#kaiten books

[toeydbootzandcatz]

My updated TBR shelf for nearly the end of Feb!

I definitely had a good reading month, and I’m looking forward to checking out these volumes, too. Currently halfway through Case File Compendium, which may be my last novel for a bit since FF7 Rebirth is here tomorrow haha.

[ljaesch]

Kaiten Books Licenses the Blue Archive: Problem Solver 68 Business Diary Manga

Kaiten Books has announced that it has licensed Kaede Nogiwa’s Blue Archive: Problem Solver 68 Business Diary spin-off manga, based on Yostar and Nexon Games’ Blue Archive smartphone role-playing game. The company will release the first volume physically and digitally on July 12, 2024. The first 500 physical orders will include one of two illustration cards, and every digital order will bundle…

[nostalgic-soda]

Btw I made an amv plz watch it

[atamascolily]

A few more observations on the second Walpurgis no Kaiten trailer, building on my earlier post. This trailer is so detailed and so intricate, I can really only watch it shot by shot in slow motion, otherwise I miss too much, otherwise it all goes by too fast.

The scallop shells on the handbag look similar to the scallop shell hand mirror that Homura is holding.

I can't decide if teapot on the table has the same pattern/design as the cup in this other shot. There are at least 2 tea parties in this trailer, and possibly more that we haven't seen yet.

Speaking of which, the angle on the stabbing shot suggests that the person is stabbing themselves in the arm--it looks like the salamander, representing Devil Homura's power, is trying to get to them, only to get stabbed by what appears to be a box cutter blade (??) and then it morphs into a cuff to try and control the person anyway. So I think perhaps Devil Homura will have a tea party of her own, though it's not clear to me yet if she's meeting with the green-haired girl in the glass dome or not. Or maybe someone else is meeting for tea and the salamander tries to sneak up on them when Devil Homura is not present. TBD.

Before the salamander becomes a cuff, though, it forms this lattice network first:

Oh, and you know where else the box cutter turns up? The box fan shot, of course. There is something sticking out of the middle left side of the box that looks suspiciously like a handle. And given that the box is all cut up enough to be taped together... well, that certainly seems like some kind of sabotage, doesn't it?

(SHAFT, are you giving us a magical girl whose weapon is a box cutter?? Or is this the Doppelganger Homura's answer to the salamander/dark orb? Either way, I'm here for it.)

The "fragile, handle with care logo" looks an awful lot like the cracked glass in this shot, too. Things are holding together, what is damaged is being repaired, but for how long??

Sayaka in the theater is literally experiencing a flash of insight, likely heralding a return of the memories Homura took from her at the end of Rebellion.

It seems like Sayaka is going to be in a unique position in this movie, since she is both magical girl and witch, and it sure looks like the witches are coming back (along with Walpurgisnacht!) It begs the question of whose side is she going to be on, and I suspect she'll be conflicted about that.

This other shot also suggests some kind of soul-searching, given that mirrors/portraits/stained glass on the walls were used to symbolize Homura regaining her memory in Rebellion. However, the books that are frozen specifically appear to be associated with the "book of witches" in another shot and the books piled up in the background behind Kyubey:

You can see one of the Anthonies (Gertrud's puffballs) in this shot along with other witches. Each page looks like an illuminated manuscript and/or possibly a card (?). You can tell Inu Curry had a lot of fun with this one!

There are madeleines in one of the jars behind Mami, which are associated with memory (cf. Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu) but the jar is closed and they are out of reach.

I'm really leaning towards this girl being an alternate Nagisa given the similarities between this shot and an early character design from Rebellion. (Either that or they just recycled the design, lol.) I can see the resemblance to the bear girl from episode 12, but somehow I think SHAFT is gonna stick to established characters/witches, especially given the witch book shot.

I think the exploding white feathers are from the same scene as Madoka-Doppelganger Homura waltz, and either represent Madoka regaining her memories or something going out of control and/or an interruption. TBD.

Anyway, that's all I got for the moment.

[dapurinthos]

so i finally got around to actually reading @dedalvs's the art of language invention for the purposes of its purpose (nine years later. this is why you buy the books, people! that giant pile is going to be read). i have copious highlights and notes on paper and here are some of the replies i had for parts of the book.

