#i only liked one but my next one will be rose of versailles

[diobrando]

Oh BTW I watched lovelycomplex&kamisamakiss since making that post about shoujo anime

[sparklingpax]

worth an update,

[screamofdespair]

池田理代子 Riyoko Ikeda Interview About Oniisama E... (2016)

池田理代子 Riyoko Ikeda

Mangaka and Vocal artist, she began drawing mangas during her university studies, and her work The Rose of Versailles, serialized in 1972, became a huge success, even turning into a social phenomenon. She became highly appreciated internationally. She received the Excellence Award from the Japanese Cartoonists Association for Orpheus no Mado in 1980. The French government decorated her with the Légion d’Honneur for her contributions to spreading French history and culture in Japan.

What led to the creation of Oniisama E... ?

When the serialization of The Rose of Versailles ended, I had already decided that my next work would be a historical epic : Orpheus no Mado. But since it would take time to prepare for the historical research and start drawing it, I thought I could write something in the meantime (laughs). I feel a bit apologetic calling it just a filler, though, but actually, "Oniisama E..." was born from my own personal experiences. It’s a very important and cherished memory for me, and it just came rushing out all at once.

So, was your correspondence with the "Oniisama" also based on your own experience ?

When I was in my third year of middle school, just like Nanako, there was a preparatory course offered by university students from the University of Tokyo. I asked the graduate student who was in charge of social studies (the model for Takehiko Henmi) the same thing Nanako did: "Could you be my 'Oniisama'?" (laughs). I was deeply fascinated by the concept of an 'Oniisama" It's different from the idea of love, though. Through our letters, I learned a lot about history, religion, and various things. When I mentioned my interest in Christianity, he wrote me, "Christianity, as it is called, not only « participated » in the WW2 but was also one of its central protagonists : This is a historical truth.." I learned so much from those letters and grew a lot. I even went to the University of Tokyo’s May Festival. Actually, the "Oniisama" always had someone with him, like the omiki sake bottle. That person was the model for Takashi Ichinomiya. He was a person with a thin and delicate appearance, giving the impression of a young master from a wealthy family.

What were you like back then (during your school years) ?

I was really bad at sports, but for some reason, I was quite popular with the girls during my middle and high school years. In middle school, which was co-ed, I had good grades, had a very tanned skin, was tall, and completely lacked femininity, maybe that’s why (laughs). Even in high school, younger students would write me letters. After graduating, I found out that knowing someone like 'Ikeda-san' was really a source of pride for them.

Did you have the storyline planned out from the beginning of the serialization to the ending ?

It was more like ideas came to me as I was drawing. I don’t clearly remember if I had planned everything out until the end, but let’s say I had set certain elements in advance. For example, the idea that Kaoru and Henmi would be a couple came to me along the way (laughs). Even for The Rose of Versailles, I hadn’t decided from the start that Oscar and André would end up together. Of course, there are aspects I plan carefully, but in the end, the characters started acting on their own. And when that happens, I feel like the story is "successful."

Nanako is a very emotional girl, but also extremely determined. As for Mariko, she seems to embody the 'tsundere' archetype to some extent.

Nanako is very similar to Rosalie, isn’t she? Devoted, but in the end, she’s the strongest (laughs). For Mariko, there was a real-life model: a friend whose father wrote erotic novels. I gradually incorporated various elements from the people around me. I think many aspects are direct projections. Even the way Kaoru speaks, that’s really how we used to talk back then. We would say things like “Omae-san” (laughs). Oniisama E... reflects a lot of memories and episodes from my student life.

Oniisama E... is a short story, so its general recognition is low, but it has quite a passionate fanbase.

There are many men who tell me, "I'm a fan!". Recently, it's no longer embarrassing for men to enjoy shoujo manga. During autograph sessions, quite a few people enthusiastically tell me, "I love this work!" Some even say, "Oniisama E... is really my favorite!" When I hear that, I can't help but think, "Well, here's a true connoisseur!" (laughs). Of course, there are also many women among the fans. In that regard, I think Oniisama E... has nothing to envy from The Rose of Versailles.

And then, in 1991, it was adapted into an anime.

Actually, I was very busy at the time, so I wasn’t able to watch it properly… What left a strong impression on me, though, was how they carefully portrayed Fukiko’s feelings for Takehiko, which I hadn’t depicted in the original. I thought, "Oh, that’s so wonderful." It really fit perfectly, and there was no sense of discomfort at all.

It's a remarkable aspect of the anime adaptation. I wish I could have read it in your manga as well.

If I had a little more time, I would have liked to draw it myself. Originally, due to the planning period for Orpheus no Mado, I was rushed. Even though I still had many ideas in mind, it felt like I was forced to wrap it up (laughs).

Given what you’ve just mentioned, have you ever thought about remaking or creating a sequel to your own works?

Right now, I’m drawing a chapter for The Rose of Versailles, but... the art from that time was really bad, and I even hate re-reading it. I realize there were things I could only draw back then. When the serialization of The Rose of Versailles ended, I realized that in order to depict Europe, I would have needed much more knowledge of Christianity. That’s why, before starting Orpheus no Mado, I spent a lot of time studying Christianity. I don’t think I could have drawn the story without that knowledge. A work is the product of its time, of its era, the sensitivities, and the knowledge of the author, so remaking something seems difficult to me.

In 2017, you'll be celebrating your 50th anniversary as a writer.

I can't believe it's already been so long, and at the same time, I realize that some parts of my body are starting to hurt, which reminds me of my age (laughs). I've also been very active in music, but lately, progress has been slower. However, I truly want to cherish each passing year. For me, true happiness is living in a way that I would never regret anything, even if I were to die tomorrow. There's no reason to look back on the past. After all, it’s impossible to rewrite it. I don’t reread my works much either (laughs). I’ve lived my way, sometimes causing trouble to others, but doing what I wanted (laughs).

For this Blu-ray release, new illustrations were specially drawn.

I wasn’t satisfied with the drawings of The Rose of Versailles because I think they were awkwardly executed. Personally, I think Oniisama E... is the work where I drew the best. At that time, I was able to draw very precisely, even the lines were very clean. Over time, some works become hard to rediscover, but Oniisama E... is the one I drew almost effortlessly, simply letting the ideas flow. That’s why, even today, I can dive back into it without effort (laughs).

To those who have brought this product.

Oniisama E... is a work that originates from my own experiences, and it’s the work that I’ve let mature the longest, so I have a strong emotional connection to it. The idea for The Rose of Versailles came to me when I was in my second year of high school, which is quite early, but Oniisama E... came even before that. I would like as many people as possible to see and read it.

About Osamu Tezuka :

He wasn’t my lover, nor a relative, and calling him a friend would be too presumptuous. When I heard the news of his death, I really hit the desk and cried uncontrollably. That feeling was something I’d never experienced before, and it was the first time I felt that way about Tezuka-sensei. I truly respected him. Recently, it’s been the same with Muhammad Ali. Tezuka-sensei's Wellspring of the Crane was the first work that deeply moved me when I read it. It really squeezed my heart. I read it at a friend's house, and after returning home, I couldn’t eat, and my mother wondered if I had picked up some food off the ground. Ah, no one could understand! I remember thinking, as a child, that my sensitivity was different from others! (laughs).

Source: Oniisama E... Blu-Ray BOX SET Booklet.

Note : The translation might not be the most accurate word-for-word, but i did my best to make it coherent.

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

Okay, I caved and downloaded Romance Club😭😭 Does anyone have any good story recommendations? I'm still gonna be on Choices and post Choices content (and finish off the books on my reading list). I just feel like I need to stop relying on one storytelling app

Ugh, this is such a weird feeling! It reminds me of when I switched from Episode to Choices and I had to acclimate to the better quality of stories imao. I just wanna ✨expose myself✨ to more interactive apps and since Storyscape or wtvr doesn't exist anymore this is the closest I can get

And The Haze Will Take Us (UP TO DATE)

Kali: Flame of Samsara (UP TO DATE)

Astrea's Broken Heart (UP TO DATE)

Heaven's Secret: Requiem (UP TO DATE)

Chasing You 2 (UP TO DATE)

W: Time Catcher (UP TO DATE)

Love, Sin, and Evil Vol. 1 (UP TO DATE)

Garden of Eden (UP TO DATE)

Soulless (UP TO DATE)

7 Brothers (UP TO DATE)

Song of the Crimson Nile (UP TO DATE)

Legend of the Willow (NEXT DIAMOND RUSH)

Heart of Trespia (NEXT DIAMOND RUSH)

Psi (NEXT DIAMOND RUSH)

Chasing You (STARTED...)

