#actually I wanted to draw a bunch of other Yakuza characters too

[gazkamurocho]

Omg omg omg your Zhao is soooo adorable!! Just imagining the adventures of him and Majima living with their himbo boyfriends makes me giddy ☺️☺️☺️

Ahhh thank you so much dear anonymous! ;; ❤ I have sooo many Ichizhao comic ideas ready, I just need the time and motivation to draw them fjksdhfjsk

[fostersffff]

Robot Carnival Review

When I first started my blu-ray collecting kick, Discotek was hyping up their release of Memories, an anthology movie organized by Akira’s Katsuhiro Otomo. While doing research on it, I saw it was recommended in the company of Robot Carnival, another anthology movie Otomo was involved with, with more animators and thus individual shorts, and a unifying theme of “robots”. As a robot enjoyer, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with this, and I was right! This was a joy from start to finish, where even the weakest segment still had plenty to offer. If this sounds like it might be up your alley, it’s available to stream for free on RetroCrush and YouTube!

Additional note before I get into talking about each short individually: with the exception of Cloud, the music for every short was composed by Joe Hisaishi, who has way more range as a composer than I would’ve ever expected, considering I knew him exclusively as the Studio Ghibli composer. Additional additional note: I watched the anthology in the original Japanese order, the version on RetroCrush and YouTube uses an alternate order from the international release.

Opening/Ending (Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira and Atsuko Fukushima, key animator on dozens of anime projects, including Akira) - A mobile fortress (literally the above Robot Carnival logo) traverses a post-apocalyptic wasteland, bringing death and destruction wherever it goes. The Opening sets the bar for what you should expect going forward in terms of production values, and the Ending is a nice send off for the whole thing, but I don’t really have much else to say about these shorts.

Franken’s Gears (Koji Morimoto, Director of Memories: Magnetic Rose) - A mad scientist attempts to bring their robot to life, succeeds horribly. I think of all the shorts in this movie, this one has the most impressive mechanical animation. The whole thing takes places in the scientist’s lab, and the emphasis really is on all of the ways the environment is struggling to bring the robot to life, to the point that once it does so, it begins to crumble and break apart. But the animation on the scientist himself is also really charming; the way he moves almost makes him look gooey, which is apt because my sister pointed out he was probably designed after a snail, what with the big orb on his back.

Deprive (Hidetoshi Omori, Animation Director for Char’s Counterattack) - A super android has to mamoru his imouto from an invading alien robot army. One of my favorite shorts in the anthology, this was an entire action movie expertly condensed down into not even ten minutes, complete with an awesome soundtrack. I’d actually go so far as to call this one perfect for what it is, but it’s not much more than that.

Presence (Yasuyomi Umetsu, Character Designer and Chief Animation Director of Megazone 23 Part II) - A man builds an android for companionship, and he gets more than he bargained for. Longest piece in the compilation by a mile, and the first one with voice acting. Despite enjoying some of the other shorts more, I think I would call Presence the “centerpiece” of this anthology, as it’s definitely the most story-rich. It even has some prescient worldbuilding: the people of this setting do not see robots as sentient beings, which is shown right at the start when a bunch of kids knock the head off of an android and play with it while absolutely no one in the crowded plaza reacts. This sets the tone for the main character’s interactions with his creation, and provide additional context for the things he does besides the obvious explanations.

This was also the first short where I noticed something off about the animation, where it seemed to animate too well in for certain movements. As it turns out I was right; the liner notes explain that the director was using this project to experiment, and he would animate different movements on different frame counts. It’s not terrible, but it is a little distracting to see how smoothly something like a simple head turn will animate while more complex motions look more standard. Also, unrelated but fun coincidence: the liner notes also explain a reference in the script to a story called Daddy Long Legs, about an orphan girl who receives funding from a wealthy philanthropist she never meets, which explains a reference that went over my head Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Star Light Angel (Hiroyuki Kitazume, Character Designer and Animation Director for Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Char’s Counterattack) - What could have been the most effective piece of robosexual propaganda ever made: a girl and her friend are at Tokyo Disneyland ROBOT WANDERLAND and are having a wonderful time, until she discovers that her boyfriend is cheating on her, at which point she retreat into the park and winds up on a virtual reality ride. Meanwhile, a robot performer attempts to find her and return the locket she dropped while she ran past him. This is tied for my favorite, alongside Deprive, because I’m a big sucker for romance and the main song for the short is so perfect for the content. I was also delighted to find the explanation for this short was that Kitazume, who’s work up to this point was all mecha anime like Aura Battler Dunbine and Zeta Gundam, really wanted to try to flex with character expressions, and it came through brilliantly as the range and level of facial expressions was the first thing I really took notice of in this. Funny enough, though, Kitazume also apparently said he considers this and Deprive to be the weakest pieces of the anthology, and I suppose he’s right in that they have the least meat on their bones and are also probably the least technically impressive, but still: my two favorites!

Cloud (Mao Lamdo, a prolific animator on many projects, but probably best known for this) - A robotic boy wanders past a series of ever-changing clouds. Cloud is definitely a stand-out short for a number of reasons, from the way its animated to the incredibly tangential connection to the “robot” theme, and to be perfectly honest I got a lot more out of it after I read the liner notes. The short was adapted from a self-published book Mao Lamdo had written years prior that had nothing to do with robots, and his interpretation of the short and the change to making the main character a robot was that it represented his frustration with the trend in the anime industry at the time trending towards a being obsessed with the mechanical world, while he still preferred to draw and animate nature. As I mentioned at the top, this is also the only short to not have music composed by Joe Hisaishi, instead the piece used is by Isaku Fujita, and as far as I can tell, this is his only credit. Still, it’s a good credit to have; Lamdo said the song evoked the idea of having a conversation with God and asking the big questions, which I can completely see.

Strange Tales of Meiji Machine Culture: “The Westerner’s Invasion” (Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Director of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure OVA and Golden Boy) A terrible steampunk mech invades a Japanese town, and is warded off by a team of youths piloting their own terrible steampunk mech. I watched this one with the English dub first and then again in Japanese because it’s been a fuckin’ minute since I heard a dub this racist, complete with changing r’s to l’s and vice versa, only to be cracked across the skull by what I am certain was a Japanese man doing his very best to phonetically read English in the Japanese version. In spite of that, though, this is easily the funniest short for all the right reasons, and it kinda clicked once I found out that the director was also responsible for Golden Boy; it’s that exact kind of humor, complete with a protagonist who could very well be Kintaro Ue’s ancestor.

Chicken Man and Red Neck, a.k.a. Nightmare (Takeshi Nakamura, director of Catnapped! The Movie) - A robotic magician wreaks havoc on a city by transforming everything in sight into robotic monsters, and a vagrant gets caught up in the chaos. I initially wrote down “this one has the energy of a Don Bluth movie, particularly In the Dark of the Night from Anastasia”, although the liner notes say he actually was inspired by Night on Bald Mountain, which is definitely a more flattering inspiration and more accurate, to boot. I think of all the shorts in this anthology, this one gets the prizes for “best overall animation” and “best use of robots”, and it also has the most intense PS1 RPG sounding music, which once again speaks to Joe Hisaishi’s talent as a composer for doing that a full decade before the PS1 even existed. Also, fun trivia, the director turned down an offer from Hayao Miyazaki to be animation director on Castle in the Sky to make this, which… was maybe not the best career move, but still this was a terrific short and I’m glad to have it.

Again, the movie is easily accessible for free streaming, and I’d heartily recommend you check it out if you haven’t already. But if you’re into collecting physical media, the blu-ray is crammed full of tons of goodies, including the liner notes I’ve referenced, art galleries for each segment, and a lot of other production materials. Discotek also announced they’re doing a 4k UHD release of this soon, which won’t include all the extras due to the way UHD discs work, but I gotta be honest, this would be worth double dipping for if the resolution bump is noticeable enough.

[valkavavaart]

no one asked but i wanted to do all of this in one sitting lets go.. this is long im sorry

1. favourite character 

jyushi, kuukou, ramuda.. i will not pick between them

2. least favourite character 

jyuto.. also saburo but he’s growing on me

3. favourite division

nagoya, baby!

4. favourite buster bros member

legally adopting jiro.. thats my boy i love him

5. favourite mtc member

rioooOoOOoOOoOoOoOOo i dont care the other two but like id give my life for riooOoOOOo

6. favourite matenrou member

doppPOOoOOOoOOOoo but also dr jakurai jinguji if ur out there...

7. favourite fling posse member

r a m u d and a.. whos that

8. favourite character song

UMMM drops and moonlight shadow both slap...?

9. favourite rap battle

its gotta beeeeee battle battle battle? i dont rlly listen to them much i just think abt the art where ramuda and jakurai are like face to face except we KNOW ramuda is barely like 5′0″ and jakurai is a big tall 6′4″ish man so how are they this close is ramuda sitting on his knee?? is jakurai kneeling?? is ramuda on a box

10. favourite tdd member

again.. ramuda lmao.. like esp tdd ramuda his outfit is so cute hes just so tiny..

11. your otp

UMMMM i like getting into a lot of ships?? id say my favs are probably like.. gendice or riodice maybe?? and ichikuu.. rn im like rlly into hitoya/jakurai too i want those old men to hold hands (i wanna draw them but idk any good poses for old dudes who r also boyfriends)

12. your notp

anything involving saburo uMmMMmm.. im not rlly a fan of samatoki/ichiro & tdd era samatoki/ichiro ESPECIALLY rubs e the wrong way.. i also dont rlly like jyushi/hitoya or kuukou/hitoya they just rlly rub me the wrong way

13. how did you get hooked on hypmic

ok so on twitter all my friends and the artists i follow got rlly into fire emblem three houses and i didnt own a switch at the time but i was like "cool i'll like find a bunch of artists that draw this and i'll UHHH maybe get hyped for it idk" and one of the artists was riryou_ on twitter who was posting like mochi blyeth and i was like omg so cute... and they spoke abt like hypmic a bunch too and i was like "oh i vaguely know what hypmic is (based off of all the samatoki memes and sasara fanart i’d see), maybe i should get into it??" then they like posted jyushi and i was like "oh he looks so dumb i need to know more" and i HEARD jyushi and i was like "actually he's adorable and i love him!!" bc i have a soft spot for like.. crybaby chuunis, and then downloaded the game and was like "wtf!!! where is jyushi" and thats why im here..

14. a character you identify with

im not assigning myself a hypmic kin!!!!!!!!

but i’ll pick doppo bc 1. never trust a doppo kinnie and 2. i too need a therapist

15. favourite character design

KUUKOU was designed specifally to cater to me here is exactly why

-SHORT KING. (HES THE SECOND SHORTEST BOY?? WHAT THE FUCK??? HE’S TALLER THAN RAMUDA SO GOOD FOR HIM.. BUT YOU’RE TELLING ME SABURO THE FUCKING 14 YEAR OLD IS TALLER THAN MY BOY KUU!??!?!?!? SHORT KING!)

-his hair. i cant draw it but i like it

-hes like >:3 all the time 

-he has?? fucking fangs

-cat boy energy

-the like contrast of him being a monk and then him also just being a little bastard.. love that

-i like his jacket

-his dumb fucking boots..

-he comfy

-radiates chaotic energy

-one of his eyes is usually like slightly squinted?? i dont know why he does that but i like it

-he wont hesitate.. bitch

-i forgot this was supposed to be like based on his design and went on a long ass ramble abt his personality but like sshhh you wont see that.. delete

-piercings... the big one looks like a stretcher? i like that

-his speakers that look like the dragon w the bell are cool

-again short king rowdy boy

-he has long eyelashes and wears eye makeup.. thats cute..

- >:3

16. a character you'd cosplay

again kuukou looks comfy but thats a lot of layers.. itd be rlly warm right..

id say maybe jiro! ichiro would be my next choice idk i like their jackets

17. a character you thought you'd like + 18. a character you thought you'd dislike  

ok so i just put these together bc like actually.. before i got into hypmic when all i rlly knew was vague fanart of the characters and that jyushi is my man i did a tier list to like get my opinions on them down.. and sometimes i look back to it and im like.. AHAH...

as u can see i was on board for jyushi as soon as i got here... but i thought sasara and kuukou were rlly neat and like i figured i'd like ichiro bc mmm... but honestly im not that big on ichi SFGKHDLF...

meanwhile in the bottom tier... jakurai, jiro, dice, rosho, ramuda, hifumi... the irony that i actually rlly like all of them... rosho took a while to grow on me but he's really good.. meanwhile hifumi probably still isnt a character im like SUPER into but i do like him..

heres my current tier list tho LMAO

19. buster bros or mtc?

hnn.. its gonna have to be buster bros...

i like jiro and rio a lot and dont rlly care for the other 4 but like.. i think i like bb and their dynamic and find them more sympathetic than mtc lmaoo... like ichiro went through a lot for his bros..

samatoki also went through a lot for nemu but hes stinky as hell and i think he's stupid. but i will not write an essay on that.