(i always get a kick out of when someone positions themselves as the ‘default’ for pronunciations because i have some quirks in my pronunciations, like the absence of the cot-caught (lot-thought, also father-bother which makes me go ??? those aren’t even near the same vowel) merger present in nearly all canadian english (most north american english, really) in my vowels. that was a fun day in linguistics class (everyone else: /kʰɒt/ /kʰɒt/. me: /koːt/ /kɔːt/).)

anyway, select passages behind the cut as to not crowd up your flist dash.

oh hildegard. you would have loved the bardcore version of 'hips don't lie'.

this is the gospel truth. go look at how japanese verbs function. they’re categorized as godan, ichidan, and irregular. how are they categorized? like a nightmare. godan verbs are ones that end with -u and move through the whole fucking vowel row of the hiragana chart, which is why they’re called ‘five-level’ verbs. u want to know where this vowel change takes place? oh it’s not a suffix or a prefix. nooooo it’s in the middle of the word (only the end when it’s the -u form). kikanai > kikimasu > kiku > kikeru > kikou, for the base godan verb bases (negative, polite, dictionary form, potential, volitional conjugations).

ichidan bases are easy in comparison. the -ru ending is the only thing that changes. and then there’s the godan ones that disguise themselves as ichidan verbs.

the irregular ones are fine. they're normal. there are only two of them — suru: 'to make'; and kuru: 'to come'. they're like particles so you get things like kaiten suru: 'to rotate, spin', where it's made up of the noun kaiten: 'revolution, rotation' and my verb friend suru: 'to make', so it's literally 'to make' + 'rotation'.

i took one look at japanese godan and ichidan conjugation, kidnapped the way the irregular verbs work (suru: to do/make/etc, kuru: to come; used like particles, after an action & such, like kaiten suru: to rotate, spin, lit. rotation + to do/to make), and then backed away slowly, not making eye contact. this was the correct choice. i also believe it was why i chose not to go further in my japanese study when i was eleven/twelve-ish. that and it was impossible to study japanese in a 20 000-person town excuse me unincorporated community in southern ontario during the previous millennium.

this poor caribou. i need to work this word into my vocabulary immediately.

i have the opportunity to do something really funny with what the word for the number four will be in taizhan-jen, in the grand tradition of four = death like: sì/sǐ (mandarin), sei3/sei2 (cantonese), shi for both (japanese), tứ/tử (vietnamese), sa for both (korean). like how i decided andobi (the name of a mountain range on ando) was a compound of ando + obi, so obi now means 'mountain', 'fixed/firm' and adding the adjectival suffix gets obi'i: 'steadfast'.

[silveranimefan]

Today's Manga:

"A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School" ("Youkai gakkou no sensei hajimemashita") by Mai Tanaka and localized Yen Press

and

"The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting ("Kumichou musume to sewagakari") by Tsukiya and localized by Kaiten Books

[huebris808]

I didn't know you were into Kaiten Mutenmaru!

yeah, i was super into it years ago! funnily enough its why i picked having the name thia fsdhgjs

i found it through some artists i followed on twitter and ended up buying a card guide book and a z/x collab pack!

(REALLY old pic, im too lazy to grab them off my bookshelf right now HKSDFHJDSK)

[littlemonstert-blog]

Hinata The Last Blank Period

What she’s done & Scaling for her adult years despite the peacful times.

 The Last movie :

Mastery of the gentle fist over the timeskip

Then a bit of pre war arc scailing & Her accoplishments during war arc

Requesting to go on the mission to rescue Hanabi

Hinata uses her byakugan to help track down Hanabi

Hinata’s byakugan can see as far as 20 kilometers ( 12 miles ) without missing a single detail Hinata could see a trail of Hanabi's chakra (before Harma’s chakra)(She is a tracker so this shouldn’t be new)

Leaving to save her sister, stop Toneri and to destory the Tenseigan from hitting the Earth. While trying talking to Toneri in a peaceful manner trying to change his about Shinobi.

Intelligence & deduction:

Hinata was able to find Hamuras tenseigan on her own. (Her speciality as a tracker is coming in handy)

Combat:

The puppets she fought were at least High Jounin level. Using basic gentle fist.

(head puppet that gave people some trouble.)

The head puppet that gave base Naruto some trouble

Surpassing her father

Hiashi on the other hand(along with his body guards), got beaten and had to use Kaiten to throw them away while Hinata never used her strongest jutsu against them, she fought them with the basic gentle fist.

People will say "the puppets held back against Hinata!”

Toneri threw an explosion at her, he treated her badly and asked his puppets to fight her.

