#i thought about using the scene from the manga but i think the screencap from the anime looks better here

[duhragonball]

Akira Toriyama (1955-2024)

I wouldn't say I'm feeling better today, but I'm feeling less bad than yesterday. So let's see if I can put some words together.

In case anyone still hasn't heard, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024. This news was made public on March 7 or 8. I woke up early on Friday morning and found out while I was checking Twitter. I had a long, busy day at work, and I kept getting on my phone to scroll through fan reactions and tributes.

I think that, more than anything, is what's gotten me so worked up about his death. My Twitter timeline and my tumblr dashboard were just chock full of touching message and images about how Akira Toriyama's work has changed their lives. I wanted to write my own tribute, but I'm not sure what else I can say that hasn't already been expressed by Archie Comics, professional wrestling trio The New Day, and the Republic of El Salvador.

There's this immense, global community of fans, and it's easy to lose sight of just how big it is. It's easy to get bogged down in the infighting and petty squabbles. I saw one tweet responding to the criticism of Dragon Ball not being like this "entry level" franchise compared to other, more high brow anime and manga. It's popular with so many people, that critics will assume it's designed to appeal to the lowest-common-denominator. But the opposite is true! Dragon Ball is accessible, which is how so many people from so many different places and walks of life can get into it. The guy telling the story was such a master storyteller that he could grab an audience's attention and make it look easy. So easy that the haters would start to think that it was a trick, and he must be overrated.

Let me talk about this panel for a minute.

Last night I started going through the original manga, looking for panels to screencap. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I thought maybe a selection of panels that really stood out for me might be worth posting. I'll probably still do that one of these days, but I got to this one, where Gohan tells Chi-Chi about Goku's death, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

This was a powerful scene in the anime, of course, but in the comic it's even more profound. It's just one panel, no dialogue, because the reader already knows what's happening here. We know Gohan is telling his mother that Goku died in the Cell Games, and that he refuses to be wished back, because he thinks his presence on Earth will attract new enemies. It was hard enough to hear when Goku said it to Gohan and the others, and now Gohan has to relay that message to Goku's wife. All she can do is lie prostate on the floor and weep.

And look at the composition. She's surrounded by all that negative space. Gohan's there for her, but she still feels so alone, surrounded by her husband's absence. Pots of flour for food he'll never eat. An empty chair he might have sat in. Their son, who will have to grow up without him.

I saw this, as though for the first time, and it was so gut-wrenching that I had to post it by itself. I felt like it summed up my feelings better than any words could. We're all Chi-Chi in this panel, reacting to Akira Toriyama's death. And we're all Gohan too, each of us consoling one another with our own thoughts and tributes.

So what did Akira Toriyama mean to us all? Lots of people have answered this in a lot of different ways. Obviously his art, storytelling and cultural impact speak for themselves. I've seen people compare him to other luminaries like Jack Kirby and Osamu Tezuka. I'll try to add my own two cents with this:

I wrote a post about "Dragon Ball Daima" back when it was first announced, and I led off with this image of a note from Akira Toriyama. I guess this was from some big fancy presentation about Daima at a convention. I forget which one. In particular, I was skeptical that the Daima rumors were even true, and if they were, the whole idea seemed half-baked to me. Turning Goku into a kid had been done before, and it wasn't exactly successful the first time.

But this note from Toriyama was very reassuring to me. More than the trailer clips and character designs, this was what got me interested in the show. That's because he took the time to not only hype up the show, but also to explain what's going on behind the premise. He took the time to tell everyone that he's working on this show, and what "Daima" means, and why all the characters get turned into kids. It's "due to a conspiracy", and the good guys will have to "fix things". In short, he established a plot, conflict, and resolution to the story. He didn't just slap this together to sell new merch. I'm sure that was part of the motivation to make Daima, but there's more to it than that.

I think that's the loss I feel with Toriyama's passing. It's not that there won't be new Dragon Ball stories in the future. I'm sure others will continue telling their own versions long after I'm gone. I'm not that worried about the fate of Daima. I'm sure they'll figure something out, whether it's delayed, rewritten, or canceled. But we'll never see another message from Toriyama to promote a new project, and that's what I'll miss. From here on, his credit will just be an acknowledgement of his past contributions.

There's this great credibility with Akira Toriyama's name. Fans will argue about how involved he was in a project as a way of establishing how good or bad it was. Dragon Ball GT has his name on the credits, and he provided some designs and artwork early on, and for some fans that proves the series has his endorsement. For others, the sole problem with the show is that he wasn't directly writing the script. There's similar debates over Dragon Ball Super, where he was involved, but only writing those mysterious "notes". So if a fan doesn't like something in DBS, who do they blame? Did Toriyama lose his touch, or did his co-creators fumble the ball? Dragon Ball Evolution basically ignored all of Toriyama's advice and bombed, while Battle of Gods, Resurrection F, Broly, and Super Hero all put Toriyama's writing credits up at the very beginning, and each film made plenty of money. I read his comments on the Daima confirmation, and immediately thought "Okay, this should be pretty good. Akira Toriyama knows what's up."

That's gone now. I mean, there's still a lot of talent out there, but we'll never again have the little gas mask-wearing robot telling us that this story will be good because he worked on making it good. I don't think I really appreciated how much I trusted that guy until now. I still can't believe he's really gone.

I'll probably have more to say about this in the coming days, but I'll stop here for now. Thanks for letting me ramble a bit on this.

[hikennosabo]

#tristampparty day 12, episode 0: high noon at july

LAST DAY OF @tristampparty ALREADY LET'S GOOOOOO

bang, bang!! nai liking movies is such a cute little detail, (it's in the manga too!!) i don't think it gets talked about enough. he went from thinking gunslinging heroes were cool to guns being a coward's weapon...

i still can't really fully wrap my head around the higher dimension... it contains the "core" of the plants and... it's where plants pull matter and energy from...? yeah i CANNOT fathom it actually

also like. how did humans even discover how plants worked and what they could do. assuming the lore is the same as in the manga (for what lore there is in the manga...) and humans created plants. who what when where why how. humans made plants and use plants every day yet they're such a black box... uuaaaaa (steam comes out of my ears from thinking too hard)

zazie's priority lies with the planet itself and whether or not worms will be able to continue to live and thrive on it, but i wish we got to see more of what the worms need to like. actually live and survive. they have a hivemind so they can't truly "die" (i guess unless every single worm is wiped out), but what do they need to live? we see that the giant worms eat humans, but what did they eat before humans crashed on the planet? tomas? other worms? do they photosynthesize? do they need to breathe? humans use worms for food and resources, but what exactly would knives have do to the planet to make it unlivable for the worms?

the song that vash sings is... the song knives plays on his piano. in the original/98, the song that was important to vash was rem's song. here, that... may or may not be the case...? vash says the song "just comes to him," but in this scene he's forgotten rem... then again, the song isn't what helps him remember her.

there was a theory post from a while ago that posited this song is the voice, or... frequency of the plants(?) which could very well be the case. vash and knives taking that frequency and singing or playing it in a way humans can hear... rem was onto something when she called them a bridge.

i wonder how much of this scene is an actual memory. maybe vash did sing that song, and nai heard it, and they played it on the piano together. and that's why knives continues to play it in the present day.

maybe i'll go eat some rocks.

this is reminding me of... in the manga when vash escaped from the ark and knives was begging him not to go. it's... yeah, pretty much the same. different scenario, but the same.

this sequence is so gorgeous... once again i'm asking how people ever thought this anime looked bad. lmao.

BUT MY MAIN QUESTION IS THIS!!! IS THIS REALLY REM SPEAKING TO VASH HERE? we know that in trimax, ghosts kind of exist, right? like tesla appearing to the twins, wolfwood appearing to livio... is this a similar case? what's happening on the "outside" is meryl's voice reaching through to vash, right? so is this more like, meryl's presence reminds vash of rem, so this is what vash wishes he could hear from her? like is this coming from his subconscious? or... is it really the spirit of rem somehow...

i'm overthinking it. i'm overthinking it.

i wonder what rem's ghost would say to knives.

i'm obsessed with the fight that comes after. OBSESSED. screencaps don't do it justice, i love the weightiness, the camerawork, the choreography... IT'S JUST FUN TO WATCH!!!!

THE BITE HAS BEEN POSTED SO MANY TIMES BUT I LOVE IT SO MUCH IT'S SO FUNNY. outside of when they were kids, this is the most they've acted like siblings this whole show and i love it.

why are his boobs so big

and then there's the wings. the wings... and their context. manga readers know. they're a symbol of, hmm... not forgiveness, but... the first step to it, maybe. the love between them. flying to safety. supporting each other. being side-by-side. right?

they're using their wings to fight each other right now, so i'm sure the plan is to hit us with the wings again at the end for maximum emotional impact. the fact that they both have one wing each makes that extremely fucking obvious, i think. (remember in the manga vash sprouted 2 wings at first, which he couldn't sustain)

I JUST LOVE THIS SHOT. IT'S SO COOL.

oh. ohhhhhhh.

it's so interesting that the angel arm comes from vash combining(?) the cube with his gun... does this mean angel arms can't manifest normally? like, do you need the cube? or does the cube just make it easier? and what about knives, can he manifest his?? like this can't be the one and only appearance of the angel arm in tristamp, right, we're gonna need it again for the fifth moon and the ark escape, right??

