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Kishimoto interview and staff commentary The Last Booklet December 2014

Translation from Google Translate, QuillBot and DeePL

「NARUTO-ナルト-」は、僕がいろいろ成長させてもらった作品でもあるし、自分の子供みたいにも感じています。

"NARUTO" is a work that has helped me grow in many ways, and I feel like it is like my own child.

岸本斉史インタビュー (原作・キャラクターデザイン・ストーリー総監修) 1974年11月8日、岡山県生まれ。96年漫画家デビュー。99年に週刊少年ジャンプ上にて連載を開始した「NARUTO-ナルト-」作品となり、世界的な人気を獲得する。 2014年50号をもって、15年にわたったをしまれつつ終了。「ROAD TO NINJA -NARUTO THE MOVIE-」 (12) では、原作・企画・ストーリー・キャラクターデザインを自ら手掛けた。

Masashi Kishimoto Interview (Original work, character design, story general supervision) Born November 8, 1974 in Okayama Prefecture. Debuted as a manga artist in 1996. In 1999, he began serializing "NARUTO" in Weekly Shonen Jump, which gained worldwide popularity. The series ended after 15 years with the 50th issue in 2014. For "ROAD TO NINJA -NARUTO THE MOVIE-" (12), he was responsible for the original work, planning, story, and character design.

Q今回、ナルトとヒナタの恋愛を描いた物語に驚きました。

Q: I was surprised by the story this time depicting the romance between Naruto and Hinata.

僕の中では、「NARUTO-ナルト-」の少年期が終わって、青年期に入って少し経った頃から「ナルトはヒナタとくっつく」と決まっていました。でも別に二人の恋愛話に僕はあまり思い入れがなくて(笑)、そういう話を描くつもりはなかったんです。ただ、漫画の最後は、ナルトに子供が生まれて、それがナルトみたいなやんちゃな男の子で、火影になったナルトの火影岩にその子の落書きがあるっていう風にして、漫画の第一話に戻る感じにしたかった。ですから僕の中には当初なかった発想で、今回劇場版を作る時に、ぴえろの方とか、脚本の経塚 (丸雄) さんが、「今度の映画でそこを描いたらどうか」と提案されて、こういう形になった感じです。物語を原作の2年後にしたのも、恋愛話にするなら二人が18歳を超えていないと、という僕のこだわりです(笑)。

Kishimoto: For me, it was decided that Naruto would end up with Hinata a little while after his childhood arc in "Naruto" ended and he entered his adolescence arc. But I don't really have any emotional attachment to the love story between the two of them (laughs), and I didn't intend to write such story.

However, for the end of the manga, I wanted it to feel like returning to the first chapter by having Naruto have a child who is a mischievous boy like him, and his graffiti on Naruto's Hokage rock.

So, it was an idea that I didn't initially have, but when we were making this movie, people from Pierrot and the screenwriter, Mr. Kyōzuka (Maru), suggested, "How about depicting that in this movie?" and that's how it came to be. The reason I set the story two years after the original is because I insisted that if it was going to be a love story, the two characters had to be over 18 years old (laughs).

Q なぜナルトとヒナタがくっつくと決めてらしたんですか?

Q: Why did you decide that Naruto and Hinata would get together?

ヒナタはナルトが最初から頑張ってるところをちゃんと見て、ずっと応援していた唯一の子なんです。ナルトはうまくいかないけど頑張っていて、諦めないところが格好いいって分かってる。サクラもそのことに途中で気づきますけど、やっぱり最初から見ていたヒナタが報われないのは可哀想だと思って(笑)。

Kishimoto: Hinata is the only one who has seen Naruto working hard from the beginning and has always supported him. She knows that Naruto is trying his best even though things are not going well and that it is cool that he never gives up.

Sakura also realizes this halfway, but I thought it would be pitiful if Hinata, who had been watching from the beginning, is not rewarded (laughs).

Q 赤いマフラーが印象的な使われ方をしていました。

Q: The red scarf was used in a striking way.

マフラーは今回の映画のメタファーになっていて、恋愛を象徴するものとして使って頂きました。このマフラーがあったから、最後のセリフは決まったんです。

Kishimoto: The scarf serves as a metaphor in this movie, symbolizing love. It was used for that purpose. Because of this scarf, the final line was decided.

Q 19歳になったナルトのキャラクターデザインを描かれる時、されたことは?

Q: When you were drawing the character designs for Naruto, who is now 19 years old, what did you do?

とにかくナルトを格好良く描きたかった。ナルトはちょっと泥臭くてヌケてる感じで描いてきたので、どうしてもライン的にもやんちゃなイメージがあるんです。そのやんちゃ具合が少し抜けさて、落ち着いて来た男の子の「」みたいなものを出したかった。男は恋愛を経験して一人前と思っているので、僕の中では今のナルトは大人のイメージなんです(笑)。

Kishimoto: I wanted to draw Naruto in a cool way. I've always drawn Naruto with a rough slightly down-to-earth and casual carefree feel, so he inevitably has a mischievous image in terms of his lines. I wanted to bring out something like a boy who has calmed down a bit from that mischievousness. Since men are considered grown-up after experiencing love, in my mind, the current Naruto has an adult image (laughs).

Q 本作でお好きなシーンを教えてください。

Q: What is your favorite scene in this film?

ナルトが告白して断られるところですね(笑)。「ナルトに試練を与えてやった」「図に乗っちゃダメだ��」「頑張れ、ナルト」ってえる。そこが好きです(笑)。あと、サクラとナルトがお互いに愛対象じゃないと気づく、決別のシーンでもある、サクラがナルトにヒナタの気持ちを代弁するところも気に入っています。

Kishimoto: It's the part where Naruto confesses his feelings and gets rejected (laughs). "I've given Naruto a test," "Don't get too cocky," "Do your best, Naruto." I like that part (laughs). I also like the scene where Sakura and Naruto realize that they are not interested in each other and decide to part ways, and where Sakura speaks to Naruto on behalf of Hinata's feelings.

Q 岸本先生にとって、「NARUTO-ナルト-」とは?

Q: What does "NARUTO" mean to you, Kishimoto-sensei?

僕がいろいろ成長させてもらった作品でもあるし、自分の子供みたいにも感じるし……難しいですね。読者の方が読んでくれて、「面白い」って言ってくれないと続かないので、それが15年も続いたというのは、本当にすごいことだなあって思います。

Kishimoto: It's a work that has helped me grow in many ways, and I feel like it's my own child... It's difficult. If the readers don't read it and say, "It's interesting," it wouldn't have continued, so I really think it's amazing that it has lasted for 15 years.

Q 「NARUTO-ナルト-」は、キャラクターひとりひとりがかを抱えていますよね。

Q: In "NARUTO," each character has their own struggles.

うまくいかない要素を誰もが持っていて、それを持って生きている。全てがうまくいっている人なんてそんなにいないからうまくいっていない要素を入れれば誰かが共感してくれるんじゃないと思い、そういう風に描いていました。

Kishimoto: Everyone has things that don't go well, and we all live with those things. Since there aren't many people whose lives are going perfectly, so I thought that if I included things that aren't going well, someone might empathize with it, and that's how I portrayed it.

Q 「NARUTO-ナルト-」で描かれる「諦めない」「信じる」力もま強く印象に残ります。

Q: The power of "never giving up" and "believing" depicted in "NARUTO" also leaves a strong impression.

それはすごく思いますね。僕も漫画家になりたいと思ってなれましたし、僕は、ナルトほど必死ではなかったかもしれないですけど、でも「諦めない」気持ちは大切なんじゃないかなあと思います。あとは「性」かなあ。ナルトを見ていて、やっぱり相性が一番大事だな(笑)って僕自身が感じています。

Kishimoto: I really think so. I also wanted to become a manga artist and I did. I might not have been as desperate as Naruto, but I think the feeling of "not giving up" is really important. And then there's "compatibility." Watching Naruto, I feel that compatibility is the most important thing (laughs).

Q: 最後に「NARUTO-ナルト-」ファンにメッセージをお願いします。

Q: Finally, please give a message to the fans of "NARUTO".

「NARUTO-ナルト-」で恋愛を描くのは初めてなので、今までにないナルトが絞られると思います。この劇場版は、次に僕がく作品と繋がっていますので、絶対に観ておいてください。そしてまた、その先にあるものを楽しみにして頂けたらと思います。

Kishimoto: This is the first time I've depicted a love story in "NARUTO", so I think it will bring out a Naruto that has never been seen before. This movie is connected to the next work I'm doing, so please be sure to watch it. And I hope you'll look forward to what comes after that.

この作品が皆様の心の片隅にいつまでも「思い出」として残れば幸いです。

I hope this work will remain in the back of your mind as a memory forever.

小林常夫 (監督)

Tsuneo Kobayashi (Director)

岸本先生との最初の打ち合わせで、本作はゲストキャラではなく、ナルトを主人公にした映画にしてほしいという要望がありました。そこでナルトに欠落しているモノは何かを考えて導き出されたのが「恋愛感情です。ナルトの最後の映画は「アクション映画」ではなく「恋愛映画」を作る事になりました。

During our first meeting with Kishimoto-sensei, he requested that this film be centered around Naruto, not a guest character. We then considered what was missing from Naruto and came up with the idea of romantic love. We decided to make Naruto's final film a romantic movie, not an action movie.

まずのさんにマフラーのアイデアをいただき、それが凄く気に入りました。そこからマフラーをメインのアイテムとして話を作れないかと考えて浮かんだのが、二人の思い出を投影した光の球が浮遊する空間を赤いマフラーを巻いたナルトとヒナタが手を繋いで疾走するというイメージです。今までの二人の「思い出」それはナルトファンの方たちにとっても思い出となるシーン、その思い出の数々が走馬灯のようにフラッシュバックしたら素敵な面になるのではないかと考えました。早速イメージボードを描いて、この世界を思い出」と名付けました。このシーンに繋げる為にはどのようなエピソードをくべきか、それを逆算して考えたのが本作の物語です。

First, Nono gave me the idea for the scarf, which I really liked. From there, I wondered if I could create a story with the scarf as the main item, and I came up with the image of Naruto and Hinata running hand in hand, wearing red scarves, in a space where balls of light projecting their memories are floating. The "memories" of the two up until now are scenes that will also be memorable for Naruto fans, and I thought it would be a wonderful scene if all those memories flashed back like a slideshow. I immediately drew an image board and named it "Remembering this world." I wondered what kind of episodes I should include to connect to this scene, and worked backwards to come up with the story of this work.

