#and while the japanese version has its flaws too

[sexysilverstrider]

reading the japanese and english takukamu S supports im just getting really emotional over the japanese version

when i reread the official english version, i realize they kinda water down how takumi really felt. that explains why i got REALLY emotional reading the japanese version. some of the changes were:

english: there is something else I wanted to talk about… japanese: will you listen to my request?

while this doesnt seem much, the eng version makes takumi sound calmer while jpn version makes him sound nervous. it was a bit odd when takumi says request but then

english: So…does this change anything? About your feelings toward us, I mean. japanese: Hey. Earlier... you said you would listen to my request. So, will you... forgive me for this?

apparently after confessing his feelings n telling the truth, jpn takumi clearly felt disgusted and horrified that he has romantic feelings for someone he was supposed to call sister. eng takumi once again makes him feel calmer and chill as if he had enough time to think and ponder--almost as if the big truth wasnt all that much--while jpn takumi is implied to have rued and suffered through his feelings, fearing that kamui will hate or be disgusted with him. after alls said and done, all takumi ever wanted was for kamui to accept him even if she doesnt love him

english: Avatar: When you said that you liked me, my heart started racing. But I didn't want it to show because I didn't know about Father. Everything is so confusing. Takumi: That's right. But in a confusing world, we must cling to the few fragments of truth we share. And the truth is that I love you, Avatar, and you love me. Let's build a future on that. Avatar: Y-yes. I think you're right. Let's give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen? japanese: Kamui: When you said that you liked me earlier, I was really happy. Because we're siblings, I've avoided saying such a thing... Takumi: Kamui-neesan... Kamui: ... But you came straight out and said you liked me. You showed me that it was okay to love you. Thank you, Takumi. I also want to stay by your side... Takumi: Nee-san...!! For you to have the same feelings as me, I've never been this happy in my life. So... I'll give you this ring. ... I'll protect you with my whole life. Kamui: ... I'm so happy, Takumi! From now on, please take care of me! Takumi: Okay...!

once again this ending!!!! while i do like the eng version the fact that it feels......less emotional than the japanese one. yes takumi is more assured of his feelings now that its reciprocated. i hate that the english version doesnt wanna highlight the 'i cant romantically love you coz i thought we were siblings' like cowards. apply the brocon/siscon themes in this game as its supposed to be. but yeah i still do appreciate takumi being more confident and kamui still being hesitant but they both embraced their feelings nicely

but the japanese one

oooohhh OOOHHH kamui straight up saying she loves takumi too but didnt act out coz she thought they were related. takumi preparing A RING eventho he was 70% sure she wont love him the same way. takumi saying he will protect her with his own life which brings the whole conquest story 10x more painful.

english: If you were aiming for my heart, you've struck true. This was meant to be…

cheesy cute S support dialogue. 10/10. adorable. the last sentence is my otp tag for them after all

japanese: Thank you, sister. I'm so very happy. No matter what people think...these feelings won't change. I love you.

HEARTBREAKING HONEST S SUPPORT. 12/10 MAKING ME CRY. LOVE THAT HE PROMISES NO MATTER WHAT HE WILL ALWAYS LOVE HER. GOOD GOD

and my personal favourite difference of them all?

english: I'm sorry. I struggled with whether or not to tell you any of this. After all, now that you know, we can never go back to being siblings. But I couldn't simply pretend to be your brother for the rest of my life. Especially not with the way I felt about you. It is shameful, I know.

again takumi is being calm and somewhat professional. he knows its weird and tbfh i hate that the localization want to highlight how weird it is. we get it i know. but they make takumi level-headed which when i think back is kind of off for him but i appreciate the maturity of his behaviour here

japanese: I'm sorry... Nee-san. I was really at a loss as to whether I should tell you this or not. Now that I have, we can't go back to being siblings. But I... couldn't have beared living my whole life acting as your brother. I would have rather died...

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK OHHH MY GOOOOD FUCK FUCK FUCK AAAAAAAAAA!!!! i can hear his pain. his sorrow. his guilt. there is no voice acting in the supports but i can HEAR takumis emotions. the very fact that he loves her so so much and he cant bear pretending to be her brother anymore. the very fact that seeing kamui with another man might n will kill him. the very fact that he would rather die than pretending to be someone hes not. this is what im eating. this is what ive been robbed. this very line made me cry THE SECOND I READ IT im about to cry now!!! that very last line is just a big Fuck You to his fate in conquest GOD AAAAAAAAAA

[swampjawn]

If you wanted to animate an object spinning really fast, there are three main embellishments at your disposal. You could add smear frames, you could add doubling, or if you wanted to get a little crazy with it, you could have that object bend and stretch to really emphasize the inertia of the motion.

Or you could do all three at the same time!

I didn't want to like Zenshu at first.

Saying I'm not a big fan of isekai as a genre would be an understatement, so I was straight up peeved when I found out that what I initially thought would be a flawed industry's unflinching look in the mirror made by THE studio that has become the symbol of the Japanese animation industry's broader problems with overworking and underpaying, this was just gonna be yet another in a long line of paint-by-numbers escapist power fantasies in a genre that was tired from the moment it was born, just like yaboy, sleepy to the max if you know what I'm saying.

And this recreation of a scene from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), (which was one of the first breakout roles for anime legend and Evangelion director Hideaki Anno) certainly helped soften my attitude towards it, but a series of references to old stuff wouldn't be enough.

(both versions trimmed here)

But its tribute to classic anime and animation in general goes beyond just references.

This absurdly over the top modernized version of a magical girl transformation animated by Keisuke Toyoda (豊田 桂祐 ) feels like it contains all the possibilities of animation and imagination in just 3 preposterously dense cuts. There is just WAY too much going on here at once, in a way that feels very self aware.

Every color you could imagine, lighting from three different directions, what looks like three different layers of effects and sparkles, countless compositing effects, what looks like some sort of 3D particle simulation in the background,

this psychedelic background art that seems to represent Natsuko's blood vessels, a bit where you can see what it took me several episodes to realize are Natsuko's actual blood vessels and skeleton through her body,

and… some birds of course.

Most of the main elements are animated on 2's, but there are so many layers -- the timing of each offset from the rest -- that it almost feels like the whole thing is animated on 1's because there is practically no single frame where at least something doesn't change.

It's really an assault to the senses that contrasts hilariously with the mundane action of actually sitting down at a desk and drawing. There's even a little death note reference thrown in there to poke fun at this contrast!

And fully committing to the sailor moon bit, they repeat this stock animation in almost every episode. While it's no masterpiece plot-wise, it is at least more than I expected on that front too, but that's more than I can get into here. I talk about that some more and a bunch of other stuff in this video, from which this post is an adapted excerpt! Go watch it and comment, "wow sWIMP John, I used to like your videos but you've really fallen off hardcore. Go back to making magic school bus AMVs. Unsubbed."

[hotwaterandmilk]

2024 English language manga releases I'm enjoying

Here are a couple of titles I've picked up in English so far this year that I've enjoyed. Most of these I read digitally in Japanese for one or two volumes a couple of years back, but opted to wait and purchase the English print versions for my collection.

I feel like all of these books are worth the purchase price, but don't have the energy to do individual posts for each of them. So here's a very smooshed together post covering a few 2024 reads.

GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! from Yen Press

Akechi Ushiro is a heavily flawed, hard-working woman whose disregard for her own wellbeing results in her coming face-to-face with her equally flawed guardian spirit, Masako. The pair decide to combine their forces and begin tackling the obstacles in Ushiro's life using curses.

Hiruzuka Miyako's darkly funny tale of a woman taking control of her life alongside her queer sister spirit is such a delight . Featuring a rough-and-ready art style that helps underscore the macabre elements at play, the entire first volume is scathing in its humour and unashamed in its portrayal of Ushiro's flaws. I was surprised when this one got picked up by Yen Press a while back, but so happy to see it enjoying a stateside release. If you're after something that doesn't always play nice, GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! might well be for you.

Edit: If you haven't read it before, this Japanese interview with Hiruzuka is worth reading for a bit more on her background and the creation of the series.

Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! (Akujiki Reijou to Kyouketsu Koushaku) from Kodansha USA

A sweet little fantasy romance between two individuals who find solace in one another despite being reviled by the general public for their interest in monsters. One loves defeating monsters in battle while the other loves cooking them!

Melphiera is a smart, capable heroine while Aristide Rogier du Galbraith is a dashing and supportive hero. The manga art is a bit low in detail, but the characters and story are absolutely worth your time. I'd love to see the LNs that the manga adapts in English someday too. I mentioned in tags before this whole series gives me the types of vibes I enjoy in historical fantasy romance novels, so if you like that kind of content this might be a good title to check out (or recommend to friends who appreciate romantasy but haven't tried manga before).

In The Name of The Mermaid Princess (Mio no Na no Moto ni) from VIZ Media

In a country where being "unhuman" or in some way supernaturally inclined is seen as a curse rather than a blessing, Princess Mio takes medications to suppress her mermaid-esque traits and please her father. Her perspective changes when Yuri, a tutor from her fiance's home kingdom, encourages her to be herself and embrace the things that make her different.

I've seen people say this is a bit too obvious in its parallels between fantasy oppression and IRL issues, but this is a Ribon manga for young girls so yeah it's on the nose but I think it works for the audience it has in mind. Tashiro Miya's artwork here is gorgeous and both leads are quite endearing (Mio is SO freakin adorable I can'ttttt). Overall a solid little series with nicely packaged volumes for those after something for a younger audience.

The Moon on a Rainy Night (Amayo no Tsuki) from Kodansha USA

A romantic slice-of-life tale featuring two high school girls, one of whom is a budding pianist (Saki) and the other a loner who is hard of hearing (Kanon).

I don't normally go much on high school romance but the way this series blends classic GL melodrama tropes with genuine issues in an earnest manner works for me. While we see things more from Saki's viewpoint as she eagerly tries to learn more about Kanon and tries to figure out her own sexuality, we do also come to understand Kanon's thwarted ambitions and the difficulties she has with letting people in.

Kuzushiro's art is quite whispy and cute, with all the characters tending to look quite well-realised on the page. While I prefer romances that feature a character with disability to centre their perspective, I do feel this does a decent job of portraying both girls as they try to navigate their deepening relationship. YMMV on this though, particularly if you are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.

Sketchy from Kodansha USA

Ako is living an unfulfilling life with a dull job and even duller boyfriend, but she suddenly finds herself thrust into a whole new world upon encountering a mysterious young skateboarder.

