#and like i said any changes from panel to panel in how characters are drawn is because im super good at referencing animation errors /j

[jesncin]

"Constantine: Distorted Illusions" Sure Did Distort My Illusions

When it comes to transformative art I always say, "changes are fine, it's what you say and do with those changes that I'm interested in." This is cape media, they're always reimagining things to tell new stories. So any notion of "accuracy" feels like non-starter arguments for me when discussing a text as nebulous as cape comics. That being said, what does cursed YA graphic novel "Constantine: Distorted Illusions" do with the many changes it makes to Hellblazer lore? Because I'm seeing all these surface level illusions (heheh) to Hellblazer but huge changes are made that undermine the radically punk text of the source material.

Bullet point review of thoughts below, sorry for exposing yall to ken doll Johnstantine again lmao, I just want a meta that goes beyond "I hate that he's pretty":

Let's get this out of the way, the writing is bad. I don't want anyone saying "it's because it's YA/for teens!" because there are fantastic YA graphic novels out there, heck even within DC that's the case (Girl Taking Over, read it). I've read middle grade graphic novels with stronger writing than this. The MG Constantine graphic novel is easily better.

The dialogue is generic and the character voices are not indistinct (if Kami Garcia believes that making John say "Bloody" and "brilliant" and "toss" makes him British, she is mistaken), the relationships are superficial and lack depth, the plot arguably doesn't start until over halfway through the story. I'd argue the story only really starts when Mucuous Membrane gets blacklisted from performing and John decides to summon a spirit for revenge. Otherwise the beginning half is such a drag of nothing.

The art. Compliment sandwich: It's a very appealing style that teens especially will really like. Isaac Goodheart's clearly very skilled in drawing fashion and hairstyles- which again, teens will love.

The not good art: it's the part where, in pursuit of making all the characters look model-level attractive, that it disrupts the momentum of the storytelling. John especially is drawn to be so handsome-squidward that he's rendered with these duck lips in every panel, it's haunting.

Like he's threatening to kiss the reader at any second (and I did not consent). But it isn't limited to John- all the characters have a "supermodel stiffness" that gets in the way of their acting. When someone is devastated, they can't ugly cry- they still have to look hot so they can't fully emote. It makes it hard to treat any emotional beat seriously when the characters are posing for a magazine cover every minute. Some pages felt more like pin ups than truly composing a moment for storytelling reasons. In their quest to make these characters hot, it made me incapable of connecting with them- because they're not emoting like people.

Second end of compliment sandwich for art: The colors are good (props to Ruth Reymond) and some of the layouts are inspired! The painterly pages especially look very cool.

I think Distorted Illusions' biggest sin and what makes it so antithetically Hellblazer (and not in the good way- I'm all for re-imaginings that challenge the source material) is this groveling to authority figures. OG Hellblazer is a punk text- John is a born and raised punk from the 80s to 90s, hates the rich and tricks Gods, Demons, and Devils with his wits. He humiliates beings of authority, proving how their pride gets the better of them. But in Distorted Illusions, John has to apologize and ask for help not just from his dad Thomas (canonically abusive in the og canon text)- but his stepdad and a magician he failed to apprentice under. They all come to help him after he apologizes for being reckless.

In contrast, the Hellblazer middle grade graphic novel "The Mystery of The Meanest Teacher- a Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel" actually understood this! Even for a graphic novel I would consider to be the most safe and commercial way to pitch Hellblazer to kids (it's comedic, plays it safe- sets the story in America, lighthearted), it is still inherently an anti-authority narrative. The plot there was for John and his friend to uncover why their teacher is targeting them as magic-user kids. Johnny uses his smarts to outsmart authority. It's a communal effort with similarly marginalized friends against a bigger threat.

Distorted Illusions on the other hand has John dawdle around in America for a while before he eventually messes up and has to come crying to his dad, stepdad, and teacher for help. A whole coven of magic users of authority just exorcize a demon out of John's hospitalized friend. There wasn't even any smarts involved. No trickery. They just "do powerful magic that John can't do because he doesn't train" and leave. Frankly, with the state of the writing, I don't think Garcia is clever enough to think of a classic Constantine silver tongued solution.

What I do think both the MG and YA graphic novel (and to an extent all of DC!Johnstantine) misunderstand about og Hellblazer is that,,, magic isn't inherently special in the world of Hellblazer. Sure John is from a bloodline of Laughing Magicians but there's plenty of Constantines that don't practice magic. One of the things that surprised me when reading the very first issue of Hellblazer was Gary Lester (John's Mucous Membrane band member and friend) performing an exorcism pretty casually. Tons of characters either dabble in occultish stuff or are experts, but it's framed as something anyone can do.

But then what makes John special then? I thought magic was his power? Well no, it never was. It was his smarts. And I believe that's key to keep in mind. Hellblazer is an anti-genre superhero text- no one person is picked to be exceptional. Anyone in Hellblazer can do magic. John's power is mundane but that's why he's a compelling character. It says anyone, even a working class drunkard can overcome powerful obstacles. When John is "a special birth magic boy" as a means to fit him into some kind of Harry Potter mold, it misses the point for me.

General diversity representation thoughts time. It's apparent that with any adaptation of old source material that "this time it's those characters again but more diverse" and sometimes those changes inform the characters (Girl Taking Over, my beloved) and other times it's diversity paint and the characters are interchangeable with their original counterparts (MAWS, my behated). For Distorted Illusions' case, this means adding more women, characters of color, and John being just a bit more outwardly bi (he just says a guy is hot and ended a relationship with a guy named "Liam" who we never see. It's scraps).

I'm torn here because as a reader of color who loves og Hellblazer but also occasionally finds it a frustrating read from its outdated portrayal of characters of color and general racism/colonialism plots, I turn to the more modern Hellblazer stories like maybe Spirit World or even Distorted Illusions for what I hoped are stories that handled characters of color better. Instead I end up annoyed because while og Hellblazer had outdated writing, those characters of colors' identity mattered to the history and context of the story. Their identities were politicized and therefore not interchangeable with whiteness.

Distorted Illusions wants you to praise it. "Look John has gal pals now! His best friend is a girl! His stepdad is a Black man, his mentor is a Black woman, and his love interest is a brown girl! Also John is definitely bi in this!" But if I changed all these characters to be white or straight people would the story really change that much? Were their identities integral to the narrative or who they are as people? Because they sure would be in og Hellblazer, even if sometimes poorly done- they certainly were trying.

And how diverse were those changes anyway? Distorted Illusions is already a pathetically un-punk text with how it grovels at authority, but we're in an era where there's more queer characters than ever- and yet we're still terrified of having mainline bi characters say the word "bisexual". John doesn't say he's bi in Distorted Illusions. He keeps saying he's punk, but unlike his friend Slaughter, he's not given outfits nearly as punk as him (John still has to look commercially attractive after all). He can't even wear his gay right earring. You're telling me a text from the 80s and 90s isn't afraid to say gay, lesbian, queen, f-g, and AIDS but comics in the modern day think calling a guy "hot" is enough? I'm tired. It's cowardice. Who needs the Don't Say Gay bill if we're already doing the censorship ourselves?