ビジュアルは今までの劇場作品から一新してブラッシュアップしています。キャラクターデザインの西尾さんと鈴木さんには、身を高くしたいとか、色々オーダーをしてしまい御苦労をお掛けしてしまいました。

The visuals have been completely revamped from previous theatrical works. I made many requests to character designers Nishio and Suzuki, such as making them taller, which caused them a lot of trouble.

色彩とも新しくしました。特に日邸は冒頭に登場する重要な舞台ですので、原作の日向邸を参考に、旧家の邸宅をロケハンして設定を作り直しました。ヒナタとハナビの会話シーンは、美術が美しく、電灯の色など「礼賛」のような雰囲気��気に入っています。ナルトがヒナタに告白するシーンは、青い泉に金色に輝く、ゴッホの絵画のような配色にしてみました。

We also used new colors. Hinata's residence is an important setting that appears at the beginning, so we used Hinata's residence in the original work as a reference, scouted old family homes, and recreated the setting. The scene where Hinata and Hanabi talk has beautiful art, and the colors of the lights create an atmosphere of "praise," which I like. For the scene where Naruto confesses his feelings to Hinata, we used a color scheme reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting, with gold shining against a blue spring.

ナルトがヒナタの気持ちに気付く夢のシーンは、過去のエビソードの時系列をばらしてランダムに組み変えるのがパズルをしているようで白かったです。アカデミー時代にヒナタがナルトの名前を書いた紙を現在のナルトが見るまで、どのようにエピソードを組み立てるか、何通りもパターンを考えした。

The scene where Naruto realizes Hinata's feelings in a dream was like solving a puzzle, as it mixed up the timelines of past episodes randomly. I thought of various ways to piece together the episodes until the present Naruto sees the paper where Hinata wrote his name during their academy days.

本作ではイメージしにくいかと思いますが、当初のトネリは「シザーハンズ」のジョニーデップを若くしたイメージで作りました。幼い時から月に独りで暮らしてきた為に他人の気持ちが理解できない、ナルトと違う意味でしているキャラクターです。

Although it may be hard to imagine in this movie, originally Toneri was created based on a younger version of Johnny Depp from "Edward Scissorhands." He is a character who has lived alone on the moon since he was a child and is therefore unable to understand the feelings of others, which is different from Naruto.

岸本先生にはシナリオをチェックしていただきました。連載でお忙しい中、親身になって色々とアドバイスをして下さり感謝しております。「マフラーを編むには時間が掛かんだ」など、重要なセリフも作っていただきました。

Mr. Kishimoto checked the script. I am grateful that he kindly gave me various advice despite his busy schedule with the serialization. He also wrote important lines such as "It takes time to knit a scarf."

余談ですが、ポイントになるカットではヒナタを横で見せるようにしました。ヒロインのを印象的に演出したヒッチコックの「めまい」や大林宣彦監督の「さびしんぼう」へのオマージュです。

As a side note, I made sure to show Hinata on the side in the key shots. This is a homage to Hitchcock's “Vertigo” and Nobuhiko Obayashi's “Sabishinbo,” in which the heroine's body is shown in a striking manner.

本作はナルトの最後の映画ですので、「ナルトの思い出」を眠り返しんでいただけるように、そして皆様の新しい「思い出」の作品になればという気を込めてしました。この作品が皆様の心の片隅にいつまでも「思い出」として残れば幸いです。

This is the final Naruto movie, so we created it with the hope that it would allow you to revisit "Naruto's memories" and become a new "memory" for everyone. We hope this work will remain as a "memory" in the corners of your hearts forever.

恋愛偏差値30のナルトが、ドン底に落ち、はい上がり・・・オトナの男を目指す姿を描きたかった。

I wanted to depict Naruto, with a love deviation score of 30, hitting rock bottom and then rising up... aiming to become a mature man.

経塚丸雄 (脚本)

Maruo Keizuka (Screenplay)

今回僕が描きたいと考えたナルトは、19歳となり、忍として完成型に近づいてはいるけれども、恋愛に関しては 30のが、ドン底に落ち、は、い上がり・・・オトナの男を目指すというものでした。

The Naruto I wanted to portray this time is 19 years old and close to being a complete ninja, but when it comes to love, he is in his 30s, has hit rock bottom, and is trying to climb back up… to become a grown man.

そんなナルトの前に現れるトネリには、二つの役割を持たせています。第一は強くて憎々しい悪役。第二には、ナルトとヒナタと恋の三角関係を演じてもらいました。イケメンでキザなライバルの出現に、ナルトの恋心は燃え上がります。トネリは子供の頃から一人で暮らしてきて、囲には傀儡しかいない。人間関係を学ぶ機会がなく、欠費的な性格に育って��まったとしました。

Toneri who appears before Naruto has two roles. First, he is a strong and hateful villain. The second role is that of a love triangle between Naruto and Hinata. Naruto's love for Hinata is ignited by the appearance of his handsome and snarky rival. Toneri has lived alone since childhood and has only his puppet around him. He has never had the opportunity to learn about human relationships, and has grown up to be a lackadaisical character.

そんなトネリが求婚するヒナタの魅力は、単にナルトに憧れるだけでなく、ナルトを目標とし、自ら向上しようとする強い意志にあると思います。だからこそヒナタはナルトの告白を拒絶した。目の前の安直な幸福にすがりつかない、より高い所から色々考えた上での「オトナの判断」だったと思います。ナルトだけではなく、ヒナタも成長している・・・真のベストカップルですよね!

The appeal of Hinata, whom Toneri proposes to, lies not just in her admiration for Naruto, but in her strong will to set Naruto as her goal and strive for self-improvement. That's why Hinata rejected Naruto's confession. It was a "mature decision" made after considering various factors from a higher perspective, rather than clinging to the easy happiness in front of her. Both Naruto and Hinata have grown... they truly are the best couple!

「バトル」「告白シーン」など見どころ満載の本作ですが、脚本構成上のキモは競地に乗り込む前夜の地球なシーンだと思っています。ドン底に落ちたナルト…今まで見たことのない、女々しく働けないナルトです。そのドン底から、仲間たちの醵篇齡によりはい上がり、間火の炎を見ながら「グンと成長する、その一瞬」を見逃さないで下さいね!

This work is packed with highlights such as "battles" and "confession scenes," but I believe the key to the script structure lies in the Earth scene the night before they enter the competition. Naruto has hit rock bottom... he's a Naruto we've never seen before, unable to work with his usual determination. From that low point, he rises up with the help of his friends, and as he watches the flames of the bonfire, don't miss that moment when he "grows tremendously"!

月面でのバトルは、これまでなかったと思うので、とても新鮮な画面になったと感じています。

I don't think there's ever been a battle on the moon before, so I feel like it makes for a very fresh scene.

西尾鉄也 (キャラクターデザイン・総作画監督)

Tetsuya Nishio (Character design and general animation director)

今回は、まず絵コンテを見て、ヒナタの者衣や、木ノ葉の里の雰囲気など、日常シーンに工夫がこらされていて、これまでの劇場版とは一線を画しているなと思いました。キャラクターデザインをするにあたっては、2年という年月での成長した雰囲気をどう表現するかメインスタッフと長時間話し合うところからはじめた感じです。実際に作業をする時は、小林(常表)監督からの少し大人びた落ち着いた芝居を目指すというオーダーを実現できる雰囲気を心がけました。

When I first saw the storyboards for this year's movie I thought that the everyday scenes, such as Hinata's clothing and the atmosphere of the village of Konoha, were well thought out, and that they were different from previous movie versions. When it came to designing the characters, I started by having a long discussion with the main staff about how to express the atmosphere of growth over the two years. When actually working on the characters, I tried to create an atmosphere that would realize the order from Director Kobayashi (Tsuneo) to aim for a slightly more mature and calm performance.

ナルトは、仲間と比べて一番長身にすることで変化を出してみましたが、いかがでしたでしょうか? また、今回は総作画監督という初めての役職にもつかせて頂きました。手さぐりでの作業でしたが、各作调整餐さんたちが優秀でしたので、キャラクターの顔のチェックに注力できたと感じています。

We tried to make Naruto the tallest compared to his companions to give him a different look. How did you find it?

Also, this time I had the opportunity to take on the role of chief animation director for the first time. Although it was a bit of a trial-and-error process, the animators were so excellent that I felt I could focus on checking the characters' faces.

ナルトに関しては、アクションやバトルはその筋のエキスパートに一任し、心理面での細かいニュアンスを表現さんに納得しできればと心を配り、ヒナタは、客て頂けるヒロインにと思��ていました。

月面でのバトルは、これまでなかったと思うので、とても新鮮な画面になったと感じています。これまで、デザイン作業が主で、本編の作画にはそれほど関われずにいましたので、ブランクを取り戻すつもりで本作にのぞみました。スケジュール的にとても厳しかったですが、チーム一丸となって完成にこぎつけました。その熱量を感じて頂けたら嬉しいです。

Regarding Naruto, I entrusted the action and battle scenes to the experts in that field, while I focused on expressing the subtle nuances of the characters' psychology. I hoped that Hinata would be a heroine who could be appreciated by the audience.

I don't think there's ever been a battle on the moon before, so I feel like it's a very fresh scene.

Up until now, I've mostly been involved in design work, and haven't been able to be involved much in full-length animation as I would have liked, so I approached this project with the intention of catching up after a break. The schedule was very tight, but the team came together as one and managed to complete it. I hope you can feel that passion.

中盤のナルトの告白と、ラストのナルトとヒナタは、観ていて照れくさく、ニヤけてしまいました。

Naruto's confession in the middle and Naruto and Hinata in the end were embarrassing to watch and I couldn't help but grin.

部木博文 (キャラクターデザイン・総作男監督 )

Hirofumi Buki (Character Design, General Director)

TVシリーズで作画監督を担当していた時は、わりと勢いに任せて描きやすいスタイルを作っていたのですが、今回はキャラクターデザインだけでなく、総作画監物、しかも西尾さんと共同ということもあり、普段よりキャラクターの統一に力を入れました。

When I was in charge of animation supervision for the TV series, I let the momentum take over and created a style that was easy to draw. This time, however, I was not only in charge of character design, but also supervised all the animation, and since I was working with Mr. Nishio, I put more effort into character unification than usual.

