#i just really care a lot about tezuka

[pandor-pandorkful]

Ah man. This is simultaneously one of the most heartening responses to my Tezuka ranting, and also the most heartbreaking.

Good on ya for having a logical gut response of "some folks like to draw smut, so what?" But you deserve to know about Osamu Tezuka, who is rightfully called the God of manga--but he was so much more than just a prolific mangaka.

At the very least, read the profile on the official website:

In short: Osamu Tezuka was a pioneer of not only comics but also TV animation, influencing not only Japan but the Entire World. He was a humanitarian, a doctor, a scientist, an inventor, and creator of countless game-changing works. Over 700 hundred manga, as previously stated in one of my earlier posts.

I want that to sink in: Seven. HUNDRED.

Not short stories, either. That number is not padded out with one-pagers. We are talking about HUNDREDS of SERIES.

He created many of the distinct sub-genres of manga that persist to this day, perhaps most notably Shoujo/comics for girls, with Princess Knight in 1953. A series about a "princess by the name of Sapphire who has both a boy's heart and a girl's heart. She cleans up evils by disguising herself as Princess Knight."

He ended up creating NUMEROUS feminist-leaning and queer-positive characters and stories, for all ages and all ratings. Just out of the basic belief of "Hey, it's unrealistic to NOT depict these people--and to do so in a negative light would be rude."

He made mistakes, yes. But he displayed a lifelong willingness to learn and amend those mistakes.

But let's cut to the chase about WHY I'm personally upset at people applying a purity filter over their assumptions about Tezuka.

Probably his best-known creations in his lifetime were his works for children, Astro-Boy/Tetsuan Atom perhaps being THE most influential. His work for child readers was GROUNDBREAKING. Tezuka did not pull punches when writing for a young audience, filling those stories with the same messages about tolerance and ethics as his work for adult readers. He refused to talk down to his young audience or treat them as lesser--something that unfortunately remains uncommon to this day in kid's media.

As wholly commendable as this was, it left him with a nearly unshakable reputation: "Osamu Tezuka, beloved creator of CHILDREN'S MANGA."

Which was stifling for him! He HATED being pigeonholed like that, and especially how it limited the reception to his more mature oriented works. Worst of all, due to basically creating so many genres of manga, his art style was seen as "outdated" by the time he was barely halfway through his career.

So, he bucked HARD against that reputation! He made hundreds of works for adult readers, from sobering examinations on the nature of human cruelty and kindness to just fun smutty sexy romps, and worked hard to "modernize" his drawing style. Tezuka REFUSED to be left in the dust, while at the same time never discounting his prior work for children.

I suspect it was that desperation to get ahead of the game that makes so much of his work feel so fresh and remarkable to this very day... although that habit of overworking himself invariably led to his early death.

THIS is why it's so very upsetting to see people act shocked that he drew smut, and assume that he must have been hiding it! It's that old reputation that caused him so much legitimate distress in his lifetime, and it's that "art vs porn" attitude that limits and strangles all creatives to this very day.

Tezuka worked hard to buck that assumption of his purity, gleefully exploring sexy fucked up nonsense and serious unflinching examinations on human nature in the same breath.

He was so very, very human himself. He deserves his messy imperfect humanity to be remembered and respected.

Here's to the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka. Born November 3rd, 1928. Died February 9th, 1989, at the age of 60. A treasure to the world. Shamelessly human.

My special interest is comics and has been since I was around 11 or so, and I will rant to you about Osamu Tezuka for hours on end, so help me god.

"Hiding his porn until he died." People sure do love saying the first thing that comes to their mind without having even a cursory understanding of what they're talking about, huh!!!

[selene-lunette]

Comparison between Shadow of the Colossus and Dororo

I've been a Dororo fan for years now and I just recently played Team Ico's games for the first time. So, here I'll try to list things that Shadow of the Colossus and Dororo have in common. My theory is that Fumito Ueda was inspired by Osamu Tezuka's work and, vice versa, Ueda's works inspired the 2019 anime adaptation of Dororo. Now, if this was common knowledge, then my bad! If that's not the case, these will be just lots of comparisons. Spoilers ahead!

First of all, both Wander and Hyakkimaru have a goal, and they are determined to reach it, no matter what. Wander wants to bring Mono back to life, while Hyakkimaru wants to collect his bodyparts, that were taken by evil spirits at birth due to a contract his father made to gain power. The demons in Dororo are 48, which is the number of Colossi Ueda initially planned to have in his game.

Now, we know that within the colossi lie severed segments of Dormin's body. As Hyakkimaru defeats a demon, he collects a body part back. So, both the fiends in Dororo and the Colossi in Shadow of the Colossus hold a piece of body. But while in Dororo once these creatures are slayed the body part goes back to its original owner, in Shadow of the Colossus Wander is the vessel of Dormin's body, which is collected through those dark trails that pierce him after each battle.

At the beginning of Dororo's original manga from 1967, Lord Daigo, Hyakkimaru's dad, enters a shrine and finds various devil statues. Here, he makes a contract with the evil spirits, the 48 devil gods. He seeks power, but the price to pay is the body of his own child. Doesn't that sound familiar? Wander also enters a shrine adorned with various idols, where he asks Dormin, the being that controls the souls of the dead, for Mono to be revived. But Dormin warns him that the price he'll pay would be heavy. Both the evil gods and Dormin, while promising what the human desires, ask for something important in return. They are also kind of making fun of the mortals for their requests.

I'd also like to add that, as the Dororo manga continues and picks up with Hyakkimaru now being 14 years old, his lover, Mio, is already dead. We just see her through flashbacks, as the boy tells his story to Dororo. We don't know what's the relationship between Mono and Wander, but it's clear that he deeply cares about her, either as a lover, friend or sister.

(While I'm not sure if this is simply fan speculation or not, wasn't an alternative ending gonna feature Mono come back to life but blind, and she would've slowly regained her eyesight? If this was an actual scrapped ending, it would literally reference a core theme in Hyakkimaru's journey).

As for the rest, the two stories are completely different, but the beginning is pretty similar, at least in my opinion. I feel like Ueda could've been influenced by Osamu Tezuka's work. Back in 2019 a Dororo anime remake aired, a retelling of the story. Just like all the other Dororo adaptations, a lot of things were changed from the original manga. The 48 demons were cut to 12, and another major change is the additional grey morality that envelops the entirety of the show. In the original manga, Daigo wanted to be a powerful ruler and gave his son away without regret. Here, he seeks help from the demons to archieve that, yes, but his lands are being destroyed by famines and epidemics. While he has egoistical ambitions, he's also helping his people. As you watch the anime, you start to question: who is right and who is wrong? Who is truly evil here? Which are questions we all asked ourselves while playing Shadow of the Colossus. While you play, you know why you're slaying the Colossi, but you do start to wonder if you're really doing the right thing. They are just giant creatures, some peaceful if not attacked, and are the only inhabitants of the Forbidden Lands. Is Wander the true villain, is it Dormin, or is it Emon? Is there even a true villain at all, or just characters at cross purpouses?

In Dororo, you root for Hyakkimaru, deprived of his own body. But, as he kills more and more demons, the lands are yet again subjected to droughts and floods. And, on his first encounter with Lord Daigo, his father asks him to stop collecting his body for the sake of the lands. The morally grey character of Hyakkimaru, I feel like, could be inspired by Fumito Ueda's work. There's a major difference in the ending though. As Wander's journey makes him loose his humanity, Hyakkimaru's is the opposite. Withing him, he also has bits of evil spirits enbedded into his soul, much like Wander.

But while Hyakkimaru is plagued by doubts, and sometimes lets the demonic part of him loose, he ultimately reaches his goal to be whole again. With the death of all the demons, the natural disasters stop, starting a period of peace. He gets his humanity back, something that Wander only archieves after being reborn.

Also, this is totally just speculation, but the thing about Hyakkimaru's demon slaying causing illnesses and epidemics might be a reference to ICO. In the PS2 manual (at least in the italian one I own) it is stated that the horned children are believed to be cursed, bringing misfortunes to befall the villages. Another thing added to the 2019 anime adaptation of Dororo is the fact that with each evil spirit Hyakkimaru kills, the idol that represents it at the shrine (where Daigo made the contract) breaks. Which is literally what happens in Shadow of the Colossus.

I'd also like to add that Dororo also has a videogame adaptation for the PS2 called Blood will tell, that contains 48 fiends to defeat in order to retrieve Hyakkimaru's body parts. It came out just a year before Shadow of the Colossus did, and it's such a fun game. It has some amazing looking fiends and, fun fact, Blood will tell's japanese cover art is also a beautiful drawing (made by Hiroaki Samura), while the western box art is a 3D rendition of the main character, much like ICO. Though, not as ugly ;)

I can't tell if this game actually influenced Shadow of the Colossus or not, but it's pretty fun to spot the similarities between the two. The final boss, Behemoth, is the biggest out of the 48 fiends, and its fight is divided in various sections. In one of these, you have to stand on Behemoth's hand so that it can bring you close to its face to attack. It reminded me of the Malus fight.

In another section, you have to climb the fiend's back to destroy its weak spots, which are horns with a very familiar blue tint that shoot lightings. This reminded me a lot of Pelagia (but also of Basaran and Quadratus).

And the last section features Behemoth charging at you while it flies, which of course reminded me of the Avion fight.

Thank you for reading all my yapping about pieces of media I love deeply! After not being able to find many comparison between Dororo and Shadow of the Colossus online, I just had to make one myself. This is my first time making a post like this, so I hope this isn't worded too badly—

[gffa]

for the character ask game! dick grayson: 5, 16, 25

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them? Lmao please don't ask me this question, because I have zero musical taste--and I don't mean I have bad musical taste, I mean I have no taste whatsoever, I barely listen to music, and I have no funny suggestions! (Mostly because I don't care for most of the ~jokes~ about his physical body.) 16. What's your least favorite ship for this character? Fandom has made it extremely hard to like a lot of other Dick ships because literally half the fandom can't stop tearing down Dick/Babs to build up their ship, which means there's nothing there for me to like, all it does is make me think there's not much there, if the only content to come up with is ranting about another ship. Nobody's obligated to like Dick/Babs, nobody's even obligated to not rant about it, I know where my scroll button is, but also all it does is push me further away from the ship that was supposedly being sold in that post, because it seems like an unfun place to be. But my actual least favorite ship for Dick is probably Bruce/Dick because it's so close to what I want out of that relationship, except also a thousand miles away from it! Honestly, one of my oldest friends is a Bruce/Dick shipper and the overlap we have of views on the characters is probably like 85%, we just diverge on how that plays out and we both feel extremely strongly about how we dislike the other path, but that we respect the other person being on it. We both are really into the fucked up entanglement of the characters, the mirroring aspect they have of each other, the belief that the other is the pure version of who they're meant to be, the frustration of how much they love the other while also being mad at them for the distance between them, the co-dependent disaster relationship, etc. All of that is the same for both of us, we just diverge on the context for it. Which is fine in our friendship, we meet in the middle, but there have been times when I feel like the ship would be so delicious for me, because it would tunnel vision in on those aspects I like, but the thought of them so much as even smooching makes me look like I bit into a lemon. How dare fandom almost give me what I want and then take it away from me!!!! Like, I don't actually care that it exists as a ship, fiction is not in a 1:1 relationship with reality and I think a lot of us get blinded by how modern comics go hard on the father & son aspect, which I am into and think is fair to evolve them into, but that wasn't always true and it's not like Bruce/Dick came out of nowhere. It just denies me personally what I want and therefore it it is The Worst For Me Personally And Thus Jail For DC Fandom For One Thousand Years!!!! 25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now? Dick Grayson is my longest running Blorbo, like that guy invented Blorboism for me, before I ever had such a name for the concept. Dick Grayson has been my One True Character for 20+ years, nobody has ever unseated him, not Anakin, not Obi-Wan, not Thor, not Usagi, not Duo, not Tezuka, NONE OF THEM that I've lost my mind about. Dick Grayson came on the scene for me when I first watched B:TAS and hit my tiny little baby brain with his daddy issues on display and excellent Nightwing design in later episodes and the push-and-pull relationship with Babs and my fannish life has never been the same since. "That it. That's him. That's the one. That's the character I'm going to obsess over for the rest of my life." I must have said when I first saw him and I HAVE NOT BEEN PROVEN WRONG YET.

[spicykaraage]

Best Team! ~Seigaku~ - Story Translation

I spent a lot of money on this so I may as well translate it, right?

Also, I placed the card stories to match with the main story to avoid confusion. Curse Tumblr’s 30 image limit.

[Prologue]

Ryoma: I wouldn’t bother with it, Oishi-senpai.

Oishi: No, I can’t just let them keep at it.

Momoshiro: LISTEN! The free fall rides are the scariest!

Kaidoh: Huhh!? But you just said it was the bungee rides.

Momoshiro: Well it gives you a different kind of thrill. And that just proves I’ve got more experience in this anyway.

Kaidoh: Hmph. Go see how scary it is to ride on a wooden rollercoaster and then come talk to me.

Momoshiro: If they’re wooden then they can’t go that fast.

Kaidoh: It’s not about the speed. It’s scary how rickety they are. You wouldn’t get it.

Momoshiro: Huhh!?

Oishi: Give it a rest already, you two.

Ryoma: They do this all the time, who cares at this point.

Tezuka: Momoshiro, Kaidoh. What’s all the fuss about?

Fuji: For real, what’s going on? You’re making a big scene over here.

Momoshiro: Senpais, which do you think’s more exciting: the free fall or wooden rollercoaster?

Momoshiro: It’s the free fall for sure since the rush comes at you like “boom”!

Kaidoh: But the free fall’s over in an instant. A wooden rollercoaster slowly builds up to it.

Fuji & Tezuka: ?

Oishi: They’re talking about which rides are the scariest at an amusement park.

Fuji: That’s… not really a fair comparison to make.

Tezuka: I would say people have their own ways of feeling excited.

Momoshiro: Well, that’s true, but…

Kaidoh: He was the one trying to argue about it…

Ryoma: Gonna be honest, Japan’s got nothing on the thrill rides in the US.

Kaidoh: …What? You’ve got some nerve saying that.

Momoshiro: Talkin’ smack, but you’d probably start crying once you actually got on one of those rides.

Ryoma: I definitely wouldn’t.

Momoshiro: Well in that case, let’s go to an amusement park then. You’re totally gonna get scared.

Ryoma: Fine, let’s do it.

Kaidoh: Where are we gonna find an amusement park close to here with all those big rides?

Momoshiro: Let’s go find one right now.

Oishi: Jeez… I can’t tell if they’re getting along or not.

Fuji: Since they’re going to an amusement park, why don’t we have the rest of the Seigaku members go too?

Tezuka: Agreed. It may cause some problems if only those three were to go.

Ryoma: Y’know you can just say you wanted to come.

Oishi: Are you onboard with it, Echizen?

Ryoma: …Well, I guess I don’t mind going.

Fuji: Fufu… Trying to hide it, huh.

[Episode 1]

Tezuka: Good morning. You’re up early.

Fuji: Yeah, I got up early. It’s that pre-field trip syndrome.

Tezuka: Did you get a good night’s rest?

Fuji: Oh yeah, I’m good. I was just getting excited and got here early.

Kikumaru: Morninggg. It’s so sunny outside!

Oishi: You’re suddenly up and at it now, Eiji. You were looking sleepy just a minute ago.

Kikumaru: Aw~, come on~. You know I’m never up around this time.

Oishi: Haha, sorry, sorry.

Tezuka: An early morning departure is a given if we’re to enjoy the amusement park for as long as possible.

Fuji: Oh, looks like Momo and Kaidoh are here too.

—

Kawamura: Phew… It was pretty hard trying to get ready without waking everyone else up in my room.

Inui: Most everyone is still asleep at this hour.

Inui: Mizuki cleared his throat just as I was about to exit our room.

Oishi: It’d be almost impossible to try and leave without being noticed.

Kikumaru: We’re gonna buy souvenirs for the guys in our room.

Kawamura: Oh, that’s right. I should bring back something too.

Tezuka: On that topic, when I had asked Coach Saito for permission to leave, he said not to worry about getting souvenirs…

Inui: Probability that was a joke: 100%, however it would be nice to still get them and surprise people.

Kawamura: Huh? It’s almost time to go, but…

Inui: Echizen hasn’t arrived yet.

Tezuka: He’s late, once again.

Oishi: That Echizen, I can’t with him.

Fuji: The bus is gonna get delayed now.

Kikumaru: Ah, here he comes!

Ryoma: Hey.

All:

YOU’RE LATE!!

[Episode 2]

Momoshiro: Kuuu! Just being in an amusement park is making me so excited~!

Kikumaru: I’m so pumped I just wanna start running around!

Kawamura: Haha, seeing everyone smiling is making me smile too.

Ryoma: Is that statue in the center the mascot?

Oishi: Yeah, it’s Prince Kitty. I’m sure he’s all over the park.

Ryoma: Hmm…

Momoshiro: What’s up, Echizen. You like Prince Kitty?

Ryoma: No… I was just checking.

Kikumaru: Yeah, yeah~. If Prince Kitty showed up right here and right now, you’d definitely hug him~

Ryoma: …I wouldn’t. Probably.

Oishi: Hey, you guys. Don’t tease Echizen so much.

Momoshiro: This is what he gets for being late this morning.