20. fling posse or matenrou

fling posse BABYYYYYY i love those funky little lads.. i like matenrou a lot too but like fp just appeal to me a lot more and i rlly love their dynamic.. i could talk for days abt fp...

21. mtc or matenrou

matenrOUuUuuUUuUUuu again i do not care mtc aside from rio.. i dont rlly have strong thoughts on matenrou lol i like their friendship tho :)

22. favourite hypmic seiyuu

saito soma or takaya kuroda.. saito soma bc i generally love his voice and also he voices other favs of mine (yamaguchi hq, 2wink from enstars..) and takuya kuroda bc im literally a simp for kazuma kiryu from the yakuza series,

also ive been insulting samatoki so far but i actually like his va like the man has the range?? between voicing samatoki hypmic and leo enstars?? HELLO????

23. a song you didn't like

basically anything by mad trigger crew SBJFGKJHLDSF the only song i actively remember by them is whats my name.. i only play it for rio..

UMMM otherwise i guess like??? new star.. sucks bc i actually rlly like saburo's va but i feel like he doesnt rlly get the best parts/songs...? that being said i like songs w him in it so

24. a hypmic headcanon

ummmmmmm i cant think of anything lol snnzzz.. i saw the hc that ramuda was the one that like dyed jakurais hair and it was so cute..

25. favourite solo song

wasnt this already a question or can i not read.. whatever my brain is like gya gya gyaran gya gya gyaran bam gya gya gyaran bam gya gya gya gya gyaran bam

6. favourite mc name

they all fucking suck LOL

evil monk is very literal and i like that. i also like that 14th moon ties into jyushi's name and everything..

UHHH i guess doppo cause its literally just his name LMAOO and i think doppos a cute name

7. the most attractive character

i know i said that kuukou is designed to appeal specific to me but gentarou? pretty boy. love to see it thank you saito soma. also tdd era jakurai.. maybe its just cause i like the manga art a lot but... dr jakurai jinguji if ur out there

28. a kink

PARDON.

29. favourite life quote & 30. favourite rebuttal or punchline

i dont wanna give a serious answer to either of those so on a completely unrelated note, i think abt this a lot

[sage-nebula]

Top 5 Pokémon games! (Spin-offs included)

I’m going with my gut on this one because otherwise I’ll be here all night waffling over the decision and I have mac’n’cheese to make, so—

1.) Pokémon Sword — This is probably going to draw a lot of gasps and confusion, and to be honest I can’t even fully explain it myself except to say that this game was just genuinely a joy and delight to play for me. There wasn’t much to the story (it was mostly just “be the very best like no one ever was while also maybe stopping a disaster on the side), but in honesty I think that contributed to my enjoyment of it. Aside from Game Freak’s storytelling being less than great (to put it mildly) for the past two generations, Sword made me feel the way I did way back in childhood when I was playing the original Red & Blue versions, and those games had . . . pretty much the same story, except replace “disaster” with “yakuza / mafia crimes.” To me, the most important thing in any game is that it be fun to play, so the fact that Sword didn’t have a stellar story didn’t matter very much to me. In fact, again, given Game Freak’s recent track record, it’s a bonus. Sword is just an absolute blast to play, I love the characters, I love a lot of the pokémon, Galar is beautiful and I’m hyped that the expansion is DLC rather than a whole new game that’s the same story plus a few added details. Despite its faults (e.g. lack of a National Dex, lack of Mega Evolution, etc), I’m really happy with the Gen VIII games and like them a lot.

2.) Pokémon SoulSilver — Despite starting with Gen I, the region that has always felt the most like home to me is Johto, and so to see it re-imagined with beautiful graphics and a host of amazing new features was like a dream come true. The following pokémon mechanic is one that NEEDS to be a regular main game mechanic, the Pokéthelon was a TON of fun, and while the story wasn’t expanded on very much, it was super cool to finally get to legitimately access the Celebi event, and to have the encounter with the legendaries feel so powerful as well. I’ve really wanted to replay SoulSilver over the past few years, but I don’t want to erase my save file since I foolishly never transferred my ‘mon up, so it’ll require getting an emulator and I’ve just been too lazy for that. Someday, though . . . someday.

3.) Pokémon Black — Easily the best story out of the games. Don’t get me wrong, it had its faults—what they did to Bianca was unforgivable, and considering other small things in the story (e.g. Juniper inheriting her professorship from her father, who showed up a bunch of times to interrupt scenes Juniper was in to help her since she was “less experienced” than him, and in a way that past (male) professors never needed) smacked of sexism—but I think most of us can agree that Black & White was where the series writing hit its peak. On top of loving the story and the characters, the region of Unova is fantastic (I especially LOVED the seasons mechanic and would love to see that come back), it again has a great regional Dex, the music is incredible, and it introduced some really cool battle mechanics as well (such as Triple Battles, RIP to those). The Unova games got so much flack back in the day and it was ridiculous. I’m glad they’re getting the respect they deserve now.

4.) Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs — MY FUCKING JAM!!! Okay, listen—there are aspects of the story / plot / characters that make me laugh. The fact that the main antagonists for most of the game are called the Pokémon Pinchers is one of them. The fact that the true Big Bads are a group of old people that call themselves Societea is another. (Fun fact: In Japan they’re called Tea Party and while I understand why Nintendo of America wanted to avoid controversy and thus changed it, I still think they should have said “fuck you” and kept it.) But the gameplay is INCREDIBLY fun, I love the concept of “conveying your feelings of friendship” to pokémon to get them to cooperate with you, the scene where Uku’s (what I call Ukulele Pichu) home island is obliterated by Societea is actually pretty intense, Guardian Signs had Soaring before OmegaRuby & AlphaSapphire were even a thought bubble in Game Freak’s minds, and the story that I made up for my character as I played is one I got myself invested in. So I really love Guardian Signs and the only reason I wish I still had my Wii U is so I could download it and play it from the eShop, since I won’t erase my file since I S-Ranked everything, including the DLC captures. (They weren’t called DLC back then but they were special event ones and I don’t remember what they were called beyond special event.) The fact that we can have a billion Mystery Dungeon games but Ranger is a discontinued series makes me endlessly bitter.

5.) Pokémon AlphaSapphire — And finally, the only good game(s) out of Gen VI. (Well, to be fair, X & Y had fantastic gameplay mechanics; it’s the story that was shit-tier.) Hoenn was gorgeous in the remade graphics, the changes they made to the characters were welcome (e.g. Brendan is no longer a douchebag fuckboy), Soaring is possibly the BEST mechanic ever introduced and I’m completely flabbergasted they won’t bring it back, the mystery islands were also incredible, everything added to the lore was great and the Delta Episode not only introduced the best games character (Zinnia<3), but also had an incredible story that referenced the best anime character (Alan<3). Although the lack of a Battle Frontier was disappointing, I can forgive it in light of everything else. The Gen III remakes saved Gen VI and that is a fact. It’s a shame Gen VII didn’t have anything similar.

[little-psycho-boys]

I want a yandere boyfriend... But I have trouble making friends at all. Do you know anyone who would want me? I'm 5'1 genderfluid female, I'm an artist and a witch, and I love to snuggle...

[ Some Yandere Fanfictions and writings recommendations at the bottom! ]

Ahhh... To be perfectly honest I think male yanderes should only be in encountered in fiction. I mean I don’t think a guy who’s willing to murder everytime out of jealousy would be the best husband material, ya feel me? Also I’m a recommendation tumblr, I’m not actually a yandere or even a guy myself plus I haven’t dated due to strict rules at my home (I’ll get an ass whooping if I even dated right now). So I’m not the best qualified to give relationship advice.

Honestly I don’t know any Yandere guys in real life. And if I do I’d try my best to avoid them because I don’t want to be a victim of kidnapping, stalking, etc. Maybe try messaging one of those Yandere guy tumblrs who’ll act like yanderes? Chatboxes are fun too, through some are made by inexperienced users. Or you can follow those Yandere Male twitters? Maybe role play? I don’t know lol. Just try to be safe.

But still, this was kinda random and a lil interesting to see in my inbox. So I’ll try my best to help in some ways.

Have you tried being kind to everyone? I used to be very hostile and a lil edgy in my middle school years but as I’m slowly approaching senior year, I found out helping others and looking “approachable” can gain you friends. Even if it’s something as little as saying thank you or picking up somebody’s pencil.

If you feel a lil down, I usually always think about this to calm me down, “This is just highschool, I’ll get out of this environment one day. I’ll never see these cucks again (lol). Plus they’re immature now, when they grow up they’ll change, and I’ll have more room to change for the better as well”. I mean after all, think about it. Highschool just crams a bunch of kids who aren’t even related in anyway shape or form. When you pick a college or a major, you’ll have people who have atleast one of the same interest as you haha, who could potentially relate to you more.

Here are other (mundane) tips that are so basic but I swear it can help some of you haha.

• Meditate and calm yourself down.

• Read a good book. (Or manga from my assortment of recommendations: I’m sorry that was a very shameless promo)

• Do something you enjoy! Like drawing, dancing, writing, watch your favorite anime anything that’ll make you happy.

• Eat healthier and excercise.

• Drink more water.

• Talk a walk around your neighborhood.

• Listen to your favorite music.

• Light a candle.

• Take a bubble bath.

• Play with makeup.

• Go shopping.

• Laugh more.

Also if you need something to do— Read some of these Yandere Male fan fictions that I actually love with all my heart.

Their Light |DiaLovers X SisterOC|

No

I know I’m not being very helpful... I’m really sorry for that. But I hope some of these tips could be useful to someone! I hope you’ll get more friends one day and succeed in artistry! Also being a witch is kinda neat, Wicca is very interesting to me haha.

[eng-hypnosismic]

Spoon 2Di vol.40 Interview (Komada Wataru)

Please get the spoon magazine and get your hypmic poster and support the original!! 

Yokohama Division’s mediator, Iruma Juto, as played by Komada Wataru-san. He was asked on how he delivered Juto’s unique high-tension rap style, also on how he approached this project and an outlook to the character.

How do you feel about the huge amount of responses to the project lately?

Since we started the project with a “full-fledged rap”, we ourselves also had an uneasy feeling and was not sure if people would accept it. So we were really surprised to hear that the response was bigger than we imagined. “Hypnosis Microphone” is divided into 4 divisions: for example, Yokohama Division had rappers who’re actually from Yokohama to collaborate in making the songs, etc; they even included sounds that has the characteristics of Ikebukuro. We got comments like “they made it so particular” from fans of hip-hop, which makes me really happy. Also this was from the early days of the project, but hearing things like “that sounds fun” or “I want to try that” from our industry makes me glad.

Was Komada-san familiar with hip hop before the project?

I grew up in Germany, and the hip hop culture there is more active than in Japan so I was familiar to it as a listener. Therefore in this project, I tried to create the feeling and sounds from the hip hop I’ve listened to before.

It is said that there was an audition, how did you feel at that time?

If its an idol project, idol songs are like the set piece. But, for Hypnosis Mic it was a reggae song. Moreover, rather than the hook, I was tested on doing an unique melody line. I think it’s for seeing our vibes and rhythem, which was new to me. Perhaps there’re roles that are already designated during the audition, but I was given rough illustrations of the characters, setting guidelines and also the freedom to choose. Among the ones I was interested in were Busujima Mason Riou, Arisugawa Dice and Iruma Juto. I feel an affinity to Riou, thinking how nice it is to let him use English, and as for Dice I never played a character as easygoing as him. But, the character I’m used with are always the intellectual ones wearing glasses. Although Juto is usually cold-hearted and cool, when he raps he goes on a sudden change so I thought that he is very interesting. It’s not favorable to play the same role twice (laugh), but at least I have a character that I can draw new experiences from..

After your role was decided, how did you build your character?

When I actually started playing [Juto], I still got very little of detailed information about him. Because of that, I got myself several patterns, thinking  “Maybe it’ll feel like this?”.  Those things I came up with, I use as a base, so when I rap I asked on how far should I go on making Juto’s sudden change. Since I was told that he can become a totally different person , I went all out with the rap out. And by nature, I have a powerful voice. So those who listened to the song would say “Juto seems energetic!” (laughs).. But if the tension is to that extent, it is a success to me. When I hear the song, I realized that I challenged myself too much on coming up for something different, so I couldn’t imagine the usually cool Juto.

How were the song recordings?

Whichever content the demo song was given, Hypnosis Mic will make the demo song sound good. It really makes you think, “Isn’t this good enough already?!” (laughs). Since I was influenced like that, once I check the rhythm and rhyme stanzas, I try to face the character without listening to the sound. The rap part doesn’t have a music score, so it is free to insert or take something out. But to get compliments from fans of hip hop,  it is important to have a lot of practice.  Therefore, I listened to a lot of rap patterns that includes freestyle, and made certain rules within myself for the sake of that rap feeling. I think other cast are doing this as well, so everyone gets better every recording, and has a stronger grasp of what to do.

In the Niconama Rap Battle, you showed off your freestyle, didn’t you?

