#and I'm an incredibly honest person so I cannot provide emotional support to the person I think is at least 50% to blame for the situation

[mexashepot]

The summary of today in my personal life

[idiacide]

Match-up info from 📖! Fine with either a match-up with a student or staff, whoever fits best with me. They/them pronouns please! I'd like to think I'm rather laidback and chill, generally try to be polite and amicable on first meeting. Though I definitely can be reserved if I don't click well with someone right off the bat. Though, if we have a shared interest/passion or I can sense the person is really kind, I can definitely open up a lot more easier and can get animated, loud, and excitable.

I try to be a good ear and shoulder to cry on if say my partner has something weighing on them. But if they need advice, I won't be afraid to have a firm tone with them if they need to hear the truth. Of course the support would be overflowing cuz nobody wants to see their partner sad. Definitely can say my love language is affection through physical touch and spending quality time.

Some bad qualities I do have are that I can get rather defensive if someone points out a flaw or I did something wrong. I REALLY cannot let go of grudges if someone has hurt me and I do have a bad habit of not mentioning it cuz I'm too proud to go crawling to the other person to admit I was hurt. (Trying hard to fix this though hrhgrgh) DEFINITELY can get sharp-tongued and raise my voice if someone gets an attitude with me. But at the end of the day, will try to mend anything and clear the air cuz I'd rather be happy than overthink on festering negativity.

Finally, some interests/hobbies include writing, illustrating, animals/wildlife, handcrafts (sewing, crocheting, building minatures, etc), video or tabletop games, collecting merch or interesting lil knick knacks, animated shows, and webcomics.

Sorry if this was so much info, just wanted to give as much foundation as I could, aaaaaaaa.

First paid matchup lets fucking goooo. If you yourself would be interested in a matchup+meetcute, feel free to send me 10 dollars on ko-fi and dm me to work on the specifics.

After having read this over few times, I match you with Jade Leech

-Laidback and chill is a break and a half for Jade, who is used to having to deal with MUCH stronger personalities all day long. It would be the politeness more than anything which drew his attention. Most people tend to treat him as though he’s always up to something. Which, to be fair: he usually is. But still, it’s at least a little frustrating to be held at arm’s length before you’ve even had the chance to say anything. As time goes on he comes to appreciate your general easy-going nature. While he enjoys a bit of chaos in his life, it’s nice to be around someone who neither judges nor worsens circumstances around them.

-Its rare he’ll take advantage of your listening ear, as he prefers to handle matters that trouble him on his own. Still, having the option available to him is honestly refreshing. Floyd tends to be too caught up in his own whirlpool of emotions to really notice what’s going on with his twin. Additionally, he appreciates being able to come to you when he wants an honest assessment. Jade values truth in his partners, and hates people who dance around the facts just to ingratiate themselves. Though he’s not the touchiest person in the world, he’s eager to provide if it helps you relax.

-Again, Jade’s used to dealing with a great deal of stubbornness. There’s a part of him that can even find it endearing. He’s an incredibly patient man, and even gets a little kick sometimes out of encouraging your grudges into a vengeance cycle.Your enemies are his enemies, after all~  However, like you, he tells the truth to the people he values. He’s very careful and tactful, but manages to help you keep certain things in perspective and not go overboard too often.

-As for hobbies, while you share a mutual interest in nature, Jade’s also quite willing to learn about your other fascinations. Handcrafts and your curious collection of items in particular are very readily compelling to him, and he’ll happily listen to you explain the lore behind each of them. As long as you’re willing to repay the favor with his mushrooms.

Meetcute: 

You rocked back on your heels, fidgeting a little with the straps of your pack. The sunlight is just beginning to peak out over the horizon, and you have to keep bouncing from leg to leg to keep warm. Your breath comes out in cloudy spirals. 

Where was everyone? You were fairly certain those fliers had mentioned meeting in the courtyard outside the Hall of Mirrors. 

You hadn’t exactly been searching hard for extracurriculars, but the posted notice for the Mountain Lover’s Club had drawn your eye. You’d always loved animals, and since arriving in this strange world you couldn’t shake a lingering curiosity about the types of magical creatures that might be out there. The poster had promised an early morning hike, free for all prospective members to join. No paperwork required.

Leading to you, standing out here in the cold. Alone.

