#and the flashbacks and the use of the titles on peoples speech bubbles

[butchlifeguard]

primrose's ch3 is GOOD btw

[invertedgoogle]

I tried translating the Vol 24 omakes: Schrö and Dinger are back!

Disclaimer: This was done to the best of my (limited) Japanese ability and by looking up every other word on Weblio, so there may be some references I missed, and I definitely know some that I wasn't able to find. I still hope you guys enjoy it though!

Credits for scans: @kanotototori

A spur of the moment

Box: Mew… mew… mew…

Yukine: … they’re cats!

Yukine: Oh no… who threw you away? Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?

Yato: Wait! Don’t touch them!

Yukine: It’s alright, it’s not like I can get sick or anything.

Yato: First, we need to take a video!

Unnecessary

Yukine: They’ll die if we don’t do anything! Can we please take them home?! I’ll be responsible for taking care of them!

Yato: No no, we can’t keep pets!

Yukine: Well, fine then, I’ll ask Hiyori (hand me your phone)

Yato: Hiyori also can't keep any pets in her home, right?

(Flashback)

Yato: Can we meet up?

Hiyori: Sorry…

(Flashback end)

Yato: And she did say “Maybe we should stop meeting up for a while since there’s Covid going around”...

Yukine: She said she’s coming over!

(Let’s go home!)

Yato: Wait, what?

With Covid

Hiyori: Yato! Long time no see! Where are the cats?

Yato: … on the second floor…

Yato: And I’d even told him that keeping pets while single means that I’d become totally unmarriable... It’s really messed up my life plans! I’m begging you, Hiyori...

Yato: Get Yukine to change his mind—

Daikoku: So she was using Covid as a reason to avoid you, huh…

Yato: … I hate Covid!!

Satori

Yukine: These are Schrö-kun and Dinger-chan

Hiyori: So cute!!

Hiyori: They’re so tiny… <3! They make me want to come here every day… <3

Yato: We can keep them!!

Yato: Well, that’s fine… if anything I can get some cat adoption videos (in the subsequent text there’s a reference here that I can’t for the life of me look up or understand, so I’m moving on to the next speech bubble)

I can increase my likability... getting married isn’t just a pipe dream anymore!

(Not both of them though)

Yukine: His face says it all… (Thanks) but he’s the one being used here!

Narrator: Just as expected from Yato’s Satori… no, wait, hafuri

* Satori is a kind of mind-reading yokai

Side hustle

Yukine: So the cost of raising a single cat is 2.5 million yen… it’s double if we’re raising two. Just my part-time job isn’t enough to cover that. Should I try making videos?

Hiyori: You can try! I’ll help out!

One month later

Yukine: We’ve finally reached 100 subscribers

Hiyori: So there are people who keep up with our videos from time to time

Yato: Well, but my channel has never been doing better!

Hiyori: Wow! Since when were you a Youtuber?

Yato: Would you like me to take you under my wing? Yukine ku~n?

Yukine: No thank you.

Yukine: But none of this has anything to do with cats!

Yato-possessed Hiyori onscreen: For hitting 1 million subscribers, I’ll be giving out free hugs in Shibuya!

(Video title: SchröDinger’s no-makeup no-filter channel, 1.02 mil subscribers)

Hiyori: Wait… since when was I under divine possession?

Yato: Hey, you made a commitment, didn’t you?

Business expertise

Yato: This turned out so profitable!

Yukine: Urgh…! K… kinda regret not joining you, but it’s amazing... if only I had that many subs...

Yato: Now time for my start-up!

Yato: I’ve used all the money to buy a whole load of coffee beans (Kyaa!!)

Yukine: … why coffee…?

(Coffee extracted from the feces of Asian palm civets is said to be a delicacy)

Yato: So we feed the cats these coffee beans, right? And after that they’re gonna poop, right? Then we can take the beans from their poop…

Yato: And make locally produced, all-Japanese Kopi Luwak… (Slap!) guh!

SSR Character

(Store: homemade, home-roasted coffee)

Yukine: It’s hot, so please be careful with it!

Hiyori: Thank you for your patronage!

(Sticker: for Schrö and Dinger)

Hiyori: Good work! The coffee business looks like it’s going swimmingly! Good for you, Yukine-kun!

Yukine: Thanks, if we can just keep this up…

Voice: Oh? I smell something nice…

Ebisu: I smell money~

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Manga Review – Yuri Is My Job Vol. 1-5

Yuri is a genre deeply rooted in its history and traditions. Dating back over a century, many of the scenes and situations from early "Class S" literature still predominate Yuri titles today. Common elements include senpai-kohai relationships between a bright and cheerful younger girl and an older, more assertive upper-classman. The bonds between the two were not the romantic and sexual love of lesbian narratives, but more sate or "pure" relationships often devoid of lesbian identity or attraction. The presence of S elements ebbed and rose over the past century, but they experienced a surge at the end of the 20th century. Contemporary S literature dominated the Yuri scene for at least a decade, and even now, its effects are still seen in many works today.

Naturally, as with any genre that becomes too entrenched with tropes or clichés, Class S literature became the subject of parody, commentary, and deliberate defiance. And while numerous works have repeated, twisted, rejected, and exaggerated tropes, perhaps none have done so quite as masterfully or as enjoyably as Miman's Yuri Is My Job! The series uses S Yuri's ideas uniquely and masterfully weaves a narrative in and out of them with a layered setting and great characters. The constant balance between and integration of reference, humor, and a strong core narrative had me gleefully enthralled and thoughtfully pouring over every page. I ravenously consumed the series, not just because of the cute cakes and elegant young women, but because I was so invested in the story and intrigued by the manga's premise.

Breaking down every reference is far too daunting a task that frankly deserves its own dedicated article. Still, to briefly overview, Yuri Is My Job! is set primarily at a café themed after an all-girls mission school, Liebe Grils Academy. The servers of the café act as the elite students of the fictitious academy and offer outside visitors, patrons of the establishment, a glimpse into their forbidden world of elegance and sisterly love. The series follows high school student Hime after she starts working at Liebe after accidentally injuring the manager, Mai. The series takes off from there, with Hime participating in the various themed events and navigating challenging relationships with coworkers, including her hostile schwester, the upperclassman who mentors her, and, in the world of the café, partners her.

Yuri Is My Job! is much more enjoyable with an understanding of S literature and themes, as references can slip by readers otherwise. However, particularly after the first volume, the series opens up a little more with an overarching plot that dips in and out of the thematic S material. Even without a grasp of S tropes, readers can enjoy watching server Kanoko struggle with her hidden affection for Hime or get caught up in the excitement and scheming during a popularity competition between the staff.

Throughout the first five volumes, multiple shorter narratives, such as the cook getting sick or Hime learning how to serve guests, are interwoven with the overarching character and relationship-driven story. Although almost every character has plenty of time to shine and distinguish themselves, the main plot revolves around three characters, Hime, Yano, and Kanoko.

Hime, the protagonist, maintains a constant facade of the sweet and beloved princess. However, her adorable and charming act is just that, and only two people in her life know her secret, Yano, and Kanoko. Inside the café, Yano acts as Hime's "onee-sama", holding her close and praising her to the delight of Liebe's patrons. However, she is terse and often angry with the girl, unable to move beyond a misunderstanding in their shared past and her insecurities about Hime's true feelings. Kanoko however, acts as a foil to Yano. She relishes Hime's facade, specifically in that she is one of the few privy to the truth, and harbors an attraction to her; she hides these feelings rather than wear them on her sleeve as Yano does. The dynamic between these three drives much of the "action" in the manga.

The more I read Yuri Is My Job! The more I was able to see and appreciate the distinct patterns of storytelling and how the main plot is woven between three layers. The first, and most prominent, is inside the café, in a world dominated by S tropes. Here, characters play politics and plot against each other using their performance and the audience's reaction. For example, thinking how they will get votes for themselves or others during a contest, or else Hime acting cute and loving around Yano, forcing her to return the affection to maintain their roles as schewstern. Outside the fictional world of the café, elements of the story alternate between more grounded drama and thematic moments featuring Yuri tropes. Miman beautifully navigates the relationship between the plot and the parody, weaving a delightful story in and out of different classic Yuri scenarios.

Miman matches this creative story and setting with excellent artwork. Character designs are distinctive and well constructed. So much, that when characters say something "off-screen", a small sketch of their eyes and mouth in the speech bubble is more than sufficient to identify the speaker. Of course, the robust and developed personalities also assist here, as most lines are easily attributable thanks to solid writing and strong personality. The art also features very creative paneling, with almost every page having an entirely different layout. However, the order is still easy to follow and reads naturally.

Not only is the art pleasing to look at, but it also adds to the manga's setting and parody of Yuri tropes. Panels feature the girls holding each other in dramatic and literally flowery poses, like a shot straight out of Strawberry Panic, complete with a backdrop of lilies. Appropriately, these fantasy-inspired poses occur in the café, often to the pleasure of adoring patrons screaming in celebration (thus mirroring my reactions). Like the other Yuri tropes, these artistic presentations occasionally jump outside of the café in more emotional or poignant moments. However, in a few crucial scenes, those more related to the narrative when it steps outside the boundaries of Class S, feature more grounded, although still dramatic, art. A particular shot in Volume 4 where Kanoko confides her hidden feelings to her senior, Sumika, and is comforted, sticks out in my mind just for this reason. It is a perfect example of art assisting the themes of the narrative and changing to suit the situation.

Yuri Is My Job! focuses mainly on Class S style storytelling, and thus, while it has plenty of traditional Yuri imagery, there is a starkly limited amount of lesbian content. Sure, readers can enjoy a decent number of illustrations featuring girls holding each other in a dramatic pose, but this is the act put on for the cafe, which is copying the "practice" relationships of S literature, themselves devoid of lesbian attraction. It is an imitation of an imitation, not queer content. Of course, this is by design, but it does mean that if readers want a grounded lesbian romance, they will find the series lacking. A bit of lesbian content does exist, Kanoko's crush on Hime exists outside the boundaries of work and S tropes, a relationship told in a flashback was, at least to one of the characters, "real," and there are signs of an eventual romance. However, the lack of lesbian identity should not be a reason to avoid this excellent manga.

Yuri Is My Job! is one of the most brilliant and exciting Yuri works out there. The ways Miman plays with the tropes and expectations of the genre are hilarious, complex, and exceptionally compelling. The characters are exciting and watching their stories weave through different classic Yuri scenes and tropes is as breathtaking as it is enjoyable. My sincere thanks to Diana Taylor, and Jennifer Skarupa and editor Haruko Hashimoto, for so deftly translating this series and preserving the S ties. I cannot wait to visit the students, or rather employees, of Liebe Girls Academy, in Volume 6.

Ratings: Story – 10 Characters – 8 Art – 9 LGBTQ – 3 (Yuri 10) Sexual Content – 1 Final – 9

Review copies provided by Kodansha Comics

Get Yuri Is My Job! digitally and in paperback today: https://amzn.to/3gNNeRt

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[charmandhex]

A TOTALLY UNOFFICIAL AND VERY MUCH NOT SANCTIONED BY NBC OPENING SCENE FOR AN AS OF YET NONEXISTENT PILOT OF THE ADVENTURE ZONE: BALANCE ANIMATED SHOW THAT I AM 100% NOT GETTING PAID FOR

Credit to: the McElboys

No credit to: me, Charm H. Adventurezone, sleep deprived [job title redacted] and overly ambitious fic writer

[Our opening shot is of the world of Abeir-Toril (or whatever the fuck we’re going to call it to avoid copyright issues idk that redacted job title up there sure isn’t lawyer) as it drifts through the Prime Material Plane. From here, we can see little but clouds, water, and land masses. One regular-sized moon orbiting the world drifts into view. If you look closely, but you’re only looking closely because you’re a nerd who knows what to look for, you can see a much, much smaller moon -THAT’S NO MOON got there first Clint what now- drifts over a massive, still lake and a brightly colored spot that we might know to be Neverwinter, wait- Eversummer, hm, that was graphic novel, but can we use that there?- KINDASPRING there we go. The initial shot is quiet, for a moment, before seven notes -yes those ones folks- ring out.]

GRIFFIN [audio only]: I can guess what you’re probably all expecting. Some big, dramatic speech to match the big, dramatic intro we’ve got going on here. [As Griffin talks, we start to zoom in on a continent conveniently labeled NOT-FAERUN. We fly by our much smaller moon, but not close enough to see anything of interest – yet. We see Kindaspring, all busy and fantasy and so on. We catch a glimpse of a city buried in the shadow of a mountain range, with a bunch of dudes who all look the same. A city on a cliff, a shining gold monument in the center and trails of dust on a track around the city. Canyons, and a dash of pearlescent color just for a moment. Blink and you miss it, and a flash of a black and white tent in the woods near Kindaspring. You get the picture.] But, fact of the matter is, folks, we kinda blew all the budget on this one shot! Completely boned it in the first two seconds! So, let’s get right into it and roll some fuckin’ initiative- oh, can I say fuck? Are we allowed to do that, here on NBC Peacock? Shit, I’m going to completely bone our cussing budget too- anyway! Let’s roll some initiative and meet our heroes.

[Zoom in on wagon on road outside Kindaspring. It’s not a very impressive wagon. There are patches on the canvas. The wheels are all creaky and bouncy over the dirt road. The horses look like they could use a nap. There are stink lines, y’all. The road, meanwhile, is pretty well-used. There are ruts, and the sides of the road run clean and even. It’s surrounded by woods, and we’re far enough out of Kindaspring to not get any noise from the city, nor close enough to our destination to even get a hint of whatever the fuck I’m going to have to call Phandalin that isn’t Phandalin.

But back to our characters. Right now, only one is visible, a buff human man, like super buff, no you don’t understand animators, he must be a brick shithouse of a man, he’s very sensitive about this. He has massive muscles and massive sideburns, and he looks way too happy to be driving this wagon. You just know the vehicle proficiency jokes are coming. Cartoon GRIFFIN pops up in the corner of the screen, looking unimpressed.]

GRIFFIN: …Well, maybe not heroes. Three… boys. Three very messy, very murder hobo, very horny boys. [A beat.] Tres horny boys, if you will. So, uh, first up is-

MAGNUS [aware of Griffin and waving at everyone- listen, fourth wall breaks are kinda a thing for me, folks]: I’m Magnus Burnsides, human fighter! [Stat card for Magnus pops up on the side. There’s a not very flattering picture with it.] Also… [with the wagon reigns in hand, he starts counting off on his fingers, concentrating] Uh, master carpenter, man of action, rush into battle- oh, and I’m from Raven’s Roost, and-

[The canvas flaps blow open behind MAGNUS, and MAGNUS’S stat card disappears with a pop and a tiny bit of white smoke. TAAKO steps out, already exasperated and swinging a hand, colliding with MAGNUS’S head and pushing it to the side.]