There's other insidious changes too. John's mom is alive (didn't die from childbirth like in canon) because I guess John needs more women in his life. Okay. Where's Cheryl (John's big sister) then? Why are we trying to fit John into a nuclear family structure so much? They live in this aesthetic cozy house because I guess the lower-working class upbringing og Hellblazer John grew up in just isn't aesthetic enough. John's bio dad, Thomas Constantine, isn't an amputee. He has two arms. Oh, but don't worry we have a magic user authority wizard woman in the end who is a wheel chair user. We did our disability rep quota! Because disability rep is only limited to what DC fandom recognizes as Oracle!Barbara.

It's transparent that while these are all more superficially diverse changes, they're all so palatably safe. John has gal pals because his occasional misogynist outbursts in his og Hellblazer run is just too messy. John doesn't have a single parent for most of his life, swapping households in extended family member's homes because that's too messy. What's the point then though? These changes don't challenge or innovate Hellblazer. All they're doing is fitting John into a commercial box.

And that's my general feelings towards Distorted Illusions. It's a continuing trend of superficial aesthetics that try to frame itself as more progressive than the original source material but falls flat on its handsome squidward face. It's easy to make fun of this book, the writing is bad, the yassification of John, and the "inaccuracies to Hellblazer" are all beaten like a dead horse. But there's other insidious stuff in Distorted Illusions' mediocrity. And it's worth examining as much as any other Hellblazer text.

[sebadztian]

Okay, so I just read chapter 214 and I have thoughts...

SPOILER ALERT

Right, we started off with Sebastian being highly affronted at the implication that some 'experts' are better than him in serving Ciel. I can basically hear him screaming internally, "WHAT EXPERTS ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! NOBODY CAN SERVE BOCCHAN BETTER THAN ME!"

In all seriousness tho...

We've been given many new information, but we still don't know enough to draw any conclusion.

Sure the Monopoly guy is important, but how is he related to UT? Is he one of UT's benefactors? A founder of Aurora? Or someone who's in it just for the money?

And then there's the creepy bellboy who paid too much attention to Ciel's sparkling clothes and shoes? I mean, Yana wouldn't have drawn two panels about that if it weren't important. And he looks somewhat similar to Seba (at certain angle)? Now I'm very scared that @castleartsebaciel theory would become a reality 😭😱

Most especially with the appearance of Polaris, who seemed to have been waiting for them.

Now, without any colour and looking at how much Yana's artstyle has changed over the years, it is difficult to guess exactly who Polaris was.

He knew that Seba is a demon and that means they've met before. We haven't seen Ciel's reaction yet, but since Doll had made her reappearance and both Joker & Doll would know about Seba's true nature (because he was the one who killed them), my first thought was Polaris was reanimated Joker. But they have different hairstyle and when I compared them, they don't look alike? But again, like I said, Yana's artstyle has changed so much since the Circus arc.

This is Joker from chapter 210 (Snake's flashback)

And this is Polaris

Now, Joker's eyebrows are much shorter. I've checked and yes, they were alao much shorter in the earlier chapters. But Polaris has, uh, 'normal' eyebrows.

My second thought was Ryan Stoker. But he couldn't have known that Sebas is a demon and he was in no way, a butler. We know that Polaris used to be a butler and especially loyal to r!Ciel and Stoker was neither a butler nor did he know about r!Ciel (probably).

Now... Here's a crazy theory about Polaris... what if Sebastian was somehow involved in the Phantomhive fire? He might've been in contact with Vincent before the fire and this guy used to work at for the Phantomhive as one of their butlers? But he got killed in the fire and UT reanimated him. But he knew that Sebas was a demon from that time before the fire.

And lastly, he might be someone related to Sebastian's past, before he formed a contract with Ciel. He could also be Sebastian's ex-lover, in which case Ciel will get extremely jealous.

In this case, things are looking very, very bleak for the boys. If Ciel recognized him and he told Ciel that Sebas was somehow incolved in the fire, it will drive a huge wedge between them, something that they cannot afford right now.

But it will be in line with Seba's character development.

Well, I guess, there's no way to know the answer until next chapter. Here's hoping for the best for the boys...

In the meantime, let's just enjoy what we have...

[wendylianmartin]

hi!! do you have any tips for anybody who wants to create a webcomic?

hope you’re doing well! :3

Well if you want to make a comic you probably already have an idea in mind so go ahead and make that one ;)

It’s usually good advice to make a shorter comic first but just jump in and make any comic you want. 👍

I recommend making a collection or mood board consisting of other comics you really like so you can examine them and see how each artists handles transitions, speech bubble placement, framing etc. it can give you a lot of ideas and inspiration.

Another fun thing is to try doing some ‘test’ pages. If it’s not ‘the official comic’ in your mind then it might encourage you to experiment a bit and you can figure out how you want to do the colors and lineart and such.

Random tips that come to mind:

-don’t get stuck doing only ‘close up shots’ it’s a good idea to have at least one panel on each page (or at least every 5 panels) that is zoomed out a bit so you can see a full shot of your characters and some background.

-if the scene changes to a new area it’s a good idea to start with an establishing shot with a big background image that shows off the new area.

-don’t avoid the things you’re bad at drawing. Purposely write your weaknesses into the story so you can get better at drawing them.

-pay attention to the kind of angles you’re drawing your characters at. If you notice you’re only drawing a front or side view it can be fun to try more dynamic shots like one from overhead or one from below.

-readability is important so make sure you pick a font that’s easy to read and make sure the text isn’t too small. (Try comparing the size and readability to other well known comics to give yourself a reference.)

-use references a lot and as much as you can. It might seem like the effort of finding a reference picture will make the drawing process longer but I find that it speeds up my drawing process A LOT. I’ll struggle to draw a hand from memory and keep deleting it but as soon as I just take a pic of my own hand to look at I’ll have it drawn in 30 seconds lol.

-don’t stress over anything I’ve said here and just have fun drawing. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you’re making comics because that’s the only way to get better at them 👍

[chojiwithahat]

Top 5 things you like about any winbre character of your choice?

