#based off of that comment from Asano

[triangle-strategy-notes]

Corentin ref sheet!

Translation notes:

The first part (with blond Corentin) and the second part (with dark-haired Corentin) had really similar text with just a few small wording differences. I tried to catch the differences where I could, but I still feel like I might have missed a few connotative nuances.

"Uncle-like figure" was literally translated as "uncle"--I'm guessing they just meant it in a sort of metaphorical sense, so I put "uncle-like figure." Something like "older man" or "moderately-aged man" might have been a more natural English translation.

I'm still not 100% sure what they're saying with the note on the cloak's symbol. From context, I think the choice that the writer is referring to is using the Ministry symbol vs. the Hyzante national symbol, but the wording makes it sound like they're discussing a choice between the Ministry symbol vs. any symbol that will show up on the smaller pixel sprites. I feel like I might have misunderstood something there, but I couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

More of a fun fact, but "Hyzante" was sometimes translated over as "High Sand"--the wordplay hadn't occurred to me before, so it was kinda interesting!

[land-under-wave]

Ride Off Into the Sunset

Sometimes you spend over a year poking at a drabble and sometimes you write one in about a week. This derailed HARD after I remembered the existence of this post.

Note: Karma has a pretty twisted sense of humor and makes a somewhat disturbing joke, please check the tags for a content warning if you’d like one!

.

.

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“This movie is terrible,” Gakushu says.

Karma laughs. “Aw, don’t be like that, Asano-kun,” he says back. He’s sprawled out over the couch with his arm slung comfortably around Gakushu’s shoulder, and he uses it to pull him a little closer. It might look cute, but it feels more like a headlock than anything. 

Gakushu pulls away from him and gives him a flat look. “The protagonist has just failed to recognize his own twin,” he says. “Am I still supposed to support him after that display of incompetence?”

Karma shrugs. “Even idiots deserve love,” he says, as if he’s benevolent enough to care about the slow-witted. He barely pays attention to them unless he wants to involve them in a scheme. 

“He’s in a love triangle with his twin brother’s poorly disguised alter ego and the neighbor when she has her glasses off. That takes face blindness or a special level of stupidity,” Gakushu points out. “Given that he’s also failed to connect all the new art supplies in their room to the mysterious graffiti around their school, stupidity seems like a safe conclusion.”

“Is it really a triangle if the brothers aren’t interested in each other? Isn’t it missing a side then?” Karma wonders, and really? Out of everything in this inane plot, that’s what he’s focusing on? 

“The third side is implicit in the base for simplicity’s sake—you can hardly expect the common masses to have heard of a chevron. What else would you call it, a tent?”

“I can see that spoiled city boy Asano-kun has never been camping in his life.” Karma leans back. “Tents come with floors and extend into the third dimension. They’re more like pyramids or triangular prisms.”

Gakushu glares. “You know what I mean.”

“I do,” Karma agrees, “but where’s the fun in that?” He tilts his head to the side. “Although, there might be some actual fun if they went ahead and made it a real triangle.”

“How about in not giving me an aneurysm before the age of thirty?” Gakushu mutters. He considers his angle of attack to try shut Karma up and goes with, “And are you encouraging immoral relationships just so you can get a correct polygon?” 

“You know how I feel about inaccuracy, Asano-kun.”

Meaning it’s only permissible if Karma’s the one doing it, otherwise, it’s just ammunition for him to use to pick on people. Of course.

Gakushu forges on ahead. “Even putting aside the incestuous factor, they’re identical twins. They don’t even have different wardrobes; the only way you can tell between them is they part their hair differently. You would have to be depraved to be interested in your identical twin romantically.” 

He eyes Karma, comes to a realization, and then tries to avoid thinking too deeply about their complicated, ambiguous tangle of a relationship. “Then again, maybe that’s why you’d enjoy it,” Gakushu mutters. He’s not deaf. He’s heard all the comments about how they look alike. He doesn’t see it himself, but he doesn’t pay that much attention to his appearance aside from making sure he looks respectable, maybe he’d get it if he looked in the mirror more often. “Does it not bother you at all?” he asks, half as a jibe and half out of genuine curiosity.

“Nah,” Karma says, and it says something about the two of them that he already knows what Gakushu means. “I’ve thought about it and I’m the only person in my own league. But I can’t exactly date myself, so you’ll have to do,” he says, with an exaggerated shrug. 

Gakushu snorts. “Narcissist,” he says.

“Takes one to know one!”

Gakushu is starting to feel the beginnings of a headache. Not that this feeling is uncommon around Karma. “You know what, just shut up and go back to watching this awful excuse for cinema.”

“Whatever you say, Asano-kun,” Karma sings. The colors on screen intensify again as there’s yet another scene of graffiti “vigilantism,” and things are blissfully silent.

[theprotagonistdies]

Mortal Kombat 2021 Movie Review (w spoilers)

Just wanted to get this off my chest now that the movie’s been released in America. I watched this on 8th April when it was first released in Singapore, and two more times the following week.

So, overall I give the movie about a 6.5-7/10 or C+. Acting: Decent Story: Average at best Action: Above average to Good Gore: Graphic but not as often or much Best highlights: Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Costuming

I’ll be referencing some comments by others about the movie, but this’ll all be my opinions. I reviewed the movie based on my understanding that it’s a low budget film before even watching the movie. I am also a fan of the game (though I do not play, I watched most of the lore)

-------

When I first watched the movie, I was excited. The intro showing Hanzo Hasashi’s backstory would be something familiar to fans of the game. As expected, his wife and child were killed, but as we know it, they have an extra baby girl who later survives and carries on the bloodline. At this point, I was already ‘eh’ because it was so predictable what happens next. I was already disappointed that they named the son ‘Jyubei’ in the subtitles, when the wife didn’t even utter his name in Japanese. In the game, Hanzo’s son is called Satoshi. But one can say that’s something petty.

