#fruits basket vol 15

[ultimate-chickennougat]

| Your Salaryman Husband | (Vol 5)

Vol 1 Vol 2 Vol 3 Vol 4 (Not Required) Vol 6 Vol 7 Vol 8 Vol 9

Salaryman!Kento x Housewife!Reader

Visiting Nanami at work...

Word Count: 1.5k

CW: SFW, domestic fluff, fem!Reader, slightly slightly suggestive, office things

A/n: The pacing is a bit off in this, I'll do Gojo in the next volume (which will hopefully be better).

Within your last three months of marriage, it had become even more clear to you just how organized your husband Nanami was. 

The talented Jujutsu Sorcerer, and current salaryman, was always on time to wake up, go to work, and come home, never varying more than a couple of minutes. It was easy to plan things that way, knowing exactly when to greet him and have dinner ready. 

He kept to the usual schedule, drinking his morning coffee on the living room table while looking over some documents on his computer. It was a simple part of his routine, and while rather mundane, it somehow produced some much needed peace before heading to work. 

He had gotten used to the banging of pots and pans, and the subtle hums that came out of your mouth as you cooked, having finished making breakfast and packing his lunch box for the day. You carefully balanced his plate and the basket of bread in your arms, safely setting them on the table next to his coffee cup, and made the second trip to grab your own, while he packed up his things. 

Sitting down, you couldn’t help but smile watching Nanami eat the food you made. He had a long day of work to go, various meetings to attend and many papers to read. To give him the gift of a good breakfast every morning was one of the greatest joys you had, knowing that he would need it in the hours to come, along with his lunch of course. 

There wasn’t much left for Nanami to do that morning. His clothes had been picked out by you and placed neatly in a pile, his breakfast was made, also by you, and his briefcase and shoes were set by the door for when he left. Despite your husband’s usual organized manner, he seemed to have forgotten one important thing as he stepped out the door, another boring work day ahead of him. 

You had already moved on to get the morning chores done, scrubbing down the bathroom tiles and sink, and throwing the dirty clothes into the laundry. You watched out the window while wiping the dishes with soapy water, taking a deep sigh of relief knowing you were almost done. The sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly throughout the house, and while the weather was lovely, rain hadn’t fallen on your plants in quite a while. So you took a watering can and went outside, tending to the fruits and vegetables and harvesting the ripe ones. 

Time really does fly when you’re having fun, which you were, seeing the variety of colors fill the basket, a testament of your hard work and care. When you got back into the house, fully prepared to relax on the couch and read, you noticed something peculiar on the kitchen counter.

A lunch box. It was none other than your husband, Kento Nanami’s, lunch box.

The clock read 11:12, meaning less than an hour until his lunch break. Of course this was not a regular occurrence, so the thoughts that went through your head were a bit past rational. “What if he doesn’t have money with him… or doesn’t have time to go to a store?” you mumbled to yourself, pacing around the kitchen. 

There was only one thing to do, in your mind. You could just bring the lunchbox to Nanami, right? So you quickly grabbed a bag and placed the box into it, as well as your wallet, and got out the door. It was about a 20 minute walk to the station at your speed, and a 15 minute ride to get to his building. 

Stepping out of the station, you gazed widely at the imposing building that Nanami worked in. Though you had seen it before, then it wasn’t surrounded by large crowds of people walking around the city.

You dashed inside the building, the lobby filled with salarymen grabbing coffee from the shop on the first floor. To that you had to facepalm, seeing the menu had sandwiches and other savory items. Of course he would have the opportunity to get lunch, all the other workers did it.

Turning back was an option, in your dress and flats you looked quite out of place, but it was 11:55, and Nanami would be on break in 5 minutes. It would be a waste of money to buy a sandwich, when you had an even better lunchbox waiting for him. 

When the clock struck 12:00, you started to find your way throughout the massive building, to the secretary’s desk. Nanami and the rest of his department would be on break, so you could visit him in his office. 

The secretary buzzed you up to his floor, and you wandered around past the mass of people heading to the elevator. Peaking around each doorway you looked for Nanami’s blonde hair and dark gray suit, having not seem him leave. The striking figure of your husband was hard to miss. 

Nanami sat hunched over in his chair, rummaging through his things in search of something. He was the only one who hadn’t left the room yet, letting out a grunt when his hands came up empty. You silently walked over to him, happy that you were able to find him so quickly. 

“Kento, darling,” you stated meekly, smiling to greet Nanami. He looked over his shoulder in surprise, you had never been to his office before. “Y/n, what are you doing here?”  He inquired, eyeing you. It couldn’t have been easy, figuring out where everything was and making the journey here. 

He smoothed his hand over his neck, leaning to the side. “I appear to have forgotten my lunch, could that be it?” he asked, not waiting for your response. You nodded, reaching into your bag to hand him the box. “Right on time, thank you, my love,” he reciprocated your smile, the shyness knocked off your face. “While you’re always welcome to come visit me, you really don’t have to come all this way for something like this…” he started clearing the papers off his desk. “I didn’t realize you had a cafe downstairs,” you laughed, “and that the streets here are so busy during the day.” 

“Their sandwiches are fine, but I’d still rather have this - it certainly has more nutritional value,” Nanami relaxed, setting his lunchbox on the desk. “I don’t know what slipped my mind, I’m sorry you had to come deliver this, Y/n,” he stood up, adjusting his tie with his hand. 

“I should probably be getting back now, Kento,” you frowned, not having much of any reason to stay. Your own lunch was at home, and the train would only get busier. Nanami gently gripped your shoulder, leading you to sit down in the chair in front of his desk.

“It tends to settle down a little while people are eating, why don’t you stay a bit longer? Only a few minutes - I enjoy your company, afterall,” he smirked as you took in the office around you. “The view is beautiful,” you looked out the window, your hand mindlessly fiddling with your other one as you avoided his gaze, towering over you until he sat down. It was the same sky and weather that was at home, but you were with him, and that made it so much better.  

“Though it makes getting around a bit longer, this office has the best view, and is quite secluded,” he picked up his fork and took a bite of food. “For the many meetings with clients I have, it works out well as a background, and for soundproofing,” you nodded, listening intently. “My other coworkers are on this floor, and the one below it,” he mentioned, eating more. You continued your conversation a short while longer. 

“It’s already 12:20, I’ll let you leave now,” he stared at his watch, slightly annoyed that the second hand kept ticking. You stood up, feeling the lack of weight on your shoulder as your bag was nearly empty. A reminder of your purpose for being in the office in the first place.

“Do other wives visit often?” you asked, curious, as Nanami joined you. “A few, but mostly at the end of the day,” he took your hand, as the two of you walked out into the rest of the floor. “Most of my coworkers are single,” he sighed, as you looked a bit surprised. 

“Maybe I should start forgetting my lunch more often,” Nanami met your flustered gaze, you didn’t want to say goodbye and wait for hours for him to come home. “You could see more of the work we do here,” he smiled, pulling you into a hug, “and all those dull trainees could see what a beautiful wife I have,” you blushed red. 

“Goodbye, Kento, I love you,” you started walking out the building, cheeks flushed and a smile not leaving your face. “Stay safe, Y/n, I love you too,” he replied, watching you leave. “Only a few more hours…” he mumbled in his head, “a few more hours…”

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol.15

You think you know someone, and then it turns out you really, really don't. At least, you know a very small portion of that person.

In a pretty hefty chunk of this book, we get a massive flashback into Yuki's childhood. As expected, it wasn't that great. What I didn't expect is how bad it was. It was,,, honestly a lot.

So, because he is the Rat Boy, and because I guess the rat is the closest to God in this whole situation, Yuki ended up being around Akito for most of his childhood. It wasn't ever really anything he wanted to do, it was just something he had to do. And from the short glimpse we get of Akito as a little kid, it seems like he didn't use to be anywhere near as bad as he is in the present (which makes sense). He seemed to have a short temper, but other than that, there wasn't anything unusual. Until one random day, that is. Akito kinda flipped his shit, and has been that way since. How nice.

As a result of always being close to Akito, no one else really wanted to be around Yuki. And after Akito cracked a bit, and started saying that Yuki wasn't wanted, that he was unnecessary, and that no one liked him, Yuki didn't much like being around Akito, but he didn't have any choice. Some time around then, Yuki's parents seem to have kinda sold Yuki to appease Akito, so he didn't even have his family to fall back on. Ayame, his older brother, ignored his existence as a whole. Have we even met Yuki's father in this entire series?