!!!!!!!!! OKAY

FIVE THINGS (in no particular order) I like about SUZURI‼️

manga spoilers up to volume 15 (chapter 119) + minor mention of self-harm in the context of the story

1. the continuous gag when he went like "aren't you tired of being mean" and then "i've still gotta prepare for tomorrow's menu" and then "i'd be in trouble for work if i can't hold my knife :(" combined with natori's reactions

very much my type of humor 👌✨

2. these panels here.......

so like, the way he's drawn here................. gives me a lot of gender euphoria HSJGHJSKHD

3. HIS HAIR!!!!!!!!

the moment his hair tie broke, his hairstyle resembled shizuka's and at that moment it was like the spiderman pointing meme, very poetic *thumbs up*

4. suzuri punching natori in the face!!!!!!!!!!!!

it's a moment that felt so vindicating/cathartic because like, previously as an antagonist, suzuri said, "people like us can't talk about crap like love and dreams... or else that's how we end up involving unrelated peeps into our lives and kill their happiness, too." Based on the translation here, it's worded in a way that frames "people like [suzuri]" as the problem..... but after his life changed for the better, he faces natori, who I'd say is one of the types of people who are the reason why the "this is our reality" was suzuri's reality. SO THE FACT THAT SUZURI GETS TO PUNCH HIM IS!!!!!! WAHOO. GET HIS ASS

also that punching panel's such a stark difference between his previous neutral/patient-ish attitude fighting natori, his rage was so prominent. I absolutely love the use of contrast there, and how it parallels with kaji's fight with natori 👍✨

5. suzuri's hands and cooking metaphor 💖

the way he's shown not self-harming (isn't self-harming anymore) felt incredibly powerful to me..... "Taking and stealing" had harmed both the people he stole from and himself, and now it doesn't have to be like that anymore. he can feed everyone without harming anyone. SUZURI YAY

[soo-won]

Akatsuki no Yona chapter 60 magazine vs volume

Hi everyone! I managed to get my hands on the clip out of the magazine version of chapter 60 from Hana to Yume issue 17/2012, and as we don't have much trace from the magazine versions of the chapters from then, i thought it would interesting to share my findings! First, the color page: the editor text says "What will become of Yona and the others? The suspens is agonizing, but?!" (baby trio time!!!!!!) Otherwise it advertizes volume 9 and how well it's been doing. It was the first ever volume to get a special edition and cover with a new drama CD and comments from the seiyuus! Something that I can't help but find a bit ironic is how they really highlight Takuhiro Sakurai as Tae-jun on the bottom right and ah yeah...this didn't age too well.

Behind the color page, it shows that Hana to Yume was (already back then) having a special Yona Crimson Festival campaign. This is when belated Kentaro Miura drew an illustration of the whole main cast that could be win in a lottery, with a reproduction of the special cover of volume 9, autographs of the seiyuus from the drama CD and Kusanagi, and a totebag with Ao that I had never seen before. Miura apparently said that he just ended up drawing the whole cast since it grew a lot (since the time he had only drawn Yona and Hak I assume).

Then to the chapter in itself. I know Kusanagi started really making changes between the magazines and tankoubon(volumes) in relatively recent years so I didn't expect to find any difference here honestly but I found a few! I also find it interesting to see her author's note, the summary of the plot and presentation of the characters etc all around.

So! Page 2 and the first page of the chapter. No change with the manga page from the volume we know of here, but I thought it would be interesting to share for what's below. I honestly am a bit too lazy to translate the whole synopsis as I don't think it says anything novel or specially interesting (I can still do it if someone insist), but I found the characters presentation sweet since it's different from the one we've been getting for every chapter for a while, and it's very cute too since it's specially for this flashback mini-arc.

Yona: Kouka Kingdom's Princess. She is an only child who lost her mother at a young age. She is preciously raised by her father and King Il.

Suwon: Yona's cousin of three years older. He has been gently watching over Yona like a little sister ever since he's little.

Hak: The successor of Mundok, General of the Wind Tribe. Later on, he'll become the servant and bodyguard of his childhood friend Yona.

Now on to page 4: Yona's hair and face were redrawn on the third panel! The movement lines next to her head were erased too. For the text and font, you can also see that the font of the first bubble was changed for the default one, and that they're formated it slightly differently in the last box. We don't often think about the original lettering in manga and how they can also change between raw and volume do we?

Page 7: It's not like this change matter much, but I was so surprised and happy to find out that this iconic page had been modified as well. The third panel that showcases how lively Kuuto is was completely replaced with people playing music. I think the volume version indeed conveys Kuuto's atmosphere much better (like why would Yona be so amazed at two men talking and drinking really), but it's interesting to find out that back then they struggled to find what to put there precisely. From a creative process pov this is so relatable lmao.

Other than these two pages before, I haven't noticed any other change, but I thought I would share Kusanagi's author comment!

"I'm so so happy. I can't believe Miura-sensei drew me an illustration of Yona(and of the whole main cast at that!). This boost me up even more to do my very best! Thank you so much (happiness)."

Nothing special on the last page, but if anyone wondered if there was some editor text here to tease the next chapter...well no there isn't nfjbfhjbg. I so wish I could get my hands on chapter 61 too...

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get my hands on much more of those but I also got chapter 24 with this one, and I noticed a couple of things I'd like to share as well so stay tuned for that :)

[eyeballplanets]

No cause I totally understand what you mean, Anissa is actually so visibly out of character starting from vol 107, like every personality trait is disregarded for making her seem more antagonistic, I posted about it once (and then sensed that I was going to get some kind of death threats and immediately deleted my post) but also the reason given for why she did it is bs, Thragg is gone and isn’t pressuring her to have kids anymore, something she has never wanted (she doesn’t even say she doesn’t want to mate with a lesser species, she says she’s never wanted to reproduce point blank.) and it honestly feels like Kirkman only made her the one to do it because he thought it would be too late to introduce another character and because he didn’t know what to do with her, like pre-Vol 107 Anissa and post 107 Anissa are two different characters with separate facial expressions, goals, AND personality

OH MY GOD THANK YOU.

this is my first anissa-related anon ever and let me tell you i did NOT expect it to be like this!

i'm sorry you felt that you were going to get death threats. the invincible fandom panopticon around anissa is naive and reductive. her appearance in the comic makes clear kirkman and the artists' underlying biases, and her appearance in the show is a deliberate wholesale departure from these aspects of her character. her comic counterpart wasn't written in good faith.

i agree with what you say about anissa's sudden change; i would personally even go so far as to suggest that kirkman wrote three anissas: there is issue 44–102 anissa, stern and cold and angry, like you said, never having ever wanted kids, there is issue 106–reboot arc anissa, who is this creepy femme fatale predator, and then the anissa from mark's return to her death is this smaller surbubanized housewife happily married to a man who scarcely gets development. and i make this distinction because it emphasizes your analysis: there is the anissa that kirkman created, never intended to be a rapist, and there is the anissa that reflects kirkman's regret over the arc itself. mark comes back from the reboot arc suddenly demanding a sex that he up until the issue before was unhappy to have, and anissa and scott distance her from the sudden onset of abusive impulses that briefly yet irrevocably defined her. it's hard to read all of anissa's appearances consecutively (which i did for the umpteenth time last night, which is partly why i'm posting so much about her today) and not feel like kirkman suddenly wanted to write a rape plot. i do feel like the optics of his choosing her are not accidental, especially considering that this was the man that made bulletproof try to get eve to cheat on mark and then turn into an antagonist about it. there's almost a dramatic iron with pre–107 anissa, where characters are like yep, that's anissa, she's an angry soldier, and nothing more!

i emphasize that she was written with bad faith before not to contradict your argument: i do agree that there was a sudden pivot to her personality, but she was introduced with stereotypical features that define comic antagonists. the eye shape, the hairline, the haircut, the broad jaw, the costume. she was a very specific image of a brutal, violent women. her appearance DID change suddenly around 107, and i think it's because kirkman at least realized that the subtly-racialized features she was given originally (again, there are panels where they make her that offensive yellow-gray), so suddenly she is more unambiguously white. this doesn't undo the other ugly aspects about it, or that she was drawn like that in the first place: no matter how anyone spins it, anissa was a woman given these exaggerated features and who never wanted kids who suddenly exhibited all these dramaticized characteristics of a predator because kirkman wanted to write a controversial plot that didn't even have any depth or texture. men speak broadly off this need for representation, but nobody has actually said that THEY feel represented. even the jokes are at mark's expense, and not anissa, because as you said, there was no quality of hers that enforces her being a predator. everyone realizes that if you look at it too closely, it falls apart. so it's just the same two out of context panels circled ad infinitum.

