#ep: terms of the duelist

[asofterutena]

(Don't forget.)

[original comic by @asoftersea]

[wlwkiryuu]

Fav Nanami EP. Or moment?

nanami episode....definitely her tragedy. it probably has some of the best parallels of nanami to anthy (and by extension, touga and akio's dynamics with the two) in the whole show and really drives home the fact that they're foils. romance of the dancing girls is a close second though because of how it follows up on her tragedy!

nanami's precious thing is very underrated though imo. a lot of people immediately dismiss it from any analysis of nanami because of the Cat Discourse (which is. wild. why is that still happening). it's an incredibly important episode in terms of how it shows her defining motivation to duel, though. i think what really makes nanami stand out is that every other duelist is dueling utena because anthy has affected them, somehow, but with nanami...even if she dislikes anthy, it's more because of her grudge against utena. her motivations to duel are a lot more personally connected to who she is dueling than the others.

as for the sillier episodes, nanami's egg is definitely the best one to me. while cowbell of happiness also shows off nanami's insecurities and desire for status and acceptance, i think nanami's egg does it better with the space alien motif and the um. touga homophobia speech LOL. plus it's got the best saionji-nanami interaction in the show...they were very cute in that one conversation :')

AS FOR BEST MOMENT...THE number one nanami moment for me is near the end when all the council members are playing badminton together, and nanami shows up just to warn utena about the end of the world. nanami warns her not to go, utena responds that she's "blood type b" (referencing how nanami's blood type doesn't match up with touga's), meaning she's stubborn, and nanami says she is too, and smiles. the final indicator that she's completely divorced from her identity as touga's sister that she's held onto so long in the show, and literally the only time she's genuinely smiled at utena. SO good.

oh yeah and i guess she turns into a cow too which is pretty funny

[raya-rhaenyra-ahsoka]

Things I love about Ahsoka Ep. 7: Dreams and Madness

Anakin making holo-recordings for Ahsoka.

All I see is Anakin making video diaries and tutorials for his little sister. We hadn’t hear him say it, but he absolutely loves her and cares a lot for her. The question now is, how the hell did she get hold of those holo-recordings? Also, we need to see all 20 of them. I also think she had probs shown it to Luke and Leia at some point.

Leia saves Hera.

Of course, Leia would save everyone’s ass from trouble. It has always been her thing. C-3PO's timing was perfect. Also, Senator Xiono can go fuck himself. Chopper ready to throw hands at a senator is icing on the cake. And if they translate what he said, the entire thing would probably be bleeped out.

Huyang is an Obi-Wan Kenobi droid version.

Huyang complaining about Ahsoka’s reckless actions is so funny to me, honestly. In a way, she's being the Anakin to Huyang, being that Voice-of-Reason Obi-Wan persona to contradict to.

Thrawn’s mini-heart attack when he finds out who Ahsoka’s master was.

Thrawn, externally: *pokerface*

Thrawn, internally: What? No. That togruta bitch was trained by Anakin fucking Skywalker?! Omfg, this changes things.

So, a little background, Thrawn had always admired Anakin Skywalker and had worked alongside him since the clone wars, then as Darth Vader during the empire era. And to put it on modern terms, Thrawn was his biggest fan. He knows how powerful Anakin was and what he was capable of doing. So knowing that Anakin taught Ahsoka is information that could either make him or break him.

Ezra’s reaction to Sabine telling her about Ahsoka taking her as her padawan.

His reaction is the most Ezra thing ever. Obviously, he didn't expected Ahsoka to take on Sabine as her padawan considering she isn't force-sensitive. And Ezra is literally all of us when when we first watched the show, btw.

Ahsoka and Sabine’s Force bond.

It’s natural for the master and padawan to have a bond through the Force, regardless if jedi or sith. But with Sabine’s lack of force-sensitivity, this was something I did not expect. But nevertheless, I’m extremely happy about it.

Ezra and Sabine’s chaotic sibling energy.

We all know Ezra and Sabine go way back. They’ve been friends for a long time, they radiate chaotic sibling energy (sorry, sabezra/ezrabine shippers), even to the point of arguing while fighting for their lives. It's good to see that some things haven't changed.

Ahsoka and Ezra’s hug.

The last time these two met each other was in the World between Worlds, after Ezra saved Ahsoka from Darth Vader. Ahsoka had promised to find him when they get of there. But then again, they were at different points in time and Ezra disappeared with Thrawn to another galaxy. That makes this hug much more heartfelt and meaningful.

Ahsoka Tano of the Disaster Lineage™

• Unpredictable

• Reckless

• Purposely coming in late just to make a dramatic grand entrance and/or exit

• Never runs out of sassy comebacks when talking to the enemy

• Annoying the crap out of the people around them

• Has the signature troublemaker smirk 😏

• Expert lightsaber duelist

• Not following the no-attachment-rule

• Having good friendship with their padawans

Yep, she checks all the boxes and just further cements herself as part of the infamous Disaster Lineage™. Not to mention that she's indirectly teaching Sabine the same stuff. I can already hear Force Ghost Anakin cheering her on.

There are a lot of loose ends to tie in the season finale. Let's hope they'll give us an epic one and an interesting plotline for season 2.

[eleanorose123]

brother and i finished rewatching zexal- time for the second half thoughts lol

there is a LOT more this time around, so it's under a readmore

right off the bat, Zexal II gives off major sailor moon energy in terms of "haha you FOOLS! the power you used to defeat last season's antag is USELESS now!"

ah yes.......gilag's design.............

brother and i have a long running joke that the barian emperors as a whole are just doing a group project and constantly struggling with the basic shit that people face when DOING group projects (infighting in particular)

also fun fact, my brother DESPISES the sound effect they use for the barian door opening during the chaos xyz summons

i want to say that 85% of shingetsu's shenanigans were planned. he wanted to put yuma through so much hell

furry coach duelist, never forget

TAKASHI TODOROKI MY SWEET BOY

ah rio "i will not be used as a shield to my brother" kamishiro.....we were so hopeful back then

alit remains to be a raging bisexual, we love that for him

though it does raise the question- since gilag couldn't recognize alit initially due to them not seeing human forms until then, could vector tell who they were or did he just hear their names be mentioned and go "wait wtf"

the friendship tournament ep remains to be one of the best one off eps of season 4 i swear to god

remember when the barians were supposed to come and collect haruto? yeah me neither

mizael is peak theater kid. i love that he and kaito fight on equal grounds and then by the end of the series you're hit with "btw mizael is like 15 and kaito's still 18"

rio may have unexplained (at the time) prophecy powers, but shark's got "i can tell yuma is in danger" senses

WE LOVE SHARK BEING A LONGING DUMBASS IN THE HOSPITAL

god i know that like- yuma's already gone through 3 seasons of shark-related emotions, but i wouldn't be surprised at all if it was alit who made yuma first go "wait, do i like guys?"

shingetsu also did a number on yuma with the same emotions, but for much different reasons

"im here to help astral" "yay!" "but don't tell him about me" "ok!" yuma we gotta teach you what a red flag is. though you are 13 and have already gone through a lot of red flags (ex. giving haruto to a stranger)

you think vector had like, a bazillion questions for yuma after seeing no96 for the first time, or did he zip his lip

we establish that kaito has global surveillance and satellites that can just- fire lasers anywhere. tenjos man

takashi and tokunosuke are canonly some of the biggest shippers in the series which is peak hilarity to me, i love that for them

im surprised anna even bothered with the uniform considering she just barged into the tournament regardless. then again, zexal rly loves putting characters in these middle school uniforms

also season 4 is filled way too much with underaged fanservice ugh

SARGASSO DUEL MY BELOVED

mizael refusing to use the lighthouse card cause it was cowardly is hilarious cause durbe is just right there like "hey"

yuma and his very bad no good day

RUIN ARC TIME

my brother was analyzing every second of each ruin tbh

he has.............a lot of thoughts on alit's backstory in particular

why is durbe's ruin in columbia of all places tho

yuma and co skipped so many days of school, you think the rest of the numbers club were just there like "where'd they GO"

we love kazuma desecrating ruins by adding markers and leaving behind coins that future teams will assume to be part of the ruin's treasures (like it did for gilag's)

also they really REALLY never fucking explain WHY kazuma knows all this shit fjdkhdfjkhfd

vector cannot sit still at all

they rly did no96 so dirty in the series. i love that he's a character fandom decided to flesh out beyond what canon gave us, he deserved that much

i rly thought there was more mutinyship moments than there really were jfdkhfdhjdfkhk ah well. they're full of potential

HEHEHEHEHEHEHE YUMA DEPRESSION ARC i know that sounds fucked up to get excited over, but it's also FEARSOME FOUR TIME

ill never understand why they bothered to go be like "heartland took a picture with esper robin" unless they just didnt want us to forget that's a character

"how'd you get your barian crests back?" "with the power of science!" is still SO funny

numbers club trying to be helpful only to get punished is foreshadowing for their fates the rest of the show

you know, you'd think kurage would've realized ryoga was one of the people he killed considering like- he knew his and rio's names. and their faces. but ah well

tokunosuke building a grave for astral is not talked about enough imo, that's like, one of the strongest scenes of the numbers club characters

kaninja you continue to bring me pain, you wouldve won your duel if you didnt say you poisoned kaito

ngl chris, you abusing kaito for a week straight for the sake of "training" was pretty fucked up

i hate the eliphas duel, i hate the eliphas duel, i hate-

"time to be with your REAL allies" durbe plz stfu

they never really do explain how nasch died. we just assumed he did himself in after seeing vector go down which is uh. hm

ahhh toku......the first casualty of the war.........

