#aoi matsubara

[aniwebfindsko]

[lily-visual]

| Full art pages from Visual Works To Heart Anthology Alpha.

| Artists are credited in the alt txt on each image.

| Release date 1999.

[akarikamigishi]

To heart (PlayStation 2) cg collection: Aoi Matsubara

[ecargmura]

ToHeart Volume 2 Review

Come read my review of ToHeart Volume 2 on my blog, Arum Journal!

[okaeri-ossan]

Sis scouted an adorable Aoi at the coolest shop in the city.

[animemakeblog]

“Astro Note” The First Promo

The Astro Note television anime's official website unveiled the first promotional video, the opening theme. The first showing of the original anime is slated for April 2024.

[swallowerofdharma]

Which saezuru characters besides Yashiro and Doumeki do you like and why?

It’s Saezuru month! In no particular order:

Aoi

So much time has passed in terms of the release of the first chapters but I find myself thinking back often about her. As the story progressed, we have noticed how the theme of seeing and being seen is a very central and recurring one and the introduction of Aoi works well in that sense. She is in the street and the characters in the building are seeing her through a window above, at a distance. Nanahara thinks that she is Doumeki’s boyfriend, Doumeki doesn’t want to see her, only wanting her to stay away from his new life, Yashiro is compelled to go talk to her, seeing her much better than she has probably ever been seen. It’s a little reciprocal and those scenes under the rain and in the restaurant are so important because we really see Aoi as she is and not through the eyes of her brother. She really needed to be able to communicate with Doumeki to move on and that real motivation made her presence in the story and Yashiro’s meddling so much more meaningful than a plot device to bring Y and D closer and I really liked that. And I would love to know what type of art she creates.

Ryuuzaki

I never gave up on him, I think the banter between Ryuuzaki and Yashiro in present times is so enjoyable. And this is another example of people fitting into the theme of seeing: he looked at Yashiro and saw more than ever he knew and on the other hand Ryuuzaki is someone Yashiro doesn’t see clearly and it’s interesting that, isn’t it. I also like the way they talk, there is intimacy and fun and challenge in that inconsiderate way that has stayed with them since they were both younger. And I think that a very under appreciated element of having sex in these types of stories is the ability to laugh and play. As for the past: in the situations Yashiro put himself in recklessly, Ryuuzaki’s personality and his unwillingness to really hurt Y is much more important than we have given credit for. Ryuuzaki was the gang leader in Matsubara: the other guys would have followed his example in the way they were treating Yashiro and Ryuuzaki wasn’t willing to push too far, hurt Y or really incite violence. He was maybe unconsciously looking out for Y and we see how different the situation is when it’s Misumi the one who takes charge. Who knows, maybe we will see Ryuuzaki again? He may have learned things about Kai in prison.

Hirata

I remain very much non-judgmental when reading fiction, this kind especially. I find it grating when I have to suspend my beliefs too often and I much prefer characters that behave realistically and coherently with who they are, human beings are flawed and contradictory and yakuza are shady and easy to provoke. But it may come as a surprise that one of my favorite characters is actually Hirata. I think he helped me a lot feel like the story was grounded because he is exactly what I would expect from most yakuza. He is one of the most believable characters there is and I enjoyed how his lines were written, the manipulative way he talked with Ryuuzaki, the false way he addressed Misumi and how he could only barely tolerate or openly despised Yashiro. He was a well written antagonist and provided some good moments and an interesting conflict that kept me engaged. And listen, I am who I am, so I might enjoy fictional stabbing scenes more than other people?

Kamiya

Since he appeared with his pants down in an alley I was immediately a fan of him. His facial expressions speak to me: I am fed up with everything and everyone, every single day is Monday and I haven’t time for your drama. I think the external point of view he provided after the time skip was clever and his dynamics with Doumeki so needed to smooth the air. He is also a character that is able to talk and interact with women very normally despite being yakuza and with the introduction of Izumi I believe he can be very useful to have around and he knew how to be discreet but also worried enough to warn Izumi about Doumeki, even vaguely. It’s too early for me to express opinions on newer characters like Izumi that have not yet been fully and actively involved in the story. I think everything has been kept purposefully as a mystery and I am the type of person who has such an ingrained habit of suspended judgment that I am not able to say much yet about ongoing situations and those involved, I lack information to form a strong opinion on newer characters at the moment. Izumi intrigues me a lot, tho. Thank you for the ask!