[enulaz]

My reread of TBHK, Spook 2: The Faeries

Nene tells Hanako that she has a "date" with a hot guy, but it's just organizing papers by herself. Hanako gets right into her personal space and says he'll treat her muuuuch better than that guy. The flirting right now is very impersonal and I already can't wait for the chapter when I notice the change between the two of them.

Aoi makes her appareance! Love how she loves telling Nene all about the rumors. How does she get all the gossip before Nene?? I guess she goes to her clubs while Nene is stuck cleaning bathrooms....

Also interesting that Hanako has Hakujoudai constantly following Nene right now. But it's a good thing he does since he saves her from "the faeries."

"You're easily drawn to pretty boys and supernaturals, aren't you, Yashiro?" Haha love that line. But when she looks at him after him saving her for a second time, he does appear a bit different appearance wise. I recall seeing some posts where others point out the way Hanako is drawn in some panels, if we're seeing him normally vs through Nene's eyes.

Nene agrees to change the rumors for the Mokke, and also thanks Hanako for saving her twice, saying she appreciates what he's done for her. He's left shocked and speechless. Who knows how long it's been since someone said he was appreciated....

What's great about this is that it leads to him breaking down one wall. He lowers his guard and admits that he enjoys when she cleans the bathrooms. "I always look forward to it. Doing things with someone after school. Talking about whatever. It's like having a friend. And...I don't know. It just takes me back." It seems like such a minor thing at first, but once we progress through the story and see how little he talks about his past, this is actually kinda huge.

And then we get to Nene calling him "Hanako-kun" ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Kou makes an appearance right at the end of the chapter! Him talking to himself and maniacally laughing while others stare on is cracking me up.

Aaaand chapter 2 done! Loving this reread. I keep thinking about the fanfic idea I have, but every time I want to write a story for a fandom I've never written in before, it makes me so nervous. I feel like I need to know the characters inside out before I can do them any justice. ....but I also know that I find out most about them when I start writing. So it comes down to me procrastinating because I'm scared and haven't written anything in years. Help!!!

End of Spook 2.

[everynicorobin]

Favorite Robin panels, cont.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Water 7 (cont.)

Chapter 374

This one is heartbreaking. She's doing everything in her power to drive them away, but the Strawhats still believe in her. I've never quite understood the second pupil thing she's got going on here and in other panels, but her expression and eye(s) are drawn so well here, it's so clear she's on the verge of tears.

Enies Lobby

Chapter 391

This is our first full look at little Robin. Like most cartoon characters, she hasn't changed all that much in appearance from childhood, but we can see several things about her from this shot alone. For one thing, she hasn't once smiled yet. We can see from the book that she's been interested in archaeology and history from a young age. She's also had her Devil Fruit for a long time, considering how well she controls it and that the other kids address her as "the monster." She's not wearing fancy clothes, so we know she either doesn't come from money or her guardians don't spend theirs on her. And judging by her lack of tears, this isn't the first time she's been attacked and wounded unprompted.

Chapter 391

This is the first time we see little Robin smiling! Although it was easy to guess, the fact that she passed a doctoral exam at eight years old also confirms her high intelligence from a very young age.

Chapter 392

Oh hey, another heartbreaking panel! She didn't even want to study the Void Century in the first place, necessarily - she picked it up because the scholars were the closest thing to friends she had, and she just wanted to be closer to them and join them in everything they did. She had no idea of the weight studying the Void Century carried.

Chapter 392

This one I like because. Look at her. She's too cute. Despite her confirmed genius, she's still just a little kid.

Chapter 392

Another milestone: First laughter!

Chapter 392

As we all know, laughter is a big theme in One Piece in various ways. Here, Robin's world is close to crumbling around her, but she's not yet aware of it and she's spending her time learning to laugh and be happy.

Chapter 393

We finally learn the reason she wanted to study archaeology: She knows her mother is an archaeologist and left her behind for her studies, and she thinks that if she becomes an archaeologist, her mother will take her with her when she returns. All she wants deep down is family and friends.

Chapter 396

(pretending i'm not crying as i type) Robin's world is finally collapsing around her, but she could care less. She finally has her mother back, and even though her desire was just to hold her hand, her mother finally acknowledges her and hugs her. As I said in the original post, this is probably her first hug since her mother left; there's no way her aunt and uncle hugged her, and I doubt the scholars ever gave her any more physical affection than an occasional pat on the head. We can see from her body language in this panel that the hug is completely unexpected - one arm is squished against her, the other thrown back, and her legs have collapsed as she's dragged into the embrace.

Chapter 397

Up to this point, Robin has been effectively suicidal. She knows the island is burning to the ground around her and the Marines are shooting everyone in sight, but she's tried again and again to stay with the people who love her as they stay behind to salvage their life's work, because all she wanted was love, and there was no love for her on the evacuation ship. The sole reason she set out to sea was because Saul promised that she would find new people who loved her. After twenty years, she was ready to die all over again once Crocodile was finished with her, but she finally found new hope with the Strawhats, who didn't care about her past and loved her for who she was.

Chapter 397

She's trying so hard to be happy, just like Saul wished for her, and using what he taught her to cheer herself up. But as she quickly learns, laughter alone can't make a person happy.

Chapter 398

Another iconic panel. Finally, finally, she wants to live. She's been living purely for others up until now - for her mother, Clover, and Saul, who all begged her to escape the island and survive. But now, she wants to live, not just survive. She finally has friends who love her and would never betray her, and she can put her faith in them to save her and take her back.

Chapter 419

As the enemy explodes around her, her tears of despair and frustration turn into tears of relief as she realizes the Strawhats are okay and still well on their way to helping her.

Chapter 420

Even though the Seastone cuffs physically weakened her, finally being free exhausts her emotionally enough for her to collapse. I like that she trusts Franky enough to fall into him, even though he hasn't joined the crew yet.

Chapter 420

I like this one because not only is it a good picture of her in general, but the way it's framed with the action lines behind her makes it look like some kind of motivational poster, except she's advocating for grand larceny instead of like, self-care.

Chapter 423

No commentary other than what I've already said :)

Chapter 424

Coming back to the hug thing, Robin is once again surprised and taken aback by a sudden hug. In this panel and the following ones, it looks like she doesn't quite know what to do with her arms or how to react. I wonder if in the present-day manga she's gotten better at hugs?

Chapter 429

Despite the disarray of everyone here, immobile or mid-jump, it's a quiet moment of love among everything that's happened.

Thriller Bark

Chapter 444

As I've mentioned in another post, Robin may in fact be more sensible and cautious than Luffy, but she's just as likely to walk headfirst into danger. This is a great example of that; instead of staying behind and avoiding the island where someone is obviously setting a trap for them, she's all ready to head out and explore.

