#jiro kobayashi

[kobayashisoul]

》 ɢᴀᴀʀᴀ'ꜱ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ 《

Hello again my Dears! 🩵

It's been a while since I posted on Tumblr. I try to br active here again from now on. 🫶🏻

Seems like Gaara has a Beard now! 😂

You know, the Family Life of Gaara, Raziela and the Children was always very peaceful and full of Harmony. And what also was always very important was to laugh, to understand Humor, to make Jokes sometimes.

In Fact the Twins always made a lot of Jokes and there was always a lot of Laughter in their House, so it never got boring for them.

This Joke here was Aoi's Idea. It was a peaceful Sunday Morning, Gaara took a Day off to be with his Wife, his Twins, Shinki and Newborn Shiina, but Gaara seemed to be so exthaused that he slept very long this Morning.

And here Aoi saw her Chance to make a little... Joke.

Something Gaara would be really surprised of when he would wake up and see himself in the Bathroom Mirror.

Raziela didn't like this Idea first. [She INDEED liked >:-) it but she wasn't sure if the Children really should do this.] So Aoi went into his Office Room in the House, took some Pens and came back, just to draw on their Fathers Face.

They really had a lot of Fun doing this, especially Aoi. She is a little Clown, always was and she took every Chance to made a Joke, no matter how bad it was.

I really want to see Gaara's Face when he looks into the Mirror hahaha. 😂🩵

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Art (c) pun_shun

All Ocs here (c) @kobayashisoul

Sabaku No Gaara (c) Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto & Boruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto

This Picture was a Comission for me from pun_shun . I am NOT the Artist of this Artwork. I am a Comission Collector. I have the Artists written permission to upload this drawing to my Social Media. ⚠️

The Ocs, their Designs and Stories belong to me. ⚠️

Without my written permission you have no right to recolor/repost/trace/edit/use this in any way. Also please don't use my Characters for Roleplay or Fanfictions. ⚠️

[fuckyeahmeikokaji]

Promo flyer for Retaliation (Shima Wa Moratta, 縄張はもらった), 1968, directed by Yasuharu Hasebe (長谷部安春) and starring:

Akira Kobayashi (小林旭) Jo Shishido (宍戸錠) Hideaki Nitani (二谷英明) Meiko Kaji (梶芽衣子) Tamio Kawachi (川地民夫) Eiji Go (郷英治) Tatsuya Fuji (藤竜也) and Jiro Okazaki (岡崎二朗)

Scanned by me.

[kuru121]

Hisashi is TOO CUTE.

[goddess-mixmi]

Jiro and his wife 💎

This is Kaori, she’s the Hidden Wood (Kobayashi clan) village doctor and the first wife to the clan leader Jiro Kobayashi. Her personality is quite timid but she is very stubborn when she wants to. Her work with medicine and herbs is unmatched to anyone, her passione to help people comes off as healing to the point the marking on her forehead appeared after her patients are properly nursed back to health.

But due to her patients being healed from even the most life threatening condition she was seen as a witch in her old village and was treated so poorly that she was banished from the village. When she stumbled upon the Hidden Wood village she healed an injured bear and it guided her into the village. The elders saw that she was no threat and had them tended to an injured Jiro. Once nursed back to health they fell in love and got married. He gifted her that hair pin she wears.

Jiro also has two other wives, after marrying Kaori he marries Tenshi who was a fellow hashira that he met through his sister Akira.

[demifiendrsa]

Weekly Shonen Jump 55th anniversary appendix in Weekly Shonen Jump 2023 issue #33

