#gintama's not like. great with girls.

[crabbunch]

gintama's kind of funny because it shifts the burden of "white-haired mentor whose silly to cover up his emotions + has a tragic past that sets up everything in the story" to gintoki. the protagonist. like ok i know last time you fought side-by-side with your comrades and tried to realize a better world you just ended up with ptsd and had to behead your sensei and 2 of your friends ended up as terrorists and the other is a space capitalist now but get back on the stage please!!!!! because its time for round. 2.

[ultimate-anime-tournament]

THE ULTIMATE ANIME TOURNAMENT BEGINS! featuring 384 shows spanning 60 years!

all matchups are listed below the cut, and the first polls will be going up shortly 👍

edit: made a google spreadsheet documenting all matchups and their wins/losses!

left side:

Majokko Megu-chan VS Soul Eater VS Turn A Gundam

Noragami VS Ranma 1/2 VS Shadows House

Captain Tsubasa VS Barakamon VS Ojamajo Doremi

Dr Ramune: Mysterious Disease Specialist VS Joshiraku VS Concrete Revolutio

Maya the Honey Bee VS Bocchi the Rock! VS Senyuu.

Angel Beats VS Golden Kamuy VS Initial D

Lucky Star VS Mononoke VS Assassination Classroom

Go! Princess Pretty Cure VS Shirobako VS Space Pirate Captain Harlock

Golden Time VS Death Note VS Ao Haru Ride

Food Wars VS One Piece VS Space Battleship Yamato

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K VS Blood Blockade Battlefront VS Poco's Udon World

Space Patrol Luluco VS Yu-Gi-Oh! VS Your Lie in April

Slam Dunk VS One Punch Man VS Candy Candy

Doraemon VS Akame ga Kill VS Black Clover

Space Dandy VS Sazae-san VS Bloom into You

Show by Rock!! VS Pokémon VS Restaurant to Another World

Uchouten Kazoku VS Tetsujin 28 VS Miracle Girl Limit-chan

Sally the Witch VS March Comes in Like a Lion VS Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan

Day Break Illusion VS Heidi, Girl of the Alps VS Zombie Land Saga

Yuri is My Job! VS Kimagure Orange Road VS The Seven Deadly Sins

Akudama Drive VS Future Boy Conan VS Land of the Lustrous

BanG Dream! VS Rin-ne VS Serial Experiments Lain

Snow White with the Red Hair VS Juni Taisen: Zodiac War VS The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Ranking of Kings VS Osomatsu-san VS Odd Taxi

Flying Witch VS Bodacious Space Pirates VS Shugo Chara

Yuki Yuna is a Hero VS Super Dimension Fortress Macros VS Spy x Family

Magic Kaito 1412 VS Kaguya-sama: Love is War VS Kingdom

Aikatsu VS Cells at Work VS New Game!

Blue Exorcist VS Sound! Euphonium VS Ashita no Joe

Re:Zero VS My Hero Academia VS Pani Poni Dash

Ouran High School Host Club VS Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai VS Children of the Whales

86 vs Erased vs Demon Slayer

Mashle vs Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt vs Bakemonogatari

Skip and Loafer vs Shiki vs My-Hime

Laughing under the Clouds VS Naruto VS Sakura Wars

The Vampire Dies in No Time VS Dragon Ball GT VS Fist of the North Star

Shadowverse VS Blue Lock VS Tamako Market

Legend of the Galactic Heroes VS Lycoris Recoil VS Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple VS Sonic X VS Samurai Champloo

Cutie Honey VS Tokyo Revengers VS Parasyte

Kaiji VS Deca-Dence VS Clannad

I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss VS Digimon Adventure VS Charlotte

Kageki Shojo!! VS Majuu Senshi Luna Varga VS Stars Align

Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions VS Gintama VS Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits

Bubblegum Crisis VS Air VS Made in Abyss

Touch VS Fire Force VS Love Live! Sunshine!!

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer VS Sket Dance VS Himitsu no Akko-chan

Zatch Bell VS Little Witch Academia VS Gal & Dino

Parappa the Rapper VS Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout (Fabiniku) VS Talentless Nana

Nyanbo! VS Bomberman Jetters VS Do It Yourself!

Kochikame: Tokyo Beat Cops VS Nobody's Boy Remi VS Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

Chika Ichiban VS Squid Girl VS Anne of Green Gables

Ikkyuu-san VS The Case Study of Vanitas VS Free!

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story VS Chihayafuru VS So I'm a Spider, So What?

Aggretsuko VS Hakumei and Mikochi VS Mou Ippon

What's Michael VS Kimono Jihen VS Kiratto Prichan

Mushishi VS Uma Musume VS Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Sabikui Bisco VS Dorohedoro VS The World Ends With You: The Animation

Un-Go VS The Case Files of Jeweler Richard VS Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure

Sonny Boy VS Tiger & Bunny VS Black Butler

A Place Further than the Universe VS Lupin III (all Parts) VS Tsuritama

Tari Tari VS Maoyu VS Buddy Daddies

Horimiya VS Akiba Maid War VS Cap Revolution Bottleman

Helck VS Play it Cool, Guys VS Revolutionary Girl Utena

right side:

Gegege no Kitarou VS Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood VS Urahara

D.Gray-Man VS Bakuman VS Devilman

Violet Evergarden VS Death Parade VS Speed Racer

Skull Face Bookseller Honda-san VS Mazinger Z VS Planetes

Aim for the Ace! VS Futari wa Pretty Cure VS Saiunkoku Monogatari

Comic Girls VS Galaxy Express 999 VS Dr. Slump

Wedding Peach VS Ronja, the Robber's Daughter VS Haikyuu!

Saint Seiya VS Mahoutsukai Chappy VS Yuri on Ice

Hikaru no Go VS Yona of the Dawn VS Mega Man NT Warrior

Black Lagoon VS Nichijou VS Space Cobra

Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles VS Stop! Hibari-kun VS She and Her Cat: Everything Flows

Space Brothers VS Gakuen Alice VS Dragon Ball Z

AKB0048 VS Kino's Journey -The Beautiful World- VS Musashi no Ken

Flip Flappers VS Hamtaro VS Daily Lives of High School Boys

Another VS Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju VS Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

Gurren Lagann VS Hana no Ko Lunlun VS City Hunter

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water VS Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun VS To Your Eternity

Kiteretsu Daihyakka VS Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun VS Noir

Bungo Stray Dogs VS Soreike! Anpanman VS Moomin

Hajime no Ippo VS Paranoia Agent VS Mobile Suit Gundam

Maison Ikkoku VS Yuru Camp VS Sherlock Hound

Great Pretender VS Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress VS World Trigger

Little Princess Sara VS Ghost Sweeper Mikami VS Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!

My Next Life as a Villainess VS Kirby: Right Back at Ya! VS Air Gear

Saint Tail VS Haibane Renmei VS Astro Boy

Crayon Shin-chan VS Tokyo Ghoul VS Hell Girl

Heaven's Design Team VS Neon Genesis Evangelion VS Kiznaiver

Servamp VS Akane-chan VS Yo-kai Watch

The Vision of Escaflowne VS Tsurune VS Sk8 the Infinity

The Promised Neverland VS Hime-chan no Ribbon VS Fruits Basket

Urusei Yatsura VS Dr. Stone VS Shaman King

Star of the Giants VS Cardcaptor Sakura VS Angelic Layer

Berserk VS Kodocha VS Ping Pong The Animation

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's VS Boys over Flowers VS Otherside Picnic

Monster VS Sgt. Frog VS K-On!

Aria VS The Rose of Versailles VS Beyblade

Natsume's Book of Friends VS Planet With VS Detective Conan / Case Closed

Nodame Kantaabire VS Kyou Kara Maoh VS Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Duel Masters VS Shounen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru VS Hunter x Hunter

Mahou Shoujo Lalabel VS Carole & Tuesday VS Powerpuff Girls Z

Big Windup! VS Heartcatch Pretty Cure! VS Fighting Foodons

Gosick VS Ace Attorney VS Inazuma Eleven

Given VS The Prince of Tennis VS Cowboy Bebop

Code Geass VS Teppen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VS FLCL

Wolf's Rain VS Reborn! VS Princess Tutu

Magic Knight Rayearth VS Romeo x Juliet VS Oshi no Ko

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo VS Bakugan VS Jujutsu Kaisen

Yu Yu Hakusho VS Love Live! School Idol Project VS Trigun

Kimba the White Lion VS Waccha Primagi VS Toradora

Ultra Maniac VS Mahou Sensei Negima VS Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight

Visual Prison VS Steins;gate VS Inuyasha

Vinland Saga VS Assault Lily Bouquet VS Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Pop Team Epic VS Gingitsune VS Tokyo Mew Mew

Blue Period VS Higurashi When They Cry VS Fairy Tail

Chargeman Ken VS Shin Sekai Yori VS Chainsaw Man

Beyond the Boundary VS Silver Spoon VS Hyouka

Stitch! VS Mobile Suit Gundam SEED VS Symphogear

Kuroko's Basketball VS Pokemon Horizons VS Gatchaman Crowds

Ghost Stories VS Non Non Biyori VS Samurai Flamenco

Fushigi Yuugi VS Psycho-Pass VS Azumanga Daioh

Bleach VS Dragon Ball Super VS Ace of Diamond

My Neighbor Seki VS Mob Psycho 100 VS No. 6

Full Metal Panic VS Princess Principal VS Ya Boy Kongming!

Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei VS Puella Magi Madoka Magica VS Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song

[otori0]

Second chances: A Kijima Matako + Kiheitai Analysis

This will be messy and include spoilers.

Kijima Matako, just like all Gintama characters, isn’t reduced to a single aspect to her character. What makes Gintama women special to me is that they aren’t just shonen women that are used when convenient or left to the side: they all break some kind of stereotype and have life of their own. They all have a soul. (If interested in this topic, there’s this analysis on Gintama women that really stood out to me)

When it comes to Matako, I don’t think this is different, even though her screen time is limited as she’s a side character. Despite her being introduced as a girl who loves Takasugi and shows extreme loyalty to her, this isn’t all there is to her. Not only is she a great fighter and indispensable to the Kiheitai, but her backstory in Silver Soul also shows us more sides of her. In particular, I’ll be discussing episodes 354 and Matako’s last scene in Gintama The Final, as they are the scenes that made me want to write this. Please don’t proceed if you haven’t finished the series. You’ve been warned!

We learn in episode 354 that Matako’s parents both died because of war, trying to protect the country. Because of this, she seeks revenge and asks Takasugi to join him in his goal of destroying the country.

At this moment, Matako is using her parents’ deaths to give herself a purpose. It seems like she’s lost, even though there is certainly disdain and hate for the country inside her, it’s definitely not a decision a person her age would be making in normal circumstances. In the words of Francis Bacon, “A man that studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal, and do well.” (This also equates to Takasugi saying that the hardest part comes after war, when you’re reduced to just a man and forced to live that way, and Takasugi knows this better than anyone. Seeking revenge and keeping the wounds fresh is a way to run away from this. It also gives a mindless purpose so they don’t have to actually think about what comes after)

Just like Takasugi, losing something gave her a meaning and a goal. This should make them similar, but Takasugi knows it’s not the case, because his revenge isn’t simple revenge— it’s revenge against himself. Matako might not find what she's seeking if she goes with him, and she might just be throwing her life away. Going with Takasugi is the same thing as killing herself, her soul and her goals.

There’s a poetic sadness in the fact that Takasugi eventually died not in the way he’d thought he’d go. He was unable to kill Gintoki, which was the ultimate form of self-harm for him, and he lived an immortal but weakened life for a moment before he died against Gintoki himself. One could say that Takasugi did kill himself as well since he assisted Gintoki in killing Utsuro, but it’s still a death that’s very different from what one would imagine, especially in relation to this scene and Takasugi’s goals.

In the end, however, Gintoki fulfilled his promise and protected Takasugi's soul this way. This is the antagonic nature of Gintoki and Takasugi's characters and how Takasugi's goal was always doomed to fail.

Going back to Matako, because Takasugi gave Matako a second chance, this actually gives her even more motivation to follow his steps. He provided her a motivation aside from revenge.

A lot of Matako's loyalty to the Kiheitai comes from her devotion to Takasugi, but there's also the knowledge she has that the Kiheitai is more noble than it might seem. It saves nobodies, it has the power to protect— she has known Takasugi's kindness from the moment she met him, because he saved her even though they were nearly strangers.

However, ultimately Matako loses Takasugi as well. I've seen some people feel sympathy for her as she has 'lost everything' (at first her parents, then bansai & takasugi), but is this truly the case? I believe The Final proves otherwise.

The end of the movie, through Takasugi, makes the Kiheitai appear more human and follows the parent-child pattern that Gintama has used again and again to show vulnerability and human soul.

There's a lot of debate on what the baby Takasugi actually is, but from my point of view, if it's purposefully left ambiguous it should be ambiguous. That's part of the point of it. It could be reincarnation, it could be a different person, it could be Takasugi's second chance— we will never know, and that's okay.

Still, the topic of second chances is presented thorough the series and this movie is no exception. It's not a coincidence that Matako is the one to do this for Takasugi, to find him.

In this scene, there's a Sakamoto monologue in which he says that ''it's not a miracle for a teacher to save his students, it's just what they do''. I'm not confident in comparing what Takasugi did for Matako to what Shoyo did for his students because obviously it's not the same, but there is a meaning in this shot being shown during this monologue, because the cicle of second chances Matako and Takasugi (especially in regards of baby!Takasugi, since it's the most fantasy-esque aspect of this) is not 'a miracle', but something that had to happen.

Going back to the topic of revenge, Francis Bacon, who has already been mentioned here, made an experiment that actually proved that the people who had the chance of acting on their revenge had a harder time moving on from things and suffered more, because it prolongs that experience (more on this here). In this way, Gintoki who moved on the best he could from the past is a happier person than Takasugi. In the same way, I believe that Takasugi giving the Kiheitai a new goal to fight for in Soul Silver arc did this for Matako (although she wasn’t as deep into revenge as other characters, and it had already become something secondary for her). Especially when taking into consideration that Takasugi knew he’d die, or at the very least that his goals weren't leading him to anywhere good, it’s not unthinkable to believe that he was trying to give the Kiheitai something else for when he was gone. In a sense, Takasugi gave them what he learned from Gintoki but was too far gone to apply to himself. (Just like he gave the Kiheitai a place to belong) It's very much like Takasugi to take in all the pain to himself but never impose his own mentality into others.