Chapter 446

I think this is one of the first times we see Robin's penchant for liking things most people would find weird or ugly :)

Chapter 447

I just really like how her eyes are drawn here

Chapter 453

God!! Look at her!! When did she have time to develop this?? Does she reduce the amount of material in each hand in order to lighten the load, like how birds have hollow bones? Did she know this would work the first time she tried it, or was it a panicked maneuver as she was being chased to the edge of a cliff? I love her!!

Chapter 472

Even though she's back in the crew and more settled in with her family, she has her limits and I respect that.

Chapter 473

This is just great, I love when Robin gets to be scary

Chapter 473

Even though she wouldn't do the Docking, she's not above all the multi-person gags.

Chapter 477

I love when she pulls grand moves like this. Unfortunately, she mostly seems to do this to significant enemies when it ends up not working, like with Aokiji turning into ice and Moria turning into a shadow. All other times she does it to nameless/crowd attack enemies (not counting before she joined the crew).

Chapter 484

This is the first time we see Robin's inner cute thoughts!

Chapter 486

Robin never had a problem with Brook to begin with, but I like this little moment of connection with a familiar song :)

Sabaody

Chapter 492

Not only is her outfit great, but the way her hair is drawn fluttering in the wind is lovely

Chapter 495

Extremely amusing to me that her reaction to learning that a complete stranger was born with a similar face to Sanji's is commenting that Sanji will die an interesting death someday

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

[randomyuu]

A JJK GoYuu fancomic... of a fanfic (read right to left)

You know… despite me getting into JJK fandom this year, I’ve never drawn any JJK characters. (cue me drawing 9 whole-ass comic pages-)

This wonderful fic is titled (you'll whisper, serpent tongue) what you fear you have become by @voxofthevoid​. This comic covers chapter 1 scenes.

Beware of the tags, as the fanfic is NSFW. Oh, and also, manga spoilers! Major character and arc spoilers! I’ve read until chapter 4 and no NSFW so far, but still, beware!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43446157/chapters/109219954

I hope you enjoy reading this comic and the fanfic if you decide to!

Update: Chapter 6 scene fanart

More of my random thoughts and an early drawing of GoYuu below:

Have I told you I’m not used to drawing manga as well? Manga panels are pain. PAIN, I tell you. I shouldn’t have done this, but I did. I did, because every time I read the synopsis of this fic I keep picturing manga-like scenes. You should blame me for reading those AllYuu doujinshis.

It was… interesting experience. I was struggling a bit with the balloon consistency, like, do I use white boxes or just italic words for thoughts? Or maybe a balloon with a cloud-like border?

And there’s GoYuu (YuuGo? Idk honestly, don’t care lol) themselves. As I said, I literally have never drawn JJK-related content before. So when I started thinking about the panelling, I realised that I don’t really know how to draw Gojo, even more a thousand-year-old Yuuji. A whole day is spent researching Gojo, Yuuji and Sukuna’s appearances lol. Sukuna’s markings are a problem since I can’t find a full view of his markings. I know I can just finally watch the anime (yes I haven’t watched the anime, only some short clips; yes I know the animation is good, and I really want to watch it but my brain doesn’t want to) or re-read the manga, but I don’t want to ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

After going through Google images, Twitter and Reddit, I whipped up a front drawing of GoYuu as my reference:

Gojo’s is easier because he hasn’t changed from the official (I blatantly eyeballing the character sheet I found haha), but Yuuji is different. Yuuji’s hair is longer; if I recall, there’s no exact description of his clothes. I assume he’s topless due to this description: Messy pink hair, long enough to cover the creature’s nape but not to hide the segmented dark markings running down his back, shifts in the wind.

And halfway through storyboarding, I realised that I have no experience using screen tones. Whatsoever. So off I go searching for a screentone bundle I can freely download and slowly figure my way out after fully lining the page.

And we haven’t even touched perspective, background, achromatic colouring, non-human characters—man, I really bite more than I can chew lmaooo

Ah, the things you would do to satiate that drawing mood ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Also, I hope I’ll have time to draw more fanarts of JJK GoYuu fanfics because they live rent-free in my brain and I need them to get out. Maybe other pairings as well? I like quite a lot of pairings that involve Yuuji. He’s precious, and I love having it shown to me over and over through fanfics.

[itspeanutlove]

So I'm just gonna scream at the void for a second about wicked phases in Mairimashita Iruma-Kun (and also We Are The Main Characters Of The Demon World). Spoilers BTW!

They're absolutely wild. I'm just gonna talk about the wicked phases of Iruma, Azz, Sabro, Goemon, Shaoron and Zom.

So, starting with Iruma. His wicked phase... isn't actually a wicked phase, it's artificial and caused by Ali-san. Irumean isn't evil but is more confident and we all know how cool both Irumean and Irumeani is. A thing to notice though is that in his 'wicked phase', Iruma's hair color is darker than usual. His eyes are also more slanty(?). Idk. Basically he looks different, so just remember this part cuz I'll go back to it later.

Azz and Sabro, I don't think they're super natural either(?). They were trained to go into the wicked phases and can be snapped out of it – also in Sabro's case he had pills and stuff to get into the wicked phase iirc. I don't think Azz has any changes in appearance during his wicked phase, but with Sabnock his hair turns black. Also remember this! :D

Goemon's case is really interesting too since he's the first one we see go into his wicked phase on screen. His true appearance can be seen when his silver coat flies up - maybe cuz it got all windy? Just a theory but maybe the wind got all out of control when it was his wicked phase, since it was mentioned that wind was his family's specialty.

Now, finally, for the fellas from the spinoff.

Shaoron's just kinda a troll in his wicked phase. It's pretty funny. Also, he has eyebags or something? Anyways, not much to note aside from how it's interesting that he kinda riles people up at that state and his bloodline ability is 'Hate Eater' (does exactly what you think it does).

For Zom, he's the most interesting one of the bunch. Why? Because of his tail!

IIRC, he's the only one whose wicked phase can be stopped just like that (without training I assume). Since for Azz and presumably Sabro, they've got training and have a 'safe word' to snap them back to normal (Iruma is Azz's safeword 🥺) while all someone has to do to snap Zom back to normal is extinguish the fire on his tail. Which admittedly is easier said than done since he actively throws explosives at you.

This little feature makes for a nice 'chicken or the egg' paradox too. I think. Since it goes on fire if he's in his wicked phase... If he's normal and it gets lit on fire does he go into his wicked phase? Or does he just explode?

Also Zom's family has got to have amazing lawyers. From the last time Zom got a wicked phase (from one panel from the time Shaoron was in his phase) he apparently snapped out of it and saw everything around him burned to rubble someone either extinguished the fire or he caused a kilometers wide radius of destruction. Also he revives?? And when revived, is back to normal?? That's absolutely wild.

So, remember the thing I told you to remember?

Iruma, Sabro, Shaoron and Zom's appearance changes during their wicked phases!

