#i love the manga and i'm happy to see the anime looks and feels wonderful

[xitty]

[shiiro-arts]

Thank you so much for replying to my previous ask in such detail (I loved it and really, really appreciate your efforts 🙏)

I just started rewatching the anime and I saw the focus they kept on Lisanna hence my doubt. From Erza I felt it was more of a sibling type dynamic (that Erza sees Natsu and Gray more as her younger brothers) but they really pushed the Lisanna narrative in the beginning. And given the way he reacted differently to Lucy and Lisanna like becoming flustered with Lisanna I wondered.

Please do talk about the killing himself part too.

I love reading your analysis!! Thank you so much for your hard work ❣️ (Feel free to push in NaLu scenes that show it their bond more obviously)

Hi!! I'm happy you liked it, I'm going to try and talk about Natsu and Lisanna a little bit more and then I'll start with the whole killing himself thing. (following this post)

I think the reason they focused on Natsu and Lisanna at the beginning is because a lot of studios/mangakas have the need to create a couple, even better if it's an MC. And pairing Lucy and Natsu up from the beginning doesn't make any sense, they just met and didn't know each other.

Lisanna is a really important person to Natsu, although they hardly interact anymore.

She supported Natsu when he first came to the guild and became his first friend. Not only that, she helped him with Happy, hence the whole wife and husband thing, they represented a family.

Natsu is not as stupid as they make him out to be, he knows what marriage is, exclusivity to a partner

and things only adults are supposed to do.

He knew what Lisanna meant by "we'll get married in the future," and if she had never "died," NaLi would have made sense.

But it happend, Lisanna "died" and Natsu had to get over her. This doesn't mean forget her tho, as I said, Natsu LOVES his family and friends, forgetting about lisanna just because she died would not make any sense. It takes time to accept death, and after Igneel's disappearance, the death of lisanne hit him, HARD.

The only thing he could do was getting over her, but not forgetting her.

And that's when Lucy comes into the picture.

She keeps bumping into him, buys him food for "no reason" and talks all mighty and good about his family, basically, she gives him good vibes. He takes her to FT and for some reason she follows him everywhere and before he knows it, he wants to partner up with her.

This is development by natsu's part, he is ready to open up to new people (Lucy) and pretty much they become attached to the hip, because "she is nice", yeah, that's his reason.

Lisanna wasn't meant to come back, mashima himself said so, the only reason they brought her back was because the animation staff preasured him to because they liked her. NaLi is not happening because Mashima never had anything planned for her, and I'm not saying this because I'm a NaLu fan, it's just facts. Thats why she is so useless in the manga, because mashima doesn't know what to do with her. She is just there.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Let's beging with the whole suicide thing

I want to clarify that this is MY PERSPECTIVE, you might agree or disagree with me and thats completely fine.

Let me beging with one thing, and that is that natsu IS NOT SUICIDAL.

He wants to live his life at the fullest and he looks forward to the future.

Then why do I say he wanted to kill himself? because when lucy "died", he was so full of grief that he just didn't care any more.

One thing that they make clear is that the demons of zeref, once awaken, have only one thought in their minds: KILLING ZEREF

Lucy's "death" is what awoke END, Natsu felt so desperate and he was so full of grief that he literally abandoned his humanity.

She was gone and he blamed zeref, because if he had never started the war, she would be alive, that was enough for him to abandon his morals and look forward to kill someone.

Now comes the important part: his confrontation with grey

This part is really important because it shows that Natsu is aware of his actions.

If he really was completely possessed by END, then he would not have hesitated and warn grey about getting out of his way, he would have just killed him and keep going, but Natsu warns him several times

Until he doesn't give a damn anymore and attacks him.

Natsu was adamant about going after zeref and killing him, but he is also aware that if he does so, he will die. Zeref told him so himself.

But lucy is dead, so he just doesn't care anymore.

Igneel talked to him about looking at the future

But Lucy wasn't in that future anymore, so he can't look forward for it, because it died the moment Lucy did. if she wasn't in it, why bother? He knew that killing zeref was killing himself.

Gray literally saved Natsus life confronting him

This whole panel is foreshadowing to Lucy dying and Natsu wanting to die because of it

[greenfinchg-illustration]

Hiii!

@ the pride month fanart, I would love to see Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune in your style, if that is something that sounds good to you and you have the time 🥰.

I am also a big fan of your Isobel and Dame Aylin paintings. You capture them so lovely, one can never say no to more of that!

Love your work! Happy Pride and have a lovely day! 💖✨

Like every year, I asked my Tumblr followers which fanart they would like to see from me for pride. I started with the suggestion of @haeluin , Uranus and Neptune. This illustration was a little challenge for me. Although I know this TV show from my childhood, I have never drawn anything about it. but I had so much fun. When I was little I always wanted to draw magical girls. haha. I still love it.

But there is one thing I would like to talk about. Because this was the first time I've drawn these characters and it's been a long time since I've seen the show, I went to Pinterest to look for references. I had to scroll for a long, loooong time until the first fanart and original artwork came up. I almost only saw generated “art”. That makes me so sad. Sailor Moon is one of the first fandoms I can remember. The internet has always been full of self made art from this wonderful show. How many of us discovered anime and manga through Sailor Moon? and also the love of drawing. I have the feeling that all these wonderful works have now been replaced by carelessly generated art. it's such a shame. It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of generated art. But the fact that it's becoming increasingly difficult to find human -made art (and the original illustrations) is incredibly sad.

[goingbuggy]

Good morrow my shuggy liege!

I was pondering if I should or shouldn’t ask but I hope it will not be too much bother to answer

It’s about one of your metas about the love and sacrifice Beautifully written I must say but reading through it again made me wondering how does buggy fall into the sacrifice themes of one piece?

It pains me to admit that once I’ve read 1082 I had many different feelings and one of them thought of buggy sacrifice as quite selfish in a way? Don’t get me wrong I’m sure came from him believing in shanks and the love he had for the boy! It just it felt in a way like he was burdening shanks with his own dreams

I’m happy he finally got the courage to follow his own path It’s beautiful and inspiring I just wonder if my interpretation is coming from anxiety or is actually true? Thank you and I’m sorry to sending this on anon

Hello, anon! Thank you for your kind words about my metas. Before I answer your question about where Buggy might fit into the wider themes of One Piece -- like sacrifice -- I think I should address your interpretation of 1082's events and compare them with mine.

I can understand why someone might conclude that Buggy's faith in Shanks is a burden of sorts, and ultimately selfish; after all, Shanks never asked for the weight of Buggy's expectations, and you could argue that Buggy's plan was to live out his dreams vicariously through Shanks. However, I think that there are some key points which entirely re-frame the situation.

Buggy didn't actually tell Shanks about what he did.

This isn't explicitly confirmed by the manga, but based on 1082's events and Shanks/Buggy's relationship timeline going forward, I can definitely make a strong case for their miscommunication in this regard.

Although we have Buggy's narration in 1082 to guide us through his flashback and enlighten us with his true feelings about Shanks, remember -- it's an internal monologue. The only thing Shanks knows is what Buggy tells him, and what Buggy tells him is not the full story. Look at this series of panels to see what I mean.

We have a very important contrast here -- Buggy's thoughts ("You're not the next generation's king?! I misjudged you, Shanks!" / "Don't you care about following in Captain Roger's footsteps?!"), versus what he actually says. ("You coward!" / "It's your fault I lost that treasure map!")

In classic Buggy fashion, we see him deflect from the truth; instead of explaining how much he believed in Shanks' potential, he brings up a petty grudge and insults Shanks out of disappointment, hurt, and anger/frustration. Nowhere do we see Buggy explicitly tell Shanks what/why he gave up. And this miscommunication is not only the heart of Buggy's sacrifice, but the exact reason why they split in the first place: Shanks did not tell Buggy what made him change his mind about going to Laughtale, and Buggy did not tell Shanks about his decision/dream.

I think this is key to understanding the way they navigate their interactions later down the line, in Marineford. Remember: Shanks believes that they split due to the whole map ordeal, which is not only a relatively lighthearted grudge to hold, but also very confusing from Shanks' perspective.

I love the curt answer he gives here, because it really reflects Shanks' limited understanding of what actually transpired between them that fateful day at Loguetown. Thus, it's also understandable why Shanks acts the way he does at Marineford. I highly doubt Shanks would be so casual if he knew Buggy's real reasons for parting ways. Hell, their split was so important to Shanks that he still remembers Buggy's gripe about the map 20+ years later -- and even uses the promise of one to draw Buggy back into rehashing things between them. (The anime expands on Shanks' confusion/limited understanding even more, but because we're dealing with the manga only, I'm not going to reference those added scenes.)