(assuming those events will even happen in tristamp, but fifth moon AT LEAST is like. a constant in all timelines, i feel. like how time travel stories have "nodes" that can't be changed, right? but this isn't actually that kind of story. so who knows.)

...huuuuhhhh and i just noticed vash's prosthetic arm disappears when he manifests the angel arm. umm... i'm not entire sure what that means. is it because his gate was in his left arm...?

hey where'd she get those binoculars

crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch (i'm chewing on rocks)

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH

"since when have we been so different"... kills me in so many ways, but... in episode 3 vash says that knives hasn't changed. ("since that time," he says, which i assume is referring to the flashback scene in episode 9.) and knives says right back at you. but here, vash is basically saying, who are you. you're unrecognizable to me now. that's literally what he says in the dub. and again knives says right back at you. "you haven't changed." "i could say the same of you." "who are you?" "who are you?" they're brothers. they haven't changed. they've changed so much. they know each other better than anyone else. they don't recognize each other anymore. they love each other. did they ever really know each other?

crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch.

when i first watched tristamp the significance of this all was lost on me. i didn't know any context.

i didn't know that the original trigun started with july already destroyed. i didn't know vash's original bounty. i didn't catch the insurance department mention, or who eriks was, or chronica, or what it meant that the earth fleet was going to arrive, or this being numbered "episode 0"... nothing. all of it went completely over my head. oh i knew milly though. milly is forever.

but now i'm people who know. and i think orange's decision to adapt the story like this, to make it a prequel... is fucking ballsy and cool and i respect it.

that being said, i still don't understand what zazie is talking about... and how they know this. i don't understand all the scifi technobabble with chronica at the end either... what i'm assuming is that the earth forces are keeping tabs on the higher plane(??) and/or on gate readings(?) and... were alerted to what was going on that way? does "crossing over the wall of light" just mean they're using warp drive? why can't zazie talk normally.

uagh. what a fucking journey, man, and it hasn't even begun yet. glad i got to rewatch and go a little crazy. i think the fixation is beginning to fade a little bit (it's been long enough, this is how my brain cycles through things) but the brainrot never truly goes away. girl with plant twins icon gets emotional about the plant twins once again, more at 11.

ty to @revenantghost for organizing i had fun!! :'D

[redge]

【OSHI NO KO】 Season 2 Episode 15

When I started consuming this media, I made a Twitter thread while watching Season 1. Now that I caught up with the manga, I'll just put my thoughts here on Tumblr.

The opening song is one of the best parts of this season.

This manga panel made it to anime! 🤣 As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. 🤪

It's so interesting that season 2 has been using this I'll Go With Sweet Today scene for two episodes now. As far as I know, the only time Abiko-sensei mentioned Sweet Today was when she and Kichijouji-sensei made it through a deadline. It's curious.

Himekawa Taiki, all shaved and clean (this sounds wrong but why not HAHA!)

Abiko-sensei, can we have a Tokyo Blade spin-off where Blade falls in love with Tsurugi? If not Abiko-sensei, then Aka-sensei, can we please have that angle for Taiki and Kana? Yes? HAHAHA

Another deviation from the manga (that I actually like haha). As Aqua is watching Kana rehearse, that's when he started thinking of "memories when I was happy". His thought process here was more emphasized compared to the manga.

My favourite OnK character is Arima Kana and it was in this chapter that I thought maybe Kana and Aqua have a chance? Above anything, I just want Arima Kana to be happy. Please Aka-sensei. T_T

Please give this doctor his peace of mind. For everyone's mental health, he needs to calm down and let Aqua be the teenager that he's supposed to be come on Gorou-sensei.

The other side of the fandom hates Kana Arima for liking Aqua even when he is dating someone else like it's a nasty feeling to have and you can actually do something about it. Well, if Kana was that bad of a woman, she would've run to Aqua and assisted him. But she chose to stand by because Akane was there. And why would Kana run to him? Who is she to Aqua, anyway? Heck at this part of the story, she doesn't have any idea what she is to Aqua (even after chapter 150, I am not convinced. Yes, I have trust issues). She's just a girl Aqua entrusted the B-Komachi members with. Right? Even that childhood boast is just her foolish assumption.

Now let's put emotional acting to use. Imagine you're Kana Arima. You have this crush, you see him often, but you can't do anything about it because he has a girlfriend. When you're suffering from jealousy, he'd state that he's just dating for work. Then he makes a "plan to make his partner happy", then he avoids you, then tells you he's protecting you, then tells you he can't help but have fun when he's with you. And after all those things you still don't know what you are to him. 🙃

Why do some people condemn this woman for having this hopeless romantic love for Aqua? If anything, our enemy here should be Aqua. I mean, Ruby says it all, right? ↓

Kidding. I love Aqua, he's just a broken, lost and confused teenager but I love Kana so much more please give this character the happiness she deserves I beg you Akasaka-sensei. T_T

There's something crucial missing from Gotanda-san's "I'd thought for sure that..." that was in the manga. But then, what importance would other characters' thoughts be if we have no clear proof what (who) Aqua is thinking, from his own mouth? So Aqua, when will I know your feelings, my dear child? 😅

Trigger warning for the next screencaps

This was painful but Aqua's monologue before the execution of that Sayahime and Touki scene was 100 times more painful for me. Actually, Aqua having these last memories of Ai as his mother is torture.

The voice actor of Kana posted on Twitter (X) about this scene. Interesting, right?

TL;DR:

Akasaka-sensei, conclude this manga already please 😅

[cjrae]

Series: Reaction to a Reaction. Episode 21 "How To Buy Out A Contract."

@i-guess-im-into-this-now, I had a feeling you were gonna have fun with this one!

1.) "Hmmm… is there some connection here? Guen is a "doctor" and Suirei ended up being adopted by a doctor in the Outer Palace. Could she have learned the trade alongside Guen and used that knowledge to impress the Outer Palace doctor?"

I imagine that if Guen and Suirei had been trained by the same mentor, our beloved quack might not actually be a quack. I actually love this bit we get of Guen's backstory. He appears to be a kind soul who's great when it comes to bedside manner, but deliberately choosing to become a eunuch in Not Imperial China is an extremely brave sacrifice for the only son of a formerly wealthy family to make. It really speaks to why Maomao, despite disparaging his medical abilities, respects and cares about him. There's a theme developing here - Luomen, the quack; self sacrificing kindness gets Maomao to put on her Protective Hat real quick!

2.) "Maomao explains to Lihaku that Pairin would likely love to become a mother, but she is very lusty, and is difficult to satisfy in bed.

Lihaku: So she's perfect. Your point?

Okay, so Lihaku has won me over. I'm a sucker who has to support a man in love."

I had a feeling. :D This is one of those lines that stands out to me as an utterly perfect translation of the sentiment being expressed. (The other that comes to mind is Maomao screaming at Lihua's lady in waiting "You think she wants to be adorned in the poison that killed her son?!")

3.) "Friends. I am dying.

Jinshi: My apologies, but what exactly am I interrupting here? Maomao, brightly: Hi Master Jinshi! How are you?

About to go ballistic by the looks of it.

Lady Gyokuyou would love this. It's so funny."

Lady Gyokuyou would pee herself laughing. As does the audience.

To be completely fair to Jinshi, however, this isn't JUST about walking on a scene looks like Maomao was about to give Lihaku a blowjob (allow me to include the manga panel - I'm pretty sure they weren't ALLOWED to animate her that close to Lihaku's crotch).

The first time I saw the scene, though, aside from laughing my ass off, my first thought is that Jinshi is 100% right to be utterly pissed. He's the manager of the Rear Palace and Lihaku should NOT have been undressed anywhere near one of the ladies within it, consort or not. Something that's pointed out in the manga and light novels is that ALL the women in the Inner Palace have the potential to become mother of the nation - if the Emperor were to take a fancy to a lowly maid, that's his prerogative. (In fact, this is how the Empress Regnant - the current Emperor's grandmother rose to her position).

So, yeah. Lihaku managed to piss Jinshi off both personally AND professionally!

4.) "Excuse me, did he just refer to Maomao as his cat?"

Yes. Yes he did. Just in case this somehow hadn't come up yet, her name is literally written as the character for cat twice. 猫猫

5.) "In fact Maomao is a boon to everyone in her life. We saw it twice this episode with Guen and now with Lihaku."

The ending title of the second half of the season is "Ai wa Kusuri," or "Love is Medicine." I think I remember you saying that you hadn't closely watched either the opening and closing titles, but the first opening and the second closing are absolutely rich with symbolism. (I've got an analysis ready to go for "Ai wa Kusuri", but I need still images at the very least to do an art analysis and given that I'm trying to teach my six month old to sleep through the night, I have no brain space for trying to get my own screencaps to go through it shot by shot).

