#kawase rate

[grazer-razor]

smash ultimate, a game with bayonetta and pyra/mythra: gets rated cero A

umihara kawase & umaru-chan, who don’t act like complete thots like those 3 girls in smash do, yet their games still got rated cero B anyway:

(also the nichijou PSP game could very well have a cero B rating, too, so...)

(also, forgot about mario odyssey’s cero B rating too.)

[letterboxd]

Top 100 Films by Asian Women.

East Asian literature/film academic and Ann Hui fan Jessica Siu-yin Yeung explores our newest official list—the 100 highest-rated narrative feature films directed by Asian women—where she finds quiet icons biding their time as the movie lovers of the world catch up.

In celebration of Chloé Zhao’s historic Oscar wins, and to fill a major gap in film lovers’ lives, the team at Letterboxd has computed the 100 highest-rated narrative feature films directed by Asian women. The list is derived purely from ratings rather than popularity (a measure of all activity around a film), and there are several well-known directors on the list—Lulu Wang, Chloé Zhao, Mira Nair, Naoko Yamada, Alice Wu, Deepa Mehta—alongside many more waiting to be added to your watchlists.

Eligibility for the top 100 required that directors be of Asian heritage, regardless of where they were born, or where they make their films. It is, of course, a sweeping definition, encompassing directors of south, east and central Asian heritage from across the world (a list focused on west Asian filmmakers is still to come).

From such a wide net, it could be assumed that common ground may be hard to find. And yet, having watched the films and examined the list’s statistics, I’ve noticed interesting thematic discoveries that highlight the ways in which Letterboxd members have been watching—and appreciating—the endeavours of female Asian filmmakers from the last half-century.

I specify “last half-century” because the earliest film on the list is from 1982. By comparison, the earliest film on the official Letterboxd list of 100 highest-rated films by women is from 1926, and the earliest from the Official Letterboxd 250 is Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr., from 1924. As a comment on how the global film industry and film lovers alike have prioritized cinematic voices, this speaks volumes. In fact, just five films in the top 100 films by Asian women were released prior to this millennium.

‘Salaam Bombay!’ (1988), directed by Mira Nair.

Those five titles are from celebrated forerunners in their field. Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Mississippi Masala (1991), Ann Hui’s Boat People (1982), Deepa Mehta’s Fire (1996) and Naomi Kawase’s Suzaku (1997) are united in their humanitarian concerns for local, marginalized populations. From children in Mumbai slums and Vietnamese civilians under communist rule, to a cross-race relationship, lesbian love in India, and a Japanese family dissolving in the face of modernity, Nair, Hui, Mehta and Kawase have brought their documentarian interests to bear on their narrative filmmaking.

By earning selection in major film showcases, including the Hong Kong Film Awards (Hui), the Vancouver International Film Festival (Mehta), the Venice International Film Festival (Nair) and the Cannes Film Festival (Nair and Kawase), these directors’ endeavors paved the way for newcomers. Early success on the global stage might have seen these filmmakers labeled as arthouse directors, much like their auteurist male counterparts, such as Satyajit Ray, Wong Kar-wai and Yasujirō Ozu, who made films with interrelated themes and consistent styles.

But a tightly defined style is not a virtue of these four women, who straddle the arthouse-commercial divide, work across diverse media (fiction, documentary, television, short and feature films), and genres (comedy, romance, animation, fantasy, horror, crime and action). It seems that to be an Asian woman behind the camera is to be realistic rather than idealistic about the artistic visions they bring to life, to be flexible in managing different budgets and project sizes, and to be content with being regionally popular—until the world catches up.

‘A Simple Life’ (2011), directed by Ann Hui.

Genre-wise, the list’s 27 comedies and 35 romances testify as to how these shrewd directors have combined commercial appeal with their personal aspirations in order to build their careers. Accordingly, recognition has often come later in life than it did for their male counterparts. Take septuagenarian Hong Kong New Wave director Ann Hui. Of the more than 30 films she has made, two appear in the top 100: Boat People (1982) and A Simple Life (2011). The former, a socio-political feature, was banned in Taiwan and China, while the latter was an apolitical Hong Kong-mainland co-production, acclaimed by pan-Chinese and international audiences.

At 74, Hui is the same age as the Taiwanese New Wave male filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, who has enjoyed auteur status and critical attention ever since his film A City of Sadness won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion in 1989. Having worked diligently over the past four decades, Hui, however, only received her Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement last year (it was a small miracle that she was able to attend in person, thanks to Venice’s commitment to a real-life festival event in 2020).

“Diligence is fucking useless!” bursts Hui, in Man Lim-chung’s recent and moving documentary Keep Rolling (2020), a timely celebration of Hui and her storytelling. Her frustration in navigating the highly commercialized movie industry as a humanitarian female filmmaker is evident—and somewhat universal. Geopolitical sensitivities notwithstanding, female Asian filmmakers like Hui are sincere in making the most of their opportunities to shine a light on peoples’ plights, especially those suffering because of their gender or sexuality.

‘A Silent Voice’ (2016), directed by Naoko Yamada.

The new generation of Japanese and South Korean female filmmakers approach these themes creatively. Naoko Yamada and Shouko Nakamura use their deep understanding of Japan’s edge as the hub of East Asian popular culture to approach sensitive subjects through animation. Nakamura-san’s Dou kyu sei (‘Classmates’, 2016), is a sweet, 61-minute boys’ love story, while the highest-rated film in the top 100 is Yamada-san’s touching and gorgeous A Silent Voice (2016), which addresses disability and school bullying.

While this list focuses only on directors, it is important to note that, more often than not, these filmmakers also wrote their films, and that when they have worked with others, they are often loyal collaborators. A Silent Voice’s scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida, for example, has worked alongside director Yamada for years.

This feels important in the context of the “epidemic of invisibility”, as documented by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which recently found that only 5.9 percent of the speaking roles in major box-office films from 2007 to 2019 were played by Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI) actors. When writer-directors can shape their own cinematic worlds, stereotypes and under-representation become less of an issue. As a female Asian spectator, I find myself more likely to relate to characters in these 100 films, than in Hollywood representations of ‘Asian-ness’ such as Mulan (2020) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018).

Although East Asia is a stronghold for female filmmaking success—41 of the directors on the list are from the region—Southeast Asian filmmakers are up-and-coming. Films by directors from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam comprise eighteen of the list entries, and seventeen are helmed by Korean or Korean American directors (including Jennifer Yuh Nelson, making the list with Kung Fu Panda 2).

‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’ (2019), directed by Kim Do-young.

Released between 2001 and 2020, the South Korean films in the top 100 epitomize that country’s belated feminist filmmaking movement. Kim Do-young’s Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (2019) sits at the forefront of the movement, and is especially representative of the multitude of roles held by Asian female creatives as they work towards film careers. The story of a woman who struggles to reconcile her gender expectations, Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 was originally a novel written by television scriptwriter Cho Nam-ju, then adapted by Kim as her first feature film, after a career as an actress.

Before, and especially since Bong Joon-ho’s Academy Awards for Parasite (2019), he has made a habit of pointing film lovers towards female Korean directors, especially Yoon Ga-eun. Indeed, the Korean filmmakers on this list are well-celebrated at home: Lee Jeong-hyang’s The Way Home (2002), Boo Ji-young’s Cart (2014), July Jung’s A Girl at My Door (2014), Han Jun-hee’s Coin Locker Girl (2015), Lee Hyun-ju’s Our Love Story (2016), Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Us (2016), Jeon Go-woon’s Microhabitat (2017), Bora Kim’s House of Hummingbird (2018), Yim Soon-rye’s Little Forest (2018), Yoon Dan-bi’s Moving On (2019) and Hong Eui-jeong’s Voice of Silence (2020) have won or been nominated for the Blue Dragon Film Awards, also known as “the Korean Oscar”. I hope these filmmakers can also win major international awards someday—as long as voters can overcome the “one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles”.

A threshold of at least 1,000 ratings means that many films and directors who are highly celebrated by local audiences did not make this global list. This requirement explains why the godmother of Malaysian cinema, the late Yasmin Ahmad, is missing. Likewise, the list focuses only on narrative features, but that is no reason to sleep on the films of Vietnam’s celebrated documentarian, Trinh T. Minh-ha. A particularly surprising omission from this year: Jia Ling’s Hi, Mom. The hit comedy, the highest-grossing film by a solo female filmmaker of all-time, is a local phenomenon in China but yet to register with Letterboxd members.

‘Suzaku’ (1997), directed by Naomi Kawase.

The lesson here is watch, log and rate—if you can find the films, that is. To my surprise, Mira Nair’s Golden Lion winner Monsoon Wedding (2001) is the only film from the list currently in the Criterion Collection. As the ‘World of Wong Kar Wai’ box set, released in March this year, has become an instant bestseller, can we please also have the ‘World of Naomi Kawase/Mira Nair/Ann Hui’ and other younger filmmakers’ works, so that when we look up Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, we’ll not be offered Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid (1960)? Educators, I believe, would especially welcome the move; teaching the art of female Asian filmmakers requires the availability of such resources.

