#i am drawing her in a 2 piece swimsuit it's so important that I know

[spindaonateaspoon]

After Hivebent does Kanaya always have a hole in her belly? Is that a permanent fixture of her anatomy or does it heal?? Is this ever explicitly shown in Homestuck??? Someone help quickly my family is starving

[tarhalindur]

Rebellion’s Biggest Outstanding Question

(Big fat PMMM+Rebellion spoilers under the cut, natch:)

Homura, at the end of Rebellion, believes that she is rebelling against Madoka’s will.  But is she actually doing so?  Or is she acting in accordance with it?

Let me explain.

I’ll start with the point I’m sold on either way (and have commented on at least twice before, including my explanation of Madoka’s other big mistake): Rebellion is directly downstream of Madoka making a single mistake immediately after her ascension in episode 12, a moment when she could not afford to make any mistake at all.  Much like Madoka’s other big mistake in episode 10, this one is not obvious on the surface and only becomes clear when looking at the events through a symbolic lens.

Specifically, a Buddhist symbolic lens.

I’ll leave the full explanation there to this post, which lays out the Buddhist influence on base PMMM’s themes and imagery and on Madokami’s ascension better than I could.  (Although its author is missing a few points.  First, the shot of Madoka expanding to galaxy size is DIRECTLY out of ego death symbolism.  Which makes sense, because there’s enough accounts to suggest that regardless of whether or not it has any deeper meaning beyond brain chemistry the people who’ve had it are describing a single class of subjective experience, and “one’s consciousness expanding to the size of the galaxy” seems to be a common feature of it - I’ve read at least one account of that kind of experience from, of all people, a random Protestant minister who claims to have had such an experience on a vision trip to the Amazon and only later realized that there was precedent for that kind of experience in Buddhist traditions, and he mentions that exact expansion as part of what he went through.  Second, the flower on Madoka’s bow is a rose, not a willow... which makes sense, because “Guanyin/Kannon and the Virgin Mary are two aspects of the same goddess” has been a theory in certain parts for at least a century, and the rose has a traditional association with the latter goddess - there’s a reason they call it the rosary, after all.  (I’ve seen speculation out of a few polytheist/less orthodox Christian circles I keep tabs on that Pistis Sophia is yet another aspect of the same goddess, too...)  Third, note all the mandala symbolism floating around - most obviously Walpurgisnacht’s appearance and Kyubey’s exposition in episode 11.)

And that influence is important here, because part of the process of the escape from samsara is the breaking of all karmic ties to the world.

Except... Madoka does not do this.  She leaves one karmic tie behind.

This one, to be precise:

Now, in theory it’s possible that the tainted miracle of Homura remembering Madoka has another root.  But I have my doubts, and the biggest piece of evidence there is the OST: the track that plays when Homura meets Junko in the finale and offers to give up the ribbons is named Taenia Memoriae, aka “the ribbon of memories”.  HMM,

(That Junko scene is in this regards the single most enigmatic scene of the main series finale to me.  My instinct is that it’s drawing off of Christian mythos again, either canonical or Gnostic, but I can’t quite place what piece; I kind of want to compare it specifically to the Denial of Peter.)

Now, there’s two other pieces here that are worth noting.

1) While Homulilly is described as the Nutcracker Witch in Rebellion, Homulilly’s name and Witch card are first revealed in the PSP game, and there she goes by a rather different epithet: Witch of the Mortal World, nature is karma.  Which is rather on the nose (the Mortal World [shigan] being another term for samsara), but then that’s probably by design - main series PMMM is not subtle at all when it wants to make a point.  And it is this epithet, not the Nutcracker Witch, that the Doppel versions of Homulilly in MagiReco draw off of, which suggests the staff considered it important.  (There’s a second distinction in the latter, because Moemura’s version of the Doppel implies that Homulilly’s nature was originally slightly different again - Witch of the Mortal World, nature is closed circuits - but I think for our purposes here this is a difference without true distinction, much like the Witch of the Near Shore pun for swimsuit!Moemura’s version of Homulilly.)  And there’s echoes of this even in Rebellion: the Clara Dolls are of course referred to as the Children of the Mortal World, plus of course the obvious “Homulilly’s Rebellion barrier as the Mortal World” take.  (Which, hmm.  Hello second-order symbolism - Homura failing to “break out of the egg” as failure to escape the cycle of samsara.)