TAAKO: Yeah, save the backstory for like… 40 more episodes, my dude. We don’t have time for that shit right now.

GRIFFIN: O-kay, guess we’re just gonna assume we can swear whenever we want.

[As GRIFFIN is talking, TAAKO stops pushing on MAGNUS’S head.]

TAAKO [triumphant, shouting]: FUCK!

[Flock of birds flies out of the trees.]

GRIFFIN: So this is Taako, the elf wizard [TAAKO’S stat card pops up. Much more flattering picture.] and-

TAAKO: That’s Taako, you know, from… podcast, elf wizard and baller chef, yes, thank you, very much. AND very, very beautiful. [TAAKO does a hair flip. There are sparkles and magical sounds.] And very, very bored. [TAAKO’S stat card disappears.] How far away is this fuckin’ town? What’s it called again?

MAGNUS [shrugging]: Beats me. [To GRIFFIN] Did we come up with a name that doesn’t violate copyright?

GRIFFIN [evading the question, because I still am]: Aaaaaaaaaaaaand last but not least, Merle Highchurch. [A beat. GRIFFIN sighs.] Merle, that’s your cue.

MERLE [inside the tent]: Wha? Somebody say my name? [Canvas flaps rustle rustle rustle. MERLE’S face pops out, looking around owlishly. He also steps out to the front of the wagon.]

MAGNUS [now very crowded and still trying to drive]: You missed your cue, old man.

MERLE [indignant]: I was busy studying my cantrips!

TAAKO and MAGNUS [in unison]: Gross!

MERLE: No, not like-

GRIFFIN [interrupting]: And Merle is a cleric! [MERLE’S stat card pops up. The picture was taken too high, so we can only see MERLE’S hair and forehead.]

MERLE: I’m a what now?

GRIFFIN [overly enthusiastic, it’s a bit now, folks]: Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar, clerics are kind of a support class magic user. They can cast things like buffs-

MERLE: Huh?

GRIFFIN [still overly enthusiastic]: and heal their party members-

MERLE: I can do that?

GRIFFIN: Clerics also serve gods, and Merle’s god is Mort-

MERLE [indignant again]: Hang on! That doesn’t sound right!

GRIFFIN [pushing out of his little bubble and leaning into the scene]: Then who is your god?

MERLE: Uh… Pan! [MERLE pulls out the Extreme Teen Bible.] See? Pan!

MAGNUS [whispering to TAAKO]: Okay, I guess this is how we’re resolving that whole thing. [TAAKO shrugs. MERLE is smiling. It’s adorable, like those little smiles Carey Pietsch does I love them so much, y’all.]

GRIFFIN: So, Magnus, Taako, Merle. Off on an adventure of epic proportions. [GRIFFIN is getting excited.] Full of action and danger and goofs and found family and-

MAGNUS: Now hold on! Epic proportions? Epic? [MAGNUS waves a hand around at the generally pretty chill woods, the boring road, and the stink lines wagon.]

TAAKO: Yeah, so far this is snoozeville, population, uh, me and these two chucklefucks.

MERLE [peering at GRIFFIN]: you sure you got the right dnd party, bud?

GRIFFIN [looking at audience]: We’re still negotiating contracts, so I’m filling in for, uh… someone. So for now, hey, I’m Griffin McElroy, your Dungeon Master, your best friend, and your announcer for this pilot episode. Ahem. [GRIFFIN clears his throat.] Grab your shields and ready your spell slots. Strap in your asses and… really, just strap in your asses. And, for the very first time, welcome to the animated version of… THE ADVENTURE ZONE!

[Title card and Mort Garson’s “Déjà Vu” plays. All my ideas went into dialogue, folks. Fan artists, this one’s all yours.]

[We pop back into the same scene as before.]

MAGNUS: Yeah, so, uh, like we were saying, before, uh, whatever that was, what we’re doing now is-

TAAKO [interrupting]: Hold on! We are not, I repeat, not doing some dumb recap where we explain this boring job... unless…

MAGNUS, MERLE, and GRIFFIN [all have gone laser eye meme]: UNLESS?

TAAKO [singing]: Flashback sequence!

[There’s a loud POP! as the scene shifts, and we’re now in your standard fantasy tavern. There’s a table with four chairs right in front of us, all of which are empty. The tavern acts as a backdrop behind that, illustrating just how fantasy this world is. We see humans and elves and dwarves yes, because we’ve already seen them, but also Gnomes and tieflings and haflings and orcs and Genasi and aarakocra (try spelling that one, folks ;) I’m sure that won’t come up later) and so on and so forth.

There’s another POP! as GRIFFIN’S window reappears in the upper right corner. He looks slightly ruffled.]

GRIFFIN [straightening his hair and glasses]: Wow, that is going to take some getting used to. Anyway, the boys should be here in a second, and-

[Three more pops as MAGNUS, TAAKO, and MERLE appear in three of the four seats at the table. MERLE lands upside down. He immediately starts struggling to right himself]

MAGNUS [looking at the empty chair and frowning]: Wait, what was the name of the guy we were meeting again? Gumdrop?

TAAKO: Hm… Gurgle? Guava? Gumbo?

MERLE [having finally righted himself]: No! My cousin, uh… um… oh, that’s right, Gundren!

[As MERLE says GUNDREN, another pop as GUNDREN pops into existence in the chair. He looks like if you put MERLE through a grinder, not like we’re gonna run into one of those in an episode or two, right, fellas?

Nasty boy that he is, GUNDREN lets out a grunt and then spits on the floor. People have to clean that, GUNDREN! This is why you- (SPOILERS REDACTED)- anyway.]

GUNDREN: So, like I was saying, boys. You take my wagon from here in Kindaspring down the road to Mandolin-

TAAKO: Oh, that’s what we’re calling it?

MERLE: I thought that was another TV show?

[Up in the corner, GRIFFIN shrugs.]

GUNDREN: Uh… yes? That’s… what it’s called? [GUNDREN looks suspiciously at them. It seems like he’d give the job to someone else in an instant, if literally anyone else would take the job. But magically, he’s stuck with these boys.] But, uh, you get my wagon and my goods to Mandolin, and I’ll let you in on the next job. And that job, boys… [GUNDREN laughs. It sounds like if you threw rocks in a blender.] That’s the kinda job that will be the last job you ever need to take.

MAGNUS [cheerfully]: Well, that sounds murdery!

[There’s a loud POP! and we’re back on the wagon again, all of our boys already in place.]

GRIFFIN [shrugging, smiling]: Guess you’re going to find out! Oh, and boys… let’s roll initiative.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 269: LAID HIM OUT LIKE A BROCHURE

Previously on BnHA: Endeavor, Mic, and Aizawa finally caught up with Crust and Miruko after 19 years to help deal with the High End Noumus. Aizawa used his quirk on them, but Girl Noumu was able to get away and shoot acid at them all, and that one bone-tentacle-y Noumu was also able to attack Mirko with his quirk. Speaking of Mirko, she spent most of the chapter kicking away at Tomura’s Noumutank like those guys with the battering ram in Beauty and the Beast. Or maybe just kicking it one time very, very slowly while we cut back and forth from the scene. It was hard to tell. But either way, she didn’t quite manage to shatter it and instead just left it all cracked and leaking. Anyway so everyone keeps saying that if Tomura escapes that would be Very Bad, and I’m inclined to agree, especially since Aizawa and Mic are looking all serious and vengeful, and I’m really going to need them to not die, ever.

Today on BnHA: Endeavor helpfully and terrifyingly cauterizes Mirko’s wounds while Aizawa holds off the Noumu with his quirk and buys time for Mic to go after Ujiko and Tomura. Mic and our new optician friend Exress race down the corridor and Mic immediately uses his quirk to shatter Noumuraki’s tank, which is the fastest and most efficient action we have seen in this entire arc so far. Mic then CORDIALLY INTRODUCES UJIKO’S FACE TO HIS FIST, which caused me to have an awakening, but unfortunately the same can’t be said for Tomura, who’s now lying on the ground very much not awake and seemingly dead. So I guess that’s it, guys. Looks like Dabi is the main villain now. Good for you Dabi, those are some pretty big britches to fill. No that wasn’t a crack about your height. God you’re sensitive. And so now we get to wait another two weeks! You know what, let’s just focus on the part where Ujiko got flattened like a paper bag.

so this is the chapter that was originally scheduled to be released on Kacchan’s birthday, but what are the odds he’s not even in it. how do you all think the traffic light trio is doing. this has been the world’s longest evacuation. or do you think they already finished a long time ago and are just hanging out now and being all “can’t wait to hear back from everyone else, I’m sure they’re all fine and dandy.” which would be funny, you see, because everyone else actually isn’t fine and dandy at all! do you get it. ahaha jokes

anyway so this chapter is titled “the three of us”, so I’m guessing there’s more Aizawa/Mic/Shirakumo angst on the horizon! so you’re just going to keep on assaulting my battered heart then, Horikoshi. cool. coolcoolcoolcoolcool

HEY NOW

HORIKOSHI WE TALKED ABOUT THIS. I WILL LAUNCH YOU INTO SPACE

fffff -- okay well whatever!! it’s a manga!! she’ll be fine! they have manga science! Recovery Girl can heal her legs and her side and everything else, and get her a nice new robot arm, and she’ll have a cool scar on her ear. happy thoughts happy thoughts

FFDFSF

IS HE TALKING TO ME OR HER. I FEEL LIKE HE’S TALKING TO ME. don’t worry Endeavor I will look away for this part

lol excuse me what now

5 minutes?? by whose reckoning, exactly?? jesus christ. I bet if he turned his flames off we’d learn that he has grown a whole new actual beard. Endeavor. civilizations have risen and fallen. okay you know what, new theory, Ujiko’s basement lair is somehow running on Narnia time

OH MY FEELS HE SAYS HE OWES HER A DEBT AFTER KYUSHU. referring of course to when she showed up out of the blue to save his ass from Dabi. anyways though how nice of him to express his gratitude by setting all of her wounds on fire

I guess we can stand down from red alert now though since Mirko is clearly going to be just fine

somehow she has more calm while getting her horrific injuries cauterized than I do when trying to decide whether or not to sell electronic turnips in a video game

wuh oh

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HE’S A BARREL OF LAUGHS. actually no that’s a lie, you definitely would have had and did have more fun while fighting Mirko

also, this angle of Endeavor’s face, though

AWAKE! AVAST!! HOLD TIGHT YOUR BUNS! IF BUNS YOU DO HOLD DEAR

god damn it as per usual I have no idea what is going on in action panels even when I stare at them intensely for a full minute or more

I don’t even remember how many Noumus are left at this point now. who’s that sunfish-looking one on the right near Mic?? is he a new one?? is that Crust jumping around in the middle, or is he the one standing near the sunfish Noumu? who is it that’s firing that laser or whatnot in the middle?? did this big Noumu in the foreground on the left just get decapitated??

honestly it seems like they almost have things under control at long last. Aizawa and Mic should just head after Ujiko is already and leave the rest of them to it

so Mirko is now giving them all the details about Tomura and how he’s currently chilling out floating in his sensory deprivation tank

and she’s all DON’T LET SHIGARAKI WAKE UP as if she wasn’t the one trying to smash the capsule open in the previous chapter?? or did she assume he would just sleep through all that lol

also the High Ends have apparently still not completely woken up themselves yet. guess we should be grateful

WELL HELLO

if Aizawa Shouta ever cuts his hair I will declare a national day of mourning

anyways though, reinforcements! about fucking time

did anyone else immediately blink right after reading that last sentence, and then feel a profound gratitude for being able to blink freely at will. holy shit. blinking is so great

what happens if he has to sneeze?? oh my god. and what the fuck why is this a one-man show anyway, where the hell is your husband

okay there he is

“I’m here, too,” says Vision Hero: Exress. and so he is. so what kind of quirk do you have, then, x-ray vision? really hope not, no offense. just don’t see how that would exactly be useful right now. or maybe it’s laser vision, in which case yeah okay we can work with that. you heard the man, go on ahead then

this motherfucker is still alive?!

I really cannot express enough just how steep of a cliff Endeavor has fallen off of in this arc. he has not done a single useful thing aside from the cauterizing. so now it’s up to Eyeballs Hero: Sees Real Good to hopefully somehow oneshot this guy whom the number one hero barely managed to scratch

OH MY GOD AN ACTUAL PLOT TWIST

CRUST ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING. took me a minute to realize he was shouting “go” in that speech bubble, as opposed to randomly screeching out his age, 60

Mic and Aizawa are so hot but I’m feeling such impending doom right now

-- oh no. oh fuck. I just realized -- why are they splitting them up?? sir that’s his emotional support hero

ffff for reals though I feel like Mic doesn’t have the same plot protection as Shouta. and I also feel like this is a very stupid decision in general, and that the guy who can cancel out quirks should be included in the group of people rushing in to capture the scary big bad whose quirk is an insta-kill. but what do I know, I’m just a regular person who didn’t go to hero school and get their hero MBA so MAYBE I’M WRONG. but am I

oh shit oh shit oh shit

not really clear on what Mic is doing here since he should in theory just be running like a normal person, but I can’t complain much about the dynamic pose. and meanwhile Ujiko has finally snapped to the fact that he should have woken Tomura up a good half hour ago!

and on top of all that, it sounds like they didn’t destroy all of their supervillain research data either, so if he does manage to escape we could be right back to square one before long. good thing they definitely positively won’t let him escape!!

OH MY GOD THIS SHIT IS FINALLY HAPPENING AHHHHHH

MIC’S VOICE IS SO POWERFUL IT INSTANTLY SHATTERED THE GLASS WHICH EVEN MIRKO’S NOUMU-DECAPITATING RABBIT LEGS COULD NOT BREAK, OH MY BISCUITS, WE STAN AN ICON AND A LEGEND

DID HE MANAGE TO STOP HIM BEFORE HE ACTIVATED THE WAKEUP SEQUENCE OR WHATEVER THE FUCK? IF YES WHAT IS EVEN GOING TO HAPPEN NOW, WILL TOMURA JUST CURL UP IN A LITTLE BALL AND CONTINUE TO SLUMBER PEACEFULLY WITH HIS HAIR ALL WET. HE’LL CATCH A COLD

BUT FOR REAL THOUGH OBVIOUSLY HE IS GOING TO WAKE UP AHHHHHHHH

nghhh everything’s shattering all dramatically and in slow motion

swear to god if this chapter ends with Tomura opening his eyes while we cut to another two week break, I will... ... ...well I guess I’m about to find out though because that’s exactly what’s going to happen isn’t it

(ETA: if you can sleep through Present Mic’s attack you can really sleep through anything huh.)

lol but first

sploosh. down he goes. timber. still a sleepy boi. I take a nap right here

LORD, MIC IS ABOUT TO RIP UJIKO A NEW ONE AND I’VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE?!