In fairness, many of the films are available on streaming platforms, and some of the filmmakers on this list have been widely celebrated. There was Ann Hui’s Venice honor last year, and Deepa Mehta’s Elements trilogy (Fire, Water, Earth) was in focus at the 2019 Busan International Film Festival. Currently, Japan Society has Naomi Kawase’s True Mothers streaming, and from South Korea, Jeon’s Microhabitat features in Hong Kong’s Independently Yours Korean Women Independent Film Series (running until July) and Boo’s Cart is in Korean Film Festival Canada’s Women’s Perspective in Korean Film season-two program, from September 30 to October 30 of this year.

‘Dead Pigs’ (2018), directed by Cathy Yan.

As international film festival programmers organize more retrospectives, and film archivists thrill at discovering prints from early- and mid-20th-century Asia, the boundless possibilities for showcasing more works by female Asian filmmakers remain largely unexplored.

For now, book yourself a ticket for Cathy Yan’s 2018 masterpiece Dead Pigs, number 64 on the list. Yan’s Birds of Prey predecessor is a social satire based on real events involving the Yangtze River, the aforementioned pigs, homing pigeons, noodles and class differences. Thanks to Film Movement, it’s in select real and virtual cinemas in the US now.

I look forward to seeing your lists of the ten, or twenty, or one hundred films by Asian women that you love the most.

Related content

Asian Women Directors: The Official Top 100 Narrative Feature Films

Keep Rolling, Man Lim-chung’s documentary on filmmaker Ann Hui, currently doing the festival circuit

R’s list of films directed by Korean women

Rahat’s list of the 100 Highest-Rated Chinese-Language Feature Films (including films from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong)

So Yun Um highlights ten underrated and under-seen Asian American and Pacific Islander films set against the backdrop of America

Follow Hayley Scanlon’s Windows on Worlds project for deep dives into East Asian cinema

Follow Jessica on Letterboxd

Header image: Ann Hui, photographed with camera, during her school days.

[chibimyumi]

Furukawa in the upcoming stage show INSPIRE Onmyouji, a visual spectacle.

Translation of the official website’s introduction:

Story

What the famous onmyouji Seimei (Oosawa Takao) is to exorcise is the darkness that resides in the heart. He expands the badda-sima barrier, and reconquers the light for the world!

The story takes place in the Heian Era. A mysterious solar eclipse continues to terrorise the city of Kyo.

The onmyouji Abe no Seimei rises up to answer his destiny to exorcise this unnatural phenomenon in the world.

For the time being the poet Semimaru (Yamamoto Kouji) is on watch, and yet great tragedy strikes at the ceremony of appeasing spirits he and his sworn friend Fujiwara Kaneie (Furukawa Yuta/Murai Ryouta) attends, even though a wedding ceremony with Tsukihime awaits Fujiwara the following day.....

A whirling sorrow, regret and thoughts of envy......

The story now takes place in Reiwa (current day). A thousand years have passed, and the world is yet again swallowed by the solar eclipse. Darkness resides in people’s hearts once again. The mysterious Ashino Michitaka (Taguchi Tomorowo) and the woman he has entrusted himself to, the psychological counselor Kawase Keiko (Yamamoto Chihiro) plan to make use of this tragedy.

At this rate the world will be engulfed in darkness.

Only he can prevent this unprecedented danger from coming. He has transcended a millennium, and Abe who lived a life of peace now appears in our world...

A maiden (Nagasawa Itsuki) with striking similarity to Tsukihime has appeared too, and now under guidance of Semimaru, her path crosses with Abe no Seimei and Fujiwara Kaneie once again in this world of chaos. The divine agents Hokuto (Matsuoka Koudai) and Nanto (Suzuki Jin) have bestowed their blessings upon Abe no Seimei, can he now stop the tragedy that has once again come to plague the world?

Link to Natalie.mu article

Link to PV of INSPIRE Onmyouji

[studyingfilms]

hanna rated Life can be so wonderful (2007) ⭐⭐⭐½

Life can be so wonderful, directed by Osamu Minorikawa, is a film divided in five short chapters (”Life can be so wonderful”, “Bar fly”, “Her favorite solitude”, “Snafkin liberty” & “Reasons to live”), each one following different characters and their ordinary lives. Narrated in voice over by the characters, the stories are pretty much their thoughts and reminiscences about life. Like a journal, those five people speak without motif other than expressing themselves. There is not necessarily a story to be told, but a point of view to express, a life lesson to pass on, a memory to remember, or a list of reasons to live. In this sense, at times, we almost feel like we are watching a subjective documentary (I was seriously disappointed when I remembered I actually wasn’t). Not only because of how real some of the characters and the stories feel like, but because a lot of the camera and editing choices emulate that too. Although each chapter have different aesthetics that best fit the story, they all have in common a grainy, hazy, filmy look, that reminds the cozy feeling of a home movie (or, as I felt like, the bittersweet feeling of watching someone pick the camera and film their home, their family and their thoughts because they are too scared to forget).

I gave Life can be so wonderful three and a half stars because I didn’t like all the chapters that much. My favorite one was “Reasons to live”, which alone earned half of my rating. The chapter is about a woman who returns to her mother’s house for a visit. With a late father, she wonders (for the first time, it seems) if her mother ever feels lonely inside that empty house, where everyone left (the daughter, included) but the memories, the belongings, the bedrooms and the traditions remained. She then comes to the conclusion she knows nothing about her mother. The chapter starts with her saying, in voice over, “My mother often tells me that I should never die before her. It has become her mantra to me. I always assure her and so far I have been keeping that promise.” Later, after receiving a night call mistaking her for someone else, she calls her mother to ask what is the meaning behind her name, Kanoko. Kanoko says “A name is something a person carries throught life”. Having a name, responding when someone calls your name, that is existing. And what is it that makes us alive? Acknowledging that other things exist, giving them purpose and meaning. And she too was given a name, a purpose and meaning. That is living and mostly, that is keeping a promise of staying alive. Which is why she then proceeds to list several things, evoking their names, their images, their significance to her. A tomato soup, a lucky charm, a gentle breeze, a street she walks by everyday. They have names, they are real, they are reasons to live. In this sense, I couldn’t help but remember Naomi Kawase’s Katatsumori (one of my favorite films, for sure) when she points the camera at things and shout their names. A list of the most ordinary things that make your heart beats faster. A bug, the sky, a thorn on your grandmother’s nose. Those are the reasons to live, the simple existence of the ordinary. And much like Katatsumori, Life can be so wonderful is about ordinary people living ordinary lives.

[stainedglassgardens]

Watched in August

The Stopover (Voir du pays) Our Time (Nuestro Tiempo) Never Rarely Sometimes Always Land of Silence and Darkness (Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit) Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans fusil) Spaceship Earth The Go-Go's First Cow Light of My Life Wadjda Spinster Love and Anarchy (Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero: stamattina alle 10, in via dei Fiori, nella nota casa di tolleranza...) Shapito Show (Шапито шоу) Charade Cat People Radioactive Tabloid The Mourning Forest ( 殯の森, Mogari No Mori) Lilya 4-ever (Lilja 4-ever)

Did not finish

Fat Fiction (Jennifer Isenhart, 2020)

I could take them or leave them

Light of My Life (Casey Affleck, 2019) Charade (Stanley Donen, 1693)

Good films

Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans fusil, Stéphane Lafleur, 2007)

Spaceship Earth (Matt Wolf, 2020): This is a documentary about Biosphere 2, which I have always been curious about, and my only criticism is that it wasn’t longer or more in-depth

The Go-Go's (Alison Ellwood, 2020): It doesn't really help rehabilitate the Go-Go's in my own very personal opinion but maybe it's something to like about this documentary, that it is so candid about the band being a bunch of mercenary opportunists...

Wadjda (Haifaa al-Mansour, 2012): It’s one of those “homework” films that spent years on my list... It wasn’t disappointing, really, just very conventional

Love and Anarchy (Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero: stamattina alle 10, in via dei Fiori, nella nota casa di tolleranza..., Lina Wertmüller, 1973): I’ve been curious about Lina Wertmüller forever! And I liked this, but there was a lot of yelling and I’m thinking her style might not be for me

Shapito Show (Шапито шоу, Sergey Loban, 2011): This is way too long and rambling but I watched it to help with my Russian and there are likeable bits to it, especially the first story which felt a lot more familiar than I would have liked

Radioactive (Marjane Satrapi, 2019)

Tabloid (Errol Morris, 2010): Errol Morris just never disappoints and this is another wild ride

The Mourning Forest ( 殯の森, Mogari No Mori, Naomi Kawase, 2007)

Films I really enjoyed

The Stopover (Voir du pays, Delphine and Muriel Coulin, 2016): This and Zero Motivation are now the only two army films I will tolerate

Our Time (Nuestro Tiempo, Carlos Reygadas, 2018): Well this was weird as hell! I’m going to put this in third position after Post Tenebras Lux and Silent Light but, as I have said already, this is probably one of the best films I have ever seen about “seeing other people”

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman, 2020)

Spinster (Andrea Dorfman, 2020): I wish there were more films about women finding peace with being a full person without a partner. Also loved how admittedly flawed, but not comically so, the main character was. Chelsea Peretti, obviously, is great

Lilya 4-ever (Lilja 4-ever, Lukas Moodysson, 2002)

Favourites of the month

Land of Silence and Darkness (Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit, Werner Herzog, 1971): This is a documentary about deaf-blind people in Germany, just very compassionate and amazing, it’s like a different world entirely

First Cow (Kelly Reichardt, 2019): Not my fave Kelly Reichardt but a flawless story all the same. Especially liked her depiction of masculinity

Cat People (Jacques Tourneur, 1942): Classy, understated horror at its best

*

In August I also rewatched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which I do from time to time since it’s one of my all-time faves and I really wanted to show it to my boyfriend, and Blue Valentine, which is also one of my favourites but which I had not watched in years because it always makes me cry like a baby.

