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canvaswolfdoll · 6 years ago

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CanvasWatches: Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan

Not going to do a Summer 2018 write up because I only lasted through one anime, and Chio’s School Road had… issues I don’t feel like discussing.

Also, haven’t had time to continue the Digimon Rewatch (which is exclusive to the Patreon until I finish season one).

Doesn’t mean I’ve been slacking! Netflix’s most recent license camping for it’s tedious binge watch format is Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan, which was a delight to watch! Go watch it, right now! Do it!

Anyways, time for my… whatever this thing is... on it.

Hisone is a woman who joined the airforce because, near as I can tell, she didn’t have any other ideas for what to put on her school’s career plan worksheet that shows up in every anime, and she saw a fighter plane soar by.

There’s… worse motivations, I guess?

Anyways, while working a desk job, she’s invited to an interview at a far away hangar.

She goes to the hangar and is promptly eaten by a dragon.

But it’s okay! The dragon just wanted to eat her old flip phone! And the crew got her thrown up pretty quick! And now they want her to pilot the dragon.

By getting swallowed and controlling the thing but prodding its soft innards.

Anime

So, Dragons are a thing that exist, and the world governments have been helping hiding them because… that’s the deal they made? Anyways, Japan hides their dragons as fighter planes, and has their air force manage them.

Because we need to explain this bizarre premise somehow.

Dragons are selective about who they will swallow and not digest, and Hisone is one of those lucky few. So she’s a D-Pilot now, which is probably a promotion from her ill-defined desk job.

Also, now she has to put up with Nao Kaizaki, initially the only member of Gifu Base’s D-Pi program, and a woman who couldn’t get the dragon to swallow her, so her position is more theoretical.

Kaizaki is introduced exhibiting the mannerisms of your typical High School Thug boy character, so you know she’ll be interesting.[1]

Hisone’s superior officer, Remi Kakiyasu, was also once a candidate for dragon piloting who couldn’t get the dragon to accept her. So the entire program is kind of low on practical experience.

Then there’s the woman selling yogurt who is clearly important, but it’ll take a few episodes for yogurt woman to reveal her purpose.

So Kaizaki and Kakiyasu train Hisone up as she comes to grips with her new responsibilities.

Hisone finds a plaque embedded in the dragon to learn his name is Masotan.

And so, the title is complete.

Then three more pilots fly in in episode 4, and the main plot starts to meander in a direction.

Let’s meet the other three team members!

Elle Hoshino: Enlisted to become the first female fighter pilot, and is displeased to have been placed on the OTF (Organic Transformed Flier) program instead. So her dragon, F-2/Norma, refuses to leave it’s plane form to please its partner. Eventually Elle comes around and loosens up. She’s fine.

Mayumi Hitomi: A matronly shaped pilot. She’s soft-hearted and soft spoken. Flies a large, goofy looking dragon named Futomomo. She’s fine.

Lilico Kinutsugai: Winner of the Canvas’s ‘Wait, I want more’ award, Lilico is a shut-in with a wry sense of humor and love of manga. Her dragon is the samurai-looking Akemi. Lilico is also apparently asexual, something I wish they’d given space to explore a little more.

She could’ve been my favorite pilot,[2] but the show didn’t commit enough.

So the pilots are placed through a couple adventures to become friends as the creepy Iboshi (some vaguely defined government guy) watches and plots.

Iboshi is the closest thing the series has to a villain, despite it being more of a Man vs. Nature affair. He possesses a callous disregard for the people of the D-Pi program, focused on the looming Ritual the D-Pi are needed for.

This cold-naturedness made me dislike him, but also allows the series to run relationship drama in a really interesting direction.

Because, guess what? If the D-Pi fall in love, the dragons will instinctively reject them. And they need the D-Pi to keep the Dragons healthy, and also escort a giant dragon to ensure it doesn’t destroy Japan in its wake! Oh dear. This frames the ‘will-they, won’t-they’ of Hisone and Haruto of the maintenance team into an major conflict with dramatic consequences and justifies a dumb ‘misunderstanding’ plot with one of the other D-Pi.

This shows builds a very grounded, mature, and compelling view on romance, and I am super game for it. And super down to sing its praises.

I’ve found that the sweet spot for making me care about a romance plot isn’t tsundere antics, or fear, or dumb misunderstandings, because there’s nothing I crave in my media more than emotional honesty.

No, the slow burn I crave is sheer ignorance. It takes several episodes for Hisone to understand she may have feelings for Haruto beyond friendship, then more for her to actually accept and admit her feelings to herself, then the fantasy takes over to prevent a tedious ‘Oh, will you two just talk’ subplot, because Hisone can no longer do her job lest she get digested by her dragon! So the conflict of “How does Hisone deal with her feelings” becomes augmented to “How does Hisone do her freaking job now!?”

The answer, seemingly, is just have a level head on the topic: Mayumi Hitomi also has plenty of ship teases with another character, but never is at risk of being eaten. It doesn’t get examined, because Hitomi’s ability to just kind of… casually acknowledge it and not let the Doki-Dokis mess up her stride doesn’t draw attention.

And because Hitomi’s resolution to the conflict eventually comes down to “I don’t want to abandon anyone ever” means her love for Haruto[4] is just added to the pile of things Hitomi is just anxiously passionate about, in equal measures to her love of flying Masoton, and that seems to work out.

Which, I guess means the secret to flying the dragon’s isn’t a creepy expectation of a pure heart, Iboshi, but emotional maturity.

Which brings us to the jerky, playboy wannabe breaking Elle’s heart. Like a monster.

Take note, writers: this is the first time ‘I broke your heart to protect/save you!’ has ever been successfully executed without one or both parties catching a case of the stupids! Watch this and learn!

So, early in the series, we meet Yutaka Zaito, a wannabe womanizer who has no success, but maintains his illusion of charisma nevertheless. Then he meets Elle, whose serious attitude and cold shoulder grabs his attention, and he suddenly abandons his swarm and tries to, gently, ingratiate himself to Elle, who gradually warms up to him.

It’s nice.

But then the whole ‘Dragon digests those with unsteady hearts’ plot point happens, and Elle is in a position where she can’t even fly her dragon, sending her ambitions even further away. And she hasn’t realized it’s Zaito causing her heart flutters.

But Zaito, upon learning the situation, does understand. And knows that it’s either him or Elle’s career.

So, he turns up the creep, approaches Elle, and proposes a friends-with-benefits arrangement, claiming not to want a serious relationship, and subtly mocks Elle’s dragon rejection. This breaks Elle’s heart, of course, but resolves the matter. She can fly Norma again, and Zaito is left to bite his tongue and let his crush pursue her best life.

The sequence is well executed. It’s a misunderstanding perpetuated intentionally, knowingly, and selflessly by one party, and exists for reasons beyond ‘Neh, let’s have some dumb romance drama now’. Zaito knows what he’s giving up, but still breaks Elle’s heart because she legitimately needs him to so she can pursue her dreams. There’s no other timely way.

On the other end, the show introduces Natsume,[5] a childhood friend of Haruto, who comes in to be Hisone’s rival!

Except Hisone is too oblivious and all-loving to care, and Haruto is straight disinterested in Natsume. And Natsume is a shallow Tsundere and lacks any appealing characterization. They could’ve given her role to Nao, who desperately needs something to do in the later half of the series, or, better yet, just have Haruto be the human sacrifice.

“But you need a girl for the sacrificial beauty role!”

Okay.

Make Haruto a girl.

“Are you proposing the show suddenly swerve into Yuri?”

I mean, Yogurt lady’s backstory is literally a Tragic WWII-era Yuri love story.[6]

Sada Hinomoto shows up selling yogurt and being charming and mysterious so you know there’s something deeper going on.

Turns out, she’s the last D-Pi from the last time they did the ritual, so she actually has proper experience to teach the new kids, and, oh yeah, she hates Iboshi, resents the entire procedure, and carries a lot of trauma from when her friend Yae was chosen to be the human sacrifice last time, and though the show doesn’t spell it out, the intimate blocking and their schemes to flee to Paris paints a super clear picture about what that relationship was about and, gosh dangit, is she one cool grandma.

All she wants to to get back to the giant dragon to find closure with what happened to Yae and force an alternate solution.

Fortunately, Hisone is just the sort of loveable goofball to find an alternate to the Giant Dragon’s bedtime snack!

So there’s another reason why Hisone’s love interest should’ve been a girl.[8]

Now, practically this could’ve been accomplished a couple of ways: gender flip Haruto, cut Haruto and use Nao, pr combine characters. Point is, no matter how you do it, this hypothetical female love interest is now the human sacrifice for Mitatsu-sama.

With this change, there is a new parallel drawn between Hisone and Hinomoto,[9] further underlines Hisone’s tendency toward heartfelt dedication to unconventional methods, and Hisone’s desire for saving the sacrifice changes from an impersonal “Human sacrifices are wrong”[10] to “Human sacrifices are wrong, and also screw you I love that girl!”