Hiashi cannot that feat when he barely handled falling rocks.

The tall puppet also defeated Hiashi but not Hinata

Hinata is the only known Hyuga member who uses the Twin lion fists also use it in conjunction with sixty four palms. But she also developed different version of the jutsu  

“ Eight Trigrams Twin Lion Surging Shot”

Hinata & Naruto destoryed the tesigan together

Side note: Hinata wasn’t fully recovered when she attempted to destroy the Tenseigan. She literally just got a green orb removed from her. ( he kept doing this on repeat)

That orb tampers and messes with the chakra flow. Look at what happened to Naruto after the orb hit him. Even Hinata could barely stand on the wall after Toneri used the orb on her. This ain't no antifeat.

Taking Hanabi’s eyes back form Toneri

Hinata was able to restore Narutos chakra reserves 

light novels- aka continuity problem city, then adding boruto anime canon...gives me a headache.

Sasuke Shiden:

Using her byakugan to see what happening how random people are exploding

One shot civilians one at a time to making sure there are non casualties.

(no she didn't faint nor was she pregnant that was filler)

Helping out to identify the problem in the hospital.

Can download the books for free here:

Side Note: A narrative perspective, expecting for Hinata to be really strong in the movie because she is a MC and the heroine but she can't overshadowing Naruto because he is the MC which is why she didn’t destroy the Tenseigan alone

For plot reasons, she had to do it with Naruto.

Toneri : level threat only two people at the time could defeat him. Aka just the only people at the time Naruto & Sasuke.

She's come far despite the little screen time she had. Adopting the nindo to never give up. Training hard to become a Gentle Fist Master the strongest taijutsu. She's around Kage level in terms of fighting.

I'll be able to fix redo this later in more detail if I have the time.

[brainbuffering]

12 Days of Manga (2022)

Day 6: Top 3 Josei

1) I want to be a Wall by Honoami Shirano from YenPress (T: Emma Schumacker L: Alexis Eckerman) 

[ID: English Cover for Vol 1 of “I want to be a wall” A woman and a man in traditonal japanese wedding garb sit next to each other, but facing different directions. The woman looks nervous and anxious, the man sad and stoic. A pink knot is behind them.]

“Any love story aficionado will say that the key to a successful couple is intense desire for one another—but what if the characters in question are an asexual woman with a passion for Boys Love stories and a gay man whose heart forever belongs to his oblivious childhood friend? Although romance will never be in the cards for newlyweds Yuriko and Gakurouta, the bond blossoming between them promises to be a wonderful relationship—the likes of which neither has ever experienced before...”

Not only is this series my top Josei of the year, it’s probably my favourite new series of the year full stop!

The notion of a Lavender Marriage, that is to say, a marriage between two queer people (usually a man and a woman) in order to disguise the fact that they’re queer from society, is not something that is explored that much in media and when it is the focus is on the tragedy of being forced into that situation. What I’m enjoying here though, is that whilst the tragedy of needing to bow to social pressure isn’t diminished, we’re also shown the beauty of queer solidarity, and the development of a wonderful queer-platonic relationship. I’m really looking forward to watching these two fall in love in the deep felt platonic sense, and whilst I naturally want Gakurouta to find romantic love with another man, I’m excited to see him open up more to Yuriko. I want them to find joy and laughter together too.

There’s an Alan Bennet Quote that goes:  “The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.”   That’s what reading this book felt like. As though i wasn’t completely alone, as though there were people out there who cared about me, who saw the world as I did, and would gently hold my hand as the world collapses around us. 

From an Asexual perspective, Yuriko’s coming out story felt deeply resonante. I was almost in tears from how relateable it was. We’re shown just how isolated she felt by her friends casually cruel words and rejections, and that just because she’s Asexual doesn’t mean she doesn’t suffer in a heteronormative society. The solidarity on display between her and the Gakurouta is so delightful to behold, and I am desperate to know what happens next. I’m especially interested in how they came to meet and agree to this arangement to begin with, but for that I shall have to sit and be patient! That’s the problem with reading a brand new licence, you can’t just drop all your money there and then and read everything in existance! You have to wait....

Volume two is set for release in January, and I don’t think I could be MORE hyped for this slice of life not-romance. More series like this please!