After Takasugi died, it wouldn't be strange for the rest of the Kiheitai to grow apart from each other, to abandon that role and go on living normal lives, pursuing new goals. However, because of this new goal Takasugi has given them through the act of dying, Henpeita and Matako can redeem themselves, 'atone for their sins' as Henpeita words it. In a sense, had Takasugi survived, this might have been impossible.

Because Takasugi gave Matako a second chance and new reasons to fight, Matako could develop and grow into a person who in return gave Takasugi a second chance, enveloping him (physically) and I assume taking care of that baby in the future. Matako’s kindness is reflective of Takasugi’s own. In this way, although she believes herself to have been unable to save Takasugi during his life and bring back his smile, Matako also took an important part in preserving his soul.

At the end of Takasugi's road he found Gintoki, who had given him a part of his soul, and at the end of Matako's road she found Takasugi, who had given her a part of his (shown in their last scenes respectively). This becomes Matako's soul, turning her into a compassionate person who cares about Takasugi from the bottom of her heart, which gives her a chance to take action and abandon the revenge she initially sought.

Feel free to add anything to this, I have finished Gintama pretty recently so I'm sure there's people who have a better grasp and wording than myself. I might also edit this someday.

I hope this was an interesting read!

EDIT: In a sense, Bansai being the one to die first (not counting Nizou since he didn't have the same attachment to Takasugi and the others as the rest of the Kiheitai), in a sense, is a way to show that he has already found a purpose back then, while the other two still need a new purpose, which Takasugi gives them in SS. Bansai already knew Takasugi's soul and decided to die for him. The rest, however, had to live on to atone and carry that soul.

[goldentigerfestival]

Made myself a tier list of all of Yuri's outfits... or at least, as many as I could remember to look for. I probably still missed some because he has so many. Crops are weird because they were all different and some looked really bad putting them in a specific shape on the list maker, and I couldn't have gotten them all to be the same size.

Sorta included how I feel about the hair styles too since that's basically part of a Yuri Lowell outfit. He's Bamco's personal barbie so I had to also consider his hairstyles since they always mess around with his hair.

This doesn't include in game DLC cameo outfits because those aren't really his outfits. His White Day alt is there twice because he has the Cretsoria version with the sleeves showing in his artwork, and the Asteria version with the full suit on.

Most of the Japanese style outfits are ranked together because they're all very same-y and more generic than say, his Crestoria version. One is from his Gintama Rays collab but I don't really feel differently about it.

In good news I don't actively dislike any of the ones from "eh" and upward - the "eh" is just, well, it's there I guess. It's not awful to look at. There's only one outfit for him that I look at in horror.

Both Asteria's 8th anni outfit and his Prima Stella outfit in "he" make me crazy. I do really love his outfit as Claw, but also, Claw gets bias rights, too. White True Knight Yuri was intentionally Flynn color coded in Flynn's standard pose and it looks great on him. His Crestoria outfit appeared only once before the game shut down and it haunts me that we'll never get to see his story to completion... but I love his outfit and the idea of a transgressor storyline for him (and the fact that he, like Vicious, doesn't hide his Stain of Guilt). I adore Yuri's Spirit Gear outfit even if that corset looks like it'd snap him in half if he bent over with how tight it is and how itty bitty his waist is. I don't really have anything particular to say about his Dress Up Collection outfit (other than standard anime girl pose looks good on him), and same with his other TF2024 outfit.

Teehee Little Shit Yuri gets the crowning spot because the whole fit and the pose decimated me on impact and hasn't stopped decimating me since.

[istherewifiinhell]

i kept fucking up so i watched these on 2 diff mornings and couldnt even schedule post them. UM OKAY more eps joelle told me to watch i already forgot what number they are

roasted this sad boy so hard now i will learn why he is so so sad

kouka… kagura family member?

INTRO. FREEZE FRAME. is that sugis guysssssssss is that sugi in a comaaa is that fucking banzai

oboro. THAT MAN. shouyouuuuuu

hair? man??? ALIENS.

THAT MAN

being a pirate is MORE important that ur family. got it boss

damn u shit head did u abandon ur sister in the rain the same way ur father ababanoned you. BREAK NO CYCLES!

karuga girl i think your family sucks maybe???

GIN KINDNESS. FUCKING. uhhh infailable asshole kindness social graces of this place is a shithole but so are we all.

SHINPACHI! ur in this show! and you can speak. thats crazy.

YES GIRL GET UR PTO

GUN ARMS????

SAKAMOOOOOOOTTTTOOOOOO :3

where IS SUGI. IM ALWAYS ASKING THIS.

GUN. most girl design ever to girl but GUN.

banzaiiii no u good bbg?

FUCK OFF OBORO

space ships……..

what happens to That Man some insects will never stop flapping their wings UNTIL THEY REACH HEAVEN (archieval footage: him getting his Ass Beat) i got my wing from THE SAME MAN (that man…), so i know.

yes girl yes time to be soooo normal right

u cant tell sugi shouyou isnt dead. thats. thats his whole idenity there. u know

oboro in this outfit/shot framing… why he kinda….

HEY LITTLE FAIL SON. HEY LITTLE SHITTO.

GJHFGJHG GIVING THIS LITTLE CHILD UR. IMMORTAL BLOOD. I HOPE U LIVE AND HATE ME FOREVER. well. thats gintama isnt it. BUT OKAY. hmmmm. take responisiblity for ur actions

hesssss sooooo little……

IM NO TEACHER… well. uh huh. sure ur not sensei.

nooooooooo nooo u did NOT adopt the dog u hit with ur car who then TURNED U INTO THE FUCKING. GUY. THE THE. GIN.TAMA TRAUMA LINCHPIN GUY. nooooooooo

^_^ mode ACTIVATED.

ROBOT ARM. HOT HOT HOT. OBORO U BEEN HOLDING OUT ON ME

i cant believe im tryna watch these flash backs during a sugi fight. GIRL.

EYE TRAUMA 4 EYE TRAUMA. GIRLS I LOVE U SO MUCH. NEVER BREAK THE CYCLEEEEEEEEEE

a school born under a pine tree, its just you and me. hmm mmh im sure no other white haired child will ever echo words like this back at you. surely not.

LOOK OBORO YOULL HAVE SOOOO MANY LITTLE SIBLINGS. IT WILL BE GREAT. YOULL LOVE IT

are u becoming a devious little killer to save his live. even tho he didnt ask…..

STABBED YOURSELF. TINY CHILD. ohhhh

appearently I HE THOUGHT I WAS DEAD. YEAH. YEAH OBORO. ANY THOUGHT WHY THAT MIGHT BE. MAYBE THE. YOU KILLED YOURSELF AND A BUNCH OF OTHER PPL IN FRONT OF HIM.

i cannot believe. i get how. in concept. okay child raised in. killing world. solves his problems with killing. BUT ITS SO FUNNY GIRL NO ONE ASKED U DO TO THAT. i love you. WHY DID U DO THAT.

okay. okay. okay okay. YOU. YOU DID ALL THAT. so he and his school and ur junior students. GET TO LIVE. "and even tho im not at his side im satisfied" or whatever you said. (sees him and and your junior students. living) NOW HOLD ON. I NEED TO RUIN THEIR LIVES. girl….

okay hang on. "one swore to never betray him again" shot of oboro. "the other swore to bring him back, even if it meant having to kill him again" shot sugi. OKAY BUT. REMIND MEEEEEE. who. WHOOOO killed him. and knew he was gonna come back. cause… I FEEL LIKE IT WASNT SUGI.

ahhhh there was intercuts there but the flashing was too much i guess will never know.

CAN U PASS ON MY LAST WORDS TO MY STUDENTS. WITHOUT YOU I NEVER WOULDVE GOTTEN TO MEET THEM. WITHOUT YOU I NEVER WOULDVE BECOME (SHOUYOU). THANK YOU. sensei has one move and its thanking his beloved eldest daughters for killing him.

ive seen with my own eyes. my junior student im so proud of. actually i cant even clown on you for this trying to kill your fellow students cause you love them so much its textbook in this family. okay. continue.

OH YEA IS SOMEONE GONNA SAY. what utsuro (that man) is

oh hey the theme that has the. one cb bepop reference. ive seen that frame. <- this ended one ep and began the next.

NEXT EP

recap. i heard this. thats how. THAT MAN. became. blah blah.

oh he was not always immortal? or no one knew

DEVIL. GINTOKI. yeah okay. COOL yeah yeah.

his fucking uhhhhhhh anthy swag.

THAT WHY HE GAVE BIRTH? if u say so.

why didnt he just leave the prison. is he stupid. etcetc

okay go on killing spree. sure. thats fair. who hasnt

the one that hated humans. feared humans. longed to be human.they were all me. we love a thesis statement thank you.

WOAH shouyou protagonist eyes moment.

COOOOOOOOL SHOT. UTSURO GIN OVERLAP. ahah. fun tool to help us later.

hey is this the same green guy or a different green guy. cool voice.

everyone wants to use the unkilliable killing machine to their ends. BUDDY they wont even let. (joke pending) buddy he wont even let... himself. use him. to his ends. hmm.

Knows how to make others immortal. SAD OBORO FACE.

(atlana lore) DAMN THATS CRAZY.

WHAT IN THE KINGDOM HEARTS Organization 13 is this room.

anyway utsuro lol. um. damn are u a well looked after and revered gun but not the one who pulls the trigger. sucks bro.

(bunch of shots of cool alien dudes)WOW THATS CRAZY

put him in the saw trap blood extrator. sexual stylez.

lmao he uh. took the hands from ALL OF THEM. and NO ONE NOTICED.

MORE COOLL ALIENS. qwantz comic. i get it now.

shoyou gives BIRTH i get it

i could fight for sensis. That man. or myself

IF U COULD HAVE DONE IT AGAIN. you would just say. HI DAD. IM ALIVE. can i COME HOME NOW. PLEASE???? yeah. you should have. [being a cunt but very moved by the editing of his speech to the. intercuts of the junior students yeah yeah. okay YEAH]

fucking. OF COURSE sugi is there to be like. wow u waisted ur life and died so beautifully im gonna cradle his body so elegantly etcetc.

oh u guys also gave birth. (to utsuro) congrats

zuraaaa just. taking in the extra. big trauma moments info gin is given like a champ. dude. WHAT IS UR persepctive on all this. man.

↳ BUD ARE U GETTING POSSESSED BY SHOUYOU TO SAY ALL THIS. well that would track. WHAT THE HELL. yeah. the becon of hope kill his teacher to say the students the ideals. win the trolley problem. GIN STOP SMILLING AT PPL WHEN THEY DIE (he cant its what he was put on this earth to do)

sakamoto: everyone gave birth to everyone. thank u m.preg expert

kaguraaaaa dad. what. DO U HAVE THE LORE DROP? are u the eight dragons penis fight guy.

ROBOT ARMS

hey sad little gay boy gura brother.

SPACEEEEE SHOT HI HI HI SO BEAUITUFL BEAUTIFUL SHIPS

[frostfires-blog]

Thanks for your reply to this ask of mine : https://www.tumblr.com/frostfires-blog/768942492027682816/hello-tgcf-lover-i-found-you-from-your-post-of-4?source=share

I have sent the MXTX Ask Game, sorry if the questions is a bit much. 😅

No, I don't think you're hypocritical. I totally get it and can relate to you. It's hard to suddenly love m/m ships from something that we love since young age, when what we love mostly are m/f ships from that series, right?

See, I watched anime since childhood and my first anime were One Piece and Detective Conan. Guess the most famous m/m ship from One Piece? ZoSan (Zoro/Sanji) and fyi that ship have inspired real life BL mangaka with that ship's dynamics (including one of my fav BL mangaka). From Conan, it's Kid/Shinichi (for me now, this series have too many het romance, I mean everybody end up with somebody?)

One of my moots asked, how come I don't ship them. And my answer is, sorry those series are my childhood's beloved series. At that time, I still love m/f ships only and don't read any BL/GL media or even ship any same sex characters. So, I just can't see them romantically.

Then as I grew up, I began to love more the dynamics of same sex characters (especially between male ones) compared to het ones.

For your top 3 favorite anime/manga : Naruto, Gintama, & Attack on Titan, I started them because of my friends who love their otps. So, I knew a few people who wrote fanfics and drew fanarts for those ships. They asked me to start those series and asked who are my fav ships. I did and I do have favorite otps from those series.

From Naruto : NaruSasu (one of my fav non-canon ship until now, my friend's no 1 otp), MinaKushi (yes, somehow I love this ship even when they're m/f bcs they're so good together), and HashiMada (old man yaoi, enough said).

From Gintama : GinHiji (love their dynamic, you can't imagine how many doujins they had, also my other friend's no 1 otp), I love Kagura so much, but I don't really ship her with anyone (sorry)

From AoT : Please don't hate me, especially now that I know you love Levi. My fav ship is Levi/Eren (love their dynamic, potential for fics and one of my friend's otp).

See, in BL a few of my fav tropes are age gap and height difference, and we have them both!

Sorry for this long ask. Feel free to ignore them. I hope you don't mind with me (BL lover & multishipper of m/m ships) as one of your fan/ follower. I really do learn a lot from your blog and I love when you wrote something that you're passionate with.

I know I've said I love non-canon m/m ships, but I do love BL media, too, with their canon ships. So, thanks for listed 4 canon m/m ones in your fav ships (HuaLian, WangXian, SasaMiya, MafuYama), it means a lot to me....

P.s. Akatsuki no Yona is also one of my all time fav series ever! So excited that you love them, too.... Oh from this series, I ship Jae Ha/Kija (sorry for this random ship)

Anime/manga recs!

- Haikyuu (amazing story, great characters, mostly male characters, some of the most awesome male duos ever)

- SK8 The Infinity (short and amazing story, great characters, mostly male characters, you must have at least 1 fav ship after finished this 12 episodes)

- Buddy Daddies (2 hitmen/ 2 room mates/ 2 guys have to take care of little girl, one of my all time fav series ever)

- Bungou Stray Dogs (guys with super power + mafia, mostly male characters, amazing story)

- Death Note (best tragedy ever, great story, can't help but love this doom ship)

- Moriarty the Patriot (one or the best Holmes adaptation ever, amazing cast, love the plot, mostly male characters)

- Idolish7 (great songs, amazing story, for me Idolish7 >>> Oshi no Ko, primarily male characters)

Sorry if you have knew these series and don't like them. Also, sorry again because mostly I love series with primarily male characters (that's where m/m shippers got their fuel)...

