, it’d definitely affect his disposition for quite some time. A lot of it also depends on just how Jamil died in this scenario… But even if there is a culprit, I feel like Kalim would be more sad than angry.

Which doesn’t mean that he won’t brutally punish the culprit (which really goes against his morals, so it’d be extra painful), and also doesn’t mean that his mental state won’t progressively get worse and worse. Maybe he’ll become apathetic, maybe he’ll become even more self-indulgent, but deep inside he’ll mourn Jamil forever.

Anonymous asked:

Any thoughts on Ruggie x Idia?

“Oh Ruggie deserved it” was my first thought lol please give him all the S.T.Y.X. money. Azul would have to fight the hyena boy yet again!!

But in all honesty, that vignette where Ruggie saw Idia stalking Jack during the PE class and didn’t tell on him was quite nice. Even though it was for Ruggie’s own benefit, I like how he prefers to build connections instead of immediately trying to blackmail Idia for some perks.

+ I really like the fact that Ruggie seemed to be aware that Idia Shroud is _that_ Shroud, while the rest of the cast seemingly either didn’t think much about Idia at all or believed that he just happens to have the same last name as that rich and powerful family. It just shows who really pays attention lol

In general, even though they really don’t have all that much in common, at the same time both of them have this pragmatic side and “mind your own business” side, so I think they could get along or at least have interesting interactions. One thing that they definitely would have a conflict about is the fact that Idia clutters his place with merch and stuff, and Ruggie absolutely wouldn’t understand the idea of collecting useless items (we’ve seen this conflict during their Glorious Masquerade interactions)… So there is a lot of “food” for this ship if you think about it.

So yeah, we’re not deeply into them, but we definitely aren’t opposed to them as a ship.

[02511213942]

omg this took me back to deviantart/livejournal back in the day hehe, thank you for the taaag @moistvonlipwig 🎈

Last song: alarm - wise blood (sp) (yt) – ON LOOP!!! it makes me feel fizzy and euphoric

Currently watching: breaking bad (finally), jjk (with gull), d20's fantasy high sophomore year actual play (catching up!!)... youtube videos about arthropods. and lots more movies lately :))

Three ships: andreil. uuuuhhhhmmmm... davekat will always be famous to me. and phan has been back on my radar lately if you can believe it! i'll never forget them 😌

Favorite color: i just realized it's not orange anymore 😳🍊 but i still choose accessories in orange! this is actually so shocking to me im going to need to process it more later..... i think it’s a soft lavender or a hot red-grapefruit color now.

Currently consuming: 2024 is my tinned fish adventure! also i thought this meant media at first so i also wanna say i’m playing in stars and time with gull!!!

First ship: don't remember but formative definitely were neji/tenten from naruto for some reason, and kurogane/fai from tsubasa reservoir chronicle 🥹

Relationship status: nursing a returning crush… aiiee

Last movie: saltburn! which i loved

Currently working on: learning mandarin! some gifts for friends! fanart of andreil kissing

➡ tag yourself !!!

[godzilla-reads]

Japanese Books With Cats

"The Guest Cat" by Takashi Hiraide (trans. Eric Selland)

An author and his wife move into a new house and start getting visits from their neighbor's cat.

"The Travelling Cat Chronicles" by Hiro Arikawa (trans. Philip Gabriel)

Nana the cat is on a road trip with his person, Satoru. He doesn't know where they're going or why, only that they are visiting Satoru's old friends.

"The Cat Who Saved Books" by Sosuke Natsukawa (trans. Louise Heal Kawai)

Bookish student Rintaro Natsuki is about to have to close his late grandfather's bookshop when a magical talking cat named Tiger enlists his help to save the world of books.

"If Cats Disappeared from the World" by Genki Kawamura (trans. Eric Selland)

Our narrator's days are numbered as he finds out he is going to die. His only solace is his late mother's cat Cabbage, until the devil shows up and wants to make a deal.

"I am a Cat" by Soseki Natsume (trans. Graeme Wilson and Aiko Ito)

Written from 1904 through 1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.

"Oh Tama! A Mejiro Novel" by Mieko Kanai (trans. Tomoko Aoyama and Paul McCarthy)

Oh, Tama! takes the reader deep into the haphazard lives of Natsuyuki, the protagonist, and his loosely connected circle of dysfunctional acquaintances and family. Trying to keep some semblance of order and decency in his life, working as an occasional freelance photographer, Natsuyuki is visited by his delinquent friend Alexandre, who unexpectedly entrusts him with his sister's pregnant cat, Tama. Despite his initial protests, Natsuyuki accepts his new responsibility and cares compassionately for Tama and her kittens.

