#and i gotta say i love how they did the dark tournament arc in the anime

[bonescribes]

[nenastrology]

hi, i love every opinion you have about naruto! which is why i would love to know what your top shōnens and shōjos are because im in need of good recommendations and i trust you (if you can, please, write the names without acronyms because half of the time i don't know what animes or mangas you are talking about afdjdkfn)

ok this got fucking massive cuz i dont know how to shut up so ill just shove this under a readmore cuz im not answering this at 4am when the dash is dead

jksdfjkadfs;l thank u!! i am so sorry i do love to use acronyms um my top shounen are ok lets talk about togashi stuff first cuz they are a duo and i love both dearly hunter x hunter and yu yu hakusho which if u love naruto and havent seen those like u really should lol the inspiration is truly all over it hxh is pretty slow to start if hunter exams bores you never fear it does get better lol and then yyh has a nearly polar opposite start where the first episode just directly slaps you in the face with information and character dark tournament might be a bit weird if u arent into tournament arcs and its very long but i truly adore the yyh characters then of course fullmetal alchemist god i really am obsessed with acronym use i was about to just type fma before realizing wait you just said acronyms confuse you lol im a bit of an annoying manga purist about it and if u have seen the anime but not read the manga i really do think its worth checking out the manga.. obviously i enjoy naruto and u have seen that so lol um ok final super evil recommendation i really do need to stress DONT WATCH ANY OTHER PART OF THIS SHOW ITS MUCH MUCH WORSE.. but jojo part 4 diamond is unbreakable is genuinely a goddamn joy and tho its a bit confusing watching it without the context of a few of the characters and trying to figure out the complicated stand rules and like the first couple episodes are suuuuper slow its very much a self contained experience and almost everything can be answered just by googling character names if ur confused who somebody is lol or genuinely if u do wanna watch it i can just tell u all the relevant context lol im sure im leaving things out here and ill kick myself later or maybe just edit and add some stuff

ok this is getting long onto the shoujo part which i gotta say is a bit more of a loaded question here lol because ive definitely not gotten into as much shoujo as shounen and well the first thing my mind goes to isnt something i necessarily would recommend to people lol ok so top two tho theyre more deconstructions of the genre in well wildly different ways lol revolutionary girl utena and gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun.. utena is like well its just fucking crazy and gay and deals with a lot of serious topics of abuse and trauma that can be kinda hard to watch but is extremely good and if it sounds good you should absolutely watch it tho obviously with warning and then gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun my biggest recommendation to like just put a smile on your face and like improve your day its like a funny riff on shoujo tropes with a fun group of friends who help with their friend who actually writes shoujo manga comedy super fun love it only downside is how short the anime is because i want more!!! ok ok thing i cannot deny loving but also i have a very complicated relationship with is fruits basket like it really does have some fucked up shit in it some unbelievably creepy massive age gap relationships it really does just portray as like fine.... which truly boggles my mind because so much of the rest of the story is about how power can be used to harm and abuse people but clearly that did not sink into miss natsuki takayas brain now did it... like genuinely some of the character arcs about healing from all sorts of terrible things and the importance of relationships and god tohru and kyos whole love story really is so good like its a very unfortunate mixture of terrible shit and really really wonderful things i havent really been able to match in anything else so its like massive warning and disclaimer lol and if u watch the anime well... let me tell u theres a big storm coming and season 3 really is just gonna pack all the worst parts in there i also truly dont know how it would play to someone who didnt just get permanently brain damaged by fruits basket at age 12 dfjkfa;jls im sorry this is such a small list i really do need to like read/watch more shoujo nana and rose of versailles i will watch u eventually......

i realize i mostly listed extremely well known stuff so im not sure how helpful this will be but since u said u dont recognize most of my acronyms i will assume theres some stuff u havent seen here and i may update with more if i think of stuff i am pretty sleep deprived lol also if u do get into fruits basket im personally sorry

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain: Chapter 002: Difference

Firen Lhain: Chapter 002: Difference

Jaune bumped his antlers on the sloping roof of the airship. He bent over, tried to stand up, and did it once again. He stayed bent over this time. "Airships weren't designed for antlers. This is discrimination!" He looked about the airship, as everyone seemed to be avoiding his gaze, when the airship shifted. "And now I think I'm going to be sick."

* * *

Jaune ran past Ruby and Yang before throwing up in the next compartment. Yang walked towards him until she stepped in some of it, and stepped back.

"Oh, Yang, gross." Ruby said to her sister, "You have puke on your shoe."

"Gross-gross-gross-gross..." Jaune uttered to himself.

"Get away from me!" Ruby shouted at him, "Get away from me; get away from me!"

* * *

Jaune rushed out of the airship to vomit in the nearest garbage can.

* * *

Jaune looked about the school, completely unsure of where to go, when an explosion went off. "Was that an explosion?" Jaune asked, as he looked around. Everyone was still avoiding his gaze. Well, great way to make a first impression. No one seemed to be paying attention to the explosion, but he could hear girls shouting, and so walked over. When he approached he found a wolf girl on her knees, seemingly as depressed as he was. That wasn't right. No one should be as depressed as he is. "Hey." he said, and offered her his hand. "I'm Jaune."

"I'm Ruby." she said, as he helped her to her feet. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?" she asked, and then looked as if she immediately regretted it.

* * *

The two of them walked together down the paths of Beacon. "I'll I'm saying is that motion sickness is a lot more common problem then people let on."

"Look," she quickly replied, "I'm sorry. Vomit boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh, yeah, what if I called you craterface?" he asked, and then immediately regretted it. 'Smoothe.' he thought to himself.

"Hey!" Ruby replied, energized... but not incensed, "that explosion was an accident."

'How adorable can she get?' Jaune thought to himself.

The two awkardly looked at each other. "So?," Ruby asked, and pulled out Crescent Rose, which quickly expanded into a scythe over her shoulder.

"Is... that a scythe?.." Jaune nervously asked.

"It's also a high impact sniper rifle." Ruby said, craddling the weapon with a proud smile on her face.

"Hm?.." Jaune asked.

"It's also a gun." Ruby replied.

"Oh..." Jaune grumbled. "That's cool."

"So, what have you got?" Ruby asked, and Jaune reached to his waist to pull out Crocea Mors, first the sword.

"I've got a sword." he said, and then expanded his shield, "and a shield."

"What does it do?" Ruby asked, and tapped the shield. It jumped from his hand, and he chased it as it bounced around. Once he retrived it, he tried to enter a fighting stance.

"The shield gets smaller." Jaune stated. "So, when I get tired of carrying it, I can just... put it away..."

"Wouldn't it weight the same?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah... it does..." he groaned.

"Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons." she said with a smile, "I guess I did go a little overboard when designing her."

"Wait?," he asked, "you made it?"

"Yes?" she asked, "All students at Signal forged their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

"It's... a hand-me-down..." he quietly voiced, "my great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me." Ruby nervously but loving said. "Well I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"I like your wolf tail." Jaune said, and Ruby wagged it.

"It does... sometimes... get me in trouble..."

"Pfft." he replied, "Trouble?, you?"

"I-do-sometimes-chase-it," she eagerly said, "I mean... I can't believe I told you that..."

"I promise not to tell anyone." Jaune said to her.

"I like your antlers." she said to him, "They're really cool."

"You - have no idea - how often - they get caught on things..."

"But... they're like weapons... that are always with you." Ruby eagerly said to him.

"Okay, yeah..." Jaune replied, "but they're actually kind of fragile."

Ruby grabbed as his antlers and tugged on them. "They could totally hold my weight."

Jaune looked at her for a moment before replying, "Okay, but you have to balance your weight on both of them."

Ruby grabbed onto his antlers, and hung there, starring into his eyes.

Jaune nervously lowered her to the ground and she let go.

"So, why'd you help me out back there..." Ruby asked him, "in the courtyard."

"Ehn, why not?" Jaune asked, "My mother always said that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"Hm." Ruby replied with a subtle smile, "Hey, where are we going?"

"Oh?," Jaune asked, "I don't know, I was following you."

* * *

Jaune awkwardly stood in the auditorium, looking around. 'uh-huh.' he thought to himself, 'we're all going to be great huntsmen someday.' He then heard the voice of an angel,

"like tall, blond, and antlered over there."

Jaune looked over to see Ruby, glowing and adorable in her own light, standing next to an angel in Human form.

* * *

Jaune walked through the locker room trying to find his locker. He genuinely did not remember counting that high, and paused with a start. He saw her, his angel, and he walked up to her, holding out his hand.

Weiss' skin flushed, first dark blue, then light, then the two contrasting against each other. She breathed in deep and the flush dissipated. He looked at her questioningly. "It's my Semblance." she firmly, if indecisively stated.

Jaune still held his hand out to her.

"He wants you to shake it." Blake said as she walked passed.

"Ah?" Weiss asked, and then after a moment lent him her hand.

"Jaune. Jaune Arc."

"Weiss Schnee." she said as she shook his hand. "How can I help you, Mr. Arc?"

"It's just, you look like a Snow Angel..." Jaune voiced, and Weiss' body flushed dark blue once again.

"I will thank you very much to not refer to me as such!"

"Hello, again." the woman said, and Jaune turned to look at the Flamingo Faunus.

"Well, hello." Jaune replied, and smiled at her.

"Do you have any idea who this is?!" Weiss ascerbically asked him.

"No idea." He said to Pyrrha, and held out his hand, which she nervously took. "Jaune Arc."

"And I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"That's it?!" Weiss asked, "Is that all you have to say?!"

"I'm sorry?" Jaune asked, genuinely confused.

"She won the Mistral regional tournament four years in a row?!" Weiss asked.

"Congratulations." Jaune said to her.

"Thank you." Pyrrha replied with genuine warmth.

"But he..." Weiss said.

"Yes?" Jaune asked.

"How do you not know who Pyrrha Nikos is?!" Weiss asked, and Jaune turned to Pyrrha.

