#essentially you need to change the entire manga

[officialspec]

can you pleeeeease post your dm sexuality/gender hcs on here.... 🥺 i don't have a twitter but i wanna know. it's like a pandora's box to me now i'm like scratching at the door. let me in

heres the link 2 the thread (mild spoilers btw) ill post a transcript under the cut for ppl who dont have twitter

first off i think laios relationship to sex is super removed for like 50 reasons without even getting into his actual sexuality

he grew up in a place with very repressed ideas about sex and has a lot of fear about asserting his presence in situations

his special interest takes precedent over any social interactions he has and the level of closeness he feels towards people

he has a hard time figuring out his feelings towards other people both bc hes autistic and bc he has freaky deviantart fetishes that make sex in his mind a very abstract concept <- this one is me projecting mostly

that aside, i feel like gender-wise hes attracted to ppl so infrequently it may as well be entirely case-by-case

the idea of him being gay appeals to me from the 'raised with traditional values he Does Not fit into/hasnt begun to question it yet' perspective, i lauve characters who put a lot of stock into performing a role thats expected of them and fail miserably for unknown (gay) reasons

from his perspective tho i dont think he would ever really label himself anything. hes going to pride parades in the shirt+shorts Ally Fit to clap for his friends

hes also 'cis by indifference' imo... i love tmasc laios hcs it just doesnt mesh w his personal history to me. i do think hes got some kind of therian gender thing going on (not trans or nb but a secret third thing) but i cant see him changing anything abt his appearance/pronouns to accommodate that post-canon. hes just doin his thang

falin is in a similar boat for gender. i LOOVE tfem falin but the village repression thing has been bugging at me so i dont think i subscribe to it anymore (canon purist sorry) BUT if u hold that hc i am clapping and cheering regardless

instead i was propagandised to a while back and i LOVEEE the idea that being fused w a male dragon and the residual traits she has after being revived have given her a type of gender euphoria she didnt realise she was missing. a little boygirl swagger if u will

sexuality-wise i also dont think she would care to label herself, shes a lesbian by virtue of only being interested in One woman and zero other people. without marcille i do think shes still exclusively attracted to women, and i like to imagine she might experiment around a bit during her travels post-canon (pre-relationship). hearing abt it might put marcille on the news though

marcille is very simple That is a transfem lesbian. she cant get pregnant, shes obsessed w being femme and all that combined w her half-tallman struggles to be seen as 'properly feminine' by elf standards reads very transfeminine to Me. also her bookboy crush REEKS of comphet its not subtle

i think a more comfortable marcy might have the space to experiment w being elf butch like her manga boys but thats mainly self indulgence for me. utena could have saved her

senshi is gay his whole thing is abt not being able to perform dwarven masculinity to a proper standard (soft hearted, not as strong or rugged as his peers) which is like gaycoding 101. also hes a bear. homosexuality be damned by boy can work a grill

adding onto this i rly think senshi got some type of euphoria from being an elf in the changeling chapters. he was feeling himself so much i think he was using it as an outlet to have fun being a little fem and fruity without needing to justify it. do u understand

i dont have any particular opinions abt him gender-wise beyond that. his bulge is an essential part of his character design but i also saw a transmasc senshi a couple days ago that made me nod my head thoughtfully so i could go either way

chilchuck is cis and bisexual this is just canon. not even just his old man crush on senshi altho i do think thats very funny but they put his ass on a cover themed like hes in a dating sim with all the men and women in the cast and then slapped it in front of a chapter called "bicorn". i simply cant pass up that kind of overt signaling. its so fucking funny what else is there to say truly

izu to ME is a transmasc aroace lesbian (this one has the least basis in canon i just know it to be true) shes a little genderfluid with it nd uses he/she i think. i like to imagine she consistently uses masculine personal pronouns to refer to herself either way tho (boku, ore)

i think izutsumis gender/sexuality is entirely secondary in priorities to her body dysphoria. she has a lot of learning and acceptance 2 do before that kind of self discovery is on the docket and in my mind eschewing gender on some level is part of that. get sillay

shuro is cishet but at least he feels bad about it. next listen listen to me i dont think he would ever actually examine this but i need u to put on ur tin foil hat with me for one second. i think estrogen could have saved her. i have more thoughts on this but im not gonna propagandise too much on this post just know that im right

kabru is a transmasc bisexual this is also practically text. his whole thing of being treated like a doll by milsiril to put in pretty dresses, plus i think it would be pretty easy for him to stealth in the west since tallmen are seen as inherently more masculine than elves

(i also think changing genders is just more common for elves. theyre androgynous enough that it wouldnt be hard and like who in their right miiiiind would be the same gender for 500 years. dwarves too)

i think he started presenting as male socially in the west but didnt need to consider medical transition until he moved to a more mixed culture where other races might see him as a woman

i dont have to explain the bisexual part. have u seen him

namari is a butch bisexual this is just canon straight up. shes not transmasc but i think the default settings for dwarven women is like 4 years of T regardless. shes a hit at all the local cruising spots despite her renfaire nerdisms i know this

and just bc im thinking abt em kiki and kaka are identical and kiki is tfem :} theyre both attracted to women but kaka is a sub so i forgive him

THATS ALL 4 NOW theres a lot of characters so i cant have thoughts abt all of them at once but i hope this was good. im right about everything forever as per usual

[mrcompass]

A critic of the Legendary Bladers concept.

The concept of the Legendary Blader is central to Beyblade: Metal Fury, playing a significant role in shaping the third part of the MFB series. Through this, new characters, themes, lore, and ideas were introduced. In this analysis, I will explore the Legendary Blader concept by focusing on three key points.

The star fragment and bey obsolescence

The Star Fragment is obviously a central element for the Legendary Bladers, as it is what sets them apart from other Bladers. The Star Fragment serves as a convenient excuse to evolve the Beys of pre-existing characters: Gingka, Kyoya, Ryuga, and later Kenta. Evolutions in the MFB anime are actually quite rare. Unlike the manga, characters don’t evolve their Beys through progress or special events. In fact, it’s more common for a character to change part of their Bey (like Chaoxin), and sometimes characters even change them entirely (like Zeo and Toby). However, the latter case was due to their need for a fresh start after being subjected to Hades Inc. Masamune received an evolved version of his Unicorno thanks to Coach Steel’s modifications, but he did this precisely because he learned Gingka’s Pegasus had evolved and wanted to become a Legendary Blader. Finally, Ryuga was able to evolve Lightning L-Drago into Meteo L-Drago by conquering the dark power.

This illustrates that in the Metal Saga, Beys are an essential part of a character’s identity, and they don’t often change them. Beys are considered partners and are too deeply intertwined with the supernatural and the characters themselves (after all, the characters’ designs are based on their Beys) to be modified on a whim. For example, it would be strange for Kyoya or Gingka to ask Madoka to modify their Beys, given the values they hold for them.

This is actually a disadvantage for MFB, as the goal of the anime is to sell Beyblades. As a result, whenever you introduce a prominent Beyblade that you really want to sell, you have to create a new character. This might cause issues with character development, considering the number of characters already in the show and the limited number of episodes.

This is where the Star Fragment is a genius move: it allows the Beys of previous characters to evolve into the new 4D system. This way, they can present the new system as special. Additionally, it was already established that Beys are made of meteorite material, so a fragment of the same thing powering the Beys seems logical.

This doesn’t mean the concept is perfect, though. The first problem is that it is reserved for only a select few, and the evolutions only apply to pre-existing characters. This actually limits the new system to a handful of people: the Legendary Bladers, the Nemesis Bladers, Ryuto, and Masamune. The second issue is that it clearly sets these characters apart from all the others. Even though some of the Fusion characters were outclassed by Gingka and his group, as demonstrated in Battle Bladers, there was still hope for them to come back stronger and remain relevant in the show. After all, Tsubasa and Yu maintained consistent roles in later seasons, and Tobio even returned during the Destroyer Dome.

But now that we have a group of Bladers certified as the "strongest in the world" thanks to the Star Fragment, the hope for other characters to shine, surpass the Legendary Bladers with their own skills, or even create tension in a match has been demolished. The proof is that no Legendary Blader has ever lost to a non-Legendary Blader, and no holder of a 4D Beyblade has lost to a Blader with a non-4D Bey. For example, Yuki was able to beat Cycnus, and Johannes was able to outplay Dashan.

This perfectly illustrates what I call "Bey obsolescence," which refers to a new kind of Bey or system eclipsing the others within the same generation. For example, in Fusion, characters with Beys using plastic fusion wheels played a relevant part, yet in Metal Masters, these Beys are reserved for background characters. This kind of Bey was used by Kenta’s friends, whom we don’t see anymore after Fusion, as well as Hikaru and Hyoma. The latter two were strong enough to defeat Kenta at one point and participate in Battle Bladers, but they are the only participants of that tournament who have given up competitive Beyblading.

Of course, there’s the factor of their trauma, but Tsubasa overcame the dark power, and they could have had their roles switched with others in Battle Bladers. However, it didn’t happen, and I think the explanation is that it was simply convenient to reduce the presence of two characters using an obsolete system to make more room for new Bladers and Beys. As conspiratorial as it might sound, if you look at any team in the World Championship, none of them—not even Team Desert Blaze—used plastic wheels. This obsolescence is real, as seen in Zero-G, where the generic Beys use the Ray and Spiral fusion wheels, which were once used by prominent characters.