To make a long analysis very short, women in the show tend to be represented as flowers - specifically poisonous flowers. The flower Maomao is associated with is actually the very first shot in the series, but the characters won't touch on it until Episode 23. Unlike the courtesans and the consorts, (and princes) who are all enmeshed inside this poisonous system, Maomao provides medicine. (After all, what is the difference between poison and medicine? Dosage). Everybody who knows Maomao is made better for it - especially Jinshi.

6.) "It almost seems like Jinshi was testing Lihaku and he passed. Maybe making sure that Lihaku has integrity? Maybe Jinshi is thinking about bringing him into his very small trusted circle? Lord knows Jinshi could use more allies."

I mentioned on the last episode that Jinshi is a political animal and I love the scene between him and Lihaku because it showcases both Jinshi absolutely in his element, at his most manipulative, as well as really exemplifying not just Lihaku's integrity, but also the qualities that make him an exceptional up-and-coming soldier.

Jinshi is being smooth and charming. He doesn't just have the sparkly charm he puts to easy use around his admirers. He's using Lihaku's public accomplishments as artillery in this flattery bombardment, before making the offering to put up the money to buy out Pairin. To a simple soldier, in love, it ought to be an irresistible offer - and if Lihaku takes it, he will be forever indebted to Jinshi, making him a very useful tool to be used later, not to mention getting him away from Maomao.

Lihaku, for all that he may not think too deeply about certain subjects, is NOT stupid. He immediately recognizes that this offer is too good to be true. And, unlike the majority of the court, having the "most beautiful person in the nation" flatter and compliment him provokes caution. It's also worth noting that Lihaku picks up on Jinshi being pissed about implying that Maomao is a vehicle for Jinshi's trust. Jinshi's expressions are extremely controlled and we actually see the shift between his public expression of distaste and the blue anger radiating off of him that Lihaku can see. I guarantee you, most people would never have picked up on Jinshi's actual emotional state.

And then comes the polite refusal of the devil's bargain. In that moment, Jinshi's in shock - he's just found something extremely rare and valuable in a royal court. A talented soldier with the integrity to turn down his heart's desire because to take Jinshi's offer would be to strip the meaning of buying Pairin's contract of all it's emotional meaning and reduce it back down to a business transaction. We watch Lihaku earn Jinshi's respect in a single conversation - and the tone immediately shifts from bribery to recruitment.

(Also, the scene in the light novel lets us go into a little more detail of what Lihaku's thinking. HE picks up immediately that Jinshi doesn't really fit the typical profile of a eunuch...Maomao, you could take an example from this!)

7.) "A certain someone came to talk to granny about making a purchase at the brothel and some of the servant girls got the wrong idea. Lakan apparently. What the hell is his game this time? Mess with Maomao's sisters to draw her out of the Rear Palace?"

Well, there's also the "blue roses" comment. Next episode, Lakan goes on the attack!

The Apothecary Diaries

S1E21 First Watch

Here's where I watch The Apothecary Diaries for the first time and give my thoughts, analysis, predictions, and occasionally I stumble into a joke.

To start at the beginning:

Episode 1

My character/locations cheat sheet

Lakan - strategist. Maomao's biological father.

Lihaku - a young military officer

Pairin - one of the princesses at Verdigris House

Guen - the palace doctor

Lihaku is sparring and doing poorly because he is too distracted. Probably thinking about his true love Pairin and wondering if she is the princess who is having her contract bought out. Last time Maomao was at the brothel we learned that Meimei had some offers, but we haven't heard anything about Pairin.

Maomao is back in the Rear Palace and happy to be in the pharmacy with her old friend Guen, making him clean and organize.

We learn that Guen's family manufactures paper. They used to be quite wealthy until logging was banned and they had to cut back production. Under more dire circumstances, the eldest daughter chose to work in the palace. Guen volunteered to become a eunuch to follow her, but he never saw her again. Missing sister huh? Suirei maybe?

Hmmm... is there some connection here? Guen is a "doctor" and Suirei ended up being adopted by a doctor in the Outer Palace. Could she have learned the trade alongside Guen and used that knowledge to impress the Outer Palace doctor?

There is an issue with the paper that is manufactured for the palace, and the family is likely to lose their purveyor status if the problem isn't fixed. Luckily Maomao is a genius and can figure out the problem with minimal clues.

OMG, Lihaku. He's down sooooo bad for Pairin.

The man is dedicated. I will grant him that. He wants to know what he needs to do to buy out her contract. He's looking for an amount, and Maomao is stalling in giving him a direct answer. It's complicated since Pairin's desires can change that amount.

We learn that Maomao was a ward of the brothel. And induced lactation is a thing I just learned about today. Pairin was a mother figure to Maomao.

Maomao explains to Lihaku that Pairin would likely love to become a mother, but she is very lusty, and is difficult to satisfy in bed.

Lihaku: So she's perfect. Your point?

Okay, so Lihaku has won me over. I'm a sucker who has to support a man in love.

Maomao: Master Lihaku understands what Pairin does for a living and is still in love with her. He may act like a big dumb dog, but seems to be honest and a hard worker.

Yeah that all tracks.

Maomao tells him he has to come up with roughly 10x his annual income to buy out Pairin's contract. She then asks to examine his physique to see if he matches Pairin's tastes. And now would be a perfect time for someone to interrupt this scene. Preferably someone who views Lihaku as a romantic rival and can misread the situation...

Oh my god. Right on cue. Thank you storytellers for feeding your audience!

The looks on Lihaku's and Maomao's faces! They are so busted.

Friends. I am dying.

Jinshi: My apologies, but what exactly am I interrupting here? Maomao, brightly: Hi Master Jinshi! How are you?

About to go ballistic by the looks of it.

But anyway, since Maomao won't acknowledge Jinshi's jealousy her only choice is to be so very terrible at reading the room that it seems like she's trolling Jinshi. She once again describes the situation in the most ambiguous way, so that the chance that Jinshi will misunderstand is maximized. It's 💋👌

Lady Gyokuyou would love this. It's so funny.

Maomao's bright response to Jinshi's question let's me know that even if she isn't willing to acknowledge the situation she isn't ignorant to it.

There are so many good lines here, I'm tempted to write them all.

Maomao: Nothing improper was going on. I was simply taking a good hard look.

Jinshi takes psychic damage.

Jinshi: I didn't realize the physical form was of such interest to you.

Maomao: It was absolutely necessary... ...It was to see if his body would be good enough. What better way to judge that than to inspect him myself?

Critical hit. Jinshi's down. If he isn't actually crying, it's a close thing.

Jinshi: Humor me. Based on what you observed... were you satisfied?

Jinshi's entire outlook for the future hinges on this answer.... LOL

Maomao goes on to explain what she can deduce based on an assessment of someone's appearance.

Jinshi, jealous: Then you should be able to tell what kind of person I am by looking at my body.

No sir, you are the exception, she very deliberately won't determine anything about you that challenges her delusions.

Maomao: Wait a minute? Is he jealous of Master Lihaku?

Um.... yeah!

Maomao: I can't believe this guy's ego! He just wants to brag about being prettier than him!

You almost had it, Maomao. So close.

Maomao lives in her own delusional world where she can admire Jinshi's beautiful, well toned figure and still convince herself that she has zero interest in him.

Maomao: I'd offer to inspect your body too, but there'd be no point.

A final blow. Gaoshun is thinking about what a hassle it is going to be to motivate Jinshi to work in the next few days when he's going to be crying in the corner again.

Once Jinshi knows what's going on, he decides to involved himself in Lihaku's business. He offers to put up the money for Lihaku to buy out Pairin's contract. Is he trying to remove a romantic rival or earn points with Maomao by supporting her big sis? Both probably.

Jinshi: You've met my cat. So you know she can be the cautious type. And yet she's willing to give you advice and consider you to be a legitimate candidate to be her sister's husband. So, I think that says enough.

Excuse me, did he just refer to Maomao as his cat?

Damn, the day Lihaku nonchalantly gave Maomao a hairpin, really, really, has paid off.

In fact Maomao is a boon to everyone in her life. We saw it twice this episode with Guen and now with Lihaku.

Lihaku: In short, if she's comfortable letting her guard down around me, I'm trustworthy.

Yeah, Jinshi didn't like that. He's worked for nearly two years to get Maomao to let down her guard around him with little success, but by all appearances, Maomao will do so easily with Lihaku. And that's... true. Lihaku, is not, and has never been, a threat to Maomao's heart. She can stare at his physique or talk intimately and it means nothing at all to Maomao. But of course Jinshi doesn't know that. Which is what makes this hilarious.

And perhaps the unspoken part of this deal, is that Lihaku take the money to go live happily with Pairin, and stay the fuck away from Jinshi's girl.

Jinshi has done his research on Lihaku. It seems he comes from a good family, but was recruited by Lakan. Interesting. Jinshi is listing Lihaku's merits, and he sounds almost sarcastic, like he's forcing the words.

Lihaku: While she might only be a courtesan to you. In my eyes, there's no other woman in the world for me.

Lihaku gives a very nice little speech to Jinshi about wanting to use his own wealth to get Pairin. And he says some very important words:

See Jinshi? He has no interest in your girl? You can rein in your jealousy now.