一番大変な部分は、各作画監督や第画スタッフが張第ってくれたので、自分は絵柄のバランス調整に集中できました。これだけの大作になったのは、スタッフ第の集中力によるものです。本当にすごいと感じています。

The hardest part of the work was done by the animation directors and staff, so I was able to concentrate on adjusting the balance of the picture patterns. The fact that it became such a big production was due to the staff's ability to concentrate on their work. I feel that it is truly amazing.

本作で僕が目指したのは、少し落ち着いた、大人になったナルトです。原作、TVシリーズをご覧になっている方からすると、成長したナルトを見つめるイルカのような気分が味わえるのではないでしょうか。僕もイルカの目線でナルトを描いていました。ヒナタはとにかく柔らかく描くことを意識し、ナルトの第��であるトネリは、当初、サスケのようなポジションかと思っていたのですが、脚本を読むと思ったより中性的なキャラクターでしたので、随想な雰囲気を崩さないように心がけました。美男子キャラは美少女より気を遣います。

My goal with this film was to portray a more mature Naruto who has grown up and become a little more composed. For those who have watched the original and the TV series, I hope you can experience the feeling of being like Iruka, watching over a grown-up Naruto. I also drew Naruto from Iruka's perspective. I consciously tried to depict Hinata as soft and gentle, and initially thought Toneri, who is Naruto's counterpart, would be in a position similar to Sasuke's, but when I read the script, he was more neutral than I had expected so I tried not to ruin the evocative atmosphere of the character. I find that I have to pay more attention to handsome male characters than to beautiful female characters.

完成した映画を観て、中盤のナルトの告白と、ラストのナルトとヒナタは、観ていて照れくさく、ニヤけてしまいました。本作は、原作の最終話に至るまでの経緯を描いた大きな区切りとなる作品です。大作「NARUTO-ナルト-」の最後を飾るにふさわしい仕上がりになっていると思います。皆さまの心に残る作品になれば嬉しいです。

Watching the completed film, Naruto's confession in the middle and Naruto and Hinata at the end made me grin with embarrassment. This film is a major milestone in the story leading up to the final chapter of the original work. I think it is a fitting end to the great “NARUTO” series. I hope it will be a work that will remain in everyone's hearts.

これはヒナタの映画ではないかと思っています。「思いが伝わってよかったね、ヒナタ。おめでとう」と言いたいです。

I think this film is more about Hinata than it is about Naruto. I want to say, "I'm glad your feelings got through, Hinata. Congratulations."

えびなやすのり (音響監督)

Ebina Yasunori (Sound Director)

小林(常夫)監督から、「ラブストーリーとしての印象を強くしてほしい」とオーダーがあったので、ラブストーリーと��トルとのバランスが気持ちよく伝わるかを意識して「音」の制作をしました。作業中は、どの音を出したいのか、そのためにどの音をなくしたらいいのか、特に映画としての迫力を出すためにはどうすればよいのかを考えていましたね。解決方法はやってみるのみ! ダメなら他の方法を試す。その繰り返しでした。

Director Kobayashi (Tsuneo) ordered us to "strengthen the impression of a love story," so we focused on creating the "sound" to ensure a pleasant balance between the love story and the battles. During the process, we thought about which sounds we wanted to create, which sounds we needed to eliminate, and especially how to convey the film's impact. The solution was to just try it out! If it didn't work, we would try another method. It was a continuous cycle.

音楽についてお話しすると、今回は「THE LAST」ということで、1期の音楽をさせています。この曲を聞くと「NARUTO-ナルト-」だっ!と思う曲を使いました。本作は劇場版10本目の集大成。そしてうずまきナルトの豊後の物語として1 期の曲をかけることで、僕なりの送り出しをしたかったのです。あとは全て高梨(康治)さんの映画オリジナル曲です。

When it comes to talking about music, this time it's "THE LAST," so we're using the music from the first season. When you listen to this song, you'll think, "It's NARUTO!" We used a song that evokes that feeling. This work is the culmination of the 10th movie. And by playing the songs from the first season as a way to conclude the story of Uzumaki Naruto, I wanted to send him off in my own way.The rest are all original songs by Mr. Koji Takahashi for the movie.

「NARUTO-ナルト-」は世界的に人気がある作品ですが、音楽の世界観もそれを引っ張っている一つの要因ではないかと思っています。今回の最大の見せ場のひとつ、ナルトがヒナタに告白する場面も、音楽で表現してみました。今まで見られなかったナルトの心の弱さなども表現されています。完璧な人間などいないってことですね。今院の映画は、ナルトのというよりもヒナタの映画ではないかと思っています。「思いが伝わってよかったね、ヒナタ。おめでとう」と言いたいです。そして、二人のラブストーリーを観客の皆さんに共感して頂けたら嬉しいです。

"NARUTO" is a work that is popular worldwide, and I think the worldview of the music is one of the factors that has led to its popularity. One of the highlights of this film, the scene where Naruto confesses his feelings to Hinata, was expressed through music. It also shows Naruto's weakness, which we have never seen before. It shows that there is no such thing as a perfect person. I think this film is more about Hinata than it is about Naruto. I want to say, "I'm glad your feelings got through, Hinata. Congratulations." And I would be happy if the audience could empathize with their love story.

子供の恋愛でも、大人の恋愛でもなく、その年齢特有の不安定さを大切にしたいと思っていました。

I wanted to portray neither a child's love nor an adult's love, but rather to cherish the instability that is unique to that age.

神��千春 (錄音演出)

Chiharu Kamio (recorded audio)

今回は、子供の恋愛でも、大人の恋愛でもなく、その年競特有の不安定さを大切にしたいと思っていました。原作後の話なので、岸本先生の想いを観客の皆さんに伝えたいなぁという思いが強かったですね。小林 (常夫)監督が、アニメシリーズの存在を大切にしてくれて、このキャラはこんな言い回しをしないなど、細かいところまで気にかけて頂けたことには感謝しています。

This time, I wanted to cherish the instability that is unique to this age group, not a child's love or an adult's love. Since the story takes place after the original work, I had a strong desire to convey Kishimoto-sensei's thoughts to the audience. I am grateful that Director Kobayashi (Tsuneo) valued the existence of the anime series and paid attention to even the smallest details, such as not using certain phrases for certain characters.

音響監督のえびなさんとは、いやぁもう阿吽の呼吸と言いますか、自分がいいと思うものを渡せば、あとは彼が最高の仕上がりにしてくれるので、一緒に仕事をさせて頂いていて信頼と安心感がありますね。

With sound director Ebina-san, it's like we're in perfect harmony. If I give him something I think is good, he will turn it into the best possible result, so I feel a sense of trust and reassurance working together with him.

アフレコ中は、少し大人になっているものの、年齢を上げすぎてキャラが別人にならないよう気をつけようと思っていましたが、蓋を開けたら役者陣がちゃんとそれを意識したキャラ作りをしてくれていたので、私は何もせずに終わった感じです(笑)。劇場版だからとへんな気負いもなく、いい雰囲気で出来たと思っています。小林監督が「いつも通り」を大切にしてくれたお陰ですね。トネリに関しては、小林監督の中でキャラが出来上がっていたので、なるべくそれに沿うよう、気にかけていました。

During the recording, I was careful not to make the characters too old, even though they were a little more mature, but when I got there, the actors had properly created the characters with that in mind, so I didn't have to do anything (laughs). I think we were able to do it in a good atmosphere without any weird pressure just because it was a movie version. It was all thanks to Director Kobayashi's emphasis on "the same as always." Director Kobayashi had already created a character for Toneri, so I was careful to stick to that as much as possible.

私が気に入っているシーンは、エンドロール後です! 幸せなのっていい! 「NARUTO-ナルト-」は、院動包悪じゃないところが魅力です。味方キャラが全て正しいわけでも、悪役キャラが全て悪いわけでもない。凄くリアルですよね。私もファンの一人です!

The scene I like is after the end credits! It's nice to be happy! The charm of "NARUTO" lies in the fact that it doesn't have absolute good and evil. Not all the ally characters are entirely right, and not all the villain characters are entirely evil. It's really realistic, isn't it?I'm also one of the fans!

Here's Part 2 of The Last Booklet

Please let me know any correction/observation you have. This shit was long as fuck.

#Kishimoto interview #Naruto translation #Naruto archive #I've finally found the complete interview #alongside the rest of the booklet #Anyway the entire staff is fucking delusional LMFAOOO #“it will bring out a Naruto that has never been seen before” you don't say lol he looked miserable

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brytnoter · 6 months ago

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golden kamuy & among us

Because I dream of AUs where no one dies horribly and they all become friends and play videogames together.

Even though the fact that Nikaidou is wearing the skin hood means that Youhei already died ..... so uh ......

I propose a new AU concept (available for ANY series) where you take the exact half point of the story, so anyone who survived up until that point gets to live. Like the AU is the story is exactly the same but after the halfway point there will be no more deaths.

Which means .... 314 chapters.... up until the end of chapter 157, that's the halfway point, ....the circus part O_O omg so if that's correct, their plan worked and Asirpa noticed the name "immortal sugiomoto" in the newspaper and they met that way and NO ONE ELSE DIED O:<

Yeah um I think I'll make another project where I make a note of everyone who dies in the manga after chapter 157 and ........ rewrite it? or not. I don't know. Just notes maybe.

I just wanted to upload one fun little drawing of among us and I accidentally made a new brain pathway O_O

#golden kamuy #among us #my art #nikaidou kouhei #sugimoto saichi #modern au #my stuff

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merrodi · 2 years ago

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☆ Chocomimi Volume 6 English Translation / Chapter 1

Translated through phone scans and my limited knowledge of Japanese! I appreciate any and all corrections.

This series was a big part of my childhood but localization had stopped after volume five, so I’ve decided to translate as much as I can for fun. I hope someone out there enjoys!

link to purchase this book (japanese only)

Note: comments in italics are words spoken outside of the bubble. (comments in parenthesis are thought, not spoken) [comments in brackets are words contained inside a bracket]

This comic is traditionally read right to left, top to bottom.

(skipping over the character pages for now because they’re a lot to translate)

☆ Reading ☆

Choco: It’s autumn, the best season for reading! Choco: Guys, how about we all read books and write down our impressions of them?

