#but hikawa also has a reason

[chai-en-kaadhale]

what in the great war of saints and demons are these two doing

[dailyhinahikawa]

I keep forgetting to tell u my request lmao

Tired / Unmotivated Hina because let's be honest : we're all VERY tired for some reason (school -tests- projects -) do it after u rest dailyHina u need it

thank you🫶🫶 daily hina hikawa 54: hina but artfully depicted as me last night struggling to finish my project

this is such a funny req i love it

also, little hc that hina with her hair down has two little messy/curly tufts because of the braids

[ecargmura]

Oblivion Battery Episode 11 Review - Tearing Down Walls

Are my eyes playing with me or did the animation quality drastically improve for the penultimate episode? There’s so much fluid movements from running to batting. There’s a lot of fast transitions that make doesn’t make it look awkward. Is MAPPA increasing the budget since this is the second-to-last episode for this show? I’m assuming yes.

The match with Hikawa High continues as Kotesashi is struggling now that amnesiac Kei has returned. The sudden change caused the group to have some discord, which was why Haruka’s pitches got hit and that Kazuki couldn’t catch it well. While Kei coming back did cause the team to have some funk, it’s dissipated once Kei ensues words of wisdom to Haruka who eventually apologizes to Kazuki for getting the wrong idea of assuming he was mad at him. It’s interesting to see Kei be the voice of reason of the team for this match. He’s usually the goofball and the one who has to get babied the most, but he has always been insightful.

The star of this episode is Shunpei, whose backstory is shown here. He was someone who always tried to find ways to overcome his insecurities. For Shunpei, his biggest insecurity was his height. Due to family genetics, he was the type who wouldn’t get any taller or muscular, so he resorted to overeating to gain weight, but that didn’t work too. All he could do was find ways to make up for his lack of height; he read books in order to gain knowledge since that was something he could gain other than weight. He overexerted himself when it came to eating so that he could be apt to play baseball and be on par with those taller than him. However, his insecurities got the best of him to the point that he quit baseball and lied saying he hated it. The reason why he became insecure was because he was trying to delude himself into believing he was fine with the way he was and he’d never feel jealous of others until he made an offhand remark about Makita’s physical growth that his insecurities increase. He’s a liar because he still loves baseball. That’s why he joined the team. While I still think Aoi’s backstory is the best, Shunpei comes at a close second. I love the wall metaphor used in his story. Even though he overcame the wall of playing baseball with his height, he made up for it by making ways he can play baseball that’s best for him. However, other walls start showing up—the walls are a metaphor for his insecurities. The more he has, the more they appear. His backstory also helps me understand why he acts like a smart aleck at times. It’s because knowledge was the only weapon he could wield when it came to baseball. He needed to learn about the sport in order to find a way to his style of playing, which he did.

This episode also cements my dislike for Makita even more. He looks down on others a lot, especially Shunpei. It’s annoying to see his arrogance. He keeps saying that he finds Shunpei’s style of baseball boring and he’s never understanding of it. All he does is gloat and have a temper. Heck, his frustration even affects his pitching. I just hope Kotesashi wins so that Shunpei can put him in his place.

I’m still awed by the increase in animation quality. I hope that the quality stays the same for the finale. What are your thoughts about this episode?

[sea-of-dust]

hii! can i rq kaoru seta and hina hikawa (separate) with a s/o who’s very clingy with them🫶🫶

Close to you!

Hina and Kaoru!

Summary: maybe the fly by dayglow reference was a little too litteral-

Notes: I guarantee you bandori annons appear at the ungodly hours 😭. Thank you for the request annon!

GENDER NEUTRAL READER

She doesn't notice you're being clingy she's pretty clingy too! She thinks it's normal

You two don't even notice you're are being clingy too each other, but if you two ever separated both your friends would say one of you would just kinda dose off more often or daydream.

"I miss Hina..." "it's been three minutes" "huuuu"

You walk home with her. Holding her hand sometimes singing pastel palette songs. She starts developing a habit of side tracking asking you if you want to stop by a convince store or a movie. You two would start having dates after school atleast once a month

You would get unessaryly clingy at times. Especially if Hina experienced even the most minor unfavorable thing. You wouldn't let many people close to her unless you knew them personally she would tell you it was alright but you still kept close just in case

Someone would tell her that you're WAYY too clingy and she would be like "Nah I don't think so" with the most calm smile on her face. "No like they're like a no personal space clingy." "nahhh they aren't like that ^^"

She does kinda understand tho if she thinks about what you do in hindsight. She was at a concert tour you called her almost every day making sure she was alright. You often bit your nails thinking of what would happen to Hina while on tour. You'd also cling closely to her in public areas saying it was so you two wouldn't get lost in the crowd...eh she still dosent really care.

She noticed how you walk on the exterior of the road. She didn't mind till the day it rained pretty hard. You brought an umbrella for her to stay under and walked home with her when a car splashed water at you two you got in the way of it making sure most of it wouldn't go onto Hina. "Ohhh" "?" "So that's why you do that" "?" "Nothing"

You two usually call each other when you get home talking about random things till the other has to go or sleep. You don't say it outloud but you hope she calls you back later

You're kinda like her scary dog privileges. If she were to DARE to be tired around you. You encourage her to rest as you sat close to her letting her lean on you if you're that close. You would talk to others in almost whispers if anyone were to speak a little louder than you you'd look at them annoyed.

How fleeting~ someone so close to her they got into the drama club for her. Getting in was no joke too since alot of Kaoru's other fans were trying out to be closer to her. "I only have small interests in this as soon as we graduate Im not gonna do thus anymore" "but that small interest will spark a fleeting long lasting love for the theater!" "Yea whatever" "fleeting~"

You don't tell her this but another tiny reason you got into drama is to kiss her in front of the audience, specifically her fans. Just imagining kissing kaoru for your role as sleeping beauty infront of an audience is a nice feeling and made you try harder.

She doesn't mind your clinginess but she thinks it's mostly cause of her popularity

"My dear are you jealous of my fans" she elegantly flops herself onto you. "What-" "Why the reason you're always around me is to monitor my fans so they don't steal me away~" "that's not-" "HOW ROMATIC" she pulls you in for an embrase as you except your fate.

You don't mind cooking for her usually if she comes over. She tires not to say she likes miso soup yet still can't refuse another bite. "Ehhh why are you shaking Kaoru~" "..." "I thought you didn't like miso soup" your smile widens "..." "😼" "you can have it know you don't like that fancy stuff anyway"

She tried to cook for you as a way to say thanks, but you would always appear for cuddles out of nowhere before she starts. Once you get a hold of her there's no escape she's staying there for a week by then your parents are already treating her like their in-law.

She called you a blanket monster once was the first time you did this to her actually. You made a joke about a monster comming outta no where and eating the both of them in the shape of a blanket. It was all fun and games till she wanted to get something to snack on. "Whatcha doing?" As soon as she turns around you flop onto her the blanket swallowing her. "HAKA-" "shush you'll wake someone" you harshly shut her down leading her back to your room. "Unhand me blanket monster for I must retrieve dashing food made by my beloved s/o!" "Thats a lie you went out here to eat my left over little bites" "eh-" "back to bed with you~" "blanket fieeenndddd" she dramatically follows

You like appearing out of nowhere to hug or kiss her. One time, you came in and kissed her when you saw the hhw group in front of her. You apologized profusely to them. Yes, kaoru uses this to try and tease you.