"She and Her Cat" by Makoto Shinkai and Tsubasa Yamaguchi

This is the story of Miyu, a woman who lives alone with her cat, Chobi. As Miyu navigates the world of adulthood, she discovers both the freedom and loneliness that come with living independently, and Chobi learns of the outside world through her actions. Time drifts slowly for Miyu and her cat, but the harsh realities of the world soon catch up...

"A Man and His Cat Vol. 1" by Umi Sakurai

Convinced he will never find a home, an "ugly" pet shop cat is thrilled when a man comes in and falls in love. These are their adventures together.

[newgabeorder]

Here is a special morning for the Friday audience.

With my mother making me go to my father's planned funeral on September 13, I had to shift up the T3 Express block by seven hours*, much like how I turned September 7's Saturday morning lineup into a special late-night lineup due to preparations for the upcoming funeral.

I had to do that to give myself some time to dress up and ride with my mother to the funeral chapel when the time comes.

As a result, this will be the T3 Express schedule for September 13 as presented here:

130924 (All Times PDT)

T3 Express Special Edition

E/I: Educational & Informational

7:00A - SAILOR MOON (E/I)

7:30A - SAILOR MOON (E/I)

FORENSIC FILES

8:00A - NARUTO (2002 series)

8:30A - Moriarty the Patriot (Episode 5)

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES

9:00A - TIGER & BUNNY (2011 series, Season 1, Episode 3)

9:30A - X-MEN (Episode 20)

"Lucky Ending"

10:00A - attack on titan: junior high (Episode 6, rerun)

10:15A - DRAGON BALL Z ABRIDGED (Episode 16)

I also got started on working on a specially-edited version of a 30-year old Pierrot anime long before my father's passing. When I complete editing all 15 episodes before Halloween, I will air it following the series finales of Rick And Morty: THE ANIME, TSUBASA: Reservoir Chronicle, PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA, and whatever cartoon that will win the next U-PICK poll event**. This 15-episode cartoon will be live-streamed on the New Gabe Order Twitch channel this November in memory of my father. My father was into computers and technology, and same can be said with this cartoon grandfather, the man who provided the cybernetics for his granddaughter, who happens to be the main character of this anime series. Even if my father didn't die, I would have live-streamed the series anyways. I had to make edits so Twitch would be far less likely to catch me if any risque content is exposed.

** The next poll will happen on September 20-27, and the theme of the poll will be four-episode cartoons. As usual, the top result will be added to the Saturday morning lineup following the poll event.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Okay finally a proper liveblog of Shadybug and Claw Noire!

Gabriel's VA is having so much fun in that intro

How'd they get video from the other dimension? Is that explained?

FUCKING BETTERFLY I refuse to call him that we're calling him Hesperia. Anyway buddy boy everything is crumbling you don't have time for the speech!! You already know she's doing this shit just say yes!!

Well someone went whole hog on the intro sequence

NATHALIE SENDING GABE RIGHT TO VOICEMAIL

Also I forgot this is right after Destruction no one is getting any fuckin sleep

Mari and Alya are real gay here

TIKKI STEALING MACAROONS

Hesperia asking Mari not to panic after all that has big "B̷̬͇̬̏́̿̚Ȩ̸̬͇̠̓̏͐ ̵̛̝̠̖̤̱͎̻̱͗̉͊́̾̂̔̓̐̃̆̾̽͘N̸̝̠͓͍̺͔͉̮̰̈́̈́̍̒̒̊͐̒̈́̃͜Ǫ̶̧̡͓̥̤̪̤͛T̵͈̳̝̾̀͒ͅ ̴̺̾̈́̾͂̋̇̒̆À̴̢͔͖̯̺̜͇͎͎̬̻̖̲̏̒́͘͜͠F̴̧̧̘͇̈́̏̔̀͜Ŕ̶̨̟͎͕͓̤̟̤̺͓͚̺̰͒̊̌̅̂̈́͝Ḁ̶͙̈́͝Ĩ̵̢̘̩͉̳̯̼D̴̡͉͇̳̮͎̜͐̐́̍̎̉͝" energy.

rest in fucking pieces Markov!

