#a mokke's idle ramblings

[theevilthatismokke]

/spoilers for chapter 105/

AAAAAAHHHHHHhHAAAHHHHHHhHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I’m not dreaming, right? I’m not dreaming, right?!??

*kisses frozen Nene*

MY ASSISTANT NOW

Agshxbvd Holy shit I love Tsukasa, the fucking gremlin!! The fucking innocent gremlin!!

“I kissed her ❤️!!” stop smiling like a maiden in love you shit I love you so much

yugi8 here we go…. YUGI8 HERE WE GOOOOO

also lol Hanako. (stop complaining, let your wives interact)

[theevilthatismokke]

/chapter 100 spoilers/

I... struggle to write something about this chapter, because it feels like I'm just repeating myself from last chapter...

The most interesting thing to note here are Mitsuba's feelings about how he wants to die. Once again we have the preciousness of life contextualized through the lens of someone who wants to die.

Mitsuba thinks he's a monster, his cravings for hearts, be them supernatural or human, and his inability to stay together without them, leave him feeling like his dream of becoming human is impossible.

And without his dream, there's nothing out there for him. No family, no lovers, no friends...

Love is the driving force within JSHK. Life without love (and as always, I reiterate that this love can be various things; platonic love, romantic love, familial love, the compassion and empathy for those around you, self-love, or even passions/dreams/desires you can follow, sometimes, it can be all of these all at once) isn't worth living in the world of JSHK.

Which is why, seeing Kou cry over him... just seals the deal to Mitsuba.

To Mitsuba, it means his life has value to Kou, and that their bond, that meeting each other, has meaning. To die, knowing it wasn't all pointless, that he was cared by someone, that's what Mitsuba wants.

That Kou can suffer over losing him, is proof for Mitsuba that somebody actually cares about him, even if it isn't all that special, even if Kou would do that (as far as Mitsuba knows) for anyody else.

This is also a recurring thing in JSHK. There's this... tendency, where the characters can only, truly conffirm that their beloved cares about them through tears, grief, suffering or any other extreme act or show of emotion.

We have this with Akane knowing Aoi reciprocates his feelings when he sees her crying (and she never cries!!) over the mere thought of him hating her.

We also have this with Hakubo and Sumire, as Hakubo's grieving over Sumire for centuries (it's not just that he was miserable over her, he was cursed by their love) and his boundary being his personal hell, are proof to them both of their mutual feelings.

I don't think I need to elaborate on the "extreme acts or show of emotion" lol. Pick any character. Go ahead.

And, you know, this makes sense, even without the aesthetics of the manga, because...

Well, this is a story about a bunch of lonely, self-loathing, unloved people whose communication skills and emotional intelliegence are of a collective sum of negative points.

...but I digress.

Meanwhile, I find Kou's reaction to Mitsuba's assessment of his character to be very interesting:

Mitsuba seems to see Kou as this ridiculously kind person, who cares about everyone just about equally.

And he's not particularly wrong. Kou's a kind boy, and that's been established many times. I do think a part of his wish to help others is genuine.

buuuut, Mitsuba's not entirely right.

At least, as far as Kou is concerned.

You see, JSHK doesn't deal in black-and-white, even when it comes to things like selflessness or selfishness. Many times, we've seen that an apparently "selfless" behavior isn't treated as simply as such. Like Yako's wish and actions to bring Misaki back.

And Kou’s a similar case.

Kou wishes, more than anything, to become a strong, reliable, selfless ideal hero. Well, no that’s a lie. Kou struggles with his own self-worth, and because he equates said worth with strength (the strength of a good exorcist, to be specific, as that’s what he grew up hearing from his clan), he tries to emulate the heroic image he has of the Minamoto exorcists and Teru.

Kou’s desires to “save everyone” are strongly rooted in these self-worth issues. He… wants to be needed. Kou wants to be a hero, at least partially, because he wants to feel good about himself.

something, something, insert panel comparing kou and yako for the nth time

But Kou’s, so far, had big problems with admitting his more selfish motives.

Being selfish, having a… less noble motivation, breaks this heroic image he strives to achieve. Kou doesn’t want to admit his own selfishness, which is why he sees the Red House “temptations” (that’s how he sees them, as cheap tricks, temptations of an evil spirit).

it's interesting that kou only relents and kinda admits he wants those things when he encounters his (dead) mom. because that's a wish he can accept. he still gets conflicted abt mitsuba tho.

“That’s not what I want”, Kou yells to the desires revealed by the Red House.

“I only wish to save [Nene]!”, Kou justifies. He’s a hero, after all, who is going to save everyone, right?!? His motivations are only saving others and slaying evil kaii, of course he’s not selfish!!!

…right?

This also applies, I think, to his relationship with Mitsuba.

There are some key factors that leave Kou confused when it comes to Mitsuba, and why he tends to… try to push Mitsuba to the back of his mind.