I think Metal Fury is painfully aware of this and tries its best to counteract it, mainly by showing close fights, like Gingka vs. Kenta in Beyster Island or Kyoya vs. Yu. In a way, it works. It’s almost impressive how these characters can hold their own with their Metal Fusion Beyblades against Legendary Bladers.Another point the anime insists on is that Gingka and Kyoya needed to learn how to use their new 4D Beys. Before their defeats against Ryuga, they often relied on mode changes, much like Johannes and the rest of the Nemesis Bladers did. It’s notable that Johannes, Pluto, Hershel, and Cycnus don’t have a special move, and for the latter three, they don’t even have a Bey-beast or aura. These are characters who over-rely on their Beys’ abilities rather than fully utilizing their potential. This is presented as the “wrong way” to use a 4D Bey. It’s also noteworthy that Kyoya and Kenta created their special moves by defeating one of these Bladers. So, in a way, the anime tries to tell us that while it’s great to have a powerful new Bey, if you just rely on mode changes, you’re not going to get very far.

So, even though the Star Fragment is a great idea for changing the Bey system, it kind of limits the possibility of characters benefiting from it. Especially considering that only four characters received drastic evolutions. It also confirms the tendency to leave characters behind, depending on their beys. Nonetheless the series finale addresses this issue by having all the Bladers transfer their power to Gingka.

The Legendary Bladers and Character Development

The second point that needs huglight is the legendary blader themselves and how they perforemd as characters. This is not about critizing the choice of these charcters for the legendary blader postion but rather seeing if there is more to them than their title and if they are developped. Now characters developpment is all well and good but it is better if a charatcers is fleshed out so they can stand out more.

Gingka, Kyoya, Ryuga and Kenta

On the eleven people that received a star fragment only four were introduced in a previous season: Kyoya, Gingka and Ryuga and Kenta. All fo them were well established charcters and they all had their time to shine in the season. Kyoya had his little arc, Gingka put an end to Nemesis thanks to all the blader ijn the world and Ryuga and Kenta built a bond with each other. We actually saw more of Ryuga, how he trains and how he lives thanks to his tribulations. For Kenta this was the occasion to grow stronger but also distance himself from Gingka and the rest of the group, which allowed him to stand out more and gained independance. Bulding a relationship between Kenta and Ryuga was obviously surprising and welcomed. As the two had never really interacted with each other and are actually very different. We have Ryuga who was always strong and narcistic and Kenta who built slowly but surely his strenght and tries his best to help friends whenever he can. His journey with Ryuga is actually refreshing and unexpected. In my opinion it is the most succesfull things metal fury did. Reagarding their selections as legendary blader I think it what obvious they would be selected. Kyoya, Gingka and Ryuga are the strongest blader in the world with a lot of achievement to their credit like battle blader and tghe world championship. Kenta succeding to Ryuga as the lengadry blader of summer is a perfect consluon to his charcters journey not only in fury but in the whole series as well.

Yuki

Yuki was introduced very early in the season, being one of the first characters to appear in Metal Fury. Much like Kenta, Yuki starts off by being attacked, unable to defend himself until Gingka intervenes. They quickly become friends. After Kenta left the group, Yuki somewhat filled his role without replacing him. Yuki has elements that set him apart—he is determined, enjoys astronomy, and uses his passions to his advantage (like when he figured out how to open the door of Dynamis's temple). He is intelligent and loyal. However, his biggest weakness is his lack of confidence in himself as a Blader.

After he became a Legendary Blader, he participated in the Tag Team tournament alongside Gingka, and his confidence improved—a trend that continued over time. Overall, Yuki was a well-developed character; he had time to be properly fleshed out, and he actually grew during the season.

The main issue comes when it’s revealed that Yuki is a descendant of one of the Bladers who fought Nemesis in the past, which allowed him to gain the star fragment. Yuki’s reaction is one of pride and joy, as one might expect. However, for me, this was a missed opportunity for introspection. He’s supposed to be a clever and level-headed character, yet he never questions the influence of destiny on his life. Was he always destined to become friends with Gingka? Are his achievements only due to his ancestors? This could have led to Yuki affirming himself—not in opposition to his fate, but as his own person. This would have been a nice way to parallel Rago and Pluto, who mindlessly follow the prophecy of their own ancestor.

Aguma

Regarding the case of Aguma, I believe he also benefited from an earlier introduction compared to the other Legendary Bladers. He is also the first to join Nemesis, which sets him apart from the others. Aguma is part of the Beylin Fist, a rebel faction of the Beylin Temple. He wishes for his faction to get the recognition they deserve, which is why he allies himself with Johannes, who promised that in the "New World," the Beylin Fist would become the one and only school for Beyblade. This integrates Aguma and the rest of his clan into the world of MFB by using the pre-existing Beylin Temple.

Though Aguma does not develop a rivalry with Dashan, he does have an antagonistic relationship with Kyoya, which plays into Kyoya's solo arc. By being one of the antagonists during Metal Fury alongside Johannes, Aguma manages to stand on his own and gain some individuality. After his successive losses to Kyoya, King, and Tithi, as well as Pluto's betrayal, Aguma faces an internal crisis about what to do next: help the Legendary Bladers, do nothing, or side with Nemesis.

This moment of introspection could have been a positive turning point, if it hadn’t been interrupted in the worst way possible. Dynamis reveals that Aguma's ancestor sided with Hades in the past, before switching sides to join the Legendary Bladers after an encounter with Tithi's ancestor. Because of this, it feels like all of Aguma's choices have been dictated by fate, as he ends up replicating the same mistakes his ancestor did. This makes him seem more like a puppet of fate rather than a fully developed character.

King

King was introduced around the middle of the season. Like Yuki and Aguma, he participated in two tournaments, showcasing his performance to the viewers. The most important aspect of King is the friendship he built with Masamune. In my opinion, they complement each other very well, as seen during their battle against Hershel, and King quickly became a part of Team Dungeon.

Of course, King suffers from the same circumstances as the other Solar System Bladers, but what counteracts this is his genuine love for Beyblade, much like Masamune and Gingka. Additionally, his ancestry never got in the way of his actions or choices, and he didn’t seem to place much importance on it. Even if he wasn’t a Legendary Blader, he still had a unique Beyblade, Variares, that can spin in both directions, which already makes him stand out.

In summary, King is a very unique, iconic, and well-integrated character.

Dynamis

Dynamis first appeared in the arc just before the Beyster Island tournament, and he didn’t participate in it. Just like in the manga, he doesn’t have much screen time compared to the previous Legendary Bladers. I think this is due to the fact that his primary purpose is to deliver the lore behind the Legendary Bladers, making it harder to dissociate him from that role.

Later on, Dynamis gets possessed by a dark power, which might be an allusion to Tsubasa’s dark power arc. This is fitting since Zeus, represented by Dynamis's Beyblade Jupiter, has an eagle as its symbolic animal.

Dynamis’s main problem is that he doesn’t have any real meaningful relationships with other characters, making him feel more like a plot device.

Chris

Chris was also introduced fairly late in the season, but fortunately, he has a backstory. He suffered a similar situation to King, being ostracized and abandoned because of his strength, which alludes to the fact that Legendary Bladers in the manga aren’t allowed to participate in tournaments due to their overwhelming power. Unlike the other Bladers of the four seasons, Chris wasn’t introduced in previous seasons, nor did he have an impressive record before winning Beyster Island. He suffered from unfortunate circumstances that prevented him from going to the World Championship.

However, Chris brings with him an interesting concept—that of a mercenary Blader. This is relatively new to the series, and it seems to fit well in a world where Beyblade holds such a significant place. It’s almost strange that we didn’t see more variations of what a Blader can do outside of just fighting in tournaments. Unfortunately, this concept was introduced far too late to be fully explored, especially considering Chris seemingly gives up the mercenary way. After he lost to Gingka and sided with the Legendary Bladers, it appears Chris turned over a new leaf, but since this happened just before the final fight against Nemesis, we didn’t have enough time to appreciate his development.

Tithi

Tithi was the last Legendary Blader to be introduced. What’s original about his introduction is that, unlike the others, he isn’t found by Gingka but by Kyoya and Yu. From the start, we get a good sense of his personality—he’s a shy kid who just wants friends to play Beyblade with, a feeling Yu understands well. Their bonding was very sweet to watch and helped reintroduce Yu into the new season.

During battle, we see that Tithi has a joyful personality. He can be unpredictable and a little wild at times. Of course, who could forget him annoying Kyoya by calling him "Tatakyo/Yoyo"? Tithi later battled Aguma, which contributed to Aguma's doubts (along with Pluto’s betrayal).

Overall, I think Tithi was fleshed out well, but the problem is that he was introduced so late in the season that it feels like he was mercilessly thrown into the Nemesis crisis. Think about it—he was just a little kid minding his own business, finally finding a friend to play Beyblade with, and less than two days later, he’s forced to face this universe's version of Satan. However, his potential was clearly wasted, especially considering he stayed with Dynamis, with whom he had almost no interactions.

Rago

Rago is one of the main antagonists of Metal Fury, and he is also the only Legendary Blader to be truly evil. He appears in the latter part of the season, which seems at odds with how the anime presents him—as the ultimate villain Gingka and the rest must face. Rago is merely the man who wields Nemesis, nothing more and nothing less. He shares similarities with previous main Blader antagonists like Ryuga and Damian by being narcissistic, boastful, and insulting. However, Rago's issue is that he didn’t have the same buildup as Ryuga did in Metal Fusion. He feels like a character pulled from a catalog, especially considering that he appears alongside the Nemesis Bladers.

Though he endangered the entire world and kills Ryuga, there’s no progression to his evil actions. The problem is that we already know he wants to destroy the planet and end all life. In contrast, Ryuga's actions in Metal Fusion became increasingly unhinged, making us fear and anticipate his next move. However, Rago has something that sets him apart from other villains—he's not Gingka's villain but Ryuga's. There isn’t much of a parallel between Gingka and Rago. The Legendary Bladers of the Solar System, much like Rago, are bound by fate, while Ryuga is different.

