#gk volume changes

[hopelesslyprosaic]

A Different Kind of Queen of Crime- five ways that Dorothy L Sayers changed the way we see Sherlock Holmes

For my first Holmesian post- a crossover with one of my more usual subjects on my other blog! For when one is talking about Sherlock Holmes, in particular Sherlock Holmes scholarship, there are nor many more pivotal names than Dorothy L Sayers. Sure, Christopher Morley may have had a greater impact on Sherlockian culture, and Richard Lancelyn Green on Holmesian scholarship, to name only a few- but Sayers's contributions to scholarship and "the game" were early and underratedly pivotal.

If you're a Sherlock Holmes fan who is unfamiliar with Sayers's influence, or a Sayers fan who had no idea she had any interest in Holmes, keep reading! (And if you're a Sherlock Holmes fan who wants to know what I think about Sayers, check out her tag on my main blog, @o-uncle-newt. Or, more to the point, just read her fantastic books.)

There's a great compilation of Sayers's writing and lecturing on the topic of Holmes called Sayers on Holmes (published by the Mythopoeic Press in 2001), though some of her essays are also available in her collection Unpopular Opinions, which is where I first encountered them. It's not THAT extensive, and it's from an era in which Sherlock Holmes scholarship, such as it was, was still very much nascent. While a lot may have happened since Sayers was writing and talking about Holmes, she got there early and she made an immediate impact- and here's how:

She helped create and define Sherlockian scholarship: Don't take this from me, take it from the legendary Richard Lancelyn Green! At a joint conference of the Sherlock Holmes Society and Dorothy L Sayers Society, he said that "Dorothy L. Sayers understood better than anyone before her the way of playing the game and her Sherlockian scholarship gave credibility and humor to this intellectual pursuit. Her standing as an authority on the art of detective fiction and as a major practitioner invigorated the scholarship, and her...Holmesian research is the benchmark by which other works are judged. It would be fair to say, as Watson said of Irene Adler, that for Sherlockians she is the woman and that …she 'eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.'" We'll go into a bit more detail on some specific examples below, but one important one is that, as Green notes, Sayers was not only a mystery writer but an acknowledged authority on mystery fiction, whose (magisterial) introduction to The Omnibus of Crime, a then-groundbreaking history of the genre of mystery fiction, included a highly regarded section on the influence of Holmes on mystery fiction. She was able to write not just literate detective stories but literate critiques of others' stories and the genre (as collected in the excellent volume Taking Detective Stories Seriously), and as such, the writing she did on Holmes was well received.

She cofounded the (original iteration of) the Sherlock Holmes Society of London: While the current iteration of the Society lists itself as having been founded in 1951, a previous iteration existed through the 1930s, founded as a response to the creation of the Baker Street Irregulars in New York and run by a similar concept- the meeting of Sherlock Holmes fans every so often for dinner at a restaurant. Sayers, who seems to have been much more clubbable than Mycroft Holmes, helped run the Detection Club on corresponding lines as well. (Fun fact, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was invited to be the first president of the Detection Club! However, he refused on grounds of poor health and, either right before or right after he died, the Detection Club met for the first time with GK Chesterton as president.) While the 1930s society didn't last, and Sayers didn't decide to join the newly reconstituted club in 1951, her presence from the beginning was key to the establishment of Holmesian scholarship.

She helped define The Game: Sayers didn't invent The Game, as the use of Higher Criticism in the study of Sherlock Holmes came to be called. (The Game now often refers to something a bit broader than that, but it's a pretty solid working definition to say that it is the study of Holmes stories as though they took place in, and can be reconciled with, our world.) Her friend Father Ronald Knox largely invented it almost by accident- as Sayers described it, he wrote that first essay "with the aim of showing that, by those methods [Higher Criticism], one could disintegrate a modern classic as speciously as a certain school of critics have endeavoured to disintegrate the Bible." This exercise backfired, as instead of finding this analysis of Holmes stories silly, people found it compelling and engaging- and this style of Sherlockian writing lives on to this day in multiple journals. Sayers, with her interest in religious scholarship as well as Holmes, was well equipped to both understand Knox's original motivations as well as to carry on in the spirit in which further Game players would take his work, as we'll see. She also wrote the line that would come to define the tone used in The Game- that it "must be played as solemnly as a county cricket match at Lord's; the slightest touch of extravagance or burlesque ruins the atmosphere." While comedic takes on The Game would never vanish, her establishment of tone has lingered, and pretty much any in-depth explanation of The Game will include her insightful comment.

Some of Sayers's ideas became definitional: Here's a question- what's John Watson's middle name? If you said "Hamish," guess what- you should be thanking Dorothy L Sayers. (When this middle name was used for Watson in the BBC Sherlock episode The Sign of Three, articles explaining its use generally didn't bother to credit her, instead saying that "some believe" or a variation on that.) She was the one who speculated that the reason why a) Watson's middle initial is H and b) Mary Morstan Watson calls Watson "James" instead of "John" in one story is because Watson's middle name is Hamish, a Scottish variant of James, with Mary's use of James being an intimate pet name based on this nickname. It's as credible as any other explanation for that question, but more than that it became by far the most popular middle name for Watson used in fan media. Others of Sayers's ideas include that Watson only ever married twice, with his comments about experience with women over four continents being just a lot of bluster and him really being a faithful romantic who married the first woman he really fell for (the aim of this essay being to demolish HW Bell's theory of a marriage to an unknown woman between Mary Morstan and the unnamed woman Watson married in 1903, mentioned by Holmes in The Blanched Soldier); that Holmes attended Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (she denied that he could have attended Oxford, having gone there herself- fascinatingly, Holmesians who went to Cambridge usually assert that he attended Oxford! Conan Doyle of course attended neither school); and reconciling dates in canon (making the case that one cannot base a claim for Watson's mixing up on dates on poor handwriting as demonstrated in canonical documents, as it is clear from the similarity of different handwriting samples from different people/stories that they were written, presumably transcribed for publication purposes, by a copyist).

She wrote one of the only good Holmes pastiches: Okay, fine, I'm unusually anti-pastiche, and genuinely do like very few of them, but this is one that I love- and even more than that, it's even a Wimsey crossover! On January 8 1954, to commemorate the occasion of Holmes's 100th birthday (because, of course, he was born on January 6 1854- Sayers was more in favor of an 1853 birthdate but thought 1854 was acceptable), the BBC commissioned a bunch of pieces for the radio, including one by Sayers. You can read it here (with thanks to @copperbadge for posting it, it's shockingly hard to find online), and I think you'll agree it's adorable. The idea of Holmes and Wimsey living in the same world is wonderful, the way she makes it work is impeccable, and it's clearly done with so much love. Also you get baby Peter, which is just incredibly sweet!

I got into Dorothy L Sayers, in the long run, because I loved Sherlock Holmes from childhood and that later launched me into early and golden age mysteries- but it was discovering Sayers that brought me back full force into the world of Holmes. Just an awesome lady.

[thistransient]

Obligatory retrospection 2024

I was going to title it "belated" but I didn't get around to last year's til the latter half of January either, so I suppose it's just tradition now.