That’s right! That was pretty harsh (laughs). “Will we be given a script?” was what I thought, but we were really told to freestyle. So in order to deal with the responses during the live performance, we were sweating on our foreheads in the dressing room, desperately thinking of lyrics.

But you guys seemed to do it without any difficulty, you guys really are amazing.

We face difficulty all the time! (laughs). But, to take a rhythm and put words to it , it seemed so far away since the first time so it’s fun to accept the challenge. “Thanks, Hypmic!”, kind of feeling (laughs).

So, what do you feel about Yokohama Division’s team, MAD TRIGGER CREW?

Fierce, they give a strong impression of aggressiveness. As of now, they don’t only chop very fast rhymes but their choices of words are the utmost violent, and the characters are placed in the most rough environment. Maybe physically, they’re the strongest team. Since they live in that kind of unforgiving environment, it seems like that is where their sharp piercing words and sounds came from. Their occupation is all over the place too….. I don’t even know if I should call it their occupation as well. (laughs).  

In the songs and drama, I feel that they get along unexpectedly well.

Taking good care of one another is part of the hip hop culture. They are still a team, even if they’re a bunch of pricks. Even though they’re really rude towards each other, when Samatoki somehow got admonished by Riou, Juto would go and stop them, which is unexpected for him to show understanding towards Samatoki. That kind of relationship with each other is what makes a beautiful balance to them. They have no foundation like “I like this guy” or “I trust him” to their relationship, so I thought it would be a challenge for them to battle as a team. Therefore, I got a feeling that Yokohama Division are pretty good guys, aren’t they? (laughs).

What kind of impression do you have on Samatoki and Riou?

Samatoki is the member of the legendary team that established an era, The Dirty Dawg. Due to that fact, it gave him great amount of pride. And of course, this brings a lot of nuisance to Juto and the rest of the police force  (laughs), Samatoki’s a very stubborn man. I feel like he is a leader who will open up if I tag along with him. Juto and Riou do not follow Samatoki, but rather, stand with him as equals, so all 3 of them kept a perfect balance among each other. They might fall if one of them is missing, but if the three of them are together, they seem to be alert and stand for their own in whatever they do, which just gives a feeling of relief.  Also, Riou’s existence just felt like he’s the buffer , doesn’t he? His dishes are brutal, but it has become a key to calm the atmosphere down in a moment. (Bitter smile)

Samatoki and Juto seem to know each other from a long time ago.

Indeed. “A Yakuza whom I befriended” (laughs). I need more details on that!! Now in Chuuoku, their past wasn’t revealed as much. But I’m sure there’s been a cause and effect in the past, that’s how they are able to be in a team now. For that reason, it makes me feel like both of them are drawn to each other, or dependent on one another . They’re foils to each other,  and I find that interesting.

You’re also interested in Juto’s past, aren’t you?

This is just my imagination but, maybe, he did have an upright sense of justice when he was younger. However, the world was heavily infested by evil. With his position only as a policeman, he realized that it is impossible for him to deal with everything so he felt that despair.

Not only he became rotten, by taking in evil he could ruin things from the inside, and that seems like a good idea. Although it’s quite a dangerous thought, it does make sense in a way. I mean, he could also handle a dangerous dog like Samatoki. In that sense, he seems to be good at winning people over and is capable of adapting to his surroundings. I really want to know how his past was like!

In the drama part, Juto gave advice to Jiro and Saburo on how they’re being too dependent on their eldest brother, didn’t he?

Juto is so kind~ (to the kids) !  That why you can call him a guardian (laughs). However, it is because Ikebukuro is their opponent, that’s why you can see this side of Juto. I think he’ll be different with other teams. He’s extremely uninterested to those who can’t do anything or are talentless. It doesn’t take much time for him to crush those people down, by just saying “try to face yourself once again”. While Juto could sense the threat from the future growth of the  Ikebukuro boys, he look forward to that boiling blood of theirs. That is why, Ikebukuro team interests Juto a lot. He definitely won’t admit that, but it’s good that he’s aware of that.

Next, we are going to touch about the songs.First, please show us some key points of your solo song, “Bayside Smoking Blues”.

Basically, it’s as if you’re standing alone, smoking cigarette while watching the scenery of Minato Mirai and its surroundings. Other than that, I was told to do it as how I like. Samatoki and Riou’s solo song has other characters joining in, but for Juto’s song, it’s literally a solo song. There’s no one there to help him sing (laugh). That’s why he’s been saying “I’m a lonely only RABBIT” on every chorus, expressing that he’s a lonely only RABBIT. The hardest part of the song is obviously the rap. At the introduction part, in order to express what kind of person and what kind of position Juto has in Yokohama, I checked and try to say the very Juto-esque words like “I'll arrest you” or “Pig Pen [jail cell]” so that it remains in people’s ears. There’s no way I’d scream such foul word like “mother xxxx”, though (laughs) . Other than that, Juto being the number one brain but a bit nihilistic is beautiful. Since that’s the case, I tried to rap in a calm and charming manner so I won’t change that image.

Then how about Buster Bros!!! And MAD TRIGGER CREW’s WAR WAR WAR song?

This song has the so-called freestyle battle feels. It feels more like a stage battle rather than a song. It has the baton-passing format, so I thought that it was fun with all the clear call and responses. I responded to Jiro (Yamada) but, the recording is different. When Jiro speaks to Juto, his words are littered with sharp glares and phrases meant to knock him off his feet, that’s what I think. However, whatever their enemy says, Yokohama gathers and releases the strength to utterly annihilate them. The tension rises, to the point a policeman said “We’re cold-blooded killers” (laughs). Maybe I’m thinking about it too much, but that phrase is certainly a killer word, it’s important to me.

After listening to the complete product, how do you feel about Jiro’s rap?

Jiro is much stronger than I imagined. If someone were to record half-heartedly, it is obvious that the power balance would collapse, so everyone definitely did their best in this.

There must be a battle among the casts, aren’t there?

We do battle! Haru-kun (who plays Jiro) listens to the complete songs, even now, “that comeback is strong!” he says in regret  (laughs). “You’re strong too!” was what I thought, but it’s great to see everyone’s doing their best.

So what do you think about Yokohama Division’s song, “Yokohama Walker?”

To me, I imagine the 3 Yokohama members riding an open car (convertible), running through the sea breeze while smoking cigarette at the bayside. Juto drives, Samatoki sits at the passenger’s seat raising his legs and Riou sits diagonally in the back seat because he does not fit (laughs). They won’t talk much, driving towards any desired destination as they please. It’s as if they’re taking a short break after the whole deal in the screwed up world of theirs. The song doesn’t make me feel anything as much, but it sure do has a lot of brutal words. “The path home dirtied by blood” or Juto’s “I’ll handcuff and arrest him to kill some time” is definitely not something a policeman should say (laughs). But I don’t feel the least bit uncomfortable saying it, since it’s important for the establishment of this character. The gaps between the sound and lyrics has a meaning that’ll make the song a killer, and I like that.

Which character are you interested in Shibuya Division and Shinjuku Division?

I enjoy listening to Shibuya Division Arisugawa Dice’s song, it makes me want to sing along, so I got interested. As for Shinjuku Division, they have this peculiar vibe that is eerie, but fun. (Jinguji) Jakurai-sensei is really tall!! Our Riou is no match (laughs). I look forward on how will the song be when those two team battles. I really can’t wait to see them battle.

So other than your own song, do you like any other songs?

My most favorite song would be <Hypnosis Mic -Division Battle Anthem->. All 12 people sing in one song, singing all at once and also solo. Moreover they made their own rhythm and it was tough. The song gave the most rap feeling. I really like the feeling it gave, as if beating people one after another. Of course, this song has a demo version and I’ve already sang it before. The demo song was also sung in character, so it really is like the sample (laughs). So, I think we shouldn’t let it get brushed off.  Also, I like Ichiro’s song, “Ore ga Ichiro,” because it’s catchy, isn’t it?

<Hypnosis Mic Division Battle Anthem>’s MV also shows all of you rap, that must’ve been a big deal wasn’t it?

You can watch the MV’s fullsize for free! It's the ultimate giveaway!. The MV’s appearance is so stylish, it gave that mood of “Maybe I’ll try to do rap!” and I’m really happy for that. Of course showing the character is important, but if that’s the only thing that is showcased, the rate of being shaken off by hip hop will fall. On top of the rap, I add in characterization so that the character can be received well. “Hypnosis mic” has become the key to wow factor contents.

It seems like all the casts are having fun, too. All of you who collaborated with “Hypnosis Mic” made a Champagne Tower at a karaoke store.

Yeah we did ! Actually what happened after that is a private matter, but out came the Champagne Tower (laughs) ! First we drank to <Battle Anthem>, and the tension rises. Lastly, we drank to Champagne Gold and………… it was bubbling (laughs) 。 There’s a lot of things you can do only within “Hypnosis Mic”, so I look forward to work with everyone.

There is a second live on 26th of August, isn’t there?

Yes, you’re right. But I’m so scared on how it is going to be like. They’re definitely going to include freestyle battles! Definitely! It’s horrifying!

In the Territory Battle with Ikebukuro Division, Yokohama Division is currently leading.

But the results are very close to each other, so I can’t figure out the outcome. This isn’t about “either way, everyone will be in peace”, but the project will continue on delivering contents only to that outcome, which I think is very unique. The songs and story will definitely be designed by their victory or loss, so I feel like the listeners are truly involved in this. To have a wave of something like “You guys  gotta win!” echoing to us motivates us to not lose. That’s why Ikebukuro should be crushed…………. (laughs).

(laughs) . Finally, any messages to the fans who supported you?

As time goes by, all the songs, story and goods will be brushed up, and it’ll expand rapidly. So in order to not get left behind by the momentum, do fight along with your favorite teams, favorite songs and favorite characters. And, by all means, please listen to rap other than “Hypnosis Mic”, too. I haven’t been informed much, but it seems like there’s going to be secret plan and hidden tricks so I want to support as much as I can. And please! Make MAD TRIGGER CREW be the winner! Cast your last vote and reach out to the summit together (laughs)!

[dlamp-dictator]

Allen Rambles About Writing

So as I’m getting back into writing I’m starting to feel the same kind of anxiety that I felt when I started taking my drawing and art a little more serious. Back then I made a Rambling discussing how I felt about the situation, making a message to future Allen to not worry about how your drawings look when you feel down about your progress and starting to compare yourself to others. 

And looking back, I’m surprise how well I know myself since every time I thought up a counter point I was instantly shot down by the bluntness of 2018-Allen’s demands of not taking my hobby as a seriously as an actual job. 

But back on topic, I wanted to do a sort of Rambling like that again, this time focusing on writing. Though honestly, a lot of that stuff I wrote in that original post on drawing can be applied here. However, there are a few points I could add to that, so... here we are. 

But to get right to the point...

Points that Remain the Same

Just a quick rehash of the points I made in the art Rambling that still hold water:

Much like drawing, writing as a hobby, not a profession. You can fail, fumble, and fall all you like and it will not effect my daily life.

If any criticism you recieve feels pretenious and self-gratifying then it probably is. Best to remove them from your mind entirely as their points aren’t for your sake, but their own.

Again, you are not writing for money, so no need to worry about screwing people over finacially. Then only thing their wasting is their time, and their time is theirs to do with as they please.

And with that out of the way, here’s a few new things I want to say.

Your Stuff Probably Isn’t Great

This isn’t to say you should be pessimistic, but you need to understand you’re not making the next bestseller or the deepest of stories exploring the human condition. You’re just writing out what you think might be a cool story. 

For example, right now my stories consist of two fanfics and two original stories. On the fanfic side you have a tsundere aikido girl fighting a bunch of wacky characters that includes a female shounen karate fighter, a taekwondo fighter with an impoverished dojo, and goddamn Rulue from the Puyo Puyo series. The second fanfic includes a tomboy cannibal pretending to be Batman and fighting... basically anyone I think from obscure video games and lesser known/discussed manga. 

In terms of my original stories we have a story about kung fu girls being stuck in the delinquent dorm of their kung fu school forced to fight bullies, gangsters, yakuza hieresses, cultists, and evil priestesses... also yes all these things happen at school. And the second original story is about a forest ninja and her ragtag group of warriors that consist of a Black sukeban, a genderbent Goro Majima, a shy archer girl, and the main character’s sister who is a ballet dancer. 

None of these stories are exactly high art. But that’s okay, not much is. 

And this seems to be a nice segue into talking about...

The Bell Curve

This is the Bell Curve. The Bell Curve is a type of distribution method that shows the likely probability of most variables in a given equation, statistic and general data distribution. This is usually used to determine a fair average among any given amount of data to see what the majority of information lies on any give graph or form of measurement.

Okay, that was a lot of mathematic terms, and unlike my friend Infall I majored in the Humanities, not Mathetics, so I’ll stop there. 

But the point is, this graphic shows where the majority of... things will land. Most... things that make up the average of whatever... thing you’re looking at will be in the center where the curve is. Anything on the ends are the highest and lowest points of data. 

