#daimon dai mondai mondays

[sidlyrics]

【Hamamatsuchou→Tamachi】 Since Aki was around Hamamatsuchou, we went for a walk together 【Yamanote line #26】

This is a translation of this video of Shinya (Dir en Grey) and Aki. The official subs are up, but they were posted after I had done more than half of the translation, so I decided to finish it anyway.

When Aki was talking about his beliefs, the part about the cardinal directions was super confusing to me (not just the vocabulary, but the concept), so I’ll try to ask him to explain and hopefully correct any possible misunderstandings (update: I asked and still didn’t understand lmao).

Shinya: Hi! It's me, Shinya! Today's plan for our weekly walk around the Yamanote line is brought to you from Hamamatsuchou station. Cameraman: Let's go! Shinya: It seems that this is the main entrance. Cameraman: We were sort of passing by. Shinya: Right. Today the weather is great. Cameraman: It is. Shinya: Wait a sec. There's someone there... Cameraman: Huh? Shinya: What the...? He's checking the angle of view. Cameraman: He looks a little familiar, though. Let's go check. Shinya: Let's see. Cameraman: I get the feeling that I've seen him before. Shinya: It does feel that way. It's the silhouette, right? Look! He's still doing that. Ah, the view, the trains... He's trainspotting! He’s checking the wind. Aki: Eh? What are you doing here, Shinya? It's been a long time, right? Shinya: It's Aki from SID. Aki: Yes, I'm Aki from SID. Why are you at my most private spot? Shinya: On the contrary, what were you doing? Aki: At 2pm on Mondays... Shinya: Waiting for the shinkansen? Aki: I'm cultivating my sensitivity everyday. Shinya: I'll be walking now to Tamachi. Aki: Isn't that great? I don't know the area at all. Shinya: Do you want me to show you around? Aki: Cool. Shinya: First of all, that's Tokyo Tower. Aki: I see. Speaking of which, it’s a good example, right? Shinya: Then let's go that way. Aki: Do you know its height? Shinya: Around 333 meters. Aki: You actually knew it, didn't you? Shinya: No way was I expecting Aki to be up there. I'm glad I looked up. Aki: Right. The only place I know in Hamamatsuchou is that railroad switch. Speaking of Daimon station, I have a memory... We met for the first time at the house of a certain senior of mine, right? Shinya: Yes, yes. Aki: The area around these stations, you know, didn't it often become our base of operations? Like a meeting spot. That was just a natural development, right? Cameraman: That was the first time you two met? Aki: The house of that senpai... Shinya: Well, but for me it was a junior... Aki: I don’t have to hide his name. It was Kagerou, right? So actually we first met at Daisuke's house. Cameraman: Ah, so you met there. Aki: We've been good friends since then. Shinya: It was more than 10 years ago. Aki: Absolutely. Wasn't it even longer ago? Shinya: Around 20 years. But SID was still an indie band. Aki: Right. That's a long time... We saw each other and all that in many different places, right? Shinya: Yes, yes. Cameraman: I definitely also have the impression that you two get along really well. Aki: We really do. Cameraman: Plan-wise, we were originally going to go along the railroad track, right? We might as well go there. Shinya: To a place like a shrine. Cameraman: Let's calmly go there. It doesn't feel like a detour, so I say that today we head towards Tamachi station from there. Aki: This looks like a place to grab a drink along the way. Shinya: I've never tried it [in his videos]. Aki: Is it not okay? Cameraman: We rarely go in shops. Aki: Ah, okay. Are you busy? Shinya: Not at all. It was my birthday the other day. Aki: Ah, that's right. Shinya: But there wasn't much else. Aki: It was my birthday as well! Shinya: I sent him a message on LINE on the day. Aki: Was it on LINE? Shinya: Yes. Aki: I see, I see. Shinya: There was no reply. Aki: It's just that I just... I replied just now. Yeah, now... This... That's a lame excuse, right? Got it! I'll treat you to a taiyaki. I'll give you a taiyaki as a present. Ah, oops. I don't have my wallet with me. My manager has it. Then, it's fine if I choose based on my impression of Shinya, right? Shinya: Let's try it out once. Aki: I guess it'll be this one. Shinya: That's right. Aki: Excuse me, one of custard, please. [replying to the shop assistant] Yes. Since the cashless payment method that I have is not supported, can I borrow 280 yen? Shinya: I don't have cash either, so which electronic methods can we use? Shop assistant: auPay and tadaima Tokyo+. Aki: Ah, I see. Shinya: Thank you. Who uses that? I don't have cash either. Aki: I see, then, wait. It may work with auPay, I might have around 1000 yen. It may be my first chance to use it. Shinya: It's auPay or tadaima Tokyo+. Aki: It may be possible! Wait, here, maybe... The balance... Ah, there are even 3000 yen! [to the shop assistant] With auPay, please. Shop assistant: Okay, thank you. Shinya: What's auPay? It's the first time I hear about it. Aki: Why? Why do I have 3000 yen? So here it is. Please, take it. Cameraman: A sense of walking the streets, amazing. Shinya: I've been given a birthday present. Cameraman: Birthday present! It's a taiyaki! It's at the corner of this intersection. Ah, have you tried it? Shinya: Yes. Cameraman: How is it? Shinya: Very hot. Cameraman: Ah, Aki as well. How is it? Good? Aki: Yeah, it's good. Cameraman: It's a sudden feeling of walking the streets. Shinya: Isn't it like when we ate the pandas somewhere? Cameraman: Yes. That's it, maybe. Shinya: Right. Cameraman: Are both your taiyaki filled with custard? Aki: Yeah, they are the same. To show our good relationship. Cameraman: Shinya, is it good? Shinya: Yes. It's hot, though. Cameraman: All you say is that it's hot. Shinya: Because I'm sensitive to heat. I'm super sensitive to heat. Is that gate Shibadaimon by any chance? Cameraman: That's what it looks like. Shinya: That's Zojoji temple. Aki: Is it? Shinya: That's already well known. Aki: Ah, a road safety tablet. Shinya: For luck. Aki: Right. Cameraman: Excuse me for disturbing. Shinya: Excuse me for disturbing. Aki: Are you the type to do things like going to a temple on New Year? Shinya: No, I never go. Aki: You don't?! Aaaah... Cameraman: Aren't you going for Hatsumode [visiting a shrine for the first time after the New Year]? Shinya: Because I'm a person who thinks there are no gods. Aki: Really? Shinya: Yes. Aki: I see. Actually, in my case... Doing things right, getting good things to happen, following a good direction from the place in my life where I'm currently at... How to be in a position for good things to happen... Yeah, about that... It is said that you should do things such as going to a temple that is in the direction you've taken. This year I had to go to the east anyway, so I went to Saruda shrine, which is at the end of Chiba prefecture. I got purified. Since last year was a calamitous year for me and this one is also dangerous [when men reach 42, calculated by the traditional method, according to which children are born already being one, it is believed that it's an unlucky age. The year after that is also dangerous. Aki is now 42, so he is in his dangerous year after the most unlucky year], I’d better do it. Shinya: I've had my unlucky year, but it finished without me doing anything. Aki: Really? Shinya: It finished well. Aki: Ah, really? I see. On second thought... Cameraman: You are basically fine? Shinya: Yes. Aki: That's true... Since your ideas are solid already, you say there are no gods? Shinya: Exactly. Cameraman: But have you ever gone for Hatsumode, Shinya? Shinya: In the past. Cameraman: You went. Shinya: I did it for some reason. Aki: But today will be your Hatsumode, of course. Shinya: A magnificent gate. Aki: But it seems that it's best not to record without permission, right? Shinya: Wow, it was great, wasn't it? Cameraman: It was. Aki: It was. It made an impact. Shinya: It did. Aki: You can see at the same time the Tokyo Tower and the main temple building, that's quite a combination. That's unique to Tokyo, right? Shinya: Certainly. Aki: It feels like a temple in Tokyo. What number am I today more or less? Shinya: Are you talking about the guests? Aki: Yes. Shinya: One, two, three... You are the fourth! Aki: The fourth? So it's not been long since you started. Shinya: No, I'm already finishing. Aki: Finishing? Shinya: Yes. Aki: What do you mean you are finishing? Shinya: Well, I basically do it by myself, but I have guests every once in a while for this Yamanote line project. Aki: Ah, I see, I see. You don't have guests every time? Shinya: That's it. Aki: Aaaah. Cameraman: It's just a coincidence, even with Mana. Aki: Should I call them guests, then? Shinya: All of them by chance. Aki: I also do this [looking at trains while doing the hand gesture from the beginning] every week. I do it every week at that spot. Shinya: I don't think I'll go there anymore, though. Cameraman: It's pretty, right? Shinya: Tokyo Tower is amazing. It feels like I can reach it, you know. Aki: It's nearby, but... I've been called before to come here from Atsugi. Shinya: When we met, you came from Atsugi. Aki: A great night. Right, I was in Atsugi. Shinya: How long does it take? Aki: Mmm... I think it takes around 2 hours. Shinya: Is that so? Aki: It's a little over an hour to Shinjuku. And from my home there is a bus which is 15 minutes to the station, so I'd go to Shinjuku and from there I'd also ride that train. If I have to walk, it would be around 2 hours? 