[colasarchive]

A look at To Heart Prerelease

A look at some assets and early designs shown before the release of ToHeart

If you've ever downloaded the original ToHeart, you may have noticed a strange sprite used during installation

Though it's clearly Akari, some features are a bit off, and the sprite itself never appears in any gameplay. Thats because this sprite is based off an earlier design of the character.

scan by Game Vecanti

Though there are plenty of designs for unused girls in To Heart's Fanbook, by the time promotional artwork started coming out the designs for the chosen girls were pretty solidified. So most changes we go over aren't gonna be anything too thrilling, but someone should has to do it : )

Design changes for all girls

all uniforms initially had a small yellow symbol on their collar, this would later be removed. Thats it.

Akari Kamigishi

Hair length shortened, in concept art even earlier in development it was much longer than this, though i'm going to keep most comparisons to this line of near-final designs

HMX-12 Multi

Hairstyle slightly changed to be a bit thinner in the back, her ear pieces became less metallic looking and moved to a more turned down placement

Lemmy Miyauchi

Given fangs, (you'll see it a bit clearer when comparing unused sprites), the front pieces of her hair are drawn a bit longer flowing

Shiho Nagaoka

Change in design of her socks and shoes

Serika Kurusugawa

Changed to black socks

Girls with no specific changes

Kotone Himekawa

Tomoko Hoshina

Aoi Matsubara

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early game assets and their differences from Gimix

In Megastore Gimix Vol 5, a bunch of early game screenshots and assets were shown off, this section will go over any differences between these and the final game.

Special Thanks to Brad for letting me take a look at the files

Here's a broad comparison of every change, I'll talk in more in depth about some but others don't really need it

The Lemmy sprite shows her old design (no fangs). Asides from the change in colors of the background all the trees have been totally redrawn. Lemmy's also given an unusually bright eye color that not even her reference sheet had.

Along with the color change the shoe lockers are given more detail. Shiho's sprite would later be redrawn.

another sprite that would be redrawn

Redrawn trees and adjusted shading, it's most apparent on the roof

Aoi's face has been slightly redrawn, the shading on her uniform was also changed.

Shading style completely changed

also somehow this version of the cg ended up on the back of the box

next up is a look at the demo disc, due to the tumblr image limit, click here to continue

[priest-iuput]

Aoi Matsubara

[meyer-sensei]

くらべる京都

Higashiyama ↔︎ Arashiyama

Kurama ↔︎ Ōhara

Uji ↔︎ Fushimi

Shōgunzuka ↔︎ Daimonji-yama

Katsura Rikyū ↔︎ Shugaku-in Rikyū

Higashi-Honganji ↔︎ Nishi-Honganji

Ginkakuji ↔︎ Kinkakuji

Eikandō ↔︎ Tōfukuji

Daitokuji ↔︎ Myōshinji

Kamigamo Jinja ↔︎ Shimogamo Jinja

Kamogawa-tsutsumi ↔︎ Kyōto Gyoen

Aoi-Matsuri ↔︎ Gion Matsuri

Gion ↔︎ Miyagawachō

Tōji no tō ↔︎ Yasaka no tō

Matsubara-bashi ↔︎ Gojō Ōhashi

Sakura ↔︎ Momiji

Ritz Carlton ↔︎ Okura Hotel

Nishiki Ichiba ↔︎ Demachi Masukata Shōtengai

Teramachi Kyōgoku ↔︎ Shinkyōgoku

Takashimaya ↔︎ Daimaru

Kitaōji Aeon Mall  ↔︎ Rakuhoku Hankyū Square

Shizuya ↔︎ Shinshindō

Izumiya ↔︎ Fresco

Tenjin-san ↔︎ Kōbō-san

Keihan ↔︎ Hankyū

Karasuma ↔︎ Tōzai

[neartheeasternfence]

Thank you for adding your comments! Tsunakawa told Amou that he had felt like getting Doumeki (ch.36). It would mean he started planning to make Doumeki a regular member of Sakura Family. So, he has been quite careful in confirming Doumeki’s identity. In chapter 37, he inquired in person about Doumeki’s relationships with women, pointing out that “You must like toshima [the literal meaning is aged, usually used for women].” Doumeki agreed that he preferred toshima [he did not explicitly say they were women]. Yashiro is 11 years older than he, and I had been thinking Doumeki was still single-mindedly in love with Yashiro.

Doumeki replied to Tsunakawa, “I take care of it myself” or “I do it myself,” and added, “sessou ga nai node (because I am unprincipled).” I could replace them only rigidly as usual...

sessou: noun; constancy, fidelity, integrity, chastity, or one's beliefs, principles, assertions (unexpectedly dense concept to depict in English...)

ga: case particle

nai: adjective; non-existential, one does not have, or meaning of negate

node: conjunctive; because, since, as

Although the words are not uncommon including sessou, it is difficult to understand what Doumeki was trying to say. Tsunakawa said, “What do you mean by that?” “If you are unprincipled, you can sleep with any woman (an unprincipled man, that is all the more reason for sleeping with women indiscriminately). I cannot understand you.” And me, either. Why is even masturbation an “unprincipled” deed for Doumeki??