Claw explodes a wall and Sabine just calmly goes to check like?? I'd be sprinting up there???

I was really hoping Shady would say 'Lucky Harm'. I would've also screamed and lit something on fire, but it would've been funny

so. not only can SB make binoculers that track butterfly pheramones. But Hesperia /gives off butterfly pheromones???/ I guess the fandom making everyone more animalistic was right? We won but at what cost?

Also SB and Claw's banter kills me I love the rivalmance

Okay this is a personal thing but I hate this because if it were a more appropriate couple, Hesperia being so soft and carrying Marinette away would be adorable shipping fodder but it's Hesperia and Marinette so I'm like sir step like three feet away

Once again, rip the Eiffel Tower.

I know it's said that Gabriel stole the Miraculous, but does he say it later or are we taking SB's word for it? Because that could be a lie from that 'the supreme' guy.

Tikki. Everything you just said about parallel universes went over my head and this is coming from someone who loves Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

Also fuck this existing with Bunnyx's One True Timeline thing

Okay so I 100% called why the Timers are in place. But why does 'being used for evil' override the security system???

... I'm yoinking Claw's nunchucks.

Okay that's the context for Claw doing that. So uh. Buddy boy needs a fuckin therapist NOW

Ladybug: "I'll explain everything to you later." Me: "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?!"

Why.... why did time freeze when making Celestial Cat? It's not a thing that happened any time befre??

THE ONE LINERS. CLAW NOT CATCHING SHADY. I LOVE THEM

Also LB should be having Chat Blanc flashbacks right now

DID SHADY JUST CALL CLAW A DOUCHEBAG??? I SWEAR TO FUCK THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID????

First mention of 'The Supreme'. Saying he'll spare whichever gets the Butterfly. But also like. Ya don't have to be so happy about it.

So like. /is/ the other world some evil hellscape where only a few are good? Or is it just that SB was bullied and Claw lost his mom and The Supreme is manipulating them? Because Hesperia is going on about shit being awful, but if there's more changes then just the slightly altered path, that kinda ruins the idea that they're all just a touch different. But if that world's so fucked how'd they turn out good?

I love how Mari's beartrap diary comes back just to get easily broken into because no one would care about minor property damage if they're breaking into her house to read her diary.

Hesperia: "Claw Noir knows nothing about friendship" Me: "GEE I WONDER WHY"

ofc Alya leaves before seeing who Claw Noir is.

.... Hearing that Andre is on the 'never too late to do good' show or whatever is hurting me knowing the abuse abandonment and kidnapping he takes part in during season 5.

GOD EMODRIEN AND EMONETTE JUST FUCKIN but also their lovesquare is great.

We see a glimpse into the other world in a flashback and things seem? Fine?? ???

So SB and Claw didn't know about the Wish that could give them what they want, but joined The Supreme because......?

"MOM GET OFF MY BACK!!!" Peak middle school emo phase.

Okay but question of how bad things /actually/ are aside, the acting in this? It hurts hearing her cry and all and just want to have the life with friends.

Monarch has finally shown up and he's also having fun but also SB, Claw? This would be the time for regular knives!

Okay but why are they trusting Monarch so easily? You'd think they'd have some trust issues with people offering to make their dreams come true

Giant Shady and Claw. If they're not Akumas, I'm assuming Illusions. Why doesn't Mari think of that?

Alya is the MVP tho!

Mari honey your plans are ALWAYS convoluted it's your thing.

Stilll a little bullshit on why they didn't do the identity reveal but... I mean they gotta ya know?

GOD Monarch's stained glass butterfly lapel is the only thing about his design that absolutely FUCKS

THE BAD ACTING OMG

Oh hey Multiplication makes Gabe a normal height instead of fucking 220cm/7'2"!!!!!!!

Here's how Maribug and Adrichat(the ships) can still win!

Chat without an ear looks cursed

So the Guardian Angel thing saves them, but why didn't Monarch try to Venom them a second time?

Still hate how Shady pins all the bad things in her life on Chloé even though either 1.) all the pain is from The Supreme making everything a hellscape and filled with assholes, or 2.) everything was the same up until Origins where she had friends and loving parents and all.

Okay other than the :/ on the Chloé bashing and the question of what's going on in their world/why things are Like This, the scene is fucking fantastic. No commentary. For as much as I dunk on ML, when it's good it's REALLY GOOD

Okay only one note: Mari has way to much faith her speech will work. Like girl at least dodge.