"Remember that one time you kissed me in front of my bandmates." "Remember that one time you grabbed my thigh instead of my hand while we were on a plane," she turns around in mere shock you mentioned that.

HHW had called you favor involving her specially them making a robot version of her because someone told Kokoro having a robot band is a smart idea 💀. "We wanna know what you think of her!" "Alright?" As soon as you got over there you felt your eye bags get darker. "This is pretty wonky. Some of these parts don't really match Kaoru at all...the animation could suffer cause of this" you went on and on describing Kaorus physical appearance so well Kokoro stood there dumbfounded she almost frowed before you said you had to go. "Well uh...thank you?" "My pleasure ^^"

[anime-book-club]

“From Far Away” vol. 1 by Kyoko Hikawa

TLDR: 9/10

My first impression thoughts on a manga I had never heard of and was recommended to me as the “original” villainess shoujo manga:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Firstly, I tried looking into picking up this series physically. I prefer physical media almost always.

However, physicals of “From Far Away” are ungodly expensive. I’ve been seeing complete sets going from $1000 - $2000. Ouch, but it can be indicative of a quality title.

On Amazon the books are about $6-$7 a piece for Kindle. So. No contest there on which version was bought.

“From Far Away” is about a girl that slips into a unfamiliar magical world that is in chaos over a prophesied person, The Awakening, that is supposed to appear. (“Spoiler” alert: it’s her)

Izark who is a traveling warrior had travelled to find The Awakening and ends up escorting her away from mercenaries that wish to take her for notorious purposes.

Overall I can see this as a series I can seriously fall in love with. The art, story, and characters seem wonderful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Detailed spoilers ahead:

By the way this is her right here! This is Noriko (The main character):

I don’t have strong feelings about her yet. As for the first book she has to be chaperoned by other characters. Which is not her fault, and you can tell she makes an effort in her own way. But I feel it will take a bit of time to see if she grows into a character that helps Izark over just being someone who is dead weight.

Her design, and by extension everyone else’s, looks as if it were a mix of Sailor Moon and Inuyasha. Which is very pretty in my opinion. In the art you can see the artist has taken care to make sure not everyone had same face syndrome too (artists like Arina Tanemura tend to have this problem despite how much I love her work). Characters are designed to be identifiably different.

The beginning feels very rushed for both the good and the bad. Good because we get right into the meat of the story we’re here for. Do we truly care about Noriko’s friends that we’ll likely never really see again? Not really. It would be better to call them set dressing over actually being fully fledged characters. Which is fine. Some characters are meant to just be set dressing.

But at the same time this also distances us from her connection from those people. The short time dedicated on friends and school over the family itself was also a bit of a strange decision. As to most people our familial connections make or break us. One might even infer her life with the MOST normal. Not quirky in any regard other than her strange dreams.

Speaking of which: It goes from her talking about having strange dreams to 💥 BOOM! Explosion and she was gone faster than a toupee in a hurricane! Thanos snapped away so to speak. She leaves in a literal explosion and there’s not even a body is left behind for police to pick up as her friends try to explain what happened. The manga implies this is purposeful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually we meet this man who rescues Noriko when she is initially exploded into the new world:

This is Izark (the deuteragonist), a travelling warrior who came to find The Awakening (For reasons unknown the the reader at this time). Izark is very classically 90s shoujo handsome. (And totally my type at tough, calm, cool, distant, but still empathetic to the plight of others.)

He’s also logical and tends to use that logic in a flat dead pan cheeky way. It’s a nice juxtaposition.

Despite Noriko being painted as a literal catastrophe he is kind to her and very considerate of her position and feelings. (And this is reciprocated by Noriko. It feels genuine on both sides.)

The way the long dark hair is drawn is ✨ perfection ✨. Chef’s kiss 💋 .

The first thing the manga truly tackles socially between Noriko and Izark is the language barrier. They don’t have it hand-waved away with magic or happenstance. These two characters truly cannot effectively communicate and it’s being set up that this will be a real barrier for Noriko.

I think a lot of material either don’t know how or straight up don’t want to tackle the difficulty of having two characters (romantic ones at that) unable to communicate. Which I’m going to argue is fair, but it can be a missed opportunity for interesting character/story development. I wish more manga attempted to cover this. As it makes our character Noriko feel so much more alien and alone in this new world she finds herself in.

There’s also something incredibly humbling about having to learn a new language and culture as well. Izark repeating he can’t understand her and her continuing to gab away anyway is also very funny. The language barrier was also used narratively to cover up that she IS The Awakening. As she cannot blab her life story to those who can’t understand her. Genius cover. I love it.

Noriko and Izark seem to immediately have some pretty good chemistry. Though Izark is obviously not only aware but wary of Noriko’s status in his world. He comes off incredulous that The Awakening is as little and meek as she is.

He remarks that he will have to kill her. Which leads me to suspect he planned on taking her off to kill her somewhere? But that can’t be entirely it, because he proves he’s a powerful warrior and the logic doesn’t add up. He would’ve just killed her right then if that had been the goal? There were many opportunities for her to get killed off.

Unless he felt bad about it, I guess. But that seems like a misread on who he is too. (Though undoubtedly he seems to like her.) There simply is not information at this time.

Izark suddenly collapses at the end of book one leaving a nice enticing cliff hanger.

And then there’s this guy, Keimos:

He gives off big Sephiroth vibes. And maybe it’s the black and white coloring, the long hair, the thin eyes, the haughty sounding attitude, and how other characters talk about him, but yeah. It’s hard to think of him as anything else.

He seems like he’s going to be a main first antagonist, but not the final antagonist. We’ll see.

Both side and main characters are fun to interact with. Villainous characters are fun too, no one holds back in the fighting. For a shoujo this has excellent action sequences and they’re done by a talented artist.

I appreciate that the monsters aren’t generic. The artist tried to make something interesting. I liked the toothy worm things that immediately attack Noriko on arrival.

I can’t wait to pick this series apart more. I have high hopes for this one. I like near everything about it so far. It’s interesting and I want to unravel the mystery as to why Noriko is this great Awakening to wreck the world.

Next: “From Far Away” vol. 2.

(Next review not available yet)

[buscaminas]

Analyzing Aka Akasaka's mangas

As everyone knows, Aka is the author of Oshi no Ko (The manga that traumatized an entire generation and lied to us into believing it was a story of self-improvement…it ended up being something horrible) but before that he had manga that are very different from his most controversial work. We will analyze them by year of release:

Note 1 Before releasing his first manga he was an apprentice of Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou creators of Deadman Wonderland and the influence that will continue in all his works is very noticeable: *Miserable protagonists with a false personality *Absent and irresponsible parents and adults, where every older person is a complete incompetent and the worst of society. *All the protagonists must be teenagers with traumas or bad experiences in life. *Happy endings for convenience *Unfinished and confusing plots… he could really try to explain each loose end. *Very forced stuff.

A lot of his work didn't have the expected success (it's bad).

To be honest, I read Deadman Wonderland and I did like it, sadly it didn't have the expected success, neither the manga nor the anime, but it has a good story and a happy ending.

Note 2 Kaguya-sama: Love Is War will not be analyzed because it is very long and I didn't like it at all.