Sketchy, while ostensibly about women taking up skateboarding is more a snapshot of their individual lives and the role having a hobby plays once you're no longer a child. Ako's story particularly resonates with me (I literally worked her job at a similar age) but all the characters prove interesting in their own way.

Makihirochi's art is a bit more experimental than others on this list and may not be to everyone's taste, but I do think Sketchy is still worth checking out even if you're not entirely sold on the art (which I think has improved since I first became familiar with her work through Itsuka Tiffany de Choushoku o in Comic Bunch). Titles like this, which, let's face it, have low levels of mainstream appeal, don't often get English language releases so I highly recommend supporting this one if you have the opportunity to do so.

[cheriladycl01]

Quirk #17

Here is my seventeenth quirk idea! Feel free to use this in your fanfics (just give me credit if you directly got it from me) obviously I know however I’m not the only creative person in the world and that some people may have also had these ideas before me!

Quirk: Multiverse

Has the ability to shift through the multiverse

This entails:

- Reality Shifting

- Multiversage Syncing

- Dimensional Rift Creation

Weaknesses

- Massive mental strain on the user where they are often looking into and sometimes travelling to other plains and realities and taking objects or information back with her.

- She can create laylines in her rifts meaning that if she changes too much from another reality it can affect that reality or hers and she has to live with those consequences

- It drains a lot of her strength travelling to these plains so it can make her quirk pretty unstable meaning rifts can close or become hostile unexpectedly or she can loose focus and cause chaos in another dimension.

Strengths

- There's many versions of her that have really interesting and unique abilities but all center around the multiverse. So her version of her marvel self would have a smiliar 'power' rather than 'quirk' whereas she would have lightsaber and weidling knowledge from her StarWars self etc.

- Its one of those quirks that would be incredibly strong when used both effectively and ineffectively.

Hero Name: Hajimari

Zodiac: Cancer

Ethnic Background: Japanese/ Italian

Height: 5ft 7

Weight: 145 ibs

Style: Hipster

Physical Traits: She changes appearance whenever she takes on abilities from her alternate selves but one thing that always remains is her dark undereye's from lack of sleep.

Mannerisms: She has way too many that she picks up from different dimensions so theres a lot of pop culture references etc.

Favourite:

Food: Seafood Tagliatelle

Drink: Red Wine/ Grape Juice

Colour: Pink

Weather: Stormy as it reminds her of the lightening that crackles when she travels through her rifts.

Possession: Her collectors chest, she gets things from other dimensions and brings them back as like show and tell items and things to remember it by.

Morning Routine:

She dreams a lot, even though they aren’t really dreams it’s her shifting to check on other realities while getting rest she’ll write down anything she’s seen.

Hobbies:

She'd love gaming as she's good with technology anyway so working out the logistics of games is easier for her, but also a massive enjoyment.

Special Skills:

She has many thanks to being able to grab from her alternate self’s but one she’s gathered from herself in this world she learnt that she’s is tarot reading.

Pet Peeves:

She can never tell what’s annoying to her or annoying to an alternate self’s, she’ll often get mad before apologising.

Bad At:

Remembering small things that didn’t happen too long ago, or she’ll get them mixed up.

Biggest Fear:

Getting stuck in a different universe

Greatest Flaw:

Very forgetful, makes friends feel like she doesn’t care!

Goals:

To visit as many versions of herself as possible!

Who I see them with:

Guys - DEKU, Hawks

Girls - Pony , RUYUKU

[akira-fan-page]

First post!

i’m a hardcore fan of akira, both the manga and the movie, and i wanted to make a little blog dedicated just to it, and everything i know about it!

it’s been my favorite movie and manga for years, and i’ve rewatched it wayy too many timed to count.. i’m a fanatic

Akira, made in 1988, is a japanese animated movie and manga by Katsuhiro Otomo, the manga was serialized in magazines and various other publications from 1982-1990. The movie was 124 minutes long, with 24 frames per second. That sums out to 178,560 frames, all handpainted! Although there was some cgi used, it was minimal, only assisting with Doctor Ōnishi’s pattern indicator, as well as minor plotting and mapping. The manga is a feat as well, with 6 volumes and over 3,000 pages.

When the movie was created, it only loosely spanned the first 2 volumes, making an entirely different ending to wrap up the shortened story. Because of this more summarized plot, the movie to some can be confusing at first, but when paying careful attention, each watch can reveal an entirely new piece of information that can tie the masterpiece together. Katsuhiro Otomo had mentioned in an interview, featured in the deluxe version in the dvd, that he had in fact used the movie to help him work out the ending of the manga, as it was not finished at the time of the movies creation. Considering that, it can be said that both medias endings are canon, existing truthfully in different universes.

Akira is admirable not only for its intelligent plot and timeless art, but also for it’s incredible characters. Shotaro Kaneda and Tetsuo Shima, in both the manga and the movie, show a complicated relationship. They have a brotherly bond, based on growing up together through hardships, but there are insecurities and inferiorities bubbling under the surface. Kaneda takes on the role of a protector, trying to fight Tetsuo’s battles. But Tetsuo strives to prove himself Kaneda’s equal, comparing himself and his friend consistently, leading to a deep seated sense of inferiority towards his friend. When he gets the power, although it can be argued that his insanity derives from the power being too much for him to handle, it also states multiple times in both the movie and the manga that Tetsuo was causing his own undoing, letting his negative emotions take control of his actions. It is hard to say that there is any one pure villain, as each character is so thoroughly fleshed out that each one has their own flaws, some worse than others.

The movie was a huge advancement of its time, being one of the first japanese animated films to use what is known as ‘Pre-scored dialogue’, A.K.A recording the voice acting first while using the simple animatics as a guide, then animating fully, personalizing the characters movements with the voice acting. This gives Akira a unique and active vibe, capturing your attention with its ability to capture the emotions of the voice acting perfectly. Fun fact, one of the main animators of Akira, Makiko Futaki, went on to become a lead animator of Studio Ghibli films such as Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Although I might be a little biased.. I would have to say Akira is one of the top animated films ever made, and I hope that I can meet more people who love it too!

[everygame]

Gomoku Narabe Renju (NES)

Developed/Published by: Nintendo Released: 27/08/1983 Completed: Er… Completion: Well, I’ve managed to win a few games against the easiest CPU, but never take a full match. Something I’ve always been interested in is that when you look at history, all anyone cares about is the hits. Nintendo is probably the most famous video game company of all time, and yet swathes of games they’ve released go almost completely unremarked. Gomoku Narabe Renju is a perfect example: it’s literally the fourth game released for Famicom (well, released on the same day as Mahjong) and, you know… no one cares. Well, someone at Nintendo Japan remembered it, and it was released again on the Japanese version of Switch Online last year in what felt like a bit of a “let’s just dump what’s left” update (they even stuck up Urban Champion finally!) so I thought I’d take a look at it. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that no one cares about this one because it is, well, a board game. And not even a “full” adaptation of Go, but an adaptation of the tic-tac-toe/Connect Four-adjacent game, Gomoku, that can be played on the same board. In some respects it’s an interesting release because along with Mahjong it represents the only games for “grown-ups” that Nintendo would do for the system for a long time (apart from possibly Golf) and as only the second batch of games, you do have to wonder if it fit into some sort of strategy for the system or if–as seemingly was often the case if you’ve watched say Jeremy Parish cover the many obscure systems that competed with the Famicom–it’s simply that knocking up some board game adaptations is easier and quicker than other options when you want to bulk up your game library. Almost certainly chosen because adapting Go would have been impossible (a Go title wouldn’t show up till 1987 with Igo: Kyuu Roban Taikyoku designed by Henk Rogers, which only manages a 9x9 board) “Gomoku” is quickly understood as connect five: you’re placing stones one after another, trying to make a row of five or block your opponent from doing so. Unfortunately Gomoku–known as Gomoku Narabe, or “five piece line-up” in Japan–is, as many ancient games are, flawed. The first player (black) has a large advantage, leading to the “Renju” version of the game, which includes a few extremely inelegant rules updates that restrict the black player alone:

Black can’t place a piece that would create two open lines of three stones, or place a piece that creates two open lines of four stones.

Black can’t win with a line of 6 or more–it has to be a row of exactly five.

In addition, every game follows a set series of “opening” moves which attempt to balance the game even further. As you lose the game immediately if you fall foul to any of these rules, what this means in practice is that every game of Gomoku Narabe Renju is a headache of watching out for edge cases and frustration as you navigate yourself into winnable positions that are actually automatic losses. Now, with these rules the game is (apparently) fairly balanced, though complex, but for a newcomer Gomuku Narabe Renju takes absolutely no prisoners. While there are three difficulty levels, after playing for more time than I’d like to admit I can’t beat the easiest AI even half the time. Although I find all the rule bodges in the name of fairness inelegant, I will say that the game design does, somewhat, have the same kind of “grand battle” feel that a real game of Go does (which I’m shite at, too.) You really feel the flow of attack and defence as you place your pieces; there’s a clear shift and feeling as you’re on the back foot, constantly placing stones to stop lines being made, and then an amazing feeling when you can push that tide back and force your opponent into that position–as you both attempt to strengthen your lines as you do so. The original simplicity is, honestly, quite beautiful, and it probably does serve, somewhat, as an on-ramp to Go and its own simulation of battle. However, it’s not really a great video game–easily forgotten, easy to go unremarked. At best a competent adaptation for those who already loved the game and didn’t have any friends (or a pen and paper, which is all you actually need to play this!) Will I ever play it again? I have a pen and paper; I can imagine playing Gomoku again, but not this version.

Final Thought: If you want to play this, pleasantly there is a full English translation out there–so you can at least understand why you’re getting your ass beat.

Every Game I’ve Finished 14>24 is OUT NOW! You can pick it up in paperback, kindle, or epub/pdf. You can also support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up digital copies of exp., a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

[fiction-she-read]

The Midnight Library Review

As someone on the Discord group said, "it was a book."

I feel ambivalent about this book, and I wouldn't recommend it. I'm particularly puzzled by the comparison on the back of Before the Coffee Gets Cold that claims, "If you loved The Midnight Library, you'll love this book." As someone who absolutely loves Before the Coffee Gets Cold (BtCGC), those two books do not belong in the same sentence.

While I may sound harsh, The Midnight Library delivers its lessons with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, whereas BtCGC offers a more nuanced approach—perhaps reflecting its Japanese origins and the culture's characteristic indirectness. But I digress—this is a review of The Midnight Library.