Ryuga wanted to bury his past in the Dark Nebula, particularly the time he was possessed by L-Drago. Then, in Metal Fury, Doji returns alongside a new Blader who controls a seemingly unstoppable dark artifact that just absorbed L-Drago’s power. Ryuga feels insulted, but the main reason he fights Rago is because he sees himself—Metal Fusion Ryuga—in him and wants to destroy that part of himself. Additionally, Rago is a threat to his supremacy in the Beyblade world, so if Ryuga wants to live up to his title, he must either fight him or die trying.

Overall, I think Rago is a pretty solid antagonist. He serves his purpose, and while his fight with Ryuga meant more for the latter’s character, it allows Rago to be more integrated into the story.

Most of the new characters who became Legendary Bladers serve their purpose well; they are unique characters. Some are more integrated than others into the wider MFB canon. However, they all would have benefitted from more time to be fleshed out, particularly Dynamis and Chris. The new lore surrounding them adds more substance to the series, but at the same time, the over-reliance on it and on fate hurt some of these characters badly (like Yuki and Aguma). The main problem is that Metal Fury was 12 episodes shorter than the previous two seasons. With that amount of additional episodes, the new characters could have benefitted greatly from further development. In summary, this is a big waste of potential, and most of them don’t succeed at being more than just Legendary Bladers.

Gingka Hagane and the concept of fate.

The concept of fate and supernatural forces has always been present in Metal Fight Beyblade. In Metal Fusion, we had Ryutaro, who had visions about the future, while in Metal Masters, Julian and Damian used a vague concept of fate to justify their positions and why they should win. Despite this, Gingka was able to beat them all and even overcame fate. Ryutaro had a vision of an apocalyptic future, but after his losses to Gingka in Battle Bladers, he saw that a different path was possible. Madoka's computer predicted that Gingka had less than a 1% chance to win against L-Drago, yet he succeeded. Finally, let's not forget that King Hades' prophecy hadn’t fully realized itself because Gingka and the whole world defeated Nemesis. The point is that Gingka has a habit of triumphing over fate and preconceived ideas. For him, being a blader is about fighting with his heart, loving his Bey, and getting back up when he loses—it’s how he becomes powerful. Yet, in Metal Fury, some of the most powerful bladers are those who have special ancestors and a star fragment in their Bey. The reason the star fragment chooses those particular bladers is related to fate, as the attribution was tied to the prophecy and is known by Dynamis. This use of the concept of fate and predetermined power in Metal Fury fundamentally undermines the themes that were built in previous seasons of Metal Fight Beyblade. Gingka’s story in Metal Fusion and Metal Masters was about defying odds, challenging fate, and rising through sheer willpower and love for the sport.

The concept of the Legendary Blader brought some fresh elements to Metal Fury but ultimately constrained the series. While it introduced new characters and deeper lore, the overreliance on fate limited the potential for character growth and reduced the tension in battles. Characters like Yuki and Aguma were overshadowed by their predetermined roles, while others, like Dynamis and Chris, suffered from lack of development due to the shortened season. While there were positive developments, such as the evolving relationship between Ryuga and Kenta or the bond between King and Masamune, Metal Fury ultimately fell into the same trap as its predecessor by superficially handling an expanded cast. The season reflects a broader fatigue with the Metal Saga, struggling to balance the introduction of new elements with the need for meaningful character development.

[dailydegurechaff]

I wanted to know how do you interpret Tanya's gender. After reading chapter 58 of the manga i got the impression that she is definitely trans coded, but maybe thats just me

Very good question.

To be honest, when I think too hard about Tanya’s gender (and sexuality, for that matter) it gives me brain worms. Fun brain worms, but brain worms nonetheless. I can’t explain it. Everything she’s got going on is complicated as shit there’s way too much to think about.

Like, she was a man, but now she's a girl. But at some points she says she still sees herself as a man internally so is this MtFtM? How does that work. And if she accepts she's a woman now, is that just MtF or do we add more letters. More importantly: Was Being X being Transphobic or being the Greatest Trans Ally of All Time with the free divinely issued sex change.

Ok ok, jokes aside. Confession: I actually do not keep up with the manga, so I had to go find the chapter and read it first. Having read it now though, I see what you mean.

The conversation she has with the Salaryman/herself in that chapter really does read as essentially saying “I’ve accepted who I am now.” It’s a far cry from a much earlier part of the manga I remember where she has a breakdown about being a man/people seeing her as a girl.

A friend of mine was actually showing me stuff from more recent chapters of the manga (don’t know which chapter tragically, but I know it’s not currently translated to English) and from what I gathered of it, Being X was showing Tanya a dream of being back in her past life and in response she basically demanded to go back to being Tanya immediately. It is definitely not just you, I 100% see the trans-coding you’re talking about.

As for my personal interpretation of her gender, I touched very briefly on it once before, but I honestly think she wouldn’t want to label herself as anything. At first, this is out of hesitance and not wanting to acknowledge that anything might be ““wrong”” or ““different”” about her. Later on it turns into character growth, more along the lines of, “I don’t need the label to define me, I just am what I am/like what I like. I don’t care about it any more than that.” Yes this is 100% projection on my part. No, I won’t apologize for it lmao.

Of course, that's entirely my own headcanon. I definitely am not saying it’s the only way to interpret her, it’s just my personal thoughts. Especially since my opinion is subject to change on a dime depending on what I’m reading/working on myself. The Tanya gender is, in fact, transient, shifting like water.

Like. A transfem Tanya fic that focuses on her adapting to life in her new world and coming to discover she doesn’t actually hate her new body? I’d totally read that. I’ve seen a few fics that include that as a part of the narrative and those scenes of acceptance were among my favorite parts.

I get the feeling this is the route that the manga is going as well. It’s a bit of a shame that we don't have those aforementioned scenes in the light novel (or at least, I don't remember them), but I don’t think that Carlo Zen really intended that to be the focus/narrative in the first place. And honestly, I also think that’s a good thing because it allows for so much more room for interpretation and headcanon around Tanya’s character.

Anyway, the other direction is also compelling to me. A transmasc Tanya fic where, after feeling uncomfortable and hating how feminine he looks for years and years, he finally goes ‘Fuck this, I’m gonna go back to being a man’? I would read the fuck out of that too.

Could also be paired with him finally choosing to defect, where they think about it like, ‘Well there’s nothing to hold me back now, right? I don’t have to maintain appearances anymore. Also, since I’m defecting this would be a great way to hide myself. They’d all be looking for the wrong person. Two birds with one stone, how efficient.’ …Now we’re getting to fic ideas I won’t ever get to so it’s time to move on I think.

Semi-related to the Trans Tanya Concept, this actually brings me to a bit of a lore/headcanon/idea/question I want to present to the public for opinions. In Norden, during the inciting battle of the war, Tanya uses magic to “dope up” so she could enhance her strength and reaction time and kill pain. I took this to mean she used a formula to synthesize the narcotics/adrenaline hormone/whatever else directly into herself, right?

Can you see where I’m going with this? As long as you know which hormones to make, how they’re made up, and what quantities you need… Well, don’t you think magic HRT is completely possible? Of course, as I'm not sure it makes sense for Salaryman to have known the detailed specifics about it from the modern world, it would require a lot of in-universe research/science advancement for someone to actually do that, but theoretically...

The magic system in this universe has so much potential to be explored, I’m fascinated by what you can theoretically do with it. Although, this is long and off-topic already I think this should be the end, lol.

I think I talked too much? I’m sorry, you were probably not expecting such an answer. I told you, Tanya gives me brain worms (mental illness).

I guess the TL;DR is this: that kid definitely ain’t cishet.

[maks-punchout-hyperfixtion]

Punch out headcanons take one

Sorry super punch fans, this is only wii/nes versions

Minor circuit

Glass Joe

Pretty good baker, can't make complex stuff without help though.

Actually retired once after the arcade/nes version of punch out, came back after Gabby jay retired, has had thoughts about it again but keeps remembering that his life would be dull without it. Also his score rested and he still got 99 loses (102 after the wii game)

Has trouble sleeping, uses weighted blankets to help.

Von Kaiser

Your meaning to tell me that dispite being 42 canon years old with some of the most out of pocket head canons ever im the only one that thought it would be funny for him to have a kid be the near opposite of him? Aka he is a dad.

Knows how to cook, doesn't often anymore but still knows

I believe he would like coconuts.no i won't elaborate.

Disco Kid

Likes all kinds of songs, not just disco. Still loves disco though.

Is a relative of kid quick, nobody knows what relation though.

I like the idea that he is friends with aran, i don't ship disco clover but its still a nice pairing we need more.

King Hippo

Can speak English but prefers grunts or noises.

Likes to explain his culture, specifically gifts and other stuff other find meaningless.

Also has a lot of tropical recipes he gives to everyone.

Major circuit

Piston Hondo

Still has that restaurant from the Wii live action ad.

Piston honda? Oh that's his twin.

Definitely has a manga collection. He also has 3 sets of everything. One for display one for reading and one for borrowing. He does not trust aran,soda, bear hugger, and king hippo with them at all.

Bear Hugger

Dad energy. He essentially went and adopted all the boxers with daddy issues, or parent issues in general.

Forced the WVBA to give maple (the bear) a seat in the crowd so she could watch the match, they had to make an entire separate area for her.

Has walked out in the snow with nothing but his overalls and shoes on. That gave everyone a scare forgetting he's used to the cold.

Great Tiger

Uses his clones to do/help with his chores. Once got beaten up by them (a reference of the century here folks)

Once his jewel was stolen and was found in a pawn shop selling for 3 dollars. He was mad at how low the price was then anything.

Once brought his tiger into the shared house, and it immediately broke the couch. The tiger is not allowed in the house anymore.

Don Flamenco

He and Carmen broke up after his first lost, got back together shortly after and forgot the whole issue.