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

1. Instant Bullet

An odyssey about a boy (Kuro) and a girl (Sera) and a strange witch who can save the future called Yume and travel in time (if it doesn't make sense) who hate the world for strange reasons, Kuro is because no one felt the slightest empathy and love for him (not even his own parents) and they always considered him a delinquent and the worst of youth, abandoned by his supposed "friends" he only wants the end of the world. Sera is a girl with the gift of controlling any weapon and of not feeling sorry or appreciation for anything (she can't cry) he hates himself for that not even when his father died she smiled coldly … both believe that the world should disappear because she does not understand them 😒​, both have superpowers Kuro's creation and Sera's destruction, they decide to crash a nuclear satellite in the city where they live, the others instant bullet are for and against the curious thing is that all these heroes have miserable and pathetic lives. They fail to destroy the world in the end and Yume travels back in time…"dies" and resolves it, although with many loose ends. I forgot to say that there were ghosts. If I recommend it…No

2.Sayonara Piano Sonata

The adventure of Hikawa Naomi and Ebisawa Mafuyu both very different souls united only by the desire to play music and be faithful friends, basically deals with how Ebisawa attends Hikawa's school just to escape from the harassment of the press and stole a secret room where he heard music, Hikawa's father is a music critic although a person who neglects his son not economically but out of paternal affection because he is a lazy man who due to the great success his critics have does not make an effort at anything and Hikawa must put his house in order, the curious thing is that Hikawa met Ebisawa in a dumpster where he collected pieces to repair musical instruments after running away from home, then he is forced by a friend and a crazy senpai to join Ebisawa to the music club to start a musical revolution or something like that….🤨if it doesn't make sense. In the end they both meet again because Ebisawa traveled abroad and they only had 16 chapters because it failed. God, it's so bad. If I recommend it…No

3.Renai Daikou (Love Agency)

It's about a girl who is half Japanese and Swedish and seems to have everything except a way to approach guys and hires a love agency to get a boyfriend because she's interested in a guy. The thing is that the guy she likes also hires the same agency to make her fall in love with him and that leads to strange situations… it's worse than it seems. The most remarkable thing is that it seems that the father of the boy and the mother of the girl are having an affair and are involved in illicit business (it reminds me of another manga that seemed innocent) It only had 39 chapters If I recommend it… No

4. Second Grade Cooking

Note: The story is by Aka but the art is by Oogami Takako

It is the story of 2 brothers yes 2 brothers who try to survive the neglect and abandonment of their mother in terrible conditions and the desire of the older brother to protect his little sister. It may make you cry a little, it gives a lot of hope, the world is cruel.

If I recommend it… Yes

5.This Rich Lady Will Die in 100 Days

It is exactly what the title says, it really does not highlight anything but good for you to laugh a little.

And so the most important ones end, the rest are one-shots of stories by other authors or collaborations.

6.Hayai Hanashi ga Ikutsuka

7. Kawaii Anata (ClownBerry)

8.On-site ☆ Report

9.Original Hinatazaka

None of them stand out in the slightest.

The analysis of Mengo's manga and the hard truths of Oshi no Ko along with the manga that inspired it will be published soon.

[junepegbert]

writing out my thoughts on kr agito as i'm watching them so i don't forget them later (currently finished episode 9)

this was definitely the best episode so far even if it introduced us to multiple things and then killed some of them off to add more mystery. this series hasn't done a good job of mysteries so far which is a shame because that's what they're going for, but i don't care for the amnesia plots at all. the police procedural stuff remains the most interesting part outside of gills and i'm finding hikawa a lot less obnoxious now that he's not a rider as well. houjou is a very one note asshole character currently and i kind of enjoy that as he does provide good enough drama for the other characters to have to deal with. shouchi still bothers me because there doesn't feel like a reason for him to be the main rider yet which *could* be the point but they're doing it poorly because i've seen other shows do main riders who aren't your standard hero/more of an everyman given a chance type thing and this just doesn't do that. both because shouchi is so uniquely privileged and spoiled in all of his actions while still giving off this kind of humble down to earth guy thing that doesn't at all feel earned. this show is trying to make a "more realistic" version of kr kuuga and right now it's failing at every front of that. while shouchi is a similar character to godai in a lot of basic ways, he lacks any of the charm or passion from godai either. i should like the show giving this type of free spirited character more realistic consequences or reactions from others, most people don't like shouchi until they know more about him but while it's doing that it's still giving shouchi to quick of an out to every problem. take mana thinking he killed her dad right, that resolves itself within the episode with nothing except her internal monologues and struggles but the end result is "no that couldn't've happened, shouchi is too sweet of a guy to do that!" and it really feels shitty to have a character that other people textually get to dislike or be weirded out by but at the end of the day he has to be given grace because he's soooooooo nice. it feels very bad to watch. and again, him being a kamen rider really means nothing right now. all the actual rider drama happens with the police unit or gills' struggles, all that happens with shouchi is he gets the feeling he has to go be a rider, he drops everything and rushes to do that, and then he is just suddenly this badass killer of monsters. and i am well aware it's an amnesia plot, we're supposed to wonder how he's like this or how the rider stuff and amnesia are related but it doesn't work at all. they keep doing stuff where shouchi is portrayed as too nonviolent or hippie like but then he stops being a character as soon as a threat shows up for him to be the unspeaking badass for. and the unknowns also break up the flow of the story so much, i enjoy all the episode until they show up which sucks because they are cool monsters!!!! they have cool things they do uniquely and really good suits!!!!!!!! but as said with shouchi, everything stops with them which *could* be a point about how dangerous they are but it instead makes the show drag even more than it already is

whatever. i'll keep going though

[your-resident-boat-person]

There's actually a couple reasons. First of all, as always, money. As far as I know, the SS United States Conservancy is running entirely on donations. The Queen Mary has a consistent source of income with 2.5 million visitors a year (she carried only 2 million in her entire 30 year career) and her management is having difficulty finding the funds to do repairs. So it would also be more profitable to open her as a hotel like the Queen Mary, rather than a museum. Anyway, the point is, actually getting her to a state where she can be open to the public will be EXTREMELY expensive, and that's just money that the Conservancy doesn't have yet.

Second, her size. Cutty Sark is 963 Gross Registered Tons, and 212 feet long. The SS United States is 55 times her size, at 53,329 GRT, and 990 feet long. Finding somewhere to dock her right now is difficult. Finding a permanent dry dock would probably be impossible.

Third, her interiors. When the Queen Mary was sold to Long Beach, all of her historic interiors were preserved and in tact. Right now, the SS United States is essentially just an empty shell. All that's left is the bare steel of the floors and walls of most of her decks. This is because she was nearly scrapped, and the first step in this process is the removal and auction of all her internal decor. Also, like most ships of her era, she was full of asbestos. Now, this wouldn't have been a problem if she hadn't intended to be scrapped. The Queen Mary is actually also full of asbestos. It's only dangerous when it's disturbed. Anyway, the only "historic" thing left of the Big U is her hull.

Fourth, the dry dock issue. Even if they did find a permanent dry dock to keep her at, keeping her there wouldn't be a good idea. Ships are designed to float in the water. The forces of water acting on her hull was factored into her design. A ship of her size would probably only last a few decades in permanent dry dock before her structural integrity is compromised. That's the reason why most museum ships are kept in the water. Examples include the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth 2, Hikawa Maru, and battleship New Jersey.