Though, Shaoron's appearance change is more minor with his eyebags and teeth being drawn differently, Iruma and Sabro have a whole hair color change. Their wicked phases aren't natural, so maybe that's why their appearance changes so radically?

Zom's the real outlier though. Come on man whats with that??? Im concerned for him- either way aside from the lit tail-fuse thingy there isn't really much of an appearance change. From the comment Shaoron made about Zom having a weird constitution (pics above), that's probably unusual in the demon world.

I might update this when chapter 151 of the spinoff releases.

Anyways that was my pointless 'theorizing' since none of my friends are really that into iruma. The spinoff isn't 100% canon probably but Nishi does 'proofread' it i think, so still a bit canon. Just thought it was neat to point out the differences

Thanks for spending ur precious time reading this barely put together thought process!

[pikahlua]

I love reading meta and theories but I personally am not very good at analysis. Do you have any recommended questions I could ask myself after every chapter, or specific things to look for in order to better understand the text?

Well there's a difference between meta analysis and prediction. This is hard to answer because it's really a matter of making your own method and seeing what works. Some of it will involve experience and reading/watching a whole bunch of other stuff, maybe reading other people's thoughts as you develop your own approach. It's a skill you pick up and grow over time.

My favorite questions to ask are "What are we being told implicitly by the text? How much of that is an assumption that's not explicitly stated by the text?" I feel like things I find that are subtle and hidden are usually good things to focus on, like the fact that no one really knows what All Might's vestige actually is, we just hear everyone else's assumptions about it. That means I also find it suspicious whenever someone in a story tells me something when they don't have the authority to do so.

Chapter 194:

For example, many people went with the explanation from the above panels about All Might's vestige, but Izuku has no authority in understanding what's actually happening. He's the protagonist all this mystery is happening to, so he should be the LAST person to understand the truth of the situation.

Chapter 304:

Meanwhile, in the above page, I am willing to accept Yoichi's explanation even if it doesn't fully explain everything and that he admits he doesn't know the answer for sure. He has explanatory authority because of his status in the story. This is an acceptable way for an author to actually impart exposition on the readership when it's not possible for a real authority to exist in the setting. That said, it's also totally possible this is not the complete explanation, and I think recent manga events are hinting that there's more going on with All Might's vestige than even just this.

And one of my favorite analysis techniques is to observe when fourth wall breaks occur, and I don't just mean when a character speaks to the audience. Possibly my favorite page in all of MHA that illustrates this is from chapter 94:

In my opinion, the anime utterly changes the tone and meaning of this scene. The anime portrays this as sad and suspicious (from Katsuki's POV), and the music and camera work imply that All Might's message rightfully places the weight of the world on Izuku's shoulders.

I don’t get that sense at ALL from the manga.

The anime has no real way of achieving the same thing the manga is doing here, which is drawing All Might in a separate panel from Izuku and Katsuki--but the panels are placed such that All Might is actually pointing at Katsuki instead of Izuku. Why? Why draw this? Think about it. Horikoshi could have drawn that panel of All Might with his arm almost down to his side, but he chose to draw it such that he is pointing at Katsuki. He did that on purpose, and you can’t tell me otherwise.

The whole scene is conspicuously drawn like Horikoshi knows exactly what he’s doing. We have Izuku drawn outside his frame just as this bombshell message begins. He’s being isolated FROM the world he’s part of. He’s being taken out of the setting to break the fourth wall. He’s being separated from the other characters, and he takes it as though he’s the main character and everything depends on him. He’s ALONE.

And while everyone around him cheers at the message, Izuku cries. Katsuki is the one who notices. The first layer of the message is clear: Izuku perceives he is alone--that he’s the main character. All Might may also believe that, though it’s ambiguous with his use of a camera to deliver his message that’s supposedly meant for Izuku to the entire world. And Katsuki keys in on the fact that Izuku takes the message differently from everyone else.

Izuku’s perception of the message is never confirmed by All Might, which means he could be wrong. And Katsuki recognizes it when another character takes on the pressure of those expectations whether or not Izuku is receiving the message correctly.

The manga is designed to make us DOUBT this moment. To feel unsettled. Confused. Concerned. This is a dark moment. A turning point. But not because Izuku is suddenly elevated above the others--it’s because he’s being isolated from the others and placed in danger for it.

And then we are left to ponder the question of why, after he says “You’re next,” the panels are drawn such that All Might is pointing at Katsuki instead...

See? This is fun shit! lol

[narrative-critical-understanding]

Itachi is the one character in the Naruto manga that doesn’t make any sense even when you consider that he’s the liar. 

We never see his thoughts. His words are unreliable and his actions don’t make sense when you look at the entire context.

My speculation is that: 

1) Kishimoto wrote himself into a corner. 

Interview (1) excerpt: 

Shonen Jump: Oda-sensei says he knows how One Piece will end---do you know how Naruto will end? Masashi Kishimoto: Yes, I have the last episode clearly drawn in my mind. I've already decided on the layout, text, and scenes. Not just the story ideas, but the visual ideas are solid.

All I have to do is just head toward the ending I have, but there are still so many things that need to be resolved before reaching that point. Maybe I have thrown in too many ideas, so I need to wrap them up neatly.

I made a post about the ending and how he abandoned Sasuke’s character because he didn’t manage to “wrap it up neatly”. At first I thought that the way Itachi is later written was probably to get Sasuke back to Naruto and let Konoha off the hook, and to get Naruto off the hook about not revealing Konoha’s genocide of the Uchiha clan. The integrity of the main characters was of course more important than a character like Itachi and he wanted these panels at the end:

How did it get to this point though? 

Summary of an interview (2) excerpt:

Q3: “Did you have to think hard about [the setting/ creation of] naruto’s classmates?”

A: Kishimoto didn’t actually originally intend for that kind of setting. Originally he intended to focus on various missions that Naruto went on, meeting 4-man cells from other villages. The teachers of the 4-man cell would be Kakashis rival. But after discussing this with his editor, he was told there wouldn’t be time for such a slow-paced development, so he needed to come bring all these characters and villages out at once. You’re going to make a tournament. Kishimoto said he can’t do it and if he did it’d kill him [not literally], but he was told to do it even if it kills him. That is how the Chuunin exams arc came about. That was what he was forced to do. But even now he wish he could do his original idea about focusing on missions.

This was certainly not the only time that he was told to do something that he didn’t want to do and of course he complied with his (changing) editor in the end because that’s generally wanting to keep your job in a capitalistic society and more specifically it’s Japanese business culture (a bit about it compared to American workplaces):

In Japanese companies, employees must get their superiors' approval whenever they make a decision

Many Japanese companies adhere to a mantra called ho-ren-so, according to a paper from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. Ho-ren-so is a mnemonic device that combines the first syllables of three verbs: Houkoku (report), renraku (contact), soudan (consult).

This means that an employee in Japan must always keep their superiors informed about what they are doing. Every decision, no matter how small it may seem, should go through the chain of command and get the stamp of approval from the boss. Employees should immediately report any problems to their bosses before trying to take care of anything on their own.