And if that girl had Tsundere tendencies (like Nao or Natsume), that’d make the pairing even cuter.

Also, points for the entire D-Pi team unambiguously disbelieving Hisone’s ambiguous fate at the end. It’s fun to see such trope-awareness.[11]

In conclusion: Dragon Pilot is super adorable and sincere, the premise is quintessential anime, and it’s just fun. Sure, most of the characters deserve more depth and exploration, but that’s always my complaint and it’s only a 12-episode series. Plus, it very good at portraying mature characters without stooping into immature means.

And it’s really cementing my love of BONES as a studio.[12] I need to put more effort into seeking out their work.

So go watch it.

Thanks for reading my review! These do tend towards inconsistent release, but they’re fun to do. Consider checking out my other reviews, essays, and the rarer original work. I’m also nearing the end of my Muffin Comics experiment, so catch those while you can! If you really like what I’m outputting, I’ve got a Patreon, set on a monthly schedule so you know what you’re committing to.[13]

Next time: a Netflix Original of a magical tone! (And hopefully more Digimon)

Kataal kataal

[1] At least, that’s the hope. Gets dashed once the other D-Pi arrive on base and Kaizaki slips out of the spotlight. [2] The title goes to Hisone herself.[3] [3] Anyone else have troubles saying the main character/romantic lead are their favorite? Like it’s too easy an answer or something? Because I do. [4] All these H names are raising the hackles of my Mug Rule… [5] Presumably so they can localize Harvest Moon games. [6] Which means we were this close to a Yuri anime not about assaulting high schoolers and creepy family dynamics,[7] but one about Dragons pretending to be a spitfire and historical context and and light-hearted comedy and I honestly would trade this show for that and I love Hisone & Maston! [7] Citrus did not sit well with Canvas. [8] Canvas’s full tilt idea, by the way, is to combine Haruto, Nao, and Natsume. Condense characters and keep them all relevant longer. [9] Way too many H names. [10] Not that Hisone being a goofy all-loving hero isn’t super endearing. [11] Though it’d be nice to know what Hisone and Masoton were doing. Had Hisone ejected out of the dragon at any point during the… months(?) long time jump? [12] Wolf’s Rain notwithstanding. [13] Not going to lie, nothing deflects me from lending support quicker than a ‘Per Update’ schedule.

#CanvasWatches #dragon pilot #anime #CanvasReviews

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sambart93 · 7 years ago

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Final 31: Day 29! Top 5 Musicals Of the Year

1. Hakuouki: Harada-Hen - How could this not make the list! This amount of pressure these guys had before this run started, and the amount of applause they got each night. Not only that but it was really damn good! The story was great, the new cast were great (I am so in love with Tsubasa-kun as Heisuke and Shoudai as Kinpachi), the songs were soooo good (even know I listen to them in my head and I haven’t watched this play in AGES! But the songs seriously stick!), also it’s probably the first time I’ve legit liked Chizuru’s actress AND I felt this was the best version of Chizuru we’ve ever gotten; she’s actually active and badass and tries to fight back and does fight back! And how can we forget that finally we got a GOOD ending! It just warms my heart. Also TonChan and Karin had such great chemistry! I could gush all day about this musical.

2. Oukoku and 100 Ouji Yume Stage: This was probably the most socking to make the list. I really had zero expectations for this stage, I was the most casual fan going in for this, I even freaking forgot penlights! But I watched the morning show and the boys were just as tired as us and it made some of the funniest comedy ever, they were also great at covering the little slip up and improvising - this was an idol stage but it was the most relaxed idol stage we’ve had so far and I think that’s why I liked it so much; you could tell the boys were having fun! The story was simple enough that they had all this room to just enjoy and mess around and have a laugh which I super enjoyed and that’s where the charm for this show is. And then in the night show I could join in clapping with the songs and everything and see more improve and changes to the show so I super enjoyed this!

3. UtaPuri: Masquarade Mirage: Just like YumeStage, I had zero expectations going in for this and woah-oh-woah it was such a damn good play! The story, the characters, the costumes, the comedy, it was all amazing! And of course the MVP was Ota-freaking-Motohiro! I was so blown away by his performance and by his singing, I just completely feel for him in this; it got me to totally understand why he’s so popular and why he gets so much work; seriously, he’s amazing in this. And I LOVE how we technically have openly gay characters in this and that we have these moments between Someya and Mokkun’s characters and it just wamred my heart but also broke my heart towards the end there - just so good!

4. Hatsukoi Monster: How could I not put this here?! It was MakiChan’s first Solo Main Lead role and show! And it was so much fun! The songs are so enjoyable and we could clap along and how they managed to sort out the whole massive age difference between makiChan and the girl without it becoming a legal problem was great! Also there isn’t a bad seat in the place because it’s literally just like five rows and the boys go around the stage so much Also the freaking references to things like YowaMushi Pedal were just hilarious! Did I mention the songs are so good? Because they are! OH and the random childish crossdressing and freaking Tanaka Ryuusei and Hoshino Yuta just going all out there on the comedy was fantastic. It also doesn’t help that on the bus tour, my bus got to watch this and we were all in stitches laughing the entire time! Such a great experience; both in the theatre and on the bus tour.

5. Nanbaka: This mother chucker. Absolutely ridiculous; absolutely hilarious; the funniest thing I’d seen in a while; it was absolutely crazy! Again, just like Hatsukoi, a lot of audience participation ncluding clapping, calls and singng along. I’m pretty sure I was crying with laughter at some points to; it was so much fun! Also I was front row so I was freaking close to EVERYONE! And not only was it fun, but it also had heart; I ended up crying at about two scene towards the end! I really hope they do a second one with all the same cast.

There we go! What were your top Musicals of this year?

#final 31 days of the year

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undeadimpulsereviews · 7 years ago

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D.Gray-Man Review

Hello again; sorry once more for delays on reviews; getting ready for college has taken a toll on me and my time. Though I want to get this out as soon as possible, and preferably before the weekend. So without further delay, here’s D.Gray-man.

Throughout manga we’ve seen a little of everything; space bounty hunters, ninjas, the dead police, and just your average high school kid. One such sub genre is no exception; exorcists are something that has been around for a decent amount of time in manga, and one of the more popular manga among them is D.Gray-man.

D.Gray-man is a shounen action manga from mangaka Hoshino Katsura; it’s a long running series that has had it’s fair share of ups and downs. It started it’s run in Shounen Jump along side manga such as Bleach and Naruto. Currently the manga is ongoing and I can’t honestly say if it will ever be complete. The manga has gone on hiatus many times, and recently it’s gone quiet once again. D.Gray-man currently has twenty five volumes out in the states, and you can read up to chapter 225 as of the fourteenth of July. Currently the manga is updating quarterly but whether it’s the mangaka taking her time, or the translators online, the chapters are coming out slow. Now I found D.Gray-man a while ago through it’s anime; specifically speaking the first series, not Hallow. I really enjoyed the anime and it got me interested in more but I never truly explored it. After some time I came back to the series and decided to read the manga from the start; now I’m completely caught up and am among the people waiting to see the next update. I love this series, but at the same time I don’t know where to begin; the manga first began in 2004 and since then has really changed a lot over the course of it’s publication. It’s art and story have ramped up exponentially. Is it bad? To me no, but it can get really complex and hard to understand after being forced to wait for chapters. Lets start with the story and see if I can grasp everything after such a long time.

Our story follows a boy named Allen Walker as he aims to join an organization of exorcists; these exorcists are the leading force when it comes to taking down monsters known as Akuma. Allen wishes to stop the Akuma outbreak at it’s source and to do that he needs to become an exorcist. With the help of his friends, his right cursed eye, and his anti-akuma arm containing “Innocence”; Allen aims for the mastermind behind it all, the Millennium Earl. Though our villain is not alone, and is fairly unpredictable; for what reason does the Earl make akuma. Is there a goal, out of anger maybe, or is it all for some thrill of the moment? So join Allen as he uncovers the mysterious that his new job will present and see if it’s really possible to get rid of the akuma once and for all.