The story introduces us to Nora Seed, whose life is presented through such an oppressively gloomy lens that it becomes difficult to connect with her character. I only began to care about Nora near the novel's end, mostly because we get out of her Gloomy Gus phase and see a bit of sunshine. Before that, I just wanted the book to END! While some readers found it "triggering," I was simply bored and frustrated. Much of the novel reads like a self-help book in fictional form—unsurprising, given the author's background in that genre.

The idea of the book itself is not bad. In fact, it's interesting—but I think it was poorly executed. The focus on Nora alone might have been the issue. In BtCGC, we follow a cast of characters experiencing the chair in the coffee shop. Like Nora, some of these characters haven't had easy lives—there's even one in the second book who contemplates suicide, just like Nora. The difference is that I felt empathy for those characters that I never came to feel for Nora. I think if Nora's story had been tightened into a shorter narrative, with fewer chapters dwelling on "woe is me" at the beginning and perhaps followed two more people experiencing the same phenomenon, it would have been more compelling.

For example, instead of starting with Nora, the story could have begun with Henri to explain how everything works—which we don't learn until midway through the book—similar to how the first story in BtCGC serves to explain its premise. Of course, if you've read the book, you'll realize this change would make the title less fitting.

Another minor flaw, only partially addressed toward the end, lies in a particular mechanic of the story. When entering a new life, the knowledge accumulated by that version of yourself isn't transferred to your root self. This means whenever you possess another version of yourself, you're completely clueless—potentially appearing to have dementia to those around you. While you might wing it in some situations, entering a life where your alternate self has mastered something you barely know would raise suspicions. For instance, if I possessed a version of myself who was fluent in Japanese and living in Japan, while my current self barely speaks the language, people would certainly notice something was wrong. Though this issue is somewhat resolved by the end, it remains problematic in my view.

Overall, The Midnight Library feels like a missed opportunity. While its central premise is intriguing, the execution falls short, particularly in character development and pacing. The heavy-handed delivery of its life lessons and the prolonged focus on Nora's misery make it a challenging read. Though it improves towards the end, it feels too little, too late by then. The book certainly has its admirers, and I can see why its message of appreciating life might resonate with readers. However, I'd recommend looking elsewhere for those seeking a more nuanced exploration of similar themes—perhaps at Before the Coffee Gets Cold instead.

[archoneddzs15]

Super Famicom - Return of Double Dragon (Super Double Dragon)

Title: Return of Double Dragon / リターン・オブ・双截龍 

Developer/Publisher: Technos Japan

Release date: 16 October 1992

Catalogue Code: SHVC-WD

Genre: Beat-em-up

After the Double Dragon trilogy and their Kunio-kun franchise made a great success on both arcades and the Famicom (and other platforms including the Mega Drive and the PC Engine too), it seems natural that Technos make a fourth game, for the SFC this time. Instead of calling it Double Dragon IV, they called it Return of Double Dragon in Japan, and Super Double Dragon in the West. This game is obviously based on its more well-known Famicom and arcade counterparts, you play as the Lee brothers, Billy and Jimmy, and go out to kick the butt of bad guys.

First of all, the gameplay of the game is awesome. You can play alone or with a friend, and instead of having clunky controls like Double Dragon games on the Famicom (even worse on Mega Drive Double Dragon 2 in my experience), this time you get a really great control scheme. The four buttons of the SFC gamepad are used to kick, punch, jump, and block enemy attacks, which is great. This new scheme allows for much more combos than the old Double Dragon games, and that is much more fun. You can also use L or R to charge a power gauge, allowing for even more combos, but this one is hard to use. In addition to that, enemies come up with various weapons (like in previous Double Dragon games) that you can be a victim of, but if you're skilled you can grab them and use them to your advantage. This game features much more weapons than older Double Dragon games, and that is very cool. You can also sometimes use the background to your advantage. So yeah, the gameplay is awesome. The only small flaw is that the animation is a bit slow sometimes, depending on which version of the game you have (there are a lot of differences between different regions and cartridge revisions I guess).

The graphics are really good, the Lee brothers look different (head swap) instead of just palette swap, and they are much more detailed and don't have that cartoonish look any longer, adding a more serious overall feel to the game. The backgrounds are detailed and realistic. Enemies, while still not very varied, also look more realistic and are more brutal than before, as they also use combos and jumps against you. You can fight more than one type of enemy at a time, which is a great addition. And there is a new hard boss at the end of each stage that is each time harder than the previous boss, unlike the original Double Dragon which only featured multiple palette swaps of Abobo as hard bosses. And yeah, that big old Abobo is gone, we're getting more serious bosses this time, and you don't fight 2 clones of them at the same time, and that's good. You have to refight all bosses before the end of the game in a row, which can prove challenging.

The music of the game is awesome, there isn't much of it, but it's good. Also, the Japanese version has more music (I own the Japanese version seen here). I like the rocky style of the music in the game very much, it suits the fighting very well. The sound effects are more repetitive punches and kicks, but you get a couple of voice clips, which is cool. However, I'd have liked more exciting sound effects than just two repeated kick and punch sounds.

[casual-ru]

Your Boyfriend, Blue

I'm fleshing out what my YB is like since I'm rather fond of the idea everyone has a unique YB just for them. Feel free to keep reading!

Stats:

Nickname: Blue Age: 29 Pronouns: He/Him Skin Color: Blue Eye Color: Blue Hair: He has short hair!

In this universe, everyone is a 'blurbo,' which I am defining here to mean "blob-like character," where your hair/skin tend to match colors, people can be any color, and everyone is even more cartoonishly drawn than normal.

YB, himself, appears much more docile and soft, filling the role of a sub male yandere. YB in this universe is named Blue by his Y/N.

Myers-Briggs Type: ESFJ (extraverted, observant, feeling, judging) Core Traits: Warm Affection, Energetic, Detail-Orientated Flaws: Obsessive, Insecure, Hesitant Quirks: Stalker, Pop Culture Nerd, Aspiring YouTuber

While most YB are antisocial, Blue is really great at fitting in and hiding his antipathy from people around him. He knows you need people to survive, and he makes due. (In a meta sense, he was born later than his counterparts in the other universes and has seen what being a vicious asshole gets you in the end - your Y/N's hatred!)

Blue knows he has a lot of natural charisma and puts it to work. He is very extraverted and people tend to like him. Given how much practice he has put into his façade, Blue is quite good at convincing others that he likes them and he can get along with practically anyone.

Random Factoids:

(As spoken in his voice.)

"I'd have to say my favorite color is purple. Why? No reason. I just like the color." (His Y/N has purple skin in this world.)

"Mmm, favorite food, now we're talking! It's so hard to pick just one thing, you know? If I want to sound sophisticated, I should say I like something fancy, maybe something French? But, if I'm being honest with you, the minute I smell movie theater popcorn, I go feral."

"Naturally, my favorite book changes all the time, but most recently I read This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, and it's blown me away. There's just something about the way those two characters love each other... It's beautiful, and I relate to it, though I don't think I can really explain why. I heard about the book from some guy on Twitter named Bigolas Dickolas."

"So, everyone has a favorite movie, right? Really, it's more like a comfort movie. It's a movie you watch that always cheers you up or just reminds you of the best things in life. There's this silly little movie called Densha Otoko, Train Man in English. It's this Japanese flick that's supposedly based on a true story of some guy who saved a girl from being harassed on a train. He falls in love with the girl, but he's too shy to ask her out. Random people on the internet on a more wholesome version of 4ch*n basically cheer lead him into asking the girl out. Really, the whole movie is sweet. It always lifts my spirits when I see it."

"There's only four seasons, but all of them are pretty good in my opinion. Just when you get fed up with one season, the next one is just around the corner. I guess, gun to my head, I'd pick winter, but I can't really explain why that is. Winter just seems... and pardon my pun... like the coolest time of year. Everything is dark, things are dying, and honestly the cold is used to represent a lot of villains in stories. But, on the flip side, winter is when most people have a lot of holidays and get togethers and the like. Not that I experienced it for myself yet... but, I think winter might be the best season because its easier to justify snuggling up with your partner. Just thinking about pulling someone close under the blankets while you watch a cliché holiday movie... doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Dogs! I love dogs for sure. They are so loyal, you know? Supposedly if you kick a dog, it will still love you, not that I'm advocating for that, but I just think its fascinating for a creature to love so unconditionally. Maybe its weird, but I relate to that a little bit."

Well, that's all I have for now. I really like Blue a lot, so I'll probably post some more random stuff. I might even make an attempt to draw random comic stuff with him in it.

[tirorah]

PGSM (2003) Is a Story About Human Beings, and I LOVE It

Years ago, I attempted to watch the live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon show, or PGSM for short. And I quit because it looked so silly I couldn't maintain my sense of disbelief.

I've learnt not to judge a show by its looks since then. So, when I stumbled across a 20-second PGSM clip two weeks ago, I thought, "Shouldn't I give that another chance?" I'd heard a few interesting things about it, so I decided the answer was yes.

It took me a little while to adjust, sure. Some things still looked ridiculous to me. And yet, with every episode I became more and more emotionally invested. I started to see PGSM for what it truly was: an intricate tapestry of character-driven storytelling.

If you've read my other posts, you know I love characters more than anything. What I also love is an emphasis on narrative consequence and a willingness to explore new and/or interesting ideas, particularly when it's a new entry in an already-established franchise. And it just so happens that PGSM ticks all of these boxes!

In short, this show was made for me.

I'm not going to write about all of the clever things this show does because that would take far too many words. Here's my quick two cents: I think PGSM is excellent. It has flaws, and I think it only appeals to a certain type of viewer. But if you are that type of viewer, like I am, you're likely to be swept off your feet!

So yeah, I never thought I'd say this, but I love this show. It's by far the most fun I've ever had with Sailor Moon. And as is standard by now, I'm going to tell you why I feel that way under the cut.

First, I'll go over how PGSM manages to work at all. Then, I'll outline the theme; the central questions at the heart of the story. Finally, I'm going to illustrate just how well this show pulls off its primary goals---by examining the character arc of a certain old favourite of mine.

[FULL spoiler warning!]

[Word count: ~6,000]

New Kid on The Block

Ever since its inception, Sailor Moon has been an enduring presence in Japanese media and merchandising. Its presence has waxed and waned over the past decades, but it has nevertheless managed to remain incredibly successful. The original 90s manga spawned a concurrently running anime series, musicals, the Crystal anime series in the 2010s, and much more.