I also watched all the Homemade segments directed by women on Netflix, out of which I would only really recommend Penelope by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

And I created a Letterboxd account! This feels way overdue and I’ve rated almost 400 films already.

[solns]

Hashihime of the Old Book Town

Would I recommend Hashihime of the Old Book Town? Abso-fucking-lutely. The routes are a hit or miss but the entire thing is undeniably worth the hassle to complete. It’s a MUST to play this story blind. There’s no actual choice here. It is, true to its definition--a visual novel. The only ‘choices’ you get are the branching routes. I HEARD THIS SHIT’S GOT A SEQUEL/FAN DISC. It’s got an epilogue and a couple of additional scenes! I need it! I’m gonna rate the game and then rank my best to least fav.

Story - 4/5

I would’ve given this a higher rating if it weren’t for the abrupt endings (it’s probably the reason why they released a version of this game with proper epilogues!) and the weird direction some of the routes went. However, the routes I did enjoy outshine the bad. There were a lot of plot twists I didn’t see coming. I rarely read murder mystery VNs. I think the closest would be 7’scarlet but that story pales in comparison to this one!

Characters - 4/5

I do love them despite their faults. Actually, it’s because of their faults that make them stand out from their character archetype. I feel like some love interests needed to be a lot more fleshed out— particularly Kaoru because he’s so flat. He doesn’t stand out at all. Even the side characters had more personality than him. The writers really did him dirty.

Music - 5/5,

I LOVE the soundtrack of this game. It reminds me so much of the OST for anime series Mononoke. I’m not a fan of a few tracks but that’s only because of their association with certain characters or scenarios. 

Art - 4/5

I wasn’t a fan of the art at first but it grew on me the more I played the visual novel. I’ve mentioned this before but it’s sort of reminiscent to Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei. It has an artistic feel to it. At one moment, we see somber dark colours, then the next it’s bursting with brightness and life. I just love the whole aesthetic of this game. A rainy town, an old bookshop, a writer with an overactive imagination, a diner that constantly plays jazz, a mystery waiting to be solved—all set in the Taisho era! YES. JUST YES.

Romance - 3/5

Not the main focus of the visual novel. At the end of nearly every route, Tamamori doesn’t seem certain of his feelings. I think it’s because he’s so dense and has never been in love before. I wouldn’t be surprised if he mistook ‘love’ as friendship since his idea of love (at first) is associated with lust. But there are romantic moments in this story... just not fluffy ones lol. If you’re into scenes that tugs your heartstrings, this one’s gonna wreck you.

OVERALL, 4/5! 

BEST ROUTE

Minakami > Professor > Kawase > Kaoru > Hanazawa 

Maybe it’s because Minakami was the first and it was the one that can’t be skipped but it was the best for me. It felt long, y’know? The whole thing started because of the death of Minakami and he jumped countless puddles to go back in time to see his friend live. He might say it’s only out of his loneliness but Tamamori has always been a contradictive person. He’s also incredibly dense/dumb (he even admitted it) so it took him a while to understand that the reason why he was so upset was because he wanted to be someone important in Minakami’s life. I’d argue that this route’s ending was too abrupt, but all of them were if I’m being honest. 

For me, Minakami’s story is the most ‘canon’ path. You’re never give a choice. In a sense, it’s like ‘Tamamori’ was the one who’s making the decisions, not us, the reader. Good choice, sweetheart. (By the way, did anyone notice Minakami’s blue eyes at the end of his route? It’s implied the power of the hashihime was passed back to him, which basically discredits Tamamori’s claim that he was doing it for himself-- meaning he does love Minakami!)

The Professor’s route was also pretty great. I like how his story went full-circle. Plus we got a glimpse of alternate realities! I’m not too keen on Tamamori hijacking another reality though. He should’ve went back to the last one he left. :\ He left a blind professor all alone with the corpses of the maids who took care of him since he was young. It’s fuckin’ depressing.

Kawase’s story was a pleasant surprise. I’m not quite sure how he reached to the conclusion that he loves the protagonist but I figured it was because he absorbed all the memories of future!Tamamori. I also love that scene where the two of them went through a fancy illusion chase scene. Kawase looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.  One thing that confused me though was that Kawase was the only one who can see the illusions. 

And this was answered in the true route. Kaoru’s. Surprise! Every route before this one is merely a delusion by Tamamori who’s unable to move on from the death of his childhood friends! What the fuck? At that point I wasn’t even surprised anymore considering the absurdity of the outer routes.

This route doesn’t feel like Kaoru’s route. it feels more like Tamamori’s. We never got to fully explore Kaoru’s backstory. His personality is just so flat. Yeah, he’s sweet but the whole thing rubs me off the wrong way. He acts like a kid. Normally I wouldn’t mind and might even find it cute but... Kaoru is his adopted son. It’s a pseudo incest relationship that’s there to keep them ‘sane’. I wouldn’t be surprised if the reason why Tamamori decided to start this pseudo incest relationship is because of the grief and loneliness they both felt. Their relationship feels incredibly codependent. I have a feeling if one of them dies, the other would go mad.

I’m putting Hanazawa’s last. Was it boring? No, but my god was it miserable. Easily the worst timeline. Almost everyone dies by Hanazawa’s hands. The rape scene made me feel uncomfortable and grossed out. I shrugged off the Tamamori/Kaoru sex but I couldn’t read Hanazawa’s. I had to skip it. The ending was shit too. They’re thrown back millions of years into the past so that Hanazawa can think on his sins as his own ‘hell’, but hey, Tamamori decided to tag along cuz he felt partially responsible for ruining Hanazawa. 

FAV CHARACTER

Kawase > Minakami > Professor > Kaoru > Hanazawa

I can’t believe I’m picking Kawase first. If you checked my first post about this game, it was a complaint about how much of a dick he is. But despite his terrible personality, he’s the most interesting character out of all of them. One moment he’s heartlessly ripping a forty page manuscript you’ve worked hard one, then the next moment he puts himself in front of a child to save him from harm. Minakami’s not far behind. Minakami’s the gentle type but he becomes terrifying when angry or serious! Love that gap moe.

I also like the professor but sometimes his apologies get on my nerves. His obsession towards Tamamori is kind of unnerving too. Dude crafted a special dildo for Tamamori modeled after his own dick. Bruh. Kaoru has no personality, man. I’m so sad. He could’ve been more. He barely did anything in his own route like what the hell? Wasted opportunity. 

Hanazawa’s the last. I didn’t think I’d hate him when I first started out. He seemed cute, blushing when he saw Tamamori with cat ears. But he pulled this emotionless bastard personality out of his ass-- He put his goal first over his friends. Even Kawase isn’t that heartless. It was... everything about Hanazawa  was disgusting. When I played his route I was so angry, now I just feel nothing but disappointment.

BEST LI FOR TAMAMORI

Minakami > Professor > Kawase > Kaoru > Hanazawa

Yeah, I’m definitely putting Minakami up top. I probably would’ve picked the professor if it weren’t for that romantic scene in the professor’s route of all places. I’m always a sucker for characters who love you in every route but are willing to bow out of the way for the sake of the other’s happiness. 

While the professor loves you in other routes as well, his reason for loving you feels so flimsy. The feelings of a childhood friend who’s always been by your side has more impact, y’know? And Minakami went back in time over 20 times to save Tamamori’s ass. Future!Tamamori approves as well since he was also in a relationship with another Minakami!

Still, I gotta give credit to the Professor to be the only one who actually went out of their way to help Tamamori save Minakami. He also triggers a motherly affection in me haha. He’s super adorable sometimes. This guy’s got the best blushing sprites. It’s also pretty rare to get a masochistic LI. I barely find them in other romance VNs. We always get a sadist lol so when the professor asked to be stepped on I was like YO. His smut scene was pretty damn kinky.

Ain’t it weird I’m putting Kawase above Kaoru? Kawase’s got his faults. Our resident germophobe sadist. He’s an ass most of the time-- but it tugged my heartstrings when he said he deeply loved Tamamori. That scene when he held Tamamori’s hand near his lips and whispered, “You’re special”. OH MY GOD. Made me weak in the knees even if he was joking around ughhhh shit. I don’t know, there’s just something about him that’s so magnetic. Honestly? The hottest smut scene (for me) would have to be this guy. Kawase made Tamamori pass out from the pleasure, haha. 

