#i was lucky enough to watch this in theaters in japan when it came out and my japanese/knowledge of bleach was good enough that i

[give-seconds]

Sweet Lies

Summary: Sungchan wants to tell you something but is scared to do it face to face. So, he decides to write you letters telling you everything he wants to say.

Paring: Sungchan x female reader

Genre: Angst 

Warnings: cheating

Word count: 2.3K

---

Hi y/n,

I don’t know if you’re ever going to get these. I mean, as of right now, my intention isn’t to give you them. I guess these letters, like the reason they even exist, are for me. Through these letters, I hope to tell you everything I wish I had the guts to say to your face. I wish I could say this was all a mistake and that I could man up and beg for your forgiveness. But it isn’t a mistake. This is a conscious decision I made once and am continuing to make again.

Maybe you’ll even forgive me.

Love,

Sungchan

----

Good morning y/n,

You were gone when I woke up this morning. You wrote me this cute little note about how you had some special surprise planned for me today. I’m sorry, I’ll have to cancel. I already have plans today. I already know what I’ll say to you. I’ll say something about how my work assigned me to a special project and that I have to work late to help design the framework or something like that. Really though, it’s her birthday today, and I promised I’d spend it with her.

I wish I hated myself enough to stop.

Love,

Sungchan.

---

Hi y/n,

It’s kind of funny, actually. Today, you were telling me about a song you found that “is making its way” to becoming your favorite song. It’s a song from the cheater’s point of view. After you played it for me, you said you didn’t know if you could ever forgive someone who cheated on you. That you should be enough for someone, and if the person you’re dating doesn’t realize that, then they’re not someone you would miss.

After that, I was so stressed, I called her as soon as I got home. Her voice is the only thing that can calm me down when things like this happen between me and you.

I’m sorry,

Sungchan

—

Hi y/n,

Today the guilt I felt was too heavy. I called into work sick and spent the day stuffing everything you’ve ever given me into a box. It was too loud. One of the last things I put into the box was our undergrad graduation photo. It’s only been two years since then, but we look so young. Maybe it’s because I look at that photo and think how soon after that, we started our relationship. Back then, you were the only person I could see myself with.

Five months ago, I met someone who made me feel like that again. Those feelings are still there for you—I hope you never think I lost them. I just found someone who holds an equal part in my heart as you do.

Know I love you,

Sungchan

—-

My Dearest,

You showed up at our front door crying. Judging from the frantic knocks on my door from Jungwoo, you scared him pretty bad. Not many can scare Jungwoo like that; he must really like you.

Anyways, after a cup of hot chocolate, you told me what was wrong. You said your dad had another kid with another woman and that he’d never told you about it. That when you were young, he used to have “conference meetings” with the other higher-ups that lasted a few days.

He was really visiting his other family. Your mom even knew about it; you were the only one who didn’t know. You said that you’ve never been hurt by a lie before. While drying your eyes, you decided lies were the worst thing. That from here on out, you are going to live as honestly as you could. You then asked me if I was hiding anything from you and begged me to tell you if I was. “I can’t handle any more secrets, Sungchan. So if you have anything you’re hiding from me, please, please just tell me. I need to get it all over with now.”

I almost cried when you said that, and I’m thankful you couldn’t hear the lie in my voice when I said I wasn’t keeping anything from you. There have only been a few times the bracelet she’s given me felt like it was burning my skin. At that moment, when you begged me to tell you anything I was hiding, it felt like my wrist was on fire. As soon as you left, I practically ripped it off.

I love you, and I’m so sorry,

Sungchan

---

Hey love,

I was looking through these letters today before I went to bed (I’m writing this one as a spur-of-the-moment thing before I go to sleep), and I realized I’ve only been writing about how I hate what I’m doing. And while that is true, I don’t want you thinking that’s the only emotion I feel. I know what I’m doing is wrong, and I don’t deserve to be anything close to the good guy. With that being said, I owe you the truth. But if hearing me talk about my relationship with her is too painful, I suggest skipping this letter.

I met her about six months ago at a flower shop. It’s the shop I bought the flowers I got you for your birthday. She helped me pick them out. Now I don’t know what came over me, but when she asked me who I was getting flowers for, I told her they were for my mom. Before I left, she gave me her number. I almost threw it away, but right before I let go, something stopped me.

I felt something for her, and I still do. It felt like what I felt for you when I first started realizing I liked you. The immediate feeling of comfort that comes when I hear her voice, the blinding smile, the beautiful personality. It was all the same as when I met you.

I’m not trying to say she’s you; she’s more emotional when it comes to watching movies (I still want to find one that’ll make you cry, I know there’s one out there), and she’s a bit more hyper than you are. But the point I want to make is, the things I feel for you, I feel for her. I don’t know how much that’ll mean to you when (if) you read these, but know I feel so much for you. You were the light of my college years, and you continue to brighten my day.

But so does she. She knows things I don’t and can open my mind to a whole new world. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and it’s frankly amazing.

I’m trying hard not to talk too much about her in this—I don’t want you to think she’s better than you. I just want you to understand that no matter how many times I talk about how much I hate myself or the guilt I feel, I continue to tell you and her lies. As long as I have you two by my side, I’ll continue telling lies.

You both mean so much to me,

Sungchan.

---

Hey y/n,

This letter will be pretty short; I just wanted to tell you what a good day it was today. We spent the whole day together, which always feels therapeutic. I bought us lunch, we went go-carting (I beat you because you were too scared to go fast, it was great), and we looked around at different shops before we went back to my apartment to have dinner with Jungwoo.

It just feels right being with you, and I can’t thank you enough for being in my life. I think we’re a good fit, and so do you. It’s nice to be with someone who thinks so similarly to me, and I can’t get over how well we fit together. I mean, when you left, Jungwoo couldn’t stop talking about how lucky I am to have found someone who fits me so well.

I’m kind of rambling at this point, but I feel so much love for you right now that I wanted to put it down somewhere.

Thank you for being the person you are and loving me like I love you,

Sungchan

---

I’m so sorry,

I thought it was important I let you know right off the bat that I am sorry. Yesterday, I forgot about a date we arranged. We were out looking for a birthday present for her younger brother and got distracted looking at all the different shops. I never even heard the phone ring when you called. You called me five times before you texted and told me you were leaving. You had even tried to make a joke sending me a text that said: “at least we didn’t make reservations.”

Then today, I bought you flowers and told you that I was busy showing the intern around. That I had to do it on a Saturday because he’s from our office in Japan and takes Korean lessons on the weekdays. We do have an intern from our office in Japan here, but I’m not the one showing him around. You told me it was okay and that you understood, but I could tell you were still really hurt.

I feel like an idiot. I know cheating is bad, but I told myself that when I got into another relationship, I would never forget a date with either of you. That was the only standard I was trying to hold myself to, and I failed.