Last year my main goal was to finish reading the Chinese translation of 黃金神威 / Golden Kamuy, which I did not do only because I was determined to read the hard copy version and the library wait queue is insane (a check-out period is a full calendar month and man do people really keep their books as long as possible). I did however read all 23 volumes of Dorohedoro in Chinese while waiting, and got up to vol 27 on GK, so I'm okay with it. Other goals listed: consume more protein, have a look for B vitamins the surgeon’s office recommended, learn how to do multi-colour lino printing, and "fingers crossed for minimal missile warnings and no more 曖昧的關係s". I have in fact been very diligent at trying to consume an appropriate amount and distribution of nutrients at regular intervals (while unlearning certain unfortunate food misbeliefs instilled in childhood). I did buy those damned B vitamins, which largely served to turn my pee bright yellow and make me wonder if I'm sensitive to choline cause I would get mysteriously anxious and depressed whenever I took them (eventually I gave up on it). I figure my regular diet probably covers things anyways. I also finally did the lino colour printing (and more printmaking in general). There were no more mistaken missile warnings, and as for the 曖昧的關係 …well, no unreciprocated pining at least.

I got really into making my own pickled daikon (minus the yellow colouring) when, appalled by the grocery store prices, I discovered they only require 5 ingredients and you just keep 'em in the fridge (I don't have a kitchen in my 套房).

At the time of last retrospection writing I was waiting to see if I got into a grad school program, and whether I'd have to take the Mandarin proficiency exam to broaden my opportunities. I did not get into the program! I took the TOCFL and got a 5 out of 6! (6 being C2 level, TOCFL levels are not equivalent to HSK.) I was still a bit too chicken to apply for grad school taught in Chinese, and decided to take some community college art classes instead, which I understand 98% of the time until the teacher asks me a question directly and then my mind goes blank, of course. The more I look into the heinous bureaucratic requirements for foreigners applying directly for any kind of non-English university degree program in Taiwan, the more I consider going elsewhere. But the idea of doing a degree program was in part so I could get student residency in Taiwan… ah, internal strife.

I had a big sort of personal paradigm shift this year, after my now former bff made (I have to generously assume) an offhand drunken comment on my birthday (of all times, wow), which (amongst some other things) slowly but inevitably led to the end of our friendship (or at least we seem to have mutually ghosted each other as of October- unfortunately he still has my spare key which I need to retrieve). In a strange way it was a positive thing in the end, in that it pushed me to the conclusion that I actually like who I am, including my values + perspective on the world. I realised our friendship was based largely on the shared experience of being "Mandarin-learning foreigners in Taiwan", and it feels strange that my circumstance evolving into "foreigner using Mandarin to learn other things in Taiwan" would be a game-changer, but I guess it is (well, there are of course more factors at play, but I feel that was the big one which had always smoothed over the otherwise substantial divide between us). I feel a bit guilty cause he's helped me with a lot over the years, but I'm working on accepting that one doesn't stay indebted to freely given kindness forever, and people (including myself) change and that's okay.

I went to Ladakh this summer, which was my first trip to a totally unfamiliar place post-transition and post-lifting of international covid restrictions. It's different to travel now with a home base I actually want to go back to, and a mindset which is more "curiosity and exploration" than "need to run away to the ends of the earth". For example, now I care significantly more about coming back in one piece. It's nice to be less bothered about being alive in general, re: transition, but the trade-off is being more stressed about gendered bathrooms and airport security. At least one thing never changes: fear of death by feral dog pack consumption.

I didn't do as much text posting this year, for a few reasons- one being that I stopped going to the kink bar when my fave shibari salon started having more events. A lot of good stories came out of that bar, but I also hated the crowd, noise, and had too many unpleasant sub drop experiences in said environment. Second, with more time to consistently take and post photos, more people started following, I was regularly getting more than 0-3 notes per post and suddenly felt increasingly reluctant to write in great detail about my personal life in a city which is smaller than it seems. Not to mention the amount of terfs in the notes on innocent beach photos... The further along I get in transitioning, the more it becomes relevant to my anecdotes, and I never really intended that to be the focus of my writing (not having to worry about how people perceive my physical appearance is/was a main bonus of anonymous internet blogging). And yet I still want to write about stuff! Maybe it's time for a side blog.

I need to come up with some reasonable goals this year (besides the big stuff I scheme about in counselling sessions). Let's say…get more massages. Finally do that bike ride from Fulong 福隆 to the lighthouse (the problem is getting up early enough to go to 福隆). Oh, I really want to get one of those lil ceramic tea pots and learn how to brew the loose leaf tea that was pawned off on me by a friend only to sit in my closet for a year. I'd also like to finish a novel in Chinese I bought two years ago on my ex tutor's recommendation- it was still too difficult to enjoy then and has been lurking ominously in the Unread Book Pile ever since. Last but not least, hang out more with @carrotblr, the tropical maladies can't keep us apart forever...

[piduai]

top 5 tsurumi moments pls

when heeeee bit off usami's finger it changed me forever. i kept going back to that page for weeks. it was october 2020 and first it was the korean leaks. that left me speechless and confused. then it was the japanese release. that left me speechless And confused. then the english scanlation that left me... speechless and confused. what is WRONG with this guy. i am still speechless and confused tbh my jaw is on the floor from the memory alone. brain altering happening

the whole of church arc was noda coming out saga (as a tsurumigirl) it was hit after hit after hit and they all made my brain rattle in my skull like a handful of peanuts in a can. the title drop. my beloved daughter wilksona theatrics (tsurumi's most compelling woman moment yet). i shot a poison arrow at wilk. nuzzling of some guy's discarded face skin like it's a cashmere scarf picked up at a thrift store. the whole... manipulation in action. act. tsurumi theater. i didn't come out normal out of that no sir

what made him my favorite character to begin with aka the edogai arc and the way he was so proactive in spotting edogai-kun's weak spots and manipulating him... like before that he was just hehe ugly bad guy, he's fun! but edogai-kun's dilfhunter metamorphosis in under 3 minutes made me go Wow this guy is actually evil and foul and he KNOWS what he's doing and he's doing it on purpose... slay!

when he attacked abashiri and when asked how he will explain to higher ups wtf happened and why is this high security prison in fucking shambles and he went like oh we'll say it was a locust plague and we came to help <3 it's a double combo because a few chapters before there WAS a locust plague right. what is good about gk is that it's just so cohesive, the details that are thrown around aren't just blanks they're seeds from which the plants grow and they make this beautiful garden of a story. like i just loved that moment. but also it really just spoke of the depth of tsurumi's preparedness and cunning, his intelligence and his strategic ability. he's a capable, ruthless, intelligent, dangerous man. that moment conveyed it profoundly

in noboribetsu when he started threatening ariko and being like Well hijikata is nice but i'm not :) i know who you are and i know everyone who is related to you, and everyone who is related to them, and if you go against me, heh... need i say more? doxx of the century. made me go MAN this guy is fucking evil

5.1. koito kidnapping and tsurumi's own version of the suspension bridge experiment. i was reading it with my mouth agape and my heart pounding like WOW he fucking KNOWS what he's doing. he's a fucking demon... holy fucking shit!!!!

5.2. severely undercut and cheapened by the fact that it was a teehepero :p moment but 513 as a whole. the bonnnneeeeessss moment. him traumatizing asirpa for one last time for good measure before going back to biting people. man i was reading that with my wig vanished out of existence literallyyyy left me speechless like :o ! .... :o the months between the release of the last chapter and the last volume were blissful truly

[gunnerkriggcritical]

Not directly about GK Court- but I was reading the author's commentary on a volume of the webcomic Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew, and his discussion of how he handled a character changing even as he wrote her. It reminded me of the chapters following The Tree, and Tom's refusal to listen to the audience reaction to Tony. "Whenever I wrote her lines of dialogue, they came out far ruder and harsher than I had expected, and I saw the character evolve into a far harsher person before my eyes. There was no way to undo some of her rudeness from previous strips, so the solution was to have the other characters react to her poor manners appropriately...." Burlew chose to adapt his story to fit what he had already written, rather than deny audience interpretations, and try to back-track and soften a character he established as cruel. A lot of people seem to try to handwave Tom's poor writing choices + dislike of fan critique based on how hard it is to write comics, or our need to respect his artistic vision. I think it's important to point out that this kind of hostile relationship to readers isn't the norm, and authorial flexibility and self-reflection only improve a comic.