i wouldve liked more heartland backstory but THATS JUST ME-

jkfkfdhjdkf i love that it rly was just kaninja who was the reason kaito was becoming blind. messed him up even in the afterlife

astral/yuma remains to be so tender

i feel like if you ever want to make vector peak uncomfortable, just stare at him in silence until he breaks

i know that's the point, but once ryoga unlocks "nasch", his drama levels go through the fucking roof

also fun fact, between eps 122 to 143, something like 23 prominent characters die (tokunosuke, heartland, tetsuo, anna, fuuya, droite, gauche, roku, yamikawa, iv, iii, v, alit, gilag, durbe, rio, orbital 7, kaito, vector, mizael, eliphas, don thousand, shark)

"ryoga, my best friend" iv, i rly feel like that's a onesided sort of situation

alit/gilag deserves more attention ffs

GILAG DESERVES BETTER IN GENERAL TBH

i remember being numb by the point of durbe/merag's deaths. that hasnt changed

KAITO'S death tho, that still hits. mainly cause of the music

i love that obomi's affection for orbital only kicked in cause akari....kicked her

akari who was still trying to be in the plot, bless her for trying

haruto is going to need so much therapy tbh

numeron dragon's story is still so sad, love that dragon

it took mizael like 5 eps to get to the moon and another 3 eps to get off it

shark watching vector's performance and just going "........." the whole time is still hilarious. you know that'll always just be their dynamic even post canon

don thousand...........your design is so good but you are still so lackluster......

nasch vs yuma tho- THAT'S a real satisfying boss battle djfkhdfkj love that finale to pieces

aaaaaand now it's just pain and smiles all the way until the end :'3

the growing up storyline of zexal just really, really hits you by those last episodes ugh

there's so much to work with with the finale, and i love it to this day

still the best ygo series, i will not take notes on that fact

if you read all this, thank you

kattobingu <3

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episodes 75 and 76 Subbed (Finalized)

(Previously: Episodes 73 and 74 Subbed [Finalized])

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

75: A Field Trip Tag Duel!

For their field trip, the students of the Academia head to Domino Town, the holy dueling land known for producing the likes of Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba.  Judai and his friends visit Yugi’s childhood house, where they meet Mr. Sugoroku.  While exploring the town, Sugoroku is kidnapped--and while Shou and Kenzan argue as they look for him, they are challenged to a Tag Duel by an assassin duo from the Society of Light: Ikazuchimaru and Kourimaru.  Kenzan’s dinosaur  Monsters find themselves powered down by Mobius Castle as he's dealt the first blow...

76: The Ultimate Combo! Rex Union

Shou and Kenzan’s Tag Duel versus Ikazuchimaru and Kourimaru continues.  Ikazuchimaru and Kourimaru are powerful despite their being on bad terms with each other, whittling Shou and Kenzan’s LP down to 1000 early on.  Kenzan’s dinosaur Monsters don’t match well with Kourimaru’s Ice deck, while Shou’s vehicle Monsters are stalled by Ikazuchimaru’s System Down and Rampage Condenser Magic Cards.  But for all of Shou and Kenzan's arguing, they start working together once they realize that their losing would cause trouble for Judai.

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

Episodes 75 and 76 are now finalized!

These two episodes start off our Domino mini-arc, as the Academia goes on a field trip to the land of dueling legend--which picks up on plot elements that were going to be included in the canned Yu-Gi-Oh! VS GX movie Takahashi had pitched at one point but were reworked into GX Season 2′s story.  75 introduces us to Mizuchi right off the bat (credited as “Shrine Maiden” for only this episode’s credits) and, after we take a trip down memory lane with Sugoroku while Ed and Saiou’s friendship starts to show some cracks, it’s revealed to Shou and Kenzan that she’s related to Saiou.  

Through both episodes, we also get some closure on the Shou/Kenzan feuding over Big Bro Judai, after Kenzan reveals he would’ve won if he didn’t feel bad for beating Shou while he was down, and after a rocky start to their Tag Duel vs Ikazuchi/Kourimaru, they come back and put their egos aside to keep Judai from having to deal with them.  Ultimately, it’s a futile effort thanks to the Mirror of Duality that Kourimaru activates, but a good one nonetheless.  Also do like the Marus’ designs, and it was cool at the time back in 2006 to see the original Monarchs make their anime debut.  76 also has some nice art to it, being a Tea Sun In animation-team episode (and Gil-bo No chipping in with some good key animation), so it’s a fun watch.

In terms of animation and other fixes, 75 and 76 both had a handful of card fixes, while 76 had more in the way of animation error fixes and other quality-of-watching things.  As I mentioned before, I also translated the guidebooks Sugoroku wrote held by Shou and Kenzan early in ep. 75 for the eight scenes they appear in.  Details under the cut, as always, along with a Translation Note for 75 involving one of Mizuchi’s scenes.

Enjoy, folks; for the next release, I want to get 77-79 out together for a triple treat to avoid just releasing 77 for a cliffhanger, lol.  That’ll get us through the Iwamaru duel (poor Honoumaru being shafted) and Judai/Ed vs Mizuchi to close out this mini-arc.  Stay tuned!

Fixes/Edits! (75)

As I mentioned above and highlighted in this post, I translated the front cover of the town guidebooks held by Shou and Kenzan in the eight scenes it’s visible in.  I first blanked it and applied the translations in the second-to-last shot it’s in--the closeup as the two show them to Sugoroku, which I also used for 75′s preview in 74--then isolated it to manipulate into the other scenes, mainly using AfterEffects’s CC Power Pin effect and then masking the right side of the original cover (with the landmark photos, but above the bottom “Legendary Duelists’ Stomping Grounds” text) on top to make it blend in.

After Kenzan tells Kourimaru that his weakened Dark Driceratops can still defeat his Mobius, Kourimaru activates his Mobius Castle, but in the shot that rapidly zooms out from him while it activates, we see him holding the card with its back facing the camera--which is inconsistent with the close-up just before as he held it up with the front facing the camera.  Fixed by first grabbing Mobius Castle’s card art from this close-up shot and touching it up in Photoshop to then make a proxy for it, then applied it in AfterEffects with a Power Pin before I then redid the zoom-out in Sony Vegas.

After the Marus’ Reflector Bit combo ends up making Dark Tyranno’s attack hit Shou for damage, and Kenzan notes that it went in circles, Kourimaru notes that their Reflector Bits are, along with Side Attack, also cards used exclusively in Tag Duels--but the Mobius on his Disk in this shot is in Attack Mode when Kenzan’s Earthquake Magic Card just put it in Defense Mode.  Fixed by making a Mobius proxy that I then applied in one frame in AfterEffects, after which I redid the panning shot in Sony Vegas for it.

After Kourimaru tells Ikazuchimaru that he should thank him for letting him hit Shou for damage, Ikazuchimaru draws for his turn and prepares to sacrifice his Thunder Knight for Zaborg, but his Disk shows Thunder Knight in Monster Zone #2, which is where Reflector Bit should be; he summoned Thunder Knight to Zone #4 on his first turn, and Reflector Bit was summoned by Bit Shoot to Zone 2 per its placement on his field here.  Fixed this by first using the shot of Kourimaru holding up Reflector Bit earlier to nab its card art and touch it up in Photoshop to make a proxy for it, then did the same for Thunder Knight as Ikazuchimaru held it up on his first turn--once that was done, in AfterEffects, I first applied the Reflector Bit proxy to his second Zone in Attack Mode, masking the orb on his Disk over it, then added a Defense-Mode Thunder Knight to his fourth Zone when it swung into view near the end of the shot for a quick two frames.

TRANSLATION NOTES!

As detailed in this post, after Sugoroku goes missing and Judai & co. split to find him, Mizuchi’s  "急々如律令 、 奉導誓願可、不成就也!" line that leads to the Monarchs’ barrier around Domino Town is an apparent diviner/Taoist favorite that, when rephrased, essentially means "大至急、不成就に導くよう願いたてまつる," or something like "In offering my wishes, may we be led to unfulfillment ASAP"--so, Mizuchi’s line here is beckoning for misfortune to befall Judai et al at once.  Part of the delay in getting these done, aside from the fixes listed here for both episodes, was the slight rabbit hole I fell into trying to first transcribe Mizuchi’s line by ear (and failing), then finding it transcribed by a Mizuchi-script Twitter bot, then using some search-fu to get the phrase broken down.

Fixes/Edits! (76)

As the Marus fall out and challenge each other to see who beats Shou or Kenzan first, as Kenzan breaks the fourth wall to call out their cockiness and Shou joins him, there’s a quick couple of frames where the right-side border of the split screen appears on Kenzan’s dino earrings.  Fixed it by just copying the previous frame to keep the border still, though while I was there, I also closed Kenzan’s mouth as it was oddly left open after his line.

As Kourimaru jokes that Shou and Kenzan make a great duo as he draws for his turn, as he lifts his Disk to place one card face-down, we see the Defense-Mode Mobius on his Disk reversed (should be facing with the name box to our left); fixed it by applying the proxy correctly in AfterEffects for the two frames of his Disk’s movement, then redid the slow zoom-out on each for a few frames in Vegas.

Just after #2, after Kourimaru switches Mobius to Attack Mode, as he’s declaring its attack, a few things happen as he swings his Disk: first, we see Mobius both in Monster Zone #4 (where it should be) and in Zone #2 (where his Reflector Bit should be), and then we see the card in Zone #2 in Defense Mode when Reflector Bit was left in Attack Mode.  Fixed by first applying the Reflector Bit proxy in AfterEffects to Zone #2, then by applying it to Zone #2 in Attack Mode in the second frame and masking the main Disk bit over the card.

As highlighted in this post, as Shou worries that the Element Saurus Kenzan summoned won’t be enough, Kenzan turns back to retort, but for the first few frames of his turning, the orb in the middle of his Disk is red (for “on”) but unlit; fixed by just applying a bright red paint layer over the orb which I Gaussian-Blurred a bit and screen-blended so it just lit up the area.