The fun effect of all these different versions is that each is its own thing. Even Crystal, which adheres much more closely to the manga than the 90s anime, is still different; a story can't be told the same way in every medium. This is why adaptations are difficult to do and are likely to piss off someone, regardless of intent or execution.

Smack-dab between the original and recent versions, a bold little beast emerged.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon aired from October 2003 to September 2004. Unlike the versions before and since, it's a live-action tokusatsu superhero TV series, like Super Sentai--a show the manga also drew inspiration from. This again marks a significant change when it comes to storytelling possibilities.

PGSM faces several challenges on top of that. It only exists because the musicals were so successful, yet it has a shoestring-looking budget that makes some aspects of the show look underwhelming. The lead actors were young and inexperienced, so it can take a bit for everything to click performance-wise. Lastly, the characters tend to have their faces in full view during action scenes, rendering the use of stunt doubles difficult and therefore limiting choreographic possibilities.

And yet, under the stewardship of writer Kobayashi Yasuko and a ton of passionate and experienced staff, this show found a way to stand shoulder to shoulder with beloved works of the franchise.

Let's examine how.

Limitations, Genre and Theme

If I'd given you a rundown of the obstacles PGSM faced without my glowing praise attached, you'd probably think this show was sent out to die. Maybe it was, I don't know. Perhaps someone at Toei thought it would hoover up some merchandise sales before it fell off a cliff to its pyrotechnic death!

The amazing thing about PGSM is that it takes these challenges and turns them into its greatest strengths. This is a show that understands the constraints it has to operate within. It can't compete on action and special effects, so it hones in on something it can execute well and bring a unique twist to: characters and story.

Its best claim to fame, at least in the little discussion I saw of it, is how it reworks its characters to serve a brand-new spin on a familiar narrative. But I believe this description to be...insufficient. The changes made here go beyond adjusting and emphasising personality traits. This is a paradigm shift; a top-to-bottom overhaul and a tribute to Sailor Moon all at once.

While there's still an overarching story that involves protecting the world from evil and salvaging a doomed romance from a previous life, the real meat of PGSM lies in the rich inner lives of its cast. This shifts the genre to character-driven drama with a dash of soap opera.

As a result, those aforementioned inner lives are established, built upon, and allowed to emerge and clash naturally. All the while, the characters contend with a turbulent new reality which further affects their interpersonal relationships. That in turn shifts the theme to something much more personal: past life versus current life.

What does it mean for your identity to be reborn with memories from a past life? What do you do when that past life has a stranglehold on your current one? Are you doomed to repeat the mistakes of ages past?

And what effect do these challenges have on a person's psyche?

PGSM spends its 49-episode runtime exploring these questions to the fullest. I consider it a true ensemble work, as every major character is relevant to the story and drives it forward at some point. And because each of them is unique, we're shown a full spectrum of viewpoints that are informed by personality traits and emotional baggage.

So, yeah, it's really good. Really damn good.

In fact, to demonstrate just how in-depth and detailed the characterisation is, I'm going to spend the rest of this post analysing my favourite example of a PGSM character arc: the understated and expertly-paced struggles of one Kino Makoto.

Wood and Thunder

A core part of Makoto in every version is her dual nature--possessing both traditionally masculine and feminine characteristics--and how this clashes with societal expectations. With her curly hair and long skirt, she comes across like a typical sukeban (a delinquent girl) of the time. Her imposing height, incredible strength and fighting skills confirm that image.

In truth, the sukeban resemblance is exactly that and nothing more; her hair is naturally curly and her new school doesn't have a uniform in her size. She only uses her strength to protect others. Notably, she has a romantic heart and yearns for a place to belong, perhaps even a person she can belong with.

Absolutely none of that matters to society. Through no fault of her own, people only see one side to her and assume the other doesn't exist. Prejudice and ostracisation follow.

You might think this would cause Makoto to be ashamed of her more masculine traits, but that's not the case. She might feel embarrassed by them at times, or attempt to play up her feminine side to compensate, sure. But in the end, she embraces all of these characteristics and doesn't think it's wrong to be this way. People just refuse to see the feminine side that's openly on display.

So, here we have a character with a compelling set of characteristics that can be utilised in different ways. The approach taken is something that differs per version. But like all things Sailor Moon, Makoto is a product of her time; the sukeban aspect is particularly dated.

As an early 2000s show, PGSM had a chance at a fresh start with this concept. Suffice it to say I was very interested to see how it would update Makoto to a new millennium and modify her without erasing her core traits. What I got was far more than I bargained for.

Makoto's PGSM debut gives us an effective overview of her as a person that hits many familiar beats. She protects Usagi, returns Usagi's friendliness with her own, develops a crush on a guy, and kicks ass both in and out of Senshi guise. She had her heart broken by her senpai at her previous school, but she also felt like something was urging her to come here. Now she knows why: she had comrades to meet.

This looks like a mix of Makoto's introduction in the manga and 90s anime, adapted to modern times. But all that familiarity is distracting you from something. There's actually a big deviation here, and you can see that before she even does anything.

Take a good look at this picture. Obviously the sukeban influence was removed from her design, but that's not the most important detail here. Hopefully you'll notice what I didn't:

There are no rose earrings.

Everything spirals out from there. The Makoto from the 90s was open about her femininity, but the Makoto we meet in PGSM barely shows her feminine side at all. In fact, she takes great pains to hide it.

This affects her character on a fundamental level. When she first appears, she comes across as unusually withdrawn and stoic. As is typical of the character, she swiftly opens up to Usagi and that seems to be the end of aloof Makoto. But that feminine side doesn't surface. She still dresses in unisex clothes that lean more toward masculine than feminine.

Likewise, her flat may have a few plants and a neat kitchen, but they don't take centre stage. There's a skateboard and a hat collection (my beloved!) that are displayed at the entrance. A logical location, but that also means it's the first thing you see when you enter.

So, what gives? Here's the thing: the characters in PGSM are emotionally complex. Much work and care went into characterising all of them. Because of this, the characters feel like real people. They argue, make mistakes, agonise over things... Not to say this isn't the case in other versions, but PGSM takes it further and really emphasises how vulnerable--how tragically human--these characters can be.

That's what is being tied into here. Being mistaken for a tomboy, despite being openly feminine, is an external issue. But for PGSM's Makoto, the conflict is internal. She doesn't want to be seen as feminine. When exposed or questioned, she denies it despite being a terrible liar. If the questioning continues, she actually uses her tomboy image to refute it.

She does this because her feminine side makes her vulnerable. This Makoto has been burned so many times that she's developed abandonment issues. She's one bad experience away from yet another cocktail of intense sadness and deep-seated anger. Sometimes a mere reminder is enough to get her down, too.

No one wants to feel like that. She's learnt the hard way that opening herself up to others puts her at risk. That's why she prefers to play these darker feelings close to her chest.

To demonstrate all of this, her debut episode shows us exactly how bad it can get. It puts her through an especially cruel combination of deception, humiliation and rejection, no punches pulled.

It's at this moment that Makoto has had enough. Taking this risk was a mistake and it should never be repeated. She slams the gate to her wounded heart shut and locks it tight. The walls of her inner fortress become that much higher.

Learning to lower those walls and make another try for happiness is Makoto's character arc in PGSM.

This is why she was shifted so much toward the tomboy archetype. By giving Makoto an emotional incentive to deny a part of herself, PGSM gives her a believable, deeply personal obstacle that can take her the entire show to overcome. She now has to engage with her abandonment issues in order to become the more balanced person we know she can be.

Her powers as Sailor Jupiter also connect to this: there's the explosive power of lightning on one end and the soothing aura of nature on the other. Two distinct halves that each bring their own benefits. But Makoto's starting point is pure lightning.

Multiple times throughout the show, we're shown that nature is trying to communicate with her. But because she starts out as a lightning bolt, she doesn't understand it at all. This is another avenue for self-improvement, and PGSM understands that too; it explicitly ties the awakening of a Senshi's full powers to overcoming a core character flaw.

So, given all of that, how does PGSM build on the devastation she suffered during her debut episode and the emotional consequences left in its wake?

I'm happy to report it does nothing for 24 episodes. Yes, really.

For half of the runtime, Makoto acts as the support of the group; often present, but never centre stage. Sure, she develops a dynamic with each of her new friends, and she even begins to show some of her feminine aspects as that trust grows. The more she does this, the more her affinity with nature subtly increases; she begins to use non-lightning attacks and comes ever so slightly closer to understanding what the wind and trees attempt to tell her.

But when it comes to the story, Makoto doesn't drive most of the events that occur at this point. She becomes involved, or agrees to go along with something, but rare is the instance where something happens directly because of her actions. She contributes, but she's never in the driver's seat. She's the one who helps others become better versions of themselves.

She develops, but she doesn't grow.

This delay is 100% intentional. A Makoto who's only giving, only protecting, is completely fine. There are no lingering issues she needs to deal with because they've been swept under the rug, tucked away behind the walls of her fortress. For all she reveals of herself during this time, her abandonment issues might as well not exist.

This is PGSM's devotion to character-driven storytelling and narrative consequence on full display. As Makoto ignores her emotional baggage, PGSM is likewise content to misdirect you away from it.

Cycle of Fear

It's not until episode 31 that Motoki--the most endearing turtle nerd to have ever lived--unwittingly pokes at Makoto's defences. Up until that moment, she'd first considered him an acquaintance and later a supportive friend. In other words: a safe coexistence.

The moment she realises he has a crush on her, that safety disappears and all her thoroughly-buried insecurities rush to the forefront. Her old stoicism slams into place as the mask we now know it to be and she does her best to avoid eye contact. As brash as she usually is, she now struggles with all her might to seem detached and logical. She has to; the alternative is revealing how anxious this situation makes her. Although Usagi, Ami and Rei have earned her trust, showing that most vulnerable side of herself is still a bridge too far.

She drags herself to the date (probably because Usagi wouldn't let her worm her way out of it) and spends the entire time being awkward in spite of Motoki's oblivious excitement. It's clear that her heart isn't in it, but in typical Makoto fashion, she places the needs of the kind, sensitive Motoki above her own and does her best to let the date die a natural death.

Then, a sudden connection!

Makoto is stunned at first. No one has ever said that to her. As Motoki continues to extol her virtues--half of which are about how incredibly nice she is--she lights up! Aww!