Very true words, always relevant. Thank you for sharing.

[ruinikaido]

im dizzy reading these magazine -> volume gk changes

[gklaser123]

Rotary CNC Router Machine

In the realm of precision engineering and manufacturing, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines have revolutionized the way intricate designs are crafted with efficiency and accuracy. Among these, the rotary CNC router machine stands out as a versatile tool that plays a crucial role in various industries, including woodworking, signage, aerospace, and beyond. At GK Laser Enterprises, we specialize in providing advanced CNC solutions, including rotary CNC routers, tailored to enhance productivity and craftsmanship across diverse applications.

Understanding Rotary CNC Router Machines A rotary CNC router machine is a specialized type of CNC router equipped with a rotary axis, allowing it to perform complex tasks such as 3D carving, engraving on cylindrical objects, and intricate relief work on curved surfaces. This capability makes it indispensable in industries where precision and versatility are paramount.

Key Features and Benefits

Enhanced Versatility: Rotary CNC routers excel in handling a wide range of materials, from wood and plastics to metals and composites. This versatility enables businesses to undertake diverse projects without the need for multiple specialized machines, thereby streamlining production processes and reducing operational costs.

3D Carving and Engraving: Unlike traditional flatbed CNC routers, rotary machines can carve intricate designs on cylindrical or irregularly shaped objects. This capability is invaluable in creating bespoke products such as custom furniture components, personalized gifts, and detailed architectural elements.

Precision and Efficiency: Leveraging advanced CNC technology, rotary routers ensure precise repeatability and consistency in manufacturing processes. This precision not only enhances product quality but also accelerates production timelines, allowing businesses to meet stringent deadlines and customer expectations effectively.

Scalability and Customization: Whether for prototyping or mass production, rotary CNC routers offer scalability to accommodate varying production volumes. They facilitate rapid tool changes and programming flexibility, enabling operators to quickly adapt to new designs or client specifications with minimal downtime.

Integration with CAD/CAM Software: Integration with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software enhances the efficiency of rotary CNC router machines. This synergy enables seamless design-to-production workflows, empowering designers and engineers to translate creative concepts into tangible products with ease.

Cost-Effective Manufacturing Solutions: By optimizing material usage and reducing manual labor requirements, rotary CNC routers contribute to cost savings over time. They minimize material wastage and error rates, thereby improving overall operational efficiency and profitability for businesses of all sizes.

Applications Across Industries The versatility of rotary CNC router machines extends their utility across various sectors: Woodworking: Crafting intricate furniture components, staircases, and decorative items. Signage and Advertising: Producing custom signage, 3D logos, and promotional displays. Aerospace and Automotive: Manufacturing complex parts, molds, and prototypes. Art and Design: Creating sculptures, jewelry, and artistic installations. Medical and Dental: Fabricating customized prosthetics and dental appliances.

Conclusion As technology continues to evolve, rotary CNC router machines remain at the forefront of innovation in manufacturing and design. At GK Laser Enterprises, we are committed to empowering businesses with cutting-edge CNC solutions that enhance productivity, precision, and creativity. Whether you're looking to expand your capabilities in woodworking, signage production, or industrial manufacturing, our rotary CNC routers offer the tools you need to achieve exceptional results. Contact us today to discover how our expertise and advanced machinery can elevate your production processes and propel your business forward in a competitive market landscape.

[osomanga]

Wut da Fuq?!?!

I love Noda. I love Ookuma Hakkou. I love Noda’s wife. 

I love the magazine GK. I love the volume GK. They’re all canon. 

The meeting of Oy-kun and the Anpanman

Magazine ED: Koito’s memories through rose-tinted glasses

Volume ED: Tsurumi’s opium dream of what really happened. Or maybe it’s still Koito’s version but with a second retelling of the same story so...a high drama version and more accurate and less filterd by the boya’s crush.

Cursed Limited Edition: Koito Heiji’s Mosu version where all the description is just mosu mosu. And mosu. 

....

Koito’s Rose-filter Memory:-

...

Reality:-  

It’s a very {bratty samurai son} x {principled commoner/ronin} love story-esque version. 

I can’t remember but I know I’ve either read or watched some ol’ book or movie where the young hime-san or botchan was swept off their feet by the strict and principled adult. 

...

Koito: Pay attention goddamn moron. Wanna die or what? 

(Bakayarou...he called Tsurumi bakayoarou!!)

Tsurumi: Stop right there!         [he’s being real polite as a traffic cop a’right]

Koito: Kieeee (*monkey screech*)

Koito: Wha~ sorta joke is dis~!!          

[I’m not entirely sure. Nai is what and Waya is pranking / teasing / practical joke in kagoshima-ben]

Koito: I am the son of Imperial Navy Commander Koito Heiji!! Those of the Koito family won’t settle for this kind of behaviour mildly, ok?!

[Roughly. I might be perfectly wrong his kagoshima ben is tough to go by but me thinks kogena is upposed to be konna, etc]

Tsurumi: If you want to fight, you should do it with your own name. 

Koito: You! Old man. Lend me your cane!! 

Old passerby: Ok, Bottchan. *scoots*

Koito: *Battle screech*

sfx 1- *snap*

sfx 2- *slap 

Tsurumi: The tachi is rather elegant when straight...

[Tachi= long sword like a nodachi; Straight is upright or in line-form and also frank/honest...no bad innuendos I swear]

Koito: .....!!

Tsurumi: What happened, you’ve gone quiet all of a sudden? Is it because I stopped your Jigenryuu barehanded?

Tsurumi: Or is it the first time an adult has laid hands on you? 

[literally just, Tsurumi says “slapped your face”]

Koito: Yeah, thats all it is.

Tsurumi: *smirk*

.

Oh you smoooth bastard...you devil....you seducer. But damn you are freaking strong.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Hello hello! I LOVE your summaries and chapter & character analyses! I just wanted to ask...what is the significance of the bottom panel with little Ogata and his mom plus that text? Maybe I'm reading his expression wrong, but little Ogata seems to be looking lovingly at his mom (looks like a slight smile on his face)? It's interesting that this was shown near the final battle...

Sorry, I placed these three asks together because they deal with a similar topic.

Now, as I mentioned more than once I'm in the group that believes that Ogata is indeed feeling emotions like any human being but he's used to suppress them so that not only he often doesn't show them but he manages to keep his conscious side not even aware of them.

I've a by now ancient meta dealing with how characters in the story cope with guilt trying to suppress it, as this is a recurring theme through GK.

Noda seems to remark on how Ogata is so good at ignoring his guilt yet he's feeling it by giving to said guilt a manifestation in form of Ogata hallucinating Yuusaku.

Basically, unless we assume Yuusaku is a real wandering ghost tormenting Ogata, the fact Ogata keeps on hallucinating Yuusaku tells us he feels guilty, that murdering Yuusaku wasn't like stepping on a leaf for him, an act he did without thinking about it and forgot short after.

The memory of Yuusaku torments Ogata each time his psychological defences are at their weakest point, we see it happening when he was lying in a hospital after having been injuried by Sugimoto but also when in Karafuto he get feverish and, in this case, Yuusaku's image superimpose with Asirpa, creating in his mind a subconscious connection.