You were beginning to contemplate cutting your losses and heading back to Ramshackle to warm up when a voice startled you out of your drifting thoughts.

“I must admit, I honestly didn’t expect anyone else to be here.”

You jerked around like you’d been caught. A VERY tall young man with choppy teal hair was emerging from one of the many passageways. Like you, he was dressed for the outdoors, with sturdy clothes and a slightly worn backpack resting comfortably on his shoulder. He seemed almost amused by your presence, mismatched eyes gleaming through the dim light. 

You scrounged desperately around your still growing list of names and faces. It was early days yet, but you had the sneaking suspicion this one had a twin.... “You’re....Jade, right?” God you hope you nailed that one, switching the names somehow felt ruder than just not knowing altogether. He rewards you with a smiling nod as he comes to stand in front of you though, filling you with relief.

“And you’re the prefect of Ramshackle dorm. I’ve heard much about you.”

“Yeah, well....” You shifted a little bit from foot to foot, slightly embarrassed by the notoriety. Isekai into one school orientation... “You said you weren’t expecting anyone?”

“A club involving this much physical exertion with this little glory isn’t exactly popular among students here.” It doesn’t sound like that fact particularly bothers him. You catch a glimpse of sharp teeth as he talks. “We have a few other nominal members, but I’m typically the only one participating in activities like this.”

“Well....that makes this a little awkward, then.” You say, trying to joke off the dawning realization that you’d just signed the two of you up for multiple potential hours of one on one time.

“Is it?” He tilts his head, almost curiously. “I’m not sure....I’ve never minded the privacy, I mainly make the posters for Crowley’s benefit.”

Despite yourself, you feel the faintest twinge of irritation. Sure, it was one thing to joke about it, but did he seriously mean to imply he didn’t want you here? Ordinarily you might not assume so, but with how rude everyone at this school habitually is...”Should I go then?”

His eyes widen, almost in surprise. “Oh, no, you misunderstand. I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. A novelty, rather.” He checks his watch, humming faintly. “Shall we go?”

“Uh...” Stranger. In the woods. For hours. Well, why not. “Sure.”

He smiles again, this time giving you a full view of those sharky teeth of his. You follow him into the hall of mirror, up the stairs towards the world mirror.

“Can I ask what your interest is with this activity?” He said, glancing back at you as you follow him up the stairs. “I’d have thought you’d be more focused on trying to find your footing in the new environment.”

Again, you still weren’t sure how much he meant to sound passive aggressive. Something about the tone read more like genuine curiosity to you, though. “It’s....all been a little overwhelming, honestly.” You admitted. “But...I always liked nature back home. I don’t quite have the tools to engage in a lot of my other hobbies here, but I figure mountains can’t be too terribly different between worlds, right? Besides, there might be some interesting animals to look at. Does that make sense?”

His expression doesn’t change much. But you swear there’s something that flickers, just a little, behind his eyes. “It does. Truly.” The two of you finally arrive at the mirror. Jade pulls his magic pen from his pocket, tapping the glass and watching the ripples carefully. “I’ve always found it relaxing, as well as educational?”

“Educational?”

He grins. “There’s such a broad variety of mushrooms to study here on land...”

In the end, the hours weren’t anywhere near as awkward as you might’ve dreaded. Jade was an easy enough conversationalist, but never seemed to mind the quiet when you ran out of words. More than that, he was a surprising fount of information. You guess it only made sense for what you assumed was the club president? But he usually had some interesting tidbits on the variety of fauna you spotted, as well as a few handy guides on the place which could help fill in the gaps.

“You really do your research.” You say, squinting hard at a few sketches of birds to see what best resembled the one echoing every last word you said. Research, research, research.

“As I said, I’m usually alone up here. Being well-researched is a basic precaution.” Caution, caution caution. He chuckles, turning to you. “Though it is rather gratifying to have someone to say this all out loud to, I’ll admit.”

Out of courtesy, you ask him a few questions about the mushrooms he gathers as you go. You’re not expecting much, necessarily, but the wealth of information is surprisingly engaging, as well as the clear passion he has for the subject.

All told....you wouldn’t mind making it more of a regular thing. Nor, judging by the surprised look on his face when you asked him about formal applications, would he. 

[agent-cupcake]

Dimitri’s characterization made me wanna put my head through a wall in three hopes. Azure Moon was my fave route in three houses but in hopes I have barely had the will to finish his route. Which makes me sad cause the little extra tidbits of lore the game offered had potential, but the pay off just doesn’t feel worth it.