In short, most things in existence are average and will be average, middling, and ordinary. That how averages work. This is what most media and statistics falls into. Very few things created are truly bad, just below average at worse. Most things are, in fact, average. If everything was extraordinary, then there would just be a new scale to maintain some form of equalibrium. 

Hence why the Bell Curve is used in the first place.

I say this not to discourage anyone wanting to write the best story ever, but to just let you know that even if you don’t hit your target goal, if you land within the middle of this curve things show be okay. 

Again, you’re not doing this for payment or as a job, you’re doing this for fun. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t shoot for the moon, but to understand that at worst, you’ll be below average. 

And that’s okay. 

Not everything created can be great, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Not everything needs to strike gold when silver is still valuable. If you get hung up on being the best, you’ll never achieve good. I’ve got a bad habit of trying to make a chapter of a story absolutely perfect before posting, and all that does is make it take a month to post when it could had taken two weeks. Sometimes I honestly need the extra time due to working two jobs, but it’s rarely needed. 

And honestly, for those that say the worse thing something could be is average, I’d like to remind your that 60%-70% if any media is average. To throw out that average and only focusing on the best and worse... I pity you.

But moving on.

General Writing Advice

In all seriousness though, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing. I’m going to be serious for a moment and give a few bits of advice and things I keep in mind when writing:

Worldbuilding is a double-edged sword. It can be cool to explore and explain how certain things in your world work, but it also means you have to adhear to every text dump of exposition you mention. Try to only exposite things that are really important for the audience to know and keeps notes on the side for you to follow as you write it out your story.

Your audience isn’t as plothole-searching as you think, nor are they as thorough when reading something out of enjoyment as you were when you’re tightening up your narrative. Don’t worry too much about detail unless your doing some mystery/intrique plot. Most people just want to read a story that interests them, so just relax and writing something fun and entertaining to you.

On that note, the human imagination is a lot more powerful than you think. You don’t have to go into extreme detail about everything. Your audience can fill in a lot more of the blanks than you think, and what they think up might be more interesting than that 3-paragraph description on your main character’s height, weight, eye-color, and each individual freckle.

Again, relax you’re likely writing as a hobby, not to pay the bills. Just write what feels right and everything else will fall into place.

Oh, and big piece of advice before I close this little motivational writing post.

Shut the Fuck Up

Seriously. If there’s one piece of writing advice you should keep in mind, it’s to not Ramble. Ironic coming from me, but keeping prose and descriptions to a minimum helps a lot more than you think. I’ve said this several times on my RP blogs and I’ll say it here:

More Words =/= Better. More Words = More Words.

 And just prattling on about a character’s backstory or exposition is boring. Be sure to keep that in mind as you write. Try not to go on for too long about a description without very reason.

Anyway, that’ll be it for this Rambling. Sadly, TW3K crashed on me today in the late game, so I guess Total War Tuesday will... be back on Tuesday.

In any case, see you later folks!

[marshmallowgoop]

Things About: Ryuko Matoi

✄ For a newspaper ad, Kill la Kill scriptwriter Kazuki Nakashima wrote a short introduction for Ryuko from Ryuko’s perspective. In the introduction, Ryuko reveals that she’s been alone for as long as she can remember and “only [she] could protect [herself].” She then talks about Senketsu, noting that it’s strange that she’s wearing him (perhaps especially because she’s been alone so long and has never particularly trusted anyone else?), but finishes by saying that how Senketsu makes her look doesn’t matter so long as she comes out a winner: “That’s the spirit of Ryuko Matoi.”

✄ Ryuko is very much depicted as a Japanese delinquent (and she describes herself accordingly in episode 8). Her initial outfit and Senketsu are clearly modeled after sukeban, “girl boss,” a term used to describe the culture of the rebellious schoolgirl gangs that began appearing in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. These all-girl groups would modify their school uniforms, wearing Converse sneakers, cutting their blouses short, and so on. Interestingly, even prior to Kill la Kill, when Ryuko more resembles a “typical” high school girl, she still wears different-colored socks than the other girls, much like sukeban would.

✄ Ryuko’s appearance also takes some cues from Sukeban Deka, a series from which Kill la Kill draws a ton of inspiration from (perhaps most obviously, the first ending sequence of the series is a straight-up homage to a Sukeban Deka ending sequence). Particularly, take note of the red glove.

✄ Ryuko’s initial jacket, too, is associated with rebellion and delinquency. The jacket is known as a sukajan, which was initially a specially-embroidered “souvenir jacket” that American soldiers brought home from Japan after World War II. However, in the 1960s, the sukajan became a symbol of defiance, representing a rebellion against the growing popularity of the American “preppy” styles in Japan. Sukajan were then connected with gangs and criminals.

✄ Even Ryuko’s speech is indicative of her delinquency and rebellious attitude. Ryuko (I believe) uses ヤンキー語文法 (yankii (yankee) speech), a crude, disrespectful manner of speaking (which the English dub tries to convey with Ryuko’s considerable potty mouth, her tendency to cut the “g’s” off her verbs, her usage of words like “ain’t,” etc.) Here is an excellent discussion of yankii speech (and its similarities/differences to yakuza speech), which also references this blog post here that delves further into yankii speech.

✄ However, Ryuko is also depicted rather sweetly even at the start. In the first episode, she steals a delivery bike to make an escape, which is fitting of a delinquent. Later in the episode, though, she returns the bike back to where she’d taken it with a note reading, “My deepest apologies for borrowing without permission.”

✄ The “JK2″ sticker on Ryuko’s guitar case is meant to say that she’s in her second year of high school. As Japanese high schools begin at the tenth grade, Ryuko is then an eleventh grader (an American junior), and she still has one year of high school left. As revealed in the OVA, Ryuko (and Mako) will attend Rinne-Dou High School in Kanagawa for that last year. (Interestingly, Gamagoori attended Rinne-Dou Junior High before transferring to Honnouji Academy.)

✄ The other sticker on Ryuko’s guitar case is of Kuri-chan, the main character of a classic, 4-panel manga series of the same name. Kuri-chan is apparently Ryuko’s favorite mascot character.

✄ At the Complete Script Book Event in 2014, it’s revealed that Ryuko doesn’t go to university after graduating from high school, getting a job immediately upon graduation instead. It’s said that “it’d suit [Ryuko] to be a babysitter or something like that” because she “probably can’t do jobs that force her to work with customers, but she is good with kids.”

✄ In episode 7, when Ryuko throws her bath bucket at the Mankanshokus, you can see that she uses Timotei shampoo (and rinse).

✄ In episode 6, Ryuko is shown brushing her teeth with a bunny toothbrush. The Kill la Kill artbook SUSHIO CLUB LOVE LOVE KLKL has a page dedicated to the “Toothbrushes of the Mankanshoku Family” that includes illustrations of Ryuko, Mako, and Mataro’s toothbrushes. (Ryuko’s is the bunny, Mataro’s is the eyepatch cat, and Mako’s is the bear (?))

✄ By episode 5, Ryuko is shown using a personalized bowl with her name on it while eating dinner at the Mankanshoku’s.

✄ At Anime Expo 2014′s Kill la Kill panel (6th post from the top), it’s revealed that from what Ryuko saw of her father’s killer, she deduced that the killer had to be a high school student of around 17. As such, Ryuko spent six months going from high school to high school before finally getting to Honnouji Academy. 

✄ The series suggests that Ryuko becomes so convinced that Satsuki killed her father that she reworks her memories to change the Nui-like silhouette she remembers to a figure that more resembles Satsuki instead. 

✄ As a series that loves wordplay and puns, Ryuko’s name is surely filled with meaning. Folks who know much more than me have written about this, so I’ll point to this post and this post that discuss some Ryuko name meanings. I will say, though, that one of the most prominent meanings I see behind Ryuko’s name is “abandoned child” (which no doubt refers to how Ragyo literally threw Ryuko away), since the 流 (ryuu) of Ryuko’s name is a kanji that represents ideas of “washing away” and “forfeiting.” (And the 子 (ko) represents “child.”) That said, though, it was explained at the Connichi Kill la Kill panel in 2014 that “Before my body is dry” is Ryuko’s theme because the kanji 流 (ryuu) represents “fluid” and 子 (ko) represents “child” and Ryuko “is a child who is easily influenced by others and thus loses her way quickly.”

✄ Though Ryuko is widely understood as a big lemon eater, she’s actually only depicted with lemons three times within the series and in official, non-concept art (as far as I’m aware): as a part of her introduction in episode 1, in the first opening sequence, and on CD art for the first volume.

✄ In contrast, Ryuko is shown eating/with croquettes many, many times throughout the series (episodes 2, 5, 7, 22), and the disc art for the final volume (9) even depicts her holding up a croquette.

✄ In fact, as revealed at the Complete Script Book Event in 2014, Ryuko’s favorite food is actually gameni, a dish of chicken and vegetables.

✄ That same event also revealed that Ryuko’s least favorite food is konnyaku, “because it reminds her of Uzu,” whose family owns a konnyaku business (and who is kind of obsessed with konnyaku himself). Funnily enough, though, Ryuko seems to enjoy eating konnyaku in the second Drama CD.

✄ In the first Drama CD, Ryuko claims that she’s excellent at cramming, but when it comes to cramming for a big group exam coming up at Honnouji Academy, she ends up sleeping for nearly a week in the library instead of studying. Listen to her dramatic apology to her teammates from about 3:47 - 4:00 here.

✄ The first Drama CD also features Ryuko “correctly” understanding that Satsuki’s eyebrows aren’t truly thick.

✄ In Track 3 of the second Drama CD, Ryuko and Senketsu make a daring escape through Guts’s butt.

✄ The third Drama CD features a bizarre plot where a sentient Life Fiber bug, Minomushi, creates a white T-shirt body for himself that Mako finds. Minomushi then drains Mako’s energy, transferring her consciousness into his T-shirt body (which Mako can then control). (I think.) (Yes, Kill la Kill is batshit.) The Mako/Minomushi T-shirt proceeds to attach itself to the Elite Four, resulting in a bunch more batshit scenarios where Mako speaks through the Elite’s voices. When Mako speaks through Uzu, Ryuko gets super creeped out when “Uzu” tries to treat her like Mako would, dodging “Uzu’s” hug and telling “Uzu” to not call her “Ryuko-chan.”

✄ In the fourth Drama CD, which takes place immediately after Ryuko learns of her Life Fibers and her relation to Ragyo, she falls unconscious desperately trying to convince herself that she’s human. 

✄ The lyrics for many of Kill la Kill’s vocal pieces suggest that they are about Ryuko. Though nothing has been officially confirmed (as far as I am aware), it seems clear that “Before my body is dry” is a duet between Ryuko and Senketsu, “Till I Die” and “Suck your blood” are songs from Senketsu to Ryuko, “I want to know” is from Isshin to Ryuko, and “New World Symphony” and “Light your heart up” are from Mako to Ryuko. I’ve also heard conflicting information that “Ambiguous,” the show’s second opening, is either entirely from Satsuki to Ryuko or half Ryuko to Senketsu and half Satsuki to Ryuko, and I’d make a case that “Sirius,” the first opening song, is one from Ryuko to Senketsu. The first ending song, “Sorry, I Can’t be a Good Child,” I would also argue to be from Ryuko’s perspective.

✄ On the disc art for volume 8, Mako is shown pushing Ryuko and Satsuki together (perhaps because Ryuko is shy and needs a little help to be sisterly with Satsuki?)

✄ Akira Amemiya’s illustration of Ryuko and Senketsu having fun at the beach (which first appeared in the 49th issue of Nyantype magazine in late 2013) later became two official cards for the Kill la Kill card game and a figurine, which might maybe imply that “Senketsu’s Date with Ryuko” is a canon event.

✄ Similarly, there is a plethora of animator art featuring Ryuko that isn’t officially canon to her character but is still fun to consider. For instance, character designer/animator Sushio draws quite a bit of post-series Ryuko/Mako, animator Kengo Saito once created a comic in which Ryuko works part-time at a clothing store, and something that never fails to get my heart aching is Sushio’s depiction of little Ryuko celebrating a happy Christmas with her father.

[shootmesenpai]

Question tag for AO3 writers~~

I found the original questions on AFF a while back, and I thought since I’ve been tagged in so many meme things lately, I’d also tag a bunch more people in this one XD Since the questions were designed for AFF, I’ve reworked some of them to fit for AO3 writers. I also removed two questions rather than trying to translate them to AO3 terms. So, I’ll fill out my answers first, and then put the blank questions again at the bottom for you to easily copy and paste!

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

I came up with "Shootmesenpai” for my Tumblr originally a long time ago. It was pretty much a play on the whole “Notice me senpai” thing. Pretty basic and not very witty but it just ended up sticking so I even used it for AO3.

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos)

Happy Birthday Aomine 

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

My icon is Aomine Daiki. I choose it because he is my favorite boy and almost all the fanfics I have written are from his perspective. 

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

I’m not a very popular writer and my stuff is pretty low key so the commenters are fairly random. I have some friends that comment so I suppose they count....kinda. 