2 hours, maybe? If we started at the same time from Shinagawa station, we could go further than Shizuoka and more or less arrive at Nagoya. I would say that's the distance. Isn't it amazing? Shinya: Well, it is what it is. Aki: Right, right. Shinya: Have you lived in the same house for several years? Aki: Yes, for quite a while. Since COVID started, I made various changes to the soundproofing and other things in my studio room so that I could do online lives. I do them at night. I also work then. Shinya: Before COVID, didn't you have things such as a soundproofed door and so on? Aki: I did, I did. It will be seen during lives, right? The general image of the room was too seedy. I thought that I would improve it a little. It was DIY, though. I worked hard. It took reasonable expenses, it's a waste to move. Wouldn't it be annoying? Shinya: Since you have never come before... Aki: Right. Shinya: to my house even though we are good friends... Cameraman: Eeeeh? Aki: It's true. I've never been to Shinya's residence. Cameraman: I had the impression that a lot of people are coming and going to Shinya's house. Shinya: Right, right. Even though everyone is coming... Aki: I was not invited. Shinya: I invited you, though. How many times? Cameraman: To play boardgames? Shinya: Yeah, things like that. Aki: Well, it's like, you always want to play difficult games. Games like Momotaro Dentetsu are fine. Shinya: You only play games easier than Momotaro Dentetsu? Aki: I want to take it easy like playing Momotaro Dentetsu and drinking at home. Aren't you doing anything special? Shinya: No. Cameraman: The number of games at Shinya's house is amazing. Boardgames. Aki: I've heard rumors that there is a pool. Shinya: There isn't. Aki: In the best district of Tokyo. Shinya: It's a pond. Aki: With a pool. Cameraman: A pond. Shinya: A house with a pond. Aki: A pond? A pond is still amazing. Cameraman: The ginkgo trees are amazing, right? Shinya: They are amazing in autumn. Aki: I see. I've heard from mutual bandmen friends that Shinya came out wearing one of my tour t-shirts. Cameraman: What about that, Shinya? Shinya: I don't really remember it. Aki: ASH told me. Did ASH ever go to your house? Shinya: Yes. Aki: When I went to Shinya's house, Shinya was wearing Aki's tshirt. It was revealed. Shinya: I probably was in my loungewear. Aki: Did I give it to you? Why do you have it? I'm grateful, though. Cameraman: You went drinking and such quite frequently, right? Aki: Absolutely. We often meet. Even though we don't perform together, we end up at the same places. A long time ago I was the one who made Shinya sing at a karaoke. Cameraman: Eh? Aki: He would never do it, right? Shinya: It was very unusual. Aki: At a certain birthday party a few years ago, it was before corona, though. So there was a party and I also went, we drank quite a bit together and we were having fun. I told him "let's lift the ban, let's break the seal". I was like "let's drink". Telling him that, he sang. Cameraman: Eh? By the way, which song was it? Aki: It was Aku no hana by BUCK-TICK. Cameraman: Eh? Really? Do you remember it? Aki: I do. Shinya: It was after drinking around 100 shots of tequila. Because this person here made me drink a lot. Cameraman: 100 shots of tequila? Shinya: As expected, I was also probably drunk. Aki: It seemed like you had given up. Cameraman: But do you at least remember singing? Shinya: Kind of. Aki: Moreover, he is pretty good at karaoke. He sounded like BUCK-TICK. Cameraman: Eh? Shinya: Because I'm a musician. Aki: Shinya, you absolutely should sing. Shinya: No, no, no, I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassed. Aki: When I asked, he said he would do it. Cameraman: Drinking 100 shots of tequila is insane, though. Aki: 1 song for 100 tequila shots isn't such a good deal, right? Cameraman: Shinya, aren't you going to escape rooms? Shinya: Yes. Cameraman: You don't go to bars much, right? Aki: He told me about some of those games. I've also played, though. That was definitely fun. Shinya: Ah, really? Aki: Escape rooms were incredibly fun. Shinya: It took you quite some time, though. Aki: Because I'm not that good at this kind of things. Cameraman: What was the situation? Aki: It was like looking at a picture and making associations. It symbolized a whole unit. Shinya: I kept looking for an escape room online and showed it to him. Cameraman: Ah, I see, I see. Aki: Yes, yes, you did. Since for me it was, of course, the first time, I didn't know what to do, how to solve the problems. Problems that even Shinya didn't know from before. We were solving them all together. At that moment, as expected, he solved them fast. Are you used to solving riddles? Shinya: I've been solving them since elementary school. Aki: Is it what you've been doing lately? With your bandmen friends and such. Shinya: There aren't many bandmen with whom I can go to an escape room. Aki: Aaaah. Shinya: So I don't play with them. I lost contact with many bandmen. Cameraman: Because your main focus now are escape rooms, right? Aki: Instead of hanging out with bandmen, you are focused on escape rooms. Shinya: Yes. Aki: So you hang out with those who go there, right? Shinya: Yes, yes. Aki: You are a pro, aren't you? Shinya: I am. Aki: Amazing. Shinya: Oh, this is Mita station. Is Mita station at Tamachi station? Cameraman: Yes, yes. We're almost there. We still have to walk a little to get to Tamachi. Shinya: Do you know that there is another place called Mita? It's nearby. Cameraman: Is there? Shinya: There are two completely different Mitas next to each other. Cameraman: What do you mean? Shinya: That there are 2 different places named Mita. Cameraman: Really? Shinya: A Mita in Minato and a Mita either in Meguro or Shinagawa. Aki: It's unusual to have two places with the same name in the same city, right? In different prefectures, though... Shinya: At first, I was a little confused. Cameraman: Ah, we can see the station! Shinya: We can! That's definitely Tamachi station. Aki: Ah, that's Tamachi! Cameraman: Those are the buildings of Morinaga Milk Industry and such. Shinya: The other side of Tamachi has changed so much in the last 3 years more or less. Cameraman: But it's probably more beautiful now. Shinya: It's more than beautiful, it's totally different. Cameraman: Is it that different? Shinya: Don't you know? Cameraman: It doesn't ring a bell. Shinya: It's totally different. It's astonishingly different. Aki: I don't know how it used to be. I don't know how it used to be, so I can't tell how it changed. But I see. Cameraman: It certainly has become beautiful, though. Shinya: It's on a totally different dimension. Cameraman: As if a whole new district was built? Aki: You are so enthusiastic about it, aren't you? Shinya: I was surprised by it when I went to the studio for rehearsals after a while during the pandemic. Aki: Since you say that it has changed so much, can you please elaborate? Shinya: Yes. Let's finish talking at the other side. Aki: Let's do that. Cameraman: Shinya, should we go to the other side of the station? Shinya: Yes. Aki: Wait, shoes for a stage outfit. Won't we take a look? Is it okay? Shinya: They look pretty good. Aki: They do, right? Shinya: A Rakuten store. It is new. Aki: If it wasn't for this opportunity, I wouldn't have walked around a station that I don't know. I rarely do it, but when I'm walking around, I feel like there are some things here that catch my attention and I want to check. Shinya: There are a lot of interesting things. There is always something. Regarding the things that have changed... Aki: From what to what has it changed? Shinya: It's not that. Cameraman: Because it was on a totally different dimension, right? Shinya: First of all, this didn't exist. This suspended passage thingy. This didn't exist either. That building didn't exist either. Nor that one. Nor the other one. Cameraman: How many years ago are we talking about? Shinya: 3 or 4? Aki: Eeeeh? Cameraman: They were able to do this in 3 or 4 years? Shinya: That thing didn't exist. Cameraman: Right, it looks new. Aki: It has changed completely, hasn't it? Cameraman: Was this here? Shinya: No. Everything above ground level is all new. This here used to be a very dirty street. It's also my first time seeing this properly, though. It's become really amazing. Cameraman: It has. You are excited. Shinya: This sidewalk wasn't this wide, you know? Aki: Certainly. Shinya: It wasn't this wide. This didn't exist either. Cameraman: Incredibly beautiful. Aki: What kind of building is this? Ah, there is a board listing the shops. Shinya: I could live here. Aki: We could. Cameraman: We could, right? Do you want to buy an apartment here? Shinya: I do. Aki: Isn't Gindaco good? I want to eat takoyaki! It's enough already with this building, right? Cameraman: It has anything you need, right? Shinya: There is even a real estate agency. If I ask here, they'll find me a place to live in no time, right? There is also an eye clinic. Cameraman: And a café. Aki: There is more over here! Food is not an issue. Shinya: There is full variety. Cameraman: There is a yakiniku restaurant. Aki: And Starbucks. Shinya: Both Japanese and Western-style cuisine. Aki: The food is fine. Shinya: Is there also a Chinese restaurant? Cameraman: There sure is. Aki: There isn't one? Cameraman: Ah, there was one! Aki: Did you like Chinese food? Shinya: No, not really. Aki: Eeeeh? Shinya: I asked because we were saying that this building has everything. Cameraman: There are two Starbucks. Aki: How can you make the conversation flow so easily from the topic of Chinese food? I love it! How do you do such a thing so easily? I'm shocked. I'm surprised, huh. Cameraman: Shinya, do you want to live here? Shinya: I do. The studio is also nearby. Cameraman: It is. Aki: Now we'll go to Century 21 and ask which kind of properties they have. How would you like it? Shinya: I want the whole building, though. Aki: But this building is all offices, right? You can't go in there. Shinya: I want all of it. Aki: Let's buy it. The S of Station Tower is the S of Shinya? Shinya: Yes. Aki: Tamachi Station Shinya. Shinya: As you'd expect, we've arrived safely. Cameraman: We have! Shinya: How was it? Aki: Well, if it wasn't for this opportunity, I wouldn't do these things in Tokyo, walking from one station to another. Moreover, as a place, since it's an area that I don't visit often, there were some shops that caught my attention, so I'm thinking that I want to come back next time in private with Shinya by all means. Shinya: I fully agree. Aki: Wait, wait. Are you up to it? This is not my corner... Is it okay? Shinya: Yes. Aki: Really? Ah, I'm glad. This is a one-sided love. Cameraman: Shinya, do you also want to go again to Hamamatsuchou and drink with Aki? Shinya: Yes. Aki: I always want. Shinya: Me too. Aki: Let's do it again. You, are you up to it? Shinya: I'm super up to it. Thank you for the taiyaki. Aki: No, sorry about the message. I had so much fun! I would have never thought that I would be able to walk with Shinya, the two of us in this laidback atmosphere. If there is another chance, invite me by all means. Even in a different district, okay? Shinya: Yes. Please, come again by all means. Aki: I would like to go for a walk. Cameraman: Thank you. Shinya: As you'd expect, next time I'll be taking a stroll by myself once again. Then, goodbye!