Sails in the Fog (STARTED...)

Dracula: A Love Story (STARTED...)

Rage of the Titans (STARTED...)

Hell and Highwater (STARTED...)

Shadows of Saintfour

COMPLETED

Kali: Call of Darkness: 9/10; love the MC, the characters, the story progression, the Dozen lore, replayability, etc. but gets a point off for its problematic depiction of Indian culture and Hinduism) tbh it deserves an extra point or two off because I despise the way Remy clearly wrote from a Eurocentric perspective, but this is also the first RC book I read after the slew of mid Choices books so I got attached unfortunately

Theodora: 9.6/10; I got the ending where I was only able to save my soul and it made me sad 😭 the story was well written but there were parts where I was just a lil bored. At least, that’s how I felt initially before I became obsessed with the book. It's objectively amazing etc. but I feel kinda robbed from screentime with the OG characters if that makes sense? Either way the writer did a great job writing them into the plot in later seasons and the MC is so amazing I love her <3 it’s not easy to write the progression of multiple relationships already but to have a different set of likable LIs every season is incredible!

Arcanum: 9.8/10; THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD omg I love how the plot came full circle and the MC was interesting and well-written (her character design was also top tier). It's such a unique concept for a book I love it. I feel like S3 could have gone by a lil quicker (along with a couple of other nitpicky things) but that could just be because S2 was so full of action

Heaven's Secret: 9.9/10; I just started its sequel, but I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging this book was! I like the gradual progression from being a new student to slowly learning the truth behind your death and about the academy. The final battle scene was super cool, and I feel like everything had a logical explanation (ex. Shepha only having power over light). I also like the different pathways of being an Angel, Demon, or Harmony Bearer (which I was!) it was really fun and seems like a replayable book <3

The Desert Rose: [review pending, check later]

The One Volume 2: [review pending, check later]

Vying for Versailles: [review pending, check later]

Sins of London: [review pending, check later]

Heaven's Secret 2: [review pending, check later]

[filmhead-productions]

I know everyone and their mom has already said Snivy, Torchic, and Piplup will be the legends z-a starters. And they're completely 100% right, and here's why. Remember, this is only speculation, please don't take some rando's word as fact.

First off, evidence. I'm sure we've all already seen the Indigo Disk trailer with Snivy, Torchic, and Piplup with the previous legends starters, Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott respectively.

But has anyone said anything about the tera raids events? The first was Mighty Blaziken from January 19th to 21st; it's tera type was Flying type. And you're probably asking "but the new starters are probably getting megas and Blaziken already has one." Yes, but why can't he have two? Charizard and Mewtwo do, and Blaziken's quite popular, so a second mega isn't out of the question in my eyes.

Next was Mighty Empoleon from February 9th to 11th. It's tera type was Ice type.

As of this post, Serperior has yet to get a raid event, but I believe the next starter tera raid will be this haughty plant snake, and I believe it's tera type will be Fighting. Why? Because it completes this type trio:

Fighting > Ice > Flying

So we have three starters who final evolutions will be Fire/Flying, Water/Ice, and Grass/Fighting. But why these types specifically? Strap in, because this is where things get interesting.

Everyone knows that Empoleon is based on Napoleon Bonaparte, infamous general and emperor of France. So why not Water/Fighting? Because in 1812, Napoleon attempted to lead an army into Russia to conquer it. What he failed to account for was the frigid weather, which took out the majority of his troops and forced them to retreat. So maybe Kalosian Empoleon will be in this constant state of near freezing based on this event, it would be a glass cannon.

People chose Torchic as the fire starter since the rooster is France's national animal. It became France's symbol because in ancient times, when the Roman Empire occupied France (then named Gaul), the rooster wasn't worshipped, but rather the god it symbolized, Mercury, the Roman god of travelers, communication, and many others things. Mercury was also known for being very, very fast. So maybe Kalosian Blaziken will be a speedy pokemon.

About the travelers and communication bit, perhaps this oversized chicken will also be inspired by messenger pigeons, which were used during World War I to send messages across countries. (Let's hope that if abilities come back, this doesn't get speed boost again, lmao)

Finally, we come to Serperior. Pokemon designer Ken Sugimori said that Serperior was inspired by a manga called The Rose of Versailles, we all know this. It's about a woman raised as a boy trained to be a royal guard, who later leaves to join the side of the revolution. Kalosian Serperior could look more like a literal rose, covered in thorns, and will probably have a lance for a tail. This snake will definitely be both offensive and defensive, best of both worlds.

So we have a general, a guard, and a messenger. The theme surrounding these three things seems to be wartimes. A hint at the story maybe? Honestly, I could be dead wrong on this, but I don't care, I love this trio, I hope I at least get close. I might make another post speculating with other starters. Any thoughts?

EDIT 3/31/24: Ok so the next tera raid was announced, and I was kind of right. It is a grass type starter. However, it's Meganium with Psychic tera type...

Y'know what? I think I'll try and make a post predicting what this is about later.

[zukadiary]

Kazuki Sora taidan diary 〜 2024.2.11

(also kind of a Boiled Doyle on the Toil Trail / Frozen Holiday write up)

I've now woken up eight times in a world where Kazuka Sora is an OG (changing that number daily, as I've been trying to write this for six days), and the sense of having somehow slipped into a severely incorrect timeline is getting progressively stronger. Coupled bizarrely with that is deep, deep gratitude that, despite everything that's happened in the last four years, and especially in the last five months, she got a gut-wrenchingly, absolutely devastatingly beautiful taidan. I can't say perfect, because perfect would have been after a well deserved top star run. But barring that, I never dreamed it would get this close.

Long post incoming.

I have to set the stage...

Once upon a time in 2013, Asaka Manato, then nibante in Ouki Kaname's Soragumi, got her turn starring in Brilliant Dreams +NEXT, a multi-part Sky Stage series where you got to like, do some stuff of your choice with other people in your troupe. She decided to recreate some of her favorite revue choreography, and a friend alerted me that one episode was dedicated to the infamous Rosso scene from Takarazuka's Dream Kingdom (which, as you can see in the linked post, completely short circuited noob me from a decade ago). Maasama was still a good 2+ years from winning me over at the time, and I think I reluctantly watched it with some level of offense that she touched a Komu thing. As I'm sitting in front of my computer rolling my eyes, out comes this tiny thing in capri pants, mismatched socks, suspenders, and thick glasses: ken-4 Kazuki Sora, here to report on the situation in the rehearsal room.

She spent her airtime cracking jokes, tripping on her tongue, riding on Susshi's shoulders, and generally acting like Soragumi's annoying kid brother. I thought she was funny.

Another friend told me she thought she was tracked. I absolutely did not believe her.

Then, against a fair amount of adversity, she got the 100th anniversary Rose of Versailles shinko lead, and my eyes widened a bit. The next time I found myself in Japan, I was gifted a 9th row seat to what coincidentally happened to be her first ginkyou crossing in PHOENIX Takarazuka! I'd been spending the show curiously scanning the stage for her, and when I witnessed the gap between reporter and performer, my jaw hit the floor.

Afterwards, my kangeki companion asked if I was interested in anyone in the troupe. I said Kazuki Sora. She recoiled and said "but she's so short."

***

Something that I noticed during this taidan trip is that covid-era fans met a wildly different Sora than I know. Growing up in 2010s Soragumi was uniquely rough. I'm not even talking about ::hand waves:: the present circumstances and what may or may not have lead up to them; I mean they persisted with a level of star saturation through the dawn of the pandemic that had kinda crazy consequences for the otokoyaku track. Not only was the track itself overcrowded, but the troupe also held onto a number of non-tracked upperclassmen to whom they seemed unwaveringly committed to casting in juicy roles. I remember when things seemed so untenable that Soragumi fans were universally on pins and needles waiting for what felt like an inevitable big transfer out, and I remember freezing in shock on the side of the road when instead they transferred Serika Toa in.

Here's some analysis for perspective:

Kiki is the third oldest top of all time, and spent more time as nibante alone than Tamaki Ryou took to get from debut to top.

Lord knows how long Soragumi will be in this state of flux, but if they come out of it and Kiki gets a normal number of shows, AND Sakuragi Minato is next, Zun could immediately overtake Kiki for third place

Speaking of Zun, her first two-city lead was in 2020. Looking at her top star douki, Rei Makoto's and Yuzuka Rei's were in 2017, and Tsukishiro Kanato's was in 2018.

Rukaze Hikaru's first bow lead was in 2019, two years later than her other tracked douki, Akatsuki Chisei (four if you count A-EN).

Slightly more invisible but just as devastating, the lessened exposure on stage between leads has likely resulted in lower fan club numbers and less overall popularity.