After Shou summons Shuttleroid and Ikazuchimaru’s Rampage Condenser hits him, as he notes the 500 damage he takes, a few things happen.  First, as Shou slides in with the LP counter dropping as he’s hit, there’s a quick frame where there’s an outline for his neck but it’s colored like his hair, all before it’s fixed in the very next frame of movement--which I fixed by just recoloring his neck accordingly in Photoshop.  Then, after Ikazuchimaru says that Zaborg’s counterattack on Shuttleroid will finish Shou off, Shou starts to raise his head to say he never said anything about having it attack him, but his neck is missing for most of this, as the area is fully colored as part of his hair for these two frames, and then suddenly it’s all neck and no hair--fixed again by recoloring the area to define his neck and hair based on the previous no-issue frames.  After that, Ikazuchimaru gasps in surprise, but his hair suddenly invades the top-right of Shou’s split-screen and stays there for the rest of the shot--fixed by just masking in the same part from a previous no-issue frame in Sony Vegas, along with holding the previous correction to Shou’s no-hair neck.  Next, Shou lifts his head again to say that he’s attacking Element Saurus, but it’s still all neck and no hair for the two movement frames involved, until he’s done lifting his head, where he’s correctly drawn without any issues, with his well-defined hair and neck--fixed here by again recoloring the neck/hair area for those two movement frames, holding the fix to the top-right corner of Shou’s split.  Finally, as the split-screen splits to show Element Saurus, first we see that Shou’s side moves but Ikazuchimaru’s stays still without a change in background behind the split-screen, all while a second split-screen is seemingly moving behind Shou’s up top; then, we see Shou’s side of the split-screen take a few frames longer to leave the shot than Ikazuchimaru’s--fixed all this by redoing the split-screen’s split over an Element Saurus still and having them leave the shot simultaneously while keeping Shou’s side consistent. (You can see all this in these gifs; the original, and my fix [may just need to give them a minute to load])

After Kenzan activates Ultimate Evolution Pill, as he swings his arm around with his Dyna Base card, there’s a quick few frames where only the card outline is visible; they seemingly forgot to add the card itself there.  Fixed by making (in Photoshop) and applying (in AfterEffects) a Dyna Base proxy, darkened a bit as it was under Kenzan’s hand.

As Shou swings his arm around to activate Vehicroid Connection Zone, there’s a quick frame where he swings his hand a frame over before the card joins it, resulting in awkward black space (a similar error happened in ep. 65).  Fixed it by masking in the correctly placed card from the next frame over the frame in question.

After Shou explains that Super Vehicroid -- Rex Union inherits Super Conductor Tyranno’s effect (which actually doesn’t end up being used) and can attack twice, Kourimaru and Ikazuchimaru come in on a split-screen to react in shock, but Ikazuchimaru’s side actually comes in first for a few frames before Kourimaru’s joins it.  Fixed by holding Shou and Kenzan still as I redid the split-screen over them to make sure the two  sides came in simultaneously.

As Kourimaru faces down his half of Rex Union’s attack, the light on his Disk’s orb isn’t on; fixed by just applying the red light to it in a frame after it unblurs on him in Photoshop, then redid the Gaussian un-Blurring as the camera focused on him in Vegas.

[applepi00]

Emi Liveblogs: Revolutionary Girl Utena Ep 26, Miki’s Nest Box (The Sunlit Garden - Arranged), part II

Typing this all up again, let’s see if Tumblr eats it.

We overhear a conversation between Miki, his father, and his new step mother, with the latter two on screen. Sort of. Here the part of the step mother is played by Anthy as the Rose Bride, no I do not think she was actually there nor do I think she has anything to do with Miki’s dad. Every girl is a Princess, the Rose Bride is a symbol/stand in for all girls. It is an ideal, something to project on. Why wouldn’t she be a stand in for the new step mother that Miki’s never met?

Earlier during the Student Council meeting, it was suggested that perhaps End of the World was a harmless benefactor, like a Daddy Long Legs, Kozue here telling Nanami she’s meeting with Daddy Long Legs is a direct answer to that. And it’s correct in a sense! End of the World is dubbed a Daddy Long Legs, Daddy Long Legs is Akio, Akio is End of the World. I have no idea if Daddy Long Legs/Harvestmen are harmless because spiders freak me out so I refuse to google them, but even if they are they’re still creepy little beasties, much like Akio himself.

EDIT: I’ve been told that: “”Daddy Long Legs” is a reference to a novel by Jean Webster, in which an anonymous benefactor pay for the college tuitition of an orphan girl, asking that she writes him letters in exchange (it's also referenced in cult shoujo manga Glass Mask)” (thanks @missjlh !!)

The car appears indoors and nobody bats an eye. Also I’m already a tch bored with the car speech and we’re only through two of them. That said I am looking forward to seeing that ending in the game.

Miki is such a tag along character that here he is third wheeling on his own sister. Aside from that, there’s something about him in the backseat, powerless to direct the vehicle vs the vision afterwards of him in the drivers seat with Anthy beside him. In reality he’s a child, he can’t do much of anything in terms of power, but in the vision he assumes a position of power, becomes an “adult” and takes what he wants by force. This is what draws him back into the Duelling Game.

1) Kozue it’s cold and you’re thirteen, close your shirt back up

2) though I’m a bit uncomfortable with a kid this young making use of Kozue’s tactics, I’ve got to admit she knows what she’s doing/talking about. That’s the contrast between the twins, pure and impure (Kozue also plays into this sort of contrast with Anthy, the archetypal Whore vs Maiden/Princess). There’s also a difference in what they reach for, Miki grasps at the immaterial, or things that exist purely in his mind (his shining thing, the childhood sunlit garden, formerly an image of Anthy), all things he’ll never reach; Kozue on the other hand reaches for real things, things she can affect herself (the birds, multiple boyfriends, her brother’s safety to an extent) and she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty to get them, she doesn���t care what is thought of her for it. Kozue steps into the space of an adult in some respects, unsurprising I think given she is the girl child of neglectful parents. I find oldest daughters already behave more mature than brothers or younger sisters, and neglect can absolutely lead to riskier behaviour in order to be noticed, or even to replace parental attention. (A story my mother told me comes to mind, a fourteen year old girl in our old apartment building back when I was four used to sleep with random men from the building, apparently because her parents had been abusive and neglectful, and then living with her grandmother who worked, she wanted attention/affection.)

This shadow play is about gambling and suckers. It definitely suits all the Duelists this arc: they lost the first time yet here they are with all their “life savings” as the play puts it (their Brides) to try again. They’re suckers, besides an extra viewer, what makes this time different? This fits extra for Miki in the sense I mentioned earlier: he detests adults (“gambling”) yet here he is buying into these Duels in order to step into that role and take what he wants by force.

No comment, I took this shot three days ago and I forgot why. Maybe I thought it was amusing in some way?

Anthy lies lifeless, stoic and impassive. Like an object, a mannequin, just a stand in.

[holycalf]

i started watching sku bc of your blog (and i really enjoy it!) but i dont get why you seem to like shiori but not ruka....i mean it seems like his intentions were a lot better than hers ever were tbfh am i missing something? not saying he went about things GREAT but....at least he actually seemed to care. shiori was just a bitch for the sake of being a bitch it seemed like...

hi! im glad ure enjoying it! it can definitely be a lot at times, and i think the first 12 eps can rub ppl the wrong way so props to u for getting thru those (even tho i liked em :) ) this is gonna be long so if u feel like reading an essay feel free to read under the cut

um.. i dont really know where to begin tbh? i mean you cant really talk about any of these characters without talking abt the other two so.... this is gonna be long.

so lets take shiori, who has a very classic case of internalized homophobia. which is confirmed by ikuhahras outtake on ep. 17 which states the following

 “I finally realized the truth. To think that she loved me back! What a miracle! But...‘The loser in love is the one who lets their heart be ruled by it.’Everyone's adopted a provocative attitude toward someone of the opposite sex that they like at least once or twice, to get that person to notice them. So it's okay if I do that.This love will crumble if we touch. But when people don't touch, the love eventually dies away .That's why I decided to keep your love prisoner. To make sure that you love me forever. That game will make our love ‘eternal.’ I'm sure of it.We were ‘lovers lost from the beginning.”

so shioris in love with juri. im not sure if thats something u caught onto or not but its definitely the quintessence of her character, and needs to be considered when we consider her against ruka- since its a shared affection. also, i just like shiori, i dont necessarily think shes GOOD i just enjoy watching her and she feels very raw. shiori has a crippling inferiority complex, you can even tell through off handed conversations with her friends in hallways she exaggerates her stories to be more liked. juri is someone who has things come easy to her, and doesnt even really seem to care or notice. in the shows canon shes: liked by the student body, liked by teachers, admired by men (and girls too), academically inclined, good at bowling, captain of fencing club (and likely the most talented duelist- since shes the only one utena never properly beats) and a MODEL?????????? and shiori, at least in her own eyes, is painfully mundane. growing up next to someone who seems to have everything go in their favor, all of the while youre harboring having feelings for them (and jealous that youre among SO many suitors) is so frustrating! especially when you dont believe to have any at all. the elevator sequence when she discovers juris locket is a bit of a power trip for shiori, and also just a sort of confusion. shioris “why do you look at me like that?!” when she considers juri mid breakdown is a clear reflection of her own confusion, she may as well be saying “how could you possibly love me?”...but that was the black rose arc which all got undone anyways- so by the time we see shiori ruka arc she doesnt even know juris got the hots for her. when she first sees ruka, shes staring at juri first and only zeroes in on ruka once she hears people talking abt him. she takes ruka the same way she did that boy in middle school because he seems to be something coveted by the girls around her, its a very closeted gay girl move to decide to go for a boy just because other girls are into him... and it definitely helps that hes in such close contact w juri...he could easily be the one stored in that locket of hers, so why not take him? 