Doumeki’s feelings remain unclear, at least when he was assigned to chase Kido, a former member of Matsubara-gumi (an affiliate of Doushinkai, disbanded in the past), he seemed to be unsettled back of his mind (ch.38). Since any time in four years, he might have been checking on Yashiro’s movements in order not to stumble upon him inadvertently rather than to reunite with. Tsunakawa was going to carry on observing Doumeki closing into the old haunts.

Doumeki is in the state of being sexually quite principled, in other words, chaste. If he is going to dedicate his chastity to Yashiro, that would be understandable. However, it seems that even masturbation is something he should not do or is allowed only compellingly. That is going too far... I suspect that he blocks the exercise of his sexual ability [function?] in general.

As you mentioned in another ask me, in Tobu tori ha kotoba wo motanai (the translated title: Flying birds never speak, end of vol.6), Nanahara said that Yashiro’s sleeping with men was not a tendency of his own choice. Then some realization flashed in Doumeki’s mind.

Doumeki said that he wished after the Aoi incident he had killed his father (ch.2), at the same time he was disgusted by his own violent nature and the sexual function he too, had within himself. Besides, he held self-punishment for not taking care of his sister. He thought it was all right to remain impotent.

I do not think Doumeki does not have any resentment against Yashiro for throwing him away, yet on the other hand, he could be driven by remorse that he might have done something wrong to Yashiro. It seems to me that Doumeki places his own sex at the core of the remorse and restrains him from using(?) his sexuality. Despite his being extremely calm in bed with Yashiro, he would not currently be impotent. I assume that he is, yes, self-punishing again. He might be scared again that he is like his father. Yashiro had told him in chapter 24 that he was different from his father...

In the meeting with Tsunakawa, Yashiro must have been prepared to explain to some extent what had happened four years ago. Doumeki knew that, sat with his head upright, and listened attentively. Yashiro did what he had to do as a former employer -- he recommended Doumeki to Sakura Family as trustworthy man, even though it was a follow-up. The utterance that Doumeki recklessly saved Yashiro's life was both true and had the nuance of gratitude. As you mentioned, Doumeki looked surprised that Yashiro commented so. He did not expect Yashiro to thank him, I guess. 

According to the monologue of Nanahara, Yashiro was speaking unusually honestly up to almost 50 percent. I think that the keystone of Yashiro's speech was a pure person like Doumeki should not have been close to a twisted person like himself. He had “grieved” that such a Doumeki would have tried to follow him, therefore he had let go of Doumeki. That was also true and would have been a kind of clarification about his past choice. Doumeki had been back to being expressionless, yet the fact that his profile was in close-up indicated that he heard it anyway and had some thoughts on it.

You are soooo sweet to say you love that sentence💕💕 I know my compositions are inexperienced every time, even when they have few grammatical errors. I am very glad you read them😊😊 I do not think Yashiro understands what love is. But he has experienced it and done it. I remember you wrote, “if you love something, you let it go.” This work and your posts give me a lot to consider.

Changed, or Not Changed

Impressions; Chapter 49

Continued from Beautiful, or Not beautiful

Changed and unchanged have been the keywords since the meeting with Yashiro and Tsunakawa in chapter 42 (vol.7). Doumeki looks to have changed completely into yakuza, but is it still Doumeki inside? I have begun to assume the possibility that he tried to break off his lovesickness for Yashiro during the four years. He did not go to see Yashiro despite his tracking Yashiro’s movement. He cannot and will not forget Yashiro, only he might have tried to sublimate those whole affairs as a remembrance, and he might have thought that he could already have done so. At the beginning of their reunion, it looked as if Yashiro were the person of bittersweet memory (ch.41, 42).

Yet in the washroom, when Inami’s name appeared on Yashiro’s phone, another emotion was evoked (ch.43, vol.7). Doumeki’s words were offensive: “You still do it with anyone as used to be, right? (You are still sleeping with men promiscuously)” Yashiro, in the bathroom, pondered the words hurled at him for a few panels, and replied, “What makes you think I have changed in just four years? (No, I have not changed).” Doumeki widened his eyes and the momentary expression on his face was not disturbing; in fact, it appeared to be the opposite. On the next page, however, he put his head down and muttered with an expression of discouragement, “No, [no subject] cannot change so easily.” From those on, he held on to a series of provocative words and actions. What was the precise subject of “cannot change so easily”? He might have been disappointed in himself, realizing that he, too, could not change – that he could not let go of his intense feelings for Yashiro. He has exposed his obsession with Yashiro around the edges. He himself must be aware of that now.