Ryoma: Please. I already said I was sorry.

Momoshiro: Haha, alright. I’m just way too excited for this.

Inui: Did everyone receive a pamphlet? For starters, let’s check the map to get things settled.

Inui: This park is rather big. We should decide on a general route so we can move efficiently.

Momoshiro: They’ve got five big rides, and I wanna try them all!

Inui: That has been your top priority for today. Then let’s choose a route based on those rides.

Kawamura: I’d also like to know when the parade starts.

Oishi: Can we make reservations at a restaurant too? We have a lot of people, so—

Kikumaru: Hang on a sec. First of all, aren’t we forgetting something important?

Ryoma: The bathroom.

Kikumaru: No! We’re all here together, so we’ve gotta do this~

Ryoma & Momoshiro: ?

[Episode 3]

Kikumaru: Ta-dahhh! Obviously when you’re at an amusement park together, you’ve gotta have matching outfits.

Fuji: This is nice. I’m getting more and more excited for this.

Tezuka: I would’ve thought we’d stay in our jerseys if we wanted to match…

Inui: An amusement park uniform for the amusement park, I suppose.

Kawamura: I get it. The outfits make a big difference.

Kawamura: When I help out at the shop, I change into the white chef’s outfit since I feel like it changes which mode I’m in.

Kikumaru: Right, right. These are our combat uniforms for the amusement park!

Tezuka: We’ll be fighting?

Fuji: It will be like a battle, in a way.

Fuji: Like trying to get on the rides, getting a good spot to watch the parade, and making good time with these crowds.

Tezuka: …I see. I will ready myself then.

Kaidoh: Fshhhhh…

Inui: What’s the matter, Kaidoh. You’ve been oddly quiet for a while now.

Kaidoh: No, it’s no big deal, I…

Kikumaru: Hold up Kaidoh, are you embarrassed that we’re all matching?

Kaidoh: Huh… No, it’s nothing…

Inui: Hm. I suppose it is rather different than wearing our club jerseys, isn’t it?

Fuji: Yeah, I’m feeling a little shy too. Probably since I’m not used to wearing this.

Kawamura: These cardholders are kinda cute though.

Tezuka: Well, this isn’t something I would normally wear.

Kaidoh: …Let’s just drop it already.

Momoshiro: Heyy, let’s get a move on now~!

Ryoma: We don’t have all day!

Kikumaru: What’s with Shorty? Looks like he’s gotten into the swing of things.

Kawamura: Haha… Maybe the outfit’s got him in a good mood now.

Inui: We do feel more composed when wearing our regular jerseys for tennis.

Tezuka: Then in that sense, I certainly would call these our combat uniforms for the amusement park.

Fuji: Alright, let’s get going. There’s a lot of photos I wanna take today.

[Episode 4]

Momoshiro: When it comes to the big rides, this is the one to go for. The free fall!

Oishi: I-Isn’t this kind of a lot to start with…?

Kaidoh: I don’t care what it is. I’ll still ride it.

Inui: Right, but will Echizen be okay?

Ryoma: I’m fine with anything.

Kikumaru: Are you even tall enough?

Oishi: Looks like he’s over 130cm. That’s good.

Ryoma: Hold up. Did you seriously just check that?

Momoshiro: Hahaha. Echizen, it’s not too late to back down, y’know~?

Ryoma: Same to you.

Kikumaru: But, it’s… more quiet than you’d expect, isn’t it?

Kaidoh: I haven’t heard any screams.

Oishi: The noise from the ride falling’s probably drowning them out. It sounds cool.

Inui: Absolutely. That should tell you how fast it will be.

Momoshiro: And just like the name says: boom! You fall!

Kaidoh: You’re not funny.

Momoshiro: I’m not trying to be funny!

Oishi: Okay, okay… Look, it’s our turn.

Kikumaru: Alright let’s go, onto the first ride of the day!

—

Kikumaru: …Phew, that was so much fun! My stomach was jumping~!

Oishi: L-Looks like you did fine, Eiji.

Kaidoh: Now I know why I didn’t hear any screaming…

Ryoma: I didn’t even have time to yell…

Inui: Those moments where you feel your stomach jump are known as “airtime”…

Inui: Supposedly, it becomes difficult to speak during it.

Momoshiro: Yeah, it did make my throat feel tight… Like, I could only squeal the whole time…

Kaidoh: What’d you think, Echizen? Japan’s rides are pretty good too, aren’t they.

Ryoma: …They’re alright.

Momoshiro: Yeah, sure, you’re wiped from that aren’t you?

Ryoma: I’m not. Besides, there’s a lot more cool stuff in the US.

Momoshiro: Man, you always have a comeback for everything.

Kaidoh: …Onto the next one. This is only just the beginning.

Kikumaru: Those two are gonna keep on at it~

Inui: They’re both extremely competitive.

Oishi: Ugh, great. Looks like we’re really in for it today.

Tezuka Card Story - “Is there a holdup?”

Tezuka: Quite alarming that we did the free fall first.

Fuji: So you lost your nerve too, Tezuka?

Tezuka: I’ll leave that to your imagination.

Ryoma: You handled it pretty well though, Captain Tezuka.

Oishi: Well, that’s Tezuka for you.

Kikumaru: I wonder if there’s any rides that would make Tezuka squeal?

Kawamura: Didn’t we originally come here to do that with Echizen?

Kikumaru: That’s one thing, and this is another!

Fuji: Looks like the water coaster’s next. Momo and the others are checking out the line.

Kikumaru: Ooh~. A water coaster, how fun!

Oishi: Oh, jeez. Just one intense ride after another…

Tezuka: I think it’ll be fun.

Ryoma: Are you actually excited for this, Captain Tezuka?

Tezuka: …I’ll leave that to your imagination.

—

*SPLASH!!*

Ryoma: Whoa… The way the water splashes is pretty cool.

Tezuka: It has a warning that we may get wet. I will ready myself.

Kikumaru: Me and Oishi will sit at the front!

Oishi: Huh, I’m going? Oh, boy…

Fuji: I’ve heard the best spot to be for this is in the back.

Kawamura: Right, they say that spot gives you the biggest rush.

Fuji: Then I’ll let Tezuka and Echizen have those spots. You just take it easy, Taka-san.

Tezuka: Oh, that’s right, you dislike these kinds of rides.

Kawamura: Haha… Plus I feel like the free fall took a lot out of me…

Kawamura: I’ll just watch this time. You cool if I use your camera for this, Fuji?

Fuji: Yeah, of course. Just make sure to get a really good shot of Tezuka and the others.

Ryoma: So you don’t care about getting a picture of yourself…

Tezuka: All right, let’s go.

—

*clatter, clatter…*

Kikumaru: Hey, hey, why don’t we throw our hands up right when we fall?

Oishi: I’m sure we could… I see people do that on rides all the time.

Fuji: That’d be fun, wouldn’t it? We should give it a try.

Tezuka: Understood. We’re almost at the top…

Tezuka: Now. Everyone raise your hands up!

Ryoma: It looks like there’s a holdup though…

*WHOOSH!*

Ryoma: Whoa…!?

Kikumaru: Nyahaha! Here we go!!

*SPLASH!!*

Tezuka: Nh…!

Ryoma: It’s cold…!

Tezuka: Quite the splash, it reached back here too…

Oishi: Th-The people in the front got the brunt of it. Our faces are drenched…

Kikumaru: That was so much fun~! Did you guys throw your hands up?

Fuji: Fufu… We’ll check out the photos Taka-san took and see.

Ryoma: …I held onto the bar.

Tezuka: I did too…

—

Kawamura: That was crazy, you guys. Are you cold?

Oishi: Not really. My hair got messed up, though.

Ryoma: Really? Doesn’t look like it to me…

Tezuka: Wetness aside, why don’t we try riding it again?

Ryoma: Huh, again? Seriously?

Fuji: I see. So you wanna throw your hands up this time.

Tezuka: Maybe so.

Oishi: Haha, when I see Tezuka having fun, I can’t help but get on board.

Kikumaru: He’s having fun… really?

Kawamura: I’ll try to get a really good shot again. Have fun, you guys!

Tezuka: Thank you.

Tezuka: Well then everyone, don’t let your guards down.

Ryoma Card Story - “The Merry-go-Round with Everyone”

Ryoma: A merry-go-round?

Momoshiro: Yep. All we’ve done since we got here is go on the big rides.

Kaidoh: We’ve been doing a lot since the start. We should take a break now.

Ryoma: But that doesn’t mean we have to go on the merry-go-round, does it?

Fuji: Huh, do you not like the merry-go-round, Echizen?

Ryoma: It’s not about that… This ride is for kids, isn’t it?

Kikumaru: You are a kid though, Shorty.

Inui: Very true. You are the youngest out of all of us.

Ryoma: I’m not that much younger…

Inui: Amusement parks are said to be places where you can return to your childhood. Meaning there’s nothing wrong with riding something even if it’s childish.

Kikumaru: Besides, the merry-go-round can be fun no matter who rides it.

Ryoma: …Well, if you say so, fine.

—

Momoshiro: Oh, there’s not much of a line. Looks like we’ll be able to get right on it.

Fuji: I’ll just wait over here. I wanna take everyone’s photos.

Inui: I’ll watch all of your belongings as well.

Kikumaru: So you say, but now you’ve got your notebook out too~

Inui: Fufu… It’s not often that I’m able to get data on you all riding a merry-go-round.

Kaidoh: What can you even do with that kind of data…

Ryoma: Hey guys, it’s our turn.

Momoshiro: Ooh. I call the big black horse!

Kaidoh: Wha, hey. I was gonna take that one.

Momoshiro: Huhh? Well I didn’t know. First one there gets it?

Kaidoh: Okay then. I’m gonna—

Kikumaru: Heeey, don’t run!

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: …!

Kikumaru: There’s little kids here, be a good example.

Kikumaru: And just for that, I’m gonna be the one who rides it. This is what you two get!

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: Okay…

Ryoma: You guys got a ways to go.

Kikumaru: Ooh~, your horse is cool too, Shorty.

Ryoma: Hehe. Isn’t it?

Momoshiro: Of course he’d pick the horse that kinda stands out from the rest…

Kaidoh: …Hey, Momoshiro. There’s nothing but a carriage left.

Momoshiro: Wha…

—

Fuji: Fufu, that’s rare. Momo and Kaidoh are riding in a carriage together without any problems.

Inui: Probability of missing a horse: 100%…

Fuji: Echizen, look this way!

Ryoma: ‘Kay.

*click!*

Fuji: Nice, that was a great smile.

Kikumaru: Fuji, take a picture of me too! Yayy!

Ryoma: Eiji-senpai, you shouldn’t lean forward so much, that’s dangerous.

Ryoma: Think of the children, right?

Kikumaru: Ughh… Can’t believe an actual kid is telling me that~

Ryoma: And I’ve told you I’m not a kid.

—

Inui: All done? How was it?

Ryoma: Well… It felt good looking down from up there.

Inui: Heh… and it was certainly refreshing being looked down upon by you, Echizen.

Kikumaru: Fuji, did you get any good pictures?

Fuji: Yep. The ones of Momo and Kaidoh are top tier too.

Kaidoh: Huh…

Momoshiro: Aw, I wanted to ride a horse too~!

Ryoma: Well, why don’t we give it another go?

Ryoma: …The merry-go-round was actually pretty fun.

Kikumaru Card Story - “The Scary Haunted House”

Kikumaru: Man, we’ve done a lot. What should we check out next?

Oishi: We’ve done most of the big rides now. Are you okay to keep going, Echizen?

Ryoma: Yeah, I can still go on.

Kikumaru: Mm… Shorty doesn’t look fazed at all.

Kikumaru: We’re gonna go to one that’ll definitely make you scream.

Momoshiro: That’s the spirit, Eiji-senpai!

Kikumaru: So yeah, what’s something scary we haven’t tried yet…

Kikumaru: Ah! That might be cool!

Ryoma: ? Which one?

Kikumaru: Hehe, over here!

—

Kikumaru: Ta-dah! A haunted house!

Oishi: Oh yeah, they’re a staple for amusement parks, but we haven’t been to it yet.

Momoshiro: The line’s pretty long, you cool with waiting?

Tezuka: I don’t mind.

—

Tezuka: …So you’re able to hear the screams from outside.

Inui: Supposedly the haunted house here has a reputation for being quite scary.

Inui: There are also rumors that they even have real monsters mixed in with the fake ones.

Kikumaru: Seriously!?

Oishi: Hey, hey… Don’t get everyone scared before we even go in.

Ryoma: It’s just a rumor, isn’t it?

Ryoma: I don’t think we need to worry so much.

Inui: But as the saying goes: where there is smoke, there is fire.

Momoshiro: You’re really trying to rile us up aren’t you, Inui-senpai.

Kikumaru: Anyways! If it looks this scary then it should scare even Shorty.

Ryoma: Nothing scares me that easily.

Momoshiro: Alright then, you’re comin’ with me. It says we can go in pairs.

Ryoma: Don’t cling to me if you get scared, Momo-senpai.

Momoshiro: Same goes to you.

Inui: I’ll go with Tezuka.

Inui: I may be able to acquire some valuable data from this.

Tezuka: I’m not sure if my reactions will be sufficient for you… but all right.

Oishi: Okay, then I’ll go with Eiji.

Kikumaru: Yeah! And you can hold onto me if you get scared, Oishi.

Oishi: Haha, I’ll be counting on you.

—

Kikumaru: There’s something moving around that headstone…!

Oishi: Th-There’s a fireball floating around here too.

Kikumaru: Aiiieeee~! Now there’s a noise coming from the well.

Kikumaru: There’s definitely something hiding in there! No, no, I don’t wanna get near it~!

Oishi: Whoa…!? C-Calm down, Eiji.

Oishi: Jeez, I’m trying not to get scared too, but… where’d that confidence you had before coming in go?

Kikumaru: Well, I didn’t think it’d be this scary.

Kikumaru: But Inui was right, this haunted house is really scary.

Oishi: Yeah. It’s kind of like… I can’t stop feeling tense in here…

Kikumaru: Yeah. It’s like there’s one monster after another.

*thunk*

Kikumaru: …What was that?

Oishi: It came from right behind us. On three, we turn around?

Kikumaru: S-Sure. One, two…

Oishi & Kikumaru: AGH!

—

Tezuka: It was as scary as the rumors said.

Inui: So you say, but you didn’t even move an eyebrow, Tezuka.

Inui: Perhaps things would’ve been different if a real monster had shown up…

Oishi: Nah, I think it was scary enough with what we got…

Kikumaru: The scariest part was being chased by those guys near the exit~

Ryoma: Momo-senpai screamed at that part too.

Momoshiro: Shut up! You grabbed onto my hoodie too.

Ryoma: Yeah, on accident.

Oishi: Alright, you two. You don’t need to argue about it.

Kikumaru: Nyahaha, it was scary but I still had fun, so I’d say it turned out alright.

Kikumaru: Okay! Onto to have fun at our next stop!

Inui Card Story - “Many Younger Brothers”

Inui: Hm… It feels as though we’re missing something.

Kaidoh: What’re you talking about…

Tezuka: Everyone’s here and accounted for.

Inui: No, that’s not it. It feels as though there’s something missing in our approach with the amusement park.

Inui: It’s not fulfilling enough to simply have these outfits, is it?

Ryoma: I really don’t know what you’re getting at, Inui-senpai…

Momoshiro: Ah, I get it. Getting popcorn and merchandise and all that, right?

Fuji: Right. Or even getting a hat, gloves or stuffed animal.

Inui: Precisely. Since we’ve come all this way, I think it would be nice to dye ourselves more in the amusement park’s colors, don’t you think?

Inui: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Kaidoh: …I don’t get what you’re talking about at all, Inui-senpai.

Tezuka: I believe what he’s saying is we still aren’t enjoying the amusement park to the fullest.

Inui: Right. We can go even further than this.

Momoshiro: I feel like us having matching outfits is enough, though.

Fuji: Shall we go to a store? I’d like to check out some souvenirs for Yuuta.

Momoshiro: Sounds good. It’ll be crowded towards the end, so now would be a good time.

Inui: Well then, let’s get going.

Ryoma: …I’ve been thinking about it since we got here, but the senpais are actually having fun with this, aren’t they?

Kaidoh: Fshhhhh…

—

Inui: …Here we are!

Tezuka: What is it.

Inui: It’s rainbow popcorn. Look, it even comes in a Prince Kitty-themed bucket.

Inui: I’d like to develop a drink that is as visually pleasing as this, to be honest.

Fuji: Sounds good. I’d wanna try it.

Kaidoh: You wanna try a drink that’s got all these colors in it…?

Momoshiro: Hey, don’t look at me…

Ryoma: A Prince Kitty popcorn bucket…

Momoshiro: Yep. You like it, Echizen?

Ryoma: Not really… Maybe a little.

Tezuka: They have a variety of his merchandise in the store we can check out.

Inui: Well, what do we have here…

Fuji: Fufu… Those are cute gloves, aren’t they?

Inui: This is excellent merchandise for the amusement park, but they would also be good for everyday use.

Inui: I could wear this and appear for anyone needing a cat’s paw.

Momoshiro: I highly doubt that’s something that would happen a lot, though.

Kaidoh: But it’s still pretty nice…

Ryoma: Yeah, it’s kinda cute…

Momoshiro: You guys are getting too into Prince Kitty, y’know!?