I’ll try harder to never forget a date again,

Sungchan

---

Hey y/n,

I think this is the last letter I’ll get to write to you. Well, I don’t think, I know.

You came to me today, asking what I was doing last night. I lied and told you I was at home watching TV. If there’s anything I will never forget about that conversation, it’s how you looked at me. You had smiled, nodding your head as you looked at me with teary eyes. You looked heartbroken.

When I tried to hug you and ask what was wrong, you shook your head no and backed away from me. Now that truly broke me. So I asked you what happened and you told me about how someone you knew saw me at the movie theater with a girl. You asked me to tell you who the girl was, and I begged you not to do this. I said that if you did this, it wouldn’t end well. That all the memories we had made together would be tainted.

You laughed and told me it wasn’t your fault the memories would be tainted; it was mine. You then asked me again to tell you who the girl was, and I told you what I had done.

I’m not sure when I started crying, and I’m still crying as I write you this letter. You were crying too as you told me we were over. I asked you to listen to me, and you just shook your head. As you walked to the door, you told me you would come by tomorrow to give me the stuff I keep at your house that I should pack up everything of yours. That’s how I’m going to give you these letters.

You also told me that if I’m still a decent person, I would tell the other girl about you. Believe me, after seeing your reaction I want to. But I can’t lose you both. Maybe soon, the guilt I feel when I look at her will make me strong enough to tell her.

Believe me, I know how selfish that is. I just can’t bring myself to do it.

I’m so sorry, and I love you,

Sungchan

---

Sungchan,

I couldn’t even bring myself to say something like “hi” or “dear,” you’re not dear to me anymore. That’s not to say this doesn’t hurt; I still can’t believe you did this to me. I mean, I thought I knew who you were.

I’m not writing this to tell you it’s okay or that I understand you through these letters. I’m mostly writing this because I don’t think I can face you right now. Again, I will never understand how you could do this. I thought I knew you. We’ve known each other for four years, two of which we were dating, and I still can’t believe I don’t know who you are. So while I don’t blame myself for this, I can’t help but wonder. If I knew you better, would you have been able to lie to me for so long?

I hope you know you’re not the hero here. You wrote that one letter about how you didn’t think you deserved to be the good guy, but you wouldn’t be writing these letters if you didn’t think you were justified in some way. You were in no way a decent person, and I hope you remember that.

You also tried to say you loved me throughout your affair. If you loved me, we wouldn’t even be having whatever this is right now. If you loved me, you would have told me about her when I asked you to tell me if you were hiding anything. If you loved me, it would have been you who told me about your cheating and not a coworker. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me? This lady who I only talk to on occasion now knows my boyfriend didn’t value me enough to be committed to our relationship. She only knew what you looked like because she happens to follow me on Instagram and saw all the photos of us I had posted. You don’t love me, and I hope you can stop lying to yourself.

And you’re right—you are being completely selfish by not telling her. So I decided I had to be the bigger person, once again, and tell her myself. I swallowed my pride and asked my coworker to look through your followers with me until she found the girl she saw you out with. I sent a message to her explaining the situation, and guess what? She believed me. You should be hearing from her soon—that is if you haven’t already.

Goodbye cheater,

Y/n

---

Thank you all for reading! I’ve been listening to Sweet Lies by EXO a lot lately, so I decided to write this. Thank you to @jiwvnie and @pastelsicheng for proofreading this for me! 

I would love to know what you thought about this, and I hope you all have a great day/night!

Masterlist

[mx-milo]

Parlez-vous or something like that

[千紬/ChikaTsumu]

It's the end of Chikatsumu Week. I don't play A3! often, I'm not active in the fandom, I barely even write fanfics. But the power of these two have compelled me, and since AO3 won't be giving me an account until the next week, so it'll be here first.