...Only for her insecurities to take over again after an offhand mention of parents by Motoki, because PGSM is a story about fallible human beings. She immediately attempts to leave and is only stopped by a nosey Luna. It's impossible for Motoki not to notice something's off at this point. Keen for clarity, he decides to confess his feelings when they're not surrounded by other people. Makoto rejects him--by denying her femininity.

This is a direct result of Makoto's actions in the first half of the show. When she started to open up to her friends, she could've taken it further and started to navigate her issues. Her friends could've helped her. Instead, she chose to pretend that there was nothing to fix.

Now here she is. Avoidance--her first line of defence--has failed. Her second wall, rationalisation, has also been bypassed. Emotionally cornered, she falls back on the same defence mechanism she used at the start: denial wrapped up in irrational beliefs and low self-esteem.

"I'm really strong and get into fights. People are scared of me. That means I'm actually not feminine at all and what you saw was an anomaly. And because I'm not feminine, I'm not dating material."

By maintaining her tomboy image and denying her feminine attributes, this reasoning allows her to pre-emptively sabotage any blossoming relationship for herself. While this might bring relief in the short term, it's also the very thing that keeps her from happiness. Makoto is the Senshi of courage, but here she demonstrates how afraid she truly is.

Motoki seems to recognise this on some level. To him, Makoto is a strong, confident person. But she's also reserved in a way, and now that the emotional mess underneath is being dragged into the light, it's clear she's like that for a reason. He sees her for who she truly is and he likes what he sees, but she's not in a good enough place, mentally, to see that too. So he does the only thing he can do: he gives her space. He reassures her that she is feminine and then leaves her be.

"Why?"

This is the question that has plagued her for years. Uttered by a young Makoto and echoed by her present self, this representation of her thoughts comes up whenever loss or rejection hits. What matters here is the context: for once, it's Makoto who did the rejecting. She's in control.

So then, why does this still happen?

This is one of the uncommon moments where PGSM engages in subtlety. We don't get a definitive answer here. Makoto asks, "Why?" but we don't know what that refers to in this moment. We have to infer that ourselves.

My reading is as follows: "I rejected him before he could reject me. I removed him from my life before I could lose him. So why does it hurt? Why do I feel sad?"

During the subsequent fight against a powerful Youma, the other Senshi are held up and she ends up cornered and alone. It's an all too familiar scenario. She flashes back to all of the people she's lost.

Motoki shows up too, but he's almost impossible to make out.

At that very moment, the wind picks up around her. She lets out a breath in awe, gazing up at the swaying branches as the wind seems to communicate something. And then she awakens. Although she still summons a lightning attack, it's now taken on a green colour, signifying a new equilibrium.

When the others ask her what triggered it, Makoto naturally tells them the lesson of this episode: that she had to acknowledge her feminine side and truly open herself up to being loved--

--Wha...?

Yeah, you're seeing that right. Makoto just learnt the wrong lesson.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted by this outcome. Deep down, as much as she wants to refute it, Makoto needs companionship, people to belong with. It's a core aspect of her character! It makes no sense for her to gain power from solitude.

However... If you think about it, why wouldn't this be her takeaway? She was alone and she made sure to sabotage her relationship with Motoki before it could go anywhere, so this is the only logical explanation, right? Her powers awakened, so the narrative is proving her correct as well.

Except no, the narrative is simply adhering to the consequences of her actions. By coming to the wrong conclusion, Makoto has once again delayed her growth.

For the next 13 (!) episodes, Makoto seems to be okay again. She easily slips back into her role of casual, friendly and supportive friend. But something's changed: Usagi, Ami and Rei have glimpsed Makoto's scars, and they're not content to let her ignore them.

They attempt to challenge her new outlook, but Makoto's resolve is ironclad. Even when she's forced to reveal her secret identity to Motoki, she still reiterates her rejection of him. What's worse, she now she has an extra defence: her duties as a Senshi. Although Motoki still carries a torch for her, he resigns himself to supporting her as best he can.

Still, despite her determination in this matter, Makoto herself has changed as well. There's conflict and pain present whenever she's forced to acknowledge her decisions. And ever since the start of episode 31, she can't help but look sombre whenever something reminds her of her parents. Somehow, despite her best efforts to repair the holes in her walls, some cracks have remained.

All of this comes to a head when Makoto's character arc collides with Minako's.

Diminishing The Self

Ever since the girls found out they were reborn after their past lives ended in disaster, they've been grappling with PGSM's theme more and more. With their past swiftly squeezing the life out of their present, each of them is forced to form an opinion: How much do their past lives affect their present lives? How much should it affect them in the first place? And what do you do?

Here's our spectrum: On one extreme we have Rei, who's become resentful of her past life and rejects it completely. She asserts that she is her own person and that her past life shouldn't dictate who she is and how she acts now. Makoto's stance is adding fuel to that fire. When Minako counters her coup with one of her own, Rei is kicked out and decides to fight on separately.

At the other extreme stands Minako. Diagnosed with a terminal illness that she has almost no hope of curing, she's completely rejected her present life and is devoted to completing the mission from her past life. She won't be around for much longer and she's determined to save the world as much as possible before she dies. She asserts authority over the Senshi for the sake of the mission.

Usagi and Ami fall between these two polar opposites. Usagi is the reincarnation of the Moon Princess and is literally anchored to the past life through her Silver Crystal. She can't deny that her current existence has been heavily shaped by the past. But she's also determined to prevent a repeat of the past, even if it's the hardest thing she's ever done. She works hard at controlling her emotions and is convinced she and Mamoru will succeed.

Ami's current circumstances don't seem to be shaped as much by her past life, so she's the most neutral out of all of them. But as someone who was turned to evil and emerged a changed person, it's hard to deny: Their lives have been affected by the past and it's necessary to acknowledge that. What to do with that information is something she doesn't have the answer to. She fights alongside Minako and Makoto, but stays in touch with Rei.

Makoto has been firmly in the 'this mission is paramount' camp from the start, but not to the extreme that Minako is. You see, Minako almost always chooses to refer to them by their Senshi monikers. Makoto doesn't; she and her three friends always refer to each other by their present life names, even during battle. This is a conscious change that establishes their current identities as distinct from their past selves.

But remember, Makoto came here because she was meant to. She was meant to meet her comrades. She was destined to be alone, so she could listen to nature and let it lead her to her true purpose in life.

So when Minako tells her she's so devoted to the mission that she will cast aside her life to complete it, Makoto can't help but be stirred. Finally, with Minako's help, she realises that the truth is even simpler than she thought: She's always been alone because her current life isn't what truly matters. She exists to carry out her duties, regardless of the personal cost.

This is the final piece of the puzzle for both her and us. Her shift to a tomboy archetype, her character arc and the theme of the show all combine here.

For years, Makoto has been haunted by something: "Why?" Why was she left to suffer all alone? Why was she abandoned over and over?

Then this Senshi business comes along, and with it comes a duty and moniker from a past life. For Usagi, this upheaval of her identity is upsetting. But for Makoto, it's a comfort. Being a Senshi gives her purpose, stability and even friends. For someone who's sorely lacked all of that for years, this development is nothing short of a godsend.

And so, from the very beginning, she took this newfound 'destiny' and ran with it. This was the best thing that had ever happened to her and she crafted her entire outlook around that. Heartbroken and expelled from school? That was just another way to get her to where she needed to be. Her powers awaken while she's dwelling on how she always ends up alone? Obviously that isolation was also intended.

From there, it's a hop, skip and a jump to what she's doing in this scene: discarding her current identity in favour of her past one. She perfectly expresses this by (in the next episode) copying Minako's statement: she might die, but "Jupiter won't disappear". Kino Makoto is a shell to house Sailor Jupiter, and shells are expendable.

This is Makoto at her most extreme. She's always downplayed her own importance and achievements, and now here she is, downplaying her very existence. No individual, only the greater good.

It doesn't even matter that Minako lied to them about her identity, illness and powers. Makoto understands by this point that a secret can be kept for good reasons; she's done it herself. If anything, Minako's deception and her ensuing burdens feed Makoto's view of her as a martyr and a leader.

By choosing to follow that example, Makoto joins Minako on the very extreme of the thematic (past life versus current life) spectrum. In turn, Minako gains the staunchest of allies--but she fails to realise how thoroughly Makoto has just been primed for the pinnacle of martyrdom.

A powerful Youma attacks. When Makoto, Ami and Luna wound it, Metalia possesses it, scaling its power beyond that of the Senshi to overcome. Minako can't transform. Ami and Luna have been knocked out of their Senshi forms and can't fight anymore.

Metalia is about to win. They're going to fail.

Makoto decides to fulfil her purpose. She grabs hold of the Youma and overloads herself with lightning, creating an explosion that annihilates them both.

Minako calls out to the person--not the Senshi--in front of her.

True Courage

Makoto wakes up in a hotel room, wounded but alive, watched over by Minako. The Youma threw her off at the last second, saving both of their lives. Makoto only laments her failure; she doesn't even seem to care that she almost died. In fact, she outright states that she was meant to be alone so that her possible death wouldn't make anyone sad.

Minako has been horrified by this entire ordeal and that feeling only grows with every sentence Makoto utters. When Makoto explains she was fulfilling her past life's mission, it hits Minako like a ton of bricks: this is her doing. By influencing Makoto in this direction, she almost had Makoto's blood on her hands.

She tries to sway Makoto from a repeat attempt, but is taken aback when Makoto unintentionally throws every single one of her own arguments back in her face. When she claims that her own situation is different, Makoto looks her squarely in the eyes and says, "A life's a life. They're all the same."

Minako doesn't deny it. She can't. How could anyone refuse such a simple, factual statement when it comes from someone as forthright as Makoto?

It proves impossible to change Makoto's mind, so she changes tactics. Rather than challenge Makoto's standpoint directly, she questions one of its cornerstones instead. She does so by revealing that Makoto had muttered Motoki's name in her sleep. Perhaps, she posits, Makoto is more tied to the present than she believes herself to be.

This succeeds in shaking Makoto's beliefs. Minako leaves her to her thoughts, victorious in a way, but her own conviction was caught in the crossfire. While Rei's insistence opened the way, she was also easy to dig in her heels against. Makoto, on the other hand, has fundamentally disproven Minako's views by agreeing with her. In that suicide attack, she saw first-hand the logical endpoint of her own ideology. She's more than a little disturbed.

It's the opening Artemis needs, even though he doesn't know it's there. When he subsequently shows her how much joy and comfort her songs bring to others, she finally realises what she's been missing in herself. Her current life does have value, her achievements do matter, and she shouldn't dismiss them so flippantly. She should love herself, love the person she is now.