so then we have ruka, who the entire time we watch him is smug, condescending, and genuinely one of the most unpleasant characters on the show. by the end we learn hes in love with juri, so maybe this persona was embellished to push her towards revolution to “free her from shiori” or whatever but.... sorry i dont care LOL! the way he treated shiori ALONE was enough for me to dislike him, there was NO need to tear apart and embarrass the girl like that. he took clear advantage of her crush on juri. his locker is seen right next to juris, and shiori is pressed up against one of the two lockers, but we arent shown which,  “after all, that wasnt my sword,”....he knows shiori has been going to juris locker (and potentially polishing her sword but who knows. all we know is that she goes to juris locker.) and it is later revealed hes extra certain of her feelings because upon publically dumping her (another dick move) we hear her kinda stutter “I love you more than.... I love you more than anyone else” shes clearly beating around a bush because theyre in public, hes pinpointed she and juri are both into eachother, and instead of being a normal ass guy about it and just SETTING THEM UP and telling them to work their stuff out he chooses to, “out of love”  assault juri, emotionally manipulates the girl juri is in love with,  then inadvertantly cause juris locket to break which upsets her so deeply she forfeits her duel with utena. and upon that locket breaking he has the AUDACITY to think hes somehow freed her from something... when the girl is breaking down crying in the rain (the first and only time we ever see juri cry...even if its implied she does it in the shower that one time lol).......then just???dies??? like all he does in his time on the show is cause problems and die, all because he couldnt get over his feelings for a lesbian.... it just feels SO gross to me that he hides his assault and general abuse (can we talk abt how he likely took shioris virginity, JUST to break her down???) behind some icky hero complex

PLUS we see shiori at the end of that episode realize shes in that locket while juri is dueling, and we see her run up to juri at the end of the ep and it doesnt look malicious, it feels very...resolutiony? esp when you put it next to the miki/kozue closing scene of their car arc duel, which is explicitly bad terms, this feels more hopefully....suggesting some part of shiori has at least changed. ruka never got that luxury, he completely exploited two girls in order to add dramatic flare to his last few days and felt valid in doing so..... shiori never seemed to think her actions were JUSTIFIED.....which is sort of the point of the black rose arc where shiori is arguably at her worst........... the very ugliest part of ppl are brought out in those elevator sessions so thats what we see of shiori? 

sorry for the essay!! but i hope this helps and make sense :-) feel free to ask any more questions u have abt the show, and i hope u continue enjoying it! im assuming ure still watching it, i dont know how far u are but if u JUST finished 29 then that means ure getting to some of my fave episodes! (33,37,39 :) ) 

tl,dr: shiori never assaulted anyone

[sneakystorms]

im barfing out my anthy thoughts into the first draft of my essay and i just realised that 

a) after episode 9, she’s the only major character to wear the girls’ uniform - wakaba, kozue, shiori and nanami’s posse do still wear it, but out of the duelist characters, all wear a male uniform (or a crazy, booty shorts including variant on it) which brings me to

b) the only characters to wear feminine clothes on the dueling arena are anthy and kozue+shiori+briefly utena when acting as the rose brides. this might seem kind of obvious - duh, only the rose brides wear the rose bride dress - but it just really drives home that being a duelist - and by extension being a prince (even if not all duelists view themselves or act as princes the two roles are still undeniably related) - is a man’s game, and any time a woman plays it, she is temporarily appropriating an essentially male role. 

c) also, anthy is the only female character (at least in terms of even remotely important characters, excluding, like, mari or aiko and yuuko) to never wear a male uniform. you could argue that she does when playing mamiya, and i’d imagine the scene of mamiya putting his uniform on must have been very intentionally included, but we never Actually see anthy herself in it.

i guess these aren’t terribly original points to make, and they don’t really mean anything particularly shocking - like, yeah, anthy is portrayed as the ideal, hyperfeminine princess in contrast to utena’s attempts at being the prince, big fucking surprise - but, idk, i never noticed before how uniquely femininely she is coded every single second she is on screen. out of the major characters, she’s the only character to never wear masculine clothes, and from ep 9 on the only one to wear the female uniform at all. just sth i noticed

[nomadicism]

What is the corect order to watch the anime Yamato that you have talk about? And same with Lotgh (about the order if theres more than one adaptation), also, you know where can someone find the novels on english?? After reading a lot of your posts on both animes I'm really curious to know more about them :)

Hello, thank you for the Ask!

I’m so glad that you are curious about Yamato and LotGH! (◕ᴗ◕✿)

In reverse order:

I. Legend of the Galactic Heroes

[ 銀河英雄伝説  Ginga Eiyū Densetsu ] by Yoshiki Tanaka [ 田中 芳樹 Tanaka Yoshiki ]

Novels: Originally published between 1982 – 1987. Volumes 1-8 of the 10 volume novel series are available in English, published by Viz Media through their Haikasoru imprint. The translations of the novels are by Daniel Huddleston (vol. 1-3, and 7), Tyran Grillo (vol. 4-6), and Matt Treyvaud (vol. 8). Presumably the 9th and 10th volumes will be translated and released in the coming year. They can be purchased at RightStuf Anime, Amazon, Barnes & Noble all carry them. Amazon also has a Kindle version available, and of course used copies for sale as well. The Gaiden (Side Stories) novels have not been translated and released in English yet.

Anime, recently released: LotGH: Die Neue These is the remake (maybe qualifies as reboot?) of original series and there are quite a few differences (so far) if you were to compare them episode by episode. It is streaming in Japanese with English subtitles on CrunchyRoll and Funimation. Funimation also has the English dub. I strongly recommend watching this first, it’s only 12 episodes (first season as it were). If you love it enough that you can’t wait for more, then dive into the original. The BD/DVD of Season 1 is available for pre-order on RightStuf and Funimation.

Anime OG Run: Three films, the main OVA series, and two OVA side story series. HIDIVE is streaming all of these in Japanese with English subtitles. HIDIVE organizes them together under “Legend of the Galactic Heroes” with Season One being the 110 episodes that comprise the main OVA series, and “Season Two” (also called LotGH: Gaiden) being the combination of the two OVA side story series with 52 episodes, and Movie 1, Movie 2, and Movie 3 are the films titled “LotGH: My Conquest is the Sea of Stars”, “LotGH: Overture to a New War”, and “LotGH: Golden Wings”. Worth noting that Golden Wings was released before Overture to a New War, HIDIVE has them ordered chronologically.

Note: on the chance anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the term, ‘OVA’ refers to ‘Original Video Animation’ (called OAV in the U.S.) and indicates that the series was direct-to-video, rather than a television series. In the early days of “Finally we’re getting officially licensed and translated anime in the U.S.!” (e.g. early 90s), most of the anime brought over during that time were OVAs. OVAs are generally higher quality and more adult than anime made for broadcast.

II. LotGH Watch Order

Good luck! You won’t go wrong just watching the entire main OVA series all the way through…all 110 episodes! BUT, the films and the Gaiden OVAs take place before and during the main OVA series.

Hardcore LotGH fans might recommend differently, but you could probably watch in the following order:

The first film—My Conquest is the Sea of Stars—is a prelude to the main OVA series. (Movie 1 on HIDIVE)

The third film—Overture to a New War—or—first two episodes of the main OVA series. This film is a remake of the first two episodes and connects with the first film. (Movie 2 on HIDIVE)

Episodes 1-54 of the main OVA series.

The second film—Golden Wings. (Movie 3 on HIDIVE)

Episodes 55-110 of the main OVA series.

Episodes 1-52 of the two Gaiden OVA series as ordered on HIDIVE (called Season Two).

HIDIVE has their “Season Two” ordered a little differently as the two separate OVA Gaiden series are comprised of short stories that cover the early military careers of Reinhard and Yang. They are not ordered by release date, nor ordered relative to which series they were apart of, basically, the ordering on HIDIVE jumps back and forth between the two Gaiden series. It’s weird, but it makes sense.

The first arc—Spiral Labyrinth—of the second Gaiden series comes first, listed as ep 1-14. Then the first arc—The Silver White Valley—from the first Gaiden series comes next, listed as episodes 15-18. After that, the three middle arcs from the second Gaiden series—The Mutineer, The Duelist, and The Retriever—are listed as episodes 19-30. Following is the second arc of the first Gaiden series—Dreams of Morning, Songs of Night—listed as episodes 31-34, and then the final (fourth) arc of the first Gaiden series—A Hundred Billion Stars, a Hundred Billion Lights—listed as episodes 35-46. Finally, the final (fifth) arc of the second Gaiden series—The Third Tiamat Battle—listed as episodes 47-48, and the third arc of the first Gaiden series—Dishonor/Disgrace—is listed as episodes 50-52.

As they are side stories, they take place at different times relative to the narrative of the main OVA series. Personally, I think they are better to watch after finishing the main OVA series, but others may disagree.

III. Space Battleship Yamato / Star Blazers

[ 宇宙戦艦ヤマト Uchū Senkan Yamato ] by Leiji Matsumoto [ 松本 零士 Matsumoto Reiji ] and Yoshinobu Nishizaki [ 西崎 義展 Nishizaki Yoshinobu ]

I know very little about the original series (1974-1975) other than the basic facts easily found on Wikipedia. I have seen a handful of episodes from the original series, both Japanese and the English dubbed Star Blazers. The true fans of this series can be found on Tumblr and they can answer about the watch order for the original better than I. I can tell you that there were three TV series total for original, so the first run and then two sequel series in the 80s. Then there are several movies and an OVA. There was also a live action movie which I’ve heard good things about but have not seen.

When I post on Tumblr about SBY, it’s about the remakes that began in 2012. These are streaming online and available on BD/DVD (more further below).