I'm gonna get to see the SS United States tomorrow. Granted, from behind a fence on the side of the road, but still. I might get to see her again on the 25th. It might be the last time I ever get to see her.

I'm taking LOADS of pictures, including with my DSi and 3DS. I have a Gameboy camera, but there's already 30 pictures, and it doesn't feel right deleting them without archiving them first. However, the temptation to be quite possibly the ONLY PERSON to ever photograph the SS United States with a Gameboy Camera is hard to resist.

[eyepatchdate]

im just imagining the manikins learning that they need a human in order for their Reason to be valid, and like, their despair as they freak out over not being able to create the world they want and then just...slowly...futomimi turns to the demifiend, who has been helping them and being non-hostile as they have interacted, and yet it never occurred to him to ask for anything more...and it’s just like....this quietly powerful moment.

[suzuran777]

Koshotengai no Hashihime ~Noma~ (Adelta) Review

I just finished playing Koshotengai no Hashihime ~Noma~, Hashihime's portable version which is available on the PS Vita and Nintendo Switch! This game does contain some extras the PC version did not have, like some post-game content. This includes the short stories which are also available in Japanese on the official website. I did read these before, but they added voice acting and many new CGs, so I had a lot of fun playing these!

I was surprised when I saw that the game was also available in English and Chinese because all the other Nintendo Switch ports I've played so far were only available in Japanese. I decided to play the English version this time and the translations almost seems exactly the same as MangaGamer’s version of the game? I noticed a few differences when I compared both versions, but in general I think the translaton was quite good! 

Because most routes didn't have that many 18+ scenes in the first place they really didn’t cut a lot of content if I compare it to the original game, though I still recommend playing both versions if you want to get the full experience. I also like how VN Switch ports in general allows you to skip forward and backwards really easily, so you can always go back and re-read lines.

The five routes (contains some spoilers!) It has been a long time since I played this game for the first time but I had a lot of fun re-playing it and understanding references I missed the first time. Minakami’s route is a good introduction to Hashihime’s story and worldbuilding, I remember I couldn’t stop playing the first time because I was so curious how Tamamori was ever going to prevent his death. The extra story was interesting too, especially the one in which you see everything from Minakami’s perspective.

Kawase’s route remains my favorite route because I just love his attitude and slowly discovering more about the character. Kawase and Tamamori’s arguments are also always funny and I like how they secretly both care a lot about each other. The extra story was super funny, Kawase I can’t believe you let some creep record your ‘’intimate moments’’ with Tamamori only to take the recording with you and watch it at home... (of course Tamamori did not appreciate that). Is this the real reason why he asked for help setting up a home-cinema...?

Hanazawa’s route has always been quite controversial, but I do think his route is interesting in its own way. In the final route it's mentioned that Kawase, Minakami and Hanazawa are all based off the works of real authors (Kyouka Izumi, Ruikou and Oshikawa). Oshikawa, whose work inspired Hanazawa's route, was a writer who would write many stories about the Russian - Japanese war, but he was also the pioneer of Japanese science fiction writing and seemed to love kaiju stories. I think his style can definitely be recognized in Hanazawa's route (the military parts, but also his ending when they end up in the past and fight monsters), so I think those are some really interesting details. 

I think Hikawa’s (Or Hakase’s) route is very unique because it’s the first route in which another character can immediately time travel together with Tamamori. The extra story shows how their relationship is still very awkward even after the good ending, but I think that’s expected from Hakase who likes Tamamori a little bit too much lol! I miss Hitotsurugi and Sazan... They were such nice characters so it’s kind of a bittersweet ending.

The last route (or Kaoru’s route) is pretty short, which is a bit of a shame because I do think it’s an interesting timeline in which all of the other main characters died a long time ago. Kurosawa Rinko confirmed that it's not like the other routes didn't really happen, they just take place in different timelines (although Kaoru route seems to be the original timeline). It definitely adds some variety to the routes and endings and I enjoy seeing older Tamamori...! 

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

Overall I definitely think this game becomes even more fun if you're familiar with some of the novels and authors the writer references in the story. It's not a necessity of course, but to me personally it was even more fun than the first time I played this game years ago! I also like how the Switch port now has a full glossary, the PC versions did explain terms, but the glossary is even more useful. 

I love Taisho era Japan VNs so I definitely think it’s great this game is available in multiple languages, even the Switch port. I own a few other portable versions of BL games like Taisho Mebiusline and Omega Vampire, but these versions are a little bit hard to recommend to people because of the language barrier. When you play on PC it’s at least possible to use some kind of translation software, but I don’t think there’s a way of doing this on a console.

[sailormoonandme]

In Act 3 of the Manga Mamoru is confirmed to be a 16-year-old high school student whereas in the anime he is a college student. Whilst this might mean he is 18, according to the Sailor Moon R Movie Memorial Album, Mamoru would have been 17 at the very start of the anime and turn 18 later on. Fans often point out/complain about Mamoru being aged up in the anime and have struggled as to why for years, often presuming bad faith on the part of the anime staff.  

There has never been a confirmed reason to my knowledge, but I have come across something that seems to make a lot of sense to my mind.  

Ultimately, this hinges upon the production realities of the Sailor Moon anime, which were atypical for how most manga-to-anime adaptations work. Whilst an episode of an anime can be produced from scratch in about two months, usually the manga the anime is adapting is many months, maybe even YEARS ahead of the anime. That wasn’t the case for Sailor Moon.

The Sailor Moon anime began airing on a weekly basis on 7th March 1992. But the first chapter of the manga (which episode 1 adapted) was released on 28th December 1991, the manga then being released monthly thereafter. This accounts for why there were SO MANY filler episodes in Sailor Moon, but it also speaks to the insane deadlines the anime were operating under.  

Whilst I couldn’t find the original sources for this, this article by Tuxedo Unmasked explains that Naoko Takeuchi was involved in the production of the anime, at least somewhat early on in the first season. How involved is a little unclear and it is likely that as the manga pushed forwards and Sailor Moon became more popular she became busier.*  

It is extremely likely that Takeuchi was giving the anime staff notes before the first episode even aired, the better to give them stuff to work with to generate filler episodes. It just so happens we have access to some of Takeuchi’s early notes for Sailor Moon in the form of the Materials Collection:

Note how Shingo’s note lists ‘Mika’ as one of his weaknesses. In the manga, no character by the name of Mika ever appears, at least not affiliated with Shingo in any way. However, a classmate of Shingo named Mika does appear in episodes 5 and 18 of the anime and he does in fact have a crush on her.  

Whilst specific release dates for the manga are not confirmed (merely publication dates which are not the same thing), if we presume Sailor Moon kept to a regular monthly release schedule the character of Reika Nishimura would have appeared in late October 1992, specifically in Act 11 of the manga. This would have been around the same time that she debuted in the anime, specifically in episode 29 on 24th October 1992. Regardless of which came first, obviously the anime staff wouldn’t have made an episode from scratch in such a short space of time. They clearly knew about her ahead of time.  

So, to some degree Naoko Takeuchi was feeding the anime staff ideas and notes on her story. Here is the problem though…her story was an evolving process. Case in point, Takeuchi originally intended Ami/Sailor Mercury to be a cyborg and there is even a hint of this in Act 2 of the manga

Clearly she changed her mind about that, and this wasn’t an isolated incident either.