Kaoru is lower than Kawase simply because it feels like I’m dating a kid. It feels wrong, y’know? He barely speaks proper sentences because of PTSD. He behaves is like a pure child but has a high sexual apetite to the point that Tamamori locks the poor boy in the basement if he gets too horny. Wth? He’s such a shit dad. They’ve got a 14 year difference-- now normally I don’t mind age gaps but the fact that it was Tamamori who taught Kaoru lewd stuff? DUDE. NO. It doesn’t help that Kaoru is like a cheap version of Monshiro from Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, except Monshiro is a well-rounded character.

Hanazawa’s at the bottom again, sadly. You know, he would’ve been above Kawase and Kaoru if it weren’t for the fact that he’s been faking his attitude this whole time. I was happy over the little moments before shit hit the fan, y’know? When he hugged Tamamori to calm him down, when he caught Tamamori in his arms, when he was enjoying himself wearing the lie detector while Tamamori was wearing cute cat ears.

It broke my heart when he abandoned Tamamori just because he didn’t have the Hashishime anymore. I was sad but I didn’t mind. But then he burned down the bookshop with no remorse. Killed Kawase and Minakami in cold blood. Disregarded the Professor’s friendship. And then raped Tamamori multiple times because he thought it was a method to transfer the time travel powers to himself. His sins are unforgivable. That moment when he said he loved Tamamori was so out of the blue?? Like how? There’s no way Hanazawa loves him when all he’s done is make Tamamori sad. 

His attitude as a soldier in 1920s Japan is pretty accurate though. He always puts his country over his friends even if it meant murdering and betraying them. His reasoning is so aggravating. His true aim is freedom but what’s the point when he fucked everyone over to get there? Not gonna lie tho-- that scene when Tamamori’s desperate to save him despite all the awful things he did was the best thing in his route. The way Hanazawa’s crying laughter turned into ugly sobbing... It had to most impact for me, like he didn’t know what to do with the himself. I think they should’ve went with that direction and made him truly repentant. Not that dumbass ending with the time-travel-to-prehistoric-era. 

[mi-ma-mo]

How it Should Have Been

Character(s): Tamamori, Minakami, the shopkeeper and Madam. Mention of most characters.

Ratings: T for Teen and up audiences

Summary: Tamamori wants a happy future for all his friends, even if that means destroying the futures he has been going through hell and back for.

Author’s Note: The 5th route of Hashihime of the Old Book Town was quite the disappointment and didn’t give me the closure I wanted, so I went ahead and rewrote the ending myself. The story picks up after Tamamori takes the bead necklace with him, but then goes into a different direction.

Read it here or on AO3. Enjoy!

Rain fell in drops from the grey sky. When Tamamori suddenly woke up, he was lying in front of Umebachidou. He brushed off the dirt, stood up, and headed toward Umebachidou on shake legs.

This was all wrong. How many more times would he have to make the same mistake? To see his friends die? He had lost count of how many times he had jumped through a puddle from a broken future.

It was then that a string of beads crunched under his shoe. Tamamori lifted his foot and stared at the bead necklace at his feet. It looked out of place, so he picked it up from the muddy ground. He fiddled with the beads, which calmed him down slightly. The fog in his mind slowly began to clear up, allowing him to consider his next move. 

“Ow!” Tamamori suddenly cried out. He looked at his hand and found a splinter sticking out of his thumb. It must have come from one of the beads he had been fiddling with. 

Grimacing, he pulled the splinter out. He watched a tiny droplet of blood form on his thumb. His clothes weren’t exactly clean at the moment, so he opted for licking the blood off instead. 

The taste of iron spread through his mouth as he sucked on his thumb. It reminded him of something, but what he couldn’t tell. There was a memory pushed in the back of his mind, giving him a feeling of déjà vu. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on that memory, but found it painful to do so. The closer he came to remembering, the more his stomach began to hurt. 

He wanted to pull back, to be returned to reality, then he noticed another memory somewhere in the back of his mind, and another one, and another one. Long since had he lost track of how many times he had repeated the same three days, but these memories… they were not his. Or, at the very least, it hadn’t been him who had experienced them. This troubled him.

Then, he remembered. Professor and explained to him that he was just hopping from one world to another. He was stuck in world B, repeating it over and over. But what if… he wasn’t the only Tamamori repeating the same world? One could have started in world C, but now found himself repeating world D. Another from E, repeating world F, and so forth. Somehow that made sense to him, even if the thought did make his head hurt. 

Parallel universes. There could be so many Tamamoris out there, all making their own mistakes and watching their friends die as they tried to find… a better ending. It didn’t seem impossible to him now, but that wouldn’t explain why the memories of other Tamamori seemed to be in his reach. 

“I don’t get it,” he said after taking his thumb out of his mouth. 

Defeated he stared at the bead necklace once more, almost hoping as if Buddha or any God out there would hear his plea for answers. He furrowed his brows when the beads revealed something unexpected. There was a layer of black paint on the beads which made it hard to see, but four of the beads had the characters for the phrase ‘shinjitsu no koi’ or ‘true love’ engraved in them. After taking in the sight for a moment, Tamamori suddenly felt that he knew what he had to do. 

He wasted no time in returning to Umebachidou. Using all his strength, he pushed the doors open and made a dramatic entrance. There, the storekeeper stood in front of the register. The look in his piercing blue eyes told Tamamori that he had been expecting him. Tamamori glanced down at the wet clothes on the floor just for a moment. The manuscript next to them was gradually soaking up what had remained of his other self. It seemed the storekeeper had beaten him to taking the hashihime’s power. 

“Perfect timing,” Tamamori said as he closed the doors of Umebachidou behind him. “You’re just who I wanted to see.”

Tamamori smiled at him as he revealed the bead necklace. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew what he had to do next. He pulled on the necklace until it snapped. The moment it did, the world changed. Bright, bold colours appeared everywhere, turning the musty bookstore into a world of wonder. The beads fell on the now festive looking floor and rolled away. 

He hadn’t counted the number of beads the necklace had before, but the number of beads rolling over the floor exceeded the number it could have been by many. The hundreds of beads started glowing light blue as they scattered. In each of them was a fragment of a memory. They were all his, even if he hadn’t been the one who had experienced them himself. The countless memories he had made with Kawase, Hanazawa, Professor... Minakami. He didn’t need to look at them to remember, they were all so clear to him. As clear as if they had taken place only yesterday. 

Laughing his signature laugh, Tamamori spread his arms wide. 

“It’s not useless! I’ve beaten you before! You can’t touch me. You can’t stop me. Even if you stop me, another me will follow in my place. We won’t give up. You… You are the only one of us who has given up.”

No reaction. The storekeeper didn’t speak, not did his face betray any of his feelings. Tamamori lowered his arms, but he didn’t stop laughing. 

“You must feel pretty silly right now. You went back in time, and for what? To save the world or whatever? I’m perfectly capable of doing that on my own. I can stop them without the need to take their lives. Don’t you see? With this, I can make them understand. I… We can change the future.”

The storekeeper hadn’t been looking at him during his spiel. Instead, he had been studying one bead in particular. He held it between his thumb and forefinger. The blue light reflected in his glasses. It was the storekeeper who finally broke the silence between them. 

“This bright future with Minakami… Can you make such a bright future with him and everyone else?”

“Of course I can!” Tamamori replied, approaching his future self with confident steps. The beads under his feet rolled away by themselves before he could step on them. “Wasn’t it you who pushed me to my limit? That limit has long since broken, I’ve gone beyond what just one person can achieve in the same three days. You can’t stop me.”

The storekeeper looked up at him and smiled. The rain outside drowned out the noise of tears falling to the floor. “I won’t try to stop you, not anymore, but I can’t believe in such a future. She won’t allow it. Those with her power can never save someone without paying the price.”

“And I will pay that price! I will pay it a thousand times over.”

The storekeeper was confused. He opened his mouth as if wanting to speak, but then closed it. Shaking his head, he held out his hand with a bead inside of it. Knowing what to do, Tamamori reached out his hand as well. The storekeeper placed the bead inside his hand before becoming nothing more than a pile of wet clothes on the floor. 

Tamamori sharply inhaled through his nose, barely stopping tears from rolling down his face. Despite everything the storekeeper had made him go through, Tamamori still felt a sense of gratefulness somewhere in his heavy heart.

Clenching the bead with his happy future with Minakami, Tamamori moved forward. Colours and shapes were dancing on the shoji that led to the storekeeper’s room. He slid the door open without hesitation and was greeted by an unexpected scene. 

Water rushed from the opened room to the front of the bookstore. The beads were lighter than the water and were swept up into the new space. The water was reaching his hips when Tamamori stepped through the shoji. On the other side was Suidou Bridge, albeit be it in more saturated colours. Looking up at it he saw her. 

The hashihime squinted her eyes at him as he entered her domain. Her loose white robes revealed that her skin was sickeningly pale, almost as white as the robes in question. Despite being out of the water, her black hair seemed to move on its own as if moving weightless underwater. She was also carrying five lit candles, three were placed on her hand and two were in her mouth. 