Doumeki informed his boss that he was not in a physical relationship with any woman, and he was in a so-called ‘my dominant hand is my lover’ state, adding “as I am unprincipled (ch.37, vol.7).” I suspect that he intentionally suppresses the utilization(?) of his bodily functions, which was able to say had been restored by Yashiro. My inference is that he must really not make even his own hand his lover, still, he allows that, thus it may mean unprincipled. Similar to his coping (none coping) after the Aoi incident. I would say that had been self-punishment. If he feels the need to do so again, he could have any realization about the significance of the affair of volume 5 to Yashiro. Or, to say further, about Yashiro’s sexual behaviour.

Yashiro’s sentiment toward Doumeki is romantic, regardless of how he perceives himself (ch.46). He had been giving his heart to Kageyama in silence for long years and once secretly kissed Doumeki (ch.5, vol.2). Becoming a smart, skillful, and ‘lecherous’ yakuza leader, down deep inside he retained such tender feelings. Can it be counterposed to ‘lechery’? Being ‘lecherous’ was a strategy for him to find pleasure in violence and focus on it in order to survive the assault he had been forced to. After the night with Doumeki, the strategy turned ineffective – the indiscriminate pleasure was gone. Even so, he has any reason to need Inami’s violence. The persona of ‘lechery’ may be unusual, but however unusual it may be, for him it is a means of survival found in extreme conditions. In volume 5, Doumeki unintentionally tore Yashiro’s persona away. Yashiro confronting Hirata was driven by the urge for self-destruction more than usual, while no doubt he did not want Doumeki to die. Eventually, he threw Doumeki away almost desperately. It was also to send Doumeki back to the non-yakuza world. It was supposed to have been. 

In chapter 40 (vol.7), reuniting Doumeki, Yashiro’s view was distorted as he walked alone to the bridge. And his expression resembled the one he had in chapter 32 (vol.6) when he was fastened his seatbelt by Doumeki after the heated argument about whether to get out of the car or not. Doumeki’s words that his time and body were his own were impressive, declaring that he was in the yakuza world by his own will. What was going through Yashiro’s mind at that time? 

He overall highly praised Doumeki at the meeting with Tsunakawa, and I believe that they were in effect directed toward Doumeki (ch.42). He meant that a pure person like Doumeki should not have been close to a twisted person like himself… His distortions – for example, ‘lechery’ – could contaminate Doumeki, and the yakuza world surrounding him could take Doumeki’s life. In chapter 34, when Doumeki was shot in his left chest by Hirata, and when Doumeki dropped down, it seemed that Yashiro’s face was more like a dead. He looked discernibly insane beating Hirata up with the rubble. Amidst the roar of the plane, realizing anything infinitely close to love, he touched Doumeki’s face. Simply put, he let the man go because he held him very dear. But this time Yashiro has grabbed Doumeki. In chapter 49, Yashiro repeats, “I have not changed essentially,” which is not true.

[saint-miroir]

To Heart pages included in Raspberry Magazine vol. 3 (2002). Scanned from my personal collection.

[magical-xirl-4]

Feel free to add more

[ecargmura]

Astro Note Episode 12 Review + Final Thoughts - Happy Endings For All

The ending, while happy, was something I did not expect and that’s a good thing. I mean, I didn’t predict that this show would turn into a mech one and that the mecha robot would be participating in a final battle Astro Lodge and fish aliens. I like the unpredictability this show gives!

I didn’t expect that the reason the Hubby king was after Mira was so he could marry and have babies with her. He failed with Adara, so he was settling for Mira. The reason why he wanted to marry a Wido was because he wanted to have beautiful and talented children. That’s a very dumb reason, but I didn’t see that coming. I’m guessing Widos are objectified and glamorized like how Asians are objectified and glorified by Western countries. I also didn’t expect that Shoin’s house was a spaceship and that it cannot transform into a mech like Mira’s. He was promised marriage with Mira if he abided to the Hubby king’s order, but it was all a lie. Geez, all these people are trying to court Mira, but Takumi comes out the victor because she professes her love for him to the aliens.

I also didn’t predict that the Astro Lodge tenants would be chilling and eating food. They’re so free-spirited! Though, if I was in my house that turned into a spaceship and I wasn’t the one piloting it, I too would be chilling and waiting until the pilot finishes their task. Freaking out over alien attacks would only last a moment.