Where/how to watch original series:

Amazon Prime Video has Star Blazer season 1 (this is the English dub of the 1974-1975 series), and you can find all three seasons of the English dub on YouTube (I can’t vouch for the quality or completeness). The three TV series (English dub) can be purchased on DVD. They are collected in three sets: Star Blazers The Quest for Iscandar, Star Blazers Comet Empire, and Star Blazers The Bolar Wars. I have no clue about the movies or where/how to watch the original series in Japanese.

The remakes: There are three so far, a TV series called Space Battleship Yamato 2199, a film called Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark [ 星巡る方舟 Hoshi-meguru Hakobune ]  and the chapter-film series Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love [ 愛の戦士たち Ai no Senshi-tachi ]. Funimation adds “Star Blazers” to the beginning of the titles for English-language recognition, while I use the shortest name possible when referring to them, so Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202, and Odyssey of the Celestial Ark (aka Ark of the Stars).

Where/How to watch 2199 and 2202: Both of the Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202 series are streaming on Funimation in Japanese with English subtitles, and as English dubs. Yamato 2199 can be purchased in as two BD/DVD sets from RightStuf, Funimation, Amazon, etc. The first set of Yamato 2202 is available for pre-order from the same. The blu-ray of Odyssey of the Celestial Ark film is available to purchase on Amazon, it is an import from Japan. If you are in the U.S. then your blu-ray player can play it (unlike DVDs, the U.S. and Japan are in the same region for BDs). The Japanese blu-ray also has English subtitles.

IV. Yamato 2199 and 2202 Watch Order

The titles are conveniently chronological. 2199 comes before 2202. So watch Yamato 2199 first, and then move onto Yamato 2202. The Odyssey of the Celestial Ark film takes place before the end of the 2199 TV series. You do not need to watch it before watching 2202. The film can be stand-alone (though it is clearly setting up for 2202) and act as the pilot episode to the 2202 series. That doesn’t mean that its story is superfluous, it’s quite good and I love how it is structured.

I hope this helps! Enjoy!

[worldstraveller]

My most favourite pairing/shipping of all time

1. Fudo Yusei x Izayoi Aki ( Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s) (Edit: I have given links of the collages of my favourite moments for a better view and understanding of why are my favourites)

They are my most favourite couple/pairing/shipping of all time, before Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's aired, it was SakuraxShaoran, then YuseixAki came, for some years I was quite undecided which one I liked most, there was a time it was equally. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is a very special for me as Yu-Gi-Oh! spin-off, even as an anime, animated series and tv show, because it was the first one I watched from the beginning, I knew before it aired in Japan, I will never forget the memories I had  watching in livestream in RAW right in the morning before going to vocational school, online friends that I have fond memories shipping together YuseixAki, it was fun, theories and speculations about the plot, I still hold some grudge and issues in season 2 regarding the story development and lack of limelight and focus in some main  characters (season 1 was pretty good, I think Fortune Cup story arc is the best arc in 5D's). How I came to start liking and then loving this shipping as much as I do today, when the series aired in Japan, I did catch up with japanese dub with an excellent translator who given the subtitles in .ass file, I was bit wary at first about these two while on edge to jump into shipping them, due to pairings in YGO doesn't usually appeal me or doesn't satisfy me enough in terms of hints and development (I like MaixJounouchi, KaibaxIshizu and Priest SetoxKisara in a indiferent way), let's say I was with low expectations, so I wouldn't get disappointed (a bit like Eleteo), it was fun finding the hints and you could tell there was a special connection between them, it actually kinda started as rivals as well as not because involves the plot and their character development, their duels, technically two, it's very nicely done and usually moved me, their duels are some of the most emotionally, metaphocally and symbolically charged, I get a little moved or very moved. It was after their first duel I started to ship them hard, when they become friends officially, they're always there to support each other, trust each other while giving hints they like to love each other in romantic way, they even have a "date" and many sweet moments.

Why I love this pairing so much to even be my most favourite:

- Most of you who follow me don't know much about Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Izayoi Aki is a bit of a tragic character (unusual for a female lead in YGO), she is a psyhic duelist, a card game player with psyhic abilities through duelling, in her case, she can materialize the cards she uses, in order words, she can cause physical damage with monsters cards, spell cards and trap cards (but can heal if she uses cards that restores LP - Life Points), however she couldn't and didn't know how to control her powers, in result she was ostracised and feared by society, at first when she met Yusei and during the tournament, she was very wary of Yusei, despite of her being ostracised, Yusei was the first person who step up in wanting to understand her and her pain, to help her and be her friend, it took a while for her to accept his friendship and trust him, Yusei became her very first friend and person willing to genuinely understand and help her, he even helped her parents to reconcile with her. (I didn't expect the first reason to be this long, wow...). - Before them becoming friends, as I said above, Aki was wary of Yusei in the beginning due to her past and his always serious expression were bit intimidating and so his skills, Yusei, well... is a bit difficult to make out due to his poker face, he did also felt a bit uneasy about her, not really because of her psyhic abilities (even though is natural for one be scared of her) but her duelling skills, their skills and posture are closely matched, but Yusei was most curious and eager to understand her side, while Aki being wary of him prefered to avoid him, the main reason being they are are signers (exists 5 of them, 5 chosen ones of the crimson dragon). - How Yusei tried to help Aki by her opening up to him bit by bit and himself taking all of her pain and hatred, trying to convince she can think for herself, loving herself and save herself from the hatred in herself and society who always shunned her for her powers, while implying the marks they both hold in their arm and they share all the pain this mark gives and share between signers in trying to guide them, in other words, that they're friends (this happens in their first duel) - In their rematch, Yusei tries to help Aki once again since last time they were kinda interrupted when their last duel ended (by the crowd shunning Aki and the leader who is using her as psyhic duelist to escort her back to the organisation), he says he sees her as a friend (dearly and secretly holding romantic feelings for her as eps 40 implies), helps her and her parents to reconcile. (the post has become a little too long, so I had to cut a little, that’s to be expected to be my most favourite pairing...)

- When they become friends, Yusei is very supportive of Aki and Aki gives personal space to him when he needs it. - After sometime has passed, their friendship has grown stronger, Aki feels more confortable around people, specially her friends, she feels very grateful to Yusei for the support and help he has given her, being her first friend, so she is eager to help him in return (it's a bit obvious she holds some romantic feelings for him by this time). - Both Yusei and Aki have soft spot for and protective of the fraternal twins (Rua and Ruka) and each other. - Their trust in each other grows deeper and closer, sometimes they argue a little but is in matters in protecting and saving each other, their connection is quite strong to a point when one of them is in trouble, only their marks glow (even when the 5 signers are present), she has such absolute trust in Yusei to open up to him when they become closer friends, when says she wants to get her riding duel license in order to understand Yusei better and her friends who are D-Wheelers (Jack and Crow) as in return for Yusei effort to understand and help her. - As it reaches the end, they don't exactly confess their feelings but they imply to each other (in a sense is more of a declaration). - By YGO main pairings standards, they're one of the most sucessful and well done pairings in making it quite obvious and clear in YGO that they have a romantic connection, specially compared to it's predecessors. - they are the first male and female lead characters when both do not follow a "duelist" path, instead they become doctors in their respective fields, Yusei being more of developer-physician doctor while Aki in becoming a medical doctor. - also their personalities do match well, they hold similarities such as they are serious, level-headed and both reserved, they have differences, Aki is a very fiery and emotional person under her calm and reserved posture, Yusei hardly shows any emotions unless from people who know him for years (even so, he still behaves serious), he is more of introspective nature than Aki, kind and faithful to his ideals, they do bring out each other what they lack and need (Aki has bit of a challenging personality and middle wise between emotional/fiery and calm/serious (it only becomes problematic when she is feeling emotinally vulnerable or very unstable), for Yusei who is mostly serious and more reserved, so is natural he would be drawn to someone who is able to be calm as much emotional without overwhelming him, in Aki's side, well Yusei given everything she needed and still does, so Aki is very eager to help him).

Favourite Moments:

for better view of the picture click here

1.    episode 154, it's when Aki goes to his house to say farewell to Yusei (she will study abroad to become a medical doctor) and try to confess to him, but in the end Aki tells him that she was glad she met him and Yusei replies it was the same for him, then they talk about their first impression they had  of each other when they first met, they admit they thought of each other as scary, she got a bit angry, then comes the romantic lines and scene from each other, starting with Yusei saying to Aki...

Yusei: Aki, don't forget to smile. There's no one in the world with a smile better than yours. as he holds her hand while saying this, tightly holds her hand and Aki one hand holds his hand tightly in return, then Aki's other hand holds over his hand and replies: Aki: You're the one who put that smile on my face...Yusei. then they look into each others eyes, Aki closes her eyes, it's implied they kissed (it wasn't shown, so we can't confirm, but there is rumours in the DVD, there was a scene that was cut of them kissing in this scene, so we can't be sure), then they let go of each others hands, you see there is hesitation in them in let it go of their hands and say goodbye, then Aki leaves and Yusei looks at the door from where she left for a awhile and turns around...it's a very beautiful and romantic scene, even a romantic insert song starts playing in this scene. what they say to each other, is not exactly a confession but more of a declaration. I was actually quite surprised about such a romantic scene even their lines...

for a better view of the picture click here

2. episode 75, the "date" episode between Yusei and Aki, Yusei to help Aki to get her sense of balance in riding motobike for evasive techniques for her license in Riding Duel, he takes her to a rolling skate rink, while the twins watching them from the rink bench (to not interfere with Yusei helping Aki) and making the conclusion it is a date, it's very likely Yusei had this intention in mind a little, since Aki didn't skated before, Yusei ends up teaching her, as she gets the hang of it, Yusei and Aki are so well synchronised skating.

for a better view of the picture click here

3. episode 40, this happens before their rematch, Aki is in the hospital unconscious dreaming of her sad memories regarding her past and recent memory she dreams is the first person who approach her genuinely trying to help her being Yusei and tears starts to come up as moved by his words, Yusei was brought by Aki's father for Yusei to help her wake up, when he arrives by the side of the hospital bed where Aki is unconscious, he whispers her surname "Izayoi..." (probably would be behaving too familiar with her if was just her name), removes his glove in order to remove her tears, their marks starts glowing, she finally wakes up.

for a better view of the picture click here

4. episode 42, It's right in the beginning of the episode, when the secretary Mikage of Public Security of Domino City presents evidences about the organisation for Psyhic Duelists about abducted children and living test recordings, the organisation Izayoi Aki was in, revealing the real intent of the organisation was to use psyhic duelists as soldiers for war-torn regions and she was chosen to be one of them, she was disgusted, slightly shocked and hurt by this reveal and she leaves the room, Yusei who was watching her reactions worried followed her and found her sitting in front of a table lost in thoughts about the recent info, when she talks about her feelings regarding this reveal of the true intent of the organisation, Yusei was able to cheer her up, affirming to her he won't reject her and that they're friends/comrades and that there is people that will trust and need her now.