Anyways, as it goes on, we meet Joe Taslim as Bi-Han. He’s menacing, he’s cocky and has the presence that fills the screen. Already, I was smitten. While some people were saying the movie is rushed, I’d say this part of the intro felt a little draggy. But, the fight scene after is great, and we see Hanzo and Bi-Han throw hands.

I’d have to say at this point: ALL fight scenes including  Bi-Han/Sub-Zero were great. They’re the best. Every other fight scene with the other characters were decent but not great.

Then we get introduced to Cole Young. From the get go, I do not like new characters not in the lore. I’m that type of person who does not like original characters in fanfiction. And his story further made me feel that a lot of time was wasted on him. Mortal Kombat has story elements around family, yes, but it’s not central, and it made the movie too wholesome and not in a way that I feel implemented well. In my opinion, it made the movie a little cringey at times. I like Lewis Tan who plays Cole but unfortunately he’s been given a role that was completely unnecessary.

A Youtube reviewer said it best: Why make up an entirely new character when there’s a plethora of characters to choose from? Heck, if you want him related to Hanzo, you could have used Takeda or something (though yes i know he’s not related to Hanzo, but he could be like a distant cousin relative whatever, with Takehashi on one of this other parents side).

There’s Jax and Sonya - why not just use Sonya? She’s the one gathering all the information. They could have used her. 

Anyway, moving on. We also meet Kano. He was good and I see a lot of people loved him. Personally I thought he was okay, but he was too comedic in my opinion and felt underwhelming. While funny quips and mockery are appreciated, he felt like what Liu Kang called him: A small, angry little bunny. Not at all what I’d expect of the leader of Black Dragon. 

There was... it that supposed to be Reptile? I honestly do not know, but I don’t believe that’s the Reptile we know from the game, and more of a mindless monster that has Reptile’s abilities.

I loved Sonya in this movie. Jessica McNamee was amazing as her. One - she’s attractive as hell, and Two - she felt far more relatable than Cole Young. From her being a soldier living in her ‘shithole’, to her curiosity in trying to find out more about the Mortal Kombat tournament.

They look for Raiden’s Temple in the desert. This was a little slow and again, I say Kano just felt like a chump here. A try-hard doing his best to appear intimidating but failing.

Liu Kang appears. Kano won’t shut up. Liu Kang’s introduction was interesting and I liked it, but later on his monologues and exaggerated actions were so odd and ‘extra’ to me that I was cringing. I don’t know why they don’t just make him a normal guy who’s a Shaolin monk lol.

Raiden is as cranky as we know him in the game. He’s kinda dull here, but to be honest, so is he in the game, so I don’t mind it. I saw someone compare him to the 1995 version which while I enjoyed and appreciated, did not think he suited the game and movie. So Tadanobu Asano’s Raiden is fine to me! Also, shut up to the people who get on others’ case on the way they pronounce Raiden. In Japanese it’s Rai-den, not Ray-den, like they say in the game. Both are correct, so shut up.

Sub-Zero makes an entrance again, menacingly running down the hall and making me sploosh, and Kung Lao also makes an entrance. Here you can see how poor the CG is. This is where you can tell the budget is low and realise that all the sets we’ve seen so far is pretty small and closed.

The ‘arcana’ thing that they made up to explain their powers was honestly pretty smart and I quite liked it. It then becomes a training arc, which while understandably can be seen as slow, it’s quite needed for the story.

The villains in this story were sadly underutilised. Admittedly I am unfamiliar with Nitara and Reiko, so them being throwaway characters did not affect me. Kabal, while very charismatic, died but I felt it was a decent end. I personally wish they could have included him more. However, for Mileena and Goro, I could see the moment I watched it that people were gonna be mad. I’m not fans of either of them but I understood that they are major characters in the game. So for them to be offed that easily was... tbh very disappointing and quite insulting. I sincerely hope they will bring back Mileena for the next movie, experimented on and brought to life using Kitana’s blood or something.

But best villain? Obviously goes to Bi-Han/Sub-Zero. Honestly I went into the movie expecting to root for Scorpion but I ended up being so in love with Joe Taslim’s menacing and chilling portrayal of Sub-Zero. He’s soooo good. People said he was like a slasher film villain and I think they made a great choice doing so!

As for Cole - I’m still not a fan of him or his powers. I like they used tonfas, but as some called it - he has literally plot armour which, tru. Hahahhaa.

So finally after all that, we finally get to the last fight.

Sub-Zero is about to kill Cole then Scorpion is summoned. They both fight and actually one can see Scorpion is winning? He got more hits in than Sub-Zero (two stabs, a side slash and a throw from Scorp, meanwhile Sub got one slash and a throw) so I don’t understand why people thought he actually needed help from Cole.

Also, this is another major complaint about the ‘wholesomeness’. Why was Hanzo’s family killed but Cole’s family spared by Sub-Zero? Why couldn’t they just killed them off for extra weight to the story instead of making it so safe? I felt that would have redeemed Cole’s character as more of  Mortal Kombat character if they did so.

But I really enjoyed the fight here. As I mentioned all fights that involved Sub-Zero are amazing and people not giving the credit to this fight scene are blind. I also saw a comment that said they were expecting ‘John-Wick level’ of fight. Both fair and unfair comment because: It’s a low budget movie and they are two different styles of movies. John Wick is more realistic while this one is more fantastical. Though for them to call this a Marvel level choreography... I’m not sure bc Marvel put a lot of money, so that means for their budget the MK movie did well? So IDK but I believe the fight choreography was good in this most especially in the Sub-Zero/Scorpion fights.