This interaction can seem quite confusing, but place it in the wider context I've just proposed, and it makes a lot more sense. Something fundamental has permanently shifted between them, but Shanks does not understand the gravity -- nor the real reason -- behind that change. And yet again, Buggy perpetuates this cycle of miscommunication by not telling him.

So, now that I've argued why I believe Buggy didn't tell Shanks about his true dream/decision to give up on said dream, why is it so important?

Well, this leads to my second point.

2. Buggy is a character primarily motivated by greed.

This statement does not need to be argued; it's as explicit as can be, because it has been well-established by Oda. In fact, it's very likely to be what people remember best about Buggy's character, in the midst of the massive narrative that One Piece has become. (I will touch upon this later, because this is exactly why I view Buggy's sacrifice as so impactful to the reader.)

Now, my last point:

3. Buggy is terrible at hiding his true intentions.

Buggy usually makes it quite obvious what he's hiding through blatant lies which hint to the truth, or even a direct slip of the tongue, like in Impel Down. This is partially for the sake of comedy/divulging necessary information to readers, but it's also a genuine aspect of his character which reinforces the comedy. Buggy's intentions are comically apparent to readers, so it's ridiculous to see his followers fall for his schemes.

These three points, in tandem, are exactly what makes 1082's reveal so impactful. Oda uproots everything we thought we knew about Buggy's character in order to give us the missing puzzle piece -- the reason why he is the way he is. This exact decision.

Buggy is a character motivated by greed, but he gave up on his dream, a pillar of freedom and existence in the One Piece world. He is self-absorbed, and yet he de-centered himself from the narrative. And for who, of all people? Shanks, the very man he claimed to despise in his first introduction. Are you starting to see the groundwork Oda's laying down here?

Buggy is notoriously bad at hiding the truth when he lies, and yet readers are blindsided by this reveal, over a thousand chapters after his first appearance. He kept it a secret, not just from Shanks, but from us. 1082 subverted our expectations and further developed Buggy's character in the process. It's a great display of what I love most about Oda's writing.

Before 1082, it would be difficult to claim where Buggy lies in One Piece's themes of sacrifice or dreams. But post-1082, it's a lot clearer. Oda has shown us that Shanks is just as important to Buggy as Buggy is to Shanks, and he's done it in the most effective way for a greedy character: by showing us that even Buggy is capable of sacrifice, when it's for someone he cares about. And what did he give up? His dream -- one of the most important things people have in One Piece.

Sure, it's possible to dismiss Buggy's decision as selfish, but remember: he didn't tell Shanks. He didn't expect anything in return. In a way, he has actually spared Shanks from feeling burdened; Shanks doesn't know the truth, and so he has no opportunity to feel guilt or responsibility for Buggy's decision. For a character like Shanks, who is defined by responsibility, this is also massively significant. Buggy's choice is not Shanks' fault, and by deflecting to trivial matters like the map, Buggy has -- intentionally or not -- lifted a possible weight from Shanks' shoulders. Shanks still feels the loss of their relationship, but instead of potential guilt, there is confusion and miscommunication.

So, no, I don't view Buggy's sacrifice as selfish. He did what he did because he truly believed in Shanks. He was willing to let Shanks become king and live out his dream, all without burdening Shanks with the truth. It's the antithesis of everything we've known about Buggy up until this point -- a decision without his greed, egomania, and overt schemes at the forefront. And if that's not a selfless act from Buggy, then I don't know what is.

[brucebocchi]

Spring 2024 anime, Pt. 1: Ongoing/returning shows and the bench

yo! i also post this on my ko-fi! this is very much a labor of love, so if you liked what i wrote consider throwing a few bucks my way! thanks!

And we are back! This one came a little later because I'm much busier now than I was three months ago, but that's a good thing. It'll be a bit longer before I cover last season's new anime, so bear with me. I'm happy to say, though, that I didn't hate anything I watched this season! So there's that.

As always, the OP is linked in the title of each show. Check them out, there were some good ones this season!

Here we go:

Continuing & returning shows:

Delicious in Dungeon, second cour

Ahh, Dungeon Meshi. At the start of my review of its debut cour, I said that Dungeon Meshi is a difficult anime for me to talk about unprompted because it’s such a complete, self-assured work that saying anything about it besides “PLEASE WATCH THIS ANIME IT’S SO FUCKING GOOD” feels like a fait accompli. After twelve more episodes and spending the better part of a weekend binging the entire manga, I’m left with little else to say besides please watch this anime (and read the manga), it’s so fucking good.

Our adventuring party has managed to slay (and cook) the red dragon and resurrect Falin from its belly, but the victory came at a cost: They have managed to not only invoke the ire of the dungeon’s ruler, the “lunatic magician” Thistle, but Marcille’s use of forbidden resurrection magic has also raised another number of hackles. Reunions aren’t all happy ones and the dungeon is getting weirder.

This line break represents where I wanted to add so much more and just kept falling short. This continues to be an exceptional adaptation of an exceptional manga. For all the silly gags, for all the goofy potshots everyone takes at each other, Dungeon Meshi is a series with a beating heart worn permanently on its sleeve. The group dynamic remains superb, and no less so for the standoffish half-girl-half-cat Izutsumi joining the gang (my joy at seeing her added to the OP was indescribable). The ways in which everything interconnects make up only a fraction of this series’ unmatched worldbuilding; much hay has been made about how Ryoko Kui designed the dungeon as a living, breathing ecosystem, but there’s so much more of that within the human element as well, and the latter aspect looks to only improve when the show returns for the next season.

Dungeon Meshi is, without question, the best anime of 2024 so far, and I will be impressed if anything manages to overtake it in this year’s latter half. The manga became one of my favorites in record time, and I have little doubt that by the end of the second (and almost certainly final) season, one of my favorite anime of all time will indeed be Dungeon Meshi. Ahh, Dungeon Meshi.

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, season 3

When I reviewed last year’s Megumin-centric spinoff, I mentioned that I’m not quite as high on KonoSuba as other anime fans. I always thought it was a perfectly serviceable comedy isekai, nothing too special, but mostly worth the watch. Even after the letdown that was An Explosion on this Wonderful World! last year, I was still looking forward to the long-overdue third season. And pretty much as expected, what we got was fine. Just fine.

That said, I was instantly delighted to see Megumin once again surrounded by Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness. And as is frequently the case when those four are together, shit goes south fast. Kazuma, hoping to heal the mental wounds he incurred in the Legend of Crimson film, gets his groove back when he’s invited to regale the adorable Princess Iris with tales of his exploits. As a noble herself, Darkness is mortified throughout this ordeal, scrambling to ensure that Kazuma doesn’t get beheaded for being a loudmouthed freak, and also that Aqua and Megumin don’t accidentally burn the palace down in their revelry. 

KonoSuba gets a lot of comparisons to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in that both are ensemble comedies in which the entire main group consists of awful people who don’t entirely like or trust one another. It’s a fair enough comparison, but what makes the group dynamic work for both shows is that the moral center is never a fixed point; the “voice of reason” among either group changes along with the situation to ensure the comedy stays fresh. And the fact that Lalatina Dustiness goddamn Ford has to be the voice of reason for the majority of this season should mortify you.

Darkness losing her mind aside, I didn’t really care for this arc. There was some interesting worldbuilding happening toward the middle of the season, but Kazuma acting way too eager about having a tiny, prepubescent girl calling him “onii-chan” just made my skin crawl, and I’m otherwise pretty much immune to the bog-standard “hey, laugh at this man because he’s a pervert” anime trope at this point. Fortunately, it only lasted for half the season, but unfortunately, it still felt an episode or two too long. The second half of the season followed Darkness’ forced betrothal to a gross noble from an earlier episode, and that arc also felt an episode or two too long.

Season 3 felt like KonoSuba both at its best and worst. The character dynamics are as rich as ever, even as Aqua and Megumin largely fell to the margins in favor of the larger stories. The smaller moments with the main four just bumming around their mansion are always just as entertaining as their larger exploits. The narrative seems to want to continue pushing Kazuma and Megumin together, nurturing the seeds planted in the movie, but later episodes also make a pretty good case for Kazuma and Darkness getting together; for better and for worse, those two absolutely match one another’s freak. Some of the gags this season were pretty darn good as well: This anime’s facials are already the stuff of legend, and we got some bangers here too (see above). For as loud as it often got, there were a few gags that centered on prolonged, uncomfortable silences like a late episode of Evangelion. And for as bored as I started to grow with the last arc, the punchline at the very end of the season almost made the whole thing worth it.

