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osharenippon · 2 years ago

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'70s Japan Trends Through the Music Charts (Part 3)

During the 1970s, the Japanese music industry was in the process of forming its identity. In addition to mirroring the musical preferences of the nation, the charts also served as a reflection of the prevailing societal trends and ambitions of that era. In this series, we chronicle the most significant musical trends of the decade.

'70s Japan Trends Through the Music Charts (Part 1)

'70s Japan Trend Through the Music Charts (Part 2)

Trend #7: Back to Being a Normal Girl

In the 1970s, disbandments were common in the J-music world, and idol groups did not live through a drop in popularity. The decade began with the end of the group sound boom, meaning the dissolution of all bands that followed the style, and it closed with Johnny's boyband Four Leaves and Finger 5 announcing their separation in 1978. Meanwhile, split announcements from folk bands and duos were standard even for those at their peak. The folk duo Grape broke up in 1973, Kaguya-Hime in 1975, and Arisu in 1981. But, for most men, disbandment didn't mean retirement, as individual members usually remained active in the entertainment world. Instead, women were the ones with the showy retirement announcements. More specifically, female idols.

In 1975, the idol duo The Peanuts, formed by twin sisters Emi and Yumi Ito, announced they'd leave the entertainment world. The siblings debuted in 1959 as the first idols of the almighty Watanabe Pro agency, succeeding as singers, actresses, and hosts of variety shows. By the mid-70s, they were past their peak. Still, their senior position at Watanabe Production meant an extravagant closing act that included tributes from other stars at their agency, a TV special, and a small "sayonara" tour. Five years later, Momoe Yamaguchi announced her marriage and departure from showbiz. But while history made Momoe's goodbye a milestone moment and The Peanuts' retirement created a precedent for female idols to follow, in real-time, the retirement that truly captivated Japan at the time was the one involving the trio known as Candies.

Candies, consisting of Ran, Miki, and Sue, three classmates from Tokyo Music Academy, debuted in 1972 under Watanabe Pro. Initially, their sales were lackluster. But, in 1975, Sue, the most skilled vocalist, was replaced as the lead by Ran, who had more appeal with the male audience, and their popularity grew, carried mainly by fanboys, especially university students. But with their catchy songs and good comedic timing, they became fixtures on the variety show circuit and on music charts and endeared themselves to the broader public.

In the summer of 1977, the girls shocked the audience by announcing their retirement during one of their Tokyo concerts. Ran's statement, "I want to go back to being a normal girl," became headline news and a cultural buzzword. The idea of these beautiful and charismatic young women yearning for an ordinary life fascinated Japan, and their popularity soared. Initially planning to retire in September, they postponed it for over six months to maximize their celebrated farewell. The public demand for them was so huge that the Korakuen Stadium was chosen for their final concert, turning Candies into the first female act to headline a show there. Their last performance was broadcast live on TV, achieving a record-breaking 32.8% rating.

Thanks to the buzz around their retirement announcement, Candies became the first female act to headline a stadium concert in Japan.

These retirements had a ripple effect. Seeing their senpai at Watanabe Pro, The Peanuts, saying goodbye influenced the Candies girls. The excellent reception around Candies' farewell reportedly gave Momoe Yamaguchi the courage to leave public life.

Still, Candies got bored of being ordinary girls pretty quickly. After a two-year break, Ran Ito and Yoshiko Tanaka (Sue) returned to the entertainment world as actresses. Miki made a brief comeback in 1983 but married soon after and left showbiz for good. They never reunited publically, keeping the mythology around the trio alive. Behind the scenes, however, they all remained close. Yoshiko passed away due to cancer in 2011, and both former group members were by her side in her final hours. Miki made her first public appearance in decades at Tanaka's wake. Alongside Ran, she made a brief speech, giving the Candies their second and definitive farewell moment 33 years after their legendary sayonara concert.

Trend #8: Pink Lady, The Ultimate 70s Icons

On the last day of March 1981, the idol duo Pink Lady took the stage of the biggest concert venue in Tokyo, the Korakuen Stadium, for their dissolution concert, a momentous event announced six months earlier. Expectations were for a sold-out, highly emotional farewell reminiscent of Candies' retirement show three years prior. Instead, ticket sales were poor and, aggravating the situation, the weather was terrible on the day, with a mix of snow and rain. Thus, the attendance fell way below expectations, with the TV staff broadcasting the event scrambling to get the right angles to avoid images of a half-empty stadium. It didn't seem like a fitting goodbye for the idol duo who, just a few years prior, were the most significant musical phenomenons Japan had ever witnessed. What had happened?

Mitsuko and Keiko were introduced to the general public six years earlier. Like many stars of the 1970s, they catapulted to stardom through the talent search NTV show "Star Tanjou!". On their first major TV appearance, the 18-year-old girls were an amalgamation of current trends: a folk-singing duo named Cookie with their name and aesthetic inspired by Candies. Record label Victor, along with the newly-established agency T&C Music, quickly scoped them up, completely reworked their image, and renamed them after a cocktail, "Pink Lady." Six months later, in August 1976, they officially debuted, presenting something hitherto unseen in the Japanese entertainment world: a disco-inspired duo with long legs, adorned in short, sequined attire and performing hip-shaking choreography.

That innovative style was the creation of several pairs of hands. Their flashy, sexy styling was the work of Yoko Noguchi. Yuu Aku was responsible for their lyrics, while Shunichi Tokura produced the songs. Famed choreographer Hajime Doi was in charge of their dance moves.

Initially, their pelvic movements were deemed a tad risqué for Japanese society, and the original plan was to introduce them as late-night T.V. sex symbols, following the path of stars like Linda Yamamoto. However, their debut single, "Pepper keibu" (Inspector Pepper), instantly captured the public's attention. Their second single, "S.O.S.," catapulted them to the top of the weekly charts for the first time. Their fourth single, "Nagisa no Sinbad," would surpass one million copies sold, becoming the best-selling single of 1977 and solidifying their status as the country's top stars. In fact, four of the ten biggest singles of the year belonged to the duo.

In 1978, their star shone even brighter. Pink Lady boasted three million-selling singles, monopolizing the top three spots on the annual singles chart. They became the first music act to achieve nine consecutive chart-topping songs. Their "Best Hit Album" became the year's number-one record, selling 700,000 copies and earning the title of the fastest-selling full-length album in Japanese history up to that point. In July, they made history by becoming the first act to sell out two consecutive shows at Korakuen Stadium. Their unprecedented success had never been seen before in the Japanese phonographic industry.

Their vibrant image and disco-pop sound foreshadowed global musical trends that would soon captivate Japan. For instance, in 1978, the major imported success was the movie "Saturday Night Fever" and its soundtrack. Abba had become the country's best-selling Western act by the following year.

Between 1977 and 1978, Pink Lady's popularity achieved heights never before seen by the Japanese mass culture industry.

But what boosted Pink Lady's historical popularity was their success with a particular segment: kids. The duo utterly transfixed this demographic with flashy clothes, catchy songs, and easy-to-copy choreographies. And children couldn't get enough of them, with their licensed products flooding the market. At their peak, they were simultaneously starring in over 26 TV spots, had more than 100 products bearing their name, had a radio program, and hosted 7 TV shows on various networks. They also starred in 3 movies. Between 1977 and 1978, Mii and Kei were ubiquitous presences, with a schedule so hectic that "as busy as Pink Lady" became a common expression. Years later, they'd confess they worked so much and had so many activities filling their days and nights that they had no time to grasp the actual dimension of their success.