Now before I continue I must say this; the story is big and has gone a long way. There are things I might need to pull from in order to make a point. So if you don’t wish to be spoiled on anything then be cautious; I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to keep it spoiler free. With that said I think that D.Gray-man is one of my favorite Shounen Jump manga out there. Now I haven’t read to many, but it’s been slowly growing thanks to these reviews; however, with D.Gray-man I feel I get an interesting and action filled story that doesn’t stray to far from the main plot. It has it’s fair share of cliches that come with every Jump manga; like trust in your friends, for they will give you strength in the toughest of ordeals. Though the story has reach past two hundred chapters and has gone through hiatus after hiatus. It’s been running for over ten years and currently has reach what I would probably say is it’s climax. Like most long running manga the early premise still stands, but the story has gotten a lot more complex. With the addition of other exorcists organizations, and the enemies known as the Noah family; D.Gray-man has slowly built into quite the elaborate tale. Though no matter how complex it has become it’s moved along at a very promising pace; there haven’t been any mass jumps in time, or constant breaks in the main plot of the story. Everything focuses on Allen’s journey with the order; there was just a few exceptions. In the beginning the manga may seem a little slow; this is due to the fact that this segment is used to show off new characters as they are recruited into the order. I find the chapters interesting, and I love the characters they cover; however, that’s all they are really good for, which is fine. You don’t start getting into the main dilemma until after they are recruited; though it doesn’t take to long, and they only focus on two characters. They also serves to introduce the Noah family and their stake in every thing. The other exception is one filler chapter; many people tend to steer clear of certain manga because they diverge to much away from their original plot for things like flash backs, or side stories that don’t necessarily pertain to the overall plot. While I can’t say that D.Gray-man doesn’t have these; I can say that it only really has one. Midway through the manga there is a break between the plot that acts like a calm before the storm. Both sides are planning their next move, but before we get to that Allen is returning to the headquarters. The events that unfold are nothing special towards the main plot, but serve as more of a comic relief chapter; almost as if it were to clean the palette and not overwhelm the reader. Otherwise the story never really moves from the focus; it sticks on the path it was set upon. Now my one problem with the story is that with the latest set of chapter it’s started to get a little confusing; with the addition of a new story integral character many things just get lost to me. Who is who? What connections do these people share? What is the true motive behind certain characters actions? Some of the answers are there and honestly speaking I could probably get them if I looked closer and refreshed myself, but other answers just hang in the air. I feel this is mainly due to the hiatus and lack of chapters for us reading online. I can only assume that the answers I seek will come to me later in the manga. Above all else I love this story; it gave me something not many Jump manga have given me. It’s a very interesting read filled with enjoyable moments; as well as a lovable an interesting cast of characters to go with it.

D.Gray-man has grown from being just a small order of exorcists, and a family of supernatural entities, to a story with a broad array of characters. You have exorcists from other areas of the world, holy entities that watch over the orders, as well as varying levels of Akuma. Though we’ve gotten to past two hundred chapters there is no shortage of characters, and some are still being revealed to the world. At the first the cast feels like your average shounen cast; a group of kids who each have their own goals and wish to achieve them. Yet as the story goes on these characters are melded into really enjoyable and more serious characters due to the interactions and events that unfold before them. My favorite characters how ever are the current villains; the Noah family is a curious bunch. At first their actions scream villain; however, while what they do is evil, you start to wonder if maybe some of the members of the family are as bad as you initially believed. Two such characters that come to mind for me are Road Kamelot and Tyki Mikk.

While they haven’t exactly done anything to warrant being anything less than a villain; the way they act around Allen in comparison to the other Noah is what makes me have a different opinion of them. When I think of the Noah family, they kind of remind me of the homunculus in Fullmetal Alchemist; they all start bad, but each has their own varying levels of loyalty to the antagonist in FMA. That was the same impression that these to leave for me; They do more what they desire than what the Earl desires. The other Noah don’t feel as important as these two and that put flags up in my head. Yet this could all just be my hopeful self wanting something that isn’t the case. The same can be said for the exorcists as well; recently with the introduction of the other orders you start to see those who may not be the most heroic people. The motives of these people is still a little unclear at the time but it’s clear that they aren’t up to anything all that good. I’m interested to see what the mangaka has in store for these people, and for what they themselves have in store for Allen and his friends. Though the most important thing is development of the characters; like I said before a lot of the main cast undergo a little change as time goes on due to the events that unfold. Allen goes from the sometimes comical friendly face to a more determined serious character. His development, as well as others, is done really well’ it doesn’t feel forced and the pacing is really well done and steady. The mangaka does a good job of directing the growth of these characters without forcing anything unnecessary. Even characters you may not have originally like will grow on you; for me this was a character named Kanda.

Now I don’t hate Kanda, but out of the main four he was the bottom for me; At first Kanda is like the rival character. He’s aggressive, easy to anger, and can come off a little cold at times; however, he’s not all bad. Though when his big event hits his character is impacted drastically; I love his new resolve, the old Kanda is still there, but at the same time it’s less aggression and more friendly teasing on his part. As far as characters go I really love this cast; I don’t think the story would be the same if not for such a lively cast. Yet here is where I hit a dilemma; the visuals of the manga, where do I begin.

Now let me make one thing clear; I don’t hate the visuals, in fact I really enjoy Hoshino Katsura’s style. However, we come back to the idea of her hiatus. Now I not to well versed in all that went down with this manga; I don’t know how many times it’s gone on break and for what reasons, but take into account that this manga has been ongoing for a good thirteen years. Many long running manga, Jump manga especially, alter their visuals as time goes one. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a big example of this; it first started looking a lot like Fist of the North Star and later adopted more of it’s own style. This can also be do to aging of the character, kind of like with Naruto or One Piece (One Piece has stayed pretty consistent though). D.Gray-man has many reasons as to this, and it’s not a bad thing; however there is something I’d like to address. Here’s a look at what the style was first like from the first chapter of the manga, and a frame from the most recent chapter.

Now the art has come a long way; while I don’t mind the original style present in the early manga, the updated works are some of the most beautiful and finely detailed visuals I’ve seen in some time. Though there is the key word, “Beautiful”. The art is really well done, but maybe a little to much of it is beautiful. The characters are some of the most over the top “pretty” there is; even the ugliest of characters get this treatment, I don’t know how to handle all this. I mean look at just look at this. I’ll try to keep the next part as spoiler free as possible, however the picture itself is pretty much a spoiler in and of itself. I won’t say why, but if you wish to remain in the dark about things then steer clear.

This man appears frequently throughout the manga and yet, you never see him like this. He’s one of the ugliest people around, both inside and out, but then in comes the mangaka with this and I’m just sitting here baffled. I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I can say it this.

youtube

All joking aside, I don’t mind the character designs; in fact I really love them, including the man above. When I saw this in the manga I was definitely surprised, but never hated what I was given. Though it is still a fact that almost every character, be it a boy or girl, is overly beautiful in appearance. Only the Akuma and the Earl stay in this area of gross design which of course makes sense given their morality in the story.

The Earl has always been one of my favorite designs not only in this manga, but in terms of villains as a whole. He’s creepy, mysterious, and just down right evil. The smile is one of the big reasons, but when you get up close you can see a lot more.

Every detail of this character is awesome, not just the giant unchanging grin. His demonic eyes, wrinkled face, and overall attire add to this affect. When it comes down to it, no matter old or new, the art is something I really enjoy with this manga. It’s come a long way and though I have to wait for the next chapter I can’t wait to see what the mangaka has in store.

Overall I give D.Gray-man a 9 out of 10; I don’t have many problems with the manga, and honestly if I do have any they are very very small problems. There were many Jump titles I could have read but I’m glad I went a little off the path for this. D.Gray-man is definitely a popular series, but it’s definitely not the first thing that comes to mind when you say Shounen Jump. Regardless of it’s standing it’s got a great story that never lets up; along with an awesome cast of characters to compliment it. As well as a nice visual style that has grown over the many years. I just hope that this series continues to grow in the years to come until it’s conclusion.

So this was suppose to release last week and of course it’s pretty late; so instead of pushing the next review back, I’ll just make today a double feature. Later today I’ll release the review for Little Nightmares. I’d say somewhere around seven or eight though. Until then have a good day and I’ll see you later.

#d.gray man #anime #manga #review #shounen jump #shounen #katsura hoshino #Hoshino Katsura #Jump SQ.Crown #allen walker #millennium earl #d.gray-man #d.grayman hallow

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prancingmaria · 8 years ago

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[non-no August issue] 4 Questions to BTS

source: myheaven0624 twitter

JIN 1. Hobbies etc. that you're into now, way to spend your day-offs? Since JUNGKOOK said he will learn how to play the drums during our world tour breaks, I also started playing the guitar. However, we couldn't bring drum set during the tour, so in the end I'm the only one bringing a guitar and always practicing (laughs). I play our own songs, "Butterfly" and "Spring Day." I want to play them on stage someday.

2. Tell us your fashion style I like neat and simple fashion. As much as possible, I keep in mind to wear things I received when I go to places where I'll be seen by many people. It's because I think that if I'll be in the opposite position, I would be very happy if I see my present worn by an important person.

3. Favorite scent I'm using a perfume with a sofly wafting sweetness. If I will compare, it's like the fluffiness of cotton candy. It's not the scent of the cotton candy itself (laughs).

4. Japanese movie, drama, anime etc. that you're attached to I love Japanese anime, so I watched "ONE PIECE" and "BLEACH" every week when I was a trainee. Recently, I'm into a manga about high school volleyball called "HaiKyuu!", I often read it.

SUGA 1. Hobbies etc. that you're into now, way to spend your day-offs? Day-off, so to speak, I think of "ordinary" things to do. Going to cafe alone, meeting a friend, a regular day with nothing happening is important for me. Since it's a rest day, I don't do special things and I just consider spending the day relaxing.