No problem! Hi once again! Thanks for your continued support. I posted my answers to the MXTX Ask Game yesterday. Sorry, it took so long; I've been dealing with a lot. I also wanted to apologise for it being so long—I rambled too much again. I hope that my answers met your expectations. Since every MXTX work is exceptional in its own way, it's difficult to compare them. I totally get where there's no unanimous standout in the fandom and everyone has their own favourite.

Yeah, I totally agree. As sad as it is, I'll never be able to ship M/M ships from the shows I watched in my childhood before I became conscious of BL/GL shipping. Thankfully, not many anime fit under that umbrella because most of my formative years were spent obsessing over Naruto and not giving any other anime a chance—embarrassing, I know. For me, Naruto, Bleach, Angel Beats, Charlotte, Ouran High School Host Club, Made In Abyss, and Attack on Titan fall into that bracket. It was actually BNHA that made me start shipping BL pairings. While I don't ship BL/GL ships in those aforementioned series, I can see value in some of the well-founded ones and know if I had started them today, then I would most likely have shipped those pairings wholeheartedly. P.S. I love MinaKushi too. They deserve more screentime! I started Gintama in late 2019/early 2020 as was in my BL phase at the time. So I do like GinHiji, I just slightly prefer the dynamics of GinTsu and GinTaka. I read a lot of GinHiji doujins too lol (they make up pretty much 90% of Gintama doujins available, lmao)... I totally get why people wouldn't ship Kagura with anyone; as for most of the series, she's still young and uninterested in romance. I'm just a fan of the enemies to lovers/rivals to lovers/friends to lovers trope. So I ship her with Sougo since I like their synergy. Though I don't condone people using OkiKagu to sexualise her character pre-time skip.

The great thing about Gintama is that it's quite self-aware; so, they throw bones to practically every group of shippers while they simultaneously avoid verifying anything. So the fandom is much more inclusive than any other shounen fandom. Levi and Eren are my favourite AoT characters, and I used to have a friend who was very into Levi/Eren so I get it. I almost had a phase myself since at first I wasn't a fan of EreMika. However, around late season 3, my best friend had gotten me sold on EreMika and they've really grown on me. I'd like to think that I've matured enough to be amicable about ships. So I wouldn't hate someone who had a different opinion from me so long as they didn't harass me about it. There have been times when my best friend and I have disagreed about ships, but it hasn't come in between our friendship.

Thanks once again for all of the asks you've sent. I'm glad you've been enjoying my posts, and I hope you continue to enjoy them. Admittedly, the content of my blog will gradually shift since Naruto, Gintama, and Attack on Titan are over—so there isn't much content to post about... I'm not artistically talented—so I can't contribute with fanart and animatics—therefore I rely on reposting, editing, and analysing canon content. I'll continue to do my best, though—especially in new fandoms that have currently captivated me. Wow, another Akatsuki no Yona fan! They need to give us season 2—I swear the manga is so good! I don't think Kija x Jaeha is that random. I could see it... I just honestly never put much thought into shipping other than Hak x Yona since I had a long-standing premonition the dragons would die somehow.

As for your recs, I've actually seen many of them lol... So I'll do a quick run-through of my thoughts and ships in each:

➜ Haikyuu is actually my 3rd favourite sports anime. I used to post about it and read a lot of fics back when season 4 was airing. I went to see the movie in cinemas last year too. While I like most of the fan-favourite pairs—KageHina, BokuAka, and KenHina were featured in a Valentine's Day Ship Post I made 3 years ago.

➜ I'm fond of SK8 The Infinity as well and am excited for the upcoming OVA. I ship both RenGa and MatchBlossom! (P.S. Matchblossom is such a good shipname.) The SK8 dub is one of the only anime dubs I like—it's so unhinged.

➜ I watched Buddy Daddies back when it aired. At first, I thought it was a simpler ripoff of SpyxFamily, but it really grew into its own thing towards the end—and I grew to like it more and more. I quite like how concise yet open-ended its ending was. Not everything needs to drag on, you know...

➜ I've seen BSD too... Though I have quite complex, contradicting feelings about it. While the powers and setting are cool, it's one of the only series that has ever consistently confused me. Like, what is the actual plot of the series? What are the characters trying to achieve? Its lack of consistency both intrigues and frustrates me. I feel like my lack of knowledge of classical literature doesn't help either. Since I'm not fond of the art stystyle, Idly don't fangirl over anyone from BSD. Ironically, my favourite ship/duo from the series would probably be Shin Soukoku.

➜ I've only seen half of Death Note. Sadly, my first introduction to the series was that awful live-action movie... So I didn't bother watching the anime for several years...When I finally did start the anime, it was decently good—but I stopped midway since an AoT fic I'd read years before came rushing back to me and had spoilt most of the upcoming plot points for me. So all the tension and stakes were ruined for me.

➜ Moriarty The Patriot is one of my favourite anime series. I really liked that it delved into deep topics like classism, morality, and social justice. Sherliam is one of my favourite BL ships. Hopefully, they'll continue the anime series someday. I don't think I've ever done any posts on the series... But I will if I ever think of something appropriate.

➜ A year or 2 ago, after finishing the Given manga, I was motivated to start a couple of music-centric anime... I typically try out a few episodes of 3-4 shows and then choose between them. I know I ended up going with Kono Oto Tomare and Uta No Prince-sama. So I think the one I ended up not going with might have been Idolish...Or no scratch that I think it might have been Ensemble Stars... I'd have to go watch episode 1 again and see. So I'll have to get back to you on this.

Thanks for all the recommendations though. Sorry, I've seen most of them already. If you were looking for recommendations yourself, then I'd recommend the following (based on what you've said and recommended):

⦁ Link Click/Shiguang Dailiren really toes the line between canon and non-canon well with its main duo—in part due to China's censorship laws. I don't want to spoil anything since it's very suspenseful, but the show falls into the mystery, drama, and time-travel genres. It's available in three languages, and the latest season has introduced even more intriguing characters. (P.S. The music in this show is absolutely amazing.)

⦁ Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions is something I'd recommend to all Moriarty The Patriot fans since its MC is a descendant of both the Holmes and Moriarty bloodlines. It's more episodic and lighter in tone than MTP but no less intriguing.

⦁ Tsurune is sports anime centred around Kyudo—a traditional Japanese form of archery. Just like with Haikyuu and Sk8, it focuses on a lot of M/M duos and rivalries. Its animation is stunning, and the themes it touches on are insightful.

⦁ Owari No Seraph/Seraph of the End is a shounen anime that heavily centres around the ambiguous bond between its two leads—Yuu and Mika. There is an array of other complex relationship dynamics between its other characters as well. Its post-apocalyptic setting, music, and action sequences are somewhat reminiscent of Attack on Titan's earlier seasons, given that both series were animated by Wit Studio.

⦁ Windbreaker is a shounen anime centred around a group of delinquents at an all-boys school that have banded together to protect their town and its people from nearby thugs. Its characters and their interactions with one another are really endearing. While the fights aren't as flashy as other battle shounen, the series covers various significant themes and has significant character depth. The character design and character interactions are my favourite part of the series.

Anyways, thanks once again for reading through all my ramblings...

[mio-nika]

It's super hard for me to recommend people my fav animes.

Because they always coming with like. Things you need to be chill about. Very fast.

- Gintama is a great anime. My favourite actually. And even tho it can be recognized as a deconstruction of the seinen genre. With some reflections and thoughts towards of Kanagawa Treaty. It mostly a comedy anime with toilet humour. Which is great actually, it's the only one without any downsides.

- Monogatari is a great deconstruction of harem genre. With focus on social and eternal conflicts. It's not afraid of touching subjects like rape, child neglect and parental abuse. And it does it in pretty smart ways. But we also experiencing most of the story from the position highly hormonal guy who want to fuck half of the cast. And the story cant work outside of his prism.

- Railgun is a great anime with interesting world and great power mechanics. With focus on all-women cast. But it also a spin-off of harem anime. So it forced to carry parts of the original bullshittery. Like only lesbian character being very annoying a predatory towards her friend. Because. You know. It's "funny".

Most of them I watched as a teen. Really going like "god, I wish I could watch some media about girls my age". And monkey paw really delivered, lol.

[chibivesicle]

The sadness of Steven A. Starphase.

How Kekkai Sensen/Blood Blockade Battlefront is painfully realistic.  In the most banal adult ways possible.

With me going back to rewatch Trigun before Stampede began to air, I was itching for more work by Yasuhiro Nightow.  However, his follow up manga that started as a one-shot that became Kekkai Sensen/Blood Blockade Battlefront came out while I was in grad school and when the anime was briefly on Crunchyroll later, it didn’t ping me as a suggestion.  I’m very much a josei/seinen person with occasional forays into good sports or slice of life series, then shoujo and then shounen series if they have a good sense of humor.  Essentially, I need something like FLCL or Gintama to keep me amused.

With Stampede not meeting what I’m realizing were unrealistic expectations, I was curious and decided to follow up on Blood Blockade Battlefront (B3).  The title alone would be a turn off for me; I put faith in it that it would have that original Trigun quirky vibe.  Honestly, I wish they’d not have translated and told me it was Kekkai Sensen, I would have been easier to convince to watch it.  I watched the first episode and was already loving the style, the artwork and the OST. That OST man - so good.  And the VA cast - so many actors from Gintama and I was shocked no one was commenting that Femt, the King of Depravity, was voiced by one of my fav VAs, Akira Ishida!  What sealed the deal for me, besides the incredible graphic design, story boarding and attention to detail from studio Bones was the entire sequence in S1E3 - A Game Between Worlds when Klaus and K.K. go to the Alterworld following the former Soviet chess grandmaster to the Alterworld Mafia Don’s home. 

As the story unfolded in season one, I started to gravitate towards my usual character types; tough independent females and tall, dark, and handsome males.  Yeeeaaaaah; I love Chain Sumeragi, K.K. and Steven A. Starphase.  I also appreciate Leo with Sonic and Klaus Von Reinhertz is the best male tank character I have ever seen.  He’s so adorable!  And gentlemanly with his tie and oxford brogues.  B3 is a workplace drama/comedy that just happens to take place in a secret organization that handles weird supernatural stuff.  Seriously, that is a great summary and it is a great cast even if I’d likely kill Zapp and punch Brody & Hummer for being double ditzes.

I haven’t finished season two yet (I’ve watched through S2E7 - so no spoiler comments for the rest of season two or the manga please!).  But the character who ticks all my boxes is Nicholas D. Wolfwood - er - I mean, Steven A. Starphase.  Steven is the second in command of Libra, one of the oldest team members (over thirty), has a facial scar, dark hair, sarcastic, stylish and the team member; who gets shit done.  That peaking bit of a tattoo and his ruffly black hair . . .  Chain may have gotten Wolfwood’s outfit and is a werewolf, but Steven is the evolution of Wolfwood, balancing out Klaus’ unwavering principles, and willing to take on the role of doing the dirty work in the background which is necessary.  The body language of Steven is the same as Wolfwood, he’s a mix of straight lines, angles and noodle.

Steven is also paired with Vash - I mean - K.K. on missions.  Following the anime format he’s teamed up with her in S1E5 - Bloodline Fever where they have to fight a Blood Breed in a subway station.  Unlike, Vash and Wolfwood, K.K. is not keen on him all the time calling him black-hearted and giving him the mocking nickname of Steven-sensei (I guess since he is the logistics expert of Libra always coordinating the teams while K.K. is a lone sniper character).

However, despite their one-sided discord, the two of them work well together where he shows his noodle qualities saving K. K. and the young girl and her mother in S1E8 - Z’s Worst Day - Part 1.  Interestingly, Steven takes K.K.’s criticism rather seriously as he’s shaking as she scolds him . . . Steven takes K.K.’s words into account indicating that he does want work well with her.

Before, reverting to his oft “Now, now, now” line to de-escalate things.  The two also naturally balance each other out and communicate well with their options when trying to determine which of the two mysterious individuals is the Blood Breed from the India Gate.

They are also characters who are able to info dump quite naturally due to them being the most senior members of Libra in the main cast besides Lucky Abrams.   And the storytelling makes their info dumping flow with the story - sometimes they are trying to figure something out, sometimes Steven is pondering a situation. Either way it works well for the second in command to be the man with a bookmarked to hell reference text and even have a color swatch for a Blood Breed’s aura.  He also has lots of paper reports which indicates he’s the kind of guy who likes to read through physical items than scan a computer all the time.

By the end of season one, we know that Steven is for the most part, serious about work, a deadpan snarker, leans towards the more pessimistic side despite having hope for the future. e.g. he’d likely describe himself a realist as opposed to Klaus being a dreamer.

It gives us enough information that he’s been beaten down and is no longer an idealistic youth.  Take when he asked about why Leo wouldn’t accept higher pay despite struggling financially and comments that Leo is an upstanding young man.  He also originally was hesitant for them to even invite Leo to join Libra in the first place, despite knowing the value he brought to them, we know this is alleviated by S1E5 when he takes a literal beating to stall for time. Steven looks chronically burnt out - he is the only character who always has lines under his eyes.  His facial expression is rarely one of him smiling or laughing and he maintains a sort of meh or down turned expression when not dealing with serious work situations.  Even in the image below when he’s smiling it isn’t a happy smile, he’s thinking about the situation they are about to enter, looking back on the past three years.

His character is frequently shown with a cup of coffee - at the office, he has a blue mug with a red bottom that matches his shirt, frequently when he has papers in the other hand.  He will also drink tea with Klaus but it is clear he’s reached that working adult phase of life where coffee is fundamental to your day to day function.  Steven is also shown to down energy drinks in times of extreme deadlines as well.

Season two, B3 & Beyond appears to be a season of back filling manga chapters that were skipped in season one to have a tight story.  The one aspect that was a bummer in season one for me was how characters besides Leo, Klaus, Black and White got loads of development and growth everyone else was just in the background as support.  Season two likely pulled from manga chapters that were published earlier which lead to some confusing/unclear points for viewers aka, like why K.K. calls Steven black-hearted and the Steven-sensei nickname.  It is too bad they didn’t have these episodes earlier but I’ll take my character development background whenever, just give it to me.

