#guys yukitos there trust me

[ottostoast]

touyaposting

[itsuki-minamy]

"AYAKA - THE EVE OF A SPECIAL WEDDING" (Novel)

TRANSLATION: NARU-KUN

CHAPTER 1: KISUIRIN

* List of Chapters

Sitting in the center of the eight-tatami room of the Amamiya house, a boy and a woman sat in front of a low table, arms crossed, deep in thought.

The boy's name is Yukito Yanagi. He is 15 years old and his calm and fragile features give off an aura of calm that belies his age. His long, narrow eyes looked at the things piled up on the table with a touch of dismay.

"What should we do about this?"

The woman on the other end of the line is Momoko Amamiya. The owner of that house is a beautiful woman in her twenties. She responded quietly, a puzzled expression on her calm face.

"What should we do about this?"

There was a pile of mail piled up on the table.

The Amamiya family is a large landowner in Ninoshima. Of course, there is also a lot of mail addressed to Momoko, the current head of the family. However, an even larger number of recipients are for the other person who lives with them.

"...This is also a bill for Jingi-san."

"The same thing happens here. Oh, this is the name of a store I've never seen before. Is it a new store?"

"You often get free drinks when you go to a restaurant for the first time... That's more surprising to me."

"Jingi-chan is good at reaching people's hearts. I think he has the talent of a deceiver."

"If you drink and eat all you want and don't pay, then you're essentially a scammer, right?"

After examining and sorting through the large amount of mail that had arrived one by one, in the end, 20% were addressed to Momoko, the owner, and the remaining 80% were invoices to Jingi.

Yukito felt a little dizzy. Even at a glance, the amount of money they charged Jingi was more than Yukito, a high school student, had ever imagined. The reason he was worried, wondering how that person would pay for that, was because to Yukito, it was no one else's problem.

Sagawa Jingi is said to be Yukito Yanagi's teacher. Just in case. Although Jingi often says that a teacher's debt is his disciple's debt, Yukito is always involved in his financial problems. He's always been like that, so he'll probably continue to be like that. In other words, these bills were also a warning of trouble that Yukito would get into.

Yukito timidly asked Momoko, who was preparing a letter.

"Um, where is Jingi-san now?"

Momoko put her finger on her chin and looked up at the ceiling as if she thought for a moment.

"Huh? Looks like he didn't come home yesterday. It's warmer now, so I guess he's sleeping outside."

"Like a stray cat..."

Momoko is basically a kind and gentle woman, but she seems to have a laissez-faire approach to duty. No matter where he sleeps or wakes up, no matter how much debt he accumulates, she doesn't particularly blame him. They've known each other for ten years, so maybe that means they have a trusting relationship.

At that moment, he heard the front door open and a young man entered the room.

The person responsible for the invoice is Sagawa Jingi.

His hair reaches the nape of his neck and his eyes fall with a carefree look. Yukito knows that a face that seems to be smiling all the time can mysteriously lower people's guard. However, he was not smiling now and his face was drooping from blood loss.

"Guh. I'm home."

Just by hearing the lackluster voice, Yukito was convinced that he had a hangover. Feeling sorry for himself for having to do such a thing, he approached Jingi.

"Are you okay, Jingi-san...?"

"Oh, Yukito. Bring me some water. Or some alcohol..."

"Are you still going to drink?!"

Yukito unexpectedly lunged at him and Jingi held his head in an exaggerated manner.

"Don't shout, are you trying to open your master's head? Yes, yes... I asked for some water or alcohol..."

At that moment, Jingi staggered up and headed to his room on the second floor.

"No, that guy..."

Yukito murmured a fact with a sigh, something he must have understood many times before. It is said that there is a lower level, but Jingi's level of failure is literally the bottom.

When he returned to the living room, Momoko was placing a jug of water and a cup on a tray. She must have been listening to the conversation they had just had and she handed the tray to Yukito with a smile on her face.

"Yes, this. Take it with you."

"...Yes, well, yes."

Yukito received the tray. It was weighing because there was a pile of invoices next to the jug and cup.

+++++++++++

"Hmm."

That was the first thing Jingi squeezed out after waking up.

There was a tray next to his pillow that wasn't there before he went to bed. On top of that is a cup, a jug of water, and a stack of invoices addressed to Jingi. Jingi grabbed one of them and grumbled.

"Yukito, you did something very disgusting. No, wait, is it Momoko-san who did this?"

The amount written on the invoice is quite alarming. Jingi turned his head as he drank water directly from the jug.

"Wow, have I been drinking so much this month...? Have I been fooled?"

Of course, they weren't fooling him; He was just getting invoices from when he lost a drinking match or stayed up all night drinking, but Jingi didn't remember any of that.

The amount won't go down just because he stares at it. Moving the bill with his fingers, Jingi lay down on the spot.

Bright spring sunlight streamed in through the half-open window.

Jingi stared for a while, eyes half-lidded.

There aren't that many options. Either he returns or he works. If things go wrong, there will no longer be a restaurant on Ayaka Island that will allow him to drink for a fee.

So he has no choice but to work.

Work. It is the most detestable word in this world. Life is short, so what's wrong with living as you please? It's not your fault that you can't be happy, it's the world's fault. He wants something like basic income to arrive soon and then drink as much as he wants with that money.

While he was feeling depressed, Jingi played with random ideas and made great progress.

His fist hit the desk.

The recoil caused something to fall off the desk and hit Jingi directly in the face.

"Oh?!"

Jingi lay in agony for a moment on the futon, staring at the falling object with teary eyes. It's a paulownia box, the size of a tissue box. It fell on his side, the lid opened and some of the contents spilled out.

"Ah..."

Groaning awkwardly, Jingi scratched his cheek and picked up the paulownia box.

It was a container for Jingi's "important things". A plastic model he spent all night building, a shiny chrome, a coin with a geometric pattern engraved on it, an old key with five rings connected to it, a tattered notebook. Things that were important to him as a child and that still remain today. It's full of important things.

One of them shone white in the sunlight.

It is an oval-shaped gem the size of an egg.

"What is this?"

Jingi picked up the jewel and turned his head. Did he have something like that? The fact that it was in the "important stuff" compartment means it had to be important. But he doesn't remember how important it was. Jingi picked it up and stared at it.

The pure white jewel seemed to radiate his own brilliance. Every time he looks at it from a slightly different angle, countless colors change and a rainbow of colored lights runs across its surface. Like the ocean, snow, cherry blossoms and forests, it is a mystical beauty that seems to contain all the beauty of nature in one universe.

He thought within him.

(It looks like it will sell well.)

Then he looked at the pile of invoices. First of all, he needed money. If he doesn't pay the bill at the restaurant he goes to, he won't have alcohol to drink. That is much more important than the true identity of that gem.

"Okay, let's go!"

Grabbing the shining jewel, Jingi shouted excitedly. It must be important, but just because he can't remember it doesn't mean it was that important, he thought to himself as he stormed out of the room.

+++++++++++

Yukito Yanagi is a "pulse connection".

To be more precise, it is like an apprenticeship.

Yukito himself understands that "pulse connection" is a technique, or a person wielding it, that "connects" life energy called "Ki" to create phenomena that transcend the laws of physics. There was probably a more complex and deeper principle behind this, but his teacher, Sagawa Jingi, never said a word or a half about such difficult matters.

"Well, if you keep trying, you'll eventually be able to do it, right?"

There's a good reason why Yukito follows those instructions every day. Even before arriving on Ayaka Island and living in Tokyo, he had been able to use mysterious powers.

The word "use" may not be correct. When Yukito's emotions run high, his power spirals out of control. He lost control due to his anger and sadness and hurt many people. As a result, people disappeared from Yukito's environment and Yukito himself began to feel afraid of interacting with people.

(Once you are connected, you will be able to control that power.)

Upon hearing that, Yukito decided to become a connection. Yukito, who has always had a serious personality, has never missed training every day since then.

That's why Yukito continued his training today on the bank of the Ninoshima River until sunset.

"The path of humanity, of the earth and of the sky. Water, which benefits all things and does not fight, takes care of the ills of all people."

When he says a spell, an image of the technique comes to mind. By pouring into it the enormous energy "life force" that flows from the depths of the earth, it speaks as royal power. Just as he can feel the heat of the sun on his skin even when he has his eyes closed, Yukito perceives that power as a tingling "sensation".

Grasp that "sense" with your "sensory" hands, refine it and assemble it. For Yukito, Jingi was a process like that.

The water rising from the river turned into a ball, a ring, and a tube, just as Yukito had imagined.

"Hmm...!"

Sweat formed on Yukito's forehead. When he uses that technique, he has the illusion that he is using a part of his brain that he has never used before. "You'll get used to it quickly." Jingi said, but at least at this stage, Yukito didn't seem to be able to continue using the technique without expending all of his energy.

That's why he couldn't help but lose concentration when he heard a sudden voice.

"Hey, Yukito!"

The tube-shaped water that had been growing for a while broke up and was attracted by gravity. It fell into the river and returned to the stream.

"Chatarou. You shouldn't bother Yukito-kun."

"Oh, too bad. I didn't think you were training..."

Yukito couldn't help but smile as the two got closer while driving a river boat.

The boy with slightly curly hair and round glasses is Chatarou Fukuwake.

The boy with light pigmented hair and cool features is Amano Yako.