2. Tell us your fashion style Rather than picking up various kinds of clothes, I'm the type who gets attached to things I like and wear them for a long time. I think I have worn clothes of my choice and also expensive clothes tens of thousands times at work since debut, but I want to become a person who looks special even if I wear ordinary clothes, so I choose simple clothes these days. And, I dislike showing off my skin, so even in summer I'm the type who wears long sleeves.

3. Favorite scent I like sweet scents for perfumes, but depending on my mood on that day I only use perfumes sometimes, I have never used 1 up. I like drinking coffee, so it really calms me when I sniff its scent. For me, coffee is like a substitute for water, an indispensable thing.

4. Japanese movie, drama, anime etc. that you're attached to "Slamdunk" is the all-time best manga in my life! Since I repeatedly pick up my favorite works, I've already read it more than 100 times. The animes I watched during my childhood were mostly Japanese works.

J-HOPE 1. Hobbies etc. that you're into now, way to spend your day-offs? I'm currently obsessed with collecting figures. I've recently added boards* called skateboard deck to that collection. They are colorful and have a variety of designs, I enjoy just by looking at them. Unfortunately, bringing it outside to go skateboarding.....I don't do that (laughs).

2. Tell us your fashion style I pursue styles in which I can express myself well without being too safe nor too much. I plan to challenge a cool-looking fashion this summer. However, since I've bought a street branded black fur jacket last year's winter, I haven't shopped yet........

3. Favorite scent I'm really sensitive to scents, so it's natural for me to wear perfumes, and then I apply a sweet-scented body lotion before going to bed and I always use a diffuser in the room. I bought kona coffee powder when we visited Hawaii in April, so I intend to use it as a substitute for air refresher.

4. Japanese movie, drama, anime etc. that you're attached to I like Otsuka Ai-san's "Sakuranbo"! A senior** introduced it to me when I was playing a game in an internet cafe when I was a child, I thought it was a good song. I also often listen to YUI-san's songs.

T/N: *board part of a skateboard ** somebody who is older than him

RM 1. Hobbies etc. that you're into now, way to spend your day-offs? I'm most into studying Japanese language now.......Really! I'm watching the drama "Midnight Diner", whose dialogues are easy to listen to. Getting in touch with nature is one way to refresh. Walking in a nearby park and also if there's time going as far as the sea.

2. Tell us your fashion style I choose clothes whose styles are nicely seen while having a relaxing feeling.　I didn't have confidence when it comes to style before and I didn't like skinny (pants), but after I debuted everyone told me that my legs are long and that they're pretty, so it became like a challenge*. The stylish among the members, other than me (laughs), is probably J-HOPE. He is good at matching items!

3. Favorite scent The scent of natural fabric softener. Also, I've talked about it with JUNGKOOK, the smell of the Japanese buildings (laughs). Particularly, I'd sense it with the airport. When we arrive (at the airport), everyone talks amongst themselves and say "We've arrived Japan!."

4. Japanese movie, drama, anime etc. that you're attached to I listen to AK-69-san, KOHH-san, Sakamoto Ryuichi-san, and Kuramoto Yuhki-san's music. As for movies, I like Director Koreeda Hirokazu's works. The peaceful world view through his film making captivates me. I will certainly go and see if ever there's a screening** in Korea.

T/N: * challenge of wearing skinny pants ** screening of Koreeda Hirokazu's films

JIMIN 1. Hobbies etc. that you're into now, way to spend your day-offs? Playing my hobbies which are billiards & bowling with friends and gathering at home playing computer games. Whoever wins that time differs, so whatever I do me not being the best is for certain (laughs). 2. Tell us your fashion style I'm the type who wears western type of clothes for several months if I find a good style. These days, I like simple fashion such as shirts + slacks and white shirts + denims. However, I haven't decided yet as to what kind of style should I do for this year's summer.....It seems like once I start shopping I will buy different clothes (laughs), I will think carefully and I will go shopping. 3. Favorite scent Scent of flowers and the smell of meat when being roasted.....I like natural smell, so I don't wear perfume that much. The refreshing smell of the diffuser in our room is my favorite. However, my roommate, J-HOPE-san is particular about that type of smell more than me. 4. Japanese movie, drama, anime etc. that you're attached to As for manga and anime, we should keep an eye on famous ones. As for novels, I just recently bought "Reisei to Jônetsu no Aida." I look forward in reading it!

V 1. Hobbies etc. that you're into now, way to spend your day-offs? Classical, jazz, opera, R&B, hip-hop, EDM, regardless of genre. I particularly like Hisaishi Joe-san's "Summer" now. Tatatatatantata~n (starts to sing). I want to listen to a live piano performance (of it) someday. 2. Tell us your fashion style The item I often wear is shirt. I have several pieces of designs with simple to unusual prints. The traveling bag I bought in New York this spring too, it's my favorite. I'm using it carefully! 3. Favorite scent There are many instances when I chose refreshing & relaxing scents for perfumes. I use several types to match my fashion. 4. Japanese movie, drama, anime etc. that you're attached to I recently finished all the episodes of the drama "Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu!" I like the weekly hug scene between the heroine and her contract marriage partner every Tuesday. I thought I've seen that male character somewhere, and when I searched, I was surprised that it's Hoshino Gen-san, the artist whose music I usually listen to. By the way, I like Hoshino Gen-san's "Nichijou." I'm also practicing "Koi" dance! JUNGKOOK 1. Hobbies etc. that you're into now, way to spend your day-offs? Recently, I enjoy playing FPS (kind of shooting game). I play 3-4 hours every day, and in the blink of an eye I don't have time to sleep (laughs). That and I always listen to music. I also easily get into music like future bass, so if anything there's a bit of seemigly sad mood, I prefer peacefully heart calming melodies. 2. Tell us your fashion style I like big silhouettes such as parkas, and color black. I think I don't change the things I wear that much including summer. The genre is different, but I feel RAP MONSTER-san and J-HOPE-san's dressing well, I think it's cool. 3. Favorite scent The scent of the wind and greenery the moment spring arrives. Long time ago, on a spring day, I went biking along the river while listening to music together with RAP MONSTER-san and V-san. I felt the unique beginning of spring's atmosphere, my heart gets excited when I remember that day, it becomes an enjoyable feeling. 4. Japanese movie, drama, anime etc. that you're attached to I like Japanese animes, and particularly "HaiKyu!!" which JIN-san also likes. It's also helpful in studying Japanese.

COMPLETE!

☆may repost / use translation w/credit☆

#bts #bangtan #translation #non-no #interview #maknae line #jimin #v #jungkook #taehyung #tae made me listen to nichijou #170619

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kiibx · 7 years ago

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Why exactly am I allowed to write again? XD WHy did we think Joi was a good idea? WHY DO WE SHIP THIS?! XD

Right, because the precious perfection <3

HAVE SOME MAMA!AOI <3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blue-green focused on the pile of mud in her doorway, trying her hardest to contain not only her laughter, but a sigh and a reminder this… This was actually fairly normal. So were the globs that trailed behind it, and the two bits that reached up to her, expecting her to pick it up and hug it. Oh good god, the memories that brought back of her academy days…. “Didn’t you just have a bath?”

“Uh-huh.” The mud pile fidgeted, peeling part of itself off to reveal a torso of dirty tanned skin. “But I found a froggy! It hopped around, Mama- Like this! Ribbit, ribbit-” And before she could remind him they were indoors, she was watching her oldest child hop around the once clean bathroom, splattering globs of mud across the tile and pulling a laugh from her lips. At least with every glob of mud she could see more of him, a matching pair of eyes turning to look up with her a moment later in pure glee.

“Frogs usually do come out as night around here,” Aoi commented, peeling Amai’s mud-caked clothing off and scooping him up into her arms. At least she’d gotten Hoshino through her bath and out to watch tv in the living room before he’d come back in, though she didn’t relish the idea of sending muddy pajamas through a wash while she slept and hoping they came clean. Then again, had she not grown up alongside her husband during their time at the academy, she knew she’d have been out there with him, hopping around in the mud without a care in the world.

Carefully balancing – when had he gotten so big?! - she nudged the faucet for the tub with her knee, re-filling the moderately sized porcelain container with warm water. “Did I ever tell you about the froggies your Daddy and I once found?”

A gasp rose from her hip, where Amai had taken to drawing on her shirt in mud. Even for a six year old, he had some talent, accurately managing to recreate a kuriboh on her shoulder before her question caught his attention. “I like froggies- Were they BIG froggies?!”

“Mhm! The biggest! We caught two and hid them under Uncle Chazz’s bed,” she paused, lowering Amai into the tub and leaning over to turn the water off, kneeling beside the white porcelain, “and then we kept bringing bits of our lunch to the others for a few months! One of them was big and brown and covered in little bumps- We named him Crowler.”

“What’s a Crowlie?”

“Crowler, my little snowflake. He was one of the meanest teachers we ever had when we were kids. Daddy once got him hit with a baseball- Uncle Bastion hit it, but your Daddy threw it. And one time, he even made me run laps around the school because I told him his lipstick was done wrong.”