“I’ve come to make a deal,” Tamamori began, trying his hardest not to make his voice waver now that he was in her presence. The hashihime smiled, causing the two candles in her mouth to point upwards. 

“You cannot safe them without paying the price,” she spoke without moving her mouth. “For each life you safe, I take a life. I want to safe them all, but you cannot pay the price. You have but one life to give.”

“N-No…” So far for not making his voice waver. Tamamori inhaled a shaky breath before he continued. “I can, I can pay the price! I can pay it a thousand times over. You just haven’t realized it yet.”

The candles in the hashihime’s mouth moved downward and Tamamori felt her rage in the waters around him. 

“Please, allow me to explain! It’s true, I can pay the price. In exchange for one bright future with my friends by my side and no blood on our hands, I want to offer you these!” 

Tamamori gestured around him to all the floating glowing beads. Her eyes pierced through his soul as she considered his offer. The laugh that passed her lips was chilling. 

“You would forsake yourself and the futures you fought so hard for? You do realize the gravity of what you are offering? If I were to take these experiences, these worlds would disappear.”

“That’s fine! That counts right? I would be sacrificing everyone’s lives over multiple worlds. You don’t even need that many, but here I am, offering them to you anyway.”

Tamamori clenched the bead with his future with Minakami in his hand. He was offering all the others, but not this one. As long as she didn’t know…

As if sensing his fear, the hashihime lowered her eyes to his hand. Her worn robes moved as she pointed her bony finger at the bead he was hiding. “I will take just that one as payment.”

Tamamori blinked to stop tears from escaping his eyes. The water was rising, but he paid it no mind. Frantically he gestured around him again. 

“I’m offering you these hundred others. Surely they must be worth more.”

She laughed again. The sound left Tamamori shaken. 

“Not to you.”

Tamamori clenched hand trembled. He was able to give everything up, everything he and his other selves had worked for, but… not this future. This Minakami and Tamamori should be left alone. Hadn’t they suffered enough? Hadn’t they lost enough? 

In desperation, or maybe it was actually a sly move, Tamamori covered his mouth with his hand and took the bead into his mouth. He swallowed it, then showed his empty hand to the hashihime. 

“……..Just kidding. There is nothing in my hand.”

Some yokai were easier to deal with if you knew the right answer to give them. As far as Tamamori knew there was no way to bargain with a hashihime or any trick to escaping her wrath. He had just acted on impulse. 

The hashihime smiled before jumping off the bridge. When her body made contact with the water it seemed to have no impact. It didn’t splatter or make any ripples, she was just gone. 

Suddenly, Tamamori got yanked down roughly. He gasped and was able to get his lungs full of air before disappearing under the water’s surface. The floor he had been standing on just a moment ago had disappeared, and now a seemingly endless abyss of water was under him. 

The bony hands around his ankle, pulling him down, possessed a strength he couldn’t match. Air bubbles escaped his mouth as he tried to kick the hands off, but it was of no use. The sharp nails of the hashihime pierced his skin like a predator’s teeth. 

Tamamori couldn’t swim, so he desperately tried to claw upwards. As the surface moved further and further away, the shining beads began to sink as well. Their decent was peaceful, beautiful even. They spiralled downwards, forming some kind of flower pattern as they too were taken by the abyss. 

“Smart boy. Clever, clever boy.” The hashihime’s voice was distorted underwater, giving it a killing edge. “I’m jealous, so jealous. You find no value in yourself, and yet you are surrounded by people with a deep love for you.”

It was no use. Tamamori no longer had the strength in him to kick at the hands around his ankles. He grimaced as he tried to hold his breath just a little longer, clinging to life as his tears got lost in the water. 

“And yet you are truly selfish. You aren’t doing this for anyone but yourself. Not even for your other selves, just for you. How cruel. You put me to shame. I am but a fair maiden next to your monstrous form. Kekekeke.”

The hashihime’s words barely registered with Tamamori. He gasped and the last air in his lungs escaped him. Darkness was creeping around the edges of his vision. 

“It’s a deal.”

--------------------  

Tamamori’s back arched when he hit the ground hard. Clutching his chest, he rolled over to one side before coughing up the water in his longs. Tears clung to the corners of his eyes as the water came out of him in waves. His stomach was empty so he didn’t throw up any food, but after heaving for a while he did manage to spit the bead out he had swallowed before. 

His breathing was hard and rigid, and because of the ringing in his ears he hadn’t heard the sound of a door sliding open nor the hurried footsteps approaching him in the rain. 

“Tamamori?” Minakami spoke beside him, worry in his voice. “What is going on? Why are you…”

Minakami pushed Tamamori’s shoulder, turning him over so that he was laying on his back again. Little specks of blue lights were dancing around in Tamamori’s vision as he looked up at Minakami. 

“Stop making a ruckus and come inside,” Madam’s voice came from somewhere. Tamamori couldn’t place where. 

“Ah, y-yes!” Minakami replied before sliding an arm under Tamamori. While supporting his back, he made him sit up straight. “Can you stand?”

Tamamori couldn’t tell if the water streaming down his face was the rain or his tears, but he supposed it didn’t matter either way. The warmth of Minakami’s arm around him and the hand supporting his back gradually seeped through his soaked clothes. 

“Mm…” Tamamori hummed, unable to give a better reply. 

Minakami supported him as they rose from the ground. If it hadn’t been for Minakami’s support, Tamamori’s legs would have given out immediately. Tamamori didn’t even have the strength to cling to Minakami as they made their way inside. 

After stepping through the shoji, Tamamori was surprised to see his room. Not his room in Umebachidou, but rather the room Madam had given him when he had still been living in her house. This is where Minakami’s study room should have been, but instead, there were manuscripts everywhere and Tamamori’s goldfish swum happily in his bowl on the edge of the desk. 

No sooner had Minakami gently placed him down on the tatami mats or Madam stormed into the room. Her eyes showed concern for just a moment, before her face twisted in a look of disgust.

“Why are you wearing these rags? Are you making fun of me?”

“Huh? Ah, well… I….” 

Tamamori didn’t know how to reply to that. These were the clothes he always wore. Madam shook her head and angrily walked up the closet. She pushed the sliding door open with more force than necessary before retrieving a clean and dry set of clothes in his size. She handed them to Minakami while keeping eye contact with Tamamori. 

“At least wear the clothes I made you, you ungrateful brat. Quick, get into them before a fool like you manages to catch a cold.”

Having said her piece, Madam stormed out of the room leaving Minakami and Tamamori in awkward silence. 

“…What was that about?” Tamamori finally asked. 

Minakami shook his head and frowned slightly as he began to strip Tamamori down. 

“You should consider Madam’s feelings once in a while. You’re always so engrossed in your manuscripts that you haven’t noticed how many nights she left her lights on to work on your clothes.”

“What?! That makes no sense. Why… why would she…” Tamamori’s train of thought was interrupted when Minakami started to unbutton his shirt. “W-Wait! I can do it myself.”

Tamamori pushed himself back on the tatami mats, creating some distance between himself and Minakami. Tamamori waited for Minakami to leave, but when neither of them moved he sighed and began undressing in front of him. He bit his bottom lip in an attempt to not get too embarrassed about it. 

While undressing, he noticed something was off about the Minakami sitting in front of him on his knees. Instead of his uniform, Minakami was wearing a simple white shirt. 

“Why aren’t you in your uniform?” 

“My uniform?” Minakami repeated, clearly confused. “What use would a roninsei have for a school uniform?”

…What?

How could Minkami admit that truth so easily? Minakami hadn’t admitted to being a roninsei a single time in the three days Tamamori had repeated without end, not unprompted anyway. 

Tamamori’s breath caught in his throat when suddenly Minakami placed a warm hand on his forehead. 

“You’re acting weird. What happened to you?”

“Nyahaha,” Tamamori laughed. He gently moved Minakami’s hand away. “I made a deal with a hashihime is all.”

Minakami’s bright blue eyes opened wide, it was then that Tamamori noticed they had that colour for the first time. Oh…

“Kidding! Just kidding. I must have been getting lost in one of my fantasies again after reading about the hashihime. Nyahahaha!”

“I see…..”

Wasting no more time, Tamamori rose from the floor and quickly got out of his soaked clothes. They did look like rags next to the handmade clothes Madam had worked on tirelessly. The new clothes were dry and warmed his body and heart. He also made sure to take off his shoes now that he was inside. 

“You should change to, Minakami. Your clothes are also wet.”

Minakami looked down at his damp clothes. He had rushed outside without putting on any shoes, so his socks were muddy and wet. He took them off immediately before standing up and heading to his room with Tamamori’s wet clothes in his arms.

“I will be right back.”

Tamamori nodded as he watched Minakami leave. That left him with some time to think, alone. He closed his eyes and searched his mind for answers about this world he had suddenly found himself in. He… remembered. 

After failing his entrance exam he had swallowed his pride and gotten on his knees to beg Madam to let him stay. Strangely enough, he clearly remembered Minakami by his side, begging for the same right to stay. She had shaken her head and said something along the lines of ‘Boys will be boys’ before allowing them to stay in her home again. Naoshi-kun had giggled behind her back. 