I do think it's a little weird that Claw stopped though. Like, he and Shady already signed up for murder. He's probably killed someone's mother before. Why would he care about the Wish doing it for him?

Also like. Monarch wasn't watching this shit? Really?

They still have the dunking on each other dynamic.

So. The Rooster can do interdimensional travel. Because sure that doesn't break it's bullshit rules I guess. Why doesn't Monarch do this later when no one's paying attention?

HATSUNE MIKU????

Scarabella and Kitty Noire universe! I'm just gonna assume they're the lovesquare in that one.

anime universe lmao

The comic one is a copout

Wait. The implication with the Mr. Bug and Lady Noire one is that it's still the original LB and CN just swapped. How did. How did they swap in 10 seconds without revealing their identities???

Mari's final speech once again implies that everything was the same until Origins.

Also the Alyanette is STRONG today

Get these girlss a fuckin NAP

Okay overall thoughts:

While I do think it has it's flaws, some of which piss me off a lot. This was mostly a very fucking good special holy fuck.

[tatatatatara]

Let's see, a list of manga that I have read

I am knowledgeable about it: Pokemon Adventures, Gintama, Tokyo Ghoul, Golden Kamuy, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Isekai Izakaya Nobu, Choujin X, Shokugeki no Soma (I like food manga okay), Chuuka Ichiban, Chainsaw Man, Akame ga Kill, The Witch and The Beast, Yomi no Tsugai

I read it several times but I haven't read it recently so I forgot some details: FMA, Space Brothers, Dungeon Meshi, Oresama Teacher, xxxHolic, Naruto, Beelzebub, Shin Angyo Onshi, Yukan Club, Asari-chan, Toriko, Attack on Titan, Sakamoto Days, Black Butler, Monster, Silver Spoon, Black Lagoon, Yakitate Japan

I read it a while ago and I haven't catch up/forgot most of it: Vinland Saga, Ao no Exorcist, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, Tenkuu Shinpan, D Gray-man, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, BnHA, Bungou Stray Dogs, Tokyo Revengers, Made in Abyss, Billy Bat, 20th Century Boys, Arslan Senki, Magi, Sinbad no Bouken, Perfect Girl Evolution

[completeoveranalysis]

Hi Nick. If you don't mind, can you share a summary of what you think Ashura's overall goals were? I'm still sincerely confused. And we now have the "reasoning itself crumbling" thing. He saw and saved this child cursed by FWR... or foresaw. He always planned for Fai to kill him. Was the whole point really to break Fai's curse out of care/love? Or to prove he could? He clearly didn't consider Fai's empathy or emotions. It start out with good intent but then his reasoning crumbled? thank you

Hello Anon! I don't mind at all! I absolutely love talking about these topics more, so thank you for asking!

The Ashura Problem is such a fascinating scenario because I'm pretty sure CLAMP deliberately wrote it to be both misleading and illogical. If it doesn't make sense then CLAMP absolutely achieved their goal, but that doesn't make it any easier to puzzle out.

So! The options!

(With content warning for everything that happens in Seresu oh my goodness)

Option A) That Ashura was a terrible person.

This is the interpretation that most closely matches Fai's lived experience, especially during the Seresu arc.

This explanation focuses on the fact that Ashura manipulated and twisted Fai's entire life and psyche until he was a broken person who would not have survived his own storyline. Ashura used all of Fai's tragic circumstances to mould him into doing exactly what Ashura wanted; he used Fai's dead brother against him, he trapped Fai into making promises he could use against him, he used Fai's emotional wounds to manipulate him, he limited Fai's magic for his own ends and deleted his memories of it, he committed mass murder, he tried to hypnotise Fai directly, he tried to get Fai to kill Kurogane, and then he tried to kill the entire Tsubasa family - all to get Fai to kill Ashura. It's worth noting that all of these actions echo the narrative impact Evil Wolverine has on Fai as well, and we can clearly see how broken Fai is over all of these revelations, even aside from the fact that we are told that Fai would have killed himself if he had succeeded in granting Ashura's wish. It all points to a very solid verdict, and one that pretty much the entire story supports from the very beginning.

The only thing missing is his actual goal. Why is he trying to get Fai to kill him? Is it out of boredom? Is he immortal and can't die without external influence, and so wanted to manipulate events until he got what he wanted? Is he just doing it all for the hell out it, and sees a dramatic death as just another fun thing to aim for? Or...

