#it's been long since I watch taiga drama

[movielosophy]

I just started Kamakura dono no 13 nin and all I can see is Koshiro’s hard life trying to balance everything.

[mishkakagehishka]

What is blackstar theatre starlesss help holy shit why are all these guys so hot how do i get in on this lmao

HIIIIIIIIIIIII okay hold on i myself am still somewhat new to this (well, i remember halloween 2021 as the first event i was playing during), but let me give you the basics. Very long text ahead.

Before I start yapping about the gameplay, I'll tell you about the characters, the storyline and the music (to the best of my understanding anyway) - [nicki minaj meme] so there's this Theater. Starless is, like, a show restaurant. You come in, you grab a meal, you watch some guys sing, you have a good time, right? There's currently 5 teams: K, W, P, C and B. There were only 3 in the beginning, but certain characters branched out of K/W/P and formed their own teams, which were C and B. Now, the story itself is a bit... dark? I suppose you could say. You play as Saki (you can change her name ofc) and, right from the start, you're being chased by some weirdos;;; but Kei (the top of Team K) saves you just in time and - whoops! Turns out you know eachother. Freaky, right? Saki doesn't remember him, though, from what I understood, but listening to one of their songs made her faint, and basically now she has to be protected by these guys at Starless because dangerous stuff's been happening. It's quite... convoluted, there's speculations of human experimentation from what I've read - but yeah. There's also the whole "all of the former owners of Starless went missing" thing, and the Black Card business, there's a lot of intrigue to it. It makes me wish I was better at Japanese so reading a single chapter doesn't have to be a full-day job! The whole game's got a mature feel to it, so it's not really an "idol game" imo - there's not even much emphasis on the power of friendship or hard work as with most other idol-raising games. Despite being teams, most of them have deep rivalries between eachother, not to mention the drama that happens between members of different teams. Some outright hate one another. Plus, the characters are all older and, well, more mature. The youngest one, I believe, was born in 2001, but most seem to be late 80s-90s (and, yeah, instead of just a birthday, they have full DOBs, so they age up each year lol). Also, for some reason, so many of them just have their tits out on full display most of the time. The outfits are... well, like the story, they sure are mature. They'll get pneumonia, but it's eye candy, I suppose lmao anyway the event stories are also really fun to read and, though it's not otome, there are a lot of interactions with certain characters that will make you go🥰🥰 - though a majority will be from Kei and Heath since the two (seem to be) childhood friends of Saki's. That said, you can absolutely swoon over any of the characters, trust me. I believe Otome Ayui on YouTube translated a chunk of the main story and some event stories, but otherwise, if you don't know Japanese, you'll probably have to make do with computer translations or a dictionary since I, personally, haven't found any other translations. It's so worth it, though.

As for the teams, as I said before, currently we have five. I'll also say something about the characters, but I think it'll be obvious who my faves are lmao anyway, you've got Team K (from the top, clockwise: Kei, Yoshino, Yakou, Ginsei, Gui, Sotetsu), Kei is like the main main guy, he cares a lot for Saki and wants to protect her. Ginsei is really loyal to him, it's a bit cute to watch. Gui is who's interesting to me in Team K - he's pretty stoic and emotionless, but he keeps mentioning waiting for someone he calls "Master". Yakou used to be in Team P, but quit, and then returned after finishing university, he gives me a cute genki vibe. Yoshino is a bit of a ball of anxiety, he's cute, but timid. Sotetsu is the lone wolf, but he can be quite bold with Saki at times.

Team W (Kokuyou, Akira, Taiga, Sin, Takami). Kokuyou's got these dog tags on him that I'm pretty sure say "Chiaki" on them, but that's for another day. He's a bit scary and has some anger issues but <333 lol Akira is the token flirt of Team W, he's a little shameless, but has said once that Saki is "special" to him so? Anyway. I can't say much about Taiga because he speaks in such heavy slang I can barely keep up, but I guess the fact that he speaks in a lot of slang is also something that tells about a character. He's an IT nerd who's physically weak, though, I've figured that out. Sin is like the gentle giant, he's huge, but really intelligent. He speaks in, I can't even say in riddles, it sounds more like prophecies. It's odd, but he can really make pretty words flow. Takami is the reliant big brother type, and he has acted in musicals before, though I don't really trust him, somehow his way of speaking evokes trustworthiness a little too much, ironically. Maybe that's just my bias against bespectacled anime characters, though.

Team P (Rindou, Menou, Nekome, Ginsei (yes, again), Sinju, Maica). Rindou and Sinju used to be idols before joining Starless. Yakou was actually in Sinju's idol group, but they have some beef now. Rindou is pretty mild-mannered, responsible and gentle, he even speaks formally, to the point that, when he's introduced around the same time as characters like Kokuyou and Mizuki, it almost makes you feel like he doesn't belong. Menou is the token always-sleepy character, he speaks so cutely because of it, though. A scene that is locked into my memory is, during Team B's onsen event, apparently they just found him sleeping in their hotel room lololol but he becomes a completely different person on stage with how well he dances and acts. Nekome is Taiga's older brother, he basically raised him on his own. He was one of the first members of Starless, but he ran away and was considered missing at one point. Apparently he regrets that, but I don't trust him, either. Sinju is the really genki character, he's full of energy and just <3 so cute <3, he respects Rindou a lot and is really hard-working. Maica is the tsundere here, but seeing him blush is so worth every single one of his harsh words. He's really pretty, but hates being judged on appearance and hates being told he looks like a girl.

Team C (Mokuren, Zakuro, Kasumi, Hari, Qu) - I want to note this here, all of the characters (to my knowledge) are men, except for Mokuren. In their introduction video, their gender was listed as "unknown" so I (and I believe I've seen others) use they/them for Mokuren. Anyway, they consider dancing the essence of their life. Though their profile says they show no interest in anything other than dance, their hobby is listed as "eating" and, let me tell you, can Mokuren eat. Zakuro's way of speaking is absolutely amazing, he's always dropping "oya oya"s and dramatic phrases. Listening to him talk is wonderful, but I don't trust a word he says. He's definitely hiding something behind that JoJo pose. Kasumi mostly keeps to the background, he prefers not being seen and is actually really good at hiding his energy that he often scares people when he starts talking lol he calls himself a "mob" (like a faceless side-character), and seems to prefer it that way. I don't know much about Hari, but he seems like the cool type, a bit of a jack of all trades. And Qu - he's the fashion and make-up loving type. He used to work as a drag queen, which isn't something you often see in media like this so it stuck out to me.

Team B (Mizuki, Heath, Kongou, Ran, Lico). Mizuki is like. A wild dog. He had a rough childhood and a lot of street smarts, but not much regular smarts. He's also a bit of a tsundere, but there's a good heart in him, I believe. Always down to fight. It's really funny hearing him go wild, his voice is sorta higher-pitched, so it's entertaining. Heath is the token sickly character, he has lung issues, I think? Coughed up blood once. Heath is really attached to music and doesn't like others singing the songs he wrote. Because he tends to push himself, the others scold him sometimes. He also does tarot! I think he's faded out here because he's still in the hospital (IIRC in a recent event he mentioned having to go to surgery soon). Kongou is possibly the closest thing Team B has to a responsible adult. He looks scary, but is actually a pacifist and has a calm vibe about him. That said, he did use to be a wrestler. He's a chef now, though :) Ran is like. I wouldn't call him a problem child, but there's a reason why his tagline is "No.1 energetic brat", he's very energetic, and has quite the shark-toothed grin when feeling violent. Always down to fight pt.2. Then there's Lico - he used to work as a host and he's so full of himself. Also quite flirty with Saki. That said, surprisingly enough, it's often him (and Kongou) who ends up as the voice of reason. You know the situation is dire just by that.

Then you also have the current owner, Haseyama, and the only staff member who, because of that, gets called Unei (literally "management"). Haseyama gives me some. Weird vibes, but not in a bad way. He's trying to convert Starless into a host club, though. Unei is just a poor little meow meow, timid and overworked. Save him. Get him out of there. The two also formed their own teams for April Fools' and the songs were actually. so good. But still, someone save Unei.

If you ask me to describe the genres of the music, it's very... far from what you'd expect in an anime boy rhythm game. I'd call Team K's as maybe close to visual kei? Kind of rock-y. Their vocalists are Kei (Ray Fujita), Yoshino (Tomoki Saito/Academic BANANA) and Yakou (Matsumoto Akito/Shinku Horou). Then, Team W definitely gives me more rock, maybe even alternative rock vibes. They've got come cool guy stuff going on, the music goes hard. Their singer is Akira (Kobayashi Taro). Team P are the ones you'll like if you like usual idol stuff, their songs give off a more pop-hearty vibe, and I'm assuming that's bc a few of their members actually are former idols, in-game. Their singers are Sinju (Stungun), Maica (Kradness) and Rindou (Ajikko). Team C is the gender team, they're so aesthetic. I have no idea what their genre is, but, whatever it is, it slaps. Kinda gives me club by the beach on a summer night vibes, but specifically those "clubs" that are actually half in the open. Their singer is Zakuro (Shakemii). And Team B, my personal faves🥰, are a hip-hop/rap team. Their songs go so hard. Their MC is Heath (Takuya IDE).

Most of the songs are based on works of literature (because it's a show restaurant, right?), which is also really fun, and an especially good ego boost when you figure out what the song is based on purely through the references in the song itself (though if you play the game, the loading screen for the song will give you a summary). I'll link each Team's first-uploaded song and my personal fave, just for diversity's sake and to get a feel for them - I believe the first song is always important to hear. So Team K's first - During the demise (sung by Kei, one of the main themes alongside W's BLACKSTAR, based on Lohengrin), and my personal fave - The Final Problem (sung by Yoshino, based on Sherlock Holmes/The Final Problem). Team W's first - Breakin' it faster (based on Romeo and Juliet), my fave - Out in Out (not based around a text, but around the Battle of Thermopylae). P - 虹の彼方へ (sung by Maica, based on the Wizard of Oz), 一雫の秘密 (sung by Maica and Rindou, based on The Turn of the Screw). C - Purple Dawn (based on the Ode to Joy), 暁の願い (based on Tenshu Monogatari). B - 日蝕 (based on Macbeth), 駄犬 (not based on anything; a diss track/"We went crazy" track lol)

Now as for the game itself, first of all, in my humble opinion, it's one of the best mobile rhythm games out there. The whole game is vertical instead of horizontal, so even the rhythm part is like that, but it's really fun. There's three difficulties, normal, hard and advanced. Normal and hard are unlocked from the start for every song, but to get advanced you need to get a full-combo on hard mode. The beatmaps on advanced mode often make little shapes, like in the new year 2021 song the ending, when the singer says "happy new year", forms the number 2-0-2-1, or, in a different song, the word "mikadzuki" (crescent moon) forms a crescent-moon-like long note, or in yet another song, during the words "Team K", the long notes form a K. It's just really fun, it's not too difficult (though some songs... beware the lvl>30 songs), but it's fun. Most of the difficulty comes in speed changing, so it's important that you know the song well when playing on the highest difficulty. As with other mobile games, it's important to have a good roster. There are songs that limit what characters you can use, but the first roster (オススメ) will automatically choose your best cards for a song, and the second one (スタメン) chooses the original members of the song in their original line-up. I don't even use the other rosters as I mostly just play with the first one, the second one if a daily challenge requires it. Cards range from 1* to 5*, and the 10pull in a gacha gives you a guaranteed 4*, and the featured cards for an event are always 4*. While I haven't gotten many 5* in the gacha, I still have a lot, and I'll talk about that in the event section, trust me, you'll love it. Anyway, asides from the rhythm part (the Performance), you have "rehearsal" where you can choose a song, a team for the song and have them "rehearse" - this boosts intimacy (unlocks stories and badges), as well as levels that character's level for the song. The higher the level, the less misses you'll get during autoplay - which is good for event songs so you don't have to grind too much. Rehearsals also help you level your heroine level, which will fully replenish your torepo and chikepo, so it's also useful to spam rehearsals during events. Torepo is what you need for rehearsals and you get a bigger maximum with each level-up, while chikepo are always maximum 5 and you use them to do Performances. You can't play without them, but they replenish really fast (1 every 20 minutes). You can boost your final score by "betting" chips on any of your top3 characters at the end of a Performance, but I suggest keeping the chips for event challenges. (And also, the chips multiply the scores instead of adding a set amount, so best to bet on the 1st one) There's also heroine status, where you basically compete with others to be the most active player, each rank gives you better rewards. Imo, B and S are the best (SS is the best, but a bit;;;; difficult to get), as B gives you chips as rewards, and S gives you torepo replenishing items. SS gives you chikepo replenishers tho.

You also have daily challenges: every day you get two songs with three challenges each. You don't have to finish them all in one day, though, you actually have 25 days to complete them, but every day you get two more, so it's best to be up to date with them. The challenges are usually something like "play x times", "get x score" (or the harder "get x score with スタメン", "get x score with y member", or the easier "get x total score"), "get a combo of x" or "get less than x misses" or "get more than x perfects". For each challenge you get some items (which can also be the premium currency, Dia!), and a challenge point which you can exchange for skill-up items, 5* cards, level-up items, 4* or 5* guarantee gacha tickets.

Secondly the events, they come at you pretty quick (at least imo but then again i'm also juggling three other mobage with bsts, so i'm stretched a bit thin), so there's new content very frequently, and here's my fave part about this game: the event 5* are ridiculously easy to get. The current event card is a 4*, but last event was a 5* and let me tell you, I logged in, I played the event song like. Seven times, got the card. Of course, if you want to skill it up completely, you gotta work your ass off to get all the copies, but I'm saying, if your goal is to just get it... (plus you can still skill them up without the actual copy of the same card, as I said - you can get skill-up items in the challenge point shop, and now you can exchange puzzle pieces you get when exchanging 3* and above cards for a skill-up item). All events give you event points, but some also give flags. Events with only event points will have the first copy of the card relatively low, so it's best to play the event song with 2 chikepo at once, but if it's a flag event, the event card will be easier to get on the flag portion. Since playing on 2 chikepo only doubles event points, it's a bit more grindy, but still possible without spending Dia - though it is faster if you at least get and level some of the featured event 4* (or even the 3*) in the gacha as they boost the amount of points and flags you get. For flag events, it's also best to use the third roster (イベント特効). You don't even have to have too high level cards, the Team B onsen event was one of the first ones I was here for, when I barely knew how to play, and I still managed 2 copies of the Ran 5*. The event songs will also have challenges - similarly to daily challenges. They'll range from "play with a rehearsal level of x or above" to "get a total of x score" or "get an x score total", sometimes "bet x chips". With each challenge, you'll unlock a story part (and reading each event story part gives you premium currency). The event songs will later be played with the reminiscence tickets on the reminiscence tab of the performance screen - these tickets are easy to collect, and you can use them to replay songs, unlock story parts you haven't and get level-up items if you want to further level an event card. Also, during events, on the event screen you'll be able to access the eeru store (eeru being the non-premium currency), it has a lot of stuff, but imo always go for the Dia and chips, if they're available.

And I think that's about it from what I have to say about BSTS? All in all, it's really fun, the story and characters are gripping, and the songs slap sooo hard. I'm pretty sure I ascended when I first heard each Team B song. I definitely suggest playing it, or at least getting to know the story/characters and listening to the songs. Though it's only available in Japan </3 QooApp thankfully exists lmao

[mhynvxii]

Helooooo!!

First of all congrats on the followers milestone! Love that for you, especially since you're one of my fav knb accounts on here 🥰

If I may, can I get a KNB love triangle matchup?

My pronouns are she/her, I'm 21, bisexual and my personality type is INFP. I write, draw and cook as a passion, and I love my dogs! Also, and I really think that says a lot about me, I'm a middle child.

I'm trying to think of an embarrassing moment to tell you about, but there's just too many 😭 I'm a really clumsy person, ya see. I'm also smart but dumb at the same time? Like I have my bimbo moments, but I'm also a straight A student so yeah

BUT YEAH I guess the time I accidently saw my neighbour half naked and kept staring because I was too flustered to move counts as an embarrassing moment lmao

Anyways, I don't know how else to describe myself, but there's that!

Thanks in advance for taking my request (if you gonna do so ofc haha)

YOUR KNB! LOVE TRIANGLE IS…

KAGAMI TAIGA x YOU x HIMURO TATSUYA.

