#like i really love cowboy motifs and i love a villain so much

[mr-malumm]

NASTY SNAKE MAN FOR MY BESTIES DTIYS ON INSTA!!!!!

[x0401x]

Febri Talk Interview with Jin (Complete)

Commissioned by the lovely @sodasexual​ again!

Part 1: overwhelmed by the power of friendship in “The☆Doraemons: Kaitou Dorapan no Chousenjou!”

Musician and creator Jin has been bringing countless topical works to the world, including “Kagerou Project”. In the first part of this serial interview, we had him talk about a work from the series “The☆Doraemons”, which he experienced in his childhood and continued to be influenced by for a long time.

A work that unexpectedly became one of the origins of “Kagerou Project”.

——Jin-san, we would like to ask you about anime shows that have had an influence on you, following in order from your infancy onwards, so would the first one be “The☆Doraemons: Kaitou Dorapan no Chousenjou!” (hereon, “The☆Doraemons”), which came out in the year 1997?

Jin: That’s right. I watched this one in the theaters when I was either 7 or 8 years old. It’s an animation short that was screened together with “Doraemon: Nobita no Neji-maki Toshi Bounen-ki”, and it had one hell of an impact on me. At the time, I was living in an isolated island in Hokkaido called Rishiri Island, so just getting to watch a movie was quite a spectacle in itself (laughs). Actually, not many animes were broadcasted in Rishiri Island to begin with. There were few channels, and other than that, they aired those black-and-white period dramas in cable TV, I guess.

——No, I think that last one is a stretch (laughs). Did you watch “Doraemon” because you liked it from the start?

Jin: I liked it a lot. But the so-called “The☆Doraemons” is a spin-off about six friends of different colors. If I were to talk about the contents of “Kaitou Dorapan” in a summarized way, it’s the story of the Doraemons receiving a letter of challenge from an mysterious enemy called Dorapan, then completely getting caught into his trap and falling into a pinch... And, surprisingly, Doraemon isn’t active at all in this movie (laughs).

——Aah, it’s a work where the Doraemon friends are the main characters, right?

Jin: That’s right. A duo that didn’t have much popularity among the friends, Dora-med III and Dora-rinho, were set as the main characters in this one (laughs). Of course, I didn’t go watch it thinking that Doraemon would participate actively, but he almost doesn’t do anything. Instead, we were shown these two, who are something like sub-characters, in a big scuffle. But when it ended, I began to really like Dora-med III and Dora-rinho.

——Ahaha. So you totally got into it.

Jin: They had something called a “Friendship Telephone Card”, which was introduced as a key item, and this “friendship” thing made the back of my nose sting – that was the kind of feeling I got from it. Dorapan, the one who plays the role of villain in this movie, attempts to take control of robots from all over the world using the power of the Doraemons’ Friendship Telephone Card. However, there’s actually a mastermind behind the scenes, and one heroine is taken hostage, so Dorapan is doing bad deeds because he has no choice. We find this out in the middle of the movie, and at that moment, Dora-rinho goes, “I see; so that’s what was going on” and voluntarily tries to sacrifice himself. By believing in self-sacrificing friendship, everyone was able to reach a happy ending. That kind of storyline was truly wonderful... To tell you the truth, the initial motif of Kagerou Project (hereon “KagePro”) was this movie.

Making KagePro out of wanting to create his own “Doraemons”.

——Eeh, is that so!?

Jin: I created KagePro because I wanted to write about friendship, or rather, I wanted to make my own “Doraemons”. I started KagePro when I was about 20 years old, as I was vaguely beginning to realize that friendship apparently doesn’t exist at that point in life (laughs). Also, same goes to music, of course, but among the books I was reading back then, quite a lot of them had cynical views. Although these stories were my own taste, I also had the impression that there was a generational trend in them, like “people shouldn’t look at this if they’re dumb” and “those who understand this thing are admirable”. Therefore, I did my best to pretend to be like that at first, but I gradually grew tired of it...

——Ahaha. You were getting out of breath.

Jin: That’s right. So, when I looked back, I thought, “I do like ‘Kaitou Dorapan’ after all”. Therefore, if I was going to make something by myself, I decided to use it as the theme. In that sense, amongst the things I watched in my childhood, this work was a turning point. After watching it in the theater for the first time, I watched it over and over again as rental video, and because of this, I even now remember the moments when the sound effects come in.

——Generation-wise, you’re precisely from the generation of “The☆Doraemons”.

Jin: Yeah, spot-on. Also, the Doraemons from “The☆Doraemons” are comical and cute, but on the other hand, they show us that they are extremely strong-willed characters. Moreover, the Doraemons are rich in individuality – as in, everyone is irregular and there are some characters that make you go, “Isn’t that a problem?” amongst them. For example, the wolf Dora-nichov can’t speak human language (laughs).

——I see! Thinking that way, I feel like I can see the points in common with KagePro.

Jin: Also, all of them are purely good guys. The fact that they’re all good people and only have one enemy is pretty awesome. I believe that this kind of thing has an influence on the KagePro series as a whole.

Part 2: paralyzed by the hardboiled worldview of “Cowboy Bebop”.

In the second part of this interview series, where we ask Jin about anime works that influenced him, we have “Cowboy Bebop”, a masterpiece still loved by many fans even now. Here, Jin, who works as both a musician and creator, discusses thoroughly about the appeal of it.

Learning the attitude and stance for creating things.

——You talked about how not many animes were aired in your homeland, but did you keep watching anime after that?