1968 Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #1 Otoko Ippiki Gaki-Daisho by Hiroshi Motomiya 1969 Dr. Toilet by Kazuyoshi Torii 1970 The Gutsy Frog by Yasumi Yoshizawa 1971 Tezuka Manga Award 1st Edition Samurai Giants by Ikki Kajiwara & Ko Inoue Boy of the Wilderness Isamu by Soji Yamakawa & Noboru Kawasaki 1972 Astro Kyudan by Shiro Tōzaki & Norihiro Nakajima 1973 Play Ball by Akio Chiba Hochonin Ajihei by Jiro Gyu & Jo Big 1974 Akatsuka Manga Award 1st Edition 1975 The Circuit Wolf by Satoshi Ikezawa Doberman Deka by Buronson & Shinji Hiramatsu 1976 Toudai Icchokusen by Yoshinori Kobayashi Kochikame by Osamu Akimoto 1977 Ring ni Kakero by Masami Kurumada Susume!! Pirates by Hisashi Eguchi 1978 Cobra by Buichi Terasawa 1979 Kinnikuman by Yudetamago 1980 Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama 1981 Captain Tsubasa by Yoichi Takahashi Cat's Eye by Tsukasa Hojo Stop!! Hibari-kun! by Hisashi Eguchi 1982 High School! Kimengumi by Motoei Shinzawa 1983 Fist of the North Star by Buronson & Tetsuo Hara Ginga -Nagareboshi Gin- by Yoshihiro Takahashi 1984 DRAGON BALL by Akira Toriyama 1985 City Hunter by Tsukasa Hojo Miraculous Tonchinkan by Koichi Endo Sakigake!! Otokojuku by Akira Miyashita 1986 Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada 1987 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki The Burning Wild Man by Tadashi Sato 1988 Bastard!! by Kazushi Hagiwara Jungle King Tar-chan by Masaya Tokuhiro Rokudenashi BLUES by Masanori Morita Magical Taluluto by Tatsuya Egawa 1989 Weekly Shonen Jump reaches 5.000.000 copies in circulation Dragon Quest: The Great Adventure of Dai by Riku Sanjo & Koji Inada Video Girl Ai by Masakazu Katsura 1990 SLAM DUNK by Takehiko Inoue Chinyuki by Man Gataro Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi 1992 Hareluya II Boy by Haruto Umezawa 1993 Tottemo! Luckyman by Hiroshi Gamo Hell Teacher Nube by Makura Sho & Takeshi Okano 1994 Midori no Makibao by Tsunomaru Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki 1995 Weekly Shonen Jump reaches 6.530.000 copies in circulation Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoi yo!! Masaru-san by Kyosuke Usuta 1996 Hoshin Engi by Ryu Fujisaki Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi Kochikame 20th Anniversary & Chapter 1000 1997 I's by Masakazu Katsura Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi! by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro ONE PIECE by Eiichiro Oda 1998 Rookies by Masanori Morita Whistle! by Daisuke Higuchi HUNTERXHUNTER by Yoshihiro Togashi 1999 Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata The Prince of Tennis by Takeshi Konomi NARUTO by Masashi Kishimoto 2000 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean by Hirohiko Araki BLACK CAT by Kentaro Yabuki 2001 Bobobobo Bobobo by Yoshio Sawai BLEACH by Tite Kubo 2002 Strawberry 100% by Mizuki Kawashita Eyeshield 21 by Riichiro Inagaki & Yusuke Murata 2004 Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata Gintama by Hideaki Sorachi Katekyo Hitman Reborn! by Akira Amano D.Gray-man by Katsura Hoshino Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation by Yoshiyuki Nishi 2005 Neuro: Supernatural Detective by Yusei Matsui 2006 To Love Ru by Saki Hasemi & Kentaro Yabuki 2007 Sket Dance by Kenta Shinohara 2008 Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan by Hiroshi Shiibashi Toriko by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro Bakuman. by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata 2009 Kuroko's Basketball by Tadatoshi Fujimaki Beelzebub by Ryuhei Tamura Medaka Box by Nisio Isin & Akira Akatsuki 2010 ONE PIECE New World Begins 2011 Nisekoi by Naoshi Komi 2012 Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. by Shuichi Aso Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma by Yuto Tsukuda & Shun Saeki 2013 World Trigger by Daisuke Ashihara Isobe Isobee Monogatari by Ryo Nakama 2014 Hinomaru Zumo by Kawada My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi 2015 Black Clover by Yuki Tabata 2016 Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs by Tadahiro Miura Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge BORUTO by Mikio Ikemoto & Ukyo Kodachi The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai & Posuka Demizu Kochikame 40th Anniversary and Serialization End 2017 We Never Learn by Taishi Tsutsui Dr. STONE by Riichiro Inagaki & Boichi 2018 Jujutsu Kaisen by Akutami Gege

2019 Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto Mission: Yozakura Family by Hitsuji Gondaira 2020 Undead Unluck by Yoshifumi Tozuka MASHLE by Hajime Komoto Ayakashi Triangle by Kentaro Yabuki Me & Roboco by Shuhei Miyazaki BURN THE WITCH by Tite Kubo SAKAMOTO DAYS by Yuto Suzuki 2021 The Elusive Samurai by Yusei Matsui WITCH WATCH by Kenta Shinohara Blue Box by Kouji Miura 2022 Akane Banashi by Yuki Suenaga & Takamasa Moue

[klonoa-at-blog]

Klonoa Heroes Relay Essay masterpost

Klonoa Heroes Relay Essay was a series of behind the scenes stories from staff who worked on the game that ran from November 6, 2002 to January 8, 2003.