And Jinshi is relieved. He says he'll need to speak with Lihaku again soon. As brother-in-laws maybe?

It almost seems like Jinshi was testing Lihaku and he passed. Maybe making sure that Lihaku has integrity? Maybe Jinshi is thinking about bringing him into his very small trusted circle? Lord knows Jinshi could use more allies.

Lihaku has come a long way from demanding Maomao compensate him for helping her visit her father outside the palace, to refusing the free money he needs to free the woman he loves.

Jinshi and Gaoshun walk away, and Jinshi is much happier after this conversation. He doesn't have to worry about Lihaku as a romantic rival any more. Which is good for Jinshi, but sad for me.

Lihaku's not giving up. He keeps training, trying to advance his career, save his money, and connect with Pairin however he can. Maomao seems to think it's a hopeful match.

A certain someone came to talk to granny about making a purchase at the brothel and some of the servant girls got the wrong idea. Lakan apparently. What the hell is his game this time? Mess with Maomao's sisters to draw her out of the Rear Palace?

Next episode:

To start at the beginning:

Episode 1

Coming soon!

[sheathnknife]

monster 1×73, "scenery for a doomsday" // caspar david friedrich, "two men by the sea" // squid game 1×09, "one lucky day"

[deusvervewrites]

I Think I Know Why I Dislike Bakugou's Writing

Yes I know I just did the AFO/Asano Meta, but I feel like I need to do this too

To clarify: this is not me bashing on Bakugou. I want to like Bakugou. If you like Bakugou, you aren't wrong. You just deserve better for him.

Let's begin.

For at least a week now, I have had a picture open in a tab on my browser. This picture is something that I was beginning to think was made up by an Ao3 author because I had only ever seen one mention of it. And now that I've found it for myself, I found myself holding on to it and trying to figure out how to feel about it.

But now that's led to me finally having a way to verbalize the issues I have with how Bakugou has been written throughout the series.

On paper, Bakugou has one of the most interesting character arcs in manga. He goes from being a self-absorbed asshole with a superiority-inferiority complex who only wants to be a Hero because they win fights to the genuinely Hero Midoriya believes he can be.

In practice... well.

Let's play a game really quickly. I'll describe a scene from My Hero Academia, and I want you to guess what chapter it is. It doesn't have to be exact, just a general idea. Here's the scenario:

Midoriya manages to use a Quirk that's destructive to him without seriously hurting himself, and is proud of this accomplishment. In response, Bakugou gets incensed and physically attacks him.

Thought about it? Got an idea? Keep that in mind for later.

So here is my issue with Bakugou: there are two Bakugous. I know that sounds weird but let me explain what I mean. I'll call them Interim Bakugou and Dramatic Bakugou.

Dramatic Bakugou saw his classmates at the Battle Trial and realized that he wasn't the Big Man on Campus. He was furious with Todoroki for not using his fire at the Sports Festival, and infuriated by his internship with Best Jeanist. Dramatic Bakugou was kidnapped by the League because he's an asshole. He blames himself for All Might retiring, and he failed the Provisional License Exam because he's a asshole. Dramatic Bakugou told a kid that he needed to acknowledge his own weakness, took a hit for Midoriya in the War Arc, and apologized to him.

Dramatic Bakugou is improving as a person and a Hero.

Dramatic Bakugou also barely appears in the manga.

We are instead left with Interim Bakugou, the Bakugou who exists in the interim between dramatic moments. Interim Bakugou has not changed from his first appearance on the first page of Chapter 1, when he was five, beating the shit out of Midoriya.

Interim Bakugou tried to attack Midoriya on Day 1, and tried to kill him on Day 2. Interim Bakugou listened in on a private conversation about how Endeavor's obsessions broke him and learned nothing. Interim Bakugou told the League of Villains that he wouldn't join them because he likes how Heroes look when they win. Interim Bakugou told the Help Us Company actors to fuck off. Interim Bakugou dragged Midoriya out to Ground Beta to beat the shit out of him because he was butthurt about his exam and making it all about him. Interim Bakugou won the Joint Training Battle because he wanted to be the Undisputed Best. Interim Bakugou never calls people by their real names.

Interim Bakugou called himself Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. Interim Bakugou told the class that Deku is fucked in the head and doesn't care about what happens to himself, while ignoring that he called Midoriya 'Useless' so often Midoriya responds to it like his own name. Interim Bakugou uses Deku right up to the moment that Dramatic Bakugou apologized for inventing it in the first place.

Interim Bakugou never changes, no mater how much Dramatic Bakugou tries.

Here, let me prove it. You remember that game I had you play a few paragraphs ago, yes? What chapter did you say? Chapter 7, during the Quirk Apprehension Test?

Well, I have to admit that I lied a little. That picture I've had on my browser for the past week or so? It's actually a screencap of the manga.

This is from Chapter 253, after Midoriya shows his progress with Blackwhip.

This is five chapters away from the start of the War Arc.

This is 69 chapters before he apologizes, most of which aren't focused on him at all.

This is within the Final Saga, as Horikoshi puts it.

And Interim Bakugou is indistinguishable from Orientation Day eleven months ago

I will freely admit that this is clearly meant to be a joke, and that he did not hurt Midoriya as severely as the class is acting, but the behavior is still there. It hasn't changed a bit. Interim Bakugou hasn't changed a bit.

Dramatic Bakugou, in a flashback, confessed to All Might that he used to bully Midoriya.

Interim Bakugou still does.

This is why I don't like how Horikoshi writes Bakugou. I want to like Dramatic Bakugou and follow his journey, but for every step forward he takes, Interim Bakugou takes two steps back. All of his apologies feel hollow because Interim Bakugou is demonstrably the same.

And that's why his apology rings hollow. Here's a transcript of it from my fan translation of choice:

Do you remember what I told you after Shigaraki stabbed me? (...) "Don't even think about winning this alone!" After yelling that out, my body moved on its own, and I was impaled. Yet I knew that I had to tell you those words.

I always looked down on you, just because you were Quirkless. You were always far away behind me, yet, I felt that you were somehow miles ahead of me. I hated that. I didn't want to feel like that. And I didn't want to recognize that. It's why I grew so distant from you and always tried to beat you down.

I opposed you and tried to show my superiority over you. But I always lost. After entering UA absolutely nothing went as I thought it would. I spent all my days trying to figure out your strengths and weaknesses.

It probably doesn't mean anything telling you all this but that's what I really think. Izuku... I'm sorry for everything I've done up until now.

The path you took as a successor of One For All is exactly what All Might did. Your choices weren't misguided at all. But as of now, you can barely stand on your own. Your ideals alone can only take you so far. If you ever encounter a road bump, you can always count on us for help. To surpass All Might, your ideal Hero, we would all have to protect UA and the civilians in there together. It's the only way.

There are three parts to an apology.

You have to be sorry for the harm you caused. Bakugou says that he is.

You have to understand how you hurt them. Bakugou... acknowledges that he "grew distant" and "beat Midoriya down."

You have to either ask how to make it right, or promise never to cause that harm again. Bakugou... promises that they'll all surpass All Might.

Though I will give him credit for acknowledging the protection of civilians, good job Dramatic Bakugou.

Dramatic Bakugou seemingly can't apologize for Interim Bakugou, because Interim Bakugou isn't sorry. Interim Bakugou is the same as always.

So the truth is that I love Dramatic Bakugou's character arc, and I hate Interim Bakugou for not having one

[panda-janai]

Gojo’s confession

It’s like 3am right now so random thoughts but I’m like, lowkey convinced that gojo said, “I love you” to Geto during that one panel in Volume 0 and in the movie itself.

For the movie, that scene was WAY too intimate bro like I swear everyone in the theatre could feel there was a little more going on in that scene, especially for anime onlys. Like even the creators of the film themselves did a little changes in comparison to the manga (e.g., having Gojo crouch down to eye level) to bring it more across. 

Ik theres still no proper screencaps of the movie rn but damn that 240p quality

Especially this scene, like they could have easily just showed the sky or something and then have Geto’s reaction after but they had to show it like this, where we could see him saying something but its not audible to us as well as his eyes being hidden in this scene which is a pretty common thing to happen in anime especially when something emotional is happening. ★ Also I’m not sure if this is true or not, but I’ve heard that some people were able to read his lips and think he said I love you but I’m not really gonna go solely based off that since something like that probably would’ve blown up by now.

And then we go to the manga..

To be honest for the manga, I thought Gojo said something along the lines of “Welcome home” or something but I immediately threw that option out the window after reading that one interview with Gege.

First off, during an interview with Gege about volume 0, the interviewer asked them what Gojo said to Geto during that panel in Volume 0 to which they said that Gojo had already said it in the volume 0 manga. So the only two things I thought of that Gojo probably said would have to be associated with either:

 1. “[Geto] he was my friend, my one and only.” 

or

2. “Love is the most twisted curse of them all”

Now I know you might think yeah, Gojo definitely told him, “You’re my best friend” or anything around that

But with a reaction like THAT doesn’t seem too fitting for when your ex-bestfriend from 10 years ago tells you they still see you as their best friend since it is a little too much of an overreaction, especially considering Geto didn’t react so much as in shock when Gojo told him that he still trusts him which is equally as surprising considering everything he has done up to that point.