Inui: Fufufu… When in an amusement park, the appeal of the mascots is doubled.

Fuji: And here Kaidoh and Echizen were acting hesitant right before this.

Tezuka: It appears Inui was right when he said something was missing.

Tezuka: I think I’ll purchase a bucket of popcorn as well.

Fuji: Me too. The rainbow color looks cool.

Ryoma: Aren’t those cat-ear headbands pretty cute, too?

Kaidoh: This Prince Kitty plushie feels like a real cat…

Momoshiro: Make sure to think twice before buying anything. You’re taking it back to the camp, remember?

Inui: You’re surprisingly calm, Momo.

Momoshiro: Ah yeah, it feels like I’m watching my little brother and sister… Haha.

Inui: Your siblings… Well for this case, it would appear we have many younger brothers today.

Fuji: Fufu… It’s a big family we got here.

Tezuka: If we’re going by birthdays, I’d be your younger brother too.

Inui: Haha. I don’t have any siblings, so this is rather new for me.

Inui: Are you done with your business, my younger brothers? It’s about time we get back to the attractions.

Kaidoh Card Story - “You get along well…”

Kaidoh: Seriously, you’re eating way too much.

Momoshiro: Shut up. Besides, it’s not just for you.

Kaidoh: Huhh? And who’s the one holding it?

Momoshiro: Okay, and what’s so special about you holding it? Huh?

Oishi: Time out, time out! What’re you two arguing about?

Ryoma: I’ve been listening, and it’s over something really dumb.

Kawamura: Echizen, let’s try not to add more fuel to the fire…

Kikumaru: C’mon~ They get along well. They say the closer you are, the more you butt heads.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: We’re not!

Ryoma: That was really in sync.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: Huhh!?

Oishi: Ugh, jeez… Okay, so why were you fighting?

Momoshiro: …Popcorn.

Kaidoh: The one we bought at the store…

Kawamura: Yeah, you said you’d buy one and split it.

Kikumaru: Momo and Kaidoh? Well that’s just a given that they’d fight over that.

Ryoma: Right. That’s what I said when they bought it.

Momoshiro: I wasn’t planning on eating that much. I wasn’t even that hungry.

Momoshiro: But that popcorn is surprisingly really good…

Kaidoh: And then you suddenly decided to go to town on it.

Momoshiro: I only had a little at first, so I thought it’d be okay to just have a little more.

Kaidoh: You were taking them by the handfuls.

Momoshiro: Hmph! You’re being really selfish, y’know that?

Kaidoh: Huhh!?

Kawamura: *sigh*, relax, you two…

Oishi: That is a really dumb reason…

Ryoma: Right?

Kikumaru: Hey you guys, how about you take your anger out on that instead? It’s a shooting ride!

Kaidoh: Shooting…?

Kawamura: “An immersive experience with targets all around you”. Wow, that sounds cool.

Ryoma: Okay, let’s do it then.

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: …

—

Kaidoh: …It’s darker than I expected.

Momoshiro: You scared, Viper~?

Kaidoh: Hell no!

Oishi: Okay, it’s starting!

Kaidoh: Whoa… There’s UFOs in front of us now—

Momoshiro: And here comes the aliens! Th-There’s so many…

Kaidoh: Hey, don’t lean into me, Momoshiro! You’re throwing off my aim!

Momoshiro: There’s no time to worry about that! Sorry, but just tough it out please.

Kaidoh: Tch, whatever…

Kaidoh: Crap, our health’s been lowered! Keep whaling on ‘em!

Momoshiro: I’ve got this! Let’s wipe ‘em all out!

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: UOOOOOOOOH!!

—

Kikumaru: *sigh*, I really wanted that high score achievement sticker.

Kawamura: Momo and Kaidoh were getting the highest scores the whole time.

Oishi: I’m glad you guys got them.

Momoshiro: Yeah, I was trying so hard to defeat all the aliens and I just got super into it.

Kaidoh: I lucked out from just concentrating on the UFOs since they give the most points.

Ryoma: I think my gun was broken…

Momoshiro: You shouldn’t be a sore loser, you really shouldn’t.

Kaidoh: …Mm? Momoshiro, what happened to the popcorn?

Kaidoh: I left it with your stuff, so you should have it.

Momoshiro: There wasn’t much left, so I ate the rest and then threw it away over there.

Kaidoh: Huh? I’m pretty sure there was plenty left.

Momoshiro: There wasn’t. And you ate a lot of it when we first got it, didn’t you?

Kaidoh: I didn’t even have that much!

Ryoma: They’re back at it again…

Oishi: Maybe it’s true for them, that they butt heads so often since they’re so close.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: You wanna go, huh!?

Momoshiro Card Story - “Fun in the Air!”

Momoshiro: Now where should we go next… The rides we haven’t gone on yet are—

Kaidoh: Why don’t you just look at the map of the park?

Momoshiro: Huhh? I was just about to. You don’t have to nitpick me all the time, Viper.

Kaidoh: What’d you say…? You’re the one who nitpicks me.

Ryoma: They’re at it, again.

Kikumaru: Nyahaha. They’re still so full of energy.

Oishi: Momo, Kaidoh! Let’s take it down a notch.

Fuji: Haven’t had enough fun yet, I’m guessing? How about we go on another big ride?

Momoshiro: Aw yeah Fuji-senpai, you get it! But actually, let’s go on that one next.

Fuji & Ryoma: Huh…?

Kikumaru: The swing ride! This is one we haven’t been on yet.

Momoshiro: Exactly! We need to give all the rides a go.

Kaidoh: The swing ride… Sounds pretty whimsical.

Momoshiro: Whimsical? Well, you shouldn’t underestimate it.

Kaidoh: I’m not.

Ryoma: We’ll be on swings?

Momoshiro: God, now you’re making a fuss…

Ryoma: I mean, it doesn’t look too exciting.

Fuji: You don’t know that.

Kaidoh & Ryoma: Huh?

Fuji: It looks like it’ll be spinning us around pretty fast. I think it’ll be exciting.

Ryoma: …Hmm.

Kaidoh: …Exciting, huh.

Momoshiro: Well anyway, let’s hurry and get on!

Kikumaru: Momo! It looks like no one’s on it right now! So I don’t think there’ll be a long line.

Momoshiro: Okay! Let’s get to it then!

Oishi: Take it easy, don’t run, just speed walk if you really need to hurry.

Momoshiro & Kikumaru: Okay!

—

Momoshiro: Whoooaaa! We’re so high up!!

Oishi: This is… higher than I thought. The ground’s… so far away… I-Is everyone doing alright?

Kikumaru: Of course! It feels like I’m flying, it’s so awesome! Yayy!

Ryoma: I’m good! It’s not a bad view.

Fuji: Yeah. This is a nice breeze blowing.

Kaidoh: …The breeze does feel nice.

Momoshiro: Whoaa! Now it’s going faster!

Momoshiro: Kuuu~! It feels so refreshing!

—

Momoshiro: Hahaha, that was so much fun!!

Kikumaru: It felt so good to be up in the sky, I wanted to stay on it forever~

Oishi: I was nervous at first since it felt like my balance was unsteady but yeah, once I got used to it, it felt really good.

Kaidoh: …It wasn’t so bad.

Momoshiro: Hm? What was that? I didn’t hear you, can you run that by me again?

Kaidoh: You…

Momoshiro: C’mon, say it!

Kaidoh: …Tch. It wasn’t so bad.

Kaidoh: Happy now?

Momoshiro: Hehe. Yeah, I guess I’d say so.

Ryoma: You look really happy now, Momo-senpai.

Fuji: That’s a nice look on his face. I’ll take a photo.

*click!*

Momoshiro: Whoa, that scared me! Hold on a minute!

Momoshiro: One more time, I wanna hold up a peace sign!

Fuji: Sure. And let’s get Echizen and Kaidoh in the shot too.

Ryoma: Alright. Wha—Momo-senpai, that’s too close!

Kaidoh: You don’t need to bring us this close for the shot…

Momoshiro: It’s fine, it’s fine, now both of you smile like you’re having fun!

Oishi Card Story - “Encounter with Prince Kitty!”

Oishi: Huh? That cat character over there, that’s…

Ryoma & Kaidoh: Prince Kitty…!

Kikumaru: Whoaa! It’s really him!

Kawamura: This is our first time seeing him even though we’ve walked all around since this morning.

Fuji: Maybe we passed him before. He’s so popular that he’s been surrounded in an instant.

Oishi: Now that he’s here, why don’t we get our pictures taken with him?

Kikumaru: For sure!

Ryoma: Oh, there’s people waiting in line for him over there.

Kaidoh: Let’s hurry, Echizen.

Ryoma: Right.

Kawamura: Those two are really hyped about this.

Fuji: Let’s get in line too.

Kikumaru: Hurry up, Oishi!

Oishi: You don’t need to pull on me so hard, Prince Kitty’s not gonna run away, you know?

Kikumaru: There’s a chance he’ll leave though.

Oishi: Haha, oh alright.

—

Kawamura: Man, what a wait.

Kaidoh: Maybe it’s ‘cause it takes a while for each group to get their pictures taken.

Ryoma: …I wonder if we’ll get to hug him when it’s our turn.

Fuji: Fufu… If that’s what you wanna do, we can ask them, Echizen.

Ryoma: It doesn’t really matter…

Oishi: Oh come on, you don’t need to be embarrassed. See, even the people taking pics with him right now are putting their arms around his shoulders.

Kikumaru: It’s almost our turn, so let’s all get a hug from him.

Ryoma: …Okay.

Oishi: …Huh?

Kikumaru: What’s wrong, Oishi?

Oishi: Nothing, it just looked like the family behind us was having a hard time is all.

Kikumaru: Really? Wonder what’s wrong.

Kaidoh: Their kid’s crying, but… it looks like they can’t get them to stop.

Fuji: I wonder if there’s anything we can do to help.

Kawamura: But we better watch out or else we could upset them even more…

Oishi: That’s true…

Oishi: Ah, that’s it!

Ryoma: Oishi-senpai?

Oishi: If we don’t help, then who will? I have a favor to ask you guys…

—

Kikumaru: I’m so glad their kid wound up laughing~

Kawamura: Yeah. It was right after they got a picture with Prince Kitty.

Fuji: I’m sure it was all thanks to Oishi suggesting they go in front of us.

Oishi: I’m sorry for making you guys wait even longer now.

Kaidoh: Getting a small child to stop crying is a bigger deal.

Ryoma: For sure. And even if we went further back, we’ll still get our turn.

Oishi: Right.

Oishi: …Wha—oh!

Oishi: P-Prince Kitty?

Kikumaru: Ah! Oishi, Prince Kitty is hugging you~!

Oishi: What’s going on…

Kawamura: Maybe it’s because he saw that nice thing you did, Oishi.

Ryoma: He’s nodding, so it must be true.

Oishi: Haha… oh, man.

Fuji: Here, let’s all get a photo together. Come a little closer, Kaidoh.

Kaidoh: ‘Kay.

Oishi: I’m kinda embarrassed, but this’ll be a great memory.

Oishi: Thank you, Prince Kitty.

Kawamura Card Story - “The Spinning Coffee Cups”

Kawamura: It’s getting dark, maybe we should head for the parade now?

Momoshiro: Mm, there’s still time though, isn’t there?

Kaidoh: He’s talking about getting a good spot. If we wait too long then we won’t have one.

Ryoma: I don’t think you need to worry about it. Eiji-senpai and the others are eagerly making their way over there.

Kawamura: Huhh, since when did they…

Fuji: Not too long ago. I was with Tezuka and Oishi too.

Inui: They will most certainly ensure the best position for everyone to enjoy the parade.

Kawamura: Gotcha. I’m grateful and I know they’ve got this.

Fuji: Right. So let’s not worry about them and have a little more fun before going on our way.

Kawamura: Of course. What do you guys wanna ride?

Kawamura: I feel like we’ve done everything there is, to be honest.

Momoshiro: There is one more ride I wanna go on, but it’s really far from here…

Ryoma: Why don’t we just go on something close by?

Kaidoh: I agree with Echizen.

Momoshiro: Augh, oh fine! We can do that.

Kawamura: So what’s close by? Maybe we could do the coffee cups over there?

Inui: …Coffee cups, huh. Interesting.

Kaidoh: Inui-senpai… do you wanna ride them?

Inui: No, I wish to observe. I’m sure I’ll gather good data from it.

Ryoma: Didn’t know you could do that with coffee cups…

Inui: There are those who have the tolerance for thrill rides, but have an intolerance for spinning rides.

Inui: So for this case, I may collect surprising data.

Fuji: So you wanna check to see if we can keep our balance, is that it?

Momoshiro: Let’s see how Echizen does with this then.

Ryoma: Nothing I can’t handle.

Momoshiro: Yeah, sure. Taka-san, come with us please.

Kawamura: Huh, me?? Uhhh…?

Fuji: You’ve got the most power, Taka-san.

Kawamura: O-Okay. I’ll do it.

—

Kawamura: How’s this? Is this good enough?

Momoshiro: C’mon, don’t hold back! Spin it as hard and fast as you can!

Kawamura: Like this…? Is this okay…

Ryoma: Nice breeze we’ve got out here.

Momoshiro: Look! Echizen’s just kicking back in here. Grab the wheel more firmly! Like this!

Kawamura: Momo…!? Wha…

Kawamura: ORAH ORAH ORAHHHHHH! BURNING!!

Momoshiro: UWAAAAAAAAH!!

—

Ryoma & Momoshiro: Ugh…

Kawamura: Huh? Are you two alright?

Ryoma: I’m… completely fine…!

Fuji: You’re back. How was it?

Kaidoh: Fuji-senpai, do you even need to ask that…

Fuji: Fufu. Well, I wanna hear what they thought about it.

Kawamura: I surprised even myself, but it was fun. I felt the wind whipping around me…

Momoshiro: Taka-san was… y’know… He had a lot of energy…

Fuji: Taka-san was brilliant spinning the coffee cup. I got some good shots of him.

Kawamura: Haha… I’m kinda embarrassed now.

Inui: I was hoping to hear Echizen yell out, but you did come close though.

Ryoma: …Told you I could handle it.

Momoshiro: Handle it where? You were holding on for dear life.

Ryoma: And you were screaming the whole time.

Kaidoh: Everyone and their dog could hear you.

Momoshiro: How ‘bout you ride it then, Viper? Then you’ll see.

Kawamura: I can go with you if you guys wanna do it again.

Inui: Enthusiastic, aren’t you.

Momoshiro: Jeez… Taka-san’s pumped up over it now.

Ryoma: We’ve woken the beast…

Kawamura: Well actually, how about Fuji and Inui ride it this time?

Inui: Huh… No, I—

Fuji: It looked like fun, so let’s give it a try.

Kaidoh: Yeah, and I’ll take the pictures for you. We gotta commemorate you guys riding it.

Ryoma: And I’ll collect the data if you want.

Kawamura: Thank you. Alright, come with me, you two. Let’s go!

Fuji Card Story - “On the Ferris Wheel”

Fuji: Hey, why don’t we try riding the Ferris wheel?

Ryoma: That came out of nowhere.

Fuji: It’s because we haven’t rode it yet. So how about it?

Tezuka: That would be good.

Oishi: I think so too. It’d be a shame to go home without riding it.

Kikumaru: Yeah, yeah! I wanna ride it! I bet the view at night is beautiful~!

Kawamura: Even the view during the day is great too.

Oishi: Also around when the sun sets is stellar too.

Ryoma: It’s already nighttime, so we already missed those views.

Fuji: It’s too bad. Guess we realized it a little too late.

Tezuka: Next time we come, we should ride it in the afternoon or evening.

Fuji: Fufu, that’s a great idea.

Kawamura: We can look forward to that the next time we come.

Fuji: And I can’t wait for that.

Kikumaru: Wanna start planning for it now?

Oishi: One thing at a time, Eiji.

Kikumaru: Nyahaha. We’ll just get in line for now then! Let’s hurry!

Oishi: Wha, hey! Don’t pull me, Eiji!

Ryoma: Ah… they left.

Kawamura: Haha, even at night, Eiji’s still full of energy.

Tezuka: It’s good for this. Come, let’s get in line.

—

Fuji: Look, I think we’re at the very top now.

Ryoma: Everything’s shining below…

Kawamura: Whoa, I can’t… stop staring at it. This view.

Tezuka: …Right. It’s beautiful.

Kawamura: Fuji, don’t you wanna take pictures of it?

Fuji: Mmm, I don’t even know…

Tezuka: Why wouldn’t you?

Fuji: I don’t think anything could match how exciting it is seeing it in person.

Kawamura: Ah… Yeah, I kinda get what you mean.

Ryoma: Alright, then I guess we’ll have to keep this view in our eyes and never forget it.

Tezuka: Right. We’ll hold onto it, as a memory.

Fuji: Yeah. That’s a good idea.

Fuji: Alright, I’ll take a photo of us in here to commemorate this then. You guys ready to pose?

Tezuka: Of course.

—

Fuji: Thank you, everyone.

Ryoma: …? Why you thanking us.

Fuji: For coming with me on the Ferris wheel.

Kawamura: What’re you talking about, Fuji? We had a great time riding it with you.

Tezuka: Kawamura’s exactly right. Rather, it should be us thanking you.

Tezuka: Thanks to your suggestion, we were able to see that nice view. I appreciate it.