Mira decides to renounce her right to the throne and decide to stay on Earth and on Astro Lodge as its landlady. I honestly did not predict this. Usually, these types of stories have it to where someone from another planet would go back and leave Earth. Astro Note breaks all of those cliche tropes. She says that she doesn’t want to be tied down by duties she doesn’t want and rule a place she had no attachment towards. Honestly, go Mira for chasing after what she wants! I’m glad that she actually decides to stay!

Mira’s decision of not wanting to be tied down actually inspires the tenants. They all get happy endings, surprisingly! Ren decides to wear skirts to school and it seems that his friend Haruto and the girl with the frilly dress are okay with it! Tomihiro feels proud that Ren is becoming confident and it seems that he got a job of his own too! Aoi finally gets a job as a legal assistant to Tasuke’s lawyer, the lady who helped her out with Tasuke when she was homeless. She even grew to like dogs as she is seen petting her boss’s Cavalier Spaniel at the same bench Shokichi sat on. While the Naosuke and Aoi romance didn’t happen, I’m glad that it stayed a platonic relationship. He’s the reason why she became more assertive now. She even gave Naosuke a radio so he can remember her with it; she even submitted an entry so that Naosuke can listen to the song she requested on the radio. Aw, it’s like what he did for her in the previous episode. Teruko is finally seeing some success as an idol as she’s on the front cover of a magazine! I seriously thought Shokichi died, but it was a fake out. It turns out that he wants to go to space with Naosuke and visit Planet Wid so that he can write a book about it; he’s trying to finish writing a sci-fi novel that revolves around a man meeting a space alien girl—sort of like Adara and Mira’s situations. Takumi gets a job in a restaurant where he works lunch shift. I didn’t expect Shoin to end up being a tenant for good and returns to being Takumi’s apprentice. He is last seen working at a bakery where he’s a hit with the female customers. The only one who didn’t get a happy end was the Hubby king and he deserves a bad end for all the trouble he caused.  I actually like that everyone got happy endings and that there’s no need for a Season 2! Everything concluded satisfactorily. 

However, Naosuke is going to go back because he wants to. Mira revokes his duty of protecting her for life, so he decides that he’s going to protect the key. I guess that’s his version of a happy ending? At least Shokichi will come along with him, so he has a remnant of Earth with him.

This is probably one of the happiest endings I’ve seen in anime. While some things did get rushed, it was a nice blend of comedy, romcom and sci-fi.

Final Thoughts

I just decided to watch Astro Note because it looked like a weird anime and I figured out I was a weird anime enjoyer. Yes, it was weird, but it was surprisingly entertaining! I do like that the writing makes it in a way that some predictable things aren’t as predictable as I would assume like with the whole ordeal with Ren liking skirts or the whole finale.

It’s not a perfect anime, but I did enjoy the characters and gags a lot. However, if I were to be a critic, I’d say that not all characters got fleshed out in this 12-episode run. There’s a lot I don’t know about Shokichi. Heck, even Takumi doesn’t get fleshed out a lot. All we know about him was that he lost his job at a hotel due to bankruptcy and is working at Astro Lodge now. I’d like to learn a little bit more about him like where he’s from or his background before getting into cooking. Heck, I would’ve liked to learn a bit more about Shoin too! I feel like characterization got shoved to move the plot forward. It’s also a crime that we didn’t see what Planet Wid looks like. Despite that, the anime does do a great job showing that Astro Lodge is a share house full of kooky tenants; the supporting cast are all kooky and it’s presented well.

The voice cast was stacked, surprisingly. A lot of A-list actors and actresses are casted here! We have Soma Saito and Maaya Uchida as the leads and the supporting cast consists of names such as Shinichiro Miki, Junichi Suwabe, Tomokazu Sugita, Rie Kugimiya and more. This anime is perfect for anyone who’s a fan of any of these actors. The only voice actress I’m not familiar with is Ai Furihata, who voices Teruko, but that’s because I’m not into Love Live. She does do a good performance, though!

The soundtrack fits the whimsical atmosphere, but I did like the opening and ending songs a lot. The opening sound is sung by Ai Furihata and the ending song is sung by Soma Saito and Maaya Uchida. I really like it when anime voice actors participate in the opening or ending songs. It makes them feel rather involved, you know?

I think that this is a good anime to just kick back, relax and laugh at the craziness transpiring. It’s nothing too serious to think about. If you like animes like that, I suggest you try watching this!

[okaeri-ossan]

To Heart characters from the LEAF-FIGHT TCG

[wagreb]