A/N : Finally, long awaited matchup is here anon and hey !!! You are so sweet I was tempted to include myself in that matchup ! 😭😮‍💨 Also you seems a really cool person you deserves one of the most dramatic matchup and YEAH MIDDLE KIDS UNITES !!!

Kagami love trope : Opposite attracts

Himuro love trope : Friends to lovers.

Overall dynamic : Neither of them knows the other one is in love as they themselves are slowly falling for you. So they may sometimes without knowing it gives each other’s advice to hit on you and it’s future drama forming in the back…

COMPATIBILITY –

Since it’s a a story time I’m not focusing the matchup on mbti but i think it’s necessary to say that if i was only basing myself on that I would have paired you up with someone else : INFP x ESTP ( Kagami) are not a good match because of really different methods of thinking they hardly comprehend each other what lead to difficulties to work together, they’re overall incompatible. And INFP x ISFP ( Himuro) isn’t the best options out there for you.

It would probably have been Takao x You x Momoi and honestly they were also good match even for the story time but everything is not always about mbti and natural alchemy between people makes everything possible.

Kagami was nervous around you before Himuro introduced you to him, believing you’re a really serious and dedicated top student working hard to keep that straight A. Finding it impressive but also scary he developed a little crush on you in uni ( idk what the heck he’s studying there)

But then he had to discover the whole clumsyness, bimboness and what a surprise ! He’s even more fond of you !

You best believe that now he’s talking more to you about what you likes to do in your free time and ask about others stuff to befriend you first even if he’s facing the huge wall of your differences :

You likes writing what involves a lot of romantic or at least abstract inner world imagination depending on what you write. You also likes dogs…

But thanks god : you like cooking and you’re clumsy so it gives him an excuse to cook 👨‍🍳 with you.

Best believe Kagami was dead inside when you were watching the half naked neighbor and KEPT STARING. He only has one question : WHY ? and he’s even more embarrassed to make you move out of this sight. But he had a whole plan set up the next morning to accidentally show you his abs if your neighbor looked potentially threatening to win your heart.

Probably got the both of you flustered as hell.

Now about Himuro… He always got an interest from you since day one : seeing how like him you valued balance in life having your serious moments as well than the completely hilarious one.

He’s also somehow always here when you’re having your clumsy moments to try to catch you and help you not creating collateral damages. You will probably would lost count of how many times it happened that you would even even except him to be here sometime but it’s Kagami instead…

Chief Himuro is cooking with you and even competing like he is in food war with Kagami to impress you with his meals. Uses his famous « Mirage Salt » to give refined and delicate taste to his plates.

Himuro and you makes greats friends because of your similarities in behavior. He too gets his own bimbo moments, you would be surprised seeing him when he’s completely relaxed imitating Sailor Moon.

He fall in love without even realizing it and he can’t even correctly explain it : It’s just your whole being that makes him that vulnerable.

Best believe he will ask you to teach him how to draw first time he’s seeing you doing this as he praise your work and taste in esthetic except unlike people in general he’s genuine and serious.

He’s comforting your middle kid need : gives you all the affection and attention you missed. He’s not hesitant babying you and doesn’t want anything in return : it’s natural to him.

He’s too stunned to speak as well when he see your half naked neighbor… You’re two with the mouth wide open to catch bugs and stuff but eventually Himuro get out from the shock and stopping to act dramatic and stuff and get you home. Jokingly talking about how he will turn jealous if you kept being there staring.

LOVE STORY : Often in the morning you could be found walking out the dog and sometimes when you’re lucky it’s with your friend Himuro to keep you some company aside from the one the dog would gives you. Lovingly he would caress it behind its hears and light heartedly play with it under your watch. Today was this kind of day, instead it was much later in the afternoon and this time Taiga for some unknown reason holded dear to come with y’all even though his fear for dogs is still existent and not even ready disappear so soon. So you’re three walking the dogs and discussing with both you’re having a good time, cracking few jokes there and there but there is that strange tension between Tatsuya and Taiga as you’re laughing and you can’t see it. Realizing they might be two idiots trying winning your heart : Himuro is looking at his little bro with wide open eyes as he caught him finding comfort in your smile with a regard that can only means love instead of innocent friendships and he’s sure of it as had the same on his face at the same time. He thought they were telling each other everything, he thought to know Taiga by heart but now he’s confronting the concrete evidence that it’s not true and have an hard time accepting that there is a possibility that besides of competition they hold in court and in the kitchen they may fight for your love now. He’s not going to loose, that’s for sure but does somebody have necessarily to be heart broken ? Taiga on the other hand, noticing what’s going by chance is nervous… From all the dude he could have to go against to it’s his own brother, Himuro. The one who’s popular and so good with words, he’s sure that he can convince you to go out with him. But uh he can’t imagine it and he don’t want to as despite everything you’re still the person who makes him feel weak and all excited inside, he’s not feeling like sharing or admitting defeat right now. He’s feeling like loving you and let you know about it, he’s feeling going further with you and holding your hand tight, kissing your cheeks forever. He’s feeling like confessing to you everyday and resting in your arms. And he’s not backing down on this if you won’t clearly tell him that you don’t want it, he’s not going to let Himuro do anything, until you tell him there is not going to be such a thing between him and you. And Taiga will do his everything to make the said thing happen even if he’s already hurt seeing his opponent. Aside from being the middle kid in your family now, you’re literally the innocen kid in the middle between the two mens who had fallen hard for you.

[lancermylove]

Yo my friend! Anon here! Now um this isn't a request or anything like that, but I do wanna ask this since I don't think anyone has thought about this through. I like both twisted wonderland and BSTS, and i wondered which dorms would the casts of Starless fit in NRC. Soo... Which dorm would you think they would fit in if you thought about it? You can ignore this if you consider this a request.

Hi! This is interesting~! Some of the characters can fit into multiple dorms, like Sotetsu can fit into Savanaclaw, Scarabia, and Octavinelle, so I chose the best option for them. For Sotetsu, he loves chaos above all, so Savanaclaw it is. On the flip side, there are some characters that don't really fit any dorms, like Heath. Maybe I should just put them in Ramshackle. XD

Savanaclaw: Sotetsu, Kokuyou, Mizuki, Ran

Diasomnia: Kei, Kongou, Gui

Heartslabyul: Rindou, Hari, Sinju, Ginsei

Pomefiore: Qu, Mokuren, Maica, Akira, Heath

Scarabia: Takami, Zakuro, Sin, Kasumi, Yoshino, Menou

Ignihyde: Taiga, Unei

Octavinelle: Rico, Yakou

(Below the cut is my explanation, aka me brainstorming)

Savanaclaw members like chaos, being #1, are dominant, and physically strong. Kokuyou wants to be #1 in Starless, takes pride in being called Mr. Starless, and considers himself as the alpha of Starless. Mizuki and Ran love chaos. Sotetsu can fit into Savanaclaw, Scarabia, and Octavinelle, but since he loves creating drama above all, Savanaclaw is it.

Diasomnia members are physically strong, intelligent, level-headed (for the most part lol), loyal, and give a knight-like vibe overall. Kei fits all of those, and he is knightly and kingly~ best hubby. ❤️ Kongou is calm, collected, and one of the most mature characters in Starless, and those biceps. :3 Gui is loyal (still hoping his master is not evil), calm, and has been MC's protector since season 1.

Heartslaybul = RULES. Riddle, how long did it take you to memorize those 810 rules? @_@ Rindou likes to follow tradition and seems like someone who would adhere to the rules...maybe due to his past? Ginsei likes the tradition ways as shown by his liking for Mikis shows and scripts. Sinju is too pure to be a rebel in any way, and if someone asks him to follow rules, he will follow them as closely as possible. Hari is raised in a “must follow rules” environment, and though he is breaking the rules by joining Starless, he knows one day he is going to have to return to the world of rules, aka following in his father’s footsteps. 

Pomefiore spells elegance, beauty, and being yourself while continuing to strive for better. Qu and Mokuren are the most graceful, beautiful, and elegant members of Starless, and I can’t imagine them in any other dorms. Maica is also elegant and graceful but in a less feminine way, and I don’t see him fitting in any other dorms; he isn’t cunning or the type to pull strings from behind, nor is he knightly, and he doesn't like chaos and is not an introvert. 

Scarabia = cunning, manipulative, and people who work from the shadows. Takami and Zakuro are very manipulative, cunning, and two of the most sus people in Starless. Takami could also fit in Octavinelle, but I can see him in Scarabia more. Sin isn’t manipulative, but he has pulled a few strings from the shadows. Mostly, Sin prefers to stay in the shadow and watch everything from there. Another person who works from the shadows is Kasumi...he is a ninja, and no one can convince me otherwise. Like, Sin, he sometimes pulls strings but doesn’t straight up manipulate. Season 1 Yoshino would have fit in Heartslabyul, but his character development has pushed him to the dark side. He is willing to go to any length to get songs in Starless, and even he has confessed this. It won’t be long until Yoshino starts openly manipulating.  Menou is in Starless for acting only and doesn’t care about anything else, aside from sleeping lol. He does have a manipulative side and is sharp as hell but prefers to keep everything to himself. Menou likes to watch and create drama by adding salt to wounds, but I can’t see him in Savanaclaw. 

Ignihyde has introverts, gamers, and people who are good with technology, so pretty much Taiga. I think Unei also fits in this dorm as he is one of the few members of Starless that can use technology properly lol. 

Octavinelle is the business version of Scarabia, so pretty much if you want something, you have to pay a price. They seem more self-centered and focus on things solely because it benefits them or they can get entertainment out of it. This is why Sotetsu fits in Octavinelle as well. Anytime anyone wants something from him, he asks what benefit he will get out of the deal. Rico, since day 1, has thought about himself and is more self-centered than not. Due to his debt, he looks for ways to pay off his debt, including making deals that are risky. Yakou only had one goal since he entered Starless, to go against Sinju and prove he’s better. Whatever he did was for his own benefit, and once he achieved his goal, he left to pursue his career. In Octavinelle’s chapter, Azul mentions “benevolent heart” and “pity” a lot, and it feels like Yakou returns to Starless when he is needed, either due to his benevolent heart or because he pities them or both. Remember, Yakou is one of the few members that can live a normal life and doesn’t need Starless.  

Now, the two members I’m struggling to sort: Akira and Heath. Akira is in Starless for singing, but he doesn’t manipulate and says what he feels. He isn’t knightly or loyal to Team W (he has mentioned wanting to fight Team W by creating his own team), and Akira is not the one to follow rules. He doesn’t work from the shadows and is the only one who has pointed out that some people in Starless are shady AF. If someone asks Akira for help (like Heath), Akira doesn’t always ask for anything in return nor does he try to manipulate. He is definitely not an introvert and isn’t techy, so that leaves Pomefiore. Akira isn’t the elegant type, like Qu, but he is very true to himself and isn’t willing to change that, so he kinda fits in Pomefiore. Heath doesn’t fit in Diasomnia or Savanaclaw due to his lack of physical strength, and he isn’t manipulative nor does he look for benefit in everything, so no Scarabia or Octavinelle. He isn’t the type of follow rules and makes this evident in his rap lyrics, so bye Heartslabyul. That leaves Ignihyde and Pomefiore. He isn’t a super social person and isn’t techy, and he is not the type to focus on beauty, grace, but he is true to himself. He always writes what/how he feels and won’t change that for anyone, so like Akira, he fits in Pomefiore. Both the singer and rapper don’t have specific traits for one dorm, so it’s very hard for me to pick the perfect dorm for them.  

[kondo-hijikata]

Relationship: Kondo/Hijikata Rating: T Summary: Kondo has been promoted to hatamoto status, and the Shinsengumi members are at last recognized as true samurai by the Tokugawa regime. Such impossible achievements didn't come easy, but Hijikata isn't worried about that at all. This story was heavily influenced by the Shinsengumi! Taiga drama. [AO3]

.*Out of Love*.

A warm breeze of triumph whispered through trees dusted in pink, their delicate petals pulled from dainty branches and sent on a downward drift to meticulously maintained castle grounds. The shoji had been open since morning, inviting the height of spring into a great room of golden tatami and elegant decoration befitting the Aizu lord—who sat proud and tall before two loyal servants bowing their heads in his grace.

“Kondo.” The Shinsengumi Commander’s chin lifted at the sound of his name, finding the genial smile that pulled at Matsudaira’s lips as he nodded. “Open it.”

“Ha.” Reaching for the pearly scroll which rested in formal presentation in front of him, Kondo carefully unfurled a message written in sweeping ornate penmanship, and the deep breath which followed was all he could manage to keep his composure.

“His Highness Tokugawa recognizes your irreplaceable devotion to his great cause, Kondo.”

Slowly, Kondo’s eyes rose from the parchment he now gripped tightly, his heart beginning to pound the ribcage enclosing it. The scroll was neatly returned to its original rolled state, and he bowed his head deeply while blinking back the emotion threatening to swallow him whole. “I humbly express my sincerest gratitude for this undeserved recognition. There is no greater honor than serving the Gokogi.”

Matsudaira’s gaze was soft and pleasant as he regarded Kondo, and behind him Hijikata, each with their foreheads remaining lowered. “You have done well.”

~

The outer castle corridors were comprised of dark fragrant wood, forever polished by the frequency in which they saw cleaning. Socked feet glided fast along the smooth floors, until Kondo suddenly stopped and turned to the sprawling stretch of plant life and silver rock that extended far to high ivory walls. Following suit, Hijikata joined him in this pause, and both remained side-by-side in a fragile state of silence. The brimming excitement practically begged to be voiced, else each risked the heart detonating in his chest. Alas, the setting didn’t match, and all that could be done was attempt swallowing the visceral desires to scream joy into the heavens and flail about like they were back in Tama.

Water trickled in the distance, filling a bamboo pipe until it upended and tapped a stone with a single stark clank. Invited by this break in quietude, Hijikata pushed his chest out with a deep breath and ventured one word. “Kyokucho.”

Kondo’s gaze drifted to him, their eyes meeting and conveying more than spoken language ever could in this perfect moment of long-sought victory. He exhaled in an overly controlled manner and tipped his head. “Fukucho.”

“…We did it.”

Kondo squared his shoulders and peered back out to the cascading foliage. “…Yes.”

“We’re finally samurai…” A pause, the emotion welling. “In spirit and in name.”

A large hand raised to press to the parchment secured in ceremonial kimono confines. “Yes.” It wasn’t long before Kondo turned his head, the exhilaration that had been coursing through his veins like wildfire reaching a critical point where drowning it even a second further was insufferable. “Toshi.”

Hijikata’s grin widened at his name, his lashes parting a little more. And that was all it took.

Breath expelled from Kondo’s lungs as they simultaneously lunged forward in the privacy of this stretch of porch, their arms thrown about each other in a tight embrace, while each man’s jubilant laughter fell muted against his companion’s haori-clad shoulder.

“Kat-chan!” Open palms pressed tightly to his back, fingertips flexing inward with possession.

Kondo withdrew only far enough to take Hijikata’s biceps firm in his grasp and, the perfect portrait of absolute bliss, gave his second in command a stiff shake. “Toshi, we did it!”

Hijikata wore his own elation just as openly, his gaze prideful and vehement when a tremble shook his body. He leaned his forehead in, his teeth clenching and through them, he grated out, “Samurai!”

“Let’s get back. We’ll—” Kondo’s features somehow brightened even further and his spine straightened in sudden consideration. “We’ll have a big dinner tonight, no cost spared. Ne?”

With his lashes falling, Hijikata huffed a laugh. If this were any other time, he might suggest restraint; despite that the treasury certainly had the money for an extensive celebration, they were both country men with roots deep in frugality and had arrived in Kyoto possessing little more than the swords on their hips. But here they stood now, samurai—true, Tokugawa-recognized samurai!—openly embracing on Matsudaira-ko’s property with nothing other than auspicious days ahead. Kondo’s influence would only increase, the wealth would flow in faster, and the Shinsengumi’s fame would ripple resoundingly over a land deeply divided.

His eyes opened and all he could do was dip his chin in agreement to dinner—extravagant, yes, but more than deserved. “Mm.”

Kondo held to Hijikata’s arms for a little longer before he at last nodded again in return, wide eyes and grin never fading. “Toshi! Let’s get going!”

As they quickly made their way out of the castle presented to Matsudaira by Tokugawa’s own graces, Hijikata never thought he’d see a happier day in his life. Once on the road, he peered back at the impressive structure for a moment of reflection as petals fell lazily in the wind, his thoughts taking him back to a time when meeting with the Aizu lord was nothing but a distant dream. Eyes closing, a tiny satisfied smile gracing him.