Later, in fact Yuusaku's hallucination will 'stop' him each time he'll try to shoot Asirpa.

We see something similar happening to Asirpa as well, as, when she consider killing Ostrog, she can't because she's reminded of when her arrow hit Ogata.

In Asirpa the whole thing is more natural as, although she too is prone to suppress negative emotions, she's not really doing it as much as Ogata, who's a lot more psychologically damaged than Asirpa will ever be.

Ogata has likely felt affection for his mother.

He remembers her, he dreams her as she sung him a lullaby, he used to love the anglerfish nabe she made, when he realized she was going insane, he tried to 'heal' her by providing her other things to cook.

When he lies about Sugimoto's last words in his mind he basically imagines Sugimoto's last minutes were what he wanted his father's last minutes to be, him thinking at his mother, him wanting to provide to her, him wanting to eat her anglerfish nabe again.

He had genuine attachment for his mother.

I don't know how he came up with the idea that, if she were to die, his father would finally come for her.

I know back then insane people weren't entrusted to a mental asylum but left in the family's 'care' the family either keeping trapped in a room that would work as a cell or disposing of them as discreetly as possible (a common way was to bring them to a trip on the mountains and 'forget' them there).

This social background could have influenced him but I don't know if we'll ever know why he came up with such an idea.

But that act likely impacted deeply on his psyche because Hanazawa never came and he lost his mother.

Possibly it's from that act Ogata learnt to bury guilt. So as not to feel pain for his own actions, for his own loss, he learnt to bury it, to disconnect from it and grew up with the idea he felt none when instead he continued to repress it... which is encouraged because Ogata becomes a soldier when he's really young and soldiers are actively encouraged and brainwashed into not feeling guilt for killing people.

And so Ogata ends up on meeting Yuusaku who latches on him like a lost puppy, without any care for how Ogata, as politely as he could, told him to let him be.

As far as Ogata knows, Yuusaku is the reason due to why Hanazawa stopped visiting his mother.

Ogata doesn't want to play the role of the 'Ani-sama' (兄様 "older brother") to the guy who, according to what he knows, caused his mother's abandonment... and Tsurumi feeds this feeling by suggesting if Yuusaku were out of the picture Hanazawa would love Ogata.

All this eventually leads to Yuusaku's demise, which, again, gives Ogata nothing. Hanazawa doesn't care for Ogata all the same. When Ogata goes and talk with him there's the implication his mother was already starting to lose her mind and that's why Hanazawa rejected her.

My speculation is Tome was a bit like Usami, obsessed with Hanazawa, thinking he would eventually dump his wife and marry her.

She, as far as we know, differently from Usami didn't get to the point she murdered someone to get Hanazawa, but he probably saw her obsession as insanity, he likely never planned to leave his wife, which is from the upper class, and marry a geisha and this is possibly why he left her, because she wouldn't content herself with being just his lover but had the 'insane' fantasy she could become more.

Anyway, while Ogata probably managed to bury deep enough the guilt for his mother's death, he just can't work out in the same way the guilt for Yuusaku's death, which haunts him even though he tries to deny it even to this day.

It's meaningful how in chap 253, when he tries to aim at Asirpa, he senses Yuusaku in the same way as he has sensed it in chap 246, when he was trying to aim at her again but, despite Ogata being usually intelligent, he doesn't manage to make the connection between those two happenings.

Actually in chap 253 the fact he got distracted by Yuusaku's presence even saved his life, yet he interprets it as Yuusaku's ghost trying to get in his way.

He lives in denial, his father, with his dying breath, cursed him so of course Yuusaku would be there to get in his way.

Either there's really a ghost in this story or Ogata is just not ready to accept he feels guilty.

And in all this mess he stumbles into Asirpa who we can see presents parallels with both his mother (she feeds him but she also loves someone who loves another) and Yuusaku.

And so at this point we've to wonder where Noda is going to lead him.

Since there was all this big build up between him and Asirpa, we can wonder if he'll face her again and this will force him to face the emotions he repressed for such a long time.

Will this cause him to be more open with his emotions and not suprress them? Will this cause him to accept he feels guilty? Will it make him cry? Will it make him show affection for someone again?

It's hard to say.

Unless Noda radically changed his plans, as I've said many times, I don't think he plans to kill Ogata... but this doesn't necessarily mean he'll make a 180° turn from how he is.

We've seen how Tsukishima tried to face what he kept inside... only to go back on square 1 and return on being a loyal Tsurumi follower.

We've seen Koito trying to be different... but then he let doubt catch him and he didn't dare to confront Tsurumi when he understood the latter knew they were there.

Changing is difficult.

We saw Shiraishi... slowly growing attached to Sugimoto and Asirpa to the point he went into the brewery despite the fire to save Sugimoto (and we've heard Boutarou saying through his whole permanence into the group how Shiraishi changed from how he was even though Shiraishi himself denied it).

Changing is possible... but it requires time... and, often, it requires help, a reason to do so. Shiraishi changed because he formed an emotional bond with Sugimoto and Asirpa due to the GOOD time they spent together. They had bad times as well, but the good ones just won.

So, back to Ogata... even if he finally were to face what he keeps inside... how much this would change him?

Hard to say but this is not a shonen so I doubt we'll have a drastical change in a short amount of time.

The story is ending, my guess, according to what Noda did, is Ogata isn't going to die but, all the bets are open on how he's going to live.

Tears when he were to face his buried feelings would be a good release of bottled up emotions but again, it depends on how he faces them. If he does it the bare minimum to realize he actually can feel guilt, we might not get them.

There's no time for him to develop emotional attachment/affection. Either he already has it, and he is in denial for it, or this is something that will require time. So it's a bit like a videogame. Will Noda unlock this event or not?

As Noda showed a flashback with his mother of whome we hadn't seen the face yet, I expect we'll get more about her... and possibly about his grandparents.

So yeah, we could get to see a more emotional Ogata, but it can also be this won't be the case... or Noda will save the best scenes for the volume version because sometimes Noda is like that.

Long story short, I've no idea what will be of Ogata beyond that I think that Noda won't kill him and that he has been building him up to have him face 'the ghosts of his pasts' and it's possible he's meant to do it while facing Asirpa but I think we should prepare ourselves for an interesting ride because Noda so far still seems to have plans for him.

We'll see... thank you all for your asks and sorry if I put them together!

[twistedfaych]

So I read a lot of manga over winter break and I want to share some thoughts bc if I don't I might explode; The list is roughly in the order I read them

Baki the Grappler: Fun, crazy and a bit stupid but in a good way, really enjoyable

New Grappler Baki: More of the same, still pretty exiting, its getting a bit more ridiculous

Hanma Baki: :( I really didn't like the pickle rick arc and its just ridiculous now and I think the series could have ended here

---- Baki Break ----

Claymore: Beserk but lesbian so automatic win, cried a lot at the end, awesome monster art if you are into that

Dorohedoro (I already read 2/3 before but decided to finish it): Amazing and weird, a great manga for people that root for the "bad" guys, really loved it

Spy X Family: its so popular that I rly don't now what to say here. Its fun

Monster: Amazing writing and pacing, stays exciting from chapter to chapter, was really hard to put down and also really hard hitting

RED: Living on the edge: an actual hidden gem, great characters and hard hitting themes mixed with the appropriate amount of funny, also great female characters. I'm almost sure Golden Kamui is inspired by this, so if you like GK, you will eat this up.

