#and so instead of normal human reactions hes like i MUST know what kaoru sees in this man.....I WILL FIND OUT FIRST

[noxiatoxia]

i feel like i share this in every fuckin convo abt hikakyo ever but it still applies now more than ever so here

the toxicity of hika/kyo and kyo/kao existing in the same timeline though is so funny to me too. kyoya and kaoru dating and hikaru being like wtf why, how could kaoru's taste be so different to mine...how could he like this dumb bastard accountant he's not even THAT hot.

lying awake at night glaring at the ceiling, fists clenched. absolutely furious about it. dreaming about kyoya kissing him in the moonlight. oscillating wildly between being SO MAD ABOUT IT and being like oh god i'm a terrible brother kaoru's going to hate me forever for my dreams about his freak boyfriend doing my tax returns...but like in a hot way ig

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 10 - Stir caused as Don Nomura uploads a photo of his father, Nomura Katsuya's corpse.

K: This is Dir en grey's Kaoru, starting another episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome.

J, T: Thank you *1

K: Can we have the topic for this episode, Joe.

J: Yes, 'Don Nomura uploads a photo of his father, Nomura Katsuya's corpse to Twitter. Twitter is on fire with calls to delete it.'

Well, the former baseball manager Nomura Katsuya died on the 11th of February, and the photo of his corpse...Well, we say its his son, but they are not related by blood right? Its Nomura's wife, Sachiko's son (*from a previous relationship*). Well, anyway, they are family right? He took a photo of the corpse (*at the funeral*) and uploaded it to social media. Many voices have been raised saying it looks scary or creepy, so 'please delete it'.  Well, how should we think about this? It was a theme which caught my interest.

T: In Japan, we don't generally do that, do we?

J: We don't. Even with the death of close relatives, we don't tend to take photos, do we?

T: Right, we don't take commemorative photos with everyone gathered.

J: No, we don't. I think we tend to give the deceased more of a solemn send off. But I have lived in America for a little while, I mean, not all American's are like this but, you could say for Christianity, they have quite individualistic funerals. Also, when they say goodbye, they sometimes kiss the corpse and so on. Thats normal, and some people even take photos, but the circumstances might change if someone were to upload a photo to social media for all to see. Kaoru, how do you feel about this?

K: Well, lots of people can see it, so maybe its ok to bothered about it...but i don't really mind.  I mean, its his relative, it might be different if it was a stranger...but he's not just some wierdo. Well..I have a feeling its....????*2

T: I've covered Noumra san while I was a sports journalist, and when I was shown this recent photo, in my heart I thought..hmm, his face looks nice, he looks at peace.

J: I see. Well, opinion is very divided on this, but another thought I had about this one photo is...For a while I was chief editor for the magazine Days Japan. Its a photo journalism magazine, and it quite often included war photos. And in that case, well, for war in the middle east etc, the bodies of people who had died were visible in them, so there was a lot of debate about whether or not we should run them. At that time, one line that we took was that, for example, we would not run photos of people who had died in natural disaters, but in relation to war, we thought we must think about why it happened, and that the bodies might hold a message in relation to that. Obviously, we avoided very grotesque photos, but we did run numerous photos of bodies for this reason. Another thing I also conversely thought is, well at this point I don't know if movies do this, but there is a documentary movie called, 'Utanohajimari', I went to see it recently and was quite surprised. At the beginning of the movie, there is a birth scene, and there was a message warning viewers about the scene, that it wouldn't be censored. It was written that you will be watching it uncensored. So I thought, oh ok, but at the same time, in relation to birth and death, the two biggest events in a persons life, the start and the end...in this country we can't quite express ourselves freely. Its essentially a culture of trying to hide these things...I vaguely thought about this. We can get whatever  information we need to live our lives from all sorts of places, and if we don't have that we are seen as falling behind. But, as humans we need to think about why we are here, why we die, where did we come from, where are we going...well, its getting a bit philosophical, but we are living in a comparatively blinkered fashion in this respect. If you upload a photo like this to social media in a country where this type of thing is always concealed, you don't know if they is gonna be a kind of allergic reaction to it. In music and the arts and stuff, there are themes of death, and other things that we should be thinking about, but I think community in this country is missing these expressions....I mean, this photo is not intended  as a work of art, is it, Nomura san's body? Ive kinda thought about that.