[1] Producer ~ Tsuyoshi Kobayashi [Eng] [Jpn]

[2] Character Design Chief ~ Yoshihiko Arai [Eng] [Jpn]

[3] Sound Director ~ Kanako Kakino [Eng] [Jpn]

[4] TVCM Animation Director ~ Jiro Kanai [Eng] [Jpn]

[5] Director ~ Toshiyuki Nakanishi [Eng] [Jpn]

[6] Programmers ~ Kenji Nakano, Yoshikazu Hatō [Eng] [Jpn]

[7] Music Composers ~ Yoshinori Kawamoto, Yuji Masubuchi [Eng] [Jpn]

[8] Programmer/Visual Designer ~ Hiroyuki Akamatsu, Takashi Kurihara  [Eng] [Jpn]

[9] Game/Visual Designer ~ Aisaku Yamanaka, Masaki Imai, Akiko Matsunaga [Eng] [Jpn]

[10] Visuals ~ Shōko Kadotani and Atsuko Kadoya [Eng] [Jpn]

[aayakashii]

Kobayashi Hideyuki, Jiro's voice actor, is probably the biggest tkdb supporter ever lmao he's beaten all of us in the liking tkdb competition

It's so cute how he rted literally all the posts about the magazine and now he got merch of it too skdjskdhd

[ofhouses]

1131. Jiro Murofushi (Studio Artec) /// House in Seta /// Seta, Setagaya City, Tokyo, Japan /// 1984-85

OfHouses presents: Japanese Fields OfHouses, part V. (Photos: © Hiroshi Kobayashi. Source: ‘Jutakutokushu’ 11/1985.) — This project will be published in our upcoming book: ’Japanese Fields | OfHouses.’

[hikikomoriaesthetic]

𐔌 . ⋮ Interests .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

Anime's: JJK, KNY, MHA, Kyo Kara Maoh! Anne-Happy, Haikyuu, Nabari No Oi, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, New Game!, I'm in Love with the Villainess, Gabriel Dropout, Ancient Magnus' Bride, Hoozuki No Reitetsu, 07-Ghost, Servamp, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Tanaka Is Always Listless, Inu Boku SS

Mangas: The Villainess Wants To Marry A Commoner, Sleepy Princess In The Demon Castle, Orenchi No Furo Jiro

Manhwas : TOTC, The S-Classes That I Raised, Death Is Only The Beginning For The Villainess, Grand Duchess Of The North Is Secretly A Villainess, The Protection Of Lariensa Gelinus, Story Of The Hated Mule, It Was A Mistake Grand Duke, Miss Not So Sidekick, The Extras Refuse Obsession

Manhua's : Sijin, Return For Revenge, MDZS, SVSSS, TGCF

Movies : Harry Potter Series (not jk rolling), The Labyrinth 1986, Pan's Labyrinth, Silence Of The Lambs

Games : Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, BanG Dream!, Twisted Wonderland, Baldurs Gate 3, Hogwarts Legacy, Sims 4, Hinokami Chronicles, Dreamlight Valley, Cupid Paradise, Pokémon Sword

will add more as my hyper fixation kicks in & my interests grow!

[ettaevie]

Do you have any idea who everyone else in the flags was based on??

Hm…if you’re asking if any of the Flags’ personalities directly align with any of irl Chuuya’s friends, Wikipedia hasn’t given me a whole lot of insight into that.

I’ve mentioned in this post that I hc Piano Man as Saburo Moroi. That’s the one I’m most confident about.

Chuuya also fell for a couple of actresses in his youth named Yasuko Hasegawa and Michiko. I think Michiko was just a crush and a muse, but Yasuko was his first love and a lifelong bestie. So that could have been the inspiration behind Lippmann.

For any other possible Flags influences I’d really have to reach though. None of his most notable besties really stood out to me as having anything to do with Iceman Doc or Albatross. Not even his ride or die Hideo Kobayashi. But then, wiki pages tend to just list accomplishments over anything about someone’s personality.

If you care to go into random headcanon territory, I did consider Iceman as Jiro Aoyama, an art critic and antique collector/appraiser. He was known for his “genius, discerning eye that could see straight into the essence of an antique to critique it harshly”, which reminded me a bit of our astute assassin. Chuuya’s friend group would regularly gather at his house for "Aoyama Gakuin" meetings, and he was known to make their mutual bff Kobayashi cry at drinking parties.

