#Yuuki Ray

[littleeyesofpallas]

Sake to Tobacco no Hiyatoi DUNGEON[酒と煙草の日雇いダンジョン]

Day labour dungeon of alchohol and cigarettes.

[yokaikobold]

Package came yesterday and was greeted with a thank you note

[kanasmusings]

[Eng Subs DL] Musical Yuukoku no Moriarty (Moriarty the Patriot) Op. 4 - "The Two Criminals"

Hello, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate~! Otherwise, Happy Holidays! I am here to share the English subtitles for more MoriMyu~!

Oh gosh, I apologize for such a long wait...! Life just punched me around a bit with studying for board exams (which I passed, thankfully!), a bit of technical problems with the BD version, and a lot of real life things I needed to take care of before the year ends (￣▽￣*)ゞ

Op. 4 covers chapters 33-47 of the original comic, with a few scenes/moments omitted. It is essentially the build-up to the climax of the story that was covered in Op. 5! We were also blessed with the addition of Miss Mary Morstan and Adam Whiteley for this musical, and I hope everyone falls in love with them, too~!

Anyway, here are the subs~! A huge, huge thank you to @mouldering for helping me with proof-reading and quality checking! I wouldn't have been able to finish this before Christmas without your help~! ♡ ～('▽^人) I will be updating the folders with the bonus content subtitles when I am able to as well, but for now, please enjoy the main show's subs~!

Links, notes, and disclaimers under the cut, enjoy~!

BD PURCHASE LINK (International cards and shipping accepted!): CDJapan - BD ver. | DVD ver. Official Sites: Twitter | Website (MoriMyu General) | Website (Op. 4) MoriMyu Op. 1 Subtitles | MoriMyu Op. 2 Subtitles | MoriMyu Op. 3 Subtitles

NOTES:

※ THE FILE IS SUBTITLES ONLY, VIDEO IS NOT INCLUDED! ※ The folder contains subs for a DVD version as well as a Blu-ray version! (I tested the DVD version on the BD a lot of times, and there was always a slight delay with the syncing, so I re-timed and re-styled it for the BD. You could technically load the DVD subs onto the BD, but you'd have to manually adjust the timing on your media player.)

All songs and lyrics were translated by me. A bit of creative liberty was exercised to fit context and some cultural references. As usual, the lyrics actually help move the plot, so I didn’t include the romaji for any of them. But, if you’d like to have the complete lyrics, I do have them saved up in PDF form, so feel free to DM me for them if you want ^^

Again, I’m not a native British English speaker, so some terms might be off. I consulted with a friend to help me check them, just in case, but please forgive any mistakes.

As usual, some scenes in the musical differ from the anime/manga for time and fluidity’s sake, so please don’t hit me for things that I can’t control ^^;

There aren’t particularly any triggering scenes here, but please do watch with caution since some subjects and terms used might be sensitive and/or triggering for other viewers.

@kumoriyami-xiuzhen​ requested me to do the bonus content subs, so I will be reblogging and updating the main post when they are up as well! ^^

RULES:

[MOST IMPORTANT] Please DO NOT re-post the subs and the link outside of Tumblr! If you want to share outside, please, please DM me about it and link my blog to your post. That’s all I ask.

Please DO NOT remove my credits.

Please DO NOT re-translate without permission.

SUBS DL LINK: GOOGLE DRIVE 

※ Please only DM me if there is a problem with the subtitles. I cannot help you if it’s related to the videos. ※ If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a coffee here, if you can. It’ll really help me out a lot.(o^▽^o) Thank you!!