But instead he just laughed it off, more like something along the lines of a ‘Wow I can’t believe it’ kind of reaction either because its simply amusing to hear that Gojo still harbors trust for him after all that hes done, or he just finds him foolish.

But Gojo telling Geto, “I love you” just seems....fitting. In a way his love for him (whether you view it as romantic or familial) was sort of like a curse when you think about it. It prevented him from killing him during his confrontation with him after his first massacre (KFC breakup), it prevented him from going after Geto for the 10 years after that leading up to the events in volume 0 fully aware of his malicious actions, and it prevented him from having Shoko properly dispose of his body after he killed him-- which in turn has led to Kenjaku having access to his body thus leading to the events that are currently happening in the manga.

There also is a bit of a melancholic feel when Gojo meets pseudo geto for the first time, which ultimately lead to his capture

His gay ass fr froze up not even for a whole minute in his head but mans really had the entire 3 years he spent with him flash before his eyes like pack it up nojo

aswell as his reaction when he found out who pseudo geto really is

Anyways, Gojo’s reactions coupled with his actions and the things he said to Geto make me think he probably told him he loves him in volume 0, but the only true way of knowing (if we’ll even get more proof or a whole confirmation) is if we’re able to see Geto again and or have them encounter once more since it sort of already has been hinted at that Geto might potentially come back with the way Kenjaku had to grab his own neck after Gojo triggered something in their last meet.

But yeah these are my thoughts ✨

[why-its-kai]

LONG POST AND SPOILERS FOR TRIGUN (ANIME & MANGA) WARNING SO UNDER THE CUT:

SO in the Trigun manga, there's a character named William Conrad who looks EXACTLY like Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard as Dixon Hill, Private Investigator in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 Episode 12 "The Big Goodbye". yes this is a special interest crossover event

Later on in Trigun Maximum, it is revealed that Conrad has been using the psuedoname "Revenant Vasquez."

William Conrad did not appear in the 1998 Trigun anime, but Count Revenant Vasquez did, albeit briefly (and not alive). His face is only briefly shown in this one scene in the final episode.

Today, I was trying to find the proper spelling of Revenant Vasquez/Lebnant Vasques/Revnunt Buskus and so I took a fresh screencap from my Remix rip and from the small thumbnail image thought "huh he kinda looks familiar now that i am looking at his face instead of laughing at BUSKUS and the fact he is from Cleveland of all places."

"Wait A Minute"

*cue hurried digging thru my files for the Trigun Overhaul scans of the specific chapter Revenant Vasquez's identity is revealed and skimming thru "The Big Goodbye" in VLC media player*

"No Way"

*cue more digging thru Overhaul scans and my various saved images of Picard I have because I love him*

The conspiracy board was hastily assembled on my desktop.

REVNUNT BUSKUS... IS PATRICK STEWART WITH HAIR.

(and I'm fairly certain this is at least one of the manga panels used as a basis for his anime character design, if not the specific one this cel artwork was based on.)

It all makes sense. Conrad/Vasquez' role was drastically cut in the 1998 anime adaptation. Aside from his appearance at the end of Trigun (manga), we don't see him or learn much more about him until later into Trigun Maximum, chapters which did not yet exist in 1997 when the anime began production (lots of characters experienced similar changes because of this). But a design did exist for him in the source material for the character designers of the 1998 anime to reference..... perhaps the resemblance to Sir Patrick was seen and the character designer added hair just to be safe, or maybe it wasn't noticed and the designers just thought the design would be more interesting with hair. Especially since the only other times he's onscreen in '98, we only see his back and top of his head:

ANYWAYS that is my ramble about the discovery of Picard Is Also In The Trigun Anime Not Just The Manga Like I Originally Thought I Just Didn't Notice Sooner Because He Had Hair And I Was Busy Laughing At Revnant Buskus From Cleveland.

BONUS: Second, smaller Buskus who appears just before the first screencap I shared who is actually the one who made me think "hmm he looks kinda familiar."

SCREAMING TODAY I REALIZED REVNUNT BUSKUS IS ANIME PATRICK STEWART WITH HAIR

[shih-coulda-had-it]

my hero academia s6e8 (or episode 121, depends on how you count) thoughts on the gran torino scene, and how it’s different from ch 281

(tl;dr: The official manga translation offered more nuance than the anime subtitles I saw on my streaming site of choice, and if Nana really did say, “I never had any children. Not ever, Sorahiko. I am childless,” then I hope the Inko Shimura theorists have a very good day.)

//

what’s fascinating about the anime adaptation is that it finally gives context as to WHO is really speaking, and whether it’s out loud or an internal voice. so, for starters, when reading 281 i didn’t think that Gran Torino’s analysis (’Todoroki’s packing less fire now...’) extended to the next, ‘This one’s also seen better days! He’s pushing past his limits to keep fighting!’

og interpretation was that it was Shigaraki’s narration re:Torino (see me, completely glossing over the ‘also’, d’oh); this is technically a back-to-back fight for Torino, after the hospital raid. and, of course, Gran Torino is the oldest hero present. so he’s seen ‘better days.’

(honestly? a similar layered interpretation of the text/visual happened earlier, when Izuku was talking about how their first priority is to protect ‘the teacher who’s watched over us this whole time’, and OBVIOUSLY he means Aizawa, but with Gran Torino in frame, you could read it as applying to him too! [and the fact that it didn’t... Izuku you unfilial disciple hahaha])

//

subtitle translations vs caleb’s translations: who’s right? idk!

[caleb’s: “What a face... Shimura!”

subs: “How did he turn into this thing, Shimura?”]

i have Tea with this difference. when you first read the official manga translation, the words are superimposed over a frame of Shigaraki’s manic glee (which, uh, clap clap screencap redrawers, every Shigaraki frame is a base for a Nana shot). if you read this manga with Severe Projection, you can interpret this as Gran Torino seeing his sworn friend’s expression on his sworn enemy’s, thus why the flashback kicks in.

(i’m just saying, i think a strong memory for Gran Torino is him getting pinned by Nana and staring up at her triumphant grin, hair falling out of its half up-do.)

now the anime subtitles... ohhhh. okay. it’s strong evidence for Gran Torino’s no-mercy attitude towards Shigaraki. he’s seeing Shigaraki as a thing, not a person. but it’s very heavy handed!!

if Gran Torino was going to have the flashback, I would rather it be jolted free because Shigaraki reminded Torino of Nana on one of her worst days, not because he’s scrabbling to connect cause-and-effects.

//

ach, the scene. the SCENE. WITH THE AUDIO ADDED. it unfortunately did not receive any additional animation shots, but i’m satisfied with the render. now, the script. the script i am bothered by.

[caleb’s --

Nana: I tinkered with the family records [Koseki] to keep him off the trail. Because if he were to ever learn of Kotarou... he’d be sure to exploit our connection. And so, I have no son. I never did. Sorahiko, I have no son...

subs --

Nana: The ID has been altered, no one can trace it. If he learned about Kotarou’s existence, he’d use it for his bidding. I never had any children. Not ever, Sorahiko. I am childless.]

the manga translation is pretty straightforward, and others have commented on the difficulty Nana must have faced in illegally tampering with those records, so I’m just going to comment on the subtitles.

ahem. WHAT. does it really translate like this?? this is food for the Inko Shimura theorists!! plural, children? PLURAL, CHILDREN? i feel like this takes away from the significance of it being KOTAROU who was fostered! and then when Nana says “I never had any children”, that’s the moment they choose for Gran Torino’s head to turn!! what the fuck!!

i think Bones also missed an opportunity for Nana’s VA’s voice to break when saying “I have no son” or “I am childless”. it’s evident in the manga speech bubble that Nana is STRUGGLING to maintain her composure by this point, and THAT is what gets Gran Torino’s attention, what makes him attempt to offer comfort to his friend. >:,(

//

last difference before Gran Torino gets absolutely bodied in HD,

[caleb’s --

Sorahiko: Shimura... the decision we made... was it...

subs --

Sorahiko: Shimura, our decision back then...]

i don’t have any beef here, since ‘the decision we made’ and ‘our decision’ are essentially the same thing, but in the manga translation, Gran Torino is more or less teetering on the point of remorse (and landing firmly on, ‘ah man, we gotta make the kill shot now’). the anime... I think you can hear it? It’s very choked out.

[chenetic]

I'm still in my jujutsu-hyperfixation rn so pardon my regular followers, but since JJK is on a break, I can't help swimming in the fushiguro ships but I noticed some things from the anime that I haven't seen been posted about (with terrible screencaps).

For the Sukufushi shippers, can I just say this scene really is a chefs kiss. Personally, it looked to me like Sukuna's target was ultimately Fushiguro, even though Gojo was the one antagonising him.

He didn't go next to Fushiguro - which was where Gojo actually was - he straight up aimed for him. And that look!! (whereas the manga, Suku goes straight to attacking Gojo, so thank you anime for giving us more material~)

But the fact that Gojo somehow expected where he'd go??? Possibly knew Sukuna was aware of Megumi's potential from the start.