I’m sad this is how we are probably gonna leave Fodland.

Were there any characters the game actually made you like in this game better then three houses? I was actually surprised that I actually liked Rodrigue a little bit more.

Feel free to ignore if you want.

I think Yuri is the only one I feel like was just better in Three Hopes. They made him feel more mature and intelligent, and I bought his whole criminal persona a LOT more when you're not cutting to supports that require him to be a soft uwu boyfriend. He feels less edgy for the sake of it and more like a character, I cannot understate how much I love Yuri in Three Hopes.

I agree that giving Rodrigue more development made him more enjoyable. I've always liked him for what he added to Dimitri's character, and the further mirroring of Dimitri and Felix that he provides in Three Hopes is very nice. Not to mention he himself comes off as a more likable guy. In general, the "additive" character work they put in was pretty effective. Sylvain, for example, feels a lot more well rounded and interesting. Doing things to show that he is an incredibly intelligent person with a darker side did a lot to add to characterization he already had from Three Houses. His complicated feelings about his family and position in life were elaborated on and I loved that aspect. Felix's transition from "boar prince" to "Dimitri" doesn't feel as forced, although it was somewhat hollow just because of the low stakes emotional narrative. I'll take it though, the BFF dynamic between Felix and Dimitri, in general, was far more believable in this game and it makes my heart happy. I don't know that I liked any characters better for their portrayal in Three Hopes, but it did add to characters I liked already.

As to your first point: I get it and now I'm going to rant and it'll be messy and contain spoilers for all of Azure Gleam.

All throughout Azure Gleam, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Dimitri to have that moment where his emotions got the better of him and just derailed everything because that is Dimitri's THING, he's an emotionally volatile person and it's inconvenient and ugly and painful. When he was taken hostage, I was so PSYCHED that it was gonna be his moment. Like, Shez was gonna show up at the palace and Dimitri would have beheaded Cornelia, slaughtered all of the guards and you'd find him kneeling at the empty throne talking to Lambert and promising revenge but this time against Slithers rather than Edelgard and it would be a whole mess that ruined all of these carefully laid plans and broke the trust of his friends and Shez and... Nope. He was fine, just got put in time out for a bit. And then the game acted like THAT was the big Battle of the Eagle and Lion payoff??? Dimitri comes back and the other characters just make some vague sweeping statements that he's recovered from issues he never even really showed he had and everything is fine now because he's a good king. He was a fine king before!!! This doesn't even stoke his hate fire, it makes him more dedicated to do what he was already doing. I adore his support with Felix where he calls his hallucinations "waking dreams" but it just feels so cheap that the internal demons Dimitri fights so bitterly with are reduced down to sad conversations with his friends where he is capable of being honest with them and seems to take their words to heart and accept their emotional support. And it's not even like his friends have a massive hurdle to jump through to support him, Felix is the only one who has seen Dimitri do unthinkable things as a result of his delusions. He has been a pretty consistently good leader who does what he must through the entirety of the game, even his quest for revenge is mostly just a stated motive that doesn't interfere with his duties. The things he does are brutal but necessary aspects of being a king during a civil war and he has to make the tough, unfortunate choices. Everyone else understands this. They have also all done terrible things because, again, they are soldiers in an ugly, bloody civil war. Even his involvement with the Church is a practical matter of state and not at all shown to be a personal thing that he cares about. Like, the game goes out of its way to explain that Dimitri helping the Church is the best choice he could possibly make and doing anything else would be reckless and actively stupid so it can't really be seen as a character flaw. Being religious would ruin his appeal too much, he's just got some vague faith and has to support the Church because politics. Awesome.

