#kyoto arc finish

[sorikaied]

love that my boyfriend also shared the info abt the 3rd ane tv project because we’ve talked abt ane before (he knows it’s a fave of mine). but, learning that it’s more than likely a reboot than just a 3rd season makes sense. tho i do wonder if that means they’re going to also redo the kyoto arc or if it’s like... the first half of the series that leads up to the kyoto arc.

[kentuckyfriedmegumi]

i have made a comprehensive list as to why i think that itadori yuuji and fushiguro megumi love each other and are soulmates (platonic or otherwise)

edit: i also may or may not have an entire stanza by stanza analysis of the first year trio’s songs if anyone wants that too….

i read the entire series from start to finish in one sitting for this. here it is:

saving each other without question or second thought (volume 1)

megumi: “i don’t want to let him die.” gojo: “personal?” megumi: “yes.”

yuuji eats the finger to save megumi.

note: in the manga he is not trapped in a curse’s mouth

their entire interaction during the detention center (cursed womb arc)

yuuji: “fushiguro! please.”

 yuuji to megumi before fighting finger bearer alone

Megumi: “it was a selfish, emotional decision.”

megumi telling yuuji why he saved him

megumi running back to grab the name off the body of one of the inmates because it’s what yuuji would have wanted

“what kind of woman is your type?” “as long as the person is compassionate (see also: has unshakable character, unwavering kindness, etc.), i can’t ask for more.” (chapter 17)

yuuji’s kanji quite literally translates to unwavering humanity. could be a stretch, but an interesting connection considering that gege does not just throw things around like that

not necessarily a moment where i think they love/care for each other, i just love it, but… (chapter 33)

“i don’t know what he was up to while he was gone, but if it comes down to a brawl without any cursed energy involved… itadori would win.”

nothing special, just megumi appreciating and acknowledging yuuji lol

before the exchange event, megumi noticing something happened to yuuji (junpei’s death) (chapter 33)

megumi: “itadori, you okay?” yuuji: “well, it’s a big job but i should be fine.” megumi: “no, something happened, didn’t it?” yuuji: “huh, what are you talking about?”

megumi can tell that something has been/is bothering yuuji, even after his insistence that he’s fine

megumi being worried about the kyoto students trying to kill yuuji; specifically, he’s the one who figured it out (chapter 36)

yuuji stepping into the fight with hanami after fushiguro gets the bud curse (chapter 48)

yuuji: “fushiguro, don’t worry”

btw, this is a direct parallel of point two, back in the detention center

megumi: “if you die again, i’ll kill you” yuuji: “i guess i can’t go dying on ya then”

yuuji checking on megumi at yasohachi bridge when tsumiki was mentioned to have gone to the bridge and being worried when megumi tried to send him and nobara back to the school so he could exorcise the curse by himself (chapter 56)

megumi telling yuuji to go after kugisaki from the domain, parallel of the detention center when yuuji told megumi to go after kugisaki (chapter 57)

yuuji: “if you get in trouble, you better get out too!”

after the fight at yasohachi bridge, both megumi and yuuji are protecting each other from their burdens (chapter 63)

megumi: “don’t tell him.”

explaining to nobara that yuuji eating the finger caused curses to start killing people

yuuji: “hey! don’t tell fushiguro. don’t you dare tell him”

yuuji to sukuna after being told that because of him people were going to die.

see: cursed womb arc; “why’d you bother saving me then?

this one is just another funsie thing that i wanted to add, but in It’s Like That, megumi is the first person that yuuji notices when he arrives at the diner, completely bypassing nobara and ozawa (chapter 64)

the entire fight with the inverse guy was just peak duo-ism, you can’t even deny it, there is so much content in there (chapter 94–98)

megumi: “itadori!” yuuji: “no worries, it’s just a scratch!!!”

giving parallels with gojo and geto when toji first snuck up on gojo

megumi, using rabbit escape: “let’s retreat for now.” yuuji picks up a bunny, bc of course he does

inverse guy: “man up and come at me!” megumi, pointing at yuuji: “that’s really more his style.” yuuji: throwing a fucking car

yuuji: “i’m heading into the station” megumi: “fine, but–” yuuji: “’if you die, i’ll kill you,’ right”

them just working together in general, we love to see it

fellas, is it gay to think of your friend during your last moments? (chapter 117)

“i’ll see you later!” “sorry… itadori…” megumi summons mahoraga and apologizes to yuuji.

post-shibuya arc, yuuji spends the entire time between shibuya and the culling games avoiding megumi in order to protect him (volume 16)

megumi and yuuji taking on the burden of the deaths in shibuya arc together (chapter 143)

yuuji: “i killed people! because of me, lots of people died!” megumi: “it’s our fault, don’t be selfish and give up all alone.”

megumi tries to explain to yuuji that they need to save who they can

parallels grandpa itadori’s last wish

yuuji: “no, fushiguro, it’s because… as long as i’m around… you will suffer!” megumi: “so start by saving me, itadori! … i’m begging you, itadori. i need your strength.”

yuuji has a purpose and a reason to keep going (see chapter 212: “thank you for giving me a role to play”)

yuuji telling yuuta to kill him if he ever switches to sukuna, without hesitation, in order to protect megumi (chapter 144)

yuuji: “sukuna is plotting something involving fushiguro”

megumi not caring about the dangers of sukuna so he can stick with yuuji (chapter 146)

megumi: “if that happens and i die, just have him (yuuta) kill you” yuuji: the point is to not let that happen

they just care about each other, your honor

yuuji trying to avoid megumi once again before the culling games (chapter 146)

megumi panicking at yuuji getting beat by hakari (more so than panda was) to the point where he was about to jump over the rail and start interfering (chapter 157)

megumi: oh no! if he gets hurt anymore… “itadori! that’s enough!”

yuuji (again) trying to avoid being with megumi during the culling games in order to protect him from sukuna (chapter 160)

yuuji: “i’m just worried!” megumi: “are you going to say that every time? it’s annoying a waste of time!” (he is stubborn, refuses to be separated from yuuji)

they are bickering like an old married couple here imo

megumi and yuuji are split up and start working to find higuruma. they are each told different locations and immediately think of each other (chapter 162)

megumi: “shinjuku…” i hope itadori is on his way there too… yuuji: “ikebukuro?!” is fushiguro there too?

another cutesy one that i just wanted to add: megumi smiling when he realized that yuuji got the points to add a rule to the culling games (chapter 168)

megumi waking up and immediately speaking to yuuji (he doesn’t acknowledge hana or anyone else in any way, shape, or form for like an hour (chapter 199)

megumi immediately notices something is up with yuuji when they learn about “the disgraced one,” and this has one of my fave duo interactions with them (chapter 200)

megumi: “itadori, what’s wrong”

always so akin to yuuji’s feelings bruh

yuuji switches with hana to communicate to megumi that sukuna is the disgraced one. hana is just staring lovingly at megumi, megumi is only concerned about yuuji

their cute little charades act, oh my god they are so fucking silly bro

megumi: i don’t get it. what’s he trying to say?

oh my god bro pls

yuuji: *nod nod* did he get it?

yuuji is fully resolved in dying because megumi and tsumiki (as far as they knew) are safe, so he is okay with dying as long as they can live

megumi is immediately worried about yuuji killing himself and dying to end sukuna

my god they are both so worried about each other all the time

megumi is quick to notice yuuji’s disposition towards hana (chapter 210)

megumi: “this isn’t like you.” yuuji: “you sure about that?”

megumi: “don’t be dumb.” yuuji: “i’ll apologize later…”

can they stop flirting in dire times?

yuuji thinking of both gojo and megumi as they gave him a role in the world (chapter 212)

maybe i should have done it sooner. i could have helped fushiguro and disappeared. thank you for giving me a role to play

megumi suppresses sukuna’s technique when he first incarnates in his body (chapter 214)

literally any point during the fight with sukuna where yuuji is locked in on saving megumi (shinjuku showdown arc)

“wake up, fushiguro.” (chapter 251)

i’ll do it as many times as it takes! “wake up, fushiguro!” (chapter 263)

“you’re right, sukuna. i have the ability to end your life. if you release fushiguro and return to me, i will spare your life.” (chapter 265)

literally all of chapter 266 bro this entire fucking chapter hurts me so fucking bad??????

megumi just wanting a peaceful life with his sister and yuuji

yuuji knowing and understanding megumi’s pain to the point where he knows it isn’t fair to force or expect him to want to live

“i’ve started to understand and emphathize with the decisions made by people who encounter unavoidable realities, like grandpa. for that reason… for that reason, i can’t tell you to continue living, fushiguro.”

megumi: “huh? what’s with that face?” yuuji: “nothing, it’s just that… it’ll be lonely without you, fushiguro.”

what if i was suicidal?????

megumi hears yuuji telling him it’ll be lonely when he’s gone and sees one (1) tear form in his eyes and immediately locks in, using his technique to throw sukuna off guard and allow yuuji to land a hit

yuuji smiling when he realized that megumi was fighting back

see chapter 168: megumi smiling when he realized yuuji got the points for the games

EDIT: OH MY GOD CHAPTER 268????????

megumi: “i think i’ll try to live for someone else.”

also, see yuuji and megumi’s theme songs that were selected by gege:

yuuji’s songs:

heart ni hi o tsukete by 9mm parabellum bullet – a song about two people struggling to recover from their traumas and pain and wondering if they will find love within each other.

the last line of the song is “will we love each other? will we not love each other? will we turn to ashes?”

itsuka dokoa de by kuchiroro – this song overall seems to be a sort of conversation that the narrator is having with an unknown person. there is mentions of belief, love, and a desire for a simple, mundane life.

love is mentioned a lot throughout this song (it’s 13 minutes long and translations are hard to find online though)

megumi’s songs:

hakujitsumu by uchujin – the song is about wanting to save someone, but also battling with their own internal struggles as they try to navigate their trauma.

“don’t disappear yet, i’ll rescue you.”

island in the sun by weezer – this song is about a narrator and their desire to run away with someone and live a peaceful life, away from their troubles so they will “never feel bad anymore.”

this song i feel reflects most with that idyllic life that megumi wanted to build for tsumiki and yuuji

[reikorun]

KlubOutside Q&A 1-100 [Translation]

Translated by @reikorun

Q1.