Another thing I noticed, following that thought, is when Gojo gives Itadori the second finger...

Once he gives it to him, Gojo backs away and specifically puts his hand on the door while waiting to see what happens.

And I was thinking, that's specific... why? But who's on the other side?

Personally, again, Gojo was protecting Megumi just incase, but also somehow he suspected if Sukuna did appear, he'd go straight to Megumi?? (Obviously in the manga, he tries the second one outside and Megumi just appears right after it was confirmed Itadori could control it so not as dramatic lol).

But anyway, just my thoughts. Thank you for keeping it spicy, anime~

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET EPISODE 21 RECAP

Ahh jeez... I just got my first COVID vaccine injection yesterday and had a rough night dealing with the side effects so all the emotions in this episode hit me when I was pretty vulnerable... really HARD. My God. Also, this was a really great tie in to the previous two episodes that I almost wish I’d put this recap together with the last two but c’est la vie.

I dunno if I’ll make it through writing this recap without tearing up but here we gooooo

---------------------------------------------------------

Lol, I literally muttered an ‘oh, shit’ the minute this episode started cos I knew I was in to be emotionally tortured. Like a lamb being brought in for slaughter... 😭

I’ve always found it interesting how the other Soma family members are so willing and passionate to uphold the standards and traditions especially when it comes towards the zodiac members. It’s a bit confusing at times because it seems like everyone cares about these values a lot more than the actual zodiac do themselves, but I get the impression that Takaya-sensei is using this dynamic to talk mostly about how traditions can be soured over time. Mostly because of people ironically lol 

...I do get a little curious as to how big of an effect the curse has on interactions between the zodiac members....

...How much is Akito an asshole cos of the curse and how much are they an asshole because of how they were raised/who they are? I don’t even have any other thoughts about this besides sometimes the line between the effects of the curse vs their actual personality gets quite blurred. There’s also a lot of ‘cause to effect’ that happens to all the zodiac members in general, which blurs it even more. Another thought to come back to some day...

(What’s the age difference between Shigure and Akito? 🧐)

Awww yay! Baby zodiac! Anyway, let’s go through the different members to distract from the sads! :

Is Kureno the oldest zodiac? He almost looks the same 😂

The layout of the scene is great: Yuki and Kureno being the closest to ‘God’, yet compared to all the other group interactions are the furthest apart from one another, remaining at their assigned stations. Silent and alone.

Hatori remains at his seat as well but is slightly distracted by warm-hearted Momiji!

I’m so glad that Hatori and Momiji have had this parent-child/big brother-little brother/Mori and Honey-senpai dynamic since practically the beginning! ...Wait, is this just after Hatori-

Ritsu and Kagura being cute af! I wish we saw more of their relationship in present day

And Haru... in a daze... haha

Maybe I’m just going overboard with my feelings of contempt but even seeing younger Rin sit by Shigure creeps me out, man. And considering Akito’s feelings about Rin... it kinda makes this moment a bit... ergh lol

I LOVE HOW MANY ‘MEAN GIRLS’ VIBES I GOT FROM THIS FRAME. 😍😂✨ This is the most perfect and probably most underrated frame from the show thus far lmao

Anyway, jokes over. Back to the story lol

<3<3<3<3 He thought Kyo was pretty... 😭✨

Ah boy... all the characters in this show are so emotionally intelligent a lot of the time that I forget that they are also kids who fuck up and forget about other people’s feelings because of their own pain!

But damn. Between Kyo’s reaction and Yuki’s mother and Akito being a jerk, it’s... a lot.

I tend to forget that Hatori had been doing this memory erasing from a young age (considering he also erased Momiji’s mothers memory before this too). How traumatising would that have been for him as well? You definitely get the impression that Hatori carries a lot of weight on his shoulders just through seeing him but I am curious about a lot more of Hatori’s story around the early years.

- Yuki being the connecting figure between Kyo and Tohru through the hat is just... YES.

Everything about these scenes of seeing Yuki in that dark room, wasting away in a chair due to his emotions and his physical condition was heartbreaking. He truly had no one that had his back and he’s just a child! ...Yep, I think this when the build-up of tears began.

Him describing about just wanting to get out and get away without really knowing what he was going to do was too close to home and Eric Vale’s performance in this was amazing and I was tears.

We love her!

...

Everything about this sequence was perfect. I always go on about the opening and ending songs but the score to this scene was amazing and really rang out to the emotions of the scene. I don’t think I’ve been emotionally moved by the score this much since the Yuki and Tohru beach moment and the True Form arc. 

Also, the fact that these kids (Yuki and Tohru) are desperately running around the streets at night, one trying to find home, one trying to find meaning was beautiful. However... I’m pretty sure when Tohru described this event it wasn’t set at night in her memory? It looked like it was the afternoon from what I remember, maybe I’m wrong. (But if I’m right, that’s an interesting depiction on how Tohru sees trauma)

I can’t look at this screencap without tearing up... <3

💗

Yuki’s Best Boi of this episode, OF COURSE. 

He said it!!

When I originally read this bit in the manga, I didn’t really understand having a parental-child relationship with someone the same age as you. And then, I definitely began to understand how in my twenties, haha. The love that Takaya-sensei has for showing platonic relationships as just as meaningful and impactful as romantic relationships is always great and refreshing to see.

Fruits Basket is about how love can be shown in many different ways. <3

------------------------------------------------

...This episode was a lot! I don’t think a Fruits Basket episode has made me cry since the True Form arc! I’ve always liked Yuki as a character but I think I’ve found a brand new understanding and connection with his character this turn around. Don’t make me choose between him and Kyo though... haha

Was the new Season 3 episode a proper storyline episode or a season recap one? (It’s listed as episode 0 on my funimation account so I was just wondering...)

But we’ll eventually get there...

See you soooon!!!

[bthump]

What do you think about the hints on Flora's backstory? Do you have any theories?

spoiler cut

Idk there’s not much to go on. Maybe it’s a sign that Elfhelm isn’t super great, if whatever Flora got exiled for is something we would consider good. The two ideas that come to mind that could be associated with Flora and controversial to Elfhelm are subverting causality in some way, since we know witches are capable of that and it’s why Griffith killed her, or something to do with Skull Knight and his armour. Like I do kind of wonder what the deal is with SK being so rational yet apparently solely driven by vengeance and rage - when Guts succumbs to the armour he’s basically incapable of intelligent thought. Is Skull Knight somehow a fusion of his armour/inner darkness and his original self, moreso than Beast of Darkness Guts?

Idk maybe Flora brought Skull Knight’s consciousness back from his armour too late so he’s permanently like, a bit monstery, or smthn. And Elfhelm was against it.

Anon 2: I just don't get it, like how the person who wrote golden age could decide to add into the chapter such shitty fillers? I understand he don't want to tell anything related to the main plot, but he could give us some farnesca interactions, or casca with anybody interactions, or maybe a magical lesson, but not f*cking that. Who even want to look under the clothes of a bunch of unnamed characters (also they are kids)?! I hope moonlight boy at least would move the plot.

Anon 3: The way children characters were portrayed in this chapter was more uncomfortable than usual...Miura truly has lost it in that regard, huh. Also the Jar Jar Binks reference...how cringey (and meta given the current state of Berserk, dare I say).

Anon 4: I am still baffled by the new chapter. Instead of doing anything interesting, he decides to induldge in his little witch girl fetish. Sir, you do not publish frequently enough, and have too much unaddressed  issues in your work, to pull shit like that. And can somebody please tell him that every ending of a chapter does not need to be a cliffhanger?

It’s kind of a pain in the ass to post screencaps of asks so I’m switching to copypasting lol. But yeah :/ Man remember the days when I enjoyed the actual content of the manga instead of my enjoyment coming solely from hope for the future of it? This chapter was dire lol, I couldn’t come up with a worse comedic filler scene if you paid me.

Best and most hopeful reasoning I have for that scene’s existence is that it’s a last gasp of Isidro being wacky immature comic relief before Miura kills off Mermaid and he gets more serious. And obviously it still didn’t have to be so awkward and terrible and uncomfortable.

Suddenly have the urge to re-read the first 2 arcs and cleanse my palate lol.

[pdaliceliveblogs]

asks!

Are you sure about that?

Are you sure you’re sure?

(I imagine it’s probably concept art for a design they decided not to go with. Alas, bc as y’all probably know by now I love long hair, but oh well. I was so fucking psyched when her hair came back with the transformation, oh my god)

oh my god, headcanon accepted

...or, if we want to get really depressing up in here, they’re her mother’s clothes that were left to her when she died

oof. I’m not surprised that happened but genuinely surprised it was animated, given that unless I’m really missing something there was no blood at all in the series. Even full on impalement didn’t draw a drop.

Oh, neat, I didn’t know there was a manga version of the movie! And yeah, people have told me both sides of the story re: Saito’s work and statements, so I’m probably going to read the manga but not blog it? I might make a big text post with My Thoughts afterwards or something but no promises.