Fatalities were great, costuming were great and for the sets while small and enclosed they did good.

Story could have been better and I cannot stress how much I find Cole’s role completely pointless. Pacing wise I actually do not find a problem with it. I only wished for more fighting and less about ‘family’.

From the movie overall I understood it as to be a set up, and even before watching it, from the trailers, I somehow knew it was not going to have a tournament so I don’t know why all these people in comments are lamenting about the lack of a tournament. It feels clear to me that this is a set up movie and more are to come.

So while I have a lot of issues with this movie, I do think it’s a fun watch which is why I give it a pretty generous score imo.

Hopefully we’ll have more to come, improving everything in all aspects with hopefully a bigger budget!

[snakeboistan]

Maeiso Royalty AU (feat. Karmagisa)

Kinda based off of this tumblr prompt

Isogai is the crowned prince of a small land secluded from other kingdoms. The kingdom is rather small and everyone’s happy since they are blessed with a just and fair ruler.

However, King Asano, a tyrant of another kingdom, wishes to wage war with them, knowing that they’ll easily be able to take over due to the kingdom’s small size and limited resources. 

Knowing that if war breaks out, they’ll never be able to sustain their economy or agriculture, Isogai asks Nagisa, his most trusted royal advisor, what to do. By surrendering, he’ll be handing over his people to a power-hungry, ruthless king who’ll treat them like slaves and rob them dry

Nagisa suggests that they reach out to another kingdom in hopes that they may help them so the two of them send a letter to the royal household of a stronger, more powerful and much larger kingdom

Within a week, Maehara, the prince of said kingdom, arrives with the head of his royal guards - Karma - and a few courtiers and ladies in waiting (I know that they serve women but shhhh) so that a treaty of alliance can be drawn

When Maehara and Isogai make eye contact everything’s all slow motion and everyone disappears and ‘you take my breath away’ by Queen plays

The ladies in waiting and the courtiers immediately begin plotting

So whilst the two princes are meeting to discuss the terms of the treaty and what they could do to prevent war and possible battle strategies, sparks start flying between the two

They start hanging out together more: walking together in the courtyard, strolling through the kingdom, playing sports together, going horse riding, observing the guards training and all that other royal stuff 

And they have this cute little romance and EVERYONE from both kingdoms ship it

Meanwhile, Karma has taken a liking to Nagisa (who just brushes him off)

So while the princes are busy in the meeting room discussing plans, Karma makes flirtatious comments to the Royal Advisor who is less than impressed

And when Karma isn’t on duty, the guard just tags along with Nagisa and Sugino (one of Isogai’s guards and Nagisa’s childhood friend)

There’s this one scene where Karma playfully dares Nagisa into a sword fight and the blue-haired boy just demolishes him in front of all of the other guards with a smile on his face. (Terasaka just loses it at Karma’s shocked face)

But then Nagisa starts warming up to him and they talk together in the royal library and internally Nagisa’s like ‘I won’t say I’m in Love from Hercules’

So while the main plot and Maeiso’s relationship progresses we’ve just got this side story that’s Karma trying to woo Nagisa and all sorts of crazy shenanigans regarding that

But then Asano declares war and Isogai’s kingdom start panicking and Maehara can’t bear to see the one he loves so heartbroken so he proposes to him

Isogai says yes and the two kingdoms are joined and they defeat Asano and all is well and everyone is happy

(and during the wedding Nagisa and Karma kiss)

And they all lived Happily Ever After 

THE END

BONUS

“So,” Fuwa grinned as she slammed her notebook shut from her place behind the front desk, “how’s that for a school play.”

“Uhhh,” the class sweat-dropped.

“I like it,” Maehara beamed, “I do think that I’d make quite a dashing prince.”

“Of course you would,” Okano sighed.

“Yeah, I think that was a great story,” Karma smirked as he interlocked his fingers behind his head and leaned against the back of his chair, “apart from the fact where Nagisa is a better sword fighter than me. Oh and if I really was a royal guard, I wouldn’t just let an enemy kingdom make threats - I would’ve assassinated the king long ago. But I think that we should definitely make this our school play - we should start practicing right away. Especially the part where Nagisa and I kiss - in fact, let’s start rehearsing it right now.”

“DON’T EVEN THINK OF IT, KARMA!” Nagisa yelled, face red. Both he and Isogai had hid their faces in their hands the entire time Fuwa had pitched her idea for the storyline of their class production, in an attempt to hide their flaming cheeks. 

“Nufrufrufru,” Koro-Sensei laughed, “I think that that was an excellent story, Fuwa. However, I have a small complaint: what character does your loving sensei play?”

The class erupted, “YOU’RE NOT EVEN MEANT TO BE IN OUR PLAY! YOU’RE A STATE SECRET!”

[plloo2013]

☆ *:… o (≧ ▽ ≦) o…: * ☆Congratulations! Could you write for the MPD boys? what would be their sexual fantasy. (Who would like to be handcuffed, have sex in public, striptease ...) If you can not do all the boys, you can do Masashi Himuro (I love him too!). I am very happy to read your new writings.

PrologueYou are out of town visiting your parents. Your guy has urgent work to be done and thus, not able to accompany you. Your guy was about to go home at the end of the day but Nomura appeared and dragged everyone for a drink. For some reason, the topic become about you and your guy now started living together.

“Don’t you have any sexual fantasy about her?” Nomura asked teasingly.

Based on the guy POVHiroshi“You think I will share this with you?” I shouted at Nomura. I ignored him and continued my drinks. We soon parted for our way home and I took cab since it late.

[“We are still in the car.” She moaned, as she gasped for breath.

“It’s dark. No one can see us.” I whispered while kissing and thrusting deep inside her. I picked her up from the airport since it late flight. However, we can’t wait to get home.]