Amai laughed, letting his mother gently rinse the mud from his small form with a cup and multiple scoops of water.”Like Mrs. Mazaki! She said I can’t bring Pip to class anymore an’ made me leave him outside in the cold!”

For a moment, Aoi thought of the lizard in question; no more than a tiny green anole, it’d taken to following Amai to and from school after he’d fed it a few insects he’d found. She’d been initially against it – they didn’t have money for a pet, and he loved his lizard friend far too much for it to be anything else – but the more they’d established a set routine and the reptile even became a class favorite, she’d relented. It wasn’t like Pip himself could cause much trouble.

Or so she’d thought; it’d only been a few months before she’d gotten messages from the school of Pip being left on the teacher’s desk, climbing all over Amai and distracting him from his lessons- effectively being the partner in crime she and Jaden had been to each other, and still were. Then again, how could she not laugh? They were in their late twenties and the parents of a six and four and a half year olds, yet they still often reverted to their ‘let’s do things we shouldn’t’ modes and left frogs in Chazz’s house and bags, played pranks on Bastion and Atticus and even Zane, often even teased their own kids, who would counter with teasing of their own and new games for them all to play. Hard not to expect their son wouldn’t be the same, really.

Carefully, Aoi rinsed the mud from his hair, grabbing for a bottle of shampoo with her other hand. “Maybe it’s best if Pip doesn’t follow you inside anymore. Figure out which window is your classroom’s, then set him on it to wait while you’re in there.”

“But what if he gets lost?!”

She laughed, letting her ‘troublemaker’ mentality rise. With the shampoo bottle in one hand and the other gently lathering up his honey brown hair, the elder jabbed at the air, using the bottle as a makeshift sword with a wide grin. “Then he’ll have to become Sir Pip, Knight of the Yuki family! He’ll fight his way back an’ find you again- He can’t leave his charge unattended! You’re Prince Amai- He needs to be with you!”

But her excitement deflated rather quickly while Amai cheered and bounced, rinsing his own hair after a minute. Prince Amai… Any mention of royalty reminded her of their third year at the academy, when Jaden had found out who he was, and Yubel’s reign of terror. By all technicalities, Amai could be a prince – His father had been the supreme king, even if they fought to forget that and move on with their lives. It was difficult to, though, especially when the nightmares still persisted over ten years later, and Yubel was constantly with them as part of his soul.

As it was, she had that familiar tingle down her spine that usually came with the monster watching them, prompting her smile to return rather quickly. Though Yubel’s presence still occasionally made her nervous, she’d come to terms long ago with her being a part of her husband. She’d always be there, watching over, protecting, and helping him, and honestly, Aoi was thankful for that – Yubel was a terrifying being, powerful and protective, but she also only had his best interests at heart. Even she couldn’t fault her for that.

Aoi tilted her head, checking her son over for any remaining traces of dirt and mud. Aside from a few traces under his nails, he was dirt free, the water he sat in nearly completely brown from it all. “And now we just have to get you dried off and into bed. It’s getting late, snowflake.”

“But I want a story! Daddy tells good ones!” Amai argued, climbing out of the tub and forcing her to quickly grab a nearby towel to wrap him up in, lest he track dirty water into dried mud and need a third bath. She already wasn’t looking forward to the cleanup when she’d had a long day herself, trying to fill orders and take measurements between household chores and taking care of Jaden while he lay in bed with a cold.

But per the usual, she refused to complain, gently running the towel over his hair and skin to dry him off. “Daddy’s in bed already, honey. He’s still sick- no stories tonight. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Not even 'bout puppies?”

“Mm-mm. I’ll tell you what. When Daddy’s all better, then we’ll surprise him with breakfast and he’ll read you all the stories in the world, okay?”

“….Okay! Ones 'bout lizards, too!”

“Any story you want. Promise.”

She could’ve sworn Yubel laughed at that, though chalked it up to her imagination. And with Amai dry and wrapped up once again, Aoi scooped him back into her arms and shuffled into the hall, fully expecting to find a mess of mud…

And found nothing but a spotless hall instead, the tv even off and living room dark.

For a moment, it set the woman’s nerves on edge; she’d fancied herself her pup’s protector ever since he’d fused with Yubel, and unless he’d used those powers he’d gained then, there was no way things should be this quiet. She would’ve heard Neos, too, or Yubel, even Kuriboh – something had gone horribly off.

“Mommy?”

“It’s all right, love,” she managed to get out, somehow keeping her tone light and sweet despite her nerves being on high alert. “But Mommy does need to go check on Daddy and Hoshino, so let’s get you into bed, kay?”

Amai nodded, freeing a hand from his towel to rub at his eye. “B’ I’m not tired,” he countered, his argument punctuated with a yawn that made even his mother giggle. Knowing he couldn’t win, he laid his head against her shoulder, allowing her to carry him into his bedroom and set him on the bed so she could get a change of pajamas.

Within minutes, she had the six year old changed, towel dropped into the laundry, and tucked in, a kiss to his forehead matched with a tight hug and one to her cheek in return. And though it made her heart melt, even to see him snuggle up under his blankets and drift off to sleep, her on-edge nerves had her quickly flicking the lights off and slipping out, for once welcoming the tingle along her spine that signaled Yubel’s presence. If something really was going wrong, she had backup – though how much the monster could do as a spirit was beyond her.

A peek into her daughter’s room eased a bit of her worries; Hoshino lay in her bed fast asleep, tucked in and clutching the plush kuriboh Aoi knew all too well. She’d given Jaden that when they were only 16… He’d turned around and given it to their daughter in turn, declaring it a fairly heirloom. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if wonderful described her family anymore…

Shuffling down the hall, Aoi undid the wide clip holding her hair back, blue-green gaze darting every which way for any sign of intruders. The door was locked, everything cleaned up, a muddy cloth in the sink, upside down plush on the couch-

Wait.

The tension eased from her body at that, a smile replacing it and sending her not only into her own bedroom, but crawling into bed to place a gentle kiss to her husband’s cheek. “Didn’t I tell you to stay in bed, Mr. Yuki? You’re not going to get healthy again cleaning up after our son.”

Jaden chuckled, rolling onto his back and gently tugging her down to lay beside him. “Can’t let you deal with everything alone. Mud would’ve kept you up for hours.”

“And yet in half an hour you not only cleaned it all up, but locked up shop and put Hoshino to bed.”

“Hey. After years of cleaning up mud from Chazz throwing frogs at us-”

She laughed, draping an arm over his middle and nuzzling her face into his shoulder. That was a memory that often crept into her mind whenever their friend or frogs came up in conversation, retaliation for trying to 'ribbit’ him out of his room as a harmless prank. “And we wonder why he doesn’t visit often.”

“Probably thinks we have more.” Still chuckling, he tilted his head, nuzzling his nose into her hair and peppering the raven locks with little kisses. His hold on her tightened just slightly, and for a moment, she could forget she was fully dressed and he was sick – they were back in the early days of their relationship, curled up in his bunk in the Slifer Red dorm and just basking in the fact they were alive and together. A pair of teens thankful for everything they had, and then some.

Lifting her head, she caught his lips in a soft kiss, body snuggling closer to his. It’d been at least ten years since their relationship had started, closer to thirteen since they’d met… And still, she couldn’t think of any other path she’d want her life to take. Even with all the pain and heartache, they’d done it together, survived together – And they were stronger for it. Stronger and by far happier, settled into a life they both loved.

“What was that for?” he whispered upon parting, lips quirked into a smile. “I’m still sick, y'know. Trying to get yourself sick and bed-bound, too?”

“Mm-mm. Just wanted to make sure you knew I love you. More than anything.”

She couldn’t change a thing in a life that led her to him.

#【𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌】{Elementshipping}#getyouraoion #{{still dying over the cute #submission

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sambart93 · 8 years ago

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2017.03.07-08 HatsuKoi Monster [Review]

I had the amazing opportunity (amazing because it’s MakiChan that’s literally why) to go and see Hatsukoi Monster TWICE - last Tuesday evening/night show alongside an AfterTalk. and last Wednesday afternoon show. I was also super lucky that they were filming on Wednesday for the DVD(!) but more on that later. I’ll probably refer to the performance differences by saying either Tuesday / Wednesday or Night / Afternoon.

Official Website here Official Twitter here Press Reports 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Dress Rehearsal Video here

CAST and CHARACTERS

Aramaki Yoshihiko as Takahashi Kanade Okuda Kokoro as Nikaido Kaho Sagawa Daiki as Kaneko Tom Kamisato Yuki as Sannomiya Ginjirou Shane as Noguchi Kazuo Yuutarou as Shinohara Kouta Ono Kento as Taga Atsushi Tanaka Ryousei as Nagasawa Arashi Hoshino Yuta as Nikaido Daikoku Gomoto Naoya as Takahashi Shuugo Ensemble: Hanatsuka Rentarou and Kitagawa Yuuya

NON-SPOILER

I was super worried going into this one because the main girl lead is only 14 years old and I’d watched the anime and I was super worried about ‘almost 30 year old actors trying to be 11 years old who’re trying to be romantic with her’,

BUT I was surprised how they handled illegal-ness of it and it ends up being this rather innocent (not really existent) romance.