Jin: If you mean watching on TV, anime was what I enjoyed most. However, the shows on broadcast were limited, so when it comes to series that left an impression on me, it would be things like “Card Captor Sakura”, which I used to watch with my little sister. “Kinnikuman” was also re-aired and I liked it a lot. As expected, I was weak to “friendship” (laughs). When they were fighting for the throne or whatever, man, I cried, for real. This happened around the time I was in grade school, but when I got into middle school, I stopped watching anime entirely.

——And when you came back to it, it was right on time for...

Jin: For the series that I pointed out as second in line, “Cowboy Bebop”. Because my father had made up his mind to get his hands on a satellite television called SKY Perfect TV! I think he probably wanted to watch Discovery Channel, but back then, he also included Animax in the contract. And, by sheer coincidence, a re-run of “Cowboy Bebop” began right at that timing, around 2004 or 2005, I guess. I was a middle schooler then, and there were lots of CMs that went like, “Broadcast begins on X day of X month!” together with that opening theme by Kanno Youko-san.

——So that’s what caught your interest.

Jin: There was also the fact I’d been disconnected from anime for a while, so I watched the first episode not knowing anything. And the contents weren’t aimed at children at all (laughs). Dude sprayed an eye-drop drug into his eyes, went, “UWAH—!” and died, like.

——Ahaha. It was a shock.

Jin: “Cowboy Bebop” was my first time coming in contact with a hardboiled worldview. I was like, “What’s this? It’s so cool”. Until then, I had this impression that “anime was made for kids”, but for the first time, I felt like I was watching a drama. Plus, the story was interesting, so I was super hooked as I watched it, and while doing so, the episode “Jamming with Edward” (episode 9) had an impact on me.

——Satou Dai-san was the one who wrote the script for it, right? You later came to work together with Satou-san in “LISTENERS”.

Jin: That’s right. It was such an impact that it had me thinking, “You wouldn’t be able to do that in a TV drama”. And so, this ninth episode had me completely addicted to it, and in the end, I watched it up to the finale. Later on, when I began my own creations, I noticed that what I was doing overlapped with “Cowboy Bebop”, and when this happened, I realized I was doing something quite risky (laughs). To top it off, just when I thought, “There must be lots of animes like that out there”, there was surprisingly none.

The coolness of affirming that KagePro has both pop and hardcore songs and that this is what it is about!

——Ahaha. Did “Cowboy Bebop” have any influence on you? For example, on the music side...

Jin: Hmm... if you put it that way, maybe not (laughs). Only in the variety aspect of the narrative, as people call it. Each one of the 26 episodes has wholly different colors, so to say. They felt like a gashapon from which you couldn’t tell what was coming out next.

——Like, although there were episodes where they threw in comedy to their hearts contentment, there were also episodes that showed vigorous action.

Jin: When I think about it, there are also episodes that go through a simple approach by way of genres that even I would know. I think the creators must’ve had a lot of fun when making them. So when it comes to what influenced me, it I think it was the variation of songs. I think there probably aren’t that many composers like me, who make songs one by one and have no idea what song to write next.

——As in, you do it while intentionally deciding to change the tone and genre?

Jin: Rather than that, I guess it happens naturally. I was always the type who doesn’t listen to the same genre all the time – it’s like, “Today is rock day; tomorrow is punk day”. I believe it’s possible that “Cowboy Bebop” made me think this kind of feeling was valid. The themes also don’t have to be consistent, and even if you turn upside-down the things that you had been asserting in a previous episode, their value and meaning will still hold. Moreover, I didn’t think that the people who made “Cowboy Bebop” had to plan this stuff up in their heads and study about it so that they could put it to action. It just so happened that when they drew out the things they like and lined them up, it turned out the way it did.

——So they didn’t do it while aiming for that, but rather, it turned out to have a sense of variety to it when it was finished.

Jin: And I think it’s amazing because it validates itself with that. So I guess being able to say all we have to say is what actually matters (laughs). If I were to affirm, “This is what KagePro is about!”, then that’d be pretty much it. Even though there are both pop and hardcore songs in KagePro, nobody can say, “That doesn’t feel like KagePro”. That’s why I think that the coolness of proudly declaring, “That’s what it is!” is something I learned from Bebop. Like, “This is what’s cool”. It feels like, on my own accord, I accepted something that was like a stance to be taken when you create these kinds of things.

Part 3: obsessing over “Tokyo Godfathers”, which had developments where one couldn’t predict what lay ahead.

This is the third part of the interview series where the creator Jin talks about works that influenced him. Here, he discusses about a hidden masterpiece from the director Kon Satoshi, which also had a great influence on “Kagerou Project” and which he encountered during his vocational school years, while living a wasteful life.

——The third work is “Tokyo Godfathers” by Director Kon Satoshi, but when was it that you watched it?

Jin: It was during my vocational school years. After graduating from high school, I attended a vocational music school located in Sapporo, but my upperclassmen from that school taught me many bad ways of having fun (laughs). I used to buy lots of sick equipment. Then, obviously, I’d run out of money, so I worked to death in part-time jobs, and well, lived a wasteful life (laughs), but during that time, a friend from my class lent me a DVD of “Hidamari Sketch”. At first, I told him, “Nah, I’m not too into this kinda stuff”, but when I took it home and watched it, I wailed aloud.

——Ahaha.

Jin: That’s why I asked Asumi Kana-san (who voices Yuno) to play KagePro’s main heroine... Anyhow, “Hidamari Sketch” became the cue for me to start watching anime again. And Director Kon Satoshi was from Sapporo, so it was probably being featured in a video shop. “Tokyo Godfathers” is a 2003 movie, but I saw it in the video in 2008 or 2009.