2) The Yakuza’s Guide To Baby Sitting by Tsukiya from Kaiten Books (T: Jenny McKeon L: Viet Phuong Vu E: David Musto)

[ID: English Cover of Vol 1 of Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting, Kirishima wears a white shirt and black suit trousers. In one hand he has a red PE Kit Bag, and a yellow tote bag with a bunny print on it with a rolled up piece of paper inside. Yakae gently holds his other hand by the finger. She is wearing her school uniform, nervously holding onto the strap of her school bag and looking away from Kirishima.]

“WHO’S YOUR NANNY? Kirishima Tooru is the right-hand man of the Sakuragi crime family. For him, the job is a perfect excuse to let his violent instincts run wild, earning him the nickname “the Demon of Sakuragi”. It seems like nothing will stand in the way of his vicious nature. But then one day, he receives an assignment like never before from the boss—babysitting his daughter! This is the heartwarming (or is it bloodcurdling?) story of a little girl and her yakuza caretaker!”

I got Volume 1 for free as part of a promotion for the anime which came out this year too, and after reading it I immediately went and bought the next two. Now I’m anxiously updating my lists to find out when Vol 6 is going to come out...

There isn’t much to this series. It’s your very basic Yakuza DILF Found Family Manga, but it is an EXCELLENT one. I love the different family dynamics, and I love reading about all these different big fearsome men who love thieir wives and daughters. It’s so sweet and has so much heart, plus lots of men arm deep in blood and violence. Should that also be your jam.

Where as I dropped “Way of the House Husband” after Vol 5 for becoming too slow paced and repetative, what I’m loving about Guide to Babysitting is that we’re allowed to see actual character development! Be that insight into a characters past to provide context for their current behaviour, or just to see the relationship between Yaeka and her father begin to heal after so much hurt for so long. I’ve cried just as much as I’ve laughed reading this series which is all you really want from a slice of life!

Me being me, I’ve also had a a lot of fun to compare the localisation of the manga and the anime, and I have to say I’m really enjoying McKean’s version best. The characters feel as though they each have a unique voice and the way they write the jokes really helps make them hit! I’m watching the anime in the dub, and greatly enjoying it in general! There's been some great meta jokes of late too, making the most of Kirishima and Tatsu (from Way of the Househusband) share an english Voice Actor. I would highly recommend it to anyone in need of something to look forward to on a Thursday that isn’t a 4 hour long live play DND web series.

Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting might not be anything special to anyone else, but its special to me! And that’s what matters most.

3) Knight of the Ice by Yayoi Ogawa from Kodansha (T: Rose Padgett L: Jennifer Skarupa E: Tiff Joshua, TJ Ferentini) 

[ID: English cover of Knight of the Ice Vol 1: Kokoro poses in a black ice skating outfit with lace sleeves and diamond buttons. There are sparkles behind him.]

“A rom-com manga on ice, perfect for fans of Princess Jellyfish and Wotakoi. Kokoro is the talk of the figure-skating world, winning trophies and hearts. But little do they know... he's actually a huge nerd! From the beloved creator of You're My Pet (Tramps Like Us).

Chitose is a serious young woman, working for the health magazine SASSO. Or at least, she would be, if she wasn't constantly getting distracted by her childhood friend, international figure skating star Kokoro Kijinami! In the public eye and on the ice, Kokoro is a gallant, flawless knight, but behind his glittery costumes and breathtaking spins lies a secret: he's actually a hopeless romantic otaku, who can only land his quad jumps when Chitose is on hand to recite a spell from his favorite magical girl anime!”

Speaking of series that are complete and you can just drop all your money on in one go and binge to your heart’s content....

Okay, so I didn’t drop all my money and I’ve only read 7/11 Volumes but that is just a sign of my self restraint! You should all be very proud of me.

I’d seen “Knight of the Ice” spoken about before on TikTok and knew it to be popular, but didn’t think much of it other than that it sounded like Yuri on Ice but for Straight People. However when it was in a Kodansha Sale for less than a fiver, I thought I would give it a go! It was boiling hot. There was ice. Maybe looking at it would help cool me down?

What I found was a wonderful, heartfelt, grown up sports romance. Kokoro and Chitose are delightful in their childhood-friends-to-lovers trope, neither sure what to make of their lives now they’re actually in a relationhip, and what things are actually going to change between them now they've finallyadmittedtheir feelings. Kokoro's role as a minor celebrity helps add some cliche drama that might not be everyone's cup of tea, but which I found delightfully tropey and fun. The series is supported by a whole cast of zany characters, meaning that it never takes itself too seriously for too long.