Summary: "Chikage has never spoken a word of French before in his life, but that didn't stop him from helping out Tsumugi for one of his tutees. Hilarity ensues."

~~~

Chikage was a reliable source for guidance and knowledge for the students of the Mankai Company. Although there were a myriad of adults who have their own areas of expertise, it usually ended up with either him or Tsumugi, especially when it came to linguistic subjects: Classical Japanese, English, and the rare foreign language elective.

His sessions with Tenma or Taichi were a welcome break from whatever he had been doing on his PC for the last god knows how many hours. At least he could perceive the output of his hardwork with the wide smiles of a teenager who just finally understood why verbs didn't always end with -ed.

That's not to say, it wasn't challenging. Not especially when a curveball was thrown in his way. "Chikage-san, I was wondering if you could help me. A student asked me if I knew some French, and I said I'd do my best." Chikage wasn't much of baseball anyway. He'd rather play cricket.

He looked up at Tsumugi, removing his glasses and polishing them again in the process. "French? Well, I did spend a few months there for as liasion for my company. I learned how to speak so I could negotiate well for my superiors." He noticed Tsumugi was looking at him intently. It wasn't new for him, since it was like he was being psycho-analyzed by the master tutor whenever he spoke. Most times, he felt it was harmless, Tsumugi wouldn't even want to know where to begin with his psyche and conscience, but now felt different. He was concerned, even a little bit, that he might just call his bluff.

He lied after all. He barely knows the language. He didn't lie about the the time he spent there, but he was obviously being vague about being liasion, the higher-ups at the Organization, and the meaning of "negotiation." He didn't have time to see the sights and speak their tongue.

But it was not a big deal. It's not like it's too different from the other Latin languages, right? It's like Spanish but some of the letters are different, and they barely pronounce any of them. 'I may be a liar, but I make up for it by improvising.' he thought to himself, as he waiting for Tsumugi to respond.

"Could I ask you to visit me by the balcony later? We might be in for a long night."

Chikage let out a small smile, and gave a small nod. "That's a date then."

"Thank you, Chikage-san."

Tsumugi left briefly, sounding pleased at the prospect of extra help. For his part, Chikage couldn't help but shake his head. 'What have I gotten myself into?' He knew he had to brush up on his French, even if it was from the bare minimum on a Wikipedia page.

He usually wouldn't stick his head out for something as small as this, but this was Tsumugi he was talking about. Somehow the psych major has outwitted him in a battle of the minds. Or was it of the hearts?

~

Sometime ago, Chikage started calling their late-night trial-and-error teaching sessions "dates", partly because he thought it was funny to compare something so mundane to something romantic, and partly to watch Tsumugi blush whenever he said it. There was some satisfying about the way his cheeks would barely tinge red at the utterance of anything romantic, only for him to totally ignore it after.

'You can't escape me Tsukioka-san. I have tricks up my sleeve too.' he thought to himself, as he ambled through the halls of the Mankai Dorm. It was almost midnight, so the usually boisterous building only emanated a soft hum of energy.

'Of course, it wasn't for the sake of mischief.'

"Chikage-san, let's begin?"

"My pleasure, Tsumugi."

'There's always a reason for mischief after all.'

The specific lesson Tsumugi's student had was the worst one they could possibly deal with: conjugation. All Romance languages had their three, five, seven different verb endings depending on whether you were eating your bread now, ordering someone to eat it on Monday, or to have thrown it in the trash three days ago.

'And let's not get started with pronunciation.'

Everytime Tsumugi encountered a new word, he would run it through Translate to hear how it would be pronounced, and then ask Chikage if he said it correctly. All he'd do is nod and repeat it best he can, then Tsumugi would again, and they'd just accept that was the best they could do.

"Par-lez vu? Wait. No. That isn't it."

"It's like 'par-ley vu'. Parlez-vous, or something like that."

"'Per-ley vu?'"

"I guess that's close enough for someone born in Japan."

Tsumugi snickered at his comment. Chikage could only look on and wonder what he was thinking. His head was tilted ever so slightly, his green locks swaying in the light midsummer night breeze, while his rounded glasses were slightly askew on his nose.

"You know, some of the best theater was written in French. It wouldn't hurt for me to learn in case Tsuzuru sets one of our plays in France."

Chikage looked down and sighed with a smile on his face. "Even when we're suffering with a foreign language, you're still a strong theater nerd, aren't you?"

Tsumugi, sitting inches away from him, lightly pushed Chikage's arm with his in jest. "You know theater nerd is a compliment, right?"

"Tsuzuru told me that once. But you're all the same, so hyperfocused and passionate."

"Well, you're one of us now, so I guess that applies to you too."

Chikage raise his hands in fake shock, exaggerating his movements. "Oh no, I've become what I feared the most. A nerd" he said in an almost mocking tone.

Tsumugi couldn't help but burst out in laughter as he tried stopping Chikage, who started spouting out Shakespeare, eerily like Arisugawa would. "Stop, stop, I get it already." At this point he already took his arm, since he started mimeing holding a skull like Hamlet.

"You're going for so much trouble for this. Why'd you take up your student's elective anyway?" Chikage wouldn't dare notice how Tsumugi's arm was linked on his.

Tsumugi shrugged. "I just thought it would help me brush up on a foreign language for a change. I knew I could rely on you anyway." It was at that moment he realized how close they've gotten.

That didn't stop him from unlinking their arms. That didn't stop Chikage from just gawking at the situation. That didn't stop Tsumugi from blushing at the thought of what was happening.

"Ah, Chikage-san, our arms are..."

"I can see that."

Immediately, Tsumugi pulled back his arm back to his side and turned ever so slightly away. Chikage stayed where he was, still dumbfounded at what just happened. They let the air of tension hang for a few more moments before Tsumugi turned back and suggested they finally try dealing with the two different ways to say "be."

"'Av-awa?' 'Atu-ra?' Why does French have to be so hard?"

"I mean Japanese changes their endings, but never this much. It doesn't have to be."

'This doesn't have to be hard.' Chikage thought to himself in affirmation, but clearly for a different think entirely.

~

Tsumugi woke up after something bright shone into his eyes. After yawning and rubbing his eyes, he took a look at his phone, confusing the volume buttons for the locks. 'What time is it already?'

On his screen was a picture of Zabi, himself, and his grandmother, and a clock happily informing Tsumugi it's already quarter to six in the morning. He was promptly sent into a panic. He looked out the glass-paned door to the balcony and saw that the sun was already peeking through the horizon, the source of the enlightenment that stirred Tsumugi.

He looked around him and saw that the corridors were still empty, a sight uncommon to him, seeing as he was probably the latest to rise of all the people he knew. To his right however, one person was already awake, looking at him intently, though still plastered onto the couch cushion.

"Good morning, Tsumugi."

"Chikage-san, you're up too."

"Well, I was always a light sleeper, and you started squirming around maybe five, ten minutes ago."

Chikage wasn't wearing his glasses; it was on the coffee table along with Tsumugi's laptop and Homare's draft of a book full of his poems. Tsumugi always commented that without his glasses, he looked much more severe and mischievous, but also 'maybe more exposed and solemn.' Chikage laughed at the fact the last time he said it but now it was undoubtedly true, especially since he just woke up after sleeping beside him through the night.

'I just woke up beside him after sleeping through the night.' Chikage thought to himself at that very moment. Rarely would he ever lose his guard so much as to randomly fall asleep, and on Tsumugi's shoulder, no less. Luckily, he didn't wake up to see Chikage in that position, which would have been much worse for the both of them.