Ryoma: It was quiet and relaxing. That kind of ride wasn’t so bad either.

Kikumaru: Ah, there they are! Heyy! Over here!

Kawamura: It’s Eiji and the others. Looks like they were waiting for us.

Ryoma: Let’s head over now.

Fuji: …

Tezuka: What is it?

Kawamura: Did you forget something?

Fuji: No, it just feels like time really flew by today.

Tezuka: They do say time flies when you’re having fun.

Fuji: …Yeah.

Ryoma: It’s too early to start feeling sad.

Tezuka: Right. Let’s enjoy this to the fullest until the very end.

Tezuka: It doesn’t stop being a trip until you’re back home.

Ryoma: A trip…

Fuji & Kawamura: Fufu…

Tezuka: Is something funny?

Fuji: Oh, no. It’s just very like you to say that, Tezuka.

Fuji: Well then, let’s have all the fun that we can until we head back.

[Episode 5]

—Nighttime

Tezuka: …It’s almost time to catch the bus.

Ryoma: Huh, already?

Kawamura: The park’s not closing anytime soon, but it’s gonna take us a while to get back to the camp.

Tezuka: The others are still in the shop. Let’s move once they come out.

Fuji: We got to see the parade, and got souvenirs… Is there anything else you wish you could’ve done?

Momoshiro: There is~. I wanna have more fun.

Kaidoh: You can stay behind then.

Momoshiro: So cold, totally cold…

Kawamura: I don’t have it in me to head back.

Fuji: I get you. It was a lot of fun, and now it feels sad that we have to leave.

Tezuka: By the way, shouldn’t we change?

Kaidoh: Ah… The guys in our rooms are gonna say something, aren’t they.

Momoshiro: It’s fine, I don’t care. Let’s keep the amusement park hype going till the very last minute.

Ryoma: Right.

Ryoma: It doesn’t stop being a trip till you’re back home, right?

Tezuka: Yes, that’s right.

Momoshiro: Hey, Echizen. It was more fun than you expected, huh?

Ryoma: Eh, it wasn’t too bad.

Kaidoh: You can never admit anything…

Ryoma: Like you have room to talk, Kaidoh-senpai.

Kawamura: Fuji, you took a lot of photos today right?

Fuji: Oh, for sure. I can’t wait to check them out later.

Momoshiro: You cool with sending me all of them?

Fuji: All of them? There is a lot.

Momoshiro: It’s great to enjoy the experience again from another perspective, isn’t it?

Kaidoh: …You actually said something good for once.

Momoshiro: What do you mean “for once”?

Fuji: Fufu… Well then, I’ll enjoy seeing everyone’s reactions to them then.

Kawamura: Ah, here they come.

Tezuka: All right, let’s get going.

Fuji: I hope we can come here again. All of us.

Ryoma: …Yeah.

Ryoma: I’m glad we came here today.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: …

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: See!?

Ryoma: Hehe.

[Epilogue]

Oishi: Huh, you guys…

Kikumaru: Good morning. You’re up early.

Kawamura: Good morning. I woke up feeling refreshed for some reason.

Inui: I as well. Perhaps it’s due to me going to bed as soon as we returned from the amusement park.

Fuji: Echizen and Momo… they must still be asleep.

Kikumaru: Where’s Kaidoh?

Tezuka: He went jogging. He’ll be joining us for voluntary morning practice later.

Kawamura: Yesterday was way too much fun.

Oishi: Speaking of which, I wonder how they settled things in the end?

Oishi: It all started because of Momo and Kaidoh wanting to show Echizen how cool Japan’s rides are, didn’t it?

Tezuka: They did compete with each other numerous times at the amusement park…

Inui: In truth, it seems like many of the the thrill rides in the US are quite outrageous.

Inui: I can understand why Echizen would want to say that Japan still has a ways to go.

Kawamura: F-For real? Sounds like a big challenge to try and get on the US’s level then…

Kikumaru: But a ride being more scary doesn’t always mean it’s more fun, y’know?

Kikumaru: Sure, the rides were cool, but the thing that made me the happiest was being able to go with everyone.

Oishi: …Right. I always feel like we’re together, but it doesn’t feel the same as what we did.

Fuji: And about Echizen’s whole deal…

Fuji: Take a look, I printed out some photos from yesterday. Here’s a few that caught my eye.

Tezuka: Echizen?

Inui: Heh… That’s a great smile, isn’t it.

Kawamura: I’m sure Echizen was smiling a lot yesterday.

Kikumaru: Oh, yeah. He said something like “yeah, it was pretty fun,” or whatever.

Oishi: Don’t bring it up around him, okay?

Fuji: Fufu… But it really was a lot of fun.

Tezuka: But now we must switch gears. It’s time for practice.

Inui: Oh my, we ended up basking in the afterglow.

Oishi: That we did. Let’s go to the courts.

Kikumaru: I’m full of energy after having all that fun! Let’s do our best in tennis today, too!

All:

YEAH!

[STORY END]

Money well spent…

[blackjacksmemeclinic]

At least ONE cult has to have been started by people greatly misinterpreting Kuroo. (Blackjack) He's this scary guy with partly white hair, all dressed in black, covered in scars... (people in the manga have called him a devil or monster a few times) Who can seemingly cure almost any disease with inhuman speed. Also mysterious and appearing very cold and cruel to people who don't know his softer side, like a dark God.

He comes from nowhere and takes care of a girl who has an artificial body- who some people could see as some kinda possessed doll. I imagine some far away village where he appears, charges some absurdly high fee, cures a serious disease then disappeared forever.

People would be like "Our God the mighty Blackjack... Who can save anyone from the worst of fates, but watch out for he will test your faith by making you give EVERYTHING to him. Be prepared if you ever come across Lord Blackjack..."

You are right about him being compared to the devil, He doesn't really seem to care about how people reffer to him though.

He'll even go along with the title in some situations too.

But you do have me wondering if that is a possibility, because there are many people both in the animes and manga that either don't like BlackJack (like law enforcement, or patients who felt they paid too much.) There are strong opinions on him from both sides. So I wouldn't be surprised if peoples vision of him being like that of the devil. I like that he can be seen as either good or bad though, it helps make him seem more real. He has a rough personality, but deep down has a heart. He's far from perfect, and can be humbled at times, but is still able to perform miracles. He's silly but in a good way! You've given me lots of food for thought though, I know of people both in the Tezuka fandom and the blackJack series in general have different views on him but hadn't made those connections. Final pic isn't reall related I just think he's silly

If I missunderstood the ask I am very sorry!! I see BlackJack related stuff and I just want to ramble ;v;

[eddiemort]

More Tezuka & Forgotten 1960's Anime

That's Princess Knight, Tezuka's original gender fluid protagonist from the 1967 animated series (based on his manga). Even the title was confusing as the character was known as PRINCE Knight through the episodes!

I thought I'd follow up my Amazing 3/Wonder 3 post with some of my experiences watching some of the classic anime of the day.

I was born in England, but spent a lot of my childhood, and teens in Melbourne Australia. The one advantage of this (and yes, for me it was the only one :) is that there were FOUR TV channels in Australia compared with just two in England. Plus, Australian TV started at 6AM in the morning, whereas British TV didn't actually start broadcasting until late afternoon!

All this early morning airtime meant that there was a need for product, and to my delight Australia happily filled it with any Japanese animated (and some live action) series it could get a hold of. I didn't care at all about the animation back then: It was the designs and storylines that really stood out. My favourites were the Tezuka shows...Astro Boy, Amazing 3, Princess Knight, Kimba The White Lion...but there were others from different studios that had their merits. One was Prince Planet. Look at these designs...

There is a great blog here about the series and another one from a fan perspective here that tells of the zaniness that ran through the series.

Prince Planet's villains were great, especially the Loki-esque Warlock (He of the crooked smile, first pic above).

Another was Space Ace...

Again, the designs were unlike anything I had seen at the time.

There were others: Marine Boy, Speed Racer, Gigantor - all dubbed into shouty American voices that always seemed to have the emphasis on the wrong parts of the sentence :D

Sadly the one we didn't get to see was Tezuka's original Dororo (1969) which was based on his amazing manga. Again, it contained a gender fluid titular character amongst other themes. The complete manga is widely available now, and I really recommend it. Personally I avoid any subsequent newer versions of this classic.

I'll be honest: Even though a lot of it is technically brilliant, I'm not really inspired by too much animation these days, and CGI just leaves me cold. I am though, being energized by looking back at some of my original inspirations and trying to incorporate some of this in my current project.

[otakween]

0-Man - Volume 4 (Final volume!)

Woooo this was a wild ride. Kind of a repetitive, hard to read ride, but wild nonetheless. This was probably a bizarre choice for my first Tezuka manga, but it was first alphabetically so that's just the way the cookie crumbles! Overall it was a fun concept, the art was great and I love Ricky a lot. He's adorable and I want a plushie. Just look at this awesome animation of him I found on YouTube!

Ch. 36

So now Liz is just buddy buddy with her dad again because "he's my only father!" Filial piety has its limits lady!

There was a weird bit of exposition this chapter that appeared to be Tezuka speaking directly to the reader. Like there was just a random paragraph thrown in between panels. That's one way to do things I suppose.

The 0 Man origin story was like a mix of the Bible story with Adam and Eve and the story of the first pilgrims that came to America lol. I wonder how much time has passed since the first Venus residents traveled to Earth?

There's a new human character named Charcoal Black...gratefully he's not Black lol

Ch. 37

Ah, I was fooled. Ricky did not crash land on Mars, it was Japan all along! Dun dun dunnn...Apparently most of Earth is just a big ball of rocks at the moment, no countries, towns or roads. It's kinda giving Dr. Stone vibes. They gotta start again from scratch!

Ricky goes all "shaggy dog" in this chapter when...absurdly...a sheepdog provides him with a dog suit so he can disguise himself around humans who want him dead. Sure, why not? Seeing the dog emote was really cute, I wouldn't mind reading a Tezuka manga with dogs as the main characters.

The current bad guy's plan is to use the ice machine left behind by the 0 men to rule the world. The 0 man universe sure has a lot of megalomaniacs in it.

Ch. 38

Pete just immediately accepting that talking dogs are real was cute

Once again the spears are OP as heck.

Did Pete really fly from America to Japan in like 2 seconds? Man, why do SciFi people get all the fun? 😭

This chapter was really short, but essentially Pete found out about the evil dude's plan to take over the world and came to Japan to reunite with Ricky and meet Tanigawa (the other human dude that I mentioned).

Ch. 39

Charcoal Grey returns and we find out he was helping the grand priest hide. I swear this series has had like 15 random, generic villain dudes. I haven't cared about a single one of them lol

It was nice having some happy, peaceful panels at the end. Very "Disney movie-esque." I didn't even really realize how little plant life there's been in the past volumes until Ricky got so excited to see grass. Wholesome but sad.

Ch. 40

Liz fights with her dad and eventually blows up the ice machine when he threatens to use it again. (She continued to be quite badass in this chapter, we stan).

I enjoyed the little detail that the climate change has stimulated some new plant species to evolve. I doubt things would happen that quickly, but it's still a fun concept.

Ch. 41

I guess it's all happy fun times from here on? Let's see what happens in the final 4 chapters...This one was short and cute. Ricky and his 0 man friend/adopted brother (never figured his name out lol) become peace ambassadors and bring messages from humanity to 0-man country

This is it's 2nd appearance but I like the "spicalia" tool that the 0-men use. I takes words as input and outputs images. I hate to say it...but we've sort of reached that future with the advent of AI image generators. (Too bad they suck).

Ch. 42

Lol I knew the happy fun times were too good to be true. We immediately get too more deaths in this chapter (Professor Royal and Crazy Cats...yeah, that's a character's name). If this wasn't a kids manga, Ricky would be a basket case riddled with PTSD by this point with all the shit he's been through!

I can't believe the frickin' high priest and Liz survived. Did that bomb actually do anything at all? Ugh, I hate pointless fake outs like that. Okay, let's see how they actually defeat him for real for real this time...

Ch. 43

To be honest, every chapter is starting to feel the same at this point. "Ah, we're finally safe...just kidding we're under attack!!!"

For some reason they thought it would be a good idea to introduce a random side character 3 chapters from the end of this series. He's the stereotypical dumb fat guy character who just eats a lot. Speaking of offensive stereotypes...

This was like the racism chapter. First we have Tezuka's racist stereotypes of Black, Chinese, Inuit ("Eskimo") which I suppose is "well intentioned" by 1960s standards (but come on, he basically had the Black person and the Inuit say "Oonga boonga" gibberish) and then we have racism between bad guys. One of them calls Japan a backwards country and basically says that "yellow" people are inferior. It just felt ironic to have Tezuka's racism (portrayed as inspirational) and then his character's racism (portrayed as bad) back to back, the irony!

Damn, will all these villains just die already!?

Ch. 44

Lol well egg on my face, that guy that was "introduced" last chapter was actually a character (Donpei) from like volume 1, chapter 1 that I completely forgot existed. To be fair, he hasn't been relevant in a very long time. I don't think I even acknowledged him in my old posts and I tend to not remember stuff I don't write down. (Blogging is great for improving memory, kids!)

And the final battle ends...by the bad guys just disappearing?? Unfortunately the explanation was too kanji heavy for me to grasp, but my headcanon is that the laser that Charcoal Grey was trying to use caused some kind of quantum event and he got sucked into another universe (I have been playing a lot of Steins;Gate though...) Either that or it was just a total bullshit, Deus ex machina moment ending lol.

Ricky comforting Liz when her dad died was super sweet. Low key wanna see them grow old together.

Ch. 45

LMAOOO they really just said "eff dis shit" and moved to Venus LOL. So much for "ally to humanity!" Even Ricky was like "nah...humans suck." Based ending.

No but for real, the ending for this was so dark and cynical. They literally said "we're going to bide our time on Venus until humanity inevitably offs itself out of stupidity, then we'll come back to Earth." Sheesh.

So I'm not sure what the deeper meaning behind this ending is other than "violence and greed = bad." The message about "the weak and kindhearted will always eventually overcome the strong and terrible" seemed like a metaphor for something specific (like an IRL war) but no other English speaker in existence has read this (I'm being hyperbolic) so I have no one to analyze it for me lol.

I kind of wonder if the 0-Man will even be welcome on Venus. They've been away for so long that the squirrel people on Venus are basically a different species. I wonder if they would actually come across as colonizers? That might make an interesting sequel manga...

(Love his expression in this panel. RICKY DOESN'T GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE.)

Pete reading the goodbye letter from Ricky's mom was so touching 😭. She's like "I consider you my son and I love you" and he calls her mom in his mind. Poor Pete got the short end of the stick with this ending honestly, being stuck on Earth.

[kosmicpowers]

Hi, Hey there!

I've had this blog up for a few weeks so I figured I'd introduce myself. Not gonna reveal my actual name for security reasons but just call me Kosmic.

I currently live in the USA (Unfortunately). I'm genderfluid and really don't care what pronouns I am referred to with as long as they're not it/it's. I'm also an aspiring writer but for now I mostly just write fanfiction. Mostly Saint Seiya related obviously though I've been working on other stuff.

You can find my AO3 account here:

I've also been working on art but I'm still a beginner.

I try to be a nice person. (Though I'm not sure if I'm good at it because I can't stop swearing.) I don't accept racism, ableism, bullying, kin exclusionists or gatekeeping, misogyny, homophobia or anything anti-lgbt...

Yeah, Just don't be a dick. It's not hard.

Also don't be a sicko, no pedophila or zoophilia.

Some other stuff about me in case you care:

I'm a minor, don't be a creep.

I have ADHD, tend to hyperfixate on weird stuff. Then again a lot of people on this website do. Just saying I'm not one to judge people when I think about my interests.

I'm agnostic but I'm not going to crap on anyone for having a religion, as long as you're not a Jehovah's Witness. Screw those abusive idiots.

My hobbies are reading, writing, drawing, playing retro games, creating OCs, watching documentaries, and staying up at three AM regretting all of my life's choices

My favorite shows are: Saint Seiya (1986), Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, Ronin Warriors, Ranma 1/2, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Astro Boy, Jetter Mars, Sonic Prime, Sonic X, Beastars, Thundercats (both 1986 and 2011), Futurama, Kimba the White Lion, Cowboy Bebop, To Kai Watch, Captain Scarlet, Black Jack, Samurai Jack, Ampanman, The Amazing World of Gumball, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, Danger Mouse, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai (AKA Power Rangers)

My favorite movies: the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, AKIRA, the Barbie movie (don't judge), Godzilla, Plague Dogs, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Saint Seiya: Legend of the Crimson Youth, Chirin's Bell, The amazing Spider-Man, Toy Story 3, The Iron Giant, Into the Spiderverse, also as of now gotta add the FNAF movie

Favorite video games: Sonic the Hedgehog series, Phantasy Star 4, Columns, Panel De Pon, Mega Man, PulseMan, Mario Kart 8, Pokemon: Legends Arceus, Animal Crossing, Earthbound, Poyo Poyo/Mean Bean Machine, Sin and Punishment, Harvest Moon, Star Fox

Favorite Bands/Musical Artists: Jack Stauber, Daft Punk, Lemon Demon, Caravan Palace, Tally Hall, Miura Ayme, Rammstein, The Living Tombstone, Rare Americans, Nirvana, Rammstein, Witchfinder General, Gorillaz

Favorite books: The Golden Compass, The Most Dangerous Game, Magnus Chase, Heros of Olympus (or basically anything by Rick Riordan), Death Note, Beastars (manga), Inuyasha, The Lovely Bones (I fucking cried so hard), MAUS (Made me cry harder), City of Ember, Journey to the West, Most classic creepypastas mainly "Abandoned by Disney" (YES. I know they're not books), Cells at Work, AKIRA (Manga)

So... Um... Yeah.