So when Yuki first heard of Kyo, how he was left outside, Yuki was pretty curious. He was alone, and so was this mysterious cat person. Maybe they could be friends? But, of course, the second that Kyo saw Yuki, he blamed Yuki for basically everything that went wrong in his life, just because Yuki was the rat, and he was the cat. Before this point, the whole Juunishi thing doesn't really seem to affect Yuki much, he doesn't seem to categorize people based on what animal spirit they have, but I imagine that after this incident, maybe that changed. After that initial interaction with Kyo, Yuki didn't immediately hate him, he was just sad and confused, but moving on, I bet it was excellent fuel to the fire.

(Oh hey I'll just put this here, that after Kyo yelled at him for "ruining everything" and that everyone would be happier if he just disappeared, he ran into his mom again. He was upset, and probably could've used some nice comfort. Instead of that, he got slapped in the face. So. -1 for Yuki's mom.)

Do you remember way back, probably around the first books, when Yuki brought up that time that he accidently turned into a rat while playing with some kids in elementary school? It went over that. It was already a sad scene, but now there's this additional context that when he was playing around with the other kids, that was basically one of the first times that he was truly happy. But after he changed into a rat, well obviously that had to be covered up, so all those kids that he was starting to make friends with were made to completely forget about him. He wasn't back to square one, he was at square zero, because now he had had a taste of friendship, just for it to be taken away and replaced with Akito (and probably other people) shaming him for having the audacity of being born as a Juunishi, because he totally chose to be like that, right?

Another slight detour, the hat. So the hat was originally Kyo's, but after he saw Yuki holding it, he just decided that it wasn't his anymore. And, oh my fucking god? The following panels are fucking heart wrenching, it's terrible. Did no one hear Yuki crying, or did they just ignore it? Like, I don't like kids, I can't handle them when they're screaming (why do they scream so much it's weird) or crying, but oh my god, that hurts me. That panel hurts me. He just wants a family that loves and cares for him, that doesn't avoid or ignore him. (Put a pin in this sentiment, because it pops up later.)

After a steady diet of this kinda thing, with Akito's acidic words, people's general distaste or indifference for him, he started being scared to reach out to others. (Personally, I kinda feel like screaming at these people, like wtf is wrong with all of them) It's here when he just seems to kinda shut off. All this time, he's still sickly, and feeling like your life is without worth (and having your world confirm it everyday) doesn't exactly make you fight to stay healthy, y'know?

And here's when Yuki kinda is given a purpose, because after Akito visited him when his cough was acting up, and basically asked him, "Are you going to die yet? If you're gonna do it, just do it already", he left the house, and ran out randomly out in town in the early morning, where he overheard Kyoko screaming to the police about how her adorable little daughter in her adorable little dress with her cute hair in adorable little pom-poms was missing and she was going to tear down the town to find her. He kept running down some roads, until he did actually find that adorable little daughter.

On his end, it seemed to be a series of "Well shit. What now?" after finding her, and only continued as Tohru saw him and started following after him until he led her back to her house. This whole thing, as has been explained in previous books, was basically the first time in his life where someone needed him, specifically him, to help them. And that feeling, of knowing that he was able to help someone, and that he was needed, even for a little bit, was enough to pull him through.

Then we're pulled back to present, shortly after Machi broke open the closet door with a chair where Yuki was stuck in, which was the main thing that even started this whole thing, where he's explaining kind of why he came to see and/or love Tohru in maternal way. Thing is, just like when that was revealed, I still don't blame him for it. She's very caring. I'll admit (like Kakeru, who has kinda been there sitting with Yuki this whole time, apparently in silence) that I don't wholly understand it, on a personal level, but I can see why he thinks that. It makes sense.

Now onto to wacky happenings and zany shenanigans! The school is making a play, and Kyo's one of the main characters (despite never really showing that he has literally any interest in acting or theater, but yaknow whatever) in a Cinderella play, with Cinderella herself being played as Hanajima! This has already been brought up in the last book, but I'm just reiterating for fun or something idk

Tohru's having a hard time fitting into the role of an evil stepsister, to the point that she's worried about slowing others down because she just,,, can't,,, make,, herself,,,,, be,, meannnnn omigod it's so hard ;-; Additionally, Kyo's just not showing up for rehearsals and stuff, he's not even bothering. Probably bc it's embarrassing for him. And with these two main problems (the show can't go on if Prince Charming doesn't know his lines, after all), the play is altered, ever so slightly, so that it becomes "Sorta Cinderella". What a marvelous title.

Let's go back to that pin I mentioned earlier, with Yuki wishing he could have had a family that loved and cared for him.

So, before some of this stuff with the play, Yuki brought up The Hat, of the "It was first owned by Kyo but he later abandoned it after seeing that Yuki picked it up, and later wore that hat when he led Tohru back to her mom" fame, in a very off-handed manner. I think he just said that Tohru still has the hat, in her room, that's she's kept it all this time. This throws some unpleasant memories for Kyo into the air, and leaves him rather bitter.

Leading back to the main scene at hand, Kyo kinda goes off on Yuki, saying that Yuki was lucky: he had a mom and dad, he was needed, he was involved in the family matters. He's had it easy, had the world handed to him on a silver platter, and that he'll never understand what it's like to hope for something despite knowing he'll never get it. (and both times i've read that so far, i just want to yoink kyo into the beginning of this book, like, no dude. your childhood was fucked up, but so was his.) He stops mid-rant, however, when he sees that Yuki is not fighting back, at all, and when he remembers something that (probably) Akito said, that Kyo just uses Yuki as something he can hate. Naturally, why would you ever want to feed into something that Akito would say, so he stops, but not before punching a hole in a window. Ow.

Finally, we've gotten to the play, the main event! Hiro, Kisa, Momiji, and Haru (among others) are there to witness the,, the sight? (Idk man it's 12:30am) Hiro is acting strangled, as per usual, trying to keep Kisa away from all the creeps, but also trying his small-child most to not Mess Things Up, as he has a slight history of doing throughout the series thus far.

The play in of itself is pretty funny, personally I think the narrator was doing the heavy lifting in this one. But more importantly, there's a point where "Cinderella" asks "Prince Charming" if all he ever wants out of life is to hide away from people, locked away in his own space, dying alone, (which I heavily doubt was part of the script, because,, whoa) and partway through telling her that he wouldn't affect anyone if he did do that, the "Stepsister" (Tohru) interrupts him, saying that would make her... she stops herself, but one can assume that the end of that statement would likely be that, if "Prince Charming" (psh nah this isn't about the play anymore) Kyo were to do that, she would get very upset, and generally not have a good time. And he had the audacity to be surprised about that like wtf man.

After the play, Yuki runs into a group of girls that are harrassing Machi, because she said that Yuki isn't like a prince. She didn't explain herself after saying it, and so I suppose the Yuki Fan Club (or whatever it's called idk I'd be surprised but also not if it wasn't called that) took offense to her disagreeing with her. After being pushed around (literally), Machi says that Yuki just seems too lonely of a person to be a prince, that despite being surrounded by people, he just kinda seems out of it most of the time. Now, is that true? It kinda seems so, so, props to Machi for seeing that, hopefully she's not going to be kidnapped and tortured (idk stuff happens). Hearing Machi say all that does kinda startle Yuki, but the fight itself stops after Kakeru makes a fake announcement about a photoshoot with Yuki that makes the bullies scatter away.

And that's basically the end of it. Although the flashback thing with Yuki probably didn't even take up a third of the book, it was still some pretty heavy stuff, so it's nice that it was offset slightly with the play. I don't really have much else to say about that.

[lulubara]

Vol. 15 next! ---> S2E21

[thetravelerkureno]

I need to wake up…

[yen press translation]

[sailorstarr-chan4]

Anime & Manga Updates: 2021 Masterlist

Whoops, I did it again... I'm several months late lmao XD

Ignore this post if you want; this is purely for record-keeping and my own dorky desire to keep up with an old blogging habit lol

Anime/Manga Master Lists: 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Manga, All Included:

Skip Beat (vol 7-34 reread)*

Inuyasha (vol 16-49 reread)*

Alice in the Country of Hearts (complete reread; 6 vol)

Alice in the Country of Hearts: The Mad Hatter's Late Night Tea Party (complete reread; 2 vol)

Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit (complete reread; 2 vol)

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (complete reread; 12 vol)

Tail of the Moon (finished; vol 10-15)*

Kiss Him, Not Me! (vol 2)

Ceres: Celestial Legend (vol 1-4; reread first 2)

Vampire Knight: Memories (vol 4-6)

The Earl and the Fairy (vol 1)

Finished:

1 series (Tail of the Moon)

4 complete rereads (Alice in the Country of Hearts; The Mad Hatter's Late Night Tea Party; My Fanatic Rabbit; Sailor Moon)

[Note: * means I did not read the series all in a row, but overlapped them with others, particularly with the ones I ended up finishing.]