They are apprentices who work at the Kaizumi Shrine in Minoshima and the first friends of the same age that he made on the island.

"No, it's okay. I was just thinking about taking a break."

"Really? I wish I was... Hey!"

Sinking his pole into the flow of the river, Chatarou skillfully brought the boat to the shore. Ninoshima is an island of streams and canals. Although not as common as cars, islanders often use boats as a means of transportation.

"Are you still doing the basics? Yukito, you're so talented you should try something more advanced."

"Ahaha...thanks. But I still want to solidify the basics."

"That's right, Chatarou. Yukito-kun has his own rhythm."

The two sat next to Yukito. Yukito felt a sense of joy at that. After spending many years in solitude, Yukito still doesn't quite know how to interact with his friends. Looking at the flowing river, Yukito tentatively began to talk about the technique.

"I usually do this in my garden pond, but Chatarou-kun told me that sometimes it's good to change the environment, so I'm trying it out."

"Oh, that's right! This is harder, isn't it?"

"Yes. Some techniques that work well in a pond may not work in a river. Why?"

"Hm? I wonder why?"

Chatarou crossed his arms and bowed his head. Yako shook his head in shock.

"What are you going to do with something like that? You're probably a senpai."

"Then you can explain it to me. You're good at that kind of thing, Yako."

"Ah, totally..."

Sighing, Yako reached out and touched the water flowing in the river.

"We, the pulse connectors, create techniques using the energy of the ''life line'' or ''vitality.'' It resides in all things, including wind, earth, water and fire, but also It's something that changes.''

"Oh, that's right. I'm sure Kurama-sensei said something like that too."

"To wander means to flow and circulate. Rivers always flow, but ponds are not like that. Basically, they are stagnant in one place. A flowing river contains more vitality than a stagnant pond, so it is difficult to treat. It takes a certain level of ability to handle a large amount of vital energy."

"Mmm." Chatarou nodded.

"That's it. Do you understand, Yukito?"

"Wait! Please don't steal others' credit later!"

"W-what? You just said exactly what Kurama-sensei taught you, right?"

"I'm better than you, who completely forgot about that!"

"Hahaha..."

Yukito couldn't help but smile bitterly as Yako and Chatarou began to argue as usual. These two are disciples of Kurama Haruaki, one of the best connections on Ayaka Island, but they are very competitive and always argue about who is better.

"In other words, flowing water is more difficult to manage than stagnant water."

"Yes. The stronger the flow of the river, the more difficult it is to handle. Once you get used to the flow here, it might be a good idea to try it in a mountain stream deep in the mountains. Afterwards..."

After saying that, he bowed his head slightly. He looks like he's not sure if it's okay to say something. Still, Yukito mustered up the courage to ask.

"Is there anything else?"

"Well... if you're used to mountain streams, it might be a good idea to try pouring water out of nowhere."

Yukito blinked.

"Um... can you do something like that? Oh, like the other day when I grew a peach tree in Minoshima?"

What suddenly came to mind was about ten days ago, when he first became friends with the two of them.

To test his own strength, Yukito, at the behest of the two, used a technique to accelerate the growth of a peach tree. However, it grew much faster and larger than they expected. When the peach tree involved Chatarou and Yako, Yukito felt unmistakable fear. The power image of him hurting someone again made him unable to move.

It was his teacher who helped him do that.

It was only for a moment that Yukito thought that way. Yako pointed out, shaking his head.

"That's not true. We just grew existing peach seeds, we didn't create a tree from scratch. You wouldn't be able to do something like that unless you were Kurama-sensei."

"I-Is that so? But Chatarou-kun can control the wind..."

"Wind is the flow of air, and air is something that is there. I have also planted a spark in my fire-breathing bamboo. It is the ability to pour a large amount of life force into a place where there is nothing and create something. That's a pretty high-level technique."

"Eh..."

Yukito was impressed. Kurama had taught him something, but if he put it into words again, it seemed like he could solidify the image of the technique. Yukito suddenly thought that this is the role a teacher is supposed to play, and he felt the respect he had just begun to feel for Jingi begin to wither once again.

At that, Chatarou asked nonchalantly.

"If you're with Jingi, you can do it, right? After all, that guy is very good at making connections. Although he is annoying."

"Well, maybe Jingi-san can do it. It's annoying though. Yukito-kun, why don't you try it once?"

As the two talked, Yukito frowned in confusion and explained what had happened in the morning.

"Hmm. It doesn't seem like that's the case now. Yesterday too."

As he kept repeating about the large amount of invoices that had been stuffed into the mailbox, and about the misfortune that Jingi kept coming home in that state in the morning, he began to wonder why he was studying with him.

"I thought I knew he was a bit weird as a person, but when he shows me that side of him so many times, I start thinking about all kinds of things..."

Yako and Chatarou looked at Yukito.

"Eh? W-what happened?"

Yukito asked, sensing something unusual in his behavior. The two looked at each other and then back at Yukito. They looked at him as if they were uncomfortable, as if they pitied him.

"I see, Yukito-kun."

"It's hard to say, but..."

The two then shared their testimony as witnesses.

Thirty minutes later.

Yukito was in front of the "Usagi" izakaya.

Ninoshima is a rural area, but there are some bars. "Usagi'' was one of those shops. Those who fish or work in the fields during the day go to the bars at night to relieve the fatigue of work, and then some people hang out until morning.

The person who is like the incarnation of Yakara is Sagawa Jingi.

And now, in front of Yukito's eyes, Jingi was showing his true potential.

Specifically, he was drinking in "Usagi" excessively.

"Wahahahahaha, Jingi has lost! Look, Ikkiikkaiikki!"

"Damn! I'll definitely win one next time!"

The twenty guests burst out laughing. Jingi stared at them and put a boot-sized glass in his mouth and tilted it all the way. His throat began to growl and the beer was dwindling little by little. All the guests applaud, proclaiming their cause. When he finally let the last drop go down his throat, Jingi raised his fist, grabbing the empty glass.

"Ai-uin!"

The tavern shook with laughter. Mindless applause arose from the drunken crowd, saying, "Okay, okay!" Like a champion returning triumphant, Jingi raised his arms and received the cheers.

It was really a party. The same vision, or even worse, that Chatarou and Yako had testified they saw on their way was unfolding before their eyes.

Yukito's gaze, looking at him, was cold and frozen. For the first time, 15-year-old Yukito realized that humans can be very despicable beings.

At that moment, Jingi noticed Yukito.

"Oh, it's Yukito! Come on, come here!"

His glaring eyes as he hit the table showed that he was completely drunk.

He turned around and closed the door of the tavern, then returned to the Amamiya residence and helped with dinner. Such temptation arose in Yukito's heart. No, actually, it wasn't a temptation at all, it was a very legitimate and rational choice... but still, Yukito didn't do it. Yukito's interpersonal skills were not strong enough to isolate people.

"Oh, Yukito-chan, it's good to see you! Why don't you sit here?", "Okay, come out, Yukito-kun, come on.", "Eh, what? Who?", Is it?", "Ah, Yanagi-san's son. Wow, that's so nostalgic!", "Thank you.".

Yukito pushed his way through the screaming drunk crowd. What came to mind is a scene from an adventure movie he once saw. An expedition that goes into the jungle and meets the locals. The locals, decked out in brightly colored feathers, shiny fur, and human bones, enthusiastically bang their spears and stomp the ground, but the explorers have no idea whether they are angry or happy.

When he finally arrived at Jingi, he kicked out the customer who was next to him.

"Hey, get out of here! Yukito-sama is on his way! He's that big hermit's son! You should sit on the toilet seat or something!"

"Sorry, sorry..."

Yukito felt humiliated and bowed his head. As he sat in the seat of the person who had moved while he was laughing, he finally started to get angry.

"What are you doing?! How much have you been drinking?!"

"Huh? What the hell? Are you hanging around because you weren't invited? No, you can't drink alcohol until you're eighteen."

"You're 20 years old! No, that's not it! How are you going to drink even more when you have so many invoices piling up?!"

The tavern fell silent.

However, the next moment, laughter broke out. Here and there, there were people laughing while holding their bellies, people clapping and shouting "Say more!", and people making toasts for some reason. Yukito looked around as if he was looking at something stupid.

Jingi said too, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Uh, hehehehe... You're a bit annoying, Yukito. You're a really slow guy. How much longer are you going to be talking about that?"

"H-how much? It was yesterday, right?"

"Yesterday's me and today's me are different! I'm a different person! Hey!"

With that, Jingi took something out of his pocket and slammed it on the table.

It was a wad of bills.

Yukito felt a shock as if he had been struck by lightning. A wad of bills. He had no pension, he was neck-deep in invoices, debt and alcohol, and he should have had no connection with that.

"A bunch of bills! I already returned all those pieces of paper you threw in my room because you didn't like them! But I still have this left, so I guess I'll just have to swallow it. Right? Hey, everyone!"

The drunks shook their fists and cheered. The sounds of "Okay, great job!" and "We're done!" They probably mean that all the expenses of that banquet are being paid by Jingi.

However, Yukito couldn't be cheerful. he asked with a trembling voice.

"Where did you get so much money? No way..."

"Oh? No, idiot, what are you thinking? As expected, I don't commit crimes either!"

He can't trust it at all. If a penniless person became rich in one day, the first thing you should suspect is that he committed a serious crime.