I like to talk with people about my interests so don't be afraid to give me a message. (As long as it doesn't promise "hot singles" in my area, I'm not that stupid.)

Updates:

I have a discord under the name robotic carnival and a side blog Tezuka Brainrot.

I am fictokin of: Cobalt from Astro Boy mainly.

Partially:

Mars from Jetter Mars.

Jibanyan from Yo Kai Watch

Rika from Phantasy Star.

Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibbikki from Ranma 1/2

Cygnus Hyoga, Pegasus Seiya, and Aquarius Camus from Saint Seiya.

And the flag on my profile picture is ADHD flag.

Cringe and proud. ♥️

My husbandos are Doctor Yamanoue and Doctor Kawashimo from Jetter Mars, Phoenix Ikki from Saint Seiya, James/Kojiro from Pokemon, and Rune from Phantasy Star.

I can't beat Zio PLZ someone tell me how.

I am pro Palestine and I will accept no support of genocide.

I am neutral on the Joe Hawley situation as he has done terrible things yet does not deserve to be hacked or harassed.

Also ship discourse and fanfiction censorship discourse is dumb I don't care anymore. And regret my past actions. Don't harass over stuff you don't like but also tag your shit. You can't complain about people judging you if you are irresponsible about keeping it where it belongs.

[trinketstar]

I had a LONG call with friends last night about writing and inspirations! So today I was thinking about sharing some of the media that's inspired my comic in some way.

Rocket Chip isn't necessarily something I'd write FOR kids, but it's not an adult series either. I guess it's something im retroactively writing for my kid self if that makes sense? It's meant to have the feeling of a simple kid's story even when it's dealing with heavier emotions, because that's honestly how I like it best! Even now with my much wider grasp of film and media as an art form, there's something about old cartoons that can Really capture this specific weird lonely tone that just sticks in your head.. Something about the inherent uncanny feeling that animation has, maybe?

Anyway:

Chip was named after this character! This clip was meant to teach kids about personal computers in the 80's when they were BRAND NEW as a concept. And it was never officially distributed until the 2000's.

I think some AI enthusiasts could stand to watch this actually. But entirely from a narrative perspective, this song has an oddly eerie tone, doesn't it? Mostly because of this computer character's voice actor and the music. The more he insists that he can't feel pain or emotions, the more tension the music builds up! The more emotion he seems to have in his voice!! And then brings it all back down so simply. It's a really interesting little short.

The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars is a fever dream of a movie and frankly the whole thing has that slightly unsettling lonely mood to it that I was talking about. Helped by the fact that the book series it was based on is pretty dark in its own right. Both the books and movies are themed around household objects facing the fact that they're disposable. Planned obsolescence and all that, though this movie doesn't exactly have anything profound to say about it, it's just kinda brought up.

BUT this was always my favorite part as a kid. They're just a buncha happy balloons! Floating in space! Forever! They were made to bring you a moment of happiness and then there they go. As a kid I definitely didn't understand the woodstock references, so I'd assumed the purple balloon was talking about the balloons themselves when he said "We feel you can't relive a one-time thing".

Y'know, with how fixated I was on concepts like this, it's surprising in retrospect that I never really cared about the toy story movies very much. huh.. anyway

UNICO in the Island of Magic is a beautiful movie that I highly recommend watching if you haven't. It's my favorite Tezuka property by far. It reminds me a lot of "The Last Unicorn" in how morose it feels. Unico is a creature that was born with the power to make everyone happy, but is hated for it. Every time he makes a friend he's taken away to a new place and his memories are erased. Unico is presumably doomed to this cycle for his entire life and there's no resolution in sight. It's TERRIBLY DEPRESSING and yet there's still hope in it somehow. Unico still pushes himself to help even the most broken of people because he knows happiness and friendship are what he's meant to bring to the world. But it's something he can never have for himself.

It's done in a cheesy friendship speech way of course, but it's still impactful.

This clip of the ending always gets me. Though id recommend you watch the whole movie for the context, if you don't care or have already seen it, this is my favorite part.

I've got more examples but I'm tired of typing =v= later though!

[snaptrappressabandonedblog]

FCBD 2024 Haul Review

It's Free Comic Book Day yet again! I was actually pretty excited for this one, as for the first time in a good couple of years I was able to go out to a few stores with my partner and one of my best friends. I've been wanting to use this space as an actual blog a lot more, so I figured this might be fun to do. I'm gonna go through my stack of free stuff and give some thoughts on each of these! I'll also be giving totally arbitrary ratings, basically to indicate whether or not I would be interested in picking up more of these series.

UNICO AWAKENING (Scholastic) 7/10 Samuel Sattin and Gurihiru, based on the original manga by Osamu Tezuka

So, I've always wanted to get into Tezuka's work as a big Astro Boy fan, but I find it kind of hard to engage with a lot of the time in the same way that golden age American comics are. The dialogue feels kind of clunky when translated to english, and there are a lot of moments of... unsavory themes and ideas, to say the least. I'd never read or even heard of Unico, but you can tell just from the cover that it's a Tezuka creation. That all said, I thought this preview of the upcoming graphic novel was really charming! The story is really simple but engaging, and Gurihiru's art is just absolutely adorable. If I see it at a bookstore or my LCS, I just might pick this one up. If you've got a young kid who's into fantasy or things like My Little Pony, give this one a try.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (IDW Publishing) 9/10 Various, anthology

I'm a pretty big fan of the IDW TMNT series, but I kind of fell off of it a ways before #100, so I'm about 65 issues behind. I was interested to see what the series would do with its post-issue 150 relaunch, which is apparently set in the same continuity but begins a new story to get new readers interested and re-engage old readers. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was really excited when I saw Nightwatcher on the cover! I love the 2007 TMNT movie, and I think Raphael being a lone vigilante with a superhero name and armor is a cool concept in itself, so I was pumped to see the character return in a new piece of media. The first story in this one-shot, which is a short preview of the upcoming Nightwatcher solo book, was really really good. I really enjoyed the art, which felt painterly and solid in a way that not a lot of TMNT stuff is (to the point that the colors reminded me a lot of Mouse Guard) and the writing was really cool. I love the narration about the concept of the "other," and the tone and themes felt really compelling in the current political atmosphere. The second story, Splinter's Day Off, was not quite as engaging but still really enjoyable. The story was really cute, and I've been a fan of Andy Kuhn's art since he first worked on the IDW Turtles books. Overall, a pretty good pickup! Got me very interested in seeing what the next chapter of IDW Turtles will look like. ENERGON UNIVERSE 2024 SPECIAL (Image Comics/Skybound) 7/10 Daniel Warren Johnson, Ryan Ottley, Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Joshua Williamson, and Jason Howard

I've been keeping up with the Energon Universe Transformers comic since its launch, and as someone who could not care less about G1 Transformers, I absolutely adore it. Daniel Warren Johnson is a modern master of comics action, and each issue is more engaging than the last. That said, I haven't read any of the other stuff set in this new universe. Void Rivals doesn't look all that interesting (although I read two issues because I heard Jetfire appears in it), and I'm under the age of 45 so I'm completely incapable of caring about GI Joe in any capacity. Now that the intro is out of the way, I really liked the Transformers part of this. Ryan Ottley is one of my favorite artists in the industry, and his work is great here as always, but I can't help but feel he's trying to imitate Johnson's style and it's kind of holding him back. The way he draws the mouths of the Cybertronian characters is really weird, and sometimes the lines feel a bit too stiff and scratchy. The story was engaging, though, and beyond those critiques, this is truly fantastic Transformers art. The cover is also absolutely spectacular. The art in the other two stories is great too, but seeing as I don't know anything about the ongoing story of either series, this really didn't hook me in beyond an appearance by Hot Rod in the Void Rivals section. Remember, folks: If you have strongly-held opinions about G1 Transformers or GI Joe, it's about time you got your regular colonoscopy.

ABSOLUTE POWER SPECIAL EDITION (DC Comics) 3/10 Mark Waid and Mikel Janin

I gotta be honest, my eyes completely glazed over trying to read this. I just absolutely cannot give a shit about DC's big event comics anymore. This was basically white noise in printed form. The character of Failsafe is kinda neat, I like the Zur-En-Arrh Batman stuff, but all of this bullshit technobabble was just completely indecipherable to me. That said, the art was very, very good in both of the little preview stories here. I'm sure the comic itself will be written well, but I cannot bring myself to care about the fate of the DC universe. The advertisement for season 2 of My Adventures with Superman on the back cover was more exciting.

ASTERIX (Papercutz) 6/10 R. Goscinny and A. Uderzo

Asterix is just one of those things that, as an American, I have never been exposed to in any capacity, and to be honest, it never really interested me like other European comics like Valerian or Tintin did. It kind of just struck me as newspaper comics-style fun, and I can now confirm that I was right! The cartooning here is really great, the illustrations are super lively and engaging and the character designs themselves are instantly iconic. Like I said, I've never read Asterix before, but that design is so distinct that I already knew WHO Asterix is. The writing here is not really for me. It's probably just a matter of humor written originally in French not really crossing language and cultural borders seamlessly, and this also seems to be aimed at a younger crowd, which is totally fine! It's just not really for me. I did think the detail of the Greeks speaking in that Greek diner menu font was very cute. I'm always a sucker for a good lettering gag.

ARCHIE HORROR PRESENTS: THE CURSED LIBRARY PRELUDE (Archie Comics) 6/10 Various

I was a huge reader of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics, to the point that I'd say they were more formative to my tastes as both a reader and creator of comics than almost anything else, but I've never really been interested enough in the world and characters of Archie proper to follow along with the comics consistently, though I've always had it in my periphery. I'd get the digests at the grocery store as a kid, I've got some old issues that my parents gave me, and I remember my sister being really into the Archie Marries Betty/Veronica comics when those were ongoing. After the reboot of all the Archie universe comics in the mid-2010s, I fell off completely. Riverdale didn't interest me at all, that Sabrina show on Netflix wasn't my bag, and the comics (besides Archie vs. Predator) were a complete blindspot to me for the years following that reboot. Archie's weird scramble for an identity as both a slice-of-life series and an unrelated horror series has been interesting to watch, though, especially knowing the history of the brand as the most squeaky-clean comics in America. Honestly though, the horror stuff just does absolutely nothing for me. Afterlife with Archie was kinda fun very briefly, but nothing else has really worked for me. This one-shot preview was interesting conceptually, but I feel like I'm missing too much setup to really get engaged by this, and it doesn't make me want to find out what I'm missing. The art is all very good though, and the writing is totally fine for what it is.

BARDA (DC Comics) 8/10 Ngozi Ukazu

Big Barda and Mister Miracle (Scott Free) are two of my absolute favorite DC characters, and Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga is among my favorite stories and concepts in comics ever. I love everything that Fourth World is, and almost everything that came out in the wake of it. I feel like if you want to make a new, good Fourth World story, you need to have either a really solid grasp on Kirby's ideas and aesthetics, or something totally new and unique to call your own while using the world and ideas as a springboard. This preview of the upcoming YA Barda Graphic Novel strikes me as the second of those two things more than the first. It's not trying to look exactly like Kirby's original designs, but it evokes the spirit of the thing well enough that I wasn't confused who anyone was. The art is adorably charming, and the story looks neat: A look at the meeting of Scott Free and Barda and the relationship that blooms out of that. I think this could turn out really fun and cute! I look forward to the graphic novel itself, which releases this summer.

BLOOD HUNT (Marvel Comics) 4/10 Jed McKay, Sara Pichelli, Federico Blee

Much like Absolute Power, this one left me feeling almost nothing. I think maybe I'm just too old for big superhero event comics, because they all kind of feel the same. They always end up being clones of older things like Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Clone Saga, Infinity Gauntlet, etc. This feels like your generic Secret Invasion type of deal, where an army of evil something or others (in this case, vampires) comes to earth to wipe out mankind and yadda yadda etc. etc. Admittedly, this one seems the slightest bit interesting as it pulls in both street-level heroes like Daredevil and Spider-Man and cosmic characters like the Fantastic Four to deal with the same threat on different scales. The appearance by literal, actual Dracula was kind of neat, and it's mostly just nice to see Marvel using Blade stuff for something again besides a video game or a reboot movie that's never coming out. The X-Men backup story was honestly so bland I forgot about it as soon as I set the issue down to write this. I liked the art, though, and Jubilee is one of my favorite X-Men so that was neat at least.

CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE (Titan Comics) 9/10 Jim Zub, Jonas Scharf

Now THIS is how you do a FCBD book! I've been on a huge Conan/sword and sorcery kick for like a year now, and this preview of an upcoming Conan story scratched that itch hardcore. I haven't been keeping up with Conan's comic exploits for quite a while; I read some of the later-era Dark Horse stuff, but once he went back to Marvel for a month and a half or whatever I lost interest. I may have to go back and pick up Titan's other Conan comics though, because this totally rocks. Jim Zub strikes the exact kind of action-fantasy tone a good Conan story requires, and Scharf's art is absolutely pitch-perfect. It's dark and gritty without getting muddy, high-contrast shadows and scratchy textures abound. The time-spanning nature of this story seems neat, and I look forward to the mystery unfolding in the series proper.

FLASH GORDON #0 (Mad Cave) 7/10 Jeremy Adams, Will Conrad

I liked this one! I have a passing knowledge of Flash Gordon thanks to my mom's love of the 80s movie and my love of Queen, but I've never been really familiar with the world and characters. This got me interested to see where Mad Cave is going to take the mythology, even if I was a little lost while reading it. I liked the art quite a bit, and I really love how they've gone about updating Flash Gordon's design to be a bit more modern, while retaining that pulpy look to everything that makes the series so charming.

GATCHAMAN #0 (Mad Cave) 6/10 Bunn, Orlando, Edwards, Batista, Hansen, Lobo

Gatchaman is another one of those things that just never really reached my sphere of comic book influence, but I've always really liked the costumes of the Science Ninja Team. I was pretty interested to see if this preview issue would get me hooked enough to want to follow up and read the ongoing series, but I'm not super sure that it did. I liked the science fiction stuff, the second short story in this anthology worked well, and the art was good in all three stories, but overall I just wasn't really hooked by it. I feel like if I had read this around age 15 I probably would have loved it, but it just wasn't for me right now. Also, Chris Samnee's art on the cover is absolutely fantastic and I'm slightly disappointed that he wasn't doing the interiors.

HELLBOY and STRANGER THINGS (Dark Horse Comics) 8/10 Mignola, Laszlo, Stewart/ Fridolfs and Case

Another two-series anthology here, and for once I actually really liked both parts! The first part, a Hellboy story involving a storyteller, is sort of just a visual retelling of Hellboy's story from start to finish, with each important chapter of the story in a beautiful panel drawn by Mark Laszlo. It's not really anything I haven't read before, but it was really charming and nice to look at. The second half, a Stranger Things story titled "Deliver Me From Evil," is a short centering on Jonathan and Argyle. Argyle was my least favorite part of the fourth season of ST, but he's grown on me over time and my love of this series made this a fun read. I kinda want to go back and read some of Dark Horse's other Stranger Things stories, because I just really love this world.

JOHNNY QUEST, THUNDERCATS AND SPACE GHOST (Dynamite Comics) 8/10 Casey, Piriz, Shalvey, Moss, Pepose, Lau

All of these series are based on cartoons from before my time, but I've always had a fondness for the old Hanna-Barbera superhero and action stuff, and I've always felt that Thundercats was far superior to He-Man in terms of aesthetics and lore. I really liked all three of these stories, and I feel like Johnny Quest in particular fills a "Challengers of the Unknown" shaped-void in the comics world, with a story about a group of normal people on a sci-fi adventure. Thundercats looks like a fun, semi-gritty reimagining of the original cartoon's origin stories, and the Space Ghost story seems like it'll be a good time, with the story following Jace before he becomes one of SG's sidekicks. I had no expectations for any of these, but they all look like a good bit of fun.

THE OVERSTREET GUIDE TO COLLECTING COMICS 6/10 Vaughn, Huesman and Gonzalez

If there's one thing I hate in this world, it's people who collect comics or toys or video games or whatever solely as an investment. It ruins the hobby for other people and turns what should be fun escapism into purely a matter of business. That said, I found this little publication from the famous Overstreet Price Guide company to be charming and a sweet look into the nature of collecting comics and supporting your LCS. I've never been someone who collects for the purpose of reselling, and I've never been insanely concerned with buying secondhand comics in mint condition, so a lot of this fell flat to me, but it was charming and it can give an outsider a fun look into the world of comics buying and collecting. The art is really good, and the writing is serviceable considering this is essentially intended to be an educational pamphlet.

MAD MAGAZINE 8/10 Various, reprints

I've been a MAD magazine fan for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my grandma got me a subscription for my birthday 5 years in a row, and I truly enjoyed every issue, even in the modern age where a lot of the humor can be defined as "Isn't it WACKY what celebrities are willing to say on Twitter???" But this was a refreshing look back at MAD's parodies of DC superheroes specifically, and it was extremely charming. It's all reprints of old material, and it's funny to see the specific things getting parodied at any given time, and the costumes in use for each parody. Not all of it lands, but it gave me enough laughs to justify the reading experience.