[random-mailbox]

Random-Mailbox's Favorite Sailor Moon Fics - Week 20 - Coffeeshop AU

This week’s post is all about the Coffee Shop AU tropes and is for the very patient @moon-daisuki. Sorry for taking so long to fulfill your request 😘

As always, my apologies in advance for spoiling some of these for you (Fic Titles are linked to either FFN or AO3 entries).

If you gave me a chance I would take it (It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it) - @idesofnovember

Usagi stops by a coffee shop on her way to the Elections HQ to grab herself a chai-tea latte (my personal drink of choice when I am out too), starting to flirt with the dark-haired barista who keeps making her drinks over the course of the campaign.

Down the Rabbit Hole - @idesofnovember

We actually have a second Coffee Shop related story from @idesofnovember. In this one, Usagi takes a job as the white rabbit in an “Alice in Wonderland” themed café, something she tries to keep quiet. Naturally, Mamoru decides to come and study there instead of the arcade - because why wouldn’t you bug someone you know, who also has to wear a silly costume for work.

Checkmate - @queenrisa14

Usagi moves a chess piece on a board at her usual coffee shop and someone else does a move on it overnight to start a game. This multichapter follows the search for the other player, as notes come into play and memories get unlocked.

Care for a Sandwich?  - @cassraven

Super cute one-shot about Motoki convincing Mamoru to try out a sandwich place that is being run by his new girlfriend Makoto, with one very bright and upbeat waitress helping them.

In Your Orbit - UsaMamo Shorts - Chapter 3: Latte Art  - @daikon1

In this one-shot Usagi and Mamoru have an in-depth discussion regarding the value of Tuxedo Mask to the Senshi over latte art that Mako made special for Usagi.

The Blonde Barista Series - Girl_in_Japan

This series of interconnected parts of a story where Mamoru accidentally gets Usagi’s phone number she wrote down for Motoki on a coffee cup (with a bunny drawing that Mamoru assumed was a cat!), gets yelled at by her for being insufferable and then eventually reaches a truce.

The Barista - @sinjazz

Mako keeps coming back to the same coffee shop because she is absolutely taken with the barista, to the point where she can’t seem to form any sentences. So instead, every time she comes in, he tries to guess her name. Until one day, Senshi assistance is needed to ward off a daimon bent on destroying her favorite drink establishment.

Opening This Fall - @irritablevowel

This little story is about Mako opening her own bakery (with terrible coffee) and meeting Nephrite (Taro in this story) who rents the warehouse next door to start a coffee roasting business.

Pink Moon Tiara-Flavored Kisses - Sweetsugariness

In this one-shot, Usagi takes Mamoru to a Senshi themed café to unwind on a date during the Death Busters arc.

From across the street - Cluckster

A little short of Kunzite trying to face his past and forgive himself

That's it for this week! Next Monday we will cover the "Huddle for Warmth" trope that I am using as a bit of a general direction for anything cold and snowy.

Here are the links to the previous Tumblr posts in these series to explore more amazing works based on different themes - make sure to check them out if you haven't had a chance! (Click on title name to go to the post) - I will keep updating the list every week as new posts come up:

Week 1 - Groundhog Day

Week 2 - Established Relationships

Week 3 - Sex Positivity

Week 4 - Unfinished Stories

Week 5 - Darker Stories

Week 6 - Potions 🧪

Week 7 - Reveals

Week 8 - 👻Halloween🎃

Week 9 - Wrong Perceptions

Week 10 - Non-Senshi AU

Week 11 - In-Progress Fics

Week 12 - Mutual Pining

Week 13 - Enemies to Lovers

Week 14 - Slow Burn

Week 15 - Christmas Part 1 - Ugly Christmas Sweaters and Santa!

Week 16 - Christmas Part 2

Week 17 - New Years

Week 18 - High School AU

Week 19 - Slice of Life

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

11/12/2023 – 11/18/2023

Sunday

Instead of Manga Sunday, my friend and I did an all-day-long House marathon to try to finish season 5. This batch of episodes was pretty okay: the episode about locked-in syndrome stresses me out a lot and gives me motion sickness, the episode about Kutner’s suicide is one I can’t even take seriously anymore now that I know that they had to hastily write him out of the show because he went to work on the Obama administration, and the episode where Wilson messes with House was cute. Kutner, though…I’m a little bitter about how things shook out because he was such a fun character on the show. He was a genuinely chill, laid-back guy who was also really good at his job and didn’t get caught up in any stupid drama or heavy angst. I felt like his energy was really unique to the show, and he was often one of the only characters who could even go toe to toe with House and/or just render him speechless with his weirdness. I don’t know, maybe his arc would’ve gone to stupid places if he had stayed on the show, but I just miss him a lot. At least he went out on a high note of pissing on his boss’s chair.

Monday

Finished House season 5 this morning and I didn’t enjoy it that much. I thought the medical case was too silly to be believable, and I don’t care for House/Cuddy at all. The only interesting part was the end, when House realized that he was hallucinating. We started season 6 too, and the psychiatric hospital arc started off rocky, but it had a cute ending with House bonding with everyone and doing a little rap manzai-esque thing with Mr. Hamilton the Musical himself. I also love seeing Andre Braugher here, even though I’ll never unsee him as Holt from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I’m relieved to get back to Princeton-Plainsboro, and Hilson living together is the best thing that’s ever happened in this show. The antics and domestic banter is incredible.

Speaking of toxic yaoi, I finally read the latest chapter of Akuheki and ohhhhh my godddddd I’m glad they didn’t pull the punches with the brutality our main couple faced in this chapter, it always feels like a cop out when a story introduces a “shady evil place” and then doesn’t actually do much with it, but here it’s very much an unethical and cruel establishment. I especially liked the composition of the panel where Daimon gets hit by a hammer. And I thought that Youhei’s tragic backstory was done quite well – it was unique, it was obviously traumatizing without being too cheesy or schlocky, and it really does explain why his mindset is the way that it is now. And then…the scene in the hospital… Genuinely breathtakingly romantic (to me). Y’know, when I first started this BL I thought it’d be pretty surface level toxic yaoi BDSM stuff, but there’s been a lot of care taken to explore the characters’ psyches and dynamics and actual romantic build-up… I’m going to have to reread the whole thing when I’m done, but I think this is bordering on a 10/10 for me.

Tuesday

I guess it’s Manga…Tuesday time? Started off with a pretty action packed chapter of Chainsaw Man, and then a pretty fun chapter of Undead Unluck. I don’t really know how I feel about Rip marrying both Leila and Latla LMAOOO it’s certainly a bold move…and I think this is the closest we’re going to get to a non-traditional relationship in Undead Unluck so I’ll take it, I guess…? I do enjoy the little moments of Sean/Gina in the background though…I’m convinced that they’re going to get paired together (especially after the space station arc). I’m also curious about the upcoming Unburn arc, since we know next to nothing about him from the last loop.

Oshi no Ko 131: For some reason I never thought that Ai’s mother would enter the picture – I guess I just assumed she was an orphan or something. But seeing her peering at Aqua and Akane in the last panel makes me think that she’ll be back in some form or another.

Dandadan 128: YESSS THE IDOL DUO MOMENT I WAS WAITING FOR WOOO and aww…I actually teared up a little at Mai and Rin’s final conversation…it’s a very sweet ending.

Dandadan 129: Ah but of course…according to Dandadan rules, Mai had to stick around somehow LOL. Oh my GOD Turbo-Granny getting her own little baby seat sdjfklsf Mai’s new guardian spirit form design is pretty weird-cute, I like that she kept her stupidly big bow and I’m guessing the big turtle harkens back to her being an ombudsman? I also appreciate any Okarun/Momo flirting we can get.

Magilumiere 91: NOOO what did they do to my boy Shigemoto…first they strip him of his magical girl outfit and now this… Things are certainly getting serious in this arc, but I like the little bits of humour still in there like the group getting lost or Eyepatch Man’s stupidly bad Kirby-like mental drawings. Midorikawa seems a bit shaken by having to sic the Kaii on his former co-workers though, perhaps a hint towards a future double-double cross?

The new One Piece chapter was interesting, though it hits the same sorts of “tragic backstory” beats that Oda loves so much. And…lowkey…Kuma can get it.

I’m intrigued by the new SpyFam chapter introducing another new set of characters so soon after the last chapter…most of the chapter was just comedy, but the little hints being dropped and Sigmund and Barbara’s proper introduction at the end gives me pause… I suppose they’re meant to fulfil the grandfather and grandmother roles of this pretend nuclear family, but I don’t really vibe with that because I love the current tight three person (and Bond) Forger family unit we have right now. I suppose Sigmund and Barbara would have to be hiding some secrets of their own for them in fit into the theme, so hopefully those will make them more interesting, but for now I’m not enjoying this decision. I know I said I wanted a status quo shift in SpyFam, but that was more about developing and changing the characters and relationships we already have, not introducing new family members…it feels like they’re just there to fill a quota…

Cipher Academy is as hype as ever, even if I don’t understand mahjong enough to follow the Code Battle at all. It’s fun that in a system all about obscuring information, Iroha’s special skill is about direct communication. I’m really looking forward to next week’s color page and Toshusai’s trial!

We only had time for one House episode today, and it was the one about the rich guy and his sick son. Pretty standard fare.

Wednesday

More House. I’m relieved that House/Cuddy is dead (for now), because them having a relationship would be genuinely bad for everyone involved. Also Lucas is fun and quirky, and I think he’s a good match for Cuddy in that he’s just as observant as House but more awkward and endearing rather than conniving and manipulative. And now I’m sitting here eagerly awaiting one of the best Hilson episodes coming up and seeing my friend’s reaction to it. In other news, it was cute seeing House trying to court Taub and Thirteen back to the team (and it working), but I can Not take the Chase/Cameron relationship drama seriously, given current events. Guys. He was a literal genocider. This is like the most black and white situation you could’ve faced. I do think it’s extremely funny that Chase and Cameron’s marriage only lasted eight episodes though, like c’mon you couldn’t even give them a season to themselves?

Thursday

Really good pair of House episodes today. The Hilson is really popping off, especially in the Wilson focus episode where House admits that he cares about Wilson being his friend. When Wilson sees House just before he goes under for the surgery and then House being the first person he sees when he wakes up…and then the episode ends with them moving into a loft together??? Hello???? There was a fujoshi ally in the writer’s room this season.

Friday

Got together with my friend and watched the Ultimate Hilson episode (in my opinion) in person and had a blast. Their banter throughout the episode is so fun and gay and the marriage proposal is just the cherry on top. We watched another House episode after that, and it was cute to see House feel guilt for once in his life.

The new Undead Unluck episode was also pretty decent, though I feel like there was a lot of backtracking and flashbacks and talking when it could’ve been more fast-paced. Hearing Andy say 谢谢 was a treat though. And next week I’ll get to see my boy Shen be unsettling for sure!!

I started watching The Devil’s Plan on SungWon Cho (aka ProZD)’s recommendation because I love strategy/board games like he does and this seemed like a fun time. I’d probably be more excited if I knew anything about Korean pop culture, though (I’m sure the K-pop girlies who love Seventeen enjoyed seeing one of their guys in this setting). I was initially excited for the Canadian guy (woo Canada mention) but then they said that he invests in crypto-currency so fuck him. I’m liking the butch Go player and the travel YouTuber.

Also lol. I know they have to do it for the Drama but the framing of this game is so ridiculously over the top. “The most DANGEROUS game you’ll EVER play! EVERYTHING’S on the line! We all wear MASKS in SOCIETY but here you can show your TRUE SELF.” Calm down…you’re literally just playing Mafia…this money doesn’t even mean anything to a lot of the people here… And I can Not take the host’s stupid little evil >:) LED mask seriously.

