#asukai jin

[scibatlaw]

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Jin Asukai fans.

[velvetrooms]

Boogiepop and Others (2019) Episode 8

[nyaruhodou]

[thecrazyanimegirl]

The reason this child was beautiful was because he had a rose within his heart.

[laguzmage]

[the-loyal-one]

[senjo]

Same energy.

[satoshi-mochida]

The official website for the television anime of author Kouhei Kadono and illustrator Kouji Ogata's Boogiepop and Others (Boogiepop wa Warawanai) light novel series began streaming a second promotional video for the anime on Friday. The video reveals the anime's premiere on January 4, as well as 14 more cast members. The video also reveals and previews the opening theme song "shadowgraph" by MYTH & ROID.

The anime will air on AT-X, Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, and BS11. Azuna Riko will perform the ending theme song "Whiteout."

The new cast includes:

Chiaki Kobayashi as Keiji Takeda

Shino Shimoji as Kei Niitoki

Ayaka Suwa as Naoko Kamikishiro

Junya Enoki as Masami Saotome

Aoi Ichikawa as Shiro Tanaka

Ayana Taketatsu as Minako Yurihara

Kouki Miyata as Echoes

Taku Yashiro as Masaki Taniguchi

Kana Ichinose as Aya Orihata

Yoshimasa Hosoya as Jin Asukai

Yoshiaki Hasegawa as Shinjirō Anō

Kana Asumi as Kotoe Kinugawa

Yōji Ueda as Spooky E

Kana Hanazawa as Suiko Minahoshi

The previously revealed cast members include:

Aoi Yūki as Boogiepop

Aoi Yūki as Touka Miyashita

Saori Ōnishi as Nagi Kirima

Reina Kondo as Kazuko Suema

Shingo Natsume (One-Punch Man, Space Dandy both seasons, ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.) is directing the new anime at Madhouse. Tomohiro Suzuki (One-Punch Man, Tiger & Bunny, ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.) is writing and supervising the series scripts, and Hidehiko Sawada (key animator for One-Punch Man, Redline) is designing the characters. The musician kensuke ushio (A Silent Voice, DEVILMAN crybaby, Liz and the Blue Bird) is composing the music.

Other staff members include:

Assistant Director: Yousuke Hatta

Chief Animation Directors: Masanori Shino, Kei Tsuchiya

Art Directors: Shigemi Ikeda, Yukiko Maruyama

Color Design: Ken Hashimoto

3DCG Director: Shigenori Hirozumi

Director of Photography: Akane Fushihara

Editing: Kashiko Kimura

Sound Director: Shoji Hata

Music Production: Kadokawa

Seven Seas Entertainment published the light novel in English, and is reprinting the novels along with new volumes. The company describes the story:

There is an urban legend that children tell one another about a shinigami that can release people from the pain they may be suffering. This "Angel of Death" has a name: Boogiepop. And the legends are true. Boogiepop is real.

When a rash of disappearances involving female students breaks out at Shinyo Academy, the police and faculty assume they just have a bunch of runaways on their hands. But Nagi Kirima knows better. Something mysterious and foul is afoot. Is it Boogiepop, or something more sinister...?

Madhouse previously animated the Boogiepop light novel series into a 2000 television anime. Right Stuf released the series on VHS and DVD in North America.

Yoshihiro Kawabata launched a new Boogiepop at Dawn (Yoake no Boogiepop) manga in Kadokawa's Dengeki G's Comic magazine on April 28. Naoki Koshimizu launched a separate Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator manga in Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh magazine on May 26.

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Top Five Yoshimasa Hosoya Roles

This is PART ONE a series of posts for Hosoya’s birthday!

I’m writing this a few days beforehand. I’ve been putting this off because I wanted to watch a lot more anime with him in it, but I figured I can always revise the list anyway. He has too many strong roles... even now.