“Sir, we are here.” Cab driver called up to me.

“Oh! Here the money. Thanks!” I blushed and quickly get out. I just missed her so much that I even dream of her. But that dream is so real. Doing it in the car? Is it what I wish for? I have no idea but the feeling in the dream was not bad.

Hanai“Why are you sound pervert like Kyobashi?” I asked annoying.

“Because both of us are the real men.” Kyobashi added. “So what do you like to do with her?” He continued.

“We all know Hanai can be a classic and romantic guy.” Eiki helped me.

“You are so right. I will bring her to a high class hotel to pamper her.” I declared proudly.

“Oh… and both of you are naked at the open windows.” Kyobashi teased and maybe it the alcohol, but I imagine that scene in my head. Both of us skin to skin, lips lock with one another with her legs wrap around me. I can feel my face burning hot just thinking about it.

“You are thinking something dirty. You are so obvious.” Tennoji teased.

“Shut up!” I rebuked, still feeling hot on my face. I felt into their trap.

Tennoji“I am not that kind of man. We will just enjoy each accompany, even when I am playing my favourite sport.” I declared proudly.

“Oh… Both of you will start to make out in the public shower room. I never know that you are so open.” Kyobashi teased and everyone start laughing.

“I am not like you.” I rebuked, but can feel my face burning hot.

“Are you sure you don’t want to? With her naked body press against yours and hot water pouring down on top of both of you?” Nomura asked curiously.

“Well.. it might be interesting…wait, what am I saying. Of course not!” I blushed, feeling irritating at how they are teasing me. They are already laughing out loud.

“You are so easy to tease.” Hanai laughed while drinking his wine.

“Shut up! No one is asking you for opinion.” I blushed even harder. I am glad that she is not here with us.

Asano“Can’t think of any.” I answer. I don’t understand why they are asking this. I just enjoyed being with her and that most important.

“Imagine her wearing an apron, naked waiting at the doorstep of her.” Kyobashi suggested.

I can’t help but imagine that scene in my mind. I would definitely choose her over meal. I can’t resist her if she did that to me.

“He is wondering into the dreamland.” Tennoji teased.

“That’s just showed he is a normal man.” Nomura laughed.

“How come it does not sound normal when the word come out from you?” Himuro rebuked.

I totally ignore them but continue thinking of her. I wonder if she will do that if I had requested. I ended up wanting to see her now. This is how much I missed her.

Eiki“Do I really need to answer that question?” I asked curiously.

“Of course! We are interested to know what are you thinking since you grow up from overseas.” Kyobashi added.

“Don’t lump us together.” Tennoji rebuked.

“Haha.. What I like?” I grinned and wonder off into my own world.

I would love her to kiss her passionately in public. Making her weak in her knees and she cling tightly on me. Her blushing face is quite a turn on for me.

“So what are you fancy about it just now?” Kyobashi asked again.

“It’s a secret. ______ will kill me if she finds out what I told you guys.” I teased back and slipped my drink. I don’t need to let them know about it and I smiled back at their disappointed faces.

Kyobashi“I would want to handcuff her on the bed, lying naked in front of me. I would enjoyed lavish her while she moans and struggle with frustration that she can’t hold me.” I answered honestly, imagine her in my mind. I missed her so much. Yes, this will be what I am going to do to her when she back.

“I guess we should not ask him this question in the first place.” Tennoji blushed.

“Should we pity her?” Eiki blushed.

“I don’t understand why ______ would pick him.” Hanai blushed as well.

“I bet she must be crazy.” Asano added.

I continued to enjoy my tea, totally ignoring their comments.

Kimura“Huh? Why are you asking me that?” I asked in surprised.

“You used to be an actor. You must have a lot of fantasy.” Nomura replied.

“Yup, tell us about it. Example, like video your sexual activity?” Kyobashi added.

“You guys are such a perv. Leave them alone.” Tennoji helped me.

I am thankful for him. No way am I sharing that with them, although I would love to have her face the mirror when I thrust in from behind her. Having her looking at her own self, is arousing her. That will get me excited as well. I remain calm as I think of that scene in my head. For once, I am glad my acting skill helps me to hide my emotion.

HimuroI totally ignored his questions. Always come out with such idiot question. I gulped down my drink and can’t help but miss her a lot. What if she is at home now and preparing a surprise for me?

I imagine her naked and a few of my chocolates on her body. I lick and kiss the melted chocolates on her body, while she is moaning my name.

“Seem like he is in his sexual fantasy.” Kyobashi teased, breaking my thought.

“Share with us what you are thinking now.” Nomura teased.

“I am not.” I blushed. “No way am I telling you.” It must be the alcohol is what I am trying to convince myself.

[irraydiance]

ask meme: 5, 8

I’m guessing the designated fandom is Assassination Classroom?

5. Do you have a NoTP in Assassination Classroom?

Alright, I tend not to agree with the fandom on a lot of things (this is true of any fandom, really, but it’s especially prevalent here), and one of these things is shipping. I’m pretty stubborn when it comes to characterization, so I generally like pairs based on the context of canon and what the author communicates through the work – or at least, my interpretation of it, and I like to think I’m pretty good with that. I don’t have any problems with rare pairs and the like, but I usually prefer to have some canon basis for pairings.

I understand liking when a character’s different sides are brought out by other characters, but it doesn’t have to end in shipping for me. For example, after seeing their comments to one other in Graduation Album Time, I like the idea of Sugaya and Fuwa discussing or arguing about the merits of art vs. manga and the differences in ~artistic expression~ of each medium, but I don’t want to see them together, y'know?

Karma and Nakamura are similar in a lot of ways, but I like their relationship in a co-workers/business partners sort of sense. Likewise, I enjoy seeing Karma’s competitive nature in academics with Asano, but I like their relationship as rivals who don’t get along yet have some kind of (begrudging?) respect for one another in the end even if they’re not friends – nothing more.