OKAY…NOT GONNA LIE…Seungkwan trying to figure out how to open a door and then later tripping on a doorway…that’s pretty cute…maybe the K-pop fans are onto something… Unfortunately I don’t think the people I’m rooting for will actually do well in this show, but we’ll see.

Stepped away from live-tweeting for a bit, but now I’m back to lament about Yeon-woo who’s definitely about to get eliminated right now…a million escape rolls and a million jail rolls and none of them in the right order?????? Jesus fucking Christ… Also Dong-jae was bluffing in the Mafia game, but here you can see him really letting his frustration show on his face when the game isn’t going his way. He seems pretty temperamental in that respect, in that he’s young and competitive and isn’t afraid to play dirty, but then gets upset and takes it too personally when the tides turn against him. Honestly I’m hoping he and Guillaume get eliminated soon.

OH MY GOD YESSSSSSSS YEON-WOO GIRL YOU HAD THE ROUGHEST GAME AND WORST ROLLS OF ALL TIME BUT YOU MADE IT SOMEHOW CONGRATULATIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS TRULY A VICTORY SNATCHED FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT AND YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS GUILLAUME GOT ELIMINATED GO AWAY CRYPTO LOSER okay fine I did feel a little bad for him when he got teary-eyed saying his goodbyes but that’s all the sympathy he’ll get from me. On the other hand, Dong-jae getting genuinely emotional at his failure to protect his team and to foresee the best strategy for the game does endear him to me a little. I can at least appreciate that he’s putting his all into this game, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t satisfying to see him knocked down a peg. The first game inflated his confidence a bit too much, I think, and hopefully now he can learn to be more cooperative…

Game strategy-wise, the one-piece team definitely had an advantage being the majority, since they could collude on setting the group rule in their favour as well as help each other out. They also played their personal rules really smartly (except for Yeon-woo and Kyeong-rim I think…they were wayyy too specific), because the escape tickets were valuable, easily obtained, and flexible in their usages. It’s kind of hilarious how the other team’s “go to jail” rules never even activated.

Oh boy now Dong-jae’s spouting some shit about “thriving as an underdog” and “different day, different alliance” and I’ve lost all sympathy for him. Go away, man. I get that you’re just playing the game, but it’s just annoying at this point.

Judging by the rules of this prize game…I don’t think they’re going to win. It’d be kind of hilarious if this show ended with no prize money at all lol but they made these games way too hard. NEVER MIND DONG-JOO IS JUST INSANE WOAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THAT WAS SUCH A HIGHLIGHT WOW

Currently, I’m rooting for Dong-joo after that amazing show of skill, and I’m also rooting for Yeon-woo and Seungkwan even though I don’t think they have the cunning to actually win. I’m also enjoying ORBIT and Seok-jin for their good guy leader energy, but I wouldn’t want them to win either. Joon-bin is lowkey pissing me off with his lack of loyalty and both sides-ism, and Dong-jae’s majorly pissing me off with his whole attitude.

The math game lost me so hard (and also it was 4 am) that I just skimmed it/skipped to the end, and wow there goes Dong-jae…I thought he would’ve lasted a little bit longer, but since the game relied so heavily on trust, he really didn’t stand a chance after establishing himself as a wily deceiver early on. Not to mention how he chose this game of all games to break up his buddy-buddy alliance…only for that to lead to distrust and confusion from everyone else, and for them to think the worst when they saw him interacting with his old teammates… It just goes to show that you can’t just think about winning for yourself all the time in a game like this – it’s just as important to think about the long-term group dynamics. The social game is just as important, and you need to establish yourself as a steady, trustworthy person and hold off on backstabbing for as long as you can.

Aww Yeon-woo and Joon-bin hanging out in face masks in prison is super cute.

Saturday

I’m continuing The Devil’s Plan today, and it seems like ORBIT is really starting to chafe on a lot of people in the competition, but I don’t feel like his approach is all that bad. “Why are we saving the weak people who are just surviving, shouldn’t they go home” – I’m surprised no one has brought up how it helps to have a lot of people for the prize matches… Would you guys have preferred to do that hellish memorization game with only like three people? Or the word stacking game? From a purely utilitarian standpoint, it doesn’t hurt to have more people who can contribute their skills to a task. We’re still only midway through the competition, I don’t think it really helps to be cutthroat when alliances and trust can still make or break a game for you (as we saw with Dong-jae). And luck is still a factor in these games, so people will inevitably get eliminated. It’s not like the pool of contestants will stagnate for the whole rest of the show if they cooperate. Seok-jin is really starting to grate on my nerves …

For some reason I’m feeling the same sort of fatigue with this show as I did with Physical 100, another Korean competition show but with the exact opposite premise. The games/challenges they’ve set don’t seem that compelling to watch play out, it’s just a lot of math and calculations rather than interesting social games. Sure, the players do have a social game between each other that’s always going on, but how alliances and such shake out are most affected by how the game ends. So it feels like I’m just slogging through these challenges that I don’t care about, and I feel the urge to skip to the results since those are the only thing that really matters. I guess the combination of math game -> word game -> auction/math/geometry game -> math game -> is just wearing me down a bit.

OKAY. SEOK-JIN’S OFFICIALLY ON MY SHITLIST. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT. Tch, I guess he did it so that he and See-won would be the only people to find out what’s in the safe, but that’s so cutthroat that it just destroyed any credibility or likeability he had in my eyes. And Yeon-woo was so clearly beloved (pitied) by everyone that now they all resent him (hopefully), so I hope he gets eliminated next.

…………………………………………………………………..Hm.

Well…at least I correctly deduced that I would be bored as hell with the last few games and just skimmed/skipped to the end of the show. Not to mention how as soon as Dong-joo was eliminated I knew I wouldn’t care about who won…and now I REALLY don’t care who won. Call me bitter, but I feel like Seok-jin had an unfair advantage seeing what the game in the prison was since it gave him time to practice. But whatever.

Overall thoughts…everyone I liked died and half of the games were just not fun to watch at all. At least with a show like Drag Race or Project Runway I can enjoy the performances or the outfits if no one I like is still on the show, but here I’m being asked to watch these people I don’t care about (and frankly, some of them really annoy me) play these games I don’t care about? I’m starting to feel like maybe I just don’t vibe with Korean TV all that much…this is like the fourth time I’ve gone into a promising Korean TV show with high hopes only to end it being frustrated and annoyed. It happened with Squid Game (ending was stupid), Sky Castle (devolved into absolute soap opera nonsense), Physical 100 (the ice-climber I liked got eliminated, but at least the games were mostly entertaining), and now this. I’m 0 for 4…I’m giving this a 2/10 on account of how much it annoyed me at the end. And I’m starting to re-evaluate how much stock I should put in ProZD’s taste in media in relation to my own, because I think this is the second time I’ve watched/read something on his recommendation and it hasn’t panned out either time (the first was Naoki Urasawa’s Monster) (Come to think of it, Physical 100 was also his recommendation...so that's three strikes or something). I mean, we both like Ace Attorney and Danganronpa and stuff, but maybe I shouldn’t go with his non-video game recommendations in the future. Also I think The Devil’s Plan is a stupid-ass name – okay I’m done.

Now that my insane binge/live-tweet storm is over, it’s back to our regularly scheduled programming, aka Anime Saturday. A perfectly serviceable episode of Kusuriya today with some funny moments, but not much else to say.

Pretty good SpyFam episode! The fight scene was dynamic and fun, with the circus music being a nice touch. The scene where Yor gets some much-needed introspection about her career was also great; I particularly enjoyed the directing there. Also the painted sky in the scene where Loid looks out at the ocean was gorgeous. It looks like next week is going to be the climax of the cruise ship arc! I think it’ll be a lot of fun.

[yugiri315]

Interview from Serika Toa’s Photo Book [Amazon][CDJapan]

Disclaimers - Japanese is not my first language & a WIP so there’s probably mistakes, constructive criticism & corrections welcome - will be uploaded in segments to milk daimondaimondai mondays due to length - Why is the pic badly cropped & edited?  Well if you want to see the full thing and all the other cute pics below the crop, you can find it in the mook! - Please support our beloved Siennes by buying their products - What the #$!?% is up with all these long-ass disclaimers!?  A carry-over habit from my underground translation days ^^; It could be worse.

A bond born from work and play...[1/3]

Nozomi:  Kiki and I know each other from Hanagumi but truth is we actually met before then.  When Kiki was still an underclassman at Hoshigumi, we met in the same class (outside lessons). Serika:  Oh, that’s right!  I was Ken-2 or 3… Nozomi:  You were so cute and squishy! (lol) I barely recognized you when I saw you again. Serika:  I was so shy back then.  Now I’m a total rebel!! Nozomi:  Haha, you had an underclassman vibe then.  But my biggest impression of you was that you’re cheerful no matter what.  So when you finally showed up in Hanagumi, I immediately went, “It’s that girl from that one place back then!!” Serika:  (laughs) Nozomi:  But now you’re totally different.  When we first met, you were always hard at work… Serika:  Hey, I’m still giving it my all! Nozomi:  When I heard you were transferring into Hanagumi, I thought “That Kiki-chan will be coming here?  Wonder if she’ll be alright…” Serika:  As it turned out, I was not alright on my first day. Nozomi:  You did get transferred suddenly. Serika:  But since I was constantly at voice lessons, practicing my solo for the National Tour show Canon, my resentment quickly dissipated. Nozomi:  Right.  The troupe already performed Canon at a Takarazuka and Tokyo show* so the rest of us in the troupe were already used to singing together.  But Kiki joined us in the middle of the road and was having trouble all the way up to the day before the performance… Serika:  I just came out of REON!! Nozomi:  That’s right, you were in there. Serika:  The fact I was so awkward didn’t help either.  Even now, I have trouble talking with new people… Nozomi:  And thus the term “Kiki’s Crisis Report” was born lol Serika:  So you** and Maa-sama (Asaka Manato) went and took me into an empty practice room… Nozomi:  We were like “Come with us for a bit.”  Then [when we were alone] we were like “About that song…” Erika:  But then you guys graciously coached me. Nozomi:  Yup! Hey, what’s with the “Nozomi-san” thing**?  That’s what everyone else usually uses. Serika:  Doesn’t everyone call you “Fuuto-chan?” Nozomi:  No they don’t! (lol) Only you. Serika:  They don’t!? Oh!  Only I do that? Nozomi:  Well anyways, I’m used to “Fuuto-chan.”  It does have a dignified ring to it.  At least I think so. Serika:  (laughs) Nozomi:  Now we went and ate together during that National Tour. Serika:  We sure did. Nozomi:  Maa-sama and Riona (Saebana Riona) were there too.  Maa-sama also knew Kiki from before Hanagumi.  The two of us were worried about you so we took you out to eat. Though we bossed you around a bit with that “Now eat up!” you were able to sit with us just fine. Serika:  (laughs)

*Canon ~Our Melody~ was a revue used in a previous Hanagumi performance (Resurrection)  **Kiki refers to Daimon as “Nozomi-san” during her story and Daimon is wondering why she’s suddenly so formal.