Role Compilation

Honourable Mentions (That I Have Seen):

Daiki Tasaki - Anthem of the Heart

(No gif here because I couldn’t find one)

At first, he’s an asshole. He didn’t get enough screen time for a good position, but I wanted to mention him nonetheless! He also mentioned the role to Kouki Uchiyama who ended up playing the lead quite well. What a reliable guy always looking out for people who’re younger than him!

Loki Laevatein - Kamigami no Asobi

[I remembered the harem by who voiced them. I don’t remember their names. Behind the bushes: Hosoya, Toshi, Miyu, Kamiya. Behind the post: Daisuke Ono, I actually don’t know those two. RIP]

I didn’t even believe this was him at first. I checked a couple of sites. But wow, that was unexpectedly good? His character is one of the only that I remember vividly from that harem (I watched it for Saori Hayami, to be honest).

Fumikage Tokoyami - Boku no Hero Academia

Give him more screen time. That forest “test of courage” scene was not enough. And that scene where he tried to hide his room was funny because that’d be me. You’d just walk in and go, “Why... why is there nothing here?” I have a table, a fan, a bed, and a closet.

Jin Asukai - Boogiepop

This series is still airing, but this character-- wait, I don’t want to spoil it. It’ll come together at the end, but up until now, he gives off both a charismatic and creepy vibe. It’s pretty cool.

Kojou Akatsuki - Strike the Blood

(No gif could be found for this one because the anime is explicit)

I technically haven’t finished a season, but I put up with fifteen episodes with this crappy series. 

Honourable Mentions (That I Have Not Seen):

Sousuke Yamazaki - Free!

[Me trying to do any work]

*watches the first episode of Free* Me: *intense sighing* *intense rolling into a ball* *pokes at flab*  You know what? If men should be able to handle this if they watch anime that treats female characters the same way.

Orga Itsuka - Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

[My hair does that sometimes where it gets in the way. I cut it off. I don’t know how he lives his life, but character design, am I right?]

I’ve seen this guy in memes! Because *spoiler*

Reiner Braun - Attack on Titan

[Me when I read the nutrition facts after I eat something.]

I haven’t really watched this series enough to know. 

Arata Wataya - Chihayafuru

I’ve watched a few episodes of this one but not enough to make proper judgement of his performance.

Shichika Yasuri - Katanagatari

He has proclaimed this as one of his strongest roles, and he has mentioned this in a few interviews when asked what left an impact on him as an actor. I should watch it, but *hiss* I watched one episode and fell asleep twice.

Top Five

5. Doppo Kunikida - Bungou Stray Dogs

After reading the manga up to the current point, I can say that it only gets better from here on out. Although it’s far more comedic in season one and season two focuses on Dazai’s past more than anything, I can say that Kunikida continues to be a strong supporting character in seasons to come. 

Fun fact: He mentioned in an interview that one of his favourite authors is Haruki Murakami who’s Kunikida’s grandson in real life! He likes the book: “South of the Border, West of the Sun”

4. Hal - Hal

I can’t say too much about this role without spoiling it, but it just worked out so well. The studio that did Haikyuu and Attack on Titan doing a sci-fi romance drama? Sounds odd at first, but it turns out to be an anime that really makes you think.

3. Haruhiro - Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

Same with this one, but I’m just going to say, after a major death in the series, the tone really changes. You think this is going to be a simple “isekai” kind of anime, but instead of going the SAO-route, they take a slow-paced route that allows characters to really develop.

2. Sentarou Kawabuchi - Sakamichi no Apollon

I can’t believe they’re supposed to be fifteen. Bruh. He’s 6′3″ (192cm). Anyways, Sentarou is a wild thug with a big heart, but we’ve all seen that kind of character before, so what makes him different? He rides the waves of adolescence, love triangles, and of course, that sweet jazz music. He’s the passionate drummer with a bit of a temper, but he’s one part of a great dynamic that resonates really well with Ryouhei Kimura. Besides that, I find it a bit hard to describe what I like so much about this role. It might’ve suffered from the rushed adaptation, but that’s definitely nothing on Hosoya’s part.