CUE HORIKOSHI CUTTING TO SOME MORE FLASHBACKS OF OBORO TO MAKE US ALL SAD. THAT’S RIGHT, I KNOW ALL OF YOUR TRICKS! BRING IT

1) the fuck is he doing, 2) is this the first time we’ve seen Aizawa call Mic by his name??, and 3) WHAT DID I TELL YOU THOUGH

MY HEART IS A STONE! I FEEL NOTHING! YOU CAN’T HURT ME SO GIVE IT UP. please give it up sob

OH NO

UNDONE BY AIZAWA’S SOFT EXPRESSION AND WISTFUL EYES NOOOO I lied I am not a stone at all I am a big squishy marshmallow of feels oh fuck

OH WOW

DON’T EVER LOOK BACK. ON THE WORLD CLOSING IN!! BE ON THE ATTACK. WITH YOUR WIIIIINGS ON THE WIIIND

he straight up ENDED HIS LIFE. holy shit. 4/24/2020. the day I was sexually attracted to Present Mic

anyways now back to your regularly scheduled sad feelings at the reminder of the fact that yep, Ujiko and all of his fucked up experimenting absolutely did make Aizawa cry. not that I’m saying that’s a crime of even greater magnitude than all his other crimes of kidnapping and torture and research using human children. I absolutely am not saying that. just implying it. in a joking manner. semi-joking. partially. kind of

(ETA: also, belated shout out to the fact that his excuse for doing it was so he could verify that it wasn’t another clone. and since it’s Present Mic, there’s a 74% chance he screamed out “CLONE CHECK!” in English too, which, bless.)

I know there’s a particular side of fandom that largely thinks that all heroes are Garbage Scum, but I mean, look at this scene though of Gazerbeam crouching down to gingerly check Tomura’s vitals. idk, I thought this was surprisingly gentle

I should probably be more concerned about that statement, but truth be told, I’m much more anxious about Gazerbeam going the way of his namesake shortly henceforth. please be careful please I know he looks all floppy and wounded and surprisingly vulnerable --

-- okay, very surprisingly vulnerable --

I really do have a thing for the hair covering the eyes huh. I’m learning things about myself!

but still! he could basically just blink at you at this point and you would turn to dust, Gazerbeam. DUST. ASHES. DEBRIS SCATTERED TO THE WINDS

wow apparently that space tube was doing a lot more than I thought

mhmm. sure. Horikoshi. dude, I can see you sitting there shaking with barely suppressed laughter. did you really think this would get us to let our guards down. are we a joke to you. did you think we would just be all “oh gosh I guess he really is dead then, wow, what a twist”

oh!! the reinforcements!!

did you hear that guys. it’s done. the heroes won and Tomura is dead and it’s really over just like that. what a positive ending for everyone. except Tomura I guess

I’ve said before that U.A. needs to add a course about tempting fate to their curriculum, and I stand by that. this is absurd. it’s like y’all want to die

oh look at that Endeavor finally killed one

was that really so hard. could you not have done that earlier

-- GODDAMN IT ARE YOU REALLY DOING THIS AGAIN

“what if... I dragged it out so much that the dragging-out was the cliffhanger?” that’s some galaxy brain you got there dude. let’s just end the chapter on that WHY NOT

anyway. so there you have it guys. just look how dead he is. that’s the smile of someone who is absolutely, certainly, one hundred percent dead. look at him, all at peace. definitely not gonna finally wake up two weeks from now and properly introduce himself to our new friend Gazerbeam and my new we’re-just-trying-something-out-and-taking-it-slow-and-we’ll-see-where-it-goes boyfriend Present Mic!

lol I can’t lie, these last couple chapters have tested my patience a bit! fortunately this chapter had many saving graces in the form of Mirko, Aizawa, Mic, and for reals though Gazerbeam whom I genuinely did grow attached to almost immediately for reasons beyond my grasping. but I’m starting to get an inkling that Horikoshi is just incapable of pacing himself well whenever the story moves to a basement. or maybe I’m just cranky on account of being holed up in lockdown since time immemorial and only getting my new BnHA fix every other week! maybe, that could be it. maybe. ah well. at least Present Mic punched Ujiko in the fucking face

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream | Fugou Keiji 2 | Kitsutsuki 2 - 4 | Arte 3 - 12 (FINAL) | Fruits Basket 27 - 32

During the Millionaire Detective: Unmissable livestream (part of FunimationCon and Aniplex Online Fest), I watched and took notes, so you might find these handy upon retrospect. To be honest, this is how I do the posts for magicalgirlsandcerulean’s livestreams as well, but there hasn’t been one of those in a while...

Otherwise, these are all normal notes.

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream

Look out for the dancer from the OP

Onuki was the model for the dancing for the anime – he was told to do it out of the blue

Episode 11 might have one of these^ be relevant

Daisuke’s cup ramen has shark fin in it and he made the packaging from scratch – that’s why it’s so expensive!

The director Tomohiko Ito omits important information, allowing people to decide for themselves what happened. (Miyano) – This might be why the series is stylish. (MC)

Attractiveness of character design is important! (for adapting Fugou Keiji to modern day)

I’ve never watched a livestream where the stars were so conscious of their English and Chinese audiences! This was interesting, especially because Onuki is not normally known as a VA!

“We still have a little bit of recording to do.”

Fugou Keiji 2

I keep misunderstanding my own instructions…this starts again in July after ep 2.

Todai = Tokyo Daigaku (Uni).

I believe this is the 2nd time I’ve seen a rich person like commoner’s instant noodles, although I forget where I saw the 1stinstance.

Kambe switched to the back seat now, huh?

Ah! Now I remember! The first time was seeing spoilers for this episode on Twitter! (LOL)

I see Suzue has a sensible naming scheme for her data.

Hmm…judging by the Google hits, the name visible in the background (Betbeto bin Abura) is the Arabic prince from last time.

SYN-ACK. I see these guys did their work – that’s the final stage of the 3 stage handshake required for things like internet sockets (used to send “packets” of data).

Way to crash a party, Kambe siblings…(LOL)

I really wanna see someone draw Kato slapping (Daisuke) Kambe in the face with a wad of cash…or a “shut up and take my money” meme with Kambe in it.

I like how “special cup ramen” is on the purchases list and it costs 100000 yen. I also like how the reporter Mita was bought out for 5000000 yen (bigger than all the other individual costs except for buying out the Tower)…that’s how he showed up.

Kitsutsuki 2

I gotta finish this show and then pause it…3 shows in my normal lineup are safe.

Did Kindaichi take the bones of the fish out for Ishikawa…? Like a child would have had done for them?

Why is Ishikawa being referred to as “Hajime”…?

Draw this prostitute like one of your French girls…(LOL?)

Ishikawa clearly dropped those coins into that book earlier.

Way to diss the potential asexuality/celibacy in the house. I mean, it’s the 1800s – early 1900s, so there was less LGBTIQ+ stuff then and certainly the further back you go, the more sexual prowess becomes a sign of masculinity, but still, if the guy doesn’t want to go through with it, don’t force him.

Notice how the borders were pink for Ishikawa’s version and blue for Kindaichi’s.

Notably, Otaki didn’t seem to have that hairpin…but maybe that’s because we saw things from Ishikawa’s perspective.

Ooh…who are these bois? Also, crab.

Kitsutsuki 3

…cat? Now there’s a new perspective. That’s like saying the butler did it.

Yay! Hagiwara is Ume!

Notice Hagiwara’s version has a purple frame, while Yoshii (?) has yellow and another person has dark blue.

I think “consumption” was tuberculosis, once upon a time.

I love how the crowd is fed up with Ishikawa’s bulls***.

Ooh, chuuni Akutagawa…

In a Grove is the Rashomon story.

Tarou Hirai = Rampo Edogawa.

You stalker, future Rampo!

I kinda suspected Otaki when I thought through the possibilities…Ishikawa, Kindaichi, an outsider, Otaki (and as of this ep, Rampo too).

Gaiheikan? Is that Ishikawa and co.’s lodging?

Did they have pencils back in that day?

Kitsutsuki 4

Humouresques.

Kabayaki.

I think it was in Detective Conan that I learnt (one of) the only way(s) a man can get his nails done is by his wife doing it for him, possibly as a prank or to indicate he’s “taken”. Note this was early Detective Conan, so it’s very much a 90s attitude…considering the widespread acceptance of drag queens and the LGBTIQ+ movement these days.

Kozukata.

Lace flower.

Maichou seems to be a hybrid of Asahi Shinbun and Mainichi Shinbun.

[Monkfish/dictionary/going home] - Is this how Ishikawa shows consideration…?

The purple letterrboxing is back but this time with Ishikawa…meaning that’s just an aesthetic thing for all flashbacks after all.

Just from vaguely hearing it (I’ve got the volume on low), the words are nodo tsuki/nodo zuki. “Throat moon/throat wound” works just as well, if not better.

Balsam flower.

Update: Since enough anime fulfilled the special COVID-19 criteria, Kitsutsuki was put on hold after this.

Fruits Basket 2 2 (27)

I’ve read Another, remember?…so I kind of know what happens.

Uo’s got purple nails…that’s surprisingly cute of her.

Aw, Kureno! Another Ume role!

Why is “shisho” (master) not translated…? A weird Tokyopop-era translation quirk?

Aw, Shisho cut his hair…? Bummer.

Who was that? Shigure…?(!) Update: We find out his name later in this ep.

“If you continue to change, I’ll continue to protect you.” – Another quote for the archive.

Great…I feel personally called out by this ep.

Fruits Basket 2 3 (28)

It seems all male designers wear their designs if they have no one else to wear them…at least, that’s what I’ve gathered from Hajime (Runway de Waratte) and Ayame.

I remember Ayame stood in for Yuki’s parents in the manga at one point. This must be it.

(Spoilers for later!) I also remember Mine and Ayame get married at the end…This is the prelude to that.

Dang, Ayame, you moment-ruiner!

Fruits Basket 2 4 (29)

Did anyone in the doorway hear about Hatsuharu turning into an ox?

To quote Sailor Mercury, “Douse yourself in water and repent!”

Ooh, window splitting Yuki and Haru. Nice cinematography going on here.

I bet all people think they only think about themselves, in one way or another.

Arashiyama tofu.

Yatsuhashi are great. They’re these sweet triangle things like samosas that come in various flavours. Mitarashi dango are sticky brown skewered balls of glutinous rice…which I’ve never had, but I’ve seen them in enough anime to know what they are.

I only just realised this, but Yuki’s hairstyle isn’t even on both sides, like Atsushi from BSD’s.

Huh…you can see a copy of Mogeta and Ari (as it turns out, “Ari” is the name of a character and not “ant” at all in this case) on Haru’s bed. There’s also an article in one of the magazines discussing how denim is the popular thing now and which types are in right now.

Fruits Basket 2 5 (30)

I realised Yuki isn’t calling Tohru by her first name – he’s going against Haru’s advice.

Hmm? Why should anyone ask a rabbit to hold their horses…? (LOL)

CGI cars…*sigh*

Tororo is grated yam, IIRC.

I learnt recently that nanban means “savage” or “uncivilised”…for a potato and chicken dish, the name and the contents don’t really match…Update: Nanban means “savage” (noun) or “barbarian”. Close enough.

17-26…age gap 9 years…yikes…

The words “(a happy, yet) caged bird” come to mind when Kureno describes himself. Also, Kureno is an Ume role! Yippee!

Ahh…young love…even if it has a bit of an awkward edge to it. Mind the (age) gap!

Me being the Ume stan, of course I want to hear those sweet nothings in his voice, even if it has to be via a proxy like Uotani…I wouldn’t be an Ume stan if I didn’t.

…Ah, I see. Uotani reminds me of Minare from Wave and vice versa.

Oh, I just remembered Akito is 20 or thereabouts. Kureno/Akito is only a bit more legal than Uotani and Kureno.

Arte 3

Notice Leo never once uses Arte’s name in the lady’s presence. Her name does have some infamy to it, after all.

“She’s got some guts.” – You say that at a live dissection…LOL.

Is this love~? What’s the age gap between Leo and Arte, anyway? Update: We know for sure Arte is older than 13…that’s it.

Make the things you want prominent with perspective and such. I thought that much was obvious, but for someone straightforward like Arte, I guess it ain’t so. (Maybe it’s because I’m self-taught to some degree when it comes to art.)

*sketching by candlelight* - You’re gonna ruin your eyes, Arte!

Arte, ma girl! You’re getting’ a raise! Good job!

Arte 4

Anime makes this courtesan stuff sound like a host club…(?)

I thought Leo was saying “Aria” for a second instead of Arte, LOL. I’m getting too used to that being my alias…

Arte 5

The speech bubble said “so annoying I could die”.

Arte 6

The video’s gone all pixelated…at least, the subs have…

I bet she’s going to fall over…Update: Nup, she didn’t.

Arte 7

I thought Yuri was a Russian name…or a Japanese one.

This is basically Oushitsu Kyoushi Heine all over again! (LOL)

I thought Yuri would be pushy…like, “Here’s an offer you can’t refuse.” That kind of thing. Likewise, I didn’t think Arte would refuse.

Leo? *dun-dun-DUN!*

Siena is apparently in Tuscany. Also, I did see the Silent Manga Audition page had a chapter on a pregnant woman, so this is ch. 17 or thereabouts.

Is Ruthanna not getting the money because she’s pregnant…?

Epidemic? The Black Death?...Speaking of which, Arte is very much of that ganbaru spirit. By being progressive for her time, she becomes ordinary in our time.

Ohhhhhhh! It’s a reverse harem in progress here!...This would be a good otome game, come to think of it. It’s framed the same way.

Leo can be surprisingly childish at times, don’t you think?

Arte 8

…Really? She fell overboard? *raises eyebrow*

Ooh, china (with and without capitalisation).

Is this another sarcastic child…? Oh, bother. Still, I can see why Hamefura crossed over with Arte now…Katarina vs. Catarina!

Arte 9

Bigoli is a type of pasta, as can be guessed from context.

The kanji for the episode title literally translate to “bad child”! Like the Tones and I song, LOL!

Mikata (ally).