For a better view of the picture click here

5. episode 99, there is three great scenes and both very moving between these two, around beginning, middle and ending, I don't know which I like  it more...it happens in the middle of a team vs team riding duels...in the beginning, Aki's turn is coming and she is feeling very nervous, Yusei in effort to relax and encourage her and points out her parents are watching to support her and says she isn't alone anymore...

For a better view of the picture click here

6.episode 99, in the middle of the episode, it's revealed that before she started her time to riding duel, Yusei borrowed and entrusted his ace and favourite card, Stardust Dragon to her as token for her to have fun riding duel, between duelists and D-Wheelers, it's a very big deal, it's a sign of unwavering trust towards her (and romantic feelings for her, it's obvious he also wanted her to see schryncro summoning his fave card) and his rxcited reaction when she summoned his monster while doing the summoning chanting...

for a better view of the picture click here

7.episode 99+100, at the end of the episode and beginning of episode 100, Aki is feeling quite down, because she lost the duel but was able to keep Yusei's card that he borrowed her and two of her facedown cards to Yusei, after Stardust Dragon being put in his duel disk by Rua, Yusei puts his hand over the card gently and tells her "I've carried on your feelings. Let me handle the rest.", he is quite touched by her gesture and intentions...he has intentions to make up for it and more determined in not wasting her efforts... (there is much more moments I could include, but I went a little overboard with this post...)

[asofterutena]

(- so who's wearing your skin?)

episode 23 of revolutionary girl utena, the terms of the duelist, aired on this date 26 years ago.

[kyogre-blue]

Ep. 126 

Two really passionate duelists going at it can generate hundreds of billions of joules. (That’s a million times a thousand times a hundred.)

Let’s see... One kilowatt hour is about 3.6 million joules. So we’re talking about the ballpark of 100,000 killowatt hours in one duel. 

In terms of human power, a healthy adult male manual laborer will perform work equal to about half a kilowatt hour over an eight hour day. So two dudes doing normal work would be 1 kilowatt a day. 

200,000 dudes doing normal labor for 8 hours is roughly about as much as one really passionate duel can put out. Put another way, there are about 260 work days in a year. So it would take a single person doing manual labor 770 years to put out as much energy as one really passionate duel. 

That being said, it’s not a totally wild number in terms of energy that can be generated (just... not by human beings). For example, a typical coal plant is about 600,0000 kilowatts. And the Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona has a total electricity generating capacity of about 3,937,000 kilowatts. So a power plant can produce a lot more in an hour, I guess...?

[chromsai]

i dare you to make a top V arc v soundtrack list better than mine

Okay so first off, there’s no way I can make a list just like yours because as we discussed before, we all have different tastes in music, even if it’s all great. Secondly, in terms of writing a list as descriptive as yours… there’s just no way for me to. I’m not a musician, like you are, so I have little to no knowledge of musical terminology. That being said, I can give you a list from a more… consumer-of-music standpoint. And, although I may not be as technically descriptive as you, I can at least try to convey my emotions for…

Aaahhh… The Arc V soundtrack.

Let me just say that right off the bat, we’re all going to have very different lists. While I know this isn’t everybody’s favorite soundtrack of all the Yugiohs, it definitely is mine. By far. I absolutely fell in love with this soundtrack since episode 1. Okay well, not absolutely absolutely, but pretty damn close to absolutely since episode 1, but I’ll explain more about that later. The one thing I will mention though is that this is my favorite soundtrack because its tracks were all extremely memorable since that very first episode.

I’m an avid consumer of music and one of the most important aspects for me in how much I end up liking (or loving) a series (or video game or whatever) is its music. I listen to music without fail every damn day of my life. Can’t live without the stuff. But of course I have my tastes, and somehow the Arc V soundtrack always gave me something to look forward to. Kotaro Nakagawa, in my opinion, did a wonderful job composing the entire thing and keeping pace with the tone of the story to help make scenes have significant impact on the audience. After hearing the Arc V soundtrack, I’m convinced that Nakagawa is some kind of musical genius because, tho I said I love music, if it’s not memorable, I can’t care any less for a soundtrack. Ironically enough, the only other anime soundtrack I keep revisiting aside from the Arc V soundtrack is the Code Geass soundtrack which… he also composed. The guy knows how to leave an impression… with his music. And that’s amazing.

Here’s just a handful of screenshots of me screaming about the Arc V Soundtrack ever since the first few weeks of Arc V, proving that: No. I won’t ever shut the fuck up about this soundtrack. Because. It’s. That. Fucking. Good. It’s been good since Day 1 and it stayed damn good til the end.

It’s especially amazing considering that a major theme of this show is leaving an impression on your opponents and your audience through your dueling. Not only did Nakagawa let his signature style shine through his compositions in this soundtrack, he also contributed to the story itself numerous times over. The soundtrack he composed here is that impressive.

Well anyway, enough of this and let’s get to my list:

(Note: Yes, I am including the entire soundtrack, up until the very finale of the show, and not just tracks from Sound Duels 1-3, but don’t worry, I’ll have links for all tracks I mentioned, though expect not-so-perfect quality for some that aren’t on the Sound Duel [curse you, Marvelous!!]).

5. Wavering Feelings / ENJOY (Unreleased)

Of course I can’t avoid starting off with a tie because you only gave me 5 slots and it’s hard enough to choose JUST 5 out of the entire soundtrack. Hell you coulda given me 10 slots and I would still be struggling. :/

Anyways, so Wavering Feelings: I love the building anticipation of this track from beginning all the way til its climatic, burst of boundless, jazzy energy at 1:24. It’s steady and serious but also not overly boisterous, so it’ll give you a slight hinge of anxiety, but not enough to where you can’t focus. In fact, it does the opposite; the tone of it pretty much prepares you for a fight. I love this theme because it builds steadily as the characters strategize and then plays along perfectly when they finally unleash hell. The resolution to it right after the sax also brings you back down to the same level of focus you had before activating some sick card combo + also perfectly syncs up as you throw down some face downs to end your turn. It just plays excellently for any serious comeback turn.

ENJOY: Alright so when this track first aired, I kinda “nutted”, for lack of a better term.

Ah yes, the infamously terribly animated ep 61. Thankfully that was just THAT episode. Anyway, see? I “nutted” for ENJOY. (*cries* poor past Sai, this unfortunately didn’t make it onto any Sound Duels.)

Well basically, I love this track because it’s just so… passionate? Over dueling?? Like… that’s so extra (just like this entire franchise) but at the same time it’s moving, and honestly the track playing during Enjoy Chojiro’s mini redemption during that duel made it seem like his real dueling spirit was actually reviving and that he’d be able to come back strong and uplifting, all thanks to Yuya. Yeah, I mentioned before this was actually one of my favorite moments in Arc V and this track was a big part of that, tbh. The slow steady guitar riff is pretty damn sick and really gets you into the mood of the duel. I know they played this track again in episode 69, but it had a better impact in episode 61, I think. Still an excellent and memorable track, despite it only being used like twice.

4. Duel of Rebellion

HOLY SHIT. This. Track. Is. Bone-chilling.

First of all, it is hella rhythmic af all throughout, but that aggressive guitar in the beginning gets me every time. Then it moves into some signature Arc V electronica… and then stops for a moment. And then it picks right back up again with BOTH. Just like its namesake, this theme for the XYZ boys is pretty damn fucking poppin’ and takes no prisoners. It’s here to do one job and one job only: pump you up and keep the pressure on. I absolutely love that they throw in the XYZ trio’s theme into the mix over a steady beat that keeps up with your fast-paced heart beat as you’re running around grabbing action cards or running from attacks to try to pretty much stay alive. The track takes another slight break at 1:22 so you can catch your breath a bit and gather your bearings as you get ready to plan your next move for survival while keeping the urgent tone still very much alive. It ends steadily, gradually, instead of abruptly like you’d usually expect a track of its pace to do, manifesting the tired spirits of those of the Resistance: more than willing to fight back despite how much they just want this war to end. This track just… it’s pretty much Shun & Yuto in music form. That’s beautiful.

3. Duelist’s Secret Feelings

Ha. So I don’t usually let anyone know this about me but, I really, really love dark, creepy, menacing musical tracks like these. What I find most astounding about this is that there’s a lighter version of this track and it sounds almost nothing like it but the melody is still definitely the same and, to be honest, I was not much of a fan of it or just thought nothing of it… until Duelist’s Secret Feelings. This is what I meant when I said that Nakagawa’s composition also adds narrative to Arc V’s story. Of course, DSF isn’t always used for scenes with Sora in them or is exclusive to just him, but again this track made that first Sora vs Shun duel that much more impactful and grandiose. The menacing tone of it just screams “danger looming overhead and there’s not much you can do to stop it” while also reminding us that this is also technically Sora’s theme. Under all that fluff and candy, he was hiding his threatening outlook. It also ends rather calmly though, perhaps foreshadowing that there’ll be a calm after whatever terrible storm is up ahead.