As if he sensed Yukito's doubts, Jingi lowered his tone and patted Yukito on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, this money was earned properly. Well, I don't know, but there was a strange jewel in my room. When I sold it to an antique dealer in Ichinoshima, he was surprised! He bought it for me, enough money to pay the debts and live for a while! Hahahahaha, I'm lucky after all!"

"A jewel?"

Yukito's suspicions were still not clear. It was hard to believe that Jingi owned such an expensive jewel. If that were true, it wouldn't be surprising if he disappeared from the world with the drinking money a long time ago.

"Are you okay? Selling such an expensive jewel. It's a big deal, right?"

"It's okay. But I showed it to Momoko-san just in case, but she said she didn't remember it. In that case, it's mine, and what I do with it is up to me. Am I wrong?"

It was no different.

There was no difference, but he wasn't convinced either. He couldn't believe that such luck had come to Jingi.

While Yukito was thinking, Jingi patted him on the back.

"Don't take it so seriously, you're so worried! If you have money, you should spend it! Look, you should drink too! Master, give him sake that even minors can drink!"

"Hm, got it!"

An angry voice came from the kitchen where the big wheel was working. The tavern shook with laughter again. Jingi was also laughing out loud.

As he watched that, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.

"Ah? What's wrong, Yukito?"

Jingi asked Yukito curiously as he stood up from his seat. Yukito looked at Jingi with cold eyes.

"I'm going home. It's almost time for dinner."

"You should have dinner here. It's my pleasure, isn't it?"

"Momoko-san will be in trouble if I skip dinner without contacting her. Please come home early."

And Yukito once again made his way through the jungle of drunk people and headed towards the exit of the izakaya. He pushed aside the frenzy that was swirling behind him and heaved a sigh.

"...Well, I guess that's good."

If the debt disappears, it's probably a good thing. He himself won't get into trouble anymore. Even though he was his teacher, why did Yukito have to worry about Jingi's debt?

The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it became.

But...

As expected, it was meaningless.

Or rather, he had a bad feeling about something. What exactly is the mysterious gem that Jingi sold? Why was there something so precious lying in Jingi's room? He guessed it was because he didn't know it that he was feeling anxious.

(I'm sure it's just my imagination.)

While he said that to himself, Yukito started on his way home.

Probably because he was deep in his thought, he did not notice that the murmur of the river had ceased.

[self-proclaimed-best-blog]

The fear.

The fear of being judged regardless of who you're with is actually crazy. I feel icky just talking about it here. I think I find strangers more comforting than my actual friends because they don't have an expectation of what my interests or personality will be. I could be anything.

But the moment something I'm secretly passionate about comes up in a conversation with some close pals I'm fucking doomed. It's over. Roll the credits already. Put me out of my misery. Because even if it's in positive context; I don't want them to know! WHY DO I WANT THEM TO KNOW???

I want them to know but I don't want them to have certain ideas of me. Ideas consisting of being uncool, or weird. I'm already pretty trashed on at school for being quiet but if I opened up about my interests I'd dig the hole deeper.

I have a mental list of things to say that make me appear awesome without letting them know much. But also trying to make them comfortable to bring those things up around me. I have a list of interests that are okay and not okay for me to share.

Actually, recently I told some of my closest friends for... just about a year now about my interest in a dumbass anime and.

I can't even fucking say it I feel gross.

This one ship in an anime that happened to be gay. And I've liked this anime since I was a little kid and read the mangas at the library. I've never told anyone though. (It was Card Captor Sakura. Sue me for being a boy who thinks magical girls are cool.) And I opened up about Yukito and Touya and how they had so much more potential and all the shit that could possibly be infodumped was definitely infodumped that day... and now I'm scared they think I'm some asian-gay fetishizing weirdo.

I'm pretty sure one of them might genuinely think that which just isn't true. It just so happens the only time I've ever really talked about shit like that was then. You guys don't know what animal it is until you uncover the whole skeleton, right? I was just starting to feel like opening up more too but I'm regressing. So much progress because of paranoia and one dumbass person who barely knows me out of the group. IT'S FUNNY ACTUALLY! NOBODY THERE KNOWS ME. I like them. I guess I trust them. But nobody takes time out of their day to show interest or get talk to me (Except that one person. Shoutout to her). Sure, I make them gifts for events and maybe it's my fault I'm so closed off and ask for nothing in return.

I actually just got over my agro habit of avoiding saying "I love you" to the people I care about the most. BUT I'VE REGRESSED YET AGAIN! This is why they left me bruh. It's so easy to say "I love you" to someone random because I don't mean it that much but when a person is the absolute best thing to ever happen to me: I'm suddenly dodging the three words like my life depends on it.

All because I'm worried to be vulnerable. I haven't talked about... REALLY talked about my interests for years. I always say "Oh, never heard of it." When they come up because I'm so horrified of people seeing me as me. I only want people to think I'm awesome, I'm cool, I make cool art, I make funny comics, and I'm just a great, laid back, chill guy.

But I'm none of those things. I'm some loser nerd who spends all day playing niche video games, watching anime, reading manga, skimming through wiki pages, listening to OST, binging Bobs Burgers, watching shitty 80's movies, sulking, stressing, talking to myself, barely eating and writing a really depressive blog.

I probably imagine and make up conversations more than I actually HAVE them. Horrible habit. I can honestly see why they ghosted my ass now. I'm a fucking loser.

I wish I was somebody else. I wish I was actually cool.

But I can't do shit but fake it until all these lame interests wash away as I get older. God, I hope it's soon.

[thesecretoflivereactions]

I am sure I am not the only one who wants to end this anime as quickly as possible so we can go over to something that is hopefully better.

I never said anything about it, because there were plenty of other things to complain about but you can sometimes really feel how they had to rush this Anime, because of only having twelve episodes. They often mention that "2 weeks have past" or something but it still feels like everything is happening way too fast and I am not even talking about how unrealistically rushed the lovestory is.

Don't get me wrong, I am usually the least to complain about a kiss-scene right in the first episode and I am glad if we do not have to go through slowburn, but I think the whole concept only works with different circumstances. Starting with that the guy is not a half-demon who barely could stop himself frim raping the woman who fell in love with him exactly because of that freaking incident ^^'

That is almost cruel to say to a young girl who admires you like that. I mean, I prever it over lying or pretending or doing what Yukito did in CCS, but I still think he could have put it more... uh... nicely. Like... along the lines of "You are a pretty girl and I like you, but just not in the way you want me to. I just don't fall in love or have any sort of other feelings for woman", or something like that.

Episode 9 is over. It was yet again overall really boring. So I guess I have to slightly change my statement. The pacing of this anime is a weird mixture between dragging things on that aren't that interesting/important and rushing things that actually are interesting/important.

This girl is just nuts. Absolutly and totally nuts.

Episode 10 is over too. We are close to the final but nothing of big interest has happened.

Only this and the next episode left and we made it through. (There is an episode 13 but I don't have it and it was not worth watching anyway ^^')

BTW... gotta love the title of that episode (people who also follow my gaming-live-reaction account know what I mean XD)

Lots of scary stuff happening. I can not remember when that "Jason" Guy is going to betray us and it honestly feels weird that he has not done it yet.

But then... who did? O.o

Also... my traitor-senses weren't reacting at all with that guy, but it might be because I've already seen the anime. And to be fair... those sensors are good, but they do not always work and while the Trailes games honed them very well, they also tainted them a bit. I have certain... types of characters that I mistrust just because they fit in certain sterotypes that Trailes told me to never trust.

However, this guy was far to suspicious to be a traitor, it was too in your face, if you ask me. But I could still be wrong. I don't remember much of that anime, to be honest ^^'

See? Its never the ones that scream suspicius. That would be boring.

Usually its the seemingly random professor or the guy you thought was on your side for sure or the one that should be the suspect but acts so damn innocently that you wonder if you were wrong about him XD (I just gave you a whole list of Trails-Traitors by the way *lol*)

I know the guy disliked Anzai... but shooting him here and now seems immensly random ^^'

(Sorry for the immense amount of missspelling in this post, by the way. My programm that helps me with the spelling doesn't work today for some reason and why I am relativly capable in speaking fluent englisch, writing is a totally different story ^^')

WOAH! They rush this final Episode like hell... ah! I forgot to tell you that we already reached episode 12. Nothing worth mentioning happened so far... okay, that was a lie but everything happens so fast I can not follow XD

She literally put blood in Anzais mouth to force him to bite her and they still treat Anzai like he is the bad guy. The punishment also seems so weird. Like... he can see any human but not Tsukasa and that without even having a witness report from her as the actual so called "victim".

Their long seperation certanly didn't bring them much maturity ^^'

So... this was the end. Episode 13 explained the story of Anzais parents, which was, as I explained, overly complicated for no reason. We have a brief moment at the end of that episode were Anzai and Taira can see each other from afar but there wasn't much more to that episode. All in all nothing really was resolved. I do not really know what they were thinking when making this anime but I am sure glad it is over ^^'

I am not even sure if I can say that this is an anime with unused potential, because... I honestly don't see much potential in this Anime. Usually they make Vampires and biting humans erotic (look at Vampire Knight) but this time they made Vampires look ugly and scary when drinking blood and it was an interesting chance per se... but they rushed though the story with only ever bringing up new problems but never really solving them.