Ogawa’s sense of humour definetly appeals to me, and I was happy to see the casual inclusion of a trans character! Sure, he’s a side character without much to do, but I’ll take what I can get in these TERF filled days. And honesty, I'm really impressed that they included a positive, realistic depiction of a Trans Person given that this was furst written in 2013! (Note: 3 years before YOI)

Like with a lot of my favourties, I don’t think that this series necessarily has anything important to say or do. I don’t think it needs to be studied under a microscope and celebrated as the pinacle of comics creation... but I had FUN! It was entertaining! It made me laugh, it made me flail, it makes me keep coming back and that’s all I need from a sports romance manga.

The series seems to often be in Kodansha’s digital sales, so I won’t be rushing out to finish the series right this second, but I will be constantly checking my Bookwalker Wish List just in case....

[curried-mermaid]

A Review: The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting Vol. 1

Author: Tsukiya Illustrator: Tsukiya Publishers: Kaiten Books  Age Group: Teen Genre: slice-of-life, comedy Type: Manga

Content Warnings: prepare for cuteness, motherhood illness

Spoilers ahead

Plot

Kirishima Tooru is the right-hand man of the Sakuragi crime family. For him, the job is a perfect excuse to let his violent instincts run wild, earning him the nickname “the Demon of Sakuragi”. It seems like nothing will stand in the way of his vicious nature. But then one day, he receives an assignment like never before from the boss—babysitting his daughter! This is the heartwarming (or is it bloodcurdling?) Story of a little girl and her yakuza caretaker! 

Character Development

Tooru is what you’d expect from someone called “the Demon of Sakuragi”. He’s a chill dude but prefers violence as it gets answers quicker than being diplomatic. His character changes as he interacts with Yaeka. He doesn’t want her to see any violence and by having the responsibility to care for her, he needs to think more about how to handle things so it doesn’t blow back. 

Yaeka is a reserved little girl about the age of 5. She doesn’t like to ask for anything if it’ll put someone out, or if they can’t make it to events. 

Kazuhiko is a reserved yakuza boss. He doesn’t talk a lot but when he does you need to listen. He’s very kind and caring. He tries to hide his depression well, but he misses his wife who’s in a coma in the hospital. Kazuhiko loves his daughter dearly. 

Sugihara is a laid back sweet guy. He tries to handle things with diplomacy but will follow Tooru’s way of doing things. He’s patient and puts up with a lot including letting Tooru practice hairstyling his long hair so he can do a good job on Yaeka’s hair. 

Kanami is Yaeka’s aunt on her mother’s side. She’s taken care of her since her mother fell into a coma when she was very little. She runs a little food shop that’s a hole in the wall. Kanami is like a second mother to Yaeka. She understands how Yaeka’s mind works and helps Tooru when he needs some advice. 

World-building

The world is a contemporary setting that revolves around the inside of a traditional Japanese home, community, and Yaeka’s school. The world-building mostly focuses on the characters rather than the setting. The developing relationship between Yaeka and Tooru creates a cute dynamic as they become family to each other. 

Themes

Connection makes family. Tooru and Yaeka both change each other as they learn to communicate and trust each other. Family is more than just blood, it can be those that you vibe with. This is a great theme that’s classic to mafia-type families. I like that this theme is brought about in a new way. 

Observations & Predictions

My prediction is that Tooru and Yaeka will get closer and develop a great parent/child relationship. One thing that I wouldn’t be surprised about is if somethin from Tooru’s past comes back to affect Yaeka. He’ll need to deal with it and think about future problems from previous actions. He’ll also need to figure out a plan on how to deal with them if they happen in the future. 

Yaeka may become more extroverted around Tooru as she learns to trust him.

If you like feel-good manga this one is definitely something to read.  

Recommendations

The Way of the Househusband By: Kousuke Oono

Sakamoto Days By: Yuuto Suzuki

Mr. Villain’s Day Off By: Yuu Morikawa

[toeydbootzandcatz]

Happy with where my TBR shelf is sitting at as January comes to a close. 👍 Finished volume 2 of Ooku earlier and boy did that make me feel empty haha.

I’m expecting less reading time in my life once Persona 3 Reload and FF7 Rebirth come out in February 😬 but that’s okay! I did read the 2 FF7 Advent children-related novels, and would like to finish Traces of Two Pasts before Rebirth is out. I think I got this!