Option B) Ashura did it all to save Fai

This is the interpretation that mostly comes to the fore when Ashura dies, having failed in his long game to get Fai to kill him by his own hand.

This option revolves around Ashura's otherwise missing motive. The strongest motive potential motive we have for his actions is that he was trying to break both of Fai's curses at once; to become stronger than Fai so that Fai would be forced to kill him, and in the process wouldn't trigger the second secret curse and save Fai's life in the process.

The thing that muddies this interpretation is how badly he treats Fai to make it happen. Over the course of his entire life he breaks Fai. All his actions are hurtful and twisted, and he is willing to murder as many people as needed to make this goal happen, including literally everyone else Fai values in his life. Nothing about the Fai that's left behind is left unmarred by tragedy and self loathing - but he would be alive! And that seems to be what Ashura was aiming for, in this line of reasoning.

This neat thing about this option is that it really plays into the darker characterisation that CLAMP like to work with. Ashura has his own set of morals, inhuman and unknowable, and so he's willing to cross lines that seem to defy all the rules of empathy that you'd think would apply here. DID Ashura think this was still an acceptable result? Did he commit to this goal with the willingness to break and murder literally anything he needed to in order to make it happen? It seems so! But can he really say he loved Fai if he was willing to do this to him? He could see the future, so how could he not see that his actions would kill Fai just as surely as the curse would?

So it's either that, or

Option C: A bit of both!

This is the option that Tomoyo presents in Nihon, after the fact.

Tomoyo posits that both options are true at the same time, and the reason why this doesn't make sense is because of Fei Wang's influence on the universe. Logic itself is breaking down, so Ashura's actions have lost any logical integrity somewhere along the way.

This option allows for the paradoxes to exist as a deliberate example of the wider affect the overall plot is having on the multiverse. Tomoyo says that yes, Ashura did love Fai and was trying to save him, and also yes, his actions don't reflect that and would have killed Fai through his abuse in the misguided attempt to save him.

At this point in the narrative I think it's option C that CLAMP are set on. It does seem like they deliberately wrote the scenario so that Options A and B don't internally make sense on their own on purpose, so that C can rise out of the ruins and cast a shadow on the rest of the narrative right before things really start to kick off in the main plotline.

I hope this helps! This is my ultimate understanding of Ashura's plotline as it stands, but if anything isn't clear feel free to let me know and I can talk even more.

[kindaoptimisticsquirrel]

Why not: A CCS reread, Part 3

It's saturday and I cannot stop myself from reading more. Time to go on with Chapter 13!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Ch13:

I'm just now catching on the resemblance of Nadeshiko to Kotoki from X...

Batting Fujitaka with a stick because for heaven's sake you don't hit on your students, ESPECIALLY when they are still under 18. And not with these cheesy lines, too, sigh.

Oh Tomoyo, you're so dear to me <3 I met her first when I read Tsubasa Chronicles, because I read Cardcaptor Sakua later (I don't even know when the anime aired in Germany. Probably way before my time) It was nice seeing her here in the story where she originates and where her character can be more child and follow her hobbies (cause tsubasa is a bit darker in its theme)

Ch14:

Saving this for reference for when I might want to photoshop something stupid onto the newspaper

Loving the little "yikes" at the size of the bread :DD

Ch15:

I definitely forgot about this woman and that she and Touya had been..a thing? (Geez. I try not to think too much about the ages of the characters in CLAMP works)

You know what, I would have loved to get to know Shaoran's siblings!

Hihihihihi *giggling and kicking my feet*

Ch16:

Awww he's so cute when embarrassed

Sometimes it's a wonder how oblivious Yukito can be.

Ch18:

oooh I'm saving this for a drawing reference because I want to try to imitate this beautiful light effects! Gonna try with ink if I find time.

