#also whenever I think about how Makoto gets better at lying in response his feeling that he has to be as strong as he can be

[kotaerukoto]

I just want to say thank you to everyone who is or has interacted with Makoto in times or verses where he hasn't experienced The Horrors. I've been thinking of how irrevocably different things can get for him once things go south and MAN. There's just something about characters whose trauma happens during the story itself instead of being part of the backstory that hits different for me

edit: i love writing him going through The Horrors don't get me wrong I just also like it when he gets a break

[amazingmb1226]

The Missing Cowboy Bandit pt 1

Hello! So i just wanted to say that this is my first ever Ishimondo fanfic! I came up with this story just today and I needed to start it so yeah lol! I hope you enjoy the first chapter to this wild west au Ishimondo mess! 

The day started as any other would. Ishimaru woke up before the sun rose, the stars still shining in the sky. He stretched out his limbs and grabbed his uniform. Kiyotaka put it on and grabbed something to eat for breakfast then left for work. Simple. But what he has to do would not be easy, nor simple. Ishimaru had to go find his best friend, Mondo.

Oowada had been missing for almost a week, which is not like him at all. Usually, the cowboy criminal would do something stupid than go to the tavern and have a drink or too, than get in a fight. He had never just disappeared, not being the type to run from any type of danger. Mondo must have had a change of heart, that's what Ishimaru would tell himself. After all, wanted posters printed with his name could be found all over the town.  

Ishimaru walked behind his house to the stable, where his white horse was located. He walked in and took it off its lead, mounting on it. Kiyotaka then directed his steed to go, galloping to the center of town where the most crime took place. ‘Maybe Mondo will come back today. He might even turn himself in.” he told himself, trying to stay positive about his current situation. 

                             --------------------------------------------------

Ishimaru dismounted his horse, yelling and clamouring coming from the inside of the tavern. Kiyotaka rushed in, holding his pistol out just in case things got worse. “Everyone stop right now!” He ordered, looking around the crowded establishment. He could see the owner, Aoi, crouching behind the counter of the bar with Maizono and Komaru. He could also see Sakura breaking up one of the fights in the back of the tavern. Everyone stopped, looking at the sheriff. Well, almost everyone. “Who the hell do you think you are, telling us what we can and can’t do?” A man with a rather extreme looking pompadour asked angrily. “I am Sheriff Ishimaru!” Kiyotaka replied, pointing his weapon to the delinquent. Oowada resisted for a moment, then started to walk towards Ishimaru. “That doesn’t mean shit.” Mondo said, looking down at the sheriff. “I don’t listen to no one. You gotta earn my respect first and having that stupid badge on your shirt doesn’t doesn’t mean anything.” Oowada said, poking his index finger on the golden sheriff badge on Ishimaru’s chest. Kiyotaka huffed and looked back up at the rebel. He started to put his gun back in its holster. “And what exactly would someone have to do to earn your respect?” Ishimaru asked, his anger rising. Mondo smirked, crossing his arms. “Meet me at the field just outside of town. 9pm sharp. “ Oowada said. He walked over to a table and slammed some money on it to pay for the drinks he had, shoving past Ishimaru to the exit of the tavern. 

                         -----------------------------------------------------

Ishimaru tied his horses lead to a wooden pole at the entrance of the town, starting to walk around. Not many places were open yet, but there was still always the possibility of something happening in the early hours of the day. He gave quick hellos to shop owners who started to open their businesses. They all happened to notice how off he’d seemed recently though. Usually he would give them a smile and maybe even have a small conversation with them. Now he just mumbled them a quick greeting and maybe waved. They all didn’t know why he seemed so different though. 

No one knew what Kiyotaka and Oowada had, nor could they understand. Why would the sheriff and a criminal associate themselves with each other anyway? But they really were close. When people weren’t around, they would talk for hours, chatting about what their dreams were and anything that came to their minds. Ishimaru cherished Mondo as his best friend, his brother. He cared about him deeply and whenever he got hurt from a fight, the sheriff would always patch him up and reprimand him about his bad choices. Mondo would just roll his eyes and chuckle. How he wished to go back to those times.