Used bull fighters techniques on bald bull, he would have won if bald bull didn't right hook him into next sunday (literally)

Has tried multiple different types of hair growers, wigs, and more. He is still Balding.

World circuit

Aran Ryan

Actually got in the world circuit fair and square, not by cheating.

He started cheating after some idiot tried to stab him in the ring, good times from the WVBA!

I have a feeling he would say he likes to eat limes raw just to get on everyone's nerves.

Has also gotten confused with his Older brother, spo Aran Ryan, who promptly got a name change after aram started to cheat.

Soda Popinski

None of the boxer can drink his soda because its a legit health hazard to all of them.

Has no clue what the hell is going on 68% of the time.

Has actually used dry ice as a ice pack. This guy isn't human anymore.

Bald Bull

Hates don flamenco with a passion after the bull technique incident.

Is actually calm outside the ring, any public out brust is to get rid of potential paparazzi's (it doesn't work often)

Makes a pretty good calming tea.

Super Macho Man

Once had a horrible movie shoot that made him lose alot of viewer, proceeded to have an early mid life crisis and dye his hair gray.

After his loss with little mac he was more upset at the ladys chasing after little mac rather then him, rather then the sudden drop of viewers (which wasn't even a dent)

Probably had alot of talks about his boxer outfit, you know what im referring too.

Mr. Sandman

Dispite his name, he gets very little sleep. Not like glass joe but still.

He's so strong the WVBA actually has a ambulance on standby whenever he fights.

One time was put up against glass joe, actually laughed, realized it was serious, looked the referee in the eyes and said "if im put up against him ever again we'll need to find a new glass joe" and forfeited the game. Technically if joes score didn't reset it would now be 2-299.

[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 1 - Side B

Propaganda below ⬇️

Johnathan

Catholicism doesn’t really exist in the game but it also kind of does. Basically, Johnathan didn’t know that God existed until one day all the angels started coming down from heaven to have a war with the demons from hell. And then Johnathan made a pledge to go serve god and heaven and kill all humans living on earth because they were like “unfit” or “unclean” or something. So then Johnathan’s friend Walter goes to hang out with satan and then they become enemies :( But he’s basically catholic even if he doesn’t directly call himself that so i’m gonna say yes.

Johnathan literally fuses himself with god to become merkabach. He is unhinged. At the start of the game i thought he was cool because he didn’t want me to kill my best friend like WALTER did. And unlike WALTER, johnathan didn’t fuck up the boss fight with the minotaur. But then johnathan became really really bourgeoise or bougie idk whatever idk how to spell it. And then johnathan was like “FUCK POOR PEOPLE” and i was like no girl nooooo. But johnathan wanted to fuse himself with god and wipe all humans off the face of the earth because heaven thought they were impure. So he was trying to invoke the angels of destruction so badly and i was like johnathan you can’t do that son, and so i had to beat his ass. And then by extension i had to also beat god’s ass. And then i don’t really remember what happens but johnathan was essentially the most catholic guy in existence considering i don’t know anybody else who was chill enough with god to do steven universe fusion with him.

ok so like in smt theres alignments . chaos neutral and law. jonathan is the local lawboy and this means hes like the one who rather follow the rules already established and reject radical changes. but anyways hes also shown to be some sort of follower of god in this world and also of the like. local religion or whatever in mikado (where everyone is from) and hes very devoted to the cause and to keep things peaceful as they are now instead of trying to change shit up like walter (the chaosboy)

if he wants to commit genocide who am i to say no

has one fight with friend and decides to become an angel about it and nuke tokyo off the map

Fuses with literal biblical angels to become another angel that then wants to genocide anyone deemed ungodly/unclean by the biblical higher powers (which includes the entire population of Tokyo. And people who read manga).

Dude he is absolutely insane. He's my poor little meow meow. The party got high and he rolled around on the floor and meowed because he thought he was a cat. He is also so insanely gay. Like stupidly queer coded . that just makes the catholic guilt hit harder tbh

Gay boy who dies in every timeline

Paul

he's like if renfield from dracula was cool youth pastor.

He's also a priest, who essentially becomes a vampire due to an "angel" and tries to convert the entire town. He also runs an Alcoholics Anonymous group. I love him

Listen you've probably gotten this guy idk how many times but JUST IN CASE, I submitted him. He's a priest who fell in love and had a lesbian daughter. He becomes a vampire after his money-laundering fundie simp sent him to the Holy Land. He's so torn up over his lover having dementia and God allowing so much overwhelming death that he decides he's going to try to Cure Death Forever but oh boy is it a slippery slope and the man is surrounded by enablers.

so i binged watch the chosen (it's a drama series but it's the bible) and I needed to balance or else Id be insane so I watched midnight mass. It was good. Fuck this rat -- op

[mapsareforbraindeads]

Idk if this is what you mean by analysis ask, but I'd love to hear your thoughts about Sayu in the manga/anime vs the musical.

this is EXACTLY what i meant, thank you.

i think that, honestly, sayu is hardly a character in the animanga. her entire personality is “i’m fourteen and i like boys!!! my brother is so cool!!! i hate math grrr” and that’s just… not a lot. the musical doesn’t do much better, though, but at least we get to know her thoughts on her family and society as a whole.

looking specifically at we all need a hero and the scene preceding it, we see sayu’s thoughts on kira in much more depth than most adaptations. here’s an excerpt from the london script:

this tells us three things. she shares similar views to her father, she sees her brother as her hero and the smartest person she knows (as we are aware), and she hates kira.

we know from WANAH that sayu idolizes light to a large degree, similar to misa’s idolization of kira as is shown in the song. of course, the irony of the scene is that they are the same person. though, sayu sees light less as a god and more as someone to someday become. that’s why she’s so crushed by light’s descent into vigilantism.

the largest change that dntm makes to the original source material is, obviously, the ending. in the musical, sayu finds her brother’s body and has no idea what happened, but that light died in some way because of kira.

(screenshot taken from the 2015 urai kenji proshot)

obviously, she is devastated. in the manga, sayu is told that light died while fighting against kira. here, she knows at least the partial truth. if she found out the truth—which i have no idea if dntm!sayu would, given the implications of requiem—it would cause her entire belief system to crumble. that gives us sympathy for her that is present in the animanga, but we never get to see her struggle other than a few frames/panels.

so, in conclusion, the musical gives sayu strong morals built entirely on what pre-kira light and her father taught her, though hardly as extreme as light’s due to her belief in the current system. the manga gives us essentially nothing.

[ecargmura]

Oshi No Ko Episode 12 Review - Season 2 Is Here

Is it okay for me to review the second season of Oshi no Ko despite me not reviewing the show episodically last year? I have a whole review of the first season, which you can click here. I think it’s okay for me to review it episodically, right? Right?

Oshi no Ko isn’t the most perfect show, but I still like it because it gives a lot of insight to the Japanese entertainment industry, even if it doesn’t do it all that well. Season 1 showed off a glimpse of the idol industry and even how the acting industry goes. For Season 2, it dives right into another big part of an entertainment industry: stage plays. Given that stage plays are super popular in Japan right now, I think a good dive into what they’re like is good for those unfamiliar with the industry like me! They have their own production rules and customs, so it’s interesting to see how different the industry is from film acting.

Because they’re essentially plays, good acting is necessary, hence why up and coming stars of Lala Lai and other rising stars are casted—Aqua is casted too! While it’s nice to see them rehearsing for their roles, I would’ve liked to see them audition for the roles, but I guess I’m asking for too much.

I think what caught my attention the most is the fact it tells a rather cruel truth about adaptations: they will never be faithful and that sometimes, adaptations are more marketing tactics that promote the original source material. Sometimes, characters or scenes must be sacrificed for time constraints. It sucks because I’ve seen adaptations where they butcher a scene or character so bad. Look at the 90’s Sailor Moon. I’m sure some manga fans absolutely hate how Ikuhara changed Rei from stoic and wary of men to being boy-crazy and tsundere. Heck, I’ve seen some Demon Slayer fans upset that Zenitsu’s portrayal is very exaggerated compared to how he is written in the manga with some scenes with him and Nezuko getting cut out too. So, I get Akane’s frustrations with a loose adaptation of the source material. I’m sure that there are those who want to see their favorite characters be portrayed with how they’re supposed to be and not a shadow of their former selves. I’m not surprised that Abiko-sensei wanted to change the entire script because it would hurt to have your babies be butchered—like how Kichijouji-sensei suffered from the terrible adaptation of Sweet Today.

There’s also an introduction to a lot of new characters in addition to returning cast. Other than Aqua, Kana, Akane, Melt and Kichijouji-sensei, there’s Taiki Himekawa, the star of Lala Lai, who plays the MC Blade. There’s Sakuya who plays the green guy. There’s also GOA, a scriptwriter and Kindaichi. To be honest, I hope I can keep up with who is who. Oh, and there’s Ruby, but she only appears briefly and is not that important right now.

What I like is that the visuals have improved because the episode likes to show off the visuals of the characters that the actors will play. The acting with Taiki and Kana was really good because it shows that acting is important in a stage play and that good actors need to keep up with each other. However, I do feel bad for Akane in the sense that her role doesn’t allow her to shine as she’s a method actor and Princess Saya’s role is a small one.

I guess my only gripe is the first 3-5 minutes of introducing Tokyo Blade. Was that necessary? I get that the visuals are nice, but all it did was introduce the characters and actors, whom you can see in the middle. Is that a part of stage play culture or is it just Daga Kobo flexing?

The opening visuals are pretty nice! The song may be a bit of a downgrade from YOASOBI’s Idol, but it’s still pretty catchy. I love the visuals from how Aqua and Ruby take off their ‘masks’ to reveal their past selves, Goro and Sarina.