In her linear notes for Act 3, Naoko Takeuchi herself states that she pitched three different ways Jadeite could become involved with the Hikawa Shrine in the anime. But when it came time to make Chapter 3 of the manga, she changed her mind last minute so that Jadeite was never involved with the shrine in the manga, but was nevertheless working there in the anime.

The Materials Collection is perhaps the ultimate example of how Takuechi revised the story she was telling as she went along.  

Remember how Sailor Mars occasionally didn’t wear gloves and shot lasers from her fingernails?

Me neither.

With all this in mind, lets take a looksee at Mamoru’s pages from the Materials Collection:

Oh me oh my. As you can see, early on, Naoko Takuechi herself intended Mamoru to be roughly the same age as he was in the anime.  

In other words, what seems to have happened was that the anime didn’t not age Mamoru up. They simply depicted him in line with the original intentions of Naoko Takeuchi. And then at some point before or during the production of Act 3 of the manga, she simply changed her mind.  

*This in turn might account in part for why the anime gradually deviated from the manga more and more, to the point of not bothering to adapt anything after chapter 4.  

P.S. Check out how Mamoru is depicted on the next page of the Materials Collections:

Yep…he is holding a red rose.  

Could it be the other major difference between Manga and Anime Mamoru was also thanks to Takeuchi’s early ideas?

[iviin-855]

back to smug bastard it is

well he is good at playing dumb

even your dead brother thinks you are a dick

you go ozawa! unfotunately hikawa has a agito shaped hole in his brain

ozawa here with reason and logic

No! i actually like this guy now!

well that was fast. at least hikawa caught on now

i mean he is screwing with you. but he is also agito

words cant describe how much i love ozawa

i love how kino just got tackled mid evil speech

bite each others dicks off!

Yeah there's something fishy about this guy. He's got teeth!

[desultory-novice]

since you are still doing character asks... i'd love to hear your thoughts on dedede :)

003 Dedede

How I Feel About This Character:

King Dedede holds a permanent position in my top 5 favorite Kirby characters and I want everyone to know that my top 5 in a series this great and with so many amazing characters...well, getting a spot there is a really big deal.

For one, his character design is nearly perfect. Like, Kirby obviously has the perfect character design. Just beautifully simple and flawless. I'd probably rate Magolor second for excellent use of simple shapes, colors, patterns, and silhouette, but Dedede is third. He rocks the RBY color scheme and is a delightful combination of circles and rounded triangles. If you've never drawn him before, I recommend it. He's a character that is actually FUN to draw. Just like Kirby!

(But I also love people experimenting with him. Feathery Dedede++)

We're obviously all big Kirby fans here on Kirby-Tumblr, but I want to give a shoutout to "The Subspace Emissary" from Smash Bros Brawl, which really should have been everyone's wake up call to what King Dedede was -really- like. The way he feigns being on the villains side when he ends up being the damn hero of the story who literally saves all the fighters from being wiped out forever by Tabuu, hello?!?

Also his sliding hug tackle when he sees Kirby again! Cutest thing ever. I could watch it 100 times. I probably have...!

Any/All the People I Ship Romantically With This Character:

Already mentioned I have Dederanza feels in the Taranza ask. Let's see, I mentioned in my Kirby general series ask that I also ship MetaDede so might as well talk about that?

MetaDede is something I hadn't actually seen in the games -I'd- played that much (I only picked the ship up after being alerted to some of the stuff in the later games.) I thought it came from the anime, tbh! I'm fairly low-key about it, but I think it's neat. I really enjoy monarch x vassal and they are in no way your average king and knight, and actually end up bonding over their shared experiences with KIRBY of all things, which is pretty hilarious! Anyway, there's so much MetaDede in the fandom that I rarely feel the need to talk about it, but having them fight at each other's side/back-to-back to defend Dream Land is the A++ quality I look for in this particular ship.

...That said, I do want them to play chess together sometime. (Man, you cannot believe how I screamed when I saw in the Planet Robobot opening cutscene that chess playing Dedede was real. Chess-playing Dedede! Ahhhh!!)

My Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship For This Character:

Dedede and Adeleine. The protective pseudo-sibling (?) relationship they have is one of those low-key amazingly heartwarming things going on in the background of Kirby.

I have a scrap of a comic idea written down where time passes VERY strangely on Dream Land, and so, in this particular story idea, Ado is actually Adeleine's grandmother, and she tells young Adeleine that should she -ever- get in trouble or need anything, go to the king. "He'll take care of you, just like he's taken care of our entire family till now." That is, in a nutshell, how I see them and why I adore them.

But also King Dedede and the Waddle Dees and Doos all the residents of Dream Land. Even in the chaotic and brain-breaking Kirby manga by Hikawa-sensei, Dedede still has a good rapport with his sovereign subjects.

My Unpopular Opinion About This Character:

I think everyone being tired of "mean ol' King Dedede!" is a popular opinion, at least, it should be, so... Hmm, I don't know where this falls, but one of the reasons I love King Dedede so much is that he ISN'T perfect? Like, I recall hearing once upon a time that the stories say the Arthurian knight Lancelot had the healing touch not because he was a perfect human being, but because he accepted his flaws?

King Dedede LIKES being in charge! He's got a huuuge appetite, and he likes being pampered. (Heck, who doesn't?!) He wants to win against Kirby when the two are competing. (Not enough to set up him, but in an actual fair competition.) He can have all these traits and still be a hero. I don't want a flawless Dedede who is free from snark and never loses his temper or accidentally (oops) misjudges people and other character flaws. I want a Dedede who can do these things and then come around!

Oh...and also I don't headcanon him as being particularly older than the rest of the gang?? ("Kirby is in his 10s, Dedede is in his 40s" stuff is just not for me, thx.) Maybe it's because my older sibling always picks Dedede in Smash (while I always pick Kirby) but I'm not super into "Dedede Dad" either? (...Well, "Dedede Dad" with the Waddle Dees is okay. I just have a limit I hit with that stuff.) I can see where people get the idea of an age gap from, and there's a size difference to boot, but I just see them as closer in age than most? It makes their "destined (friendly) rivals" thing better if they're not 20+ years apart, y'know. Dedede is not the team's "grizzled old man veteran" to Kirby's "idealistic young hero" (that role goes to Meta Knight if anything!) he's right there with Kirby on the field.

Annnd last unpopular (?) opinion: I don't necessarily mind Dedede being damsel'd. WITH the corollary that he gets to have his hero moment after. (Or that they, you know, switch it up RtDL style and let him be a hero from the beginning.) That is to say, I don't think it never needs to happen again. This is a highly personal thing, but as bigendered peep who grew up with so.much. female-in-distress in media, as long as we're going to get "save person in danger!" fiction (and it's a good trope in a bottle, so we will) I am totally okay with the big tough guy being the "person in danger." Cliches are gonna cliche, so give a peep some role-reversal so I stop feeling crazy inside, thx!

One Thing I Wish Would Happen / Had Happened With This Character in Canon:

I have never seen KRBAY. I don't really want to. But, as I mentioned in my Taranza ask and again here, I am big on loyalty dynamics. And I guess in the anime, Meta Knight was -literally- a knight of the kingdom? Whereas in game canon, he seems to be more of a mercenary/leader of a para-military force? (I mean, Dedede was said to have give fragments of the broken Dream Rod to his most loyal allies so obviously he has a long standing relationship with Meta Knight) but anyway, what I am getting at is that I would have a LOT of fun with a Meta Knight who is officially sworn to Dedede's service. At least for a little bit!