There’s, of course, the fact that he doesn’t consider “this Mitsuba”, the “real Mitsuba”. But also, there’s the fact that… I think Kou is disturbed by his growing feelings toward Mistuba. He doesn’t want to admit that there might be a person who’s slowly become more important than all others. More important than Nene or his brother or even his want to become a “hero”.

Because that would be selfish.

And because these feelings are intense.

Both, in ways that are, unbecoming, unfitting of an ideal, selfless hero.

…and because, deep down, there’s a part of Kou that wants to devote himself solely to Mitsuba, and have Mitsuba, in turn, depend solely on Kou.

Basically, Mistuba’s suicidal, Kou’s selfish but doesn’t want to admit it, and that can only end well (lol).

As always, communication, self-discovery and acceptance of love are the only way things can move forward, so let’s see where this will go.

Other than that... I'm curious about the school festival. And the little things they mentioned, like... the cafe, the haunted house and the little play with, princes and princess. Because of the twitter events and all that.

well, who knows lol.

Also!! One last tinfoil moment before I go!! (as if this post and every other post in this blog wasn't enough... )

what the heck are you planning for chapter 101, aidairo?

[theevilthatismokke]

/chapter 101 spoilers/

What an interesting chapter…!

Gotta say, I didn’t expect the new chapter to give us a Yugi twins flashback right from the start.

And, honestly, there’s quite a bit to unpack here…

First, I guess we can add clockmaker (or… tinkerer..? in this case) to the myriad of Amane’s nerdy abilities, heh. Very curious as to why HE specifically had to fix the clock before the school festival was over.

A few things to note:

a) The mysterious hand/ghost mentioned an accident, all but outright stating it had to do with the school play;

b) The Yugi shinju is heavily implied to have happened during summer, due to the twins uniforms;

c) It’s very likely that the conditions presented to Amane (so he would fix the clock) have to do with Tsukasa. Otherwise, I doubt Amane would do it.

I think it’s very probable that he felt, or knew, that they’re going to be separated again. The clock, the power to (literally and figuratively) control time, Amane could make sure that he could either fix or prevent whatever was coming to separate them again.

But Amane failed. Or he didn’t get the answers or results he wanted. Or Tsukasa decided for both of them to disappear again (like he callously tells Amane, urging him to decide whether he wants Tsukasa to stay or disappear).

After that… Amane probably decides to take drastic measures and kills his brother (so they won’t be separated again), committing suicide immediately after.

All I’m unsure about is whether the timeline. They are in their first year here. Meaning they are 12, while they died when they were 13. Sooo, there’s a gap of nearly a year, maybe, between this scene and the shinjuu. Did he kill Tsukasa during another school festival? Or was it unrelated?

Also, I know we’ll likely learn it soon, but… what the heck is the deal with the Clock Keepers?

Do they really need so much help with their clock that they constantly need to threaten teenagers with their beloved’s lives to get the work done? Are there literally no clockmakers in the After Shore? Because…

That’s genuinely hilarious. Good job, AidaIro lol

Now, onto the other stuff…

I was not expecting Wizard of Oz as the play??

Did AidaIro get interested in Lloyd Webber’s other works after the Phantom of the Opera Musical?

It’s a very interesting choice, to say the least. An adventure about a lonely and misunderstood girl who craves more from life, a story about people yearning for things they think they don’t have and could only attain through magical means- only to discover they didn’t really need such changes, as they were capable of it all along… A Wizard without any real powers, from the same world as the protagonist… Dreams and wishes… hm…

Also!! Also!!

Both Tsukasa and Nene being interested in theater!! Musicals at that!!

Small note, but, yes, The Wizard of Oz was the play that Tsukasa’s class did back in the day! It’s not just that Hanako somehow knows it after Nene recites a few lines…

But I’m pretty sure that’s “Over the Rainbow” they’re singing!! The notes match!

I’ll be expecting the Tsunene Wizard of Oz fanarts/animatics/fics. Don’t disappoint me fandom!!

Tsukasa is even singing along here!! And considering that Hanako knew the lines of the play, 50 years after, makes me think that Tsukasa may have been quite excited about the play!! Did he know all the lines?? How much did he help?? I wanna know!!

And speaking of theaters, accidents and Lloyd Webber musicals…

Is there going to be a “Phantom of the Opera” situation here? Was there one 50 years ago??

I mean, look at this auditorium:

It’s begging for something to happen!! Pleeeeeaaase, AidaIro!! I wanna see some chandeliers drop!! Get Nene the main role lol

Not to be that person, but. Nene’s class has absolutely no taste.

Look at her!! Looook at heeeer!! She’s so cute! So charming! Where you gonna get a more passionate actress, huh?!? Huh?!