Mumu: okay! Is a fashion magazine alright? Choco: Can you please choose something that has a story?

Mimi: okay! Is a shoujo manga alright? Choco: Could you please choose something that doesn’t have pictures?

Mikachin: okay! Is a Japanese dictionary alright? Choco: As long as you’re using it to write down your impressions…

☆ Recommended ☆ Mimi: Mikachin, I read the book you recommended~♡ (New universe theories)

Mikachin: Really? How was it? Mimi: (ehe) Difficult to get through, but interesting!

Mikachin: I see. Mimi, you’re very admirable. Mimi: (honestly, I didn’t understand any of it, but I’m glad I read it anyways)

Mumu: Woah, what’s with the difficulty in this? Mumu: I’m trying to read it, but it’s impossible.

Mikachin: Is that so? Mikachin: Should I explain to you the parts you don’t understand? Mimi: gasp!

Mikachin: Come over to my house after school today. there’s cake, too. Mumu: huh——- okay, sure. Mimi: ((I made a mistake!!)) how nice…

☆ The Next Day ☆

Mimi: Mumu-chan, did you go to Mikachin’s house yesterday? Mumu: hm? I did.

Mumu: The two of us read the book the whole time in Mikami-kun’s room. I got sleepy. Mimi: (just them alone in Mikachin’s room?!)

Mumu: Halfway through, I fell asleep. Mumu: Mikami-kun ended up giving me a piggyback ride to my house. He’s really kind, huh. Mimi: (A PIGGYBACK RIDE FROM MIKACHIN?!!??) AAAHHH….

Mimi: I’d also like to be an idiotic and inconsiderate human being… I envy Mumu-chan... sigh… Andrew: You’re already idiotic and inconsiderate enough.

☆ Girls ☆

Mikachin: Sometimes I just don’t get girls, y’know? Andrew: Huh? what happened?

Mikachin: on Snow White... Mikachin: If a stranger covered from head to toe in black offered you an apple… would you normally eat it? Witch: here, take this apple Snow White: oh dear

Andrew: I wouldn’t eat it. That’s way too suspicious. Mikachin: and Little Red Riding Hood, too… Mikachin: The wolf was pretending to be her grandmother in her house…

Mikachin: To not be able to tell the difference from a beast to a human… is that even possible? Red: Gramma, why are your ears so big? Andrew: That’s just how fairy tales are.

☆ Tears ☆

Choco: Speaking of emotional stories… Choco: Once in a while, I’m hit with the desire to really want to read one.

Mumu: I know what you mean! The more you cry, the better it is. Choco: Exactly! I have to read those alone, because tears end up falling from my face.

Mumu: Exactly! And that’s when I snap a pic of my crying face!

Mumu: I like verifying that my crying face is the cutest thing ever~ it’s the photo after I was reading Choco: Sorry, can’t relate to that whatsoever.

☆ Shoujo Manga ☆

Choco: Mimi, the manga you lent me is so interesting! I really relate to the main character. Mimi: The protagonist Shouko is really similar to you, Choco!

Choco: Isn’t the transfer student Shindou-kun also a bit like Ando? Choco: Her close friend Yumi is just like you, Mimi, and almost predictably, Matsuda-sensei is like Take-chan, too! (The manga she’s reading is called chocomint)

Mimi: [hehe… Choco doesn’t know this yet, but in volume five, Shouko and Shindou confess to each other and find out they have mutual feelings~] Shindou: please go out with me. Mimi: [and also, Yumi, the girl that Choco said looked like me]

Mimi: [confesses to her homeroom teacher, Matsuda-sensei] Matsuda-sensei: You moron! Matsuda-sensei: I’m going to use this triangle ruler’s 30-degree angle to stab you! Mimi: [that’s just horrible, honestly…] It seems so depressing...

☆ Bible ☆

Choco: Mimi, what book are you reading? Mimi: The “How to Be a Good Woman Book”! If you read it, you’ll become a wonderful lady!

Mimi: Ah, it’s essential that a good woman has an attractive lover! Mimi: I guess I’ll have to study up on the “How to Find a Great Boyfriend Book”.

Mimi: Ahhh… but there’s no doubt that a wonderful boyfriend would also be popular with the ladies… Mimi: I’ll have to research the "Affair Detection book”...

Mimi: sigh… and I’ll need to read the “Getting Back Up After a Broken Heart Book” after we split up from the cheating… I can’t get depressed now! Choco: ah... the only thing she’s learning is delusion…

Fashion tips section!

☆ Feelings ☆

Choco: Ando, have you read this too? It’s a book about understanding your pet’s feelings! I borrowed it from Mimi! Ando: nah, I don’t need it.

Choco: Ahh.. you already know whatever Picho’s thinking, huh. Ando: Not at all, but…

Ando: Even if we never reach understanding over an entire lifetime, it’s okay. Ando: If that’s how it is, then I’d be pleased just guessing as to how I can make her smile… thinking of my beloved companion day and night…

Ando: Isn’t that the key to continuing to love other people? Choco: What’s with your dialogue sounding like it’s coming from a master of love?

☆ Returning a Favor ☆ (this is based off a japanese tale called tsuru no ongaeshi)

Bambi: Like a crane who comes to return a favor, Picho turns into a human before your eyes! Bambi: What would you do?

[One night, Picho had opened the door and returned in the appearance of a beautiful maiden...] Picho: Good evening... Ando: That wouldn’t be bad…

Mikachin: Wait, Picho is a girl? I thought he was a guy this whole time. Bambi: Oh yeah, and Picho’s also a little kid. So instead…

Bambi: One night, Picho opened the door and had returned in the appearance of an elementary school boy with a shaved head! Ando: Absolutely not.

☆ Heroine ☆

[A great man’s entire life will remain in history through books.] [His story will be read by all.]

Jin: Wouldn’t it be nice if there were books about ordinary people, not just the greats? Jin: A book written about an ordinary person’s life from their birth up to their death!

Aoi: Would that be interesting to read about? Jin: There’s a chance it wouldn’t be interesting, and there’s a chance it wouldn’t have a happy ending…

Aoi: right? Aoi: (But, if it’s Jin-kun’s book, I might be interested in reading it...)

[If it’s Jin-kun’s book, then I think it’d definitely be happy.] Jin: look, that cloud is like taiyaki! [How many pages in it will I appear?]

Aoi: (No, it’s not how many pages… how many lines?…) Aoi: (Oh…I wonder if I’ll be able to make an appearance at all...) Jin: You know…

Jin: It’s fine if I end up not reading about Aoi-chan’s life.

Aoi: (I-is it…because it’d be so insignificant?!) Jin: or should I say, I wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of reading it.

Jin: Whatever happens in Aoi-chan’s life, my eyes will have seen ALL of it, so that’s why I wouldn’t need a book. Jin: We’ll be together forever, yeah?

Aoi: ........ Aoi: Forever?

Jin: Yep, forever. Aoi: Even when we become adults? Jin: Yup, foreverrrrr. Aoi: I see…

[Then, my book] Jin: look, that cloud is a heart-♥️ Aoi: You’re right. [Will surely have a happy ending.]

#chocomimi #chocomimi manga #translation #shoujo

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hopeymchope · 1 year ago

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Having finally finished reading the DR Kirigiri light novels, here are my closing thoughts and questions.

(For background, I read these translations. Which - as I previously discussed in the first bullet of this post here - may have some small issues throughout.)

I've previously given y'all my report on how I felt / what I was thinking about this series just after passing the halfway point of the light novels, so now it's time for me to bring this whole thing home and offer some closing thoughts.

My first, dominating thought is that this would be so good to see adapted as an anime. I can easily imagine how many episodes it'd take to do each light novel and where you'd logically cut off the story... even more easy, though, would be a manga. It's definitely crying out for that kind of treatment.

Regardless of the (relatively minor) gripes I raise below? This is definitely a great series to read. You get a number of twisty, gripping mysteries, an easy-to-like lead duo, an imposingly powerful enemy force, new background on our favorite lavender-hued detective, and you even get some great new characters added to the mythos — what more do you want?

Okay, but now I'll get into the griping stuff :P For starters: Isn't it... kind of LAME to have Kirigiri repeatedly experience something so similar to the basic setup of DR1 (or any mainline Danganronpa game, really) on MULTIPLE OCCASIONS prior to DR1 ever happening??? But then she just never remotely reference any fo that experience? And YESs, of course I realize she never even obliquely references these events because these prequels weren't actually written by the time of DR1, nor even completed by DR3. But that's the kind of thing you typically want to avoid with prequels, right? ...... Even so, I guess this does take us farther into these stories deserving to be called "Danganronpa" than any other spinoff. And it's not hard to come up with excuses for why she never remotely hinted at these things; she's intentionally acting withdrawn and keeping info to herself throughout DR1 and DR3, after all. So it's not the WORST crime. It's just, like I said: kind of lame.

MORE SPECIFICALLY, let me clarify: Although the cases in DRK don't include a "mutual killing" element, you still get at least three cases where she's [1] trapped in a specific building alongside a group of people who include a killer/"mastermind," the cast subsequently being picked off one by one, and [2] said experiences are also broadcast to a viewing audience. In fact, you even get two cases where [3] the trapped participants are expected to take specific bedrooms to lock themselves in during the nighttime! And even [4] one case where there's a weird, automated "host character" overseeing the whole thing, which is being operated around a specific set of rules. That's a helluva thing, isn't it?