2) The red ribbons of course suggest a very specific form of karmic tie - the Red String of Fate.  And you can be very, very sure that the staff intended that, too.  To drag a certain piece of key animation back out from storage:

While it’s hard to tell at this size, it sure looks to my eyes like the two ends are specifically tied around the girls’ pinkies.  You know, exactly where the proverbial Red String is said to be tied.

Or, to put it another way: AI YO.

Everything in Rebellion is downstream of this.

But all this is prologue.  Now that we have established the mistake, we can address the actual outstanding question: Did Madoka intend to make that mistake?  People have noted the applicability of Junko’s comments about intentionally making a big mistake when backed into a corner to Homura’s actions in Rebellion; do they also apply to the action Madoka took that led to that?

I am not sure.  Both cases are consistent, and I’d put about even odds either way.  But it’s the affirmative case I want to lay out here, to show that it does in fact exist:

- Let’s start with the one point someone else might bring up that I don’t really weight: Madoka’s final conversation with Homura in the flower bed.  This one, I think, can mostly be discarded.  We have word from both Kyubey and Sayaka that Madoka does not have her memories here; I can’t see both of them lying here.  (Also remember that Kyubey seems to have restriction that is sometimes said to apply to demons, at least under certain circumstances: he cannot directly tell a lie.  This is of course a very different thing from having to tell the truth, as episode 9 alone is enough to attest, but in this specific case it’s a boost to his credibility.)  If there’s an actual argument here, it’s a second-order one; it is possible, especially given her divine abilities, that Madokami was running a Xanatos Gambit and counting on her amnesiac projection to unwittingly relay her true feelings.  (In which case I would have to grab a certain infamous line from another well-known anime: “Just as planned”.)

- That one shot of Madokami’s gloved, scarred arm reaching down through the window to touch Homura.  Operative word scarred.  (And honestly, looking at one of the subs for that scene again Madoka’s comments there look potentially consistent with her actually supporting of or at least accepting Homura becoming a demon...)

- Mata Ashita, specifically the lyrics thereof.  With the perspective of the full series, Madoka’s character song is fairly clearly from the perspective of Madokami, and it’s suggestive that she is not entirely happy with the results of her wish and ascension.

- The fact that Rebellion happened at all.  There’s a complaint that I’ve seen regarding the mechanics of the Incubators’ plot in Rebellion: logically, by the wording of Madoka’s final wish the Incubators’ plan to use the Isolation Field to block the Law of Cycles should not work, since part of Madoka’s wish was to rewrite any rule or law that would prevent her from destroying Witches with her own hands, including the one the Incubators set up with their Isolation Field - doubly so if you take Madokami’s statement can see every world that ever existed or could ever exist and apply it to the Sealed Reality the experiment generates.  Except... there is one way that argument fails, regardless of anything else: namely, if Madoka saw what the Incubators were doing and intentionally allowed their experiment to proceed.  And at this point there is precedent for her doing something very similar; AIUI in her Magical Girl Story in MagiReco Madokami does something very similar wrt the MagiReco timeline, deliberately declining to destroy it despite its continued existence conflicting with the Law of Cycles.

(- Magia.  This point of argument I’m not convinced of either, but let’s lay it out.  (Honestly, even if I’m right I’m not sure how much of this was consciously intended, but creations can have a life of their own - especially creations where fucking natural disasters delay them so that they’re released on the most appropriate day possible!)  There’s two pieces to this, one I’m more sure of than the other:

1) The visuals.  Here’s the spot where I feel most solid about interpreting Magia: the ED visuals are clearly a reference to Madokami’s ascension.  (The show loves hiding that sort of foreshadowing in plain sight, why would you be surprised?)  Note the second half particularly, both Madoka’s hair lengthening and the starfield she’s running past.  (I think the order of the four other girls in the first half is probably how long they held out without Witching out.)  That leaves two issues, one more obvious to Western audiences and one less so.  First, that enigmatic and ominous shot of Madoka in fetal position (appropriate - her request in 10 and then her wish in 12 can be rephrased as “don’t let me grow up”) in the eye of Mephisto.  Second, there’s a point I’ve seen raised in analyses of Connect: in Japanese cinematography, motion from right to left indicates a correct course (unlike its Western equivalent, where the opposite applies)... and for the entirety of Magia Madoka is moving left-to-right.