In the following battle, she awakens her full powers and transforms. The Senshi are finally united for good.

Now that Minako has admitted to herself that she also resents the past life for what it's done to her, Makoto has become the new extreme on the thematic spectrum. However, Minako's revelation is forcing her to reconcile conflicting truths. She awakened because she was alone. But if Motoki's still on her mind like that, if he's still part of her life like that, then she's not alone. If she's not alone, then her reasoning is intrinsically flawed.

When she sees Motoki in a Youma-induced coma, the question of "Why?" returns for the final time. And then she sees him, clearly this time.

In that moment, she realises all of her beliefs were wrong. She didn't reject Motoki, she lost him through self-sabotage. Foiling a possible relationship didn't work; he'd cracked her armour before then. Their connection was gradually built up over the entire show and came cocooned in comfortable friendship, the only type of connection she did allow.

When that connection touched her heart and stirred something more, that was when she unlocked her full potential. He cares about her, the real her, not the skewed facade she puts on. She's not alone anymore. When she told herself that she was alone and always had been, and the wind rustled the leaves, that was nature calling her out on her self-deception.

But why did that self-deception even occur? She didn't need to draw this conclusion from the start, did she? Unfortunately, she did. That's the final, heartbreaking part: Being a Senshi was the ultimate coping mechanism.

There's a reason this shot is repeated multiple times:

Makoto was constantly looking back at the past, looking for answers. Because her abandonment issues went unresolved, that question of "Why?" was burning a hole in her. She was desperate for a reason, any reason, so she could understand. If her hardship and loneliness were predetermined and in service to this all-important duty, then being a Senshi justified her suffering. She craved that more than anything. No wonder she transformed without even questioning it.

And hey, if that duty meant she had to avoid the type of relationship that terrified her most of all, well... That was a happy coincidence, wasn't it?

Fortunately, for all the trouble her uncompromising, black-and-white outlook has brought her, that same determination also allows her to accept this new truth in an instant. She screwed up big-time, but as long as she lives and breathes, she can work to set things right.

She strokes Motoki's hand and runs off to join the fray--not to throw herself at the enemy through all her lifetimes, but to protect those who are dear to her now. After the fight, she looks at the turtle-shaped charm Motoki bought her and smiles, allowing herself to dream of the future for the first time.

Minako passes away the next episode, but she does so with no regrets. Although grief follows, that final unifying moment, jump-started by Makoto, was enough. Ami, Rei and Makoto head off to the finale together, as a true team, never losing sight of what's important to them.

PGSM is exceedingly compelling to me, and the structure of this character arc exemplifies why. Makoto learns the wrong lesson three times: when she first becomes Sailor Jupiter, when she awakens her full power, and when she embraces Minako's ideology to an unhealthy degree.

Not only does PGSM allow her to miss the mark so spectacularly, it also gives her the time to deny and then address her irrational beliefs in a plausible manner. Moreover, because she and Minako drive each other to unlearn their internalised misconceptions, Makoto gives both Minako and the story one of the last pushes they need.

The last we see of Makoto's new and improved self, in relation to romance, is her final encounter with Motoki in the show. She shows him she's attached his cute turtle charm to her wallet, out there for everyone to see. Motoki treats it with cautious optimism, then relief. It's a deliberate signal: Makoto is open to new possibilities now. Maybe they can try again. They laugh a little, sharing their first comfortable moment together in this context.

Sadly, likely due to a few cut episodes, this is the last we see of them. Makoto's character arc is definitely complete, but because the ending shows the Senshi alone before they meet up with Usagi again, her relationship status with Motoki is left ambiguous.

But not to worry! Due to the success of the show's DVD sales during its runtime, both a special prequel and sequel act were produced! The sequel act is a 1-hour movie that shows us where everyone ended up four years later.

In that time, Makoto has undergone a significant transformation. In the show, her dreams for the future were never even mentioned. But here, we find out she's studying floral design, something that she's obviously passionate about. Reaching for happiness indeed.

On the wardrobe side, she still owns unisex clothes (you see this when she charges off to the action portion of the movie), but otherwise her femininity is on full display. A blouse, an embroidered shirt, even a bright yellow skirt, it's all there. Not to mention the stunning dress she wears at Usagi's wedding. And to symbolise how full-circle we've come, she's even wearing earrings!

Her flat has likewise seen major changes. The skateboard and my beloved hats have been moved to make way for what appears to be storage (a fulfilling life can result in extra possessions!) and a picture of something nature-y on the wall. And the room is now filled with plants!

All of these differences stack up. The flat looks...filled, for lack of a better term. It started out rather sparse in her debut episode, but back then she'd just moved in and probably hadn't finished unpacking yet. However, even after she gained more possessions, there were parts that felt like they had just a little bit of empty space to them. Now the entire space is lavishly furnished!

Speaking of which, there's a large stuffed turtle on her sofa, indicating she and Motoki have pursued their relationship and now live together. This is later confirmed when she takes Motoki's car--which she had the keys for--to save Usagi and Mamoru.

At the very end of the epilogue, Motoki clumsily but earnestly asks Makoto for her hand in marriage. And Makoto, overwhelmed and overjoyed, accepts. She's the only version of the character to have achieved this.

It's immensely satisfying seeing a character brought so low, only for them to soar higher than ever before. This Makoto has undergone an immense personal journey. There's no telling what kinds of challenges she might need to overcome in the years to come, but she's already climbed this mountain. Perhaps there's nothing she can't do. And no matter what, she'll always have someone at her side. She'll never be alone again.

I love it. I love all of it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is my favourite take on Makoto in the franchise. She's the best, and PGSM is the best for treating her with the nuance and maturity she deserves! Bravo!

---

That's the end of this post! It was meant to be way shorter, but I suppose that was an exercise in futility. If you made it all the way here, thank you very much!

I know I just said PGSM was the best. This is a subjective statement. PGSM is far and away my favourite incarnation of Sailor Moon, but I hold to what I said at the start: Every version is different, and I think that's great. We all enjoy media differently; the more people that can find a version of Sailor Moon befitting their preferences, the better.

It just so happens that PGSM was made for me! And hey, if you've never watched it before, or you dropped it like I first did, maybe it's worth another try. You never know, it might just be your thing too.

Like a certain person once sang:

~Just like predictable movies and books are boring When life is a little bit off, it might be more fun~

[go-go-devil]

what is your favorite classic sonic game and favorite modern sonic game? also if you like, mania can be grouped with the classic games :]

I already gave an answer to my favorite classic game, so I'll answer this portion with my second favorite classic Sonic game: Sonic CD!

Or more specifically the 2011 remaster made by Christian Whitehead. I never got to play the original Sega CD release nor the Sonic Gems Collection version, but honestly I don't need to because this remains the best version of the game to play and may very well be the best remaster of any video game ever! It not only enhances the visuals and gameplay speed, but also lets you pick between the Japanese and American soundtracks + giving you the option to play as Tails!

The only aspect of the game that puts it slightly (and I mean VERY slightly) below Sonic 3K for me is because I need to be in a certain mood to get fully immersed in this game's level design. It's more vertical and chaotic than the smoothly paced greatness that is 3K's zones, but when I'm in the mood to explore and embrace the zaniness of it all it truly is one of the best and most unique platforming experiences out there ✨

(Also the Japanese OST is the best Sonic soundtrack ever made and one of the best in all of gaming imo)

Now as for my favorite modern Sonic game...

Oh yeah, I'm so predictable and I don't care 😎

I consider SA2 to be the last of the "Classic Era" of Sonic games, but by the franchise's technical definitions of what differentiates classic from modern Sonic this would technically be a "Modern Sonic" game due to Sonic's gameplay and design here. Honestly I hate what Sega did by separating the 2D and 3D games into different universes since I think it's kinda lame and takes away the connected storyline the series once had (something even Sonic Generations didn't tamper with for its crossover).

But anyway, my love for SA2 goes beyond mere nostalgia. For me this game will always be the series's flawed masterpiece; a game that put so much effort into every single component of its level design and story that, while not always hitting the landing, still provided us with a truly unforgettable experience.

To me this game not only remains the best controlling and most consistently entertaining 3D Sonic game, but also the last Sonic game that truly put the effort into EVOLVING the mechanics from the previous game.

This point might piss some people off, but really think about it. When was the last time a mainline Sonic game, not counting the handhelds, which both fixed the fundamental flaws of its predecessor and added onto them in new and meaningful ways?

Sonic Heroes's team-based mechanics were dropped immediately for Shadow the Hedgehog's morality system and gun gameplay, which too was quickly dropped by the next game. Sonic 06 tried and failed spectacularly to continue the Adventure formula. The Storybook games aren't mainline games but there are many who are divisive on whether Black Knight truly fixed most of the issues of Secret Rings.

Even the boost games didn't do this. Colors only removed the added gameplay mode of Unleashed's werehog levels without actually changing the automation of boosting, and Generations only separated the 2.5D and 3D gameplay without changing the boost formula either. Lost World created a brand new parkour system that was never touched by any future games ever again. Rise of Lyric's puzzle and beat-em-up elements were never attempted again. Sonic Forces went back to the boost formula with zero tweeks to the gameplay, and Frontiers made everything open world and seemed to reinvent the formula AGAIN.

I don't care if I sound old school at this point, this series has developed a major identity problem. For me SA2 will always be the true sendoff for the Golden Age of the blue hedgehog because it was the last game that was allowed to grow and take chances before Sega put Sonic Team and its future games in a capitalistic stranglehold. Even the boost trilogy will never compare to this one for me because, as polished as those games are, their gameplay and stories just don't appeal to me nearly as much as this amazing game 💙🖤

[denimbex1986]

'The “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” movies were certainly the iconic duo of the summer.

Both blockbusters were met with smashing success, generating a combined $235.5 million in ticket sales on opening weekend. Following the weekend, a viral X (formerly known as Twitter) post displayed the popularity of each movie in U.S. states.

Interestingly, the graphic looks very similar to the 2020 electoral map. The map shows Barbie trending more in Republican states, while Oppenheimer was more popular in Democratic states. Even the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania were evenly divided between the two blockbusters.

To me, this was fascinating. Why would Barbie, a movie accused by conservatives of being too “woke” and “feminist,” be so popular in the South? Why does a movie about the inventor of the atomic bomb appeal to liberals with more anti-nuclear proliferation stances?