"Toshi."

"Aa." His lashes parted again to find Kondo, the most central and important piece of everything. Hijikata's gaze softened further. "Coming."

~

Sake flowed like rivers and the platters of food seemed endless over joyous celebration in the ranks. Harada’s stomach was painted, his failed seppuku scar a perfect mouth for the ridiculous face Nagakura had drawn, and he belly-danced while soldiers laughed, eating and drinking their fill late into the night.

Far away from the drunken singing and raucous, Kondo sat on the porch before his room with Hijikata at his side, a large near-empty bottle sitting behind them on a circular tray.

Pink flush had long made its way across Hijikata’s cheeks, and from the way he was feeling, Kondo wagered his own didn’t look much different. He pressed the sakazuke cup to his mouth and tilted his head back with a gulp, then exhaled loudly.

“Mm, Kat-chan.” Not missing a beat, Hijikata reached for the sake and held it out. “Here.”

The throaty laugh that left Kondo was accompanied by raising his cup yet again. “Tryin’ to get me drunk, Toshi?”

A snort followed and Hijikata’s voice was airy. “Reminder that this was your idea.” The purr that followed emanated deep from within his chest. “…Kyokucho.” He tilted the bottle until the last drop poured out, and set it back down out of the way.

“Right.” Kondo’s chin raised and he swallowed it all in one go, owning up to the responsibility.

“’Taku…” Though it was a complaint, Hijikata wore a grin. He sipped from his cup and let his lashes fall as insects sang in the garden and fireflies sparkled amongst moonlit leaves.

Kondo’s lips pulled into a soft smile as well and he treated himself to a deep inhale through his nose. The nights were growing warmer, similar to how the future had been becoming more and more bright while days passed and seasons changed. They’d made it through a long and grueling winter, scraping by for every bit of respect and renown to be earned here in the west. Then came a cool spring that turned warm with the Ikedaya incident, and finally, the verge of a scorching summer loomed, in which gold would rain down instead of sunlight.

To be sitting on the porch of Nishi Honganji at this time with a plethora of trust and wealth encompassing them, with weight to their names and sanctified status as real samurai… Kondo breathed out into the clear night and let his spine relax. It was the furthest cry from the ages he’d spent at his childhood home in Kamiishihara, listening to the stories his father told of Kanko and other great heroes who had gone out to do the unbelievable. How he’d wanted to be like them, and how he’d dreamed.

But farmers becoming samurai were just as remarkable, weren’t they? And the Shinsengumi, itself… A group marred by disorganization in its early days and looked down the nose by everyone around them, growing into a force this powerful was simply unheard of in these times. Transcending classes was an absurd notion. Commoners didn’t pull weight. Men of the land didn’t have the ear of Matsudaira-ko, or the recognition of the Tokugawa regime. Yet, Kondo did and the group of men he led commanded respect and recognition.

How could any of this possibly be real?

He already knew the answer without searching...had known it for the longest time.

Kondo found Hijikata at that, watching while his second in command rocked gently in place with his eyes still closed, a small grin still worn across his features.

“Toshi…” he whispered.

“Ain’t gonna be long now,” Hijikata sighed out, the corners of his lips twitching a little further into his cheeks. One set of lashes parted and he peered over. “First, a hatamoto. Next, a daimyo. Soon.”

“Toshi…it’s enough.”

“Hey.” The soft and breathy voice turned serious, and Hijikata looked at him pointedly. “I promised you daimyo status, Kat-chan.” His palm hit the porch to drive his sincerity home. “We’re not stopping at you being a hatamoto. Don’t even start.”

Kondo’s hand raised and he pressed fingertips to Hijikata’s mouth. Once he quieted, it moved to cup his cheek, the thumb grazing gently across and he barely squinted. “But at what cost?”

The shoulders of his vice commander inched up into a dismissive shrug. “Anything at all.” He shook his head then. “Whatever it takes, Kat-chan, whatever the cost.” Signaling the end of the discussion, Hijikata finished his sake and placed his cup on the tray.

Whatever it took, whatever the cost…? The burdens of Serizawa, the weight of command… the five tenets and enforcing them, even if it meant seppuku—even if it meant shouldering all of the blame and resentment… The hard decisions, the dedication, the forcing of his hand with torture and threats, the hours upon hours of work… All this, just to be satisfied with existing in someone else’s shadow…

Hijikata picked up on the silent thoughtfulness and his brow furrowed. “What—?”

That question he’d started was interrupted by Kondo’s lips meeting his softly, palms rising to cup his cheeks. The kiss deepened and their tongues met as Hijikata grabbed hold of him, and then by either no one’s or everyone’s fault, both tumbled to the porch floor.

Kondo’s face hit gently against Hijikata’s chest on the impact, his arms immediately wrapping around his middle in a tight embrace. The hands that had landed on his shoulder linked fingers behind his neck and ran up and down in short stroking motions.

“Toshi…” An exhale. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

With his eyes closing, Kondo exhaled. Of course that would be the reply, when he felt he could never express the gratitude he felt enough. “For everything.”

Hijikata’s voice rumbled softly over the steady thumping of his heartbeat. “There’s nothing—” A hiccup. “Nothing to thank me for, Kat-chan.”

Kondo shook his head against the purple-clad breast and braced against the porch, pushing himself up and then forward so that his nose nearly touched Hijikata’s. He stroked a burning cheek, wound a finger through a long black lock…and simply relented. His vice commander couldn’t be reasoned with on this subject when he was sober, and now that he had sake in him—now that they both did…

“We’ll keep going, Toshi,” Kondo murmured, his lashes falling halfway as he gazed into amethyst eyes rife with reverence. He was certain his own were but mirrors. “All the way.” Their noses touched in a brief nuzzle. “As long as you’re with me.”

Hijikata’s head tilted as though that last statement had been perplexing, the hair from his ponytail splaying out beneath him. His fingers crept up to touch Kondo’s face and he paused before whispering his response. “Always.”

Their lips met again, their hands entwining tightly. He may have been in a relatively dazed state from the sake, but Kondo knew then—as he always had—that the responsibility was his own to stop Hijikata from destroying himself all for his sake. It was said that the bond between samurai ran deeper than the ocean and further than the sky. As he pressed kisses to the samurai he shared such a bond with, to his jaw and then down his neck, Kondo silently promised it was a mutual vow, that his love was just as fathomless and his devotion equally as fervent.

One day, he’d fulfill these debts that had accumulated on his soul. At some time, he would be able to give to Hijikata as much as he’d received, and reciprocate as much as what had been sacrificed, only for him.

But for right now…

When Kondo felt hands pulling at his garments, he stood slowly and helped Hijikata to his feet. They both stumbled the few steps to his room, and the shoji clapped shut.

All Kondo could do at this moment was settle to give Hijikata everything he wanted, and anything he would possibly take. And he would give it to him freely, all out of love: tonight, tomorrow, next year, and on—for as long as he was able, for as much as he could.

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a K (Part 5)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Kuroko no Basket:

Genres: comedy, school, shounen, sports

Synopsis: Teikou Junior High School's basketball team is crowned champion three years in a row thanks to five outstanding players who, with their breathtaking and unique skills, leave opponents in despair and fans in admiration. However, after graduating, these teammates, known as "The Generation of Miracles", go their separate ways and now consider each other as rivals. At Seirin High School, two newly recruited freshmen prove that they are not ordinary basketball players: Taiga Kagami, a promising player returning from the US, and Tetsuya Kuroko, a seemingly ordinary student whose lack of presence allows him to move around unnoticed. Although Kuroko is neither athletic nor able to score any points, he was a member of Teikou's basketball team, where he played as the "Phantom Sixth Man," who easily passed the ball and assisted his teammates. Kuroko no Basket follows the journey of Seirin's players as they attempt to become the best Japanese high school team by winning the Interhigh Championship. To reach their goal, they have to cross pathways with several powerful teams, some of which have one of the five players with godlike abilities, whom Kuroko and Taiga make a pact to defeat. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2012 with a total of 25 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Sports! But not as much friendship, character development and fluffiness as I personally prefer. Plus some of the characters have special abilities or powers taking this firmly out of the realistic category. Not a bad series overall though! Certainly enjoyable. 

Kuroko no Basket 2nd Season:

Genres: comedy, sports, school, shounen

Synopsis:  With the Interhigh Championship finally over, Seirin's basketball team refocuses their efforts, training harder than ever to get the chance to participate in the Winter Cup. Both Kuroko and Kagami see old friends walk back into their lives, providing a challenge both on and off the court. As new skills are developed and new alliances created, enemies from various teams—giants of high school basketball such as Yousen, Shuutoku and Touou—stand in the way of Seirin's steadfast attempts to get to the top. All of these schools prove to be formidable foes whose abilities progress exponentially, while Kuroko struggles to find a balance between his resolve to play as part of a team and his desire to win. With old wounds reopening, new challenges to face on the court, and a new set of foes—the "Uncrowned Kings"—vowing to defeat the new hopefuls, will Seirin ever be able to achieve their dream of beating the Generation of Miracles? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2014 with a total of 25 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Season 2 was even better than the first though all I said before pretty well stands! 

Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season:

Genres: comedy, sports, school, shounen

Synopsis:  Following their triumph against Yousen High, Seirin's basketball team has reached the semifinals of the Winter Cup along with Kaijou, Rakuzan, and Shuutoku. Each of these teams possesses a member of the Generation of Miracles, and Seirin prepares to face the largest obstacles on their path to winning the Winter Cup. In the final season of Kuroko no Basket, Kuroko goes head-to-head with his old teammates once more as he attempts to show them that individual skill is not the only way to play basketball. His firm belief that his form of basketball, team play, is the right way to play the sport will clash with the talents of a perfect copy and an absolute authority. While Kuroko tries to prove that his basketball is "right," he and the rest of Seirin High ultimately have one goal: to win the Winter Cup and overcome the strength of the Generation of Miracles, who have long dominated the scene of middle and high school basketball. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 25 episodes.

My Thoughts: We’ve now reached what was essentially the final boss. You don’t need me to convince you to watch the third season if you’ve  already watched the previous two... 

Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish):

Genres: drama, romance, school, seinen

Synopsis:  To the outside world, Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya are the perfect couple. But in reality, they just share the same secret pain: they are both in love with other people they cannot be with.

Hanabi has loved her childhood friend and neighbor Narumi Kanai for as long as she can remember, so she is elated to discover that he is her new homeroom teacher. However, Narumi is soon noticed by the music teacher, Akane Minagawa, and a relationship begins to blossom between them, much to Hanabi's dismay.

Mugi was tutored by Akane in middle school, and has been in love with her since then. Through a chance meeting in the hallway, he encounters Hanabi. As these two lonely souls spend more time together, they decide to use each other as a substitute for the one they truly love, sharing physical intimacy with one another in order to stave off their loneliness.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8.5/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: This may be an unpopular opinion but I actually really liked this anime. It had some really large issues and moments that made me want to cringe until death took me into her sweet embrace but it was a rather unique story and anime. Plus you know sometimes it’s fun to watch an anime where pretty well everyone is an absolutely awful person. I doubt i’d ever watch it again but it was worth that single watch. Great art and opening though!! 

Kyoukou Suiri (In/Spectre):

Genres: mystery, comedy, demons, supernatural, romance, shounen

Synopsis:  Hidden in plain sight, spirits known as youkai inhabit the world. While most are benign, a certain subset threatens the tenuous peace between youkai and humanity. Ever since she agreed to become their "God of Wisdom," Kotoko Iwanaga has served as a mediator between the two realms, resolving any supernatural problems that come her way. At a local hospital, Kotoko approaches Kurou Sakuragawa, a university student whose long-term relationship ended with an unfortunate breakup. Kotoko harbors feelings for him and suspects that something supernatural lurks within his harmless appearance, so she asks Kurou for his assistance in helping out youkai. Two years later, news of an idol who was accidentally crushed to death by steel beams flooded the press. However, months later, sightings begin to tell of a faceless woman who wields a steel beam. As is the case for any supernatural problem, Kotoko and her partner set out to stop this spirit from wreaking havoc—but this case may prove to be far more sinister and personal than they could have ever thought. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7.5/10

My Thoughts: An interesting mystery with rather interesting characters. I personally had quite a few issues with this anime, including but not limited to the pacing, gratuitous (in my opinion) violence and gore at times and just a lack of character development. Despite much of the anime revolving around the female lead just talking I feel as though I hardly know her... or worse yet care whether she lives or dies. That being said this seems to be one of those animes that everyone seems to either love or hate with little middle ground.... maybe you’ll land closer to the love side of things? 

Kyoukai no Kanata:

Genres: slice of life, supernatural, fantasy

Synopsis:  Mirai Kuriyama is the sole survivor of a clan of Spirit World warriors with the power to employ their blood as weapons. As such, Mirai is tasked with hunting down and killing "youmu"—creatures said to be the manifestation of negative human emotions. One day, while deep in thought on the school roof, Mirai comes across Akihito Kanbara, a rare half-breed of youmu in human form. In a panicked state, she plunges her blood saber into him only to realize that he's an immortal being. From then on, the two form an impromptu friendship that revolves around Mirai constantly trying to kill Akihito, in an effort to boost her own wavering confidence as a Spirit World warrior. Eventually, Akihito also manages to convince her to join the Literary Club, which houses two other powerful Spirit World warriors, Hiroomi and Mitsuki Nase. As the group's bond strengthens, however, so does the tenacity of the youmu around them. Their misadventures will soon turn into a fight for survival as the inevitable release of the most powerful youmu, Beyond the Boundary, approaches. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: One of my favorite female glasses wearers of all time! All the characters are pretty cute actually, thanks in large part to the pretty animation and art. Honestly though i’m struggling to remember much about the plot and story... I recall a bit but not nearly enough to give a proper over view of things. 

Kyoukai no Kanata movie 1:

Genres: action, supernatural, fantasy

Synopsis:  The first part of a two-part movie. The story is a recap of the TV series. Mirai Kuriyama is the sole survivor of a clan of Spirit World warriors with the power to employ their blood as weapons. As such, Mirai is tasked with hunting down and killing "youmu"—creatures said to be the manifestation of negative human emotions. One day, while deep in thought on the school roof, Mirai comes across Akihito Kanbara, a rare half-breed of youmu in human form. In a panicked state, she plunges her blood saber into him only to realize that he's an immortal being. From then on, the two form an impromptu friendship that revolves around Mirai constantly trying to kill Akihito, in an effort to boost her own wavering confidence as a Spirit World warrior. Eventually, Akihito also manages to convince her to join the Literary Club, which houses two other powerful Spirit World warriors, Hiroomi and Mitsuki Nase. As the group's bond strengthens, however, so does the tenacity of the youmu around them. Their misadventures will soon turn into a fight for survival as the inevitable release of the most powerful youmu, Beyond the Boundary, approaches. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

A film released in 2015

My Thoughts: It’s a recap which I apparently rated higher then the series... if you could see me right now you’d be quick to note the lazy shrugging. I have no idea what’s going on with my rating’s half of the time. Thinking on the series more I know I absolutely adored the characters, especially the main couple. 

Kyoukai no Kanata movie 2:

Genres: fantasy, slice of life, supernatural

Synopsis:  After Akihito Kanbara reunites with Mirai Kuriyama—whom he believed had vanished after defeating Beyond the Boundary—he discovers a heartbreaking fact: Mirai has lost all memory of him, their friends, and her past as a Spirit Warrior. Akihito is utterly devastated, but realizes that she has a unique opportunity. Mirai can finally live the life of a normal girl—where she'll be completely devoid of the supernatural society that both shunned and used her. While it's all for the sake of Mirai's happiness, the price is costly—Akihito and his friends must keep her true origins a secret from her, and as a result avoid befriending her. However, the troubling memories of Mirai's old life gradually begin to resurface, and a mysterious new evil leads a group of shadow-like creatures into the city with the goal of seeking her out. As the situations become dire, Akihito must fight to protect himself, his closest friends, and Mirai—the bespectacled beauty he holds most dear. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

A film released in 2015. 

My Thoughts: You’ve already made up your mind about watching this pair of films or the series. Why are you even reading this one!?