Fire Punch: jesus christ man; whats fujimotos thing with cannibalism??? Its good but man it hurts, but I guess thats the point

Gantz: uhh yeah that happened I guess. Engaging and strong start but then it just falls apart due to various literary devices and tropes used, the end is just whatever; got some AoT vibes, Mangaka is to horny on main for my taste; I feel like it wasted a lot of potential

Homunculus: Great premise and great execution. I clocked the egg on the first panel were only their hand is visible, I'm really proud of myself for that one. TW Rape if you want to read it yourself

Shamo: I'm really torn with this one,, The beginning is pretty hard to stomach and but it gets really good after that?? Its a manga were I actively disliked the main character the whole way through, which is an interesting experience. I would only recommend it if you like baki but thought what if Baki wasn't a nice guy but an enormous asshole and rapist and rape victim instead? A hard read for sure, also obv TW Rape and other acts of sexual violence and abuse.

Blaster Knuckle: I only read the first 3 volumes since I couldn't find scans of more. Really didn't like that the KKK are ACTUAL DEMONS instead of just horrible humans, kinda misplaces the agency. otherwise its fun, its a bit of a riff of beserk but as a western

Beastars: I guess everyone already knew this but it is AMAZING and I loved every second, I was constantly on the verge of tears in the Legosi/Haru parts, guess I'm a furry now :shrug:

---- End of Baki Break ----

Baki Dou: :( :( just,, don't,, idk just because you can write that doesn't mean you should!!

Baki Dou (2018): surprisingly I had fun with this again! its a bit back to the roots and actually interesting new characters for a change!

So yeah now you know what I did for the last month hahahaha I have a habit of binge reading,,,,

[globodamorte]

GK SPOILERS FOR CH.310!!

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

I'm.honestly in awe of how perfect his death was. he didn't get a redemption arc. he didn't let himself get one, which is pretty in character tbh. the way his whole life is full of self punishing and self sabotaging, guided by a philosophy that he only follows out of fear. "if I was loved? what then?" I love how he came to the final conclusion by himself, no one told him "oh you poor soul you're actually loved silly boy!" he just realized it by himself. and the breakdown he has while doing so is honestly .. chefs kiss.

ogata couldn't get a happy ending. it would be too ooc for him. he sealed his own fate, and realized his mistake too late. like, I'm sorry. as many other characters in Golden kamuy, it's a shame but there was no way. and who's to say that accepting his feelings of guilt, feeling loved, blessed for an instant and reuniting with his brother isn't a good ending for him? he's free of himself now.

also? asirpa hasn't killed anyone yet because ogata shot himself before the poison killed him. maybe he didn't even realize it and I'm reading too much into it, but it's nice to see one last act of him protecting asirpas "innocence", that draws yet another parallel between him and sugimoto. I bet he would feel.. uhh.. guilty lmao

having the realization happen with all ogatas from so many periods of his life is at the same time super cool but also acts like he's reflecting on his entire life journey. his life passing before his eyes, and him accepting (because realizing? he kind of already knew but was in such extreme denial that he was kinda trapped by it) his mistakes and true feelings simultaneously.

I kinda wish he would have cried a little. not in a "oh.... what is this...?" way but in a "azula after she gets chained to the floor" way.

in a "the fragile philosophy that guided my life was just shattered and I ruined myself and so many others for nothing and I feel so bad about it despite pretending I don't for over 20 years. also I'm in a lot of pain" way.

I also wish his delirium of yuusaku was a little more idk... affectionate. I think it would contribute and escalate his breakdown more up until the climax. maybe some changes will be made when the volume is released, but who knows.

his last line "brother, you were born a blessed child" also is perfect bc that's the last thing ogata thought he would hear in his life (even if it was a delusion of his IDC) it counters all the times he thought and thought and said to himself and others that he is cursed, defective, broken from the start and that there is no hope for him. but he Chose that broken path.

I'm also glad he said it himself. he CHOSE it. maybe he was afraid, maybe he was desperate, maybe he was so isolated that he couldn't possibly find another solution, after all he was a child, desperate for love and attention. maybe it's all of that together. but I'm glad that he doesn't shy away from it. he acknowledges that even so, he still was very in the wrong and his actions are not suddenly ok because he's so fucked up, and I really appreciate that.

edit: also I'm glad he was smiling.

[mikazuki-juuichi]

Golden Kamuy 17

- Golden Kamuy, vol. 17.Satoru Noda.

Entering Russia brings a tremendous change for both our protagonist groups. It’s no longer just the unmerciful nature or the cruelty of human adversaries; now there is the weight of history and politics. Sometimes, the sins of the past catch up not to the individual,  but to entire nations…

A somewhat odd volume of GK because it has less of its unusual characteristics: There’s less spectacular moments and less homoeroticism, which in theory would bring this closet to so many other generic adventure tales. But none of it went away. Check out the story of the virginal standard bearer seduced by his lieutenant and by another soldier. Or the gender non-conforming character Sofia Golden Hand. Or the method for separating flesh and metal in extreme cold…

This volume sets up the historical and political context for upcoming tales —a study of ethnic minorities in the Russian-Japanese border. It’s not that the quality was lowered or that it tried to appeal to the Mainstream -it’s that the story takes a slight pause to carefully set the next action stage.

*

[sandflow]

Sugimoto and Ogata’s rivalmance. PART III

Hello yet again.

Since more Golden Kamuy chapters have been piling up, and with them more Sugimoto and Ogata angst, I’m going to pinpoint what other new scenes popped up ever since chapter 200 happened.

Here’s Part I: http://daewonhoff.tumblr.com/post/182743868378/sugimoto-and-ogatas-rivalmance

And Part II: https://sandflow.tumblr.com/post/185315377728/sugimoto-and-ogatas-rivalmance-part-ii

Chapter 200: Sugimoto monologues the line “get well and come back to me, so I can kill you.” to Ogata. 

I’ll come back to this scene because the volume version came out some time ago and Noda changed a small detail in the last page.

This is the magazine version of the page:

Notice that Sugimoto’s eyes look blank (which happen when a character is in danger, fights someone or is threatening someone).

This is the volume version of the page:

Notice that Sugimoto’s eyes don’t look blank anymore and are now full of life with a little spark added to them.

Because of this change, Sugimoto doesn’t seem as threatening as he is in the initial version of the chapter. You could say that his line now sounds as a “Get well soon you shit” rather than a threat.

Chapter 201: Sugimoto’s group tries to travel through Karafuto. They get ambushed by a sniper. Everyone thinks it’s Ogata. 

Sugimoto is going straight to the sniper to kill him.

A very devoted man trying to chase after his supposed nemesis.

Chapter 202: Sugimoto is thinking about how he will kill Ogata.

And Sugimoto being shocked it wasn’t Ogata.

So, after terrorizing Vasily by chasing him around the building, he finally catches him.

Notice his blank stare in the last panel. He’s ready to kill.

And then he notices the Ogata drawing that was coming out of Vasily’s pocket.

He suddently stops attacking and his eyes seem to have a glimmer of light in them now.

Chapter 203: Sugimoto thinks Vasily is in cahoots with Ogata so he starts to interrogate him.

Sugimoto tries to ask him questions but there is a clear language barrier going on. He tries to explain that Ogata is the biggest baddie of them all.

So he starts drawing Ogata and how he escaped the hospital.

And as the image shows, we have a centaur Ogata with his dick out.

Sugimoto felt like he wanted to explain how he saved Ogata and also added that he did to save Asirpa from becoming a killer, followed by some suspension lines. What are the dots for Noda? HM? Did Sugimoto have any other reason so as to save Ogata?

And this is how the Ogata fanclub was born.

From these chapters it’s clear that Sugimoto considers Ogata a threat, and that also thinks of him as a bad person, yet he spared Vasily’s life (who shot Shiraishi in the leg) and indulged in drawing his version of the story.