Umebachidou didn’t exist in this world, or at least not as it had in the worlds passed. The storekeeper hadn’t travelled back in time to buy the place. Instead, Hanazawa and Professor had bought it and started a business together. The store was called Tinkering Toys and they sold Professor’s inventions. After Tamamori had written an article about it in a local newspaper the store’s popularity had exploded with kids and adults alike, but ah… he was getting ahead of himself. 

Hanazawa and Professor hadn’t gotten far in their military ranks. After their meeting, Hanazawa no longer sought after adventure in the form of machines of destruction. Instead, he found he was perfectly happy imagining fantasy adventures with the toys Professor made. Hanazawa didn’t have the skill to make these toys himself, but if Tamamori were to believe Professor then their brainstorming sessions always reached new heights because of Hanazawa’s enthusiasm and imagination. They both had quit working for the military in search of their dream of sharing these toys with the world. 

Kawase was doing well and also working towards his dream. He was at the top of his class, but his academic success didn’t come to him naturally. Not to say he wasn’t a genius, because he was! But he was aiming for something so much higher. He wouldn’t rest until he was the best doctor in all of Japan. 

There was no doubt in Tamamori’s mind that he would succeed and grab that honourable title. At the very least Kawase had the work attic needed to reach that dream. Tamamori clearly remembered coming over to Kawase’s mansion and gently placing a warm blanket over his sleeping form after he had fallen asleep behind his desk. That memory was especially clear, so it must have happened multiple times. 

Their relationship was nowhere as sadist as it had been in the previous worlds. In this world, the adults of their home village had involved the police and Kawase’s dad had been arrested for domestic violence. As a result, Kawase hadn’t killed his dad, and Hanazawa’s dad had been spared too. Not to mention… Kawase hadn’t tried to kill Tamamori either, which meant Minakami hadn’t needed to travel back in time and time again to try and save him. 

The Kawase in this world had also been adopted by Ikeda, but as far as Tamamori knew the old man had never laid a finger on his friend. Ikeda had died of a heart attack one day and although he and Kawase hadn’t grown particularly close in the short time they had lived together, it had been clear to Tamamori that the funeral had been hard on Kawase. Tamamori had started visiting the Ikeda Mansion more often after that, which Kawase pretended to despise. They would bicker with the front gate between them for some time before Kawase would let out a sigh and say he wasn’t happy about this. That was a lie because he hadn’t sent Tamamori away even once. 

As for Tamamori’s relationship with Minakami, well… Tamamori wasn’t quite sure what it was they had at the moment. They were both roninsei and had been studying hard to be able to pass the entrance exam of the Imperial University for two years now. Tamamori was taken his studies seriously this time around, but of course, that meant he would stay up late to make time for writing his manuscripts. 

He hadn’t published anything as of yet. That being said, he was writing for their local newspaper to make some money on the side. It wasn’t as exciting as immerging himself in his fantasies, but the pay was good and his peers appreciated the effort he put into writing about the happenings in and around their district. 

Tamamori seemed to meet eccentric people no matter where he went, so he found always something exciting to write about. Sometimes he did some investigating in local rumours. Other times he would write about a new store which had opened. He only wrote about small everyday things, but the way he wrote about them gave the stories the extra flair they needed to gain interest. 

He didn’t think much of these stories, but there was one story in particular he was proud of. Jinbouchou's Irregulars Regiment had uncovered a scandal, one that didn’t involve Kawase. Because Naoshi knew he was working with a local newspaper he had come with the story to him first. Tamamori clearly remembered frantically taken notes when Naoshi told him about the scandal for the first time. He had worked hard to write the story with the gravity and justice it deserved. 

Of course, Naoshi had brought the story to other newspapers as well, he had wanted to make a splash, but the sales of Tamamori’s newspaper still had been the highest in that week. Word on the street had been that all the juicy details could be found in the local newspaper and they had been right about that. The only other time Tamamori had gone through so many all-nighters was when he had been repeating the same three days over and over again. 

The orphans of the Jinbouchou's Irregulars Regiment had been adopted and lived happy lives in their new homes, but they would still meet up often and play detectives, always looking for the next big scandal to uncover. Naoshi joined them under his off hours. 

This world’s Tamamori hadn’t figured out that the waitress surviving him every day in his favourite café was none other than Naoshi himself, so Tamamori decided to keep that knowledge to himself there and then. When Naoshi would feel comfortable coming out as a woman he would be ready for it… and ask Professor for his help while he was at it. 

“Tamamori? Tamamori?!”

Minakami was shaking him by his shoulders when Tamamori opened his eyes. He had been so occupied exploring his memories that he hadn’t noticed Minakami had returned. Tamamori smiled at him and Minakami returned that smile reluctantly. 

“You really are an idiot,” Minakami sighed as he gently brushed some hair out of Tamamori’s face. He leaned in closer and pressed his lips against Tamamori’s forehead. They were warm and soft, causing Tamamori’s heart to skip a beat.

R-Right… His relationship with Minakami was complicated. He showed him the same amount of affection Naoshi showed around his friends, kissing his forehead and pulling him in an embrace unprompted. It was exactly because Tamamori had seen Naoshi display the same level of affection to his friends that it left him confused as to where his relationship with Minakami stood currently. 

Even in this seemingly perfect world, Tamamori was struggling with loneliness and the concept of friendship and love. That was why his fantasies still kept him company when there was no one else around. 

“Eeeeehhhh? Tamamori-san! What is going on?!”

Speaking of the devil. The frog man was currently making a fuss around his feet, running circles around him at high speed. 

“Minakami-kun k-ki-kissed you! Kissed you right on the forehead! Aaaahhh, I’m so happy for you. So very happy.”

“Be quiet!” Tamamori said to the frog man, not lowering his voice in the slightest because he knew Minakami couldn’t hear him talk when he was conversing with his hallucinations. “You’ve seen him kiss me many times before, right? Stop making such a fuss!”

“Aaaaahhh but Tamamori-saaaannnnn. Every! Single! Time! He kisses you, I just get so overwhelmed!” 

The frog man was now rolling on the tatami mats back and forth and showing no sign of slowing down. He presented Tamamori’s childlike innocence and dreams… sort of, so it was no surprise that he would get this excited every time Minakami showed affection to him. 

“W-Well! Get used to it! Before you know it we’ll be doing much more!”

The frog man stopped moving and slowly came to sit up straight. His big round eyes were sparkling as he looked up at Tamamori. 

“More? Oh! Is it finally that time?! I’m so happy, Tamamori-san. You’re finally going to confess to him.”

“Nobody said anything about confessing! Idiot!”

Minakami giggled, almost as if he had somehow been able to follow that whole conversation. He pressed the back of his hand to one of Tamamori’s cheeks. His hand was cool to the touch, or maybe that just meant Tamamori’s face was burning up. 

“Maybe you are coming down with a fever after all. What am I going to do with you?” Minakami spoke softly. Suddenly, he took Tamaori’s hand and placed something inside of it. “I found this outside. Is it yours?”

Tamamori looked at the item in his hand and saw it was the bead he had spit out before. He brought it closer to his face and studied it for a moment. It was one of the four beads which had something engraved in it. If you looked at it closely, you could read the symbol for ‘love’. 

Silence hung between them, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Minakami rubbed his left arm with his right hand as his gaze wandered elsewhere. A rosy colour dusted his cheeks as he smiled to himself. Tamamori’s fist clenched around the bead in his hand for a few moments as he tried to take deep breaths. All he could think as he looked at Minakami was that this had to be love. 

His free hand gently grabbed Minakami by his chin and turned his face so he could look deep into his bright blue eyes. It pained him to see those eyes, but at the same time, they were a testament to the long journey he had taken to get here. 

The hashihime had taken the futures of so many Tamamori’s, of that he was certain, and yet… he still remembered everything. The good and the bad. Mostly the bad, honestly, but the reason he had faced all of these hardships, again and again, was standing right in front of him.

Tamamori closed his eyes when he leaned in and closed the distance between their lips. His breath caught in his throat when Minakami returned the kiss with full force without hesitation. 

“Ngh!” 

To think Tamamori would be the one to be taken by surprise here. Still, he didn’t allow his momentary confusion to distract him. He gasped as he parted his lips, allowing Minakami to deepen their kiss if he so desired. Minakami’s fingers curled into Tamamori’s hair as he eagerly took in more of Tamamori. They both groaned softly into the kiss in between shaky breaths and sloppy noises. 

Tamamori’s heart was racing in his chest when Minakami finally broke the kiss. Being so caught up in the moment, Tamamori stood there with his eyes closed longer than was necessary. When he did open his eyes, he was greeted by a sight he could never forget. Minakami had taken the hand which had been holding his chin and was gently pressing it against his face. 

“Minakami, I…” Tamamori swallowed hard, his eyes out of focus as he came up with the right words to say. “……I’m home.”

Minakami giggled and suddenly his bright blue eyes had a warmth to them Tamamori had never seen before. 

“Welcome home.”