2021.01.18

Could you tell us if there was any music, for instance, which became the basis for the image of each character in BTW?

A1.

I'll write about it in the set list section at some point.

Q2.

2021.01.18

How can I be a mangaka for Shueisha?

A2.

You can make a submission to Jump-mangasho. All Jump editors can speak English.

Q3.

2021.01.18

Could you give us the details around how you came up with the word "Bankai"?

A3.

Before the serialization of BLEACH, I tried to use the word "卍殺伏龍砲" (Bansatsu-Fukuryuhō) in another manga, I repurposed it from there. 

Q4.

2021.01.18

Right now, what game are you absolutely hooked on? 

A4.

Towards the end of this year, I was playing an absurd amount of Zelda Musou (Hyrule Warriors).

Q5.

2021.01.18

Is there any possibility that unrevealed Zanpakutō or Bankai will be introduced in some form in the future?

A5.

If there is a place where I feel it would be acknowledged by a good deal of readers with a suitable number of pages then I would like to draw them someday.

Q6.

2021.01.18

Are there any comedians that you have been enjoying lately, sensei?

A6.

Tokyo Hoteison and Tontsukatan.

Q7.

2021.01.18

Did Sensei come up with the idea for a fan club himself, or was it proposed by the editorial department?

A7.

This was originally a project that a former editor, who is currently working in the web department, brought forward because he wanted to work with me.

Q8.

2021.01.18

Please tell us your dog's name!

A8.

It's "Uni".

Q9.

2021.01.18

In the anime version of BLEACH, the costume designs of some characters such as Soi Fon, Yoruichi-san and Harribel-sama were different from the original work, what did you think about that?

A9.

Back in those days, there was a rule within Jump that "only works which have finished serialization will be made into late night anime." However, nowadays you can ask them to broadcast it late at night and stay true to the original work. By the way, ALPHAxOMEGA's Harribel figurine is based on the original work.

Q10.

2021.01.18

Regarding Gin, rather than a Kyoto dialect, is that an Osaka dialect with a touch of Kyoto?

A10.

That's correct.

Q11.

2021.01.25

I would like to know what it was that Renji wanted to hear from Urahara-san after turning up in the Human World during the Arrancar Arrival arc, even going so far as to do chores for him!

A11.

"Why did you choose Rukia as the hiding place for the Hōgyoku?" Kisuke told him half truth and half lie, but Renji was satisfied with it.

Q12.

2021.01.25

By some chance, I wonder if Kubo-sensei was actually the originator of Whiskrs STORE? 

A12. 

I am the originator. This is a brand that aims to put out merchandise in which I am involved in everything from conception to completion. 

Q13. 

2021.01.25

Tite Kubo-sensei, when you think about a character, do you also think about colors at the same time? Or, how do you decide the colors?  

A13.

It's pretty much done at the same time. In such cases, the color scheme is determined at the line drawing stage so there is no need to deliberate over how it should look.

Q14.

2021.01.25

What are your favorite sweets?

A14.

Inamura Shozo and Toshi Yoroizuka. I loved their Mont Blanc and mille-feuille but I can no longer find either of those anymore.

Q15.

2021.01.25

Kubo-sensei, could you tell us from your own perspective how to go about creating characters so that readers can empathize with them and find them compelling?

A15.

What's important is whether or not that character has a unique mindset which sets them apart from other characters, so it's not that I think it's necessary to empathize with a character.

Q16.

2021.01.25

Why is the phrase "nandato" (*"what did you say?") used so frequently in BLEACH?

A16.

At the time, there were many works with distinctive catchphrases for characters, so this was an experiment to create a catchphrase for the work rather than the characters, thereby giving the work itself its very own personality. I then put it to work as dialogue that does not compromise the individuality of each character, even when multiple characters are using it.

Q17.

2021.01.25

In BLEACH, "BAD SHIELD UNITED" is brought up as a Human World 'movie' but does Mille really end up dying? Since the speaker is Mizuiro, it's hard to tell whether it's his usual dark humor towards Keigo or if he's serious, I've been curious about that for quite some time. 

A17.

She dies. My first editor from back then (who was also my editor at the time of BSU) also said to me "I'm shocked though…." 

Q18.

2021.01.25

In BURN THE WITCH, there were often color illustrations which were colored digitally, but around what time did you start trying digital coloring? 

A18.

I started from BTW. As far as the order of things go, the Jump cover for chapter 1 is probably the first one that was done digitally. I was nervous until that issue of Jump came out.

Q19.

2021.02.01

Are there any parts of your characters which make you think "this is hard to draw."

A19.

When it comes to parts, large breasts are all difficult. Also, during the week where Szayelaporro's release state came up I complained the whole time whilst drawing it. 

Q20.

2021.02.01

When I was reading "BURN THE WITCH", I very often got the impression that Noel was always positioned on the left and Ninny on the right, but I wonder if there's any significance behind this positional relationship…!?

A20.

In order to generate an impression of the characters with a limited number of pages, I did this as a sort of staging effect in the sense that ‘a character's traits are incorporated in their stance.’ You have a good eye….

Q21.

2021.02.01

I believe each squad was assigned a color, I once tried to identify the location of squad barracks based on those colors. Since there are 4 gates associated with a particular color, I thought of Shōryūmon as Seiryū (east - blue), Shuwaimon as Suzaku (south - red), Hakutōmon as Byakko (west - white), Kokuryōmon as Genbu (north - black).

As I recall, the townscape was circular so I tried to arrange the colors of each squad with the ‘Yellow Emperor’ as the centre and it turned out as follows. I suspect it might be in this circular arrangement: starting from Shōryūmon with 6, 1, 11, 8, then from Shuwaimon with 13, 4, 2, from Hakutōmon with 3, 5, 9, and finally from Kokuryōmon with 7, 10, 12. ×[1]  

Moreover, I'm awfully curious about the actual line up because it is Ichimaru-san from Squad 3 who interrupted the gatekeeper of Hakutōmon, and the three individuals who turned traitor are situated close together. Is there any established blueprint for the placement of squad barracks within Sensei's mind? 

A21.

I can't say for sure without seeing an illustration but judging by what I just read, I think this is very insightful.

Q22.

2021.02.01

Are there any manga, anime, dramas, movies, etc. (other than Kubo-sensei's own works) that as a reader or viewer make you think "this work is amazing!" or "I want you to read/watch that!"?

A22.

My favourite program of the past few years has been Netflix's "The Final Table." It's a cooking competition show, but I think it's the pinnacle of Shōnen manga style cooking battles.

Q23.

2021.02.01

What is your favorite Hiroshima specialty?

A23.

Cream cheese momiji* and plain momiji with chunky sweet red bean paste. (*Momiji manjū are maple leaf shaped sweets.)

Q24.

2021.02.01

I would like to know what kind of work tools you use!

A24.

I don't really have many special tools because I'm not that particular about them … if it's okay, I'll post a photo soon.

Q25.

2021.02.01

I've read in some articles before that the series consists of arcs mainly focused on members of Ichigo's entourage like with Rukia's rescue arc, the Arrancar arc, the Fullbring arc and the Quincy arc. Was this structure something decided upon by Kubo-sensei from the very beginning of the series??

A25.

That's right. I was drawing while wondering if I could continue the series until I reached Uryū.

Q26.

2021.02.01

Izuru-kun's Zanpakutō is Wabisuke and Wabisuke is the name of a type of camellia. Does the theory that the reason why there are multiple scenes within the story where he decapitates his opponent, have its origins in the fact that the camellia is likened to a head and is described as falling?

A26.

That's correct. I thought everyone would take notice about the Wabisuke camellia but at the time it wasn't really picked up on that much.

Q27.

2021.02.01

What is your favourite Pokémon?

A27.

I've never played Pokémon so I haven't the slightest clue.

Q28.

2021.02.08

Does sensei decide the contents, continuity elements and general flow of novelized works like "BLEACH WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU" and "BLEACH Can't Fear Your Own World"?

A28.

I was the one who passed on the contents and details affecting continuity, I left its portrayal up to the two authors. Whenever they happened upon a part they didn't quit understand along the way, they would also come to consult with me. 

Q29.

2021.02.08

When is the collaboration between sensei and THE BACK HORN?!

A29. 

I'd like to do that with the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.

Q30.

2021.02.08

Please give us details about the iPad you use at work!

A30.

It's a regular iPad with a larger screen. 

Q31.

2021.02.08

Is Kubo-sensei continuing to play "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" without getting bored of it?

A31.

I stopped playing because the UI is too complicated. I'll pick it up again when the UI has improved.

Q32.

2021.02.08

I heard that Kubo-sensei was in charge of the design aspect for the anime original characters Amagai Shūsuke and Kanō Ashido, but was sensei the one who actually designed the anime original characters themselves?

A32.

All characters in the anime originals that are not expressly stated as being designed by me are the product of Kudō-san's taste. I may have done a final design check on the Amagai arc at least, but I didn't touch anything surrounding the Bount arc.

Q33.

2021.02.15

Sensei, do you prefer a girl who shows emotions clearly sort of like Ninny-chan or a girl who is cool-headed and doesn't show much emotion on the surface like Noel-chan?

A33.

I choose my favorite female characters based solely on whether they have big breasts or not, so if it's between these two, it's Noel.

Q34.

2021.02.15

Are there any plans to re-release the color illustration collection “JET”?

A34.

Re-release the art book, I wonder about that… I will try to ask my editor.

Q35.

2021.02.15

Do you play “Dragon Quest Builders”?

A35.

I played a lot of both 1 and 2. I'd like to see a remake of 1 with the technology of 2.

Q36.

2021.02.15

Have you ever felt that the sense of distance and relationships between the characters are different between the anime and the original work?

A36.

Up to around the Soul Society arc of the BLEACH anime, the whole time whilst watching it I kept thinking to myself "if they change things so much, it won't match up with the endgame of the story, but it's out of my hands." I couldn't really understand the characters so I started checking the script around the Arrancar arc.

Q37.

2021.02.15

Does sensei have a favorite designer chair?

A37.