——What piqued your interest about it?

Jin: It was tremendously well-done and fun, and on top of that, it was sharp – a work like no other up until then, I thought. A dramatic production with parallel storylines focusing on different characters is incorporated within the span of about an hour and half as if it weren’t enough. During that same time, there were also works by Mitani Kouki-san and Isaka Koutarou-san’s “Golden Slumber” was being made into live action, so I believe that the so-called multi-protagonist story kind of approach was being used in all sorts of places. But even among them, “Tokyo Godfathers” was outstandingly interesting. “Where the heck is this story heading to?” You can’t tell at all until the end. Three homeless people pick up a baby on Christmas night and try to take her to her mother, but as the story goes on, it gets to a climax like, “Does she even have a mother in the first place?”. Plus, we find out that the person who they thought to be the mother and handed the baby over to is actually someone who kidnapped her from a hospital. The story just keeps changing over and over.

As the story progresses, the characters’ pasts become visible. It was interesting that the past and present were firmly bound together.

——We can’t predict what comes next at all, huh?

Jin: So, the topic will go back to KagePro now: when I thought of writing a novel, first of all, I decided that I “wanted to do a multi-protagonist story”. To make a story like the one from “The☆Doraemons” into a multi-protagonist story. Back then, I really liked the type of novels that went on in first person – such as works by Isaka-san or Morimi Tomihiko-san, and also Yonezawa Honobu-san.

——I see, I see.

Jin: On the other hand, “Tokyo Godfathers” is structured so that the characters’ pasts can be seen more and more as the story progresses. As if the story progresses with the past mini-arcs as the main focus. Like, “Person A and Person B were actually parent and child!” – it was interesting that the past and the present were bound together so firmly. Moreover, the developments go on at an incredible speed, and there’s a proper catharsis at the end. Also, all the characters that show up in it have rich facial expressions.

——To begin with, the fact that the three main characters are homeless is a twist.

Jin: In the first place, it starts with the main heroine spitting onto people in the streets from a rooftop (laughs). I really like those sharp-edged points of it too. “Tokyo Godfathers” has a content that can be written even if the protagonists were parent and child from an ordinary household. But through making the protagonists homeless, it became extremely vivid.

——It’s as if it turns them into down-to-earth characters and gives you a sensation that they connect with the audience’s “present”.

Jin: If I were to speak of other words by Director Kon Satoshi, I also think that “Paprika” and “Sennen Joyuu” are amazing. But on the other hand, I end up thinking, “They’re so wonderful”. As in, “Awesome, aren’t they? I don’t get them very well, though” (laughs). But “Tokyo Godfathers” is a candid form of entertainment that even an idiot like me can instantly get hooked on. The fact that I indeed want to keep doing entertainment resides strongly inside me.

——Listening to you talk like this, Jin-san, it makes me think that the books you read and movies you watched because you liked them reflect straightforwardly in your own manner of expressing yourself.

Jin: I myself think that I’m usually straightforward (laughs). Rather than “I want it to be seen like this” or “I want people to think of it like that”, I prioritize “I want to do this” and “this is fun”, so to say. By multiplying “The☆Doraemons” to “Tokyo Godfathers”, it turned into “Kagerou Project” (laughs). I feel like that’s my foundation.

[opportunistic-chicanery]

Reposting a list of Hacker’s loves and hates because the original post was an ask, but I like my response enough to make a post: He doesn't much like kids or dogs or people in general. He hates helping people. When he was younger he was more neutral because it was what he was programmed to do he'd have a natural affinity towards it. As we've seen in "True Colors", he's actually extremely knowledgeable about what different sites and people need. That's part of why he enjoys so much doing the exactly opposite now. His favorite part of being evil is not doing what would be the easiest thing in the world for him.

He also a compulsive cleaner stemming from anxiety. These days, he leaves a grunt job like cleaning to Buzz and Delete, but if he's really anxious he'll just start dusting everything even when he's outdoors.

He loves adventure serials. His favorites are the classics which were mostly wholesome, but with just a touch of edge. Nothing too hardcore. He loves cowboys. Derived from that, he also LOVES dressing for the occasion. Any chance to heroically pose in costume he'll take. Which is ironic because he's a villain, but he doesn't care as long as he gets to look cool.

He loves birds. He doesn't like Digit anymore, but the bird motif is still strong. He has a room with a few pets on the Wreaker and they get better treatment than Buzz and Delete. Could not care less about. His creation, Digit? Hope he chokes. His giant killer vulture? Will legit baby talk to him.

Other things include scrapbooking (he has tons of photo albums and a small hoarding problem), horseback riding (horses are annoying, but cool people ride horses) and setting up laser grids (both weaponized and non-weaponized).

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoldretired]

uhhhh pregame headcanon time

mostly himiko time but i got a few others to. also just so yal know, i prefer the pg! au where its a simulation a la sdr2. so. context.