2) The lyrics.  This is the part I’m less sold on, but once again let’s lay out the affirmative.  My line here derives from a hunch: Connect is famously from Homura’s perspective despite appearing to be from Madoka’s, perhaps the inverse is also true?  I’m still not sure there, but especially if you’re considering the TV version it can work... provided the lyrics are specifically from Madokami’s perspective again.  Grabbing the wiki version of the translation: “The light of love lit within your eyes will transcend time” sure fits better if we’re talking about Homura rather than about Madoka, likewise “with this power that can break even darkness” sure sounds like a better fit for Madokami to me.  And in that case the most interesting stanza is the second: “Swallow down your hesitation.  What is it that you wish for?  With the direction of this greedy admiration, will there be a short-lived tomorrow?”  The former two lines  are quite consistent with Homura’s decision in Rebellion (and I note the visual of Homura biting down on her Soul Gem to break it!), and “tomorrow” is consistently a reference to the possibility of Homura and Madoka meeting again in other PMMM songs (Mata Ashita again, Colorful, Connect full version) - which is realized courtesy of a greedy admiration, no less.  So.  Magia’s full version might count, too - there’s lines there that are harder to square from a Madokami perspective (”if I can move forward without hesitation then it’s fine if my heart gets broken” especially), but “Someday, for the sake of someone else, you too will wish for great power; on the night love captures your heart, unknown words will be born” fits Homura’s fall better than Madoka’s wish, I think.)

- If Madoka’s mistake in 12 is intentional then it more closely mirrors her (unintentional) mistake in 10: she’s implicitly asking Homura to once again do something she can’t and stop her from/alleviate the effects of her making a mistake.

- At a Doylist level, if they go for a proper happy end (either in Walpurgis no Kaiten or in a hypothetical sequel to the same) I’m not sure there’s any way they can get there without using this interpretation.  (In general, the two outcomes that make the most sense to me are “Akuhomu becomes the core of Walpurgisnacht, cue ending scene with Moemura making her wish” (the Logic Error ending, consistent with the Eternal Return of the Self; cue MagiReco as the way out) or an ending based on the answer to this question being yes - the easy version being a movie of everyone except Homura fighting to let Madoka rejoin the Law of Cycles only for her to surprise everyone with some sort of ending based on “actually, I was counting on her to do this from the start”.)

[perfectirishgifts]

Celebrating A Decade Of Success, Swimwear Brand Acacia Makes Its Mark With New Ready-To-Wear Designs And A Flagship Store

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/celebrating-a-decade-of-success-swimwear-brand-acacia-makes-its-mark-with-new-ready-to-wear-designs-and-a-flagship-store/

Celebrating A Decade Of Success, Swimwear Brand Acacia Makes Its Mark With New Ready-To-Wear Designs And A Flagship Store

Naomi Newirth, founder, creative director and designer of Acacia, Photo Credit: Maui Maka … [] Photography

While the concept of swimsuits for every body feels like a more recent inclusion in the swimwear space, global brand Acacia has been making a splash in this realm for over ten years now.

As a Maui-based girl, founder Naomi Newirth wanted her bikinis to be small and form fitting, but couldn’t find them anywhere. So she created them herself, by mixing low Italian cuts with minimal Brazilian coverage, for women of all shapes.

“I launched Acacia out of necessity at the time. I have lived most of my life in a bikini, and until then, hadn’t found a suit that made me feel most feminine and sophisticated, without compromising function. So that’s what I created.”

More than a decade out the gate, Acacia has since expanded its product category to include dresses, elevated ready-to-wear collections, and kids’ clothes. When it comes to swimsuits, its signature style is the small cut of its swimsuit bottoms. Acacia has also become known for its original prints (a time-consuming, yet worthwhile part of the design process).

Acacia is based in Hawaii, but hit the global stage after headlining Miami Swim Week. “The first year I attended Miami I was young, naïve and nervous. I was always very mindful of spending business money and this show was expensive for us at the time. However, it was this first show that really put us on the map.” (For its fourth show, the brand was sponsored by Mini Cooper, “who wrapped one of their cars in our vintage-inspired aloha prints, which felt so surreal.”)

While Acacia’s footprint spans international stores and retailers like Revolve and Free People), the brand opened its flagship store in Hawaii at the end of 2019 — just two days after the birth of Newirth’s second child, and shortly before Covid-19 hit. 

Hawaii has been on lockdown since March, with strict requirements to quarantine, which has deterred the bulk of the tourism on the island. The town of Paia, in which Acacia is located, is 90% tourism-based.