By the end of 1978, their popularity had grown so immense that their management made a surprising decision: they declined an invitation to perform at the Kouhaku Uta Gassen, a prestigious year-end music show hosted by NHK and historically the highest-rated program of the year. For music stars, an invitation to the Kouhaku was the ultimate honor, and the girls had just appeared for the first time in the previous year. But they had become so prominent that their management believed they should host their year-end special on the private broadcaster NTV instead. Pink Lady would, by themselves, rival the whole glitterati of the music industry.

The network spared no expense for the extravagant variety show-like "Pink Lady ase to namida no oomisake 150 pun" (Pink Lady Sweat and Tears 150 Minutes New Year's Eve). It had a lot of publicity and A-list guests from various fields and achieved an 8.2% rating, an improvement over the previous year's NTV's year-end show (6.2%). Still, it ended way behind NHK's Kouhaku, which reached a 72.2% average audience rating.

Since Japan holds its hierarchies in high regard, the NTV special resulted in a barrage of negative publicity for Pink Lady. Their belief that they could rival the traditional Kouhaku, where all the music industry's A-listers congregated, made them a media target. After two years of record-breaking success, the backlash had begun. In March 1979, when they released their new single, "Zipang," it reached only the fourth position on the weekly charts, marking the end of their number-one streak. Their decline had commenced.

However, at that point, Pink Lady had already shattered every potential barrier in the Japanese industry. Next, they wanted to conquer the world. So, with their local popularity in decline, they boarded a plane to the US to officially start their American takeover. In January, the duo released their first English-language single, "Kiss in the Dark," which peaked at #37 on the Billboard charts. This achievement made them one of the only two Japanese acts to reach the American top 40, alongside Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki," which topped the charts in 1963. They subsequently released their self-titled English-language album, but it failed to make an impression. Still, they got a second chance to make it big when one of the major US networks, NBC, offered the duo their own variety show in 1980.

"Pink Lady," alternatively known as "Pink Lady & Jeff," featured the Japanese duo co-hosting alongside comedian Jeff Altman. The show's title initially sparked confusion as Altman believed he played an equally vital role and insisted on his inclusion in the title. Pink Lady's American manager objected and even threatened legal action, ultimately leading NBC to compromise. Consequently, the on-screen name became simply "Pink Lady." Notably, NBC executives mistakenly assumed that Mie and Kei were fluent in English, only discovering at the eleventh hour that the duo did not speak a word of the language. This necessitated phonetically memorizing both scripts and songs, creating a complex production process. The shooting schedule posed challenges as well, given their limited time for filming in California due to various promotional commitments in Japan. US producers sought to develop contrasting personas for each girl for marketing and narrative purposes. This concept, however, met with vehement opposition from Mie, Kei, and their Japanese handlers, as their signature unity in performance was a defining characteristic. To compound matters, the primetime celebrity-fronted variety show, once popular in the 1970s, was in decline. All things considered, the "Pink Lady" US show was a recipe for disaster. And it was, being canceled after five episodes.

In hindsight, Pink Lady's brief foray into the American market did achieve some remarkable milestones. The duo became the first and only Japanese stars to headline a primetime show, and they were among the few to secure a top 40 song in the country. However, during that period, their inability to replicate their domestic success and the unfavorable reception of their US show led the Japanese press to characterize their international endeavors as a monumental failure. Coupled with their waning popularity in Japan, Pink Lady's prospects seemed bleak.

Towering over all of this was Keiko's involvement with another top idol, Goro Noguchi. In 1979, the Japanese media frenzy surrounding their relationship reached a fever pitch. Since idols were expected to refrain from dating, both parties vehemently denied any romantic involvement, and despite numerous attempts, the media failed to produce photographic evidence of their romance. Nevertheless, their pairing became a national fixation. Tabloids reported that Pink Lady's faltering US career was due to Kei's fixation on Goro, suggesting that she longed to return to Japan and that marriage was on the horizon. According to this narrative, despite her agency's pleas, she would ultimately prioritize love over her career, as a female idol's romantic involvement could only mean one thing: retirement.

Keiko's marriage to Noguchi never materialized, and neither did her retirement. Instead, in September 1980, Mie and Kei convened a press conference at the Akasaka Prince Hotel to announce their disbandment within six months. The hope was that this dissolution announcement would lead to a resurgence in sales and popularity, akin to the "Candies' retirement effect." Yet, after years of overexposure, that ship had sailed. Their final single, "OH!," peaked at #46, an improvement over their previous release but far from their glory days. Their last concert drew an audience of 15,000—a respectable number but well below the stadium's maximum capacity, inviting unfavorable comparisons to the sold-out 1978 Candies "sayonara" show at the same venue.

Their agency, T&C Music, filed for bankruptcy nearly immediately after their disbandment. While many entertainment agencies in Japan had connections to the Yakuza, T&C stood out for its inadequacy in concealing its underworld ties, leading to many legal troubles. Furthermore, their financial management left much to be desired, and the consensus was that their investment in Pink Lady's US TV show left them in dire financial straits.

Despite the comparisons drawn between their farewell concerts and their simultaneous commercial peaks, there existed no genuine rivalry between Pink Lady (left) and the Candies girls right). Although Pink Lady's initial audition on Star Tanjou drew inspiration from the Candies' aesthetic, their post-debut image diverged significantly. Hisahiko Iida, one of the executives associated with Pink Lady, used central Tokyo districts to illustrate these distinctions: "For Candies, Sony envisioned a group akin to the youth-centric wards of Shibuya and Harajuku. In contrast, for Pink Lady, we had in mind the adult nightlife ambiance of Shinjuku and Ikebukuro." Despite their adult look, Pink Lady became a sensation with kids. Candies, on the other hand, were very popular with college boys. The fact that each group occupied its own unique lane prevented them from ever feeling like competitors, and they frequently made joint appearances on TV.

As for the girls, they embarked on careers as TV actresses and solo singers. Kei started using her real name, Keiko Masuda, while Mie capitalized her nickname (MIE) and adopted it as her stage name. Some of the biggest names in Japanese music worked as songwriters for their first songs. MIE had the husband and wife team, BOOGIE WOOGIE BAND's Ryudo Uzaki and Yoko Aki, as the composers of her first two singles. Meanwhile, Masuda worked with celebrated songstresses Miyuki Nakajima, Yumi Matsutoya, and rock legend Keisuke Kuwata.

Keiko achieved a significant hit with her debut single, "Suzume," released two months after Pink Lady's dissolution, peaking at #9 on the Oricon weekly charts. Meanwhile, MIE experienced her defining success in 1984 with "NEVER," a Japanese rendition of the Australian band Moving Picture's song, which reached #4, boosted by the success of the TBS TV drama "Furyou shoujo to yobareru," which used the song as its theme.

Still, neither of the two would have lasting success as singers or actresses. What keeps them relevant today is Pink Lady's historical success, which, despite its anti-climax ending, made them symbols of late 70s culture.

Over the years, they have reunited on multiple occasions. In 1984, they released an album and held reunion concerts. In 1989 and 1990, they reunited for the NHK Kouhaku, marking their comeback to the traditional year-end gala after the highly publicized rivalry with the show a decade earlier. They released a compilation to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 1996 and took part in the end-of-year dinner show circuit in 1990 and 1996.