The major selling point of this play is the comedy and the audience participation. Everyone was constantly laughing, even the actors couldn’t hold it in at times (I’m looking at you MakiChan!). It’s absolutely ridiculous but also brings back some nostalgic moments of childhood at the same time. So it’s all wonderful and fun! Also they get the audience to clap along to the music and different songs and they go around the audience a lot which makes it even more enjoyable.

The stars of the show are definitely Tanaka Ryousei and Hoshino Yuta - they are both hilarious and go all out as their characters and they create a lot of hysterics from the audience.

Due to this stage having two minors as actors, this play is a short 90-100 minutes play but it’s so jam packed and fun and entertaining!

Rating: 9/10

STORY

The stage follows the anime story pretty faithfully so, just go watch that but if you’re too lazy then quick synopsis here:

Nikaido Kaho leaves home to live at a dormitory for her new school year. Shortly after arriving, Kaho is saved by a tall, handsome stranger. She confesses her love to him. To her shock, he is in fact a fifth grader! Deciding that she can't date a fifth grader, Kaho intends to break up with him. But as she spends more time with Kanade, she begins to care for him even more, even though she feels and knows its morally wrong.

And thus ridiculousness and hilarity ensues.

SPOILERS

As per usual a dissertation length review is about to occur. Sit back and enjoy.

STAGE

The stage is really interesting, it’s set out as a circle that comes out from a little stage so it’s in the center of the room and there’s chairs about pretty much 280 degrees around it. The theatre itself is only 6 rows and then a slightly upper row and then there’s the second floor which I imagine only had about 2 rows. So tiny and super intimate which made it all the better! There really isn’t a bad seat. Although, from about row 3 and back, sometimes you can’t see the action when the actors are creeping around the front of the stage or when they’;re led down because someones head is going to be in the way, BUT that rarely happens and I never really had a problem with seeing the stage and I was in rows 4 and 5 rows.

EXTRA: Also, if anyone ever asks me again how good my Japanese is, I will never saying ‘it’s sometimes alright’ because I was laughing so hard. I was one of the loudest laughers when I watched this which proves my understanding of Japanese...right?! XD

CAST BREAKDOWN and SCENES

Aramaki Yoshihiko as Takahashi Kanade:

Like I said I was originally worried about MakiChan having to do a job where his romantic interest is a 13/14 year old girl in real life. BUT luckily everything ended up being really innocent and actually it did really just look like friends or family rather than a romantic interest so that’s a relief.

It was hilarious seeing a grown 27 year old guy play a 12 year old. He pulled off the innocence and the childishness very well. All his adlibs were great and even when he couldn’t control his laughter he was adorable! The wendesday performance was being filmed and MakiChan messed up a lot and it was so funny! The first is when he goes to tell is dad he’s dating Kaho, but because she doesn’t want it found out she starts screaming over his words. Usually he says ‘Yes because Kaho is my girlfr- *Kaho screams over him*’ but during the Afternoon show MakiChan accidentally said, ‘Yes because she’s my private teacher *Kaho screams*’ and then into his mic quietly he’s like ‘private teacher?!’ and everyone in the audience is wetting themselves and not paying any attention to Kaho doing her monologue, we were all too busy looking at MakiChan who was laughing at himself and then Naoya too was looking at him like ‘you really just said that?’ xD another part during the same scene in the Afternoon show is when MakiChan’s decided to play his Melodica while his father was talking seriously to Kaho and Naoya hit MakiChan on the leg with a smile and said ‘do you mind? I’m trying to talk here,’ and MakiChan cracked this huge smile back and was like ‘I’m sorry?’

There’s also a hula hoop scene where the hula hoop drops from the ceiling and MakiChan catches it and then (as Kanade) says he’ll break up with her if he can’t do 200 hula hoops. In the evening show he got to about 50 hoops before he went ‘oh this is strange, I’m already in pain!!’ and in the afternoon show he was like ‘what are my hands doing?! Where do I put them?!’ and then he’d start to laugh himself and the hula hoop would go off balance and of course, for the sake of the plot, he’d not hit 200 hoops and be like ‘Kaho... let’s break up.’

There is a kateikyoushi (Private teacher) musical number where each of the boys get a chance to quickly ask a question and every day it changed. In the afternoon show we got:

Tom: What’s the different between cider and soda?* *Cider is a soda soft drink in Japan.

Gin: Why is being tied up with rope more fun than skipping rope?

Kanade: Why is Hatsukoi Monster’s theater called Teen x Teen theatre?! Depending on the person, people hear it differently and if you say it fast it becomes Teen-*music blasts out so he’s cut off*

It was hilarious that he ran out of time xD he tried his hardest to say all his stuff at once.

The Afternoon show he asked; why is a 27 year old man playing an elementary school kid?! xD

Every curtain call and ending, the actors go around the stage and wave to everyone. MakiChan definitely spotted me in the crowd during the Tuesday night show and gave me a big wave and a smile and (me being me) I shyly waved back xD but it made my night!! Even now it makes me happy ^_^

Okuda Kokoro as Nikaido Kaho:

She has a very deep voice. Deeper than the guys, which makes sense because she’s supposed to be the oldest of them all BUT it sounded super weird because she’s like 4ft10 tiny girl with a cute face. Also the deep voice didn’t help her during her solo song. Every time I cringed a little.

But she was fine. She played Kaho decent enough. Unfortunately her comedic parts felt very forced and unrealised so no one ever laughed during those - especially the opening scene where she’s pretending to be a drama queen and it’s supposed to be funny, you know it’s supposed to be funny, but no one laughed. But you can tell the script and everything wasn’t in her favour. Even though in the anime she’s the main, she was very much kept as a side character in this. Pretty much whenever she was on stage, the boy would be at the back doing something stupid so 95% of the audience would be laughing and focusing on them rather than paying attention to her struggles and her monologues and stuff - I admit I was the same. I don’t remember her because I was too busy following what the boys were doing. Especially the final scene between Kanade and Kaho; Kaho is talking to Kanade all seriously BUT the entire audience is too busying watching and laughing at Hoshino sneak around the stage and pulling facing and doing comedic stuff to entertain us.

And like I said, it looked more like she was MakiChan’s daugther or younger sister, rather than her dating an elementary school kid so didn’t look too creepy xD

Sagawa Daiki as Kaneko Tom and Kamisato Yuki as Sannomiya Ginjirou:

I did not realise who the guy playing Tom was until I properly looked at the pamphlet the other day! He’s the geeky glasses boy from 3rd season Tenimyu! He looks SO much better in this stage and his skin is pretty flawless and very young! Also he did an amazing job as Tom! He had the perfect annoying balance and his dynamic with Gin/Kamisato was brilliant and he comedic punches were very funny!

Kamisato as Gin as also perfect! He had the right balance of childishness crossed with perviness. Gin is such a weird kid. There’s some pretty unfortgettable scenes thanks to Kamisato playing Gin so pervy-like and I can already see his perv/stalker face in my head and it’s making me giggle.

So let me cover some, Tom, TomxGin and Gin moments:

- Every time Kanade says goodbye to his friends they poke their butts out and say ‘unko // poop!’ and everytime Gin runs off stay he just giggles to himself ‘ふふ　受ける～ // (it’s difficult to translate but) Haha that’s funny’ he does it about two times and it’s more hilarious every time.

- There’s one scene where Kazu wants to talk seriously with Kaho so the other three boys go off and play with rope. the Night show ended up with MakiChan and Daiki tying Kamisato up in a ball which was hilarious and then once he was unwrapped, Daiki then started hitting Kamisato’s butt with the rope and Kamisato was signalling at him to do it harder xD the Afternoon show MakiChan and Daiki took each end of the rope and hit him lightly with in on the shoulder and head. In both performance, the scene ended with Daiki tying the rope around Kamisato’s hands and then as they leave they grab the handle bars of their bikes and Kamisato (having his hands tied together) held one side of the bars and was like ‘事故になりそう // Looks like I’ll get into an accident’ xD

- There’s a hide and seek scene in the stage and in the Night performance, Daiki found an aisle seat to the right of me and sat there but in the Afternoon show there were no aisle seats and so he ran around the back and eventually found a seat on my row about 6 seats in (I was seat 15) and he pretty much climbed and stumbled over the audience at super high speed to get to the seat and then made some jokes that the girls around him were wetting themselves with laughter. He was there for a good 5 - 10 minutes.