FURTHERMORE None of the choices Dimitri makes at the end of Azure Gleam feel like they are choices he wouldn't have made at the beginning, he's just making them now but he's less sad because he has the support of his friends. Compare the final scene of Azure Gleam to that of Azure Moon and its, fundamentally, the same. Except Edelgard has no agency and is an empty lobotomized husk (an entirely separate matter and a huge yikes) and Dimitri has not changed or grown as a character in any meaningful way. It's not even like he's been burning with some insane need to kill her anyway, they've had a single violent interaction and several non-violent interactions and he doesn't even really believe that most things are entirely her fault so the idea of Dimitri sparing Edelgard isn't indicative of any shift in his perspective. AND THEN Dimitri isn't forced to do something that would make him feel bad anyway!!! I wouldn't want him to kill an unarmed woman who has regressed to a child-like state! His refusal to do so is not the tragic, heroic choice the game frames it as. It would be objectively evil of him to kill Edelgard at that moment. There is no complexity to that situation, his emotional response is just like... okay, fine. Besides, he can wait for the Church to sweep in and potentially do much worse to her. Great, that was noble. Sure would suck if Dimitri was forced to do something he didn't want to do because it was necessary, cementing the idea that Dimitri is a tragedy on legs who is constantly pushed into violence that hurts him most of all. And Dee. Fuckin Dee. Three Houses is a goddamn mess of a game but the final scene of Azure Moon is a masterpiece. No words. Just music, evocative shot composition, and the trust that the writers have in their fantastic characters and strong story to convey all of these emotional payoffs to the player. I wouldn't ask for Azure Gleam to do the same EXCEPT for the fact that they tried to do something similar as if to point out the mediocrity of what they created. That, more than anything, is what gets me. Three Hopes sacrificed a lot of gameplay that was in previous titles presumably to tell a better story, that's fine. But the story they did end up telling was lackluster and terrified of doing anything to step on the toes of Three Houses while also being unable to help themselves from mirroring Three Houses in all of the worst ways. Make it make sense.

Okay sorry I had more to say on the matter than I thought I did

Whoops. Hopefully some of this made sense

[strangertheory]

"anti-Mileven"

I know you submitted this as a message and not an Ask, but I hope you don't mind if I answer your question with a longer post because this is a topic that is important to me but is complicated. I've meant to do a post about this, but kept putting it off because it is a very layered topic for me and my thoughts about Mileven are probably not what a lot of fans want to hear.

I respect that everyone develops an attachment to their preferred couples in stories for personal reasons, and as such any criticism of the dynamic between two characters that are dating can feel like a very personal criticism. I respect everyone's head-canons and favorite ships as sacred ground: I don't want to tell anyone how they should or should not relate to a story. That's unique to each of us as fans, and we will all enjoy Stranger Things for different reasons.

However: I do have some thoughts regarding the way that the narrative has established the dynamic between Mike and El. And I personally do not find their dynamic *as it currently is* to be one that is ideal for either of them yet.

I really care about Eleven and I really care about Mike. They are two of my favorite characters in the story.

To say that I'm "anti-Mileven" is a huge oversimplification of how I feel about Mike and El's dynamic.

I am very much anti:

overlooking the fact El has been treated as a lab rat and abused and isolated from society for the majority of her existence and her ignorance of her own identity and her own desires is repeatedly reinforced canonically. ("How do I know what I like?") El has spent only a few months out in the world beyond her cell at the lab and beyond Hopper's cabin, she knows very little about the world yet, and she is being taught much of what she now knows by her boyfriend who also happens to be one of the few people she interacts with in her daily life. The power difference and social difference between them is huge currently regardless of whether Mike is a nice kid with good intentions or not, and they are both fourteen years olds.

overlooking that it is superficial and not representative of a "deep" relationship to only kiss and make out with a significant other and not do other meaningful activities that establish a real day-to-day relationship (like hanging out with friends and other loved ones as a couple.) There's a popular misconception that the act of two people kissing is inherently romantic and a sign of emotional closeness. But kissing becomes romantic psychologically when two people share a deep affection for one another that is based on shared experiences and emotional and psychological connectedness. If two characters can be shown to care about one another without ever physically touching, they have the potential for a deep connection that is based on more than the thrill of physical affection. Give me a well-developed relationship first, and then kissing will seem romantic to me. Without an established psychological and emotional connection between characters, kissing is merely a superficial representation of the idea of intimacy between characters without any actual substance underneath. Sure that's what kids do when they're figuring out how dating and feelings and physical intimacy work and it's not harmful in itself provided that they are both comfortable with it, but keep this in mind within the context of the other concerns I list here.

trivializing Mike's dishonesty and blaming Hopper for Mike's lying when the truth is Mike could have easily explained to El that Hopper didn't want them spending as much time together and having some space would be better. El is well aware of Hopper's dislike for their time spent together. This should have been a very easy conversation. As Lucas rightfully asks as Mike is ranting about the situation he got himself into: "Why lie?" Good question, Lucas. Good question. El asks Mike this again later at the mall. "Why do you lie?" Mike stares back at her with an awkward expression, and does NOT answer her. Why is this answer not an easy one? Why has Mike still not addressed things with El? I think there is more going on here than just Hopper's threats.

