#based on what reviews say

[valnyte]

Touko Kuzuha Route Review

a few things of note:

I mainly play the adult version; I have an alt account but it is the regular version)

I chose the 妖艶 ending as it was the one showed for the previews (at least in the adult PV); I can confirm that this end does continue to Kuzuha's current Christmas story event story

Based on the way my uni structured its Japanese language classes, I can only say my Japanese fluency level is around 中級 level but still kept a dictionary app by my side

I am not a translator and I will not be translating his route

keep in mind that this is MY opinion, you are free to have your own and read his route as you wish

Plot: 3.5/5 ★

Kuzuha as a character: 4/5 ★

Kuzuha as a partner in a romantic relationship: 1.5/5 ★ (I am being generous)

Kuzuha when it comes to smutty situations: 8/5 ★

MC: 2/5 ★ (Again, I am being generous)

Personal route enjoyment: 3.5/5 ★

tw: dubcon, self-harm

MASSIVE spoilers up ahead so read at your own risk

If I were to summarise his route in one statement its: one-night-stand turns into a friends with (medicinal) benefits relationship that becomes a situationship until these dumbasses finally learn that direct communication is perhaps the IDEAL solution.

Can you see why I want to squeeze him?

Starting with plot, it reads like a fluffy and spicy story, heavily focused on the situationship they landed themselves in which has the air of a romcom. Seriously MC, you just let this guy who you don't know very well crash your apartment and live with you? Just because you slept with him once and found him petting a fluffy cat later on? Kuzuha is incredibly unserious as well for the most part but it is entertaining to see whatever the hell he is up to with MC, if he's going to tease her or spoil her - albeit, usually in bed. Though truth be told, I could not really see much of the romantic chemistry between them, mostly sexual chemistry and understandably so. For a romcom-y theme, I was not expecting something too high stakes but I was actually kept at the edge of my seat once the story hit around the 3/4 point as something I did not even consider an eventual side plot would turn into. Everything before the 3/4 point was very rom-com with a side of magical healing. Storywise, things sped up really quickly after that point, but so did the resolution. I had no issues with the pacing thus far, but the resolution was a bit fast. Nevertheless, it was entertaining, and I will do his route again after hopping unto a fresh route.

Next, Kuzuha himself. Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy. Wow, you really are a mess with a pretty face. His character profile labelling him "trash" [クズ] is not a joke in the slightest, he is one, and hell, he knows it with zero remorse. Even Tsubaki shit talks to MC in private that Kuzuha is a bit of a shit and neither of them will ever deny it. It makes sense that little pretty trashy kitsune becomes jealous of Ryo once MC brings the topic of her new co-worker/childhood classmate/first crush up. And it is because he knows deep down, he's not that reliable at all, save for his healing magic and his abundant sex appeal.

However as much as I will affectionately clown him, he does have his reasons why he's flippant, and everything ties back to him as the Kuzunoha kitsune. As kitsune, his liver is hunted down for the fact it has high healing capabilities, he has been hunted down in the past (by humans and youma alike) and even in the present (only by youma now), he does dislike the fact he is only seen as useful for this healing aspect. Not to mention physically painful with how parts of his liver have to be taken away and despite his highly regenerative state, its taxing to do. Moreso when it is not by his free will. Next, he is Kuzunoha from legend - there are many variants mind you, but Cybird x DMM did their own spin on it. TLDR how the legend is explained ingame: more than a thousand years back while he was being hunted down in fox form, he was caught in a trap, and he was set free by Abe no Yasuna. As gratitude, Kuzuha transformed into a beautiful woman and lived with Abe no Yasuna and the child of the latter, taking on the role of woman of the house/step in mother. A few years passed safely but then one day, Kuzuha's true identity as kitsune was revealed, and thus was chased out from the home, never seeing them again.

This then led him to the conclusion: "Love is not reciprocal. Either you take it, or it is taken from you."

Ouch.

And he does live with this conclusion set in stone for more than a thousand years until he meets MC and does not realise he is actively falling for her as the weeks go by when living with her. "Love is a one-way road," he said at the beginning. Not in this otome game, sir, it's only a one-way road because you're fictional.