[yume-x-hanabi]

Writer Meta Meme

I decided to do all the questions on this meme :)

1. Tell us about your current project(s) – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

My current project is Concubinage, my gaiwin arranged marriage AU. It started as a random, entirely self-indulgent idea, but it has since grown into an actual project. Progress is good, I’ve managed to do bi-monthly updates and I have 30k in my drafts so far.

What I love the most about it is that, since it’s an AU, I’m pretty free to do whatever I want. I don’t have to be too careful of timelines and so on. Plus, in this AU, Gaius and Wingul are able to get closer than they otherwise would, due to the different circumstances. They have their own trials, but it’s different than in the canon timeline.

Another current project is Tales of Xillia Week, but I didn’t get much inspiration for it so I think I’m gonna do meta/headcanon posts more than fics ^^;

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

I’m looking forward to getting to the part where it’s just domestic fluff haha. It’ll take a while to reach that point though.

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

Not just one scene ig, but I’ve been wanting to write one-shots showing how the Chimeriad survived, and... haven’t gotten around to planning it. So it’s pretty low on my project list tbh.

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

I have... a few, but they’re all spoilers for future chapters XD;;

5. What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

I don’t... really identify with characters. I mean, they’re pretty different than me in personality, life and circumstances...

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

I love writing Gaius and Wingul of course, but Agria’s probably the most fun. She’s completely unrestrained, which makes her pretty easy and fun to let loose XD

7. What do you think are the characteristics of your personal writing style? Would others agree?

Exposition and worldbuilding XD

I can’t help it, I always need to develop the setting...

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

Yes. I would love it if more people wrote gaiwin XD

9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?

I used to be more of a ficlet writer, but I’m currently doing well with a longfic XD

As for the rest, it varies. I like to plot and outline a bit, but it’s often rather loose and I let inspiration guide me.

10. How would you describe your writing process?

Wait for inspiration time, energy and motivation to align.

11. What do you envy in other writers?

Those who update super long fics every week. How do you do it????

12. Do you want your writing to be famous?

Naah, I’m fine in my corner of fandom. Though I wouldn’t say no to a few more readers, if only to know that the ship still sails xD

13. Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?

Yep, I post on AO3. And all projects are meant to be posted one day, but some aren’t simply because they aren’t finished.

14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

The beginning, usually, but I might change it

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?

Tags are easy. Titles and summaries are hard, and I always end up with something boring but heh, as long as they get the meaning across...

16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)

It was last year, but I tried first person pov with my Agria fic, because that fits her well. I’d like to try poetry, maybe.

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

I have no idea tbh. When I write, I like to imagine what my readers will think (especially like when I write funny scenes, I hope they’ll make people laugh), but idk if it’s exactly like I think.

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

In Concubinage, I considered adding a plotline where Arst met an ex and had to deal with complicated feelings about it -- being reminded how it was to be in a loving relationship vs political marriage, craving intimacy like he used to have with said ex, etc. I ended up scrapping the idea though.

I also have... two or three possible ways things can play out in a much later plotpoint, and I think I’m pretty sure of which way I’ll go already, but the other possibilities exist. Maybe I’ll make a post about all abandoned plotlines one day...

19. Is there something you always find yourself repeating in your writing? (favourite verb, something you describe ‘too often’, trope you can’t get enough of?)

“And, but, and, but...” XD;

Also characters often find themselves doing something before they knew it...

My style is probably pretty repetitive. I’m not a native speaker, and I feel limited sometimes...

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Concubinage is the result of watching too many sageuk and  taiga drama. No I’m not sorry.

When writing AU, I always like to include “cameo” of the original storyline (for example, as the plot of a book, or treating the canon games as a fractured dimension in Chimeriad Live AU’s, etc)

In Fractured Lives, I try to alternate Wingul and Gaius’ pov. It’s probably gonna bite me in the ass when some plot points work better in one pov but the chapter requires the other. I’ll probably have to come up with some fillers or something...

I have extensive headcanon about Auj Oule’s geography, history etc, which pops up in a lot of (planned) fics. Even if it’s different fics/AU’s (ex. Concubinage vs my pre-game gaiwin project vs the Wingul fic I was writing for the big bang), I reuse the same settings and OC’s. Most of those aren’t written/posted yet so it’s pretty self-contained for now, but if I ever get to completing those projects I hope it won’t be too confusing to readers who don’t follow all the stories...

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

If I had the art skills, I’d love to turn some of them into comics ;A;

22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

Sometimes. Usually because I need to refresh my memory before writing a new chapter XD

23. What’s the story idea you’ve had in your head for the longest?

That project to write the whole pre-game Gaius & Wingul history, that’s something I’ve been wanting since forever. Well, I originally wanted to read it, but since no one’s gonna do it, I started thinking I should write it. It’s gonna be a huge project though...

24. Would you say your writing has changed over time?

I honestly have no idea. I do sense a difference in that it’s much easier for me to just write now; I guess habit helps. But I have no idea if style changed or anything lol.

25. What part of writing is the most fun?

Filling the tag with my OTP XD

[lunawings]

King of Prism All Stars Prism Show Best 10! Initial thoughts/summary/review

So I’m going to be splitting this post into several sections with space in between to make it easier for people maybe to skip over spoilers they don’t want to read. 

Table of contents is as below: 1.) Day 1 Greeting Show Live Viewing brief event report 2.) Weekly theatrical video (week 1)  3.)1-10 Ranking and my personal thoughts 4.) New content (intro, ending, in-betweens, etc) 5.) Shin’s new show

1.) Day 1 Greeting Show Live Viewing brief event report

They had a live viewing for one of the greeting shows in Toyko. It was attended by Junta Terashima (Shin), Masashi Igarashi (Minato), and Takuma Nagatsuka (Leo). 

The day 1 greeting shows are always kinda awkward. Especially if it’s a live viewing and ESPECIALLY if it’s before the show because they aren’t allowed to give spoilers. 

Masashi Igarashi seemed even MORE pumped and emotional than usual. You could tell he really wanted to talk about Minato making it into the ranking, which should be a surprise for no one because he was really high in the preliminary ranking, but he still wasn’t allowed to talk about it. 

So he had to like dance all around it with wide hand gestures about how.... these ten shows.... and how amazing it was...... that these particular shows...... hahah ahhh man you could tell it was torture for him and torture to watch. 

Naganyan said that if by chance Leo made it in, he wanted us all to shout IIZE! for him. 

At one point the showed off kanji they wrote to symbolize the new year (a Japanese tradition). Junta said he wrote 変 I think (the first kanji in “change” but it also means strange) but he didn’t have the board with him for some reason so I wonder if he messed it up backstage and they didn’t have another one? Haha. Naganyan wrote 華 (flower). Masashi wrote 手 (hand) and he talked about how hands can symbolize a lot of things, like holding hands and “taking that first step” but then he was like “wait that’s feet....” And it was said in a way where it was difficult to tell if he only just realized that now or not. Judging from Junta and Naganyan’s reactions maybe it wasn’t on purpose hahaha. But then he doubled down on it, and as he was explaining why hands are significant he kept forcefully grabbing Junta’s hand and being like “See? Don’t you feel something??” while Junta was just kinda looking at him like “ummm”. 

I love these dorks so much they’re my favorite. EVERY SINGLE TIME I see them at an event together, Masashi Igarashi just goes on this HUGE rant about something and Junta Terashima is like “...........................................what?” (And Takuma Nagatsuka, if he is there, is like slowly inching away from them.)

I CAN’T WAIT to see them for real in Nagoya next weekend AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

2.) Weekly theatrical video (week 1)

So King of Prism movies always have rotating intro or ending videos exclusive to the theater. (The first movie had the characters appealing to be in the Prism King Cup, Pride the Hero had the regional dramas, and SSS had shorts after the credits.) Best 10 has “Prism Star Interviews”. Basically, you hear audio of one character interviewing another which plays to a static image of the characters. 

Week 1 had Shin interviewing Hiro, Yu interviewing Kouji, and Taiga interviewing Kazuki. It was fairly low key. Hiro talked about getting his driver’s license, Kouji talked about sending weird food photos to Minato from abroad, and while Taiga was interviewing Kazuki someone (implied to be Kakeru) slipped him the question “Which do you prefer, tigers or dragons?” After going back and forth for a while, Kazuki ultimately says he likes them both because they are both strong. Taiga is not too happy about this. 

Something to note about the intro videos is this time is they have four weeks’ worth planned, but there are only three courses of the movie. This means the course and intro video are not necessarily connected and as time goes on it will get out of sync and you won’t be sure which intro video you’ll see. I feel like this was probably done on purpose. After a while we never knew what intro videos we would get for the first movie and it was kinda exciting. 

3.) 1-10 Ranking and my personal thoughts

10.) Yu / Shiny Stellar (SSS) 9.) Taiga / Fly in the sky  (SSS) 8.) Shin/Shine / Platonic Sword  (SSS) 7.) Yukinojo / Hyakkaryouran   (SSS) 6.) Leo / Twinkle Twinkle  (SSS) 5.) Kazuki / Freedom (Thunder Storm ver.) (Pride the Hero) 4.) Minato / Sailing  (SSS) 3.) Kakeru / Orange Flamingo  (SSS) 2.) Shiny 7 Stars [SePTENTRION] / Brilliant Oath  (SSS) 1.) Hiro / pride (Prism King ver.) (Pride the Hero)

So I think the voting for this was actually pretty fair. Basically, people who bought the SSS soundtrack CD got a code which could be used to vote only once. So although it would technically be possible to buy hundreds of CDs to try and sway the vote, I kiiiinda doubt that happened? It’s not like event tickets.

First of all, I was surprised at how low Taiga ranked considering he’s always been the most popular SePTENTRION member. But then again, although I really like him too, there are several SePTENTRION member shows I would have voted for before him. I guess that’s because I would assume everyone else would vote for Taiga so he doesn’t need my help? So maybe everyone else thought that way too that’s what happened. 

I’m also shocked at how high Leo is. He beat Yukinojo. HE BEAT TAIGA. After his ranking was announced the first time I actually started crying during his performance just because I hadn’t seen it in a while, and also I had literally JUST finished translating this.... so I was just like..... MY SONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN IM SO PROUD OF YOU (....dammit I forgot to yell IIZE. MY SONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN)

Platonic Sword is at 8 which is OK sure. But you know, to be honest, although I was so distressed by this show at first I’m actually kinda diggin’ it now that I’m used to it because it’s a whole lot easier to enjoy out of context (I don’t have to see Shin crying every time). But it’s just really weird to have THAT smacked right there it at number 8, right in the middle-ish. This supposedly 0 karat show. 

0 karats my ass. 

AND MINATO AT NUMBER 4 AHHHHHHHHHHHH 

I can’t believe it. After all this time. He finally FINALLY got the recognition he deserves. The only SePTENTION member who ranked higher than him is Kakeru and I have no complaints about that because I definitely agree Kakeru deserves that number 3 spot. (You know, I wonder if this means Kakeru actually surpassed Taiga at some point to be the most popular SePTENTION boy? I’m just so used to it being Taiga, but..)

Hiro at number 1 feels right. I’m happy with it. It would be the same in-universe too. (Actually in-universe it would be like ALL Over the Rainbow but y’know.)

It’s really crazy how all of SePTENTION made it in (if you count Platonic Sword for Shin, although they did credit it as Shin/Shine which was nice). I think that’s part of what Masashi Igarashi was trying to say at the theater greeting: To think that the new cast could have come this far. To think that exactly four years ago I left the theater after seeing the first movie for the first time, and I couldn’t even remember over half their names... and look where they are now!!

Although I am certainly not unhappy with the results, and I know the SSS shows are... objectively better, it did make me a little sad that nothing made it in from the first movie at all though. Because those shows had a bigger emotional impact on me overall. I don’t regret using my vote for Minato, because I feel better having contributed to him getting the recognition he deserved than I would have if I had voted for something that didn’t stand a chance. But at the same time, Shin’s Over the Sunshine at the end of the first movie is probably the most important prism show to me, in actuality. 

But they are doing different courses to show the prism shows that didn’t make it in. The first week they are showing a montage of all of Over the Rainbow’s shows. Watching them back-to-back with the SSS shows in this movie really highlighted how old they look in comparison, especially the Hiro/Kazuki Boy Meets Girl. Back when the only texture they used was for Hiro’s stomach...

But anyway, the credits revealed the other courses will show Alexander, Joji, The Shuffle, and Louis’ shows. It is also rather sad that none of the Schwarz Rose boys made it in. Especially since Alec is so popular! I wonder if Alec fangirls didn’t vote for Survival Dance in protest since Alexander has never gotten an original song. I felt the saddest about Louis though... because Shota Aoi and his voice and...... (C.... Can I just slip in the back room, cut out Platonic Sword, and edit in I know Shangri La?)

PS. I think the shows were pretty close to the same versions we saw originally. One notable change is that they added in some subtitles for cheering. Specifically “SHISHO!!!” in Yukinojo’s show and “YO! Daddy I did it!” in Kakeru’s. So I guess we were originally supposed to yell that. (Oops.) As I hoped it would be, Brilliant Oath was also stitched together without that long break in the middle, so in this version it just looks like SePTENTRION created the goddess on their own with their prism jump. But hey! It’s nice to have a complete version. Also Platonic Sword was missing the Prism Axel. (Maybe that’s another reason I could enjoy it this time around.)

As is tradition, the credits are set to a new SePTENTRION song. This one is called Love Gravity.

4.) New content (intro, ending, in-betweens, etc)

There are two new, very brief, traditionally animated segments. The first one is a cold open of SePTENTRION as power rangers fighting Alexander. What makes this even more hilarious is it basically starts right where the original Prism Show Best 10 left off. They even used the exact same background I think!? Some of the boys’ ranger costumes are... interesting... Kakeru’s (and I’m afraid this won’t translate that well to English so I might as well explain it now) is missing the entire backside. The joke is about the contrast between his two sides (business and party: lit his front vs back in Japanese). I think this segment also has the first ever anime/movie reference to Alexander being weak to Leo. (It’s referenced in Prism Rush all the time.)

The second new traditionally animated segment is at the end, and it involves SePTENTRON in the bath discussing different genres of dramas or movies they could do now that their careers have taken off. I’m pretty sure it’s a metaphor for “So much has happened in King of Prism, what now?” After all the discussion of different genres, Shin starts to get worried it means they won’t do prism shows together anymore. But they all agree that of course they will. 

Then there are the Dorachi and Torachi segments. They are simplified and look as though they were animated in flash. In addition to counting down the Best 10, Dorachi and Torachi also have two language teaching sessions. First Dorachi teaches us some “useful” English phrases, i.e. Alexander’s “Go to hell!” etc. Then Torachi teaches us Aomori dialect. What makes this sequence so hilarious is how seriously they take it. Like, as seriously as you could imagine a chibi tiger and chibi dragon teaching you something would be. The Aomori dialect was pretty challenging too, and Torachi actually broke down the sentences, pointing out where the intonation was different and like.... IT WAS ACTUALLY EDUCATIONAL. LIKE..... I ACTUALLY LEARNED SOMETHING. The first two sentences we practiced in Aomori dialect were Taiga’s dad asking him if he thinks his grades can get him into high school, and that random background character saying the nebuta floats won’t be ready in time. But then we got a completely new Taiga line of him confessing to someone which needless to say was NOT in the show BUT...... the background was clearly the scene from the end of episode 3 when Taiga was trying to tell Kazuki something. Pfff. 

There is also a longish short anime during the intermission done in the same style. Torachi finds Dorachi out of power, and the two get lost together trying to find a power source to charge him. Meanwhile Taiga and Alexander don’t come looking for them until after dark because they are too busy fighting. Moral of the story: Dorachi and Torachi are secret BFFs and Alexander and Taiga are terrible parents.  

5.) Shin’s new show

My...... heart............................... my heart felt so full............. nnnghghhgphhhh.........

The context is that Shin is finally performing the song Yu wrote him in the costume Leo made for him at the Rose Party. So it’s taking place chronologically after SSS. 

Daisuki Refrain is a very heavy audience participation song. Perhaps the most intended participation in a King of Prism song we have had so far? There is a beat to clap to, callouts, and even a dance in the middle and it’s pretty clear even during your first viewing what you’re supposed to be doing at all times. 

Also, as I guessed from seeing Junta Terashima perform at the CD release event, Shin’s hat is a huge part of his choreography. What I did not guess is that it’s also a magic hat that grows and you can ride on it if it fills up with prism sparkle hahahah.

Ahhh man.............