Honestly, though, I love how AidaIro really hammers how Nene’s an artistic, romantic girl at heart. This is very cute too:

Awwww. Can’t wait for Hanako to drop those chandeliers and get scolded by his girlfriend again

Wasn’t expecting for Akane and Aoi to retain their firework party looks. But I guess this is it!! They’ve changed, and so do their looks! It’s a really nice, simple way to signify their character development, I love it.

Akane isn’t going to lie (to Aoi, at least) anymore, nor is he going back to pretending he doesn’t see Aoi for who she is, even her flaws, so, he’s ditched his glasses.

Aoi isn’t going to wear her mask all the time (to Akane, at least), or worry she isn’t loved by anyone (aka Akane) anymore. She can relax a bit, she has someone she doesn’t need to wear her mask of saccharine perfection for, she’s literally letting her hair down, heh.

EDIT: it has come to my attention that maybe Aoi can’t tie her hair well anymore because of her hand. And of course, she’s not ready to talk about it with Nene yet. In this case, the hair down can also signify a distraction. Just because she’s not going to wear her mask around Akane, that doesn’t mean she’ll do it for anyone else.

How lovely for them. I can’t wait to see the shenanigans that’ll make them do crazy shit for each other again!

Finally the two funniest scenes of the entire chapter (plus a comparison):

How dare…! You leave miette?? Out of fun?? Jail for daikon!! Ten thousand years jail for daikon!!

And the final scene:

Look, I’m sorry. Honestly, AidaIro do make him get across as very shady and menacing here, it’s a wonderful cliffhanger!

But…

I can only imagine Akane going “who the fuck are you” immediately after ( insert old most popular girls meme)

Like, in the very same chapter, Nene goes:

She’s forgotten!! She has Natsuhiko’s number and she’s forgotten!!

He’s shady, and he has an agenda, and he can look menacing and creepy and he’s air!!

He’s air!! (Also the probable reason he can do as likes. But still. So funny.)

Also, lol at AidaIro flexing their knowledge. Is that a warning? Should I be prepared for more Alice in Wonderland parallels/nods?

All in all, really enjoyable and cute chapter! Can’t wait for the horrors and heartbreak that await us in the future!

[theevilthatismokke]

/jshk’s valentine twitter event commentary/

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It’s here once again, folks!! Let’s gooo!

So, Hanako claims he’ll preserve your love forever into a sparkly, one-of-a-kind jewel and that you’ll never forget about it… buuut he also mentioned that it could be ‘sold’ for a high price. Hanako’s offer seems tempting, and he sells it well (“don’t you want your love/heart treated right?”), but he’s obviously being vague about the consequences. What happens to your love once you turn it into jewelry? I don’t trust him.

On the other hand, Tsukasa seems much more honest. He straight up tells the customer (Nene and us) that he’ll take unrequited love, crush it and turn it into something beautiful, all the while letting the person forget all about it. It’s also a very tempting offer, but, you gotta wonder if people can grow if they forget about each and every heartbreak. But it’s still the best out of all 3 options.

I love how in both pictures, the hearts have sweat drops on them, somehow the hearts look nervous as hell, like they know what these two are all about lol

Also… both Hanako and Tsukasa are wearing little pendants with hearts inside… why, I wonder…

Finally, this: “the managers have decided that whoever collects the most love―"❤" before Valentine's'll do whatever the other asks of them.”

lmao aidairo

[theevilthatismokke]

IT HAS BEGUN

/bakeneko ryokan AU twitter event spoilers/

Ahh!! I was looking forward for this one!! And it’s here!! Ahhh!!

unfollow me everyone this is all i’m gonna talk for the rest of the week

Ahem. Excuse me.

Anyway, I figured we’d be “playing” this AU event as the Minamoto siblings (Kou, in this case), but I was kinda surprised we didn’t start already at the inn. But it’s nice to see this little introduction!

Poor Aoi-chan, looks like she was harassed to the point of quitting her job… From what I understood, apparently she told Teru she was going to come back for her diary (that she got from Akane?) after she got a better job (?)…

But then she invited Akane to go with her to the spooky inn, that’s infamous for UMA sightings and people turning into cats.

Hm.

I’m unsure whether Aoi is already thinking about “disappearing” (like whoever was suicide baiting her wrote), and invited Akane to go with her for one last pleasant moment, or if her choosing the cursed cat inn isn’t that intentional, and the place is calling to her instead, because she may feel unhappy. Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s neither. Maybe it’s something more… normal? We’ll see.

Watch it be a third, crazy option like, Aoi was a cat/bakeneko/nekotama who tried to fit in the human world, realized it sucked and now’s going back home with her bf lol

“If could see that beauty one more time… I would gladly turn into a cat…!”

Did I ever mention here that I love Natsuhiko? Because I do. I love Natsuhiko. The funniest guy ever, hope you and your lady meet again and live happily ever after on cat heaven, Natsuhiko (lol).