“Sheriff, are you alright?” Makoto Naegi asked, tapping Kiyotaka on the shoulder. Ishimaru hadn’t even realized that he was standing still in the street. His eyes were glossy, tears threatening to fall. Kiyotaka wiped his eyes, nodding in response. “Yes I am perfectly fine.” he responded, sniffling. Makoto sighed looking at Ishimaru sympathetically. “It’s fine to be sad sometimes y’know.” he said, keeping his hand on Kiyotaka’s shoulder. Ishimaru stayed quiet, looking down at the dirt road. “You wouldn’t understand. It’s-it’s foolish, really.” the sheriff responded, avoiding looking at Naegi. “Even if it is, it’s best to get whatever is bothering you off your chest. You’ll feel a lot better.” Makoto responded. Ishimaru doubted what he said, sighing. Even so, there was the possibility it could help. “It’s about Mondo.” Ishimaru mumbled.

Makoto nodded, thinking about what that could mean. “Do you want to find him? To bring him to justice or something?” he asked Ishimaru curiously. Kiyotaka hated lying, but that seemed better than telling the detective that he was friends with a criminal. “Yes. I am disappointed in myself because I could not reprehend him before he ran to...where ever he might be now.” Kiyotaka replied. Naegi seemed to believe this, nodding at what he said. “Well, we could probably get some others to help you find him!” he said with a small smile. “No no, that won’t be-” Before Ishimaru could finish, Naegi had grabbed him, leading him further down town. “Come on! We would have to find people and quick! We wouldn’t want him getting even further, right?” The detective said. He sighed and nodded, following behind Makoto. “I suppose so.” He replied with a small frown. Ishimaru had a bad feeling about this, but tried to ignore it.

[thedramafilesblog-blog]

Appearing before the Dramacourt: Boku Unmei no Hito desu Eps 1 & 2

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether the Yamapi God x Makoto bromance is better than the Goblin x Grim Reaper bromance

Whether the rival (Sadaoka Mitsukuni) is actually creepy and annoying

Whether the “fate” aspect of this drama is believable

The Rule(s):

Yes, yes, yes! The Yamapi God x Makoto bickerings are hilarious.

Yes. Total creep vibe and annoying.

Yes, it is quite believable.

Analysis:

Jubiemon J: Only two episodes have aired, yet I’m already totally invested in this drama! I’ve been seeking a light-hearted rom com for a while and luckily, this drama has fulfilled that wish of mine so far! In dramas, we always have that annoying 2nd lead girl trying to steal the 1st lead guy, but in this case we have a lead guy, Masaki Makoto, trying to marry his “fated” girl, Kogetsu Haruko, to have a child that will eventually save Earth! (Finally, it’s the guy doing the heavy lifting for once in dramas.) Yes, that premise sounds completely far-fetched and silly, but I think the first episode did a great job convincing us and Makoto that Yamapi God (I don’t think he’s named yet) is right: There is something called fate. Yamapi God goes through a list of meetings/encounters/events that have occurred that prove that Makoto and Haruko are destined to be together and that God has kept trying to pair them together. Now it’s up to Makoto to take action! It also helps that Makoto is really a pure-hearted, honest guy who truly believes in love! Then you have Haruko who has a complete outlook on love; she doesn’t believe in it anymore after getting into several bad relationships in the past. Throw in a guy rival, Sadaoka Mitsukuni, who beat Makoto at a baseball game even though that game was the only one that Mitsukuni had played all season. Then you have an interesting fate vs choice romance. The encounters/chances that Makoto and Haruko have are based on fate, whereas those that Mitsukuni and Haruko face are based on choice. The question is . . . will she pick a fated love or one of her choice? Or was there even a choice in the end?

Love triangle . . .