I am very in favor of:

El learning more about who she is and what she wants to do with her life outside of the desires and expectations of other people.

Mike figuring out how to effectively express his thoughts and feelings honestly. He is clearly struggling to do this throughout season 3, and it is uncharacteristic of the kid who defiantly said and did what he wanted frequently in seasons 1 and 2. Clearly Mike is not comfortable and is nervous, which is understandable for someone exploring new emotionally vulnerable territory like dating for the first time, but he needs to learn to be honest and tell people how he is thinking and feeling or else he is also putting himself and his feelings and needs at risk and potentially establishing an unhealthy relationship that will hurt him and hurt others even if he doesn't mean to. Mike's nervousness is STILL present in the final goodbye scene in which Mike and El talk, and El tells him she loves him and kisses him. He is still stumbling over his words and anxious, and he seems notably confused after El kisses him. These small details are not trivial, they are clearly intentional.

Recognizing that Mike is the first person her age that was kind to El when she escaped the lab, and given that she has only known pain and abuse her entire life and has never known friendship let alone romance that her psychological readiness for understanding a romantic relationship is NOT the same as an ordinary 14 year old's and this cannot be stated enough.

Recognizing that societal pressures and personal insecurities might be a huge factor in how Mike clings to El's attention and affection for him, and that there is evidence in the story that supports this interpretation. We know that Mike is bullied frequently, and that there is a layer of homophobia often involved. (Even if James and Troy were speaking rudely about Will, they were still directly confronting Mike. The implication is there.) We know that Lucas yelled at Mike "No Mike. You're blind. Blind because you like that a girl's not grossed out by you!" This reveals that Lucas knows that Mike is insecure and wants validation. Just because Mike has a desperate desire to be loved and liked by a girl does not mean that his appreciation of El's attention is based on his genuine romantic affection for her. Mike might be dating El because he enjoys the attention, he likes being liked, and he likes how having a girlfriend makes him feel more accepted and normal.

Recognizing that every moment that Mike has tried to share something that he is passionate about with El (the Yoda figurine, the dinosaurs) she has been completely disinterested. Since El has no cultural connection to the pop culture stories Mike loves and she lived in the Lab her entire life, it makes perfect sense that she will have no interest in these toys. Her lack of interest in what Mike is passionate about, however, is worth noting: not because it's a bad thing, but because it's just one of many reasons they are "not even from the same planet" and cannot bond and connect easily. El has lived an incredibly different life from Mike, has suffered through so much, and is still learning about the outside world and about herself. She is severely behind in social and personal development. She needs time to learn and to grow and to heal so she can live her best life and recover from what she has been through. (She doesn't really care about your Star Wars toys, Michael, because she just learned what a phone is and is processing a lot of other things right now.)

*I want to credit @kaypeace21 for pointing out many of these particular observations listed above: you can read her very detailed and extensive analysis in her post here: El is Not in Love with Mike.

These are just a few of many thoughts I have regarding Mike and El's dynamic together, and why I find the romanticization and idealization of their dating relationship to be more suited to fan-canon and fanfiction. For El to have a relationship with Mike that I would personally enjoy and appreciate, the story would need to convincingly allow her to establish a notably better understanding of who she is and what she wants, and have time to heal from her trauma and learn a lot more about the outside world. While I suspect that the Byers moving away will be very difficult for Will, in many ways I think it will benefit El tremendously and I hope that she is given more opportunities to learn and to grow.

I also agree with @hawkinsschoolcounselor 's hypothesis that Mike is projecting his feelings for Will onto El. It's impossible for me to see Mike's dynamic with El as entirely separate from Mike's relationship with Will because El was found in the woods when they were looking for Will in season 1, El helped everyone find Will in the Upside Down and saved his life, and El reappears at the end if season 2 and saves Will from the Mindflayer. Until season 3, El's appearance in Mike's life has been directly tied to Will's survival and safety. I do not think this is a trivial aspect of El's narrative. El's importance within the larger story being told is repeatedly tied back to what Will is dealing with. The reason that El and Will's narratives are so deeply intertwined has not been revealed in the story yet, but I suspect that there are some important aspects of El and Will's stories that haven't been fully revealed yet that will bring all of these seemingly isolated plot threads together. The creators of Stranger Things repeatedly tie El and Will together visually and narratively (re: @kaypeace21), and I believe there is a very specific reason for this.