Tragically, I did not consume much "new" manga in 2021; I returned to working full-time hours so I was simply Too Tired

Anime, Finished Only: 28

Hyouka (22 ep)

Love Stage!! (10, +1 ep)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (28  ep)

Recovery of an MMO Junkie (10, +1 ep)

Anime-Gataris (12 ep) 

Konohana Kitan (12 ep)

Kaguya-sama: Love is War (12 ep)

Our love has always been 10 centimeters apart (6 ep)

School Rumble: 2nd Semester (26 ep)

Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure (39 ep)

Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It (12 ep)

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun (12 ep)

Black Cat (24 ep)

Free! Eternal Summer (13 ep)

Zombie Land Saga (12 ep)

Fruits Basket, 2019 (50 ep)

Fruits Basket: The Final (13 ep) 

Nisekoi (20 ep)

Nisekoi: (12 ep)

This Ugly Yet Beautiful World (12 ep)

Interviews with Monster Girls (12, +1 ep) 

Dance in the Vampire Bund (12 ep)

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun (12 ep)

Inari Kon Kon (10 ep)

Servamp (12 ep)

Castle Town Dandelion (12 ep)

The Sacred Blacksmith (12 ep)

Emily of New Moon (26 ep)

~

Incomplete titles below cut:

Unfinished in 2021: 30 (gave up 15; finished later 6; want to finish 9)

***: restarted (10 series)

(x).... (x): gave up

Magic User's Club

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (finished in 2023!)***

(x)Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic***(x)

(x)Denkigai no Honyo-san(x)

Ultra Maniac****

O Maidens in Your Savage Season***

(x)Gravitation(x)

Ghost Stories***

(x)Samurai Pizza Cats(x)

(x)Baka & Test: Summon the Beasts(x)***

(x)The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan (basically the chibi crack version of the show; it was incomprehensible)(x)

The Twelve Kingdoms

Revolutionary Girl Utena***

(x)Tales of Zestiria the X***(x)

Trigun (finished in early 2022!)

(x)Outlaw Star(x)

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits (finished in 2024!)

Okami-san & Her Seven Companions (finished in 2023!)

(x)Darker Than Black(x)

(x)Moeyo Ken(x)

(x)Aria the Animation(x)***

(x)Fate/Zero(x)

Blue Exorcist (finished in 2022!)

Gosick (finished in early 2022!)

(x)Flame of Recca(x)***

Chi's New Home/Chi's New Address

(x)The Blessings of the Campenella(x)

Arte

Arata the Legend

(x)Sands of Destruction(x)

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Tuesday 19 June 1838

7

2 20

packing travelling bag and portmanteau and lastly dressing till breakfast at 10 – then paid bills and wrote out (A- copied for me on one sheet my letter to Mrs. B- and SW. of yesterday and my letters sent off this morning) and sent by George to the p.o. Place de la Madeleine at 12 25 pm my letter to ‘William gray Esquire Junior, Minster yard, York Angleterre affranchie’ and my letter to ‘Messrs. Parker and Adam, solicitors Halifax, Yorkshire, Angleterre’ and my letter to ‘Mr. Mackean Yorkshire district Bank, Halifax, Yorkshire, Angleterre’ – from 12 25 to 2 settled with Lefevre – had the mistress of the house and paid her – nice person – lets her house for the winter –  occupied with 1 thing or other – luckily tried on my Figarol-made merinos – little alterations required – dressed – talked to A- must still go again to r. St. V- and to the bank and to F- about my merinos – could not get off today, but might be off at 6am tomorrow – had spoken to the mistress of the house who said it would make no difference whether we were this afternoon or tomorrow morning – she had said if we wanted an apartment in her house for the winter should write in August or September – the 2nde 1000 per month – the 3me (that we now occupied) 600/. per month with batterie de cuisine and remise and all complete – settled to be off tomorrow – A- and I took Lefevre and walked to the bank – there at 3 40 – Exchanged circular n°4929 = £25 exchange at 25/40 = 635 fr. – I had paid above 1000 fr. this morning and got frightened at being left with only about a thousand for our journey to Bordeaux – I dare not calculate too nearly with poor A- without watching and nursing and resting pro renata it would be impossible to get her well on – yet she likes travelling, and she is certainly the better for it – Staying too long at a time at home or anywhere else does not do for her – I never saw a constitution si veritablement ‘grêle, sèche, et irritable’ – from the bank to Madame Figarol there at 4 ¼ - on accidentally mentioning Rosalie, it seems she has got a place with an English Lady r. de Neuilly who rarely leaves Paris – F- asked if I had got her the place – no! perhaps Mademoiselle Gassie had – F- thought (evidently) that I knew all about it – made no observation to the contrary – the girl had probably this place in view, not her medicin or his opinion of her health, when she wrote me her get-off note! – a few drops of rain as A- and I walked back – took shelter – sent Lefevre to the r. Royal for fiacre à l’heure – and returned in it to the arcades – changed my dress – sent Lefevre with my merinos to Madame F- put all the things for R. St. V- into the fiacre and took George and A- and I off about 5 ¼ or after and arrived at 6 – sent George home as soon as he had got the things upstairs, and then A- and I went to the restaurant en face du Jardin and from 6 55 to 7 ¼ had a very good dinner which we both enjoyed – everything ordered pour un and quite enough for us two

Pot au riz. 0.30

Fricandeau de veau au [?]  0.75

Marinade de volaille 1.50

choux fleur 0.75

omelette soufflée 1.00

½ bouteille vin ordinaire 0.40

Donné a la fille 0.20

4.90

– then back to r. St. V- and putting all away tidily till 9 40 – Left here in one large carton

1 satin gown

1 crape pelerine

2 pair new Calés stays

2 pair A- knitted woollen sleeves

and in another carton my Mrs. Cook-made York black bonnet and old grey silk Paris capotte of 1834 and A-‘s ditto ditto ditto ditto of ditto

some old money bags in buffet

Obzendorf gold watch in bureau drawer with papers and bills paid this time

Plate 1 pair sugar tongs in buffet drawer

2 salt spoons

1 mustard ditto

2 silver fruit knives

keys of hair trunk and bureau

2 packets of books bought at Brussels etc. this time and Boyles’ Belgian guide and left on one of the bookshelves 15 vols. + A-‘s books

Paid the portière ./60 for my letter from Calais received yesterday – and ./40 for calling fiacre for which we had to wait ½ hour – she said my meuble would be done up (mis à neuf) with stuff of cotton and woollen that would not be soon moth-eaten and would look very nice – for 120/. to 130fr. Canapé and 6 fauteuils (I think I have no bergères)  Madame Cusinbache would find us beds – and ditto and little rooms upstairs au 5me for the 2 servants if on our return we chose to stay at r. St. V- said I would think about it – as also about the meuble and would write if I wished it to be done – if I took the little room adjoining my study and the little kitchen opposite to it, these 2 pièces would be 200/. per annum – but I might if my apartment was furnished let it advantageously – J’y penserai – home in ½ hour at 10 ¾ - Paid Lefevre his 5/. a day for the 13 days including today and gave him 5/. over with which he seemed pleased and said he would be here at 5am tomorrow to see us off – then sat with A- at her bedside eating strawberries and talking till very near 12 – then ½ hour+ packing our provision and bottle baskets etc. doubted for a moment whether to go to bed at all – or whether to lie down with my clothes on – but hot and uncomfortable and thought 2 or 3 hours would be better than nothing so undressed and went regularly to bed – fine day – no rain except the little shower about after 4 pm

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Fruits Basket - Rubber Strap Collection

So, there are two collections, the Rubber Strap Cat Collection (Vol. 1) and the Rubber Strap Rat Collection (Vol. 2). The interesting thing to note is that they go on sale in May 2020! If Fruits Basket’s second season starts in April, for the Spring 2020 lineup, then both Rin and Kureno should be introduced/known by the time May rolls around. 