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

Blackbird or the Ladder series by @emungere is amazing and I have reread them a number of times. I also have a huge soft spot for Across the Way by @gintamajustaway and that is not even finished yet. 

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

I am only subscribed to two stories at the moment since a couple just finished recently, but I have 29 bookmarks for things that need to be read. I’m kinda bad about actually doing this instead, I just leave 100 tabs open on my phone. 

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

I haven’t actually written any AU’s yet but I like reading student/teacher ones, yakuza AU’s or college AU’s. I would like to write a college AU one day as it’s not too far from reality so I think I may be able to handle it. 

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

Oh, an embarrassingly small amount....I think I only have 29 subscriptions and 44 bookmarks...definitely, nothing to write home about. 

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

Honestly, I don’t really have much. I would like to write something really aggressive and complex but I don’t do well with long stories. A yakuza story with some rough subject matter (similar to Harada) would be amazing but....that's a bit much for most of the ships I enjoy. 

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

I would like to finish my one long story and possibly rework a lot of it. It was the first one I wrote and looking back I can see a lot of flaws. I need to honestly just start writing more and learn the fundamentals of good storytelling. Even though I enjoy writing smutty one-shots the most, I still have ideas for long stories that I’m not confident enough to begin. 

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

I mainly write for AoKuro or AoKuroKaga which I guess is a bit rare for the KNB fan base. I also love ultra rare pairings like NijiHai. 

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

5 total works with one unfinished. 

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

I have the next chapter started with Realization and Loss but it’s only a paragraph....that’s it at the moment. 

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

A little bit of both, my friend and I talk story ideas every once in a while so some of those are permanently locked in my head. There are some I came up with on my own that I have written down in a sketchbook somewhere. 

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Nope, I come up with ideas with a friend sometimes so it kinda feels like it has been co-authored at times. 

16. How did you discover AO3?

Just following the links of the fanfic rabbit hole. 

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

Oh god no, I am extremely casual in my writings. I freak out for having like 5 kudos on a fic. I bow down to the famous authors. 

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

Not that I’m aware of, again I am bottom of that totem pole. 

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

I mean @humanitys-shortest-soldier kinda encouraged me after I continued to bug her about showing off her amazing writing skills. Other than that though @gintamajustaway was a huge inspiration, they are so amazing that I really have no words. 

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

I don’t think I’m qualified to give advice but I guess I would just say, don’t be afraid to put your ideas out there. Even if you think it’s weird, or you think your writing skills aren’t up to par, just do it! There are people out there who will encourage you and make your whole day with their kind words. I promise you. 

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

I do basic plots, mainly just large points that I want to hit. Everything else just slowly forms around those foundation pieces. 

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

No, I haven’t gotten any bad comments yet but I am always open to them. I handle criticism well and I think bad comments can help a person grow to become a better writer. 

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

Ummm.....probably really serious stuff. I love writing smut and I read a lot of garbage so it helps but the serious stuff requires a build up on top of a solid foundation. Those are definitely weak points for me. 

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

I have Realization and Loss....which I will probably finish...one day. Other than that though I don’t have anything in the works, although I was prompted today to write more Brotp for AoAka. 

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

Yeaaaa, I really shouldn’t but sometimes the idea is too fun to wait. 

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Nope, I just write when I have the time or a burning idea. It has been a while since I have done anything though. 

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

I think I have improved a bit, there is still a lot that I need to work on. I would love to eventually get back into it and improve my fundamentals and basics storytelling abilities. 

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

Haizaki’s Day Off, it was just a lot of fun to write and I really enjoy writing for Haizaki since he is a huge asshole. 

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

I don’t really have a least favorite but if I had to say...it would be Realization and Loss. It was my first one and I still need to finish it, but looking back I see a lot of errors and crutches throughout the story. 

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

Probably close to where I am now, I love writing but I don’t think I am cut out for anything serious within the field. I love drawing and a lot of my free time is spent trying to improve there, while also finding the courage to post it. 

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

Coming up with the basic plot and all the fun bits that it involves. 

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Actually sitting down to write it.....also in-character dialogue!

33. Why do you write?

I write because sometimes an idea is too fun to keep to myself or between my friends. I write so that hopefully other people get some enjoyment out of the weird stuff I create. 

Anyways that’s all the questions, so I’ll put them here as well without the answers to easily c+p.

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean? 2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos) 3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it? 4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters? 5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again? 6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked? 7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most? 8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page) 9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!) 10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc. 11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often? 12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)? 13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program? 14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head? 15. Have you ever co-authored a story? 16. How did you discover AO3? 17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3? 18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers? 19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write? 20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author? 21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go? 22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do? 23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..) 24. What story(s) are you working on now? 25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)? 26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself? 27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started? 28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written? 29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written? 30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years? 31. What is the easiest thing about writing? 32. What is the hardest thing about writing? 33. Why do you write?

Tagged by: @humanitys-shortest-soldier

I tag @emungere @gintamajustaway @criscura and other amazing writers who want to tell all us beginners how it’s done. 

[durianstar]

HEY OK I DID SOME BIOS FOR HISAO AND MASAKO A  WHILE BACK SO. HAVE THESE SKETCHES AND INFO UNDER THE CUT

FACTS ON MASAKO WAKABAYASHI:

17, 2nd year of highschool. 5’6”, 130~ish lbs.

hyperintrovert. despises people. interacting with others is a chore. zero social skills

empathy problems. cannot imagine why anyone would go out of their way to help people on their own. her own self interest is her priority. doesn't care if she hurts someone or their feelings. she does mind her own business though and can’t understand why people would ever start drama

uses her mind control for petty stuff (better grades, more money from her uncle, if someone is coming up to talk to her she can turn them around, etc. her mind control is very powerful but the other person is vaguely aware they’re getting controlled and so if she tried getting them to do something big like attacking someone else they would know.) keeps her powers a definite secret, doesn’t want any attention over it from others

secretly desires a companion where they could just chill and talk about hobbies. craves a real personal connection but she doesn’t even know she wants it. who’d want to talk to her anyways she's difficult. “no one understands me”

honestly just really depressed and disaffected. she’d be a lot nicer if she was happier but she hates her parents she hates her school and she hates the system

enjoys basketball, pretty good at it. knows krav maga (mom is from israel, taught her what she knew from the IDF because masako was genuinely interested. she was like 7 when she was learning though)

not really all that smart. the glasses make her look clever but she's bad at math and studying is her worst nightmare. she’s also terrible at articulating her thoughts. that being said she's very good at writing

relatively interested in fashion. dresses nice in general and keeps her appearance tidy

her clothes smell like mothballs though. her uncle puts them everywhere. she fucking hates it

her hair is naturally mousy, dyes it red with henna. very soft tresses

quite pretty. gentle features, severe eyes and clear skin. has a couple of secret admirers but she’s scary and they would never interact with her

has a lot of story ideas but her characters fall flat. enjoys writing in general though

likes music. listens to everything but enjoys ambient creepy-sounding stuff and kpop girl groups

lives with her uncle on her dad’s side because her parents are always on trips and they need someone to watch her

her and her uncle don’t really get along. he’s very kind but he’s always worrying over her. she hates it when he does that because it actually does makes her feel bad when he’s just trying to help and she snaps at him

she’s fond of him. although they have nothing in common he cooks dinner every night and tries his best to understand how she feels. he's way better than her parents (never there for her, fed up with her attitude, always blamed her for everything, never spent any time with her, never encouraged her hobbies). sometimes she’ll buy him a nice outfit for his birthday with the money she accumulates on new years

fast metabolism. she eats A Lot

favorite food is soup of all types. rice and miso soup is her go-to meal. jewish style chicken soup as well

and yeah she's technically jewish since her mom is. japanese jew

uses “あたし (atashi)” to refer to herself around strangers. uses “あたい (atai)” around her uncle and hisao.

cv: miyuki sawashiro (the deep voiced tough girl voice. the intimidating one)

FACTS ON HISAO EGAWA:

23, draws on commission and works at mcdonalds. 5’3”. also like 130~ish lbs

disgusting

sorta introverted but very outgoing. hes got a couple friends he can kick it with

he lives in his van for sure, can’t afford his own place to live. he lives in his mom’s apartment parking lot

bipolar. can’t keep an office job because his manic episodes are pretty severe and he does get mildly psychotic.

does a lot of illegal shit on the daily. like regular drug use and brewing alcohol at his friend’s crib. probably doing a whole bunch of other shit too while possessed.

has tattoos on both shoulders cuz his friend in the Yamaguchi-gumi did them for him.

speaking of the yamaguchi-gumi like he’s got a Few Friends In The Yakuza. he’s considered joining but he doesn’t want to cut ties with his mom

his pixiv is full of fucking porn like it is absolutely swamped with it. if something isn’t r18 it's definitely suggestive. prominent BL-artist but he draws women sometimes. big on saigenos

actually very smart. he was one of the best in his class all throughout middle school but mental illness ruins everything and at that point his priority was mostly on not killing himself. he didn't go to college

also the cool guy in his school when he wasn’t the shortest. was definitely the short one in highschool and was also suicidal so he was substantially less popular then. people started realizing he was poor and vulnerable around that time too so he suffered a Little Bit Of Bullying but he would beat the shit outta anyone that started a physical confrontation with him. started smoking cigarettes around his 3rd year of highschool. started befriending delinquents and other lower-class teens

he used to be the ace of his school’s ping pong team. stopped going to practice during an episode and got cut from the team

he really loves his mom a lot and he feels really bad for her because she's poor too so he’s determined to help her out as much as he can. he doesn't wanna be an economic burden on her

she used to be an escort but now she’s a nurse (and was part of the yakuza as well but she left when she got pregnant). hisao is illegitimate

has a lot of trouble with commitments. he is, however, determined to make a manga

his story ideas tend to be pretty dull but he can draw characters and dialogue with intense skill

he knows so many damn ghosts and he's friends with like all of em. he prefers them to living people much more since they don’t treat him like he’s an untouchable

no boyfriend or girlfriend. too busy being a loser. he really wants one too but he doesn’t fucking deserve it

terrible fashion sense he just puts on whatever he sees first and slathers himself in antiperspirant

shitty skin. the freckles on his face are mostly hyperpigmented spots where acne used to be. he still gets the occasional pimple on his scalp or hairline. the oiliest

he doesn't keep anything clean like ever. everything that's his is either messy and/or unsanitary

hes like. genuinely a nice person but circumstances had kinda led him to his garbage man persona. always gives a couple dollars to beggars and helps the elderly across the street.

he’s also pretty charismatic in general. he knows how to work the system

listens to speedcore and other garbage like that

LOVES KIDS he's so good with little children he even applied to work at a daycare but they didn't like his vibe and also he has zero professional experience

will eat everything. anything. not picky at all. he does like fruit and bread a lot though

also knows how to cook pretty well. had to prepare dishes for his mom when she was ill (all the time)

uses “おれ (ore)” around basically everyone because he doesn’t give a shit but “私 (watashi)” in restaurants and stuff. he isn’t rude at all he’s just a little coarse.

cv: kazuhiko inoue (like how he sounds when he’s playing a nerd character)

[entergamingxp]

Cake Bash Interview — Laura Hutton on Indie Gaming in 2020 and Cake Philosophy

June 11, 2020 2:20 PM EST

Laura Hutton sits down with DualShockers to discuss Cake Bash, developing indie games in an age of uncertainty, and what constitutes a ‘cake.’

In 2020, there’s a lot on the mind of the average gamer — through a global health crisis and mass civic unrest, many games and high-level publishers are delaying their games to both respect the moment, account for changes in the work environment, and realize all possible press potential. In a way, it’s almost the perfect time for fledgling studio High Tea Frog’s first game, Cake Bash, to release.

Sitting down with DualShockers, Artist and Director Laura Hutton talked a bit about the indie minigame collection ahead of the demo’s launch next week as part of the Steam Summer Game Festival. Perhaps even more importantly, Hutton discusses a bit about Cake Bash‘s subject matter and what should be considered a “cake.”

Lou Contaldi: Watching some of the gameplay, you really get a Mario Party mini-game vibe–what have been some of the biggest mini-game inspirations in creating Cake Bash?

Laura Hutton: We wanted to capture a bit of the magic of the 90’s classics, which I still play with my family after 20 years! We watched a lot of videos from Mario Party and Pokemon Stadium for inspiration, and I think what makes them so memorable is their characters and scenarios. One of my favourites is “Burgerini” from Rayman Raving Rabbids – doesn’t matter if you lose because it’s such a good laugh – it’s a masterclass for what makes a great party game.

Each of our minigames has its own unique design, and we’ve kept focus on the baking theme for all of them. It’s quality over quantity for us and a lot of minigames we prototyped didn’t make it – I’d much rather have fewer great games than loads of games that are rushed! I’d say that Nintendo games have been our biggest inspiration.

LC: What game is the dev team currently playing that isn’t Cake Bash?