I look forward to seeing what happens in season 4. Whether my interpretation of El and Mike's dynamic is fair or not, I trust the writers have a compelling next chapter in their story for us all to enjoy.

[aj-anime-blog]

Deca-Dence - Review!

Wooooo Deca-Dence!

Deca-Dence was a summer 2020 anime, and that’s when I originally watched it! I've watched it about a dozen times since, as it landed itself right on my roster of my favorite animes, if not my favorite of all time.

Deca-Dence is an original piece, so no manga source material (whaaat!) and comes from the genius brain of Yuzuru Tachikawa, the director of other fan-favorites like Mob Psycho 100 and Death Parade (a review for Death Parade is in the making!). Original mangas are such a hit-or-miss recently, and I think that this one got the bullseye!

What's our concept?: Set in the future, the world is now plagued by monsters known as Gadolls. In an attempt to keep humans safe from them, mobile fortress Deca-Dence was constructed, where Gears, who live near the top, fight the Gadolls, and Tankers, who live at the bottom, provide support from inside Deca-Dence. Our protag, Natsume, is a Tanker who wants to fight with the Gears, but her prosthetic arm keeps her out of battle. That is until she meets Kaburagi, an older Tanker who seems to know his way around fighting and might have more to him than he lets on.

It's gonna be hard to go through this without spoilers, but I promise that I'll keep it spoiler-free until the section at the bottom!

So overall, what do I think?: 10/10! I've already said it, but Deca-Dence is one of my favorite animes of all time, and it deserves the spot! It has incredible characters, a story that keeps you hooked even through twists and turns, and a pace that manages to cram so much plot into only 12 episodes without feeling overwhelming or rushed! Deca-Dence presents ideas that, at the surface, may seem overused or old, but spins them in such a way that they're completely original. It follows through with character relationships, making them worthwhile and fulfilling.

Let's start with the story this time!: 10/10!! It's going to be really hard to explain the beauty of Deca-Dence's plot without spoiling it, but I'm doing my best! I really do recommend just giving the show a try, though, as it's really worth it! (Don't just drop it after episode 2, like a lot of people did :( That's just judging it wayyy too early!!)

Deca-Dence has a story that's thrilling and new. Everything that happens builds off of itself in a way that's natural and smooth. The elements of the story, no matter how different they may seem, play their part and work together well. The show isn't predictable either - don't go in thinking that you know what's going to become of it. Each twist feels surprising and new without feeling like they're coming out of left field.

I won't say much more in fear of ruining it, but Deca-Dence's story holds up well, and with its strong cast of characters supporting it, it becomes absolutely suburb. I think a lot of people fell into this pit of seeing only the beginning and tossing it aside, but no matter how strange the concepts in it may be, they wind together to form something really unique!

So those characters, huh?: 11/10, I love them so much! I'm a character nerd through and through, and Deca-Dence sends my little character-obsessed heart wild. The protags, Natsume and Kaburagi, are both fascinating, have incredible development, and engage in a character dynamic that is so natural and well-written that I never doubted it.

To be honest, Natsume doesn't have a personality that's anything new. She's young, determined to a fault, naive, and a complete sweetheart. She wants to fight the Gadoll and she'll do anything to achieve that dream. She's not a natural at fighting but her motivation to do so makes her believable and relatable. She's looked down upon because of her prosthetic arm and forced into a job that she doesn't like, but she never gives up on her goals. Even though she's so simple, her interactions and energy make her lovable and a wonderful protagonist.

Kaburagi follows the washed-out warrior trope, as he's an older man assigned to clean-up duty who keeps to himself and never shows too much emotion. While this type of character can sometimes get annoying, the show gives Kaburagi enough time to show his real feelings and explain how he got to his position. This proper development keeps him down-to-Earth and shows him as even more flawed than Natsume. Kaburagi's motivation, which I can't explain for spoiler reasons, is entirely believable and explains perfectly why he decides to put up with Natsume, even though she's his polar opposite.