There are many that I like. As for the ones I actually use and like, that includes the Jacobsen Series 7 chair, Eames Sofa by Eames, Magistretti's Maralunga and Maxalto by Citterio.

Q38.

2021.02.22

Chapter 162 of BLEACH (Ichigo's first demonstration of Bankai) is drawn in full color, please give us the inside story around its production during that time (such as how you managed to draw with full color for a weekly series.)

A38. 

I finished the draft in 6 days and I set aside approximately 2 consecutive weeks worth of time before drawing it. 

Q39.

2021.02.22

Sensei, who did you choose as your favorite character on KlubOutside??

A39.

I haven't made a choice yet. When I think about it seriously, I'm honestly having a tough time choosing.

Q40. 

2021.02.22

Which dialect exactly is Shinji's Kansai-ben supposed to be?

A40.

Hirako and Hiyori are both written with a rough sounding Kansai dialect, but I have been told by someone from Kawachi that "Hiyori speaks with an authentic Kawachi dialect."

Q41.

2021.02.22

Are there any plans to make BLEACH a paperback edition?

A41.

I wonder? I haven't heard anything so I guess not. 

※There are no plans at the moment. However, there is a possibility that we will consider it in the future depending on demand. <Editor>

Q42.

2021.02.22

Sensei, I heard that you play Brave Souls, but who is your absolute favorite character to use? Additionally, do you have a favorite character with a Brave Souls original costume?

A42.

The one I use the most is Masaki who is the strongest auto. If you're bad at action like me, you can rely on Masaki. I pull almost all original costumes if they are big breasted, in swimsuits.

Q43.

2021.03.01

What is your favorite flavor of ramen?

A43.

It's chicken broth.

Q44.

2021.03.01

What is the diet of a manga artist like? I sincerely wish you good health sensei!

A44.

It's pretty average. In the past year, the variety of delivery options has increased and has become extremely satisfying.

Q45.

2021.03.01

I'd like to see the design proposal for volume 31 with Szayelaporro on the cover sometime, the one which Kubo-sensei previously mentioned on Twitter...!

A45.

Hasn't this been published anywhere? I'll try and see if I have it at hand.

Q46.

2021.03.01

How are the spellings of characters' names decided?

A46.

On the whole, I try to blend in spellings from as many different regions as possible, so for some characters, I was aiming for that “demarcation where it may just be legible" before making my decision. 

Q47.

2021.03.01

Is Gantenbainne still alive after receiving aid from Captain Unohana in the Arrancar arc?

A47.

He's alive. The "god" he was talking about is Baraggan, so he is gathering Arrancar who still worship Baraggan and building a small nation.

Q48.

2021.03.01

By what age is one able to work towards becoming a manga artist? Past 20, is it indeed too late to start putting yourself forward? I would like to know what Kubo-sensei thinks about the appropriate age for manga artists!!

A48.

I think it doesn't matter how old you are. You don't need anyone's permission to draw manga, so I think it's best to just draw if you want to draw, and stop if you think it doesn't suit you.

Q49.

2021.03.01

Will Whiskrs STORE carry BLEACH goods? I would like BLEACH to come out with merchandise too like those being sold in Whiskrs STORE. I think I'd want to see merchandise which are actually worn by characters or goods that look like they could be sold in Soul Society! Also, it would be helpful if you could add more payment methods…

A49.

I'm also planning to make BLEACH goods, but I've created an inquiry form on Whiskrs, so if you can write "item request" in the header over there and send it to us, I'll consider that too! Also, if you would like to pay using a specific payment method, please contact us.

Q50.

2021.03.08

My question is, are Nemu-chan's hair and clothing Mayuri-sama's hobby? Or does Nemu-chan dress up according to what she likes?

A50.

It's Mayuri's hobby, or rather, Mayuri is the one altering it to match with his own ensemble. Whether or not it suits her is a separate matter. 

Q51.

2021.03.08

Is there any character in BLEACH that you think has become popular, contrary to your expectations?

A51.

I thought Hisagi would never really get popular, so I'm glad that he became fairly popular.

Q52.

2021.03.08

Has there been any change in your favorite characters within your own work between now and the past?

A52.

My favorite characters experience change with every scene I draw, so they're constantly changing.

Q53.

2021.03.08

What is the origin of Rickenbacker's name?

A53.

This is the name of the founder of a guitar company. All Broombuggies are named after people who have passed away.

Q54.

2021.03.08

Do you have a close friendship with Jujutsu Kaisen's Akutami-sensei?

A54.

I had a conversation with him the other day. Right now, I'm using the shampoo Akutami-kun gave me at the time.

Q55.

2021.03.15

With the anime versions of BLEACH and BTW, sensei's characters were given a voice, but to sensei's mind, are there any characters whose voices were a particularly perfect fit?

A55.

Yoruichi is the first one who surprised me, I thought "I didn't expect this character to have this kind of voice!"

Q56.

2021.03.15

Hitsugaya who had been turned into a zombie was changed into Quincy clothes, is this Gigi's hobby?

A56.

It's Gigi's hobby.

Q57. 

2021.03.15

The Quincy have made an appearance in Brave Souls, but how were the voice actors selected? 

A57.

I chose them after listening to recorded voice auditions.

Q58.

2021.03.15

What kind of clothes are your favorite clothes these days?

A58.

Over-sized, whitish sweats. They're comfortable so I want to wear them until the very last moment they're considered trendy.

Q59.

2021.03.15

Does Kubo-sensei play Brave Souls? If so, who is your favorite character?

A59.

I scarcely get a chance to use them, but the visuals for heart attribute swimsuit Nelliel and technique attribute swimsuit Orihime are extremely good.

Q60.

2021.03.22

Are there any manga or movies that influenced you, sensei?

A60.

"SNATCH'" and "300" had a huge influence on me at the time they were screened.

Q61

2021.03.22

I heard that you are also involved in the audition process for the voice actors, but I am curious about what it was like in the early days of the BLEACH anime.

A61.

Ichigo was chosen after I listened to the several audition tapes which had been recorded for him. As for the Human World gang + Rukia and Renji, I listened to the tapes that the team on the other side had selected and got them to change only those who were different from their image. It's about the same level of involvement as in the live-action movie. Any subsequent casting does not involve me.

Q62.

2021.03.22

There are two types of haori for the Captains of the Gotei, but are both options provided when they take up their new posts? 

A62.

At the time of their inauguration, they can choose between sleeved and sleeveless. They can even make modifications during the process, however they may be put off from doing so because it's expensive and this request will not be approved unless you have a very good reason.

Q63.

2021.03.22

When you were still working on your weekly series, were you reading other works in Jump magazine?

A63.

During its serialization, I was pretty much only ever checking for misprints in BLEACH. Between the desire to draw manga and the desire to read manga I only have the capacity to accommodate one, so when I draw I don't feel like reading and when I read I don't feel like drawing.

Q64.

2021.03.22

I have a question regarding the typeface of Rukia's name written on the cover of chapter 266. "Kuchiki" is written in brush strokes, but is there some significance as to why "Rukia" is not written in brush strokes? I'm curious about the covers with names on them since all the names of the other Shinigami are written by brush stroke, whereas part of Rukia's name is the only anomaly.

A64.

It does have a significance, but I might draw it somewhere else so it's a secret for now.

Q65.

2021.03.29

Sensei, is there any aspect in life that makes you think "this is the only thing that is non-negotiable"?

A65.

It has to be "don't let anyone interfere with your work." I'm hardly ever picky about anything else in my actual life.

Q66.

2021.03.29

The more Ichigo has grown, the more he looks like his father Kurosaki Isshin, huh? By the way, will Ichigo inherit Isshin's chest hair? I'm curious.

A66.

I want to believe in the power of Masaki's genes.

Q67.

2021.03.29

Can I safely assume that the description of Squad 1 Vice-Captain Sasakibe Chōjirō Tadaoki's Bankai - Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū - was referring to Tensō Jūrin?

Q67.

That's right.

Q68.

2021.03.29

I was trying to choose a favorite character, but I'm having a difficult time because there are too many charming characters! Please let me have at least three people to root for. Kubo-sensei, can you narrow down your favorite characters to just one in your favorite works?

A68.

Let me narrow it down. Hyoga from Saint Seiya, Nurikabe from GeGeGe no Kitaro and Gorō from Kodoku no Gourmet.

Q69.

2021.03.29

During the time Isshin was Captain, Rangiku was Vice-Captain and Hitsugaya was 3rd seat, but why did Rangiku remain a lieutenant instead of ascending to Captain?

A69.

This is because Hitsugaya is better suited for the position of Captain and also because he had already acquired Bankai. By the way, Hitsugaya had already acquired Bankai by the time he enlisted in the Gotei 13.

Q70.

2021.04.05

Hitsugaya often yells "get to work!" at Rangiku, but what tasks are so demanding that they require the qualities of a Captain class Shinigami? 

A70.

Checks and approvals.

Q71.

2021.04.05

Noel-chan had a guy lick some kind of device when checking to see whether or not he had come into contact with a dragon, but does she have to replace it each time it's used? Or does she use the same one the whole time?

A71.

It is returned and magically cleaned with every use.

Q72.

2021.04.05

As explained with 90s level Kidō which appears in BLEACH, the higher the number, the stronger the spell becomes, but is it the same with spells like Blue Spark which are cast in BURN THE WITCH.

A72.

It's different. The Magic numbers from BTW have simple rules and are assigned in accordance with them.

Q73.

2021.04.05

Out of Rangiku, Orihime, Yoruichi-san, Harribel-sama, Unohana-san, Isane, Nelliel and Noel-chan, who has the largest chest?

A73. 

I think I'm probably drawing Nelliel with the mental image of her being the most voluptuous.

Q74.

2021.04.05

I would like a tour of sensei's workshop!! Is that allowed!?!? 

A74.

I had never considered it. I don't mind doing this if the time and situation allows it, but we'll see.

Q75.

2021.04.12

Please tell us about any changes in the vow Chad made concerning his fists. After he swore to his Abuelo that he would never swing his fists for himself, Chad did not retaliate by raising his fists for his own sake, not even during a fight where he was being beaten. 