LH: Quite the list! Final Fantasy XIV, Satisfactory, Yakuza 0, Astral Chain, Stardew Valley, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, to name a few. We don’t really have a favourite genre, and try to play as many as we can. I think it’s important to try as many new games as possible, but FFXIV is our most played right now – it’s good team-building to work together to defeat primals. Before that it was Monster Hunter World, I’m a charge blade fan, Clement chose the hammer, and Tommy went for the hunting horn – of course he’d go for the bagpipes, being Scottish.

“It’s quality over quantity for us and a lot of minigames we prototyped didn’t make it – I’d much rather have fewer great games than loads of games that are rushed!”

LC: High Tea Frog is new as a developer, but the three-person team underneath draws from a wealth of projects that most “core” gamers would recognize — Viva Pinata, The Division, Far Cry among a few. Has any of the work or experience in these past projects influenced the work on Cake Bash, either mechanically or in balance? If so, how?

LH: I think our experience influenced the way we work behind the scenes more than the content of the game itself, but working with realism on The Division definitely gave me the confidence to attempt a more challenging art direction for Cake Bash even though I’m the only artist! I went for a ‘drawn-to-life’ look, which needed the characters and environments to be as realistic as possible.

Being part of a bigger team before meant that we could adapt a lot of the processes which worked into indie life. We wanted to keep the good parts of the AAA development pipeline, and we’ve recreated our favourite tools and scripts which made our lives easier. Our past experience also means that we know how hard it is to make games, so we’re not knocked off track with unexpected curveballs.

LC: Moving on from Ubisoft, what has been the biggest surprise or hurdle in creating your own project from start to finish? What advice would you offer other soon-to-be indie developers?

LH: It’s a lot more pressure to have so much input in the game – when things go wrong there’s nobody but you to take responsibility! One of the biggest difficulties was at the start – we were bootstrapping (living off our own savings accounts) and struggling to find a publisher.

For the first six months of independence we were making a single-player game, but after it didn’t get any interest we went back to the drawing board and started from scratch. Three prototypes later we started working on Cake Bash while also doing contract work on the side to pay the bills. For contracts, AAA games in your portfolio go a long way. It was hard work but ultimately a good decision for us to start again, and we have a publisher now which means we can focus more on development.

LC: Cake Bash is a remarkably wholesome game — very much like an Overcooked — being released in a year with a ton of turmoil. Has this been a motivator in creating and sharing your game or a personal roadblock to overcome in the tumultuous indie gaming market?

LH: Thank you! Adapting to working from home has been a challenge, I’m often distracted by tea and snacks so my productivity has taken a hit, but it’s also difficult not to get demotivated by the bad news. Sometimes I worry that I’m not doing enough, in the current climate, by ‘just making games’, but I’m trying to remember how much comfort I found in gaming when times were difficult, and hoping that I can bring a little bit of happiness to others. When we launch I’m sure players will be looking for a bit of light-hearted fun, and hopefully we can deliver!

We’re still actually on target for our original launch date, even after everything that’s happened, and I’m really proud of that. We’ve worked hard to get this finished and can’t wait for people to start playing soon.

“Sometimes I worry that I’m not doing enough, in the current climate, by ‘just making games’, but I’m trying to remember how much comfort I found in gaming when times were difficult, and hoping that I can bring a little bit of happiness to others.”

LC: Based on promotions, it looks like the definition of “cake” is fairly loose in terms of playable pastries. We have doughnuts, muffins, and eclairs on the list. How did you curate the pastry list in the game? What ended up on the ‘baking’ room floor?

LH: Hah, yes. We were considering adding a stack of pancakes at one point too, so the definition is definitely a loose one. We wouldn’t include cookies or else we’d have to call it “Biscuit Bash.”

LC: Existential Question: Is “ice cream cake” considered “cake” or “ice cream?” Follow up: is a muffin just an unfrosted cupcake?

LH: That is a difficult question. If it has layers of sponge, I’d say it’s a cake.

We have muffins and cupcakes in Cake Bash, and I did have a bit of a crisis there – are they the same character? Is this a Zelda / Sheik situation? But then I remembered why I chose them – all the cakes have a unique silhouette, even for their skins, and the cupcake always has a pointy bit at the top but the muffin is round. Muffins puff up more at the top and overflow at the edges of the casing, and they have eyelashes but the cupcakes don’t. They’re definitely different.

“We have muffins and cupcakes in Cake Bash, and I did have a bit of a crisis there – are they the same character? Is this a Zelda / Sheik situation?”

LC: “Fork Knife: Gateau Royale” is one of the better word plays in indie gaming. Will there be more dad puns or wordplay through the game?

LH: Oh wow, what a compliment! There are as many puns as I could squeeze in without annoying everyone. A good test for a successful pun was if our programmer, Clement, understood the joke even though English isn’t his first language. I also had the strict rule of only one pun per screen, otherwise it would have been a punderful overload. I also like subtle ones most like ‘prove yourself’, because they’re easier to sneak in… We used to have ‘Thyme’ for the end match countdown but it was too savoury.

LC: The Campfire minigame has just been revealed, where did the inspiration come from and what was it like to design?

LH: Campfire is my favourite minigame! I can’t wait for people to play it in the Steam Summer Festival. We wanted to design something a bit more relaxed and this one was really fun to make. I looked at a whole bunch of references of different states of cooked marshmallows and worked out the best way to make them look realistic!

We also spent ages balancing the scoring, to make it fair yet challenging – we made sure that you can get really good at this minigame with practice. You can even get a perfect score of 100 in the ‘high heat’ of the fire if you’re a total pro!

It seems like forever ago but our first prototype of this game was rubbish – we nearly scrapped it! You roasted popcorn for some reason, and the player had no control over the heat level so it was a boring waiting game. Just goes to show how important iteration is, and I’m glad we kept trying with this one.

Cake Bash launches on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One later this year; if you are looking to dive into some of the dessert action, you can try out the game beginning June 16, 2020 on Steam.

June 11, 2020 2:20 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/06/cake-bash-interview-laura-hutton-on-indie-gaming-in-2020-and-cake-philosophy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cake-bash-interview-laura-hutton-on-indie-gaming-in-2020-and-cake-philosophy

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 11/30/19

Let us give thanks for a hearty helping of briefs!

Beastars, Vol. 2 | By Paru Itagaki | Viz Media – If there was any doubt after reading the first volume of Beastars that I would be following the series, it has been completely banished after finishing the second. The sensitive gray wolf Legoshi continues to be a major draw for me, but so is Louis, the driven red deer who becomes an even more prominent character in the second volume (in addition to being featured on the cover). The scenes that the two share together are particularly intense, their contrasting personalities clashing and complementing each other in interesting ways. In part, using the framework of herbivore versus carnivore and the seemingly natural order of things, Beastars‘ narrative explores personal identities that challenge the expectations placed on individuals by a society that tries to neatly categorize them. But people are complicated and relationships are messy, something that Itagaki captures extremely well. Beastars is a dramatic and compelling series; I’m hooked. – Ash Brown

CITY, Vol. 6 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – Again, I feel that Arawi is not playing to his strengths by making this story of a city try to be as broad as possible. It’s best when there’s a through plot we can enjoy, such as seeing the restaurant owner/chef suffer from his cooking being average and his restaurant failing. There’s also some chapters that succeed by showing off amusing faces, such as the one where they try to figure out if one girl is mad or not (she’s not… at first), or trying to tell two identical twins apart when they insist on doing the exact same thing despite yelling about their differences. Unfortunately, when it’s random people doing random gags, it’s merely an average title. I’d like to be able to recall the names of anyone in this the way I can for Nichijou. – Sean Gaffney

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 7 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – This volume concentrates on fleshing out the cast and backstory, possibly at the expense of the humor—there’s been less and less each book—but it’s not unwelcome. particularly when we get Senshi’s backstory. Elsewhere, Laios may be a child of prophecy, and he and his group had better find his sister and somehow get her back or the elves will get there first and destroy the entire dungeon… which will lead to massive loss of life. That said, rest assured that there’s still some eating of delicious monsters in this book, which is one reason people started to read it. It’s just that now there’s a plot that is more important. Now that this series comes out so infrequently, each volume is even more of a treasure. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 8 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – We’re finally leaving the village, as Senku and company decide to take the fight to Tsukasa, which involves building a car. Yes, they build a car. That said, that’s hardly the most surprising thing in this volume, as we’re reintroduced to Taiju and Yuzuriha, last seen seemingly being written out of the manga for being too boring. But now, six volumes later, they’re back, and they’re in Tsukasa’s camp. Which is good, as Chrome has been captured. There’s slightly less science and slightly more action in this volume, but that just helps remind you that this is a Jump title at heart, and it will be nice to see the original three stars back together again. Though can Taiju and Yuzuriha magically get interesting? – Sean Gaffney

Guilty, Vol. 1 | By Ai Okaue | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Sayaka and Kazu have been married for ten years, but only now has Sayaka actually told him she wants a child. Kazu does not. You’d think they’d have had this conversation over a decade ago! While he initially seems like a kind husband, readers soon learn that he is carrying on an affair with Rui, a woman who has positioned herself as Sayaka’s confidante at the bar she frequents, and is essentially keeping Sayaka trapped in a lie and denying her what she really wants. He’s utter trash, but Sayaka’s hard to sympathize with, as she is all too ready to believe his flimsy excuses. Drama involving GPS trackers, a coworker’s extramarital affair, and Sayaka’s first love ensues. I don’t really like these characters—though I have to admire how conniving Rui is—but I will probably be back for more. – Michelle Smith

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 11 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The ‘serious’ plots here are Ishigami deciding to try and get serious about studies to woo the girl he likes, only to find out how hard that is when you’ve slacked off for so long, and the cliffhanger ending, where Shirogane reveals what he plans to do about college. There’s also some great stuff with Hayasaka having to once again pretend to be Kaguya’s butler in order to fool Fujiwara. But all that pales next to the extended chapters of rap battles we get which reminds you that when the series is trying to be as funny as possible there’s no equal. This was around when the anime was announced (there’s a chapter lampshading it), and I honestly can’t wait to see these chapters done. Still great. – Sean Gaffney

Melting Lover | By Bukuro Yamada | Kuma – This is a collection of BL short stories with a supernatural bent. In “Bottom of Heaven,” a reluctant hitman is followed by a hedonistic angel who helps his victims rest in peace. In “The Circus After Midnight,” troupe dancer Luce exposes his animal trainer roommate’s most closely held secret after said roommate fails to believe his father figure could be guilty of sexual assault. The best story of the bunch is “Melting Lover,” in which a typhoon carries a shapeshifting blob onto the balcony of Keisuke, who is obsessed with his (straight) senpai from high school. Does he fuck the blob? You bet he does. The worst is “Noisy Jungle,” in which an android tells himself it’s natural to boff his human pet, while clearly thinking of it as an animal. Ick. Overall, though, I liked these dark stories and would read more by this author. – Michelle Smith

My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 2 | By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka | Seven Seas – There’s another prose short story at the end of this second volume, which mostly just involves Katarina dreaming she’s in another universe, based on a standard shoujo private school manga, and because it lacks the “fantasy” elements her fate is… far more tolerable? As for the main manga, Katarina’s reactions to everything are the reason to get it, as it can give us all the faces that the light novel art wasn’t able to convey. She meets Maria here, who (to no one’s surprise) falls for Katarina just as hard as everyone else has, and Katarina is just as unaware of it. Still, Maria is still being bullied, so the plot of the game is still happening. A great adaptation. – Sean Gaffney

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 6 | By Tomoko Yamashita | SuBLime (digital only) – I sometimes forget what an amazing balance Yamashita-sensei strikes between moments of romantic progress between Rihito and Mikado—like the scene where Rihito says, “I’ll help you. As long as it keeps you with me.”—and ominous reminders that Rihito has been through some terrible trauma and is a broken and dangerous person. In this volume, there are some parallels between his plight and that of Erika Hiura, who is trying to get away from the cult leader who’s compelling her to curse people. It was great seeing five to six characters in a scene together all working towards this common goal and feels like we might be heading towards a conclusion fairly soon. I hope Mikado emerges unscathed, but I do love that I am actually feeling some doubt about that. Can’t wait for the next volume! – Michelle Smith

One Piece, Vol. 92 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – I was so worried going into this volume that Luffy was going to mess up the plans of the Wano rebels, which involve careful coordination and laying low for two weeks, neither of which he appears capable of. And, indeed, when he thinks Kaido has killed Tama, the little girl with whom he’s bonded, he picks a fight with the Emperor of the Sea. (I did appreciate seeing Luffy laid out by a single hit, though.) He ends up in a labor camp and, actually, this is for the best story-wise as it allows his more competent crewmates to help with the plan instead. It was so nice seeing Usopp distribute fliers, and Franky attempt to track down building plans for a mansion, and Robin snoop around in her geisha guise. I’ve missed those characters! This is shaping up to be a pretty fun arc! – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 43 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – I can’t recall there ever being a bad volume of Skip Beat!, but this one was exceptionally good. Kyoko has been cast as Momiji, but Moko did not get the role of Chidori, so Kyoko is worrying a lot about her (and feeling guilty). It turns out, however, that another challenging role has come Moko’s way. I very much love how these friends can talk to each other about their professional setbacks and opportunities. Meanwhile, Yashiro contrives for Ren and Kyoko to spend some time together, but it backfires when Kyoko, still beliving that Ren is in love with the horrible Morizumi, gets so overwhelmed by how he makes her feel that she gets mad. Poor baffled Ren. Still, I can’t help but feel that this is the start of some real progress for them. We shall see! – Michelle Smith