The guy we were chasing got killed by a bomb in his car, the people actually pulling the strings behind him tho were never revealed and many other things were just left too open for even interpretation. This Anime was all in all just a disappointment. The love at... almost first sight lovestory wasn't done very well either. Starting out with Anzai losing control might have made it look like she loves all sides of him and all... but overall it made her more look like an insane girl who has sexdreams about a guy who almost pushed his tounge down her throate while they barely even knew their names yet alone anything else about each other. That could have been done much better. But there is no fixing this anime XD

HURRAY its over! Hopefully the next Anime will be better.

[cardcaptorcoconut]

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc Chapter 34 Translation

Hi guys.  Sorry for the slight delay with the translation this week.  I didn’t think I was gunna be off work for the Reiwa/GW festivities this year, but I ended up home after all – with the flu! 😅 The fever is gone now and I’m slowly (keyword is slowly) getting over it.

Here is the translation for Chapter 34, so please enjoy.  Thank you to @meimi-haneoka​ for proofreading.

☆★Translations Notes Reminder★☆

Disclaimer: These are just fan translations. Please support the official release.

Chapter 34

Cover Page: “The regular and custom editions of Volume 6 – a huge, huge, huge hit – on sale now!”

P1 Tomoyo: Oh my!! Tomoyo: Li-kun (turned into a child)!?

[Alt: Li-kun shrank!?]

Syaoran: J-just my body.  My (mind) was the same as (it is) now.  I turned back to normal soon (after) too. Tomoyo: That’s good! Tomoyo: But… Tomoyo: (It’s also) a little unfortunate…

[Alt: I feel it was a little unfortunate… ]

Syaoran: Huh?

P2 Tomoyo:  If your mind had also returned to a (childlike state), I wonder what kind of reaction Sakura-chan would have had.

[Lit:  …returned to when you were small…]

Tomoyo:  And I wonder how Sakura-chan would have handled dealing with (you in that state). Tomoyo:  (That would have been something to see)!!  It really would have!! Tomoyo:  Ahhhh… but if I’d missed an opportunity to film that sort of scene, I could never regret it enough-!! Syaoran:  No, (something) that troublesome…

[Lit:  …an inconvenience like that…]

P3 Sakura:  It wouldn’t be troublesome at all. Sakura:  I would have liked to (see that side of you as well).

[Lit:  I wanted to try and spend time with the Syaoran-kun who’s little on the inside as well.]

<Both blush at each other> Tomoyo:  Of course, I won’t pass up recording something like this (too).

P4 Sakura:  Hoeeee!! Tomoyo:  However, it’s good that neither of you were hurt and that you (caught) the card too.

[Lit:  …neither of you were hurt. And the card too.]

Sakura:  Yeah.  I’ve been creating them.  That’s why… <Sakura pulls out some of the cards that look like her friends>

P5 Tomoyo:  Oh my. Tomoyo:  Is this Rika-chan? Tomoyo:  Oh my, oh my!  This is adorable. Tomoyo:  I really, truly regret having missed this chance to record after all…

P6 Tomoyo:  (Now that I think about it), where is Kero-chan? Sakura:  At home.  This morning a visitor came by. <Scene changes to Kero at home> Kero:  I see.  So then you came to Tomoeda, huh? Suppie:  Ruby Moon is at Yue… Tsukishiro Yukito’s home. Kero:  And so… (you’re here) with me.

[Lit:  And so… you are where I am.]

P7 Kero:  So, regarding what happens from here on out… Suppie:  …Yes. Kero:  You’re gunna keep me company to the very end! Kero:  (Walk me through the game!)

[Lit:  Kero says ゲーム攻略! which means “game walk-through”]

P8 Kero:  There’s a dungeon I finished (while waiting on you to respond).

[Lit: There’s a dungeon I finished while you weren’t replying.]

Kero: <to himself> Ahh! I really wanted the (treasure) from that castle…!

[Lit: gold coin]

Kero:  Next Stage!! Suppie:  You’re really the same as ever, aren’t you! Kero:  Sakura (is the one) making the cards, and now that we know that clearly, Sakura will do something (about it).

P9 Kero:  Even so, if anything bad happens, (it’ll be up to us).

[Lit:  …happens, at that time it will be our turn.]

Suppie:  …You trust (her), don’t you?  Your current master… Kero:  Yup!  Because (she’s) Sakura. Kero:  Now then…

P10 Kero:  Let’s go!! Go forth!!  Into the world of games!! Suppie:  You really, (truly) haven’t changed at all! (Have you!) Kero:  (Hiiiyaa!!) Suppie:  (Take that!!)

[Note:  They’re just making battle sounds here.]

<Scene changes to Yukito’s house> Nakuru:  ‘Morning!

P11 Yukito:  Morning Akizuki-san. Nakuru:  Where is Touya-kun? Yukito:  (At) an early morning part time job. Nakuru:  Hasn’t changed a bit.  And you? Yukito:  I have a lecture first period. Nakuru:  Oh.  I’m going to that too. Yukito:  Huh?

P12 Nakuru:  Eriol said (I) should stay by your side as much as possible, so he (filed) admissions (paperwork) to the university for me too. Yukito:  In addition to (everything with) the house too… Eriol-kun is really amazing.

[Lit:  In addition to the house too… / Note:  Yukito is referring to how Eriol got the house set up for him to live in.]

Yukito:  <thinking to himself on how to address Eriol> Eriol-kun? Or -san? Nakuru:  Well then, (first thing’s first).

[Lit:  …before that.]

Nakuru:  I’m gunna have you make that oden from last night into udon for me! Yukito:  Okay!  Oden broth is really delicious the next day!

[Note:  Here’s a link again for anyone who missed what oden was a few chapters ago.  You can often reuse the dashi broth if you have it left over like they’re doing here. In this case, for breakfast udon!]

P13 Yukito:  As soon as I’ve watered the plants, I’ll get it heated up. Yukito: <to himself> How many eggs should I have?? Nakuru:  For real, you really are just as carefree as always. Nakuru:  …If you could always stay that way, that would be the best. <Scene changes to Sakura’s school>

P14 Sakura:  I’m so glad it’s sunny out! Chiharu:  Yeah, (especially since) we’re at the pool for gym class today. Tomoyo:  And you’re really good at swimming, Sakura-chan. Sakura:  I dunno about good at it, but I do love swimming. Akiho:  Good morning! Everyone:  Morning! Sakura:  Morning, Akiho-chan! (Did you bring-)

[Note:  Sakura actually says “Swimsuit” here, since the Japanese sentence would start with that.]

P15 Sakura:  <thinking>  …What…? Akiho:  Sakura-san? <Sakura looks unnerved>

P16 Sakura:  Ah, sorry.  Did you bring your swimsuit? Akiho:  Yes! Akiho:  It’s amazing that you can swim at school! Tomoyo:  Do they not have swim classes overseas? Akiho:  Not at (the schools) I attended…

[Lit:  Not at the place I attended…]

Sakura:  <thinking> …I wonder why… Looking at Akiho-chan (made me) somehow very… uneasy…

P17 <Sakura continues to look uneasy> Syaoran:  What’s wrong?

[Alt:  What happened?]

P18 Sakura:  When you look at Akiho-chan, do you sense anything? Syaoran:  At Shinomoto? Syaoran:  Not at all… Sakura:  …I wonder if it’s my imagination. Syaoran:  <thinking> Even if she doesn’t have any magic, Yuna D. Kaito is Shinomoto’s butler.

P19 Syaoran:  <thinking> …(He) might have performed some kind of spell… Syaoran:  <tries to speak> …… Syaoran:  <thinking>  …Just as I thought, I can’t say anything… Naoko:  Are you good at swimming, Akiho-chan? Akiho:  I haven’t had too many chances, but I enjoy it. Chiharu:  Well, you do have good reflexes.

P20 Naoko:  You’re like Sakura-chan in that way too. Akiho:  !! <Sakura smiles and Akiho is happy for the compliment> Yamazaki:  Speaking of swimming! Chiharu:  Yeah, yeah, we (don’t need) any lies.

P21 Yamazaki:  That hairstyle is cute too. Yamazaki:  That’s no lie. <Chiharu blushes> Chiharu:  You idiot!  Yamazaki-kun, you’re an idiot! Naoko:  They get along so well, don’t they? Tomoyo:  (They) really (do).

P22 <Meanwhile, Kaito is sitting in a tree outside…> Momo:  What are you doing, Yuna D. Kaito? Kaito:  I was out shopping. Kaito:  And… Sakura-san has realized why the cards are (appearing)…

P23 Momo:  So you came to cause trouble. Kaito:  That’s exactly right. Kaito:  That and…

P24 <Sakura senses something happening> Syaoran:  What’s wrong? Sakura:  …Just now… <The lights go out and everyone freezes>

P25 Syaoran:  Everyone… has stopped… Sakura:  Is this also… (because of) me?

[Alt:  Am I also doing this?]

Syaoran:  No, (this is) different.  There’s another magical presence. Syaoran:  (It has to be…)

[Lit:  It’s surely…]

Syaoran:  <once again can’t speak> ……

P26 Syaoran:  Dammit…! Sakura:  <thinking> I know this… This isn’t me…  This is someone (else’s) magic… Sakura:  Release! Syaoran:  Sakura!

P27 Sakura:  “Reflect!” Akiho:  <Voice #1> New magic.

[Note:  Due to the fonts used in Akiho’s speech bubbles, it seems that multiple people are speaking through her.]