[gettatranslations]

Indecisive Inoue。Yumigeta Ako (23.10.03)

(T/N Summary translation,... Indicates skipped content)

Good evening🌝

I'm Yumigeta Ako🛑

Thank you very much for your comments yesterday！

For your library recommendations、a lot of you recommend public libraries？！

There's an unbelievable amount of books… I've never really read any hard books that use lots of kanji so I want to read a book like that！

But I looked it up and for most libraries you need to be at least 18 to join… But the International Children's Library allows entry for under 18s so I'd like to visit there someday🤗

There are other libraries I'm curious about too、

Likes ones with a garden or ones inside a park！

It snows in Tokyo right！

A library in a snowy park sounds so beautiful〜‼️

I want to visit a library with my school homework👍

Thank you very much！

...

Also today we had a dance lesson！

We had time between lessons so I went to eat dinner with Inoue！

Inoue wrote in her blog the other day that she wanted to try a kaiten sushi place so I suggested going to one？、so Inoue and I went for kaiten sushi。

But there was quite a long line、so we gave up because our next lesson was fast approaching…

We decided to give up on the idea of sushi and we decided to head to a convenience store when we spotted Yumigeta Ako's beloved 「Ichiran」…

I asked Inoue if she fancied eating ramen and she said 「Sure」 so in we went、

And apparently it was Inoue's first time visiting！

She seemed to enjoy dithering over the menu、and she seemed to enjoy her food、which I was glad about☺️

When Inoue asked me if I visit often？I answered 「I've come so many times」 but I've actually only been twice before 😂 It's a secret 笑lol

...

And I braided back my fringe today like I did yesterday、and Makino-san said 「You look cute💕」❗️I was so happy！

Fukumura-san also talked to me about my hair saying 「I saw your blog yesterday」！Yay〜！

Ishida-san also said 「You look so cute〜！」❗️I love her〜💕

Maybe I'll do this hairstyle for the rest of my life now。

I'm wearing my lesson clothes in this photo、but I did also wear a hoodie on top！！！

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Well then it's time for today's 【Gettaa Life】✨

This afternoon、I played Nintendo-san's Super Mario Brothers on the Switch with Mama！　

I was surprised by how bad I was！

I did badly no matter what I did！

...

I Getted 「Motivation to Improve」🔥

...

That's all！This has been 【Gettaa Life】！

⋆┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⋆

T/N News and information has not been translated

⋆┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⋆

Today〜♪

My dinner is〜♪

Beef stew〜♪

It smells so go〜od〜♪

Everyone do you prefer stew or beef stew？？？？

I like both！！！

Well then I'll see you tomorrow！

This has been YumiGettaa Ako！Good night🦄🦄🦄

[kiwisandpearls]

feel like I’m the only one who isn’t really dissapointed with akuma Homura. Like I get the disappointment of her not having her own special magireco transformation, but I feel nothing they could’ve made would top her rebellion one. And like, you could argue Madokami has her own transformation so Akuma Homura should have one as well, but the difference is Madokami never really had any transformations aside from that small one at the end of the anime (which I feel wouldn’t have sufficed for her.), so compared to Akuma Homura we don’t really have any other transformations to compare it to (i think at least).

as for her head tilt animation, i think it actually looks pretty good! Like yeah the head looks a little big, but I honestly that’s just because we’ve never actually seen a character tilt their head like she has. Plus, i feel if they tried to animate it a different way, it would just look like she’s breaking her neck so it’s good in my book.

as for her MSS, i haven’t actually gotten to it yet, but I have heard it’s just a retelling of rebellion which I’m not super bummed about. Like I think it would be cool for them to go into the wraith arc or maybe show Homura’s life after she becomes she becomes Akuma Homura but for the wraith arc I don’t think it work??? If that makes sense. Because like, if this unit was Homura like right after Madoka became god (the time between madoka magica and rebellion) then I think it would’ve made sense, but it’s not, it’s an Akuma Homura unit, so them focusing more on rebellion makes sense because the story in which she was created in. As for her life right after rebellion, it would’ve nice…but I think that might end up treading into Walpurgis no Kaiten spoilers territory and I doubt the magireco staff would wanna do that until more about Walpurgis no kaiten is officially revealed.