(more or less the same expressed in different ways and with different details: workinjapan.today; japanintercultural.com; en.tokhimo)

Another reason would be that Kishimoto didn’t think it through from the beginning:

Summary of an interview (2) excerpt:

Kobayashi points out that there were many things introduced in this arc that played huge roles right until the end of the series (kekkei genkai, sharingan etc), but Kishimoto just said he was ‘bluffing’ with these things in the beginning [nb: in other words he just made them up without any thought on how to use them in the future]. At the time he was just making these things up for the excitement and suspense, but didn’t pick up on what to do with some of these threads long-term until later. Basically he was making it up as he went. Even with Sasuke’s backstory, at the time of the Wave Arc, all that had been thought out was that Sasuke had an elder brother who had done something bad, and that was it. Kishimoto admits the planning was very hazy at this point. However, at the point where Itachi is actually introduced, Kishimoto had decided to secretly make him a good guy, but the reason he did something bad was because of circumstances. Kishimoto also says that although he introduced the Sharingan as being able to copy moves, the premise on what the Sharingan could do changed drastically over the course of the storyline.

If this summary of an interview is credible, then Kishimoto at least officially excuses Itachi’s actions, which is something that would go along with whitewashing criminals. This practice is generally widespread by what I mean that one shouldn’t see it just in relation to Japan even though he’s Japanese. *cough* USA *cough* Hollywood movies *cough*

Interview (3) excerpt:

Shonen Jump Question: In closing, what advise would you give fans who are interested in becoming artists themselves? Masashi Kishimoto: Creating manga isn't just about drawing well, but writing a good story. Keep the art and the story real, and you can't lose. Also, watch a lot of good Hollywood movies. Those who rail against the entertainment industry are just being close-minded.

I think that Kishimoto does have leanings to make excuses about war crimes or at least uses these widespread excuses and the widespread framing that you encounter so easily in mainstream media. See my post on Kishimoto’s framing as example for that.

All in all, I think you’re definitely right regarding your first possibility that he screwed up. However, regarding your second possibility about whitewashing characters: Itachi was still framed as having done something wrong. He admits so himself. However, it’s still “hush, keep it secret” because “honor in a nationalist framing”, and “revolution no good” - “the slowest of reforms without acknowledgment instead”. Still, Sasuke did get a lot of attention as a representative of wronged people and someone who tries to do something about injustice and generally the ills of society. So I think it’s also kind of your second possibility. I just think that it’s not his personal position, but he grew up in a culture that elevates the collective above the individual and you can write about things that you’re conflicted about (or you can write about things that don’t even have anything to do with you of course).

Interview (4) excerpt: 

SJ: There are a lot of fans out there who read your manga in English. Do you have a message for them? Kishimoto Sensei: It’s a very Japanese manga, so I thought it might be difficult for people from other countries to understand in English, but I’m very happy that you’re reading it. Naruto has already reached its conclusion, but please continue to support my work.

Interview (3) excerpt:

Shonen Jump: You grew up next to a military base, and the ninja in Naruto behave something like a military force, with discipline and training. Are you a military enthusiast, and did you ever consider joining the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF)? Masashi Kishimoto: I don't really consider myself a military enthusiast. Where I grew up didn't really have a military base, as Japan doesn't have a military, just a Self-Defense Force. What I did was use the training grounds of the SDF as a reference, in addition to books on the Mossad and the SAS. I never wanted to join the JSDF, as I wanted to draw manga.

[tamelee]

Please explain how you can like b*ruto while criticizing it at the same time we're confused. And then you write about adult nar/sas/ even though they've done the worst. How can you say that era is so great? Just tryna understand here. Usually I get your logic but not this. Also when you think it s done?

Hi Non.e, when did I say that?

I said, I felt like 'Boruto' as a show had a lot of potential. And what I mean with that is that I feel like Kishimoto was definitely on to something with the movie when it comes to a major storytelling element which is 'Theme'. But also the change the world itself had undergone when it comes to technology. How incredibly frustrating it must be how these gremlins suddenly lack the motivation to train because they can simply get every Jutsu they need in a damn mini-scroll anyway. People don't even need any Chakra anymore. It's like people skip the process to get to an end-result as fast as possible. Does it sound familiar??????

That's huge!!

And for some reason these kids learn Jutsu fast as hell.

The kid learns a damn Rasengan immediately. Like in what, 2 days?

This dystopian, cyberpunk'ish-type of vibe has so much potential for so many interesting arcs despite the bitter edge it gives. But like.. the writers don't even give a damn it seems like. It's almost as if Kishimoto wants to take advantage of the potential but is tired of it too. When things don't go your way or when the people around you don't value the same things.. I mean, I'm just speculating. And even if I like the SNS moments, there are parts in the movie and the beginning of 'Boruto' that I really, severely dislike too. You wouldn't hear/read me say that 'Boruto' is great in any way. I liked Sarada in Gaiden for example but she's annoying as hell in 'Boruto'. Her obsession with her father makes me uncomfortable. These kids are literally out of nowhere lecturing Sasuke... Boruto bolts after cutting Sasuke off and Sarada jumps in trying to be all sassy towards her father.

"Do YoU uNdErsTand? HeY!" They irritate me. Have some respect gdi. Sasuke whose adult character sketches from Kishimoto looked absolutely amazing. Who is at the end of Shippuden together with Naruto one of the most powerful Shinobi and forced to get nerfed to favor an out-of-balance power-scale. One that doesn't even make sense in the slightest. Not even with technology. Whose eyes who see everything can't even see a kid with a kunai coming. No wonder ms. experiment needs glasses. LoGic. Idc. And it's not just that, the way they're drawn too...

They're talking about Sasuke, yet the visual focus is so much on Sarada's bare legs in that tiny, TINY dress. Creepy as hell. BARF. Mind you, I just took your hand briefly and showed you a few panels from just the first 2 Chapters. There are infinitely more moments that annoyed me. The writing is bad, it's visual representation is bad, I don't like these kids although Boruto's growth as a character is okay (I haven't caught up yet)- I'll say it again, you will not hear/read me say that 'Boruto' is great. Ever. But the world and the era had potential. That's all.

[munchkinmarauder]

I've always said Wanda is the child with the most in common with Magneto personality wise and I stand by it. look at the above! Definitely channeling Daddy Mags. Love how she is drawn and coloured here too. Though I'm not sure why colourists deep giving brown characters and orange undertone?

However I was surprised by how little Wanda was on this issue. I know it's a big team but the big emotional beats for the mutants were with Tony and Carol and Wanda was just there to look cool which I think is a missed opportunity.

The few Wanda panels we got were great but it felt like this was all action and no character moments (this is a problem with modern comics in general - I said the same with Uncanny Avengers). Wanda has family in this fight. Her sister and son were directly impacted by it.

Her twin brother was one of the first "non mutants" on the front lines of the fight against Orchis and presumably is still fighting. For a long time Lorna was missing and she doesn't mention it at all? Feels odd. Maybe the next issue we'll get something but it feels strange that Tony and Carol are more invested than her. That we get to here their thoughts but not Wanda's thoughts given she was a mutant for 50 years, had mutant family members and a complicated past with them. Her waiting room is what brings Magneto back from the dead!