I also considered assigning Iceman as Testsutaro Kawakami, the Surya member who brought Chuuya into the group and introduced him to Moroi to begin with. He, Chuuya, and Kobayashi also started a magazine together called “Idiot Group” or “The Idiots” which could maybe have something to do with the Flags. Yasuko even ended up publishing a few poems through them. Kawakami and Chuuya were also really close to the very end. Chuuya sent him a letter of farewell when he got sick and Kawakami proceeded to visit his bedside every day.

Chuuya probably knew multiple doctors, between his dad and Mori and such. That could have inspired the Doc personality. For the sake of giving Doc a name though I just went with Hiroshi Tamiya. He played cello for Surya but is most famous for being a really important microbiologist.

Albatross is an enigma.

[kobayashisoul]

》 ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ 《

You know, many people in Sunagakure and honestly in every other Village saw Gaara only as Kazekage. Not the Human he is, not the Things he went through, not what he have become. They saw him, their Eyes did sparkle and they said: "Look, it's Kazekage Gaara!"

But that was far not everything he was.

For almost a year now he also was a Husband, the Husband of Raziela Kobayashi. And for a few Months now he also was a Father. Not only of one Child, no, of two! Twins.

Time together was rare from the very beginning. Reeze was mostly alone with the Children because after all, Gaara was also the Leader of the Village. And it was important for Raziela that he didn't forget that - and that he didn't regret anything. He was in Charge for hundreds of people.

But sometimes Gaara was able to take a Day off and spend time with his little Family. And he enjoyed every second with his Children so much, and he took nothing for granted.

Going for a walk with the Children was normal for Raziela, but it was even more special when Gaara was with them. So of course he took the Chance and took the Stroller, always having an Eye of his precious little Twins.

On Days like that Gaara could forget for some time that he was the Leader of his Village.

On these Days he was simply a loving Husband and Father.

And of course because his Villagers know him, many people wanted to see the Children - so On their Way through the Village they had to stop many times because his people of course did recognize him, and everyone was excited to take a look at the Kazekage's Heir. 🩵

[I got Inspiration for the Description from redflowersuki 🩵]

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Art (c) redflowersuki

Raziela, Jiro & Aoi (c) @kobayashisoul

Sabaku No Gaara (c) Masashi Kishimoto

Naruto & Boruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto

This Picture was a Comission for me from redflowersuki . I am NOT the Artist of this Artwork. I have the Artists written permission to upload this drawing to my Social Media. ⚠️

The Ocs, their Designs and Stories belong to me. ⚠️

Without my written permission you have no right to recolor/repost/trace/edit/use this in any way. ⚠️

[imasallstars]

THE IDOLM@STER SideM PASSIONABLE READING SHOW ～天地四心伝～

Further information regarding the SideM PASSIONABLE READING SHOW has been revealed! The event will occur on the 10th and 11th of February in the MAKUHARI MESS EVENT HALL in CHIBA

The voice actors participating in this stop are as follows:

DAY 1

Daichi Kanbara (Hokuto Ijuin), Shunichi Toki (Kei Tsuzuki), Tomohito Takatsuka (Minori Watanabe), Yoshitaka Yamaya (Kyosuke Aoi), Kentaro Kumagai (Hideo Akuno), Kento Hama (Ryu Kimura), Yuya Nakada (Kuro Kiyosumi), Hiroshi Watanabe (Natsuki Sakaki), Yusuke Shirai (Haruna Wakazato), Toshinari Fukamachi (Genbu Kurono), Sho Karino (Yukihiro Kamiya), Daiki Kobayashi (Saki Mizushima), Shogo Yano (Nao Okamura), Yoshiki Nakajima (Jiro Yamashita), Shohei Komatsu (Ren Kizaki), Takehiro Urao (Daigo Kabuto), Jun Kasama (Amehiko Kuzunoha), Yuri Ise (Shu Amamine), Masaya Miyakaze (Momohito Hanazono)

DAY 2

Takuma Terashima (Toma Amagase), Yusuke Nagano (Rei Kagura), Shun Horie (Pierre), Takeru Kikuchi (Yusuke Aoi), Takuya Masumoto (Seiji Shingen), Yutaka Balletta (Shoma Hanamura), Chiba Shoya (Hayato akiyama), Takuma Nagatsuka (Jun Fuyumi), Sho Nogami (Shiki Iseya), Takeaki Masuyama (Suzaku Akai), Takuya Kodama (Makio Uzuki), Keisuke Furuhata (Shiro Tachibana), Junta Terashima (Takeru Taiga), Daiki Hamano (Michiru Enjoji), Yuko Sanpei (Ryo Akizku), Shunya Hiruma (Kazuki Tsukumo), Fumiyoshi Shioya (Sora Kitamura), Takeo Otsuka (Eishin Mayumi)