Arte 10

This episode is giving off a Katarina x Gimo ship vibe…but with how young they are, I’m not sure I should ship it. They’re 6, aren’t they…?

Oh, you can see Katarina and Sofia’s hug in one of the ED frames.

Arte 11

Arte’s let her hair grow out…

An Italian man…bowed. In Renaissance Italy. Now I understand what all the ANN complaints are for.

What’s up with that kid’s face…? *grumbles*

Leo’s just being Leo, I see.

That’s right, Angelo and Leo never met.

Instead of a father or a brother overly cherishing his daughter, it’s the uncle…I never thought I’d see the day I saw something like that.

Arte 12 (FINAL)

Is this like Orientalism, but with gender…? (What would you call that?)

Lemme guess…Leo is working on the church mural and so he’s away?

Was that Leo, in the middle of the mural somewhere…?

Another Japanese bow in this anime, which is set in Italy.

But where is Arte herself in that mural?

Fine = end.

Fruits Basket 31

The word Momiji is using is “hisso” or something like that. Hissho is secretary, so the translator made it “secret getaway” to make it work.

That hat! *laser stare*

*one of the textbooks has “high school chemistry” on it* Tohru can do chemistry?! I suck at chemistry!

The episode title is translated as “Are you really this stupid?” It seems the real line for that was “Are you an idiot?”

Something about high school girls appeared in my head when Haru mentioned Shigure wanting to see Tohru in her tight swimsuit…*mumbles grumpily about pervs*

Kyo’s not wet, even though he got in the water! Amazing!

I think it’s sad that Tohru responds to “stupid girl” like it’s her own name.

“…that makes you suspect me?” seems better.

The Akito and Shigure age gap is somewhere between 6 and 8 years, IIRC.

Fruits Basket 32

Tohru switched from okaasan (mother) to okattekita (a formal past tense verb meaning either “bought”, “lent” or “won” based on the characters…which I don’t have a reference for). I assume because it was so off the mark, the subbers chose a similarly off the mark word.

“When I was a kid, I thought watermelons would sprout in my stomach if I ate the seeds.”

We only know about Kyo’s dad so far…hmm…what about the mother? Update: (TW: suicide) I think it was at this point we already knew that Kyo’s mother didn’t love him and committed suicide, but it’s not certain until later.

Why do doctors always use scalpels and syringes as weapons…? I mean, even Jakurai’s symbol in ARB is a syringe!

I’ve been wondering…how big is the Sohma family? Is it diluted enough that Haru and Rin can love each other without genetic problems for their child/ren? (From Another, I would say the answer is “yes”, but shoujo normally doesn’t care about this sort of thing, which is why I ask in the first place.)

Shigure seems like the type to say, “U mad, bro?”

The mansion looks like the one in Haruhi Suzumiya, if I remember the appearance of that one correctly.

[radwolf76]

FLASHBack: Week 58 - Irrational Exuberance (YATTA!)

This week on FLASHBack, I’m going to surprise every one by talking about an Animutation. Loyal readers may recall from FLASHBack’s entry on the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny that Animutations were invented by Neil Cicierega, and I wasn’t sure how I could possibly describe them. Well, it turns out that there’s an Animutation Flash from 26 November 2001, by verylowsodium (aka Veloso), called Irrational Exuberence, that actually takes the time to sum up the genre at one point:   Once upon a time, some guy took a copy of an overpriced animation utility and animated a bunch of strange pop- culture images set to even stranger Japanese music. Like moths to a flame, a dozen copycats completely ripped off the idea, starting a freaky movement.

  The Flash’s title comes from a phrase used by U.S. Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Alan Greenspan in a 1996 speech, describing the inflated stock price bubble of the Dot-Com boom. The soundtrack for the flash comes from a skit on the Japanese Television sketch comedy show Adventures of a Laughing Dog (aka “Happy Go Lucky” in the West). The skit centered around a fictional Japanese Boy Band, Green Leaves, singing a song called Yatta!. At the time of Yatta!’s release, Japan was under a severe economic depression with a high unemployment and suicide rate. The Japanese government had tried to admonish its citizens’ reaction to the bleak fiscal prospects of the country by telling them they just needed a better attitude. The comedians on the sketch comedy show decided to do the song as an ironic parody of this low-empathy advice, by making a song about how even if you have nothing in your life but a leaf to wear for modesty, by living your life firmly you can still achieve greatness.   However, their attempt to be ironic backfired. A Scholar of Irony once said:

“The upper echelons of irony should always include measures of sincerity. And if the satirical practice is executed faithfully it will achieve something bona fide in its own right regardless. Through an intense commitment bordering on religious devotion to the absolutely inane, absurd, or plain fucking stupid, a very different kind of sincerity begins to materialize. One of reverence to the ridiculous. You begin to ‘mean it,’ but what exactly it is you mean is never quite what appears on the surface, and is utterly inaccessible to obtuse and literal minds. That you 'mean it’ then becomes inseparable from the joke, and additional rich strata of humor may be stripped aggressively from this irreconcilable truth.”

And so, the song and comedy sketch they produced became deeply motivational to the Japanese people. When the song was released as a single, it went triple platinum and charted as high as #6 on the Oricon charts. Some accounts even report that the suicide rate in Japan dropped after the song’s release.   There are some who believed that Veloso was trying to translate this unintentional positivity of the Yatta! song into a form that U.S. Audiences would understand – naked consumerism, by including opening messages of “Buy”, “Spend”, “Shop”, “Acquire”, “Collect”, “Purchase” and so on, as well as numerous product images throughout the Flash. However, I think the product imagery stems from the same thing that drove the All Your Base Are Belong To Us meme, the inexplicable urge of the early internet to take a Weird Japanese Thing and photoshop it onto as many things as possible. Products that were “Yatta!”-fied in this Flash include: Pepto-Bismol, Windows 2000 Professional, Elmer’s glue, Gillette Mach 3 razor, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, Colgate Total toothpaste, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Heinz ketchup, Game Boy Advance, Band-Aids, Head & Shoulders shampoo, Trojan condoms, Sun-Maid raisins, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!, The Price Is Right, MTV Music Television, Dramamine, Taco Bell, Ford trucks, Sweet 'n Low, Maxwell House coffee, Whataburger, Super Mario Brothers, Duracell batteries, Irish Spring soap, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Frosted Alpha-Bits cereal, and Coca-Cola.   As is common with Animutations, the Flash also attempts to transcribe the lyrics of the song, badly. This would later evolve into the “Misheard Lyrics” genre of YouTube videos. Some of the Flash’s imagery is also patterned after gameshows, its opening taking the format of the Price is Right’s iconic “Come On Down!” camera shot, and by giving several contestant bios throughout, including Rotten Apple Joe (a parody of Apple Computer’s “Rainbow” Logo that the company had from 1974 through 1998), Applegrape Joe (a parody of the Fruit of the Loom logo), Banana Joe (a parody of Bananna Republic), Dave Thomas (the actor from SCTV and Grace Under Fire), Dave Thomas (the founder of Wendys), Chocolate Dipped Strawberry (an excuse to make a buttplug joke), Hemorrhie Grapes (an excuse to make hemorrhoid jokes), and Richard Simmons (the punchline to all the “Fruit” contestants).   Aside from the game show imagery of a string of Yatta! prizes, and contestants competing for them, the Flash also shows images of Alan Greenspan, but ultimately decides he’s not frumpy enough and suggests that Ed Asner would make a better Chairman of the Fed, or better yet, Dave Thomas. At one point a chessboard is shown, playing out a four-move game in a scenario known as Scholar’s Mate, accompanied by the memetic quote “A Winner Is You!” – a phrase taken from the 1986 NES game Pro Wrestling. The researchers at Know Your Meme note that this meme didn’t start trending on Google until 2004 so Irrational Exuberance was years ahead of the curve on this one, as well as showing that Homestar Runner wasn’t the only Flash to lift something from a NES wrestling game only for it to turn out to be pretty popular. The Flash also features some staples of the animutation genre such as Jay Jay the Jet Plane, and of course Colin Mochrie, who in this instance is a record being played backwards.   Finally, in keeping with the ultraconsumerist themes of this Flash, there are some references to the Space Ghost: Coast to Coast episode Chambraigne: an image of Al Roker floats by with captions “Shampoo for your hair!”, “… and your brain!” and then at the end of the Flash the end card has “Continued use may result in limb loss” across the bottom.   So, you may be asking how I can follow up an animutation? Obviously, next week, things are just going to have to stay Weird.

[completeoveranalysis]

TRC Translation Notes Volume 20 Part 1 (Chapters 150 - 156)

Here we are again with some excellent translation notes about the first part of Volume 20, all from the wonderful @giniroangou.

Highlights Include: Tube mysteries solved!, Fai’s dramatics actually making sense, wonderful explanations of Fai’s lies, Yuuko Queen of sass, Watanuki will change the future!, a touching Lava Lamp moment, and oh god the Fai flashback gets worse?

Chapter 150

p.9 - Yuuko is still talking about a one-in-two chance here, not two-in-one. A couple of the speech bubbles are also swapped around - first she explains the body/soul separation, then the two worlds Sakura has gone to.

p.12 - Kurogane’s words to Fai are even more straight-forward in the original text. Just: “Don’t hurt anyone else with that sword. Including yourself.”

p.18 - Mokona and Yuuko aren’t talking about the store being different here, they’re saying that the inside of the tube is not in the same place as the store.

p.19 - An alternate translation for the dream world Sakura went to could be “The World of ‘Dreams’.” Once again for clarification, this is NOT in reference to Yuuko’s shop - the inside and outside of that tube are in different places.

p.20 - “My man Lantis” is BEAUTIFUL and I wouldn’t change a thing about it, but unfortunately it’s much less funny in Japanese. Eagle says “uchi no Lantis” which is basically like “our Lantis” - it’s an expression that indicates someone as part of the speaker’s in-group, so it can be used for a family member, a member of an organization, etc.

Lantis doesn’t actually say “I saw the future,” just “I had a dream,” though they would amount to the same thing.

p.24 - I would translate Fai’s line as, “Sakura-chan knew what I was lying about.” It’s not that she knew he was lying but that she knew the truth behind it.

Chapter 151

p.26 - This is a continuation of Fai’s final line from the previous chapter, so the lie Sakura knew about was that Fai knew one of her feathers was in Celes. Also, they dropped the honorific in the translation but Fai is still saying “Sakura-chan.”

p.28 - Fai is saying here that he found out at Yuuko’s shop that Sakura and Syaoran were searching for the feathers but he never told them about the one used to make Chii.

p.29 - It’s obvious from the flashback, but Syaoran is talking about what happened when they all arrived in the first world they were sent to (by Yuuko not Yukito.)

p.30 - Mokona isn’t talking in general terms, but saying specifically that from the moment she awoke at Yuuko’s shop she could sense a feather there but couldn’t tell who in the group had it.

Fai then says to Lava Lamp, “That’s why you kept your distance from me.”

Again, this is not really about Fai lying in general but about the specific lies people around him were already aware of. He’s basically saying to Yuuko, “You knew what some of my other lies were too, didn’t you?”

p.33 - Fai refers to his wish to go with the group as something that was devised/planned - it’s the same word they’ve used previously to talk about Fei Wang arranging for all of them to go on this journey, so I’d assume that’s what he’s referencing here.

p.34 - Kurogane asks why Sakura wanted to go into the tube, not why she’s living there.

p.39 - Slight adjustment: Fai’s saying he wouldn’t mind gouging out his eye if he could, but he can’t because losing all his magic along with both eyes would probably kill him and he can’t die yet.

Chapter 152

p.45 - In case it wasn’t clear, Kurogane is connecting his punch here with his line from the previous chapter about punching Sakura.

p.46 - Yuuko’s criticism of Kurogane after he says, “Hey, Witch,” is much more entertaining in the Japanese version. She says, “On top of being beyond rude, there isn’t a shred of taste in the way you address me.” Kurogane’s comeback is the ever-eloquent, “Shut up.”

p.47 - It’s not actually the meeting between Sakura and Watanuki that Yuuko says will trigger another change to the future, but Watanuki himself.

p.48 - I would change Yuuko’s line about Watanuki vanishing to, “Watanuki hasn’t vanished either” (presumably in addition to Sakura’s soul not having vanished.) Then she says that “for now” Watanuki’s identity has nothing to do with them. It’s an ongoing state that has the potential to change in the future.

p.50 - Lava Lamp says nothing about Fei Wang slicing out Sakura’s memories - he’s saying that Fei Wang wants her body with the dimensional memories etched into it. (This isn’t new information btw - Yuuko already explained it to the group back in Acid Tokyo.)

p.51 - We have another “Syaoran” with quotation marks from Mokona here.

p.52 - Let’s re-translate Lava Lamp’s lines here because they came out super awkward: “The reason I didn’t say anything despite what I knew was that Sakura… the Princess trusted you. Even if you’d lied, the Princess trusted you, lies and all.”

p.53 - Lava Lamp only speaks for himself here; he specifically says “I’m going to trust you too.”

p.57 - Again, we have “Syaoran” in quote marks, this time from Fei Wang. I’m sure everyone’s tired of me pointing these out, so just assume the quotation marks should be there from now on unless I say otherwise. And the translators are very inconsistent with this, but Lava Lamp’s relationship to Clow Reed has so far only ever been denoted with the word “chisuji”/血筋. He’s part of Clow’s lineage, but we don’t know anything beyond that.

Chapter 153

p.62 - Eagle specifically says that he’s offering the clothing as an apology for keeping silent.

p.63 - Kurogane could just be talking about Fei Wang watching them - he doesn’t specify whether it’s a single other person or multiple other people.

p.76 - More precisely, Eagle says here that Lantis lying would have come to nothing.

Yuuko says that the one Sakura saw being “stabbed” in her vision was Lava Lamp. The implication matches what Fei Wang was talking about in the previous chapter - that Sakura put herself in Lava Lamp’s place.

Chapter 154

p.84 - Lava Lamp refers to Sakura’s feathers as both her memories and her heart (“kokoro”), furthering the parallel with Syaoran.