SPIDER-MAN and ULTIMATE UNIVERSE (Marvel Comics) 5/10 Wells, Stegman, Camp and Frigeri

Lastly, we have another Marvel job. I was, sadly, also not really enthused by this one at all. Everyone involved has done better work elsewhere, and this just feels like something to fill time in everyone's work schedules. The Spider-Man story is basically "What if Spider-Man was in Five Nights at Freddy's," and the Ultimates story was a little more engaging, if only because there are fun concepts at play. I actually do really like what Marvel is doing with this new Ultimate Universe, and I'm pretty interested to see where it goes. Sadly though, this was another pretty forgettable issue.

And that's it! I picked up a few more things, but I don't have strong enough opinions about pretty much any of it to warrant writing much more. I always recommend going to your LCS even if it's after Free Comic Book Day, because they usually have leftovers for months following the event, and they still give it away for free.

[volfoss]

MT-009: The Devil of the Earth

TW: Suicide, discussions of the atomic bomb (the structure being built in the main story is a bomb shelter for example and the atomic bombs also come up in the second story here)

Summary of Plot: After a boy named Kenichi’s accident (caused by construction trucks) in a small village, the village’s residents learn of the defensive construction planned to happen in the village. Two years pass, with the construction ongoing and the village still is opposed to it. With government support, there is not much that can be done about the construction. Even with all the opposition, the man leading construction (Dr. Takano) has his sister Sumiko visit and they are attacked by villagers that are infuriated about the construction. A kid named Eiji comes to their rescue, despite his twin brother Eizo being one of the men instigating the fight. When Dr. Takano and his sister take Eiji to the hospital, he pleads with them to stop the construction, as it is doing horrible things to the village. Dr. Takano reveals he has even bigger plans than what has been done already and that he refuses to stop. He is building the world’s first underground city to make sure that normal day to day life wouldn’t fall apart in the event of an atomic bomb. Both Sumiko and Eiji end up leaving the hospital because Dr. Takano makes it very clear he doesn’t care about the village (as he literally just suggests to put it underground with the rest of it and doesn’t understand why that upsets Eiji). A detective (named Ban, who arrives there to due to trying to investigate spies) tries to warn Dr. Takano that every single person who has had their hand in inventions regarding the atomic bomb (hydrogen bomb and cobalt bombs are also included here) has mentioned “Demonbasu” in their suicide notes. Ban reveals that Demonbasu is a mysterious thing that keeps reappearing in these notes or wills but he doesn’t know what it is and warns Takano that something similar could also happen to him (as the invention of an underground city is even greater than the atomic bomb). The next day, Takano gives Ban a tour of the city (which goes very poorly) and after chaos erupts, Ban runs into Demonbasu. After many spy shenanigans, Demonbasu is confronted and the final battle starts.

Characters: I really like how it’s a larger cast here and each character is written with plenty of intrigue behind their motivations. But by far, Dr. Takano is the star of the show. He is a really interesting character, with how he clearly doesn’t care about the village enough to stop his building project (but also believes that he is doing enough to protect people around the area with his underground city). His very clear ambition (with how he wants the city to be perfect and have everything people need) contrasted with how either Demonbasu or his own ambition (depending on how you read it) was his downfall worked very well for me. The spies are fun when they are there but with how the story is so divided, it was hard for me to get a really good impression of any of the characters that weren’t there as much.

Art: The art is EXCELLENT for his early works, I really enjoy how Demonbasu and the various “futuristic” (at the time at least haha) elements are handled artistically. The artificial animals were also really fun and I did enjoy it a lot. The visual gags were also really fun when they showed up, but that’s no surprise with how Tezuka is very good at those normally.

Ending: It had a more ambiguous ending (in terms of being able to read it in multiple ways) and I did really enjoy that. I did however, really enjoy how it ended, in terms of showing how the simpler way of life can sometimes be better than destroying the old stuff and building new and fancy stuff. It just all worked very well.

Misc: I really enjoyed the short forays into the themes of if artificial recreations of something could ever replace the original. Mainly, when showing off the underground city to Ban, Takano shows off his robotic animal creations and how he was able to keep the skyline somewhat intact even if it’s underground. He explains that he wants to keep people’s sanity in the event where they do have to go underground, but the very fact of the matter is that he DID have to pretty much destroy the village to build this city. Ban even points out that it still can’t replace the real animals and outside, and I think it really does tie into how Tezuka is often pretty outspoken about the environmental messaging in his manga.

This wasn’t there a lot, as the story is pretty well divided between the topics of the underground city, mystery of the spy plot, and mystery of who Demonbasu is and if Takano will also be affected by it. I desperately wish that the story was less focused on the spy plot, in terms of the narrative balancing but I do really also understand how it ties into the setting.

With both the atomic bomb fear and the spy subplot (as well as it being written in 1954), it is pretty clear this is Tezuka’s way of talking about the Cold War and how that impacted citizens. The fear of spies lurking in every corner and the need to prepare for what could come, as well as how Demonbasu works as a plot point all work towards the very clear image that he is trying to paint in this story. Demonbasu point blank targets people who have invented the atomic bomb (and other bombs), and I think that is arguably some of the best part of the story.

There’s a short story (not really “short”, its 60 some pages) named “The Age of the Great Floods”. True to the title, it is a retelling of the Biblical flood story in a more modern Japanese setting, and also covers the topic of atomic bombing. The bombs are the reason why people are fleeing (and Tezuka’s official site has a better summary (in English) for this one if you’re curious further). I actually really enjoyed this one a LOT, I think it is genuinely one of his stronger “short stories” (with how long it is, I hesitate to call it that) that I’ve read so far. The topics of the bombs are really intriguing when it is put in the lens of a modern Noah’s Ark retelling and it’s very impressive how he was able to put so much content in the few amount of pages that this has. I think I did enjoy this more than the main story here, the imagery was beautiful and Tezuka really did an amazing job with depicting the fear of a flood with panels that just stick in your mind long after seeing them. The ending was very good and overall, just very enjoyable (even if my translation software was struggling quite a bit lol) 7/10

Overall Thoughts: I think that The Devil of the Earth is definitely one of the stronger untranslated ones I’ve read so far (out of two. But still) and I really do wish it got a proper translation. I wish it was slightly more focused on one plotline versus two but I think it makes sense, given the messaging he put in. Quite honestly, I don’t have a ton to say about this one but I think it was pretty good. 6/10

[allersinwonderland]

On the 3rd year upperclassman (who often are shipped with ryoma) (all opinions are my own. I use Ryoma/Echizen ename wise interchangable because I prefer saying Ryoma. Sue me.):

As a traditionally/ historic het/OC shipper within the tenipuri fandom...I've had contradictory/conflicting opinions about OT4/5/6?? I don't even know who gets kicked out at what stage lol. (Note— the OC community back in the day WAS strong LOL. Never as large as the typical ships, but def a larger force than current)

I’d agree with the heartwarming aspect of the original post as during my most-recent read through this time of the manga I definitely saw it. Historically I didn’t and honestly, outside of the screen clips of that anime-canon only SanadaRyoma filler episode, I didn't see much there. I think this time, being both older (and the overall world viewing LGBTQ+ rights in a much different light), I've picked up on either more of the ships & potential basis and/or viewed characters I used to not-care for slightly differently. I used to not like neither Atobe nor Sanada (still quite eh on Atobe but much more favorable opinion on him; I quite like Sanada now. Surprisingly. Lol)

For the national tournament, the fact that Atobe used his personal helicopter to both 1) help Seigaku locate Ryoma & 2) decide to play him to help Ryoma jog his memories back is SUPER heartwarming and honestly speaks a lot about Atobe. He can be more than just rich prissy arrogant monkey king of Hyotei, and for things within his power/wealth that he believes is right he's willing to use this to bring forth those he wants to. Would it be to the point of "always rooting" for Ryoma? That...I'm not sure I've seen enough to that extent. They're still rivals by school and strong competitors against each other. Atobe has no stakes within the national tournament as this point, and I don't really see anyone (minus the Oshitari cousins, which is familial bickering on Osaka vs Tokyo ; Kansai vs Kanto) really playing out regional support for schools. Hyotei's fully out at this point, but Atobe feels that everyone should have a fighting chance to try to get the national title. I don't think he has any Tokyo needs to win over Kanagawa in him here.

Sanada...his heartwarming action I see to be of a much deeper extent than that of Atobe's. He's the vice-captain of Rikkai who is currently playing against Seigaku for that national title and Rikkai had already lost to this school earlier in Kanto Regional tournament and Ryoma handed Sanada's loss to him. To Rikkai, where to be Rikkai is to always win. His captain, Yukimura, had surgery the same day Rikkai lost for the first time in their three years and they were late to his surgery/ arrived later than than had wanted to. Yukimura, who was bedridden and couldn't bear his own weight, who fought tooth and nail and still was going to play Singles 1 against Ryoma. At this point, Sanada also knew that the singles 1 games also would impact if they win nationals or not, and yet he still goes with Atobe to go play with Ryoma, and shows him (part of/) FuRinKaZan/FuRinKaInZanRai to help Ryoma truly gain full recollection of his memories. Even with all this through, does Sanada truly always root for him? No, I don't believe so. I think it's the missing teammate/care about him as the whole that is missing here canonically.

Both Atobe & Sanada want to fight their opponents at the best strength they can at a given moment. They don't want to seize upon weaknesses brought by outside forces, but they'll still take advantage of anything that was foreknown.

Of the three, I only see Tezuka to truly always root for him, not just as his captain, but as a competitor and rival in tennis. (This continues into shinteni...which I have various opinions about. I also think shinteni wise, I don't know if I'd say Atobe & Sanada always rooted for him. I do think Tezuka silently may have/could potentially have). However, without the captain/teammate relationship, I don't think Tezuka would've always looked out for Echizen's interest at all. However, given that they always will have their captain/ teammate history and background, Tezuka understands Echizen and want's him to become the true tennis player that he can be and reach his full potential.

Now...for shits & giggles, lets throw in Fuji & Yukimura to round out high-level rooting thoughts on this.

Yukimura- short answer, no. I don't think Yukimura understands Ryoma and I don't think he always roots for Ryoma's success.

Fuji- This one is tough; I think I'm going to say no here as well though. I think Fuji & Yukimura character-wise have LOTS of similarities. I think the difference is I think Fuji understands a lot about Echizen, but it's more of a superficial understanding since the core of Fuji's belief and Ryoma's is so different. I do think however that Fuji may always be rooting for Ryoma. If not always rooting for, he always understands at least superficially why Ryoma does what he does. (This compare/contrast Tezuka and Fuji on Ryoma could honestly be its own post. Superficially here is meant as in Fuji can potentially list out the reasons and impact but put him to the standa and have him argue it and he'd falter. flashback to myself in intro to theology when I could point out reasons but at the core couldn't write persuasive arguments for various essay. god. such pain)

I'd argue that for both Fuji & Yukimura-- their "why" for tennis differs vastly than Ryoma (especially for the tenipuri-- verdict still out for shinteni. Fuji is getting there. Yukimura... let's talk post Tezuka/Yukimura match). Tezuka and Ryoma have a much similar "why" for tennis....Sanada and Atobe I feel like their "why" and level of intensity is more akin to each other.

Tezuka, Sanada and Atobe's understanding of Ryoma is so heartwarming. They get him and are always rooting for him.

[spicykaraage]

After Training - Story Translation

[Prologue]

Tezuka: Huff… huff…

Tsuge: One round left! Raise the speed to the max!

All: Yes!!

—

Momoshiro: Finally done…! I ran as fast as I could…

Ryoma: Hey, Momo-senpai. Can you not lean back against me.

Ryoma: You’re heavy.

Momoshiro: Whoops, sorry.

Kawamura: Momo and Echizen take pride in their endurance, but even they’re worn out from all that.

Oishi: They’ve really upped the ante with this low oxygen training now, so I don’t blame them.

Oishi: Even Eiji who has a lot of experience with this said he was struggling. Are you okay, Tezuka?

Tezuka: Yes.

Kawamura: It’s been about a week since they started adding this low oxygen training after practice, but I’m still not used to it.

Tezuka: I’m not under the impression that it’s simply for more training. I believe theres another purpose to it…

Tsuge: That concludes today’s practice!

Tsuge: And an announcement: starting tomorrow, a special training regimen shall be held.

Ryoma: Special training?

Kawamura: Starting tomorrow… That’s pretty short notice.

Momoshiro: What’ll we be doing?

Tsuge: You will be training for several days at a high altitude campsite.

Tsuge: There will be temperature differences due to the change in elevation as well. Be sure to prepare yourselves.

Tsuge: That is all. Dismissed!

All: Thank you very much!

Oishi: We’re really gonna be training in a high altitude? I guess now would be the best time.

Kawamura: It’s pretty hot down here at this camp, so it’ll be a lot cooler up there.

Kawamura: This’ll be another addition to our progress.

Tezuka: Yes, it will.

Tezuka: However, this training is completely new to us, so we may run into unexpected incidents.

Tezuka: Everyone, don’t let your guards down.

Ryoma: Got it.

[Episode 1]

Kirihara: High altitude training, huh.

Kirihara: I’ve heard about it on TV and other stuff, but what exactly is it supposed to do?

Kaidoh: Marathoners do it, it’s probably to increase your stamina.

Inui: That’s right. In addition, your oxygen levels and intake are supposed to improve.

Yanagi: In short, it’s training so that your body will become less fatigued.

Kaidoh: Sounds like my kind of training, then.

Kirihara: Nice, you would know all about it, senpais!

Yanagi: Gathering data on our training is essential.

Mizuki: So it appears our low oxygen training was in preparation for this high altitude training.

Kaidoh: So low oxygen training and high altitude training go hand in hand?

Inui: We’ll be facing changes in atmospheric pressure, oxygen levels, and environmental differences.

Mizuki: Therefore, it’s necessary for us to train and get our bodies more accustomed to higher altitudes.

Kirihara: …So, what?

Yanagi: So it means the low oxygen training we’ve been doing was to prepare us for this high altitude training.

Kirihara: Oh, I see!

Kaidoh: How did it not click the first time.

Chitose: Whatcha guys talking about?

Mizuki: We’re discussing tomorrow’s training.

Chitose: Oh right. I’ve never done this kind of training before, hopefully it’ll be fun.

Chitose: Maybe it’ll improve the Selfless State, it’ll be good to push myself even further.

Mizuki: Try not to get too wrapped up in it and burn yourself out.

Chitose: Haha, I’ll be careful.

[Episode 2]

Fuji: We’ve pretty high on the mountain now. The air’s getting cooler.

Tezuka: It’ll be cold now that we’re in higher elevation. We should close the windows.

Fuji: Oh yeah? Good thing I brought my jacket with me then.

Oishi: Even still, I’m excited to be training in a place with clean air.

Oishi: We may even be able to see more stars at night since we’ll be higher up.

Ryoma: What’s this campground gonna be like?

Kikumaru: I’ve actually heard good things about it.

Fuji: Good things?

Kikumaru: Yeah! I heard we’ll be staying in a beautiful cottage and be picking fruits and vegetables!

Kikumaru: We’ll definitely be eating good.

Tezuka: Oh…

Ryoma: Well that’s better than I was expecting.

Fuji: Glad to hear we’ll be doing other stuff that isn’t just training.

Kikumaru: The campsite is actually a pretty popular glamping area.

Kikumaru: I can’t wait to explore it~

Oishi: I’m surprised you have all this energy after that training we did.

Fuji: Are you interested, Tezuka?

Tezuka: About?

Fuji: I figured you’d be a little happy since we’re going to the mountains.

Tezuka: We’re going to train, not have a vacation.

Fuji: Fufu… If you say so.

Tezuka: …

[Episode 3]

Kite: So this is the campground. It looks quite pleasant if you ask me.

Kai: C…

Kite: ? What is it, Kai-kun.

Kai: So cold!!

Hirakoba: It really has gotten cold now that we’re higher up.

Chinen: The wind is really chilly.

Tanishi: Ughh, I want something warm to eat!

Kite: You’re all pathetic. Complaining simply because of the cold.

Kite: They told you to prepare for this, did they not.

Kai: Yeah, but I didn’t expect it to be this drastic.

Hirakoba: For real. Let’s just start this training or whatever.

Chinen: …

Tanishi: What’s up?

Chinen: It’s better behind Kei-kun since the wind won’t hit you.

Tanishi: So I’m a windshield now, huh!

Hirakoba: Oh, yeah I don’t feel the wind anymore.

Kai: Chinen, Rin, don’t hog him. I wanna get behind him too.

Hirakoba: Hey, don’t push me out of the way.

Chinen: We were here first.

Kite: Good grief…

Kite: So you’re all going to play oshikura manjuu now, are you.

—

Tsuge: Gather around, everyone!

Tsuge: Today all of you will be doing circuit training.

Tsuge: Put your belongings away, then return here after. Dismissed!

All: Right!!

[Episode 4]

Ryoma: Kuh… It’s harder doing sit-ups, my body feels heavier…!

Kintarou: Is this another “low oxygen” thingy?