I've previously expressed GREAT TREPIDATION about one specific element of this series: I was told that supposedly, these light novels included evidence that Fuhito was manipulating Kyoko into hating her father, her dad was always a victim, and Kyoko never realized that she was basically molded from birth by someone who was manipulating her feelings and actions. It all made Kyoko considering Fuhito her "most imporant person" (per DR1 and UDG's captives) come off as this tragic tale where our supposed "master detective" never realized she's been a victim of gaslighting and manipulation for many years, which would change SO MUCH CONTEXT behind her life's work and her relationships with both Jin and Fuhito. HOWEVER, GUESS WHAT? None of that shit was even true! HUZZAH!!!! NOTHING in these light novels goes against what we already knew about Kyoko, Jin, Fuhito, or their relationship(s) with one another... though there is some minor new insight provided into a couple of details. We get a new look at how Jin actually cared about Kyoko from afar (via the "Jin Ex Machina" business I mentioned in the previous post), which is in line with the hints of his lingering love for her we tasted in both DR1 and DR3 without either exonerating him for his choices OR making him 100% correct. We repeatedly watch Kyoko questioning/doubting her grandfather's/family's longstanding "detective work must come above and before personal concerns" rules. And we also get a taste of Fuhito being protective of Kyoko when he learns of the kind of danger she's in — yet simultaneously having complete trust in her talent and ability to overcome said danger. Fuhito seems to even gently help Kyoko understand Samidare's actions near of the end of the final volume... although we only get a taste of his help via Kyoko's internal thoughts, so we don't know exactly what he said to her. TL/DR? My point is simply this: The DRK light novels keep the overall morality / goodness of Kyoko's family dynamics in the same place we already understood them from the games: Kyoko and Fuhito are very close and care about each other without being overtly emotional about it, there is a rift between Jin and the rest of his family over Fuhito priortizing case work above visiting his dying daughter on her deathbed, Jin clearly still concerns/cares that linger for his daughter, etc.

What's with so many scenes of "Black Challenges" or "Duel Noirs" having signs defaced to include the word "DESPAIR"? Is that just some extra branding for the main franchise's themes? Feels out of place.

I feel bad for all those orphans who adored this dude.

General thoughts on numerous new-to-DR characters: As I said in my last post about this series, Samidare is likeable but spends most of the series very thinly defined — plus she's pretty slow on the uptake. Thankfully, by Volume 4 she starts finally pulling her weight, and she gets some much-needed expansion of her background in Volume 7 (just in time for her to make some dumb decisions). Licorne is probably the second-most important new character, and he's an asshole. An interesting one, though! And he does some heroic things! .... even if he isn't really all that morally invested in helping people. He's a self-centered asshole for most of the series, frankly, and I don't care much whether he's around or not. Salvadore Yadorigi Fukuro is awesome; a straight-up superb character with a very "DR" kind of skill/talent. Yaki Hajiki is a character who's also hard to dislike, and I wish he got more "screen time," because he's very intriguing. Johnny Arp is a fascinating one, though he definitely shares some dickish behavior with Lico. Still, I'm always engaged when he's on the page. And... look, I'm fond of Meruko "Pumpkinhead" Mifune. She's fun, sure, but I also see real potential for depth that isn't explored herin.

My remaining observations/thoughts contain some spoilers for the Danganronpa Kirigiri series, so I'm putting the rest UNDER THE BELOW CUT... although I still avoid mentioning the identities of any culprits or masterminds so as to keep the primary case mysteries intact.

Yadorigi = Intelligent, quiet dude in sunglasses who looks like the answer to "What if Munakata found his chill?"

What, exactly, is the state of Yadorigi's eyesight by the end of the series? Initially, we learn that his unique eyesight is very important to his work in uncovering fraud. Later, after a blow to the head, we're told that his eyesight will never be the same as it previously was. In the final volume, he visits Kyoko while wielding a white cane. So uh... does that cane imply that SYF is now blind or very close to it? Or am I reading too much into a walking stick here?

Nothing infuriates me quite as much as when major problems in a story could be easily resolved via basic fucking communication, and a failure to communicate on a base level is absolutely CORE to why things go south in the seventh and final volume. By the time Kyoko and Yui are heading out to the case, the situation is this: Without Kyoko's knowledge, our redacted overarching mastermind (henceforth referred to as "ROM") tried to get Samidare to agree to be the culprit in this final Black Challenge. She refused. ROM then said their organization (the Crime Victim's Relief Committee) will eliminate Kyoko if Samidare doesn't play along. And then, right after saying this? ROM pretty clearly DIED right in front of Samidare, before she can ever express any intention of changing her mind or not. She is then confronted by the enigmatic Tokichiro Endo, who is basically the go-between for culprits and the organization, who demands her final answer. Based on what happens in the case immediately after this, it appears that this conversation somehow ended with Samidare refusing to be the true culprit in this case but ALSO accepting that she would be framed for the murders and take the fall. So now Samidare has a choice to make: Does she (A) trust the Crime Victims' Relief Committee to keep their promise and leave Kyoko alone so long as she keeps her mouth shut...... even though Samidare refused to meet their demands and become the case's culprit? OOOORRR does Yui (B) realize that the Committee has already broken their supposed "rules" by forcibly coercing her into being the culpri — not to mention the fact that they're routinely aiding and abetting murders — which adds up to mean that she can't trust their word and must warn Kyoko of the danger she's in now that the committee has threatened her life directly? Any thinking person should choose (B), but Samidare of course chooses (A) so the plot will happen. *FACEPALM*

The worst part of this is that EVEN when our two heroines have just barely escaped from a burning building and fled out into freezing conditions, leaving them on the razor's edge between two possible methods of death with everyone else from the case seemingly already being dead? Samidare STILL won't outright deny being the case's culprit when accused. With literally NO REASON LEFT not to come clean, she never says jack shit. And then she dies!

During the denouement, the conclusion Kyoko reaches after leaving the hospital and revisiting the scene is... murky, and I think this might be something caused by the translation methods used. It currently reads as though Kyoko reaches the correct conclusion about the case, accurately determining Samidare's innocent AND identifying the true culprit(s). However... she doesn't seem to be 100% confident in her decision? It sounds like Kiri still harbors some lingering doubts about Samidare possibly being guilty?..... Even though she sounds really confident in her (correct) conclusions immediately before that. So it's left ambiguous. Which, I suppose, is one way to maintain Kiri being the Best Detective while simultaneously leaving room for her line in DR1 about how her burns happened because she "trusted the wrong person." She almost entirely knows that she didn't actually trust the wrong person, but they have to leave some doubt so that line can exist? ...... IF this translation is even accurate on this part.

Say... why did Samidare believe she'd die on this mission? It wasn't actually any more inherently dangerous than any other mission her and Kyoko had gone on... LESS dangerous than some, I'd argue! But she prepares this whole letter for her eventual death, so she clearly thought it was a strong possibility. My only guess is that she believed Kyoko was going to be targeted for death, and she planned to fulfill her oft-promised role as Kyoko's human shield. But if that was REALLY something Samidare thought was going to happen, then she had NO REASON to not tell Kyoko the truth about everything. If they're already out to kill Kiri, then OF COURSE it's smartest to warn her about it! So: Why the "last letter"? What made you think you were fucked, Yui?

In the end, ROM's overarching mission is both a success and a failure. Do they take away Kyoko's main emotional attachment, making her withdraw even further into pure logic so she'll avoid getting hurt? Yes. Do they make her deny the value of such attachments in the first place, resulting in her staying isolated forever after? No. She 95% knows she's right about Samidare's innocence in spite of ROM's attempts to frame her; it's just the pain of the loss that makes Kyoko withdraw, not some grander conclusion about distrusting everyone. In fact? I'd argue that Kyoko's speech in DR1's Chapter 4 about accounting for emotions is a strong rebuke of ROM's entire view of the world.

....by the way, does ROM have their own copy of Junko's talent??! It sure seems like they're another "Ultimate Analyst," essentially; able to see patterns of behavior so clearly that they can essentially predict most future events.

#drk #danganronpa kirigiri #danganronpa kirigiri spoilers #drk spoilers #Salvador Yadorigi Fukurō #Kyoko Kirigiri #Yui Samidare #danganronpa light novels

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makeste · 1 year ago

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Just out of pure curiosity, isn't this a horrible way to experience the story lmao?

I'm not saying it's for everyone, but it's worked for me personally so far. more than I would have expected, tbh!

honestly though, this might sound kind of backwards, but a big part of my decision to read these chapters early had more to do with me NOT wanting to be spoiled. let me explain.

I went on hiatus from the BnHA manga beginning in January 2022. I remained completely spoiler-free for almost eight whole months without the slightest issue. then August happened. :')

the thing is, despite my taking a break from the manga, I didn't stop reading fanfiction. in fact I probably read more fic than I usually do, because I missed the series and the characters. it may sound odd that I had the time to read fic but couldn't use that same time to catch up with the manga instead, but they're very different things as far as mental load and time commitment. one is very passive, almost relaxed, while the other requires me to be quick-witted and mentally engaged (at least if I want to do a halfway decent job). something which I wasn't really capable of being at the time. so yeah.

anyway so at the time I generally thought of fanfic as a relatively safe activity, spoiler-wise. and to be fair it was. right up until the single most popular character in the series fucking DIED in the most grisly way possible while fighting the main villain, right in the middle of everyone's fucking summer break. after which pretty much the entirety of fandom erupted into "BAKUGOU DIED??!" and "HE DIED THINKING ABOUT IZUKU??!" and "BABY BOY WANTED ALL MIGHT TO SIGN HIS TRADING CARD?!?!" and "RAIN!?!?" etc. etc. pretty much 24/7 on all social platforms for weeks on end.

so what I learned from that experience is that no matter how good you are at dodging spoilers, it is literally impossible to do so when something THAT momentous and life-altering happens your favorite character who also happens to be fandom's most beloved blorbo. hell, I didn't even get spoiled on AO3 initially; they got me over on YouTube of all places. literally nothing I could do to prevent it. and after that, no matter how meticulously I avoided all of the fics tagged with "362: Light Fades to Rain spoilers", I still kept getting caught off guard because people would casually drop spoilers into untagged fics as well. so I had a bunch of additional little details spoiled for me unexpectedly and I was pretty much defenseless against it. pretty much the only way I could have avoided it all would have been to stop reading Kacchan whump entirely. which, idk about you, but to me that would have been a far more horrible fate. :p

anyway so fast forward to last month, and Kacchan finally came back, and you bet your ass I spoiled myself for it immediately. because I knew it would still take me forever to get caught up The Right Way, and in the meantime I would once again be leaving myself at the mercy of the internet. at least this way I have control over where and when and how I find out. and I got to experience the moment via the manga itself, rather than a third party. and I have to say, this way was vastly preferable to the alternative.

and at the end of the day that's pretty much the same rationale I had for giving in and reading 404 - 406 as well. I knew that once Kacchan was back, the pace of the Final Battle was going to start picking up, and things were going to start happening, and I'd rather read all of those things for myself! like just for example, there's close to a 100% chance the "Kacchan" line from this week would have been spoiled for me in someone's fic if I hadn't read 406 beforehand. just little things like that. anyway so this way, no matter what happens to Kacchan and Deku from this point forward, I'll get to read it fresh and experience it in a way that I unfortunately never got to with the chapter 362 moment. and so to me, that's more than worth the trade-off.