The early 2000s witnessed a peak in Pink Lady nostalgia. Their reunion for the 2000 Kouhaku became one of the show's highest-rated moments. In 2001, the TV Asahi variety show "Tantei! Night Scoop" noted how almost every Japanese woman in their 30s knew Pink Lady's choreographies. The following year, a Pink Lady-themed pachinko (a pinball gambling arcade game) machine generated substantial revenue, providing Mie and Keiko with significant royalties. This financial catalyst led to another nationwide reunion tour in 2003, with additional concerts in 2004 and 2005. Finally, in 2010, they announced their permanent reunion as Pink Lady. Since then, they've been making periodic appearances together.

Their current career relies on nostalgia and their past glory. But it underscores that while nostalgia for the 70s exists, there will be demand for Pink Lady.

Trend #9: Nursery Rhymes and the Taiyaki-kun Obsession

In 70s Japan, kids were a critical force behind some of the biggest recording industry success stories, such as Mari Amachi and Pink Lady. But what happened in 1976 defied all odds as a nursery rhyme no one had big expectations for would go on to become the best-selling single in Japan's history, a record that remains unbroken to this day.

The genesis of this extraordinary success can be traced back to Fuji TV's preschool program, "Hirake! Ponkikki," which introduced the song "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" (Swim, Taiyaki-kun) in September 1976.

The song recounted the adventures of Taiyaki-kun, a taiyaki—a fish-shaped cake commonly sold as street food—who yearned to escape the daily ordeal of being fried on an iron plate. Eventually, he embarked on an unforgettable journey to the sea. Ultimately, he can't escape his destiny as a fisherman catches and eats him.

Initially, expectations for the song were minimal. A few months prior, the record label Pony Canyon had released another nursery rhyme from the same show, yielding unremarkable sales. However, the mere announcement of "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun's" release triggered an astonishing surge in pre-orders. The overwhelming demand prompted the label to bring forward the release from January 1976 to December. Upon its debut, "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" achieved a historic milestone as the first single to enter the Oricon weekly charts at the number one spot, where it remained for an astonishing 11 consecutive weeks. By the end of its chart run, this unassuming nursery rhyme had sold an unprecedented 4.5 million copies.

Pony Canyon's factory couldn't produce enough records to satisfy the demand, so the label had to mobilize its competitors and pay to use their plants. Because printing plants were overbooked, minor projects had their launch dates postponed. Among those affected was Japanese music legend Ryuchi Sakamoto. At the time, Sakamoto was an unknown, fresh out of the most prestigious music school in Tokyo, and his album only had a 500 copies initial pressing.

Other issues surfaced behind the scenes. A dispute emerged with the tax office in Tokyo's Shinagawa district, which claimed that Pony Canyon owed taxes. The label, however, cited a law exempting nursery rhymes from taxation, and ultimately, the National Audit Bureau ruled in favor of the company.

As the song's monumental success had been unforeseen, Shimon Masato, the voice behind "Oyoge Taiyaki-kun!," initially requested his customary fixed fee as a freelance vocalist—50,000 yen, equivalent to approximately 500 dollars. Subsequently, Pony Canyon awarded him a one-million-yen bonus, roughly 10,000 dollars. However, the fact that he did not negotiate for royalties resulted in him missing out on substantial earnings.

Similarly, Nagira Kenichi, responsible for the B-side song "Ippon demo ninjin" on the record, did not seek royalties. The company regarded his composition as inconsequential to the single's success, resulting in his receiving only his initial fee of 30,000 yen, around 300 dollars.

Nonetheless, "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" generated substantial profits for numerous parties involved, from the composer to the record label. The single financed the construction of a new building for Pony Canyon in Shinjuku, colloquially known as the "Taiyaki building." It also led to the creation of a best-selling picture book and a PVC doll, both of which were among the year's most sought-after products. The sales of taiyaki, the confection featured in the song, experienced a remarkable surge. Furthermore, it proved to be a boom for the entire nursery rhyme genre, triggering the success of other hit singles such as "Patapata Mama," another song from the "Hirake! Ponikki" show, and "Yamaguchi-san Chi no Tsutomu-kun," featured on NHK's "Minna no Uta."

For "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" to sell 4.5 million copies, it had to captivate audiences across all demographics, including teenagers and adults. Many have speculated as to why. Was it due to its fortuitous timing, coinciding with a major railway strike that left working parents at home exposed to the catchy tune? Or did Japanese salarymen empathize with Taiyaki-kun's yearning to escape a monotonous existence?

There is yet to be a specific answer as to what laid behind the phenomenon. But the melancholic story of the fish-shaped taiyaki who tasted freedom before succumbing to their tragic destiny resonated deeply with Japanese society, becoming the biggest single in the country's history.

’70s Japan Trend Through the Music Charts (Part 4)

#pink lady #70s idols #70s japan #candies #jpop #japanese music #the penauts

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ginza-division · 2 years ago

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Last Judgment - Inspirations

— Masa

Father O'Grady - Rebuild series

Enrico Maxwell - Hellsing

Rector Flicker - Monster Train

Rodrigo Borgia - The Borgias

Bishop - Castlevania

Joseph Seed - Far Cry Series

— Eiji

Mark Zuckerberg

Reeve Tuesti - Final Fantasy VII

Balalaika - Black Lagoon

Racter - Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Dale Reki - If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord

Red-Leg Zeff - One Piece

— Oki

Satsuki Ito - Paradox Live

Katsuki Bakugo - My Hero Academia

Ryoga Tosa - Paradox Live

Indicus - Log Horizon

Brick - Borderlands

Samatoki Aohitsugi - Hypnosis Mic

— Juu

Esther - Orphan

Kadaj - Final Fantasy VII

Arisu Sakayanagi - Classroom of the Elite

Cutthroat - Akudama Drive

Johnny C. - Johnny the Homicidal Maniac

Skarlet - Mortal Kombat

— A.L.I.C.E.

J.A.R.V.I.S. - Marvel Cinematic Universe

Cortana - Halo

EDI - Mass Effect

KOS-MOS - Xenosaga

VIKI - I-Robot

EVE - WALL-E

#hypnosis microphone #hypnosis mic #hypmic #hypnosis mic oc #hypmic oc #masa judice #eiji noguchi #oki teagan #juu judice #a.l.i.c.e.#last judgment #character inspirations

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xoteajays · 1 year ago

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I have another new husband again.. Maybe I do tend to get infatuated easily over someone. Way more than I would like to admit to anyone.

Exactly. There have been plenty of shows and movies that I'd actually watched where the blend multiple genres into the story. Like.. Alice In Borderland and Tokyo Revengers are only two examples when comes to this. Arisu and Usagi are romantically involved, and they do end up getting married (and also started a family) in the sequels - their whole ship with them is more slow burn romance. The relationships for a lot of the TR characters, that really varies on the relationships though.

I've seen Junji Ito's work. But I have never watched the anime, or read the manga. Though I've seen plenty of his work. Actually.. There's one of my favorite musicians has tattoos of Junji Ito's work, and Junji also did artwork for that same musician in his art gallery too. So that's just a whole win win situation for both of them. That I could really think of.

I have been mostly rewatching the original three movies, besides the shows. Not that I won't watch the other movies though. But between the show and those movies, that is where the original casting is when writing about them. So I've been watching that timeline more though.