Then he met Ichigo and they both made this pact: "you won't have to hit anyone on your own account anymore, but in return you have to hit people to help me. I'll fight for you and you'll fight for me. If there's something you want to protect with your life, I'll stake my life to protect it too." 

From then on, he fought for Ichigo with his fists and grew stronger to protect his friends. However, in the final chapter there is a scene where Chad has become a boxer and is aiming to become champion. Why did Chad, who up until now had vowed not to swing his fists for himself, end up using his fists in a boxing match in order to become champion in the final chapter? Was there some sort of shift in his feelings that made him think that he's ready to use his fists for himself now, or is it that someone has emerged whom he wishes to protect by becoming a champion boxer?

A75.

Nothing has changed. Chad considers boxing a martial art, not violence.

Q76.

2021.04.12

Sensei, if you were to become Captain and Vice-Captain, which divisions would you prefer to be in for each?

A76.

It seems like a heavy responsibility so I don't want it.

Q77.

2021.04.12

I joined a fan club for the first time in my life. Have you ever been a member of anyone's fan club, sensei?

A77. 

It's my first time too. I am currently undergoing the unique experience of joining a fan club for the first time in my life as a member of my own fan club.

Q78.

2021.04.12

I would like to learn about Tite Kubo-sensei's family composition.

A78.

What kind of scammer-like question is this?

Q79.

2021.04.12

I'd like to know sensei's usual breakfast menu.

A79.

Aojiru, Amazake and yogurt. (*Aojiru - a green, vegetable juice made from kale. Amazake - sweet drink made from fermented rice​.)

Q80.

2021.04.12

I was curious about the origins of the names of Quincy: Vollständig (Tatarforas, Hasshein, etc.) so I tried to do some research but I couldn't figure it out at all. Could they be words coined by you, sensei?

A80.

It's not so much a coined word, but rather a regular name …. I give them a name that sounds angelic and doesn't seem to have any apparent origin even if you try to look it up.

Q81.

2021.04.19

Do you prefer raw eggs or boiled eggs?

A81.

I prefer raw.

Q82.

2021.04.19

If you were to go out for a drink one-on-one, who would you go with? Personally, I'd like to go with Ikkaku.

A82.

I don't drink so I wouldn't want to go out with anyone. As long as I don't have to drink, anyone with big breasts will be fine.

Q83.

2021.04.19

Who does Kubo-sensei admire?

A83.

It's not that it's a specific person or something, but I quite admire gag manga artists.

Q84.

2021.04.19

Kubo-sensei, what app do you use when drawing illustrations on your iPad?

A84.

It's Clip Studio Paint. I really want to use Procreate (because Tada Yumi-san is using it), but Procreate is complicated.

Q85.

2021.04.19

Kubo-sensei, please tell us what you value when composing your character designs.

A85.

Place great value on first impressions and also don't be bound by it.

Q86.

2021.04.26

Sensei, did you study calligraphy? I love your drawings of course, but I also love your penmanship!!

A86.

This question reminded me that my grandmother was a calligraphy tutor. But I haven't formally studied it.

Q87.

2021.04.26

I absolutely adore the female characters you draw sensei, but do you find it challenging to draw female characters?

A87.

It's the same. People often say that female characters are difficult because they don't understand women's feelings, but it's the same even for men because people struggle to comprehend the feelings of others.

Q88.

2021.04.26

Please tell us about a movie you saw recently that you found interesting, sensei.

A88.

I watched The Equalizer the other day for the first time in a while, but it's still interesting no matter how many times I watch both 1 and 2.

Q89.

2021.04.26

At the end of the "D-TecnoLife" anime OP, Chad, Inoue, Ichigo, Ganju, Hanatarō and Ishida appear in that order, but I wonder if Ganju's bandana is white because they forgot to apply color?

A89.

This is because the character color check isn't coming to me.

Q90.

2021.04.26

In the Thousand Year Blood War arc, it was stated that no citizen of Rukongai beyond district 50 had been observed wearing sandals for over 500 years, yet as a child Rangiku was wearing a somewhat stylish pair of sandals. Did Gin provide her with those?

A90.

After meeting, Gin and Rangiku gradually moved to the safer inner districts of Rukongai. Gin's zōri sandals and Rangiku's setta sandals, which appear in the second half of the flashback, are items which each of them picked up along the way.

Q91.

2021.05.03

Is there any particular reason why Harribel and Stark are not using their first names in typical Arrancar fashion?

A91.

There is no concept of first name, middle name or last name to Arrancar. 

Q92.

2021.05.03

Please tell us the reason why Kurotsuchi Mayuri started wearing headgear. Additionally, please tell us about his reason for changing that headgear.

A92.

It's his hobby.

Q93.

2021.05.03

What is sensei's favorite manga?

A93.

When I'm feeling down, I always read "Kodoku no Gourmet."

Q94.

2021.05.03

In Bleach, Zanpakutō which possess fire abilities appear within the story, but who is a character that sensei is reminded of when it comes to fire?

A94.

Wanyūdō (from GeGeGe no Kitaro​.)

Q95.

2021.05.03

Do you still read Jump?

A95.

I read it and express my thoughts chaotically to those close to me. My editor also sometimes wants to hear my thoughts.

Q96.

2021.05.03

Is it a coincidence that BTW's release date falls on a full moon in Aries according to western astrology?

A96.

Really!? That is a coincidence.

Q97.

2021.05.10

Yadōmaru Lisa sometimes appears to speak with a Kansai-like dialect and sometimes she doesn't, what dialect exactly does Lisa speak with?

A97.

It's Gifu dialect which is closer to dialects from Aichi. 

Q98.

2021.05.10

About the unfilled drafts and such that are in the Gallery on KlubOutside, how did those come to be preserved?

A98.

Upon completion of the inking stage, I would make a copy and write instructions on it, and when I was done with the draft I would normally throw it away. However, my parents back home told me "send it to us instead of throwing it out", so I sent it to them.

Q99.

2021.05.10

The characters that appear in Kubo-sensei's works are all highly unique in appearance and personality, and I'm always deeply moved by them. Please let us know if there is anything you keep in mind at all times when designing characters!

A99.

I make an effort to try and avoid similar faces or personalities.

Q100.

2021.05.10

Is there any possibility that the BLEACH anime will be released to the world in the form of a full remake? I think that with current technology, it would be possible to depict the world-building more beautifully.

A100.

There are no such plans but I'd like to make that happen.

Translation footnotes:

×1. In Japan, Seiryū, Suzaku, Byakko and Genbu are four mythological creatures known as 'The Four Gods' originally from Chinese mythology. They represent a particular color and cardinal direction. There is also one more divine beast, a yellow dragon (aka the Yellow Emperor) - god to the center. 

[blkkizzat]

one pet peeve i have about certain anime/manga is the lost potential of a manga-ka not properly developing/exploring the world and characters they created.

after gege finishes this bullshit i want someone to buy them out and remake the jjk anime. ideally (spoilers): season 1 & 2

make jjk 0 the start of the series and yuta the main character (as was originally planned).

flesh out the student relationships that year with yuta, maki, inumaki and panda more

inumaki backstory (apparently he is from a sorcerer family too)

fleshout inumaki feelings/struggles with not being able to speak actual words

laying foundation for future maki/mai resolution later in series and the treatment of non-cursed energy users by zenin family. brief mentions of toji and perhaps megumi.

more history of how jujutsu society works as there's a whole hierarchy alluded to we never find out about and also would help on how they are in or have ties to the government which is revealed later in shibuya arc.

more confrontation between gojo and geto. theres 10 whole entire years between geto's defection and jjk 0. these two were practically inseparable (whether you see them as soul-besties or lovers) and theres an active bounty on geto. there had to be more passing moments, tension and smaller battles/struggles there.

show adoptive family relationship between geto, nanako and mimiko.

in fact theres a whole unexplored dichotomy between geto's mentorship to his sorcerer family he made from his followers and the found family of jujutsu high under gojo.

yuta struggling more with the guilt/burden of rika and mastering his ct

okay then finally we can have 'night parade of a hundred demons' and that resolution.

season 3 - hidden inventory arc

honestly this arc was pretty solid and can stay mostly the same but could be expanded by 3-4 episodes

show more of the dynamic between geto, gojo and shoko give us some more history/backstory of shoko.

give us an episode with haribara. like yes its sad he died but we didnt no anything about him really for it to be as impactful as it should have been as its literally the reason nanami stayed on to be a jujutsu sorcerer and what finally made geto snap.

give more backstory on gojo's family and expectations of him and how him being "othered" as the most powerful makes him more disconnected from people

something a bit more substantial to show even through gojo and geto were super close gojo couldn't emotionally empathize enough to see how much geto actually was struggling and the fact he failed him there

also see yuki interact with the rest of them more as she literally popped up out of the blue

movie break before season 4 for toji backstory movie

season 4 - the actual first season of jjk

i know yuji isnt the brightest crayon in the box but you'd think he'd actually go to the high school library/raid gojo's family library for ancient text/info on the actual curse living inside him. we should learn more of sukuna in this way, hell you could even rope in his old occult club for this.

more of sukuna mocking yuji. we see sukuna show interest in megumi which is good foreshadowing but we have nothing to hint of their actual relationship connection. i don't think sukuna would just be silent i think he would be mocking yuji internally alot.

sukuna should take over yuji's body temporarily due to their vow and we should have an early intoduction to uraume.

can we develop junpei more? he can have the same fate eventually but i feel like he should have joined jjk high briefly (still being manipulated on the side by mahito) before turning on yuji and this also is a good parallel to yuta story of how not everyone can be saved/converted.

introduce ino and show his and nanami relationship. how nanami struggles with it after haibara death

an episode or two just seeing the kyoto students interact and develop more of the relationship between mechamaru and miwa.

more information on how/why megumi sister got cursed. i assume megumi looses his shit later bc his sister is the only family he had that he gave a damn about but we need to see some more flashback scenes with them. i gotta be honest idgaf about her at this point and we certainly didnt see enough for megumi to completely lose the will to live or be as suicidal summoning mahoraga at every inconvenience lol.

season 5 - shibuya arc

things here would have made a lot more sense/felt better if things earlier were developed more as i mentioned so i dont think there needs to be a ton of changes.

we DO need to see how inumaki lost his arm because its so confusing he all of a sudden doesn't have one.