They were still wearing yesterday's clothes, the air around them smelled like both of their perfumes, and their area was a mess of strewn papers and uncapped pens. Yet, for all the apparent chaos, both of them were at peace in the moment, seated side-by-side. At their most vulnerable, yes, but they found no reason to take advantage of it, rather relish in each other's company. All the while Tsumugi had a light blush on his face, and so did Chikage. It was probably the gentle cold of a summer's morning, if not the residual warmth from their sharing sleep together.

"I'm lucky you're not a vampire, Chikage-san."

"Why do you say that?"

"You could've drawn blood from me and made me one of your kind." Tsumugi languidly pointed to his neck. Apparently, he surmised where Chikage fell asleep.

"Well, I were a vampire, I'd only have to fear you, wouldn't I?"

"Yes Chikage-san, I'd spike your curry with all the garlic I could possibly muster." Tsumugi smiled as widely as he could through the laziness much to Chikage's dismay.

He instantly fell back on Tsumugi's shoulder, taking the blue-haired tutor with him, and toppling onto the other side of the decrepit sofa. "Well then, I hope you won't do that to my food while I'm asleep."

"How can I do that when you're still on me then?"

Chikage yawned as he slowly moved from his shoulder, to his chest, and ultimately resting on his lap. "I can never be too sure."

Tsumugi rested a hand on Chikage's head, toying playfully with the stray strands of his hair before neatly setting it to the back of his head.. "If that's the case, bonne nuit, Chikage-san."

He slid his hands under Chikage's head and raised it as high as he can, to the point where they were within his reach to plant a gentle kiss on his forehead. Chikage returned in kind taking Tsumugi's hand and touching his lips on its somewhat calloused yet also milky soft back.

"Bonne nuit, cherie."

Elsewhere in the Mankai Dorms, Tsumugi could hear music playing from one of the rooms.

"Vampires never have to complain of living a dull circumstance."

It being a rock ballad, it was probably from one of the younger actors, probably Masumi-kun. The easy melody matched the beat of his heart and soon the rise and fall of his breath as he slowly fell back asleep.

"And it would be fine, to spend my whole life with you together."

"Parlez-vous, or something like that."

[recentanimenews]

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Evangelion 3.0+1.0 is a Happy End to Evangelion

  A note on safety: The following movie review undertook the strictest of safety procedures to watch the anime film in cinemas in Japan, including washing hands with disinfectant before and after, sitting in seats apart from others, going to a cinema outside of the busy metro area, and wearing a mask during the entire runtime of the movie. We strongly urge everyone to follow the recommended safety protocol in your country and always wear a mask when in public — not just for your sake, but everyone else’s as well.

  In the spirit of the recent release of the latest (and final) Evangelion movie, we wish to talk about the momentous occasion in an honest, but respectful way for those outside of Japan who cannot see the movie yet. Here, you will find our totally spoiler-free review. Later, we will be posting a full spoiler-filled review for those who wish to read. Stay tuned!

    If Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is the tale of death, despair, and hopelessness, then Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is the antithesis of that. It’s easy to see why the films were originally supposed to be seen together. Like a melody, they complement each other, with 3.0+1.0 building on the threads 3.0 left hanging. Maybe that happens in another world, but after nine years of waiting for the final Evangelion film, it feels like those threads were twisted into something different; something much greater.

  Originally slated to release in 2008, it’s been a long road to the final Evangelion film, at least now as we know it. What we would have gotten back then, or even in 2015, is not the film that we got today, and I think that largely has to do with the film’s creator Hideaki Anno. 

  Anno once said that the Rebuild of Evangelion films was an “aim to walk towards the future.” 3.0+1.0 embodies that immensely, not just story-wise and animation-wise, nor even as a reflection of the anime industry as a whole. Rather, it’s Anno’s reflection on the series, and what it means to him through the eyes of Shinji Ikari.

    From the get-go, Evangelion 3.0+1.0 returns to the roots of what makes the franchise so eternal. We get to see the human aspect of Evangelion outside the headspace of Ikari, as well as see how humanity has survived through the near-apocalyptic events that frequent this universe.

  All of it helps to ground the Rebuild films back from …  whatever happened in Evangelion 3.0. As questions are answered, more questions arise, but that’s the nature of Evangelion. It isn’t Anno’s job to give all the answers; It’s his job to take the viewer for a ride, and with that, he delivers it in the most Evangelion way possible. 

  Know that if you’re a fan of Evangelion, the story and subsequent conclusion will be satisfying. Yeah, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 goes pretty meta, as expected of a film that is inspired by the End of Evangelion, but there’s no tumbling down here.

    One of the sorer points of the film is the animation. While not bad, in terms of how far Khara has gone with 3DCGI is congratulatory the quality of the 2D animation and post-processing doesn’t really build on what we’ve seen in the previous entries in the series. For better or worse, the 3.0+1.0 films keep the same animation aesthetic. 

  And remember that Evangelion 1.0 came out in 2007. The time span between 3.0+1.0 and 1.0 is longer than between End of Evangelion and 1.0. 

  While the quality of the 2D animation has roughly stayed the same, the level of detail in the animation movement is as meticulous as always. Using the preview as an example, as the crew tries to put the USB in the plug, they fumble, putting it the wrong way around before fixing their mistake. That level of thoughtful level detail of the character animation is littered throughout the film through both the high-action moments and the mundane. 

    There are a few scenes that use the CG elements Khara is best known for to create some beautiful sun-lit landscapes, complemented by beautiful backgrounds. While Khara doesn’t go for the full blend of CG and 2D, the CG has very much improved since 2012.

  Though, does that really matter if 3.0+1.0 is the peak of visuals for the most optimum visual experience of the Evangelion franchise? The iconic visual language that Evangelion has built over the last two and half decades merged with the red aesthetic that populated the visuals in Evangelion 3.0 helps bring the Evangelion identity to its peak. 

  The movie’s storyboarding work continues to truly be a highlight. The magnificent mise-en-scène continues to elevate the franchise to be some of the best scene direction in anime. As the characters converse – or refuse to in some parts– the way they’re placed in the scene, along with the color, the camera angle, and whatever mild animation is occurring, comes through just in the character’s body language and tone.

  A preview of Hikaru Utada’s wonderful theme for Evangelion 3.0+1.0

  I was lucky enough to watch the film in IMAX, and while the format didn’t help the animation look any better, the sound design was immensely heart-thumping, but not so loud that it drowned out the dialogue or music. From Mari taking on an “Angel” in Paris to the final sweeping shot, every sound effect reverberated through me as I took in what was happening.

  One perfect example of this sounds design. There is one scene in which there are multiple conversations going on at once in multiple locations, in which the characters are melancholically processing what is happening around them during a rainstorm, much like a scene out of The Garden of Words. At no point did I miss a single piece of dialogue throughout the interactions, nor was I unable to hear any other sound effects or music. It was oddly calming for an Evangelion flick.

  This brings me to the score of the film, once again composed by Shiro Sagisu. Evangelion is known for its great music (so much so that Anno “borrowed” it for Shin Godzilla) and is so recognizable that anyone in Japan knows the battle theme; that Timpani rhythmic beat is iconic. 