...hmm. The only one of these that I see is that Anthy’s bindi is more noticeable in the movie. I’ve been clicking back and forth between series and movie screencaps of the same characters, and the only difference I can really see is that Utena’s sometimes a little pinker in the series? But that much seems to depend a lot on lighting, and on the overall palette of the movie. All these characters came off definitely Japanese to me in the series, though admittedly that’s affected by them all having very Japanese names. I’m also curious about the lighter skin tone being “more stereotypically Indian” to you-- I’m curious where you’re from, anon! I’m from California in the US, and if I were to try to imagine a Stereotypical Indian Person I would imagine a skin tone closer to series!Anthy’s, probably.

I am not the be-all and end-all of this, and I’m genuinely bad at this kind of thing a lot of the time-- when I was a kid I thought Summer Glau was Chinese because she played River Tam-- so I’m by no means trying to tell you that you’re wrong. I’m just not seeing the same things you’re seeing, which is intriguing. I’m always open to listen and learn, and I’d love to hear more from you or anyone else who noticed things I might not have about character design changes like this.

...damn.

I’m never sure how canon you can count things that didn’t make their way into a story-- is it still canon if it’s a deleted scene? If it’s word of god? Gotta take it on a case-by-case basis, I think-- but I can see it. That’s... painful. I guess it explains how he learnt to be a manipulator, as sad as that is, and having badly needed a rescue of some kind can also feed into that desire to pose oneself as the rescuer. It’s genuinely pretty horrifying.

That makes me worry about Nanami a lot, too-- was she ever aware of what was going on? Touga looked about seven or so in that flashback scene, and Nanami’s only a few years younger, but she didn’t remember that they were adopted-- I don’t really have memories from before I was about five, so I guess that’s plausible, but it also seems like the kind of thing that might be blocked out? I always saw her as a sort of ‘unfavourite child’ while their parents doted on Touga, but this definitely contradicts that... hmm. A lot to think about.

[princeasimdiya12]

Random screencaps of Captain Underpants IN SPACE with thoughts for each of those scenes Part 2.

I instantly thought of @tornrose24 and her Passengers prediction when I saw the reveal of Krupp thawing himself early in order to take over the ship. And personally, I found his subplot of trying to entertain himself while being an idiot to be more enjoyable than that disturbing piece of film.

Another reminder to never do drugs kids.

While I do love the concept of Dressy being akumatized in this episode, especially since it’s been so long since one of the kids have been the monster of the week, I’m a little offput over the comic that the boys made here. While they have made comics where they placed their friends as the villains for CU to defeat, there was always a reason behind it. For Erica, they created the Vimpire out of frustration and wanting to appease Erica’s desire for strong female characters. For Bo, it was to make him a laughing stock so the student body wouldn’t be afraid of him or his bully image. But here, there’s really no stated reason as to why they decided to make Dressy into the villain. Even if singing was a key component, they didn’t really talk about or mention Dressy until the big reveal. It feels like she was written as a villain in the comic for the sake of plot convenience. And I normally wouldn’t mind when it comes to this show, but on this occasion, the whole scene feels off.

But apart from that, I did enjoy Dressy being an akuma and how it weaponized her singing as a force for evil. I just wish she could have a different appearance or a cooler design.

I can’t help but laugh at the implication that this is Harold’s way of sticking it to his new step-dad. :p

It’s also worth mentioning that this is the second time that George has made fun of Anthrope for being boring and dull. The first being in one of the endings for the Choice-O-Rama special. I kinda get the feeling that she represents the boring and unfulfilled side of adulthood and George wants no part in it. Also, those eyes and eyebrows are gonna haunt me for the rest of the night.

I honestly appreciate Moxie in this situation. While she’s definitely playing the role of the Only Straight Woman here, I like that she’s calling attention to the fact that she’s the adult and she’s responsible for these kids. And even if she doesn’t like them or the whole situation, Moxie takes it on herself to ensure that they’re safe and not doing something that could kill them. Especially since they’re on an unknown alien world that could endanger their lives. I appreciate that and my respect for her grew here. And it grew even more for flat out calling Krupp an adult baby. 

I’m a little saddened that they didn’t use that gag as a reference to the “Everything Except Fabric Softener” Superstore from the manga. That would have been so cool.

Also, this is a rare moment of Captain Underpants wearing a blue cape instead of his trademark red. It’s weird.

Also, I’m very confused over the dynamics of this world. If the kids can turn into sharks to keep the adults in line, then why can’t the adults shapeshift too? If the adults are the same race as the kids, then can’t they turn into sharks too so they can fight back? Do the adults lose this ability to transform when they reach adulthood which is why they’re powerless? If that’s the case, then will the kids in charge lose their shapeshifting when they grow older and become abused by the new generation of Utopiquian kids? Are they aware and prepared for that? There are alot of questions over how this shark culture functions and most of them feel like pretty big plot holes. 

 If they wanted to show a world where kids controlled adults, then I feel they should have nixed the shapeshifting aspect since it’s something that both groups would have due to their planetary race. Maybe the kids could have had access to an ancient technological weapon to enforce their abusive will and the adults didn’t stand a fighting chance against. Or maybe the adults destroyed their world and the kids who survived decided to rebuild their own utopia while imprisoning the adults, blaming them for the world’s end. I can think of more ideas but the point is the kids would have an advantage that the adults shouldn’t have. 

And those are my thoughts for Episodes 3 and 4. What do you guys think of all this? Feel free to reblog this with your thoughts.

[onepickyreader]

Why Jihyun is a horrible person vs Kyujin (used here as a comparison) - part 1

This is quite a long post, so be patient with me. Also, FULL SPOILERS.

I am here again to talk about Oryu’s manhwa “Back to School” (or “Returning Student”) and to mostly vent my thoughts about Jihyun and how he is depicted.

Now, I know many manga have interactions between characters that are seemingly violent/forceful, but the narrative of the story wants to depict them in a positive way. I don’t think this is the case. In this manhwa we have two “love interests”, one is Jihyun and one is Kyujin. And we can use both Kyujin’s behavior and Chiwoo’s reactions to see that the author intended to show that Jihyun is not a good person.

This long post has all the warnings, from threats, to gaslighting, to abuse and rape, please, be mindful and careful.

I will also use J and K instead of the full names, because I have terrible spelling! Remember, J is the bad one.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

J is reunited with Chiwoo in chapter 4. Up till now we know that J. is aware of the fact that Chiwoo changed school, moved away and purposefully did not tell him where. Part of him thinks it is because of the murder charge (and he believes Chiwoo thinks he is guilty), and this because he doesn’t seem to comprehend that Chiwoo might have agency or personal feelings about being subjected to sexual assault.

So, J knows Chiwoo has moved away (even remarks it, telling him not to run), and yet, his first reaction is hugging Chiwoo.

Chiwoo's reaction is this: 

Anyone around them can see that Chiwoo is distressed, from a random professor, to K, who comes running. Yet, Chiwoo’s relationship with J has always been warped, and Chiwoo knows that J is more than able and willing to cause him trouble (example. beating up people who might show kindness to Chiwoo), so, with an absolutely HEARTBREAKINg look of resignation, Chiwoo tells everyone that it is okay, J is his friend.

J then proceeds to drag Chiwoo away and ignore about 5 or 6 “Stops”, before proceeding to kiss him. He lets go of him only when Chiwoo bites him and pushes him away. Chiwoo has to literally draw blood. And this is the reaction:

This is not surprise, this is panic (see the dizzy, and the feeling of throwing up).

And yet, even this time, J's concern is always for himself, as usual. His reaction is annoyance. After having dragged Chiwoo to a secluded place, kissed him against his will, admitted that he knew Chiwoo probably wants to run, his reaction is "I am about to get really pissed, how can you treat me like this?". J said sorry, he has said sorry so he expects Chiwoo to accept the apology and act naturally. And here, I think, there is the core of his character.

I don't think J ever thought Chiwoo was blameless. He is telling the truth here, he does think that Chiwoo's attempts to ignore his past "I like you" were the cause of his rapist behavior. Nothing clearer than some quite obvious victim blaming, here.

The interaction is interrupted only because J has to go, and you can see the way he positions his hand (on the side of Chiwoo's head) to trap him. Chiwoo is LITERALLY FROZEN IN FEAR. And from this point onward, he expresses both a dislike to being touched and an uneasy anxiety at the idea of going to school (when he finds out J joined his school).

This is how the author wants us to look at their first interaction in the comic. Absolute egoism, blindness, from J’s part, and frozen fear from Chiwoo’s part.

Ah yes, the good look of a love interest, trapping your terrified lover against a wall, and dismissing his fear at looking at you or being around you, because that is not important. J’s feelings, his need to be around Chiwoo is more important than anything Chiwoo might say or need.

FIRST KYUJIN PARENTHESIS

Now let's compare the interactions between Chiwoo and J, with what happens next with Chiwoo and K. We have seen J escalating the level of threats at Chiwoo's refusal to be touched. Chiwoo says let go, J drags him away, and even warns him that the threatening level could be worse (that "I am about to get pissed").

This is rooted in something deeper in their relationship and it smells of usual behavior.