#bnha 406 #bnha 362 #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #and honestly these last few chapters have been so self-contained #and focused pretty much exclusively on this one battle #that there really haven't been *that* many spoilers for other things #and the few things I don't yet have context for have been easy enough to piece together even without #so yeah all in all it really hasn't been that bad #and still hoping to finish catching up within a few weeks' time so then this will all be moot

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silvertsundere · 9 days ago

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Silver Talks AniManga (26/01/25)

No office show this time around cause the subs I use haven't come out yet, if they don't at some point next week I'll have to swap even if only temporarily Also, two series that I've been following for a while ended this week so that's pretty oofies. Looking forward to the next Precure season next week tho

Blue - Finale/Completed

Anime

Wonderful Precure! Ep50 (Finale)

I honestly don't have much to say since it wasn't bad enough or good enough to say much about it. It coulda've been a 5 but the cast grew on me enough that I bumped it up a bit. It also helps that I went in with super low expectations. After how much of a banger Hirogaru was and how soft and tame the preview material for Wonderful were, I expected this to be a weaker series and I was right The art and animation were both the bare minimum with the only highlight I can even think of being ep 36 with the beach scene. The story was also very weak, or better said barely there. It also didn't help that there was no fighting, outside of the couple of times during Yuki's introduction. Instead they just ran around the monster of the weak and learned animal facts related to them before peacefully pacifying them. It's not all bad tho, the mobs were great and more memorable than usual since they were all animal themed and getting one of the first real confessions and officially dating pair was neat. Oh also, the voice cast was really good but that's to be expected Anyway, they can't all be bangers and WanPre is proof of that. However, just from the little stuff we've gotten for IdolPre so far, like the staff and designs and stuff, my expectations are very high so here's hoping we aren't let down

Manga

Undead Unluck Ch239 (Finale)

Man, that was an amazing finale, it was so good I almost kept the score at 9 but I had to be strong. I actually have had it at 9 for a long long time and was planning on that being the final score. I compared it closely to Yozakura since they're from the same generation and I always considered it better so it being +1 was fitting. However, the final arc was lacking. We got 2 full master rule fights but the rest was done parallel to each other and we barely got to see anything. This isn't Tozuka's fault of course, I completely blame editorial for rushing it, especially since we were already so close to the end. But oh well, there's not much you can do other than accept it and move on. Tozuka still did a great job despite the circumstances Regardless, what matters most is that it was a super fun series from start to finish. Tozuka's art and designs were great and super creative, it didn't improve that much over the years but it always looked great. Some fights were hard to follow cause of the really small panels but for the most part they were super cool. Also I really liked the power system, centering it on the opposite of something gave it a unique twist instead and they used them in very creative ways. The story was good as well, it starts off as a normal adventure series and eventually takes a JRPG turn with the "kill god" main objective. But having the timeloop and main character swap halfway through, letting us experience all the events and characters we already knew from the first half of the story through a different perspective was really cool. And speaking of, the cast was great both pre and post timeskip. My favourite was Fuuko, she did a great job as the MC for the second half but I also really liked Gina (in no small part due to Yuuki going off in the anime), but Shen and Billy were also super cool, even more so in the first loop It sucks to see two super enjoyable long runners like this end but that's just how life is. Just like Hitsuji, I'll be eagerly awaiting Tozuka's return in the future, I absolutely trust that they'll make another banger

#silver talks animanga

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theswordwizard · 9 months ago

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for the 'top 5' ask post: top 5 books?

HMMM I've been reading mostly nonfiction lately so I would say:

The Internet Does Not Exist (E-flux Journal) - It's a collection of essays from different people talking about technology in ways that really opened my mind a lot to how I think about systems. They also published The Wretched of the Screen by Hito Steyerl which is a collection of her essays on 'the politics of the image,' and I always love her writings.

New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future by James Bridle, which is about how we as a collection of societies haven't prepared for the radical increases in computational power we've achieved, and how they actually make it more difficult to understand the world as we're overwhelmed with data. Incredibly informative on a lot of different interweaving topics.

This is a manga but I just finished Billy Bat by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki. It's almost a detective story? A Japanese-American comic artist in America learns that he might have copied a character from a manga in Japan and takes a trip to check. 100 or so chapters later astronaut speaks to the cartoon character drawn on the moon and chooses whether to end the world or not. I don't think it's officially released in English so I read a scanlation online somewhere (I don't think it's particularly hard to find though).

The Queer Art of Failure by Jack Halberstam, which was honestly a primary inspiration to actually making Butchverse as a semi-serious series of essays. It proposes alternatives to the mainstream, the heteropatriarchal, the accepted, and blending together high theory and low culture in a really comprehensible read. He also wrote Female Masculinity, which I reference a lot in Butchverse.

I recently finished Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, and if you liked the movie you will definitely like the book. INCREDIBLY suspenseful even after watching the movie, it's pretty different. The next two books in the series aren't as heavy-hitters IMO, but I know a lot of people that really like them so I think they're worth reading.

If you want a really great narrative that's essentially a book with some images and REALLY good music, I'm still halfway through Umineko (use the original graphics!!!) and it is possibly the GOAT.

#ask #varcahs speaks

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benkyoutobentou · 11 months ago

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31 Days of Productivity Reading: Day sixteen

Before: Since we're now about halfway through the month, let's take another look at my goals for March-

Finish No. 6 volume 3

Read 憎らしい彼

Read 独り舞 (2/3 there!)

Read at least ten volumes of manga (3/10)

Read at least an hour per day (still still on track!)

Am I at least halfway through my (tangible) goals? Uh, debatable. Either way, I think completing my goals is still completely doable!

I still have seven volumes of manga to read, so is there anything I'd like to get to this month? Yes. Too many. So let's narrow it down. I would very much like to get in at least one more volume of ベルサイユのばら (1/7), I want to start はなものがたり (2/7) but I only have one volume and I'm in the debacle of "but what if I like it so much that I need to read the rest right away?", it's not that I necessarily want to read スリーピングデッド (4/7) this month but more of I don't think I'll be able to hold off reading it until next month, and I've also been feeling a bit like picking up another volume of 3月のライオン (5/7) lately, and okay I think that's enough. I could just list off every single series in my tbr but then we'd be here all day. I won't even promise that I'll get to anything I listed here because that's just how life pans out sometimes. I listed off all those manga and didn't even name ウツボラ don't even look at me.

After: As much as I’m ready for this musical to be over, it saved me today because I don’t think I would’ve gotten any reading in had I not been in a position where I have to sit in one place and do nothing for like an hour and a half in bit and pieces. In addition to usual Saturday errands and the musical, I did some gardening in the afternoon and went to a party tonight. I’m really not a partier (I mean look at me, my hobbies are language learning and reading) but I always make a point to go when my next door neighbors host parties because it forces me to be at least a little social. Plus, I usually know a good amount of the people there. And this time, I ended up talking to someone about books and they invited me to their book club! Just what I need, more books I have to read. Of course I said yes.

Today, I read twenty two pages, which would be around an hour and eighteen minutes if I were to use yesterday’s average reading pace of four minutes per page. If I read another twenty pages tomorrow, I would only have about thirty pages left to read on Monday which I think is totally doable in a single day. The end is in sight! Again, I don’t dislike this book or think it’s bad, it’s just a bit too high level for my Japanese right now. I am glad to have read it, though. Hopefully my next read will pick me back up off the ground and remind me that I actually can read in this language.

I'm also still going strong with doing my JPDB reviews, and I'm now in the 1200s. Slow and steady wins the race and I'm hoping that mentioning it here will keep me on track.

#benkyou posting #30 days of productivity #langblr #studyblr #language learning #polyglot

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polyamanga · 5 months ago

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Poly Rep: We Started a Threesome!!

We Started a Threesome!!, or 3 Partner Hajimemashita!!, is a romantic drama manga by author Katsu Aki.

Lia, Suisei and Emito have known each other since they were children, taking care of a stray cat in the forest. They were inseparable, and the day after they graduated high school, the three of them got unofficially married.

Now adults, the three of them live together in an apartment in the city, far away from their hometown and all the bad memories that live there. Lia is adamant their path in life is the right one, and Emito tends to go along with whatever Lia says, but Suisei still has doubts.

WSAT is...a bizarre read. Three volumes total, it's not overly long, but all three volumes retread the same path over and over, with a couple pit stops that are a VERY jarring shift in tone along the way.

Spoilers from here on out:

Nearly every side character in this series is an enemy to the protagonists in some way, and to say "some way" is a bit generous, because it's almost all in the same way. A character appears, finds out the protagonists are polyamorous, and either try to seduce one of them themselves, or begin to harass them and convince them of how unhealthy and doomed polyam relationships are...or maybe both at the same time!

Lia's boss tries to seduce her as a fellow believer in "free love" ("Wouldn't you be even happier with four?"), Suisei's coworker tells him they're just putting off the inevitable ("Don't you think you're fooling yourself?"), Emito's coworker and her boyfriend want Emito for themselves ("You don't just have to stick to your little threesome..."), Lia's coworkers harrass her for her lifestyle ("You're just a sex-hungry whore that can't be satisfied with just one man!"), Lia's friend from their school days quotes the bible to tell her she's being used (""No one can serve two masters"...loving two people equally at the same time is impossible." and also the incredible line "you're basically just taking turns raping your girlfriend!")...et cetera, et cetera, for all three volumes. A certain degree of conflict is perfectly reasonable in a romantic drama about polyamory, but it becomes stale very quickly when every character is more or less preaching the same thing, and the protagonists react the same way each time.

When faced with opposition, Lia insists this is their path to happiness, and that she won't let go of either Suisei or Emito.

Suisei, in that situation, says this is what they chose as a triad and it will always be that way, but internally he wonders if it's really the best choice.

Emito, says the two of them need him, but ultimately isn't sure where he belongs in the relationship...for a reason that begins to be explored halfway through the series.

These feelings are reiterated ad nauseum without much noteworthy change.

And then, in the middle of volume two, (trigger warning),

Emito's mother drags him back to their hometown, where he is, off-screen, presumably sexually assaulted by Emito's father's boss. It is revealed in this same chapter, that this happened when he was a child as well. He would be dressed up as a girl in this grown man's apartment...and what happens afterward is up to the reader to interpret, but seems fairly obvious.