  Sagisu once again brings it home with some of the best pieces in Evangelion history. There are the usual tracks you will remember from past films, but some of them have been remixed and changed to suit what is trying to be conveyed. The music felt like it has evolved, taking inspiration from scores from the last decade in films like Mad Max: Fury Road. The sounds are distinctly Evangelion but just an evolved form.

    One thing Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time makes certain, and something I couldn’t believe despite all the marketing messages is that this is Hideaki Anno’s true end of Evangelion. It may not be the last time we get an Evangelion-something, but this is the end of the franchise for Anno. The end, which brought a tear to my eye, perfectly encapsulated Anno’s feelings on the matter.

  And for that, I thank him for pouring his heart and soul into the film, and I bid a big Bye-Bye, All of Evangelion.

  And as promised, there was fanservice all the way to the end.

  Evangelion 3.0+1.0 posters next to Demon Slayer (Photo: Daryl Harding)

  There is much more to discuss with Anno’s final Evangelion film than what is written here. Shinji’s voice actor Megumi Ogata said that March 22 was the embargo on spoilers so stay tuned for our spoiler-filled review because we need to talk about that final part in the movie in some way.

  Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is currently showing in theaters across Japan, there’s no word on an international release at this stage.

      Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram. 

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: Daryl Harding

[ship-ambrosia]

Tagged by @katana-no-neko and @cobblepottantrum, thank you guys!! Haha

Nickname - Bree, Bri-Bri

Zodiac - Leo ♌️

Height - 5’4

Last movie I saw - Mary Poppins Returns, I think? That was back at christmas but I haven’t been to the theater since and I think everything I’ve watched since then has just been anime or Game of Thrones

Last thing I googled - Last night when my dad came to visit me I had to google where Panera was, or before that was Eden’s Zero

Fave musician - Generally Imagine Dragons, Fall Out Boy, Panic!, but been on a very serious Starset kick rn

Song stuck in my head - The new fairy tail opening Down by Law

Other blogs - Nope, but me and my roomie have been talking about making a bnha one together

Do I get asks - Hardly, my tag is “Bree beggin for asks” and even then it’s generally the same few. WHOM I LOVE VERY MUCH

Following - 651

Followers - 291 (we are SOOO close guys)

Amount of sleep - Anywhere from like 3 to 7, I’ve gotten better this semester because of early classes but not better enough

Lucky number - 24 seems to come up a lot for me, I don’t know if it’s exactly lucky though

What I’m wearing - Banana-yellow PLUS ULTRA shirt and my royal blue winter coat w/ snow boots because it snowed a lot last night. I also have a really cool plaid scarf that I get compliments on all the time

Dream job - I want to work in environmental public policy. Dream would be to go all the way up to the federal level

Dream trip - Japan or Alaska. Alaska is more likely. Also Seattle, Washington

Favorite food - Tacos or pizza. Also love Chinese food

Play any instruments - Flute my main, saxophone, cello my favorite

Languages - Just English with some Spanish I learned in high school but I’m much better at understanding other people than speaking Spanish myself. Also can write some Arabic, would love to learn more though and how to speak it. My uncle is from Lebanon and he taught me

Favorite songs - Natural, Imagine Dragons. Halo, and Point of No Return, Starset. Most Fall Out Boy and Panic! songs are my fave, but I’ll say The Phoenix for FOB and Roaring 20s for Panic!. Breath, Breaking Benjamin.

Random facts - I have a hermit crab named Jem, I can write backwards and upside down and it looks almost exactly like my normal handwriting, last week I fell off a bus and sprained my ankle

Bonus Aesthetics: Red, white, blue, and stars, lots of stars; neon; floral; lace; nerdy

[kekabumi]

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is a popular dessert in the Indian subcontinent and our personalities are just as sweet and lovable as the dessert.

In conjunction with the Festival of Lights, Kekabumi presents: Gulab Jamun, a photo journal of 4 very different gulabos*, each with their own unique twist and flavour as we explore their take on being a Malaysian Indian.

*term of endearment

GULABO #1: ANJALI NIJJAR VENUGOPAL, 22 Artist, Actor, Poet, Freelance Publicist

“Is your name inspired from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?” I threw the first question to break the ice.

“No,” she replied with a sweet smile. “I was born before that!” 

Anjali, despite being young is a quadruple-threat. She’s an artist, actor, poet and a freelance publicist. Her artwork have been exhibited in Tokyo and she is as passionate as one can be. She also recently competed in SHORT+SWEET staged at Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) if she’s not performing at poetry gigs like ‘If Walls Could Talk’.

“I’ve always liked the stage,” she admits. 

Born and bred in Sabah, Anjali pursued her tertiary education in Film & TV. Her favourite film is Scott Pilgrim vs The World and she described her style as a fine line between pastel goth and sporty.

As a theater actor, Anjali said that she has to open up and be vulnerable when she is on stage in order to put on a good show. The intense training she had during Theatre for Young People (T4YP) had allow her to do just that.

“I’ve become much, much, braver.” she added.

A lot of people would never guess that she’s actually a Sikh because to her, there is not enough Sikh representation in Malaysia even though there are a few Gurdwaras in KL itself.

“It’s also unfortunate that the Vaisakhi (a major religious celebration in Sikhism) is not given Public Holiday here. Sometimes I had to choose between classes or work and going to temple. I wish that wasn’t the case.”

Anjali, whose dream home would be a studio apartment where she can turn into a creative space wasn’t afraid to speak up about the struggles she had growing too.

“I used to not like my name because people was making fun of it when I was a kid. They made me feel like I’m horrible and ugly for being Indian.”

“It was not until I see the representation (of POC) in the western media that I thought to myself wow, I could actually look good in that (outfit).”

Anjali’s play “TIGA” will be staged at Five Arts Centre from 23rd – 26th November. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Instagram/Twitter: @pertatos​ Website: http://pertatos.blogspot.my/

GULABO #2: AZAAD, 25 Videographer

Azaad was 30 minutes late to our shoot but his personality is so bright we couldn't be upset about it. Our conversation started when we went to 7Eleven together to get some drinks and snacks. He told me that one day, he wants to prank the 7E guy too. Throughout our 15-minute walk, we talked about a lot of random things - from car drifting, to parkour, to suicide.

"Every day I wake up to be a better person than I was yesterday," he told me. "That's what keeps me going.”

Born in an Indian-Muslim family from Penang, the Media Technology graduate from SAE International emphasized on the importance of family by saying that there will never be a place like home.

“Growing up, my friends are 60% Chinese, 30% Indians and only 10% Malays but I have never experienced racial clashing. I see it happening around, but never to me.”

When asked about his thoughts on the minority in Malaysia – Indians especially, Azaad said that he wish the Indians realised how important they are as the people here in Malaysia and that they should never feel sideline. Azaad speaks fervently of his dissatisfaction with the IT and Medicine stereotype often imposed onto Indian individuals as he hope to see more Indians in the creative line of work.

While digging deeper into his own heritage, Azaad also enlightened us about what it means to be an Indian Muslim in Malaysia.

“I think the Indian culture is amazing. The heritage is really something to be proud of and celebrated. And the colours are just so beautiful” said Azaad. “However, one of two things people often ask when they find out that I’m Indian-Muslim is either: Which one of your parents is malay? Or are you a convert?”

As Azaad explains about the Indian Muslim community within Malaysia, we learnt that it is a small minority that often get mixed up with Mamaks, who are individuals of mixed Indian-Malay heritage. Azaad laments on the interchangeability of the Malay and Muslim identity, which gives way to a form of ignorance towards others that don’t fall under the same label. 