We first get the explanation from Klaus and Steven at the hospital that reappeared about their personal experience of the Great Collapse to Leo and the introduction of Dr. Lucina Estavez (who should totally date Klaus) as well as defeating the Blood Breed that the two hand been training to fight.

The episode that really hit on my idea that there is a sadness to Steven wasn’t until S2E3 - Day In Day Out.  We get a few parallel story lines that show what happens in Leo, Zapp, Steven and Chain’s day where they are independent of each other but still cross paths by the end.

The first thing we learn is that Steven has an amazing loft apartment with a balcony and cool artwork and an Alterworld/Beyondian housekeeper, Mrs. Veded.  He emerges from a bedroom with a cup of coffee in one hand and the newspaper as he greets her.  With a genuine smile too.

I can look beyond his choice to put milk in his coffee - however, that goes against K.K.’s comment that he’s got a black heart.  I’ll excuse his milk in coffee for his stress and soothing his tummy.  The phone rings and he goes to pick it up.

We can still see the lines under his eyes so again, he is either always exhausted or we are to read them as actual wrinkles.  Maybe both - he’s older and tired due to working hard.  A rather playful female on the phone jokes with him about waking up early - at 11AM and it is clear that he hasn’t been up that long either.

There is a conversation about how much alcohol to bring tonight, cluing us into the fact that he’s having a dinner party at his place.  Which again, is freakkin’ swanky as all hell.  I want Steven’s place.

He’s got a carefree attitude as he talks to two different people on the phone about arrangements for the evening. These are not Steven at the office looks, these are Steven potentially having an outside life facial expressions!

When he gets off the phone, Mrs. Veded comments that he looks happy and Steven seems shocked.  She also noted that he seemed very stressed out and tense all the time and she is glad to see him not in such a state.

Since we know that Steven keeps a straight face for the most time at work, he can’t help but reply that he’s shocked at her observation.  Which is true, I’m sure Klaus can read him pretty well in work situations, but it is his thing to keep his cards close to his chest.  In season one, he is frequently the go between for Libra and the government whether it is the FBI, HLPD, the League of Casters and so forth.  Angelica’s comment of Klaus-san and Steven-shi shows that she knows Klaus from previous interactions, but the -shi on Steven implies that she’s never met him, but knows of him and speaks to him respectfully.  The English equivalent would be like staying, “Oh, you’re the well-known organizer at Libra, Steven Starphase.”  The point is, Steven is well known in certain circles and is respected professionally.

In season one, he was only happy when they were successful at work or his plans went well.  For example, his delight at how Leo was able to spot the Ghost Wagon and how he told Klaus that he needed to work on his management skills of others.  He additionally has a mix of a dark and offbeat sense of humor, able to laugh while Leo is wrapped up in bandages.

This is not a relevant image other than that it shows time has passed and I still want Steven’s loft.

Mrs. Veded has been helping him all afternoon to prep for his party and we see that he even gets in on the action cooking and wearing an apron of course.  He goes with his more casual dress shirt with no tie.  There is an almost excited look on his face.  I’d guess he hasn’t had people over in sometime.

He goes to let people in and he hands the flowers to Mrs. Veded (who adorably inhales their scent looking happy) and after greeting them, trips over.  Of course the friends comment that he’s been working too hard.  Steven, adulting hardcore.

The gifted flowers are placed on the table in a vase by Mrs. Veded and he thanks her for all of her help.  However, it is clear that he doesn’t need her for the rest of the evening and she takes her leave.

Again, we see another nice subtle smile from him here but something about it lingers, like he’d like to say more but can’t.  After she departs, he talks to himself about getting things started, grabbing a bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice and commenting they should get started.

The next time we return to his place, all of the party guests are eating, drinking and chatting up a storm.  There is chill music on, everyone looks fashionably dressed, wealthy - and human.  All of this gives us the indication that outside of work, Steven has the most ‘normal’ social group.  Look at his swanky place, the nice artwork, stainless steel fridge, kitchen island . . . yet while everyone is chatting merrily in groups we get a framing shot of him silently standing alone leaning into a column in his living room.  You can tell that every single individual except for him is talking with another person or two based on their body language.  This is such an excellent image and it lingers just long enough before it zooms into him looking off in to the distance with a wineglass of course.

Steven has such an interesting expression here, he’s got what appears to be his usual poor posture, leaning against the wall, holding the wine glass and has a soft but almost sad smile.  Wistful is the best I can think of.

The fact that his left hand is across his chest and under his right is unusual for him.  He rarely displays this type of conservative closed off body language, think of how frequently he’s got at least one if not both hands in his pockets.  Steven speaks rather casually and bluntly; I like to call his overall posture, noodle, which is relaxed and confident.  Yet, here, he appears much more stiff and is alone at his own party as you look more closely. Something is definitely off.

He goes off to get more beer and leaves the living room when all of his guests raise their arms to reveal biological weapons and tell him to remain in place, Steven Alan Starphase of Libra.  Love the use of his middle name for emphasis as well.  Of course he denies any knowledge of Libra at first before turning back towards them slightly.  Another great part of this scene is how when he walks the few steps up to his kitchen we get a glimpse of his shoes he’s wearing at his house party. 

They aren’t some sort of relaxed shoes, the few short steps allow us to see that they are his modified shoes for Esmeralda Blood Freeze techniques.  We didn’t get this when he tripped in the foyer, but this is now giving the viewers a hint that he’s prepared for a serious fight.

The first sign that things are about to go south is that when he calls out two guests for only just meeting this evening but appeared to actually know each other.

As they continue to threaten him, he concludes that they need to capture him alive; likely due to his role as the second in command at Libra.  This allows him to stall for time as he teases them to give him more information, by stating their bosses are idiots for wanting to capture him alive - as it implied he was expecting them to shoot him.

The framing for this entire sequence is top notch.  He never turns to face them directly while continuing the conversation with Ellen. She tries to threaten him to stop being all pretentious and that they’d have no choice but to attack him.  Of course he replies mocking them by throwing the question about it back at them.  The resignation in his body language that this is what is happening.  I don’t think that at this point that he can even look them in the eye.  He’s too upset and is keeping it calm and collected.

The shading over his eyes as he looks down, the slack shoulders, this is not how he wanted his evening to go down.  Yet, here he is inside his kitchen in a tight spot.  Or so it seems.

However, Steven is anal retentive when it comes to organization and details, and he faked tripping at his front door to use his Needles of Absolute Zero move on them.  Obviously, he likely did this at the beginning of the party for the rest of the guests being a good host circulating himself.  This also explains why he sent Mrs. Veded home, he didn’t want her to witness him doing something this ruthless.  Plus, she likely doesn’t know what he does for a living anyways.

The look on his face as he freezes them is so lonely, his eyes are closed and he’s hunched forward.  He may not regret his actions honestly; he had no choice but to follow through with this course of actions but that feeling of disappointment, sadness, loss, betrayal. It hurts.  Only after he’s frozen them all in place does he even glance back to them as his breath is visible in the air.

Once everyone has been subdued, he gets a moment to gloat over them and their mistakes.  He notes that Larry was smart to select weapons that could get into his building undetected implying that he lives in a pretty secure building and that Larry was carrying his weight funny for the past ten days.  He also tells Ellen that she tried too hard to cover the scent of the weapons with her usual perfume - by adding more.  However, she should have changed the scent and he wouldn’t have noticed.  After telling them how he figured out things were off, he steps back and looks at the group, his entire expression tired and blank.  More stress lines under those eyes.

His own personal clean-up crew is there to take them all away.  And since this isn’t under the guidance of Klaus, he’ll likely let those masked individuals use questionable methods to interrogate everyone for the information he needs to know.  Who or what is targeting him?  Why?  What do they want from him?  These are the sorts of things Steven has to know, but the type of things that Klaus wouldn’t be involved with due to his stricter moral code.  In this instance, Klaus is Vash, holding an almost impossible level of hope and goals while it is clear that Steven is pragmatic and realizes sometimes you gotta slog through the shit to get things done and protect others like Wolfwood.  Though, Steven would have been very upset if Mrs. Veded’s roast were damaged in anyway so he clearly loves her cooking and the love she puts into it.

The likely immediate reaction for a lot of viewers at the end of this scene when he goes out for some air is; Holy shit!  Steven is a total badass.  He just froze his entire dinner party and turned them over to shady underlings to pump them for information.  Badass indeed!

Yet, when I saw the end of that scene, I felt so sad.  When it goes to him alone along the road, he’s chastising himself for his own behaviors.  He’s leaning on the railing looking out into the night giving himself criticism for letting his guard down and enjoying himself too much.  He tried to meet ‘normal’ people who didn’t work for Libra and look what it got him?!?!

He thinks back to how he met various individuals like Ellen and Larry.  And that is when it really sinks in and all of its subtlety.  You think back to his comments and realize he had to likely know these people for a few years as he met them and slowly thought about having them meet.  To realize what type of perfume Ellen wore all the time.  To notice that Larry started walking oddly with in the past ten days meant he saw him walk a lot more for a decent amount of time prior to the recent days.

And then it sinks in - all of those people might have went out of their way to befriend him over the period of several years - for the purpose to kidnap him for their boss.  The level of deception, of effort.  If that was how he met all of them, it sucks so much that it could break someone down.  I almost felt like crying the more that I thought about the entire situation.  Even if they’d met him first to just be friends, it still shows they were convinced to join this plot to capture him.

Thinking about that hurts; it would make him absolutely paranoid to befriend anyone who isn’t associated with Libra and socialize with them outside of work.  But you don’t want to hang out with your work friends outside of work do you?  

The entire mood of this image captures his feelings of sadness, isolation and loneliness.  He’s the darkest figure in the image as the car headlights, apartment windows and orange construction barrels are more illuminated than he is.

The car turns out to pull over and stop as it is Mrs. Veded and she’s got her two children with her who meet him.  Steven smiles at them and they have a pleasant conversation.

The icing on the cake is when he thanks her for everything - she likely thinks it is about her help prepping for the party and cleaning his place.  But Steven is speaking from his heart.  She’s likely one of the most normal people he knows.  Oh, that smile and his smiling eyes.  Steven, you’re a good guy even though you have to do some not so great things.  You care about normal people, you know how to talk to normal people and you are not biased based on species.

Her daughter shows him the cat they found and he knees down to see them eye to eye and comment on how the cat is so cute.  Note, he’s totally channeling Wolfwood, by talking to the children like they are normal and then comes down to their level to continue to chat with them.

The bonus is that he properly pets that cat which shows it is happy.  Aaaahhhh my heart is melting.  I love it when someone knows how to properly interact with cats.

The episode then ends with Leo, Sonic and Zapp riding by, Zapp having a total meltdown about his eminent loss of his most important body part.  Steven laughs how his friends are having a wild night out on the town - revealing that for better or for worse - his closest friends are his colleagues at Libra and Mrs. Veded.

I’m sure that when Leo stops by to chat with Steven, they likely notice the heads of the two goons in the car and figure out that cat is the missing purebred and all’s well that ends well.

The entire episode was a wild ride as the different characters navigate challenges for the current stages of their lives.  The one though that stuck with me the most was how realistic Steven’s entire situation is, besides being a key member of a secret organization who can freeze stuff with his blood.  I mean more along the lines of what it is like to be a hardworking professional over the age of thirty. Trying to navigate a work-life balance and meet people outside of a school context.  It is really difficult and it makes his situation in this episode sadder.  He likely put a ton of effort into meeting all those people as adult friendships are bloody hard.  Steven’s actions were not out of revenge nor malice; it boiled to either something bad happening to him or to them.  He outsmarted them and won the contest but at the loss of likely a bunch of people he socialized with outside of work and clearly never told them who he was - with the whole working for a secret organization.

We can also guess that with his multilingual skills, like Klaus, he’s not a native of NYC originally and moved there to be a part of Libra.  Which makes his story even sadder and more lonely.

We don’t have enough information if he’s a native speaker of Spanish or that he knows it for his Blood techniques.  Zapp and Zed have to do theirs in Japanese (with very Buddhist undertones as opposed to Christian for Steven and Klaus) and they were taught by a mysterious ‘otherwordly’ man with a dark skin tone and wears a skull sooooo one can’t correlate Blood technique language with ones own racial/ethnic background.  All that it has revealed is that between Steven and Klaus, besides English, they can speak a total of nine languages knowing that Spanish and German are two of those nine.

I’ve gone off track, but getting back to my main point.  The entire episode fills in a few gaps from season one.

Steven does have a black heart - sort of.  K.K. isn’t incorrect, but he isn’t doing this all for fun.  He’s the guy who has to choose between two terrible options.  He is the character who makes decisions - very deeply thought out decisions for the overall good of the many as opposed to the few.  Unlike Wolfwood, he does not charge into situations and instead, does his research, assembles teams and will work himself to utter exhaustion to prevent disaster.  He commands others with a strong presence and organizes almost all of their coordinated plans as well as making sure they are executed properly.

Though his interactions with Veded and her kids as well as his concern for protecting normal people or other staff; he cares a lot about others. 

Older characters are more reserved. Steven frequently interacts with all sorts of people and is the contact point for Libra.  Everyone has his number.  He does not show his emotions easily and takes much effort to be convinced.  Detective Daniel Law is the one who talks directly to Steven while Klaus listens silently.  Though, as obvious as it is that Law is manipulating Klaus, Steven doesn’t say anything aloud and instead sighs and groans at the expected outcome. When Master Raju Jugei Shizuyoshi appears, it is Steven who quickly determines his identity, implying he’s done his research though it was still after the Blood Battle God utterly mocked both K.K. and him, the two most senior members of Libra. Yet, he holds his own and keeps his cool - interestingly, Klaus does not speak until addressed by Shizuyoshi, instead allowing Steven to carefully question him without being intrusive. A character like Steven also hits differently.  The antics of say Chain or Zapp aren’t as interesting or realistic as watching Steven lose it over making sure his computers aren’t destroyed.