K: I thought so too, you don't see it often do you? There was that...???*3

J: Ah, yes yes

K: There was a lot in that. Compared to that, this is..

J: Well, its true, in this country birth and death aren't exactly 'taboo', but we deal with it....Well, we are not a particularly religious country, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Kami: As for me..

J: Oh, he's here.

Kami: I saw that photo, the photo of him wearing his uniform, and I was moved.

J: Oh he was moved.

Kami: Mmm, I though 'Ah, its Nomura san', and like, 'Oh, The Swallows (*baseball team) .

J: I see. Instead of Rakuten, right?

Kami: No instead of the Hawkes where he got a triple crown. Like, he was greater when he became a manager. Like with Yakult. He kind of raised those teams.

K: He was worldly.

T: If he'd been wearing Hanshin or Rakuten uniforms it would be a bit....right?

K: Yeah. He'd say, 'No, not those!'.

J: I really think so.

K: I think Nomu san had great power with Hanshin and Rakuten. Later Hoshino san also had a lot of success, but yeah, think Nomu san had great power.

J: He made them, right? The base for a winning team.

K: But of course, the Swallows...

J: Yeah, whatever you say, Nomu san was there, and raised Furuta. At that time, we didn't know how far the word 'ID baseball' would go.

T: Thats right.

J: I think its amazing how that penetrated the world.

Kami: Its amazing how he got a triple crown as a catcher. But he didn't really boast about that during his active years. People are thinking of the Swallows when they see him in uniform now right? Thats what i imagine anyway. He wasn't like 'Look at me!', he was more like one of the team. I feel it deeply, I feel the art.

J: Certainly I think it has that kind of message.  By the way, do you become a god after dying? How does it work? Are you born a god? I've always wanted to know this.

Kami: Gods?  Gods are there from the start.

J: Oh from the start? You are born a god?

Kami: No, we're not born, we just are.

J: Oh its like that?

T: Thats complex

J: I see, thats deep.

K: They already are, right?

J: Yeah

Kami: Gods don't have a beginning or an end.

K: Wow

J: Is that so?

K: I want to try saying that.

J: Right. ..He hasn't even proved once that he's real though.

K: But it means you must be around for billions of years.

Kami: Its not billions of years, iｍ ever-lasting. 

K: Oh, again.

J: Out it comes. He came out with that.

Kami: You guys just can't understand it.

K: No, we can't, not at all.

J: He always says it in a really cool voice too.

T: If i said that to my wife, she would laugh at me so much.

J: 'Im ever lasting too'.

*K laughs*

J: She'll usually say 'whats wrong with you?!'

This is really terrible. So, Kami, you don't die, you are not born?

Kami: Yeh, im timeless.

K: But you have an hourly wage, right?

*J laughs*

J: He has no concept of time but he works for an hourly wage!

Kami: Yes, thats right.

J: He's so stupid.

T: An incredible god.

J: I mean it. A god who needs money, like he needs to eat.

K: Its realistic right?

J: Yes, realistic.

K: He drops in just like that, doesn't he.

J: Im thankful for him...Well i have some sympathy for him, he's ever lasting, but he still has to eat, and earn a living. I don't know if im thankful or not thankful.

Kami: Thats why people call me a cheater.

T: He worries a lot about getting called a cheater.

K: We hear it a lot though.

T: Right, its hitting him where it hurts.

J: He says it everytime, I think if effects him a lot. But like Kami says..wearing a Yakult uniform...right?

K: Yeah

J: And his face looked really peaceful. I think perhaps, living in this country, we are a bit too indifferent towards birth and death.

K: There were probably quite a few young people who have never seen this kinda of thing before, so they won't be used to it if they are seeing it for the first time.

T: Its quite a complicated feeling coming into close contact with death or a dead body like that. When my relatives, or my grandma etc have died...I can't put that feeling into words, when you see them..what is that feeling. Do you have that experience, Joe?

J: Well, yes within my family, or friends. You can't put it into words...

T: Its a kind of lonliness, but not quite..and also a bit frightening. Its very difficult to express...the feeling when a person dies.

K: In those times, its like there is an atmosphere of trying not to say anything wierd. Like, there are certain set greetings like 'Im sorry for your loss'. There's this kind of pattern. I think that creates this kind of atmosphere.

J: Yeah, maybe.....I know a lot of people in bands, and when that type of person dies, thier funerals are quite individualistic..its kind of a relief to see. There are different ways to pay respects or connect with a death, and I think we ought to consider that more. I don't think its right to make death into a taboo.