On the other hand, this show somehow got noisier. Some of Explosion’s funnier moments last year came from Megumin’s shrieking outbursts, so Studio Drive (taking over the main series from Deen) seemed to think that everyone needed to yell all the time now. It felt jarring; like watching season 4 of SpongeBob for the first time. I’m also not impressed by the fact that this series still seems to think sexual assault is just the funniest when it happens to men. It was a serious lowlight of the Legend of Crimson movie, and it just seemed to double down this time for a completely unnecessary segment in which Kazuma helps Dust get back at a creep, only for it to backfire on Dust and only on Dust. That shit sucks!

At the same time, it’s still KonoSuba, so ESH. If you made it this far, you’re pretty much along for the ride until it breaks down, so you take the good with the bad. Neither particularly outweighs the other, nor are they enough to push me towards declaring this show as either essential or unwatchable. It’s KonoSuba, and KonoSuba is fine.

Laid-Back Camp, season 3

The reigning champion of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things anime returns to the present day after the 10-years-later film, and it’s in fighting shape. Though the third season of Yuru Camp (another anime I refuse to call by its official English title) is in the hands of a new studio, it’s still full to bursting with all the gorgeous countryside scenery, tantalizing food porn, and whimsical music you’ve come to expect by now.

This is one that was on my backlog for the better part of a couple years, so I figured there was no better time to catch up than to time it with a new season hitting the air. Through two seasons and an original movie, Yuru Camp was peak slice-of-life: Low on conflict, heavy on cuteness, and brimming with personality. It does what it says on the tin; it’s a show about high school girls going camping, and by God are you getting high school girls going camping. And in the meantime, you, the viewer, get to learn the ins and outs of camping while discovering all these real-life, lovely spots along the Japanese countryside with Mt. Fuji always in view, and maybe help boost the local tourism economies once you go outside and touch grass.

The previous two seasons largely followed the girls’ exploits at school and out in the open as individuals and smaller groups before building to a big destination trip with all five of them, but season 3 takes a more, uh, laid-back approach. The first half follows Rin’s bike trip along with Nadeshiko’s hometown bestie, Ayano, until they meet up with Nadeshiko after her own solo excursion. We also get a quick peek at a heavily-fictionalized retelling of Chiaki, Aoi, and Ena’s outing with Toba-sensei, as well as a cherry blossom viewing trip with Nadeshiko and her sister, before the girls all come together once more for a nighttime hanami outing. It’s more of the same, and that’s exactly what you’re here for.

That said, the character work is the glue that holds Yuru Camp together, and it’s as wonderful as ever. Rin and Nadeshiko’s friendship remains a delight, and Hazel covered it better and more succinctly than I ever could in the Yuru Camp segment in her phenomenal video on countryside scenery in anime. Watching Rin bond with Ayano one-on-one on their own trip was a real highlight; they’d hit it off quickly in the first season, and it was lovely seeing Ayano working at Rin’s go-to bike shop in the movie, so I was overjoyed to see more of these two. More than anything, though, seeing a habitual loner like Rin connect so naturally with another person (and one who isn’t Nadeshiko, no less) just warms my cold, dead heart. The looser plotting also gives us the time and space to take in how the girls individually spend their downtime. Nadeshiko’s quickly becoming as much of an expert solo traveler as Rin, and her youthful enthusiasm about everything remains as endearing as ever. We even get to watch her becoming a train nerd in real time! 

At the same time, the communal aspect of camping is a huge part of what makes this show click. Part of that, of course, has been watching Rin’s social circle expanding, but also in seeing how readily campers observe and aid one another. Nobody is “the best” at camping (except maybe Rin’s granddad), so none of the campers in this show have any reservations about going out of their way to help one another. Even an expert solo camper like Rin was a greenhorn at one point, so she’s always happy to give and receive help. The various campers the girls run into along their journeys are always ready with local information about good spots to eat, relax, and take in a good view as well. Even camping on your own, you’re never truly alone.

In that same vein, Yuru Camp is as educational as ever. Along the girls’ travels, we learn plenty about the myriad suspension bridges over the Oi River drainage basin, the various types of passenger trains connecting the countryside, torii gates along the mountains, and clever ways to build a camping menu around local crops. Yes, Yuru Camp is as much food porn as it is nature porn, and the dishes are sumptuous. On that note, my favorite thing I learned this season came from Nadeshiko’s drooling outbursts during the other OutClub girls’ camp retelling: It turns out that there’s an equivalent Japanese colloquialism to what we call food porn, specifically in the act of taunting people about delicious food they can’t have right now, and that is “meshitero,” or “food terrorism.” That is just terrific.

Yuru Camp is in the hands of a new studio for its third season, and the difference is mostly negligible. This is a show that trades largely in vibes, and the vibes remain impeccable. Almost everything still looks and sounds great, but season 3 leans a little more heavily on CG for moving bikes and cars, and they do look markedly worse. Not immersion-shattering, but definitely distracting. The scenery largely looks less hand-painted in favor of a more photorealistic style, which does make me wonder about the actual level of artistry put into it, but that could just be me splitting hairs. Otherwise, it still looks like Yuru Camp, which is all you can ask for.

This show still rules though. I don’t often get intense in my praise of slice-of-life anime, and the ones that get me acting like that are the ones that go to wild lengths for the sake of a joke, like Nichijou and Kaguya-sama. I don’t know what it is about a show as lowkey as Yuru Camp that has me wanting to scream from the rooftops that “THIS FUCKING SHOW WHIPS ASS,” but I’m not questioning it. Maybe it’s cuteness aggression.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, season 2, part 2

And we’re back with more of the best-made anime that I can’t recommend in good faith to just about anyone.

The latter half of season 2 surrounds Rudeus’ aims for a quiet domestic life, settling down with Sylphiette and at the request of his father, Paul, taking his little sisters Aisha and Norn into their home (along with a very welcome reunion with their escort). Aisha takes after her mother, Lilia, and is eager to please and help around the house, but Norn’s last memory of Rudeus is of his violent reunion with their father. Norn idolizes Paul, so she doesn’t trust Rudeus and refuses to open up to him. While Aisha is content with working around the house, Norn wants to keep her distance, so she decides to enroll and board at the magic academy.

Norn’s apprehension towards Rudy and the mental anguish it causes her becomes an isolating factor in her daily life, leading Rudeus to believe that she’s being bullied, much as he was in his previous life. Rudy’s attempts at sticking up for his sister fall flat and lead him to realize he’s been projecting on her this entire time rather than actually reaching out to her. It’s these moments of learning and unlearning that nearly make all of this worth it; this was easily one of the best episodes of Mushoku Tensei’s second season, and frankly one of the best episodes of anime I watched all season. Another episode near the end also earned that distinction, but it got weird afterwards. Even in its lower moments, this season traded very well in the themes of family, growth, and loss, and those aren’t always tidy subjects to handle.

Because this is Mushoku Tensei, the cozy home life can’t last forever. Paul’s attempts at saving his wife have continued to fall short, so he calls on Rudeus and Elinalise to come and help rescue Zenith. Rudeus is conflicted; though he finally has the opportunity to save his mother and face his father as a man, Sylphie is now pregnant and he doesn’t want to abandon his wife and future child. As often happens at times like this, Rudy gets some face time with the Man-God who has been seemingly invested in his journey, and for once Rudy flouts his advice to venture out. Many reunions are had, including one that had been teased all season, and a lot of things go south from there. I was spoiled on some of what would happen in later parts of the series, so it didn’t come as a massive shock to me, but it still got weird, it wasn’t really addressed all that well, and people were rightfully put off by it.

On that note, I’ve given up on the idea of this series being about Rudeus improving as a person, because he’s done just about as much “improving” as he’s going to by now. As I’ve said before, he’s not quite the drooling pervert he used to be (he was actually doing great for more than half of this cour before a succubus attack briefly got the better of him), but his moral compass, even in his best moments, still seems to be poorly calibrated. I do see a side of him now that genuinely cares for others and actively wants to help, but it doesn’t erase his questionable acts, nor do I get any sense that he deserves to get the things he wants. I particularly don’t care for what’s already looking like a formula wherein sex seems to be his cosmic reward whenever he hits a low point or achieves something great. For a series that genuinely has such excellent worldbuilding and storytelling, that part feels cheap enough to undermine everything else.

But hey, a rapist died, so it’s not all bad.

I’m not sure I’d necessarily put Mushoki Tensei on the level of Frieren or Dungeon Meshi, certainly not thematically, but with all three off the air this upcoming Summer season, it’s been a minute since we’ve had a season of anime without one of those three lovingly-made fantasy series on the air. It feels like anime has a massive fantasy void now, and I desperately hope I’m proven wrong soon.

Urusei Yatsura (2022), season 2, second cour

The final run of the remade Urusei Yatsura ended on a strong note with an honest-to-God story arc! Lum and Ataru’s tempestuous situationship is put into stark relief with the fate of the world in the balance, except not really; Lum just wants him to think that because she’s fed up with his shit and that’s just how she operates.