Chapter 155

p.101 - This is actually a complete sentence in Japanese. It contains the same information as the translated version, but since pronouns aren’t necessary it stands on its own and can be assumed to mean, “You killed me.” It’s also written entirely in katakana, which can indicate stilted speech and here I think is meant to just drive home how horrific this is.

p.102-103 - I can see why the translator struggled a bit with these pages because a lot of the Valerian titles are unconventional. The twins’ father is the “teiou” written with the characters for “younger brother” and “king” (弟王), and the other ruler is the “kyouou” written with the characters for “older brother” and “king” (兄王). A little later it’s clarified that the “kyouou” is the country’s king/emperor - the reading of the word is “ou” meaning “king” but the kanji is 皇 meaning “emperor.” The twins’ mother is referred to as “okisaki,” (御妃) which can refer to an empress, a queen, or a princess consort. The twins themselves are called “koushi” (皇子), meaning “imperial prince(s).” It’s kind of hard to tell from all of this what the best representation of these terms would be in English, but I would guess that this is intended to be an imperial family, with either the younger brother next in line to inherit the throne if the older brother has no children or with dual rulers who were reduced to a single ruler once one of them died.

Whatever the case, as has already been explained, the twins’ parents both died and their fate was left in the hands of their uncle (their father’s older brother and the current ruler of the country.) Specific to the official translation, the “elder prince” refers to their uncle the kyouou, and “his majesty” who passed away is their father the teiou. The “royal consort” who killed herself is their mother.

I also want to point out that in this chapter we see the return of the term “fukou,” which we’ve seen Fai use in Acid Tokyo and Himawari use to discuss her effect on the people around her. The official translation often equates this word to unhappiness but as I’ve said before, I think it would be better represented as “misfortune.” Where this translation says that the twins’ mother committed suicide because “life held no joy anymore” I would interpret it as “because she’d brought such misfortune into the world.” Just keep in mind that generally when words like “unhappiness” and “sorrow” pop up in this part of the story, that’s what they’re translated from. Another word that gets used a few times in reference to the twins is “kyouchou” (凶兆), meaning “evil omen.”

p.104 - Though the implied concern here could be the twins taking the throne, the original text just refers to them one day surpassing their uncle’s power.

p.108 - “And the people shall be happy” isn’t necessarily saying that the people are going to be happy about this situation, just that the king believes enclosing the twins in a bubble of their own misery is going to allow the people to live happy/blessed lives. You could probably interpret the line either way though.

p.110 - The king doesn’t just say that one of the twins must die to get out of this situation, but that one must kill the other.

Chapter 156

p.136 - I had left a comment saying the king was telling the twins to pay for their sins rather than atone, but I’m taking that back! There are two words that sound the same when spoken (“aganau”), but depending on the kanji they’re written with one means “to pay for” (購う) and the other means “to atone for” (贖う). In this case, the one used is “atone.” Still horrific though!

That wraps it up for now. I am really regretting doing this by page numbers with all the black pages coming up, but otherwise thrilled to be back in the game! I hope all my babbling has been somewhat informative and as always, please remember that I can make mistakes too so I am always open to questions, suggestions, corrections, etc.

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 94: Greg the Babysitter

“We all gotta grow up sometime, right?”

Right off the bat, this episode’s greatest weakness is that we don’t see Baby Buck and the Baby Pizza Twins as we do in Lamar Abrams’s promo art. How dare we not have more baby teens?

Lack of infant variety notwithstanding, this is a great episode, if not a subtle one. Greg is no stranger to hammering out the lesson of a story, but here it’s made so explicit so often that it threatens to weaken the actual plot. Fortunately the plot does a good enough job of showing that it makes up for all the telling, but still, it’s so on the nose that Vidalia calls Greg out when he belatedly repeats the moral it in response to an unrelated statement. 

(But to be clear, this is a story about growing up. Growing up is what this episode about. Gaining maturity is valuable. Emotional development is important. Taking responsibility as you age: good. Staying a kid forever: bad!)

As with Annoying Steven early in the series, this lesson is achieved by presenting us with Douchebag Greg. Douchebag Greg slums around and mooches off a single working mother, depriving her of her own food and taunting her for working to feed her child. When tasked with babysitting, he does what he wants instead of focusing on what a baby might need, and when the kid goes missing, his search includes a pit stop to the arcade to play video games.

This is the second episode where Greg is awful for the bulk of the runtime, and the first, House Guest, was so bad that it earned my inaugural “No Thanks!” rating (a brutal assessment, I know). By that metric you might think I’d dislike Greg the Babysitter as well, because boy oh boy is Douchebag Greg unlikable. But the key difference is the level of intent: even looking past the age and maturity gap between these two Gregs, the Greg of House Guest chooses to lie to his son despite seeing how hard Steven takes it, while Douchebag Greg’s actions stem from sincere cluelessness. Neither is great, and younger Greg is still old enough to know better, but ignorance is far more digestible than purposeful shadiness from this character.

Both House Guest and Greg the Babysitter stay somewhat true to Regular Greg by making him driven by love, whether it’s paternal or romantic. The problem of House Guest is that this emotional core is tainted by him wronging Steven in a way we’ve never seen before or since (compare his feigning of an injury to his negligence in Maximum Capacity, where he instead makes a mistake and is immediately regretful). Nothing in Greg the Babysitter diminishes any sense of authenticity about Greg’s feelings for Rose, because for all his flaws, he doesn’t take advantage of Rose or their relationship.

Moreover, I appreciate that his flaws come from the same character traits that kicked off this relationship, which so far has dominated his flashbacks: Greg is a dreamer and a romantic, which works great in Story for Steven, and he takes the relationship seriously, so he matures on that front in We Need to Talk, but now we see that he’s so focused on Rose that he’s ignoring every other element of life as a functioning adult. 

This episode works because Greg is realistically irresponsible. His head has always been in the clouds, and now he’s in a relationship with someone that’s literally magic, so he has no incentive to reflect on himself barring a dire situation. But this episode excels because Greg’s decision to grow up has nothing to do with Steven. We get the groundwork for Rose wanting a kid, but Greg getting his act together is something he does for himself. It would’ve been so easy for this shift to be prompted by impending fatherhood, but it’s far more satisfying to see a character improve himself because he wants to, rather than out of obligation to others. It allows the moment he takes agency to be triumphant without being mixed up in a sense of begrudging acceptance of his duties.

Finally, while I still think it’s ridiculous that the Crystal Gems treat him like a total flake in Laser Light Cannon given his clear improvement since the Douchebag Greg days, it does make a little sense that beings unaccustomed to change would have a hard time getting past this first impression. If you go back and watch the second season of the series after Greg the Babysitter, it’s not hard to imagine which Greg they’re talking about. It’s a stretch, because they’ve seen plenty of evidence to contradict this impression, but if you’re looking to explain their behavior then it’s the best reason I’ve got.

Greg the Babysitter marks an unspoken milestone in the series: this is the last time we’ll ever see Rose Quartz before her web of duplicity begins to unravel. In just four episodes, we’ll learn that she bubbled Bismuth away and lied about it to everyone. In another three, we’ll hear that she shattered Pink Diamond. The veracity of that second part is irrelevant, because the truth only further proves her capacity for deceit. We’ve seen already that Rose wasn’t perfect, but this is her final appearance before the dominoes begin to fall. One last happy memory that directly leads to the creation of our show’s title character, in an episode that emphasizes how dreaming is nice, but reality will always force people to make a change.

We see way more of Rose in this swan song than we did in Story for Steven or We Need to Talk, and like Greg, her mistakes here can be attributed to cluelessness. She admits how confusing humans can be for her, particularly babies, so it’s hard to blame her for not taking good care of Sour Cream. It’s especially hard to blame her considering how excited she is for him to exhibit independence. And it’s impossible to blame her, at least for me, when she references one of my favorite dumb Simpsons jokes in regards to watching him.

The Pink Diamond revelation adds new layers to her explanation that Gems are made for specific purposes, but the funny thing is, it doesn’t add that many new layers: even before learning just how high up Rose was, we still knew she was rebelling against what she was made to do. I think the more interesting aspect of her speech is how it lines up with Bismuth’s repetition of her insistence that Gems could break away from their intended roles. Seeing Rose talk about it here, less than twenty years ago, is made fascinating by knowing she was saying the same thing thousands of years ago. For a Gem that’s interested in change, she hasn’t really changed that much. It’s one thing for her to know that and talk about it, but it’s another for us to see it in action.

I love how an episode that’s this unsubtle (about being a story about growing up, in case you didn’t catch it) manages to quietly explain why Steven exists. We see a baby, and we see Rose loves babies, and we see Rose admires the human capacity to change, and we’ll soon see that Rose herself stagnated there a little bit, but we leave it at that. Judging by the age difference between Sour Cream and Steven, it’s a few years until she and Greg make an actual decision, so it makes sense to not reference it too explicitly this early, but it’s still a direction the episode could’ve taken and I’m very glad it didn’t.

I’ve made no secret about how much I love Brian Posehn voicing Sour Cream with his regular grown man voice, so obviously the best part of this episode is his further use of that voice for Baby Cream. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, and by itself ensures that Greg’s dickishness can’t pull the episode too far down. As with Onion Friend, the strange connection between Sour Cream and Steven is left unspoken, but it’s wild to consider that this side character is a big reason why our protagonist exists. While I’d be fine with this continuing to be a quiet part of the backstory, I can’t say I wouldn’t be interested in seeing Steven and Sour Cream talk about it one day, even as a small gag. 

Onion Friend was also the last time we spent any meaningful amount of time with Vidalia, and it’s neat to fill in some gaps between her debut cameo in Story for Steven and her modern iteration. Marty’s flakiness is further proven by her being a single mother from the start, but she’s clearly risen to the occasion and loves the hell out of her kid. Her patience with Greg is tested by his awfulness (and honestly makes said awfulness hard to watch, given how much is on her plate), but it speaks volumes that she’s so welcoming to the ex-friend of her ex. She’s probably the only human Greg knows in Beach City at this point, and I honestly wish we saw more of their modern relationship when we have such a vivid image of their history.

I Think I Need a Little Change might not reach the rocking heights of Comet or What Can I Do For You, but it’s catchier than either and has that wonderful twist on the double meaning of “change.” The wordplay speaks for itself, but it’s a cool trick to reveal that this musical montage is as diegetic as the other two songs: this is something he’s actually singing to people. We get a hefty break from songs after Mr. Greg, so that might be meddling with my opinions, but I think this is my favorite of the three. Puns beat electric guitar, and the song crystalizes Greg’s similarity to Steven come Change Your Mind.

And so we end Season 3, Act 2. We’ve had the aftermath of the Cluster, and we’ve had a series of slice of life episodes from this particularly magical life, but we’ll soon be back to the high-octane plotting of the Cluster Arc. It’s a bit strange that Greg the Babysitter comes between Alone at Sea and Gem Hunt, considering the Jasper of it all, but it’s nice to have this respite before we barrel towards the pivotal moment of Steven’s series-wide arc, especially when this respite tells us a lesson that’s about to become a lot more obvious in the coming storm:

Steven Universe is a story about growing up.

Future Vision!

Good thing nothing bad happened to Sour Cream, or else Greg would’ve had to pray that his space goddess's magic could bring people back from the dead. That would be a ridiculous power!

If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have inconsistencies…

Vidalia got this top from the T-Shirt Shop where she works. This top has a collar. T-shirts do not have collars. It’s unresearched nonsense like this that makes Cartoon Network put this show on hiatus so often, come on people.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

While I do enjoy this episode and stand by it being great, I don’t necessarily love things that I critically find great. Greg the Babysitter doesn’t do quite enough on the emotional level to make me truly love it, considering how much time we have to spend with Douchebag Greg. I appreciate the importance of his douchebaggery, and the importance of this episode as a whole, but this isn’t an something I go out of my way to rewatch. Sorry, Baby Cream. I still like it!

Top Fifteen

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

When It Rains

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

No Thanks!

     5. Horror Club      4. Fusion Cuisine      3. House Guest      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

[sparda3g]

One Piece Chapter 920 Review

Gather around, fans. It’s time for a story about the Wano Country; a country that was once beloved for all and currently beloved for scums. After the shocking revelation of Kin’emon and others, it’s most fitting to clear out some of the past history’s mysteries. While it won’t answer all, in fact leaving some questions behind, this chapter evaluated the value of recovering the country to its former glory with the rising hype for a potential warfare.

If you are fond of the series’ rich world-building, then this chapter is for you. Throughout, it’s about the origin of Oden, Kin’emon and others’ backstory before time-warping to the present, and connections with many present characters. Oden Castle was actually called Kuri Castle; already presenting Oden as a caring and lovable man. Putting his people first above all. Although he was beloved, he was considered as a wild card as he went through violent fights and essentially exiled from the Flower Capital.

The country wasn’t completely paradise as there was once a lawless area, which is self-explanatory with criminals and such. The real shocker about it is that place was Kuri; in other words, it was once an awful place. Even Shogun back then didn’t want to touch it. That’s where Oden reappeared and took on Ashura Douji. I’m very aware of the reference to Japanese culture. No, there won’t be any reincarnation…for now. Anyway, he was so evil and powerful, and yet Oden defeated him. That’s where the paradise feel was born.

I should mention that Oden was the son of Shogun Kouzuki Sukiyaki. While Shogun failed to act upon Kuri’s problems, Oden took on the challenge and won. For an exile, he sure was capable to be a Shogun. To top it all off, he forced the criminals to become workers and created a paradise for the citizens. Eventually, his father heard the story and bestowed him the title of Daimyo of Kuri at the age of 20. That’s pretty impressive. The one fond quote Kin’emon would always remember from him is “It’s too cramped here.” To me, that tells me Oden was indeed a nice fellow.

The story gets a short break with Zoro, who is of course lost. The funny thing about him is he believes his friends are the one that are lost. He believe it because he rode on that Komainu. Why Luffy and Zoro’s logic are going bonkers lately? Oh well, they do make me laugh. I don’t know what will happen to him, but I get the feeling he will drag trouble along with him. What else is new?

Duke Inuarashi makes his return. I do like him, so I was happy to see him again. I do wonder on who will break the news about Pedro’s demise. It’s going to suck when it happens. Outside of the prediction, it’s rather touching when he is at the beach, recollecting the good memories he has with his first meeting with Oden. It’s already said that he and Nekomamushi have fond connection with the Samurai, so this was heartwarming to know where it began.

I really like the silent storytelling treatment while pointing out Oden and his establishments. He was so beloved by many, including Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger. The part that makes it heartwarming is how there’s no speech bubbles coming from Kin’emon and others, but their reactions are delightful. You can see how great Oden was just by watching their expressions. It will make you laugh, it will have you in awed, and it will make you feel happy. Sadly, it will make you feel sad and frustrated.

It’s a smooth move of Oda to skip the story for us fans and let only Strawhats hear about the turning event. It keeps us engaged with the story, leaving us wondering why Oden had to die the way it did. It appears to me that Orochi was probably a friend of Oden, only to backstab him in the end. I can only guess based on Nami’s reaction. It’s a smart move in writing perspective to keep us interested in Orochi. After the early soothing atmosphere, it’s sad to see Kin’emon and others from the past to breakdown into tears. His saddening words about Oden’s final moment was emotional; words about 20 years ago, only it happened a few months ago for them felt heavy.