The relationship between the two characters is balanced and beautiful. It's given the proper time to grow, mature, and ends up being extremely worthwhile. Natsume relies on Kaburagi, as he sees the potential in her and continues to support her in ways no one else ever has, and Kaburagi understands that Natsume is everything that he's trying to rebel against. Their relationship is emotional, runs deep, and leaves you wishing that there was more of them to watch, even after the show has ended.

The villain! The villain. I cannot talk all that much about the villain at the risk of spoiling. He is evil. I really really hated him, and that is a very good thing because it means that he's well-written. His motivation makes sense, his actions make you want to strangle him, his design was really really good! He's not the most interesting thing in the show, as his character is really only there to move the story along, but not every villain needs to be incredibly deep for a show to be good.

Lastly, our supporting characters! While none of them are as wonderful as Natsume or Kaburagi, they're still interesting and hold their own. They play important parts in the show and all of their interactions with the main two feel natural. Their conflicts make sense, their resolutions feel well-earned, and their personalities are all unique! For a 12-episode anime, there's a larger cast of supporting characters than you would think, and nearly all of them are memorable and loveable.

Time to shut up about characters, what about the art?: 9/10, ooooh yes the art! Deca-Dence is gorgeous! It's animated by studio Nut (bwahahhaha), who haven't done that much else in the anime world. Still, for a relatively new studio, it's absolutely amazing! The characters all have unique looks that make them stand out and the fight scenes are to die for. They lose a point on the CG, since it's a little bit less than amazing, but again, for a new studio, it's definitely not the worst I've seen!! (Admittedly, I also don't like CG much at all, so I'm always harsh towards it when it's used).

Deca-Dence switches between two styles that vastly contradict each other, one which is a colorful, happy-go-lucky style, and one that's the more typical anime style. I'll speak more about them in the spoilers section, but they do a wonderful job at maintaining the tone of the show, as to not let it get too dark, and forming a clear divide between the events of the two parts.

Oh goshhh the Gadolls look so cool. I'm so obsessed with cool monsters in anime and woah they look awesome!! They're original, with cool designs that I haven't seen elsewhere. The show could've so easily slapped in some pretty typical-looking dragons or wolves or whatever, but they instead spent time on these epic creatures, and it's so worth it! It makes the setting that much more unique and allows it to stand out from other animes.

Surely there's a flaw in this anime? The pacing, maybe?: 9/10. Yeah, I would argue that the pacing is Deca-Dence's weakest point. Not that the pacing is particularly bad compared to other shows! I still think that, for a 12-episode anime, it does a wonderful job of fitting in a large amount of plot into only about 5 hours! But, at some points, parts felt rushed or confusing, as the show would zoom into them. I never felt like I was truly lost, though. Even if I did wish that there was a break from the action, I never found myself really thinking that the show was leaving me behind in the dust. It's not the kind of show that you can turn on and leave running while you multitask, though. Blink for too long and you might miss something important, which can ruin some of the hard-hitting twists that the anime works so hard to build up.

OK! Time for spoilers! I beg you, go watch the anime before you read past this, because it's totally worth it!!

Woahh episode 2 am I right?? I thought that I clicked into the wrong anime when I began it, it took such a wild turn, and so soon in the anime too. This is what I really mean when I talk about a show not being what it appears to be! Again, I really encourage you to watch it for yourself, but if you're that stubborn on reading this through before you turn it on:

Deca-Dence is not about the heart-wrenching battles between Gears and their desperate attempts to keep humanity alive, because Gears are just avatars for cyborgs! You see, there's a civilization of cyborg people who are living above the Earth, who log in to fight in mobile fortress Deca-Dence as a game. So the Gadolls are genetically grown as prey for the Gears and the entire story surrounding Deca-Dence's battles are scripted. Crazy right!? The best part: the Tankers aren't in on this at all. You heard me: Natsume and her human friends have no idea that Deca-Dence is staged.

From here, Deca-Dence has two distinct parts: we'll call them "Natsume's half" and "Kaburagi's half". Natsume's half refers to the mobile fortress, the Tankers who live unaware of the cyborgs, and the art style that premiered in the first episode. Kaburagi's half is the Solid Quake organization, the Gears who are avatars of the cyborgs, and the goofy, stylized art style with big lines and bright colors.