First, we have to consider that the Barbie doll, for many, has long been a symbol of traditional gender roles and femininity. Barbie is simple and apolitical. She is content with her life and focused on happiness. For many, her perfect lifestyle is an escape from the complexity of real life. Her image is the epitome of a perfect America.

But is this the image that people saw when they went to see the movie? Did it celebrate a perfect America?

No. The movie itself disrupts these stereotypes, presenting a new face for Barbie. It depicts her growing awareness of the flaws in society. She emerges from her perfect pink universe into the real world. She is confronted with the negative aspects of her image, particularly her perpetuation of unrealistic beauty standards. Meanwhile, when the Kens travel to the real world, they realize that there is political power in gender. Barbie has to fight to assert that the direction of society should be guided by what is right and not gender.

So, while conservatives may have watched “Barbie” expecting to see a simple depiction of America, the movie actually challenged traditional beliefs. In fact, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, in a YouTube video, called it “one of the most woke movies I have ever seen,” claiming its intended audience was unclear.

Conservatives may have missed the point of the movie. It is not the movie version of “Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse.” It is a social commentary meant to take a satirical attitude about gender roles and traditional femininity. Perhaps the marketing of the movie failed to adequately emphasize that it was not a cartoon aimed at children but a response to society’s criticism of Barbie.

On the “Oppenheimer” side, it’s clear why some states favored the movie. New Mexico, for instance, the state with the highest percentage of Oppenheimer viewers, was the location for the Manhattan Project testing. The movie is a depiction of New Mexico’s own history and global impact, which drew in many viewers.

But for other states, it’s a little less obvious. Is “Oppenheimer” intended for more Democratic audiences? The movie does take a more left-wing stance on America’s past. “Oppenheimer” doesn’t shy away from opening debate about the U.S.’s bombing of the Japanese. This film certainly takes an anti-jingoist view, questioning the U.S.’s aggressive foreign policy during the Cold War.

But, like with “Barbie,” did Democrats see the movie they were expecting?

They may have expected to see a movie about Oppenheimer as a martyr of the McCarthyism era. He was suspected of being a Soviet spy despite his tremendous contribution to the war effort in America. However, Oppenheimer’s portrayal wasn’t as clear-cut as the audience might have expected. He was depicted as arrogantly entitled because of his genius. The movie exposes his flaws and doesn’t paint him as a perfect figure.

Audiences for both movies might have expected a simple depiction of both Barbie and Oppenheimer. However, the film they actually saw presented both characters in a more complex way. Barbie isn’t just a girly doll; Oppenheimer isn’t just a martyr hero scientist. The electoral map of “Barbenheimer” may have captured viewers’ expectations of both movies, but not the true nature of them. Instead, it captured the political values of America, showing the division between traditional values and progressive ones.'

[theowlhousefanboy]

Notable And Underrated Anime That Have Excellent English Dubs, In My Opinion - A List (With Some Extra Banter or Whatever)

The works of Shinichirō Watanabe, ranging from Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, and Carole & Tuesday (so much so that they're better off disqualified from lists likes this, due to being way too obvious choices... moving on)

FLCL (heck, would even say the same to the otherwise derivative Progressive and Alternative)

The Read or Die OVA, alongside its sequel series R.O.D the TV (so good, that even the likes of Yomiko "The Paper" Readman changing accents actually doesn't feel as jarring as I thought it would be)

Azumanga Daioh (on a side note, Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga sounds a bit like Steven Universe's Amethyst and The Owl House's Vee Noceda; can't really say why)

Lucky Star (so, which part of the Choco cornets should we eat first?)

Nichijou ('nuff said)

K-On!/K-On!! (might sound a bit jarring if one also watched Puella Magi Madoka Magica on the English dub (a bit good, but nothing compared to the Rebellion movie and maybe the compilation films; case in point, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki, and Azusa Nakano are Homura Akemi, Kyubey, -bloody- Hitomi Shizuki, and Madoka Kaname respectively)

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan (kinda sucks that the two compilation movies don't have dubs; would have loved seeing the extra hamminess of the characters' English voices in those)

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - ADV (even if the occasional accents are inaccurate, the emotional delivery of the VAs is hard to deny, especially the vile Gargoyle's)

Kill la Kill (if one has witnessed it, then you know that they sure had a lot of fun playing the characters in this extremely fun gainaxy romp)

Toradora! (...basically the closest we get to seeing Madoka verbally beat down Kyubey in romance and stuff)

Ghost in the Shell, both the movie duology (1 and 2: Innocence) and Stand Alone Complex, including the Tachikomatic Days extras and the Solid State Society movie (so much so that the latter's DVDs are mostly set with the English dub on default, reportedly even in Japan)

REDLINE (can't speak enough for it so to describe its epicness)

Dead Leaves (you can actually watch it on YouTube... it might overwhelm you)

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (telling that it's way more raunchy than even the original Japanese)

Golden Boy (you know, at least the show didn't continue on, lest it might have gotten way too weirder like the manga it's adapted from)

Black Lagoon (so good, that it resulted with the Roberta's Blood Trail OVAs having the cast reprise their roles due to fan demand)

Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemy (so madcap, the former's titular character's VA broke her voice halfway through the show)

Honorable mentions:

Neon Genesis Evangelion - particularly the ADV dub, with Manga Entertainment's efforts on The End of Evangelion and the Director's Cut versions of Episodes 21-24 (it might be correctly deemed as flawed, but nowadays, it sure has proven its worth, albeit at the cost of the Netflix dub being derided as lacking in emotion and perhaps also nuance)

The Manga Entertainment dubs for the Patlabor movie duology (a shame the OVA series preceding it doesn't share the same cast, while the Patlabor TV series dub... eludes me)

GaoGaiGar (flaw: it's unfinished, and thus never even reached the FINAL parts)

In the meantime, hopeful readers, feel free to put on personal recommendations, in case there'll be a second part, if not a commenter's edition.

[knyplotrewrite]

Red Light District (a criticism post ig)

This is a sort of collection of my thought processes while coming up with RLD for my rewrite. Canon RLD is just... oh boy.

CW: discussions of misogyny, prostitution, abuse, just a lot, proceed with caution!

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I want to sorta begin with my initial complaints regarding the canon version of RLD, specifically with its exploration of Yoshiwara. Here is a neat funky list of my complaints to keep this short and simple:

Very shallow exploration of the treatment of courtesans in brothels

Basically no discussion of exploitation of young girls sold into servitude

No discussion of the view on women in general by Japanese society during this time period

Refusal in openly talking about sex

All of these promoting the idea of red light districts being “ooh fun places” and not flawed institutions deserving of criticism

There’s also the crossdressing thing which is just wtf and could have been completely avoided by the way (look up Taikomochi, the KMBK trio literally could have been sent in as these guys or musicians but nope), but that’s a small problem compared to the bigger issue of Gotouge reducing the red light district to pretty colors and just another setting for an epic battle.

It completely divorces this from the actual history of brothels being kinda shitty places in general (not just in the poor brothels that Gyutaro and Daki grew up in). I get that this is a shounen manga/anime and talking about sex or whatever was probably looked down on by publishers, but it really makes me wonder why the hell they’d choose an area for an arc that is primarily known for offering sexual services and not talk about the main thing that they serve... it doesn’t make sense, right?

I don’t work for Gotouge or Shounen Jump so I’m not going to make any assumptions, just put the possibility out there as one of my main theories it ended up so shallow in the first place. You can’t exactly talk about how girls and courtesans in these brothels are treated as objects of desire and nothing else but not talk about the sexual aspect. It kinda falls apart. Anything Daki or Gyutaro says about being beautiful in a world where that paints your worth would have been made infinitely more stronger if the characters could actually talk about sex, too, so rip to that bit of potential.

(Also can I mention there is not a single moment where two characters openly share a kiss in the manga? I find that baffling to be honest.)

Even in the anime, they didn’t fix the really shallow/practically nonexistent discussions about sexual exploitation and misogyny in brothels, and both the anime and manga really just focused on how Daki was a bully to the servants and courtesans. Like... okay. Sure, you can have characters being abusive in brothels, but that’s the only conflict in the arc prior to the battle.

I don’t know man, the only good thing canon RLD has going for it is the battle part of the arc. Any set up or themes or messages in the stuff before it is honest to god, absolutely meaningless.

[tokiro07]

I actually managed to finish medaka box after a while of putting it off because of you mentining it, and it was, weird to be honest? Some of it in a good way, but there were many parts that just, didn't really fell like they click all that well. There are stuff that just hasn't aged well and were annoying but mostly sometimes it really fell like who made it didn't really had much idea in what direction they wanted to take it or how to get there in a satisfying manner. It wasn't really bad overall, I stick with it to the end after all, just like I say, weird. (Hope you don't take this the wrong way, just wanted to share my thoughts since you are the only one I know of who read it).

That's a shame, but it's not for everyone. I've never really thought of Medaka Box as a perfect masterpiece that would appeal to everyone

That said, it is definitely up for debate where a lot of its flaws come from, whether they were from the Jump editorial department, translation issues, or Nisio Isin just being Like That

A lot of Nisio Isin's opining about philosophy comes off as pretty obtuse a lot of the time, like the whole thing about Medaka "killing her father" and it turning out to be that Fukuro a) wasn't her dad, b) killed himself because Medaka's personality was too extreme for him to handle, and c) wasn't even actually dead. Ajimu and Medaka both jumped through some pretty serious hoops to reach the conclusion that Medaka was at fault, but Nisio Isin is also the same guy who wrote a story about a disease that curses you to die at age 12, meaning that you're immortal until you hit 12. That's really just the kind of ridiculous logic this man uses, and I had three full years to get used to it while reading it during its original run

I do think there were a lot of points that Nisio Isin wanted to go a different direction, though, or where he wanted to expound on certain concepts a bit more, but wasn't able to because of the pressures of the editorial department. While the table of contents isn't a reliable indicator of popularity, it's undeniable that Medaka Box was consistently closer to the back of the magazine, averaging at 14th across four years, so it seems pretty likely that it was a heavily divisive series among fans, which could result in things being cut or trimmed just in case of a sudden cancelation. The final arc in particular feels like it was missing a lot, as multiple fights either occurred off-screen or were ended instantaneously (i.e. Medaka vs. Kakegae or Tsurubami vs. Fukuro), and the ones we got to see often had their explanations reduced or completely omitted (i.e. Torai being an artificial Abnormal without us ever learning what her Abnormality even was or Nienami telling Medaka that she's using Styles incorrectly without actually explaining what's wrong with her approach)