“I have always aspired to open a flagship store on the island I grew up on and currently reside, but couldn’t seem to find the perfect space.”

They say life is what happens when you’re busy making plans — and while Newirth indeed found the perfect spot, the remained closed for most of 2020, but finally reopened in time for the holidays.

“With retailers being closed worldwide due to Covid-19 lockdowns, we have had a surge of interest within our customer base, on our e-commerce site. We switched gears to adapt our reach in hopes to provide some sort of normalcy. We are pushing user-generated content to encourage a sense of community. While it’s important for us to be sensitive to the effects of the pandemic especially being in Hawaii, we still strive to increase our reach through virtual platforms and social media content that resonates,” Newirth shares.

A designer by trade, Newirth is a force of nature when it comes to juggling motherhood (she has two sons), designing everything from swim, ready-to-wear, kids’ collections, and opening a flagship store — all while managing her business. Between the challenges of opening a brick and mortar space while dealing with a pregnancy-related illness, to finally opening the store right before the pandemic hit, Newirth proves to have resiliency as a founder.

I spoke to Newirth about her mission of creating timeless pieces that make each woman feel most beautiful and confident in their own skin, and the lessons she’s learned while riding Acacia’s wave of success for over a decade.

Karin Eldor: Can you share more about how you identified the whitespace and opportunity in the market, for sophisticated swimwear and wearable silhouettes designed for real women, at every stage of life?

Naomi Newirth: Fashion’s always been something that’s fascinated me. We all choose to put certain garments on our bodies every day, but it’s the way in which we wear them that gives us each our own creative outlet. 

As a teenager I was often altering my clothing to better complement my aesthetic or my body, which then segued into altering my swimwear — naturally so, living on an island. When I was 16, I had taken a course to learn to sew my own suits and in that moment had essentially started designing for myself. I was looking for a very specific style that just wasn’t available to the masses at the time. I had traveled quite a bit in my late teens and early twenties, mainly to coastal towns, and started to notice the silhouettes that really worked for most body types.

At the time it was the hybrid of the cheeky Brazilian bottom and the low-rise Italian swim that I was drawn to – a silhouette that has since become our best-selling Ho‘okipa bottom. It was a really organic start for me, I think mainly because swim was such a large part of my everyday life at the time.

Eldor: Acacia is a time-tested swimwear brand that’s already made its mark, after a decade. Can you share 3 lessons you’ve learned, now that you’re currently in your 11th year? 

Newirth: Lesson #1: I started by designing for myself and my closest girlfriends, and that’s something that has helped me in terms of my design process throughout the years. I think it’s so important to live and breathe your product, regardless of the industry you’re in, and I feel like maintaining that intimacy has been beneficial to Acacia. I feel lucky to be able to create what I feel best in, and offer designs that resonate with other women. 

Lesson #2: I am always thinking about future collections and studying designs that transcend the test of time. I myself am drawn to silhouettes that are simple and timeless, and that’s something I’ve always kept at the forefront of my own creative process. As a designer, I think it can be easy to get caught up in tracking the trends and striving to create for a larger audience, but at the end of the day it’s about knowing the needs of your customer and creating pieces that are wearable and enhance their lifestyle. It’s that one blouse in your closet that you reach for, day after day. We’ve implemented sustainable practices in more obvious and tangible ways, but it truly starts with the design. It’s my duty as a designer to create timeless pieces that can be styled season to season, year after year — that’s sustainability at its core. 

Lesson #3: Prioritizing time for my family and myself has been somewhat of a learning curve for me. When I had first started Acacia in 2008, I was 22 and in such a different season of life. I dove in headfirst and was 100% committed to the success of the brand. It was my only responsibility at the time. I did everything myself, from creating samples with my manufacturer, fittings, marketing, sales, etc. After a few years I realized that being able to step away from work and make time for myself was beneficial not only for me, but for the company as well. Now in my early thirties with a little family, it’s so important to be present and allow myself to respect those boundaries.

Eldor: You’re committed to working and partnering with women, while implementing changes to more sustainable practices. Can you share more about the ways you’re working to eliminate the gender gap and support women in the workplace?

Newirth: I am so proud of our women-run business! All in all, we create for women, so having a team of women to soundboard ideas and provide honest feedback is huge. Our manufacturers that we’ve been working with since day one are women as well.

Eldor: How do you manage it all?