Not at the moment.. No knew information about my characters at the moment, at least not for my H&L characters. But I'll tell you when I do though. That might take some time for me to figure some things out.

Maybe? And Ryu's mother. So far, that is two women that I know of in Kuryu group. I'll have to start paying attention to them again anyway.. Especially if I decide to flesh out any more of the other gangs like the Kuryu and possibly Warriors too. Maybe for some characters at least.

As someone who tends to always hold grudges against people, I can't say that I would actually blame her if she never wanted her mother as a mother after the life she went through. Abandoned, used or abused. That's a horrible life to live. So I can't blame the decision she chooses.

What's her relationship to Smoky? Is he a friend, a brother? Because I know everyone in Nameless City is one giant family for most of them, but was curious about their actual relationship between those two.

If she was willing to give up her valuables to save Smoky, and anyone else, who needs medical care. Medicine and medical supplies are just some necessities for everyone but are extremely expensive though.

If I ever get around to writing my High&Low story.. I was thinking that the timeline would start between the end of season two, before those movies. That's what I was thinking. Since the drama from the show is caught up with the characters - like Hyuga being out of prison, any of the turf wars, the fighting between the SWORD gangs. That would be over. So that was the idea I had in mind for the timeline for my story.

I have only been in three relationships my whole life. And everyone of the guys I was in a relationship with cheated on me, so I become very idealistic about the concept of relationships. Fictional men are always better then real men. At least from my personal experience anyway.

But yes! "Someone you claim to care about." Is a phrase I always say a lot in situations like this. If you claim to love them, then just don't hurt them. But if you're so unhappiness, they should have really ended the relationship then. Because this is never ideal for the people involved.

I forgot how much younger you are than me..

The actress might be a young person but she should have known not to do something like that. But, apparently, she did pay compensation.

"In May 2022, Kim Sae-ron was driving under the influence in Gangnam-gu, Seoul around 8:00 am, she crashed into several structures including transformers, guard rails and street trees. In the crash, the transformer broke down, and the electricity supply was cut off for about 3 hours at 57 places including nearby shops, causing damage to merchants. The following day, her agency, Gold Medalist released a statement saying that, "Kim Sae-ron is deeply reflecting on her apparent mistake. The damage caused by the crash is being compensated as much as possible. I will do my best to take responsibility until the end."

It was later reported that she left the project in the television series Trolley. On November 4, 2022, it was reported all the money that Kim had accumulated during her activities was used as compensation in the crash handling and settlement process, and she had a part-time job. Later, Gold Medalist confirmed that Kim Sae-ron had a part-time job because her life was difficult, but currently has stopped.

On March 8, 2023, the prosecutor of Seoul Central District Court asked for a fine of 20 million won. Later, Kim appealed for leniency due to financial difficulties and requested a fine of 4 million won from Mr. A, who was riding with her."

Because of her actions, she left two projects that she was producing at the time of the incident. Trolley and Bloodhounds were the shows.

But still. You would think that people who have common sense not to do something like this. Damaging any property, harming humans and animals. But people never surprise me when things like this happen.

oooh new guy?? 👀

release the romance cut, h&l! i wanna see kisses!! kizzykaito especially but i’ll settle for yamato and naomi.

the anime is a lil hit or miss, some people are very critical of it. i’m easily entertained though so i don’t mind that, but just saying. the manga books are very good tho. i’ve read most of his short stories/anthologies but i’m interested in his longform stuff too.

hyuga’s eventually like ‘eh, parents right? they suck’. i haven’t decided if ryuko actually talks to her mother or not, but i know if she did, it would be an explanation about her mother’s relationship with her kuryu father and her actual biological father; she’d probably apologise. ryuko doesn’t want to meet her biological father either tho, and would reject an apology. very grudge holding, even if it hurts.

smokey and hinami definitely have a bit of a sibling relationship. they’re not as close as smokey and lala, but hinami does view him as an older brother. she cares about him a lot and respects him. he helped look after her and sat with her a lot when she was first abandoned and recovering from her amputation. he was a comforting figure in her life, so it hits her really hard - like for all the other rude boys - when he’s killed.

i don’t know where exactly hinami’s story starts, but ryuko’s starts around the end of red rain when ryu goes back to kuryu and kills kamizono to take his spot.

since i haven’t been in any relationships, i guess i can be pretty idealistic about how relationships should be. i think i just assume that people have the same morals as me and that’s not usually the case.

people just need to break up and stop cheating on their partners.

repping born in 98!

well at least she’s trying to take responsibility more than just apologising. i know young people do dumb shit, but still, it’s such an obvious thing to not drink and drive. just get a taxi home! call a friend! stop risking your own lives and other people’s lives! there are still so many deaths caused by drunk drivers every year and it’s always so stupid and avoidable.

#tj answers #long post //#long post anon

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celesticnova · 7 months ago

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Arisu Ito is an OC of mine I used in a tabletop campaign. This art was drawn by one of the other players. Would love to see more art of the Magical Detective Girl.

HEY if anyone out there has a madoka magica/magia record OC they’d like to see drawn, I’ve got the urge to draw some magical girls. No promises as to which OCs I will or won’t draw (probably depends on if anyone submits anything) but if you have a meguca you made feel free to show me their design and a short description of personality (for expression and posing), and I’ll try and whip up something fun, even if it’s just a sketch :3

And also I just like seeing other madoka magica OCs

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snnsktks · 1 year ago

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緊縛の歴史 / The History of Shibari

youtube

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以下の内容は、ChatGPTによる要約であり、内容の正確性を保証するものではありません。

【お知らせ：頑張ります】スタートが遅れてしまい、トラブルもありましたが、今後はリアルタイムでお知らせできるよう頑張ります。ご迷惑をおかけしました。

【営業時間変更】火曜日はBAR-Tied-upで働いていますが、営業時間が変更されました。火曜日に遊びに来ていただけると嬉しいです。

【体験緊縛の廃止】有料の体験緊縛は廃止し、今後は場の管理に徹します。スタッフの増加により変更する可能性もあります。縛られたい方はBAR-Tied-upにお越しください。

【緊縛の歴史について】緊縛の歴史は諸説あり、信憑性の薄い情報も多いです。定義や起源についても明確な結論はありません。緊縛という言葉は元々他の行為に使われていたものをこの分野に当てはめた可能性があります。

【フランスからの影響】緊縛の起源にはフランスの写真が影響している可能性があります。伊藤晴雨や須磨利之の活動が日本で緊縛が始まったきっかけとされています。具体的な起源の年代は明確ではありませんが、およそ100年前の1910年代後半に活動が始まった可能性が高いと考えられます。

【重要人物と緊縛の発展】緊縛の発展には有末剛、明智伝鬼、雪村春樹などの重要人物が関わりました。��典緊縛の実践者である濡木痴夢男さんも重要な存在です。ただし、古典緊縛の定義は個人によって異なるため、解釈に注意が必要です。

【古典的な緊縛と現代のアプローチ】古典的な緊縛と現代の緊縛には差異があります。明智伝鬼さんは美しい縄のかけ方を追求し、現代の主流な方法論を確立しました。

【緊縛の進化と雪村春樹さん】雪村春樹さんの緊縛アプローチは主流から逸脱しています。彼は古典的な緊縛の原点に回帰し、受け手との接触に重点を置いています。初心者には理解しづらいかもしれませんが、経験者には魅力的です。また、明智伝鬼さんも緊縛の方法論に近い存在で、二人は緊縛のカテゴライズを形成しています。話題はまだ続きますが、次回も期待してください。

【次回予告】緊縛の歴史についても話したいと思います。情報が少ないため、口伝に頼る部分もありますが、興味のある方はぜひお声かけください。お楽しみに！

---

The following content is a summary provided by ChatGPT and does not guarantee accuracy.