[animepopheart]

★ 【iJac Ray】 「 結城 明日奈 」 ☆ ⊳ asuna yuuki // sword art online ✔ republished w/permission ⊳ ⊳ follow me on twitter

[soccerpunching]

Tachimukai having the title The Charming Demon is so funny to me. I'm giving him the most devlish attacks while he canonically looks like this:

he's immune from the blue-eyed stare meme

(if you have a better title in mind, please let me hear it!! Edit: It's for this project here)

[mihotose]

📸 📸 📸 📸 📸 📸 📸 📸 📸 📸

[of-petals-and-lightning]

Shiori (left) and Rai (right)! I love them both so much & by God these two are gonna force me to get better at drawing

[genkinahito]

Third Window Films Release Junta Yamaguchi's 2023 Time-Loop Comedy RIVER on DVD, Blu-ray and Digitally on 12th February

Third Window Films will release a DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital edition of the “endless escape comedy” RIVER, the latest time-loop comedy from Junta Yamaguchi and the team behind Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes. They will come out on February 12th.  Continue reading Third Window Films Release Junta Yamaguchi’s 2023 Time-Loop Comedy RIVER on DVD, Blu-ray and Digitally on 12th February

[mahou-furbies]

57 years of magical girls!

List of series they're from:

Pic 1

Row 1: Sally the Witch, Himitsu no Akko-chan, Cutie Honey, Mahou Shoujo Lalabel, Minky Momo, Creamy Mami

Row 2: Persia the Magic Fairy, Magical Emi, Pastel Yumi, Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Wedding Peach

Row 3: Nurse Angel Ririka SOS, Saint Tail, Cardcaptor Sakura, Mahou Tsukai Tai, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

Pic 2

Row 1: Ojamajo Doremi, Corrector Yui, Time Stranger Kyouko, Tokyo Mew Mew, Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san, W.i.t.c.h.

Row 2: Pretear, Princess Tutu, Mermaid Melody, Kamichama Karin, Sugar Sugar Rune, Winx Club

Row 3: Futari wa Precure, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Uta Kata, Fushigiboshi no Futagohime, Happy Seven, Shugo Chara!

Pic 3

Row 1: Futari wa Precure Splash Star, Powerpuff Girls Z, Nanatsuiro Drops, Yes! Precure 5, Balala the Fairies, Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel

Row 2: Fresh Precure!, Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Umimonogatari, Heartcatch Precure!, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Row 3: Wish Upon the Pleiades, Suite Precure, Magical Lollipop, Symphogear, Smile Precure!, Magical Girl Ore

Pic 4

Row 1: Vividred Operation, Doki Doki! Precure, Day Break Illusion, Magical Girl Site, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, Katsute Mahou Shoujo to Aku wa Tekitai shiteita.

Row 2: 6 Hearts Princess, Kill la Kill, Samurai Flamenco, Happiness Charge Precure!, Magica Wars, Machikado Mazoku

Row 3: Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero, Lolirock, Go! Princess Precure, Miss Guillotine, Mahou Shoujo Nante Mouiidesukara, Sleepless Domain

Pic 5

Row 1: Punch Line, Apricot Cookie(s)!, Magical Girl Spec Ops Asuka, Concrete Revolutio, Miraculous Ladybug, Magical Suite Prism Nana

Row 2: Myriad Colors Phantom World, Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R, Mahou Tsukai Precure!, Flowering Heart, Mahou Shoujo? Naria☆Girls, Magical Girl Raising Project

Row 3: Matoi the Sacred Slayer, Flip Flappers, Balala the Fairies: Over the Rainbow, Pop in Q, Acro Trip, Kira Kira Precure a la Mode

Pic 6

Row 1: Märchen Mädchen, Twin Angel Break, Re:Creators, Magia Record, Cloudy Wondrous, Strawberry Seafoam

Row 2: HUGtto! Precure, Balala the Fairies: Ocean Magic, Tsukurotte Piature, Gushing Over Magical Girls, Star Twinkle Precure, Stellar Witch LIPS

Row 3: Healin’ Good Precure, Catch Teenieping, Mewkledreamy, Dame Daffodil, Sasaki and Peeps, Tropical Rouge! Precure

Pic 7

Row 1: Blue Reflection Ray, Magical Mom, Magilumiere Co. Ltd., Tea Tea Cherry, Delicious Party Precure, Balala the Fairies: Magic Star Fate Castle

Row 2: Hirogaru Sky! Precure, Magical Destroyers, Magical Girl Tsubame: I Will (Not) Save the World!, Wonderful Precure!