So, with that out of the way, outside of the obvious teacher/student pairings and all that jazz – and I say this at risk of offending a lot of people – I really don’t enjoy how a lot of the fandom portrays the Karma/Nagisa ship. Yeah, I know. Of all the pairings that exist, it’s the most popular pairing in the fandom that I’m particularly not fond of.

I disagree with how some fans have interpreted events and use it as “evidence” for the pairing. That, and I don’t enjoy how the fandom characterizes the individual characters and the relationship. So while I started out indifferent to the pair, it gradually wore on me. I don’t like it when people make characters OOC or flanderize them. So, as an example, I feel like a lot of the fandom’s portrayal of Karma in particular just doesn’t do his character justice. Karma’s not just some troll that does things for the trollolulz. That part of his character isn’t interesting for me; it’s not what makes him tick. Likewise, he’s so often mischaracterized by the fandom as some magnificently charming bastard who flirts with whomever people want to pair him off with, but that’s not his character.

TL;DR: the biggest reason I’m not a fan of the Karma/Nagisa ship is that my view of the characters clashes starkly with common ideas held by the pair’s supporters, and that prevents me from entertaining the idea of the ship.

Sorry this turned into a rant and I apologize if this offended anyone; I mean no disrespect. If you like the Karma/Nagisa pairing, then cool. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion and free to like what they want.

8. Unpopular opinions?

I guess this counts as an unpopular opinion, but the RGB Trio as a unit does nothing for me. I like them all individually but their interactions and group dynamics together just seem to fall flat for me. On the other hand, if you add Sugino, Okuda, and Kanzaki to the mix and form Group 4, I think the six of them make a fun dynamic. I wanna see Karma being some kind of gadfly pseudo-wingman for Kayano and Sugino in regards to Nagisa and Kanzaki respectively; I want to see Kanzaki and Karma playing video games against each other (get rekt, Karma); I want to see all six of them playing video games together; I wanna see them go to a batting center and have Sugino teach the horribly uncoordinated Okuda how to bat properly.

I want to see the other groups doing stuff like that too, like the Sugaya-Fuwa example I stated above. I just want to see different character interactions. The fun stuff.

And an unpopular opinion about the fandom: …I like Karma, but I don’t like fandom Karma.

The ask meme in question.

Alright, I’ll be waiting on the hate mail now.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 9/10/20

BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 2 | By Kaori Tsurutani | Seven Seas – The balance in this series is nearly perfect. You’d expect, given the premise, that there would be more focus on Ichinoi, and we do get a lot about her current life, her classes she teaches, meeting her daughter, etc. But Urara’s side of the equation is just as strong—she’s not simply there to introduce her elderly friend to the world of BL, as this isn’t that kind of series. The two enjoy discussing their passion for the work, but also find out more about each other, come see each other for other reasons, etc. Urara’s teenage friendships also permeate the volume, and the best exchange in it may be Eri hearing Urara call herself “nobody” and taking it personally, as she knows who her boyfriend really likes. Fantastic stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Bloom Into You, Vol. 8 | By Nakatani Nio | Seven Seas – With the emotional climax of the series coming at the end of the last volume, it’s tempting to simply call this an epilogue, but that isn’t quite right, as Touko and Yuu still have to negotiate the boundaries of their new relationship. To some (Sayaka), they’re really obvious, but not everyone knows about it. Moreover, how physical do the two of them want to get? (Turns out, they do want to get physical.) We then get a flash forward seeing them relatively happy, as well as the fate of some others. (Sayaka has a girlfriend, as you will find out if you read the third novel about her life.) Overall, this did not go quite in the directions I was expecting, but it improved with each volume, and I greatly enjoyed it by the end. – Sean Gaffney

I Love You So Much, I Hate You | By Yuni | Yen Press – As always, very happy to see a yuri manga that’s not about girls in high school with their touching first romance. Fujimura is an up-and-coming office worker. Asano is her hard-working, driven boss. They are secretly having an affair—Asano is married—and trying to keep things as “just a casual thing.” Unfortunately, events conspire against them, both externally (another office couple is caught and one of them resigns) and internal (their growing love for each other). The tension between the two leads is the main reason to read the book, and it feels quite real—though there’s not quite as much of the ‘I’m dating my boss’ power issues as I’d expected. If you’re looking for a solid portrayal of an adult couple, this is a good choice. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 8 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – This volume has the school trip, something Komi hasn’t done before (last time her class did it she didn’t go due to communication issues). Fortunately, she has Tadano with her this time. UNfortunately, the groups for the trip are segregated by sex, so she’s going to have to be on her own most of the trip, with two of the lesser-known cast members alongside her. We get to know those two, and their awkwardness but try-hard attitude around Komi, and as you’d expect the results are mostly heartwarming—a good time is had by all. She even gets a quiet moment with Tadano towards the end. This is a manga that knows exactly the mood it wants to set, a balance between funny and touching. – Sean Gaffney

The Man on the Other Side | By Poteto Ueno | Futekiya (digital only) – Takuma Sano is a rather boring salaryman who has trouble connecting with people. The only friend he has is “S,” a Twitter follower whom he hasn’t met in five years of chatting. Finally, S proposes a meetup and turns out to be Sayaka Narumi, a popular and handsome actor. They both want to become friends, but their relationship is hampered by Sano’s profound social awkwardness—I love how Ueno doesn’t depict him as shy or withdrawn, just oblivious to social cues—and Narumi’s paranoia, after having recently been in the tabloids, that Sano is going to blab. This is a very chaste title with only a couple of smooches, and the big payoff comes when they can both finally clearly communicate their feelings. I enjoyed it, and was particularly amused that a photograph of (presumably) roasted chicken served as a sort of bat signal for the couple. Recommended. – Michelle Smith