Azaad notices that Indian Muslims are at risk of losing their unique culture due to the pressure of trying to fit into modern Malaysian society, but they may also be at risk of losing a part of their identity as well if they do not. As Azaad mentions, “If you can’t beat the rest, join the rest but of course there are those who still stay true to their roots.”

The enthusiastic 25 year-old who loves his current job told me that if not a videographer, he’d probably be in aviation as a fighter pilot or a professional motor sport driver if he ever runs out of creative juice. Well, I guess we have to wait and see what’s in store for this Penangite creative.

Instagram: @ahmedazaad

GULABO #3: VARSHA, 20 Musician, lawyer-to-be

When I first arrived at the studio, I noticed a girl with sharp face feature doing her make-up and I thought “Woah, she’s beautiful.” It took me awhile to approach her because not only she was doing her make-up, she also has this stern look that made me feel a little scared. But as the hour pass by and everyone was all warmed up, Varsha turned out to be a very pleasant person to have conversations with. And quite chatty too!

So when I had her to tell me a bit about herself, it was very surprising to know that this 20 year-old is currently pursuing her degree in law despite having a pure-science A-level qualification. So why the drastic change?

“Well, I’ve been learning science since I was 16 and the thought of having to spend the rest in my life in the lab is just not something I am quite comfortable with. I mean, I really, really, love Biology and all but maybe not as a professional.” she told me as we were hanging out at the balcony.

Three fun facts about Varsha that I learnt:

When she was 10, she had a skateboarding phase but never really got into it because she was just stoked to have Spiderman design on her skateboard instead of the actual thing.

When she was 13, her guilty pleasure show to watch is Keeping Up With The Kardashians (KUWTK)

She was obsessed with High School Musical (HSM) so much that she had posters all over her room that she has not yet taken down.

Varsha who views John Mayer as one of her sources of inspiration recently released two songs on her Spotify – ‘Real’ and ‘Fool for You’. But her achievements to this date definitely didn’t come easy.

“I feel like no matter how good I am, I will always have to push a bit extra in everything I do. For example, I did great in my SPM but not great enough to land me a scholarship because of the race quota. I totally understand that the majority should have more seats but yeah.” she explained.

To Varsha, Malaysia is a country where you have to conform to the majority. You are forced to follow the flow but if you are a salmon who swims upstream, that wouldn’t be too easy.

“Honestly, I don’t think coerce is good for you spiritually or mentally. I wish people can just be their own person regardless their preferences,” Varsha added. Well, we agree with you on that, girl.

Instagram & Twitter: @thatssovarsha Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2X1RsyKi5IRhAPyKAa8o3m

GULABO #4: KEITH NOEL RAJ, 22 Musician

“Passionate. Rational. Naïve.”

Those were the words that came out of Keith’s when I asked him to describe himself in three words. Started playing music since he was 13, he told me he never learned how to read notes despite being able to play instruments well.

Throughout the photoshoot, Keith wasn’t the loudest person in the room but he exuberates this calm aura that made it easy to approach him. Young and talented, Keith believes that if you put in a lot of effort, time and details in what you do, you will be great at it.

Speaking of great, he will be releasing his EP really soon and we wish him nothing but the best!

“So what do you think about the Indians in Malaysia?” curious, I asked. “I do think that our representation in this country is a concern especially with all the stereotypes that people have on Indians.”

“But a way to rise above that than getting proper education. Those who are financially stable are lucky, but what about those who are not? They need to get out of the cycle and see the world.”

To Keith, the inability to see life in a bigger picture will restrict your reality. Which is why if he had to write a letter to his future self he would ask if the older Keith is okay and hope he is not having a stagnant life at that point of his life.

“Hopefully you don’t have a wife and kids too!” he added. 

This young musician who would like to visit Japan one day told us that there’s just something about the way Japanese do things that he loves. Contrary to the Western world, Japanese people don’t have problem with routine and he think it’s very interesting how they live life there.

Twitter/Instagram: @keithhateskids

We hope you enjoy this feature as much as we do. We had a really good time working with the personalities and super glad that we get to share their stories with all of you!

Love, Kekabumi.

[putschki1969]

For the Kalafina ask meme ^w^: 1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31, 38, 39, 47, 48 and 54. Those are some of my favorites lol

youturnitintolight said: For the Kalafina meme, everything you have not been asked to answer!

auctumnitas said: 24, 27, 17, 8

Ughhh, my entire post just got deleted because I accidentally pressed some keys T_T Oh well, here we go again.Thanks so much to @sharkafina, @auctumnitas and especially @youturnitintolight for sending me all these questions.Also, a quick shoutout to @sharkafina aka @kalafinaquips for creating this awesome meme!!It’s gonna be a long post so I better put everything under a cut ^_^

Basic Kalafina questions:

1) First Kalafina song? I had watched some FictionJunction performances before I came across Kalafina so I was slightly familiar with Wakana’s and Keiko’s voices. One day, the PV of Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni Wa appeared on Youtube and I was immediately intrigued. The music, the lyrics, their voices, their dresses, the overall aesthetics, the drama. I fell for it, hook, line and sinker. There was no going back after that. 2) First Kalafina album? I think it was 「Red Moon」. 3) Favorite Kalafina song? Still Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku, I’ll love this song till my dying day. 4) Favorite Kalafina album? Probably 「Red Moon」 since it doesn’t have a single song on it that I actually dislike. 5) Favorite Kalafina single? Probably 「Magia」. I love Magia to death, it’s very high up on my list of favourite Kalafina songs and I really love the B-Side snow falling too. 6) Favorite Kalafina B-side? Koibito no Mukashigatari no Yuugure no7) Tough question: Favorite member? It’s gotta be Keiko. I know, no surprise there. Her voice is just the most perfect thing in the world. And I just love her, I can’t help it XD But Wakana and Hikaru are incredibly precious to me as well. I love and appreciate Kalafina as a whole and I wouldn’t have it any othe way.8) Favorite Kalafina look/attire? That’s quite hard. I can’t pick one. I really love their black/gold dresses from the LIVE TOUR 2014 (which they also wore for their CDJ appearance that year as well as their Mexico fotw concert in 2016). Then I am a big fan of fancy Consolation dresses, those were just gorgeous! Also really liked their dresses on Blue Day at Nippon Budoukan. Their After Eden live performance dresses were quite pretty too, very flattering (but I only like Hikaru’s dress the way she wore it during the Type Moon 10th Anniversary Festival).

Do you…

9) Own any piece of merch? By now, I own so much that it would be quite hard to list it all. I don’t really have any clothes (I don’t like buying shirts of concerts I haven’t attended. Doesn’t feel right somehow >_<) However, I do have the Consolation shirt that was sold at Japan Expo in France. And a tshirt and parka from the “far on the water” Special Finals since I was lucky enough to attend those <3 And of course I have my signed white shirt that was given away by Tokyo Girls’ Update but I am not sure that counts as merch. Other than that, I mostly collect their pamphlets, live photo books, posters, postcards and clearfiles. I also own a few odd pieces here and there, things that caught my interest and that weren’t too expensive e.g. a pink Consolation drinking bottle, the FOTW water bottle, Keiko’s Arena Live candy box, a keyholder from one of the recent X-Mas lives, ect…10) Own any physical albums/singles? I own all albums including their two BEST collections, their two Live albums and the most recent Winter Acoustic one. Okay, no, I just realised that I don’t own the Re/Oblivious album but meh, I don’t feel that counts. I have currently eight singles (most of which I bought for around 3 bucks in Japan in either BOOK・OFF or K-Books who both sell second-hand products). I don’t like paying full price for singles unless I know that the song won’t appear on any album.