[small-world-au]

Sora Aguilar

———INCOMING BIG ASS POST———

Actual name: ???? Aguilar Yuki

Age: Same as the main trio

Personality type: ISFP

Ethnicity: Asian (Japanese) & Hispanic (Mexican) <- updated

Hair color/type: Dark purple (tho it looks like dark brown.) straight-curly

Eye color: light blue (beta) brown (officially)

Skin color: super light tan/dark pink

Gender: Male

Family: Natalia Aguilar (maternal grandmother)

Gabriela Aguilar (Mother 🪦)

Shino Yuuki (Father 🪦)

Dante (Stepfather)

Noelia Aguilar (Maternal aunt🪦)

Unknown (Maternal uncle)

Rowena Pagonis (Older half sister🪦)

Kip Aguilar Stone (biological son)

Stone (childhood sweetheart/husband)

Friends: Bailey, Jasper, Finn, Skipp, Zaria, Vinnie, pebble, maggot, Bailey’s kittens, Finn’s rat babies, old man Howard, Maroon, Olive, Ray, Rui, Maple, Chris, Zaria, Charlie, and Allay

Neutral: Tre, Rigel & cen, karma, Doña Mari, and Ivan Franzwick

Enemies: Fritz (the butler), ditch, Nadia (personal reasons), Jay, arrogant lootbags, street gangs, and AVRILLE!!!!

LIKES

Books

Sewing

Baking

Poetry

Cute animals

Stone

Spending time with friends/family

Exploring

Springtime

Food!!!

Caring for the young

DISLIKES

SHOESSSSS!!!!

Rude/whiny scraps & loot-bag

Leaving kip behind

Being treated as a 🏆

Discrimination

Art/writing block

Not being good enough

Disappointing his family

Leaving Stone and friends

Obsessive creeps

His dad and avrille

His beloved ones getting hurt

Being unable to help/being useless

Thunderstorms

Arguments

Street fights

Being cooped inside for too long

Sora Aguilar is one of the main character of my au. A sweet, gentle, and kindhearted young man filled with curiosity, who would do anything for the sake of his friends and family, even if it means sacrificing his own needs and wants.

He is Rowena’s younger half-brother, Gabriela’s and Shino’s only son, Natalia’s grandson, and Noelia’s nephew.

He’s a close friend to the scraps and a mom-friend who cherishes his own group dearly. He is also Stone’s childhood best friend/sweetheart.

He and his puppy (Kip) lived happily (???) in their mansion, until they wake up one night inside a big bag that was left on the streets of ramshackle.

Edit: ABOUT DAMN TIME I DID THIS SHIT!!!!!!!

Update 2: Sora’s now half Mexican!

Why? Cuz am Mexican.

Update 3: references and other ocs from “small world” au!

More facts below!!!!

[eternalpassions]

Kaname snuggling up to Yuuki when she was a baby. And her being cheerful and giving him hope when she was a child. I love the art here

“You have been my only warmth..You were a ray of light”

“Someone precious to me”

[digi-lov]

Cupimon BT1-006 by Kirita, Upamon BT3-003 by Sanosuke Sakuma, Patamon BT1-048 by As'Maria, Salamon BT2-034 by Teppei Tadokoro, Lucemon BT4-115 by Nakano Haito, Patamon ST3-04 by Nakano Haito, Pulsemon P-028 by Ryuda, RizeGreymon BT2-038 by sasasi, MagnaAngemon BT1-060 by As'Maria, Angewomon BT3-039 by yuuki., ShineGreymon BT2-041 by sasasi, T.K. Takaishi BT1-087, Blinding Ray BT4-104 by p!k@ru, Holy Flame ST3-15 by Takase, and Yellow Memory Boost! P-037 by Shin Sasaki Reprints from RB-01 Resurgence Booster

[kafkaoftherubble]

185.2章：放下？还是压抑？可贺，抑或可悲？

// Chapter 185.2: Detachment v. Repression

This ramble concerns To Your Eternity manga Chapter 185.2. It is edited from a conversation between (yea you guessed it) @bestbonnist and me after the chapter dropped before I had to hastily run off because sorry gotta see shits with my Besto Furrendo! Lisan al-Ghaib! Lisan al-Ghaib!!!

Although this chapter is devoid of hype moments—unlike C184.1 where plenty of us were sent into a frenzy— and good old macabre, this is genuinely one of my favorite chapters to date.