[sunwisecircle]

Hwaet (a very long baby hellenic rambling)

The past few days I’ve just sort of been thinking about religion and my personal practice and all that good noise.

It started out just with me thinking about things that’ve changed since I started worshipping Dionysos.

The biggest change, probably, is that I really just do not care about my weight anymore, and I don’t get as grossed out seeing my body in the mirror. My weight and positive body image has been something I’ve struggled with as long as I can remember -- probably starting when my sister and I had our doctor’s appts at the same time growing up and we were both measured and weighed at the same time. My sister was taller than me for a long time, but she consistently weighed around 5kg less than I did; she was always built skinny, whereas I have always been built to survive hard winters as a peasant, apparently. It led to quite a bit of teasing from my sister, and that combined with my mother’s own insecurity about her weight and appearance, which she constantly transferred to me. Once I was on my own I fought for years to keep myself at a certain weight, obsessing over what I ate and how much, worrying about going to the gym, worrying about what size clothes I wore, getting disgusted if I saw my stomach... And now I just... don’t. I don’t care. I see my stomach when I stretch at night before bed and it doesn’t actively bother me. I don’t know how much I weigh, and it’s none of my business. I like chocolate and sweets and bread and wine, so I enjoy them. I like fruit and peanut butter and potatoes so I eat them. As long as my clothes still fit, I don’t care, and the only reasons I want to lose weight at all is because I have a bunch of band t-shirts that are no longer available to be bought which I no longer fit into, my wool trenchcoat doesn’t fit, and if I lose weight then maybe my chest will get smaller.

There are still days when I feel dysphoric, of course, but now that I’ve accepted that about myself, I can do something about it. Before I always had the problem that whenever I felt dysphoric, I fought even harder to present and behave as my AGAB, which only ever made things worse and caused sort of a spiral. Now, if I look in the mirror and see a man, I just grab my binder and wear one set of makeup (if any); if I see a woman, I don’t grab my binder and wear a different set of makeup (if any). I even had a day of what was I guess gender euphoria where I must have been feeling incredibly masc because between what I was wearing and my behaviour that day I was like !!!!!!. So that’s a change, too.

I also have an easier time taking breaks, which is mind-blowing for me. I mean, I still have a lot of difficulty with it, and it’s still very, very difficult for me to wind down and unplug completely (thus why burnout is always looming for me), but I can actually allow myself to take breaks, now. I took the week off from doing university things last week because I felt like my mental health was declining, and I didn’t feel as anxious about it as I could have, as I would have previously.

That last part got me thinking about how I really, really don’t want to burnout again while in grad school (or at all, really, but grad school is kind of at the forefront here since I’m so close to the finish line), and to that end, I think something’s got to give. For quite some time now I’ve tried to balance religious activities with university with work, but it’s just too much for me and the only place I can really cut back is religion: I only work two days a week, so cutting down there can’t be a thing; and I can’t just not do research for the current term paper if I want to graduate within the next year or so. I still definitely want to have Dionysos Donnerstag and of course I’ll still pray, but doing any sort of religious research is going to have to be a no since it takes a lot of time and mental energy for me to do so, and all the energy I have for research has to go into grad school right now. I haven’t run the idea by Dionysos yet, but I get the feeling that he won’t mind since every time I talk to him about it, he always gets on me to go slow and take little steps, not to do everything all at once.

That being said, I have made a few changes to my practice as well in an effort to build it even without killing myself with research. I felt like Dionysos sort of... pushed me towards Demeter -- it was quite some time ago, too, actually -- and so I’ve been wanting to get to know her better. Maybe it’s because the relationship with my own mother is so bad (guess who’s still hasn’t heard from their mother or sister in months) and gefühlt always has been, but I’m sort of gravitating to her as a mother figure (which would make sense given the nudging I feel like Dionysos gave me). My father and I didn’t vibe either; nor have my sister and I (though for a while there it seemed like it was going so well?). So... Ares for that first (I’m not even lying when I say I desperately want Ares to adopt me; I would probably actually cry if he was okay with being my dad); and Hermes, who I feel like has been around for-literally-ever, is not only my patron because I’m a historical linguist who moved to another country and wants to teach languages for a living but also gives off immaculate big brother vibes.

I really am just trying to build a divine family. Dionysos as my Herr & Herrscher (I have no idea how to translate that to English and still get the same feeling that Herr und Herrscher has, also both words can be translated to Lord afskjlagadgsjö), Demeter as my mom, Ares as my dad, and Hermes as my brother. Since Dionysos has Thursday, I gave Demeter Monday, Ares Tuesday, and Hermes Wednesday, and on their days I reflect on them & say an extra prayer to them specifically before bed (and sometimes burn some incense or do some other activity for them -- which is why I may move Demeter to Sunday since I have work on Monday and it’s hard to reflect on her while I’m in a windowless warehouse throwing around 15kg boxes and dragging a cart with 300L of product behind me).

I painted one of my Warhammer minis (because painting some of Husband’s minis as practice for my Dionysos minis -- which I still don’t feel confidant enough to paint, btw -- turned into me enjoying painting the damn things so I guess that’s a hobby I have now oops) for Ares, a lady warrior dressed in reds and purples. I’m making a little votive offering for Hermes, something pretty to put salt and spice and dice in. I want to give one of my plants to Demeter, but maybe I’ll do something else for her, too.

My four dedicated days, plus praying to Hestia every morning and evening, and offering to the Agathos Daimon once a month... I don’t feel like that’s too much. We’ll see how it goes, I guess.

[eclectic-soulss]

Days of the week and Greek deities I associate with them.

MONDAY: Poseidon, Selene.

TUESTAY: Ares, Hephaestus.

WEDNESDAY: Hermes, Artemis, Athena.

THURSDAY: Zeus, The Moirae, Agathos Daimon, Poseidon.

FRIDAY: Aphrodite, Eros, Ares.

SATURDAY: Kronos/Cronus, Hypnos, Hades.

SUNDAY: Apollo, Helios, Hestia.

What about you, what days do you associate with the gods?

#HellenicSouls

[arumine-kaoru]

You laugh but the furret has Hyper Beam

*high fives @kronprinzvonoesterreich*

[homehearthandheart]

Music Monday / 2 December 2019

Welcome, Devotees!

Is your devotional work just the same old song? Try one of the following:

Self-Improvement: Do you have songs you can listen to when you feel really down about yourself and your practice?  If not, today is a good day to set some time aside and make a playlist. You can choose the tone–maybe sad songs will help you release that emotion; maybe happy songs can help cheer you up and get you motivated; maybe angry songs can get you active and fighting back against the blah. Find what works for you!

Build Others Up: Whose music helps set the tone for your practices and rituals? Take a few minutes today to thank them, or share one of their songs you like best. Spread the word about this artist’s work.

Deity Devotion: If you sing or play a musical instrument, take a few minutes to sit in front of your home shrine and perform something special for your Gods / Spirits as an offering.

Today in the Hellenic Calendar: 

Today is the 5th of the lunar month.

It’s also the day of the Plerosia—see below for more details!

In Hellenic traditions, according to Hesiod, the 5th, 15th, and 25th of the lunar month are all days of reckoning and accounting for one’s actions. They are good days for paying what one owes to others, and are associated with justice-upholding divinities such as Dike, Themis, the Moirai, and the Eumenides (see below for further details).

If you like incorporating daily hymns into your prayers, Drew Campbell recommends the following prayers for today: To the Moirai (Fates); To Dike (Justice, the upholder of natural law and order); To Nemesis (the prosecutor of those who break natural and human law); To the Erinyes (the Furies, a group of chthonic daimones who pursued and tortured those who committed horrible crimes); and To the Eumenides(still the Furies, but called “the Kindly Ones” as a way of reminding them that not everyone has committed a horrible crime).

Kalà Plerósia! (Happy Plerosia!)

Today marks the date of the Athenian Plerosia. This festival is one we don’t have much information for, but here are the broad brush-strokes.

This festival may have been for women only, and honored Zeus.

In ancient Hellas, this time of year marked the end of the harvest; this may have been a time of thanksgiving for what had been harvested.

Given Zeus’ connection to the Agathos Daimon, the “Good Spirit” who helped guard food stores, it wouldn’t be out of line to consider this a thanksgiving to Zeus and a day to pray for good health and good fortune throughout the winter months. (It also wouldn’t be out of place to get your own winter storage—such as emergency lights, woodpiles, nonperishable foods to last through winter storms, etc.—set up!)

Of course, this is when and (we think) how the Athenians celebrated this holiday. If this isn’t winter for you, or a time of harvest and thanksgiving, you can move it to whatever day works better for you!

You might want to celebrate this holiday today if:

This is around a time of harvest and thanksgiving for you

You have a strong devotional relationship with Zeus

You are a woman (PLEASE NOTE: this blog is trans-friendly, and I welcome polite and engaged discussion of gender in ancient rituals.)

Daily Reminder: If you know of any resources you’d like us to incorporate on our site, or any sites/projects you’d like us to signal boost, send us an ask or fanmail!

[zuka-themed-username]

Impressions: Spreading Golden Wings / Music Revolution! (yukigumi 2019 tour)

This has been a long time coming, apologies! As I didn’t write any notes at intermission this will be a shorter, more generalized opinion of the Monday, Oct. 14th performance in Kawasaki. It was two days after the ‘worst storm in Japan in 60 years’ according English news, and ‘violent typhoon no. 19′ in Japanese, which, they weren’t wrong. It was terrifying and exhausting, and I cannot imagine having to put on a brave face and perform like everything is totally fine just a day later. Both sections of Snow Troupe did however, and I will be forever impressed. It does not however, make me inclined to enjoy Spreading Golden Wings any more than I am able to, though this may be the first time I buy a blu-ray for the revue. More thoughts below the cut! 

I’ll be popping back into my bullet point format from here. 