He’s realistic even in the context of something like B3.  The burnt out vibes, the snarky comments, the confidence in regular work situations.  Steven is an easy older character to connect with.  And he’s got that twinge of adult isolation and loneliness where you wonder how you got to this point professionally successful, yet, somehow are still alone? What did you sacrifice to reach this point?  Was it worth it? I still have a few more episodes to go, but I’m curious to see how things pan out.  Annoyingly, the print version of the manga is out of print (throws serious shade at Darkhorse) AND they don’t even have it digitally for me to legally support.  That’s pretty annoying there Darkhorse . . . Yet so far, hands down, I love Steven’s character and all of his banal realistic flaws.  As life gets older, you have to compromise on things and his character is a great example of that along with the grind of working and being successful

[pinkymoone]

Akiba Maid Wars Review! *~Minor Spoilers BEWARE~*

Long time no see! I've been occupied with living, and boy, it's been annoying. Anyways, I watched Akiba Maid Wars during my long summer break and decided to write a review because it was one of the only series I actually finished since this year began [which says something abt this anime b/c I never finish anything].

First things first, this anime was hella funny because the concept was one of its kind: maid cafes x gang/mafia. The great dichotomy between those two concepts in itself is hard not to make iconic, and engaging the audience is quite simple when the "surprise" factor IS the plot. But...

...do you see how that can be problematic already?--detrimental and damaging to this whole anime?

I'm going to try to not get too rant-y because credit does need to be given to where it deserves, and this anime was very entertaining.

Pros: The characters had distinct, comical personalities. Although it was a bit stereotypical [a hopeful MC, stern friend, cute/cold friend, cute/violent friend], it wasn't a huge splinter to the story. I'll just say everyone had a funny dynamic with one another and the obstacles they went through because their characters were all different. The villain was a bit boring, but again, not a huge problem. For the plot, it wasn't anything mind-blowing or new, but it was decent mostly because it was so funny. It's so damn hilarious to think that cute maid girls are actually gangsters. I laughed a lot at each episode because of how ridiculous it was, and many scenarios were quite memorable. It made me think the writers probably had a good laugh themselves when writing a maid festival where cute maid groups had to fight each other/climb a huge maid statue to win and get more prestige and sales.

Now I'm not going to lie; there were many eyebrow-raising moments because things just didn't make sense/came off as unnatural.

That goes right into my cons: the plot execution was so messy. Not "just" messy, SO messy. It really affects the viewing experience about halfway through the season, even to the point that I just wanted to drop it. I can see that at the beginning of the series, there was a clear vision the creators had: to shock viewers when cute maid girls suddenly kill each other [obviously, like gangs]. I think they were also going for a meme/gag aesthetic. The first episode accomplished it well, but they already utilized the "surprise factor", so how were they going to top it off in the next 11 episodes? The scenarios began to get severely repetitive, predictable, and the weight of death wasn't there at all, with no consequences or realistic emotional damage. This is a huge problem; it strips away the human quality of the characters/setting that is based on IRL concept of maid cafes in Japan. If they were going for a totally unrealistic/absurd vibe, I'll take it, but the anime seemed confused, because they tried to add real sentimentality of gang stories.

SO at about episode 6 or 7, it was a struggle. They had nothing more to work with in later episodes as the same situations kept happening with loosely mended solutions. Sure, there was a plot to address, but in between that seemed like filler episodes of either kidnappings, sabotage, gun fights, and meaningless deaths. And I'll just say it now, there is such a thing as TOO MUCH killing sprees and character deaths, especially when it's either used as a brainless resolution or a pointless attempt at "shocking" the viewers. It just didn't make it enjoyable anymore, and I know the execution could've been better had they carefully constructed HOW they were going to present important plot points and HOW they were going to solve it. Were they going for a coherent story? Or just a gag (think Gintama) vibe? The humorous situations were what kept this anime going, but then you'd think about the foundational plot and wonder how serious (or unserious) it was, and just end up getting frustrated with the way things pan out.

As for the ending, it was nonsensically abrupt and did not make much sense; I think I constantly questioned, "Why am I still watching this?" at that point. But, you know, I commend the writers for giving it a happy ending than the miserable/sadder ones I see in mainstream media. They got the main message across pretty good: Maid's are defined by their duty to bring happiness. It isn't about power, money, or glory. I suppose you can apply this idea to numerous roles in our societies. Overall, a 6/10 watch.

It was a decent, turn-off brain series to watch, so if that's what you're looking for alongside good laughs, I recommend it. If you hate messy, nonsensical stories to the point that it exhausts you (i was indeed a bit exhausted) don't watch it.

[embossross]

2023 in anime

i give ratings out of 10 stars based on a rubric that considers the following:

2 points / ambition of what the anime is trying to achieve 3 points / effectiveness of the anime in achieving its aims 4 points / my personal, subjective enjoyment 1 point / pacing +1/-1 miscellaneous

so with that said… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)

revolutionary girl utena – heavy breathing panting crying what a fucking roller coaster nanami the child you are anty the child you were utena the child you choose to be – just one of the true masterpieces of all anime. took a few episodes to realize that this show understood tone and comedy perfectly and wasn’t just a wonky children’s show and by golly! the nanami in season 3 gutted me unlike anything else

attack on titan: final season (for real this time) – decent conclusion to maybe my favorite anime of all time

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (10 anime)

school rumble – so goddamn funny and i cared about every goddamn character. it’s witchcraft!

trigun – good ole saturday morning cartoons

golden kamuy s3 – how does it keep getting better???!?!

fruits basket – i was a certified hater after s1, but slowly but surely i gave into the melodrama. akito and shigure were EVERYTHING

nana – the most disappointing ending of all time! for one of the greatest anime of all time. manga pls save me!!!

rascal does not dream of bunny girl senpai – i’m embarrassed. i cried.

princess tutu – expressionistic, dedicated to storytelling, tremendously kind-hearted. you have to let it move you

blue lock – i’m officially a sports anime girlie

cyberpunk: edgerunners – this was just so slick!

chainsaw man – nothing needs to be said here

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8 anime)

yamada-kun to lv999 no koi wo suru – adult romance that hasn’t been stripped of all conflict and maintains momentum nearly to the end

oshi no ko – my expectations were non-existent after ep 1 but then it crept up on me. i can’t even fully put my finger on what works so well? but it does! it knows when to take itself seriously and when to be nonsense.

demon slayer s3 – best season of demon slayer to date, i actually cared

durarara!!x2 shou – this is a confession. my inner edgy teen loves durarara. i appreciate huge casts of characters acting in opposition in atmospheric tokyo.

gintama – i finally finished gintama one of my favorites of all time. the end pulls all the threads together but it does so at the expense of the laughs so loses some points

chihayafuru – amazing background anime. just consistently fun and engaging.

perfect blue – i feel stupid and uncultured to not give this a 10

vinland saga – askeladd is so hot wow

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (7 anime)

buddy daddies – funny and sincere in degrees but a truly annoying little girl character

serial experiments lain – god you’ve gotta appreciate the wild swings creatives were taking in the 90s

durarara!!x2 ten

great teacher onizuka – ugh he’s a creep but also heh he’s funny

trigun stampede – they yassified them!

mob psycho 100 s3 - meandered a bit but the characters are forever favorites

to your eternity – the first 3 arcs are extraordinary. march is one of the great child characters of all time. the end drags.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8 anime)

zom 100 – crazy good first episode that earns its premise and then a slow descent into mediocrity; cool colors though!

terror in resonance – utterly forgettable

dororo – way too long with way too many hit or miss episode arcs

bungou stray dogs s4 – the cracks are showing but the rampo backstory is dope

lycoris recoil – those cute girls shoulda been lesbians

classroom of the elite – is it edgy? yes. are the quotes frustratingly misused? oh yes. is it fun? ugh yeah actually

romantic killer – pretty cute and the edge of danger at the end really sells it

free – solid watch but it left my brain like sand in a sieve

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 anime)

wolf’s rain – what passes as deep when children are your primary audience

hell’s paradise – boring and i liked the manga so.

durarara!!x2 ketsu – the conclusion falls short

land of the lustrous – bold but was too slow for me

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3 anime)

tomo-chan is a girl! – sometimes funny but the conceit does not justify 13 episodes and it loses steam fast

mushishi – some of the vignettes were beautiful but felt repetitive

bleach: thousand-year blood war – sleek, hype, plagued by all the old bleach problems

no game no life season 1 - confused that this was such a phenomenon when it came out. it’s fine i guess.

⭐⭐⭐ (5 anime)

kamisama kiss – trite imo

given – god save us from anime about perfect people being perfect with each other – but this time set to music!

tokyo revengers s2 – 🤷

natsume’s book of friends – i don’t need vibes this cozy

sasaki to miyano – and i really don’t need vibes this cozy

⭐⭐ (0 anime)

⭐ (0 anime)

& then ongoing shows that i’m not going to rank until i finish them (but actually all are pretty good so far) – skip to loafer, heavenly delusion, spy x family s2, apothecary diaries, jujutsu kaisen s2, frieren: beyond journey’s end, vinland saga s2

[animechick2015]

Anime I Watched in 2023, Part 1:

1. God Troubles Me 5/5

This is technically called a donghua but we’ll consider this an anime for this list. This show is the Chinese version of Gintama and I am for it. It so hilariously charming that I got addicted quickly. There wasn’t a single character that I disliked. In fact, there wasn’t a single episode that made me bored. The animation style was godly that it definitely gave a lot of Japanese anime a run for their money. Please, please, please give this one a chance.

2. Mob Psycho 100 100/10

Epic. Brilliant. Heart warming. Those are not enough to describe how much I loved this anime but it’ll have to do. Seriously, this one blew me away. I thought it was just a quirky anime about a middle schooler going psycho whenever he’s pissed but I’m so glad I was wrong. The second season caught me by surprise; it’s definitely my favorite of the three. Mob’s character development happened so effortlessly that I actually had to take a moment to let it all seep in on how much he changed. Also Reigen is the best Master in the anime universe, hands down. His confession to Mob at the end brought tears to my eyes, he truly cared for Mob.

3. Charlotte 4/5

Absolutely loved this one. The reason that this didn't get 5 stars was because the ending felt a bit rushed. Also, I didn't like Kumagami dying. He was such a vital character that I felt like we should've explored more. If I was the MC I would've definitely travelled back in time just to save him. Overall, I highly recommend this anime.

4. Barakamon 5/5

After watching a depressing anime like Charlotte, you definitely need something lighthearted to watch and this was really got me out of my funk. I wasn't expecting this to be so funny, honestly. This was such a warm, funny, slice of life that made me crave living in the countryside.

5. Blue Lock 5/5

Ok I have to admit I didn't start off liking this one. Isagi's whining was grating on my nerves. Thankfully, I have learnt the error of my ways and have now come to realize that Isagi is HIM! Holy crap the development of this boy was crazzzzyy. There are so many interesting characters in this show that I was confused who was the real main character. Also, it was so refreshing to have an anime without the power of friendship; it was every man for themselves and I was absolutely there for it.

6. Play It Cool Guys 5/5

Ahhhh this was such a cute wholesome anime! If you're stressed out with life please just watch these adorkable group of young men try to navigate their lives. It was so nice to see the uncool side of guys for once. The episodes were short and sweet and I really hope we get another season of them.

7. Tomo-chan is a Girl! 5/5

This was such a funny and sweet show. I'm always a sucker for friends to lovers romance so this was right up my alley. This anime also had so many charming side characters that I couldn't but fall in love with them also.

8. Ice Guy and his Cool Work Colleague 5/5

I felt so single watching this. How do I sign up to work at their company? I swear everyone was finding love and being all happy while all I get in my workplace is stress and more stress. It was also so refreshing to have a romance anime with adults and not high schoolers.

9. Demon Slayer Season 3 5/5

Another great season to another great anime. Can I just add that I loved the OP from episode one while everyone was hating on it; it was such a banger! The animation was once again top tier that I can't wait to see what the studio does when animating the last arc. This was a tough season to compete with the flashy brilliance of Tengen's last season but they did wonderfully. I'm glad I got to see my baby girl Mitsuri finally animated.

10. My Love For Yamada -kun is Lv 999 5/5

I watched the first episode right after it aired and I knew I couldn't hold out for another week. I devoured the manga! It was that good. The anime definitely didn't disappoint. This was such a sweet, comforting anime that put my cynical heart at ease. I really hope that we get more seasons because my boy Yamada is the standard!

[mika-0730]

think youre real funny huh? get prime numbersed

worth hehehehe

2. Do you drink tea or coffee? How do you take it?

I do drink tea! Typically with some honey and/or 1-3 sugar cubes depending on how i'm feeling

3. What was the last song you listened to?

ラブ＆デストロイ 歌いました by Ado!

5. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?

Not a traditional one, but I do have a silly pillow of my ex's dog on it. Planning on getting some more traditional ones eventually

7. What’s your ideal number of blankets to sleep with?

2 or three? Typically a comfy sheet, a duvet, and maybe a heated blanket

11. What color are your eyes?

Fairly blue! I've had a few people compliment them in the past

13. Fears?

LOOOOOTS of them, it's amazing that I can function as much as I do.

17. Want any piercings? Where?

Not as of right now, maybe in the future!

19. Do you have a best friend? How long have you been friends?

kind of in a state of flux around that tbh, probably? But due to recent events it's somewhat hard to like... really believe it?

23. Do you believe in aliens?

definitely, no way we're the only life out here

29. Does it take you a long time to make decisions?

depends on the thing. Some things I can go back and forward on, and that decision making gets really erratic depending on my mental state

31. What are you looking forward to in the distant future?

Getting even a little better

37. Do you prefer dogs or cats?

Definitely dogs. I love cats, but I connect more with puppers

41. What’s your favorite cartoon?

Reincarnated as a sl OBVIOUSLY kidding but honestly it's been a minute since I've thought about this. I could go to gintama if we're talking historically but I'm not for sure how well that holds up especially with it's less than great interpretation of queer people iirc though it's been awhileeee. Something more recent would be magirevo or "Gushing over magical girls"

43. Do you have siblings? How many?

1 brother!

47. Have you memorized your phone number?

Yep! Have needed to use it a lot

[medea10]

My Review of My Hero Academia

Okay…okay…

It’s done. It’s taken me 10 whole years, but I finished Gintama. My long-running comedic/drama nightmare has come to an end until they decide to come out with another damn sequel. But for now, it is DONE. And now, I can finally sit down and make good on a promise I made with one of my best friends. I will now watch Hunter x Hunter.

Huh?

No. I said Hunter x Hunter.

Tough shit, loser. You’re watching this shit!

Sorry, Marcus.