...and back to Sora. Hundreds of us filled Hibiya Park this past weekend, but Sora spent her early Takarazuka career so buried that, despite being a triple threat on stage and an utter delight off, her fan base was small enough that at ken-7 they let me, not yet even a club member, accompany my friend to demachi where I became the third attendee. For years, Sora was, frustratingly, an in-person only watch. I'd go to Japan, memorize her positions, miss the rest of the show for following her with my opera glasses, and pop in the DVD at home only to find her always just off screen. A Motion was one of the most fun times I've had in a Takarazuka theater, and on the DVD during my favorite Sora SOLO, the camera is on Sorahane Riku wordlessly dancing.

I was floored when she got Anita. I was livid that she could give THAT PERFORMANCE and immediately afterwards be cast as an ensemble soldier in Red River (although she was so good in Citrus Breeze that after 5 years of deluding myself that I "couldn't betray my beloved Yukigumi like that" ((ironic, right?)) I finally caved and joined club). I stress dreamed multiple times about the impending bow announcement before she got Hustle Mates. I cried when she finally came down the stairs between two musumeyaku in Ocean's Eleven at ken-10, in which she played Linus, a role that felt like a big break even though it had previously always gone to ken-6s. FINALLY, the massive Ocean's taidan relieved a little pressure, and I felt a tangible thrill when suddenly she was all over the Aqua Vitae shonichi digest, something that had never happened before.

That's where we left off in February 2020, when the Diamond Princess docked in Yokohama, and my therapist didn't know what I was talking about when I said I was giving myself a stomachache watching live case numbers ahead of my scheduled trip, and I canceled my flight, and I put my freshly printed pack of homemade Suleiman postcards under my bed, and I didn't see her for 4 years 4 months and 3 days.

***

It's hard to talk about Sora's taidan announcement and not come off as biased and overly dramatic, given that she's my girl. But in 11 years of countless taidan announcements, I've never come close to being as blindsided by one as I was with hers. The vibe I've gotten is that fans, siennes, and patrons alike were all properly shocked.

I'd spent the better part of a decade internally screaming for Takarazuka to act like they recognize her undeniable talent. Frustratingly, it finally started happening during covid. While I was living under the impression that Hustle Mates was a genuine miracle, she got an unimaginable second lead... then, thanks to the breathing room in her new Yukigumi home, a third... and then a fourth. Having been burned for so long, I've always firmly been team I-don't-think-Sora-is-going-to-make-top, but despite that, I was actually starting to believe it could—dare I say would—happen. I wasn't even certain the people murmuring on twitter that she might leapfrog Aasa were completely delusional. I went into Hyperbolic Chart, my looooong awaited reunion, excited to assess Kasumi Sana as her potential future partner. I enthusiastically bought all her postcards for future writing, because the last time I'd seen her, she, at ken-10, didn't have postcards.

Two days after that I found myself again frozen in shock on the side of the road.

Two days after that.... yeah.

***

Somehow, despite 11 years of knowing how this works, of weathering various taidans with friends, of crying in bathrooms until they started cleaning the theater at taidans that weren't even technically mine, I was also completely blindsided by the taidan experience itself.

Part of it was definitely the time skip, from years of intimate Sora fandom to nothing to a couple of A-seki (she's the it girl now!) for a lead I wouldn't have chosen with a troupe I barely recognize anymore to bye, she's gone. Part of it was being thrown back into this after 4+ years of pandemic-dulled emotions, followed by the exhaustion of Takarazuka's crisis era. Part of it was lowered expectations from the largely uninspired and under funded lineup of forgettable shows churned out by tired directors of dubious morality. Part of it was the disaster-shortened Mura run, the self-preserving dissociation fueled by the pain and disbelief that there was a dinner show and I wasn't at it, followed by a month and a half stretch of work so busy it was still going while I sat at the ANA gate for my 1am flight.

But I got here and squeezed into one of those red seats and then all at once I was an unsealed vacuum, cracked wide open, and Doyle and Frozen Holiday rushed in and filled the airless void till it burst.

Boiled Doyle on the Toil Trail

I've been down on Yukigumi.

Yukigumi has been my home troupe for the vast majority of my fandom. I had the fancy Swarovski crystal Yukigumi bag charms, the whole Yukigumi getup from Sports Day '14, Yukigumi albums, Yukigumi chopsticks, etc etc etc. I literally didn't join Sora club for years because I couldn't imagine being pulled out of Yukigumi. But while I was locked out of the country, the march of time took my favorite top star and the vast majority of my emotional support upperclassmen. The pandemic spit Yukigumi out in a state that just made me reeeeeeeeally sad. So I stopped watching them. That's the exact moment they picked to put Sora there.

I hate to admit it, but I still haven't totally caught up on her Yukigumi time.

Which is probably the main reason this show caught me SO off guard... even having watched AND enjoyed the Mura livestream. Sora is best watched in person, after all.

Doyle—a silly take on Arthur Conan Doyle's life, and how he used a magic pen to write Sherlock Holmes by accident, thus setting into motion a runaway series of events—is not only a fun and joyful show, it's a masterpiece of casting. The top 4 were at their absolute peak, and it was a thrill to watch.

I've been watching Ayakaze Sakina since her shinjin kouen days, and my write-ups over the years probably betray my rollercoaster hot and cold journey through her career. I really liked Doyle as a lead for her though. She essentially plays a big idiot wifeguy with a dream, an imaginary best friend, and little conviction; she was very funny and charming. If you were one of the lucky few who managed to see On the 20th Century, think that guy but earnestly the main character vs. dude with main character syndrome. The older I get, the more I have a soft spot for shows where the top combi has "ecstatically celebrating at least their tenth wedding anniversary" energy, and this was one of those.

...Thanks in large part to Yumeshiro Aya, who is absolutely everything. She may be boosted by consistently reminding me of Shirahane Yuri since her partial lead in the 103s Bunkasai, but she also has a very particular type of girlboss energy that I don't feel like I've seen in quite a while. It isn't wearing the proverbial pants energy (a la early TamaChapi), but it is overwhelming I got this energy. I find her to be the absolute embodiment of a top musumeyaku, in that she understands the assignment (making the top star better), while perching on the edge of the backseat just enough that she doesn't overpower Saki, but she's still a knockout in her own right. She probably exudes an extra dose of this energy as Louisa Doyle, who plays a very similar role in her husband's life and writing career. I could not be more thrilled that Aya isn't retiring yet.

Asami Jun plays the aforementioned imaginary friend/magic pen-generated apparition, who happens to be Sherlock Holmes. Some people I've talked to seem a little disappointed in her stage time, but I really felt like this was also peak Aasa. She seems to have broken through a layer of ceiling and gotten really comfortable leaning into her c***y unique energy, which, though I can picture it being polarizing, really does it for me. I sure as hell have never seen an interpretation of Sherlock Holmes REMOTELY like Aasa's, but I was enjoying the Aasa of it all so much that I really didn't care.

When I saw that Sora was playing the editor of Strand Magazine, I was somewhat disappointedly imagining a role like Lestrade (not to invoke another Sherlock), the sort of there-but-not character that has dominated her Takarazuka career since she started getting named roles. My first surprise was how good of a role this was in general, and then how well suited it was to her. She gets to be aloof and handsome, but also incredibly upbeat and funny at times. Her little coworkers at her utterly failing magazine are obsessed with her (which is the mood of the century), and there is a cute little meta moment where Doyle threatens to stop writing Sherlock and Sora tries to quit her job, only to be restrained physically by said coworkers (which is the mood of the moment). Everything from the set of her off-gray permed wig to her 4 or so different plaid suits to her opening solo number was absolutely perfect (not as perfect as it was gonna be later!!!!!).

FROZEN HOLIDAY

It's weird watching a Christmas show in February

I rapidly stopped caring

Speaking of rollercoasters of hot and cold, Noguchi used to be my most hated revue director, hands down. Circa 2017-18, after being deeply personally burned by Super Voyager (and deeply personally confused by Beautiful Garden), the tension I felt while awaiting show announcements hoping I wouldn't have to watch another Noguchi was intense. Noguchi revues being something people covet nowadays still feels unfamiliar, but I count myself among people.

He turned it around for me with the Takarazuka equivalent of winning the grocery store ingredients episode of Project Runway: Delicieux, a covid-budget masterpiece of public domain music and foam macarons (incidentally, also a goodbye to Sora of sorts, as it was her last Soragumi revue). I officially owe him my life after what he did for her in Frozen Holiday.