Oops. That turned into more of a "what do I wish happened to Meta Knight in canon."

Speaking of Meta Knight, I wouldn't have minded if we got just a little bit more insight into Shadow Dedede? Like, we know Shadow Kirby is a trickster and a coward, and DMK is ruthless and pragmatic instead of noble. And we get some implications that Shadow Dedede was...maybe never -rescued- from one of his earlier possessions (?!?) but very little on what makes him a reflection of Dedede.(*)

...Oh yeah. MORE MERCH PLEASE! I want to have more Dedede in my home but his majesty just gets real bottom of the barrel stuff and it's so sad. Like, okay, no one is as cute as Kirby and Waddle Dee. I get it. But they make Kirby seasonal collabs with Waddle Doos and Gordos and Scarfies and yet no Dedede? Puh-lease.

Favorite Friendship For This Character:

Kirby. Honestly, a big part of my "unpopular opinion on Kirby character ages" is because I really, really, really, really REALLY like Kirby and Dedede's friendly rivalry/ "two heroes working the scene from different sides" dynamic and I massively prefer that to pretty much any other relationship they could possibly have.

I was playing Forbidden Land with the fam and my sibling commented that Dedede's mid-boss fight roar in the Ice Castle stage felt almost like he was shouting to Kirby, "Where HAVE YOU BEEN?!" and ugh, I got so many feels from that idea.

...Forgotten Land is really good for the Dedede+Kirby dynamic...

FREE SPACE/Recs:

Rinyo's next video is actually going to be Dedede focused, I hear? :excitement:

There's also this Dedede x "King" with 7 different artists collaborating to draw his majesty in all his glory. That was a little fun!

I want to burn his Kirby Cafe outfit/hat in a fire.

Dedede's Drum Dash was silly fun, but it will be weird if it stays the only Dedede focused spinoff in the history of the franchise. ...HAL?

(*) Oh, and lastly, I just went to the wiki to look up Shadow Dedede in Japanese only to find out he's got the, uh, ill-advised name of "Black Dedede" there but, it's noted further down that this gets shortened right in his pause screen to "Bla-De" - which is a parody of Dark Pit's nickname "Bla-Pi" (which got localized to "Pittoo") but anyway, my twisted brain accidentally read "Bla-De" as "Bloody" and suddenly "Bloody King Dedede" popped into my head, which is maybe a really cool take on Mirror-verse Dedede???

[ecargmura]

Oblivion Battery Episode 12 Review + Final Thoughts - Baseball Is Fun

What’s interesting about Oblivion Battery is that this is one of the rare cases where a sports anime does not have a big focus on matches in a big tournament. Instead, they chose to focus more on practice matches. Practice matches aren’t high stakes, yet they’re still treated as such here. While it’s not a bad thing, I just find that interesting given that they’re in a public school with a barebones baseball team. Hence why the match against Hikawa High wraps up quickly for this finale.

It’s good that Kei developed and managed to hit Makita’s pitch. It was an important hit, after all. I liked how Haruka was confident that Kei will hit it because he has always been practicing with him. If Kei can keep up with Haruka’s pitches, then other pitchers are no match for him. It helped Shunpei get to home base with his speed and finally proving to Makita that his style of baseball is ideal for him. It helped Kotesashi get a win against a big named school. Most of all, it helped Kei develop a love for baseball in his amnesiac state. The way he was all excited in his room was very nice to look at.

While the finale is nice and all, there still hasn't been a concise answer to how or why Kei lost his memories or if he’s suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. All that’s shown is that he seemed to have a burnout from baseball and everything he did as the Commander, which included “killing” potential baseball monsters to help Haruka get on top, probably took a toll on him mentally. He watched a slice of life anime and realized that his life was full of stress and he was missing out on the mundane aspects of life like eating snacks, going to a store and searching for love and peace. That’s why his amnesiac self always repeated the same things he saw from that anime. It’s also unsure how the change from Kei to Commander Kei happened. Was it really hypnosis or over exhaustion? I guess I would have to read the manga to find out.

Kei’s gradual change from disliking baseball to falling in love with it was interesting to see. He does things at his own pace, so it was eventual that he’d fall in love with baseball once again. I do have a feeling that the Commander never loved baseball genuinely, hence why the amnesia caused him to regress. The current Kei wants to surpass the Commander, so I do wonder how powerful Kei will become with that declaration now.

It’s unknown whether this anime will get a season 2, but it would be nice to see where Kotesashi will go from here if it’s possible. If there is no Season 2, then this finale is a great way for new viewers to dive into the manga to see what happens next. What are your thoughts on this anime as a whole?

Final Thoughts

There are those animes that have a bad first impression, but does get better later on. Oblivion Battery is one of those. First-time viewers may be put off by how annoying Kei was—I certainly was too—but if you persevered, it’s actually pretty good. However, I do admit that Aoi and Shunpei were the main reasons why the anime is good because those two saved the show with their antics.

Did you know that ‘Boukyaku’ can also mean ‘forgetful’ in Japanese? That’s the premise of this show! Because Kei lost his memories, he regressed from Lv. 100 to Lv 1 and had to reteach himself the basics and fundamentals of baseball. Kei learning about baseball is also helping first-time viewers with the sport too. I learned a lot about positions, how to score points and how important a battery is to the sport. I do feel like the author is very familiar with the sport to be writing about it.

While sports animes can be comical, the comedy in Oblivion Battery can be hit or miss. Kei’s Nipple Hair gag can get old, but all the meta jokes were hilarious. I think Episode 8 was the best when it came to comedy because all my favorite moments came from that episode from Haruka pouting to Mamoru Miyano making an actual cameo.

Learning about Aoi and Shunpei’s past was also a highlight because it’s fascinating to see how two baseball aces fell from grace due to their own personal issues. It shows that you can be your own worst enemy. Aoi was riddled with personal guilt which caused him to develop yips. He ran away from his problems by getting into fights, but when he decided to reform and attend Kotesashi, he realized that he still loved baseball even with his guilt and issues. For Shunpei, he was insecure about the things he lacked which he denied until a one-off comment made him realize that he was deluding himself into believing he wasn’t insecure all this time. Heck, even someone like Kazuki had his own issues with baseball as he couldn’t deal with a suffocating hierarchy system, showing that some clubs functioned in a toxic manner. My only gripe was not getting a Yamada backstory. The guy is the POV character, give me his backstory!

I guess my only gripe of this anime is that the team sort of lacks proper management? Like they still don’t have a coach or anyone to train them properly so they still feel like newbies aura-wise? I guess I might have to dive into the manga to see if they will get a coach later on. Also, Yamada was the POV character, yet he’s mainly in the shadows compared to Haruka and Kei, who are the real stars of the show.

The voice cast is actually very strong for an obscure sports anime like this. The five main characters are voiced by either big names or rising stars. Big name voice actors include Toshiki Masuda as Haruka, Mamoru Miyano as Kei, Yuki Kaji as Yamada and Nobunaga Shimazaki as Shunpei. Rising stars include Yohei Azakami as Aoi. I like the mix-match of big and rising stars for the cast. The supporting cast is no joke either. There’s Tomokazu Sugita as Teitoku’s coach, Takeo Otsuka, another rising star, as Kokuto, and Kengo Kawanishi as Kirishima. MAPPA really does pour a lot of money into a good voice cast.