Have you ever…

11) Attended a Kalafina live? (If so, how many?) Yes, I have attended both mini concerts in Germany at Animagic. I’ve also been to the live in France at Japan Expo (which I found less-enjoyable because everything was so crowded and there were people everywhere pushing against me from all sides. I HATE those kinds of concerts!). My best experience so far was attending both FOTW Special Finals. The concert on Sunday was beyond amazing, @erza-shidae and I were pretty much right in front of the girls.12) Watched any of the shows/movies they have performed for? No, I don’t really watch anime13) Met them (in a greet-and-meet)? I met them twice at Animagic!! And I saw them up-close at Japan Expo. Sadly, I couldn’t attend the signing session at Japan Expo.14) Gotten their autograph? Yup, I own a Madoka poster signed by the girls (and some other artists), I also got their first three albums at Animagic which they signed for me and I have that Tokyo Girls’ Update T-shirt I mentioned earlier. Really can’t complain XD15) Traveled out of your country for a Kalafina concert? Yup, I traveled to Germany, France and Japan. I wish my trips to Germany and France would have been longer but back then I was working so it was quite hard to get time off. Which is also why I missed a lot of their stuff while they were at the conventions. 16) Talked about Kalafina with someone else (other than the fans)?I sometimes talk to my mum and sis about them. But I keep it to a limit because I know they are not really interested.

Random Kalafina questions:

17) What’s your favorite fact about Kalafina? The fact that they love each other and how they are so grateful they get to do what they are doing. Makes me forget about all the fan-hate. 18) Do you have any ships? (Which one if so) WaKei <3 I love it so much!!!19) Is there any random, non-Kalafina related thing that for some reason reminds you of Kalafina? Pretty much everything reminds me of Kalafina. I have a great memory when it comes to Kalafina related things, everything they do or say is branded into my mind. So yeah, when I take a walk, I think of Keiko because I know she loves taking walks, when I watch my favourite show TWD, I think of Wakana because I know she likes it too, if I have an egg, I think of Hikaru because I know she is really into all kinds of egg-dishes. The most basic things really. 20) Is there any food that remind you of Kalafina? Chicken and egg for Hikaru, dumplings for Wakana and mint-chocolate for Keiko.

Name a Kalafina song that…

21) You love Red Moon22) You never get tired of Tsuioku23) Makes you cry I hardly ever cry but maybe Seventh Heaven or Hikari Furu24) Makes your day a whole lot better Jingle Bells25) You used to dislike but now love to death Seventh Heaven and snow falling26) You listened to over and over until you got fed up Can’t think of one. 27) Can transport you to another different world with its beauty symphonia28) Inspires you to be creative Magia

What Kalafina member would you choose to:

29) Go shopping? Keiko, because I love her style and I feel like she would be a great judge on whether something suits me or not. And we’d totally buy matching outfits ^_^30) Make pizza? With both Wakana and Keiko because they really enjoy cooking and all of their stuff has looked delicious so far. Hikaru would be invited of course because I know she loves junk food. 31) Show her around your hometown? All three of them. I wanna share everything with them <3 32) Go to the movie theater? Duh, Wakana of course. No one appreciates a good movie like Wakana. And I feel we have very similar tastes when it comes to movies and TV shows. 33) Play videogames? Hikaru. Keiko is too competetive for my tastes, I couldn’t handle it. I feel like it would be fun to play with Hikaru. 34) Go karaoke? All of them XD35) Go bungee jumping? I’d never go but I think if there was anyone who could make me do it, it would be Keiko. 36) Go fishing? Hikaru. 37) Go to a museum? Wakana because she knows her way around all kinds of museums and art galleries. 38) Rob a bank? I don’t think I’d ever do it but probably with Keiko. 39) Do a prank call? I’d certainly never do that and I hope the girls wouldn’t either >_<40) Make a garage band? All three of them41) Go to a picnic? All three of them42) Bake a cake? Duh, with Cakey of course ^_^43) Go to Disneyland/world? All three of them!! 44) Backpacking another country? Another thing I wouldn’t do but Keiko could make me :P45) Re-design your home? I feel like Wakana has a great sense for interior design. I don’t know why, I just think she does. 46) Go to a library? Hikaru or Wakana because both love books47) Help you with homework/tests? I’d never take help from someone when it comes to homeworks/tests (those things are long in the past anyways) but I think I’d accept Hikaru’s help. 48) Vandalize a building? I’d NEVER EVER do that and I hope the girls wouldn’t either. 49) Go to a concert? All three of them ^_^50) Go jogging? I wanan say Keiko because she would motivate me but then I would die so maybe I should go with Hikaru. :P I51) Kill that hideous spider in your room? (Before you blow up your house :p)?Probably Keiko although I feel like Keiko wouldn’t kill it. Knowing her, she would hold it in my face T_T52) Go to a zoo? Hikaru53) Hide a corpse? Keiko, she seems smart with stuff like that XD54) Use a ouija board? I don’t even know what that is. Had to look it up. Ohhh! I see. Hmmm, maybe Keiko.55) Go to a party? I don’t go to parties. So probably Hikaru because she is also not the party-type. We could sit in a corner and talk :P

[recentanimenews]

OPINION: The Life and Times of an Indian Otaku

  Makoto Shinkai's Weathering With You marked a historic first in my anime watching career. Contrary to popular belief, being the first anime to be released in Indian theaters is not the historic first in question (that honor goes to Shinchan: Bungle in the Jungle). Rather, Weathering With You would become the first film I'd ever watch on opening day — "first day first show" as we Indians call it. In the mad scramble to get tickets, I'd emerged a winner. Was it worth the struggle?

An emphatic yes. It was so good I went on to rewatch it twice.

    To fans in India: I’m so happy to tell that ‘Weathering With You’ (Tenki no ko) will release in India this October! We have licensed the Indian distribution rights to PVR Pictures and BookMyShow backed company Vkaao.

— 新海誠 (@shinkaimakoto) August 10, 2019

  The Indian theatrical release of Weathering With You in 2019 marked an important moment in the history of the Indian anime fandom. The story of how Shinkai noticed (and fulfilled) an online petition by Indian fans asking for its release here is already the stuff of legend. Because access to anime (especially in theaters) was so scarce in India, even in 2019, fans sought to have the film legally released in theaters. And thanks to Shinkai, it worked. To Indian anime fans, this represented the moment Japan — and the rest of the world — recognized our existence in the fandom. But Indian otakus didn't spring up overnight. Anime has had nearly three decades of history here. It just looks a little different than the rest of the world. The origins of anime in India go back to the '90s. Prior to the economic reforms of 1991, we had one — yes, only one — TV channel, the state-owned Doordarshan. The post-1991 wave of private TV channels brought with it a flood of international TV shows, among them anime like Robotech (which aired on the newly-created Star Plus). Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, the anime adaptation of the Indian mythological epic of the same name, was released in 1992 and had a long and troubled production history, but the end product was a grand success, with its all-star Hindi cast and catchy songs turning it into a TV fixture for well over a decade. It even received a US release, with Bryan Cranston voicing the lead role. The remainder of the '90s would see various anime achieve varying degrees of success, from Nippon Animation's 1989 adaptation of The Jungle Book — which became a nationwide hit — airing in India starting in 1993, to late-night anime like You're Under Arrest and Gunsmith Cats. Despite this, there wasn't yet an actual fandom surrounding anime at the time. That would all change upon the turn of the century.