"I would like to get to know her." he said, and Pyrrha blushed and turned to look away. The blush looked beautiful when mixed with her firey colouration. Jaune then turned back to Weiss, who was largely a deep, dark, royal blue at the moment. "How about you?"

Weiss just scoffed and fumed in reply.

"You don't want to team up?" Jaune asked, and then turned to Pyrrha. "How about you?"

"I do believe they are four-person teams." Pyrrha said to him, and he turned back to Weiss. The Dark Blue was mixing and contrasting with light blue, and the more he looked at her, the more it looked like plummage.

"Pyrrha, a little help please?" Weiss asked, and Pyrrha threw her spear. Within a moment Jaune found himself stuck to a wall.

"Well..." he voiced to himself, "let's not pretend this is the first time this has happened..."

Pyrrha then walked up to him, grabbing her spear, "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise." Jaune sighed.

* * *

Jaune once again found himself pinned by Pyrrha's spear. This time, however, it was to save him from plummeting to his doom in the forest full of Grimm. "Thank you!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha faintly cried in the distance.

* * *

Ruby ran through the forest on all fours, using her tail to balance against her movements, 'Gotta find Yang,' she thought, 'gotta find Yang,' her thoughts repeated, "Yang!" she cried, repeating it as it echoed into the forest. 'Oh, this is really bad.' she though to herself, 'what if I can't find her? Okay, there's always Jaune. He's nice. He's funny, if a bit quiet. But so am I... unless I rambled on... I mean... Buuut... I don't think he's very good in a fight. Oh!, what about Blake? So mysterious, so calm. She likes books?! But then again I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her.' Ruby shook her head. 'Okay, who else do I know in this school?.. Yang - Jaune - Blake - ... annnd?' she thought, as she bowled over Weiss, turning around to look at her.

"You?!." Weiss exclaimed to her, and turned around with a huff to walk away.

* * *

Weiss... elegantly... walked... through the woods... the sticky... dirty... filthy woods... until she found Jaune stuck to a tree. With this she huffed and turned away, Jaune only having enough time to wave and sigh.

* * *

Weiss grabbed Ruby by her tail and tugged her away. "By no means does this make us friends."

"You came back!" exclaimed with glee.

* * *

Pyrrha walked up to Jaune stuck in the tree and shyly looked up at him. "Hey, wait!" he shouted, "Come back! Who's going to get me down from here?!"

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, "Do you... have any spots left on your team?", and he simply sighed.

* * *

"Do you think this was a good idea?" Pyrrha nervously asked, walking behind him in the darkness of the tunnel.

"I've got eyeshine, so I can see just fine." Jaune replied, before hitting his antlers on the ceiling and falling backwards.

"Are you quite alright?!" Pyrrha asked, and reached towards him, but he caught her hand.

"Thank you, but the antlers are dangerous. If I didn't have aura I would have broken them." Jaune then sighed in the darkness.

* * *

Jaune was flung by a Deathstalker passed Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and a prone.

"Oh, good," Yang said, "the gang's all here; now we can die together."

"Not if I can help it." Ruby replied, and charged forward on all fours. She stood on her legs just long enough to draw Crescent Rose and launch herself at the Deathstalker.

* * *

Notes: This is a "the same, but different" AU. the story follows it's own path, but unless otherwise contradictory, it unfolds as it does in RWBY proper. As for Jaune, his dialogue is trimmed because he has a quietness inherited from his Faunus/Hart side.

[havingphung]

Young Adult Fantasy/Dystopia

This is probably the most successful genre of YA fiction. If there’s a dark-haired, brooding asshole male love interest, you know everyone’s gonna be all over it. There won’t be any Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, or Cassandra Clare on here but maybe one day I’ll commit myself to their books (but it likely won’t happen anytime soon).

**Personal Favorites

Penryn & the End of Days Trilogy** by Susan Ee: This is my all time favorite Dystopian Fantasy trilogy ever. It is so underrated and I literally love it so much. Like if there’s one series on this list I want everyone to read it’s this one. Post apocalyptic world where angels descended to demolish the world and the main character makes a deal with a wingless fallen angel to go on a journey to save her sister and get back his wings. The yearning is A1 in this, and also Penryn is Asian and can kick ass. 

The Blood of Stars Series** by Elizabeth Lim: Project Runway meets Mulan was the tagline and that convinced me so fast. It’s one of the more promising new series and it does a good job building a fictional Asian country. The author used to write Sailor Moon fanfic and that’s how I knew this was my type of book. 

To Kill a Kingdom** by Alexandra Christo: Probably one of the best fantasy standalone books I’ve read (because almost all fantasy books are series). She’s a siren. He’s a siren killer. That’s a recipe for disaster and also one of the best enemies to lovers stories. It’s basically a better and more elevated Little Mermaid. 

The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang: I’ll admit that I haven’t actually read this yet but I KNOW it’s good. It’s just a big commitment with the length and the heartache that I know will come because this is not a happy story. It’s about war and politics and scheming and betrayal and it’s really dark. I need to read it, but I keep putting it off because I know it’ll take an emotional toll. This is not for the faint of heart, and it’s on this list cause it does have some fantastical elements like magic and dragons. 

The Folk of the Air Trilogy** by Holly Black: Okay everyone that reads YA Fantasy has probably read this, so I won’t say too much. It’s one of the best enemies to lovers series I’ve read and it’s fascinating to read about an anti-heroine on the quest for power taking advantage of a useless prince. Both characters are hella compelling and I love how no one is truly good in this series because everyone has their own agenda. 

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: Futuristic retellings of classic fairy tales with badass diverse characters taking the stage with amazing world building. If you haven’t read it yet, check it out. 

Flame in the Mist Duology by Renee Ahdieh: Set in feudal Japan with Japanese mythology, samurai, crossdressing female warriors, secrets, lies AND just the right amount of sexiness. The sexual tension was to die for and for something that could be done so tackily, it really did portray the Japanese elements in a tasteful way that made sense to the story and weren’t just used for plot devices.

Warcross Duology by Marie Lu: Okay the male lead is hella morally gray and you definitely feel conflicted about him (without saying too much) but damn he’s hot. People complained about that big old plot twist but to be honest, I wasn’t that mad. Anyways the whole world basically plays this one AR video game and the female lead is a genius hacker that’s hired to find the glitch in the code of the game by competing in the big tournament. Super cool premise and diverse representation. 

Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard: Regardless of what other people say, I really did enjoy this series. I liked Cal and Maven but Maven’s hella fucked up and Cal may be a little bratty but I was team Cal all the way. Maven is a fascinating character though. Mare’s pretty cool, too. Anyways, I would pick this over the Hunger Games (partly because Mockingjay was the biggest let down ever) if you like dystopia. People might think it’s overrated but I love flawed characters that gotta choose between love and power and obsession and peace. 

Caraval Trilogy by Stephanie Garber: This one’s pretty decent if you’re looking for a carnival/circusy-y/magic themed fantasy book. It wasn’t a waste of time and while a lot of the characters did get annoying, I got so intrigued by the Prince of Hearts (Jacks) that I had to finish it. Jacks deserved so much better, and he could have had the greatest arc but the author butchered it. Definitely a what could have been series. There are better books on this list but I just wanted to shoutout Jacks. 

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin: There’s A LOT of controversy around this book because of 1) the explicit sex scene that’s basically smut and 2) the characterizations and world building. I’m okay with the sex but I did agree that the dialogue was kinda ridiculous and there were a lot of problematic viewpoints. ANYWAYS, that won’t stop me from reading the second book probably. It’s not good but also I wanna know what happens. There are better books on this list.

[nimbus-cloud]

Yu Yu Hakusho Stage Review!!!

Before I start going over the show I want to stress just how INCREDIBLY lucky I got, because I got to see the show via a same-day lottery ticket, after failing EVERY lottery and general sales, and it was INTENSE!!!  On the Thursday when I lined up twice, there were easily 400 people in the line for both the matinee and soiree shows and even when my number was drawn, it was actually 2nd on the waiting list, not one of the original winners, and I may or may not have been seriously contemplating throwing some people down the escalators to move up on the list.  But three people canceled or didn’t show so I got to get in and I was bouncing off the walls inside, WHATEVER POWER WATCHES OVER ME, I owe it my eternal soul for the opportunity!

They opened the show with HOHOEMI NO BAKUDAN and I almost screamed from the nostalgia honestly.  They basically did an opening sequence with the song, mimicking the anime opening by having them fight one by one against a group of enemies... which is why a lot of those press release photos have Kurama fighting with his rose whip (when we don’t actually see his rose whip until later in the story that’s not in this play [ALSO HOW DOES HE MAKE FIGHTING WITH THE WHIP LOOK SO GODDAMN COOL INSTEAD OF AWKWARD?!?!?]), and why there are shots with Hiei letting out the Black Dragon or Kuwabara dual-wielding spirit swords.  I know some of us were curious how much story they were going to cover or how much they were going to skip, and it’s not because of some massive skip.  The story runs from the very beginning with Yusuke dying, spending time as a ghost, and then to just after retrieving the three artifacts of darkness.  They give us a hint of the four of them about to enter the castle of the Saint Beasts, so that might be where the next play (crosses fingers) will pick up the story.  

The format of the story has Koenma (adult ver.) narrating (sometimes with Genkai) as he’s watching “old” videos of the group and reminding himself how far Yusuke has come.  Based on his conversation with Genkai at the beginning, the “present” in the play is just before the Dark Tournament, and everthing else in the play is Koenma watching those videos (also why there are press photos of him with a remote control).  This is also why they could fit the Kurama and Hiei meeting backstory, because it’s Koenma watching old videos and wanting to look back on them too.  

And also Arayan as Koenma is SO FUCKING FUNNY we were all cracking up a LOT.  He can actually enunciate quite well with that pacifier in his mouth!  And he’s always changing back and forth between his adult version and baby version because he’s either watching/narrating or in the flashbacks himself as a baby.  He also really liked breaking the fourth wall while narrating so for some of the cute Yusuke-Keiko moments, for example, he was like, “What a cute young romance—WHO EVEN HAS A ROMANCE LIKE THAT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL HUH!?”