[womenofcine]

あん (Sweet Bean) (2015)

Dir. Naomi Kawase

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Rating: 4/5

“Sweet Bean” is a honeyed film that trickles slowly, but it’s not cloying. Framed by the annual return of the cherry blossoms, the film meditates on stories, details, and hunger for connection. It has a fast moving city backdrop that blurs in and out of focus that the protagonists seem to exist outside of. It’s the heartfelt loneliness of its protagonists that gives the film purpose as we move forward slowly—almost as if we are pushing through fresh, sticky an (sweet red bean paste—and the title of the film).

An is the unifier of the film. Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) is a quiet dorayaki—a kind of Japanese pancake dessert—stand owner. He goes about his days tending to his carefully crafted cakes with little interaction with others. Though his dorayaki is happily consumed by chatty teens, his bargain brand an filling is substandard. In this case—store bought is not fine. This draws in the delightful Tokue (Kirin Kiki), an elderly woman with visible physical disability to her hands, to apply for a part time job at Sentaro’s stand. And after multiple refusals, in typical food appreciative narratives, he is so moved after trying her legendary an that he hires her on the spot.

What follows are gorgeous, loving shots of Tokue’s process and deep appreciation to all that came together in nature to make her red bean paste come to life. A scene that is a film within itself With the reverence of a sommelier master and a beloved terroir—Tokue sings praise of the fields and journey the beans have experienced and produces a perfect an long before the rest of the world has risen. Naturally, the dorayaki have a “trendy stand at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg” effect. They sell out, day after day.

Kawase captures her actors in intimate close shots, blurring them out of the world they struggle to be a part of, but also allowing us to be privy to the sublime performances by the lead actors that are quiet and filled with restraint.

“Sweet Bean” is a love story to the forgotten fringe’s of our society. To those who seek and simultaneously repel the comfort of constant companionship. It’s a study in looking beyond what you know to find what it is you need.

[fxasker-blog]

what is a cfd with FXPRIMUS?

what is a cfd with FXPRIMUS? Read More http://fxasker.com/question/b1eb6f06f9ad1be8/ FXAsker

[afreakingdork]

Review: My Roommate Is a Cat

“ Novelist Subaru Mikazuki, who is shy and not good with other people, and Haru, the cat that has been living a severe stray life. This is a story of them suddenly living together and describes the happiness of living together from both points of view. “

Uwaaaaaahhh!!! If you had told me that this seemingly cute nothing cat show was going to have me crying and feeling so many emotions I would have told you that you were crazy!!! This show seems like a deceptive cute explosion, but is instead an incredibly well woven tale of tragedy and moving on. I’ll really have to scrounge the bottom of the barrel for complaints, but let’s save that for... 

Criticism: 

I will hear Kawase saying Haru-chan in my nightmares. it was so high pitched and screechy. I totally get why she would hiss at him endlessly. 

Positives: 

I have no idea how the author did it, but it feels like they truly got inside of the mind of a cat. I adore how the show alternates between a human’s perspective and then a cat’s (or sometimes another animal’s) perspective. It just seems so real, like I almost feel like I might understand how my own animals are feeling now after watching this show. 

The cinematic parallels are...well, unparalleled! In episode 2 "I Call to You" when Subaru is having his social anxiety confusion meltdown at the pet store with Okami, they keep cutting between their conversation and a hamster running in a wheel. By the time the conversation has completely derailed and everyone realizes how messed up it is, the tension snapping is shown through the hamster suddenly losing control and going spinning wildly. That’s just incredible writing. 

In episode 3 "I Touch You" I got sucker punched with tears. I can’t believe his parents were trying so hard to help him, but never force him. What incredible people. Everyone in this show is flawed in their own way, but they are some of the most kind people on the planet. I strive to be even half the person they are. 

I got sucker punched again by Taro in episode 4  "For You." He perfectly illustrates how animals understand and don’t understand us at the same time. They can feel our emotions and how much love we put into them. 

These are two best friends. The bestest of friends. Hotaru is the bestestest friend that could ever be. He didn’t have to do everything he did for Subaru, but he did it because he knew Subaru was a good person and if that isn’t how you pick your friends then I just don’t know what you are doing with your life. Surround yourself with good people... 

All of the phantom hand shots I think are an incredible way to illustrate how narrow sighted an animal can be when it’s scared or surprised. It’s a perspective that seems so obvious, but I never would have considered. 

Hey anime industry, take notes! This is how you illustrate a family that looks like they are actually related to one another: 

I just cannot stress how incredible the writing of this show is. Everything ties into everything and there is not one detail that is done just to be done. It’s so unlike most cutesy anime this day where stuff is done just to show how cute something is. In a good story it can be cute while also adding to the overall narrative. IT’S JUST AMAZING WRITING!!! 

I know what it’s like to lose a family member and I can’t stress how well this show demonstrates loss. 

Also I just have to say, I am in love with Subaru in all the best ways. 

Verdict: 

Check out what I’m watching or other shows I’ve rated here. I also have a ko-fi if you like what I do~

[successpolh]

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[operationrainfall]

REVIEW: Umihara Kawase BaZooKa!

REVIEW: Umihara Kawase BaZooKa!

Title Umihara Kawase BaZooKa! Developer Success Corporation, Studio Saisenzen Publisher ININ Games Release Date October 20, 2020 (PS4, Switch) May 28, 2020 (PC) Genre Competitive party game Platform PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch Age Rating ESRB: Everyone 10+ Official Website It’s kind of crazy to see how no less than 8 years ago, Umihara Kawase was a series that was pretty much on the verge of…

[junkielee]

[Film Review] Sweet Bean (2015)

English Title: Sweet Bean Original Title: An Year: 2015 Country: Japan, France, Germany Language: Japanese Genre: Drama Director/Screenwriter: Naomi Kawase based on the novel by Durian Sukegawa Music: David Hadjadj Cinematography: Shigeki Akiyama Cast: Masatoshi Nagase Kirin Kiki Kyara Uchida Miyoko Asada Miki Mizuno Etsuko Ichihara Taiga Rating: 7.4/10

Internationally acclaimed Japanese auteur…

[chibimyumi]

INSPIRE Onmyouji

Dear Everyone,

Suddenly there’s been an announcement that INSPIRE Onmyouji shall release a DVD and that the slightly cheaper option will only be available until the end of this this month. But understandably a lot of people would hesitate to buy it with so little information about the show.

There seemed to be some need for a bit more information, so I shall give you my personal review (^▽^)/ based on the live stream of 03/01/21 (unfortunately it was only available if you have access to a Japanese phone number and credit card... that’s why I didn’t announce it... sorry.)

Click here for the post containing the DVD purchase link and related goods, and please use #proxy to find proxy options. Please note that I shall not answer proxy related questions anymore that I have already answered. 

This post shall be divided into a total of five parts with a spoiler free, and spoiler section.

1. Spoiler Free Rating

Story: ⭐⭐⭐★★: It’s really simple, nothing that blows your mind. It’s only a 90 minute show (half of the usual) so there’s not a lot of building here. But it’s a visual spectacle show, so the emphasis is not on the story, which is fine.

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐★★: The three protagonists are all really enjoyable, but the villain is sadly a bit weak in my opinion. The side characters are simple, but mostly enjoyable.

Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ : Save for one or two people who are a bit hard to watch, the acting is excellent!

Visuals: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: It’s a visual spectacle show, and it does what it promises. It is goosebump-promising.

Music: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: There’s only one sung song, the rest are just good music. It’s not a musical.

Choreography: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: The choreography is part of the visual spectacle this show promises, and it is stunning!

2. The Premise

The premise of this show is in this post, please click here if you really don’t want ANY spoilers at all.

3. Main Plot

The story begins in mid Heian Era (1020 AD) where the BFFs Onmyouji Abe no Seimei (Oosawa Takao) and politician Fujiwara no Kaneie (Furukawa Yuta) drink together. Kaneie is very bothered because a continuous solar eclipse has persisted. He says that as the days grow more sombre so have people’s hearts.

Seimei states that there is no need to worry because he shall performer a ceremony to appease angered spirits, and that his BFF should therefor cheer up, especially because the following day shall be Kaneie’s wedding day with the lady Tsukihime famed for her graciousness. Kaneie does not seem very delighted because he’s never met the woman before. All he knows is that it’s just a politically arranged marriage, and that it’ll do nothing to better the world in this state. More than worrying about marriage, Kaneie is more concerned that the Emperor does not seem too involved with doing something about the status quo, and therefore people like him need to take initiative.

Just when Kaneie insisted on joining hands with Abe no Seimei to save the world, dark spirits attack. Together they seem to be quite capable, but the dark spirits are simply with too many, and Seimei’s powers have already started to decline...

Seimei and Kaneie do ultimately manage to temporarily drive off the evil spirits, but the price they pay is enormous... The onmyouji has predicted that the evil spirits and the abnormal solar eclipse shall return in 1000 years, and in order to prepare for that day, he seals off his own soul for one millennium to preserve his powers.