This is a very sudden and very starling development that felt very out of left field. I don't recall any mention of Emito's past trauma in volume one, despite how much focus they give to Lia's trauma regarding her parent's suicide. It's a jarring moment that almost feels like it's there for shock value, and also comes across as somewhat offensive when it's ripple-effect comes into play later on.

Near the end of volume two, Emito's coworker suggests to Lia that Emito is in love with Suisei, and has been hiding it for the sake of keeping the dynamic of their triad in tact. However, it's revealed in the middle of volume three that it isn't that simple. Emito isn't just in love with Suisei, he's jealous of Lia...as in, he wants to be Lia. Emito has been dressing as a woman and stalking Suisei and Lia, and has been sleeping around with his coworker's boyfriend.

After this, Emito is revealed, right at the end of volume three, to have transitioned, and looks exactly like Lia. (She still goes by Emito, however.)

Emito being revealed to be a transwoman isn't a problem on it's face--it's an interesting reveal, when separated from it's questionable optics regarding her sexual assault and, seemingly, only wanting to be a woman so she can be with Suisei. This aspect isn't explored enough, in my opinion, leaving us with just the shock-reveal of Emito having been cross-dressing and sleeping around. It seems like the intention may have been that Emito was sleeping with another man to explore how she feels about her identity, but again, it isn't explored outside of it's relation to her feelings for Suisei.

It's also worth noting that this reveal leads to Emito running out into the street and getting hit by a truck. She doesn't get isekai'd thankfully, she makes a full recovery, but there is a time-skip of 6 months of her staying in a coma, and Lia finding out she's been pregnant for a while (she doesn't know which of them, uh, sired the child). There's also a bait-and-switch in the last chapter, where the series makes you believe Lia has died during childbirth. But, it's revealed that both Lia and the child are fine and they're all living happily ever after.

Overall, it's messy. It's messy and uncomfortable basically the whole way through, even the moments that are meant to be lighthearted still feel bizarrely sinister with the way the dialogue is worded. It's technically meant to be positive about polyamory, but it doesn't really come across that way.

Even putting all of that aside, it's just not a very well written series. The pacing is so fast that none of the big moments have time to breathe, including the sudden inclusion of sexual assault. It's breezed by at lightning speed.

It's not a very good romance, and it's not a very good drama either. And if it can't manage to be good at either of those things, it's gonna be pretty hard to be a good polyam series.

#We Started a Threesome!!#poly rep #polyamory #poly representation #cw: sa

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badgalsasuke · 3 months ago

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Translation from Google Translate, QuillBot and DeePL

最強の五人一組!! 岸本斉史×KANA-BOON スペシャル対談!!!

The ultimate five-member team!! Masashi Kishimoto x KANA-BOON. Special interview!!!

原作者・岸本斉史先生と映画あんアージ主題歌を担当するKANA-BOONの4人が映画への想いを語る。

The original author, Masashi Kishimoto, and the four members of KANA-BOON, who sing the theme song for the movie, talk about their thoughts on the movie.

岸本先生とKANA-BOON「NARUTOナルト』を熱く語る!が

Kishimoto-sensei and KANA-BOON talk passionately about "NARUTO"!

KANABOONのみなさんは「NARUTO-ナルト-」ファンだとお聞きしました。作品との出会いをお聞かせください!

We heard that everyone at KANABOON is a “Naruto” fan. Please tell us about your encounter with the series!

古賀:僕はWJで途中から「NARUTO-ナルト-」連載を読み始めたんです。そこからハマって本を買ったのが出会いでした。

谷口: 僕も出会いはWJですね。ハマってからはずっとアニメも見ていました。中忍試験の話がすごく好きです。

小泉: 僕は最初から単行本派でした。書店に行っ表紙を見て、ってところに惹かれてジャケ買いしました。

Koga: I started reading the "NARUTO" serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump halfway through. I got hooked and started buying the book, and that's how I first encountered it.

Taniguchi: I also first encountered it through Weekly Shonen Jump. After I got hooked, I continued to watch the anime. I really like the story about the Chuunin Exams.

Koizumi: I was a book reader from the very beginning. I went to the bookstore, saw the cover, and was drawn to it, so I bought it right away.

岸本:漫画をジャケ買い!?!?

Kishimoto: Buying the manga just for the cover!?!?

小泉:そうです(笑)。僕は昔、野球をやっていたんですけど、全然レギュラーをとれなくて。でもナルトから「鶼めずに頑張る」という気持ちを教えてもらったんです。

Koizumi: That's right (laughs). I used to play baseball, but I could never make it to the regular lineup. But Naruto taught me the spirit of "keep trying your best and not giving up."

飯田:僕の場合は、アニメから入りました。アニメ第1話を見て、の第1話を見て、「これはやばい!」と思って単行本を買って、再不斬・白戦がもう・・・

Meshida: In my case, I started with the anime. I watched the first episode of the anime, and after watching the first episode, I thought, "This is amazing!" and bought the manga volumes. And the fight between Zabuza and Kakashi was just...

「NARUTO-ナルト-」で好きなキャラは誰ですか?

Who is your favorite Naruto character?

谷口:ヒナタです。

Taniguchi: Hinata

岸本:えつが大きい子が好きなの?(笑)

Kishimoto: You like big-breasted girls, eh? (laughs)

谷口:そこじゃないです(笑)。最初は弱虫だったヒナタが、ナルトに影響を受けてどんどん強くなっていくのが好きなんです。

Tanaguchi: It's not that (laughs). I like how Hinata, who was a weakling at first, gradually becomes stronger under Naruto's influence.

岸本:ヒナタは、普通のヒロインの様に主人公の欄ではなく、から見てるタイプですからね。

Kishimoto: Hinata isn't the type that stands by the main character like a typical heroine, but rather watches from the sidelines.

ヒロインはサクラだと思っていました。

I thought Sakura was the heroine

岸本:そうですね、でもサクラはサスケ中毒ですから(笑)。ヒナタがナルトを好きになる理由は明確ですが、サクラがサスケを好きになる理由はえていません(笑)。なんだか逆に嘘くさくなるような気がしたので。

Kishimoto: Yes, but Sakura is addicted to Sasuke (laughs). I know why Hinata is in love with Naruto but I have no idea why Sakura is in love with Sasuke (laughs). On the contrary, I felt like it would just sound unbelievable.

Kishimoto called Sakura 中毒ですから (chūdokudesukara), 中毒 means poisoning or addiction. Basically saying she's a junkie or a drug abuser, addicted to something harmful to her.

小泉:先生の莢街を聞くのは面白いですね!ちなみに僕はチョウジが好きです。

Koizumi: It's interesting to hear your thoughts, sensei! By the way I like Choji.

岸本:チョウジのことを好きな人はそんなにいないです。だから小泉さんは変わっているなと思いました。でも僕は、「デブにだってカッコイイところはあるぞ!」という想いを込めて、気合いを入れてチョウジを描いたんです。チョウジのエピソードも結構気に入ってます。く原作到190話要(笑)実は、「NARUTO-ナルト-」の第1部を連鉱している��きに、一番人気だった因なんです。

Kishimoto: There aren't many people who like Chouji. That's why I thought Koizumi-san was a bit strange. But I put my heart into drawing Choji with the thought, "Even a chubby guy can be cool!" I'm quite fond of Choji's episode as well. It took 190 chapters of the original work (laughs). In fact, when we were working on the first part of "NARUTO", he was the most popular character.

小泉:僕もまさしくそのシーンで好きになりました! 普段はすごくマイペースなのに、友達を馬鹿にされたときに怒るところが、すごく格好よかったです。

Koizumi: I also fell in love with him because of that scene! He's usually very laid back, so it was really cool to see him get angry when his friend was made fun of.

古賀:僕はロック・リーが好きです。

小泉:リーはカッコイイよね!

古賀:カッコイイ!やっぱり忍術が使えない中で体術でねじ伏せようとするのがすごい。ナルトよりも努力してきた感じがします。

Koga: I like Rock Lee

Koizumi: Lee is so cool!

Koga: Cool! It's amazing how he tries to overpower his opponent with taijutsu despite not being able to use ninjutsu. It feels like he's put in more effort than Naruto.

岸本:リーは、鋭の主人公的存在です。現実での勉強と同じように『NARUTO-ナルト-」の世界では忍術が大事。だけどそれがまったくできない。僕自身も得意ではないので、リーにはすごく共感できるんです。だからリーが好きだと言われると嬉しいです。

Kishimoto: Lee is a quintessential protagonist. Just like studying in real life, ninjutsu is important in the world of "NARUTO." But he can't do it at all. Since I'm not good at it either, I can really relate to Lee. That's why I'm happy when people say they like Lee.

古賀:ギターをやるうえでも、リンクする部分があるんです。

Koga: Similar to playing guitar as well.

岸本:でも古賀さんはギターもできて・・・結構モテるんじゃないですか? 勉強できそうな顔をしているし、あまり説得力がないなあ(笑)

Kishimoto: But Koga-san can play guitar... you must be quite popular, right? You look like you can study, so that's not very convincing (laughs)

古賀:そんなことないです!(笑)

Koga: That's not true! (laughs)

飯田:質問なんですけど、リーってどうやってアカデミーを卒業したんですか? 分身の術、できないですもんね?

Meshida: I have a question. How did Lee graduate from the Academy? He can't use the shadow clone technique, right?

岸本:別の試験のときに受かったんだと思いま

Kishimoto: I think he passed with a different test.

LMFAO Kishimoto was caught off guard with Meshida's question.

#Kishimoto interview #Naruto translation #Naruto archive

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penultimate-step · 5 months ago

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Cliffhangers: when do they help?

There's a reductive negative stereotype of cliffhangers that comes to mind when people complain about them: with neither planning nor setup, a dramatic situation occurs to the characters. "how will the characters get out of this one?," asks a dramatic voiceover, as the show cuts to credits. Then, next episode, the whole thing is resolved immediately in two seconds, so the series can go back to focusing on the actual plot.

Now, as I said, this is something of a stereotype, not something that often happens - most writers know better than to do something so blatant. It does sometimes happen, but usually the situation has more nuance to it than that.