Because it became a really nice philosophical discussion between friends. Sounds a tad cheesy when I say it like that...

(1) Two Different Perspectives on Fushi's Latest State of Mind

Ray expressed dismay that Fushi's coping mechanism seems to gave become even more terrible because they are essentially repressing their emotions. They are telling themself not to feel anything and to be detached. In the Wish Era, Fushi seemed to have become more resigned to their fate, which became starkly apparent when contrasted by the Doll and Andy's loud, outward desire to see Abel live.

That dismal observation actually stunned me—because I happened to see this development in a positive light. What better state of mind should Fushi aspire to attain apropos to their immortality... if not a state of non-attachment? After all, if they don't learn to be so, then the sheer impermanence of life will torment them forever. To me, non-attachment—or in a more English-natural manner of speaking, detachment—is a goal worthy of pursuing, even if it is often fraught with erratic instances such as mistaking "repressing one's emotions" as similar to "being genuinely unperturbed."

----

(2) The Benefits of Attachment

In this story's universe, attachment keeps a person's faie (their soul) around.

Hence, to Ray, Fushi's loss of attachment implies their death (which I agree is a reasonable projection for the end of this story). When they no longer have anything to do—no goal—then it is time for them to move on.

But more than that, there's this other thing Ray is worried about. The manga asked whether Fushi is human, especially in its earlier exploration. Whether they think they are human. Therefore, it's hard to see Fushi's detachment as anything other than dehumanizing themself ("I'm not human so I don't deserve to be attached/feel bad when people I care about die.") It's one step to Fushi's progression into becoming a deity at the expense of their humanity.

This prospect is upsetting because they wanna see Fushi leave as a human being, as someone who dies after living a satisfying life like Yuuki did.

Ray also argued that there's a difference between acceptance and detachment. "Acceptance is acknowledging that something is out of your control and acknowledging that the way you feel about that." To them, Fushi seemed to have acknowledged that something was out of their control, but they hadn't yet acknowledged their feelings toward it.

Then, they conceded that while Fushi was frank about being pained by people leaving, ultimately, the dude seemed deadset on trying to ignore that pain altogether. "Fushi isn't good at being 'above' feeling things!"

I agree with this. Of course, they aren't! One of Fushi's powers is supernatural empathy. They can't ignore the sensation of pain or (occasionally) love in their vicinity even if they try. Feeling shit is what they do, willingly or not. And from an emotional connection like that, one easily forms attachments.

---

(3) The Common Error: Mistaking Detachment with Apathy

Strangely, at that point in our conversation, it became clear that Ray thought Fushi should not be detached because it stops them from accepting death—while I think Fushi should learn to be detached because it helps them to accept death. Same destination, but different ways of assessing detachment as a path.

Now, of course, when I use the term "detachment" or "non-attachment" (preferred), I'm once again drawing it from a Buddhist philosophical perspective. Because dude, it's me, 睿得失。You fucking signed up for this the moment you talk to me, bwaahhahahahaha!

Even Buddhists, born and raised, often make the mistake of conflating "equanimity," which non-attachment encourages, with "apathy."

One of the four sublime qualities (brahmavihārā), equanimity (upekkhā) is the state of being unwavering and unperturbed even in the face of loss and gain [1], good-repute and ill-repute, praise and censure, and sorrow and happiness. Its far enemies—as in, its direct contrasting vices—are greed and resentment. But its near enemy—the quality mendaciously close to equanimity—is apathy.

[1] Just a little aside: this is why I joked that Fushi should take up my self-given Chinese name in our conversation. 睿得失 means "being wise (about one's) gain and loss." The hope of attaining some semblance of upekkha is built into the name already.

Plenty of people think being detached means being uncaring and indifferent, and that it has some elements of dehumanization to it—be it to other people or to yourself. But it's not. Being detached is to keep a balance between concern and coercion. It's expressing compassion while being mindful not to conflate your genuine care with your desire to will things and people to bend to the state or situation you wanted.

Fushi and us mortals could easily realize one fact about life: it is truly impermanent. The desire to impose our will on the universe—as if there is some supernatural feature to our will that can influence things to happen—is a source of agitation. Life doesn't bend to our will; it indifferently stays impermanent even when we demand it to be permanent in some sort of personal bliss.