I haven’t watched Arayan live since 2015 when I saw him as Lao in a Kuroshitsuji Musical, so it was wonderful to see him again and in a role that allows him to do so much more and be such a ham.  

Tsubasa as Yusuke was amazing, fantastic, splendid, show-stopper.  I liked his Renji from when he was in the 2016 Burimyu, and so I thought I had some idea what his yankee characterization would be like (because obviously his Ishikirimaru isn’t a great reference point lol), but it’s even better!  He was so funny and so warm, and when he had the scene making the little kid laugh, I have NO idea how he was able to pull those faces.  He looked basically exactly like anime Yusuke pulling faces and I was wheezing so bad in my seat.  Mostly, I just couldn’t believe that he really unzipped his pants (while turned away from us) to stuff that kid’s ball into his crotch and dance around with it.  

Speaking of the little boy, we gotta give props to Genkai’s actress because she played so many side characters throughout lololol.  She couldn’t be Genkai for very long or often, so she was also Keiko’s shy, glasses-wearing friend in school, she was also Maya-chan (Kurama’s classmate that he and Hiei have to rescue) in the Two Shots scene, she was the little boy Yusuke saves (she tries not to talk as him), and she’s also obviously young Genkai.  Because she plays so many roles, there’s a narration bit where Koenma tells Genkai, “You know, in these videos, I keep seeing a lot of kids that look like you.”  And she tells him he’s imagining things.  

Plot-wise, they did skip one major scene from when Yusuke was a ghost, and that was the scene where his apartment caught fire and he had to “sacrifice” his spirit egg to save Keiko.  

Oh but I loved the bit where he had to possess Kuwabara to go tell Keiko not to cremate his body, because the way they did it was to have Tsubasa and Naoya do everything in unison together.  So all the choreography has Naoya as Kuwabara fighting all the guys that come at him, and Tsubasa just a little ways away doing the exact same thing, only he’s not hitting anybody.  And although it had been Naoya doing all of the talking so that we hear Kuwabara’s voice, at the point when he’s talking to Keiko and the lines start to get sentimental, they turn up Tsubasa’s mic so that they overlap for a little bit, and then they turn down Naoya’s mic so that at the end, we only hear Yusuke’s voice asking Keiko to wait for him.  He was also slowly moving off-stage while Kuwabara(‘s body) was talking to Keiko, so that the end of that scene has just Kuwabara and Keiko on-stage, but we hear Tsubasa-Yusuke's voice.  So I really loved how that was done because it mimicked the anime really well.  

I loved being able to see Kuwabara’s promise-between-men played out on-stage.  His squad was cut down to just two guys instead of three, since you really only need Okubo for that bit, and they needed to divide the ensemble cast between Kuwabara’s boys and the other punks who want to beat on Kuwabara all the time.  Naoya as Kuwabara was everything I wanted and more.  His voice, his expressions, his everything was just SO. GOOD.  And it was so funny to think how long I’ve been a fan of Naoya (since 1st cast Tenimyu days basically) and how I’ve never actually seen him live in a show until this.  So that was a real treat and a real blast of nostalgia on multiple levels.  I’m so happy he was the one to bring Kuwabara to life on-stage, he was wonderful, and I’m so grateful I got to see him.  

Yuka-tan's Botan was SO SO SO CUTE?!?!?!?  Oh my gosh she felt so perfect to me in every way, and I loved her dynamic with Yusuke and Koenma, there was so much cute banter.  I liked when Yusuke was laughing in Koenma’s face and Botan kept spanking him because, in case we forgot, he’s like actually 14 years old at this point in the story.  Sometimes she was the one watching the old clips together with Koenma so she also switches between being in the story to being part of the narration.  

If you wanted a critical review, this is not the place to look because I pretty much only found it wonderful and amazing and nostalgic and amazing but I do have one minor criticism and that is that Yusuke’s post-resurrection outfit for helping Kuwabara rescue Eikichi was not his fashion icon look from the anime.  He just had a regular color jacket instead.  Ugh, way to make him look “cool” stage staff. Lol  

The Two Shots scenes were interspersed between Yusuke’s ghost antics and I really do think my heart stopped when I first hear Hiroki speak.  I haven’t been a fan of Hiroki for as long as I’ve been a fan of Naoya, but he’s another one that I’ve seen so often in so many shows, but this was my first time seeing him live and he just has such a presence that it’s no wonder we call him HiroKing.  It was also fun to see Shouhei again since I haven’t seen him live since his last show as Noya for Haisute, and he’s as amazing as I remember.  Pretty sure he’s having a lot of fun playing early evil Hiei honestly.  Since both Hiroki and Shouhei have a lot of experience in other shows with sword-fighting (*cough TKRB/Hakuouki*), those bits looked really fucking cool.  

But YYH is heavy on hand-to-hand combat, not sword-fighting, and I have to say that they did a nice job with that too!  There were places where I felt like they got nice and creative with it, and it’s fun to see Naoya give Kuwabara a little extra flair with his.  The ensemble cast were integral to all of those fight scenes, and they had to do a lot of falling and flying around, and they also need a loud round of applause.  

Gouki’s actor ripped off his shirt TWICE!!! Not once, but two times!!!  And I mean RIPPED, like not stage rip, like he RIPPED that shirt.  So I’m assuming they just ordered a box of cheap t-shirts for him to rip through for the rest of the tour.  Mind you, I was not complaining about the shirtlessness.   It was also interesting because after Gouki’s defeat, they put him in spirit world as one of Koenma’s ogre servants as a replacement for George in the second act, so he and Koenma have some fun moments since he’s quite reformed once dead.  

As I mentioned, they do give us a sneak peek of the four of them meeting up just outside the Four Saint Beasts castle, with Kuwabara picking a fight with Hiei and all.  However, we did skip over Genkai’s tournament, which comes just before that so it’s possible we might not get that little arc on-stage even in the next show.  Maybe to avoid rushing Liz into Genkai’s old lady makeup, maybe because nobody cares about Rando anyway.  

The closing bows were also done to Hohoemi no Bakudan (I was maybe a teeny tiny bit hoping for Homework ga Owaranai), and during the closing remarks, Tsubasa very excitedly told us that during the afternoon show, Yusuke’s anime seiyuu, Sasaki Nozomu came to see them!  He was wiggling side to side and said, “I got a picture with him yaaay~” and then he asked us to come see them again in the Spirit World, to which Naoya started making confused faces.   Naoya: Sp-spirit world? Tsubasa: No?   Naoya: The story’s mostly in the human world, isn’t it? Tsubasa: Ahhh.... yeah! Naoya: You’re exhausted, aren’t you?

And that’s my review/summary!  Feel free to ask me questions about it or to just scream at me how much you love YYH~

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Shield Hero 20 - 22 | Sarazanmai 7 - 9 | BSD 32 - 34 | Fruits Basket 8 - 9 | Demon Slayer 8 - 10 | OPM 20 - 21

Shield Hero 20

Motoyasu getting dragged by Filo was funny…not enough to get a proper laugh though. Just a smirk or two.

Stop narrating and just get on with it, Naofumi and friends…!

“I was saying we should fight together all along.” (from Itsuki) – Were you, now…? (skeptical)

Ass-pull! I call “ass-pull” at the power to swallow the phoenix flame! Seriously, when did the dragon get the opportunity to teach Naofumi how to do that???

How did Naofumi not die after losing so much blood…?

What does the Q even stand for in the queen’s name…?

Sarazanmai 7

The seagulls…so fluffy…

For some reason, I expect a fakeout, but then it never arrives…these boys are really connecting…

I found some kappa croquette thingy online, but it referred to a “Shiki City” which probably isn’t in Asakusa…

The shirt…Kazuki’s shirt says “frog” but I get the feeling it also means “return”.

Shirohasu water. It’s Irohasu in Japan.

Was the lyric to Kawausoiya (the otter song) “gonna take ‘em”…?

Nice ET reference, Sara.

Balls…not just sport entendre, but…y’know. The sort of humour I don’t like as much.

Ooh…Keppi is shaping up to be the bad guy. But what plans does he have? Am I speculating too much and is he being framed? Hard to know until next time…

BSD 32

When Kyouka is eating the sundae, she looks like the Tofu Kyouka from Mayoi…hmm.

Can I confess something? Before I saw the illustrations for s2, I thought Louisa’s hair was much darker than what it is in the anime…hmmm, indeed.

I don’t think we were ever told (in the manga or the anime) what Louisa’s wish was…

This bit with Fyodor…I don’t think it was in the manga.

Subarashi-sou is a pun on “it seems wonderful”. That wasn’t in the manga, but it’s a great pun (because it’s right up my alley).

Fitz laughing at the neighbour’s TV wasn’t in the manga either, but that’s just the anime director’s humour peeking through.

“Blalack Daniel’s”, LOL.

Ohh…a quick Google reveals TJ Eckleberg is from the Great Gatsby. In there, he’s an eye doctor, but here, he’s an engineer.

George B Wilson is also from the Great Gatsby…Here be spoilers, but…George dies in his original work too.

Manhasset is a place in New York…I assume it’s connected to the Great Gatsby as well…

Oh yeah! Random Poe moment. That’s in the manga, so Igarashi (or whoever’s responsible for the terrible humour) doesn’t have to fake that bit.

Cue “Objection!” by Fitz, lemme guess. Even if I know the outcome and how it was done, I’d like to have my memory refreshed (by stabbing in the dark…and making an Ace Attorney joke in the process).

I already know, without googling, that Tom Buchanan is part of Great Gatsby as well…

Bank of Amerigo…LOL.

Fruits Basket 8

“If you show up for the banquet now…”

“The banquet sounds just like the folk tale!” Honestly, subbers, proofread…

Haa-kun and Haa-san. No distinguishing between them (aside from honorifics), even though they’re two completely different people.