The cliffhanger that inspired this, the recent Oshi no Ko 158-9, has very little of those mitigating factors. It is almost entirely the negative stereotype, a cliffhanger that adds very little to the story and detracts much. Which got me thinking a bit on cliffhangers in general - what separates a good one from a bad one?

The same week OnK gave us that disappointing cliffhanger, another weekly manga I follow, Chainsaw Man, had a cliffhanger that felt much more interesting. (Though perhaps given we haven't had the followup chapter, this is premature...nonetheless, it is an easy at hand example.) Looking at the chapters preceding them, we can see a difference in pacing and buildup.

OnK 158 comes after a few chapters of winding down and calmer pacing - the cliffhanger, in this case, doubles as a spike in tension, intended to kickstart the next bit of serious plot, coming as a surprise and shock to the readers. This is already something of a problem, as it doesn't have anything to build on; but arcs have to start somewhere, this isn't in itself a problem. but by framing it a sudden jump, it puts all the true requirements for execution on the followup, where it's leading to. Which is why when the next chapter immediately follows up with a "just kidding, teehee uwu" it kills the whole momentum.

CSM 176 goes for the more conservative approach - while it does still end on a shocking twist, this comes in the middle of an already intense fight scene. It forms one brick in a larger rising action, supported by previous scenes, so even if the followup doesn't land it doesn't kill the whole momentum. It's not trying to establish it's own setup - where OnK ended one chapter with a sharp shock and then tried to offramp into character revelations, CSM dual purposes them - Yoru's revelation about the Gun (and Tank) as well as her own personal actions are twist, cliffhanger, and plot development all in one. So it works as a story beat regardless of where the chapter leaves off.

But that feels a little too hostile to cliffhangers, right? Like am I just saying that cliffhangers are an artifact of the serial storytelling format, and could basically be excised? Is a "good cliffhanger," one that integrates itself with the story beats, basically indistinguishable from a non-cliffhanger? that can't be true, right?

Anyway while rolling this around in my head I tried to think about some memorable and positive cliffhangers that I've read in the past. And one that came to mind was from about halfway through the webnovel Pact. So, spoilers for that.

So at the end of Arc 7, the protagonist gets into a fight with a demon. He loses. Chapter cuts, we start arc 8 - from a completely different perspective. What happened to our previous protag is left up in the air for a whole arc, with hints slowly trickling in - but it is only when the arc ends that we get a more complete picture, that he had lost his connections, been removed from all the memories of others, and fallen into a place outside conventional reality.

In this case, the cliffhanger, I would argue, helps the narrative significantly - in separating the event from the resolution, forcing readers to stew on it while other plot threads go on, it made the eventual revelations more satisfying, not less.

I don't think that quite helps my point though. "Cliffhangers are good when planned and executed into the story and bad when they aren't" seems like 2 steps away from saying "its good when its good and bad when its bad," that doesn't much clarify things for me.

That might just be what it boils down to, though - cliffhangers are just one of many ways to control the pacing and tension in a story, with no special negative or beneficial properties, and are good when used in cases where an upswing in those things are good, or the author otherwise wants to direct focus and attention to an element. The negative stereotype, with examples like OnK's, are a result of pursuing those in the short term while sacrificing longer-term story stability - a misstep many longer stories make, not anything tied to cliffhangers inherently.

I still feel like there's something important I'm missing that separates the bad example from the good. But I think I've lost the train of thought here, and this has gone on far too long for what was originally intended to me just me musing to myself about why recent developments in my favorite ongoing manga aren't hitting as well as they should.

#fiction #oshi no ko spoilers #chainsaw man spoilers #pact spoilers #step.blogger

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magicalyaku · 2 years ago

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After the first week of February I decided I would only read sequels. I made true on that for a few books until my library app fucked me over and didn't download Simon Snow 3 which I intended to start reading during my break at work (where I have no internet). I was so mad! 8D I was sulking afterwards and started a different book once I got home and the resolution was broken. Instead the theme of the month can easily be "I have never read so many books with adult characters in a row."

Das Verbotene Kapitel / The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library 8) (Genevieve Cogman): I honestly wasn't too invested in this. I was like for the first two days, but the writing style of this series always takes so long to read for me. I used to like it, but right now I just lack the patience. Also, it's the eighth volume. High time for it to end, really. Halfway through I switched to the audiobook to listen to while gaming and well. I'm not good at listening while doing other things. Maybe I'll pick the book up again in a few years to give the second half a proper read. I was content though with what I heard of the end.

The High King's Golden Tongue (Tales of the High Court 1) (Megan Derr): I said "I need more fantasy buhu *sad face*". And then I looked at my TBR and realised that out of 50 books only 3 have absolutely no magic, ghosts, different worlds or planets or whatsoever. Uhm. Well. Errr ... That didn't stop me from going through this recommendation list for queer fantasy books. uAu" Found this book. Sounded alright. Read the preview pages. Sounded alright. Looked it up in the library, uhuh available immediately! Borrowed it. Read it for the remainder of the day and a few hours of the night. uAu~ I can safely say I had fun reading this book. It's not fantasy with magic and creatures, just old kingdoms full of queer people. The worldbuilding is good, with all the different regions and languages being a major plot point. I liked the adventure, the characters (Sarrica's and Lesto's friendship is great), the pining. Good times!

The Pirate of Fathoms Deep (Tales of the High Court 2) (Megan Derr): The follow-up to Golden Tongue! I was unsure at first if I wanted to read the sequels (there are of 5 volumes in the series at the moment), but vol 2 is about Lesto who was my favourite character in vol 1, so no choice. It's like that 5.5 chapter of a boys love manga though. In the 5 chapters of the main story everything is tame until the bonus 5.5 chapter where they can finally do things. In High Court 1, there's exactly one smut scene. In vol 2, there's a million. And the book is only half the size! D: There is a small adventure going on and given the setting it makes sense that it progresses the way it does, but the 3 books afterwards are full length again, so why is it only this one character who gets the short one? u_u He's happy in the end, so all is well, but I would have liked a little more. I guess I have to continue reading the next volumes in the hopes to get a few glimpses. u3u

Husband Material (Forever Material in the German edtion) (Alexis Hall): After two books with middle-aged man and their (amourous) adventures, we slowly inch back to the younger generation. From end-thirties to mid-twenties! Books written by adults for adults, you know. Adult problems. Brrrr. At least, it's funny. Silly even. Was the first one this silly? I think, Oliver and Luc did well sorting through their various issues. I enjoy Luc’s narrative voice. And I loved the ending! xD It must be such a sore point for many people but I was like HELL YEAH!!!

Out of Nowhere (In the Middle of Somewhere 2) (Roan Parrish): I already read the first and third volume of this series, so reading volume 2 was inevitable even though Colin was not the most likeable character in vol 1. And well, he has issues let me tell you. Daniel of vol 1 was a mess but he managed to get a new start and build something for himself in that place. Will of vol 3 may not have the healthiest lifestyle but he was not unhappy with the direction of his life before meeting Leo. Whereas Colin is absolutely miserable and has no idea what to do about it. It was intruiging to read how he and Rafe managed. You know, there's this thing about this kind of books where the characters meet exactly the kind of person they need to survive and to thrive. Even with all the shit going on in this particular one, it's still comforting. xD

Wayward Son (Simon Snow 2) (Rainbow Rowell): The gang is 20, so it doesn't break the streak! I had fun reading this. Curiously, I liked it better than volume 1. Not quite sure why. (Maybe because of Suffering Boys.) Volume 1 was interesting in the way it felt like the 8th season of a series you haven't seen any episodes of before. Now this is the rare look at what happens to the heroes after the series ends and I'm here for it. I also found it remarkable how Baz was described as that utmost evil and ruthless being at first and turns out now he is the most loving and patient boyfriend of all times. xD

Pictures of You (Tina Winter): German author here. It's very basic in the theme and kind of predictable. But in a comforting way. Sometimes it's nice to know where everything will go so you can just lean back and enjoy the ride. The characters were pretty good and the setting was well illustrated. I mentioned last month that my visualisation abilites are not very good but I had no problem seeing the photos the protagonist takes which was pretty neet! I also very much appreciated how all the important conflicts actually happen and are resolved! That’s not a given. xD

Ring of Solomon (Aden Polydoros): I like Mr Polydoros' other books and I appreciate very much how all his books are different from each other. This one is contempory middle grade with a touch of magic. It was pretty okay, but I think it could have been a little bit deeper, a little more ambitious or challenging or complicated. Just more. Yes, it's middle grade but kids are always smarter than adults give them credit for, right? I feel, if you really want them to adore a book you have to give them something challenging that is a little bigger than themselves so that they can grow into it.

Reforged (Seth Haddon): Another gay king+knight story that made me realise I very much have a weakness for this kind of setting. xD Which is so weird because when I look through YA books and see a heroine who is a queen or princess fighting for her kingdom I immediately click away ... Well. This was a solid book. Not quite as joyful as A Taste of Gold and Iron or The High King's Golden Tongue but still solid (also it's a debut). The author clearly put thought and love into his main characters and probably the worldbuilding. Sometimes it was just written in a way that confused me at first, because the actual thing was named late. There's that other paladin guy who works alongside our hero. When he's introduced, it's written "They never got along." and then 90 pages later: "Now that XX was dead, he was his closest friend" And I was like "What?! I thought you hate each other? Did I read wrong? Let me leaf back real quick!" I mean, there is the possibility that among all those people he doesn't get along with this one is still the best but ... that's kinda sad. 8D So, there's small things like that. But the overall story and intrigue was well done I think.

Keeper of the Lost Cities 2: Exile (Shannon Messenger): I stayed at my parents's place for a few days to take care of the cats and thus my commute to work was twice as long as usual, so this came in from the library at just the right time. I listened to the audiobook though, so it was still a struggle for the first 8 hours. I'm so bad with audiobooks. 8D But the beginning was also very slow. It picked up speed around the halfway point, I'd say and also Keefe is my favourite character so I appreciated hearing more of him. I still find it a little odd how some of the characters' attitude towards Sophie is. Guys, she's only thirteen and didn't know about her powers for the longest time! How do you expect her to be perfect at everything and solve everything this very second? Geez. I'll probably continue with the 3rd volume at some point but I should really think about reading it instead of listening. :'D

On to the next month! As of writing this I already have read the best book of March, I swear. xD I’m possibly still high enough to even make a fanart happen.

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