in all honesty zombie!toji should have been able to sense jogo if we are running with the theory he is programmed in that state to fight the strongest. sure megumi may have more potential than jogo but same could be said for dagon then. there was really no need for jogo show up at that point just to leave two minutes later.

nanami not dying to jogo/mahito. i appreciate how they did it and isolated i dont hate it tbh. its fitting although sad af. however choso's death and the subsequent power up yuji gets invalidates nanami's death/power up. Power ups from deaths are fine but it happening twice in pivotal moments is lazy writing. Nanami's death subsequently isn't as meaningful and choso's death (as his bro it is going to hit harder regardless). plus killing sukuna is way more substantial than than mahito.

given what happens later it also would have probably been good for megumi to realize thats his daddy back from the dead. maybe he realizes as toji's offing himself due to tid bits/things gojo or others have revealed to him in the past. but theres no other good time to do this before he becomes sukuna's vessel.

season 6 - culling games & gojo's release

explain in a less convoluted way idk how they are going to do this for anime cause i read the manga and bitch im STILL confused??

honestly though id say keep nanami alive tho just so he can meet higaruma because we need nanami + higaruma scenes they would fr be gojo and geto level besties istg.

would like a bit more on noritoshi kamo backstory and he seems to have this twisted fondness for his "children" so to speak so a bit more on that creepy mofo.

season 7 - prep for sukuna fight & sukuna gojo's fight

we skipped MONTHS here. wtf!? we need to see:

choso and yuji relationship

choso mourning yuki and realizing he probably wont be able to keep her promise as he has to protect yuji

yuji's training

maybe see more of sukuna's past

gojo reflection thoughts on all tf that has happened and his mental state.

season 8 - post gojo, current fight with sukuna

if nanami has to die he can go out fighting sukuna.

thats really all i have so far. the previous changes would make choso's death make more sense and although i hate it, it would serve its purpose more than an earlier nanami death.

thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[prettypei]

hii i enjoy your writing! may i request fluff drabbles for gojo, choso, yuta, noritoshi (kamo from the kyoto school) and hajime (aka kashimo the turquoise haired pikachu) please? like he's in an established relationship with reader and they're out on a cute date, being domestic and behaving like an old married couple. some ideas: ikea, grocery shopping, aquarium, art gallery, science museum/observatory etc

bonus if there are sweet romantic moments~ i'm fine with either fem or gender neutral reader, thank you i hope you'll consider my request! i just need something comforting to read bc shibuya arc has started in the anime while the manga is kinda at a tensed climax rn and i feel stressed lmao

plot: cute dates/domestic couple thingys with them!; fluff

reader: gn! Reader

characters: gojo, yuuta, choso, kashimo, kamo

warnings: yuutas kinda mean in this (but in a yuuta way)

(a/n): first req!!!!!! Hi hello anon I hope u like it 💪💪💪 gojo’s bento is very stereotypical Japanese LOL…KAMO IS SRSLY UNDERRATED!!!! Erm I also have like zero knowledge of flowers so sorry if it’s inaccurate, KAMOS IS SUPER CHEESY ENDING GBHBHJHHJHJH

✰CHOSO

Choso loves art. But he doesn’t only love art, he also loves you. So when you suggested to take him to the art museum for a date, he was overjoyed by the thought. But… he was embarrassed that you would see his drawings of you, so he hid it discreetly in his bag when you went to the museum. Yes, he paints you. Sketches you, even. But he’s way too shy to admit it, because god, he could never capture the way your eyes glinted or the way your smile stood out or the expression of pure bliss when he kissed you… he tries to avoid drawing you, but he can’t. You’re in every thought of his. And now, he’s trying to hide his notebook from you. He’s hugging it close to his chest, hiding it under his book bag as he mimicked the painting in front of him. It was a simple one, really…but it looked like it was missing something. He thought for a minute and his brain clicked. It was missing you. You would fit perfectly into it, since your eye color would stand out splendidly. He just finished drawing your face before… “whatcha doing?” He stumbles and knocks over his collection of colored pencils over the bench he was sitting on. “Nothing.” “Are you drawing something? Can I see it?” You ask excitedly. And honestly, could he ever say no to you? He mumbled a bit as he gave the book to you and started picking up the colored pencils, and you were surprised to see your own face staring back at you. “Is-is this me?” You smile. You flip through the book, and you noticed how your face was on almost every page. Choso looks up with a flustered face. “I-well-kinda? Yeah?” You drop down to the floor and hug him. “You’re so cute.” You mumble with a grin on your face. If he had known this would’ve made you like this he would’ve shown you this ages ago.

✰YUUTA

You and yuuta were at the grocery store, the second time this week, because food was running out again, since yuuta always insists on "buying just enough for both of us so we don't waste any food". If you didn't lie, you thought he quite enjoyed your silly little trips to the groceries. Even though the walk was short, you and yuuta often point out interesting things that cross your path. Last week you saw a dog wearing a fur coat, and just yesterday yuuta heard a construction worker whistle out the tune to "From the start" by Laufey. It's those simple things that quickly become inside jokes for the both of you. Upon arriving at the store, you usually follow yuuta as he shops for suitable groceries for today's lunch and dinner. But...after going shopping with him 3 times when you were dating, you noticed yuuta had a habit of looking at food labels. For a really long time. As yuuta examines the ingredients for the canned pineapples (why would you even need to do that? It's literally just pineapples!) you whine about how he's taking so long that you've started getting wrinkles. He then proceeds to give you a chuckle and a "wait a minute, love." and continue to read the can's contents. "(name)." He calls out your name in the most serious tone you've ever heard him in. "what?" He reaches into the cart and takes out a can of "grilled takoyaki balls: freshly made" and gives you a disgusted look. You shrug sheepishly.

✰GOJO

"(NAME)!!! (NAMEEEE)!!!" A tic almost forms at your forehead when you hear that sound, and, lo and behold, it is your husband once again embarrassing you in front of your co-workers. You walk over to him while crossing your arms. "What are you doing?" You hiss as the women (and men) all around you give you jealous looks. "Can't I surprise my darlin' at work once in a while?" He grins while holding up a bento box. Your eyes soften as you look at the homemade bento. Yeah, it probably tastes like shit cuz Gojo really can't cook, but...it's nice to see him put in an effort once in a while. "I wanna see your reaction when you eat it." He says stubbornly as he pulls your hand into the office building. "Oh boy." You think when Gojo shrugs off the security guard and waves to everyone as he waltzes into the lunch break room like he owns the place. He pulls a chair down for you and sits down in another one. "Open it, open it!" He smiles. You roll your eyes with a chuckle, and you're expecting to see some unidentified gunk, but to your surprise, it's a cute bento with sausages shaped like squid, egg rolls tucked in nicely next to the fried rice, and meat balls on a stick. “I made it four times, did you like it? And, well, I may or may have not made our kitchen a mess but it’s worth-“ You shut him up with a kiss.

✰KAMO

“Kamo, love?” “Yes, dear?” “Look at how gorgeous these Daffodils are!” You pick up a potted plant of them as Kamo miles at you. Going on dates to flower shops had become a routine for you and Kamo, since you both would do it weekly. “Yes, darling, they are beautiful. Not as beautiful as you though.” “Shut up.” You scoff as you roll your eyes and shove him playfully. Kamo has a wide knowledge about flowers, knowing what each of them symbolize and what they represent. Before dating Kamo, you would’ve never known that red, white and pink carnations had different meanings, or that white Hyacinths stood for loveliness. Most of the time on these dates you would stroll through each aisles, pointing out flowers or plants that you thought were cute. Kamo would then proceed to tell you the meaning. On the surface, it may seem like a repetitive action, but with Kamo, everything feels new and interesting. He may tell you a story about what this plant reminds him of, or about how this flower wilts to your beauty. At the end of every date (usually the shopkeeper has to kick you both out) Kamo buys you a bouquet of flowers, each symbolizing something about your relationship with one another. Even though sometimes the flowers wilt and you have to throw them away, he knows that his love for you never will.

✰KASHIMO

"Kashi! You look just like it!" Kashimo hums as he opens one eye to see you holding up a cat. You both are at a cat cafe, since you really do love cats and, well, Kashimo doesn't mind cats, really. But when he met you (a certified-cat-lover) his love for them had grown. Now, whenever he sees a stray cat on the street, he takes a picture and shows it to you. "Do I? Its hair's not green." He points out. "Well, it doesn't have to be! You and him both give off the same vibes! I just saw him standing on top of the bookshelf, thought it looked lonely." "You think I'm lonely?" He teases, getting down from his seat to sit on the floor with you. “Nah. You’re never lonely with me.” You grin. “Say hi to it!” “Hello.” He says with a deadpan face. “You have to be friendly with it!” “Hello.” He smiles an obviously forced grin. “😐” “I love you.” “Okay.” “C’mon, baby don’t be like that.” He smirks as he scoots in closer with you. You roll your eyes as you start playing with the cat. Kashimo’s eyes narrow as he snatch’s the cat away from your arms. “Hey!” “If you keep on playing with it more than me, I’m gonna think you were wishing you were dating it.” He ruffles its hair as he lets it go. “You’re so mean. It’s cute! Unlike you.” “Who exactly is the mean one?” You giggle and poke his cheek. “I’m joking, joking. I love you.” There’s a moment of silence as he takes in the words. “Well, I love you more. If this is a competition, I’m definitely gonna win.”

[exo-raskreia]

hi as a jjk fan, do you have any issues with the writing from gege? if so, what do you think are wasted potential in terms of characters, bonds. i think that there is lack of emotional impact or expansion fo characters sometimes. for instance animes like mha have alot of meaningful character arcs and backstories. It's a bit hard to express how I feel becuase jjk is an amazing story but i am just a bit disappointed of the wasted potential with female characters and like shoko and utahime. and the world building. yes i am fellow gojohime shipper ;).

(Oncoming long RANT 😅)

If you ride on Gege's coattails, this may not be for you.

I actually do have issues with Gege's writing, so I agree with you. JJK has an interesting premise with hidden lore & I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get into, or already into, anime/manga, but it could be so much better if Gege just cared enough (which I sometimes feel like he doesn't? It just feels like he wants to hurry up & finish it so he can start on his idol manga... 💀). He skips so much, it honestly feels like he's going off a checklist, especially in the latest arc.