<Sakura turns to look at her>

P28 Akiho:  <Voice #2> Strong power. Akiho:  <Voice #3> So strong. Akiho:  <Voice #4> It’s not what was written in the book. Akiho:  <Voice #5> However… we must bind it inside…

P29 Akiho:  <Voice #5> Inside this book. Syaoran:  Sakura!! Narration:  What (is happening) with Akiho…!?  The shocking development you can’t miss! 

<To be continued>

…Seriously though, the book she’s getting sucked into had better be Winds of Winter, because I am not ready for these last 3 eps of Game of Thrones… 

[lilover131]

Chapter 34 Thoughts

OH BOOOOOOOOY DO WE HAVE THINGS TO TALK ABOUT Y’ALL. I’M SO READY. I can’t wait to read the chapter next mo-

Translation: To be Continued 

W-well then...since we’re not entirely sure when the next chapter will be, we’ll have to be patient and solidify our theories! Chapter 35 will be out before we know it, but until then, here are my thoughts about Chapter 34 under the cut!

So it seems we have finally moved on from Syaoran’s apartment (damn!), and Sakura and Syaoran are explaining to Tomoyo what happened with the last card, as is tradition. Tomoyo really is persistent with her desires to film Sakura, and it cracks me up that she’s so heartbroken to have missed the opportunity this time around. She also voices what all of us were thinking in “Damn, it would have been so cute if he was a child in the mind too!”. Can I also say how wonderful it is that Sakura is so honest about her feelings? She didn’t hesitate for a moment to tell Syaoran that she would have liked to see him that way, and of course he was just a tomato every moment after that. LOL. 

Tomoyo didn’t seem very surprised at all about Sakura creating the cards at all. Or rather there was hardly a reaction. Period. @meimi-haneoka said this too, but I agree with her in that it was probably a little unrealistic how little she reacted to the situation. Of course she is observant and maybe figured it out without really knowing for sure, but if she had addressed that, I think it would be a little more acceptable for her to be as nonchalant as she was. But she didn’t address it...at all. All she did was remark on the similarities of the cards to her friends and regret once again not having been there to film Sakura with baby Syaoran. Regardless, I still love her to pieces and feel she is the embodiment of us fans. 

It’s so nice to see Kero and Suppi together again. I found it really funny how serious they were before Kero was like “LET’S PLAY A GAME”. He really doesn’t seem worried at all, but I mean...he probably should be? At least a little? Then again, I’m the type of person who loves to try and push my worries down deep and drown myself in the things I like to help me forget about it, so who’s to say Kero can’t feel that way too? Even though he trusts Sakura, he can still worry about her. But when he says “If something bad happens to her, then that’s our time to help out!”, it’s his way of saying “No need to dwell on our worries. Let’s tackle it as things come and trust that things will be all right.” 

Also, gamer Suppi is so so so so so great. I love that he has really opened up in personality and gets along so well with Kero. He’s not just a serious bookworm anymore who sticks his nose up at sweets. Lol. 

AND CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT COLLEGE NAKURU? It’s so like Eriol to have already planned how she could stay close to Yukito, though I wonder how transferring to a different college at this time of year works. I feel like she’s probably already missed a lot of class, but also will she be taking all the same classes as Yukito then? How did that get managed? Meh. I guess I shouldn’t think too hard about it. It’s gonna be a fun time watching her bug Touya in college! 

Next up is Sakura’s class talking about pool day in P.E. As someone who didn’t experience swimming classes in her schools either, I found Akiho’s excitement very relatable. But the really really important part of this scene is how Sakura actually turns to talk to her and doesn’t even finish her sentence due to the uneasiness she suddenly feels around Akiho. This is important, because it is the first time Sakura has actually felt uncomfortable around her, and we have no idea why. Why now of all times? Has something changed in Akiho that Sakura can sense? Either way, the tense expression on Sakura’s face is very telling and deeply concerning. 

It likely had been a couple of hours since they first arrived at school to when they had P.E. class, and Sakura still looked uncomfortable. This means it was not a fleeting feeling that just came and went. It has stuck with her ALL DAY. And leave it to Syaoran to notice right away that something was wrong. Sakura can’t hide her feelings from him at all. 

When she asked him if he felt anything off about Akiho, it was kind of nice in the fact that she was asking him to help her compare and contract their magical senses so she could try and better analyze the situation. Our girl is really growing up in her problem solving skills! However, poor Syaoran really had his hands tied with his answer. Yes, he technically wasn’t lying when he said he felt nothing, but if he had been able to tell her about Kaito, I’m sure it would have served to validate Sakura’s feelings a little more. Instead, she probably feels like something is wrong with her, and this must be agonizing for Syaoran to witness. However, it seems like Syaoran doesn’t think of Akiho as a danger at all. I think he thinks she is being manipulated by Kaito somehow, and I worry that this will be dangerous for him if he keeps his guard lowered too much around her.

The tense moment was broken for a brief moment by Yamazaki’s ADORABLE comment about Chiharu’s hair, and I laughed out loud when she decided to hit him anyways out of embarrassment. Those two really are cute, and Syaoran and Sakura’s faces were just the perfect addition to that scene. 

CUE KAITO. DUN DUN DUN. You know when Kaito shows up, nothing good can come from it. He’s ripping off Eriol sitting up in his tree, but he’s looking real good in those more casual clothes! Momo comes out to play too, and I love how every conversation she has with him sounds more like an interrogation than anything else. She clearly seems to care about him, like when she commanded him to rest after using his time magic before, but when she showed up to talk with him this time, her words came off like “Ugh...this guy again...” 

Another first in Clear Card was that now we have Kaito actively working to create tough situations for Sakura! He states that this is because she knows she’s creating the cards now, but I’m not sure what that has to do with it. Perhaps it’s because of what Syaoran mentioned before about overpowered magic getting even more chaotic once a person was aware of it, and Kaito is now using that to his advantage. Or perhaps he’s trying to manipulate just the perfect scenario to have her have a specific thought which will then spawn a specific card. I guess we’ll just have to find out. 

He stops time, which is no surprise really, but this time, Sakura and Syaoran can move around freely. Sakura instantly worries that this is her fault, and Syaoran just can’t get the words out to warn her. He looks really pissed off about this, and I don’t blame him. This time, he knows it’s not Sakura and can’t even tell her otherwise. But I’m so proud of Sakura because she seems to figure it out all on her own that this magic belongs to someone else. Thank goodness! 

It’s hard to tell what’s going on in the scenes after that, but from what I gathered, the water in the pool was attacking her and was easily stopped by REFLECT. Some think the arrow things are something other the whirlpool, but the arrows had a sheen to them in the way they were drawn, so I’m pretty sure it’s water as well. 

BUT THEN AKIHO MOVES, AND HOLY SHIT IS IT TERRIFYING. Can you imagine how surprised both Sakura and Syaoran must have been to see that? First, there was probably that initial panic of “OH GOD, OUR CLASSMATE SAW US USING MAGIC”, but I think it becomes pretty clear by the 5 different voices (yes, FIVE), coming from lips that it isn’t her. This may not be the first time Sakura has seen possessed Akiho, but it will certainly seem that way since time was turned back the first time. And for Syaoran, it is definitely a first for him and probably going to stun him quite a bit. 

The mysterious voices coming from Akiho mention again the strength of Sakura’s power and seem to want to obtain it by locking her in a book. It’s hard to tell if they mean Alice in Clockland, but when the book pages sprout from under Akiho and start to wrap around Sakura, it definitely looks like a dangerous situation. 

Since the chapter ends there, we don’t know for sure if this means that she will get sucked into the book. After all, she could still manage to escape, however we also have no idea what the book does and what lies inside of it. 

I must say though that I am deeply concerned for not just her, but Syaoran too. And yes, I know I’m always saying I’m worried about him, but it’s been heavily implied both in the manga and anime that something bad is going to happen to him, and it’s only a matter of time. You might be asking why I’m worried now when Sakura is the one getting swallowed by a book. Well, if Sakura gets pulled in, this leaves Syaoran alone with both Kaito outside AND creepy possessed Akiho. Neither of them have to hide from him, since he can’t tell Sakura about them. Additionally, we know from previous chapters that Kaito can stop Syaoran’s time without any issue. He could have frozen him just like the other students, but he chose not to. Why?

It could be nothing, but I honestly refuse to believe that the heir to the Li clan, whose existence helped stir the pot with Akiho’s sad situation with her family AND the current holder of the Sakura cards would be of no interest to them. Some believe that possessed Akiho is being controlled by members of the Association, and if that’s the case, wouldn’t it just be sweet victory for them to take the Li clan heir out of the picture? CLAMP specifically mentioned Syaoran in Akiho’s backstory, and I feel like it if wasn’t relevant in some way, they could have left it out and simply gone with the “Akiho has no magic, and we’re ashamed” plot idea. But no...Syaoran’s existence fueled it. 

Moreover, we still don’t know what Sakura’s dream about Syaoran entailed. Why was he wearing Akiho’s robes? And his eyes seemed cold and lifeless just like Akiho’s do right now in her possessed state. It’s all really worrying. 

Anyways, we’ll just have to wait until next time to find out what happens!! I’m looking forward to it!! 

[kurogabae]

Tsubasa: Trainwreck Chronicles

And Why Bee Train Personally Owes Me At Least a Grand; an Essay by Popular Demand

part 1 part 2

For those of you who might not know, I love Tsubasa Chronicle. So much. But for the love of Kurogane’s beautiful biceps is the anime awful. Now, I’m not one of those “manga purists” who always insists the manga is better than the anime, I tend to find them equal pretty often. This is not one of those cases.