Firstly, going into my 11th year of watching live Yukigumi, I've never seen Saki shine brighter. While ostensibly a Christmas spectacular, Frozen Holiday was also meant to celebrate Yukigumi's 100th anniversary. Despite the aforementioned rollercoaster, I'm so glad that the top star for the anniversary was someone who has not spent a day outside of Yukigumi in her sienne life, who I've been watching since before my first trip to Japan. And I think the joy of it really showed on her. Aya was an angel, so visually perfect in her snow queen dress that I believed she was destined to be top musumeyaku of Yukigumi from birth. Aasa continued to out-Aasa herself; the wave of feral energy she set off during the first livestream was well earned.

But... remember the disembodied arm just off the TV screen? The utter SHOCK I experienced when they treated her like a friggin' nibante...

Nanami Hiroki, who pulled top star numbers and probably had double our last day crowd at her average Hoshigumi ochakai, and Miya Rurika, who needed a simulcast for her last ochakai, didn't even get the final revue treatment that Sora did.

The disbelief that they did so good by her, the disbelief that I missed the transition, the disbelief that she was really leaving, shattered me.

In addition to general prominence throughout the revue, she gets a whole white-clad taidan number, complete with lyrics designed to blind her fans with saltwater, and one of the best bits of dancing I've seen out of her. After a seemingly impossible quick change, she rejoins the troupe for a very chuuzume-esque anniversary number (assuming the Christmas kyakusekiori is the real chuuzume), and that might actually be my favorite bit of dancing in the whole show. She co-leads the Noguchi-signature boyband number with Aasa, which I forgive because it's them and it's also T.M. REVOLUTION. She even gets a spotlight moment alone with Saki during the kuroenbi. And through all of it, she was so, so good. Good does not even begin to describe Kazuki Sora.

I felt like I cried for 48 hours straight.

***

I didn't manage to get myself actually into the theater for senshuuraku, but I did end up with two Hibiya cinema tickets. When I tried to pass one off onto one of the fellow jilted Sora Club members trying her luck outside of Chanter, I got pounced on by an old lady while those in their white wear were moaning about the cinema not being good enough. I was too tired and nervous to tell her I'd prefer to sit next to someone in club, so she got it. She and I ended up crying the hardest of everyone in the cinema by far. Thanks, old lady <3.

***

One thing that struck me was how desperately, frightfully grateful I was that Sora retired from Yukigumi. Sure, if she hadn't, her taidan would have probably just been canceled... but I don't even mean that. The anniversary aspect of Frozen Holiday was beautiful, and filled me with a joy and nostalgia I wasn't prepared for. It was my first kyakusekiori since 2019, and after Sora ran by me, I was blessed to find myself next to Kujou Asu, someone I adore enough to be in her club in an alternate universe. It was my first iride since 2019, and I had the privilege of seeing off one of my favorite musumeyaku, Sara Anna, as well. The way the troupe members talked about Sora, and what she gave them, and how thrilled they were that she joined them, made my heart swell. As genuinely mad as I was when they broke up KikiSora, I could see that Yukigumi gave her the space to blossom.

The farewell dinner was even entirely gluten free by complete accident, down to the fancy manju omiyage with mountain yam flour dough.

***

Five onsen dips, a massive weeb shopping spree a lifetime in the making, and one extremely bizarre Komu show later, I'm on the plane home, finally not crying on command.

But not having a runaway fave for the first time in ten years feels really desolate. I miss her so much.

[nonameidentified]

I'm bored...

Here

An unabridged guide yuri history

Yuri yuri yuri yuri. Cute girls being gay, my beloved. But where does it come from?

Before the yuri we know and love today, there was Class S. Class S, also known as S kankei, is a subset of Japanese literature that popped up at around early twentieth century. They showcased "affectionate friendship" between women.

These literature reflected the views of wlw relationships at that time, as something that is normal and natural for young girls to go through, but something they need to grow out of eventually. (It's just a phase mentality). Its roots can still be seen in present-day yuri (ahem sayaka's backstory).

All of this is just a backdrop for what came next.

We skip forward in time to the 1970s, when manga depicting homoeroticism began to popping up all around the place. This is the birth of our beloved yuri as we know today. All these early yuri works can be attributed to the Year 24 Group.

The Year 24 Group are not only responsible for yuri, but also yaoi and for revitalizing shoujo manga publishing in general. Their works were so influential that it brought shoujo manga into it's golden age.

What in the 50s and 60s was just simple stories marketed to young school girls became A LOT more complex and works begin to explore themes of psychology, gender, sexuality and whatnot. (They need an essay all to themselves, I will blab about them again when I'm bored maybe)

Some of the notable members of the Year 24 Group in regards to yuri would be Ryoko Yamagishi and Riyoko Ikeda. Ok, let's focus on Riyoko Ikeda alone for a sec, their most famous work, The Rose of Versailles, is set in pre-revolutionary France and is about Marie Antoinette and Oscar François de Jarjayes, and it is of course, very gay. Not the most relevant but thought it was interesting enough to plop it here.

After gaining a lot of popularity, yuri got itself its own magazine!!! Yuri Shimai was yuri anthology magazine, which ran only from June 2003 to November 2004. But it was succeeded by Comic Yuri Hime in July 2005. Which is still being serialized today! All of our beloved yuri (that isn't self-published) comes from this magazine.

Side Note: One of the first stories to be serialized in Comic Yuri Hime is kisses, sighs, and cherry blossom pink, written by Morinaga Milk. They deserve an essay to their own. I will most certainly gush about them in the near future. This is a warning.

Comic Yuri Hime got itself a sister magazine in Comic Yuri Hime S, which was targeted at a young male audience.. But it did not last long as it merged back with Comic Yuri Hime in 2010. The only reason I bring this up is because YuruYuri was serialised that magazine.

Which brings us to present da- Wait! Did we skip over something? We did! We forgot to mention the revolutionary girl herself, Utena Tenjou. Well, not necessarily forget. No words I can use can properly explain how influential Revolutionary girl Utena was and still is. Someone who is more of an Utena expert can cover it's speciality.

Which FINALLY brings us to present day, where yuri is still a relatively niche genre. But it has VERY dedicated fan base and idiots like me who write out it's history for funsies ^-^. There might even be a religion around it, who knows,,,

If you read through all of this... what is wrong with you?/lh.

[trowelaway-blog]

Why Stone Ocean is cursed to be underappreciated

Posting this rant here because I think people might like to read it. Wall of text ahead.

In the manga industry, mainstream publications are usually split by target demographic: shonen for boys/young men, shojo for girls/young women (think Sailor Moon, Rose of Versailles, etc), seinen for young men, and josei for young women are the main four, with shonen being THE thing people think of when they hear the word "manga". Before SBR, Jojo was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump, alongside such titans as One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Naruto. And until SO, Jojo pretty well fit in with the shonen demographic, bizarre though it is. Fundamentally, it comes down to cool guys punching each other in cool ways, which shonen readers are absolutely down with.

But then SO comes along. Imagine Araki going to his editors at WSJ and saying "yes, this next part will be centered around a nineteen-year-old American woman in prison". It's a stark contrast to the historically-focused Jonathan or Joseph, or the Japanese cool guys Jotaro and Josuke. The whole premise is absolutely orthogonal to WSJ's target demographic; looking at SO as a whole, it's clear that Araki was pushing boundaries - for example, making Anasui first appear as a woman (he "wanted to make a character that transcended gender", which ironically FF ended up doing in the anime).

All this is anathema to the famously formulaic shonen genre, where the friendly, big-eater protagonist with a good heart who never gives up defeats enemies with the power of friendship, even from his hot-headed, abusive rival/frenemy, and also there is a Designated Girl there for some reason. There were few other WSJ titles with female protagonists; the only contemporary that comes to mind is Claymore, which only got a few months in WSJ, starting and ending in Shueisha's adjacent, less-renowned monthly publications Monthly Shonen Jump and Jump Square. (These days, there are more titles with female leads in WSJ, like The Promised Neverland, and, uhh... hm. The Emperor and I, I guess? Maybe you could argue for Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man part 2?)

In other words, SO pushed the envelope in many big ways. Interestingly, we already saw Araki start to expand his creativity beyond the shonen genre a little in DiU, and definitely in VA, where he starts to delve deeper into his idea of "fate", and where there are rumors about how Giorno was originally supposed to be a girl. But it's not just feminism - the story itself is complicated, with postmodernist touches that bring the reader's own experience into the story (i.e. the ending) and all the classic Jojo bullshit cranked up to 11 (frogs, snails, rods, "assassination feng shui"...). So it didn't exactly resonate with, say, Dragon Ball's reader base.