Hatori’s squinty face was…hilarious, to put it simply.

Oh…I forgot the dance seems to be something the animal of the year does. So if Yuki was 3 years ago, it makes sense Momiji is doing it this year.

Best seat in the house for a sunrise, huh?

Kimetsu no Yaiba 8

I’ve seen Muzan being described as “Demon Michael Jackson” and now I can’t get that out of my head when I see him…sorry.

Tsukihiko, huh? It translates to “moon’s radiance” or something like that. That name is appropriate for a bad guy, isn’t it?

This is the first time I’ve really listened to the OST (aside from the OP and ED), so it’s…really something.

Ooh, I didn’t realise until now, but Ufotable even imitated the paper Jump is printed on with the next-ep previews…

OPM 2 8 (OPM 20)

Er…I haven’t mentioned it for the past few episodes, but Suiryu is hotttttttt. (No? I said that? Okay, next step.) That’s basically the only reason why I’m watching anymore…I can’t seem to find anyone who thinks positively of this tournament arc enough to do reviews of it that I can read, which has made my own opinion of this beloved series go down the drain…Also, if you weren’t aware, my taste lies not in Suiryu’s huge bulk, but rather in the fact he’s got long hair.

Didn’t Suiryu get pierced in the abs??? Where’s the blood coming from his injuries??? Update: He does have injuries there, they’re just not bloody…that’s all.

The main criticism for OPM 2 is the fact that it keeps cutting between different events, so it’s hard to follow. Well, I’ve had worse (see Concrete Revolutio) so that’s why I’m still here.

People say that clothing changes you – say if you put on a new outfit, you feel like a new person. (Of course, that’s all glamorising and praising consumption, but that’s beside the point here.) I think that’s what’s up with Max and Snek.

Shield Hero 21

“…the Shield Hero is worshipped.”

Really? Boob jiggle, at a time like this??? (Context: Malty is getting th slave crest painted on her.)

Wait, was there ever a Shield Church???

Okay, that felt like a real seasonal ending. What the heck is going to happen in the last few episodes, I wonder…?

Sarazanmai 8

Chikai knows the real meaning of YOLO…heh. I’m only kidding…

To be honest, I think I like Toi best out of the main trio. I tend to like the boys in blue…and no, I don’t mean the otter police.

Kazuki’s service provider is “Kappa Phone”, LOL.

When Reo held up the gun, I was yelling, “Enta! Get it for him!” (i.e. take the bullet) I didn’t expect him to actually do it…

…and here I thought tragic yuri was common enough and we don’t have enough Tragic Yaoi Dudes…

Notably, Toi was registered on Enta’s phone as “Kuji”, while Kazuki is registered as “Kazuki” (katakana) on Toi’s.

Shots fired…!

Update: I didn’t notice this, but the evil dude with kamome written behind him (I think it’s in this episode, but it might have been in the last one instead) must be based on a seagull…because that’s what kamome means.

Bungou Stray Dogs 33 (BSD S3 Ep 8)

I think it was around here I stopped reading the scans, because the series was picked up legally anyway…but I can see the death flags for a certain Port Mafia man…one who stands at the top.

As expected…butt shot. Igarashi (or whoever’s responsible for that shot) likes butts, so between this and Sarazanmai…*imagines image of kappa!Kazuki holding a shirikodama* There’s absolutely no buts about it (LOL), there’s no shortage of butts this season.

“To think that the rabbit being hunted would show its face…” – I think it’s hard for you to say that, Akutagawa, when you yourself have no face in that frame…

Why are both Akutagawa and Fyodor Naruto running today???

“So you’re doing this for that woman.”

What is “Mukurotoride”? I don’t seem to remember…maybe I never learnt what it was. Update: Apparently a tower in Dead Apple is called Mukurotoride.

Conspiracy time! This book sounds like Kunikida’s Ability…so imagine if it were under Dazai’s nose the entire time…

Fruits Basket 9

I love how the synopsis for this episode goes, “Kyo fights Yuki, Yuki fights a cold…”

Hatsuharu’s wearing such an ostentatious fluffy jacket…LOL, I love it.

Holy cow (LOL), I forgot how old Hatsuharu is…so that means he’s 15-ish, right?

Come to think of it…I see Fruits Basket characters in Ro Te O, which I started writing at about this time in 2013. The Azrael of that time was a hybrid of Hatsuharu, Ritsu and Ayame, Tetsuya is basically Yuki and Ryou is Kyou…hmm.

Apparently, Shigure had in the 2001 anime a song that went like, “High school girls, high school girls, cute high school girls for me.” So that’s where it was??? (Context: I haven’t seen Fruits Basket 2001, but read the entire manga.)

Kimetsu no Yaiba 9

Recap time, recap time…so the lady’s in the back room and Tanjiro conveniently forgets the man is in the basement…? Wuh?

Moya was complaining about how repetitive this show can get when it comes to the script (i.e. it repeats itself because it doesn’t trust its audience, but I think that’s because this is originally serialised on TV week by week that people may forget if they’re not bingeing, taking notes or following the manga). I’ll talk more about that in my KnY collab post, I guess…

When Yushiro said “watch your back”…he really meant it, huh?

Temari are the balls, but kemari is when you kick the balls.

“…the eyeballs on his hands are creepy.” – LOL.

Shield Hero 22

The ep title just says “Hero Council”…not specifically that there are 4 of them.

My stream’s been buffering more than usual, so I went “like mother, like daughter” before Naofumi did…

It would’ve ben massively funny to hear Melty call Malty either “Trash” or “B****”…especially the last one, because that’s always a fun way to end a sentence (especially for a girl as young as her). Update: She does, but the way she does it isn’t as funny as I thought it would be (and she doesn’t end her sentence with her sister’s new name).

Wait, I thought they got rid of her slave pact??? I thought it was only for the duration of her trial that she needed it for.

L’Arc and that lady seem like they’re foreshadowing for later…hmm. Update: The next-episode synopsis says “yes”. So does that new visual.

Sarazanmai 9

I can’t believe this show’s almost over…That means I gotta get a move on with RobiHachi, but to be honest? Non-anime things are probably going to kep me busy until…a few days from now. So I’ll get RobiHachi watched then.

Characetrs are dying en masse in this episode, aren’t they??? I saw a spoiler that (well, SPOILER) Chikai’s gonna die, but I don’t know about Enta or Keppi…Update: To be honest, I thought Chikai was going to become the next monster – a gun monster, perhaps. Maybe now that I’ve finished the episode, he’ll become a real zombie. (Hey, see what I did there with the bolding…? How’s that for hiding spoilers, eh???)

Oh yeah…I forgot Enta’s sister was Kazuki’s teacher…

There was a sign behind Masa that said”Hinode Asakusa” – “hi no de” meaning roughly “under the sun” or “leaving the sun”.

Tokarev…? The gun? Gun monster, maybe? Is this a critique of the American gun…(exaggerated voice) Nah, can’t be…this is Japanese.

Lionel…Lionel…for some reason, that name in relation to soccer seems familiar...I just can’t put my finger on who it reminds me of, though. Update: Is it, perhaps, Messi…? Yes, I think that’s the guy I was thinking of…!

Aw…I’m not crying, you are…But these words were running through my head before Toi chucked the bag of money away and yelled, “F***!”: “Everything I do, I do it for you.” Isn’t that cute…?

Bungou Stray Dogs 34

“…one by one?” Junban means “sequentially”, so I don’t see why you have to use the phrase “one by one”. Or “one at a time” would also work.

Hardbank…to contrast Softbank (a phone company in Japan).

Face-stealing aliens strike again…(re: Atsushi)

Oh flip. This reminds me of my Kunikida fic…yeah, I bet you don’t remember it.

Hey, this dude! Apparently he’s from one of Kunikida’s stories. I really am approaching the end of what I know of canon…*gulp* Update: Oops, we already passed that part…

I wonder if the real Fyodor could play cello…? Or is this just a thing to make him ominous and villanous…?

The cross on the wall behind Kunikida…makes this show more like Eva than Kekkai Sensen…exquisite. Absolutely exquisite, isn’t it?

Another cool cross, behind Tanizaki!

What’s a tatamigatana? Also, I didn’t know other people could be synchronised using Doppo Poet and Ranpo’s deduction…

Does Kouyou mean (by “the one I most despise”)…Chuuya? Or herself? It’s definitely not Ace.

Kimetsu no Yaiba 10

Headpats for Yushiro as well! Headpats for everyone!

There’s a lot of Tanjiro being terrified in this episode…

Wait…Kizuki? I thought they were the 12 Moons? (Well, “tsuki” means “moon”, but then what’s the “ki”?) Update: The “ki” means “demon”, so the Kizuki are the 12 Demon Moons.

Being alone with the body…that’s always a scary thought in murder mysteries…for the people who dissect them to determine the cause of death, that is.

Considering the name of the episode is “Together Forever”…nup, I don’t see Nezuko and Tanjiro separating anytime soon…

The Kasugai crow is what happens when you can’t turn off your Google Assistant…or GPS…or Siri.

If Tanjiro knows the name of his crow, how do the crows get their names? Do their trainers (is that the right term for a crow breeder in this case…?) give them names?

OPM S2 Ep 9 (Ep 21)

LOL, that one shot of the ants…JC Staff really don’t care about this series, do they…?

I kinda forgot about Genos after a bit more than a week…sorry, I was watching other anime in between. (More than usual, at least. I started playing Chibi Tamago – a forum game for AniList where you collect badges for watching anime - that’s why.)

Did he (Pri-Pri Prisoner)…store his phone in his butt…?

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S2 Ep 23-24: Escape From Box Fort

Currently trying to stop checking twitter more than once a day, and I’m getting legit twitter-shakes so I’ve decided to stave it off by watching nonsense television. So, last update I said that this was a 3 episode game arc yada yada, but that was apparently me just assuming that Yugioh had a formula. Because, to my shock, this one game was 4 episodes long.