All that aside, he has some very heartwarming sides to him. Despite his devil may care attitude and his love is never returned beliefs, he cannot change the fact he's genuinely compassionate towards others. It is bittersweet to read him filled with so much empathy for others cannot understand himself at the slightest. Healing MC's inability to sleep well in a very unconventional way when she didn't even ask for it at the start, to the point of actively being the one to stab himself to get a piece of his liver out to help save someone's life because he knows firsthand the pain and difference of a youma and human relationship. Characters who are a living irony of themselves am I right?

Not to mention that gentle side of his is further explored once he genuinely starts considering MC as a romantic partner. Still a big tease though .

But it does not mean he is entirely exempt from his flaws. I will address something that I did have issues with since the start: he technically coerced MC into going further with him in their first chapter. She was unsure about having sex with him at first but just a few heated moments later, one thing led to another then yup they screwed. By the time she realised it, it was too late as they already did the deed and she was shortly angry with him. Narrativewise, she was technically trapped in a "fuck him or your spirit disappears when the incense fully burns out" but he only told her that AFTER instead of the BEGINNING. Kuzuha... That is A CHOICE to make, and not a good one - considering you were the one who gave her the incense sticks in the first place 💀 Not entirely comfy with that situation even if he treated her gently. Sure he's the gentlest suitor in the starter pack, but that's just a little bit hmmmmmmmmmm. He has other flaws as well but that is my biggest gripe with him.

Would I consider him as a good romantic partner? Not exactly on that thread given how he has boundaries he wants respected but does not respect others' boundaries. He has a full point for actively looking out for MC and listening to her and responding to that at least. But he is 100% not the type of guy MC can show to her parents and get instant approval for a few other glaring issues.

This is how I see him maybe meeting the parents going in my head:

"So how did you meet?"

"Um..."

"What's your job?"

"Haha, about that-"

When it comes to sexy times in his route, there's a lot of very intensely heated moments, given his nature and the fact he's 90% in close proximity to her because he ends up living with her like a roommate/friend with benefits. Mugenro by itself has very lengthy sex scenes, and partially voiced so yes please do not be like me who forgets to turn down the volume 💀 He is a big tease, but once he knows how desperate she is, oh he's rewarding her a hundred times over. He's skilled, good grief, he knows it and makes use of everything he knows to send anyone to high heaven. Also outdoor sex does happen in one of the avatar challenges, yes I got it because I was curious and I am damn well not regretting it. Just saying, his voice getting raspy had me going, I need to hear this at home. Alone. Ehe.

Ok enough about Kuzuha, time to turn to MC. Girl... Because why. On one hand, I actively like the fact she's quite possessive towards him at the end, directly telling him there's a boundary he should never cross with her and he listens. But for the rest of the time, sweetie, there's a fine line being nice and then being trodded underfoot. And where is your common sense girl, you barely knew the guy and you're letting him crash at your place immediately? She has all the position to refuse him but nooooo. I cannot blame her for being attracted to Kuzuha with his debonair charm, but I do want to wring her like laundry sometimes with how downright idiotic she can get. Even she's not safe from being scolded by Kuzuha himself for running into a very dangerous situation. Maybe sit down with the blindfold from seeing the red flags for a moment and maybe come to terms with the different lifespans for a bit. Even just a little bit. I will give her a full point for taking on the usually active role instead of being passive and letting him make the decisions for her as she is more decisive than this free-spirited fox, but otherwise, ma'am you have a brain, don't let it waste away.

Overall, I did enjoy Kuzuha's route and will do it again to full clear everything, just not now. Not my true cup of tea, but he is arguably the nicest of the suitors so far and I am glad I read his route first. And because he's cute. If I make a plushie of him, he's going to become my new stress toy.

Have a blushie Kuzuha for the end:

K, bye.

[hanzajesthanza]

when sapkowski is all “i don’t believe in absolute evil” like he didn’t write like vilgefortz and leo bonhart and birkart grellenort likeeee okkkk but those guys were preeeetty evil though

[gingermintpepper]

Reading reviews of the Argonautica on Goodreads was so funny because wdym y'all are mad at the Argonauts for -checks notes- being afraid of scary things and -reads further- missing their home??

Being a sailor is already objectively one of the worst things you can be considering how indifferent, hostile and inhospitable the ocean is to human life but then you add the fact that almost NONE of the Argonauts were career seamen anyway (some, like Atalanta, may have never even seen the sea before) and that a lot of them were kings or princes, noblemen who generally didn't do a lot of hard labour in the day to day and like, of course they're going to be miserable confined to a ship day in, day out, in uncharted waters with none of the luxuries or pastimes they've grown accustomed to??