The final thing to remember is that SO ran from 1999-2003. All these themes that we're much more accepting of now - I mostly mean messing with gender roles - were not so unremarkable 20 years ago (at least in America; I can't comment on the gender politics of millennial Japan). It's not ancient history, but times have certainly changed; look at Guilty Gear's Bridget controversy, and ask yourself how that would've gone down in 2000, when virtually no one was coming out in support of trans people. To put Jolyne and Hermes and FF, and their bizarre adventure, in that context - it just didn't resonate with the world at the time.

For SBR and Jojolion (and, now, Jojolands), Araki moved to seinen magazine Ultra Jump, where he could be more creative and more adult. Stone Ocean got screwed over in a lot of unfortunate ways, but in my opinion the main thing was the growing pains of Araki's maturing storytelling, which just didn't jive with the typical shonen reader. The fact that Stone Ocean got published and sold at all is a testament to his existing reputation.

So yes, SO is massively underrated, and seems to have a curse on it to that effect, given how the anime adaptation was screwed over by covid (and, according to some, Netflix’s distribution). It's subtle and daring and complicated, which people reading Jojo for the fights didn't really go for. But it was not only a foreshadowing of Araki's even more matured storytelling in SBR and Jojolion, it's a magnificent work in its own right, and deserves to be appreciated as such.

(More can be said by anyone who actually has experience in the pre-2012 Jojo fandom either in the West or in Japan, which I don’t.)

[medea10]

My Review of Cat’s Eye

How did I get into this anime? Oh, just another case of curiosity hitting me. I’m still on a mission to watch more animes that came out in the 70s and 80s. Plus, I do recall a couple second skit from Lucky Star that referenced this series.

Yeah, I see what you did there, Lucky Star!

The Kisugi sisters (Hitomi, Rui, and Ai) run a café named Cat’s Eye during the day. By night, they are secret cat burglars known as Cat’s Eye. The fact the police didn’t put two and two together that these two correlated is beyond me. Plus, the police station is really close to the Cat’s Eye café. Like, next door! Seriously, how do you not…?! That’s like having Jeffrey Dahmer open a restaurant named “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Human” right next door to the police station.

Then you have Toshio Utsumi. He’s a detective for the police department investigating all the burglaries made by Cat’s Eye. He’s also dating Hitomi Kisugi. Seriously, dude? Toshio has been foiled at every turn by these cat burglars. Cat’s Eye don’t steal just any old art item, everything they steal has one connection. They were all made by an artist named Michael Heintz and this man just happens to be Hitomi, Rui, and Ai’s biological father. With each item collected, the girls feel they are one step closer to finding their father. Do the girls find their father? Does Toshi catch Cat’s Eye? Let’s find out!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Made in 1983, this anime got a later release in the west by distributor Nozomi Entertainment. And in more recent years, Cat’s Eye has gotten on streaming sites including Crunchyroll, Tubi TV, Amazon’s Freevee, and Retro Crush. And just my luck, Crunchyroll got rid of Cat’s Eye right in the middle of me watching it. There is no English dub if you’re wondering. At least when it comes to the original series. There’s a City Hunter movie as well as a Lupin III special where Cat’s Eye appear. They both have dubs…and they’re different from each other. The sub surprised me with several voice actors I seem to know including the late Kenji Utsumi. I have to say, I enjoyed his comedic performance as the chief. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Hitomi is played by Keiko Toda (known for Anpanman and Osono on Kiki’s Delivery Service)

*Rui is played by Toshiko Fujita (known for Tai on Digimon, Alfredo on Romeo’s Blue Skies, Matilda on Trapp Family Story, and Big Mom on One Piece) [R.I.P.]

*Ai is played by Chika Sakamoto (known for Yaten/Star Healer on Sailor Moon Stars, Nuriko on Fushigi Yugi, and Agumon on Digimon)

*Toshio is played by Yoshito Yasuhara (known for Aoshi on Rurouni Kenshin and Louis XVI on Rose of Versailles)

SHIPPING: So, the big ship here is between Hitomi and Toshi. The two have known each other since high school and maybe even before that. But can this ship truly set sail when one of them is trying to catch a cat burglar and the other is the actual fucking cat burglar? I guess it helps that Toshi is dimmer than a 3-watt bulb and really can’t put two and two together.

Now these two do progress, but not by much. There is an episode where Hitomi and Toshi do get engaged. Unfortunately, it’s only going to stay at an engagement. The reason behind that is Toshi says he doesn’t want to marry Hitomi until he captures and arrests Cat’s Eye. Good luck with that, because Cat’s Eye has duped you every chance you even got close to them. We do get a wedding episode, but it was just a fake wedding between Toshi and Hitomi to do a sting operation to get Cat’s Eye. Didn’t work!

Despite the fact that these two have gone out since high school, they sometimes act awkward during some crucial moments. Like the time Toshi stayed with the girls and shared a room with Hitomi. I know Hitomi is nervous because she and her sisters have special rooms dedicated to Cat’s Eye and possibly a few stolen items. But there’s such a thick layer of bashfulness here. Not to mention the flirting Toshi does every now and then. He isn’t a full-blown pervert like some other notorious anime characters, but he does have a weakness for blonde women. And Hitomi does let her jealousy show at nearly every moment. Do they actually hook up in the manga? I don’t know. I doubt it. But I’m going on my doubts I just listed with this ship.

HALFWAY POINT: So, about 30+ episodes into the series, we notice a few things happening to help turn this slow-moving cog of an anime. First of all, Toshi and Hitomi finally got engaged. But as always, work will always trump relationships. Toshi will only marry Hitomi if he catches Cat’s Eye. But duh, Hitomi is Cat’s Eye so how the fuck is that gonna work. She and her sisters are already one step ahead of Toshi and the police.

Well, it looks like Toshi added two extra brain cells! He decided to look into all of the pieces of work stolen by Cat’s Eye to see if they have a connection. Yes, they do! They’re all by Michael Heinz. Unknown to all, but to Rui, Hitomi, and Ai, that is their missing father. Toshi tries to learn more about the elusive artist, meanwhile the girls get a hot tip saying that Heinz is in Paris. That only lasted for one episode, now they’re back in Japan.

Yeah, despite getting a bad-ass new opening theme and a short-lived costume change for Cat’s Eye, the show goes back to the formulaic plot of Cat’s Eye stealing a piece of art work and foiling the police for another 30+ episodes. Now don’t get it twisted. There are some episodes that are pretty good. There are a couple of episodes where Toshi does suspect Hitomi of being Cat’s Eye. He gets close, but then something absurd happens and Toshi drops the suspicion. Toshi’s workmate Asatani never did drop her suspicion of Hitomi and the others though.

ENDING: Okay, do we get a conclusion? Do we move away from the crime of the day for Cat’s Eye? Does Toshi and the other detectives catch the elusive cat burglars? Are Hitomi and her sisters finally revealed to be Cat’s Eye? Do the girls get a special clue about their mysterious father?

Imagine if you will, the girls are about to steal a valuable diamond and announce their crime in their usual way. And Toshi has been given the ultimate, final warning from the chief where he has to arrest Cat’s Eye this time or be fired from being a detective. Now imagine that Toshi finally catches Cat’s Eye and learns that it has been Hitomi, his fiancé all along. Hitomi let’s herself be caught because she knows Toshi’s career is on the line this time.

Keep imagining because none of that happened for real. This was all part of a play written by Ai. Wow, what a shitty pay off for the series finale. I’m sorry, you keep people on the line for 72 episodes of the same old song and dance. Cat’s Eye commits the crime. The police department is incompetent. Cat’s Eye steals the priceless art item. And then when you get to the 73rd episode of the series, the finale, it’s all part of Ai’s play. And Ai is the worst person in the world to have make a school play about Cat’s Eye. First of all, she has almost slipped her tongue about being Cat’s Eye on numerous occasions throughout the series. We can chalk that up to her being young and stupid. And second of all, SHE’S PART OF FREAKIN’ CAT’S EYE!

From what I heard; the manga does end much differently. I would have chalked it up to the anime ending with a weird ending in order to entice fans to read the manga. It might have been that, but then you notice that both the anime and the manga ended in 1985. In fact, the manga ended six months before the anime. Okay, I have no theories on that. All I know is that the anime has no conclusion whatsoever. Toshi still doesn’t know that his girlfriend and her sisters are really Cat’s Eye. The notorious art thieves he’s been trying to capture this whole time! Hitomi and her sisters still haven’t nailed down the whereabouts of their elusive father. And apparently, there’s still many more pieces their father made that are scattered around art museums all over Japan and beyond. Yes, Cat’s Eye the anime is over…but Hitomi, Rui, and Ai live on.