[dekusheroacademia]

Full cast for musical 4

(with twitter links)

shin tamura as Izuku Midoriya ryota kobayashi as Katsuki Bakugo yume takeuchi as Ochaco Uraraka naoki takeshi as Tenya Iida ryo kitamura as Shoto Todoroki mao noguchi as Tsuyu Asui naoki tanaka as Eijiro Kirishima yugo sato as Denki Kaminari shinichi hashimoto as Yuga Aoyama saaya yamasaki as Momo Yaoyorozu nagato okui as Minoru Mineta rin matsubara as Fumikage Tokoyami akari kawakami as Kyoka Jiro shin ikeda as Hanta Sero yume nagatoshi as Mina Ashido keisuke ohkubo as Mezo Shoji yuta chatani as Ojiro sakaue shoma as Sato mirano takei plays Hatsume Mei and Camie judai shirakashi as Inasa and Masaru Bakugou shunto imai as Shishikura Seiji haruna morodomi as Tatami Nakagame and Inko Midoriya akiyoshi tsujimura as Shindo Yo anju inami as Himiko Toga (only in video) yusuke seto as Eraser Head yuki okamoto as Present Mic and Tiger (instagram) tasuku yoshioka as All Might and Yokumiru Mera ami kiuchi as Midnight ohara mayuko as Ms Joke and Mitsuki Bakugou

I only miss Gang Orca and Itejiro Toteki, I think.

[goddess-mixmi]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Oc✨

Meet Akira Kobayashi, born October 26 th, standing at about 5’5, known as the Light Pillar, at first glance you’d think she was mean/a tad rude and stand offish but quite nice you get to know her, she’s a sweetheart and pretty funny. She has an older sister named Hanako who is married to Hotaru Haganezuka the swords smith, an older brother named Jiro a former Hashira and a little brother named Makoto who she had to protect from a demon attack that killed their parents. Her best known breathing form is “1st form light speed” and she is quite strong for someone her size. She’s in a romantic relationship (engaged) with Kyojuro Rengoku (yes I’m aware he’s dead lemme be in denial) and best friends with Tengen, Shinobu and Mitsuri. She strangely enough has a soft spot for Muichiro and views him as a little brother. She’s a quick thinker and has a weird way of knowing things before they are said or shown.

A heads up is I drew her before coming up with her breathing style. She also has three different hair colors

[uenodivision]

– Sumire’s Lab Basement, Kobayashi Mansion –

[It was around noonday when a package arrived on the doorstep of the Kobayashi mansion in Shinagawa. Besides the strangeness it which it suddenly appeared, it looked to be nothing more than an ordinary package that you'd receive in the mail. It even had a postage stamp and a shipping label on the box to know where it came from. And lo and behold, it was shipped to none other than the birthday girl, herself, Sumire Shinomiya.]

[Walking down to the basement where the girl in question was, the butler of the house, Goro Eguchi, knocked on the door of one of the largest rooms in the house. Opening the door, the old man looked as the door opened and a girl with purple/black ponytails poked her head out.]

Goro: *Holding out the box* Package for you, Miss.

Sumire: *Looks at and then takes it* Thanks, Goro.

[Bowing, the old butler then departed as Sumire closed the door, looking at the package. She was skeptical about it, especially considering that today was her birthday. And after her last... present from a certain pink-haired delivery woman from Ueno, the anarchist was a bit wary of any unmarked gifts that appeared for her on this day. She debated whether she should just discard the thing, but she knew Aranai would eventually ask her about it. Sighing, the anarchist prepared to open it.]

Sumire: Aranai, I swear, if this is another scavenger hunt...

[Opening the box, the purple-haired girl was surprised to find a pair of VR goggles. They looked suspiciously like the kind she and Aranai had won a few weeks back during a tag-team rap tournament. She remembered that Aranai had begged her to be her partner. She would have refused had it not been for Aranai telling her Jiro was going to be in attendance. ...Thinking of the middle Yamada brother made the young girl turn red before she quickly shook it off.]

[Looking at the VR goggles, Sumire picked them up out of the box, looking at them strangely. In the box, there was a letter, obviously written by her pink-haired friend, if the handwriting was a hint. Aranai's penmanship, unfortunately, left something to be desired. Looking at it, the anarchist was somehow able to put together what her rebellious friend had somehow written:]

Aranai: What up, birthday girl? Knowing you're probably in your lab doing some crazy-ass experiments like always. But fear not! Your good friend, Aranai, has taken it upon herself to give you something to do on this fantastic day, which is your birthday!