HIMIKO TIME pg!himiko got her talent mostly as like a sick joke bc she’s desperate for meaning, so they give her a meaningless talent ahaha. but also. i think she’d prob practice witchcraft or like, or maybe just like really interested. also her magic talent comes from the fact she’s specialized in the slip of the hand if you know what i mean. the five finger discount. the buy none get all free deal. she’s a klepto, you guys. 

but besides that she like, really dislikes dr and thinks all of these guys are total weirdos but also she’s here so she’s a weirdo too. 

basically the same super apathetic kind of useless everyone’s a comedian personality as in drv3. but this time taking NO ONE’s bullshit super adamant about how she’s against killing and won’t do it. 

i want to see her insult lazily insult everyone else there bc she just cannot give a shit. regular himiko is depressed but in denial. pg himiko is depressed and leans way too far into that apathy. 

would bully the dr kinnies bc htat’s what pg characters are aksdlfjdal

i could see her getting some threats about her going first and how ppl cant wait to kill her and she’s like good! yes! please, thank you so much. 

kaito: cant wait to make you the first victim himiko: yea well cant wait to see you choke on your own blood space cowboy

on a side note, bc she’s surrounded by a bunch of people who literally cannot wait to have the chance to murder, she starts carrying one of those long tasers, covers it with floam and glitter, and carries it in a wand holster. ppl try to threaten her till shes like baap baap you had somethin to say? 

while she has slight of hand and some basic witchcraft down she’d prob really enjoy learning magic. tricks are fun. soemtimes she’ll do some to entertain people, but is really facetious when she says its magic. dr is literally a joke to her she is taking NONE of this seriously

ok but like bc i like to make myself suffer - i think she would’ve been friends with rantaro’s sister in school and like, comforted her during all of 52. himiko auditioned for 53 as like a joke but when she got in their friendship ended bc it felt like a betrayal to amami’s sister. angery.

she also has a weird relationship with amami bc she knew him from before, but pre 52 is not the same as post 52. she’s also like, one of the few people to treat rantaro as a normal person, so he appreciates that. he might ask questions about how his sister was going and himiko would be honest that it really fucked her up, but now, two people she loved are going on the show. so that’ll be worse.

when they’re both out of the game afterwards they spend a lot of time with rantaro’s sister, just making sure she’s ok. they both really goofed it up. but they gotta try to recover.

also bc i like to make myself suffer - p much her only friend in the pg like, photoshoots and prep time (prob a month) was korekiyo bc they were the two seminormal people who didn’t wat to be there. she was there bc she lacked all meaning, and kork was there to run away from home. i could see kork legitimately being interested in what himiko is learning and she could give them like, tarot readings or stuff. they made promises about how they’d stay friends and work together to make it out and teach people that you don’t have to be violent to win. 

when she gets out she remembers all these memories of their time together and the promises they made. maybe evne finds some photos or videos of the two of them together on her phone. she cries a lot for lost friendship/time

i do think their friendship would recover with a lot of therapy and time. but i’m talking a LOT of therapy and time.

related, i don’t think himiko can be friends with angie after the betrayals in dr, she’d stay friends with tenko, but have to set hard boundaries. i honestly realy hate tenko and himiko as a couple for the same reason i hate souda and sonia as a couple. 

uhhhhh she hates kaito’s guts

kaito hates hers

he LITERALLY is so excited to kill her like seeing her makes him see red

OK HARD SHIFT OVER TO RANTARO: rantaro’s whole schtick in 52 was a cowboy adventurer motif complete with the hat and a corduroy jacket. he keeps the jacket but not the hat, at least in training. it takes a while for his voice to adjust back to normal

rantaro was only chosen as a sacrifice for 53 bc he was either the mastermind or one of the final blackened, so his co ppl decided it as a punishment. you thought playing villain would win huh? fuk u. 2nd game amami

his hair was NOT green in 52 i could see him hving another pastel color like purple or silver tho

KORK: kork was running away from home and is super timid/quiet. really keeps to themselves. keeps the facemask ON as a protective measure might get misgendered a few times by kaito bc pg kaito is a dick but himiko would bite his head off for that. 

is super uncomfortable with their whole motif/outfit and is constantly worried its foreshadowing they’re gonna be a villain. himiko tries to console them and be like lol no that’d be way too obvious like evne if you do kinda look like a nazi on the dl they wouldn’t make it THAT obvious would they

they rlly would

everyone gets makeovers during the pg to fit their characters and they watned to cut kork’s hair and its literlaly the first time anyone saw them display any aggression pg. so instead they just let it be.

also pg wears it in a bun at the base of their neck insead of down bc its more convenient

kaito memeota: pg kaito is a piece of shit but we know that. but also i cant decide if he’s like, a piece of shit only in intervies and super full of himself but not as bad as he seems. or if he’s actually the type to kill a bird with his hands for a sick rush. 

the type to beat his wife. 

i love game kaito but the idea of pg kaito being the biggest piece of shit mother fucker is so interesting

doesn’t know jackshit about space and has to work damn HARD for that ultimate

idk would prob say the n word or something when he’s singing along to rap music. or maybe just period i could say pg kaito beig the worst

ryoma im telling u i do not think they changed a thing from his backstory and just erased the memories of him auditioning/training. i think that’s literally just him.

this guy has a box mod

kirumi worked in a hot topic/starbucks and that’s why she’s organized

actually really hates spiders and her motif freaks her out

chain smokes

actually really hates politics and is very prolific with her antifascist/activist beliefs and is PISSEd when she’s presented her backstory

would give people stick and pokes in the bathroom

owns a nightmare before christmas hoodie she wears to sleep and is mortified when someone finds it in the wash

ANGIE is a conspiracy theorist and flat earther and like. an amazing athiest type

literally the worst but so charismatic about it

prob runs a successful conspiracy podcast

facts and logic

pissed she didn’t get supreme leader

[matteredloyaltyaa]

really LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES.

repost , don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good luck !