In 2019, another retro anime by the name of City Hunter reemerged on the scene with a new movie. And wouldn’t you know it, Hitomi, Rui, and Ai appeared in the film as Cat’s Eye. Strange, right? It is until you realize that the creator of City Hunter is also the creator for Cat’s Eye. Amazing to hear and see these girls in our updated animation of whatever the hell period this is. Of course, Toshiko Fujita had already passed away by the time this movie came out so, Rui is now played by Hitomi’s seiyuu Keiko Toda. Add to that, the girls of Cat’s Eye have English voices in this movie.

And more proof that this is not over, in 2023 Cat’s Eye had a crossover with Lupin III. Don’t get too excited for a conclusion here either. Crossovers are not canon to the main story. I have severe doubts that Lupin III even knew Cat’s Eye’s father or that both animes coincide with each other for real. It’s probably to celebrate Cat’s Eye’s anime anniversary as 2023 marks 40 years. Anything else I should say about the movie? Nostalgic music, weird hearing an English dub, and tripped up by the animation. Seeing anything compared to it’s 40-year-old counterpart is severe whiplash. The English voices here are different from the City Hunter cameo the girls had four years prior. And in the Japanese Cast, they got Rica Fukami to do Rui’s voice this time.

After sitting through 73 episodes with no big pay off, no catch, and no ultimate conclusion, I can’t really give this a glowing recommendation. Only to say that if you’re curious to see a vintage piece of media, maybe consider watching a few choice episodes. I’m sure there’s some wad on Reddit that has a list of episodes to watch without being bored with the same running gag over and over again. And yeah, for the men in the audience, you might be enticed by the sex here. Hitomi and Rui are bombshells. And yeah, Rui is another character I would go gay for.

In the meantime, every episode is available on Freevee through Prime Video as well as Retro Crush and Crackle. The newly released Cat’s Eye vs. Lupin III movie is also on Prime Video.

[brainbuffering]

Anime to look forward to in 2025!

Next Year we’re in for a load of new treats, with new seasons of Apothecary Diaries, My Happy Marriage, and Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits! We’re also getting a chance to see the My Hero Academia Ladies done RIGHT with an anime adaption of Vigilantes finally coming to our screens! (You can read about my opinions on Vigilantes in my 2022 wrap up here) 

We’re also getting my favourite Blue Exorcist Arc, whose time travelly Bull Shit makes me feel ALL the feels, and delights me with all the character development we get that makes some of the questionable choices at the start of the series feel weirdly rewarding. I’m also looking forward to some moments where I fully believe that a Cis-Male Mangaka would have been completely overlooked as moments of horror and heartache. It might still be a male lead series, but the women are definitely coming out of their shadows now! 

Apothecary Diaries S2 promises more simping and science. Another effortless pass for the Bechdel Test, I love how quickly Maomao has become an Autistic Icon, with her beautiful special interest in poisons that requires her to be dragged away from them for her own safety, and how her apparent emotional distance disguises real empathy and care for all around her. There’s so many GREAT manga moments to look forward to! Including an arc my friend and I have dubbed “The Eurovision Arc” given its combination of The Dutch, Drag, and Dancing. 

My Happy Marriage S2 is also due next year! The fact that a Shojo series is getting a SECOND SERIES is truly something to celebrate. The fact that it’s one with a great budget that combines epic action with heart pounding romance is all the better. Although it is a little frustrating from a Manga Reader perspective as it looks like the anime is once again going to overtake where their english manga publication is at. I could read the Light Novels, sure. But also: Who reads Light Novels? 

I’m incredibly excited for the anime adaptation of my beloved The Invisible Man and his soon to be wife! I wrote about it last year when the manga first came out, and since then it's only gotten better. I love that because of the nature of animation, it means that this story of a Blind Woman is actually going to have an accessible format for Visually Impaired people! I hope that, at least in Japan, they provide an Audio Description track, and pray to all the Gods and Buddhas that they cast a Visually Impaired Actor for Yakou. However, after the disappointment that was A Sign of Affection’s Casting, I am not hopeful. However the series does feature a broad and diverse cast of characters from a plethora of backgrounds, all of whom get their chance to shine. It's a series that celebrates diversity, love, friendship, and self belief. I look forward to seeing what they do with it! 

Film wise, there’s the new Rose of Versailles movie, a new Hosada Project, and the beginning of the end of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. Goodness knows when those will hit the English Market though, but hopefully we won’t have too long a wait for any of them! I’m also still holding out for the Molcar Movie to make it over here in some format! Since my landlord won’t let me keep pets, I need SOME way to keep Guinea Pigs in my life. We’ve at least got a confirmation for The Colours Within by Director Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, Heike Story). So definitely a lot to look forward to and pray that your cinema actually gets! 

We’ve come a long way in the past few years, with more prominent disabled characters, more Shojo and Josei getting animated each year, and more female-lead series in general! I hope this is a trend that continues, I'd especially like to see it expand to more Trans and Non-Binary stories getting adapted. For example, “Boys Run The Riot” and “Our Dreams At Dusk”.  It might not ever happen, but hope is the thing with feathers.

[ylimehuizenga]

John Cheever Potpourri

A THANK-YOU NOTE WHEN SOMEONE SENDS YOU FLOWERS: “No old lady in an almshouse, forgotten by the world, could have taken more pleasure in your roses than I.”

AN AFFIRMING DEFINITION OF LITERATURE: “One has an impulse to bring glad tidings to someone. My sense of literature is a sense of giving not diminishment. I know almost no pleasure greater than having a piece of fiction draw together disparate incidents so that they relate to one another and confirm that feeling that life itself is a creative process, that one thing is put purposefully upon another, that what is lost in one encounter is replenished in the next, and that we possess some power to make sense of what takes place.”

A LOVELY TAKE ON THE CAR WASH: “…and there is one machine that sprays little jets of water over the windshield just like Versailles only smaller.”

A BETTER WAY TO SAY IMPOSSIBLE: “No soap.”

A BETTER WAY TO SAY BOLOGNA: “What tripe.”

A TINDER BIO I'D SWIPE RIGHT ON: “I will skip my erotic fantasies but I think you should know that I am the sort of man who cries at track meets and gets a hard-on during thunder storms.”

ANOTHER TINDER BIO I'D SWIPE RIGHT ON: “I go swimming every day which leaves me shivering and magnanimous.”

A CHARMING VERNACULAR MASHUP: “anyrate.”

ANOTHER ONE: "...as bluesky as any people I've ever known."

A RELATABLE STATEMENT: “I am still now and then bewildered by the strenuousness of my pleasure.”

☺: “Yesterday’s roses, yesterday’s kisses, yesteryear’s snows.”

[christinaklassen]

2/12 Blog

I liked reading the manga “Rose of Versailles” by Riyoko Ikeda and enjoyed the old manga art style. While the story is funny and entertaining at times, it still includes deeper themes like gender identity, societal expectations, and corruption. Ikeda addresses gender identity and challenges traditional gender roles by having the main character as a girl who serves as the captain of the Royal Guard. Oscar's embodiment of traditionally masculine qualities, such as bravery, leadership, and martial skills, challenges the notion that women are inherently inferior or incapable of fulfilling roles typically reserved for men. By excelling in her role as the captain of the Royal Guard, Oscar not only proves her competence but also confronts the societal norms that seek to limit her potential based on her gender. Even when her abilities are doubted by those around her such as the prince who says “Who ever heard of a WOMAN being a regiment commander! It’s so funny I could split my sides laughing!”, Oscar is not discouraged and stands her ground against the blatant sexism. Another aspect I found interesting was the display of corruption and cruelness of the nobility. Interestingly juxtaposed against the whimsical backdrop of typical shojo manga aesthetics- filled with sparkles and flower petals- there is a distinct portrayal of brutality within the nobility. In one scene, a peasant child, driven by hunger, steals money from the prince’s carriage. Despite the prince’s initial acceptance of the mother’s apology, he suddenly turns around and mercilessly shoots the child in the back. The prince laughs after the carnage he has caused making him a symbol of unchecked power and moral decay. This scene highlights the harsh realities of power imbalances and the callous indifference of the privileged. Because of his status, the prince doesn’t face any repercussions for his actions. Even when Oscar attempted to voice her concerns, she is swiftly silenced, reminded of the prince’s position that even the King dared not challenge. However, at the banquet, Oscar seizes the opportunity to confront the prince publicly and I was glad the prince was finally exposed. I really wanted to see the next part where Oscar and the prince duel but then the chapter ended.

The image below demonstrates the corruption and cruelness of the nobility.