On a side note, I’m curious about Natsuhiko’s earring. It’s green in the colored merchandise for the cafe, a color commonly associated with Sakura in JSHK. It’s also just one, so it might be just a fashion/style kinda thing, but it makes me wonder if Sakura may have given that to him.

Or maybe Natsuhiko just bought it because it reminded him of her. Either way, I like it, and it’s, to me, a nice parallel to the brooch Sakura always wears, which matches Natsuhiko’s hair color.

Look at them. Loook at theeem!!

Sumire peaking from behind (Hakubo’s too tall lol). Hakubo wearing a suit. They’re so cute.

Also, lol at their small exchange about political marriages. It kinda looks like Hakubo was trying to placate/dissuade the paparazzi and Sumire took him too literally. Or maybe, in a way that’s classic them, Hakubo didn’t know that Sumire wanted to get married to him (even if it was a political marriage). And likewise, Sumire didn’t get that Hakubo likely disliked the notion that he would marry her only out of political gain, since he emphasizes on the absurdity of a political marriage. (In other words, he’s saying he’d marry her out of love)

Well, who knows. Glad to see they’re still bumbling about, the idiots.

Makes me wonder what they’re gonna do at the ryokan. Is it going to be their honeymoon? Are they eloping? Just hoping to get away from the press and their yakuza families? Did their families send them there? I mean, I doubt it, but gotta think of all the options

I am… pretty amused that they are part of the yakuza, though. I was just thinking a while ago, that if you were to write and adapt Hakubo’s story belonging to a more modern time, he’d probably be part of a mob family.

Same with Natsuhiko’s situation? Him meeting Sakura as a child and being persistent in seeing her again was one of the scenarios I had considered for them before. As in, what their backstory might be like. Good to see it’s an option in one of the AUs, haha.

Though, this one might be a common theory among the fandom? I actually don’t know.

Very peculiar that Amane is already a nekomata here, but Tsukasa doesn’t even seem to be a bakeneko (if the flashback and newspaper are anything to go by. his cat ears were also a headband in the original shikishi).

Sooo. Considering the myths around neko mata and bakeneko, I’m going to assume that:

a) Tsukasa and Amane might not be related in this AU;

b) Amane took the form of his owner (Tsukasa);

c) Amane might have started the fire.

Also, judging by Teru’s reaction towards Natsuhiko’s declaration of love, and the assumptions above, it makes me how is the “general” relationship between kaii and human in this AU.

I mean, kaii in this seem to be part of daily life; no one calls Natsuhiko crazy for seeing a beautiful bakeneko lady, nor does anyone seem to bat an eye at Hakubo the oni appearing in the news. But maybe relationships between kaii and human are looked down on? Thus, why Natsuhiko’s a “freak” for loving Sakura, according to Teru, or why the news seem to jump at the conclusion that a relationship between Hakubo and Sumire could only amount to a “political marriage”.

Teru’s comment also makes me wonder… if something’s gonna happen to him, either in this AU or in the main series soon. You can’t judge other people (specially their relationships!!) without shit happening to you. JSHK’s “talk shit get hit” cosmic rule has been pretty consistent so far after all.

And, last but not least…

Nene?? Is that you??

*sees flower decorations*

It is you!!! Nene!! look at how cute she is

Dancing under the moonlight, Nene is romantic even as a cat, huh? That’s so cute, never change Nene-chan lol.

All in all, I look forward to the inevitable shenanigans. Whether it’s sad, messed up or just plain bizarre, hilarity is still guaranteed!

[theevilthatismokke]

/chapter 99 spoilers/

So, considering the consistent hunger/eating = desire theme jshk has, I’m gonna assume Mistuba’s hunger (for hearts, specifically!!) is a metaphor for his (self-perceived and, to an extent, true) loveless existence and yearning for love and friendship.

So he eats and eats and eats but is never satisfied, and it just can’t keep him sustained, because there is no connection between him and the nameless, blurbs of kaii (and whatever other creatures he’s eaten).

That he’s also been holding back from eating Kou so far, the one he feels an inexplicable pull towards, also indicates this.

Now that he knows he means something to Kou, I wonder how his hunger will fare.

That Tsukasa not only helped keep Mitsuba alive, but tried to help him with his confusing emotions is kinda sweet, in weird way (but what isn’t in this manga?)

Kou really is such a brute, lol. But I guess it was endearing to see him being so violent and forceful out of despair (he doesn’t wanna lose Mitsuba again) only to bawl like a baby afterwards (“jus’ eaaaaat iiit buaaah”).

he’s still the least charming characterlol

Who knows what’ll happen next. Will Kou start hunting down kaii for Mitsuba to eat? Will they go to Tsukasa for help? Will Kou start on his quest to become a supernatural (after he’d just excitedly sworn to become a better, stronger exorcist who’d kill Hanako if necessary lol) ?

On a side note, we’re almost at chapter 100!! What a milestone!!

who wants to bet the clock keepers are gonna appear at the end of chapter 100?