After this fanclub encounter, the Sugimoto gang is now advancing further to Hokkaido.

Shiraishi questions why Vasily is following them. It’s then concluded that he is after Ogata. Sugimoto then says this line:

Which is interesting because, we are now hearing Sugimoto’s point of view about what Vasily thinks. How does Sugimoto know what he thinks? Is he projecting? Does Sugimoto think that maybe Ogata is after him until he kills him?

Hell if I know. 

Moving on. 

Asirpa then wonders if Ogata will come back to them, but is unsure why he would considering that he doesn’t give a damn about the gold.

And Sugimoto says he’s doing it for the yolo.

Sugimoto’s expression looks as if he really doesn’t know what Ogata is after.

tbh Sugimoto the whole fandom wonders what he wants so you’re not alone

And even if he doesn’t know what he’s after, he still has the imminent urge of thinking that Ogata is their enemy.

Chapter 222: Ogata came back in the plot and is now in Hijikata’s group again. He tells them what happened in Karafuto. 

Of course, he’s lying to his teeth by not telling them he was the one who shot Wilk and Sugimoto.

But in the page where he says that Sugimoto was the one who killed Kiroranke because he teamed up with Tsurumi’s men, Noda changed the dialogue in the volume version. The line was translated by someone from one of the GK discord servers I’m part of.

This is the magazine version:

And this is the volume version.

He says that the one who killed Kiroranke were Tsurumi’s men and not Sugimoto.

Did Noda change the line because Ogata is intending for the Hijikata group to ally with Sugimoto’s group? It’s possible. 

Did he change it so that it looks like Ogata feels no grudge towards Sugimoto, and tries to not picture him as the bad person in the whole ordeal? Also possible.

Chapter 228: Sugimoto gets lost in the forest and finds a bird that keeps him company.

He asks the bird if it would’ve been better if they left their spot ever since they ran out of food. The bird chirps and he starts scolding/threatening the bird saying “YOU LOVED THAT FOOD TOO” while making Ogata-styled eyes.

This chapter was was stupidly random and pointless, but what I can point out here (which might sound far-fetched) is that maybe this was a foreshadow to what Sugimoto feels about Ogata betraying their group. 

But Sugimoto seems super nuts in this chapter so I can’t bet on that at all.

Chapter 236: Sugimoto is touched by Boutarou’s harem story and he now has his own flashback with his father.

His dad is dying of tuberculosis and apparently there’s this saying about black cats that cure tuberculosis.

So we have this black cat that comes out of nowhere to comfort Sugimoto for a few seconds and then leaves. 

Who was the character who was always being portrayed as a cat?

(Noda liked Muro Saisei’s cat so he said why not)

In a way it’s funny if Sugimoto actually views Ogata as a black cat that gives luck considering what good deeds Ogata did to him.

Chapter 246: Sugimoto’s group meets up with HIjikata’s and they start battling eachother. Sugimoto gets immobilized by Ushiyama. And Kadokura says Ogata is nearby.

Sugimoto is shocked for a bit and wants to be sure that Ogata really is there.

I-is my supposed arch nemesis here?? R-really??? 

He then takes out a picture of Ogata from his pocket so that he can explain to Vasily that Ogata is nearby.

To which all I can ask is: Sugimoto why do you keep a picture of Ogata in your pocket constantly?

The logical explanation is that he can ask townsfolk about Ogata’s whereabouts.  But...do we ever see Sugimoto asking anyone about Ogata’s whereabouts and thus using that picture? No.

Something similar happened with Tanigaki’s almost nude pictures too. He had at least 2 different pictures with Tanigaki in different sexy poses.

Moving on from this rather curious and shippy scene.

He then accuses Hijikata that it was his fault as to why he got separated from Asirpa, and thus Ogata being able to shoot him.

Really Sugimoto? Are you going to blame Hijikata that Ogata shot you?

do not defend you arch-nemesis like this

Chapter 247: Sugimoto’s group together with Hijikata’s are now united and as such they go and start drinking. But before that, Sugimoto needs to be sure that Ogata won’t come near them.

It’s curious that while reading these chapters, it looks like Sugimoto is constantly trying to protect Asirpa from Ogata, even though Ogata isn’t aiming for the gold, and was also unable to shoot Asirpa on the ice floe. Why is Sugimoto using Asirpa as an excuse to keep Ogata away from them so much?

And what I also noticed is that he uses Vasily to confront Ogata. Sure, Ogata is  way too far away for Sugimoto to reach, so using another sniper against him might solve that problem. But hasn’t he noticed that Ogata had enough time to shoot them since they were way out in the open just now? With Vasily struggling to equip himself with a rifle and climbing somewhere up to look out for Ogata?

Seems to me like Sugimoto is trying to avoid confronting Ogata because that would mean killing him, and since he doesn’t know what Ogata’s true motives are, he might hesitate in doing so.

Chapter 250: Sugimoto being really careful so as to not move around open areas for Ogata to snipe them.

Asirpa then tells him that Ogata is still interested in the gold. And thus has no reason to kill her.

This page is the pinnacle of what Sugimoto thinks of Ogata. 

He thinks of him as a lone wolf who wishes to screw up everyone’s chances in getting the gold, thus dissappointing everyone. 

Which is funny to me because that is literally what Ueji does in chapter 257. 

And with the whole “he is alone thing”, it’s interesting to note that Sugimoto is sort of in the same situation as Ogata. He was, in a way, a loner up until he met Asirpa. He has nowhere to go after the whole gold hunt. 

Yes, he’ll go back to Umeko but she has remarried already with someone who is rich and so her eye problem will probably be solved by him. Besides, Sugimoto doesn’t seem like the type to marry a woman who has been married to his best friend.

It’s more likely that if Sugimoto gets his share of the gold and finishes his job with getting Umeko to fix her eyes, he will go back to being a loner in the woods. 

And he can’t go back to his home village either, since the last time he went there, Umeko could’ve easily smelled the stench of slaughtered soldiers that was coming from Sugimoto’s direction. He feels like he doesn’t belong in that village. 

Ogata doesn’t seem to have a home for himself either. Other than his grandparents.(who we don’t know if they still live).

And now it is time for me to go to sleep for the next 30-40 chapters.

[piduai]

this part was changed a bit in the volume

the lines on the left were moved downwards, with the new lines being "he dug up my old wounds just to find what's already withered within and pour his own love on that"

i remember reading gk for the first time and reaching this part being like... well first of all who is this guy... (not even joking lmfao i never even noticed tsukishima's presence before engaging with the f*ndom) maybe he's kinda cooking! well i mean to say that i liked his resolution to watch the tsurumi theater and him being content with being lied to. i thought that it's interesting and a bit fresh, he knows exactly what's going on, sees though tsurumi thoroughly, and goes along with it out of his own will... unfortunately it a) went absolutely nowhere and played no part in anything lol. he didn't betray tsurumi or try to break from under his control, and neither did he choose to watch the tsurumi theater until the end. he just passed out and. um. well that's it. revolting. and b) i forgor he exists by next chapter also

other than that this chapter has quite a few subtle dialogue changes and additions... the viz version is BAD in all honesty lol it really takes away from the experience. it's a shame

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy - cover analysis volumes 19 & 20.

I totally dropped the ball on this meta awhile ago, but with the cover for volume 20 out now - it is a good time to talk about more lovely points of analysis by the untraceable on social media, Merdopseudo.