1. Nezumi - No. 6

This is a good ship. This is a great ship. I ship them with happiness. Same with the previous entry, this also suffered a bit from a rushed adaptation, but I enjoyed both of those anime. One of Studio Bones more underrated works, No. 6 was a great anime that fuses a sci-fi dystopian setting with two well-rounded characters. Nezumi is the rough and tough guy who met Shion at a young age. Hosoya and Kaji both voiced the younger versions of their character. After a series of events, these two go through an adventure to unravel the society that did them wrong. Seriously, you just have to watch the anime to understand why this was my number one. 

[velvetrooms]

Boogiepop and Others (2019) Episode 7

[recentanimenews]

Boogiepop wa Warawanai – 05 – Love at First Sight

This week the POV shifts from Asukai Jin to Taniguchi Masaki, the kid he saved from bullies along with the girl he was with. We learn more about both Masaki and the girl, Orihata Aya, who had actually just met him in that alley and tried to save him by offering her body to the guys.

Masaki is a transfer student from abroad who is just trying to do well, but gains some unwanted attention. Fortunately for him he not only had Asukai on his side when things got rough, but met Aya and basically fell for her the day he met her, due to her courage in that situation.

While Masaki seems normal enough (and is apparently Kirima Nagi’s brother, another interesting connection) there’s something off about Aya, and even he, who likes her, notices it. She’s extremely eager to please, as if she has no will of her own, but is rather driven by a curious pair of edicts: no one is allowed to hate her, and she has no right to fall in love.

Shift again to Anou Shinjirou, who played along with the other classmates who eventually beat up Masaki in the alley, but didn’t get killed by Asukai because he didn’t participate. He was just putting up a front for the other guys; in reality, he fell for Masaki as quickly as Masaki fell for Aya, and wanted to get closer to him. But he found that hard due to Aya, whom he learns is famous at her school for being promiscuous.

Anou finds where Aya lives and spies on her, but is interrupted by a very large, very ugly man who looks like a roadie for Aerosmith in the 90s. The roadie, whom we later learn has the name “Spooky E”, proceeds to “reprogram” Anou’s mind, wiping all his personal desires and ordering him to attend Shinyou Academy to await further instructions.

Now Anou is a part of the Towa Organization as a sleeper agent, only with no agency…essentially a puppet (Spooky calls him a “terminal”). His change in behavior endears him to a girl, who sends him a love letter that Spooky makes him forget. But Asukai has been watching Anou since the alley incident, and intentionally or not manages to remove the Towa programming, restoring his memories and free will.

Anou re-discovers the love letter and answers it, meeting the girl in question in a dark, deserted office building. But the “girl” there is Boogiepop in disguise, and when Spooky E appears to re-reprogram Anou (he set a trap). Boogiepop stops him and decides to go on the attack. Spooky gets away, but Anou is still of sound mind…for now.

Boogiepop promises if Anou gets in trouble again, she’ll be there for him. Then she gives him the real love letter, urging him to show up on the actual meeting date the day after tomorrow. Meanwhile, Masaki asks Aya out again, and of course Aya agrees. But while apparently waiting for Masaki, she’s confronted by Spooky E, who calls her “Camile” and wonders what she’s doing there.

This episode connected a few more strings in an increasingly dense narrative web, bringing into focus players that were present in last week’s events but not given emphasis until now, and seemingly opening a third party in the present situation. You have Boogiepop, Asukai/Imaginator, and now Towa Organization.

And then there’s Aya: is she one of Towa’s terminals, whose emotional engagement with Masaki may be degrading her programming? Will she stop worrying about being hated and let herself be loved? Lots of question marks floating around.

By: braverade

[fictionerd]

Good to see you, friends!

Hot damn this show is like crack to me. I really love how every string feeds into the next through encounters with a character in the previous string, and each one introduces new or recurring elements to the supernatural mix. I’ll touch a bit more on that in the “Thoughts” section. For now let’s get on with the show.