The last rebroadcasting of the first season is already on Episode 15 or something, so the second season coming out in Spring 2020 really does seem quite likely. Hopefully we will get a proper trailer (not just the teaser that we got a little while ago) and an official announcement soon. It was around about this time when the first trailer for Season 1 dropped after all. Here’s to keeping my fingers crossed!

[onceandfuturekitty]

Meditation on Hatori, Snow, and Dark Backgrounds in Fruits Basket: Part 1

Part 1 < Previous Part | Next Part >

Like last time, Fruits Basket angst ahoy below the cut. Spoilers only if you really want to read chapters 10 and 12 of the manga but still haven’t.

When we think of ‘winter’ or ‘snow’ in Fruits Basket, we naturally think of Hatori. However, there’s a certain type of snow that is very specifically linked to him and to his tragic past: snow set against a dark background.

Above is, I think, the first appearance of this ominous kind of snow in the manga (Vol. 2, Ch. 10). It is used with an explicitly negative connotation—the family head didn’t like Hatori and Kana wanting to get married. That + black background = uh-oh.

Here’s another example of the snow on black background, where we see Hatori brooding over what he perceives to be his past failures. 

(“I...wasn’t able to [choose Kana over Akito].”)

We get the sense that he does this a lot, or at the very least that he gets lost in thought/stuck in his head a lot (when Tohru wishes him a happy New Year in chapter 12, he’s dazed from being jolted out of his reverie brooding).

That’s one reason I think it’s actually really nice and important that he has friends like Shigure and Ayame, who are more outgoing and energetic than he is and who can thereby force him to get out of his head and interact with the world more/do other nice things for him, like make him tea and get him a special relaxing vacation. (Can you see why I like season 1 episode 15 of the 2019 anime reboot? It just makes me really soft lol.)

Here’s another addition to our program of snow with dark backgrounds. We’re starting to see a pattern here—if there’s a bunch of irregularly-shaped snow set against a black background, you can BET it has to do with another dose of Hatori/Kana pain and angst.

That’s not all the above scene highlights, however. It also emphasizes how selfless Hatori is—to, as he puts it in chapter 12, erase the most precious memories from the mind most precious to him with his own hands? Hatori embodies this aspect/part of the Jedi from Star Wars’ philosophy of letting go extremely well: doing so for the sake of someone else, so that they will be bettered and happier/undergo less suffering because of it. Even if you suffer instead.

Another interesting thing about the above scene is that, while the snow starts with a black background and is shaped more irregularly, the snow then MORPHS INTO HATORI, with a dark grayish, more circular fairy light-like quality instead. It’s a very neat and direct way of showing that Hatori has (re-)frozen into snow now that Kana’s gone. But it still makes me sad :(

That won’t be the last time that kind of snow appears in the manga.

In fact...

I would argue that the above scene is where a similar type of fairy light snow appears. We don’t just see the more fairy light type of circle shapes, we also see some of the smaller more irregular ellipse-like shapes that have previously signaled snow against a black background.

That’s Natsuki Takaya-sensei’s warning to us readers: it looks beautiful now, but it already has the telltale signs of tragedy and a snowy death written all over it.

And indeed, this is where their story leads. To Kana wrongly blaming herself for all that’s happened (thanks, Akito and the curse)...to Akito’s further manipulation of Hatori...to the break-up and disintegration of their happiness, and of their relationship. 

It’s another clear instance of the dark background kind of snow. And, man, I know Kana wanted Hatori not to have been hurt, but the words she says in this scene must have wounded him deeply, coming not only from the woman he loved and the first person who helped him feel forgiven/saved, but also from the woman who had (only a short time before the above scene) told him she was glad to have met him: 

It’s as if all of that is being thrown back at his face. And it can lead one into interesting philosophical questions and discussion—is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all? I’d say yes. In this case, Kana is saying no.

Like, oUcH?? Who said this was okay?? That is a painful juxtaposition.

Alright, one more sad picture and then I’m gonna end on a happier note.

After he’s erased her memory, and after the Sohma maids(?) have taken Kana away, Hatori remains. He’s alone and isolated once more, and he’s frozen into snow yet again. 

But still, he doesn’t spare a selfish thought for himself—he’s willing to do whatever it takes for Kana to still be happy.

To which I say: SOMEONE HELP THIS MAN, PLEASE. (Can’t wait til season 2, please let it happen in season 2....)

And what does Tohru say in response?

Someone will.

[onewordtest1]

everytime I see some rare creature talking about how they like the 2001 anime better than the manga and that they didn’t like the direction the manga went at the end and were unsatisfied with the conclusion, even though I strongly disagree with them I get so curious, like ... oh? what did you not like? did you not like how the bond/curse played out? how it broke? what it was symbolic for? how everyone’s trauma was resolved? how Kyo was connected to Kyoko? what Shigure’s plan was revealed to be? what Akito’s past & secrets were? 

and 9 times of 10 they say “I didn’t like how she made Yuki see Tohru as a mother figure” 

oh - so you’re one of those. ALSO we find out that Yuki sees Tohru as a mother figure in vol. 15! there are 7 & 1/2 volumes left after that! that is hardly the ending/conclusion of the manga. your Yukiru brain saw that, short circuited, and stopped paying attention for the remaining crucial 3rd of the story and all its plot and character develops of the actual narrative & then are like “meh, I didn’t like the direction of the ending” when you didn’t even really read the ending. 

nothing will ever get under my skin more than people defining the story of Fruits Basket by romance/shipping/which guy will she choose. that’s not the story. 

[audikatia]

Considering my goal this year was 50 books, not too shabby! My full list (and my ratings) is under the read more for anyone interested.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling *****

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling *****

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling *****

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling *****

Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix by J. K. Rowling *****

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling *****

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling *****

Sleep Demons: An Insomniac’s Memoir by Bill Hayes ****

The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown ***

The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby ****

The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera by Sandra Hempel **

Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu by Philip Alcabes *****

Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh ***

The Matter of the Heart: a History or the Heart in Eleven Operations by Thomas Morris ***

The Chick and the Dead: Life and Death Behind Mortuary Doors by Carla Valentine ****

Pulse by Michael Harvey **

The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It by Dr. W. Chris Winter *****

The Mourner’s Dance: What We Do When People Die by Katherine Ashenburg ***

Pantomime by Laura Lam ****

Shadowplay by Laura Lam ****

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson ****

Weirdo by Cathi Unsworth ***

I’ll be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamera ****

The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum ****

Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954: Pain and Passion by Andrea Kettenmann ****

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin **

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert ****

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen **

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (recommended by Genevieve Senechal) **

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker ***

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria?: and Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum ****

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur *****

Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl - A Woman’s Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationships by Sherry Argov  (recommended by Arielle Ridolfino) ***

The Elizas by Sara Shepard ***

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard ***

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas *****

Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas *****

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston ***

Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather ***

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black ****

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini ****

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs ***

The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown ****

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black ***

The Vegetarian by Han Kang ***

Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris (recommended by Eileen Streeter) ****

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz ***

Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz ***

Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz ***

The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz ***

Trial of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz ***

The Last Word: A Spellman Novel by Lisa Lutz ***

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz ***

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale ***

The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman ****

The Murder Business: High Profile Crimes and the Corruption of Justice by Mark Fuhrman **

I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong (Lauren Duguid) ****

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham ***

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan ***

The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon **

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins **

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly ****

The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini (recommended by Joseph Guillen) ****

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs **

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham ****

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins ***

Bossypants by Tina Fey ****

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in American by Nancy Isenberg ****

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus ****

The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Deborah Blum *****

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep  *****

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston *****

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green ***

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes ****

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (recommended by Rachel Dunn) *

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore *****

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus ****

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray ****

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson ****

The Mermaid by Christina Henry ****

Fruits Basket, Vol 1 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 2 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 3 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 4 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 5 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 6 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 7 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 8 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 9 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 10 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 11 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 12 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 13 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 14 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 15 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 16 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 17 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 18 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 19 by Natsuki Takaya *****

Fruits Basket, Vol 20 by Natsuki Takaya *****

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman (recommended by Julia Stenard) *

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman *****

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia *****

The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen ****

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green **

Yes Please by Amy Poehler ***

Say Nothing: a True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe *****

The Last Lone Inventor: A Tale of Genius, Deceit, and the Birth of Television by Evan L. Schwartz ***

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris ***

You by Caroline Kepnes ****

The Swallows by Lisa Lutz ***

The Silent Patient by Alexander Michaealides ***

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz ****

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz ***

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (recommended by Sarah Mullersman) *****

She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge ***

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater *****

Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color by Philip Ball **

The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars by Paul Collins **

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton ****

The Whisper Man by Alex North *****

The Hiding Place by C. J. Tudor *****

Unsub by Meg Gardiner *****

Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner ****

Noir by Christopher Moore ***

Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig ****

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling (recommended by Caitlin Markey) ***

The Hunger by Alma Katsu ***

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (recommended by Kiersten Spence) ****

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner ***

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (recommended by Sheyla Ruiz) ****

The Pursuit of Miss Heartbreak Hotel by Moe Bonneau ***

The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum ****

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite ****

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling ****

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith/J. K. Rowling ***

[elliejoys]

Hi, um, could you tell me which are the Fruits Basket story arcs?