1000 years have passed, it is now Reiwa 2 (2020 AD), and the world is, as predicted, sunken into darkness once again, known as the 'Black Days'. Seimei has reincarnated as the astronomer Abe Haruaki, but has no memories of his previous life. Haruaki has studied the stars and the powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Based on his studies, Haruaki predicts that the darkness shall persist forever, unless it is overcome using the ‘Theory of Yinyang and the Five Phases’. Haruaki’s theories are not received very well at all and is called a pseudo-scientist left and right.

Haruaki leaves the venture with a heavy heart, but the 27th generation buddhist monk, poet and rock star has identified him to be the reincarnation of Seimei. Semimaru approaches Haruaki, telling him that while few people believe his Theory of Yinyang and the Five Phases, he does and knows it can save the world. Haruaki thnks the man is but a prankster so ignores him, but then Semimaru challenges the former to break the seal of Abe no Seimei’s soul. If he can, then that proves he is the Onmyouji. If he cannot; well, then nothing’s lost.

Though sceptical, Haruaki does reach for the seal, and indeed, Seimei’s spirit with all his memories and powers reawaken in Haruaki’s body.

Meanwhile we also get to meet the reincarnation of Kaneie, now Todo Kaneki, has also attended Haruaki’s lecture. Todo Kaneki is a psychosomatic therapist who is very concerned that depression rates have risen since the Black Days. He is highly sceptical about the astronomer’s theories as well, and considers them no more than fear mongering for the sake of publicity.

His assistant Kawase Keiko shares Kaneki’s opinion, so she invites him to see a spiritualist she’s been especially enthusiastic about and thinks might be able to help: Ashino Michitaka. Kaneki and Ashino meet. Ashino explains that the world has grown darker, but that the darkness in the hearts of people is because of their own mindset. He is of the opinion that due to the persistent darkness, people have been spending more time with their loved ones and family, and that due to technology, people do not need to live in actual darkness; that happiness is in the hands of humans! In Ashino’s mind, darkness is subjective, and therefore the same as light.

Kaneki seems very impressed by this view of ‘subjectivity’ and entranced by Ashino’s worldview. Bit by bit Kaneki gets sucked into Ashino’s “online therapy sessions”, and more positive about the perpetual darkness. Before long he has also adopted Ashino’s teachings into his own psychosomatic therapies... until he realises belatedly what ill effects it actually has on his patients.

Then at this moment, the reawakened Abe no Seimei reappears before Kaneki, inviting him - the reincarnation of his best friend - to join hands with him once again to fight darkness.

4. Spoilers and conclusion (it’s relatively short, don’t worry)

【Click ‘keep reading’ for the spoiler section, and 5. rating.】

Kaneki is initially still hesitant because he has already labelled the supposed pseudoscientist Abe Haruaki a quack, and now this man has the audacity to proclaim himself THE onmyouji Abe no Seimei.

But Seimei’s presence calls upon Kaneie’s soul inside Kaneki, and a silent, weak voice of Kaneie in his head responds to his past friend. Kaneie has not fully reawakened in him yet, but Kaneki feels part of him screaming at him to join hands with Abe no Seimei... Seimei leaves Kaneki for he would not force him, but he did trust his friend to reawaken and answer his part of the promise to save the world together.

Later, Abe no Seimei and Semimaru prepare for the new, grand ceremony to appease the evil spirits and to restore balance to the world. However, then the evil spirits show up again... under the leadership of Ashino.

Not only does Ashino command the evil spirits, he also commands the personification of darkness which can swallow light. As Seimei fights with his divine agents (Shikigami) his agents get corrupted by darkness one by one!

Then finally Todo Kaneki shows up at the ceremony, and Ashino tries to overtake him too. But at this point Kaneki who now bears parts of Kaneie’s reawakened soul sees how Ashino will only destroy the world, rejects and fights him. Finally Kaneie fully awakens and fights along side his millennium long old friend.

Ashino turns more and more of Seimei’s divine agents into dark beings, and even turns humans present against the duo.

After a battle of magic, swords, spirituality and light, Seimei and his allies manage to beat the villain, and they finally restore light and darkness into their former balance, therewith saving the world.

The end.

5. Review

1. Story

The story, as I said above, really simple, but the story itself also does not attempt to be more than a ‘hook’ on which the visual spectacle hangs. As you can see, the story is very much about “oh, there’s no light, now restore the light”, “oh, the villain wants darkness, expel darkness!” and “friendship is magic 🌈”. There’s just no complications there, but it works. As the emphasis is not on a deep story will duality and other mind breaking concepts, this ‘story’ fulfills its own purpose plenty well!

2. Characters

Abe no Seimei/Abe Haruaki: Seimei is a really fun character and I honestly did not expect that from such a ‘deified’ ancient character. He speaks in semi-classic Japanese, and yet he manages to crack some really good jokes for modern audiences. When he performs Onmyou magic it really makes one go: “YESSSS this is what I came for!!!” He is also a genuinely good character with his own feelings; he is more than just his reputation.

As Haruaki you see how he’s always been burdened by the ���weight of knowledge’ which he never understood why he had, and yet he felt compelled to share the knowledge in a vain hope to save the world. And yet you can also see how he’s lived a life wherein nobody has ever taken him seriously. This actor really managed to portray a very ‘solitude-plagued’ side of this man, until he reawakens as Seimei and knows his sworn friend would never break his promise, and therefore is waiting for him somewhere in 2020.

Once reawakened Seimei reverts to his semi-Japanese speech again, and it is amazing to see this actor perfectly balancing AND intentionally dropping balls when it comes to modern vs classic. 10/10!

Fujiwara no Kaneie/ Todo Kaneki: Fujiwara Kaneie is a very serious and highly intelligent man, who despite speaking in headache-inducing semi-classic Japanese, also shows a really modern, sassy attitude. It is great to watch. He is unappreciative of the darkness that has plagued the country, and even less so towards the passiveness of the people. He even passive-aggressively snuck in some criticism against the DIVINE EMPEROR for his lack of action. If the Emperor would not act, then he and his friend better do the job. He is skilled at the sword, and it is great to see Furukawa swinging the sword!

After he is reborn as Todo Kaneki he is equally sceptical and therefore also a bit of an arse. Considering how he used to be so sassy he even dared criticise the Emperor, it is no wonder he would be reborn as the good-hearted arse that Kaneki is.

When Kaneki reawakens as Kaneie again, he reverts to semi-classic Japanese again sometimes, and Furukawa does an excellent job showing how Kaneie has not completely ‘overtaken’ Kaneki’s existence. He just co-resides in him. He shows how he is really two people now, a modern man with modern knowledge, as well as an ancient Lord with trust for his friend.

Kaneki is the only non-ensemble character who dances, and it is great to see the show capitalising on Furukawa’s talents.

Semimaru: I honestly did not expect to like Semimaru because I feared he’d be the omniscient narrator or something, or a useless side-kick. But again I was too pessimistic! Semimaru genuinely is not the third wheel of the show, and is good actual support. He knows his own skills, place, and friendship. He functions as a good bridge between the Heian period and our current day, and always comes across as quite natural.

Besides being monk and guardian to await Seimei’s reawakening, he is also a rock star. He is the only character who sings in this play, and his voice is 10/10!

Ashino: This honesty is what I owe you since I do recommend buying the DVD, but he is the one that really made me give the ‘characters rating a 3/5′ because he is just so.........bad. His character is so wacky, somebody who spouts bs like: “light is darkness, darkness is healing” yada yada. His acting is also so cringey.... he’s just so over the top, it’s hard to watch. I cannot bring myself to say anything good about him except: “the story itself doesn’t pretend to be more than a simple “restore the balance and save the world!” so it’s not the WORST setting to put him in.

Ensemble/Divine Agents: Their roles are simple; they’re ensemble members who dance and function as Divine Agents and they are absolutely perfect! They’re everything you’d expect in such a show.

Other characters: They have relatively small roles in a short stage play, and they fulfill their function well. Overall rating: 8/10.

[recentanimenews]

Zombieland Saga Gets 96% Approval Rating and We Still Don't Know What It Is

  Upcoming original anime Zombieland Saga continues to be a massive mystery. But one thing we do know for a fact: test audiences love it.

  A recent screening was held for the premiere of the series, a collaboration between MAPPA, Cygames, and Avex. Viewers and press were sworn to secrecy about the viewing, continuing in the show's trend of staying as mysterious as possible until the air date.

    After the first two episodes was a talk show event with some of the series stars: Rika Kinugawa, Risa Taneda, Kaede Hondo, Asami Tano, Maki Kawase, and Minami Tanaka. The group were stumped as to how to deliver a non-spoilery comment on the series, eventually saying that yes, there are indeed zombies in this show.

  An audience poll was taken, resulting in a 96% satisfaction rating. 88% of the audience also said they weren't expecting the direction the show took.

  The rest of us can find out what's in store when Zombieland Saga premieres October 4.

  -----

  Kara Dennison is responsible for multiple webcomics, and is half the creative team behind the OEL light novel series Owl's Flower. She blogs at karadennison.com and tweets @RubyCosmos. Her latest work can be seen in the charity anthology The Hybrid, which is currently available for preorder.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[trader-hiro-blog]

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