Anyways, I’m excited to see what this arc has to offer! I also hope there will be more Aqua screen time because I am an Aqua fan—I don’t care what you think of me. I like Aqua! I want him to find what he needs to in this arc! Other than me gushing over Aqua, I do think this was a good introduction to the Tokyo Blade arc. What are your thoughts on the second season?

[8o--o8-deactivated20220523]

Something that I genuinely find fascinating about opla from like a creative standpoint is how, if you look the decisions the writers made it becomes clear that they just want to adapt one piece into real life?

They don't want to change it, go in their own direction or "improve" it, they just want to do it irl

When you look at interviews with the showrunners and such, literally every single time they talk about shit they cut, they talk about it like "oh yeah we really wanted to do that but didn't have the budget"

I genuinely believe that any change they made to the source material was just because they didn't have infinite money or they wanted to make it work as a big budget streaming show

I think the most insane example of this is the fact that there are only like 4 note worthy LA only characters : The short marine Nami knocks out at the beginning of the show, the Fishman waiter at Baratie, the guy who offers Nami passage on his ship at Baratie and the bartender who tells Koby and Helmeppo where the strawhats went

That's the caliber of original characters were dealing with, you forgot most of them existed

And usually when you have big budget live action adaptations like this you usually invent some important original characters for the sake of making things smoother or change an already existing character so much that they're essentially an original character, again so you have an easier time doing your own thing/adapting it

They really do not want to do their own thing in the slightest if they don't have to

Sure you can point at the Garp stuff but from the interviews with the showrunners they talk about how big budget streaming shows need b plots like that, again they saw this change as a necessity to make it work as a big budget streaming show and not an indulgence

Literally every single character is almost entirely in character with their original Manga counterparts(with some deviations, the strawhats are less morally grey and Luffy listens to the backstories)

All of them fucking look 100% like the characters and those were originally made to look like stupid cartoon characters

And here's the thing, you can make an adaptation that "doesn't respect" its source material, wants to go in its own direction etc. And have it still be good, being accurate does not equate quality

It's just insane that they took this approach where they're very accurate, literally just want to translate the original story into a new medium, nothing else, with a work that is inherently not made for a live action medium

And I can't stop thinking about how nuts that is, the one piece live action adaptation, in the current adaptation landscape we live in, is the one that tries it's hardest to be accurate to its source material in almost every single way

[universestreasures]

Kisara's Love For Priest Seto

So, I think it's pretty obvious to anyone who had read the manga or watched the anime that Kisara had strong feeling for Priest Seto. You don't exactly die for someone and protect their soul forever unless you really feel strongly about them (plus we know that Takahashi wanted to explore more of her and Priest Seto's relationship anyway so like).

But the question is, does Kisara KNOW of Priest Seto's feelings for her (Which are more obvious IMO?). Well, I'd say the answer depends on which version of the series you're talking about, and this answer depicted in my Modern Kisara's verse in general (this can of course change with plotting with others, nothing's set in stone) when she gets to learn about her past /get those feelings or memories will be dependent on if I'm writing in the anime or manga canons (which usually is what my partner is based on as I'm pretty flexible) I'm writing her for.

Anime:

Priest Seto's 'Confession Moment' as I like to call it here is something he says out loud and proudly to his father, even using the word 'love plainly'. It is something that Kisara fully is around for and hears, even reacting with one of the only genuine smiles we see of her this entire story. To me at least, she felt touched by it and 100% recipocated the feelings.

So, what this means is for Modern Kisara writing in the canon of the anime when she regains her memories / feeling of the past, she is aware of Priest Seto's feelings for her in return. Those feelings in this variation of the verse would be depicted with an air of tragedy, for the two of them never got to be together. If anything, it would increase her desire to find him again and be with him, which of course would make things complicated with our fav CEO Seto Kaiba.

Manga:

In the manga, Priest Seto's 'confession moment' not only happens internally (meaning no one but him heard it), but also after Kisara had already essentially died / was on her death bed. He did tell her to leave, to go to another land free of war, but that is something I don't think she'd interpret as romantic from his point of view (certainly that he cared about her but not necessarily romance). Though, the fact he did that, wanting to put her out of harms way / protect her once again, further solidified the feelings she had grown in her heart for him.

So, what this means is for Modern Kisara writing in the canon of the manga, when she regains her memories / feelings of the past, she is not aware of Priest Seto's feelings for her in return (at least initially. Kisara in my mind only has access to the memories of her human life, not her form as the Blue-Eyes, without retooling to that connection. Thus, the rest of the memories are inside the cards). From her viewpoint, her feelings, while strong, are one-sided. I think it would make them more confusing and have her feel a bit more conflicted about them (constantly going back and forth with them) compared to the anime where there would not be any doubts. After all, strong feelings for someone are great, but if they didn't recipcate and the person they are now (AKA Priest Seto being reincarnated as Seto Kaiba) doesn't have them...is it worth holding onto them at all when they'll just cause you pain?

I think both versions overall have a lot of potential for exploration (especially in the angst category), and it's interesting how the differences between them affect this crucial aspect of Kisara so deeply. I'm excited to explore all the possibilities with you guys!

This girl needs some support for what she's going through cause getting memories that you died for your past love is a lot to deal with, recipocated feelings or otherwise.

[innerchorus]

It's a very similar expression, isn't it? There's even a little tear in Bahman's eye, too. (Bahman from Chapter 43, Zandeh from Chapter 59.)

I can't help it, my thoughts are so addled right now that I keep thinking of Bahman as being part of Team Hilmes. But he could so easily have been, couldn't he? I would have loved to see him interact with Zandeh (see: the old dog and new puppy discussion of it here, and I also love the thought of Bahman taking Zandeh under his wing and teaching him in military matters).

The moment in Chapter 38 where Hilmes encounters him in Peshawar... The way he's hesitant, yet as he realises he's tentatively reaching out for Hilmes's proffered hand... If that moment hadn't been interrupted, if they'd been able to talk for a little longer, I wonder what would have happened?

And I keep looking at that expression on Hilmes's face (not that you can see all of it, which highlights Bahman's inability to recognise him and that it's not solely because he thinks he died 16 years ago, it's also because his face is covered by a mask). That panel focuses the attention on his smile, and the hand he's offering to Bahman, and I just... honestly, it makes me really sad, because here is someone who knew him before the palace fire, who must have been fond of him, and trusted by him as a child. Bahman is someone whose support Hilmes needs on a practical level, but isn't it more than that, too?

And though it's not evident in the manga, it's worth remembering that in the novels, seeking Bahman's loyalty is the whole reason Hilmes enters Peshawar Fortress in the first place! His encounter with Arslan was entirely unexpected!

I think having Bahman's support would have been good for him. And realistically I know Bahman would have remained just as torn up by the conflict as when he was with Arslan, but wouldn't it have been nice for him to reunite with Hilmes, who he thought was dead, and see him grow into a fine Shah?

Tanaka made some comment in the Reader's Guidebook that amounted to it essentially being merciful for a character like Bahman who is torn between two choices to be killed off. I don't think he's wrong, especially with the trajectory that canon took, but just as he gave his life for Arslan's sake in the anime and manga, I feel he would have done exactly the same thing for Hilmes under different circumstances.

Actually, let's look at Bahman's death scene, because it's something I've been wanting to discuss for a while now. The relevant manga chapters are 51 and 52.

I think everyone's aware that the anime and the OVAs both made the same choice regarding Bahman's death, in that he is inadvertently killed by Hilmes when protecting Arslan in Peshawar Fortress. (And I liked this change, personally.) But I don't think it's as commonly known that Arakawa also made some changes?

The event itself takes place similarly in Sindhura, but in the novels:

Bahman's inner conflict doesn't feature in his death, and

Gadhevi's spear was aimed at Bahman, so Bahman did NOT take a blow meant for Arslan as he did in the manga.

'“Your Highness Arslan! Please hurry up and go!” Before he could finish his words, Bahman unsheathed his sword and cut down the attacking Sindhuran soldiers in a cloud of blood and smoke. Although he was already over sixty years old, his skillful swordsmanship showed no signs of decline. However, just as he cut down two more enemy soldiers, Gadhevi picked up a spear, aimed it at the old general, and threw it. The spear made a whistling sound as it flew towards him, stabbing hard into the area between Bahman’s left shoulder and chest. Bahman let out a short groan and fell down.' (Book 3, Chapter Three, Part v)

We don't get any of his internal thoughts before he dies, either.

By contrast, in the manga, when Arslan's life is in danger? Bahman hesitates. And honestly to me this change is just so masterful that I really ought to have included it on the list of my favourite differences between novels and manga.

Yet even as he acknowledges that thought, his body is already in motion, moving to take the spear that was meant for Arslan. So here's why I like this scene so much:

It feels as though Bahman's conflictedness may well be the very reason he dies. If he hadn't hesitated then, if he had called out instantly to warn Arslan, would Arslan have dodged? Would Bahman or Narsus have instead cut down the spear before it reached him? Bahman's death didn't have to be the outcome, whereas in the novels it feels like there was no way for it to have been avoided.

The fact that his conflict doesn't just stem from being undecided who he should give his loyalty too, but because he recognises the turmoil that having two candidates for the throne will bring to Pars. His concern is for his country; out of Arslan and Hilmes, who will be the better ruler?

And as usual, Arakawa shows us so much. That panel of Hilmes that Bahman sees in his moment of indecision, the way it's sort of shadowed and his eyes aren't visible, because even though Bahman knew him when he was a boy, he doesn't know him in the same way now. What does he know of Hilmes? He is clearly competent in matters of war, and on the surface more equipped to lead than a boy of Arslan's age. And he has royal blood, which Bahman knows that Arslan does not.