T: Recently, Uchida Yuya san had a very 'rock' send off, didn't he?

J: Yes, he did! ...so I had these thoughts and picked up on this news.

K: Well, lets finish up here. Everyone please subscribe.

T, Kami: Please.

J: Thank you very much

*1 Im wondering what's the best way to translate 'よろしくお願いします/yoroshiku onegaishimasu'..

*2, 3 These bits frustrate me, as I can hear what he's saying, but i can't seem to figure out what he means. I feel like im missing something really obvious.

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 121

Episode: Futari wa Precure Splash Star 23 - “A Showdown at Last! The Menacing Akudaikaan” Date watched: 12 May 2019 Original air date: 16 July 2006 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/pX1bIr8 Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

When we left off last time, Michiru and Kaoru had revealed themselves as agents of Dark Fall to Saki and Mai, and begun fighting them, clearly going against their personal desires but overwhelmed by the fear of betraying Akudaikaan, who gave them a life and a purpose. The cold open of this episode flashes back to their creation and assignment to the Fountain of the Sky, which is barren and dried out as you might expect.

Never knowing anything but gray skies and dry trees, they assumed it was normal, because it was the way Akudakiaan liked it, but when they did visit the Land of Greenery, and met Saki and Mai, their lives changed...

We return to the fight. Bloom and Egret continue to refuse to fight their friends, which only angers them further because they insist that they can’t be friends. Egret realizes they’re the ones who rescued them from Dorodoron, and both cures thank them. Bloom and Egret remind them of the ways they’ve helped out, and the nice things they’ve done, and point out that these are not the actions of people who want to truly destroy all life. Kaoru and Michiru admit that it’s to make Akudaikaan happy, which translates to making them happy, but Egret sees through the anguish on their faces as they say this. Bloom insists that they can change their destiny, and she’ll show them how. Michiru doesn’t believe this is possible but Kaoru stops her, as she starts to accept Bloom’s words. They propose to renew their friendship and restore the Fountain of the Sky to its full glory so Michiru and Kaoru can see it in all its beauty, but Gohyaan arrives to interrupt. He drags Michiru and Kaoru back to Dark Fall, and Bloom and Egret latch on, not wanting to let them go, and end up in Dark Fall as well. Thus, they all come face to face with Akudaikaan.

Bloom and Egret want to fight him, but Michiru and Kaoru stop them. Instead, they march up to him themselves and beg him to spare the Land of Greenery. Their passion is genuine and the courage it must take to stand up to such a powerful force like this, to betray your purpose, is immense, but they do it. Akudaikaan is not impressed, however, and he starts to torture the two of them for their insubordination.

Bloom and Egret rush to their wounded friends and demand to know why he would hurt them like this. Akudaikaan goes on to say that they are merely servants to him, nothing more, and he has no room for servants who don’t follow his orders, and no forgiveness for those who defy him. He prepares to torture them again but this time the Precures spring into action. They block his attack, kick and punch him, and even launch a Twin Stream Splash directly into his chest. Unfortunately this is not enough to even tickle the ruler of Dark Fall and he taunts them by saying he hasn’t even used half of his full power. As he gets ready to attack the Legendary Warriors, this time Michiru and Kaoru come to their rescue. They exude bright yellow light, overpowering Akudaikaan’s dark energy, and sincerely thank Saki and Mai for showing them kindness, compassion, and friendship. They hand over their six remaining Miracle Drops from within their necklaces and teleport the Precures away, sacrificing themselves to Akudaikaan’s power.

I don’t have the words to properly describe this scene, but it is both moving and sorrowful as the culmination of Michiru and Kaoru’s journey. I will discuss it more in the analysis.

The next thing Saki and Mai know, they’ve been transported back to the Land of Greenery outside the Sky Tree, about where they left, and they’re back to normal. They beg Flappi and Choppi to return them to Dark Fall so they can rescue Michiru and Kaoru but the fairies don’t have that kind of power. All four of them are crying at their inability to save their friends, and the incredible sacrifice that was made. Saki says that a victory like this is unbearable, and the screen fades to black as the episode ends.