[theevilthatismokke]

/jshk’s valentine twitter event commentary part 2/

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Hanako… what did you do to Nene… Hanakooooo!

Poor Nene-chan… although at least she’s forgotten her scumbag senpai (he’s got a face… it’s always so weird whenever aida gives him a face… wtf)

Still, wth Hanako! Just… why, tho? Why do you even need to alter Nene’s memories here? Is it so she’ll come back? Did you find her love for her shitty senpai pitiful and decided to erase it? ‘Cause the alternate memories aren’t much better, you know!

Well, I guess he did say he’d polish it (her heart/love) so much, Nene wouldn’t even remember ‘the original color’, whatever that means.

Alternatively, I guess Hanako could’ve just… I dunno, kept Nene’s real heart and traded it for someone else’s since Nene wouldn’t remember ‘the original color of her heart/love’ or something like that anyway…

Just regular Hanako stuff, y’know.

(For the first time, I looked at the comments on twitter and the disparity between the JP fans and western fans is pretty funny lol. won’t make a habit of it tho)

Also:

lmao aidairo

Right in front of Mokke’s salad?!!

[theevilthatismokke]

thoughts on chap 98 (major spoilers)

There isn’t much to say about this chapter. The aquarium “date” was cute and it’s nice to see Mitsuba having fun with a friend for a change.

Since, y’know, that’s how he chose to spend his last day/final moments. With Kou.

Surprisingly, Kou and Mitsuba got along pretty well this chapter. Often, their meetings start with or involve Kou trying to zap Mitsuba with his weapon, so it was nice not to have that for a change. Kou even got flustered after Mitsuba got cute and thanked him for the penguin keychain.

Guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder, huh?

On a side note, the others’ reactions to Kou going on a night out (on the town) were pretty fun.

Of course Nene immediately jumps to the conclusion that it’s a date. And she sounds so happy too!! She really does not see Kou in a romantic light at all, huh?

Meanwhile, Teru is so, well, shocked, almost miserable to hear Kou being out like this… Aidairo’s really leaning on the brocon aspect of his personality and I love it. It’s way too funny.

“Your big bro misses you uwu 🥺”

I also love how Aoi and Akane are supportive. Specially Akane. “Send pics and don’t get arrested lol”.

Of course, Teru has his own reasons besides being clingy. He knows kaii tend to pop out at night, it’s been repeatedly shown that he often works at this hour.

And speaking of them, I love how the “aquarium” itself is almost like a anglerfish.

How it’s bright and that’s how it attracted Mistuba’s attention. The little thing resembling an esca at the top of the entrance. The fact that it’s free (lol).

Also, I really love Aida’s artstyle and I don’t often comment on it, but the scenes at the aquarium were so pretty and so fun to look at; the fishes, and the seal, and the little penguins.

And, of course, anglerfish-like kaii. Great designs!!

Kinda interesting that they seem to feed on ghosts, tho, and not humans, which is what we’re used to. At least, that’s the impression I got.

Considering Mistuba’s comment from earlier that he wasn’t okay, but brushed it off, plus the fact that he quite literally started falling apart at the end of the chapter and never turned into his “No. 3 form” (something he always did immediately whenever he felt threatened), I can only assume he no longer has his seat among the Seven Mysteries.

So… how did it happen? Did someone destroy his yorishiro? Did Mitsuba destroy it himself (either for personal reasons or because he was forced/coerced to)? Did he get motion sickness from the Severance and vomited the Tengu/Yatagarasu/Whatever bird-like yokai the original No. 3 is supposed to be?

...This makes how many times Mitsuba has 'died'/almost 'died' now? Three? Four?

Who knows. Boy's a phoenix.

Gotta admit, this chapter was way less disturbing than I was expecting. And, you know… I was kinda mad at Kou at the beginning of chapter when he was all, “You’re okay!! I was so worried!!”

Bitch, you were all smiles at the thought of exorcising kaii not 2 seconds ago, don’t you pull that card now!!

Still, this was the nicest he’s been so far to Mitsuba, he actually took him out to have fun, and he didn’t zap him once, so… that’s cool, I guess. Hopefully, we'll get some interesting development for Kou, Mitsuba and their relationship next chapter.

Goodness knows that Kou desperately needs it.

On speculations… do these anglerfish kaii have anything to do with that mermaid kaii? But then again, maybe not. After all, there were a lot of fish-like kaii in chapter 70, and they didn't seem to have anything to do with the mermaid.

Also...

Kou is dead. Long live "Cringe-Ass Chuunibyou Scaredy-Cat Goody Two Shoes Earring Boy". Jr.

[theevilthatismokke]

major spoilers from chap 98

kou, after being called a lameass bitch by mitsuba for the nth time: i'm fun!! you'll see!! this date will be to die for!!

mistuba, after the date:

[theevilthatismokke]

/JSHK’s Halloween event 2022 reaction part 2/

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Tsukasa as a Natto Cursed Doll… he really is the most dedicated brother!!