Sumire: *Rolls eyes* Yeah right. Some of us aren't die-hard outdoorsmen like you, you bitch.

Aranai: In this box are a pair of VR goggles, kinda like the ones we won a few weeks ago. And before you ask, these aren't those. These are a pair I bought with my own money, so you'd better use them! Anyway, I have laid out of series of challenges for you to complete in order to obtain your birthday gift. There are three in total, and each challenge is different. If you pass each one, you should obtain a passcode to a secret level. Your birthday gift will be waiting.

Sumire: ...Yeah, I'll pass, thanks.

Aranai: ...And before you get any ideas on not doing it, I thought I'd let you know, it involves a certain Yamada boy you like.

[Sumire blushed as she thought of the middle brother of the Yamada family of Ikebukuro, and she growled as placed a hand over her face. Sighing, she looked at the goggles.]

Sumire: *Sighs and shrugs* Aw, what the hell? It's not like I have anything else to do.

[Sitting down in her computer chair, the anarchist placed the goggles on her head, before looking at the letter.]

Aranai: When you're ready to get started, slip the goggles on. It should take you to the main screen. When you get there, input 'Elysium'. Have fun, girl! And happy birthday!

[Rolling her eyes again, Sumire placed the goggles over her eyes. Before entering the start button, she looked over to her left where Aiko, her AI, was watching and waiting.]

Sumire: Aiko, hold my calls for me, will ya?

Aiko: Hai, Oneesan!

[Thanking her A.I., the birthday woman looked forward as she it the 'On' button on the goggles, taking her to a blue home screen where a simple text box was seen. Typing in the password, 'Elysium', Sumire felt herself being transported to a new world.]

[At first, it was all white, but after a couple of seconds and her eyes grew adjusted, she looked as she was in some sort of cloudy valley. It looked a little like something out of a movie scene.]

Sumire: Where... am I?

[As if answering her question, the word, 'Shangri-La' appeared on the screen.]

Sumire: 'Shangri-La'? Isn't that some sort of fictional Heavenly place in the Himalayas?

[Looking all around, though she knew it was fake and was a bit skeptical, she couldn't help but be impressed with the graphics seen on the screen.]

Sumire: *Looks around* Hmm, not bad. ...But that's enough galvanizing. Let's get these silly "challenges" over with.

[Although she said, that she didn’t exactly know where to go now. Lucky for her, an arrow appeared which seemed to point her in a general direction. Figuring it would help her, she followed it, eager to get this over with.]

2 1/2 hours later...

[To say that Sumire was exhausted would be an underestimate. It's official: she was definitely going to commit murder before this day is over. And the victim would be a certain pink-haired rebel over in Ueno.]

Sumire: What the hell was she thinking?

[The first "challenge" was little more than a mini-test that involved her mind. She had arrived at a gate, and before she could process what was behind it, she was immediately bombarded with some rudimentary questions, such as: 'How many kilometers are there from the Earth to the sun?', 'What elements are humans made of?' And so on, and so on like that. She had to answer close to 100 questions before she was finished and the gate opened, revealing a large yellow key for her to take. It was labeled a ‘quest item’, which meant it was important to hold onto. So she did.]

[The second "challenge" was a bit harder, as it was physical. It involved the anarchist making it to the top of a mountain in less than 10 minutes. Naturally, physical challenges weren't her forte, but she still managed to pass after she discovered a hidden passageway that led her to the top with only a minute to spare. After reaching the top, she found another key, one which was the exact duplicate as the last. The only difference was that it was red in color. Like the last key, it was also labeled as a 'quest item', which meant that Sumire was forced to hold onto it.]

[The last "challenge" was perhaps the most annoying of the three, and took place at a temple. All it involved her doing was walking up the stairs to the temple and striking the gong at the top. Pretty simple, right? Well, it was... at least until she stepped on the temple ground and was immediately besieged by something. What was it, you ask? A clone of Jiro Yamadas, all gathered around her, looking hot and... alluring. If she could have, she would have stay there forever...]

Sumire: ...Gah!

[Hitting her head to remove herself of those... disturbing thoughts, she sighed as she had finally reached her destination: the Head Temple, where she could finally use these blasted keys she went through the trouble of collecting, get her silly birthday gift and put this whole miserable experience behind her.]

Sumire: I swear, I am so killing her when this mess is over with.