[shoujo-josei-anime-poll]

Tournament Bracket (Round 2)

Hey shoujosei fans, I've just completed the match ups for round 2. Here is what the upcoming polls will look like for round 2 of voting:

Okay you know what. More people voted for Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun than Natsume's Book of Friends. But I am getting conflicting info about Nozaki's demographic. The wiki page says shoujo. The magazine it was published in does have some male-targeted titles, but it's also in the same magazine as My Happy Marriage...But I've seen more than one person say it's shounen.

TLDR: I'm keeping Nozaki in but throwing Natsume in for another chance, too (since at least Natsume's Book of Friends is 100% shoujo)

Maria Watches Over Us VS Sugar Sugar Rune

Skip Beat! VS Servamp

Only Yesterday VS Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun VS Natsume's Book of Friends

D.N.Angel VS Karneval

Glass Mask VS Ghost Hunt VS Full Moon

Snow White With The Red Hair VS Requiem of the Rose King

The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons VS Diabolik Lovers

Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits VS Fushigi Yuugi

Banana Fish VS Wotakoi: Love is Hard For Otaku

Kase-san and Morning Glories VS My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!

Whisper of the Heart VS Play It Cool, Guys

My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 VS Life Lessons With Uramichi Oniisan

Ouran High School Host Club VS Paradise Kiss

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague VS Hotarubi no Mori e

Tokyo Mew Mew VS Pretty Cure

Ore Monogatari!! VS Maid Sama!

Nana VS Princess Tutu

Shugo Chara! VS Kageki Shoujo!!

Lovely Complex VS Honey and Clover

Princess Jellyfish VS Sasaki and Miyano

Kimi Ni Todoke VS The Rose of Versailles

Revolutionary Girl Utena VS Yona of the Dawn

Chihayafuru VS Fruits Basket

Cardcaptor Sakura VS Sailor Moon

[holmsister]

The comparison with Chilchuck straight up getting sucked thru a straw the next panel over kills me. Like there's nothing explicit but the reciprocal positions of his legs and her head + the noises??? They are NOT kissing on the lips even if that's what it will look like later. He's getting top like there's no tomorrow.

A side note that maybe only I find interesting is that the elf aesthetic Marcellina seems to like takes directly from a certain type of old fashioned shojo manga. Like we are talking from the 70s. Im gonna talk rose of versailles because i love rose of versailles. Bit of a rant under cut.

the sparkly eyes and the flowers in the background, the uniform, the over the top-ness, princesses and knights and generals, the long hair, everyone being impossibly androgynous and beautiful... its an aesthetic that is very recognizable. Ryoko Kui uses it as a visual joke several times in the manga (elf senshi is probably my fave example).

It's an aesthetic that is comparable with the romantic novel covers you talk about but it has none of the raunchiness. Sex is mentioned very rarely and only in very flowery and euphemistic terms.

A typical element of shojo manga of this period are the very intense stories of intimate female friendship and admiration that can be read as romantic. There is never explicitly acknowledged lesbian romance and the main heroine always ends up with a male hero, but there's also often an element of genderbending that allows for 'misunderstandings' with girls falling in love with other girls (in Rose of Versailles the protagonist is a woman being raised as a man) or often the setting is an all-female social situation which naturally centers intense female relationships (like an all-girls school... like the one falin and marcille apparently went to). In any case, same sex relationships end up taking up as much space if not often more than the "official" male love interest. Later media that works to reinterpret and remix this tradition often makes the subtextual lesbian relationships explicit (see revolutionary girl utena).

Also, the element of genderbending - not only the women are often dressed as men and covering manly roles, but the men are often given very long hair, long lashes, beautiful big eyes, slender bodies, etc. Much has been said about making men more feminine in media aimed at young girls to make them less menacing but here it also definitely serves the purpose of adding to the visual appeal of a world in which everyone just looks a lil girly.

(This image is so intensely 70s holy shit they could be led zeppelin)

In other words, I think going off the aesthetic elements of the design of this dude whose name I will never remember its fair to say that we are meant to read him as the product of the unrealistic, naive fantasies of a young, very sheltered woman... who might or might not have come to terms with her own lesbian subtext.

i struggle to read marcilles succubus as a sexual fantasy

i feel that chilchuck is the only one who gets a clear cut sex fantasy presented to him bc hes the only member of the party with the kind of sexual experience that would make him let his guard down that way. hes been married his entire adult life, was sexually active since he was a teenager, hes the only one who makes sex jokes (which dont land, see that extra on tentacles), and we know hes been faithful to the wife he has not seen in years. that is a very long time to be dry

while its certainly possible to read marcilles fantasy as a virgin maidens desired seduction, its also very chaste even for that. her knight is covered head to toe, and looks like an overdesigned fantasy character, with no sexual appeal. hes posed on a horse, but in such a way that specifically covers his groin. there isnt a physicality to him that kui uses often to draw the eyes to a sensual nature--compare that pose to how the winged lion poses (for laios, not marcille, he ALSO is posed less sexually when with marcille, though i could be forgetting a pose here or there) to highlight his seductive nature.

even in swinging down from his horse, theres just no carnality. hes stiff legged, body turned away from the camera.

its all very romantic in a courtly fashion. i.e. the fantasy is a lot more about this decorated man telling her shes a princess who belongs in a castle. its a 12yos dream boyfriend made real.

marcille isnt comfortable enough with herself as a potentially sexual being to get even close to what works on chilchuck--she seems almost afraid of recognizing peer-to-peer relationships, and that deeply impacts her ability to engage with sex. look back at how she engages with falins shows of intimacy in the bath scene and the bed scene after: when falin engages as an equal, as an adult, marcille panics, and pushes her back into a childs role. she starts lecturing falin when she tries to return mana, not listening to her say she has a well of it right now. when falin comments that shes grown tall and strong and may not fit in a single bed with marcille anymore, marcille dismisses her with "you'll always be a kid to me!"

while marcille is not a child, she straight up is not ready for sex yet bc of that resistance to having peer relationships

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Followup from my other one. This time, I’d like to plug nine more obscure or underappreciated series that I very much enjoy. Some of these are only in manga form, and some might require one to sail the high seas so to speak. But like...this is a niche Tumblr blog and I feel like my vibe was pretty indie already so have fun with it!

TOP LEFT - Attack no.1: This one is probably the hardest sell which is a damn shame. It’s a series from the 60s, there are pretty good fansubs out there but the manga has never been translated to my knowledge. Attack no.1 is one of the most important anime of all time, a volleyball shoujo made in the wake of the Japan Women’s team bringing home the gold in the 1964 Olympics. That sounds pretty mundane now, and a lot of it would feel that way on casual glance today too. But...it was the first. First shoujo sports series and really one of the earliest that wasn’t a kiddie magical girl show. Big, big deal that aired in primetime. Completely unafraid to touch on misogyny, racism, cold war tensions, and being one of the only anime I have ever seen call out Japan’s erasure of the disabled point blank. You’d also see the birth of so many sports anime tropes, but they make perfect sense couched in this epic that ties Kozue’s journey from middle school superstar to Olympian together with this saga of Japan undergoing massive social change. Can’t say enough good things about this one, it’s dated but still amazing. It also has this like, oddly hardcore edge to it. Kozue ain’t called “oyabun” for nothing.

TOP MIDDLE - Glass Mask: One of the bestselling shoujo series of all time. Still need to finish this one but as a former theatre kid I love it. Same format as so many others, rivals and challenges and meeting true companions...but the theatrical nature makes it feel so classy. Melodrama in the best way possible.

TOP RIGHT - Rose of Versailles: Yeah, it’s another one of the most legendary shoujo of all time. Lady Oscar, raised as a man and this captain of the guard added into the backdrop of the French Revolution. Is it entirely historically accurate? No, but still uses enough legit detail you’ll walk away with something. Beautiful, timeless. Oddly enough one of the first anime I got into outside of what I could find on TV. The one that kicked off a fascination with the history of anime and manga. A lot like Glass Mask, you’re getting a big, sweeping romantic epic. Both in the lovey-dovey and literary sense. Bara wa bara wa...

MIDDLE LEFT - Kanojo ni, Naru Hi: Or literally “The Day He Became She.” Figured fans of a blog that ostensibly started about Okiku might like some other good stories that use trans themes. Short but has good scans for it and the sequel series. Starts off a little weird but opens up a few chapters in and makes sense. Set in a world where physically transitioning can just...happen to some boys in order to keep balance. That’s just an excuse to handwave away the stupid points people get hung up on, which leads to the real strength of the series. Said this about Kiku, this is one of the few times I’ve seen a trans narrative that deals with “what comes next” so to speak. Also an amazing romance story in its own right that follows the Kare Kano tradition of getting the couple together early and letting them face hurdles as a pair.