- Tom and Gin end up kissing in this stage. Before seeing this play I had read a few tweets and remembered some that interesting me and this was one of them. And people weren't lying about the Tom x Gin kiss(!) It’s right at the end during the ending song/credits and Gin just kind of attacks Tom and kisses him, and Tom is in shock like ‘you stole my first kiss!!’. Everytime the audience reaction is amazing. Thinking about it, Gin as a character does seem a little gay - I can definitely imagine him coming out when he’s older - so makes sense he would be curious about his friend and maybe does like him, and kids being kids do kiss their friends sometimes, mainly out of innocent curiosity. It’s a very cute scene. Unfortunately from where I was sat, the kiss was always blocked out of my view (I only ever saw the back of their heads) so I’m very much looking forward to the proper and full view of the kiss scene on the DVD ^_^

I wanna mention a scene involving all three of the main boys: If you saw any of the genepro/dress rehearsal pictures then you definitely would’ve noticed that one of the pics is strangely similar to that of the YowaMushi Pedal stage; and you would be correct in thinking such a thing. The YowaMushi-like scene too did NOT disappoint! It’s so hilarious! They start running and they come down the step and run past the audience and around the back and they do the whole ‘I’ll pull us up the hill! I’ll be the ace!’ etc. and it’s hilarious and so good!

Shane as Noguchi Kazuo:

This kid is adorable! And so well mannered and so professional! Freaking HUGE kudos for him!

I really enjoyed Shane’s (and Yuutarou’s) performance, just because (they) he fits (their) his character so well and (they are) he is so freaking cute!!! I want to take both of them home! Every time it was Shane’s first scene in the stage, you could just feel like atmosphere of every girl and her ovaries in the room explode and just go ‘omg he’s adorable!!

He was spoken of very highly during the aftertalk so jump there so see those comments.

ALSO, MakiChan had a live stream last night and he spoke highly of Shane against and explained how during the rehearsals Shame came all the way from Hiroshima on his own (with his manager) and stayed in a dormitory during the month long rehearsals which is freaking ridiculous! And then during the performances, he and his family stayed in a hotel. MakiChan was like '12 year old me would find it impossible to move all the way to Tokyo and live on my own for a month!’ and I totally agree. And spoke of how mature Shane in and how amazing that is of him. MakiChan also found it difficult to be strict on Shane and Kokoro because of how young they are so he basically told them ‘ask me any questions, whenever you have them and the most important thing is to apologise, if you mess up just apologise, if you’re late just apologise’ which makes him such a good senpai. But he admits he couldn’t find it in himself to scold them because they’re both cute xD also on the final day apparently Shane hugged MakiChan and was trying to hold back tears and asked him to go to Disneyland with him one day - HOW FREAKING CUTE IS THAT! Also Shane saw all the presents MakiChan got every day and was like ‘that must be nice’ and MakiChan said ‘you’ll get them one day too’ awwwwww! My ovaries...

Yuutarou as Shinohara Kouta:

Like I mentioned in Shane’s section; he’s a cute! He’s actually playing my favourite character in the stage and he played him so well and I ran out and got his bromides as soon as the firs performance I saw was finished! His skin is so flawless too! Lucky bugger!

I am very happy about the crossdressing scene and seeing him play such a timid and shy character who’s brain jumps to the wrong conclusion every time. For example, he here’s Kanade and Kaho in Kanade’s room and all he hears is:

Kanade: Does that feel go?

Kaho: That feels great.

Kanade: What about here?

Kaho: Ohhh that hurts a little

Kanade: Okay I’ll be softer

And when Arashi storms into the room, turns out Kanade was just giving Kaho a massage but Kouta totally thinks they’re doing something else.

Speaking of crossdressing(!) Kouta is in a tourquoise schoolgirl outfit and it’s all for a favour for Arashi. And the other three boys join in: MakiChan in a maids dress and these two cute ponytails, Gin in a tartan school skirt and Tom in a long skirt and boob tube top. There’s a musical number then there’s a scene where they’re all talking and during it Tom is going around just pulling up everyone’s skirts and stuff and he puts his head in MakiChan’s skirt xD and Kouta tries hard to keep his skirt down while Tom and Gin pull it up. And then we get Gin who just lets Tom constantly lift it up without any shame. Also one point, Arashi is led on the floor (he’s in a pink cheerleader outfit by the way xD) and Gin just straddles himself above him and almost goes to sit on his face xD what the hell Gin/Kamisato >.<

Also they added in the little ‘Kazu falling for Kouta but he thinks Kouta is a girl’ scene BUT they don’t expand on it, which makes sense because Shane is only 12 years old. BUT I’m happy they added in that little inkling between Kouta and Kazu xD it was a cute moment where Kazu is like ‘I know I’m in love!’

Another scene I liked was right at the beginning when timid Kouta greets Kaho and she thinks he’s the landlord and she goes into a daydream and Yuutarou spins around and suddenly becomes

Yuutarou is so open and direct in real life which is a great contrast to his character. Yuutarou is hilarious in how direct he was with his opinions and stuff, especially towards Kamisato xD he’s still young and it’s his first stage too, and he’s so cute and adorable. He’s definitely a character - see the AfterTalk section for more.

Ono Kento as Taga Atsushi:

Ono played Taga perfectly and I’m kind of glad they didn’t really put the whole ‘Taga liking and forcing himself on Kaho’ plotline into the stage. The furthest they go is when Arashi and Kouta find Taga confronting Kaho about Kanade and the age difference and Arashi is just like ‘he can’t leave he alone even though he wants to because he’s likes you’ but Taga constantly denies it and when Kouta hears this he gets so sad and is like ‘YOU LIKE HER?! *sigh*’

Ono is always a great actor and his slight lisp is always cute too xD

I kinda want to see him stop playing such serious characters or at least characters who deliver comedy very dryly. He’s so funny in real life (see the AfterTalk) and he’s a really interesting guy so I want to see him do different characters.

Tanaka Ryousei as Nagasawa Arashi:

I feel that the shining stars of the show are definitely Tanaka Ryousei as Arashi and Hoshino Yuta (previously known as Furukawa Yuta) as Daikoku.

For some reason, my brain has REALLY low expectations of Third Season Tenimyu boys, which is completely illogical and I don’t understand why my brain thinks in such a way because I’ve never been disappointed in them during their time in tenimyu or even now. I’ve seen many 3rd Season boys in other things once they’ve graduated/left Tenimyu and I’ve enjoyed them every time(!)

So seeing Ryousei in this and seeing him being so freaking hilarious and being this extreme, silly, over-the-top character and seeing him perform the humour so perfectly, I was super impressed because of my silly brain and it’s assumptions that I can’t shake. He plays Arashi so perfectly too, and maybe even better than the characterisation in the anime! I’ve already mnetioned a lot of his scenes when discussing the other actors so I don’t have much left to say.

But I do wanna talk about the character himself in case you don’t know. Arashi is a university kid who is obsessed with dolls and young boys (especially when they’re dressed in girl clothes) WHICH is why Yuutarou and co end up in girl clothes at one point because Arashi asks them to so he can take lots of pictures of them. He also has a thing for Kazu and every time he sees him he’s like ‘he’s so cute! *takes picture* even from the back!’. One time he even says ‘Kaho, can you take Kazu swimming with you one time and let him wear a (girls) swimsuit and let me take pictures of you both? I’ll give you the money, you just choose which swimsuit is best for him!’ and she’s like ‘no!!!!’ xD

Another scene involving all the boys is when they’re playing with Arashi’s dolls while Arashi and Kaho talk (I have no idea what they talk about because I always paid attention to the boys at the front of the stage playing). In the Night show, MakiChan put the dolls into sitting positions and then put them on each of the boys’ shoulders. Then he put his doll on Kazu’s head and Shane continued his line and continued to stand up as the doll was on his head and the audience were making noises worried it would drop as he moved but it didn’t ^_^ in the Afternoon show halfway through the scene we heard this POP and one of the dolls legs had come off. I think it was Gin who did it BUT MakiChan kept holding them and because of this it ruined his line at the end because the audience just died of laughter and drowned out his line and he started laughing too. At the end of the scene Kazu would always say ‘I’m sorry we broke your doll’ << talking about a doll they’d ruined much earlier - but in the Afternoon show it had a double meaning and caused more laughter from the audience; I don’t even think Ryousei had realised the doll was broken because he was at the back of the stage talking to Kaho while it happened.

Hoshino Yuta as Nikaido Daikoku:

Both of Tanaka and Hoshino’s selling points are definitely their comedy and comedic timing in this stage: they're absolutely hilarious!