If anyone knows what the mutants are going through on the Avengers it's Wanda. Not to mention the sheer amounts of hate crimes she experienced as a Romani Jewish woman. Even Pietro is shown identifying and siding with the mutants to advocate that Rouge leads the Unity Squad in Uncanny Avengers and he is the only member of the team referred to as a "mutie" by Orchis which was significant and something. The narrative places him as one of the mutants even if he technically isn't one anymore (though I suspect that will change soon). But we don't get any of that for Wanda even which I think we should. This whole Fall of X event ignores personal stakes for our heros, their human reasons to fight, and the event is lacking for it.

How very Magneto of her. Love it.

Avengers (2023) #12

[maoam]

I'm starting to wonder if there was any need for me to panic at the release of this novel. Whenever I see a panel, sasuke looks as if he is ignoring suckura 98% of the time (I mean he does in canon but i thought they would change that in this novel, at least a bit), the prisoners seem to show more interest in her than he does, he always seems displeased or even... annoyed? (Maybe its the way they draw his expressions that make him look like that) Suckura acts more like a 14 yr old girl than a mature woman (Shes not mature in canon but you'd think that they would write her to be good in her own novel). On top of that, Suckura is drawn ugly a lot of the time (I'm not saying this cause of my hate for her, I genuinely think she looks bad).

If a novel like this got released for my ship I would not consider it a win. Isn't she meant to be a mature, smart, sexy girlboss that takes no rubbish from anyone? Why is she acting so ridiculous? Why is sasuke not showing much emotion towards her? Like i said before, i thought this novel was to make them look good? Like yea, the whole novel is rubbish but i thought they would show sasuke caring for his 'wife' more than he does in canon, in this novel his expression towards her is always indifferent. They don't act like a couple in their own novel. And they're drawn ugly on top of that. I think sasuke said some rubbish like 'do a married couple need to be with each other all the time?'. Like HUH? Doesn't sound like you miss her.

It's not really a win for ss is it? It just made suckura look dumb (displaying the uchiha crest and going 'omg, he must'av used earth style jutsu to make this', like girl WHAT?), immature (sasuke was injured and she wants to play peekaboo), and the whole thing just makes them even look more like they're not in love (On sasuke's part anyway). The way she was blushing when she received the ring reminds me of a schoolgirl getting her first kiss, not like a couple that have been with each other for a long time that care and love each other ( and the way sasuke just gave it to her and was like 'wear it', no smile or emotion, reminds me of my mom when she buys me clothing I don't like but still says 'wear it'. He also looks freaked out when she holds her hand up to view it).

Sorry, this was a mouthful. Me freaking out of the release of this rubbish had been for nothing, in fact, it dragged ss through the mud even more.

I also don't get why they make Sakura so unlikeable in it.

She insults Tsunade in it (which is not out of character for her but again, I thought this manga would try to make her look better).

She is dumb and wears the Uchiha crest undercover.

She acts like a little girl, actually worse. She's blushing like crazy over the ring made out of dirt. Like isn't she already married to Sasuke anyway... why is she acting like he's senpai?

She's playing peek-a-boo with an injured Sasuke, like hello? Even if she were a teenager that would be cringy.

Also it still doesn't change the fact Konoha wives do wear wedding rings, so Esaka just did not do her research or she tried to bullshit.

And again I don't know if the artist just doesn't know how Sasuke is supposed to look when happy or what, but it does look odd. Sasuke is looking at Sakura like she's a weirdo (which she is, but again I thought this was supposed to make SS look good).

The manga makes Sasuke look like he's being held hostage or something. Like he looks like 😐 or like there's no life in him lol. And Sakura does look kind of ugly, I agree, and I don't even think she looks ugly in the original manga. But in this manga she just looks cringe.

I mean it's not canon and if I was a fan of Sakura I wouldn't want it to be canon because what?? It will make people mock her more if anything.

[fengshenjunlang]

Hello, i just wanna ask what do you think of the manhua JC? dont get me wrong but there scenes that i haven't read in the novel that were shown in manhua even briefly. For example, that JC hugging his puppies. While it was outrightly said that he did have dogs that were sent out after WWX came to lotus cove, I don't really think he was that emotionally attached to them considering how fast he changed his mind. Those little panels of things that were probably implied makes a lot JC delulu stans make him more uwu. While i dont think that child JC is that bad, he is a child for one thet throw tantrums. Even teenage JC is redeemable probably since he was not that bad yet, but i just dont get how they justify him being secretly uwu kind etc whatever it is a positive trait because of his innocent? past self. isn't it ironic how WWX said that JC didn't change at all in the 13 years he was dead, implying he is still immature and the same as ever. I also dont get the part where somehow someone who has such personality is becoming likable to many people, changing his character to fit their description. A few others, i dont really remember but im sure ive seen some, who have evidence of their claim that are too weak to support and does not give the whole picture. As someone who likes JC's patheticness, this is so bizarre to me that i dont really want to involve myself in tiktok or twt. sorry for the long rant, have a great day!

Hello there, Anon.

To be honest, I don't particularly pay any attention to mdzs manhua aside from simping its WangXian moments, lol. Like, my only basis is the original, mdzs novel, whereas other adaptations are just entertainment. And for entertainment, obviously I will only focus on WangXian.

So far, among the other adaptations, mdzs manhua is the closest to canon. Even then, there are things that were changed due to various factors, such as to shorten the lengthy original content or to add more humor, which is common in comic, manga, or manhua.

I mean, things about softening the characters in the manhua was not only done toward JC as far as I know. We saw how Lan Qiren being pretty much drawn like a comedic relief. Even Su She moments in the Second Siege was also drawn in quite a funny way, that makes us the readers find it hard to really immerse ourselves in the severity of the incident, in fact.

Is that a good or bad thing? That depends. For entertainment, mdzs manhua is really good, both from content and arts. Just don't take them as canon material or meta material, since there has been changes due to various consideration. And when things change, it's not Original anymore🙃

The fact I have Twitter just to use the username to login on other websites, and the fact that I don't own TikTok at all, makes me unqualified to say things about mdzs fandom on Twitter or TikTok, lol. I'm sorry, Anon. Honestly, aside from Tumblr and Lofter, I don't really engage in mdzs fandom on other platform...?

But characters with pet attribute generally spark more interest with fans. Just like how WangXian and rabbits and Lil Apple are. Canonically, kid-JC is indeed fond of dogs (puppies or adult dogs I don't know).

Though, whether this fondness is a long lasting fondness is a question. Because after Wei Wuxian left YMJ he didn't try to own any dog. Some fans take it as JC being loyal to WWX, like, he was waiting for him to come back, etc. But, another fact is that, if he is still fond of dog but didn't want to own it due to WWX, then why wasn't he the one who give the dog to Jin Ling? Isn't he supposed to be the best Uncle for Jin Ling?

My headcanon is that, the adult JC likes dog, but not particularly fond of it like how other Dog lovers are. It's like how most people are enthusiastic when they saw stray cats, but that's it, most people won't dedicate themselves to adopt them, gave them foods, or help them. Most people just "like" But not fond enough to dedicate their life for pets. And so is Jiang Cheng toward Dogs.