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 2 | By Honda | Yen Press – This is a fun title to read, but there’s not particularly much to review here. Honda-san walks us through more problems that Japanese bookstores have, from author signings to employee turnover and reassignments, to the difference between BL manga and gay manga. We meet wholesalers, go to a drinking party, and once again deal with a wide variety of customers, including possible yakuza and those who simply buy 90 pounds of titles and can’t carry them out the door. And there’s also the fact that Honda’s manga is now out, which means trouble when one of the prior plotlines, the customer service coaching one, annoyed the bosses. Still good, but you may want to stick to the anime. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 6 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – It’s hard to top the last volume, which contains the two most famous chapters in the series to date. But this volume remains cute as a button, with an extended plotline involving a visit to a water park that shows off Nishikata’s nice side as well as his embarrassed and scheming sides, and reminds you why Takagi likes him so much. Even better is a chapter where she’s depressed (and thus not teasing him) all day, and he tries to find out why and cheer her up. Not that she’s willing to give up her place as the winner of every battle. That said, even the chapter with the eyedrops (which is another “will they try for a kiss” moment) has a tag reminding us these are still innocent middle-schoolers. Which is why this is so cute. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[kiokubu]

MIIKA

Maybe try to take some aspects from his Persona 5 version because that seemed to really work well (if it can still work even without his backstory with Kazu, that remains to be seen) 

His talent doesn’t feel like it should be centered around service 

Need to find a balance between just how antagonistic he’s supposed to be versus slight sympathy but either way he needs to have his whiny bitch sides of his personality pushed back behind the scenes

There’s no way he hasn’t killed people,ever 

He’d probably be a killer, but maybe if he stops being such a whiny bitch with a deathwish, he’ll value his life enough to not. 

Maybe it didn’t need to be explicitly stated, but as per Finnish tradition, he is heavily against small talk. 

SKULL

Is hyposensitive to touch, leading to her to crave touch (and having a hard time keeping her hands off objects). She is often not aware of being touched or bumped unless it’s more forceful. 

When she was younger, would chew on things like pens and erasers a lot. She was also prone to wanting to rough play on the playground, not always very conscious of what others around her wanting, leading to her tackling and wrestling other kids and not really being cognizant of the fact that they felt attacked, not like they were playing. This did not help her socially.  

Really likes those squishy toys and has a lot of them laying around in her room/stuffed into her backpack. 

A lot of foods taste the same to her, unless if they are extreme in taste. This is why she likes extremely sugary foods and struggles with bland food, which tastes gross to her. 

Tends to run more than walk, runs up stairs taking two steps at a time, etc. 

She idealises strong protagonists who can be sassy but stoic and also who are heroic. She really wants a group of friends (or “comrades” or “companions”) who she could trust to fight with in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Wearing skimpy clothing is a part of this setup, too. She isn’t against other females but quietly prefers more male friends because she enjoys being a cute girl who likes these kind of games most girls aren’t into, and being the only girl in a group like that. It shouldn’t be exaggerated, but as a result of that, she may be a little lowkey bitchy towards any females who would get near her friend-group, viewing them as threats. 

Possibly grew up in South Florida as opposed to Virginia Beach, such as around the Miami area (or she could have lived in both at different points). 

Her murder plan would possibly be a little similar to Maizono’s, luring a guy who might be attracted to her somewhere isolated. I don’t know exactly how she’d kill them, but I like the idea that their corpse would be found in a pool, after having been in there for a few hours. Despite appearing like an idiot, it’d be nice if her case was actually pretty tricky to solve. During the trial, she would potentially try to throw the blame onto someone else, claiming something something video games. Once singled out as the culprit, she would start to get a lot more agitated, insisting over and over that it’s impossible that she did it. Towards the end after being cornered, she would start getting crying sprites and more or less be trying to justify her murder, even if only to herself, angrily claiming that that guy (the victim) didn’t actually care about her anyway, so who cares, he was probably just hoping she’d be gullible enough to show him her tits and have no idea what he actually wanted (worded less clunky), that he just thought she was some annoying weird freak like everyone else. She’d say that EVERYONE there just wants to get out of this place, even if she tries to say it’s a fun game, she just wants out, she wants out, she wants to go home, she wants to sleep in her own bed, she wants to see her father again (on that note, would be pretty susceptible to motive videos too). More out of a moment of panic than her actual feelings, she would claim that she wishes they all died, because she knows they all see her as the joke character anyway (paraphased), and basically starts projecting her years of memories of bullying on them. It’d be nice if someone said something nice to her before she died that could help calm her down a bit for her execution, tbh. 

Her background suffering socially should really be fleshed out and made more relevant, especially since years of severe bullying would change your character, so just a quick tour of things that happened to her: had her vita smashed, her ds stolen, she was asked out by a guy as a joke and laughed at by a group of people, generally mocked daily, experienced racist jokes and remarks, generally treated like she didn’t exist and excluded/deliberately ignored, and one time someone made a fake social media account with her name (and the icon being an unflattering picture they took without her noticing) and wrote embarrassing things under it and followed a bunch of people in the school so it would get around. (interestingly, she would definitely hold a grudge over these things and hate her bullies rather than forgive them, but would be sympathetic towards a pedophile who kidnapped her... stockholm syndrome-prone or something else?) 

Maybe this further explains her extreme loyalty to anyone who’s nice to her, even if they’re a serial killer (she may also have less empathy for non-comrades due to her past, further explaining why she’s so chill with it) 

Also likes visual stims, has those little clear wands filled with water and glitter and will play with them a lot whenever she isn’t gaming (she almost always has something in her hand) 

Maybe idolises Samantha Maxis from zombies (background lore, some little girl who was killed and now controls the zombies and something revenge) 

DAISUKE

He still might have some kind of yakuza ties I just don’t know how 

He possibly does a kind of martial art as a personal hobby? 

He’d possibly kill, he wouldn’t be motivated by anything on the outside though, so that kind of thing wouldn’t work. He’d be motivated by getting out just so he isn’t, you know, trapped in a killing game only. But he might not be willing to kill out of logic-- it’s not like they know the world is ended, so couldn’t they get in serious trouble with the law? And how can they know the mastermind will actually keep their word and let them go? So basically his skepticism would be what would keep him from going along with things. 

ICE HOCKEY

He’d be difficult to date because he’s bad with vulnerable feelings, and despises emotional weakness because it’s nothing something he’s ever really personally felt. So he’d basically suck at comforting a girl, being more likely to tell her it shouldn’t bother her and she should just get over it, with him genuinely thinking he’s handling the situation flawlessly. Because he’s extremely driven and has never really been prone to those negative feelings, he really just doesn’t get it, and that’s why he’d probably work best dating a fellow elite athlete, because he really wouldn’t have patience for a girl who doesn’t have his energy and drive. 

If Fuyumi wasn’t in the game, he would have possibly been driven to commit a murder because he’d be very disturbed by the possibility of falling behind as an ice hockey player and would not be able to tolerate just standing around and doing nothing. But since Fuyumi is in the game, he couldn’t have actually done that-- and once she dies, it shows that even without memories of them getting closer, he still valued her memory more than that. 

That said, he’s still really driven to get the fuck out of there, and back to the ice rink. So, he’d probably be a character more motivated to find a way out rather than just sitting around and accepting the situation. 

He has headphones and the only thing that plays through them is very energetic metal and rock. Loudly.

Likes tonkatsu a lot, and shogayaki. He doesn’t like weak bitch vegetable dishes because he needs MEAT to make him strong on the ice. Well it’s not that he’s literally like that, but it’s true he doesn’t really find vegetable-based dishes to really give him the energy he needs. 

Spellings for Shinya could be  心矢 (heart, arrow), 新哉 (new, start),  進弥 (move on, progress) or  伸弥 (extend, progress) 

One time maybe he did get tips from Makeup Artist. They got along unexpectedly well, considering. 

TSURU

Dissociates fairly often and will just draw a complete work of art in an hour while completely on a different plane of reality. You can get his attention it might just take a little bit. 

He was basically suicidal since like, 4 and would try to bang his head against walls and stuff and also wrap cords/wires around his neck and this continued on for a lot of his early childhood then it calmed down, but it was kind of concerning for a bit

In addition to being denied food there could have been some physical abuse at times, so he would get some bruises and if anyone asked he’d brush it off and claim he’s clumsy but if you pay attention he is really not clumsy at all 

Like I said, he’s probably borderline but he’s not aware of this and if anyone ever suggested the possibility he would not take it very well or even consider it because he doesn’t have any problems at all 

He probably didn’t betray Kaii over a single thing randomly, he probably slowly started to feel like Kaii was going to betray him over the course of weeks or months so it wasn’t quite “oh no they saw my sketchbook” 

Is remarkably very high functioning for being borderline, has one major difference against a main stereotype though, which is that he’s possibly aroace (not confirmed though, but either way, is grey-aroace or whatever), so he doesn’t have the whole “in a new relationship constantly that always ends dramatically and painfully” thing going on, but it is worth mentioning that he stockpiles friends like you’d stockpile supplies for the zombie apocalypse. Like he has a lot of backups, rather than talking to a single person too much. It’s kind of like trying to max out a strategy game. Anyway, rather than necessarily embodying the kind of “yandere girl(boy)friend” image that bpd usually gets in media, there’s more of a focus on a weak sense of identity, emotional outbursts, rage than comes and goes at times at random (often followed by emptiness), self-harm and suicide ideation. Also paranoia and at times potentially a weaker grasp over reality (since Maison’s probably not going to have this as much anymore anyway).

(Actually maybe that’s why he’s so resistant to going blind-- or one major reason-- because if he’s basing his entire identity around what he is as an artist, if he loses access to that then literally everything is empty from what he can see to what he feels. So that’s probably too much that couldn’t be brought back from. Similar situation with losing a limb, or at least, arms I guess)

RURI

Sensory issues mostly relate to sound and touch. She’s picky about bedding, unable to tolerate old and bumpy bedding, needing to to be a very particular fabric. Also doesn’t do well with new, stiff clothing, and is also very particular about fabrics here. She doesn’t always dress very well for the weather because she’s more concerned about these details than temperature. 

Hates having dirty hands-- isn’t terrified of germs, just really can’t stand the feeling. Is picky about hand wash because if it leaves her hands feeling dry, the feeling is distressing. 

It isn’t a constant, but has a habit of walking on her toes. 

Isn’t really a fast walker, gets overwhelmed and ends up taking breaks from walking like sitting on a bench for a bit frequently. 

Is sensitive to noise, and when combined with a lot of walking/going out/light/heat/stimulation in general, ends up with a severe headache towards the end of the day. 

Her favourite food is ginger snaps, and she has a particular brand she buys, with nothing else working. She has a few other foods (including more nutritious ones, fortunately) that she likes, but generally only likes a small number of the same exact foods and isn’t good about eating anything else. 

She possibly commissioned Savannah to make her a robotic version of a pet animal from her world (the Snowickle one). It now follows her around and, at a first glance, is very lifelike, until you hold it, or realise that she never buys food for it and that it sometimes needs its batteries recharged. 

If I had to write a situation where she was a killer, it would be self-defense gone genuinely wrong, as there’s no chance she would be willing to kill someone, or to risk being a culprit and getting executed. If she did accidentally kill someone under these circumstances, she would freak out very quickly after the fact and try her best to hide the corpse somewhere that would take longer to find. Although she wouldn’t want everyone else to die, she wouldn’t exactly volunteer up her life immediately either. Through the trial, she would act as she normally does, but be lying about details (such as claiming to have already forgotten who died and purposely suggesting things that suggests she forgot obvious details of the case). Her undoing would at least partially involve driving this too excess, acting excessively useless and clueless compared to normal. Once suspected as the culprit, she’d try to deny it, claiming that she couldn’t move a body, or have the strength to even injure someone else, etc, but would eventually admit to it (relatively) calmly for the situation, accepting her fate. She would try to take her execution with an expressionless face, telling herself to the then that perhaps her death on earth will be the portal back to her homeland. 

She almost withdrew out of school before going to Hope’s Peak because as her mother told her, there was “no point in her getting a high school education” anyway, and quietly this really bothered/hurt her, but at the time just trusted that it was probably true and that it shouldn’t bother her because of that. 

ATTORNEY 

Is a female now!

Possibly nationalities: Slovene, British, Japanese, Romanian, French 

Might take some traits from Assassin-- not the assassin part but like... whatever else 

Probably needs a more compelling backstory or something... something else to stand out 

MAKEUP ARTIST 

[dlamp-dictator]

Allen’s Friday Update

So, in an effort to get back into regularly blogging, I’m going to try and do little update posts every Friday where I talk about the general things that happened to me during the week. The games I’ve been playing, manga I’ve been reading, anime I’ve been watching, activities I’ve been up to, things of that nature. And... y’know, give myself something of an easy benchmark for when I go back to doing my big Ramblings. And I’ve got a lot to discuss for a first week.