Synopsis: We open with the Knight in shining armor from the end of last episode who Jin told to scamper with the girl. Things get backed up for us a bit and we’re told the full story of Masaki, as Sir Knight is properly called. Seems he lived and studied abroad and returned to Japan in order to graduate middle school and attend high-school there. Another little detail I didn’t realize is that he’s also the step brother of Kirima Nagi looping himself back even further in the strings. The girl he was sticking up for is an odd duck by the name of Orihata Aya.

See Masaki being a last-minute transfer didn’t sit well with certain people in his class so they all got together to lure him into an alley and beat him down because his skill and attractiveness had bruised their egos. Aya just happened to be there and called them out asking why they hated this kid so much. They claimed it was because he was a womanizer and, well...

Yeah, she calls their bluff. Further making the situation weird by proclaiming that if that was the case then the hoodlums could take that frustration out on her and freaking RIPS HER T-SHIRT DOWN THE FRONT TO FLASH THEM! 

I did mention Aya’s an odd duck, right? 

One of the sleazeballs takes the plunge and says he’ll take her up on the offer and that’s when Masaki steps in. Which brings us nicely to the end of last episode. We all know what happens there. Jin shows up, tells the good kids to run along and then gets with the murder-stabbing.

This is where Masaki and to a lesser extent Aya stop having plot significance this episode. We see them go on a date or two, but we’ll get the low down on those with the next character’s string.

Introducing Anou Shinjirou. He’s super gay in a time and place that doesn’t approve of that sort of attitude. So when he develops a crush on our boy Masaki he doesn’t know how to process those feelings and this leads to frustration which he inflicts on Masaki. Anou gets caught up in the group of guys who planned the beat-down, but doesn’t actually show up to join their gang. Instead he hangs back and looks on. He basically stalks Masaki all through his growing relationship with Aya. Seeing him on a date at the aquarium. He receives word from a friend that rumor has it Aya will sleep with anyone who asks her. 

This naturally throws Anou into a rage. Why would his crush like a loose floozy like this Aya girl. So he shifts gears to stalking her in order to get answers. That’s when he’s attacked by THIS DUDE

This is Spooky E. He is a synthetic human created by the Towa Organization (You know the people who captured Echoes and created Manticore) and can mind wipe/control people through electricity manipulation. He turns Anou into a meat-puppet purged of all his worldly desires and commands him to become enrolled in Shinyo Academy (The highschool from the beginning of the series) and await instructions. This is where some threads start meeting again. See, Anou’s social standing is actually improved by his becoming a determined workaholic to the point where he receives a love letter (I believe this takes place after he gets accepted to Shinyo, but I’m unsure because of the wonky nature of the show’s timescale). He’s commanded by SpookE here to forget about the letter. He goes about his daily routine of barely existing until he spots the painting “Snow falling in April” By our favorite serial killer in-training Jin Asukai. 

Asukai corners Anou and tells him he can’t be saved since he was already snapped up by the Towa Organization. Something about their encounter breaks their control over him to some extent and he finds a fake love letter in his bag. There’s a girl with braided pigtails waiting for him and when he says he found the letter in his bag rather than the shoe locker She tackles him to the ground in time for Spooks McGee to show up. He’s naturally puzzled how he lost control of Anou’s mind, but before he can wipe the kid again who should show up but our old pal Boogiepop. See she was on the hunt for Imaginator, but seeing as a victim of the Towa’s synthetic human is right there she makes an exception and gets to fighting. Spooky gets spooked, Anou is assured that he’s fully free of their control and given the real letter. Some one wants to ask him out on a date (Presumably Pigtail girl) and now it’s on him to decide whether he goes or not.

We’re not done yet, though. We cut back to Masaki getting told by Aya that she got into Shinyo Academy. He asks her to meet him at the usual park so they can celebrate, but while she’s waiting for him Spooky E shows up and asks her what she’s doing there, and he calls her Camille!