【Notice: We'll do our best】 We apologize for the delayed start and the troubles we encountered. We will strive to provide real-time updates in the future. We appreciate your understanding.

【Change in Business Hours】 I work at BAR-Tied-up on Tuesdays, and there has been a change in our business hours. We would be delighted if you could visit us on Tuesdays.

【Discontinuation of Experience Shibari】 We have discontinued paid experience shibari and will focus on venue management going forward. There may be potential changes with the increase in staff. Those who wish to be tied are welcome to visit BAR-Tied-up.

【On the History of Shibari】 There are various theories and unreliable information regarding the history of shibari. There is no clear consensus on its definition or origin. The term "shibari" may have been applied to this practice from another field.

【Influence from France】 The origin of shibari may have been influenced by French photography. The activities of Ito Seiu and Suma Toshinoyuki are considered the starting point of shibari in Japan. Although the specific timeframe of its origin is unclear, it is believed to have begun approximately 100 years ago in the late 1910s.

【Key Figures and the Development of Shibari】 Key figures such as Arisue Go, Ito Denki, and Yukimura Haruki played significant roles in the development of shibari. Nuregi Chimuo-san, a practitioner of classical shibari, is also an important figure. However, since the definition of classical shibari varies among individuals, it is essential to be mindful of interpretations.

【Classical Shibari and Modern Approaches】 There are differences between classical shibari and modern shibari. Ito Denki pursued the art of tying beautiful ropes and established the mainstream methodology of modern shibari.

【Evolution of Shibari and Yukimura Haruki】 Yukimura Haruki's approach to shibari deviates from the mainstream. He returns to the roots of classical shibari and emphasizes the connection with the recipient. While it may be challenging for beginners to understand, it is captivating for experienced practitioners. Additionally, Ito Denki's approach is closely related to the methodology of shibari, and both have contributed to the categorization of shibari. There is more to discuss, so please look forward to the next session.

【Next Episode Preview】 We would like to continue discussing the history of shibari. Since information is scarce, there may be reliance on oral traditions. If you are interested, please feel free to reach out. Stay tuned!

---

たかせ秦之助 / Takase Shinnosuke

Web Site

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note

緊縛プロジェクト縛楽 / Kinbakuk Project SHIBARAKU

Web Site

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縛談TV / BakuDan TV

YouTube

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#Youtube

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archer-ivor · 4 years ago

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✗: something my muse hates or gets angry about and. ☆: what my muse would be famous for if they were famous

“You know what really pisses me off? When people don’t respect boundaries. Nothing gets me hot-headed quicker than disrespect.”

“Famous, huh? Probably for... I don’t know. My cooking skills. I’m no Gordon Ramsay, obviously. But it’s the only thing I’m even slightly talented at.”

#answered #arisu-ito

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quantumart713 · 24 days ago

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The more I think about It, the More I think dissolving classroom Is actually pretty good because the main characters are so interesting.

This post will be long, me rumbling about junji ito characters again, what a Surprise. Uuuuh.... Spoiler for dissolving classroom i guess.

I should re-read It. But the fact we don't have the full picture of the Azawa siblings Is so interesting. Yuuma: Lies a lot, he always put on a facade and we cannot trust NOTHING about what he says. But also, he seems that part of his facade Is actually true. It almost like he's putting himself in a deeper hole and doesn't know how to get out + sometimes his fake apologise do get mixed in his genuine One (aka: with Chizumi in love because he still seems apologetic to the kid and during the last chapter where he hides his parent heads. In that chapter he also start to cry and he had absolutely no reason to faking his apology, even Chizumi Is confuse and doesn't act smug until the final interview).

AND THIS IS SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN A GUY WHO JUST PRETENDS ALL THE TIME!

Talking about Chizumi, she also really interesting, because we don't know what her deal Is. We get 3 different story from Yuuma on why Chizumi Is the way that she is... And they all contradict with each others. But also, I don't think we can take Chizumi words as gospel. This because Chizumi Is still Little kid, She probably makes a lot of assumption and she also doesn't seem to have a full picture of the situation, She Is pulled along with her brother. She surely more reliable on informations because she always speak what She thinks, but we still need to take her words with a grain of salt.

Can we also talk about the unclear opinion these two have of One another? At times they seem to hate One another, Chizumi calls his brother rotten and make his life harder while Yuuma literally try to kill her once. But also, sometimes they care for one another? In Chizumi in love She say: "if you make him melt, I'll hate you forever" and Yuuma stop to apologise, so in some weird way he doesn't want to be hated by her sister.

Also this???? They Stick with One another through thick and thin. And the question that Chizumi makes here Is not mocking or anything, Is a genuine question made by a kid that find herself in an uncorfortable situation. They care for each others in a fucked up weird way, and not always they aknowlege this.

And, at least for me, KEIKO! KEIKO IS REALLY INTERESSTING AND I LIKE HER CHARACTER!! Unfortunatly we don't see much about her, but from what i gather and from my personal interpretation, she's kinda the opposite of Yuuma.

She's confrontational, She's interested in making connection with the siblings, She's stubborn and She has a lot of courage! Even after the first chapter She confronts Yuuma eye to Eye and yeah, of course She Is scared, but She still confront him.

LIKE THIS IS SO COOL?? Keiko actively backing Yuuma in a corner! And yeah, It's also thanks to the news if Yuuma find himself in this situation, but if Keiko didn't survive and didn't help the news this wouldn't happen. And She does this while her brain Is partially melted. And if wasn't for the interference from THE DEVIL FROM BIBLE, She would have won.

Also, these sequence of panels are so Fire. The way She trys to stop him physically? The way Yuuma looks in Surprise? The way Keiko gets up from the wheelchair? This Is One of my favorite scenes in the whole manga.

And Is FOLLOW UP BY

THIS SO COOL, AND DISSOLVING CLASSROOM IS SO COOL!!! And here's the thing. This Is my interpretation of these characters, we know so little of the background of these characters that maybe my interpretation Is completely different from other people.

Idk i like this story... I like these characters... I talked a lot. Thank you for reading my nonsense.

#text post #quantum speaking in the void #dissolving classroom #Yuuma Azawa #chizumi azawa #keiko Arisu #long post #ok. i'm normal now #< lies #junji ito

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m-a-k-k-u · 2 years ago

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some other titles for spooky season may be Chi No Wadachi, Killing Morph, Totsukuni No Shojo, Imawa no kuni no Arisu, Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu, Homunculus, When They Cry, Corpse Party, and every Junji Ito's work...

not anime but cartoon, I suggest Over the Garden Wall as well... it's the perfect mixture of every element of october and it's quite creepy.

hope this will turn out useful for someone :)

-a

I've heard of most of these but they aren't really my style. I especially can't stand Junji Ito. I do have When They Cry on my reading list though, so thank you for reminding me of that. I'll check out a few others.