[Done with her empty threats, the anarchist entered the temple, finding it much bigger on the outside than on the inside. Walking around a bit, she found that it was empty, save some jars, some old Buddha statues, and a bunch of other junk one might find in a temple such as this. She continued until she found what she was looking for: the gate which these three keys she had collected were needed to open. Sighing as she was almost done (hopefully), she inserted all three keys and looked as the large gate opened, blinding her as light appeared from within. Shielding her eyes, she wondered if she should go in. Figuring there was no point in standing there, Sumire entered, still shielding her eyes as she ventured forth, the gate closing behind her...]

Some time later...

[Groaning as she felt a bright light hit her eyes, Sumire groaned as she awoke in her lab. She felt her whole body ache as it hurt after she had been lying motionless with that VR helmet on her head. She had to admit, the "present" Aranai gave her... it wasn't bad. What was it, you ask? Well, suffice it to say, it involved a beautiful meadow, her, and a certain Yamada boy. And that was all she was saying about that.]

[Sighing, she stepped out of her lab and walked upstairs to the second floor to the kitchen where she looked as Goro was busy dusting the countertops. He looked as she had appeared and he bowed with a smile on his face.]

Goro: Good day, Miss.

Sumire: *Waves to him as she walks to the pantry* Hey, Goro.

Goro: It is good to see you awake, Miss. Another package arrived from you whilst you were out. It was delivered by Miss Norikoru.

Sumire: *Looks at him* Another one?

Goro: *Nods* Yes, miss. Please give me a second to retrieve it.

[Walking out of the room, Goro returned a second later, holding onto a square box. Handing it to Sumire, she looked at it. Obviously, something was inside, but she couldn't exactly tell what. Like before, she was hesitant to open it, especially since she knew who the sender was. Sighing, she knew that there was no getting around it. Sumire pulled the lid off of the box and opened it, looking to see what was inside.]

...

[She wished she hadn't. She really wished she hadn't.]

Goro: *Looking over Sumire's shoulder* ...Oh my.

[Inside the box, much to her shame and embarrassment, was a book. But not just any book. No, this book had a particular cover, as well as a title. What was it called, you ask? Simple. It was a very special book called, "The Kama Sutra." ...Yes, that Kama Sutra.]

In Ueno Division...

[Sitting up in her room, a certain female Bōsōzoku had her headphones on listening to an 86 album. It was fortunate for her, as she didn't hear the loud, embarrassed scream that had erupted all the way from Shinagawa.]

...

[...But if she hadn't, then why was a smirk now plastered onto her face as she turned up the volume to her iPod more...?]

BONUS

Three weeks earlier...

– Ueno Park, Ueno City –

[The park was filled with dozens of people in attendance as the tag-team rap battle was reaching its conclusion. Not surprisingly, the team of Aranai and Sumire was in the final round. The two looked as their opponents, a duo of middle-aged men who were calling themselves the "Rowdy Boyz" were up on stage rapping.]

Aranai: Alright, these guys are the last ones we have to face to win the prize.

Sumire: *Crosses her arms* Yeah, I'd still like to know exactly what this prize is.

Aranai: Don't worry about it! I promise you though, I'll make it up to you when we win.

Sumire: You mean, if we win.

Aranai: *Frowns* That's not the sort of attitude I'd expect from you.

Sumire: *Rolls her eyes* Whatever. Do you even have an idea for a song we're going to do?

Aranai: Of course! What's the song that WS is known for?

Sumire: Argh, of course, you would choose that song.

Aranai: Oh please, don't act like you don't enjoy it. You get more into that song than I do.

Sumire: Fine, whatever. Let's just get this over with. I've got things to do.

Aranai: *Smirks* You mean like spying on Jiro over in Ikebukuro?

Sumire: *Blushes* Shut up! That's not what I meant!

[Laughing at her friend, the duo looked as the boyz finished their song and was met with some applause and cheers from the crowd. The two walked up on stage, and were instantly met with cheers as the crowd knew who they were. With their HypMics in hand, the two prepared themselves.]

Aranai: *Looks at Sumire* Ready for this?

Sumire: *Rolls her eyes* As I'll ever be.

Aranai: *Smirks* That's the spirit.

Bring the Beat!

[Wicked Sin:]

Double Trouble Double Trouble

Double Trouble Double Trouble

Double Trouble Double Trouble

Double Trouble Double Trouble

[Sumire:]

Since the beginning when I first laid up eyes on the earth

I knew from the start it was rotten to the core

It wanted to corrupt me, make me like them

But I stayed strong, cause I'm a real survivor

Now with the help of people that I call friends

I'll turn this whole fucking world up on its head

And you all, you only have two options to choose:

Join us, or get the fuck out of the way!