Krauser: Huff, huff…

Ryoma: I didn’t expect the air to be so thin…

Krauser: The slightest movement makes it hard to breathe…

Kintarou: What, you two already tired?

Ryoma: Never said that.

Ryoma: You look pretty winded, Kintarou. Are you tired?

Kintarou: It’s hard, but I can keep going!

Kintarou: Hey, let’s move onto the next training. We should have a competition!

Ryoma: It’s always a competition with you, isn’t it…?

Ryoma: Well, either way I won’t lose.

Krauser: I can keep going as well…!

Kintarou: Alright! C’mon, let’s go.

—

Yuuta: …

Mizuki: You’re interested in what they’re up to?

Yuuta: Not really, I just don’t wanna lose either.

Yuuta: I need to be keep training and adapt to this new environment…

Mizuki: You want to do your best as an upperclassman, I see.

Mizuki: A good attitude to have. Now, let’s move onto the next training session.

Yuuta: Right!

[Episode 5]

Koharu: Huff, huff…

Yuuji: Koharu, are you okay!?

Koharu: Oh, Yuu-kun. I can’t do it… any longer…

Yuuji: Koharu!

Tezuka: What’s wrong, you two.

Oishi: He’s fallen over…! He must not be doing so hot…

Koharu: My heart was pounding against my chest, and my breath grew faint…

Koharu: But when I looked at Yuu-kun, I…

Yuuji: Koharu, wait a minute, Ko—

Tezuka: The low oxygen conditions must’ve really put a strain on you. You should stop your training and move lightly.

Yuuji: What the hell, you just interrupted my punchline.

Tezuka: Mm… Is that so.

Oishi: Was that supposed to be a gag? You had me worried…

Koharu: I do appreciate the concern, though.

Koharu: But I won’t deny that the air here is rather stifling…

Tezuka: Here, drink some water.

Tezuka: You’ve been sweating a lot. Be careful and keep yourself hydrated.

Oishi: We need to look out for each other with this training.

Koharu: You two are as sweet as can be, how won-der-ful…

Yuuji: You cheater! I’ll kill you!

—

Oishi: We’re all having a hard time getting used to this training.

Tezuka: Mountains are no easy feat, no matter how much low oxygen training you’ve done beforehand.

Tezuka: A single change in climate can weaken your condition. Even though we’ve prepared ourselves for any outcome, we still must be as vigilant as possible.

Oishi: Right, of course.

Oishi: …

Tezuka: ? What is it, Oishi.

Oishi: Well. you’ve just been more chatty than usual, Tezuka…

Oishi: If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re happy to be here.

Tezuka: Really?

Oishi: You must be excited since we’re training in the mountains, right?

Tezuka: Fuji said the same thing, I’m not here to have fun just because it’s one of my hobbies.

Oishi: Haha. There’s nothing wrong with admitting it.

Tezuka: …

???: C’mon you two, it’s time to stop.

Oishi: Hm? That’s…

[Episode 6]

Kawamura: C’mon you two, it’s time to stop.

Kawamura: It’s about time to take a break, and the coaches told us from the beginning not to be reckless.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: Huff… huff…

Momoshiro: You heard… Taka-san… If you wanna give up… now… would be… the time…

Kaidoh: Quit screwing around… That’s what… I should be saying… to you…

Tezuka: What’s all the fuss about?

Momoshiro: Captain Tezuka…

Kawamura: We were training together, but then these two decided to have a competition…

Kaidoh: Hah… hah…

Tezuka: (Their breathing is off. Both of their breaths are repeatedly short and erratic…)

Tezuka: First, fix your breathing. Relax your whole body, then breathe in slowly through your nose, and out through your mouth.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: …

Kaidoh: …I feel better.

Momoshiro: Thanks a bunch.

Tezuka: The oxygen is thinner in higher altitudes, be more careful with your breathing.

Tezuka: If you want to compete, that’s fine, but there’s no point in training if you wear yourselves out.

Kaidoh: Okay…

Momoshiro: Nice going though, Captain. You’re used to the mountains, aren’t you.

Kawamura: If there’s anything else we need to know then by all means.

Tezuka: Of course…

Yukimura: How very interesting.

Shiraishi: How about you fill us in, too.

Momoshiro: Huh? What’re you two doing here?

Yukimura: Most of us don’t know what to expect in the mountains, right? So it would be best to consult someone well-versed about it.

Shiraishi: The more we know, the less likely something will go wrong.

Kaidoh: Captain Tezuka can definitely give you a crash course on the mountains.

Tezuka: If my knowledge can be of use, then so be it. First…

[Episode 7]

Ibu: …Thanks for the food.

Kamio: What the heck, Shinji. You hardly touched your food.

Ibu: Because I’m not that hungry, okay. I ate enough, now leave me alone.

Kamio: The only thing you’ve eaten is the pickled vegetables.

Kamio: More training means more calories being burned, you should make sure to eat enough.

Kamio: Here, I’ll share my spinach ohitashi with you.

Ibu: I don’t want any, though…

—

Jackal: Seems a lot of people don’t have much of an appetite.

Marui: Akaya’s conked out. Well whatever, I’ll just eat his leftovers.

Jackal: That’s what you’re concerned about.

Yukimura: Hey guys, you got a moment?

Tachibana: There’s something we’d like you to try…

Ibu: Tachibana-san.

Marui: That smells good. Whatcha got in the pot, Yukimura-kun?

Yukimura: Earlier today, Tezuka taught me how to make a vegetable soup that’s good for when you’re in the mountains.

Yukimura: He even helped us make this.

Tachibana: It’ll warm you right up if you’re cold, and it helps keep you hydrated.

Tachibana: I think it’d be the best thing to eat if you don’t have an appetite…

Tachibana: How about it, Shinji, wanna try some?

Ibu: Thanks.

Kamio: Oh, me too!

Jackal: Well since we’re already here, let’s have some too.

Marui: Yep. I’ll give some to Akaya later.

[Episode 8]

Fuji: We’ve been training up here for a few days now…

Fuji: Everyone’s gotten better at the training and rallying compared to when we started.

Inui: Thanks to Tezuka’s knowledge on the mountains, we were able to progress faster than expected.

Inui: I was able to complete the basic training quickly and had time to spare for the higher level training.

Fuji: Fufu, I see.

Inui: Now to record the data.

Fuji: There’ll be a lot more where that came from.

Fuji: By the way, I haven’t seen Tezuka for a while now.

Inui: Yes, he’s been…

—

Kite: Tezuka-kun, I have something to ask of you.

Tezuka: Oh, Kite. One moment, please.

Tezuka: Now you’ll know what to do next time that happens.

Sanada: That’s very helpful. I knew consulting you was a wise decision.

Sanada: I will let Yukimura know as soon as possible. Thank you.

Kite: …

Tezuka: Sorry for the wait, Kite.

Kite: I wasn’t expecting to wait my turn. You’re quite popular, Tezuka-kun.

Tezuka: …If you’re just here to make jokes, then I’m going back to my training.

Kite: Hold on. I came to ask you about treating hypothermia in the mountains.

Kite: For those of us who’ve been on top of staying hydrated, the lack of oxygen has not been an issue…

Kite: However, for those not accustomed to the cold of the alpine mountains, it severely hinders our movement.

Tezuka: Hm…

Kite: To be honest, it pains me to ask this of you, but I’d like to know what I should do to make my club members move faster.

Tezuka: They’re your club members and you’ve been watching them, shouldn’t you know?

Kite: Are you sassing me because of that joke I made earlier.

Tezuka: Did it come off that way?

Kite: …You’re difficult to read.

[Episode 9]

Kawamura: Today’s the last day for the high altitude training.

Kawamura: It was way harder than I expected at first, but now that it’s almost over I’m kinda sad.

Momoshiro: Welp, we got a hard session of long-distance running we gotta do now.

Kawamura: Let’s run our hearts out and head on back.

—

Kawamura: How you feeling, Momo?

Momoshiro: I ran so much but don’t feel winded.

Kawamura: Right. That means the training’s paid off.

Ishida: That’s right, Kawamura-han.

Kawamura: Oh, Ishida-kun.

Ishida: You don’t seem fatigued at all. It appears you’ve become accustomed to training in the mountains.

Kawamura: R-Really? But I feel like you and Momo are the ones who’re still in top shape…

Kawamura: Not to mention I’m just following the advice Tezuka gave us…

Momoshiro: So what, doesn’t mean you haven’t grown ‘cause of it.

Ishida: You just took that advice and used it to improve.

Momoshiro: You should have more confidence, Taka-san!

Kawamura: Haha… Thanks, you two.

Kamio: You’re so stubborn. How long are you gonna follow me?

Kirihara: You’re the one that ran in front of me!

Momoshiro: What’re you guys racing for?

Kamio: We’re not racing. Kirihara’s the one who thinks it’s a competition.

Kirihara: You literally looked at me and grinned when you got in front of me…

Kamio: Oh, did I?

Kamio: Well, whatever. Don’t you fall behind either, Momoshiro.

Kirihara: Wh—hey!!

Kawamura: They’re both super fast.

Momoshiro: Well, now that he’s said that I ain’t gonna lose, I ain’t!

Kawamura: Ah, Momo…!

Ishida: He went on ahead.

Kawamura: He’s already so far ahead. The energy in that guy.

Ishida: In that case, let’s up our pace as well.

Kawamura: Right. We can’t let those three leave us in the dust.

Kawamura: Let’s finish this high altitude training with a little competition, Ishida-kun!

Ishida: I accept your challenge. I won’t lose either.

[Episode 10]

Tsuge: So you’ve all finished your running.

Tsuge: That concludes today’s training, the high altitude training regimen is now completed!

Tsuge: You’ve performed well to this point. You will have a day of respite for tomorrow.

Kikumaru: Huh…!

Kirihara: For real!?

Tsuge: You are free to do as you please so long as it’s within the limits of this campground.

Tsuge: Behave accordingly. That will be all.

Fuji: A vacation day, well that was unexpected.

Chitose: That’s pretty cool of the coaches to do.

Mizuki: It was a tough training regimen. I suppose we could consider it refreshing ourselves before returning to the training camp.

Mizuki: Relaxing in the midst of all this nature would be rather nice.

Kirihara: What should we even do?

Kirihara: Take a look at the info board for the campground, it looks like there’s all sorts of stuff we could do.

Kikumaru: For real. Candle-making, kayaking, and hiking.

Chitose: I wanna…

Kintarou: Chitose! Shiraishi wants to talk about what we’re gonna do tomorrow!

Fuji: Looks like you’ve already got plans with Shitenhoji.

Chitose: This’ll be fun.

Kintarou: Chitose?

Chitose: I’m coming!

Kirihara: I’ll go talk to my senpais too.

Kikumaru: Hey hey, Fuji. Let’s all do something together too!

Fuji: We should. Let’s discuss it with Tezuka later.

Mizuki: According to the info board, there’s a hill nearby that’s covered in cosmos that are in full bloom. I should invite Yuuta-kun to come with me.

Fuji: …

Kikumaru: Tomorrow’s gonna be fun~

[Episode 11]

Kikumaru: Whoaa! There’s cosmos all over the place!

Yuuta: The cosmos over there called chocolate cosmos.

Fuji: Eiji, Yuuta. Say “cheese”.

*click!*

Yuuta: Wha, Big Bro. You suddenly whipped out your camera.

Kikumaru: Yay! Peace!

Tezuka: The cosmos are beautiful under this blue sky.

Momoshiro: The view’s nice and all, but is anyone else feeling hungry?

Mizuki: Bread is better than the songs of birds, huh.

Mizuki: Good grief… I wanted to spend a peaceful time enjoying this beautiful view, why did you all have to come?

Yuuta: Oh come on, Mizuki-san. Let’s all have a good time together.

Mizuki: …Very well then.

Mizuki: There’s an open space right in that area, how about we go have lunch over there.

—

Fuji: Tezuka, would you like some tea?

Tezuka: Yes, I’ll have some.

Kikumaru: Ah, a dragonfly! Tezuka, don’t move.

Tezuka: Mm…

Momoshiro: Careful now, Eiji-senpai!

Kikumaru: Ah! My omelette! Thanks a bunch, Momo.

Tezuka: Is it okay to move now?

—

Mizuki: Quite the lively crowd there.

Mizuki: …Oh?

Yuuta: What is it? Mizuki-san… Ah.

Mizuki: Well would you look at that, seems we have a little visitor.

Yuuta: Haha, the way it moves its mouth so much is so cute.

Mizuki: Perhaps we should move away so we don’t disturb it.

Mizuki: ! The wind…

Yuuta: Mizuki-san, your handkerchief…!

[Episode 12]

Kawamura: I-Is that your handkerchief caught on that branch?

Mizuki: Well at least it didn’t get blown too far.

Mizuki: But it’s too high, I’m unable to reach it no matter how much I try.

Yuuta: Alright then, I’ll go up and get it.

Oishi: Don’t. Those branches are too thin, they’ll break if you try to climb them.

Fuji: Yuuta’s a pro at climbing trees, but yeah that’s too dangerous.

Ryoma: But if the wind gets to it again, it’ll get blown away.

Mizuki: I appreciate the concern, but I cannot allow you to do something dangerous, Yuuta-kun.

Kawamura: Oh. Maybe he could reach it if he climbed onto my shoulders?

Fuji: Good idea. I know you’d be able to support him, Taka-san.

Yuuta: Well I’m used to trees, but this should be fine…

Yuuta: Kawamura-san, you’ve got this?

Kawamura: Of course. Leave it to me. Okay, lemme bend down.

Kawamura: Ready…!

Kawamura: Well? Did you get it?

Yuuta: A little more to the right… Ah, it’s hard to move like this isn’t it?

Kawamura: I’m totally fine. Moving to the right.

Yuuta: Just a little more… There!

Yuuta: I got it!

Yuuta: Thank you very much, Kawamura-san.

Yuuta: Here’s your handkerchief, Mizuki-san.

Mizuki: Thank you very much. You’ve been a big help.

Fuji: That’s Taka-san for you. Thanks for supporting Yuuta.

Oishi: He’s got some pretty strong shoulders.

Kawamura: Ah, it’s nothing, really.

Yuuta: It felt pretty nice seeing things from up high.

Ryoma: Hmm…

Kawamura: Echizen, did you wanna ride on my shoulders too?

Ryoma: …No. I’m not a kid.

Fuji: Fufu… Denying it as usual.

[Episode 13]

Kirihara: Look at all those grapes! Aren’t they huge?

Marui: Yeah! They look so good!

Jackal: You hardly ever see them grow that big.

Niou: The grape leaves are blocking out the sunlight. The wind’s also nice and cool.

Yagyuu: Niou-kun, it won’t take much to cool you off.

Kirihara: Yeah, Niou-senpai.

Kirihara: C’mon, let’s hurry and fill our baskets with ‘em.

Niou: …That’s our kouhai, always taking the initiative.

Marui: How about we have a competition while we’re at it. Let’s see who can pick the most.

Yagyuu: That’s a large basket you’ve got there, Marui-kun.

Jackal: Are you sure you’ll be able to carry that?

Marui: I’ll be fine. I’ve got this no problem.

Marui: …Jackal does.

Jackal: Me!?

Niou: Thanks, but I’ll take my time picking them.

Kirihara: Let’s meet at the entrance in an hour!

—

Kirihara: All of them have been picked here. I didn’t realize how popular grape picking was.

Kirihara: I’ll check over there… Hm?

—

Marui: Mm, not as much as I wanted…

Jackal: There were other pickers, so yeah.

Yagyuu: Oh? Kirihara-kun’s not back yet…

Kirihara: Sorry I’m late!

Marui: Yeah, no kidding… Huh.

Niou: Check out that bounty.

Kirihara: Hehe, I found a secret place that was full of them.

Yagyuu: The size and luster of them are wonderful.

Kirihara: I won’t be able to eat all of them, obviously. Feel free to dig in, senpais.

Jackal: Thanks, Akaya.

Marui: Okay, don’t mind if I do!

Kirihara: Whoa, so good!

Yagyuu: They have just the right amount of sweetness.

Jackal: Hey, Bunta. You’ve stuffed your face so much you look like a hamster.

Marui: I can’t help it. They’re so good.

Niou: With how much we’ve got here, there should be enough to give to Yukimura and the others.

Yagyuu: Yukimura-kun went vegetable picking with the others, didn’t he? I hope it was an enjoyable experience for him…

Kirihara: Let’s go meet up with Captain Yukimura after eating.

[Episode 14]

Kenya: …

Shiraishi: Kenya, ease up a little.

Zaizen: Checking the candle every ten seconds isn’t gonna make it cool off any faster.

Kenya: I know I know, I just hate waiting.

Chitose: Yeah we know, Kenya.

Shiraishi: Waiting for the finished product is one of the joys of making something by hand.

Kintarou: Hey hey, what should we do next?

Ishida: The wax is now in the mold. Let’s take things slow so the air doesn’t get in.

Chitose: Don’t get too crazy now, it’s hot so you gotta be careful.

Kintarou: Got it!

Zaizen: …He’s gotten even more excited now that you said that.

Kenya: You haven’t even done anything yet, Zaizen.

Zaizen: There’s too many flowers to choose from. I wanna make sure it looks good.

Kenya: How about these red and white flowers?

Zaizen: Those are the same ones you used, Kenya-san.

Shiraishi & Ishida: …

Shiraishi: If you don’t know which flowers to use, then how about these light green ones?