Hmm… Mitsuba is a lamb? I think I got the reasoning behind the others’ costumes but not Mistuba… It’s cute though! Really like the big horns and overall fluffiness!

Also cheers for the Yokoo/Satou shippers!! Pretty big crumbs right at the end of the event!

…Teru as a ghostbuster is literally the most obvious joke ever, and I still didn’t expect it.

…(tete-te-te-teru-tetetete-teru- ghostbusters!)

Somehow, Pure Hanako-san is creepier then regular Hanako-kun.

This year’s event was short, but pretty cute!

(also I think Aidairo’s being cheeky again and teasing/foreshadowing stuff in this event… I think I know what they are though… but only time will tell)

[theevilthatismokke]

/ rambling about jshk chapter 97 spoilers under the cut/

Not at all surprised that Kou still wants (really badly) to be a strong exorcist like his brother. And it’s veeeery poignant that when he starts going through his battle shounen hero routine of ‘now I’m going to be stronger and prove to everyone my worth’, and loudly declares he’s going to exorcise whatever kaii is outside his house, it’s the moment he meets Mitsuba again. Very, very poignant.

Maybe it’s just me, but Kou jumping at the opportunity to exorcise a weak kaii is actually pretty funny, considering that, just a few chapters ago, he was apparently very intent on becoming a kaii himself. And that Nene was also willing to become one so Aoi wouldn’t die in her place.

Also, that comment about, ‘oh, if I need to, I guess I’ll exorcise Hanako’ is going come back to bite him in future chapters, isn’t it? Kou was already being pretty judge-y of his relationship with Tsukasa in the last chapter, and you can’t, YOU CANNOT, judge people and relationships in this manga without the narrative smacking you back with ironic shit. Like, refusing to understand or know something or someone on a deeper level has a tendency to… be punished by the narrative in JSHK. And now with Kou saying that he’ll ‘put Hanako down like a mad dog’ if necessary is… kinda asking for trouble.

Which might or might not mean that this meeting with Mitsuba will be a slap on the face for Kou.

But it’s something that been going on for while, no? This… underlying tension between Kou and Hanako only seems to grow with each chapter. Makes their ‘friendship’ more interesting to me tho, so I’m not really complaining.

It’s funny though, that Teru takes this decision as proof that Hanako is important to Kou, just like Kou’s wish to extend Nene’s lifespan. It’s not just that the comparison is consistent with the manga’s themes, but also that it’s Teru who makes this comment. Makes me wonder what Aidairo has in store for him…

And speaking of Teru…

This guy is a walking meme, and he’s so, so funny for it.

And you know, it was always obvious that his loyalty was towards his family, mostly Kou and Tiara, instead of the Minamoto or the ‘greater good’ as he puts it, but it’s nice having a confirmation.

… Teru and Hanako are so similar, it’s not even funny.

And maybe it’s just me, but I… kinda feel bad for Teru here? When thinking about him, he really feels like the… third-wheel of many dynamics. It’s more obvious with his interactions with Akane/Aoi, but even with Kou, it’s… kinda obvious that his brother’s affection doesn’t match his in… intensity, I guess? Kou saying he really likes Teru as well, after Teru remarks how important Hanako and Nene must have become to Kou, feels… lighter, I guess, in comparison to Teru’s admission that he only became a exorcist (and endured everything awful that comes with the job), for Kou and Tiara. Poor little sibcon Teru (lol), such a tragic, unrequited maiden.

Back to Kou though, he really doesn’t have much critical thought when it comes to… thinking about what being a Minamoto exorcist really means and what it entails, huh? Like, even after his brother talks multiple times about how much he had to sacrifice, Kou still wants very badly to be one.

But it makes sense. Kou seems to equal love to being needed and relied on. Aidairo like to play with battle shounen tropes through Kou and wanting to be strong and prove himself is kinda of a staple of the genre. But the thing with JSHK is that you just are loved, so this thing about… proving yourself as worthy isn’t really necessary. It makes me think how Nene, in the beginning of the manga, worked a lot to… gain feminine skills and “improve” herself for years before confessing to her crush, so she could be worthy of being loved. I think that… there’s something similar going on with Kou.

So maybe, Kou’s development could rely on a few things:

1) Realizing that his wish to be stronger isn’t as selfless as he thinks it is;

2) Upon accepting this selfishness, realizing that he doesn’t need to be a ‘proper Minamoto exorcist’ to be loved;

Kou… wants to be needed. He wants others to rely on him and to trust him. And that’s partially because of his self-esteem issues.

Buuut… it doesn’t seem like Kou likes to think of himself as selfish, or being capable of selfishness. At least, that’s the vibe I got from his reactions to the Red House ‘tempting’ him.