Previously, we had a post about the order of the covers and how different numbers are associated with key characters in repeating spots while others were variable as well as the pose. Many readers of GK like to refer to Sugimoto, Asirpa and Shiraishi as the “golden trio”. As Shiraishi was on the volume 9 cover, if he really was a part of the golden trio we had a prediction that he would either be on the volume 18 or 19 cover.  Yet, 18 was Kadokura and Kirawus and 19 was Kiro.   This makes Kiro the 6th character to appear on 2 covers (well now adjusted with Sugimoto on volume 20 as predicted, so 3 for him).  Having Kiro on volume 19 is a logical choice, this is the volume that would contain the chapters leading up to his death as well has his gamble on Karafuto to get Asirpa to remember the code. Merdopseudo and I personally liked the choice of Kiro for volume 19 because we both really like his character.  He is in an action posture, ready for battle, while the rest of the 10-18 blankets, a smile on his face, he has a lit grenade, in reference to his grenade he threw on Tsukishima, Koito and Tanigaki on the ice pack.  With his death, he will no longer be in the manga so his ability to be on a future cover is practically nil (unless he shows up to haunt Tanigaki or Koito as Ogata's brother did on 17).

We can notice that on the back of the cover of volume 19 there is a dosanko breed of horse, native of Hokkaido, which Noda mentioned in an interview, which strongly resembles the type of horse Shiraishi was riding when they first left for Abashiri.  Therefore, the horse refers to both Kiro and his love of horses as well as the fact that this is the type of breed Shiraishi has ridden.  It became very clear in the manga that Shiraishi was the Japanese character closest to Kiro and the trip to Karafuto changed Shiraishi as much as it changed Asirpa.

Merdo’s other observation is that this cover really invokes the spirit of Kiroranke, not Yulbars.   Yulbars was associated with regular “western” horses yet his cover for 19 has a dosanko = Hokkaido as his home that he was fighting for. 

Now moving onto volume 20.  The theme for the covers will change again.  Recall that our observations are that volume 1-9 were more relaxed/friendly/non-threatening poses.  We then predicted that 10-19 would be more aggressive/defensive poses where the characters are more dynamic and in some sort of action.  This then leads to a new set of covers with a new overall theme for 20-??.

We aren’t quite sure what this next theme will be since we only have Sugimoto as the main.  What we can see is that this is a murderous looking Sugimoto, his mittens are swinging around him.  His right hand is holding his rifle while he pulls out his bayonet with his left hand, as he does frequently.  This is exactly what he did when he went in to kill Ogata after his surgery.

Does this mean all of the covers will now be murderous? Or something else?  We’ll have to wait until we see volume 21 with Asirpa.  Thinking of a murderous Asirpa scares me . . .

Merdopseudo has a great summary of Volume 20 for what she calls downright threatening and aggressive or as instigators of violence and/or combat.

As far as the cover itself she has the following remarks; the background colours are dark, dark blue and dark red, the dark red reflects red on Sugi and the white ground (snow) reminiscent of blood. This supports Sugi's extremely threatening and even murderous posture.

We both believe that Sugimoto’s murderous posture is towards Ogata, who "stole" Asirpa from him.

Merdo thinks that the cover, which may seem anachronistic in relation to the content of Volume 20, is not because it is not a step back from what happened in Volume 19 but is related to what Sugimoto thinks.

Why? On the cover Sugimoto has his rifle and if you recall, he didn't have it when he went looking for Asirpa and Ogata (185-188), and is about to take out his bayonet (197), which is what he wanted to use to kill Ogata with in the hospital, thus keeping her pure from resulting in his death.

The back cover there is Ogata taking Asirpa away from him by holding her by the hand; this may seem to refer to their escape on the ice floe, but in fact I think it is Sugimoto’s mental representation of what happened, hence Ogata's smile (even if in fact it is what happened, minus Ogata's smile).

Yet, we the readers know that Sugimoto himself doesn't actually know what happened between Ogata and Asirpa, he's speculating what happened while he was absent, or as I would like to call “Sugi-vision”.  Tsukishima has a better idea of what happened on the ice floe than Sugimoto. . .  recall that Tsukishima was much closer to the truth when he approached Sugimoto.

Merdopseudo states that the back cover of 20 represents well the chapters (and events) contained in volume 20.  We see that the lack of communication between Asirpa and Sugimoto is an important point or an almost fundamental fact which keeps showing the reader that their reunion was not truly a “real” reunion.

Therefore, this cover is appropriate for volume 20. It is true that it would have been also perfect for volume 19, but it would have removed all symbolism and would have been just factual.  Above all, the choice of Kiro was much more judicious for volume 19 and both of us feel that Kiro on volume 19 was just perfect, it was his last stand and despite his sacrifices, he did it for his family, his people and the future.

What we really want to highlight is that volume 20 shows Sugimoto’s desire to kill Ogata and the image he has of Ogata.  This is combined with and his desire to protect Asirpa and his idea of her "kidnapping" and Ogata's primary role in it.  We as readers know that Kiro was the mastermind behind the plan and Asirpa was not kidnapped, she traveled willingly with Kiro, since Ogata told her that Sugimoto had died and despite her being upset, it was a good enough reason for her to go with Kiro.

In contrast, Sugimoto thinks, or rather wants to believe, that it is Ogata who is behind this plan and not Kiro.  Despite Sugimoto saying it was all Ogata in front of Tsurumi, we are sure Tsurumi is aware that Kiro was in charge and that Ogata went along with him based on what knows of Ogata’s skills.  And so the cover of volume 19 with Kiro was perfectly planned.

Lastly, we will throw out our somewhat “controversial” idea that the presence of Sugimoto, Asirpa and Ogata on the cover of Volume 20, the beginning of a new rotation, can also support the theory of the real Golden Trio. Yes, both of us see the real trio of GK is Sugimoto, Asirpa and Ogata; therefore, we predict that they will work together as a group in the future.  We do love Shiraishi a lot (really we are both huge Shiraishi fans!), but keep in mind that Noda didn’t originally intend for him to be a long term character, but it was a great idea to keep him in the main cast.

[globalkids]

Day 4 in Madrid. Today was a pretty busy day. We did so much. We started by attending a New York University Politics and Climate Change class. This was an amazing opportunity to be able to attend. Not only because the class was on climate change, but as high schoolers we are allowed to be exposed to how it may be to study abroad in college. I take a philosophy course with NYU in New York, so I was used to the school’s overall feel but to be in Madrid in classes made my experience with this institution all the better. Unfortunately, the Politics and Climate Change class was on its last day of the course, so we weren’t able to see the professor in action. Nevertheless, the students were presenting on either specific countries or regions and how climate change as been affecting those areas. They used vocabulary such as “thesis” and “biomes” that we were able to add to our vernacular. Students had spoken about countries such as Greenland, Brazil, Russia, and China. We overall had a very good, insightful time at NYU Madrid and are deeply grateful to be given this opportunity. 

After the class and lunch, we headed to COP25 to see an event on youth empowerment that Greta Thunberg would be attending. She wasn’t able to attend COP25 today, but the event without her was still very empowering. Throughout the event, some GK members spoke on the lack of diversity in panels and the intersections among race and who is in the frontline of activist movements. This made a very interesting way of viewing these events and exhibits at this convention. While waiting for our next agenda, attending and speaking a side event, we were interviewed by a reporter from the BBC. During this interview, we were able to discuss our views, opinions, and critiques on the conference as well as the press following the event. After the interview, we took several cute photos and the Global Kids student representatives, Esther and Abdullah, became prepared to become speakers at this panel in the Moana Pavillion. 