Later on, we see Chiwoo yelling at K not to touch him, when K touches his shoulder, probably reminding Chiwoo of J's presence. K is hurt by the vehemence, but OBEYS Chiwoo's wishes, and Chiwoo spends the rest of the day stressing about how to apologize to him. He later finds out that K is not mad at all, but his distant behavior has probably been due to worry.

Let me rephrase this. J has Chiwoo right in front of him, trembling in fear, and he doesn't feel even a LITTLE BIT of worry. K sees that Chiwoo has been distressed when nearby J, and immediately is worried.

My favorite part of this first parallelism is the consent to being touched. At one point, K hugs Chiwoo and when Chiwoo seems mad, he promises him that he will ask permission in the future.

K is also quite careful and doesn’t seem to think J’s continuous touching of Chiwoo is anything playful.

Chiwoo is not even looking at K here, because he knows J quite well, and he knows that J is ready to fight after being told what to do or not to do. So here is when Chiwoo has to literally RESIGN himself at being around J, to try to keep his new friend K out of trouble.

And his resignation seeps into his nightmares and then into his anxiety, so much that he skips school so that for ONE DAY he doesn’t have to see J. 

I can FEEL that J thinks this (= Chiwoo accepting to be friendly with him) means that he is forgiven, that things are going back to normal. But the readers know what is happening and that Chiwoo already had part of his character development here, because he knows J is only doing what he wants, getting what he wants, without caring for anyone else. So he is already past the idea that any apology from J is sincere or need to be accepted.

THE PHONE NUMBER

Compared to the veiled threats of what we see between Chiwoo and J (of what the author wants us to see), the relationship between K and Chiwoo is much more “usual school romance”, why K stressing over the idea that J could be a rival, and asking for Chiwoo’s number, and backing down when asked.

I want to particularly highlight this part, because the panels are one after the other, which shows that they must be read one in the context of the other.

We have here K, asking for Chiwoo’s number:

And just after, here we have J somehow having managed to get or find Chiwoo’s number and telling him:

FRIENDS

I just wanted to also point out the different way J and K interact with Chiwoo when other people are around.

In the PAST we see that J does everything he can to keep Chiwoo isolated, from beating up a guy who could have become Chiwoo’s friend, to sleeping with Chiwoo’s date. And sorry after sorry, Chiwoo has no one else but J, so he forgives him.

Now in the PRESENT, we see that J starts to do the same thing. Literally putting himself between Chiwoo and his classmates (who, let me say, have started to warm up to Chiwoo thanks to K)

He also beat up a guy, and uses it as a way to coerce Chiwoo into paying attention to him.

Yes, what a classic move! When you are in love with someone and threaten their friends so that your lover knows they are being punished for ignoring you!

ASSAULT #2

The next day, Chiwoo finds J out of his house. I call this scene assault #2 because this is what it is. Chiwoo realizes, once more, that there are no words that can get through to J.

He has tried with the no, and now he reiterates with expressing WHY he wishes J could listen to him. He EXPLICITLY tells J that J’s presence makes him feel like shit. This interaction happens around chapter 13, and is just after Chiwoo has spent the day with K.  

Here, J DEMANDS to know what he can do to be forgiven, as if Chiwoo is a toy that used to function in a certain way, but now doesn’t give the appropriate responses at the appropriate command.

This is also absolutely dreadful, so I am not going to post screencaps, but there is NOTHING romantic about the feeling of being trapped and the dread that is drawn into Chiwoo, the moment he realizes he is going to be alone in the house with J.

And the focus here is: J keeps pretending to not know why Chiwoo hates him, why Chiwoo cannot accept his apology, but the moment Chiwoo’s mother leaves, J perfectly knows that the threat of a second assault is terrifying and realistic. This horrible scene is even worse when compared with the images of K angsting about his teenage crush on Chiwoo.

ALSO, I counted them. Chiwoo says stop 5 times and let go 2 times.

While J has been pretending to not know what upset Chiwoo, he has been knowing all along that the assault has scarred Chiwoo and does scare him to death, because he makes the direct connection of “You have been ignoring me, now I can ignore your no, and see, this is what happens, I told you to be careful”.

THIS IS MY MAIN POINT. Here, like in the past, there is no love in J’s actions, the assault is not a moment of passion, but a punishment. Now for having been ignored, then for having been ignored.

Luckily, this time, he stops, when he sees Chiwoo crying, but it is like he doesn’t SEE. He is wounded that Chiwoo would treat him like this, would speak to him like this, he WARNS him again to be careful with his words while literally looming over him.

J at this point realizes that he still has to earn his usual forgiveness, he thinks he knows how this goes along, he just needs to do be around Chiwoo, like usual, and Chiwoo one day will forgive him. 

And this is it, this is the most terrifying part. Chiwoo had just went through another traumatic experienced, caused by J, and flashbacks of being raped by J, and what J tells him is 

It hurts MY feelings. This is classic narcissistic abuser, manipulating people into looking at him as the victim, into pitying him.

Luckily, this time Chiwoo catches up on it, and out of his thoughts we have the confirmation that this is what J does, abuses and then asks for pity and forgiveness. 

OTHER SMALL THINGS

- Just the way the whole panel turns dark and gloomy, when Chiwoo thinks about J.

- Also, none of these messages from J exudes worry. One of them specifically says “Who are you with?”

And look at the difference between the messages K sends him:

- The way the interaction between K and Chiwoo are drawn. There are no black gloomy panels, no flinching. Chiwoo actually smiles

- The way Chiwoo remarks multiple time his frustration at trying to talk with J and how J just doesn’t want to hear him

KEEP READING (part 2)

[arahabakix]

3, 8, and 33 from ask a graphic/gif maker questions!!😊

helloo!!!! your edits are absolutely stunning btww

3. who/what inspires your graphics / gifs?

ooki this is going to be a lengthy answer buttt my most of the folks near me are very artsy and creative??? like my siblings, folks from uni, & even annoying exes. my siblings are are liek talented when it comes to drawing & painting and i’m the least creative one out of the bunch,so they like give me tips when they share their stuff with me?? i had a senior back in uni who would make these amazing UI’s and i loved their minimalist style,,,

on tumblr, it’s once again a long liist, but the way @svmeragi uses textures (anjali was the first editor like i saw and went, OH FUCK I WANNA DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT), @zenien‘s way with colors (seriously sel’s usage of color inspires me like nothing), @noxdivina‘s minimalist edits (i just genuinely loe how they use white space in their edits and the amount of detaill like im always in awe of the stuff they create), @ultkags‘s way with symbolism??? like legit pls check out their hxh/hq!! edits good stuff right there ,,i lve the way @sukerokus​ colors it’s just all very gorgeous and pleasing to look at,,,,, once again there’s a lot of editors who inspire me, and that i look up to cbgvbv

non-tumblr inspiration is mostly found from pinterest/behance/youtube? there was a video talking about the aesthetics of east-asian cinema and i loved the posters in it. there’s also the artist side of youtbe and i watch their videos and look at how they use colors on traditional medium and try to use the same techniques???? like i can’t make any of it, but there’s a lot of things that i want to learn to incorporate 

also like the anime/manga themselves??? like znt’s animation, psycho pass’s op sequence, tg’s illustrations & production stills, mononoke’s art (which is the best art i’ve seen), shouwa genroku’s silhouette’s,mp100′s oberall animation like they’re all things i see and want to learn to do

8. your favourite graphic and or gif created by yourself

yeh so im someone who absolutely loathes whatever they make, but i’ve been making peace with it. i don’t have a favourite??? so i just went through my edit tag and chose ones i don’t hate if you don’t mind: but i like this suga gfx alot because it was the first gfx i made in like forever, this spirited away gif, this knnw gif, and this znt one came out better than i thought it would??/gfgbfchg sorry for adding so many

33. give us a quick explanation of how you make a graphic / gif?

i really don’t have a process??? but it’s mostly scene/manga panel i like, mark it, go back to it like six months later, and work on it. 

with gifs, if i liek a scene, i mark it down in my notebbok and open ps when im not being lazy, get teh screencaps, and the wjole process. i manually color most of my gifs but if i can’t i stick to older psds (ones i made or ones i got), and then slap on a noise filter if i think it’s necessary and bam done,,,

with gfx, i have no idea about typography rules or any of the gfx principles (im dumb like that) so it always comes down to what looks pretty to me??? so there’s a lot of trial and error and it rarely ever comes out great. but i clean caps/find textures i like over @DA or behance or creative market/browse pinterest for ideas/chuck the ideas out because they’re too advaned/close ps and come back to it a week later/then just play around wih settings

with colorings, i don’t have a fixed style, but if i like a panel then i try to find a palette i like and then just work with it. there’s a lot of layers and blending modes and brushes. but i think it’s important that you have an idea about how you want it to look like in the end so that whatever result you get, you know you did your best. im also fuelled by the need to not copy any styles so that ends with me doing very weird shit like with the suzuya coloring i did recently, i wanted to see if i could pull off the color palette??? and how the same palette could end up looking different?? and aaaaa sorry this doesn’t make any sense

ask a graphic / gif maker