There’s no official names for the story arcs as far as I know, but if I were to try and categorize the story and name them for you then see under the cut (spoilers)

Introduction (Vol. 1-2)

Members of the Zodiac (Vol. 3-5)

True form (Vol. 6)

School Life (Vol. 7-9)

Summer Vacation (Vol. 10-11)

Parent-Teacher Conference (Vol. 12-13)

Sorta Cinderella (Vol 14-15)

New Year’s Banquet (Vol. 16)

The Zodiac Curse (Vol. 17-19)

Breaking the Curse (Vol.20-22)

Towards the Future (Vol 23.)

Epilogue (Fruits Basket Another)

[dendre]

Hanglemez 2019/01

Rina Mushonga: Into A Galaxy  9.0  (pop) Andrew Wasylyk: The Paralian  9.0  (instrumentális pasztorál) Nivhek: After...  9.0  (ambient-dreampop) Sharon Van Etten: Remind Me Tomorrow  9.0  (dalszerzőpop) DJ Healer: Lost Lovesongs / Lostsongs Vol. 2  9.0  (ambient-broken beat) Yak: Pursuit Of  Momentary Happiness  9.0  (pszichrock) Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba: Miri  8.5  (mande) Stats: Other People’s Lives  8.5  (gitáros groovepop) Joose Keskitalo: En lahde surussa  8.5  (finn psychfolkpop) Rustin Man: Drift Code  8.5  (posztjazz-artrock) Nkisi: 7 Directions  8.5  (future techno) Angel Bat Dawid: The Oracle  8.5  (jazz) Dave Harrington: Pure Imagination, No Country  8.5  (artrock-postjazz) Lemonheads: Varshons 2  8.5  (feldolgozáslemez) DAWN: New Breed  8.5  (r&b-pop) Bigwave: Romantic  8.5  (japán future funk, disco) Emily King: Scenery  8.5  (szofiszti neosoulpop) Sister John: Sister John  8.5  (szép gitárzene) Woman’s Hour: Ephyra  8.5  (dream-szintipop) Methyl Ethel: Triage  8.5  (indie-szinti-pop)

Ultramarine: Signals Into Space  8.0  (ambient house) LCD Soundsystem: Electric Lady Sessions  8.0  (dancerock) Juan Wauters: La Onda de Juan Pablo  8.0  (uruguay-i indiefolk) Lifafa: Jaago  8.0  (indiai deephouse) Jay Mitta: Tatizo Pesa  8.0  (singeli, tanzániai juke) TOY: Happy In The Hollow  8.0  (pszichpop) Lip Talk: Days  8.0  (artpop) AJ Tracey: AJ Tracey  8.0  (grime) Jessica Pratt: Quiet Signs  8.0  (kamarafolkpop) Cosey Fanni Tutti: Tutti  8.0  (techno) YMA: Par de Olhos  8.0  (brazil indie-dreampop) Ian Brown: Ripples  8.0  (monkeyman) Girlpool: What Chaos Is Imagenery  8.0  (indiepop) Malibu Ken: Malibu Ken  8.0  (absztrakt hiphop) Mavis Staples: Live In London  8.0  (soul) Xiu Xiu: Girl With A Basket Of Fruit  8.0  (indusztri-experi) Deerhunter: Why Hasn’t...  8.0  (indierock) Maurice Louca: Elephantine  8.0  (arabjazz) Ill Considered: 5  8.0  (jazz) Jards Macalé: Besta Fera  8.0  (MPB) James Blake: Assume Form  8.0  (art&b-pop) Kele Okereke: Leave To Remain  8.0  (dancepop) Jonny Nash: Make A Wilderness  7.5  (ambient) The Specials: Encore  7.5  (skapop) Tallies: Tallies  7.5  (dreampop) Lau: Midnight And Closedown  7.5  (brit folk) Ustad Saami: God Is Not A Terrorist  7.5  (khyal, hindusztáni zene) Jungstötter: Love Is  7.5  (kamarapop) Sundays: Wiaca  7.5  (jangle-dreampop) Pavo Pavo: Mystery Hour  7.5  (dreampop) Bossy Love: Whiplash EP  7.5  (elektrorock) Graham Costello’s Strata: Obelisk  7.5  (jazz) Blockhead: Free Sweatpants  7.5  (absztrakt hiphop) The Telescopes: Exploding Head Syndromes  7.5  (spacerock) Swervedriver: Future Ruins  7.5  (shoegaze-rock) Ladytron: Ladytron  7.5  (elektro-dreampop) Steve Mason: About The Light  7.5  (posztpop) Biiri: Nihiloxica EP 7.5  (bugandai techno) Lowtec: Light Surfing  7.5  (house) Passarani: W.O.W.  7.5  (technohouse) Joe Jackson: Fool  7.5  (piano rock) Cass McCombs: Tip Of The Sphere  7.5  (psychfolk)

Mercury Rev: Bobbie Gentry’s Delta...  7.0  (psychcountry feldolgozáslemez) Czarface & Ghostface Killah: Czarface Meets Ghostface  7.0  (hiphop) Boy Harsher: Careful  7.0  (darkwave-szintipop) Uluru: Acrophilia  7.0  (stoner-psych) Ariana Grande: thank u, next  7.0  (pop) Better Oblivion Community Center: BOCC 7.0  (indiefolkpop) Panda Bear: Buoys  7.0  (avantpop) Blood Red Shoes: Get Tragic  7.0  (gitárpop) Michael Chapman: True North  7.0  (folkrock) Steve Gunn: The Unseen In Between  7.0  (folkrock) William Tyler: Goes West  7.0  (instrumental americana) Sarah Louise: Nighttime...  7.0  (experifolk) You Tell Me: You Tell Me  7.0  (kamaraindie) Sound Stream: Love Remedy  7.0  (discohouse) Lealani: Fantastic Planet  7.0  (artpop) Jorge Velez: Roman Birds  7.0  (ambient elekrtonika) Jay Glass Dubs: Epitaph  7.0  (ambient dub) King Midas Sound: Solitude  7.0  (ambient-dub-poetry) Bob Mould: Sunshine Rock  7.0  (powerrock) Pom-Pom: Untitled II  7.0  (techno) Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa: 2009  7.0  (déli hiphop) Black Dresses: Thank You  7.0  (elektro-glitch-pop) Sneaks: Highway Hipnosis  7.0  (indiehiphop) jonatan leandoer127: nectar  7.0  (hypnagogicpop) The Twilight Sad: It Won/t Be Like This...  7.0  (szindie-pomp) Ossia: Devil’s Dance  7.0  (techno-dubambient) British Murder Boys: Fire In The Still Air  6.5  (industrial techno) Cherry Glazerr: Stuffed & Ready  6.5   (indierock) Sunflower Bean: King Of The Dudes EP  6.5 (indiepop) Polkadot Stringray: valami  6.5  (japán indierock) Savage Mansion: Revision Ballads  6.5  (indierock) Pedro The Lion: Phoenix  6.5  (indierock) Queen Zee: Queen Zee  6.5  (garagepunk) One Step Closer: From Me To You  6.5  (poszthardcore) Lost Under Heaven: Lova Hates What You Become  6.5  (artpop) Sir Babygirl: Cruch On Me  6.5  (electropop) Spielbergs: This Is Not The End  6.5  (noise pop) Beirut: Gallipoli  6.5  (indiefolk) Massimo Volume: Il Nuotatore  6.5  (olasz posztrock) Guided By Voices: Zeppelin Over China  6.5  (indierock) Maggie Rogers: Heard It In A Past Life 6.5  (elektropop) Nina Nesbitt: The Sun Will Come Up...  6.5  (pop) Black To Comm: Seven Horses...  6.5  (dark ambient) Tree & Vic Spencer: Nothing Is Something  6.5  (trap) Silk Road Assassins: State Of Ruin  6.5  (uk bass)