Our Wonderful Days, Vol. 3 | By Kei Hamuro | Seven Seas – I think I forgot to brief the second volume of this, and now it’s come to an end with the third. The series does a good job of showing us exactly what a series like K-On! or Lucky Star would be if it had genuine yuri in it instead of tease. Mafuyu and Koharu grow closer as a couple, thanks mostly to some nicely surreal dream imagery, but the series seems to be more dedicated to everyday life with friends than budding romances. Which is fine, as the friendships here are great, particularly the beta couple Nana and Minori—though the gag at the end shows off that those two aren’t actually a couple after all. (Honestly, given Nana’s brain, they may just not be aware of it.) This won’t be in a top-ten list, but it’s cute. – Sean Gaffney

Primitive Boyfriend, Vol. 2 | By Yoshineko Kitafuku | Seven Seas – After the first volume returned our heroine to the present, I wasn’t expecting to go back to the caveman era quite so soon. But most of this second volume has Mito once again bopping around the jungles and plains, sent back there to find Garhi. She runs into another primitive man, and manages to befriend him in much the same way, while also getting herself into peril, etc. Naturally, it turns out that she’s way in the future, and that this man may be Garhi’s descendant. She ends up back in the present at the end, and the implication is that she has to find Garhi’s soul in someone in modern times. Will it be one of her many potential boyfriends? We’ll know soon; this ends with the third book. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 10 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – Well, we couldn’t go too far without another kidnapping, and that’s what we get here, with our favorite sacrificial heroine allowing herself to become a hostage to save the rest of the boat. That’s not something that can stand, and while the king is (for now) restrained, several are coming to her rescue, including the former villainous chancellor. There’s a lot in this series about vows of loyalty overriding most other reasons, and I really liked Sariphi showing her mettle against her captor, indicating that gifts and luxuries are nothing without the feeling behind it. This feels like it’s going to be wrapping up soon, but this is a typically strong volume, and an underrated series. – Sean Gaffney

Venus in the Blind Spot | By Junji Ito | Viz Media – I’m always glad for a new volume of Ito’s manga to be released, so it shouldn’t be surprising that I was looking forward to Venus in the Blind Spot, a “best of best” collection. The anthology brings together ten of Ito’s short manga as well as a small selection of illustrations, a few but not all of which have previously been released in English translation. It’s an interesting mix of stories ranging from original tales of horror to adaptations of work by other authors, including two which are based on stories by Edogawa Ranpo (“The Human Chair” and “An Unearthly Love”). As a fan of Ranpo, I was particularly excited to read these, but I was also especially delighted to discover the inclusion of one of Ito’s autobiographical pieces (“Master Umezz and Me”). Ito’s short masterpiece “The Enigma of Amigara Fault” is here, too, adding to an already great collection. – Ash Brown

Waiting for Spring, Vol. 13 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – Mitsuki and Asakura-kun officially became a couple in the previous volume, so now it’s time for Ryuji and Nanase to sort out their status. Although Waiting for Spring doesn’t do anything unexpected with its plotting, I do like how it focuses on communication issues for these couples, with Mitsuki somewhat troubled by Asakura’s perpetually calm exterior and Nanase worried about the age difference and the things that will be new for Ryuji that aren’t new for her. You never feel like either pairing is in actual jeopardy, but there will be things that they will have to talk through together. We also see Mitsuki successfully deliver a heartfelt speech to the incoming first-year students. The main story ends here, but there will be one more volume, featuring bonus stories and an epilogue. Anashin hasn’t started a new series yet, but I look forward to reading more by her someday. – Michelle Smith

With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day Is Fun, Vol. 1 | By Hidekichi Matsumoto | Vertical Comics – This manga is mostly presented as a series of two-page strips. On the first page, Inu-kun, Matsumoto-sensei’s dog, will be full of innocence and energy on a given topic, and on the second page, Neko-sama, the cat, will be… a cat. Topics include things like laptime jealousy, bathroom visitors, the pets trying to cheer up Matsumoto-sensei, etc. I definitely snickered at a few different things, but wasn’t prepared to end up sniffling, too. The story about Matsumoto’s previous dog and how a friend’s comment revived happy memories that had long been obscured by sad ones really got to me, as did the part about lingering regrets affecting how a person interacts with pets who yet live. I know exactly how that feels. So, yes, it was the sad bits that really won me over in the end, but the cuteness is undeniably beguiling, as well. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

[statxsqxo-blog]

[Drabble] Nothing Really Matters

Trigger Warnings: Drug abuse / pills, depression, implied child neglect.

Get up even though you never slept anyways.      Shower, brush your teeth, get dressed.           A couple more of those pills down your throat.                Downstairs for coffee, breakfast in silence.

                            Don’t falter, don’t slip, don’t forget.                                 Go through the motions - nothing else matters.

Days like this, the boy felt a bit like a machine, going through the daily schedule without really caring about any of it. He hadn’t slept, so ‘waking up’ wasn’t exactly.. anything. Beyond that, it was just another day getting ready for school, followed by one of his many vices for the sake of staying sane - for the sake of staying alive currently, it seemed. He didn’t even have the energy to feel guilty about popping pills this morning; it was just part of the routine at this point. Nothing new, nothing worth holding his interest.

Coffee was tempting as ever, but even that didn’t cause a smile today. Reasons to be happy, or even to pretend to be, were getting fewer by the day, and as for this particular one, he just wasn’t feeling it. Slipping downstairs, he usually would have at least attempted a ‘good morning’ to his father - not today. It wasn’t like the man would notice if he didn’t greet him; their breakfast time together may have been one of the few things that Asano enjoyed, but that didn’t mean it was cheerful in the first place. The elder wouldn’t notice, so why waste the energy in saying a damn word?