The final highlight for me, of course, is the bromance between Yamapi God x Makoto! We’ve seen the duo in Nobuta wa Produce and it’s great to see them again! They have awesome bromance chemistry.  The two of them do great for comedy too!

(A side note: This review will be our first Japanese drama review! I watch a lot of Japanese dramas too, but for the past year or so, I didn’t find any that really motivated me to review it. This one did! We’ll likely be reviewing movies or other Asian dramas in the future.)

Issue 1: Whether the Yamapi God x Makoto bromance is better than the Goblin x Grim Reaper bromance

Jubiemon J: Yes! I pick the Yamapi God x Makoto bromance over the one in Goblin. Sorry Goblin fans. I enjoy the Yamapi God x Makoto bromance far more. Why? I much prefer the playfulness that comes with this bromance and this type of bickering between the two. In Goblin, we had two grown-ass who have lived for thousands of years . . . playing really childish pranks. Sure you can say that that’s why it’s funny! The difference in expectation and reality . . . but those little moments can only last a bit until they’d get old. Somehow I didn’t laugh so much when the two quarrelled.

Look at the cute dance song they did for the ending credits! So adorbs!

  In this drama, on the other hand, I sincerely laugh whenever Yamapi God unexpectedly pops into Makoto’s house and starts chatting to Makoto who is dead ass tired from work. Yamapi God also has an awesome and far more interesting personality compared to Goblin. Yamapi God is super chill, dresses like a trendy guy in a bomber jacket, and likes to mess with Makoto’s head. Goblin, on the other hand, is . . . I honestly couldn’t get a good feel of his personality. At times, he was uptight, but then Grim Reaper embodied that super uptight, serious personality far better. Then Goblin would be like a 10-year-old for love and turn all moody. His character was just all over for me. (I was a fan of Grim Reaper.) Yamapi God’s personality contrasts Makoto super well. Makoto is way too serious, not in the Grim Reaper way where he’s dead pan, but the sort that would follow the rules from A to Z and never lie or cheat his way through life. Makoto also admitted to Haruko’s father that people say  that he can’t really get jokes because he takes things too literally. When you have an innocent, pure-hearted, hardworking guy with Yamapi God who is a prankster . . . the bromance is just fabulous! The evidence is below!

Look at these moments when Yamapi God pranks Makoto!

When you’re just chilling after a long day of work . . .

and then Yamapi God pops up under your sofa! Ha!

Freaking out b/c of his room’s appearance changing

Just Yamapi God decorating his place with some vintage stuff and Japanese traditional goods to set a “romantic” vibe

And the bickering scenes!

Yamapi God giving love advice

Yamapi God: What’d you think would win Haruko over?

Makoto: Love and passion.  (Side note: so pure hearted!)

Yamapi God: No. Money!

Then Yamapi God teases him after they chat some more: With your savings account, you can’t even buy socks!

Makoto: Huh?! Aren’t socks bought cheaply?

Yamapi God: You really think you are in a position to argue with me? Do you want me to tell you how much is in your savings account now?

Yamapi God: Haruko is sleeping with your rival right now!

Makoto: No way! Stop lying to me! It’s a lie!

 Makoto: Whose side are you on exactly?!

Next scene shows Mitsukuni sleeping . . . by the bar. Yamapi God doesn’t lie, just likes to mess with Makoto’s brain.

Yamapi God: It’s a joke, a joke, a classical joke!

  Just Yamapi God decorating Makoto’s place to have a romantice vibe. LOL!

Issue 2: Whether the rival (Sadaoka Mitsukuni) is actually creepy and annoying

Jubiemon J: Yes! I think Mitsukuni is the type that seems like the perfect guy–nice, handsome, charming, rich, intelligent, and responsible. However, I don’t think he is completely that. When he is interacting with Makoto, he was kind of a jerk in a passive aggressive way. He kept pretending that he knew who Makoto was but kept calling him the wrong name. Rude. Not just that, when Makoto said that he thought Mitsukuni played well during the baseball game, Mitsukuni said that it was just by luck and that it was the first time he had officially played. If he did that once, it wouldn’t be so bad, but Mitsukuni kept emphasizing how his teammates were all saying how he was so lucky. Obviously that actually made Makoto look really bad because Makoto had trained a lot to be the pitcher and then this batter who just swung once won against him. Awful.