The twist and the diverging sides of the story set this show up as not your typical sci-fi anime, but as something a little deeper. The stakes are the same, as humanity is in just as much peril as it was before - it becomes abundantly clear that the Gears and cyborgs don't care about them - but the name of the game completely changes as you realize that our so-called "heroes" aren't really all that heroic, and there's a lot more going on.

Kaburagi is, of course, one of these cyborgs, cursed to live among the Tankers because of a mistake he made while playing as a Gear. Now, he's in charge of eliminating "bugs", or mistakes that the system finds. He's upset with his life, frustrated at what he's doing, and contemplating suicide. But when Natsume walks into his life, a little girl that the system considers legally dead, Kaburagi sees a chance to rebel, even the slightest, against the system. He's supposed to kill Natsume, but instead, he takes her under his wing, determined to protect what he's been instructed to eliminate. This development gives their relationship a deeper meaning, even if Natsume doesn't know it.

Deca-Dence does a wonderful job at showing the watchers both sides of the story but keeping Natsume's side in the dark. Even though we see scenes from Kaburagi's side, Natsume knows nothing about them. When Kaburagi leaves after Hugin kills his avatar, Nastume doesn't know where he's gone and has no reason to believe that he hasn't run away. There's no way she could guess that Kaburagi's new form - his weird orange Gear avatar - is the mentor that she once knew. And when Kaburagi, back in his original form, is killed in front of her, she really believes that he is dead. When Natsume finds out about the truth of the Gadolls - that the world she knows is fake - her horror is palpable and realistic, because there's no way she could've known any better.

Kaburagi's world has a goofy style to it, with the cyborgs looking cartoonish rather than realistic. While it might initially seem off-putting, I think that it ends up balancing the tone of the story much better. Consider the hellscape that is the reform facility that Kaburagi visits. Imagine how dark it would've been if it was not in a silly style! By keeping the style cuter rather than realistic, the show doesn't dip too far into dark and gritty, and I really liked it!

It also set up this harsh divide between Kabruagi's half, where things are easygoing, done for pleasure and fun, and not nearly as harsh as Natsume's world (Look at the name of the series! Decadence literally means living in excessive luxury!). Even when the cyborgs are in their Gear forms, which are drawn in Natsume's style, they're still a lot more colorful and vivid, showing that their lives aren't as harsh as that of the Tankers. The art styles reflect the differences between the two halves and give them both distinct tones and personalities!

& finally, let's take an in-depth look at one scene!: I had a really hard time picking what I thought summed up the series in a single scene. In the end, I think that Natsume and Kaburagi's discussion at the end of episode 7 was the best. Here, we see a culmination of a lot of the character development going on. Kaburagi, in this scene, is in a Gears avatar that Natsume doesn't recognize, meeting her for the first time since his normal avatar was killed. Natsume's been working with the Tankers to protect them from Gadolls that infiltrated the fortress, and she's motivated them all to rise up and fix the hole in the fortress themselves.

Kaburagi has encouraged Natsume to be a stronger person, even though she had to be independent and not rely on him any longer. His pessimistic view on the world - that they'll never defeat the Gadolls - has rubbed off on her, but it's only made her more determined to be stronger to stand up to them. In this scene, we see her breaking down as she considers that Kaburagi might be right, and that she'll never kill them all, but that she needs to continue fighting.

Though Kaburagi previously doubted Natsume and her endless determination, he now feels filled with the same motivation. Natsume has convinced him, time and time again, that he can't give up, and so he decides that he's willing to do anything to make sure that she never loses that hope. He wants her dreams to come true, and he knows that she can't accomplish them alone.

This perfectly shows the effects that they have on one another. Natsume is now stronger than she's ever been: independent, able to take down Gadolls on her own, and determined enough to patch up the hole that no one else thought could be fixed. Kaburagi, in stark contrast to his suicidal thoughts from episode two, is now completely devoted to make the world a safe place for Natsume. Their relationship has shaped one another into being the best versions of themselves, and this isn't even the end! They still complete their growth in the last few episodes, but I've rambled about them enough.

We're done!: That's my review of Deca-Dence! I really believe that it's one of the masterpiece animes in recent years, and I wish it got more attention. I'm sure that there's plenty of anime out there like this one - forgotten diamonds in the rough - that I'd love to dig up and fawn over. Tell me if you know any! Or, if you disagree with my review, tell me where you think I'm wrong!