....Okay. If you have seen it, I know you’re probably expecting me to talk about that.... one part...... So. I will. Okay. Here goes. 

At one point in his performance, Shin partially obscures his right eye while his left eye shines red. W......Why is that in there WH--okay I kinda know why. I think Shin has been gaining a lot of popularity recently since the end of SSS specifically because of Platonic Sword, and because he has that edge now. So although they gave him a happy, fluffy, traditional Shin show, they still put in a little fanservice for the fans who like the edge. A little reminder that he’s still in there. While I’m like.... YOU... YOU STAY IN THERE. IM WATCHING YOU. Ahahaha. 

One thing though, I could have sworn in the preview showing that Shin’s right eye (the one which would be yellow if he was Shine) was completely obscured.  But when I saw it again on the premiere day, I could see it was only partially obscured and it was clearly the normal red. So. Surely I was just so surprised that they did that in the first place that I just didn’t fully register it. It’s not like they changed it in between the preview and the premiere, right..... RIGHT?

Right. 

Okay moving on sorry that was too long. Haha seriously that scene is like 2 seconds and Shin’s show is SO CUTE AND SO GOOD. I really REALLY did like it and I’ve been singing the song all day. 

And his new prism jump......................

I........

Nnngfdnnnphhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I really don’t want to spoil itttttttttt..... while I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you just wait and experience it for yourself firsthand like I did, at the same time.... not gonna lie... I also really want to talk about it. Because Shin. So I’m gonna end this post here but also write about it at the end anyway. So if you absolutely must know. It’s down there. 

But. 

Thanks for reading! READY SPARKING!

<3

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Okay so Shin’s new prism jump. It’s called Mugen Hug Together.

And it’s basically. 

A reverse Mugen Hug. 

So Shin Mugen Hugs the crowd, but then the crowd reflects it back to him and he’s like AAAAUUUGH and, of course, it takes all his clothes off. 

(And then there’s like an uncomfortably long black screen. Where it’s like.... did we kill Shin?)

(Did we kill him? With our love?)

(We did not.)

(I guess he needed time to get his clothes back on.)

Shin has one of his speeches where he says he’s embarrassed about how he wanted us to feel good but the opposite happened. Then the second part of the jump starts (or I guess it may technically be a second jump), part of which can be seen in the trailer. The part where you take Shin’s hand and he gets wings. Then he takes you around the world. 

The end. 

[lastlivyatan]

random things

i remember the drive in my dad’s jeep renegade, four hours through the mountains with no heater and no phones, watching the road manifest out of the snowy dark. trying to keep my cd player warm and still in my sleeping bag so the batteries would last long enough for the ride across the lake (rammstein’s ‘mutter’ album on repeat, before i knew what any of the lyrics meant). in summer, imagining dragons (lol) running alongside the highway, battling dwarves and griffons at gypsum creek, closing my eyes when the cliffs beside us were too steep and the road was too narrow. 

the bittersweet mythological drama of that album sticks to all my memories of the matanuska glacier and the week-long canoe trip my dad and i planned but never got to go on. the taiga is a big, sad, yawning song that follows the foolhardy trails of snowmachines, carving high arcs for the thrill of their lives, because there’s nothing else to do out there sometimes but race death and waste gas. 

i miss wolverine lodge, where i met andy/andrea, whom everyone loved and supported (and quietly whispered, “s/he lost her wife last year and hasn’t really been the same since”). i miss andrea knowing exactly what i was before i did, way out there in the middle of nowhere, where tree farmer’s golden retriever was my best friend. i miss how they always kept a snickers bar aside for whenever my dad came in.

i think i should go back, because things are buried at his house i didn’t get to retrieve (literally buried, beneath “t.ryan’s mountain”, if i can find it now), and maybe it will help with closure. like god damn lol it’s been 17 years, by now i’ve lost a stepdad too, but it only compounds the old grief. tbh i dont think grieving ever stops, but learning how to do it well is developed over time, and unfortunately during further loss.

if i go back i will boat over the bay and pray in the four directions in the alder grove, because my dad told me it was a special place, where the caribou would cross through before passing into his property. i miss him all the time and i am so grateful i got to experience the best of what he was, before time and reality could sour him. i am grateful he won’t be turning 80 this year, because if he couldn't live out there the way he wanted, he wouldn't have wanted to live at all.

my dad and alaska will always be the same thing, i think. a wonderful dream from my childhood that’s been so embellished in my own mind there will never be a comparable altar. id never live there again tho because fuck those living expenses LOL

[kenkamishiro]

Ishida’s Q&A comments from YJ compilation, Part 8

Once again Ishida continuing to give answers that don’t actually answer the questions at all lol.

For anyone who doesn’t know about the relevant Questions to Ishida contest, please read here. You can start from Part 1 here.

The recent set of zakki:re and interview translations take a lot of time and effort, so if you enjoyed it please reblog or leave a like. Thank you!

2016

No. 1

Still 1 month left of this year! What’s something you still have left to do for 2015?

The storyboard.

Good luck.

No. 2

Sensei, please share with us a piece of news that was important to you in 2015!

I forget.

I wasn’t feeling so great in 2015.

No. 3

December 17 is Airplane Day! Now then, please share with us a memory you have that is related to airplanes!

I like the window seats.

Probably that time on the plane to head to the New Years party, when the staff was forced to stop because of me...

[T/N: Referring to his New Year’s party escapades in the volume 6 omake.]

No. 4-5

December 24 is Christmas Eve! Now then, please share with us a present that you want now as an adult!

I don’t need one since I’m an adult.

Even adults want presents too, you know!

No. 6-7

When you think of New Year’s Day...you think of New Year’s money!! Please share with us one way you spent the money you received from New Year’s when you were a child!

On games.

I was jealous of other people’s families since I didn’t have a lot of relatives.

No. 8

Sensei, please tell us your philosophy when it comes to food!

I think of meals as work.

I consider meals as work when I’m eating alone. When I go with people I eat whatever I like.

No. 9

January 28 is the birthday of the late Komatsu Sakyou! Now then, please share with us one of your favourite sci-fi works!

Gantz.

It’s not Star Wars...

No. 10

Please share with us one aspect or behaviour of the opposite sex that you unconsciously care about!

Their face.

How they use social media.

No. 11

Please share with us a Twitter account that you’re most interested in now!

Inagawa Junji-san’s for his ghost story tweets.

I find that accounts of artists are helpful for studying.

No. 12

Please share with us one of your favourite genres/videos that you end up watching on video streaming sites.

I got Netflix so I could watch Terrace House.

I still use it.

No. 13

If you were to ever film a Taiga drama who would you pick as the main character?

Siebold.

But why?

[T/N: A Taiga drama is a type of long-running TV drama period piece, often produced by NHK.]

No. 14

Graduation season is in full bloom! Now then, please share with us one of your favourite graduation songs!

“Lion” by Amano Tsuki.

Uh-huh, yup.

[T/N: "Lion” was one of the songs included in Ishida’s Spotify playlist.]

No. 15

Sensei, if you could decide the design of the 10,000 yen bill, who would it be a portrait of?

A cat.

A cat...?

No. 16

Today is Weekly Manga Day! Please tell us your number one favourite manga that is released weekly!!

I’m curious about what Ooima Yoshitoki-san will draw for her next manga.

Just how much do you care?

No. 17

Sensei, please share with us one thing that makes you go, “Man, I wanna go see this,” now?

Commentary on demonstration boards for shogi.

I went to one! Man, was it interesting.

No. 18

The final day of March is...Orchestra Day! Now then Sensei, please share with us a memory you have that’s related to musical instruments!

I bought a piano recently, and I’ve been playing it almost every day.

And I still play it.

No. 19

Entrance ceremony season has arrived! Now then, please tell us about a schoolteacher who’s left the biggest impression on you!

Some student hacked the school server and the teacher intercepted the culprit.

That’s the kind of school I attended.

No. 20

New dramas are starting one after another! Now then, please share with us a series that’s left the biggest impression on you among all the dramas that you’ve seen recently!

Right now I’m currently watching Mad Men.

I watched all of Mad Men. I can’t believe what happened at the end of “Meditations”...

[T/N: Not entirely sure what Ishida meant by that last line, but I think “Meditations” refers to the last episode of the second season, titled “Meditations in an Emergency”.]

No. 21

Sensei, please share with us one game that’s popular in your circle!

The staff and I often play Mafia a lot together.

Recently we’ve been playing table RPGs.

No. 22-23

Today is the day in which the elephant was first introduced to Japan! Now then, please share with us a person/thing/culture from overseas that you would like to come to Japan!

David Downton-san.

I don’t think that.

No. 24

It’s that time of year where it’s getting warmer even at night! Now then, please share with us something about hanging out at night that you still remember!

That time I went drinking at a bar in the outskirts of Tokyo with Takahashi Kunimitsu-kun.

I don’t want to go there again.

[T/N: Referring to that time in April 2016 where Ishida and Takahashi were at a bar and a middle-aged woman started hitting on Takahashi for 3 hours lol.]

No. 25

May 19 is Boxing Day! Now then Sensei, please share with us what you thought was the best match ever!

I like the match with David Haye.

Clearly it’s Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan.

No. 26

Please share with us a story about a debacle that you or someone else caused at a drinking party!

The first time I met Nakayama Atsushi-sensei, I made so much of a fool of myself.

I was so piss-drunk that I fell asleep in the bathroom I think.

No. 27

When you think of June you think of June Bride! Now then Sensei, please share with us a story that you remember that has to do with weddings!

I drew the welcome board for my friend’s wedding.

That time I left early since I didn’t want to be late for my senpai’s wedding, but the flight ended up being delayed by over an hour...

No. 28

Sensei, please share with us one of your favourite literary works for children!

Ringing Bell by Yanase Takashi.

Stormy Night.

[T/N: Ringing Bell (Chirin no Suzu) was referenced in :re by Kaneki during Arima’s death scene. You can read about it here. Stormy Night also seems to have influenced :re.]

No. 29

June 16 is Wagashi Day! Now then Sensei, please share with us a confectionary that you like!

It’s not available in Fukuoka, but sweet mochi cake.

I want some now.

[T/N: Wagashi is traditional Japanese confectionaries.]

No. 30

June 23 is Olympics Day! Now then Sensei, please share with us a competition from the Olympics that you still remember to this day!

Uchimura Kouhei’s horizontal bar performance at the London Olympics.

I don’t really watch TV much, so questions like these are tough for me to answer.

No. 31

Please share with us your slogan for the latter half of 2016!

I won’t be late. I wasn’t able to keep that promise for the first half of the year.

Good luck with that.

No. 32

Sensei, please secretly tell us about one shop that you think is the King of Restaurants!

The Chinese restaurant by my previous workplace.

The stir-fried oyster with lettuce was perfection.

No. 33

Summer has arrived! Now then Sensei, what do you think of as “summer food”?

The spicy Mexican crispy noodle salad from Family Mart.

Ah that, that was so good. But I don’t see them sold anywhere now...

No. 34

If you could see exactly one historical event or incident live in person, what would you want to see?

I want to see Tezuka Osamu-sensei’s workplace.

The Perry Expedition.

[T/N: Tezuka is the “father of manga”, having drawn iconic manga like Astro Boy, Black Jack, and the currently airing anime Dororo.]

No. 35

When  you think of summer, you think of the ocean! If you could raise just one sea creature as a pet what would you choose?

An octopus.

So I can eat it.

No. 36

Sensei, please share with us the most nerve-wracking moment you’ve ever experienced in your life!

That time when I had to address a speech to over a hundred people for the launch of the anime.

Finishing the manuscript before the deadline of the final chapter.

No. 37-38

Sensei, please share with us a word or phrase that’s been stuck in your head recently!

“Pandas exploding in the wild.”

It’s from group_inou.

No. 39

Sensei, please share with us a small luxury that you use in your everyday life!

On days I stay up all night I buy carbonated drinks.

Feels kinda pathetic huh.

No. 40

The disbanding of idol groups nationwide is hot news, but please tell us about an experience that you’re still reluctant to part ways with.

A little while ago, I bought a copy of Jump every week for several months.

It was so I could read Hunter x Hunter.

[T/N: Question is most likely talking about the disbanding of the top male idol group SMAP which was announced around this time of the year.]

No. 41

Sensei, what item makes you think, “whoever invented this is a genius”?

The PC.

Amazon.

No. 42

What was the most interesting reception you’ve received up until now that has made you the happiest?

I got a shikishi from the staff to commemorate 100 chapters of being serialized. Though no one from that time is left anymore...

I also got a shikishi from the current staff. I was happy.

No. 43

Sensei, please share with us a moment that’s made you feel the generation gap the most!

Encountering people who were born in the 2000′s.

Sha-Mail.

No. 44

It’s Reader Autumn! Please tell us what you consider as your bible!

Recently it’s “Speak Aloud and Rhyme”.

Now it’s “Drawing the Morphological Human Body with Boxes and Cylinders”.

No. 45

Sensei, please tell us about a manga/anime/novel that you’d like to see as a movie!

I’m looking forward to “Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow” being released this fall.

I missed the chance to watch it.

No. 46

Sensei, what were you most enthusiastic about playing with when you were in school?

Smash Bros.

Games that are updated periodically.

No. 47

Sensei, please tell us about something that you’ve used for many years and have been unable to throw away!!

I throw things away when I need to.

My Cintiq 22HD (DTK-2000/K1) LCD tablet. The size and responsiveness of it matches it better than the latest model.

No. 48

Sensei, when was the moment you felt you became independent?

If I’m living.

What? Probably when I got my pay cheque.

No. 49

November 2 is Family Culture Day! Sensei, please tell us about a rule that’s only found in your household!

Playing no more than 1 hour of games a day.

That’s proper.

No. 50

Sensei, please share with us any furniture/interior work that you want to replace right now!

The bookshelf.

Same.

No. 51

Sensei, please share with us the first CD you’ve ever bought!

Morishita Reika’s “Your Wind is Blowing” (most likely).

Most likely, yeah.

No. 52

This year has had various movies become blockbuster hits, but in your opinion what work do you consider as a hit?

It’s actually a drama, but Game of Thrones.

I recommend it.

previous || next

[friendshipstates]

To Save Her Soul (Kiva/Fourze drabble)

With a rattle of chains, Kiva drops down from the ceiling of the warehouse, spinning in the air to land on his feet next to Fourze.

“Glad you could come, Gentaro.” Kiva says, handing him a folder.

“You sounded urgent on the phone, Wataru.” Gentaro tells the other rider as he thumbs through the papers.

“It is urgent.” the other rider taps the picture in the folder. “Her name is Amaya Nakidori. She’s 14 years and she just discovered that she’s a Fangire, in the worst way possible.” Kiva looks away from Fourze for a moment.

“Oh no...you mean...”

Kiva nods. “She had gotten into an argument with her boyfriend, and her power manifested. Fortunately, my brother was nearby and managed to pull them apart before he could be completely consumed. But Amaya ran away. We’ve found out from her family where she likes to spend her time. We need you to find her and help bring her back.”

“What about the others?” Gentaro is already on board, but he needs more information.

“She has already seen Taiga in his Dark Kiva armor and it terrified her.  We want to help her so she won’t harm another human or herself. Her parents want her to come home, because they’ll love her no matter what. There’s only one man in this country I would trust with a mission to rescue a teenager, and that’s you.”

Gentaro cancels his armor, revealing his suit and pompadour underneath. “I won’t let you down, Wataru. I’ll bring Amaya back.”

“I know you will, Gentaro.” The Kiva armor falls away and Kivat-bat III drifts up in front of Gentaro.

“We’re all counting on you, Gentaro.” The bat holds out its wing and Gentaro performs a modified version of his club handshake with it, then does the same with Wataru.

---

As Wataru leaves the warehouse, Gentaro looks over the list of places Amaya might have gone. He immediately crosses off the arcade and the sushi restaurant. A young woman in that state of mind isn’t going to want to be around a lot of other people. Tokyo Tower is out for the same reason. There’s one more place, and it’s a bit of hike to get to, but it makes the most sense. Gentaro gets on his motorcycle and starts riding for the large hill at Kibougahana.

His instinct was right. Amaya sits by the edge of the hill, looking out over the landscape below.

He very carefully moves past her blind spot, sitting on the bench a few feet away from hers.

“It’s quite a view, isn’t it?” He says, looking straight ahead. “From up here, you can see the sky clearly.”