Once upon a time CLAMP made a deal with Bee Train for a Tsubasa anime. Cardcaptor Sakura had done so well! CLAMP was a solid name to back! Bee Train had nothing to lose - except the trust of every CLAMP fan ever. I don’t know how hands on CLAMP (or rather Ohkawa) were in the production but I feel like “not at all” is a fairly solid guess. It was a mess folks. Production was rushed, story was disregarded, plot was cut up and Frankensteined back together, I’m not even going to talk about the English casting.

In fairness, it wasn’t without it’s good points. The soundtrack was flawless, the Japanese cast was amazing, and when Bee Train tried they really did manage to make the series look nice, which imo makes the rest of the subpar animation even more of a slap to the face. They even had some genuinely enjoyable filler episodes - the chibi episode and the Kero and Mokona episode are always the first to come to my mind - but overall? Not even a hot mess, just a mess. 

Under the cut we’ll go arc by arc. I’m not going to rewatch the series just to write this so forgive me if I’m missing facts or if something I say is slightly inaccurate. Also, beware of spoilers for the manga if you haven’t finished reading it. That means you Nick. I’ll write you up a spoiler free copy of this later. Anyway, let’s go.

Opening and introductions:

You’d think, as the start of your series, you’d want the first episode or two to look really nice right? Catch the eye, impress the new viewer. Not Bee Train! [x x] The whole thing is subpar at best. Syaoran and Sakura’s introduction isn’t so bad for the most part, they’re cute and Bee Train tried to add a little more interaction between them before Sakura loses her feathers, which I am all kinds of behind, but... there’s a point where they run from castle guards. And Syaoran sort of just... grabs her and runs and Sakura is left literally flapping in the wind? [x] Also Sakura looks stoned out of her mind in like 90% of the shots she’s in. Touya probably thinks Syaoran is giving her drugs. But honestly, I don’t have too many problems with how the intro happens, mostly just the way it looks.

Fai’s intro can go by with almost no comment aside from the fact that his face looks like it’s melting. Sadly, this is not the worse his face will ever look. Pretty meh.

Personally I think Kurogane’s intro got the short end of the stick visually and I’m not just saying that because he and Tomoyo are my favorites. They both look pretty awful and, as always, where’s the beef???

Also Yuuko deserved better. 

Hanshin:

If possible, the animation gets even lazier. We’ve added Mokona to the party and they cannot decide how big she is. I’m not being nitpicky either. Her size fluctuates wildly. Here are just a few examples set only in Hanshin. This problem persists throughout the series. Also I don’t know how to exactly put this into words but... everyone’s eyes are just extra jacked up. 

Plot wise we mostly follow canon. Until they decide Sakura should get more screen time. “Great idea!” I can hear you say. “We love Sakura!” Well so do I. Problem: she has one (1) feather to her name and is comatose. Sakura is not really going to do anything. Yet the camera keeps going back to her- oh wait she’s awake. Sort of. Oh she’s getting dressed now, we even get a very weird little montage of her trying on clothes. Now she’s wandering the town, meets up with the leader of the Mohawk Gang whose kudan Kurogane beat the crap out of. Luckily she’s a super cute girl (who is barely conscious and doesn’t even talk? She’s so far from Mokona she probably can’t even understand these guys anyway but...) so they take her out to lunch instead of doing something Terrible. To the restaurant Touya works at. He serves her and doesn’t recognize her, meaning there is no Sakura in this world, at least not one related to him. This happens a lot.

In the anime Sakura is sometimes, for reasons unexplained and inconsistent, “drawn” to her feathers. She’s looking for her feather. There is an absurd Looney Tunes moment where she climbs some sort of tall thing (oil rig? construction site? world’s weirdest flag pole?) and jumps off of it before Syaoran and Co. (who have located her after Arashi, who would never have lost track of her in the first place let’s be real, tells them she’s gone AWOL) can stop her.

And then she flies. Literally and truly fucking flies. Through the sky. Thanks I hate it. 

Syaoran catches her, brings her back home, and the story pretty much continues. One fun change was that the whole family had to share a room, they didn’t get separated like in the manga, so we get treated to this Gay Fucking Scene(tm) of Kurogane waking up and the first thing he sees if Fai sleeping while angelic music plays in the background. So that was nice.

Oh god hang on, I had to come back and add this because I literally always forget: Kurogane sees a version of Tomoyo in this world and goes running after her, leaving Fai and Syaoran to meet Touya and Yukito on their own. This results in both of them missing Kurogane’s kudan fight and Kurogane missing the “same face, different person” talk/reminder. They still can’t draw Tomoyo. 

Also this.

Koryo:

Where’s the beef?

Much in the spirit of Hanshin, Koryo keeps mostly to the plot and has overall meh animation with a few choice moments of dear god why. Surprisingly, they made a few changes that I didn’t hate - the village had gotten a group of rebels together against the Ryanban. He also stole Chu’nyan’s mother’s body, making it so that her spirit could never find peace, making him even more of a dick.

This is where we see the first instance of the anime really being geared towards younger audiences than CLAMP had planned for. In the manga Sakura wins everyone new clothes via dice gambling, but in the anime she wins a lottery. Not a big deal, but we see more of this. Another thing change is that there’s a whole secondary plot added to everything when they try to, again, give Sakura a more active role. There are better ways to do this, but Bee Train sort of just tosses her into action and then tosses Syaoran in after her. It’s always bad and pointless and never amounts to anything. 

Anyway, she ends up inside the castle, somehow Syaoran manages to follow after her. Goodness knows what the dads are up to. (Probably this.) Some Really Weird Stuff happens and from what I remember the spirit of Chu-nyan’s mother hops a ride out of the castle with Sakura. Who, uhh, teleports her and Syaoran out. Yeah.

The rest of the arc goes pretty much how the manga does with a handful of minor changes - like the fact that Kurogane never bought a manga in Hanshin, so in order to block Kiishim’s killing blow he’s tucked the hammer he was using to fix the roof in his shirt, which is a much smaller shield than a whole ass book and I think that’s dumb. Still can’t get Mokona’s size right, to awkward and hilarious results.

And remember kids, we won’t show you dice but we will show you this.

Big Lake and Shipper Fish:

The animation in this part is actually pretty nice. Considering. The things they changed were needless and weird.

Sakura and the fish talk. How? Why? We don’t know, it’s never explained or examined. We are meant to accept it Because Sakura, which only works most of the time. The fish tries to tell Sakura that she knows Syaoran - we all know this will not and cannot work. Why does this happen? What was the point of adding this? It is so weird and awkward. It messes up the flow and is so extra. I understand your desires Shipper Fish, but please, let things take their course.

Jade:

Fuck you and fuck your animation. It looks The Worst, which is a bummer because this world changes the fewest amount of things. Anything I could point out are really minor:

somehow Fai can read

they never show how the family gets their clothes, and 99% of the scene in the tavern is skipped

breaking and entering!

Mokona bites Kurogane in the ass

they don’t have horses

no Kuro-dork looking at the snow like an excited child

they nerf Kurogane’s BAMF

the feather isn’t hidden behind a wall, they need the pure hearts of children?

Kyle was a way lazier villain 

Filler #1 - Lightning Jazz Hands:

Alright, that looked neat as hell, I’ll admit. My compliments end here.

Story: nosy little shits got themselves cursed. Gonna fight in a competition to win a Big Magic. Is the Big Magic a feather? Stay tuned! (It’s not, because then the girl would die and that would be Too Sad.)

So the people in this country can shoot lightning out of their hands, that would be awesome and possibly scary, but I guess Kurogane is water/ground type because he gets it and only says, and I quote, “it tingles”. So your lightning powers mean nothing, add no stakes, and the Fam can’t do it so what is the point?

This filler is also famous for its KuroFai baiting, which is impressive, seeing as the anime tried very hard to make them Not Gay. I mean it failed but yeah.

Syaoran is the only fighter they have left because Kurogane and Fai are children and Sakura is making friends with the cursed girl. Keefer... Keepha... fights Syaoran, and obviously Syaoran wins because we’re supposed to think this is a feather. They really play it up to, even after we learn the Big Magic isn’t a feather Syaoran still hesitates before handing it over. For dramatics I guess? I don’t know, there’s literally no reason for him to not give it to the needy couple.

Boring filler. Only fun was watching Kurogane get excited over fighting people.

tbc... with Outo

[part 1] [part 2]

[recommendedshoujomanga]

BOKUTACHI WA SHITTE SHIMATTA

Genre: Completed (but the english translations/scans are not)

Genre: Drama, Shoujo, Romance, Comedy, School

Author: Kaho Miyasaka

Chapters: 42 in the English Translations

Plot: Kaji Kotori is a shy girl and was always bad at making new friends, especially with guys. Since the start of high school she has been made fun of by Kaji Yukito who’s the centre of attention of the class. Rumours are that he was a delinquent during middle school but he doesn’t look like one. Here comes the life of Kotori and how she adapts to love.

REVIEW: At first this manga is a little bit cringey, but trust me you will love this manga if you read further chapters. It has a unique plots where the characters experience how a relationship really works. and also this manga is one of the works of Miyasaka Sensei so this manga is definitely a thumbs up.