In Buddhist thought, it's our actions and intentions that impart changes. Our will (and our demanding desires) don't. We'll revisit this in our 5th Chapter later.

In other words! Contrary to Ray's interpretation, I see being detached not as imposing a limit on your compassion but liberating it from constraints. Now that you're detached, your mode of compassion is centered around the situation and people as they are, not as you hope them to be. True compassion asks for nothing in return—not because you suppress your demands, but because you genuinely have none to begin with.

----

(4) Fushi's Laudable Baby Steps

What really made me think that Fushi had grown here was their insistence that whether Abel lives or dies is "his decision to make."

Not Fushi's, despite their god-like powers. Not Doll or Andy, despite their love and attachment to Abel. It's Abel's choice. All Fushi can do is to accept whatever the man says—and that acceptance is only possible if they begin practicing detachment. After all, attachment results in the reactions Doll and Andy expressed.

To me, Fushi is taking a step in the right direction already. This is the kind of wisdom I think an immortal, most of all, should gradually pick up (I also think mortals like us should, too, but that's beside the point).

Here is where I think Ray's criticisms warrant merits in my interpretation: Actually practicing detachment/non-attachment is hard as fuck. I wouldn't deny that though it doesn't make you an apathetic non-human, you're not gonna be very normal-humanlike if you manage to be equanimous either. While learning to be detached, one often takes up a lot of problematic tactics and mistakes it to be detachment.

One such misguided tactic? Suppression of emotions. You force yourself to pretend you're not feeling anything instead of facing them and realizing their falsity while believing you're being detached. So Ray's concerns are completely warranted, because I don't believe Fushi has consummated their learning either. They wouldn't have lied about the massacre if they were really that detached.

Repressing your emotion, as a tactic, is wrong, but it is the hallmark of someone who's trying to get there, especially when you compound it with the philosophy Fushi was articulating. They care. But they are also being clear-eyed about the limits of their demand.

I don't think they seem resigned here. I think they are being wise. Baby steps, and their method is imperfect, but good nonetheless.

----

(5) Yuuki the GOAT and His Biggest W Yet

Fushi grappled with wanting to impose their will to make others live as long as they in the Modern Arc, right? That's one of their biggest and most constant sources of dukkha (dissatisfaction/suffering). But Yuuki's satisfying death and life... actually steered him in the right direction!

Fushi didn't come to earn detachment because of some horrible, tragic death turning them jaded and cynical. They learned because Yuuki's life and death were that fucking good.

Learning philosophy from pain is all well and good. It is usually how people learn it (few would give a fuck about existentialism or Buddhist philosophy or stoicism or what-have-you if they weren't in a personal crisis). But learning philosophy from joy is a whole other thing. Whatever you learned from that instance has no hint of jadedness and cynicism to corrupt your thinking; it's like making a decision when you're at the most optimal state.

This is Yuuki's victory. He influenced and taught Fushi without giving him pain or trauma to live by. He was not some main character of a tragedy despite outwardly looking like a bumbling normie.

Think about it: none of the Immortals who were attached to Fushi, until now, had been capable of influencing and teaching them without accidentally leaving some grief, pain, and trauma!

Why does Fushi take on Yuuki's form so much lately—if not because Yuuki is the only one who managed to teach them without the use of pain or trauma or anything like that?

And as Ray pointed out, Yuuki was the form embodying "Peace." Even his death was offscreen and peaceful. On a bed, unpoisoned and unhurt. Fushi remembers him constantly because he makes them feel at ease.

"It's our actions and intentions that impart changes," that was what I mentioned in Chapter 3 of this long-ass ramble. Here it is exemplified. People inherit the fruits of other people's actions (and you yourself are one of those who will inherit your own actions, too). And well? These are the fruits of Yuuki's actions that Fushi continues to reap even now.

That's how complete Yuuki's W is. He managed to leave just the kind of food for thought for an Immortal that eventually set them up to grasp the kind of wisdom they lacked. Who says the Modern Arc has no lessons?