It was 4 episodes mostly of Pharaoh rolling his eyes to the sky every time Kaiba said anything.

According to my bro who actually cares about the rules of this game, they broke basically a whole lot of established game rules in this particular match but like, I was all over that fast forward button so if I didn’t catch it, no harm, no foul. I was more interested in Tea and Mokuba’s very bizarre meet up at the box warehouse.

And while they formulated their half-brained plan (which is still better than Yugi who is always two halves of a brain) Marik and his snuggie villains tied Joey up in some dark room full of just one million cupboards and no light bulbs. Even Joey was not entirely sure of the purpose of any of that effort.

He also threatened to beat them all up so I assume he was just going to start bouncing around and headbutting everyone? His hair isn’t sharp enough for that - that’s a Yugi move, who probably greases those weird bangs with gel and then wipes all 4 of them it through a knife sharpener every morning.

There goes Marik, tying people up when he was just going to possess them anyway. Congrats Marik, now you have to untie the guy you only tied up like 3 minutes ago.

It really does feel like this villain just has zero idea what he is doing, and I’m guessing that probably happens a lot when your sister can see the future all the time. Why make plans or decisions when you have Ishizu to over explain everything to you? Honestly he wouldn’t even have had to tell her his fast food orders, she’d just show up with tacos when he starts feeling munchy. The life. Maybe he’s only been kind of a mess ever since he decided to embrace that whole cursed boy lifestyle?

Luckily for him, everyone else on this show is just as incompetent, and his big rival is a dead Pharaoh with amnesia who is currently squatting in the body of an angsty teen who plays the slowest card game I have ever seen played.

Anyway, speaking of ridiculously wasteful plans, will Tea decide to make a box, fort, again, although it really, really didn’t work the first time?

(read more after the cut)

So like, if Tea does it, she’s too heavy, but if Mokuba joins in--a kid who probably only weighs twenty pounds less than Tea, then...it works? I mean maybe this time they used tape?

I mean Mokuba is a genius child, so maybe he’s just better at building stuff. Maybe that’s what he learned from whatever vague genius orphan program these two underwent that still somehow landed Seto in public school. Mokuba learned to put the heavy boxes on the bottom.

And the moment Mokuba’s gifted feet left this box tower, Tea fell right back on her butt.

It took Yugi and Seto so long to play a card game that Tea and Mokuba had enough time to formulate a plan, follow it out, and actually succeed.

This is Mokuba.

They took so long Mokuba escaped. The kid who has been some sort of tied up/in a cage for over half of this show so far.

Anyway, Tristan narrowly avoids missing his train, which would have saved them both from what I’m guessing will be a hell of a lot of trauma.

Such an awkward train ride.

This show just can’t get anyone together, huh? Not complaining, mind you. Just...noticing. First it was Yugi/Pharaoh who really didn’t even blink once when Tea friendzoned them. I mean I think he just sweat a single forehead droplet or something. Now we have Tristan and Serenity, who haven’t even been on a real date--one of which is still in bandages from a very severe operation--and it’s like “we gotta break that one up waaaaaay before it starts.”

Who knows, maybe this anime was like “we can’t risk a Sailor Moon on this, we are already too much in hot water. Can’t be pulling out relationship stunts if we also gotta tie Tea up in a weird bondage chair and somehow still stay on the air during daytime kid’s TV.”

Which really happened, by the way.

How tall is this Odion guy PS? 11 ft?

Anyways, that’s one episode. Rip Joey. Other than that, not much to say about that one, so, lets jump into the next one.

On the other side of town things are still effed up but slightly less effed up as we are about to yes, absolutely, still blow a hole through the ceiling of this well populated building whether the team wins or loses.

So, they decide to work together. Well not really. They decide to trust that the other one won’t screw it on his turn. Considering these two are both card masters, this really was the lowest bar ever as far as trust goes. Can Yugi trust that Seto will play cards well? Y...yes. That’s literally all this kid does other than skip school and run a multicorp that only exists to invest in even more cards.

And he played them so well that this happened

I mean there are a lot of kid’s shows where villains fall to their deaths, but something about how realistic all these characters are drawn and how it’s put in a realistic-enough location to make it feel a lot darker than lets say Gaston falling off of Beauty and the Beast’s tower, you know what I mean?

But no matter, because Marik got these evil snuggies custom made and it is freakin weird.

I mean sure, whatever it takes to keep your 15 yo from doing a murder, Yugioh, I’ll take it, I guess. Even though like...I keep getting flashbacks to Mannequin. I never really wanted to remember Mannequin, so thanks for that.

Anyway, this began a really bizarre fight where Yugi wanted to interrogate the last guy standing--as if this guy knows anything--and Kaiba just wanted to straight up kill him for abducting his little brother. Both ideas were bad, so it’s fine that Marik nipped this in the bud.

Again, standing here next to Magic Muto, Kaiba is just refusing to admit that any of this is even slightly magical. Maybe he was such a bad wizard in his past life that he was cursed to not even believe in the concept of magic in this reincarnation. Not like it really matters, since Kaiba’s tech is basically magic.

Also get a load of this effect.

Hell yeahhhh it’s getting real 2001 now! Mm, probably took them like 4 computers to render back then. Glorious.

So, they both decide to drop this guy and he passes out on the roof of this building. No need to move him or anything. No need to disable the three other bombs. Just like...just loot his body and leave. I love this kid show’s weird ass morality.

So after ALL of that, Mokuba arrives. Good thing Kaiba didn’t actually murder anyone in revenge for his little brother (though he did try) or that would have been...awkward. Though, probably not the first time.

Since Tea saved his brother, Seto decides to help Yugi out by saving the lives of Yugi’s friends (of which, two are in the finals of Seto’s tournament, so he does actually need them.) He makes a note that he’s only doing this so he won’t owe Tea anything, and that Yugi did absolutely nothing at all. Which was kind of true, this entire match was a bad idea that gave them nothing but broken glass.

That’s right, it’s anime food time. Yes yes yes, my favorite time.

Just kidding, it’s all in boxes.

Thanks 4 kids, for not allowing us to think that people in other countries might not eat the same food we do. I guess they figured that the triangle shaped rice ball that Serenity had in the next scene looked enough like a taco to trick us.

Real talk, if my Taco Bell came in a fancy real wood box all cutely wrapped like that, it would be NUTS. Can you even imagine if Taco Bell decided to make Burrito Supremes into cute bento boxes? Hell. I would eat a Burrito Supreme again for the first time in 3 years. I would even eat it if they somehow put a burrito in that nasty Nacho Cheese Dorito flavored shell (though tbh that Cool Ranch shell was absolutely delicious and 10/10. Nacho cheese Dorito shell: bad)

Sorry I’ve been thinking a lot about Taco Bell ever since I realized you could go online and customize your burrito and I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of other people’s mad quesalupas and freaky deep-dish crunchwraps (one guy said he just gets a plain 5layer burrito and shoves a bunch of Doritos in there with extra nacho cheese sauce and he asked “Is this weird?” and the top comment was “no, you are God among men”)

Anyway, I just want you to imagine that spectacularly awful custom 5 layer burrito smothered in extra queso sauce and lovingly wrapped in a box with adorable wrapping paper and being given just two chopsticks to eat it with. And you do. On a train for everyone else to smell.

And then a few weeks ago I asked rhetorically, does Yugi and Seto get to go on a bachelor-style helicopter date and the answer is--YES.

Bless this storyboarder. Get this cross-stitched so I can hang it over my fireplace. Maybe it’s just me who thinks this shot is maybe the best joke in Yugioh, but I mean. Look at it. It just keeps giving. Yugioh characters are just so bizarre when they’re shoved into very small, very normal looking spaces.

And FYI I totally checked twitter four times while writing this so like...so much for that life goal. Boy, I have a twitter problem.

So, next week, on Yugioh:

Does anyone else in Marik’s troupe get real hot, so they take off their hoodie and we find out that nearly everyone else is also wearing the same exact pastel pink crop top sweater as Marik? Do Marik’s snuggie parachutes accidentally go off at embarrassing times? Does Seto pull out a neck pillow and just pass out for a few episodes while stealing Yugi’s arm rest? Does Mokuba offer to watch a movie on the copter and all they have is just Serendipity and Sleepless in Seattle?

And for those new here, this is a link to the Yugioh recaps in Chrono Order from Ep 1 so you don’t have to scroll through comments and stuff

[enigmaticgale]

houshin engi 100 questions

ariana linked me this and as we all i know i physically cannot shut up about this series ever, so here we go

endgame spoilers below!! if anyone actually cares, lol

1. What is your name? inigo montoya. you kill my father. prepare to die. NO i’m yarrow but i can’t imagine anyone who reads this won’t already know that

2. When did you get into Houshin Engi? january 2012! so.... much later than everyone else i’ve met who’s already into it. i’m babby 3. Did you read it in Weekly Jump magazine? Or the tankoubons? Or both? i read the snoopycool scanlations on mangapark dot com. that probably wasn’t the original website but fuck if i can remember what it was 4. Do you own all 23 volumes? yeah, four times over lol. 5. Do you own Houshin Taizen? hell yeah 6. Do you have the special Houshin Taizen that came with Akamaru Jump? i hate that i know this is a thing now because i won’t rest until i add it to my collection  7.Do you want a Houshin Taizen 2 to come out? yeah put birthdays in it this time fujiryu you hack 8. Did you watch the anime? i’ve seen it twice but only remember one watch lol. i’ve seen the sub and i’ve probably watched the first two episodes 5 times in the dub trying to watch the whole series through. no dice. oh this is about the old anime. i’m only part of the way through the new one because my adhd kicks my ass daily

9. Did you tape record it? man when were these questions written lol. i don’t even know how old i was when the anime aired in the states. did it even air in the states 10. Give your honest opinion on the last episode. hey studio deen? what the fuck? the fuck was that? you bastards? 11. Do you own mp3s of the opening and ending songs? sure do!