I know people generally regard Book 3 as where things "get good" because that's where Medea is introduced but Book 3's catharsis only works because it's the result of months and months of endless open water, brief scraps of reprieve and trials to GET to Colchis in the first place. Sorry the story called "the Voyage of the Argo" isn't an action filled campaign where all the super badass children of the gods fuck women and kill monsters ig???

[benoits-neckerchieves]

Feel free to explain why in the comments or reblog with ur favourite scenes or whatever

[crime-scene-psychic]

I really need to stop taking every Letterboxd review that disagrees with me seriously

[frobby]

im super late to the party but honestly from what ive seen twisted wonderland is a better disney love letter than wish could have ever dreamed to be

[iwatcheditbegin]

2016 and 2013 hate trains were a nightmare but this is more frustrating bc I legit feel like I’m being gaslight

[wendelin-utt]

Slight Update

One: I haven't even really been working on anything important, like writing or drawing. Mainly because I decided to replay a game that I adore.

Two: I'm not gonna be home for a while meaning that I can't even work on these pieces EVEN IF I WANTED TO.

However, I will be writing The Shadow's Legend in a physical form... IE writing it by hand. I will say I have drawn my sona in the outfit of the main character of the game that I've been playing though! Doubt that'll be her final design.

Will, also, draw them in a traditional outfit of just a shirt and shorts. I really liked an outfit that someone else shared... so I might draw that design as well. Anyways, I might have several sketches ready for choice because I just can't decide on an outfit. Maybe having you guys choose what's the best might help.

Edit: I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE SHADOW'S LEGEND CHARACTER LINEUP MIGHT HAVE CHANGED SLIGHTLY

[gawayne]

hey anyone else feel like a fair portion of popular book reviewers on youtube actually do not. review books

[tw1stedthicket]

i think i might be a lesbian

[rioblitzle]

yeah i feel like the term "video essay" has become generalised to mean any sort of longform review or discussion youtube content, without a need for a solid thesis or baseline level of analysis at the structural core of the video (having seen the term applied to media reviews, icebergs, tier lists, series recaps etc), and that misclassification can be pretty unfortunate, but i don't think that necessarily means that those video not-quite-essays have an inherent lack of value or passion in them yknow?

[onewomancitadel]

I just read a bloke's review of the sequel to Ghost in the Shell (1995) and I think I'm going to be sick.......... he said it was better than the first one

[daz4i]

got an ad for a course that looks right up my alley (like, too-good-to-be-true levels of up my alley) and toyed with the idea of possibly signing up. asked my mom what she thinks, including abt the price and such, fully expecting her to shut me down and say it's too expensive or isn't a good direction to take, but no even before i started listing the actual cool stuff you get from it she already got so excited and told me to sign up and that it sounds perfect for me and such. so i guess we'll see

[confinesofmy]

teenage girls on tiktok will have a kindle covered in stickers with a clear case on top and the stickers are all just various representations of reading as a concept and they will be obsessed with them. same with a nintendo switch covered in stickers with a clear case on top and the stickers are all the concept of gaming. they love the concept of concepts so much.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I can almost never take it seriously when someone dubs themself a title or role; in a pinned or introduction or something going "I'm a feral chaos goblin" or when someone says "I'm the [character] guy" and they've decided that for themselves.

Maybe I'm being overly particular, but to me (to me, meaning this isn't universal and you can disagree) those are titles and roles that you earn from others through your actions, not your own decision. You don't call yourself the character guy, you post about that one character/pairing a shit ton until all your mutuals associate you with them and they decide you're inextricably associated with that character.

If you have to tell me you're feral and chaotic, or that you love this one character, it's like...well are you, then? I feel like I should be able to tell on my own in order for you to have that label

Labels are constructed and do what you want there's no rules and all that, but at the same time just saying you're feral doesn't make you feral. And I am going to trust that label from an exterior source much more than from someone themself who may just want it to be true but doesn't exemplify it. i need it to be peer reviewed before I'll believe it or factor that in at all

[shinkai-kaiju]

what is it with the trend of like. artists and cooks online shitting on their fanbase and insulting them. does that even sell. its annoying as hell.