Yeah, My Hero Academia has been around for a couple of years now. It’ll emerge every couple of years in the anime world and the manga has been a massive hit. Not as big as Demon Slayer, but then again, no one can be as awesome as Demon Slayer. I had my chance to pick this series up, but I picked Black Clover instead. I made my decision and I stand by it. But once I noticed this series had several films and over 100 episodes to its name, I thought it be best to save this anime for after finishing my long-numbered series. Once I was able to get through Gintama, we can set this up.

Quirks or super powers are in about 80% of humanity. These quirks can vary from being super flashy, awesomely strong…or it could be like the Crest Man.

I was going to make this joke one way or another.

(He’s living in his car)

Many of these people decide to become heroes, especially those with potential. Now what about those 20% of humans that don’t have a quirk? Can they one day become a hero even though they have no power to their name? I guess we’ll find out with a young lad named Izuku Midoriya (or Deku). He has no quirk, no chance of developing one in his later years, and yet still wants to attend an academy that’s specifically for those with quirks.

It wasn’t until he was given a chance by Japan’s #1 hero All Might who sees potential in the young Deku to pass down his powers to him. Due to an ugly fight a few years ago, All Might can only stay in hero form for 3 hours at the most a day. In the span of two episodes, Deku was able to go through 10 months of All Might’s training, inherit his power, and get accepted to UA, the academy for potential students with amazing quirks who want to become heroes. Let’s enter UA to meet all the special students and administration with amazing powers and see who’s going to be a smashing hero one day.

Do keep in mind that I’m only summing up the first couple of episodes from the first season here. Each season has much more going on as Deku and his classmates learn what it means to become a great hero.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: You know, the five years of me not picking this anime up, I would take a look at these characters and say to myself, “Yeah, you’re totally voiced by this person”. Look at All Might, if that guy isn’t voiced by Chris Sabat this world doesn’t make sense. Oh look, it really is Chris Sabat! Hey, it’s a main girl and loved by majority of fans. Gotta be voiced by Luci Christian! It’s like I’m fucking psychic! Sexy big girl, gotta be Jamie Marchi! Wow! Strait-laced megane boy! My lady-loins are on fire so that could only mean a role by J. Michael Tatum. Okay, let me give it a try in the Japanese.

Screaming…

Nobuhiko Okamoto! I only need the word “screaming”. I didn’t need to look at any character profiles to know this. Thank God Bakugo’s screaming didn’t get on my nerves the entire time. I sometimes have a problem with characters who scream so much that you just want to rip their mouths off their faces. Bakugo…he makes me laugh. He’s a tsundere with a short fuse, what’s not to like?!

As you can tell, I watched the majority of this series dubbed. The cast had a wide variety of seasoned veterans and modern favorite voice actors. Juli Erickson was also in the cast for a short time before retiring from voice acting. I’m glad I got to hear her one more time. There was another replacement in the dub. Alex Organ voiced Mr. Aizawa for the first season. After that however, Christopher Wehkamp took over and has remained since then. Scheduling conflicts, I suppose. I wasn’t even aware of the change until I read about it.

Oof. Both the sub and the dub have some great people behind these heroes and aspiring heroes. Let’s just say I give a gold star to everyone here. Even Tomokazu Seki was in this series as the spotted seal hero Selkie. Love it. Love everything about it! Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Deku is played by Daiki Yamashita (known for Goh on Pokemon Journeys, Yushirou on Demon Slayer, Joro on Oresuki, Umino on Sailor Moon Crystal, and Shion on UtaPri)

*Bakugo is played by Nobuhiko Okamoto (known for Gladion on Pokemon SM, Accelerator on Railgun/Index, Rin on Blue Exorcist, Garfiel on Re:Zero, Usui on Maid-sama, Ryou on Food Wars, and Liebe on Black Clover)

*All Might is played by Kenta Miyake (known for Giovanni on Pokemon, Scar on FMA: Brotherhood, Avdol on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Pt. 3, Cocytus on Overlord, Zodd on Berserk 2016, and Takaoka on Assassination Classroom)

*Uraraka is played by Ayane Sakura (known for Nero on Black Clover, Tomori on Charlotte, Gasper on High School DxD, Tsubaki on Your Lie in April, Haru on Nisekoi, and Shimotsuki on Psycho Pass)

*Todoroki is played by Yuki Kaji (known for Clemont on Pokemon XY, Eren on Attack on Titan, Koichi on Jojo’s Pt. 4, Finn on Black Butler, Issei on High School DxD, Kuga on Food Wars, and Kenma on Haikyuu)

*Aizawa is played by Junichi Suwabe (known for Greed on FMA, Yami on Black Clover, Victor on Yuri on Ice, Archer on Fate/Stay Night, Hayama on Food Wars, Undertaker on Black Butler, and Grimmjow on Bleach)

*Shigaraki is played by Kouki Uchiyama (known for Soul on Soul Eater, Rui on Demon Slayer, Yurio on Yuri on Ice, Benedict on Violet Evergarden, Ikuya on Free!, Yuuki on Shiki, and Ichijou on Nisekoi)

ENGLISH CAST: *Deku is played by Justin Briner (known for Shou on Fire Force, Luck on Black Clover, Yukito on Cardcaptor Sakura: CC, and Mitarai on Danganronpa 3)

*Bakugo is played by Clifford Chapin (known for Connie on Attack on Titan, Touya on Cardcaptor Sakura: CC, Cabba on DB Super, Langris on Black Clover, Kamui on Psycho Pass 2, and Hamazura on Railgun/Index)

*All Might is played by Chris Sabat (known for Armstrong on FMA, Vegeta & Piccolo on DBZ, Kurabara on Yu Yu Hakusho, Zoro on One Piece, Yami on Black Clover, Ayame on Fruits Basket, and Christophe on Yuri on Ice)

*Uraraka is played by Luci Christian (known for Wrath on FMA, Nagisa on Clannad, Yukari on Azumanga Daioh, Medusa on Soul Eater, Nami on One Piece, Huni on Ouran HSHC, and Alois on Black Butler)

*Todoroki is played by David Matranga (known for Tomoya on Clannad, Bertolt on Attack on Titan, Ookami on Wolf Children, Hinata on Angel Beats, Usui on Maid-sama, and Himura on ef – a tale of memories)

*Aizawa is played by Christopher Wehkamp (known for Ruijerd on Mushoku Tensei, Nyanko-Sensei on Natsume’s Book of Friends, Sylvester on Ascendance of a Bookworm, Hinawa on Fire Force, and Miles on Ace Attorney)

*Shigaraki is played by Eric Vale (known for Kimblee on FMA, Trunks on DBZ, Yuki on Fruits Basket, Sanji on One Piece, Tamaki on Deadman Wonderland, Kisumi on Free!, Arthur on Fire Force, and Nishiki on Tokyo Ghoul)

FAVORITE CHARACTER: I’ve gone through this over and over in my mind. There were a lot of characters I’ve grown to admire and ones I think are pretty nifty. I still can’t believe I was able to keep track of so many characters in this one series, but I think I did a pretty good job. Yes, I have a guilty pleasure for Bakugo. But that’s just it, he’s a guilty pleasure. I like him and am amused by him, but at the same time I can get annoyed with him. But if there was one character who I enjoyed the most out of all the characters that have appeared so far, it would be her.

Tsuyu Asui (a.k.a. Froppy; Tsu)

I love Tsu. She’s best girl. And that’s all there is to it!

DISLIKED CHARACTER: Ooh boy, you all knew I was going to discuss papa of the year over here! Long before I started this series, I was well aware of the existence of a shitty parent by the name of Endeavor. I thought if I sat through this long enough, I would switch my hatred from Endeavor to Overhaul. It didn’t happen. I’m still on this hate-train. Endeavor has had this unhealthy obsession and rivalry with All Might and wanting to surpass him. Thinking he could never reach that position of #1 hero, he stuck to the next generation by making it with another powerful quirk user and have babies.

He had a total of four kids. One of his son’s is presumed dead due to trying to impress his father (wait until season six for the truth). One of his son’s hates Endeavor for what he’s done to the family. His daughter tries her best to keep things together, but you can tell she’s feeling uber stressed. And (Shoto) Todoroki still has daddy issues. I guess you can chalk all of this up to these kids upbringing. Todoroki witnessed his father’s physical abuse first-hand as he was rough with trainings. Not only that, but the abuse of his own wife that led to her mental breakdown giving Todoroki his trademark scar. And somehow Todoroki’s eldest had the worst of it all. All he wanted was his daddy’s approval and was just left for dead. Again, season six has the answers there. Bottom line, Endeavor was a very bad father. But, he is trying.

You cannot expect your fully grown children to pretend that everything is okay now that you’re going to change and be father of the year. Natsuo was partially saved by his father and was unable to give him any satisfaction. And it seems like Todoroki is just using his father to further his quirk and can easily get into work study programs because of him. As for his wife, you know Rei may never forgive him for all that has happened to this family. That’s just my two cents on the matter. I think every one of the Todoroki’s might eventually forgive Endeavor…not the older two sons.

SHIPPING: Guys, seriously. There are more important things to discuss here than which characters should shack up. Japan has a severe problem with villains and these kids specifically signed up to be in an academy focused on serving the public as heroes.

I support Uraraka x Deku

And aside from a few dropped hints by Uraraka, I seriously find no other ship that could…

I also support Kirishima x Ashido

But aside from those two, this show is strictly about kids wanting to be heroes and let’s keep it that way.

Mineta x his hand tonight

Yeah, I had to add that silly ship.

ENDING TO SEASON ONE: It’s been well established since the beginning that All Might was one of the greatest heroes, if not THE greatest. A symbol of peace and justice! And now, he’s a teacher at UA. So, everyone pretty much wants a piece of him. During a field trip to a simulated area filled with terrains and weather patterns, Deku and his classmates were bombarded by villains. This is not a drill, these guys mean business and they also want All Might. While their teacher Mr. Aizawa was busy taking care of some of the bigger villains, the students were being separated so the enemies can learn about what quirks these kids have. Some of the more powerful classmates like Bakugo and Todoroki were able to get rid of their batch of baddies with little-to-no problem. Others, it was a little more challenging. Even Aizawa found himself in dire-straits. Meanwhile, where is All Might?

We all know about All Might’s injury. It’s just that everyone else isn’t aware of it and All Might goes to great lengths to keep it a secret. Rightly so! If it’s learned by the wrong people that All Might has at most 3 hours a day in hero form, villains will swarm the area to cause havoc. Thankfully, dude shows up in the knick of time before these bad guys could do damage to Deku and the rest. Unfortunately, All Might already saved the day in another area and is at his max of what he’s capable of handling. Now these villains don’t know the specifics of All Might’s power, but someone controlling them from the shadows dropped hints about All Might being weaker than in his heyday.

Bad guys Shigaraki, Nomu, and Kurogiri definitely put a dent in All Might, but All Might didn’t let up his bluff in front of the bad guys. But that steam coming from his body is not a good sign. And yeah, the only one who knows about All Might is Deku and Deku was worried about All Might dying on his feet or someone about to find out his big secret. Thankfully, Iida was able to escape and call for backup. The administration at UA came and they were able to put an end to the situation. It’s unknown how much extra damage was done to All Might and it seems like his time where he can spend in hero form has been cut drastically to only 90 minutes at the most. But for now, All Might and Deku can relax for a second knowing their actions saved a whole class of freshmen from being harmed or worse.

Now as for those bad guys like Shigaraki, who is filling his head with ideas that there might be something wrong with All Might? I guess that’s an answer to be filled in another season. Because now we’re about to head into a tournament arc!

Okay, good introduction to the students of UA. Get our feet wet with all the quirks the students have. Even though Deku isn’t a full zero to hero quite yet, he’s certainly one hell of a strategian when it comes to problem solving. And from here on out, the series gains more episodes. This season is the only one with 13 episodes. Every season from here on out will have 25. Just how many chapters are there for My Hero Academia?

SEASON TWO: One recap episode and one Anime Festa OVA later…

The entire school is about to hold their annual sports festival. This sports festival is a big freakin’ deal. Hell, it’s even a bigger deal than the Olympics! Okay, I wouldn’t go that far. The students have opportunities of being discovered by a hero agency and might even become a sidekick for a famous hero. Other opportunities also include having kids from the lower-level classes get nudged up to a higher-level class. After the events of season one, Deku and the kids of class 1-A were getting a lot of fame and news coverage as the students who took out the league of villains that infiltrated a highly secured building of UA. As for the sports festival, Bakugo took home the gold.

Pfft. Watching him bound and getting forced with the gold medal is truly a laughable moment.

This season, we learn about what’s driving these students to excel at UA. Uraraka wants to earn money to help her struggling family. Todoroki wants to escape the grasp of his legendary father, the #2 hero Endeavor. Iida tries following in his big brother’s footsteps in a bit of revenge after someone injured him. And Deku wants to make a name for himself as All Might’s power has weakened significantly. Again, Deku’s the only one who knows.

After the sports festival, the students end up as apprentices for either hero agencies or heroes themselves. This part of the story focuses on Deku learning to control his power and Iida finding the hero killer (Stain) who severely injured his older brother. Dealing with Stain was a very difficult task. Deku, along with Todoroki and Iida were all caught up in that fight. They beat the dude, but couldn’t get any credit due to bureaucratic issues with the police and certified heroes. As a repercussion, Iida ended up doing permanent damage to his hand and it might be the end of his career as a hero (unless the surgery is a miracle). They make this a big deal here, but I don’t recall hearing any more on that subject from season 3-6. Moving on!

The end of this season consists of Deku learning the truth about his power One For All and the originator All For One. This guy is still out there, he’s a dick, and guess what, he’s the head of that league of villains that was behind the attack at the end of season one. Other than that, it’s exam time for class 1-A. Let’s have them fight against the teachers! Aside from two teams failing, everyone did pretty well considering they were up against UA’s greatest. And this was to be especially difficult for Deku as he had to be partnered with Bakugo and fight against All Might.

The final episode consisted of Deku being cornered by Shigaraki. Yes, the guy behind the Nomus and the attack from season one’s finale. We finally see his face and we get a bit of foreshadowing of things to come from the League of Villains. The heinous group has recruited several new villains who we will see more of come season three. Speaking of…

SEASON THREE: It’s time for summer training camp. And for funsies, let’s add class 1-B too. These kids will be pushed to their limits to enhance their quirks. Because while everyone has improved in other departments, their quirk powers haven’t moved much since the beginning of the semester! Gee, wouldn’t it suck if a bunch of villains come in and ruin everything? The League of Villains has arrived with new powerful members including Dabi and Toga. Their target this time is Bakugo! Their attack on the UA students kinda broke a lot of morale with not just the students, but the faculty as well. The end result was that many of the students and the faculty watching over them wound up injured and Bakugo was kidnapped.