12. Do you buy the soundtrack albums? i got both. and then the 2 character song cds. and then 3 of 4 drama cds 13. If you answered ‘yes’ to #12, what is your favourIte track? MAN that’s tough?? probably... chi-kou-go-itsu because when taikoubou is like “IKITERU” in the chorus i’m like. god it won’t let me upload an image here this website is BROKEN. i’m that one gif of that black woman crying and nodding and then she wipes away her tear

14. What Houshin Engi merchandise do you own? what don’t i own. i need to update that album actually 15. Have you ever bought any of the Senkaiden games? yeah i got both.  16. If you answered ‘yes’ to #15, which ones have you bought? i’ve considered buying a wonderswan so i can play them because god knows where the rom i found is but i can’t read jp for shit 18. Could you name all the characters in Houshin Engi? not off the top of my head in a list but if you showed me a picture there’s a 98% chance i’d be able to tell you who they are 19. Favourite male character(s)? youzen and taikoubou... my first fave was roushi. i also like fugen and shinkouhyou and kouyuuken “who’s kouyuuken” haha. he’s the longhaired shisei. yes yes, my tastes

20. Favourite female character(s)? yuukyou is my DORTOR, i love ryuuktisu and kibi too! also seiba.  21. Which is your favourite Taikoubou outfit? i don’t really have a preference! though if you made me pick it would probably be his first one. baby outfit

22. Your opinion on Youzen’s outfit during the fight against Jyoka? i’m emo over him wearing his daddy’s paopei but that’s more of necessity than of sentimentality huh 23. Your opinion on Fugen’s shoulder-revealing shirt? how does it stay ON!!!! 24. Have you ever imitated Dakki’s speech pattern? i’m a guy 25. If you could transform like Youzen, who would you turn into and what would you do? GOD DJESUS.... i’d make myself a foot taller. and also have blue hair. and cure my damn dysphoria . please i want this transformation ability so bad lol

26. Which act/chapter is your favourite? i love the whole manga but the sennin war arc gunches me the hardest 27. Which anime episode is your favourite? bold of you to assume that i remember enough about the anime to differentiate what happened in which episode 28. Which volume cover is your favourite? that’s hard!!!! ummm...... volume one. i like taikoubou 29. Which title — be it volume title, chapter title, or episode title — is your favourite? bold of you to assume i remember episode or volume titles. as for chapter title... there are a lot of great ones but one that always stood out to me is “Chuuoh, Son of Heaven”. idk why. i just like that aesthetic i guess. son of heaven

OH i also really like 141 and 142 which are “ A Blinding Light, A Deafening Silence, And Then...” “An Eternal Happiness” ^___T sennin war arc 30. Have you ever cried while reading Houshin Engi? bunchuu’s death gets me every time though my definition of “cry” is probably a bit. loose. my very first reread though, i had to get up from my computer and stop reading because i physically couldn’t see. musta been a day 31. Do you still buy the calendars? STOP TELLING ME ABOUT MERCH I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT BECAUSE NOW I’LL HAVE TO BUY IT  32. If you answered ‘yes’ to #31, do you keep the old ones up? FUCKA YOU. yeah i’d display them somehow 33. What is your favourite quote, and who said it? “I learned the greatest courage is telling people my weakness. So I don't want to run anymore: not from you, not from myself!” by youzen. i also really like the line youzen has in the tournament arc where he says there’s no way he can lose because he has the powers of everyone he’s met but the quote i actually listed is more Feelsy 34. Do you have a favourite romantic pairing? hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa youbou. 35. Say anything you want about that favourite pairing? bold of you to expect coherency from me 36. Why are you into that pairing? nnMMBBmbmbbbb god i’m. gay. the tl;dr is i relate a lot to youzen and i love taikoubou a lot so it’s like self insert without the self insert lol. i’m really laying myself bare here in full sincerity 37. Have you thought of a perfect song for that pairing? What song, and by whom? yeah i gotta.... whole gotdamn playlist. please listen to it 38. Which houshined character do you want resurrected? here’s my postgame fic where everyone gets resurrected eventually. yes even all the rando youkai  39. Which character made you think “I’m glad s/he wasn’t houshined!”? probably..... youzen? or nataku. anyone who has a brush with death and then Wasn’t. 40. Which of the Konron 12 would you like to be scouted by? gyokutei!!!!!! 41. What are your reasons? *points at him* dad 42. Suupuushan, Kokutenko, Kokukirin. Who would you want to ride? kokutenko!!!! luv cat

43. Do you have any friends who like Houshin Engi? yeah!!! and i only had to bully a few of them into reading it. shocker 44. Who’s your favourite Jyuttenkun? kinkou seiba!!!  45. Did you like “Ennui Academy”? i want fujiryu to give me a full length ennui academy manga. this is only half a joke 46. What’s your favourite non-romantic pairing? BBBbbbb hmmm. i love yuukyou and her two dads and i also love youzen and gyokutei.... i’m suckerpunched by found family daily 47. Which do you like better; the Dakki Sisters or the Beautiful Sisters (Venus and Co.)? the dakki sisters  48. Do you want Roushi’s suit? depends on what i have to do to get it lol. but yeah i’m all about that lazy life 49. Name one paopei you want. i’m going to say all of them on account of being greedy and also bad at making decisions

50. What would you use it for? oh fuck. can’t make me go into work if i’m wrapped in rikukonhan’s void, right 51. Who is the strongest character, in your opinion? fukki if he’s got backup, jyoka if not 52. What is your reason? *points to the final volume* Observe 53. Which character makes you go, “I’ll never forgive him/her!!”? outenkun. basard 54. What colour do you like on Taikoubou’s hair? brown!!! my fave eye colour on him is green!! that wasn’t part of the question but i think that’s the cutest and best colour combo!!!!!! you can’t change my mind!!!!

i think fukki has black hair and blue/grey eyes. 55. Name a master-disciple combo you like. again, youzen and gyokutei suckerpunch me 58. Which is your favourite splash page? probably the very first one in chapter 1 cause i get all nostalgia over it. weh 59. Taikoubou + Outenkun = Fukki. Did you easily accept this fact? i wish i could tell you anything that i thought when i first read the manga but all my impressions are lost to time. i wish other people would remember that outenkun is a key part of the fukki equation and stop just treating him as taikoubou in a funny outfit lol. they’re different people, even if they’re similar....  60. Did the entrance of Fukki affect your opinion on Houshin Engi? again, i wish i could tell you, but 61. Do you think of Taikoubou, Fukki, and Outenkun as three separate people?

YES, AND YOU SHOULD TOO

62. Where on Taikoubou’s body do you think Outenkun’s paopei’s mark appeared? .....people talked about this? 63. Who would you want to be houshined by? dakki. if i have to die i want her to kill me, sexily. sorry for making you read those words 64. Who would do you want to houshin? outenkun but he’s off limits. ...i think anyone else i’d want to houshin already done and did it so 65. Which of Dakki’s many outfits is your favourite? bold of you to assume i keep track of them 66. Is Venus scary? no, she’s very cute!! shame on you!! 67. Which paopei made you go, “That’s terrible!!”? ay. uh. keiseigenjou is pretty spooky what with the “dakki uses this to mind control hundreds of thousands of people at once” 68. What is the colour of Chibi Youzen’s horns? dark dark brown imo 69. What cup size is Dakki? WHY AREY OU ASKING ME THIS-- oh it’s question 69. haha nice 70. Who’s your favourite Colourful Trio sennin? probably taiitsu! 71. Your opinion on the brand new sennin world? luv horai.... new home 72. What is Fukki’s hair colour in act 201? ....there was talk about this??  73. Ask yourself a question concerning Houshin Engi. can you ever stop fucking thinking about this manga 74. Your response to that question? no lol!!!!!  75. In your opinion, is Nentou in love with his half sister? in a completely innocent and platonic way, you fucking freaks! 76. Did the Sennin World War leave a deep mark on your heart? FUCK YEAH IT HURTS 77. Do you own any Houshin Engi doujinshis? oh yeah we got soup 78. Kichiku, hentai, yaoi, shounen-ai, general. Which doujinshi genre do you have the most of? shounen ai probably. i am, gay 79. Do you make Houshin Engi doujins? i would if i could, probably 80. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, do you make doujins about couples? i would if i could!!  81. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, the amount of Houshin Engi doujinshi circles is decreasing, but do you intend to continue yours? man what audience was this intended for 82. Who’s the easiest character to draw? youzen because he’s all i ever draw 83. Who’s the hardest character to draw? anyone who isn’t youzen 84. Have you ever done Houshin Engi cosplay? i wanted to cosplay roushi in high school but predictably never went through with the idea

85. If you answered ‘yes’ to #84, who have you cosplayed? man a lot of these could really be combined into one question huh 86. Does your website mainly have Houshin Engi in it? yeah cause it’s all i ever fucking think about 87. Is there a Houshin Engi fan you can’t forgive? Who and why? :) 88. What is Hanyoutai Youzen’s colour scheme? wh.... white hair, gold eyes, ???? hell if i know. bold of you to assume fujiryu would ever give a character a consistent colour scheme 89. If Nataku were to give you a ride, where would you want to go? nataku take me to court so i can get my legal name changed. idk?!? does this mean like in the sennin world?? anywhere Scenic

90. Which of Choukei’s outfits is the best? i’m longhairluvr69 but i think he looks cuter in his later outfit.... maybe if he’d kept his long hair and put it up in a bun?