Fake ass trying to be all friendly like “Hey, I remember you!!” Pfft. *rolls eyes*

Then there was the part where he was creeping on Haruko from the other building that he works in. Yuck. Don’t creep like that. Ugh. No!

  Issue 3: Whether the “fate” aspect of this drama is believable

Jubiemon J: I think the “fate” aspect of this drama is believable. I’m slightly biased too because I’ve always been a believer in fate for some things, like why you end up meeting some people and not others, why you sometimes keep meeting the same people coincidently, why a certain city ended up being your hometown rather than any other one, etc. Some things you really can’t choose. I think this drama does a good job portraying fate and choice in relationships. Of course, the fate part is exaggerated a bit more like the number of times Makoto and Haruko have passed by one another’s lives like how they actually met when they were five and played together at some beach, how she encouraged him when he lost his baseball game, how they ended up being office neighbours, and more. What makes these events/encounters believable are two things: (i) Makoto and Haruko’s reactions to them; and (ii) the natural feeling to these events.

Haruko complaining to her bff about Makoto

(i) Makoto and Haruko weren’t believers in fate

Jubiemon J: Makoto was totally unconvinced that Haruko was his soulmate until Yamapi God proved to him how they kept meeting each other. Haruko is also still not persuaded that she should date Makoto. I mean, if a guy kept saying that he’s your soulmate one day, that’d be kind of scary, right? I’m glad that she has been rejecting Makoto’s advances, meaning that Makoto has to try to make her fall for him slowly. I think that’s more realistic than her agreeing that he’s the one instantly. I also wouldn’t say that Makoto is a stalker. He still doesn’t have Haruko’s number yet and it’s not like he purposely stakes her out and follows her home etc. He’s still working hard at his job to try to get the bonus to eventually have a date with her.

Makoto’s emotional speech about why he thinks she’s the one . . . and then she goes . . . NO. (I admit . . . my heart broke a bit.)

(ii) These events come as a surprise

Jubiemon J: Although Yamapi God does give Makoto hints as to what he needs to anticipate, what he should do or what his rival has done, Yamapi God also doesn’t say the ending or reward Makoto out of the blue. Makoto still had to work his ass off to get the bonus. He was working way harder than all of his co-workers and they were even saying that he might have been going overboard.  Then the sad part was? He did get the money after making a sale, yet he had to treat his reward to his coworkers! Poor guy!

Cash prize!!

Going door to door to sell water fountains!!

Let’s all go BBQ with YOUR REWARD! TEAM EFFORT . . .  not.

No . . . bye money . . . :'(

The positive side was that through Makoto’s hard work, he somehow met Haruko’s father and sold him some water fountains. Plus, the Dad really liked Makoto! At least the Dad is on his side.

There was also one part where you’d think a childhood promise was sappy and unrealistic, yet it was fulfilled in a creative way. Makoto said that ever since the two shared that moment where they looked at a rainbow together, he would always try to race that rainbow to get to the end. If he did, then he could be with her. (I forget the exact wording, but it was something like that.) You’d think that would never happen, yet somehow . . . on her birthday, the two meet coincidentally and he came out of this convenience store with a rainbow as its logo. So . . . he did fulfill his promise.

Jubiemon J sidebar: Makoto was also seriously so adorable waving and jumping up and down with that umbrella! So cute.

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 5! KYAH! (Is this the first five I’ve given? I think so. This is how much I’ve enjoyed the drama! Can’t wait for more.)

File no: Boku-Unmei-no-Hito-desu-Eps-1-&-2 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Boku Unmei no Hito desu Eps 1 & 2 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***