Even as disjointed as this run has been prior to the final arc, there were still some gems this season. The time-travel segment where the gang tries to undo Mendo’s fear of the dark was a certified banger, Asuka’s violent androphobia is as funny as ever, and the introduction of Nagisa as a means of further muddying Ryunosuke’s whole gender situation was the most quintessentially Rumiko Takahashi shit I’ve ever seen. It’s the character comedy that makes Urusei Yatsura what it is just as much as the central will-they-won’t-they, and it was just as potent as always before the series hurtled towards its finale.

The four-episode arc to close out the all-stars run, similarly to the final arc of the manga and the final movie of the original anime run, centers on a blowup between our romantic leads over a colossal misunderstanding (sasuga Takahashi-sensei) involving a unilaterally-fated marriage between Lum and the prince of a dark planet, Rupa. Though Ataru and fellow dark-planeter Karula (basically Rupa’s own equivalent Lum) foil the wedding, a carbon copy of Lum created to ensure a proper exchange of vows tells Ataru that she’s over him. Ataru’s feelings are genuinely hurt, and he tells the real Lum that they’re through, and he returns to Earth with Karula, accidentally spreading spores of the dark planet’s enormous mushrooms.

Said mushrooms rapidly grow enormous when exposed to sunlight, so Earth is already in certain danger. Lum sees an opportunity to manipulate convince Ataru to finally get serious, so she sets familiar stakes: She’ll enlist Rupa’s help in destroying the mushrooms, but only if Ataru can beat her in a ten-day game of tag by grabbing her horns, just like when they first met. More importantly, though, she’ll let it all go if he can just say out loud that he loves her. And you know damn well by now that these two are both as stubborn as they come.

As I’ve said before, this is a shorter run, so we may not have the benefit of the entirety of Urusei Yatsura up to this point to be properly salivating for the finale, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t still hit like a freight train. The emotional climax was still meaty and satisfying in ways that made all of this worth it. Half of the joke of this series is that Ataru’s never going to get serious about Lum in a way that matters, but every time the mask slips is a well-earned shot to the heart. The ending is no different, and it made the shorter run still feel worthwhile.

And with that, that’s a wrap on a modern (if truncated) retelling of a legendary comedy manga. I’ll be forever grateful to this iteration of Urusei Yatsura for finally pushing me into getting into Rumiko Takahashi’s classic works, and I’m beyond excited that there’s also a Ranma ½ remake on the way. If David Production takes that one on as well, it’ll be in great hands.

Anime I Watched Two Episodes of and Will Probably Get Back to Later

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability

I mean, you read the title.

This is less an isekai and more of a lateral reincarnation story; magic already very much exists in this fantasy kingdom, but this is about a guy who is very obsessed with magic but sucked at it suddenly gaining a wealth of talent and the opportunity to go absolutely sicko mode.

Lloyd’s existing knowledge of magic serves him well, and he becomes a virtuoso at a young age. He manages to subjugate a demon lurking in the palace’s library and turn him into an adorable familiar (and having the demon go from being voiced by Akio Otsuka to Fairouz Ai was a brilliant move) and just terrorize the poor little shit with his experiments and travails. The kid could basically do a Hollow Purple by the second episode. He’s kind of psychotic, and I love that for him.

This is definitely a comedy, but the comedy is kind of all over the place early on. Prince Lloyd is surrounded by beautiful young ladies-in-waiting who, uh, seem way too into him, and that kinda sucks. Lloyd himself is drawn and animated a little too lovingly for a child as well. It’s definitely uncomfortable in parts early on, but I’ve heard it lightens up on that and gets crazier in the parts that matter, so I’ll be coming back.

And it started with a menacing monologue from Takehito Koyasu himself, so of course my interest was piqued from the jump.

Oblivion Battery

It’s weird, I love both anime and sports, but sports anime was just something I never sought out too much until I picked up Blue Box recently (also please read Blue Box, it whips ass and the anime is gonna be incredible). Oblivion Battery’s debut coincided with the start of the American baseball season, so it seemed like a great time to hop in.

I can’t say I was too intrigued by the premise, though. The intentionally generically-named Taro Yamada quit baseball after middle school after getting utterly rinsed by the high-powered battery of pitcher Haruka Kiyomine and catcher Kei Kaname, so he enrolls in a high school without a baseball club, only to find that his classmates are… Haruka and Kei. Kei, as it turns out, took a bad hit to the head and has completely forgotten all about baseball, and now spends all of his time trying to be a comedy boke for unwilling participants. Taro and Haruka would like Kei to learn about baseball again, so they start up a new club, alongside other classmates who also quit baseball because of the titular battery.

Fine premise, but eh. The hook wasn’t enough of a hook for me, and even MAPPA handling the animation didn’t keep my attention for long. I’ll probably get back to it eventually, but I ended up watching plenty of other anime this season that felt like higher priorities.

Also, I’m pretty sure Oblivion Battery’s manga introduced a character named Aoi Todo before Jujutsu Kaisen did. I still prefer the latter.

YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose its Master

See, this one I probably should’ve picked up sooner, because it seems like it’s very much my jam, and I’ve seen plenty of praise for it. It’s a dense one, though, and I’d rather not cram it just to turn around and review it a few days later.

I won’t even go into the details because even two episodes in, there are darn near too many of them. This is a massive ensemble cast in and around a succession battle in a fictionalized, imperial Japan-esque kingdom created and ruled by yokai. We’ve got a battle of brides-to-be vying for the hand of an embattled prince, a cunning but resentful empress overseeing the proceedings, a possible spy or two, and a rambunctious little shit who looks like he got plucked out of Avatar: The Last Airbender getting roped into working in the palace. It’s a lot of moving parts, but I’m curious to see how they tie together.

Two episodes in and this show looks good, but probably not as great as it could. I know I’m spoiled on The Apothecary Diaries, but something like this already feels like it deserves better than some of the stiff character animation I saw early on. I’ll reserve my judgments for now.

YATAGARASU is continuing into the summer season, so I’ll take my time catching up on it. This one feels like it deserves to be sipped slowly, not chugged, and I’ll have my tasting notes in due time.

[shiro-s2e2-erukinzu]

Anime only watchers and people who aren't caught up with the Manga, BEWARE... Cuz I'm about to discuss Spy X Family Short Mission 13... You have been warned...! 👌

[SPOILERS AHEAD FROM THIS POINT ON]

This seems to be the first time that we've ever had 2 Short Missions released one after the other (I mean, after the BOMBSHELL that was dropped in Mission 96, it's no wonder why Endo is taking his time to give us Mission 97...!! 😁) But just because it's another Short Mission (and a Special Illustration), doesn't mean we don't have anything to talk about!! So let's get into it, shall we...? 😉

First up, let's talk about the Special Illustration...:

I LOVE IT SO MUCH!😍

Anya looks so adorable it and the cherry blossom scenery is STUNNING!! 😆 This is definitely a new favorite of mine!! 😁

Now on to the Short Mission, which was all about Bond...!! 😄

The family left for the day, leaving poor Bond alone and bored. But, that didn't stop him from having an eventful day...! First, a delivery man came by...:

And since no one answered the door, the delivery man left, which means Bond did his "job" and starts looking for some food, when:

HE BREAKS A GLASS AND GOES INTO ANYA TO ESCAPE YOR'S POSSIBLE WRATH!! 😂 But while he's hiding in Anya's room, THIS HAPPENS:

I was honestly confused by how Bond could hear Agent Penguinman's thoughts, but it made laugh, so...!! 😅

It seems like Bond still feels bad about attacking Agent Penguinman all the way back in Short Mission 3, so he brings the stuff animal the fish that the Forgers were gonna have for dinner as an apology...! Then, Bond thinks about his past:

This image breaks my heart so much... The people who experimented on Bond and those other dogs are awful human beings and hope that they'll eventually get what's coming to them...

Then right after that memory, Bond does this to Agent Penguinman...:

Then when the Forgers return home, Yor wonders what to the fish that was in the fridge as we cut to seeing Bond sleeping next to Agent Penguinman with the fish in front of Anya's door...! 💗

And that was Short Mission 13, a nice and sweet little chapter...! 🤗 Seeing a little more of Bond's past really hurts my soul, none of those animals deserved to suffer like that... People who hurt animals and children are the lowest of the low, so I hope that whoever was involved with those experiments is stopped completely, but only time will tell...

Also, I didn't get to say this the last time because I forgot to mention it, but...

🎊 HAPPY 5TH ANNIVERSARY SPY × FAMILY!! 🎉👏😆

I can't wait to see what Endo has in store for us next in future...!! 😁

Lastly, this Thursday, two days after my birthday...