Bonus: Do yourself a favor and play this track then immediately follow it up with Duel of Rebellion. The mood of this one carries over into DoR and it gives you this feeling of an all-out war and hell. 

2. One Last Show (Unreleased)

This. Track.

It’s full of hope. It’s full of dread and desperation. It’s full of urgency and confidence. This is the kind of track I expect to hear right before dealing the final finishing blow on The Final Boss.

And that’s exactly what they used it for.

BUT. They actually used it twice. Once for when Yusho faces off with Yuri, where it was used to accompany Yusho’s fascinating entertainment skills which lead him to certain victor- oh wait no. He died. Thus, the feeling of misleading hope is very appropriate here.

But it also has its certain hopeful highs, which is why it was used again against Zarc, our (kinda titular) final boss. And it definitely brought on all those emotions of facing off the final boss and the satisfying anticipation that comes right before the finishing blow is dealt.

One Last Show is grandiose in its execution (0:19-0:40 is like GET READY), leaving no room for imagination regarding how important the moment it accompanies is. But it’s also intricately delicate and elegant (them piano riffs), leading to the belief that there still is a chance for everything to go to hell and it very damn well can if you fuck up so don’t waste the chance.

As I write this, I do believe actually that it was used again later on (iirc, during the moment when Yuya and his counterparts speak again right before he summons his dragons in 146), but I could be wrong and that might be another OST. Regardless, it’s fitting for important moments like these and it leaves a lasting and chilling impression.

Shout outs / Honorable mentions: 

1. Yuto’s Passionate Soul (acapella) (this track MADE ‘duel de egao’ matter)2. Swing! Pendulum of Souls (oh man… the fact that this track was actually out shined by others is pretty damn telling how much I love this entire fucking soundtrack overall since this is probably one of the best orchestrated themes I’ve heard in any anime and I never get tired of hearing it. Side note: the piano solo version of this in episode 97 was such a beautiful tease I cry every time.)3. Enlightenment (just. epic. af. I don’t think I have to explain any further)4. Futile Struggle (this is one of those I like to call a “wasted theme” because as far as I can remember it was only used once and well… it’s just. Spectacular. All of it.)5. Dark Requiem / Reiji’s Heroic Entrance (yep, even my Honorables list ends in a tie. Both of these are supremely majestic and accompanied their respective scenes epically.)

1. A Battle That You Can’t Lose

Wow, can you tell I like violins and guitars?

Recall I said way earlier this post that I absolutely loved the Arc V soundtrack almost at the beginning. Well I really liked it since episode 1, but this track is what made me absolutely LOVE and appreciate and expect great things from this entire soundtrack. 

I was referring to the end of episode 8, which does in fact end with ABTYCL.

Yeah damn them to hell for making this track that I have been in love with since episode fucking 3. I’ll play this on loop and never really get tired of it.

Honestly, my whole bias for violins and guitars aside, I feel this track does 2 things.

1) Encapsulates the spirit of Action Duels pretty damn well: it’s fun and exciting but it can also mean serious business. Either way, a duel is still a duel so we’re going to keep it light-hearted and try our best to show that to you in this heated heart-to-heart battle. 

It also helps that this song is played often right at the beginning of duels as the duelists rev up the Action Duel chant, and often times it’s played at the very end of duels right as they leave you off on a cliffhanger after an absurdly high-stakes entertainment maneuver. 

2) The second thing I believe it does is encapsulates the spirit of ALL OF ARC V. The entire theme of this show. It’s fast-past, non-stop, tense, but also fun-loving and damn does it know how to keep you hooked from beginning to end with its MARVELOUS (*coughpunsomewhatintended*) entertainment style. ABTYCL starts off with a literal bang to grab your attention (even giving off the feeling of “oh poor you, you don’t realize the hell you just signed up for”) immediately then has that looming guitar riff carried throughout to remind you that yes, this is completely serious. Then at 0:58 seconds in, it tones down just slightly while remaining completely serious to demonstrate that this show is not afraid to fuck around just a little just to surprise you (and put a smile on your face).

And yes, I know you must be thinking But Sai its kind of a simple melody, how is this your number 1?!

The emotions in this track are kind of a mix of everything, though, as I explained. Thus, it’s actually pretty complex. But it hides it pretty damn well. And I live for the seemingly simple. Depth is my favorite part of this track and ABTYCL gives it to me in spades (hell, even from just its title which fits it pretty damn well).

Anyway, that’s the end of my list. Of course there were A TON more tracks I LOVE I had to leave out (unfortunately), but these are basically the ones that left their biggest impressions on me and made my Arc V experience all the more memorable. 

[a-fool-without-a-clue]

for the ygo fandom meme: 17, 18 & 21?

·        18. A random headcanon

I can’t think of any at the moment for GX andZexal’s characters, and for A5 they have started to develop into AUs.

Hmm, let’s go with: after Yuzu and the girlshad time to process and think about what they went through and how they weren’table to fight for themselves they leave Miami to explore all the dimensions andlearn as much as they can from themselves and each other, the dimensions andall there is about dueling and the summoning methods.

Serena will make the best she can do with thehelp of the girls to define the type of freedom she now has, as well as the meaningof fusion summoning now that she has actually went through a fusion herself and develop for the first time real bonds with someone.

Yuzu wants to learn about Heartland and the Fusion dimension the kind of placeboth were before and will be in the future, and keep learning and growing forherself and to support the girls. 

Rin wants to know of the world beyond theCity and Ruri with the help of the girls wants to learn what she wants out oflife after what she went through the invasion, how she lost her life and wantsto start a new one beyond anything she had ever considered.

Masumi joined them when they went to the Fusion dimension.

Once they had time to think about it as well,Yuto, Yugo and Yuri didn’t really like their situation, it’s not like all fourhad a strong bond like they do in the manga.

Yuto may have been ok with it before, but nowthat Ruri went through the same fate and now he has to share room with the guywho kidnapped her and the one who “killed” him, he isn’t feeling it. Yugo doesn’tactually even knows any of them (he barely knows a thing about Yuto and Yuri)as times went on thou, Yuto and Yugo became best friends.

Yuto wasn’t a good duelist before the start ofthe show, and he is a cat person.

And a bit mean one: After Shun trained withGongenzaka, Sawatari, Sora and Dennis (they had their share of talks and duelsbefore they were in good terms) and traveled in occasions with Yuzu and thegirls, he entered the pro league, and since Yuya’s protagonists powers weregone by then, and Shun had learn how to face Synchro, Penduloms, andcombinations of the four, Shun defeated him.

(one it said lol)

·        21. Which Millennium Item would youwant and why?

Hmm, probably the puzzle because I would liketo try to solve it.  one part of me wantsthe Eye and the Rod, but for the former I don’t wanna lose my eye, and for bothof them well I wouldn’t really want to use them with people in general, thouthey could be useful in certain situations. And the collar would be great but atthe same time it’s a power I am not sure I would want.

17. Have you ever cried over YGO and why?

All nightsthinking of what they did to Yuzu and everybody else.

Ok ok I amjoking, I do think about it all the time though.

From Arc-V Idid get teary the last time I watched ep. 69, Yuzu being fantastic for the lasttime (ok not the actual last, but you know what I mean) and Chojiro is such afun character, AND Steadfast Duel is playing!

I haven’twatched DM in a while, but I am like 90% sure I would get teary with the endingof Jonouichi (Joey) vs Yugi (probably both duels) and Jonouichi VS. Marik, alsoYugi VS. Atem

(a bit spoilyfor GX and Zexal)

Hmm, I got emotionalat times with GX, but I don’t think I ever cried. I may have gotten a bit tearywith the third to last duel of season 3, Kaiser Ryo vs. Yubel, awesome duel allaround but Ryo’s last turn with “Bewildering Duel” playing is something else.And probably with the last duel of Season 3 Judai VS. Yubel, just all theemotion and weight there is for both characters.

Wait Wait! Ijust remembered other two more lighthearted Duels where I may have cried a bit:Hayato (Chumley) VS Chronos in S1 and Judai VS. Chronos in S4.

I don’t know, just, Hayato is one of those minorcharacters that barely have like one or two moments to themselves, and yetbecome one your favorites. I love the first one because of how much bothcharacters have changed even if both didn’t have that many moments, and justall the emotion I felt from Hayato in his last moments in the Academia aregetting me even now.

For the latter, it’s just such a “nostalgic”duel, around three years have passed in universe (Side note, but I hope VRAINSdoes this too, letting years past) it has moments that parallel GX’s very firstduel, Chronos changed a lot from the guy that wanted NOTHING to do with Judai andhis friends, to him trying to screw up their graduation because he doesn’t wantthem to leave! (Still jerkish but aww) and after all Judai went through it’ssuch a heartwarming duel.

For Zexal? I got a bit teary with Yuma VS. III,and Yuma and Kaito VS IV and III, as well as Kaito’s last duel against Mizael.

The ones I actually Cried? Yuma VS. Shark Duel#3 and #5, those two are very heartwarming for me, but their sixth and lastDuel is the one where I fully cried.

All I can say to not make this even longer (becausethese are six duels) is that I felt so much emotion from Zexal’s  three main characters, Especially Shark’s andYuma’s relationship.

Thanks for the asks!

[kaiowut99]

The Gang Freaks Out Over a Cell Phone

Judai and the others are now in their second year when a quiet freshman comes to duel Judai.  While the freshman’s deck wasn’t all too powerful, it was also an improvised 40-card deck hastily made beforehand out of eight packs in the store.  But even then, Archangel Zerato gets Judai’s LP down to 1200.  Mid-duel, he speaks with a mysterious man on his cell phone, feeling a lack of interest in this duel due to his prediction.  Shou and the others realize this is the well-known Star Duelist Ed Phoenix...