The music and animation are pretty decent for MAPPA standards. The opening song is good, but when you realize the band is Mrs. Green Apple and then you look up the recent controversy they had regarding a rather questionable music video…yeah. But the opening song is still addicting. The ending song is a little meh. The animation is pretty good, especially with all the meta stuff, but Episode 11 is when it amped up a lot and looks amazing.

Oblivion Battery may not be the ideal baseball anime. I wouldn’t really recommend this as a baseball anime because it’s so short, but if you still like sports shows, I’m not going to prevent you from trying this anime out. It’s still a good show despite its many flaws. If you watched this show, what are your thoughts?

[mikoriin]

What's your opinion on the plot of Sailor Moon? (If already watched)

i rly like it!! the anime has A LOT of filler, but thats because naoko takeuchi was currently making the manga when the anime was released and by time season one was finished naoko wasnt finished with her next arc. so they made an ENTIRE filler arc for sailor moon R and i LOVED IT i love how usagi's relationship with mamoru blooms and the things they go thru.

sailor moon really set the tone for what a magical girl anime should be, theres a big reason its considered the mother of magical girl anime. its got a real strong feminist message and was incredibly queer progressive for its time. yeah sure some stuff is dated but it rly is a product of its time when females in japan were rly making their mark with amazing stories told through manga (can think of a couple other amazing 90s mg series: From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa and Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP)

also sailor moon was probably my very first anime so i hold it near and dear to my heart and i enjoyed watching all 200 episodes and the movies.

[fatherfigurefusion]

Table for Tsu?

Pairing: TsuguSayo/TsukuRui

Words: 2285

Fandom: BanG Dream!

AO3 Link

With the ringing of a wind chime and the creaking of the door signifying her arrival, Rui took her time to scan the scenery of the Hazawa Coffee. Wooden scenery that is easy on the eyes, and a tantalizing sugary smell filling the general area. With a familiar head of light blue hair standing out against the oranges and browns, it didn't take long for Rui to find the person she was slated to meet with. 

Rui: (courteously) Greetings, Hikawa-senpai.

With a soft thump, the bookmarked novel was delicately shut in Sayo's hands, as she invited Rui to sit down across from her. Ever since the bluenette was given the job of tutoring a certain irksome bandmate of Rui's, the two girls have made a plan to sit down together and discuss said bandmate's progress. Preferably over some coffee and Hazawa-made sweets.

Rui: (matter-of-factly) I assume that Kirigaya-san hasn't given you too much trouble. As one of her bandmates, I am no stranger to her more "capricious" behaviors.

Sayo: (with a small smile) Surprisingly enough, while synchronizing better with the more..."eccentric" guitar players on our roster, I found that Kirigaya-san has made noticeable progress, regarding her playing of more complex pieces. It was quite the arduous task, but I hardly see any need to worry, Yashio-san.

Rui: (bowing slightly) I humbly thank you for your tutelage, Hikawa-san.

Sayo: (bowing back) No need to thank me further.

After exchanging pleasantries and further commentary on Touko's more "Touko" moments, the two girls decided to skim the menu. Knowing that Rui is a more recent customer, Sayo decided to guide the violinist around the cafe's various delicacies.

Sayo: (curiously) Do you have any particular desserts in mind, Yashio-san?

Rui: (matter-of-factly) I don't really have any particular preferences, so long as the flavors aren't too strong.

Upon hearing that, Sayo's eyes sparkled and her face was quick to break out into a proud grin, as she pointed out several desserts on the menu with great gusto. Needless to say, the violinist was taken aback by the guitarist's sudden fervor in recommending the cafe's various sweets.

Sayo: (smiling slowly growing, getting more and more passionate) If that's the case, might I recommend the salted caramel cookie? Hazawa-san takes extra care to not let the sweetness of the caramel get too sickly. You might also appreciate a slice of the Cookies 'n' Cream ice cream cake. The vanilla ice cream at the center of the dessert should be easy on your tongue, but the chocolate cookie crumbs would also add some extra flavor and texture, without being too overbearing on your taste buds. Hazawa-san somehow manages to not over-sprinkle the crumbs on top, and makes absolutely sure that the dessert wouldn't leave too much of a mess. If you are still concerned about the mess, for whatever reason, might I recommend-

Rui: (with discomfort evident in her tone) Please try to calm yourself, Hikawa-senpai. You seem to be a bit too enraptured by Hazawa-senpai's cooking.

Upon hearing Rui's discomfort, Sayo quickly snapped out of her Hazawa-induced frenzy, before clearing her throat and trying to hide her blush beneath her hands. Internally, Sayo was glad that she, in an indirect way, confessed her pent-up affections to a trusted compatriot. The last thing she wants is for hints of her romantic affections to fall into the hands of Moca, Lisa, or even worse, Hina. 

Sayo: (apologetic) My apologies for getting carried away, Yashio-san. 

Rui: (oddly curious) I can tell by this conversation alone that you seem to be oddly invested in Hazawa-senpai's abilities. It is as if you have a rather deep history with each other, in spite of your differing bands. May I inquire as to how your oddly-intimate relationship came to be?

Although taken aback by Rui's sudden curiosity regarding her relationship with Tsugumi, Sayo decided to explain to Rui about how one little cooking class hosted by Tsugumi allowed Sayo's feelings to blossom forth, as well as extra tidbits regarding her current relationship with the brunette, like their routine book exchanges and their whole Valentine's Day escapade. Throughout the whole lecture, Sayo's blush was beginning to spread across more of her face.

—--------------------------------------

And, much to Sayo's oblivion, Tsugumi was listening in on her whole recollection, with her own blush spreading across her face. 

—--------------------------------------

In the midst of describing the Valentine's Day walk, however, Sayo's ears picked up on the hurried footsteps of the cafe's newest waitress. Upon hearing Tsukushi's scurrying, Sayo and Rui were quick to pick their menus back up and quickly scan them again.

Tsukushi: (excited) Ah! Rui-san and Sayo-senpai! Welcome to Hazawa Coffee! May I take your order?

While her eyes were supposed to remain on the menu, Rui's eyes couldn't help but wander away from the menu. For a brand-new priority ended up taking priority in Rui's mind: soaking in all of the features of the adorable waitress in front of her. 

With her big brown eyes and her plump hamster-like cheeks dotted with freckles, Tsukushi's cherubic features seemed to be especially eye-catching today. And, to serve as a cherry on top of the shortcake, the drummer's work uniform only seeks to make her adorable features all the more radiant. Attempting to shake off her flustered expression, Rui rapidly browsed the menu before settling on something. However, Rui’s hormone-addled mind could barely get words out, as both her eyes and brain were quick to wander back to Tsukushi in her waitress uniform.

Luckily, the blue-haired guitarist was helpful enough to bail her out.

Sayo: (professionally) We would take two decaf lattes and a large plate of cookies to share.

Tsukushi: (happily) Excellent choice, Sayo-senpai! 

While she was writing, what Rui presumed to be the order in her aphrodisiac-fueled mind, Tsukushi stuck her tongue out, which only caused Rui's heart to pound harder against her ribcage. 