  Cartoon Network revolutionized the Indian anime market when the channel arrived in 2001. The launch of dedicated anime programming block Toonami brought with it two anime that would permanently shape the future of the fandom: Dragon Ball Z and Cardcaptor Sakura (albeit in its heavily-edited Cardcaptors form). While I never watched Dragon Ball Z (compared to all my friends at school), I did watch some Cardcaptors with my sister, which would actually be the very first anime I watched. My own viewing habits notwithstanding, DBZ was very much the anime of the moment. Schoolkids would frequently shout out famous lines from the iconic English dub. We'd even invented various hand games based on attacks and moves from DBZ. In 2003, another monumental shift would come as the childhood classic Pokémon hit the small screen, followed closely by Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Beyblade. The merchandise associated with these franchises turned them into smash hits with a younger audience. All the cool kids had Pokemon cards and Beyblade tops. Battling with them at school was the stuff childhood was made of. To this day, these toys continue to sell well. Beyblade tournaments are still very much a thing. While many of my schoolmates were avid fans of DBZ, there were other trends in anime that could be observed, trends that had to do with language. From my experience, certain anime were only available dubbed in Hindi — a language spoken largely by the northern half of the country. Coming from a south Indian city with a significant north Indian population, I could observe a clear trend wherein Hindi-speaking north Indians grew up with these Hindi-dubbed anime, while people in the south (who spoke other languages) largely grew up with titles that were available in English (or Tamil, as fans of DBZ's Tamil dub can testify). Interestingly, these Hindi dubbed anime tended to be ones that were popular in Japan but not so much in the West — stuff like Doraemon, Shin-Chan, KochiKame, and Case Closed. This gave the north Indian anime scene a rather unique flavor. An even more interesting case is that of India's northeastern region (comprised of states like Nagaland, Manipur, and Meghalaya). Being culturally different from the rest of India, these states have had a history of consuming Korean and Japanese media, and they embraced anime and manga in a way the rest of the nation had not. Anime-related cosplay is huge in the northeast, with some of the best cosplay conventions in the nation taking place there and becoming a part of the local fashion scene. The general acceptance of otaku culture in the region continues to be high.

Eventually, anime would become a little more accessible to all. The launch of dedicated channel Animax in 2004 represented another watershed moment in the fandom. The shows Animax brought over were unlike anything we'd seen in the medium. Shows like Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Inuyasha, and K-On! redefined what anime meant for Indian audiences who had previously seen anime as a childhood interest and no different from other cartoons. As the channel slowly began to shift its focus to the older teen/young adult demographic, more mature anime like Cowboy Bebop, Hell Girl, Akira, and Welcome to the NHK challenged our conservative notions of what was acceptable to air on TV, especially considering these shows aired in daytime slots rather than late-night. This honeymoon period did not last. Animax was delisted by service providers in 2012. The years to come would be some of the most frustrating for us anime fans, as availability was at its most inconsistent and uncertain. While the channel attempted to make a comeback later on in 2016, it eventually disappeared for good in 2017. Despite all these problems, I look back on Animax fondly. Thanks to it, we became aware of the existence of the entity known as "anime." We began to actively seek out anime over other forms of animation. In short, it resulted in the formation of an actual fandom centered around anime. Anime fan clubs began to pop up in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata. Widespread conventions outside of the northeast region came next. Anime Con India was started in 2010, followed closely by Delhi Comic-Con in 2011. Anime conventions in India are a curious thing. They are very unlike the sprawling, sophisticated conventions of the West. The funds simply aren't there for that sort of thing. I don't recall a single Indian anime convention that was attended by a voice actor, animator, or the like. So what are Indian cons about? In an interview with The Citizen, Anime Con India founder Nitesh Rohit talked about his reason for starting the con: "like any other belief and faith they all needed a temple to congregate (at)." This statement really resonates with me, and sums up what Indian cons are about. What they lack in scale and facilities, they make up for in intimacy and a feeling of togetherness. They are more or less small-scale events for anime fans to find other fans, to network with them, and basically feel less alone. Because feeling alone was part of the original Indian otaku experience. The early fandom was largely an urban phenomenon, as going to cons wasn't an option for everyone and the internet wasn't what it is today. So, you had these disconnected pockets of fans. People around you were unlikely to share your interest in anime and may have even judged you for it. The general consensus in India was (and still is) that animation is a medium for children. And remember, for a long time, anime accessibility varied by region. So, if you were lucky enough to find a kindred otaku, there was no guarantee they were into (or had even heard of) the same titles as you. This meant that we hadn't really had the ability to develop any sort of unique culture or traditions of our own. Things like going to cons, renting anime DVDs, memes and in-jokes — these things didn't exist for the vast majority of early fans who were school-going kids or college students of little means. A culture of our own wouldn't arise until much later — when that generation grew up.

  Of course, it wasn't just us who grew up — technology did, too. The internet became more ubiquitous. Social media and forums enabled us to network with each other regardless of location, in ways we'd never have imagined. To the scattered fandom of the early days, this has been nothing short of a blessing. The other big change ushered in by the internet was the era of streaming. Until then, most of our anime viewing took place on television and as previously stated, was not always very consistent. Accessibility improved greatly with the launch of Netflix in 2016. In today's India, Netflix is a household name, with a significant portion of young adults having access to a subscription. With a catalog of over 200 anime, Netflix has been responsible for pulling in many new fans. Plenty of people "come for the movies, stay for the anime." Series like My Hero Academia, Death Note, and One-Punch Man have become mainstream successes in this fashion, with a significant following even among non-anime fans. Another streaming service that is beginning to make inroads into the Indian market is Crunchyroll, with simulcasts like Boruto and originals like Tower of God, and the fact that it is free makes it accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Most Indian anime fans I know of have heard of Crunchyroll, and as more titles get licensed it is inevitable that its popularity will rise. And us otakus are doing plenty to help it do just that.

The success of Weathering With You is a shining example of the tight-knit nature of the Indian anime fandom. All it took was one person (an anime fan named Divishth Pancholi) to create a Change.org petition asking for its release in Indian theaters. The petition went viral, getting over 50,000 signatures and attracting the attention of Shinkai and the producers, resulting in its release here. Today, that event is seen as a smaller part of a greater Indian anime movement that is pushing for increased availability and acceptance of anime in India. Hashtags like #IndiaWantsAnime frequently make their presence felt on social media. This fandom isn't without its problems — it isn't the most inclusive when it comes to non-male fans, the "animation is for kids" specter hasn't been fully shaken off, and I'd love for anime BluRays/DVDs to be more widely available here. But I am grateful for the fandom's existence for getting me into anime in the first place. Without them, I'd have never been sitting in a movie theater on October 11, 2019, watching Weathering With You.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com