But he must also know of Hilmes's involvement in the Lusitanian invasion, and his brutality in trying to kill Arslan. I think Bahman's decision to give his life to save Arslan's comes not just from being unable to stand by and watch Arslan to die before his eyes, but because although he worries about whether Arslan is right for the task, he has misgivings about Hilmes, too. It would have been easier, after all, to do nothing. To let Arslan die. In making the active choice to save Arslan, I can't help but see it as him hoping that Arslan will be better for Pars than Hilmes would have been.

And yeah, it does feel tragic that he'll never be able to see for certain that he made the right choice, worrying about the softness in Arslan's nature (as evidenced by his refusal to leave Bahman's side even when it endangered him). Yet that same softness that can be seen as a weakness is also a strength, isn't it? And there is little of it to be seen in Hilmes.

I also appreciate that it's clear he's not just worried for the fate of Pars, but for Arslan's individual fate, too. Surely it's the time he's spent with him in Sindhura getting to know him on a personal level that has resulted in this moment where he opts to give his life to save Arslan, effectively choosing him over Hilmes. And when I think about it like that, while in both cases a change was made so that Bahman gave his life for Arslan's sake, ultimately I prefer this over his death in the anime. The angst potential of Hilmes being the one to accidentally kill his old teacher is good though.

Personally, I like that his death ends on a hopeful note. Despite his worries, he is able to place his faith in Arslan due to the fact that he has companions such as Daryun and the others who will lend him their support and strength and can offset his youth and inexperience as he grows into the good king that Bahman implores him to become before he dies. It feel like he's made peace with his decision.

One more thing I like from Bahman's death scene:

Bahman's recognition that he's about to die coming as he looks up at Azrael, named for the "Herald of Death" (an angel in Parsian cosmology) and thinks of his already departed friend, Vahriz.

[animehouse-moe]

After-School Hanako-Kun and Good News

I had a feeling, a rather strong feeling after a hint left in the PV for After-School Hanako-Kun, and I'm very happy that it turned out correct. There's not a mountain of stuff to cover, but I think it's important (and very interesting!) things that have the chance to be of importance to the Hanako-Kun remake!

So, let's talk details. How about starting with the PV? Lerche was a little sneaky, listing Studio Hibari in parentheses, but I caught it pretty quickly as I was chatting about the PV with a friend. You might think, "Oh, but Hibari is Lerche's parent company, it could have meant anything", and in a way you would have been right. Except, this is the first time Hibari was credited on a Lerche anime- period.

So, everybody already knew about the changes with lead director Masaomi Andou, and character designer Itou Mayuka not returning. What we didn't know is how good the character designs and direction would be. Well, turns out its good, very good.

Lots of little pieces of expression and character acting, as well as some solid direction, culminating in scenes like Nene digging Hanako out of the pile of Mokke.

Depth is actually something that lead director as well as episode director/storyboarder Kitamura Masaki plays at consistently throughout the episode, and it works really well. It puts in perspective how "flat" the first season of Hanako-Kun is, and how much it relied on color design to really bring the best out in it.

Conversely, expressions can struggle here and there compared to the first season. An inevitable fate that the anime would suffer due to Andou's departure considering how they literally use manga panels for their storyboards.

However, the slight differences in facial expressions is something I'll gladly eat if it means that the animation can get a much needed upgrade. Sure, it's not sakuga worthy every other second, but there's plenty of fun and well done cuts like these two Mokke sequences.

And we can owe that to the massive effort Hibari has put into cleaning up this series. Yeah, they essentially dedicated an entire staff dispatch for this first episode. All the first key animators are Hibari, as well as all but 3 for the second key animators. In betweens and other smaller roles for the episode have also been parted out a great deal to Hibari's Vietnam studio, creating a nearly full force effort from the parent to support its child. And it does wonders for the series.

I was intensely curious to see how this spinoff anime would go over with Lerche before this first episode, but now I'm incredibly excited to see how they decided to upgrade the manga they're adapting, and how this might reflect on the quality of the Hanako-Kun remake slated to release this year.

[dragynkeep]

okay i’ll shoot. barely know anything about naruto but do you have any salt regarding kakashi?

the manga had absolutely no idea what to do with kakashi when it came to the narrative end of his arc, where he had been so impacted by his father's suicide & loyalty to a village that did not give it in turn: having his entire world turned upside down by the death of rin by his own hands, the deaths of obito, minato & kushina.

we see where this would naturally lead in kakashi essentially closing himself from everyone in the village & only allowing them to see a veneer, a ghost of who he could've been but above all, kakashi is loyal. he is steadfast in not dishonouring himself or what he's given to his village, he will not follow in his father's footsteps.

& ... that doesn't go anywhere. kakashi is still loyal to a corrupt village even with the exposure of everything that had happened to him was the result of these corruptions. the death of obito leading to the deaths of minato & kushina, his father dying for something as honourable as doing the right thing only to be regarded as dishonourable in his death.

kakashi is a symptom of a much bigger problem in naruto in that it highlights the corruption & things that need to change in their larger society but then do nothing towards that change. it's so heartbreaking to go back in reading the manga & see how kakashi has become part of the problem, how he reinforces the issues of the village & of ninja society at large even when we're supposed to criticise it.

also it's been said before but this man was one of the worst sensei out there & it makes me wonder why he was even in that profession. just be in the anbu or a regular ass shinobi cause all he ended up doing was furthering sasuke's trauma, passing naruto off to more experienced people & downright ignoring sakura.

[sabrinahawthorne]

JUMP! Devlog, February 26, 2024 - Relationships & Modes of Play

1. Relationships

Something crucial is missing from JUMP!: relationships. What is shonen without devotion, friendship, and rivalry, all simmering with homoerotic tension? Absolutely nowhere, that's where.

Loyalties and Rivalries are simple markers of a Fighter's relationships with other Fighters. Each Playbook features a section on relationships that looks something like this:

Like Conditions, relationships can be gained & lost over the course of play - but that's about where the similarities end.

When you have a relationship with another Fighter, the two of you gain access to a couple of additional Beats and Bursts:

2. Modes of Play

JUMP! is a game about fighting. Which means that I've spent a lot of time thinking about out-of-combat play.

My first thought was to essentially ignore it. Let non-combat scenes happen as a conversation between players and not address it. I hate that idea. Even if it's simple and gets out of the way, I think there should be something to do mechanically when you're not fighting. I want to frame and facilitate the entire space of shonen battle storytelling, not just build a bloated standalone combat engine. I've already built a standalone combat engine - it's called DUEL, you should check it out.

My second thought was to do what I've been doing already: model play after the Apocalypse Engine. This idea feels better, but I still don't like it. I like the Apocalypse Engine a lot, and cheating off its homework when making a game that models genre fiction is generally a good idea, I think. But in my opinion, adding PbtA-style Moves to JUMP! would cross the line, and I'd just be fully Powering my game by the Apocalypse.

Idea number 3 is to follow the advice of itch.io user DeReel:

This is a great idea. Wanderhome is a great game, undoubtedly one of my all-time favorites. This comment actually got me on the train of thought that developed into Beats and Bursts. As for out-of-combat play, though, I don't know. It feels so good on paper, but... something isn't right about it. I can't really put my finger on it, but my gut tells me that this isn't the way.

Here's the current idea: eliminate the distinction between Combat and Not Combat. It involves a couple of very technical and pretty boring-to-read tweaks to the Bidding system, but essentially, this is how it works.

During a scene, whenever a fighter triggers the conditions of a Beat, that beat activates - no matter what. This means that during a scene, a person's Pools will be fluctuating regardless of if a fight is going on. Then, if a fighter for any reason goes head to head against another character, whether it be an argument over food prices or an intense tactical debate, a Contest is initiated. This doesn't trigger a full fight - it's equivalent to a contested roll in another game.

This all works exactly how a proper Combat works, and that's he idea. This will hopefully give out-of-combat fight a bit more texture, and saves me the trouble of having to pile on another new set of systems atop what I currently have. The only thing that changes when a proper fight starts is the introduction of an arcade-fighter style "first to three" system, replacing the Conflict meter from the prototype.

I've got more brewing down the line alongside all this - I've almost got Powers cracked, and I'm chugging away at the nitty-gritty details of the playbooks. Once I've got a draft of all that ironed out, I have a couple of ideas for measuring game time and creating Arcs.

Right now, I'm hunting for an illustrator! I need somebody with an anime/manga style (think Naruto or Fullmetal Alchemist), who has space for 10-20 illustrations, paid upfront per piece. If that's work that sounds up your alley, or if you know someone who fits the bill, please reach out to me at sabrinahawthorne@proton.me.

[cowardlybean]

GOING IN TEH ASKBOX TO BYPASS CHARACTER LIMITZ SORRY FOR INCOMING ESSAYZ

OKAY SO POINT 1 I think teh fact that Reigen is inspired by Mogami is SO interesting especially bc in 7th Div reigen is shocked to see psychics that aren’t Mob. I don’t know if hez just surprised that derez other people with Telekinesis powerz and not just spiritual stuff or if he thought Mogami was just a showman but it’d be rlly funny and interesting if itz teh latter . Reigen thinking that Mogami was also a fraud but a very talented dedicated one and maybe idolizing it th way you might idolize liek an actor in a movie . I imagine th details of Mogamis suicide are very unknown to th public since he kept so much hidden in his final years so all most people including Reigen really know is ‘mogamis mother died, mogami disappeared from the public eye, and some time later he killed himself’ . Reigen doesn’t I imagine know Any of th in depth bullshit but could at least extrapolate that th media and paparazzi were not kind about his mothers condition or his mental health . so during Separation Arc when reigen himself is experiencing th nightmare dimension and feeling like extremely alone falling into that swirling vortex he remembers mogami (moth imagery in teh alleyway baby!) and is liek Oh my god I can’t end up someone like that I have to make something of myself . But ends up just getting caught up in th vicious media cycle in an entirely different way though hez able to do what Mogami didn’t and call out to someone . something about fighting vicious cycles by being willing to swallow your pride and ask for help .