That he wants Mistuba to trust him is very significant. I often think how the Red House’s manifestation of Mitsuba essentially asked Kou to “think only about him and nothing else”. Kou always makes such a fuss about how he’s doing this for “everyone” (not really true, but that’s an analysis for another post) and Mitsuba had such an impact on him that makes me wonder if… Kou feels bad or something, when it comes to these selfish feelings, of wanting people to rely only on him, of wanting to focus and devoted himself to this one person. Who knows.

On a side note, didn’t the Red House’s illusion of Mitsuba say that he “missed Kou so much, he just went to meet him (despite the Severance)” or something? And now Mitsuba has apparently come to meet him…

hm.

I’m gonna be honest and I say that I don’t know if Mitsuba being out of the school means something. The only two mysteries/kaii we know for sure that can’t leave the school are Hanako and Sakura. And maybe I’m remembering wrong, but I think that Tsuchigomori can leave the school (bc he was making house visits as a teacher, I think). But that's probably an ability unique to him.

Who knows, maybe now that there are so little yorishiro left, the remaining seated mysteries can roam around. Maybe Mitsuba did something or simply just asked Tsukasa/Sakura/Natsuhiko/whoever for help. Maybe it's not Mitsuba. Again, who the heck knows.

Well, whatever’s going on with Mitsuba, should prove to be fun.

[theevilthatismokke]

some spoilers for jshk chapter 95 (joke?):

.

.

so, Sakura ships hananenetsuka, Nene finally discovered she’s dating a brocon and Natsuhiko continues to be awfully perceptive and emotionally intelligent for a goofy simp. all in all, fun times ahead.

[theevilthatismokke]

Just thinking to myself… my predictions really are 50/50, huh?

spoilers for jshk chapter 94 below

Me, when Sumire first reveals she’s Six’s yorishiro: haha, well, that’s some place to have your yorishiro seal! guess they were more intimate than we know, I jokingly say to myself

Jshk chapter 89: Sumire and Hakubo almost fuck.

Jshk chapter 94: Hakubo bites that very spot (like, really bites).

Me, after chapter 89: wow, did not expect them to show this on-screen… “they’re gonna continue this night when they reunite, aren’t they?”, I joke to myself. eh, aidairo’s probably gonna reference it with joke, I doubt they’ll get more explicit than this, since it’s a shounen

Jshk chapter 93: ends with the steamiest kiss of the whole series, complete with lip-biting and moaning

Me, after chapter 93: oh, wow! well, now it can’t get more explicit than this. they’ll probably be interrupted, or we’ll cut to another pov

Jshk chapter 94: actually shows them having metaphorical (and maybe literal?) sex with vore

Me, after chapter 90: makes a whole theory about how Sumire will eat one of Hakubo’s eyes so they can be together, jokingly calls it ‘romantic eye-ball eating’ because it will symbolize them finally getting married/consummating their marriage

Jshk chapter 94: Hakubo devours Sumire so they won’t be separated again by someone else, symbolizing them finally getting married/consummating their marriage

Me, after chapter 94:… I actually got “romantic cannibalism” right?! … maybe I should stop joking to myself (amused)

[theevilthatismokke]

This year’s Halloween event is really cute too… Aoi and Nene as Necromancers!! So cute!! And Akane-kun as a last-minute zombie made me laugh (never change you funky little simp). As did Hanako and his shenanigans- I wonder whose hair he put in the cursed doll…

Kou as a vampire is so weird to me, maybe because he’s such a werewolf kind of character to me… but he does look adorable and he’s putting his fangs to good use, so it’s okay.

Also… how interesting it is that Kou gave Satou and Yokoo a Pumpkin Muffin… and Yako is dressed as a pumpkin for Halloween… nope not feeling delusional at all!

Also lol, Tsuchigomori. Aidairo’s love for crabs is the funniest thing.

[theevilthatismokke]

after seeing too many shallow half-assed takes on Hakubo and Sumire I will now become feral and unhinged. you’ve been warned.

[theevilthatismokke]

/bakeneko ryokan hanakotei commentary part 2/

I’m still laughing at these

of course Hanako still messes with Nene even here, but him liking catnip, heh. Actually this Hanako is living the life, huh? He’s got both Nene and Tsukasa with him (forever), he’s got catnip, he’s gonna eat his snacks…

his is so funny. Teru’s literally so petty, freaking 1-star review, wwwww… The fiend!!

Hanako’s gonna eat Teru to prevent the poor review, isn’t he? pffft

Hanako voice: aw, c’mon, don’t leave yet! we must have you for dinner :)

Ah… at least Tsukasa is living his best kitty life. Doesn’t matter if he isn’t an actual bakeneko, he’s more of a cat than any of the other bakenekos.

IT HAS BEGUN

/bakeneko ryokan AU twitter event spoilers/

Ahh!! I was looking forward for this one!! And it’s here!! Ahhh!!

unfollow me everyone this is all i’m gonna talk for the rest of the week

Ahem. Excuse me.