ME AND MY FAMILY ARE GOING TO SEE SPY × FAMILY: CODE: WHITE!! 👏😆👏😆👏

So look out for my review of it...!! 😁👍

Anyway, that's all I gotta say!! So, until the next Mission... Take care, be safe out there and be kind to one another...!! LATER!! 👋😊

[mncxbe]

Hey, first time request! Recently I watched an anime called My Happy Marriage and I was wondering if I could request Dazai, Chuuya, Kunikida, Fukuzawa, Ranpo, Akutagawa and Fyodor with the reader who has a personality and history similar to Miyo Saimori? How would the BSD characters help the reader?

Here is the information about the character and anime: https://my-happy-marriage.fandom.com/wiki/Miyo_Saimori#cite_note-novel-v1-1-1

P.S: I recommend you watch the anime before making my request so that you will understand the characters and the plot.

Thank you!

hii dear♡ unfortunately I had no time to watch the anime cuz my schedule has been packed these days. but I read Miyo's backstory in the manga and on wikifandom so I'm quite sure I got the main idea ^^

so reader is gonna have her backstory, personality and ability but she's just in a relationship with the bsd guys, not an arranged marriage. I really hope you like it♡♡

°☆○

12:20♡

𝑫𝒂𝒛𝒂𝒊, 𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒚𝒂, 𝑲𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒂, 𝑨𝒌𝒖, 𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒐, 𝑭𝒖𝒌𝒖𝒛𝒂𝒘𝒂, 𝑭𝒚𝒐𝒅𝒐𝒓 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: fluff♡

𝑫𝒂𝒛𝒂𝒊

Dazai is a very perceptive individual. he could tell from the second the two of you met that there was something different about you. still, he doesn't bring it up until you got closer

when you decided to tell him everything about your past; how you've never been loved by your family, how you've always tried to prove yourself to them but it was all for nothing. how you've always felt like you weren't good enough; he's surprisingly understanding

as someone who has never felt love he gets you. of course he doesn't dare compare his past to yours

Dazai is such a supportive partner. it's the little things for him like telling you you're appreciated and loved and surprising you with gifts (when he actually has money lmao)

he doesn't strike me as the type of partner who pushes all the "but how can you think so lowly of yourself? you're amazing" on you. he knows fully well that healing is a long process but he's ready to support you all the way

when you're having especially tough time, and not only with your family but also in general, he's always there for you.

best cuddle sessions when you're sad

tries his best to show you the love you never had and get you out of your shell (ofc he does, he's an extrovert)

as for your ability I don't feel like it would matter too much for him. of course, he finds it impressive but in the end, he love you for who you are, not for your ability.

you both end up healing each other; you show him kindness and he makes you see your worth. so overall it's a healthy relationship♡

𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒚𝒂

he gets so mad when you tell him about your past. he's angry because he really cannot understand how your family could ever treat you like this

he's honestly surprised that you're so kind and gentle, considering what you've been through

calls your sister a bitch for sure. but after you tell him to stop he doesn't do it anymore

showers you with love in all shapes and forms. you wanna have a nice chat over a glass of wine? sure. he saw you looking at a kimono while the two of you were out on a date? he gets it for you.

very supportive overall although he may not be able to express his feelings sometimes.

let's just pray he never meets your family💀

reassures you a lot and really tries to show you that you're appreciated. you always feel loved when you're with him

𝑲𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒂

this neon green flag of a man will listen to you talk about your past and keep a straight face. but deep inside he feels like crying

he's a man of strong morals so naturally he's mad at the injustice of your family

very reassuring and patient, he gives the best words of affirmation and always makes sure you feel appreciated

as for your ability he does think it's powerful. and if you work for the ADA he's sure to keep you as safe as possible

feels a deep need to shelter you from every bad thing in the world because honestly, you've been through enough

God forbid you ever have a fight. he'll cry himself to sleep

tries his best to always remind you that you're loved and that your past doesn't define you and that you don't need to prove yourself to him in any way

overall GREEN FLAG

𝑨𝒌𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒘𝒂

oh boy

when you tell him about your past and the things your family did he just sits there like: 😐

Akutagawa knows very well the pain of never feeling good enough and always needing to please others

you bond a lot over your traumatic childhoods althought it takes him a while to open up

he's not too god (he's downright terrible) at talking and reassuring you with words of affirmation. so he'll show you that you're cared for through little kind gestures like brewing you tea in the morning, bringing you snacks after his missions and spending time with you

at first he thinks your ability is weak cuz it's not useful in combat. but when he actually realises what you can do he holds such respect for you like hands down. somehow he also feels a but thretened by your power?? in a way?? but he gets over it

little by little you both fully open up to each other. your gentle personality really soothes his soul

so just like with Dazai, you help each other heal and have an overall healthy relationship♡

𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒐

speaking of perceptive...

he probably deduced your trooma✨️ after a simple chat. but then again you tell him everything at some point

he's really supportive and caring. sometimes he may come across as too pushy, like forcing you to get out of your shell and meet his friends and be more open about your feelings, but he means well

really sweet and gentle when you're in private. you can talk openly to him about anything he will listen

"Oh? You feel like you're not good enough for me? Nuh uh"

Ranpo may seem childish and playful most of the time but he's actually thoughtful

always shares your candy with you to show you how much he cares

I do see him asking Poe to write a novel describing the perfect date place. and then takes you on that perfect date yk. he's smooth like that

being with you makes him act more mature and serious. because he is serious about you. he truly wants to show you the love you never had and make you feel worthy of yourself

𝑭𝒖𝒌𝒖𝒛𝒂𝒘𝒂

another green flag

you can see his smile slowly fade away when you tell him everything about your past

when you're done he hugs you so tightly♡

making sure you're appreciated is one of his number one priorities now

ofc he doesn't mind that you're shy. always reassures you that you can take things slow and fully open up to each other and all. he's really sweet

if you weren't his partner and just a member of the ADA he'd be your father figure. but that's not the case

makes you feel cared for with acts of service and quality time. although he's busy at the Agency he always makes time to go on dates with you or simply spend time in the comfort of your home

🙏🙏 best words of affirmation

he feels the need to protect you. Fukuzawa is very much aware of the fact that your ability makes you a target. many people could take advantage of it. so he wants to keep you safe

he does his utmost to be reassuring and offer you support whenever you need it. and helps you heal and learn to love yourself.

𝑭𝒚𝒐𝒅𝒐𝒓

this man... when I tell you he only wanted you for your ability at first

but somehow he realises that there's more to you than just your power. little by little he grows fond of you; and curious

when you tell him about your past he's disappointed but not surprised. he knows how cruel people can be

still, after that he treats you more like a human being and when you do end up together he's surprisingly gentle

Fyodor is lowkey forced to change his attitude towards you. to be kind and good. to show you that you're loved because it really pains him to see you suffer

I see him brewing you tea, cuddling with you while you read a book together and playing the cello to cheer you up when you're sad or simply need to unwind

being with him may not be the easiest. he's cold and distant sometimes but he does his best to reassure you that you're worhty, loved and precious (and not only because of your ability)

STILL if you ever get into a fight he won't hesitate to use your past against you. but he will regret it the second he sees how your face drops. so he apologises

[whumpsday]

hiya!

this is maybe a little out of the blue/off topic, but I was wondering, do you ever get stressed about plagiarizing when writing whump? I feel like, for a lot of the tropes I really enjoy, and want to write, I've already read just about every rendition out there. having all these awesome whump stories in my head inspires me to write, but I'm also petrified of stealing someone's ideas and stepping on toes. have you ever run into an issue like this?

I'm currently trying really hard to write my first series I wanted to share with the whumpblr community, and I'll be real, the core idea is a very specific trope I've read many times because I love it dearly. I wrote my first chapter and I want to write more but just feel totally stuck without new ideas and paralyzed with the fear of stealing from writers I love and respect dearly. I'd really appreciate any input you might have.

thanks!

- @fleur-a-whump

no, i don't! you are WAYYYYY overthinking it. you aren't "plagiarizing", you are inspired. that's a good thing! kane & jim borrows a lot of elements inspired by other whump series too, i made a whole post listing them here! mainly inspired by 5 other whump series plus the anime/manga the case study of vanitas. seeing someone's writing and thinking of a story on your own based off that isn't stealing, and that's not a healthy way to look at creativity.

and if you're calling something a trope, then it's definitely not an idea "belonging" to a specific writer. the whole meaning of the term trope is that it's something common.

if this is something that worries you, you could try writing something along the lines of "inspired by [story] by [author]!" in your writing post. i've had that happen to me a bunch of times, and every time i see it i get so happy! i'm always honored when people take inspiration from my writing! (PLUS i get to see my favorite tropes done again without any writing-effort on my part hehehe...)