Ch19:

No, Fujitaka, when an adult man offers your 10 year old daughter some tea and biskuits and invites her to come over the other day, you don't just smile and tell her to go back. I'm shaking my head here very disappointedly. (I know it's a childrens' story so it isn't supposed to be taken that seriously, but if you try to look at it from an older perspective? Phew :D Some choices are really dubious.) (I'm only making fun of this, I'm still very much enjoying this manga. It's just interesting to see how different you can see things once you are NOT the target audience's age anymore) Oh yeah I forgot Fujitaka probably knows the man is Nadeshiko's grandfather, but my point still stands. Ch20:

I'm at the screen play now, and Yamazaki really is the perfect cast for that role hehe

Ch21:

You know I really like drawing style with the no hatching, and the light greytones. Normally we don't see shadows really so scenes like this with dark and light really stand out more. Also I think, this drawing style of the manga might look easy, because it's just outlines, and they are all the same line weight mostly...but I've seen other mangas trying to do it like this and I feel like they didn't pull it off this well. I'm wondering, if you don't really use grey tones to give your characters and objects depth, then at LEAST you gotta have a good feeling for shapes and panel arrangement and such to make it all work.

Good to see that the Light and Dark cards are just your average sweet lesbian couple. Good for them! *thumbs up*

Ch22:

I think I want a fic with Touya working at the most obscure places.

Touya: Bitch, don't be giving me love advice when you're the one who broke up. Sooo this is long enough for a post! Time to make a new one! :)

[keks1105]

Soooo, I've watched all of the Made in Abyss Anime that is out so far and while I like it there's certainly parts I'd like to forget or that could have been just left out. Nonetheless I had a great time watching most of it. I can still recommend it just remember to brace yourself. If I'd have to compare it with other media I'd say The Evil Within, Call of Cthulhu (the video game), Hollow Knight and Kirby (and maybe The Forest) and if you enjoyed these, you'll enjoy Made in Abyss.

And now my personal rant under the cut.

The reason why I'm so critical about Made in Abyss is because when I hyperfixate I'll get so into it that I ignore all the bad parts. But season 2 did not catch me like that.

It's still a really good series, the music is GREAT I really loved season 1 but season 2 kinda destroyed my excitement for the series up to the point where I'm already giving up on ever trying to cosplay from it (even though I really wanted to try Reg). I'll read into the manga, hope the weird parts aren't that bad then (sadly I heard the opposite) and let's see. I know you can enjoy media and still think of it critical and still cosplay from it even if it has it's moments (looking at YOU Tsubasa Chronicles) and I still really want to cosplay Reg because he's great for learning to craft but…idk how to feel about it…

I'll probably talk with my best friend about it and ask other people that know the series and how they think about it but honestly Season 2 really destroyed it.

It's not that season 2 is bad or anything, it's great but it had moments that left me with a weird feeling and I really didn't like some major characters in there but that's just my personal opinion. But it still had moments I really liked.

I don't get the hype about Faputa tho. She's okay but I don't like her personality that much. But again just my personal opinion.

[redjaybird]

Munday Except it's Tuesday Wednesday

Tag nine people you want to get to know better ~

Favorite color(s): Blue, Green, Purple, Teal

Favorite flavor(s): Orange (candy, pop), peanut butter, garlic

Favorite genre(s): Sci-fi/Fantasy, mystery, action, comedy

Favorite music: Mostly types of rock & alternative, but also cinematic, lo-fi, some techy stuff, some things Idk what to call them, OSTs to games and shows

Favorite movie(s): Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, El Dorado, The Punisher (2004), Thor (just all of them man), Black Panther, Kiki's Delilvery Service, The Cat Returns

Favorite series: Borderlands, Assassin's Creed, Persona, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Way of the Househusband, Avatar & Korra, Pokemon

Last song: I don't remember, whatever was playing at work yesterday

Last movie: dear gosh, I really don't remember. Thor: Love & Thunder?

Currently watching: Trigun Stampede, Critical Role, Oxventure, there's some other things I should be catching up on but haven't >>

Currently working on: I should be working on dnd plans >> and art, but I'm not doing anything

Tagged by: @threadsandwings

Tagging: uhhhhhh who hasnt done one of these yet?

[jellokiel]

rules: tag (9) people you want to know better and or catch up with, then answer these questions below!

tagged by @tvheit 🥺🥺🥺

four ships:

KuroFai (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles)

SpideyPool (Marvel)

Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Valvert (Les Miserables)

last song: My Time by bo en

currently reading: Eyeshield 21! And a LOT of Batman crossovers lol

last movie: Batman (2022). My like....fourth rewatch........... 👀

craving: good John Constantine longfic <3

tagging: @tastygoldentaters @rosestormclare @jeanvaljeany @reputablerealist @balaga @thumperdaetime @bonenkruid @vhenan-solas @kaleran

[kariachi]

Sat here, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles thoughts. Lo, what I think happened, specifically, to Fai and Yuui's homeland.