Anyway, I figured we’d be “playing” this AU event as the Minamoto siblings (Kou, in this case), but I was kinda surprised we didn’t start already at the inn. But it’s nice to see this little introduction!

Poor Aoi-chan, looks like she was harassed to the point of quitting her job… From what I understood, apparently she told Teru she was going to come back for her diary (that she got from Akane?) after she got a better job (?)…

But then she invited Akane to go with her to the spooky inn, that’s infamous for UMA sightings and people turning into cats.

Hm.

I’m unsure whether Aoi is already thinking about “disappearing” (like whoever was suicide baiting her wrote), and invited Akane to go with her for one last pleasant moment, or if her choosing the cursed cat inn isn’t that intentional, and the place is calling to her instead, because she may feel unhappy. Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s neither. Maybe it’s something more… normal? We’ll see.

Watch it be a third, crazy option like, Aoi was a cat/bakeneko/nekotama who tried to fit in the human world, realized it sucked and now’s going back home with her bf lol

“If could see that beauty one more time… I would gladly turn into a cat…!”

Did I ever mention here that I love Natsuhiko? Because I do. I love Natsuhiko. The funniest guy ever, hope you and your lady meet again and live happily ever after on cat heaven, Natsuhiko (lol).

On a side note, I’m curious about Natsuhiko’s earring. It’s green in the colored merchandise for the cafe, a color commonly associated with Sakura in JSHK. It’s also just one, so it might be just a fashion/style kinda thing, but it makes me wonder if Sakura may have given that to him.

Or maybe Natsuhiko just bought it because it reminded him of her. Either way, I like it, and it’s, to me, a nice parallel to the brooch Sakura always wears, which matches Natsuhiko’s hair color.

Look at them. Loook at theeem!!

Sumire peaking from behind (Hakubo’s too tall lol). Hakubo wearing a suit. They’re so cute.

Also, lol at their small exchange about political marriages. It kinda looks like Hakubo was trying to placate/dissuade the paparazzi and Sumire took him too literally. Or maybe, in a way that’s classic them, Hakubo didn’t know that Sumire wanted to get married to him (even if it was a political marriage). And likewise, Sumire didn’t get that Hakubo likely disliked the notion that he would marry her only out of political gain, since he emphasizes on the absurdity of a political marriage. (In other words, he’s saying he’d marry her out of love)

Well, who knows. Glad to see they’re still bumbling about, the idiots.

Makes me wonder what they’re gonna do at the ryokan. Is it going to be their honeymoon? Are they eloping? Just hoping to get away from the press and their yakuza families? Did their families send them there? I mean, I doubt it, but gotta think of all the options

I am… pretty amused that they are part of the yakuza, though. I was just thinking a while ago, that if you were to write and adapt Hakubo’s story belonging to a more modern time, he’d probably be part of a mob family.

Same with Natsuhiko’s situation? Him meeting Sakura as a child and being persistent in seeing her again was one of the scenarios I had considered for them before. As in, what their backstory might be like. Good to see it’s an option in one of the AUs, haha.

Though, this one might be a common theory among the fandom? I actually don’t know.

Very peculiar that Amane is already a nekomata here, but Tsukasa doesn’t even seem to be a bakeneko (if the flashback and newspaper are anything to go by. his cat ears were also a headband in the original shikishi).

Sooo. Considering the myths around neko mata and bakeneko, I’m going to assume that:

a) Tsukasa and Amane might not be related in this AU;

b) Amane took the form of his owner (Tsukasa);

c) Amane might have started the fire.

Also, judging by Teru’s reaction towards Natsuhiko’s declaration of love, and the assumptions above, it makes me how is the “general” relationship between kaii and human in this AU.

I mean, kaii in this seem to be part of daily life; no one calls Natsuhiko crazy for seeing a beautiful bakeneko lady, nor does anyone seem to bat an eye at Hakubo the oni appearing in the news. But maybe relationships between kaii and human are looked down on? Thus, why Natsuhiko’s a “freak” for loving Sakura, according to Teru, or why the news seem to jump at the conclusion that a relationship between Hakubo and Sumire could only amount to a “political marriage”.

Teru’s comment also makes me wonder… if something’s gonna happen to him, either in this AU or in the main series soon. You can’t judge other people (specially their relationships!!) without shit happening to you. JSHK’s “talk shit get hit” cosmic rule has been pretty consistent so far after all.

And, last but not least…

Nene?? Is that you??

*sees flower decorations*

It is you!!! Nene!! look at how cute she is

Dancing under the moonlight, Nene is romantic even as a cat, huh? That’s so cute, never change Nene-chan lol.

All in all, I look forward to the inevitable shenanigans. Whether it’s sad, messed up or just plain bizarre, hilarity is still guaranteed!