"There is no such thing as an original idea." - Mark Twain

[yuseirra]

Hi there, lovely artist! Do you watch the oshi no ko anime? I ask because I wondered if you are excited to see their depiction of Hikaru, because you make such lovely art of him (it's a depiction I quite like :)). It made me wonder if you have some kind of expectations for the anime.

I'm personally very excited to see Hikaru animated and voice acted :D

Hello anon~ thanks for calling me lovely!♥ I love getting complimented!

Oh! I watched the first 2 eps of the second season, then I decided to put off watching it for a while (I can always buy it in our local OTT platform, they have it there!) because the manga... ;v; is already making my head spin so much already. I can only focus on one thing at a time... It was SO good though!!// I remember how the first episode started with stage-play, which was very impressive. The opening animation sequence is amazing too! I'd like to binge it all at once later.

Hmm...about expectations, I personally consider the current arc to be great in terms of depicting Aqua's psychology. It was peak in terms of helping us understand his character, so I appreciate that a lot. We get to see all his pains and trauma and the struggles he had, and it was so powerful. I'm sure the anime would be touching on those currently, if they do a great job with that (along with Akane's rivalry with Kana and how they shine on stage in different ways) I feel I'd be happy with it! Also that scene with Melt. I'm sure that one's been animated because I saw a thumbnail of it on youtube. I'm also looking forward to the aqukana date. That's one of the few peaceful, cute moments we have. I'm sure I'd watch that part the moment it comes out because I'm curious how that's going to be acted out.. and I need to see some happy moments in onk for once. Stuff's been depressing in the manga lately and I feel sorry for a lot of characters;;

OH... thank you!// I'm so happy to hear you like my depiction of him!!/// That gives me strength. Yeah, I'm excited too, because we never saw his color palettes yet, haven't we!! It's going to be all over the internet once it's out, won't it...I'm a little worried if I got it way off.. but I'm prepared to take what they give us! The anime team does the series justice. I trust they will come up with something good. I just mentioned I'd watch the aqukana dating scene as it comes out.. well, that scene with hikaru's also a scene I want to watch (and I NEED to in order to get his color schemes right in the future 'cause I draw! o<-<)

I really want him to get a bright color palette, because his name has to do with both "god" and "light"... or the god of light if combined.. I SERIOUSLY believe he HAS to do with amenouzume, the entertainment god's husband!! That god conveniently is said to have a "shining body" and is called the god of the bright lights!!!! There is no way that has nothing do do with him!! I don't really picture him with dark eyes, I feel golden eyes would really suit him because that gives off the "light" imagery and it'd make sense. It'd also be able to make his black star eyes really stand out as he has them.. and I feel he'd make a good contrast with Ai if he's colored a bit brighter than Aqua or Ruby. purple and yellow contrast each other very well! So I'm crossing my fingers for that to happen. Same here, I'm really curious how he'd sound like, and I'm happily awaiting to see his depiction in the anime. Since I drew a lot of things about him already, I'd be a bit embarrassed if happened to get his colors off... but?? It's the colors I really want. So I won't regret having colored him that way. We can all dream, right!

I drew them upon having received your ask!

it'd be really nice if he has these bright colors that contrasts Ai's dark purple. Saying this again because I really want that to happen ;v;)9999

I get chatty, I hope you can feel my excitement! :) This series makes me both so nervous and excited... I guess it will be like that for awhile.

Let's keep having fun together! I appreciate your ask and I hope you have a fun weekend!

[raine-kai]

Minor OPLA Details I Love

Now that I have come to terms with the edits to Nojiko (I am a sucker for sister stories and was deeply sad they edited that trust and support out), and watched pretty much every reaction video I could find on YouTube, I have some things I wanna point out that I absolutely adore.

The fact that though this Luffy is softer, less inclined towards insulting and strongarming people like Coby and Zoro respectively, it is done in such a way where it enhances the resulting relationship.

The degree to which Zoro is attached to Luffy warms my heart as a Zoro->Luffy shipper. The way in Baratie he initially wanted to sit next to Luffy, and only ended up farthest from him because his swords wouldn't let him is <3

The toning down of Sanji's fixation on women is done excellently, and is actually enhanced by the change to Nami's character, where she is not inclined to encourage him. If I'd heard about this before I'd seen the season, I would have doubted that it could work this way, but it still feels like them, and I look forward to seeing how this dynamic endures next season.

The Kobymeppo Diaries adaptation worked so well? I'm impressed with how naturally they had Helmeppo progress from asshole to very likable.

The Mihawk-Zoro duel was so good. I am not into action scenes, but this show made me realize that I'm just not into typical Hollywood action scenes, and I'm really into these more choreographed, emotionally heightened fights that OPLA pulls off so well in general, but it was especially apparent for me in the Mihawk-Zoro duel.

Given that they included more set-up in this season to Baroque Works, I'm wondering if they'll bring Kuro back as one of the random Baroque Works agents.

I love that Luffy's growth as a captain gets more focus in this show than it did at this stage of the manga. I love that Zoro is at his side, explicitly his first mate as he councils Luffy to be more cautious than Luffy naturally is.

I also love that the Zoro-Sanji rivalry originates more in Zoro needling Sanji, which seems to be out of his need to be Luffy's right-hand man, and seeing Sanji as a potential threat. (Honestly, I'm not a fan of how their rivalry began in the manga/anime, and as a Zoro->Luffy and Sanji->Luffy shipper, I am so happy that what I headcanon as the real reason they argue is canon so far in OPLA.)

The sheer attention to detail, omg. All the details that lead back to systems and figures and events and companies that we know exist in the One Piece universe is mind-boggling to me and I have so much respect for the crew that put all those set pieces together.

The way they made Usopp's lies a charming personality quirk, both through the actor's charisma and through this version of Luffy's reactions, was remarkable to me.

I just love this show. The way they managed to rearrange canon in a way that still feels so authentic to the characters and their relationships and the world and the story is amazing. I feel so lucky to be part of the One Piece fandom this year, we are blessed. 🥰

[izunx]

I saw on your master list you wanted some black clover requests and so was thinking how about Finral and Magna (separately) with an s/o who has strong magic but isn't really confident in their abilities and them just encouraging their s/o. Fluff would be great thank you

S/O with strong powers! ✧.*

. Thank u smmm!! this concept is so cuteee . disclaimer; I'm currently reading the manga and I watched the anime quite a while ago so please don't pay mind if its ooc! . warnings: none

✧.* Finral x gn reader ✧.* Magna x gn reader

FINRAL Roulacase

It's been too long. Too long since you've last looked happy and confident and it's been having a toll on Finral too. Should he bring it up? Should he just let you do your own thing and find yourself? He couldn't even if he wanted to. And that's why he's lost for words as your both sitting down at the base of the black bulls:

"Y/n- You seem quite down? Is there any problems??" He held his breath.

"Huh?" You looked off into the distance, debating whether your little problem was a big enough deal to talk about. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of the man you love.

"Nothing really, it's nothing" You gave him a reassuring smile. But he could easily see through that façade.

He gently took your hand and placed it into his, he had worry weaved into his eyebrow. You couldn't help yourself at that face.

"It's just I just don't know how I possibly made it into this squad," he looked at you and you knew he was intently listening; reassuring you to go on, "I don't think my abilities are enough."

At that, his jaw drapped.

"Are you kidding me y/n?! You're amazing!" He squeezed your hand. If anything, the man was puzzled. Wondering if you were being serious.

"You think so?" You looked down into your lap.

"If anything, I look up to you love" He put his arm around you and whispered into your ear (it kinda hurt his pride saying this next part)

"I honestly think you're one of the strongest, miles better than me for sure and you're up there! You're an inspiration to a lot of the knights I can tell you that" He once more gave you a wide smile and glided his hand up and down your arm in a reassuring manner.

"You're too good for me, Finral" You immediately wrapped your arms around him, smiling into his shoulders. "You say I'm strong but I'm stronger when you're with me"

And you've done it again, got Finral smiling n' blushing like a teenage girl with a crush.

"If you'd like, we can train together" He broke the hug but his arm remained on you.

You smiled at that, you just knew you got lucky finding a gem like Finral. "Yeah, I'd like that"

You both got up, smiling like idiots but on the way out he just had to grumble, "there's no point anyways, you'll destroy me in a second love" and to that, you laughed loudly. No one could make you feel better but him.

MAGNA Swing

"Do you know what's up with y/n?" Luck asked Magna curiously, "she doesn't want to fight me anymore"

"Huh?? Are you sure you aren't going delusional?"

You'd never refuse a fight. Rather you were the one challenging him or Luck to those fights, testing out your abilities day by day. You were one of the stronger magic knights. You knew your worth, but that's only what he thought. Not wanting to worry Magna, you ended up not telling him what you were feeling at all.