Compared to other battle shounens, namely Naruto, Fairy Tail, MHA, & even Gintama, JJK is severely lacking in several areas. It's unfortunate because the premise & characters are full of potential.

I will go over some of the issues. A lot of these were obvious from the start but they've only gotten worse over time.

• The fast pacing (speed running at this point). It's battle after battle, no downtime, big arc right after big arc, etc. Us readers & the characters themselves barely have time to process things before he moves on to the next thing. He skips so many things, so much happens off-screen/off-panel (can't forget how he skipped Yaga's fight with Gakuganji that lead to his death, skipped Gojo's entire month after his unsealing then "kills" him off-panel a few chapters later, I could go on...)

• The lack of character emotions, development, backstories, etc. We barely know anything about the characters, like their hobbies & interests? (This is why I have a hard time making up headcanons & potentially writing a fic for our ship... How can I keep them in character when I barely know stuff about them? 😮‍💨). We barely see any of them training (training arcs/chapters are typical for battle shounens); the Tokyo students preparing for the Goodwill Event would have been a fitting time to showcase this, for example. There's little to no mourning shown for character deaths (like Yaga? Nanami? Mai? Mechamaru?).

Yuta has such a cool CT & we didn't get to see how he discovered it & all. Like, come on 😔. Also, it would've been nice to see the Goodwill Event from his first year when he beat the Kyoto students, especially Todo... (Gege simply tells us about it. Like he tends to do for a lot of things 🙄).

Gege could've done more build-up to Gojo's sealing in Shibuya by showing his upbringing & development from his arrogant teen self (tho already having shown hints of caring for others & not liking the higher-ups) to the sensei who loves his students & strives for a better Jujutsu society. His past arc should've been longer imo. Needed more slice of life & character interactions, bonding. Heck, Toji should've gotten his whole backstory there too before he died. More build-up to Gojo's "death" too, as Gege skipped that whole month after his unsealing 😒...

• While on the subject, the lack of character interactions, bonding. We haven't seen most characters interact with each other despite being in the same circles, vicinity. Tokyo & Kyoto students, GjHm with them, Gojo & his colleagues (esp more Uta), the Zenin clan (like, wish we could've seen how GjHm interacted with Naoya. Imagine the drama 😫), Gojo & his elusive clan, I could go on... Would've loved to see Gojo interact with Kashimo, Higuruma, Choso... 😮‍💨

As such, several have died & we never saw them interact with certain others nor even know much about them 😑... The emotional impact of character deaths & bonding would be higher if only Gege cared enough to flesh out his characters more... (At least the Phantom Parade mobile game is giving us some much-needed slice of life content. Wish Mappa would give us some OVA's like that too...)

• Lack of world building. Once again, so much we don't know, such as the clans, especially Gojo's. Apparently, they're still alive, yet we haven't seen them?

Are they not fighters, then? Nothing from them on their clan head's sealing/unsealing/"death". The Zenin Clan debuted & got killed off soon after. Other clans irrelevant. Jujutsu sorcery primarily exists in Japan so other than Miguel, goodbye to the potential of any foreign sorcerers making their appearance...

• Female cast. It's crazy how they were once praised for their potential but now... Now, all they've got is just your typical battle shounen treatment 😒. While Gege has shown he cares little for all his characters (lol), it does seem like the female characters have suffered a bit more from his writing. They've either died (like Mai off-screen? Yuki, the only female Special Grade, had one fight & died?), become powerless (Miwa, thru an off-screen Binding Vow revealed many chapters later? Seriously?), lack screentime (the Kyoto girls? Shoko, the only one who can use RCT on others & closest friend to Gojo?!), or simply haven't done a whole lot, especially compared to the male characters. For some or most, it's a mixture of all these 💀 (like Tsumiki).

Nobara is the main girl & yet her role ended about halfway thru the series. Can't believe Gege did that to her, despite her potential & competence to be the FL of a battle shounen (poor Yuuji still thinks of her. And we don't even know what Gojo thought about her demise? 😮‍💨). Maki seems to have it better, yet some could argue she's just Toji 2.0/female Toji. Unfortunately, I thought about Toji when she was fighting Sukuna; I was like, "If Sukuna's this impressed by her, imagine Toji with his higher experience?" I doubt that's what Gege would want us to think when Maki's shining (or does he? 🤨😒).

• Don't even get me started on Utahime. She's the main teacher of Kyoto, loved by all her students according to Gege, yet we don't get to see it? She's barely relevant? Imagine what she felt as her students kept on dying or becoming unable to fight. Thru her character, such as during her investigation of Kyoto for the traitor, we could've gotten some great insight into how things are over there? We don't even know what the Kyoto school looks like 💀.

Her scar has several implications & yet we don't know how she got it? How has she dealt with being a scarred woman in Jujutsu society, especially considering Momo's words about such a thing during the Goodwill Event? Utahime could be a great role model to the girls, especially Maki now, & yet... 😮‍💨 (I'm telling you, she should've been the main adult female of the series, just like Gojo's the main adult male)

She's one of Gojo's friends, has known him for 10+ years, & is one of his few most trusted allies, yet we haven't seen how they got to this point? Their comedic interactions make us wonder how they built that deep trust. I NEED to know what happened between them during the timeskip!!! 😫

Her CT buffs herself & others. Why has she not been a part of any on-screen fight prior to the Shinjuku Showdown? There were a couple instances where we almost saw her in action & yet... Why did Gege gatekeep her CT for so long? To showcase her CT for the first time for Gojo & Gojo ONLY. He's insane. They can't beat the package deal allegations. So, does this have any meaning? Can we hope for more-

• I sometimes wonder if JJK would be better as a seinen like I once heard he intended for it to be... There are definitely elements of that... How much darker could the story get, since sometimes Gege pushes the boundaries of Shounen Jump (I know he wants to, lol)... How much more fleshed out could it be if he was writing it the way he wanted to originally (supposedly he never intended for a school setting but was forced by his previous editor?)... Maybe we could even get a Tokyo Ghoul:re style chapter with GjHm during the timeskip if y'all know what I mean-

So, to sum up: JJK is interesting & I would recommend it, but there's a whole lot of wasted character potential, terrible pacing, & lack of interactions, development, & world building. There's so much we don't know & Gege wants to end it already? He's sitting on a gold mine & yet... 😑😒

No idea how things will end but I can at least hope for an open ending that leaves us with some hopeful possibilities... Uh, right?

Also... GOJO WILL RISE ✊️

[youkaigakkou-tl]

nah i need to know how much other cry when having read yohaji. cuz it isnt the sad moments, its the raw happy moments that make me reel in, do cartwheels in sobs. i cried when haru became friends with hatanaka, ren ren's final ending, tamao showing his score. principal's 1000 year long hardwork and ibara's propsal.. and so much more. (im kicking my feet bro) then i go "oop" when i drool over the principal, souless haru (HOW IS HE HOT WITHOUT A SOUL. this includes evil haru), seimei and takahashi. some of these chars have so much gender bro i want them. side note, im planning to buy the manga until kyoto's arc is finished so i can bulk buy it. any idea when is vol 15 EN coming out?

YEAHHH...... principal........hatanaka..........everything abt haru..... punching walls crying etc

white hair haru is so...... twirls hair...... ILL DO ANYTHING TO SEE HIM AGAIN SENSEI

vol 14 EN is coming out in june, so vol 15 is probably either next jan or next june

[laugtherhyena]

No way Carol finally finished Mao's reference post‼️ I feel kinda ashamed for taking this long but hey better late than never am i right?

-Mao was born with aplastic anemia which led to her getting in and out of the hospital ever since a young age, as she grew older these visits became frequent to the point she started to live there for her own safety and the doctor didn't thought she'd make it past her teenage years.

-Her mother left her and the father when she was about 6 years old since she didn't see the point in spending so much money on a kid that "would die soon anyway". Her father, Tooru Nakatomi, on the other hand always went above and beyond to pay for her hospital fees and spend as much time as he could with her (which wasn't a lot due to hospital stuff + his job as a hunter, but they'd make the best out of their time together)

-Tooru was a devil hunter from Kyoto, originally working a standart hunter before being placed in charge of taking care of the the basement area devils are stored for contracts.

-At around the start of the international assassin's arc, Tooru heard about Chainsaw man and how he was a human with the heart of a devil that could come back no matter how many times he gets killed. This made him think if a similar thing could be done to Mao and essentially cure her illness.

-When hell was breaking loose he went down to the basement area and spoke to the clock devil (of which he had a contract already) and offered him a deal; be free from his cell in exchange to doing to his daughter what the chainsaw devil did to Denji and take care of her. The clock devil liked the idea but added that it would consume Tooru whole as part of the contract, to which Tooru accepted without complain.

-By now he knew that soon public safety was going after the gun devil and Tooru was well aware that if it came to that he wouldn't survive, and if he died then Mao would soon follow since there would be no one to play the hospital fees. He'd rather die knowing that his daugther will be ok than bet it all on the hope that things would turn out ok.

-So he opens the cell and gets eaten by the clock devil, but not before handing it a small giftbox containing a letter explaining everything he did and why he did it alongside all the money he had left in his bank account and several fake document's for Mao to use afterwards so that she could hopefully not be tracked down by Public safety.

-Clock devil breaks into the hospital and fuses with Mao, tho not before destroying her room and running with her into the depths of a forest. They have a small conversation where Grandfather (Clock devil) explains that this is all part of a contract Mao's father made before she wakes up and finds the gift box right in front of her.

-So now Mao is a devil hybrid and finally out of the hospital for the first time in years, she has pretty much no idea of what to do since for the longest she was always being told what to do by the hospital staff, she enrolls on Fourth east high school because she knows that's what kids her age are meant to do.

-Mao really doesn't mind being part devil, having seen people die everyday at the hospital from devil attacks she's pretty desensitized to the whole devil thing. She sees them and the casualties they bring as just another part of life and so really doesn't hate or fear devils that much in general, she's glad that she at least has something left of her father in him, even if Grandfather instead the most fatherly of figures.