Newirth: Having a team that I trust wholeheartedly is key! My team is so talented and truly cares about the brand, and that means the world to me. I couldn’t do it without them. I’m very lucky that I have help with my sons while I’m running to the office to check in with my team. My mother also lives a stone’s throw away and is tremendously helpful with everything from my kids to work and everything in between. I’m so fortunate to have so many people who contribute to the success of Acacia and also allow me to prioritize time with my boys.

Eldor: Your Instagram community is so impressive with over 430K followers. How did the brand cultivate and grow its IG following?

Newirth: We started an Acacia Instagram soon after the app had hit the market. I think timing had a lot to do with it, as we acquired the bulk of our followers pretty quickly. We were endorsed by a handful of celebrities that posted early on, which also helped draw attention to our brand. I handled all social media myself until a couple of years ago when we expanded and brought on a member to handle all aspects of marketing. I think now the focus is on adaptability and maintaining a closeness and relatability to your following. Being able to “read the room” in a climate that changes so rapidly and provide inspiring content that resonates with your community. 

Eldor: What is coming up for Acacia in 2021?

Newirth: We are expanding our offering of fabrications, not only with our eco-swim fabric, but also clothing! Also sourcing quality fabric that will allow us to execute silhouettes in the way I’ve always envisioned. I’m head in 2022 right now, currently working with a Japanese supplier to source different types of beautiful cotton textiles dyed with indigo or other various natural dyes.

On the shorter term, I’m also looking forward to welcoming visitors to our flagship location. In a time where we’re experiencing constant digital overload with social media, Acacia’s brick and mortar location feels like a refreshing space to retreat to.

From Retail in Perfectirishgifts

[d-dumais-blog]

Keijo!!!!!!!! Review: I Like Big Butts & I Can Not Lie

Keijo is awesome! It’s insanely stupid and yet, somehow it succeeds at nearly everything it attempts. Keijo’s success is quite honestly an anomaly.  A quick glance at premise, studio, and staff would suggest this show should have been forgotten before it even finished airing, and yet somehow it stuck around and resonated with fans, particularly in the West, in a way that no one involved saw coming.  Its success in the West isn’t only a surprise to me, it appears to be a surprise to license holder Funimation that currently has NO merchandise available for purchase. No posters, no key chains, no announced bluray release.  So let’s talk about why it works and why I love it so damn much.

Let’s start with the basics; this show is not for everyone.  Keijo is a show about girls fighting each other in bathing suits using only their boobs and butts atop a variety of floats in an Olympic sized pool. Yes it is as dumb as it sounds. Yes there is an obscene amount of fan service focusing primarily on the girls’ butts.  I completely understand why some people might be turned off by its objectification of the women portrayed.  You might consider the show sexist, and you might consider me sexist for my enjoyment. A quick note on that, I’m a fan of all fan service both male and female.  I’m a straight male with a particular affinity for the female rear end, check the title of this review, but you bet I appreciate some well drawn men in various states of undress.  Anime has the opportunity to unrealistically portray human sexuality and I think artists are free to draw all manner of people however they’d like.  I hope this helps you to understand why I won’t be talking about the sexism debate that surrounded this show.

 Keijo’s fan service is excellent, and a show so focused on fan service would never succeed unless it was good, really good.  The show focuses on a few girls, but has a great ensemble cast full of all sorts of girls of varying shapes, sizes, age, and color.  Two points of clarification, there are very few different colored women, none of which are black, and that’s a bummer, and two while they vary in age all girls in the series are over eighteen years of age which we’ll discuss further down this post.  Back to the subject at hand, how to properly handle “tasteless fan service.” Keijo’s fan service is omnipresent, leaking into every scene.  This means it’s not a major shock when a butt fully envelopes the screen, it’s expected and not even that distracting.  This differs from a majority of shows that feel the need to randomly insert their characters in compromising positions so that the viewer gets a better look at their body.  It’s low hanging fruit but let’s compare this to Sword Art Online, it makes an easy comparison because pretty much everyone has seen it and most know its flaws.  SAO II episode one while introducing new female protagonist Xion pans up her body while she lays down in a sniper position.  The camera literally stops and does a quick zoom on her ass before finishing the shot.  It’s disgusting, it’s distracting, and it feels completely out of place in a show that intends to be about technology and coping with grief.  