I also completely forgot to add Alice in Borderland, though I meant to. I'm currently watching it and it's a good series.

Thank you for sending this, it's appreciated and hopefully you help people find some series they enjoy.

#?#maskku #a

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moichinagae · 1 year ago

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The YASHA CD Drama, Stage 1; A Long-Awaited Arrival To Our Arsenal

The first thing my beloved collaborator, @toichinagae, told me about when they reached out to me was the existence of the YASHA CD drama. I was very intrigued, as I'd never heard of it before. I knew of the TV drama, in fact I'd archived it a month or so beforehand, but I never knew that there was a CD drama that not only followed the manga more closely, but also featured some anime voice actors that I NEVER would've expected to work on it!

There are two CDs, this post will be focusing on the first one, referred to as "Stage One." This CD was released on March 24th, 2000, and produced by Pioneer LDC(Currently known as NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan.). This drama's screenplay was written by Asami Watanabe(I could not find any information about them online, it seems there is a key animator by the same name, I am unsure as to if they are the same person.), with music by Nobuo Ito.(Once more, there is very little information about them online.)

The cast list, as sent to me by @toichinagae via email, is as follows(I added some notes on notable characters each voice actor has played, just because I find it interesting.):

有末静:石川英郎 Arisue Sei: Hideo Ishikawa(You may know him from Doukyuusei, where he played Hara-sen.) 雨宮 :辻谷耕史 Amamiya Rin: Koji Tsujitani 有末比佐子: 井上喜久子 Hisako Arisue: Kikuko Inoue(You may know her from Kiki's Delivery Service, wherein she played Maki.) 雨宮協一郎:梁田清之 Kyoichiro Amamiya: Kiyoyuki Yanada(You may know him from Perfect Blue, wherein he played Kantoku 永江茂市:松本保典 Nagae Moichi: Matsumoto Yasunori(You may know him from Sk8 the Infinity, wherein he played Joe.) 永江十市: 野島健児 Toichi Nagae: Kenji Nojima(You may know him from Banana Fish, he voiced Eiji.) 三上尊:子安武人 Takeru Mikami: Takehito Koyasu(You probably know him from somewhere, I personally know him from Jojo's Bizzare Adventure as DIO, and Adam from Sk8 the Infinity.) ケン･クロサキ: 古澤徹 Ken Kurosaki: Toru Furusawa(You may know him from the '98 Trigun anime, wherein he played Millions Knives.) ライアン博士池田勝 Dr. Ryan: Masaru Ikeda ホッジス少佐:中博史 Major Hodges: Hiroshi Naka(You may know him from Cowboy Bebop, where he plays Jobim.) 伊東泰之:飛田展男 Yasuyuki Ito: Nobuo Tobita (Unclear on who exactly this character is. This va was in Darling In The Franxx, but I don't think he had a notable role there.) 有末静 (12才): 山田美穂 Sei Arisue (12 years old): Miho Yamada(..She seems to have done work for a number of projects that are not appropriate for this blog. More power to her.) (*Note Toichi's voice at 12 years old is currently unknown.)

These CDs are currently untranslated, but you can find the .wav files for both in this drive folder.

I intend on creating youtube uploads for each track, for ease of use to potential translators and general accessibility for people who's devices cannot run .wav's(..if any exist lol.)

More to come soon!!

#yasha 1996 #yasha-夜叉-#yasha1996 resources

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caramujokick · 3 years ago

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streaming some 🥩 on my discord later at 16:00 GMT here’s the menu for today:

- Antonio Honda, Pom Harajuku & Rika Tatsumi vs. Mei Saint-Michel, Sakisama & Yukio Saint Laurent from TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup Day 6 - Shoko Nakajima vs. Miu Watanabe from TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup Day 6 - Mizuki vs. Maki Ito from TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup Day 6 - Miyu Yamashita vs. Moka Miyamoto from TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup Day 7 - Arisu Endo & Hikari Noa vs. Mei Saint-Michel & Sakisama from TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup Day 7 - Aja Kong, Marika Kobashi, Raku & Rika Tatsumi vs. Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki, Nao Kakuta & Pom Harajuku from TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup Day 7 - Shoko Nakajima vs. Maki Ito from TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup Day 7 - Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage from AEW Rampage - Miro vs. Fuego Del Sol from AEW Rampage - Britt Baker vs. Red Velvet from AEW Rampage - Jon Moxley & Yuji Nagata vs. Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson from NJPW Resurgence - Jay White vs. David Finlay from NJPW Resurgence - Lance Archer vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi from NJPW Resurgence - Fenix & Pentagon Jr. vs. Brian Cage & Taurus vs. El Hijo del Vikingo & Laredo Kid from AAA TripleMania XXIX - Kenny Omega vs. Andrade from AAA TripleMania XXIX - Psycho Clown vs. Rey Escorpion from AAA TripleMania XXIX - Shinya Aoki vs. MAO from DDT Summer Vacation 2021 - Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata vs. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada from DDT Summer Vacation 2021 - Jun Kasai vs. Takahiro Katori from FREEDOMS/ERE Produce ERE Night - Mammoth Sasaki & Toru Sugiura vs. Chris Brookes & Daisuke Masaoka from FREEDOMS/ERE Produce ERE Night - Masashi Takeda vs. Violento Jack vs. Takayuki Ueki vs. Toshiyuki Sakuda from FREEDOMS/ERE Produce ERE Night - Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Drew Parker from BJW 23.07.2021

here’s the link, hop on in!

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arisu-ito · 5 years ago

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— Lyrica Okano, she/her, cisfemale— apparently Arisu Ito , the 24 year old police detective , was on a bus to New York that day before unfortunately returning to a vacant town . as time passed , they’ve decided to join faction #3 , which is understandable considering they’re known to be quite loyal+ intelligent , but also strong headed + impulsive on a bad day . they seem / don’t seem to be handling this new society well . — aria , 23, gmt+8, she/her.

Hi! I’m Aria and this is Arisu, she goes by Ari and I’m so happy to be here! Here’s a little about Ari.

Name: Arisu Ito Age: 24 Occupation: Police Detective Sexuality: bisexual Nationality: Japanese American Favorites: Black, Makeup, Goth, Books, Art

(Trigger Warning: Anxiety, Depression, Drugs)

Arisu grew up in New York and she had been living there till university. She grew up comfortably with a rather wealthy family. Ari excelled in her classes and had a keen interest in art. Her family’s very traditional and keep to Asian values because of her Japanese heritage, she never get to do much fun things growing up. Things changed when she was in high school. She developed anxiety and spiralled into depression because of the pressure she is facing in school and at home. The pressure she gave herself was overbearing and she snapped, she flunk school, got into real bad company and subsequently ran away from home. Till now, she has been living alone, doing odd jobs to pay rent and to get by.

Things got really bad during her freshmen year in university. Her friends and her got busted for dealing drugs and she almost got thrown to jail if not for a save from her ex boyfriend in the courtroom, leading him serving his time while she roams the street freely. Ari got thrown into rehab for a couple of months. Those months were the hardest for her, as she dealt with her break-up, her shame and her emotions.

During those moments, she met someone who turned her life around. (can be a plot) through them she mixed with a better group of friends and eventually got convinced to join the police department (NYPD) as a detective because of her keen eye for detail and her hopes to help runaway youths who were like her.