91. Say anything about the most memorable scene in Houshin Engi. bold of you to assume i have a working memory 92. What do you think of the ending to Houshin Engi? I’M SAD. it’s a very satisfying ending though. 93. Have you imagined what happens after the series’ end? i got six years worth of headcanons for it, coming soon to a theatre near you 94. If you answered ‘yes’ to #93, give more detail. NO I’M TIRED. just read my fic 

95. Have you read Parallel World Houshin Engi? what, Another Story? yeah i’ve read it. 96. Do you own “Dramatic Irony”? yeah! milk junkie sure was a story, wasn’t it. 97. The series has ended, but is your love for the series still going strong? i will be on my deathbed still talking about this manga 98. Do you really think Fukki has nothing left to do in the end? well, he’s finished everything he Needs to do, but there’s a whole wide world left for him to explore!  99. Say anything you want about Fujiryuu. fujiryu i AM coming to japan and we WILL duel in an arby’s parking lot at 3am. there will only be one survivor

full seriousness i am alive and happy today because of fujiryu so if i ever do meet him irl i’d probably just start crying lol. 100. Any last words? read houshin engi!!!!

[tigerlover16-uk]

Anime I need to watch (April 2017 Update)

Wow, has it been a month already? Okay then, time to give my thoughts on the anime I’ve seen this month and then update my list accordingly. A LOT more to go through this time since I’ve been on a bit of a movie binge

Okay, first off I’ve just finished the Dark Tournament Saga of Yu Yu Hakusho, so I’m up to episode 67 out of 112. I got through it a bit slower than I thought because other stuff kept coming up. I’ll still give more of my thoughts on the show when I’m done, but I’ll say I really liked this saga. It was very well written, had some great fight scenes, and the story and character development were very compelling. If I have any complaints it’s that the saga sometimes felt like it dragged on a lot, it did feel like it took forever to get through even without the breaks I took. Also, Genkai suddenly showing up alive out of nowhere at the end of episode 66 was stupid and nonsensical and it better get a good explanation, because right now this just seems so forced and unnecessary.

In between that though, I also got the DVD for the series The Devil is a Part Timer in the post, so I took a day off to binge watch all 13 episodes.

The Christian part of me wonders if I should really be watching a show starring Satan as the main character and portraying him as actually not that bad a guy. But then again, the geek in my is just shrugging my shoulders and having fun with such a ridiculous premise as the devil working in a McDonalds parody. Weird feeling in the back of my head aside though, the show was pretty fun and charming. The characters were likeable, the humour was fine and overall it was just an enjoyable show through and through.

It’s not perfect, the second to last episode felt pretty underwhelming, and the final episode while not bad didn’t really feel like a final episode, though that epilogue was nice. And yeah, this feels like a story that was meant to go on longer than it did, but it’s been four years and no second season so I’m guessing we’re not getting any more of it in anime form. I guess I could give the light novels or manga a try, but it always irks me whenever I get into a show only to find out it was ended sooner than it should have been. But apart from that, I didn’t have any big problems. It’s a good show. Not amazing, but it was fun and a pleasant way to kill some time, and sometimes that’s all I need. Not much else I can think to say and I have a lot else to talk about.

Like I mentioned in my last update, I got the DVD for the movie Only Yesterday, one of the few Studio Ghibli films I haven’t seen yet, which only got dubbed fairly recently. So I watched it at the start of the month aaaaaaaannnd... it wasn’t for me.

Now before anyone comments, Only Yesterday wasn’t a bad movie. I get what they were going for with it, being a series of events from someone’s life and to paint a picture about what sort of person the main character grew up to be as she’s trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. I can definitely appreciate the value of what the film was going for... but, the whole thing was just too disjointed and not always that interesting for me to get all that invested. Looking back, I kinda find it hard to find the words to describe this movie and how I feel about it, it was certainly a unique experience for me I’ll give it that and I don’t regret watching it, but unlike all the other Studio Ghibli films I’ve seen I don’t really see any reason to come back to this one. It’s not even that I don’t like grounded slice of life stuff, Whisper of the Heart is easily in my top 3 Ghibli films. I can’t say Only Yesterday was bad, because it really doesn’t feel like a bad film, but it’s not something I care to watch again.

After that I think the next anime movie I saw was Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys, one of two Advanced series Pokémon movies I missed out on. This one I liked more... but it was just okay. Really, I don’t know what else to say about it. The story was okay, Noah was a good character but everyone else was just okay. The action and visuals were okay, barring some conspicuous cgi. Deoxys and Raquaza were okay. Really, it just like one of the more average Pokémon movies I’ve seen. I’m still glad I saw it, but I remember as a kid hearing about it from people and knowing a Pokémon I really loved like Rayquaza was in it, I guess I always thought that it was something bigger and more interesting than it was. Ah well, that happens.

Hmm. Two meh movies in a row. Let’s spice that up with another Ghibli film. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, which was much more up my alley. I love the art style of the movie, it worked perfectly well for an adaption of this Japanese folk story and just really stands out among most other anime movies I’ve seen. I liked the characters and the story, while there were a few questionable parts here or there, was pretty good, and I did feel sad by the time things came to an end. It wasn’t really the best Studio Ghibli film I’ve seen, but it certainly did a lot more for me than Only Yesterday.

Okay, I think the next film I saw was Akira. And that was... um... ... what the heck WAS it?

Seriously, I still don’t completely understand what I watched. I’ve heard this movie was adapted from a pretty long manga that wasn’t even finished when the movie was released, and that a lot of stuff had to be condensed... it shows.

I’ll say that the visuals were great and when I understood well enough what was going on, the movie certainly had plenty of good moments. But it feels like there were a lot of scenes or moments haphazardly slashed out of the film at various points that would have made the story feel more coherent. I could understand the gist of what was going on after giving things some thought and seeing the whole film, but the story and various characters feel underdeveloped or just not explained well enough at times, it was hard for me to get invested and just enjoy the movie. It wasn’t a bad experience necessarily, but I think this is one classic that’s really not for me. I think I’ll try to read the manga at some point, but I honestly didn’t quite get the film. And this is coming from someone who was able to mostly follow Evangelion.

And after that bit of weird grittiness, I watched another Pokémon movie. Pokémon Heroes. This was honestly the only original series Pokémon movie I had never seen before the cast change, since I just never got around to it for some reason. And I gotta say, I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t as great and epic or had as much depth as stuff like Spell of the Unown or Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, but it was a really charming movie with some genuinely touching and sad moments. It was well animated, the villains didn’t have a lot of depth but they were more fun to watch than a lot of movie villains. Latios and Latias were pretty interesting, and Ash was at his best here. The whole thing with Ash possibly getting kissed by Latias at the end is a little weird, but hey, it wasn’t as creepy as say that kiss scene from Sonic 06, and this wouldn’t be the first time the anime has had a Pokémon crush on Ash. Ain’t that right, Bayleef? Apart from that though, this was a fun movie and I’d gladly come back to it sometime soon.

Wish I could say the same for the next Pokémon movie, Hoopa and the Clash of Ages... boy that felt hollow.

You know, I don’t really mind that the movie didn’t have a strong story. If they wanted to make a movie that was all about spectacle and showing off as many legendary pokemon in a big battle as possible, I’m all for that. There’s nothing wrong with a dumb movie, as long as it’s something fun. But honestly, the plot was so thin and unengaging, that when it got to the clash of legends, everything just felt kind of... bland. Like, there were good moments, but overall the fight just felt empty and not as spectacular as a battle of this scale should be. There was no sense of scale or tension, it was just... meh. There were a lot of interesting ideas for a story here, but everything felt underdeveloped and that it would have made more sense as a long arc of the show.

And then there were plenty of stupid things in the movie, worst of which being that literal deus ex machina of a climax. I’ll give Pokémon the First Movie this credit, it had a lot of dumb moments, but the movie at least felt interesting and enjoyable. This... ehh, I just couldn’t find it all that satisfying. And I really wanted to enjoy it. Honestly it’s not often I finish a movie feeling pretty empty, but here you go.

Thankfully I did have time for one more Pokémon movie, Jirachi Wish maker, the last Advanced generation movie I hadn’t seen. And luckily it was decent. Nothing great, more around Destiny Deoxys level quality. In that it was really average and a little slow at parts, but it had plenty of good moments to it and it was overall charming, which felt like a needed breath of fresh air considering I watched it immediately after Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (Came in the post together). But this post is going on pretty long so I can’t go into much more detail.

And then the last film I watched was The Last: Naruto the movie.

(Deep breaths).

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Naruto these days. I discovered the series when it was still airing on Jetix in my country (Back when Jetix was still a thing), and I quickly grew to love it. For a long time it became my favourite show of all time, even briefly eclipsing Dragon Ball Z as my favourite anime (Given time and retrospect and watching Dragon Ball and Z again, no, they’re still my favourite, but back then that’s how I felt). I really loved the series and I kept up with every update on the story, and despite not enjoying a lot of the stuff with Sasuke after the fight with Itachi I enjoyed everything in the manga right through the Invasion of Pain story arc... and then things gradually started slipping off the rails for me.

I won’t give you a full detailed account of my personal history and how I felt about the series as things went on, but I kept up with news on the story and checked in on the manga right up until it ended, and from the conclusion to the Kage summit arc right to the end, soooo much stupid and bad stuff happened that just left me confused, annoyed, baffled and angry that Naruto honestly just turned into a chore and then a big disappointment, and I was only following updated on it because I was too invested to not want to see how it ended. I legitimately don’t think I’ve ever been angrier at a plot twist than I was with the whole Kaguya is the big evil mastermind reveal than I have been with any other reveal outside of One More Day. It got to the point that while it ended, even though things I wanted desperately to see for the longest time like Naruto becoming Hokage and getting together with Hinata ended up happening, I just wasn’t satisfied and in fact all I could feel was empty and upset that the second half of the series had turned out so badly.

The final third of Naruto was honestly the most frustrating experience I’ve had with any piece of media I’ve ever loved outside of maybe a lot of the nonsense Marvel’s been pulling like OMD and HYDRA Cap. I’ve been feeling melancholy about the whole thing for years, just feeling down and empty and wishing things had turned out better. I never even saw The Last despite it sounding like the story I’d been wanting to see.