Esther and Abdullah did very well while speaking. Not only did they speak at a good speed and volume, but they were also extremely clear about what they had to say and sounded extremely genuine while doing so. Esther had talked about stories of people on the coast of New York being affected by climate change. Also, Abdullah had talked about climate change in his motherland, Bangledesh, and how there needs to be a change. 

After the side event at the Moana Pavillion, we headed home. The majority of the group went back outside with Isa to have an adventure, around the neighborhood, and buy souvenirs. While doing so, we found a lot of interesting places we had never seen before. Also, Isa, Yohany, and I rode a local carousel and had a fun time. 

While the day was very long and busy, we had a grand time. It was definitely a night to remember. 

-Xavier Baptiste from Hudson High School of Learning Technologies 

[gdresearchnthoughts]

Week 1 Research and plans

Resource：

dulcimer. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc, 2018. dulcimer. Oxford University Press, 2014. https://www.cmuse.org/dulcimer/ https://www.dulcimer.org.uk/schools/Page5.html

What is a dulcimer?

A dulcimer is a stringed folk instrument which basically comes in two different varieties: the hammered dulcimer – which has strings stretched over a sounding board with a trapezoidal shape, generally setting on a stand, angled in front of the player who strikes the strings with two small hammers called mallets and the Appalachian dulcimer – often referred to as a mountain dulcimer, is a narrower version of the zither family instrument, having three to five strings with a fingerboard that’s fretted which is held in the lap of the player who strums it with a small stick, sometimes referred to as a quill or plectrum, with the right hand while controlling the chords or melody with the left hand.

Dulcimers are considered to be one of the easiest instruments to learn how to play, making them ideal for beginners and children who want to play an instrument. In addition, they are also relatively quite, so they can be played just about anywhere anytime. In fact, a lot of people liken their soft sounds to being in a relaxing atmosphere, making them well-suited for either the personal relaxation of the player, for the creation of a relaxing environment for those listening, or both.

Nomenclature

The term ‘dulcimer’ derives from dulce melos (Gk. and Lat. ‘sweet sound’) and is common only in English (i.e. in Britain, North America, and New Zealand)

Dulcimer in different countries: HackbreƩ (Germany, Switzerland) Salterio (Mexico, Spain, Italy) Santur or Santoor (Iran, India) 扬琴(China) 大正琴（たいしょうごと）（Japan） Cimbalom (Hungary) Sandouri (Greece) Tsimbaly (Russia) Chang (Uzbekistan) Khim (Thailand) Dan Tam Thap (Vietnam) Hammered Dulcimer (UK and US) Different meaning: ‘Yang Qin’ (in Chinese) means ‘foreign instrument’ ‘HackbreƩ’ (in German) means ‘chopping board’!

 History The dulcimer first appeared among Scottish and Irish immigrants during the early nineteenth in the Appalachian Mountains. However, the instrument has no known predecessor in either Scotland or Ireland. Because of this, a large part of the dulcimer’s history has been speculative until fairly recently.

Structure 2 Kinds: Mountain dulcimer, hammer dulcimer The body of the dulcimer is almost universally a box construction, though sometimes bridges and strings are mounted on a plank with soundholes and battens, which creates a resonance chamber when the instrument is placed on a table. Some makers believe that there is a relation between the number of soundholes and the volume of sound, but instruments in Scotland and elsewhere have none and sound just as well. Soundboards are normally flat, but the 19th-century northern Irish dulcimer was curved or vaulted, as are some American instruments and some examples of the Chinese yangqin and Tibetan rgyud-mang. As a practical alternative to doubling the string lengths for every octave descent in range, a trapezial shape has been commonly adopted, with the strings at different tensions and sometimes of different thicknesses.

Most dulcimers are portable, some easily so, some less easily. Instruments with dampers operated by a pedal are necessarily built with legs (concert cimbalom, Uzbek chang, etc.), and legs are characteristic also of some American instruments. A neck strap is quite commonly used in eastern Europe and occasionally elsewhere (the Alps, Germany, Milan). Decoration varies widely; molding and marquetry are common, and the soundholes often have a rose carved in the soundboard or made of gilt paper, metal, or silken threads. It is thought to have been a Persian custom to inscribe poetry on the table. In China, the bridges are often delicately carved, and the outer edges of the Cantonese ‘butterfly harp’ are decoratively scalloped.

Bridges are of wood, but almost always with a wire rod or nail set in the top; in China, ivory caps are used instead of wire, and one small English type has a brass covering. There are numerous ways of arranging the bridges. On some instruments a long solid bridge divides all the strings into two playable parts; Virdung illustrated such an arrangement in 1511, and it is still found. A far commoner arrangement is shown in Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen’s Nativity(1512): two long bridges each carry half the courses, led alternately over one bridge and through cut-outs in the other. Normally only one bridge divides its strings into two sounding portions. This is called the treble bridge and the strings the treble strings. The long undivided strings crossing the other (bass) bridge are the bass strings. From the 18th century the bridges were sometimes segmented so that different strings could be divided into different proportions, and as early as 1636 Mersenne depicted an extra bridge on the left to bear two or three extra bass strings running the whole length of the instrument.

Though this particular instrument is generally associated with the elder generation, it is gradually becoming more and more popular with the younger generation who have discovered its unique sound and charms. Because of it being so easy to play, music teachers consider the dulcimer to be an excellent educational instrument as well. This being the case, these instruments are often used in an educational setting, with some classes even going so far as to make their own dulcimers, albeit made with cardboard due to limits in craftsmanship, skill, budget, and time.

Playing Basically, there are two fretting methods for the dulcimer. The first is to use the fingertips to depress the strings, which allows all the strings to be fretted and can produce chords. The second way is to depress the melody string, which is generally the closest to the player, using a noter. A noter can either be a short piece of bamboo or short length of dowel. When using this method, however, only the melody is fretted, with the other strings acting as drones.

The dulcimer attracts a wide variety of playing styles, such as being played with a bow, like a violin or “guitar style”, hanging from a strap around the neck of the player or just resting sideways in the lap. The dulcimer can be both fretted and strummed like a guitar. Other dulcimer players enjoy more traditional styles of playing, such as using a fingerstyle technique, such as using one hand to finger chords and the other to pluck individual strings. Musicians have imported a variety of playing techniques from other stringed instruments, adopting more and more complex techniques, which has greatly expanded the versatility of the dulcimer. This makes the Appalachian dulcimer not only easy to learn how to play but also capable of more complex music as well. The dulcimer is good for beginners, hobbyists, and professionals all the same; it’s good for all who want to learn how to play.

Comparing with other instruments: Easier to play compare with banjos and guitars because the finger placement is not necessary. A simple strum can produce the desired sound as a dulcimer doesn’t play sharps or flats, but instead all “white keys”, or the diatonic scale, making it is easy for picking out playing familiar folk tunes almost effortlessly.

The word dulcimer relates to music and music is abstract. All the materials and media I want to explore should be easy to present or approach abstract work.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Music is an international language that links with people world widely.

Materials:

1. paper  Paper can be shaped and colored easily. I would like to slice it into thin rules. The rules can represent strings of dulcimer, the sound wave, music, emotion.

transparency paper Allow elements nest in different layers.

2. thread and nails Kind of same as paper, the shape will be sharper and easily layered. The rules can represent strings of dulcimer, the sound wave, music, emotion. 

3. iron wire   The hard surface allows the material to be nested 3D without lose the shape. The rules can represent strings of dulcimer, the sound wave, music, emotion. 

Media:

1. Photography  Explore with different lights, shutter speed setting

2. watercolor painting  Use the basic elements from dulcimer: holes, strings, the shape, explore abstract watercolor painting.  

3.projector Allow images combine with different surface together.