After enrolling into the police department, Ari was given an option to be transferred. She decided to take it up and left New York in attempt to leave her past behind, settled down in new ham, connecticut. She has been here for a month and is still pretty new to the city. Now, she has her life together, having a stable job paying rent, the downside is that she is a workaholic and hence have not much time for socialising. She still hold her identity as a runaway, kinda like a broken, fallen star, close to her heart. Till now, she has issues with her family that are yet to be resolved. She dare not go near drugs too, least she couldn't resist.

#tshq: intro #hello!#I love plots :) please come at me!#about

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redstringsofhate · 5 years ago

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broken brooms. [1]

orig. posted on ao3

The Mahoutokoro School of Magic is known for its formidable Quidditch players, and 6th year student Kobayashi Arisu wants her playing time.

[ oikawa tooru x f. oc ]

[akaashi keiji x f. oc ]

Kobayashi Arisu hates Transfiguration.

"You look like shit." Nishinoya Yuu wasn't helping.

"Thanks." Arisu rips out another page from the notebook, her pens flying astray.

The Toppou common room's fire crackles next to the two students. Aside from a few second year boys playing Wizard's Chess (who even has time for that?) in the corner, Arisu and Nishinoya were probably the only ones awake.

"This is due tomorrow and I have a good," Arisu silently reads her work, "five sentences."

Nishinoya slouches down the couch, messing his hair even further. Ever since meeting him - and actually talking - last year, Arisu has always questioned the boy's (seemingly random) blond streak. In the dim lighting, it's like a sun against his otherwise darker feautures.

"You shouldn't've waited until the night before."

"You haven't even started writing yours," Arisu looks back up from her essay. She takes off her glasses to rub her eyes. Nishinoya's moved down another foot. The coffee table covers his entire face, save for the blond streak and his annoyingly clear forehead. "At least have some manners for Ono-sensei."

Nishinoya moves back up to scowl at her. "I told you, I had much better things to do! Quidditch tryouts are in two days!"

"Don't remind me." Arisu groans, enough to catch the attention of a second year.

"Stop it," Nishinoya says, "You can do it this year, Ari, you've improved so much over the summer and I bet Tanaka's flat ass you'll make it as a starting Chaser."

Arisu almost grins at the comment. "I'd be lucky if they chose me as a bench warmer."

"Oikawa-san's a dick," Nishinoya agrees, "but he knows good players."

Arisu vaguely remembers the name. "Oikawa Hayate?"

Nishinoya looks at her as if she scored a hundred on her Transfiguration essay. "No, Ari, who the fuck is Oikawa Hayate? Damn, I knew you were bad at names, but not this bad."

"He's in my Potions class," Arisu says. She drops her pen on the table, massaging her hand. "Is there another one? Are they related? Twins?"

"Doubt it," Nishinoya says, "It's Oikawa Tooru. The guy's probably had sex with at least half of the seventh year girls. Crazy good at Quidditch."

"You probably wish you were him." Arisu lets out a yawn. "I never saw him last year, though, I thought Iwaizumi was the captain?"

"You must've tried out the second day, after he sprained his knee," Nishinoya says, "I heard he still has it. Must've gotten it from badgering all of the members or showing off. Iwaizumi's vice captain."

Arisu scrunches her face as she writes the next sentence. "I hope Iwaizumi's not there - he had that you're a fucking idiot face the entire time I was trying out."

"That's better than Oikawa," Nishinoya says, "Trust me."

Arisu finishes her essay just as Minaha Ono walks into the classroom. Their professor must have gotten a haircut over the weekend.

"Good morning, class," Ono-sensei greets them cheerily, "Today we will be going over the basics of the Hardening Charm."

A spell of laughter erupts from the back of class. Arisu looks behind to see Nishinoya sharing grins with Ryuunosuke Tanaka, a sixth year Beater in Shunrai. Arisu has never talked to him, but she's frequently seen Nishinoya sneaking out of Toppou's dorms during ungodly hours to meet up with with his friend. Ono-sensei pretends not to hear their snickers, and flicks her wand to write the kanji characters on the board.

Arisu always sits in the middle row of the room, not too close to be affiliated with the best students, but she sure as hell wasn't going to Nishinoya's level. She hands in her Transfiguration essay to Ono-sensei before splitting up with her classmates to practice the spell.

Terushima Yuji places himself right next to Arisu, smiling from eye to eye. Arisu catches a brief whiff of cigarette smoke off of him. It was a surprise he managed to get more - Arisu clearly remembers the boy complaining last Saturday about his last pack of Marlboro and how he ran out of pocket money.

"Arisu-chan," Terushima announces, "I have an idea."

"You're so loud, Terushima," Ito Hikari hisses. She was another student in Toppou. Pretty. Arisu didn't talk to her often. They never got to after Arisu forgot to work on their project together fourth year - turns out Ito likes to hold grudges.

Terushima shoots a grin at Ito before speaking anyways. "Listen, I heard Atsumu got something new the other night - "

"I don't want to talk to him," Arisu cuts him off. A quick fling during the spring of fifth year, recent mentions Atsumu Miya made her want to punch someone and hide beneath her covers simultaneously.

"Oh." Terushima fiddles with his parchment paper. He almost looks sheepish. "Sorry."

Ito ignores the two and continues transfiguring all of their objects into stone. By the end of class, Arisu and Terushima had a collective three rocks while Ito proudly holds out her ten for Ono-sensei.

"Marvelous work, Ito-chan," Ono-sensei remarks. "Ten points to Toppou."

Although it was her house, Arisu had to hold herself from hexing her. Ito passes by her with an almost forgetful glance, as if they didn't share the same Transfiguration class for three years in a row.

"C'mon." Terushima drags Arisu along. "I'm starving and they have udon today."

The Dining Hall bustles with students coming from morning classes. A problem that came with having a school on a fucking mountain : there were no nearby towns to visit for food.

But the udon was delicious. The only time she's fine with her glasses fogging up is while eating udon.

Terushima had finished his third bowl by the time Saito Fumi comes along. Fumi has her brown hair in a haphazard braid, her green Toppou uniform barely covers the Beatles t-shirt she always wore proudly. Arisu met her in second year, after both girls realized first year friends were shitty and unpredictable. Fumi had been a day student before boarding, but all of her friends remained commuters, and Arisu found Fumi lying in a pile of ripped paper and a broken left hand just before fall semester ended.

Terushima joining in third year was equally sudden, in his I'm a new boarder and I'm better than you aura (a rare reaction from a day student), but Arisu was split between being too unmotivated to find a better group and actually enjoying their company.

"Terushima," Fumi was looking at his empty bowls in disgust. "What the fuck. You're an actual pig."

"You've had five bowls at once," Terushima defends himself. He points his chopsticks at her with raised eyebrows. "While stoned."

Arisu chokes on her water.

"Asshole, you were the one that got me like that." When Fumi sits down, a few fifth years turn to their direction. Fumi always got the attention of people, in the attractive sense and how her general presence had a way of garnering eyes.

"It's not my fault!" Terushima almost gets up. "You were the one that threatened to hex me if I didn't let you have a try of - how did you say it? - Kuroo-senpai's weed."

"That's so nasty, Fumi." Arisu drops her chopsticks.

Fumi hides behind her bangs. "He is our senpai!"

"Yeah, and he acts like an idiot half of the time," Arisu comments, "Even Terushima doesn't do half of the shit he does with Bokuto."