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Cardcaptor Sakura, Day 3, Episodes 18-21

In which we get a couple episodes of downtime which are promptly interrupted by a delightful new addition to the central cast. This show just keeps getting better, guys. It’s kinda scaring me.

Chill Time

Making an episodic series good is harder than you might think. Sure, some shows can just coast by with an unchanging status quo for seasons on end, but there is ultimately to be some bigger story behind these initially one-off adventures, it’s imperative to balance the smaller one-shots (in this case, the monster-of-the-week formula) with the overarching plot progression. Recent American cartoons like Steven Universe and Gravity Falls mastered this by cramming the episodic adventures with thousands of tiny mysteries and world-building details, so that every adventure, however disconnected from anything else it might be, felt like it contributed something to the bigger picture. Cardcaptor Sakura, meanwhile, seems to be relying on the “burst” formula. There’ll be a shake-up in the status quo, an episode or two dedicated to figuring out how the world reshapes itself in response, and then a decent stretch of episodic adventures in this new status quo before another element arrives to shake things up again.

It’s a formula that’s working well so far, allowing us to see these delightful characters in a wide variety of situations in a wide variety of different and evolving dynamics. Li’s arrival introduced an element of competition and antagonism to Sakura’s life, both as a Cardcaptor and as someone with a crush on Yukito. And from there, Li’s presence in the show allowed for more character interactions and new ways for scenarios to play out. Now, the arrival of his cousin promises a similar raising of stakes. But before we get to Meiling’s big entrance, we get a couple more episodes of Sakura, Li, and all the rest basically just hanging out, mostly free of Clow Card shenanigans. A trip to a school festival and a library visit make for some of the lowest-key adventures yet, with the one Card Battle being against one that’s more of a nuisance than an actual threat and another card basically just giving herself up the moment Sakura finds her.

It’s a very chill time overall, and it leads to some wonderful moments, like Toya and Li competing for the giant stuffed bunny prize and Sakura breaking her birdhouse after getting distracted by Yukito. And it gives us a fitting send-off to the old status quo, as Li finally trusts Sakura enough to let her visit his house and opens up a little more about his situation (his father is dead, and his butler Wei works on behalf of his mother). Which, of course, provides the perfect set-up for a new character to burst in and shake things up all over again.

The Meiling Upheaval

You know, I generally hate love triangles, harems, and other such offshoots. I find them distracting from the actually interesting parts of the story, pulling the characters away from the plot instead of integrating naturally with it. So the fact that Cardcaptor Sakura has been setting up what might be the most byzantine love... hexagon? Maybe? that I’ve ever seen should really get under my skin. And yet, the arrival of Meiling, Li’s cousin and self-determined fiancee, and her establishment as yet another interlocking piece of this heart-shaped puzzle, left me with nothing but delight.

Thinking about it, I think what makes this complicated relationship stew so fun to watch is that the show keeps a level of perspective that its characters don’t. WE know that Yukito is too old for either Sakura or Li, and the show does too, so it doesn’t try to pretend that there’s anything going on there but a couple of adorably competitive one-sided crushes. This allows us to actually enjoy what their dynamic lends to their respective characters without getting bogged down in “will they, won’t they” nonsense. And Meiling’s arrival is much the same: Li has shown zero romantic feelings toward her, indicating that there’s no chance of her actually being a romantic rival to basically anyone.

So instead, we’re free to enjoy how her lack of that same perspective influences both Sakura and Li, showing us sides of them that we haven’t seen before. Sakura is utterly nonplussed by Meiling’s antagonism towards her, leading to some gut-bustingly funny reactions on her part as her just doing her everyday Sakura stuff pisses Meiling off to no end. She has no idea how to react to her, and it allows her the first opportunity she’s had to play off a character who is less mature than her. Li, meanwhile, is forced to abandon the slightest shred of his tough-guy persona, and his attempts to handle Meiling’s jealously reveal more of his own inner dorkiness, like when he patted her shoulder after she exhausted herself trying to run a marathon like a sprint. It also helps that Meiling herself is an incredibly fun character, a champion brat who nevertheless is able to learn and improve, not just wailing and hoping that will change everything. When she finds out she sucks at running, she actively tries to get better at it. It makes her more than just a romantic complication; she’s got a real inner life to her.

This status-quo shake-up has served to reveal more sides to our two (arguably) central characters and introduced a third character that they can bounce off in new and exciting ways, all while providing more context into Li’s still mysterious background. That’s really fucking good writing there, and I’m so excited to see how our new status quo will shake out.

Odds and Ends

-GOD DAMMIT KERO DON’T SCARE HER LIKE THAT

-”It was just nice out.” ...so you were sitting on the roof? See, every once in a while, Yukito says something that stirs up my “something’s wrong” sensors. Maybe it’s just me.

-Okay, the crossed-out “Monsters only” on the stool was a really cute detail.

-Is it just me, or was the animation in the festival episode kinda... bad? Like, really janky and limited?

-Takeshi you utter dingleberry

-”You can always hear the name of the person you like, no matter what the situation.” Wise words, Tomoyo.

-See, I always do all my homework first thing so I can leave it behind. Sakura should take some notes from me.

-”For five chore shifts.” Toya’s such a butt I love him

-That scene of Sakura trying to sense the book was trippy as fuuuuuck.

-WHAT INFERNAL SCHOOL SYSTEM FORCES ITS STUDENTS TO DO CARTWHEELS FOR GYM CLASS

-Okay, Yukito’s constant sudden appearances in Sakura’s daily goings-on might be a tad suspicious, but they’re also hilarious, I love how frantically she switches from her usual self to her Best Self(tm) whenever he suddenly shows up.

-”Our relationship flowchart is getting complicated.” GOD DAMMIT TOMOYO

-”Why? It’s still running, right?” Oh, bless your little heart, Meiling.

-Woah there, OP song over the marathon? And we’re kinda running by the familiar faces we’ve seen over the course of the show. Are we building to an OP change?

How am I already 30% of the way through this show? I never want it to end! Ah well, see you next time!

[chatt-noirr]

tbh i dont follow a lot of people in the ccs fandom, and had to unfollow a lot of people i DID follow because of the Syaoran is bi discourse that started (probs by me LOL) a while back. 

I feel like a lot of people in the fandom ship syaosaku so hard (trust me, i do too) that they REFUSE to believe that syaoran is bi because they believe it will get in the way of their precious ship. Nah, people who are bi date people of a diff gender and are still bi lmao. Clamp is known for making their characters queer. Syaoran canonically had a crush on yukito. a lot of people use the “but it was explained, he was attracted to his magic” but listen: syaoran didnt seem to have any problem being attracted to another guy. He spent the first arc of the series crushing on a guy!!! let syaoran be bi!!!

[jillmckenzie1]

Manic Pixie Cyborg Girl

As much as we love to bellyache about Hollywood failing to come up with new ideas, there are two irrefutable facts we have to contend with. The first is that, frequently, when something blazingly original is released theatrically, audiences shun it. Speed Racer was a failure. Cloud Atlas was a failure. Mortal Engines was a failure.

The second fact? As long as there have been movies, there have been adaptations. It’s hardly a new phenomenon. George De Maurier’s 1895 novel Trilby, which I’m sure you all have read, was adapted into a silent film way back in 1915. This kind of thing has been done since the beginning, and you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. Where it gets tricky though is knowing the right way to adapt something.

Is there a right way, though? I’m not sure, but there’s plenty of wrong ways. Before Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in 2001, our old pal Steven Spielberg kicked around the idea of directing himself. I can hear you squeeing in delight over that concept, but consider that he originally wanted it to be animated, set in the United States, and the voice of the beloved Mr. Potter would be played by Haley Joel Osment. We’re familiar with the Wizarding World and how it should look and feel, but what Spielberg had in mind didn’t fit in terms of a proper adaptation.

Where it gets tricky for me is when an adaptation happens and I’m completely unfamiliar with the source material. In 1990, Yukito Kishiro created the manga series Gunnm,* also known as Battle Angel Alita. Our other old pal James Cameron read the manga, fell in love with it, and announced in 2003 he’d make an adaptation. However, his time was taken up by making unasked-for sequels to Avatar, and he reluctantly stepped back to produce and co-write the screenplay. Robert Rodriguez was tapped to direct, and now we have Alita: Battle Angel. Is it good? Yes, but it’s not without problems.

 We’re unceremoniously dropped into the year 2563, and things have not improved in the far-flung future. An apocalyptic war has taken place, rendering the majority of Earth demolished. One of the last settlements is Iron City, a sprawling city built around a junkyard. A junkyard for what, you might reasonably ask? Above Iron City is Zalem, a floating metropolis for the wealthy, and their discarded junk is picked through by the inhabitants below.

One of those inhabitants is Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Walz), a surgeon of cyborgs. During a scavenging expedition he finds something remarkable: the head and upper chest of a female cyborg, and within the skull is a miraculously intact human brain. The good doctor sets out to rebuild her, and in no time at all, he’s transplanted her into a spare cybernetic body that he was originally intending for his now-deceased daughter. Does the doc have some lingering issues? He certainly does!