Caffeine in a mug, not bothering with sugar or anything of the sort - he only indulged on days that he could afford to and, right now, he certainly couldn’t; this one would be all about staying awake, staying focused, managing to care enough to carry out his obligations. Quietly as ever, he sat there and ate his breakfast, then shifted to get up and put his dishes in the sink. A half-hearted wave to his father and, before the other could consider speaking to his son for once, Gakushū was out the door.

Time to get to school.      Homework’s in my bag already.           Ren has my schedule under control.                Everything should be in order, then.

                                   Don’t falter, don’t slip, don’t forget.                                         Go through the motions - nothing else matters.

The walk to school was a quick one, and it saved him the trouble of smiling for their driver that morning. Once he was safely in the building, the boy made a dash for the teacher’s lounge, grabbing another cup of coffee to try to settle his nerves before meeting up with his secretary. It wouldn’t be long before the usual questions started...

                                                                           “How was your night?”

             “It was fine.”

                                     “Want me to proof-read your paper before class?”

               “Alright.”

                                                                             “Hey, are you okay today?”

        “Of course, Ren. Perfectly fine.”

                                                    “You’re being really short with me today..”

           “Yeah, sorry. I’m just tired.”

And then one of the others, part of their little group but nowhere near as important to the grand scheme of things.

                                                        “Ya need some more coffee, Sir?”

                       “Please.”

                                                                          “I’m on it.”

More coffee was pressed into his free hand, and the boy gave a nod of appreciation before taking an immediate sip from the drink. It was already proving to be a long day, but with a little extra caffeine and a little well-practiced acting, he would make it through. 

     Just keep it up.           Say you’re tired to save a little face.                 Go through the motions - nothing else matters.

A few classes passed without any incident, and then it was time for Gakushū’s daily meeting in his father’s office. That was usually the most dreaded part of the day, even when it went well, but today, he was in even less of a hurry than usual to get there. No matter - there wasn’t any getting out of such things, after all. Stepping into the office, he pulled the door shut only to lean against it, arms crossed almost defensively over his chest.

           “Here to report on A Class’s test scores, as you requested, Sir.”

The words came out passively, without any sense of their usually veiled snark. He didn’t want to pick a debate, much less a fight, not this time around; he just wanted to get through this meeting so he could move on with the rest of this exhausting day. His father’s response came after a pause, holding that air that would’ve usually brought about their typical banter, but Gakushū was barely even listening to it right now.

His own answers continued, providing the information but not bothering to give any opinion-based comments on it - passive, slightly more respectful than usual, and utterly uncaring towards the matter. In a sick way, it was probably just what his father wanted from him - that, however, was just another passing thought that Gakushū promptly pushed to the back of his mind.

     No point today, just get this over with.            Tell him what he wants to know, then leave.                 ��Go through the motions - nothing else matters. 

Soon enough, it was back to his usual classes, which he was honestly glad to get back to - it didn’t require as much talking, as much acting, as being around his father did. However, while studying may have been easier than dealing with his parental figure, when it came time for the usual after-school session, he found himself shaking his head at the other four members of the Big Five.

          “I’m taking a rain-check on this one.                 Ren, help them out today, would you?”

                                                                “Sure...                                                                      You sure you’re okay, Asano?”

       “I’m fine.             Just.. tired still, that’s all.”

Stepping inside his home, the teen’s keys were tucked back into his pocket, and then he paused completely for a moment. The daily schedule said that now would be the time to get coffee, see if his father needed something, and then retreat to his bedroom to study.

But something about today... he just didn’t feel like it.

The pills, they kept him from being physically tired, and he was still jittery from the latest dose of them, but they didn’t do anything for his mental state. He was exhausted, mentally and emotionally, but more than that, there had been something different about this entire day. It wasn’t the same, it wasn’t what he’d been coping with for years. But it wasn’t until this pause, that he finally took the time to realize the facts.

     He wasn’t tired, or anything like that, not really.

                                             Depressed, that was the real word for it.

And he didn’t want to get coffee, or talk with the monster in the kitchen, or start studying for the night. He didn’t want to do anything except curl up in his bed with that fuzzy blanket Ren had bought for him last Christmas, and try to forget about the world around him for a little while.

                                                          Go through the motions...                                                              Or don’t.                                        Nothing else matters...                  Nothing fucking matters.

Walking past the kitchen, words tumbled from the boy’s lips before he could think better of his own phrasing. He’d missed a ‘Sir’ and replaced it with something actually familial, but more than that, he’d been honest.

       “I’m laying down, Father.              Bad day - please don’t wake me up unless it’s important.”

And with that said and done, before he could regret having actually said that, Gakushū made a quick retreat to his room, shutting the door behind himself before moving over and collapsing onto his bed. His shoes were kicked off without much care, lacking the organization he would have ordinarily bothered with, and then his jacket was tossed off, discarded to land on the nearby desk chair.

After that, he just curled up into a ball, tugging the purple blanket that usually stayed folded at the end of his bed over and wrapping it around himself. He sighed heavily, nuzzling his face into the soft fabric before allowing a quiet, sad whimper  to leave his throat. 

                                                     Why did everything have to suck today?

             “Fuck my life...”

[recentanimenews]

5 Anime Music Groups That You Need To Stop Sleeping On

    What keeps you watching anime? For some it’s the thrill of seeing Hibiki punch God. For others, it’s unexpectedly nuanced character animation, or end-of-episode plot twists that make you desperate for the next. For me, it’s anime OPs and EDs. Every season I’ve been guaranteed a new avalanche of music videos, and at least one or two of them earn the coveted honor of me watching them every day six times in a row. But now what if I was to tell you that some of the music artists who’ve worked on anime have their own albums, and that some of those albums are very, very good?