The other most important thing about the fan service, aside from the age, is the fact that all of the girls are complicit in the fan service.  They might be shy, and a bit embarrassed, but they are never forced into a compromising situation against their will.  There seems to be this prevailing idea in anime that anime characters are cuter if they are pure, but we also need to see them without clothes on because of course we do.  This results in a number of horrible tropes that need to stop, the most prevalent, light novel guy walks in on light novel girl changing.  It’s almost always the establishing shot for their relationship over the series and I just hate it.  The other trope is somehow even worse, girls in fan service shows need to stop being raped! People generally consider Asuna’s rape scene in the second arc of Sword Art to be the beginning of the decline which is absurd considering Silica was sexually assaulted by a plant in the first twelve episodes and no one seemed to care.  It’s so gross and so often over looked.  There’s nothing wrong with a girl being okay showing her body, and if an anime character is going to be undressed, I hope that character is willfully undressed. This goes a long way to help make your characters actual characters and not simply objects.  I think the girls are surely still being objectified, but there’s a difference between looking at a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition and looking at leaked celebrity nude photos.  The context matters and Keijo gets the context right.  Our secondary protagonist Miyata even admits that she started Keijo because she wanted a cute swimsuit made custom for her and I think that’s something all of the viewers would also like!

 This show did far better in the west than in Japan, and that’s largely thanks to the way it was adapted. Xebec isn’t exactly known for its great adaptations; in fact I’d argue they generally suck.  Their best known for To Love Ru and Shaman King; two shows that don’t do a lot to improve upon their source material.  Most recently they were responsible for the horribly bad Clockwork Planet.  Apparently that’s actually a pretty good light novel, which should be no surprise considering it’s written by Kamiya Yuu, the celebrated author of No Game No Life. I can’t speak to the actual quality of the Clockwork Planet books because the first episode of the show turned me off of anything that has to do with it.  Point being adaptation is not a strength of Xebec, hell Xebec doesn’t honestly have a ton of strengths aside from their willingness to get smuttier than other studios if that’s your thing.  

This is entirely different in Keijo, the adaptation is immaculate, and makes it far more appealing to a western audience.  For starters, the anime skips the entire first arc where our two female leads are still in high school and under the age of 18.  The girls first appear in their bathing suits in the anime after entering the Keijo training school.  In the manga there are multiple battles that take place before this while the girls are learning Keijo for the first time at the stadium event shown at the start of the first episode.  This arc is also gross for western fans for a number of reasons on top of age.  For some reason at this point in the manga guys are allowed to compete in these non official Keijo matches.  Guys of course only compete for the opportunity to rub up against girls in swimwear.  Girls who, I’ll reiterate again because it’s important, at this point are underage.  There’s also a ton of guys in this manga, which is weird considering there’s really only one in the anime and he’s less of a creep more of a sports fan.  The men in the Keijo manga come to watch and gamble on Keijo and are depicted as perverse onlookers.  Nozomi’s teacher is one such male who has a gambling addiction and comments on his underage student’s physique more than once. The anime made the right decision removing him from the series.  This first arc also has an extremely uncomfortable and short lived love interest in the form of Nozomi’s brother.  They might actually be cousins, the translation I read wasn’t exactly clear on that, but still something western audiences always frown upon.  His feelings are never reciprocated by our star Nozomi, but the whole situation is uncomfortable, especially since he’s eager to jump in and battle her in her first mock Keijo match.  There’s also more preliminary try outs the anime totally skips and that’s to the show’s benefit because again the girls are underage, and it cuts out a plethora of characters that don’t matter at all.  The adaptation also does a great job with its references, choosing series that are particularly popular in western fandom. Attack on Titan and Fate/Stay Night are popular around the world, but really struck a chord in the states and Keijo very obviously references these shows multiple times to great effect. Other references to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, One Piece, and Dragon Ball are all also greatly appreciated and largely absent from the manga.  