"Terushima is too much of a loser to hang out with them." Fumi shifts back into her previous demeanor. She takes a slurp of the udon noodles, pouring in more hot oil. "He's in Shunrai, but he can't even sit with Bokuto-senpai."

"Maybe it's because I want to hang out with you guys!" Terushima points out. He finishes the third bowl. "I'm just a good friend."

Arisu smiles wickedly at him. Seeing Terushima flustered always brought her entertainment. "You know, Yuji, Fumi thought you had a thing for her since you never left."

"Fuck off!"

"Oh, how you wish, Yuji-kun." Fumi cackles into her bowl.

Arisu wants to be back in her dorm room. Mahoutokoro usually has bad weather, but it was freezing outside.

Nishinoya had promised to meet her for pre-tryout practice, but a last minute note with the words Kiyoko-senpai~ meant that he wasn't going to come anytime soon. Arisu pulls on her gloves and examines her broom, an old-fashioned Cleansweep Seven. With or without that girl-obsessed boy, it was better to get some practice than none.

After taking a brief look around her, Arisu kicks off into the windy air. Only a few other players were in the air with her, allowing Arisu decent room to practice her speed and coordination. Especially speed.

Her teeth stop chattering after a few rounds around the field. Arisu's black hair maintains itself, with only a couple strands sticking out. The students around her turn into gray and blue bobs.

Arisu finds the balancing part simple - it was like riding a bike during her blissfully ignorant muggle days. Although she was slower at picking it up, almost embarrassingly so, Arisu found too much entertainment in riding her bike outside her mother's bakery. The learning process for the broom was significantly longer, but Arisu's insistence on riding over breaks did help her in the past years.

Arisu tightens her grip on the broom, attempting a backwards turn in the air. She closes her eyes for a second, blocking out the gusts of wind attacking her face.

God, she wants to be a Chaser.

The back of her broom almost responds, and Arisu has two seconds to register a crack in her broom's precious wood. A web-like pattern grows around and beneath her gloves. Arisu hears a ringing.

She has no time to scream before her body plummets towards the field below, the breeze rushing up to her again, enveloping her body in its depths. Blood shoots through her arms, numbing her fingertips, and Arisu wants to vomit.

"Shit! Shit!" a voice from above yells. Without her glasses Arisu makes out the blurry face of a boy, though she doubts she could've seen better with them on. He reaches out his hand for her, getting nearer, but Arisu instinctively moves her arm away, attempting to ease the impact.

A dumb move.

Arisu didn't have the energy to strangle whoever threw a Quaffle at her broom as the medics levitate her towards the Hospital Wing.

"A broken radius and ulna, kiddo," Fuse Himari clicks her tongue. She recently joined the health department at the school, fresh out of Mahoukotoro only a few years prior. Arisu recognizes her signature blue nails tapping against the bed frame. "At least it's not your dominant one."

Arisu hasn't been back in the Hospital Wing (as a patient, at least) in ages. The last time was from a flu half the school had contracted. The white walls were peeling in every direction possible, and the light above flickers at least twenty times before Arisu attempts to move in her bed.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Fuse eyes Arisu's arm. "Even with magic, it'll take a few days to heal completely."

"I don't have a few days," Arisu says, fishing around for her glasses which were, luckily, repaired. "Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow, Himari-san."

"That can wait," Fuse says, almost anticipating the response. "But your arm needs time to heal, or else you won't be able to play any sport again."

Arisu knows Fuse doesn't ever take a negative response. As a student, Fuse would always drag out the Toppou lowerclassmen to dinners, refusing to compensate for their anxious, eleven year-old, worries. "You know I've been wanting to do this since fourth year."

Fuse responds by gently patting her head. "I know you do, girlie, that's why you have to trust me on this."

"What do you - "

The creaking door hurts her ears. Arisu makes out curly hair poking out from behind the door, and she watches Fuse as she leaves her spot to let the person in.

"He's been out there for a while," Fuse says over her shoulder. "I'll let you two talk."

A tall boy replaces Fuse's seat, holding a bouquet of flowers. He must be the guy who broke her arm, so why the fuck was he smiling so much?

"Kobayashi-san, I'm truly sorry for what happened." The boy places the bouquet next to her. He has a nice voice, but Arisu's sudden urge to scream at him for ruining her chances of making the Quidditch team ruins any attraction. "I, uh, was practicing with my team, and the Quaffle seemed to have a mind of its own."

"That's nice," was her response. The sooner he leaves, the less likely Arisu will ruin any of their future interactions with each other. "Thanks for the flowers. They look nice."

The boy's smile widens even further. He has really pretty teeth. "That's good to hear! I was picking some out from the Herbology gardens. I thought they would brighten your room a bit while you were staying here and all."

Silence. Arisu doesn't bother with continuing the small talk. The ringing starts again.

"I hope we see each other again," he beams. "I'm Oikawa, by the way, Oikawa Tooru."

Arisu takes a minute to register the sentence before remembering her conversation with Nishinoya.

"I was going to try out for Toppou's team." The words come out before Arisu has a chance to rethink her decisions.

Oikawa pales, and Arisu almost feels sorry for him. Too bad the anger got to her sooner. "Yeah, looks like my chances are doomed now, huh?"

Oikawa's gaze dashes around, barely, but it was enough for Arisu to notice his tactic. His back immediately straightens and he lets out a slight chuckle. He must have too much experience with these situations. "I'm sure there's another chance for you later," he says. In any other moment, Arisu would have found his words comforting, but it just sounds so condescending. "It was difficult for us to tell if there were other people practicing, I had assumed everyone else was just playing for fun, which I apologize - "

"Excuse me?"

Oikawa maintains his annoying smile the entire time, his eyes crinkling up at the edges. "No, no." He chuckles for what seems like the fiftieth time. "That's nothing against your flying abilities, I assure you, it was just the way the broom went - "

"Look." Arisu feels her ears burn. "I've been working my ass off for the longest time just to get my bones broken by the Toppou team captain, and now he's here criticizing me on my flying abilities when he can't even handle a Quaffle properly."

Oikawa shifts in the wooden chair. "I really am sorry, Kobayashi-san." He sounds genuine this time. Arisu pushes up her glasses to see him watching her. His eyes were too brown against his pale skin.

"I can help pay for a new broomstick," he offers.

"Thanks," Arisu says, "but it's fine." She brushes her left arm absentmindedly.

The door opens again to reveal a Fuse with potion bottles, walking past them in a hurry.

Oikawa coughs. "Just let me know if you need anything, Kobayashi-san. I'll come by later this afternoon - I heard the Dining Hall's going to serve this delicious crepe cake."

"It's fine, really." Arisu rubs her eye. There was no point in yelling at him when he was being this nice to her; sure, it was a shallow and fake nice meant to calm her down, but nice nonetheless. "And, uh, sorry for my outburst."

"That's totally understandable!" Oikawa tries for another smile before getting up. "It's great seeing your enthusiasm for Quidditch!" Of course it is.

His brown curls cover most of his forehead now, and Arisu notices the slight stubble around his chin. "I'll see you later, Kobayashi-san."

He bows to her, and Arisu could smell the Quidditch field.

When the door clicks shut, Arisu was certain that Fuse didn't have a shift tomorrow.

#haikyuu!!#oikawa torū #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu fanfic #nishinoya yuu #yūji terushima #oikawa tooru

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