I’ve said all along that the Kiryuus’ arc has a lot in common with Kiriya’s arc from the first season. This is pretty plain to see: both of them are human-looking school-aged villains who decide to infiltrate the human world and get close to the Precures in their daily lives to figure out their strengths and weaknesses, while another general makes more overt attacks. They sometimes work together but the infiltrator always maintains their secrecy. But Kiriya honestly didn’t do much. There were a few episodes where he either didn’t appear at all or only appeared to make ~evil grins~ when Poisony failed. Since Verone was a gender-segregated school, he didn’t have classes together with Nagisa and Honoka, so their bond was formed entirely outside of school, and he only really made a connection with Honoka, who was willing to help him learn but not to let him slack off or be rude to others. Meanwhile, Kaoru and Michiru are present in every episode starting from their debut, they get heavily involved in the school and personal lives of Saki and Mai, they give Dorodoron some tips on how to be more effective (but also undermine him on one occasion), they make bonds with both girls and find themselves entangled in their personal affairs. Kiriya feels he isn’t strong enough to challenge fate, and fights the Precures before yielding his Prism Stone and returning to the Dark Zone to face destruction. Michiru and Kaoru thought they couldn’t change their purpose, but after fighting Bloom and Egret, who refused to fight back, they realized the two cared much more about them than they realized, and that they, too, cared about Saki and Mai. They didn’t want to fight, but rather than simply resigning themselves to their fate, they went to Dark Fall and stood up to Akudaikaan. Kiriya was interesting to watch but the Kiryuus are downright incredible. You can see when they first start to question what they believe, how they subtly help the Cures, how they begin to realize in their hearts that the humans are all right but don’t allow themselves to think it. They aren’t interested in mundane human activities, but Saki and Mai are always so nice to them that they gain an interest by proximity. They simply can’t fight them without lying to themselves about what it is they truly care for, and eventually Saki and Mai make it impossible for them to keep lying to themselves. This is excellence.

Kiriya believed he couldn’t change his fate. Michiru and Kaoru believe they can, and they set out to do so. Even if their pleas fall on deaf ears, they try to appeal to Akudaikaan to share what they’ve learned about the world and change his mind. And they learned that skill from Saki and Mai, who always stood up for what they believed was right, not tolerating interference or injustice, whose first reaction when they were unknowingly manipulated was to apologize to each other instead of getting upset. So they appeal to him. It doesn’t work, and they are tortured for it, but in the end they manage to muster enough strength to protect their friends the same way Cure Bloom and Cure Egret always do, even if it cost them so much more. They want to save the Land of Greenery, and to do so they have to sacrifice their own ability to enjoy it. This is so much more powerful than Kiriya’s own sacrifice, as he simply resigned himself to his fate, while these girls fought against it. I don’t want to sound like I’m knocking his arc (although, in hindsight, it was deeply flawed in ways that the Kiryuus’ arc fixes). It laid the groundwork for these two and many other future turncoat characters in the franchise, some of whom are done better than others. When we get to Fresh Precure, you’ll see the next step of the evolution of this concept as Setsuna becomes Cure Passion, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. (Next year? Fingers crossed.) For now, enjoy the pinnacle of Splash Star as the two villains become the girls’ greatest allies, even sacrificing themselves for the greater good.

Although it’s not quite halfway through by episode count, this is the mid-season climax of Splash Star. The growing threat of the first half culminates in Bloom and Egret fighting Akudaikaan for the first time, much like how Black and White defeated the Dark King for the first time in FWPC 27, and Baldez in Max Heart 23. Normally (and especially in later seasons) this first major defeat is accompanied by a new finishing attack (which just so happens to correlate to a new toy on the toy store shelves that kids can buy), however the Splash Star girls don’t get their new toy until next episode, and in FWPC, they didn’t get the Prism Braces until episode 30, but this concept cements itself more in later shows. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that, we’ll have to see.

In an effort to keep my screenshot gallery from getting exhaustively long (the kind of long I reserve for movies and finales), I was a bit light on the details. There are a number of good facial expressions that I didn’t capture, but I got some, so be sure to check out the gallery linked at the top of this post (and every other one!) for more pictures than I was able to squeeze into the review.

The next review will not be until Sunday, May 19 at the absolute earliest, as I will be on a road trip with only my phone to tie me to the outside world. I may use what little free time I have to catch up on Star Twinkle, and I might share some stuff over on PCD-Status so if you’re not already following that account, be sure to do so.

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 Zekkouchou Nari

Miracle Drop Count: 7