----

(6) Conclusion, or The Abrupt Ending of a Conversation

As you can tell, I really don't think Fushi's latest development is bad. Bittersweet and a bit of a mixed bag, sure, but I ultimately think it's commendable rather than worrisome. Of course, my ass interpreting things through a Buddhist lens has a lot to do with it, but brutha, this is exactly my niche! You should have seen me talk about non-self vis-a-vis Fushi in a YouTube comment section!

Ray did leave this paragraph that had eluded me because, again, the Muaa'dib was calling me and I really gotta go:

"I have a potential counter-argument for you, which is about how Fushi's ideal person to follow is kind of a mix of Yuuki (as you explained) and Kahaku (bag of mess and you haven't read that part of the present era anyways), which is putting the concept of detachment together with a really selfish kind of selflessness (as we talked about). But I'm not clear on whether that's still there after their fight with the left hand. I feel like it's lingering a little but I haven't seen much evidence for it in the wish era."

Now, I don't really know what that whole bit was like because I didn't actually read all of the Modern Arc—just the latter half. But again, "detachment" and "self-lessness" are complementary and forward-feeding to one another in Buddhist Philosophy, so on this concept alone, I don't see a clash.

I should probably clarify what Ray's "selfish kind of selflessness" meant here, but... I'm kinda tired now. And I've briefly touched on this in my essay about... Gojo Satoru, goddamn it.

Or maybe Ray should explain it themself! I distinctly remember someone owing me like, 3 essays or something. I'm such a kindhearted person I'm willing to give them a discount and accept just one essay for this week, though. Don't squander it, you!

Thank you for reading my ramble.

----

Did you enjoy this? If yes, wouldn't it be really fucking cool if you get to read essays and commentaries like these, alongside fanfic and fanart and other interesting bits, in one place?!

BECAUSE! We are thinking of starting a To Your Eternity zine! It's merely in its Interest Check phase, but you gotta fill this form up so we can see just how many people in our modest little fandom want this! Be a supporter or a contributor, it don't matter at this stage! Support is the currency here!

[questintheskies]

Yuuki Yoda for RAY December 2023 issue

[nyappyforeverbr]

アンティック-珈琲店- AN CAFE

LIVE CAFE 20th Anniversary FINAL

"NYAPPY FOREVER o(≧∀≦)o thank you all cafekko, thank you all staff"

2024.1.05 LINE CUBE SHIBUYA

2024.1.06 LINE CUBE SHIBUYA

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

On January 5th and 6th (2024) AN CAFE held two performances at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (Shibuya Hokkaido) ending its 20th anniversary festivities. Both presentations were broadcast online via the Zaiko platform.

So, as expected for these presentations, Miku's excitement was at full steam, of course, it was the "end" of a year full of activities related to the band's anniversary, where there was the release of new songs, a live blu-ray and several participations and collaborations with stores and brands in Japan

In both presentations, the members wore shiny black suits, in their faces it was possible to clearly see the feeling of accomplishment and happiness for the meeting that began in January 2023 at Zepp Haneda. Even Miku, who usually can't hold back her melancholic tone when remembering that after these shows the band's future is once again uncertain, showed a smile with every pause between one song and another.

The setlist was different for each day, for the 5th it was a special set, after all, it was the vocalist's birthday, so songs that hadn't been performed for a long time came to light, such as "Koukai~koukai", "Koritsu Hospital" and "Omocha", in addition to the song "ichigo" which is always present in his birthday shows.

For the 6th, the song selection featured classics from the band's career. At the opening, the cafekkos went crazy with 'Maple Gunman' and 'Touhikairo'. Other hits were also present, such as 'Tekesuta Kousen', 'AROMA' and 'Snow Scene'. The special point was the performance of 'Orange dream', in which Miku dedicated it once again to the former guitarist and main founder of the band, Bou. At both shows the band played their new song, 'Fly Again', released in October 2023.

Finally, the last song presented on January 6th was 'Sekai ni tatta hitotsu no nukumori', a ballad with a strong message of "protecting who you love", which from the first keyboard notes played by Yuuki, took Miku to the top of emotion.