Anyway, the cyborg now known as Alita (Rosa Salazar) is brought back online. She has no memories of her past life, but she’s curious about the world and her place in it. In short order, she also discovers that she possesses hidden combat capabilities. Alita is fast, strong, and tough as hell. She’ll need it since she has an enormous amount of plot to wade through, including:

  Becoming a champion of the sport known as Motorball, which seems to combine roller derby, quidditch, and indiscriminate murder

Entering into a sweet romance with Hugo (Keean Johnson), a young man who scavenges for spare robotics

Discovering her secret past and upgrading herself into an even more powerful body

Facing off against the robotic killer Grewishka (Jackie Earle Haley)

Investigating the mysterious connection between Dr. Ido, his ex-wife Chiren (Jennifer Connelly), and Vector (Mahershala Ali), a shadowy Motorball fixer

Butting heads with Zapan (Ed Skrein), an obnoxious bounty hunter

Learning the truth about Nova,** a sinister scientist dwelling in Zalem who has the ability to possess cyborgs

Guys, that plot synopsis was positively exhausting to write. Not only because of the blizzard of science-fiction-y names and terms thrown around here, and I frequently asked myself questions like, “Which one is Zalem again, the floating city or the loudmouthed dick that Ed Skrein plays?” When it comes to the thicket of plot we have to hack our way through, I have good news and bad news for you.

The good news is that Robert Rodriguez directed. Since his 1992 debut film El Mariachi, Rodriguez has developed a reputation as a filmmaker who can do a lot with a little. He doesn’t need a huge budget to make a film with kinetic action and energetic camerawork. Here, he’s got his biggest budget ever, reportedly somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million. There’s always something impressive to look at, and even when the lumbering plot threatens to crush the film, Rodriguez throws something cool at us every few minutes as a reward for paying attention.

Let’s pause for a moment and talk about the gigantic CGI eyes that Alita sports. In an interview with Empire magazine, Rodriguez said, “It was always Jim [Cameron]’s intention to create a photo-realistic version of the manga eyes that we’re so accustomed to seeing…If the eyes are the windows to the soul, we have some pretty big windows. You can see a lot going on in there! When it gets to the emotional scenes it’s really uncanny and striking. And captivating!” Here’s the thing about those freaky-big peepers…yes, it’s uncanny. No, it’s not captivating, or necessary for that matter. I found it to be occasionally distracting.***

The screenplay is credited to Cameron and co-writer Laeta Kalogridis, but it felt to me like Cameron was the dominant writer here. I give Cameron lots of respect, considering he’s one of the world’s most talented filmmakers. As a writer, he strikes me as being more motivated by plot as opposed to characters. Give Aliens, Titanic, The Terminator, or The Abyss a watch, and you’ll see he’s a writer who loves set pieces and story mechanics, and people are a means to make those things happen. With Alita, it’s the same kind of thing here. Dialogue is frequently either clunky or overly expositional, and the script doesn’t seem to want to slow down and hang out with the characters much.

Let’s pause for one more moment and talk about the adaptation itself. The film was adapted from four volumes of the original Battle Angel Alita manga. Hoo boy, does it ever feel like it came from four volumes! Like an overstuffed burrito, there’s plot oozing out all over the place with a serial killer, a conspiracy, a love story, a sports competition, and more. There’s plot everywhere, and that’s a problem since the character of Alita is too often reacting to stuff happening instead of driving the story forward with her own motivations.

How’s the cast, you’re asking? Fine…I guess? Christoph Waltz is basically an exposition bot here, but he makes it tolerable through a warm performance. The same goes for Mahershala Ali and Jennifer Connelly, both of whom are talented actors stuck playing two-dimensional characters. Despite being partially hidden behind some weird-ass CGI, I liked Rosa Salazar as Alita. She can do the hardened warrior thing well, but I appreciated that the character’s natural state is to be friendly, curious, and positive. We could have had an Alita that’s a traumatized killing machine, and I can’t even with that right now.

Is Alita: Battle Angel a good adaptation? Not having read the original source material, I can’t say. My instinct tells me that perhaps Cameron and Kalogridis went for too much too fast, and they should have trimmed down the plot and focused on perhaps one or two volumes.**** However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the fast-paced and creative action. We’ve got a good time at the movies here, but a screenplay that was ruthlessly trimmed could have made it great.

  *The literal translation is “Gun Dream,” which would have made for an incredible title

**Nova is a cameo played by a fairly major celebrity. While it would be churlish of me to tell you who it is, trust me when I tell you that it doesn’t really matter much

***It’s a little weird to me that Cameron demanded absolute fidelity to the source material when it came to Alita’s eyes, but it doesn’t seem like he’s terribly interested in why. To learn more about why characters in anime and manga have gigantic eyes, read this fascinating explanation

****If you’ve read the original manga, please let me know if this is legitimately a good adaptation

from Blog https://ondenver.com/manic-pixie-cyborg-girl/

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Cardcaptor Sakura, Day 3, Episodes 14-17

Hi all! Sorry for the radio silence yesterday, a variety of factors made it difficult/inadvisable for me to spend much time at the computer. But I’m back now, so let’s dive back in to Warm Fuzzy Feelings: The Show, shall we?

A Present for Great Grandpa

Honestly, I should have seen the twist in episode 16 coming, that the mysterious old man was actually Sakura’s great grandfather, and the granddaughter he lost was Sakura’s mom Nadeshiko. The way it was foreshadowed, with the attention payed to the picture of Nadeskiho and the mystery of who else was in the house, was obvious in retrospect. I suppose blame the adult in me going all “STRANGER DANGER” about Sakura hanging out with an old man she didn’t know all on her own, thinking that he was secretly controlled by a Clow Card or something.

But in a way, that was this episode’s biggest twist; there was no monster, no enemy to overcome, and the only magic used was to cap off an emotional arc. It’s the first time Cardcaptor Sakura has eschewed its own formula, and consequently, it leads to its best episode yet. I mentioned a couple days ago how the theme of dealing with loss runs through the entire show, and it comes up here big time, with Sakura helping her great grandfather find closure without ever really knowing who he is (as well as the little girl from episode 15). And in a way, I think that’s even more powerful than if she found out at the end. She was able to connect with this old man solely through their shared experience of losing someone they loved. And it led to an absolutely beautiful moment, where Sakura uses the Rain card to show him the rainbow his granddaughter had painted for him all those years ago.

It hurts to lose people, but by understanding and sharing that loss, we can learn to live with it. If Cardcaptor Sakura has one theme above all else, I think this is it. From Sakura and her dad to Tomoya’s mother and the various one-off characters we meet throughout the show, we see people come together to help ease the pain left by those who are now gone. And I think that’s pretty damn magical.

Li and Sakura

Li and Sakura, meanwhile, are starting the slow dance of learning to trust each other. Li still doesn’t think Sakura’s capable of the job, as evidenced by him snatching his second card, but he’s more willing to let her try and prove him wrong, letting her keep Erase. He’s even started to open up to her! We learn that he came to Japan with a caretaker named Wei, while the rest of his family remained behind in China. I’m getting the sense that underneath his detached air, Li really is just a pissed off, lonely little kid. Whatever’s going on with his family is probably causing him to feel isolated. Thankfully, as we previously established, this is a show about finding comfort from that feeling of loneliness, and Sakura’s kindness is already starting to bring him around. Once their competition over Yukito eventually cools down (because as cute as they are trying to compete for his attention, a relationship between a high schooler and an elementary schooler would be a bad idea for multiple reasons), I imagine they’ll end up getting along pretty well. How well? I guess we’ll see.

The Most Glorious Cinderella Ever

But forget all that nonsense, because the best part of these episodes was undoubtedly the completely gender-flipped performance of Cinderella Toya’s class put on in episode 14. From his complete inability to emote, to the hamminess of the stepsisters, to Yukito playing the fairy godmother as a freaking can of mackerel (how does that even work?), to everyone breaking character to prod each other to say their next line, it put every in-anime play I’ve seen so far to shame. Sorry, K-On’s Romeo and Juliet. Sorry, Clannad’s Girl in the Dying World. There’s a new king in town, and it’s name is Cardcaptor Sakura.

Odds and Ends

-“Toya, my shoe broke!” “Summon your willpower and fix it.” I really like Toya, guys.

-Yukito is the best. Stuffed animals for everyone!

-Nice of the acid breath to close the curtain.

-Toya, do you know more than you let on? I get the sense he’s a little more prescient about what Sakura’s going through than he appears. Maybe it’s just me.

-And that’s how you respectfully handle a rejection, folks.

-aksjdhasd why are they playing Turkey in the Straw

-Yeah, Toya, you do NOT want to mess with Sakura when she’s really pissed off.

-Kero’s like “fuck this, I didn’t get paid to watch little girls cry”

-Faxes to the rescue! Man, I forgot those were ever a thing.

-Yeah, I flop onto beds like that too.

-KERO THE ETERNAL STOWAWAY

-”Toya’s worked just about everywhere.” Ayup.

-Yukito is me around tasty food. I just scarf it down, manners be damned.

-”IT’S JUST GETTING HOTTER!” Big mood

-OH MY GOD EYEBROWS KID WHO ARE YOU EVEN. Also, your theme music is glorious.

-School events in anime always are so much more fun than anything I ever did. I wanna make my own dinner on the beach too, you know!

-”If you were scared, you could’ve woken me up.” Oh just propose already, why don’t you?

-Man, this show’s so cute you forget it can actually get really scary at times. The scene with everyone vanishing would’ve traumatized me as a little kid.

-“Could you summon Float again?” pfft

Ahh, it’s good to be back. See you later today for more Sakura!