Saving face didn’t go as smoothly as anyone would hope. Deku got four of his classmates to defy orders to try and infiltrate the League of Villains to save Bakugo. At that very same time, several ranked heroes did their own rescue mission. It did not go well for either side! On the plus side, Deku and friends were able to save Bakugo without breaking the law by fighting crime without a license. But then All For One wrecked the whole place. He took out so many villains and heroes in his way. I think he might have killed one of them. Didn’t matter to him anyways because he was after All Might! This fight took everything from All Might.

All For One exposed All Might to the entire world his ugly secret. Not only that, but dropped an unfortunate fact bomb involving All Might’s sensei and Shigaraki. And to top it all off, injured him so bad that All Might will never fight crime again. After all of that, the students of class 1-A were highly requested by the school to live in the school dorms from now on. Most parents agreed to it, though Deku’s mother was the most worried. Long story short, he’s living in the dorms now. Not before seeing this poor woman cry again.

The next big arc after the fall of All Might was the provisional hero license exam. We meet a lot of brand-new soon-to-be heroes much like the students of UA from other schools across the land. The end result of that exam, everyone except two students from class 1-A got their provisional license. And surprisingly those two were Todoroki and Bakugo! Bakugo is so obvious that I don’t even need to waste the time explaining why he flunked. Todoroki on the other hand had someone from another school get under his skin with a comment likening him to his father Endeavor.

While Bakugo was angry about not passing his provisional license exam, something else has been grinding his gears and for some time at that. Bakugo’s anger hits fever pitch when he confronts Deku alone after the exam about his relationship with All Might. And throwing punches! Despite that thick layer of anger he puts up, Bakugo is a sad boy who loves his favorite hero All Might. He was of course jealous that Deku got to be his protégé but guilty because Bakugo thought it was because of him being kidnapped that caused All Might to lose his powers permanently. All Might reassured the boys of everything. And then the boys were on lockdown for breaking curfew to fight. In the meantime, the League of Villains is still at it despite All For One being in a maximum security prison. Toga infiltrated the hero provisional license exam by posing as another student. Shigaraki is growing more menacing. And then there’s Overhaul…ooh boy, I can’t wait to talk about this guy in the following season.

And class 1-A got to meet the top students of the third-year class (a.k.a. The Big Three). The strongest of the three (Mirio) wiped out the entire class by himself. Big difference between the power of the first years and this pant-less wonder!

Okay, this season had its ups and downs. But the ups were definitely worth it and we had a big payoff when it came to scenes involving All Might and All For One. Now let’s see what’s going on with that movie that came out around the same time.

TWO HEROES: We got a glimpse of what to expect with this movie in an episode during the third season. Meaning, they gave us a filler in the middle of a tournament arc and are introduced to a movie character for five seconds. Let me guess how this movie goes; this in no way connects to any villain currently in the series, there is no character growth, serves no purpose to the main plot, and the new character introduced is the bad guy.

Most of what I said was pretty true! Deku gets invited by All Might to go with him to a special island that is full of people who manufacture AI technology. Most of the class ends up there under some special circumstances and yes, it’s just the popular ones fans like most. All Might’s friend from his younger days David wanted to help All Might regain his strength (he just doesn’t know the true story of why he’s losing his strength). And David ends up in cahoots with terrorists that took a whole island hostage. And these terrorists are also connected to All For One. Okay, I was wrong, All For One is somehow connected (or at least mentioned by the leader of the terrorists).

SEASON FOUR: So, it’s not just Bakugo that caught onto Deku and All Might’s relationship. It leaked to the press! One reporter knows there’s a protégé out there. And thankfully he has the right mind to shut up about it! Onto the main stuff! Deku and the rest of class-A are about to go through work study programs. And the League of Villains are ready for their next move. But right now, we gotta watch out for a lone Mafioso causing mischief.

Deku winds up doing a work study with All Might’s previous side-kick Sir Nighteye. Several other characters like Kirishima, Tsu, and Uraraka also got a chance for a work study program. Deku unfortunately got a lot thrown at him in the drama department. He learned that Nighteye had a falling out with All Might due to the fatal injury All Might acquired and made worse once he decided to give Deku is One for All power.

Next, all of these students I mentioned, plus their mentors, and the three 3rd years are all caught up trying to take down a lone Mafioso and some of the League of Villains in order to save one little girl. Overhaul was trying to use this young girl (Eri) and her power in order to suppress and end hero powers permanently. Eri has a quirk that can rewind a person’s body. But due to her age, she’s unable to control it properly and that has caused a lot of mental damage to her. Overhaul is quite the disgusting little shit abusing this poor girl. Thank goodness after this long, hard-fought battle, the heroes were able to prevail and save Eri.

But at what cost?

Deku was able to survive with not so many injuries to his person. Some of the other heroes and classmates involved in the giant raid were not so lucky. Kirishima and Fat Gum sustained heavy injuries. Mirio’s power might have been altered permanently due to Overhaul and his gang having these serums that can erase quirks. And Eri (the girl they all saved) is forever haunted by the psychological horror she’s endured. But worst of all was Sir Nighteye. During the fight between the heroes and Overhaul, Nighteye literally got impaled and was at death’s door when All Might, Deku, and Mirio spoke to him. Up to this point, we really never saw death strike any of these characters. This was a heart tugger! Shit is getting real now for Deku. All I can say is…wait until season six. Meanwhile, Overhaul not only got his ass kicked by Deku, but was left powerless and crippled by Shigaraki.

The last half of season four revolved around UA putting together a culture festival. This is both a wise and stupid decision. Wise because these students deserve a little fun after everything the students of UA (especially class 1-A) have gone through. Stupid because UA has been a giant target for villains since All Might became a teacher. And if one little thing happens with a villain coming near the area, the festival is going to be called off. At that exact same time, a new villain emerges and wants to break into the festival. Of course, he does!

This guy is a tea-drinking gentleman with a side-kick I’m so not comfortable seeing together with him. I’m sorry, but this combination makes me feel a little ill inside and confused. Thankfully, Deku happened to be in the area and prevented the festival from getting shut down. Not only does he want to give his school this moment of peace, but because Eri is coming, he wants to make sure she has a great time. Thankfully, Deku was able to break through to this confused villain and he turns himself in with no more damage done. But most important for Deku, the festival went off perfectly. Class 1-A was commended for their performance on stage and Eri was able to smile and enjoy herself.

We end the season off with some severe changes. First of all, Eri is going to attend UA. She’s stable enough to stay out of the psych ward and is all healed up. Deku and Mirio must protect this girl’s smile! And then my question was answered. I thought to myself, will there be another #1 hero now that All Might is retired? Yep, there’s a new top 10 and a new #1 with Endeavor taking the top spot. Will the world see him as the new symbol of peace? Endeavor is put to the test when he and #2 hero Hawkes got attacked by an overpowered Nomu. This was a tough fight as Endeavor was tossed around a lot. Thankfully, he won. He went beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

Also, is anybody else thrown off by the Endeavor fanboy? It doesn’t help that he looks like Natsu from Fairy Tail, but did the English version REALLY have to get Haberkorn to play this guy too?

HEROES RISING: In the second movie, it almost looked like we were getting some action between the UA students and the League of Villlains. In actuality, the villains of this movie get into an alliance with Shigaraki. These new villains end up attacking a lone island that Deku and his classmates just happen to be on as part of hero work. The villains want this one kid on the island because of this special quirk he possesses. We get some pretty primo fight scenes where Deku and Bakugo are actually working together to beat the villains. I’m going to be legit and ask, did anyone fall for that shit about Deku giving his One For All power to Bakugo? Yeah, me neither. There are two seasons after this movie. No way in hell Deku is losing his power this early in the game.

SEASON FIVE: Endeavor’s fight with the superpowered Nomu came with a lot of baggage. His popularity as the new #1 hero is steadily rising. It’s just that people really saw him get his ass kicked pretty badly. And now, dude has a pretty gnarly scar on his face. Just like his son! I almost want to say something here, but…nah, bad taste. On top of that, Endeavor is now going to start acting like a real father instead of the bastard he’s been up to this point. Meanwhile, Deku has been getting visions during his sleep of the past One For All users and kinda using his power while sleeping. It got worse when his powers decided to go haywire during a class competition with class 1-B.

I will say this. The stuff with Deku and controlling the powers of One For All was the only interesting part of the first part of season 5. I checked out when there were many episodes dedicated to class 1-A and 1-B fighting each other. I know several class 1-B classmates showcase their quirks in a big way in the following season, I just wasn’t a fan of this arc of the story. In the second part, work studies seem to be back in effect. And now that Bakugo and Todoroki finally obtained their licenses, they can finally catch up to the rest of their classmates. Geez, you only now realize that we’re halfway into season five with 100 episodes in and these kids are still only first years. Deku ends up joining Todoroki and Bakugo to work study under the world’s #1 hero…the current one.

Okay Endeavor, let’s see if you can redeem yourself a little more. Actually, we only got a few episodes dedicated to Endeavor, his family, Deku, and Bakugo. There was an altercation between some rando villain and Endeavor’s son Natsuo. It happened, Natsuo’s safe, we moved on. Okay, now it’s time for My Hero Academia to turn into My Villain Academia. The League of Villains found themselves in severe trouble as another group of baddies ambush them. This was an ugly showdown as it pushed many of the league members to their breaking points. Himeko almost died and Shigaraki was pushed to remembering his own past.

Yeah, we got the typical backstory for a villain of Shigaraki’s caliber. Misunderstood child, abusive father, enabling family members to abusive father, accidentally murders the entire family, yep, it’s all here on the checklist. Several seasons prior to this moment, we learned that Shigaraki’s paternal grandmother was Nana Shimura. Yes, the same Nana Shimura who was All Might’s mentor and previous carrier to the One For All quirk. Well, Shigaraki’s father was really resentful about his mother because he felt as though he was abandoned by her. That birthed a hatred for heroes and he would get angry if his children mention heroes or wanting to be one. So, there’s that. Shigaraki wound up gaining a quirk and much like Eri in season 4, his quirk went haywire and it took out his entire family. After being a sudden orphan, no one came to Shigaraki’s aid. Not one single hero! All For One did however. He took the boy in, gave him hands of his family members, and gave him a new name and purpose in life.

Shigaraki, while almost broken to the point of no return, he took out Re-Destro and his gang of baddies. This led to an alliance. Shigaraki’s League of Villains and Re-Destro’s Meta Liberation Front have joined together under a new name, the Paranormal Liberation Front. We end the season with class 1-A showing off what they’ve learned from their work studies. Oh, and Hawkes is still infiltrating the newly formed league. Okay, I’m going to say it. This season was pretty lousy. Don’t get me wrong, I liked several moments in this season including Endeavor trying to atone for his sins, Deku’s new ability, and the My Villain Academia arc. But that class 1-A vs. class 1-B crap was for the birds.

There’s a third movie sometime after this. I really don’t feel like talking about it since I felt so disinterested with it. Blah, blah, Deku is wanted by the police, blah, blah, big fight, blah, blah, no one’s going to die here!

SEASON SIX: Hey, I caught up when it was airing!

Shit’s about to go down! There’s a heavier tone in this anime everywhere you look. Even in the eye-catches halfway through an episode. The professional heroes, teachers from U.A., class 1-A of U.A. and even a few other students are all part of this sting operation to take down the newly united villain squad, the Paranormal Liberation Front. Besides going after that group, some of this sting is to get this doctor who was behind the creation of the Nomus and is also shielding Shigaraki until he’s 100% and then some. Shigaraki was in rough shape near the end of the fifth season, so he's being constantly monitored. But during the sting, Shigaraki awakened.

The awakening of Shigaraki led to a domino effect of destruction everywhere. One of the giant villains couldn’t be controlled and ended up wrecking a lot of pro-heroes. Shigaraki’s decay power went berserk and took out the entire area. Deku, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Endeavor went toe-to-toe with Shigaraki and ended up putting a dent in him. Shigaraki is terrifying now, but because he wasn’t finished with the doctor’s experiment yet, his power isn’t what it could be. That’s when All For One took over Shigaraki’s body for his own…even though he’s in super jail. Yeah, I know that doesn’t make a lick of sense, but just roll with it because Shigaraki is going to be a puppet for a while. Moving on!

And now for the moment I’ve been anticipating! League of Villain alumni Dabi comes in to drop a bomb on the Todoroki family. After Shigaraki ended his rampage, Dabi came in to break the news to not just Endeavor and Todoroki, but to the entire world. He put out a video prior to the current chaos to announce that Endeavor, the #1 hero is his father and went into detail about what a horrible father he was. Dabi (or Touya Todoroki) was Endeavor’s eldest son who was thought to be dead. This broke Endeavor inside causing him to look upon both of his sons fighting. Yes, I’ve been looking forward to this story. The Todoroki family story intrigues me.

This giant fight that lasted several episodes (if not half of the season) is finally coming to an end without a happy ending. It’s much worse than anyone jumping into the anime without reading spoilers could have imagined. Many characters got messed up badly. Worse than in any other season. Deku winds up in a coma. Bakugo was impaled, but survived. Mr. Aizawa sliced off his own leg to prevent losing his quirk from one of those quirk deleters that got Mirio the other season. Midnight and several prominent ranked heroes are dead. On the antagonist side, Twice ends up dying by Hawkes after he admits to betraying the front. Many of the villains were arrested including the doctor, Re-Destro, Mr. Compress, and Machia. Himiko is on the loose. Shigaraki ended up torching several prisons releasing many convicts with powerful quirks on the public along with All For One. This leaves the public to wonder if they can ever trust heroes again. If it took all of these heroes to take down all of these villains and they still couldn’t complete the mission, what good are they?

That’s not my take, that’s just public opinion…except the public was a lot crueler when it came to the heroes.