Keijo performed very well in weekly viewership numbers, both legally and illegally, but was quickly written off by most.  Everyone who watched it seemed to enjoy it, but wrote it off as “just another fan service show” and that’s unfair.  It stands out among its peers, and should be celebrated as such.  It was ranked the fifth most popular show according to Myanimelist, beating out shows with more popular appeal in pedigree like Occultic;Nine, Izetta the Last Witch, and season 2 of Ajin.  It also beat out several truly spectacular shows in Sound Euphonium season 2, Flip Flappers, and the fifth season of Natsume’s Book of Friends. This wouldn’t have happened if it was “just another fan service show.” If you’re still in need of proof that season had just another an service show, it was Brave Witches, a fairly tasteless follow up to a reasonably successful show about young flying military girls who don’t wear pants for some unknown reason.  People talk about Keijo as if it’s like Brave Witches, and no one talks about Brave Witches because no one cares.  It might be easy to right it off if you don’t watch a lot of fan service shows, but let me tell you Keijo is special.  I’ve lived in Trash Mountain for some time and am an expert in awful anime fan service, please don’t compare Keijo to that garbage; it’s far too good for that. Keijo is excellent! End of statement, no caveats no excuses, it’s really great.  The show is easily the best thing director Takahashi Hideya has ever helmed. It’s arguably the best series Xebec has ever produced solo, inarguably the best this decade.  I love Keijo, and I hope someday fans look back on it with the respect it earned.  

 8.5/10

[mfmagazine]

Lisa Burke

Article by Lauren Weigle

Photo by Kravetz PR

Lisa Burke brings Lisa Blue to the runway… and to the ocean waves, particularly the whales. We all try to do our part little by little in order to better the planet and wildlife around us, but Lisa Burke takes it to another level with her efforts to preserve the whales. With her fashionable swimsuits, Lisa is able to raise both awareness and funds for today’s ocean animals. She is a true whale activist and visionary who believes in using her creative talents for the greater good. Incorporating tribal influences mixed with metallic hues, jewel tones, and pops of color, Lisa Blue rocks the bathing beauty world with terrific force.

So, tell me all about your most recent fashion show for Miami’s Swimwear Fashion Week. There was so much great use of color and unique patterns. How did you come up with so many creative patterns to incorporate in your lines?

Every year I travel to Bali to surf and design. It is there that I connect with my creative spirit and start to channel my ideas. Plus, I am strongly and passionately inspired by our Australian Aboriginal culture. Once again, I have been inspired by a stunning Australian Aboriginal dot painting. The artist, Rosie Miller, is from the Whale tribe (Mirning tribe) in South Australia and is a strong supporter of the Lisa Blue campaign which is to help towards marine life conservation. I have created three very different tribal prints for the new collection ranging from an earthy tribal print to a glamorous gold-flecked version. My passion for the whales is also the inspiration behind the Galactic stories for the 2012 collection. In mythology it is said that the whales and dolphins came from the stars and their magic stems from other worlds. As I have swum up close and personal to whales and dolphins I have experienced their power, which is beyond words. The Galactic theme ties in with this mythology. Metallic gold and silver panels on matte black, smoky grey, and a deep, vibrant purple depict the Galactic theme in intricate sci-fi looking cuts with gold and silver studs to add an edgy but glamorous touch to the Galactic Warrior. In addition to these themes I was inspired by a photo of a peacock feather. I turned this photo into a painting which is literally a burst of bright colors. I mixed these suites with metallic gold, making the bikinis reversible. Here you get 2 sets for the price of one.

So, Galactic motifs were basically the overall theme for the collection?

There were a couple of themes in the show: The dazzling, intriguing Galactic Themes, which also included a stunning print of blues, turquoise, and purples inspired by a channeled painting of an extraterrestrial angel by whale activist and visionary artist Jean Luc Bozzoli. The Aboriginal tribal theme offered an array of colors ranging from the glamorous gold foiled version to a very feminine silk like mix of purples and warm colors. And, the outstanding 'Showbird' which is true to its title lights up the stage like a peacock dancing.

Out of all the looks amidst your themes, what would you say was your “statement piece” or most revered outfit on the runway?

My favorite is the Galactic Princess, black with gold paneled, one-piece that opened the show. This is the ultimate in glamour and, having a center zip allows the wearer the choice to reveal a little bit of cleavage, adding a sexy look if preferred.

Okay, let’s focus more on the brand itself. I understand you started your swimwear line to help preserve marine life, particularly whale life. Tell me how you became so motivated by this cause and what made you decide to become so dedicated.

Several years ago I went to Tonga with the sole purpose to swim with humpback whales. During this time I came face to face with a mother and her baby whale. The baby approached me and looked directly into my eyes. Only a foot away from me I stared back into to those ancient looking eyes of a new born whale and made a promise that I would do what I could to help protect them. As I was a keen surfer and lived in a bikini, I was often designing bikinis. Then one day whilst I was out in the ocean on my surf board it came to me to put my two passions together: 'save the whales' and ' bikini designs'… So was born my label Lisa Blue, which donates a full quarter of the profits to helping protect the whales and dolphins. As well as donating money, I am able to use fashion as the perfect medium to spread the message to the world to take care of the gentle giants of the ocean whose future is seriously at stake.