Kin’emon and others’ last action before time-warp is tragic and questionable. I feel bad for them for running towards to the castle, only to find it already in fire, thanks to Kaido. That’s one tie-in to hate Kaido. It’s rather sad that they had to “ignore” Inuarashi and Nekomamushi when they were caught by Orochi’s subordinates. I don’t blame them for their minds most likely were running wild with fear and sorrow.

Then we enter the questionable part of the story but in a good way. Lady Toki, the wife of Oden, was with Hiyori and Momo inside the burning castle. The story does confirm that she was the one with the ability to go to the future, but cannot go back to the past. The interesting part is she came from the distant past; at least according to the rumor. This has a good potential to expand the lore with some of her recollections that could associate with Gol D. Roger, D. Family, or even beyond. Don’t forget how Law is part of D. and that didn’t cross my mind at all, so you never know when we get a visual flashback.

It was at that point that Kin’emon made a final pledge with her that no matter how far into the future he and others will go, they will do whatever it takes to fulfill Oden’s wish. She gave them Momo to take care of and the time-warp took them 20 years later. What about Hiyori? Was she dead already? Can Toki foresee the future of when the time of Orochi and Kaido’s reign end? Was choosing 20 years a random time-warp destination or was it “destiny?” Shame that she couldn’t warp time with them, but perhaps she was hurt or can’t do it on herself anymore.

It’s rather frightening to instantly warp to the future and witness the same country under new lifestyle. It’s equivalent to a prisoner, who was imprisoned for 20 years, now able to roam back to the city, only life has advanced far ahead of him, and that can turn his head off. In here, they felt that they have no chance to fulfill Oden’s wish for everything seems paradise for the rotten and hell for the poor. Their mind changed when they met few people that had been waiting for their return.

Judging by that guy’s words, it appears that Toki may in fact can see the future or at least set the time destination. 20 years is pretty specific. That said does that mean it’s guaranteed that this present time is where the Wano Country will “reborn?” The only problem is at what cost. Hope was slowly rising back in their heart, but then they all split apart under unlucky circumstances.

Raizou was separated during the chase from the country. That’s when they were told to meet back at Zou. Then due to bad navigation and landed on Dressrosa, out of all places, Kanjuro was separated. Lastly, the rest landed on Punk Hazard and were taken by Caesar. The story of the rising sun began when Luffy meets Kin’emon. That’s one touching story. It’s amazing how it feels like one big saga, starring with Punk Hazard Arc. It’s like one massive build-up for this arc, including Whole Cake Island Arc, if we were to believe Big Mom and Kaido joined forces. What a journey.

Now we have the backstory out of the way, it’s time to increase the hype level for the next action phase. Kin’emon enters the war plan phase, which already has me pumping up. He names all the forces they currently have: Straw Hat Crew, The Musketeers and The Guardians of the Mink Tribe, Heart Pirates (Law), and the Rebels. The idea is to have 5000 strong to match up. Oh, that has “calling for Luffy’s fleet” written all over it. Damn, this is hype. Sure, starting a war is not an idea, but you damn sure know it’s going to happen. Okay, I am jumping ahead.

Anyway, the idea now is to wait for two weeks. Their intention is to gather information and take the Commander’s head. Damn, that’s hardcore, but necessary. In two weeks, they will commence the raid on Onigashima, where Kaido resides. Holy crap, what!? Translation: our main hype begins in two weeks; the series’ timeline, not ours (sadly). Oda knows when and we can only starve until he feeds it to us. After the backstory and the gathering names of troops, I couldn’t be any more excited.

Overall, this was a compelling and interesting chapter from top to bottom. I really enjoyed the backstory, even with some skipped moments, but it only got me more curious and interested. I’m glad Toki’s Devil Fruit ability can only make her travel to the future, which spares from fans from the headache, let alone Oda himself. The hype level continue to escalate higher with the two-week plan that will be massive. Once again, One Piece is taking a break. The future is killing me.

Oh, and the chapter’s cover is hilarious.

[sorayahigashikata]

Chapter 48: "My head hurts."

[anna-rivera-aub]

Words - sketching/ finalising 

4 February 2022:

I took a look at Scott mcCloud yesterday evening, I found a pdf form online on his book of “writing comics”. It looked interesting from first glance, and then I looked further into it and I noticed how it taught me things that I didn’t know off… how there are rules to putting comic together, equal to ones on putting a novel together. For the drawing techniques and speech bubbles I will probably look further into the book, for the drawing of the panels, I know that that is where comics and graphic novels do not share similarities. Comics usually depict actions within a story… graphic novels depict the story with the help of panels. I could be wrong and barking up the wrong tree but that is how I understood the difference and that is what I believe I have done through my sketches.

As today I finished the 15 pages!! Plus the decorative front cover page with the title and my name attached. For the title, I put the dutch one first in grand with the English translating title underneath in italics. When writing the dutch words into the bubbles they will also be in italics to not confuse the reader of the word they do not recognise. But fellow dutch people I hope will find warmth in their hearts at seeing a familiar word.

It is funny as I was sketching the flashback pages at the end that the first time she jumps out of the window it is perspective of the outside of the window she is looking to world outside… and jumps down into it. While at the end she looks into her room and the window is perspective to her room while she jumps down. I realise its foreshadowing in a way but a genius way of portraying the change in scene. And I didn’t even realise until I looked at the work together. I am also glad for the two outfits I designed for each character, because in need of flashbacks… I could use the other outfit to set the timings apart. When thinking poetically, I was thinking of maybe having the front cover all coloured… but then maybe not because I want to have emphasis on the glowing eyes… but they if I don’t put emphasis on them, the reader when picking it up will wonder for the interesting choice in eye colour and might be intregueid into finding out or they will think of it as a character design choice and when they find out its meaning it all clicks. They say the best feeling to have when reading a book is when you come to that point when you realise what the book title means.

Its’ been a productive week… now onto writing the weekly reflection.

After all my daily reflections that weekly one truly just is “what went well” “what did I achieve” and that’s it really. But I talked about it with Holly in our tutorial this week and she said that it was fine because the important part was that I was reflecting on the work I was doing and I was learning from it. So alls well that ends well.

Not that I have to say it here but for tomorrow after a lay in:

Primary research sketches for my Home assignments

Maybe even some observational drawing while I’m at it :) I have been told they can look really nice in a project research and can be helpful

PS: please appreciate the sketched out explosion house... it took great detail to sketch

[chrispydesign]

OXENFREE - Strangest Things

I’m a big fan of games with a strong narrative and games that try something new and unique. Oxenfree is both of those things, and I love it for that.

Oxenfree is a story-driven supernatural thriller about a group of teenagers who unwittingly open a ghostly rift on a deserted island. The game was developed by Night School Studios to rave reviews. The quality of its voice acting and dialogue help create a believable and enjoyable dynamic between the characters, combined with an intriguing story and unique dialogue system is what sets this game above other story-driven titles. While it still had moments of tedium (generally everything that wasn’t related to character development or story), overall Oxenfree is a well-crafted experience that immerses you in its story and makes the player make choices that truly do have an impact on how the story plays out (but not in an annoying way). Goes without saying, but SPOILERS AHEAD.

First, I HAVE to talk about the dialogue system. The first time I played the game, the game absolutely floored me with its dialogue system; it was novel, simple and effective and the crowning achievement of the game in my opinion.

(DISCLAIMER: I played the game on the Nintendo Switch, but I assume the button mapping will be similar between consoles)

I’ll explain how it works first. Throughout the game, characters will be talking to Alex, the player character, and each other. At various points in the game, some speech bubbles will appear above your head, in the general directions of up, left and right. Each bubble corresponds to a button on the controller; the upper bubble is for the upper button, left bubble for the left button and so on. When a dialogue option presents itself, players can choose one of the options by pressing the appropriate button, and Alex will speak.

That in and of itself is already great: the button mapping feels natural and intuitive and the response is fluid and doesn’t break the flow of dialogue. But there is so much more to the dialogue than this that really elevates it.

Many of the elements of the dialogue system serve to make the conversations flow smoothly and seem as natural as possible. To start with, something Oxenfree allows the player to do that many games do not is to not say anything. Many games will essentially pause the world when they ask a player a question, giving them infinite time to answer. This is not the case in Oxenfree.

In real life, a lot of times saying nothing is the correct way to go. Oxenfree recognises this, and incorporates that option into its dialogue. Many times throughout the game you are prompted to respond to what has been said, and every time, you can choose to simply not answer them. This is communicated to the player by having the speech bubbles slowly fade away as time passes, telling the player how much time they have to make an input. If the bubbles fade away, Alex will elect not to say anything.

A dialogue system is all well and good, but without good voice acting and written dialogue, it won’t matter how clean and well executed the dialogue system is. Thankfully, Oxenfree has quality voice acting and dialogue in spades.

The voice actors are great. They each have a distinctive voice that encapsulates the characters they are portraying, and the way they talk for the most part sounds completely believable as American teens.

A great way the system ties together with the voice acting and written dialogue is how the game deals with interjecting dialogue. This is also a problem that affects movies from time to time; in real life, people don’t just wait their turn to say their lines. In a group environment, there will be a lot of interjecting while others are talking, speaking over each other, etc. Oxenfree’s dialogue is written in such a way to facilitate this; when you select a speech option, sometimes Alex will interject in the middle of what the current character is saying. When she’s finished, the character will say some lines like “Now, where was I?” and continue with what they were saying. Because of the way the dialogue is written, the conversations in Oxenfree feel like actual conversations, not actors reading off lines.

As much as I love the dialogue system it is not without some flaws. The main problem I encountered was that I was never sure if a dialogue option would make Alex cut into the current character’s dialogue or if she would wait for them to finish before speaking. But, that problem has a simple fix: having the interjecting dialogue speech bubble be jagged to indicate they are going to cut off another character would be an effective and simple way of communicating what kind of dialogue you are choosing.

Another problem I encountered was how the dialogue interacted with interactable objects. As you move around the island, there are various points of interest that Alex can interact with and start talking about. However, you will often encounter these points of interest in the middle of plot-relevant dialogue, and sometimes, interacting with these points of interest would actually cut off the plot-relevant dialogue and it wouldn’t returned. This happened to me early on in my playthrough, which made me fairly paranoid about doing so again while a character was talking, leading to lots of moments where I was simply standing around, waiting for a character to finish talking before interacting with anything.

These days, a game granting player’s choices that influence the world is almost a given. It’s expected from a lot of players that their decisions will have some impact on the game world, and a lot of games play this feature up a LOT, particularly story-driven games.

To me, the most important part about choices in games is that they feel like an organic part of gameplay (i.e. not immersion breaking), that they lead to a meaningful consequence, and that such a consequence is largely predictable by a player. It’s difficult for a game or choice to fit all three of these criteria (unless you’re Fallout 2), but even knocking a few of these criteria goes a long way to make choices in games more appealing and well-executed.

One of the things I dislike in games is the obvious signposting of choices. For example, in Dragon Age every choice and dialogue option you make that will influence your character and the world is blatantly shown to the player, and the consequences of the choice spelled out too. I also believe that often when a game makes its choice have a clear “better” choice, it undermines the point of having a choice in a game (eg. Rescuing the Little Sisters in Bioshock). Oxenfree thankfully does neither of these things.

While not every dialogue option will have influence the characters, it is also not made obvious by the game which ones will; these dialogue options are not presented in a different way to the rest of the dialogue options, but the player can intuit that these options will have some effect if they are following the story and reading the dialogue options. A lot of these options come up in normal conversation, and some of them arise from the narrative and tensions between characters. The most important part is that the choices all feel natural and do not break your immersion with the game or story.

One particular section I want to talk about here illustrates the good parts of how the game deals with choices, but it also does clash with the narrative a little in my opinion, which I will discuss later.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

At some point during the game, you will be sent back to the past and relive the moments where your brother Michael died, and the moments leading up to that. In these moments, Alex is given a chance to talk to Michael and Clarissa in the past, and her dialogue will actually influence them. This happens various times, and they do not happen linearly (i.e. the first time you go back to the past is actually further in the timeline than the second and third time you go back).

Here is where the predictability of consequences shines. In the first flashback, you learn that Michael died because he went swimming with you and Clarissa, and he did so because he decided to leave the town and go study interstate, so he wanted to have one last celebration before he left.

Later, Alex goes back in time again, this time before that fateful day. Michael will ask Alex for her advice about whether he should go interstate to study. Now, knowing that Michael died because of a chain of events that started because he wanted to go interstate to study, the player can use this information to make Alex tell Michael to stay in town to study, preventing him from dying. This is never signposted to the player, but it is information that an attentive player can learn and utilise to inform their dialogue choices. It demonstrates aptly that choices in Oxenfree matter, do influence characters and are relatively predictable.

But this segment is also problematic, in a narrative sense. One of the themes of the game is moving on from the past: the ghosts that plague Alex and her friends torment her because they are trapped in the past, obsessed with getting revenge and returning to life and have become warped and inhuman because of this. One of the possible endings is reminding the ghosts of their humanity, and convincing them to let you go and move on to the other side.

For some reason, this character arc can be exempt from Alex, if she decides to bring Michael back to life by influencing the past. Is Alex a hypocrite, exempt from the lesson she is trying to impart on the ghosts? This would’ve been a great moment where Alex also learns that she too must move on from the past and look to the future, but there is the possibility for Alex to not come to that realisation and grow as a person. To me, Oxenfree should not have allowed Alex to change the past, rather, Alex could have gone back to the past, but realised that she can’t change anything; no matter what she tries to do, Michael still goes interstate to study, he still goes to the beach with her and Clarissa, and he still drowns. 

It also raises weird Butterfly-esque questions; if at the end Michael is alive, despite all odds Jonas still meets Ren and Alex and comes to the island with them despite none of the events that were put in motion by Michael’s death that eventually led to them meeting having taken place. 

Despite some of these problems, this section is only a small part of the narrative. The core of the story still remains very solid throughout Oxenfree and will keep you engaged throughout. 

But by far the worst quality of the game is the tedium present in some sections. There is a LOT of walking in this game, which would be fine if there was enough dialogue and character interactions to fill that empty space, but you’ll often find the characters exhausted of words and just silently walking around the island.

The puzzles are also relatively uninspired; not very challenging or engaging, and just give the player a break from the more interesting parts of the game, the characters.