[Aranai:]

Yeah, I might have calmed down

But don't think that I won't turn back around

And pull a 180 on you sorry-ass fucks

And go back to the old ways that I've always known

The HBIC is here today

And my realm of existence is where the fuck I'll stay

(Who does she think she is?) I'm a fuckin' kingpin!

Enough talk and words, let the fun begin!

[Sumire:]

We won't take orders from anyone in suits!

[Aranai:]

Wassup?! We're coming your way, so you'd better salute!

[Sumire:]

We started from the bottom, and now we're at the top!

[Aranai:]

And now that we're here, our reign, it won't stop!

We won't take orders from anyone in suits!

[Sumire:]

Wassup?! We're coming your way, so you'd better salute!

[Aranai:]

We started from the bottom, and now we're at the top!

[Sumire:]

And now that we're here, our reign, it won't stop!

[Wicked Sin:]

Double Trouble!

We were always fighting

In order to protect what must be protected

Double Trouble!

The two of us against the world

That thrives on lies that go unpunished

Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble

Though our paths may be different, our Soul is as one

[Aranai:]

Crossing out from the light and venturing into the dark

We're not scared of what we see; that's where we made our mark

People look at us and then immediately judge

But we're the only ones who's trying to get shit done

We seek a world that's free of injustice

But nobody will help us, so it's just us

All you rich folks that are all blinded by greed

We'll take from you to get what we need

[Sumire:]

Everything's permitted in the fight for the truth

What we're doing is all for the future's youth

If we have to lie, cheat, steal, then so be it

And I have no qualms about dirtying my hands, believe it!

So if you've got a problem, then step to us

But you won't, you'll just stand there and fuss

The boys in blue say that I'm a threat to the peace

And my response to that is: 'Fuck the police!' (Fuck the police!)

[Aranai:]

We won't take orders from anyone in suits!

[Sumire:]

Wassup?! We're coming your way, so you'd better salute!

[Aranai:]

We started from the bottom, and now we're at the top!

[Sumire:]

And now that we're here, our reign, it won't stop!

We won't take orders from anyone in suits!

[Aranai:]

Wassup?! We're coming your way, so you'd better salute!

[Sumire:]

We started from the bottom, and now we're at the top!

[Aranai:]

And now that we're here, our reign, it won't stop!

[Wicked Sin:]

Double Trouble!

We were always fighting

In order to protect what must be protected

Double Trouble!

The two of us against the world

That thrives on lies that go unpunished

Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble Double Trouble

Though our paths may be different, our Soul is as one

[byneddiedingo]

Raizo Ichikawa in Ken (Kenji Misumi, 1964)

Cast: Raizo Ichikawa, Yusuke Kawazu, Hisaya Morishigi, Akio Hasegawa, Noriko Sengoku, Keiju Kobayashi, Yuko Konno, Junko Kozakura, Yoshio Inaba, Rieko Sumi, Kuniichi Takami. Screenplay: Kazuo Funahashi, based on a novel by Yukio Mishima. Cinematography: Chikashi Makiura. Art direction: Akira Naito. Film editing: Kanji Sukanuma. Music: Sei Ikeno. 

Kenji Misumi's Ken, also known as The Sword, is based on a novel by Yukio Mishima and shares that author's focus on Japanese tradition. It centers on Jiro Kokubun (Raizo Ichikawa), the captain of his university's kendo club, which is preparing for a tournament against a rival university. Kendo is swordplay, performed with bamboo swords, and Kokubun is obsessively devoted to the sport -- so much so, in fact, that he almost loses out on the captaincy because his coach fears he's a little too intense. His chief rival for the position, Kagawa (Yusuke Kawazu), is equally proficient, but not so obsessive. Eventually this leads to a conflict between the two young men, especially after Kokubun punishes Kagawa for a minor infraction, using him to set an example of complete devotion to the sport. Kagawa retaliates by asking a pretty classmate, Kiuchi (Noriko Sengoku), to try to seduce the chaste and ascetic Kokubun. But the real crisis comes when the club goes on a training retreat in which Kokubun tries to instill the same devotion to the sport in the rest of the team. It takes place in a seaside town, but Kokubun prohibits swimming in the ocean even though the trainees suffer from the intense heat of summer. Kagawa seizes another opportunity to undermine Kokubun, with terrible consequences. The film sympathizes with Kokubun, turning him into a tragic figure, while at the same time suggesting that his intense virtue, modeled on the bushido code of the samurai, is out of place in a modern context. Handsomely photographed and superbly acted, Ken is the middle film in Misumi's Sword Trilogy, which includes Kiru (1962) and Kenki (1965).