Amaya starts, looking over at the source of the voice, and for the first time since she went on the run, she has to laugh. A man with banchou hair, a three piece suit and Chuck Taylors is certainly not what she expected. And after the laugh, she admits. “Yeah, I love it here. When the sun sets, and the stars come out...it’s like a watching a play.”

“A play, huh? That’s pretty accurate. Every star in the sky follows its own orbit, like stage directions given billions of years ago. And with most of those stars, they took their last bow eons ago.” Gentaro says.

“Wait, I didn’t know that.” Amaya looks over in curiosity. That sort of thing had never been brought up in her homeschooling.

“Yeah. Since light travels at a constant rate, the light you’re seeing from those stars left a long time ago.” He points up as the stars start shining. “See that one? Even if you were traveling at the speed of light, you’d have to be traveling for almost a hundred years to get to where it is.”

“Well...what’s the point of going there if the stars stopped shining?” Amaya asks, running her finger over the stained glass veins on her wrist.

“The point is to follow the light of the past and find a light to guide you to the future. It might be a difficult journey, but it’s always worth taking.” He reaches into his bag and takes out a wool blanket. “It does get very cold on this hill in November. Here you go.” He offers her the blanket, staying far enough back that their hands don’t touch. When she’s ready to be touched, she’ll let him know.

“Thanks.” Amaya wraps the blanket around her shoulders. “I guess you’re the one my parents sent to find me. So you probably know what happened.”

“I am and I do. But what happened doesn’t matter. Your boyfriend is recovering, and your parents want you to come home, Amaya. They’re worried about you.”

“But I’m a freak. I’m a monster.” As she says this, the stained glass spreads across her body, and she assumes her full Fangire form.

“You’re neither of those things, Amaya. What you are is a Fangire. You’re a beautiful living being made of a durable stained glass crystal and you’ll live a very long time and do many great things with that time.”

Amaya hears his words and slowly returns to her human form. “How can you be so sure that I’ll be great? What if I lose control and attack someone again?”

“That’s another reason I was sent to find you. The other Fangires have been working on ways to curb their aggression, to keep from feeding on people. But you have to be willing to work with them.”

“That guy in the black bat armor. He’s a Fangire too?” Amaya wraps the blanket around her shoulders as a gust of wind picks up.

“Yes. He’s heading up the efforts to make Fangires and humans work together. And he’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“But...” Amaya starts crying and Gentaro offers her a handkerchief. “What if someone comes after me? What if I do something wrong, and a Kamen Rider comes to hunt me down?”

“If they do, then they’ll answer to me.” Gentaro holds up the Fourze Driver. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you, Amaya. And neither will the Kivas.”

He stands up, offering his hand. “Come on. I’ve got an extra helmet on my motorcycle. I can get you back home before ten PM. Are you willing to go with me?”

Amaya pauses for a moment, looking up at the sky. “You said the stars move as if they’re in a play. Do the lives of humans and Fangires move the same way?”

“They do. But the good thing about being alive is that you’re not just the lead actor in your play, you’re also the stage director. You, and only you, get to decide how your play goes. You’re still young, so your play has just begun.

Amaya smiles. She always liked the theater, and Gentaro’s analogies put her at ease. She walks closer to the edge of the retaining wall, takes a deep breath and with a flourish, takes a bow. “Thank you all for coming so far to see my play. I hope you will all be entertained!”

That said, she walks back to Gentaro, and takes his offered hand. “I’m ready to go home now.”

“Good. Follow me.”

Hours later, Gentaro returns Amaya to her parents and goes to meet with Wataru. The other Rider isn’t hard to find. Gentaro just has to follow the sound of the violin.

“I heard from Taiga. You did a good job out there, Gentaro.” Wataru sets down his bow. “I knew we could count on you.”

“Happy to help, Wataru.”

---

Two weeks later, Gentaro stands before his class.

“Everyone, we have a new student today.”

A girl with glass beads in her brown hair enters the room in her brand new Amanogawa High School uniform and writes her name on the board.

“Hello everyone. I’m Amaya Nakidori. Let’s get along.”

Gentaro points to an open seat near a green-haired girl. “Welcome aboard, Amaya. Go get to know some of your classmates.”

Amaya introduces herself to the green-haired girl and her cohorts.

“So, Amaya, what kind of clubs are you going to join?” Ookami Hana asks her.

Amaya looks up at her new teacher with a smile. “I’m thinking...astronomy and drama.”

[mukkuruingly]

With the coming of the end of the Heisei era in the following weeks, I think it’d be great to drop in some recommendations of shows from the Heisei era of Ultraman for those interested in picking up the series! For now I’m focusing on the New Generation Phase of Ultraman as it’s a shorter and more accessible list (and most of them are official releases!)

Welcome to...

MC’s List of Shows from the NEW GENERATION PHASE of ULTRAMAN (2013-2018)

I’ll do my best to describe each show as simply as possible for newcomers to choose! As like all other shows, even in Tokusatsu, there’s a show for everyone. It may resonate with you, or it won’t. And that’s totally fine! And that’s why this guide is made in the first place!

1.) Ultraman Ginga

Airdate:  July 10, 2013 - December 18, 2013

No. of Episodes: 11

Genres: Sci-fi, Superhero, School Drama

Description:  A young man named Hikaru Raido was drawn into visiting his old hometown. But after getting his hands on a mysterious item called the Ginga Spark, Hikaru discovers he can Ultlive and transform into giant monsters with it. And when trouble arrives in the form of another giant monster, Hikaru calls upon Ginga's power and Ultlives into Ultraman Ginga. With Ultraman Taro as his guide, Hikaru fights as Ginga to protect the town and fight off the source of the darkness that influences the hearts of some of the townsfolk.

Notes: - Keiichi Hasegawa (notable veteran screenwriter for Tsuburaya -- Main writer for SSSS.GRIDMAN, Ultraman Nexus, Ultraman Dyna, etc.) is credited for Ginga’s Series Composition and as Main Writer. - After a long cold period, this is the first Ultraman show that returned to air on TV since Ultraman Mebius’ debut in 2006. - This show is also to celebrate Ultraman Taro’s 40th anniversary. - The show’s core theme is “Dreams” - Very experimental as it kind of strays away from the standard Ultraman formula. It’s also extremely low budget for a number of reasons.

Where to watch? - Crunchyroll - TOKU

2.) Ultraman Ginga S

Airdate:  July 15, 2014 - December 23, 2014

No. of Episodes:  16

Genres: Sci-fi, Superhero, Action (and LOTS OF IT)

Description:  Two years after the events of Ultraman Ginga, Hikaru returns to Japan from his around-the-world adventures after seeing a vision. A new threat led by Alien Chibull emerges, as he and his minions sought out to steal the Victorium crystals that were hidden under the earth's crust. With all this going on, Ultraman Ginga returns to aid Hikaru who was later enlisted to a newly formed defense team called UPG, as they protect the city and fight off against the invaders.  However, Ginga isn't the only Ultraman fighting. Knowing that losing the crystals would endanger his people, a mysterious young man named Shou wields the Victory Lancer and Ultlives into Ultraman Victory, to team up with Hikaru and Ginga and fight off Chibull.

Notes: - This is Season 2 of Ultraman Ginga. - Koichi Sakamoto is credited as Main Director for this series. - The show’s core theme is “Monsters can be friends too!” - Lots of explosions.

Where to watch? - Crunchyroll - TOKU

3.) Ultraman X

Airdate:  July 14, 2015 - December 22, 2015

No. of Episodes: 22

Genres: Sci-fi, Superhero, Anthology

Description:  15 years ago, the Ultra Flares began to appear, causing dormant monsters frozen as Spark Dolls to awaken into their original forms. XIO was established in order to handle the sudden emergence of monsters. Daichi Oozora is an officer and a scientist at XIO who began hearing a mysterious voice calling him to "Unite". But after being caught in the middle of a monster attack, the source of the voice united with Daichi, becoming the newest hero, Ultraman X.

Notes: - This is the first Ultraman show and Tokusatsu show in general to have been simulcasted outside of Japan. - Yu Kamio and Ukyo Matsumoto who played Dr. Maki (OOO) and Taiga Hanaya (Ex-Aid) respectively from the Kamen Rider series also appear in this show as Captain Kamiki and Officer Hayato as regular cast members. - The show’s core theme is “Reaching out to the unknown”. - It’s classic Ultraman, but is given a modern (this decade’s) twist. - Features a number of past series’ Ultramen making guest appearances.

Where to watch? - Crunchyroll - TOKU

4.) Ultraman Orb

Airdate:  July 9, 2016 - December 24, 2016

No. of Episodes:  25

Genres: Sci-fi, Superhero, Anthology, Mystery, Drama

Description:  Naomi Yumeno along with her SSP crew were just working on their latest scoop until a massive storm hits their city. They were then saved by a mysterious harmonica-playing wanderer named Gai Kurenai. Unbeknownst to Naomi and her team, Gai is not of Earth. And once he raises his Orb Ring, combined with the powers he borrowed from his Ultra predecessors, Gai transforms into this world's savior, Ultraman Orb!

Notes: - This show celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Ultraman series, as well as Ultraman Tiga’s 20th anniversary. - Hideo Ishiguro who plays Gai Kurenai previously portrayed as Kai from Kamen Rider Den-O. - The show’s core theme is “Regaining your true self“. - Once again strays slightly away from the standard Ultraman formula, but somewhat closely resembles Ultra Q.

Where to watch? - Crunchyroll - TOKU

5.) Ultraman Geed

Airdate:  July 8th, 2017 – December 23, 2017

No. of Episodes: 25

Genres: Sci-fi, Superhero, Action, Drama

Description: Dreaming to become like his childhood hero, Riku Asakura was just your "average teenage Earthling" whose life begins to turn around after a monster destroyed his home. When he was given the Geed Riser, he finds out can transform into his true form: Ultraman Geed. However Riku would soon discover his true origins: that he is actually the son of the fallen Ultraman, the evil Ultraman Belial!

Notes: - This show commemorates the 50th anniversary of Ultraseven, hence why his son, Ultraman Zero appears in it as well. - The theme of bonds between parent and child is one of the focal points of the show, along with “Identity”. - Once again directed by Koichi Sakamoto, but with less explosions this time. - This show closely connects to the main canon timeline. - This serves as the final chapter of Zero and Belial’s arc.

Where to watch? - Crunchyroll

6.) Ultraman R/B

Airdate:  July 7, 2018 – December 22, 2018

No. of Episodes: 25

Genres: Sci-fi, Superhero, Family Drama, Comedy

Description: After their mother’s sudden disappearance, two brothers -- Katsumi and Isami Minato, along with their father Ushio and younger sister Asahi, try their best to live their lives peacefully as a family. But when trouble strikes in their home town of Ayaka City, the brothers were suddenly given the Gyros and the power to transform into Earth’s newest protectors, Ultraman Rosso and Ultraman Blu!

Notes: - Focuses more on home/family comedy. - Is loosely connected to the Orb universe. - Celebrates Ultraman Ginga’s 5th, Ultraman Taro’s 45th, and Ultraman Gaia’s 20th anniversaries.

Where to watch? - Complete season English subbed by Color Timer Subs

[ultraericthered]

Anime Update 20

CLANNAD - This was a pretty good finale. Serviceable for what it was, but a bit underachieving compared to what it could have been. After last week’s anxiety-inducing episodes, the emotions I felt in this one felt positively tame and underwhelming. It’s gonna sound mean of me, but when one of the big emotional beats in the episode relied on Nagisa watching such accidentally guilt-tripping video footage of her dad back when he was a senior in high school, it just had me cracking up rather than feeling anything. Akio’s big day-saving moment where he pleads for his daughter on stage to follow her dream was touching, as was the last bit with the girl and the junk doll in the other world. And knowing what I know about the True End in After Story, the part of Nagisa remembering the end of that story and Okazaki saying “I doubt the song they sang was Big Dango Family” was priceless in it’s irony. But the big payoff was the final scene with Okazaki and Nagisa in the classroom, and the song that played in the background just really made it work. I’m definitely on board with them as a couple and wish them a nice, long, happy life. ...Right?

Toradora - Wrapped up this series with it’s final four episodes. The first was, for the most part, another groaner. It had a few good moments (like ”Order only what’s on the menu or I’ll poke your eyes out!” and “Talking to you is like having my period.”), but I’d had it with Ryuji’s wishy-washiness and foolish decision making at that point and just wanted him to get some sense knocked into him so he and Taiga could come clean to each other already. The second one, the one set on Valentine’s Day, was a massive improvement - I enjoyed watching Taiga and Ryuji getting a job together to help Yasuko, and the part with Ami being made to give free publicity was especially priceless. And then came that scene at the end, where you’d think it’d get as anxiety-inducing as the penultimate CLANNAD episodes but since I knew what was coming here, I was ready for it and living for it! Taiga and Ryuji’s best laid efforts needed to fall apart and they needed to be taken to task for their bullshit, and given her frequent emotionally volatile state, Minori is the last person whose buttons could be pressed by their antics - she definitely redeemed herself for all the gloom, angst and mood swings from her. Ami and Kitamura’s contribution was great as well, especially Ami, she is too awesome.

Then we got the last two episodes. I recall from years back not much liking the ending to Toradora. Revisiting the series made me rethink it and see what my problem might’ve been, and honestly, it’s most likely because that second-to-last episode was just too good and could’ve made a spectacular series finale itself. Ryuji and Taiga finally confessed their mutual love for one another, they both stood up to their mothers when they intervened (Ryuji blowing up at Yasuko for her failings was particularly tough to sit through but it felt like a long time coming too), they both started to overcome their own self-loathing, everyone else in the main cast played a part in helping them out, Ami and Minori got their own closure (they’ve totally got the hots for each other - I’m not making that up, I’m just going by what was clearly showcased on screen) and Ryuji and Taiga’s decision to elope and go live at Ryuji’s grandparents’ house was so daring and bold a move to make in the story, and so if the series had ended on THAT note? Given the way they played it, it would’ve felt right and I’d have been satisfied. But since that wasn’t the end, there had to be more...and therein lies my problem, because following that huge turn in the plot, I’d expect that “more” to be A LOT more. Like something bigger and heavier than what a single last episode could carry. This is going to sound crazy but since Taiga and Ryuji’s family drama had entered the picture and Taiga even mentioned her dad leaving town for good because his business went under, I kind of wanted Taiga’s dad to show up again. He was the only purely unsympathetic, despicable character in this entire series, so if anyone could be cause for family unity against him hurting his daughter even more, it’d be him. Instead, while Ryuji’s reconciliation with Yasuko was excellent and even brought tears to my eyes, Taiga’s decision to transfer out of school and go back to her mother, stepfather, and baby brother to face her family issues head-on and hopefully unite them all by sharing the love and happiness she got from Ryuji came out of left field. It made narrative sense for her to want this, but just having spent some time as Ryuji’s girlfriend didn’t seem like reason enough for her to come to the decision to pursue it. I did enjoy the fallout at school, especially the capper put on Ami’s character arc (best development in the series, hands down) and the Palmtop Tiger becoming a school legend. But then it just ended anticlimactically, to the point where the screen could’ve just faded to black after Taiga headbutts Ryuji and it’d have the same effect. So I felt alright about it overall but was still a bit let down. The story’s actual ending from the novels just felt like something that didn’t work well in anime form. 

Overall though? I love and appreciate this series a lot more than I used to. I think the most pleasing thing I took away from this watch was a newfound appreciation for the characters of Taiga and Ryuji, and of their relationship that’s at the very heart of the series. I recall not finding either character to be that interesting compared to the other main cast members back when the series was first out and in Japanese only, but by God do Cassandra Lee Morris and Erik Scott Kimerer sell me on the characters in the dub. Their performances and vocal characterizations are just so full of life and charm and energy, making them both so much more endearing and believable. I wanted to follow these two, I wanted to see how it all ended for them. And as for their love story, derided as being “just the same ol’ shit” back in it’s day? This old Youtube review summation says it best: "You know, I could go through every single episode of Toradora and analyze the crap out of it, but it doesn't change the fact that there's one main reason I love this show so much: Toradora gets what love is. We're taught growing up, especially in the West, the love is this "Prince & Princess" kind of thing, with "soul mates" and, how you're bound to meet "The One." While that can happen, in actuality, love is this big, weird, confusing, wonderful mess, where anything can happen. Toradora understands that you're just as likely to find love that's been right next to you the entire time, and while it's no dragon-slaying knight and princess, that doesn't make it any less grand, strong, or beautiful." That review’s title was honestly correct. Toradora is currently still the best romantic comedy anime of all time.