TAGGED. I stole it. TAGGING. Go for it. lol

FULL NAME : Arthur M/organ NICKNAME : A handful. English, Cowboy/Cowpoke, Black Lung, etc. Common aliases are Tacitus Kilgore and Arthur Callahan. AGE : 36. BIRTHDAY : January 25th, 1836. ETHNIC GROUP : Caucasian. NATIONALITY : American. LANGUAGE / S : English, primarily. Knew a handful of Welsh thanks to his father, but it’s faded with disuse.  SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Bisexual, somewhat closeted.  ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Biromantic, somewhat closeted. RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Verse dependent, single-ship with @notanoutlaw in most. CLASS : Lower/working HOME TOWN / AREA : Arthur just mentions he was born “up north”, I headcanon around the Oregon area, possibly California due to his mother’s favorite flower, but it’s uncertain. Though, the place he laments the most about is New Austin, or “out west”.   CURRENT HOME : Transitory, he moves with the gang.  PROFESSION : Outlaw, occasional bounty hunter.

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Light brown, dark blonde in some lights. EYES : Unique eye colour, blue-grey-sorta hazel.  NOSE : Average, dimpled. Scarred from fighting and getting it broken a couple times.  FACE : Somewhat sharp features in the brow and cheekbones, square jaw.  LIPS : Full, can be dry/chapped.  COMPLEXION : Somewhat clear? Hard to tell. Dry, dirt spattered sometimes.  BLEMISHES : Uncertain. SCARS : A handful. Most notable are the one he has on his chin that is most visible with shorter facial hair, one across his nose, and the one left on his shoulder by the O’Driscolls in chapter 3.  TATTOOS : N/A HEIGHT : 6′0, possibly 6′1 WEIGHT : Uncertain, fluctuates.  BUILD : Stocky, broad shouldered and he can be fairly intimidating, especially when his weight is about average or above.  FEATURES : Look above? ALLERGIES : N/A USUAL HAIR STYLE : Right parted, about 3-5 in length. Though, for people who don’t know the system--fairly short, tufts out around his ears and may reach the back of his neck before he cuts it again. USUAL FACE LOOK : Expression wise, his kind of got a resting irritated face, sometimes bored. Rarely clean shaven unless he has to be, usually keeps a fair amount of stubble.  USUAL CLOTHING : I change him too much to say. Tends to keep his heavy navy blue winter jacket, jeans/ranch pants, some sort of button up shirt, and sometimes his tan leather jacket. Tends to keep his hat, however, unless he needs to go without. 

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Arthur has a mild one of change. He’s adaptable but he’s very sentimental and nostalgic, he will miss “old ways” and previous places. There’s also losing his usefulness, disappointing those who depend on him (much as he will get defensive when it happens). Post-Guarma, he does develop a fear of drowning. It won’t keep him from swimming, but getting swept or held underwater may cause some panic. Post-game au, he does fear about getting sick again and actively avoids doctors.  ASPIRATION / S : Uncertain, just wants to get out of the mess he’s in and eventually just wants a calm existence somewhere. However, once he’s diagnosed with TB, his main goal is getting those who want/will listen to him out of the gang as it starts to fall down. POSITIVE TRAITS : Caring, compassionate (to people he knows, might not be clear on first impression), intelligent (much as he may say the opposite and isn’t exactly book smart), observational, brave, humorous (in certain situations and may be a cover sometimes), friendly (somewhat, changes as he ages), artistic, creative, loyal, etc. NEGATIVE TRAITS : Violent, murderer (doesn’t do it without reason but he knows he’s killed more than he certainly should), defensive, (passive) aggressive, sarcastic, depressive, self-deprecating, selfish, rude (sometimes intentional, sometimes not), conflicted, stubborn, reckless (sometimes, has mellowed out with age but it’s still there), self destructive (sometimes), money-driven (not always a flaw but he’s easily swayed by money). MBTI : ISFJ-T - Turbulent Defender  ZODIAC : Aquarius  TEMPERAMENT : Phlegmatic-Melancholic ANIMALS : I’m not going to take the quiz because the game is very heavy handed with the whitetail buck motif for high honor Arthur. lol VICE HABIT / S : Smoking, drinking, etc. FAITH : Non-religious. GHOSTS ? : Generally, the existence of ghosts isn’t something he completely writes off after he’s witnessed the few in the game, but he’s also hard pressed to admit to believing in them outright. AFTERLIFE ? : Not in any sort of defined sense. He’ll often say he doesn’t believe in one or it won’t be a nice one for him if there is, but he finds himself nervous about the subject once he gets sick.  REINCARNATION ? : He doesn’t know enough about it. ALIENS ? : Not really? Doesn’t really know he’s looking at a UFO when he sees it. POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : Don’t start. ECONOMIC PREFERENCE : Uncertain. SOCIOPOLITICAL POSITION : Uncertain. EDUCATION LEVEL : Does not have a formal education on even the basic levels (primary, high school, etc), however Hosea and Dutch have taught him to read and write and he’s learned a handful of things when it comes to survival and his lifestyle. However, he’s not exactly book smart or the “book learnin’ type”. 

FAMILY. FATHER : Lyle M/organ, deceased. MOTHER : Beatrice M/organ, deceased. SIBLINGS : No blood related, but considers John as one along with a couple other members of camp. EXTENDED FAMILY : He has a few uncles, aunts, and cousins, but he’s not in touch. Issac, his son, and his mother, Eliza, who are both deceased. Mary L/inton/Gillis, ex-fiance. (Cain Kennedy, lover - @notanoutlaw) NAME MEANING / S : Arthur - English, “noble, courageous”, Morgan - (and I’m going against what’s been said in fandom) - Celtic/Welsh surname, comes from Old Welsh name Morcant - “mor” as “sea” and “cant” as “circle”.    HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : Uncertain in the game, but it’s been pointed out about King Arthur and also Morgan le Fay, which highlights his struggle with good vs evil themes in his character. 