Keuning: Prismism  6.0  (softpoprock) James Holden: A Cambodian Spring  6.0  (filmzene) Vangelis: Nocturne  6.0  (modern classical) Hauschka: A Different Forrest  6.0  (modern classical) G Herbo: Still Swervin  6.0  (gangsta drill) Sada Baby: Bartier Bounty  6.0  (trap) HEALTH: Vol 4: Slaves Of Fear  6.0 (electro-industrialpop) Fidlar: Almost Free  6.0  (garagerock) Rat Boy: Internationally Unknown  6.0  (indierockrap) Toro y Moi: Outer Peace  5.5  (szintifunk) Angelic Milk: Divine Biker Love  5.5  (lofi indie garage) Diva Sweetly: In The Living Room  5.5  (emopoppunk) Croatian Amor: Isa  5.5  (posztindustrial) Xosar: The Possessor...  5.5  (industrial techno) Pavel Milyakov: La Maison De La Mort  5.5  (ambient) Rival Sons: Feral Roots  5.5  (retrobluesrock) Bring Me The Horizon: amo  5.5  (pop) Lucki: Freewave 3  5.0  (cloud trap) Future: The Wizrd  5.0  (trap) Broods: Don’t Feed The Pop Monster  5.0  (elektropop) Weezer: The Teal Album (muhaha)

+++ Kankyo Ongaku - Japanese Ambient, Enviromental & New Age Music 1980-1990  9.5  (csodás ambient válogatás) Terre Thaemlitz: Comp x Comp  8.0  (DJ Sprinkles válogatása digitálisan kiadatlanokból - kimerítő, de sok erős félórával) Leon Vynehall: DJ-Kicks  8.0  (jó dance mix) VA: All The Young Droogs  8.5  (glamválogatás)

(Ezeken kívül még volt sok tucat lemez, amibe belehallgattam, és maximum 10 percet töltöttem velük, mert annyira nem nekem szóltak vagy szimplán borzasztóak voltak, ezeket nem is sorolom. És igen, ez amolyan laza sorrend.)

Ahogyan fogy az idő, úgy lesz egyre jelentéktelenebb egy közepes valami. Amikor tanulókorszakban vagy, akkor számít a közepes is, a rossz is, része a megismerési folyamatnak. Később persze már időpazarlás. Hasznosabb majdnem bármi (például újranézni a kedvenc filmjeidet), mint közepes dologra szánni az időd. De ettől függetlenül persze egyszer MÉG hajlandó vagyok végighallgatni majdnem mindent (lásd fent a sok közepes dolgot, úgy 6.5-től lefelé). Másodszor meg amúgy is nagyon keveset kell. A megismerési kedv nem csillapodik. De ez nem teher. még. 

A popzene nekem már nem annyira érdekes, hallgatom úgy 35 éve, és persze igyekeztem (sőt, igyekszem) végighallgatni, ami volt 1985 előtt is - lehet, hogy bármilyen korszakban elég lenne belőle ennyi, pláne ebben a lefelé tartó ágban. (Ettől még érvényes mellé az is, hogy még mindig nem unom, és nem látszik, hogy valaha is fognám unni.) Az viszont kétségtelen, hogy ami most érdekes lehet benne, az inkább az, hogy miről szól. Amelyik album harminc év múlva érdekes lesz ebből, az az, ami arról szól, hogy mi van most itt. Most viszont nem olyan egyértelmű megmondani, hogy melyik szól a legjobban arról, hogy mi van most. Harminc év múlva sokkal könnyebb lesz rálátni. Jelenleg ezt inkább csak érezni lehet, hogy ez, vagy az _például_ érdekes, ám lehetséges, hogy mégsem mondd annyit, amennyit majd harminc év múlva egy másik olyan, amelyik éppen a jelenben vehető észre nehezebben. Vagy persze csak adott esetben én nem veszem észre így.

Általában az van, ami évek óta van. Túl sok lemez van. Túlontúl sok (az évi 15 ezer lemezt lehet mondogatni a kétezres évek közepe óta, de ma már ez simán a duplája, ha nem triplája - csak február közepéig a Rate Your Music listáz 1000 db 2019-es lemezt és nyilván közel nincs itt az összes, és nyilván az év eleje még nem is olyan sűrű időszak). Ekkora mennyiségből könnyebb az átlagszínvonalat jó-közepesre kihozni, vagyis inkább kihozni egy látható(an nagyobb számú), mennyiségű jó-közepes albumot, mint abban a korban, amikor a sokszor nagyon mellélövő, rosszul számító számító lemezkiadók adott mennyiséget jelentettek csak meg, nehogy maguknak kavarjanak konkurenciát. Azaz teszem azt 1988-ban több volt a kimagasló LP, de értelemszerűen kevesebb mennyiségű a hasonló színvonalat képviselő tűrhető, ‘még érdemes hallani’ típusú zene. Most viszont a minőségi kontroll helyett működő bátorítás: “persze add ki, művész vagy, megcsináltad” rengeteg lelkes, de finoman szólva is fejlesztést igénylő albumot eredményez. Az évtized második felének nyilvánvaló nemtökéletességét képezi le a popzene? “Nem baj, a világ sincs rendben.” Mondjuk például 1996-ban elég sok szögből úgy nézett ki, hogy a Földön innentől már csak jobb lesz, abban a pillanatban nem szabadott félkész dolgot kiadni. És akkor hülyét tettetve megfeledkezem a 3T-ről és a Bush-ról.

Szóval, amelyik a legérdekesebben szól arról, ami van itt most, az zenei értelemben eddig 2019-ben talán nulla lemez volt. Ehhez zseniális újszerűség kellene, olyasmi, ami évek óta alig akad. Jól, szépen, megkapóan, érdekesen, egészen frissen megvalósított viszont mindig rengeteg lesz.

Eddig - ebben a vastagon kibővített januárban (február végén jóval rövidebb lista lesz) - egyrészt Rina Mushonga lemeze tetszett a legjobban. Nem tökéletes, a 9.0 kicsit túlzás, de a szerethetősége van akkora, hogy ellensúlyozza a nem annyira nagy hibákat. Ami engem zavar, hogy néha levakarhatatlanul florence-es az ének, de ez alighanem kevesek baja. Néha túl egyszerűek a szintihangok, nagyon kicsit befejezetlen hatásúak egyes részek. Viszont majdnem olyan jól gyúr egybe zsánereket, mint tavalyi lemezén Kali Uchis és ebben a popos melankóliában valahogy benne van 2019 eleje. Nem hallgattam még annyira sokszor, hogy meg tudjam fogalmazni, pontosan mitől mai, és mitől érdekesen mai amit mond, de van benne mit hallgatni, érdekel, fejteni akarom.

A másik eddigi idei kedvencem egy teljesen másmilyen lemez. Andrew Wasylyk albuma a békés félrevonulás zenéje, szemlélődő, pasztorálos. A kiindulás amolyan akusztikus gitáros-zongorás folk, amire a szokásosnál több ambient/drone-réteg került, de aztán még erre is egyre több fúvós-repetitív hangszerelés passzol tökéletesen. 