Ishida: Maybe even add a little gray coloring to the candle while you’re at it.

Zaizen: Captain Shiraishi, Shihan…

Zaizen: You’re just telling me to use your favorite colors… Well, whatever.

—

Chitose: Alright, I think it came out pretty good.

Shiraishi: Wow, those colors are really pretty.

Chitose: It’s a gift for Miyuki.

Ishida: Thinking of your sister as always, Chitose-han.

Kenya: I know she’ll really appreciate it.

Chitose: Haha, glad to hear it.

Kintarou: Now look at mine!

Zaizen: ? Why’s it shaped weird.

Ishida: Kintarou-han, that’s…

Kintarou: It’s a kokeshi candle!

Chitose: Kokeshi? Oh, so that’s…

Kenya: A reminder of Osamu-chan and the others? That’s really nice of you, Kin-chan.

Shiraishi: Since we’re still in the process of making them, how about we make our own?

Kintarou: Let’s all make kokeshi candles!

[Episode 15]

Tezuka: …

Oishi: Finally found you, Tezuka. So this is where you’ve been.

Tezuka: Yes… I was stargazing for a bit.

Oishi: The starry sky down at the camp is nice to look at, but up here the stars are even closer.

Oishi: Kinda sad we won’t be able see this starry sky anymore.

Tezuka: Yeah…

Tezuka: I am eager to see the results of our training once we return the camp.

Tezuka: However, I will also miss being in the mountains.

Oishi: Yeah, we’ll be heading back down tomorrow morning.

Tezuka: By the way, why were you looking for me?

Oishi: Oh, right. Well, you see…

—

Kikumaru: Took you long enough! You two.

Oishi: Sorry for the holdup.

Fuji: Here. Take a sparkler, Tezuka.

Tezuka: Okay. But, what…

Inui: Eiji found them on sale at one of the camp’s souvenir shops.

Kawamura: They were cheaper since summer’s about to end, so we all split the bill.

Kikumaru: And since we’re all here, let’s have some fun with ‘em!

Fuji: It sounds like a lot of fun, right? Tezuka.

Tezuka: As long as no problems come from it, that’s fine.

Kikumaru: Alright! I’ll go get the others then, be right back!

—

Kikumaru: Yay! Aren’t these sparklers so beautiful?

Inui: I see, in order to produce the bright yellow color Eiji has, they’ve utilized the flame’s reaction…

Kikumaru: You don’t need to analyze this stuff!

Kawamura: Oh, it changed color.

Oishi: Red, then green, then blue… How pretty.

Tezuka: …

*click!*

Tezuka: …Fuji.

Fuji: Fufu… Sorry. You just looked so at ease that I had to take a picture.

Tezuka: It’s fine, I don’t mind.

Fuji: Thank you. Now let’s get a shot with the sparkler.

Tezuka: Okay.

Tezuka: (So we return to the training camp tomorrow. And practice will resume…)

Tezuka: (I’m glad we were given this unexpected vacation…)

[Epilogue]

Tezuka: Ha…!

Kawamura: Tah!

—

Chitose: Those two are on a roll.

Mizuki: As expected from the high altitude training.

Mizuki: I’d expect nothing less than a top-tier performance after those days spent on the mountain.

Chitose: Oh, yeah…

Mizuki: And it appears they’re not the only ones who are in top shape, are they?

—

Kirihara: Rah!!

Ryoma: Huh!!

Kirihara: Stubborn, aren’t you.

Ryoma: So are you.

—

Chitose: They look like they’re having fun.

Chitose: Watching them makes me wanna play too.

Mizuki: Then let’s finish our break and resume practice, shall we.

—

Kirihara: Huh? Today’s practice is over already?

Kawamura: It went by like that. Is it because are bodies are lighter than usual?

Kirihara: I would’ve done this high altitude training sooner if I’d known it would be this effective.

Kawamura: Inui did say it works even better if you’re consistent with it, we should do it again sometime.

Chitose: I think I’ll stay and hit some more today.

Mizuki: I’d like to gather more data as well, allow me to accompany you.

Tezuka: …

Ryoma: Captain.

Tezuka: What is it, Echizen.

Ryoma: You gonna keep going, too? How about you be my partner.

Tezuka: …Vey well. Get onto the court.

Ryoma: Here I go, Captain Tezuka.

Tezuka: Come, Echizen…!

[STORY END]

Where did Tezuka find those ingredients? Breath of the Wild?

[omegasmileyface]

ok im gonna put this in a seperate post so hopefully i can keep getting responses but I THINK, from what ive seen, that

a lot of people's perception of tenma's narrative purpose is fixed around him being a father. as in he's there to represent a failed, or imperfect, or distant father figure for atom. perhaps to contrast with ochanomizu.

(now bear in mind what im about to say is based off the 50s/60s and 80s series since those are the ones tezuka was directly involved with, and ive never seen the 60s anime or the japanese dub of the 80s anime. i have, however, read all of the original and 80s manga that are translated in the omnibus collection, and seen all of the 80s english dub that's available on tubi)

i personally always got the vibe that tezuka's intention with him had very little to do with him being a father. i mean obviously he is a father, and that's very important to the relationship he has to the creation of atom, but i think that part of his character- and most of his character to begin with- is pretty contained within origin story territory. he's an inciting character. (i saw a response on that post which said much the same thing btw!) if anything his fatherhood is important with respect to tobio. he makes atom, and raises him, because he wants to be a good father to tobio by "keeping him alive" after he died from his gift. (who the fuck gives a car to an 8 year old.) when he was treating atom as a kid, he had no intention of making himself into atom's father so much as making atom into his son. which, like, while it's a shitty thing for a father to do, it is a perfectly valid relationship for a character to have with fatherhood. I would say that at this point he's a (bad) father character. but by the time he sells atom to the circus, he doesn't care anymore. when he notices that atom isn't growing, he doesn't try to make him grow (presumably he'd be able to do that, or at least try! he did design the kid after all.) like a demanding, idealistic father, he instead just kicks him out and calls him a robot freak. he does NOT see atom as his son, not by this point. atom was not, to him, a bad son he was trying to turn into a son, he was a not-son he was trying to turn into a son, and he didn't pass the test. now he's just a freak. hoshie's atached, but tenma doesn't give a shit anymore. the robot he made didn't do its job, which was to masquerade as his son. now, for a while atom does see tenma as his father who abandoned him, but by the time ochanomizu rescues him from the circus, he's over it. tenma was just a period of his life, much like hamegg, and now he's moving on to a new one where he gets to go to school and hang out with funny old men.

it's worth mentioning the (english dub of the) 80s series (from what ive heard the japanese version is a little different? but i havent seen it yet) in which tenma does the same deal of trying to fit atom into being the perfect son, but when atom gets stolen (he's not sold in this one!) tenma is seen, deeply distressed and at least a little sorry, looking for him. but then, even when atom becomes sort of a public figure, tenma is never seen again. and atom doesn't mention him again (unless he does in the finale atlas episodes?? i dont remember that but it could have happened and i cANT CHECK BC THEY TOOK IT OFF TUBI AND I HAVE YET TO GET IT SOMEWHERE ELSE sobbing.)

but back to the manga, the vast majority of astro boy comics don't even mention tenma. they take place after, and do not call back to, his period of pretending atom was tobio. there are only a few comics where tenma makes a return (the blue knight saga, the greatest robot on earth, and that one with the bunny come to mind) and he generally says nothing about atom that implies he thinks of him as a son. barely even as a creation, really, mostly just some kid he knows. he tends to show up wearing sunglasses, when asked where he's been claimed to have denounced the world, offer some help (repairs, upgrades, etc) to atom and then leave. he might spy on him too but enh when asked, in the greatest robot, whether he wants to stay and meet uran and ochan, he denies the offer, insisting he still doesn't want a settled, public presence. he disappears back into the ether. atom sometimes shows signs of having missed him and being excited to see him again, but accepting how brief it is and the life he has now, kind of like you might get excited to see an uncle you don't hear from for a few years at a time.

the exception is the blue knight saga, in which he's treated way more as a villain than as a neutral backstory/cameo character. he's approached as "the one man who could repair atom from this... doctor tenma." and then he like tortures a guy to force him to use his time travel ability for his own gain (he also kills his future self i think. classic tenma move) and also, the main thing here, tries to take atom back and make him do evil for him. it backfires, and evil atom doesnt give a shit about tenma any more than he gives a shit about any other human (did... did tenma forget he's human?), but tenma's goal was control. i don't know if id call this a fatherhood plot. his main intention was, rather than treating atom as a son, to have atom under his power. again, while shitty parenting, not an invalid relationship for a character to have with fatherhood (cough cough vlad masters cough), but iirc it's sort of unclear whether his intention is to be a shitty father or to be the owner of a weapon. maybe both.

(the blue knight depiction of tenma is almost certainly the main inspiration for his role in the 2003 series. it perfectly reflects the "king of robots" plot, and his intention via shadow of having control over that king. the 03 series takes this version of tenma, where he's literally evil and wants atom under his thumb, and spreads it out so it's present throughout the whole series, rather than just this one plot out of many, and then adds an emotional angle of his relationship with tobio's death, and thus fatherhood, for the sake of adding complexity to his character)

and i think the 03 series and the way it uses this as a constant is the reason so many people see tenma's role as that of a (bad) father. in the 03 series he has SO MUCH more presence, and he absolutely is a father in that series. if you asked 03 atom about tenma he'd be like "tenma! my father! he's always trying to take me back in as his son but he doesn't realize that things have changed since tobio..." or whatever and if you asked 50s he'd be like "oh, my creator? he tried to raise me like his son once but that didn't work out. i see him from time to time but he seems to be up to his own stuff now." he's like morally-grey hamegg. like skunk but with a single failed adoption plot. (here's the tldr) and since so many current astro boy fans like the 2003 show as their main media, i can see why this concept would permeate down to the base idea of tenma in general. i fucking love the 2003 show! and i love what they did with tenma's character. but i feel like it's important to note that, with the exception of the blue knight arc, he is a wildly different character in that reboot than osamu tezuka wrote him to be. i feel like it's important to keep tezuka's message in mind, which from my understanding was a lot more personal/familial in his original work than in later reboots, and was more regarding the wider everyday trials and tribulations of trying to get organic and artificial life to get along.

ps id also like to mention the relationship between tenma and ochan. ochan also doesnt really care about tenma in the original works, and really only knows him as "that crazy minister before me who spent the whole budget on this good boy and then left him to rot". tenma only knows ochan as the guy who replaced him. i feel like a:tb's influence may have helped tenma feel more important (this time with regards to ochanomizu) than he might really be

[cacaitos]

in comparison to many seinen mystery manga ive seen lately that take themselves very seriously and sometimes fail to make me care... well MtIN, not that centering on more personal/emotional reasons rather than the technical makes it better at it really (the author insists on it not being called a mystery manga), but it doesnt reach for more than it can take and closes each case so far decently enough on both levels. it helps that it doesnt takes things too seriously and does so more slowly, and that gives space to focus more on dialogue and interpersonal conflict; it ends up focusing more on human behaviour on a much more cotidian and probs apporachable level than if it were about getting away with murder. tho totonou as a protag can get preachy and device-y sometimes, i dont think it's too obnoxious.

to be honest it's very monster-of-the-chapter and quite episodic for the most part so it's not like i can say much about the plot. the stories themselves are quite simple. there are points a more linear plot rears its head but by the end none of it is really resolved. dunno about the conditions of publication of the work but the ending has that feel that it was cancelled or that tezuka outright didnt want or didnt know either to continue or to close it, so it's very sudden and disappointing. unsurprisingly the main appeal point was the bond between dororo and hyakkimaru since that happens to be one of tezuka's strong points even if the rest is mid, that earnest kind of emotionality and fondness that is.

dont read it lol. overall follows generally the afternoon club comedy-ecchi-romance shonen beats (although it's a seinen). however on one side the artstyle covers the manga with a certain eeriness from time to time that's quite distinctive, and on the other i admit i got a teensy bit surprised that's more serious and dramatic by the later chapters, making the romance more emotional than i expected. it's got a simple story and probably predictable but alright for the main couple if you go w very low expectations; the secondary ones (gag/comedy club activities scenes) to me were obnoxious and occupied a lot of runtime i didn't care about personally. lots of unnecessary fanservice and/of extremely sexualized female characters you know the deal, but i didnt hate the female characters, or more like they were the more likeable relatively (as in they were compelling or just like, Normal Good People. well there's only two of them anyway). the sexual content is in almost every chapter and tbh it hinders a lot of potential emotional development the couple could've had... the relatively more dramatic (when the comedy or like exaggerated moments ease up a bit) and understated tone makes them a bit more bearable and even compelling but that's on rarer instances. this series is about edging by the way.

fuuuucking tedious

the story was mid but not terrible, depends on tastes. the ending is where is at. overall alright just dont spend too much time on it.

yes the premise sounds crazy it's more serious than you may think but also fuck that ending -_-. not that it was technically dissonant but i'll see you in hell. disappointing.

[joanthelovely]

Frosty: Should have stayed a song

I'm starting off my December right by watching Frosty the Snowman. I have not watched this in years and was beginning to question why I had removed it from the yearly rotation of animations that I watch. At one point I had watched the short so much that I could quote the commercial that cut in on my tape that had been recorded off of tv. But alas...adulthood cut this from my life...maybe...had I stopped watching it before that?

Here are some thoughts that I had as I watched it with fresher adult eyes that had not seen this in probably 20 years:

I forgot Jimmy Durante was in this. How do I know who that is? How do I not know what that is? He has such a distinctive voice and face...I probably just remember him from all the caricatures in old cartoons. THERE ARE A TON.

I prefer the claymation to this animation. Rankin and Bass did this one through Mushi Production and while I love Osamu Tezuka and his studio with a fiery passion...this was just not good. I even enjoyed the original short from 1953 more than this AND IT WAS LESS ANIMATED.

This guy just kills me...I hate him so much. He's a terrible villain and not just because he's inept...he's so boring. So very boring. And Whiny. Did we really need to have a villain? Does the song have a villain?

The head is the most difficult part...if you know what I mean *eyebrow wiggle*

This is Karen. I don't like Karen. I don't much care for any of the children or the voice acting. I think they turned a perfectly good song into a perfectly terrible short. None of you are believable! I don't believe any of you built a magical snowman who can sing and dance.

Happy Birthday...now lets name our Snowman friend:

Harold? Christopher Columbus? Oatmeal?

Bruh...you can't call him Oatmeal. What kind of a name is Oatmeal for a snowman? Frosty...obviously...sheesh

Which came first? the song? the movie? I didn't actually know the correct answer to that so I had to stop everything and look it up or it would bother me too much to continue.

Looks like the original was out in 1950 with this production hitting in 1969. Jimmy and Gene Autry both sang and released it at the same time....but I swear the radio only plays Jimmy. I'm going to have to go dig up the Autry edition.

Dude takes his hat back even after seeing Frosty come to life…how…why? No one is questioning this. Magic talking snowman. No one is freaking out. Even the Magician is just like...Oh...Its a magic hat...I"ll just take that back.

Silly silly silly.

Please quit doing this. Your point is not made better by repeating it 3 times. He does this a lot. Too much. 0/10 stars

So nonchalant about the living snowman. No one is freaking out...like I get it, new friend...but TALKING SNOWMAN OHMYGODWHYISTHISHAPPENING

I'm alive. What a neat thing to happen to a guy like me. But oh no. I'm gonna melt.

...like right this second? because honestly a good packed snow will last awhile *shrug* maybe slow down

We have trains to the north pole? Where do these children live that that seems like a viable option.

Lets have a parade? Ok ...why not...

Finally! Vindication! The rest of the adults are acting appropriately. You should double take when a walking talking snowman is pulling a pied piper down the center of your town.

3000.04 for a ticket to the north pole. That is really really specific and also a lot of work to pull for a child on her own asking questions. I actually don't know what a train ticket would cost to go that far. Sounds pretty cheap with all the layovers involved.

Karen...you can't go everywhere with your new buddy. Karen, do your parents know where you are?

Lets just put Frosty in the cold car. With the cakes. The cakes that are just out there in the open in the cold car. Must be some super awesome tiering going on there. That can't be sanitary for those cakes, no boxes or nothing.

Little girl, your mother will mind if you travel cross country in a cold car with Frosty. Get your ass home!

I don't like the Magicians voice either. It sounds so familiar but I've not seen anything else this guy has been in.

At least the boxcar was insulated from the wind...now we're just dealing with exposure. I'm sure you holding her can't be good for either of you.

Did you just ask the animals of the forest to light a fire for you?

I guess he didn't need the hat for magic. Dude just blew out a campfire.

They were so lucky that there was a greenhouse at the end of the hill...which then has me pondering why are Poinsettias a Christmas thing when they can't actually grow during Christmas?

This is some terrible buffoonery here. Are you really whining at Santa? Really?

At this point I think I've figured out the reason this hasn't been in the rotation. This story has just gotten to be too nonsensical for me. I love a good fantasy but these non-existent forced relationships just aren't doing it for me. You have a terrible unnecessary villain, an idiot child I just want to yell at for running off like she doesn't have parents that are worried about her, and an idiot snowman who knows he needs to go to the North Pole but thought dragging along Karen was a good idea? At least Rudolph did more world building...

Really, Santa? Just going to leave her up there on the roof?