The second the pigtailed girl left to relay the order to Tsugumi, the taller girl promptly snapped out of her barely-concealed stupor, as her face returned to its normal pale shade. Turning around to face Sayo, Rui was quick to notice that the bluenette had her phone out.

Rui: (courteously) Please continue with your recollection, Hikawa-senpai.

Upon hearing Rui's voice, Sayo promptly shoved her phone in her pocket. 

What Rui didn't know was that Sayo was staring at a certain picture taken and sent to the guitarist's group chat by one Touko Kirigaya, of a flustered Rui at the petting zoo. According to Morfonica's guitarist herself, she referred to this picture as proof of "Operation: Tsuku-Rui" being a success. Needless to say, Sayo sympathizes in both of Rui's plights: having a particular weakness for soft and fluffy animals, and being "down bad", as the other guitarists would put it, for a hard-working and adorable brunette.

Against her better judgement, Sayo formulated a game plan in her mind. 

Although to a much more latent degree, compared to the other far-more-rowdy guitarists, Sayo is no stranger to being a wingwoman for others. Her work was mostly limited to her own bandmates, but the results speak for themselves. Lisa and Yukina finally got together, after spending all of their childhood years dancing around each other, and Ako and Rinko are currently planning an IRL version of NFO's wedding event, starring each other. The guitarist feels as though Rui would benefit from more of an indirect wingwoman-ing than from whatever harebrained and nonsensical scheme could come from the minds of the other guitarists.

Sayo: (taken off guard, before regaining her composure) Oh. A-As I was saying, in spite of the cafe's closure, we managed to faithfully recreate the roll cake from the novel. I must say, our work ethics greatly complement each other, and Toyama-san, Aoba-san, and Okusawa-san seem to think the same way.

Rui: (pensively) So, it has come to my understanding that, in order to satisfy a craving for a food item found in a work of fiction, you exerted yourselves to faithfully recreate the roll cake found in that fictional work.

Sayo: (looking away slightly, blushing) Apologies if that motivation sounds like a mere flight-of-fancy.

Rui: (matter-of-factly) Believe me, my own band members have overexerted themselves, for far less.

Taking Sayo’s focused gaze as an intrigued expression of sorts, Rui offered an explanation.

Rui: (explaining) Some time prior, in spite of it not benefiting her, Futaba-san corralled the rest of Morfonica to complete some crucial student council work for me. This was all so I could get the chance to perform with an upperclassman of mine. A chance that I ended up not even taking.

Rui: (conflicted expression) To this very day, I am still confused as to why Futaba-san would sacrifice her free-time, in order to offer me such a chance, even if it doesn’t benefit her.

—--------------------------------------

On the other side of the counter, Tsukushi, against her better nature, eavesdropped on Rui’s venting session. Her heart couldn’t help but sink from hearing Rui’s words. 

Is simply offering a helping hand without ulterior motives that much of a foreign concept to the violinist, to the point that even SHE couldn’t comprehend it? What sort of environment could possibly foster such a mindset?

As much as Tsukushi wanted to call out to Rui, she chose to restrain herself, partially because she wouldn’t want to risk making a scene in the middle of the cafe, and partially because words simply won’t leave her tongue.

A tapping sensation on her shoulders snapped the short girl out of her thoughts. Turning around, Tsukushi yelped in shock at seeing Tsugumi’s face staring back at her. And after looking down, Tsukushi could see the tray holding Sayo and Rui’s order.

Tsukushi: (surprised) Ah! O-Oh! Tsugumi-senpai! I shall take that order!

—--------------------------------------

Swallowing her nervousness, Tsukushi took the larger-and-most-likely-heavier-looking tray into her shaky hands, and tried her best to look casual in front of the two professional-looking girls (and extremely attractive, in Rui’s case), as she steadily made her way to their table.

Tsukushi: (with terribly-masked nervousness) H-Here’s your order!

Sayo/Rui: (in unison) Thank you, Futaba-san.

Taking one of the cookies and plopping it into her mouth, Sayo smiled with the glee that usually comes from indulging herself in Hazawa Coffee’s many delectable goods. Following her senpai’s lead, Rui took one of the cookies and hesitantly munched on it, to her surprising delight, for the cookies managed to satisfy her in both taste and texture.

Rui: (slightly nodding) This shall suffice.

Sayo: (delighted) Hazawa-san’s cooking is still as delightful as ever, I see. Send my compliments to her.

The short girl’s sheer joy at the icy girls’ approval (but especially from Rui) caused her walk back to the counter to be interspersed with a little skip and the humming of a happy little tune. Tsukushi’s cheerful grin and childish skip-walking caused Rui’s face to quickly redden to an even brighter extent, as her heartbeat picked up its pace. Turning her head away from the object of her affections barely seemed to slow down her heartbeat, for it is getting increasingly difficult for the violinist to get the pint-sized drummer out of her mind.

Everything both objectively and subjectively eye-catching about Tsukushi seemed to be especially highlighted today. From her short height, to her adorable facial features, to her earnest attempts at leading the group, to her stellar work ethic, the list keeps growing longer and longer in Rui’s mind.

Seeing Rui quickly becoming more and more of a sapphic disaster, Sayo took this opportunity to give the violinist the subtle romantic support that she needs. Calling Rui’s name a couple of times seemed to tether the dark-haired girl back down to earth, for her face returned to its usual pale hue and her eyes regained focus.

Sayo: (professionally) As someone who feels as though we share a… “solidarity” of sorts, allow me to offer you some advice that has assisted me in some…rougher times. 

Sayo: (smiling) If one were to offer you help, it would be in your best interest to accept that help. This assistance could potentially help you in finding your own note.

Rui, far from oblivious, knew exactly what the blue-haired girl meant by that adage: an abridged retelling of her whole history with Tsugumi Hazawa. 

Yet, the violinist couldn’t help but ponder about that strategy. She could hardly explain why, but something about Sayo’s adage seems to resonate within Rui’s mind. 

Something about finding something that had long been lost and snuffed out.

Rui: (nodding) I shall keep that advice in mind, Hikawa-senpai.

Needless to say, Sayo was surprised that her improvised adage managed to win over the iron-willed Rui. But ultimately, there was a bigger priority on her plate, literally. A good majority of Tsugumi’s cookies were still uneaten, and she (along with her underclassman) still had to finish them, lest the test of time renders them stale and undesirable. Once Sayo got back to her cookies, Rui was shockingly quick to follow.

—--------------------------------------

On the other end of the counter, Tsukushi was excitedly recounting her successful waitering to her senpai and co-worker. Her hands gestured around cheerfully, as her eyes sparkled with glee.

Tsukushi: (happily) …And get THIS! Rui-san praised me! I could just see it in her eyes! And Sayo-senpai too! Praise from professionals like Sayo Hikawa and Rui Yashio! How lucky could I possibly get?!

Upon lowering herself from Cloud Nine, the drummer noticed that the keyboardist was staring off into space.

Tsukushi: (taken aback) Are you even listening to me, senpai?!

However, it was very clear that Tsugumi wasn’t getting off of her own Cloud Nine.

Tsugumi: (internally) Oh, Sayo-san…and to think this all started from a silly cooking class…and here you are…educating the next generation…

—--------------------------------------

Author's Note: Hopefully more people would appreciate the solidarity between these two ships (as well as people hopping on the TsukuRui bandwagon, in general)!