Again, though, a lot of what Nisio Isin has to say is difficult enough to parse in Japanese, so god only knows how much is lost in translation. I personally caught CXC making mistakes constantly, and the group currently translating the full-color version is, admittedly, not much better. Sentai Filmworks' subtitles were fine, but that was also the first two seasons where things hadn't gotten too out of hand yet, as Kumagawa hadn't even shown up until the last episode

The best advice I can give is to remember that Medaka Box is, at its core, a deconstruction of a lot of popular Shonen Jump tropes. It becomes more obvious once Kumagawa and Ajimu start literally talking about Jump, but once you know that, even the early chapters are clearly themed around that concept. Most notably, the Flask Plan and the differentiation between Normals, Specials and Abnormals are an indictment of the Jump ideal of "Effort," stating that anyone can achieve anything if they put in the effort, only for most Jump protagonists to have some kind of advantage like being the secret descendant of a deity or the spiritual host to a powerful monster or some such nonsense that automatically makes them different from the everyman. Medaka herself is meant to be almost a parody of the typical Jump protagonist, while Hitoyoshi is the Jump ideal, brought to its logical extreme when he is given the Devil Style Skill to completely erase any benefits he could receive from fate or luck, forcing him to rely solely on his own efforts and ridding him of the ability to make any excuses should he fail

Of course, Medaka Box being so parodic of Jump does beg the question: was the ending what Niso Isin intended? Medaka Box ended much more neatly than most Jump properties get to, but its relatively sudden conclusion would also feel right at home among all of the other "the story goes on" or "well that sure was convenient" or "whoa that's a lot of information to take in all at once" style endings that you so often see in canceled series. Was Medaka Box actually canceled and forced to rush its conclusion, or did notorious mad lad Nisio Isin construct the perfect simulation of a rushed ending? It's absolutely something he would do, especially when you consider that there weren't too many dangling threads or unanswered questions, just things that the fans would prefer to see given more focus

To address your point, I am absolutely certain that Nisio Isin knew exactly where he wanted the story to go, the main question is whether or not he was just unable to overcome his own Nisioisms, if the editors wouldn't let him do what he wanted, or if the translators just found a way to botch his intentions. Maybe it was a little of everything, but we'll most likely never know for sure

[demonslayedher]

Hi Buri-senpai! What legend or piece of folklore associated with kny would you call your favourite?

This is like being asked my favorite movie, it makes me suddenly feel like I have never seen any movies, ever. A big reason I got so sucked in to KnY is because I love so much of the folklore its playing with, I really appreciate that Gotouge works more with themes as opposed to direct interpretations of specific folklore characters. I find it so interesting how even though you can read deeply into specific legends, recurrent folklore and mythological themes tend to get more at the heart of common human experiences, and Gotouge's taken them and made a unique take, creating a new legend out of familiar material. This gator is clearly very knowledgeable and plays subtle homage to a lot of existing folklore, but I like that I can read KnY as its own thing instead of comparing its use of existing folklore characters to other iterations.

So that said, I have a really, really, really weak spot for tengu and oni. (Maybe interesting stuff to learn below, but mostly fangirling, I apologize for typos in advance.)

With tengu, it's the general idea of them and the crow-like imagery and how they can be both good or bad figures (from a human perspective) but ultimately will do as they capriciously please, but the fact that so many of them are mysterious teachers of young heroes? I never get tired of that. I love that we get tengu influence in everything from Urokodaki to a handful of Hantengu's designs. They're just so clever but have such clear personality flaws in how much they know their own cleverness.

One of my favorite Tengu legends is Kurama Tengu training Ushiwakamaru (young Minamoto no Yoshitsune), and in the Kimetsu-Kyoto collab I was thrilled to see Urokodaki hanging out with the new giant Tengu mask at the entrance to Kurama temple.

There is, of course, the mixing of Sabito (a kitsune figure, yay for more fun folklore) with a Nara legend of Tengu too, which is too close to be seen as anything but homage.

As for oni, while I stick with the official "demon" translation for them in the context of KnY (especially since their deeds are pretty clearly defined as evil), I've always had preference for the translation "ogre" instead. They're not always explicitly devilish, sometimes they're just oafs (like the story of the Red Oni and Blue Oni, in which the Red Oni wants to be friends with people but people are afraid of it, so his buddy the Blue Oni gets an idea to attack the people and have Red Oni stop him so that the people will befriend him, but this later means Blue Oni is all alone) or people who had an excess of passion of some kind (as you see in tons of Noh dramas--and yeah, it's usually a woman). Casting the oni out has been a constant in everything from Setsubun holiday customs to folklore like Momotaro setting out to defeat the barbarians (which, yes, can be read as non-Japanese people; and as I've heard, in at least one Okayama version of the legend Momotaro is the bully). Not very fun looking topics, and you could choose to read the above and be offended by the inherent misogyny and xenophobia, but I've always found it funny and owned it, like, "you got that right, be afraid" and been in touch with my own inner-oni since a really long time ago. : 3 I think the classic oni with tiger-striped clothes and ox-like horns is a really cute design (and the fact that this is associated with the "kimon" (oni-gate) direction to the northeast between the Ox and Tiger directions is something I find kind of hilarious) and I've borrowed it for myself long before drawing my "Fanfic Monster" persona that way, and have said things like "I'm being an ogre today" when in a bad mood. Someone at work introduced me to a new hire last week as "oni-kyoukan" (drill sargent) and I was like, ": D I've been recognized for my inner-oni! <3" even though it's just a common phrase. Since I've always had a really soft-spot for them it makes me very attune to any folklore about them, so even when studying Noh in college I wasn't one to think "clearly so many of them are women because these are written by men (plus the influences of tons of misogynistic Buddhist theology)!" so much as "awwwwww, its prop is a little mallet! It's gonna donk someone on the head with that, teeheehee!" Ahh, but hannya masks? Very cool, have always been a fan.

Despite that the Chinese origin of the character used for oni (鬼) can be used in a very wide context but generally for distasteful, devilish characters or for cursing something, and despite how it can also be used in Japan in a very wide context for either mythological creatures with a certain horned image or for evil more generally (especially evil stemming from an excess of passions, be it anything from lust to hate to even sloth), it's still something that stays kind of distinct from the more general cast of youkai (妖怪), Japan's rather colorful cast of homegrown folklore monsters.

I've had lots and lots and lots of conversations with other nerds about how best to translate these sorts of things, because you're likely to find all kinds of translations out there, and nothing ever quite fits every flavor of the nuances, especially in how any of these things may be anywhere on a scale of "horrendous, loathsome evil" to "big dumb oaf just minding his own business," but these are some translations I prefer: Tengu: a kind of goblin (but only to introduce what it is, Tengu should just be called Tengu whenever possible because of their uniqueness) Kitsune: fox (because the fox as a clever mythological figure is pretty accessible in many cultures) Tanuki: Tanuki (because it is a unique species and "Raccoon Dog" tells us nothing helpful whatsoever) Youkai: Ghouls/goblins (because "demon" seems too evil for a lot of the innocuous ones, and any specific Youkai should be introduced by name, unless it's something like Tsuchigumo being introduced in context as the single villain in a work of fiction instead of in the context of other youkai, in which case telling an audience this is "Ground Spider" at least in introducing it will be helpful. It's much easier to picture Minamoto no Raikou and his cohorts defeating a giant spider than some random monster. That said, some creatures from similar settings like Nue fall into the youkai category, and Nue can only be described as like a chimera, and if you're going to call it that you might as well as call dragons and Kirin chimera too (I'm okay with calling Kirin unicorns, even if they are only as similar to unicorns are as Eastern dragons are to Western dragons). Yuurei: Ghosts (because these are more specifically the left-behind souls of dead humans, as opposed to youkai whom don't really fit this description and whom I don't like to translate as "ghosts") Oni: Ogre (because it captures a certain oaf-ishness related to the term, even if they are indeed evil they perhaps aren't much trouble as long as you don't run into one, they'll probably pommel you if you do) Akuma: Demon (only because evil is right there in the name, 悪魔)

Taking this back to Kimetsu no Yaiba, these are some reasons I really like the use of oni as a theme: 1. A danger lurking out in the unknown (always a good folklore backbone)

2. A concrete reason why they are dangerous (oni gotta eat!)

3. A clear power structure showing that weaker oni are scared into obeying authority figures, they aren't necessarily evil by choice

4. Anyone has it in them to be a demon, even if they've been turned against their will by Muzan, it allows their passions to run unabated (and reinforcing a recurrent theme among the heroes, self-mastery): Hunger (obvious) Fear (acting out and hurting people because they fear Muzan) Hatred (for example, Gyutaro resents other people who have life better than him) Sadism (for example, Enmu toying with his meals' minds) Nihilism (or rather, an unhealthy amount of giving in to that mindset and seeing the world as meaningless, like Douma) Self-pity (Hantengu) Pain from shattered dreams (Kyogai is such a writer, am I right) Pain from betrayal (for example, Rui) Desire for immortality (MUUUUUZAAAAAAAAN.) On that note, even Nezuko's passion to protect her family shows itself in violence, and self-mastery is the only reason she hasn't lost herself to the pure rush of passion. It reminds me of how in many philosophies, even an excess of positive emotions can be detrimental, and people who follow those philosophies are instead encouraged to not given into any emotion too strongly. Likewise, the lack of a virtue can be bad, but an excess of it becomes a vice.

I don't have evidence for this, but my sense is that some of the most powerful oni, or the ones who had the greatest potential as oni, were the ones who had the strongest emotions to get swept up in--even you, Douma, so swept up in your disregard for people and assuming that there is no such thing as goodness.

A N Y W A Y, back on topic: 5. I'm really partial to demons in this series who have horns as part of their character design, because that's classic, but it's interesting that it's not necessary. While there's not particular mythology regarding oni's eyes, that's the giveaway in KnY's version of oni. Even though like most dangerous creatures of the unknown it would make sense that they are found in darkness, the sunlight allergy is a KnY thing which makes a very strong world-building element.

6. They really can fall anywhere on the scale of evil, just like humans can (they're just more unfairly enslaved by their passions, as listed above). This is why its makes sense for Tanjiro tohave sympathy for them as he would for people. 7. Some of the throwaway ones just act like ogres, okay

And I think I've run my fingers mindlessly on the keyboard long enough to conclude this post here. ROAR.