SECOND POINT I go back and forth on dis ! see in th manga it is very explicit that Mob has no one at home whatsoever but th anime seems more vague about it? we still don’t see his parentz but itz much less upfront about ‘mob has literally no one at home’ and I sometimes interpret it as liek . he is so lost in his own misery and wallowing that he doesn’t even interact with his family or process deir existence . and how falling into that pit of misery can hurt otherz around you as well as he just becomes so entrenched that it seems like he simply has no family . he has a brother but dey don’t talk , so ritsu doesn’t bother intervening with bullies , dey have no bond . he goes home to his parents’ house but goes straight to his room because he has no energy at all . I like dis interpretation bc it plays into Mogami only changing th bare minimum to make th point of ‘this could happen to you’ to Mob . BUT ive also seen it positioned as like . th idea that that level of depression and suffering can almost become absurd to th sufferer , so it makes sense for what is essentially a torture dimension like Mogamiland to take that literally and perform th absurdity of actually removing his family relations altogether . while I generally perceive Mogamiland as more down to earth (relatively speaking, it is still cartoonishly miserable bc even though th bad things aren’t unrealistic all joy and good has been surgically removed) th idea that Mob quite literally goes home to an empty house because hes reached an absurd level of suffering , th same as how Mogami refused to reach out to anyone or seek any help and instead chose to rot alone in his house (something its hard to be angry at him or blame him for but that hes still like, complicit in, if that makes sense?) with no one else . reflecting how deeply unrealistic th mentalities you develop at that low of a point are , Mogamiland itself becomes absurd and bends logic to keep Mob trapped and too miserable to question it . if itz th latter case of Literally No One i imagine th absurdity rules help tether reality together . he can function on school lunches because miserable people may eat very little , his house is empty and cold and unpleasant but it stands and functions , because those are th bare minimum things needed to survive (all that Mob is doing) and to keep th illusion that he can have nothing better until he breaks .

POINT 3 OH YOUVE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD (RIPS OFF SHIRT TO REVEAL CHEST TATTOOS THAT SAY NUMBER 1 MINORI ASAGIRI FAN) (AND ALSO A MAJOR MOGAMI FAN BUT MINORI FIRST)

Minori I imagine is like . Considerably worse off mentally den Mob right after th arc . Mob is obviously pretty fucked up by 6 months of hell but in typical Mob fashion is able to repress that pretty handily up until confession arc when Everything is opened up by force . it’ll be on his list of things to discuss in therapy for sure lmao . but largely hes good at repressing and also part of th moral of th Mogami arc is that wallowing in your own misery does you no good so he wants to live best foot forward . Minori does too i think , because she wants to change , but I think it’s a lot harder for her . shez lived on her perch of untouchable popular girl for a While , and even if she was acutely aware that things would Not Be Good if someone else rose above her , all she had to do was stomp down any threat effectively enough . between that and just being a teenager who has had a good life itz extremely hard for her to process such an extreme terrible theft of control from her . her body was puppeted , used to lie about and severely injure her father and many others , and she was used as a scapegoat , her actions in Mogamiland were things she really would do but it still must be frightening to be trapped in your own mind especially once Mob snaps and she realizes Oh . That’s what this exists for . To kill me . Mogamiland is a conveyer belt with Minori’s death at th end , that is Mogamis ultimate goal to make Mob change and see his point of view . so not only does she know that she barely escaped th slaughterhouse but she also knows she horribly tortured th guy who was strong and kind enough to save her even after all she did . bc it would be easy for a lesser story to have Minori scared straight , and i do think she does become very paranoid , but th primary reason she changes is because Mob made her want to be better , he made her want to be as courageous as he was . I think post-Mogamiland she is very physically and mentally fucked up but intent on Being Better TM but she doesn’t fully know what that means yet , doesn’t know how to unravel social standards she carefully built up herself or not just be forgiven because people are scared of her . I think she struggles really hard w learning to be kind and develops a lot of moral obsessions , getting really really upset and angry at herself if she so much as Thinks something bad bc thats proof she hasn’t changed and that th evil spirit is going to come break her fingers again . learning to actually be better without wanting to actively die every time she does something mean is a long process she has to work through but I think itz one she does work through w her dads help . I like th HC that she gets into crafting and that slowly leads into being able to care about more and more living things . her big stupid idiot cat she got that she threatens to sell to th circus while giving it treats even if it is icky . very fucked up girl trying her best , I think she reaches out to Mob eventually and dey get together for lunch or something every month or two . casual friends , derez an underlying sting of trauma for both , but friends nonetheless who are happy to see each other getting better . Mob says she should move closer to Seasoning City one day and shes like ‘do you even realize how many city destroying events there have been in the past 3 months alone. no.’ she and teru would be CRAZY gossip buddies lmao

MOGAMI……….i know hes in that damn jar . dis ask is getting looooong so I don’t wanna linger on him too long but I imagine he and Matsuo have an extremely tense dynamic up until th jar is broken in WD arc , and Mogami wanders for a few days before actually deciding to track down Matsuo again . unbearable as he finds him , Matsuo walks a line between human and spirit that not many people do , and is one of th only people that talks to him up front to his face because he too has experienced being thrown aggressively off his high horse . I think dey have a weird gay thing but either way I think dey definitely stick together bc dey both come to realize that dere Are other people in th world capable of understanding dem . Mogami is perpetually kinda fucked up but I think Mob changed him at least a little . enough to have let Minegishi go in WD arc and accept that maybe someone Can change sometimes .

hi . Mogami arc is my favorite arc

I'M ABOUT TO GO BATSHIT INSANE OH MY GOD

just in case lemme just. put this under the cut

OK OK in 7th div i think what shocks Reigen more is the fact that there are adult psychics? or rather. a lot of adult psychics LMAO he asks Ritsu earlier if he can help out at the office so i Think he knows other psychics exist (but he probably wouldnt guess they're all somehow miraculously concentrated in seasoning city AJHSDGHGHEGFGH) but with Mogami in particular, I'd like to think in his younger years he fully believed it all, going on spirit hunts of his own, but as he grew he'd think "yeah its all a scam" bc of his own scammery until Mogami arc throws it all into question. BUT APART FROM THAT. YOUR MIND. YOUR BRAIN. THE COMPARISON OF SEPARATION ARC AND MOGAMI'S STORY IS SOMETHING I HADNT THOUGHT OF BEYOND JUST THE MEDIA HOLY SHIT. oh my god knowing Reigen and his random knowledge on every little subject i feel like hes the type of guy to go on google rabbit holes and after Mogami arc that would reawaken his curiosity in the guy and later during separation arc he's thinking "i cant let myself get to that level, i have to become someone" AUGH I LOVE THE WAY THOSE TWO ARCS INTERTWINE. something something Reigen having some kind of support to reach out to but Mogami being utterly alone,,. but yah i think its so funny to imagine that Reigen Just picked up a lot of the showmanship from Mogami and didn't think the guy was legitimate ASDJHGEFGH.

THIS REAWAKENED MY FIRST INTERPRETATION OF MOGAMILAND WAIT ID COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN UNTIL NOW after I watched it for the first time I assumed that Mob's parents (or possibly just One of his parents) were in a state similar to Mogami's mother, and thats why they arent present and now i'm thinking thats a bit of an inbetween point, in that its something that could be a reality but its also Mogami's view of a cold, hard world to live in. I'd like to think that the behavior of all the other people in Mogamiland is how Mogami imagines they'd act, because of how vicious and horrible he views humanity, not the way those same people in reality would truly react. Like enforcing his view of the world onto Mob is his point, so the world acts and behaves the way Mogami believes it to? Any absurdities (like living off school lunches alone) are what I'd call gaps in the cognitive world, because id say its gotta be pretty hard to make a perfect recreation of reality without both unconscious bias and mentally skipping over forgotten details?? Apart from that, I definitely prefer the interpretation that Ritsu is still Mob's brother in Mogamiland, but they're distant, because it reenforces how Mogami really had nobody to reach out to, especially not his family. ANYWHO. idk how to wrap this point up into a neat bow so just take my ramble

SOMETHING ALSO ABOUT MOB AND MINORI RECOVERING FROM MOGAMI ARC is that he remembers he has people who care about him there, and he resolves to appreciate them more than ever before (and then the wounds are reopened in separation arc etc etc) but Minori doesn't really have anyone she could connect the experience to? I feel like the friends she has are. likely not the best, and she's absolutely been horrible to people outside of Mob. So while she wants to better herself for Mob's sake, bc of the kid who saved her damn life from some incomprehensible evil spirit who'd puppeteered her, I'd think her initial instinct would still be to prevent herself from falling to the same position her victims were in. The same courage Mob had needs to be built up, she learns over time to lower her defenses of her status and maybe in some way stand up for others (though bc of her trauma with losing autonomy, i dont think she'd be to open with any kindness at first in fear of losing the position she has). Her pedestal is already crumbling with the rumors of her being absent (popular girl who rules the school "getting sent to the psych ward" would get her looks and whispers in the hallway) and that definitely doesn't help her after having been used as a puppet. She'd definitely grow out of it though, through feeling her way through having autonomy back and to slowly unravel the hierarchy she'd built herself into. AND AUHGHRFGH. not to be insane again but TTTAAAC made me appreciate Minori SO MUCH MORE bc of her role. her getting into crafts and having a cat?? after it all??? AFHGFHGRHGR. i need to see more of her and the rest of the cast, she and Teru would be buddies and i KNOW IT!! not enough Minori content in the world i need to get on that