Recently I’ve been feeling more and more nostalgic for it, especially between the whole announcements of it’s follow up Boruto and the Shippuden anime FINALLY coming to an end. So, I recently ordered up the DVD, and yesterday I watched The Last: Naruto the Movie for the first time.

And for all the ups and downs and mixed feelings, all the bitter feelings I’ve had over Naruto... I enjoyed the movie. It wasn’t perfect, but it was beautifully animated, had some great fight, the story was good, and as someone who considered NaruHina their number 1 OTP for years, to the point it’s actually what got me to start reading fanfiction, the movie was really touching. It was satisfying seeing Naruto and Hinata finally getting together, and that final scene especially was just beautiful.

I won’t go into full detail, because if I feel like it I might do a sort of review on the movie at some point, but I’m very glad I watched it. After the last several years, it felt like the closure I never really got with this series. I can’t force myself to sit through or enjoy a lot of the stuff towards the tail end of Naruto, but for what it’s worth, looking back... I’m still glad I got into it. I’m glad for all the fond memories I have of the franchise. I’m glad for all the good in Naruto, and all the good times I’ve had being a fan. I’m glad that Naruto got to fulfil his dream and earn the happy ending he so very much deserved, and got to be with a woman who truly loves him. And... I’m glad for The Last. That it exists, and that I finally watched it.

Honestly, I think now I want to go back and watch some of the series when it was good, for old times sake. And when the DVD for Boruto comes out in June on Amazon, I think I’ll watch that movie too. Who knows, if I like that maybe I’ll check out the anime or manga follow up too. Less likely, but who knows, I’m feeling nostalgic now.

I may not be able to call Naruto my favourite show anymore. And I won’t call the second half of Part II of the manga and Shippuden good. But I think now enough time has passed that the bitterness I’ve been feeling over the series has finally faded, and I can be happy to still call myself a fan of Naruto. It’s not perfect, it should have ended up better in the later stages. But when it was good, it was something magical to me, and I choose to remember it for all the joy it brought to me.

So, to close it out... thanks Kishimoto. Thank you for all the times your series brightened up my life. Good luck with whatever you do next.

Well, I guess that’s all I really needed to say for now. This was a... fairly productive month for me. Hopefully next month will be even more so. Until then, I’ll just leave things at the updated list. I’m just gonna go finish Yu Yu Hakusho now. As always, if anyone has any recommendations for anime I haven’t listed here, please send them my way.

One Punch Man (Seen four episodes a while back, looks good)

Mobile Suit Gundam

Outlaw Star

Cowboy Bebop

Digimon Frontier

Digimon Data Squad

Digimon Fusion

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal

Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V

Sailor Moon (Watched the entire first season and was about halfway through season 2. Should really get back to watching the full series) Sailor Moon Crystal

Yu Yu Hakusho (Up to episode 67)

Ranma 1 ½

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012-onwards series)

Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Fullmetal Alchemist

One Piece

Astro Boy (Any series. I just want to be able to say I’ve watched something from this franchise).

Kill La Kill

Gurren Lagann

Fairy Tail (What? Why’re you looking at me like that? I like cheesy stuff like this, alright!)

Little Witch Academia

Tenchi Muyo!

Death Note

Yuri On Ice

Fist of the North Star

Soul Eater

Code Geass

Food Wars: Shokugeki No Soma (I watched about 9 episode, need to catch up)

Your Lie in April

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Mob Psycho 100

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Phoenix Wright anime

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Movies:

Your Name

Garden of Words

Paprika

Tokyo Godfathers

The Boy and the Beast

5 Centimeters per second

Millenium Actress

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro

The Digimon Adventure Tri Movies

Yu-Gi-Oh: Bonds Beyond Time

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions

Pokémon the movie: Black and White.

Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend awakened

Pokémon: Kyurem vs the sword of justice

Pokémon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction

Pokémon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel

Pokémon: I Choose You

Ghost In The Shell

Memories

Perfect Blue

Naruto: Ninja clash in the Land of Snow

Naruto: Legend of the Stone of Gelel

Naruto: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom

Naruto Shippuden The Movie

Naruto Shuppuden: Bonds

Naruto Shippuden: The Will of Fire

Naruto Shippuden: The Lost Tower

Naruto Shippuden: Blood Prison

Naruto: Road to Ninja

Boruto Movie

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 3/19/19

Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 6 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – This is coming to a close soon, and you can sort of tell—despite the plot complication showing us that Goda still really wants to direct, there’s just not a lot of special effects work here. Instead, we see the romantic pairings start to resolve, though resolve does not, in this case, mean “start a relationship.” I like this, as it shows how it can be difficult but not impossible to carry on working and being friends with someone after you’ve been rejected. Ruka, though, may have a tougher row to hoe here, and I have a suspicion that her arc is going to be the resolution of the series. Which is in the next volume, hopefully coming out a bit sooner than the year between books five and six. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 4 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – This is a Shonen Jump series, and I think that fans of Dr. STONE are simply going to have to accept that we are not dealing with science, but with SCIENCE!, shouted like the Thomas Dolby song. In other words, leave your disbelief at the door, it is not welcome here. Meanwhile, we do find out why the girl wears a watermelon on her head—she’s half-blind without glasses, which don’t exist here. Glass is important, as it will allow Senku to help save the girl, but before he can do that, there’s a tournament arc coming up, which everyone enters with lots of “we will fix the bouts” plans which all get torpedoed instantly. This series is pure dumb fun, almost JoJo-esque at times. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 9 | By Izumi Miyazono | VIZ Media – Despite the fact that Asuka suggested that she and Ryu break up at the end of the previous volume—having seen how he flourished in Washington, DC and not wanting to hold him back—there was really zero chance that the series would end without them tying the knot. Apparently, they had a three-year separation where they were still in love but focusing on work and didn’t talk at all. They meet again at their friends’ wedding and suddenly it’s proposal time! It’s pretty anticlimactic, but there were things about the final volume I did like, like Kamiya assuming Asuka was crying over the breakup only to find her clear-eyed and also that Asuka came to appreciate her challenging job and changed her mind about quitting to be a full-time homemaker. I’d probably read something else by this author. – Michelle Smith

Fate/Zero, Vol. 8 | By Gen Urobuchi, Type-Moon, and Shinjiro | Dark Horse – Given this is the eighth of fourteen total volumes, we are at last starting to cull some of the cast, and thank goodness it involves Caster and his master being taken down, though honestly I could have done without the “Jeanne forgives me for killing all those little kids!” bit. We also get to see how overpowered Gilgamesh really is, as if we didn’t know that already, and find that the Lancer/Sola-Ui team is also getting removed from the equation. We do finally get more Tokiomi, at last, but ugh, he’s a really horrible father, even if you aren’t a Sakura fan. Since I am, I regard him with revulsion, even as I know that Kariya is on the losing end here. Well-written apocalypse manga. – Sean Gaffney

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete Four-Panel Comics | By Hiromu Arakawa | VIZ Media – This slim volume collects not only the four-panel comics from the 27-volume Fullmetal Alchemist manga series—about which I’d forgotten everything save for a memory that Alphonse was drawn very cutely—but also those included in DVD releases for the first anime and Brotherhood and “rare strips from Japan.” The contents are organized by source. Some strips are more amusing than others, of course. Jokes about Edward’s height became tiresome, but I did like quite a few of them, particularly one in which a gorilla dude is disappointed that a lion dude doesn’t have toe beans and the one featuring some sheep terrorism. The volume is certainly cute and a must-have for completists, but not earth-shattering. It does make me want to reread the series, though! – Michelle Smith

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 8 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – Sometimes Golden Kamuy ditches its dark humor or its politics or its action adventure or even its food. Yes, sometimes it’s pure horror, and that’s what we get for a lot of the first half of this volume, which is stomach-churning. I imagine anyone who would have truly been upset by this long since dropped the title, but Edogai (who premieres at the start of the volume and is dead by the end of it) is a real piece of work, and leads to some of the grossest art in the series. Thankfully, it’s not all taxidermy gone wrong, and there is a bit of food, as well as an exciting and lethal mining adventure. But I must admit, I’m hoping the next volume steps back just a bit from seeing how horrifying it can get. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 31 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – It’s not going to be easy for Karasuno, who lose the second set here, and need to find a way to regain the momentum. That said, the other team is really good. Here we see how everyone has evolved to use their bad habits for good—Kageyama’s drive to win and succeed no longer is at the expense of everyone else, and Tsukishima’s insults and sneering are almost weaponized, too. The art is also getting more assured, showing off some really nice angles and making you want to go see a volleyball game in real life. But I gotta admit, in the end this is a lot of pages about a volleyball game in progress, which means I enjoyed it but don’t have a heck of a lot to say. – Sean Gaffney

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 2 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – This series runs on—in fact its main reason for being is—pulling a shell game to see which heroine will win. As such, we need to balance out the heroines. Since Miku got so much attention last time, we move to the others. Nino is upset that Futaro can read her like a book. Itsuki bonds with his younger sister at an arcade, and gets the “wow, we look like a family” picture. And Ichika, the short-haired twin, has to deal with an acting audition being at the same time as a festival, meaning she has to break a promise with her sisters. This isn’t all that original, but I like everyone—even Nino, who’s written to be unlikable here. A fun romantic comedy where I’m still not sure who wins. (My money’s on Itsuki.) – Sean Gaffney

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, Vol. 3 | By Fumita Yanagida | Seven Seas – This may be rising up to become one of my favorite 4-koma manga of all time, as it moves from strength to strength. This despite the revelation that Carol’s mother had her when she was thirteen years old (which is commented on as creepy in the text). We find that, just as Tomo takes after her mother, so do Misuzu and Carol with their respective mothers. As for Tomo and Jun, well, she stays the night at his place, and later on bonds with him while dressed in a nice dress and wig (so he doesn’t know it’s her). They’re adorable and awkward. We also get to see what good friends our main trio are coming, and while I like Jun, and wish I could see more of Kosuke, I’m delighted with that. Excellent title. – Sean Gaffney

By: Sean Gaffney