-She wanted to meet Chainsaw man since it's because of him that she's living this life now, even if indirectly. It's this search that leads to her stumbling upon Yoshida and being identified as definitely not a normal human by him (with the help of the octopus devil) and brought to public safety where they connected the dots about all that happened.

-She was allowed to keep attending school and living a normal life if she was willing to cooperate with Public safety whenever they deemed necessary, this led to her eventually being assigned as Denji's "bodyguard" to keep a watch on him and make sure he wouldn't transform into Chainsaw man again.

-She is supervised by Fumiko on this task, who's there to make sure neither her or Denji will end up betraying Public safety. Her fake identity here is being Mao's older sister and legal guardian instead of a student like in canon Csm.

-Mao also ran into the Chainsaw man church in her search, before being brought to public safety, she met the other hybrids who tried to get her to join them but she was sorta disgusted by the church's methods and refused. Barem decided to leave her be for the time being, Miri and Mao butt heads somewhat constantly in school.

[randomprose]

title: we’re on each other’s team

tags: canon-compliant, post-kyoto goodwill event, pre-shibuya arc, friendship, taking care of each other, they’re protective of each other, fluff, domestic fluff

rating / word count: Gen / 1.2K words (of 13.2k) [chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]

relationships | characters: platonic itafushikugi | fushiguro megumi, itadori yuuji, kugisaki nobara, gojo satoru

summary: Once he gets out and finishes this war, Satoru vows to make up for their lost youth.

Megumi comes to their table with a tray of their drinks and passes the cups of hot choco around before putting down the only one with black coffee for himself. Yuuji is stacking his plate in order of waffles-pancake-waffles with bacon and eggs he’s quickly whipped up in between before drizzling it all in maple syrup and adding fruits on the side. Nobara is beside him making a pretty waffle tower composed of fruits, whipped cream, and some sprinkles. She takes a picture of it to post on Instagram, turning it this way and that for a better and more aesthetic angle, while a strip of bacon hangs on the side of her mouth. Megumi eats his pancakes with just fruits, a side of bacon, and some scrambled eggs Yuuji made for him. They turn to Satoru and make various disgusted (Megumi and Nobara) and curious (Yuuji) faces at the teeth rotting diabetes inducing monstrosity he’s created out of waffles, soaked in syrup, topped with sprinkles and chocolate chips, and an unholy amount of whipped cream. His students dare each other to take a bite each and Satoru laughs at the faces they make. Nobara puts fruits on Satoru’s plate while Megumi puts some bacon and eggs (to balance it all out, they say) andYuuji puts more sprinkles and chocolates because he’s an enabler like that and Satoru loves them all. The Jujutsu Tech dorm’s joint kitchen-dining room is loud and lively on this one Saturday morning. Satoru smiles as he takes a picture of his students eating off of each other’s plates. It would be great if they could stay like this a little longer.

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

For the first time in probably... 5 years? Bit more? Bit less? I rewatched A Silent Voice. I wanted this to bookend the KyoAni groupwatch because it's pretty much their only standalone feature film, and I already know it's good and I like it, so it seemed like a nice spot to finish off with. And, yeah. I feel a little more complete having done this. Also feels like spring cleaning in a sense because I torrented the ITBD release and that was a clean 40GB I've finally gotten to delete lol.

But anyway. I've kind of had a bit of an arc with this movie. I watched it a long time ago, honestly think I gave it a 10 at first, and then hovered it down to a 9 at some point, and I'm pretty sure that happened when I read the manga. For a while there I thought the manga was straight up better, primarily because the manga is more. It's longer, there's more time spent on the supporting cast, there's more scenes pertaining to the main cast, there's an entire subplot about making a movie, and it continues for about a full volume's worth after the movie ends. And, you know, that's all a good thing, right? Everyone's fleshed out, there's more time with these characters, their relationships are better realised, it's all good.

But at some point, and I admittedly couldn't really tell you when, I started to prefer the movie. I haven't reread the manga whereas I've rewatched the movie several times which probably caused this, but I noticed that I'd basically forgotten everything that had happened in the manga that wasn't in the movie, and I think that's because I kinda stopped caring. Like the characters are more fleshed out, yeah, but when I'd be remembering the series I'm only really remembering Shouya and Shouko plus to a lesser extent Yuzuru. There's a movie making arc, but do I care? The best part about this story by far is Shouya and Shouko. Two wounded individuals trying and struggling to reconnect with each other but also their desire to live at all. It's a story of guilt and of redemption and of how painful it can be wanting to live despite everything. At some point I'd convinced myself Naoko Yamada and Kyoto Animation made the right call cutting a lot of stuff from the manga, because it gives the story a clearer focus on its best part. Their relationship is the thing that I care about and it's the thing the movie decided was the most important. Just cut the bullshit, the movie's better for it.

And so we get to today's arc, wherein I feel like I've realised that the movie simultaneously cuts too much and yet too little at the same time. It does focus primarily on Shouya's story of redemption and his development with Shouko, but a lot of other things are still kept, sometimes to the movie's detriment. Does the movie benefit from having Mashiba be a character? He's fleshed out in the manga but in here he just shows up, wants to be friends, and then gets yelled at. Shouya and Shouko's whole narrative would feel less muddled without him. Although at the same time he was a fleshed out character in the manga and it'd be better if that came across in this adaptation at all. Like you can cut him and it'd be better or you could have more of him and it'd be better. We're basically in a sour spot where entire parts of the movie don't really work because they should have a different level of focus - whether it's more or less. Entire swathes of this movie feel somewhat meandering because it doesn't commit to either approach. It wants to present everyone faithfully but it also cuts a lot of everyone's scenes to focus on Shouya and Shouko stuff. This leads to this whole thing where certain characters like Ueno and Kawai are really hard to get a read on because we don't spend the time we do with them in the manga. But again if we did it might just be sorta boring? Like do you see the problem I'm having. The movie's caught between a rock and a hard place. There's a perfect version of this story somewhere but it's neither the manga nor is it this anime. Cutting like half the cast is probably my preferred option but that's also a little nuclear and enough of them are important to where that probably wouldn't work. But again it doesn't really work as-is and it mostly works in the manga but it's also a little dull. There is no victory to be found.

And with those very mixed feelings aside that I don't think I communicated all too well, I have in fact lowered my score for this movie once again, and now it is down to... 8/10 lol. Yeah no I can say all that shit but I mean the movie's still an audiovisual masterpiece and has a fantastically written lead pair and tons of very strong emotional moments, like I still found myself crying several times during this rewatch. It's got by far the best depiction of bullying I've seen in anime such that the things it has to say about why bullying happens and what it does to people feel extremely potent and relatable. There are characters I don't love if everything I already said wasn't proof enough but certainly the lead pairs' family members in particular are incredibly likeable and compelling characters that are involved for lots of the strongest scenes in general. There are aspects in which the movie is a little confused and I think should've been adapted slightly differently but god damn if it isn't a gripping story all the same.

That's all from me, bye lol.

[greatwyrmgold]

One of my mutuals has been talking about their thoughts watching JJK season 2, and that made me want to share some of mine, and I don't want to wait until I can frame my thoughts as a yes-and to theirs. My point being, if you haven't finished the Shibuya arc in either the manga or anime, the following will spoil you.

I really like Suguru Geto in the flashback, and in Jujutsu Kaisen Zero. His powers are neat, his design is interesting, his personality is fun, and his worldview is nuanced.

He wants to kill all non-sorcerers, but his reasons for wanting to do that make sense. People who can't control their cursed energy are the ultimate source of cursed spirits, which cause untold suffering to both sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike. Geto assumes that teaching most humans to control their cursed energy is impossible or impractical, and by the time of JJK0, he's willing to write off the suffering of billions in the name of a future without cursed spirits.

This is, of course, abominable; Geto's plan is a crime against humanity in the most literal sense. But you can see why someone who recognizes the problems in jujutsu society without recognizing the humanity of non-sorcerers would think that crime was a good idea.

In my ideal Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji would overcome the decrepit jujutsu institutions, defeat Geto, and destroy Sukuna after recognizing the fundamental flaw they have in common: They all think some people are intrinsically more valuable than others. Sukuna thinks the strong should dominate the weak, jujutsu society intentionally privileges old families over new recruits, Geto doesn't think "monkeys" should get to live. And of course, all three fundamentally agree that there should be a division between sorcerers and non-sorcerers, where the former are given an elevated position (as conquerors or guardians or the ones who get to live). To beat them, Yuji needs to recognize the lies they all share and repudiate it.

But I will never get that ideal JJK, in part because Geto isn't Geto.

After the events of Jujutsu Kaisen Zero, an ancient body-hopping sorcerer named Kenjaku took Geto's body and cursed technique. He's the villain—not Geto, not Mahito, co-hosting recent arcs with Sukuna. And Kenjaku is boring.

Well, that's not fair. For a while, he's a passable imitation of Geto. But at the end of the day, he lacks Geto's substance. His problems with jujutsu society are vague gripes about a passive modern society that maintains the status quo. His plans will kill all humans in Japan, but that includes the sorcerers, and his reasons for that are either unknown or vapid.

And all he brings to the table that Geto couldn't is a thousand years of vague plots hidden in the background. He was the Kyoto blood archer's distant evil ancestor! He knew Sukuna when he was alive! He was Yuji's mom! Why? Who knows. Maybe it's related to whatever Yuji's grandpa was going to tell him. Who cares.

If I can tinfoil-hat a little:

As you may know, Jujutsu Kaisen Zero was originally Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, a self-contained series in Jump Giga. It turned out to be surprisingly popular, so Gege Akutami was asked to do a full series in the main Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.

So Gege took the setting and general premise of what is now JJK0 and created a new plot around it—one that could keep readers at the edge for hundreds of chapters, if it wasn't cancelled before then. A series that could be stretched to hundreds of chapters obviously has different needs than a series that only needs to last four chapters.

I think Gege wanted to keep Geto as a villain, but realized that his plot worked better if his villain was old enough to be Sukuna's peer. (Someone Geto's age couldn't have meddled with Yuji's conception, after all.) And Gege's solution was to literally replace Geto with a villain that was similar to Geto in some ways, but was crucially much older.