Rewinding the tapes was also a chore. Doing just one of them for each time loop you get stuck in would be more than enough to serve as an indicator that you have broken the loop. But for some reason the number of tapes you have to rewind INCREASES as you play the game, making it a chore to do, especially considering that it does take a considerable amount of time.

There are a lot of places where Oxenfree could serve to cut the fat, remove some of the more tedious aspects of the game and focus even more on its biggest selling point; its interactive story.

In closing, Oxenfree is a fantastic game and definitely worth checking out. The story is short and sweet, the characters are likable and believable, and aside from a few tired moments in the game, it’s a deeply satisfying experience. The dialogue system is an incredibly inventive, unique and greatly satisfying way of handling character dialogue, and I very much look forward to future applications of the system and the storytelling that will emerge from it.

[attichoney4u]

Kill la kill Foreshadowings: Episode No.1: "If only I had thorns like thistle"

Hello beautiful people of the internet. My name is Mary and this post will be, as the title suggests, various foreshadowings shown "Kill la kill".

"Kill la kill" wasn't an anime that hooked me immediately. Only after five episodes I was able to open up to it.

It was a classic show. A lot of awesome and iconic moments, a lot of unsettling moments, but nevertheless, a positive experience for me.

Before we get into the first episode, I have to warm you that this post is gonna be spoiler heavy, so I recommend you checking out the series and then read this. Also, if you have seen the series and don't like it, don't write mean comments. Ok?

Without further ado, let's go.

Mako Mankansoku's first scene shows her sleeping, with a bubble bursting out of her head. The audience quickly assumes that she isn't the brightest character.

The hazy colours, the silence and the subject that is being taught to students (primarily, Hitler's rise to power in 1933) at Aikuro's classroom indicates that there's something wrong with the school.

Gamugori kicks in the door of Aikuro's classroom. It bounces off the window frame and crashes back into the room, which sends everyone flying. With the exception of Aikuro, Bcause he's not a sleepy, lazy teacher, but a physically capable Nudist Beach operative.

The first five minutes quickly sets the mood of the series: militaristic school with strict rules that brutally murders the offenders (as seen with Suzuki's case) and is ruled with an iron fist by Satsuki Kiryuin.

Heck, even Suzuki being stripped by Gamagoori after he loses the fight showcases Ryuku's future battles (fights someone and beats them by "stripping them from the will to fight") and the fan-service-y nature of this show.

The Goku uniforms, not only increases the wearer's physical abilities, but also their physical appearance. Suzuki used to be fat until he put the One-star Goku uniform and he became slimmer.

Satsuki's speech gives George Orwell vibes. Specifically, "Fear is freedom": the fear of the power (in this case, REVOCS) gives you the freedom to recognise and resist it. "Control is liberty": Recognising that you have been subdued will liberate you. "Contradiction is truth": The city contridicts these statements to ensure that they come to pass. "Those are the facts of this world and you will surrender to them, you pigs in human clothing": Open your eyes, stop behaving like livestock and realise my truths.

Ryuku's name means "abandoned child". In future episodes, it is revealed that she is the daughter Ragyo, the main villain of the story, abandoned.

In Ryuku's flashbacks, we see the back of her dad's assassin. The figure isn't clear, but we can spot two huge pigtails. Harime Nui, a character who is introduced later in the series, sports a pair of them.

The underside of Ryuko's hair changes to red when she uses Senketsu. While it is logical to think that this is one of the effects of the transformation, it should be noted that another character's hair does the same thing, Ragyo Kiryuin's. This detail foreshadows their connection and the fact that both Ragyo and Ryuko are half-human hybrids due to having some Life Fibers inside of them.

When Fukuroda tears Ryuko's cloak, "Blumenkranz", Ragyo's theme song, can be heard playing in the background. Another detail that foreshadows their connection.

After Ryuko's fight with Fukuroda, Senketsu absorbes the Life-fibers of his uniform. In the last episode, we learn that the reason why he did that was so he could later absorbe the most powerful kamui yet: Ragyo's Omnisilk Kouketsu!

That's all I got to offer. Thank you for reading my post, and I am gonna be back the next week. See you.😘

[britishchick09]

danger force double livewatch!

today we’re doing a special livewatch... a double feature! i’ve been looking everywhere for ‘test friends’ and ‘lil dynomite’, which were taken down by dailymotion for a while. now that i’ve finally found them, it’s time to see what i’ve been missing!

first up is ‘test friends’!

oh no why is ray angry

WHY CAN’T BOSE FEEL HIS ARMS

is this an intricate training thing?

bose: ‘orphan sock!!!’ OMG NOOO!!

OMG the socks exploded!!!!!

wowza what awesome laundry! :D

hey this is the clip i watched on the henry danger force youtube!!! :D

YAS!!! :D

chapa: “harmony check!” all: “in tuuuune!!!!!” :D

what cute poses! :D

oh no they have 7 POSES???

miles thought captain man would ‘just be there’ lol :D

think is the forbidden ‘t’ word *LOUD GASP!*

captain man: “ts” the kids: ??? captain man: “the same” the kids are me when my friends say internet slang

miles said ‘chicken tendies’ ^_^

schwoz: “great group of kids!” captain man: “too bad i can’t trust them...” schwoz: *le GASP*

oh no captain man’s gonna prove that the kids are untrustworthy DID YOU SEE RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON

speaking of that awesome movie captain man’s acting a lot like raya...

captain man’s spying on them! :o

even swellview academy has surprise tests!

ray’s putting the answers on his podium... ;)

he’s talking like a fancy guy and chapa’s like ‘why are you talking like a book” lol :D

NO MIKA!!!!

mika: “no!!!” ray: “yesssss.....” ray WHY YOU SO SNEAKY

bose: “this answer key is tearing us apart!” you’re tearing me apart, answer key!

aaand he literally tears it apart! nice bose! :D

schwoz wants ray to let go but all ray does is want to make the tests harder... WHY ART THOU A MAN OF SILLY PROPORTIONS RAY MANCHESTER???

wait did silly man just say ‘man ladder’

the intro is at 7:30! how long that is! :o

i love how ray tells them to shut up lol :D

a cute bird house! :D

ray said ‘talketh’ coolio :D

oh no... TRUST FALL!!!!!!

bose saved him with levitation and the other kids grabbed pillows! how sweet :)

mika: “obvi” how ts of you mika!

ray wants to test them... WHEN THEY”RE ALONE >:)

bose is being prank called by ray aka ‘bose of the future’ AND OF COURSE HE’S GONNA FALL FOR IT HE’S BOSE!!!!

oh bose just said ‘wrong number’! how very mature of him!

YAAAAS RAYAAAAA!!!!!!!!! :D

ray’s prank for miles was luring him to ice cream while mika gets a speech review? ok...

CHAPA HAS TO USE AOL BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T HAVE A PHONE OMG

no miles found the ice cream.... AND HE’S TEMPTED!!

ray: ‘in the future, ray turns evil!” monsty reference? :o

ray: “destroy ray... no matter how good looking he is!” lol :D

miles went for carrots! :o

aww bose ‘loves ray too much’ :)

ray: “e before i except in july! amen!” ha ha :D

MIKA SCREAMED INTO THE ESSAY LOL!!!

the swellview version of instagram is swellgram :D

schwoz says ‘way’ like ‘vay’ and i love it :D

awww!!!! :D

oh bose believed ray!

schwoz spilled the beans! :o

OH NO THE LAUNDRY LEVEL IS AT 1000!!!

the baby goat bleating is so cute! ^_^

the vid went to an ad just as schwoz said ‘manche-’ and i thought he was about to say ‘manchild’ lol :D

mika: “i passed!” miles: “we all passed!” goat: “MEHHHH!!!!!!!!!” :D

oh no are the kids gonna do something bad :o

OMG miles just called ray ‘rayman esther manchester’ OHHH!!!!!!! :o

ray wanted them to eat a scorpion WHY RAY

miles teleported to ray and instantly went back lol :D

goat: “buhh jerry!” OMG IT TALKED!!!

ice cream party! :D

schwoz: “it’s a real milestone” eyyy ;D

schwoz says it all the time lol :D

ray’s been gone FOR A WEEK????

they all think it’s a prank but what if it’s real?

IT’S BEEN ANOTHER WEEK WHY

bose: ‘he’s taken this fake desert test really far” i don’t think it’s fake bose...

OMG RAY NO

why does he look like al from quantum leap but crazy af

THE KIDS TURNED HIM OFF

and they got to do the supes illustrated shoot all on their own!

WAIT DID CHAPA SAY THEY WERE IN PHOENIX???? :o

ray BUSTED!!!!

oh no is chapa sending the prank pic she deleted

dan schneider who lol :D

last but not least is ‘lil dynomite’!

omg there’s smoke everywhere!

and a treasurechest monster? :o

awww mika’s locker is her only personal space :/

she wants ray to put the monster in miles locker lol :D

the monster wants to eat swans ew :/

bose said the ‘mangenda’

ooh they said the title of the ep!

awww lil dynomite is cute!

he says ‘hello sir!’ :D

he’s ‘4 feet 10 inches of-’ neverending joy and smiles?

a country duo is signing a song called ‘almond milk’

66 DOLLARS A TICKET WTF

‘life size board game night? gayle from bob’s burgers wants your number ray...

ray during game night: “did i ever tell you the last time i saw my father?” ...ok :/

country lady: “there’s some flashbacks at table 5″ lol :D

they’re called court and courtney! :D

chapa: “almond milk feeds my soul!” YAS!

mika: “who would miss almond milk?” lady: “it’s funny you’re missing almond milk right now!” OHHHHH

OMG THE OTHER LADY SAID ‘BEAUTIFUL WIFE’!!!! :D

lady: “we have another song for you. it’s called..” her and other lady: ‘SHUT YOUR MOUTH’!!” lol :D

ray: “anybody hungy?” lol :D

ray: “you love my manflaps!” THAT PANCAKE NAME SOUNDS DISGUSTING OUT OF CONTEXT

OMG LIL DYNOMITE IS THE 5TH MEMBER

AND THEY KEEP SAYING ‘MANFLAPS’!!!!

he looks like a smol henry... :o

chapa said ‘booty hurt’ lol :D

why is the chest monster still there?

OMG CAPTAIN MAN ASKED THAT MUST AS I TYPED IT! :o

lil d stole bose’s mangenda job! :o

CAPTAIN MAN CALLED BRAINSTORM ‘BRAINBENDER’ NOOO :o

lil d reminds me of speedy alka seltzer with his ‘gee whiz!’ attitude

NO LIL D HAS MIKA’S LOCKER!!!!

miles *screaming*: “YOU MONSTER!!!!!!” you tell him miles!

the news people are back!

captain man and lil d played a non-copyrighted cover of ‘blinding light’ lol :D

lil d is making hair gel WITH CONDORS NO >:(

bose: “oh where is my brain?” it’s in a storm EYYY :D

lil d emphasizes ‘captain MAN’ and it’s so weird

the chest monster is singing lol :D

OMG HOMER SIMPSON BROKE THE NUCLEAR REACTOR

mika: ‘how did you get hired here?” nuclear lady: “i slammed the interview!!!”

it’s MELTY NOOO!!!!!

lil d: “wish me luck mans and sirs!” gee whiz what a quote!

HOLY FRICK WAS HE MELTED????

geez that’s rough!!! :o

chapa: “poor little guy... he just wanted to help” aww they care about him :(

captain man: “that better be awol!” awol: “i’m sorry what” captain man: “NOOOOO!!!!!!” AND HE BROKE THE LAST CONDOR EGG EVER NOOOOO!!!!!

chest monster: “never would’ve happened if you brought the chest monster along!” chapa: “SHUT UP CHEST MONSTER!’ yeah!

RAY WAS GONNA ADOPT LIL D :o

chapa’s trying to hit ray but she keeps hitting lil d HE GONNA DIE

why did the chest monster say “get wrecked” :(

ooh schwoz hologram

awww schwoz built the healing suit to give him powers!

OH CRAP LIL D DED!!!

captain man was gonna feed lil d to the chest monster :o

OH CRAP U DED C MAN!!!!!

HOLY FRICK

awww the kids are defending captain man!

AND LIL D JUST CALLED HIM A MANCHILD! :o

wait captain man has daddy issues

THEY’RE ALL SCREAMING

NO LIL D NO!!!!

GO DANGER FORCE!!! :D

ray right after lil d and awol teleport away: “...we still doing movie night?” lol :D

those were the new(ish) danger force eps! i-

*record scratch*

wait...

THERE’S MORE!!! you thought this was just a double livewatch? i’ve sneakily turned it into a TRIPLE livewatch! this has been a lot of fun so we’re watching the other ep i missed out on!

the final ep of this forcetastic livewatch is ...‘monsty’!

double bubble toil trouble... :)

mika walks in screaming “WHERE’S MY MEAT???” just go to wendy’s!

mika is wearing captain man’s clothes because she did a bad thing! :o

ooh thunder!

spongebob who?

chapa: “you go to your dentist once a month?” lol :D

bose: “33 months? that’s like a hundred years!” miles *softly*: “buddy...”

mika: *breaks a glass* MIKA’S BROKEN A GLASS MIKA’S BROKEN A GLASS! (paul would be proud!)

is this what she’s freaked out about?

lol :D

bose: “WE LUV YOU DANNY CHEEEESST!!!!” double lol :D

there’s a ‘struggle for candy equality’

bose: “what’s a jury duty?” captain man: “when you turn 18- like i did a couple years ago” more like a billion couple years ago! :D

did mika go to jury duty to make up for the glass?

ray thinks left handed people cheat on taxes why

HE MEMED THE MEME!!!!!

and he thinks all people have 2 first names lol

WOAH mika was gonna CLONE ray???? :o

a tongue is god’s napkin

THUNDER STRIKE!!!

omg TINY RAY!!!!!

chapa: “is there a tiny ray shooting a blaster?” ray: “there’s an old ray doing that but that’s another story for another week” great fourth wall reference! ...and possible ‘gnight everybody?’

oh no she cloned ray THE SCARY WAY???

mika: “this is where the story starts to get weird” chapa: “starts to?” lol :D

OMG IT RAYENSTEIN!!!! :O

so that’s monsty!

monsty peed everywhere ew :(

twins! :D

also that’s monsty’s pee bucket double ew :(

chest monster was teleported away! rip chestie

bose keeps calling ray ‘sir’ is that like lil d?

i wonder if that’s a real phone number...

danny chest: “now we have... 100 dollars in pledges” ...oh :/

chapa called him ‘danny boi’ lol :D

DANNY’S THREATENING TO LAUNCH THE GANG AWAY

captain man: “surprise villain! classic!”

they were locked up and captain man said it was a classic!

jennifer lawrence donated 10 thousand! :D

launching off of mountains only ‘hurts for a second’ according to ray

WHO JUST GOT A PEE BUCKET HEAD :o

mika: “captain man wants us to say cool stuff before we use our powers!” how very sailor moon of you ray!

mika called bose ‘honey’ lol :D

CHAPA WANTS HIM TO LIFT THE ANVIL

miles wants monsty to help!!! :D

why is there dramatic music playing in the monsty teleport flashback

awww :D

awwww!!!!!! :D

HE’S IN THE DUNGEON WITH CHEST MONSTER

YAS CHEST MONSTER!!!

bose dropped the anvil on captain man WHY

chapa to mika: “SCREAM GIRL!!!!” YAS! :D

omg DUST :o

mika: “monsty’s coming through that door right now!” monsty: *doesn’t come through that door* awk-ward....