CENTER - Kyou Kara Yonshimai: “Four Sisters, Starting Today.” Short series that executes a simple premise. Starts off as a family of three sisters buzzing with excitement to see their sole brother for the first time in two years. You can guess from the title what change makes for the inciting incident. What I like about this one is how well it executes; all four sisters shift believably around this new revelation. While it doesn’t sugarcoat friction it may cause in families, it’s always from a place of love. At the start, they’re all in proper “roles” for their family order. By the end, they’ve all followed their new sister’s example and ended up finding out where they fit in the best.

MIDDLE RIGHT - Full Moon wo Sagashite: This was like, the seasonal flash in the pan of 2004. Almost immediately forgotten when it ended but well liked at the time. It was the first series I pirated off of BitTorrent...over dialup internet. Patient process of letting it run overnight, took about two weeks for a 4 episode batch. Worth it, cute magical girl idol series. Not an uncommon blend. Centered around the hook of its young protagonist Mitsuki having cancer. Not afraid to be tragic underneath the sugary exterior. Songs are fun too. 

BOTTOM LEFT - You’re Under Arrest!: This one is deceptively good, think of it as a precursor to the “cute girls doing cute things” genre from the early 90s. But it’s about adults which is incredibly refreshing. Focuses on a pair of traffic cops, so its like a really petty police procedural. One of the major supporting characters Aoi happens to be that classy trans girl archetype a certain samurai we like here fits to boot! Comfy hand-drawn animation that sticks to the episodic format. A fluffy sitcom that can spruce it up with a little action when it wants to. 

BOTTOM MIDDLE - Paradise Kiss: Kinda forgot until I was writing this that it’s another one with a good incidental trans character in the main group. Unique series about haute coture fashion design. Ended up doing the same thing as Yu Yu Hakusho where it trying to be modern when it came out ended up making it a great period piece for the 00s. Fun cast, lots of pretty visuals, the fashion world is enough to keep things interesting given it’s a short series. Love the ending theme for the anime, funky animatic to a Franz Ferdinand song.

BOTTOM RIGHT - Lupin III: Does this count as obscure in the West? Even when it was on Adult Swim it was always late in the block. Never hear people talk about it but I’ve always loved the tales of the gentleman thief. Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata. You only need five main characters for such a massive franchise. The James Bond parody Austin Powers wishes it could be. Funny as hell and has delivered so many good emotional stories hidden in there to boot. A true classic. “Rose & Pistol,” or “Shot Through the Heart” in the English dub, is absolutely burned into my brain.

[dropintomanga]

How to Find Great Manga to Read

We’re in an awesome time for manga reading in the West. Physical manga volumes are flying off the shelves in a time when digital reading is becoming more prevalent. TikTok videos featuring manga collections have become a thing.  Anime’s now-uber mainstream popularity in geek culture has helped usher in this new golden age. Yet at the same time, a lot of mainstream manga attention is usually on shonen titles with hit anime adaptations - i.e. My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, Jujutsu Kaisen, etc. There are outliners like Junji Ito material, but it can sometimes feel like the manga getting recognized by the Western media and comics critics are being highlighted a bit too much over titles full of wonderful stories that aren’t exactly “popular” in the public geek eye.

The manga world’s more than just action series that gets hearts pumping and horror gone viral. There’s many manga titles that not only provide escapism, but provide various perspectives that will make you feel you all kinds of emotions in ways that can make someone a better person. Plus, over time, your tastes and interests may expand and you might look for other manga titles that aren’t mainstream.

I recently read a guide on Psyche called “How to find great films to watch” and in the spirit of that guide (which was really good), I want to do something similar right here.

I will use the tips that the Psyche guide gives for finding great films and apply them for finding great manga. So here we go!

Tip #1 - Start with an open mind.

This sounds like the biggest deal-breaker because there are people who see manga and have many assumptions about it. Some will argue about reading it in a right-to-left format, some may argue about the sexual content that’s sometimes found in it and some will say that manga is only for teens (the biggest market in the West). 

I will argue that manga is influenced from Western culture and comics and that some of the best comics in the entire world, past and present, are manga. Speaking of the past, there’s some older manga (titles like Banana Fish, Lone Wolf and Cub, Rose of Versailles, and Osamu Tezuka’s works come to mind) that hold up well today. The point is - don’t let preconceived notions get in the way of finding a manga that one day, might touch your heart in many ways.

Also, don’t be afraid of trying out other stuff that’s for teenagers (especially on the older teen side) because there are themes and topics that adults can relate to. Beastars is a great example of such a title as it explore societal hierarchies and divisions using anthropomorphic animals to represent human beings. 

Tip #2 - Give manga a chance.

When you’re able to get a 1st volume of a manga, read it in a comfortable spot with good lighting. If it’s digital, definitely read on a tablet. Next, be sure to be patient with it. The first chapter of a series can be a bit rough. Hell, the 1st volume might suck and the story might turn out to be amazing a few volumes later. There will be cases where you will not be hooked right away. The best thing you can do is give a manga series maybe 2-3 volumes to see if this is the right thing for you to read. Every manga series of a decent length has some kind of introduction arc, so you can use this as a litmus test.

Tip #3 - Get some advice.

If you have friends who are bona-fide manga lovers, do not hesitate to talk to them. If you’re lucky to have a bookstore near you that sells manga, definitely ask them for advice on what to read. Manga librarians are also a great source of community on figuring out what manga to check out for those who want to check out libraries. The point is just be around manga connoisseurs as much as possible to get the most out of finding what’s great. 

Also, manga publishers who show up at anime/comic book conventions are willing to help provide recommendations to fans who stop by their booths on what titles to check out. You will also get to meet other manga enthusiasts at conventions as well.

Tip #4 - Play to your strengths and interests.

If you have a favorite genre like shonen action manga, you can explore the history of shonen action manga titles out there. Viz’s Shonen Jump service has a wide category of older shonen action manga titles for fans who want to go beyond just the hit titles of today. If you’re interested in LGBTQ+ culture, you can explore titles like Boys Run the Riot, Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare, and My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness that cover that perspective. Have a fascination with works from independent creators? Check out manga from publishers like Denpa Books, Star Fruit Books and Glacier Bay Books. Let’s say you’re into world history - titles like Vinland Saga and Golden Kamuy are right up your alley.

It is safe to say that whatever it is you’re into, there’s definitely a manga for it.

Tip #5 - Follow your likes.

Once you manage to find a particular favorite manga, you can decide to learn more about the title itself and the thought process of the mangaka. You can discover what influences drove the mangaka to create what they created. This may lead you to find out similar titles just like your favorite one. Here’s an example I can give - let’s say you’re a fan of Inio Asano’s works and notice that they’re influenced by societal problems regarding youth in Japanese culture. You can do no wrong by checking out works from the likes of authors such as Shuzo Oshimi and Kengo Hanazawa, who have written stories about Japanese youth trying to find themselves in modern society.

Tip #6 - Reflect on how manga is made.

When you read enough manga, you start to pick up on how things are done. There’s so many elements that come into the manga-making process as the manga Bakuman will tell you. There’s the draft process, the number of assistants helping out, the long hours spent drawing, the isolation, the editors checking in to make sure the mangaka doesn’t go wild, etc. You can also think about the story of the title you’re reading and its narrative structure. If there was a huge plot twist that happens, there’s sometimes foreshadowing hints found in earlier volumes. You can think about what the mangaka did in making sure their narrative went according to their liking and read up on fan discussions that point these details out.

The more you read manga, the more you start to appreciate the process of how it happens.

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I think that’s all I can say about how to find great manga for now. Unfortunately, what I covered here is only just a bit of the whole manga reading picture. If you want to expand your manga horizons further, here’s some books I recommend. These books are available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

The Art of Osamu Tezuka: The God of Manga by Helen McCarthy

Manga: The Complete Guide by Jason Thompson

Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga by Hirohiko Araki

The Citi Exhibition: Manga by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere and Matsuba Ryoko

The History of Hentai Manga: An Expressionist Examination of EroManga by Kimi Rito

By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga by Erica Friedman

1000 Years of Manga by Bridgitte Koyama-Richard

Reframing Disability in Manga by Yoshiko Okuyama

Comics and the Origins of Manga: A Revisionist History by Eike Exner

The Shonen Jump Guide to Making Manga by the Weekly Shonen Jump Editorial Department

You can check out the "Other Sites to Check Out” link on the side for more manga-related websites (I will be updating this with more manga-related links). I hope you enjoyed this guide and happy reading!