Can you tell me a little more about the Whale Conservation Society and your connection with them?

The Australian Whale Conservation Society (AWCS) is a cetacean conservation organization formed in the late 1970s, when Australia was still a whaling nation. Today, with Australia among the most vocal nations promoting whale conservation in the international community, the AWCS continues its advocacy for the permanent cessation of commercial whaling and the farce that it scientific permit whaling. The AWCS works towards whale protection and conservation in Australia, promoting public education about cetacean issues, cetacean research, and responsible, well-managed whale watching. I have a wonderful relationship with Paul Hodda, the founder of the AWCS. He keeps me informed of the whale politics and is like a mentor to me. I am honored to know souls like Paul who dedicate their lives to helping preserve our earth.

How did you decide that creating swimwear was how you wanted to help as a whale activist?

I saw a need for fashionable bikinis for surfer girls since the typical surf brands seemed rather limited in style. It was my wish to bring glamour to the waves. Whilst initially my swimwear business idea was derived from my perception of a gap in the market for ocean girls, I then expanded my project to create swimwear for all types of girls, including taking my beach look from day to night. Hence, I created Lisa Blue whereby I could fulfill my wish to use the platform of fashion to speak up about the plight of the whales and donate 25% of the profit to marine conservation. At first, I was like a baby crossing a busy, several lane highway. I made it to the other side with sheer determination, hard long hours of work, and attaining a fabulous team.

Tell me about your new bracelet, specifically dedicated to whale conservation, besides it being extremely adorable of course…

I wanted to create a product that could be sold to help raise funds for the AWCS and in doing so draw attention to the plight of the whales. It was actually my wonderful PR lady Prue Healey from Mint Partners, Australia who suggested the bracelet. I loved that idea and so designed and created the whale tail bracelet. I was delighted to see how responsive the general public was as the first shipment of bracelets sold out immediately. People love to purchase something pretty with a good cause behind it.

Absolutely. So, tell me more about Lisa the surfer…

Well, actually surfing has been one of my greatest passions for several years. I was a late starter in my mid 30's and as soon as I got my first wave, was totally addicted. Surfing is a way to be really close to nature, to feel free and peaceful. Out in the blue, I get to swim with dolphins and sometimes even whales. These days I work a lot and am more on the land than I want to be. But, I am driven by my cause and am dedicated to the running of Lisa Blue and such are the sacrifices of life. I particularly love my trips to Bali where I make sure I surf most days and often come up with designs out on the surf board. Plus, I live in the coastal town Byron Bay with the beach being a minute walk from my house and so I can catch a wave straight out my back door. And, when the waves are big (big for me is 10 foot), I get such a thrill and in that moment when I am riding the wave. I feel like I can do almost anything if I set my mind to it.

I love Byron Bay. It’s gorgeous. When I went to Australia, it was actually my first stop on the trip. Okay, let’s talk about your target customer a little. Who is wearing Lisa Blue?

Offering a variety of gorgeous styles, Lisa Blue epitomizes femininity. With designs ranging from striking, authentic Australian Aboriginal-style prints to hot, sexy Renaissance art to edgy and elegant pieces such as the Galactic stories using metallic panels and studs…Lisa Blue compliments all. Lisa Blue offers such a wide mix of cuts and designs ranging from bikinis designed to stay on in 15 foot waves to stunning glamorous pieces sure to turn heads at a pool party or worn with a pair of pants out in the evening. Lisa Blue is for the young at heart and the modern girl who is not afraid to show her beauty to the world and cares to make a difference.

So what kind of materials are you most drawn to for your collections and which ones do you try to steer clear of?

I love using the best of Lycra, which we get mainly from Italy and I prefer our trims to be metallic or wooden where possible as opposed to plastic, which means creating a swimsuit that is top quality and durable.

When it comes to fashion design in general, what do you think are the three most essential things to possess or keep in mind?

Whilst keeping an eye on trends is an important part of the process, I think it is important to trust one's own intuition and have fun being creative. Pieces that have come from the magical creative force that is within us all, always seem to have that special 'it' factor. It cannot be mathematically forced, but is part of the flow of the universe. And, having a supportive team to work with is also of utmost importance. My girls add to the recipe and together we manifest a well thought out range that will appeal to all.