[Cue: Dun dun DUuuuuuuun]

Thoughts: It’s hard to do a jumbled-up timescale well in storytelling. You’re taking the idea of a linear story and trying to break it up into these recursive loops that all tie back in together so that when you’re done the story still has a through-line. It’s best done when you’re working with a large number of characters and/or groups. Baccano did it, and I can see now why Boogiepop was stated as an inspiration for Baccano. Baccan WISHES it was this good at spinning looped story threads. Part of me wants to try and walk down the tangled paths of connection, but really I think I ought to save that for a massive retrospective post or video after the series is over to see if I can’t pull a full-on conspiracy theorist corkboard out of this stuff. I probably already could, but honestly it’d probably be better to hold off until I have (more or less) the full picture.

Until next post keep talking fiction, friends! I’ll see you soon.

[usducktape]

Boogiepop Characters as the Major Arcana

0 Manaka Kisaragi: The Fool. The beginning of a journey, new to the world and inexperienced, pure-hearted child.

1 Jin Asukai: The Magician. Introspection, spiritual vision of the self, ignores superficial and the personal.

2 Touka Miashka: The High Priestess. Femininity, spirituality, and inspiration. A crucial card.

3 Imaginator: The Empress. Difficult to grasp,  mysterious feminine power, calls for intuition.

The rest under the cut

4 The Towa Organization: The Emperor. Assertive in demands, dominion over people and wills, makes the hard choices.

5 Seiichi Kirima: The Hierophant. Does the right thing, offers advice, struggles with what is right and wrong.

6 Aya Orihata: The Lovers. Unexpected romance, in touch with sexuality and desires, follows their heart.

7 Keiji Takeda: The Chariot. Goal oriented, clear cut aspirations, moves into the future.

8 Nagi Kirima: Strength. Carries responsibility for their friends, overcomes fears, never loses their self.

9 Echoes: The Hermit. Seeks to be alone, filled with spiritual power, outside of society.

10 Pillar of Light: Wheel of Fortune. Brings positive and negative changes, a force of karma.

11 Masaki Taniguchi: Justice. Lives by a karmic system, punishes evil and fights for good, takes responsibility for their actions.

12 Shinpei Kuroda: The Hanged Man. Faced with a difficult choice, ready to sacrifice themselves, unsure of how to live.

13 Boogiepop: Death. A change in personality, saves and kills so that live goes on, bubbles up unreliably. 

14 Kazuko Suema: Temperance. Balances their friendships, experiments in their approach to people, advocates for restraint.

15 The Manticore: The Devil. Feels trapped in life, gives in to temptation, faced with dire choices.

16 Masami Saotome: The Tower. Bringer of destruction, approaches decisions carefully, beset by challenges to their dream.

17 Kei Niitoki: The Star. Inspired by their friends, shines under difficult times, hopeful outlook.

18 Poom Poom: The Moon. Causes doubt and uncertainty, offers deceptive promises, a confusing existence.

19 Naoko Kamikishiro: The Sun. Overwhelming positivity, free from worldly concerns, constantly seeks friendship.

20 Mo Murder: Judgement. Chose who lives and dies, meticulous in their decisions.

21: Touka, Nagi, Kazuko: The World. Carrying the weight of their lives, completed their exams, hard work rewarded.

[the-loyal-one]

[drink-n-watch]

I’m a little late this week with BoogiePop but you know how it is…

And here we are again! Lovers of the unusual and confusing… Shania from Quotable Creations (https://quotablecreations.com/about/) and I are back to help you figure out exactly what’s going on here. For a refresher of last week’s adventures check out our episode 3 review here (https://quotablecreations.com/2019/01/14/its-collab-time-with-irina-and-shania-boogiepop-and-others/)

oh good, then I’m not late

First off though, let me just say the snow in April is pretty common place here. In fact it’s more unusual to not have at least one huge snow storm during the month just as some optimistic folks had gotten their winter tires off their car. So the recurring phrase of “snow in April” as a metaphor for something unusual and special, didn’t ring quite true. A those southern people with their agreeable temperatures. It’s like -35 right now. Buddy is very mad at me for not “fixing” it.