E3 Happened

And much like every E3 that happens I didn’t really tune in because my job(s) keep me away from a computer for most of the day and I, frankly, have better things to do than watch game executives fumble about with the crowd. I did check out a few trailers and here are my current thoughts on what little I’ve seen:

Banjo-Kazooie is in Smash and that’s fantastic... now if only I played Smash more often. I’m not to big into the series aside from just having the games and fighters. Still hoping for an honest-to-god Subspace Emissary/Story Mode DLC at some point. I would honestly pay $25 for that with no complaint.

Destroy All Humans is getting a remake and that’s fantastic, I’m really looking forward to it in 2020. DAH was joy to play back in the day. I heard they were going to try and modernize the gameplay a little for a current-era audience, so I’m excited to see what we get.

Three Houses looks fine. I think I’m going to go in hibernation on that until it comes out. I want to go into that game blind.

The new Pokemon game... it exist and the internet is up in arms about a chick in a swimsuit... this is why we can’t have nice things.

Oh yeah, there was an English trailer for Persona 5 Royal, so that was nice.

I know a Tales of Arise trailer happened... I just didn’t watch. I want to go into that game blind too, at least for now.

Yeah, not much caught my notice for E3. Just getting my thoughts out there. Anyway onto stuff that has been happening to me.

Video Games

Been playing a lot of Yakuza 0 lately and enjoying the game a lot. My first entry into the series of Yakuza 4, and playing 0 reminds me of why I liked it. The combat is fast and fun, the story is classic crime drama that tugs at my emotions, the side quests are great, if pushing my suspension of disbelief a little, and I love how you get four fighting styles in the game, one of them being unlocked after a very lengthy side quest. There’s a bit of narrative dissonance with certain mechanics of the game, namely how you make money, but I’ll probably save that for a later Rambling. Everything’s been great so far, and I’m going to try and unlock the secret style for Majima before continuing the game in earnest. I at chapter 13 if I remember correctly  and only two more Hostess Clubs away from unlocking Majima’s final style, so wish me luck.

Been playing AFK Arena on my phone for the past two months. A real fun game that only asks for 15-30 minutes of my time a day. It has a surprising amount of lore in it as well if you read the character profiles. So far my favorite characters are Silvana, Isabelle, and Estrilda. Really, the Graveborn faction in general is just my Edgelord aesthetic, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Been playing a bit of Hollow Knight on my Switch recently. It’s a nice game to sink about an hour in every day. It’s pretty nice to have on the go... not that I get to play it on the go much, but nice having it in my hands.

Manga and Anime

Finally got volume 15 of Twin Star Exorcists, meaning I’m at my cut-off point. I might do a Rambling/Review of the series this month. Overall, I’m curious about where the manga is going, but disappointed by a few elements. Rokuro shouldn’t be having this mini-harem building when he’s already engaged with Benio. This manga did something pretty subversive by immediately attaching the male and female lead together in an arranged marriage and making them actually fall in love with each other as the manga goes on. By then end of volume 15 Benio admits (albeit privately) that she loves her husband, and when Rokuro is off getting a whole bunch of potential love interests while Benio outright shuts down Kamui’s budding feelings, it makes Rokuro feel like not only a weak protagonist, but a weak man. Other than that I like how things are coming together with the whole mission to finally stop Yuto. Again, not sure where the manga is going, but I’m still invested.

I digitally bought Samurai Girl Real Bout High School on Amazon’s Comixology website... Yeah. I haven’t read them yet, but I have the whole series. I’m looking forward to reading about tough Samurai girls beating each other up.

The Rising of the Shield Hero basically reached it’s narrative conclusion last week, so I think I can safely give my thoughts on it without worry of people dog-piling me for not reading the light novel. It’s... okay. For Isekai, it’s pretty good, but since Re:Zero, Saga of Tanya the Evil, and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash exist, I don’t really see a reason to watch this if you’re already familiar with a Deconstructive take on the Isekai genre. Again, it’s good and I can recommend it if you haven’t seen a good Isekai in awhile, but... this has been done before.

Art and Writing

It’s June, so that means I’m doing the DUTAC once again. For those new, it’s when I draw and upload something on my deviantart everyday for the month of June. Originally, it was a way for me to get use to the feel of the tablet, as well as put the dang thing to use. But as this is the third year of me doing this, it’s mostly to keep up the tradition. I usually have a set of rules and challenges for myself, but being a lot lighter this year since I have two jobs. Basically just gonna’ draw whatever comes to mind. I’ll post the highlights of what I’ve done so far later tonight.

I’m writing Violaceous Storm again! Again, for those new, this was basically my kung fu girl story. You know those red and blue kung fu girls you see me post picture of? It’s about those two. I’ll probably make a rambling about this one later as well, but it feels good to rewrite about this girls again. 

Anyway, that’s it for this update. Ideally it’ll look nicer as time goes on, but for now I’m going head out, do some laps, and get back to work on Yakuza 0.

[recentanimenews]

Kotobukiya and How Crunchyroll Hime Came to Life in Figure Form!

When it comes to showing one’s love for their favorite anime character or series, there are a lot of great merchandise options: charms, pins, badges, pillowcases, posters, and clothing are just some of the tips of the iceberg! But the overall reigning champion of anime merch is the figure. Nothing quite captures the charm and excitement of our favorite characters like a sculpted, scaled figure, ranging from the small and adorable chibi-style figurines to large scale plastic and PVC figures like those from Kotobukiya. But how does one go about making those types of figures? What types of work goes into creating a physical representation of an anime character, ensuring that it captures the feel and personality of the character it is meant to represent, so fans can show off their best guys and girls to the world?

Last year at Crunchyroll Expo, we were able to get some of the answers to these and many other questions! With the announcement of the Crunchyroll Hime figure earlier last year, Crunchyroll Expo was the perfect place to sit down with the ladies behind the idea of a Hime figure, Victoria and Tiffa, to hear directly from them how this project came to life in the first place. The panel also gave us the ability to listen and learn the process that Kotobukiya went through in order to bring our beloved mascot to life! So read on, dear reader, if you’d like to know more about how Hime came to be and what the process to creating her was, what the first attempts at making a Hime figure were like, why Kotobukiya wants to know characters personalities along with their art, or about the type of skin figures can have!

Victoria: Tiffa and I started to get a Hime figure going back in early 2014 before she had any sort of brand equity. People didn’t really know who she was; was often thought as just “the Crunchyroll girl” or would call her “Crunchy-tan”. We really wanted a figure, so we convinced our e-commerce team at the time to try and get that going. We thought “Oh, this means that they’ll reach out to a Japanese company!” or something of the sort.

Tiffa: And this is when I was first starting and didn’t really know anything, so I was so excited that we were going to start doing something with our mascot… and then a whole bunch of these came in…

Victoria: Their faces were cracked! They were like those early Amiibos, so I kept calling it a Hime Amiibo! (laughs) It was pretty bad… I don’t even know where they came from!

Tiffa: A little bit about working with Kotobukiya: I actually got approached by someone from our e-commerce team about making a Hime figure. Finally, after that freakin’ cursed one came out! (everyone laughs) We found a really great partner to work with; we were talking to a couple but ended up working with Kotobukiya. It was a great honor to work with them! It was incredible because I love their figures and statues! It’s the first time that I worked with a really big Japanese figure company.

I was surprised how thorough Kotobukiya was during the whole process of making the figure. Even before starting the sculpt, Kotobukiya asked a whole bunch of questions about Hime, like how tall she was or what kind of personality she has, so that they could put all those expressions into the figure.

The figure is based on this 2D image here. They asked other questions like “Do you have any setting art?” or “Do you know what her hands look like behind her head?” or “How does her bow work?” and “What do you want her to be standing on?” These were a lot of detailed questions. They really wanted our input to do it right from the beginning.

Victoria: Yeah, now we know what things to keep in mind in case we do something like this again in the future!

We do have Hime’s color guide here. We did a lot of the prep work to get materials ahead of time, so that if and when they came to us and wanted to do it, we’d be like “Oh, we’re ready!” We have all of her clothing broken down, so you can see how it all fits together.

  I was in Japan when the first figure sculpt was completed. Kotobukiya came to our office to show it to us and they happened to bring the sculptor with them as well. We had to double-check the figure and making sure everything was on point.

  Tiffa: This was the original figure concept that we got. It was made of brown clay; it was very soft and you could easily bend it or break it off! The sculptor took out each piece very carefully from a plastic container and set it there for us to look at. Then they explained every part of the figure to us. If there were any changes that we wanted on the sculpt, the sculptor actually asked me to draw it right on the figure. I was so scared that I would break it!

Victoria: They gave us a pencil and asked us to draw any corrections on it, and we were like “Wait, we’re just kids! What are you talking about?!

Tiffa: After that first brown clay figure was made, we got the second revision of the figure. In the first one, you could see that it was really rough-looking; the hair is not really articulated, and she looked kinda goopy, like Betty Spaghetti! (laughs) I was a bit hesitant at first but I left it to the sculptor to refine it. Then a few months later, we got this yellow figure, which is a harder plaster. I’ve seen this kind of thing before at another figure company. They use this kind of dry plaster and mix it with a liquid to build up the figure, then they shape and polish the figure by hand. The grey sculpt is the final version of the figure sculpt before the coloring. After that version, there would be no going back! 

Victoria: She called me at 3am to ask if everything looked okay!

Tiffa: We really took the time revising the figure in the sculpt stage to make sure it would not need any changes after the master sculpt was casted. I literally had to stare at Hime’s artwork for like 3 hours a day for a week! So then, when I looked at the figure sculpt, I could spot if there was anything wrong instantly. I had multiple meetings in person with Kotobukiya to look over the sculpt. I would just put the figure on the table and spin it around while intensely staring at it! (laughs) They printed out giant sheets of the Hime setting art and wrote comments on what they recommended for the figure.

Victoria: For example, the sculpt for the hair was originally so heavy that Kotobukiya suggested pushing her bow up to support her hair. There we so many things that we never thought would factor into making this figure.

Tiffa: Luckily in the later version of the sculpt we realized we could have her hair free floating if we changed to a lighter material, so it was great to have Kotobukiya there to guide us.

While working on this project I got to learn a lot about the figure industry. For example, it seems there’s not really a school to learn how to be a figure sculptor or painter, it kind of starts out as a hobby. The painter for Hime’s figure has worked at Kotobukiya for over 15 years, so he’s likely done work for hundreds of figures! As he was painting Hime, he mentioned that his goal is not to create anything new with the paint but to define the shadows and highlights of what the sculptor already made.

Victoria: It's like contouring the entire body!

Tiffa: During the process they also asked me what kind of finish I wanted for each paint. Like, did we want the eyes to have a layer of glaze, so they’d shine beautifully? They also asked me what kind of finish I wanted for the skin portions of figure. I didn't even realise there were so many types, some were like a smooth matte plastic, some had a soft touch surprisingly similar to real skin; it was hard to make a decision. I spent a lot of time looking at the other figures in the office, and just touching them to see what kind of finishes they had used.

Victoria: Just touching ‘em?! (laughs) The skin?

Tiffa: Yeah, the skin! (laughs) And fabrics too! I had to discuss with Victoria about what material all of Hime’s clothing would hypothetically be made of. Like, her kimono dress needed to be like a matte fabric but we intentionally added a pearl finish to her obi to give it more dimension. Her boots needed to look like a shiny pleather.

Victoria: We had us a bunch of paint chips to choose from, and they asked us which level of the shininess in each color we’d like, and I was like “I don't know! I can’t imagine it without the figure right in front of me!”

Tiffa: Yeah, I can’t believe that we were able to make this in less than 10 months! It’s just incredible to me! And now it’s up for order!

Victoria: Yeah, it’s finally up for order! You can buy it on the Crunchyroll online store for $95, but if you ordered it while you were at Crunchyroll Expo, you’d get it at the special pricing of $85 and you get a special gift with it! The figure that was in the exhibitor hall is the second deco master one, so we had to fly it to each convention from Japan, and then they had to go back right away.

Tiffa: They had to be flown back to the factory as soon as possible to be made, so they were ready to go in December! 

    Thanks so much to Victoria and Tiffa for sharing the experience of bringing Hime to life with us, as well as the process behind figure making. It’s easy to forget all of the hard work that goes into bringing our favorite characters to life, but even to longtime figure collectors and fans, I’m sure there were a couple of surprising tidbits that you've learned here, like figure skin choices and clothing textures! The Hime figure is now available, so if you want this beautiful figure to grace your workstation or perhaps maybe have it as a coffee table piece, dreams can come true TODAY! Go on, you don't want to make Hime wait, do you?

Buy the Hime figure today!

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Nicole is a features and a social video script writer for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com