  Let’s talk about some of the bands featured in anime that easily hold their own weight off the screen.

    “KIMI NO SEI KIMI NO SEI KIMI NO SEI DE WATASHI OOOH….OKUBYOU DE KAKKOU TSUKANAI KIMI NO SEI DA YO!” Once upon a time I was just like you, one who has not listened to the theme song of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. But then I watched the credits for the first time, and…well, it’s over. The song is lodged in the recesses of my brain and will pop back out, at the smallest notice, to play on end for the rest of the day at the least provocation.

  "Kimi no Sei" is one of my top anime theme song bangers of the decade, and it was created by an all-female group from Kanagawa called the peggies. They’ve put out three albums so far, propelled by dreamy vocals and crunchy guitars. I tend to gravitate more towards the harder-rocking songs like "Kimi no Sei", but it’s all at least pretty good. And don’t just take it from me: their most recent single was chosen to accompany Kunihiko Ikuhara’s Sarazanmai, joining the ranks of Coaltar of the Deepers and J. A. Seazer in the director’s oeuvre.

  Where to start?: Their most recent album is Hell Like Heaven, which features "Kimi no Sei"! But you may enjoy their first album, goodmorning in TOKYO, as well.

    I loved the first ED for Dororo, performed by the great goth rock band amazarashi and animated by the fantastic Osamu Kobayashi. But I found the second ED to be excellent as well, a sad and fuzzy ballad set to an out-of-focus mess of sad and fuzzy colors. Months later, I began to see animation fans on Twitter excitedly sharing music videos featuring a J-pop artist known as Eve. So I’m embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I realized that the Eve hosting these music videos, and the Eve who sang the second ending theme for Dororo, are the same person! The videos on Eve’s channel are all quite different, featuring a murderer’s row of independent and more broadly known animators. But there’s a shared language of apocalypse and adolescent fear that hints at a shared universe connecting them.

  Where to start?: You could do much worse than comb through Eve’s YouTube feed for videos that seem cool. I particularly enjoyed this one, which features art direction by Yuji Kaneko (who’s worked on the Little Witch Academia OVAs and Kill la Kill.)  

    I was excited for the first episode of Stars Align, the new project by Noein: To Your Other Self director Kazuki Akane. But what caught me most off guard in the first episode wasn’t the efficient characterization, or the shocking appearance of the protagonist’s abusive father, but the music. A kind soul on Twitter introduced me to the work of the show’s composer, a Kyoto-based group called jizue that is the best musical discovery I’ve made this year.

  Not quite postrock, not quite math rock—music fans refer to them and their kin as “nujazz”—they’re an immediately distinctive band with an extensive back catalogue of work to explore. Of course, the kind of music they specialize isn’t for everyone, and can become wearying over sustained listens. But with their most recent album, Gallery, specifically aiming to spotlight individual members and pull themselves out of their musical comfort zone, there’s a lot of life in them yet. Either way, Akane’s use of their work immediately sets Stars Align apart from the sports anime pack.

  Where to start?: Folks seem to really like their second album “novel” from 2012. You could also jump to Bookshelf from 2016.

    It’s safe to say that Kenishi Yonezu is a big deal. Since being featured on My Hero Academia’s second opening, "Peace Sign," he’s contributed theme songs to March comes in like a lion, Children of the Sea and the TV drama Unnatural. He’s collaborated with hot artists like DAOKO. Heck, he even co-created an independent music label together with several other stars of the Japanese video site Nico Nico Douga. There’s the catch, though: Yonezu rose to prominence not just through his voice, but on the strength of his work as Hachi, an independent composer on indie videos featuring Hatsune Miku.  

  It’s a route to superstardom that simply did not exist a decade ago, and Yonezu as much as anyone represents the new paradigm of Japanese pop music. His most recent work is certainly a world away from the less polished, but spirited work that made his name. But his single for Children of the Sea is excellent, bridging the divide between Yonezu the pop star and Yonezu the master of subculture.

  Where to start?: Why not go to “diorama,” the independent album he released in 2012?

    There aren’t many bands out there quite like Shinsei Kamattechan. They earned their cult following online, posting freaky music videos on Nico Nico Douga. Since then they’ve released a handful of albums, and contributed to theme songs ranging from Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl to Flowers of Evil to Attack on Titan. In recent years, their work has become a bit more accessible, sanding off the nastiness from their earlier work. But the appeal remains: fantastically catchy tunes coupled with bizarre, often disturbing lyrics.

  Shinsei Kamattechan speaks to the same millennial angst that powers the work of manga luminaries like Inio Asano and Natsujikei Miyazaki. Listening to their work can feel like being trapped in the middle of a thunderstorm, but it can be weirdly exhilarating as well. Of all the bands on this list, these guys are my sentimental favorites. Check them out, if you dare!

  Where to start: If you’re brave, begin with their sophomore album Tsumanne. You could also try out their later album Eiyuu Syndrome, which is much brighter and poppier but still has some incredible bangers on it.

  Of course, there’s plenty of other artists we could talk about. What about Asian Kung Fu Generation and their legion of anime theme songs? What about legendary rock band the pillows, who gave FLCL so much of its personality? What about JYOCHO, who did a fantastic ending theme for Junji Ito Collection? Well, we’ll just have to talk about those next time. Until then, Shiina Ringo takes us out:

    What are your favorite Japanese bands? Do you have any favorite bands from outside of Japan that have contributed music to anime? Let us know in the comments!

---

Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. He wrote another post in this vein on the blog Isn't it Electrifying, which he sporadically contributes to with a loose collection of friends. Follow him on Twitter at: @wendeego

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