This is the Revue’s first performance in カルッツかわさき (Culttz Kawasaki, honestly love the name). It’s beautiful, and reminds me of many new performance spaces - bright woods, streamlined design, open lobby and a ton of stairs. The seat I had is still considered S seki, and was pretty nice, though I’m glad I had my opera glasses.

The program is a nice light blue with just Nozomi Fuuto (Daimon) posing in her primary Music Revolution costume (black & silver w/ huge white gems and metal circles). I wish they had a Maaya Kiho (Kiho) variant or a cover with them together, but that’s totally fine.

I did write some notes on the train ride back to Tokyo, so I’ll be using those as a jumping off point. Note that the day before I had seen Star Troupe’s GOD OF STARS, so many of the notes are phrased comparatively. Spoiler-free until the [s]

Spreading Golden Wings

‘limited set’ 

It’s a touring show, and frankly I’m glad they don’t have to take a lot with them, as they may run into damaged roads on their tour south, but I was still surprised at the sparseness. It didn’t help that the aesthetic was medieval European, which made it look a bit like a televised Shakespeare production. However! This allowed you to focus on the scene without worrying about missing something. Unlike Grand Theater / Tokyo runs where people see a show several times, I would hope tours are designed to be seen once. Thus I’m glad I didn’t leave thinking, ‘oh next time I’ll look at opposite side of the stage, I missed xyz’. 

‘single scenes, no additional side scenes’

This is something that made GOD OF STARS simultaneously amazing and terrible, as there were always 45 people on stage doing something elaborate. Spreading Golden Wings was the complete opposite. It felt old-school, to be sure, but I cannot recall a single scene where something was happening outside of the range of what my opera glasses could see. People could be spaced out across the stage of course, but they were all participating in the same moment. It really highlighted acting choices, especially considering a surprising lack of underscoring allowing you to hear every footstep and breath. The recording of this will flawlessly capture what yukigumi was aiming to project, which will be great to see again.

‘Daimon cackles into and out of a scene’

I will briefly break down the plot and characters in a bit, but there is an early scene where the villainous Vittorio, played by Daimon, enters the room where he is holding Clarice, played by Kiho, captive, and her laugh as she enters was identical to the laugh she gave as she left two minutes later. I thought it was fantastically over the top and well within the aesthetic of the work.

‘Kiho is ... befuddled / confused / flabbergasted -> meta for her character?’

I had a hard time with Clarice in this show, let’s be real. Kiho used her huge eyes to her advantage, looking woefully overwhelmed for the first 80% of the show, and confidently winging it (and therefore vaguely panicked) the last 20%. I would love to hear Kiho’s thoughts on the character, which may be in a Kageki somewhere if someone has the most recent issue.

‘Asami Jun just obsessed w/ Daimon’

I can’t speak for Asami but her character, Falco, gets one of the few solos to solely sing about how everything he does is for Vittorio. If you want to memorize the ‘ために’ grammar pattern do I have the song for you. It felt very St-Just 2.0 but it was still super engaging and later provided some shock value. 

‘few interstitial chorus scenes’

I completely forgot this half of yukigumi had ~40 people in it until they would do a dance to establish the scene. The show starts with quite a long prologue, but I still forgot them completely until they would all pop up again to either establish a new location, tone, or event. It is very reminiscent of hoshigumi’s Elbe from earlier this year. This show  does not require more than a dozen people for the plot, so when everyone shows up in roles clearly not meant to directly impact the story it was quite a surprise. 

‘purposefully better sword work’

There are a few fight scenes / sword training scenes in the show, and the choreography for them becomes increasingly complicated as the show progresses, which was a nice touch. 

[s] Kiho especially makes a dramatic improvement as the show progresses, which makes sense thematically, but by the end she’s legitimately holding her own against otokoyaku who have generally had more fight training (unless she did for Mibugishiden, which I have not seen)

[s] ‘clearly a repro of the 85 show’ / ‘tbh can’t tell what has changed’

Alrighty so it’s time to dive into the core of the interest around this production - the fact that it was originally a taidan / tour back in 1985, and that when this show was announced it was immediately followed up with, ‘we’re rewriting some things to make it fresh for modern audiences’. It was not relabeled in the same way as Elbe was with ‘Once Upon a Time in Takarazuka’, but there was a significant amount of notice paid to the fact that some things would be different. My question though as we went into intermission was, what changed? Reading through the plot on takawiki, the beats are the same. Full disclosure, I am not fluent in Japanese. There is a great chance that it is simply a nuance of language that perhaps makes the motivations behind actions more gray, but it does not change the fact that the scenes still play out with the same result. I believe there is an additional love song at the end between Daimon and Kiho because they sound ~amazing~ and can emote ~so well~ but that was perhaps the only thing that felt fresh to me. Everyone that betrays someone still betrays that person, questionable scenes of consent still look quite questionable, the interesting shift from lady to page boy was still fun to see. But I believe they were the same as before, and I don’t consider acting choices within scenes to allow for ambiguity to be rewrites. That’s just the benefit of restaging a production. Perhaps the chorus scenes were fleshed out, but I was expecting shifts in plot, character arcs, or concrete visual differences in motivation. I would love for a full breakdown of this show once the recording is released at the end of January. 

[s] ‘some spicy scenes, audience was caught up’ / ‘whip scene? :o’

Here’s a brief breakdown of the core plot after me talking around it for 10 minutes 

Daimon plays Vittorio, the lord of an Italian city state of Lago that is always feuding with the nearby city state of Bolzano. He kills the lord of Bolzano, and takes his daughter, Clarice (played by Kiho) prisoner. She of course is not on board with this. When she meets him, however, she is shaken up by his attractiveness, and he declares that she belongs to him now, no questions please. He attempts to force his point, she clumsily whips out a dagger that she loses immediately (sigh), and he is now charmed and attracted, and decides to teach her the basics of sword-fighting which will definitely not be needed later. Meanwhile Vittorio’s old bff/prime minister/secret admirer Falco (Asami Jun) is Not Having It. After clearly demonstrating to the audience his, honestly no other way to phrase it, love of Vittorio, we see that he will do whatever it takes to ensure Vittorio does not become weak in his love for Clarice. 

Various plot things happen that put Clarice in danger and Vittorio saving her / demonstrating his passion for her, and eventually the prime minister of Bolzano (Clarice’s father’s old city state) Guillermo (Kujou Asu), catches on. This results in Vittorio and Clarice being captured, with Vittorio chained, whipped (by Falco!) and leaving without an eye. 

Sometime later, Clarice, now dressed in disguise as a page boy and seemingly willingly with Vittorio, delivers a message to Guillermo from Vittorio, challenging him to a duel.

Vittorio (+1 sexy eyepatch) and Gulliermo (-1 for losing his cool and planning to use poison to win) duel. It is sanctioned by the Pope, who should be busy doing holy things but here we are. Several people jump into the fray after the attempted poison, Clarice shows off her sword skills like a boss, the Golden Wings of Vittorio’s city state arrive, and all is well. There’s a brief bit at the end where Vittorio and Clarice declare their love for each other, and curtain. 

I definitely left out some side plots and characters because I wanted to get to my thoughts on a few main scenes I saw and wish I saw. 

bed scene - early on in the show Vittorio forces himself onto Clarice. Daimon being Daimon leaves a bit of space as she looms over Kiho, but Kiho squeaked, there is no other way to describe it, and I wanted to gasp with surprise. Everyone and their mother had stopped breathing and stared through their opera glasses, collectively releasing it when Kiho went for the knife (after quite a hold - it was clear she had the release point on the scene and leaned into it) 

whip scene - I was like, ‘oh this is scandy what’s going to happen’. It’s not as dramatic/musicalized as 1789, but I was still surprised. The only thing that pulled me out of it was the lack of cuffs on the wall XD. Daimon just held her arms up, shout out to that arm strength. Anytime someone gets whipped it’s pretty intense, and Daimon is great at pulling out strong emotions from pain. The yells, ooooof.

the scenes between the escape and the duel challenge - I really want to chalk this up to my lack of language, but I wanted more scenes between Vittorio and Clarice after their escape and before the duel, as it’s quite clear Clarice isn’t going anywhere. (Even back to her own home city state that she must not be welcome in anymore) I think that would have been a great place to add some softer moments, not just grand displays of affection due to a traumatic circumstance or misdirected force. Doesn’t have to be a coffee shop scene or even a wound-tending scene, but perhaps Clarice working with Vitorrio to account for his new lack of depth perception? Or another sword-fight training scene? I just wanted more Daimon and Kiho but not at the dramatic extremes of this Shakespearean-esque drama. 

All in all, looking back on Spreading Golden Wings I had a better time than I originally thought. I never doubted for a second that yukigumi: top star edition wouldn’t put it’s all into this smaller scale production. Every scene oozed with intention, strong acting choices, and when it allowed for it, beautiful songs and choreography. I only wish the source material was a bit more... nuanced? Though there is charm in it’s clear presentation and design. As I type I waffle back and forth, so I will simply move on to Music Revolution. Once the recording comes out however, I’d love to hear other folk’s thoughts. 

Music Revolution

I f*king loved this revue, and I did not see it coming. I had assumed a scaled down GT/TT revue would feel sparse but I was shut right the hell up immediately. First things first my journal’s incredibly vague bullet points.

‘got more and more fun’

This is so basic yet so true. Usually there’s a slump in a revue for me somewhere, a slower ballad or dance section, but I only got more hype as the revue went on. Spreading Golden Wings felt short due to the generally straightforward plot, but if you told me Music Revolution was 2 hours I would say sure, and I loved every minute.

‘’Music is My Life’ is so damn fun’

Thanks for the detail, past me. But truly, hearing crisp English, incredibly strong and beautiful yukigumi voices, sharp choreography... it was a dream. I was charmed to no end by how clearly Daimon loved that song. This feels like it could be a main theme for her moving forward, or one that comes back quite a bit for yukigumi or zuka as a whole. One of my favorite moments.

‘Lots of dancing, Daimon’s voice almost too strong?!’

This no doubt was bolstered by seeing hoshigumi right before (sorry not sorry) but it felt like yukigumi was dancing so hard all the time. Clearly the folks not in Spreading Golden Wings just went twice as hard for the revue as a result. And Daimon was in the thick of it, matching beat for beat to only then belt some amazing notes. After spending the previous week in hoshi taidan sadness / cheer it was so refreshingly perfect. Her couple of solo moments were mesmerizing, and I’m so glad I can sink back into my yuki love while waiting for hoshi to ramp back up. 