So basically, while I understand people’s disappointment with Akuma Homura’s unit, I’m personally not lol

[atamascolily]

Poor Sayaka is really going through it in Walpurgis no Kaiten. First, she loses her healing abilities and gets so badly beaten she has to wear bandages across her face, then her memories start coming back and she has to cope with the fact that her entire life is a lie and she should actually be dead. Talk about trauma!

This shot suggests to me that Sayaka will go on some sort of internal quest to confirm the truth. This show being what it is, it's difficult to say if this scene represents an "internal" journey into Sayaka's mindscape, similar to Homura's first awakening in Rebellion, which features a mosaic of mirrors, or if this is more "external" venture into the Law of Cycles, of which Sayaka is still technically a part, but it's probably "both/and" rather than "either/or". The blue color scheme makes me think the former, but the piles of books with information about witches makes me think the latter. Is the sculpture a representation of Sayaka or is it the "emptiness" of the Law of Cycles without a human avatar?

Comparable scene in Rebellion? Also, I just now noticed that either the mosaics are rotating around Homura, or something very strange is happening in space. Probably both!

I can't find the interview at the moment, but I recall someone at SHAFT discussing how girls taken by the Law of Cycles aren't running around in Valhalla, as fans once thought, but are asleep and unconscious. (Cf. Homura calling it "the salvation of oblivion" in her opening monologue in Rebellion.) In one of my fanfics (itself inspired by a gorgeous series of fanart), the Law of Cycles is an art museum; here, it looks like SHAFT has made it a library, with each "book" containing information about the infinite number of girls and witches in all the parallel universes Madokami oversees. There's a very "Library of Babel" feel to this shot from the trailer that fills me with glee.

It's unclear if the parallel universe thing will come up in Walpurgis no Kaiten, but people have already spotted Magia Record witches in the trailer, and the entire game takes place in a single aberrant timeline, so if it's in the library, the library has to contain everything. How this works when MR has the doppel system, I have no idea, but also MR likely didn't exist in its current state when Urobuchi originally wrote the WnK script in 2014-5, so this is just Inu Curry taking the opportunity to squeeze in some more witches they designed for the game.

However, the MR anime, which Doroinu directed, ends with the doppel system collapsing and Iroha giving the "book" that represents her story to Madokami, appropriately titled "Magia Record". The title of the episode is "No One Knows Our Record", the implication being that magical girls are completely unknown except to the Law of Cycles.

One detail I like is that the English title is "reflected" in dark witch runes like shadows.

This book had a different cover and design than the books we see in the WnK trailer, but I think the general idea is the same--these books contain information about the witches (remember, "Magia" is also the name of the music that plays during witch battles in the original series) and are thus "records" of their existence. We see more of the books in a different shot,and some covers are quite elaborate, and others are a simple gold border; none appear to be "named" like the Magia Record book, or at least their titles are not visible in this shot.

It sure looks like this girl is rifling through the books to find something, doesn't it? Hmm....

The shot of one of these books opening in the second WnK trailer and runes spilling out suggests that more witches have emerged to complicate matters for Homura and the main cast, though "how" and "why" are open questions at this point. However, it's unclear if the books actually contain the witches/familiars themselves or merely information about them.

I think this shot could appear in a cryptic opening sequence that retroactively explains the entire plot, similar to Homura's soul gem falling through the window at the beginning of Rebellion, although the background lighting suggests it takes place in the same "blue" location that Sayaka is in above. TBD!

Giving away the entire plot in the beginning, but in a way that isn't obvious until afterwards, is a Madoka Magica tradition at this point.

Anyway, this is all a very roundabout way of saying that I think that when Sayaka starts having flashbacks about Oktavia, she's going to the library to do some research! And what she finds there will confirm her worst suspicions and likely trigger a whole new personal crisis where her loyalties will be tested and she is going to have to make some difficult choices.

[toyguyuniverse]

One thing many history books forget to put in them is shortly after Germany invaded Poland from the west, Stalin and the Soviets invaded from the east, because of the treaty Hitler had with Stalin. The Kaiten Forrest massacre of Polish officers and political prisoners was done by the Russian Army! Stalin sent wheat, nickle, and other vital war materials right up to midnight the day of the commencement of Operation Barbarossa.

[silveranimefan]

Today’s Manga: “The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting” (“Kumichou musume to sewagakari”) by Tsukiya

-Localized by Kaiten Books -Translated by Jenny McKeon -Lettering by Viet Phuong Vu -Editing by David Musto -Cover design by Kazushi Mizutani