And after a bit too long, here’s finalized!53! It’s fun to finally be getting back into Season 2, since, later plot pacing issues and... questionable moments aside, there’s quite a bit to like about it.  One such thing being the dynamic between Ed and Saiou that we’re introduced to here (one of my favorites), as the concept of fate/destiny starts to become an ever-present theme.  Also, hearing Takehito Koyasu again for a while will be great now that I’ve actually seen JJBA and heard him as DIO. 😂 The animation/artstyle in this episode is also a nice touch-up from what we’ve been used to, and there were some great shots of Judai and Ed there.

So, part of the delay in getting this going since finishing 52 was getting my usual bells and whistles worked on for the translated hardsub; you’ll notice that the OP is fully translated, and not just with the credits--I wanted to do a thing I originally wanted to do way back when my first go-around but lacked the skills for and translate the character names that slide in! If you check out my “subbing-rambling” tag, you can see some of the work-in-progress posts I made showing it off as I worked on it.  As part of this, I also prepared textless versions of the OP’s V2 shots of Chronos and Ed, as well as made Shou in his Red jacket textless for use here; I’ll be sharing these new textless openings as I go through the season over on NAC. (It’s really a shame that we never got those versions officially released...) The ED credits were pretty much copy/paste from Season 1, with a change in karaoke coloring, since thankfully that stays the same, and I’ll also be translating the “Best Card” shots at the end of each episode (which for some reason I noticed Crunchyroll doesn’t include, despite them being on the DVDs?), though on a static screen with the card spinning into view since that moving background’s hard to get blank, lol.

But once those were all done, there were some 53-specific edits and fixes to work on! For the hardsub, I translated the article we see about Ed so that we can read what was visible in Japanese (ie, Ed making waves in August just before Season 2 at an event Kaiba Corp. sponsored!), while I also made a few card fixes.  Breakdown below the cut, as usual.

(UPDATE [7/9/20]: I reuploaded the episode because I realized I didn’t account for the different cards Shou has in his deck shot in the Opening in 53-56 vs 57-104; Gyroid, Cyclone, and Trap Hole in the former become Submarineroid, Vehicroid Connection Zone, and No Entry in the latter (all used in 56), which is what was used in the textless video I was working with while working on translating his name there.  That’s been corrected, and will be accounted for as I share the textless OPs on NAC.  I’m nothing if not consistency-minded. 💁🏽‍♂️)

Enjoy, folks! With 53 finalized, I’ll be giving my 5D’s Dub-Uncut Ep. 26 a quick lookover to see if I have to tweak anything before I work on making the Dark Signer arc episodes’ dubs more bearable, and then I’ll start working on 54.  It’s been a bit since Manjoume last dueled, and him dueling his mini-me in Gokaido should be fun, haha.

Fixes/Edits!

For the hardsub, as Chronos pulls out his issue of Monthly Duel!, I translated 月編 on it to “October” in Photoshop and spliced it in; this was an edit I’d already done for 52′s hardsub since it shows up in the preview for 53.

For the hardsub, the page Chronos has Napoleon stare at has been translated! The original text was vertical but I thought it’d make more sense to translate it horizontally for us; as such, I moved the text on the right about the “Exclusive” on the “Young Duelist Prodigy” to be above Ed’s photo, which I moved a bit more to the right to compensate.  I also added a little “journalistic” fluff to the translation I’d whipped up to make it fit well both on and off-screen, since I wasn’t going to be filling the whole thing with just “On August 7th, KaibaCorp sponsored a Dueling World League” lol.  But definitely made sure to keep the spirit and keep visible those little tidbits like the KaibaCorp nod and the date telling us when Ed started making waves that were visible in the Japanese text.  I did that editing in Photoshop for both this shot and the later shot with Shou’s copy of the magazine, but I warped the text in this one a little to match the slight page warp that Ed’s photo had going.  After that, I redid the zoom in Sony Vegas.  The text is also slightly blurred here since it was like that for the Japanese text.

Later in the episode, after the commercial break, we come back to a pan/zoom-out from Sanctuary in the Sky to Judai’s field, where we see Clay Guardman has his card facing the wrong way compared to where we see it in every other shot after.  I made a proxy for it, though it was a bit tough since we never get a good look at its card (thankfully, the card artwork was put up on the YGO site).  Though the dubified card confirmed for the Wikia that he has zero ATK and, like with Neo Bubbleman, shared the same Level as Clayman.  So, as I made a proxy, I recreated the Japanese effect text mirroring what Neo Bubbleman’s was and mentioning the burn effect as close to the game terms as possible--getting this in the end! Once I did that, I took a frame and placed it in in AfterEffects, masking in Clay Guardman’s feet over it, then took it into Sony Vegas, where I redid the zoom-out as it came into view.

Later on, after Judai explains Tempester’s effect, his face-down card goes away to activate it, but in that shot, Tempester’s not on Judai’s Disk! I made a new Tempester proxy (since here Tempester’s officially using the OCG art/text at the time), then slapped it on in AfterEffects (taking a cue from the dub about where to place it on his Disk).  Thankfully, since Judai stood still here, that’s all it took, lol.

After the duel, Shou realizes who Ed was all along! He rummages through his bag and pulls out his copy of Monthly Duel! and opens it up; like with Chronos’s, for the hardsub, I took it into Photoshop and recreated the color scheme to blot out 月編 and put “October” over it for the nine frames it moves in, then I just put each frame into the video in Sony Vegas.

As with earlier, for the hardsub, the article Shou shows everyone about Ed is translated, only with no text warp and slightly different rotation, so a little more of the text is visible on the left and bottom.  Recreated the less-rotation/more-zoom zoom-in on Ed’s photo in Sony Vegas.

As Judai thinks that Ed could use some more deck-building skills, Shou’s still holding up the magazine; “October” is there to translate 10月編 again, but because the “Monthly” in that shot of the magazine is inconsistent with its other appearances in the episode (we’ve seen it in black with white bordering, but here it’s just white text, along with the black 10月編  also being in white), I redid that as well in Photoshop so it matched.  I’ll be including just the “Monthly” fix in the Japanese DVDRip I’ll release on NAC.

[ojamayellow]

Daichi Misawa is autistic.

Hey! I believe I’ve made this post before, but I wanna rewrite it because it’s a very important headcanon to me. (I am autistic and Misawa is a very important character to me.)

 More Under the Cut.

·         Special interests:

Besides dueling, Misawa has fixated on 2 prime interests: Math and science. He uses it for thinking, to figure out a deck and how to defeat someone (ie Judai, which almost worked.) He uses mathematics in Season2, and Season3 in the spirit world. Of course, to figure out problems.

Autistic people see the world in their own way. They have their own unique ways of figuring things out, and how life works.

But not only that, he incorporates it into his deck/s. Daichi has 6 main decks , all that represent elements. (2 were used in anime, but all 6 deck recipes are obtainable in Tag Force games) However, it’s seen that he prefers his Chemistry/Water deck. Haha, science!

Also, I theorise that he enjoys sports like baseball (baseball ep) and he has a toned body. (We all saw Misawa run naked.) That could be considered a SI, but it’s more of a theory than the others mentioned.

·         Stimming:

Writing on the walls could be considered as a form of stimming. It’s a nice way to keep your hands busy. Also, card drawing practice! (first Tania episode). Also, a notable trait that could be considered a stim: Misawa always folding his arms. He’s not necessarily fiddling, but it’s something he does constantly.

·         Social Life

This is in term of social life. Daichi always seems baffled whenever he’s given the cold shoulder, being left out of activities etc. (until he seemingly accepts it as he willingly joins the Light, which I’ll touch upon later)

I relate to this, but mainly due to the fact that I was openly “weird” and everyone knew I was autistic. I doubt the GX Crew would know of Misawa’s autism, considering they don’t pay much attention to him. Daichi has trouble keeping friendships, even if he tries to make himself recognised. 

Many people with autism, like myself, have difficulty making friends. I also, was constantly left behind. Autistic people tend to be confused by these situations, especially in school days. Not all, but many don’t understand what they’re doing wrong.

·         Food.

This is in the Tag Force PSP games only.

“But Kit! Everyone has food they dislike and like!” Yeah, that’s true. I am simply adding a theory to my headcanon. 

In the video games, Misawa hates fruit and sweet things. (Arguably, all in sandwiches.) He does love vegetables though. If you give him any sandwich with a ‘sweet’ food in it, he’ll get upset with you. And that effects your relationship with Daichi in the game.

Many autistic people have what others see as “childish habits” where they still have traits of a child even after becoming an adult. This can include yelling, acting rather ‘silly’ in public, and refusing to eat healthy food. I could be going too in-depth to this, considering it’s just a tactic for a video game. So feel free to ignore it. (But really, how can he ate ALL fruit in the game?)

·         Depressive Moods

Season2. Misawa has had enough of being ignored. Knowing that the Society of Light are taking away Ra Yellow students, and he’s rather upset that the new dorm isn’t even taking him in. The most notably strongest and smartest duelist in Ra Yellow.

During his duel with Manjoume, he simply loses the duel by choice, and enters the Society. How? His anxiety, caused by the thoughts of not being noticed. If Misawa defeated Manjoume, Saiou said he would close the Society of Light. 

Being brainwashed into the Society can be seen as a metaphor for death.You are not yourself anymore, you have lost yourself. Your very soul.

Daichi joined willingly, not even brainwashed. Willingly dying is also known as suicide.

Poor guy’s depressed.

Many people with autism have depression. They are often linked so I thought'd I'd add this.

So, that’s my headcanon.I know Misawa isn’t a ‘main’ character, but like every GX character I adore (who I may make posts about another day) he is very important to me and I see myself in him a lot. Daichi Misawa is an underappreciated character who I think deserves more than what the writers gave him.

Uh, thanks for reading! Sorry if I screwed up anywhere.