The entire last 15 - 20 minutes of the stage are just stolen by Hoshino and his comedy. The audience never stopped laughing. Hoshino has a talent to make the funniest faces. He spends his time being possessive of his sister Kaho and everytime Kanade goes towards Kaho or turns his back away from Hoshino, Hoshino would just pull faces of disgust towards him and it was hilarious - I am not doing it justce! And when kanade would turn back he’d immidiatly pull a nice face again. And when Kaho and Kanade are seriously talking at the end Hoshino goes around the stage and everyone is just dying of laughter and paying attention to him instead xD

Seriously, I cannot wait to rewatch Hoshino’s part in this stage on DVD over and over again. It’s definitely worth the wait to watch the first 70 - 80 minutes of the play to finally see his perforamnce. He is gold. He also had adlibs every day. So Kanade and him decide to have a show down as to who should take and deserves Kaho and so Kanade decides on the game Daruma-san ga Koronda AKA Red Light, Green Light AKA Statues AKA I don’t know the name of this. It’s similar to ‘What Time Is It Mr Wolf?’ if you’ve ever played that. And so Kanade tries to catch them (Daikoku, Taga and Kaho) out but it takes too long so he speeds up ‘Daruma-san ga KoronDA! da! da! da da da da da’ and then we enter Hoshino’s adlib of the day.

The Night show Hoshino did a Terminator adlib; he sang part of the song while saying “I’ll be back. 私は夏歩さんを必ず守り抜く！ガシャンガシャーーン! // I’ll be back. I’ll definitely save Kaho! *makes transform noises*” MakiChan just died of laughter and I could see his back bouncing up and down as he laughed. Finally he could speak “who the hell is this guy?”

The Afternoon show Hoshino went into a song of his own saying “In the city my beautiful sister Kaho was *forgets the next part and pauses, causing laughter from everyone including MakiChan* dumped which sucks! It’d be great if her ex-boyfriend would leave!!! Kaho, let’s live together instead!” MakiChan replies “You tried your hardest to come up with that didn’t you?” xD

Absolutely gold.

Gomoto Naoya as Takahashi Shuugo:

I’m so upset at how little stage time he got BUT his dynamic with MakiChan (especially during the Afternoon show) was so good and he played the papa role very well and he was very comedic and got an adlib about whatever plant or flower he was gardening that day and what the flower/plant’s name meant. I also really like the scene when Kaho faints and she has a dream where Kouta is some sadist, mean guy and hits people with a club, and Taga has become this really nice and cutie guy, he even does the cat pose and says nyan and then we have Naoya in this animal dog print onesie and in a grumpy man voice and it’s very funny! I wish he’d had more stage time though =[ I love Naoya. His outfit was NOT falttering by the way; he’s in a sweat suit and it really does age him. Doesn’t show the shape of his body well at all =[ it isn’t flattering. My poor Naoya.

Ensemble: Hanatsuka Rentarou and Kitagawa Yuuya:

The two ensembles guys really did a great job. I recognised Rentarou at least and pretty sure I’d seen Yuuya before. They did a variety roles and they were great and had comedic moments themselves. During the crossdressing scene these two come out in a nurses outfit and a chinese dress and they’re supposed to look awful and it works really well. They really do look (in the words of Yuutarou in the AfterTalk) ugly in that scene. In the Afternoon show, they both came over to my side of the audience and crouched down at the sides and spoke to some of the girls and made jokes xD There’s essential to the cast and definitely weren’t just some forgettable ensemble.

MUSIC and AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

I’ve mentioned the songs and the music a few times but I feel it needed its own section. The songs in this are amazing! They’re so fun and comedic and so enjoyable and a lot of them allow the audience to join in either shouting or clapping and the actors run around the audience while they sing or do poses and stuff. It’s very interactive and participation is needed. It’s definitely the most interactive stage I’ve been to and it was so much fun!!

I don’t think they’ll bring one out but I’d really, really love a CD of all the songs on it. Even if they don’t, once the dvd is out I am ripping the songs and putting them into MP3s! << do we still say MP3s(?). I mean audio files!

TUESDAY NIGHT’S AFTERTALK

The aftertalk was MakiChan, Kamisato, Yuutaro and Ono!

Before the aftertalk even started, during the curtain call MakiChan said “本日は帰りの会と言う名のアフタートークがあります。今日残ってくれる人は… // After this is an AfterTalk, Those participating are....“ but we thought he was talking to the audience and half the audience put their hands up, including me, which Naoya noticed and went “wow that’s not a lot of people” and then MakiChan realised what had happened “Not the audience!! I meant which out of US!”

The aftertalk was naturally a shambles and non-stop hilarity also. There were five questions that they got asked (from the audience) in the aftertalk:

1. What’s your favourite scene or part?

Kamisato: The fact we can say unko/poop and chinko/penis. MakiChan: We don’t normally say it right... this stage was probably the first time I properly used and said those words. Yuutarou: I really like Arashi’s doll scene. I think Arashi is actually the nicest. He’s a huge perv but in that scene he really shows how nice he is. Ono: Why can’t I dressup as a girl (in this stage)? MakiChan: You wanted to do it?! Then why don’t you do the dance now. Yuutarou stood up and brought Ono to the center of the stage and taught him the dance he does in the crossdressing scene. But Ono couldn’t really do it so went “I give up” and sat back down xD

2. Who’s the most childish or doesn’t act their age?

Yuutarou: Well it’s obvious (who’s the most childish) * immediately pointed to Kamisato* Kamisato: Why me?! Yuutarou: Ryousei aisthe same level as Kamisato. もう、ほんとにバカで心配になる // You really are an idiot, it’s concerning Kamisato: WHY?! What?! Why me?! MakiChan: The person who acts older than their age.... Shane. He’s only 12 but he’s really proper and mature. Kokoro as well, being only 13 but acts properly. Only the young ones are act mature... But Shane is cute right?! During rehearsals he came in with Jinroh Game on his mobile and was really excited about it. We played it a lot. Everyone agreed on Shane’s cuteness. MakiChan: How about out of us four? Ono: とりあえず一番低いのは決まってるじゃん(神里)。あとオレとまっきーって同じくらいの高さじゃない？ // Well it’s already decided who the most childish is (Kamisato) and I think Mackey and me are the same level. Yuutarou: あー、分かるかも。何かしっかりする時はして、バカな時はバカって感じ // I get what you mean. You act appropriately when you two have to be but you’re also idiots when it’s okay to be.” Which is something I can personally relate to ^_^ Kamisato: Yuutarou is pretty calm for his age. But backstage he always joins in on ‘Get You’ (MakiChan’s final solo song in the stage) MakiChan: You join in on my song?! Yuutarou: I really like the song. The ‘Nai nai na~i’ and the ‘Get you!’

3. Who looked the cutest in the crossdress?

Ono: *to Yuutarou* You’re gunna pick yourself ain’t ya Yuutarou: No! Well... hmmm... BUT(!) did you see the two ensemble guys? They’re super ugly (in that scene)! Everyone: That’s mean! MakiChan: But you’re right... with that hair and that nurse and chnese dress outfit... Yuutarou: I was shocked at how ugly they were the first time I saw them, so I was determined to look better than at least them two. Kamisato: Well we never get a chance to wear skits really do we, so it was fun (to wear them). I wanna always wear one. MakiChan: I don’t really get it but... Yuutarou: Gin’s ugly ain’t he. Kamisato: Wait, what?! Yuutarou: Before we tried Gin with a pink skirt but it was just... it looked so bad! Kamisato: well that’s rude! *laughs* Yuutarou: So now he wears blue. He looks alright in blue. MakiChan: Who do you think Kento-kun? Ono: I think Ryousei looks the best. The other three: What? Ono: His legs are long and pretty, it’s kinda sexy. MakiChan: sexy? *laughs* ... Kamisato: Tom looks cool doesn’t he. MakiChan: Yeah he does with the long skirt and everything... I wanted to properly wear the skirt with those frilly white pants but I don’t have much time (between scenes) so I just keep what I have on completely. Gin has black underwear on right? Kamisato: Yeah I do. But after this (stage finishes), we won’t have a chance to wear skirts again. I want to wear them more. MakiChan: Then do it. Kamisato: I want to but when... MakiChan: You can... at home. Kamisato: If I do that, won’t it be weird?!

4. Have you ever kept a secret from your parents, even if it later got found out or not?

MakiChan: If I say something (now that) I’ve never revealed, my mother’ll be on my twitter going ‘why did you hide this from us?!’

Mainly they spoke about how they’d hide from their parents that there was a girl they liked. But Ono couldn’t relate, saying he was a straight forward kid and never lied. Yuutarou agreed he has that kind of image about him xD But Ono admitted that he would ignore girls that he liked, everyone else was like ‘ignore?! why?’ and couldn’t understand until he said ‘because I was embarrassed’.

5. If you could go back to being an Elementary School kid, what would you do?

MakiChan: Ono is there anything you’d wanna do? Ono: Dodge ball! Dodge ball! Kamisato: So blunt.

As you can see, Kamisato got so much abuse from mainly Yuutarou and he got called バカ (idiot) and ブス (ugly) but all in a lovable manner and in the right context.

ATTENTION AND CREDIT: All the tweets and Japanese are thanks to this tag and this tag, and mainly these guys 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and all photos are credit to the press sites linked at the top!

GOODS

LOOK HOW CUTE YUUTAROU IS!!! And I got so lucky with the randoms and the trades! ^_^

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And there we have it! Hope you enjoyed that (once again essay) review!

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