‘amazing music, classical remixes so fun, trumpet and sax go home’

does the orchestra travel with them?? because if so, the f*king brass section went berserk during the jazz dance section and I nearly had a heart attack. It was so off the walls that they have to had recorded it in advance - it was way too hardcore to repeat every show. I wanted to applaud for the solo like you would in a standard jazz concert but alas. 

similarly, this revue has the highest proportion of my favorite thing in revues - classical music remixes. Idk if they are popular but I love hearing the orchestration choices and genres they throw at classical melodies, and what bonkers choreo they toss in there as well. 

‘adlib sections were stronger, lots of space’

While there were not extended sections to adlib an entire scene, there were some spots where the troupe or Daimon run into the audience. As it’s a tour, there is a bit of space in the song for the folks to navigate different sized halls. For this performance, Kiho was singing for Daimon as she jogged through the first floor, and as she made it back up to the stage she went to regard the folks in the first row before realizing she didn’t have time. ‘Ah shoot I have to be back up there the song’s almost done’ she remarked with a laugh as she hopped back on stage to regard a smirking Kiho. It was pretty fun, and it was nice to see her not panicked about it. Kiho had the song covered, there was still underscoring for her to make it back, and she had a charming way of commenting on it. Yay adlib improvement! There are some other places during full troupe dances where they can shout out the city / prefecture they are in, which Daimon and co. were quite inclined to do as she is from Yokohama, the capital of the Kanagawa prefecture where the show was happening. 

I wish I had more concrete notes for this, like I do GOD OF STARS, but I hope this provides a bit of context when you get a chance to see it for youself. It’s not my favorite yuki show by any stretch, it’s honestly probably near the bottom, but it’s not from lack of effort or enthusiasm. It serves a unique role and no doubt checks off some square on Daimon’s ‘how to conquer Takarazuka’ bingo card so for that I’m glad. The revue on the other hand, is one of my favorites. I’ve never had such a stark contrast in my opinion on two ‘acts’ before, which in and of itself is fun to reflect on. I really like where yuki is at right now, and cannot wait to see Once Upon a Time in America. 

Stay tuned for the most overlong and overdue look at GOD OF STARS this side of the Pacific. 

[tipsycad147]

January

By shirleytwofeathers

There is a lot to celebrate in January. This is a list of pretty much everything that goes on during this first month of the year. Many of these dates change from year to year. The days that change are marked with this » symbol.

Astrological Events

Depending on which astrological system you adhere to, these are the signs that show up in January. Be aware that some of these dates will vary from year to year. Unlike the Sun signs which might just shift by 1 or 2 days, the dates of the various Moon signs will vary widely from year to year. The same holds true for the Chinese Zodiac. The Celtic Tree Signs are based on an arbitrary system and stay the same from year to year.

January Lore and General Info:

The Theme For January

January Celebrations and Rituals

January Activities and Lore

January Moon Names

Holidays and Holy Days

Many of the holidays begin on the eve of the night before and end on the eve of the day of. It’s also important to remember that the dates of archaic festivals and feast days may vary widely depending on the source.

January 1

1: New Year’s Day

1: Shichi Fukujin – Seven Deities of Luck Celebration

1: Gantan-sai – Shinto New Year Holy Day, see also Shogatsu

1: Ethics Day – Day to commit to cultivating personal honor.

1: Taos Pueblo Turtle Dance

1: Apple Gifting Day

1: Daisy Day

1 thru 3: Kalends of January

1 thru 4: Tewa Turtle Dance – celebrating life and the first Creation, when Sky Father embraced Earth Mother and all life was conceived.

1 thru 6: Shogatsu/Shinto New Year’s Festival – The Kami (Nature Spirits) of the four directions are honored, and prayers for happiness, good health, and prosperity are made.

January 2

2: Advent of Isis

2: Nativity of Inanna

2: Mange Loa, also called Breaking of the Cakes, or Jan Case Gateaux

January 3

3: Festival of Pax – alternative date Jan 30

3: Snow Day

January 4

4: Evergreen Day

January 5

5: Festival of Lares Compitales

5: Feast of Old Roman Goddess Befana

5: Twelfth Night

5: Avian Day – Day to honor all creatures of the air and to meditate on Deity manifesting as birds.

5 » Little Cold begins (Chinese Farmer’s Calendar)

5 or 6: Festival of Kore

5 and  6: Feast of God Poseidon – dates varied from Dec – Jan

January 6

6: Epiphany

6: Dia de los Reyes – Three Kings Day

6: Haxey Hood (English)

6: Taos Pueblo Deer or Buffalo Dance

January 7

7: Russian Christmas

7: Nativity of Christ

7: Genna – Ethiopian Christmas

7: Koshogatsu – Shinto rite honoring Goddess Izanami, partner of God Izanagi.

7: Feast of Sekhmet – Egyptian New Year’s Day (alternative date Aug 7)

January 8

8: Midwives’ Day

8 » Dakini Day (Tibetan)

8 thru 9: The Haloa

January 9

9: Agonalia – Festival of Janus (alternative date Jan 11)

9: Raud the Strong’s Day

9 » Day of Ekadashi (Hindu)

January 10

10: Geraint’s Day (Welsh)

January 11

11 » Handsel Monday

11 » Plough Monday

11 » Distaff Day

11 » Seijin-no-hi – Coming of Age Day

11 and 15: The Carmentalia – Festival of Carmenta

January 12

12 » Night of Hekate Suppers

12: The Compitalia

12 » Ciwaratri or Siwaratriis (Bali) – Night of the god Shiva. A time for contemplation and purification, the Balinese do not sleep for one night.

12 thru 16: Rustic Dionysia (alternative date Nov 28)

January 13

13 thru 25: Mid Winter Blot (Midvetr, Midvetrarblot, Jordblot, Thorrablot, Freyrblot) – Old Norse Mid Winter Feast.

January 14

14 » The Noumenia

14 thru 15: Dondoyaki

14 thru 17 »  Pongal – Festival of Makar Sankranti

January 15

15 » Celebrating The Agathos Daimon

15: Black Christ Festival (Guatemala)

15 : Dōsojin Matsuri – Japanese Fire Festival – dates may vary

January 16

16: Festival of Concordia

16 and 17: Old Greek festival in which offerings were made to the Wind Gods of the Eight Directions.

January 17

17: Good Luck Day – Festival of Felicitas

January 19

19: Blessing of the Waters

19: Popcorn Day

19: Timkat – Ethiopian Epiphany

January 20

20: World Religions Day

20 » Severe Cold begins (Chinese Farmer’s Calendar)

20 » Bodhi Day

January 21

21 thru 23: Mahayana New Year

January 22

22 » Thorrablot (Þorrablót)

January 24

24: Feriae Sementivae – Blessing the Seeds

24 » Day of Ekadashi (Hindu)

24: Gold Rush Day

24: Festival of Ekeko (Bolivian) – lasts 3 weeks

24 thru Feb 6: Iroquois Mid-Winter Ceremony – dates vary, generally the last part of January or the first part of February

January 25

25: Burns Supper

January 27

27 thru 28 » Tu B’shvat – New Year for Trees

27 thru Feb 3: Powamu Festival (Hopi) – dates vary, an 8 day festival held around the end of January or beginning of February

January 28

28: Daisy Day

January 29

29: Gamelion Noumenia – Old Greek festival honoring all the Gods and Goddesses.

29: Red Carnation Day

January 30

30: Up Helly Aa – Scottish Viking celebration

30 » Saraswati Day (Bali), in honor of Batari Dewi Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. No reading or writing is allowed on this day, books are taken to the goddess to be blessed.

30 thru 31: Feast of the Charities – dates vary widely also listed as  Jan 17 – 18, Apr 18 – 19, May 26, Jul 9 – 10, or Oct 13.

30 thru Feb. 2: Februalia

January 31

31: Disfest/Disablot

31 » Banyu Pinaruh – Balinese go, at dawn, to beaches, rivers or other water sources, to pray for wisdom and to purify themselves.

31 thru Feb 3: Old European Lunar New Year – Celebration of the Triple Goddess (Goddess of the Moon and the Seasons) being transformed from the Crone into the Virgin; celebrated with ritual bathing of divine images.

31 thru Feb 8: Navajo Sing – Festival in preparation for the coming agricultural season; celebrated with prayer, chanting, dancing, and healing.

Saint Days

There is a surprising amount of magick associated with Saint days This is a very short list of the Saint days in January, there are many many more. As time goes by I may end up listing them all, but for now, this is what I have.

1: St Basil’s Day

13: St Knut’s Day

16: St Peter’s Day – also Jun 29

21: Eve of St Agnes

22: Feast of St Agnes

25: St Paul’s Day

25: St Dwynwen’s Day

Recipes For January

Many seasonal recipes, including recipes for new and full moon ceremonies, ancient Greek and Roman holidays, Asian festivals and etc can be found here: Seasonal Recipes.

Notes:

Any January lore, almanac, astrological, and celebration dates that have been shared after this post was published can be found by searching the January posts to see what’s new.

A lot of work went into this post. It was compiled from various sources by Shirley Twofeathers for The Pagan Calendar, you may repost and share without karmic repercussions, but only if you give me credit and a link back to this website. Blessed be.

https://shirleytwofeathers.com/The_Blog/pagancalendar/category/january-holidays/

[dsandrvk]

Monday, September 23, 2019 - Koyasan

Our original plan had been to get up before 5 and head to the cemetery for the 6AM "monk feeding", but when we woke up it was pouring rain, and since it was a half-hour brisk walk under the best of circumstances, we decided to roll over and attend the 10:30 version. Tommy didn't think it was as good, since the monks didn't chant as long, but we decided we just didn't want to get that wet.

We did have a simple breakfast at our guest house and headed off to the cemetery. It was still misting a bit, but partially cleared off as we got close to the mausoleum. The monks consider the founder, Kobo Daishi Kukai, to not be dead, but to have entered into eternal meditation. As such, twice a day the monks carry a box that is said to contain Kobo Daishi to his temple and prepare a meal for him. It is a short parade, and photos are only allowed before the bridge that leads to the sacred area surrounding his mausoleum and temple. The crowd follows and then lines up in the temple to listen to the chanting and watch the meal prepared and put into the box. The interior of the temple has around 800 lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and one can then walk around the temple to the back, where the eaves are hung with more lanterns and there are statues of lotus, some gilded. There were also places for incense, and the actual shrine at the back. Here the sun came out and played on the foliage and statuary and a small Japanese tour group chanted together and it was quite special. We walked back out of the sacred area by a different route and passed by a conical stone structure quite unlike anything else we had seen. No photos allowed, but I made a quick sketch to jog my memory.