MATSUGAMI IS REALLY FUNNY TO ME SOMETIMES guy fascinated with evil spirits x the one evil spirit you should Not fuck with. Matsuo definitely has smth to say about sprits still having lots to learn in their afterlife, he's probably seen spirits from all walks of life and how they eventually move on. Mogami probably chills out a little from the bone-chilling monstrosity he is in his arc, maybe a little reflection would do him good. Sitting in that bottle definitely makes him think about things (gee maybe i shouldn't have put those kids in a hell dimension for 6 months. but then again theyre in middle school what do i know/j)

SORRY IM NOT. THE BEST AT ARTICULATING THOUGHTS BUT I ALWAYS APPRICIATE AN ESSAY IN MY ASKS

[the-owl-tree]

okay

I for some reason have a very strong feeling that I am gonna poke the bear by asking this

and I am very scared to

but

considering you like xenofiction and manga

what are your opinions on Beastars

runs away

you know what that's fair because i had to do a little circle around my chair when you brought up beastars because of how many feelings i have on it.

tldr: beastars first half is an original and immaculate story that grounds its issues in its world before metaphor, but falls so flat on its face for the finale that it essentially doomed its own fate to die with a pitiful whimper

spoilers for beastars

I adore Beastars (the first half at least). It is such a strikingly original world that roots all of its problems IN ITS WORLD - which is my biggest problem with allegorical works of art. Beastars takes every step to show how these issues manifest within its world and how people would respond BEFORE it tries to lean on the metaphor and that's what I think separates it from Zootopia. Beastars is a world before it is a metaphor. I love her artwork and I love the character design, her expressions and the way she draws teeth and claws are my favorite. Paru Itagaki is an amazing artist, she has this very sketchy style reminiscent of Q Hayashida that I adore and much like Q, she knows how to make scenes weighty and bloody and PAINFUL. You will FEEL IT when these characters bit and claw at one another.

Beastars justifies its high school setting because it is specifically about how this world informs the development of its characters. Them being in high school is a great way to show their growth between young people trying to figure out their place, their self in their understanding of their school only for them to change as they grow. It's fantastic! The rich way the characters interact and perceive one another, interweaving both animal urge and emotions is fascinating to read. Paru Itagaki's strength is in her character writing and interactions, I adored the high school romance because I understood WHY these characters did things the way they did and I loved all the care that was put into making sure that every aspect of themselves informed their actions.

Legosi is such a kindly and endearing protagonist. I like that's he's a little weirdo and proud of it, I like that he's consistently making an effort to understand others. His relationship with Haru is my absolute favorite and, well, that's why the second half was such a let down.

In a stunning first half with enjoyable character arcs and fascinating character development, the sudden plummet into shounen battle arcs with the I'm InSaNe Melon was a huge let down. The second half, I firmly believe NEEDED to focus on Haru and Legosi's relationship. It is the ANCHOR of the story, it is the complete heart of both character's and it is so firmly enjoyable because of the dynamic that Itagaki has written. But instead, the finale stumbles on half-baked concepts (they made jojo stands?? and did NOTHING WITH THEM?????), unfinished plot lines (louis was in the mafia and didn't go to jail, his father is still cartoonishly evil and its never resolved), and antagonists so boring and unoriginal that i was begging for the manga to just put me down. Not to mention the whole predator and prey thing is just....resolved? all of a sudden?? not very well explained? Oh yeah! The great whale says we can eat fish now, glad that elaborate building up of the market and its cultural importance in the city can be resolved! What a way to go!

It is such a horrendous finale for such an intriguing and original series. I can only be at peace knowing the final chapter was the date we deserved WAY EARLIER. I loved Legosi working as a delivery guy, I could've had an entire slice of life series around that but nope! Boring pointless battle arc time. Sucks ass.

It sucks because the first half is so so good and I highly recommend it! I don't want this series to go out with such a whimper but goddamn....the ending is soooo bad. If you're interested in it, dip out as soon as Melon appears I mean it. You'll be happier, just go read Beast Complex it's so much better than the finale please just trust me on this.

[madara-fate]

I just got back into Naruto and I was wondering. What are your (and everyone thoughts) of the ending/war arc? I feel it was good but tbh I didn't like the introduction of "aliens" or "reincarnations" or that it was only one who wrote the entire story of shinobi. It just felt like this new villain that we just meet, no hints of mythical being who was controlling the cycle of hatred, and it just made it seem like the characters had their destiny written. Naruto and Sasuke, Madara and Tobirama. Making Neji character arc a bit weaken since that was his stance or something he had to learn, that his life is not pre-written or destined. It took away the free will. Made Naruto and Sasuke be God like (literally). And idk I feel I just wanted Sasuke vs Naruto fight not only on what is the right answer of being a shinobi (since the beginning Naruto wanted to change it. That why his promise to Nagato/Pain, Neji, Jinchurikis ext) and Sasuke wanted more control-like charge at least in the beginning when he found out the truth, on how corrupt it is. So maybe a fight about that (almost like Rocky/Creed fight drama plot. What are they fighting for, more than just a outdo eachother power but fight each other views and resolutions.) Or idk a fight more personal and deep than what we got... Because in the end Naruto didn't make the change, at least from what I saw in Boruto, he called himself his childself naive. Still sending kids into the world to fight the same thing that shook him when we saw his first real mission with Team 7 in the beginning of the story and manga. Or that this new being almost made what Orochimaru, Pain, Itachi fight be for nothing due to the pre-written curse of hatred the black Zetsu created or more like Kaguya. It just I saw it like the big evil is Orochimaru/Kabuto, nope, it is Tobi who is Obito (who created the war due to his love for Rin and hatred of Kakashi... So needed something more than that for a War), to nope is Madara, nvm is Black Zetsu, oh no is Kaguya. Now let's Naruto deal with Alien like characters in the end. Oh and about the shipping... even though I am happy with my favs being canon I feel like in the end it got too focused on shipping with everyone (even characters I was like okay why they are together cough cough Choji this is new and didn't saw it coming literally... No hints before like Shikatema). Or strengthen women characters, what are they goals more than chasing after their love interested and being string to catch up to them. Ik it would be too much to cover but maybe Hinata arc would be the Hyuga clan and Neji arc, the drive within that more person without involvement of love alone. What are their philosophy on the x topic?

Ik is long but wanted your thoughts and everyone thoughts. How will you fix it? What would you change. What to keep? Just open conversation with you and everyone. 😊 I am really curious how everyone thinks

I just got back into Naruto and I was wondering. What are your (and everyone thoughts) of the ending/war arc?

The war arc had its moments, but Kaguya should not have been the final boss. Kishi spent hundreds of chapters hyping up Madara to be the final boss, so that's who people wanted to see. But when Kaguya came out of nowhere and usurped his position, there was no hype, there was no excitement. There was only confusion, which soon turned into criticism. Madara was so entertaining, so charismatic, readers knew about him and his history. Conversely, no one had a clue who the fuck Kaguya was or why they should care, and that severely lessened the quality of the final confrontation with her, because there was no reader investment in her as a character.

It just felt like this new villain that we just meet, no hints of mythical being who was controlling the cycle of hatred

Yep, that's essentially what I said regarding how Kaguya just came out of nowhere with no hype or build up, and yet Kishi expected readers to care about who she was. People cared about Madara - he had endeared himself to the readers, Kaguya did not.

It just made it seem like the characters had their destiny written... It took away the free will.

This had been a thing since the Pain arc introduced the whole "Child of Prophecy" angle, so I can't really make this a unique criticism of the War arc when similar themes had been done previously.

And idk I feel I just wanted Sasuke vs Naruto fight not only on what is the right answer of being a shinobi... Or idk a fight more personal and deep than what we got

I don't really have an issue with the themes and incentives behind their final fight, because it is pretty much consistent with what had been points of contention before. As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I like consistency and continuity in storytelling.

Because in the end Naruto didn't make the change, at least from what I saw in Boruto, he called himself his childself naive. Still sending kids into the world to fight the same thing that shook him when we saw his first real mission with Team 7 in the beginning of the story and manga.

Naruto did make changes. I don't want to get into detail here, but I discussed just how unfair it is to criticise Naruto for apparently not having done anything as Hokage during this post and this post, and regarding the whole "sending kids into the world to fight"/child soldiers debacle, I specifically address that and go into a lot of detail proving that point (during the New Generation while Naruto is the Hokage) to be false in this post.

It just I saw it like the big evil is Orochimaru/Kabuto, nope, it is Tobi who is Obito (who created the war due to his love for Rin and hatred of Kakashi... So needed something more than that for a War)

That's not actually the case.

Obito didn't descend into darkness and start the War because of Rin. During his battle with Kakashi (who had a similar assumption), Obito clarifies that he did not start the war just because of what happened between himself, Rin and Kakashi all those years ago:

He explained that his resentment was directed towards the shinobi world itself, for incorporating a system which allowed the situation which took Rin’s life to happen in the first place. That is ultimately what caused Obito to adopt Madara’s “Tsuki no Me” plan, because he wanted to change what he deemed to be the “counterfeit” world, to one which was free from such circumstances.

Oh and about the shipping... even though I am happy with my favs being canon I feel like in the end it got too focused on shipping with everyone (even characters I was like okay why they are together cough cough Choji this is new and didn't saw it coming literally... No hints before like Shikatema).

I don't think the manga focused too much on shipping at all, but I think the fans definitely focused too much on the shipping, and gave the ships far more importance than they actually had.

Or strengthen women characters, what are they goals more than chasing after their love interested and being string to catch up to them.

With this criticism, I'll just stick to the main two female characters who the accusation is usually directed towards.

Sakura's goal wasn't to chase after Sasuke, it was to save him from the darkness.

Hinata's goal wasn't to chase after Naruto, it was to be more like him because she admired him.

Ik is long but wanted your thoughts and everyone thoughts. How will you fix it? What would you change. What to keep? Just open conversation with you and everyone. 😊 I am really curious how everyone thinks

With regards to what I would change or improve from the manga, I go into detail on that topic during this post if you're interested.