"I'll go speak with her, something must be up," And off he ran.

Unbeknown to you, Magna had a fat crush on you. Everyone except you knew this. He would most literally do everything at your command. It was his priority to make sure you're alright.

"Y/N!!" Magna ran into your room, panicked.

"Magna? What's wrong?" You were laying on the bed, clueless as to why you had a scrawny tallish man barge into your room.

"Are you sick?"

"... No? Magna are you alright?"

"I am but are you?" He slowly made his way to you and sat in the chair opposite you as you got up to sit in the bed.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?"

"Don't lie to me y/n, I'm not the brightest but it doesn't take a smartass to know that you would never refuse a fight for no reason."

You gave him one of those smiles. The smile that made his heart skip a beat and his stomach do backflips. You knew he was the one for you the very moment he took his time out of his days to help each other train; you liked him. A lot.

"I can't hide anything from you" You looked down at your lap, not knowing where to start.

"Do you think I'm strong enough to stay here?"

He looked at you for a second, lost.

"Strong enough? Y/n you're even too good to be training with me of all people."

"But-"

"Absolutely no buts y/n." He grabbed your hand and looked at you with piercing eyes.

"I was born a peasant, I don't have much magic at all but you proved to me that I can work and train to earn myself some strength. And you're one of the knights that work the hardest everyday so don't ever undermine your strength."

His speech could've brought anyone to tears and it most certainly brought you to sobbing.

You hugged him tight, laying your head on his shoulder as he sat there frozen, not knowing what to do.

"God Magna, you're honestly a gem" You looked at him with softness in your eyes, "I like you, Magna." And at that, he lost his shit.

"REALLY?" He didn't know what to say, his hands were strangled in the air. He ultimately decided to put his arms tightly wrapped around you. He inhaled your scent and appreciated you.

"I like you a lot too, y/n" And the rest of the evening was spent with both of you gushing your feelings out, embracing each other.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

My memory is terrible so I wanted to do a breakdown of my stuff every once in a while. Might be monthly, might be whenever I feel like it. Also there are too many shows on and something is always finishing or starting so a month is a lot.

BL - Currently Watching

1000 Years Old [2/12] - It's silly, and entertaining and makes me laugh. The friend group is delightful and I'm having a good time watching them. Was excited for a minute when Yo suggested a haircut for Pun because I cannot handle that wig. 🤞

Anti Reset [5/10] - This is one of the most frustrating shows I've watched in a while. The show doesn't seem to settle on what is actually trying to say about the AI of it all, and when it says something I'm not crazy about it. Why is it so frustrating? Because they are so fucking endearing when they're together on screen. I wanna love this show so much.

Cherry Magic Th [11/12]– I love them so much. I'm fascinated by the choices that the show is making. As a big fan of the manga and the jbl I came into this with reservations and this show is just blowing my mind. This was the best episode 11 of all time and Tay/New are delivering. My heart is so full with this.

Cherry Magic Anime [7/12]– Another helicopter ride! Yay. The date song was hilarious. We're now getting to the point where they are dating and Adachi is feeling guilty for lying so I'm curious how the show will adapt the next phase of the relationship.

Dead Friend Forever [10/12]– Glad to see we are all on board with Tan's murderous impulses. It's been so much fun having more people join in on the fun. As for me, I NEED White to stay alive. That's really all I want. Getting curious about how Perth factors in to all of this.

My Strawberry Film[2/8] - I feel it coming. I see sadness in my future. But I'm bracing because I'm loving the look of this show. And pining boys are my favourite type of boys. I'm ready.

Ossan's Love Returns [8/9] - The videos messages destroyed me but then that ending made me annoyed. I don't know what to expect in terms of Kurosawa but I hope he's not actually dying and there's a really good reason for all this. Medical mal practice might be the thing. Although as @twig-tea pointed out to me, since it was said in show it might not actually happen. I want happy for the ending anyway.

Perfect Propose [5/6] . Why must I only have them for 6 episodes??? I need more. Kai is everything to me, and that back hug followed by that smile melted by cold heart. Hiro's boss needs something heavy to fall on him from a great height. And please Hiro,sweetie, I need you to eat better and sleep.

Although I Love You, and You? [7/10]- Sakae is letting me down. And by that I mean, the show is letting me down. Sakae needs to put his foot down with Mizuki and go back to being a fool in love with Soga.

To Be Continued [1/8] - It's not amazing. but I'm a sucker for second chance romance and there are two couples so there's a 50% chance I will like this. We'll see. Also, they need to start hiring younger actors for the high school flashbacks. This goes for A Secretly Love too. Having 27 year olds and up playing ten years younger just won't do. It's terrible.

Unknown [2/12] - I'm intrigued. Not completely sold yet but I'm liking it so far. Also nothing would keep me away from watching Sam Lin again.

Also watched the first episode of A Secretly Love and caught up with City of Stars but it's on the 'I need to shut of my brain' schedule so I'm not necessarily watching to weekly.

BL - Finished

Cooking Crush - I will miss all of them. I loved it so much. The whole cut/uncut version thing was annoying and the editing was weird at times but overall this was wonderful. Communication done right. Relationships and character growth was stellar and both couples won my heart. Aungpao really surprised me, considering he was surrounded my pros on all sides. Dynamite was a joy to watch. And OffGun delivering with all the kissing. Everyone should watch this.

The Sign - I mean, what they did to this show is absolutely insane. Not airing the finale like the rest of the show. Having to pay extra for happy ending is ridiculous (although I kinda predicted this and @lurkingshan is my witness. I said as a joke and it turns out reality is a joke.) Then waiting 2 whole weeks for whatever that was. Just the most unsatisfying experience. Go read this from Shan because I agree with everything said there. Also @bengiyo final thoughts here really echo how I felt about this show overall.

Happy Ending - 20 minutes split in 3. Why? No idea. Was it a happy ending? I think so. Was it cute? Sure. Was it great to watch Seong Hyuk again? You betcha. But I didn't love it. I need Choco Milk Shake S2, like, TODAY.

Playboyy - It ended.

Rose Watches OJBL - I feel bad about this. I didn't watch any of the ones I planned to. This might seem like whatever but I've been trying to catch up with awards season films, because since uni, me and a couple of friends always do it and finish it by watching the oscars together and so ojbl was were I dropped the ball. Gonna restart soon though.

Not BL - Watched this month

Night Has Come Death's Game Shop for Killers

That's it for right now. As usual my ask box is open for gif requests and any other questions. All my gifs are under #rosygifs.

Have a good week💜

[cyberbun]

hats off to the writing in the ILTV finale; I've had my gripes with the way the anime has been adapted so far but episode 12 really hit the nail on the head I think.

That added monologue where Rei goes "no, actually, I actually wish she would notice me and fall in love with me and see me the way I see her", while it was condensing a much longer internal monologue, was a wonderful little summation of her feelings and I feel like the added bluntness does a lot for how raw her feelings come across as.

and while I was sad that "Rae is mine, don't take her from me" got translated the coward's way ("Don't take what's mine from me") the addition of Claire physically grabbing her and pulling her away does sooooo much for her character, especially since the manga and the light novel never really addressed the fact that Rei and Manaria treated her like a prize to be won. One of my biggest concerns with LN1 is how little internality Claire gets, so her falling in love in LN2 felt a little sudden. That little bit does so much for her to reassert herself into the narrative and makes her realizing her feelings feel so much more natural.

Just, wonderful, I was looking forward to this arc a lot and I'm so happy it got done justice with the very obviously limited resources that the anime was working with.

[tuliharja]

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Conflict episode 3 review

*Screaming, crying, shouting, giggling, rolling around, shouting, crying, screaming.* I just knew this week's episode would be hard on me because it would be centered around Ukitake, and as a manga reader, I just knew the cruel fate of Ukitake. While I'm happy we finally got almost a full episode of Ukitake at the same time I'm deeply sad and upset and not at all okay. Mainly because Ukitake got the super short end of the stick. He was always living with a bomb inside of him, because just because some local God healed his 'illness' (and even that failed, because hello? Ukitake was still sick!) in exchange for getting his all organs? What kind of deal that is? A poor one! Super-duper stupid and poor one. Then again, there is always a catch when someone promises you something that seems too good to be true.