Since the cemetery has been around a long time, there are wonderful examples of moss growth, and 1000 year old trees. A lot of the smaller statues have bibs (usually red) on them, although there is also one on this pilgrim statue. These relate to a deity, Jizo Bosatsu, who is believed to watch over and protect children. The bibs are usually placed by parents who have lost a child with the prayer that they will be looked after.

Many of the other pictures are of temples and pagodas around town. The orange one with the scaffolding is the Great Pagoda, Konpon Daito. It was first erected in 816, but the present structure dates from 1937. A lot of the temples in this complex have been destroyed by fire numerous times.

There is also a picture of the Daimon Gate, which was the entry into Koyasan that greeted pilgrims. It's a towering structure that was difficult to photograph because it is so massive.

One of our favorite places of the day was the little shrine that is entered through a tunnel of torii gates. Off to one side is a tiny model of the temple and scattered miniature torii gates. As you can see from Russ' raincoat, it was raining again.

Our temple (where we are staying) is also quite beautiful, with a lovely garden. The meals here are Shojin Ryori or Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. It is entirely vegan, and set up on two small tables. The one closer to the diner and on the left is the main meal - the other is the side meal, which is prepared for the ancestors. Of course, since the ancestors can't actually enjoy anything but the odors drifting to heaven, we get to eat that, too. A meal should include a grilled dish, a deep fried fish, a pickled dish, a tofu dish and a soup fish, at a minimum. Ours included a lot more, and was delicious. We also had the two special tofus of the region - freeze dried tofu and sesame tofu.

Curfew has been sounded (they lock the gates at 9PM) and we have a service in the morning, so it will be early to bed.

[sambart93]

2017.02.21 Kanbotsu [Review]

Last Tuesday I watched Seto Koji’s Kanbotsu and I’m tell you know, I am going to be a neutral as possible about this stage.

CAST and CHARACTERS

Inoue Yoshio as Kinouchi Sadaharu Koike Eiko as Daimon Hitomi Seto Kouji as Kinouchi Kiyoharu Matsuo Mayu as Oohigashi Musubi Yamanishi Atsushi as Yakumo Hamaji Inuyama Inuko as Kinouchi Hato Yamauchi Takaya as Funabashi Kondou Kouen as Shimokura Wataru Shuri as Michishita Yukari Odawa Tamaki as Maruyama Madoko Yamazaki Hajime as Moroboshi Kousaku Takahashi Keiko as Kamitsuma Tsumako Namase Katsuhisa as Daimon Makoto

Before I go into the review - and there will be no ‘spoiler’ section this time. I feel like I need to express what was going on with me around the time I watched the play:

Backstory and Personal Issues

If you’ve been following my reviews and/or my twitter then you’ll know that in the week prior to this stage I had already: Seen Messiah twice, gone to MakiChan’s Birthday Event twice, watched Toei Hero Next the day before AND watched Soul Flower the Thursday before. Also the Monday night my train was delayed for about 2 hours so I was stood that entire time and ended up getting home 12am rather than 10:30pm. The show for Seto was at 14:00 SO I didn’t get to sleep in either... so naturally; I was exhausted before I even got on the train to GO to Shibuya. Also I had plans (which I don’t normally) to meet a friend back in Yokohama at 5pm for dinner.

THEN I get to the theatre and the show starts... I feel the first half is a little long but it wasn’t too bad. At the intermission, I check the run time for the play:

FIRST HALF: 1 hour 50 minutes INTERMISSION: 15 minutes SECOND HALF: 1 hour 15 minutes

This play was 3 hours and 20 fucking minutes long. I went in assuming it was a normal 2 to 2hrs30mins play hence why I’d made plans for 5pm but clearly I wasn’t going to be getting OUT of that theatre until at least 4:30 which mean I was going to be late meeting my friend. And, lets all remember, I was tired as hell before the play even started, and we’d already done 2 hours of it but still had over an hour still to go?!

So that’s the backstory; you can imagine what my personal feelings on this play is right? ... now lets get down to it...

REVIEW

I had a 4th row seat which is great! The staging was really cool and very fabulous and looked expensive and there were giant stairs and old furniture. The opening credit sequence was done on a screen like projection mapping and the graphics were amazing. I really enjoyed the opening credit video but why they used the wedding theme song I have no idea xD however, the theatre got cold VERY quickly so I suffered a little there.

The story itself is absolutely fine and interesting enough. It was about a divorced couple learning that they should never have gotten divorced and that they still have feelings for each other. It also has a splash of fantasy because Daimon Hitomi’s father (who had previously died) comes back as a ghost to see if she’s happy and with the help of his two spirit friends (who possess other people’s bodies) he gets involved and plays tricks and use magic so that Hitomi and Sadaharu can finally make a mends and say what they truly think and feel.

The comedy is mainly aimed at older people because the cast is much older (than me). Only the three younger actor’s comedy appealed to the young demographic and I could definitely see other girls around my age who just weren’t laughing (same as me) when all the old folks were. Also there definitely was some ‘back in the day racism towards white people’ jokes because it is set in the 1960ish which I admit stung me for a second, but I quickly was like ‘remember this is supposed to be the 60s’. But it was cool seeing this renown TV and Movie actors in the flesh on stage like Yamauchi and Namase and Koike.

We have a range of interesting characters; we have a random stranger who suddenly helps out the family and we have a flamboyant mother who’s being persuade by a silly old man and we have the main couple who act like they’re still married and they act like best friends yet they’re off marrying other people. We has a jealous fiance, we have the spirits possessing lots of people’s bodies which creates a lot of comedy. We have an Idol who falls in love with her Manager after he gets super mad at her, meaning she’s masochistic. 

More fantasy parts: we have love potions and truth salt forcing people to fall in love at first sight with characters they’re not supposed to and (the truth salt) forcing people to suddenly get really angry and say everything they truly feel. 

But I personally and in all honesty was so bored. It was so long. As you already know, this play is over 3 hours long which is way too long for me. I can just about handle 3 hours of TouStage but that’s INCLUDING curtain calls(!). 

I only really paid attention to Seto’s character and when Seto was on stage. Unfortunately, I feel like Seto’s character actually had autism rather than just being a dumb character, so I couldn’t really laugh at his stuff even if I wanted to, because it felt like ‘why are you laughing and verbally abusing and make fun of someone who has autism or at least some form of mental disability’ I just couldn’t enjoy it. If you've seen Seto's Rinne no Ame, I felt and seemed like his character in this stage was exactly the same as his character in Rinne except trying to crack a few jokes while he's at it, so if you know the Rinne character then you'll understand why I felt like he character here was a mental disability.

But more so I think I just watched this at the wrong time; if I’d watched it after not going to a stage for like 2 weeks and if I hadn’t had plans for after the play and if I hadn’t spent the previous night stood up on a delay train, then I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Like I said; the story itself isn’t bad, the comedy itself isn’t bad, the ending is even satisfactory (but predictable) and the characters are interesting and the stage is very big and fancy and the opening credits were amazing and the projection mapping was used well, but me and this day just didn’t work. It was all just bad timing for me and just thinking about this stage now I feel sick and want to through it to the other end of the universe. But that;s me, not the actual play itself.

There is a DVD if you’re interested.

Rating: If I stay neutral 7/10. If we go off how I was and still feel from that day: 3/10

---

I hope I was neutral enough to give a somewhat decent review and I’m sorry to those who were expecting a great review about Seto Koji’s performance. It’s really all my fault that I had such a bad time.

[sonxfdoom]

The Dusted Rose is a medal given out to all the soldiers that survived after participating in the war against Black Doom and his army. Nappa, the bartender Daimon, and Rachel all own one.

So The National Dusted Rose Anniversary is essentially a week-long holiday celebrating the survival of the veterans.  It always lands on the second week of February, and goes from the Monday to the Sunday. It’s one of the few times the people are happy with life. There are seven events to go with the seven days, the first two are special notices and events for the veterans themselves, and then the other five days are the people celebrating their victory in survival in numerous ways. The last days event happens at midnight.

[yugiri315]

I’m so grateful to have met you!! 

Serika: Speaking of, during Oceans 11 we always hung out together.  I was constantly acting like an old man. Nozomi: (laughs) Serika: I would be running across the stage (7) stuttering “But I…I…I…!” Hated it (lol). Nozomi:  That did happen…But Mayu-san (Ranju Tomu) also seemed like a shy person and, for some reason, I became the go-between. Serika: That’s right.  It was during the Shinjinkouen days. Nozomi: During the main performance, you and Mayu-san did have a chat without me knowing and had me continue playing the go-between.  Mayu-san didn’t give any sign that anything was different and you didn’t say much either. Serika: Yes.  She’s just so amazing, I didn’t have the courage to talk to her…But that’s why, when I found out about your troupe transfer during Elisabeth, I was so scared.  I was never good at making friends… Nozomi: (haha) So that’s why you suddenly got tense. I didn’t know what to do. Serika: (hahaha)  I don’t know where I would be if we had never met so I’m truly glad we did.  It’s so lonely with you gone… Nozomi: Really?  I thought you forgot about me (lol). Serika: Never~  If we bumped into each other in the hallway I would be in high spirits. Nozomi: Yup, me too.  So what you’re trying to say is since that one person who always cared for you is gone… Serika: Eh!?  Please continue to care for me~ Jeez. Nozomi: I will.  Now that that’s all said out loud, what you meant [earlier] was... Serika: Enough about that!  I was only complaining that I was lonely.  Quote, “lonely.” (after urging from Nozomi-san) Yeees…? Nozomi: Hahaha!  I didn’t say anything! Serika: Oh really!! (haha)

*舞台のホリゾンタルの裏 is Japanese stage terminology, anyone?

[kronprinzvonoesterreich]

My Takarazuka Stage calendar last month: Goofy MeMy Mirio.

My Takarazuka Stage calendar this month: EVERY DAY IS DAIMON DAI MONDAI MONDAY feat. poppy flower prop.

[queerdesertcraft]

Dates for Ἀνθεστηριών

monthly occurrences:

thursday january 26: Hekate’s Deipnon: the last day of Γαμηλιών

friday january 27: Noumenia: honor Selene, Hestia, Apollon Noumenios, household gods

saturday january 28: Agathos Daimon: honor household and local spirits

sunday january 29: Athena day

monday january 30: Heracles, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Eros day

wednesday february 1: Artemis day

thursday february 2: Apollo day

friday february 3: Poseidon and Theseus day

february 11-13: Anthesteria

february 15-22: Lesser Elusinian Mysteries