Excel Saga - Oooooh wow. I always fucking loved this concluding set of episodes and revisiting them now, I still love them. It’s just incredible how so many things that were set apart from each other the whole series actually all play a part in this big epic story arc. - The Puuchu, which have been recurring throughout the entire series up to this point, finally get their big pay-off which was honestly kind of hard for me to follow since so much of what was going on with them seemed to spoof anime I’ve never seen. But the ultimate purpose of these aliens and their antics becomes clear in the final minutes of episode 22, where it’s their space shuttle that comes crashing down into F City, pretty much nuking it all. This also kickstarts the final arc for the City Defense team, where most of them leave Kapabu on his own as he, guns blazing, makes his last stand to protect the city, which fails as it all blows up in a Puuchu explosion. - With F City in ruins, ACROSS finally manages a swift and easy conquest. Seeing the state of the city and all of it’s citizens at the mercy of Ilpalazzo and his goons in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the Mad Max/Fist of the North Star parody was surreal given the status quo we’ve had in this show before now, and the best part was that Excel was wandering around not knowing what even happened. - There were two other moments in episode 23 that stand as two of the series’ greatest surprises - halfway through the episode, Ilpalazzo answers a call from his boss at HQ, the true mastermind behind ACROSS...who is revealed to be That Man! All along, ACROSS having branches in different cities of different nations has been a smokescreen for That Man’s planned ascension to godhood, so that once he succeeds, he’ll have a world all ready for his rule. Suddenly, the very different plot lines of Pedro’s family drama, Nabeshin’s big mission, and the aspirations of ACROSS are all connected in a way no viewer could’ve ever seen coming, which to me is total brilliance. And the other is at the very end of the episode. Ilpalazzo coldly shoots Excel when she shows up outside his base...and it’s played for drama. Because with the Great Will of the Macrocosm at the mercy of That Man, this, like the city’s destruction and conquest, could have permanent consequences. Excel could actually die.  - Which leads to episode 24, the “gag-free” episode. Which is actually a lie, as there are some gag moments to be found even at a time as bleak as what this episode shows us, but the episode’s tone is surprisingly dark, serious and somber. Larissa Wolcott gave an actually phenomenal performance as sad amnesiac Excel, making you feel for a character you didn’t think it was possible to feel these things for. Seeing Excel and Menchi being true friends to each other was sweet, Hyatt’s concern over her senior’s whereabouts and Ilpalazzo’s clear signs of subconsciously missing Excel too were touching, even Nabeshin’s part was bittersweet. Because he dies. - The City Defense Force VS ACROSS climax is everything you could want it to be. Our hapless heroes fight their way through brainwashed masses, raid the stronghold, come face to face with Ilpalazzo himself (who is a goddamn ferocious beast in a fight, surprisingly enough), and Watanbe even has his reckoning with Hyatt and who/what she’s truly been this whole time. I appreciate how vague they kept Kabapu and Ilpalazzo’s shared past, too. In the manga there’s some contrived lore about how the two of them are actually ancient gods living their lives in human form, but that wasn’t needed for the anime - the idea that the two of them were once friends and comrades in their own Sentai force before splitting ways over their differing ideals, sort of like Alfor and Zarkon, was enough. - Speaking of Ilpalazzo, his arc is one thing in these episodes that’s played in a consistently serious light. Key’s message clearly got to him and made him want to double his efforts to conquer the city, which he did after it got blown up, but the whole ugly affair clearly fractured his psyche and allowed his inner demons - or maybe it’s Shioji’s dad or some unrelated dark entity - to take on a life of it’s own and possess him into continuing on a path of endless conquest. Watching him having these mental meltdowns and struggling against his worst nature was sad - not even a bad guy like him deserves this! - Contrasting with Ilpalazzo, Pedro and Nabeshin’s story that came to a head with the final battle against That Man for the fate of the Great Will, Pedro’s Sexy Wife, and the universe itself was played as the big farce that it was all the way to the end. The beam struggle between Pedro and That Man, especially when Sandora came in to make it a father-son tag team against the enemy, was transparently spoofing the Cell Saga’s climax from Dragon Ball, and then the spirits of Nabeshin and three of his allies coming in to help win the day was clearly lifted from the first Sailor Moon finale. Everyone growing afros and finishing That Man off together with their overwhelming power was the only way this could’ve ended. It’s ridiculous and I love it. -  And that ending. Excel and Ilpalazzo have the final showdown, where neither one can bring themselves to kill the other, so the demon within Ilpalazzo has to take full possession of him. Excel does what only she could do - punches Ilpalazzo in the face out of “love” in order to save him and destroy the demon. The base begins to self destruct, the good guys make their way out, and as the trapdoor pit that Ilpalazzo routinely sends Excel down is the only escape, both he and Excel go down it together. “WE’RE FALLING!” BOOM. The evil ambitions of ACROSS are buried, all is right with the world. What a freaking perfect end to this crazy series’ crazy narrative. Emotional sincerity coming from such an absurd comedy premise is seldom ever expected, but this is one show that actually pulled it off surprisingly well. The special end credits set to the theme song were great too, showing all the still living characters settling into their own happy endings. Except then at the last minute, it book ends with Excel coming to assassinate the real Nabeshin, Shinichi Watanabe. I think that’s meant to explain why episode 26 came into existence... Overall, Excel Saga still holds up and I had a blast watching it again.

Ace Attorney - First off, let me address this story’s wasted potential and what I wish could have happened. This case’s single biggest flaw would be how long they keep Maya’s kidnapping in effect just to push on Phoenix this moral dilemma that...isn’t really as challenging a moral dilemma as it’s being made out. As a defense attorney, Phoenix should be fighting for a Not Guilty verdict for his client by default, his own privately admitted guilt be damned - it shouldn’t require Engarde hiring an assassin to kidnap Phoenix’s sidekick to force him to fight for an acquittal. Phoenix’s insistence on standing for “the truth” comes off as childishly naive idealism when given the line of work he’s in and what such lawyers must actually go through in real life, so this is one time where this series’ romanticizing of a lawyer’s career and role in a court of law works against it. What could’ve fixed this? Having Maya get rescued ahead of schedule but without Engarde catching on. This way, there’s no leverage being held over Phoenix’s head to get him to fight for Engarde’s acquittal, but Phoenix could realize that he still should be doing so because that’s what his job requires he do - having integrity as a defense attorney depends on an honest effort. Then the TRUE moral dilemma would arise when it becomes clear that Engarde is out to get an innocent person (Adrian) pinned for all of his crimes and locked up instead while he, the true guilty party, can get a Not Guilty verdict and walk free. THAT would be the line Phoenix couldn’t bring himself to cross, and so he and Edgeworth would work together in a mirror of the previous samurai case, this time with Phoenix subtly getting Edgeworth to win the case so that Engarde’s guilt is proven and Adrian be spared. The lose-lose situation they trap Engarde in can still happen and the case can still resolve itself the same way. 

Now, with that part out of the way? I freaking LOVED the rest of this case. The full details of the story were captivating. Adrian is one of the most sympathetic witnesses in addition to being the hottest. Seeing how far Edgeworth has come as a dutiful but fair playing prosecutor and how he helps Phoenix through his own crisis of faith in how he defines and pursues justice was greatly touching and well done. Matt Engarde is by far one of THE most evil and reprehensible characters in this series - the first one I truly despised with all my heart - so seeing him getting reduced to a quivering, sobbing, screaming wreck who would grovel and beg for his own Guilty verdict because he feared for his life were he to be acquitted brought me more catharsis than even Von Karma’s breakdown and defeat. And the emotions - good lord were they high. I don’t recall crying over Ace Attorney until this one. That big moment between Phoenix and Edgeworth where they show how sweet and true their friendship is and how they helped change one another’s lives, and then the scene with Franziska and Edgeworth at the airport where Franziska shows her vulnerability and Miles is just such a good big brother...it really got to me. Shows how much I’ve come to love these characters and this series, both in anime and in game format. So I definitely look forward to starting on Season 2 (Trials & Tribulations) next year.

Nadja of Tomorrow - I skipped over an entire episode because the next episode preview last time showed that it would involve Christian the mummy professor boy, a character I have zero interest in because he has no point until Nadja and the others are actually in Egypt much later on in the series. Instead I watched the one where Colette reminisces about how she met, fell in love with, and eloped with her music teacher, who’s Najda’s late father, how he passed away leaving her to take care of baby Nadja on her own, and how she came to believe that her baby died. If I didn’t loathe Duke Preminger already, I certainly would now that we actually see for ourselves what he put his daughter through just so that she could be brought back into the nobles’ life and he could have a spare heir on the table. Fuck that old bastard. The only thing that didn’t click for me was how Oscar didn’t want to go to a ball due to family troubles, but then he decides he will go because he was told a story of a romance that started at a ball and led to a family that ended in tragedy, with both the husband and the baby dying? That didn’t make any sense!

That’s it for the Anime Updates in 2019, and four series’ wrapped up. CLANNAD: After Story and Ace Attorney Season 2 will obviously take their originals’ places, I’ll find shows to replace Toradora and Excel Saga, and I’ll resume viewing Dragon Ball and G Gundam.

Next month, next year!

[zukalations]

Relaxing Breeze - Kisaki Airi

Relaxing Breeze (Fuwari) was a musumeyaku feature published in GRAPH, where an interview would take place at a cafe. It was focused on offstage topics such as how they destress or what they do on days off.

Kisaki’s was published in the November 2016 issue.

Relaxing Breeze - Kisaki Airi

First, why don’t you order!

Let me see...I love chocolate so much I could die, and I can’t go a day without it so people will keep saying that my blood must be made of chocolate (laughs), but I like shortcake just as much...yes, I’ll have the seasonal shortcake!

And what will you have to drink?

Today is hot, so I’ll have something iced. Oh! It says they have ‘Choco Milk’! Is this heavier on the milk?

(Cafe manager) We’ll make it however you like!

Is that alright? Then, please make it with lots of chocolate… (laughs). Everything that I didn’t have from the chocolate cake (laughs).

What are the main points of your fashion for today?

Autumny! Also, since we’re at a cafe, I thought it would be nice to have something that felt like what I’d wear on a day off, so I picked out something with a relaxed feeling. I went with my hair down. Usually on a day off I’ll have it down. Although if I’m going to be doing something active, I’ll put it all in a ponytail.

That skirt has a really eye-catching design. Do you like those sorts of pieces?

I haven’t really noticed myself, but I suppose I might like them (laughs). I don’t think pastels suit me that well, so I end up selecting flashier colors, I guess. But since I’m a musumeyaku, after all, I think I’d like to find a pastel color that works for me (laughs).

Today we are doing a location shoot at a cafe…

The truth is, I’ve always wanted to visit this place. It’s near my parents’ house, so I’ve often talked to my mother about it. Therefore, I’m really happy about this today. The food looks good too, so I think I’ll come again sometime!

(The cake and Choco Milk arrive)

Ya~y! I’ll start with the drink! ...Ah~ it’s so rich! He really put in a lot of chocolate for me. Hahaha (laughs). It’s so tasty. And then the cake, oh, it has figs in it! You know, I’m from Kawanishi, in Hyogo, and figs are kind of a local specialty, so we’ve had a fig tree in our garden for a long time. I really like them. Alright, I’ll try it~! Hm~! It’s so good! It’s sweet, but maybe because of the peaches, it seems really light. It’s delicious~!

What do you usually get at a cafe?

I try to hold myself back from cake. But if there is chocolate cake...ah, maybe I’m not really holding myself back (laughs). I don’t like coffee, but I love black tea, and I always drink it straight. Ordinarily! Today would be cake and black tea too! (laughs) But I have a real sweet tooth, so I’ll end up going for that (laughs).

You really love sweets (laughs). Do you ever go to cafes alone like this?

In Tokyo, I’ll do that sometimes. But when I’m in Takarazuka, I will relax at home...chilling out is my hobby and also my weakness (laughs).

Do you spend your days off at home too?

I’m the type to stay at home all day (laughs). Ah, but when I’m active it’s really active! I think the difference is really big.

On a day when you are relaxing, what is your usual pattern?

I’ll just watch dramas or movies I’ve recorded—the current show, Samurai THE FINAL, is a Japanese-setting play, so I’m watching a Taiga Drama*—and that’s how I’ll spend the whole time. Or, if it is before a show opens, I’ll gather together all the accessories I have in the house (laughs).

Do you mostly watch things that will help with  your performances?

No, I love dramas, so I’ll tape so many different programs every week (laughs). Therefore, yeah, I’ll watch tons of things that have nothing to do with that (laughs). I tell myself it’s a good way to wind down from working (laughs).

What kinds of dramas do you like?

I like romances, but for some reason I’ve always really liked things about detectives, or about medical work (laughs). I like things that are exciting and suspenseful, maybe. I’ll still tape Detective Conan and things like that (laughs)

Do you get up early on your days off?

Hm~, it depends on the day. I love sleeping in until noon (laughs), but if I do get up early,  it feels really nice. I’ll have a relaxed breakfast and then space out in front of the TV. I’ll watch ‘Yo~i DON!’. Ahaha (laughs). It’s a Kansai region local show, so when I’m performing in Tokyo I miss it so, so much! (laughs) It’s a news variety show, but I like the kind of gentle feeling it has (laughs).

And then, if it’s an active day?

I go shopping the most, I suppose. I’ll go to Osaka. Also, I’ll wander down to Awaji, or to Kobe; they’re close by, but it still feels like I’m travelling. I love Universal Studios Japan too, and watching baseball! I love Koushien**. Recently, [the game I was planning to go to] was cancelled because of rain. Even though I’d been really looking forward to it…

That’s too bad. Although it’s a bit surprising that that is one of your interests.

I hear that a lot (laughs). I was following the Rio Olympics, too (laughs).

Do you like going out with someone else?

Yes, I do. It’s nice to go out by myself once in a while, but when we’re all together it’s more upbeat and fun. I haven’t been doing that much at all lately, but since Hinami-san is going to be retiring with this show, my class and Hinami and the others from the class above us are talking about how we’d like to do a house party. A takoyaki party (laughs). It would be really nice if that could happen.

You had a bit of a vacation after the recent Bow Singing Workshop: Star Troupe, didn’t you.

I did. It was a little over 2 weeks, so everybody went off to different countries (laughs). It seemed like every single day people were posting pictures of various places to the Bow Workshop cast LINE group (laughs). Amazing photos of New York city streets, Las Vegas, Taiwan, Guam… it felt like I was on a world tour (laughs).

Did you go somewhere as well, Kisaki-san?

I went to the Southern hemisphere. Saipan. I sunburn really easily, so I was putting sunscreen on all over every 30 minutes (laughs). Since coming back I’ve been taking lots of Vitamin C and trying to get whiter somehow (laughs). I love southern countries. It was a really fun trip.

If you had another vacation, what would you do?

I think I’d go overseas. That trip was my first in a long time, so it piqued my appetite (laughs). I really enjoyed it. It was a good way to change my mood, and, in a good way, I was able to forget about everything...although I’m not sure that’s actually a good thing (laughs), I’d like to have fun and forget everything else. I would kind of like to go to India next time.

Your next show, Om Shanti Om, is set in India, isn’t it.

It is! That’s why I’m interested. Also, everyone keeps saying I ought to go to New York, so if I had time I’d like to go. I want to see all the musicals I please! Apparently you can also go in and get dance lessons and things, so I’ve been sort of longing to do that.

* Taiga dramas are a long-running series of year-long serialized historical dramas broadcast by NHK.

** Koushien is the yearly highschool baseball tournament that is one of the biggest sporting events in Japan.

[redsamuraiii]

YAE NO SAKURA

“Cherry Blossoms don’t resent the winds that scatter them. They just bloom with all their might. The flowers may scatter but in time, they will bloom again, and again, many times over. Yae, you are a Sakura.”

I just finished watching this Taiga Historical Drama which turns out as great as Onna Joshu Naotora where the story centers around a female lead character.

You may have heard about Takeko Nakano, a fearless female Aizu Warrior who fought to her last breath with her naginata, leading her fellow female warriors against the Imperial Forces defending Aizuwakamatsu Castle. 

While Takeko (played by Meisa Kuroki) does appear in this show, the drama focus on another fellow Aizu female warrior named, Yamamoto Yae (played by Haruka Ayase), a Samurai’s daughter who was skilled in gunnery who led the last line of defense of Aizu Castle while Takeko led the Naginata armed female warriors to head out of the castle earlier to prevent the enemy from reaching it.