And before anyone starts 'but Ukitake lived centuries, so if you really think about it...' I don't want to read that. I still think Ukitake (and his parents) got tricked, though the parents knew (?) that in exchange for curing Ukitake's illness, he would lose his organs. While it's obvious his parents loved him dearly, I still think to cure illness = get our son's organs? In moments like these, I can't help but think doesn't anyone know anything about anatomy? Even I, who is very bad when comes to anatomy, I'm pretty sure without your all organs one can't live. Be it a soul or not. So, if Ukitake was going to die because of his illness...how did the pact with Mimihagi change anything? Expect made Ukitake's life...still? That flashback with Kyoraku gave us more info about that, but I couldn't help but question the end of Ukitake's sacrifice...was it worth it? I feel like Ukitake had decided to pause his life for this grand moment and that grand moment was basically his death, so in a way (at least to me) it felt like he never truly lived. Or, if he lived it was shadow life. I don't know. I feel like I'm missing some key point about Ukitake's character or it's just that I don't agree with his philosophy of 'there are two kinds of battles'. After all, it felt like his whole life did go with that mentality, which is...sad. But I suppose without that endless suffering and constant shadow of death over his shoulders, he wouldn't have been as kind a person as he was. Still. This was a very hard episode for me, especially because I know how things will turn out...

What I found interesting was the fact that Yhwach didn't see Ukitake's move. It made me think of that saying "don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing", which actually makes a lot of sense, once we progress in the anime. Manga readers will understand this statement. But even without some people knowing what that truly means, it made me wonder why Yhwach couldn't see Ukitake's move? Because he can't see what Soul King (or his parts at least) does? Because Soul King is/was (is he still in his frozen state or dead-dead?) above him and because of that, his parts were also above Yhwach? I hope the anime will answer that question somehow.

It was also interesting the rumor of Soul King's parts dropping from the sky (heaven?) was somewhat common knowledge at least among noble shinigamis...that's...when I now look at my sentence, that sounds pretty grim and horrible, doesn't it? But it begs the question: why Soul King's parts were severed and seemingly scattered all around the places? I'm pretty sure in one of Bleach's light novels' they explain that, but I can't remember that. Not to mention I hope the anime will explain that properly at some point. After all, we've got lots of filler content that has been crucial when comes to explaining certain things.

That flashback of Ukitake was bittersweet. In a way, it was very lovely to see him grow and become the man he was, but at the same time a bit sad. It was also interesting how unlike how fandom usually likes to portray everybody the newer generation of Gotei 13 treated Ukitake when he would cough blood, at least in that flashback when he was having a mock battle against Kyoraku they didn't halt it just because Ukitake coughed some blood top of him. Sure, Sasakibe (talk about him being a pretty boy in his youth!) ended the fight, but only after it had reached a certain point. I think that also explains why Ukitake had such respect for them all! After all, while he was sick, that wasn't all that he was. He was kind, and witty and stood firmly on what he believed in.

The scene of Kyoraku, Unohana, and Ukitake looking at Yamamoto's broken Zanpakuto was very...sad and grim. After all, Kyoraku all but probably knew he would be the only one left to live. Unohana was ready to throw her life for the sake of passing the Kenpachi torch to Zaraki Kenpachi and Ukitake was prepared to be a substitute for Soul King. Does that mean Ukitake knew or sensed Soul King would go down? Because if he hadn't...why else he would have been praying Mimihagi? It was an oddity that I hope will get some explanation at some point.

It made me chuckle when Urahara said for once 'I don't know about this topic at all' as usually he knows just about everything. But I suppose his non-noble roots were revealed at that point? Because at least to me it felt like Mimihagi was noble shinigamis' closely guarded secret or maybe Urahara didn't know about it and things involved it because it was just some "random local god"? But it was pretty amusing, despite the grim situation. And again Soi Fon got called out when she tried to be the 'I know this all is very sad and emotional, but the crisis isn't yet over, people!' while both me and Rukia were screaming for Ukitake...aaaaah!!!

But moving on. Finally, we saw Aizen in action. I feel like the fact he was shown in this episode and the fact the episode ended with him served as a nice contrast to Ukitake's loyalty toward Soul Society. After all, Aizen was all but scoffing at the idea of going out there to breathe air in Soul Society. Or maybe he was against it because Yhwach had ruined it? But somehow...thinking how Aizen was, I find it to be the first one. He has always been against Soul Society or rather the system of it as it's rotten. He went openly against it, while Ukitake went too against it in his own way. Once again, we were back to contrast in this episode, which was very interesting! And more contrasts were brought with that last bit of Uryuu's ending poem. The next episode's title...kind of gives a hint of what it might be about.

[redge]

【OSHI NO KO】 Season 2 Episode 19

If I seem very biased with my reactions, please note that she is my favourite OnK character. 😊

This expression looked so sad like she just resigned and enjoyed looking from the sidelines as the actors acted their part. Another post, another please grant happiness to this character, I beg you Akasaka-sensei 🥲

"My gosh Uchiyama Koki as the voice actor of Himekawa Taiki is just really making me hope Taiki gets more more screentime" was my reaction when I first watched this scene. Some of my adored anime characters are voiced by Uchiyama Koki :D

The same script, and the same characters, but with added flavour is what this season does every time. ♥

My real-time reactions when I first watched this scene: "I can't believe the most skinship we get from Aqua and Kana is through a play hahaha"

"Why is this so elaborate compared to the manga I am screaminggggggg"

🤣🤣🤣 Also can you see Himekawa's smile in the anime like why the smirk Taiki?! In my head, Taiki and Aqua planned this together hahahaha

Last June 18, Mengo-sensei posted this on Twitter (X) along with that panel and it sure came as a shock to me because it just came out of nowhere! Season 2 was not even airing at that time yet and this was chapter 62 and the latest chapter when she posted it was chapter 152 (beginning of the last arc of the story). I guess we'll never know what these mangakas are cooking until the feast is done. 😅

No manga comparison because these frames were anime-original. Like I was just expecting this chapter to be animated as it is but anime production went above and beyond I am truly grateful. ♥

In Aqua's She shines brightest when her face screams "Look at me!” thoughts, I was wondering why the catch ball scene didn't make it there and when I watched this episode, "Oh. that's why ♥" I don't know why this episode paid homage to all these scenes in the first season but whatever the reason, I truly enjoyed watching every bit of it. 🥰

This episode is a mixture of 😍😍😍 and 😭😭😭. Oh, Kana Arima. My heart breaks for your child self. 💔

Oh, he sure does. 😂 Not to mention he's also always confusing Kana like what is she to you, really?! Will we ever hear you say it from your own mouth?! 🤣

Akane's heartbeat 😍 I'm afraid I can't compete with Akane as a fan of Kana. Like if Kana has a membership fan club, Akane's member number is probably 000001 and I'd love her for that 🥰

This panel getting animated showing how the director really knows and understands Aqua🥹😭 This episode is really crazy because it made me happy with that Touki-Tsurugi adlib then sad about Kana's childhood then happy about all those frames of Aqua and Kana, delighted with Akane's reaction when Kana finally acted the way she used to and now I feel sorry for Aqua like this episode needs to make up its mind what do you really want from me?! 🥲

The voice acting, the animation, and all those flashbacks with Ai oh this episode ended with a bang.

I just saw posts and Tokyo Blade indeed ends in episode 20. But am I ready to see Aqua's dream? T_T

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

*The text on the floor says "(I'm) tired" in Japanese.

Ahhhhhhhhhh I'm relieved the fact that I was crazy enough to finish the insanely long fan meeting report. The fan meeting was on March 17th, and it is now April 16th in JST. Huh, I've been writing fan meeting reports for a month? Yeah, I think it took me about 60 hours, including the report on Kodaka's autograph session...

Every day for the last few days I kept thinking "It'll be done tomorrow" or "It'll be done today" but it took much longer than expected. 😅 But I think it's all thanks to the many people who liked and commented and reblogged, so as I write in every post, I really appreciate those who read it. I just write what I wanted to tell someone or draw some illustrations to explain it, but it's been a wonderful experience to see your reactions and to know that there are fans all over the world who love RAIN CODE. I sincerely hope that the fandom will continue to grow in the future.

And I would like to announce to those of you who follow this blog: This blog will take a break from posting about RAIN CODE and will return to a blog where I will post mainly about Danganronpa again. I'm sure I'll be posting posts that contain spoilers for the Danganronpa series, so if you haven't played Danganronpa yet or have only played parts of it, please feel free to unfollow me.

I have no particular desire to increase my follower count, so feel free to remove me. Of course, I'm happy and very grateful for your interest in my blog! But if you haven't played Danganronpa yet, maybe you will in the future, or maybe you'll see a streamer playing it, and I think it would be best to avoid looking at spoiler posts for those times.

By the way, I still have a lot of desire to draw characters from RAIN CODE! At least I will post some art on the first anniversary of the game's release and on the birthday of Fubuki, my favorite character. Besides that, I have about 3 ideas for manga I want to draw for a crossover with Danganronpa, and I have more ideas for drawings and animations of the characters. (I really thought I would have posted more of these by now, but I'm sad that I haven't. Time flies too fast! 😭😭😭)

Anyway, thanks for your interest, including this post. Hope you have a great day! <3