Nivhek, azaz Grouper szokásos magas színvonal, téli lemez, ami lehet jó lesz nyári éjszaka is. Sharon Van Etten pedig olyat csinált, amit sokat kell hallgatni, hogy igazán hasson. DJ Healeren annyira rajta maradtam tavalyról, hogy még ezek a szösszenetek is nagyon tetszenek. A Yaké végre egy olyan angol rocklemez, ami maradéktalanul tetszik. Super Furry Animals ugrott be róla többször is, a Spiritualized-szálat csak utólag fedeztem fel. Bassekou Kouyate egyértelműen az elmúlt bő évtized egyik legnagyobb világzenei sztárja, mindegyik lemeze jó, ez most talán azért is tetszik annyira, mert a tempósabb, néha már rockkal is flörtölők után ez ismét akusztikusabb, elmerengőbb. A Stats amolyan 2010-es évekbeli Hard-Fi, Joose Keskitalo a finn szuperpszichedelikus, imádnivaló Paavoharju egyik tagja volt, eszetlen az egészen egyenes vonalú, friss szólólemeze. Rustin Man LP-je kicsit olyan, mintha az utolsó Talk Talk és az első .O.Rang között készült volna, némileg dalosabb szándékkal, nagyon jó.  Nkisi a legjobb, friss tánczene eddig, Angel Bat Dawid nagyon erős szellős jazz, Dave Harrington jobb mint a Darkside-ban. A Lemonheads szuper feldolgozáslemezt adott ki, jobb mint a tíz évvel ezelőtti, Evan Dando bármikor úgy hangzik, mintha a saját dalát énekelné, tökéletes interpretáló. DAWN szokásos nagyon magas színvonalú r&b pop, mindig egy nagyon kevés hiányzik nekem ahhoz, hogy őrülten zseniálist kiáltva dobjam el tőle az agyam. Bigwave japán future funk-őrület, pc music-os diszkó, nem zárom ki, hogy hamar megunom, de egyelőre rajta vagyok. Emily King a neosoul felől szofisztipoposodott, amikor (ritkán) túl direkten haimos, akkor kevésbé, amikor organikusabb hangszerelésű, akkor nagyon tetszik. A Sister John egy kis skót indierockzenekar, egyszerű, nohipszter, notwee, klasszikus underdog, szép dalokkal. A Woman’s Hour egy beteljesítetlen reménység: az első lemeznek sokkal jobbnak kellett volna lennie, aztán meg nem kellett volna belerokkanniuk ennek a második lemeznek a készítésébe, amit most évekkel később mégis befejeztek és nagyon jól tették. Az ausztrál Methyl Ethel pedig lemezről-lemezre egyre jobb artpop, pontosabban szintis indie.

Ezek tetszettek a legjobban eddig. A második kupacban még olyanok vannak, amiket szerintem abszolút érdemes meghallgatni annak, aki bírja az adott stílust, a harmadik kupacban viszont már azok szerepelnek, amikhez rajongónak kell lenni és úgy sem kizárt a csalódás. Legalul meg, azokat hagyjuk. 

[and-i-will-love-him-for-life]

Tag Game

I was tagged by @radiobribri , who would like to better get to know her followers! Personally, I love that she's interested in getting to know us and there a few blogs I'd like to get to know better too!

Zodiac: Aries

Height: 5′5-5'6

Put your playlist on shuffle and list the first four songs:

Things We Said Today - The Beatles

Start All Over - Miley Cyrus (Been on a big childhood nostalgia kick lately)

I Get Around - The Beach Boys

All Together Now - The Beatles

Grab the nearest book and turn to page 23 - what does line 17 say?

"When I talk to her... Words have no meaning." Fruits Basket Collector's Edition Vol. 7 by Natsuki Takaya (closest thing I had next to me so I just chose a random line.)

When was the last time you played air guitar?

The other month? Idk XD

What is one sound you hate and one sound you love?

Hate - I cannot STAND the sound of slurping and things like knives scraping against plates, makes me cringe so bad.

Love - Definitely cats purring and a crackling fireplace

Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes and no, I definitely believe that there are some spirits hanging around out there in the world but I don't know if I'd specifically classify them as ghosts.

Do you believe in aliens?

Sure? Like obviously if microorganisms are considered aliens, then absolutely. As far as little green men, I have no idea. Definitely hoping for the existence of some sexy-ass Spock aliens though X3

Do you drive? Have you ever gotten into an accident? Yep! Got my license last October although I'm a little embarrassed to admit I was 19 at the time *coughs* A license wasn't really my priority. And thankfully no ^^;

Do you like the smell of gasoline?

YES, as weird as it may sound, I love it. I grew up living on the lake and my parents would quite often take me out with them on our boat so the smell of gasoline reminds me of filling up the boat at the marina and my childhood.

Do you have an obsession right now?

Yes ^^; Fruits Basket, thanks to this reboot lol

In a relationship?

Yep! Been with my boyfriend for four years now.

1. Name: Stephanie

2. Nicknames: Steph and Stephie although I can't stand those.

3. Height: 5′5-5'6

4. Orientation: Ehhhh, straight? It's complicated. I think women are attractive and I was in a really short relationship with my former best friend but pretty sure it was a one time only thing. Thinking about being in a relationship or ever being physical with a girl just makes me feel a little queasy at this point but that's just me.

5. Nationality: American

6. Favorite fruits: Strawberries but I really like any fruit as long as it's in season.

7. Favorite season: Fall

8. Favorite plant: I'm a basic bitch; roses and lavender.

9. Favorite scent: I love the smell my boyfriend has; we're long distance so that sensation just helps cement the realness of him. Otherwise, generic scent would probably be rose atm

10. Favorite color: Purple; lavender and lilac

11. Favorite animal: Cats or dogs, depends on the mood

12. Tea, coffee or hot chocolate: Tea if we're talking Teavana, otherwise hot chocolate

13. Average hours of sleep: 4-10 hours, varies.

14. Dogs or cats: I don't knowwww

15. Favorite fictional character:

This is unfair. I have too many.

Kyo, Tohru, and Yuki; Fruits Basket

Belle and Adam; Beauty and the Beast

Jakob/Joker; Fire Emblem IF

16. Dream trip: Would love to visit England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, and Japan.

17. When was your blog created: 4-5 years ago?

18. Number of followers: 74, mostly mutuals

19. Random fact: Childhood cancer survivor, yay!!

20. Best Friend(s)?: By bestie, Annaliese and my boyfriend. I'm pretty introverted and selective when it comes to friends so I don't have many.

I’m tagging @romeo-and-antoinette , @casafrass, and @mccartneysguitar Feel free to ignore if you’ve already done this or aren’t into!

[lobocomicsandtoys]

New @ Lobo Comics | 7/25/2018

Happy SDCC weekend comic book fans! We’re happy to bring you a full list of next weeks latest books and toys! We hope to see all of you on Wednesday!

Make sure you never miss a title again! We have a pull box system that you can learn how to sign up for here and have all your comics and trades pulled for you every week.

   Missed an issue already? Can’t find a trade paperback you want? Ask us to special order for you and you’ll have it in about a week!

Comics

ACTION COMICS #1001 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 AQUAMAN #38 BARBARELLA #8 BATMAN BEYOND #22 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #11 BLACKWOOD #3 (OF 4) BONE PARISH #1 BRITANNIA LOST EAGLES OF ROME #1 (OF 4) BROTHERS DRACUL #4  CHARLIES ANGELS #2  CROSSED PLUS 100 MIMIC #4  DANGER DOLL SQUAD GALACTIC GLADIATORS #4  DC BEACH BLANKET BAD GUYS SPECIAL #1 DEADPOOL ASSASSIN #4 (OF 6) DESCENDER #32  DETECTIVE COMICS #985 DOOMSDAY CLOCK #6 (OF 12) FLASH #51 GASOLINA #10  GRAVETRANCERS #4  HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #49 HARBINGER WARS 2 #3 (OF 4) HELLBLAZER #24 HILLBILLY #12 HIT-GIRL #6  HUNT FOR WOLVERINE MYSTERY MADRIPOOR #3 (OF 4) INFINITY WARS PRIME #1 JIM HENSON LABYRINTH CORONATION #5 (OF 12) JUDGE DREDD UNDER SIEGE #3 (OF 4) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1 MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #8 MERA QUEEN OF ATLANTIS #6 (OF 6) MIKE HAMMER #2  MODERN FANTASY #2 (OF 4) MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #33 MOON KNIGHT #197 MOONSHINE #12  MOTHER PANIC GOTHAM A D #5 MR AND MRS X #1 MULTIPLE MAN #2 (OF 5) NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #5  NEW WORLD #1 (OF 5)  OLD MAN LOGAN #44 PESTILENCE STORY OF SATAN #3 PUNISHER #228 PUNKS NOT DEAD #6  REAL SCIENCE ADVENTURES NICODEMUS JOB #1 REALM #8  REDNECK #13  RICK & MORTY #40 ROYAL CITY #13  SAGA #54 SENTRY #2 SHANGHAI RED #2 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #7  STAR WARS DOCTOR APHRA #22 STAR WARS LANDO DOUBLE OR NOTHING #3 (OF 5) TANK GIRL ALL STARS #2 (OF 4) TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #111 TEEN TITANS #20 TERRIFICS #6 TMNT ONGOING #84  TRANSFORMERS BUMBLEBEE MOVIE PREQUEL #2 TRANSFORMERS LOST LIGHT #21 TRANSFORMERS UNICRON #2 (OF 6) VENOM #4 WAKANDA FOREVER X-MEN #1 WALK THROUGH HELL #3 WE ARE DANGER #2 WONDER WOMAN #51 X-23 #2 X-MEN BLUE #32 X-MEN GRAND DESIGN SECOND GENESIS #1 (OF 2) X-O MANOWAR (2017) #17 