FAVOURITES. BOOK : Uncertain, mostly non-fiction. MOVIE : -- 5 SONGS : -- DEITY : Doesn’t know enough to give a favorite. HOLIDAY : Christmas, in a way. Not quite for the religious context, but he enjoys the hunting and cooking the gang does to celebrate, singing and talking over fires. He remembers it vividly when he was younger, so it’s stuck with him. MONTH : April-May. SEASON : late spring, early summer. PLACE : He likes most places in wilderness, give him something with a view and he’s good. WEATHER : Sunny, average weather. Not too hot, not too cold. SOUND : Rain, birds, etc. SCENT / S : Again, rain, campfires, etc. TASTE / S : Prefers savory over sweet.   FEEL / S : Weightlessness in his limbs once he’s able to sit/lay down after a long day, fingers in his hair, etc. ANIMAL / S : Horses, dogs, cats, animals. NUMBER : He hasn’t given it much thought. COLOUR : Blues, greens, deeper colours.

EXTRA. TALENTS : Sharpshooting, Arthur’s got impeccable aim and speed when using guns, there’s also his drawing, he’s getting fairly good at tracking, etc. BAD AT : Admitting to mistakes, expressing himself emotionally, adhering to rules, anything overly scientific, etc. TURN ONS : Sense of humor, confidence or self-assurance, kindness and/or compassion, dark hair, etc. TURN OFFS : Hypocrisy (much as he suffers from that himself), cockiness (has a limit before confidence becomes a turn off), excessive or needless cruelty, etc. HOBBIES : Drawing, writing in his journal, hunting, wandering around/sight seeing, etc. TROPES : Anti-Hero/Anti-Villain,The Atoner, The Big Guy, Jerk with a Heart of Gold, Obfuscating Stupidity, etc. AESTHETIC TAGS : Horses, old west, deserts, nature, gun slinging, writing, drawing, photography, etc. 

FC INFO. MAIN FC / S : R/oger Clark, mainly in game icons so I haven’t found a need for one. ALT FC / S : -- OLDER FC / S : -- YOUNGER FC / S : -- VOICE CLAIM / S : R/oger Clark GENDERBENT FC / S :

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if you could write your character your way in their own movie , what would it be called , what style would it be filmed in , and what would it be about ? A1 : I actually REALLY enjoy the game’s story line, much as I feel the redemption through death is overplayed and not as deep as people make it out to be. I’d find a way to subvert that or some alternative, but idk. I like the game’s story. lol

Q2 : what would their soundtrack / score sound like ? A2 : Western-y. IDK? The game’s soundtrack is actually really good too so.  Q3 : why did you start writing this character ? A3 : I love his development and progression as a character, and even with the trailers where he seemed no more than an angry outlaw there was a part of me that was still “hmm” about writing him. Ultimately, he’s grown to mean a lot to me and I really enjoy writing for him on this blog.  Q4 : what first attracted you to this character ? A4: As mentioned above, Arthur probably has one of the best character progressions I’ve seen in a while imo. Even in the beginning, I went in under the impression that I’d be playing as this outlaw so the violence and gruffness wasn’t too much of a surprise, much as I wasn’t too attached until later chapters in the game because of this. However, as I spent more time playing as him and reading his journal, seeing how he interacts with strangers and people he loves, he has some depth to him and some deep rooted flaws and insecurities that are played very well in the game. He’s probably one of the few character deaths I’ve cried over. lol Q5 : describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 : I have to be truthful, Arthur’s an asshole. lol I didn’t like and still don’t like him from Colter into Horseshoe in behavior and personality, much as it’s lessened from my first play of the game because I know what happens to him and how he grows. However, while he’s not blind to himself and how he acts, he doesn’t think for himself really. Even if he hates debt collecting, he does it for the gang and even tells Strauss he does it for pleasure at a point (sarcastic or not, considering they are talking about Thomas, a man trying to raise money for charity while suffering poverty himself on top of having TB), he does whatever Dutch tells him, among many other things. It’s not until later in the game that the theme of grasping redemption comes into play, and he starts to act and think for himself a little more once things start to spiral. As much as I love him with all my heart, Arthur’s got some deep flaws that are hard to ignore.   Q6 : what do you have in common with your muse ? A6 : HHHhh. I’d say we suffer from similar self-esteem issues, not just in body image but morality of character (much as his are way more complicated than mine jaksfha), we also have a similar sense of humor...Yeah, idk. I’m attached to him as a character and I can relate to him in certain ways, but it’s hard to pinpoint.  Q7 : how does your muse feel about you ? A7 : Idk, he’s pixels? Though, for the sake of a fun answer, I genuinely don’t know? We can be fairly similar in mannerisms and thought process (at points), but I have no idea if we’d actually get along if by some universe rip we were able to meet.  Q8 : what characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ? A8: I don’t want to get specific, I interact with a lot of interesting characters. Anybody who’s put me out of a comfort zone or forced me to look at Arthur in the different way has definitely stood out. Q9 : what gives you inspiration to write your muse ? A9 : The game itself is a good source, I enjoy putting up lets plays of it in the background sometimes if I’m struggling or just need something that isn’t music. I get more muse putting together blog playlists than playing them, but there’s that, too. Also generally plotting or talking about him can pull some to the forefront. Q10 : how long did this take you to complete ? A10 : An hour or so, I think?

[himitsusentaiblog]

I remember a time when Ninninger and Kamen Rider Ghost shared a block for a while. *shudders*

It was not the worst I have seen… though it could have been MUCH better.  Shuriken Sentai Ninninger suffered from having probably the WORST actor playing a Red I have ever seen and giving him way too much the weight of the story to carry when he obviously didn’t have the acting chops to do so.  That said, it wasn’t totally bad.