Now, AN CAFE returns to its hiatus status that began in January 2019. Still, the final message from each of the members at the end of the performance was "We will definitely see you on An Cafe live soon" and "Let's meet get together and do a show again." Although no dates were previously announced, the feeling was that, at some point, An Cafe will get together again. We have to wait and be well until this moment comes.

Pictures by Takehiro Suganuma

[gentleoverdrive]

[November/1 of 2] Let's go on a journey!

Let's talk about ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department.

(How to hook your audience right the hell out of the gate: with an incredible banger of an OP) ---- ACCA 13 (I'm just going to call it that from now on) is a manga written by the unbeatable Natsume Ono, the same trailblazer behind the heart-wrenching Not Simple, the charming Ristorante Paradiso and many others, and personally one of my favorite anime of all time. ---- No, this is not hyperbole: I mean it 100%

(I'm aware my taste is a little bit on the "oldie" side of things, but again, just presenting evidence; you can make your own topster here) ---- Natsume Ono is a master of her craft and will often get you invested in narratives that you might have otherwise given a pass to (an all-too-common problem with anime and manga, unfortunately) and nowhere is this more evident than in ACCA 13, which concerns itself with the story of one Jean Otus.

(Smoking is a filthy habit, but damn if our pretty man du jour doesn't make it look cool as hell) ---- Jean is a 28-29 year old man who works as the second-in-command of the auditing branch for the ACCA organization. ACCA is the Dowa Kingdom's civilian organization in charge of its Thirteen Territories' governance, and our man here is often the one in charge of making sure that no one is cooking any books, fleecing its subjects, etc. Basically he watches the watchmen. ---- Jean is easily recognizable for his blond hair, piercing blue eyes, perpetually even-tempered disposition, being a smart cookie, and his chain-smoking. He's also extremely good at ruffling the feathers of many a person without meaning to. ---- Following him in the weird life he lives is his little sister Lotta...

(Yes, she is voiced by the always delightful Aoi Yuuki (JP) and Alexis Tipton (EN), what gave it away?) ---- Ray of sunshine, high-schooler, building manager and baked goods enthusiast. Jean being who he is worries her but she also knows that her brother is far more perceptive than he's given credit for. ---- To finish with the "main trio". we have Nino...

(Hotter men have likely existed in anime, sure; few, if any, have ever carried themselves with the sheer natural swagger this man does) ---- Nino has been a family friend of the Otuses for a while, and often makes it a point to check in on the siblings and see what's up, especially since the siblings are otherwise all the family they have. He fancies himself a freelance reporter/photographer... or does he? ---- And that's one of the charms/strongest points about ACCA 13: Some things/people are not always what they seem, and it's always good to keep your eyes and ears peeled to find your way around life, a philosophy often espoused by the other "secret" main character in this shindig, ACCA Director-General Mauve...

(Speaking of sheer charisma, swagger and handsomeness/beauty) ---- Voiced by the late Atsuko Tanaka in Japanese and Rachel Robinson in English, Mauve is a character who recognizes that not all that seems well is actually well, but she also strives in making sure things end up going well, which is how she gets the ball rolling in our story. ---- Natsume Ono, like many other idiosyncratic writers, likes to stick to certain themes and narrative devices, and ACCA 13 is no different in this regard. What is also true is that you'll always get something really special with her, since she often likes to address different topics and circumstances of people. And while many characters come and go in this series, they're all pretty memorable...

This is a series that, in my opinion, you cannot go wrong with either the original Japanese, the localization of the dub or even the original manga. 12 episodes/6 volumes that are a sheer joy from beginning to end and a cast that delivers in spades. Fantastic music, storyboards, cinematography and outstanding performances regardless of which language preference you may have. ---- Shingo Natsume & Tomohiro Suzuki (the director and head of the writers' room for this) were coming out of a hot streak that came from working on Space Dandy and the first season of One Punch Man and you can tell that they're firing on all cylinders with this incredible adaptation. ---- Again, there's a reason I really like this show and put it on my "all time faves" list, even if I admit that I have cooled off considerably wrt Re:Zero and Free!, so maybe I need to update that list, but I pretty much stand for everything else, including this absolute jewel. Anyway, enjoy yourselves and I'll read you on the next one!