Trades

BATMAN TP VOL 06 BRIDE OR BURGLAR DAREDEVIL BACK IN BLACK TP VOL 06 MAYOR FISK DC UNIVERSE BY MIKE MIGNOLA TP JAMES BOND CASE FILES HC VOL 01  RASPUTIN VOICE OF DRAGON TP  REGRESSION TP VOL 02 DISCIPLES  SHIELD BY HICKMAN AND WEAVER HC HUMAN MACHINE TRANSFORMERS VS VISIONARIES TP TRINITY TP VOL 03 DARK DESTINY REBIRTH VENOMIZED TP WARFRAME TP VOL 01 X-MEN BLUE TP VOL 04 CRY HAVOK

Manga

AKAME GA KILL GN VOL 15 FRUITS BASKET ANOTHER GN VOL 01 GOLOSSEUM GN VOL 02 HAKUMEI & MIKOCHI GN VOL 01 IBITSU GN VOL 01  IS WRONG PICK UP GIRLS DUNGEON SWORD ORATORIA GN V LAND OF THE LUSTROUS GN VOL 06 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING GLORY OF THE LOSERS VOL 07 MY BOY GN VOL 02 SAGA OF TANYA EVIL GN VOL 03  SCHOOL OF HORNS GN VOL 01 SEKIREI GN VOL 05  SO IM A SPIDER SO WHAT GN VOL 03

Toys

DC ESSENTIALS BATMAN AF DC ESSENTIALS DEATHSTROKE AF DC ESSENTIALS REVERSE FLASH AF DC ESSENTIALS THE FLASH AF FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II ULTIMATE JASON VOORHEES 7IN AF LOVE LIVE SUNSHINE EXQ KANAN MATSUURA FIG MARVEL GRAPHIC COMIC BOXES AMAZING SPIDER-MAN MARVEL GRAPHIC COMIC BOXES FANTASTIC FOUR MARVEL PREMIER DEADPOOL STATUE MY HERO ACADEMIA DXF IZUKU MIDORIYA FIG NARUTO SHIPPUDEN GRANDISTA SHINOBI REL NARUTO FIG NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST II ULTIMATE FREDDY 7IN AF NISIO ISIN DAIJITEN EXQ OSUWARI SHINOBU FIG ONE PIECE GRANDISTA GRANDLINE MEN LUFFY FIG PMMM MOVIE REBELLION EXQ MADOKA KANAME FIG POP IT S2 PENNYWISE SPIDER LEGS VIN FIG POP MARVEL COMIC MOMENT DEADPOOL VS CABLE VIN FIG SPIDER-MAN LEGENDS 6IN AF

[sailorstarr-chan4]

Anime & Manga Updates: 2019 Master List

Halfway through 2020 I finally do this..... yeah, well, it’s been a long half-year, hasn’t it? -.-” But at long last, here it is! The manga are listed from when I started reading said series/volumes, the anime are listed from when I finished them. 

Anime & Manga Master Lists: 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 

Manga, All Included: 

Mamotte! Lollipop (finished; 7 vol, reread vol 1-3)*

Skip-Beat! (vol 22-27)*

Yu Yu Hakusho (finished; 19 vol)*

The Ancient Magus Bride (vol 1-9)*

Alice in the Country of Clover: The March Hare’s Revolution (finished; single vol)

Shugo Chara! (finished; 12 vol, reread vol 2-3)*

Kamisama Kiss (finished; 25 vol, reread vol 18-21)

Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit (complete reread; 2 vol)

Wish (finished; 4 vol)*

Sekirei (vol 1-2)

FAKE (finished; 7 vol, reread 1st vol)*

Oh My Goddess! (vol 2-3)

Vampire Knight: Memories (vol 3)

Tail of the Moon (vol 1-2, reread 1st vol)

RG Veda (finished; 10 vol)*

Pretear (finished; 4 vol)*

Arata: The Legend (vol 1-3)

Captive Hearts of Oz (read 1st vol)

Black Butler (vol 1-27)*

Genju no Seiza (vol 1-10, reread vol 1-3)*

Demon Love Spell (finished; 6 vol)

Stepping on Roses (finished; 9 vol)

Alice in the Country of Hearts: White Rabbit and Some Afternoon Tea (finished; 2 vol, reread 1st vol)

Mink (complete reread; 6 vol)*

Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet (finished; single vol)

Princess Jellyfish (finished; vol 8-17)

Because I’m the Goddess (finished; 3 vol)

Heaven’s Will (finished; single vol)

Belle’s Tale (finished; single vol)

Jiu Jiu (finished; 5 vol)

Aventura (”complete” reread; vol 1-3)*

Wedding Peach (finished; 7 vol)

The Water Dragon’s Bride (vol 1-8)

Seven Days (finished; 2 vol)

Kilala Princess (finished; 5 vol)

Alice 19th (finished; 7 vol)

Finished: 

18 series (Mamotte! Lollipop, Yu Yu Hakusho, Shugo Chara!, Kamisama Kiss, Wish, FAKE, RG Veda, Pretear, Demon Love Spell, Stepping on Roses, Alice: White Rabbit, Princess Jellyfish, Because I’m the Goddess, Jiu Jiu, Wedding Peach, Seven Days, Kilala Princess, Alice 19th); 

4 singles (Alice: March Hare’s Revolution, Romeo and Juliet, Heaven’s Will, Belle’s Tale); 

3 complete rereads (Alice: Fanatic Rabbit, Mink, Aventura)

[Note: * means I did not read the series all in a row, but overlapped them with others, particularly with the ones I ended up finishing.]

Anime, Finished Only: 21 (+ 5 ONA/OVA)

Food Wars! The Second Plate (13 ep)

Girls Bravo (24 ep)

Hetalia: World Series (52 ONA, 5 min each)

Hetalia: The Beautiful World (20 ONA, 5 min each)

Hetalia: The World Twinkle (15 ONA, 5 min each)

Air (13, +2 ep)

Black Butler (24, +1 ep)

Black Butler II (12, +6 ep)

Black Butler: Book of Circus (10 ep)

Black Butler: Book of Murder (2 OVA)

Shounen Maid (12 ep)

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (13, +1 ep)

Lovely Complex (24 ep)

Pretear (13 ep)

Restaurant from Another World (12 ep)

My Roommate is a Cat (12 ep)

Violet Evergarden (13 ep)

Magic Knight Rayearth II (29 ep)

ReLife (13, +4 ep)

Backstreet Girls: Gokudols (10 ep)

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club (12 ep)

Fake (1 OVA)

Emma: A Victorian Romance (24 ep)

Show by Rock!! (12 ep)

Dance With Devils (12 ep)

One Punch Man (12 ep)

Unfinished in 2019: 26 (gave up 10; finished later 9; want to finish 7)

***: restarted (4 series)

(x)....(x): gave up later

(x)DN Angel(x)

(x)Baka & Test: Summon the Beasts(x)

Nichijou (finished in 2020!)

Lucky Star (finished in 2020!)

Excel Saga

(x)Miss Bernard Said(x)

Fruits Basket (2019) (finished in 2021!)

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle*** (later finished in 2023!)

Emily of New Moon (finished in 2020!)

Anne of Green Gables 

(x)Trapp Family Story(x)

Little Witch Academia 

(x)Durarara!!(x)

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (finished in 2020!)

A Lull in the Sea (finished in 2020!)

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!***

Boys Over Flowers

(x)Saint Tail(x)

Wedding Peach (finished in 2023!)

Pandora Hearts

(x)Aggretsuko(x)

(x)Fairy Musketeers(x)

(x)Itazura na Kiss(x)

(x)Honey and Clover(x)

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (finished in 2020!)

Kyoukai no Rinne***

.... Boy, I’ve fallen behind on titles over the years.... ^^”