HE BROKE THROUGH THE DOOR YAS!!!! :D

danny hit monsty NOOOO :o

mika: “can you zap monsty?” chapa: “i can, but that’s mean” mika: “i know, but-” chapa: “i’ll still do it tho” lol

YAS MONSTY HIT DANNY WITH THE ANVIL!!!! :D

oh no is monsty gonna accidentally launch them

captain man go YEET!

monsty: “rut roh!” *wah wah wah wahhhh...*

how fancy!

captain: “time to distribute the employee of the month award to someone who has had great courage and sacrifice... mika can you get out of the way please” lol :D

aww monsty is the employee of the month!

AND MIKA IS PROUD!!!! :D

and schwoz did jury duty :) *wah wah wah wahhhh!!!!*

that was a great trio of eps! it was fun getting back to danger force and i can’t wait to see what will happen in the next eps! :D

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 128: He’s Hired

Previously on BnHA: Deku’s bizarre attempt to make Nighteye crack a smile resulted in abject failure. Never one to give up that easily, Deku appealed to Nighteye’s All Might otaku side instead. Surprisingly, this attempt was convincing enough that Nighteye agreed to give Deku a chance. That is, if he can pass a test consisting of “swipe this stamp out of my hand within the next three minutes.” Deku powered up full cowl and gave it a go, but as it turns out, Nighteye’s quirk lets him literally see the future and predict what his opponent will do next. So. That made things a bit challenging. Nighteye declared that Mirio should have been the successor to One for All instead of Deku, and that it was the one decision he didn’t agree with All Might on. Rather than getting down on himself, Deku got fucking fired up and charged at Nighteye again with the intent of proving that he -- the successor All Might chose -- is worthy as fuck.

Today on BnHA: Deku tries to beat Nighteye’s foresight with speed, but has no luck. As a last-ditch effort he starts throwing random shit at him, but Nighteye still manages to dodge and Deku ends up slamming into a wall. Nighteye announces that the three minutes are up, and berates Deku for getting sloppy in the end. Deku says he was trying not to damage the vintage All Might poster on Nighteye’s wall. Nighteye is all “...” and realizes that Deku purposely went out of his way to avoid wrecking any of that sweet All Might merch, even while bouncing around Gran Torino style. This actually does win a chuckle from him, and Deku ends up being hired. Nighteye reveals that he planned to hire him all along, because he thinks that by showing Deku “the real world” of the pros, he can convince him to give up OFA. Deku accepts the internship. The next day, he and Mirio go out on patrol and run into an adorable little girl who, spoiler alert, turns out to be on the run from none other than this arc’s main villain, Overhaul.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 155 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

before we get started, I would just like to say that when Bakugou Katsuki, the most arrogant boy who ever lived (and someone not particularly known for his great fondness of Deku), learned that All Might had chosen Deku as his successor, he did not think, “well then All Might was fucking wrong.” actually, he immediately started questioning whether everything he’d ever believed was wrong instead, and subsequently accepted Deku for the first time ever. because that’s how real All Might bros do it, Nighteye. you punk

anyway

Deku doesn’t know how far Nighteye can see into the future, so his plan is just “attack him really fast and a lot”

he’s mad lol

incidentally, the title is “Boy Meets...” and honestly my TGIF-raised brain is gonna be really disappointed if it’s anything other than “world”

(ETA: I really don’t know what this was referring to. the most accurate title would be “boy meets traumatized little girl”, but that’s probably not what he was going for?)

so Nighteye’s accusing Deku of being a Gran Torino ripoff, and yeah, he’s got a point

he says that so long as the conditions are met, he can see everything Deku is going to do, no matter how far into the future it is. surely there must be a limit though, but okay

he says in two minutes’ time, Deku will be doubled over in grief, “neither seal nor paper in hand”

lol now I’m trying to think of scenarios where this could be the case and yet Deku still wins. ...

and now Nighteye is commenting on how frustrated Deku seems to be

he says the first thing he should have learned from All Might is that heroes should never show worry or doubt

ugh he’s so goddamn smug. but also tbh I can see why

come on Deku you need to deliver here

oh my god

for a minute I thought he was crying here. Deku, bud. deep breaths. don’t let it get to you

I feel like we’re seeing more and more impatience in him since that fight with Kacchan. he has more drive than ever lately

oh shit now he’s grabbing hold of a bookcase. well Nighteye did give him permission to use whatever

interestingly, this is the first time Nighteye has had an even remotely surprised-looking panel

now Deku’s hurling the whole fucking shelf of books at him lol

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

lol he’s apologizing, “but you said you didn’t care what happened to the room”

oh SHIT everyone DEKU IS USING HIS BIG HERO BRAIN

it seriously wouldn’t surprise me if he was never actually quirkless and it turned out “Big Hero Brain” has been his real quirk all along

OH MY GOD HE’S SO CLOSE

he’s fucking screaming “I AM ALL MIGHT’S DISCIPLE”

but Nighteye closed his fist and whipped his hand out of the way in the nick of time. goddammit

but he can’t attack though! he promised he wouldn’t. so Deku, just keep him on the defensive

Nighteye says whatever he sees didn’t change. Deku losing? I guess?

what the

not going to lie, this gave me Yamamoto flashbacks. fucking ouch

somehow, even though he just brained himself, Deku’s saying he can still fight

but Nighteye cuts him off and says the three minutes are up. well shit

I guess all we can do is hope Nighteye saw enough of Deku during those three minutes -- and whatever additional future-seeing that he also did? -- to pique his interest in taking him under his wing after all

come to think, every single one of Deku’s mentors thus far has dismissed him on first glance. even All Might initially wrote him off. Aizawa was this close to expelling him on the first day. Gran at least had a little faith in him because he trusted Toshinori’s judgment (even though he acted like he didn’t lol), but even he was surprised by what Deku was actually capable of. so I suppose it’s only fitting for this pattern to continue

-- oh wow

are you telling me that you gave yourself a fucking concussion because you didn’t want to risk damaging this asshole’s vintage poster

and now Nighteye’s realizing that Deku left all of his All Might shit intact

he seems surprised? something else you didn’t predict, huh

wow now he��s so impressed that the whole fucking art style changed

(ETA: so this is one of those chapters that Horikoshi wasn’t able to finish before it initially ran in Jump, which seems to happen every so often. Fallen Angels released an updated scanlation using the volume scans, so I’ll use those whenever possible.

here’s the remastered version of this scene, for starters

I like how remastered Deku has upgraded from sighing to cursing. it suits him much better. you know when people say “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed?” this is the opposite of that. he’s not disappointed. he’s mad. I think it does an even better job of showing how much he really wanted this, and how hard he’s been pushing himself.)

well. there’s that scene that Nighteye foresaw, I guess

I don’t know why, but all of Nighteye’s standing around and predicting stuff only to suddenly get surprised now at this juncture makes me really want to see him star in a cereal commercial. “Sir Nighteye, you can see into the future but can you see why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch?” “hmm. [examining a piece of cereal] its wrinkles are approximately 0.6 mm.” “NO YOU STUPID FUCK, IT’S CUZ THERE’S CINNAMON AND SUGAR SWIRLED OVER EVERY BITE!!!”

like, can’t you just picture it though

anyway. look what Deku made him do

(ETA: for some reason Horikoshi added shading to his face but took away the speech bubble saying “kuku.” so just to clarify, this is indeed a laugh)

that was a chuckle y’all. because Deku is just so fucking ridiculous

now Mirio and Bubble are barging in all, “pardon us.” and again the art style has gotten all sketchbooky. is this Nighteye’s quirk vision?? or just Horikoshi taking artistic license because he feels like it. who can say

(ETA: yep, once again, this is just what happens when the mangaka doesn’t have the chapter done by the deadline)

lol omg

“I like him now”

fuck me look at Deku’s face though, I’m fucking dying

he’s all “BUT I DIDN’T PASS YOUR TEST?”

and Nighteye’s all “[finger wag] ah, but I never said I wouldn’t hire you if you couldn’t”

do you know, I actually went back to look at it. and I guess, technically it’s true. but he sure did fucking imply it lol

anyways, Mirio knows what’s what

what the fuck, now Nighteye says he already made the decision to hire Deku the moment he heard he was coming there

is he full of shit or is this true

but he says it doesn’t mean that he’s acknowledged him yet

he says that the people aren’t waiting for a faint light, but a dazzling one. and he intends to make it clear who is suited for that power, even if it means going against All Might’s will

you know, even if I don’t agree with him, I have to admit that dazzling light line is pretty good

anyway. so Deku understands that Nighteye intends for this to be his first taste of the “real” world, with the expectation that he’ll realize he’s not cut out to be the next successor after all and will voluntarily give up OFA. since the only way it can be passed on is if he willingly transfers it to someone else

haha lol. fat chance of that

anyway!! so Deku’s clutching the stamp and says he would be honored to accept the internship offer

and now we’re cutting to day one of the internship. wow. that was fast

(ETA: how is it that the pacing in this arc began so efficiently, and then ten chapters from now we literally spend 15 whole pages entering a fucking building. wtf happened)

they’re setting out to do patrol and surveillance. who are they surveilling?

Deku lucked out, he gets to go with Mirio rather than Nighteye’s condescending ass

fucking look at all this shit Mirio is wearing that’s just going to come sliding right off the instant he quirks too hard

(ETA: you’ll hear more ranting about this in chapter 139, but it sure is some bullshit that Mirio gets a special costume woven from his hair or whatever and Momo and Hagakure can’t get the same thing. that’s very convenient indeed)

Mirio what does your chestplate say? it looks like “1,000,000” but that’s so weird lol

Bubble explains to Deku that Nighteye’s office is in the middle of an investigation -- !!

holy shit, that’s right. Nighteye’s agency was investigating Overhaul!

“odd actions”, like meeting up with Shigaraki Tomura and blowing up one of his main guys. odd stuff like that

Bubble’s explaining that “Chisaki” (whom I’m just gonna keep referring to as Overhaul even if Deku doesn’t know his villain name yet) has started reassembling the yakuza groups, and that they recently made contact with the League of Villains

Deku’s all “the League of Villains?!” yeah, you know the guys. kidnapped your boyfriend, creeped on you at the mall, etc.

apparently they haven’t been able to get direct evidence of him plotting evil. wow, really?? his quirk isn’t exactly subtle

but Nighteye says they can’t treat them like villains until they get proof of criminal activity

well then, putting Deku on the job is the right fucking call, let me tell you right now. bad guys love to do evil shit around this kid. you’ll have your evidence before the day is out

semi-unrelated side note, have you guys heard Overhaul’s theme from the OST? because it’s fucking sick. like, if you’re looking for kind of a Naruto-meets-trap-beat vibe, this is your fucking jam right here

(ETA: honestly his theme is too good for him. he doesn’t deserve such a badass theme)

anyway so now we are cutting to a group of people, and then to two panels of people’s feet

who even knows who these people are, but one of them is barefoot

it looks like a little girl...?

what the

ohhhhhhh dang

okay, so. I recently couldn’t resist AO3’s siren song and did some careful fic scouting. I was very careful, so I’ve managed to avoid pretty much anything potentially spoilery thus far -- except for one thing. I know that there is a little girl character named Eri. I don’t know who she is or what’s her deal but I know she exists. and she’s a little girl

so like. is this her...?

by the way Mirio is fucking oblivious huh. just continues to walk along with his heroic patrol posture, totally unfazed

awww

Eri’s kind of adorable??

Deku’s apologizing to her -- “my bad, that must have hurt.” even though she ran into him. always so damned smooth, Deku

she looks really upset though

ohhhhhhhhhhhh shit

hahahahahaha OH FUCK

okay so I immediately have several questions and several more immediate concerns. is she related to Overhaul?? is she a hostage? are those bandages around her arms for a reason??

(ETA: MOTHERFUCKER DON’T GET ME STARTED. THIS IS THE MOST FUCKED UP THING I’VE READ IN A MANGA SINCE NINA AND HER FUCKING DOG)

she seems really scared and I think it’s because she thinks she’s about to get in trouble with Overhaul. and like, I don’t fucking want him to come one step closer to her lol. and I wonder if Deku’s hero instincts will prevent him from letting her go back with him

no wonder they had that whole “we can’t treat them like villains without evidence” thing. so now this becomes a case of “do I compromise the investigation in order to protect a scared child from potential abuse even though I’m not sure?”

and I think there’s only one answer to that question, particularly for Deku

well buddy, good luck with that internship

 bonus:

 just some random end-of-volume stuff

apparently Stain placed 29th in the character popularity poll. can you believe he got 25 fucking votes while Best Jeanist got only 22. I don’t fucking understand people

8 people voted for Bakugou’s mom and these people are good and smart and handsome and I like them

somehow Yoarashi got only 14 votes. I seriously thought he’d be more popular than that. I guess that’s what happens when you cross Todoroki and make him fail the provisional license exam. I still love you Yoarashi

the 23 people who voted Mineta as their favorite character should be automatically placed on a sex offender registry

Aoyama only got 17 votes and it’s a travesty. unappreciated in his time

and there is a fantastic page where the remaining class A kids who finished outside of the top 10 get to do their own cosplay two-page spread. sans Mineta, which is even better

Tokoyami is just. I have no words

somehow Mina even managed to work that 90s leopard print into her damn ren faire outfit. this girl will not be fucking deterred

what the fuck is this prototype Mirio hair

what a fucking liar. don’t act like you didn’t fully intend to give him the Tintin hair the entire time. are you trying to avoid being sued or what

(ETA: so is this why Mirio has a different hairstyle in every single flashback? can this be considered a running gag? because it’s amazing)

lastly, Nighteye apparently has green hair just like Deku, which I did not see coming. All Might what is it with you and green haired apprentices

(ETA: somehow I keep managing to forget this fact and it always surprises me lol)