Brand new characters and a new baddie as well, I guess we’ve moved on to another arc, how do you feel about that Shania?

Confused Irina, very confused. I don’t feel like we had enough information or time for the first arc. If we just had a little more time with that first arc, I think we could have felt a little more for the characters. We didn’t even have time to mourn Echoes. And guys, don’t even get me started on the lack of character development. Oh that is a whole rant.

Shania isn’t mad, just disappointed…

Personally I’m split about it. On the one had the Echoes arc is still full of holes. I mean we know pretty much what happened but the why is still rather nebulous and the characters are for the most part cardboard cutouts. The poor murdered girls where never even grieved for. And I don’t think I got the chance to care about anyone in the 3 first episodes. If the don’t come back to that story at all, I would call it a fail. All the most interesting things happened off camera. So I’m a bit nervous about that arc being left behind. I only hope that Nagi was mentioned to serve as a connecting thread to eventually bring all the plotlines together (which would be cool)

Agreed. If they find some way to use Nagi as a connective device, it would make me actually appreciate the first arc and perhaps this twisty, turny, Sci-fie anime would start making sense for once.

On the other hand though, this first episode seems to introduce  much more interesting storyline (to me) than what we have had so far. In that respect the change is a plus.

True, the new storyline is intriguing, but I feel like there was a lot more ‘meat’ so to speak in that arc. But who knows? This arc could provide some things we didn’t get the first time around

this is i poor tastes – I’m sorry guys, I’m very tired

What did you think of our new baddie? Imaginator made me think of Disney.

Haha, same. But more than Disney, with the name I got really big Miraculous Ladybug vibes.

I don’t quite get why she needs to destroy and remake the world but ok, I guess.

Any thoughts on sensei Asukai?

*shivers* Ugh. One word. Creepy. He seemed ok at first, but after his talks with the Imaginator, I believe he takes on a major God complex. Death Note anyone?

and potential sister lover…

It seems the show is continuing with the erratic time jump structure of the first arc. However, the’ve now added in the extra fun of having a uncorporeal character that can take over anyone else for brief periods of time, so you can never be quite sure who’s talking…yay…

And because of the irregular narrative, characters seem to at almost randomly. This was very obvious with Jin this episode as his personality completely changed without any visible catalyst or gradual development. It made me wonder for a second if he hadn’t been taken over himself.

I’m all for this untraditional storytelling structure and I think BoogiePop should be applauded for taking the risk. Unfortunately pairing it with such a huge and ever changing cast, and ambitious, expansive plot with aliens, and pandimensional beings and heart flowers… well it requires a supremely talented team of writers and editors, and I’m not quite sure this team is up for the challenge. For example, in an attempt to keep the story from getting to unintelligible, the made imaginator into an exposition dump narrator, plainly explaining everything that’s happening straight to the camera. That’s just plain lazy writing.

Sure you could argue that this forces the audience to connect with the antagonist and see the story from their eyes. And interesting trick which could have a nice payoff in time. But for now, the imaginator is simply to unevenly characterised to be relatable to anyone.

hey, that’s my line

I babeled a lot about story structure and said very little about the actual story. What did you think of the episode Shania?

I agree with a lot of what you said Irina. It stopped jumping around, but I’m not getting any connection to the characters. And that’s usually what I love about an anime. But with Boogiepop, I don’t actually care if someone does in this anime because we dont get to get to know them enough. Although I do like the paranormal aspect, it’s at least enough to keep me interested.

I guess we just have to wait and see if they can actually bring all this together in some way.

she seems confident enough

I am really trying to concentrate on variety rather than quantity in my screencaps. Hope I did ok

Boogiepop and Shania and Irina ep 4 – Unseasonably Cool I'm a little late this week with BoogiePop but you know how it is... And here we are again!