AND NOW THE START OF THE FINAL ARC: With All For One taking over Shigaraki’s weakened state, he can get what he truly wants. The quirk, One For All. Shigaraki mentions it during the giant battle during this season and it catches the attention of Endeavor, Hawks, and even the angry media demanding answers about everything that has happened. Deku decided to make some pretty big decisions once he got out of his coma. Up to this point, Deku’s quirk was only known to All Might and later on Bakugo. Now, he decides to let the rest of his classmates know before he leaves U.A. Deku teams up with All Might, Endeavor, Hawks, and Jeanist to take down the rampant crime going on everywhere. Since season 5, Deku has been seeing past wielders of One For All and slowly unlocking their powers. A lot is riding on Deku with this ultimate power as he can’t pass the power down like All Might did. His life expectancy might be cut short. Kinda like Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan. And he’s getting prepped to take down Shigaraki with no regrets.

I make the Eren Yeager reference here because this is the part of the story that things take a harsher, somber-er tone compared to previous seasons. This includes the opening theme, ending themes, eye-catches, the preview, the background, the music, and Deku.

Endeavor also made a promise to his family that he will take down Dabi (Touya). But for now, we are focusing on Deku teaming up with the top 3 heroes and All Might to take down every kind of crime from small stuff, misplaced anger, and anything involving the escaped convicts from the several jail breaks. With all of the other One For All quirks unleashed, Deku is able to make use of every one of them with his mission. It came in handy when going up against a former hero and present-day convict Lady Nagant. She is one of the escaped convicts. While All For One told nearly all convicts to do as they please, he had other plans for some special ones. He used Nagant to try and take down Deku. But Deku got through to her near the end of their match and it looked like she was going to see life for more than what she was used to. Unfortunately, things have a funny way of working out when All For One is involved.

He planted explosives on Nagant. I’m pretty sure she’s a goner. This did not sit well with Deku. And neither did All For One’s taunt where he copied All Might’s infamous line, “now it’s your turn”. Rogue Deku is in quite the state. And now, let’s add his classmates to the mix. They’re going to bring him back to the academy by any means necessary. One Deku with 7 quirks vs. 19 classmates of his. With many flashbacks and a lot of push and pull, the class was able to subdue Deku and bring him back to U.A. which is currently being used as a refuge area. However, the people are not liking the idea of having Deku in the same place as them because Shigaraki’s looking for him and he has One For All. Thankfully, some kind words from Uraraka and a few supporters, the angry crowd came together to let Deku in.

All For One and Shigaraki’s big threat seems to be looming closer. It’s hard to nail down how long the heroes have. All Might wound up getting this information from the hero-killer Stain. Yeah, you remember him, right? The guy that wrecked Iida and his brother back in season two. I remember Stain always wanting to kill All Might. But seeing All Might the way he is now, either he doesn’t know it’s really him or refuses to believe that’s really All Might. Well, rest up class 1-A because season 7 is gonna be a doozy from what I’ve heard. At least it will be for Bakugo from what I’ve heard. Oh, and we meet America’s #1 hero for a sec, Star and Stripe (voiced by Romi Park).

Wowee-wow-wow-wow! I did not expect to like this series the way I did. I mean, I really do love My Hero Academia. I know I had the opportunity to watch this but chose to watch Black Clover instead. I don’t regret that decision; I just wish I got to watch this a lot sooner and maybe start on the manga. Now that doesn’t mean this entire series is flawless, far from it. There were some seasons that fell flat on its face. I think we all can get on the same page of which season was the one that is the flat can of soda out of this six-pack.

The answer is season five. It’s always going to be season five. No amount of My Villain Academia you throw at the audience is going to undo that. But I suppose that’s where that arc landed and call it bad timing. Long-running manga series have really awesome arcs and really slumpy arcs. Case and point, the anime Food Wars is a good example to bring up here. Their first 2 seasons were really good, but after that is when things started falling by the waist-side. When it comes to My Hero Academia, I had several hits of highs and lows watching. The field trip at the beginning season three, the culture festival at the end of season four, and the majority of season five were my lows. I only put that moment in season three up as, I have to be honest in this review. That arc actually got really good faster than I thought. The other two I mentioned just dragged on. Especially the class competition! I love watching class 1-A in action, but this was just so exhausting to sit through.

I think I’ve beat that dead horse enough. Let’s talk about the characters. I’ve always had the hardest time keeping up with the many characters an anime might have. Especially animes that are set in school and we focus on one particular class. Despite my love for the series Assassination Classroom, I could not remember every single person from that class. With My Hero Academia, I think I was able to recall every classmate. Just class 1-A though. Maybe it’s because of their quirks, some of their looks, or their quirky behavior. The same can be said about characters outside class 1-A like the professional heroes, the villains, the townspeople, Bakugo’s mother…yeah, you have to see the woman who gave birth to a feral, screaming grenade of loud noises.

I do have a legit question for manga readers. Do these kids finally become second years at U.A.? You don’t notice that these kids are in the same grade until it’s season five and you see a Christmas episode and you’re like, “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me, they’re still in their first year”. Don’t answer that. I know they’re probably going to age soon. Okay, enough of my dumbassary here. If you have a lot of time on your hands, I give this a full recommendation. If you’re able to sit through 100+ episodes of this, yes definitely give it a watch. And also keep in mind that Studio Bones animates this and they’re the ones who did Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mob Psycho 100, and Soul Eater. So, that’s a pretty big incentive.

I know I said some pretty rough things about several moments of this series. But here’s how I would break it down. Season one was a nice start as we get an introduction to Deku and what he’s going to go through to become a hero. Season two was wonderful with more of a build-up to the antagonists of the story. Plus, a tournament arc! Season three had a bit of a slow start, but once you get to Bakugo’s kidnapping and All Might vs. All For One, this season was a sure-fire hit. Season four starts great, but it hits a lull spot. Okay, I guess I can accept that as these kids do deserve some time off. Season five had some good moments with Deku learning a little more about the previous users of One For All and the My Villain Academia arc. Other than that, this season was nothing to write home about. Season six will rock you like a hurricane. It’s almost a little overwhelming in the first half with all of these heroes and villains going up against each other. But never a dull moment.

If you would like to watch My Hero Academia, several sites have the series streaming including FUNimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu. It is also a staple on Adult Swim’s Toonami, so if it’s on, check it out.

Okay, now that I finished this long series, I think it’s high-time I watch Hunter x Hunter Urusei Yatsura! Huh? Okay, guess we’re doing something else instead.

[huntersmoon1]

9 people i'd like to know better

I was tagged by @nobodys-saviour

•Last Song:

•Favourite colour: Most blues and reds.

•Currently watching: GTO:Great teacher onizuka

•Spicy/Savoury/Sweet: Savory or sweet.

•Relationship status:Single,abstinent,never been married. I have a hard time trusting men to be loyal and honest since I got screwed as a teenager and two of the women in my immediate family got screwed over royally by their now ex husbands when they divorced them for adultery.

•Current Obsessions:

L&Ds,

Record of ragnarok,

RoR:Jack the ripper:Case Files,

The yakuzas guide to babysitting,

The way of the house husband,

Noblesse,

Moriarty the patriot,

Kakuriyo:bed&breakfast for spirits,

Loyal soldier Lustful beast,

Daughter of the emperor,

Dororo,

Spyxfamily,

Twisted wonderland,

A sign of affection,

The black stallion series,

The deer king,

Dr.stone,

Black butler😭,

Dragon goes house-hunting,

Gap papa,

The fox & little tanuki,

Raised by the demon kings,

My happy marriage,

Life lessons with uramichi oniisan,

Berserk,

The Duke of death and his maid,

Bleach,

Fairytail,

Black lagoon,

A man & his cat,

Rozi in the labyrinth,

Vampire hunter D,

Vampire hunter D:Bloodlust,

Magi:the labyrinth of magic,

Vinland saga,

To your eternity,

Saiyuki,

Yona of the dawn,

The heroic legend of arslan,

Mermaid Forest,

Peach mermaid,

Totem’s realm,

Beauty and the beasts,

Reverse harem rules for ugly women,

GTO great teacher onizuka,

An archdemon’s dilemma:how to love your elf bride,

Mononoke,

Migi&Dali,

Rurouni kenshin,

Sleepy princess in the demon castle,

The vampire dies in no time,

The legend of hei,

I’m the villainess so I’m taming the final boss,

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5d’s,

Raven of the inner palace,

Gintama,

Hellsing ultimate,

Barakamon,

Wolf’s rain,

Meiji Tokyo renka,

Demon lord retry,

Wolf children,

7 seeds,

Btoom!,

Kakushigoto,

Hell girl.

Tagging: @deathmetalunicorn1 @recordofheadcannons @c-o-t-o @squid-god-supreme @onecantsimply @thequietkid-moonie @raven-at-the-writing-desk @mr-kriswuyifan707-blog @stonesparrow

[lotus-tower]

what were some of the thoughts behind your gintama daemon au fic? :0 super curious how it was conceived

thank you for asking about it! i can't recall exactly what my thought process was back then, but i know my general thoughts about the gintama cast and daemons probably hasn't changed (though i may have shifted in certain directions due to new developments in the stuff i've been writing with a friend)

gintoki to me is 100% without a doubt separated from his daemon. i can't imagine him not being separated. i think he was like that from the moment shouyou found him. and an idea i bring up a lot nowadays (no idea how prominent it was in my head when i was first writing the fic) is the idea of him having this feeling deep down where he's not certain which of them is "really" the human and which is the daemon, because daemons can take on human shape as well. that sense of alienation from your own daemon is very gin-san, but of course so is the alienation from humanity. in general i think daemons are great devices for conveying these sorts of ideas through vibes. that's probably what first gave me the idea to pull the POV trick!

and with separated daemons, it's like, does that make you more than human? or less than human? or is it just a sign of trauma? it's unspoken but anyone who found out would look at gintoki strangely, but what do they think? what do they see? we don't know because we're stuck in gintoki's head (in a sense) and he's not looking at that. plus, the cast worked so well for it. kagura is literally the teenage girl equivalent of that armoured polar bear who wanted to use a human as a makeshift daemon. that's what she's doing with sadaharu. she's lonely and wants a companion like earthlings have.

and of course shouyou not having a daemon was perfect

[isekai-crow]

Sasaki and Peeps / Sasaki to Pii-chan Episode 1

THIS WAS SUCH A WEIRD FIRST EPISODE.

Overall Rating So Far: 7/10

(Purely because I have no idea where this is going and there is So Much and I can't make sense of it)

(This promo art implies it won't be a harem but I'm starting to have my doubts...)

I have no idea where to put my hopes in this anime, as everything that interested me initially got blasted through in the first episode.

Also, the MAL page has been updated since I last looked at it to show an almost all female cast whereas it had more male characters like French in it before it started airing...

However, I still hold hope. We've got quite a few big name VAs, but a studio thats mostly put out harem isekais (and possibly some hentai?).

Fricken Namikawa Daisuke is in here as a side character, French the cook (a bit on the nose for a name but..). He's one of my favorite VAs, and his famous roles (for me) being Hisoka from HunterxHunter and Chousou from JJK among a host of other huge roles. His basic existence is a draw for me. The fact that he is in this at all has gotta mean something, right???

Sasaki-san is also voiced by a big name VA, Sugita, Tomokazu !! Gintoki from Gintama, JOSEPH JOESTAR, Rudeus from Mushoku Tensei, KATAKURI from One Piece!!

And Pii-chan HAS ANOTHER FAVORITE!!! Pii-chan voiced by the amazing Yuuki, Aoi!! Our Beloved Maomao!!! who, btw is also the voice Madoka!! Tsuyu-chan from BNHA!! Tanya Degurecha from Youjo Senki!! Tatsumaki from One Punch Man!! An awesome voice with an amazing range.

THERE ARE SO MANY BIG NAMES IN THIS!!

I'll give it a few more episodes and see if the supposed actual plot keeps my attention. I'm decent at ignoring harem and fan service when it suits me (See, My Love: Tensura) (and I do also love me a good yandere)

Episode 1 Spoilers below~

Our main character is a salaryman/office worker name Sasaki, who is ready to "This is fine" and "Yes, and" his was through life.

We have a Java Sparrow, and exotic pet that said officer worker decides to buy ON A WHIM with NO pre-emptive research whatsoever.

Said Java Sparrow is a MASSIVE CHUNIBYO EDGELORD named Piercarlo who has been isekai'd twice?? and is a wizard, but can't use his powers because HE'S A SPARROW.

The scene where Peeps is calling for someone to pick him is hilarious, but man, the ability to just walk into a pet store and buy an exotic pet with no license, training, or background check continues to be terrifying. (I had the chance to buy a hooded crow for $2000, and was mind boggled that they wouldn't let me pet it but would let me take it home with me that day if I just paid. Japan animal laws aren't great yo)

The first episode was a double feature but I didn't notice until we got to the second magic system and went wtf?? It's still going? (I needed to LEAVE and was like... one more episode? *sparkly eyes* and ended up getting two... Nuuuuuuu not like thiiiiiiis I'm gonna miss my traiiiiin)

Last time this happened was with Ragna Crimson (Which SURPRISE SURPRISE IS BY THE SAME STUDIO) and I think Capybara and I made it to episode three? I feel like it's a sign if you need two whole episodes to express one episode's worth of set-up, there's too much going on. And that might be the case again. We get multiple magic systems! We speed run the setting up a trade business and a restaurant in another world! THAT WAS WHAT I WANTED THO, WHY'D YOU SPEED RUN THAT.

I was sincerely hoping for another Campfire Cooking in Another World...

I DO love that Sasaki-san rolls with everything that comes his way, including a yandere high school girl (however it's implied is being neglected since she's always sitting outside her front door while her mum fucks some rando... and I guess Sasaki does nothing or just doesn't notice?)

But after all the set up, suddenly a lady in a business suit shows up and is actively getting MURDERED by some dude with Magic?? But they're in the real world?? ? And she's about as Genki as Shion is in TenSura, (but I hope not as annoying as anime Shion, because manga/LN Shion is a badass).

BUT WHY. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING.

After a bit of research...

"The author, Bunkorori, says that he wanted to develop a story that would create a sense of tension in the modern world instead of showing a slow life in the other world. The author says that he wanted to keep a pet but was unable to and that he wanted to express his desire through writing, which was the impetus for writing this work."

This makes a bit more sense now... Not really, but that's basically all the pieces of what was included in this first episode set-up. I'm kinda bummed if it's not actually gonna be a slow life in another world, but maybe the tension of the modern world will be fun?

Not that I don't already have enough tension in my real world...

Anyways, a few more episodes! We will see if this is worth sticking with or if I'm gonna drop it.

ep2 ep3 ep4 ep5 ep6 <- these will eventually become links