It tells about Yae’s life story from childhood (played by Rio Suzuki) where she had a fascination with the Teppu (Matchlock) Gun from her brother (Yamamoto Kakuma) and her desire to be stronger in order to serve her Lord and protect her family. She caught the attention of her Lord (Matsudaira Katamori) for her “Samurai Spirit” in her young age, in a sense that she’s not afraid to come forward to admit her mistakes instead of running away like other children and thrives to be better than others. 

Her long journey of life is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, with her dreams and efforts in starting something new or has never been done before by a woman of that era, overcoming tribulations and tragedies, meeting new people in her life, loving and losing people who meant to her dearly, her struggles to push on, and paving way for a new generation of females for a new country. Her determination and resilience in adapting the changing way of life under different rule from the Shogunate to the new Imperial Meiji era is something I admire and adore her for. While the Boshin War might have ended, there are those from Aizu who are still trapped in the past, drowning themselves in pain and sorrow but Yae managed to struggle her way out with the help from her loved ones and start over a new life, venturing into the unknown in an attempt to help others.

Growing from an obedient Samurai’s daughter, to a fierce Rifle-woman, a protective sister, a loving wife, a passionate teacher and a caring nurse. She went through a lot, acquiring new life experiences and knowledge to adapt, using her cherished memories of her loved ones whom she lost before, during and after the war to motivate her in life and do not let her failures, regrets and sorrows of past tragedies to stop her. Something I’m sure we are all aspiring. “Once you decide on starting on a new path, you must never give up.” Haruka Ayase played an amazing role in this that you can empathize with her easily and feel her emotions surging through her throughout the show, feeling her happiness and sadness from time to time. 

The setting of the story is interesting in a sense that you can feel their desperation and helplessness in being inferior to foreign power since the arrival of Commodore Perry and his Black Ships which divided the Samurai Clans which will ultimately led to the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration. However, the transition from a Shogunate rule to a an Imperial rule is not a smooth sailing ride as they are those who oppose the new changes and fear the unknown. Or afraid of losing the privileges that they had once enjoyed in order to build a better country that can match the industrial and military powers of the world. And there are those in the new government who still use their positions for their own self-interests, which corruptions lead to more rebellions from discontented population. The challenges of opening new Westernized schools for the younger generations as many feared of losing their Asian values by learning western knowledge and so on. Overall, it’s a very interesting show which shows you the hardship felt by every character on all sides as they struggled to do what is right.

[prism-rush]

Road to SSS 10 Event Summary: Last battle! KIZUNA BEAT CLIMAX FINAL!

Sorry this is so late. I honestly only finished reading the card stories yesterday. As I mentioned earlier, we skipped over several tournaments in between event 9 and 10 and how Yu/Taiga and Joji/Alexander got their acts together is only told in the card stories. (Yukinojo/Kakeru is just a brief flashback, but unlike the other two groups they didn’t have any drama after forming their unit so.) I managed to read everything but Kouji/Minato’s KPR stories this time, but all of their main drama is in the main story anyway. 

So, let’s start with the pre-event stuff. The stuff from card stories....

Kazuki: Kazuki is watching a TV show taking about the KIZUNA BEAT CLIMAX and the recent popularity of street style as he reflects on how well things have been going with Hiro lately. He doesn’t mind that Hiro is wearing the mask as long as he is enjoying performing. 

Kazuki decides to go out to his old practice spot for the first time in a while but finds it’s been blocked off by a wire fence. After asking one of the street dancers, he finds that with the popularity of the street style has also come accusations that street dancers are barbaric criminals, so they have had to put up fences or walls protect their territory. Kazuki regrets that he’s been so busy training for the duo tournament that he had no idea this even was going on. Kazuki tries to defend the street style at an interview, but the interviewer insists “But nobody knows what’s going on behind those walls!” 

Finally, Kazuki decides he’s had enough and destroys all the walls overnight with a prism show, vowing to protect the street style himself.  Hiro: Hiro overhears some street dancers being told by academy-style dancers they should stay behind their walls. He approaches the scene where he’s recognized as the academy-style Prism King. He tells them all that street-style and academy-style doesn’t matter, so they should all dance together. This resolves the situation, but as Hiro leaves he thinks what he’s just done is ironic because up until not long ago he was the one who had issues with the street style. He is thankful that Kazuki helped him break free.  

Hiro meets up with Kazuki wearing his mask to practice their show. They have decided to practicing in public is better for some reason since practicing at Edel Rose might give away Hiro’s identity. Kazuki mentions that he would have liked to participate with Hiro as Hiro, but performing with a masked man has its own special charm. Just as Hiro agrees that he’s enjoying the chance to be someone different, there is a camera flash. The paparazzi has spotted them! Kazuki tells Hiro to run as he chases after the paparazzi to unsuccessfully try and get the photo removed.

Kazuki apologizes for not getting the photo back, but Hiro says it’s alright. Hiro admits he was being careless. Of course people would be after his identity as Kazuki’s partner, since having Kazuki as a partner attracts a lot of attention and makes them a favorite in the tournament. They decide to ask Hijiri if he can get them another place to practice separate from Edel Rose. 

When Hiro goes to see Hijiri at a later date, Hijiri shows him the magazine article with the paparazzi photo and discusses how the world wants to know who Two H is. Hiro worries that he’s causing trouble for Kazuki and Hijiri, but Hijiri assures him that Kazuki is enjoying performing with him and Hijiri supports Hiro’s decision as well. But. He wonders how Hiro really feels about it. 

“Where is the real Hiro Hayami now?” 

Hiro can’t answer this question. But Hijiri drops the subject and says he’s looking forward to Two H and Kazuki’s show. 

Hiro keeps Hijiri’s words in mind and wonders if he’s indeed not being true to himself. Although he feels he probably should have taken on street style as Hiro Hayami, at the time he was sure being Two H could open doors that Hiro Hayami couldn’t. But now he realizes he was wrong. Hiro Hayami should be able to do anything Two H can do. But Hiro’s conflict runs deep... He decides he has to make a decision before the show.

Taiga/Yu: Both Taiga and Yu are itching to be in the tournament but neither has made a move yet. Taiga sees there are only two chances left to qualify and starts to panic. He notes that one of the last tournaments is in Aomori and thinks he would most like to win in his hometown. Taiga also frets over who Two H is and how he can perform so well with Kazuki. 

 Meanwhile, Yu thinks over how he really enjoyed his time with Taiga when they performed at an event together previously, even though they didn’t talk much. Yu wants to enter the duo tournament with Taiga, but knows Taiga would much rather have entered with Kazuki so he’s not sure how to approach the situation. 

Later he notices Taiga asking the others if they know who Two H is, and wonders if he should just tell Taiga and end the misery. But then, all of a sudden, Yu realizes he can use this to advantage. He can invite Taiga to be his duo partner using the angle that if they reach the finals Taiga can get closer to Two H and find out his identity. And so, this is exactly what Yu does. And Taiga agrees. 

But Taiga agrees on the condition that Yu has the give the street style all he’s got, and he worries if Yu can keep up with him. But Yu is ready. All powerful all knowing Zeus and all that.  

When they actually start practice however, Yu finds it’s harder than he thought. Still, his will to beat Hiro keeps him going, and it’s Taiga who tells him to take a break so he doesn’t hurt himself. During their break Yu says he once thought Taiga “wasn’t interested in anything other than Kazuki” but he was wrong and that Taiga actually cares about other people as well. Taiga is like WHAT and threatens to ramp up Yu’s practice even more, but Yu is ready for anything. The two continue on their playful banter into the night. 

Taiga and Yu win the 6th tournament in Aomori. 

Alec/Joji:   Despite the fact that the two have not practiced together at all and have no plans to perform together, Jin is not having that. He enters Joji and Alec in the Chugoku tournament, threatening to not let Joji on stage again and turn Alec’s motorcycle into scrap metal if they don’t comply.  

But, somehow, despite their drama off stage, as soon as they perform their jumps sync perfectly. This grants them the win in the 7th tournament. 

Meanwhile Alec is stewing over Kazuki advancing to the finals, and how he thinks performing with a masked man is a mockery and goes against Kazuki’s whole freedom shtick. He wants to destroy their stage. 

Main Story:  As tension builds for the KIZUNA BEAT CLIMAX, so does the power of the street style. But at the same time, so does the resistance to the street style as well. So, street stars must protect their territory by building walls... 

As it stands the tournament results are as follows (in chronological order): #1 Kyoto: Sakyo/Ukyo, #2 Sapporo: Leo/Nikkanen, #3 Fukuoka: Two H/Kazuki, #4 Tokyo: Shin/Louis, #5 Ehime: Yukinojo/Kakeru, #6 Aomori: Taiga/Yu, #7 Chugoku: Joji/Alexander.

The Edel Rose boys excitedly watch each of the pairs being introduced by DJ COO on a TV show. All except for Minato, who sadly realizes he’s lost his chance... 

Due to Kouji’s busy schedule the two haven’t been able to practice much. But more than anything, Minato blames himself. 

He thinks back to when Yukinojo and Kakeru won the tournament in Ehime. Despite neither of them being much into the street style, they practiced tirelessly and had an amazing victory. Minato feels it’s far too late for him to catch up now. 

But on the outside, he’s ready and willing to keep on a smile just support the others from the sideline like always.

Or so he thinks, until Kouji shows up. 

Kouji explains to Minato that they still have a chance. There is actually one more same-day tournament they could enter to snag the last slot in the finals. (Because what are rules.) 

But seeing Kouji’s determination only makes Minato feel all the more like it’s too late and he’ll only hold Kouji back. He doesn’t answer. 

Later Minato heads to Kouji’s studio. He tells Kouji that he still wants to perform a duo show with him, but no matter how much he practices he just can’t catch up to Kouji. He doesn’t know what to do. 

Echoing the Kouji/Hiro scene from Pride the Hero, Kouji asks Minato if he really came out here to tell him this and immediately challenges him to a battle.

Kouji completely destroys Minato. 

After changing to a snowy background, Kouji asks if this is how Minato plans to win the duo tournament and how he can he be this lacking in confidence. Kouji tells Minato there is no way he can win in this state, and he doesn’t want to see his face anymore. 

Later, Minato is trying to buy ingredients for dinner but walks into someone and cracks all the eggs. But when he returns he finds that in the meantime Kouji had come to the dorm to quickly make some soup for everyone before going back to the studio. 

While Minato wonders what he should do now he sees a TV program about a particular vegetable which can deepen the bond between two people. He decides he must do whatever he can to get it for himself and Kouji. He heads to the mountains. 

He finds the vegetable... on top of a high cliff. But he won’t give up. Just as he’s about to reach it however, the cliff side gives way and he falls. But a hand reaches out to him. 

It’s Kouji! 

“Don’t let go!” says Kouji. 

Minato asks how he got here but Kouji says they’ll talk later as he pulls Minato up. Minato apologizes for causing Kouji more trouble, but Kouji just asks him if he wants to perform a prism show. 

“What?! Here...? And with me? Really?”

“Did you forget already? I want to perform with you. We’re going to be in the duo tournament, aren’t we?”

Kouji repeats what he once told Minato on a beach in northern Hokkaido. 

All of a sudden Minato feels like he can do it. He thinks it must be due to the mountain vegetables, but whatever the reason, Minato suddenly feels lighter and falls in sync with Kouji. The two become one.

Fast forward to the final tournament day.... 

While waiting for Kazuki, Hiro overhears some academy-style members of the audience saying they have been enjoying the show, but they hope street-style stays behind its wall after the tournament is over. Kazuki arrives and mentions his failed interview where he was pressured about how he felt about academy style. The two decide to just focus on cheering for Minato and Kouji’s show for now.

Minato cook up a storm on the stage using the ingredients of love and their bond with each other. 

And so, having sealed the win in the same-day qualifying tournament, Minato and Kouji can now perform in the finals with the others as the 8th group. 

And so the final tournament begins.... at the base of Mt. Fuji! 

The order of performance is decided by the number of IIZE collected so far. So first up is current 8th place: Kouji/Minato, followed by 7th place: Sakyo/Ukyo, then 6th place: Leo/Nikkanen, 5th place: Yukinojo/Kakeru, 4th place: Taiga/Yu, and 3rd place Alexander/Joji. 

While watching the above performances Hiro and Kazuki notice how divided the audience has become, as they have started to reject the groups who are perceived as more academy-style. 

Next up is 2nd place: Shin/Louis, however they are nowhere to be found. Their time runs out, ending in forfeit. Leo sadly remembers thinking that Louis didn’t look so good the last time he saw him. (Before Louis said he could only perform if it was with Shin, but it seems at this point he’s too weak to perform at all....) Leo and Nikkanen exchange their worries, but the others assure them that Louis will be alright since Shin’s with him and he’s probably getting some much needed rest.  Joji is pleased to lose a rival. 

The audience jeers the absent pair however, seeing their forfeit as the result of them being too academy-style. 

Back in their dressing room Kazuki vents about how segregated things have become. No matter how many walls he breaks down, he can’t seem to break down the walls around peoples’ hearts. He tells Hiro they have to change things with their prism show. Hiro agrees.

The current scoreboard is as follows: 6th place Leo/Nikkanen, 5th place: Sakyo/Ukyo, 3rd place: Yukinojo/Kakeru, 3rd place: Kouji/Minato, 2nd place: Taiga/Yu, 1st place: Alexander/Joji. 

Two H and Kazuki are the only performance left. But just as the two are about to take the stage they are stopped. 

By Alexander. 

Alexander says his beef isn’t with Kazuki this time, but with that masked jerk over there.

“You’re Hiro Hayami... aren’t you?!”

(Alexander is only the second character to figure this out on his own after Yu, and he did so by counting the Edel Rose crowd to find Hiro the only one missing. Brilliant.) 

Alexander calls Hiro out as a fake. Hiro says nothing as Kazuki pulls him towards the stage. But once they reach it, he doesn’t move. The audience stares at the static Two H and wonder if he’s “gone academy” as well. 

Hiro removes his mask. 

The audience is blown away to find that the mystery member of the top ranked street duo and the academy-style Prism King Hiro Hayami are one and the same.

Kazuki is surprised at Hiro’s sudden impulsive action as well, but once Hiro tells him to start the show he’s on board. Hiro yells out that street-style and academy-style do not matter as the pair finally perform as their true selves. The crowd screams. 

Not only are Hiro and Kazuki the KIZUNA BEAT CLIMAX champions, but their final, spectacular academy/street-style jump was powerful enough to re-activate Mt. Fuji.

However, what comes from the eruption is not lava but....

Rei Kurokawa!

And....

Another masked man!

WHO COULD IT BE

Rei and his masked partner won’t accept Hiro and Kazuki’s win without a fight and challenge them to a battle right there and then. 

Jin throws the YMT boys into the fray as well hoping to get some exposure, followed by Alexander looking to settle the score, followed by Taiga going after Alexander, and one-by-one all the others until it’s an all-out brawl. 

But Kazuki somehow manages turn it all around into one big prism show instead. 

THE END

Thoughts: So yeah. I like how they had Kouji/Minato as the main artwork for this event, but then slipped in Hiro/Kazuki KPRs and made the event song Heart of King..... As if they thought they were being soooooo sneaky in hiding the winner ahah. 

Yeah, I wasn’t surprised. I predicted Hiro/Kazuki would win even before they formed a duo and I was right. I don’t remember discussing it here, but I also predicted the Shin/Louis duo wouldn’t work out in the end and it seems I was right about that too... ........ .................. nnn.................

Even though @macorna sent me Alexander’s PR story (thank you!) I still didn’t get much out of it. Alexander and Joji complain about being a duo, they are forced to become a duo, they do pretty darn well anyway coming in 2nd place in the finals. Moral is.... *shrugs* Oh well.  

I like how they needed to end the first Minato/Kouji scene early just to give Minato a reason to seek Kouji out at his studio. And how Kouji needs a snowy background to tell someone he doesn’t want to see their face. 

I felt kinda bad for the twins in this one. They had very few lines, didn’t seem satisfied with their score, and Sakyo didn’t get a chance to talk to Kazuki again. I’m hoping the next event will explain how/why the twins and Nikkanen end up at Edel Rose, since the SSS anime episode 1 confirms (briefly) that they all are canon in the movie/anime universe and they do.