Likely there were already plagues and famines starting up by the time they were born, this isn't the sort of thing that just springs up at full disaster levels. Likely already had some issues going with crops that lead to people heading into the cities for work leading to higher population and a better shot at plague

I honestly would not be surprised if the construction of the torture pit played a part. It doesn't seem especially new, but construction on that scale and presumably without magic would take a lot of support infrastructure, including food production. This place is pretty fucking clearly a very cold region, likely lacking methods of natural soil revitalization like volcanic asshfalls or regular floods. These guys had likely already worked their soil to its near limit, and there's only so much manure you can spread and still plant the next spring. Especially with a short growing season as they most likely had

So we've got some baby plagues going and some baby famines going and then we get baby twin princes and immediately the scapegoat alert goes off

The famines get worse because the soil is fucked, everybody goes to the cities which causes the plagues to get worse, younger king catches plague and dies, everybody blames the children because hey look somebody to blame

Queen kills herself out of shame of having brought this horror onto the land, shockingly this does not fix anything, but it does make for the final straw before the remaining king goes "yep, gotta throw the children in the torture pit, only way to fix this is to make them suffer and/or not twins and neither of them will kill the other so, we're going full Powered By Forsaken Children"

Shockingly, leaving children to suffer from cold, hunger, and thirst that cannot kill them in near total isolation also does not fix anything

Oh I don't doubt they told themselves it had. Plague and famine tend to cycle. The soil goes off, people stop using it, it gets to recover a bit, people realize it's kinda fertile again and start farming more, ending the famine for a bit before ruining the soil again. To go with this all the deaths from the plagues historically drove people out of the cities, lowering the rate of infection, and lowered populations, which helped with the famine issue as well, and so the plagues would chill out for a while. (Fun Fact- this is part of why stories involving plague in a psuedo-historical context tend to hit poorly, the cycle of loss and recovery is often left out)

The first recovery period hit and people are so happy, then the next plague and famine cycle hit and they were so sad

Old King sees plague and famine hitting again and, having already been the sort of superstitious asshole to order small children to murder each other or stay in the torture pit forever, sees this and decides that clearly the children are not suffering enough

Clearly we need to start throwing the corpses of those lost into the torture pit where they'll sit there forever as a reminder of just how horrible these children are for bringing this onto the land and not being willing to fix it

So as the cycle goes on more and more of the dead are being tossed into the pit. Not having the corpses around likely helps prevent spread, but it doesn't stop it, and with each cycle more and more get tossed in.

But then a new problem starts to arise. Faith in the monarchy is rather a bit shaken by this point. Not only did the monarchy produce a pair of cursed children that have started all this, and not only is the monarchy not fixing it, but now they're just tossing grandma and uncle Sven and little Timmy into the torture pit and nobody wants that. Who wants to have to point at the torture pit and go 'there's where my grandma lies, eternally unrotting at the bottom of a pile of corpses'?

Dissent begins to spread amongst the populace

Old King, being again a superstitious fuckwit, sees this and decides that it's all those damnable twins again, not only bringing death onto the land but dissent over the throne. How dare. Clearly this requires more corpses.

And so we kick off a whole new cycle- wherein the king demands corpses for the torture pit and the people aren't happy about it which the king takes sign the torture pit needs more corpses, eventually running out of plague ones and having to have shit custom made

Of course this isn't something people are going to just roll over for, but this is from what little we see presumably the most powerful not-Fai-and-Yuui magic user in the country, and if the twins are anything to go by he's probably no slouch, so for a while fear keeps the people in line.

Which of course only makes the 'we can't have with this fucker' even worse, which of course makes his need for corpses to torment the children so their curse 180s into a blessing even worse

"Achi this seems unfathomable" Tell me the fuckers at Salem, if the first hanging had come a week before locusts descended on the crops, wouldn't have immediately doubled down on the witchcraft accusations. Superstition and jackshittery are powerful things

And so it carries on like that until Old King starts getting proper rebellions and soldiers unwilling to continue this mess and just starts killing everybody himself

Until eventually, either because they managed to flee the country or because they couldn't, he runs out of people to murder for the pit.

He looks around. He sees that his country is now barren of human life. There is nobody left. Nothing left.

Those damn twins

And so he throws himself into the pit, still cursing them as he goes for having brought the collapse of their country

And then, because they weren't suffering enough, Reed showed up and fucked things over for the last remaining populace of the region