It did give us:

Ninja Engineer College Inventor Badass Planner Kasumi.  Seriously, when the show first started, I watched it almost entirely for her.  She’s amazing and one of the best actors in the series.  Every episode that focused on her (aside from that awful two-parter about her losing her confidence) were gold!

Speaking of Gold, it also gave us:

Super Enthusiastic Party Night Cowboy Selfie America Ninja. Kinji was really what saved the show for me.  As much as I loved Kasumi, I was ready to give up after about 8 episodes until Kinji showed up in episode 10. I love seeing American stereotypes though the eyes of the Japanese.  Sure, he’s not the BEST American Ninja ever (that right goes to Ninja Black from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger who’s actor was actually born in the USA and spoke perfect English) but his super enthusiasm and cowboy motif won me over.

On the villains side, I really liked:

Evil Secret Illegitimate Kitsune Son Thief Asshole Apprentice Ninja. Kyuemon Izayoi is a great villain and the reveal towards the end of his true nature and his connection to the big bad was great.  He was ruthless, manipulative and the best villain the show had to offer.  

As for Kamen Rider Ghost… Oh Boy… 

I have talked at length before on how I feel about that show.  It wasted a lot of potential and left a lot of things unanswered.  I think it was the weakest Kamen Rider series since Decade (though Decade is still worse from a muddled story perspective and lack of character growth imho).  That said, it still has some things that kept me watching.

First and foremost of those was:

Skeptical Science Inventor Best Friend! To me, Akari was the real heroines of Ghost.  Even in the face of what seemed like overwhelming evidence of the supernatural, she refused to believe there wasn’t a scientific explanation behind all of what was going on.  The fact that she was eventually vindicated and even gained her own arch-foe made it all the better.  She never gave up, never sat back and let the boys do all the work and was a critical member of the team in every situation. She was also always the voice of reason and often the team motivator, keeping people going when they were ready to give up. 

I also liked:

Not-Ghost But Totally A Ghost Rider Man In Blue With A Sister Complex. Seriously, when Kamen Rider Spectre first showed up, I was so happy.  Sure, I knew he was going to become one of the heroes eventually but his color scheme was so much cooler (literally and figuratively) than Ghost’s bright orange and black. He had a good motive for why he was doing what he was doing, even if he was being used by less then good forces and turned into a solid ally.  His was another case of a secondary rider I was more interested in than the titular hero of the show.

So yeah, two lackluster shows that had some serious, SERIOUS flaws yet still had their good points. Did those good points outweigh the bad?  Well, that’s all a matter of personal opinion.  Do I regret having invested time in watching either of them?  Nope.  Time spent with tokusatsu to me is never time wasted.  Plus, I watched them with a friend and it’s always fun to watch something and discuss it with someone else.

Are the current shows better?  Well, I adore Dobutsu Sentai Zyuohger and I’m still sort of on the fence about Kamen Rider Ex-Aid.  Yet again, I will keep watching both to the end and I am VERY excited for Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger so the future still looks bright for Toei tokusatsu. We just have to accept the missteps and the seasons we don’t particularly enjoy along with the stellar shows the franchises bring us.

[valkyri-anna]

This Post is About Anime Openings

I got bored one time and decided to figure out what my top 25 favorite anime opening songs are so here they are

25. Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town - THE DU - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable

This one is on here almost just because I wanted it to be better. I pretty much knew it was going to end up at the bottom of the list, because a part of me definitely hates this song, but that’s largely because it just doesn’t feel like a Jojo opening. Just imagine moving from the god-tier song that is “end of THE WORLD” to this. It starts out really strong but just goes downhill starting with the chorus.

24. Go!!! - Flow - Naruto

Here’s your nostalgia entry. This song is really stupid but I love it anyway. I was never super into Naruto, and when I was into it I read the manga, but this song is so strongly associated with middle school for me, and the fact that I don’t hate it speaks to how fun it is.

23. Database - Man with a Mission ft. Takuma - Log Horizon

This is a rare anime song that could be better if it was sung by a native English speaker. You can tell English isn’t the singer’s first language, because obviously he’s Japanese, and I think having someone with less of an accent would benefit the song. That said, I do like it, and it works well for a series which is basically just Sword Art Online, except good.

22. For Real - Tokuyami Hidenori - Saiyuki

I don’t like Saiyuki. I tried to watch it, and it just wasn’t very good. Maybe it was good in the 90′s, but if that’s true it definitely doesn’t hold up. However, the opening song is a window to the past in the best kind of way. This is an opening straight from the Sailor Moon era with a sick injection of unnecessary guitar riff.

21. Red Fraction - Mell - Black Lagoon

This song is WEIRD, and it fits Black Lagoon so well. Unlike Database, Mell’s vocals work well for creating the feel the song is going for. Its strange industrial sound gets you way in the mood for a dark slice-of-life about gun-slinging mercenaries, which is perfect since that’s what Black Lagoon is.

20. Sirius - Eir Aoi - Kill la Kill

This song might have ended up here because I had just started watching Kill la Kill when I made this list, but I still like this song. Eir Aoi’s voice is powerful and fun to listen to, and this ridiculous opening is perfect for a ridiculous series like Kill la Kill. It’s like the early 2000′s anime world in a song.

19. We Go! - Hiroshi Kitadani - One Piece

For me, this was the first One Piece opening to capture the fun of “We Are,” and a perfect way to kick off the series’ second half. The punchy, fun music and clever lyrics created what is easily the second best opening the series has had thus far.