I think that sucks! I don't know what Gege is trying to do with Kenjaku that he couldn't do with Geto, but I can't imagine it was worth throwing away the Geto we had for Ancient Evil McSorcerer. I didn't feel that way when I first read the Kenjaku reveal, but the longer I've read Kenjaku do stuff and the more I've thought about Real Geto, the less I like the former and the more I miss the latter.

[eliaah]

BLACK CLOVER

status: ongoing manga

— any members from any squads , other side characters.

— magic knight captains (except kaiser & gueldre).

— eye of the midnight sun, licht, liebe, lucius & zenon zogratis.

DEMON SLAYER / KIMETSU NO YAIBA

status: manga finished

— kamaboko squad, hashiras, kagaya ubuyashiki, & yoriichi tsugikuni.

— upermoons + muzan (except gyokko & hantengu).

JUJUTSU KAISEN

status: after shibuya arc

— all students & teachers (tokyo & kyoto)

— curses: choso & sukuna

— others: nanami kento, suguro geto, toji fushiguro

MY HERO ACADEMIA / BOKU NO HIRO

status: manga finished

— students: class 1A (except for mineta).

— UA big three

— heroes: eraser head, edgeshot, present mic, hawks, & best jeanist.

— villains: tomura shigaraki, himiko toga, dabi, & mr. compress.

WUTHERING WAVES

— all playable characters except for the minors.

— yhan, scar, phrolova, shorekeeper, xiangli yao, & camellya.

GENSHIN IMPACT

— all playable characters except for the minors.

[timetravellingkitty]

Has Gojo always been your favourite Jujutsu Kaisen character?

idk how surprising this is but nope! I just thought he was cool enough til the kyoto goodwill arc. my favourite character was originally nobara then it went from yuuji to megumi but then I got into jjk0 and he grew on me a LOT, his status as my favourite character was cemented by the time I finished gojo's past arc and now my top three are gojo, megumi and maki

[asukaskerian]

monthly word count - march

TOTAL: 4 512 ... *whine* can't-start-nothin-itis was REALLY bad this month. :( POSTED : nothin! IN PROGRESS (all bleach) -suburban ot4 (695 words) -daemon AU: the fullbringers arc (1 756 words) -bloodsport (83 words) (but i plotted more!) -pack fuckening epilogue (1 966 words) (maybe one fourth done. sob) -superheroes AU (12 words) (=_=) also posted: bleach - pack fuckening chapter 6. now to finish that friggin epilogue... hghghhh

-- suburban ot4 -- "Okay, release paperwork to sign, blank reports, address book..." Kurosaki is making his way down the stairs without looking, riffling through his satchel. "... Address is filled, permission slip for the Kyoto trip..." "Daddy's going to work?" "Mm yep," he hums back, still peering inside his bag as he wanders across the room. "Just for a little bit. Daddy's visiting a student and then coming back home." He drops a blind kiss on his son's skull, then another on his wife's-- Then pauses exactly two inches off Nelliel's hair, lips still pursed. "... Um." ... Pffhahaha. The bright, hopeful grin Nelliel sends him makes him heave a sigh, ears turning red. Grimmjow starts smirking wider in anticipation of heckling him into committing to it... Then he just does it on his own. The kiss he drops on her in turn lands on her fringe, at the top of her forehead -- more noisy and showy than real, but it still happens. She laughs, surprised, happy. Grimmjow laughs, more incredulous than anything. The princess presses a hand to her mouth to stifle giggles. "Where's mine, assh... butt?" Ichigo narrows his eyes meanly. Kazui calls out like a little town crier, in case the neighborhood's hard of hearing, "Assbutt!" and brandishes his drawing with both hands. -- daemon AU -- "... I suppose. But it's hard to find a way to talk to you without the... honor guard." Wow, the doubtful little pause in the middle, the harmless smile afterwards. The slow glide, in and out, of the tigress' claw tips, half-hidden behind her curled tail. "You could have come up while they were around," Rikuto says. "We really couldn't have," the tigress says, regretful. They stare at each other. Ichigo throws his bag, then hops across the gap after it. "Oh, they're nice." He bats dust off his pants legs, casually. "Well, most of them. Probably. Okay, where's the door?" The guy blinks, a little thrown. "You just got here and you already wanna leave? You don't have a problem with heights, I hope." Her Ichigo pauses to scowl at the guy, who replies with a smarmy grin, full of teeth. Rikuto snorts. Guys with big cats are all assholes, it seems. "Just sit down if you're scared," the guy drawls, playful mockery in every syllable. "I'll even lend you my jacket so you don't dirty your pants." "Dude," Ichigo deadpans back, "I already have a boyfriend." Then he rolls his eyes. So he misses the way the tigress' ears flick up; but Rikuto doesn't. "So who the hell are you and what were you stalking us for," she says, cutting through the oncoming bullshit and seven centuries of coy not-getting-to-the-point. It's a little satisfying to see the smarm slide off the guy's face to be replaced by seriousness. "Right. I'm Ginjō Kūgo. This is Yozora. We arrived in town last week, and... Ah, there's no good way of saying this." His brow knits into concern, worry. "How come you're surrounded by Fullbringers and not a one of them taught you how to do it?" -- pack fuckening epilogue -- He hopped over a tree trunk, and promptly caught his toe on it and tripped when his sleeve started ringing out of nowhere. His foot landed with a wet squelch in something unidentifiable; he plunged his hand down his sleeve to grab the spirit flip phone Urahara had inflicted on him somehow. "Yeah? -- oh, gross." "Who are you calling gross, little boy?" -- Oh. He stopped walking, phone pressed to his ear and one foot still up, trying to flick the weird mush out from between his toes. "Rukia? They called you in?" Just hearing her voice made his shoulders relax, his back straighten. He'd been feeling so -- "I came with the Captain-Commander." Her voice was all no-nonsense, extra-professional; Kyoraku was probably in the room with her. Ichigo tried not to feel too disappointed. He'd hoped... "Now Urahara-san tells us a garganta just opened and closed, can you confirm?" "Yeah, they just left. Peacefully and with half of my house's entire stock of pillows." He was rewarded with a little 'heh.' "And your estimated time of arrival at the shop?" "Oh, uh." Ugh. Five minutes if he flew, but he didn't want to fly. "Fifte... thirty minutes. I gotta... stuff." "Very well." She turned away from the phone, voice gone muffled as she relayed his words. Sigh. "Alright," she said all at once, in such a different tone he almost startled. "I'm in the ladies' room. Tell me why you're coming back on foot. Are you brooding?" Ichigo spluttered, and shoved a branch out of his face with a little more -- enthusiasm. (Relief.) "What the hell makes you think that?!" "If you were injured you'd say so. You wouldn't make poor Inoue cry thinking of you limping back through rough terrain on your lonesome." "...Mngh."   "Also... Ichigo, I'm an alpha too. Do you think I don't understand how it might feel to devote a couple nights slaking a lover's lust and shielding their most intimate vulnerabilities only for them to disappear in the morning?" He swallowed. Cleared his throat. "... I keep forgetting you're an alpha." "Bullshit you do, you're just a deviant." "Ugh, shut up. Nobody still goes by Sengoku era rules for friend groups." Fewer and fewer people even still held onto it for actual packs in the Living World, but Soul Society, he knew, held firmly to that rule at least. A household might have several omegas, and definitely several betas, but more than one, unrelated alpha? Too shocking. Kind of... gay. Rukia's voice went teasingly cloying. "There, there, it's okay if you consider me a senior alpha, a patriarch of sorts, a mentor in the ways of--" "I really, really don't." "Hmph. Upstart." "You really missed an occasion to call me a whippersnapper there."

[ghostiedreamsz]

JJK Fanfic announcement

In honor of Mechamaru’s storyline making me cry out in bitter agony that he never got to see Miwa for the 500th time this week I’m writing a JJK fantasy AU fanfic so look out for that

Potential silly ideas I might drop in there

Prince Megumi and his little knight companion Yuji

Jujutsu sorcerers are often just adventurers (mostly knights) who help save and protect the people of the kingdom

Ex-knight of the kingdom Maki

Yuta may or may not still be on trial for being cursed

NOBARA DOESN’T FUCKING DIE AU

The Kyoto kids and the Tokyo kids get along <3 most of the time

Ohoho Mechamaru is alive AU but I’ve got some special angst for him and Miwa BWAHAHAGAGA

Sukuna is a problem but probably not for a long while I want my silly little JJK characters to be happy for once

Also he’s just a guy. A very powerful guy, a King even, but he’s not haunting Yuji anymore

Satoru “Let the kids have fun for a bit” Gojo is still a major role but let’s be honest. Who cares if he’s the strongest he’s just here because I want him here

I need to catch up on manga chapters because I just finished Shibuya Arc literally three days ago and if new characters are coming in I might wanna bring them in idk

BUT LOOK OUT FOR THIS!!! I’LL POST IN ON AO3 WHEN I START WRITING IT

[kenkaodoll]

Hello there!

I just wanna stop by and say, thanks so much for your time and hard work for translating the Kamiya Dojo stories. You and Dtjninja are doing the Lord's work by translating the new RK materials ♥️ Anywho, have you finished watching S1 RK 2023? What do you think? Personally I think it's not bad, they follow the manga closely, so they just telling it as it is. The remake also felt more grounded I think, toning down the humor, the fight was more quicker, etc. But yeah it just makes me appreciate the OG more where they added their own flavour but it makes it more memorable. I guess if we never have RK anime before, most of us will definitely love the 2023 version more. Because fans, including me, can't help but comparing it with the OG. I'm still looking forward to Kyoto arc but most of us already know what's gonna happen, haha. It's Jinchuu arc that I feel will make the show shines better.

It was my pleasure 😊. I hope you enjoy the Kamiya Dojo stories.

As for 2023 Anime, I love it!! I think most of the fans have nostalgic bias for the 90s anime, and it's okay 😅. Personally, I love the 2023 remake more because of how close it is with manga and how the dynamics between Kenshin, Kaoru, and the Kenshingumi are drawn. It looks subtle, with details how Kenshin reacts in anime warm my heart (kudos to Saito Soma who nailed it).

Yet, we still have Kyoto and Jinchuu to look forward.