18. The Day - Porno Graffiti - My Hero Academia

Here’s a hyped-up song for a hyped-up show. A series about superheroes deserves a super song, and Porno Graffiti delivers it. The punchy drums and powerful vocals always get me excited, and it’s a shame the series’ second opening didn’t live up to “The Day’s” precedent.

17. Tank! - The Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop

I’m gonna be honest and say I’ve never actually seen Cowboy Bebop, but I definitely still love this opening. The jazzy, upbeat music marks a style of opening that I absolutely adore, and you won’t see the last of it on this list with “Tank!”

16. Stand Proud - Jin Hashimoto - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Of the four Jojo openings that actually feel like Jojo openings, “Stand Proud” is the worst, but it’s definitely still good. The lyrics cleverly call back to Part 1 of JJBA, fitting considering the show’s main villain. It may not be as good as the two openings that came before or the one that came after, but it still manages to be pretty good.

15. Guns and Roses - Paradise Lunch - Baccano!

Told you you’d see this style again. If “Tank!” was fun, “Guns and Roses” is hysterical. It’s fast, fun, and exciting. The lack of lyrics gives the viewer a lot more room to focus on the 12 million characters on screen, and the upbeat music fits the manic characters perfectly.

14. Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C - Maeyamada Kenichi - Nichijou

I’ll confess that I have a major soft spot for silly, girly, slice-of-life anime openings. The first Yuru Yuri opening could have easily taken a spot on this list, but I only wanted one such song and I think this one is more fun. The duet works so well and it’s adorable. Also, the guitar solo in the middle is a most welcome surprise.

13. The Hero!! - JAM Project - One Punch Man

The original mega-hype mega-song! I don’t know what to say about this song that hasn’t already been said. It rocks. It’s cool. It works for the series. I don’t know.

12. Mazeru na Kiken - Kinniku Shojo Tai - Ushio to Tora

The thing that stood out to me most about this series was the art style, and the second thing was the opening. It’s definitely the closest thing to classic metal I’ve heard in an anime opening, and it works really well. The over-the-top opening primes you perfectly for the over-the-top show that follows.

11. Re: Re: - Asian Kung Fu Generation - Erased

Another series I haven’t seen all the way through, but I do really like this opening. The guitar riff playing throughout is really cool, and the energetic but almost melancholy vocals are so interesting to listen to. It works perfectly.

10. end of THE WORLD - Jin, Coda, and Hiroaki Tominaga - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

If Stardust Crusaders was a series about calling back to what came before you, “end of THE WORLD” was the perfect song, and a perfect way to kick off our top ten. It brings back the singers for all three previous openings and puts together an almost theatrical experience that never ceases to amaze me.

9. Guren no Yumiya - Linked Horizon - Attack on Titan

Yes, it’s THAT Attack on Titan opening. I don’t need to explain this one any further, I don’t think.

8. A Cruel Angel’s Thesis - Yoko Takahashi - Neon Genesis Evangelion

This song needs no introduction. Everyone knows Evangelion and everyone knows this song. It doesn’t match the tone of the series at all, but I couldn’t imagine NGE opening any other way. Yoko Takahashi is a goddess.

7. 99 - Mob Choir - Mob Psycho 100

Now here’s a song that couldn’t have gone with any series other than the one it was made for. This song really loses something in the TV version, because the counting motif throughout is so cool, and they had to skip a lot of the middle to fit it into a minute and a half. If you listen to this song, make sure it’s the full version.

6. Bloody Stream - Coda - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency

I have to first make an honorable mention for “Awaken,” the theme of the Pillar Men, because if that was an opening it would have beat this. That said, if “So no Chi no Sadame” captures Jonathan’s chivalry, “Bloody Stream” capture’s Joseph’s fiery spirit. This was the perfect song for Battle Tendency and it’s extremely fun to listen to.

5. Rin! Rin! Hi! Hi! - Hashiguchikanaderiya Hugs the Superball - Nanbaka

The perfect mix of suave and fun finds itself a home in this song. The singer’s smooth vocals and the unrelenting guitar mix better than they have any right to to make a song that stays fresh every time you listen to it.

4. R.O.D. - YKZ - R.O.D. the TV

Ok, I promise this is the last jazzy opening entry on this list, but it’s the best. It captures the Hong Kong action feel of the show’s best action sequences and I truly do love it. It takes a high spot on this list for all the right reasons.

3.  We Are! - Vic Mignogna - One Piece

I mentioned “We Are!” earlier and it’s not my third favorite anime opening for nothing. Vic Mignogna has managed to lend his voice to the only English dub of an anime opening I actually prefer to the original. I didn’t even start One Piece until 2015, but this song still makes me nostalgic. Honorable mention to the “Friendship Version” of this song, if there was a version of that featuring the English voice cast, that would likely have taken the number one or two spot.

2. Again - Yui - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

This song is perfect. Yui is perfect. Not a lot of singers can carry a verse like she can, and not many bands capture an almost Nirvana-like energy dynamic like she does here. Only one song by one singer could have possibly beat her, and it’s...

1. So no Chi no Sadame - Hiroaki Tominaga - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood

No one but Tominaga could have made this song sound as good as it does. Jonathan Joestar is far and away anime’s best-ever boy, and he deserves anime’s best-ever opening. The brass, the vocals, the guitar, everything comes together perfectly to create a song that’s fresh, unique, and PERFECT IN EVERY WAY, JUST LIKE JOJO, I LOVE YOU JOJO PLEASE COME BACK TO US

So anyway that was 25 anime openings that I like, if you made it through this list congratulations